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Sample records for huge electrocaloric effect

  1. Enhanced electrocaloric effect in La-based PZT antiferroelectric ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendez-González, Y.; Peláiz-Barranco, A.; Yang, Tongqing; Guerra, J. D. S.

    2018-03-01

    The electrocaloric effect (ECE) has been investigated in (Pb0.98La0.02)(Zr0.95Ti0.05)0.995O3 antiferroelectric ceramics obtained via the solid-state reaction method. The results from indirect measurements across the temperature range considered reveal a large electrocaloric temperature change (ΔT) of approximately 5 K at 373 K. The enhanced ECE, which is significantly higher than those reported for some lead-free and lead-based electro-ceramics, was obtained by applying an electric field of 60 kV/cm lower than what has been reported for commonly studied ceramic systems. This result suggests that this system is a potential candidate for practical electrocaloric device applications.

  2. Lead-free Ba0.8Ca0.2(ZrxTi1−x)O3 ceramics with large electrocaloric effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asbani, B.; Dellis, J.-L.; Lahmar, A.; Gagou, Y.; El Marssi, M.; Courty, M.; Djellab, K.; Amjoud, M.; Mezzane, D.; Kutnjak, Z.

    2015-01-01

    The electrocaloric effect was investigated in lead-free Zr doped Ba 0.8 Ca 0.2 (Zr x Ti 1−x )O 3 (BCTZ) ceramics synthesized by a conventional sintering process. Room-temperature x-ray diffraction analysis showed that the tetragonal structure is obtained in BCTZ for x ≤ 0.08 and a pseudo cubic phase for x > 0.08. The dielectric spectroscopy and calorimetry revealed that the Curie temperature decreases as a consequence of Zr doping and that the BCTZ exhibits a first order ferroelectric phase transition. The electrocaloric effect was determined by the calculation of the electrocaloric change of temperature (ΔT) using the Maxwell relation based on the P–E hysteresis loops measured at different temperatures. A large electrocaloric responsivity ΔT/ΔE = 0.34 × 10 −6  Km/V was found for x = 0.04, which significantly exceeds of values found so far in other lead-free electrocaloric materials

  3. Why is the electrocaloric effect so small in ferroelectrics?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. G. Guzmán-Verri

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Ferroelectrics are attractive candidate materials for environmentally friendly solid state refrigeration free of greenhouse gases. Their thermal response upon variations of external electric fields is largest in the vicinity of their phase transitions, which may occur near room temperature. The magnitude of the effect, however, is too small for useful cooling applications even when they are driven close to dielectric breakdown. Insight from microscopic theory is therefore needed to characterize materials and provide guiding principles to search for new ones with enhanced electrocaloric performance. Here, we derive from well-known microscopic models of ferroelectricity meaningful figures of merit for a wide class of ferroelectric materials. Such figures of merit provide insight into the relation between the strength of the effect and the characteristic interactions of ferroelectrics such as dipolar forces. We find that the long range nature of these interactions results in a small effect. A strategy is proposed to make it larger by shortening the correlation lengths of fluctuations of polarization. In addition, we bring into question other widely used but empirical figures of merit and facilitate understanding of the recently observed secondary broad peak in the electrocalorics of relaxor ferroelectrics.

  4. Electrocaloric effect of PMN–PT thin films near morphotropic phase ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Administrator

    ... by greenhouse gases that are used heavily and extensively in domestic and industrial refrigeration. (Mischenko et al 2006a). Electrocaloric (EC) effect is considered as a promising means to realize solid state cooling devices for a broad range of applications such as on-chip cooling and temperature regulation for sensors.

  5. Thermal hysteresis and electrocaloric effect in Ba1-xZrxTiO3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yingtang

    2018-04-01

    Samples of lead-free Ba(ZrxTi1-x)O3 bulk and thick film were fabricated using solid state reaction and tape - casting technique, respectively. A comprehensive investigation of dielectric, ferroelectric, and electrocaloric properties of these samples has been carried out. The results show that there is a dielectric relaxation behavior in the thick film Meantime, the "re-entrant relaxor behavior" and thermal hysteresis are observed in the bulk. Moreover, the electrocaloric effects are observed in the thick film and the bulk. The peak values of ΔTEC of the bulk and the thick film are 2.78 K and 0.37 K, respectively. This work is beneficial for realizing high efficiency and environmentally friendly cooling technology.

  6. Giant electrocaloric effect in a cracked ferroelectrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Cheng; Yang, Hai-Bing; Gao, Cun-Fa

    2018-04-01

    The electrocaloric effect (ECE) is the temperature change in a material induced by electrical field variation under adiabatic condition. Considering an external electric load applied on a cracked ferroelectric solid, a non-uniform electric field would be induced at the crack tip, and thus, incompatible strain field and local stress concentration would be generated around it. Furthermore, the enormous strain energy and the electrostatic energy would affect the polarization switching of the ferroelectric solid, important for the electrocaloric response. In this paper, the large negative and positive ECEs in a ferroelectric sheet with a conducting crack are investigated by the phase field method with the consideration of time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation. The numerical calculations indicated that the polarization field generates a sharp rise during the domain transition from polydomain to monodomain under a certain electric load. Large negative ECEs, about -10.21 K and -7.55 K, are obtained at 135 °C and 85 °C, respectively. The domain transition temperature is much lower than the Curie temperature, which enlarges the existence scope of the large ECE in ferroelectrics. The results also imply that the domain transition from a multi-domain state to a single domain takes place with the minimization of total free energy, which involves the courses of the electric field, stress field, temperature, and polarization interaction. Therefore, the non-uniform distributions of the stress-electric fields induced by the crack play an important role in ECE.

  7. Large Electrocaloric Effect in Lead-Free (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 Ceramics Prepared via Citrate Route

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Jing; Zhu, Rongfeng; Liu, Xing; Yuan, Ningyi; Ding, Jianning; Luo, Haosu

    2017-01-01

    The 1 wt % Li-doped (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 (BCZT-Li) ceramics prepared by the citrate method exhibit improved phase purity, densification and electrical properties, which provide prospective possibility to develop high-performance electrocaloric materials. The electrocaloric effect was evaluated by phenomenological method, and the BCZT-Li ceramics present large electrocaloric temperature change ∆T, especially large electrocaloric responsibility ξ = ∆Tmax/∆Emax, which can be comparable to the largest values reported in the lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. The excellent electrocaloric effect is considered as correlating with the coexistence of polymorphic ferroelectric phases, which are detected by the Raman spectroscopy. The large ξ value accompanied by decreased Curie temperature (around 73 °C) of the BCZT-Li ceramics prepared by the citrate method presents potential applications as the next-generation solid-state cooling devices. PMID:28927004

  8. Large Electrocaloric Effect in Lead-Free (Ba0.85Ca0.15(Zr0.1Ti0.9O3 Ceramics Prepared via Citrate Route

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing Shi

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The 1 wt % Li-doped (Ba0.85Ca0.15(Zr0.1Ti0.9O3 (BCZT-Li ceramics prepared by the citrate method exhibit improved phase purity, densification and electrical properties, which provide prospective possibility to develop high-performance electrocaloric materials. The electrocaloric effect was evaluated by phenomenological method, and the BCZT-Li ceramics present large electrocaloric temperature change ∆T, especially large electrocaloric responsibility ξ = ∆Tmax/∆Emax, which can be comparable to the largest values reported in the lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. The excellent electrocaloric effect is considered as correlating with the coexistence of polymorphic ferroelectric phases, which are detected by the Raman spectroscopy. The large ξ value accompanied by decreased Curie temperature (around 73 °C of the BCZT-Li ceramics prepared by the citrate method presents potential applications as the next-generation solid-state cooling devices.

  9. Enhanced electrocaloric analysis and energy-storage performance of lanthanum modified lead titanate ceramics for potential solid-state refrigeration applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Tian-Fu; Huang, Xian-Xiong; Tang, Xin-Gui; Jiang, Yan-Ping; Liu, Qiu-Xiang; Lu, Biao; Lu, Sheng-Guo

    2018-01-10

    The unique properties and great variety of relaxer ferroelectrics make them highly attractive in energy-storage and solid-state refrigeration technologies. In this work, lanthanum modified lead titanate ceramics are prepared and studied. The giant electrocaloric effect in lanthanum modified lead titanate ceramics is revealed for the first time. Large refrigeration efficiency (27.4) and high adiabatic temperature change (1.67 K) are achieved by indirect analysis. Direct measurements of electrocaloric effect show that reversible adiabatic temperature change is also about 1.67 K, which exceeds many electrocaloric effect values in current direct measured electrocaloric studies. Both theoretical calculated and direct measured electrocaloric effects are in good agreements in high temperatures. Temperature and electric field related energy storage properties are also analyzed, maximum energy-storage density and energy-storage efficiency are about 0.31 J/cm 3 and 91.2%, respectively.

  10. Tuning the electrocaloric effect by varying Sr concentration in ferroelectric Ba1 -xSrxTiO3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisenkov, S.; Ponomareva, I.

    2018-05-01

    The electrocaloric effect is investigated systematically in Ba1 -xSrxTiO3 ferroelectrics using a semiclassical direct computational approach. The data are reported for the technologically important range of Sr concentrations of 0.0-0.6, electric fields up to 1000 kV/cm, and temperatures ranging from 5 to 600 K. A detailed comparison of computational data with experimental data from the literature reveals semiquantitative agreement and suggests the origin of discrepancies. The electrocaloric change in temperature Δ T shows strong dependence on Sr concentration which offers a way to tune electrocaloric response. In particular, the maximum electrocaloric Δ T is found to decrease with the increase in Sr concentration, whereas the location of the maximum shifts towards lower temperatures following the Curie point of the ferroelectric. Surprisingly, the width of the peak in the dependence of Δ T on the initial temperature is independent of the Sr concentration but shows a strong dependence on the applied electric field. Computational data are used to propose a compositionally graded ferroelectric Ba0.70Sr0.30TiO3/Ba0.55Sr0.45TiO3/Ba0.50Sr0.50TiO3/Ba0.45Sr0.55TiO3 whose Δ T shows almost no temperature dependence in the technologically important range of temperatures and electric fields. Such a desirable feature could potentially lead to the enhancement of relative cooling power.

  11. High-frequency intrinsic dynamics of the electrocaloric effect from direct atomistic simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisenkov, S.; Ponomareva, I.

    2018-05-01

    We propose a computational methodology capable of harvesting isothermal heat and entropy change in molecular dynamics simulations. The methodology is applied to study high-frequency dynamics of the electrocaloric effect (ECE) in ferroelectric PbTiO3. ECE is associated with a reversible change in temperature under adiabatic application of electric field or with a reversible change in entropy under isothermal application of the electric field. Accurate assessment of electrocaloric performance requires the knowledge of three quantities: isothermal heat, isothermal entropy change, and adiabatic temperature change. Our methodology allows computations of all these quantities directly, that is, without restoring to the reversible thermodynamical models. Consequently, it captures both reversible and irreversible effects, which is critical for ECE simulations. The approach is well suited to address the dynamics of the ECE, which so far remains underexplored. We report the following basic features of the intrinsic dynamics of ECE: (i) the ECE is independent of the electric field frequency, rate of application, or field profile; (ii) the effect persists up to the frequencies associated with the onset of dielectric losses and deteriorates from there due to the creation of irreversible entropy; and (iii) in the vicinity of the phase transition and in the paraelectric phase the onset of irreversible dynamics occurs at lower frequency as compared to the ferroelectric phase. The latter is attributed to lower intrinsic soft-mode frequencies and and larger losses in the paraelectric phase.

  12. Electrocaloric effect and luminescence properties of lanthanide doped (Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3 lead free materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zannen, M.; Lahmar, A.; Asbani, B.; El Marssi, M.; Khemakhem, H.; Kutnjak, Z.; Es Souni, M.

    2015-01-01

    Polycrystalline lead-free Sodium Bismuth Titanate (NBT) ferroelectric ceramics doped with rare earth (RE) element are prepared using solid state reaction method. Optical, ferroelectric, and electrocaloric properties were investigated. The introduction of RE 3+ ions in the NBT host lattice shows different light emissions over the wavelength range from visible to near infrared region. The ferroelectric P-E hysteresis loops exhibit an antiferroelectric-like character near room temperature indicating possible existence of a morphotropic phase boundary. The enhanced electrocaloric response was observed in a broad temperature range due to nearly merged phase transitions. Coexistence of optical and electrocaloric properties is very promising for photonics or optoelectronic device applications

  13. Why is the electrocaloric effect so small in ferroelectrics?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guzman-Verri, Gian G.; Littlewood, Peter B.

    2015-03-01

    Ferroelectrics are attractive candidate materials for environmentally friendly solid state refrigeration free of greenhouse gases. Their thermal response upon variations of external electric fields is largest in the vicinity of their phase transitions, which may occur near room temperature. The magnitude of the effect, however, is too small for useful cooling applications even when they are driven close to dielectric breakdown. Insight from microscopic theory is therefore needed to characterize materials and provide guiding principles to search for new ones with enhanced electrocaloric performance. Here, we present meaningful figures of merit derived from well-known microscopic models of ferroelectricity which provide insight into the relation between the strength of the effect and the characteristic interactions of ferroelectrics such as dipole forces. We find that the long range nature of these interactions results in a small effect. A strategy is proposed to make it larger by shortening the correlation lengths of fluctuations of polarization. Work at Argonne is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.

  14. Tuning the electrocaloric enhancement near the morphotropic phase boundary in lead-free ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Goupil, Florian; McKinnon, Ruth; Koval, Vladimir; Viola, Giuseppe; Dunn, Steve; Berenov, Andrey; Yan, Haixue; Alford, Neil Mcn.

    2016-06-01

    The need for more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly alternatives in the refrigeration industry to meet global emission targets has driven efforts towards materials with a potential for solid state cooling. Adiabatic depolarisation cooling, based on the electrocaloric effect (ECE), is a significant contender for efficient new solid state refrigeration techniques. Some of the highest ECE performances reported are found in compounds close to the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). This relationship between performance and the MPB makes the ability to tune the position of the MPB an important challenge in electrocaloric research. Here, we report direct ECE measurements performed on MPB tuned NBT-06BT bulk ceramics with a combination of A-site substitutions. We successfully shift the MPB of these lead-free ceramics closer to room temperature, as required for solid state refrigeration, without loss of the criticality of the system and the associated ECE enhancement.

  15. Combined intrinsic elastocaloric and electrocaloric properties of ferroelectrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khassaf, H.; Patel, T.; Alpay, S. P.

    2017-04-01

    In multiferroic materials, adiabatic temperature changes can be obtained by the combined application of electric, stress, and magnetic fields. These external stimuli provide additional channels of entropy variations resulting in a multi-caloric response. In ferroelectric (FE) materials, caloric responses can be obtained with the application of electric and mechanical fields. Here, we compute the intrinsic elastocaloric and stress-mediated electrocaloric behavior of prototypical FE materials using the Landau-Devonshire theory of phase transformations with appropriate electrical and electro-mechanical boundary conditions. We show that an elastocaloric adiabatic temperature variation of 12.7 °C can be obtained in PbTiO3 with the application of uniaxial tensile stress of 500 MPa near its Curie point. This is 59% higher than its pure intrinsic electrocaloric response for an electric field difference of 100 kV/cm. Moreover, external stresses allow the maximum electro-elastocaloric response to be tuned towards room temperature. Our calculations show that relaxor FEs should exhibit large adiabatic temperature variations in relatively broad temperature ranges. These findings indicate that caloric responses in ferroic materials can be deterministically controlled and enhanced by utilizing a variety of external stimuli.

  16. Statistical mechanical lattice model of the dual-peak electrocaloric effect in ferroelectric relaxors and the role of pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunne, Lawrence J; Axelsson, Anna-Karin; Alford, Neil McN; Valant, Matjaz; Manos, George

    2011-01-01

    Despite considerable effort, the microscopic origin of the electrocaloric (EC) effect in ferroelectric relaxors is still intensely discussed. Ferroelectric relaxors typically display a dual-peak EC effect, whose origin is uncertain. Here we present an exact statistical mechanical matrix treatment of a lattice model of polar nanoregions forming in a neutral background and use this approach to study the characteristics of the EC effect in ferroelectric relaxors under varying electric field and pressure. The dual peaks seen in the EC properties of ferroelectric relaxors are due to the formation and ordering of polar nanoregions. The model predicts significant enhancement of the EC temperature rise with pressure which may have some contribution to the giant EC effect.

  17. Coupling of the electrocaloric and electromechanical effects for solid-state refrigeration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradeško, A.; Juričić, Äń.; Santo Zarnik, M.; Malič, B.; Kutnjak, Z.; Rojac, T.

    2016-10-01

    Electrocaloric (EC) materials have shown the potential to replace some of the technologies in current commercial refrigeration systems. The key problem when fabricating an efficient EC refrigerator is the small adiabatic temperature change that current bulk materials can achieve. Therefore, such a solid-state EC refrigerator should be engineered to enhance the EC temperature change by rectifying the induced EC heat flow. Here, we present a numerical study of a device that couples the EC and electromechanical (EM) effects in a single active material. The device consists of several elements made from a functional material with coupled EC and EM properties, allowing the elements to bend and change their temperature with the application of an electric field. The periodic excitation of these elements results in a temperature span across the device. By assuming heat exchange with the environment and a low thermal contact resistivity between the elements, we show that a device with 15 elements and an EC effect of 1.2 K achieves a temperature span between the hot and cold sides of the device equal to 12.6 K. Since the temperature span can be controlled by the number of elements in the device, the results suggest that in combination with the so-called "giant" EC effect (ΔTEC ≥ 10 K), a very large temperature span would be possible. The results of this work should motivate the development of efficient EC refrigeration systems based on a coupling of the EC and EM effects.

  18. Giant electrocaloric response in the prototypical Pb(Mg,Nb)O3 relaxor ferroelectric from atomistic simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Zhijun; Nahas, Y.; Prokhorenko, S.; Prosandeev, S.; Wang, D.; Íñiguez, Jorge; Bellaiche, L.

    2018-03-01

    An atomistic effective Hamiltonian is used to investigate electrocaloric (EC) effects of Pb (Mg1 /3Nb2 /3) O3 relaxor ferroelectrics in its ergodic regime, and subject to electric fields applied along the pseudocubic [111] direction. Such a Hamiltonian qualitatively reproduces (i) the electric field-versus-temperature phase diagram, including the existence of a critical point where first-order and second-order transitions meet each other; and (ii) a giant EC response near such a critical point. It also reveals that such giant response around this critical point is microscopically induced by field-induced percolation of polar nanoregions. Moreover, it is also found that, for any temperature above the critical point, the EC coefficient-versus-electric-field curve adopts a maximum (and thus larger electrocaloric response too), that can be well described by the general Landau-like model proposed by Jiang et al., [Phys. Rev. B 96, 014114 (2017)], 10.1103/PhysRevB.96.014114, and that is further correlated with specific microscopic features related to dipoles lying along different rhombohedral directions. Furthermore, for temperatures being at least 40 K higher than the critical temperature, the (electric field, temperature) line associated with this maximal EC coefficient is below both the Widom line and the line representing percolation of polar nanoregions.

  19. Electro-caloric effect in lead-free Sn doped BaTiO3 ceramics at room temperature and low applied fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Upadhyay, Sanjay Kumar; Reddy, V. Raghavendra; Bag, Pallab; Rawat, R.; Gupta, S. M.; Gupta, Ajay

    2014-01-01

    Structural, dielectric, ferroelectric (FE), 119 Sn Mössbauer, and specific heat measurements of polycrystalline BaTi 1–x Sn x O 3 (x = 0% to 15%) ceramics are reported. Phase purity and homogeneous phase formation with Sn doping is confirmed from x-ray diffraction and 119 Sn Mössbauer measurements. With Sn doping, the microstructure is found to change significantly. Better ferroelectric properties at room temperature, i.e., increased remnant polarization (38% more) and very low field switchability (225% less) are observed for x = 5% sample as compared to other samples and the results are explained in terms of grain size effects. With Sn doping, merging of all the phase transitions into a single one is observed for x ≥ 10% and for x = 5%, the tetragonal to orthorhombic transition temperature is found close to room temperature. As a consequence better electro-caloric effects are observed for x = 5% sample and therefore is expected to satisfy the requirements for non-toxic, low energy (field) and room temperature based applications.

  20. Characterisation of lead barium zirconate thin films for utilisation of the electrocaloric effect

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shaw, C.P., E-mail: c.p.shaw@cranfield.ac.uk [Surface Engineering and Nanotechnology Institute, Manufacturing and Materials Department, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL (United Kingdom); Zhang, Qi, E-mail: q.zhang@cranfield.ac.uk [Surface Engineering and Nanotechnology Institute, Manufacturing and Materials Department, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL (United Kingdom); Correia, T.M., E-mail: Tatiana.correia@ktn-uk.org [Knowledge Transfer Network (United Kingdom); Weaver, P.M., E-mail: paul.weaver@innotecuk.com [InotekUK (United Kingdom)

    2016-08-01

    Characterisation of a composition of Lead Barium Zirconate thin films deposited by a spin coating sol-gel process onto platinised silicon substrates has been undertaken to investigate a potential application utilising the reported electrocaloric properties of the material. Xray diffraction studies revealed that above 700 °C the presence of pyrochlore phase was replaced by ferroelectric phase but the identification of antiferroelectric phases previously reported could not be identified. Wet etching of the films produced an insoluble residue containing only evidence of zirconium out of the original three metals, which resembled a skeletal structure similar to the original rosette morphology of the annealed films. Elemental analysis of the annealed films using EDX indicated a non-target Pb:Ba:Zr ratio, which suggested a reduced Zr content of the films. “Solution-like” rather than “sol-like” nature of the spin coated sol and phase boundary proximity are proposed for reported observations, and a mechanism is proposed to account for the unusual observed trend in dielectric constant. - Highlights: • Characterisation of sol-gel deposited Lead barium zirconnate films. • Absence of previously reported antiferroelectric phase. • Identification of proposed non-PBZ phase. • Anomalous increase in film capacitance with thickness interpreted.

  1. Electrocaloric effect and freezing temperature in (Pb0.8Ba0.2[(Zn1∕3Nb2∕30.7Ti0.3]O3 relaxor ferroelectric ceramic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Peláiz-Barranco

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The electrocaloric effect (ECE is studied in (Pb0.8Ba0.2[(Zn1∕3Nb2∕30.7Ti0.3]O3 relaxor ferroelectric ceramic by using an “indirect method”. The electric dependence for the polarization (hysteresis loops has been obtained for several temperatures showing typical relaxor characteristics. The temperature change ΔT, which is associated with the ECE, is calculated by using the temperature dependence for the polarization. A maximum value for ΔT is observed for temperatures close above the freezing temperature, showing an indirect evidence of that critical temperature. The results are discussed considering the contribution of the polar nanoregions to the polarization.

  2. Huge magnetoresistance effect of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Du Youwei; Wang Zhiming; Ni Gang; Xing Dingyu; Xu Qingyu

    2004-01-01

    Graphite is a quasi-two-dimensional semimetal. However, for usual graphite the magnetoresistance is not so high due to its small crystal size and no preferred orientation. Huge positive magnetoresistance up to 85300% at 4.2 K and 4950% at 300 K under 8.15 T magnetic field was found in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. The mechanism of huge positive magnetoresistance is not only due to ordinary magnetoresistance but also due to magnetic-field-driven semimetal-insulator transition

  3. Safety of huge systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kondo, Jiro.

    1995-01-01

    Recently accompanying the development of engineering technology, huge systems tend to be constructed. The disaster countermeasures of huge cities become large problems as the concentration of population into cities is conspicuous. To make the expected value of loss small, the knowledge of reliability engineering is applied. In reliability engineering, even if a part of structures fails, the safety as a whole system must be ensured, therefore, the design having margin is carried out. The degree of margin is called redundancy. However, such design concept makes the structure of a system complex, and as the structure is complex, the possibility of causing human errors becomes high. At the time of huge system design, the concept of fail-safe is effective, but simple design must be kept in mind. The accident in Mihama No. 2 plant of Kansai Electric Power Co. and the accident in Chernobyl nuclear power station, and the accident of Boeing B737 airliner and the fatigue breakdown are described. The importance of safety culture was emphasized as the method of preventing human errors. Man-system interface and management system are discussed. (K.I.)

  4. Type-I pseudo-first-order phase transition induced electrocaloric effect in lead-free Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.06BaTiO3 ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Feng; Chen, Guorui; Liu, Xing; Zhai, Jiwei; Shen, Bo; Li, Shandong; Li, Peng; Yang, Ke; Zeng, Huarong; Yan, Haixue

    2017-05-01

    In this study, the electrocaloric effect (ECE) of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.06BaTiO3 (BNT-0.06BT) ceramic has been directly measured using a home-made adiabatic calorimeter. The maximum adiabatic temperature change (ΔT) approaches 0.86 K under an electric field of 5 kV/mm at 110 °C, which provides experimental evidence for optimizing the ECE near the type-I pseudo-first-order phase transition (PFOPT). Most importantly, a considerable ΔT value can be maintained over a wide temperature range well above the temperature of the PFOPT under a high electric field. In addition, ΔT is closely related to the structural transition and electric field strength. This work provides a guideline to investigate the high ECE in BNT-based ferroelectric ceramics for applications in cooling technologies.

  5. Material System Engineering for Advanced Electrocaloric Cooling Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Xiaoshi

    Electrocaloric effect refers to the entropy change and/or temperature change in dielectrics caused by the electric field induced polarization change. Recent discovery of giant ECE provides an opportunity to realize highly efficient cooling devices for a broad range of applications ranging from household appliances to industrial applications, from large-scale building thermal management to micro-scale cooling devices. The advances of electrocaloric (EC) based cooling device prototypes suggest that highly efficient cooling devices with compact size are achievable, which could lead to revolution in next generation refrigeration technology. This dissertation focuses on both EC based materials and cooling devices with their recent advances that address practical issues. Based on better understandings in designing an EC device, several EC material systems are studied and improved to promote the performances of EC based cooling devices. In principle, applying an electric field to a dielectric would cause change of dipolar ordering states and thus a change of dipolar entropy. Giant ECE observed in ferroelectrics near ferroelectric-paraelectric (FE-PE) transition temperature is owing to the large dipolar orientation change, between random-oriented dipolar states in paraelectric phase and spontaneous-ordered dipolar states in ferroelectric phases, which is induced by external electric fields. Besides pursuing large ECE, studies on EC cooling devices indicated that EC materials are required to possess wide operational temperature window, in which large ECE can be maintained for efficient operations. Although giant ECE was first predicted in ferroelectric polymers, where the large effect exhibits near FEPE phase transition, the narrow operation temperature window poses obstacles for these normal ferroelectrics to be conveniently perform in wide range of applications. In this dissertation, we demonstrated that the normal ferroelectric polymers can be converted to relaxor

  6. Energy-storage properties and electrocaloric effect of Pb(1-3x/2)LaxZr0.85Ti0.15O3 antiferroelectric thick films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Ye; Hao, Xihong; Zhang, Qi

    2014-07-23

    Antiferroelectric (AFE) thick (1 μm) films of Pb(1-3x/2)LaxZr0.85Ti0.15O3 (PLZT) with x = 0.08, 0.10, 0.12, and 0.14 were deposited on LaNiO3/Si (100) substrates by a sol-gel method. The dielectric properties, energy-storage performance, electrocaloric effect, and leakage current behavior were investigated in detail. With increasing La content, dielectric constant and saturated polarizations of the thick films were gradually decreased. A maximum recoverable energy-storage density of 38 J/cm(3) and efficiency of 71% were achieved in the thick films with x = 0.12 at room temperature. A large reversible adiabatic temperature change of ΔT = 25.0 °C was presented in the thick films with x = 0.08 at 127 °C at 990 kV/cm. Moreover, all the samples had a lower leakage current density below 10(-6) A/cm(2) at room temperature. These results indicated that the PLZT AFE thick films could be a potential candidate for applications in high energy-storage density capacitors and cooling devices.

  7. Giant Electrocaloric Effect in Ferroelectrics with Tailored Polaw-Nanostructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Qiming [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)

    2015-06-24

    Electrocaloric effect (ECE) is the temperature and/or entropy change in a dielectric material caused by an electric field induced polarization change. Although ECE has been studied since 1930s, the very small ECE observed in earlier studies in bulk materials before 2007 makes it not attractive for practical cooling applications. The objectives of this DOE program are to carry out a systematical scientific research on the entropy change and ECE in polar-dielectrics, especially ferroelectrics based on several fundamental hypotheses and to search for answers on a few scientific questions. Especially, this research program developed a series of polar-dielectric materials with controlled nano- and meso-structures and carried out studies on how these structures affect the polar-ordering, correlations, energy landscapes, and consequently the entropy states at different phases and ECE. The key hypotheses of the program include: (i) Whether a large ECE can be obtained near the ferroelectric-paraelectric (FE-PE) transition in properly designed ferroelectrics which possess large polarization P and large ß (the coefficient in the thermodynamic Landau theory where the Gibbs free energy G = G = G0+ ½ a P2 +1/4 b P4 + 1/6 c P6 – EP, and a = ß (T-Tc), where b,c,ß and Tc are constants)? (ii) What determines/determine ß? Whether a ferroelectric material with built-in disorders, which disrupt the polar-correlations and enabling a large number of local polar-states, such as a properly designed ferroelectric relaxor, can achieve a large ECE? (iii) How to design a ferroelectric material which has flat energy landscape so that the energy barriers for switching among different phases are vanishingly small? What are the necessary conditions to maximize the number of coexisting phases? (iv) How to design ferroelectric materials with a large tunable dielectric response? That is, at zero electric field, the material possesses very

  8. Electro-Caloric Properties of BT/PZT Multilayer Thin Films Prepared by Sol-Gel Method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, Min-Su; Lee, Sung-Gap; Kim, Kyeong-Min

    2018-09-01

    In this study, Barium Titanate (BT)/Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) multilayer thin films were fabricated by the spin-coating method on Pt (200 nm)/Ti (10 nm) SiO2 (100 nm)/P-Si (100) substrates using BaTiO3 and Pb(Zr0.90Ti0.10)O3 metal alkoxide solutions. The coating and heating procedure was repeated several times to form the multilayer thin films. All of BT/PZT multilayer thin films show X-ray diffraction patterns typical to a polycrystalline perovskite structure and a uniform and void free grain microstructure. The thickness of the BT and PZT film by one-cycle of drying/sintering was approximately 50 nm and all of the films consisted of fine grains with a flat surface morphology. The electrocaloric properties of BT/PZT thin films were investigated by indirect estimation. The results showed that the temperature change ΔT can be calculated as a function of temperature using Maxwell's relation; the temperature change reaches a maximum value of ~1.85 °C at 135 °C under an applied electric field of 260 kV/cm.

  9. Connecting slow earthquakes to huge earthquakes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obara, Kazushige; Kato, Aitaro

    2016-07-15

    Slow earthquakes are characterized by a wide spectrum of fault slip behaviors and seismic radiation patterns that differ from those of traditional earthquakes. However, slow earthquakes and huge megathrust earthquakes can have common slip mechanisms and are located in neighboring regions of the seismogenic zone. The frequent occurrence of slow earthquakes may help to reveal the physics underlying megathrust events as useful analogs. Slow earthquakes may function as stress meters because of their high sensitivity to stress changes in the seismogenic zone. Episodic stress transfer to megathrust source faults leads to an increased probability of triggering huge earthquakes if the adjacent locked region is critically loaded. Careful and precise monitoring of slow earthquakes may provide new information on the likelihood of impending huge earthquakes. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  10. Newtonian self-gravitating system in a relativistic huge void universe model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nishikawa, Ryusuke; Nakao, Ken-ichi [Department of Mathematics and Physics, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi, Osaka 558-8585 (Japan); Yoo, Chul-Moon, E-mail: ryusuke@sci.osaka-cu.ac.jp, E-mail: knakao@sci.osaka-cu.ac.jp, E-mail: yoo@gravity.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Division of Particle and Astrophysical Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602 (Japan)

    2016-12-01

    We consider a test of the Copernican Principle through observations of the large-scale structures, and for this purpose we study the self-gravitating system in a relativistic huge void universe model which does not invoke the Copernican Principle. If we focus on the the weakly self-gravitating and slowly evolving system whose spatial extent is much smaller than the scale of the cosmological horizon in the homogeneous and isotropic background universe model, the cosmological Newtonian approximation is available. Also in the huge void universe model, the same kind of approximation as the cosmological Newtonian approximation is available for the analysis of the perturbations contained in a region whose spatial size is much smaller than the scale of the huge void: the effects of the huge void are taken into account in a perturbative manner by using the Fermi-normal coordinates. By using this approximation, we derive the equations of motion for the weakly self-gravitating perturbations whose elements have relative velocities much smaller than the speed of light, and show the derived equations can be significantly different from those in the homogeneous and isotropic universe model, due to the anisotropic volume expansion in the huge void. We linearize the derived equations of motion and solve them. The solutions show that the behaviors of linear density perturbations are very different from those in the homogeneous and isotropic universe model.

  11. A huge cystic craniopharyngioma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takamura, Seishi; Fukumura, Akinobu; Ito, Yoshihiro; Itoyama, Yoichi; Matsukado, Yasuhiko.

    1986-01-01

    The findings of computed tomography (CT) of a huge cystic craniopharyngioma in a 57-year-old woman are described. Cyst density varied from low to high levels in a short duration. Follow-up CT scans were regarded as important to diagnose craniopharyngioma. The mechanism of increment of cyst density was discussed. (author)

  12. Huge maternal hydronephrosis: a rare complication in pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Hsiu-Huei; Wang, Chin-Jung; Yen, Chih-Feng; Chou, Chien-Chung; Lee, Chyi-Long

    2003-06-10

    A huge maternal hydronephrosis is uncommon in pregnancy and might be mistaken as a pelvic mass. A 21-year-old primigravida was noted at 25th week of gestation to have a visible bulging mass on her left flank. The mass was originally mistaken as a large ovarian cyst but later proved to be a huge hydronephrosis. Retrograde insertion of ureteroscope and a ureteric stent failed, so we performed repeated ultrasound-guided needle aspiration to decompress the huge hydronephrosis, which enabled the patient to proceed to a successful term vaginal delivery. Nephrectomy was performed after delivery and proved the diagnosis of congenital ureteropelvic junction obstruction.

  13. Huge Thornwaldt's Cyst: A Case Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jia-Hau Lin

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Thornwaldt's bursa, also known as nasopharyngeal bursa, is a recess in the midline of the nasopharynx that is produced by persistent notochord remnants. If its opening becomes obstructed, possibly due to infection or a complication from adenoidectomy, a Thornwaldt's cyst might develop. Here, we present a 53-year-old man who complained of nasal obstruction that had progressed for 1 year. Nasopharyngoscopy showed a huge nasopharyngeal mass. Thornwaldt's cyst was suspected. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a lesion measuring 3.6 × 3.4 cm, intermediate on T1-weighted and high signal intensity on T2-weighted imaging, neither bony destruction nor connection to the brain. The patient underwent endoscopic surgery for this huge mass. Afterwards, his symptoms improved significantly. We present the treatment and differential diagnosis of a nasopharyngeal cyst.

  14. Huge interparietal posterior fontanel meningohydroencephalocele

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge Félix Companioni Rosildo

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Congenital encephalocele is a neural tube defect characterized by a sac-like protrusion of the brain, meninges, and other intracranial structures through the skull, which is caused by an embryonic development abnormality. The most common location is at the occipital bone, and its incidence varies according to different world regions. We report a case of an 1-month and 7-day-old male child with a huge interparietal-posterior fontanel meningohydroencephalocele, a rare occurrence. Physical examination and volumetric computed tomography were diagnostic. The encephalocele was surgically resected. Intradural and extradural approaches were performed; the bone defect was not primarily closed. Two days after surgery, the patient developed hydrocephaly requiring ventriculoperitoneal shunting. The surgical treatment of the meningohydroencephalocele of the interparietal-posterior fontanel may be accompanied by technical challenges and followed by complications due to the presence of large blood vessels under the overlying skin. In these cases, huge sacs herniate through large bone defects including meninges, brain, and blood vessels. The latter present communication with the superior sagittal sinus and ventricular system. A favorable surgical outcome generally follows an accurate strategy taking into account individual features of the lesion.

  15. Huge cystic craniopharyngioma with unusual extensions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kitano, I.; Yoneda, K.; Yamakawa, Y.; Fukui, M.; Kinoshita, K.

    1981-09-01

    The findings on computed tomography (CT) of a huge cystic craniopharyngioma in a 3-year-old girl are described. The cyst occupied both anterior cranial fossae and a part of it extended to the region of the third ventricle which was displaced posteriorly. The tumor showed no contrast enhancement after the intravenous administration of contrast medium.

  16. Churn prediction on huge telecom data using hybrid firefly based classification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ammar A.Q. Ahmed

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Churn prediction in telecom has become a major requirement due to the increase in the number of telecom providers. However due to the hugeness, sparsity and imbalanced nature of the data, churn prediction in telecom has always been a complex task. This paper presents a metaheuristic based churn prediction technique that performs churn prediction on huge telecom data. A hybridized form of Firefly algorithm is used as the classifier. It has been identified that the compute intensive component of the Firefly algorithm is the comparison block, where every firefly is compared with every other firefly to identify the one with the highest light intensity. This component is replaced by Simulated Annealing and the classification process is carried out. Experiments were conducted on the Orange dataset. It was observed that Firefly algorithm works best on churn data and the hybridized Firefly algorithm provides effective and faster results.

  17. The therapy for huge goiter together with hyperthyroidism through 131I case studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He Jianhua; Yu Wencai; Zeng Qingwen; Wu Congjun

    2001-01-01

    Objective: 214 cases of the treatment of huge goiter with hyperthyroidism are revised to collect clinic material for the improvement of therapy to hyperthyroidism indications through 131 I. Methods: In all of these cases, patients take a full dose of 131 I based on MC Garack's formula for one time. Results: Among them, 154 resolved, accounting for 72%, 139 of the cases were reduced to normal size, which accounted for 64.9% of the patients. Only 114 cases of patients had side-effect, and during one year 12.1% of them have symptoms of hypothyroidism. Conclusion: The statistics shows that 131 I is convenient, safe, well and with reduces suffering from treating huge goiter with hyperthyroidism

  18. Huge uterine-cervical diverticulum mimicking as a cyst

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Chufal

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Here we report an incidental huge uterine-cervical diverticulum from a total abdominal hysterectomy specimen in a perimenopausal woman who presented with acute abdominal pain. The diverticulum was mimicking with various cysts present in the lateral side of the female genital tract. Histopathological examination confirmed this to be a cervical diverticulum with communication to uterine cavity through two different openings. They can attain huge size if left ignored for long duration and present a diagnostic challenge to clinicians, radiologists, as well as pathologists because of its extreme rarity. Therefore, diverticula should also be included as a differential diagnosis. Its histopathological confirmation also highlights that diverticula can present as an acute abdomen, requiring early diagnosis with appropriate timely intervention. Immunohistochemistry CD 10 has also been used to differentiate it from a mesonephric cyst.

  19. Huge gastric diospyrobezoars successfully treated by oral intake and endoscopic injection of Coca-Cola.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Y W; Han, D S; Park, Y K; Son, B K; Paik, C H; Jeon, Y C; Sohn, J H

    2006-07-01

    A diospyrobezoar is a type of phytobezoar that is considered to be harder than any other types of phytobezoars. Here, we describe a new treatment modality, which effectively and easily disrupted huge gastric diospyrobezoars. A 41-year-old man with a history of diabetes mellitus was admitted with lower abdominal pain and vomiting. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed three huge, round diospyrobezoars in the stomach. He was made to drink two cans of Coca-Cola every 6 h. At endoscopy the next day, the bezoars were partially dissolved and turned to be softened. We performed direct endoscopic injection of Coca-Cola into each bezoar. At repeated endoscopy the next day, the bezoars were completely dissolved.

  20. Connecting slow earthquakes to huge earthquakes

    OpenAIRE

    Obara, Kazushige; Kato, Aitaro

    2016-01-01

    Slow earthquakes are characterized by a wide spectrum of fault slip behaviors and seismic radiation patterns that differ from those of traditional earthquakes. However, slow earthquakes and huge megathrust earthquakes can have common slip mechanisms and are located in neighboring regions of the seismogenic zone. The frequent occurrence of slow earthquakes may help to reveal the physics underlying megathrust events as useful analogs. Slow earthquakes may function as stress meters because of th...

  1. Propranolol in Treatment of Huge and Complicated Infantile Hemangiomas in Egyptian Children

    OpenAIRE

    Hassan, Basheir A.; Shreef, Khalid S.

    2014-01-01

    Background. Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are the most common benign tumours of infancy. Propranolol has recently been reported to be a highly effective treatment for IHs. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of propranolol for treatment of complicated cases of IHs. Patients and Methods. This prospective clinical study included 30 children with huge or complicated IHs; their ages ranged from 2 months to 1 year. They were treated by oral propranolol. Treatment outcomes were...

  2. Elective hemi transurethral resection of prostate: a safe and effective method of treating huge benign prostatic hyperplasia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abidi, S.S.; Feroz, I.; Aslam, M.; Fawad, A.

    2012-01-01

    To evaluate the safety and efficacy of elective hemi-resection of prostate in patients with huge gland, weighing more than 120 grams. Study Design: Multi centric, analytical comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Urology, Karachi Medical and Dental College, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Dr. Ziauddin Hospital, Karachi, from August 2006 to July 2009. Methodology: All benign cases were included in this study and divided into two groups. In group A, patients having huge prostate (> 120 grams) were placed and hemi TURP was performed. In group B, patients having 60 to 100 grams prostate were placed and conventional Blandy's TURP was performed. Results of both groups were compared in terms of duration of surgery, amount of tissue resected, operative bleeding, postoperative complications, duration of postoperative catheterization, re-admission and re-operations. Effectiveness of procedure was assessed by a simple questionnaire filled by the patients at first month, first year and second year. Patients satisfaction in terms of their ability to void, control urination, frequency, urgency, urge incontinence, haematuria, recurrent UTI, re-admission and re-operations were also assessed. Fisher exact test was applied to compare the safety and efficacy of variables. Results: In group A and B, average age range was 72 and 69 years, average weight of prostate was 148 and 70 grams, average duration of surgery was 102 and 50 minutes respectively. Average weight of resected tissue was 84 and 54 grams and haemoglobin loss was two grams and one gram respectively. Total hospital stay was 5 and 4 days. Total duration of indwelling Foley's catheter (postoperative) was 5 days and 2 days. Patient satisfaction in term of urine flow, urinary control, improvement in frequency and nocturia were comparable in both groups. UTI and re-admission was more in hemi resection group. At the end of 2 years follow-up, there is no statistical difference between the safety and efficacy

  3. Constructing Optimal Coarse-Grained Sites of Huge Biomolecules by Fluctuation Maximization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Min; Zhang, John Zenghui; Xia, Fei

    2016-04-12

    Coarse-grained (CG) models are valuable tools for the study of functions of large biomolecules on large length and time scales. The definition of CG representations for huge biomolecules is always a formidable challenge. In this work, we propose a new method called fluctuation maximization coarse-graining (FM-CG) to construct the CG sites of biomolecules. The defined residual in FM-CG converges to a maximal value as the number of CG sites increases, allowing an optimal CG model to be rigorously defined on the basis of the maximum. More importantly, we developed a robust algorithm called stepwise local iterative optimization (SLIO) to accelerate the process of coarse-graining large biomolecules. By means of the efficient SLIO algorithm, the computational cost of coarse-graining large biomolecules is reduced to within the time scale of seconds, which is far lower than that of conventional simulated annealing. The coarse-graining of two huge systems, chaperonin GroEL and lengsin, indicates that our new methods can coarse-grain huge biomolecular systems with up to 10,000 residues within the time scale of minutes. The further parametrization of CG sites derived from FM-CG allows us to construct the corresponding CG models for studies of the functions of huge biomolecular systems.

  4. From tiny microalgae to huge biorefineries

    OpenAIRE

    Gouveia, L.

    2014-01-01

    Microalgae are an emerging research field due to their high potential as a source of several biofuels in addition to the fact that they have a high-nutritional value and contain compounds that have health benefits. They are also highly used for water stream bioremediation and carbon dioxide mitigation. Therefore, the tiny microalgae could lead to a huge source of compounds and products, giving a good example of a real biorefinery approach. This work shows and presents examples of experimental...

  5. Huge mucinous cystadenoma of the pancreas mistaken for a ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Cystic tumors of the pancreas are rare and can be confused with pseudocysts.We present a 50 year old woman with a huge mucinous cystadenoma of the pancreas initially diagnosed and managed with a cystojejunostomy and cyst wall biopsy. She required another laparotomy and tumor excision after histological ...

  6. Aggressive angiomyxoma presenting with huge abdominal lump: A case report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Sanjeev; Agrawal, Nikhil; Khanna, Rahul; Khanna, AK

    2008-01-01

    Agressive angiomyxoma is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm. It mainly presents in females. We here present a case of angiomyxoma presenting as huge abdominal lump along with gluteal swelling. Case note is described along with brief review of literature. PMID:18755035

  7. Umbilicoplasty in children with huge umbilical hernia | Komlatsè ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    With a mean follow-up of 10 months, we had 10 excellent results and two fair results according to our criteria. Conclusion: Our two lateral fl aps umbilicoplasty is well-adapted to HUH in children. Itis simple and assures a satisfactory anatomical and cosmetic result. Key words: Children, huge umbilical hernia, Togo, umbilical ...

  8. Huge mucinous cystadenoma of ovary, describing a young patient: case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soheila Aminimoghaddam

    2017-08-01

    Conclusion: Ovarian cysts in young women who are associated with elevated levels of tumor markers and ascites require careful evaluation. Management of ovarian cysts depends on patient's age, size of the cyst, and its histopathological nature. Conservative surgery such as ovarian cystectomy or salpingo-oophorectomy is adequate in mucinous tumors of ovary. Multiple frozen sections are very important to know the malignant variation of this tumor and helps accurate patient management. Surgical expertise is required to prevent complications in huge tumors has distorted the anatomy, so gynecologic oncologist plays a prominent role in management. In this case, beside of the huge tumor and massive ascites uterine and ovaries were preserved by gynecologist oncologist and patient is well up to now.

  9. A Huge Ovarian Dermoid Cyst: Successful Laparoscopic Total Excision

    OpenAIRE

    Uyanikoglu, Hacer; Dusak, Abdurrahim

    2017-01-01

    Giant ovarian cysts, ≥15 cm in diameter, are quite rare in women of reproductive age. Here, we present a case of ovarian cyst with unusual presentation treated by laparoscopic surgery. On histology, mass was found to be mature cystic teratoma. The diagnostic and management challenges posed by this huge ovarian cyst were discussed in the light of the literature.

  10. A Huge Ovarian Cyst in a Middle-Aged Iranian Female

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Kazem Moslemi

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available A 38-year-old Iranian woman was found to have a huge ovarian cystic mass. Her presenting symptom was vague abdominal pain and severe abdominal distention. She underwent laparotomy and after surgical removal, the mass was found to be mucinous cystadenoma on histology.

  11. Black hole firewalls require huge energy of measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hotta, Masahiro; Matsumoto, Jiro; Funo, Ken

    2014-06-01

    The unitary moving mirror model is one of the best quantum systems for checking the reasoning of the original firewall paradox of Almheiri et al. [J. High Energy Phys. 02 (2013) 062] in quantum black holes. Though the late-time part of radiations emitted from the mirror is fully entangled with the early part, no firewall exists with a deadly, huge average energy flux in this model. This is because the high-energy entanglement structure of the discretized systems in almost maximally entangled states is modified so as to yield the correct description of low-energy effective field theory. Furthermore, the strong subadditivity paradox of firewalls is resolved using nonlocality of general one-particle states and zero-point fluctuation entanglement. Due to the Reeh-Schlieder theorem in quantum field theory, another firewall paradox is inevitably raised with quantum remote measurements in the model. We resolve this paradox from the viewpoint of the energy cost of measurements. No firewall appears, as long as the energy for the measurement is much smaller than the ultraviolet cutoff scale.

  12. Huge music archives on mobile devices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blume, H.; Bischl, B.; Botteck, M.

    2011-01-01

    The availability of huge nonvolatile storage capacities such as flash memory allows large music archives to be maintained even in mobile devices. With the increase in size, manual organization of these archives and manual search for specific music becomes very inconvenient. Automated dynamic...... organization enables an attractive new class of applications for managing ever-increasing music databases. For these types of applications, extraction of music features as well as subsequent feature processing and music classification have to be performed. However, these are computationally intensive tasks...... and difficult to tackle on mobile platforms. Against this background, we provided an overview of algorithms for music classification as well as their computation times and other hardware-related aspects, such as power consumption on various hardware architectures. For mobile platforms such as smartphones...

  13. Huge Mesenteric Lymphangioma – A Rare Cause of Acute Abdomen

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Lymphangiomas are benign congenital masses which occur most commonly in head and neck of children and incidence of mesenteric lymphangiomas is very rare. We report such a case of huge mesenteric lymphangioma in a 20 year old male who presented to us with acute abdomen. Pre-operative diagnosis is difficult ...

  14. Huge cystic craniopharyngioma. Changes of cyst density on computed tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takamura, Seishi; Fukumura, Akinobu; Ito, Yoshihiro; Itoyama, Yoichi; Matsukado, Yasuhiko

    1986-06-01

    The findings of computed tomography (CT) of a huge cystic craniopharyngioma in a 57-year-old woman are described. Cyst density varied from low to high levels in a short duration. Follow-up CT scans were regarded as important to diagnose craniopharyngioma. The mechanism of increment of cyst density was discussed.

  15. 61 HUGE BENIGN GRANULOSA CELL TUMOUR IN A 61 YEAR ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Dr. E. P. Gharoro

    peritoneal cavity, huge right ovarian cyst measuring 37cm/29cm as in figure 1a, weighing 8.3 kg with a thick smooth wall without excrescences on surface. ... is released in the blood during pregnancy and is produced in other conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids and diverticulitis. It is useful in monitoring therapy.

  16. Propranolol in treatment of huge and complicated infantile hemangiomas in egyptian children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassan, Basheir A; Shreef, Khalid S

    2014-01-01

    Background. Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are the most common benign tumours of infancy. Propranolol has recently been reported to be a highly effective treatment for IHs. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of propranolol for treatment of complicated cases of IHs. Patients and Methods. This prospective clinical study included 30 children with huge or complicated IHs; their ages ranged from 2 months to 1 year. They were treated by oral propranolol. Treatment outcomes were clinically evaluated. Results. Superficial cutaneous hemangiomas began to respond to propranolol therapy within one to two weeks after the onset of treatment. The mean treatment period that was needed for the occurrence of complete resolution was 9.4 months. Treatment with propranolol was well tolerated and had few side effects. No rebound growth of the tumors was noted when propranolol dosing stopped except in one case. Conclusion. Propranolol is a promising treatment for IHs without obvious side effects. However, further studies with longer follow-up periods are needed.

  17. A parallel solver for huge dense linear systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badia, J. M.; Movilla, J. L.; Climente, J. I.; Castillo, M.; Marqués, M.; Mayo, R.; Quintana-Ortí, E. S.; Planelles, J.

    2011-11-01

    HDSS (Huge Dense Linear System Solver) is a Fortran Application Programming Interface (API) to facilitate the parallel solution of very large dense systems to scientists and engineers. The API makes use of parallelism to yield an efficient solution of the systems on a wide range of parallel platforms, from clusters of processors to massively parallel multiprocessors. It exploits out-of-core strategies to leverage the secondary memory in order to solve huge linear systems O(100.000). The API is based on the parallel linear algebra library PLAPACK, and on its Out-Of-Core (OOC) extension POOCLAPACK. Both PLAPACK and POOCLAPACK use the Message Passing Interface (MPI) as the communication layer and BLAS to perform the local matrix operations. The API provides a friendly interface to the users, hiding almost all the technical aspects related to the parallel execution of the code and the use of the secondary memory to solve the systems. In particular, the API can automatically select the best way to store and solve the systems, depending of the dimension of the system, the number of processes and the main memory of the platform. Experimental results on several parallel platforms report high performance, reaching more than 1 TFLOP with 64 cores to solve a system with more than 200 000 equations and more than 10 000 right-hand side vectors. New version program summaryProgram title: Huge Dense System Solver (HDSS) Catalogue identifier: AEHU_v1_1 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEHU_v1_1.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 87 062 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 1 069 110 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Fortran90, C Computer: Parallel architectures: multiprocessors, computer clusters Operating system

  18. Huge residual resistivity in the quantum critical region of CeAgSb2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakashima, Miho; Kirita, Shingo; Asai, Rihito; Kobayashi, Tatsuo C; Okubo, Tomoyuki; Yamada, Mineko; Thamizhavel, Arumugam; Inada, Yoshihiko; Settai, Rikio; Galatanu, Andre; Yamamoto, Etsuji; Ebihara, Takao; Onuki, Yoshichika

    2003-01-01

    We have studied the effect of pressure on the electrical resistivity of a high-quality single crystal CeAgSb 2 which has a small net ferromagnetic moment of 0.4μ B /Ce. The magnetic ordering temperature T ord = 9.7 K decreases with increasing pressure p and disappears at a critical pressure p c ≅ 3.3 GPa. The residual resistivity, which is close to zero up to 3 GPa, increases steeply above 3 GPa, reaching 55μΩ cm at p c . A huge residual resistivity is found to appear when the magnetic order disappears. (letter to the editor)

  19. A huge renal capsular leiomyoma mimicking retroperitoneal sarcoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lal Anupam

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available A huge left renal capsular leiomyoma mimicking retroperitoneal sarcoma presented in a patient as an abdominal mass. Computed tomography displayed a large heterogeneous retro-peritoneal mass in the left side of the abdomen with inferior and medial displacement as well as loss of fat plane with the left kidney. Surgical exploration revealed a capsulated mass that was tightly adherent to the left kidney; therefore, total tumor resection with radical left nephrectomy was performed. Histopathology ultimately confirmed the benign nature of the mass. This is the largest leiomyoma reported in literature to the best of our knowledge.

  20. A young woman with a huge paratubal cyst

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ceren Golbasi

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Paratubal cysts are asymptomatic embryological remnants. These cysts are usually diagnosed during adolescence and reproductive age. In general, their sizes are small but can be complicated by rupture, torsion, or hemorrhage. Paratubal cysts are often discovered fortuitously on routine ultrasound examination. We report a 19-year-old female patient who presented with irregular menses and abdominal pain. Ultrasound examination revealed a huge cystic mass at the right adnexial area. The diagnosis was confirmed as paratubal cyst during laporotomy and, hence, cystectomy and right salpingectomy were performed. [Cukurova Med J 2016; 41(3.000: 573-576

  1. Nanocellulose, a tiny fiber with huge applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abitbol, Tiffany; Rivkin, Amit; Cao, Yifeng; Nevo, Yuval; Abraham, Eldho; Ben-Shalom, Tal; Lapidot, Shaul; Shoseyov, Oded

    2016-06-01

    Nanocellulose is of increasing interest for a range of applications relevant to the fields of material science and biomedical engineering due to its renewable nature, anisotropic shape, excellent mechanical properties, good biocompatibility, tailorable surface chemistry, and interesting optical properties. We discuss the main areas of nanocellulose research: photonics, films and foams, surface modifications, nanocomposites, and medical devices. These tiny nanocellulose fibers have huge potential in many applications, from flexible optoelectronics to scaffolds for tissue regeneration. We hope to impart the readers with some of the excitement that currently surrounds nanocellulose research, which arises from the green nature of the particles, their fascinating physical and chemical properties, and the diversity of applications that can be impacted by this material. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Huge Tongue Lipoma: A Case Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Ali Damghani

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Lipomas are among the most common tumors of the human body. However, they are uncommon in the oral cavity and are observed as slow growing, painless, and asymptomatic yellowish submucosal masses. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice and recurrence is not expected.    Case Report: The case of a 30-year-old woman with a huge lipoma on the tip of her tongue since 3 years, is presented. She had difficulty with speech and mastication because the tongue tumor was filling the oral cavity. Clinical examination revealed a yellowish lesion, measuring 8 cm in maximum diameter, protruding from the lingual surface. The tumor was surgically excised with restoration of normal tongue function and histopathological examination of the tumor confirmed that it was a lipoma.   Conclusion:  Tongue lipoma is rarely seen and can be a cause of macroglossia. Surgical excision for lipoma is indicated for symptomatic relief and exclusion of associated malignancy.

  3. The efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy on huge hepatocellular carcinoma unsuitable for other local modalities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Que, Jenny Y; Lin, Li-Ching; Lin, Kuei-Li; Lin, Chia-Hui; Lin, Yu-Wei; Yang, Ching-Chieh

    2014-01-01

    To evaluate the safety and efficacy of Cyberknife stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and its effect on survival in patients with unresectable huge hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) unsuitable of other standard treatment option. Between 2009 and 2011, 22 patients with unresectable huge HCC (≧10 cm) were treated with SBRT. dose ranged from 26 Gy to 40 Gy in five fractions. Overall survival (OS) and disease-progression free survival (DPFS) were determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Tumor response and toxicities were also assessed. After a median follow-up of 11.5 month (range 2–46 months). The objective response rate was achieved in 86.3% (complete response (CR): 22.7% and partial response (PR): 63.6%). The 1-yr. local control rate was 55.56%. The 1-year OS was 50% and median survival was 11 months (range 2–46 months). In univariate analysis, Child-Pugh stage (p = 0.0056) and SBRT dose (p = 0.0017) were significant factors for survival. However, in multivariate analysis, SBRT dose (p = 0.0072) was the most significant factor, while Child-Pugh stage of borderline significance. (p = 0.0514). Acute toxicities were mild and well tolerated. This study showed that SBRT can be delivered safely to huge HCC and achieved a substantial tumor regression and survival. The results suggest this technique should be considered a salvage treatment. However, local and regional recurrence remain the major cause of failure. Further studies of combination of SBRT and other treatment modalities may be reasonable

  4. Propranolol in Treatment of Huge and Complicated Infantile Hemangiomas in Egyptian Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Basheir A. Hassan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Infantile hemangiomas (IHs are the most common benign tumours of infancy. Propranolol has recently been reported to be a highly effective treatment for IHs. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of propranolol for treatment of complicated cases of IHs. Patients and Methods. This prospective clinical study included 30 children with huge or complicated IHs; their ages ranged from 2 months to 1 year. They were treated by oral propranolol. Treatment outcomes were clinically evaluated. Results. Superficial cutaneous hemangiomas began to respond to propranolol therapy within one to two weeks after the onset of treatment. The mean treatment period that was needed for the occurrence of complete resolution was 9.4 months. Treatment with propranolol was well tolerated and had few side effects. No rebound growth of the tumors was noted when propranolol dosing stopped except in one case. Conclusion. Propranolol is a promising treatment for IHs without obvious side effects. However, further studies with longer follow-up periods are needed.

  5. Reconstruction of juxta-articular huge defects of distal femur with vascularized fibular bone graft and Ilizarov's distraction osteogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Davy; Chen, Chuan-Mu; Chiu, Fang-Yao; Chang, Ming-Chau; Chen, Tain-Hsiung

    2007-01-01

    We evaluate the effect of reconstructing huge defects (mean, 15.8 cm) of the distal femur with Ilizarov's distraction osteogenesis and free twin-barreled vascularized fibular bone graft (TVFG). We retrospectively reviewed a consecutive series of five patients who had cases of distal femoral fractures with huge defects and infection that were treated by the Ilizarov's distraction osteogenesis. After radical debridement, two of the five cases had free TVFG and monolocal distraction osteogenesis, and another two cases had multilocal distraction osteogenesis with knee fusion because of loss of the joint congruity. The other case with floating knee injury had bilocal distraction osteogenesis and a preserved knee joint. The mean defect of distal femur was 15.8 cm (range, 14-18 cm) in length. The mean length of distraction osteogenesis by Ilizarov's apparatus was 8.2 cm. The mean length of TVFG was 8 cm. The average duration from application of Ilizarov's apparatus to achievement of bony union was 10.2 months (range, 8-13 months). At the end of the follow-up, ranges of motion of three knees were 0 to 45 degrees, 0 to 60 degrees, and 0 to 90 degrees. Two cases had knee arthrodesis with bony fusion because of loss of the joint congruity. There were no leg length discrepancies in all five patients. In addition, three patients had pin tract infections and one case had a 10 degree varus deformity of the femur. Juxta-articular huge defect (>10 cm) of distal femur remains a challenge to orthopedic surgeons. Ilizarov's technique provides the capability to maintain stability, eradicate infection, restore leg length, and to perform adjuvant reconstructive procedure easily. In this study, we found that combining Ilizarov's distraction osteogenesis with TVFG results in improved patient outcome for patients with injuries such as supracondylar or intercondylar infected fractures or nonunion of distal femur with huge bone defect.

  6. How a huge HEP experiment is designed course

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva HR-FAS

    2007-01-01

    More than twenty years after the idea of building the LHC machine was discussed in a workshop in Lausanne in 1984 for the first time, it is instructive to look back on the historical process which has led the community to where we are today with four huge detectors being commissioned and eagerly awaiting first beam collisions in 2008. The main design principles, detector features and performance characteristics of the ATLAS and CMS detectors will be briefly covered in these two lectures with, as an interlude, a wonderful DVD from ATLAS outreach depicting how particles interact and are detected in the various components of the experiments.

  7. Huge increase in gas phase nanoparticle generation by pulsed direct current sputtering in a reactive gas admixture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polonskyi, Oleksandr; Peter, Tilo; Mohammad Ahadi, Amir; Hinz, Alexander; Strunskus, Thomas; Zaporojtchenko, Vladimir; Biederman, Hynek; Faupel, Franz

    2013-07-01

    Using reactive DC sputtering in a gas aggregation cluster source, we show that pulsed discharge gives rise to a huge increase in deposition rate of nanoparticles by more than one order of magnitude compared to continuous operation. We suggest that this effect is caused by an equilibrium between slight target oxidation (during "time-off") and subsequent sputtering of Ti oxides (sub-oxides) at "time-on" with high power impulse.

  8. It was huge! Nursing students' first experience at AORN Congress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrne, Michelle; Cantrell, Kelly; Fletcher, Daphne; McRaney, David; Morris, Kelly

    2004-01-01

    AN EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE of mentoring through nursing students' perspectives may enhance AORN's ability to recruit students to perioperative nursing and aid future planning for student involvement in the Association. IN 2003, four first-year nursing students attended the AORN Congress in Chicago with their nursing instructor and mentor. The students' experiences were captured using a thematic analysis to analyze their journals. THE FIVE COMMON THEMES identified were "it was huge," "exhibits," "student program," "exploring the city," and "suggestions for future planning."

  9. Successful Vaginal Delivery despite a Huge Ovarian Mucinous Cystadenoma Complicating Pregnancy: A Case Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dipak Mandi

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available A 22-year-old patient with 9 months of amenorrhea and a huge abdominal swelling was admitted to our institution with an ultrasonography report of a multiloculated cystic space-occupying lesion, almost taking up the whole abdomen (probably of ovarian origin, along with a single live intrauterine fetus. She delivered vaginally a boy baby within 4 hours of admission without any maternal complication, but the baby had features of intrauterine growth restriction along with low birth weight. On the 8th postpartum day, the multiloculated cystic mass, which arose from the right ovary and weighed about 11 kg, was removed via laparotomy. A mucinous cystadenoma with no malignant cells in peritoneal washing was detected in histopathology examination. This report describes a rare case of a successful vaginal delivery despite a huge cystadenoma of the right ovary complicating the pregnancy.

  10. A case report of surgical debulking for a huge mass of elephantiasis neuromatosa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoshi, Manabu; Ieguchi, Makoto; Taguchi, Susumu; Yamasaki, Shinya

    2009-01-01

    Achievement of a safe outcome for an extensive mass with hypervascularity in the extremities requires a surgical team skilled in musculoskeletal oncology. We report debulking surgery for a huge mass of elephantiasis neuromatosa in the right leg of a 56-year old man using the novel Ligasure® vessel sealing system. PMID:21139882

  11. Partial ureterectomy for a huge primary leiomyoma of the ureter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nouralizadeh, A.; Tabib, A.; Taheri, M.; Torbati, P.M.

    2010-01-01

    A case of a huge primary leiomyoma of the ureter in which only partial ureterectomy was performed is presented. The benign nature of the mass was primarily confirmed with frozen section at the time of surgery and then with immunohistochemistry (IHC). To the best of our knowledge, this case is a unique form of leiomyoma of the ureter due to its large size. There have been only ten cases of primary leiomyoma of the ureter reported since 1955 and all of them were very small in size. Our case is considered to be the eleventh. (author)

  12. A case report of surgical debulking for a huge mass of elephantiasis neuromatosa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shinya Yamasaki

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Achievement of a safe outcome for an extensive mass with hypervascularity in the extremities requires a surgical team skilled in musculoskeletal oncology. We report debulking surgery for a huge mass of elephantiasis neuromatosa in the right leg of a 56-year old man using the novel Ligasure® vessel sealing system.

  13. A case of huge neurofibroma expanding extra- and intracranially through the enlarged jugular foramen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanakita, Junya; Imataka, Kiyoharu; Handa, Hajime

    1984-01-01

    The surgical approach to the jugular foramen has been considered to be very difficult and troublesome, because of the location in which important structures, such as the internal jugular vein, internal carotid artery and lower cranial nerves, converge in the narrow deep space. A case of huge neurofibroma, which extended from the tentorium cerebelli through the dilated jugular foramen to the level of the vertebral body of C 3 was presented. A 12-year-old girl was admitted with complaints of visual disturbance and palsy of the V-XII cranial nerves of the left side. Plain skull film showed prominent widening of the cranial sutures and enlargement of the sella turcica. Horizontal CT scan with contrast showed symmetrical ventricular dilatation and a heterogeneously enhanced mass, which was situated mainly in the left CP angle. Coronal CT scan with contrast revealed a huge mass and enlarged jugular foramen, through which the tumor extended to the level of the vertebral body of C 3 . Occlusion of the sigmoid sinus and the internal jugular vein of the left side was noticed in the vertebral angiography. Two-stage approach, the first one for removal of the intracranial tumor and the second one for extracranial tumor, was performed for its huge tumor. Several authors have reported excellent surgical approaches for the tumors situated in the jugular foramen. By our approach, modifying Gardner's original one, a wide operative field was obtained to remove the tumor around the jugular foramen with success. Our approach for the jugular foramen was described with illustrations. (author)

  14. Disaster Characteristics and Mitigation Measures of Huge Glacial Debris Flows along the Sichuan-Tibet Railway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jinfeng; You, Yong; Zhang, Guangze; Wang, Dong; Chen, Jiangang; Chen, Huayong

    2017-04-01

    The Ranwu-Tongmai section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway passes through the Palongzangbu River basin which locates in the southeast Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Due to widely distributed maritime glacier in this area, the huge glacier debris flows are very developed. Consequently, the disastrous glacier debris flows with huge scale (106-108 m3 for one debris flow event) and damage become one of the key influencing factors for the route alignment of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway. The research on disaster characteristics and mitigation measures of huge glacial debris flows in the study area were conducted by the remote sensing interpretation, field investigation, parameter calculation and numerical simulation. Firstly, the distribution of the glaciers, glacier lakes and glacier debris flows were identified and classified; and the disaster characteristics for the huge glacier debris flow were analyzed and summarized. Secondly, the dynamic parameters including the flood peak discharge, debris flow peak discharge, velocity, total volume of a single debris flow event were calculated. Based on the disaster characteristics and the spatial relation with the railway, some mitigation principles and measures were proposed. Finally, the Guxiang Gully, where a huge glacier debris flow with 2*108m3 in volume occurred in 1953, was selected as a typical case to analyze its disaster characteristics and mitigation measures. The interpretation results show that the glacier area is about 970 km2 which accounts for 19% of the total study area. 130 glacier lakes and 102 glacier debris flows were identified and classified. The Sichuan-Tibet Railway passes through 43 glacier debris flows in the study area. The specific disaster characteristics were analyzed and corresponding mitigation measures were proposed for the route selection of the railway. For the Guxiang Gully, a numerical simulation to simulate the deposition condition at the alluvial fan was conducted. the simulation results show that the

  15. Airway management of a rare huge-size supraglottic mass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abou-Zeid, Haitham A.; Al-Ghamdi, Abdel Mohsin A.; Al-Qurain, Abdel-Aziz A.; Mokhazy, Khalid M.

    2006-01-01

    Laser excision of a huge-sized supraglottic mass nearly obstructing the airway passage is a real challenge to anesthesiologists. Upper airway obstruction due to neoplasm in supraglottic region, is traditionally managed by preoperative tracheostomy, however, such a common procedure can potentially have an impact on long-term outcome. A 26-year-old patient presented with dysphagia caused by left cystic vallecular synovial sarcoma. The airway was successfully secured via fiberoptic bronchoscopy, followed by excision of the supraglottic tumor with CO2 laser surgery. Tracheostomy was not required. The patient was discharged from the hospital on the 4th day of surgery. This case, highlights the possibility to secure the airway passage without performing preoperative tracheostomy resulting in good outcome and short hospital stay. (author)

  16. Huge Inverse Magnetization Generated by Faraday Induction in Nano-Sized Au@Ni Core@Shell Nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuo, Chen-Chen; Li, Chi-Yen; Lee, Chi-Hung; Li, Hsiao-Chi; Li, Wen-Hsien

    2015-08-25

    We report on the design and observation of huge inverse magnetizations pointing in the direction opposite to the applied magnetic field, induced in nano-sized amorphous Ni shells deposited on crystalline Au nanoparticles by turning the applied magnetic field off. The magnitude of the induced inverse magnetization is very sensitive to the field reduction rate as well as to the thermal and field processes before turning the magnetic field off, and can be as high as 54% of the magnetization prior to cutting off the applied magnetic field. Memory effect of the induced inverse magnetization is clearly revealed in the relaxation measurements. The relaxation of the inverse magnetization can be described by an exponential decay profile, with a critical exponent that can be effectively tuned by the wait time right after reaching the designated temperature and before the applied magnetic field is turned off. The key to these effects is to have the induced eddy current running beneath the amorphous Ni shells through Faraday induction.

  17. Huge Inverse Magnetization Generated by Faraday Induction in Nano-Sized Au@Ni Core@Shell Nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuo, Chen-Chen; Li, Chi-Yen; Lee, Chi-Hung; Li, Hsiao-Chi; Li, Wen-Hsien

    2015-01-01

    We report on the design and observation of huge inverse magnetizations pointing in the direction opposite to the applied magnetic field, induced in nano-sized amorphous Ni shells deposited on crystalline Au nanoparticles by turning the applied magnetic field off. The magnitude of the induced inverse magnetization is very sensitive to the field reduction rate as well as to the thermal and field processes before turning the magnetic field off, and can be as high as 54% of the magnetization prior to cutting off the applied magnetic field. Memory effect of the induced inverse magnetization is clearly revealed in the relaxation measurements. The relaxation of the inverse magnetization can be described by an exponential decay profile, with a critical exponent that can be effectively tuned by the wait time right after reaching the designated temperature and before the applied magnetic field is turned off. The key to these effects is to have the induced eddy current running beneath the amorphous Ni shells through Faraday induction. PMID:26307983

  18. Huge hydrocephalus: definition, management, and complications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faghih Jouibari, Morteza; Baradaran, Nazanin; Shams Amiri, Rouzbeh; Nejat, Farideh; El Khashab, Mostafa

    2011-01-01

    Lack of comprehensive knowledge and numerous socioeconomic problems may make the parents leave hydrocephalic children untreated, leading to progressive hydrocephalus and eventual unordinary big head. Management of huge hydrocephalus (HH) differs from common hydrocephalus. We present our experience in the management of these children. HH is defined as head circumference larger than the height of the infant. Nine infants with HH have been shunted in Children's Hospital Medical Center and followed up for 0.5 to 7 years. The most common cause of hydrocephalus was aqueductal stenosis. The mean age of patients during shunting was 3 months. The head circumference ranged from 56 to 94 cm with the average of 67 cm. Cognitive statuses were appropriate based on their age in five patients. Motor development was normal only in one patient. Complications were found in most cases which included subdural effusion (six patients), shunt infection (four patients), skin injury (three patients), proximal catheter coming out of ventricle to the subdural space (two patients), and shunt exposure (one patient). Three patients died due to shunt infection and sepsis. Numerous complications may occur in patients with HH after shunt operation such as subdural effusion, ventricular collapse, electrolyte disturbance, skull deformity, scalp injury, and shunt infection. Mental and motor disabilities are very common in patients with HH. Many of these complications can be related to overdrainage; therefore, drainage control using programmable shunts is advisable.

  19. Huge natural gas reserves central to capacity work, construction plans in Iran

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1994-01-01

    Questions about oil production capacity in Iran tend to mask the country's huge potential as a producer of natural gas. Iran is second only to Russia in gas reserves, which National Iranian Gas Co. estimates at 20.7 trillion cu m. Among hurdles to Iran's making greater use of its rich endowment of natural gas are where and how to sell gas not used inside the country. The marketing logistics problem is common to other Middle East holders of gas reserves and a reason behind the recent proliferation of proposals for pipeline and liquefied natural gas schemes targeting Europe and India. But Iran's challenges are greater than most in the region. Political uncertainties and Islamic rules complicate long-term financing of transportation projects and raise questions about security of supply. As a result, Iran has remained mostly in the background of discussions about international trade of Middle Eastern gas. The country's huge gas reserves, strategic location, and existing transport infrastructure nevertheless give it the potential to be a major gas trader if the other issues can be resolved. The paper discusses oil capacity plans, gas development, gas injection for enhanced oil recovery, proposals for exports of gas, and gas pipeline plans

  20. A New Pixels Flipping Method for Huge Watermarking Capacity of the Invoice Font Image

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Li

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Invoice printing just has two-color printing, so invoice font image can be seen as binary image. To embed watermarks into invoice image, the pixels need to be flipped. The more huge the watermark is, the more the pixels need to be flipped. We proposed a new pixels flipping method in invoice image for huge watermarking capacity. The pixels flipping method includes one novel interpolation method for binary image, one flippable pixels evaluation mechanism, and one denoising method based on gravity center and chaos degree. The proposed interpolation method ensures that the invoice image keeps features well after scaling. The flippable pixels evaluation mechanism ensures that the pixels keep better connectivity and smoothness and the pattern has highest structural similarity after flipping. The proposed denoising method makes invoice font image smoother and fiter for human vision. Experiments show that the proposed flipping method not only keeps the invoice font structure well but also improves watermarking capacity.

  1. A new pixels flipping method for huge watermarking capacity of the invoice font image.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Li; Hou, Qingzheng; Lu, Jianfeng; Xu, Qishuai; Dai, Junping; Mao, Xiaoyang; Chang, Chin-Chen

    2014-01-01

    Invoice printing just has two-color printing, so invoice font image can be seen as binary image. To embed watermarks into invoice image, the pixels need to be flipped. The more huge the watermark is, the more the pixels need to be flipped. We proposed a new pixels flipping method in invoice image for huge watermarking capacity. The pixels flipping method includes one novel interpolation method for binary image, one flippable pixels evaluation mechanism, and one denoising method based on gravity center and chaos degree. The proposed interpolation method ensures that the invoice image keeps features well after scaling. The flippable pixels evaluation mechanism ensures that the pixels keep better connectivity and smoothness and the pattern has highest structural similarity after flipping. The proposed denoising method makes invoice font image smoother and fiter for human vision. Experiments show that the proposed flipping method not only keeps the invoice font structure well but also improves watermarking capacity.

  2. A huge bladder calculus causing acute renal failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komeya, Mitsuru; Sahoda, Tamami; Sugiura, Shinpei; Sawada, Takuto; Kitami, Kazuo

    2013-02-01

    A 81-year-old male was referred to our emergency outpatient unit due to acute renal failure. The level of serum creatinine was 276 μmol/l. A CT scan showed bilateral hydronephroureter, large bladder stone (7 cm × 6 cm × 6 cm) and bladder wall thickness. He was diagnosed as post renal failure due to bilateral hydronephroureter. Large bladder stone is thought to be the cause of bilateral hydronephroureter and renal failure. To improve renal failure, we performed open cystolithotomy and urethral catheterization. Three days after the surgery, the level of serum creatinine decreased to 224 μmol/l. He was discharged from our hospital with uneventful course. Bladder calculus is thought to be a rare cause of renal failure. We summarize the characteristics of bladder calculus causing renal failure. We should keep that long-term pyuria and urinary symptom, and repeated urinary tract infection can cause huge bladder calculus and renal failure in mind.

  3. Bulletin of Materials Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The electrocaloric effect is calculated for PMN–PT relaxor ferroelectric thin film near morphotropic phase boundary composition. Thin film of thickness, ∼ 240 nm, has ... at the virtual ground mode. Maximum reversible adiabatic temperature change, = 31 K, was calculated at 140°C for an external applied voltage of 18 V.

  4. On the huge Lie superalgebra of pseudo superdifferential operators and super KP-hierarchies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sedra, M.B.

    1995-08-01

    Lie superalgebraic methods are used to establish a connection between the huge Lie superalgebra Ξ of super (pseudo) differential operators and various super KP-hierarchies. We show in particular that Ξ splits into 5 = 2 x 2 + 1 graded algebras expected to correspond to five classes of super KP-hierarchies generalizing the well-known Manin-Radul and Figueroa O'Farrill-Ramos supersymmetric KP-hierarchies. (author). 10 refs

  5. Huge endometrioma mimicking mucinous cystadenoma on MR : A case report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hwang, Im Kyung; Kim, Bong Soo; Nam, Kung Sook; Kim, Heung Cheol; Yoo, Yun Sik; Lee, Mee Ran; Hwang, Woo Chul [Hallym University, Chunchon (Korea, Republic of)

    2001-12-01

    Endometriosis is a relatively common gynecologic disease affecting women during their reproductive years. For its diagnosis, magnetic resonance imaging has been shown to have greater specificity than other modalities. Although lesions may show variable signal intensity due to numerous stages of bleeding, the characteristic finding of endometrioma which distinguishes it from other ovarian cystic masses is relatively high signal intensity on T1-weighted images and heterogeneous signal intensity with prominent shading on 72-weighted images. We report an atypical case involving a huge endometrioma. Because of varying signal intensity on T1- and T2-weighted images and scanty shading on T2-weighted images, the findings were misinterpreted and mucinous cystadenoma was diagnosed.

  6. On the sea-covering effect of a huge floating structure on the surrounding water; Choogata futai shuhen no kaisui ni taisuru kaimen shahei no eikyo ni tsuite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fujino, M; Kagemoto, H; Hamada, T [The University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)

    1997-12-31

    The numerical analysis program based on the difference method for dynamics of sea water with sea-surface displacement, flow rate, salt content and temperature as the parameters is modified to more accurately assess the effects of a huge marine structure on surrounding environment by adding the effects of insolation and boundary conditions of the sea-covering effects of the floating structure. The numerical simulation was done for summer and winter seasons, not in a sea area but using a rectangular bay with the floating structure at the center. A new flow evolves around the floating structure, due to the sea-covering effect. The flow patterns in summer and winter are clearly different, due to difference in insolation. The predicted flow is also sensitive whether stratification is considered or not, by which is meant that it is important what stratification effect is taken into account. Daily insolation changes are accompanied by vertical distribution of water temperature and its temporal change. These effects are also observed under the floating structure which shields insolation. 10 refs., 17 figs., 4 tabs.

  7. On the sea-covering effect of a huge floating structure on the surrounding water; Choogata futai shuhen no kaisui ni taisuru kaimen shahei no eikyo ni tsuite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fujino, M.; Kagemoto, H.; Hamada, T. [The University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)

    1996-12-31

    The numerical analysis program based on the difference method for dynamics of sea water with sea-surface displacement, flow rate, salt content and temperature as the parameters is modified to more accurately assess the effects of a huge marine structure on surrounding environment by adding the effects of insolation and boundary conditions of the sea-covering effects of the floating structure. The numerical simulation was done for summer and winter seasons, not in a sea area but using a rectangular bay with the floating structure at the center. A new flow evolves around the floating structure, due to the sea-covering effect. The flow patterns in summer and winter are clearly different, due to difference in insolation. The predicted flow is also sensitive whether stratification is considered or not, by which is meant that it is important what stratification effect is taken into account. Daily insolation changes are accompanied by vertical distribution of water temperature and its temporal change. These effects are also observed under the floating structure which shields insolation. 10 refs., 17 figs., 4 tabs.

  8. Huge Inverse Magnetization Generated by Faraday Induction in Nano-Sized Au@Ni Core@Shell Nanoparticles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen-Chen Kuo

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available We report on the design and observation of huge inverse magnetizations pointing in the direction opposite to the applied magnetic field, induced in nano-sized amorphous Ni shells deposited on crystalline Au nanoparticles by turning the applied magnetic field off. The magnitude of the induced inverse magnetization is very sensitive to the field reduction rate as well as to the thermal and field processes before turning the magnetic field off, and can be as high as 54% of the magnetization prior to cutting off the applied magnetic field. Memory effect of the induced inverse magnetization is clearly revealed in the relaxation measurements. The relaxation of the inverse magnetization can be described by an exponential decay profile, with a critical exponent that can be effectively tuned by the wait time right after reaching the designated temperature and before the applied magnetic field is turned off. The key to these effects is to have the induced eddy current running beneath the amorphous Ni shells through Faraday induction.

  9. Huge Intracanal lumbar Disc Herniation: a Review of Four Cases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farzad Omidi-Kashani

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Lumbar disc herniation (LDH is the most common cause of sciatica and only in about 10% of the affected patients, surgical intervention is necessary. The side of the patient (the side of most prominent clinical complaints is usually consistent with the side of imaging (the side with most prominent disc herniation on imaging scans. In this case series, we presented our experience in four cases with huge intracanal LDH that a mismatch between the patient’s side and the imaging’s side was present. In these cases, for deciding to do the operation, the physicians need to rely more on clinical findings, but for deciding the side of discectomy, imaging characteristic (imaging side may be a more important criterion.

  10. Topographical effects on wave exciting forces on huge floating structure. 2; Ogata futaishiki kaiyo kozobutsu ni sayosuru haryoku ni kansuru kenkyu. 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Imai, Y [Hiroshima University, Hiroshima (Japan); Okusu, M [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan). Research Inst. for Applied Mechanics

    1997-12-31

    A method to predict drift force acting on a floating structure has been developed for a marine structure consisting of a number of floating elements, positioned in a region having a slope at the sea bottom. When a huge marine structure, such as floating air port, is located in a coastal area, scale of the overall structure is very large, of the order of scale of water depth change. The new method assumes that a marine structure consisting of an infinite number of cylindrical floating elements is installed in parallel to the seashore, where symmetrical nature of the configuration allows to predict behavior of the whole system by analyzing one element. Integration of pressures acting on structure surfaces determines the horizontal component of the drift force acting on the structure. Being influenced by topography, drift force predicted peaks at a frequency different from that for the level predicted on the assumption of constant water depth. This indicates the necessity for consideration of seabottom slope and effects of broken waves at the seashore. 6 refs., 12 figs.

  11. Topographical effects on wave exciting forces on huge floating structure. 2; Ogata futaishiki kaiyo kozobutsu ni sayosuru haryoku ni kansuru kenkyu. 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Imai, Y. [Hiroshima University, Hiroshima (Japan); Okusu, M. [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan). Research Inst. for Applied Mechanics

    1996-12-31

    A method to predict drift force acting on a floating structure has been developed for a marine structure consisting of a number of floating elements, positioned in a region having a slope at the sea bottom. When a huge marine structure, such as floating air port, is located in a coastal area, scale of the overall structure is very large, of the order of scale of water depth change. The new method assumes that a marine structure consisting of an infinite number of cylindrical floating elements is installed in parallel to the seashore, where symmetrical nature of the configuration allows to predict behavior of the whole system by analyzing one element. Integration of pressures acting on structure surfaces determines the horizontal component of the drift force acting on the structure. Being influenced by topography, drift force predicted peaks at a frequency different from that for the level predicted on the assumption of constant water depth. This indicates the necessity for consideration of seabottom slope and effects of broken waves at the seashore. 6 refs., 12 figs.

  12. [Radical Resection of Huge Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor of the Stomach Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy with lmatinib - ACase Report].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiraki, Yoko; Kato, Hiroaki; Shiraishi, Osamu; Tanaka, Yumiko; Iwama, Mitsuru; Yasuda, Atsushi; Shinkai, Masayuki; Kimura, Yutaka; Imano, Motohiro; Imamoto, Haruhiko; Yasuda, Takushi

    2017-11-01

    The usefulness and safety of imatinibfor neoadjuvant chemotherapy for resectable gastrointestinal stromal tumor(GIST) has not been established. We reported a case of a huge GIST of the stomach that was safely resected following preoperative imatinibtherapy. A 69-year-old man was hospitalized with abdominal fullness which increased rapidly from a month ago. A CT scan showed a huge tumor containing solid and cystic component which was accompanied by an extra-wall nodule. The tumor was strongly suspected to be originated from the stomach and EUS-FNA revealed GIST. We diagnosed GIST of the stomach and initiated preoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with imatinib because there was a risk for the break of tumor capsule and composite resection of the other organs without prior chemotherapy. After the administration of imatinib4 00 mg/day for 6months, the solid component was decreased in size and its' activity by PET-CT had declined, but the size of the cystic component was not changed and the patient's complaint of fullness was not reduced. Then, after a week cessation of imatinib, we performed surgical removal of the tumor with partial gastrectomy without surgical complication during and after the operation. Imatinibwas resumed 2 weeks later postoperatively and 1 year and 8 months has passed since the operation without recurrence. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with imatinibhas the potential to become an important therapeutic option for the treatment of huge GISTs.

  13. Surgical resection of a huge cemento-ossifying fibroma in skull base by intraoral approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Xiao-Bing; Li, Yun-Peng; Lei, De-Lin; Li, Xiao-Dong; Tian, Lei

    2011-03-01

    Cemento-ossifying fibroma, also known as ossifying fibroma, usually occurs in the mandible and less commonly in the maxilla. The huge example in the skull base is even rare. We present a case of a huge cemento-ossifying fibroma arising below the skull base of a 30-year-old woman patient. Radiologic investigations showed a giant, lobulated, heterogeneous calcified hard tissue mass, which is well circumscribed and is a mixture of radiolucent and radiopaque, situated at the rear of the right maxilla to the middle skull base. The tumor expands into the right maxillary sinus and the orbital cavity, fusing with the right maxilla at the maxillary tuberosity and blocking the bilateral choanas, which caused marked proptosis and blurred vision. The tumor was resected successfully by intraoral approach, and pathologic examination confirmed the lesion to be a cemento-ossifying fibroma. This case demonstrates that cemento-ossifying fibroma in the maxilla, not like in the mandible, may appear more aggressive because the extensive growth is unimpeded by anatomic obstacles and that the intraoral approach can be used to excise the tumor in the skull base.

  14. Distributed and parallel approach for handle and perform huge datasets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konopko, Joanna

    2015-12-01

    Big Data refers to the dynamic, large and disparate volumes of data comes from many different sources (tools, machines, sensors, mobile devices) uncorrelated with each others. It requires new, innovative and scalable technology to collect, host and analytically process the vast amount of data. Proper architecture of the system that perform huge data sets is needed. In this paper, the comparison of distributed and parallel system architecture is presented on the example of MapReduce (MR) Hadoop platform and parallel database platform (DBMS). This paper also analyzes the problem of performing and handling valuable information from petabytes of data. The both paradigms: MapReduce and parallel DBMS are described and compared. The hybrid architecture approach is also proposed and could be used to solve the analyzed problem of storing and processing Big Data.

  15. Progressive skin necrosis of a huge occipital encephalocele

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andarabi, Yasir; Nejat, Farideh; El-Khashab, Mostafa

    2008-01-01

    Objects: Progressive skin necrosis of giant occipital encephalocoele is an extremely rare complication found in neonates. Infection and ulceration of the necrosed skin may lead to meningitis or sepsis. We present here a neonate with giant occipital encephalocoele showing progressive necrosis during the first day of his life. Methods: A newborn baby was found to have a huge mass in the occipital region, which was covered by normal pink-purplish skin. During the last hours of the first day of his life, the sac started becoming ulcerated accompanied with a rapid color change in the skin, gradually turning darker and then black. The neonate was taken up for urgent excision and repair of the encephalocele. Two years after the operation, he appears to be well-developed without any neurological problems. Conclusion: Necrosis may have resulted from arterial or venous compromise caused by torsion of the pedicle during delivery or after birth. The high pressure inside the sac associated with the thin skin of the encephalocoele may be another predisposing factor. In view of the risk of ulceration and subsequent infection, urgent surgery of the necrotizing encephalocele is suggested. PMID:19753210

  16. Progressive skin necrosis of a huge occipital encephalocele

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andarabi Yasir

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Objects: Progressive skin necrosis of giant occipital encephalocoele is an extremely rare complication found in neonates. Infection and ulceration of the necrosed skin may lead to meningitis or sepsis. We present here a neonate with giant occipital encephalocoele showing progressive necrosis during the first day of his life. Methods: A newborn baby was found to have a huge mass in the occipital region, which was covered by normal pink-purplish skin. During the last hours of the first day of his life, the sac started becoming ulcerated accompanied with a rapid color change in the skin, gradually turning darker and then black. The neonate was taken up for urgent excision and repair of the encephalocele. Two years after the operation, he appears to be well-developed without any neurological problems. Conclusion: Necrosis may have resulted from arterial or venous compromise caused by torsion of the pedicle during delivery or after birth. The high pressure inside the sac associated with the thin skin of the encephalocoele may be another predisposing factor. In view of the risk of ulceration and subsequent infection, urgent surgery of the necrotizing encephalocele is suggested.

  17. Hydrogen-terminated mesoporous silicon monoliths with huge surface area as alternative Si-based visible light-active photocatalysts

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Ting; Li, Jun; Zhang, Qiang; Blazeby, Emma; Shang, Congxiao; Xu, Hualong; Zhang, Xixiang; Chao, Yimin

    2016-01-01

    Silicon-based nanostructures and their related composites have drawn tremendous research interest in solar energy storage and conversion. Mesoporous silicon with a huge surface area of 400-900 m2 g-1 developed by electrochemical etching exhibits

  18. Research on fast Fourier transforms algorithm of huge remote sensing image technology with GPU and partitioning technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xue; Li, Xue-You; Li, Jia-Guo; Ma, Jun; Zhang, Li; Yang, Jan; Du, Quan-Ye

    2014-02-01

    Fast Fourier transforms (FFT) is a basic approach to remote sensing image processing. With the improvement of capacity of remote sensing image capture with the features of hyperspectrum, high spatial resolution and high temporal resolution, how to use FFT technology to efficiently process huge remote sensing image becomes the critical step and research hot spot of current image processing technology. FFT algorithm, one of the basic algorithms of image processing, can be used for stripe noise removal, image compression, image registration, etc. in processing remote sensing image. CUFFT function library is the FFT algorithm library based on CPU and FFTW. FFTW is a FFT algorithm developed based on CPU in PC platform, and is currently the fastest CPU based FFT algorithm function library. However there is a common problem that once the available memory or memory is less than the capacity of image, there will be out of memory or memory overflow when using the above two methods to realize image FFT arithmetic. To address this problem, a CPU and partitioning technology based Huge Remote Fast Fourier Transform (HRFFT) algorithm is proposed in this paper. By improving the FFT algorithm in CUFFT function library, the problem of out of memory and memory overflow is solved. Moreover, this method is proved rational by experiment combined with the CCD image of HJ-1A satellite. When applied to practical image processing, it improves effect of the image processing, speeds up the processing, which saves the time of computation and achieves sound result.

  19. Hydrogen-terminated mesoporous silicon monoliths with huge surface area as alternative Si-based visible light-active photocatalysts

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Ting

    2016-07-21

    Silicon-based nanostructures and their related composites have drawn tremendous research interest in solar energy storage and conversion. Mesoporous silicon with a huge surface area of 400-900 m2 g-1 developed by electrochemical etching exhibits excellent photocatalytic ability and stability after 10 cycles in degrading methyl orange under visible light irradiation, owing to its unique mesoporous network, abundant surface hydrides and efficient light harvesting. This work showcases the profound effects of surface area, crystallinity, pore topology on charge migration/recombination and mass transportation. Therein the ordered 1D channel array has outperformed the interconnected 3D porous network by greatly accelerating the mass diffusion and enhancing the accessibility of the active sites on the extensive surfaces. © 2016 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

  20. The causes and the nursing interventions of the complications due to repeated embolization therapy for huge cerebral arteriovenous malformations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Lingfang; Sun Ge

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the causes of the complications occurred after repeated embolization therapy for huge cerebral arteriovenous malformations and to discuss their nursing interventions. Methods: A total of 54 embolization procedures were performed in 17 patients with huge cerebral arteriovenous malformations. The clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. The causes of complications were carefully examined and the preventive measures were discussed. The prompt and necessary nursing interventions were formulated in order to prevent the complications or serious consequences. Results: Among the total 17 patients, one patient gave up the treatment because of the cerebral hemorrhage which occurred two months after receiving 3 times of embolization therapy. One patient experienced cerebral vascular spasm during the procedure, which was relieved after antispasmodic medication and no neurological deficit was left behind. Two patients developed transient dizziness and headache, which were alleviated spontaneously. One patient presented with nervousness, fear and irritability, which made him hard to cooperate with the operation and the basis intravenous anesthesia was employed. No complications occurred in the remaining cases. Conclusion: The predictive nursing interventions for the prevention of complications are very important for obtaining a successful repeated embolization therapy for huge cerebral arteriovenous malformations, which will ensure that the patients can get the best treatment and the complications can be avoided. (authors)

  1. Transcatheter Closure of Bilateral Multiple Huge Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformations with Homemade Double-Umbrella Occluders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhong Hongshan; Xu Ke; Shao Haibo

    2008-01-01

    A 28-year-old man underwent successful transcatheter occlusion of three huge pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) using homemade double-umbrella occluders and stainless steel coils. Thoracic CT with three-dimensional reconstruction and pulmonary angiography were used for treatment planning and follow-up. The diameters of the feeding vessels were 11 mm, 13 mm, and 14 mm, respectively. This report demonstrates the novel design and utility of the double-umbrella occluder, an alternative tool for treatment of large PAVMs.

  2. PRS: PERSONNEL RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM FOR HUGE DATA ANALYSIS USING PORTER STEMMER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T N Chiranjeevi

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Personal recommendation system is one which gives better and preferential recommendation to the users to satisfy their personalized requirements such as practical applications like Webpage Preferences, Sport Videos preferences, Stock selection based on price, TV preferences, Hotel preferences, books, Mobile phones, CDs and various other products now use recommender systems. The existing Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC and item-based algorithm using PCC, are called as UPCC and IPCC respectively. These systems are mainly based on only the rating services and does not consider the user personal preferences, they simply just give the result based on the ratings. As the size of data increases it will give the recommendations based on the top rated services and it will miss out most of user preferences. These are main drawbacks in the existing system which will give same results to the users based on some evaluations and rankings or rating service, they will neglect the user preferences and necessities. To address this problem we propose a new approach called, Personnel Recommendation System (PRS for huge data analysis using Porter Stemmer to solve the above challenges. In the proposed system it provides a personalized service recommendation list to the users and recommends the most useful services to the users which will increase the accuracy and efficiency in searching better services. Particularly, a set of suggestions or keywords are provided to indicate user preferences and we used Collaborative Filtering and Porter Stemmer algorithm which gives a suitable recommendations to the users. In real, the broad experiments are conducted on the huge database which is available in real world, and outcome shows that our proposed personal recommender method extensively improves the precision and efficiency of service recommender system over the KASR method. In our approach mainly consider the user preferences so it will not miss out the any of the data

  3. Process control upgrades yield huge operational improvements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fitzgerald, W.V.

    2001-01-01

    Most nuclear plants in North America were designed and built in the late 60 and 70. The regulatory nature of this industry over the years has made design changes at the plant level difficult, if not impossible, to implement. As a result, many plants in this world region have been getting by on technology that is over 40 years behind the times. What this translates into is that the plants have not been able to take advantage of the huge technology gains that have been made in process control during this period. As a result, most of these plants are much less efficient and productive than they could be. One particular area of the plant that is receiving a lot of attention is the feedwater heaters. These systems were put in place to improve efficiency, but most are not operating correctly. This paper will present a case study where one progressive mid-western utility decided that enough was enough and implemented a process control audit of their heater systems. The audit clearly pointed out the existing problems with the current process control system. It resulted in a proposal for the implementation of a state of the art, digital distributed process control system for the heaters along with a complete upgrade of the level controls and field devices that will stabilize heater levels, resulting in significant efficiency gains and lower maintenance bills. Overall the payback period for this investment should be less than 6 months and the plant is now looking for more opportunities that can provide even bigger gains. (author)

  4. Huge pelvic parachordoma: fine needle aspiration cytology and histological differential diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mona A. Kandil

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Parachordoma is an extremely rare soft tissue tumor of unknown lineage. Parachordoma develops most often on the extremities. Only 2 cases have been reported as pelvic parachordoma. A 46-year old Egyptian woman with a huge painful pelvic mass was found to have a parachordoma with ectopic pelvic right kidney. There is only one report in the literature of fine needle aspiration cytology in this setting. The microscopic picture of parachordoma is not new to pathologists but the gross picture of this rare tumor has not previously been published; not even in the World Health Organization classification of soft tissues tumors. Diagnosis was confirmed by immuno-histochemistry. The patient is in good clinical condition without any evidence of recurrence or metastasis after 84 months of follow up.

  5. Acute abdomen in early pregnancy caused by torsion of bilateral huge multiloculated ovarian cysts

    OpenAIRE

    Sathiyakala Rajendran; Suthanthira Devi

    2015-01-01

    The association of pregnancy and torsion of bilateral huge benign ovarian cyst is rare. We report a case of multigravida at 13 weeks of pregnancy presenting with acute onset of lower abdominal pain. Ultrasound revealed bilateral multiloculated ovarian cysts of size 10x10 cm on right side and 15x10cm on left side with evidence of torsion and a single live intrauterine fetus of gestational age 13 weeks 4 days. Emergency laparotomy was done with vaginal susten 200 mg as perioperative tocolysis. ...

  6. Hypointensity on postcontrast MR imaging from compression of the sacral promontory in enlarged uterus with huge leiomyoma and adenomyosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uotani, Kensuke; Monzawa, Shuichi; Adachi, Shuji; Takemori, Masayuki; Kaji, Yasushi; Sugimura, Kazuro

    2007-01-01

    In patients with huge leiomyoma and with adenomyosis of the uterus, a peculiar area of hypointensity was occasionally observed on postcontrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the dorsal portion of the enlarged uterus near the sacral promontory. We describe the imaging characteristics of these MR findings and correlate them with histopathological findings to examine whether the areas represent specific pathological changes. Ten patients with huge leiomyomas and two with huge adenomyotic lesions whose imaging revealed the hypointensity were enrolled. All had enlarged uteri that extended beyond the sacral promontory. MR findings of the hypointense areas were evaluated and correlated with histopathological findings in 5 patients with leiomyoma and two with adenomyosis who had hysterectomy. The ten patients with leiomyoma showed flare-shaped hypointensity arising from the dorsal surface of the uterine body that extended deep into the tumor. The base of the hypointense areas was narrow in 5 patients with intramural leiomyoma and broad in five with subserosal leiomyoma. Two patients with adenomyosis showed nodular-shaped areas of hypointensity in front of the sacral promontory. Precontrast T 1 - and T 2 -weighted MR images showed no signal abnormalities in the portions corresponding to the hypointensity in any of the 12 patients. Pathological examinations showed no specific findings in the portions corresponding to the hypointensity in the 7 patients who had hysterectomy. The areas of hypointensity may represent functional changes, such as decreased localized blood flow caused by compression of the sacral promontory. (author)

  7. A case of huge colon carcinoma and right renal angiomyolipoma accompanied by proximal deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and tumor thrombus in the renal vein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ban, Daisuke; Yamamoto, Seiichiro; Kuno, Hirofumi; Fujimoto, Hiroyuki; Fujita, Shin; Akasu, Takayuki; Moriya, Yoshihiro

    2008-10-01

    A preoperative inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is reported to be effective in surgical cases with proximal deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or in which pulmonary embolism (PE) has already developed, and considered to be at high risk of developing secondary fatal PE during or after surgery. However, guidelines for using an IVC filter have yet to be established. The patient in the present report had two huge tumors, ascending colon cancer and renal angiomyolipoma, which occupied the entire right half of the abdomen, coexisting PE, DVT and tumor thrombus in the right renal vein. Secondary PE is fatal in the perioperative period, therefore, the vena cava filters were preoperatively inserted into the supra- and the infrarenal IVC. We successfully removed the tumors without complications. The patient is alive without tumor recurrence and PE or recurrent DVT 1 year and 6 months after surgery. The coexistence of two huge abdominal tumors as potential causes of PE and DVT is extremely rare, and we could have safely undergone the operation, using two vena cava filters in the supra- and infrarenal IVC.

  8. Subcortical heterotopia appearing as huge midline mass in the newborn brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukumura, Shinobu; Watanabe, Toshihide; Kimura, Sachiko; Ochi, Satoko; Yoshifuji, Kazuhisa; Tsutsumi, Hiroyuki

    2016-02-01

    We report the case of a 2-year-old boy who showed a huge midline mass in the brain at prenatal assessment. After birth, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a conglomerate mass with an infolded microgyrus at the midline, which was suspected as a midline brain-in-brain malformation. MRI also showed incomplete cleavage of his frontal cortex and thalamus, consistent with lobar holoprosencephaly. The patient underwent an incisional biopsy of the mass on the second day of life. The mass consisted of normal central nervous tissue with gray and white matter, representing a heterotopic brain. The malformation was considered to be a subcortical heterotopia. With maturity, focal signal changes and decreased cerebral perfusion became clear on brain imaging, suggesting secondary glial degeneration. Coincident with these MRI abnormalities, the child developed psychomotor retardation and severe epilepsy focused on the side of the intracranial mass.

  9. En bloc resection of huge cemento-ossifying fibroma of mandible: avoiding lower lip split incision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayub, Tahera; Katpar, Shahjahan; Shafique, Salman; Mirza, Talat

    2011-05-01

    Cemento-ossifying Fibroma (COF) is an osteogenic benign neoplasm affecting the jaws and other craniofacial bones. It commonly presents as a progressively slow growing pathology, which can sometimes attain an enormous size, causing facial deformity. A case of a huge cemento-ossifying fibroma, appearing as a mandibular dumbell tumour in a male patient is documented, which caused massive bone destruction and deformity. It was surgically removed by performing en bloc resection of mandible avoiding the splitting of lower lip incision technique, thereby maintaining his normal facial appearance.

  10. Building Energy Efficiency through Innovative Thermodevices (BEEIT)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ju, Y. Sungtaek [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Dunn, Bruce [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Pei, Qibing [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Kim, C. -J. [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

    2012-12-14

    This is the final scientific/technical report for the project "Compact MEMS Electrocaloric Cooling Module" sponsored by ARAPA-E as part of its Building Energy Efficiency through Innovative Thermodevices (BEEIT) program.

  11. Analysis of the Huge Immigration of Sogatella furcifera (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) to Southern China in the Spring of 2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Si-Si; Bao, Yun-Xuan; Wu, Yan; Lu, Min-Hong; Tuan, Hoang-Anh

    2018-02-08

    Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) is a migratory rice pest that periodically erupts across Asia, and early immigration is an important cause of its outbreak. The early immigration of S. furcifera into southern China shows evident annual fluctuations. In the spring of 2012, the huge size of the immigrant population and the large number of immigration peaks were at levels rarely seen prior to that year. However, little research has been done on the entire process of round-trip migration to clarify the development of the population, the long-distance migration and the final eruption. In this study, the light-trap data for S. furcifera in southern China and Vietnam in 2011-2016 were collected, and the trajectory modeling showed that the early immigrants to southern China came from the northern and central Vietnam, Laos, and northeastern Thailand. Analysis of the development of the population, the migration process and meteorological factors revealed the reasons for the huge size of the early immigration: 1) the expansion of the source area could be seen as a precondition; 2) the large size of the returned population in the last autumn and the warm temperature of southern Vietnam and Laos in the last winter increased the initial populations; 3) the sustained strong southwest winds were conducive to the northward migration of the population during the major immigration period in early May. Therefore, the large-scale immigration of S. furcifera to southern China in the spring of 2012 resulted from the combined effects of several factors involved in the process of round-trip migration. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  12. [A Case of Huge Colon Cancer Accompanied with Severe Hypoproteinemia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiraki, Sakurao; Kanesada, Kou; Harada, Toshio; Tada, Kousuke; Fukuda, Shintaro

    2017-11-01

    We report a case of huge colon cancer accompanied with severe hypoproteinemia. A7 4-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of abdominal fullness. Blood examinations revealed anemia(hemoglobin 8.8 g/dL)and sever hypopro- teinemia(total protein 4.5 g/dL, albumin 1.1 g/dL). Computed tomography examination of abdomen revealed ascites and large tumor(12.5×10.5 cm)at the right side colon. By further examinations ascending colon cancer without distant metastasis was diagnosed, then we performed right hemicolectomy and primary intestinal anastomosis by open surgery. Ahuge type 1 tumor(18×12 cm)was observed in the excised specimen, which invaded to terminal ileum directly. The tumor was diagnosed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma without lymph node metastasis(pT3N0M0, fStage II ). Postoperative course was uneventful and serum protein concentration recovered gradually to normal range. Protein leakage from the tumor cannot be proved by this case, so we can't diagnose as protein-losing enteropathy, but we strongly doubt this etiology from postoperative course in this case.

  13. Huge thermal conductivity enhancement in boron nitride – ethylene glycol nanofluids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Żyła, Gaweł; Fal, Jacek; Traciak, Julian; Gizowska, Magdalena; Perkowski, Krzysztof

    2016-01-01

    Paper presents the results of experimental studies on thermophysical properties of boron nitride (BN) plate-like shaped particles in ethylene glycol (EG). Essentially, the studies were focused on the thermal conductivity of suspensions of these particles. Nanofluids were obtained with two-step method (by dispersing BN particles in ethylene glycol) and its’ thermal conductivity was analyzed at various mass concentrations, up to 20 wt. %. Thermal conductivity was measured in temperature range from 293.15 K to 338.15 K with 15 K step. The measurements of thermal conductivity of nanofluids were performed in the system based on a device using the transient line heat source method. Studies have shown that nanofluids’ thermal conductivity increases with increasing fraction of nanoparticles. The results of studies also presented that the thermal conductivity of nanofluids changes very slightly with the increase of temperature. - Highlights: • Huge thermal conductivity enhancement in BN-EG nanofluid was reported. • Thermal conductivity increase very slightly with increasing of the temperature. • Thermal conductivity increase linearly with volume concentration of particles.

  14. Huge thermal conductivity enhancement in boron nitride – ethylene glycol nanofluids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Żyła, Gaweł, E-mail: gzyla@prz.edu.pl [Department of Physics and Medical Engineering, Rzeszow University of Technology, Rzeszow, 35-905 (Poland); Fal, Jacek; Traciak, Julian [Department of Physics and Medical Engineering, Rzeszow University of Technology, Rzeszow, 35-905 (Poland); Gizowska, Magdalena; Perkowski, Krzysztof [Department of Nanotechnology, Institute of Ceramics and Building Materials, Warsaw, 02-676 (Poland)

    2016-09-01

    Paper presents the results of experimental studies on thermophysical properties of boron nitride (BN) plate-like shaped particles in ethylene glycol (EG). Essentially, the studies were focused on the thermal conductivity of suspensions of these particles. Nanofluids were obtained with two-step method (by dispersing BN particles in ethylene glycol) and its’ thermal conductivity was analyzed at various mass concentrations, up to 20 wt. %. Thermal conductivity was measured in temperature range from 293.15 K to 338.15 K with 15 K step. The measurements of thermal conductivity of nanofluids were performed in the system based on a device using the transient line heat source method. Studies have shown that nanofluids’ thermal conductivity increases with increasing fraction of nanoparticles. The results of studies also presented that the thermal conductivity of nanofluids changes very slightly with the increase of temperature. - Highlights: • Huge thermal conductivity enhancement in BN-EG nanofluid was reported. • Thermal conductivity increase very slightly with increasing of the temperature. • Thermal conductivity increase linearly with volume concentration of particles.

  15. Huge Trionic Effects in Graphene Nanoribbons

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Deilmann, Thorsten; Rohlfing, Michael

    2017-01-01

    V for widths of 14.6-3.6 Å. Both for the trions and for the excitons, we observe an almost linear dependency of their binding energies on the band gap. We observe several trion states with different character derived from the corresponding excitons. Because of the large bindings energies, this opens a route...

  16. Huge Left Ventricular Thrombus and Apical Ballooning associated with Recurrent Massive Strokes in a Septic Shock Patient

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyun-Jung Lee

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The most feared complication of left ventricular thrombus (LVT is the occurrence of systemic thromboembolic events, especially in the brain. Herein, we report a patient with severe sepsis who suffered recurrent devastating embolic stroke. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed apical ballooning of the left ventricle with a huge LVT, which had not been observed in chest computed tomography before the stroke. This case emphasizes the importance of serial cardiac evaluation in patients with stroke and severe medical illness.

  17. Sleeping money: investigating the huge surpluses of social health insurance in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, JunQiang; Chen, Tao

    2013-12-01

    The spreading of social health insurance (SHI) worldwide poses challenges for fledging public administrators. Inefficiency, misuse and even corruption threaten the stewardship of those newly established health funds. This article examines a tricky situation faced by China's largest SHI program: the basic health insurance (BHI) scheme for urban employees. BHI accumulated a 406 billion yuan surplus by 2009, although the reimbursement level was still low. Using a provincial level panel database, we find that the huge BHI surpluses are related to the (temporarily) decreasing dependency ratio, the steady growth of average wages, the extension of BHI coverage, and progress in social insurance agency building. The financial situations of local governments and risk pooling level also matter. Besides, medical savings accounts result in about one third of BHI surpluses. Although these findings are not causal, lessons drawn from this study can help to improve the governance and performance of SHI programs in developing countries.

  18. Tiny Grains Give Huge Gains: Nanocrystal–Based Signal Amplification for Biomolecule Detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Sheng; Ren, Binbin; Zheng, Zhilan; Shen, Han; Bao, Gang

    2013-01-01

    Nanocrystals, despite their tiny sizes, contain thousands to millions of atoms. Here we show that the large number of atoms packed in each metallic nanocrystal can provide a huge gain in signal amplification for biomolecule detection. We have devised a highly sensitive, linear amplification scheme by integrating the dissolution of bound nanocrystals and metal-induced stoichiometric chromogenesis, and demonstrated that signal amplification is fully defined by the size and atom density of nanocrystals, which can be optimized through well-controlled nanocrystal synthesis. Further, the rich library of chromogenic reactions allows implementation of this scheme in various assay formats, as demonstrated by the iron oxide nanoparticle linked immunosorbent assay (ILISA) and blotting assay developed in this study. Our results indicate that, owing to the inherent simplicity, high sensitivity and repeatability, the nanocrystal based amplification scheme can significantly improve biomolecule quantification in both laboratory research and clinical diagnostics. This novel method adds a new dimension to current nanoparticle-based bioassays. PMID:23659350

  19. Huge Varicose Inferior Mesenteric Vein: an Unanticipated 99mTc-labeled Red Blood Cell Scintigraphy Finding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoseinzadeh, Samaneh; Shafiei, Babak; Salehian, Mohamadtaghi; Neshandar Asli, Isa; Ghodoosi, Iraj

    2010-01-01

    Ectopic varices (EcV) are enlarged portosystemic venous collaterals, which usually develop secondary to portal hypertension (PHT). Mesocaval collateral vessels are unusual pathways to decompress the portal system. Here we report the case of a huge varicose inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) that drained into peri rectal collateral veins, demonstrated by 99m Tc-labeled red blood cell (RBC) scintigraphy performed for lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in a 14-year-old girl. This case illustrates the crucial role of 99m Tc-labeled RBC scintigraphy for the diagnosis of rare ectopic lower GI varices.

  20. Huge Varicose Inferior Mesenteric Vein: an Unanticipated {sup 99m}Tc-labeled Red Blood Cell Scintigraphy Finding

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoseinzadeh, Samaneh; Shafiei, Babak; Salehian, Mohamadtaghi; Neshandar Asli, Isa; Ghodoosi, Iraj [Shaheed Beheshti Medical University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2010-09-15

    Ectopic varices (EcV) are enlarged portosystemic venous collaterals, which usually develop secondary to portal hypertension (PHT). Mesocaval collateral vessels are unusual pathways to decompress the portal system. Here we report the case of a huge varicose inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) that drained into peri rectal collateral veins, demonstrated by {sup 99m}Tc-labeled red blood cell (RBC) scintigraphy performed for lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in a 14-year-old girl. This case illustrates the crucial role of {sup 99m}Tc-labeled RBC scintigraphy for the diagnosis of rare ectopic lower GI varices.

  1. MRI Verification of a Case of Huge Infantile Rhabdomyoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramadani, Naser; Kreshnike, Kreshnike Dedushi; Muçaj, Sefedin; Kabashi, Serbeze; Hoxhaj, Astrit; Jerliu, Naim; Bejiçi, Ramush

    2016-04-01

    Cardiac rhabdomyoma is type of benign myocardial tumor that is the most common fetal cardiac tumor. Cardiac rhabdomyomas are usually detected before birth or during the first year of life. They account for over 60% of all primary cardiac tumors. A 6 month old child with coughing and obstruction in breathing, was hospitalized in the Pediatric Clinic in UCCK, Pristine. The difficulty of breathing was heard and the pathological noise of the heart was noticed from the pediatrician. In the echo of the heart at the posterior and apico-lateral part of the left ventricle a tumoral mass was presented with the dimensions of 56 × 54 mm that forwarded the contractions of the left ventricle, the mass involved also the left ventricle wall and was not vascularized. The right ventricle was deformed and with the shifting of the SIV on the right the contractility was preserved. Aorta, the left arch and AP were normal with laminar circulation. The pericard was presented free. Radiography of thoracic organs was made; it resulted on cardiomegaly and significant bronchovascular drawing. It was completed with an MRI and it resulted on: Cardiomegaly due to large tumoral mass lesion (60×34 mm) involving lateral wall of left ventricle. It was isointense to the muscle on T1W images, markedly hyperintense on T2W images. There were a few septa or bant like hypointensities within lesion. On postcontrast study it showed avid enhancement. The left ventricle volume was decreased. Mild pericardial effusion was also noted. Surgical intervention was performed and it resulted on the histopathological aspect as a huge infantile rhadbomyoma. In most cases no treatment is required and these lesions regress spontaneously. Patients with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction or refractory arrhythmias respond well to surgical excision. Rhabdomyomas are frequently diagnosed by means of fetal echocardiography during the prenatal period.

  2. On the prediction of hydroelastic behaviors of a huge floating structure in waves. 2nd Report; Choogata futai no harochu dansei kyodo no suiteiho ni tsuite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Murai, M.; Kagemoto, H.; Fujino, M. [The University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)

    1997-08-01

    On the hydroelastic behaviors of a huge floating structure, a mutual interaction theory based on the area division method is used for the analysis of a fluid problem and a mode analysis method is used for the analysis of deformation. On the continuous deformation of a floating structure, the structure is considered as a set of partial structures obtained when the plane shape was divided into squares and discretely handled as a series of rigid motions in the small partial structures obtained by dividing the partial structures more finely. The experimental result in a water tank and the distribution method at a singular point were compared on the deformation of the elastic floating structure estimated by calculation based on this formulation. The result showed that the estimation method on the hydroelastic problem proposed in this paper is valid. On the prediction of hydroelastic behaviors of a huge floating structure, various calculation examples indicate that the hydroelastic behavior is not only the relation between the structure length and wavelength, but also that the bending rigidity of a structure is a very important factor. For a huge floating structure in the 5,000 m class, up to shorter wavelength of about {lambda}/L = 1/100 must be investigated. 6 refs., 14 figs., 5 tabs.

  3. Multiple huge epiphrenic esophageal diverticula with motility disease treated with video-assisted thoracoscopic and hand-assisted laparoscopic esophagectomy: a case report

    OpenAIRE

    Taniguchi, Yoshiki; Takahashi, Tsuyoshi; Nakajima, Kiyokazu; Higashi, Shigeyoshi; Tanaka, Koji; Miyazaki, Yasuhiro; Makino, Tomoki; Kurokawa, Yukinori; Yamasaki, Makoto; Takiguchi, Shuji; Mori, Masaki; Doki, Yuichiro

    2017-01-01

    Background Epiphrenic esophageal diverticulum is a rare condition that is often associated with a concomitant esophageal motor disorder. Some patients have the chief complaints of swallowing difficulty and gastroesophageal reflux; traditionally, such diverticula have been resected via right thoracotomy. Here, we describe a case with huge multiple epiphrenic diverticula with motility disorder, which were successfully resected using a video-assisted thoracic and laparoscopic procedure. Case pre...

  4. MRI Verification of a Case of Huge Infantile Rhabdomyoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramadani, Naser; Kreshnike, Kreshnike Dedushi; Muçaj, Sefedin; Kabashi, Serbeze; Hoxhaj, Astrit; Jerliu, Naim; Bejiçi, Ramush

    2016-01-01

    Introduction: Cardiac rhabdomyoma is type of benign myocardial tumor that is the most common fetal cardiac tumor. Cardiac rhabdomyomas are usually detected before birth or during the first year of life. They account for over 60% of all primary cardiac tumors. Case report: A 6 month old child with coughing and obstruction in breathing, was hospitalized in the Pediatric Clinic in UCCK, Pristine. The difficulty of breathing was heard and the pathological noise of the heart was noticed from the pediatrician. In the echo of the heart at the posterior and apico-lateral part of the left ventricle a tumoral mass was presented with the dimensions of 56 × 54 mm that forwarded the contractions of the left ventricle, the mass involved also the left ventricle wall and was not vascularized. The right ventricle was deformed and with the shifting of the SIV on the right the contractility was preserved. Aorta, the left arch and AP were normal with laminar circulation. The pericard was presented free. Radiography of thoracic organs was made; it resulted on cardiomegaly and significant bronchovascular drawing. It was completed with an MRI and it resulted on: Cardiomegaly due to large tumoral mass lesion (60×34 mm) involving lateral wall of left ventricle. It was isointense to the muscle on T1W images, markedly hyperintense on T2W images. There were a few septa or bant like hypointensities within lesion. On postcontrast study it showed avid enhancement. The left ventricle volume was decreased. Mild pericardial effusion was also noted. Surgical intervention was performed and it resulted on the histopathological aspect as a huge infantile rhadbomyoma. Conclusion: In most cases no treatment is required and these lesions regress spontaneously. Patients with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction or refractory arrhythmias respond well to surgical excision. Rhabdomyomas are frequently diagnosed by means of fetal echocardiography during the prenatal period. PMID:27147810

  5. Ubiquitous UAVs: a cloud based framework for storing, accessing and processing huge amount of video footage in an efficient way

    Science.gov (United States)

    Efstathiou, Nectarios; Skitsas, Michael; Psaroudakis, Chrysostomos; Koutras, Nikolaos

    2017-09-01

    Nowadays, video surveillance cameras are used for the protection and monitoring of a huge number of facilities worldwide. An important element in such surveillance systems is the use of aerial video streams originating from onboard sensors located on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Video surveillance using UAVs represent a vast amount of video to be transmitted, stored, analyzed and visualized in a real-time way. As a result, the introduction and development of systems able to handle huge amount of data become a necessity. In this paper, a new approach for the collection, transmission and storage of aerial videos and metadata is introduced. The objective of this work is twofold. First, the integration of the appropriate equipment in order to capture and transmit real-time video including metadata (i.e. position coordinates, target) from the UAV to the ground and, second, the utilization of the ADITESS Versatile Media Content Management System (VMCMS-GE) for storing of the video stream and the appropriate metadata. Beyond the storage, VMCMS-GE provides other efficient management capabilities such as searching and processing of videos, along with video transcoding. For the evaluation and demonstration of the proposed framework we execute a use case where the surveillance of critical infrastructure and the detection of suspicious activities is performed. Collected video Transcodingis subject of this evaluation as well.

  6. [Transcatheter embolization for huge pulmonary arteriovenous fistula using metallic "spider" and spring embolus--application of hand-made metallic "spider" using partial monorail technique].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirota, S; Sako, M; Fujita, Y; Hasegawa, Y; Sugimoto, K; Suzuki, Y; Kono, M

    1992-07-25

    We performed transcatheter embolization in two cases with huge pulmonary arteriovenous fistula (AVF) using a metallic "spider" and spring embolus. Conventional spring embolus or detachable balloon could not be used in these cases. Metallic spider was indicated for pulmonary AVF with a feeding artery diameter of more than 16 mm to prevent embolus passing through the AVF. In the first case, we used large handmade metallic spiders of 25 mm in diameter followed by embolization by numerous spring coils. At that time, a partial monorail technique was newly devised to carry the large metallic spider into the feeding artery, otherwise the spider could not pass into a 9F catheter. After embolization, symptoms and PaO2 in arterial blood improved remarkably in both cases. In the second case, a spring coil migrated into the normal pulmonary artery, but no infarction resulted. In conclusion, the metallic spider was very useful for embolization of hugee pulmonary AVF to avoid the embolus passing through and to tangle spring coils together with it. If commercially available "spiders" are too small, ones can be made easily.

  7. A Huge Capital Drop with Compression of Femoral Vessels Associated with Hip Osteoarthritis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomoya Takasago

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A capital drop is a type of osteophyte at the inferomedial portion of the femoral head commonly observed in hip osteoarthritis (OA, secondary to developmental dysplasia. Capital drop itself is typically asymptomatic; however, symptoms can appear secondary to impinge against the acetabulum or to irritation of the surrounding tissues, such as nerves, vessels, and tendons. We present here a case of unilateral leg edema in a patient with hip OA, caused by a huge bone mass occurring at the inferomedial portion of the femoral head that compressed the femoral vessels. We diagnosed this bone mass as a capital drop secondary to hip OA after confirming that the mass occurred at least after the age of 63 years based on a previous X-ray. We performed early resection and total hip arthroplasty since the patient’s hip pain was due to both advanced hip OA and compression of the femoral vessels; moreover, we aimed to prevent venous thrombosis secondary to vascular compression considering the advanced age and the potent risk of thrombosis in the patient. A large capital drop should be considered as a cause of vascular compression in cases of unilateral leg edema in OA patients.

  8. Crystal structure of Clostridium botulinum whole hemagglutinin reveals a huge triskelion-shaped molecular complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amatsu, Sho; Sugawara, Yo; Matsumura, Takuhiro; Kitadokoro, Kengo; Fujinaga, Yukako

    2013-12-06

    Clostridium botulinum HA is a component of the large botulinum neurotoxin complex and is critical for its oral toxicity. HA plays multiple roles in toxin penetration in the gastrointestinal tract, including protection from the digestive environment, binding to the intestinal mucosal surface, and disruption of the epithelial barrier. At least two properties of HA contribute to these roles: the sugar-binding activity and the barrier-disrupting activity that depends on E-cadherin binding of HA. HA consists of three different proteins, HA1, HA2, and HA3, whose structures have been partially solved and are made up mainly of β-strands. Here, we demonstrate structural and functional reconstitution of whole HA and present the complete structure of HA of serotype B determined by x-ray crystallography at 3.5 Å resolution. This structure reveals whole HA to be a huge triskelion-shaped molecule. Our results suggest that whole HA is functionally and structurally separable into two parts: HA1, involved in recognition of cell-surface carbohydrates, and HA2-HA3, involved in paracellular barrier disruption by E-cadherin binding.

  9. Multiple huge epiphrenic esophageal diverticula with motility disease treated with video-assisted thoracoscopic and hand-assisted laparoscopic esophagectomy: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taniguchi, Yoshiki; Takahashi, Tsuyoshi; Nakajima, Kiyokazu; Higashi, Shigeyoshi; Tanaka, Koji; Miyazaki, Yasuhiro; Makino, Tomoki; Kurokawa, Yukinori; Yamasaki, Makoto; Takiguchi, Shuji; Mori, Masaki; Doki, Yuichiro

    2017-12-01

    Epiphrenic esophageal diverticulum is a rare condition that is often associated with a concomitant esophageal motor disorder. Some patients have the chief complaints of swallowing difficulty and gastroesophageal reflux; traditionally, such diverticula have been resected via right thoracotomy. Here, we describe a case with huge multiple epiphrenic diverticula with motility disorder, which were successfully resected using a video-assisted thoracic and laparoscopic procedure. A 63-year-old man was admitted due to dysphagia, heartburn, and vomiting. An esophagogram demonstrated an S-shaped lower esophagus with multiple epiphrenic diverticula (75 × 55 mm and 30 × 30 mm) and obstruction by the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Esophageal manometry showed normal peristaltic contractions in the esophageal body, whereas the LES pressure was high (98.6 mmHg). The pressure vector volume of LES was 23,972 mmHg 2  cm. Based on these findings, we diagnosed huge multiple epiphrenic diverticula with a hypertensive lower esophageal sphincter and judged that resection might be required. We performed lower esophagectomy with gastric conduit reconstruction using a video-assisted thoracic and hand-assisted laparoscopic procedure. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the esophagogram demonstrated good passage, with no leakage, stenosis, or diverticula. The most common causes of mid-esophageal and epiphrenic diverticula are motility disorders of the esophageal body; appropriate treatment should be considered based on the morphological and motility findings.

  10. Understanding the Scientific Basis of Electrocaloric Effect in Defects Modified Ferroelectric Polymers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-12-19

    allowed to burnout organics at 600°C for 10 hours. Subsequently, the MLCCs are sintered to consolidate the layers of BZT films and Pt electrodes into...such as hysteresis may change with the copolymer content. Presented in the inset of Fig. 20 is the maximum polarization hysteresis EH- EL at Pmax/2...for the data in Fig. 20, where Pmax is the maximum polarization at 150 MV/m, EH and EL are the fields at Pmax/2 in increasing and decreasing the

  11. Development and simulation of the air-jack for emergency like a huge disaster; Kyujoyo eajakki no kaihatsu to sono simyureshon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Katsuyama, Kunihisa.; Ogata, Yuji.; Wada, Yuji. [National Institute for Resources and Environment, Tsukuba (Japan); Hashizume, Kiyoshi.; Nishida, Kenjiro. [Nippon Kayaku Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

    1999-02-28

    When a disaster is so huge like Kobe earthquake, every energy line is killed. Even if we want to help the sufferers, we have no energy to move machines to help them. As collapsed houses are very heavy, we need machines to remove collapsed stuff. Explosives include a lot of energy in themselves. So, an air-jack which has explosives inside was developed to remove collapsed stuff on suffered people. A simple air-jack was made and tested. One concrete block, 50cm x 50cm x 50cm, was lifted by the simple air-jack. A simulation of lifting the concrete block was carried out with a programme ANSYS on the super computer. (author)

  12. A Huge Morel-Lavallée Lesion Treated Using a Quilting Suture Method: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seo, Bommie F; Kang, In Sook; Jeong, Yeon Jin; Moon, Suk Ho

    2014-06-01

    The Morel-Lavallée lesion is a collection of serous fluid that develops after closed degloving injuries and after surgical procedures particularly in the pelvis and abdomen. It is a persistent seroma and is usually resistant to conservative methods of treatment such as percutaneous drainage and compression. Various methods of curative treatment have been reported in the literature, such as application of fibrin sealant, doxycycline, or alcohol sclerodhesis. We present a case of a huge recurrent Morel-Lavallée lesion in the lower back and buttock region that was treated with quilting sutures, fibrin sealant, and compression, with a review of the literature. © The Author(s) 2014.

  13. The Bullwhip Effect in Different Manufacturing Paradigm: An Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shamila Nabi Khan

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Slight fluctuation in the customer demand produces huge fluctuations in the inventory and production levels of the upstream member of the supply chain. This is known as demand amplification or the bullwhip effect. The bullwhip effect produces huge inefficiencies along the supply chain, captures much-needed working capital by high inventory levels and results in dissatisfied customers. Analyzing a set of nine case studies, results show that agile manufacturing is best suited to deal with a turbulent market with unpredictable demand.

  14. Caloric effects in ferroic materials: new concepts for cooling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Faehler, Sebastian; Roessler, Ulrich K. [IFW Dresden (Germany); Kastner, Oliver; Eggeler, Gunther [Ruhr Universitaet Bochum (Germany); Eckert, Juergen [IFW Dresden (Germany); TU Dresden, Institut fuer Werkstoffwisssenschaft, Dresden (Germany); Emmerich, Heike [Universitaet Bayreuth (Germany); Entel, Peter [Universitaet Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg (Germany); Mueller, Stefan [Institut fuer Angewandte Mathematik, Bonn (Germany); Quandt, Eckhard [Institute for Materials Science, Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet (CAU), Kiel (Germany); Albe, Karsten [TU Darmstadt (Germany)

    2012-02-15

    Refrigeration is one of the main sinks of the German and European electricity consumption and accordingly contributes to worldwide CO{sub 2} emissions. High reduction potentials are envisaged if caloric effects in solid materials are used. The recent discovery of giant entropy changes associated with ferroelastic phase transformations promises higher efficiency. Ferroic transitions enhance the entropy change of magneto-, elasto-, baro-, and electro-caloric effects. Furthermore, because the refrigerant is in a solid state, this technology completely eliminates the need for halofluorocarbon refrigerants having a high global-warming potential. The smaller footprint for operation and the scalable mechanism open up further applications such as cooling of microsystems. While the principal feasibility of magnetocaloric refrigeration is already evident, it requires large magnetic fields (>2 T) which hampers wide industrial and commercial application. It is expected that this obstacle can be overcome by materials with lower hysteresis and by using stress- or electric fields. In order to accelerate research on ferroic cooling, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) decided to establish the priority program SPP 1599 in April 2011. In this article we will address the major challenges for introducing ferroic materials in practical cooling applications: energy efficiency, effect size, and fatigue behavior. Solid state cooling in this sense can be based on the following ''ferroic-caloric'' classes of materials: ferroelastic shape memory alloys, ferromagnetic shape memory alloys, and ferroelectric materials and their possible combinations in materials with ''multicaloric'' effects. The open questions require the interdisciplinary collaboration of material scientists, engineers, physicists, and mathematicians. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  15. A case report for fatal Churg-Strauss syndrome complications: first reported death due to rapid progression of prominently huge hepatic capsular hematoma and multi-system organ hemorrhage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Jiejing; Tong, Hongyan; Chen, Feifei; Mai, Wenyuan; Lou, Yinjun; Jin, Jie

    2014-01-01

    Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a rare disease that has an extremely low incidence rate. CSS prognosis is good, in general; and there are no reports of multiple-organ hemorrhage in CSS. We report a unique case of CSS, wherein, an elderly man experienced multiple organ hemorrhage -- a particularly huge hematoma under the capsule of the liver and poor prognosis. PMID:25419420

  16. A rare life-threatening disease: unilateral kidney compressed by huge chronic spontaneous retroperitoneal hemorrhage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lu HY

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Hao-Yuan Lu,1,* Wei Wei,2,* Qi-Wei Chen,1,* Qing-Gui Meng,1 Gao-Hua Hu,1 Xian-Lin Yi,1,3 Xian-Zhong Bai1 1Department of Urology, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and Guangxi Cancer Research Institute, Nanning 530021, China; 2Department of Radiology, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and Guangxi Cancer Research Institute, Nanning 530021,China; 3Hubei Engineering Laboratory for Synthetic Microbiology, Wuhan Institute of Biotechnology, Wuhan 430075, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Objectives: To study an uncommon life-threatening disease, spontaneous retroperitoneal and perirenal hemorrhage. Case descriptions: A 69-year-old male presented with pain in the left waist and back of 1 month duration. The renal abscess was suspected by magnetic resonance imaging before operation. The perirenal hematoma was cleaned by operation. In another case, the patient had a functional solitary left kidney compressed by a huge retroperitoneal mass and uropenia appeared. Results: The first patient died of adult respiratory distress syndrome after surgery. The second patient died of cardiac insufficiency and pulmonary embolism on the second day after evacuation of retroperitoneal hematoma. Conclusion: Conservative surgery, such as selective arterial embolization, is a reasonable approach in patients with chronic spontaneous retroperitoneal and perirenal space hemorrhage and with poor general condition. We strongly recommend drainage or interventional therapy, but not a major surgery, in patients with poor condition. Keywords: kidney, spontaneous, retroperitoneal, hemorrhage, surgery

  17. A huge ovarian mucinous cystadenoma associated with contralateral teratoma and polycystic ovary syndrome in an obese adolescent girl.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thaweekul, Patcharapa; Thaweekul, Yuthadej; Mairiang, Karicha

    2016-12-01

    A 13-year-old, obese girl presented with acute abdominal pain with abdominal distension for a year. The physical examination revealed marked abdominal distension with a large well-circumscribed mass sized 13×20 cm. Her body mass index (BMI) was 37.8 kg/m2. An abdominal CT scan revealed a huge multiloculated cystic mass and a left adnexal mass. She had an abnormal fasting plasma glucose and low HDL-C. Laparotomy, right salpingooophorectomy, left cystectomy, lymph node biopsies and partial omentectomy were performed. The left ovary demonstrated multiple cystic follicles over the cortex. The histologic diagnosis was a mucinous cystadenoma of the right ovary and a matured cystic teratoma of the left ovary. Both obesity and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are associated with a greater risk of ovarian tumours, where PCOS could be either the cause or as a consequence of an ovarian tumour. We report an obese, perimenarchal girl with bilateral ovarian tumours coexistent with a polycystic ovary and the metabolic syndrome.

  18. Effects of Huge Earthquakes on Earth Rotation and the length of Day

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Changyi Xu

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We calculated the co-seismic Earth rotation changes for several typical great earthquakes since 1960 based on Dahlen¡¦s analytical expression of Earth inertia moment change, the excitation functions of polar motion and, variation in the length of a day (ΔLOD. Then, we derived a mathematical relation between polar motion and earthquake parameters, to prove that the amplitude of polar motion is independent of longitude. Because the analytical expression of Dahlen¡¦s theory is useful to theoretically estimate rotation changes by earthquakes having different seismic parameters, we show results for polar motion and ΔLOD for various types of earthquakes in a comprehensive manner. The modeled results show that the seismic effect on the Earth¡¦s rotation decreases gradually with increased latitude if other parameters are unchanged. The Earth¡¦s rotational change is symmetrical for a 45° dip angle and the maximum changes appear at the equator and poles. Earthquakes at a medium dip angle and low latitudes produce large rotation changes. As an example, we calculate the polar motion and ΔLOD caused by the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake using two different fault models. Results show that a fine slip fault model is useful to compute co-seismic Earth rotation change. The obtained results indicate Dahlen¡¦s method gives good approximations for computation of co-seismic rotation changes, but there are some differences if one considers detailed fault slip distributions. Finally we analyze and discuss the co-seismic Earth rotation change signal using GRACE data, showing that such a signal is hard to be detected at present, but it might be detected under some conditions. Numerical results of this study will serve as a good indicator to check if satellite observations such as GRACE can detect a seismic rotation change when a great earthquake occur.

  19. The Ovary of Tubifex tubifex (Clitellata, Naididae, Tubificinae Is Composed of One, Huge Germ-Line Cyst that Is Enriched with Cytoskeletal Components.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Z Urbisz

    Full Text Available Recent studies on the ovary organization and oogenesis in Tubificinae have revealed that their ovaries are small polarized structures that are composed of germ cells in subsequent stages of oogenesis that are associated with somatic cells. In syncytial cysts, as a rule, each germ cell is connected to the central cytoplasmic mass, the cytophore, via only one stable intercellular bridge (ring canal. In this paper we present detailed data about the composition of germ-line cysts in Tubifex tubifex with special emphasis on the occurrence and distribution of the cytoskeletal elements. Using fixed material and live cell imaging techniques, we found that the entire ovary of T. tubifex is composed of only one, huge multicellular germ-line cyst, which may contain up to 2,600 cells. Its architecture is broadly similar to the cysts that are found in other clitellate annelids, i.e. a common, anuclear cytoplasmic mass in the center of the cyst and germ cells that are connected to it via intercellular bridges. The cytophore in the T. tubifex cyst extends along the long axis of the ovary in the form of elongated and branched cytoplasmic strands. Rhodamine-coupled phalloidin staining revealed that the prominent strands of actin filaments occur inside the cytophore. Similar to the cytophore, F-actin strands are branched and they are especially well developed in the middle and outermost parts of the ovary. Microfilaments are also present in the ring canals that connect the germ cells with the cytophore in the narrow end of the ovary. Using TubulinTracker, we found that the microtubules form a prominent network of loosely and evenly distributed tubules inside the cytophore as well as in every germ cell. The well-developed cytoskeletal elements in T. tubifex ovary seem to ensure the integrity of such a huge germ-line cyst of complex (germ cells-ring canals-cytophore organization. A comparison between the cysts that are described here and other well-known female

  20. A regenerative elastocaloric heat pump

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tušek, Jaka; Engelbrecht, Kurt; Eriksen, Dan; Dall'Olio, Stefano; Tušek, Janez; Pryds, Nini

    2016-10-01

    A large fraction of global energy use is for refrigeration and air-conditioning, which could be decarbonized if efficient renewable energy technologies could be found. Vapour-compression technology remains the most widely used system to move heat up the temperature scale after more than 100 years; however, caloric-based technologies (those using the magnetocaloric, electrocaloric, barocaloric or elastocaloric effect) have recently shown a significant potential as alternatives to replace this technology due to high efficiency and the use of green solid-state refrigerants. Here, we report a regenerative elastocaloric heat pump that exhibits a temperature span of 15.3 K on the water side with a corresponding specific heating power up to 800 W kg-1 and maximum COP (coefficient-of-performance) values of up to 7. The efficiency and specific heating power of this device exceeds those of other devices based on caloric effects. These results open up the possibility of using the elastocaloric effect in various cooling and heat-pumping applications.

  1. Flow-synchronous field motion refrigeration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassen, Charles N.

    2017-08-22

    An improved method to manage the flow of heat in an active regenerator in a magnetocaloric or an electrocaloric heat-pump refrigeration system, in which heat exchange fluid moves synchronously with the motion of a magnetic or electric field. Only a portion of the length of the active regenerator bed is introduced to or removed from the field at one time, and the heat exchange fluid flows from the cold side toward the hot side while the magnetic or electric field moves along the active regenerator bed.

  2. ESR1 Gene Polymorphisms and Prostate Cancer Risk: A HuGE Review and Meta-Analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-Mei Wang

    Full Text Available Many published data on the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in the ESR1 gene and prostate cancer susceptibility are inconclusive. The aim of this Human Genome Epidemiology (HuGE review and meta-analysis is to derive a more precise estimation of this relationship.A literature search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Chinese Biomedical (CBM databases was conducted from their inception through July 1st, 2012. Crude odds ratios (ORs with 95% confidence intervals (CIs were calculated to assess the strength of association.Twelve case-control studies were included with a total 2,165 prostate cancer cases and 3,361 healthy controls. When all the eligible studies were pooled into the meta-analysis, ESR1 PvuII (C>T and XbaI (A>G polymorphisms showed no association with the risk of prostate cancer. However, in the stratified analyses based on ethnicity and country, the results indicated that ESR1 PvuII (C>T polymorphism was significantly associated with increased risk of prostate cancer among Asian populations, especially among Indian population; while ESR1 XbaI (A>G polymorphism may significantly increase the risk of prostate cancer among American population. Furthermore, we also performed a pooled analysis for all eligible case-control studies to explore the role of codon 10 (T>C, codon 325 (C>G, codon 594 (G>A and +261G>C polymorphisms in prostate cancer risk. Nevertheless, no significant associations between these polymorphisms and the risk of prostate cancer were observed.Results from the current meta-analysis indicate that ESR1 PvuII (C>T polymorphism may be a risk factor for prostate cancer among Asian populations, especially among Indian population; while ESR1 XbaI (A>G polymorphism may increase the risk of prostate cancer among American population.

  3. Aspects of statistical spectroscopy relevant to effective-interaction theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    French, J.B.

    1975-01-01

    The three aspects of statistical spectroscopy discussed in this paper are the information content of complex spectra: procedures for spectroscopy in huge model spaces, useful in effective-interaction theory; and practical ways of identifying and calculating measurable parameters of the effective Hamiltonian and other operators, and of comparing different effective Hamiltonians. (4 figures) (U.S.)

  4. Deep earth fluids and huge metallogenetic belt and fatal geological disaster: 60th anniversary of Professor Du Le-tian engaging in geology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ou Guangxi; Tao Shizhen; Liu Yinhe

    2012-01-01

    Professor Du Le-tian has been researching for a long time on scientific relationship between deep earth fluids and hydrocarbon accumulation and metallogenesis, as well as gestation and prediction of disasters. He has contributed greatly to the development of that scientific field. From 6 to 8, July, 2012, 'Workshop on Deep Earth Fluids and Huge Metallogenetic Belt, Fatal Geological Disaster, as well as 60 th Anniversary of Professor Du Le-tian Engaging in Geology' was successfully convened in Beijing, totally with 76 delegates present who were experts, scholars or students from USA, Hong Kong, or various institutes, colleges or universities of China. In the workshop, the scientific presentations discussed were counted up to 49, on aspects of geological processes of deep earth fluids, relationship between earth degassing and hydrocarbon accumulation or metallogenesis, gestating mechanism of volcanic eruptions and strong earthquakes as well as their relations with mine gas outburst, high-temperature and high-pressure experimental earth science, etc.. (authors)

  5. On the estimation method of hydrodynamic forces acting on a huge floating structure; Choogata futai ni hataraku haryoku ryutairyoku no suiteiho ni kansuru kenkyu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kagemoto, H.; Fujino, M.; Zhu, T. [The University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)

    1996-12-31

    A floating structure such as an international airport is anticipated to have a length of about 5,000 m and a width of about 1,000 m. A singular point method may be used as a method to estimate force that such a floating body is subjected to from waves. In order to derive a solution with practically sufficient accuracy, 1250 elements are required in the length direction and 250 elements in the width direction, or a total of 312,500 elements. Calculating this number of elements should use finally a linear equation system handling complex coefficients comprising 312,500 elements, which would require a huge amount of calculation time. This paper proposes a method to derive solution on wave forces acting on a super-large floating structure or fluid force coefficients such as added mass coefficients and decay coefficients at a practically workable calculation amount and still without degrading the accuracy. The structure was assumed to be a box-shaped structure. Strengths of the singular points to be distributed on each element were assumed to be almost constant except for edges in lateral, oblique and longitudinal waves. Under this assumption, the interior of the floating structure excepting its edges was represented by several large elements to have reduced the number of elements. A calculation method proposed based on this conception was verified of its effectiveness. 2 refs., 25 figs., 3 tabs.

  6. Huge bilateral ovarian cysts in adulthood as the presenting feature of Van Wyk Grumbach syndrome due to chronic uncontrolled juvenile hypothyroidism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K S Shivaprasad

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Juvenile primary hypothyroidism causing cystic ovaries and pseudoprecocious puberty (Van-Wyk Grumbach syndrome (VWGS is well documented in literature. There are only a few reports of primary hypothyroidism presenting as ovarian cysts in adults. Here we present a case of huge bilateral ovarian cysts in adulthood as the presenting feature of VWGS due to chronic uncontrolled juvenile hypothyroidism. Large uniloculor right ovarian cyst (119 × 81 × 90 mm and a multicystic left ovary (55 × 45 × 49 mm were detected in a 24 year lady with secondary amenorrhea, galactorrhea, and palpable abdominal mass with history of neonatal jaundice, delayed milestones, short stature, and precocious menarche at age of 7.5 years age. She had elevated levels of cancer antigen (CA-125 which normalized post levothyroxine supplementation. Elevated CA-125 may lead to misdiagnosis of ovarian carcinoma and inadvertent treatment. Bilateral ovarian cysts in adults are a rare presentation of juvenile hypothyroidism. It is necessary to screen for primary hypothyroidism in patients presenting with bilateral ovarian cysts to prevent unnecessary evaluation and treatment.

  7. Three pillars for achieving quantum mechanical molecular dynamics simulations of huge systems: Divide-and-conquer, density-functional tight-binding, and massively parallel computation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishizawa, Hiroaki; Nishimura, Yoshifumi; Kobayashi, Masato; Irle, Stephan; Nakai, Hiromi

    2016-08-05

    The linear-scaling divide-and-conquer (DC) quantum chemical methodology is applied to the density-functional tight-binding (DFTB) theory to develop a massively parallel program that achieves on-the-fly molecular reaction dynamics simulations of huge systems from scratch. The functions to perform large scale geometry optimization and molecular dynamics with DC-DFTB potential energy surface are implemented to the program called DC-DFTB-K. A novel interpolation-based algorithm is developed for parallelizing the determination of the Fermi level in the DC method. The performance of the DC-DFTB-K program is assessed using a laboratory computer and the K computer. Numerical tests show the high efficiency of the DC-DFTB-K program, a single-point energy gradient calculation of a one-million-atom system is completed within 60 s using 7290 nodes of the K computer. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Synthesizing Smart Polymeric and Composite Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Chaokun

    Smart materials have been widely investigated to explore new functionalities unavailable to traditional materials or to mimic the multifunctionality of biological systems. Synthetic polymers are particularly attractive as they already possess some of the attributes required for smart materials, and there are vast room to further enhance the existing properties or impart new properties by polymer synthesis or composite formulation. In this work, three types of smart polymer and composites have been investigated with important new applications: (1) healable polymer composites for structural application and healable composite conductor for electronic device application; (2) conducting polymer polypyrrole actuator for implantable medical device application; and (3) ferroelectric polymer and ceramic nanoparticles composites for electrocaloric effect based solid state refrigeration application. These application entail highly challenging materials innovation, and my work has led to significant progress in all three areas. For the healable polymer composites, well known intrinsically healable polymer 2MEP4F (a Diels-Alder crosslinked polymer formed from a monomer with four furan groups and another monomer with two maleimide groups) was first chosen as the matrix reinforced with fiber. Glass fibers were successfully functionalized with maleimide functional groups on their surface. Composites from functionalized glass fibers and 2MEP4F healable polymer were made to compare with composites made from commercial carbon fibers and 2MEP4F polymer. Dramatically improved short beam shear strength was obtained from composite of functionalized glass fibers and 2MEP4F polymer. The high cost of 2MEP4F polymer can potentially limit the large-scale application of the developed healable composite, we further developed a new healable polymer with much lower cost. This new polymer was formed through the Diels-Alder crosslinking of poly(furfuryl alcohol) (PFA) and 1,1'-(Methylenedi-4

  9. Hypercalcemia and huge splenomegaly presenting in an elderly patient with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tirgari Farrokh

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Hypercalcemia is the major electrolyte abnormality in patients with malignant tumors. It can be due to localized osteolytic hypercalcemia or elaboration of humoral substances such as parathyroid hormone-related protein from tumoral cells. In hematological malignancies, a third mechanism of uncontrolled synthesis and secretion of 1-25(OH2D3 from tumoral cells or neighboring macrophages may contribute to the problem. However, hypercalcemia is quite unusual in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Case presentation An 85-year-old Caucasian woman presented with low grade fever, anorexia, abdominal discomfort and fullness in her left abdomen for the last six months. She was mildly anemic and complained of fatigability. She had huge splenomegaly and was hypercalcemic. After correction of her hypercalcemia, she had a splenectomy. Microscopic evaluation revealed a malignant lymphoma. Her immunohistochemistry was positive for leukocyte common antigen, CD20 and parathyroid hormone-related peptide. Conclusion Immunopositivity for parathyroid hormone-related peptide clearly demonstrates that hypersecretion of a parathyroid hormone-like substance from the tumor had led to hypercalcemia in this case. High serum calcium is seen in only seven to eight percent of patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, apparently due to different mechanisms. Evaluation of serum parathyroid hormone-related protein and 1-25(OH2D3 can be helpful in diagnosis and management. It should be noted that presentation with hypercalcemia has a serious impact on prognosis and survival.

  10. Non-analgesic effects of opioids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Højsted, Jette; Kurita, Geana Paula; Kendall, Sally

    2012-01-01

    Opioids constitute the basis for pharmacological treatment of moderate to severe pain in cancer pain and non-cancer pain patients. Their action is mediated by the activation of opioid receptors, which integrates the pain modulation system with other effects in the central nervous system including...... groups: no effects or worsening of cognitive function in cancer pain patients and no effect or improvements in the chronic non-cancer pain patients, however, due to methodological limitations and a huge variety of designs definite conclusions are difficult to draw from the studies. In studies of higher...

  11. Superposition model analysis of nickel(II) ions in trigonal bipyramidal complexes exhibiting huge zero field splitting (aka ‘giant magnetic anisotropy’)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rudowicz, Czesław, E-mail: crudowicz@zut.edu.pl [Faculty of Chemistry, A. Mickiewicz University, 61-614 Poznań (Poland); Institute of Physics, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin (Poland); Açıkgöz, Muhammed [Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey 07102 (United States); Gnutek, Paweł [Institute of Physics, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin (Poland)

    2017-07-15

    Graphical abstract: Using crystal structure data for [Ni(Me{sub 6}tren)Cl](ClO{sub 4}) and [Ni(Me{sub 6}tren)Br](Br) as well as taking into account the Jahn-Teller distortions of five-fold coordinated Ni-complexes revealed by DFT geometry optimization, the ZFSPs are predicted for several structural models and wide ranges of model parameters. - Highlights: • Semiempirical study of potential SMM [Ni(Me{sub 6}tren)Cl](ClO{sub 4}) and [Ni(Me{sub 6}tren)Br](Br). • Superposition model analysis of zero field splitting (ZFS) parameters carried out. • Jahn-Teller distortions revealed by DFT geometry optimization considered. • SPM predicts D(ZFS) of observed magnitudes with positive or negative signs. • Results corroborate giant ZFS, which shall not be equated with magnetic anisotropy. - Abstract: Potential single-ion magnet Ni{sup 2+} systems: [Ni(Me{sub 6}tren)Cl](ClO{sub 4}) and [Ni(Me{sub 6}tren)Br](Br) reveal unusually high zero field splitting (ZFS). The ZFS parameter (ZFSP) D{sub expt} = −120 to −180 cm{sup −1} was determined indirectly by high-magnetic field, high-frequency electron magnetic resonance (HMF-EMR). Modeling ZFSPs using the density functional theory (DFT) codes predicts D values: −100 to −200 cm{sup −1}. Such ZFSP values may seem controversial in view of the D values usually not exceeding several tens of cm{sup −1} for Ni{sup 2+} ions. To corroborate or otherwise these results and elucidate the origin of the huge ZFS (named inappropriately as ‘giant uniaxial magnetic anisotropy’) and respective wavefunctions, we have undertaken semiempirical modeling based on the crystal field (CF) and spin Hamiltonians (SH) theory. In this paper, a feasibility study is carried out to ascertain if superposition model (SPM) calculations may yield such huge D values for these Ni{sup 2+} systems. Using crystal structure data for [Ni(Me{sub 6}tren)Cl](ClO{sub 4}) and [Ni(Me{sub 6}tren)Br](Br) as well as taking into account the Jahn

  12. A unique case of a huge mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma of non-endobronchial origin with a peripheral growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kei Yabuki

    Full Text Available We report a case of a huge solitary non-endobronchial pulmonary tumor in a 76-year-old male smoker. The tumor measured 11 × 10 × 8 cm. It was ill-defined, and it was located periphery of the right lower lobe with the subpleural cystic spaces. He underwent right lower lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection and is free from tumor 30 months after surgery. Microscopically, it was composed of a proliferation of squamous and ciliated columnar epithelial cells with a few mucous cells. These cells were arranged in a papillary growth fashion extending along the fibrously thickened alveolar septa together with metaplastic bronchiolar and squamous epithelia displaying an usual interstitial pneumonia-pattern. Although the histologic features of the tumor were that of a mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma (MSCGP, it was peripherally located and showed a lepidic growth, and it was much larger than previously reported MSCGPs. It is possible that the tumor developed in association with bronchial metaplasia in the periphery of the lung, and then extended along the surface of the reconstructed air spaces, which resulted in its unique histologic appearance. Further investigations of respiratory papilloma are needed to clarify the pathogenesis of these lesions. Keywords: Mixed squamous cell and glandular papilloma, Non-endobronchial, Cytology, Interstitial pneumonia, Pulmonary tumor

  13. Mining wastewater management and its effects on groundwater and ecosystems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celebi, A; Ozdemir, S

    2014-01-01

    Large-scale mining activities have a huge impact on the environment. Determination of the size of the effect and monitoring it is vital. In this study, risk assessment studies in mining areas and the effect of mining on groundwater and ecosystems were investigated. Best management practices and risk assessment steps were determined, especially in areas with huge amounts of mining wastewater. The pollution of groundwater and its reaching humans is a risk of major importance. Our study showed, using many cases with different parameters and countries, that the management of mining wastewater is vital. Environmental impact assessments and monitoring studies must be carried out before operation and at the closure of the mine. Policies must be in place and ready to apply. Factors of climate, geology, ecology and human health must be considered over a long period. Currently, only the developed countries are applying policies and paying attention to the risk. International assessments and health risk assessments should be carried out according to international standards.

  14. Ameliorative effects of betaine and ascorbic acid administration to ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This review highlights the huge challenges heat stress pose to profitable production of broiler chickens during the hot-dry season. It also enumerates the negative effects of heat stress due to excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in broiler chickens. It emphasizes that administration of betaine and/or ascorbic ...

  15. Singapore refiners in midst of huge construction campaign

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Land, R.

    1992-01-01

    This paper reports that Singapore's downstream capacity continues to mushroom. Singapore refiners, upbeat about long term prospects for petroleum products demand in the Asia-Pacific region, and are pressing plans to boost processing capacity. Their plans go beyond capacity expansions. They are proceeding with projects to upgrade refineries to emphasize production of higher value products and to further integrate refining capabilities wit the region's petrochemical industry. Planned expansion and upgrading projects at Singapore refineries call for outlays of more than $1 billion to boost total capacity to about 1.1 million b/d in 1993 and 1.27 million b/d by 1995. That would be the highest level since the mid-1980s, when refiners such as Shell Singapore cut capacity amid an oil glut. Singapore refineries currently are running at effective full capacity of 1.04 million b/d. Meanwhile, Singapore refiners are aggressively courting customers in the Indochina subcontinent, where long isolated centrally planned economies are turning gradually to free markets

  16. Effective heart disease prediction system using data mining techniques

    OpenAIRE

    Singh,Poornima; Singh,Sanjay; Pandi-Jain,Gayatri S

    2018-01-01

    Poornima Singh,1 Sanjay Singh,2 Gayatri S Pandi-Jain1 1L. J. Institute of Engineering and Technology, Gujarat Technological University, 2Institute of Life Sciences, School of Science and Technology, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India Abstract: The health care industries collect huge amounts of data that contain some hidden information, which is useful for making effective decisions. For providing appropriate results and making effective decisions on data, some advanced data min...

  17. Global cost-effectiveness of GDM screening and management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Weile, Louise K K; Kahn, James G; Marseille, Elliot

    2015-01-01

    a systematic search and abstraction of cost-effectiveness and cost-utility studies from 2002 to 2014. We standardized all findings to 2014 US dollars. We found that cost-effectiveness ratios varied widely. Most variation was found to be due to differences in geographic setting, diagnostic criteria...... and intervention approaches, and outcomes (e.g., inclusion or exclusion of long-term type 2 diabetes risk and associated costs). We concluded that incorporation of long-term benefits of GDM screening and treatment has huge impact on cost-effectiveness estimates. Based on the large methodological heterogeneity...

  18. Huge biloma after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harith M. Alkhateeb

    2015-01-01

    Conclusions: (1 Following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, a patient’s complaints should not be ignored. (2 A massive biloma can occur due to such procedures. (3 Conservative treatment with minimal invasive technique can prove to be effective.

  19. An Analysis of the Effect of External Debt on Crowding-Out of Private ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Also, the huge debt and debt service raised future tax expectation and discouraged the private sector from undertaking investment projects. While the accelerator effect was present, the cost of investment goods negatively influenced private investment demand. Availability of credit seemed to have influenced the level of ...

  20. Technology & environment : some possible damaging effects of technological change in advanced and opulent societies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Coccia, M.

    2014-01-01

    An interesting problem is the analysis of effects of the predominant impact of technological change on the health of societies. This study considers technological change as the human activity that generates a huge impact on societies and causes environmental disorders affecting the health of

  1. Analysing the Effectiveness of the Personality Symbols/Icons

    OpenAIRE

    Halim, İpek

    2012-01-01

    Personality symbol can cover all the identifications of the brand. It can be the face or the soul of the company. Their effect on the brand image is huge. The research focuses on calculating the roles and effectives of the personality symbols. It aims to bring in suggestions for developing a successful personality symbols and lists advantages and disadvantages of different types of personality symbols. It does a detailed copy testing. Apart from conducting focus groups to analyse how the targ...

  2. Huge opportunity for solar cooling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rowe, Daniel

    2014-01-01

    In Europe more than 400 solar cooling systems have been installed. By contrast, only a small number of solar cooling installations exist in Australia - primarily adsorption and absorption systems for commercial and hospitals - although these systems are growing. As with other renewable energy technologies, cost is a challenge. However solar cooling is currently competitive with other technologies, with some suggesting that system costs have been decreasing by about 20% per annum in recent times. Australia is also leading efforts in the development of residential solar desiccant technology, currently commercialising Australian-developed technology. Commercial and industrial enterprises are increasingly aware of the impact of demand charges, the potential to install technology as a hedge against future energy price rises and opportunities associated with increased on-site generation and reduced reliance on the grid, often necessitating on-site demand reduction and management. They are also driven by environmental and corporate social responsibility objectives as well as the opportunity for energy independence and uninterruptible operation. Interestingly, many of these interests are mirrdred at residential level, inspiring CSIRO's commercialisation of a domestic scale solar air conditioner with Australian manufacturer Brevis Climate Systems. Australia and other countries are increasingly aware of solar cooling as technology which can reduce or replace grid-powered cooling, particularly in applications where large building thermal energy requirements exist. In these applications, heating, cooling and hot water are generated and used in large amounts and the relative amounts of each can be varied dynamically, depending on building requirements. Recent demonstrations of solar cooling technology in Australia include Hunter TAFE's Solar Desiccant Cooling System - which provides heating, cooling and hot water to commercial training kitchens and classrooms - GPT's Charlestown Square Shopping Centre and Echuca Hospital. These systems join a number of others already in operation at the large commercial and industrial scale, as well as a smaller number of systems providing cooling to cafes and offices. The development in this area is being supported by CSIRO's Solar Cooling research team which provides development, modelling and design expertise across the spectrum of solar cooling variants, sizes and applications - from remote community food preservation in India, to large commercial and residential systems in Australia. The group also has industry test facilities to support the development and testing of solar air conditioning systems as well as conventional air conditioning technologies. The Australian Institute of Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH's) Solar Cooling Special Technical Group is also involved in developing the solar cooling industry in Australia with the aim of combating climate change by reducing greenhouse emissions from the residential and commercial building sectors. The group coordinates industry and research efforts and organises information exchange, educational and training events for interested technical and business representatives. Fact file- Solar cooling systems are essentially comprised of two parts - solar thermal collectors and a sorption chiller which convert the heat into useful cooling. Though a number of collector and chiller combinations exist, no one single approach has yet dominated. Corresponding with the type of chiller used, solar cooling systems are often grouped into three categories: absorption, adsorption and desiccant. During design, an appropriate collector technology will be chosen, typically either a parabolic, flat plate or evacuated tube collector. The optimal configuration is also determined in design, to align equipment characteristics with the conditions, environment and requirements presented by each application. Thus solar cooling has a number of variants which use different components or the same components in an alternate configuration. A number of variants are technically proven and available for commercial and industrial installations. Each variant uses standard 'off the shelf' FIVAC industry components which are available in both Australia and overseas. A typical solar cooling system is also able to supply broader energy needs of a building including space heating and hot water.

  3. Which factors are important for effectiveness of sport- and health-related apps?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dallinga, Joan; Janssen, Mark; van der Werf, Jet; Vos, Steven; Deutekom-Baart de la Faille, Marije

    2017-01-01

    Which factors are important for effectiveness of sport- and health-related apps? Results of focus groups with experts. Dallinga, J, van der Werf, J , Janssen, M, Vos, S, Deutekom-Baart de la Faille, M. A huge amount of sport- and health-related smartphone applications (apps) is available in the app

  4. effect of conditioner on dew conditioner on dewaterability of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    eobe

    incineration of sludge in order to increase the calo value through removal of excess moisture (d) it m ... treatment plant is raw, odorous and putresc residue must be further processed and reduced. 703-133-7247 .... treatment plant serving large population huge volumes of wastewater is produced. These huge quantities ...

  5. Climate change adaptation accounting for huge uncertainties in future projections - the case of urban drainage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willems, Patrick

    2015-04-01

    Hydrological design parameters, which are currently used in the guidelines for the design of urban drainage systems (Willems et al., 2013) have been revised, taking the Flanders region of Belgium as case study. The revision involved extrapolation of the design rainfall statistics, taking into account the current knowledge on future climate change trends till 2100. Uncertainties in these trend projections have been assessed after statistically analysing and downscaling by a quantile perturbation tool based on a broad ensemble set of climate model simulation results (44 regional + 69 global control-scenario climate model run combinations for different greenhouse gas scenarios). The impact results of the climate scenarios were investigated as changes to rainfall intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves. Thereafter, the climate scenarios and related changes in rainfall statistics were transferred to changes in flood frequencies of sewer systems and overflow frequencies of storage facilities. This has been done based on conceptual urban drainage models. Also the change in storage capacity required to exceed a given overflow return period, has been calculated for a range of return periods and infiltration or throughflow rates. These results were used on the basis of the revision of the hydraulic design rules of urban drainage systems. One of the major challenges while formulating these policy guidelines was the consideration of the huge uncertainties in the future climate change projections and impact assessments; see also the difficulties and pitfalls reported by the IWA/IAHR Joint Committee on Urban Drainage - Working group on urban rainfall (Willems et al., 2012). We made use of the risk concept, and found it a very useful approach to deal with the high uncertainties. It involves an impact study of the different climate projections, or - for practical reasons - a reduced set of climate scenarios tailored for the specific type of impact considered (urban floods in our

  6. The Factors that Effect to Take Part in Betting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alp Çelik

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Because of its’ nature, betting in sports includes factors such as huge revenue, hot money flow, entertainment, thrill, dreams and happening of these dreams. Herewith, these factors pointed out in society effects people’s betting motivation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that effects participators/players to take part in betting. While the universe of the study composed players in Ankara, the sampling group consisted of a legal bookmaker of Spor Toto Teşkilat Bakanlığı and Türkiye Jokey Kulübü that is easily accessible and has a huge rate of revenue. In total, 80 participators (15 students, 20 workers, 20 civil servants, 15 handicraftsmen and 10 self employments participated to study and filled in the questionnaire that expert opinion was taken, validity and reliability were done, According to the results acquired, it was determined that participators take part in betting to enhance the quality of life, bring enjoy and attraction of their life, getting rid of stress and most importantly making money because of some reasons such as economic crisis and financial difficulty in their society, their low income level and their debts.

  7. Ash from huge Australian bushfires in 2009 circled the globe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Mohi

    2011-06-01

    On 7 February 2009, record high temperatures, low rainfall and humidity, and fast blowing winds caused sparks in the bush near the Australian city of Melbourne to ignite much of the southeastern region of the state of Victoria. In just a few days, more than 4500 square kilometers had burned and 173 people had died in what has been called the worst natural disaster in Australian history. The fires released so much smoke that daytime on 7 February was plunged into darkness in Melbourne. Indeed, soot particles and other aerosols are known to scatter and absorb solar radiation. However, airborne particles released by fires are typically thought to remain in the atmosphere close to their sources. In fact, climate models pay little attention to the scattering and absorbing effects of fire-borne aerosols because they are not believed to reach altitudes above 10 kilometers, in the stratosphere, where circulation patterns would distribute a plume of pollution around the globe, possibly leading to global cooling effects. Ash from volcanic plumes has long been considered the sole method by which aerosols and gases could be injected into the stratosphere from the Earth's surface. However, Australia's bushfires of 2009 showed otherwise. (Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, doi:10.1029/2010JD015162, 2011)

  8. Power system for tokamak fusion experiments. Motor generator with flywheel effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyachi, Kengo

    1997-01-01

    JT-60 requires an enormous electric power pulse about 1,300 MVA periodically for its plasma initiation, containment and heating. JT-60 could not receive all electric power from a commercial line for plasma experiment except about 160 MVA because the 275 kV commercial line has some limitations. Therefore JT-60 needs huge electric power sources. The power supply system of JT-60 has 3 motor generators (MG). The total capacity of MG is 1,115 MVA that consists of a toroidal MG (TMG), poloidal MG (PMG) and Heating power supply MG (HMG), and each MG has a huge flywheel effect. For example, TMG has a 4.02 GJ energy yield that consists of 6 disk flywheel. The total weight of flywheel of TMG is 650 ton. This report describes the structure, operating system, and maintenance history of 3 types of MG. (author)

  9. Not All Promotions are Made Equal: From the Effects of a Price War to Cross-chain Cannibalization

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    F. Sotgiu (Francesca)

    2010-01-01

    textabstractDespite the huge amount of money allocated every year to sales promotions, brand managers still do not know how often and in what circumstances promotions are truly effective. This dissertation proposes an approach that allows managers to assess the impact of individual promotion events

  10. Recording Cultural Heritage Using Terrestrial Laserscanning - Dealing with the System, the Huge Datasets they Create and Ways to Extract the Necessary Deliverables you can Work with

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christofori, E.; Bierwagen, J.

    2013-07-01

    Recording Cultural Heritage objects using terrestrial laserscanning becomes more and more popular over the last years. Since terrestrial Laserscanning System (TLS) Manufacturers have strongly increased the amount and speed of data captured with a single scan at each system upgrade and cutting down system costs the use of TLS Systems for recording cultural heritage is an option for recording worth to think about beside traditional methods like Photogrammetric. TLS Systems can be a great tool for capturing complex cultural heritage object within a short amount of time beside the traditional methods but can be a nightmare to handle for further process if not used right while capturing. Furthermore TLS Systems still have to be recognized as survey equipment, even though some of the manufactures promote them as everyday tool. They have to be used in an intelligent way having in mind the clients and the individual cultural objects needs. Thus the efficient way to use TLS Systems for data recording becomes a relevant topic to deal with the huge Amount of data the Systems collect while recording. Already small projects can turn into huge Pointcloud Datasets that End user, like Architects or Archaeologist neither can't deal with as their technical equipment doesn't fit the requirements of the Dataset nor do they have the software tools to use the Data as the current software tools still are high prized. Even the necessary interpretation of the Dataset can be a tough task if the people who have to work on with the Pointcloud aren't educated right in order to understand TLS and the results it creates. The use of TLS Systems has to have in mind the project requirements of the individual Heritage Object, like the required accuracy, standards for Levels of Details (e.g. "Empfehlungen für die Baudokumentation, Günther Eckstein, Germany"), the required kind of Deliverables (Visualization, 2D Drawings, True Deformation Drawings, 3D Models, BIM or 4D - Animations) as well as the

  11. Cryptogenic transient ischemic attack after nose blowing: association of huge atrial septal aneurysm with patent foramen ovale as potential cause

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lotze U

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Ulrich Lotze,1 Uwe Kirsch,1 Marc-Alexander Ohlow,2 Thorsten Scholle,3 Jochen Leonhardi,3 Bernward Lauer,2 Gerhard Oltmanns,4 Hendrik Schmidt5,6 1Department of Internal Medicine, DRK Krankenhaus Sondershausen, Sondershausen, Germany; 2Department of Cardiology, Zentralklinik Bad Berka, Bad Berka, Germany; 3Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Zentralklinik Bad Berka, Germany; 4Department of Internal Medicine, DRK Krankenhaus Sömmerda; Sömmerda, Germany; 5Department of Cardiology and Diabetology, Klinikum Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; 6Department of Internal Medicine III, Martin-Luther-Univeristy Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany Abstract: Association of atrial septal aneurysm (ASA with patent foramen ovale (PFO is considered an important risk factor for cardioembolism frequently forwarding paradoxical embolism in patients with cryptogenic or unexplained cerebral ischemic events. We herein describe the case of a 69-year-old male patient reporting uncontrolled movements of the right arm due to a muscle weakness, slurred speech, and paresthesia in the oral region some seconds after he had blown his nose. These neurological symptoms had improved dramatically within a few minutes and were completely regressive at admission to our hospital about two hours later. On transesophageal echocardiography (TEE a huge ASA associated with PFO was detected. Diagnosis of the large-sized ASA was also confirmed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Due to the early complete recovery from his neurological symptoms, the patient was diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack (TIA. After nine days he was discharged in a good clinical condition under the treatment with oral anticoagulation. It is concluded that in cryptogenic or unexplained stroke or TIA TEE should always be performed to rule out ASA and PFO as potential sources for paradoxical embolism in those inconclusive clinical situations. Keywords: congenital cardiac abnormality, atrial septal

  12. Impact of structural changes on dielectric and thermal properties of vinylidene fluoride–trifluoroethylene-based terpolymer/copolymer blends

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Casar, G. [Jožef Stefan Institute and Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Li, X. [Department of Electrical Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Malič, B. [Jožef Stefan Institute and Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Zhang, Q.M. [Department of Electrical Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Bobnar, V., E-mail: vid.bobnar@ijs.si [Jožef Stefan Institute and Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia)

    2015-03-15

    We report dielectric and thermal properties of the poly(vinylidene fluoride–trifluoroethylene–chlorofluoroethylene) terpolymer [P(VDF–TrFE–CFE), a member of the relaxor polymer family that exhibits fast response speeds, giant electrostriction, high electric energy density, and large electrocaloric effect] blended with the ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride–trifluoroethylene) copolymer, P(VDF–TrFE). Although the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) clearly reveals that both components form separate crystalline phases, at low copolymer content blends entirely exhibit a relaxorlike linear dielectric response, since the interfacial couplings to the bulky defects in the terpolymer convert the normal ferroelectric copolymer into a relaxor. On the other hand, dielectric experiments evidence that in blends with 20–50 wt% of P(VDF–TrFE) the ferroelectric and relaxor states coexist. This coexistence is confirmed by DSC results, which further reveal the influence of blending on the terpolymer crystallinity and melting point. At last, the crystallinity data appropriately explain the variation of the dielectric constant in P(VDF–TrFE–CFE)/P(VDF–TrFE) blends.

  13. RECORDING CULTURAL HERITAGE USING TERRESTRIAL LASERSCANNING – DEALING WITH THE SYSTEM, THE HUGE DATASETS THEY CREATE AND WAYS TO EXTRACT THE NECESSARY DELIVERABLES YOU CAN WORK WITH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Christofori

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Recording Cultural Heritage objects using terrestrial laserscanning becomes more and more popular over the last years. Since terrestrial Laserscanning System (TLS Manufacturers have strongly increased the amount and speed of data captured with a single scan at each system upgrade and cutting down system costs the use of TLS Systems for recording cultural heritage is an option for recording worth to think about beside traditional methods like Photogrammetric. TLS Systems can be a great tool for capturing complex cultural heritage object within a short amount of time beside the traditional methods but can be a nightmare to handle for further process if not used right while capturing. Furthermore TLS Systems still have to be recognized as survey equipment, even though some of the manufactures promote them as everyday tool. They have to be used in an intelligent way having in mind the clients and the individual cultural objects needs. Thus the efficient way to use TLS Systems for data recording becomes a relevant topic to deal with the huge Amount of data the Systems collect while recording. Already small projects can turn into huge Pointcloud Datasets that End user, like Architects or Archaeologist neither can't deal with as their technical equipment doesn't fit the requirements of the Dataset nor do they have the software tools to use the Data as the current software tools still are high prized. Even the necessary interpretation of the Dataset can be a tough task if the people who have to work on with the Pointcloud aren't educated right in order to understand TLS and the results it creates. The use of TLS Systems has to have in mind the project requirements of the individual Heritage Object, like the required accuracy, standards for Levels of Details (e.g. "Empfehlungen für die Baudokumentation, Günther Eckstein, Germany", the required kind of Deliverables (Visualization, 2D Drawings, True Deformation Drawings, 3D Models, BIM or 4D

  14. Another Lost Decade? Effects of the Financial Crisis on Project Finance for Infrastructure

    OpenAIRE

    James Leigland; Henry Russell

    2009-01-01

    Rapid growth in project finance, driven by huge increases in liquidity, helped fuel the gains in private participation in infrastructure (PPI) in developing countries in the past decade. But when the financial crisis hit, the excess liquidity began to dry up as lenders backed away from practices that had helped generate it. The effects are already apparent in greater delays in financial cl...

  15. Lunar electrostatic effects and protection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Yongwei; Yuan, Qingyun; Xiong, Jiuliang

    2013-01-01

    The space environment and features on the moon surface are factors in strong electrostatic electrification. Static electricity will be produced in upon friction between lunar soil and detectors or astronauts on the lunar surface. Lunar electrostatic environment effects from lunar exploration equipment are very harmful. Lunar dust with electrostatic charge may enter the equipment or even cover the instruments. It can affect the normal performance of moon detectors. Owing to the huge environmental differences between the moon and the earth, the electrostatic protection technology on the earth can not be applied. In this paper, we review the electrostatic characteristics of lunar dust, its effects on aerospace equipment and moon static elimination technologies. It was concluded that the effect of charged lunar dust on detectors and astronauts should be completely researched as soon as possible.

  16. Estimation of effective wind speed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Østergaard, K. Z.; Brath, P.; Stoustrup, J.

    2007-07-01

    The wind speed has a huge impact on the dynamic response of wind turbine. Because of this, many control algorithms use a measure of the wind speed to increase performance, e.g. by gain scheduling and feed forward. Unfortunately, no accurate measurement of the effective wind speed is online available from direct measurements, which means that it must be estimated in order to make such control methods applicable in practice. In this paper a new method is presented for the estimation of the effective wind speed. First, the rotor speed and aerodynamic torque are estimated by a combined state and input observer. These two variables combined with the measured pitch angle is then used to calculate the effective wind speed by an inversion of a static aerodynamic model.

  17. Facts and effects of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Orlandi, Lisa

    2005-01-01

    This work resumes the facts and the effects involved by the two strongest hurricanes that recently hit the Gulf of Mexico producing strong reductions in oil and gas supply and a huge lack of refining capacity. Today, in spite of the partial recovery of activities and the price decrease, the way of the reconstruction is still long to achieve and chasing of the winter season could prompt a new rise of oil prices [it

  18. The Osceola Mudflow from Mount Rainier: Sedimentology and hazard implications of a huge clay-rich debris flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vallance, J.W.; Scott, K.M.

    1997-01-01

    altered rock in the preavalanche mass determines whether a debris avalanche will transform into a cohesive debris flow or remain a largely unsaturated debris avalanche. The distinction among cohesive lahar, noncohesive lahar, and debris avalanche is important in hazard assessment because cohesive lahars spread much more widely than noncohesive lahars that travel similar distances, and travel farther and spread more widely than debris avalanches of similar volume. The Osceola Mudflow is documented here as an example of a cohesive debris flow of huge size that can be used as a model for hazard analysis of similar flows.

  19. Challenged assumptions and invisible effects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wimmelmann, Camilla Lawaetz; Vitus, Kathrine; Jervelund, Signe Smith

    2017-01-01

    for the implementation—different from the assumed conditions—not only challenge the implementation of the intervention but also potentially produce unanticipated yet valuable effects. Research implications – Newly arrived immigrants represent a hugely diverse and heterogeneous group of people with differing values......Purpose – The objective of this study was to examine any unanticipated effects of an educational intervention among newly arrived adult immigrants attending a language school in Denmark. Methodology – A qualitative case study was conducted including interviews with nine informants, observations....... In particular, the assumed (power) relations inherent in immigrant-oriented educational health interventions, in which immigrants are in a novice position, are challenged, as the immigrants are experienced adults (and parents) in regard to healthcare. The paper proposes that such unexpected conditions...

  20. The undesirable effects of neuromuscular blocking drugs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Claudius, C; Garvey, L H; Viby-Mogensen, J

    2009-01-01

    Neuromuscular blocking drugs are designed to bind to the nicotinic receptor at the neuromuscular junction. However, they also interact with other acetylcholine receptors in the body. Binding to these receptors causes adverse effects that vary with the specificity for the cholinergic receptor...... in question. Moreover, all neuromuscular blocking drugs may cause hypersensitivity reactions. Often the symptoms are mild and self-limiting but massive histamine release can cause systematic reactions with circulatory and respiratory symptoms and signs. At the end of anaesthesia, no residual effect...... of a neuromuscular blocking drug should be present. However, the huge variability in response to neuromuscular blocking drugs makes it impossible to predict which patient will suffer postoperative residual curarization. This article discusses the undesirable effects of the currently available neuromuscular blocking...

  1. Technological Evolution and its Effects on Graphic Design and Textbook Design

    OpenAIRE

    Allen, Danielle Renae

    2012-01-01

    Technological Evolution and its Effects on Graphic Design and Textbook Design Although fundamental principles of art and design have been around for thousands of years, the development of new technology has greatly altered how designers must use these foundations. This paper investigates how this complex history has changed graphic design practices and specifically the design of textbooks. It also discusses technology’s huge role in changing the way design fundamentals are taught and practice...

  2. The Fall of Oil Prices and the Effects on Biofuels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reboredo, Fernando H; Lidon, Fernando; Pessoa, Fernanda; Ramalho, José C

    2016-01-01

    This analysis is focused on the effect of the abrupt decline of oil prices on biofuels, particularly second-generation ethanol. The efforts to decrease the production costs of biofuels, especially cellulosic ethanol (CE), will be greatly threatened if current oil prices remain low, especially since production is not slowing. Only huge state subsidies could alleviate this threat, but the challenge is to persuade citizens that this sacrifice is worthwhile. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Interactive effects of antioxidant genes and air pollution on respiratory function and airway disease: a HuGE review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minelli, Cosetta; Wei, Igor; Sagoo, Gurdeep; Jarvis, Debbie; Shaheen, Seif; Burney, Peter

    2011-03-15

    Susceptibility to the respiratory effects of air pollution varies between individuals. Although some evidence suggests higher susceptibility for subjects carrying variants of antioxidant genes, findings from gene-pollution interaction studies conflict in terms of the presence and direction of interactions. The authors conducted a systematic review on antioxidant gene-pollution interactions which included 15 studies, with 12 supporting the presence of interactions. For the glutathione S-transferase M1 gene (GSTM1) (n=10 studies), only 1 study found interaction with the null genotype alone, although 5 observed interactions when GSTM1 was evaluated jointly with other genes (mainly NAD(P)H dehydrogenase [quinone] 1 (NQO1)). All studies on the glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) Ile105Val polymorphism (n=11) provided some evidence of interaction, but findings conflicted in terms of risk allele. Results were negative for glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) (n=3) and positive for heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX-1) (n=2). Meta-analysis could not be performed because there were insufficient data available for any specific gene-pollutant-outcome combination. Overall the evidence supports the presence of gene-pollution interactions, although which pollutant interacts with which gene is unclear. However, issues regarding multiple testing, selective reporting, and publication bias raise the possibility of false-positive findings. Larger studies with greater accuracy of pollution assessment and improved quality of conduct and reporting are required. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved.

  4. Effects of R&D Cooperation to Innovation Performance in Open Innovation Environment

    OpenAIRE

    Gao Liang

    2014-01-01

    Dynamic nonlinear characteristics of internal and external environment in modern organization shows up increasingly, which make innovative research breakthrough organizational boundaries and present a pattern of open mode, the traditional mode of innovation is facing huge challenges like increasing innovation cycle, huge R&D input and inefficient knowledge transfer. And cooperation with external organizations to implement R&D is definitely a possibility to solve the open innovation environmen...

  5. Ultrafast Electric Field Pulse Control of Giant Temperature Change in Ferroelectrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Y.; Liu, S.; Lindenberg, A. M.; Rappe, A. M.

    2018-01-01

    There is a surge of interest in developing environmentally friendly solid-state-based cooling technology. Here, we point out that a fast cooling rate (≈1011 K /s ) can be achieved by driving solid crystals to a high-temperature phase with a properly designed electric field pulse. Specifically, we predict that an ultrafast electric field pulse can cause a giant temperature decrease up to 32 K in PbTiO3 occurring on few picosecond time scales. We explain the underlying physics of this giant electric field pulse-induced temperature change with the concept of internal energy redistribution: the electric field does work on a ferroelectric crystal and redistributes its internal energy, and the way the kinetic energy is redistributed determines the temperature change and strongly depends on the electric field temporal profile. This concept is supported by our all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of PbTiO3 and BaTiO3 . Moreover, this internal energy redistribution concept can also be applied to understand electrocaloric effect. We further propose new strategies for inducing giant cooling effect with ultrafast electric field pulse. This Letter offers a general framework to understand electric-field-induced temperature change and highlights the opportunities of electric field engineering for controlled design of fast and efficient cooling technology.

  6. The Effectiveness of Brain-Based Teaching Approach in Dealing with the Problems of Students' Conceptual Understanding and Learning Motivation towards Physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saleh, Salmiza

    2012-01-01

    Teachers of science-based education in Malaysian secondary schools, especially those in the field of physics, often find their students facing huge difficulties in dealing with conceptual ideas in physics, resulting thus in a lack of interest towards the subject. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the Brain-Based Teaching…

  7. Transformation of thiolated chitosan-templated gold nanoparticles to huge microcubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Yudie; Liu, Honglin; Yang, Liangbao; Sun, Bai; Liu, Jinhuai

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Mercapto groups were grafted to chitosan molecule by a reactive amine reduction. • Functional polymer with well-defined monomer units controls AuNPs assembly. • Assembled morphologies depend on the ratio of AuNPs to thiolate groups. • Microcubes with side length of ∼20 μm was synthesized through a dialysis step. • A edge-to-middle growth mechanism of gold microcubes was observed. - Abstract: The L-cysteine molecules were successfully grafted to the 2-amino group of chitosan by a reactive amine reduction, and the as-synthesized thiolated chitosan (TC) molecules were used as the templates to direct the self-assembly of gold nanoparticles and induce the transformation of these assemblies to gold microcubes through a deep-going dialysis. We found that the ratio of gold nanoparticles to TC molecules could greatly affect the shape of the assembled clusters. Different stages of these clusters and microstructures during the dialysis process were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the microcubes with average side length of about 20 μm were successfully synthesized. According to the morphology evolution of the assembly, it could be concluded that the microcubes were formed from external to internal. The SERS area mapping images of microcubes and some clusters were also collected to study the formation mechanism of gold microcubes. Our work demonstrates a simple and highly effective way to assemble gold nanoparticles into microcubes with unique properties

  8. Transformation of thiolated chitosan-templated gold nanoparticles to huge microcubes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Yudie [School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); Liu, Honglin, E-mail: hlliu@iim.ac.cn [Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); Yang, Liangbao, E-mail: lbyang@iim.ac.cn [Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); Sun, Bai; Liu, Jinhuai [Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China)

    2014-05-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Mercapto groups were grafted to chitosan molecule by a reactive amine reduction. • Functional polymer with well-defined monomer units controls AuNPs assembly. • Assembled morphologies depend on the ratio of AuNPs to thiolate groups. • Microcubes with side length of ∼20 μm was synthesized through a dialysis step. • A edge-to-middle growth mechanism of gold microcubes was observed. - Abstract: The L-cysteine molecules were successfully grafted to the 2-amino group of chitosan by a reactive amine reduction, and the as-synthesized thiolated chitosan (TC) molecules were used as the templates to direct the self-assembly of gold nanoparticles and induce the transformation of these assemblies to gold microcubes through a deep-going dialysis. We found that the ratio of gold nanoparticles to TC molecules could greatly affect the shape of the assembled clusters. Different stages of these clusters and microstructures during the dialysis process were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the microcubes with average side length of about 20 μm were successfully synthesized. According to the morphology evolution of the assembly, it could be concluded that the microcubes were formed from external to internal. The SERS area mapping images of microcubes and some clusters were also collected to study the formation mechanism of gold microcubes. Our work demonstrates a simple and highly effective way to assemble gold nanoparticles into microcubes with unique properties.

  9. Cyprodinil retention on mixtures of soil and solid wastes from wineries. Effects of waste dose and ageing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rodriguez-Salgado, I.; Paradelo Pérez, Marcos; Pérez-Rodríguez, P.

    2014-01-01

    In spite of its wide-world economic relevance, wine production generates a huge amount of waste that threatens the environment. A batch experiment was designed to assess the effect of the amendment of an agricultural soil with two winery wastes (perlite and bentonite wastes) in the immobilization...... increased. The use of these winery wastes contributes to a more sustainable agriculture preventing fungicide mobilization to groundwater....

  10. Corporate Donors Can Make a Huge Difference

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, Drew A.

    2009-01-01

    It is time to educate corporate America on the need to finance higher education by using a need-based giving standard. Corporations need to realize that two-year colleges significantly affect their work force and economy. Only 25 percent of the jobs in the United States require a degree from a four-year college, yet up to 75 percent of the jobs…

  11. A RARE CASE OF HUGE CERVICAL FIBROID

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tushar Tatyaba Palve

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available PRESENTATION OF CASE Leiomyomas are the most common tumor of uterus and the female pelvis. It is impossible to determine true incidence, all though frequently quoted incidence of 50% seems reasonable at post mortem examination1 . However only 1- 2% of it are confined to cervix. Cervical leiomyomata are mostly single and are subserous or interstitial in origin. Generally these tumours presents with retention of urine, constipation, sensation of something coming out of vagina, & rarely at times present with abdominal mass which may mimic ovarian cancer. 47 year old unmarried nulligravida with complaints of severe dysmenorrhagia since one year and lump in abdomen which has grown over period of one year. There was no bowel and bladder complaints, On physical examination pallor present, on abdominal examination 26-28 week firm solid mass arising from pelvis with restricted mobility was present, Clinically no ascites, patient was investigated on OPD basis.

  12. Some general rules governing huge power networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clade, J.

    2010-01-01

    The very large networks operate on vast territories, on the scale not only of countries, but of continents. Their aim is twofold: transmitting electrical energy from the power plants - nuclear or thermal power plants, hydraulic, wind power plants etc. - to consumption areas (that is the transmission function); pooling the power plants, so as to operate at any time those which are the less expensive (interconnection of energy production) and to guarantee a safe continuous supply to the users (interconnection of power). However, the transmission of electrical energy is more costly than transmission, when possible, of primary energy sources, either fossil fuels or nuclear. When the sources are not chiefly hydraulic, it is pertinent to limit the transmission of electricity by siting the power plants as close as possible to the consumption areas. On the contrary, interconnection may allow significant savings in the way of power plant investments and fuel expenses. Therein is the main economical justification for very large electrical systems and networks, except in cases where distant hydraulic sources are operated. We must then think over large electrical networks mainly as tools for cooperation between power producers, aiming at an electrical supply to customers which is safe, continuous and as inexpensive as possible. (author)

  13. The huge ATLAS cavern now fully excavated

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    Excavation of the ATLAS cavern is now complete! At the end of two years' work involving a tremendous technical challenge, the civil engineering contractors have succeeded in digging out one of the biggest experimental caverns in the world. Bravo!

  14. Maternal syphilis and accomplishing sexual partner treatment: still a huge gap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dallé, Jessica; Baumgarten, Vanessa Z; Ramos, Mauro C; Jimenez, Mirela F; Acosta, Lisiane; Bumaguin, Daniela B; Antonello, Vicente S

    2017-08-01

    Congenital syphilis (CS) is a preventable epidemic disease for which control is hindered by socioeconomic and health system issues. Inadequately treated maternal syphilis (MaS) commonly has serious adverse obstetric outcomes. This study - which is a cross-sectional study in a Brazilian large urban public Mother and Child hospital, making use of secondary data - evaluated the occurrence of treatment of sexual partners (SP) among women with MaS. The results showed that 771 MaS cases were identified from 2007 to 2014. No information on SP treatment was available in 570 (73.9%) cases. Of the 201 cases presenting information, 25 (12.4%) SP were treated. Out of 164 women having six or more prenatal visits, 25 (15.2%) SP received treatment. Data analyzed biennially have shown a growing trend of cases without collected information, ranging from 27.2% in 2007-2008 to 87.5% in 2013-2014. No linear trend in proportions of treated SP (maximum 7.4% SP treated) was found. Thus, in this study, it has been concluded that the proportion of SP adequately treated was consistently low, and the quality of information deteriorated during the studied period. Prenatal care per se, as provided, was not effective in delivering adequate treatment of SP. Creative integrated services with SP active participation are greatly needed if CS is to be controlled.

  15. MODELLING THE EFFECTS OF LAND-USE CHANGES ON CLIMATE: A CASE STUDY ON YAMULA DAM

    OpenAIRE

    Ü. Köylü; A. Geymen

    2016-01-01

    Dams block flow of rivers and cause artificial water reservoirs which affect the climate and the land use characteristics of the river basin. In this research, the effect of the huge water body obtained by Yamula Dam in Kızılırmak Basin is analysed over surrounding spatial’s land use and climate change. Mann Kendal non-parametrical statistical test, Theil&Sen Slope method, Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW), Soil Conservation Service-Curve Number (SCS-CN) methods are integrated for spa...

  16. The effect of (negative) emotion on pro-environmental behavior : an application of the theory of planned behavior

    OpenAIRE

    Gibson, Ben

    2016-01-01

    With climate change becoming ever-present as a huge environmental issue for the modern era to address, pro-environmental behavior (PEB) is becoming an increasingly relevant area. There seems to be a divergence between how different actors try and encourage PEB when using emotion as the motivational tool. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore this effect of (negative) emotion on decision making. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used as the theoretical framework, with the primar...

  17. Developing an Integrated Model to Support Effective Customer Relationships Management Implementation within the Private Sector of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    OpenAIRE

    Sanad, Ahmed Abdullah

    2012-01-01

    A successful Customer Relationships Management (CRM) implementation helps organisations to obtain competitive advantages over others by improving customer satisfaction and loyalty, increasing revenue and reducing operating costs. Effective CRM implementation has become more and more important owing to the huge percentage of failures that occur. This year, organisations are expected to spend about $13billion on implementing CRM. While a significant amount of research has been conducted into CR...

  18. The Effect of Urban Heat Island on Climate Warming in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration in China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qunfang Huang

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The Yangtze River Delta (YRD has experienced rapid urbanization and dramatic economic development since 1978 and the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration (YRDUA has been one of the three largest urban agglomerations in China. We present evidence of a significant urban heat island (UHI effect on climate warming based on an analysis of the impacts of the urbanization rate, urban population, and land use changes on the warming rate of the daily average, minimal (nighttime and maximal (daytime air temperature in the YRDUA using 41 meteorological stations observation data. The effect of the UHI on climate warming shows a large spatial variability. The average warming rates of average air temperature of huge cities, megalopolises, large cities, medium-sized cities, and small cities are 0.483, 0.314 ± 0.030, 0.282 ± 0.042, 0.225 ± 0.044 and 0.179 ± 0.046 °C/decade during the period of 1957–2013, respectively. The average warming rates of huge cities and megalopolises are significantly higher than those of medium-sized cities and small cities, indicating that the UHI has a significant effect on climate warming (t-test, p < 0.05. Significantly positive correlations are found between the urbanization rate, population, built-up area and warming rate of average air temperature (p < 0.001. The average warming rate of average air temperature attributable to urbanization is 0.124 ± 0.074 °C/decade in the YRDUA. Urbanization has a measurable effect on the observed climate warming in the YRD aggravating the global climate warming.

  19. Finite-size effects on multibody neutrino exchange

    CERN Document Server

    Abada, A; Rodríguez-Quintero, J; Abada, As

    1998-01-01

    The effect of multibody massless neutrino exchanges between neutrons inside a finite-size neutron star is studied. We use an effective Lagrangian, which incorporates the effect of the neutrons on the neutrinos. Following Schwinger, it is shown that the total interaction energy density is computed by comparing the zero point energy of the neutrino sea with and without the star. It has already been shown that in an infinite-size star the total energy due to neutrino exchange vanishes exactly. The opposite claim that massless neutrino exchange would produce a huge energy is due to an improper summation of an infrared-divergent quantity. The same vanishing of the total energy has been proved exactly in the case of a finite star in a one-dimensional toy model. Here we study the three-dimensional case. We first consider the effect of a sharp star border, assumed to be a plane. We find that there is a non- vanishing of the zero point energy density difference between the inside and the outside due to the refraction ...

  20. Effects of burstiness on the air transportation system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ito, Hidetaka; Nishinari, Katsuhiro

    2017-01-01

    The effects of burstiness in complex networks have received considerable attention. In particular, the effects on temporal distance and delays in the air transportation system are significant owing to their huge impact on our society. Therefore, in this paper, the temporal distance of empirical U.S. flight schedule data is compared with that of regularized data without burstiness to analyze the effects of burstiness. The temporal distance is calculated by a graph analysis method considering flight delays, missed connections, flight cancellations, and congestion. In addition, we propose two temporal distance indexes based on passengers' behavior to quantify the effects. As a result, we find that burstiness reduces both the scheduled and the actual temporal distances for business travelers, while delays caused by missed connections and congestion are increased. We also find that the decrease of the scheduled temporal distance by burstiness is offset by an increase of the delays for leisure passengers. Moreover, we discover that the positive effect of burstiness is lost when flight schedules are overcrowded.

  1. Effects of burstiness on the air transportation system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ito, Hidetaka; Nishinari, Katsuhiro

    2017-01-01

    The effects of burstiness in complex networks have received considerable attention. In particular, the effects on temporal distance and delays in the air transportation system are significant owing to their huge impact on our society. Therefore, in this paper, the temporal distance of empirical U.S. flight schedule data is compared with that of regularized data without burstiness to analyze the effects of burstiness. The temporal distance is calculated by a graph analysis method considering flight delays, missed connections, flight cancellations, and congestion. In addition, we propose two temporal distance indexes based on passengers' behavior to quantify the effects. As a result, we find that burstiness reduces both the scheduled and the actual temporal distances for business travelers, while delays caused by missed connections and congestion are increased. We also find that the decrease of the scheduled temporal distance by burstiness is offset by an increase of the delays for leisure passengers. Moreover, we discover that the positive effect of burstiness is lost when flight schedules are overcrowded.

  2. INFLUENCE OF AGRICULTURAL POLLUTANTS ON THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. LIXANDRU

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available The general heating of our planet has become a proved fact today, and its consequences are observed in more climatic disturbances which affect almost the whole Earth. At the base of this climatic process there is the excessive development of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a natural physical phenomenon which has gradually developed with the geophysical and biological evolution of the Earth, and its consequence is the thermical constancy of +150C as medium global temperature. The main physical factories which contribute at the realization of greenhouse effect are CO2, watery vapors, NOx and CH4. Naturally, the greenhouse gases have the perfectly global self-regulation cycles. This capacity of self-regulation seems to be troubled by the huge amounts of polluted gaseous thrown in the air by different and usual human activities. In this sense, the agriculture has an important role and the main pollution sources are the rice plantations, inorganic fertilizations and animal farms.

  3. Specialist group therapy for firesetting behaviour: evidence of a treatment effect from a non-randomised pilot trial with male prisoners

    OpenAIRE

    Gannon, T.; Alleyne, E.; Butler, H.; Danby, H.; Kapoor, A.; Lovell, T.; Mozova, K.; Spruin, E.; Tostevin, T.; Tyler, N.; O'Ciardha, C.

    2015-01-01

    Despite huge societal costs associated with firesetting, no standardized therapy has been developed to address this hugely damaging behavior. This study reports the evaluation of the first standardized CBT group designed specifically to target deliberate firesetting in male prisoners (the Firesetting Intervention Programme for Prisoners; FIPP). Fifty-four male prisoners who had set a deliberate fire were referred for FIPP treatment by their prison establishment and psychologically assessed at...

  4. Effects of Solar Activity and Space Environment in 2003 Oct.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyung-Seok Cho

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we present a good example of extreme solar and geomagnetic activities from October to November, 2003. These activities are characterized by very large sunspot groups, X-class solar flares, strong particle events, and huge geomagnetic storms. We discuss ground-based and space-based data in terms of space weather scales. Especially, we present several solar and geomagnetic disturbance data produced in Korea : sunspots, geo-magnetograms, aurora, Ionogram, and Total Electron Content (TEC map by GPS data. Finally, we introduce some examples of the satellite orbit and communication effects caused by these activities; e.g., the disturbances of the KOMPSAT-1 operational orbit and HF communication.

  5. Who should have knee joint replacement surgery for osteoarthritis?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dieppe, Paul; Lim, Keith; Lohmander, Stefan

    2011-01-01

    Knee joint replacement is an effective and cost-effective intervention for severe symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee joint. However, utilisation rates vary hugely, there are no indications, it is difficult to know when (in the course of arthritis) it is best to operate, and some 10-20% of peo......Knee joint replacement is an effective and cost-effective intervention for severe symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee joint. However, utilisation rates vary hugely, there are no indications, it is difficult to know when (in the course of arthritis) it is best to operate, and some 10...

  6. How to increase treatment effectiveness and efficiency in psychiatry: creative psychopharmacotherapy - part 1: definition, fundamental principles and higher effectiveness polypharmacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jakovljević, Miro

    2013-09-01

    Psychopharmacotherapy is a fascinating field that can be understood in many different ways. It is both a science and an art of communication with a heavily subjective dimension. The advent of a significant number of the effective and well tolerated mental health medicines during and after 1990s decade of the brain has increased our possibilities to treat major mental disorders in more successful ways with much better treatment outcome including full recovery. However, there is a huge gap between our possibilities for achieving high treatment effectiveness and not satisfying results in day-to-day clinical practice. Creative approach to psychopharmacotherapy could advance everyday clinical practice and bridge the gap. Creative psychopharmacotherapy is a concept that incorporates creativity as its fundamental tool. Creativity involves the intention and ability to transcend limiting traditional ideas, rules, patterns and relationships and to create meaningful new ideas, interpretations, contexts and methods in clinical psychopharmacology.

  7. Huge heterogeneity in survival in a subset of adult patients with resected, wild-type isocitrate dehydrogenase status, WHO grade II astrocytomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poulen, Gaëtan; Gozé, Catherine; Rigau, Valérie; Duffau, Hugues

    2018-04-20

    21 patients with a long-term follow-up greater than 5 years have died. There were no significant differences between the clinical, radiological, or molecular characteristics of the survivors relative to the patients who died. CONCLUSIONS Huge heterogeneity in the survival data for a subset of 31 patients with resected IDH-wt AII tumors was observed. These findings suggest that IDH mutation status alone is not sufficient to predict risk of malignant transformation and survival at the individual level. Therefore, the therapeutic management of AII tumors, in particular the decision to administer early adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy following surgery, should not solely rely on routine molecular markers.

  8. Career Skills Workshop: Achieving Your Goals Through Effective Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    Physics students graduate with a huge array of transferrable skills, which are extremely useful to employers (particularly in the private sector, which is the largest employment base of physicists at all degree levels). However, the key to successfully connecting with these opportunities lies in how well graduates are able to communicate their skills and abilities to potential employers. The ability to communicate effectively is a key professional skill that serves scientists in many contexts, including interviewing for jobs, applying for grants, or speaking with law and policy makers. In this interactive workshop, Crystal Bailey (Careers Program Manager at APS) and Gregory Mack (Government Relations Specialist at APS) will lead activities to help attendees achieve their goals through better communication. Topics will include writing an effective resume, interviewing for jobs, and communicating to different audiences including Congress, among others. Light refreshments will be served.

  9. Zika threatens to become a huge worldwide pandemic

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Alcides Troncoso

    2016-01-01

    The Aedes aegypti mosquito which transmits Zika virus (as well as dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever) represents a high risk for global transmission. This virus comes from Africa, the Zika forest in Uganda, where it was discovered in 1947 in a rhesus monkey. In May 2015, the first local cases were recorded in Brazil, surpassing 1.5 million cases in December of the same year. By March 2016, local transmission of Zika was recognized in 34 countries. Its clinical condition is similar to dengue febrile illness, although milder. The final geographical distribution area is constantly expanding. Recently, it has been associated with cases of Guillain-Barr ´e syndrome in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Venezuela and Suriname. Microcephaly was documented in Brazil. This article discusses some factors that contributed to the spread of Zika virus in South America. Climate change associated with the events of the phenomenon of“El Niño”is also analyzed. The biggest concern is how quickly Zika is spreading around the world and that it could be far more dangerous than previously thought. Zika virus infection, by its explosive potential, has every chance of becoming a global pandemic.

  10. Zika threatens to become a huge worldwide pandemic

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Alcides Troncoso

    2016-01-01

    The Aedes aegypti mosquito which transmits Zika virus(as well as dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever) represents a high risk for global transmission. This virus comes from Africa, the Zika forest in Uganda, where it was discovered in 1947 in a rhesus monkey. In May 2015, the first local cases were recorded in Brazil, surpassing 1.5 million cases in December of the same year. By March 2016, local transmission of Zika was recognized in 34 countries. Its clinical condition is similar to dengue febrile illness, although milder.The final geographical distribution area is constantly expanding. Recently, it has been associated with cases of Guillain-Barre′ syndrome in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador,Venezuela and Suriname. Microcephaly was documented in Brazil. This article discusses some factors that contributed to the spread of Zika virus in South America. Climate change associated with the events of the phenomenon of "El Ni?o" is also analyzed. The biggest concern is how quickly Zika is spreading around the world and that it could be far more dangerous than previously thought. Zika virus infection, by its explosive potential,has every chance of becoming a global pandemic.

  11. Zika threatens to become a huge worldwide pandemic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alcides Troncoso

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The Aedes aegypti mosquito which transmits Zika virus (as well as dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever represents a high risk for global transmission. This virus comes from Africa, the Zika forest in Uganda, where it was discovered in 1947 in a rhesus monkey. In May 2015, the first local cases were recorded in Brazil, surpassing 1.5 million cases in December of the same year. By March 2016, local transmission of Zika was recognized in 34 countries. Its clinical condition is similar to dengue febrile illness, although milder. The final geographical distribution area is constantly expanding. Recently, it has been associated with cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Venezuela and Suriname. Microcephaly was documented in Brazil. This article discusses some factors that contributed to the spread of Zika virus in South America. Climate change associated with the events of the phenomenon of “El Niño” is also analyzed. The biggest concern is how quickly Zika is spreading around the world and that it could be far more dangerous than previously thought. Zika virus infection, by its explosive potential, has every chance of becoming a global pandemic.

  12. Problems with IQ Gains: The Huge Vocabulary Gap

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flynn, James R.

    2010-01-01

    Despite Kaufman, Raven's Progressive Matrices and the Wechsler subtest Similarities are tests whose gains call for special explanation. The spread of "scientific spectacles" is the key, but its explanatory potential has been exhausted. Three trends force us to look elsewhere: (a) gains on Wechsler subtests such as Picture Arrangement,…

  13. Nanomedicine: tiny particles and machines give huge gains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Sheng; Fine, Eli J; Lin, Yanni; Cradick, Thomas J; Bao, Gang

    2014-02-01

    Nanomedicine is an emerging field that integrates nanotechnology, biomolecular engineering, life sciences and medicine; it is expected to produce major breakthroughs in medical diagnostics and therapeutics. Nano-scale structures and devices are compatible in size with proteins and nucleic acids in living cells. Therefore, the design, characterization and application of nano-scale probes, carriers and machines may provide unprecedented opportunities for achieving a better control of biological processes, and drastic improvements in disease detection, therapy, and prevention. Recent advances in nanomedicine include the development of nanoparticle (NP)-based probes for molecular imaging, nano-carriers for drug/gene delivery, multifunctional NPs for theranostics, and molecular machines for biological and medical studies. This article provides an overview of the nanomedicine field, with an emphasis on NPs for imaging and therapy, as well as engineered nucleases for genome editing. The challenges in translating nanomedicine approaches to clinical applications are discussed.

  14. Huge supply/demand increases seen in oxygenate forecasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rhoades, A.K.

    1992-01-01

    Industry originally projected that oxygenate supply would not be able to meet the demand created by U.S. oxygenated and reformulated gasoline mandates. This paper reports that those projections have been reserved in two recent industry reports - one from Chemical Market Associates Inc. (CMAI) and one from Pace Consultants Inc. Pace's report, by Paulo Nery and Nathan Sims, predicts gasoline and oxygenates demand, and examines the role ethanol may play in changing those values. CMAI's report estimates captive supply and demand of butylenes and oxygenates. Oxygenates are entering the domestic gasoline market this winter as a result of the 1990 U.S. Clean Air Act Amendments. Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is the most important oxygenate, although ethanol, ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE), and tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME) are gathering market strength. Ethanol's strength is derived from President Bush's ruling granting a waiver to reformulated gasoline containing ethanol. This waiver allows ethanol blends to have a vapor pressure 1 psi higher than other types of gasoline

  15. Huge-scale molecular dynamics simulation of multibubble nuclei

    KAUST Repository

    Watanabe, Hiroshi

    2013-12-01

    We have developed molecular dynamics codes for a short-range interaction potential that adopt both the flat-MPI and MPI/OpenMP hybrid parallelizations on the basis of a full domain decomposition strategy. Benchmark simulations involving up to 38.4 billion Lennard-Jones particles were performed on Fujitsu PRIMEHPC FX10, consisting of 4800 SPARC64 IXfx 1.848 GHz processors, at the Information Technology Center of the University of Tokyo, and a performance of 193 teraflops was achieved, which corresponds to a 17.0% execution efficiency. Cavitation processes were also simulated on PRIMEHPC FX10 and SGI Altix ICE 8400EX at the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Tokyo, which involved 1.45 billion and 22.9 million particles, respectively. Ostwald-like ripening was observed after the multibubble nuclei. Our results demonstrate that direct simulations of multiscale phenomena involving phase transitions from the atomic scale are possible and that the molecular dynamics method is a promising method that can be applied to petascale computers. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. From optics to superconductivity. Many body effects in transition metal dichalcogenides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roesner, Malte; Schoenhoff, Gunnar; Wehling, Tim [Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Bremen (Germany); Bremen Center for Computational Material Sciences, University of Bremen (Germany); Steinhoff, Alexander; Jahnke, Frank; Gies, Christopher [Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Bremen (Germany); Haas, Stephan [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

    2015-07-01

    We discuss many body effects in MoS{sub 2} ranging from optical properties to the emergence superconductivity (SC) and charge density wave phases (CDW). Combining ab-initio theory and semiconductor Bloch equations we show that excited carriers cause a redshift of the excitonic ground-state absorption line, while higher excitonic lines disappear successively due to a huge Coulomb-induced band gap shrinkage of more than 500 meV and concomitant exciton binding-energy reductions. Upon strong charge doping, we observe a succession of semiconducting, metallic, SC, and CDW regimes. Both, the SC and the CDW instabilities trace back to a Kohn anomaly and related softening of Brillouin zone boundary phonons.

  17. Nuclear quantum effects in ab initio dynamics: Theory and experiments for lithium imide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ceriotti, Michele; Miceli, Giacomo; Pietropaolo, Antonino; Colognesi, Daniele; Nale, Angeloclaudio; Catti, Michele; Bernasconi, Marco; Parrinello, Michele

    2010-11-01

    Owing to their small mass, hydrogen atoms exhibit strong quantum behavior even at room temperature. Including these effects in first-principles calculations is challenging because of the huge computational effort required by conventional techniques. Here we present the first ab initio application of a recently developed stochastic scheme, which allows to approximate nuclear quantum effects inexpensively. The proton momentum distribution of lithium imide, a material of interest for hydrogen storage, was experimentally measured by inelastic neutron-scattering experiments and compared with the outcome of quantum thermostatted ab initio dynamics. We obtain favorable agreement between theory and experiments for this purely quantum-mechanical property, thereby demonstrating that it is possible to improve the modeling of complex hydrogen-containing materials without additional computational effort.

  18. Radiation therapy for life-threatening huge laryngeal hemangioma involving pharynx and parapharyngeal space.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Chun-Ming; Lee, Ka-Wo; Huang, Chih-Jen

    2013-04-01

    Adult hemangiomas are rare, slowly progressing vascular tumors. Potential complications include laryngeal involvement or massive tumor burden. A case of recurrent, bulky laryngeal hemangioma involving the parapharyngeal space is presented herein. The clinical course and treatment are described, and a series of MRI studies are compared to demonstrate the treatment response. A 35-year-old woman presented with progressive hoarseness, neck fullness, and intermittent dyspnea caused by a bulky laryngeal hemangioma. Steroid therapy had a limited response. Radiation therapy with a total dose of 40 Gray (Gy) in 20 fractions successfully relieved her symptoms. Image studies after therapy revealed moderate tumor regression. The patient showed no serious complications during the next 2 years of follow-up. Radiation therapy may be effective in intractable and function-threatening laryngeal hemangiomas. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Quasiparticle-mediated spin Hall effect in a superconductor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wakamura, T; Akaike, H; Omori, Y; Niimi, Y; Takahashi, S; Fujimaki, A; Maekawa, S; Otani, Y

    2015-07-01

    In some materials the competition between superconductivity and magnetism brings about a variety of unique phenomena such as the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism in heavy-fermion superconductors or spin-triplet supercurrent in ferromagnetic Josephson junctions. Recent observations of spin-charge separation in a lateral spin valve with a superconductor evidence that these remarkable properties are applicable to spintronics, although there are still few works exploring this possibility. Here, we report the experimental observation of the quasiparticle-mediated spin Hall effect in a superconductor, NbN. This compound exhibits the inverse spin Hall (ISH) effect even below the superconducting transition temperature. Surprisingly, the ISH signal increases by more than 2,000 times compared with that in the normal state with a decrease of the injected spin current. The effect disappears when the distance between the voltage probes becomes larger than the charge imbalance length, corroborating that the huge ISH signals measured are mediated by quasiparticles.

  20. Possible effects of small-scale intermittency in turbulent reacting flows

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sreenivasan, K.R.

    2006-12-01

    It is now well established that quantities such as energy dissipation, scalar dissipation and enstrophy possess huge fluctuations in turbulent flows, and that the fluctuations become increasingly stronger with increasing Reynolds number of the flow. The effects of this small-scale 'intermittency' on various aspects of reacting flows have not been addressed fully. This paper draws brief attention to a few possible effects on reaction rates, flame extinction, flamelet approximation, conditional moment closure methods, and so forth, besides commenting on possible effects on the resolution requirements of direct numerical simulations of turbulence. We also discuss the likelihood that large-amplitude events in a given class of shear flows are characteristic of that class, and that, plausible estimates of such quantities cannot be made, in general, on the hypothesis that large and small scales are independent. Finally, we briefly describe some ideas from multifractals as a potentially useful tool for an economical handling of a few of the problems touched upon here. (author)

  1. Simple model of the slingshot effect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gaetano Fiore

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available We present a detailed quantitative description of the recently proposed “slingshot effect.” Namely, we determine a broad range of conditions under which the impact of a very short and intense laser pulse normally onto a low-density plasma (or matter locally completely ionized into a plasma by the pulse causes the expulsion of a bunch of surface electrons in the direction opposite to the one of propagation of the pulse, and the detailed, ready-for-experiments features of the expelled electrons (energy spectrum, collimation, etc. The effect is due to the combined actions of the ponderomotive force and the huge longitudinal field arising from charge separation. Our predictions are based on estimating 3D corrections to a simple, yet powerful plane 2-fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD model where the equations to be solved are reduced to a system of Hamilton equations in one dimension (or a collection of which become autonomous after the pulse has overcome the electrons. Experimental tests seem to be at hand. If confirmed by the latter, the effect would provide a new extraction and acceleration mechanism for electrons, alternative to traditional radio-frequency-based or Laser-Wake-Field ones.

  2. Interviewer Effects on a Network-Size Filter Question

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josten Michael

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available There is evidence that survey interviewers may be tempted to manipulate answers to filter questions in a way that minimizes the number of follow-up questions. This becomes relevant when ego-centered network data are collected. The reported network size has a huge impact on interview duration if multiple questions on each alter are triggered. We analyze interviewer effects on a network-size question in the mixed-mode survey “Panel Study ‘Labour Market and Social Security’” (PASS, where interviewers could skip up to 15 follow-up questions by generating small networks. Applying multilevel models, we find almost no interviewer effects in CATI mode, where interviewers are paid by the hour and frequently supervised. In CAPI, however, where interviewers are paid by case and no close supervision is possible, we find strong interviewer effects on network size. As the area-specific network size is known from telephone mode, where allocation to interviewers is random, interviewer and area effects can be separated. Furthermore, a difference-in-difference analysis reveals the negative effect of introducing the follow-up questions in Wave 3 on CAPI network size. Attempting to explain interviewer effects we neither find significant main effects of experience within a wave, nor significantly different slopes between interviewers.

  3. Aspects of radiation effects due to visual display units at work

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vana, N.

    1988-01-01

    The introduction and acceptance of video display units at work have led to a huge flood of information, rumours, and half-truths about those units. As the population became increasingly sensitized to 'radioactive radiation', there was, and in part still is, a tendency to consider particularly effects of unclear origin, first of all ionizing radiation and later on also non-ionizing radiation, as the main threat from video display units at work. Such important issuses as ergonomics, stress load, visual stress load, and social hygiene are often effaced by the question for 'the radiation load from visual display units'. The paper is an attempt to deal with aspects of radiation effects of visual display units at work. The discussion also extends to hazards, respectively the 'radiation environment', at the site of the visual display unit. (orig./DG) [de

  4. Gender obesity inequities are huge but differ greatly according to environment and socio-economics in a North African setting: a national cross-sectional study in Tunisia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Ati, Jalila; Traissac, Pierre; Delpeuch, Francis; Aounallah-Skhiri, Hajer; Béji, Chiraz; Eymard-Duvernay, Sabrina; Bougatef, Souha; Kolsteren, Patrick; Maire, Bernard; Ben Romdhane, Habiba

    2012-01-01

    Southern Mediterranean countries have experienced a marked increase in the prevalence of obesity whose consequences for gender related health inequities have been little studied. We assessed gender obesity inequalities and their environmental and socio-economic modifiers among Tunisian adults. Cross-sectional survey in 2005; national, 3 level random cluster sample of 35-70 years Tunisians (women: n = 2964, men: n = 2379). Overall adiposity was assessed by BMI = weight(kg)/height(m)(2) and obesity was BMI≥30, WHtR = waist circumference to height ratio defined abdominal obesity as WHtR≥0.6. Gender obesity inequality measure was women versus men Prevalence Proportion Odds-Ratio (OR); models featuring gender x covariate interaction assessed variation of gender obesity inequalities with area (urban versus rural), age, marital status or socio-economic position (profession, education, household income proxy). BMI was much higher among women (28.4(0.2)) versus men (25.3(0.1)), PGender obesity inequalities (women versus men adjusted OR) were higher in urban (OR = 3.3[1.3-8.7]) than rural (OR = 2.0[0.7-5.5]) areas. These gender obesity inequalities were lower for subjects with secondary education or more (OR = 3.3[1.3-8.6]), than among those with no schooling (OR = 6.9[2.0-23.3]). They were also lower for those with upper/intermediate profession (OR = 1.4[0.5-4.3]) or even employees/workers OR = 2.3[1.0-5.4] than those not professionaly active at all (OR = 3.3[1.3-8.6]). Similar results were observed for addominal obesity. The huge overall gender obesity inequities (women much more corpulent than men) were higher in urban settings, but lower among subjects of higher education and professional activity. Reasons for gender inequalities in obesity and their variation with socio-economic position should be sought so that appropriate policies to reduce these inequalities can be implemented in Tunisia and similar settings.

  5. Addressing and overcoming barriers for energy savings in business

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dirckinck-Holmfeld, Kasper

    Energy savings are generally viewed as an effective way to cut GHG emissions, as there are huge potentials for improvements because of several barriers and constraining factors for implementing otherwise profitable solutions. Several different polity tools have been applied to overcome these barr......Energy savings are generally viewed as an effective way to cut GHG emissions, as there are huge potentials for improvements because of several barriers and constraining factors for implementing otherwise profitable solutions. Several different polity tools have been applied to overcome...

  6. Effects of R&D Cooperation to Innovation Performance in Open Innovation Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gao Liang

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Dynamic nonlinear characteristics of internal and external environment in modern organization shows up increasingly, which make innovative research breakthrough organizational boundaries and present a pattern of open mode, the traditional mode of innovation is facing huge challenges like increasing innovation cycle, huge R&D input and inefficient knowledge transfer. And cooperation with external organizations to implement R&D is definitely a possibility to solve the open innovation environment challenge. Since organizations often have multiple dimensions of cooperation with different types of organization for research and development for the influence of organizational innovation performance or for exploring cooperation at the same time in different areas, and in different types of institutions. This paper studied the innovation performance of relevant government agencies except such innovation organization as enterprises, universities, and research institutions for the first time. This paper tracked on a survey of China's national engineering technology research center in related situation from 2002 to 2011 and collected related data to research and development cooperation and innovation performance for empirical research. Study found that universities have advantages in richness, in knowledge itself and knowledge accessible extent, cooperation with university in R&D is the best choice to promote the innovation performance of the organization. While cooperating with domestic universities and domestic enterprises to carry out research and development has bad effect in organizational innovation performance; while cooperation with domestic institutions and foreign institutions in the research and development plays a positive role in promoting innovation.

  7. Field-effect enhanced triboelectric colloidal quantum dot flexible sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Lingju; Xu, Qiwei; Fan, Shicheng; Dick, Carson R.; Wang, Xihua

    2017-10-01

    Flexible electronics, which is of great importance as fundamental sensor and communication technologies for many internet-of-things applications, has established a huge market encroaching into the trillion-dollar market of solid state electronics. For the capability of being processed by printing or spraying, colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) play an increasingly important role in flexible electronics. Although the electrical properties of CQD thin-films are expected to be stable on flexible substrates, their electrical performance could be tuned for applications in flexible touch sensors. Here, we report CQD touch sensors employing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) triboelectric films. The electrical response of touching activity is enhanced by incorporating CQD field-effect transistors into the device architecture. Thanks to the use of the CQD thin film as a current amplifier, the field-effect CQD touch sensor shows a fast response to various touching materials, even being bent to a large curvature. It also shows a much higher output current density compared to a PDMS triboelectric touch sensor.

  8. Quantum effects in warp drives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Finazzi Stefano

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Warp drives are interesting configurations that, at least theoretically, provide a way to travel at superluminal speed. Unfortunately, several issues seem to forbid their realization. First, a huge amount of exotic matter is required to build them. Second, the presence of quantum fields propagating in superluminal warp-drive geometries makes them semiclassically unstable. Indeed, a Hawking-like high-temperature flux of particles is generated inside the warp-drive bubble, which causes an exponential growth of the energy density measured at the front wall of the bubble by freely falling observers. Moreover, superluminal warp drives remain unstable even if the Lorentz symmetry is broken by the introduction of regulating higher order terms in the Lagrangian of the quantum field. If the dispersion relation of the quantum field is subluminal, a black-hole laser phenomenon yields an exponential amplification of the emitted flux. If it is superluminal, infrared effects cause a linear growth of this flux.

  9. An Approach for Effect Analysis of Electromagnetic Pulse in Operating NPPs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryu, Ho Sun; Ye, Song Hae; Kim, Minyi; Lee, Euijong

    2016-01-01

    Recently, there is a growing Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) threat caused by North Korea’s nuclear weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). KHNP CRI is currently conducting a research project that will evaluate the safety of domestic nuclear power plants (NPPs) against EMP effects and prepare safety measures to counter vulnerable points. We will instead use simulation tools to evaluate the electromagnetic shielding ability and the conductivity of cables through vulnerable points in NPPs. Through a study of electromagnetic simulation techniques and tools, this paper suggests a simulation method for analysis of EMP effects in operating NPPs. Although 3D tools are relatively accurate, is difficult to use only 3D tools to simulate EMP effects for huge and complex structures such as NPPs. It is more efficient in terms of cost and time to use a 3D tool and an EMT tool for the simulation of such structures. We have compared the advantages and disadvantages of various methods and have selected the most appropriate tools; we will proceed in our next paper with the simulation of EMP effects

  10. An Approach for Effect Analysis of Electromagnetic Pulse in Operating NPPs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ryu, Ho Sun; Ye, Song Hae; Kim, Minyi; Lee, Euijong [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    Recently, there is a growing Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) threat caused by North Korea’s nuclear weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). KHNP CRI is currently conducting a research project that will evaluate the safety of domestic nuclear power plants (NPPs) against EMP effects and prepare safety measures to counter vulnerable points. We will instead use simulation tools to evaluate the electromagnetic shielding ability and the conductivity of cables through vulnerable points in NPPs. Through a study of electromagnetic simulation techniques and tools, this paper suggests a simulation method for analysis of EMP effects in operating NPPs. Although 3D tools are relatively accurate, is difficult to use only 3D tools to simulate EMP effects for huge and complex structures such as NPPs. It is more efficient in terms of cost and time to use a 3D tool and an EMT tool for the simulation of such structures. We have compared the advantages and disadvantages of various methods and have selected the most appropriate tools; we will proceed in our next paper with the simulation of EMP effects.

  11. Tidal effects on Earth, Planets, Sun by far visiting moons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fargion, Daniele

    2016-07-01

    The Earth has been formed by a huge mini-planet collision forming our Earth surface and our Moon today. Such a central collision hit was statistically rare. A much probable skimming or nearby encounter by other moons or planets had to occur. Indeed Recent observations suggest that many planetary-mass objects may be present in the outer solar system between the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud. Gravitational perturbations may occasionally bring them into the inner solar system. Their passage near Earth could have generated gigantic tidal waves, large volcanic eruptions, sea regressions, large meteoritic impacts and drastic changes in global climate. They could have caused the major biological mass extinctions in the past in the geological records. For instance a ten times a terrestrial radius nearby impact scattering by a peripherical encounter by a small moon-like object will force huge tidal waves (hundred meter height), able to lead to huge tsunami and Earth-quake. Moreover the historical cumulative planet hits in larger and wider planets as Juppiter, Saturn, Uranus will leave a trace, as observed, in their tilted spin axis. Finally a large fraction of counter rotating moons in our solar system probe and test such a visiting mini-planet captur origination. In addition the Earth day duration variability in the early past did show a rare discountinuity, very probably indebt to such a visiting planet crossing event. These far planets in rare trajectory to our Sun may, in thousands event capture, also explain sudden historical and recent temperature changes.

  12. Cyber Security Scenarios and Control for Small and Medium Enterprises

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nilaykumar Kiran SANGANI

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available As the world advances towards the computing era, security threats keeps on increasing in the form of malware, viruses, internet attack, theft of IS assets / technology and a lot more. This is a major concern for any form of business. Loss in company’s status / liability / reputation is a huge downfall for a running business. We have witnessed the attacks getting carried out; large firm’s data getting breached / government bodies’ sites getting phished / attacked. These huge entities have technology expertise to safeguard their company’s interest against such attacks through investing huge amounts of capital in manpower and secure tools. But what about SMEs? SMEs enrich a huge part of the country’s economy. Big organizations have their own security measures policy which ideally is not applied when it comes to a SME. The aim of this paper is to come out with an Information Security Assurance Cyber Control for SMEs (ISACC against common cyber security threats implemented at a cost effective measure.

  13. [Asylum: the Huge Psychiatric Hospital in the 19th century U.S].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kazano, Haruki

    2012-01-01

    The large-scale state psychiatric hospitals, referred to as "asylums," were built in the USA in the 19th century and generally have a bad reputation in Japan as institutions with an unpleasant environment for the patients. Asylums were not built for institutionalizing mental patients. The original meaning of the word asylum is a "retreat" or "sanctuary," and these institutions were originally built to act as sanctuaries for the protection of mental patients. The field of psychiatric medicine in western countries in the 19th century began to embrace the concept of "moral treatment" for mental patients, including no restraint of the patients and treating them in a more open environment. With this background, asylums were built according to the efforts of social activist Dorothea Dix with financial assistance from the Quakers. The psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Kirkbride had a large influence on asylum architecture, and believed that the hospital building and environment as well as location have healing effects on the patients, which he called the "therapeutic landscape". Kirkbridelater proposed an architectural plan that became the basis for subsequent mental hospital architecture, and many asylums were built according to this plan. As the architecture was considered part of the treatment, many leading architects and landscape architects at the time became involved in building asylums. In the later half of the 19th century, over 150 asylums were built across the USA. However, moral treatment fell out of favor toward the end of the 19th century, and the concept of therapeutic landscape was also neglected. The hospitals had many uncured patients, and caregivers became pessimistic about the efficacy of the treatments. Abuse and neglect of the patients were also common. The environment at the asylums deteriorated, which created the image of asylums that, we hold today. Many asylums have been demolished or abandoned. These early attempts at asylum failed due to insufficient

  14. Decomposing Huge Networks into Skeleton Graphs by Reachable Relations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-06-07

    efficiently process approximate queries, i.e., reachable nodes , on the original dataset, i.e., the given network. Finally, by focusing on spatial networks...centralized control (e.g., the Arab Spring). These problems have mostly been studied from the view point of identifying influential nodes under some...where we set k = 26 for calculation of the bottom-k sketches of all the nodes . Figure 1(a) compares the actual processing times of these methods

  15. Opening of huge perspectives; Ouverture sur de vastes perspectives

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anon.

    1998-11-01

    On the important South-African market, pushed by the end of the apartheid and the integration of black populations in the country's economy, Total is consolidating its positions in all its activities. Between 1992 and 1997, Total investments have been increased by 50 pc for its gas service station network (750 stations) which represents 13 pc of the market. The chemical activities are also gaining importance and its Natref refinery is the sole refinery in the inner country.

  16. The big, large and huge case of state-building

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harste, Gorm

    , organization systems and functional systems, the paper outlines some indications on how to study European state formation from a second order system theory. The point is to observe the semantic codings as second order codes of codes and to look after this self-referential form in the semantic history...

  17. Russia's huge Gazprom struggles to adjust to new realities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Korchemkin, M.B.

    1993-01-01

    The Russian joint-stock company Gazprom, successor to Gazprom of the former U.S.S.R. and the world's largest gas company, faces a crisis of direction in the middle years of this decade. With recent memories of annual additions to its transmission pipeline capacity of more than 6,200 miles, Gazprom officials must face the economic and operational realities that call for rehabilitation projects rather than new construction. Additionally, the overall demand for natural gas in the former Soviet Union (FSU) is leveling as the economies and energy use of all customer countries are declining and gas has already supplanted oil nearly energy-where possible. With the European gas market showing limited space for additional gas, Gazprom's major task in the short-term must be to maintain current production and supply levels. The paper discusses reserves and production, the transmission system, gas exports, the costs of Russian gas, Gazprom's prospects, and major obstacles

  18. MRI Verification of a Case of Huge Infantile Rhabdomyoma

    OpenAIRE

    Ramadani, Naser; Kreshnike, Kreshnike Dedushi; Mu?aj, Sefedin; Kabashi, Serbeze; Hoxhaj, Astrit; Jerliu, Naim; Beji?i, Ramush

    2016-01-01

    Introduction: Cardiac rhabdomyoma is type of benign myocardial tumor that is the most common fetal cardiac tumor. Cardiac rhabdomyomas are usually detected before birth or during the first year of life. They account for over 60% of all primary cardiac tumors. Case report: A 6 month old child with coughing and obstruction in breathing, was hospitalized in the Pediatric Clinic in UCCK, Pristine. The difficulty of breathing was heard and the pathological noise of the heart was noticed from the p...

  19. Vesicovaginal fistula following an induced abortion with a huge ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A case of a 26 year old P +1 woman who developed vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF) following an induced 1 abortion is presented. She presented with five year history of continous leakage of urine following a voluntary termination of pregnancy at about 11 weeks of gestation using metallic instruments in a chemist shop by a ...

  20. Canadian firm contains huge oil spill in Northern Russia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gray, B.

    1997-01-01

    The Kharyaga-Usink pipeline, 1400 km northeast of Moscow, suffered a major failure in the fall of 1994, releasing some 100,000 tonnes of oil (three times more than the Exxon Valdez) into the frozen tundra. It was considered by environmental groups as one of the worst disasters of its kind. The oil threatened to seep into the nearby rivers and eventually into the Barents Sea. After a delay of some three months AGRA Earth and Environmental of Calgary, an engineering consulting firm, was called in to inspect the damage and to make recommendations for a successful cleanup operation. A multi-disciplinary emergency response team was formed to assess the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the spill, the state of the existing pipeline, and the Russian plans for spill containment and recovery. Community consultation, probably the first in Russia, was part of the evaluation, culminating in a three-volume appraisal report containing detailed recommendation on how to properly contain the spill. On the strength of the report the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved loans to the Russian Federation totaling 145 million dollars to undertake the work of pipeline restoration. Construction of the uniquely-designed dams as well as the Russian-pioneered siphon-dams was done by international contractors and maintained throughout the breakup period. A new pipeline is also being constructed to prevent future leaks

  1. What's stopping a huge expansion of the PV market?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varadi, P.F.

    1998-01-01

    Over the past 25 years the terrestrial PV industry has turned into a billion-dollar global business. The necessary technology is available and substantial market growth is continuing. It has often been said that the cost of PV must come down further before the technology really takes off. However the author argues here that the dominant segments of the market are not price-sensitive and that the future explosive expansion of PV markets will need financing on a global basis, assured quality in the products, and the institution of an extensive public-awareness programme of advertising, promotion and education. (author)

  2. Huge increases in bacterivores on freshly killed barley roots

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, S.; Griffiths, B.; Ekelund, Flemming

    1992-01-01

    Adding fresh roots to intact soil cores resulted in marked increases in microbial and microfaunal activity at the resource islands. Microbial activity increased in two phases following root addition. Respiratory activity and concentration of respiratory enzyme (dehydrogenase) in soil adhering to ...

  3. huge abdominal mass secondary to a transverse vaginal septum ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2011-12-01

    Dec 1, 2011 ... A diagnosis of Transverse Vaginal septum with prob- able vaginal atresia was made. A two-stage surgery was planned: laparotomy to drain the haemorrhagic ... through a low vertical uterine incision. A probe passed through the uterine incision towards the cervix ended blindly. The tubes were distended ...

  4. Huge tunnelling anisotropic magnetoresistance in (Ga,Mn)As nanoconstrictions

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Giddings, A.D.; Makarovsky, O. N.; Khalid, M.N.; Yasin, S.; Edmonds, K. W.; Campion, R. P.; Wunderlich, J.; Jungwirth, Tomáš; Williams, D.A.; Gallagher, B. L.; Foxon, C. T.

    2008-01-01

    Roč. 10, č. 8 (2008), 085004/1-085004/9 ISSN 1367-2630 R&D Projects: GA ČR GEFON/06/E002; GA MŠk LC510; GA ČR GA202/05/0575; GA ČR GA202/04/1519 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 015728 - NANOSPIN Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100521 Keywords : ferromagnetic semiconductor * nanoconstriction * tunneling anisotropic magnetoresistance , Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 3.440, year: 2008

  5. Purcell effect in an organic-inorganic halide perovskite semiconductor microcavity system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Jun; Wang, Yafeng; Hu, Tao; Wu, Lin; Shen, Xuechu; Chen, Zhanghai; Cao, Runan; Xu, Fei; Da, Peimei; Zheng, Gengfeng; Lu, Jian

    2016-01-01

    Organic-inorganic halide perovskite semiconductors with the attractive physics properties, including strong photoluminescence (PL), huge oscillator strengths, and low nonradiative recombination losses, are ideal candidates for studying the light-matter interaction in nanostructures. Here, we demonstrate the coupling of the exciton state and the cavity mode in the lead halide perovskite microcavity system at room temperature. The Purcell effect in the coupling system is clearly observed by using angle-resolved photoluminescence spectra. Kinetic analysis based on time-resolved PL reveals that the spontaneous emission rate of the halide perovskite semiconductor is significantly enhanced at resonance of the exciton energy and the cavity mode. Our results provide the way for developing electrically driven organic polariton lasers, optical devices, and on-chip coherent quantum light sources

  6. Effect on industry structure by fossil fuel burden

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang, Yoon Young [Korea Energy Economics Institute, Euiwang (Korea)

    1999-12-01

    Multi-industrial sector dynamic operation general equilibrium model of Korean economy has been developed. It is able to analyze carbon dioxide emission, energy use and macro economy, and reciprocal actions between each industrial sector and to measure economic effects by environmental policy for the purpose of reducing carbon dioxide. Using this model, it analyzed its effect on industries in Korea of limiting carbon dioxide emission by experimenting each policy instrument, policy object, application of tax revenue for limiting carbon dioxide. The spreading effect on each industry has a large difference for each industry. The production reduction of energy industry or large energy consuming industry (basic chemical industry, transportation and storage, steel industry, construction) shows relatively huge to other industries. Production reduction for each industry, i.e. a wide difference of economic burden between industries, will need some consideration when introducing energy carbon tax, especially in the initial stage, since it could cause an equity problem between industries. Moreover, studies on differentiating tax rate, tax return and exemption that can mitigate an equity problem between industries should be implemented. (author). 66 refs., 22 figs., 12 tabs.

  7. Enhanced performance of ferroelectric materials under hydrostatic pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chauhan, Aditya; Patel, Satyanarayan; Wang, Shuai; Novak, Nikola; Xu, Bai-Xiang; Lv, Peng; Vaish, Rahul; Lynch, Christopher S.

    2017-12-01

    Mechanical confinement or restricted degrees of freedom have been explored for its potential to enhance the performance of ferroelectric devices. It presents an easy and reversible method to tune the response for specific applications. However, such studies have been mainly limited to uni- or bi-axial stress. This study investigates the effect of hydrostatic pressure on the ferroelectric behavior of bulk polycrystalline Pb0.99Nb0.02(Zr0.95Ti0.05)0.98O3. Polarization versus electric field hysteresis plots were generated as a function of hydrostatic pressure for a range of operating temperatures (298-398 K). The application of hydrostatic pressure was observed to induce anti-ferroelectric like double hysteresis loops. This in turn enhances the piezoelectric, energy storage, energy harvesting, and electrocaloric effects. The hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficient (dh) was increased from 50 pCN-1 (0 MPa) to ˜900 pC N-1 (265 MPa) and ˜3200 pCN-1 (330 MPa) at 298 K. Energy storage density was observed to improve by more than 4 times under pressure, in the whole temperature range. The relative change in entropy was also observed to shift from ˜0 to 4.8 J kg-1 K-1 under an applied pressure of 325 MPa. This behavior can be attributed to the evolution of pinched hysteresis loops that have been explained using a phenomenological model. All values represent an improvement of several hundred percent compared to unbiased performance, indicating the potential benefits of the proposed methodology.

  8. Research of Effective Width of FRP U-shaped Hoop Reinforcement Properties of Concrete Beams by Shear

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Baokun

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The paste fiber reinforced composite material (hereinafter referred to as FRP U-shaped hoop of reinforced concrete beams interfacial debonding is an important reinforcement technology research. For the effective width of the CFRP U-shaped hoop reinforcement, it is still a lack of in-depth research, only relying on the test research huge workload, this article (ANSYS and the numerical simulation in the whole process of the shear load release properties of finite element calculation software. According to the results of finite element analysis, the author studied the CFRP U-shaped hoop to increase the width of the shear capacity of reinforced concrete beams by the impact.

  9. Misuse of topical corticosteroids: A clinical study of adverse effects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vivek Kumar Dey

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Misuse of topical corticosteroids is a widespread phenomenon among young people in India, especially women. The practice is associated with significant adverse effects and poor awareness of these effects among the general public. Aim: This study was conducted to examine the misuse and adverse effects of topical corticosteroids among the people in Bastar region in Chhattisgarh state of India. Materials and Methods: Data collected from patients presenting with at least one of the adverse effects of topical corticosteroids as the chief complaint, from November 2010 to October 2011. Results: Out of the 6723 new patients, 379 (5.63% had presented with misuse and adverse effects of topical corticosteroids, of whom 78.89% were females. More than 65% of the patients were in the age group 10-29 years. The main reason for using the topical corticosteroids was to lighten skin colour and treat melasma and suntan. Acne (37.99% and telangiectasia (18.99% were the most common adverse effects noted. Conclusions: Misuse of topical corticosteroids has a huge impact on dermatological practice, leading to a significant proportion of visits to the dermatologist. This hydra-headed problem needs multi-dimensional interventions, involving educational, legal and managerial approaches with cooperation from different sectors of society.

  10. Thermal Expansion Anomaly Regulated by Entropy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zi-Kui; Wang, Yi; Shang, Shunli

    2014-11-01

    Thermal expansion, defined as the temperature dependence of volume under constant pressure, is a common phenomenon in nature and originates from anharmonic lattice dynamics. However, it has been poorly understood how thermal expansion can show anomalies such as colossal positive, zero, or negative thermal expansion (CPTE, ZTE, or NTE), especially in quantitative terms. Here we show that changes in configurational entropy due to metastable micro(scopic)states can lead to quantitative prediction of these anomalies. We integrate the Maxwell relation, statistic mechanics, and first-principles calculations to demonstrate that when the entropy is increased by pressure, NTE occurs such as in Invar alloy (Fe3Pt, for example), silicon, ice, and water, and when the entropy is decreased dramatically by pressure, CPTE is expected such as in anti-Invar cerium, ice and water. Our findings provide a theoretic framework to understand and predict a broad range of anomalies in nature in addition to thermal expansion, which may include gigantic electrocaloric and electromechanical responses, anomalously reduced thermal conductivity, and spin distributions.

  11. Fabrication of ferroelectric polymer nanostructures on flexible substrates by soft-mold reverse nanoimprint lithography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Jingfeng; Lu, Haidong; Gruverman, Alexei; Ducharme, Stephen; Li, Shumin; Tan, Li

    2016-01-01

    Conventional nanoimprint lithography with expensive rigid molds is used to pattern ferroelectric polymer nanostructures on hard substrate for use in, e.g., organic electronics. The main innovation here is the use of inexpensive soft polycarbonate molds derived from recordable DVDs and reverse nanoimprint lithography at low pressure, which is compatible with flexible substrates. This approach was implemented to produce regular stripe arrays with a spacing of 700 nm from vinylidene fluoride co trifluoroethylene ferroelectric copolymer on flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrates. The nanostructures have very stable and switchable piezoelectric response and good crystallinity, and are highly promising for use in organic electronics enhanced or complemented by the unique properties of the ferroelectric polymer, such as bistable polarization, piezoelectric response, pyroelectric response, or electrocaloric function. The soft-mold reverse nanoimprint lithography also leaves little or no residual layer, affording good isolation of the nanostructures. This approach reduces the cost and facilitates large-area, high-throughput production of isolated functional polymer nanostructures on flexible substrates for the increasing application of ferroelectric polymers in flexible electronics. (paper)

  12. Fabrication of ferroelectric polymer nanostructures on flexible substrates by soft-mold reverse nanoimprint lithography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Jingfeng; Lu, Haidong; Li, Shumin; Tan, Li; Gruverman, Alexei; Ducharme, Stephen

    2016-01-08

    Conventional nanoimprint lithography with expensive rigid molds is used to pattern ferroelectric polymer nanostructures on hard substrate for use in, e.g., organic electronics. The main innovation here is the use of inexpensive soft polycarbonate molds derived from recordable DVDs and reverse nanoimprint lithography at low pressure, which is compatible with flexible substrates. This approach was implemented to produce regular stripe arrays with a spacing of 700 nm from vinylidene fluoride co trifluoroethylene ferroelectric copolymer on flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrates. The nanostructures have very stable and switchable piezoelectric response and good crystallinity, and are highly promising for use in organic electronics enhanced or complemented by the unique properties of the ferroelectric polymer, such as bistable polarization, piezoelectric response, pyroelectric response, or electrocaloric function. The soft-mold reverse nanoimprint lithography also leaves little or no residual layer, affording good isolation of the nanostructures. This approach reduces the cost and facilitates large-area, high-throughput production of isolated functional polymer nanostructures on flexible substrates for the increasing application of ferroelectric polymers in flexible electronics.

  13. Effects of spin-orbit activated interchannel coupling on dipole photoelectron angular distribution asymmetry parameters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amusia, M Ya [Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); Baltenkov, A S [Arifov Institute of Electronics, Tashkent 70125 (Uzbekistan); Chernysheva, L V [A F Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, St. Petersburg 194021 (Russian Federation); Felfli, Z [Center for Theoretical Studies of Physics Systems, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA 30314 (United States); Manson, S T [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303 (United States); Msezane, A Z [Center for Theoretical Studies of Physics Systems, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA 30314 (United States)

    2004-02-28

    The effects of spin-orbit induced interchannel coupling on the dipole photoelectron angular asymmetry parameter {beta}{sub 3d} for Xe, Cs and Ba are explored using a modified version of the spin-polarized random phase approximation with exchange (SPRPAE) methodology. For Xe, {beta}{sub 3d{sub 5/2}} is modified somewhat by the interchannel coupling in the vicinity of the 3d{sub 3/2} {yields} {epsilon}f shape resonance, and this effect is significantly more pronounced in Cs where the resonance is larger. In Ba, however, where f-wave orbital collapse has occurred, the shape resonance has moved below threshold and the effect of interchannel coupling on {beta}{sub 3d{sub 5/2}} above the 3d{sub 3/2} threshold is negligible. But below the 3d{sub 3/2} threshold, {beta}{sub 3d{sub 5/2}} is dominated by the huge broad 3d{sub 3/2} {yields} 4f resonance.

  14. High sound screening in low impedance slit arrays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Estrada, Hector; Bravo, Jose Maria; Meseguer, Francisco

    2011-01-01

    We report on the key role of the acoustical impedance ratio between the solid and the host fluid in the transmission properties of slit arrays. Numerical calculations predict huge sound screening effects up to 60 dB for low impedance ratio values. The screening band appears over a broad frequency region and is very robust against dissipative losses of the material as well as against the sound incident angle. This counterintuitive result is discussed in terms of the hydrodynamic short circuit, where the fluid and the solid at the radiating interface vibrate out of phase, resulting in a huge sound blocking effect.

  15. Enhancing the Efficiency of Silicon-Based Solar Cells by the Piezo-Phototronic Effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Laipan; Wang, Longfei; Pan, Caofeng; Chen, Libo; Xue, Fei; Chen, Baodong; Yang, Leijing; Su, Li; Wang, Zhong Lin

    2017-02-28

    Although there are numerous approaches for fabricating solar cells, the silicon-based photovoltaics are still the most widely used in industry and around the world. A small increase in the efficiency of silicon-based solar cells has a huge economic impact and practical importance. We fabricate a silicon-based nanoheterostructure (p + -Si/p-Si/n + -Si (and n-Si)/n-ZnO nanowire (NW) array) photovoltaic device and demonstrate the enhanced device performance through significantly enhanced light absorption by NW array and effective charge carrier separation by the piezo-phototronic effect. The strain-induced piezoelectric polarization charges created at n-doped Si-ZnO interfaces can effectively modulate the corresponding band structure and electron gas trapped in the n + -Si/n-ZnO NW nanoheterostructure and thus enhance the transport process of local charge carriers. The efficiency of the solar cell was improved from 8.97% to 9.51% by simply applying a static compress strain. This study indicates that the piezo-phototronic effect can enhance the performance of a large-scale silicon-based solar cell, with great potential for industrial applications.

  16. The effect of heat currents on the stability of the liquid solid interface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowley, R.M.; Nozieres, P.

    1992-01-01

    Rapid changing of the temperature of a liquid in equilibrium with its solid can lead to instabilities of the interface in two ways : the change in pressure, induced by a temperature change at the interface, leads to a uniaxial stress which can cause a Grinfeld instability at the capillary wavelength; a temperature gradient is set up which modifies the effective gravity at the interface. When the effective gravity becomes negative, the interface is unstable at very long wavelengths. For a superfluid, such as 4 He, the situation is more complex. If we ignore surface dissipation, there is still a small critical temperature gradient across the solid above which the interface is unstable. However surface dissipation -in particular the growth resistance- pushes the instability to huge temperature gradients, ones which cannot be realised experimentally. The only instability that can be seen is caused by uniaxial stress

  17. Combined Interhemispheric and Transsylvian Approach for Resection of Craniopharyngioma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inoue, Tomohiro; Ono, Hideaki; Tamura, Akira; Saito, Isamu

    2018-04-01

    We present a 37-year-old male case of cystic suprasellar huge craniopharyngioma, who presented with significant memory disturbance due to obstructive hydrocephalus. Combined interhemispheric and pterional approach was chosen to resect huge suprasellar tumor. Interhemispheric trans-lamina terminalis approach was quite effective to resect third ventricular tumor, while pterional approach was useful to dissect tumor out of basilar perforators and stalk. The link to the video can be found at: https://youtu.be/BoYIPa96kdo .

  18. Effect of Ethanolamines on Corrosion Inhibition of Ductile Cast Iron in Nitrite Containing Solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, K. T.; Kim, Y. S.; Chang, H. Y.; Lim, B. T.; Park, H. B.

    2016-01-01

    In this work, synergistic corrosion inhibition effect of nitrite and 3 kinds of ethanolamines on ductile cast iron using chemical and electrochemical methods was evaluated. This work attempts to clarify the synergistic effect of nitrite and ethanolamines. The effects of single addition of TEA, DEA, and MEA, and mixed addition of nitrite plus TEA, DEA or MEA on the corrosion inhibition of ductile cast iron in a tap water were evaluated. A huge amount of single addition of ethanolamine was needed. However, the synergistic effect by mixed addition was observed regardless of the combination of nitrite and triethanolamines, but their effects increased in a series of MEA + nitrite > DEA + nitrite > TEA + nitrite. This tendency of synergistic effect was attributed to the film properties and polar effect; TEA addition couldn't form the film showing high film resistance and semiconductive properties, but DEA or MEA could build the film having relatively high film resistance and n-type semiconductive properties. Moreover, it can be explained that this behaviour was closely related to electron attractive group within the ethanolamines, and thus corrosion inhibition power depends upon the number of the electron attractive group of MEA, DEA, and TEA.

  19. Effect of Ethanolamines on Corrosion Inhibition of Ductile Cast Iron in Nitrite Containing Solutions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, K. T.; Kim, Y. S. [Andong National University, Andong (Korea, Republic of); Chang, H. Y.; Lim, B. T.; Park, H. B. [KEPCO Engineering and Construction Company, Gimcheon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-08-15

    In this work, synergistic corrosion inhibition effect of nitrite and 3 kinds of ethanolamines on ductile cast iron using chemical and electrochemical methods was evaluated. This work attempts to clarify the synergistic effect of nitrite and ethanolamines. The effects of single addition of TEA, DEA, and MEA, and mixed addition of nitrite plus TEA, DEA or MEA on the corrosion inhibition of ductile cast iron in a tap water were evaluated. A huge amount of single addition of ethanolamine was needed. However, the synergistic effect by mixed addition was observed regardless of the combination of nitrite and triethanolamines, but their effects increased in a series of MEA + nitrite > DEA + nitrite > TEA + nitrite. This tendency of synergistic effect was attributed to the film properties and polar effect; TEA addition couldn't form the film showing high film resistance and semiconductive properties, but DEA or MEA could build the film having relatively high film resistance and n-type semiconductive properties. Moreover, it can be explained that this behaviour was closely related to electron attractive group within the ethanolamines, and thus corrosion inhibition power depends upon the number of the electron attractive group of MEA, DEA, and TEA.

  20. Origin of gigantic magnetostriction and crystal field effects in terbium dititanate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aleksandrov, I.V.; Lidskij, B.V.; Mamsurova, L.G.

    1985-01-01

    The temperature and magnetic field dependences of the magnetostriction and magnetization and the temperature dependences of the magnetic susceptibility, specific heat and lattice parameter are investigated experimentally in a broad range of temperature and field strength for polycrystalline and single crystal Tb 2 Ti 2 O 7 . A conclusion is drawn regarding the structure of the energy levels of Tb 3+ in Tb 2 Ti 2 O 7 . A qualitative and quantitative explanation of all observed magnetic effects, and in particular of gigantic magnetostriction in Tb 2 Ti 2 O 7 , is presented which is based on the crystal field theory. It is shown that the huge magnitude of the magnetostriction in terbium dititanate is due to the specificity of the energy spectrum of Tb 3+ in Tb 2 Ti 2 O 7

  1. Complex nature of SNP genotype effects on gene expression in primary human leucocytes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heap, Graham A.; Trynka, Gosia; Jansen, Ritsert C.; Bruinenberg, Marcel; Swertz, Morris A.; Dinesen, Lotte C.; Hunt, Karen A.; Wijmenga, Cisca; vanHeel, David A.; Franke, Lude; Heel, David A van

    2009-01-01

    Background: Genome wide association studies have been hugely successful in identifying disease risk variants, yet most variants do not lead to coding changes and how variants influence biological function is usually unknown. Methods: We correlated gene expression and genetic variation in untouched

  2. Effects of Ag Nanocubes with Different Corner Shape on the Absorption Enhancement in Organic Solar Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng Shan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The effects of corner shape of silver (Ag nanocubes (NCs on optical absorptions of organic solar cells (OSCs are theoretically investigated by finite element method (FEM calculations. The absorption of sun light in the active layer is calculated. Significant absorption enhancements have been demonstrated in metallic region with different shapes of Ag NCs, among them corner radius (R is zero result in the best light absorption performance of up to 55% enhancement with respect to bare OSCs. The origins of increased absorption are believed to be the effects of the huge electric field enhancement and increased scattering upon the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR. Apart from using R=0, we show that R=3, 6, and 11.29 of Ag NCs in metallic region of active layer may also result in the maximum comparable absorption enhancement of 49%, 41%, and 28%, respectively. In addition, a significant effect of the period of NCs is observed.

  3. Optical Diode Effect at Spin-Wave Excitations of the Room-Temperature Multiferroic BiFeO_{3}.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kézsmárki, I; Nagel, U; Bordács, S; Fishman, R S; Lee, J H; Yi, Hee Taek; Cheong, S-W; Rõõm, T

    2015-09-18

    Multiferroics permit the magnetic control of the electric polarization and the electric control of the magnetization. These static magnetoelectric (ME) effects are of enormous interest: The ability to read and write a magnetic state current-free by an electric voltage would provide a huge technological advantage. Dynamic or optical ME effects are equally interesting, because they give rise to unidirectional light propagation as recently observed in low-temperature multiferroics. This phenomenon, if realized at room temperature, would allow the development of optical diodes which transmit unpolarized light in one, but not in the opposite, direction. Here, we report strong unidirectional transmission in the room-temperature multiferroic BiFeO_{3} over the gigahertz-terahertz frequency range. The supporting theory attributes the observed unidirectional transmission to the spin-current-driven dynamic ME effect. These findings are an important step toward the realization of optical diodes, supplemented by the ability to switch the transmission direction with a magnetic or electric field.

  4. Gender obesity inequities are huge but differ greatly according to environment and socio-economics in a North African setting: a national cross-sectional study in Tunisia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jalila El Ati

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Southern Mediterranean countries have experienced a marked increase in the prevalence of obesity whose consequences for gender related health inequities have been little studied. We assessed gender obesity inequalities and their environmental and socio-economic modifiers among Tunisian adults. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey in 2005; national, 3 level random cluster sample of 35-70 years Tunisians (women: n = 2964, men: n = 2379. Overall adiposity was assessed by BMI = weight(kg/height(m(2 and obesity was BMI≥30, WHtR = waist circumference to height ratio defined abdominal obesity as WHtR≥0.6. Gender obesity inequality measure was women versus men Prevalence Proportion Odds-Ratio (OR; models featuring gender x covariate interaction assessed variation of gender obesity inequalities with area (urban versus rural, age, marital status or socio-economic position (profession, education, household income proxy. RESULTS: BMI was much higher among women (28.4(0.2 versus men (25.3(0.1, P<0.0001 as was obesity (37.0% versus 13.3%, OR = 3.8[3.1-7.4], P<0.0001 and abdominal obesity (42.6% versus 15.6%, 4.0[3.3-4.8], P<0.0001. Gender obesity inequalities (women versus men adjusted OR were higher in urban (OR = 3.3[1.3-8.7] than rural (OR = 2.0[0.7-5.5] areas. These gender obesity inequalities were lower for subjects with secondary education or more (OR = 3.3[1.3-8.6], than among those with no schooling (OR = 6.9[2.0-23.3]. They were also lower for those with upper/intermediate profession (OR = 1.4[0.5-4.3] or even employees/workers OR = 2.3[1.0-5.4] than those not professionaly active at all (OR = 3.3[1.3-8.6]. Similar results were observed for addominal obesity. CONCLUSION: The huge overall gender obesity inequities (women much more corpulent than men were higher in urban settings, but lower among subjects of higher education and professional activity. Reasons for gender inequalities in

  5. In vitro evaluation of relative biological effectiveness of 3MeV protons using γH2AX immuno-fluorescence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaurasia, Rajesh K.; Desai, Utkarsha; Sirsath, K.B.; Bhat, N.N.; Sapra, B.K.; Gaur, Neeraj

    2018-01-01

    Use of charged particles for treating complicated tumors is gaining momentum. Their defined dose profile, near zero dose to normal tissue beyond tumour, skin sparing, more lethal effect than mutations, ability to focus beam with complex geometries are some of the advantages. Lack of scientific information on radiobiological efficacy, complexity and cost/maintenance of such facilities are hindering their use at present. Though a huge amount of time and resources are invested cancer treatment still primarily depends on chemotherapy and radiotherapy (γ-ray). Through this study we aim to demonstrate relative biological effectiveness of 3MeV proton beam with estimated LET of 13 keV/μm on cancerous mammalian cell line using highly reliable DNA double strand break γH2AX marker as a damage quantification tool

  6. A systematic review of the cost-effectiveness of lifestyle modification as primary prevention intervention for type 2 diabetes mellitus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katrin Radl

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: diabetes is one of the leading causes of death, and has a huge economic impact on the burden of society. Lifestyle interventions such as diet, physical activity and weight reducing are proven to be effective in the prevention of diabetes. To encourage policy actions, data on the costeffectiveness of such strategies of prevention programmes are needed.Methods: a systematic review of the literature on the cost-effectiveness of prevention strategies focusing on lifestyle interventions for diabetes type 2 patients. A weighted version of Drummond checklist was used to further assess the quality of the included studies.Results: six studies met the inclusion criteria and were therefore considered in this paper. Intensive lifestyle intervention to prevent diabetes type 2 is cost-effective in comparison to other interventions. All studies were judged of medium-to-high quality.Conclusions: policy makers should consider the adoption of a prevention strategy focusing on intensive lifestyle changes because they are proven to be either cost-saving or cost-effective.

  7. Magneto-optical properties of InSb for terahertz applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Chochol

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Magneto-optical permittivity tensor spectra of undoped InSb, n-doped and p-doped InSb crystals were determined using the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS and the Fourier transform far-infrared spectroscopy (far-FTIR. A Huge polar magneto-optical (MO Kerr-effect (up to 20 degrees in rotation and a simultaneous plasmonic behavior observed at low magnetic field (0.4 T and room temperature are promising for terahertz nonreciprocal applications. We demonstrate the possibility of adjusting the the spectral rage with huge MO by increase in n-doping of InSb. Spectral response is modeled using generalized magneto-optical Drude-Lorentz theory, giving us precise values of free carrier mobility, density and effective mass consistent with electric Hall effect measurement.

  8. Effects of Oral Supplements Regimes of Vitamins C and E on Sperm ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Infertility is a huge social problem with a worldwide and African prevalence of 10-15% and 10-20% respectively. Contributory to infertility are female, male and unknown factors. The emerging role of oxidants as a causal factor in disease conditions in general and poor fertility, particularly in the male, ...

  9. Tunable high-order-sideband generation and carrier-envelope-phase-dependent effects via microwave fields in hybrid electro-optomechanical systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Si, Liu-Gang; Guo, Ling-Xia; Xiong, Hao; Wu, Ying

    2018-02-01

    We investigate the high-order-sideband generation (HSG) in a hybrid cavity electro-photomechanical system in which an optical cavity is driven by two optical fields (a monochromatic pump field and a nanosecond Gaussian probe pulse with huge numbers of wave cycles), and at the same time a microwave cavity is driven by a monochromatic ac voltage bias. We show that even if the input powers of two driven optical fields are comparatively low the HSG spectra can be induced and enhanced, and the sideband plateau is extended remarkably with the power of the ac voltage bias increasing. It is also shown that the driven ac voltage bias has profound effects on the carrier-envelope-phase-dependent effects of the HSG in the hybrid cavity electro-photomechanical system. Our research may provide an effective way to control the HSG of optical fields by using microwave fields in cavity optomechanics systems.

  10. The Impact of Information Richness on Information Security Awareness Training Effectiveness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaw, R. S.; Chen, Charlie C.; Harris, Albert L.; Huang, Hui-Jou

    2009-01-01

    In recent years, rapid progress in the use of the internet has resulted in huge losses in many organizations due to lax security. As a result, information security awareness is becoming an important issue to anyone using the Internet. To reduce losses, organizations have made information security awareness a top priority. The three main barriers…

  11. Effective Contracting: Trends and Lessons-Learned

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-25

    Cell Locations: Current • Ft Bliss • Ft Hood • Ft Bragg • Ft Eustis • Ft Drum • Ft Knox • Korea • Ft Detrick • JTF- CAPMED Planned • Ft Carson...Huge culture shift – JTF- CAPMED , SAMMC, METC – Joint Basing (McCord-Lewis, Bragg-Pope, etc) – Europe, Pacific Rim  Expanding use of MATOs Contract...Support Services Better Acquisition Planning of Critical Health Care Products and Services will drive unwarranted variation and lower Per Capita Cost

  12. Monitoring the effect of restoration measures in Indonesian peatlands by radar satellite imagery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaenicke, J; Englhart, S; Siegert, F

    2011-03-01

    In the context of the ongoing climate change discussions the importance of peatlands as carbon stores is increasingly recognised in the public. Drainage, deforestation and peat fires are the main reasons for the release of huge amounts of carbon from peatlands. Successful restoration of degraded tropical peatlands is of high interest due to their huge carbon store and sequestration potential. The blocking of drainage canals by dam building has become one of the most important measures to restore the hydrology and the ecological function of the peat domes. This study investigates the capability of using multitemporal radar remote sensing imagery for monitoring the hydrological effects of these measures. The study area is the former Mega Rice Project area in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, where peat drainage and forest degradation is especially intense. Restoration measures started in July 2004 by building 30 large dams until June 2008. We applied change detection analysis with more than 80 ENVISAT ASAR and ALOS PALSAR images, acquired between 2004 and 2009. Radar signal increases of up to 1.36 dB show that high frequency multitemporal radar satellite imagery can be used to detect an increase in peat soil moisture after dam construction, especially in deforested areas with a high density of dams. Furthermore, a strong correlation between cross-polarised radar backscatter coefficients and groundwater levels above -50 cm was found. Monitoring peatland rewetting and quantifying groundwater level variations is important information for vegetation re-establishment, fire hazard warning and making carbon emission mitigation tradable under the voluntary carbon market or REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) mechanism. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Comparing Compositional Effects in Two Education Systems: The Case of the Belgian Communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danhier, Julien; Martin, Émilie

    2014-01-01

    The Belgian educational field includes separate educational systems reflecting the division of the country into linguistic communities. Even if the French-speaking and the Dutch-speaking communities keep sharing important similarities in terms of funding rules and structures, they present a huge gap between their respective pupils' achievement.…

  14. Effect of ionizing radiation on solid and water solution Penicillin G

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ben Salem, I.; Amine, Kh.M.; Mabrouk, Y.; Saidi, M.; Mezni, M; Boulila, N; Hafez, E

    2015-01-01

    Penicillin G is a conventional antibiotic used for treatment of different kinds of infectious diseases. Due to its huge quantity production and resistance to biodegradability, this molecule has been a serious concern for clinicians and environmentalists. In this study, the effect of ionizing radiation on the penicillin G powder and in water solution was investigated. The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis showed that the ionizing radiation at 50 kGy has no effect on the integrity of solid Penicillin G. The anti-microbial assays revealed that the activity of irradiated solid Penicillin G did not reduce and was stable after storage for one month. Ionizing radiation at 50 kGy led to degradation of water solution Penicillin G. The complete disappear of peaks observed in the control sample confirmed the broken of β-lactam ring, the decarboxylation and cleavage of the thiazolidine ring. The product issued from the irradiation of Penicillin G, was completely removed by the bacterium Cupriavidus.metallidurans. Thus, the ionizing irradiation followed by a biological treatment was very effective method for removing of Penicillin G antibiotics residuals from water solution.

  15. IT Solution concept development for tracking and analyzing the labor effectiveness of employees

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilin, Igor; Shirokova, Svetlana; Lepekhin, Aleksandr

    2018-03-01

    Labor efficiency and productivity of employees is an important aspect for the environment within any type of organization. This is particularly crucial factor for the companies, if which operations are associated with physical labor, such as construction companies. Productivity and efficiency are both very complicated concepts and a huge variety of methods and approaches to its analysis can be implemented within the organization. Despite that, it is important to choose the methods, which not only analyze the key performance indicators of employee, but take into account personal indicators, which might affect performance even more than professional skills. For this complicated analysis task it is important to build IT solution for tracking and analyzing of the labor effectiveness. The concept for designing this IT solution is proposed in the current research.

  16. IT Solution concept development for tracking and analyzing the labor effectiveness of employees

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilin Igor

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Labor efficiency and productivity of employees is an important aspect for the environment within any type of organization. This is particularly crucial factor for the companies, if which operations are associated with physical labor, such as construction companies. Productivity and efficiency are both very complicated concepts and a huge variety of methods and approaches to its analysis can be implemented within the organization. Despite that, it is important to choose the methods, which not only analyze the key performance indicators of employee, but take into account personal indicators, which might affect performance even more than professional skills. For this complicated analysis task it is important to build IT solution for tracking and analyzing of the labor effectiveness. The concept for designing this IT solution is proposed in the current research.

  17. Huge Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans Mimicking a Breast Malignant Tumor with Abscess

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Han-Kun Chen

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP is an uncommon skin cancer that most commonly occurs on the trunk and extremities. DFSP of the breast has rarely been reported, and then is almost always of small size. We report a case of rapid-growing DFSP of the breast with abscess formation mimicking breast cancer, and also make a review of related literature.

  18. Less-developed countries have a huge equity in nuclear power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olds, F.C.

    1978-01-01

    Three-quarters of the world's people live in less-developed countries (LDCs). Few of these are energy self-sufficient, and their dependence on imported oil grows more risky as burgeoning world oil consumption seems likely to reach a practical ceiling of production long before demand is satisfied. Hence, LDCs push their nuclear power programs, and hope for strong nuclear programs in the industrialized world to ease the demand for oil. Standing against the LDCs are the international intervenors and the nuclear slowdown policy of the United States

  19. The  Big, Large and Huge Case of State-Building

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harste, Gorm

    2009-01-01

    systems, organization systems and functional systems, the paper outlines some stands to study European state formation from a second order system theory. The point is to observe the semantic codings as second order codes of codes and to look after this self-referential form in the semantic history...

  20. On a Model of Associative Memory with Huge Storage Capacity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demircigil, Mete; Heusel, Judith; Löwe, Matthias; Upgang, Sven; Vermet, Franck

    2017-07-01

    In Krotov et al. (in: Lee (eds) Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, Curran Associates, Inc., Red Hook, 2016) Krotov and Hopfield suggest a generalized version of the well-known Hopfield model of associative memory. In their version they consider a polynomial interaction function and claim that this increases the storage capacity of the model. We prove this claim and take the "limit" as the degree of the polynomial becomes infinite, i.e. an exponential interaction function. With this interaction we prove that model has an exponential storage capacity in the number of neurons, yet the basins of attraction are almost as large as in the standard Hopfield model.

  1. Huge Facial Desmoid Tumors with Neck Extension: A Case Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Ghazipour

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Desmoid tumors are very rare, benign fibrous neoplasms arise from the musculoaponeurotic structures throughout the body.   Case Report: The patient was a   seven-year old boy with a large mandibular mass growing over a period of six months. His CT-scan showed a large mass, 13 cm in diameter in the cheek area extending to the neck and trachea. Biopsy was compatible with desmoid fibromatosis.  He was given neoadjovant treatment with vinblastin and methotrexate. The patient underwent a tracheostomy. Then a complete hemimandibulectomy and submandibular gland excision was performed.  Finally reconstruction with latisimus dorsi free flap was performed.   Conclusion: Despite rarity desmoid tumors should be kept in mind of an otorhinolaryngologist as a differential diagnosis in children with head and neck mass.  

  2. The next bit thing in physics is huge and costly

    CERN Multimedia

    Overbye, Dennis

    2007-01-01

    The price of exploring inner space went up. An international consortium of physicists proposed the next big thing in physics: the International Linear Collider and it would cost about $ 6.7 billion. (1 page)

  3. Difficult Airway Management In A Patient With A Huge Mandibular ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    We report the perioperative management of a 30year old man with a recurrent progressive left jaw swelling of two year duration associated with oro-facial discomfort and significant weight loss. There was associated fever and body aches at presentation. No associated loss of dentition. The mass was non tender, measured ...

  4. A huge low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma of small bowel mesentery ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    EB

    2013-09-03

    Sep 3, 2013 ... paradoxically aggressive behavior, with a high rate of recurrence and ... with physical examination, abdominal ultrasound scans, and chest x-rays. .... would further cement the diagnosis of LGFMS. The demonstration of a ring ...

  5. Framework of collaboration investigation on neutron effect on superconducting magnet materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishimura, Arata; Takeuchi, Takao; Nishijima, Shigehiro; Izumi, Yoshinobu; Takakura, Kosuke; Ochiai, Kentaro; Henmi, Tsutomu; Nishijima, Gen; Watanabe, Kazuo; Sato, Isamu; Kurisita, Hiroaki; Narui, Minoru; Shikama, Tatsuo

    2009-01-01

    A fusion reactor will generate D-T neutron and the kinetic energy of the neutron will be converted to the thermal energy and electrical energy. The neutron has huge energy and will be able to penetrate a shielding blanket and stream out of ports for neutral beam injections. The penetrated and streamed out neutrons will reach superconducting magnets and make some damages on the magnet system. To investigate the neutron irradiation effects on the superconducting magnet materials, a collaborative network must be organized and the irradiation researches must be performed. This report will describe the framework of the collaboration investigation which has been established among neutronics, superconducting magnet and fusion system. After showing the collaboration scheme, some new results on 14 MeV neutron irradiation effect are presented. Then, a three years new project which was adopted as one of 'Nuclear basic infrastructure strategy study initiatives' by MEXT will be introduced as an example of collaborative program among superconducting materials, fission reactor and high magnetic field technology. (author)

  6. An Exploratory Study of the Butterfly Effect Using Agent-Based Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khasawneh, Mahmoud T.; Zhang, Jun; Shearer, Nevan E. N.; Rodriquez-Velasquez, Elkin; Bowling, Shannon R.

    2010-01-01

    This paper provides insights about the behavior of chaotic complex systems, and the sensitive dependence of the system on the initial starting conditions. How much does a small change in the initial conditions of a complex system affect it in the long term? Do complex systems exhibit what is called the "Butterfly Effect"? This paper uses an agent-based modeling approach to address these questions. An existing model from NetLogo library was extended in order to compare chaotic complex systems with near-identical initial conditions. Results show that small changes in initial starting conditions can have a huge impact on the behavior of chaotic complex systems. The term the "butterfly effect" is attributed to the work of Edward Lorenz [1]. It is used to describe the sensitive dependence of the behavior of chaotic complex systems on the initial conditions of these systems. The metaphor refers to the notion that a butterfly flapping its wings somewhere may cause extreme changes in the ecological system's behavior in the future, such as a hurricane.

  7. Divertor Design and Physics Issues of Huge Power Handling for SlimCS Demo Reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Asakura, N.; Hoshino, K.; Tobita, K.; Someya, Y.; Utoh, H.; Nakamura, M., E-mail: asakura.nobuyuki@jaea.go.jp [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Rokkasho (Japan); Shimizu, K. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Naka (Japan); Takizuka, T. [Osaka University, Osaka (Japan)

    2012-09-15

    Full text: Power exhaust scenario for a 3 GW class fusion reactor with the ITER-size plasma has been developed with enhancing the radiation loss from seeding impurity. Transport of plasma, impurity and neutrals was simulated self-consistently, for the first time, under the Demo divertor condition using an integrated divertor simulation code SONIC. The total heat load, q{sub target}, was evaluated including radiation power load and neutral load, in addition to the plasma heat load. It was found that heat and particle diffusion coefficients significantly affect the plasma detachment. For the case of increasing the coefficients by the factor of two, peak q{sub target} is reduced from 18 MW/m{sup 2} to below the engineering design level of 10 MW/m{sup 2}, while the characteristic width of the heat flux at the midplane SOL increases slightly from 2.2 to 2.7 mm. It was also found that that enhancement of the local {chi} and D at the outer SOL affects a reduction in the peak q{sub target} near the separatrix. Effects of the divertor geometry such as the divertor leg were investigated. Outer divertor leg length was extended to 2.7 m, while the magnetic flux expansion at the target is reduced to a half compared to the reference case of 1.8 m. Large radiation volume is shifted further upstream from the target due to a reduction in T{sub e}. The peak q{sub target} decreases to 10 MW/m{sup 2} due to reduction in both the plasma heat load and the radiation power load. (author)

  8. Gamma-ray Burst Prompt Correlations: Selection and Instrumental Effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dainotti, M. G.; Amati, L.

    2018-05-01

    The prompt emission mechanism of gamma-ray bursts (GRB) even after several decades remains a mystery. However, it is believed that correlations between observable GRB properties, given their huge luminosity/radiated energy and redshift distribution extending up to at least z ≈ 9, are promising possible cosmological tools. They also may help to discriminate among the most plausible theoretical models. Nowadays, the objective is to make GRBs standard candles, similar to supernovae (SNe) Ia, through well-established and robust correlations. However, differently from SNe Ia, GRBs span over several order of magnitude in their energetics, hence they cannot yet be considered standard candles. Additionally, being observed at very large distances, their physical properties are affected by selection biases, the so-called Malmquist bias or Eddington effect. We describe the state of the art on how GRB prompt correlations are corrected for these selection biases to employ them as redshift estimators and cosmological tools. We stress that only after an appropriate evaluation and correction for these effects, GRB correlations can be used to discriminate among the theoretical models of prompt emission, to estimate the cosmological parameters and to serve as distance indicators via redshift estimation.

  9. Porosity effects in flame length of the porous burners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatemeh Bahadori

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Furnaces are the devices for providing heat to the industrial systems like boilers, gas turbines and etc. The main challenge of furnaces is emission of huge air pollutants. However, porous burners produce less contaminant compared to others. The quality of the combustion process in the porous burners depends on the length of flame in the porous medium. In this paper, the computational fluid dynamic (CFD is used to investigate the porosity effects on the flame length of the combustion process in porous burner. The simulation results demonstrate that increasing the porosity increases the flame length and the combustion zone extends forward. So, combustion quality increases and production of carbon monoxide decrease. It is possible to conclude that temperature distribution in low porosity burner is lower and more uniform than high porosity one. Therefore, by increasing the porosity of the burner, the production of nitrogen oxides increases. So, using an intermediate porosity in the burner appears to be reasonable.

  10. Effect of incentives on the financial attractiveness of solar industrial process heating in India★

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sharma Ashish K.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available India has a huge industrial demand for process heating at temperatures that can be provided with commercially available solar collectors. Government of India with support from multi-lateral agencies has initiated an ambitious programme for promoting large scale adoption of Solar Industrial Process Heating (SIPH in the industrial sector of the country. This paper presents the details of an attempt to study the effect of several existing and potential incentives on the financial attractiveness of SIPH systems in India. A case of solar process heating in dairy industry has been presented to demonstrate the relative efficacy of different incentives on the economics of SIPH systems in terms of their impact on levelized cost of useful thermal energy delivered. Finally, policy implications of the results obtained have been discussed.

  11. The effect of high leverage points on the logistic ridge regression estimator having multicollinearity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ariffin, Syaiba Balqish; Midi, Habshah

    2014-06-01

    This article is concerned with the performance of logistic ridge regression estimation technique in the presence of multicollinearity and high leverage points. In logistic regression, multicollinearity exists among predictors and in the information matrix. The maximum likelihood estimator suffers a huge setback in the presence of multicollinearity which cause regression estimates to have unduly large standard errors. To remedy this problem, a logistic ridge regression estimator is put forward. It is evident that the logistic ridge regression estimator outperforms the maximum likelihood approach for handling multicollinearity. The effect of high leverage points are then investigated on the performance of the logistic ridge regression estimator through real data set and simulation study. The findings signify that logistic ridge regression estimator fails to provide better parameter estimates in the presence of both high leverage points and multicollinearity.

  12. Effective production control in an automotive industry: MRP vs. demand-driven MRP

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shofa, Mohamad Jihan; Widyarto, Wahyu Oktri

    2017-06-01

    Material Requirements Planning (MRP) has deficiencies when dealing with current business environments, marked by a more complex network, a huge variety of products with longer lead time, and uncertain demands. This drives Demand-Driven MRP (DDMRP) approach to deal with those challenges. DDMRP is designed to connect the availability of materials and supplies directly from the actual condition using bills of materials (BOMs). Nevertheless, only few studies have scientifically proved the performance of DDMRP over MRP for controlling production and inventory control. Therefore, this research fills this gap by evaluating and comparing the performance of DDMRP and MRP in terms of level of effective inventory in the system. The evaluation was conducted through a simulation using data from an automotive company in Indonesia. The input parameters of scenarios were given for running the simulation. Based on the simulation, for the observed critical parts, DDMRP gave better results than MRP in terms of lead time and inventory level. DDMRP compressed the lead time part from 52 to 3 days (94% reduced) and, overall, the inventory level was in an effective condition. This suggests that DDMRP is more effective for controlling the production-inventory than MRP.

  13. When tiny things have a huge impact: Ionizing radiation as a tool for nanoscale engineering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henriques, Sasha

    2015-01-01

    More than a dozen IAEA Member States are now using ionizing radiation to produce nanoparticles for use in agriculture, medicine, cosmetics and industrial applications, while others are researching ways to create their own products and processes. Ionizing radiation used in a highly controlled environment by trained professionals is a quick and effective tool that can be used to modify and/or combine the materials that will create nanoparticles. It is a clean, low temperature process, and sometimes the preparation and sterilization of a nanoparticle product can be done in a single step. It’s important to note that the nanoparticles that are created are not themselves radioactive. The IAEA promotes the use of radiation processing of natural polymers such as those used to create nanoparticles, partly by helping Member States acquire and develop expertise in the use of ionizing radiation for medical, industrial and commercial purposes. And for the last 30 years, the IAEA has been providing interested countries with training (workshops, expert visits, fellowships) in this area, and has organized collaborative multicountry research projects exploring the limits of radiation technology for polymer and nanoparticle manipulation.

  14. Impact of parasitic thermal effects on thermoelectric property measurements by Harman method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwon, Beomjin; Baek, Seung-Hyub; Keun Kim, Seong; Kim, Jin-Sang

    2014-01-01

    Harman method is a rapid and simple technique to measure thermoelectric properties. However, its validity has been often questioned due to the over-simplified assumptions that this method relies on. Here, we quantitatively investigate the influence of the previously ignored parasitic thermal effects on the Harman method and develop a method to determine an intrinsic ZT. We expand the original Harman relation with three extra terms: heat losses via both the lead wires and radiation, and Joule heating within the sample. Based on the expanded Harman relation, we use differential measurement of the sample geometry to measure the intrinsic ZT. To separately evaluate the parasitic terms, the measured ZTs with systematically varied sample geometries and the lead wire types are fitted to the expanded relation. A huge discrepancy (∼28%) of the measured ZTs depending on the measurement configuration is observed. We are able to separately evaluate those parasitic terms. This work will help to evaluate the intrinsic thermoelectric property with Harman method by eliminating ambiguities coming from extrinsic effects

  15. Cost Effective Technologies and Renewable Substrates for Biosurfactants’ Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ibrahim M Banat

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Diverse types of microbial surface-active amphiphilic molecules are produced by a range of microbial communities. The extraordinary properties of biosurfactant / bioemulsifier (BS/BE as surface active products allows them to have key roles in various field of applications such as bioremediation, biodegradation, enhanced oil recovery, pharmaceutics, food processing among many others. This leads to a vast number of potential applications of these BS/BE in different industrial sectors. Despite the huge number of reports and patents describing BS and BE applications and advantages, commercialization of these compounds remain difficult, costly and to a large extent irregular. This is mainly due to the usage of chemically synthesized media for growing producing microorganism and in turn the production of preferred quality products. It is important to note that although a number of developments have taken place in the field of biosurfactant industries, large scale production remains economically challenging for many types of these products. This is mainly due to the huge monetary difference between the investment and achievable productivity from the commercial point of view. This review discusses low cost, renewable raw substrates and fermentation technology in BS/BE production processes and their role in reducing the production cost.

  16. Research on the Learning Effects of Multimedia Assisted Instruction Using Information Technology Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chen-Yuan

    2012-01-01

    As technology advances, whether from the previous multi-media teaching, online teaching, or now interactive whiteboard, the various changes in both hardware and software resources as well as information are very huge. The information is quickly circulating under the changes in the old and new technology, and the new knowledge has been created.…

  17. A Case of Death Secondary to Phrenic Nerve Palsy after Huge Mediastinal Teratoma 
Resection in Newborn

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuanda CHENG

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Neonatal teratomas, not common in clinical, are often some case reports, female more than male, most are benign. It can occur anywhere of body midline; sacrococcygeal teratoma is the most common and the second most frequent site of extragonadal teratomas is mediastinum. Benign is more commom and malignant is very rarely seen. Completely surgical resection is the main and effective treatment. This review reports a case of neonatal teratoma, which is complicated with a fatal phrenic nerve palsy after surgery.

  18. Implementation of Chaid Algorithm: A Hotel Case

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Celal Hakan Kagnicioglu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Today, companies are planning their own activities depending on efficiency and effectiveness. In order to have plans for the future activities they need historical data coming from outside and inside of the companies. However, this data is in huge amounts to understand easily. Since, this huge amount of data creates complexity in business for many industries like hospitality industry, reliable, accurate and fast access to this data is to be one of the greatest problems. Besides, management of this data is another big problem. In order to analyze this huge amount of data, Data Mining (DM tools, can be used effectively. In this study, after giving brief definition about fundamentals of data mining, Chi Squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID algorithm, one of the mostly used DM tool, will be introduced. By CHAID algorithm, the most used materials in room cleaning process and the relations of these materials based on in a five star hotel data are tried to be determined. At the end of the analysis, it is seen that while some variables have strong relation with the number of rooms cleaned in the hotel, the others have no or weak relation.

  19. Implementation of Chaid Algorithm: A Hotel Case

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Celal Hakan Kağnicioğlu

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Today, companies are planning their own activities depending on efficiency and effectiveness. In order to have plans for the future activities they need historical data coming from outside and inside of the companies. However, this data is in huge amounts to understand easily. Since, this huge amount of data creates complexity in business for many industries like hospitality industry, reliable, accurate and fast access to this data is to be one of the greatest problems. Besides, management of this data is another big problem. In order to analyze this huge amount of data, Data Mining (DM tools, can be used effectively. In this study, after giving brief definition about fundamentals of data mining, Chi Squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID algorithm, one of the mostly used DM tool, will be introduced. By CHAID algorithm, the most used materials in room cleaning process and the relations of these materials based on in a five star hotel data are tried to be determined. At the end of the analysis, it is seen that while some variables have strong relation with the number of rooms cleaned in the hotel, the others have no or weak relation.

  20. ESB application for effective synchronization of large volume measurements data

    CERN Document Server

    Wyszkowski, Przemysław Michał

    2011-01-01

    The TOTEM experiment at CERN aims at measurement of total cross section, elastic scattering and diffractive processes of colliding protons in the Large Hadron Collider. In order for the research to be possible, it is necessary to process huge amounts of data coming from variety of sources: TOTEM detectors, CMS detectors, measurement devices around the Large Hadron Collider tunnel and many other external systems. Preparing final results involves also calculating plenty of intermediate figures, which also need to be stored. In order for the work of the scientist to be effective and convenient it is crucial to provide central point for the data storage, where all raw and intermediate figures will be stored. This thesis aims at presenting the usage of Enterprise Service Bus concept in building software infrastructure for transferring large volume of measurements data. Topics discussed here include technologies and mechanisms realizing the concept of integration bus, model of data transferring system based on ...

  1. Leaders in Education Program: The Singapore Model for Developing Effective Principal-Ship Capability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayapragas, Prashant

    2016-01-01

    In this era of constant change, principals need to be able to handle high levels of complexity in its governance and policy implementation. Planning ahead is not sufficient; being able to interpret and plan the future into strategic responses is a huge focus in educational development today. The Leaders in Education Program (LEP) is a 6-month…

  2. Postgraduate education in nutrition in south Asia: a huge mismatch between investments and needs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khandelwal, Shweta; Paul, Tanusree; Haddad, Lawrence; Bhalla, Surbhi; Gillespie, Stuart; Laxminarayan, Ramanan

    2014-01-07

    Despite decades of nutrition advocacy and programming, the nutrition situation in South Asian countries is alarming. We assume that modern training in nutrition at the post graduate level is an important contributor to building the capacity of individuals to think and act effectively when combating undernutrition. In this context, this paper presents a regional situation analysis of master's level academic initiatives in nutrition with a special focus on the type of programme we think is most likely to be helpful in addressing undernutrition at the population level: Public Health Nutrition (PHN). This situational analysis of Masters in nutrition across South Asian countries viz. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan was conducted using an intensive and systematic Internet search. Further, detailed information was extracted from the individual institute websites and library visits. Of the 131 master's degree programmes we identified one that was in PHN while another 15 had modules in PHN. Most of these universities and institutions were found in India with a few in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In the rest of the countries, neither nutrition nor PHN emerged as an academic discipline at the master's level. In terms of eligibility Indian and Sri Lankan programmes were most inclusive, with the remaining countries restricting eligibility to those with health qualifications. On modules, no country had any on nutrition policy or on nutrition's interactions with agriculture, social protection, water and sanitation or women's empowerment. If a strong focus on public health nutrition is key to reducing undernutrition, then the poor availability of such courses in the region is cause for concern. Nutrition master's courses in general focus too little on the kinds of strategies highlighted in the recent Lancet series on nutrition. Governments seeking to accelerate declines in undernutrition should incentivize the delivery of postgraduate

  3. Phase transitions and magnetocaloric effects in intermetallic compounds MnFeX (X=P, As, Si, Ge)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tegus, O.; Bao Li-Hong; Song Lin

    2013-01-01

    Since the discovery of giant magnetocaloric effect in MnFeP 1−x As x compounds, much valuable work has been performed to develop and improve Fe 2 P-type transition-metal-based magnetic refrigerants. In this article, the recent progress of our studies on fundamental aspects of theoretical considerations and experimental techniques, effects of atomic substitution on the magnetism and magnetocalorics of Fe 2 P-type intermetallic compounds MnFeX (X=P, As, Ge, Si) is reviewed. Substituting Si (or Ge) for As leads to an As-free new magnetic material MnFeP 1−x Si(Ge) x . These new materials show large magnetocaloric effects resembling MnFe(P, As) near room temperature. Some new physical phenomena, such as huge thermal hysteresis and ‘virgin’ effect, were found in new materials. On the basis of Landau theory, a theoretical model was developed for studying the mechanism of phase transition in these materials. Our studies reveal that MnFe(P, Si) compound is a very promising material for room-temperature magnetic refrigeration and thermo-magnetic power generation. (topical review - magnetism, magnetic materials, and interdisciplinary research)

  4. The impact of vaccine side effects on the natural history of immunization programmes: an imitation-game approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    d'Onofrio, Alberto; Manfredi, Piero; Poletti, Piero

    2011-03-21

    When the incidence and prevalence of most common vaccine preventable childhood infectious diseases are constantly low, as is the case in many industrialized countries, the incidence of vaccine-associated side effects might become a key determinant in vaccine demand. We study an SIR transmission model with dynamic vaccine demand based on an imitation mechanism where the perceived risk of vaccination is modelled as a function of the incidence of vaccine side effects. The model shows some important differences compared to previous game dynamic models of vaccination, and allows noteworthy inferences as regards both the past and future lifetime of vaccination programmes. In particular it is suggested that a huge disproportion between the perceived risk of disease and vaccination is necessary in order to achieve high coverages. This disproportion is further increased in highly industrialised countries. Such considerations represent serious challenges for future vaccination programmes. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. What Is the Best Strategy for Enhancing the Effects of Topically Applied Ozonated Oils in Cutaneous Infections?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. Zanardi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Owing to diabetes, atherosclerosis, and ageing, there are several million patients undergoing skin lesions degenerated into infected ulcers with very little tendency to heal and implying a huge socioeconomical cost. Previous medical experience has shown that the daily application of ozonated oil eliminates the infection and promotes a rapid healing. The purpose of the study is the optimization of the antimicrobial effect of ozonated oils by testing in vitro four bacterial species and one yeast without or in the presence of different amounts of human serum. The results obtained suggest that a gentle and continuous removal of debris and exudate is an essential condition for the potent bactericidal effect of ozonated oils. In fact, even small amounts of human serum inactivate ozone derivatives and protect bacteria. The application of ozonated oil preparations is very promising in a variety of skin and mucosal infections. Moreover, ozonated oils are far less expensive than antibiotic preparations.

  6. Wet-Spun Superelastic Graphene Aerogel Millispheres with Group Effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Xiaoli; Yao, Weiquan; Gao, Weiwei; Chen, Hao; Gao, Chao

    2017-09-01

    Graphene aerogel has attracted great attention due to its unique properties, such as ultralow density, superelasticity, and high specific surface area. It shows huge potential in energy devices, high-performance pressure sensors, contaminates adsorbents, and electromagnetic wave absorbing materials. However, there still remain some challenges to further promote the development and real application of graphene aerogel including cost-effective scalable fabrication and miniaturization with group effect. This study shows millimeter-scale superelastic graphene aerogel spheres (GSs) with group effect and multifunctionality. The GSs are continuously fabricated on a large scale by wet spinning of graphene oxide liquid crystals followed by facile drying and thermal annealing. Such GS has an unusual core-shell structure with excellent elasticity and specific strength. Significantly, both horizontally and vertically grouped spheres exhibit superelasticity comparable to individual spheres, enabling it to fully recover at 95% strain, and even after 1000 compressive cycles at 70% strain, paving the way to wide applications such as pressure-elastic and adsorbing materials. The GS shows a press-fly behavior with an extremely high jump velocity up to 1.2 m s -1 . For the first time, both free and oil-adsorbed GSs are remotely manipulated on water by electrostatic charge due to their ultralow density and hydrophobic properties. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. The Effect of Reflow on Wettability of Sn 96.5 Ag 3 Cu 0.5 Solder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zoltán Weltsch

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Surface conditions on Printed Circuit Board (PCB final finishes have an important impact on the wetting behaviour with lead-free solder. The improvement of wettability in liquid Sn 96.5 Ag 3 Cu 0.5 Solder alloy on PCB substrate was measured with a sessile drop method at 523 K temperature. Wetting properties was determined in normal atmospheric air and inert atmosphere. The wetting angles increasing with the number of reflows both atmosphere. The effect of the atmosphere has a huge importance of the oxidation which manifests itself of the measured wetting angles. One of the most important factors to the wetting properties is the amount of oxygen in the soldering atmosphere. Using the inert atmosphere is crucial to Pb-free solders, particularly after reflows.

  8. Effect of Arthrobacter agilis UMCV2 on germination and growth of Pinus devoniana Lindley

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilber Montejo-Mayo

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Soil microorganisms are essential for growth, emergence and development in all plants. In our study we decided to evaluate the effect that A. agilis UMCV2 rhizobacteria had on germination and growth of plants of economic-forest interest as P. devoniana to an age of 65 days. Our results show that the UMCV2 bacteria promoted growth of P. devoniana at this early stage of development, further highlighting that despite the short time of interaction between these two, the bacterium was able to increase the rate of germination, increase the size of shoot and generate a proliferation of lateral roots. The data shows a huge potential for using inoculum both in the greenhouse and in open ground and generate a growth promoting species of interest in both agricultural and forest, thereby reducing production periods depending on the crop.

  9. Ionic Mobility and Phase Transitions in Perovskite Oxides for Energy Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesco Cordero

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Perovskite oxides find applications or are studied in many fields related to energy production, accumulation and saving. The most obvious application is oxygen or proton conductors in fuel cells (SOFCs, but the (antiferroelectric compositions may find application in high energy capacitors for energy storage, efficient electrocaloric cooling, and electromechanical energy harvesting. In SOFCs, the diffusion of O vacancies and other mobile ionic species, such as H+, are at the base of the functioning of the device, while in the other cases they constitute unwanted defects that reduce the performance and life-time of the device. Similarly, the (antiferroelectric phase transitions are a requisite for the use of some types of devices, but the accompanying domain walls can generate extended defects detrimental to the life of the material, and structural phase transformations should be avoided in SOFCs. All these phenomena can be studied by mechanical spectroscopy, the measurement of the complex elastic compliance as a function of temperature and frequency, which is the mechanical analogue of the dielectric susceptibility, but probes the elastic response and elastic dipoles instead of the dielectric response and electric dipoles. The two techniques can be combined to provide a comprehensive picture of the material properties. Examples are shown of the study of structural transitions and hopping and tunnelling processes of O vacancies and H in the ion conductor BaCe1-xYxO3-x and in SrTiO3-x, and of the aging and fatigue effects found in PZT at compositions where the ferro- and antiferroelectric states coexist.

  10. Microwave effective surface impedance of structures including a high-Tc superconducting film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hartemann, P.

    1992-01-01

    The microwave effective surface impedances of different stacks made of high-temperature superconducting films, dielectric materials and bulk normal metals were computed. The calculations were based on the two-fluid model of superconductors and the conventional transmission line theory. These effective impedances are compared to the calculated intrinsic surface impedances of the stacked superconducting films. The considered superconducting material has been the oxide YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 epitaxially grown on crystalline substrates (MgO, LaAlO 3 , SrTiO 3 ), the film thickness ranging from a few nm to 1μm. Discrepancies between the effective surface resistances or reactances and the corresponding intrinsic values were determined at 10 GHz for non resonant or resonant structures. At resonance the surface resistance discrepancy exhibits a sharp peak which reaches 10 4 or more in relative value according to the geometry and the used materials. Obviously the effective surface reactance shows also huge variations about the resonance and may be negative. Moreover geometries allowing to obtain an effective resistance smaller than the film intrinsic value have been found. The effects of the resonance phenomenon on the electromagnetic wave reflectivity and reflection phase shift are investigated. Therefore the reported theoretical results demonstrate that the effective surface impedance of YBCO films with a thickness smaller than 500 nm can be very different from the intrinsic film impedance according to the structures. (Author). 3 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs

  11. The global security perspective on the effects of executive cognitive function on complex behavioral screening intervention and HIV/AIDS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Suk-Hee

    2010-11-01

    The purpose of this quantitative study is to understand the global security perspective on the effects of executive cognitive function (ECF) on Complex Behavioral Screening Intervention and HIV/AIDS. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is as much a social, political, economic, and cultural problem as a biomedical one. HIV/AIDS is associated centrally with the collapse not just of communities and families but potentially of states, with some of the largest public health interventions ever and enormous questions about governance, a huge population of orphans, and deep questions about intergenerational relations and cultural transmission. This study also is to develop a screening instrument that improves quality of life for individuals with executive cognitive impairments and behavior problems in our communities and the global society.

  12. The Effectiveness of Social Media Network Telegram in Teaching English Language Pronunciation to Iranian EFL Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xodabande, Ismail

    2017-01-01

    In recent years, the expansion of digital technologies, multimedia, and social networks, dramatically transformed our lives. Education in general and the area of foreign language teaching and learning have also benefited hugely from those developments and advances. As a result, the face of language learning is changing and new technologies provide…

  13. Enhanced Performance of a Self-Powered Organic/Inorganic Photodetector by Pyro-Phototronic and Piezo-Phototronic Effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Wenbo; Wang, Xingfu; Yu, Ruomeng; Dai, Yejing; Zou, Haiyang; Wang, Aurelia C; He, Yongning; Wang, Zhong Lin

    2017-06-01

    Self-powered photodetectors (PDs) have long been realized by utilizing photovoltaic effect and their performances can be effectively enhanced by introducing the piezo-phototronic effect. Recently, a novel pyro-phototronic effect is invented as an alternative approach for performance enhancement of self-powered PDs. Here, a self-powered organic/inorganic PD is demonstrated and the influences of externally applied strain on the pyro-phototronic and the photovoltaic effects are thoroughly investigated. Under 325 nm 2.30 mW cm -2 UV illumination and at a -0.45% compressive strain, the PD's photocurrent is dramatically enhanced from ≈14.5 to ≈103 nA by combining the pyro-phototronic and piezo-phototronic effects together, showing a significant improvement of over 600%. Theoretical simulations have been carried out via the finite element method to propose the underlying working mechanism. Moreover, the pyro-phototronic effect can be introduced by applying a -0.45% compressive strain to greatly enhance the PD's response to 442 nm illumination, including photocurrent, rise time, and fall time. This work provides in-depth understandings about the pyro-phototronic and the piezo-phototronic effects on the performances of self-powered PD to light sources with different wavelengths and indicates huge potential of these two effects in optoelectronic devices. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. A Simple and Effective Physical Characteristic Profiling Method for Methamphetamine Tablet Seized in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Tao; Hua, Zhendong; Meng, Xin; Liu, Cuimei

    2018-03-01

    Methamphetamine (MA) tablet production confers chemical and physical properties. This study developed a simple and effective physical characteristic profiling method for MA tablets with capital letter "WY" logos, which realized the discrimination between linked and unlinked seizures. Seventeen signature distances extracted from the "WY" logo were explored as factors for multivariate analysis and demonstrated to be effective to represent the features of tablets in the drug intelligence perspective. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate efficiency of different pretreatments and distance/correlation metrics, while "Standardization + Euclidean" and "Logarithm + Euclidean" algorithms outperformed the rest. Finally, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was applied to the data set of 200 MA tablet seizures randomly selected from cases all around China in 2015, and 76% of them were classified into a group named after "WY-001." Moreover, the "WY-001" tablets occupied 51-80% tablet seizures from 2011 to 2015 in China, indicating the existence of a huge clandestine factory incessantly manufacturing MA tablets. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  15. Environmental and economic effects of renewable energy sources use on a local case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cosmi, C.; Salvia, M.; Pietrapertosa, F.

    2003-01-01

    Renewable sources represent an effective alternative to fossil fuels for preventing resources depletion and for reducing air pollution. However, their diffusion requires huge capital investment and major infrastructure changes, which have to be assessed to verify their effectiveness. The article present an application of the R-MARKAL model to investigate the feasibility of renewable use on a local case study for electricity and thermal energy production. A comprehensive modelling approach is used to emphasise the relationships and feedback between conversion and demand sectors (residential, services and commercial), taking into account contemporaneously legal issues and physical limits of the system. The model's solutions represent the minimum cost choice and the results show that even in absence of erogenous environmental constraints, many renewable technologies are profitable demand device and their investment costs are paid off in a medium term by lower operating and maintenance expenditures. In this context the use of thermal energy from incinerator allows one to achieve a consistent reduction of atmospheric pollutant emissions and, particularly, of greenhouse gases emissions due to waste degradation. (author)

  16. Environmental and economic effects of renewable energy sources use on a local case study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cosmi, C.; Salvia, M. [Istituto di Metodologie Avanzate di Analisi Ambientali, Tito Scalo (Italy); Unita di Napoli (Italy). Istituto Nazionale di Fisica della Materia; Macchiato, M. [Universita Federico II, Napoli (Italy). Dpto. di Scienze Fisiche; Mangiamele, L.; Marmo, G. [Universita degli Studi della Basilicata, Potenza (Italy); Pietrapertosa, F. [Istituto di Metodologie Avanzate di Analisi Ambientali, Tito Scalo (Italy); Universita degli Studi della Basilicata, Potenza (Italy)

    2003-04-01

    Renewable sources represent an effective alternative to fossil fuels for preventing resources depletion and for reducing air pollution. However, their diffusion requires huge capital investment and major infrastructure changes, which have to be assessed to verify their effectiveness. The article present an application of the R-MARKAL model to investigate the feasibility of renewable use on a local case study for electricity and thermal energy production. A comprehensive modelling approach is used to emphasise the relationships and feedback between conversion and demand sectors (residential, services and commercial), taking into account contemporaneously legal issues and physical limits of the system. The model's solutions represent the minimum cost choice and the results show that even in absence of erogenous environmental constraints, many renewable technologies are profitable demand device and their investment costs are paid off in a medium term by lower operating and maintenance expenditures. In this context the use of thermal energy from incinerator allows one to achieve a consistent reduction of atmospheric pollutant emissions and, particularly, of greenhouse gases emissions due to waste degradation. (author)

  17. High concentration of H2 and O2 nanobubbles in water electrolytes and their collective optical effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Postnikov, A. V.; Uvarov, I. V.; Lokhanin, M. V.; Svetovoy, V. B.

    2017-09-01

    Water electrolysis with a fast change of the polarity pumps in the liquid a huge amount of hydrogen and oxygen gases. In contrast with the DC electrolysis the gases do not form visible bubbles but change significantly the refractive index of the liquid nearby the electrodes from n = 1.35 to the values smaller than 1.19. The decrease of n is registered as distortion of the images of the electrodes. We argue that all the gas is collected in H2 and O2 nanobubbles with a size smaller than 200 nm. The concentration of nanobubbles with a size of 100 nm is estimated as 1021 m-3. Due to a significant contribution from the Laplace pressure the effective supersaturation reaches 500 for hydrogen and 150 for oxygen.

  18. Effect of HMB supplementation on body composition, fitness, hormonal profile and muscle damage indices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Portal, Shawn; Eliakim, Alon; Nemet, Dan; Halevy, Orna; Zadik, Zvi

    2010-07-01

    There is a huge market for ergogenic supplements for athletes. However, only a few products have been proven to have ergogenic effects and to be effective at improving muscle strength and body composition. One such supplement is beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate (HMB). Derived from the amino acid leucine and its keto acid alpha-ketoisocaproate (KIC), HMB has been well documented as an oral ergogenic supplement commonly used by athletes. Several studies have shown that combining exercise training with HMB supplementation leads to increased muscle mass and strength, and there is some anecdotal evidence of aerobic improvement. However, HMB supplementation has been found to be effective mainly for untrained individuals. While previous reviews have emphasized three main pathways for HMB's mode of action: 1) enhancement of sarcolemmal integrity via cytosolic cholesterol, 2) inhibition of protein degradation via proteasomes, and 3) increased protein synthesis via the mTOR pathway, more recent studies have suggested additional possible mechanisms for its physiological effects. These include decreased cell apoptosis and enhanced cell survival, increased proliferation, differentiation and fusion via the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/Akt pathways, and enhanced IGF-I transcription. These are described here, and hormonal interactions are discussed, along with HMB dosage and safety issues.

  19. SAMJFORUM

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    pathology and consequent treatment principles. ... Asthma is defined by the ational Heart, Lung and Blood ... effectively but at huge cost in terms of unwanted side-effects. ... change in a physiological variable does not necessarily denote ... These include reducing the amount .... the lowest dose with long-term treatment.

  20. Effects of T3 treatment on brown adipose tissue and energy expenditure in a patient with craniopharyngioma and hypothalamic obesity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Santen, Hanneke M.; Schouten-Meeteren, Antoinette Y.; Serlie, Mireille; Meijneke, Ruud W. H.; van Trotsenburg, A. S.; Verberne, Hein; Holleman, Frits; Fliers, Eric

    2015-01-01

    Patients treated for childhood craniopharyngioma often develop hypothalamic obesity (HO), which has a huge impact on the physical condition and quality of life of these patients. Treatment for HO thus far has been disappointing, and although several different strategies have been attempted, all

  1. Large Electro-Optic Kerr-Effect in Ionic Liquid Crystals: Connecting Features of Liquid Crystals and Polyelectrolytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlick, Michael Christian; Kapernaum, Nadia; Neidhardt, Manuel; Wöhrle, Tobias; Stöckl, Yannick; Laschat, Sabine; Gießelmann, Frank

    2018-06-06

    The electro-optic Kerr effect in the isotropic phase of two ionic liquid crystals (ILCs) is investigated and compared to the Kerr effect in non-ionic liquid crystals (LCs) with same phase sequences, namely direct isotropic to hexagonal columnar transitions and direct isotropic to smectic-A transitions. Up to electric field amplitudes of some 106 V m-1, the optical birefringence induced in the isotropic phases follows Kerr's law and strongly increases when the temperature approaches the transition temperature into the particular liquid crystalline phase. Close to the transition, maximum Kerr constants in the order of 10-11 m V-2 are found, which are more than ten times higher than the Kerr constant of nitrobenzene, a strongly dipolar fluid with a huge Kerr effect applied in optical shutters and phase modulators. In comparison to their non-ionic LC counterparts the Kerr effect in ILCs is found to be enhanced in magnitude, but slowed-down in speed, showing rise times in the order of ten milliseconds. These remarkable differences are attributed to the presence of counterion polarization well-known from complex ionic fluids such as polyelectrolytes or ionic micellar solutions. ILCs thus combine the Kerr effect features of liquid crystals and complex ionic fluids. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. A huge cemento-ossifying fibroma of paranasal sinus: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erdim, Ibrahim; Yazici, Zahide Mine; Yilmazer, Rasim; Sever, Nurten; Kayhan, Fatma Tulin

    2012-01-01

    Cemento-ossifying fibroma is a well-bordered, slow-growing, benign fibro-osseous disease. Although its localization is generally in the mandible, it can be seen in any area of the craniofacial region. Radiology and histopathology help to diagnose the condition. Treatment is based on close observation and/or surgical excision. In this case, we report the case of a 62-year-old male patient who had a large radiological appearance, cemento-ossifying fibroma in the paranasal sinuses.

  3. PRS: PERSONNEL RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM FOR HUGE DATA ANALYSIS USING PORTER STEMMER

    OpenAIRE

    T N Chiranjeevi; R H Vishwanath

    2016-01-01

    Personal recommendation system is one which gives better and preferential recommendation to the users to satisfy their personalized requirements such as practical applications like Webpage Preferences, Sport Videos preferences, Stock selection based on price, TV preferences, Hotel preferences, books, Mobile phones, CDs and various other products now use recommender systems. The existing Pearson Correlation Coefficient (PCC) and item-based algorithm using PCC, are called as UPCC and IPCC respe...

  4. Nigeria: the huge oil challenges for the new President Muhammadu Buhari

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Auge, Benjamin

    2015-09-01

    After having outlined that results of oil and gas production by Nigeria are rather low with respect to its reserve levels and when compared to the performance of other countries, this article first proposes a critical analysis of the mandate of the previous Nigerian President, Jonathan Goodluck, between 2010 and 2015. The author describes how Nigeria has progressively lost investor confidence, how major companies disengaged in favour of local companies with better relationships with the government. He outlines the total lack of transparency on oil revenue transfers and on license awarding procedures. In a second part, the author presents and comments the new perspectives and challenges for the new president, Muhammadu Buhari, for whom oil issues are said to be a priority. This means that cleaning up the oil sector and the American support requires legal affairs to be revived. The author also comments the cost of a peace with the oil producing region which voted for the former president

  5. Genome network medicine: innovation to overcome huge challenges in cancer therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roukos, Dimitrios H

    2014-01-01

    The post-ENCODE era shapes now a new biomedical research direction for understanding transcriptional and signaling networks driving gene expression and core cellular processes such as cell fate, survival, and apoptosis. Over the past half century, the Francis Crick 'central dogma' of single n gene/protein-phenotype (trait/disease) has defined biology, human physiology, disease, diagnostics, and drugs discovery. However, the ENCODE project and several other genomic studies using high-throughput sequencing technologies, computational strategies, and imaging techniques to visualize regulatory networks, provide evidence that transcriptional process and gene expression are regulated by highly complex dynamic molecular and signaling networks. This Focus article describes the linear experimentation-based limitations of diagnostics and therapeutics to cure advanced cancer and the need to move on from reductionist to network-based approaches. With evident a wide genomic heterogeneity, the power and challenges of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies to identify a patient's personal mutational landscape for tailoring the best target drugs in the individual patient are discussed. However, the available drugs are not capable of targeting aberrant signaling networks and research on functional transcriptional heterogeneity and functional genome organization is poorly understood. Therefore, the future clinical genome network medicine aiming at overcoming multiple problems in the new fields of regulatory DNA mapping, noncoding RNA, enhancer RNAs, and dynamic complexity of transcriptional circuitry are also discussed expecting in new innovation technology and strong appreciation of clinical data and evidence-based medicine. The problematic and potential solutions in the discovery of next-generation, molecular, and signaling circuitry-based biomarkers and drugs are explored. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Mazeikiu oil refiner slammed by anti-monopoly authorities, faces huge fines

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2005-01-01

    Euroopa Konkurentsiamet leidis uurimise käigus, et Mazeikiu Nafta ja selle haru Mazeikiu Naftos Prekybos Namai võivad oma strateegia ja hindadega olla kuritarvitanud oma juhtpositsiooni Leedu, Läti ja Eesti turul, mõjutanud kütuse hinda ja diskrimineerinud teatud ettevõtteid kasutades erinevaid kitsendusi

  7. Ekseko Orins a Huge Amount of "Pure Gold" / Toivo Tänavsuu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Tänavsuu, Toivo

    2004-01-01

    Seakasvatusfirmast Ekseko AS - kõige konkurentsivõimelisemast ettevõttest põllu- ja metsamajandusettevõtete hulgas. Kavatsusest hakata sõnnikust elektrit tootma. Tabel: Põllu- ja metsamajandusettevõtted. Lisa: Ekseko 2003

  8. Quantum Darwinism in an Everyday Environment: Huge Redundancy in Scattered Photons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riedel, Charles; Zurek, Wojciech

    2011-03-01

    We study quantum Darwinism---the redundant recording of information about the preferred states of a decohering system by its environment---for an object illuminated by a blackbody. In the cases of point-source, small disk, and isotropic illumination, we calculate the quantum mutual information between the object and its photon environment. We demonstrate that this realistic model exhibits fast and extensive proliferation of information about the object into the environment and results in redundancies orders of magnitude larger than the exactly soluble models considered to date. We also demonstrate a reduced ability to create records as initial environmental mixedness increases, in agreement with previous studies. This research is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through the LANL/LDRD program and, in part, by the Foundational Questions Institute (FQXi).

  9. Anesthetic concerns in a huge congenital sublingual swelling obscuring airway access

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nilesh Kumar

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Presence of intraoral pathology poses a great challenge during management of pediatric airway. We report management of big intraoral cystic swelling physically occupying the entire oral cavity restricting access to airway. Preintubation aspiration of swelling was done to decrease its size and make room for airway manipulation, followed by laryngoscopy and intubation in lateral position. Airway patency is at risk in postoperative period also, in this case, though the swelling decreased in size postoperatively but presence of significant edema required placement of tongue stitch and modified nasopharyngeal airway. Case report highlights simple maneuvers to manage a difficult case.

  10. Private Data -- The Real Story: A Huge Problem with Education Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. James Milgram

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available A very influential paper on improving math outcomes was published in 2008. The authors refused to divulge their data claiming that agreements with the schools and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act rules (FERPA prevented it.● It turns out that this is not true.● The claimed legal foundations do not say what these authors said they do, this this is a widespread misconception among education researchers.When we found the identities of the schools by other means, serious problems with the conclusions of the article were quickly revealed.● The 2008 paper was far from unique in this respect.● There are many papers that have had enormous influences on K-12 mathematics curricula, and could not be independently verified because the authors refused to reveal their data.In this article we describe how we were able to find the real data for the 2008 paper, and point out the legal constraints that should make it very difficult for authors of such papers to withhold their data in the future.

  11. THE EFFECTS OF JAPANISM ON THE IMPRESSIONIST ART MOVEMENT

    OpenAIRE

    Hikmet SAHIN

    2015-01-01

    The Japanese art and culture, which had been isolated from the West for long periods, opened their doors to the whole world in the 1850s and Japanese culture and art became a “fashion” especially in Europe after they spread through trade across the globe. Exotic Japanese commodities obtained through Western merchants aroused a huge interest among some artists of the time and served as a source of inspiration for modernist movements. In the 19th century, especially lithographic pictures called...

  12. Investigating effects of near fault rupture directivity on seismic hazard assessment of the site of Tehran Research Reactor (TRR)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sepanloo, Kamran; Saberi, Reza [Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Alinejad, Majid [Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Bazarchi, Ehsan [Tabriz Univ. (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2017-10-15

    It is estimated that the occurrence of a major-earthquake in Tehran, Iran, which is not far-fetched, would face the country with a huge amount of collapsed structures, economical losses and fatalities. The issue becomes more important while the site of interest is attributed to the nuclear facilities and any under-estimation in predicting the design ground motion may cause a real disaster. In this study, using calculations coded in MATLAB, PSHA was conducted for the site of TRR. It was concluded that most of the hazard for considered site in a 10000-year period comes from distances lower than 20 km and considering rupture directivity effects of the North Tehran fault, as the nearest seismicity source to considered site, using narrowband method affected the response spectrum significantly. Therefore, it is necessary to incorporate the near fault rupture directivity effects into the higher levels of seismic hazard assessment attributed to important sites.

  13. Investigating effects of near fault rupture directivity on seismic hazard assessment of the site of Tehran Research Reactor (TRR)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sepanloo, Kamran; Saberi, Reza; Alinejad, Majid; Bazarchi, Ehsan

    2017-01-01

    It is estimated that the occurrence of a major-earthquake in Tehran, Iran, which is not far-fetched, would face the country with a huge amount of collapsed structures, economical losses and fatalities. The issue becomes more important while the site of interest is attributed to the nuclear facilities and any under-estimation in predicting the design ground motion may cause a real disaster. In this study, using calculations coded in MATLAB, PSHA was conducted for the site of TRR. It was concluded that most of the hazard for considered site in a 10000-year period comes from distances lower than 20 km and considering rupture directivity effects of the North Tehran fault, as the nearest seismicity source to considered site, using narrowband method affected the response spectrum significantly. Therefore, it is necessary to incorporate the near fault rupture directivity effects into the higher levels of seismic hazard assessment attributed to important sites.

  14. Time-domain full waveform inversion using the gradient preconditioning based on transmitted waves energy

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Xiao-bo; Tan, Jun; Song, Peng; Li, Jin-shan; Xia, Dong-ming; Liu, Zhao-lun

    2017-01-01

    The gradient preconditioning approach based on seismic wave energy can effectively avoid the huge storage consumption in the gradient preconditioning algorithms based on Hessian matrices in time-domain full waveform inversion (FWI), but the accuracy

  15. Effect of 60Co γ-rays on growth of Agaricus blazei murill hypha and its cell shape structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weng Boqi; Jiang Zhihe; Lin Yong; Huang Tingjun; Xiao Shuxia

    2003-01-01

    The effect of 60 Co γ-rays at different dosage on growth, tangle and structure of cell shape of Agarius blazei Murill (Abm) hypha were studied. The experiment results showed that the cell wall of treatment Abm hypha was thicker than that of the control, huge separation between cytoplasm and cell wall of Abm hypha appeared when Abm hypha was irradiated at the low dosage (0.2-0.5 kGy). The cell wall became thin and small separation between cytoplasm and cell wall appeared with the increase of the irradiation dosage. The growth of Abm hypha became slow and scare by irradiation with higher dosage. The growth and tangle of hypha could be improved and the yield of fruit body increased by 34.8% when irradiated with low dosage

  16. Access to Network Login by Three-Factor Authentication for Effective Information Security

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Vaithyasubramanian

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Today’s technology development in the field of computer along with internet of things made huge difference in the transformation of our lives. Basic computer framework and web client need to make significant login signify getting to mail, long range interpersonal communication, internet keeping money, booking tickets, perusing online daily papers, and so forth. The login user name and secret key mapping validate if the logging user is the intended client. Secret key is assumed an indispensable part in security. The objective of MFA is to make a layered safeguard and make it more troublesome for an unauthenticated entity to get to an objective, for example, a physical area, processing gadget, system, or database. In the event that one element is bargained or broken, the assailant still has two more boundaries to rupture before effectively breaking into the objective. An endeavor has been made by utilizing three variable types of authentication. In this way managing additional secret key includes an additional layer of security.

  17. Access to Network Login by Three-Factor Authentication for Effective Information Security.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaithyasubramanian, S; Christy, A; Saravanan, D

    2016-01-01

    Today's technology development in the field of computer along with internet of things made huge difference in the transformation of our lives. Basic computer framework and web client need to make significant login signify getting to mail, long range interpersonal communication, internet keeping money, booking tickets, perusing online daily papers, and so forth. The login user name and secret key mapping validate if the logging user is the intended client. Secret key is assumed an indispensable part in security. The objective of MFA is to make a layered safeguard and make it more troublesome for an unauthenticated entity to get to an objective, for example, a physical area, processing gadget, system, or database. In the event that one element is bargained or broken, the assailant still has two more boundaries to rupture before effectively breaking into the objective. An endeavor has been made by utilizing three variable types of authentication. In this way managing additional secret key includes an additional layer of security.

  18. Trauma-induced "Macklin effect" with pneumothorax and large pneumomediastinum, disguised by allergy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Saverio, Salomone; Kawamukai, Kenji; Biscardi, Andrea; Villani, Silvia; Zucchini, Luca; Tugnoli, Gregorio

    2013-09-01

    A 56-year-old man presented spontaneously to the Emergency Department complaining of facial and neck oedema after assumption of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). The triage nurse assigned the patient to Accident & Emergency (A&E) doctor as probable allergic reaction to NSAIDS. Chest X-ray (CXR), ordered after 24 hours, revealed a huge subcutaneous chest and neck emphysema without clearly visible pneumothorax. Subsequent chest CT scan showed a small left pneumothorax and a large amount of air in the mediastinum. The patient was conservatively treated since he was eupnoeic and hemodynamically stable. The pathophysiology of pneumomediastinum was first described by Macklin in 1939. The Macklin effect involves alveolar ruptures with air dissection along bronchovascular sheaths to the mediastinum. In this case the patient did not report in his history a recent blunt thoracic trauma and the initial suspicion of an allergic reaction has prevented physicians to immediately achieve the correct diagnosis.

  19. Contact behavior modelling and its size effect on proton exchange membrane fuel cell

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Diankai; Peng, Linfa; Yi, Peiyun; Lai, Xinmin; Janßen, Holger; Lehnert, Werner

    2017-10-01

    Contact behavior between the gas diffusion layer (GDL) and bipolar plate (BPP) is of significant importance for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Most current studies on contact behavior utilize experiments and finite element modelling and focus on fuel cells with graphite BPPs, which lead to high costs and huge computational requirements. The objective of this work is to build a more effective analytical method for contact behavior in fuel cells and investigate the size effect resulting from configuration alteration of channel and rib (channel/rib). Firstly, a mathematical description of channel/rib geometry is outlined in accordance with the fabrication of metallic BPP. Based on the interface deformation characteristic and Winkler surface model, contact pressure between BPP and GDL is then calculated to predict contact resistance and GDL porosity as evaluative parameters of contact behavior. Then, experiments on BPP fabrication and contact resistance measurement are conducted to validate the model. The measured results demonstrate an obvious dependence on channel/rib size. Feasibility of the model used in graphite fuel cells is also discussed. Finally, size factor is proposed for evaluating the rule of size effect. Significant increase occurs in contact resistance and porosity for higher size factor, in which channel/rib width decrease.

  20. Perform wordcount Map-Reduce Job in Single Node Apache Hadoop cluster and compress data using Lempel-Ziv-Oberhumer (LZO) algorithm

    OpenAIRE

    Mirajkar, Nandan; Bhujbal, Sandeep; Deshmukh, Aaradhana

    2013-01-01

    Applications like Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter have huge data which has to be stored and retrieved as per client access. This huge data storage requires huge database leading to increase in physical storage and becomes complex for analysis required in business growth. This storage capacity can be reduced and distributed processing of huge data can be done using Apache Hadoop which uses Map-reduce algorithm and combines the repeating data so that entire data is stored in reduced format. The paper ...

  1. Effect of Pore Size on the Carbon Dioxide Adsorption Behavior of Porous Liquids Based on Hollow Silica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Ting; Zheng, Yaping; Wang, Tianyu; Li, Peipei; Wang, Yudeng; Yao, Dongdong

    2018-01-05

    Porous liquids are an expanding class of material that has huge potential in gas separation and gas adsorption. Pore size has a dramatic influence on the gas adsorption of porous liquids. In this article, we chose hollow silica nanoparticles as cores, 3-(trihydroxysilyl)-1-propanesulfonic acid (SIT) as corona, and inexpensive industrial reagent polyether amine (M2070) as canopy to obtain a new type of porous liquids. Hollow silica nanospheres with different pore sizes were chosen to investigate the influence of porosity size on CO 2 adsorption capacity of porous liquids. Their chemical structure, morphology, thermal behavior and possible adsorption mechanism are discussed in detail. It was proved that with similar grafting density, porous liquid that has bigger pore size possesses a better CO 2 adsorption capacity (2.182 mmol g -1 under 2.5 MPa at 298 K). More than that, this article demonstrates a more facile and low-cost method to obtain porous liquids with good CO 2 adsorption capacity, recyclability, and huge variability. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. THEORETICAL EVALUATION OF NONLINEAR EFFECTS ON OPTICAL WDM NETWORKS WITH VARIOUS FIBER TYPES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YASIN M. KARFAA

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available A theoretical study is carried out to evaluate the performance of an opticalwavelength division multiplexing (WDM network transmission system in the presenceof crosstalk due to optical fiber nonlinearities. The most significant nonlinear effects inthe optical fiber which are Cross-Phase Modulation (XPM, Four-Wave Mixing (FWM,and Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS are investigated. Four types of optical fiber areincluded in the analysis; these are: single-mode fiber (SMF, dispersion compensationfiber (DCF, non-zero dispersion fiber (NZDF, and non-zero dispersion shifted fiber(NZDSF. The results represent the standard deviation of nonlinearity induced crosstalknoise power due to FWM and SRS, XPM power penalty for SMF, DCF, NZDF, andNZDSF types of fiber, besides the Bit Error Rate (BER for the three nonlinear effectsusing standard fiber type (SMF. It is concluded that three significant fiber nonlinearitiesare making huge limitations against increasing the launched power which is desired,otherwise, lower values of launched power limit network expansion including length,distance, covered areas, and number of users accessing the WDM network, unlesssuitable precautions are taken to neutralize the nonlinear effects. Besides, various fibertypes are not behaving similarly towards network parameters.

  3. The effects of pre-processing strategies in sentiment analysis of online movie reviews

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zin, Harnani Mat; Mustapha, Norwati; Murad, Masrah Azrifah Azmi; Sharef, Nurfadhlina Mohd

    2017-10-01

    With the ever increasing of internet applications and social networking sites, people nowadays can easily express their feelings towards any products and services. These online reviews act as an important source for further analysis and improved decision making. These reviews are mostly unstructured by nature and thus, need processing like sentiment analysis and classification to provide a meaningful information for future uses. In text analysis tasks, the appropriate selection of words/features will have a huge impact on the effectiveness of the classifier. Thus, this paper explores the effect of the pre-processing strategies in the sentiment analysis of online movie reviews. In this paper, supervised machine learning method was used to classify the reviews. The support vector machine (SVM) with linear and non-linear kernel has been considered as classifier for the classification of the reviews. The performance of the classifier is critically examined based on the results of precision, recall, f-measure, and accuracy. Two different features representations were used which are term frequency and term frequency-inverse document frequency. Results show that the pre-processing strategies give a significant impact on the classification process.

  4. Determining bank effects on economic growth: An artificial neural network analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Alex Senajon

    2016-01-01

    This study characterized the influence of the banking industry’s influence on the growth of the economy. A neural network using the Multilayer Perception was used to define functions of Universal Bank, Cooperative Bank, and Thrift Bank as predictors of Gross Domestic Product growth. Using data series from 2003- 2013, it was found that Universal banks have been growing tremendously taking huge shares of growth compared to the other two bank types. Meantime, the Gross Domestic Product was fo...

  5. Fairness, Credibility and Effectiveness in the Copenhagen Accord: An Economic Assessment

    OpenAIRE

    Alice Favero; Enrica De Cian

    2010-01-01

    State-of-the-art literature on climate change policies has proposed numerous approaches for the Post-Kyoto agreement. However, in analysing the outcome of negotiations, the feeling is that a huge gap exists between policy makers and scientists. This paper tries to bridge this gap by providing a critical and comparative analysis of the Copenhagen Accord provisions, linking them to a part of the climate-economy literature. It assesses Copenhagen outcome in terms of economic efficiency, environm...

  6. Mesenchymal stem cells and their conditioned medium can enhance the repair of uterine defects in a rat model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chi-Hong Ho

    2018-03-01

    Conclusion: This study demonstrated that transplantation of MSCs could enhance uterine defect repair by paracrine effects involving IL-6, which are findings that may be applied to facilitate uterine wound healing in the removal of huge intramural masses.

  7. The effect of performance-based pay systems on job satisfaction and stress

    OpenAIRE

    Hornbach, Jessica Janina

    2013-01-01

    Previous investigations regarding the health- and wellbeing-related outcomes of performance-based pay systems have been scarce and ambiguous so far. Considering the huge economic and organizational impact of stress-related health problems, it is important to further investigate this relation, including the impact of different variables that can help to explain the variation in the relationship between performance-based pay and job strain. The main purpose of this study is to challenge the res...

  8. Effects of Perceived Risks, Reputation and Electronic Word of Mouth (E-WOM) on Collaborative Consumption of Uber Car Sharing Service

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wati Hawapi, Mega; Sulaiman, Zuraidah; Kohar, Umar Haiyat Abdul; Abu Talib, Noraini

    2017-06-01

    Current transition from traditional economic model of selling and buying to sharing economic business creates a huge impact on consumers’ preferences to participate in collaborative consumption. The market entrance of sharing economic business is relatively new, thus it builds scepticism among consumers. Consumers’ trust becomes the most crucial aspect in determining their willingness to participate in collaborative consumption. This study will reveal the effects of perceived risks (performance and social), reputation and Electronic Word-of Mouth (E-WOM) on Malaysian consumers’ intention of collaborative consumption, especially for Uber car sharing service. This study inspires to enrich the literature for collaborative consumption and perceived risk theory. From the practical perspective, this study may provide insights in assisting the collaborative consumption service providers especially Uber car users on factors influencing the intention to engage in such service.

  9. The experiences of AIDS orphans living in a township

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2012-02-21

    Feb 21, 2012 ... of juvenile delinquency, reduced literacy and, consequently, a huge economic ... of the township communities where this research was conducted, is .... the effect of the absence of their parent or loved one in the home, the ...

  10. The development of WEEE management and effects of the fund policy for subsidizing WEEE treating in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Luling; He, Wenzhi; Li, Guangming; Huang, Juwen; Zhu, Haochen

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The paper systematically introduces recycling system of WEEE management in China. • The paper introduces the new policy about WEEE management in China. • This paper analyzes the results of its implementation. • This paper evaluates the effectiveness to WEEE management in China. - Abstract: The consumption of electrical and electronic equipment is surging, so is the generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Due to the large quantity, high potential risk and valuable capacity of WEEE, many countries are taking measures to regulate the management of WEEE. The environmental pollution and human health-harming problems caused by irregular treatment of WEEE in China make the government pay more and more attention to its management. This paper reviews the development of WEEE management in China, introduces the new policy which is established for WEEE recycling and especially analyzes the effectiveness of the policy, including huge recovery, formation of new recycling system, strict supervision to related enterprises, and the stimulation to public awareness. Based on the current achievement, some recommendations are given to optimize the WEEE management in China

  11. The development of WEEE management and effects of the fund policy for subsidizing WEEE treating in China

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Luling; He, Wenzhi, E-mail: hithwz@163.com; Li, Guangming; Huang, Juwen; Zhu, Haochen

    2014-09-15

    Highlights: • The paper systematically introduces recycling system of WEEE management in China. • The paper introduces the new policy about WEEE management in China. • This paper analyzes the results of its implementation. • This paper evaluates the effectiveness to WEEE management in China. - Abstract: The consumption of electrical and electronic equipment is surging, so is the generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Due to the large quantity, high potential risk and valuable capacity of WEEE, many countries are taking measures to regulate the management of WEEE. The environmental pollution and human health-harming problems caused by irregular treatment of WEEE in China make the government pay more and more attention to its management. This paper reviews the development of WEEE management in China, introduces the new policy which is established for WEEE recycling and especially analyzes the effectiveness of the policy, including huge recovery, formation of new recycling system, strict supervision to related enterprises, and the stimulation to public awareness. Based on the current achievement, some recommendations are given to optimize the WEEE management in China.

  12. FY 1998 survey report. Survey on reduction in environmental effect of greenhouse effect gas by the transfer of environmental technology in the Asian region; 1998 nendo chosa hokokusho. Asia chiiki ni okeru kankyo gijutsu iten ni yoru onshitsu koka gas no kankyo eikyo keigen ni kansuru chosa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1999-03-01

    Effects of the transfer of environmental technology were studied as an important policy for control of greenhouse effect gas in the Asian region. As schemes, those that were drew up by NEDO, JICA, etc. now exist and are used also in Japan. However, for the control of greenhouse effect gas emission which is expected to rapidly increase in future, it is indispensable to construct a new powerful and effective scheme in which technology transfer and fund to be given are organically connected. Especially, in the U.S., etc., the assistance of developing countries of a huge amount of money such as Japan's ODA is not extended. However, they position the environmental technology as an important strategy and is developing the assistance of developing countries by technology transfer and eco-business of private companies. Also in the eco-business field, the environment-related technology of Japanese companies is used in Asian developing countries, with expectations of its being a new business with international competitive strength. This is the subject for the whole global environment, and an important subject also for Japan which requires the creation of a new business field with international competitive strength. (NEDO)

  13. Effect of Tube Diameter on The Design of Heat Exchanger in Solar Drying system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Husham Abdulmalek, Shaymaa; Khalaji Assadi, Morteza; Al-Kayiem, Hussain H.; Gitan, Ali Ahmed

    2018-03-01

    The drying of agriculture product consumes a huge fossil fuel rates that demand to find an alternative source of sustainable environmental friendly energy such as solar energy. This work presents the difference between using solar heat source and electrical heater in terms of design aspect. A circular-finned tube bank heat exchanger is considered against an electrical heater used as a heat generator to regenerate silica gel in solar assisted desiccant drying system. The impact of tube diameter on the heat transfer area was investigated for both the heat exchanger and the electrical heater. The fin performance was investigated by determining fin effectiveness and fin efficiency. A mathematical model was developed using MATLAB to describe the forced convection heat transfer between hot water supplied by evacuated solar collector with 70 °C and ambient air flow over heat exchanger finned tubes. The results revealed that the increasing of tube diameter augments the heat transfer area of both heat exchanger and electrical heater. The highest of fin efficiency was around 0.745 and the lowest was around 0.687 while the fin effectiveness was found to be around 0.998.

  14. Dynamic Evaluation of Water Quality Improvement Based on Effective Utilization of Stockbreeding Biomass Resource

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jingjing Yan

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The stockbreeding industry is growing rapidly in rural regions of China, carrying a high risk to the water environment due to the emission of huge amounts of pollutants in terms of COD, T-N and T-P to rivers. On the other hand, as a typical biomass resource, stockbreeding waste can be used as a clean energy source by biomass utilization technologies. In this paper, we constructed a dynamic linear optimization model to simulate the synthetic water environment management policies which includes both the water environment system and social-economic situational changes over 10 years. Based on the simulation, the model can precisely estimate trends of water quality, production of stockbreeding biomass energy and economic development under certain restrictions of the water environment. We examined seven towns of Shunyi district of Beijing as the target area to analyse synthetic water environment management policies by computer simulation based on the effective utilization of stockbreeding biomass resources to improve water quality and realize sustainable development. The purpose of our research is to establish an effective utilization method of biomass resources incorporating water environment preservation, resource reutilization and economic development, and finally realize the sustainable development of the society.

  15. 03 Gerhmann 03.pmd

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Owner

    2009-03-02

    Mar 2, 2009 ... Dongala's novel Le feu des origines(The fire of origins, 1987). ..... being confronted with an extraordinary creature: a huge monster that is half-reptile, .... guity here and clearly echoes the effects of colonial violence: “the sun ...

  16. Access to Network Login by Three-Factor Authentication for Effective Information Security

    OpenAIRE

    Vaithyasubramanian, S.; Christy, A.; Saravanan, D.

    2016-01-01

    Today's technology development in the field of computer along with internet of things made huge difference in the transformation of our lives. Basic computer framework and web client need to make significant login signify getting to mail, long range interpersonal communication, internet keeping money, booking tickets, perusing online daily papers, and so forth. The login user name and secret key mapping validate if the logging user is the intended client. Secret key is assumed an indispensabl...

  17. The effect of a tribo-modified surface layer on friction in elastomer contacts

    OpenAIRE

    Mokhtari, Milad

    2015-01-01

    Friction between rubber and a counter surface has interested many researchers because of its huge practical importance. Rubber components are applied in various industrial applications such as tires, rubber seals, wiper blades, conveyor belts and syringes. The friction between a rubber surface in contact with a rigid surface is still not fully understood. The complexity lies partially in the viscoelastic nature of elastomers next to various parameters such as roughness, contact pressure and s...

  18. Virtual Reality As an Effective Simulation Tool for OSH Education on Robotized Workplace

    OpenAIRE

    Janak Miroslav; Cmorej Tomas; Vysocky Tomas; Kocisko Marek; Teliskova Monika

    2016-01-01

    In last decade, the virtual reality became a huge trend in the field of visualization not only for simple elements, but also for complex devices, their actions and processes, rooms and entire areas. This contribution focuses on the possibilities of utilization of the elements of virtual reality for educational purposes regarding the potential employees and their OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) training at the specialized workplaces. It points to the possibility of using the applications ...

  19. Foliar nitrogen application in Cabernet Sauvignon vines: Effects on wine flavonoid and amino acid content.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutiérrez-Gamboa, Gastón; Garde-Cerdán, Teresa; Portu, Javier; Moreno-Simunovic, Yerko; Martínez-Gil, Ana M

    2017-06-01

    Wine quality greatly depends on its chemical composition. Among the most important wine chemical compounds, flavonoids are the major contributors to wine organoleptic properties while amino acids have a huge impact on fermentation development and wine volatile profile. Likewise, nitrogen applications are known to have an impact on wine composition. Therefore, the aim of this work was to study the effects of foliar nitrogen applications on wine flavonoid and amino acid composition. The experiment involved five foliar nitrogen applications at veraison time: urea (Ur), urea plus sulphur (Ur+S), arginine (Arg), and two commercial fertilizers Nutrimyr Thiols (NT) and Basfoliar Algae (BA). The results showed that nitrogen foliar treatments decreased wine flavonoid content although the effect varied according to each treatment. This could be related to a low vine nitrogen requirement, since must yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) was above acceptable threshold values for all samples. With regard to wine amino acid content, all treatments except for Ur increased its values after the applications. Finally, foliar nitrogen treatments greatly influenced wine composition. Among them, urea seemed to exert the most negative effect on both phenolics and amino acids. In addition, an inverse relationship between wine amino acid content and flavonol concentration was exhibited. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  20. Antidiabetic Effects of Tea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Qiu-Yue; Li, Qing-Sheng; Lin, Xiao-Ming; Qiao, Ru-Ying; Yang, Rui; Li, Xu-Min; Dong, Zhan-Bo; Xiang, Li-Ping; Zheng, Xin-Qiang; Lu, Jian-Liang; Yuan, Cong-Bo; Ye, Jian-Hui; Liang, Yue-Rong

    2017-05-20

    Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic endocrine disease resulted from insulin secretory defect or insulin resistance and it is a leading cause of death around the world. The care of DM patients consumes a huge budget due to the high frequency of consultations and long hospitalizations, making DM a serious threat to both human health and global economies. Tea contains abundant polyphenols and caffeine which showed antidiabetic activity, so the development of antidiabetic medications from tea and its extracts is increasingly receiving attention. However, the results claiming an association between tea consumption and reduced DM risk are inconsistent. The advances in the epidemiologic evidence and the underlying antidiabetic mechanisms of tea are reviewed in this paper. The inconsistent results and the possible causes behind them are also discussed.

  1. Scaling of graphene field-effect transistors supported on hexagonal boron nitride: radio-frequency stability as a limiting factor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feijoo, Pedro C.; Pasadas, Francisco; Iglesias, José M.; Martín, María J.; Rengel, Raúl; Li, Changfeng; Kim, Wonjae; Riikonen, Juha; Lipsanen, Harri; Jiménez, David

    2017-12-01

    The quality of graphene in nanodevices has increased hugely thanks to the use of hexagonal boron nitride as a supporting layer. This paper studies to which extent hBN together with channel length scaling can be exploited in graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) to get a competitive radio-frequency (RF) performance. Carrier mobility and saturation velocity were obtained from an ensemble Monte Carlo simulator that accounted for the relevant scattering mechanisms (intrinsic phonons, scattering with impurities and defects, etc). This information is fed into a self-consistent simulator, which solves the drift-diffusion equation coupled with the two-dimensional Poisson’s equation to take full account of short channel effects. Simulated GFET characteristics were benchmarked against experimental data from our fabricated devices. Our simulations show that scalability is supposed to bring to RF performance an improvement that is, however, highly limited by instability. Despite the possibility of a lower performance, a careful choice of the bias point can avoid instability. Nevertheless, maximum oscillation frequencies are still achievable in the THz region for channel lengths of a few hundreds of nanometers.

  2. Effect of Endocrine Disruptor Pesticides: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benoit Roig

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC are compounds that alter the normal functioning of the endocrine system of both wildlife and humans. A huge number of chemicals have been identified as endocrine disruptors, among them several pesticides. Pesticides are used to kill unwanted organisms in crops, public areas, homes and gardens, and parasites in medicine. Human are exposed to pesticides due to their occupations or through dietary and environmental exposure (water, soil, air. For several years, there have been enquiries about the impact of environmental factors on the occurrence of human pathologies. This paper reviews the current knowledge of the potential impacts of endocrine disruptor pesticides on human health.

  3. Differential effects of malignant mesothelioma cells on THP-1 monocytes and macrophages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izzi, Valerio; Chiurchiù, Valerio; D'Aquilio, Fabiola; Palumbo, Camilla; Tresoldi, Ilaria; Modesti, Andrea; Baldini, Patrizia M

    2009-02-01

    Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a highly fatal tumor arising from inner body membranes, whose extensive growth is facilitated by its week immunogenicity and by its ability to blunt the immune response which should arise from the huge mass of leukocytes typically infiltrating this tumor. It has been reported that the inflammatory infiltrate found in MM tissues is characterized by a high prevalence of macrophages. Thus, in this work we evaluated the ability of human MM cells to modulate the inflammatory phenotype of human THP-1 monocytes and macrophages, a widely used in vitro model of monocyte/macrophage differentiation. Furthermore, we tested the hypothesis that the exposure to MM cells could alter the differentiation of THP-1 monocytes favoring the development of alternatively activated, tumor-supporting macrophages. Our data prove for the first time that MM cells can polarize monocytes towards an altered inflammatory phenotype and macrophages towards an immunosuppressive phenotype. Moreover, we demonstrate that monocytes cocultivated with MM cells 'keep a memory' of their encounter with the tumor which influences their differentiation to macrophages. On the whole, we provide evidence that MM cells exert distinct, cell-specific effects on monocytes and macrophages. The thorough characterization of such effects may be of a crucial importance for the rational design of new immunotherapeutic protocols.

  4. EFFECTIVENESS OF CAPITAL MARKET DERIVATIVES IN HOUSING DELIVERY OF NIGERIA EMERGING MARKET

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernard Adjekophori

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The capital market is unarguably the most robust institution in any economy notable for mobilizing the necessary fund for financing long-term productive project. It controls relatively large amounts of capital and represent the largest institutional providing long-term credits for capital project like real estate that requires huge capital outlay. This study therefore, attempts an investigation into the effectiveness of capital market derivatives in housing delivery in Lagos. An empirical survey research was conducted in Lagos, using a random sampling technique with a structured questionnaire to collect data from 147 respondents comprising 89 stockbrokers and 58 real estate developers in Lagos mega-city. Data collected were analyzed with SPSS using descriptive and inferential statistics. The result revealed that 56.7% of the observed variations in housing delivery (R2= 0.567; p< 0.05 is explained by capital market derivatives, which suggests that, proper utilization of capital market derivatives will enhance and improve housing delivery in Nigeria. However, this is not been adequately used by developers of real estate projects in the study. Thus, the study recommends amongst other remedial steps that a synergetic effort should be created between the capital market and real estate developers which will enhance effective housing delivery, the development of people and the Nation.

  5. Carbon-based superconductors towards high-Tc superconductivity

    CERN Document Server

    Haruyama, Junji

    2014-01-01

    Introduction of Condensed Matter Physics; Spin-state Crossover; Li Ion Battery; Huge Thermoelectric Power; Room-temperature Ferromagnetism; Partially Disordered Antiferromagnetic Transition; Superconductivity; Transport Properties Combined with Charge, Spin, and Orbital; Magnetoresistance and Spin Blocade; Intrinsic Inhomogeneity; Move/diffuse and Charge/discharge Effect.

  6. NREL Helps Agencies Target New Federal Sustainability Goals - Continuum

    Science.gov (United States)

    the country. After determining which renewable energy project opportunities are cost-effective in each outright or look into alternative financing agreements?'" he explains. There are many considerations , incentives, and financing mechanisms, to name a few. With a huge number of prospective projects, the

  7. The effect of system modeling on the Fukushima accident evolution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herranz, L.E.; Fontanet, J.; López, C.; Fernández, E.

    2015-07-01

    The Fukushima accident is becoming both a unique opportunity and a huge challenge for severe accident analysis. The OECD-BSAF project has articulated a good part of the modeling efforts conducted so far. Inside this project, CIEMAT has conducted forensic analyses of the Fukushima accident in units 1 through 3 with MELCOR 2.1 and it has postulated a set of accident scenarios consistent with data. Beyond specific results, sensitivity analyses on safety systems performance and prevailing boundary conditions have highlighted the need of conducting uncertainty analyses when modeling NPPs severe accident scenarios. (Author)

  8. The analysis of the effective of preserving sacral nerve root during surgical treatment of chordoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ji Yiming; Chen Kangwu; Yang Huilin; Zhu Lifan

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To analyze the effective of preserving sacral nerve root during surgical treatment of sacral chordoma. Methods: This retrospective study included 30 cases of sacral chordomas. All the cases were operated with posterior approach. The blood loss and blood transfusion during operation, the drainged blood after operation were reviewed. The sphincter muscle function of bladder and bowl were observed. Results: Tremendous reduction of blood loss during surgery was found in all cases, the blood loss was 1280 ml in average, the blood transfusion was 1080 ml in average, the drainged blood after ope-ration was 650 ml. Nine patients whose sacral nerve roots had been reserved bilaterally at and above S 3 level, the sphincter muscle function of bladder and bowl was good, whereas the function of sphincter muscle impaired in the other 21 patients and in one case colostomy and ureterocutaneostomy were used. Conclusion: Preoperative arterial embolization is effective method and can lead to excellent results. Even if the tumor is relatively huge and the upper resection margin is as high as at S 1 or S 2 level, the tumor can be removed successfully by posterior approach. Sacral nerve should be preserved as possible. (authors)

  9. Mesomeric Effects of Graphene Modified with Diazonium Salts: Substituent Type and Position Influence its Properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouša, Daniel; Jankovský, Ondřej; Sedmidubský, David; Luxa, Jan; Šturala, Jiří; Pumera, Martin; Sofer, Zdeněk

    2015-12-01

    In the last decade, graphene and graphene derivatives have become some of the most intensively studied materials. Tuning of the electronic and electrochemical properties of graphene is of paramount importance. In this study, six diazonium-modified graphenes containing different functional groups according to the diazonium salt precursor were investigated. These diazonium moieties have a strong mesomeric (resonance) effect and act as either electron-donating or -withdrawing species. Different graphene precursors, such as thermally and chemically reduced graphenes were studied. All the products were characterized in detail by elemental combustion analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and cyclic voltammetry. Resistivity and zeta potential measurements were consistent with theoretical (DFT) calculations. The results show that chemical modification of graphene by diazotation strongly influences its properties, creating a huge application potential in microelectronics, energy storage and conversion devices, and electrocatalysis. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Investigation on the Effect of Pulsed Energy on Strength of Fillet Lap Laser Welded AZ31B Magnesium Alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salleh, M. N. M.; Ishak, M.; Aiman, M. H.; Idris, S. R. A.; Romlay, F. R. M.

    2017-09-01

    AZ31B magnesium alloy have been hugely applied in the aerospace, automotive, and electronic industries. However, welding thin sheet AZ31B was challenging due to its properties which is easily to evaporated especially using conventional fusion welding method such as metal inert gas (MIG). Laser could be applied to weld this metal since it produces lower heat input. The application of fiber laser welding has been widely since this type of laser could produce better welding product especially in the automotive sectors. Low power fiber laser was used to weld this non-ferrous metal where pulse wave (PW) mode was used. Double fillet lap joint was applied to weld as thin as 0.6 mm thick of AZ31B and the effect of pulsed energy on the strength was studied. Bond width, throat length, and penetration depth also was studied related to the pulsed energy which effecting the joint. Higher pulsed energy contributes to the higher fracture load with angle of irradiation lower than 3 °

  11. Effect of advanced nanowire-based targets in nanosecond laser-matter interaction (invited)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lanzalone, G., E-mail: Gaetano.Lanzalone@ct.infn.it [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Via S. Sofia 62, 95123 Catania (Italy); Università degli Studi di Enna “Kore,” Via delle Olimpiadi, 94100 Enna (Italy); Altana, C. [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Via S. Sofia 62, 95123 Catania (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università degli Studi di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania (Italy); Mascali, D.; Tudisco, S. [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Via S. Sofia 62, 95123 Catania (Italy); Muoio, A. [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Via S. Sofia 62, 95123 Catania (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Messina, Viale F.S. D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina (Italy); Malferrari, L.; Odorici, F. [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bologna, Viale B. Pichat 6/2, 40127 Bologna (Italy); Malandrino, G. [Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche and INSTM UdR, Università degli Studi di Catania, Catania (Italy)

    2016-02-15

    An experimental campaign aiming to investigate the effects of innovative nanostructured targets based on Ag nanowires on laser energy absorption in the ns time domain has been carried out at the Laser Energy for Nuclear Science laboratory of INFN-LNS in Catania. The tested targets were realized at INFN-Bologna by anodizing aluminium sheets in order to obtain layers of porous Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} of different thicknesses, on which nanowires of various metals are grown by electro-deposition with different heights. Targets were then irradiated by using a Nd:YAG laser at different pumping energies. Advanced diagnostic tools were used for characterizing the plasma plume and ion production. As compared with targets of pure Al, a huge enhancement (of almost two order of magnitude) of the X-ray flux emitted by the plasma has been observed when using the nanostructured targets, with a corresponding decrease of the “optical range” signal, pointing out that the energetic content of the laser produced plasma was remarkably increased. This analysis was furthermore confirmed from time-of-flight spectra.

  12. Effect of advanced nanowire-based targets in nanosecond laser-matter interaction (invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lanzalone, G.; Altana, C.; Mascali, D.; Muoio, A.; Malferrari, L.; Odorici, F.; Malandrino, G.; Tudisco, S.

    2016-02-01

    An experimental campaign aiming to investigate the effects of innovative nanostructured targets based on Ag nanowires on laser energy absorption in the ns time domain has been carried out at the Laser Energy for Nuclear Science laboratory of INFN-LNS in Catania. The tested targets were realized at INFN-Bologna by anodizing aluminium sheets in order to obtain layers of porous Al2O3 of different thicknesses, on which nanowires of various metals are grown by electro-deposition with different heights. Targets were then irradiated by using a Nd:YAG laser at different pumping energies. Advanced diagnostic tools were used for characterizing the plasma plume and ion production. As compared with targets of pure Al, a huge enhancement (of almost two order of magnitude) of the X-ray flux emitted by the plasma has been observed when using the nanostructured targets, with a corresponding decrease of the "optical range" signal, pointing out that the energetic content of the laser produced plasma was remarkably increased. This analysis was furthermore confirmed from time-of-flight spectra.

  13. Storage of intermittent energies. From self-consumption to huge photovoltaic power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perrin, Marion; Martin, Nicolas

    2013-01-01

    Power grids are evolving rapidly due to an increased use of decentralized power units, mostly based on intermittent renewable energy resources and due also to new ways of consuming energy (e.g. electrical vehicles). In the same time, the performance increase of new technologies such as telecommunications and storage systems could provide solutions for optimizing the electrical system. In this context, we are more and more talking about the 'smart-grids concept' because in parallel to the power interconnection, we also create communication networks which allow knowing in real time the status of the power grid, and so that the power flows can be controlled in an optimal way. In this article, we investigate challenges and opportunities for managing intermittent energy sources by using energy storage systems, from the consumer level to the grid operator. First we describe how the feed-in tariff could evolve in order to improve grid integration of large solar plants. We showed that behind the constraints due to the coupling of the power plants with a storage system, we could imagine lots of opportunities to diversify the business model. Then we evaluate the medium size PV with storage installation at the community level. For this purpose, we describe the local problems induced by the PV integration before proposing new ways to manage these systems. Finally, the self-consumption business model is investigated in terms of performance for the consumer and for the grid operator. (authors)

  14. TRAINING TREE ADJOINING GRAMMARS WITH HUGE TEXT CORPUS USING SPARK MAP REDUCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vijay Krishna Menon

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Tree adjoining grammars (TAGs are mildly context sensitive formalisms used mainly in modelling natural languages. Usage and research on these psycho linguistic formalisms have been erratic in the past decade, due to its demanding construction and difficulty to parse. However, they represent promising future for formalism based NLP in multilingual scenarios. In this paper we demonstrate basic synchronous Tree adjoining grammar for English-Tamil language pair that can be used readily for machine translation. We have also developed a multithreaded chart parser that gives ambiguous deep structures and a par dependency structure known as TAG derivation. Furthermore we then focus on a model for training this TAG for each language using a large corpus of text through a map reduce frequency count model in spark and estimation of various probabilistic parameters for the grammar trees thereafter; these parameters can be used to perform statistical parsing on the trained grammar.

  15. The importance of CFD methods to the design of huge scrubber systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maier, H.

    2005-01-01

    Due to the influence of the multiphase flow on the scrubber removal performance Austrian Energy and Environment started research end development in co-operation with universities on the simulation of wet scrubber systems using CFD methods (Computational removal performance). In November 2001 the spray banks were reconstructed with a minimum of requirements according to the concept of AE and E. The first experiences in operation already showed a significant improvement. In July 2002 measurements of the SO 2 -profile confirmed the experiences of the client. The high SO 2 peaks nearly disappeared at the absorber wall. Furthermore the changes resulted in a more homogenous SO 2 distribution in the clean gas which was also found out by measurements in the outlet duct. According to the client the LG-ratio could be reduced. Nearly every load case can now be handled with one active spray bank less. With respect to energy consumption of the plant this means a remarkable reduction of operational costs. Compared to that the scrubbers of the FGD system in Neurath will have a flue gas capacity nearly twice much as that of the FGD plant in Heyden. The start up will take place in 2008

  16. SNPhylo: a pipeline to construct a phylogenetic tree from huge SNP data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Tae-Ho; Guo, Hui; Wang, Xiyin; Kim, Changsoo; Paterson, Andrew H

    2014-02-26

    Phylogenetic trees are widely used for genetic and evolutionary studies in various organisms. Advanced sequencing technology has dramatically enriched data available for constructing phylogenetic trees based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, massive SNP data makes it difficult to perform reliable analysis, and there has been no ready-to-use pipeline to generate phylogenetic trees from these data. We developed a new pipeline, SNPhylo, to construct phylogenetic trees based on large SNP datasets. The pipeline may enable users to construct a phylogenetic tree from three representative SNP data file formats. In addition, in order to increase reliability of a tree, the pipeline has steps such as removing low quality data and considering linkage disequilibrium. A maximum likelihood method for the inference of phylogeny is also adopted in generation of a tree in our pipeline. Using SNPhylo, users can easily produce a reliable phylogenetic tree from a large SNP data file. Thus, this pipeline can help a researcher focus more on interpretation of the results of analysis of voluminous data sets, rather than manipulations necessary to accomplish the analysis.

  17. Multi-modality imaging findings of huge intrachoroidal cavitation and myopic peripapillary sinkhole.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yutong; Ma, Xiaoli; Hua, Rui

    2018-02-02

    Peripapillary intrachoroidal cavitation was described as the presence of an asymptomatic, well-circumscribed, yellow-orange, peripapillary lesion at the inferior border of the myopic conus in eyes with high myopia. A 66-year-old myopic Chinese man was enrolled and his multi-color imaging examination showed a well-circumscribed, caesious, peripapillary lesion coalesced with the optic nerve head vertically rotated and obliquely tilted, together with an inferotemporal sinkhole in the myopic conus. The optical coherence tomography images showed an intrachoroidal hyporeflective space, schisis, an intracavitary septum located below the retinal pigment epithelium and inserted beneath the optic nerve head, as well as a sinkhole between the peripapillary intrachoroidal cavitation and the vitreous space. Both myopic colobomas and sinkhole in myopic conus may contribute the coalescence of intrachoroidal cavitation with optic nerve head. These qualitative and quantitative new findings will be beneficial for understanding its pathomorphological mechanism, and the impact on optic nerve tissue of myopic patients.

  18. '… a huge monster that should be feared and not done': Lessons ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction, Rhodes University ... Yet, research has illustrated that such work may not only be failing to impact on more ... The role that gender inequality, intersecting with other forms of social .... larger study data included the curriculum and materials used in sexuality education, as well.

  19. Reporting of Human Genome Epidemiology (HuGE association studies: An empirical assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gwinn Marta

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Several thousand human genome epidemiology association studies are published every year investigating the relationship between common genetic variants and diverse phenotypes. Transparent reporting of study methods and results allows readers to better assess the validity of study findings. Here, we document reporting practices of human genome epidemiology studies. Methods Articles were randomly selected from a continuously updated database of human genome epidemiology association studies to be representative of genetic epidemiology literature. The main analysis evaluated 315 articles published in 2001–2003. For a comparative update, we evaluated 28 more recent articles published in 2006, focusing on issues that were poorly reported in 2001–2003. Results During both time periods, most studies comprised relatively small study populations and examined one or more genetic variants within a single gene. Articles were inconsistent in reporting the data needed to assess selection bias and the methods used to minimize misclassification (of the genotype, outcome, and environmental exposure or to identify population stratification. Statistical power, the use of unrelated study participants, and the use of replicate samples were reported more often in articles published during 2006 when compared with the earlier sample. Conclusion We conclude that many items needed to assess error and bias in human genome epidemiology association studies are not consistently reported. Although some improvements were seen over time, reporting guidelines and online supplemental material may help enhance the transparency of this literature.

  20. A high-redshift IRAS galaxy with huge luminosity - hidden quasar or protogalaxy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rowan-Robinson, M; Broadhurst, T [Queen Mary Coll., London (UK). School of Mathematical Sciences; Lawrence, A [Queen Mary Coll., London (UK). Dept. of Physics; McMahon, R G [Cambridge Univ. (UK). Inst. of Astronomy; Lonsdale, C J [California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena, CA (USA). Infrared Processing and Analysis Center; Oliver, S J; Taylor, A N [Queen Mary Coll., London (UK). School of Mathematical Sciences; Hacking, P B; Conrow, T [California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena, CA (USA). Infrared Processing and Analysis Center; Saunders, W [Oxford Univ. (UK). Dept. of Astrophysics; Ellis, R S [Durham Univ. (UK). Dept. of Physics; Efstathiou, G P [Oxford Univ. (UK). Dept. of Astrophysics; Condon, J J [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA (USA)

    1991-06-27

    During a survey intended to measure redshifts for 1,400 galaxies identified with faint sources detected by the Infrared Astronomy Satellite, we found an emission-line galaxy at a redshift of 2.286, and with the enormous far-infrared luminosity of 3 x 10{sup 14} times that of the sun (L{sub sun}) The spectrum is very unusual, showing lines of high excitation but with very weak Lyman-{alpha} emission. A self-absorbed synchrotron model for the infrared energy distribution cannot be ruled out, but a thermal origin seems more plausible. A radio-quiet quasar embedded in a very dusty galaxy could account for the infrared emission, as might a starburst embedded in 1-10 x 10{sup 9} M{sub sun} of dust. The latter case demands so much dust that the object would probably be a massive galaxy in the process of formation. In either case, this is a remarkable object, and the presence of a large amount of dust in an object of such high redshift implies the generation of heavy elements at an early cosmological epoch. (author).

  1. Minimally invasive endoscope-assisted trans-oral excision of huge parapharyngeal space tumors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shang-Yi; Hsu, Ching-Hui; Chen, Mu-Kuan

    2015-04-01

    Parapharyngeal space tumors are rare head and neck neoplasms, and most are benign lesions. Complete excision of these tumors is difficult because of the complexity of the surrounding anatomic structures. The algorithm for excision of these tumors is typically based on the tumor's characteristics; excision is performed via approaches such as the trans-oral route, the trans-cervical route, and even a combination of the trans-parotid route and mandibulotomy. However, each of these approaches is associated with some complications. Endoscope-assisted minimally invasive surgery is being increasingly employed for surgeries in the head and neck regions. It has the advantage of leaving no facial scars, and ensures better patient comfort after the operation. Here, we report the use of endoscope-assisted trans-oral surgery for excision of parapharyngeal space tumors. The technique yields an excellent outcome and should be a feasible, safe, and economic method for these patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Intellectual Property and the Changing of Information Professional Curricula: a huge necessity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciana Goulart Oliveira

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Information society represents a profound changing in the organization of the society and economy – a new paradigm – but, most of all it is a global phenomenon with potential for transforming social, economical and technical environment and activities performed by information specialists, because social reality is always affected by the infra-structure of available information. In this regard, the theme Intellectual Property has become one of the pillars of the new context of technology development and interchange communication between countries and people everywhere because the objects of intellectual property in all its extension, which are creations of the human mind and intellect, can be seen as pieces of information which can be incorporated in intangible objects at the same time in an unlimited number of copies, at different locations anywhere in the world. And all these objects have specific information inside and are reunited in databases with special characteristics, which have to be understood by the information professional and the knowledge on how to comprehend, handle and recover is a fundamental necessity. And most important is that this professional will have to acquire knowledge in multidisciplinar subjects, as economy, innovation, information technologies, human sciences, ethics and law. - In this context, some studies concerning “network society” (Castells, 2002 “cyberculture” (Lévy 1999, and information literacy of informational professional (Vitorino, 2007 and (Azevedo and Beraquet, 2010 put light on a necessity to review competences in the specific area of graduation because they bring other ways of thinking and implement a strong relation with reality, considering the existence of new informational economies. It is no longer possible for this specialist not to understand a student or teacher request concerning an advise on patent search, the environment of innovation or tendencies on the trademark world or copyright involved in all the media they have in hands, specially when they are virtual. So, this paper will deal with the new characteristics demanded for the information professional, which comprises, at least: a be pro-active; b have a comprehensive approach on leadership, finances, communication and technical management, in order to best get, use and organize the information; c be strongly acquainted with information technologies and how databases are structured and work; dunderstand the scientific methods of research and have the capacity to analyze and filter literature in databases; ehave a researcher and planned attitude, because he is going to understand technical and scientific information when dealing with patents, trademarks, utility models, geographical indications and others; e be a multidisciplinary professional, able to understand the “talk of every man in the vast world”; e learn how to make “technical” searches in public and private databases in order to help students and teachers in their work; f understand the legislative complex of laws governing the rights involved in the world of research and intellectual property. These conditions are in line with the diversity encountered as the reality and there is no longer time to comply with curricula not adjusted to it. The proposed paper will present a curricula that could preview 2 or 3 semesters of subjects, performed during the complete course, to accomplish and training future professionals for this context. The discussion with other specialists dealing with intellectual property, education and methodology of distance learning will promote an interchange of visions ant the best approaches to each education entity. It is important to give to this new students a base to promote a high understand and possibility to be included as an integral specialist.

  3. Dynamic thread assignment in web server performance optimization

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Weij, W.; Bhulai, S.; van der Mei, R.D.

    2009-01-01

    Popular web sites are expected to handle huge number of requests concurrently within a reasonable time frame. The performance of these web sites is largely dependent on effective thread management of their web servers. Although the implementation of static and dynamic thread policies is common

  4. Social capital and maternal health care use in rural Ethiopia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sheabo Dessalegn, S.

    2017-01-01

    This thesis analyzes the effect of social capital on maternal health care use in rural Ethiopia. Reports show that in Ethiopia, despite the huge investment in health infrastructure and the deployment of health professionals to provide maternal health services free of charge, utilization remains low.

  5. Concise Review : Adult Salivary Gland Stem Cells and a Potential Therapy for Xerostomia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pringle, Sarah; Van Os, Ronald; Coppes, Robert P.

    The ability to speak, swallow, masticate, taste food, and maintain a healthy oral cavity is heavily reliant on the presence of saliva, the hugely important effect of which on our everyday lives is often unappreciated. Hyposalivation, frequently experienced by people receiving radiation therapy for

  6. MicroRNA-Related Polymorphisms in Infectious Diseases—Tiny Changes With a Huge Impact on Viral Infections and Potential Clinical Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joel Henrique Ellwanger

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available MicroRNAs (miRNAs are single-stranded sequences of non-coding RNA with approximately 22 nucleotides that act posttranscriptionally on gene expression. miRNAs are important gene regulators in physiological contexts, but they also impact the pathogenesis of various diseases. The role of miRNAs in viral infections has been explored by different authors in both population-based as well as in functional studies. However, the effect of miRNA polymorphisms on the susceptibility to viral infections and on the clinical course of these diseases is still an emerging topic. Thus, this review will compile and organize the findings described in studies that evaluated the effects of genetic variations on miRNA genes and on their binding sites, in the context of human viral diseases. In addition to discussing the basic aspects of miRNAs biology, we will cover the studies that investigated miRNA polymorphisms in infections caused by hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, human immunodeficiency virus, Epstein–Barr virus, and human papillomavirus. Finally, emerging topics concerning the importance of miRNA genetic variants will be presented, focusing on the context of viral infectious diseases.

  7. The Effect of Managerial Ability on Future Stock Price Crash Risk: Evidence from Korea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soo Yeon Park

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This study examines the effect of managerial ability on subsequent stock price crash risk using listed firm data in Korea. Compared to some financially advanced countries, the influence of managers is particularly more powerful in Korea, as ownership and management are not effectively separate in most Korean firms. In addition, we considered the effect of large business groups called Chaebol, which is family-run conglomerates with unique corporate governance system that hugely affect the Korean economy. It is important to recognize determinants of the stock price crash risk which would result in doubt on going concern to enhance the company’s sustainable management. Hence, this study focuses on the managerial ability as one of the main factors of the stock price crash risk. We use the measures of firm-specific stock price crash risk based on Hutton et al. (2009. Managerial ability is estimated through a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA and tobit regressions following Demerjian et al. (2012. From the empirical tests, there is a negative association between managerial ability and stock price crash risk. This suggests that managers with a higher ability release more voluntary disclosure to signal their ability, ultimately lowering the subsequent stock price crash risk. We also find that firms in large business groups, Chaebol, weaken the negative association between managerial ability and subsequent stock price crash risk.

  8. MRI and image quantitation for drug assessment - growth effects of anabolic steroids and precursors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Haiying; Wu, Ed; Vasselli, Joseph

    2005-01-01

    MRI and image quantitation play an expanding role in modern drug research, because MRI offers high resolution and non-invasive ability, and provides excellent soft tissue contrast. Moreover, with development of effective image segmentation and analysis methods, in-vivo and serial tissue growth measurements could be assessed. In the study, MR image acquisition and analysis protocol were established and validated for investigating the effects of anabolic steroids and precursors on muscle growth and body composition in a guinea pig model. Semi-automatic and interactive segmentation methods were developed to accurately label the tissue of interest for tissue volume estimation. In addition, a longitudinal tissue area outlining procedure was proposed for study of tissue geometric features in relation to tissue growth. Finally, a fully automatic data retrieval and analysis scheme was implemented to facilitate the overall huge amount of image quantitation, statistical analysis, as well as study group comparisons. As a result, highly significant differences in muscle and organ growth were detected between intact and castrated guinea pigs using the selected anabolic steroids, indicating the viability of employing such protocol to assess other anabolic steroids. Furthermore, the anabolic potential of selected steroid precursors and their effects on muscle growth, in comparison with that in respective positive control groups of castrated guinea pigs, were evaluated with the proposed protocol.

  9. Deformation Mechanisms of Offshore Monopile Foundations Accounting for Cyclic Mobility Effects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barari, Amin; Bagheri, Mohsen; Rouainia, Mohamed

    2017-01-01

    Highlights •There has been a huge surge in the construction of marine facilities (e.g., wind turbines) in Europe. •This paper presents some new frameworks for design strategy based on performance measures for cyclic horizontally loaded monopile foundations. •A three-dimensional finite element model...... was developed to investigate the behavior of large-diameter piles. •This model accounts for nonlinear dynamic interactions in offshore platforms under harsh combined moment and horizontal environmental loads. •Magnitude of cyclic loads was found to cause a linear increase in the accumulated rotation....

  10. Modeling thermal effects in braking systems of railway vehicles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milošević Miloš S.

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The modeling of thermal effects has become increasingly important in product design in different transport means, road vehicles, airplanes, railway vehicles, and so forth. The thermal analysis is a very important stage in the study of braking systems, especially of railway vehicles, where it is necessary to brake huge masses, because the thermal load of a braked railway wheel prevails compared to other types of loads. In the braking phase, kinetic energy transforms into thermal energy resulting in intense heating and high temperature states of railway wheels. Thus induced thermal loads determine thermomechanical behavior of the structure of railway wheels. In cases of thermal overloads, which mainly occur as a result of long-term braking on down-grade railroads, the generation of stresses and deformations occurs, whose consequences are the appearance of cracks on the rim of a wheel and the final total wheel defect. The importance to precisely determine the temperature distribution caused by the transfer process of the heat generated during braking due to the friction on contact surfaces of the braking system makes it a challenging research task. Therefore, the thermal analysis of a block-braked solid railway wheel of a 444 class locomotive of the national railway operator Serbian Railways is processed in detail in this paper, using analytical and numerical modeling of thermal effects during long-term braking for maintaining a constant speed on a down-grade railroad.

  11. Modeling and simulation of deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heida, Tjitske; Moroney, R.; Marani, Enrico; Usunoff, K.G.; Pereira, M.; Freire, M.

    2009-01-01

    Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is effective in the Parkinsonian state, while it seems to produce rather non-selective stimulation over an unknown volume of tissue. Despite a huge amount of anatomical and physiological data regarding the structure of the basal ganglia (BG) and their connections, the

  12. What You Need to Know in an Emergency (For Parents)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... a child has had. For example, does your child have diabetes , a bleeding disorder, or asthma ? These pre-existing conditions can have a huge effect on which tests and treatments are used in ... care, especially if a child suddenly becomes ill at childcare, school, or a ...

  13. Bluetongue virus without NS3/NS3a expression is not virulent and protects against virulent bluetongue virus challenge.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Feenstra, F.; Gennip, van H.G.P.; Maris-Veldhuis, M.A.; Verheij, E.; Rijn, van P.A.

    2014-01-01

    Bluetongue is a disease in ruminants caused by the bluetongue virus (BTV), and is spread by Culicoides biting midges. Bluetongue outbreaks cause huge economic losses and death in sheep in several parts of the world. The most effective measure to control BTV is vaccination. However, both commercially

  14. Trade and compliance cost model in the international supply chain

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arsyida, Tuty; van Delft, Selma; Rukanova, B.D.; Tan, Y.

    2017-01-01

    Trade costs for international supply chain are huge, even in the absence of formal barriers. It is necessary for all the stakeholders, both private and public organizations, to support an effective and efficient border compliance process. Very little trade cost model research has been done at the

  15. Billboard and cinema advertising : Missed opportunity or spoiled arms?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Frison, S.; Dekimpe, M.G.; Croux, C.; De Maeyer, P.

    2014-01-01

    Advertising remains one of the most popular marketing instruments, and many studies have studied its sales effectiveness. However, prior research has either looked at the total spending of a brand/firm, or has focused on the most popular media, especially TV advertising. Even though huge amounts are

  16. Improving product usage monitoring and analysis with semantic concepts

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Funk, M.; Rozinat, A.; Alves De Medeiros, A.K.; Putten, van der P.H.A.; Corporaal, H.; Aalst, van der W.M.P.; Yang, Jianhua; Ginige, Athula

    2009-01-01

    Nowadays, complex electronic products, such as DVD players or mobile phones, offer a huge number of functions. As a consequence of the complexity of the devices, customers often have problems to use such products effectively. For example, it has been observed that an increasing number of technically

  17. Semantic concepts in product usage monitoring and analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Funk, M.; Rozinat, A.; Alves De Medeiros, A.K.; Putten, van der P.H.A.; Corporaal, H.; Aalst, van der W.M.P.

    2008-01-01

    Nowadays, complex electronic products, such as DVD players or mobile phones, offer a huge number of functions. As a consequence of the complexity of the devices, customers often have problems to use such products effectively. For example, it has been observed that an increasing number of technically

  18. PATTERNS OF SEVEN AND COMPLICATED MALARIA IN CHILDREN

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    GB

    2017-11-01

    Nov 1, 2017 ... treatment of tuberculosis and be diagnosed as paradoxical reactions. (6). We report a ... tumor (PNET). Figure 2: A right fronto-parietal heterogeneously enhancing mass with calcifications & a mass effect. The boy underwent craniotomy, and a huge lobulated ... findings mimicked brain tumors such as an.

  19. The Effect of Deep Cryogenic Treatment on the Corrosion Behavior of Mg-7Y-1.5Nd Magnesium Alloy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Quantong Jiang

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The effect of quenching on the corrosion resistance of Mg-7Y-1.5Nd alloy was investigated. The as-cast alloy was homogenized at 535 °C for 24 h, followed by quenching in air, water, and liquid nitrogen. Then, all of the samples were peak-aged at 225 °C for 14 h. The microstructures were studied by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction. Corrosion behavior was analyzed by using weight loss rate and gas collection. Electrochemical characterizations revealed that the T4-deep cryogenic sample displayed the strongest corrosion resistance among all of the samples. A new square phase was discovered in the microstructure of the T6-deep cryogenic sample; this phase was hugely responsible for the corrosion property. Cryogenic treatment significantly improved the corrosion resistance of Mg-7Y-1.5Nd alloy.

  20. Inter-clinician variability in making dosimetric decisions in pediatric treatment: A balance between efficacy and late effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Padovani, Laetitia; Huchet, Aymeri; Claude, Line; Bernier, Valerie; Quetin, Philippe; Mahe, Marc; Laprie, Anne; Kerr, Christine; Bondiau, Pierre Yves; Delarue, Arnaud; Coze, Carole; Gibon, David; Barteau, Clarisse; Maire, Jean Philippe; Carrie, Christian; Muracciole, Xavier

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate variability of clinical target volume (CTV) delineation and deviations according to doses delivered in normal tissue for abdominal tumor irradiation in children. Material and methods: For a case of nephroblastoma six French pediatric radiation oncologists outlined post-operative CTV, on the same dosimetric CT scan according to the International Society for Pediatric Oncology 2001 protocol. On a reference CTV and organs at risk (OAR), we performed dosimetric planning with the constraints as 25.2 Gy for CTV, V 20max to 50% for liver, V 12 3 . The recommended liver doses were not respected in four cases: V 20 from 74% to 88% of the volume; for kidney, in two cases: V 12 of 17.6% and 25%, respectively. For vertebral bodies, no deviations were noted. Conclusion: Variability not only affected CTV delineation but also dose distribution to OAR with different compromises. This practice training demonstrates the huge lack of data about correlation between dose, volume and risk of late effects in pediatric radiotherapy. We intend to record prospectively the dose/volume histogram of each OAR in a national database in order to characterize late effects occurring in relation to treatment modalities.

  1. [Health effects of sour cherries with unique polyphenolic composition in their fruits].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hegedűs, Attila; Papp, Nóra; Blázovics, Anna; Stefanovitsné Bányai, Éva

    2018-05-01

    Health effects of fruit consumption are confirmed by many studies. Such effects are attributed to the polyphenolic compounds accumulating in fruit skin and mesocarp tissues. They contribute to the regulation on transcriptional, post-transcriptional and epigenetic levels. Since people consume much less fruits than the recommended quantities, a new approach includes the promotion of super fruits that are extremely rich sources of specific health compounds. A comparative analysis of Hungarian stone fruit cultivars detected a huge variability in fruit in vitro antioxidant capacity and total polyphenolic content. Two outstanding sour cherry cultivars ('Pipacs 1' and 'Fanal') were identified to accumulate elevated levels of polyphenolic compounds in their fruits. Sour cherries with different polyphenolic compositions were tested against alimentary induced hyperlipidemia using male Wistar rat model. Consumption of cherry fruit had different consequences for different cultivars: consumption of 'Pipacs 1' and 'Fanal' fruits resulted in 30% lower total cholesterol levels in the sera of hyperlipidemic animals after only 10 days of treatment. However, the consumption of 'Újfehértói fürtös' fruit has not induced significant alterations in the same parameter. Other lipid parameters also reflected the short-term beneficial effects of 'Pipacs 1' and 'Fanal' fruits. We suggest that not only some tropical and berry fruits might be considered as super fruits but certain genotypes of stone fruits as well. These have indeed marked physiological effects. Since 'Pipacs 1' and 'Fanal' are rich sources of colourless polyphenolics (e.g., phenolic acids and isoflavonoids) and anthocyanins, respectively, the protective effects associated with their consumption can be attributed to different polyphenolic compounds. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(18): 720-725.

  2. Agricultural utilization of biosolids: A review on potential effects on soil and plant grown.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Bhavisha; Sarkar, Abhijit; Singh, Pooja; Singh, Rajeev Pratap

    2017-06-01

    Environmental and economic implications linked with the proper ecofriendly disposal of modern day wastes, has made it essential to come up with alternative waste management practices that reduce the environmental pressures resulting from unwise disposal of such wastes. Urban wastes like biosolids are loaded with essential plant nutrients. In this view, agricultural use of biosolids would enable recycling of these nutrients and could be a sustainable approach towards management of this hugely generated waste. Therefore biosolids i.e. sewage sludge can serve as an important resource for agricultural utilization. Biosolids are characterized by the occurrence of beneficial plant nutrients (essential elements and micro and macronutrients) which can make help them to work as an effective soil amendment, thereby minimizing the reliance on chemical fertilizers. However, biosolids might contain toxic heavy metals that may limit its usage in the cropland. Heavy metals at higher concentration than the permissible limits may lead to food chain contamination and have fatal consequences. Biosolids amendment in soil can improve physical and nutrient property of soil depending on the quantity and portion of the mixture. Hence, biosolids can be a promising soil ameliorating supplement to increase plant productivity, reduce bioavailability of heavy metals and also lead to effective waste management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Assessment of health and economic effects by PM2.5 pollution in Beijing: a combined exposure-response and computable general equilibrium analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Guizhi; Gu, SaiJu; Chen, Jibo; Wu, Xianhua; Yu, Jun

    2016-12-01

    Assessment of the health and economic impacts of PM2.5 pollution is of great importance for urban air pollution prevention and control. In this study, we evaluate the damage of PM2.5 pollution using Beijing as an example. First, we use exposure-response functions to estimate the adverse health effects due to PM2.5 pollution. Then, the corresponding labour loss and excess medical expenditure are computed as two conducting variables. Finally, different from the conventional valuation methods, this paper introduces the two conducting variables into the computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to assess the impacts on sectors and the whole economic system caused by PM2.5 pollution. The results show that, substantial health effects of the residents in Beijing from PM2.5 pollution occurred in 2013, including 20,043 premature deaths and about one million other related medical cases. Correspondingly, using the 2010 social accounting data, Beijing gross domestic product loss due to the health impact of PM2.5 pollution is estimated as 1286.97 (95% CI: 488.58-1936.33) million RMB. This demonstrates that PM2.5 pollution not only has adverse health effects, but also brings huge economic loss.

  4. EFFECT OF MASHADI TAILAM ANUVASAN BASTI IN MANAGEMENT OF KATIVATA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO LUMBAR SPONDYLOSIS

    OpenAIRE

    Ukhalkar V. P.

    2013-01-01

    Approach of human being towards life has created various dissonances in his biological system. Busy, professional and communal life, important sitting posture in offices, factories, unremitting and physical exertion, jerking activities during travelling and sports-all these factors create too much pressure to the spinal cord and play a vital role in producing low backache. The disease Kativata correlated with lumbar spondylosis has become a huge problem, in spite of advances in modern science...

  5. Current Problems of Trade Union-Party Relations in Switzerland: Reorientation Versus Inertia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegenthaler, Jurg K.

    1975-01-01

    The postwar realignment of union-party relations in Switzerland severed old formal ties but left some important links undisturbed; practical and effective cooperation on legislative items supports current informal union-party alliances. Major current problems include the unions' demand for codetermination in industry and the huge numbers of…

  6. How teacher education can make a difference

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Korthagen, F.

    2010-01-01

    Many studies reveal a huge gap between theory and practice in teacher education, leading to serious doubts concerning the effectiveness of teacher education. In this paper, the causes of the gap between theory and practice are analysed. On this basis, and grounded in a three-level model of teacher

  7. Direct and indirect chemical defence of pine against folivorous insects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mumm, R.; Hilker, M.

    2006-01-01

    The chemical defence of pine against herbivorous insects has been intensively studied with respect to its effects on the performance and behaviour of the herbivores as well as on the natural enemies of pine herbivores. The huge variety of terpenoid pine components play a major role in mediating

  8. Ruzu ® herbal bitters and glibenclamide tablets: Dissolution and in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: The concomitant intake of poly-herbal medicines with orthodox drugs raises huge concerns about herb-drug interactions and patient safety, especially as the pharmacokinetic properties of these herbal medicines are not known. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effect of Ruzu® herbal bitters on the ...

  9. An Experimental Study towards Young Adults: Communication Skills Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guclu, Sultan

    2016-01-01

    Problem Statement: Located in each discipline, communication also bears a huge importance in the health sector. Communication with patients and relatives require more moderate and friendly because of their sensitive situation. Developing communication skills of students in health sciences will be able to communicate effectively with patients. In…

  10. Social Relationship Discovery Via Call Records

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhao Wen-Zhe

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Telecom users constitute a huge, but relatively sparse social network. Community discovery has been a research topic of data mining. Traditional algorithms are greatly influenced by outliers. This paper presents a new algorithm based on social triangle theory. Experiments show that the new algorithm is effective.

  11. Child Maltreatment and Adolescent Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trickett, Penelope K.; Negriff, Sonya; Ji, Juye; Peckins, Melissa

    2011-01-01

    Child abuse and neglect, often collectively called child maltreatment, are huge social problems affecting millions of children and adolescents in America. Adolescents are affected both by maltreatment which occurred during childhood with lingering effects and by maltreatment that continues into or begins in adolescence. Several decades of research…

  12. Development of a QSAR for worst case estimates of acute toxicity of chemically reactive compounds

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Freidig, A.P.; Dekkers, S.; Verwei, M.; Zvinavashe, E.; Bessems, J.G.M.; Sandt, van de J.J.M.

    2007-01-01

    Future EU legislations enforce a fast hazard and risk assessment of thousands of existing chemicals. If conducted by means of present data requirements, this assessment will use a huge number of test animals and will be neither cost nor time effective. The purpose of the current research was to

  13. Interstitial Mo-Assisted Photovoltaic Effect in Multilayer MoSe2 Phototransistors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sunkook; Maassen, Jesse; Lee, Jiyoul; Kim, Seung Min; Han, Gyuchull; Kwon, Junyeon; Hong, Seongin; Park, Jozeph; Liu, Na; Park, Yun Chang; Omkaram, Inturu; Rhyee, Jong-Soo; Hong, Young Ki; Yoon, Youngki

    2018-03-01

    Thin-film transistors (TFTs) based on multilayer molybdenum diselenide (MoSe 2 ) synthesized by modified atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) exhibit outstanding photoresponsivity (103.1 A W -1 ), while it is generally believed that optical response of multilayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is significantly limited due to their indirect bandgap and inefficient photoexcitation process. Here, the fundamental origin of such a high photoresponsivity in the synthesized multilayer MoSe 2 TFTs is sought. A unique structural characteristic of the APCVD-grown MoSe 2 is observed, in which interstitial Mo atoms exist between basal planes, unlike usual 2H phase TMDs. Density functional theory calculations and photoinduced transfer characteristics reveal that such interstitial Mo atoms form photoreactive electronic states in the bandgap. Models indicate that huge photoamplification is attributed to trapped holes in subgap states, resulting in a significant photovoltaic effect. In this study, the fundamental origin of high responsivity with synthetic MoSe 2 phototransistors is identified, suggesting a novel route to high-performance, multifunctional 2D material devices for future wearable sensor applications. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. NONPERFORMING LOANS PORTFOLIO AND ITS EFFECT ON BANK PROFITABILITY IN NIGERIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John N. N. Ugoani

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Huge nonperforming loans portfolio erodes the ability of banks to make profits. In the 1990s and beyond many Nigerian banks became weak and highly unprofitable due to excessive nonperforming loans portfolio accumulated by bank promoters and management that led to their demise. Insider dealing was the major cause of large nonperforming loan portfolio in Nigeria, involving over-extension of loans to promoters, directors and significant others that became bad and irrecoverable. To clean up the mess in the banking sector and return the banks to the paths of sound management and profitability, the CBN had to inject about N700bn in a bailout exercise while purging the system of bad and irresponsible management teams .The exploratory research design was adopted. Data generated were organized and coded before they were classified. To achieve the objective of the study data analyses were done through descriptive and regression analyses using the statistical package for the social sciences for the regression. With the regression result of Y = 78.353 – 4.04x it was found that nonperforming loans portfolio has negative effect on bank profitability.

  15. APPLYING LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE UNITED STATES SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND’S HUMAN PERFORMANCE PROGRAM TO THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCES COMPREHENSIVE AIRMAN FITNESS

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-04-01

    better state of readiness for manning joint sourcing assignments. There is a glass ceiling to the USAF’s physical fitness program’s construct based on... effectiveness of USAF critically manned career fields. A case study framework for comparative analysis of POTFF’s Human Performance Programs in...have huge second and third order effects based on operational requirements to backfill the qualified individual. The investments made into

  16. Sub-Saharan Africa: A Focused Strategy for U.S. Policy

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Remington, Jeff; Henderson, Ron

    1998-01-01

    ... a challenge to the United States that appears almost insurmountable. Huge problems in Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, can lead to huge threats to the national security of the United States...

  17. Prospects and applications near ferroelectric quantum phase transitions: a key issues review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandra, P.; Lonzarich, G. G.; Rowley, S. E.; Scott, J. F.

    2017-11-01

    The emergence of complex and fascinating states of quantum matter in the neighborhood of zero temperature phase transitions suggests that such quantum phenomena should be studied in a variety of settings. Advanced technologies of the future may be fabricated from materials where the cooperative behavior of charge, spin and current can be manipulated at cryogenic temperatures. The progagating lattice dynamics of displacive ferroelectrics make them appealing for the study of quantum critical phenomena that is characterized by both space- and time-dependent quantities. In this key issues article we aim to provide a self-contained overview of ferroelectrics near quantum phase transitions. Unlike most magnetic cases, the ferroelectric quantum critical point can be tuned experimentally to reside at, above or below its upper critical dimension; this feature allows for detailed interplay between experiment and theory using both scaling and self-consistent field models. Empirically the sensitivity of the ferroelectric T c’s to external and to chemical pressure gives practical access to a broad range of temperature behavior over several hundreds of Kelvin. Additional degrees of freedom like charge and spin can be added and characterized systematically. Satellite memories, electrocaloric cooling and low-loss phased-array radar are among possible applications of low-temperature ferroelectrics. We end with open questions for future research that include textured polarization states and unusual forms of superconductivity that remain to be understood theoretically.

  18. Static Response of Microbeams due to Capillary and Electrostatic Forces

    KAUST Repository

    Bataineh, Ahmad M.

    2016-03-07

    Micro-sensors or micro-switches usually operate under the effect of electrostatic force and could face some environmental effects like humidity, which may lead to condensation underneath the beams and create strong capillary forces. Those tiny structures are principally made of microbeams that can undergo instabilities under the effect of those created huge capillary forces. In fact, during the fabrication of microbeams, there is an important step to separate the beam from its substrate (wet etching). After this step, the microstructure is dried, which may causes the onset of some droplets of water trapped underneath the beam that could bring about a huge capillary force pulling it toward its substrate. If this force is bigger than the microbeam\\'s restoring force, it will become stuck to the substrate. This paper investigates the instability scenarios of both clamped-clamped (straight and curved) and cantilever (straight and curled) microbeams under the effect of capillary and/or electrostatic forces. The reduced order modeling (ROM) based on the Galerkin procedure is used to solve the nonlinear beam equations. The non-ideal boundaries are modeled by adding springs. The volume of the fluid between the beam and the substrate underneath it is varied and the relation between the volume of the water and the stability of the beam is shown. An analysis for the factors of which should be taken in to consideration in the fabrication processes to overcome the instability due to huge capillary forces is done. Also the size of the electrode for the electrostatic force is varied to show the effect on the micro-switch stability. A variation of the pull-in voltage with some specific beam parameters and with more than one case of electrode size is shown. It is found that capillary forces have a pronounced effect on the stability of microbeams. It is also found that the pull-in length decreases as the electrode size increases. It is also shown that the pull-in voltage decreases

  19. Modelling the Effects of Land-Use Changes on Climate: a Case Study on Yamula DAM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Köylü, Ü.; Geymen, A.

    2016-10-01

    Dams block flow of rivers and cause artificial water reservoirs which affect the climate and the land use characteristics of the river basin. In this research, the effect of the huge water body obtained by Yamula Dam in Kızılırmak Basin is analysed over surrounding spatial's land use and climate change. Mann Kendal non-parametrical statistical test, Theil&Sen Slope method, Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW), Soil Conservation Service-Curve Number (SCS-CN) methods are integrated for spatial and temporal analysis of the research area. For this research humidity, temperature, wind speed, precipitation observations which are collected in 16 weather stations nearby Kızılırmak Basin are analyzed. After that these statistical information is combined by GIS data over years. An application is developed for GIS analysis in Python Programming Language and integrated with ArcGIS software. Statistical analysis calculated in the R Project for Statistical Computing and integrated with developed application. According to the statistical analysis of extracted time series of meteorological parameters, statistical significant spatiotemporal trends are observed for climate change and land use characteristics. In this study, we indicated the effect of big dams in local climate on semi-arid Yamula Dam.

  20. Examining the possible influence of societal violence on governance effectiveness in South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Collins C Ngwakwe

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the possible influence of violent protests on the effectiveness of governance in South Africa. South Africa continues to experience huge number of labour as well as popular municipal service delivery protests. The popular social view with ensuing protests has often pointed at governance inefficiency as the cause of violent protests. This paper adopts a slightly different view in its analysis of violent protests and instead looks at possible influence of violence as possible instigator of ineffective governance. The paper is conceptually rooted in reviews – combined with simple regression test of possible relationship between violent protest and governance effectiveness. The authors also present an examination of probable relationship between violent protests and governance effectiveness using observation of macro-economic data trends from the World Bank. The findings reveal a probable weakening in governance effectiveness or its perception thereof as a result of violent protests. Amongst others, violent protests produces a psyche of perpetual victimhood that leads to further violence resulting in less value attached to lives, destruction of economic property, increases pollution, production stoppages for goods and services and in turn depletes government revenue generation and frustrates international investors. We postulate that under condition explained above, government effectiveness in managing public resources becomes weakened and may lead to wastage and inefficiency as the resources and revenues employed in controlling violent protests are unplanned and do not often lead to constructive and sustainable public policy. We suggest that this condition therefore may result in reduction in economic growth which in turn perpetuates the same weaknesses that led to society protests and violence.

  1. Responsibility and Capitalism. A Phenomenological Way to Approach the Economic Crisis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Floriana Ferro

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The Western world is presently afflicted by a huge economic crisis, started in 2007 in the United States, with the collapse of the subprime mortgage market, and exploded in 2008 with the breakdown of Lehman Brothers[1]. Even if its most critical stage seems to be finished, capitalist countries find it difficult to recover. Globalization exported the effects of the crisis everywhere, but those that suffered the greatest damages are Europe and North America. The collapse of some financial companies is only the top of a huge iceberg. The crisis has roots in something deeper, in the principles and mechanisms of capitalism itself. The Western part of the world is still paying not for the mistakes of a few executives, but for a general lack of ethics in the whole system.

  2. Melatonin Protective Effects against Liver Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abbas Khonakdar-Tarsi

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I/R is a common phenomenon during liver surgery, transplantation, infection and trauma which results in damage and necrosis of the hepatic tissue through different pathways. Mechanisms involved in I/R damage are very intricate and cover several aspects. Several factors are involved in I/R-induced damages; briefly, decrease in sinusoidal perfusion and ATP generation because of low or no O2 supply, increase in production of reactive oxygen species (ROS and inflammatory factors and destruction of parenchymal cells resulted by these molecules are of the main causes of liver tissue injury during reperfusion. Melatonin’s antioxidant effect, and regulatory roles in the expression of different genes in the I/R insulted liver have been investigated by several studies. Melatonin and its metabolites are of the powerful direct scavengers of free radicals and ROS, so it can directly protect liver cell impairment from oxidative stress following I/R. In addition, this bioactive molecule up-regulates anti-oxidant enzyme genes like superoxide dismutase (SOD, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px and catalase (CAT. Tumor necrosis factors (TNF-α and interleukin-1 (IL-1, as potent pro-inflammatory factors, are generated in huge amounts during reperfusion. Melatonin is able to alleviate TNF-α generation and has hepatoprotective effect during I/R. It reduces the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines via reducing the binding of NF-κB to DNA. Imbalance between vasodilators (nitric oxide, NO and vasoconstrictors (endothelin, ET during I/R was shown to be the primary cause of liver microcirculation disturbance. Melatonin helps maintaining the stability of liver circulation and reduces hepatic injury during I/R through preventing alteration of the normal balance between ET and NO. The aim of this review was to explore the mechanisms of liver I/R injuries and the protective effects of melatonin against them.

  3. Application of ant colony optimisation in distribution transformer sizing

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study proposes an optimisation method for transformer sizing in power system using ant colony optimisation and a verification of the process by MATLAB software. The aim is to address the issue of transformer sizing which is a major challenge affecting its effective performance, longevity, huge capital cost and power ...

  4. An Empirical Study of Factors Affecting Mobile Wireless Technology Adoption for Promoting Interactive Lectures in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gan, Chin Lay; Balakrishnan, Vimala

    2016-01-01

    Use of mobile technology is widespread, particularly among the younger generation. There is a huge potential for utilizing such technology in lecture classes with large numbers of students, serving as an interaction tool between the students and lecturers. The challenge is to identify significant adoption factors to ensure effective adoption of…

  5. Information Security - A Growing Challenge for Online Business

    OpenAIRE

    Gabriela GHEORGHE; Ioana LUPASC

    2017-01-01

    In present, the cyber attack move to a global scale, also the online business cyber threats have the effect of impeding and even huge losses. Security issues currently facing online commerce, online payment systems require finding solutions to improve the security solutions offered by the providers of Business Information solution.

  6. Le développement des coopératives laitières en Inde

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Serneels, F.

    1984-01-01

    Full Text Available The development of dairy cooperatives in India. The huge Indian dairy development programme is based on a multi-level cooperative organization and an important international food aid. Its effects are discussed : for the ones, integrated development and for the others, increasing dependence on external resources and social disparities.

  7. Supervision and Quality Assurance Strategies in Education ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper examines the need for quality assurance and quality control strategies in improving the effectiveness of educational provision and teacher performance in schools. Governments all over the word in an attempt to educate and develop their citizens spend huge amount of money on teachers and schools but in most ...

  8. Integrated optics refractometry: sensitivity in relation to spectral shifts

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoekstra, Hugo; Hammer, M.

    2013-01-01

    A new variant of the Vernier-effect based sensor reported in ref. 1 is introduced. Both sensor types may show a huge index induced spectral shift. It will be shown in a poster presentation that with such sensors, as well as with surface plasmon based sensors, the constraints on the spectral

  9. Exploring glacial change - flying in the tailwind of the early 20th century Greenland explorers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjork, A. A.; Kjaer, K. H.; Kjeldsen, K. K.

    In the early 1930s Greenlandic explorers and scientists began using airplanes as an effective mean of surveying and mapping the hitherto unknown and inaccessible lands. By replacing the dogsled and the drawing board with the seaplane and camera, huge areas could now be covered. Here in the 21st...

  10. Shubnikov - de Haas oscillations, weak antilocalization effect and large linear magnetoresistance in the putative topological superconductor LuPdBi

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pavlosiuk, Orest; Kaczorowski, Dariusz; Wiśniewski, Piotr

    2015-01-01

    We present electronic transport and magnetic properties of single crystals of semimetallic half-Heusler phase LuPdBi, having theoretically predicted band inversion requisite for nontrivial topological properties. The compound exhibits superconductivity below a critical temperature Tc = 1.8 K, with a zero-temperature upper critical field Bc2 ≈ 2.3 T. Although superconducting state is clearly reflected in the electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility data, no corresponding anomaly can be seen in the specific heat. Temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity suggests existence of two parallel conduction channels: metallic and semiconducting, with the latter making negligible contribution at low temperatures. The magnetoresistance is huge and clearly shows a weak antilocalization effect in small magnetic fields. Above about 1.5 T, the magnetoresistance becomes linear and does not saturate in fields up to 9 T. The linear magnetoresistance is observed up to room temperature. Below 10 K, it is accompanied by Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. Their analysis reveals charge carriers with effective mass of 0.06 me and a Berry phase very close to π, expected for Dirac-fermion surface states, thus corroborating topological nature of the material. PMID:25778789

  11. The effect of emotional design and online customer review on customer repeat purchase intention in online stores

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewi, D. S.; Sudiarno, A.; Saputra, H.; Dewi, R. S.

    2018-04-01

    The internet users in Indonesia has increased rapidly over the last decade. A survey conducted by Association of Internet Service Providers Indonesia shows that the internet users has reached 34.9% of total population in Indonesia. The increase of internet users has led to a shift in trading practice from conventional trade to online trade. It is predicted in the next years the number of online consumers in Indonesia will continue to increase, provide many opportunity for online business. The huge number of internet users is not necesarily followed by the high number of e-purchase. It is therefore become the interest of many researchers to investigate factors that influence the decision on online purchasing.This research proposes a model that assess the effect of emotional design and customer review to customer intention on e-repeat purchase. Online questionnaire is designed and is distributed randomly through google forms. There are 187 respondent filled the questionnaire from which only 162 respondents actually have experience in online purchase. These data are then processed by using statistical analysis. A model is developed by applying structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. This study revealed that customer reviews especially objective reviews has a significant effect toward repeat purchase. Whereas emotional design particularly visual attractiveness also shows a significant effect toward e-repeat purchase.

  12. BRIDGE21--Exploring the Potential to Foster Intrinsic Student Motivation through a Team-Based, Technology-Mediated Learning Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawlor, John; Marshall, Kevin; Tangney, Brendan

    2016-01-01

    It is generally accepted that intrinsic student motivation is a critical requirement for effective learning but formal learning in school places a huge reliance on extrinsic motivation to focus the learner. This reliance on extrinsic motivation is driven by the pressure on formal schooling to "deliver to the test." The experience of the…

  13. Thermal properties of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) recovered from municipal solid waste by steam autoclaving

    Science.gov (United States)

    The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of steam autoclaving on the properties of PET, data which could ultimately be applied to determine the most likely end use of this potentially huge waste stream. Through the course of the study it was determined that stretch blow molding in bottle ...

  14. Development of risk assessment simulation tool for optimal control of a low probability-high consequence disaster

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yotsumoto, Hiroki; Yoshida, Kikuo; Genchi, Hiroshi

    2011-01-01

    In order to control low probability-high consequence disaster which causes huge social and economic damage, it is necessary to develop simultaneous risk assessment simulation tool based on the scheme of disaster risk including diverse effects of primary disaster and secondary damages. We propose the scheme of this risk simulation tool. (author)

  15. Information Security - A Growing Challenge for Online Business

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriela GHEORGHE

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In present, the cyber attack move to a global scale, also the online business cyber threats have the effect of impeding and even huge losses. Security issues currently facing online commerce, online payment systems require finding solutions to improve the security solutions offered by the providers of Business Information solution.

  16. Public opinion about nuclear energy is in a change process: we have moved from opposition to the consideration; La opinion publica sobre la energia nuclear esta en proceso de cambio: hemos pasado del rechazo a la consideracion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nunez, P.

    2012-07-01

    The nuclear sector in Spain is making huge affords towards improving public acceptance. the common trend is rigorous and professional diffusion and information regarding nuclear issues. The goal, besides informing on the excellent results and impeccable performance of nuclear power plants, is for effective communication to offer society information on current activities. (Author)

  17. A new method for finding vacua in string phenomenology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gray, James [Institut d' Astrophysique de Paris and APC, Universite de Paris 7, 98 bis, Bd. Arago 75014, Paris (France); He, Yang-Hui [Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, 1 Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3NP (United Kingdom)]|[Merton College, Oxford, OX1 4JD and Mathematical Institute, Oxford University, Oxford (United Kingdom); Ilderton, Anton [School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom); Lukas, Andre [Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, 1 Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3NP (United Kingdom)

    2007-05-15

    One of the central problems of string-phenomenology is to find stable vacua in the four dimensional effective theories which result from compactification. We present an algorithmic method to find all of the vacua of any given string-phenomenological system in a huge class. In particular, this paper reviews and then extends hep-th/0606122 to include various nonperturbative effects. These include gaugino condensation and instantonic contributions to the superpotential. (authors)

  18. A survey on Darknet and various Techniques of Onion Routing

    OpenAIRE

    Mathakar, Hansraj; Dedakia, Mitesh; Orpe, Akshay

    2017-01-01

    The World Wide Web is quite a large web space. Today, we assume that modern world is connected and we can obtain information in a flash. That is true to some extent, all thanks to the modern search engines (Google, Bing etc). These search engine’s algorithms process huge amount of information in a fraction of seconds. In the real word, this visible web has huge amount of information which is not indexed. Hence this information cannot be identified by the traditional web crawlers. This huge am...

  19. An Effective NoSQL-Based Vector Map Tile Management Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin Wan

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Within a digital map service environment, the rapid growth of Spatial Big-Data is driving new requirements for effective mechanisms for massive online vector map tile processing. The emergence of Not Only SQL (NoSQL databases has resulted in a new data storage and management model for scalable spatial data deployments and fast tracking. They better suit the scenario of high-volume, low-latency network map services than traditional standalone high-performance computer (HPC or relational databases. In this paper, we propose a flexible storage framework that provides feasible methods for tiled map data parallel clipping and retrieval operations within a distributed NoSQL database environment. We illustrate the parallel vector tile generation and querying algorithms with the MapReduce programming model. Three different processing approaches, including local caching, distributed file storage, and the NoSQL-based method, are compared by analyzing the concurrent load and calculation time. An online geological vector tile map service prototype was developed to embed our processing framework in the China Geological Survey Information Grid. Experimental results show that our NoSQL-based parallel tile management framework can support applications that process huge volumes of vector tile data and improve performance of the tiled map service.

  20. Intragenomic matching reveals a huge potential for miRNA-mediated regulation in plants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindow, Morten; Jacobsen, Anders; Nygaard, Sanne

    2007-01-01

    indicates that only a few of the candidates are conserved between the species. We conclude that there is a large potential for miRNA-mediated regulatory interactions encoded in the genomes of the investigated plants. We hypothesize that some of these interactions may be realized under special environmental...

  1. Iceberg killing fields limit huge potential for benthic blue carbon in Antarctic shallows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnes, David K A

    2017-07-01

    Climate-forced ice losses are increasing potential for iceberg-seabed collisions, termed ice scour. At Ryder Bay, West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) sea ice, oceanography, phytoplankton and encrusting zoobenthos have been monitored since 1998. In 2003, grids of seabed markers, covering 225 m 2 , were established, surveyed and replaced annually to measure ice scour frequency. Disturbance history has been recorded for each m 2 of seabed monitored at 5-25 m for ~13 years. Encrusting fauna, collected from impacted and nonimpacted metres each year, show coincident benthos responses in growth, mortality and mass of benthic immobilized carbon. Encrusting benthic growth was mainly determined by microalgal bloom duration; each day, nanophytoplankton exceeded 200 μg L -1 produced ~0.05 mm radial growth of bryozoans, and sea temperature >0 °C added 0.002 mm day -1 . Mortality and persistence of growth, as benthic carbon immobilization, were mainly influenced by ice scour. Nearly 30% of monitored seabed was hit each year, and just 7% of shallows were not hit. Hits in deeper water were more deadly, but less frequent, so mortality decreased with depth. Five-year recovery time doubled benthic carbon stocks. Scour-driven mortality varied annually, with two-thirds of all monitored fauna killed in a single year (2009). Reduced fast ice after 2006 ramped iceberg scouring, killing half the encrusting benthos each year in following years. Ice scour coupled with low phytoplankton biomass drove a phase shift to high mortality and depressed zoobenthic immobilized carbon stocks, which has persevered for 10 years since. Stocks of immobilized benthic carbon averaged nearly 15 g m -2 . WAP ice scouring may be recycling 80 000 tonnes of carbon yr -1 . Without scouring, such carbon would remain immobilized and the 2.3% of shelf which are shallows could be as productive as all the remaining continental shelf. The region's future, when glaciers reach grounding lines and iceberg production diminishes, is as a major global sink of carbon storage. © 2016 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. GASPACHO: a generic automatic solver using proximal algorithms for convex huge optimization problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goossens, Bart; Luong, Hiêp; Philips, Wilfried

    2017-08-01

    Many inverse problems (e.g., demosaicking, deblurring, denoising, image fusion, HDR synthesis) share various similarities: degradation operators are often modeled by a specific data fitting function while image prior knowledge (e.g., sparsity) is incorporated by additional regularization terms. In this paper, we investigate automatic algorithmic techniques for evaluating proximal operators. These algorithmic techniques also enable efficient calculation of adjoints from linear operators in a general matrix-free setting. In particular, we study the simultaneous-direction method of multipliers (SDMM) and the parallel proximal algorithm (PPXA) solvers and show that the automatically derived implementations are well suited for both single-GPU and multi-GPU processing. We demonstrate this approach for an Electron Microscopy (EM) deconvolution problem.

  3. Huge femoral artery pseudoaneurysm in a patient with Behçet’s disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tarlaan Hasanaghaei

    2017-10-01

    Conclusion: Arterial pseudoaneurysm is life-threatening in BD and should be kept in mind to prevent major complications. Vascular involvement in BD patients is probably associated with hyperhomocysteinemia.

  4. Effect of Different Organic Wastes on Soil Propertie s and Plant Growth and Yield: a Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hossain M. Z.

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The use of organic wastes in agriculture plays a great role in recycling essential plant nutrients, sustaining soil security as well as protecting the environment from unwanted hazards. This review article deals with the effect of different kinds of organic wastes on soil properties and plant growth and yield. Municipal solid waste is mainly used as a source of nitrogen and organic matter, improving soil properties and microbial activity that are closely related to soil fertility. Biowaste and food waste increase pH, nitrogen content, cation exchange capacity, water holding capacity, and microbial biomass in soil. Sewage sludge contains various amounts of organic matter and huge amounts of plant nutrients. Manure is a common waste which improves soil properties by adding nutrients and increases microbial and enzyme activity in soil. It also reduces toxicity of some heavy metals. These organic wastes have a great positive impact on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties as well as stimulate plant growth and thus increase the yield of crops.

  5. Menthol-induced bleaching rapidly and effectively provides experimental aposymbiotic sea anemones (Aiptasia sp.) for symbiosis investigations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matthews, Jennifer L; Sproles, Ashley E; Oakley, Clinton A; Grossman, Arthur R; Weis, Virginia M; Davy, Simon K

    2016-02-01

    Experimental manipulation of the symbiosis between cnidarians and photosynthetic dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium spp.) is crucial to advancing the understanding of the cellular mechanisms involved in host-symbiont interactions, and overall coral reef ecology. The anemone Aiptasia sp. is a model for cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis, and notably it can be rendered aposymbiotic (i.e. dinoflagellate-free) and re-infected with a range of Symbiodinium types. Various methods exist for generating aposymbiotic hosts; however, they can be hugely time consuming and not wholly effective. Here, we optimise a method using menthol for production of aposymbiotic Aiptasia. The menthol treatment produced aposymbiotic hosts within just 4 weeks (97-100% symbiont loss), and the condition was maintained long after treatment when anemones were held under a standard light:dark cycle. The ability of Aiptasia to form a stable symbiosis appeared to be unaffected by menthol exposure, as demonstrated by successful re-establishment of the symbiosis when anemones were experimentally re-infected. Furthermore, there was no significant impact on photosynthetic or respiratory performance of re-infected anemones. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  6. Usability, Communicability and Cultural Tourism in Interactive Systems: Trends, Economic Effects and Social Impact

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cipolla Ficarra, Francisco V.; Nicol, Emma; Cipolla-Ficarra, Miguel

    We have developed a set of techniques and an analysis methodology aimed at boosting the quality of interactive tourism systems. The details of it will be presented in full and with real examples which have yielded interesting results in the last few years, both from the social and economical point of view, but with a huge wealth of cultural and natural heritage. We will also present a first guidelines to foster tourism in those villages that are willing to promote themselves in the national and international market at a low cost.

  7. Therapeutic Engagement as a Predictor of Retention in Adolescent Therapeutic Community Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdel-Salam, Sami; Gunter, Whitney D.

    2014-01-01

    The adolescent drug problem places a huge toll on society and a heavy burden on the criminal justice system. Research regarding the benefits of therapeutic community (TC) treatment for adolescents has shown it to be effective. Despite the ability of therapeutic communities to lower drug relapse and reduce criminality, a great deal remains unknown…

  8. Multitasking or Continuous Partial Attention: A Critical Bottleneck for Digital Natives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Firat, Mehmet

    2013-01-01

    With the beginning of the second half of the past century, advances in Information and Communication Technologies had unprecedented influence deeply felt in all social structures. The effects were so much widespread that the differences in technology use have created a huge gap between generations in terms of everyday life and lifestyle. As a…

  9. Public opinion about nuclear energy is in a change process: we have moved from opposition to the consideration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nunez, P.

    2012-01-01

    The nuclear sector in Spain is making huge affords towards improving public acceptance. the common trend is rigorous and professional diffusion and information regarding nuclear issues. The goal, besides informing on the excel ent results and impeccable performance of nuclear power plants, is for effective communication to offer society information on current activities. (Author)

  10. A Study on the Motivational Strategies in College English Flipped Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suo, Jia; Hou, Xiuying

    2017-01-01

    Flipped classroom is a great reform that brings a huge impact on the classroom teaching. Its essence is autonomous leaning, whose effect is determined by students' motivation. Therefore, to bring the advantages of the flipped classroom into full play, the top priority is to stimulate students' motivation. The paper makes a study on the…

  11. A review of China’s approaches toward a sustainable energy future: the period since 1990

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhu, Xianli; Zhuang, Guiyang; Xiong, Na

    2014-01-01

    policy-making in China, as well as to other developing countries facing similar challenges. This article gives a brief overview and assessment of the Chinese approaches toward ensuring a sustainable future. It starts with a description of the challenges facing China in securing universal, clean......China’s rapid economic growth in the past few decades has been accompanied by huge increases in energy demand. The Chinese energy sector faces the multiple challenges of mobilizing huge investment to keep energy supplies in line with increases in demand, securing international oil and gas supplies...... to meet the widening gap between domestic demand and supply, and reducing environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Identifying China’s approaches toward ensuring a sustainable energy future in the last two decades and assessing their effectiveness can be of great value to the future of energy...

  12. Radioactive waste: the poisoned legacy of the nuclear industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rousselet, Y.

    2011-01-01

    The nuclear industry produces a huge amount of radioactive waste from one end to the other of the nuclear cycle: i.e. from mining uranium to uranium enrichment through reactor operating, waste reprocessing and dismantling nuclear power plants. Nuclear power is now being 'sold' to political leaders and citizens as an effective way to deal with climate change and ensure security of energy supplies. Nonetheless, nuclear energy is not a viable solution and is thus a major obstacle to the development of clean energy for the future. In addition to safety and security issues, the nuclear industry is, above all, faced with the huge problem of how to deal with the waste it produces and for which it has no solution. This ought to put a brake on the nuclear industry, but instead, against all expectations, its development continues to gather pace. (author)

  13. Reel ve Finansal Göstergeler Açısından 1929 Ekonomik Buhranı ve 2008 Küresel Krizi: Karşılaştırmalı Bir Analiz(1929 Economic Depression and 2008 Global Crisis in Terms of Real and Financial Indicators: A Comparative Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nihat IŞIK

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available There have been lots of debates about differences and similarities between 1929 depression that had deep impacts on the world economy; and 2008 global crisis known as the deepest crisis since 1929; in terms of their occurrence reasons and progress trends. One of those similarities is about the crises global dimension. For instance, both of the crises formed in the United States (US economy first and spread fast and afterwards affected the European and other economies. Other similarity is, both of the crisis started at finance sector firstly and expanded to real sector because of interdependence among countries. Normally effects of both crisis caused huge shrinkages in growth rates and huge increases in unemployment rates. Some of the differences are; nowadays there is much more knowledge and experience compared to past years to overcome economic crises, differences among external trade policies following the crisis and common behaviors of countries etc. This study aims to present the effects of 1929 Depression and 2008 Global Crisis on real and financial sector comparatively.

  14. Antibacterial Behavior of Additively Manufactured Porous Titanium with Nanotubular Surfaces Releasing Silver Ions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Amin Yavari, S.; Loozen, L.; Paganelli, F. L.; Bakhshandeh, S.; Lietaert, K.; Groot, J. A.; Fluit, A. C.; Boel, C. H E; Alblas, J.; Vogely, H. C.; Weinans, H.; Zadpoor, A. A.

    2016-01-01

    Additive manufacturing (3D printing) has enabled fabrication of geometrically complex and fully interconnected porous biomaterials with huge surface areas that could be used for biofunctionalization to achieve multifunctional biomaterials. Covering the huge surface area of such porous titanium with

  15. Effect of embelin on lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus in albino rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashish K Sahu

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To evaluate the nephroprotective and anti-polyuric role of embelin on lithium induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI in albino rats. Methods: NDI induced by lithium chloride (4 meq/kg/day, i.p. for 6 days which leads to huge amount of urine excretion. After induction of NDI, embelin (50 and 100mg/kg was administered orally, once daily for 21 day in rats and N-acetyl cysteine (10mg/kg, twice daily, i.p. was used as a standard drug for treatment of NDI. The body weight, urine protein, urine creatinine, plasma creatinine, blood urea nitrogen were assessed at 0, 7, 14 and 21 day. At the end of the study glutathione (GSH content in kidney was assessed and histopathology of kidney was performed. Results: Embelin 50 and 100 mg/ kg showed increase in the body weight and decrease in plasma and urine creatinine, blood urea nitrogen levels, and urine protein level. Embelin acts as a potent antioxidant; it increases the level of glutathione in kidney. Histopathological examination of the kidney indicated that embelin 50 and 100 mg/kg were reduced the vascular degeneration of tubules as well as slight degeneration and dilatation of renal tubules, however N-actyl cysteine (NAC treated rats showed normal glomeruli and renal tubule with slight degeneration. Conclusions: Embelin seemed to be effective in NDI by its predominant effect on promoting antioxidant status and decrease the urine excretion may be due to the blocking of sodium channels.

  16. Energy saving effect of desiccant ventilation system using Wakkanai siliceous shale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nabeshima, Yuki; Togawa, Jun-ya; Nagano, Katsunori; Kazuyo, Tsuzuki

    2017-10-01

    The nuclear power station accident resulting from the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster has resulted in a constrained electricity supply. However, in this Asian region there is high temperature and high humidity and consequently dehumidification process requires a huge amount of energy. This is the reason for the increasing energy consumption in the residential and commercial sectors. Accordingly, a high efficiency air-conditioning system is needed to be developed. The desiccant ventilation system is effective to reduce energy consumption for the dehumidification process. This system is capable of dehumidifying without dew condensing unlike a conventional air-conditioning system. Then we focused on Wakkanai Siliceous Shale (WSS) as a desiccant material to develop a new desiccant ventilation system. This is low priced, high performance, new type of thing. The aim of this study is to develop a desiccant ventilation unit using the WSS rotor which can be regenerated with low-temperature by numerical calculation. The results of performance prediction of the desiccant unit, indicate that it is possible to regenerate the WSS rotor at low-temperature of between 35 - 45 °C. In addition, we produced an actual measurement for the desiccant unit and air-conditioning unit. This air-conditioning system was capable to reduce roughly 40 % of input energy consumption.

  17. Mesenchymal stem cells as therapeutic target of biophysical stimulation for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders

    OpenAIRE

    Viganò, M; Sansone, V; D'Agostino, M; Romeo, P; Perucca Orfei, C; de Girolamo, L

    2016-01-01

    Background Musculoskeletal disorders are regarded as a major cause of worldwide morbidity and disability, and they result in huge costs for national health care systems. Traditional therapies frequently turned out to be poorly effective in treating bone, cartilage, and tendon disorders or joint degeneration. As a consequence, the development of novel biological therapies that can treat more effectively these conditions should be the highest priority in regenerative medicine. Main body of the ...

  18. Next generation passive optical networks based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing techniques

    OpenAIRE

    Escayola Elias, Francesc Xavier

    2015-01-01

    In recent decades, the industry of communications has acquired huge significance, and nowadays constitutes an essential tool for the society information. Thus, the exponential growth in demand of broadband services and the increasing amount of information to be transmitted have spurred the evolution of the access network infrastructure to effectively meet the user needs in an effective way in terms of costs of both installation and maintenance. Passive optical networks (PON) are current...

  19. Learning Analytics at Low Cost: At-Risk Student Prediction with Clicker Data and Systematic Proactive Interventions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Samuel P. M.; Lam, S. S.; Li, Kam Cheong; Wong, Billy T. M.

    2018-01-01

    While learning analytics (LA) practices have been shown to be practical and effective, most of them require a huge amount of data and effort. This paper reports a case study which demonstrates the feasibility of practising LA at a low cost for instructors to identify at-risk students in an undergraduate business quantitative methods course.…

  20. Illicit Drug Trade, Black Money and Society in Western Amazon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Akbar Sharifi

    2003-11-01

    Well-known families which have relations not only with criminal organizations but also with police forces, control cocaine market and obtain huge wealth which spreads their power and influence over this state. In this article, the author reviews the effects of cocaine trade on emerging black money as well as the influnce of criminal groups over society.

  1. Control of climate and Tethyan legacy on distribution of Paleocene ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Shrestha Das

    2018-05-29

    May 29, 2018 ... unusual effect because of its rapidity. It may be ... whole epoch in a single time frame, it was still able ..... and the Eocene was concentrated in many shallow ... also thought that the current was from east to .... deep ocean water is a huge barrier to dispersal. It ... also attests to the temperature sensitivity of this.

  2. Simulation of motional eddy current phenomena in soft magnetic material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gersem, Herbert de; Hameyer, Kay

    2001-01-01

    The finite element simulation of conductors moving in a magnetic field at elevated speeds, yields oscillatory solutions. To overcome the effect of the huge convection terms, the partial differential equation is stabilised by adding artificial diffusion. Accurate results are obtained by applying adaptive mesh refinement. A rotational magnetic brake with a solid ferromagnetic rotor is simulated

  3. The North East of England successfully uniting as a region behind the campaign for the implementation of standardised packaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ailsa Rutter

    2018-03-01

    Working through the SFAC ensured that there was a huge ground swell of support in the NE and scores of organisations were able to unite around an effective campaign. Collaboration internationally was also pivotal including the leadership from Australia. The introduction of standardised packaging is another key milestone in the NE ambition to Make Smoking History.

  4. On photoionization in the hard X-ray region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amusia, M Ya; Chernysheva, L V; Yarzhemsky, V G

    2014-01-01

    It is demonstrated that recent experiments on ionization of 3p and 3s electrons in Ni film and solid body [1] cannot be described in the frames of Hartree-Fock or the random phase approximation with exchange. The deviation is so big that from the theoretical side it requires inclusion of huge and yet unknown effects.

  5. Making Your Secondary School E-Safe: Whole School Cyberbullying and E-Safety Strategies for Meeting Ofsted Requirements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katz, Adrienne

    2016-01-01

    The internet and mobile devices play a huge role in teenagers' home and school life, and it is becoming more and more important to effectively address e-safety in secondary schools. This practical book provides guidance on how to teach and promote e-safety and tackle cyberbullying with real-life examples from schools of what works and what schools…

  6. Simulation of motional eddy current phenomena in soft magnetic material

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Gersem, Herbert; Hameyer, Kay

    2001-05-01

    The finite element simulation of conductors moving in a magnetic field at elevated speeds, yields oscillatory solutions. To overcome the effect of the huge convection terms, the partial differential equation is stabilised by adding artificial diffusion. Accurate results are obtained by applying adaptive mesh refinement. A rotational magnetic brake with a solid ferromagnetic rotor is simulated.

  7. Effects of low-level radioactive soil contamination and sterilization on the degradation of radiolabeled wheat straw

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niedrée, Bastian; Vereecken, Harry; Burauel, Peter

    2012-01-01

    After the explosion of reactor 4 in the nuclear power plant near Chernobyl, huge agricultural areas became contaminated with radionuclides. In this study, we want to elucidate whether 137 Cs and 90 Sr affect microorganisms and their community structure and functions in agricultural soil. For this purpose, the mineralization of radiolabeled wheat straw was examined in lab-scale microcosms. Native soils and autoclaved and reinoculated soils were incubated for 70 days at 20 °C. After incubation, the microbial community structure was compared via 16S and 18S rDNA denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The radioactive contamination with 137 Cs and 90 Sr was found to have little effect on community structure and no effect on the straw mineralization. The autoclaving and reinoculation of soil had a strong influence on the mineralization and the community structure. Additionally we analyzed the effect of soil treatment on mineralization and community composition. It can be concluded that other environmental factors (such as changing content of dissolved organic carbon) are much stronger regulating factors in the mineralization of wheat straw and that low-level radiation only plays a minor role. - Highlights: ► We observed the impact of contamination with Cs-137 and Sr-90 on soil functions. ► Microbial community was altered slightly. ► Mineralization of wheat straw was not affected. ► Microbes growing on applied straw compete for nutrients with soil microbes.

  8. Requirements under decree 430 UJD for unit outlet and standby power supply

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vanco, K.

    2012-01-01

    At present, the nuclear power plants are only sufficient resources, which can cover a huge demand for electricity. Concentration so huge power in one place require adequate security from the perspective lead power outlet and standby power supply of reactor unit. (Author)

  9. Toxic effect of two kinds of mineral collectors on soil microbial richness and activity: analysis by microcalorimetry, microbial count, and enzyme activity assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bararunyeretse, Prudence; Yao, Jun; Dai, Yunrong; Bigawa, Samuel; Guo, Zunwei; Zhu, Mijia

    2017-01-01

    Flotation reagents are hugely and increasingly used in mining and other industrial and economic activities from which an important part is discharged into the environment. China could be the most affected country by the resulting pollution. However, their ecotoxicological dimension is still less addressed and understood. This study aimed to analyze the toxic effect of sodium isobutyl xanthate (SIBX) and sodium isopropyl xanthate (SIPX) to soil microbial richness and activity and to make a comparison between the two compounds in regard to their effects on soil microbial and enzymes activities. Different methods, including microcalorimetry, viable cell counts, cell density, and catalase and fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrololase activities measurement, were applied. The two chemicals exhibited a significant inhibitory effect (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) to all parameters, SIPX being more adverse than SIBX. As the doses of SIBX and SIPX increased from 5 to 300 μg g -1 soil, their inhibitory ratio ranged from 4.84 to 45.16 % and from 16.13 to 69.68 %, respectively. All parameters fluctuated with the incubation time (10-day period). FDA hydrolysis was more directly affected but was relatively more resilient than catalase activity. Potential changes of those chemicals in the experimental media and complementarity between experimental techniques were justified.

  10. Effects of a Capital Investment and a Discount Rate on the Optimal Operational Duration of an HLW Repository

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Sung Ki; Lee, Min Soo; Choi, Heui Joo; Choi, Jong Won

    2008-01-01

    This study aims to estimate the effects of a capital investment and a discount rate on the optimal operational duration of an HLW repository. According to the previous researches of the KRS(Korea Reference System) for an HLW repository, the amounts of 7,068,200 C$K and 2,636.2 MEUR are necessary to construct and operate surface and underground facilities. Since these huge costs can be a burden to some national economies, a study for a cost optimization should be performed. So we aim to drive the dominant cost driver for an optimal operational duration. A longer operational duration may be needed to dispose of more spent fuels continuously from a nuclear power plant, or to attain a retrievability of an HLW repository at a depth of 500 m below the ground level in a stable plutonic rock body. In this sense, an extended operational duration for an HLW repository affects the overall disposal costs of a repository. In this paper, only the influence of a capital investment and a discount rate was estimated from the view of optimized economics. Because these effects must be significant factors to minimize the overall disposal costs based on minimizing the sum of operational costs and capital investments

  11. The effect of residential choice on the travel distance and the implications for sustainable development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eka Putra, Kaspan

    2018-03-01

    For Medan citizens, the choice of residence location depends on the ability to buy a house. House price is determined by the price of land where the housing is located. The more to the edge of the city the location of a house, then the price will be lower. So that the suburbs of Medan become the residential choice for the citizens of low-income. The residential choice will affect the distance of the journey to the workplace. This study analyzed the effect of residential choice on the travel distance and the implications for the implementation of sustainable development. The data used in this study is the primary data obtained through the survey held in Medan. The research approach is quantitative with the data analysis technique of Structural Equation Model (SEM). The results show that low-income citizens tend to choose the location of suburbs, while they work in the urban area. The location of the residence affects the daily travel distance is very high. The travel distance that is the very high effect the use of private vehicle mode. The use of private vehicles for long travel distance requires a huge energy. The use of very high fuel oils is a waste of energy and can increase air pollution. This is not in accordance with the concept of sustainable development.

  12. The effects of oil price shocks in a new-Keynesian framework with capital accumulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Acurio Vásconez, Verónica; Giraud, Gaël; Mc Isaac, Florent; Pham, Ngoc-Sang

    2015-01-01

    The economic implications of oil price shocks have been extensively studied since the 1970s. Despite this huge literature, no dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model was available that captures two well-known stylized facts: (1) the stagflationary impact of an oil price shock, together with (2) the influence of the energy efficiency of capital on the depth and length of this impact. We build, estimate and simulate a New-Keynesian model with capital accumulation, which takes the case of an economy where oil is imported from abroad, and where these stylized facts can be accounted for. Moreover, the Bayesian estimation of the model on the US economy (1984–2007) suggests that the output elasticity of oil might have been above 10%, stressing the role of oil use in US growth at this time. Finally, our simulations confirm that an increase in energy efficiency significantly attenuates the effects of an oil shock—a possible explanation of why the third oil shock (1999–2008) did not have the same macro-economic impact as the first two ones. These results suggest that oil consumption and energy efficiency have been two major engines for US growth in the last three decades.

  13. Cost-Effectiveness of Nicotine Patches for Smoking Cessation in Pregnancy: A Placebo Randomized Controlled Trial (SNAP).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Essex, Holly N; Parrott, Steve; Wu, Qi; Li, Jinshuo; Cooper, Sue; Coleman, Tim

    2015-06-01

    Smoking during pregnancy is the most important, preventable cause of adverse pregnancy outcomes including miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight with huge financial costs to the National Health Service. However, there are very few published economic evaluations of smoking cessation interventions in pregnancy and previous studies are predominantly U.S.-based and do not present incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER). A number of studies have demonstrated cost-effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in the general population, but this has yet to be tested among pregnant smokers. A cost-effectiveness analysis was undertaken alongside the smoking, nicotine, and pregnancy trial to compare NRT patches plus behavioral support to behavioral support alone, for pregnant women who smoked. At delivery, biochemically verified quit rates were slightly higher at 9.4% in the NRT group compared to 7.6% in the control group (odds ratio = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.82-1.96), at an increased cost of around £90 per participant. Higher costs in the NRT group were mainly attributable to the cost of NRT patches (mean = £46.07). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio associated with NRT was £4,926 per quitter and a sensitivity analysis including only singleton births yielded an ICER of £4,156 per quitter. However, wide confidence intervals indicated a high level of uncertainty. Without a specific willingness to pay threshold, and due to high levels of statistical uncertainty, it is hard to determine the cost-effectiveness of NRT in this population. Furthermore, future research should address compliance issues, as these may dilute any potential effects of NRT, thus reducing the cost-effectiveness. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Behaviour of Belle II ARICH Hybrid Avalanche Photo-Detector in magnetic field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kindo, H.; Adachi, I.; Dolenec, R.; Hataya, K.; Iori, S.; Iwata, S.; Kakuno, H.; Kataura, R.; Kawai, H.; Kobayashi, T.; Konno, T.; Korpar, S.; Kriz˘an, P.; Kumita, T.; Mrvar, M.; Nishida, S.; Ogawa, K.; Ogawa, S.; Pestotnik, R.; Šantelj, L.; Sumiyoshi, T.; Tabata, M.; Yonenaga, M.; Yusa, Y.

    2017-12-01

    The proximity-focusing Aerogel Ring-Imaging Cherenkov detector (ARICH) has been designed to separate kaons from pions in the forward end-cap of the Belle II spectrometer. The detector will be placed in 1.5 T magnetic field and must have immunity to it. In ARICH R&D, we solve the problem with new equipment called Hybrid Avalanche Photo-Detector (HAPD) which developed by Hamamatsu Photonics. Recently the production of about 500 HAPDs was completed. We test HAPDs in magnetic field in KEK. We found some HAPDs have significant amount of dead time, which reaches up to 30% in the worst case. The dead time is caused by very large (more than 10,000 times larger than a single photon signal) and frequent (∼5 Hz) signals, which make electronics paralysed. The huge signals are observed in about 30% of HAPDs. To identify the origin and understand the mechanism, we perform some extra test of HAPDs. We find a strange dependence of the huge signals to the APD bias voltage. If we reduce the bias voltage applied to one of the 4 APDs by 10 V, the frequency of the huge signals is much reduced. On the other hand, if we reduce the voltage of all the 4 HAPDs, huge signals do not decrease, or even increase in some case. We also find the huge signals seems to be related to the vacuum inside HAPD. We present about the observation of the huge signals of HAPDs in the magnetic field, and our strategy to manage it.

  15. Failure of Sengstaken balloon tamponade for rebleeding after tissue adhesive injection in a fundic varix

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nieuwenhuis, JA; Peters, FTM; Sanders, J; Van der Werf, TS; Zijlstra, JG

    A 61-year-old man developed a huge fundic varix due to portal hypertension in alcoholic liver cirrhosis. After a third injection therapy session with tissue adhesive (Histoacryl(R)) massive hemorrhage developed. Sengstaken (gastric) balloon tamponade failed. Autopsy showed a huge, solid varix with a

  16. Three is a crowd? Exploring the potential of crowdfunding for renewable energy in the Netherlands : New approaches for transitions to low fossil carbon societies: promoting opportunities for effective development, diffusion andimplementation of technologies, policies and strategies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vasileiadou, E.; Huijben, J.C.C.M.; Raven, R.P.J.M.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/41331927X

    2016-01-01

    Abstract There is a huge gap between demand and supply of finance for energy transitions, and the financial and economic crisis have had a negative impact in the already meagre funds for transforming the energy system towards renewable sources. In this paper we explore whether crowdfunding for

  17. Empirical evaluation of augmented prototyping effectiveness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomáš Koubek

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Augmented reality is a scientific field well known for more than twenty years. Although there is a huge number of projects that present promising results, the real usage of augmented reality applications for fulfilling common tasks is almost negligible. We believe that one of the principal reasons is insufficient usability of these applications. The situation is analogous to the desktop, mobile or cloud application development or even to the web pages design. The first phase of a technology adoption is the exploration of its potential. As soon as the technical problems are overcome and the technology is widely accepted, the usability is a principal issue. The usability is utmost important also from the business point of view. The cost of augmented reality implementation into the production process is substantial, therefore, the usability that is directly responsible for the implemented solution effectiveness must be appropriately tested. Consequently, the benefit of the implemented solution can be measured.This article briefly outlines common techniques used for usability evaluation. Discussed techniques were designed especially for evaluation of desktop applications, mobile solutions and web pages. In spite of this drawback, their application on augmented reality products is usually possible. Further, a review of existing augmented reality project evaluations is presented.Based on this review, a usability evaluation method for our augmented prototyping application is proposed. This method must overcome the fact that the design is a creative process. Therefore, it is not possible to take into account common criteria such as time consumption.

  18. Effect of Thermal Processing towards Lipid Oxidation and Non-enzymatic Browning Reactions of Antartic Krill (Euphausia superba) Meal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yanzi; Cong, Peixu; Li, Beijia; Song, Yu; Liu, Yanjun; Xu, Jie; Xue, Changhu

    2018-04-13

    Antarctic krill is a huge source of biomass and prospective high-quality lipid source. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), nutritionally important lipid components with poor oxidative stability, were used as markers of oxidation during thermal processing of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) meal by evaluating the lipolysis, lipid oxidation, and non-enzymatic browning reactions. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of the phospholipids (PLs) and the main oxidation products of free fatty acids (FFAs) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) was effective for evaluating the oxidation of EPA and DHA. During boiling, oxidation of EPA and DHA in the FFA and PC fractions and hydrolysis of the fatty acids at the sn-2 position of the PLs were predominant. The changes in PC during drying were mainly attributed to the oxidation of EPA and DHA. Heat treatment increased the oxidation products and concentration of hydrophobic pyrrole owing to pyrrolization between phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and the lipid oxidation products. The lipid oxidation level of Antarctic krill increased after drying, owing to prolonged heating under the severe conditions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  19. Low dose effects of ionizing radiations in in vitro and in vivo biological systems: a multi-scale approach study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antoccia, A.; Berardinelli, F.; Argazzi, E.; Balata, M.; Bedogni, R.

    2011-01-01

    Long-term biological effects of low-dose radiation are little known nowadays and its carcinogenic risk is estimated on the assumption that risk remains linearly proportional to the radiation dose down to low-dose levels. However in the last 20 years this hypothesis has gradually begun to seem in contrast with a huge collection of experimental evidences, which has shown the presence of plethora of non-linear phenomena (including hypersensitivity and induced radioresistance, adaptive response, and non-targeted phenomena like bystander effect and genomic instability) occurring after low-dose irradiation. These phenomena might imply a non-linear behaviour of cancer risk curves in the low-dose region and question the validity of the Linear No-Threshold (LNT) model currently used for cancer risk assessment through extrapolation from existing high-dose data. Moreover only few information is available regarding the effects induced on cryo preserved cells by multi-year background radiation exposure, which might induce a radiation-damage accumulation, due to the inhibition of cellular repair mechanisms. In this framework, the multi-year Excalibur (Exposure effects at low doses of ionizing radiation in biological culture) experiment, funded by INFN-CNS5, has undertaken a multi-scale approach investigation on the biological effects induced in in vitro and in vivo biological systems, in culture and cryo preserved conditions, as a function of radiation quality (X/γ-rays, protons, He-4 ions of various energies) and dose, with particular emphasis on the low-dose region and non-linear phenomena, in terms of different biological endpoints.

  20. Specialist group therapy for psychological factors associated with firesetting: Evidence of a treatment effect from a non-randomized trial with male prisoners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gannon, Theresa A; Alleyne, Emma; Butler, Helen; Danby, Harriet; Kapoor, Aparna; Lovell, Tamsin; Mozova, Katarina; Spruin, Elizabeth; Tostevin, Tracey; Tyler, Nichola; Ciardha, Caoilte Ó

    2015-10-01

    Despite huge societal costs associated with firesetting, no standardized therapy has been developed to address this hugely damaging behavior. This study reports the evaluation of the first standardized CBT group designed specifically to target deliberate firesetting in male prisoners (the Firesetting Intervention Programme for Prisoners; FIPP). Fifty-four male prisoners who had set a deliberate fire were referred for FIPP treatment by their prison establishment and psychologically assessed at baseline, immediately post treatment, and three-months post treatment. Prisoners who were treatment eligible yet resided at prison establishments not identified for FIPP treatment were recruited as Treatment as Usual controls and tested at equivalent time-points. Results showed that FIPP participants improved on one of three primary outcomes (i.e., problematic fire interest and associations with fire), and made some improvement on secondary outcomes (i.e., attitudes towards violence and antisocial attitudes) post treatment relative to controls. Most notable gains were made on the primary outcome of fire interest and associations with fire and individuals who gained in this area tended to self-report more serious firesetting behavior. FIPP participants maintained all key improvements at three-month follow up. These outcomes suggest that specialist CBT should be targeted at those holding the most serious firesetting history. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. The dilemma for Japanese students

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Martinsen, Anders

    2014-01-01

    The Japanese job hunting system inhibits Japanese students from studying abroad. A Japanese professor says it is a huge dilemma for the students.......The Japanese job hunting system inhibits Japanese students from studying abroad. A Japanese professor says it is a huge dilemma for the students....

  2. The Effect of External Debt on Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernardin Senadza

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: This paper examines the effect of external debt on economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA in view of an upsurge in the level of external debt in many countries on the continent. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses annual data for 39 SSA countries from 1990 to 2013 and employs the System Generalised Methods of Moments (GMM estimation technique. Findings: The paper finds that external debt negatively affects economic growth in SSA. Categorization of countries based on per capita income however does not affect the external debt-growth nexus, neither does there exist a non-linear relationship between external debt and economic growth. Research limitations/implications: The finding of a negative relationship between external debt and growth does not necessarily imply that SSA countries should cut back on foreign borrowing in other to boost growth. Rather, given the huge savings gaps in some of the countries, what governments in SSA must do is to ensure that the foreign loans are invested in projects that would eventually generate enough returns to amortize the debt. Originality/value: Not only does the present paper extend to more recent data but we also apply one of the frontier econometric techniques - the system GMM approach - to unravel the external debt-economic growth dynamics in SSA.

  3. Implementing Demons and Ratchets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter M. Orem

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Experimental results show that ratchets may be implemented in semiconductor and chemical systems, bypassing the second law and opening up huge gains in energy production. This paper summarizes or describes experiments and results on systems that effect demons and ratchets operating in chemical or electrical domains. One creates temperature differences that can be harvested by a heat engine. A second produces light with only heat input. A third produces harvestable electrical potential directly. These systems share creating particles in one location, destroying them in another and moving them between locations by diffusion (Brownian motion. All absorb ambient heat as they produce other energy forms. None requires an external hot and cold side. The economic and social impacts of these conversions of ambient heat to work are, of course, well-understood and huge. The experimental results beg for serious work on the chance that they are valid.

  4. Radioactive waste: the poisoned legacy of the nuclear industry; Dechets radioactifs: l'heritage empoisonne du nucleaire

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rousselet, Y. [Campagne Climat/Energie - Greenpeace (France)

    2011-02-15

    The nuclear industry produces a huge amount of radioactive waste from one end to the other of the nuclear cycle: i.e. from mining uranium to uranium enrichment through reactor operating, waste reprocessing and dismantling nuclear power plants. Nuclear power is now being 'sold' to political leaders and citizens as an effective way to deal with climate change and ensure security of energy supplies. Nonetheless, nuclear energy is not a viable solution and is thus a major obstacle to the development of clean energy for the future. In addition to safety and security issues, the nuclear industry is, above all, faced with the huge problem of how to deal with the waste it produces and for which it has no solution. This ought to put a brake on the nuclear industry, but instead, against all expectations, its development continues to gather pace. (author)

  5. Biodiesel production from castor oil in Brazil: A difficult reality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva Cesar, Aldara da; Otavio Batalha, Mario

    2010-01-01

    The Brazilian National Program for Production and Use of Biodiesel (PNPB in Portuguese) has created a huge demand for biodiesel in Brazil. The PNPB is strongly based on social development through the inclusion of family farmers in projects integrated with biodiesel power plants. Among the various oilseeds, castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) was identified as the ideal one to promote social development in the semi-arid region. However, although promising, the mechanisms of the federal program are still insufficient to promote the effective participation of family farmers. This research shows that companies are facing huge problems in implementing contracts with family farmers. It describes and analyzes the functioning dynamics of this agro-production chain. This paper addresses the identification and the discussion of these obstacles, in order to increase the competitiveness of the biodiesel agribusiness chain, based on castor oil social projects in Brazil.

  6. Effect of combinations of marketed human anthelmintic drugs against Trichuris muris in vitro and in vivo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keiser Jennifer

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Soil-transmitted helminth (STH infections are responsible for a huge public health burden, however treatment options are limited. The discovery and development of novel efficacious drugs or drug combinations for the treatment of STH infections therefore has a high research priority. Methods We studied drug combination effects using the main standard anthelmintics, albendazole, mebendazole, levamisole, pyrantel pamoate and ivermectin in the Trichuris muris model. Drug combinations were first tested in vitro and additive and synergistic combinations investigated further in vivo in female mice using ratios based on the ED50 of the respective drugs. Results In vitro all 10 combinations of the standard anthelmintics tested against T. muris revealed synergistic behavior. We identified three drug combinations in vivo as strongly synergistic, namely mebendazole-ivermectin (Combination index (CI=0.16, mebendazole-levamisole (CI=0.17 and albendazole-mebendazole (CI=0.23. For albendazole-ivermectin, moderate synergism was observed (CI=0.81 and for albendazole-levamisole a nearly additive effect was documented (CI=0.93 in vivo. Five combinations (albendazole-pyrantel pamoate, mebendazole-pyrantel pamoate, levamisole-pyrantel pamoate, levamisole-ivermectin and pyrantel pamoate-ivermectin were antagonistic in vivo. Conclusion Our results strengthen the evidence that combination chemotherapy might play a role in the treatment of Trichuris infections. Albendazole-mebendazole should be studied in greater detail in preclinical studies.

  7. Effects of psycho-behavioral interventions on immune functioning in cancer patients: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Guixian; Geng, Qingqing; Cheng, Jing; Chai, Jing; Xia, Yi; Feng, Rui; Zhang, Lu; Wang, Debin

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed at summarizing evidence about effects of psycho-behavioral interventions (PBIs) on immune responses among cancer patients and analyzing quality of published studies so as to inform future researches. Literature retrieval utilized both highly inclusive algorithms searching randomized controlled studies published in English and Chinese and manual searching of eligible studies from references of relevant review papers. Two researchers examined the articles selected separately and extracted the information using a pre-designed form for soliciting data about the trials (e.g., sample size, disease status, intervention, immune responses) and quality ratings of the studies. Both narrative descriptions and meta-analysis (via Review manager 5) were used synthesizing the effects of PBIs on immune responses among cancer patients and state of art of the researches in this area. Seventy-six RCTs met inclusion criteria. PBIs implemented were divided into three major categories including psychological state adjustment, physical activity and dietary modification. Immune indicators measured included CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, CD4/CDC8+ ratio, CD3+ cells, NK cell activity, etc. Effects of PBIs on immune responses documented in individual papers were mixed and pooled analysis of CD4+ cells, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, CD3+ cells, NKCA, IgG, IgM and IL-2 showed modest effects. However, there were huge discrepancies in intervention effects between studies published in English and Chinese and the results should be interpreted with caution. Besides, most studies suffer from some quality flaws concerning blinding, randomization procedures, compliance, attrition and intention-to-treat analyses, etc. Although there are considerable evidences of PBI effects on some immune indicators, the effect sizes are modest and it is still premature to conclude whether PBIs have effects on immune functions among cancer patients. There is a clear need for much more rigorous efforts in this area

  8. Advertising Campaign: Building Creative Ideas

    OpenAIRE

    TANASE, George Cosmin

    2015-01-01

    Advertising is the most visible and most important instrument of the marketing communications mix. Large sums of money are spent on advertising, and no other marketing phenomenon is subject to so much public debate and controversy. Huge amounts of research are devoted to the question of what makes advertising effective and to the role of advertising characteristics on its effectiveness. As is the case with other communications instruments, special attention has to be devoted to the different ...

  9. Effects of Pyrolysis Temperature on Product Yields and Energy Recovery from Co-Feeding of Cotton Gin Trash, Cow Manure, and Microalgae: A Simulation Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanif, Muhammad Usman; Capareda, Sergio C.; Iqbal, Hamid; Arazo, Renato Ortiz; Baig, Muhammad Anwar

    2016-01-01

    The intensive search of new and cleaner energy catches interest in recent years due to huge consumption of fossil fuels coupled with the challenge of energy and environmental sustainability. Production of renewable and environmentally benign energy from locally available raw materials is coming in the frontline. In this work, conversion of the combined biomass (cotton gin trash, cow manure, and Microalgae [Nannochloropsis oculata]) through batch pyrolysis has been investigated. The effect of temperature to the production of energy fuels such as bio-oil, char, and biogas have been simulated considering the yield and energy content as responses. Result of the investigation generally revealed that the proportions of the different biomass did not significantly affect the product yield and energy recovery. Significant effect of temperature is evident in the simulation result of energy recovery whereby maximum conversion was achieved at 400°C for char (91 wt%), 600°C for syngas (22 wt%), and 551°C for bio-oil (48 wt%). Overall energy conversion efficiency of 75.5% was obtained at 589°C in which 15.6 MJ/kg of mixed biomass will be elevated to pyrolysis products. PMID:27043929

  10. The effect of macromolecular crowding on the electrostatic component of barnase-barstar binding: a computational, implicit solvent-based study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helena W Qi

    Full Text Available Macromolecular crowding within the cell can impact both protein folding and binding. Earlier models of cellular crowding focused on the excluded volume, entropic effect of crowding agents, which generally favors compact protein states. Recently, other effects of crowding have been explored, including enthalpically-related crowder-protein interactions and changes in solvation properties. In this work, we explore the effects of macromolecular crowding on the electrostatic desolvation and solvent-screened interaction components of protein-protein binding. Our simple model enables us to focus exclusively on the electrostatic effects of water depletion on protein binding due to crowding, providing us with the ability to systematically analyze and quantify these potentially intuitive effects. We use the barnase-barstar complex as a model system and randomly placed, uncharged spheres within implicit solvent to model crowding in an aqueous environment. On average, we find that the desolvation free energy penalties incurred by partners upon binding are lowered in a crowded environment and solvent-screened interactions are amplified. At a constant crowder density (fraction of total available volume occupied by crowders, this effect generally increases as the radius of model crowders decreases, but the strength and nature of this trend can depend on the water probe radius used to generate the molecular surface in the continuum model. In general, there is huge variation in desolvation penalties as a function of the random crowder positions. Results with explicit model crowders can be qualitatively similar to those using a lowered "effective" solvent dielectric to account for crowding, although the "best" effective dielectric constant will likely depend on multiple system properties. Taken together, this work systematically demonstrates, quantifies, and analyzes qualitative intuition-based insights into the effects of water depletion due to crowding on the

  11. Catalitic effect of Co on hydrogen desorption form nanostucturated magnesium hydride

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matović Ljiljana Lj.

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available To study the influence of 3d transition metal addition on desorption kinetics of MgH2 ball milling of MgH2-Co blends was performed under Ar. Microstructural and morphological characterization, performed by XRD and SEM, show a huge correlation with thermal stability and hydrogen desorption properties investigated by DSC. A complex desorption behavior is correlated with the dispersion of the metal additive particles on hydride matrix. The activation energy for H2 desorption from MgH2-Co composite was calculated from both non-isothermal and isothermal methods to be 130 kJ/mol which means that mutually diffusion and nucleation and growth of new phase control the dehydration process.

  12. IWKNN: An Effective Bluetooth Positioning Method Based on Isomap and WKNN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qi Wang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Recently, Bluetooth-based indoor positioning has become a hot research topic. However, the instability of Bluetooth RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator promotes a huge challenge in localization accuracy. To improve the localization accuracy, this paper measures the distance of RSSI vectors on their low-dimensional manifold and proposes a novel positioning method IWKNN (Isomap-based Weighted K-Nearest Neighbor. The proposed method firstly uses Isomap to generate low-dimensional embedding for RSSI vectors. Then, the distance of two given RSSI vectors is measured by Euclidean distance of their low-dimensional embeddings. Finally, the position is calculated by WKNN. Experiment indicates that the proposed approach is more robust and accurate.

  13. Complex nature of SNP genotype effects on gene expression in primary human leucocytes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dinesen Lotte C

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Genome wide association studies have been hugely successful in identifying disease risk variants, yet most variants do not lead to coding changes and how variants influence biological function is usually unknown. Methods We correlated gene expression and genetic variation in untouched primary leucocytes (n = 110 from individuals with celiac disease – a common condition with multiple risk variants identified. We compared our observations with an EBV-transformed HapMap B cell line dataset (n = 90, and performed a meta-analysis to increase power to detect non-tissue specific effects. Results In celiac peripheral blood, 2,315 SNP variants influenced gene expression at 765 different transcripts (cis expression quantitative trait loci, eQTLs. 135 of the detected SNP-probe effects (reflecting 51 unique probes were also detected in a HapMap B cell line published dataset, all with effects in the same allelic direction. Overall gene expression differences within the two datasets predominantly explain the limited overlap in observed cis-eQTLs. Celiac associated risk variants from two regions, containing genes IL18RAP and CCR3, showed significant cis genotype-expression correlations in the peripheral blood but not in the B cell line datasets. We identified 14 genes where a SNP affected the expression of different probes within the same gene, but in opposite allelic directions. By incorporating genetic variation in co-expression analyses, functional relationships between genes can be more significantly detected. Conclusion In conclusion, the complex nature of genotypic effects in human populations makes the use of a relevant tissue, large datasets, and analysis of different exons essential to enable the identification of the function for many genetic risk variants in common diseases.

  14. TREATMENT OF INTERNAL CAROTID ARTERY OCCLUSION USING PROXIMAL CEREBRAL PROTECTION DEVICE AND ITS EFFECT ON THE BLOOD PRESSURE DYNAMICS. CLINICAL CASE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. В. Shukurov

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In 2016, according to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, about 200 thousand people died from stroke. Strokes are considered as the main cause of disability of the population, causing huge economic damage to the country. One of the most common causes of ischemic stroke is atherosclerosis of the branches of the aortic arch. The most common localization of atherosclerotic plaques is the extracranial section of the carotid arteries – bifurcation and ostium of the common carotid artery and the internal carotid artery. Recanalization of occlusion of the internal carotid artery until recently was an insoluble task for interventional surgery due to the high risk of distal embolization. The invention and use of the proximal cerebral protection device, which ensure the complete cessation of blood flow, has changed the situation. Effect of carotid revascularization on arterial hypertension, due to the effect on the baroreceptors of the carotid plexus by balloon angioplasty, which leads to a reflex decrease in arterial pressure, is an additional advantage of the endovascular technique in some cases. This effect requires further study. One also needs to pay careful attention to the diagnosis and imaging of carotid artery lesions before procedure. This clinical case is the illustration that an adequate assessment of the risk factors for intraoperative complications allows to achieve maximum results of endovascular treatment.

  15. Trends in profiles of bacteria causing neonatal sepsis in Central ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Developing countries suffer from a huge burden of neonatal sepsis. Neonatal mortality and long term sequelae or morbidity portends huge costs for the poor Nigerian economy. We identified trends in bacterial agents implicated in neonatal sepsis and their antibiotic susceptibility profiles at the National Hospital Abuja over ...

  16. High performance adaptive image processing on multi-scale hybrid architectures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, Fangbin

    2015-01-01

    In such an exciting age of information explosion, huge amount of visual data are produced continuously 24 hours, 7 days in both daily life and scientific research. Processing and storage of such a huge amount of data forms big challenges. Use of supercomputers tackles the need-for-speed challenge

  17. 76 FR 66779 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the Concho Water Snake From the Federal...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-27

    ... (intermittent flow and poor water quality), such as red shiners (Cyprinella lutrensis) (Burkhead and Huge 2002... fish species to persist in harsh environments with intermittent water available (Burkhead and Huge 2002... their ability to grow fast and mature early. The ability of the species to utilize reservoirs is a...

  18. [Effect of fried bacon and parsley sauce on gastrointestinal symptoms in healthy old boys footballer].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grønbæk, Henning; Jensen, Mogens Pfeiffer

    2012-12-03

    Knowledge of the importance of diet on gastrointestinal function and symptoms is generally poorly. In recent years, The New Nordic Food Culture is suggested to have favourable effects. Unfortunally there are huge waiting lists at the most popular restaurants, so we investigated the more traditional "Nordic kitchen". There are no previous studies concerning intake of fried bacon and parsley sauce (FBPS) in healthy middle-aged footballers. Non-blinded, non-randomized, crossover study with a questionnaire survey of 18 healthy old boys footballers before and after FBPS intake. Ten players responded to the questionnaire, including one who was not exposed to FBPS. The median intake was 15 pieces of fried bacon (range 12-23), 1.5 dl parsley sauce (range 1-5 dl), and eight potatoes (range 6-30), but no dessert. We found a significantly increased stool frequency and a trend towards change in consistency compared to baseline. We found increased abdominal pain and a decrease in general well-being, but could not demonstrate any impact on complaints from the family. In otherwise healthy old boys footballers the FBPS diet has great impact on a range of gastrointestinal symptoms. FBPS affected stool frequency and abdominal pain, but caused no effect on family complaints. We cannot exclude a dose-response effect or a gender/age phenomenon; and we suggest supplemental dose-response studies and studies including women of all ages. Further, we recommend a detailed dietary assessment before referring patients with gastrointestinal symptoms for invasive procedures like colonoscopy or CT-scanning. none none.

  19. Library Automation Facilitation: A Case Study of NIT Libraries in India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Y. Srinivasa; Choudhury, B. K.

    2009-01-01

    India is a huge country with a population of more than 1 billion. In India, by tradition, education and learning are highly valued. In fact, India has one of the largest higher education systems in the world, with regard to the number of institutions. Education is a necessity. It is the most effective instrument with which to imbue people with the…

  20. Gender Differences in Mobile Phone Usage for Language Learning, Attitude, and Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hilao, Marites Piguing; Wichadee, Saovapa

    2017-01-01

    Mobile phone technology that has a huge impact on students' lives in the digital age may offer a new type of learning. The use of effective tool to support learning can be affected by the factor of gender. The current research compared how male and female students perceived mobile phones as a language learning tool, used mobile phones to learn…