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Sample records for samples show good

  1. The clustering evolution of distant red galaxies in the GOODS-MUSIC sample

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grazian, A.; Fontana, A.; Moscardini, L.; Salimbeni, S.; Menci, N.; Giallongo, E.; de Santis, C.; Gallozzi, S.; Nonino, M.; Cristiani, S.; Vanzella, E.

    2006-07-01

    Aims.We study the clustering properties of Distant Red Galaxies (DRGs) to test whether they are the progenitors of local massive galaxies. Methods.We use the GOODS-MUSIC sample, a catalog of ~3000 Ks-selected galaxies based on VLT and HST observation of the GOODS-South field with extended multi-wavelength coverage (from 0.3 to 8~μm) and accurate estimates of the photometric redshifts to select 179 DRGs with J-Ks≥ 1.3 in an area of 135 sq. arcmin.Results.We first show that the J-Ks≥ 1.3 criterion selects a rather heterogeneous sample of galaxies, going from the targeted high-redshift luminous evolved systems, to a significant fraction of lower redshift (1mass, like groups or small galaxy clusters. Low-z DRGs, on the other hand, will likely evolve into slightly less massive field galaxies.

  2. Genoa Boat ShowGood Example of Event Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dunja Demirović

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available International Boat Show, a business and tourist event, has been held annually in Italian city of Genoa since 1962. The fair is one of the oldest, largest and best known in the field of boating industry worldwide, primarily due to good management of the event and it can serve as case study for domestic fair organizers to improve the quality of their business and services. Since Belgrade is the city of fairs, but compared to Genoa still underdeveloped in terms of trade shows, the following tasks imposed naturally in this study: to determine the relationship of the organizers of Genoa Boat Show in the sector of preparation and fair offer, in the sector of selection and communication with specific target groups (especially visitors, services during the fair and functioning of the city during the fair. During the research the authors have mostly used historical method, comparison, synthesis and the interview method. The results of theoretical research, in addition, may help not only managers of fair shows and of exhibitions, but also to organizers of other events in our country

  3. Different goodness of fit tests for Rayleigh distribution in ranked set sampling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amer Al-Omari

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, different goodness of fit tests for the Rayleigh distribution are considered based on simple random sampling (SRS and ranked set sampling (RSS techniques. The performance of the suggested estimators is evaluated in terms of the power of the tests by using Monte Carlo simulation. It is found that the suggested RSS tests perform better than their counterparts  in SRS.

  4. Payload specialist Reinhard Furrer show evidence of previous blood sampling

    Science.gov (United States)

    1985-01-01

    Payload specialist Reinhard Furrer shows evidence of previous blood sampling while Wubbo J. Ockels, Dutch payload specialist (only partially visible), extends his right arm after a sample has been taken. Both men show bruises on their arms.

  5. Common meanings of good and bad sleep in a healthy population sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickerson, Suzanne S; Klingman, Karen J; Jungquist, Carla R

    2016-09-01

    The study's purpose was to understand the common meanings and shared practices related to good and bad sleep from narratives of a sample of healthy participants. Interpretive phenomenology was the approach to analyze narratives of the participants' everyday experiences with sleep. Participants were interviewed and asked to describe typical good and bad nights' sleep, what contributes to their sleep experience, and the importance of sleep in their lives. Team interpretations of narratives identified common themes by consensus. Medium sized city in New York State (upper west region). A sample of 30 healthy participants were from a parent study (n=300) on testing the sleep questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Interpretations of good and bad sleep. Participants described similar experiences of good and bad sleep often directly related to their ability to schedule time to sleep, fall asleep, and maintain sleep. Worrying about life stresses and interruptions prevented participants from falling asleep and staying asleep. Yet, based on current life priorities (socializers, family work focused, and optimum health seekers), they had differing values related to seeking sleep opportunities and strategizing to overcome challenges. The participants' priorities reflected the context of their main concerns and stresses in life that influenced the importance given to promoting sleep opportunities. Public health messages tailored to life priorities could be developed to promote healthy sleep practices. Copyright © 2016 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. [Identification of Good-Practice Projects in Promoting Physical Activity - Methods, Pitfalls and Sampled Outcomes].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henn, Annette; Karger, Claudia; Wöhlken, Katrin; Meier, Diana; Ungerer-Röhrich, Ulrike; Graf, Christine; Woll, Alexander

    2017-03-01

    The aim of this paper is to identify and show examples of good practice of public health promotion. For this, uniform quality criteria were worked out under consideration of national and international scientific literature.For the identification of examples of good practice, a comparison of different quality criteria was carried out and combined with each other in a first step. In the following step, examples of good practice were identified after a comprehensive search. The choice of the "good-practice" projects is exemplary and lays no claim to completeness.6 main quality criteria (QC) of programs promoting physical activity could be identified in the national and international context. The analysis showed altogether 10 projects which can exemplarily be classified as examples of good practice of the target groups of children and teenagers, adults, older people and people with pre-existing illnesses. These projects, however, show major differences in their (methodological) quality.The analysis reports a lack of "Good-Practice" examples. Deficits lie mainly in documentation and sustainability. Because of incomplete documentation, an assessment as a "Good-Practice" example is only possible to a limited extent; a lot of information, particularly in the evaluation, is missing. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  7. Paks shows the way towards good operating practices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1989-01-01

    The Paks-3 unit in Hungary was the first VVER (Soviet designed Pressurized Water Reactor) to be scrutinized by an International Atomic Energy Agency Operational Safety Analysis Review Team. A number of examples of good operational practice were noted. Those reported here include the cleanliness of the plant, the management attitude to training, early detection of and action to correct problems as they arise, an accident avoidance policy, a back-up research and development programme, and the provision of computer-based assistance to the operator to present operational data in an easily comprehensible form. (U.K.)

  8. A note on Poisson goodness-of-fit tests for ionizing radiation induced chromosomal aberration samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higueras, Manuel; González, J E; Di Giorgio, Marina; Barquinero, J F

    2018-05-18

    To present Poisson exact goodness-of-fit tests as alternatives and complements to the asymptotic u-test, which is the most widely used in cytogenetic biodosimetry, to decide whether a sample of chromosomal aberrations in blood cells comes from an homogeneous or inhomogeneous exposure. Three Poisson exact goodness-of-fit test from the literature are introduced and implemented in the R environment. A Shiny R Studio application, named GOF Poisson, has been updated for the purpose of giving support to this work. The three exact tests and the u-test are applied in chromosomal aberration data from clinical and accidental radiation exposure patients. It is observed how the u-test is not an appropriate approximation in small samples with small yield of chromosomal aberrations. Tools are provided to compute the three exact tests, which is not as trivial as the implementation of the u-test. Poisson exact goodness-of-fit tests should be considered jointly to the u-test for detecting inhomogeneous exposures in the cytogenetic biodosimetry practice.

  9. Comparison of the performances of the CS model coil and the Good Joint SULTAN sample

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wesche, Rainer; Herzog, Robert; Bruzzone, Pierluigi

    2008-01-01

    The relevance of short sample measurements in SULTAN for the prediction of the performance of the coils of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is assessed using the case of the Nb 3 Sn high-field central solenoid model coil (CSMC) conductor, for which both coil performance and short sample SULTAN results (Good Joint (GJ) sample) are available. A least-squares fit procedure, based on a uniform current distribution among the strands and the Durham scaling relations for the field, temperature and strain dependences of the strand J c provides a thermal strain of -0.294% and a degradation factor of approximately 60% for the GJ sample. In the calculation of the voltage along Layer 1A of the CSMC the hoop stress and the variation of the magnetic field in the conductor cross-section were taken into account. The temperature profile, used in the calculations, is based on published temperature profiles and empirical relations between helium inlet and outlet temperatures. A comparison with the GJ results indicates that short sample measurements in SULTAN provide a conservative estimate of the coil performance

  10. Good soldiers and good actors: prosocial and impression management motives as interactive predictors of affiliative citizenship behaviors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grant, Adam M; Mayer, David M

    2009-07-01

    Researchers have discovered inconsistent relationships between prosocial motives and citizenship behaviors. We draw on impression management theory to propose that impression management motives strengthen the association between prosocial motives and affiliative citizenship by encouraging employees to express citizenship in ways that both "do good" and "look good." We report 2 studies that examine the interactions of prosocial and impression management motives as predictors of affiliative citizenship using multisource data from 2 different field samples. Across the 2 studies, we find positive interactions between prosocial and impression management motives as predictors of affiliative citizenship behaviors directed toward other people (helping and courtesy) and the organization (initiative). Study 2 also shows that only prosocial motives predict voice-a challenging citizenship behavior. Our results suggest that employees who are both good soldiers and good actors are most likely to emerge as good citizens in promoting the status quo.

  11. Adaptive governance good practice: Show me the evidence!

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma-Wallace, Lisa; Velarde, Sandra J; Wreford, Anita

    2018-09-15

    -based adaptive governance good practice within and across diverse sectors, issues, and contexts. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  12. Buying stolen goods: the ambiguity in trading consumer-to-consumer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kammersgaard, Tobias; Heinskou, Marie Bruvik; Demant, Jakob

    2017-01-01

    This study investigates the buying of stolen goods in Denmark. The study consists of a self-report survey based on a representative sample of the general Danish population (n = 2311) and six focus group interviews consisting of both informants experienced with buying stolen goods and of those...... with no experience (n = 37). The survey showed that 4.8% had bought stolen goods, while 15.7% were uncertain whether they had bought stolen goods. Young people, males, and unemployed were more likely to purchase stolen goods. No clear correlation between income and buying stolen goods was found. Focus groups suggest...... the buyers of stolen goods did not buy stolen goods because they could not afford legitimate products. We recommend targeting consumers not interested in buying stolen goods with information about how to avoid such activity....

  13. A new calibrated bayesian internal goodness-of-fit method: sampled posterior p-values as simple and general p-values that allow double use of the data.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frédéric Gosselin

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Recent approaches mixing frequentist principles with bayesian inference propose internal goodness-of-fit (GOF p-values that might be valuable for critical analysis of bayesian statistical models. However, GOF p-values developed to date only have known probability distributions under restrictive conditions. As a result, no known GOF p-value has a known probability distribution for any discrepancy function. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We show mathematically that a new GOF p-value, called the sampled posterior p-value (SPP, asymptotically has a uniform probability distribution whatever the discrepancy function. In a moderate finite sample context, simulations also showed that the SPP appears stable to relatively uninformative misspecifications of the prior distribution. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These reasons, together with its numerical simplicity, make the SPP a better canonical GOF p-value than existing GOF p-values.

  14. Knowledge of Good Blood Culture Sampling Practice among Healthcare Staffs in An Emergency Department - Are We Getting It Right?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chew, K S; Mohd Hashairi, F; Jusoh, A F; Aziz, A A; Nik Hisamuddin, N A R; Siti Asma, H

    2013-08-01

    Although a vital test, blood culture is often plagued with the problem of contamination and false results, especially in a chaotic emergency department setting. The objectives of this pilot study is to find out the level of understanding among healthcare staffs in emergency department, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) regarding good blood culture sampling practice. All healthcare staffs in emergency department, HUSM who consented to this study were given a set of selfadministered anonymous questionnaire to fill. More than half (53.1%) of the 64 participants are emergency medicine residents. Majority of them (75%) have been working in the emergency medicine, HUSM for more than 2 years. More than half of them were able to answer correctly the amount of blood volume needed for culture in adult and pediatric patients. When asked what are the factors required to improve the true yield as well as to reduce the risk of culture contamination, the four commonest answers given were observing proper aseptic technique during blood sampling, donning sterile glove, proper hand scrubbing as well as ensuring the sterility of the equipments. This study suggests that there is a lack of proper knowledge of good blood culture sampling practice among our healthcare staffs in emergency department.

  15. Comparative Analysis of Clinical Samples Showing Weak Serum Reaction on AutoVue System Causing ABO Blood Typing Discrepancies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jo, Su Yeon; Lee, Ju Mi; Kim, Hye Lim; Sin, Kyeong Hwa; Lee, Hyeon Ji; Chang, Chulhun Ludgerus; Kim, Hyung Hoi

    2017-03-01

    ABO blood typing in pre-transfusion testing is a major component of the high workload in blood banks that therefore requires automation. We often experienced discrepant results from an automated system, especially weak serum reactions. We evaluated the discrepant results by the reference manual method to confirm ABO blood typing. In total, 13,113 blood samples were tested with the AutoVue system; all samples were run in parallel with the reference manual method according to the laboratory protocol. The AutoVue system confirmed ABO blood typing of 12,816 samples (97.7%), and these results were concordant with those of the manual method. The remaining 297 samples (2.3%) showed discrepant results in the AutoVue system and were confirmed by the manual method. The discrepant results involved weak serum reactions (serum reactions, samples from patients who had received stem cell transplants, ABO subgroups, and specific system error messages. Among the 98 samples showing ≤1+ reaction grade in the AutoVue system, 70 samples (71.4%) showed a normal serum reaction (≥2+ reaction grade) with the manual method, and 28 samples (28.6%) showed weak serum reaction in both methods. ABO blood tying of 97.7% samples could be confirmed by the AutoVue system and a small proportion (2.3%) needed to be re-evaluated by the manual method. Samples with a 2+ reaction grade in serum typing do not need to be evaluated manually, while those with ≤1+ reaction grade do.

  16. Generating and exploring good building layouts

    KAUST Repository

    Bao, Fan

    2013-07-16

    Good building layouts are required to conform to regulatory guidelines, while meeting certain quality measures. While different methods can sample the space of such good layouts, there exists little support for a user to understand and systematically explore the samples. Starting from a discrete set of good layouts, we analytically characterize the local shape space of good layouts around each initial layout, compactly encode these spaces, and link them to support transitions across the different local spaces. We represent such transitions in the form of a portal graph. The user can then use the portal graph, along with the family of local shape spaces, to globally and locally explore the space of good building layouts. We use our framework on a variety of different test scenarios to showcase an intuitive design, navigation, and exploration interface. Copyright © ACM. Copyright © ACM 2013.

  17. Revised form of the Belief in Good Luck Scale in a Turkish sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oner-Ozkan, Bengi

    2003-10-01

    The aim of the study was to explore the patterns of belief in luck in a Turkish sample. For this purpose, a shorter version of Freedman and Darke's Belief in Good Luck Scale was given, including some more items related to the beliefs in 'consistent' versus 'variant' patterns of luck. This scale, together with Turkish versions of Rosenberg's measure of Global Self-esteem, Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale of Diener, Emmons, Larsen, and Griffin, was administered to a group of 173 (96 men, 77 women) undergraduate students from the Middle East Technical University attending an elective general psychology course. The mean age was 21 yr. (SD=2.1). The factor composition of the extended scale consisted of three scales, similar to the original version. Loading of new items on the General Belief in Luck factor indicates that this factor may describe a belief in an organised pattern of luck.

  18. Generating and exploring good building layouts

    KAUST Repository

    Bao, Fan; Yan, Dongming; Mitra, Niloy J.; Wonka, Peter

    2013-01-01

    Good building layouts are required to conform to regulatory guidelines, while meeting certain quality measures. While different methods can sample the space of such good layouts, there exists little support for a user to understand

  19. Statistical energy as a tool for binning-free, multivariate goodness-of-fit tests, two-sample comparison and unfolding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aslan, B.; Zech, G.

    2005-01-01

    We introduce the novel concept of statistical energy as a statistical tool. We define statistical energy of statistical distributions in a similar way as for electric charge distributions. Charges of opposite sign are in a state of minimum energy if they are equally distributed. This property is used to check whether two samples belong to the same parent distribution, to define goodness-of-fit tests and to unfold distributions distorted by measurement. The approach is binning-free and especially powerful in multidimensional applications

  20. Nurturing Good Ideas

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    J.C.M. van den Ende (Jan); R.C. Kijkuit (Bob)

    2009-01-01

    textabstractManagers know that simply generating lots of ideas doesn’t necessarily produce good ones. What companies need are systems that nurture good ideas and cull bad ones—before they ever reach the decision maker’s desk. Our research shows that tapping the input of many people early in the

  1. Doing Good Parenthood

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    This edited collection shows that good parenthood is neither fixed nor stable. The contributors show how parenthood is equally done by men, women and children, in and through practices involving different normative guidelines. The book explores how normative layers of parenthood are constituted...... by notions such as good childhood, family ideals, national public health and educational strategies. The authors illustrate how different versions of parenthood coexist and how complex sets of actions are demanded to fulfil today’s expectations of parenthood in Western societies. This interdisciplinary book...

  2. Pre-analytical sample quality: metabolite ratios as an intrinsic marker for prolonged room temperature exposure of serum samples.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriele Anton

    Full Text Available Advances in the "omics" field bring about the need for a high number of good quality samples. Many omics studies take advantage of biobanked samples to meet this need. Most of the laboratory errors occur in the pre-analytical phase. Therefore evidence-based standard operating procedures for the pre-analytical phase as well as markers to distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' quality samples taking into account the desired downstream analysis are urgently needed. We studied concentration changes of metabolites in serum samples due to pre-storage handling conditions as well as due to repeated freeze-thaw cycles. We collected fasting serum samples and subjected aliquots to up to four freeze-thaw cycles and to pre-storage handling delays of 12, 24 and 36 hours at room temperature (RT and on wet and dry ice. For each treated aliquot, we quantified 127 metabolites through a targeted metabolomics approach. We found a clear signature of degradation in samples kept at RT. Storage on wet ice led to less pronounced concentration changes. 24 metabolites showed significant concentration changes at RT. In 22 of these, changes were already visible after only 12 hours of storage delay. Especially pronounced were increases in lysophosphatidylcholines and decreases in phosphatidylcholines. We showed that the ratio between the concentrations of these molecule classes could serve as a measure to distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' quality samples in our study. In contrast, we found quite stable metabolite concentrations during up to four freeze-thaw cycles. We concluded that pre-analytical RT handling of serum samples should be strictly avoided and serum samples should always be handled on wet ice or in cooling devices after centrifugation. Moreover, serum samples should be frozen at or below -80°C as soon as possible after centrifugation.

  3. STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT THROUGH COMPETITIVE PRIORITIES IN CAPITAL GOODS COMPANIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prof. Dr. Roberto Giro Moori

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the strategic alignment of companies producing capital goods and deploying competitive priorities, from the standpoint of dyadic relationships.  To collect the data, semi-structured questionnaires were used for a sample consisting of 113 respondents from 87 companies producing capital goods, all operating in Brazil. The data were analyzed using non-parametric statistical techniques. More specifically, an analysis of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (W showed that product (or component price and performance are the main competitive priorities for companies in this sector. Thus, evidence was found that companies producing capital goods are strategically aligned from the standpoint of dyadic relationships with their suppliers and customers, with price being the main criterion, depending on the downstream focus of the company, through the performance of the product (or component.

  4. VizieR Online Data Catalog: GOODS-MUSIC sample: multicolour catalog (Grazian+, 2006)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grazian, A.; Fontana, A.; de Santis, C.; Nonino, M.; Salimbeni, S.; Giallongo, E.; Cristiani, S.; Gallozzi, S.; Vanzella, E.

    2006-02-01

    The GOODS-MUSIC multi-wavelength catalog provides photometric and spectroscopic information for galaxies in the GOODS Southern field. It includes two U images obtained with the ESO 2.2m telescope and one U band image from VLT-VIMOS, the ACS-HST images in four optical (B,V,i,z) bands, the VLT-ISAAC J, H, and Ks bands as well as the Spitzer images in at 3.5, 4.5, 5.8, and 8 micron. Most of these images have been made publicly available in the coadded version by the GOODS team, while the U band data were retrieved in raw format and reduced by our team. We also collected all the available spectroscopic information from public spectroscopic surveys and cross-correlated the spectroscopic redshifts with our photometric catalog. For the unobserved fraction of the objects, we applied our photometric redshift code to obtain well-calibrated photometric redshifts. The final catalog is made up of 14847 objects, with at least 72 known stars, 68 AGNs, and 928 galaxies with spectroscopic redshift (668 galaxies with reliable redshift determination). (3 data files).

  5. Spot sputum samples are at least as good as early morning samples for identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Michael E; Phillips, Patrick P J; Mendel, Carl M; Bongard, Emily; Bateson, Anna L C; Hunt, Robert; Murthy, Saraswathi; Singh, Kasha P; Brown, Michael; Crook, Angela M; Nunn, Andrew J; Meredith, Sarah K; Lipman, Marc; McHugh, Timothy D; Gillespie, Stephen H

    2017-10-27

    The use of early morning sputum samples (EMS) to diagnose tuberculosis (TB) can result in treatment delay given the need for the patient to return to the clinic with the EMS, increasing the chance of patients being lost during their diagnostic workup. However, there is little evidence to support the superiority of EMS over spot sputum samples. In this new analysis of the REMoxTB study, we compare the diagnostic accuracy of EMS with spot samples for identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis pre- and post-treatment. Patients who were smear positive at screening were enrolled into the study. Paired sputum samples (one EMS and one spot) were collected at each trial visit pre- and post-treatment. Microscopy and culture on solid LJ and liquid MGIT media were performed on all samples; those missing corresponding paired results were excluded from the analyses. Data from 1115 pre- and 2995 post-treatment paired samples from 1931 patients enrolled in the REMoxTB study were analysed. Patients were recruited from South Africa (47%), East Africa (21%), India (20%), Asia (11%), and North America (1%); 70% were male, median age 31 years (IQR 24-41), 139 (7%) co-infected with HIV with a median CD4 cell count of 399 cells/μL (IQR 318-535). Pre-treatment spot samples had a higher yield of positive Ziehl-Neelsen smears (98% vs. 97%, P = 0.02) and LJ cultures (87% vs. 82%, P = 0.006) than EMS, but there was no difference for positivity by MGIT (93% vs. 95%, P = 0.18). Contaminated and false-positive MGIT were found more often with EMS rather than spot samples. Surprisingly, pre-treatment EMS had a higher smear grading and shorter time-to-positivity, by 1 day, than spot samples in MGIT culture (4.5 vs. 5.5 days, P spot samples in those with unfavourable outcomes, there were no differences in smear or culture results, and positive results were not detected earlier in Kaplan-Meier analyses in either EMS or spot samples. Our data do not support the hypothesis that EMS

  6. Reflexion on linear regression trip production modelling method for ensuring good model quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suprayitno, Hitapriya; Ratnasari, Vita

    2017-11-01

    Transport Modelling is important. For certain cases, the conventional model still has to be used, in which having a good trip production model is capital. A good model can only be obtained from a good sample. Two of the basic principles of a good sampling is having a sample capable to represent the population characteristics and capable to produce an acceptable error at a certain confidence level. It seems that this principle is not yet quite understood and used in trip production modeling. Therefore, investigating the Trip Production Modelling practice in Indonesia and try to formulate a better modeling method for ensuring the Model Quality is necessary. This research result is presented as follows. Statistics knows a method to calculate span of prediction value at a certain confidence level for linear regression, which is called Confidence Interval of Predicted Value. The common modeling practice uses R2 as the principal quality measure, the sampling practice varies and not always conform to the sampling principles. An experiment indicates that small sample is already capable to give excellent R2 value and sample composition can significantly change the model. Hence, good R2 value, in fact, does not always mean good model quality. These lead to three basic ideas for ensuring good model quality, i.e. reformulating quality measure, calculation procedure, and sampling method. A quality measure is defined as having a good R2 value and a good Confidence Interval of Predicted Value. Calculation procedure must incorporate statistical calculation method and appropriate statistical tests needed. A good sampling method must incorporate random well distributed stratified sampling with a certain minimum number of samples. These three ideas need to be more developed and tested.

  7. 7 CFR 28.406 - Strict Good Ordinary Color.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Strict Good Ordinary Color. 28.406 Section 28.406... for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.406 Strict Good Ordinary Color. Strict Good Ordinary Color is color which is within the range represented by a set of samples in the custody of the...

  8. Good Faith and Game Theory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rose, Caspar

    2016-01-01

    This article shows how game theory can be applied to model good faith mathematically using an example of a classic legal dispute related to rei vindicato. The issue is whether an owner has a legal right to his good if a person has bought it in good faith by using updated probabilities. The article...

  9. Good governance as perceived by Dabawenyos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrian M. Tamayo

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The debate on good governance had shaped public policies of many governments. This study was conducted to obtain latent perspectives of good governance. A survey was conducted using two-stage cluster sampling in the first congressional district of Davao City involving 351 respondents. Findings reveal that the notion of good governance of Dabawenyos is primarily a government to implement the rule of law; peace and order is a necessity to facilitate market efficiency. Also, it was found that political leadership creates notions of good governance; public bestowed power to its political leaders as a matter of trust. On the other hand, leaders incorporate soft and hard forms of power in delegating powers without losing control, causing a widespread and significant impact on the formation and development of Davao’s perspectives of good governance. This is the rubber band effect of good governance leadership.

  10. Good outcome of adolescent onset anorexia nervosa after systematic treatment. Intermediate to long-term follow-up of a representative county-sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halvorsen, Inger; Andersen, Anne; Heyerdahl, Sonja

    2004-10-01

    We studied the intermediate to long-term outcome of childhood and adolescent onset anorexia nervosa (AN), in a sample that had received systematic treatment based on close cooperation between parents, paediatric department and child and adolescent psychiatry. Of 55 female AN-patients, 51 were examined 3.5-14.5 years after treatment start. The material includes all AN-patients under 18 years in one county that received inpatient treatment and almost all that received outpatient treatment, during the time period 1986-1998. Forty-two (82%) subjects had no eating disorder (ED) at follow-up, one (2%) had AN, one (2%) bulimia nervosa (BN) and seven (14%) had less severe ED (EDNOS). Except the one with BN, none had bulimic symptoms. There was no mortality. Twenty (41%) had one or more other axis-1 psychiatric diagnoses at follow-up. Depression and anxiety disorders were most frequent. Psychosocial functioning assessed by Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) was fairly good; mean 73+/-SD14 for symptoms and mean 77+/-SD13 for functioning. Only 48% were satisfied with life, compared to 83% in a normal population sample. Our conclusion is that the eating disorder outcome was good. However, in accordance with other studies, many subjects had other psychiatric problems at follow-up.

  11. A closer look at the effect of preliminary goodness-of-fit testing for normality for the one-sample t-test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rochon, Justine; Kieser, Meinhard

    2011-11-01

    Student's one-sample t-test is a commonly used method when inference about the population mean is made. As advocated in textbooks and articles, the assumption of normality is often checked by a preliminary goodness-of-fit (GOF) test. In a paper recently published by Schucany and Ng it was shown that, for the uniform distribution, screening of samples by a pretest for normality leads to a more conservative conditional Type I error rate than application of the one-sample t-test without preliminary GOF test. In contrast, for the exponential distribution, the conditional level is even more elevated than the Type I error rate of the t-test without pretest. We examine the reasons behind these characteristics. In a simulation study, samples drawn from the exponential, lognormal, uniform, Student's t-distribution with 2 degrees of freedom (t(2) ) and the standard normal distribution that had passed normality screening, as well as the ingredients of the test statistics calculated from these samples, are investigated. For non-normal distributions, we found that preliminary testing for normality may change the distribution of means and standard deviations of the selected samples as well as the correlation between them (if the underlying distribution is non-symmetric), thus leading to altered distributions of the resulting test statistics. It is shown that for skewed distributions the excess in Type I error rate may be even more pronounced when testing one-sided hypotheses. ©2010 The British Psychological Society.

  12. Good leadership for good quality

    OpenAIRE

    Franzon, Vilma Maria

    2016-01-01

    Good leadership is important if you like to have high quality in the results. My experience in the production of the television industry is that conditions for good leadership is insufficient. Therefore, I have tried to get answers for those two questions in my exam report: What are the characteristics of good leadership? What are the prerequisites for good leadership out of production? The method I used is a literature study and observation. I have read a number of books and research studies...

  13. 'She sort of shines': midwives' accounts of 'good' midwifery and 'good' leadership.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrom, Sheena; Downe, Soo

    2010-02-01

    to explore midwives' accounts of the characteristics of 'good' leadership and 'good' midwifery. a phenomenological interview survey. Participants were asked about what made both good and poor midwives and leaders. two maternity departments within National Health Service trusts in the North West of England. qualified midwives, selected by random sampling stratified to encompass senior and junior grades. thematic analysis, carried out manually. ten midwives were interviewed. Sixteen codes and six sub-themes were generated. Across the responses, two clear dimensions (themes) were identified, relating on the one hand to aspects of knowledge, skill and competence (termed 'skilled competence'), and on the other hand to specific personality characteristics (termed 'emotional intelligence'). This study suggests that the ability to act knowledgeably, safely and competently was seen as a basic requirement for both clinical midwives and midwife leaders. The added element which made both the midwife and the leader 'good' was the extent of their emotional capability. this small-scale in-depth study could form the basis for hypothesis generation for larger scale work in this area in future. The findings offer some reinforcement for the potential applicability of theories of transformational leadership to midwifery management and practice. Copyright 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. 7 CFR 51.481 - Very good internal quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Very good internal quality. 51.481 Section 51.481 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards... quality. Very good internal quality means that the combined juice from the edible portion of a sample of...

  15. Report: Independent Environmental Sampling Shows Some Properties Designated by EPA as Available for Use Had Some Contamination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Report #15-P-0221, July 21, 2015. Some OIG sampling results showed contamination was still present at sites designated by the EPA as ready for reuse. This was unexpected and could signal a need to implement changes to ensure human health protection.

  16. Sampling methods for low-frequency electromagnetic imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gebauer, Bastian; Hanke, Martin; Schneider, Christoph

    2008-01-01

    For the detection of hidden objects by low-frequency electromagnetic imaging the linear sampling method works remarkably well despite the fact that the rigorous mathematical justification is still incomplete. In this work, we give an explanation for this good performance by showing that in the low-frequency limit the measurement operator fulfils the assumptions for the fully justified variant of the linear sampling method, the so-called factorization method. We also show how the method has to be modified in the physically relevant case of electromagnetic imaging with divergence-free currents. We present numerical results to illustrate our findings, and to show that similar performance can be expected for the case of conducting objects and layered backgrounds

  17. A comparison of LBGs, DRGs, and BzK galaxies: their contribution to the stellar mass density in the GOODS-MUSIC sample

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grazian, A.; Salimbeni, S.; Pentericci, L.; Fontana, A.; Nonino, M.; Vanzella, E.; Cristiani, S.; de Santis, C.; Gallozzi, S.; Giallongo, E.; Santini, P.

    2007-04-01

    Context: The classification scheme for high redshift galaxies is complex at the present time, with simple colour-selection criteria (i.e. EROs, IEROs, LBGs, DRGs, BzKs), resulting in ill-defined properties for the stellar mass and star formation rate of these distant galaxies. Aims: The goal of this work is to investigate the properties of different classes of high-z galaxies, focusing in particular on the stellar masses of LBGs, DRGs, and BzKs, in order to derive their contribution to the total mass budget of the distant Universe. Methods: We used the GOODS-MUSIC catalog, containing ~3000 Ks-selected (~10 000 z-selected) galaxies with multi-wavelength coverage extending from the U band to the Spitzer 8~μm band, with spectroscopic or accurate photometric redshifts. We selected samples of BM/BX/LBGs, DRGs, and BzK galaxies to discuss the overlap and the limitations of these criteria, which can be overridden by a selection criterion based on physical parameters. We then measured the stellar masses of these galaxies and computed the stellar mass density (SMD) for the different samples up to redshift ≃4. Results: We show that the BzK-PE criterion is not optimal for selecting early type galaxies at the faint end. On the other hand, BzK-SF is highly contaminated by passively evolving galaxies at red z-Ks colours. We find that LBGs and DRGs contribute almost equally to the global SMD at z≥ 2 and, in general, that star-forming galaxies form a substantial fraction of the universal SMD. Passively evolving galaxies show a strong negative density evolution from redshift 2 to 3, indicating that we are witnessing the epoch of mass assembly of such objects. Finally we have indications that by pushing the selection to deeper magnitudes, the contribution of less massive DRGs could overtake that of LBGs. Deeper surveys, like the HUDF, are required to confirm this suggestion.

  18. "Everyone just ate good food": 'Good food' in Islamabad, Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasnain, Saher

    2018-08-01

    In recent years, consumption of alternatively produced foods has increased in popularity in response to the deleterious effects of rapidly globalising and industrialised food systems. Concerns over food safety in relation to these changes may result from elevated levels of risk and changing perceptions associated with food production practices. This paper explores how the middle class residents of Islamabad, Pakistan, use the concept of 'good food' to reconnect themselves with nature, changing food systems, and traditional values. The paper also demonstrates how these ideas relate to those of organic, local, and traditional food consumption as currently used in more economically developed states in the Global North. Through research based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews, this paper illustrates that besides price and convenience, purity, freshness, association with specific places, and 'Pakistani-ness' were considered as the basis for making decisions about 'good food'. The results show that while individuals are aware of and have some access to imported organic and local food, they prefer using holistic and culturally informed concepts of 'good food' instead that reconnect them with food systems. I argue that through conceptualisations of 'good food', the urban middle class in Islamabad is reducing their disconnection and dis-embeddedness from nature, the food systems, and their social identities. The paper contributes to literature on food anxieties, reconnections in food geography, and 'good food' perceptions, with a focus on Pakistan. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  19. Sampling

    CERN Document Server

    Thompson, Steven K

    2012-01-01

    Praise for the Second Edition "This book has never had a competitor. It is the only book that takes a broad approach to sampling . . . any good personal statistics library should include a copy of this book." —Technometrics "Well-written . . . an excellent book on an important subject. Highly recommended." —Choice "An ideal reference for scientific researchers and other professionals who use sampling." —Zentralblatt Math Features new developments in the field combined with all aspects of obtaining, interpreting, and using sample data Sampling provides an up-to-date treat

  20. Good manufacturing practice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schlyer, D.J.

    2001-01-01

    In this presentation author deals with the Implementation of good manufacturing practice for radiopharmaceuticals. The presentation is divided into next parts: Batch size; Expiration date; QC Testing; Environmental concerns; Personnel aspects; Radiation concerns; Theoretical yields; Sterilizing filters; Control and reconciliation of materials and components; Product strength; In process sampling and testing; Holding and distribution; Drug product inspection; Buildings and facilities; Renovations at BNL for GMP; Aseptic processing and sterility assurance; Process validation and control; Quality control and drug product stability; Documentation and other GMP topics; Building design considerations; Equipment; and Summary

  1. Is electricity a public good?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salies, Evens; Kiesling, Lynne; Giberson, Michael

    2007-04-01

    Wholesale electricity markets are increasingly driven by the rules of competition while recent outages in different regions of the world suggest that security of supply is a public good. The objective of this paper is to show that security of supply and more generally, electricity supply has both public and private characteristics. Whilst the public good characteristic explains why some producers may prefer to free ride on others' investments to maintain reliability, the private good aspect of reliability shows that agents may have a variety of preferences for reliability. Then by relying on the concept of Pareto-relevant externality, the paper explores the private aspect of reliability for the prospect of creating and selling reliability as a differentiated product complementary to bulk power markets. Finally, policy recommendations are derived that aim to enhance information content in the network. Initially published in 'Revue de l'OFCE' No. 101

  2. How Good Is Multi-Pivot Quicksort?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aumüller, Martin; Dietzfelbinger, Martin; Klaue, Pascal

    2016-01-01

    of the partitioning cost is caused by rearranging elements. A rigorous analysis of an algorithm for rearranging elements in the partitioning step is carried out, observing mainly how often array cells are accessed during partitioning. The algorithm behaves best if three to five pivots are used. Experiments show...... that this translates into good cache behavior and is closest to predicting observed running times of multi-pivot quicksort algorithms. Finally, it is studied how choosing pivots from a sample affects sorting cost. The study is theoretical in the sense that although the findings motivate design recommendations...... as the standard sorting algorithm in Sun’s Java 7. In 2014 at ALENEX, Kushagra et al. introduced an even faster algorithm that uses three pivots. This article studies what possible advantages multi-pivot quicksort might offer in general. The contributions are as follows: Natural comparison-optimal algorithms...

  3. Good Corporate Governance in Manufacturing Companies Tax Avoidance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Uun Sunarsih

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to examine the effect of good corporate Governance against tax avoidance peroxided by the book tax gap and corporate governance is peroxided by institutional ownership, managerial ownership, independent board, audit committee and audit quality. This study was performed on companies listed on the Stock Exchange on the observation period 2011-2014. The method used is purposive sampling and obtained a sample of 10 companies. The data used is secondary data that can be downloaded through www.idx.co.id and www.sahamok.com.  The results showed that the variables of the board of managerial ownership, independent directors, audit committee, and audit quality effect on tax avoidance while institutional ownership variable has no effect on tax avoidance. It is suspected that institutional ownership as a monitoring tool in any decision taken by the manager does not support an optimal oversight of management performance related to tax evasion.DOI: 10.15408/etk.v15i2.3541

  4. Lyman Break Galaxies At z 2 In The GOODS Fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haberzettl, Lutz; Williger, G.; Lehnert, M.; Nesvadba, N.

    2009-12-01

    Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) have been the benchmarks against which other samples of high redshift galaxies have been compared for the last 2 decades. They are unique in that no other selection mechanism allows us to study galaxies selected in a consistent manner over the span of redshifts from z=0 to 7. An important remaining gap is the redshift range z ˜ 1.5-2.5, which includes near UV (NUV)-band drop-outs. We present first results of a search for LBGs at these redshifts using very sensitive multi-frequency data from the far UV to mid-IR of the GOODS CDF-S and HDF-N. We modelled colors of star-forming galaxies, and found only a small overlap with the BM/BX selection method (Adelberger et al. 2004, ApJ, 607, 226). We developed new color selection criteria using GALEX NUV and optical photometry to identify high star formation galaxies, including NUV-dropouts for 2.0methods, we identified a sample of ? z˜ 2 LBG candidates in both the GOODS CDF-S and the HDF-N. A first analysis of the mean SED of our LBG candidate sample shows results consistent with red LBGs at z ˜ 1, indicating massive galaxies with high star formation rates. Nearly 10% of our selected LBG candidates have mid-IR (IRAC+MIPS) colors comparable both to z ˜ 3 IR-luminous LBGs, which are believed to be dusty, vigorously star-forming massive progenitors of modern ellipticals.

  5. THE ATTITUDES TOWARD SPORT ADVERTISING AMONG THE QUESTION HOW OFTEN CONSUMERS PURCHASE SPORTING GOODS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stevo Popović

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available This research was aimed at gaining relevant knowledge about the attitudes toward sport advertising among the question how often consumers participate in sports activities The sample included 433 respondents, divided into six subsample groups: consumers who do not purchase sport goods at all, then consumers who purchase sport goods less than ones a month, next 1–3 a month, 4–6 a month, 7–9 a month, as well as consumers who purchase sport goods more than 10 times a months. The results of the measuring were analyzed by multivariate analysis (MANOVA and univariate analysis (ANOVA and Post Hoc test. Based on the results it was concluded that significant differences occur at multivariate level, as well as between all three variables at a significance level of p=.05. It is interesting to highlight that it was found that the significant differences showed up between the consumers who do not purchase sport goods at all with negative attitudes and consumers who purchase sport goods less than ones a months and more with positive attitudes toward sport advertising

  6. Uniform Sampling Table Method and its Applications II--Evaluating the Uniform Sampling by Experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yibin; Chen, Jiaxi; Chen, Xuan; Wang, Min; Wang, Wei

    2015-01-01

    A new method of uniform sampling is evaluated in this paper. The items and indexes were adopted to evaluate the rationality of the uniform sampling. The evaluation items included convenience of operation, uniformity of sampling site distribution, and accuracy and precision of measured results. The evaluation indexes included operational complexity, occupation rate of sampling site in a row and column, relative accuracy of pill weight, and relative deviation of pill weight. They were obtained from three kinds of drugs with different shape and size by four kinds of sampling methods. Gray correlation analysis was adopted to make the comprehensive evaluation by comparing it with the standard method. The experimental results showed that the convenience of uniform sampling method was 1 (100%), odds ratio of occupation rate in a row and column was infinity, relative accuracy was 99.50-99.89%, reproducibility RSD was 0.45-0.89%, and weighted incidence degree exceeded the standard method. Hence, the uniform sampling method was easy to operate, and the selected samples were distributed uniformly. The experimental results demonstrated that the uniform sampling method has good accuracy and reproducibility, which can be put into use in drugs analysis.

  7. Fast differential scanning calorimetry of liquid samples with chips

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Splinter, R.; van Herwaarden, A. W.; van Wetten, I. A.

    2015-01-01

    Based on a modified version of standard chips for fast differential scanning calorimetry, DSC of liquid samples has been performed at temperature scan rates of up to 1000 °C/s. This paper describes experimental results with the protein lysozyme, bovine serum, and olive oil. The heating and cooling....... The bovine serum measurements show two main peaks, in good agreement with standard DSC measurements. Olive oil has been measured, with good agreement for the cooling curve and qualitative agreement for the heater curve, compared to DSC measurements....

  8. Internal Control Good Cooperative Governance And Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andry Arifian Rachman

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to examine the influence of internal control and good cooperative governance partially and simultaneously to the performance of cooperatives in West Java Province. The research method used in this research is descriptive and verification. The sample in this research is 22 boards as manager of cooperative in West Java Province. The data used in the research is the primary data through questionnaire collection. Validity and reliability testing is performed before hypothesis testing. This research uses multiple regression analysis technique. Based on hypothesis testing obtained 1 internal control has no significant effect on performance 2 good cooperative governance has a significant effect on performance and 3 internal control and good cooperative governance have a significant effect on performance.

  9. Understanding Graduate School Aspirations: The Effect of Good Teaching Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanson, Jana M.; Paulsen, Michael B.; Pascarella, Ernest T.

    2016-01-01

    This study examined the effects of good teaching practices on post-baccalaureate degree aspirations using logistic regression techniques on a multi-institutional, longitudinal sample of students at 4-year colleges and universities in the USA. We examined whether eight good teaching practices (non-classroom interactions with faculty, prompt…

  10. High School Students’ Perception of the Concept of ‘Good Citizen

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emin KILINÇ

    2013-11-01

    consisting of two sections was constructed based on Davies, Gregory and Riley’s (1999 work. The first section requested standard demographic information from high school students. The second section of the survey instrument included two tasks: 1 main characteristics of good citizen 2 elements that have effects on development on good citizenship knowledge, skills and behaviors. The participants were selected through cluster random sampling during the 2012- 2013 school year in the city of Uşak. A total of 552 high school students participated in this research. The data were analyzed through descriptive analysis, independent sample t test and one-way analysis of varience (ANOVA in SPSS 20 statistical package program. The result of the study showed that three distinct characteristics of good citizenship emerged from the quantitative analysis of high school students responses: 1 social concern characteristics, 2 Knowledge characteristics, 3 conservative characteristics. According to the result, high school students expressed that social concern characteristics are the most important characteristics of good citizen than other characteristics. The findings also indicated that there is a significant difference between male and female high school students on social concern characteristics. Female students more considered social concern than male students. Another findings showed that there are significant differences between school types on social concern characteristics. The results also demonstrate that there is a significant difference between male and female high school students on knowledge characteristics of good citizen. Also, there are significant differences between school types on knowledge characteristics.

  11. Sample Selection for Training Cascade Detectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vállez, Noelia; Deniz, Oscar; Bueno, Gloria

    2015-01-01

    Automatic detection systems usually require large and representative training datasets in order to obtain good detection and false positive rates. Training datasets are such that the positive set has few samples and/or the negative set should represent anything except the object of interest. In this respect, the negative set typically contains orders of magnitude more images than the positive set. However, imbalanced training databases lead to biased classifiers. In this paper, we focus our attention on a negative sample selection method to properly balance the training data for cascade detectors. The method is based on the selection of the most informative false positive samples generated in one stage to feed the next stage. The results show that the proposed cascade detector with sample selection obtains on average better partial AUC and smaller standard deviation than the other compared cascade detectors.

  12. Good agreements between self and clinician-collected specimens for the detection of human papillomavirus in Brazilian patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karla Lopes Mandu de Campos

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Women infected with human papillomavirus (HPV are at a higher risk of developing cervical lesions. In the current study, self and clinician-collected vaginal and cervical samples from women were processed to detect HPV DNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR with PGMY09/11 primers. HPV genotypes were determined using type-specific PCR. HPV DNA detection showed good concordance between self and clinician-collected samples (84.6%; kappa = 0.72. HPV infection was found in 30% women and genotyping was more concordant among high-risk HPV (HR-HPV than low-risk HPV (HR-HPV. HPV16 was the most frequently detected among the HR-HPV types. LR-HPV was detected at a higher frequency in self-collected; however, HR-HPV types were more frequently identified in clinician-collected samples than in self-collected samples. HPV infections of multiple types were detected in 20.5% of clinician-collected samples and 15.5% of self-collected samples. In this study, we demonstrated that the HPV DNA detection rate in self-collected samples has good agreement with that of clinician-collected samples. Self-collected sampling, as a primary prevention strategy in countries with few resources, could be effective for identifying cases of HR-HPV, being more acceptable. The use of this method would enhance the coverage of screening programs for cervical cancer.

  13. Benefits of a good quality assurance program to an electric utility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mahoney, W.J. (Detroit Edison, Detroit, MI (United States))

    1994-10-01

    A good quality assurance program at a coal mine or power plant should be timely and consistent. The quality analysis is accurate due to a complete sampling of the coal stream loaded into the unit train. The sample analysis is accurate because standardized testing procedures are applied. A good coal quality assurance program includes: coal quality analysis of the delivered coal; bias testing of mechanical coal samplers; dust control during coal handling; and freeze conditioning during the winter. 2 figs., 2 plates

  14. The generalized good cut equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adamo, T M; Newman, E T

    2010-01-01

    The properties of null geodesic congruences (NGCs) in Lorentzian manifolds are a topic of considerable importance. More specifically NGCs with the special property of being shear-free or asymptotically shear-free (as either infinity or a horizon is approached) have received a great deal of recent attention for a variety of reasons. Such congruences are most easily studied via solutions to what has been referred to as the 'good cut equation' or the 'generalization good cut equation'. It is the purpose of this paper to study these equations and show their relationship to each other. In particular we show how they all have a four-complex-dimensional manifold (known as H-space, or in a special case as complex Minkowski space) as a solution space.

  15. Gravity with Intermediate Goods Trade

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sujin Jang

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper derives the gravity equation with intermediate goods trade. We extend a standard monopolistic competition model to incorporate intermediate goods trade, and show that the gravity equation with intermediates trade is identical to the one without it except in that gross output should be used as the output measure instead of value added. We also show that the output elasticity of trade is significantly underestimated when value added is used as the output measure. This implies that with the conventional gravity equation, the contribution of output growth can be substantially underestimated and the role of trade costs reduction can be exaggerated in explaining trade expansion, as we demonstrate for the case of Korea's trade growth between 1995 and 2007.

  16. Attitudes of Consumers from Podgorica toward Advertising through Sport among the Question how often Consumers purchase Sporting Goods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir Djurisic

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available This research was aimed at gaining relevant knowledge about the attitudes of Podgorica consumers toward advertising through sport among the question how often consumers purchase sporting goods. The sample included 330 students from Faculty of Economics in Podgorica, divided into six subsample groups: consumers who do not purchase sport goods at all, then consumers who purchase sport goods less than ones a month, next 1–3 a month, 4–6 a month, 7–9 a month, as well as consumers who purchase sport goods more than 10 times a month. The sample of variables contained the system of three general attitudes which were modelled by seven-point Likert scale. The results of the measuring were analyzed by multivariate analysis (MANOVA and univariate analysis (ANOVA and Post Hoc test. Based on the statistical analyses it was found that significant differences occur at multivariate level, as well as between all three variables at a significance level of (p=.000. Hence, it is interesting to highlight that it was found there were significant differences showed up between the consumers who purchase sport goods. The significant differences were found in two of three variables, while the consumers who purchase sport goods less than 3 times a moths had much more negative attitudes toward advertising though sport.

  17. GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DAN PENGARUHNYA TERHADAP NILAI PERUSAHAAN MELALUI CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY DISCLOSURE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Gusti Ayu Purnamawati

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available This research explained the relationship between Good Corporate Governance mechanism to company’s value, and the extent disclosure of Corporate Social Responsibility as moderation variable. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine modernization impact in the relationship between dependent and independent variable. Sample gathering was undertaken from 2012 to 2014. Tobin’s Q was used to assess the company’s value. Whereas Good Corporate Governance mechanism that was proxy by the number of managerial ownership and institutional ownership quantity was taken from ownership scale existed in company financial report. Extent measurement of Corporate Social Responsibility expressing was carried out by calculating each company’s CSR Index. This research used 44 samples of manufacturing companies meeting the criteria of purposive sampling. The testing of moderation effect and the main effect in the research was done using hierarchical regression analysis. The result showed that there were positive and significant relationship between GCG mechanism and company value, whereas between CSR extent disclosure and company value there was insignificant result. For examining the moderation impacts, CSR extent disclosure succeeded to moderate the relationship between managerial ownership and company value, but the extent of CSR expression did not succeed in moderating the relationship between institutional ownership and company value.

  18. Framing and misperceptions in a public good experiment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fosgaard, Toke; Hansen, Lars Gårn; Wengström, Erik Roland

    Earlier studies have found that a substantial part of the contributions in public good games can be explained by subjects misperceiving the game's incentives. Using a large-scale public good experiment, we show that subtle changes in how the game is framed substantially affect such misperceptions...... and that this explains major parts of framing effect on subjects' behavior. When controlling for the different levels of misperception between frames, the framing effect on subjects' cooperation preferences disappears.......Earlier studies have found that a substantial part of the contributions in public good games can be explained by subjects misperceiving the game's incentives. Using a large-scale public good experiment, we show that subtle changes in how the game is framed substantially affect such misperceptions...

  19. 8 CFR 274a.4 - Good faith defense.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith defense. 274a.4 Section 274a.4... ALIENS Employer Requirements § 274a.4 Good faith defense. An employer or a recruiter or referrer for a fee for employment who shows good faith compliance with the employment verification requirements of...

  20. Low-sampling-rate ultra-wideband channel estimation using equivalent-time sampling

    KAUST Repository

    Ballal, Tarig

    2014-09-01

    In this paper, a low-sampling-rate scheme for ultra-wideband channel estimation is proposed. The scheme exploits multiple observations generated by transmitting multiple pulses. In the proposed scheme, P pulses are transmitted to produce channel impulse response estimates at a desired sampling rate, while the ADC samples at a rate that is P times slower. To avoid loss of fidelity, the number of sampling periods (based on the desired rate) in the inter-pulse interval is restricted to be co-prime with P. This condition is affected when clock drift is present and the transmitted pulse locations change. To handle this case, and to achieve an overall good channel estimation performance, without using prior information, we derive an improved estimator based on the bounded data uncertainty (BDU) model. It is shown that this estimator is related to the Bayesian linear minimum mean squared error (LMMSE) estimator. Channel estimation performance of the proposed sub-sampling scheme combined with the new estimator is assessed in simulation. The results show that high reduction in sampling rate can be achieved. The proposed estimator outperforms the least squares estimator in almost all cases, while in the high SNR regime it also outperforms the LMMSE estimator. In addition to channel estimation, a synchronization method is also proposed that utilizes the same pulse sequence used for channel estimation. © 2014 IEEE.

  1. The Galaxy mass function up to z =4 in the GOODS-MUSIC sample: into the epoch of formation of massive galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fontana, A.; Salimbeni, S.; Grazian, A.; Giallongo, E.; Pentericci, L.; Nonino, M.; Fontanot, F.; Menci, N.; Monaco, P.; Cristiani, S.; Vanzella, E.; de Santis, C.; Gallozzi, S.

    2006-12-01

    Aims.The goal of this work is to measure the evolution of the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function and of the resulting Stellar Mass Density up to redshift ≃4, in order to study the assembly of massive galaxies in the high redshift Universe. Methods: .We have used the GOODS-MUSIC catalog, containing 3000 Ks-selected galaxies with multi-wavelength coverage extending from the U band to the Spitzer 8 μm band, of which 27% have spectroscopic redshifts and the remaining fraction have accurate photometric redshifts. On this sample we have applied a standard fitting procedure to measure stellar masses. We compute the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function and the resulting Stellar Mass Density up to redshift ≃4, taking into proper account the biases and incompleteness effects. Results: .Within the well known trend of global decline of the Stellar Mass Density with redshift, we show that the decline of the more massive galaxies may be described by an exponential timescale of ≃6 Gyr up to z≃ 1.5, and proceeds much faster thereafter, with an exponential timescale of ≃0.6 Gyr. We also show that there is some evidence for a differential evolution of the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function, with low mass galaxies evolving faster than more massive ones up to z≃ 1{-}1.5 and that the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function remains remarkably flat (i.e. with a slope close to the local one) up to z≃ 1{-}1.3. Conclusions: .The observed behaviour of the Galaxy Stellar Mass Function is consistent with a scenario where about 50% of present-day massive galaxies formed at a vigorous rate in the epoch between redshift 4 and 1.5, followed by a milder evolution until the present-day epoch.

  2. Adaptive sampling of AEM transients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Massa, Domenico; Florio, Giovanni; Viezzoli, Andrea

    2016-02-01

    This paper focuses on the sampling of the electromagnetic transient as acquired by airborne time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) systems. Typically, the sampling of the electromagnetic transient is done using a fixed number of gates whose width grows logarithmically (log-gating). The log-gating has two main benefits: improving the signal to noise (S/N) ratio at late times, when the electromagnetic signal has amplitudes equal or lower than the natural background noise, and ensuring a good resolution at the early times. However, as a result of fixed time gates, the conventional log-gating does not consider any geological variations in the surveyed area, nor the possibly varying characteristics of the measured signal. We show, using synthetic models, how a different, flexible sampling scheme can increase the resolution of resistivity models. We propose a new sampling method, which adapts the gating on the base of the slope variations in the electromagnetic (EM) transient. The use of such an alternative sampling scheme aims to get more accurate inverse models by extracting the geoelectrical information from the measured data in an optimal way.

  3. Evaluating e-Government and Good Governance Correlation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suhardi Suhardi

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Assessing the achievement of Indonesian government institutions in implementing e-government has been conducted since around a decade ago. Several national assessments are available with almost the same ranking results. There is an agreement that the ultimate goal of e-government implementation is to achieve good government governance (GGG, while success stories of e-government require good governance practices. This study explored the correlation between e-government achievement and GGG achievement in Indonesia. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to characterize the relationship strength between e-government assessment results and good governance assessment results. The data were collected from institutions that participated in e-government and good governance assessments. The results showed that the correlation between these two entities is not very strong. Most cases showed that e-government implementation and the achievement of good governance have only a moderate positive correlation and none of the studied cases indicated a significant connection. This result can be attributed to the lack of emphasis on goals achievement in the assessments. Thus, it is recommended that future Indonesian e-government assessments should involve impact indicators.

  4. Substantial Goodness and Nascent Human Life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Floyd, Shawn

    2015-09-01

    Many believe that moral value is--at least to some extent--dependent on the developmental states necessary for supporting rational activity. My paper rejects this view, but does not aim simply to register objections to it. Rather, my essay aims to answer the following question: if a human being's developmental state and occurrent capacities do not bequeath moral standing, what does? The question is intended to prompt careful consideration of what makes human beings objects of moral value, dignity, or (to employ my preferred term) goodness. Not only do I think we can answer this question, I think we can show that nascent human life possesses goodness of precisely this sort. I appeal to Aquinas's metaethics to establish the conclusion that the goodness of a human being--even if that being is an embryo or fetus--resides at the substratum of her existence. If she possesses goodness, it is because human existence is good.

  5. Sample Selection for Training Cascade Detectors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noelia Vállez

    Full Text Available Automatic detection systems usually require large and representative training datasets in order to obtain good detection and false positive rates. Training datasets are such that the positive set has few samples and/or the negative set should represent anything except the object of interest. In this respect, the negative set typically contains orders of magnitude more images than the positive set. However, imbalanced training databases lead to biased classifiers. In this paper, we focus our attention on a negative sample selection method to properly balance the training data for cascade detectors. The method is based on the selection of the most informative false positive samples generated in one stage to feed the next stage. The results show that the proposed cascade detector with sample selection obtains on average better partial AUC and smaller standard deviation than the other compared cascade detectors.

  6. Pierre Gy's sampling theory and sampling practice heterogeneity, sampling correctness, and statistical process control

    CERN Document Server

    Pitard, Francis F

    1993-01-01

    Pierre Gy's Sampling Theory and Sampling Practice, Second Edition is a concise, step-by-step guide for process variability management and methods. Updated and expanded, this new edition provides a comprehensive study of heterogeneity, covering the basic principles of sampling theory and its various applications. It presents many practical examples to allow readers to select appropriate sampling protocols and assess the validity of sampling protocols from others. The variability of dynamic process streams using variography is discussed to help bridge sampling theory with statistical process control. Many descriptions of good sampling devices, as well as descriptions of poor ones, are featured to educate readers on what to look for when purchasing sampling systems. The book uses its accessible, tutorial style to focus on professional selection and use of methods. The book will be a valuable guide for mineral processing engineers; metallurgists; geologists; miners; chemists; environmental scientists; and practit...

  7. Optimal Provision of Public Goods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kreiner, Claus Thustrup; Verdelin, Nicolaj

    2012-01-01

    The standard approach to the optimal provision of public goods highlights the importance of distortionary taxation and distributional concerns. A new approach neutralizes distributional concerns by adjusting the income tax schedule. We demonstrate that both approaches are derived from the same...... basic formula. We also take the new approach further by deriving an intuitive formula for the optimal level of public goods, without imposing strong assumptions on preferences. This formula shows that distortionary taxation has a role to play, as in the standard approach. However, the main determinants...

  8. Optimal Provision of Public Goods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kreiner, Claus Thustrup; Verdelin, Nicolaj

    2009-01-01

    There currently exist two competing approaches in the literature on the optimal provision of public goods. The standard approach highlights the importance of distortionary taxation and distributional concerns. The new approach neutralizes distributional concerns by adjusting the non-linear income...... for the optimal level of a public good without imposing strong assumptions on preferences. This formula shows that distortionary taxation may have a role to play as in the standard approach. However, the main determinants of optimal provision are completely different and the traditional formula with its emphasis...

  9. [Standard sample preparation method for quick determination of trace elements in plastic].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Wen-Qing; Zong, Rui-Long; Zhu, Yong-Fa

    2011-08-01

    Reference sample was prepared by masterbatch method, containing heavy metals with known concentration of electronic information products (plastic), the repeatability and precision were determined, and reference sample preparation procedures were established. X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) analysis method was used to determine the repeatability and uncertainty in the analysis of the sample of heavy metals and bromine element. The working curve and the metrical methods for the reference sample were carried out. The results showed that the use of the method in the 200-2000 mg x kg(-1) concentration range for Hg, Pb, Cr and Br elements, and in the 20-200 mg x kg(-1) range for Cd elements, exhibited a very good linear relationship, and the repeatability of analysis methods for six times is good. In testing the circuit board ICB288G and ICB288 from the Mitsubishi Heavy Industry Company, results agreed with the recommended values.

  10. Support vector machine incremental learning triggered by wrongly predicted samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Ting-long; Guan, Qiu; Wu, Yi-rong

    2018-05-01

    According to the classic Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) theorem, at every step of incremental support vector machine (SVM) learning, the newly adding sample which violates the KKT conditions will be a new support vector (SV) and migrate the old samples between SV set and non-support vector (NSV) set, and at the same time the learning model should be updated based on the SVs. However, it is not exactly clear at this moment that which of the old samples would change between SVs and NSVs. Additionally, the learning model will be unnecessarily updated, which will not greatly increase its accuracy but decrease the training speed. Therefore, how to choose the new SVs from old sets during the incremental stages and when to process incremental steps will greatly influence the accuracy and efficiency of incremental SVM learning. In this work, a new algorithm is proposed to select candidate SVs and use the wrongly predicted sample to trigger the incremental processing simultaneously. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve good performance with high efficiency, high speed and good accuracy.

  11. HOW GOOD IS GOODS AND SERVICES TAX

    OpenAIRE

    Dr. Sreemoyee Guha Roy

    2016-01-01

    Goods and Services Tax is a broad based and a single comprehensive tax levied on goods and services consumed in an economy. GST is levied at every stage of the production-distribution chain with applicable set offs in respect of the tax remitted at previous stages. It is basically a tax on final consumption. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a value added tax to be implemented in India, the decision on which is pending. GST is the only indirect tax that directly affects all sectors and sect...

  12. Applications of Asymptotic Sampling on High Dimensional Structural Dynamic Problems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sichani, Mahdi Teimouri; Nielsen, Søren R.K.; Bucher, Christian

    2011-01-01

    The paper represents application of the asymptotic sampling on various structural models subjected to random excitations. A detailed study on the effect of different distributions of the so-called support points is performed. This study shows that the distribution of the support points has consid...... dimensional reliability problems in structural dynamics.......The paper represents application of the asymptotic sampling on various structural models subjected to random excitations. A detailed study on the effect of different distributions of the so-called support points is performed. This study shows that the distribution of the support points has...... is minimized. Next, the method is applied on different cases of linear and nonlinear systems with a large number of random variables representing the dynamic excitation. The results show that asymptotic sampling is capable of providing good approximations of low failure probability events for very high...

  13. The method of Sample Management in Neutron Activation Analysis Laboratory-Serpong

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elisabeth-Ratnawati

    2005-01-01

    In the testing laboratory used by neutron activation analysis method, sample preparation is the main factor and it can't be neglect. The error in the sample preparation can give result with lower accuracy. In this article is explained the scheme of sample preparation i.e sample receive administration, the separate of sample, fluid and solid sample preparation, sample grouping, irradiation, sample counting and holding the sample post irradiation. If the management of samples were good application based on Standard Operation Procedure, therefore each samples has good traceability. To optimize the management of samples is needed the trained and skilled personal and good facility. (author)

  14. Framing and misperception in public good experiments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fosgaard, Toke Reinholt; Hansen, Lars Gårn; Wengström, Erik Roland

    2017-01-01

    Earlier studies have found that framing has substantial impact on the degree of cooperation observed in public good experiments. We show that the way the public good game is framed affects misperceptions about the incentives of the game. Moreover, we show that such framing-induced differences...... in misperceptions are linked to the framing effect on subjects' cooperation behavior. When we do not control for the different levels of misperceptions between frames, we observe a significant framing effect on subjects’ cooperation preferences. However, this framing effect becomes insignificant once we remove...

  15. The Messiness of Common Good

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Feldt, Liv Egholm

    Civil society and its philanthropic and voluntary organisations are currently experiencing public and political attention and demands to safeguard society’s ‘common good’ through social cohesion and as providers of welfare services. This has raised the question by both practitioners and researchers...... that a distinction between the non-civil and the civil is more fruitful, if we want to understand the past, present and future messiness in place in defining the common good. Based on an ethnographic case analysis of a Danish corporate foundation between 1920 and 2014 the paper shows how philanthropic gift......-giving concepts, practices and operational forms throughout history have played a significant role in defining the common good and its future avenues. Through an analytical attitude based on microhistory, conceptual history and the sociology of translation it shows that civil society’s institutional logic always...

  16. Multielement analysis of aerosol samples by X-ray fluorescence analysis with totally reflecting sample holders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ketelsen, P.; Knoechel, A.

    1984-01-01

    Aerosole samples on filter support were analyzed using the X-ray flourescence analytical method (Mo excitation) with totally reflecting sample carrier (TXFA). Wet decomposition of the sample material with HNO 3 in an enclosed system and subsequent sample preparation by evaporating an aliquot of the solution on the sample carrier yields detection limits up to 0.3 ng/cm 2 . The reproducibilities of the measurements of the elements K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Ba and Pb lie between 5 and 25%. Similar detection limits and reproducibilities are obtained, when low-temperature oxygen plasma is employed for the direct ashing of the homogenously covered filter on the sample carrier. For the systematic loss of elements both methods were investigated with radiotracers as well as with inactive techniques. A comparison of the results with those obtained by NAA, AAS and PIXE shows good agreement in most cases. For the bromine determination and the fast coverage of the main elements a possibility for measuring the filter membrane has been indicated, which neglects the ashing step. The corresponding detection limits are up to 3 ng/cm 2 . (orig.) [de

  17. Nurse educators and student nurse neophytes’ perceptions of good interaction in the classroom setting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Friddah R. Mathevula

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The first session of interaction in the classroom often sets an atmosphere for the entire period of learning. In terms of nurse educator and student nurse neophyte relations, good interaction is essential in helping students to recognise their own responsibilities and to respond positively during the learning process. The purpose of this study was to determine the nurse educators’ and student nurse neophytes’ perceptions of good interaction in the classroom setting. The study attempted to answer the following specific question: ‘What do nurse educators and student nurse neophytes regard as examples of good interaction in the classroom setting?’ The accessible population in this study were all student nurse neophytes registered with the University of Venda for the Baccalaureus Curationis, and nurse educators responsible for teaching first-year student nurses in this programme. The study used probability stratified random sampling to obtain two heterogeneous groups of student participants. Forty first-year student nurses were divided into homogenous subsets of 15 male and 25 female students. A random sampling was conducted to arrive at 10 male and 15 female students. The sampling method relating to nurse educators was purposive sampling. Focus groups were used to interview students using individual in-depth interviews to gather data from nurse educators. Coding was used to organise the data collected during the interviews. The study revealed that nurse educators and student nurse neophytes concur that the ethical behaviours influencing good interaction are respect and support, good communication, honesty and openness. Age, gender and cultural background were also factors. The participants further indicated that good interaction has benefits such as improved co-operation levels, the enhancement of learning, the improvement of pass rates, and a reduction in dropout rates. In conclusion, there is a need for nurse educators and student nurses

  18. Exploiting the information content of hydrological ''outliers'' for goodness-of-fit testing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Laio

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Validation of probabilistic models based on goodness-of-fit tests is an essential step for the frequency analysis of extreme events. The outcome of standard testing techniques, however, is mainly determined by the behavior of the hypothetical model, FX(x, in the central part of the distribution, while the behavior in the tails of the distribution, which is indeed very relevant in hydrological applications, is relatively unimportant for the results of the tests. The maximum-value test, originally proposed as a technique for outlier detection, is a suitable, but seldom applied, technique that addresses this problem. The test is specifically targeted to verify if the maximum (or minimum values in the sample are consistent with the hypothesis that the distribution FX(x is the real parent distribution. The application of this test is hindered by the fact that the critical values for the test should be numerically obtained when the parameters of FX(x are estimated on the same sample used for verification, which is the standard situation in hydrological applications. We propose here a simple, analytically explicit, technique to suitably account for this effect, based on the application of censored L-moments estimators of the parameters. We demonstrate, with an application that uses artificially generated samples, the superiority of this modified maximum-value test with respect to the standard version of the test. We also show that the test has comparable or larger power with respect to other goodness-of-fit tests (e.g., chi-squared test, Anderson-Darling test, Fung and Paul test, in particular when dealing with small samples (sample size lower than 20–25 and when the parent distribution is similar to the distribution being tested.

  19. Irrigation water quality and the benefits of implementing good agricultural practices during tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Estrada-Acosta, M; Jiménez, M; Chaidez, C; León-Félix, J; Castro-Del Campo, N

    2014-07-01

    The implementation of good agricultural practices (GAP) from irrigation water to the tomato packaging process enhances the safety of fresh produce and its value throughout the food chain. The aim of the present study was to show that fresh produce farms that apply and enforce GAP could reduce the presence of Salmonella in finished produce. Samples were collected biweekly from six packing houses from the central region of Sinaloa, México, for the isolation of Salmonella spp by the ISO 6579:2002 method, and the isolated strains were serotyped and genotyped by the Kauffmman-White scheme and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), respectively. Salmonella strains were detected in 13 (36.1 %) irrigation water samples, while only two tomato samples were positive (5.5 %). Eight different serotypes were identified in irrigation water, and Salmonella Oranienburg (34 %) was the most prevalent; however, only Salmonella Agona and Salmonella Weltevreden were present on tomatoes. Salmonella Oranienburg was the most widely dispersed and variable serotype, with 10 different PFGE profiles. Salmonella Weltevreden was isolated from both types of samples, albeit with distinct genetic profiles, implying that the sources of contamination differ. These results confirm the utility of implementing good agricultural practices to reduce Salmonella contamination in irrigation water and the packaging process.

  20. Good practice achievement of the firms within National agro processing industry of Thailand: Impacts on corporate image and stakeholder acceptance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nuttavong Poonpool

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available This article is about the effects of good practice achievement on stakeholder acceptance. The study examines the relationship between good practice achievement and stakeholder acceptance, where corporate image is taken as a mediator. The samples were 486 chief executive officers (CEO who participated in the national agro processing industry of Thailand. The ordinary least squares (OLS regression analysis was employed for data analysis. The findings show that good practice achievement, in which consists of fairness, transparency, accountability, responsibility, consistency, and independent, have the positive effect on corporate image significantly (p<0.1. Interestingly, corporate image mediates the relationship between good practice achievement and stakeholder acceptance significantly (p<0.05. Therefore, a key decision for managers in all levels and functions is to focus on good practice achievement that improves and develops corporate image and boost stakeholder acceptance.

  1. PENJABARAN GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (GCG DALAM PENGADAAN BARANG DAN JASA PADA PLN BALI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luh Putu Dwi Suarini

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Research in connection with the theme is “ Implementation of Good Corporate Governance (GCG in Procurement at PLN Bali”. The problems are researched the translation of good corporate governace forms in the procurement of goods and services at PLN Bali and the form of the procurement of goods and services at PLN Bali. This research includes the category of empirical legal research, legal research is a empirical means reviewing the practical reality in daily life - today. The nature of the research is descriptive research that has a goal to paint a picture of something in the area and at a certain moment. Furthermore, the technique used is to study documents, interviews, Non-Probability Sampling, purposive sampling. Procurement of goods or services in PLN involves many parties, the employees who were appointed to take care of such procurement and future providers of goods and services. In this relationship unfair business competition or the price is too high or low in supply. However, the existence of e-procurement and the correct procedures in the procurement of goods and services as well as the concept of GCG which also animates the principles of procurement of goods and services. Procedures in the procurement of goods and services as well as the principles of GCG, the procurement in PLN can be carried out transparently, responsibly, independently, fairly and equitably.

  2. Bovine liver sample preparation and micro-homogeneity study for Cu and Zn determination by solid sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nomura, Cassiana S.; Silva, Cintia S.; Nogueira, Ana R.A.; Oliveira, Pedro V.

    2005-01-01

    This work describes a systematic study for the bovine liver sample preparation for Cu and Zn determination by solid sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The main parameters investigated were sample drying, grinding process, particle size, sample size, microsample homogeneity, and their relationship with the precision and accuracy of the method. A bovine liver sample was prepared using different drying procedures: (1) freeze drying, and (2) drying in a household microwave oven followed by drying in a stove at 60 deg. C until constant mass. Ball and cryogenic mills were used for grinding. Less sensitive wavelengths for Cu (216.5 nm) and Zn (307.6 nm), and Zeeman-based three-field background correction for Cu were used to diminish the sensitivities. The pyrolysis and atomization temperatures adopted were 1000 deg. C and 2300 deg. C for Cu, and 700 deg. C and 1700 deg. C for Zn, respectively. For both elements, it was possible to calibrate the spectrometer with aqueous solutions. The use of 250 μg of W + 200 μg of Rh as permanent chemical modifier was imperative for Zn. Under these conditions, the characteristic mass and detection limit were 1.4 ng and 1.6 ng for Cu, and 2.8 ng and 1.3 ng for Zn, respectively. The results showed good agreement (95% confidence level) for homogeneity of the entire material (> 200 mg) when the sample was dried in microwave/stove and ground in a cryogenic mill. The microsample homogeneity study showed that Zn is more dependent on the sample pretreatment than Cu. The bovine liver sample prepared in microwave/stove and ground in a cryogenic mill presented results with the lowest relative standard deviation for Cu than Zn. Good accuracy and precision were observed for bovine liver masses higher than 40 μg for Cu and 30 μg for Zn. The concentrations of Cu and Zn in the prepared bovine liver sample were 223 mg kg - 1 and 128 mg kg - 1 , respectively. The relative standard deviations were lower than 6% (n = 5). The

  3. It’s good to do good and receive good: The impact of a ‘pay it forward’ style kindness intervention on giver and receiver well-being

    OpenAIRE

    Pressman, SD; Kraft, TL; Cross, MP

    2015-01-01

    © 2014 Taylor & Francis. Despite the popularity of the ‘pay it forward’ (PIF) concept in textbooks and popular culture, to date, no study has tested the effectiveness of a brief, one-time PIF activity on the well-being of those who do good and those who receive good. To test this, 83 undergraduates (‘givers’) performed random kind acts for 1.5 h. PIF resulted in a wide range of well-being benefits for givers (e.g. greater positive and lower negative affect), with females showing greater pos...

  4. Prevalence and impacts of poor sleep on quality of life and associated factors of good sleepers in a sample of older Chinese adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lo Catherine MH

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Sleep disturbance is a complex health problem in ageing global populations decreasing quality of life among many older people. Geographic, cultural, and ethnic differences in sleep patterns have been documented within and between Western and Asian populations. The aim of this study was to explore sleep problems among Hong Kong seniors by examining the prevalence of poor sleep quality, the relationship between sleep quality and health-related quality of life, and associated factors of good sleepers in different age groups. Methods This cross-sectional study used convenience sampling and gathered data during face-to-face interviews. Older community-dwelling individuals (n = 301 were recruited in community centres in 2010. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 were used to measure sleep quality and health-related quality of life. The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 domain scores were compared between good and bad sleepers and between long and short sleepers using Hotelling’s T-Square test. SF-36 domain scores were placed into a logistic regression model that controlled for significant demographic variables (gender, educational level, perceived health. Results Most (77.7% participants were poor sleepers. Participants who had global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores Conclusions This study found a strong negative association between sleep deprivation (poor quality, short duration and health-related quality of life. Associated factors for good sleep quality in later life differ among age groups in relation to universal age-related changes, and should be addressed by social policies and health-care programmes.

  5. Climatic associations of British species distributions show good transferability in time but low predictive accuracy for range change.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giovanni Rapacciuolo

    Full Text Available Conservation planners often wish to predict how species distributions will change in response to environmental changes. Species distribution models (SDMs are the primary tool for making such predictions. Many methods are widely used; however, they all make simplifying assumptions, and predictions can therefore be subject to high uncertainty. With global change well underway, field records of observed range shifts are increasingly being used for testing SDM transferability. We used an unprecedented distribution dataset documenting recent range changes of British vascular plants, birds, and butterflies to test whether correlative SDMs based on climate change provide useful approximations of potential distribution shifts. We modelled past species distributions from climate using nine single techniques and a consensus approach, and projected the geographical extent of these models to a more recent time period based on climate change; we then compared model predictions with recent observed distributions in order to estimate the temporal transferability and prediction accuracy of our models. We also evaluated the relative effect of methodological and taxonomic variation on the performance of SDMs. Models showed good transferability in time when assessed using widespread metrics of accuracy. However, models had low accuracy to predict where occupancy status changed between time periods, especially for declining species. Model performance varied greatly among species within major taxa, but there was also considerable variation among modelling frameworks. Past climatic associations of British species distributions retain a high explanatory power when transferred to recent time--due to their accuracy to predict large areas retained by species--but fail to capture relevant predictors of change. We strongly emphasize the need for caution when using SDMs to predict shifts in species distributions: high explanatory power on temporally-independent records

  6. The risk of bias in systematic reviews tool showed fair reliability and good construct validity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bühn, Stefanie; Mathes, Tim; Prengel, Peggy; Wegewitz, Uta; Ostermann, Thomas; Robens, Sibylle; Pieper, Dawid

    2017-11-01

    There is a movement from generic quality checklists toward a more domain-based approach in critical appraisal tools. This study aimed to report on a first experience with the newly developed risk of bias in systematic reviews (ROBIS) tool and compare it with A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR), that is, the most common used tool to assess methodological quality of systematic reviews while assessing validity, reliability, and applicability. Validation study with four reviewers based on 16 systematic reviews in the field of occupational health. Interrater reliability (IRR) of all four raters was highest for domain 2 (Fleiss' kappa κ = 0.56) and lowest for domain 4 (κ = 0.04). For ROBIS, median IRR was κ = 0.52 (range 0.13-0.88) for the experienced pair of raters compared to κ = 0.32 (range 0.12-0.76) for the less experienced pair of raters. The percentage of "yes" scores of each review of ROBIS ratings was strongly correlated with the AMSTAR ratings (r s  = 0.76; P = 0.01). ROBIS has fair reliability and good construct validity to assess the risk of bias in systematic reviews. More validation studies are needed to investigate reliability and applicability, in particular. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Hypercrosslinked particles for the extraction of sweeteners using dispersive solid-phase extraction from environmental samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakade, Sameer S; Zhou, Qing; Li, Aimin; Borrull, Francesc; Fontanals, Núria; Marcé, Rosa M

    2018-04-01

    This work presents a new extraction material, namely, Q-100, based on hypercrosslinked magnetic particles, which was tested in dispersive solid-phase extraction for a group of sweeteners from environmental samples. The hypercrosslinked Q-100 magnetic particles had the advantage of suitable pore size distribution and high surface area, and showed good retention behavior toward sweeteners. Different dispersive solid-phase extraction parameters such as amount of magnetic particles or extraction time were optimized. Under optimum conditions, Q-100 showed suitable apparent recovery, ranging in the case of river water sample from 21 to 88% for all the sweeteners, except for alitame (12%). The validated method based on dispersive solid-phase extraction using Q-100 followed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry provided good linearity and limits of quantification between 0.01 and 0.1 μg/L. The method was applied to analyze samples from river water and effluent wastewater, and four sweeteners (acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamate, and sucralose) were found in both types of sample. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Aflatoxin B1-lysine adduct in dried blood spot samples of animals and humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Kathy S; Cai, Wenjie; Tang, Lili; Wang, Jia-Sheng

    2016-12-01

    Dried blood spots (DBS) were proposed as potentially viable method for exposure assessment of environmental toxicants in infant and young children. For this study, we validated an experimental protocol to quantify AFB 1 -lysine adduct in DBS samples of AFB 1 -treated F344 rats, as well as samples from human field study. Significant dose-response relationships in AFB 1 -lysine adduct formation were found in DBS samples of rats treated with single- and repeated-dose AFB 1 . AFB 1 -lysine levels in DBS samples were highly correlated with corresponding serum sample levels. The Person coefficients were 0.997 for the single-dose exposure, and 0.996 for the repeated-dose exposure. Levels of AFB 1 -lysine adduct had also good agreement between DBS and serum samples as shown by Bland-Altman plot analysis. For human field study samples (n = 36), a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.784 was found between AFB 1 -lysine adduct levels of DBS and corresponding serum samples. Bland-Altman plots showed the distribution of the log differences between DBS and serum AFB 1 -lysine levels are within 95% confidence intervals. These results showed AFB 1 -lysine adduct levels in DBS cards and serum samples from animals and human samples are comparable, and the DBS technique and analytical protocol is a good means to assess AFB 1 exposure in infant and children populations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Good Looking Is Looking Good / Märt Milter

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Milter, Märt

    1998-01-01

    Meloodilist drum ǹ̀bassi viljelevatest välismaa plaadifirmadest Good Looking Recordsist ja Looking Good Recordsist, mida juhib LTJ Bukem ja temaga koostööd tegevatest muusikutest Blame, Seba, Tayla, MC Conrad, Artemis

  10. Comparison of analytical methods for the determination of histamine in reference canned fish samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jakšić, S.; Baloš, M. Ž.; Mihaljev, Ž.; Prodanov Radulović, J.; Nešić, K.

    2017-09-01

    Two screening methods for histamine in canned fish, an enzymatic test and a competitive direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CD-ELISA), were compared with the reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) standard method. For enzymatic and CD-ELISA methods, determination was conducted according to producers’ manuals. For RP-HPLC, histamine was derivatized with dansyl-chloride, followed by RP-HPLC and diode array detection. Results of analysis of canned fish, supplied as reference samples for proficiency testing, showed good agreement when histamine was present at higher concentrations (above 100 mg kg-1). At a lower level (16.95 mg kg-1), the enzymatic test produced some higher results. Generally, analysis of four reference samples according to CD-ELISA and RP-HPLC showed good agreement for histamine determination (r=0.977 in concentration range 16.95-216 mg kg-1) The results show that the applied enzymatic test and CD-ELISA appeared to be suitable screening methods for the determination of histamine in canned fish.

  11. The Conditional Nature of High Impact/Good Practices on Student Learning Outcomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seifert, Tricia A.; Gillig, Benjamin; Hanson, Jana M.; Pascarella, Ernest T.; Blaich, Charles F.

    2014-01-01

    Using a multi-institutional sample of undergraduate students, this study found that the relationships between engaging in high impact/good practices and liberal arts outcomes differ based on students' precollege and background characteristics. Findings suggest that high impact/good practices are not a panacea and require a greater degree of…

  12. Empirical Power Comparison Of Goodness of Fit Tests for Normality In The Presence of Outliers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saculinggan, Mayette; Balase, Emily Amor

    2013-01-01

    Most statistical tests such as t-tests, linear regression analysis and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) require the normality assumptions. When the normality assumption is violated, interpretation and inferences may not be reliable. Therefore it is important to assess such assumption before using any appropriate statistical test. One of the commonly used procedures in determining whether a random sample of size n comes from a normal population are the goodness-of-fit tests for normality. Several studies have already been conducted on the comparison of the different goodness-of-fit(see, for example [2]) but it is generally limited to the sample size or to the number of GOF tests being compared(see, for example [2] [5] [6] [7] [8]). This paper compares the power of six formal tests of normality: Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (see [3]), Anderson-Darling test, Shapiro-Wilk test, Lilliefors test, Chi-Square test (see [1]) and D'Agostino-Pearson test. Small, moderate and large sample sizes and various contamination levels were used to obtain the power of each test via Monte Carlo simulation. Ten thousand samples of each sample size and contamination level at a fixed type I error rate α were generated from the given alternative distribution. The power of each test was then obtained by comparing the normality test statistics with the respective critical values. Results show that the power of all six tests is low for small sample size(see, for example [2]). But for n = 20, the Shapiro-Wilk test and Anderson – Darling test have achieved high power. For n = 60, Shapiro-Wilk test and Liliefors test are most powerful. For large sample size, Shapiro-Wilk test is most powerful (see, for example [5]). However, the test that achieves the highest power under all conditions for large sample size is D'Agostino-Pearson test (see, for example [9]).

  13. Microbial flora in organic honey samples of africanized honeybees from Parana river islands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Josiane Sereia

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to verify and compare the main contamination sources and the hygienic/sanitary conditions of organic honey samples of Apis mellifera from Parana River islands. Thirty-three (33 samples were analyzed between January 2005 and August 2006. Eleven (11 samples were collected by beekeepers and twenty-two (22 samples were collected and processed in accordance with ideal personal hygiene norms and good manufacturing practices. The samples underwent microbiological analysis in search of coliforms at 35 ºC and 45 ºC, as well as fungi enumeration analysis. As for fungi counting, the samples harvested by beekeepers showed values above the maximum established by Resolution nº 15/94 of Common Market Group - Mercosul. The results showed that secondary contamination sources are responsible for the reduction of organic honey quality.

  14. Comparison of POCIS passive samplers vs. composite water sampling: A case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Criquet, Justine; Dumoulin, David; Howsam, Michael; Mondamert, Leslie; Goossens, Jean-François; Prygiel, Jean; Billon, Gabriel

    2017-12-31

    The relevance of Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Samplers (POCIS) was evaluated for the assessment of concentrations of 46 pesticides and 19 pharmaceuticals in a small, peri-urban river with multi-origin inputs. Throughout the period of POCIS deployment, 24h-average water samples were collected automatically, and showed the rapid temporal evolution of concentrations of several micropollutants, as well as permitting the calculation of average concentrations in the water phase for comparison with those estimated from POCIS passive samplers. In the daily water samples, cyproconazol, epoxyconazol and imidacloprid showed high temporal variations with concentrations ranging from under the limit of detection up to several hundreds of ngL -1 . Erythromycin, cyprofloxacin and iopromide also increased rapidly up to tens of ngL -1 within a few days. Conversely, atrazine, caffeine, diclofenac, and to a lesser extent carbamazepine and sucralose, were systematically present in the water samples and showed limited variation in concentrations. For most of the substances studied here, the passive samplers gave reliable average concentrations between the minimal and maximal daily concentrations during the time of deployment. For pesticides, a relatively good correlation was clearly established (R 2 =0.89) between the concentrations obtained by POCIS and those gained from average water samples. A slight underestimation of the concentration by POCIS can be attributed to inappropriate sampling rates extracted from the literature and for our system, and new values are proposed. Considering the all data set, 75% of the results indicate a relatively good agreement between the POCIS and the average water samples concentration (values of the ratio ranging between 0,33 and 3). Note further that this agreement between these concentrations remains valid considering different sampling rates extracted from the literature. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Bioenergy good practice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Birse, J.; Chambers, K.

    2000-07-01

    This report gives details of a project to make the Good Practice Guidelines, which were developed to help the UK Bioenergy industry, the national and local governments, and the public, more widely available. Details concerning the designing of a Good Practice Programme, and the proposed codes of Good Practice programme are given, and general relevant good practice guidance documents are discussed. The stakeholder survey and workshop, and the proposed codes of a Good Practice Programme are presented in Annexes. (UK)

  16. The Analysis Of Buying Motives In Purchase Decision Of Virtual Goods In Online Game

    OpenAIRE

    Ajara, Rizky

    2017-01-01

    This study is aimed to analyze consumers' buying motives to purchase virtual goods in online games. The sample technique used purposive sampling technique because respondents selected in accordance with characteristic that meet the criteria in the study. Structured interviews were used to analyze respondents' buying motives in purchase decision of virtual goods in online games. The data were collected by interviewing the respondent one-to-one discussion session. The buying motives has divided...

  17. A multi-dimensional sampling method for locating small scatterers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Rencheng; Zhong, Yu; Chen, Xudong

    2012-01-01

    A multiple signal classification (MUSIC)-like multi-dimensional sampling method (MDSM) is introduced to locate small three-dimensional scatterers using electromagnetic waves. The indicator is built with the most stable part of signal subspace of the multi-static response matrix on a set of combinatorial sampling nodes inside the domain of interest. It has two main advantages compared to the conventional MUSIC methods. First, the MDSM is more robust against noise. Second, it can work with a single incidence even for multi-scatterers. Numerical simulations are presented to show the good performance of the proposed method. (paper)

  18. Nudge for (the public) good

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fosgaard, Toke Reinholt; Piovesan, Marco

    In this paper we test the effect of non-binding defaults on the level of contribution to a public good. We manipulate the default numbers appearing on the decision screen to nudge subjects toward a free-rider strategy or a perfect conditional cooperator strategy. Our results show that the vast...

  19. Nudge for (the public) good

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fosgaard, Toke Reinholt; Piovesan, Marco

    2015-01-01

    In this paper we test the effect of non-binding defaults on the level of contribution to a public good. We manipulate the default numbers appearing on the decision screen to nudge subjects toward a free-rider strategy or a perfect conditional cooperator strategy. Our results show that the vast...

  20. Earthworms – good indicators for forest disturbance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YAHYA KOOCH

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available In temperate forests, formation of canopy gaps by windthrow is a characteristic natural disturbance event. Little work has been done on the effects of canopy gaps on soil properties and fauna, especially earthworms as ecosystem engineers. We conducted a study to examine the reaction of earthworms (density/biomass and different soil properties (i.e., soil moisture, pH, organic matter, total N, and available Ca to different canopy gap areas in 25-ha areas of Liresar district beech forest located in a temperate forest of Mazandaran province in the north of Iran. Soil samples were taken at 0-15, 15-30 and 30-45 cm depths from gap center, gap edge and closed canopy using core soil sampler with 81 cm2 cross section. The earthworms were collected simultaneously with the soil sampling by hand sorting method. Our study supports that the canopy gap will create a mosaic of environmental conditions. Earthworm's density and biomass tended to be higher in small canopy gaps compared with the other canopy gap areas. Earthworm's population showed decreasing trend from closed canopy to disturbed sites (gap edge and gap center. The top soil was more appropriate to presence of earthworms although ecological groups have occupied different soil layers. As a conclusion, earthworms can be introduced as good bio-indicator of environmental changes that occur by disturbance.

  1. Minor corral changes and adoption of good handling practices can improve the behavior and reduce cortisol release in Nellore cows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lima, Maria Lúcia Pereira; Negrão, João Alberto; de Paz, Claudia Cristina Paro; Grandin, Temple

    2018-03-01

    Inadequate corral facilities and improper handling are major causes of stress in beef cattle. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of minor changes in the corral and adoption of good handling practices on the behavior, cortisol release, and time spent taking blood samples in Nellore cows. Minor corral changes included obstructing the cow's vision when the handler walked deep into the animal's flight zone and the elimination of bright objects, color contrasts, puddles, shadows, and darkness in the corral. Handling was improved by eliminating dogs, electric goads (prods), and yelling, as well as adopting a calm behavior. A total of 141 Nellore cows from two typical extensive livestock farms were studied. The cows were evaluated individually before and after the corral changes. Blood samples were collected in the restraint device for cortisol measurement. The minor corral changes and the adoption of good handling practices result in better results for all variables studied. The results showed differences in the interactions between treatment and ranch for chute score (P = 0.0091) and exit score (P good handling practices were effective in improving cow behavior in the chute and in reducing exit velocity, cortisol released, and the time spent taking blood samples.

  2. Adaptation and Validation of the Sexual Assertiveness Scale (SAS) in a Sample of Male Drug Users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vallejo-Medina, Pablo; Sierra, Juan Carlos

    2015-04-21

    The aim of the present study was to adapt and validate the Sexual Assertiveness Scale (SAS) in a sample of male drug users. A sample of 326 male drug users and 322 non-clinical males was selected by cluster sampling and convenience sampling, respectively. Results showed that the scale had good psychometric properties and adequate internal consistency reliability (Initiation = .66, Refusal = .74 and STD-P = .79). An evaluation of the invariance showed strong factor equivalence between both samples. A high and moderate effect of Differential Item Functioning was only found in items 1 and 14 (∆R 2 Nagelkerke = .076 and .037, respectively). We strongly recommend not using item 1 if the goal is to compare the scores of both groups, otherwise the comparison will be biased. Correlations obtained between the CSFQ-14 and the safe sex ratio and the SAS subscales were significant (CI = 95%) and indicated good concurrent validity. Scores of male drug users were similar to those of non-clinical males. Therefore, the adaptation of the SAS to drug users provides enough guarantees for reliable and valid use in both clinical practice and research, although care should be taken with item 1.

  3. Directionally Solidified Aluminum - 7 wt% Silicon Alloys: Comparison of Earth and International Space Station Processed Samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grugel, Richard N,; Tewari, Surendra; Rajamure, R. S.; Erdman, Robert; Poirier, David

    2012-01-01

    Primary dendrite arm spacings of Al-7 wt% Si alloy directionally solidified in low gravity environment of space (MICAST-6 and MICAST-7: Thermal gradient approx. 19 to 26 K/cm, Growth speeds varying from 5 to 50 microns/s show good agreement with the Hunt-Lu model. Primary dendrite trunk diameters of the ISS processed samples show a good fit with a simple analytical model based on Kirkwood s approach, proposed here. Natural convection, a) decreases primary dendrite arm spacing. b) appears to increase primary dendrite trunk diameter.

  4. The role of forgetting in undermining good intentions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristina R Olson

    Full Text Available Evaluating others is a fundamental feature of human social interaction--we like those who help more than those who hinder. In the present research, we examined social evaluation of those who not only intentionally performed good and bad actions but also those to whom good things have happened (the lucky and those to whom bad things have happened (the unlucky. In Experiment 1a, subjects demonstrated a sympathetic preference for the unlucky. However, under cognitive load (Experiment 1b, no such preference was expressed. Further, in Experiments 2a and 2b, when a time delay between impression formation (learning and evaluation (memory test was introduced, results showed that younger (Experiment 2a and older adults (Experiment 2b showed a significant preference for the lucky. Together these experiments show that a consciously motivated sympathetic preference for those who are unlucky dissolves when memory is disrupted. The observed dissociation provides evidence for the presence of conscious good intentions (favoring the unlucky and the cognitive compromising of such intentions when memory fails.

  5. Mobile dynamic passive sampling of trace organic compounds: Evaluation of sampler performance in the Danube River.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vrana, Branislav; Smedes, Foppe; Allan, Ian; Rusina, Tatsiana; Okonski, Krzysztof; Hilscherová, Klára; Novák, Jiří; Tarábek, Peter; Slobodník, Jaroslav

    2018-03-29

    A "dynamic" passive sampling (DPS) device, consisting of an electrically driven large volume water pumping device coupled to a passive sampler exposure cell, was designed to enhance the sampling rate of trace organic compounds. The purpose of enhancing the sampling rate was to achieve sufficient method sensitivity, when the period available for sampling is limited to a few days. Because the uptake principle in the DPS remains the same as for conventionally-deployed passive samplers, free dissolved concentrations can be derived from the compound uptake using available passive sampler calibration parameters. This was confirmed by good agreement between aqueous concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) derived from DPS and conventional caged passive sampler. The DPS device enhanced sampling rates of compounds that are accumulated in samplers under water boundary layer control (WBL) more than five times compared with the conventionally deployed samplers. The DPS device was deployed from a ship cruising downstream the Danube River to provide temporally and spatially integrated concentrations. A DPS-deployed sampler with surface area of 400cm 2 can reach sampling rates up to 83Ld -1 . The comparison of three passive samplers made of different sorbents and co-deployed in the DPS device, namely silicone rubber (SR), low density polyethylene (LDPE) and SDB-RPS Empore™ disks showed a good correlation of surface specific uptake for compounds that were sampled integratively during the entire exposure period. This provided a good basis for a cross-calibration between the samplers. The good correlation of free dissolved PAHs, PCBs and HCB concentration estimates obtained using SR and LDPE confirmed that both samplers are suitable for the identification of concentration gradients and trends in the water column. We showed that the differences in calculated aqueous concentrations between sampler types

  6. Pedagogical Uses of the Public Goods Concept in Economics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiesling, Herbert J.

    1990-01-01

    Describes some of the relatively unknown aspects of the concept of public goods and shows how they might be brought into undergraduate textbooks in microeconomic principles, public finance, and welfare economics. Illustrates how these aspects of public goods can be brought into undergraduate instruction. (DB)

  7. Meet the good child

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gram, Malene; Grønhøj, Alice

    2016-01-01

    This article explores ‘childing’ pratices in relation to family supermarket shopping in Denmark. ‘Parenting’ practices have been explored for long but little attention has been given to how children strive to be ‘good’ children, who live up to certain standards and recognize what they perceive...... to be appropriate child and parental behavior. The study takes a practice theoretical perspective, building on previous research on family consumption, and draws empirically on 35 interviews with 5–6 year-olds and 13 family interviews. Findings show that the children recognize the position of ‘the good child......’ and most often prefer to take on this position, which is confirmed by their parents. The children can describe how ‘the good child’—in their eyes—should behave. They prefer consensus and not being embarrassing or embarrassed. The study concludes that the children are strongly immersed in social norms...

  8. Preliminary evaluation of the activity concentration limits for consumer goods containing NORM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jang, Mee; Chung, Kun Ho; Ji, Young Yong; Lim, Jong Myung; Kang, Mun Ja; Choi, Guen Sik [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-06-15

    To protect the public from natural radioactive materials, the 'Act on safety control of radioactive rays around living environment' was established in Korea. There is an annual effective dose limit of 1 mSv for products, but the activity concentration limit for products is not established yet. To suggest the activity concentration limits for consumer goods containing NORM, in this research, we assumed the 'small room model' surrounding the ICRP reference phantom to simulate the consumer goods in contact with the human bodies. Using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX, we evaluate the effective dose rate for the ICRP reference phantom in a small room with dimension of phantom size and derived the activity concentration limit for consumer goods. The consumer goods have about 1600, 1200 and 19000 Bq·kg{sup -1} for {sup 226}Ra, {sup 232}Th and {sup 40}K, and the activity concentration limits are about six times comparing with the values of building materials. We applied the index to real samples, though we did not consider radioactivity of {sup 40}K, indexes of the some samples are more than 6. However, this index concept using small room model is very conservative, for the consumer goods over than index 6, it is necessary to reevaluate the absorbed dose considering real usage scenario and material characteristics. In this research, we derived activity concentration limits for consumer goods in contact with bodies and the results can be used as preliminary screening tool for consumer goods as index concept.

  9. Preliminary evaluation of the activity concentration limits for consumer goods containing NORM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jang, Mee; Chung, Kun Ho; Ji, Young Yong; Lim, Jong Myung; Kang, Mun Ja; Choi, Guen Sik

    2016-01-01

    To protect the public from natural radioactive materials, the 'Act on safety control of radioactive rays around living environment' was established in Korea. There is an annual effective dose limit of 1 mSv for products, but the activity concentration limit for products is not established yet. To suggest the activity concentration limits for consumer goods containing NORM, in this research, we assumed the 'small room model' surrounding the ICRP reference phantom to simulate the consumer goods in contact with the human bodies. Using the Monte Carlo code MCNPX, we evaluate the effective dose rate for the ICRP reference phantom in a small room with dimension of phantom size and derived the activity concentration limit for consumer goods. The consumer goods have about 1600, 1200 and 19000 Bq·kg -1 for 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K, and the activity concentration limits are about six times comparing with the values of building materials. We applied the index to real samples, though we did not consider radioactivity of 40 K, indexes of the some samples are more than 6. However, this index concept using small room model is very conservative, for the consumer goods over than index 6, it is necessary to reevaluate the absorbed dose considering real usage scenario and material characteristics. In this research, we derived activity concentration limits for consumer goods in contact with bodies and the results can be used as preliminary screening tool for consumer goods as index concept

  10. "Good Passengers and Not Good Passengers:" Adolescent Drivers' Perceptions About Inattention and Peer Passengers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Catherine C; Sommers, Marilyn S

    The purpose of this qualitative focus group elicitation research study was to explore teen driver perceptions of peer passengers and driver inattention. We utilized focus groups for data collection and content analysis to analyze the data, both of which were guided by the theory of planned behavior. We conducted 7 focus groups with 30 teens, ages 16-18, licensed for ≤1year to examine attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and norms related to driving inattention and peer passengers. The sample was 50% male, mean age 17.39 (SD 0.52) with mean length of licensure 173.7days (SD 109.2). Three themes emerged: 1) "Good and not good" passengers; 2) Passengers and technology as harmful and helpful; and 3) The driver is in charge. While passengers can be a source of distraction, our participants also identified passenger behaviors that reduced risk, such as assistance with technology and guidance for directions. An understanding of teens' perceptions of peer passengers can contribute to the development of effective interventions targeting teen driver inattention. Nurses are well-positioned to contribute to these teen crash prevention efforts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Good and bad practices in pv plants

    OpenAIRE

    Martinez Moreno, Francisco; Helleputte, F.; Tyutyundzhiev, N.; Rabal Echeverria, Daniel; Conlon, Michael; Fartaria, Tomás; Oteiza, David

    2013-01-01

    The PVCROPS project (PhotoVolta ic Cost r€duction, Reliability, Operational performance, Prediction and Simulation), cofinanced by European Commission in the frame of Seventh Framework Programme, has compiled in the “Good and bad practices: Manual to improve the quality and reduce the cost of PV systems” a collection of good and bad practices in actual PV plants . All the situations it collects represent the state-of-the-art of existing PV installations all around Europe. They show how ...

  12. Software licenses: Good fences make good neighbors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCreary, J.G.; Woodyard, A.

    1995-01-01

    The basis for a good contract is that it is beneficial to both parties. A good foundation will cement the responsibilities and obligations of the parties after areas of agreement have been negotiated. Unfortunately, software licenses do not always reflect what is best for all. Some clauses are definitely for the benefit of the vendor, while others are required by a prudent client. The resulting contract is then a matter of reasonable compromise to achieve a good business relationship. Major issues of warranty, liability, training, support, and payment may be in conflict. Such topics as maintenance, testing, patents, extent of use, and return of software are often overlooked or addressed unevenly. This paper addresses these subjects and provides guidelines for software licenses. An understanding of legal phrases is of value. A better understanding of the viewpoints of both the vendor and the client results in a better working relationship

  13. Conceptual Models Core to Good Design

    CERN Document Server

    Johnson, Jeff

    2011-01-01

    People make use of software applications in their activities, applying them as tools in carrying out tasks. That this use should be good for people--easy, effective, efficient, and enjoyable--is a principal goal of design. In this book, we present the notion of Conceptual Models, and argue that Conceptual Models are core to achieving good design. From years of helping companies create software applications, we have come to believe that building applications without Conceptual Models is just asking for designs that will be confusing and difficult to learn, remember, and use. We show how Concept

  14. Switch for Good Community Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Crawford, Tabitha [Balfour Beatty Military Housing Management LLC, Newtown Square, PA (United States); Amran, Martha [WattzOn, Inc., Mountain View, CA (United States)

    2013-11-19

    Switch4Good is an energy-savings program that helps residents reduce consumption from behavior changes; it was co-developed by Balfour Beatty Military Housing Management (BB) and WattzOn in Phase I of this grant. The program was offered at 11 Navy bases. Three customer engagement strategies were evaluated, and it was found that Digital Nudges (a combination of monthly consumption statements with frequent messaging via text or email) was most cost-effective. The program was delivered on-time and on-budget, and its success is based on the teamwork of local BB staff and the WattzOn team. The following graphic shows Switch4Good “by the numbers”, e.g. the scale of operations achieved during Phase I.

  15. Goodness-of-fit tests for the Gompertz distribution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lenart, Adam; Missov, Trifon

    The Gompertz distribution is often fitted to lifespan data, however testing whether the fit satisfies theoretical criteria was neglected. Here five goodness-of-fit measures, the Anderson-Darling statistic, the Kullback-Leibler discrimination information, the correlation coefficient test, testing ...... for the mean of the sample hazard and a nested test against the generalized extreme value distributions are discussed. Along with an application to laboratory rat data, critical values calculated by the empirical distribution of the test statistics are also presented.......The Gompertz distribution is often fitted to lifespan data, however testing whether the fit satisfies theoretical criteria was neglected. Here five goodness-of-fit measures, the Anderson-Darling statistic, the Kullback-Leibler discrimination information, the correlation coefficient test, testing...

  16. A 67-Item Stress Resilience item bank showing high content validity was developed in a psychosomatic sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obbarius, Nina; Fischer, Felix; Obbarius, Alexander; Nolte, Sandra; Liegl, Gregor; Rose, Matthias

    2018-04-10

    To develop the first item bank to measure Stress Resilience (SR) in clinical populations. Qualitative item development resulted in an initial pool of 131 items covering a broad theoretical SR concept. These items were tested in n=521 patients at a psychosomatic outpatient clinic. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), as well as other state-of-the-art item analyses and IRT were used for item evaluation and calibration of the final item bank. Out of the initial item pool of 131 items, we excluded 64 items (54 factor loading .3, 2 non-discriminative Item Response Curves, 4 Differential Item Functioning). The final set of 67 items indicated sufficient model fit in CFA and IRT analyses. Additionally, a 10-item short form with high measurement precision (SE≤.32 in a theta range between -1.8 and +1.5) was derived. Both the SR item bank and the SR short form were highly correlated with an existing static legacy tool (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale). The final SR item bank and 10-item short form showed good psychometric properties. When further validated, they will be ready to be used within a framework of Computer-Adaptive Tests for a comprehensive assessment of the Stress-Construct. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  17. Good and Bad Sleep in Childhood: A Questionnaire Survey amongst School Children in Southern Italy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ficca, Gianluca; Conte, Francesca; De Padova, Vittoria; Zilli, Iole

    2011-01-01

    Despite its clinical importance, the issue of subjective sleep quality in children remains unexplored. Here we investigate, in school-aged children, the prevalence of bad sleep perception and its relationships with sleep habits and daytime functioning, to provide hints on its possible determinants. Subjective sleep perception, sleep habits, and daytime functioning were studied through a questionnaire survey in a sample of 482 children (6-12 yrs.). Being "bad sleeper" was reported by 6.9% of the sample. Compared to the "good sleepers", these subjects displayed shorter sleep duration on schooldays, longer sleep latencies, and a more pronounced evening preference, beyond more frequent insufficient sleep. Though no differences emerged in sleepiness, bad sleepers showed higher impairments in daytime functioning, indicated by more frequent depressed mood and impulsivity. These distinctive features might be very important to precociously detect those children who are possibly more vulnerable to sleep disturbances and whose sleep-wake rhythms evolution should be paid particular attention thereafter. "The good people sleep much better at night than the bad people.Of course, the bad people enjoy the waking hours much more"Woody Allen.

  18. Depreciation of public goods in spatial public goods games

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Dong-Mei; Zhuang, Yong; Li, Yu-Jian; Wang, Bing-Hong

    2011-10-01

    In real situations, the value of public goods will be reduced or even lost because of external factors or for intrinsic reasons. In this work, we investigate the evolution of cooperation by considering the effect of depreciation of public goods in spatial public goods games on a square lattice. It is assumed that each individual gains full advantage if the number of the cooperators nc within a group centered on that individual equals or exceeds the critical mass (CM). Otherwise, there is depreciation of the public goods, which is realized by rescaling the multiplication factor r to (nc/CM)r. It is shown that the emergence of cooperation is remarkably promoted for CM > 1 even at small values of r, and a global cooperative level is achieved at an intermediate value of CM = 4 at a small r. We further study the effect of depreciation of public goods on different topologies of a regular lattice, and find that the system always reaches global cooperation at a moderate value of CM = G - 1 regardless of whether or not there exist overlapping triangle structures on the regular lattice, where G is the group size of the associated regular lattice.

  19. Goodness of Fit Test and Test of Independence by Entropy

    OpenAIRE

    M. Sharifdoost; N. Nematollahi; E. Pasha

    2009-01-01

    To test whether a set of data has a specific distribution or not, we can use the goodness of fit test. This test can be done by one of Pearson X 2 -statistic or the likelihood ratio statistic G 2 , which are asymptotically equal, and also by using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic in continuous distributions. In this paper, we introduce a new test statistic for goodness of fit test which is based on entropy distance, and which can be applied for large sample sizes...

  20. New complete sample of identified radio sources. Part 2. Statistical study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soltan, A.

    1978-01-01

    Complete sample of radio sources with known redshifts selected in Paper I is studied. Source counts in the sample and the luminosity - volume test show that both quasars and galaxies are subject to the evolution. Luminosity functions for different ranges of redshifts are obtained. Due to many uncertainties only simplified models of the evolution are tested. Exponential decline of the liminosity with time of all the bright sources is in a good agreement both with the luminosity- volume test and N(S) realtion in the entire range of observed flux densities. It is shown that sources in the sample are randomly distributed in scales greater than about 17 Mpc. (author)

  1. Comparisons of PGA and INAA in the analyses of meteorite samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wee Boon Siong; Ebihara, M.; Abdul Khalik Wood

    2010-01-01

    Prompt gamma-ray analysis (PGA) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) are suitable methods for multi-elemental determinations in various samples. These two methods are complementary because PGA is capable of analyzing most major and minor elements in rock samples whereas INAA is more superior in determining minor and trace elements. Both PGA and INAA are essential for the study of rare samples such as meteorites because of non-destructivity and relatively being free from contaminations. Samples for PGA can be reused for INAA, which help to reduce the sample usage. This project aims to utilize PGA and INAA techniques for comparative study and apply them to meteorites. In this study, 11 meteorite samples received from the Meteorite Working Group of NASA were analyzed. The Allende meteorite powder was included as quality control material. Results from PGA and INAA for Allende showed good agreement with literature values, signifying the reliabilities of these two methods. Elements Al, Ca, Mg, Mn, Na and Ti were determined by both methods and their results are compared. Comparison of PGA and INAA data using linear regression analysis showed correlations coefficients r 2 > 0.90 for Al, Ca, Mn and Ti, 0.85 for Mg, and 0.38 for Na. The PGA results for Na using 472 keV were less accurate due to the interference from the broad B peak. Therefore, Na results from INAA method are preferred. For other elements (Al, Ca, Mg, Mn and Ti), PGA and INAA results can be used as cross-reference for consistency. The PGA and INAA techniques have been applied to meteorite samples and results are comparable to literature values compiled from previously analyzed meteorites. In summary, both PGA and INAA methods give reasonably good agreement and are indispensable in the study of meteorites. (author)

  2. Conservative Sample Size Determination for Repeated Measures Analysis of Covariance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, Timothy M; Case, L Douglas

    2013-07-05

    In the design of a randomized clinical trial with one pre and multiple post randomized assessments of the outcome variable, one needs to account for the repeated measures in determining the appropriate sample size. Unfortunately, one seldom has a good estimate of the variance of the outcome measure, let alone the correlations among the measurements over time. We show how sample sizes can be calculated by making conservative assumptions regarding the correlations for a variety of covariance structures. The most conservative choice for the correlation depends on the covariance structure and the number of repeated measures. In the absence of good estimates of the correlations, the sample size is often based on a two-sample t-test, making the 'ultra' conservative and unrealistic assumption that there are zero correlations between the baseline and follow-up measures while at the same time assuming there are perfect correlations between the follow-up measures. Compared to the case of taking a single measurement, substantial savings in sample size can be realized by accounting for the repeated measures, even with very conservative assumptions regarding the parameters of the assumed correlation matrix. Assuming compound symmetry, the sample size from the two-sample t-test calculation can be reduced at least 44%, 56%, and 61% for repeated measures analysis of covariance by taking 2, 3, and 4 follow-up measures, respectively. The results offer a rational basis for determining a fairly conservative, yet efficient, sample size for clinical trials with repeated measures and a baseline value.

  3. International Good Market Segmentation and Financial Market Structure

    OpenAIRE

    Basak, Suleyman; Croitoru, Benjamin

    2003-01-01

    While financial markets have recently become more complete and international capital flows well liberalized, markets for goods remain segmented. To investigate how more complete security markets may relieve the effects of this segmentation, we examine a series of two-country economies with internationally segmented good markets, distinguished by the available financial securities. We show that, under heterogeneity within countries, the financial structure matters: even with internationally co...

  4. Determination of nitrite, nitrate and total nitrogen in vegetable samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manas Kanti Deb

    2007-04-01

    Full Text Available Yellow diazonium cation formed by reaction of nitrite with 6-amino-1-naphthol-3-sulphonic acid is coupled with β-naphthol in strong alkaline medium to yield a pink coloured azo dye. The azo-dyes shows absorption maximum at 510 nm with molar absorptivity of 2.5 ×104 M-1 cm-1. The dye product obeys Beer's law (correlation coefficient = 0.997, in terms of nitrite concentration, up to 2.7 μg NO2 mL-1. The above colour reaction system has been applied successfully for the determination of nitrite, nitrate and total nitrogen in vegetable samples. Unreduced samples give direct measure for nitrite whilst reduction of samples by copperized-cadmium column gives total nitrogen content and their difference shows nitrate content in the samples. Variety of vegetables have been tested for their N-content (NO2-/NO3-/total-N with % RSD ranging between 1.5 to 2.5 % for nitrite determination. The effects of foreign ions in the determination of the nitrite, nitrate, and total nitrogen have been studied. Statistical comparison of the results with those of reported method shows good agreement and indicates no significant difference in precision.

  5. Pigeons can discriminate "good" and "bad" paintings by children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Shigeru

    2010-01-01

    Humans have the unique ability to create art, but non-human animals may be able to discriminate "good" art from "bad" art. In this study, I investigated whether pigeons could be trained to discriminate between paintings that had been judged by humans as either "bad" or "good". To do this, adult human observers first classified several children's paintings as either "good" (beautiful) or "bad" (ugly). Using operant conditioning procedures, pigeons were then reinforced for pecking at "good" paintings. After the pigeons learned the discrimination task, they were presented with novel pictures of both "good" and "bad" children's paintings to test whether they had successfully learned to discriminate between these two stimulus categories. The results showed that pigeons could discriminate novel "good" and "bad" paintings. Then, to determine which cues the subjects used for the discrimination, I conducted tests of the stimuli when the paintings were of reduced size or grayscale. In addition, I tested their ability to discriminate when the painting stimuli were mosaic and partial occluded. The pigeons maintained discrimination performance when the paintings were reduced in size. However, discrimination performance decreased when stimuli were presented as grayscale images or when a mosaic effect was applied to the original stimuli in order to disrupt spatial frequency. Thus, the pigeons used both color and pattern cues for their discrimination. The partial occlusion did not disrupt the discriminative behavior suggesting that the pigeons did not attend to particular parts, namely upper, lower, left or right half, of the paintings. These results suggest that the pigeons are capable of learning the concept of a stimulus class that humans name "good" pictures. The second experiment showed that pigeons learned to discriminate watercolor paintings from pastel paintings. The subjects showed generalization to novel paintings. Then, as the first experiment, size reduction test

  6. Virtual goods recommendations in virtual worlds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Kuan-Yu; Liao, Hsiu-Yu; Chen, Jyun-Hung; Liu, Duen-Ren

    2015-01-01

    Virtual worlds (VWs) are computer-simulated environments which allow users to create their own virtual character as an avatar. With the rapidly growing user volume in VWs, platform providers launch virtual goods in haste and stampede users to increase sales revenue. However, the rapidity of development incurs virtual unrelated items which will be difficult to remarket. It not only wastes virtual global companies' intelligence resources, but also makes it difficult for users to find suitable virtual goods fit for their virtual home in daily virtual life. In the VWs, users decorate their houses, visit others' homes, create families, host parties, and so forth. Users establish their social life circles through these activities. This research proposes a novel virtual goods recommendation method based on these social interactions. The contact strength and contact influence result from interactions with social neighbors and influence users' buying intention. Our research highlights the importance of social interactions in virtual goods recommendation. The experiment's data were retrieved from an online VW platform, and the results show that the proposed method, considering social interactions and social life circle, has better performance than existing recommendation methods.

  7. Different goods, different effects: Exploring the roles of generalized trust in public goods provision

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sønderskov, Kim

    -product situation (whether to buy organic food or not). This design provides a possibility to detect whether any effect of generalized trust is due to strategic behavior or due to altruistic motives among trusters. The results show that generalized trust enhances recycling significantly whereas it only has a very......This paper tests the hypothesis that generalized trust helps solve large-n collective action problems in a rationalistic framework. A rigors test is employed in that the hypothesis is tested in two different choice situations; a pure public good situation (whether to recycle or not) and a joint...... week positive effect on organic food consumption. Hence, generalized trust only affects public good provision when a collective action problem is present. The analyses thus sustain the hypothesis. It is furthermore concluded that the effect of generalized trust is due to strategic behavior...

  8. Good government and good governance: record keeping in a ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article addresses the challenges that arise when record keeping systems are advocated as a necessary under-pinning for good government and good governance. The relationship between record keeping and accountability is analysed and contextualised in relation to transparency and Freedom of Information ...

  9. Good Enough to Teach?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Denver, Louise; Jensen, Christian; Mees, Inger

    2016-01-01

    to improve their communicative effectiveness. The feedback was given by experienced tutors of English who had extensive experience of teaching and assessing English in an everyday ELF context. This paper sets out to investigate what sort of recommendations were provided, concentrating on the 24 lecturers...... whose L1 was Danish. An examination of the tutors’ comments showed that they could be divided into two main categories: formal language skills and pragmatic or metadiscursive features. The observations on language features are presented using a slightly adapted version of Lavelle’s (2008) “good......; Jenkins et al. 2011: 301), the analyses of the tutors’ comments to the 24 lecturers in the present study show that both aspects should be attributed importance....

  10. Depreciation of public goods in spatial public goods games

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi, Dong-Mei; Zhuang, Yong; Li, Yu-Jian; Wang, Bing-Hong

    2011-01-01

    In real situations, the value of public goods will be reduced or even lost because of external factors or for intrinsic reasons. In this work, we investigate the evolution of cooperation by considering the effect of depreciation of public goods in spatial public goods games on a square lattice. It is assumed that each individual gains full advantage if the number of the cooperators n c within a group centered on that individual equals or exceeds the critical mass (CM). Otherwise, there is depreciation of the public goods, which is realized by rescaling the multiplication factor r to (n c /CM)r. It is shown that the emergence of cooperation is remarkably promoted for CM > 1 even at small values of r, and a global cooperative level is achieved at an intermediate value of CM = 4 at a small r. We further study the effect of depreciation of public goods on different topologies of a regular lattice, and find that the system always reaches global cooperation at a moderate value of CM = G − 1 regardless of whether or not there exist overlapping triangle structures on the regular lattice, where G is the group size of the associated regular lattice

  11. Drilling induced damage of core samples. Evidences from laboratory testing and numerical modelling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lanaro, Flavio

    2008-01-01

    Extensive sample testing in uniaxial and Brazilian test conditions were carried out for the Shobasama and MIU Research Laboratory Site (Gifu Pref., Japan). The compressive and tensile strength of the samples was observed to be negatively correlated to the in-situ stress components. Such correlation was interpreted as stress-release induced sample damage. Similar stress conditions were then numerically simulated by means of the BEM-DDM code FRACOD 2D in plane strain conditions. This method allows for explicitly consider the influence of newly initiated or propagating fractures on the stress field and deformation of the core during drilling process. The models show that already at moderate stress levels some fracturing of the core during drilling might occur leading to reduced laboratory strength of the samples. Sample damage maps were produced independently from the laboratory test results and from the numerical models and show good agreement with each other. (author)

  12. Pornography actresses: an assessment of the damaged goods hypothesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffith, James D; Mitchell, Sharon; Hart, Christian L; Adams, Lea T; Gu, Lucy L

    2013-01-01

    The damaged goods hypothesis posits that female performers in the adult entertainment industry have higher rates of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), psychological problems, and drug use compared to the typical woman. The present study compared the self-reports of 177 porn actresses to a sample of women matched on age, ethnicity, and marital status. Comparisons were conducted on sexual behaviors and attitudes, self-esteem, quality of life, and drug use. Porn actresses were more likely to identify as bisexual, first had sex at an earlier age, had more sexual partners, were more concerned about contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD), and enjoyed sex more than the matched sample, although there were no differences in incidence of CSA. In terms of psychological characteristics, porn actresses had higher levels of self-esteem, positive feelings, social support, sexual satisfaction, and spirituality compared to the matched group. Last, female performers were more likely to have ever used 10 different types of drugs compared to the comparison group. A discriminant function analysis was able to correctly classify 83% of the participants concerning whether they were a porn actress or member of the matched sample. These findings did not provide support for the damaged goods hypothesis.

  13. Goodness-of-Fit Tests for Generalized Normal Distribution for Use in Hydrological Frequency Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Samiran

    2018-04-01

    The use of three-parameter generalized normal (GNO) as a hydrological frequency distribution is well recognized, but its application is limited due to unavailability of popular goodness-of-fit (GOF) test statistics. This study develops popular empirical distribution function (EDF)-based test statistics to investigate the goodness-of-fit of the GNO distribution. The focus is on the case most relevant to the hydrologist, namely, that in which the parameter values are unidentified and estimated from a sample using the method of L-moments. The widely used EDF tests such as Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Cramer von Mises, and Anderson-Darling (AD) are considered in this study. A modified version of AD, namely, the Modified Anderson-Darling (MAD) test, is also considered and its performance is assessed against other EDF tests using a power study that incorporates six specific Wakeby distributions (WA-1, WA-2, WA-3, WA-4, WA-5, and WA-6) as the alternative distributions. The critical values of the proposed test statistics are approximated using Monte Carlo techniques and are summarized in chart and regression equation form to show the dependence of shape parameter and sample size. The performance results obtained from the power study suggest that the AD and a variant of the MAD (MAD-L) are the most powerful tests. Finally, the study performs case studies involving annual maximum flow data of selected gauged sites from Irish and US catchments to show the application of the derived critical values and recommends further assessments to be carried out on flow data sets of rivers with various hydrological regimes.

  14. Instrumental analysis by gamma spectrometry of low level caesium-137 in marine samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Figueira, R.C.L.; Silva, L.R.N.; Figueiredo, A.M.G.; Cunha, I.I.L.

    1998-01-01

    An instrumental method for the analysis of low levels of 137 Cs in marine samples consists in calibrating the detector, determining the counting efficiency of the detector, accumulative counts of background and sample and smoothing the 661.6 keV photopeak. The methodology was applied to reference samples containing low levels of 137 Cs, showing a good accuracy. It was further applied to sediment samples from the southern coast of Brazil. The levels obtained ranged between 1.0 and 1.8 Bq.kg -1 , and the lower limit of detection and minimum detectable concentration values were 10 mBq and 0.28 Bq.kg -1 , respectively. (author)

  15. "Good mothering" or "good citizenship"?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, Maree; Kerridge, Ian H; Jordens, Christopher F C

    2012-03-01

    Umbilical cord blood banking is one of many biomedical innovations that confront pregnant women with new choices about what they should do to secure their own and their child's best interests. Many mothers can now choose to donate their baby's umbilical cord blood (UCB) to a public cord blood bank or pay to store it in a private cord blood bank. Donation to a public bank is widely regarded as an altruistic act of civic responsibility. Paying to store UCB may be regarded as a "unique opportunity" to provide "insurance" for the child's future. This paper reports findings from a survey of Australian women that investigated the decision to either donate or store UCB. We conclude that mothers are faced with competing discourses that force them to choose between being a "good mother" and fulfilling their role as a "good citizen." We discuss this finding with reference to the concept of value pluralism.

  16. Land use, worker heterogeneity and welfare benefits of public goods

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Teulings, Coen N.; Ossokina, Ioulia V.; de Groot, Henri L.F.

    2018-01-01

    We show that investments in public goods change the optimal land use in their vicinity, leading to additional welfare benefits. This occurs through two sorting mechanisms. First, availability of public goods leads to higher population densities. Second, population groups sort according to their

  17. Polydimethylsiloxane rod extraction, a novel technique for the determination of organic micropollutants in water samples by thermal desorption-capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montero, L; Popp, P; Paschke, A; Pawliszyn, J

    2004-01-30

    A novel, simple and inexpensive approach to absorptive extraction of organic compounds from environmental samples is presented. It consists of a polydimethylsiloxane rod used as an extraction media, enriched with analytes during shaking, then thermally desorbed and analyzed by GC-MS. Its performance was illustrated and evaluated for the enrichment of sub- to ng/l of selected chlorinated compounds (chlorobenzenes and polychlorinated biphenyls) in water samples. The new approach was compared to the stir bar sorptive extraction performance. A natural ground water sample from Bitterfeld, Germany, was also extracted using both methods, showing good agreement. The proposed approach presented good linearity, high sensitivity, good blank levels and recoveries comparable to stir bars, together with advantages such as simplicity, lower cost and higher feasibility.

  18. Cooperation and the common good.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnstone, Rufus A; Rodrigues, António M M

    2016-02-05

    In this paper, we draw the attention of biologists to a result from the economic literature, which suggests that when individuals are engaged in a communal activity of benefit to all, selection may favour cooperative sharing of resources even among non-relatives. Provided that group members all invest some resources in the public good, they should refrain from conflict over the division of these resources. The reason is that, given diminishing returns on investment in public and private goods, claiming (or ceding) a greater share of total resources only leads to the actor (or its competitors) investing more in the public good, such that the marginal costs and benefits of investment remain in balance. This cancels out any individual benefits of resource competition. We illustrate how this idea may be applied in the context of biparental care, using a sequential game in which parents first compete with one another over resources, and then choose how to allocate the resources they each obtain to care of their joint young (public good) versus their own survival and future reproductive success (private good). We show that when the two parents both invest in care to some extent, they should refrain from any conflict over the division of resources. The same effect can also support asymmetric outcomes in which one parent competes for resources and invests in care, whereas the other does not invest but refrains from competition. The fact that the caring parent gains higher fitness pay-offs at these equilibria suggests that abandoning a partner is not always to the latter's detriment, when the potential for resource competition is taken into account, but may instead be of benefit to the 'abandoned' mate. © 2016 The Author(s).

  19. GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS AND GARCH EFFECTS IN STOCK RETURN DATA

    OpenAIRE

    Craig A. Depken II

    2001-01-01

    It is shown that the volume of trade can be decomposed into proportional proxies for stochastic flows of good news and bad news into the market. Positive (good) information flows are assumed to increase the price of a financial vehicle while negative (bad) information flows decrease the price. For the majority of a sample of ten split-stocks it is shown that the proposed decomposition explains more GARCH than volume itself. Using the proposed decomposition, the variance of returns for younger...

  20. Could cash and good parenting affect child cognitive development? A cross-sectional study in South Africa and Malawi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherr, Lorraine; Macedo, Ana; Tomlinson, Mark; Skeen, Sarah; Cluver, Lucie Dale

    2017-05-12

    Social protection interventions, including cash grants and care provision have been shown to effectively reduce some negative impacts of the HIV epidemic on adolescents and families. Less is known about the role of social protection on younger HIV affected populations. This study explored the impact of cash grants on children's cognitive development. Additionally, we examined whether combined cash and care (operationalised as good parenting) was associated with improved cognitive outcomes. The sample included 854 children, aged 5 - 15, participating in community-based organisation (CBO) programmes for children affected by HIV in South Africa and Malawi. Data on child cognitive functioning were gathered by a combination of caregiver report and observer administered tests. Primary caregivers also reported on the economic situation of the family, cash receipt into the home, child and household HIV status. Parenting was measured on a 10 item scale with good parenting defined as a score of 8 or above. About half of families received cash (55%, n = 473), only 6% (n = 51) reported good parenting above the cut-off point but no cash, 18% (n = 151) received combined cash support and reported good parenting, and 21% (n = 179) had neither. Findings show that cash receipt was associated with enhanced child cognitive outcomes in a number of domains including verbal working memory, general cognitive functioning, and learning. Furthermore, cash plus good parenting provided an additive effect. Child HIV status had a moderating effect on the association between cash or/plus good parenting and cognitive outcomes. The association between cash and good parenting and child cognitive outcomes remained significant among both HIV positive and negative children, but overall the HIV negative group benefited more. This study shows the importance of cash transfers and good parenting on cognitive development of young children living in HIV affected environments. Our data clearly

  1. An Introduction to Goodness of Fit for PMU Parameter Estimation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riepnieks, Artis; Kirkham, Harold

    2017-10-01

    New results of measurements of phasor-like signals are presented based on our previous work on the topic. In this document an improved estimation method is described. The algorithm (which is realized in MATLAB software) is discussed. We examine the effect of noisy and distorted signals on the Goodness of Fit metric. The estimation method is shown to be performing very well with clean data and with a measurement window as short as a half a cycle and as few as 5 samples per cycle. The Goodness of Fit decreases predictably with added phase noise, and seems to be acceptable even with visible distortion in the signal. While the exact results we obtain are specific to our method of estimation, the Goodness of Fit method could be implemented in any phasor measurement unit.

  2. Ovulation leads women to perceive sexy cads as good dads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durante, Kristina M; Griskevicius, Vladas; Simpson, Jeffry A; Cantú, Stephanie M; Li, Norman P

    2012-08-01

    Why do some women pursue relationships with men who are attractive, dominant, and charming but who do not want to be in relationships--the prototypical sexy cad? Previous research shows that women have an increased desire for such men when they are ovulating, but it is unclear why ovulating women would think it is wise to pursue men who may be unfaithful and could desert them. Using both college-age and community-based samples, in 3 studies we show that ovulating women perceive charismatic and physically attractive men, but not reliable and nice men, as more committed partners and more devoted future fathers. Ovulating women perceive that sexy cads would be good fathers to their own children but not to the children of other women. This ovulatory-induced perceptual shift is driven by women who experienced early onset of puberty. Taken together, the current research identifies a novel proximate reason why ovulating women pursue relationships with sexy cads, complementing existing research that identifies the ultimate, evolutionary reasons for this behavior.

  3. Irradiation of goods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lunt, R.E.

    1987-01-01

    Mechanical handling apparatus is adapted to handle goods, such as boxed fruit, during a process of irradiation, in palletized form. Palletized goods are loaded onto wheeled vehicles in a loading zone. Four vehicles are wheeled on a track into an irradiation zone via a door in a concrete shield. The vehicles are arranged in orthogonal relationship around a source of square section. Turntables are positioned at corners of the square shaped rail truck around the source selectively to turn the vehicles to align then with track sections. Mechanical manipulating devices are positioned in the track sections opposed to sides of the source. During irradiation, the vehicles and their palletized goods are cylically moved toward the source to offer first sides of the goods for irradiation and are retraced from the source and are pivoted through 90 0 to persent succeeding sides of the goods for irradiation

  4. Optimalisasi Penerapan Prinsip Good Governance Bidang Akademik dalam Upaya Mewujudkan Good University Governance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hery Harjono Muljo

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available This study wants to know and understand whether good governance principles have been well applied as well as the factors influencing optimization of the implementation of good governance principles on the academic field in an effort to realize good university governance in Bina Nusantara University. The study aims to evaluate the implementation of good governance principles on the academic field, know the factors that affect the implementation of good governance principles on the academic field, and improve and develop the academic areas in accordance with good governance principles in order to maximize the role of Bina Nusantara University as Good University Governance. The approach model used to understand the implementation of good governance principles was a model to educational institution using the 8 principles, namely academic freedom, shared governance, clear rights and responsibilities, selection at merit, financial stability, accountability, regular testing of standards, and the importance of close cooperation. Research used qualitative method with descriptive analysis, by analyzing the factors influencing optimization of the implementation of good governance principles, particularly on academic areas. The results achieved there were 18 factors that affect the optimization of the implementation of good governance principles. Then the factors affected the optimization ofthe implementation of good governance principles the most are operational centralization and academic decentralization which were the novelty of this study.

  5. Public goods games on adaptive coevolutionary networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pichler, Elgar; Shapiro, Avi M.

    2017-07-01

    Productive societies feature high levels of cooperation and strong connections between individuals. Public Goods Games (PGGs) are frequently used to study the development of social connections and cooperative behavior in model societies. In such games, contributions to the public good are made only by cooperators, while all players, including defectors, reap public goods benefits, which are shares of the contributions amplified by a synergy factor. Classic results of game theory show that mutual defection, as opposed to cooperation, is the Nash Equilibrium of PGGs in well-mixed populations, where each player interacts with all others. In this paper, we explore the coevolutionary dynamics of a low information public goods game on a complex network in which players adapt to their environment in order to increase individual payoffs relative to past payoffs parameterized by greediness. Players adapt by changing their strategies, either to cooperate or to defect, and by altering their social connections. We find that even if players do not know other players' strategies and connectivity, cooperation can arise and persist despite large short-term fluctuations.

  6. Rational Arithmetic Mathematica Functions to Evaluate the Two-Sided One Sample K-S Cumulative Sampling Distribution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Randall Brown

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available One of the most widely used goodness-of-fit tests is the two-sided one sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S test which has been implemented by many computer statistical software packages. To calculate a two-sided p value (evaluate the cumulative sampling distribution, these packages use various methods including recursion formulae, limiting distributions, and approximations of unknown accuracy developed over thirty years ago. Based on an extensive literature search for the two-sided one sample K-S test, this paper identifies an exact formula for sample sizes up to 31, six recursion formulae, and one matrix formula that can be used to calculate a p value. To ensure accurate calculation by avoiding catastrophic cancelation and eliminating rounding error, each of these formulae is implemented in rational arithmetic. For the six recursion formulae and the matrix formula, computational experience for sample sizes up to 500 shows that computational times are increasing functions of both the sample size and the number of digits in the numerator and denominator integers of the rational number test statistic. The computational times of the seven formulae vary immensely but the Durbin recursion formula is almost always the fastest. Linear search is used to calculate the inverse of the cumulative sampling distribution (find the confidence interval half-width and tables of calculated half-widths are presented for sample sizes up to 500. Using calculated half-widths as input, computational times for the fastest formula, the Durbin recursion formula, are given for sample sizes up to two thousand.

  7. Piling up technology of goods irradiated by single plate source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xia Hezhou; Chen Yuxia; Cao Hongyun; Lin Yong; Zhou guoquan

    1999-01-01

    In the irradiation process of piling up goods in static state, four irradiation working sites and single plate source was adopted. The results showed that piling up in this way remarkably raised the irradiation quality of goods. The utilization rate of radioactive ray reached 22.27%

  8. Treatability studies on different refinery wastewater samples using high-throughput microbial electrolysis cells (MECs)

    KAUST Repository

    Ren, Lijiao; Siegert, Michael; Ivanov, Ivan; Pisciotta, John M.; Logan, Bruce E.

    2013-01-01

    High-throughput microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) were used to perform treatability studies on many different refinery wastewater samples all having appreciably different characteristics, which resulted in large differences in current generation. A de-oiled refinery wastewater sample from one site (DOW1) produced the best results, with 2.1±0.2A/m2 (maximum current density), 79% chemical oxygen demand removal, and 82% headspace biological oxygen demand removal. These results were similar to those obtained using domestic wastewater. Two other de-oiled refinery wastewater samples also showed good performance, with a de-oiled oily sewer sample producing less current. A stabilization lagoon sample and a stripped sour wastewater sample failed to produce appreciable current. Electricity production, organics removal, and startup time were improved when the anode was first acclimated to domestic wastewater. These results show mini-MECs are an effective method for evaluating treatability of different wastewaters. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

  9. Treatability studies on different refinery wastewater samples using high-throughput microbial electrolysis cells (MECs)

    KAUST Repository

    Ren, Lijiao

    2013-05-01

    High-throughput microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) were used to perform treatability studies on many different refinery wastewater samples all having appreciably different characteristics, which resulted in large differences in current generation. A de-oiled refinery wastewater sample from one site (DOW1) produced the best results, with 2.1±0.2A/m2 (maximum current density), 79% chemical oxygen demand removal, and 82% headspace biological oxygen demand removal. These results were similar to those obtained using domestic wastewater. Two other de-oiled refinery wastewater samples also showed good performance, with a de-oiled oily sewer sample producing less current. A stabilization lagoon sample and a stripped sour wastewater sample failed to produce appreciable current. Electricity production, organics removal, and startup time were improved when the anode was first acclimated to domestic wastewater. These results show mini-MECs are an effective method for evaluating treatability of different wastewaters. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

  10. The Influence of Good Corporate Governance Mechanism on Earnings Management: Empirical Study in Indonesian Stock Exchange Listed Company for Periods of 2006-2010

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hermiyetti Hermiyetti

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to examine the influence of good corporate governance mechanism about earnings management in companies listed in Indonesian Stock Exchange during 2006 to 2010. The independent variables include the size of commissioner board, independent commissioner board percentage, size of audit committee, and commissioner meeting frequency. The dependent variable is earnings management which is measured by discretionary revenue model (Stubben, 2010. Size of company is used as the control variable in this research. The population of this research is 465 samples from companies listed at Indonesian Stock Exchange during 2006 to 2010. The sampling method used in this research is purposive sampling method. In addition, the data analysis method used is regression analysis and descriptive statistics. The result of this research indicates that the mechanism of good corporate governance which is represented by the size of commissioner board, independent commissioner board percentage, size of audit committee, and commissioner meeting frequency do not have any significant impact on earnings management. However, the result shows that company size gave positive influence toward earning management. Keywords: Good corporate governance, size of commissioner board, independent commissioner board percentage, size of audit committee, commissioner meeting frequency, earnings management

  11. Effects of Wire EDM on the Microstructure of P/M Titanium Samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viskić, Joško; Schauperl, Zdravko; Ćatić, Amir; Balog, Martin; Krizik, Peter; Gržeta, Biserka; Popović, Jasminka; Ortolan, Slađana Milardović; Mehulić, Ketij

    2014-12-01

    Commercially pure titanium (CP Ti) has been recognized in dentistry for its biocompatibility, good mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Conventional manufacturing processes can affect surface quality and result in poor bonding of dental ceramics to CP Ti. This is why powder metallurgy (P/M) and wire electro-discharge machining (WEDM) are being introduced in the manufacturing process. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of WEDM on the surface composition and microstructure of P/M CP Ti samples produced for bond strength testing according to ISO 9693. Eight samples of P/M CP Ti, dimensions according to ISO 9693, were made using WEDM and divided in two groups (untreated and grinded). Microanalyses of chemical composition and microstructure of both groups were made using SEM, EDS and XDR. SEM and EDS analysis of untreated samples showed a thin layer on surfaces with fractures in it. Grinded samples showed homogenous structure with no layer and no fractures. XDR analysis showed high level of oxides on the surface of untreated samples, while after grinding only pure α-phase was found. WEDM is a suitable method of sample production for ISO 9693 if accompanied by grinding with silicon carbide papers P320-P4000.

  12. Detection of cut-off point for rapid automized naming test in good readers and dyslexics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zahra Soleymani

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aim: Rapid automized naming test is an appropriate tool to diagnose learning disability even before teaching reading. This study aimed to detect the cut-off point of this test for good readers and dyslexics.Methods: The test has 4 parts including: objects, colors, numbers and letters. 5 items are repeated on cards randomly for 10 times. Children were asked to name items rapidly. We studied 18 dyslexic students and 18 age-matched good readers between 7 and 8 years of age at second and third grades of elementary school; they were recruited by non-randomize sampling into 2 groups: children with developmental dyslexia from learning disabilities centers with mean age of 100 months, and normal children with mean age of 107 months from general schools in Tehran. Good readers selected from the same class of dyslexics.Results: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.849 for letter naming, 0.892 for color naming, 0.971 for number naming, 0.887 for picture naming, and 0.965 totally. The overall sensitivity and specificity was 1 and was 0.79, respectively. The highest sensitivity and specificity were related to number naming (1 and 0.90, respectively.Conclusion: Findings showed that the rapid automized naming test could diagnose good readers from dyslexics appropriately.

  13. Self-absorption corrections of various sample-detector geometries in gamma-ray spectrometry using sample Monte Carlo Simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad Saat; Appleby, P.G.; Nolan, P.J.

    1997-01-01

    Corrections for self-absorption in gamma-ray spectrometry have been developed using a simple Monte Carlo simulation technique. The simulation enables the calculation of gamma-ray path lengths in the sample which, using available data, can be used to calculate self-absorption correction factors. The simulation was carried out on three sample geometries: disk, Marinelli beaker, and cylinder (for well-type detectors). Mathematical models and experimental measurements are used to evaluate the simulations. A good agreement of within a few percents was observed. The simulation results are also in good agreement with those reported in the literature. The simulation code was carried out in FORTRAN 90,

  14. The negative affect repair questionnaire: factor analysis and psychometric evaluation in three samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scherer Anne

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Negative affect and difficulties in its regulation have been connected to several adverse psychological consequences. While several questionnaires exist, it would be important to have a theory-based measure that includes clinically relevant items and shows good psychometric properties in healthy and patient samples. This study aims at developing such a questionnaire, combining the two Gross [1] scales Reappraisal and Suppression with an additional response-focused scale called Externalizing Behavioral Strategies covering clinically relevant items. Methods The samples consisted of 684 students (mean age = 23.3, SD = 3.5; 53.6% female and 369 persons with mixed mental disorders (mean age = 36.0 SD = 14.6; 71.2% female. Items for the questionnaire were derived from existing questionnaires and additional items were formulated based on suggestions by clinical experts. All items start with “When I don’t feel well, in order to feel better…”. Participants rated how frequently they used each strategy on a 5-point Likert scale. Confirmatory Factor Analyses were conducted to verify the factor structure in two separate student samples and a clinical sample. Group comparisons and correlations with other questionnaires were calculated to ensure validity. Results After modification, the CFA showed good model fit in all three samples. Reliability scores (Cronbach’s α for the three NARQ scales ranged between .71 and .80. Comparisons between students and persons with mental disorders showed the postulated relationships, as did comparisons between male and female students and persons with or without Borderline Personality Disorder. Correlations with other questionnaires suggest the NARQ’s construct validity. Conclusions The results indicate that the NARQ is a psychometrically sound and reliable measure with practical use for therapy planning and tracking of treatment outcome across time. We advocate the integration

  15. Toxicity assessments of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in isolated mitochondria, rat hepatocytes, and zebrafish show good concordance across chemical classes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nadanaciva, Sashi [Compound Safety Prediction, Worldwide Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer, Inc., Groton, CT 06340 (United States); Aleo, Michael D. [Drug Safety Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT 06340 (United States); Strock, Christopher J. [Cyprotex US, Watertown, MA 02472 (United States); Stedman, Donald B. [Drug Safety Research and Development, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT 06340 (United States); Wang, Huijun [Computational Sciences, Pfizer Inc., Groton, CT 06340 (United States); Will, Yvonne, E-mail: yvonne.will@pfizer.com [Compound Safety Prediction, Worldwide Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer, Inc., Groton, CT 06340 (United States)

    2013-10-15

    To reduce costly late-stage compound attrition, there has been an increased focus on assessing compounds in in vitro assays that predict attributes of human safety liabilities, before preclinical in vivo studies are done. Relevant questions when choosing a panel of assays for predicting toxicity are (a) whether there is general concordance in the data among the assays, and (b) whether, in a retrospective analysis, the rank order of toxicity of compounds in the assays correlates with the known safety profile of the drugs in humans. The aim of our study was to answer these questions using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as a test set since NSAIDs are generally associated with gastrointestinal injury, hepatotoxicity, and/or cardiovascular risk, with mitochondrial impairment and endoplasmic reticulum stress being possible contributing factors. Eleven NSAIDs, flufenamic acid, tolfenamic acid, mefenamic acid, diclofenac, meloxicam, sudoxicam, piroxicam, diflunisal, acetylsalicylic acid, nimesulide, and sulindac (and its two metabolites, sulindac sulfide and sulindac sulfone), were tested for their effects on (a) the respiration of rat liver mitochondria, (b) a panel of mechanistic endpoints in rat hepatocytes, and (c) the viability and organ morphology of zebrafish. We show good concordance for distinguishing among/between NSAID chemical classes in the observations among the three approaches. Furthermore, the assays were complementary and able to correctly identify “toxic” and “non-toxic” drugs in accordance with their human safety profile, with emphasis on hepatic and gastrointestinal safety. We recommend implementing our multi-assay approach in the drug discovery process to reduce compound attrition. - Highlights: • NSAIDS cause liver and GI toxicity. • Mitochondrial uncoupling contributes to NSAID liver toxicity. • ER stress is a mechanism that contributes to liver toxicity. • Zebrafish and cell based assays are complimentary.

  16. Toxicity assessments of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in isolated mitochondria, rat hepatocytes, and zebrafish show good concordance across chemical classes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nadanaciva, Sashi; Aleo, Michael D.; Strock, Christopher J.; Stedman, Donald B.; Wang, Huijun; Will, Yvonne

    2013-01-01

    To reduce costly late-stage compound attrition, there has been an increased focus on assessing compounds in in vitro assays that predict attributes of human safety liabilities, before preclinical in vivo studies are done. Relevant questions when choosing a panel of assays for predicting toxicity are (a) whether there is general concordance in the data among the assays, and (b) whether, in a retrospective analysis, the rank order of toxicity of compounds in the assays correlates with the known safety profile of the drugs in humans. The aim of our study was to answer these questions using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as a test set since NSAIDs are generally associated with gastrointestinal injury, hepatotoxicity, and/or cardiovascular risk, with mitochondrial impairment and endoplasmic reticulum stress being possible contributing factors. Eleven NSAIDs, flufenamic acid, tolfenamic acid, mefenamic acid, diclofenac, meloxicam, sudoxicam, piroxicam, diflunisal, acetylsalicylic acid, nimesulide, and sulindac (and its two metabolites, sulindac sulfide and sulindac sulfone), were tested for their effects on (a) the respiration of rat liver mitochondria, (b) a panel of mechanistic endpoints in rat hepatocytes, and (c) the viability and organ morphology of zebrafish. We show good concordance for distinguishing among/between NSAID chemical classes in the observations among the three approaches. Furthermore, the assays were complementary and able to correctly identify “toxic” and “non-toxic” drugs in accordance with their human safety profile, with emphasis on hepatic and gastrointestinal safety. We recommend implementing our multi-assay approach in the drug discovery process to reduce compound attrition. - Highlights: • NSAIDS cause liver and GI toxicity. • Mitochondrial uncoupling contributes to NSAID liver toxicity. • ER stress is a mechanism that contributes to liver toxicity. • Zebrafish and cell based assays are complimentary

  17. Characteristics of good quality pharmaceutical services common to community pharmacies and dispensing general practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grey, Elisabeth; Harris, Michael; Rodham, Karen; Weiss, Marjorie C

    2016-10-01

    In the United Kingdom, pharmaceutical services can be delivered by both community pharmacies (CPs) and dispensing doctor practices (DPs). Both must adhere to minimum standards set out in NHS regulations; however, no common framework exists to guide quality improvement. Previous phases of this research had developed a set of characteristics indicative of good pharmaceutical service provision. To ask key stakeholders to confirm, and rank the importance of, a set of characteristics of good pharmaceutical service provision. A two-round Delphi-type survey was conducted in south-west England and was sent to participants representing three stakeholder groups: DPs, CPs and patients/lay members. Participants were asked to confirm, and rank, the importance of these characteristics as representing good quality pharmaceutical services. Thirty people were sent the first round survey; 22 participants completed both rounds. Median ratings for the 23 characteristics showed that all were seen to represent important aspects of pharmaceutical service provision. Participants' comments highlighted potential problems with the practicality of the characteristics. Characteristics relating to patient safety were deemed to be the most important and those relating to public health the least important. A set of 23 characteristics for providing good pharmaceutical services in CPs and DPs was developed and attained approval from a sample of stakeholders. With further testing and wider discussion, it is hoped that the characteristics will form the basis of a quality improvement tool for CPs and DPs. © 2016 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  18. The common good

    OpenAIRE

    Argandoña, Antonio

    2011-01-01

    The concept of the common good occupied a relevant place in classical social, political and economic philosophy. After losing ground in the Modern age, it has recently reappeared, although with different and sometimes confusing meanings. This paper is the draft of a chapter of a Handbook; it explains the meaning of common good in the Aristotelian-Thomistic philosophy and in the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church; why the common good is relevant; and how it is different from the other uses...

  19. A Good Teaching Technique: WebQuests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halat, Erdogan

    2008-01-01

    In this article, the author first introduces and describes a new teaching tool called WebQuests to practicing teachers. He then provides detailed information about the structure of a good WebQuest. Third, the author shows the strengths and weaknesses of using Web-Quests in teaching and learning. Last, he points out the challenges for practicing…

  20. Trade in goods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Karsten Engsig

    2006-01-01

    An analysis of the rules governing trade in goods under the GATT agreement and the Agreement on Safeguards......An analysis of the rules governing trade in goods under the GATT agreement and the Agreement on Safeguards...

  1. Echoic memory processes in good and poor readers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sipe, S; Engle, R W

    1986-07-01

    Four experiments were conducted to determine whether echoic memory plays a role in differences between good and poor readers. The first two experiments used a suffix procedure in which the subject is read a list of digits with either a tone control or the word go appended to the list. For lists that exceeded the length of the subjects memory span by one digit (i.e., that avoided ceiling effects), the poor readers showed a larger decrement in the suffix condition than did the good readers. The third experiment was directed at the question of whether the duration of echoic memory is different for good and poor readers. Children shadowed words presented to one ear at a rate determined to give 75-85% shadowing accuracy. The items presented to the nonattended ear were words and an occasional digit. At various intervals after the presentation of the digit, a light signaled that the subject was to cease shadowing and attempt to recall any digit that had occurred in the nonattended ear recently. Whereas good and poor readers recalled the digit equally if tested immediately after presentation, the poor readers showed a faster decline in recall of the digit as retention interval increased. A fourth experiment was conducted to determine whether the differences in echoic memory were specific to speech stimuli or occurred at a more basic level of aural persistence. Bursts of white noise were separated by 9-400 ms of silence and the subject was to say whether there were one or two sounds presented. There were no differences in detectability functions for good and poor readers.

  2. Presence of toxic metals and their effects in finished leather goods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rana, B.B.; Ehsan, A.M.

    2016-01-01

    This study examines the presence of heavy metals in different types of leather finished goods. Various leather items like gloves, shoe soles and leather pieces for jackets were tested using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry and their toxic effects in our environment are discussed. Cadmium, lead and chromium are the most common heavy metals present in leather finished goods and are a cause for concern. Many countries in Europe and America have banned or limited their use in leather processing. This study reveals that the levels of heavy metals in most of the leather goods manufactured by different companies in Pakistan are within permissible limits. However, in some of the samples tested in this study, the amounts of cadmium, lead and chromium are considerably high which requires special attention from all stakeholders to bring it down to acceptable level. Failing to do so will be detrimental for export of these leather goods to Europe and America. (author)

  3. Return on research investments: personal good versus public good

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fox, P. A.

    2017-12-01

    For some time the outputs, i.e. what's produced, of publicly and privately funded research while necessary, are far from sufficient, when considering an overall return on (research) investment. At the present time products such as peer-reviewed papers, websites, data, and software are recognized by funders on timescales related to research awards and reporting. However, from a consumer perspective impact and value are determined at the time a product is discovered, accessed, assessed and used. As is often the case, the perspectives of producer and consumer communities can be distinct and not intersect at all. We contrast personal good, i.e. credit, reputation, with that of public good, e.g. interest, leverage, exploitation, and more. This presentation will elaborate on both the metaphorical and idealogical aspects of applying a "return on investment" frame for the topic of assessing "good".

  4. Sampling based motion planning with reachable volumes: Application to manipulators and closed chain systems

    KAUST Repository

    McMahon, Troy

    2014-09-01

    © 2014 IEEE. Reachable volumes are a geometric representation of the regions the joints of a robot can reach. They can be used to generate constraint satisfying samples for problems including complicated linkage robots (e.g. closed chains and graspers). They can also be used to assist robot operators and to help in robot design.We show that reachable volumes have an O(1) complexity in unconstrained problems as well as in many constrained problems. We also show that reachable volumes can be computed in linear time and that reachable volume samples can be generated in linear time in problems without constraints. We experimentally validate reachable volume sampling, both with and without constraints on end effectors and/or internal joints. We show that reachable volume samples are less likely to be invalid due to self-collisions, making reachable volume sampling significantly more efficient for higher dimensional problems. We also show that these samples are easier to connect than others, resulting in better connected roadmaps. We demonstrate that our method can be applied to 262-dof, multi-loop, and tree-like linkages including combinations of planar, prismatic and spherical joints. In contrast, existing methods either cannot be used for these problems or do not produce good quality solutions.

  5. Sampling based motion planning with reachable volumes: Application to manipulators and closed chain systems

    KAUST Repository

    McMahon, Troy; Thomas, Shawna; Amato, Nancy M.

    2014-01-01

    © 2014 IEEE. Reachable volumes are a geometric representation of the regions the joints of a robot can reach. They can be used to generate constraint satisfying samples for problems including complicated linkage robots (e.g. closed chains and graspers). They can also be used to assist robot operators and to help in robot design.We show that reachable volumes have an O(1) complexity in unconstrained problems as well as in many constrained problems. We also show that reachable volumes can be computed in linear time and that reachable volume samples can be generated in linear time in problems without constraints. We experimentally validate reachable volume sampling, both with and without constraints on end effectors and/or internal joints. We show that reachable volume samples are less likely to be invalid due to self-collisions, making reachable volume sampling significantly more efficient for higher dimensional problems. We also show that these samples are easier to connect than others, resulting in better connected roadmaps. We demonstrate that our method can be applied to 262-dof, multi-loop, and tree-like linkages including combinations of planar, prismatic and spherical joints. In contrast, existing methods either cannot be used for these problems or do not produce good quality solutions.

  6. Cape Verde: Marketing Good Governance Kap Verde: Die Vermarktung von Good Governance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruce Baker

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Faced with a lack of natural resources Cape Verde has made good governance one of its most marketable products. Running parallel to the institutionalisation of democratic politics there has been an overhaul and growing sophistication in public administration, though certain weaknesses persist. This report argues that it is reform and improvement in this area in particular that has enabled this small island state to punch above its weight and achieve remarkable social, economic and political results. But will the successful formula of the past decade prove sufficient for the future? Poverty and unemployment have by no means been conquered. Much of the economic growth has been based in the tourist sector and the government is well aware of the dangers of over-reliance on a single industry. Cape Verde’s midway location between South America and Europe and its increasing international transport connections will continue to offer advantages to drug traffickers. The next few years of the world financial crisis will show whether marketing good governance is enough and whether this is the model for small resource developing states. Der Inselstaat Kap Verde hat seine Anstrengungen zu guter Regierungsführung (Good Governance erfolgreich demonstriert. Parallel zur Institutionalisierung demokratischer Regierungsstrukturen wurde die Verwaltung reformiert und modernisiert, wenn auch immer noch Problembereiche erkennbar sind. Der Autor sieht insbesondere in den politischen und administrativen Reformen den Hintergrund für die erfolgreiche soziale, wirtschaftliche und politische Entwicklung dieser kleinen Inselrepublik. Aber wird dieses Rezept, das im vergangenen Jahrzehnt seine Wirksamkeit beweisen konnte, auch in Zukunft ausreichend sein? Armut und Unterbeschäftigung sind keineswegs besiegt. Ein Großteil des Wirtschaftswachstums basiert auf dem Tourismussektor; die Regierung ist sich der Gefahr wohl bewusst, die in zu großer Abhängigkeit von einem

  7. Latent Profile Analysis of Good Citizenship of Rajabhat Universities' Students in the Northeast of Thailand

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siphai, Sunan; Srisa-ard, Boonchoom

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was 1) to develop good citizenship indicators of Rajabhat Universities' Students in the Northeast of Thailand. 2) to classify latent profile of good citizenship of Rajabhat University's students in the northeast of Thailand. The sample was 800 Rajabhat University's students in the northeast of Thailand. Findings 1) there…

  8. Trace metals analysis in molybdenite mineral sample

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamrakar, Praveen Kumar; Pitre, K.S.

    2000-01-01

    DC polarography and other related techniques, viz., DPP and DPASV have been successfully used for the simultaneous determination of trace metals in molybdenite mineral sample. The polarograms and voltammograms of sample solution have been recorded in 0.1 M (NH 4 ) 2 tartrate supporting electrolyte at two different pH values i.e., 2.7±0.1 and 9.0±0.1. The results indicate the presence of Cu 2+ , Mo 6+ , Cd 2+ , Ni 2+ , In 3+ , Fe 3+ and W 6+ metal ions in the sample. For the determination of tungsten(VI), 11 M HCl has been used as supporting electrolyte. Tungsten(VI) produces a well defined wave/peak with E 1/2 /Ep=-0.42V/-0.48V vs SCE in 11 M HCl. The quantitative analysis by the method of standard addition shows the mineral sample to have the following composition, Cu 2+ ( 14.83), Mo 6+ (253.70), Cd 2+ (41.36), Ni 2+ (16.08), In 3+ (3.06), Fe 3+ (83.00)and W 6+ (4.14 )mg/g of the sample. Statistical treatment of the observed voltammetric data reveals high accuracy and good precision of determination. The observed voltammetric results are comparable with those obtained using AAS method. (author)

  9. Transport of hazardous goods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1989-01-01

    The course 'Transport of hazardous goods' was held in Berlin in November 1988 in cooperation with the Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung. From all lecturs, two are recorded separately: 'Safety of tank trucks - requirements on the tank, development possibiities of active and passive safety' and 'Requirements on the transport of radioactive materials - possible derivations for other hazardous goods'. The other lectures deal with hazardous goods law, requirements on packinging, risk assessment, railroad transport, hazardous goods road network, insurance matters, EC regulations, and waste tourism. (HSCH) [de

  10. Preparation and standardization of a sample of P 32 by liquid scintillation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, L.; Grau, A.; Los Arcos, J.M.; Suarez, C.

    1988-01-01

    A procedure to standardize P 32 in liquid scintillation counting by labelling a tsributyl phosphate organic molecule is described. This method shows a high counting efficiency, over 99%, while keeping a good stability of samples in PCS or toluene, which vary less that 1% in two weed periods. The global uncertainty that results for calibrating the radioactive solution through this method has been less that 2.2%. (Author)

  11. Packed in-tube solid phase microextraction with graphene oxide supported on aminopropyl silica: Determination of target triazines in water samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Toffoli, Ana L; Fumes, Bruno H; Lanças, Fernando M

    2018-02-22

    On-line in-tube solid phase microextraction (in-tube SPME) coupled to high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was successfully applied to the determination of selected triazines in water samples. The method based on the employment of a packed column containing graphene oxide (GO) supported on aminopropyl silica (Si) showed that the extraction phase has a high potential for triazines extraction aiming to its physical-chemical properties including ultrahigh specific surface area, good mechanical and thermal stability and high fracture strength. Injection volume and loading time were both investigated and optimized. The method validation using Si-GO to extract and concentrate the analytes showed satisfactory results, good sensitivity, good linearity (0.2-4.0 µg L -1 ) and low detection limits (1.1-2.9 ng L -1 ). The high extraction efficiency was determined with enrichment factors ranging from 1.2-2.9 for the lowest level, 1.3-4.9 intermediate level and 1.2-3.0 highest level (n = 3). Although the analytes were not detected in the real samples evaluated, the method has demonstrated to be efficient through its application in the analysis of spiked triazines in ground and mineral water samples.

  12. Assessing the sense of `good at' and `not good at' toward learning topics of mathematics with conjoint analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izuta, Giido; Nishikawa, Tomoko

    2017-05-01

    Over the past years, educational psychology and pedagogy communities have focused on the metacognition formalism as a helpful approach to carry out investigations on the feeling of difficulty in mastering some classroom materials that students acquire through their subjective experiences of learning in schools. Motivated by hitherto studies, this work deals with the assessment of the awareness of `good at' and `not good at' that Japanese junior high school students have towards the main learning modules in their three years of mathematics. More specifically, the aims here are (i) to shed some light into how the awareness varies across the grades and gender; (ii) to get some insights into the extent to what the conjoint analysis can be applied to understand the students' feelings toward learning activities. To accomplish them, a conjoint analysis survey with three conjoint attributes, each with two levels, were designed to assess the learners' perceptions of `good at' and `not good at' with respect to arithmetic (algebraic operations), geometry and functions, which make up the three major modules of their curricula. The measurements took place in a public junior high school with 616 school children. It turned out that the conjoint analyses for boys and girls of each grade generated the partial utility and importance graphs which along with a pre-established precision of measurement allowed us to form groups of pupils according to their `sense of being good at' characteristics. Moreover, the results showed that the number of groups obtained differed for boys and girls as well as grades when the gender and school years were considered for comparisons. These findings suggesting that female students outnumbers their peers in number of `good at' despite the low number of females pursuing careers in mathematics and related fields imply that investigation on the causes of this juxtaposition has to be taken into account in the future.

  13. A good patient?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Campbell, Catherine; Scott, Kerry; Skovdal, Morten

    2015-01-01

    , physical cleanliness, honesty, gratitude and lifestyle adaptations (taking pills correctly andcoming to the clinic when told). As healthcare workers may decide to punish patients who do not live up the‘good patient persona’, many patients seek to perform within the confines of the ‘good patient persona...

  14. ANALYSIS OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, DEFAULT RISK AND CONSERVATISM EFFECT TO EARNING MANAGEMENT WITH GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AS MODERATING VARIABLE IN MANUFACTURING COMPANY WHOSE SHARES INCORPORATED IN INDONESIA SHARIA STOCK INDEX

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Budi Gautama Siregar

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to examine and analyze Good Corporate Governance in moderating the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (as measured by economic, environmental and social, Default Risk (as measured by debt to equity ratio and debt to assets ratio and Conservatism (as measured by earning / stock return relation, accruals and net assets Earnings Management. The sample used is a manufacturing company during the period 2011- 2015. The total sample used is 170 samples. Sampling technique used is saturated sample method. The analytical model used in this research with Structural Equation Modeling. The results showed that Corporate Social Responsibility, as measured by the economy and environment, has a positive and significant effect on earning management, while Corporate Social Responsibility measured by social have negative and significant effect to earning management. Default risk, as measured by debt to equity ratio and debt to asset ratio, has positive and significant effect on Earnings Management. Also, conservatism measured by earning / stock return relation and accrual has adverse and insignificant effect on earning management. Good Corporate Governance moderates weakening the effect of Corporate Social Responsibility as measured by economic, environmental to Earnings Management. Meanwhile, the interaction of Corporate Social Responsibility proxy by social with good corporate governance has a positive and significant effect. Good Corporate Governance moderates weakening the effect of default risk measured by debt to equity ratio on Earnings Management, while the interaction between default risk measured by debt to asset ratio with good corporate governance has positive and insignificant effect, so GCG does not moderate the effect of default risk as measured by debt to asset ratio to Earnings Management. Another result was that good Corporate governance does not moderate Conservatism effect measured by Earning

  15. On good ETOL forms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skyum, Sven

    1978-01-01

    This paper continues the study of ETOL forms and good EOL forms done by Maurer, Salomaa and Wood. It is proven that binary very complete ETOL forms exist, good synchronized ETOL forms exist and that no propagating or synchronized ETOL form can be very complete.......This paper continues the study of ETOL forms and good EOL forms done by Maurer, Salomaa and Wood. It is proven that binary very complete ETOL forms exist, good synchronized ETOL forms exist and that no propagating or synchronized ETOL form can be very complete....

  16. On Having a Good

    OpenAIRE

    Korsgaard, Christine M.

    2014-01-01

    In some recent papers I have been arguing that the concept ‘good-for’ is prior to the concept of ‘good’ (in the sense in which final ends are good), and exploring the implications of that claim. One of those implications is that everything that is good is good for someone. That implication seems to fall afoul of our intuitions about certain cases, such as the intuition that a world full of happy people and animals is better than a world full of miserable ones, even if the people and animals a...

  17. Accidental goodness?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Richter, Anne

    In postmodern capitalist market economies, management of the single organisation is bound to be guided by several rationales, which are in conflict with each other. For some writers this perception leads to the argument, that conceptions of management should strive towards goals beyond the present...... society. For others, the handling of plural perspectives is just a management discipline. However these positions seem to share a focus on organization as a the arena for the organization of the good. The contribution looks at the management of occupational accidents as an example of striving for good...

  18. On the density of nearly regular graphs with a good edge-labelling

    OpenAIRE

    Mehrabian, Abbas

    2011-01-01

    A good edge-labelling of a simple graph is a labelling of its edges with real numbers such that, for any ordered pair of vertices (u,v), there is at most one nondecreasing path from u to v. Say a graph is good if it admits a good edge-labelling, and is bad otherwise. Our main result is that any good n-vertex graph whose maximum degree is within a constant factor of its average degree (in particular, any good regular graph) has at most n^{1+o(1)} edges. As a corollary, we show that there are b...

  19. Private Financing of Public Goods by Means of 'Eco-Goods' Schemes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ueda, Yoshifumi; Wegener, Andreas; Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard

    2010-01-01

    With a view to applying to the problem of collective action for the global commons, we analyze a three-stage game model where public goods are provided by the costly leadership of a social entrepreneur for undertaking 'eco-goods' scheme. We derive (i) the conclusion that the social entrepreneur can...... finance more for the collective action under not-for-profit constraint than without the constraint, and (ii) the conditions under which he prefers the not-for-profit constraint on a rational basis. The main results are applied to some social experiments on the natural common-pools of a public-goods nature...

  20. The Varieties of Good Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ylirisku, Salu; Arvola, Mattias

    2018-01-01

    This chapter explores the philosopher and logician Georg Henrik von Wright’s metaethical treatise of the varieties of goodness in the context of design. von Wright investigated the use of notion of ‘good’ in language, and he identified six kinds of goodness: namely utilitarian goodness, instrumen......This chapter explores the philosopher and logician Georg Henrik von Wright’s metaethical treatise of the varieties of goodness in the context of design. von Wright investigated the use of notion of ‘good’ in language, and he identified six kinds of goodness: namely utilitarian goodness...

  1. Quantitative Analysis on the Inter-provincial Distribution of Major Public Goods' Expenditure in China - Based on the Data for 2007

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Hengbo; Jiang, Yun

    This paper uses the principle of Gini Coefficient which measures the equity of income distribution, based on the sample of the financial expenditure of typical public goods and the data of population size which belong to each province and municipality in 2007 to construct the mathematical model. It investigates the regional distribution structure of national public goods' financial expenditure and calculates the corresponding "Gini coefficient" values through the quantitative research method, regression analysis. The calculated results show that it is reasonable on the distribution of the population that China's finance invests in major public products and services vital to the people's livelihood, and the investment does not exceed the bottom line of inequity. At last, the paper analyzes the reasons for the conclusions.

  2. Analytical study on the determination of boron in environmental water samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez, F.J.; Gimenez, E.; Hernandez, F.

    1993-01-01

    An analytical study on the determination of boron in environmental water samples was carried out. The curcumin and carmine standard methods were compared with the most recent Azomethine-H method in order to evaluate their analytical characteristics and feasibility for the analysis of boron in water samples. Analyses of synthetic water, ground water, sea water and waste water samples were carried out and a statistical evaluation of the results was made. The Azomethine-H method was found to be the most sensitive (detection limit 0.02 mg l -1 ) and selective (no interference of commonly occurring ions in water was observed), showing also the best precision (relative standard deviation lower than 4%). Moreover, it gave good results for all types of samples analyzed. The accuracy of this method was tested by the addition of known amounts of standard solutions to different types of water samples. The slopes of standard additions and direct calibration graphs were similar and recoveries of added boron ranged from 99 to 107%. (orig.)

  3. Properties of DRGs, LBGs, and BzK Galaxies in the GOODS South Field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grazian, A.; Salimbeni, S.; Pentericci, L.; Fontana, A.; Santini, P.; Giallongo, E.; de Santis, C.; Gallozzi, S.; Nonino, M.; Cristiani, S.; Vanzella, E.

    2007-12-01

    We use the GOODS-MUSIC catalog with multi-wavelength coverage extending from the U band to the Spitzer 8 μm band, and spectroscopic or accurate photometric redshifts to select samples of BM/BX/LBGs, DRGs, and BzK galaxies. We discuss the overlap and the limitations of these selection criteria, which can be overcome with a criterion based on physical parameters (age and star formation timescale). We show that the BzK-PE criterion is not optimal for selecting early type galaxies at the faint end. We also find that LBGs and DRGs contribute almost equally to the global Stellar Mass Density (SMD) at z≥ 2 and in general that star forming galaxies form a substantial fraction of the universal SMD.

  4. Design and Application of Automatic Falling Device for Different Brands of Goods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xudong; Ge, Qingkuan; Zuo, Ping; Peng, Tao; Dong, Weifu

    2017-12-01

    The Goods-Falling device is an important device in the intelligent sorting goods sorting system, which is responsible for the temporary storage and counting of the goods, and the function of putting the goods on the conveyor belt according to certain precision requirements. According to the present situation analysis and actual demand of the domestic goods sorting equipment, a vertical type Goods - Falling Device is designed and the simulation model of the device is established. The dynamic characteristics such as the angular error of the opening and closing mechanism are carried out by ADAMS software. The simulation results show that the maximum angular error is 0.016rad. Through the test of the device, the goods falling speed is 7031/hour, the good of the falling position error within 2mm, meet the crawl accuracy requirements of the palletizing robot.

  5. Importance sampling the Rayleigh phase function

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frisvad, Jeppe Revall

    2011-01-01

    Rayleigh scattering is used frequently in Monte Carlo simulation of multiple scattering. The Rayleigh phase function is quite simple, and one might expect that it should be simple to importance sample it efficiently. However, there seems to be no one good way of sampling it in the literature....... This paper provides the details of several different techniques for importance sampling the Rayleigh phase function, and it includes a comparison of their performance as well as hints toward efficient implementation....

  6. Dynamic pricing of network goods with boundedly rational consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radner, Roy; Radunskaya, Ami; Sundararajan, Arun

    2014-01-07

    We present a model of dynamic monopoly pricing for a good that displays network effects. In contrast with the standard notion of a rational-expectations equilibrium, we model consumers as boundedly rational and unable either to pay immediate attention to each price change or to make accurate forecasts of the adoption of the network good. Our analysis shows that the seller's optimal price trajectory has the following structure: The price is low when the user base is below a target level, is high when the user base is above the target, and is set to keep the user base stationary once the target level has been attained. We show that this pricing policy is robust to a number of extensions, which include the product's user base evolving over time and consumers basing their choices on a mixture of a myopic and a "stubborn" expectation of adoption. Our results differ significantly from those that would be predicted by a model based on rational-expectations equilibrium and are more consistent with the pricing of network goods observed in practice.

  7. Solvothermal synthesis and good microwave absorbing properties for magnetic porous-Fe3O4/graphene nanocomposites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaojun Zeng

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The magnetic porous-Fe3O4/graphene nanocomposites have been fabricated by a facile solvothermal method. The porous Fe3O4 nanospheres are embedded uniformly in the graphene oxide (GO sheets to form a 3D Fe3O4/GO nanocomposite network. The dielectric properties for the Fe3O4/GO composites can be greatly improved by the 7 wt% GO additions. Good impedance matching can be also obtained in these Fe3O4/GO composites, which is proved to dominate their excellent microwave absorbing properties including the minimum reflection loss (RL value of -43.7 dB at 6.8 GHz with a sample thickness of 5 mm and a broad absorption bandwidth of 5.92 GHz (below -10 dB. These porous-Fe3O4/GO composites also exhibit the good structural stability and low density, which shows their great potential application in high-performance electromagnetic microwave-absorbing materials.

  8. The Good Work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly

    2003-01-01

    Examines the working lives of geneticists and journalists to place into perspective what lies behind personal ethics and success. Defines "good work" as productive activity that is valued socially and loved by people engaged in it. Asserts that certain cultural values, social controls, and personal standards are necessary to maintain good work and…

  9. Cultural Education and the Voluntary Provision of Cultural Goods: An Experimental Study

    OpenAIRE

    Massimo Finocchiaro Castro

    2004-01-01

    We study the effect that the possibility of investing in cultural education has on the voluntary contributions to a cultural good. This is done in a two-stage public-good experiment. We also provide treatments with different context in order to control for a possible framing effect. Our results show the absence of an effect of cultural education on the contributions to the cultural good and a slight increase in the allocations of subjectsÂendowments to the cultural good when the cultural cont...

  10. Heterogeneous multi-layered IF steel with simultaneous high strength and good ductility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ling; Jiang, Xiaojuan; Wang, Yuhui; Chen, Qiang; Chen, Zhen; Zhang, Yonghong; Huang, Tianlin; Wu, Guilin

    2017-07-01

    Multi-layered IF steel samples were designed and fabricated by hot compression followed by cold forging of an alternating stack of cold-rolled and annealed IF steel sheets, with an aim to improve the strength of the material without losing much ductility. A very good combination of strength and ductility was achieved by proper annealing after deformation. Microstructural analysis by electron back-scatter diffraction revealed that the good combination of strength and ductility is related to a characteristic hierarchical structure that is characterized by layered and lamella structures with different length scales.

  11. Compliance With Recommended Food Safety Practices in Television Cooking Shows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Nancy L; Olson, Rita Brennan

    Examine compliance with recommended food safety practices in television cooking shows. Using a tool based on the Massachusetts Food Establishment Inspection Report, raters examined 39 episodes from 10 television cooking shows. Chefs demonstrated conformance with good retail practices for proper use and storage of utensils in 78% of episodes; preventing contamination (62%), and fingernail care (82%). However, 50% to 88% of episodes were found to be out of compliance with other personal hygiene practices, proper use of gloves and barriers (85% to 100%), and maintaining proper time and temperature controls (93%). Over 90% failed to conform to recommendations regarding preventing contamination through wiping cloths and washing produce. In only 13% of episodes were food safety practices mentioned. There appears to be little attention to food safety during most cooking shows. Celebrity and competing chefs have the opportunity to model and teach good food safety practices for millions of viewers. Copyright © 2016 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Papillary Thyroid Cancer: The Good and Bad of the "Good Cancer".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randle, Reese W; Bushman, Norah M; Orne, Jason; Balentine, Courtney J; Wendt, Elizabeth; Saucke, Megan; Pitt, Susan C; Macdonald, Cameron L; Connor, Nadine P; Sippel, Rebecca S

    2017-07-01

    Papillary thyroid cancer is often described as the "good cancer" because of its treatability and relatively favorable survival rates. This study sought to characterize the thoughts of papillary thyroid cancer patients as they relate to having the "good cancer." This qualitative study included 31 papillary thyroid cancer patients enrolled in an ongoing randomized trial. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants at the preoperative visit and two weeks, six weeks, six months, and one year after thyroidectomy. Grounded theory was used, inductively coding the first 113 interview transcripts with NVivo 11. The concept of thyroid cancer as "good cancer" emerged unprompted from 94% (n = 29) of participants, mostly concentrated around the time of diagnosis. Patients encountered this perception from healthcare providers, Internet research, friends, and preconceived ideas about other cancers. While patients generally appreciated optimism, this perspective also generated negative feelings. It eased the diagnosis of cancer but created confusion when individual experiences varied from expectations. Despite initially feeling reassured, participants described feeling the "good cancer" characterization invalidated their fears of having cancer. Thyroid cancer patients expressed that they did not want to hear that it's "only thyroid cancer" and that it's "no big deal," because "cancer is cancer," and it is significant. Patients with papillary thyroid cancer commonly confront the perception that their malignancy is "good," but the favorable prognosis and treatability of the disease do not comprehensively represent their cancer fight. The "good cancer" perception is at the root of many mixed and confusing emotions. Clinicians emphasize optimistic outcomes, hoping to comfort, but they might inadvertently invalidate the impact thyroid cancer has on patients' lives.

  13. Democracy, Redistributive Taxation and the Private Provision of Public Goods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Markussen, Thomas

    ) pointed to, is weakened and might even be reversed in this context. Also, the median voter may choose a negative tax rate, even if he is poorer than the mean, in order to stimulate public goods production. The relevance of the model is illustrated with an application to the finance of higher education.......The paper studies in a simple, Downsian model of political competition how the private provision of public goods is affected when it is embedded in a system of democracy and redistributive taxation. Results show that the positive effect of inequality on public goods production, which Olson (1965...

  14. Standardization of proton-induced x-ray emission technique for analysis of thick samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Shad; Zeb, Johar; Ahad, Abdul; Ahmad, Ishfaq; Haneef, M.; Akbar, Jehan

    2015-09-01

    This paper describes the standardization of the proton-induced x-ray emission (PIXE) technique for finding the elemental composition of thick samples. For the standardization, three different samples of standard reference materials (SRMs) were analyzed using this technique and the data were compared with the already known data of these certified SRMs. These samples were selected in order to cover the maximum range of elements in the periodic table. Each sample was irradiated for three different values of collected beam charges at three different times. A proton beam of 2.57 MeV obtained using 5UDH-II Pelletron accelerator was used for excitation of x-rays from the sample. The acquired experimental data were analyzed using the GUPIXWIN software. The results show that the SRM data and the data obtained using the PIXE technique are in good agreement.

  15. CHARACTERIZATION AND ACTUAL WASTE TEST WITH TANK 5F SAMPLES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fletcher, D.

    2007-01-01

    The initial phase of bulk waste removal operations was recently completed in Tank 5F. Video inspection of the tank indicates several mounds of sludge still remain in the tank. Additionally, a mound of white solids was observed under Riser 5. In support of chemical cleaning and heel removal programs, samples of the sludge and the mound of white solids were obtained from the tank for characterization and testing. A core sample of the sludge and Super Snapper sample of the white solids were characterized. A supernate dip sample from Tank 7F was also characterized. A portion of the sludge was used in two tank cleaning tests using oxalic acid at 50 C and 75 C. The filtered oxalic acid from the tank cleaning tests was subsequently neutralized by addition to a simulated Tank 7F supernate. Solids and liquid samples from the tank cleaning test and neutralization test were characterized. A separate report documents the results of the gas generation from the tank cleaning test using oxalic acid and Tank 5F sludge. The characterization results for the Tank 5F sludge sample (FTF-05-06-55) appear quite good with respect to the tight precision of the sample replicates, good results for the glass standards, and minimal contamination found in the blanks and glass standards. The aqua regia and sodium peroxide fusion data also show good agreement between the two dissolution methods. Iron dominates the sludge composition with other major contributors being uranium, manganese, nickel, sodium, aluminum, and silicon. The low sodium value for the sludge reflects the absence of supernate present in the sample due to the core sampler employed for obtaining the sample. The XRD and CSEM results for the Super Snapper salt sample (i.e., white solids) from Tank 5F (FTF-05-07-1) indicate the material contains hydrated sodium carbonate and bicarbonate salts along with some aluminum hydroxide. These compounds likely precipitated from the supernate in the tank. A solubility test showed the material

  16. Human Papillomavirus Detection from Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Colombian Women's Paired Urine and Cervical Samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munoz, Marina; Camargo, Milena; Soto-De Leon, Sara C.; Sanchez, Ricardo; Parra, Diana; Pineda, Andrea C.; Sussmann, Otto; Perez-Prados, Antonio; Patarroyo, Manuel E.; Patarroyo, Manuel A.

    2013-01-01

    Infection, coinfection and type-specific human papillomavirus (HPV) distribution was evaluated in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive women from paired cervical and urine samples. Paired cervical and urine samples (n = 204) were taken from HIV-positive women for identifying HPV-DNA presence by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with three generic primer sets (GP5+/6+, MY09/11 and pU1M/2R). HPV-positive samples were typed for six high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) (HPV-16, -18, -31, -33, -45 and -58) and two low-risk (LR-HPV) (HPV-6/11) types. Agreement between paired sample results and diagnostic performance was evaluated. HPV infection prevalence was 70.6% in cervical and 63.2% in urine samples. HPV-16 was the most prevalent HPV type in both types of sample (66.7% in cervical samples and 62.0% in urine) followed by HPV-31(47.2%) in cervical samples and HPV-58 (35.7%) in urine samples. There was 55.4% coinfection (infection by more than one type of HPV) in cervical samples and 40.2% in urine samples. Abnormal Papanicolau smears were observed in 25.3% of the women, presenting significant association with HPV-DNA being identified in urine samples. There was poor agreement of cervical and urine sample results in generic and type-specific detection of HPV. Urine samples provided the best diagnosis when taking cytological findings as reference. In conclusion including urine samples could be a good strategy for ensuring adherence to screening programs aimed at reducing the impact of cervical cancer, since this sample is easy to obtain and showed good diagnostic performance. PMID:23418581

  17. Veracity in big data: How good is good enough.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reimer, Andrew P; Madigan, Elizabeth A

    2018-01-01

    Veracity, one of the five V's used to describe big data, has received attention when it comes to using electronic medical record data for research purposes. In this perspective article, we discuss the idea of data veracity and associated concepts as it relates to the use of electronic medical record data and administrative data in research. We discuss the idea that electronic medical record data are "good enough" for clinical practice and, as such, are "good enough" for certain applications. We then propose three primary issues to attend to when establishing data veracity: data provenance, cross validation, and context.

  18. Influence of sampling properties of fast-waveform digitizers on neutron−gamma-ray, pulse-shape discrimination for organic scintillation detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flaska, Marek; Faisal, Muhammad; Wentzloff, David D.; Pozzi, Sara A.

    2013-01-01

    One of the most important questions to be answered with regard to digital pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) systems based on organic scintillators is: What sampling properties are required for a fast-waveform digitizer used for digitizing neutron/gamma-ray pulses, while an accurate PSD is desired? Answering this question is the main objective of this paper. Specifically, the paper describes the influence of the resolution and sampling frequency of a waveform digitizer on the PSD performance of organic scintillators. The results presented in this paper are meant to help the reader choosing a waveform digitizer with appropriate bit resolution and sampling frequency. The results presented here show that a 12-bit, 250-MHz digitizer is a good choice for applications that require good PSD performance. However, when more accurate PSD performance is the main requirement, this paper presents PSD figures of merit to qualify the impact of further increasing either sampling frequency or resolution of the digitizer

  19. A Good Suit Beats a Good Idea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Machiavelli, Nick

    1992-01-01

    Inspired by Niccolo Machiavelli, this column offers beleaguered school executives advice on looking good, dressing well, losing weight, beating the proper enemy, and saying nothing. Administrators who follow these simple rules should have an easier life, jealous colleagues, well-tended gardens, and respectful board members. (MLH)

  20. Good mixing length: Digital simulation of fluid mixing with and without obstacles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suarez Antola, R.; Burgos, D.

    2006-07-01

    The good mixing length of a tracer assures that the samples or measures taken are fair. A non homogeneous tracer mixing through the cross section of the fluid medium involved in the experiment (eg. a river or a pipe) may conduct to erroneous conclusions. For establishing that length, a digital simulation of a two dimensional fluid flow, using Navier-Stokes equations, was done. A continuous tracer injection was simulated.The good mixing length was studied in two cases, first with a free of obstacles situation and then the effect of a significant obstacle located after the tracer injection point. As usual in practice, the good mixing length was estimated using a suitable upper bound for the concentration deviations from the mean in a given cross section. An analytical discussion of the obtained results is done

  1. Measuring 226Ra and 232Th activity in soil and vegetation samples using a method of double γ-coincidences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antovic, N.M.; Antovic, I.

    2010-01-01

    A coincidence method for measuring radium and thorium activity has been developed using the PRIPYAT-2M gamma-ray coincidence spectrometer, with six NaI(Tl) detectors and registration geometry close to 4π. It was tested by measuring soil samples from the Northern region of Montenegro, as well as vegetation samples from the same region. The results showed a good agreement with ones obtained by the HPGe spectrometer. (author)

  2. Memories of good deeds past: The reinforcing power of prosocial behavior in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tasimi, Arber; Young, Liane

    2016-07-01

    Does considering one's past prosociality affect future behavior? Prior research has revealed instances in which adults engage in additional prosocial behavior-moral reinforcement-as well as instances in which adults engage in worse behavior-moral licensing. The current study examined the developmental origins of these effects by testing whether 6- to 8-year-old children (N=225) are more or less generous after recalling their own good deeds. Children were asked to recount a time when they were nice, were mean, or watched a movie. Children behaved more generously after recalling a time when they were nice. We show that this boost in generosity was not simply the result of instructing children to consider nice behavior; children's giving did not increase after recalling others' good deeds. We also show that, even after recounting multiple instances of their past goodness, children continue to behave more generously. These findings suggest that doing good leads to more good in children. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Participative management: Concept and application in consumer goods companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ann I Ogbo

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper attempts to ascertain the impact of participative management on workflows, its influence on sales output and how well the concept is practised by consumer goods companies in Nigeria. Study adopted the survey design; questionnaires were used to collect necessary data from sales personnel across 10 states in South-Ssouth and South East Nigeria. Respondents rated the concept and application of participative management as it affects their work environment and sales output of the company. Statistical results of the study showed that 92.08% of the respondents believe that there are benefits derivable from participative management and that these benefits improve both sales output and workflow. 48% believe that participative management is practised in firms. Hypotheses tested using the chi-square test statistic revealed that: Consumer goods companies benefit from practising participative management, Participative management has effect on sales output of consumer goods companies, and the concept of participative management is not fully practised by consumer goods companies in Nigeria. These findings indicate that participative management principles need to be inculcated fully in the running of sales organisations so as to increase sales volume and ultimately boost the profit of consumer goods companies

  4. Phase contrast STEM for thin samples: Integrated differential phase contrast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lazić, Ivan; Bosch, Eric G T; Lazar, Sorin

    2016-01-01

    It has been known since the 1970s that the movement of the center of mass (COM) of a convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) pattern is linearly related to the (projected) electrical field in the sample. We re-derive a contrast transfer function (CTF) for a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging technique based on this movement from the point of view of image formation and continue by performing a two-dimensional integration on the two images based on the two components of the COM movement. The resulting integrated COM (iCOM) STEM technique yields a scalar image that is linear in the phase shift caused by the sample and therefore also in the local (projected) electrostatic potential field of a thin sample. We confirm that the differential phase contrast (DPC) STEM technique using a segmented detector with 4 quadrants (4Q) yields a good approximation for the COM movement. Performing a two-dimensional integration, just as for the COM, we obtain an integrated DPC (iDPC) image which is approximately linear in the phase of the sample. Beside deriving the CTFs of iCOM and iDPC, we clearly point out the objects of the two corresponding imaging techniques, and highlight the differences to objects corresponding to COM-, DPC-, and (HA) ADF-STEM. The theory is validated with simulations and we present first experimental results of the iDPC-STEM technique showing its capability for imaging both light and heavy elements with atomic resolution and a good signal to noise ratio (SNR). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Use of passive sampling for atmospheric tritium monitoring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Caldeira Ideias, P.; Pierrard, O.; Tournieux, D. [Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire - IRSN (France); Tenailleau, L. [Marine nationale (France)

    2014-07-01

    conducted both in laboratory and in real environmental conditions with different tritium levels. For important tritium activities 10-25 kBq.L{sup -1} the passive devices were tested in an accidentally contaminated site in France and for low activities 1-3 Bq.L{sup -1} in the surroundings of a nuclear installation. In both cases the tritium passive samplers performances were compared with an active method (condenser). The result indicates that the measured activity from the passive technique and the active one showed a very good agreement. The monitoring results with passive sampling showed that this technology can be used both for environmental monitoring programmes (sampling frequency: weekly to monthly) and radiological emergency situations (sampling time reduced to 24 H). This system can also be very useful for radiological mapping. These results are encouraging for future studies aiming to develop the {sup 14}C and HT passive samplers, since these devices offer a unique complement to other sample/measurement techniques and will most likely be more commonly used. Document available in abstract form only. (authors)

  6. Aerial sampling using drones for measuring trace gases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Chih-Chung; Wang, Jia-Lin; Chang, Chih-Yuan; Lin, Ming-Ren; Ou-Yang, Chang-Feng; Pan, Xiang-Xu; Lin, Neng-Huei

    2017-04-01

    Aerial and ground-level samples were simultaneously collected at the northern tip of Taiwan, Cape Fuguei, which is commonly served as a receptor site to receive air parcels from East Asia, Asian continent, the northwest Pacific Ocean and the island of Taiwan itself. Both aerial and surface samples were analyzed for 106 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and divided into three categories as follows: 1. the total concentrations of 106 VOC (T-VOC) at 300-m height that are lower than the T-VOC level at the surface (Category A), 2. T-VOC concentrations at 300-m that are higher than those at the surface (Category B), and 3. comparable concentrations (Category C). Ten VOCs were exploited as tracers for a variety of emission sources linking to possible sources and transport routes of airborne pollutants. The first two categories A and B showed significant differences in the observed composition and concentrations of tracers between aerial and ground-level samples, implying that the pollutants at different heights may have resulted from different sources and poor air mixing, despite only a 300-m difference in vertical height. In contrast, Category C showed good vertical mixing, as indicated by the comparable concentrations between the aerial and surface measurements. Since the three categories occurred in specific meteorological conditions (between, prior to, and after cold fronts), respectively, it suggests that varied prevailing meteorology controlled the distribution and transport of airborne pollutants. Unlike sampling commonly performed at the surface, this study uses aerial sampling to demonstrate that layered structures under different meteorological conditions. Sampling aloft in lower boundary layer avoids samples being over-influenced by the close-by surface sources such as traffic to reveal signatures of a broader region.

  7. Ex vivo characterization of normal and adenocarcinoma colon samples by Mueller matrix polarimetry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad, Iftikhar; Ahmad, Manzoor; Khan, Karim; Ashraf, Sumara; Ahmad, Shakil; Ikram, Masroor

    2015-05-01

    Mueller matrix polarimetry along with polar decomposition algorithm was employed for the characterization of ex vivo normal and adenocarcinoma human colon tissues by polarized light in the visible spectral range (425-725 nm). Six derived polarization metrics [total diattenuation (DT ), retardance (RT ), depolarization(ΔT ), linear diattenuation (DL), retardance (δ), and depolarization (ΔL)] were compared for normal and adenocarcinoma colon tissue samples. The results show that all six polarimetric properties for adenocarcinoma samples were significantly higher as compared to the normal samples for all wavelengths. The Wilcoxon rank sum test illustrated that total retardance is a good candidate for the discrimination of normal and adenocarcinoma colon samples. Support vector machine classification for normal and adenocarcinoma based on the four polarization properties spectra (ΔT , ΔL, RT ,and δ) yielded 100% accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, while both DTa nd DL showed 66.6%, 33.3%, and 83.3% accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, respectively. The combination of polarization analysis and given classification methods provides a framework to distinguish the normal and cancerous tissues.

  8. Letting people off the hook: when do good deeds excuse transgressions?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Effron, Daniel A; Monin, Benoît

    2010-12-01

    Three studies examined when and why an actor's prior good deeds make observers more willing to excuse--or license--his or her subsequent, morally dubious behavior. In a pilot study, actors' good deeds made participants more forgiving of the actors' subsequent transgressions. In Study 1, participants only licensed blatant transgressions that were in a different domain than actors' good deeds; blatant transgressions in the same domain appeared hypocritical and suppressed licensing (e.g., fighting adolescent drug use excused sexual harassment, but fighting sexual harassment did not). Study 2 replicated these effects and showed that good deeds made observers license ambiguous transgressions (e.g., behavior that might or might not represent sexual harassment) regardless of whether the good deeds and the transgression were in the same or in a different domain--but only same-domain good deeds did so by changing participants' construal of the transgressions. Discussion integrates two models of why licensing occurs.

  9. Good and Bad Sleep in Childhood: A Questionnaire Survey amongst School Children in Southern Italy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gianluca Ficca

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Despite its clinical importance, the issue of subjective sleep quality in children remains unexplored. Here we investigate, in school-aged children, the prevalence of bad sleep perception and its relationships with sleep habits and daytime functioning, to provide hints on its possible determinants. Subjective sleep perception, sleep habits, and daytime functioning were studied through a questionnaire survey in a sample of 482 children (6–12 yrs.. Being “bad sleeper” was reported by 6.9% of the sample. Compared to the “good sleepers”, these subjects displayed shorter sleep duration on schooldays, longer sleep latencies, and a more pronounced evening preference, beyond more frequent insufficient sleep. Though no differences emerged in sleepiness, bad sleepers showed higher impairments in daytime functioning, indicated by more frequent depressed mood and impulsivity. These distinctive features might be very important to precociously detect those children who are possibly more vulnerable to sleep disturbances and whose sleep-wake rhythms evolution should be paid particular attention thereafter.

  10. Reproducibility of subgingival bacterial samples from patients with peri-implant mucositis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hallström, Hadar; Persson, G Rutger; Strömberg, Ulf

    2015-01-01

    collected with paper points and analyzed using the checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization technique. Whole genomic probes of 74 preselected bacterial species were used. Based on the bacterial scores, Cohen's kappa coefficient was used to calculate the inter-annotator agreement for categorical data......OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the reproducibility of bacterial enumeration from subsequent subgingival samples collected from patients with peri-implant mucositis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Duplicate microbial samples from 222 unique implant sites in 45 adult subjects were....... The percentage agreement was considered as "good" when the two samples showed the same score or differed by 1 to the power of 10. RESULTS: Moderate to fair kappa values were displayed for all bacterial species in the test panel (range 0.21-0.58). There were no significant differences between Gram...

  11. Fabry-Pérot cavity based on chirped sampled fiber Bragg gratings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Jilin; Wang, Rong; Pu, Tao; Lu, Lin; Fang, Tao; Li, Weichun; Xiong, Jintian; Chen, Yingfang; Zhu, Huatao; Chen, Dalei; Chen, Xiangfei

    2014-02-10

    A novel kind of Fabry-Pérot (FP) structure based on chirped sampled fiber Bragg grating (CSFBG) is proposed and demonstrated. In this structure, the regular chirped FBG (CFBG) that functions as reflecting mirror in the FP cavity is replaced by CSFBG, which is realized by chirping the sampling periods of a sampled FBG having uniform local grating period. The realization of such CSFBG-FPs having diverse properties just needs a single uniform pitch phase mask and sub-micrometer precision moving stage. Compared with the conventional CFBG-FP, it becomes more flexible to design CSFBG-FPs of diverse functions, and the fabrication process gets simpler. As a demonstration, based on the same experimental facilities, FPs with uniform FSR (~73 pm) and chirped FSR (varying from 28 pm to 405 pm) are fabricated respectively, which shows good agreement with simulation results.

  12. Good practices in LIBS analysis: Review and advices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    El Haddad, J.; Canioni, L.; Bousquet, B., E-mail: bruno.bousquet@u-bordeaux.fr

    2014-11-01

    This paper presents a review on the analytical results obtained by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). In the first part, results on identification and classification of samples are presented including the risk of misclassification, and in the second part, results on concentration measurement based on calibration are accompanied with significant figures of merit including the concept of accuracy. Both univariate and multivariate approaches are discussed with special emphasis on the methodology, the way of presenting the results and the assessment of the methods. Finally, good practices are proposed for both classification and concentration measurement.

  13. Good practices in LIBS analysis: Review and advices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El Haddad, J.; Canioni, L.; Bousquet, B.

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a review on the analytical results obtained by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). In the first part, results on identification and classification of samples are presented including the risk of misclassification, and in the second part, results on concentration measurement based on calibration are accompanied with significant figures of merit including the concept of accuracy. Both univariate and multivariate approaches are discussed with special emphasis on the methodology, the way of presenting the results and the assessment of the methods. Finally, good practices are proposed for both classification and concentration measurement

  14. 20 CFR 404.989 - Good cause for reopening.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ...) The evidence that was considered in making the determination or decision clearly shows on its face... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Good cause for reopening. 404.989 Section 404.989 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY...

  15. Intercomparison of methods for determining 90Sr and 137Cs in plant samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sha Lianmao; Zhao Min; Tian Guizhi

    1986-01-01

    The results of intercomparison of methods for determining 90 Sr and 137 Cs in plant samples are reported. Nine laboratories participated in the intercomparison. The samples used in intercomparison were reed and tea powders. The analytical results of 90 Sr in reed and 137 Cs in tea from different laboratories show good comparability and follow the normal-distribution. Some results reported of 137 Cs in reed are apparently lower than others. The results of 90 Sr in tea from different laboratories have poor comparability. The results obtained by HDEHP rapid extraction chromatograph appear to be too high, and it's cause is discussed. The 95% confidence intervals of content of 90 Sr and 137 Cs in reed and tea samples are given

  16. Cyclic public goods games: Compensated coexistence among mutual cheaters stabilized by optimized penalty taxation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffin, Christopher; Belmonte, Andrew

    2017-05-01

    We study the problem of stabilized coexistence in a three-species public goods game in which each species simultaneously contributes to one public good while freeloading off another public good ("cheating"). The proportional population growth is governed by an appropriately modified replicator equation, depending on the returns from the public goods and the cost. We show that the replicator dynamic has at most one interior unstable fixed point and that the population becomes dominated by a single species. We then show that by applying an externally imposed penalty, or "tax" on success can stabilize the interior fixed point, allowing for the symbiotic coexistence of all species. We show that the interior fixed point is the point of globally minimal total population growth in both the taxed and untaxed cases. We then formulate an optimal taxation problem and show that it admits a quasilinearization, resulting in novel necessary conditions for the optimal control. In particular, the optimal control problem governing the tax rate must solve a certain second-order ordinary differential equation.

  17. Good Concrete Activity Is Good Mental Activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonough, Andrea

    2016-01-01

    Early years mathematics classrooms can be colourful, exciting, and challenging places of learning. Andrea McDonough and fellow teachers have noticed that some students make good decisions about using materials to assist their problem solving, but this is not always the case. These experiences lead her to ask the following questions: (1) Are…

  18. Quantum chi-squared and goodness of fit testing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Temme, Kristan [IQIM, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125 (United States); Verstraete, Frank [Fakultät für Physik, Universität Wien, Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090 Wien, Austria and Faculty of Science, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent (Belgium)

    2015-01-15

    A quantum mechanical hypothesis test is presented for the hypothesis that a certain setup produces a given quantum state. Although the classical and the quantum problems are very much related to each other, the quantum problem is much richer due to the additional optimization over the measurement basis. A goodness of fit test for i.i.d quantum states is developed and a max-min characterization for the optimal measurement is introduced. We find the quantum measurement which leads both to the maximal Pitman and Bahadur efficiencies, and determine the associated divergence rates. We discuss the relationship of the quantum goodness of fit test to the problem of estimating multiple parameters from a density matrix. These problems are found to be closely related and we show that the largest error of an optimal strategy, determined by the smallest eigenvalue of the Fisher information matrix, is given by the divergence rate of the goodness of fit test.

  19. Cooperation and Noise in Public Goods Experiments: Applying the Contribution Function Approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brandts, J.; Schram, A.

    2001-01-01

    We introduce a new design for experiments with the voluntary contributions mechanism for public goods. Subjects report a complete con-tri-bution function in each period, i.e., a contribution level for various marginal rates of transformation between a public and a private good. The results show that

  20. Development of an Analytical Protocol for Determination of Cyanide in Human Biological Samples Based on Application of Ion Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ewa Jaszczak

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A simple and accurate ion chromatography (IC method with pulsed amperometric detection (PAD was proposed for the determination of cyanide ion in urine, sweat, and saliva samples. The sample pretreatment relies on alkaline digestion and application of Dionex OnGuard II H cartridge. Under the optimized conditions, the method showed good linearity in the range of 1–100 μg/L for urine, 5–100 μg/L for saliva, and 3–100 μg/L for sweat samples with determination coefficients (R>0.992. Low detection limits (LODs in the range of 1.8 μg/L, 5.1 μg/L, and 5.8 μg/L for urine, saliva, and sweat samples, respectively, and good repeatability (CV < 3%, n=3 were obtained. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the analysis of human biological samples.

  1. Development of an Analytical Protocol for Determination of Cyanide in Human Biological Samples Based on Application of Ion Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaszczak, Ewa; Ruman, Marek; Narkowicz, Sylwia; Namieśnik, Jacek; Polkowska, Żaneta

    2017-01-01

    A simple and accurate ion chromatography (IC) method with pulsed amperometric detection (PAD) was proposed for the determination of cyanide ion in urine, sweat, and saliva samples. The sample pretreatment relies on alkaline digestion and application of Dionex OnGuard II H cartridge. Under the optimized conditions, the method showed good linearity in the range of 1-100  μ g/L for urine, 5-100  μ g/L for saliva, and 3-100  μ g/L for sweat samples with determination coefficients ( R ) > 0.992. Low detection limits (LODs) in the range of 1.8  μ g/L, 5.1  μ g/L, and 5.8  μ g/L for urine, saliva, and sweat samples, respectively, and good repeatability (CV < 3%, n = 3) were obtained. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the analysis of human biological samples.

  2. Effect of the depreciation of public goods in spatial public goods games

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Dong-Mei; Zhuang, Yong; Wang, Bing-Hong

    2012-02-01

    In this work, the depreciation effect of public goods is considered in the public goods games, which is realized by rescaling the multiplication factor r of each group as r‧=r( (β≥0). It is assumed that each individual enjoys the full profit r of the public goods if all the players of this group are cooperators. Otherwise, the value of public goods is reduced to r‧. It is found that compared with the original version (β=0), the emergence of cooperation is remarkably promoted for β>0, and there exist intermediate values of β inducing the best cooperation. Particularly, there exists a range of β inducing the highest cooperative level, and this range of β broadens as r increases. It is further presented that the variation of cooperator density with noise has close relations with the values of β and r, and cooperation at an intermediate value of β=1.0 is most tolerant to noise.

  3. Analysis of monazite samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kartiwa Sumadi; Yayah Rohayati

    1996-01-01

    The 'monazit' analytical program has been set up for routine work of Rare Earth Elements analysis in the monazite and xenotime minerals samples. Total relative error of the analysis is very low, less than 2.50%, and the reproducibility of counting statistic and stability of the instrument were very excellent. The precision and accuracy of the analytical program are very good with the maximum percentage relative are 5.22% and 1.61%, respectively. The mineral compositions of the 30 monazite samples have been also calculated using their chemical constituents, and the results were compared to the grain counting microscopic analysis

  4. Abusing Good Intentions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tamas Bereczkei

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The present study aims to understand how Machiavellians switch from one kind of response to another in different circumstances to maximize their profit. We set up a specific experimental paradigm that involved both a cooperative and competitive version of a public goods game. We found that Machiavellianism accounts for the total amount of money paid by the players (N = 144 across five rounds in the cooperative but not in the competitive game. Compared with the others, individuals with higher scores on Mach scale contributed less to the public goods in the cooperative condition, but no difference was found in the competitive condition. Finally, this relationship was influenced by the sequence of the games. These results indicate that Machiavellians skillfully evaluate social environments and strive to exploit those with abundant contributions to public goods.

  5. The good midwife: commencing students' views.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carolan, Mary

    2011-08-01

    to explore commencing students' views of the good midwife. This study was set against a background of high course attrition and concerns that discordant students' views of midwifery practice may have been associated with course attrition. qualitative thematic analysis. Melbourne, Australia. all commencing midwifery students, in 2008, were invited to participate (n = 41). students spoke of a series of key attributes they felt were important to the role of the midwife. Most fell into the affective domain and four themes were identified: personal qualities and attitudes; a belief in women and natural birth; compatible work ethic; and the possession of additional attributes. commencing students showed a clear understanding of the affective attributes required of a good midwife but a lesser understanding of requirements of knowledge and competence. A small number of students felt that they were already equipped to advise pregnant women, despite their early stage in the course. This is an issue that needs to be addressed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. A GMM-Based Test for Normal Disturbances of the Heckman Sample Selection Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Pfaffermayr

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The Heckman sample selection model relies on the assumption of normal and homoskedastic disturbances. However, before considering more general, alternative semiparametric models that do not need the normality assumption, it seems useful to test this assumption. Following Meijer and Wansbeek (2007, the present contribution derives a GMM-based pseudo-score LM test on whether the third and fourth moments of the disturbances of the outcome equation of the Heckman model conform to those implied by the truncated normal distribution. The test is easy to calculate and in Monte Carlo simulations it shows good performance for sample sizes of 1000 or larger.

  7. Kinetic models for goods exchange in a multi-agent market

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brugna, Carlo; Toscani, Giuseppe

    2018-06-01

    In this paper we introduce a system of kinetic equations describing an exchange market consisting of two populations of agents (dealers and speculators) expressing the same preferences for two goods, but applying different strategies in their exchanges. Similarly to the model proposed in Toscani et al. (2013), we describe the trading of the goods by means of some fundamental rules in price theory, in particular by using Cobb-Douglas utility functions for the exchange. The strategy of the speculators is to recover maximal utility from the trade by suitably acting on the percentage of goods which are exchanged. This microscopic description leads to a system of linear Boltzmann-type equations for the probability distributions of the goods on the two populations, in which the post-interaction variables depend from the pre-interaction ones in terms of the mean quantities of the goods present in the market. In this case, it is shown analytically that the strategy of the speculators can drive the price of the two goods towards a zone in which there is a branded utility for their group. Also, according to Toscani et al. (2013), the general system of nonlinear kinetic equations of Boltzmann type for the probability distributions of the goods on the two populations is described in details. Numerical experiments then show how the policy of speculators can modify the final price of goods in this nonlinear setting.

  8. Global Public Goods and The Role of Emerging Power: Considering the Concept of Impure Public Goods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Rieshøj Yi

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The existing analysis of global public goods over-emphasizes the significance of public. Great power as a main provider has played an active role in these strategic initiatives, which may be ignored. In fact, main power has thought about the possible free-riders when providing public goods and making its foreign strategic plan. China’s announcement to “welcome the neighbouring countries to be a free-rider and benefit from China’s rise” is a good example. It is necessary to think about the theory of public goods and take another look at the free-riding phenomenon. The concept of impure public goods may be useful and effective when we understand the reason why global public goods are being provided and are relatively efficient. As an emerging power, China should have a clear strategy on global public goods with a possible “marketing” viewpoint, including more initiatives and specific measures, so that the global public goods provision may be more diverse and well-planned.

  9. THE SELLER'S OBLIGATION TO DELIVER THE GOODS ACCORDING TO CISG

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan VELICU

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available This article aims to analyze the seller's obligations under the Convention on International Sale of Goods (CISG and in particular the obligation to deliver the goods showing the main issues that arise in an international sale. We also wish to point the major innovations or improvements brought by the CISG in comparison to the European civil codes regulation and to conclude if the CSIG managed to revolutionize the tradition view on this issue.

  10. Good News in Bad News: How Negativity Enhances Economic Efficacy

    OpenAIRE

    Svensson, H.M.; Albæk, E.; van Dalen, A.; de Vreese, C.

    2017-01-01

    Negativity is a news ideology, and its negative effects on attitude formation are widely documented. Contrary to this view, the present study demonstrates that negative economic news can in fact be good news. Based on a two-wave national panel survey and a media content analysis, we show that individual exposure to negative economic news enhances internal economic efficacy, a sense of competence in and understanding of the economy. This is good news as internal economic efficacy may facilitat...

  11. Benchmark Two-Good Utility Functions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Jaegher, K.

    Benchmark two-good utility functions involving a good with zero income elasticity and unit income elasticity are well known. This paper derives utility functions for the additional benchmark cases where one good has zero cross-price elasticity, unit own-price elasticity, and zero own price

  12. Sensitive determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples by HPLC coupled with SPE based on graphene functionalized with triethoxysilane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Ke-Jing; Li, Jing; Liu, Yan-Ming; Wang, Lan

    2013-02-01

    The graphene functionalized with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal reaction and applied as SPE sorbents to extract trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from environmental water samples. These sorbents possess high adsorption capacity and extraction efficiency due to strong adsorption ability of carbon materials and large specific surface area of nanoparticles, and only 10 mg of sorbents are required to extract PAHs from 100 mL water samples. Several condition parameters, such as eluent and its volume, adsorbent amount, sample volume, sample pH, and sample flow rate, were optimized to achieve good sensitivity and precision. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the method showed good linearity in the range of 1-100 μg/L, repeatability of the extraction (the RSDs were between 1.8 and 2.9%, n = 6), and satisfactory detection limits of 0.029-0.1 μg/L. The recoveries of PAHs spiked in environmental water samples ranged from 84.6 to 109.5%. All these results demonstrated that this new SPE technique was a viable alternative to conventional enrichment techniques for the extraction and analysis of PAHs in complex samples. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Doing Good, Feeling Bad

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sharma, Devika

    2017-01-01

    For decades humanitarianism has captured and shaped the dreams of the populations of the global North, dreams of a better world, of a common humanity, of goodness, of solidarity, and of global healing. In this article I argue that when taking art and cultural objects into account humanitarian......, Danmarks Indsamling [Denmark Collects], and the second is from Norwegian playwright Arne Lygre’s 2011 play, I Disappear. What is at stake in both of these scenes is the status of humanitarianism as a good-enough fantasy and promise of doing good....

  14. Design of a robotic automation system for transportation of goods in hospitals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Özkil, Ali Gürcan; Sørensen, Torben; Fan, Zhun

    2007-01-01

    Hospitals face with heavy traffic of goods everyday, where transportation tasks are mainly carried by human. Analysis of the current situation of transportation in a typical hospital showed several transportation tasks are suitable for automation. This paper presents a system, consisting of a fleet...... of robot vehicles, automatic stations and smart containers for automation of transportation of goods in hospitals. Design of semi-autonomous robot vehicles, containers and stations are presented and the overall system architecture is described. Implementing such a system in an existing hospital showed...

  15. Experience with a routine fecal sampling program for plutonium workers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bihl, D.E.; Buschbom, R.L.; Sula, M.J.

    1993-01-01

    A quarterly fecal sampling program was conducted at the U. S. Department of Energy's Hanford site for congruent to 100 workers at risk for an intake of plutonium oxide and other forms of plutonium. To our surprise, we discovered that essentially all of the workers were excreting detectable activities of plutonium. Further investigation showed that the source was frequent, intermittent intakes at levels below detectability by normal workplace monitoring, indicating the extraordinary sensitivity of fecal sampling. However, the experience of this study also indicated that the increased sensitivity of routine fecal sampling relative to more common bioassay methods is offset by many problems. These include poor worker cooperation; difficulty in distinguishing low-level chronic intakes from a more significant, acute intake; difficulty in eliminating interference from ingested plutonium; and difficulty in interpreting what a single void means in terms of 24-h excretion. Recommendations for a routine fecal program include providing good communication to workers and management about reasons and logistics of fecal sampling prior to starting, using annual (instead of quarterly) fecal sampling for class Y plutonium, collecting samples after workers have been away from plutonium exposure for a least 3 d, and giving serious consideration to improving urinalysis sensitivity rather than going to routine fecal sampling

  16. Good Practices in Free-energy Calculations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pohorille, Andrew; Jarzynski, Christopher; Chipot, Christopher

    2013-01-01

    As access to computational resources continues to increase, free-energy calculations have emerged as a powerful tool that can play a predictive role in drug design. Yet, in a number of instances, the reliability of these calculations can be improved significantly if a number of precepts, or good practices are followed. For the most part, the theory upon which these good practices rely has been known for many years, but often overlooked, or simply ignored. In other cases, the theoretical developments are too recent for their potential to be fully grasped and merged into popular platforms for the computation of free-energy differences. The current best practices for carrying out free-energy calculations will be reviewed demonstrating that, at little to no additional cost, free-energy estimates could be markedly improved and bounded by meaningful error estimates. In energy perturbation and nonequilibrium work methods, monitoring the probability distributions that underlie the transformation between the states of interest, performing the calculation bidirectionally, stratifying the reaction pathway and choosing the most appropriate paradigms and algorithms for transforming between states offer significant gains in both accuracy and precision. In thermodynamic integration and probability distribution (histogramming) methods, properly designed adaptive techniques yield nearly uniform sampling of the relevant degrees of freedom and, by doing so, could markedly improve efficiency and accuracy of free energy calculations without incurring any additional computational expense.

  17. Euthanasia: the role of good care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seale, C; Addington-Hall, J

    1995-03-01

    The results from two surveys in England of relatives and others who knew people in samples drawn from death certificates are reported. The main focus is on a sample of 3696 people dying in 1990 in 20 health authorities, with supporting analysis from an earlier national sample of 639 people dying in 1987. The argument that good care and, in particular, hospice care is effective in reducing the desire for euthanasia has been proposed as an argument against the legalization of voluntary euthanasia. The findings suggest that the picture is in fact more complex. People who received hospice care were, if anything, more likely to have respondents who felt that it would have been better if they had died earlier. The latter held when controlling for other variables found to influence respondents' views, such as the level of distress and dependency experienced by the dying person. It appears possible that the same may apply to the dying peoples' own wishes, although here the time order of events could not be controlled for in the data. It is suggested that this may be due to hospice care being geared to helping patients express their fears and exercise choice. The wish for euthanasia may then be an assertion of personal control, rather than an act of surrender. Alternatively, people (and their relatives) who accept hospice care may be predisposed to consider the benefits of an earlier death.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  18. When being narrow minded is a good thing: locally biased people show stronger contextual cueing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellaera, Lauren; von Mühlenen, Adrian; Watson, Derrick G

    2014-01-01

    Repeated contexts allow us to find relevant information more easily. Learning such contexts has been proposed to depend upon either global processing of the repeated contexts, or alternatively processing of the local region surrounding the target information. In this study, we measured the extent to which observers were by default biased to process towards a more global or local level. The findings showed that the ability to use context to help guide their search was strongly related to an observer's local/global processing bias. Locally biased people could use context to help improve their search better than globally biased people. The results suggest that the extent to which context can be used depends crucially on the observer's attentional bias and thus also to factors and influences that can change this bias.

  19. Drinking Water Quality Forecast of Peshawar Valley on the Basis of Sample Data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, S.U.; Bangash, F.K.

    2001-01-01

    Microbiological and related parameters of 75 portable water samples collected from source, distribution line and consumer tap in 25 different locations were investigated. The findings were used to forecast statistically the quality of drinking water of hole valley at all three sites and compared with WHO's standards. The study shows that the valley has good water deposits and suitable for drinking purposes however the same quality is not maintained throughout the distribution systems. The presence of total and fecal coliform in the samples collected from distribution line and consumer tap shows the mixing of wastewater through leaky joints and corroded underground supply system. The study also shows poor disinfecting practices in the study area. On the basis of this study we can say that the area got excellent subsoil water deposits but most of the consumers are supplied with water not fit for drinking purposes which is the main cause of Heath problems in the area. (author)

  20. Sociocultural Transformation & Development. Good Practices or Successful Actions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oriol Ríos

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The most disadvantadged neighborhoods in Europe have received funds from State Administration to eradicate social exclusion and overcome processes of urban ghettoization. These processes are being implemented in several social areas such as housing, employment, and education. Actions, defined as "good practices", are usually valued by the quantity and type and not by the quality and final outcomes they achieve. For example, when they improve the living conditions of the populations in these areas. The INCLUD-ED project shows positive results by replacing these "good practices" by "successful actions". They are grounded on scientific evidence in order to respond to the aims set by the neighbours of these disadvantaged neighborhoods.

  1. Subsistence Food Production Practices: An Approach to Food Security and Good Health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rankoana, Sejabaledi A

    2017-10-05

    Food security is a prerequisite for health. Availability and accessibility of food in rural areas is mainly achieved through subsistence production in which community members use local practices to produce and preserve food. Subsistence food production ensures self-sufficiency and reduction of poverty and hunger. The main emphasis with the present study is examining subsistence farming and collection of edible plant materials to fulfill dietary requirements, thereby ensuring food security and good health. Data collected from a purposive sample show that subsistence crops produced in the home-gardens and fields, and those collected from the wild, are sources of grain, vegetables and legumes. Sources of grain and legumes are produced in the home-gardens and fields, whereas vegetables sources are mostly collected in the wild and fewer in the home-gardens. These food sources have perceived health potential in child and maternal care of primary health care.

  2. HICOSMO - cosmology with a complete sample of galaxy clusters - I. Data analysis, sample selection and luminosity-mass scaling relation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schellenberger, G.; Reiprich, T. H.

    2017-08-01

    The X-ray regime, where the most massive visible component of galaxy clusters, the intracluster medium, is visible, offers directly measured quantities, like the luminosity, and derived quantities, like the total mass, to characterize these objects. The aim of this project is to analyse a complete sample of galaxy clusters in detail and constrain cosmological parameters, like the matter density, Ωm, or the amplitude of initial density fluctuations, σ8. The purely X-ray flux-limited sample (HIFLUGCS) consists of the 64 X-ray brightest galaxy clusters, which are excellent targets to study the systematic effects, that can bias results. We analysed in total 196 Chandra observations of the 64 HIFLUGCS clusters, with a total exposure time of 7.7 Ms. Here, we present our data analysis procedure (including an automated substructure detection and an energy band optimization for surface brightness profile analysis) that gives individually determined, robust total mass estimates. These masses are tested against dynamical and Planck Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) derived masses of the same clusters, where good overall agreement is found with the dynamical masses. The Planck SZ masses seem to show a mass-dependent bias to our hydrostatic masses; possible biases in this mass-mass comparison are discussed including the Planck selection function. Furthermore, we show the results for the (0.1-2.4) keV luminosity versus mass scaling relation. The overall slope of the sample (1.34) is in agreement with expectations and values from literature. Splitting the sample into galaxy groups and clusters reveals, even after a selection bias correction, that galaxy groups exhibit a significantly steeper slope (1.88) compared to clusters (1.06).

  3. Advice on Good Grooming.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tingey, Carol

    1987-01-01

    Suggestions are presented from parents on how to help children with disabilities (with particular focus on Downs Syndrome) learn good grooming habits in such areas as good health, exercise, cleanliness, teeth and hair care, skin care, glasses and other devices, and social behavior. (CB)

  4. Suicidal ideation in a community-derived sample of Spanish adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fonseca-Pedrero, Eduardo; Inchausti, Félix; Pérez-Gutiérrez, Laura; Aritio Solana, Rebeca; Ortuño-Sierra, Javier; Sánchez-García, M ª Ángeles; Lucas-Molina, Beatriz; Domínguez, César; Foncea, David; Espinosa, Virginia; Gorría, Ana; Urbiola-Merina, Elena; Fernández, Marta; Merina Díaz, Carmen; Gutiérrez, Carmen; Aures, Marta; Campos, María S; Domínguez-Garrido, Elena; Pérez de Albéniz Iturriaga, Alicia

    Suicide is a current public health problem and among the main causes of mortality in adolescents and young adults. The main goal of this study was to analyse suicidal ideation in a representative sample of Spanish adolescents. Specifically, the prevalence rates of suicide ideation, the psychometric properties of the Paykel Suicide Scale (PSS) scores, and the socio-emotional adjustment of adolescents at risk for suicide were analysed. The sample consisted of 1,664 participants (M=16.12 years, SD=1.36, range 14-19 years), selected by stratified sampling by clusters. The instruments used were the PSS, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Personal Wellbeing Index-School Children, and the Oviedo Infrequency Scale. The results showed that 4.1% of the sample indicated that they had tried to commit suicide in the previous year. Statistically significant differences were found according to gender but not according to age in the PSS mean scores. The analysis of the internal structure of the PSS showed that the one-dimensional model presented excellent goodness of fit indexes. This model showed measurement invariance across gender. The reliability of the scores, estimated with ordinal alpha, was 0.93. Participants who reported suicide ideation showed poorer mental health status and lower life satisfaction compared to the non-suicide ideation group. Suicidal ideation is present during adolescence and is associated with poor subjective well-being and increased emotional and behavioural problems. PSS seems to show adequate psychometric behaviour to assess suicidal ideation in adolescents. These findings have clear implications, both in health and education systems, to improve the promotion of emotional well-being and prevention of psychological and psychiatric problems in this sector of the population. Copyright © 2017 SEP y SEPB. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  5. Customs control of goods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mentor Gashi

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Customs control, is regulated by law in different countries. Different countries define through the law, the control of goods.. Main purpose of this paper is to analyze two types of customs controls, and their effect in reducing avoidance of duty or tax evasion which may be caused by the import of goods of certain companies. For this reason we researched which model is implemented in developing countries and what results were reached through questionnaires. In this sense the next research question, consists in defining the moment of customs control pre or post-clearance control of goods.

  6. TRANSPORT OF COUNTERFEIT GOODS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dagmar Babčanová

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The paper is focused on a current problem of transport of counterfeit goods in the European Union. Counterfeiting has a strong influence on the distribution organizations worldwide because most of counterfeit goods threaten the health and safety of consumers. Counterfeiting is a serious problem in the world economy today. The purpose of this paper is to point out the danger of counterfeiting in connection with the transport of Intellectual Property (IP rights - infringing goods. Background of the paper’s content is based on secondary data research of publicly available sources - international statistics and world reports.

  7. Sampling methods in archaeomagnetic dating: A comparison using case studies from Wörterberg, Eisenerz and Gams Valley (Austria)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trapanese, A.; Batt, C. M.; Schnepp, E.

    The aim of this research was to review the relative merits of different methods of taking samples for archaeomagnetic dating. To allow different methods to be investigated, two archaeological structures and one modern fireplace were sampled in Austria. On each structure a variety of sampling methods were used: the tube and disc techniques of Clark et al. (Clark, A.J., Tarling, D.H., Noel, M., 1988. Developments in archaeomagnetic dating in Great Britain. Journal of Archaeological Science 15, 645-667), the drill core technique, the mould plastered hand block method of Thellier, and a modification of it. All samples were oriented with a magnetic compass and sun compass, where weather conditions allowed. Approximately 12 discs, tubes, drill cores or plaster hand blocks were collected from each structure, with one mould plaster hand block being collected and cut into specimens. The natural remanent magnetisation (NRM) of the samples was measured and stepwise alternating field (AF) or thermal demagnetisation was applied. Samples were measured either in the UK or in Austria, which allowed the comparison of results between magnetometers with different sensitivity. The tubes and plastered hand block specimens showed good agreement in directional results, and the samples obtained showed good stability. The discs proved to be unreliable as both NRM and the characteristic remanent magnetisation (ChRM) distribution were very scattered. The failure of some methods may be related to the suitability of the material sampled, for example if it was disturbed before sampling, had been insufficiently heated or did not contain appropriate magnetic minerals to retain a remanent magnetisation. Caution is also recommended for laboratory procedures as the cutting of poorly consolidated specimens may disturb the material and therefore the remanent magnetisation. Criteria and guidelines were established to aid researchers in selecting the most appropriate method for a particular

  8. Being a good nurse and doing the right thing: a replication study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catlett, Shelia; Lovan, Sherry R

    2011-01-01

    This qualitative research study, a replication of a study published in 2002, investigated the qualities of a good nurse and the role ethics plays in decision making. After reviewing the limitations of the published work, the current study implemented modifications related to the research questions, sample selection, data collection, and use of software for data analysis. The original study identified seven categories that related to being a good nurse and doing the right thing. In the present study, the use of relational analysis led to the recognition of four categories: (1) personal traits and attributes; (2) technical skills and management of care; (3) work environment and co-workers; and (4) caring and caring behaviors. To understand what it means to be a good nurse and do the right thing is a complex task; however, this research adds to the small amount of empirical data that exists to describe those characteristics.

  9. Rapidly Mixing Gibbs Sampling for a Class of Factor Graphs Using Hierarchy Width.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Sa, Christopher; Zhang, Ce; Olukotun, Kunle; Ré, Christopher

    2015-12-01

    Gibbs sampling on factor graphs is a widely used inference technique, which often produces good empirical results. Theoretical guarantees for its performance are weak: even for tree structured graphs, the mixing time of Gibbs may be exponential in the number of variables. To help understand the behavior of Gibbs sampling, we introduce a new (hyper)graph property, called hierarchy width . We show that under suitable conditions on the weights, bounded hierarchy width ensures polynomial mixing time. Our study of hierarchy width is in part motivated by a class of factor graph templates, hierarchical templates , which have bounded hierarchy width-regardless of the data used to instantiate them. We demonstrate a rich application from natural language processing in which Gibbs sampling provably mixes rapidly and achieves accuracy that exceeds human volunteers.

  10. Sample handling of clinical specimens for ultratrace element analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cornelis, R.

    1987-01-01

    Some simple logistics to an improved sample handling of clinical specimens are presented. This comprises clean room conditions, clean laboratory ware, ultra-pure reagents and good analytical practice. Sample handling procedures for blood, urine, soft tissues and pharmaceuticals are briefly discussed. (author) 26 refs

  11. An overview of GOOD

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Paredaens, J.; Van den Bussche, J.; Andries, M.; Gemis, M.; Gyssens, M.; Thyssens, I.; Van Gucht, D.; Sarathy, V.; Saxton, L.V.

    1992-01-01

    GOOD is an acronym, standing for Graph-Oriented Object Database. GOOD is being developed as a joint research effort of Indiana University and the University of Antwerp. The main thrust behind the project is to indicate general concepts that are fundamental to any graph-oriented database

  12. Coordination of Conditional Poisson Samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grafström Anton

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Sample coordination seeks to maximize or to minimize the overlap of two or more samples. The former is known as positive coordination, and the latter as negative coordination. Positive coordination is mainly used for estimation purposes and to reduce data collection costs. Negative coordination is mainly performed to diminish the response burden of the sampled units. Poisson sampling design with permanent random numbers provides an optimum coordination degree of two or more samples. The size of a Poisson sample is, however, random. Conditional Poisson (CP sampling is a modification of the classical Poisson sampling that produces a fixed-size πps sample. We introduce two methods to coordinate Conditional Poisson samples over time or simultaneously. The first one uses permanent random numbers and the list-sequential implementation of CP sampling. The second method uses a CP sample in the first selection and provides an approximate one in the second selection because the prescribed inclusion probabilities are not respected exactly. The methods are evaluated using the size of the expected sample overlap, and are compared with their competitors using Monte Carlo simulation. The new methods provide a good coordination degree of two samples, close to the performance of Poisson sampling with permanent random numbers.

  13. The Public Goods Hypothesis for the evolution of life on Earth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McInerney, James O; Pisani, Davide; Bapteste, Eric; O'Connell, Mary J

    2011-08-23

    It is becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile the observed extent of horizontal gene transfers with the central metaphor of a great tree uniting all evolving entities on the planet. In this manuscript we describe the Public Goods Hypothesis and show that it is appropriate in order to describe biological evolution on the planet. According to this hypothesis, nucleotide sequences (genes, promoters, exons, etc.) are simply seen as goods, passed from organism to organism through both vertical and horizontal transfer. Public goods sequences are defined by having the properties of being largely non-excludable (no organism can be effectively prevented from accessing these sequences) and non-rival (while such a sequence is being used by one organism it is also available for use by another organism). The universal nature of genetic systems ensures that such non-excludable sequences exist and non-excludability explains why we see a myriad of genes in different combinations in sequenced genomes. There are three features of the public goods hypothesis. Firstly, segments of DNA are seen as public goods, available for all organisms to integrate into their genomes. Secondly, we expect the evolution of mechanisms for DNA sharing and of defense mechanisms against DNA intrusion in genomes. Thirdly, we expect that we do not see a global tree-like pattern. Instead, we expect local tree-like patterns to emerge from the combination of a commonage of genes and vertical inheritance of genomes by cell division. Indeed, while genes are theoretically public goods, in reality, some genes are excludable, particularly, though not only, when they have variant genetic codes or behave as coalition or club goods, available for all organisms of a coalition to integrate into their genomes, and non-rival within the club. We view the Tree of Life hypothesis as a regionalized instance of the Public Goods hypothesis, just like classical mechanics and euclidean geometry are seen as regionalized

  14. The public goods hypothesis for the evolution of life on Earth

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    McInerney, James O

    2011-08-23

    Abstract It is becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile the observed extent of horizontal gene transfers with the central metaphor of a great tree uniting all evolving entities on the planet. In this manuscript we describe the Public Goods Hypothesis and show that it is appropriate in order to describe biological evolution on the planet. According to this hypothesis, nucleotide sequences (genes, promoters, exons, etc.) are simply seen as goods, passed from organism to organism through both vertical and horizontal transfer. Public goods sequences are defined by having the properties of being largely non-excludable (no organism can be effectively prevented from accessing these sequences) and non-rival (while such a sequence is being used by one organism it is also available for use by another organism). The universal nature of genetic systems ensures that such non-excludable sequences exist and non-excludability explains why we see a myriad of genes in different combinations in sequenced genomes. There are three features of the public goods hypothesis. Firstly, segments of DNA are seen as public goods, available for all organisms to integrate into their genomes. Secondly, we expect the evolution of mechanisms for DNA sharing and of defense mechanisms against DNA intrusion in genomes. Thirdly, we expect that we do not see a global tree-like pattern. Instead, we expect local tree-like patterns to emerge from the combination of a commonage of genes and vertical inheritance of genomes by cell division. Indeed, while genes are theoretically public goods, in reality, some genes are excludable, particularly, though not only, when they have variant genetic codes or behave as coalition or club goods, available for all organisms of a coalition to integrate into their genomes, and non-rival within the club. We view the Tree of Life hypothesis as a regionalized instance of the Public Goods hypothesis, just like classical mechanics and euclidean geometry are seen as

  15. Behavioral Patterns in Special Education. Good Teaching Practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Dorta, Manuela; Borges, África

    2017-01-01

    Providing quality education means to respond to the diversity in the classroom. The teacher is a key figure in responding to the various educational needs presented by students. Specifically, special education professionals are of great importance as they are the ones who lend their support to regular classroom teachers and offer specialized educational assistance to students who require it. Therefore, special education is different from what takes place in the regular classroom, demanding greater commitment by the teacher. There are certain behaviors, considered good teaching practices, which teachers have always been connected with to achieve good teaching and good learning. To ensure that these teachers are carrying out their educational work properly it is necessary to evaluate. This means having appropriate instruments. The Observational Protocol for Teaching Functions in Primary School and Special Education (PROFUNDO-EPE, v.3., in Spanish) allows to capture behaviors from these professionals and behavioral patterns that correspond to good teaching practices. This study evaluates the behavior of two special education teachers who work with students from different educational stages and educational needs. It reveals that the analyzed teachers adapt their behavior according the needs and characteristics of their students to the students responding more adequately to the needs presented by the students and showing good teaching practices. The patterns obtained indicate that they offer support, help and clear guidelines to perform the tasks. They motivate them toward learning by providing positive feedback and they check that students have properly assimilated the contents through questions or non-verbal supervision. Also, they provide a safe and reliable climate for learning.

  16. Poisson goodness-of-fit tests for radiation-induced chromosome aberrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Merkle, W.

    1981-01-01

    Asymptotic and exact Poisson goodness-to-fit tests have been reviewed with regard to their applicability in analysing distributional properties of data on chromosome aberrations. It has been demonstrated that for typical cytogenetic samples, i.e. when the average number of aberrations per cell is smaller than one, results of asymptotic tests, especially of the most commonly used u-test, differ greatly from results of corresponding exact tests. While the u-statistic can serve as a qualitative index to indicate a tendency towards under- or over-dispersion, exact tests should be used if the assumption of a Poisson distribution is crucial, e.g. in investigating induction mechanisms. If the main interest is to detect a difference between the mean and the variance of a sample it is furthermore important to realize that a much larger sample size is required to detect underdispersion than it is to detect overdispersion. (author)

  17. Survivors of cardiac arrest with good neurological outcome show considerable impairments of memory functioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sulzgruber, Patrick; Kliegel, Andreas; Wandaller, Cosima; Uray, Thomas; Losert, Heidrun; Laggner, Anton N; Sterz, Fritz; Kliegel, Matthias

    2015-03-01

    Deficits in cognitive function are a well-known dysfunction in survivors of cardiac arrest. However, data concerning memory function in this neurological vulnerable patient collective remain scarce and inconclusive. Therefore, we aimed to assess multiple aspects of retrospective and prospective memory performance in patients after cardiac arrest. We prospectively enrolled 33 survivors of cardiac arrest, with cerebral performance categories (CPC) 1 and 2 and a control-group (n=33) matched in sex, age and educational-level. To assess retrospective and prospective memory performance we administrated 4 weeks after cardiac arrest the "Rey Adult Learning Test" (RAVLT), the "Digit-Span-Backwards Test", the "Logic-Memory Test" and the "Red-Pencil Test". Results indicate an impairment in immediate and delayed free recall, but not in recognition. However, the overall impairment in immediate recall was qualified by analyzing RAVLT performance, showing that patients were only impaired in trials 4 and 5 of the learning sequence. Moreover, working and prospective memory as well as prose recall were worse in cardiac arrest survivors. Cranial computed tomography was available in 61% of all patients (n=20) but there was no specific neurological damage detectable that could be linked to this cognitive impairment. Episodic long-term memory functioning appears to be particularly impaired after cardiac arrest. In contrast, short-term memory storage, even tested via free-call, seems not to be affected. Based on cranial computed tomography we suggest that global brain ischemia rather than focal brain lesions appear to underlie these effects. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMPOSITION AND TOXICITY OF ENGINE EMISSION SAMPLES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    (1)Mauderly, J; Seagrave, J; McDonald; J (2)Eide,I (3)Zielinska, B (4)Lawson, D

    2003-08-24

    Differences in the lung toxicity and bacterial mutagenicity of seven samples from gasoline and diesel vehicle emissions were reported previously [1]. Filter and vapor-phase semivolatile organic samples were collected from normal and high-emitter gasoline and diesel vehicles operated on chassis dynamometers on the Unified Driving Cycle, and the compositions of the samples were measured in detail. The two fractions of each sample were combined in their original mass collection ratios, and the toxicity of the seven samples was compared by measuring inflammation and tissue damage in rat lungs and mutagenicity in bacteria. There was good agreement among the toxicity response variables in ranking the samples and demonstrating a five-fold range of toxicity. The relationship between chemical composition and toxicity was analyzed by a combination of principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares regression (PLS, also known as projection to latent surfaces). The PCA /PLS analysis revealed the chemical constituents co-varying most strongly with toxicity and produced models predicting the relative toxicity of the samples with good accuracy. The results demonstrated the utility of the PCA/PLS approach, which is now being applied to additional samples, and it also provided a starting point for confirming the compounds that actually cause the effects.

  19. Sensitivity of goodness-of-fit statistics to rainfall data rounding off

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deidda, Roberto; Puliga, Michelangelo

    An analysis based on the L-moments theory suggests of adopting the generalized Pareto distribution to interpret daily rainfall depths recorded by the rain-gauge network of the Hydrological Survey of the Sardinia Region. Nevertheless, a big problem, not yet completely resolved, arises in the estimation of a left-censoring threshold able to assure a good fitting of rainfall data with the generalized Pareto distribution. In order to detect an optimal threshold, keeping the largest possible number of data, we chose to apply a “failure-to-reject” method based on goodness-of-fit tests, as it was proposed by Choulakian and Stephens [Choulakian, V., Stephens, M.A., 2001. Goodness-of-fit tests for the generalized Pareto distribution. Technometrics 43, 478-484]. Unfortunately, the application of the test, using percentage points provided by Choulakian and Stephens (2001), did not succeed in detecting a useful threshold value in most analyzed time series. A deeper analysis revealed that these failures are mainly due to the presence of large quantities of rounding off values among sample data, affecting the distribution of goodness-of-fit statistics and leading to significant departures from percentage points expected for continuous random variables. A procedure based on Monte Carlo simulations is thus proposed to overcome these problems.

  20. THE zCOSMOS 10k-BRIGHT SPECTROSCOPIC SAMPLE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lilly, Simon J.; Maier, Christian; Carollo, Marcella; Caputi, Karina; Le Brun, Vincent; Kneib, Jean-Paul; Le Fevre, Olivier; De la Torre, Sylvain; De Ravel, Loic; Mainieri, Vincenzo; Mignoli, Marco; Zamorani, Gianni; Bardelli, Sandro; Bolzonella, Micol; Coppa, Graziano; Scodeggio, Marco; Contini, Thierry; Renzini, Alvio; Bongiorno, Angela; Cucciati, Olga

    2009-01-01

    We present spectroscopic redshifts of a large sample of galaxies with I AB -1 , independent of redshift. The reliability of individual redshifts is described by a Confidence Class that has been empirically calibrated through repeat spectroscopic observations of over 600 galaxies. There is very good agreement between spectroscopic and photometric redshifts for the most secure Confidence Classes. For the less secure Confidence Classes, there is a good correspondence between the fraction of objects with a consistent photometric redshift and the spectroscopic repeatability, suggesting that the photometric redshifts can be used to indicate which of the less secure spectroscopic redshifts are likely right and which are probably wrong, and to give an indication of the nature of objects for which we failed to determine a redshift. Using this approach, we can construct a spectroscopic sample that is 99% reliable and which is 88% complete in the sample as a whole, and 95% complete in the redshift range 0.5 < z < 0.8. The luminosity and mass completeness levels of the zCOSMOS-bright sample of galaxies is also discussed.

  1. Sample preparation of environmental samples using benzene synthesis followed by high-performance LSC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Filippis, S. De; Noakes, J.E.

    1991-01-01

    Liquid scintillation counting (LSC) techniques have been widely employed as the detection method for determining environmental levels of tritium and 14 C. Since anthropogenic and nonanthropogenic inputs to the environment are a concern, sampling the environment surrounding a nuclear power facility or fuel reprocessing operation requires the collection of many different sample types, including agriculture products, water, biota, aquatic life, soil, and vegetation. These sample types are not suitable for the direct detection of tritium of 14 C for liquid scintillation techniques. Each sample type must be initially prepared in order to obtain the carbon or hydrogen component of interest and present this in a chemical form that is compatible with common chemicals used in scintillation counting applications. Converting the sample of interest to chemically pure benzene as a sample preparation technique has been widely accepted for processing samples for radiocarbon age-dating applications. The synthesized benzene is composed of the carbon or hydrogen atoms from the original sample and is ideal as a solvent for LSC with excellent photo-optical properties. Benzene synthesis followed by low-background scintillation counting can be applied to the preparation and measurement of environmental samples yielding good detection sensitivities, high radionuclide counting efficiency, and shorter preparation time. The method of benzene synthesis provides a unique approach to the preparation of a wide variety of environmental sample types using similar chemistry for all samples

  2. Radiocarbon dating of interlaboratory check samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blake, W.

    1983-01-01

    This note presents the results of a series of interlaboratory age determinations in which the Geological Survey of Canada's Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory has been involved. There is good agreement between laboratories, although there may be other problems related to the interpretation of individual samples

  3. Transportation of hazardous goods

    CERN Multimedia

    TS Department

    2008-01-01

    A general reminder: any transportation of hazardous goods by road is subject to the European ADR rules. The goods concerned are essentially the following: Explosive substances and objects; Gases (including aerosols and non-flammable gases such as helium and nitrogen); Flammable substances and liquids (inks, paints, resins, petroleum products, alcohols, acetone, thinners); Toxic substances (acids, thinners); Radioactive substances; Corrosive substances (paints, acids, caustic products, disinfectants, electrical batteries). Any requests for the transport of hazardous goods must be executed in compliance with the instructions given at this URL: http://ts-dep.web.cern.ch/ts-dep/groups/he/HH/adr.pdf Heavy Handling Section TS-HE-HH 73793 - 160364

  4. Incremental Design of Perishable Goods Markets through Multi-Agent Simulations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kazuo Miyashita

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available In current markets of perishable goods such as fish and vegetables, sellers are typically in a weak bargaining position, since perishable products cannot be stored for long without losing their value. To avoid the risk of spoiling products, sellers have few alternatives other than selling their goods at the prices offered by buyers in the markets. The market mechanism needs to be reformed in order to resolve unfairness between sellers and buyers. Double auction markets, which collect bids from both sides of the trades and match them, allow sellers to participate proactively in the price-making process. However, in perishable goods markets, sellers have an incentive to discount their bid gradually for fear of spoiling unsold goods. Buyers can take advantage of sellers’ discounted bids to increase their profit by strategic bidding. To solve the problem, we incrementally improve an online double auction mechanism for perishable goods markets, which promotes buyers’ truthful bidding by penalizing their failed bids without harming their individual rationality. We evaluate traders’ behavior under several market conditions using multi-agent simulations and show that the developed mechanism achieves fair resource allocation among traders.

  5. A novel type of electrochemical sensor based on ferromagnetic carbon-encapsulated iron nanoparticles for direct determination of hemoglobin in blood samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matysiak, Edyta; Donten, Mikolaj; Kowalczyk, Agata; Bystrzejewski, Michal; Grudzinski, Ireneusz P; Nowicka, Anna M

    2015-02-15

    An effective, fast, facile and direct electrochemical method of determination of hemoglobin (Hb) in blood sample without any sample preparation is described. The method is accomplished by using the ferromagnetic electrode modifier (carbon-encapsulated iron nanoparticles) and an external magnetic field. The successful voltammetric determination of hemoglobin is achieved in PBS buffer as well as in the whole blood sample. The obtained results show the excellent electroactivity of Hb. The measurements are of high sensitivity and good reproducibility. The detection limit is estimated to be 0.7 pM. The electrochemical determination data were compared with the gravimetric data obtained with a quartz crystal microbalance. The agreement between these results is very good. The changes of the electrode surface morphology before and after Hb detection are monitored by electron microscopy. The functionality of the electrochemical sensor is tested with human and rat blood samples. The concentration of hemoglobin in the blood samples determined by using voltammetric/gravimetric detection is in perfect agreement with the data obtained from typical clinical analysis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Predicting sample size required for classification performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Figueroa Rosa L

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Supervised learning methods need annotated data in order to generate efficient models. Annotated data, however, is a relatively scarce resource and can be expensive to obtain. For both passive and active learning methods, there is a need to estimate the size of the annotated sample required to reach a performance target. Methods We designed and implemented a method that fits an inverse power law model to points of a given learning curve created using a small annotated training set. Fitting is carried out using nonlinear weighted least squares optimization. The fitted model is then used to predict the classifier's performance and confidence interval for larger sample sizes. For evaluation, the nonlinear weighted curve fitting method was applied to a set of learning curves generated using clinical text and waveform classification tasks with active and passive sampling methods, and predictions were validated using standard goodness of fit measures. As control we used an un-weighted fitting method. Results A total of 568 models were fitted and the model predictions were compared with the observed performances. Depending on the data set and sampling method, it took between 80 to 560 annotated samples to achieve mean average and root mean squared error below 0.01. Results also show that our weighted fitting method outperformed the baseline un-weighted method (p Conclusions This paper describes a simple and effective sample size prediction algorithm that conducts weighted fitting of learning curves. The algorithm outperformed an un-weighted algorithm described in previous literature. It can help researchers determine annotation sample size for supervised machine learning.

  7. Oak ridge national laboratory automated clean chemistry for bulk analysis of environmental swipe samples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bostick, Debra A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Hexel, Cole R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Ticknor, Brian W. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Tevepaugh, Kayron N. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Metzger, Shalina C. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2016-11-01

    To shorten the lengthy and costly manual chemical purification procedures, sample preparation methods for mass spectrometry are being automated using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment. This addresses a serious need in the nuclear safeguards community to debottleneck the separation of U and Pu in environmental samples—currently performed by overburdened chemists—with a method that allows unattended, overnight operation. In collaboration with Elemental Scientific Inc., the prepFAST-MC2 was designed based on current COTS equipment that was modified for U/Pu separations utilizing Eichrom™ TEVA and UTEVA resins. Initial verification of individual columns yielded small elution volumes with consistent elution profiles and good recovery. Combined column calibration demonstrated ample separation without crosscontamination of the eluent. Automated packing and unpacking of the built-in columns initially showed >15% deviation in resin loading by weight, which can lead to inconsistent separations. Optimization of the packing and unpacking methods led to a reduction in the variability of the packed resin to less than 5% daily. The reproducibility of the automated system was tested with samples containing 30 ng U and 15 pg Pu, which were separated in a series with alternating reagent blanks. These experiments showed very good washout of both the resin and the sample from the columns as evidenced by low blank values. Analysis of the major and minor isotope ratios for U and Pu provided values well within data quality limits for the International Atomic Energy Agency. Additionally, system process blanks spiked with 233U and 244Pu tracers were separated using the automated system after it was moved outside of a clean room and yielded levels equivalent to clean room blanks, confirming that the system can produce high quality results without the need for expensive clean room infrastructure. Comparison of the amount of personnel time necessary for successful manual vs

  8. The global public good concept: a means of promoting good veterinary governance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eloit, M

    2012-08-01

    At the outset, the concept of a 'public good' was associated with economic policies. However, it has now evolved not only from a national to a global concept (global public good), but also from a concept applying solely to the production of goods to one encompassing societal issues (education, environment, etc.) and fundamental rights, including the right to health and food. Through their actions, Veterinary Services, as defined by the Terrestrial Animal Health Code (Terrestrial Code) of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), help to improve animal health and reduce production losses. In this way they contribute directly and indirectly to food security and to safeguarding human health and economic resources. The organisation and operating procedures of Veterinary Services are therefore key to the efficient governance required to achieve these objectives. The OIE is a major player in global cooperation and governance in the fields of animal and public health through the implementation of its strategic standardisation mission and other programmes for the benefit of Veterinary Services and OIE Member Countries. Thus, the actions of Veterinary Services and the OIE deserve to be recognised as a global public good, backed by public investment to ensure that all Veterinary Services are in a position to apply the principles of good governance and to comply with the international standards for the quality of Veterinary Services set out in the OIE Terrestrial Code (Section 3 on Quality of Veterinary Services) and Aquatic Animal Health Code (Section 3 on Quality of Aquatic Animal Health Services).

  9. Normalisation of spot urine samples to 24-h collection for assessment of exposure to uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marco, R.; Katorza, E.; Gonen, R.; German, U.; Tshuva, A.; Pelled, O.; Paz-tal, O.; Adout, A.; Karpas, Z.

    2008-01-01

    For dose assessment of workers at Nuclear Research Center Negev exposed to natural uranium, spot urine samples are analysed and the results are normalised to 24-h urine excretion based on 'standard' man urine volume of 1.6 l d -1 . In the present work, the urine volume, uranium level and creatinine concentration were determined in two or three 24-h urine collections from 133 male workers (319 samples) and 33 female workers (88 samples). Three volunteers provided urine spot samples from each voiding during a 24-h period and a good correlation was found between the relative level of creatinine and uranium in spot samples collected from the same individual. The results show that normalisation of uranium concentration to creatinine in a spot sample represents the 24-h content of uranium better than normalisation to the standard volume and may be used to reduce the uncertainty of dose assessment based on spot samples. (authors)

  10. Efficacy, Beliefs, and Investment in Step-Level Public Goods

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dijkstra, Jacob; Mulders, Jaap Oude

    2014-01-01

    A central concept for understanding social dilemma behavior is the efficacy of an actor's cooperative behavior in terms of increasing group well-being. We report a decision and game theoretical analysis of efficacy in step-level public goods (SPGs). Previous research shows a positive relation

  11. Levels of tritium concentration in the environmental samples around JAERI TOKAI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuura, K.; Sasa, Y.; Nakamura, C.; Katagiri, H.

    1995-01-01

    By the operation of research reactors, tritium-handling facilities, nuclear power plants, and a reprocessing facility around JAERI TOKAI, tritium is released into the environment in compliance with the regulatory standards. To investigate the levels of tritium concentration in environmental samples around JAERI, rain, air (vapor and hydrogen gas), and tissue-free water of pine needles were measured and analyzed from 1984 to 1993. Sampling locations were determined by taking into consideration wind direction, distance from nuclear facilities, and population distribution. The NAKA site (about 6 km west-northwest from the Tokai site) was also selected as a reference point. Rain and tissue-free water of pine needles were sampled monthly. For air samples, sampling was carried out for two weeks by using the continuous tritium sampler. After the pretreatment of samples, tritium concentrations were measured by a low background liquid scintillation counter (detection limit 0.8 Bq/l). Annual mean tritium concentrations in rain observed at six points for 10 years was 0.8 to 8.9 Bq/l, which decreased with distance from the nuclear facilities. Tritium concentrations in rain obtained at Chiba City were around 0.8 Bq/l (1987-1988) and those at the NAKA site were 0.8 to 3.8 Bq/l. Annual mean HTO concentrations in air at three points for 10 years were 9.2 x 10 -2 to 1.1 Bq/m 3 , although HT concentrations in air, ranging from 1.7 x 10 -2 to 5.8 x 10 -2 Bq/m 3 , were not influenced by the operation of the nuclear facilities. Annual mean tritium concentrations in tissue-free water of pine needles at four points for 10 years were 1.4 to 31 Bq/l. Those at the NAKA site ranging from 1.4 to 6.2 Bq/l were in good agreement with the reported value by Takashima of 0.78 to 3.0 Bq/l at twenty-one locations in Japan. Monthly mean HTO concentrations in air for 10 years showed a good correlation with absolute humidity, while other samples showed no seasonal variation. Higher level tritium

  12. Monitoring Dangerous Goods in Container Yard Using the Internet of Things

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lianhong Ding

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The Internet of Things (IoT, a network of objects, has been regarded as the next revolution for the global information industry after the Internet. With IoT, many intelligent applications can be accomplished or improved. This paper presents a framework for dangerous goods management in container yard using IoT technology. The framework consists of three layers: perceptual layer, transport layer, and application layer. It offers an infrastructure for management and data analysis and utilization. According to the features of dangerous goods, the framework can be enhanced for container information forecast, container gate-in and gate-out management, environment parameters monitoring, and fire control as well. In order to verify our method, a prototype system is developed, which shows good performance. With our method, safe operation of dangerous goods in container yard can be accomplished.

  13. Paradoxes around good governance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A.G. Dijkstra (Geske)

    2013-01-01

    textabstract Good governance is not a new concept Ambrogio Lorenzetti made his frescoes on good and bad governance already in the years 1338-1340 They can be viewed in the Palazzo Publicco on one of the most beautiful squares of the world, the Piazza del Campo in Siena, Italy I assume many of you

  14. "Act in Good Faith."

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKay, Robert B.

    1979-01-01

    It is argued that the Supreme Court's Bakke decision overturning the University of California's minority admissions program is good for those who favor affirmative action programs in higher education. The Supreme Court gives wide latitude for devising programs that take race and ethnic background into account if colleges are acting in good faith.…

  15. 42 CFR 93.210 - Good faith.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Good faith. 93.210 Section 93.210 Public Health... MISCONDUCT Definitions § 93.210 Good faith. Good faith as applied to a complainant or witness, means having a... allegation or cooperation with a research misconduct proceeding is not in good faith if made with knowing or...

  16. Efficacy, Beliefs, and Investment in Step-Level Public Goods

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dijkstra, J.; Oude Mulders, J.

    2014-01-01

    behavior in terms of increasing group well-being. We report a decision and game theoretical analysis of efficacy in step-level public goods (SPGs). Previous research shows a positive relation between efficacy and contributions to SPGs and explains this relation by a purely motivational account. We

  17. Comparison of good- and bad-quality cork: application of high-throughput sequencing of phellogenic tissue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teixeira, Rita Teresa; Fortes, Ana Margarida; Pinheiro, Carla; Pereira, Helena

    2014-09-01

    Cork is one of the most valuable non-wood forest products and plays an important role in Mediterranean economies. The production of high-quality cork is dependent on both genome and environment, posing constraints on the industry because an ever-growing amount of bad-quality cork (BQC) development has been observed. In order to identify genes responsible for production of cork of superior quality we performed a comparative analysis using the 454 pyrosequencing approach on phellogenic tissue of good- and bad-quality samples. The transcriptional profiling showed a high number of genes differentially expressed (8.48%) from which 78.8% displayed annotation. Genes more highly represented in BQC are involved in DNA synthesis, RNA processing, proteolysis, and transcription factors related to the abiotic stress response. Putative stomatal/lenticular-associated genes which may be responsible for the disadvantageous higher number of lenticular channels in BQC are also more highly represented. BQC also showed an elevated content of free phenolics. On the other hand, good-quality cork (GQC) can be distinguished by highly expressed genes encoding heat-shock proteins. Together the results provide valuable new information about the molecular events leading to cork formation and provide putative biomarkers associated with cork quality that can be useful in breeding programmes. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. 18 CFR 2.20 - Good faith requests for transmission services and good faith responses by transmitting utilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Good faith requests for transmission services and good faith responses by transmitting utilities. 2.20 Section 2.20 Conservation of... Power Act § 2.20 Good faith requests for transmission services and good faith responses by transmitting...

  19. Solubility testing of actinides on breathing-zone and area air samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Metzger, R.L.; Jessop, B.H.; McDowell, B.L.

    1996-02-01

    A solubility testing method for several common actinides has been developed with sufficient sensitivity to allow profiles to be determined from routine breathing zone and area air samples in the workplace. Air samples are covered with a clean filter to form a filter-sample-filter sandwich which is immersed in an extracellular lung serum simulant solution. The sample is moved to a fresh beaker of the lung fluid simulant each day for one week, and then weekly until the end of the 28 day test period. The soak solutions are wet ashed with nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide to destroy the organic components of the lung simulant solution prior to extraction of the nuclides of interest directly into an extractive scintillator for subsequent counting on a Photon-Electron Rejecting Alpha Liquid Scintillation (PERALS reg-sign) spectrometer. Solvent extraction methods utilizing the extractive scintillators have been developed for the isotopes of uranium, plutonium, and curium. The procedures normally produce an isotopic recovery greater than 95% and have been used to develop solubility profiles from air samples with 40 pCi or less of U 3 O 8 . Profiles developed for U 3 O 8 samples show good agreement with in vitro and in vivo tests performed by other investigators on samples from the same uranium mills

  20. Conceptions of Good Teaching by Good Teachers: Case Studies from an Australian University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duarte, Fernanda P.

    2013-01-01

    This paper contributes to the debate on what constitutes good teaching in early 21st Century higher education, through an examination of the experience of five outstanding lecturers from a business school in an Australian university. It is based on a qualitative study that explored their perceptions on what constitutes "good teaching".…

  1. Asymmetric News Effects on Volatility: Good vs. Bad News in Good vs. Bad Times

    OpenAIRE

    Laakkonen, Helinä; Lanne, Markku

    2008-01-01

    We study the impact of positive and negative macroeconomic US and European news announcements in different phases of the business cycle on the highfrequency volatility of the EUR/USD exchange rate. The results suggest that in general bad news increases volatility more than good news. The news effects also depend on the state of the economy: bad news increases volatility more in good times than in bad times, while there is no difference between the volatility effects of good news in bad and go...

  2. Emergency Physicians as Good Samaritans: Survey of Frequency, Locations, Supplies and Medications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taylor W. Burkholder, MD, MPH

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Little is known about the frequency and locations in which emergency physicians (EPs are bystanders to an accident or emergency; equally uncertain is which contents of an “emergency kit” may be useful during such events. The aim of this study was to describe the frequency and locations of Good Samaritan acts by EPs and also determine which emergency kit supplies and medications were most commonly used by Good Samaritans. Methods: We conducted an electronic survey among a convenience sample of EPs in Colorado. Results: Respondents reported a median frequency of 2.0 Good Samaritan acts per five years of practice, with the most common locations being sports and entertainment events (25%, road traffic accidents (21%, and wilderness settings (19%. Of those who had acted as Good Samaritans, 86% reported that at least one supply would have been useful during the most recent event, and 66% reported at least one medication would have been useful. The most useful supplies were gloves (54%, dressings (34%, and a stethoscope (20%, while the most useful medications were oxygen (19%, intravenous fluids (17%, and epinephrine (14%. Conclusion: The majority of EPs can expect to provide Good Samaritan care during their careers and would be better prepared by carrying a kit with common supplies and medications where they are most likely to use them.

  3. Reading comprehension and expressive writing: a comparison between good and poor comprehenders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carretti, Barbara; Re, Anna Maria; Arfè, Barbara

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated expressive writing in 8- to 10-year-old children with different levels of reading comprehension. Poor and good comprehenders were presented with three expressive writing tasks where the modality (pictorial vs. verbal) and the text genre (narrative vs. descriptive) varied. Results showed that poor comprehenders' performance was minimally influenced by the modality of the prompt. In fact, their performance was generally worse than that of good comprehenders and affected by the text genre, as the quality of their narratives was generally lower than that of good comprehenders. However, in the descriptive text condition, their performance was comparable to that of good comprehenders. One can conclude that their problems depend on the characteristics of the narrative text where coherence and causality are important elements.

  4. Synthesis and application of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers in sample preparation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Shuyao; Xu, Jianqiao; Zheng, Jiating; Zhu, Fang; Xie, Lijun; Ouyang, Gangfeng

    2018-04-12

    Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) have superior advantages in sample pretreatment because of their high selectivity for target analytes and the fast and easy isolation from samples. To meet the demand of both good magnetic property and good extraction performance, MMIPs with various structures, from traditional core-shell structures to novel composite structures with a larger specific surface area and more accessible binding sites, are fabricated by different preparation technologies. Moreover, as the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) layers determine the affinity, selectivity, and saturated adsorption amount of MMIPs, the development and innovation of the MIP layer are attracting attention and are reviewed here. Many studies that used MMIPs as sorbents in dispersive solid-phase extraction of complex samples, including environmental, food, and biofluid samples, are summarized. Graphical abstract The application of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in the sample preparation procedure improves the analytical performances for complex samples. MITs molecular imprinting technologies.

  5. Comparison of Directionally Solidified Samples Solidified Terrestrially and Aboard the International Space Station

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angart, S.; Lauer, M.; Tewari, S. N.; Grugel, R. N.; Poirier, D. R.

    2014-01-01

    This article reports research that has been carried out under the aegis of NASA as part of a collaboration between ESA and NASA for solidification experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). The focus has been on the effect of convection on the microstructural evolution and macrosegregation in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys during directional solidification (DS). Terrestrial DS-experiments have been carried out at Cleveland State University (CSU) and under microgravity on the International Space Station (ISS). The thermal processing-history of the experiments is well defined for both the terrestrially processed samples and the ISS-processed samples. As of this writing, two dendritic metrics was measured: primary dendrite arm spacings and primary dendrite trunk diameters. We have observed that these dendrite-metrics of two samples grown in the microgravity environment show good agreements with models based on diffusion controlled growth and diffusion controlled ripening, respectively. The gravity-driven convection (i.e., thermosolutal convection) in terrestrially grown samples has the effect of decreasing the primary dendrite arm spacings and causes macrosegregation. Dendrite trunk diameters also show differences between the earth- and space-grown samples. In order to process DS-samples aboard the ISS, the dendritic seed crystals were partially remelted in a stationary thermal gradient before the DS was carried out. Microstructural changes and macrosegregation effects during this period are described and have modeled.

  6. How to solve the tragedy of the commons? Social entrepreneurs and global public goods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ueda, Yoshifumi; Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard

    2002-01-01

    and efficacy of financing a global public good on a local scale is analyzed in a "selective incentive-cum-global public good" model. Because local networks can play a significant role in preserving the global commons, this finding has important policy implications for global public good provisions......We show that when a star type network is formed by an entrepreneur, a non-profit organization run by a social entrepreneur is more reconcilable with the social objective of providing the global public good than a profit organization run by a business entrepreneur. This network formation...

  7. Successful Sampling Strategy Advances Laboratory Studies of NMR Logging in Unconsolidated Aquifers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behroozmand, Ahmad A.; Knight, Rosemary; Müller-Petke, Mike; Auken, Esben; Barfod, Adrian A. S.; Ferré, Ty P. A.; Vilhelmsen, Troels N.; Johnson, Carole D.; Christiansen, Anders V.

    2017-11-01

    The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique has become popular in groundwater studies because it responds directly to the presence and mobility of water in a porous medium. There is a need to conduct laboratory experiments to aid in the development of NMR hydraulic conductivity models, as is typically done in the petroleum industry. However, the challenge has been obtaining high-quality laboratory samples from unconsolidated aquifers. At a study site in Denmark, we employed sonic drilling, which minimizes the disturbance of the surrounding material, and extracted twelve 7.6 cm diameter samples for laboratory measurements. We present a detailed comparison of the acquired laboratory and logging NMR data. The agreement observed between the laboratory and logging data suggests that the methodologies proposed in this study provide good conditions for studying NMR measurements of unconsolidated near-surface aquifers. Finally, we show how laboratory sample size and condition impact the NMR measurements.

  8. Phosphatase activity in Antarctica soil samples as a biosignature of extant life

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Shuji; Itoh, Yuki; Takano, Yoshinori; Fukui, Manabu; Kaneko, Takeo; Kobayashi, Kensei

    Tris-HCl buffer (pH 9.0), where the activity was measured fluorometrically with 4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate (pH 8.0) as a substance. The soil of Site 8 (near a penguin rookery) showed almost the same level of ACP and ALP activities as usual surface soil sampled in YNU campus, while the soil of Sites 1-7 showed much less activities. ALP in the extract from the soil of Site 8 was characterized. It showed the maximal at 338 K, while ALP from the campus soil showed the maximal at 358 K. Gel filtration chromatography showed that the ALP activity was found only in the fraction whose molecular weights were over 60000. The ALP activity was diminished with EDTA and was recovered with addition of zinc ion. The present results showed that zinc-containing metalloenzymes, which had lower optimum temperature than those in usual environments, are present in Antarctica soil. It was suggested that phosphatases are good bio-signatures for extant life in extreme environments.

  9. Application of robust NiTi-ZrO2-PEG SPME fiber in the determination of haloanisoles in cork stopper samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Budziak, Dilma; Martendal, Edmar; Carasek, Eduardo

    2008-01-01

    In this study, a novel solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber obtained using sol-gel technology was applied in the determination of off-flavor compounds (2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA) and pentachloroanisole (PCA)) present in cork stopper samples. A NiTi alloy previously electrodeposited with zirconium oxide was used as the substrate for a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) coating. Scanning electronic microscopy showed good uniformity of the coating and allowed the coating thickness to be estimated as around 17 μm. The optimization of the main parameters influencing the extraction efficiency, such as cork sample mass, sodium chloride mass, extraction temperature and extraction time were optimized using a full factorial design, followed by a Doehlert design. The optimum conditions were: 20 min of extraction at 70 deg. C using 60 mg of the cork sample and 10 mL of water saturated with sodium chloride in a 20 mL amber vial with constant magnetic stirring. Satisfactory detection limits between 2.5 and 5.1 ng g -1 were obtained, as well as good precision (R.S.D. in the range of 5.8-12.0%). Recovery tests were performed on three different cork samples, and values between 83 and 119% were obtained. The proposed SPME fiber was compared with commercially available fibers and good results were achieved, demonstrating its applicability

  10. MARKET RESEARCH OF CARE GOODS FOR NEWBORNS AND FIRST YEAR CHILDREN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. I. Ovod

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Comparative results of marketing research of care goods for newborns and first year children conducted in 2009 and 2014 showed that there were changes in the range of products and consumer preferences. The analysis revealed that the economic situation affected the determinants of choice in this category of goods and the location of purchasing. The findings should be considered by pharmaceutical companies in their procurement in order to improve their competitive position. 

  11. Goodness of Fit Test and Test of Independence by Entropy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Sharifdoost

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available To test whether a set of data has a specific distribution or not, we can use the goodness of fit test. This test can be done by one of Pearson X 2 -statistic or the likelihood ratio statistic G 2 , which are asymptotically equal, and also by using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic in continuous distributions. In this paper, we introduce a new test statistic for goodness of fit test which is based on entropy distance, and which can be applied for large sample sizes. We compare this new statistic with the classical test statistics X 2 , G 2 , and Tn by some simulation studies. We conclude that the new statistic is more sensitive than the usual statistics to the rejection of distributions which are almost closed to the desired distribution. Also for testing independence, a new test statistic based on mutual information is introduced

  12. Impacts of Good Practices on Cognitive Development, Learning Orientations, and Graduate Degree Plans during the First Year of College

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruce, Ty M.; Wolniak, Gregory C.; Seifert, Tricia A.; Pascarella, Ernest T.

    2006-01-01

    This study estimated separately the unique effects of three dimensions of good practice and the global effects of a composite measure of good practices on the cognitive development, orientations to learning, and educational aspirations of students during their first year of college. Analyses of longitudinal data from a representative sample of…

  13. Effect of sample preparation method on quantification of polymorphs using PXRD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alam, Shahnwaz; Patel, Sarsvatkumar; Bansal, Arvind Kumar

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of quantitative analysis of polymorphic mixtures. Various techniques such as hand grinding and mixing (in mortar and pestle), air jet milling and ball milling for micronization of particle and mixing were used to prepare binary mixtures. Using these techniques, mixtures of form I and form II of clopidogrel bisulphate were prepared in various proportions from 0-5% w/w of form I in form II and subjected to x-ray powder diffraction analysis. In order to obtain good resolution in minimum time, step time and step size were varied to optimize scan rate. Among the six combinations, step size of 0.05 degrees with step time of 5 s demonstrated identification of maximum characteristic peaks of form I in form II. Data obtained from samples prepared using both grinding and mixing in ball mill showed good analytical sensitivity and accuracy compared to other methods. Powder x-ray diffraction method was reproducible, precise with LOD of 0.29% and LOQ of 0.91%. Validation results showed excellent correlation between actual and predicted concentration with R2 > 0.9999.

  14. Analysis of femtogram-sized plutonium samples by thermal ionization mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, D.H.; Duckworth, D.C.; Bostick, D.T.; Coleman, R.M.; McPherson, R.L.; McKown, H.S.

    1994-01-01

    The goal of this investigation was to extend the ability to perform isotopic analysis of plutonium to samples as small as possible. Plutonium ionizes thermally with quite good efficiency (first ionization potential 5.7 eV). Sub-nanogram sized samples can be analyzed on a near-routine basis given the necessary instrumentation. Efforts in this laboratory have been directed at rhenium-carbon systems; solutions of carbon in rhenium provide surfaces with work functions higher than pure rhenium (5.8 vs. ∼ 5.4 eV). Using a single resin bead as a sample loading medium both concentrates the sample nearly to a point and, due to its interaction with rhenium, produces the desired composite surface. Earlier work in this area showed that a layer of rhenium powder slurried in solution containing carbon substantially enhanced precision of isotopic measurements for uranium. Isotopic fractionation was virtually eliminated, and ionization efficiencies 2-5 times better than previously measured were attained for both Pu and U (1.7 and 0.5%, respectively). The other side of this coin should be the ability to analyze smaller samples, which is the subject of this report

  15. Attitudes of Turskish Consumers toward Advertising through Sport among the Question how often Consumers purchase Sporting Goods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gorica Zoric

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Unlike other advertising mediums such as TV commercials or online advertising, people involuntarily receive sport advertisements; they prefer to watch the game for the sporting action than the regular advertisements. However, it is important to analyse their general attitudes among various questions, mostly due to the reason it varies from demographic group to demographic group. Hence, this research was aimed at gaining relevant knowledge about the attitudes of Serbian consumers toward advertising through sport among the question how often consumers purchase sporting goods. The sample included 173 respondents, divided into six subsample groups: consumers who do not purchase sport goods at all, then consumers who purchase sport goods less than ones a month, next 1–3 a month, 4–6 a month, 7–9 a month, as well as consumers who purchase sport goods more than 10 times a month. The sample of variables contained the system of three general attitudes which were modelled by seven-point Likert scale. The results of the measuring were analysed by multivariate analysis (MANOVA and univariate analysis (ANOVA and Post Hoc test. Based on the results it was concluded that significant differences occur at multivariate level, as well as between one of three variables at univariate level (p=.05. It is interesting to highlight that most of potential consumers (n=146 have recognized themselves in two categories: as consumers who purchase sport goods less than ones a month and one to three times a months, while there were no differences among the groups. If we take a look into previous investigations, it is interesting there are some opposite results, and the recommendations for further research are directed to spread out the sample a little bit more, mostly due to the reason the consumers who had a more negative attitudes were in the group that didn’t purchase the sport goods at all.

  16. ATTITUDES OF SERBIAN CONSUMERS TOWARD ADVERTISING THROUGH SPORT WITH REGARD TO THE FREQUENCY OF PURCHASING SPORTING GOODS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stevo Popović

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Unlike other advertising mediums such as TV commercials or online advertising, people involuntarily receive sport advertisements; they prefer to watch the game for the sporting action than the regular advertisements (Pyun, 2006; Pyun & James, 2009. However, it is important to analyse their general attitudes among various questions, mostly due to the reason it varies from demographic group to demographic group (Popović et al., 2011. Hence, this research was aimed at gaining relevant knowledge about the attitudes of Serbian consumers toward advertising through sport among the question how often consumers purchase sporting goods. Methods: The sample included 127 respondents, divided into six subsample groups: onsumers who do not purchase sport goods at all, then consumers who purchase sport goods less than ones a month, next 1–3 a month, 4–6 a month, 7–9 a month, as well as consumers who purchase sport goods more than 10 times a months. The sample of variables contained the system of three general attitudes which were modeled by seven-point Likert scale. The results of the measuring were analyzed by multivariate analysis (MANOVA and univariate analysis (ANOVA and Post Hoc test. Results: Based on the results it was concluded that significant differences occur at multivariate level, as well as between two of three variables at univariate level (p=.05. It is interesting to highlight that most of potential consumers (n=99 have recognized themselves in two categories: as consumers who purchase sport goods less than ones a months and one to three times a months, while there were no diffrences among the groups. Discussion: If we take a look into previous investigations, it is interesting there are some opposite results (Popović, 2011, and the recommnedations for further research are directed to spead out the sample a little bit more, mostly due to the reason the consumers who had a more negative attitudes were in the group that didn’t purchase

  17. Bank Risk Profile, Good Corporate Governance And Company Values in Banking Companies Go Public in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susi Retna Cahyaningtyas

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The latest Bank Indonesia Regulation No.14/18/PBI/2012 requires bank to have minimum capital of 8%-14% depends on the risk profile of each bank. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to assess whether the total of inherent risk profile of each bank meets the terms of this regulation. In addition, this study aims to examine the impact of inherent risk profile and GCG on the banking company value. The sample in this study is determined by purposive sampling method and resulted in 24 banks or 72 observations during 2011-2013. The results showed that 23 banks had low risk and low to moderate risk, and only one bank had moderate risk. The results also showed that inherent risk profile rating is equivalent to capital adequacy. In other words, inherent risk profile of these banks have complied with Bank Indonesia Regulation No.14/18/PBI/2012. Furthermore, this study indicated that GCG has significant and positive influence on the company value, while the inherent risk has no influence on the company value. Overall, this study suggest that go public banks in Indonesia are one of good alternative means of investment for its soundness as reflected by the fulfillment of minimum capital ratio required by the regulator.

  18. BRDF of Salt Pan Regolith Samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Georgiev, Georgi T.; Gatebe, Charles K.; Butler, James J.; King, Michael D.

    2008-01-01

    Laboratory Bi-directional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) measurements of salt pan regolith samples are presented in this study in an effort to understand the role of spatial and spectral variability of the natural biome. The samples were obtained from Etosha Pan, Namibia (19.20 deg S, 15.93 deg E, alt. 1100 m). It is shown how the BRDF depends on the measurement geometry - incident and scatter angles and on the sample particle sizes. As a demonstration of the application of the results, airborne BRDF measurements acquires with NASA's Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) over the same general site where the regolith samples were collected are compared with the laboratory results. Good agreement between laboratory measured and field measured BRDF is reported.

  19. Moral identity and the experience of moral elevation in response to acts of uncommon goodness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aquino, Karl; McFerran, Brent; Laven, Marjorie

    2011-04-01

    Four studies using survey and experimental designs examined whether people whose moral identity is highly self-defining are more susceptible to experiencing a state of moral elevation after being exposed to acts of uncommon moral goodness. Moral elevation consists of a suite of responses that motivate prosocial action tendencies. Study 1 showed that people higher (vs. lower) in moral identity centrality reported experiencing more intense elevating emotions, had more positive views of humanity, and were more desirous of becoming a better person after reading about an act of uncommon goodness than about a merely positive situation or an act of common benevolence. Study 2 showed that those high in moral identity centrality were more likely to recall acts of moral goodness and experience moral elevation in response to such events more strongly. These experiences were positively related to self-reported prosocial behavior. Study 3 showed a direct effect on behavior using manipulated, rather than measured, moral identity centrality. Study 4 replicated the effect of moral identity on the states of elevation as well as on self-reported physical sensations and showed that the elevation mediates the relationship between moral identity, witnessing uncommon goodness, and prosocial behavior.

  20. Good Faith

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fomcenco, Alex

    2017-01-01

    This article outlines the current state of law in Canada in respect to good faith in contratial relations. The topic is highly relevant due to expected growth in the numbers of contracts concluded between European and Canadian enterprises in the wake of adoption of the Comprehensive Economic...

  1. The Work Role Functioning Questionnaire v2.0 Showed Consistent Factor Structure Across Six Working Samples

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abma, Femke I.; Bültmann, Ute; Amick, Benjamin C.

    2017-01-01

    Objective: The Work Role Functioning Questionnaire v2.0 (WRFQ) is an outcome measure linking a persons’ health to the ability to meet work demands in the twenty-first century. We aimed to examine the construct validity of the WRFQ in a heterogeneous set of working samples in the Netherlands...

  2. The Work Role Functioning Questionnaire v2.0 Showed Consistent Factor Structure Across Six Working Samples

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Abma, F.I.; Bultmann, U.; Amick III, B.C.; Arends, I.; Dorland, P.A.; Flach, P.A.; Klink, J.J.L van der; Ven H.A., van de; Bjørner, J.B.

    2017-01-01

    Objective The Work Role Functioning Questionnaire v2.0 (WRFQ) is an outcome measure linking a persons’ health to the ability to meet work demands in the twenty-first century. We aimed to examine the construct validity of the WRFQ in a heterogeneous set of working samples in the Netherlands with

  3. A Bayesian Justification for Random Sampling in Sample Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Glen Meeden

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available In the usual Bayesian approach to survey sampling the sampling design, plays a minimal role, at best. Although a close relationship between exchangeable prior distributions and simple random sampling has been noted; how to formally integrate simple random sampling into the Bayesian paradigm is not clear. Recently it has been argued that the sampling design can be thought of as part of a Bayesian's prior distribution. We will show here that under this scenario simple random sample can be given a Bayesian justification in survey sampling.

  4. GOOD GOVERNANCE AND TRANSFORMATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hans-Jürgen WAGENER

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Transformation of a totalitarian, basically administratively coordinated system into a democratic one that is coordinated predominantly by markets and competition has been triggered by, among others, the perception of a serious deficit in welfare and happiness. Public policy has a special task transforming the economic order by liberalisation, privatisation, stabilisation and the installation of institutions that are supportive for competition. After 15 years since transformation began, there are sufficiently differentiated success stories to test the hypothesis: it was good governance that is responsible for success and bad governance for failure. The empirical results support the “Lorenzetti hypothesis”: where freedom, security and trust prevail, the economy flourishes, where they are lacking, the costs of long-term investment are too high. The initial conditions of transition countries seem to be quite similar, nevertheless, even there one can discern good and bad governance. The extent of socialist lawfulness, planning security, cronyism and corruption differed widely between East Berlin and Tashkent. And a good deal of such variations can be found in the pre-socialist history of these countries. However, the main conclusion is that the co-evolution hypothesis states that both, welfare and good governance, go together.

  5. TENDENCIES OF REGIONAL ELITE GOODS MARKET DEVELOPMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.I. Tatarkin

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available During the period of planned economy only a limited section of society with high social status had an access to elite goods in our country. At present an access to these goods is not regulated, and elite goods trade market in Russia is developing rapidly. In the article the essence of "elite good" and "regional elite goods market" concepts is defined, the classification of elite goods markets is given, also the main factors and tendencies of elite goods market development in the Ural Region is analyzed.

  6. Variability and reliability of POP concentrations in multiple breast milk samples collected from the same mothers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kakimoto, Risa; Ichiba, Masayoshi; Matsumoto, Akiko; Nakai, Kunihiko; Tatsuta, Nozomi; Iwai-Shimada, Miyuki; Ishiyama, Momoko; Ryuda, Noriko; Someya, Takashi; Tokumoto, Ieyasu; Ueno, Daisuke

    2018-01-13

    Risk assessment of infant using a realistic persistent organic pollutant (POP) exposure through breast milk is essential to devise future regulation of POPs. However, recent investigations have demonstrated that POP levels in breast milk collected from the same mother showed a wide range of variation daily and monthly. To estimate the appropriate sample size of breast milk from the same mother to obtain reliable POP concentrations, breast milk samples were collected from five mothers living in Japan from 2006 to 2012. Milk samples from each mother were collected 3 to 6 times a day through 3 to 7 days consecutively. Food samples as the duplicated method were collected from two mothers during the period of breast milk sample collection. Those were employed for POP (PCBs, DDTs, chlordanes, and HCB) analysis. PCB concentrations detected in breast milk samples showed a wide range of variation which was maximum 63 and 60% of relative standard deviation (RSD) in lipid and wet weight basis, respectively. The time course trend of those variations among the mothers did not show any typical pattern. A larger amount of PCB intake through food seemed to affect 10 h after those concentrations in breast milk in lipid weight basis. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) analyses indicated that the appropriate sample size for good reproducibility of POP concentrations in breast milk required at least two samples for lipid and wet weight basis.

  7. Conjugated Linoleic Acid: good or bad nutrient

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gonçalves Daniela C

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA is a class of 28 positional and geometric isomers of linoleic acid octadecadienoic.Currently, it has been described many benefits related to the supplementation of CLA in animals and humans, as in the treatment of cancer, oxidative stress, in atherosclerosis, in bone formation and composition in obesity, in diabetes and the immune system. However, our results show that, CLA appears to be not a good supplement in patients with cachexia.

  8. Adaptive play stabilizes cooperation in continuous public goods games

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Te; Wang, Long

    2018-04-01

    We construct a model to study the effects of repeated interaction on the evolution of cooperation in continuous public goods games. Instead of preassigning the duration of repeatedness, the likelihood of group entering next round interaction is positively dependent on the group's current cooperativeness. Meanwhile, when the disturbance happens, the interaction terminates. Under rare mutations, we show that such adaptive play can lead to the dominance of full cooperative state for weak disturbance. For fairly strong disturbance, all-or-none cooperative states share higher fractions of time in the long run, results similar to the ones reported in the study (Pinheiro et al., 2014) while differing from the ones reported in another relevant study (Van Segbroeck et al., 2012), although only strategy space and way determining next round vary. Our results remain valid when groups enter next round with a given probability independent of groups' cooperativeness. In the synergic public goods games, the positive effects of repeated interactions on promoting cooperation is further strengthened. In the discounted public goods game, only very weak disturbance can lead to the dominance of full cooperative state while fairly strong disturbance can favor both full cooperative state and a partially cooperative state. Our study thus enriches the literature on the evolution of cooperation in repeated public goods games.

  9. Sample preparation and EFTEM of Meat Samples for Nanoparticle Analysis in Food

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lari, L; Dudkiewicz, A

    2014-01-01

    Nanoparticles are used in industry for personal care products and the preparation of food. In the latter application, their functions include the prevention of microbes' growth, increase of the foods nutritional value and sensory quality. EU regulations require a risk assessment of the nanoparticles used in foods and food contact materials before the products can reach the market. However, availability of validated analytical methodologies for detection and characterisation of the nanoparticles in food hampers appropriate risk assessment. As part of a research on the evaluation of the methods for screening and quantification of Ag nanoparticles in meat we have tested a new TEM sample preparation alternative to resin embedding and cryo-sectioning. Energy filtered TEM analysis was applied to evaluate thickness and the uniformity of thin meat layers acquired at increasing input of the sample demonstrating that the protocols used ensured good stability under the electron beam, reliable sample concentration and reproducibility

  10. Sample preparation and EFTEM of Meat Samples for Nanoparticle Analysis in Food

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lari, L.; Dudkiewicz, A.

    2014-06-01

    Nanoparticles are used in industry for personal care products and the preparation of food. In the latter application, their functions include the prevention of microbes' growth, increase of the foods nutritional value and sensory quality. EU regulations require a risk assessment of the nanoparticles used in foods and food contact materials before the products can reach the market. However, availability of validated analytical methodologies for detection and characterisation of the nanoparticles in food hampers appropriate risk assessment. As part of a research on the evaluation of the methods for screening and quantification of Ag nanoparticles in meat we have tested a new TEM sample preparation alternative to resin embedding and cryo-sectioning. Energy filtered TEM analysis was applied to evaluate thickness and the uniformity of thin meat layers acquired at increasing input of the sample demonstrating that the protocols used ensured good stability under the electron beam, reliable sample concentration and reproducibility.

  11. Conspicuous Public Goods and Leadership Selection

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jennings, C.; Roelfsema, H.J.

    If voters care for the relative supply of public goods compared to otherjurisdictions, decentralized provision of public goods will be too high.Potentially, centralization internalizes the negative externalities fromthe production of these `conspicuous' public goods. However, in amodel of strategic

  12. A note on goodness of fit test using moments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alex Papadopoulos

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to introduce a general moment-based approach to derive formal goodness of fit tests of a parametric family. We show that, in general, an approximate normal test or a chi-squared test can be derived by exploring the moment structure of a parametric family, when moments up to certain order exist. The idea is simple and the resulting tests are easy to implement. To illustrate the use of this approach, we derive moment-based goodness of fit tests for some common discrete and continuous parametric families. We also compare the proposed tests with the well known Pearson-Fisher chi-square test and some distance tests in a simulation study.

  13. A scanning tunneling microscope capable of imaging specified micron-scale small samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Wei; Cao, Yufei; Wang, Huafeng; Wang, Kaiyou; Lu, Qingyou

    2012-12-01

    We present a home-built scanning tunneling microscope (STM) which allows us to precisely position the tip on any specified small sample or sample feature of micron scale. The core structure is a stand-alone soft junction mechanical loop (SJML), in which a small piezoelectric tube scanner is mounted on a sliding piece and a "U"-like soft spring strip has its one end fixed to the sliding piece and its opposite end holding the tip pointing to the sample on the scanner. Here, the tip can be precisely aligned to a specified small sample of micron scale by adjusting the position of the spring-clamped sample on the scanner in the field of view of an optical microscope. The aligned SJML can be transferred to a piezoelectric inertial motor for coarse approach, during which the U-spring is pushed towards the sample, causing the tip to approach the pre-aligned small sample. We have successfully approached a hand cut tip that was made from 0.1 mm thin Pt/Ir wire to an isolated individual 32.5 × 32.5 μm2 graphite flake. Good atomic resolution images and high quality tunneling current spectra for that specified tiny flake are obtained in ambient conditions with high repeatability within one month showing high and long term stability of the new STM structure. In addition, frequency spectra of the tunneling current signals do not show outstanding tip mount related resonant frequency (low frequency), which further confirms the stability of the STM structure.

  14. A scanning tunneling microscope capable of imaging specified micron-scale small samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Wei; Cao, Yufei; Wang, Huafeng; Wang, Kaiyou; Lu, Qingyou

    2012-12-01

    We present a home-built scanning tunneling microscope (STM) which allows us to precisely position the tip on any specified small sample or sample feature of micron scale. The core structure is a stand-alone soft junction mechanical loop (SJML), in which a small piezoelectric tube scanner is mounted on a sliding piece and a "U"-like soft spring strip has its one end fixed to the sliding piece and its opposite end holding the tip pointing to the sample on the scanner. Here, the tip can be precisely aligned to a specified small sample of micron scale by adjusting the position of the spring-clamped sample on the scanner in the field of view of an optical microscope. The aligned SJML can be transferred to a piezoelectric inertial motor for coarse approach, during which the U-spring is pushed towards the sample, causing the tip to approach the pre-aligned small sample. We have successfully approached a hand cut tip that was made from 0.1 mm thin Pt∕Ir wire to an isolated individual 32.5 × 32.5 μm(2) graphite flake. Good atomic resolution images and high quality tunneling current spectra for that specified tiny flake are obtained in ambient conditions with high repeatability within one month showing high and long term stability of the new STM structure. In addition, frequency spectra of the tunneling current signals do not show outstanding tip mount related resonant frequency (low frequency), which further confirms the stability of the STM structure.

  15. Comparative Analysis of Clinical Samples Showing Weak Serum Reaction on AutoVue System Causing ABO Blood Typing Discrepancies

    OpenAIRE

    Jo, Su Yeon; Lee, Ju Mi; Kim, Hye Lim; Sin, Kyeong Hwa; Lee, Hyeon Ji; Chang, Chulhun Ludgerus; Kim, Hyung-Hoi

    2016-01-01

    Background ABO blood typing in pre-transfusion testing is a major component of the high workload in blood banks that therefore requires automation. We often experienced discrepant results from an automated system, especially weak serum reactions. We evaluated the discrepant results by the reference manual method to confirm ABO blood typing. Methods In total, 13,113 blood samples were tested with the AutoVue system; all samples were run in parallel with the reference manual method according to...

  16. Reliability and validity of the Columbia Impairment Scale (C.I.S. for adolescents: Survey among an Italian sample in Lazio Region.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandra Zanon

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the reliability and internal consistency of the Columbia Impairment Scale questionnaire, as a tool to provide a global measure of impairment functioning in an Italian adolescents sample.Methods: The questionnaire is composed by 4 sections of functioning (interpersonal relations, broad psychopathological domains, functioning in schoolwork, use of leisure time for a total of 13 items. It was administered twice in the same sample belonging to a Professional School in Frosinone (Central Italy, to 120 adolescents on the first administration and to 108 on the second time. Reliability analysis was performed and Cronbach’s alpha was used as a measure of internal consistency. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 19.0.Results: Considering all 13 items, Cronbach’s alpha amounted to 0,762 on the first time and to 0.826 on the second time, showing a very satisfactory internal validity. In the sample selected, the answers to the questionnaire showed adolescents have a low impairment functioning.Conclusion: The results of the pilot study indicate that the questionnaire presents a good reliability property and in terms of internal consistency and validity shows a good performance. The results are promising and suggest that this tool cood be used in the Italian setting for future research targeted to adequately capture the impaired functioning in adolescents.

  17. On jointly optimising the changes of seasonable goods and inventory replenishment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zhaolin; Tao, Feng; Sun, Daewon

    2012-06-01

    Retailers often need to replace soon-to-be-unseasonable products with new seasonable goods when the season changes. The trade-off for such activities involves choosing between the salvage loss of the unseasonable product and the profit of selling the seasonable product early. This article develops a periodic-review inventory model for planning the changes of seasonable goods with state-dependent demand and cost parameters. We show that the single-period optimal policy for product changes is a threshold policy based on the initial inventory of the unseasonable goods. The corresponding optimal inventory policy follows a Purchase-Keep-Dispose policy if the incumbent product is kept or a base-stock policy if the incumbent product is replaced. Numerically, we find that the structure of the multi-period optimal policy resembles that of the single-period model. We propose a heuristic to solve the multi-period model and demonstrate its effectiveness. Our research provides insights into dynamically managing seasonable goods.

  18. Developmental Changes in the Consideration of Sample Diversity in Inductive Reasoning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhodes, Marjorie; Gelman, Susan A.; Brickman, Daniel

    2008-01-01

    Determining whether a sample provides a good basis for broader generalizations is a basic challenge of inductive reasoning. Adults apply a diversity-based strategy to this challenge, expecting diverse samples to be a better basis for generalization than homogeneous samples. For example, adults expect that a property shared by two diverse mammals…

  19. Episodic future thinking reduces delay discounting and cigarette demand: an investigation of the good-subject effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, Jeffrey S; Tegge, Allison N; Turner, Jamie K; Bickel, Warren K

    2018-04-01

    Episodic future thinking (EFT), an intervention involving mental simulation of future events, has been shown to reduce both delay discounting and cigarette self-administration. In the present study, we extended these findings by showing that EFT in a web-based sample of smokers reduces delay discounting and intensity of demand for cigarettes (ad libitum consumption) in a hypothetical purchase task. No effect was observed on elasticity of demand (sensitivity to price) or cigarette craving. We also explored whether demand characteristics (specifically, the "good-subject" effect) might be responsible for observed effects. EFT participants were significantly better able than control participants to discern the experimental hypothesis. However, EFT participants were not better than controls at identifying whether they had been assigned to the experimental group and, likewise, showed no differences in attitudes about the experiment and experimenter. Importantly, effects of EFT on delay discounting and demand remained significant even when controlling for measures of demand characteristics, indicating that EFT's effects are independent of participants' perceptions about the experiment.

  20. Electron spin resonance dating of bones samples from recently excavated in Karnataka, India

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramamurthy, Ramya; Godhandabani, Velraj

    2011-01-01

    The study of radiation defects created in biomaterials, such as bone and teeth, can be used in dating with importance to paleontology and archaeology. A preliminary attempt has been made to date the bone samples from the archaeological site Gudnapur in Karnataka state, India. Each sample was divided into five sets which were given an artificial dose (AD) by using γ rays of 50 Gy, 300 Gy, 800 Gy and 1500 Gy and 3200 Gy. All the samples show similar EPR spectra having g-values 2.0026, 2.0025 and 2.0013 corresponding to CO 2 - orthorhombic and axial CO 2 - respectively. These signals have been used for the age estimation of the archaeological bone samples assuming the dose rate to be 1.12 mGy/a. The calculated ages of the samples are 199 ± 54 ka, 28 ± 23 ka and 225 ± 74 ka. The first and third correspond to the III interglacial stage whereas the second one corresponds to I glacial stage of the Pleistocene epoch respectively and in good agreement with age predicted by archaeological Department. (author)

  1. The Relational Nature of the Good

    OpenAIRE

    Korsgaard, Christine M.

    2013-01-01

    This chapter argues that the relation of being good-for someone is prior to the property of being good. After discussing the views of Moore, Geach, Foot, and Rawls, the author argues that there are final goods because there are conscious animals. Hedonists also believe this, but think of goodness as an intrinsic property of certain conscious states—pleasant ones. This is because they mistake pleasure for sensation and so for an object of experience. After advancing an alternative conception o...

  2. Concordance analysis of methylation biomarkers detection in self-collected and physician-collected samples in cervical neoplasm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Cheng-Chang; Huang, Rui-Lan; Liao, Yu-Ping; Su, Po-Hsuan; Hsu, Yaw-Wen; Wang, Hui-Chen; Tien, Chau-Yang; Yu, Mu-Hsien; Lin, Ya-Wen; Lai, Hung-Cheng

    2015-01-01

    samples, and the CIN 1, CIN2, CIN3, CIS, ACs/ASCs and SCC samples showed reasonable to good concordance between the two groups (κ = 0.443, 0.427, and 0.609 for PAX1, SOX1, and ZNF582, respectively). In determining the optimal cutoff values from the self-collected group, ZNF582 showed the highest sensitivity (0.77; 95%CI, 0.65–0.87) using a cutoff value of 0.0204. Methylation biomarker analysis of the three genes for detection of CIN3+ lesions shows reasonable to good concordance between the self-collected and physician-collected samples. Therefore, self-collection of samples could be adopted to decrease non-attendance and improve cervical screening

  3. Correlated equilibria in homogenous good Bertrand competition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jann, Ole; Schottmüller, Christoph

    2015-01-01

    We show that there is a unique correlated equilibrium, identical to the unique Nash equilibrium, in the classic Bertrand oligopoly model with homogenous goods and identical marginal costs. This provides a theoretical underpinning for the so-called "Bertrand paradox'' as well as its most general f...... formulation to date. Our proof generalizes to asymmetric marginal costs and arbitrarily many players in the following way: The market price cannot be higher than the second lowest marginal cost in any correlated equilibrium....

  4. Cross-sectional survey of Good Samaritan behaviour by physicians in North Carolina

    OpenAIRE

    Garneau, William M; Harris, Dean M; Viera, Anthony J

    2016-01-01

    Objective To assess the responses of physicians to providing emergency medical assistance outside of routine clinical care. We assessed the percentage who reported previous Good Samaritan behaviour, their responses to hypothetical situations, their comfort providing specific interventions and the most likely reason they would not intervene. Setting Physicians residing in North Carolina. Participants Convenience sample of 1000 licensed physicians. Intervention Mailed survey. Design Cross-secti...

  5. Attitudes of Montenegrin Consumers Toward Advertising Through Sport Among the Question How Often Consumers Purchase Sporting Goods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gorica Zoric

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Unlike other advertising mediums such as TV commercials or online advertising, people involuntarily receive sport advertisements; they prefer to watch the game for the sporting action than the regular advertisements. However, it is important to analyse their general attitudes among various questions, mostly due to the reason it varies from demographic group to demographic group. Hence, this research was aimed at gaining relevant knowledge about the attitudes of Montenegrin consumers toward advertising through sport among the question how often consumers purchase sporting goods. The sample included 342 respondents, divided into six subsample groups: consumers who do not purchase sport goods at all, then consumers who purchase sport goods less than ones a month, next 1–3 a month, 4–6 a month, 7–9 a month, as well as consumers who purchase sport goods more than 10 times a month. The sample of variables contained the system of three general attitudes which were modelled by seven-point Likert scale. The results of the measuring were analysed by multivariate analysis (MANOVA and univariate analysis (ANOVA and Post Hoc test.Based on the statistical analyses it was found that significant differences occur at multivariate level, as well as between all three variables at a significance level of (p=.000.

  6. Modified Distribution-Free Goodness-of-Fit Test Statistic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chun, So Yeon; Browne, Michael W; Shapiro, Alexander

    2018-03-01

    Covariance structure analysis and its structural equation modeling extensions have become one of the most widely used methodologies in social sciences such as psychology, education, and economics. An important issue in such analysis is to assess the goodness of fit of a model under analysis. One of the most popular test statistics used in covariance structure analysis is the asymptotically distribution-free (ADF) test statistic introduced by Browne (Br J Math Stat Psychol 37:62-83, 1984). The ADF statistic can be used to test models without any specific distribution assumption (e.g., multivariate normal distribution) of the observed data. Despite its advantage, it has been shown in various empirical studies that unless sample sizes are extremely large, this ADF statistic could perform very poorly in practice. In this paper, we provide a theoretical explanation for this phenomenon and further propose a modified test statistic that improves the performance in samples of realistic size. The proposed statistic deals with the possible ill-conditioning of the involved large-scale covariance matrices.

  7. CASH HOLDING, GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND FIRM VALUE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prana Wahyu Nisasmara

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to understand the influence of profitability, capital structure, cash holding, and GCG (Good Corporate Governance on firm value.  The samples of this study were the property sector and real estate companies listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX in the period of 2008-2013. The data used from the annual report company. The methods of data analysis were multiple regression models and analyzed using IBM SPSS software. The results of this study are profitability has no influence on firm value, capital structure has positive influence on firm value, cash holding has no influence on firm value and GCG a has a positive influence on firm value.

  8. Pengaruh Faktor Good Corporate Governance, Free Cash Flow, dan Leverage Terhadap Manajemen Laba

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dian Agustia

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this research is to provide empirical evidence on the impact of good corporate governance, free cash flow, and leverage ratio on earnings management. Good corporate governance is measured by audit committee’s size, the proportion of independent commissioners, institutional ownership, and managerial ownership. Discretionary accrual is the proxy of earning management. This research used 14 textile companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange, selected using purposive sampling method, during the research period 2007-2011. Data were analyzed using multiple regression method. Based on the result of analysis concluded that all components of good corporate governance (audit committee’s size, the proportion of independent commissioners, institutional ownership, and managerial ownership, have no significant effect on earnings management, while leverage ratio has a significant effect on earnings management, and free cash flow has a negative and significant effect on earnings management. It means that companies with high free cash flow will restrict the practice of earnings management.

  9. Molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres prepared by Pickering emulsion polymerization for selective solid-phase extraction of eight bisphenols from human urine samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Jiajia; Li, Yun; Wang, Jincheng; Sun, Xiaoli; Cao, Rong; Sun, Hao; Huang, Chaonan; Chen, Jiping

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • BPA imprinted polymer microspheres were prepared by Pickering emulsion polymerization. • Regular spherical shape and narrow diameter distribution. • Good specific adsorption capacity for BPA. • Good class-selectivity and clean-up efficiency for bisphenols in human urine under SPE mode. • Good recoveries and sensitivity for bisphenols using the MIPMS-SPE coupled with HPLC-DAD method. - Abstract: The bisphenol A (BPA) imprinted polymer microspheres were prepared by simple Pickering emulsion polymerization. Compared to traditional bulk polymerization, both high yields of polymer and good control of particle sizes were achieved. The characterization results of scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements showed that the obtained molecularly imprinted polymer microsphere (MIPMS) particles possessed regular spherical shape, narrow diameter distribution (30–60 μm), a specific surface area (S BET ) of 281.26 m 2 g −1 and a total pore volume (V t ) of 0.459 cm 3 g −1 . Good specific adsorption capacity for BPA was obtained in the sorption experiment and good class selectivity for BPA and its seven structural analogs (bisphenol F, bisphenol B, bisphenol E, bisphenol AF, bisphenol S, bisphenol AP and bisphenol Z) was demonstrated by the chromatographic evaluation experiment. The MIPMS as solid-phase extraction (SPE) packing material was then evaluated for extraction and clean-up of these bisphenols (BPs) from human urine samples. An accurate and sensitive analytical method based on the MIPMS-SPE coupled with HPLC-DAD has been successfully established for simultaneous determination of eight BPs from human urine samples with detection limits of 1.2–2.2 ng mL −1 . The recoveries of BPs for urine samples at two spiking levels (100 and 500 ng mL −1 for each BP) were in the range of 81.3–106.7% with RSD values below 8.3%

  10. HSP60 may predict good pathological response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in bladder cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Urushibara, Masayasu; Kageyama, Yukio; Akashi, Takumi; Otsuka, Yukihiro; Takizawa, Touichiro; Koike, Morio; Kihara, Kazunori

    2007-01-01

    Heat shock proteins (HSPs) play crucial roles in cellular responses to stressful conditions. Expression of HSPs in invasive or high-risk superficial bladder cancer was investigated to identify whether HSPs predict pathological response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Immunohistochemistry was used to assess expression levels of HSP27, HSP60, HSP70, HSP90 and p53 in 54 patients with invasive or high-risk superficial bladder cancer, prior to low-dose neoadjuvant CRT, followed by radical or partial cystectomy. Patients were classified into two groups (good or poor responders) depending on pathological response to CRT, which was defined as the proportion of morphological therapeutic changes in surgical specimens. Good responders showed morphological therapeutic changes in two-thirds or more of tumor tissues. In contrast, poor responders showed changes in less than two-thirds of tumor tissues. Using a multivariate analysis, positive HSP60 expression prior to CRT was found to be marginally associated with good pathological response to CRT (P=0.0564). None of clinicopathological factors was associated with HSP60 expression level. In the good pathological responders, the 5-year cause-specific survival was 88%, which was significantly better than survival in the poor responders (51%) (P=0.0373). Positive HSP60 expression prior to CRT may predict good pathological response to low-dose neoadjuvant CRT in invasive or high-risk superficial bladder cancer. (author)

  11. Introducing a rainfall compound distribution model based on weather patterns sub-sampling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Garavaglia

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a probabilistic model for daily rainfall, using sub-sampling based on meteorological circulation. We classified eight typical but contrasted synoptic situations (weather patterns for France and surrounding areas, using a "bottom-up" approach, i.e. from the shape of the rain field to the synoptic situations described by geopotential fields. These weather patterns (WP provide a discriminating variable that is consistent with French climatology, and allows seasonal rainfall records to be split into more homogeneous sub-samples, in term of meteorological genesis.

    First results show how the combination of seasonal and WP sub-sampling strongly influences the identification of the asymptotic behaviour of rainfall probabilistic models. Furthermore, with this level of stratification, an asymptotic exponential behaviour of each sub-sample appears as a reasonable hypothesis. This first part is illustrated with two daily rainfall records from SE of France.

    The distribution of the multi-exponential weather patterns (MEWP is then defined as the composition, for a given season, of all WP sub-sample marginal distributions, weighted by the relative frequency of occurrence of each WP. This model is finally compared to Exponential and Generalized Pareto distributions, showing good features in terms of robustness and accuracy. These final statistical results are computed from a wide dataset of 478 rainfall chronicles spread on the southern half of France. All these data cover the 1953–2005 period.

  12. The asymetric recognition of good and bad news in France, Germany and the UK.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Giner, B.; Rees, W.P.

    2001-01-01

    We investigate whether accounting systems recognise bad news more promptly in earnings than good news, where news is proxied by changes in share price. The analysis is based on a sample of firm/years drawn from France, Germany, and the UK during 1990 to 1998. These three countries are the

  13. Self-sampling for human papillomavirus DNA detection: a preliminary study of compliance and feasibility in BOLIVIA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Surriabre, Pedro; Allende, Gustavo; Prado, Marcela; Cáceres, Leyddy; Bellot, Diego; Torrico, Andrea; Ustariz, Karina; Rojas, Shirley; Barriga, Jaime; Calle, Pamela; Villarroel, Ligia; Yañez, Rosse Mary; Baay, Marc; Rodriguez, Patricia; Fontaine, Véronique

    2017-12-22

    Cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates in Bolivia are among the highest in Latin America. This investigation aims to evaluate the possibility of using simple devices, e.g. a cotton swab and a glass slide, for self-sampling in order to detect human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA by PCR in cervico-vaginal cells. In the first phase of our study we evaluated the use of a glass slide as a transport medium for cervical cells. A physician took paired-cervical samples from 235 women. One sample was transported in Easyfix® solution and the other sample was smeared over a glass slide. Both were further analyzed and compared for human DNA recovery and HPV detection. A kappa value was determined to evaluate the agreement between the HPV DNA detection rates. In the second phase of the study, 222 women from the urban, peri-urban and rural regions of Cochabamba were requested to perform self-sampling using the following devices: a cotton swab combined with a glass slide, and a vaginal tampon. Women gave their opinion about the self-sampling technique. Finally, the agreement for high risk-HPV detection between self- and physician-collected samples was performed in 201 samples in order to evaluate the self-sampling technique. Firstly, the comparison between Easyfix® solution and the glass slide to transport clinical samples gave a good agreement for HPV DNA detection (κ = 0.71, 95% CI 0.60-0.81). Secondly, self-sampling, especially with cotton swab combined with glass slide, would generally be preferred over clinician sampling for a screening program based on HPV detection. Finally, we showed a good agreement between self- and physician collected samples for high risk-HPV detection (κ = 0.71, 95% CI 0.55-0.88). Simple devices such as a cotton swab and a glass slide can be used to perform self-sampling and HPV DNA detection. Furthermore, most Bolivian women preferred self-sampling over clinician-sampling for cervical cancer screening.

  14. EVALUATION OF THE USEFULNESS OF CONTINUOUS FLOW ANALYSIS FOR THE STUDY OF ANIONIC SURFACTANTS AND NONIONIC SURFACTANTS IN WATER AND SEWAGE SAMPLES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksandra Strugała-Wilczek

    2014-10-01

    Established methods show low limit of detection, good precision and good correctness. The described full automatic method takes effect in short-time analysis, small sample volume required for testing and waste restriction. Proposed flow injection system comply with requirements and may be successfully applied in monitoring studies as well as in the routine laboratory analysis. Rapid determination of water and waste water quality by the SFA for the content of surfactants allows an adequate response in case of exceeding the permissible concentrations, even according to the most restricted requirements.

  15. Reconsidering the “Good Divorce”

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amato, Paul R.; Kane, Jennifer B.; James, Spencer

    2011-01-01

    This study attempted to assess the notion that a “good divorce” protects children from the potential negative consequences of marital dissolution. A cluster analysis of data on postdivorce parenting from 944 families resulted in three groups: cooperative coparenting, parallel parenting, and single parenting. Children in the cooperative coparenting (good divorce) cluster had the smallest number of behavior problems and the closest ties to their fathers. Nevertheless, children in this cluster did not score significantly better than other children on 10 additional outcomes. These findings provide only modest support for the good divorce hypothesis. PMID:22125355

  16. Good Towers of Function Fields

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bassa, Alp; Beelen, Peter; Nguyen, Nhut

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, we will give an overview of known and new techniques on how one can obtain explicit equations for candidates of good towers of function fields. The techniques are founded in modular theory (both the classical modular theory and the Drinfeld modular theory). In the classical modular...... setup, optimal towers can be obtained, while in the Drinfeld modular setup, good towers over any non-prime field may be found. We illustrate the theory with several examples, thus explaining some known towers as well as giving new examples of good explicitly defined towers of function fields....

  17. How Good is OpenMP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timothy G. Mattson

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available The OpenMP standard defines an Application Programming Interface (API for shared memory computers. Since its introduction in 1997, it has grown to become one of the most commonly used API's for parallel programming. But success in the market doesn't necessarily imply successful computer science. Is OpenMP a "good" programming environment? What does it even mean to call a programming environment good? And finally, once we understand how good or bad OpenMP is; what can we do to make it even better? In this paper, we will address these questions.

  18. Development of an Analytical Protocol for Determination of Cyanide in Human Biological Samples Based on Application of Ion Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection

    OpenAIRE

    Jaszczak, Ewa; Ruman, Marek; Narkowicz, Sylwia; Namieśnik, Jacek; Polkowska, Żaneta

    2017-01-01

    A simple and accurate ion chromatography (IC) method with pulsed amperometric detection (PAD) was proposed for the determination of cyanide ion in urine, sweat, and saliva samples. The sample pretreatment relies on alkaline digestion and application of Dionex OnGuard II H cartridge. Under the optimized conditions, the method showed good linearity in the range of 1–100 μg/L for urine, 5–100 μg/L for saliva, and 3–100 μg/L for sweat samples with determination coefficients (R) > 0.992. Low detec...

  19. Calculation of sample problems related to two-phase flow blowdown transients in pressure relief piping of a PWR pressurizer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Y.W.; Wiedermann, A.H.

    1984-02-01

    A method was published, based on the integral method of characteristics, by which the junction and boundary conditions needed in computation of a flow in a piping network can be accurately formulated. The method for the junction and boundary conditions formulation together with the two-step Lax-Wendroff scheme are used in a computer program; the program in turn, is used here in calculating sample problems related to the blowdown transient of a two-phase flow in the piping network downstream of a PWR pressurizer. Independent, nearly exact analytical solutions also are obtained for the sample problems. Comparison of the results obtained by the hybrid numerical technique with the analytical solutions showed generally good agreement. The good numerical accuracy shown by the results of our scheme suggest that the hybrid numerical technique is suitable for both benchmark and design calculations of PWR pressurizer blowdown transients

  20. Turbidity threshold sampling: Methods and instrumentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rand Eads; Jack Lewis

    2001-01-01

    Traditional methods for determining the frequency of suspended sediment sample collection often rely on measurements, such as water discharge, that are not well correlated to sediment concentration. Stream power is generally not a good predictor of sediment concentration for rivers that transport the bulk of their load as fines, due to the highly variable routing of...

  1. Trade in Cultural Goods: A Case of the Korean Wave in Asia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young Seaon Park

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper studies the effects of economic development and cultural proximity as common determinants of trade in cultural goods in a dynamic preference selection model. For the empirical analysis, this paper utilizes the gravity framework with importer fixed effects and Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood estimators. This paper applies the model to Korean export of broadcasting contents to Asian countries. The relative economic development of the export country and the market size of the import country are important determinants of cultural trade, the results of which are generally consistent with traditional goods trade. However, the distance variable does not show much significance, reflecting the unique characteristics of trade in cultural goods.

  2. Bad is stronger than good

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Baumeister, R.F.; Bratslavsky, E.; Finkenauer, C.; Vohs, K.D.

    2001-01-01

    The greater power of bad events over good ones is found in everyday events, major life events (e.g., trauma), close relationship outcomes, social network patterns, interpersonal interactions, and learning processes. Bad emotions, bad parents, and bad feedback have more impact than good ones, and bad

  3. On-site sampling and sample-preparation approach with a portable sampler based on hollow-fiber/graphene bars for the microextraction of nitrobenzene compounds in lake water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Rongrong; Hu, Shuang; Chen, Xuan; Bai, Xiaohong; Feng, Meiqin

    2015-02-01

    A novel on-site sampling and sample-preparation approach was developed and evaluated in the present work. In this procedure, hollow-fiber/graphene bars (HF/GBs) were used for sampling and sample preparation. A handheld battery-operated electric egg beater was utilized to support the HF/GBs and stir the sample solution to facilitate extraction at the sampling site. Four nitrobenzene compounds (nitrobenzene, o-nitrophenol, m-nitrophenol, and p-nitrophenol) were used as model compounds. Several factors affecting performance, including types and amount of graphene used and extraction and desorption times, were investigated and optimized in the laboratory. Under optimized conditions, the enrichment factors of the four nitrobenzene compounds ranged from 46 to 69. Good linearities of 0.01-10 μg/mL with regression coefficients between 0.9917 and 0.9973 were obtained for all analytes. The LOD of the method was 0.3 ng/mL. Satisfactory recoveries (98-102%) and precision (1.0-5.8%) were also achieved. The ultrastructures and extraction mechanism of the HF/GBs were characterized and analyzed. The proposed approach coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography was successfully applied in the extraction and determination of trace nitrobenzene compounds in lake water. Experimental results showed that the approach is simple, convenient, rapid, and practical for routine environmental monitoring. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Frequency and antimicrobial susceptibility of acinetobacter species isolated from blood samples of paediatric patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Javed, A.; Zafar, A.; Ejaz, H.; Zubair, M.

    2012-01-01

    Objective: Acinetobacter species is a major nosocomial pathogen causing serious infections in immuno-compromised and hospitalized patients. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Acinetobacter species in blood samples of paediatric patients. Methodology: This cross sectional observational study was conducted during January to October, 2011 at The Children's Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Lahore. A total number of 12,032 blood samples were analysed during the study period. Acinetobacter species were Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: The blood cultures showed growth in 1,141 cultures out of which 46 (4.0%) were Acinetobacter species. The gender distribution of Acinetobacter species was 29 (63.0%) in males and 17 (37.0%) in females. A good antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Acinetobacter species was seen with sulbactam-cefoperazone (93.0%), imepenem and meropenem (82.6% (30.4%) was poor. Conclusion: The results of the present study shows high rate of resistance of Acinetobacter species with cephalosporins in nosocomial infections. The sulbactam-cefoperazone, carbapenems and piperacillin-tazobactam showed effective antimicrobial susceptibility against Acinetobacter species. (author)

  5. 7 CFR 51.1011 - Good green color.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good green color. 51.1011 Section 51.1011 Agriculture... Standards for Persian (Tahiti) Limes Definitions § 51.1011 Good green color. Good green color means that the skin of the lime is of a good green color characteristic of the Persian variety. ...

  6. Solving optimization problems by the public goods game

    Science.gov (United States)

    Javarone, Marco Alberto

    2017-09-01

    We introduce a method based on the Public Goods Game for solving optimization tasks. In particular, we focus on the Traveling Salesman Problem, i.e. a NP-hard problem whose search space exponentially grows increasing the number of cities. The proposed method considers a population whose agents are provided with a random solution to the given problem. In doing so, agents interact by playing the Public Goods Game using the fitness of their solution as currency of the game. Notably, agents with better solutions provide higher contributions, while those with lower ones tend to imitate the solution of richer agents for increasing their fitness. Numerical simulations show that the proposed method allows to compute exact solutions, and suboptimal ones, in the considered search spaces. As result, beyond to propose a new heuristic for combinatorial optimization problems, our work aims to highlight the potentiality of evolutionary game theory beyond its current horizons.

  7. Sample preparation in alkaline media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nobrega, Joaquim A.; Santos, Mirian C.; Sousa, Rafael A. de; Cadore, Solange; Barnes, Ramon M.; Tatro, Mark

    2006-01-01

    The use of tetramethylammonium hydroxide, tertiary amines and strongly alkaline reagents for sample treatment involving extraction and digestion procedures is discussed in this review. The preparation of slurries is also discussed. Based on literature data, alkaline media offer a good alternative for sample preparation involving an appreciable group of analytes in different types of samples. These reagents are also successfully employed in tailored speciation procedures wherein there is a critical dependence on maintenance of chemical forms. The effects of these reagents on measurements performed using spectroanalytical techniques are discussed. Several undesirable effects on transport and atomization processes necessitate use of the method of standard additions to obtain accurate results. It is also evident that alkaline media can improve the performance of techniques such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and accessories, such as autosamplers coupled to graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometers

  8. Characterization of Some Iraqi Archaeological Samples Using IBA, Analytical X-ray and Other Complementary Techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Sarraj, Ziyad Shihab; Damboos, Hassan I; Roumie, Mohamad

    2012-01-01

    The present work aimed at investigating the compositions and microstructures of some archaeological samples which dated back to various periods of the ancient Iraqi civilizations using PIXE, XRF, XRD, and SEM techniques. The models selected for the study (ceramics, glaze, etc.) were diverse in size and nature, therefore a limited number of samples were then butted from them by a small diamond wheel. Conventional powder metallurgy method was then used to prepare the samples. Dried samples were then coated with a thin layer of carbon, and analyzed using the ion beam accelerator of the LAEC. Three other groups of samples were also prepared for the purpose of analysis by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Analysis results of the chemical composition showed good agreement between the various techniques as well as for phases, while the fine structure analysis obtained by optical and scanning microscopy exhibited features of a structure where it got an intensified densification in the final stage of sintering and accompanied by quasi-homogeneous distribution of the closed pores. This will lead to the conclusion that the temperature used for sintering by ancient Iraqi was sufficient and it may fall in the range between 950-1200°C, also the mixes and the forming methods used by them, were both suitable to obtain good sintered bodies with even distribution of pores. A ring-shaped trace noticed in SEM micrographs need more work and study to explain what it is?

  9. 29 CFR 570.128 - Good faith defense.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Good faith defense. 570.128 Section 570.128 Labor... Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as Amended Enforcement § 570.128 Good faith defense. Link... commerce goods which he acquired in good faith in reliance on written assurance from the producer...

  10. 12 CFR 220.6 - Good faith account.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith account. 220.6 Section 220.6 Banks... BY BROKERS AND DEALERS (REGULATION T) § 220.6 Good faith account. In a good faith account, a creditor...) Securities entitled to good faith margin—(1) Permissible transactions. A creditor may effect and finance...

  11. Psychometric Quality of the Dutch Version of the Children's Eating Attitude Test in a Community Sample and a Sample of Overweight Youngsters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lotte Theuwis

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Disturbed eating attitudes may be important precursors of pathological eating patterns and, therefore need to be researched adequately. The Children's Eating Attitude Test (ChEAT is indicated for detecting at-risk attitudes and concerns in youngsters. Method. The present study was designed to provide a preliminary psychometric evaluation of the Dutch version of the ChEAT, by examining reliability and validity in a sample of 166 youngsters. Results. Generally the ChEAT seems to be a reliable instrument. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by positive correlations with measures assessing pathological eating behaviour and with related psychological problems. The discriminant validity was good. Based on ChEAT scores we can distinguish overweight youngsters from the community sample and “dieters” from “non dieters”. Divergent validity and factor structure show still shortcomings. Discussion. The Dutch version of the ChEAT seems to be a promising screening- and research instrument. Future prospective research could focus on a cut-off score for identifying at-risk youngsters.

  12. Lead isotope analyses of standard rock samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koide, Yoshiyuki; Nakamura, Eizo

    1990-01-01

    New results on lead isotope compositions of standard rock samples and their analytical procedures are reported. Bromide form anion exchange chromatography technique was adopted for the chemical separation lead from rock samples. The lead contamination during whole analytical procedure was low enough to determine lead isotope composition of common natural rocks. Silica-gel activator method was applied for emission of lead ions in the mass spectrometer. Using the data reduction of 'unfractionated ratios', we obtained good reproducibility, precision and accuracy on lead isotope compositions of NBS SRM. Here we present new reliable lead isotope compositions of GSJ standard rock samples and USGS standard rock, BCR-1. (author)

  13. Precision and Accuracy of k0-NAA Method for Analysis of Multi Elements in Reference Samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sri-Wardani

    2004-01-01

    Accuracy and precision of k 0 -NAA method could determine in the analysis of multi elements contained in reference samples. The analyzed results of multi elements in SRM 1633b sample were obtained with optimum results in bias of 20% but it is in a good accuracy and precision. The analyzed results of As, Cd and Zn in CCQM-P29 rice flour sample were obtained with very good result in bias of 0.5 - 5.6%. (author)

  14. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Based Protein Assay for Cereal Samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sezer, Banu; Bilge, Gonca; Boyaci, Ismail Hakki

    2016-12-14

    Protein content is an important quality parameter in terms of price, nutritional value, and labeling of various cereal samples. However, conventional analysis methods, namely, Kjeldahl and Dumas, have major drawbacks such as long analysis time, titration mistakes, and carrier gas dependence with high purity. For this reason, there is an urgent need for rapid, reliable, and environmentally friendly technologies for protein analysis. The present study aims to develop a new method for protein analysis in wheat flour and whole meal by using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which is a multielemental, fast, and simple spectroscopic method. Unlike the Kjeldahl and Dumas methods, it has potential to analyze a high number of samples in considerably short time. In the study, nitrogen peaks in LIBS spectra of wheat flour and whole meal samples with different protein contents were correlated with results of the standard Dumas method with the aid of chemometric methods. A calibration graph showed good linearity with the protein content between 7.9 and 20.9% and a 0.992 coefficient of determination (R 2 ). The limit of detection was calculated as 0.26%. The results indicated that LIBS is a promising and reliable method with its high sensitivity for routine protein analysis in wheat flour and whole meal samples.

  15. Good News in Bad News: How Negativity Enhances Economic Efficacy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Svensson, H.M.; Albæk, E.; van Dalen, A.; de Vreese, C.

    2017-01-01

    Negativity is a news ideology, and its negative effects on attitude formation are widely documented. Contrary to this view, the present study demonstrates that negative economic news can in fact be good news. Based on a two-wave national panel survey and a media content analysis, we show that

  16. Sample processing method for the determination of perchlorate in milk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dyke, Jason V.; Kirk, Andrea B.; Kalyani Martinelango, P.; Dasgupta, Purnendu K.

    2006-01-01

    In recent years, many different water sources and foods have been reported to contain perchlorate. Studies indicate that significant levels of perchlorate are present in both human and dairy milk. The determination of perchlorate in milk is particularly important due to its potential health impact on infants and children. As for many other biological samples, sample preparation is more time consuming than the analysis itself. The concurrent presence of large amounts of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, etc., demands some initial cleanup; otherwise the separation column lifetime and the limit of detection are both greatly compromised. Reported milk processing methods require the addition of chemicals such as ethanol, acetic acid or acetonitrile. Reagent addition is undesirable in trace analysis. We report here an essentially reagent-free sample preparation method for the determination of perchlorate in milk. Milk samples are spiked with isotopically labeled perchlorate and centrifuged to remove lipids. The resulting liquid is placed in a disposable centrifugal ultrafilter device with a molecular weight cutoff of 10 kDa, and centrifuged. Approximately 5-10 ml of clear liquid, ready for analysis, is obtained from a 20 ml milk sample. Both bovine and human milk samples have been successfully processed and analyzed by ion chromatography-mass spectrometry (IC-MS). Standard addition experiments show good recoveries. The repeatability of the analytical result for the same sample in multiple sample cleanup runs ranged from 3 to 6% R.S.D. This processing technique has also been successfully applied for the determination of iodide and thiocyanate in milk

  17. Validation of a new HPV self-sampling device for cervical cancer screening: The Cervical and Self-Sample In Screening (CASSIS) study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Zein, Mariam; Bouten, Sheila; Louvanto, Karolina; Gilbert, Lucy; Gotlieb, Walter; Hemmings, Robert; Behr, Marcel A; Franco, Eduardo L; Liang, Victoria; Martins, Claudia; Duarte, Silvy; Sarban, Natalia; Geddes, Patricia; Massa, Ana; Samios, Kathrin; Aboufadl, Siham; Verdon, Sophie; Pereria, Cynthia; Lacroix, Isabelle

    2018-04-17

    We compared the self-sampling performance of the newly designed HerSwab™ device with a physician-collected cervical sample and another self-sample using the cobas® PCR Female swab for the detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cancer. Women referred for colposcopy at McGill University affiliated hospital clinics collected two consecutive self-samples, one with HerSwab™ and one with cobas® swab, after receiving instructions. The order of sampling was randomized. The colposcopist then collected a cervical sample and conducted a colposcopic examination. Samples were tested for human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA. Sensitivity and specificity to detect CIN2+ and respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to compare sampling approaches. The HPV testing agreement between samples was measured using the Kappa statistic. Of 1217 women enrolled, 1076 had complete results for HPV and cytology; 148 (13.8%) had CIN1, 147 (13.7%) had CIN2/3, and 5 (0.5%) had cancer. There was very good agreement between methods for HPV detection (HerSwab™ versus physician: kappa=0.84; cobas® swabs versus physician: kappa=0.81; HerSwab™ versus cobas® swabs: kappa=0.87). The sensitivity of HPV detection for CIN2+ was 87.6% (95%CI: 79.8-93.2) with self-sampling using HerSwab™, 88.6% (95%CI: 80.9-94.0) with self-sampling using the cobas® swab, and 92.4% (95%CI: 85.5-96.7) with physician sampling. Corresponding estimates of specificity were 58.1% (95%CI: 54.1-62.1), 55.0% (95%CI: 50.9-59.0) and 58.7% (95%CI: 54.6-62.6). Cytology (ASC-US or more severe) done on the physician-collected specimen was 80.2% (95%CI: 70.8-87.6) sensitive and 61.4% (95%CI: 57.2-65.5) specific for CIN2+. The HerSwab™ had good agreement with physician sampling in detecting HPV, and adequate performance in detecting high-grade lesions among women referred to colposcopy for abnormal cytology. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Good for God? Religious motivation reduces perceived responsibility for and morality of good deeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gervais, Will M

    2014-08-01

    Many people view religion as a crucial source of morality. However, 6 experiments (total N = 1,078) revealed that good deeds are perceived as less moral if they are performed for religious reasons. Religiously motivated acts were seen as less moral than the exact same acts performed for other reasons (Experiments 1-2 and 6). Religious motivations also reduced attributions of intention and responsibility (Experiments 3-6), an effect that fully mediated the effect of religious motivations on perceived morality (Experiment 6). The effects were not explained by different perceptions of motivation orientation (i.e., intrinsic vs. extrinsic) across conditions (Experiment 4) and also were evident when religious upbringing led to an intuitive moral response (Experiment 5). Effects generalized across religious and nonreligious participants. When viewing a religiously motivated good deed, people infer that actually helping others is, in part, a side effect of other motivations rather than an end in itself. Thus, religiously motivated actors are seen as less responsible than secular actors for their good deeds, and their helping behavior is viewed as less moral than identical good deeds performed for either unclear or secular motivations. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

  19. Polygenic scores predict alcohol problems in an independent sample and show moderation by the environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salvatore, Jessica E; Aliev, Fazil; Edwards, Alexis C; Evans, David M; Macleod, John; Hickman, Matthew; Lewis, Glyn; Kendler, Kenneth S; Loukola, Anu; Korhonen, Tellervo; Latvala, Antti; Rose, Richard J; Kaprio, Jaakko; Dick, Danielle M

    2014-04-10

    Alcohol problems represent a classic example of a complex behavioral outcome that is likely influenced by many genes of small effect. A polygenic approach, which examines aggregate measured genetic effects, can have predictive power in cases where individual genes or genetic variants do not. In the current study, we first tested whether polygenic risk for alcohol problems-derived from genome-wide association estimates of an alcohol problems factor score from the age 18 assessment of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; n = 4304 individuals of European descent; 57% female)-predicted alcohol problems earlier in development (age 14) in an independent sample (FinnTwin12; n = 1162; 53% female). We then tested whether environmental factors (parental knowledge and peer deviance) moderated polygenic risk to predict alcohol problems in the FinnTwin12 sample. We found evidence for both polygenic association and for additive polygene-environment interaction. Higher polygenic scores predicted a greater number of alcohol problems (range of Pearson partial correlations 0.07-0.08, all p-values ≤ 0.01). Moreover, genetic influences were significantly more pronounced under conditions of low parental knowledge or high peer deviance (unstandardized regression coefficients (b), p-values (p), and percent of variance (R2) accounted for by interaction terms: b = 1.54, p = 0.02, R2 = 0.33%; b = 0.94, p = 0.04, R2 = 0.30%, respectively). Supplementary set-based analyses indicated that the individual top single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) contributing to the polygenic scores were not individually enriched for gene-environment interaction. Although the magnitude of the observed effects are small, this study illustrates the usefulness of polygenic approaches for understanding the pathways by which measured genetic predispositions come together with environmental factors to predict complex behavioral outcomes.

  20. Polygenic Scores Predict Alcohol Problems in an Independent Sample and Show Moderation by the Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jessica E. Salvatore

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Alcohol problems represent a classic example of a complex behavioral outcome that is likely influenced by many genes of small effect. A polygenic approach, which examines aggregate measured genetic effects, can have predictive power in cases where individual genes or genetic variants do not. In the current study, we first tested whether polygenic risk for alcohol problems—derived from genome-wide association estimates of an alcohol problems factor score from the age 18 assessment of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; n = 4304 individuals of European descent; 57% female—predicted alcohol problems earlier in development (age 14 in an independent sample (FinnTwin12; n = 1162; 53% female. We then tested whether environmental factors (parental knowledge and peer deviance moderated polygenic risk to predict alcohol problems in the FinnTwin12 sample. We found evidence for both polygenic association and for additive polygene-environment interaction. Higher polygenic scores predicted a greater number of alcohol problems (range of Pearson partial correlations 0.07–0.08, all p-values ≤ 0.01. Moreover, genetic influences were significantly more pronounced under conditions of low parental knowledge or high peer deviance (unstandardized regression coefficients (b, p-values (p, and percent of variance (R2 accounted for by interaction terms: b = 1.54, p = 0.02, R2 = 0.33%; b = 0.94, p = 0.04, R2 = 0.30%, respectively. Supplementary set-based analyses indicated that the individual top single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs contributing to the polygenic scores were not individually enriched for gene-environment interaction. Although the magnitude of the observed effects are small, this study illustrates the usefulness of polygenic approaches for understanding the pathways by which measured genetic predispositions come together with environmental factors to predict complex behavioral outcomes.

  1. Determining photon energy absorption parameters for different soil samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kucuk, Nil; Cakir, Merve; Tumsavas, Zeynal

    2013-01-01

    The mass attenuation coefficients (μ s ) for five different soil samples were measured at 661.6, 1173.2 and 1332.5 keV photon energies. The soil samples were separately irradiated with 137 Cs and 60 Co (370 kBq) radioactive point gamma sources. The measurements were made by performing transmission experiments with a 2″ x 2″ NaI(Tl) scintillation detector, which had an energy resolution of 7% at 0.662 MeV for the gamma-rays from the decay of 137 Cs. The effective atomic numbers (Z eff ) and the effective electron densities (N eff ) were determined experimentally and theoretically using the obtained μ s values for the soil samples. Furthermore, the Z eff and N eff values of the soil samples were computed for the total photon interaction cross-sections using theoretical data over a wide energy region ranging from 1 keV to 15 MeV. The experimental values of the soils were found to be in good agreement with the theoretical values. Sandy loam and sandy clay loam soils demonstrated poor photon energy absorption characteristics. However, clay loam and clay soils had good photon energy absorption characteristics. (author)

  2. The Essence of Good Teaching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherman, Robert R.

    1986-01-01

    Compares and contrasts views of what constitutes good teaching in four recent books: "My Harvard, My Yale: Memoirs of College Life by Some Notable Americans" (Dubois, 1982); "Twenty Teachers" (Macrorie, 1984); "Artistry in Teaching" (Rubin, 1985); and "The Essence of Good Teaching: Helping Students Learn and Remember What They Learn" (Eriksen,…

  3. Differences in autonomic physiological responses between good and poor inductive reasoners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melis, C; van Boxtel, A

    2001-11-01

    We investigated individual- and task-related differences in autonomic physiological responses induced by time limited figural and verbal inductive reasoning tasks. In a group of 52 participants, the percentage of correctly responded task items was evaluated together with nine different autonomic physiological response measures and respiration rate (RR). Weighted multidimensional scaling analyses of the physiological responses revealed three underlying dimensions, primarily characterized by RR, parasympathetic, and sympathetic activity. RR and sympathetic activity appeared to be relatively more important response dimensions for poor reasoners, whereas parasympathetic responsivity was relatively more important for good reasoners. These results suggest that poor reasoners showed higher levels of cognitive processing intensity than good reasoners. Furthermore, for the good reasoners, the dimension of sympathetic activity was relatively more important during the figural than during the verbal reasoning task, which was explained in terms of hemispheric lateralization in autonomic function.

  4. [The myth of the good savage].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yampey, N

    1994-09-01

    The conquest of the New World gave way to the myth of the Good Savage. For the Renaissance intellectuals, the ancient ideas about the Golden Age (an ideal society promising an unending bliss) seemed to be brought back to life at last. Sharply contrasting with the European exacerbated unrest of the time, America stood for a redeeming hope, a symbol of a better future. The myth of the Good Savage assumes people to be naturally good, but civilization has led them into the realm of violence, hatred, and cruelty. Besides being naturally good, nice-minded people, "good savages" were also useful, obedient people, most likely to be easily exploited by Europeans--a source for the historical drama to come. On the verge of freeing itself from the Spanish rule, Latin America--fighting its way toward independence, had three enlightened mentors: Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. There, again, another deep contrast arose between the abstract characteristics of Latin American aims to perfection, and people's actual behaviors. The former "good savage" became the modern "Latin American" embodying an utopia as well as a hope in his eagerness for setting up a plural, and humanized culture. The myth of the Good Savage represents a deep longing for an objectivation of the ego-ideal: it has been used, so to speak, in collective mobilizations as well as dogmatic crystallizations, to escape from ignominous realities or to project alternatives for a better socially-shared life.

  5. Good Governance According to Islamic Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamad Ismail Bin Mohamad Yunus

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The objectives of the professional agencies must embody provisions that promote good governance and embrace values of integrity and accountability and seek support from the public and the government of the day to provide an independent view on all matters. The universal truth is that everything should be done in the public good. Professionals form the backbone of human infrastructure in any economy, politics, social and legal growth. Their contributions through professional performance enhance the good delivery system that facilitates policies making and management for public sector. They provide the skills and talent in balancing the pursuits of maximization of services. The expression “good governance” has been constantly used lately in both public sector as well as private sector in Malaysia. In the context of a private body, it should be within the framework of the statute, which governs the body and also its constitution. In the public sector, it means that the administrators should act professionally and not to abuse or misuse the power or authority given to them. They are regarded as the trustees of the public at large. The scope of this article is on good public governance in the public sector or to be exact, good governmental administration as interpreted by the judiciary especially through its judicial review power and Islamic Perspective based on the principles of Maqasid As Shariah (Objectives of Islamic Law.   Keywords: Good Governance, Public Sector, Malaysian Law, Islamic Perspective, Maqasid As-Shariah.

  6. The Common Good in Classical Political Philosophy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, V. Bradley

    2006-01-01

    The term "common good" names the end (or final cause) of political and social life in the tradition of moral thought that owes its main substance to Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas. It names a genuine good ("bonum honestum") and not merely an instrumental or secondary good defeasible in the face of particular goods. However, at the same time, it…

  7. Considering capital goods in life cycle assessments by input-output analysis. Offshore wind farm as an application example

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eickelkamp, Timo

    2013-01-01

    Capital goods are not normally taken into consideration in assessing the sustainability of products on the basis of life cycle assessments. Capital goods are machines and buildings that are used for production purposes over the course of a product's life cycle. Using an offshore wind farm as an example the present study shows how capital goods can be taken into account via a methodologically expanded input-output analysis and thus factored into the life cycle assessment. Besides comparing different calculation methods the author performs a detailed analysis of those parameters with the greatest influence on the outcome. The results show that capital goods have a substantial impact on sustainability in both energy-related and environmental terms. Capital goods should therefore be taken into consideration in life cycle assessments.

  8. From Goods to Solutions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chakkol, Mehmet; Johnson, Mark; Raja, Jawwad

    2014-01-01

    Purpose – This paper aims to adopt service-dominant logic (SDL) to empirically explore network configurations resulting from the provision of goods, goods and services, and solutions. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses a single, in-depth, exploratory case study in a truck manufacturer......: dyadic, triadic and tetradic. The extent to which different network actors contribute to value co-creation varies across the offerings. Research limitations/implications – This paper is based on a single, in-depth case study developed in one industrial context. Whilst this represents an appropriate...

  9. Morphologies, microstructures, and mechanical properties of samples produced using laser metal deposition with 316 L stainless steel wire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Xiang; Mi, Gaoyang; Luo, Yuanqing; Jiang, Ping; Shao, Xinyu; Wang, Chunming

    2017-07-01

    Laser metal deposition (LMD) with a filler has been demonstrated to be an effective method for additive manufacturing because of its high material deposition efficiency, improved surface quality, reduced material wastage, and cleaner process environment without metal dust pollution. In this study, single beads and samples with ten layers were successfully deposited on a 316 L stainless steel surface under optimized conditions using a 4000 W continuous wave fibre laser and an arc welding machine. The results showed that satisfactory layered samples with a large deposition height and smooth side surface could be achieved under appropriate parameters. The uniform structures had fine cellular and network austenite grains with good metallurgical bonding between layers, showing an austenite solidification mode. Precipitated ferrite at the grain boundaries showed a subgrain structure with fine uniform grain size. A higher microhardness (205-226 HV) was detected in the middle of the deposition area, while the tensile strength of the 50 layer sample reached 669 MPa. In addition, ductile fracturing was proven by the emergence of obvious dimples at the fracture surface.

  10. What are the attributes of a good health educator?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilic, Dragan; Harding, Jessica; Allan, Christie; Diug, Basia

    2016-06-28

    The purpose of this study was to examine the attributes that students and educators believe are important to being a good health educator in a non-clinical setting. A cross-sectional survey of first-year health science students and educators involved with a Health Science course in Melbourne, Australia was performed. A convenience sampling approach was implemented, with participants were required to rate the importance of teaching attributes on a previously developed 15-item written questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were generated, with Pearson's chi-square statistics used to examine differences between groups. In total 94/147 (63.9%) of students and 15/15 (100%) of educators participated in the study. Of the 15 attributes, only 'scholarly activity' was not deemed to be not as an important attribute to define a good educator. Knowledge base (50% vs. 13.3%) and feedback skills (22.3% vs. 0%) were rated as important attributes by students in comparison to educators. Professionalism (20% vs. 5.3%), scholarly activity (20% vs. 3.2%) and role modelling (26.7% vs. 3.2%) were rated as the most important attributes by educators in comparison to students. No single attribute makes a good health educator; rather health educators are required to have a rounded approach to teaching. Students have greater focus on the educator providing a transfer of knowledge. Educators are additionally focused on professionalism attributes, which may not be valued by students. Students and educators must enter into a clearer understanding of expectations, from both parties, to obtain optimal education outcomes.

  11. Paying for International Environmental Public Goods

    OpenAIRE

    Arriagada, Rodrigo; Perrings, Charles

    2011-01-01

    Supply of international environmental public goods must meet certain conditions to be socially efficient, and several reasons explain why they are currently undersupplied. Diagnosis of the public goods failure associated with particular ecosystem services is critical to the development of the appropriate international response. There are two categories of international environmental public goods that are most likely to be undersupplied. One has an additive supply technology and the other has ...

  12. Robots, Disability, and Good Human Life

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Carnevale

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, I want to show the role that emerging robotic technologies could play in the future in daily life of disabled people. When I talk about disability, I mean any temporary or permanent limitation due to a chronic disease and deficit, as well as, socially disadvantaged conditions, which imply functional and emotional restrictions experienced at any age. All these limitations can be characterized by a specific mental and physical impairment or, more often, by a cluster of medical impairments and social barriers. To this end, the academic literature has generally differentiated between two disability models: 'medical' versus 'social'. The main attempt of this paper consists into showing how the development of robotic technologies — particularly in assistive and healthcare fields — could allow us to go beyond this outdated dichotomy, contributing to create new philosophical premises to rethink the universality of the human condition, that is, the sense of what we intend for 'good human life'.

  13. Students' and teachers' cognitions about good teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beishuizen, J J; Hof, E; van Putten, C M; Bouwmeester, S; Asscher, J J

    2001-06-01

    Good teachers have been studied ever since Plato described how Socrates taught by asking questions of his audience. Recent findings shed light on two characteristics of good teachers: their personality and their ability. However, more attention has been paid to teachers' practices and opinions than to students' views. The study reported here attempted to deepen our understanding of what students think about good teachers. Students of four age groups (7, 10, 13, and 16 years of age) and teachers from primary and secondary schools were asked to write an essay on the good teacher. The correspondence between conceptual items in the essays was investigated by determining the extent to which they were used in the same essays to describe good teachers. Correspondence analysis revealed two dimensions. The first dimension reflected the preference of students and teachers for describing the good teacher in terms of either personality or ability characteristics. The second dimension was interpreted as an orientation in the essays towards either attachment to, detachment from or commitment to school and teachers. Students and teachers were compared to establish the amount of (dis)agreement about what makes a good teacher. Primary school students described good teachers primarily as competent instructors, focusing on transfer of knowledge and skills, whereas secondary school students emphasised relational aspects of good teachers. Teachers, however, considered good teachers in the first place a matter of establishing personal relationships with their students. Consequently, primary school students and teachers disagreed about the characteristics of good teachers. In secondary education, disagreements between teachers and students were relatively small. The research method of collecting free essays and utilising correspondence analysis to represent conceptual items and groups of participants seems promising as long as a theoretical framework is available to interpret the

  14. Rapid uranium analysis by delayed neutron counting of neutron activated samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Papadopoulos, N.N.

    1985-01-01

    The uranium analyzer at the Nuclear Research Center ''Demokritos'' and the delayed neutron method have been used to determine the uranium content in lignite, in chemically enriched samples and in solutions of extractable uranium. The results are compared with data obtained by other methods. In the case of dissolved extractable uranium. The results are in good agreement with X-ray fluorescence data in the range 100 ppm to 2000 ppm while beyond these limits the discrepancies between neutron and spectrophotometric data are observed. The results for lignite samples are in good agreement with gamma spectrometric data. Discrepancies indicate that more extensive intercomparisons are needed to check the reliability of various methods

  15. Nudge for (the Public) Good: How Defaults Can Affect Cooperation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fosgaard, Toke R; Piovesan, Marco

    2015-01-01

    In this paper we test the effect of non-binding defaults on the level of contribution to a public good. We manipulate the default numbers appearing on the decision screen to nudge subjects toward a free-rider strategy or a perfect conditional cooperator strategy. Our results show that the vast majority of our subjects did not adopt the default numbers, but their stated strategy was affected by the default. Moreover, we find that our manipulation spilled over to a subsequent repeated public goods game where default was not manipulated. Here we found that subjects who previously saw the free rider default were significantly less cooperative than those who saw the perfect conditional cooperator default.

  16. Nudge for (the Public Good: How Defaults Can Affect Cooperation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toke R Fosgaard

    Full Text Available In this paper we test the effect of non-binding defaults on the level of contribution to a public good. We manipulate the default numbers appearing on the decision screen to nudge subjects toward a free-rider strategy or a perfect conditional cooperator strategy. Our results show that the vast majority of our subjects did not adopt the default numbers, but their stated strategy was affected by the default. Moreover, we find that our manipulation spilled over to a subsequent repeated public goods game where default was not manipulated. Here we found that subjects who previously saw the free rider default were significantly less cooperative than those who saw the perfect conditional cooperator default.

  17. A Theory of Finitely Durable Goods Monopoly with Used-Goods Market and Transaction Costs

    OpenAIRE

    S. Huang; Y. Yang; K. Anderson

    2001-01-01

    We construct a dynamic game to model a monopoly of finitely durable goods. The solution concept is Markov-perfect equilibria with general equilibria embedded in every time period. Our model is flexible enough to simultaneously explain or accommodate many commonly observed phenomena or stylized facts, such as concurrent leasing and selling, active secondary markets for used goods, heterogeneous consumers, endogenous consumption patterns, depreciation, an infinite time horizon, and nontrivial t...

  18. Good Practices for Transforming Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benavente, Ana; Panchaud, Christine

    2008-01-01

    This text is a guide to the reading and interpretation of the "good practices" that are developing in the countries participating in this project and elsewhere. A systematic approach to the factors making up a "good practice" has enabled us to share our analyses in a more structured manner and to reflect on their potential for…

  19. Why Quorum Sensing Controls Private Goods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Schuster

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Cell-cell communication, also termed quorum sensing (QS, is a widespread process that coordinates gene expression in bacterial populations. The generally accepted view is that QS optimizes the cell density-dependent benefit attained from cooperative behaviors, often in the form of secreted products referred to as “public goods.” This view is challenged by an increasing number of cell-associated products or “private goods” reported to be under QS-control for which a collective benefit is not apparent. A prominent example is nucleoside hydrolase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a periplasmic enzyme that catabolizes adenosine. Several recent studies have shown that private goods can function to stabilize cooperation by co-regulated public goods, seemingly explaining their control by QS. Here we argue that this property is a by-product of selection for other benefits rather than an adaptation. Emphasizing ecophysiological context, we propose alternative explanations for the QS control of private goods. We suggest that the benefit attained from private goods is associated with high cell density, either because a relevant ecological condition correlates with density, or because the private good is, directly or indirectly, involved in cooperative behavior. Our analysis helps guide a systems approach to QS, with implications for antivirulence drug design and synthetic biology.

  20. Everybody needs good neighbours

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoffman, G. [Peabody Energy (United States)

    2006-05-15

    The paper outlines the possibilities for mines to work with surrounding communities to bring about effective land reclamation. Last year Peabody Energy teams reclaimed more than 5000 acres of land and planted nearly 750,000 trees, demonstrating that sustainable development is possible in a way that is compatible with environmental improvement in coal mining. The company has won over 20 awards over the last two years. The North Antelope Rochelle Mine in Wyoming earned a Gold Good Neighbour Award for promoting best practices in environmental conservation and mining education. The Black Mesa and Kayenta mines, which operate on Navajo and Hopi lands in Arizona, were honoured with a Silver Good Neighbour Award and a National Excellence in Mining and Reclamation Award. These mines partnered with the tribes, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and local residents to give residents access to grazing land still under Peabody's control. The Farmersburg Mine in Indiana received the Bronze Good Neighbour Award for commitment to industry education and outreach activities. 5 photos.

  1. A Method for Choosing the Best Samples for Mars Sample Return.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, Peter R; Sephton, Mark A

    2018-05-01

    Success of a future Mars Sample Return mission will depend on the correct choice of samples. Pyrolysis-FTIR can be employed as a triage instrument for Mars Sample Return. The technique can thermally dissociate minerals and organic matter for detection. Identification of certain mineral types can determine the habitability of the depositional environment, past or present, while detection of organic matter may suggest past or present habitation. In Mars' history, the Theiikian era represents an attractive target for life search missions and the acquisition of samples. The acidic and increasingly dry Theiikian may have been habitable and followed a lengthy neutral and wet period in Mars' history during which life could have originated and proliferated to achieve relatively abundant levels of biomass with a wide distribution. Moreover, the sulfate minerals produced in the Theiikian are also known to be good preservers of organic matter. We have used pyrolysis-FTIR and samples from a Mars analog ferrous acid stream with a thriving ecosystem to test the triage concept. Pyrolysis-FTIR identified those samples with the greatest probability of habitability and habitation. A three-tier scoring system was developed based on the detection of (i) organic signals, (ii) carbon dioxide and water, and (iii) sulfur dioxide. The presence of each component was given a score of A, B, or C depending on whether the substance had been detected, tentatively detected, or not detected, respectively. Single-step (for greatest possible sensitivity) or multistep (for more diagnostic data) pyrolysis-FTIR methods informed the assignments. The system allowed the highest-priority samples to be categorized as AAA (or A*AA if the organic signal was complex), while the lowest-priority samples could be categorized as CCC. Our methods provide a mechanism with which to rank samples and identify those that should take the highest priority for return to Earth during a Mars Sample Return mission. Key Words

  2. Implementation of antimicrobial peptides for sample preparation prior to nucleic acid amplification in point-of-care settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krõlov, Katrin; Uusna, Julia; Grellier, Tiia; Andresen, Liis; Jevtuševskaja, Jekaterina; Tulp, Indrek; Langel, Ülo

    2017-12-01

    A variety of sample preparation techniques are used prior to nucleic acid amplification. However, their efficiency is not always sufficient and nucleic acid purification remains the preferred method for template preparation. Purification is difficult and costly to apply in point-of-care (POC) settings and there is a strong need for more robust, rapid, and efficient biological sample preparation techniques in molecular diagnostics. Here, the authors applied antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) for urine sample preparation prior to isothermal loop-mediated amplification (LAMP). AMPs bind to many microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses causing disruption of their membrane integrity and facilitate nucleic acid release. The authors show that incubation of E. coli with antimicrobial peptide cecropin P1 for 5 min had a significant effect on the availability of template DNA compared with untreated or even heat treated samples resulting in up to six times increase of the amplification efficiency. These results show that AMPs treatment is a very efficient sample preparation technique that is suitable for application prior to nucleic acid amplification directly within biological samples. Furthermore, the entire process of AMPs treatment was performed at room temperature for 5 min thereby making it a good candidate for use in POC applications.

  3. Metal-organic frameworks for analytical chemistry: from sample collection to chromatographic separation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Zhi-Yuan; Yang, Cheng-Xiong; Chang, Na; Yan, Xiu-Ping

    2012-05-15

    In modern analytical chemistry researchers pursue novel materials to meet analytical challenges such as improvements in sensitivity, selectivity, and detection limit. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are an emerging class of microporous materials, and their unusual properties such as high surface area, good thermal stability, uniform structured nanoscale cavities, and the availability of in-pore functionality and outer-surface modification are attractive for diverse analytical applications. This Account summarizes our research on the analytical applications of MOFs ranging from sampling to chromatographic separation. MOFs have been either directly used or engineered to meet the demands of various analytical applications. Bulk MOFs with microsized crystals are convenient sorbents for direct application to in-field sampling and solid-phase extraction. Quartz tubes packed with MOF-5 have shown excellent stability, adsorption efficiency, and reproducibility for in-field sampling and trapping of atmospheric formaldehyde. The 2D copper(II) isonicotinate packed microcolumn has demonstrated large enhancement factors and good shape- and size-selectivity when applied to on-line solid-phase extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples. We have explored the molecular sieving effect of MOFs for the efficient enrichment of peptides with simultaneous exclusion of proteins from biological fluids. These results show promise for the future of MOFs in peptidomics research. Moreover, nanosized MOFs and engineered thin films of MOFs are promising materials as novel coatings for solid-phase microextraction. We have developed an in situ hydrothermal growth approach to fabricate thin films of MOF-199 on etched stainless steel wire for solid-phase microextraction of volatile benzene homologues with large enhancement factors and wide linearity. Their high thermal stability and easy-to-engineer nanocrystals make MOFs attractive as new stationary phases to fabricate MOF

  4. Determination of the Cl, Mg, Mn and Na, in samples of Tradescantia pallida

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rossi, Joao Guilherme G.A.; Saiki, Mitiko

    2009-01-01

    The growing number of industries and automotive vehicles are causing the increase of the air pollution. Less expensive methodologies are been studying for the evaluation of these pollution levels. This work evaluates the concentrations of Cl, Mg, Mn and Na, present in the leaves of Tradescantia pallida viewing validation of the specie for use in the bio monitoring of the air pollution. Those leaves were collected and analysed using the short irradiation of the neutron activation analysis technique. The certified reference material INCT-MPH-2 Mixed Polish Herbs were analysed for the quality control of the results and presented very good accuracy, with relative errors less than 4.2 %, and good precision less than 8.7 %. The element concentrations (in μg g -1 ) obtained in the T. pallida samples analysed showed variation from 2324 to 33897 for Cl, from 3602 to 14450 for Mg, from 132 to 314 for Mn, and 21 to 615 for Na. Values obtained in the analyses of Tradescantia present great variability in the element concentrations. The short irradiation showed to be appropriated for determination of the elements studied in the bio monitoring of air pollution

  5. Business Climate and Good Governance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Besmira Manaj

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper consists of three factors, namely: Good Governance, Business Climate and Corruption. How they affect the development product of Albania, not only as a concept, and a principle but mostly as a sensitive aspect in the integration process. There are some interpretations of this concept, but I intend to analyze the key factors and actors, their cooperation and concrete production in society. Improving governance is necessary to have an integrated long term strategy based upon a continuous cooperation between institutions and citizens. But in developing countries like Albania there are some important questions such as: How can we measure the improvement of Good Governance through policies? Has Good Governance indicated an effective way for the sustainable development? (Meisel, 2008, 6. These question give us the orientation to reflect about the process of development, social economic political behavior and how this multidimensional is transformed in product of good governance. The business cycle is strongly connected with many aspects of political-, social-, juridical aspects and good governance. Despite attempts to draft law regulations, the level of corruption and informality in Albania continues to be a major obstacle. The credibility level in the implementation of law is an indicator that affects democratization and institutional integration. At present, different reports of international institutions, define Albania as the country with the highest level of Corruption in the Balkans, which is a key factor influencing business. The ways with

  6. Sport Sampling Is Associated With Improved Landing Technique in Youth Athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DiStefano, Lindsay J; Beltz, Eleanor M; Root, Hayley J; Martinez, Jessica C; Houghton, Andrew; Taranto, Nicole; Pearce, Katherine; McConnell, Erin; Muscat, Courtney; Boyle, Steve; Trojian, Thomas H

    Sport sampling is recommended to promote fundamental movement skill acquisition and physical activity. In contrast, sport specialization is associated with musculoskeletal injury risk, burnout, and attrition from sport. There is limited evidence to support the influence of sport sampling on neuromuscular control, which is associated with injury risk, in youth athletes. Athletes who participated in only 1 sport during the previous year would demonstrate higher Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) scores than their counterparts. Cross-sectional study. Level 3. A total of 355 youth athletes (age range, 8-14 years) completed a test session with a jump-landing task, which was evaluated using the LESS. Participants were categorized as single sport (SS) or multisport (MS) based on their self-reported sport participation in the past year. Their duration of sport sampling (low, moderate, high) was determined based on their sport participation history. Participants were dichotomized into good (LESS sampling duration (low, moderate, high). The MS group was 2.5 times (95% CI, 1.9-3.1) as likely to be categorized as having good control compared with the SS group (χ 2 (355) = 10.10, P sampling duration group were 5.8 times (95% CI, 3.1-8.5) and 5.4 times (95% CI, 4.0-6.8) as likely to be categorized as having good control compared with the moderate and low groups (χ 2 (216) = 11.20, P sampling at a young age is associated with improved neuromuscular control, which may reduce injury risk in youth athletes. Youth athletes should be encouraged to try participating in multiple sports to enhance their neuromuscular control and promote long-term physical activity.

  7. Sensor-triggered sampling to determine instantaneous airborne vapor exposure concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Philip A; Simmons, Michael K; Toone, Phillip

    2018-06-01

    It is difficult to measure transient airborne exposure peaks by means of integrated sampling for organic chemical vapors, even with very short-duration sampling. Selection of an appropriate time to measure an exposure peak through integrated sampling is problematic, and short-duration time-weighted average (TWA) values obtained with integrated sampling are not likely to accurately determine actual peak concentrations attained when concentrations fluctuate rapidly. Laboratory analysis for integrated exposure samples is preferred from a certainty standpoint over results derived in the field from a sensor, as a sensor user typically must overcome specificity issues and a number of potential interfering factors to obtain similarly reliable data. However, sensors are currently needed to measure intra-exposure period concentration variations (i.e., exposure peaks). In this article, the digitized signal from a photoionization detector (PID) sensor triggered collection of whole-air samples when toluene or trichloroethylene vapors attained pre-determined levels in a laboratory atmosphere generation system. Analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of whole-air samples (with both 37 and 80% relative humidity) collected using the triggering mechanism with rapidly increasing vapor concentrations showed good agreement with the triggering set point values. Whole-air samples (80% relative humidity) in canisters demonstrated acceptable 17-day storage recoveries, and acceptable precision and bias were obtained. The ability to determine exceedance of a ceiling or peak exposure standard by laboratory analysis of an instantaneously collected sample, and to simultaneously provide a calibration point to verify the correct operation of a sensor was demonstrated. This latter detail may increase the confidence in reliability of sensor data obtained across an entire exposure period.

  8. Novel polypyrrole films with excellent crystallinity and good thermal stability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeeju, Pullarkat P.; Varma, Sreekanth J.; Francis Xavier, Puthampadath A.; Sajimol, Augustine M.; Jayalekshmi, Sankaran

    2012-01-01

    Polypyrrole has drawn a lot of interest due to its high thermal and environmental stability in addition to high electrical conductivity. The present work highlights the enhanced crystallinity of polypyrrole films prepared from the redoped sample solution. Initially hydrochloric acid doped polypyrrole was prepared by chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole using ammonium peroxidisulphate as oxidant. The doped polypyrrole was dedoped using ammonia solution and then redoped with camphor sulphonic acid. Films were coated on ultrasonically cleaned glass substrates from the redoped sample solution in meta-cresol. The enhanced crystallinity of the polypyrrole films has been established from X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The room temperature electrical conductivity of the redoped polypyrrole film is about 30 times higher than that of the hydrochloric acid doped pellet sample. The results of Raman spectroscopy, Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the samples support the enhancement in crystallinity. Percentage crystallinity of the samples is estimated from XRD and DSC data. The present work is significant, since crystallinity of films is an important parameter for selecting polymers for specific applications. - Highlights: ► Polypyrrole films redoped with CSA have been prepared from meta-cresol solution. ► The solution casted films exhibit semi-crystallinity and good thermal stability. ► Percentage crystallinity estimated using XRD and DSC analysis is about 65%. ► Raman studies support the enhancement in crystallinity based on XRD and DSC data. ► The conductivity of the film is 30 times higher than that of HCl doped sample.

  9. Novel polypyrrole films with excellent crystallinity and good thermal stability

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeeju, Pullarkat P., E-mail: jeejupp@gmail.com [Division for Research in Advanced Materials, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin-22, Kerala (India); Varma, Sreekanth J.; Francis Xavier, Puthampadath A.; Sajimol, Augustine M. [Division for Research in Advanced Materials, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin-22, Kerala (India); Jayalekshmi, Sankaran, E-mail: jayalekshmi@cusat.ac.in [Division for Research in Advanced Materials, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin-22, Kerala (India)

    2012-06-15

    Polypyrrole has drawn a lot of interest due to its high thermal and environmental stability in addition to high electrical conductivity. The present work highlights the enhanced crystallinity of polypyrrole films prepared from the redoped sample solution. Initially hydrochloric acid doped polypyrrole was prepared by chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole using ammonium peroxidisulphate as oxidant. The doped polypyrrole was dedoped using ammonia solution and then redoped with camphor sulphonic acid. Films were coated on ultrasonically cleaned glass substrates from the redoped sample solution in meta-cresol. The enhanced crystallinity of the polypyrrole films has been established from X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The room temperature electrical conductivity of the redoped polypyrrole film is about 30 times higher than that of the hydrochloric acid doped pellet sample. The results of Raman spectroscopy, Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the samples support the enhancement in crystallinity. Percentage crystallinity of the samples is estimated from XRD and DSC data. The present work is significant, since crystallinity of films is an important parameter for selecting polymers for specific applications. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Polypyrrole films redoped with CSA have been prepared from meta-cresol solution. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The solution casted films exhibit semi-crystallinity and good thermal stability. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Percentage crystallinity estimated using XRD and DSC analysis is about 65%. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Raman studies support the enhancement in crystallinity based on XRD and DSC data. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The conductivity of the film is 30 times higher than that of HCl doped sample.

  10. Data splitting for artificial neural networks using SOM-based stratified sampling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    May, R J; Maier, H R; Dandy, G C

    2010-03-01

    Data splitting is an important consideration during artificial neural network (ANN) development where hold-out cross-validation is commonly employed to ensure generalization. Even for a moderate sample size, the sampling methodology used for data splitting can have a significant effect on the quality of the subsets used for training, testing and validating an ANN. Poor data splitting can result in inaccurate and highly variable model performance; however, the choice of sampling methodology is rarely given due consideration by ANN modellers. Increased confidence in the sampling is of paramount importance, since the hold-out sampling is generally performed only once during ANN development. This paper considers the variability in the quality of subsets that are obtained using different data splitting approaches. A novel approach to stratified sampling, based on Neyman sampling of the self-organizing map (SOM), is developed, with several guidelines identified for setting the SOM size and sample allocation in order to minimize the bias and variance in the datasets. Using an example ANN function approximation task, the SOM-based approach is evaluated in comparison to random sampling, DUPLEX, systematic stratified sampling, and trial-and-error sampling to minimize the statistical differences between data sets. Of these approaches, DUPLEX is found to provide benchmark performance with good model performance, with no variability. The results show that the SOM-based approach also reliably generates high-quality samples and can therefore be used with greater confidence than other approaches, especially in the case of non-uniform datasets, with the benefit of scalability to perform data splitting on large datasets. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Provenance validation of polished rice samples using nuclear and isotopic analytical techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pabroa, P.C.B.; Sucgang, R.J.; Mendoza, N.D.S.; Ebihara, M.; Peña, M.

    2015-01-01

    Rice (Oryza sativa) has been considered the best staple food among all cereals and is the staple food for over 3 billion people, constituting over half of the world’s population. Elemental and isotopic analysis revealed variance between Philippine and Japanese rice. Rice samples collected in Japan and in the Philippines (market survey samples from Metro Manila, and farm harvests from Aklan province and Central Luzon) were washed, dried and ground to fine powder. Elemental analyses of the samples were carried out using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) while isotopic signatures of the samples were determined using the isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). Results show that compared with the unpolished rice standard NIES CRM10b, the polished Japanese and Philippine rice sampled show reduced concentrations of elements by as much as 1/10. 1/4 , 1/5 and 1/3 for Mg, Mn, K and Na, respectively. Levels of Ca and Zn are not greatly affected. Arsenic, probably introduced from fertilizers used in rice fields is found in all the Japanese rice tested at an average concentration of 0.103 μg/g and three out of four of the Philippine rice at an average concentration of 0.70μg/g. Higher levels of Br seen in two of the Philippine rice at 14 and 34μg/g indicated probable contamination source from the pesticide methyl bromide during quarantine. Good correlation of isotopic signatures with geographical location of polished, but not for unpolished, rice samples from Central Luzon and Aklan indicated that provenance studies are best done on polished rice samples. Isotopic with of ω’”13C show signature that of a C3 plant with possible narrow distinguishable signature with Japanese rice falling within -27.5 to -28.5 while Philippine rice within -29 to -30. Rice provenance can be ascertained using elemental analysis and isotopic abundance determination as shown by the study.(author)

  12. Phase contrast STEM for thin samples: Integrated differential phase contrast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lazić, Ivan; Bosch, Eric G.T.; Lazar, Sorin

    2016-01-01

    It has been known since the 1970s that the movement of the center of mass (COM) of a convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) pattern is linearly related to the (projected) electrical field in the sample. We re-derive a contrast transfer function (CTF) for a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging technique based on this movement from the point of view of image formation and continue by performing a two-dimensional integration on the two images based on the two components of the COM movement. The resulting integrated COM (iCOM) STEM technique yields a scalar image that is linear in the phase shift caused by the sample and therefore also in the local (projected) electrostatic potential field of a thin sample. We confirm that the differential phase contrast (DPC) STEM technique using a segmented detector with 4 quadrants (4Q) yields a good approximation for the COM movement. Performing a two-dimensional integration, just as for the COM, we obtain an integrated DPC (iDPC) image which is approximately linear in the phase of the sample. Beside deriving the CTFs of iCOM and iDPC, we clearly point out the objects of the two corresponding imaging techniques, and highlight the differences to objects corresponding to COM-, DPC-, and (HA) ADF-STEM. The theory is validated with simulations and we present first experimental results of the iDPC-STEM technique showing its capability for imaging both light and heavy elements with atomic resolution and a good signal to noise ratio (SNR). - Highlights: • First DPC-based atomic resolution images of potential and charge density are obtained. • This is enabled by integration and differentiation of 2D DPC signals, respectively. • Integrated DPC (iDPC) based on 4 quadrant imaging is compared to iCOM imaging. • Noise analysis and comparison with standard STEM imaging modes is provided. • iDPC allows direct imaging of light (C, N, O …) and heavy (Ga, Au …) atoms together.

  13. Phase contrast STEM for thin samples: Integrated differential phase contrast

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lazić, Ivan, E-mail: ivan.lazic@fei.com; Bosch, Eric G.T.; Lazar, Sorin

    2016-01-15

    It has been known since the 1970s that the movement of the center of mass (COM) of a convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) pattern is linearly related to the (projected) electrical field in the sample. We re-derive a contrast transfer function (CTF) for a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging technique based on this movement from the point of view of image formation and continue by performing a two-dimensional integration on the two images based on the two components of the COM movement. The resulting integrated COM (iCOM) STEM technique yields a scalar image that is linear in the phase shift caused by the sample and therefore also in the local (projected) electrostatic potential field of a thin sample. We confirm that the differential phase contrast (DPC) STEM technique using a segmented detector with 4 quadrants (4Q) yields a good approximation for the COM movement. Performing a two-dimensional integration, just as for the COM, we obtain an integrated DPC (iDPC) image which is approximately linear in the phase of the sample. Beside deriving the CTFs of iCOM and iDPC, we clearly point out the objects of the two corresponding imaging techniques, and highlight the differences to objects corresponding to COM-, DPC-, and (HA) ADF-STEM. The theory is validated with simulations and we present first experimental results of the iDPC-STEM technique showing its capability for imaging both light and heavy elements with atomic resolution and a good signal to noise ratio (SNR). - Highlights: • First DPC-based atomic resolution images of potential and charge density are obtained. • This is enabled by integration and differentiation of 2D DPC signals, respectively. • Integrated DPC (iDPC) based on 4 quadrant imaging is compared to iCOM imaging. • Noise analysis and comparison with standard STEM imaging modes is provided. • iDPC allows direct imaging of light (C, N, O …) and heavy (Ga, Au …) atoms together.

  14. 19 CFR 10.594 - Originating goods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... States Free Trade Agreement Rules of Origin § 10.594 Originating goods. Except as otherwise provided in... good otherwise satisfies any applicable regional value content or other requirements specified in...

  15. Quantitative analysis of light elements in thick samples by PIGE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mateus, R.; Jesus, A.P.; Ribeiro, J.P.

    2004-01-01

    PIGE analysis of thick and intermediate samples is usually performed with the help of standards, but this method gives only good results when the standard is very similar to the sample to be analysed. In this work, we present an alternative method for PIGE analysis of light elements in thick samples. This method is based on a code that integrates the nuclear reaction excitation function along the depth of the sample. For the integration procedure the sample is divided in sublayers, defined by the energy steps that were used to measure accurately the excitation function. This function is used as input. Within each sublayer the stopping power cross-sections may be assumed as constant. With these two conditions the calculus of the contribution of each sublayer for the total yield becomes an easy task. This work presents results for the analysis of lithium, boron, fluorine and sodium in thick samples. For this purpose, excitation functions of the reactions 7 Li(p,p ' γ) 7 Li, 19 F(p,p ' γ) 19 F, 10 B(p,αγ) 7 Be and 23 Na(p,p ' γ) 23 Na were employed. Calculated γ-ray yields were compared, at several proton energy values, with experimental yields for thick samples made of inorganic compounds of the referred elements. The agreement is better than 7.5%. Taking into consideration the experimental uncertainty of the measured yields and the errors related to the stopping power values used, this agreement shows that effects as the beam energy straggling, ignored in the calculation, seem to play a minor role

  16. Determination of mercury in biologycal samples by radiochemical neutron activation analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suc, N.V.

    1989-01-01

    The radiochemical neutron activation analysis was applied to determine contents of mercury in biological samples. Samples were digested in mixing of H 2 SO 4 and HNO 3 acid. After extraction of mercury by Ni-Ditiodietylphosphoric acid in carbontetrachloride, mercury was back extracted by 5% KI solution. Contents of mercury from five samples of fish was determined by this method. The accuracy of the method was checked by comparing it with NBS standard samples and results are good agreement

  17. Respondent-Driven Sampling – Testing Assumptions: Sampling with Replacement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barash Vladimir D.

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Classical Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS estimators are based on a Markov Process model in which sampling occurs with replacement. Given that respondents generally cannot be interviewed more than once, this assumption is counterfactual. We join recent work by Gile and Handcock in exploring the implications of the sampling-with-replacement assumption for bias of RDS estimators. We differ from previous studies in examining a wider range of sampling fractions and in using not only simulations but also formal proofs. One key finding is that RDS estimates are surprisingly stable even in the presence of substantial sampling fractions. Our analyses show that the sampling-with-replacement assumption is a minor contributor to bias for sampling fractions under 40%, and bias is negligible for the 20% or smaller sampling fractions typical of field applications of RDS.

  18. Good performance in nuclear projects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1989-01-01

    The nuclear industry has demonstrated good performance in many areas relating to the design, engineering, construction and operation of nuclear facilities. This report of an international symposium held in Tokyo highlights examples of good performance in nuclear projects which can aid the industry in seeking even better performance, thus strengthening the contribution nuclear energy can make to sustainable economic growth

  19. Effect of rootstock on the scion of Hevea brasiliensis through metabolic analysis of latex samples by 1H NMR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo Sanches Pereira do Nascimento

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, the effect of rootstock on grafting through metabolomic analysis of latex (Hevea brasiliensis samples was verified by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR and multivariate data analysis. Sixteen metabolites present in the latex cytosol were characterized by NMR. PCA analysis showed that the latex samples of the RR and GR groups can be differentiated. The GR group samples present a metabolic profile similar to the RR group samples, while the RG group is in an intermediate position between RR and GG groups. Sucrose and formate contributed greatly to the separation obtained by PCA, presenting a good correlation between the results. 1H NMR was an efficient technique to differentiate latex samples from different types of rootstocks and grafting and in the future could be used to predict rubber production by latex analysis.

  20. ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT OF SOME COPPER BASED FUNGICIDES ACCORDING TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marga GRĂDILĂ

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents data demonstrating the functionality of biological systems reconstituted with aquatic organisms developed under Good Laboratory Practice testing facility within Research - Development Institute for Plant Protection Bucharest for environmental risk assessment of four fungicides based on copper, according to Good Laboratory Practice requirements. For risk assessment, according to GLP were made the following steps: Good Laboratory Practice test facility was established, we have ensured adequate space for growth, acclimatization and testing for each test species, it was installed a complex water production instalation needed to perform tests, it was achieved control system for checking environmental conditions and have developed specific operating procedures that have been accredited according to Good Laboratory Practice.The results showed that biological systems model of the Good Laboratory Practice test facility in Research - Development Institute for Plant Protection meet the requirements of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Guidelines regarding GLP, and after testing copper-based fungicides in terms of acute toxicity Cyprinus carpio and to Daphnia magna revealed that three of them (copper oxychloride, copper hydroxide and copper sulphate showed ecological efficiency, ie low toxicity. Metallic copper based fungicides showed a higher toxicity, resulting in fish toxicity symptoms: sleep, sudden immersion, faded, weakness, swimming in spiral, lack of balance, breathing slow and cumbersome, spasms and mortality.

  1. Gene expression signature in organized and growth arrested mammaryacini predicts good outcome in breast cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fournier, Marcia V.; Martin, Katherine J.; Kenny, Paraic A.; Xhaja, Kris; Bosch, Irene; Yaswen, Paul; Bissell, Mina J.

    2006-02-08

    To understand how non-malignant human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) transit from a disorganized proliferating to an organized growth arrested state, and to relate this process to the changes that occur in breast cancer, we studied gene expression changes in non-malignant HMEC grown in three-dimensional cultures, and in a previously published panel of microarray data for 295 breast cancer samples. We hypothesized that the gene expression pattern of organized and growth arrested mammary acini would share similarities with breast tumors with good prognoses. Using Affymetrix HG-U133A microarrays, we analyzed the expression of 22,283 gene transcripts in two HMEC cell lines, 184 (finite life span) and HMT3522 S1 (immortal non-malignant), on successive days post-seeding in a laminin-rich extracellular matrix assay. Both HMECs underwent growth arrest in G0/G1 and differentiated into polarized acini between days 5 and 7. We identified gene expression changes with the same temporal pattern in both lines. We show that genes that are significantly lower in the organized, growth arrested HMEC than in their proliferating counterparts can be used to classify breast cancer patients into poor and good prognosis groups with high accuracy. This study represents a novel unsupervised approach to identifying breast cancer markers that may be of use clinically.

  2. Exact goodness-of-fit tests for Markov chains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Besag, J; Mondal, D

    2013-06-01

    Goodness-of-fit tests are useful in assessing whether a statistical model is consistent with available data. However, the usual χ² asymptotics often fail, either because of the paucity of the data or because a nonstandard test statistic is of interest. In this article, we describe exact goodness-of-fit tests for first- and higher order Markov chains, with particular attention given to time-reversible ones. The tests are obtained by conditioning on the sufficient statistics for the transition probabilities and are implemented by simple Monte Carlo sampling or by Markov chain Monte Carlo. They apply both to single and to multiple sequences and allow a free choice of test statistic. Three examples are given. The first concerns multiple sequences of dry and wet January days for the years 1948-1983 at Snoqualmie Falls, Washington State, and suggests that standard analysis may be misleading. The second one is for a four-state DNA sequence and lends support to the original conclusion that a second-order Markov chain provides an adequate fit to the data. The last one is six-state atomistic data arising in molecular conformational dynamics simulation of solvated alanine dipeptide and points to strong evidence against a first-order reversible Markov chain at 6 picosecond time steps. © 2013, The International Biometric Society.

  3. “All the good and nothing less”: Consumption of Luxury Goods among the bottom of the pyramid

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danielle Soutilha de Souza

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The Brazilian middle class has undergone significant growth in recent years accounting for 52% of the population. Precisely because of this phenomenon, we became interested in this research that is focused on women living in Rio de Janeiro. Although there are many recent research in marketing about the consumer habits of this class, mainly due to the increase in their purchasing power, the particularities of the various groups within this large mass and how they behave in face of consumption expected from social elites, such as luxury goods was under explored. This research aims to contribute to a more detailed exploration on this population. In order to observe the production of knowledge and the process of identity construction of women surveyed, the theme was the consumption of luxury goods. Three categories are presented relevant: Luxury, Luxury at Day by Day and Dream and Consumption, which bring distinct and complementary information for a better understanding of the analyzed group. Although traditional theories about luxury present social status, differentiation and hedonism as main reasons for the consumption of these objects, other relevant aspects were observed for this type of consumer, the family being the great arena where most of the social and economic relations happen. The research also shows the development of a peculiar look to fashion by the study group being key to understanding what is luxury. The results of this study show the richness of practices and meanings of consumption within the same group and the importance of a qualitative look for academics and managers in the field of marketing to really understand the phenomena of consumption in modern societies, especially societies that are having a great social and economic development as Brazil.

  4. Good Teachers, Good Schools: How to Create a Successful School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hudson, David

    2009-01-01

    "Good schools think 'with' people and not 'to' people" argues David Hudson in this thought provoking practical guide for those wanting to bridge the gap between middle and senior management roles, and make a difference in their schools. Accessibly and engagingly written and packed with real-life examples, this book will prove essential…

  5. Niacin to Boost Your HDL "Good" Cholesterol

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niacin can boost 'good' cholesterol Niacin is a B vitamin that may raise your HDL ("good") cholesterol. But side effects might outweigh benefits for most ... been used to increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol — the "good" cholesterol that helps remove low-density ...

  6. Consumer Right to Information before Purchase: Research on the Romanian Online Stores for Technical Consumer Goods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carmen Balan

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The goal of the present paper is to evaluate the status of the protection of consumer right to information before the purchase from Romanian online stores. The perspective focuses on technical consumer goods. The research pursued two major objectives. The former consisted in analysing the compliance of the online stores with the provisions of article 6 paragraph 1 of the Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights, relative to the information provided to potential buyers before the purchase. The latter was to identify the consumer awareness of the rights stipulated by article 6 of the directive, as well as to study the opinions of consumers relative to the information that online stores are compelled to supply before purchase. The first objective was accomplished by applying the content analysis method to the information available on the Web for a sample of 100 online stores. The second objective was achieved through the survey method on a sample of 351 persons from the 25 to 34 age group, residing in Bucharest. Compared to other studies, the major contributions of the present research approach are the following: the investigation of an extensive sample of online stores; the wider range of products; the focus on both online stores and consumers. The results show that improvements are needed in the level of compliance and in the consumer awareness of own rights.

  7. The ESDP and Good Practices of Local Development in Peripheral Areas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gallina, Andrea; Capecchi, Vittorio

    shows that the EU documents concerned with spatial planning and regional development suffer from a strong ambiguity in the choice of the development model (either neoliberal or solidaristic economy) both within Europe and in relation with Third countries. Through the analysis of selected good practices...

  8. Application of Taguchi L16 design method for comparative study of ability of 3A zeolite in removal of Rhodamine B and Malachite green from environmental water samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahmani, Mashaallah; Kaykhaii, Massoud; Sasani, Mojtaba

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate the efficiency of 3A zeolite as a novel adsorbent for removal of Rhodamine B and Malachite green dyes from water samples. To increase the removal efficiency, effecting parameters on adsorption process were investigated and optimized by adopting Taguchi design of experiments approach. The percentage contribution of each parameter on the removal of Rhodamine B and Malachite green dyes determined using ANOVA and showed that the most effective parameters in removal of RhB and MG by 3A zeolite are initial concentration of dye and pH, respectively. Under optimized condition, the amount predicted by Taguchi design method and the value obtained experimentally, showed good closeness (more than 94.86%). Good adsorption efficiency obtained for proposed methods indicates that, the 3A zeolite is capable to remove the significant amounts of Rhodamine B and Malachite green from environmental water samples.

  9. Continuous-Time Public Good Contribution Under Uncertainty: A Stochastic Control Approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferrari, Giorgio; Riedel, Frank; Steg, Jan-Henrik

    2017-01-01

    In this paper we study continuous-time stochastic control problems with both monotone and classical controls motivated by the so-called public good contribution problem. That is the problem of n economic agents aiming to maximize their expected utility allocating initial wealth over a given time period between private consumption and irreversible contributions to increase the level of some public good. We investigate the corresponding social planner problem and the case of strategic interaction between the agents, i.e. the public good contribution game. We show existence and uniqueness of the social planner’s optimal policy, we characterize it by necessary and sufficient stochastic Kuhn–Tucker conditions and we provide its expression in terms of the unique optional solution of a stochastic backward equation. Similar stochastic first order conditions prove to be very useful for studying any Nash equilibria of the public good contribution game. In the symmetric case they allow us to prove (qualitative) uniqueness of the Nash equilibrium, which we again construct as the unique optional solution of a stochastic backward equation. We finally also provide a detailed analysis of the so-called free rider effect.

  10. Continuous-Time Public Good Contribution Under Uncertainty: A Stochastic Control Approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ferrari, Giorgio, E-mail: giorgio.ferrari@uni-bielefeld.de; Riedel, Frank, E-mail: frank.riedel@uni-bielefeld.de; Steg, Jan-Henrik, E-mail: jsteg@uni-bielefeld.de [Bielefeld University, Center for Mathematical Economics (Germany)

    2017-06-15

    In this paper we study continuous-time stochastic control problems with both monotone and classical controls motivated by the so-called public good contribution problem. That is the problem of n economic agents aiming to maximize their expected utility allocating initial wealth over a given time period between private consumption and irreversible contributions to increase the level of some public good. We investigate the corresponding social planner problem and the case of strategic interaction between the agents, i.e. the public good contribution game. We show existence and uniqueness of the social planner’s optimal policy, we characterize it by necessary and sufficient stochastic Kuhn–Tucker conditions and we provide its expression in terms of the unique optional solution of a stochastic backward equation. Similar stochastic first order conditions prove to be very useful for studying any Nash equilibria of the public good contribution game. In the symmetric case they allow us to prove (qualitative) uniqueness of the Nash equilibrium, which we again construct as the unique optional solution of a stochastic backward equation. We finally also provide a detailed analysis of the so-called free rider effect.

  11. Monitoring of BTX by passive sampling in Hat Yai

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Proespichaya Kanatharana

    2004-02-01

    Full Text Available Laboratory-built passive samplers were used for monitoring of trace benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX in Hat Yai from 28 July to 12 August, 2003. Sampler bottles contained activated Tenax TA 60/80 meshand a lab-built thermal well were developed and evaluated for the sampling and analysis of BTX. The sampling was carried out for two weeks before the passive samplers were thermally desorbed, trapped ina sampling loop by a laboratory built purge and trap system and analysed by gas chromatography (GC equipped with a flame ionization detector. After optimization and calibration, the developed method showed high selectivity, a good sensitivity with detection limits for BTX of 0.8, 1.1 and 13.0 µg/m3 respectively and an acceptable precision. Ambient BTX measurements were conducted at many monitoring site i.e. hot spots (high exposure, residential areas/work places (common exposure and park (low exposure. The concentration at hot spots range from 3.2 to 5.4 µg/m3 for benzene, 38.0 to 80.3 µg/m3 for toluene and 29.7 to 66.7 µg/m3 for xylene.The low BTX were found at the city periphery (Tesco-Lotus billboard sampling stations, roof level and in Hat Yai Municipal Park but no absolute background concentration could be defined. The monitoring results showed that at higher level from the street surface, the level of BTX tended to decrease and the BTX pollution built up along a street canyon (Sanehanuson Road according to the wind direction. The highest BTX were found at the underground parking, 23.5 725.1 and 267.9 µg/m3 respectively where both WHO guideline for Benzene (16.3 µg/m3 and Toluene (260 µg/m3 were exceeded.

  12. 40 CFR 1065.145 - Gaseous and PM probes, transfer lines, and sampling system components.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Scrubber. You may use ammonia scrubbers for any or all gaseous sampling systems to prevent interference.... Follow the ammonia scrubber manufacturer's recommendations or use good engineering judgment in applying ammonia scrubbers. (f) Optional sample-conditioning components for PM sampling. You may use the following...

  13. Further constraints on the evolution of K-s-selected galaxies in the GOODS/CDFS field

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Caputi, KI; McLure, RJ; Dunlop, JS; Cirasuolo, M; Schael, AM

    2006-01-01

    We have selected and analysed the properties of a sample of 2905 K-s <21.5 galaxies in similar to 131 arcmin(2) of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS), to obtain further constraints on the evolution of K-s-selected galaxies with respect to the results

  14. BEHAVIOR OF THE ROMANIAN GREEN GOODS CONSUMERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirela-Cristina VOICU

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Marketing has put forward for a long time the fact that any activity conducted in an organization should consider an intimate knowledge of the client, and a close look at the green marketing practices used over time shows that eco-friendly products should be positioned in relation to those attributes looked for by the involved consumers. In this context, the following paper reveals some important aspects regarding the Romanian green market and the characteristics of the green consumer behavior together with solutions that marketers can apply to stimulate the consumption of green goods.

  15. Diagnostic accuracy of language sample measures with Persian-speaking preschool children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kazemi, Yalda; Klee, Thomas; Stringer, Helen

    2015-04-01

    This study examined the diagnostic accuracy of selected language sample measures (LSMs) with Persian-speaking children. A pre-accuracy study followed by phase I and II studies are reported. Twenty-four Persian-speaking children, aged 42 to 54 months, with primary language impairment (PLI) were compared to 27 age-matched children without PLI on a set of measures derived from play-based, conversational language samples. Results showed that correlations between age and LSMs were not statistically significant in either group of children. However, a majority of LSMs differentiated children with and without PLI at the group level (phase I), while three of the measures exhibited good diagnostic accuracy at the level of the individual (phase II). We conclude that general LSMs are promising for distinguishing between children with and without PLI. Persian-specific measures are mainly helpful in identifying children without language impairment while their ability to identify children with PLI is poor.

  16. Porosity estimation by semi-supervised learning with sparsely available labeled samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lima, Luiz Alberto; Görnitz, Nico; Varella, Luiz Eduardo; Vellasco, Marley; Müller, Klaus-Robert; Nakajima, Shinichi

    2017-09-01

    This paper addresses the porosity estimation problem from seismic impedance volumes and porosity samples located in a small group of exploratory wells. Regression methods, trained on the impedance as inputs and the porosity as output labels, generally suffer from extremely expensive (and hence sparsely available) porosity samples. To optimally make use of the valuable porosity data, a semi-supervised machine learning method was proposed, Transductive Conditional Random Field Regression (TCRFR), showing good performance (Görnitz et al., 2017). TCRFR, however, still requires more labeled data than those usually available, which creates a gap when applying the method to the porosity estimation problem in realistic situations. In this paper, we aim to fill this gap by introducing two graph-based preprocessing techniques, which adapt the original TCRFR for extremely weakly supervised scenarios. Our new method outperforms the previous automatic estimation methods on synthetic data and provides a comparable result to the manual labored, time-consuming geostatistics approach on real data, proving its potential as a practical industrial tool.

  17. R&W Club Frederick Hosts Second Annual Car Show | Poster

    Science.gov (United States)

    A 1994 Ford Thunderbird, a 2006 Porsche 911-S, and a 1996 Chevy Camaro Z28 were just a few of the rides on display this summer at R&W Club Frederick’s second annual Car and Motorcycle Show. “It’s a chance to raise money for a good cause,” said Geoff Seidel, one of the organizers of the event and program director for the Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials, NCI Office of

  18. Study of gamma ray analysis software's. Application to activation analysis of geological samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, Luiz Roberto Nogueira da

    1998-01-01

    A comparative evaluation of the gamma-ray analysis software VISPECT, in relation to two commercial gamma-ray analysis software packages, OMNIGAM (EG and G Ortec) and SAMPO 90 (Canberra) was performed. For this evaluation, artificial gamma ray spectra were created, presenting peaks of different intensities and located at four different regions of the spectrum. Multiplet peaks with equal and different intensities, but with different channel separations, were also created. The results obtained showed a good performance of VISPECT in detecting and analysing single and multiplet peaks of different intensities in the gamma-ray spectrum. Neutron activation analysis of the geological reference material GS-N (IWG-GIT) and of the granite G-94, used in a Proficiency Testing Trial of Analytical Geochemistry Laboratories, was also performed , in order to evaluate the VISEPCT software in the analysis of real samples. The results obtained by using VISPECT were as good or better than the ones obtained using the other programs. (author)

  19. Governing for the Common Good.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruger, Jennifer Prah

    2015-12-01

    The proper object of global health governance (GHG) should be the common good, ensuring that all people have the opportunity to flourish. A well-organized global society that promotes the common good is to everyone's advantage. Enabling people to flourish includes enabling their ability to be healthy. Thus, we must assess health governance by its effectiveness in enhancing health capabilities. Current GHG fails to support human flourishing, diminishes health capabilities and thus does not serve the common good. The provincial globalism theory of health governance proposes a Global Health Constitution and an accompanying Global Institute of Health and Medicine that together propose to transform health governance. Multiple lines of empirical research suggest that these institutions would be effective, offering the most promising path to a healthier, more just world.

  20. Damage evolution analysis of coal samples under cyclic loading based on single-link cluster method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhibo; Wang, Enyuan; Li, Nan; Li, Xuelong; Wang, Xiaoran; Li, Zhonghui

    2018-05-01

    In this paper, the acoustic emission (AE) response of coal samples under cyclic loading is measured. The results show that there is good positive relation between AE parameters and stress. The AE signal of coal samples under cyclic loading exhibits an obvious Kaiser Effect. The single-link cluster (SLC) method is applied to analyze the spatial evolution characteristics of AE events and the damage evolution process of coal samples. It is found that a subset scale of the SLC structure becomes smaller and smaller when the number of cyclic loading increases, and there is a negative linear relationship between the subset scale and the degree of damage. The spatial correlation length ξ of an SLC structure is calculated. The results show that ξ fluctuates around a certain value from the second cyclic loading process to the fifth cyclic loading process, but spatial correlation length ξ clearly increases in the sixth loading process. Based on the criterion of microcrack density, the coal sample failure process is the transformation from small-scale damage to large-scale damage, which is the reason for changes in the spatial correlation length. Through a systematic analysis, the SLC method is an effective method to research the damage evolution process of coal samples under cyclic loading, and will provide important reference values for studying coal bursts.

  1. Estimation of AUC or Partial AUC under Test-Result-Dependent Sampling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaofei; Ma, Junling; George, Stephen; Zhou, Haibo

    2012-01-01

    The area under the ROC curve (AUC) and partial area under the ROC curve (pAUC) are summary measures used to assess the accuracy of a biomarker in discriminating true disease status. The standard sampling approach used in biomarker validation studies is often inefficient and costly, especially when ascertaining the true disease status is costly and invasive. To improve efficiency and reduce the cost of biomarker validation studies, we consider a test-result-dependent sampling (TDS) scheme, in which subject selection for determining the disease state is dependent on the result of a biomarker assay. We first estimate the test-result distribution using data arising from the TDS design. With the estimated empirical test-result distribution, we propose consistent nonparametric estimators for AUC and pAUC and establish the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators. Simulation studies show that the proposed estimators have good finite sample properties and that the TDS design yields more efficient AUC and pAUC estimates than a simple random sampling (SRS) design. A data example based on an ongoing cancer clinical trial is provided to illustrate the TDS design and the proposed estimators. This work can find broad applications in design and analysis of biomarker validation studies.

  2. Transport of hazardous goods. Befoerderung gefaehrlicher Gueter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1989-01-01

    The course 'Transport of hazardous goods' was held in Berlin in November 1988 in cooperation with the Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung. From all lecturs, two are recorded separately: 'Safety of tank trucks - requirements on the tank, development possibiities of active and passive safety' and 'Requirements on the transport of radioactive materials - possible derivations for other hazardous goods'. The other lectures deal with hazardous goods law, requirements on packinging, risk assessment, railroad transport, hazardous goods road network, insurance matters, EC regulations, and waste tourism. (HSCH).

  3. The Biochemistry Show: a new and fun tool for learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.H Ono

    2006-07-01

    Full Text Available The traditional methods to teach biochemistry in most universities are based on the memorization of chemical structures,  biochemical  pathways  and  reagent  names,  which  is  many  times  dismotivating  for  the  students.  We presently describe an innovative, interactive and alternative method for teaching biochemistry to medical and nutrition undergraduate students, called the Biochemistry Show (BioBio Show.The Biobio show is based on active participation of the students. They are divided in groups and the groups face each other. One group faces another one group at a time, in a game based on true or false questions that involve subjects of applied biochemistry (exercise, obesity, diabetes, cholesterol, free radicals, among others. The questions of the Show are previously elaborated by senior students. The Biobio Show has four phases, the first one is a selection exam, and from the second to the fourth phase, eliminatory confrontations happen. On a confrontation, the first group must select a certain quantity of questions for the opponent to answer.  The group who choses the questions must know how to answer and justify the selected questions. This procedure is repeated on all phases of the show. On the last phase, the questions used are taken from an exam previously performed by the students: either the 9-hour biochemistry exam (Sé et al. A 9-hour biochemistry exam. An iron man competition or a good way of evaluating undergraduate students? SBBq 2005, abstract K-6 or the True-or-False exam (TFE (Sé et al. Are tutor-students capable of writing good biochemistry exams? SBBq 2004, abstract K-18. The winner group receives an extra 0,5 point on the final grade. Over 70% of the students informed on a questionnaire that the Biobio Show is a valuable tool for learning biochemistry.    That is a new way to enrich the discussion of biochemistry in the classroom without the students getting bored. Moreover, learning

  4. Good breastfeeding policies -- good breastfeeding rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-01-01

    In Norway, where breast-feeding policies protecting breast-feeding women's needs have been in place since the 1970s, approximately 97% of women breast feed when leaving the hospital, 80% are breast feeding at 3 months, and 20% beyond 12 months. Government family policies play an important role in enabling women to achieve good breast-feeding rates. In Norway: maternity leave is 42 weeks with full pay or 52 weeks with 80% of salary; flexible part-time is available for women from 2 months after giving birth with income supplemented from maternity benefits; after returning to work, women are entitled to 1- to 1.5-hour breaks to return home to breast feed, or to have the child brought to work. "Breast feeding is so normal," writes Hege Jacobson Lepri, "it's more embarrassing to bring out the feeding bottle in public." full text

  5. Performance of the Brazilian laboratories on radionuclide analysis in environmental samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vianna, Maria Elizabeth; Tauhata, Luiz; Oliveira, Josue P.; Oliveira, Antonio E.; Clain, Almir F.; Garcia, Luiz Carlos; Conceicao, Cirilo C. da

    1995-01-01

    The performance of fifteen Brazilian environmental radioanalytical laboratories was evaluated after their participation in nine intercomparison runs of the National Intercomparison Program, PNI, offered by the Instituto de Radioprotecao e Dosimetria, CNEN. A total of 549 radionuclide determinations in environmental samples were evaluated. The results classified as Good ranged from 56.4% for Alpha and Beta Gross determinations up to 84.9% for Gamma spectrometry determinations. These results shows that the best performance in radionuclide determination is reached in gamma spectrometry analyses and the worst in Alpha and Beta Gross determinations. This general behavior is similar to the one reached by other laboratories in international intercomparison programs. (author). 1 ref., 1 fig., 1 tab

  6. Characterization of superconducting multilayers samples

    CERN Document Server

    Antoine, C Z; Berry, S; Bouat, S; Jacquot, J F; Villegier, J C; Lamura, G; Gurevich, A

    2009-01-01

    Best RF bulk niobium accelerating cavities have nearly reached their ultimate limits at rf equatorial magnetic field H  200 mT close to the thermodynamic critical field Hc. In 2006 Gurevich proposed to use nanoscale layers of superconducting materials with high values of Hc > HcNb for magnetic shielding of bulk niobium to increase the breakdown magnetic field inside SC RF cavities [1]. Depositing good quality layers inside a whole cavity is rather difficult but we have sputtered high quality samples by applying the technique used for the preparation of superconducting electronics circuits and characterized these samples by X-ray reflectivity, dc resistivity (PPMS) and dc magnetization (SQUID). Dc magnetization curves of a 250 nm thick Nb film have been measured, with and without a magnetron sputtered coating of a single or multiple stack of 15 nm MgO and 25 nm NbN layers. The Nb samples with/without the coating clearly exhibit different behaviors. Because SQUID measurements are influenced by edge an...

  7. Determination of 2-Octanone in Biological Samples Using Liquid–Liquid Microextractions Followed by Gas Chromatography–Flame Ionization Detectio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abolghasem Jouyban, Maryam Abbaspour, Mir Ali Farajzadeh, Maryam Khoubnasabjafari

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: Analysis of chemicals in biological fluids is required in many areas of medical sciences. Rapid, highly efficient, and reliable dispersive and air assisted liquid–liquid microextraction methods followed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection were developed for the extraction, preconcentration, and determination of 2-octanone in human plasma and urine samples. Methods: Proteins of plasma samples are precipitated by adding methanol and urine sample is diluted with water prior to performing the microextraction procedure. Fine organic solvent droplets are formed by repeated suction and injection of the mixture of sample solution and extraction solvent into a test tube with a glass syringe. After extraction, phase separation is performed by centrifuging and the enriched analyte in the sedimented organic phase is determined by the separation system. The main factors influencing the extraction efficiency including extraction solvent type and volume, salt addition, pH, and extraction times are investigated. Results: Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method showed good precision (relative standard deviation less than 7%. Limit of detection and lower limit of quantification for 2-octanone were obtained in the range of 0.1–0.5 µg mL−1. The linear ranges were 0.5-500 and 0.5-200 µg mL−1 in plasma and urine, respectively (r2 ≥ 0.9995. Enrichment factors were in the range of 13-37. Good recoveries (55–86% were obtained for the spiked samples. Conclusion: Preconcentration methods coupled with GC analysis were developed and could be used to monitor 2-octanone in biological samples.

  8. Salmonella spp. contamination in commercial layer hen farms using different types of samples and detection methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soria, M C; Soria, M A; Bueno, D J; Godano, E I; Gómez, S C; ViaButron, I A; Padin, V M; Rogé, A D

    2017-08-01

    The performance of detection methods (culture methods and polymerase chain reaction assay) and plating media used in the same type of samples were determined as well as the specificity of PCR primers to detected Salmonella spp. contamination in layer hen farms. Also, the association of farm characteristics with Salmonella presence was evaluated. Environmental samples (feces, feed, drinking water, air, boot-swabs) and eggs were taken from 40 layer hen houses. Salmonella spp. was most detected in boot-swabs taken around the houses (30% and 35% by isolation and PCR, respectively) follow by fecal samples (15.2% and 13.6% by isolation and PCR, respectively). Eggs, drinking water, and air samples were negative for Salmonella detection. Salmonella Schwarzengrund and S. Enteritidis were the most isolated serotypes. For plating media, relative specificity was 1, and the relative sensitivity was greater for EF-18 agar than XLDT agar in feed and fecal samples. However, relative sensitivity was greater in XLDT agar than EF-18 agar for boot-swab samples. Agreement was between fair to good depending on the sample, and it was good between isolation and PCR (feces and boot-swabs), without agreement for feed samples. Salmonella spp. PCR was positive for all strains, while S. Typhimurium PCR was negative. Salmonella Enteritidis PCR used was not specific. Based in the multiple logistic regression analyses, categorization by counties was significant for Salmonella spp. presence (P-value = 0.010). This study shows the importance of considering different types of samples, plating media and detection methods during a Salmonella spp. monitoring study. In addition, it is important to incorporate the sampling of floors around the layer hen houses to learn if biosecurity measures should be strengthened to minimize the entry and spread of Salmonella in the houses. Also, the performance of some PCR methods and S. Enteritidis PCR should be improved, and biosecurity measures in hen farms must be

  9. Do good and poor readers make use of morphemic structure in English word recognition?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lynne G. Duncan

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available The links between oral morphological awareness and the use of derivational morphology are examined in the English word recognition of 8-year-old good and poor readers. Morphological awareness was assessed by a sentence completion task. The role of morphological structure in lexical access was examined by manipulating the presence of embedded words and suffixes in items presented for lexical decision. Good readers were more accurate in the morphological awareness task but did not show facilitation for real derivations even though morpho-semantic information appeared to inform their lexical decisions. The poor readers, who were less accurate, displayed a strong lexicality effect in lexical decision and the presence of an embedded word led to facilitation for words and inhibition for pseudo-words. Overall, the results suggest that both good and poor readers of English are sensitive to the internal structure of written words, with the better readers showing most evidence of morphological analysis.

  10. Laser solid sampling for a solid-state-detector ICP emission spectrometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noelte, J.; Moenke-Blankenburg, L.; Schumann, T.

    1994-01-01

    Solid sampling with laser vaporization has been coupled to an ICP emission spectrometer with an Echelle optical system and a solid-state-detector for the analysis of steel and soil samples. Pulsation of the vaporized material flow was compensated by real-time background correction and internal standardization, resulting in good accuracy and precision. (orig.)

  11. Molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres prepared by Pickering emulsion polymerization for selective solid-phase extraction of eight bisphenols from human urine samples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Jiajia [Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian 116023 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Li, Yun; Wang, Jincheng [Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian 116023 (China); Sun, Xiaoli; Cao, Rong [Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian 116023 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Sun, Hao [Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian 116023 (China); Department of Chemistry, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110000 (China); Huang, Chaonan [Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian 116023 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Chen, Jiping, E-mail: chenjp@dicp.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian 116023 (China)

    2015-05-04

    Highlights: • BPA imprinted polymer microspheres were prepared by Pickering emulsion polymerization. • Regular spherical shape and narrow diameter distribution. • Good specific adsorption capacity for BPA. • Good class-selectivity and clean-up efficiency for bisphenols in human urine under SPE mode. • Good recoveries and sensitivity for bisphenols using the MIPMS-SPE coupled with HPLC-DAD method. - Abstract: The bisphenol A (BPA) imprinted polymer microspheres were prepared by simple Pickering emulsion polymerization. Compared to traditional bulk polymerization, both high yields of polymer and good control of particle sizes were achieved. The characterization results of scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements showed that the obtained molecularly imprinted polymer microsphere (MIPMS) particles possessed regular spherical shape, narrow diameter distribution (30–60 μm), a specific surface area (S{sub BET}) of 281.26 m{sup 2} g{sup −1} and a total pore volume (V{sub t}) of 0.459 cm{sup 3} g{sup −1}. Good specific adsorption capacity for BPA was obtained in the sorption experiment and good class selectivity for BPA and its seven structural analogs (bisphenol F, bisphenol B, bisphenol E, bisphenol AF, bisphenol S, bisphenol AP and bisphenol Z) was demonstrated by the chromatographic evaluation experiment. The MIPMS as solid-phase extraction (SPE) packing material was then evaluated for extraction and clean-up of these bisphenols (BPs) from human urine samples. An accurate and sensitive analytical method based on the MIPMS-SPE coupled with HPLC-DAD has been successfully established for simultaneous determination of eight BPs from human urine samples with detection limits of 1.2–2.2 ng mL{sup −1}. The recoveries of BPs for urine samples at two spiking levels (100 and 500 ng mL{sup −1} for each BP) were in the range of 81.3–106.7% with RSD values below 8.3%.

  12. Microbial quality of bagged baby spinach and romaine lettuce: effects of top versus bottom sampling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kase, Julie A; Borenstein, Stacey; Blodgett, Robert J; Feng, Peter C H

    2012-01-01

    Contamination with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella have called into question the safety and microbial quality of bagged ready-to-eat leafy greens. This study expands on previous findings that these goods have high total bacteria counts (TBC) and coliform counts, variation in counts among different lots, that Escherichia coli is present, and disparities in counts when bags are top or bottom sampled. Nearly 100 bags of baby spinach and hearts of romaine lettuce from a single brand were subjected to both top and bottom sampling. Product was blended, and a portion serially diluted and plated to obtain TBC. Total coliform and E. coli levels were estimated by the most-probable-number (MPN) technique with ColiComplete discs. Top-sampled TBC from bags of baby spinach (48 bags, 13 different lots) ranged from 3.9 to 8.1 log CFU/g and bottom-sampled TBC ranged from 4.0 to 8.2 log CFU/g, with 52% of the bags (or 39% of the lots) producing TBC higher in bottom samples. For hearts of romaine (47 bags from 19 different lots), top-sampled bags had TBC ranging from 2.4 to 7.0 log, and bottom-sampled bags had TBC from 3.3 to 7.3 log, with 64% of the bags (or 63% of the lots) showing higher TBC in bottom samples. However, we are unable to reject the hypothesis that the top and bottom samples from either commodity contain the same TBC (P ≥ 0.08). No E. coli was detected and total coliform bacteria counts were, with few exceptions, ≥210 MPN/g, irrespective of TBC. In general, lots with the most number of days before the printed "use-by" date had lower TBC. However, the R(2) values for either baby spinach (0.4085) or hearts of romaine (0.2946) suggest that age might not be a very good predictor of higher TBC. TBC varied widely between lots and even more so within same-lot samples, as indicated by the sum of squares results. This finding, along with higher TBC in bottom samples, suggests further consideration when a microbiological sampling scheme of bagged produce is

  13. Good work ability despite multisite musculoskeletal pain? A study among occupationally active Finns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pensola, Tiina; Haukka, Eija; Kaila-Kangas, Leena; Neupane, Subas; Leino-Arjas, Päivi

    2016-05-01

    Although multisite pain (MSP) often threatens work ability (WA), some of those with MSP retain good WA. Our aim was to identify factors associated with good WA among subjects with MSP. A nationally representative sample (the Health 2000-Study, response rate 87%) comprising 3884 occupationally active Finns aged 30-64 years. Data on WA, musculoskeletal pain, physical and psychosocial working conditions, chronic diseases, lifestyle and domestic situation were gathered by questionnaire, interview and clinical examination. Good current WA compared with the lifetime best was defined as ⩾9 on a 0-10 scale. Musculoskeletal pain in 18 body locations was combined into four sites, and thereafter pain in two or more sites was defined as MSP (N=1351). Poisson regression analysis was used to obtain prevalence rate ratios (PRR). Good WA was reported by 48% of the women and 37% of the men with MSP. In a multivariable model good WA was associated with younger age, female gender, physically non-strenuous work (PRR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.5), low job strain (1.2, 1.0-1.4), high supervisor support (1.2, 1.0-1.4), and not having musculoskeletal diseases (1.3, 1.1-1.5), mental disorders (1.4, 1.1-1.9), daytime tiredness (1.4, 1.2-1.7) or economic troubles (1.5, 1.1-1.9). Age-stratified analyses revealed also associations with high coworker support (1.2, 1.0-1.4) and strenuous leisure-time physical exercise (1.2, 1.0-1.4) in those aged 30-44 and low alcohol consumption (1.8, 1.2-2.6) in the age-group 45-64. Several potentially modifiable factors related to health, work, and lifestyle were associated with good WA among occupationally active subjects with MSP. © 2015 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

  14. Expression analysis of genes associated with human osteosarcoma tumors shows correlation of RUNX2 overexpression with poor response to chemotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sadikovic, Bekim; Thorner, Paul; Chilton-MacNeill, Susan; Martin, Jeff W; Cervigne, Nilva K; Squire, Jeremy; Zielenska, Maria

    2010-01-01

    Human osteosarcoma is the most common pediatric bone tumor. There is limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying osteosarcoma oncogenesis, and a lack of good diagnostic as well as prognostic clinical markers for this disease. Recent discoveries have highlighted a potential role of a number of genes including: RECQL4, DOCK5, SPP1, RUNX2, RB1, CDKN1A, P53, IBSP, LSAMP, MYC, TNFRSF1B, BMP2, HISTH2BE, FOS, CCNB1, and CDC5L. Our objective was to assess relative expression levels of these 16 genes as potential biomarkers of osteosarcoma oncogenesis and chemotherapy response in human tumors. We performed quantitative expression analysis in a panel of 22 human osteosarcoma tumors with differential response to chemotherapy, and 5 normal human osteoblasts. RECQL4, SPP1, RUNX2, and IBSP were significantly overexpressed, and DOCK5, CDKN1A, RB1, P53, and LSAMP showed significant loss of expression relative to normal osteoblasts. In addition to being overexpressed in osteosarcoma tumor samples relative to normal osteoblasts, RUNX2 was the only gene of the 16 to show significant overexpression in tumors that had a poor response to chemotherapy relative to good responders. These data underscore the loss of tumor suppressive pathways and activation of specific oncogenic mechanisms associated with osteosarcoma oncogenesis, while drawing attention to the role of RUNX2 expression as a potential biomarker of chemotherapy failure in osteosarcoma

  15. 12 CFR 747.7 - Good faith certification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 747.7 Section 747.7... of Practice and Procedure § 747.7 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement. Every filing or... good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law; and the filing or...

  16. 12 CFR 509.7 - Good faith certification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 509.7 Section 509.7... PROCEDURE IN ADJUDICATORY PROCEEDINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 509.7 Good faith... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  17. 12 CFR 19.7 - Good faith certification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 19.7 Section 19.7... PROCEDURE Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 19.7 Good faith certification. (a) General requirement... warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing...

  18. Financial Giffen Goods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Rolf; Rasmussen, Kourosh Marjani

    2008-01-01

    In the basic Markowitz and Merton models, a stock’s weight in efficient portfolios goes up if its expected rate of return goes up. Put differently, there are no financial Giffen goods. By an example from mortgage choice we illustrate that for more complicated portfolio problems Giffen effects do...

  19. 'The Good Citizen’

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Offersen, Sara Marie Hebsgaard; Vedsted, Peter; Andersen, Rikke Sand

    2017-01-01

    the Danish welfare state and the middle-class popula- tion is embodied in a responsibility for individual health. Overall, we identify a striving to be a ‘good citizen’; this entails confl icting moral possibilities in relation to experiencing, interpreting and acting on bodily sensations. We examine how...

  20. Game design as marketing: How game mechanics create demand for virtual goods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lehdonvirta, V.

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Selling virtual goods for real money is an increasingly popular revenue model for massively-multiplayer online games (MMOs, social networking sites (SNSs and other online hangouts. In this paper, we argue that the marketing of virtual goods currently falls short of what it could be. Game developers have long created compelling game designs, but having to market virtual goods to players is a relatively new situation to them. Professional marketers, on the other hand, tend to overlook the internal design of games and hangouts and focus on marketing the services as a whole. To begin bridging the gap, we propose that the design patterns and game mechanics commonly used in games and online hangouts should be viewed as a set of marketing techniques designed to sell virtual goods. Based on a review of a number of MMOs, we describe some of the most common patterns and game mechanics and show how their effects can be explained in terms of analogous techniques from marketing science. The results provide a new perspective to game design with interesting implications to developers. Moreover, they also suggest a radically new perspective to marketers of ordinary goods and services: viewing marketing as a form of game design.

  1. Asymmetric public goods game cooperation through pest control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reeves, T; Ohtsuki, H; Fukui, S

    2017-12-21

    Cooperation in a public goods game has been studied extensively to find the conditions for sustaining the commons, yet the effect of asymmetry between agents has been explored very little. Here we study a game theoretic model of cooperation for pest control among farmers. In our simple model, each farmer has a paddy of the same size arranged adjacently on a line. A pest outbreak occurs at an abandoned paddy at one end of the line, directly threatening the frontier farmer adjacent to it. Each farmer pays a cost of his or her choice to an agricultural collective, and the total sum held by the collective is used for pest control, with success probability increasing with the sum. Because the farmers' incentives depend on their distance from the pest outbreak, our model is an asymmetric public goods game. We derive each farmer's cost strategy at the Nash equilibrium. We find that asymmetry among farmers leads to a few unexpected outcomes. The individual costs at the equilibrium do not necessarily increase with how much the future is valued but rather show threshold behavior. Moreover, an increase in the number of farmers can sometimes paradoxically undermine pest prevention. A comparison with a symmetric public goods game model reveals that the farmer at the greatest risk pays a disproportionate amount of cost in the asymmetric game, making the use of agricultural lands less sustainable. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  2. Good Practices for Water Quality Management in Research Reactors and Spent Fuel Storage Facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2011-01-01

    Water is the most common fluid used to remove the heat produced in a research reactor (RR). It is also the most common media used to store spent fuel elements after being removed from the reactor core. Spent fuel is stored either in the at-reactor pool or in away-from-reactor wet facilities, where the fuel elements are maintained until submission to final disposal, or until the decay heat is low enough to allow migration to a dry storage facility. Maintaining high quality water is the most important factor in preventing degradation of aluminium clad fuel elements, and other structural components in water cooled research reactors. Excellent water quality in spent fuel wet storage facilities is essential to achieve optimum storage performance. Experience shows the remarkable success of many research reactors where the water chemistry has been well controlled. In these cases, aluminium clad fuel elements and aluminium pool liners show few, if any, signs of either localized or general corrosion, even after more than 30 years of exposure to research reactor water. In contrast, when water quality was allowed to degrade, the fuel clad and the structural parts of the reactor have been seriously corroded. The driving force to prepare this publication was the recognition that, even though a great deal of information on research reactor water quality is available in the open literature, no comprehensive report addressing the rationale of water quality management in research reactors has been published to date. This report is designed to provide a comprehensive catalogue of good practices for the management of water quality in research reactors. It also presents a brief description of the corrosion process that affects the components of a research reactor. Further, the report provides a basic understanding of water chemistry and its influence on the corrosion process; specifies requirements and operational limits for water purification systems of RRs; describes good practices

  3. 12 CFR 308.7 - Good faith certification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 308.7 Section 308.7... PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 308.7 Good faith certification. (a... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  4. 12 CFR 263.7 - Good faith certification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 263.7 Section 263.7... RULES OF PRACTICE FOR HEARINGS Uniform Rules of Practice and Procedure § 263.7 Good faith certification... in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or...

  5. 7 CFR 28.407 - Good Ordinary Color.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good Ordinary Color. 28.407 Section 28.407 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.407 Good Ordinary Color. Good Ordinary Color is color which is within the range...

  6. 7 CFR 28.401 - Good Middling Color.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good Middling Color. 28.401 Section 28.401 Agriculture..., TESTING, AND STANDARDS Standards Official Cotton Standards of the United States for the Color Grade of American Upland Cotton § 28.401 Good Middling Color. Good Middling Color is color which is within the range...

  7. Rules for the certification of good practices in clinical laboratories. No regulation. 3-2009. Good Laboratory Practice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2015-01-01

    Regulation for Certification of Good Practices in clinical laboratories, hereinafter Regulation establishes the methodology and procedures for clinical laboratories to demonstrate their state of compliance with good practices, according to Regulation 3-2009, and that the CECMED can verify.

  8. NaCl samples for optical luminescence dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Catli, S.

    2005-01-01

    Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) have been used broadly for luminescence dosimetry and dating. In many cases, it has been pointed out that the decay of the OSL do not generally behave according to a simple exponential function. In this study the Infra-red stimulated luminescence (IRSL) intensity from NaCl samples were experimentally measured. The decay curves for this sample were fitted to some functions and it is in good agreement with the function y = α + b exp(-cx). The IRSL decay curves from NaCl using different β-doses have been obtained and investigated their dose response

  9. 12 CFR 908.23 - Good faith certification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 908.23 Section 908.23... OPERATIONS RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE IN HEARINGS ON THE RECORD General Rules § 908.23 Good faith... filing or submission of record is well-grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith...

  10. 12 CFR 1780.7 - Good faith certification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Good faith certification. 1780.7 Section 1780.7... DEVELOPMENT RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE General Rules § 1780.7 Good faith... record is well-grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith, nonfrivolous argument...

  11. Distinct composition of bovine milk from Jersey and Holstein-Friesian cows with good, poor or non-coagulation properties as reflected in protein genetic variants and isoforms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Hanne Bak; Poulsen, Nina Aagaard; Andersen, Kell Kleiner

    2012-01-01

    The objective of this study was to examine variation in overall milk, protein, and mineral composition of bovine milk in relation to rennet-induced coagulation, with the aim of elucidating the underlying causes of milk with impaired coagulation abilities. On the basis of an initial screening of 892...... of minerals (Ca, P, Mg) were identified in poorly coagulating and noncoagulating milk in comparison with milk with good coagulation properties. Liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry revealed the presence of a great variety of genetic variants of the major milk proteins, namely, αS1...... milk samples from 42 herds with Danish Jersey and Holstein-Friesian cows, a subset of 102 samples was selected to represent milk with good, poor, or noncoagulating properties (i.e., samples that within each breed represented the most extremes in regard to coagulation properties). Milk with good...

  12. On Angular Sampling Methods for 3-D Spatial Channel Models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fan, Wei; Jämsä, Tommi; Nielsen, Jesper Ødum

    2015-01-01

    This paper discusses generating three dimensional (3D) spatial channel models with emphasis on the angular sampling methods. Three angular sampling methods, i.e. modified uniform power sampling, modified uniform angular sampling, and random pairing methods are proposed and investigated in detail....... The random pairing method, which uses only twenty sinusoids in the ray-based model for generating the channels, presents good results if the spatial channel cluster is with a small elevation angle spread. For spatial clusters with large elevation angle spreads, however, the random pairing method would fail...... and the other two methods should be considered....

  13. Good News for New Orleans: Early Evidence Shows Reforms Lifting Student Achievement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Douglas N.

    2015-01-01

    What happened to the New Orleans public schools following the tragic levee breeches after Hurricane Katrina is truly unprecedented. Within the span of one year, all public-school employees were fired, the teacher contract expired and was not replaced, and most attendance zones were eliminated. The state took control of almost all public schools…

  14. Demonstrating Reliable High Level Waste Slurry Sampling Techniques to Support Hanford Waste Processing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kelly, Steven E.

    2013-11-11

    The Hanford Tank Operations Contractor (TOC) and the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) contractor are both engaged in demonstrating mixing, sampling, and transfer system capability using simulated Hanford High-Level Waste (HL W) formulations. This work represents one of the remaining technical issues with the high-level waste treatment mission at Hanford. The TOC must demonstrate the ability to adequately mix and sample high-level waste feed to meet the WTP Waste Acceptance Criteria and Data Quality Objectives. The sampling method employed must support both TOC and WTP requirements. To facilitate information transfer between the two facilities the mixing and sampling demonstrations are led by the One System Integrated Project Team. The One System team, Waste Feed Delivery Mixing and Sampling Program, has developed a full scale sampling loop to demonstrate sampler capability. This paper discusses the full scale sampling loops ability to meet precision and accuracy requirements, including lessons learned during testing. Results of the testing showed that the Isolok(R) sampler chosen for implementation provides precise, repeatable results. The Isolok(R) sampler accuracy as tested did not meet test success criteria. Review of test data and the test platform following testing by a sampling expert identified several issues regarding the sampler used to provide reference material used to judge the Isolok's accuracy. Recommendations were made to obtain new data to evaluate the sampler's accuracy utilizing a reference sampler that follows good sampling protocol.

  15. Demonstrating Reliable High Level Waste Slurry Sampling Techniques to Support Hanford Waste Processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelly, Steven E.

    2013-01-01

    The Hanford Tank Operations Contractor (TOC) and the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) contractor are both engaged in demonstrating mixing, sampling, and transfer system capability using simulated Hanford High-Level Waste (HL W) formulations. This work represents one of the remaining technical issues with the high-level waste treatment mission at Hanford. The TOC must demonstrate the ability to adequately mix and sample high-level waste feed to meet the WTP Waste Acceptance Criteria and Data Quality Objectives. The sampling method employed must support both TOC and WTP requirements. To facilitate information transfer between the two facilities the mixing and sampling demonstrations are led by the One System Integrated Project Team. The One System team, Waste Feed Delivery Mixing and Sampling Program, has developed a full scale sampling loop to demonstrate sampler capability. This paper discusses the full scale sampling loops ability to meet precision and accuracy requirements, including lessons learned during testing. Results of the testing showed that the Isolok(R) sampler chosen for implementation provides precise, repeatable results. The Isolok(R) sampler accuracy as tested did not meet test success criteria. Review of test data and the test platform following testing by a sampling expert identified several issues regarding the sampler used to provide reference material used to judge the Isolok's accuracy. Recommendations were made to obtain new data to evaluate the sampler's accuracy utilizing a reference sampler that follows good sampling protocol

  16. Good passengers and not good passengers:” Adolescent drivers’ perceptions about inattention and peer passengers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sommers, Marilyn S.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose The purpose of this qualitative focus group elicitation research study was to explore teen driver perceptions of peer passengers and driver inattention. Design & Methods We utilized focus groups for data collection and content analysis to analyze the data, both of which were guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior. We conducted 7 focus groups with 30 teens, ages 16–18, licensed for ≤1 year to examine attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and norms related to driving inattention and peer passengers. Results The sample was 50% male, mean age 17.39 (sd 0.52) with mean length of licensure 173.7 days (sd 109.2). Three themes emerged: 1) “Good and not good” passengers; 2) Passengers and technology as harmful and helpful; and 3) The driver is in charge. Conclusions While passengers can be a source of distraction, our participants also identified passenger behaviors that reduced risk, such as assistance with technology and guidance for directions. Practical Implications An understanding of teens’ perceptions of peer passengers can contribute to the development of effective interventions targeting teen driver inattention. Nurses are well-positioned to contribute to these teen crash prevention efforts. PMID:27496828

  17. Study on radioactivity in consumer goods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1976-01-01

    Consumer goods containing radionuclides are increasingly utilized, sometimes for having chemical or technological properties which nonradioactive materials cannot fulfill (e.g. uranium paints) or it may be that radioactivity is especially required (e.g. fluorescent paints, fire-alarm-boxes, electronic instruments). The present study makes a compilation of consumer goods containing radioactive substances which are available to the general public in the nine countries of the Community, carries out a medium and long term study to assess how accumulated radiation from these goods could affect the population as a whole, and proposes measures to minimize the effects of such accumulation

  18. Determination of Pb-210 and U-238 in environment samples by direct measurement using low energy γ spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Godoy, J.M. de; Mendonca, A.H.; Sachett, I.A.

    1985-01-01

    The determination of Pb-210 and U-238 by γ spectrometry in environmental samples was carried out using the 47 KeV (4%) line for Pb-210 and the 63 KeV (3,9%) line from Th-234 to U-238. An intrinsic Ge detector with 0,8 KeV resolution for the 60 KeV line of Am-41 was employed. The eficiency was determined by using the radionuclide water solution. The samples were measured in a cylindric geometry with 7 cm diameter and 3 cm hight with a mass ranging from 25 to 180g, depending on the density. The self absorption correction factor for each sample was determined by using an external source of Pb-210 and Am-241. The results showed good agreement with the radiochemical analysis values. The diferences were lower than 20%; the detection limit changed from sample to sample staying on the pCi/g range for the 200 minutes couting time. (Author) [pt

  19. Let's Cancel the Dog-and-Pony Show

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marshall, Kim

    2012-01-01

    Why are so many educators willing to give credence to observations based on announced visits? Perhaps it's avoidance or a failure to distinguish between good teachers and good teaching, or perhaps it's the way the conventional teacher-evaluation model limits administrators' options. To put it bluntly, an evaluation process that relies on announced…

  20. 29 CFR 779.108 - Goods produced for commerce.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Goods produced for commerce. 779.108 Section 779.108 Labor... Coverage Employees Engaged in Commerce Or in the Production of Goods for Commerce § 779.108 Goods produced for commerce. Goods are “produced for commerce” if they are “produced, manufactured, mined, handled or...

  1. Counterfeit Goods and Income Inequality

    OpenAIRE

    Stefania Scandizzo

    2001-01-01

    This paper examines the effect of counterfeit goods in a world where consumers are differentiated by level of income and innovation is quality enhancing. Counterfeit goods are defined as products with the same characteristics as “originals”, but of lower quality. The effect of imitation on firms’ profits and consumer welfare depends on the distribution of income within the country. In particular, the greater the level of income inequality the larger the increase in consumer welfare due to the...

  2. Good Policy, Good Practice II. Improving Outcomes and Productivity in Higher Education: A Guide for Policymakers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brenneman, Meghan Wilson; Callan, Patrick M.; Ewell, Peter T.; Finney, Joni E.; Jones, Dennis P.; Zis, Stacey

    2010-01-01

    This new edition of "Good Policy, Good Practice II" revises and updates the authors' 2007 publication. Like the earlier edition, it responds to one of the questions that is raised most frequently in the authors' work with public policy and education leaders as they begin to address the national and state imperatives to increase the proportion of…

  3. Standarization of Mn-54 by liquid scintillation counting using organic samples of (C8H15 O2)2 Mn-54

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1990-01-01

    A new method of standardization of Mn 54 by liquid scintillation counting with an organic sample of (C 8 H 15 O 2 ) 2 Mn 54 is described. This procedure shows a good long term stability of samples, over 20 days, and counting efficiencies between 10% and 24% for PCS e INSTAGEL and 10% 32% for a toluene-based scintillator. The discrepancies between experimental and computed values are less that 0,9% for PCS and INSTAGEL and less than 1,2% for Toluene, in the 5-2,5 interval of quenching parameter. The global uncertainty on the activity concentrat-ion of a sample standardized by this method has been lower than 3% (Author)

  4. GOOD GOVERNANCE: NORMATIVE VS. DESCRIPTIVE DIMENSION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ciprian IFTIMOAEI

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The concept of “good governance” was used for the first time in the 1989 World Bank Report – Sub-Saharan Africa: From Crisis to Sustainable Growth. A Long-Term Perspective Study – and has already made history in international studies, especially after the breakdown of the communist regimes. The governance has to do with authority, decision-making and accountability.The good governance is defined as the capacity of the government to manage a nation’s affaires, to provide economic development, welfare for citizens, and social protection for the poor. In this article,the concept of good governance is analysed according to two main dimensions: the normative dimension which comprises principles, values and norms that are guiding the international community and the governments in the management of policymaking process;the descriptive dimension which refers to the practical aspects of implementing the good governance’s standards as policies, programmes and structural reforms with the aim of solving or ameliorating the problems of developing countries.

  5. Financing unemployment benefits by goods market competition: fiscal policy and deregulation with market imperfections

    OpenAIRE

    Antonio Scial…; Riccardo Tilli

    2007-01-01

    We consider a model in which the labor market is characterized by search frictions and there is monopolistic competition in the goods market. We introduce proportional income taxation and unemployment benefits with Government balanced budget constraint. Then, we evaluate the effects of both more competition in the goods market and higher unemployment benefits on labor market equilibrium and equilibrium tax rate. We show that more competition has a positive effect on equilibrium unemployment a...

  6. Narrative Processes in Psychotherapy: differences between Good and Poor Outcome Clients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Botella

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper compares 30 patients with good therapeutic outcome to 30 with poor therapeutic outcome in terms of the differential distribution of (1 Intake Variables (2 Outcome and Process Variables, and (3 Narrative Variables. Results indicated that psychosocial functioning, motivation, pre-therapy symptoms, Working Alliance, total number of therapy sessions, total pre-post symptom reduction, and mean scoring for total working alliance in sessions 3, 4, and 8 discriminated between both groups. Results also showed that almost all narrative variables except some of them discriminated good outcome clients from poor outcome ones from the beginning, midpoint and final stage of their therapeutic process. These results are discussed according to their relevance for clinical practice.

  7. A within-sample investigation of test–retest reliability in choice experiment surveys with real economic incentives

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mørkbak, Morten Raun; Olsen, Søren Bøye

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, we investigate the level of agreement between respondents' choices in identical choice sets in a test-retest choice experiment for a market good with real economic incentives, thus investigating whether the incentivised CE method can be reliable and stable over time. Besides...... comparing choices, we also test for differences in preferences and error variance when a sample of respondents is given the exact same questionnaire twice, with a time lag of 2 weeks in between. Finally, we examine potential reasons and covariates explaining the level of agreement in choices across the 2...... weeks. Across four different tests, we find very good agreement between the two choice experiments - both with respect to overall choices and with respect to preferences. Furthermore, error variances do not differ significantly between the two surveys. The results also show that the larger the utility...

  8. Introduction of an "energy goodness" number for supermarket

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Bjarne D.; Munter, Preben; Holm, Henning V.

    1999-01-01

    A test method for determining the efficiency of supermarket refrigeration systems has been developed. The test method is based on a combination of measurements of air temperatures and energy consumption on an actual system and calculations of the energy consumption for a reference refrigeration...... between the calculated energy consumption of the reference system and the measured energy consumption for the actual system. Four different Danish supermarkets have been tested using this method. The results show that supermarkets in Denmark can be expected to have “Goodness numbers” ranging from 0...

  9. Moral Absolutism, Self-Deception, and Moral Self-Concept in Men Who Commit Intimate Partner Violence: A Comparative Study With an Opposite Sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vecina, María L; Chacón, F; Pérez-Viejo, J M

    2016-01-01

    The objective of this study is to show compatible data with the idea that men who commit intimate partner violence are uninhibited about the moral consequences of their behaviors, probably because they feel certainty about the rightness of their moral values and they strongly deceive themselves to maintain a good moral self-concept, and thus a good level of well-being. To do that, we compare their scores with those obtained by an opposite sample regarding the use of violence, made up of professional male psychologists who work in the social field trying to teach others alternative strategies to violence. © The Author(s) 2015.

  10. The quality of sample surveys in a developing nation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul A Bourne

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Paul A Bourne1, Christopher AD Charles2,3, Neva South-Bourne4, Chloe Morris1, Denise Eldemire-Shearer1, Maureen D Kerr-Campbell51Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica; 2King Graduate School, Monroe College, Bronx, New York, USA; 3Center for Victim Support, Harlem Hospital Center, New York, USA; 4Research assistant for Paul A Bourne; 5Systems Development Unit, Main Library, Faculty of Humanities and Education, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, JamaicaBackground: In Jamaica, population census began in 1844, and many intercensal ratios obtained from the census data showed that there is a general high degree of accuracy of the data. However, statistics from the Jamaican Ministry of Health showed that there are inaccuracies in health data collected from males using sample surveys.Objectives: The objectives of the present research are to 1 investigate the accuracy of a national sample survey, 2 explore the feasibility and quality of using a subnational sample survey to represent a national survey, 3 aid other scholars in understanding the probability of using national sample surveys and subnational sample surveys, 4 assess older men’s ­evaluation of their health status, and 5 determine whether dichotomization changes self-evaluated health status.Methods: For the current study, the data used in the analysis were originally collected from 2 different sources: 1 the Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC and 2 Survey of Older Men (SOM. Cross validation of self-evaluated data of men in Jamaica was done with comparable samples of the complete JSLC data and the SOM data, where men older than 55 years were selected from each sample.Results: In study 1, 50.2% of respondents indicated at least good self-evaluated health status compared with 74.0% in study 2. Statistical associations were found between health status and survey sample (Χ2 [df = 5

  11. Sampling and Homogenization Strategies Significantly Influence the Detection of Foodborne Pathogens in Meat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rohde, Alexander; Hammerl, Jens Andre; Appel, Bernd; Dieckmann, Ralf; Al Dahouk, Sascha

    2015-01-01

    Efficient preparation of food samples, comprising sampling and homogenization, for microbiological testing is an essential, yet largely neglected, component of foodstuff control. Salmonella enterica spiked chicken breasts were used as a surface contamination model whereas salami and meat paste acted as models of inner-matrix contamination. A systematic comparison of different homogenization approaches, namely, stomaching, sonication, and milling by FastPrep-24 or SpeedMill, revealed that for surface contamination a broad range of sample pretreatment steps is applicable and loss of culturability due to the homogenization procedure is marginal. In contrast, for inner-matrix contamination long treatments up to 8 min are required and only FastPrep-24 as a large-volume milling device produced consistently good recovery rates. In addition, sampling of different regions of the spiked sausages showed that pathogens are not necessarily homogenously distributed throughout the entire matrix. Instead, in meat paste the core region contained considerably more pathogens compared to the rim, whereas in the salamis the distribution was more even with an increased concentration within the intermediate region of the sausages. Our results indicate that sampling and homogenization as integral parts of food microbiology and monitoring deserve more attention to further improve food safety.

  12. Network public goods with asymmetric information about cooperation preferences and network degree

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dijkstra, Jacob; van Assen, Marcus

    2013-01-01

    We propose a game theoretical model of one-shot network public goods formalizing the 'closure argument' that cooperation is more frequent in denser groups or networks. Equilibrium analyses show that (i) an 'inefficiency problem' exists: players all preferring mutual cooperation need not all

  13. Towards good environmental governance in Europe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heldeweg, Michiel A.

    2005-01-01

    This article is about good governance, as presented in the 2001 EC White Paper, in relation to environmental legal policy making in Europe. First a concise analysis is made of the concept of good governance. Then, in a ``tour d’horizon’’, environmental policy programmes, legal cornerstones and

  14. Good Faith in European Contract Law

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hondius, E.H.

    2002-01-01

    Reinhard Zimmermann and Simon Whittaker, Good Faith in European Contract Law, pp 720, ISBN 0 521 77190 0, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000. This is the first publication resulting from the Trento Common Core of European Private Law project. It analyses the law relating to good faith in

  15. The ethics of big data as a public good: which public? Whose good?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Linnet

    2016-12-28

    International development and humanitarian organizations are increasingly calling for digital data to be treated as a public good because of its value in supplementing scarce national statistics and informing interventions, including in emergencies. In response to this claim, a 'responsible data' movement has evolved to discuss guidelines and frameworks that will establish ethical principles for data sharing. However, this movement is not gaining traction with those who hold the highest-value data, particularly mobile network operators who are proving reluctant to make data collected in low- and middle-income countries accessible through intermediaries. This paper evaluates how the argument for 'data as a public good' fits with the corporate reality of big data, exploring existing models for data sharing. I draw on the idea of corporate data as an ecosystem involving often conflicting rights, duties and claims, in comparison to the utilitarian claim that data's humanitarian value makes it imperative to share them. I assess the power dynamics implied by the idea of data as a public good, and how differing incentives lead actors to adopt particular ethical positions with regard to the use of data.This article is part of the themed issue 'The ethical impact of data science'. © 2016 The Author(s).

  16. Psychometric Properties of the Theory of Mind Assessment Scale in a Sample of Adolescents and Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bosco, Francesca M; Gabbatore, Ilaria; Tirassa, Maurizio; Testa, Silvia

    2016-01-01

    This research aimed at the evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Theory of Mind Assessment Scale (Th.o.m.a.s.). Th.o.m.a.s. is a semi-structured interview meant to evaluate a person's Theory of Mind (ToM). It is composed of several questions organized in four scales, each focusing on one of the areas of knowledge in which such faculty may manifest itself: Scale A (I-Me) investigates first-order first-person ToM; Scale B (Other-Self) investigates third-person ToM from an allocentric perspective; Scale C (I-Other) again investigates third-person ToM, but from an egocentric perspective; and Scale D (Other-Me) investigates second-order ToM. The psychometric proprieties of Th.o.m.a.s. were evaluated in a sample of 156 healthy persons: 80 preadolescent and adolescent (aged 11-17 years, 42 females) and 76 adults (aged from 20 to 67 years, 35 females). Th.o.m.a.s. scores show good inter-rater agreement and internal consistency; the scores increase with age. Evidence of criterion validity was found as Scale B scores were correlated with those of an independent instrument for the evaluation of ToM, the Strange Stories task. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed good fit of the four-factors theoretical model to the data, although the four factors were highly correlated. For each of the four scales, Rasch analyses showed that, with few exceptions, items fitted the Partial credit model and their functioning was invariant for gender and age. The results of this study, along with those of previous researches with clinical samples, show that Th.o.m.a.s. is a promising instrument to assess ToM in different populations.

  17. Effect of sample matrix composition on INAA sample weights, measurement precisions, limits of detection, and optimum conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guinn, V.P.; Nakazawa, L.; Leslie, J.

    1984-01-01

    The instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) Advance Prediction Computer Program (APCP) is extremely useful in guiding one to optimum subsequent experimental analyses of samples of all types of matrices. By taking into account the contributions to the cumulative Compton-continuum levels from all significant induced gamma-emitting radionuclides, it provides good INAA advance estimates of detectable photopeaks, measurement precisions, concentration lower limits of detection (LOD's) and optimum irradiation/decay/counting conditions - as well as of the very important maximum allowable sample size for each set of conditions calculated. The usefulness and importance of the four output parameters cited in the title are discussed using the INAA APCP outputs for NBS SRM-1632 Coal as the example

  18. Is Good Fit Related to Good Behaviour? Goodness of Fit between Daycare Teacher-Child Relationships, Temperament, and Prosocial Behaviour

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hipson, Will E.; Séguin, Daniel G.

    2016-01-01

    The Goodness-of-Fit model [Thomas, A., & Chess, S. (1977). Temperament and development. New York: Brunner/Mazel] proposes that a child's temperament interacts with the environment to influence child outcomes. In the past, researchers have shown how the association between the quality of the teacher-child relationship in daycare and child…

  19. Network and adaptive sampling

    CERN Document Server

    Chaudhuri, Arijit

    2014-01-01

    Combining the two statistical techniques of network sampling and adaptive sampling, this book illustrates the advantages of using them in tandem to effectively capture sparsely located elements in unknown pockets. It shows how network sampling is a reliable guide in capturing inaccessible entities through linked auxiliaries. The text also explores how adaptive sampling is strengthened in information content through subsidiary sampling with devices to mitigate unmanageable expanding sample sizes. Empirical data illustrates the applicability of both methods.

  20. "The Corn People Have a Song Too. It Is Very Good": On Beauty, Truth, and Goodness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chamberlin, J. Edward

    2009-01-01

    Twenty-first-century skeptics would say that there are really no such things as beauty and truth and certainly not goodness. A Pueblo poet seemed to think there was--"the corn people have a song / it is very good"--and unless people think they know better, they'd better listen up. This article begins with a short piece, set down by the…

  1. On Becoming a Good English Language Learner: An Exploratory Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panzachi Heredia, Damaris Ana Ruth; Luchini, Pedro Luis

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports a case study that explores the cognitive process and the language learning strategies and styles that one Spanish trainee used to become a good English language learner. The participant held an in-depth, semi-structured interview and completed a learning style survey. Results show that the conscious use of multiple…

  2. Polymeric ionic liquid-based portable tip microextraction device for on-site sample preparation of water samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Lei; Pei, Junxian; Huang, Xiaojia; Lu, Min

    2018-06-05

    On-site sample preparation is highly desired because it avoids the transportation of large-volume samples and ensures the accuracy of the analytical results. In this work, a portable prototype of tip microextraction device (TMD) was designed and developed for on-site sample pretreatment. The assembly procedure of TMD is quite simple. Firstly, polymeric ionic liquid (PIL)-based adsorbent was in-situ prepared in a pipette tip. After that, the tip was connected with a syringe which was driven by a bidirectional motor. The flow rates in adsorption and desorption steps were controlled accurately by the motor. To evaluate the practicability of the developed device, the TMD was used to on-site sample preparation of waters and combined with high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection to measure trace estrogens in water samples. Under the most favorable conditions, the limits of detection (LODs, S/N = 3) for the target analytes were in the range of 4.9-22 ng/L, with good coefficients of determination. Confirmatory study well evidences that the extraction performance of TMD is comparable to that of the traditional laboratory solid-phase extraction process, but the proposed TMD is more simple and convenient. At the same time, the TMD avoids complicated sampling and transferring steps of large-volume water samples. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. [Utilization of self-sampling kits for HPV testing in cervical cancer screening - pilot study].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ondryášová, H; Koudeláková, V; Drábek, J; Vaněk, P; Slavkovský, R; Hajdúch, M

    2015-12-01

    To get initial experience with alternative sampling (self-sampling) for HPV testing as the means of cervical cancer screening program. Original work. Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University in Olomouc. Based on expression of interest, 215 self-sampling kits were posted to women. Evalyn(®) Brush Vaginal swabs obtained by self-sampling were analyzed for the presence of HPV infection by Cobas 4800 HPV (Roche) followed by genotyping using PapilloCheck(®) HPV-Screening (Greiner Bio-One). Sixty women randomly chosen from our sample were sent a questionnaire focused on their experience with self-sampling. One hundred seventy-four of 215 (81%) distributed self-sampling devices have been delivered to analysis. All cervicovaginal swabs were sampled correctly and it was possible to analyze them by Cobas 4800 HPV test. Similarly, 98% (171/174) samples were analyzable by PapilloCheck(®) HPV-Screening.One hundred twenty-five (72%) of 174 tested samples were HPV negative. Low risk HPV infection was detected only in 7 samples (4%), and high risk HPV (hrHPV) infection was present in 42 samples (24%). The most frequently detected hrHPV genotypes were HPV16 (11/42; 26%) and HPV53 (6/42; 14%). HrHPV co-infection was detected in 10 cases, in 5 of them lrHPV infection was find also.Of the 60 questionnaires, 48 (80%) were returned. From this group, 47 (98%) women rated their experience with self-sampling device as good to excellent. User manual of self-sampling device was considered good to excellent by all women (100%). All women also rated the convenience of self-sampling device using as good to excellent. As expected, most of the women (n = 42 [88%]) preferred self-sampling to physician sampling. Cervicovaginal self-sampling leads to valid results of HPV screening using two molecular genetics methods and was accepted by Czech women very well. The self-sampling as an opportunity to participate in cervical cancer

  4. The psychological aspect of goods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rejmaneh Evžen

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available The author, a psychologist from Prague, discusses the theory of consumption from the socio-political angle. He discusses in detail the double features of goods from the psychological point of view: a the material features and b nominal, notional features of goods. The latter (nominal feature has been especially emphasized, the one that is being transformed into a specific "image of goods". The author also analyses its influence upon the consumers' behavior, connecting it with advertising as well. Later on in the paper the author shifts his analysis to the process of creating new products and to the establishment of the new conception that would not deal any more with individual products but rather with a "field of requirements". The author emphasizes the importance of research. He considers that changes in the way of living considerably influence the formation of requirements which in its turn asks for specific marketing methods in satisfying the requirements.

  5. Note from the Goods Reception services

    CERN Multimedia

    FI Department

    2008-01-01

    Members of the personnel are invited to take note that only parcels corresponding to official orders or contracts will be handled at CERN. Individuals are not authorised to have private merchandise delivered to them at CERN and private deliveries will not be accepted by the Goods Reception services. Goods Reception Services

  6. Exemplary Goods: Exemplars as Judgment Devices

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    E. Dekker (Erwin)

    2016-01-01

    textabstractIn this article the notion of exemplars is developed to study valuation processes. It argues that exemplary goods are an important ‘judgment device’ on markets of singular goods, which has so far been ignored in the literature. The article draws on Hannah Arendt’s theory of exemplars, as

  7. A Single Platinum Microelectrode for Identifying Soft Drink Samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lígia Bueno

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Cyclic voltammograms recorded with a single platinum microelectrode were used along with a non-supervised pattern recognition, namely, Principal Component Analysis, to conduct a qualitative analysis of sixteen different brands of carbonated soft drinks (Kuat, Soda Antarctica, H2OH!, Sprite 2.0, Guarana Antarctica, Guarana Antarctica Zero, Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero, Coca-Cola Plus, Pepsi, Pepsi Light, Pepsi Twist, Pepsi Twist Light, Pepsi Twist 3, Schin Cola, and Classic Dillar’s. In this analysis, soft drink samples were not subjected to pre-treatment. Good differentiation among all the analysed soft drinks was achieved using the voltammetric data. An analysis of the loading plots shows that the potentials of −0.65 V, −0.4 V, 0.4 V, and 0.750 V facilitated the discrimination process. The electrochemical processes related to this potential are the reduction of hydrogen ions and inhibition of the platinum oxidation by the caffeine adsorption on the electrode surface. Additionally, the single platinum microelectrode was useful for the quality control of the soft drink samples, as it helped to identify the time at which the beverage was opened.

  8. X-ray fluorescence analysis with micro glass beads using milligram-scale siliceous samples for archeology and geochemistry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ichikawa, Shintaro, E-mail: sichi@meiji.ac.jp [Organization for the Strategic Coordination of Research and Intellectual Properties, Meiji University, Kawasaki 214-8571 (Japan); Nakamura, Toshihiro [Department of Applied Chemistry, Meiji University, Kawasaki 214-8571 (Japan)

    2014-06-01

    A micro glass bead technique was developed to assay precious siliceous samples for geochemical and archeological analyses. The micro-sized (approximately 3.5 mm in diameter and 0.8 mm in height) glass beads were prepared by mixing and fusing 1.1 mg of the powdered sample and 11.0 mg of the alkali lithium tetraborate flux for wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence determination of major oxides (Na{sub 2}O, MgO, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, SiO{sub 2}, P{sub 2}O{sub 5}, K{sub 2}O, CaO, TiO{sub 2}, MnO, and total Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}). The preparation parameters, including temperature and agitation during the fusing process, were optimized for the use of a commercial platinum crucible rather than a custom-made crucible. The procedure allows preparation of minute sample amounts of siliceous samples using conventional fusing equipment. Synthetic calibration standards were prepared by compounding chemical reagents such as oxides, carbonates, and diphosphates. Calibration curves showed good linearity with r values > 0.997, and the lower limits of detection were in the 10s to 100s of μg g{sup −1} range (e.g., 140 μg g{sup −1} for Na{sub 2}O, 31 μg g{sup −1} for Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and 8.9 μg g{sup −1} for MnO). Using the present method, we determined ten major oxides in igneous rocks, stream sediments, ancient potteries, and obsidian. This was applicable to siliceous samples with various compositions, because of the excellent agreement between the analytical and recommended values of six geochemical references. This minimal-scale analysis may be available for precious and limited siliceous samples (e.g., rock, sand, soil, sediment, clay, and archeological ceramics) in many fields such as archeology and geochemistry. - Highlights: • X-ray fluorescence determination of major oxides was performed using 1.1 mg of sample. • Preparation and measurement techniques of the XRF micro glass bead specimen were optimized. • Calibration curves using synthetic standards showed good

  9. Randomized comparison of vaginal self-sampling by standard vs. dry swabs for Human papillomavirus testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eperon, Isabelle; Vassilakos, Pierre; Navarria, Isabelle; Menoud, Pierre-Alain; Gauthier, Aude; Pache, Jean-Claude; Boulvain, Michel; Untiet, Sarah; Petignat, Patrick

    2013-01-01

    To evaluate if human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling (Self-HPV) using a dry vaginal swab is a valid alternative for HPV testing. Women attending colposcopy clinic were recruited to collect two consecutive Self-HPV samples: a Self-HPV using a dry swab (S-DRY) and a Self-HPV using a standard wet transport medium (S-WET). These samples were analyzed for HPV using real time PCR (Roche Cobas). Participants were randomized to determine the order of the tests. Questionnaires assessing preferences and acceptability for both tests were conducted. Subsequently, women were invited for colposcopic examination; a physician collected a cervical sample (physician-sampling) with a broom-type device and placed it into a liquid-based cytology medium. Specimens were then processed for the production of cytology slides and a Hybrid Capture HPV DNA test (Qiagen) was performed from the residual liquid. Biopsies were performed if indicated. Unweighted kappa statistics (κ) and McNemar tests were used to measure the agreement among the sampling methods. A total of 120 women were randomized. Overall HPV prevalence was 68.7% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 59.3–77.2) by S-WET, 54.4% (95% CI 44.8–63.9) by S-DRY and 53.8% (95% CI 43.8–63.7) by HC. Among paired samples (S-WET and S-DRY), the overall agreement was good (85.7%; 95% CI 77.8–91.6) and the κ was substantial (0.70; 95% CI 0.57-0.70). The proportion of positive type-specific HPV agreement was also good (77.3%; 95% CI 68.2-84.9). No differences in sensitivity for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade one (CIN1) or worse between the two Self-HPV tests were observed. Women reported the two Self-HPV tests as highly acceptable. Self-HPV using dry swab transfer does not appear to compromise specimen integrity. Further study in a large screening population is needed. ClinicalTrials.gov: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01316120

  10. Basic model of quality and good practices in neonatal radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dias, Janine H.; Goulart, Juliana M.; Lykawka, Rochelle; Bacelar, Alexandre

    2016-01-01

    Neonatal chest radiographs were evaluated and 3 variables were analyzed: collimation, positioning and presence of artifacts. This study is a pilot for develop a model of good practices in radiology, which is in development phase. The index of analyzed radiographs considered inadequate is expressive and it shows the need for a model that may be part of an optimization program to medical exposures. (author)

  11. Assessing Exhaustiveness of Stochastic Sampling for Integrative Modeling of Macromolecular Structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viswanath, Shruthi; Chemmama, Ilan E; Cimermancic, Peter; Sali, Andrej

    2017-12-05

    Modeling of macromolecular structures involves structural sampling guided by a scoring function, resulting in an ensemble of good-scoring models. By necessity, the sampling is often stochastic, and must be exhaustive at a precision sufficient for accurate modeling and assessment of model uncertainty. Therefore, the very first step in analyzing the ensemble is an estimation of the highest precision at which the sampling is exhaustive. Here, we present an objective and automated method for this task. As a proxy for sampling exhaustiveness, we evaluate whether two independently and stochastically generated sets of models are sufficiently similar. The protocol includes testing 1) convergence of the model score, 2) whether model scores for the two samples were drawn from the same parent distribution, 3) whether each structural cluster includes models from each sample proportionally to its size, and 4) whether there is sufficient structural similarity between the two model samples in each cluster. The evaluation also provides the sampling precision, defined as the smallest clustering threshold that satisfies the third, most stringent test. We validate the protocol with the aid of enumerated good-scoring models for five illustrative cases of binary protein complexes. Passing the proposed four tests is necessary, but not sufficient for thorough sampling. The protocol is general in nature and can be applied to the stochastic sampling of any set of models, not just structural models. In addition, the tests can be used to stop stochastic sampling as soon as exhaustiveness at desired precision is reached, thereby improving sampling efficiency; they may also help in selecting a model representation that is sufficiently detailed to be informative, yet also sufficiently coarse for sampling to be exhaustive. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Capuchin monkeys do not show human-like pricing effects

    OpenAIRE

    Catapano, Rhia; Buttrick, Nicholas; Widness, Jane; Goldstein, Robin; Santos, Laurie R.

    2014-01-01

    Recent work in judgment and decision-making has shown that a good's price can have irrational effects on people's preferences. People tend to prefer goods that cost more money and assume that such expensive goods will be more effective, even in cases where the price of the good is itself arbitrary. Although much work has documented the existence of these pricing effects, unfortunately little work has addressed where these price effects come from in the first place. Here we use a comparative a...

  13. Radial line-scans as representative sampling strategy in dried-droplet laser ablation of liquid samples deposited on pre-cut filter paper disks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nischkauer, Winfried; Vanhaecke, Frank; Bernacchi, Sébastien; Herwig, Christoph; Limbeck, Andreas

    2014-11-01

    Nebulising liquid samples and using the aerosol thus obtained for further analysis is the standard method in many current analytical techniques, also with inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-based devices. With such a set-up, quantification via external calibration is usually straightforward for samples with aqueous or close-to-aqueous matrix composition. However, there is a variety of more complex samples. Such samples can be found in medical, biological, technological and industrial contexts and can range from body fluids, like blood or urine, to fuel additives or fermentation broths. Specialized nebulizer systems or careful digestion and dilution are required to tackle such demanding sample matrices. One alternative approach is to convert the liquid into a dried solid and to use laser ablation for sample introduction. Up to now, this approach required the application of internal standards or matrix-adjusted calibration due to matrix effects. In this contribution, we show a way to circumvent these matrix effects while using simple external calibration for quantification. The principle of representative sampling that we propose uses radial line-scans across the dried residue. This compensates for centro-symmetric inhomogeneities typically observed in dried spots. The effectiveness of the proposed sampling strategy is exemplified via the determination of phosphorus in biochemical fermentation media. However, the universal viability of the presented measurement protocol is postulated. Detection limits using laser ablation-ICP-optical emission spectrometry were in the order of 40 μg mL - 1 with a reproducibility of 10 % relative standard deviation (n = 4, concentration = 10 times the quantification limit). The reported sensitivity is fit-for-purpose in the biochemical context described here, but could be improved using ICP-mass spectrometry, if future analytical tasks would require it. Trueness of the proposed method was investigated by cross-validation with

  14. Radial line-scans as representative sampling strategy in dried-droplet laser ablation of liquid samples deposited on pre-cut filter paper disks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nischkauer, Winfried; Vanhaecke, Frank; Bernacchi, Sébastien; Herwig, Christoph; Limbeck, Andreas

    2014-11-01

    Nebulising liquid samples and using the aerosol thus obtained for further analysis is the standard method in many current analytical techniques, also with inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-based devices. With such a set-up, quantification via external calibration is usually straightforward for samples with aqueous or close-to-aqueous matrix composition. However, there is a variety of more complex samples. Such samples can be found in medical, biological, technological and industrial contexts and can range from body fluids, like blood or urine, to fuel additives or fermentation broths. Specialized nebulizer systems or careful digestion and dilution are required to tackle such demanding sample matrices. One alternative approach is to convert the liquid into a dried solid and to use laser ablation for sample introduction. Up to now, this approach required the application of internal standards or matrix-adjusted calibration due to matrix effects. In this contribution, we show a way to circumvent these matrix effects while using simple external calibration for quantification. The principle of representative sampling that we propose uses radial line-scans across the dried residue. This compensates for centro-symmetric inhomogeneities typically observed in dried spots. The effectiveness of the proposed sampling strategy is exemplified via the determination of phosphorus in biochemical fermentation media. However, the universal viability of the presented measurement protocol is postulated. Detection limits using laser ablation-ICP-optical emission spectrometry were in the order of 40 μg mL- 1 with a reproducibility of 10 % relative standard deviation (n = 4, concentration = 10 times the quantification limit). The reported sensitivity is fit-for-purpose in the biochemical context described here, but could be improved using ICP-mass spectrometry, if future analytical tasks would require it. Trueness of the proposed method was investigated by cross-validation with

  15. Optimal Provision of Public Goods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kreiner, Claus Thustrup; Verdelin, Nicolaj

    There currently exist two competing approaches in the literature on the optimal provision of public goods. The standard approach highlights the importance of distortionary taxation and distributional concerns. The new approach neutralizes distributional concerns by adjusting the non-linear income...... tax, and finds that this reinvigorates the simple Samuelson rule when preferences are separable in goods and leisure. We provide a synthesis by demonstrating that both approaches derive from the same basic formula. We further develop the new approach by deriving a general, intuitive formula...

  16. Ductile Bulk Aluminum-Based Alloy with Good Glass-Forming Ability and High Strength

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Long-Chao, Zhuo; Shu-Jie, Pang; Hui, Wang; Tao, Zhang

    2009-01-01

    Based on a new approach for designing glassy alloy compositions, bulk Al-based alloys with good glass-forming ability (GFA) are synthesized. The cast Al 86 Si 0.5 Ni 4.06 Co 2.94 Y 6 Sc 0.5 rod with a diameter of 1 mm shows almost fully amorphous structure besides about 5% fcc-Al nucleated in the center of the rod. The bulk alloy with high Al concentration exhibits an ultrahigh yield strength of 1.18 GPa and maximum strength of 1.27 GPa as well as an obvious plastic strain of about 2.4% during compressive deformation. This light Al-based alloy with good GFA and mechanical properties is promising as a new high specific strength material with good deformability. (condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties)

  17. SPR imaging biosensor for the quantitation of fibronectin concentration in blood samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sankiewicz, Anna; Romanowicz, Lech; Pyc, Marlena; Hermanowicz, Adam; Gorodkiewicz, Ewa

    2018-02-20

    The purpose of this study was presentation of a new biosensor capable of determination of fibronectin. This biosensor was based on the specific interaction of anti-fibronectin antibody produced in rabbit with fibronectin. The surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRI) technique was used as a detecting method. Optimization and characterization properties of the biosensor were studied. The determination of fibronectin concentration in natural samples was done. The results were compared with a reference method (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay-ELISA). The analytically useful dynamic response range of biosensor is between 5 and 400ngmL -1 . The detection limit is 1.5ngmL -1 and limit quantification is 5ngmL -1 . The proposed SPRI biosensor showed good selectivity for potential interferences. It was applied to determine fibronectin concentrations in plasma of healthy donors and of patients after thermal injury. Good correlations between results obtained using the SPRI biosensor and ELISA test (correlation coefficients for healthy donors 0.996, for patients 0.984) were obtained. The average fibronectin concentration of healthy donors was 140.5±24.6μgmL -1 and the average fibronectin concentration of patients was 601.5±72.1μgmL -1 , which was in agreement with results obtained by other investigators. The obtained results indicate that the developed biosensor may be a candidate for monitoring fibronectin concentration in blood samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. ASSESSMENT OF GOOD PRACTICES IN HOSPITAL FOOD SERVICE BY COMPARING EVALUATION TOOLS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macedo Gonçalves, Juliana; Lameiro Rodrigues, Kelly; Santiago Almeida, Ângela Teresinha; Pereira, Giselda Maria; Duarte Buchweitz, Márcia Rúbia

    2015-10-01

    since food service in hospitals complements medical treatment, it should be produced in proper hygienic and sanitary conditions. It is a well-known fact that food-transmitted illnesses affect with greater severity hospitalized and immunosuppressed patients. good practices in hospital food service are evaluated by comparing assessment instruments. good practices were evaluated by a verification list following Resolution of Collegiate Directory n. 216 of the Brazilian Agency for Sanitary Vigilance. Interpretation of listed items followed parameters of RCD 216 and the Brazilian Association of Collective Meals Enterprises (BACME). Fisher's exact test was applied to detect whether there were statistically significant differences. Analysis of data grouping was undertaken with Unweighted Pair-group using Arithmetic Averages, coupled to a correlation study between dissimilarity matrixes to verify disagreement between the two methods. Good Practice was classified with mean total rates above 75% by the two methods. There were statistically significant differences between services and food evaluated by BACME instrument. Hospital Food Services have proved to show conditions of acceptable good practices. the comparison of interpretation tools based on RCD n. 216 and BACME provided similar results for the two classifications. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

  19. Volunteering leads to rock-paper-scissors dynamics in a public goods game

    Science.gov (United States)

    Semmann, Dirk; Krambeck, Hans-Jürgen; Milinski, Manfred

    2003-09-01

    Collective efforts are a trademark of both insect and human societies. They are achieved through relatedness in the former and unknown mechanisms in the latter. The problem of achieving cooperation among non-kin has been described as the `tragedy of the commons', prophesying the inescapable collapse of many human enterprises. In public goods experiments, initial cooperation usually drops quickly to almost zero. It can be maintained by the opportunity to punish defectors or the need to maintain good reputation. Both schemes require that defectors are identified. Theorists propose that a simple but effective mechanism operates under full anonymity. With optional participation in the public goods game, `loners' (players who do not join the group), defectors and cooperators will coexist through rock-paper-scissors dynamics. Here we show experimentally that volunteering generates these dynamics in public goods games and that manipulating initial conditions can produce each predicted direction. If, by manipulating displayed decisions, it is pretended that defectors have the highest frequency, loners soon become most frequent, as do cooperators after loners and defectors after cooperators. On average, cooperation is perpetuated at a substantial level.

  20. Spherical sampling

    CERN Document Server

    Freeden, Willi; Schreiner, Michael

    2018-01-01

    This book presents, in a consistent and unified overview, results and developments in the field of today´s spherical sampling, particularly arising in mathematical geosciences. Although the book often refers to original contributions, the authors made them accessible to (graduate) students and scientists not only from mathematics but also from geosciences and geoengineering. Building a library of topics in spherical sampling theory it shows how advances in this theory lead to new discoveries in mathematical, geodetic, geophysical as well as other scientific branches like neuro-medicine. A must-to-read for everybody working in the area of spherical sampling.