Analytic number theory in honor of Helmut Maier’s 60th birthday

CERN Document Server

Rassias, Michael

2015-01-01

This volume contains a collection of research and survey papers written by some of the most eminent mathematicians in the international community and is dedicated to Helmut Maier, whose own research has been groundbreaking and deeply influential to the field. Specific emphasis is given to topics regarding exponential and  trigonometric sums and their behavior in short intervals, anatomy of integers and cyclotomic polynomials, small gaps in sequences of sifted prime numbers, oscillation theorems for primes in arithmetic progressions, inequalities related to the distribution of primes in short intervals, the Möbius function, Euler’s totient function, the Riemann zeta function and the Riemann Hypothesis. Graduate students, research mathematicians, as well as computer scientists and engineers who are interested in pure and interdisciplinary research, will find this volume a useful resource. Contributors to this volume: Bill Allombert, Levent Alpoge, Nadine Amersi, Yuri Bilu, Régis de la Bretèche, Christian ...

Titius-Bode laws in the solar system. 2: Build your own law from disk models

Science.gov (United States)

Dubrulle, B.; Graner, F.

1994-02-01

Simply respecting both scale and rotational invariance, it is easy to construct an endless collection of theoretical models predicting a Titius-Bode law, irrespective to their physical content. Due to the numerous ways to get the law and its intrinsic arbitrariness, it is not a useful constraint on theories of solar system formation. To illustrate the simple elegance of scale-invariant methods, we explicitly cook up one of the simplest examples, an infinitely thin cold gaseous disk rotating around a central object. In that academic case, the Titius-Bode law holds during the linear stage of the gravitational instability. The time scale of the instability is of the order of a self-gravitating time scale, (G rhod)-1/2, where rhod is the disk density. This model links the separation between different density maxima with the ratio MD/MC of the masses of the disk and the central object; for instance, MD/MC of the order of 0.18 roughly leads to the observed separation between the planets. We discuss the boundary conditions and the limit of the Wentzel-Kramer-Brillouin (WKB) approximation.

A physical interpretation of the Titius-Bode rule and its connection to the closed orbits of Bertrandʼs theorem

Science.gov (United States)

Christodoulou, Dimitris M.; Kazanas, Demosthenes

2017-12-01

We consider the geometric Titius-Bode rule for the semimajor axes of planetary orbits. We derive an equivalent rule for the midpoints of the segments between consecutive orbits along the radial direction and we interpret it physically in terms of the work done in the gravitational field of the Sun by particles whose orbits are perturbed around each planetary orbit. On such energetic grounds, it is not surprising that some exoplanets in multiple-planet extrasolar systems obey the same relation. However, it is surprising that this simple interpretation of the Titius-Bode rule also reveals new properties of the bound closed orbits predicted by Bertrand’s theorem, which has been known since 1873.

Education, Democracy, and Social Discourse: A Contemporary Response to George S. Counts and Boyd H. Bode

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, William J.

2013-01-01

Education, once known as the "great equalizer," is now being called to task for its tendency to disenfranchise and to legitimate inequality due to its obedience to the tenets of capitalism. Two of the nation's greatest educational thinkers, George S. Counts and Boyd H. Bode provided "instructions" for parents and teachers…

On 18 December 2004, the President of the Swiss Electro-technical Committee, Martin Reichle (left), presented the award to Helmut Schönbacher.

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

Helmut Schönbacher, previously of CERN's Safety Commission, has received the 1906 Award of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for his standardization work on the influence of ionizing radiation on insulating materials. From 1986 until 2004, Schönbacher led a working group on radiation composed of internationally recognized experts, which edited standards in the IEC 60544 series on the determination of the effects of ionizing radiation on electrically insulating materials.

Expansion of the prognostic assessment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease : the updated BODE index and the ADO index

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Puhan, Milo A.; Garcia-Aymerich, Judith; Frey, Martin; ter Riet, Gerben; Anto, Josep M.; Agusti, Alvar G.; Gomez, Federico P.; Rodriguez-Roisin, Roberto; Moons, Karel G. M.; Kessels, Alphons G.; Held, Ulrike

2009-01-01

Background The BODE index (including body-mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnoea, and exercise capacity) was an important contribution to the prognostic assessment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, no study has assessed whether the risk of mortality predicted

What's New is What's Old: Use of Bode's Integral Theorem (circa 1945) to Provide Insight for 21st Century Spacecraft Attitude Control System Design Tuning

Science.gov (United States)

Ruth, Mike; Lebsock, Ken; Dennehy, Neil

2010-01-01

This paper revisits the Bode integral theorem, first described in 1945 for feedback amplifier design, in the context of modern satellite Attitude Control System (ACS) design tasks. Use of Bode's Integral clarifies in an elegant way the connection between open-loop stability margins and closed-loop bandwidth. More importantly it shows that there is a very strong tradeoff between disturbance rejection below the satellite controller design bandwidth, and disturbance amplification in the 'penalty region' just above the design bandwidth. This information has been successfully used to re-tune the control designs for several NASA science-mission satellites. The Appendix of this paper contains a complete summary of the relevant integral conservation theorems for stable, unstable, and non-minimum- phase plants.

Correspondents and the Cold War. How foreign correspondents acted during the chancellery of Helmut Schmidt (1974-1982 in Germany and abroad

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Thomas Birkner

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses the role of foreign correspondents during the Cold War. More specifically, it focuses on the case study of the relationship between former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and foreign correspondents in Germanyand abroad. A synthesis of historical research and qualitative analysis of documentsand interviews provides a behind-the-scenes look at media diplomacy during the 70s andearly 80s. From the perspective of system theory and the concept of mediatization, mediaand politics are understood as separate but equal social systems that interact with eachother. This case study is based on documents from the private archives of Helmut Schmidtand from the annals of his party, the German Social Democrats, as well as interviews conducted with Schmidt and former journalist and correspondent Gerd Ruge. Analysis of theinterviews and the private and secret correspondence of Schmidt with journalists affordsan inside view into the role foreign correspondents played during the Cold War when communicationacross the Iron Curtain was especially challenging. Our conclusions show howimportant foreign correspondents are in international relations, while also demonstrating that aspects of international diplomacy, though involving journalists, were not necessarily included in media coverage. This study helps to clarify the complex interactions between media and politics. On the basis of our explorative research, a model is proffered of possible relations and interactions between politicians and foreign correspondents. As sources of information and means of communication, foreign correspondents exert a strong influence on the fates of nations and governments, before and behind the scenes. Esta proposta aborda o papel dos correspondentes estrangeiros durante a Guerra Fria. Mais especificamente, centra-se no estudo de caso da relação entre o ex-chanceler alemão Helmut Schmidt e os correspondentes estrangeiros na Alemanha e no exterior. A s

32nd Annual Conference of the Gesellschaft für Klassifikation e.V., Joint Conference with the British Classification Society (BCS) and the Dutch/Flemish Classification Society (VOC), Helmut-Schmidt-University

CERN Document Server

Lausen, Berthold; Seidel, Wilfried; Ultsch, Alfred

2010-01-01

Data Analysis, Data Handling and Business Intelligence are research areas at the intersection of computer science, artificial intelligence, mathematics, and statistics. They cover general methods and techniques that can be applied to a vast set of applications such as in marketing, finance, economics, engineering, linguistics, archaeology, musicology, medical science, and biology. This volume contains the revised versions of selected papers presented during the 32nd Annual Conference of the German Classification Society (Gesellschaft für Klassifikation, GfKl). The conference, which was organized in cooperation with the British Classification Society (BCS) and the Dutch/Flemish Classification Society (VOC), was hosted by Helmut-Schmidt-University, Hamburg, Germany, in July 2008.

Field data-based mathematical modeling by Bode equations and vector fitting algorithm for renewable energy applications

Science.gov (United States)

W. Hasan, W. Z.

2018-01-01

The power system always has several variations in its profile due to random load changes or environmental effects such as device switching effects when generating further transients. Thus, an accurate mathematical model is important because most system parameters vary with time. Curve modeling of power generation is a significant tool for evaluating system performance, monitoring and forecasting. Several numerical techniques compete to fit the curves of empirical data such as wind, solar, and demand power rates. This paper proposes a new modified methodology presented as a parametric technique to determine the system’s modeling equations based on the Bode plot equations and the vector fitting (VF) algorithm by fitting the experimental data points. The modification is derived from the familiar VF algorithm as a robust numerical method. This development increases the application range of the VF algorithm for modeling not only in the frequency domain but also for all power curves. Four case studies are addressed and compared with several common methods. From the minimal RMSE, the results show clear improvements in data fitting over other methods. The most powerful features of this method is the ability to model irregular or randomly shaped data and to be applied to any algorithms that estimating models using frequency-domain data to provide state-space or transfer function for the model. PMID:29351554

Field data-based mathematical modeling by Bode equations and vector fitting algorithm for renewable energy applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Sabry, A H; W Hasan, W Z; Ab Kadir, M Z A; Radzi, M A M; Shafie, S

2018-01-01

The power system always has several variations in its profile due to random load changes or environmental effects such as device switching effects when generating further transients. Thus, an accurate mathematical model is important because most system parameters vary with time. Curve modeling of power generation is a significant tool for evaluating system performance, monitoring and forecasting. Several numerical techniques compete to fit the curves of empirical data such as wind, solar, and demand power rates. This paper proposes a new modified methodology presented as a parametric technique to determine the system's modeling equations based on the Bode plot equations and the vector fitting (VF) algorithm by fitting the experimental data points. The modification is derived from the familiar VF algorithm as a robust numerical method. This development increases the application range of the VF algorithm for modeling not only in the frequency domain but also for all power curves. Four case studies are addressed and compared with several common methods. From the minimal RMSE, the results show clear improvements in data fitting over other methods. The most powerful features of this method is the ability to model irregular or randomly shaped data and to be applied to any algorithms that estimating models using frequency-domain data to provide state-space or transfer function for the model.

Field data-based mathematical modeling by Bode equations and vector fitting algorithm for renewable energy applications.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A H Sabry

Full Text Available The power system always has several variations in its profile due to random load changes or environmental effects such as device switching effects when generating further transients. Thus, an accurate mathematical model is important because most system parameters vary with time. Curve modeling of power generation is a significant tool for evaluating system performance, monitoring and forecasting. Several numerical techniques compete to fit the curves of empirical data such as wind, solar, and demand power rates. This paper proposes a new modified methodology presented as a parametric technique to determine the system's modeling equations based on the Bode plot equations and the vector fitting (VF algorithm by fitting the experimental data points. The modification is derived from the familiar VF algorithm as a robust numerical method. This development increases the application range of the VF algorithm for modeling not only in the frequency domain but also for all power curves. Four case studies are addressed and compared with several common methods. From the minimal RMSE, the results show clear improvements in data fitting over other methods. The most powerful features of this method is the ability to model irregular or randomly shaped data and to be applied to any algorithms that estimating models using frequency-domain data to provide state-space or transfer function for the model.

The Physical Meaning Of The Titius - Bode Formula

Science.gov (United States)

Smirnov, Vladimir

)lambda, wherein n=0,1,2... The comparison of the observed and calculated distances from the planets to the Sun and the distances from the satellites to the planets according to the proposed wave principle one can find in the author's work: 'The Wave Principle of Material Distribution within the Solar System’, published in Proceedings of the International Meteor Conference, Cerkno, Slovenia, 20 - 23 September 2001 Pp 64 - 71 The above formula for the distances from the planets to the Sun, the distances from the planets to their satellites, reveals the physical meaning of the well-known formula, composed empirically by Bode - Titius: Y=0,4+0,3*2 (n) , wherein n=1,2,4,5... Note that in some cases the standing waves are responsible for the formation of symmetrical shapes of galaxies by cosmic objects that resemble the inscribed and circumscribed Platonic figures and the vortex formation in the form of hexagon on Saturn recently shown on the Internet. According to the observations the elementary calculation shows that the hexagon vortex is formed by a standing wave with a wavelength lambda=6250km According to the reports of the Hubble telescope’s (Hubble EP) observations in outer space the energy waves are observed in the substance of the outer space while the evolution of galaxies and other objects, and the length of these energy waves reaches lambda hundreds of light years.

Synergy of Nyquist and Bode electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies to particle size effect on the electrochemical properties of LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang, Chenghao; Liu, Lianbao; Jia, Zheng; Dai, Changsong; Xiong, Yueping

2015-01-01

To study the mechanism of material particle size effects on the electrochemical properties of LiNi 0.5 Co 0.2 Mn 0.3 O 2 , two kinds of materials with particle size of 300 nm and 1 μm were prepared, based on the electrospinning method and sol-gel method, respectively. The capacity differences of the two materials at 20 mA/g discharge current were unapparent, in the potential range of 2.8V–4.3 V, but become gigantic at 1000 mA/g discharge current. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was employed to analysis the differences caused by particle size, and frequency responses of every electrochemical process were analyzed in detail through Bode plots, which proved the electrospinning material had an excellent performance caused by a shorter lithium ion and electron diffusion distance.

Avaliação espermática e da concentração de proteínas solúveis no plasma seminal de bodes da raça Alpina em regime de monta controlada Reproductive performance, soluble proteins of the seminal plasm and hypoosmotic test in male goats of the Alpine breed under controlled mating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo Franco Martins

2006-08-01

Full Text Available Foram estudadas as relações entre a concentração de proteínas solúveis do plasma seminal, o teste hipoosmótico, a análise física e morfológica do sêmen e o desempenho reprodutivo de bodes da raça Alpina em regime de monta controlada. O experimento foi realizado durante os meses de fevereiro a abril de 2001. Foram realizadas 40 coletas de sêmen em quatro reprodutores adultos em regime de monta controlada. Em todas as coletas, além do exame físico e morfológico do sêmen, foram realizados os testes hipoosmóticos, isoosmóticos e a determinação da concentração de proteínas solúveis do plasma seminal. Foi detectada diferença entre os bodes na concentração de proteínas solúveis do plasma seminal, mas não houve diferença no teste hipoosmótico e no número de coberturas por prenhez. O teste hipoosmótico pode ser uma importante ferramenta para a avaliação de sêmen caprino, mas a concentração de proteínas solúveis do plasma seminal não pode ser utilizada como parâmetro para predizer a qualidade seminal e a fertilidade de bodes da raça Alpina utilizados em regime de monta natural.The relationships among soluble proteins of the seminal plasma, the hypoosmotic test, the physical and morphologic analyses of semen and the reproductive performance of male goats of the Alpine breed under controlled mating were studied using forty samples of semen from four adult male goats collected twice a week between February and April of 2001. Differences among male goats were observed for soluble protein concentration of the seminal plasma, but not for the hypoosmotic test and the pregnancy rate. These results suggest the hypoosmotic test may be used for the evaluation of goat semen, but the protein concentration of the seminal plasma can not be used as a parameter to predict the seminal quality and fertility of male goats of the Alpine breed.

Editorial

Science.gov (United States)

Kennicutt, Robert C., Jr.

1999-07-01

This issue marks the end of an era for The Astrophysical Journal and for astronomical publishing. Helmut Abt is retiring as Editor-in-Chief after serving for 28 years, a period that saw enormous growth in the Journal and its transformation to the forefront of electronic scientific publishing. In February the ApJ office celebrated the receipt of manuscript number 40,000 under Helmut's tenure, a milestone that testifies to his impact on all of our careers. Although the names at the top of the masthead are changing, the rest of the ApJ team remains nearly unchanged, so the editorial transition should be barely noticeable. Much of the editorial work of the Journal will continue to be performed by our capable staff of Scientific Editors. I am also very fortunate to inherit Helmut's outstanding support staff in Tucson, ably headed by Janice Sexton. Our publications staff in Chicago, led by Julie Steffen, and our electronic publications staff, led by Evan Owens, are unmatched in their dedication and energy, and I have already begun working with them on further improvements to the Journal. And Helmut Abt will continue to serve the Journal over the coming months, overseeing the manuscripts that are still under review and editing the special centennial issue that will appear at the end of this year. In the coming months we will introduce several new features, most of them initiated under Helmut Abt's leadership. These will include an upgraded ApJ homepage, web tools for authors and referees, updated documentation and author instructions, and an attractive new version of the on-line journal itself. Over the longer term we are developing plans for streamlining the publication timescale and for expanding our capabilities for publishing and archiving electronic data. However my overriding priority, always, will be to uphold the Journal's reputation for scientific accuracy, impact, and integrity. I close with a personal note of thanks to Helmut Abt for his patient tutoring over

Kodukoharaamatud / Voldemar Miller

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Miller, Voldemar, 1911-2006

1996-01-01

Virve Orav. Narva-Jõesuu kodu-uurija pilguga. 1993. Helmut Elstrok. Padaorust Viru mereni. Viru-Nigula - Tln., 1994. Helmut Elstrok. Kõrvemaast Põhjarannani. Kuusalu - Tln.-Tapa, 1995. Lembit Arulo. Nii see olla võis... Põhjaranniku külaelust läbi aegade. Tln., 1994. Robert Nerman. Kopli. Miljöö, olustik, kultuurilugu 1918-1940. Tln., 1995. Ain Sarv. Varjusurmast tõusnud. Eestirootslaste ja Eestirootsi alade saatusest pärast Teist maailmasõda, Tln., 1994. Jaan Ellen. Kuhu kõik nad jäid? Tõsilugu Urvaste ürgorust. Tln., 1994

Han greb øjeblikket

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard, Uffe

2017-01-01

Helmut Kohl havde en sans for historiens store bevægelser og for at slå til, når muligheden bød sig. Han var også ansvarlig for mange af de skævheder, der har plaget det forenede Tyskland og det uforenede Europa lige siden kommunismens sammenbrud.......Helmut Kohl havde en sans for historiens store bevægelser og for at slå til, når muligheden bød sig. Han var også ansvarlig for mange af de skævheder, der har plaget det forenede Tyskland og det uforenede Europa lige siden kommunismens sammenbrud....

Nothing stays ever the same. Stationary fuel cells, the revolution in domestic and industrial power supply; Nichts bleibt, wie es ist.... Revolution der Energieversorgung in der Haustechnik und Industrie mit stationaeren Brennstoffzellen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

2001-02-01

Helmut Kaiser Unternehmensberatung (HKU), an organisation that claims to be a leading consultant in the fields of environmental engineering, energy engineering, health and life science, investigated the current trends in stationary fuel cell applications world-wide. The study covers market and technology forecasts and an analysis of the competitive standing of suppliers world-wide. [German] Die Helmut Kaiser Unternehmensberatung (HKU), nach eigenen Angaben weltweit eines der fuehrenden Forschungs- und Beratungsunternehmen in der Umwelt-, Energietechnik sowie Gesundheit (Life Science), untersuchte in einer neuen Studie die Entwicklung der Brennstoffzellen in der stationaeren Anwendung weltweit. Die Studie umfasst Markt- und Technologieprognosen sowie eine Wettbewerbsanalyse der Anbieter weltweit. (orig.)

Raamatututvustus / Rein Põder

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Põder, Rein, 1943-

1995-01-01

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Üksildase uitaja mõtisklused; Hill, Susan. Proua de Winter; Kõrvemaast põhjarannani : Kuusalu kihelkonna kirjanduslik-kodulooline antoloogia / Koost. Helmut Elstrok; Tead.toim. Oskar Kuningas

Forensic mental health services: Current service provision and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Forensic mental health services: Current service provision and planning for a prison mental health service in the Eastern Cape. Kiran Sukeri, Orlando A. Betancourt, Robin Emsley, Mohammed Nagdee, Helmut Erlacher ...

Sapos e bodes no apartamento

OpenAIRE

Vasconcelos, Cláudia; Paulino, Maria das Graças Rodrigues

2016-01-01

Resumo: Evidenciação da defasagem entre o imaginário rural da literatura infantil brasileira e a vida urbana de seus leitores.Résumé: Mise en évidence du décalage entre l'imaginaire rural de la littérature enfantine brésilienne et la vie urbaine de son public lecteur.

Aasta moekunstnik on Oscar de la Renta

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2000-01-01

New Yorgis American Fashion Awards tseremoonial jagati auhindu: aasta parim naisterõivaste kujundaja Oscar de La Renta, parim meesteriiete looja Helmut Lang, elutöö preemia itaalia moekunstnik Valentinole, rahvusvahelise moekunsti auhind Jean Paul Gaultier'ile

Rahvavalgustajad, teadlased, kirjanikud... / Helmut Piirimäe

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Piirimäe, Helmut, 1930-

1980-01-01

Tartu Ülikooli ajaloost. Naabermaade kultuuriloosse oma tegevusega jälgi jätnud TÜ kasvandikest Georg Manzel (Mancelius), Christian Fürecker, Janis Reiters (Johannes Reuter), Olof (Olaus) Verelius, Isak Börk (Björk), Johannes Terserus, Abraham Thauvonius, Arvid Moller ja Petrus Schomerus

Eestlaste matusepaik Rootsis Frösö saarel / Uno Schultz

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Schultz, Uno, 1956-

2008-01-01

Frösö kiriku taga surnuaias, valgete ristide ja hauakivide all puhkavad: Elmar Aunpuu, Aarne Meri, Heino Albo, Hindrek Lipp, Kalju Mälk, Heinrich Koppel, Sulev Paju, Eugenius Gorski, Edgar Toompuu, Helmut Lillevars, Venda Oskar, Walentin Riis

Multiplex kino Dresdenis / Triin Ojari

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Ojari, Triin, 1974-

1999-01-01

Hoone projekteerisid austria arhitektid Wolf D. Prix ja Helmut Swiczinsky arhitektuuribüroost Coop Himmelblau. Hoone on jaotatud kaheks ئ betoonist kinosaale sisaldav plokk ning klaasist 'ümberkukkuv' fuajee, mille interjööri ilmestavad betoonpostidele toetuvad metalltrepid.

Obnazhonka s molotka

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2008-01-01

Christie'se oksjonil New Yorgis tuleb müügile saksa kollektsionääri Gert Elferingi kollektsioon kuulsuste aktifotodest. Kollektsioonis on 135 fotot maailmakuulsatelt fotograafidelt Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, Man Ray, Diane Arbus, Horst P. Horst ja teised

Viis aastat iPhone’i / Tõnu Ojala

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Ojala, Tõnu, 1969-

2012-01-01

Jaanuar ajaloos: 9. jaanuaril 2007. aastal esitles Apple'i juht Steve Jobs esimest iPhone'i. 13. jaan. 1942 päästis Saksa katselendur Helmut Schenck esimese lendurina oma elu katapulteerumisega. 12. jaan. 1907 sündis Sergei Koroljov

Tuumafüüsik möllab BMW-s nagu jaksab / Toomas Pärna

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Pärna, Toomas, 1966-

2004-01-01

Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) brändi maine kujundamisest, BMW juhi Helmut Panke poolt ärgitatud pidevast tootearendusest ettevõttes ning kiire arenguga seotud võimalikest riskidest. Lisa: BMW-de müük Eestis Vt. samas: BMW luksuskupee müüdud

Top–down and Bottom–up: Front to Back

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nadal, Marcos; Skov, Martin

2017-01-01

Refers to: Matthew Pelowski, Patrick S. Markey, Michael Forster, Gernot Gerger, Helmut Leder: Move me, astonish me… delight my eyes and brain: The Vienna Integrated Model of top-down and bottom-up processes in Art Perception (VIMAP) and corresponding affective, evaluative, and neurophysiological...

IPDO-2007: Inverse Problems, Design and Optimization Symposium

Science.gov (United States)

2007-08-01

Grebenniko v J. Luna Tomas Perez Manuel Enriquez 025 Alexande r Grebenniko v 026 Tsung- Chien Chen Shou- Jen Hsu Pan-Chio Tuan 028...Dulikravich 086 Helmut Sobieczky Monika Hannemann 087 Anssi Lehikoinen Arto Voutilainen Jari Kaipio Stefan Finsterle Mike Kowalsky 088

Sport und soziale Integration

OpenAIRE

Turan, Günes

2012-01-01

Sport und soziale Integration : Chancen, Probleme und Perspektiven für Städte und Kommunen ; Tagungsband der gleichnamigen Tagung am 28. und 29. Juni 2011 in Augsburg / Helmut Altenberger ... (Hrsg.). - Hamburg : Feldhaus, Ed. Czwalina, 2012. - 104 S. - (Sportwissenschaft und Sportpraxis ; 161)

Haapsalus hakkab õudne / Tiit Tuumalu

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Tuumalu, Tiit, 1971-

2006-01-01

PÖFF-i abiga toimub Haapsalus õudusfilmide festival, idee autoriks reklaamiagentuuri Zavood juht Marek Reinaas. Eesti Kunstiakadeemia tudengid esinevad videoinstallatsioonide ja perfomance'ite eriprojektiga "Hirmurõõm". Lisatud festivali programmijuhi Helmut Jänese vastus ekstreemse õudusfilmi "Kannibali holokaust" näitamise kohta

„NEW“ – Neue Energien West eG und Bürger-Energiegenossenschaft West eG

OpenAIRE

Amschler, Helmut

2014-01-01

Helmut Amschler, Vorstand der Stadtwerke Grafenwöhr, stellt in seinem Beitrag 2 konkrete Genossenschaften – die Neue Energien West eG und die Bürger-Energiegenossenschaft West eG vor. Dabei diskutiert er u. a. Kriterien wie Bürgerbeteiligung und Transparenz.

Saksa vaim Kunstihoones

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2001-01-01

Fotokunsti väljapanek "Ajastu vaim. Saksa moefotod 1945-1995". Kuraator F. C Gundlach. Esindatud kunstnikud Helmut Newton, Wolfgang Tillmans, Jürgen Teller, Charlotte Rohrbach, Norbert Leonard, Willy Maywald, Regi Relang, Hubs Flöter, Herbert Tobias, Rico Puhlmann, Will McBride, Charlotte March.

Eestlaste ristid Frösö kiriku juures / Uno Schultz

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Schultz, Uno, 1956-

2005-01-01

12. sajandi lõpus Frösö saarele ehitatud samanimeline kirik on Rootsis populaarne laulatuskirik. Kiriku taha surnuaeda on maetud eestlased: Aunpuu, Elmar, Meri, Aarne, Albo, Heino, Lipp, Hindrek, Mälk, Kalju, Koppel, Heinrich, Paju, Sulev, Gorski, Eugenius, Toompuu, Edgar, Lillevars, Helmut, Oskar, Venda, Riis, Walentin

Validation of exhaled volatile organic compounds analysis using electronic nose as index of COPD severity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Finamore P

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Panaiotis Finamore,1 Claudio Pedone,1 Simone Scarlata,1 Alessandra Di Paolo,1 Simone Grasso,2 Marco Santonico,2 Giorgio Pennazza,2 Raffaele Antonelli Incalzi1 1Unit of Geriatrics, Campus Bio-Medico di Roma University, Rome, Italy; 2Unit of Electronics for Sensor Systems, Campus Bio-Medico di Roma University, Rome, Italy Aim: Six-minute walking test distance (6MWD and body mass index, obstruction, dyspnea and exercise (BODE index are measures of functional status in COPD patients, but require space, time and patient’s compliance. Exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs analysis via electronic nose is a quick and easy method that has already been used to discriminate COPD phenotypes. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether VOCs analysis can predict functional status and its variation over time in COPD patients.Methods: A monocentric prospective study with 1 year of follow-up was carried out. All patients underwent pulmonary function tests, arterial gas analysis, bioimpedance analysis, 6-minute walking test, and VOCs collection. Exhaled breath was collected with Pneumopipe® and analyzed using BIONOTE electronic nose. Outcomes prediction was performed by k-fold cross-validated partial least square discriminant analysis: accuracy, sensitivity and specificity as well as Cohen’s kappa for agreement were calculated.Results: We enrolled 63 patients, 60.3% men, with a mean age of 71 (SD: 8 years, median BODE index of 1 (interquartile range: 0–3 and mean 6MWD normalized by squared height (n6MWD of 133.5 (SD: 42 m/m2. The BIONOTE predicted baseline BODE score (dichotomized as BODE score <3 or ≥3 with an accuracy of 86% and quartiles of n6MWD with an accuracy of 79%. n6MWD decline more than the median value after 1 year was predicted with an accuracy of 86% by BIONOTE, 52% by Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD class and 78% by combined BIONOTE and GOLD class.Conclusion: Exhaled VOCs analysis identifies classes of BODE

DESY greets CERN

CERN Multimedia

Helmut Dosch, Chairman of the DESY Board of Directors, continues the series of occasional exchanges between CERN and other laboratories world-wide. As part of this exchange, CERN Director-General Rolf Heuer wrote a message in DESY inForm. Helmut Dosch took over from Albrecht Wagner in March 2009. You may think that the connections between CERN and DESY are obvious – particle physics labs with record-breaking accelerators and users from all around the world trying to solve mankind’s great mysteries. We even exchanged a few Directors. But did you know that there are similarities that are much closer to home – for example that both labs have names for their staff in the host language that are untranslatable into English? You are CERNoises and CERNois, we are DESYanerinnen and DESYaner. And in the end it’s the people it all comes down to. We at DESY admire the resourcefulness, enthusiasm, dedication and perseverance with which you at CERN have designed, built, started ...

CERN safety expert receives international award

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

On 18 December 2004, the President of the Swiss Electro-technical Committee, Martin Reichle (left), presented the award to Helmut Schönbacher. Helmut Schönbacher, of the Safety Commission at CERN, has received, the "1906 Award" of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for his standardisation work on the influence of ionizing radiation on insulating materials. From 1986 until 2004, Schönbacher was leader of a working group on radiation composed of internationally recognised experts. It edited standards of the IEC 60544 series on the determination of the effects of ionizing radiation on electrical insulating materials. The working group also edited three IEC Technical Reports on the determination of long-term radiation ageing in polymers. This standardisation work and long-term experience from CERN on the radiation ageing of materials also contributed to research coordination programmes of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). From 1968 until 1988, Schönbacher was a member of the Rad...

Directors’ and Officers’ Liability: Economic Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

P. C. Leyens (Patrick); M.G. Faure (Michael)

2017-01-01

markdownabstractThis paper will be published as a chapter of the forthcoming volume ‘Directors & Officers Liability’ edited by Simon F. Deakin, Helmut Koziol, and Olaf Riss. It explores D&O liability from a law and economics perspective with a view to identify trade-offs of different legal settings.

Veel ühed diplomandid / Kristiina Davidjants

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Davidjants, Kristiina, 1974-

2001-01-01

Tallinna Kinomajas näidati kaht Pedagoogikülikooli lõputööd - Siiri Timmermanni "Üheotsapilet" ja Anri Rulkovi "Helmut". S. Timmermann on ka oma filmi stsenarist ja operaator. A. Rulkovi filmi, mida võiks nimetada fakedocumentary'ks, operaator on Andrus Prikk, muusikaline kujundaja Philip Glass

Ikka PÖFFist, 13. korda / Helmut Jänes

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Jänes, Helmut, 1972-

2009-01-01

13. Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival Tallinnas. Võistlusfilmid: "Minu aasta ilma seksita" (Austraalia; režissöör Sarah Watt), "Laila sünnipäev" (Palestiina-Tuneesia-Holland; režissöör Rashid Masharawi), "Emma Blanki viimased päevad" (Holland; režissöör Alex van Warmerdam), "Sinihabe" (Prantsusmaa; režissöör Catherine Breillat)

Puhu ristist maailma teedele / Helmut Piirimäe

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Piirimäe, Helmut, 1930-

2009-01-01

Tutvustus: Varje dag...-sextio år av lycka. Till minnet av Aare R. Mörner (1926-2008). Utgivare: Magnus och Henrik Mörner. Printed in Hungary, 2008. /Tõlge/: Iga päev...- kuuskümmend aastat õnne. Aare-R. Mörneri (1926-2008) mälestuseks. Väljaandjad: Magnus ja Henrik Mörner. Trükitud Ungaris, 2008. 199 lk.

Ilmus 20. sajandi suurim raamat

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

1999-01-01

Kirjastus Taschen andis austraalia fotograafi Helmut Newtoni elutöö kokkuvõttena välja tema 480-leheküljelise luksusalbumi 'Big Nude'. 70 cm kõrgune ja 50 cm laiune raamat kaalub 30 kilo, maksab 24000 kroon, trükiti 10000 eksemplari. Erilise raamatupuldi albumi jaoks kujundas Philippe Starck

Kolmest Tallinna Ülikooli Humboldti stipendiaadist / Tiina Tamkivi

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Tamkivi, Tiina

2014-01-01

Tallinna Ülikooli külastas jaanuaris teadlasi toetava fondi Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung president ja Berliini Tehnikaülikooli keemiaprofessor Helmut Schwarz. Tallinna Ülikoolist on Humboldti stipendiumi pälvinud kolm teadlast - professor Peeter Järvelaid, ajaloolane Juhan Kreem ja kunstiajaloolane Kersti Markus, kes lisavad artiklis ka omapoolsed selgitused

Väike Tokyo / Aleksander Tsapov

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Tsapov, Aleksander

2007-01-01

Londoni Canary Wharfi piirkonnast ja uutest kõrghoonetest (arhitektid: Norman Foster, Cesar Pell, Richard Rogers, Renzo Piano), Pariisi La Defense (AB Valode et Pistre, Thomas Myne), Berliini Potzdamer Platz'i (Helmut Jahn, Hans Kolhoff, üldplaneering: R. Piano) ning Barcelona Forum 2004/Diagonal al Mar'i (Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron) arendusprojektidest

Die skeppingsordeninge en homoseksualiteit | Naudé | HTS ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The ordination of creation and homosexuality The idea of creation ordinances is treated according to the theologies of Emil Brunner, Karl Barth and Helmut Thielicke in the light of the conjugation of the ordinance and homosexuality by Heinrich Ott on the one hand, and between the ordinance and the relation between ...

Uso de testes complementares para avaliação do congelamento do sêmen de bodes submetidos ao manejo de fotoperíodo artificial Use of complementary tests to evaluate the freezing ability of semen from goats under artificial photoperiod exposure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anselmo Domingos Ferreira Santos

2006-10-01

Full Text Available O congelamento do sêmen de bodes das raças Alpina e Saanen submetidos ao manejo de fotoperíodo artificial foi avaliado por meio dos testes de termorresistência (TTR, hiposmótico (HOST e de integridade do acrossoma. Foram utilizados oito machos caprinos (quatro da raça Alpina e quatro da raça Saanen de duas idades diferentes (jovens e adultos. A qualidade do sêmen durante as etapas do congelamento foi superior em bodes jovens de ambas as raças. Avaliada pelo TTR, a motilidade do sêmen fresco apresentou longevidade pós-descongelamento. Os resultados de motilidade espermática, obtidos imediatamente após o descongelamento, tiveram reflexos positivos sobre o TTR, indicando que os sêmens que apresentaram maior motilidade pós-coleta (86,2% vs 79,3% e pós-descongelamento (37,7% vs 32,0% tiveram maior longevidade seminal. Os resultados do HOST, tanto para o sêmen fresco quanto para o congelado, não diferiram entre raças e idades. Houve redução na porcentagem de espermatozóides íntegros após o congelamento e descongelamento do sêmen dos animais da raça Alpina e dos adultos Saanen. Houve redução superior a 14% nos valores do HOST para o sêmen congelado em relação aos valores observados para o sêmen fresco (38,0 vs 52,0%, respectivamente. A motilidade espermática progressiva mostrou maior sensibilidade à criopreservação que a integridade da membrana espermática, indicando que a motilidade espermática é mais afetada pelo processo de congelamento que a membrana plasmática. A integridade do acrossoma não foi influenciada pelo descongelamento. Os índices de danos acrossomais (edema, desprendimento parcial e até perda total de acrossoma mostraram-se dentro do padrão aceitável (44,5%, tanto no pós-descongelamento como após o término do TTR.The freezing ability of semen from Alpine and Saanen goats submitted to an artificial photoperiod exposure were evaluated by the thermo-resistance (TTR and hypoosmotic (HOST tests

How to Dispel the Fog over the Past? Post-War Children, Their Fathers-Soldiers and Consequences of the Second World War

OpenAIRE

Ekaterina S. Lyubomirova

2016-01-01

The article is devoted to the new aspects in the study of the history of post-war Germany, revealed in the book written by Sabine Bode «Post-war children - born in the 1950s, and their fathers-soldiers». It discusses the contribution made by Bode in the study of mental and psycho-emotional consequences of the Second World War and the «exclusion of the past», which is reflected in the fate of the post-war children and continues to have an impact on the socio-political life of the Federal Repub...

Browse Title Index

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Items 601 - 650 of 1007 ... Vol 28, No 1 (2014), High yield synthesis of some phosphonic acid derivatives as surface tethers for energy harvesting technologies, Abstract PDF. A. Mungalimane. Vol 1, No 1 (1987), Highfieid 1H and 13C NMR of 5-oxygenated of cholestane-6-oxime derivatives, Abstract PDF. Helmut Duddeck ...

COMMITTEES: SQM2009 - 14th International Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter SQM2009 - 14th International Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter

Science.gov (United States)

2008-04-01

Local Organizing Committee Takeshi Kodama Chair, UFRJ Jun Takahashi Co-chair, UNICAMP Ignácio Bediaga e Hickman CBPF Eduardo Fraga UFRJ Frederique Grassi USP Yogiro Hama USP Gastão Krein IFT Erasmo Madureira Ferreira UFRJ Marcelo G. Munhoz USP Fernando Navarra USP Sandra Padula IFT Alejandro Szanto de Toledo USP César Augusto Zen Vasconcellos UFRGS International Advisory Committee Jörg Aichelin Nantes Federico Antinori Padova Tamás Biró Budapest Peter Braun-Munzinger GSI Jean Cleymans Cape Town Láaszló Csernai Bergen Timothy Hallman BNL Huan Zhong Huang UCLA Takeshi Kodama Rio de Janeiro Yu-Gang Ma Shanghai Jes Madsen Aarhus Ágnes Mócsy Pratt University Berndt Müller Duke University Grazyna Odyniec LBNL Helmut Oeschler Darmstadt Johann Rafelski Arizona Hans Georg Ritter LBNL Gunther Rolland MIT Karel Šafařík CERN Ladislav Sandor Kosice University Jack Sandweiss Yale University George S F Stephans MIT Horst Stöcker Frankfurt Larry McLerranBNL Helmut Satz Universitä Bielefeld Nu Xu LBNL Fuqiang Wang Purdue University William A. Zajc Columbia University Pengfei Zhuang Tsinghua University

The COPD Helplessness Index: a new tool to measure factors affecting patient self-management.

Science.gov (United States)

Omachi, Theodore A; Katz, Patricia P; Yelin, Edward H; Iribarren, Carlos; Knight, Sara J; Blanc, Paul D; Eisner, Mark D

2010-04-01

Psychologic factors affect how patients with COPD respond to attempts to improve their self-management skills. Learned helplessness may be one such factor, but there is no validated measure of helplessness in COPD. We administered a new COPD Helplessness Index (CHI) to 1,202 patients with COPD. Concurrent validity was assessed through association of the CHI with established psychosocial measures and COPD severity. The association of helplessness with incident COPD exacerbations was then examined by following subjects over a median 2.1 years, defining COPD exacerbations as COPD-related hospitalizations or ED visits. The CHI demonstrated internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.75); factor analysis was consistent with the CHI representing a single construct. Greater CHI-measured helplessness correlated with greater COPD severity assessed by the BODE (Body-mass, Obstruction, Dyspnea, Exercise) Index (r = 0.34; P Controlling for sociodemographics and smoking status, helplessness was prospectively associated with incident COPD exacerbations (hazard ratio = 1.31; P controlling for the BODE Index, helplessness remained predictive of COPD exacerbations among subjects with BODE Index useful tool in analyzing differential clinical responses mediated by patient-centered attributes.

Author Details

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Kloos, Helmut. Vol 19, No 1 (2005) - Articles Bibliography on HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia and Ethiopians in the Diaspora: The 2004 Update Abstract PDF · Vol 30, No 3 (2016) - Articles Bibliography on HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia and Ethiopians in the Diaspora: The 2015 Update Abstract PDF · Vol 31, No 4 (2017) - Articles Bibliography ...

Augsburger Volkskundliche Nachrichten: 01/2002

OpenAIRE

2010-01-01

Inhalt: • Helmut Krajicek: Die Sonderausstellung. Ein zentrales Thema der Öffentlichkeitsarbeit im Museum. • Eva Appel: Museen im Internet – einige Beobachtungen. • Mouna Dix: E-Mail-Hoaxes – Moderne Sagen im Internet. • Michael Schwendinger: Was steckt hinter einem Spuk? Geistererscheinungen in Volksglauben und Parapsychologie. • Berichte, Kongress, Ausstellungen, Publikationen, Preisrätsel, Veranstaltungskalender

Mida vaadata pimedatel öödel? / Helmut Jänes

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Jänes, Helmut, 1972-

2006-01-01

Lühitutvustused-arvustused 10. Pimedate Ööde Filmifestivali filmidest - "Psühhoterror" (rezh. Yannis Economidis ; Kreeka - Küpros), "Hullem neist hulludest" (rezh. Laurent Achard ; Prantsusmaa - Belgia), "Mehed tööl" (rezh. Mani Haghighi ; Iraan)

Chasing Great Paths of Helmut “Oxidative Stress” Sies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Majima, H.; Indo, H.; Nakanishi, I.

2016-01-01

Radical Research”. He has clarified our understanding of the causes of chronic developing diseases, and has studied antioxidant factors. In this article, importance of “Oxidative Stress” and our mitochondrial oxidative stress studies; roles of mitochondrial ROS, effects of vitamin E and its homologues...

Viis filmiõhtut PÖFFi seltsis / Helmut Jänes

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Jänes, Helmut, 1972-

2008-01-01

Pimeda Ööde Filmifestivali eel spetsiaalselt Stiili lugejaile mõeldud soovitus : režissöör Anne Fontaine film "Tütarlaps Monacost" (Prantsusmaa 2008), Petri Kotwica "Kiilasjää" (Soome 2007), Annemarie Jacir "Meresool" (Palestiina/Prantsusmaa 2008), Paul Kieffer "Araabia ööd" (Luksemburg 2007), Pernille Fisher Christensen "Tantsijad" (Taani/Rootsi 2008)

Saksa esimene saadik : eestlastel on rohkem ühist sakslaste kui soomlastega / Henning von Wistinghausen ; interv. Merit Kopli

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Wistinghausen, Henning von

2004-01-01

Saksamaa esimene suursaadik taasiseseisvumise järgses Eestis vastab küsimustele, mis puudutavad Eesti liitumist EL-iga, euroskeptitsismi, Toomas Hendrik Ilvese väidet, et Saksa kantsler Helmut Kohl oli kuni 1997. aastani Balti riikide EL-iga liitumise vastu. Suure probleemina Eestis näeb ta lõhet, mis on tekkinud sissetulekutes ning maa ja linna vahel. Kommenteerib Riina Kionka

Seasonal and diurnal variations in methane and carbon dioxide in the Kathmandu Valley in the foothills of the central Himalayas

Science.gov (United States)

Singh Mahata, Khadak; Panday, Arnico Kumar; Rupakheti, Maheswar; Singh, Ashish; Naja, Manish; Lawrence, Mark G.

2017-10-01

The SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley-Atmospheric Brown Clouds) international air pollution measurement campaign was carried out from December 2012 to June 2013 in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The Kathmandu Valley is a bowl-shaped basin with a severe air pollution problem. This paper reports measurements of two major greenhouse gases (GHGs), methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), along with the pollutant CO, that began during the campaign and were extended for 1 year at the SusKat-ABC supersite in Bode, a semi-urban location in the Kathmandu Valley. Simultaneous measurements were also made during 2015 in Bode and a nearby rural site (Chanban) ˜ 25 km (aerial distance) to the southwest of Bode on the other side of a tall ridge. The ambient mixing ratios of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor, and carbon monoxide (CO) were measured with a cavity ring-down spectrometer (G2401; Picarro, USA) along with meteorological parameters for 1 year (March 2013-March 2014). These measurements are the first of their kind in the central Himalayan foothills. At Bode, the annual average mixing ratios of CO2 and CH4 were 419.3 (±6.0) ppm and 2.192 (±0.066) ppm, respectively. These values are higher than the levels observed at background sites such as Mauna Loa, USA (CO2: 396.8 ± 2.0 ppm, CH4: 1.831 ± 0.110 ppm) and Waliguan, China (CO2: 397.7 ± 3.6 ppm, CH4: 1.879 ± 0.009 ppm) during the same period and at other urban and semi-urban sites in the region, such as Ahmedabad and Shadnagar (India). They varied slightly across the seasons at Bode, with seasonal average CH4 mixing ratios of 2.157 (±0.230) ppm in the pre-monsoon season, 2.199 (±0.241) ppm in the monsoon, 2.210 (±0.200) ppm in the post-monsoon, and 2.214 (±0.209) ppm in the winter season. The average CO2 mixing ratios were 426.2 (±25.5) ppm in the pre-monsoon, 413.5 (±24.2) ppm in the monsoon, 417.3 (±23.1) ppm in the post-monsoon, and 421.9 (±20

Las últimas elecciones de la RDA. La puerta abierta hacia la reunificación alemana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Félix Gil Feito

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Las últimas elecciones celebradas el 18 de marzo de 1990 en la República Democrática Alemana (RDA fueron sin lugar a dudas una de las premisas fundamentales para que la Reunificación se produjera unos meses más tarde. Fundamental porque como reconocía el  propio Canciller de la República Federal Alemana (RFA, Helmut Kohl, era condición sine qua non que la RDA tuviera un régimen plenamente democrático con unas elecciones en las que todos los partidos políticos partieran con las mismas posibilidades. Sin que esto se produjera, las negociaciones que implicaban la ayuda económica necesaria para el bienestar de los ciudadanos del Este, así como avanzar y encaminar definitivamente la Reunificación con la formación de un nuevo gobierno en la RDA que sustituyera al SED después de cuarenta años de gobierno, la Reunificación de las dos Alemanias no hubiera llegado a fructificar nunca. Palabras clave: Reunificación alemana, elecciones, RDA , Helmut Kohl. _______________________Abstract:The last elections held on March 18, 1990 in the German Democratic Republic were without doubt one of the fundamental premises for the Reunification took place some months later. Critical because as acknowledged by the Chancellor of the FRG, Helmut Kohl, was a sine qua non that the GDR had a fully democratic regime with an election in which all political parties started with the same possibilities. Not that this should occur, the negotiations involving the financial support necessary for the welfare of the citizens of the East, and definitely the route ahead and Reunification with the formation of a new government in the GDR to replace the SED after forty years of government, the Reunification of the two Germanys had not come to fruition before.Keywords: German Reunification, election, RDA, Helmuth Kohl. 

The BOrborema Deep Electromagnetic and Seismic (BODES) Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Julià, J.; Garcia, X.; Medeiros, W. E.; Farias do Nascimento, A.

2015-12-01

The Borborema Province of NE Brazil is a large Precambrian domain of the Brazilian shield located in the Northeasternmost corner of South America. It is bounded by the Parnaíba basin to the West and by the São Francisco craton to the South. Its structuration in the Precambrian has been related to compressional processes during the Brasiliano-Pan African orogeny (600-550 Ma). In the Mesozoic, extensional stresses eventually leading to continental breakup, left a number of aborted rift basins within the Province. After continental breakup, the evolution of the Province was marked by episodes of uplift, which might have been coeval with episodes of Cenozoic volcanism. The most prominent expression of those uplift processes is the Borborema Plateau, an elliptically shaped topographic feature in the eastern half of the Province with maximum elevations of ~1200 m. The origin of uplift in the Plateau has been the focus of a number of multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary studies in the past few years, which have imaged the deep structure of the eastern Province with unprecedented detail. The origin of uplift in the western Province, which includes a superb example of basin inversion demonstrated by the ~1000 km elevations of the Chapada do Araripe, however, has been seldom investigated. With the goal of investigating the deep structure of the western Province, a temporary network of 10 collocated seismic and magnetotelluric stations was deployed in the region. The collocated stations were arranged in an approximately NS direction, with an interspation spacing of ~70 km and spanning a total length of ~600 km. The seismic stations consisted of broadband sensors (RefTek 151B-120 "Observer") sampling at 100 Hz and were deployed in January 2015; the MT stations consisted of long-period magnetotelluric (LEMI) systems, sampling at 1 Hz and 4 Hz, and were deployed in April 2015 for a period of ~2 weeks. Preliminary results based on teleseismic P-wave receiver functions suggest that the crust thickens towards the South, from 33 km in the Ceará domain to 44 km in the São Francisco craton. Preliminary analyis of MT data suggests a heterogeneous lithosphere, with marked changes in electrical properties around the Chapada do Araripe and a marked resistive structure towards the South, where the profile enters the São Francisco craton.

Sarcopenia in COPD: relationship with COPD severity and prognosis

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Tatiana Munhoz da Rocha Lemos; Costa, Fabio Marcelo; Moreira, Carolina Aguiar; Rabelo, Leda Maria; Boguszewski, César Luiz; Borba, Victória Zeghbi Cochenski

2015-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of sarcopenia in COPD patients, as well as to determine whether sarcopenia correlates with the severity and prognosis of COPD. Methods: A cross-sectional study with COPD patients followed at the pulmonary outpatient clinic of our institution. The patients underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The diagnosis of sarcopenia was made on the basis of the skeletal muscle index, defined as appendicular lean mass/height2 only for low-weight subjects and adjusted for fat mass in normal/overweight subjects. Disease severity (COPD stage) was evaluated with the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria. The degree of obstruction and prognosis were determined by the Body mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea, and Exercise capacity (BODE) index. Results: We recruited 91 patients (50 females), with a mean age of 67.4 ± 8.7 years and a mean BMI of 25.8 ± 6.1 kg/m2. Sarcopenia was observed in 36 (39.6%) of the patients, with no differences related to gender, age, or smoking status. Sarcopenia was not associated with the GOLD stage or with FEV1 (used as an indicator of the degree of obstruction). The BMI, percentage of body fat, and total lean mass were lower in the patients with sarcopenia than in those without (p < 0.001). Sarcopenia was more prevalent among the patients in BODE quartile 3 or 4 than among those in BODE quartile 1 or 2 (p = 0.009). The multivariate analysis showed that the BODE quartile was significantly associated with sarcopenia, regardless of age, gender, smoking status, and GOLD stage. Conclusions: In COPD patients, sarcopenia appears to be associated with unfavorable changes in body composition and with a poor prognosis. PMID:26578132

German Business in Russia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irakliy D. Gvazava

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Since Perestroika German-Russian relationships have been steadily developing fueled by close contacts between the leaders of both countries. Boris Yeltsin and Helmut Kohl, Vladimir Putin and Gerhard Schröder, Dmitry Medvedev and Angela Merkel had friendly relations resulted in some fruitful business projects, intergovernmental economic forums etc. In my article I will consider the activities of German companies in Russia, advantages, barriers and expectations

Modern oder Postmodern? Traditionalismus, Avantgarde oder Postavangarde?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kostakeva Maria

2006-01-01

Full Text Available (nemački Mittelpunkt des Aufsatzes sind einige methodologische Probleme bei der Betrachtung der Kunst, bzw. Musik an der Schwelle der zwei Jahrhunderten. Anhang einiger Besonderheiten im Kompositionsverfahren von vier wichtigen Komponisten (György Ligeti, Alfred Schnittke, Helmut Lachenmann, Adriana Hölszky und im Licht der führenden Ideen der modernen Philosophie und Ästhetik wird versucht, die Idiomatik unserer Epoche unter Lupe zu stellen.

Seasonal and diurnal variations in methane and carbon dioxide in the Kathmandu Valley in the foothills of the central Himalayas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. S. Mahata

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The SusKat-ABC (Sustainable Atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley–Atmospheric Brown Clouds international air pollution measurement campaign was carried out from December 2012 to June 2013 in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The Kathmandu Valley is a bowl-shaped basin with a severe air pollution problem. This paper reports measurements of two major greenhouse gases (GHGs, methane (CH4 and carbon dioxide (CO2, along with the pollutant CO, that began during the campaign and were extended for 1 year at the SusKat-ABC supersite in Bode, a semi-urban location in the Kathmandu Valley. Simultaneous measurements were also made during 2015 in Bode and a nearby rural site (Chanban  ∼  25 km (aerial distance to the southwest of Bode on the other side of a tall ridge. The ambient mixing ratios of methane (CH4, carbon dioxide (CO2, water vapor, and carbon monoxide (CO were measured with a cavity ring-down spectrometer (G2401; Picarro, USA along with meteorological parameters for 1 year (March 2013–March 2014. These measurements are the first of their kind in the central Himalayan foothills. At Bode, the annual average mixing ratios of CO2 and CH4 were 419.3 (±6.0 ppm and 2.192 (±0.066 ppm, respectively. These values are higher than the levels observed at background sites such as Mauna Loa, USA (CO2: 396.8 ± 2.0 ppm, CH4: 1.831 ± 0.110 ppm and Waliguan, China (CO2: 397.7 ± 3.6 ppm, CH4: 1.879 ± 0.009 ppm during the same period and at other urban and semi-urban sites in the region, such as Ahmedabad and Shadnagar (India. They varied slightly across the seasons at Bode, with seasonal average CH4 mixing ratios of 2.157 (±0.230 ppm in the pre-monsoon season, 2.199 (±0.241 ppm in the monsoon, 2.210 (±0.200 ppm in the post-monsoon, and 2.214 (±0.209 ppm in the winter season. The average CO2 mixing ratios were 426.2 (±25.5 ppm in the pre-monsoon, 413.5 (±24.2 ppm in the monsoon

Tallinna Kinomajas näidati Põhjamaade tummfilme / Helmut Jänes

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Jänes, Helmut, 1972-

1997-01-01

Mängufilmid "Valge orjakaubanduse viimane ohver", režissöör A. Blom : Taani 1911; "Viirastuste vanker", režissöör V. Sjöström : Rootsi 1920; "Maa õnnistus", režissöör G. Sommerfeldt : Norra 1921

Editorial: Letter from the Editors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas Zick

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Editorial 8(2 We are pleased to present issue 8 (2. The focus section is edited by Helmut Thome (University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany and Steven F. Messner (University at Albany, United States, and focuses on methodological constraints, options, and solutions in longitudinal research on criminal violence. We are honored that Helmut Thome, Steven Messner, and the contributors offer their scientific knowledge and evidence in the interests of gaining a deeper understanding of one of the most promising methodological approaches in conflict and violence research, i.e. longitudinal data analyses. Sincere thanks to the editors and authors for opening up the potential of this specific kind of research for advances to better assess and understand criminal violence in a long term perspective. We hope this issue will be discussed and quoted in the interdisciplinary community of researchers. The open section again fulfills its aim to foster contributions on diverse topics in the field of conflict and violence, starting with an analysis of Southeast Asian media reception of the Israeli/Palestine conflict. The second paper shows how social cohesion activities have the potential to change disparaging attitudes in Cyprus. The third and final contribution examines teen dating violence in Switzerland from various angles.

Resource-Aware Navigation for Shadowed and Uncertain Environments

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Discovery of off-Earth ice will transform space exploration. Volatiles that exist primarily in shadowed polar latitudes of planetary bodes could be harvested to...

How to Dispel the Fog over the Past? Post-War Children, Their Fathers-Soldiers and Consequences of the Second World War

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ekaterina S. Lyubomirova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the new aspects in the study of the history of post-war Germany, revealed in the book written by Sabine Bode «Post-war children - born in the 1950s, and their fathers-soldiers». It discusses the contribution made by Bode in the study of mental and psycho-emotional consequences of the Second World War and the «exclusion of the past», which is reflected in the fate of the post-war children and continues to have an impact on the socio-political life of the Federal Republic of Germany up to the present day. Nevertheless the article criticizes an excessive preoccupation of the monograph with the descriptions of the individual biographies to the detriment of analysis.

Retour en images sur la vie en RDA : une étude de cas à partir de photo-interviews biographiques pour une nouvelle approche de la question identitaire

OpenAIRE

Busson Hurmaci, Adeline

2017-01-01

25 Jahre sind seit dem Mauerfall vergangen. Doch der Weg zur ‚inneren Einheit, die von Helmut Kohl 1997 gepriesen wurde, ist noch lang. Mythisierung und Standardisierung prägen den normativen und medialen Diskurs. Die Zeit scheint gekommen zu sein, nach neuen Paradigmen zu suchen. Dies will diese Arbeit leisten. Durch ein innovatives methodisches Verfahren anhand der Analyse von biographisch-orientierten Fotointerviews im Sinne der praxeologischen Wissenssoziologie, gibt sie eine neue Perspek...

Kunstiakadeemia - 85 / Reet Varblane

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Varblane, Reet, 1952-

1999-01-01

28. XI tähistas Eesti Kunstiakadeemia oma 85. aastapäeva. Kunstihariduse tulevikule pühendatud paneeldiskussioonist Sakala keskuse väikeses saalis, pressikonverentsist, pidulikust aktusest. Kunstiakadeemia esimesteks audoktoriteks promoveeriti Boris Bernshtein, Kaljo Põllu, Enno Hallek, Ilja Kabakov. Auliikmeteks nimetati Mari Adamson, Leo Gens, Leili Kuldkepp, Helene Kuma, Paul Luhtein, Arseni Mölder, Evald Okas, Helmut Oruvee, Bruno Tomberg, Jaan Vares. Juubelialbumi kujundas Jüri Kaarma, ajaloolise ülevaate kirjutas Leo Gens

Three essays on the econometric analysis of high frequency financial data

OpenAIRE

OOMEN, Roel C. A.

2003-01-01

Defence date: 13 June 2003 Examining Board: Prof. H. Peter Boswijk, University of Amsterdam ; Prof. Søren Johansen, University of Copenhagen, Supervisor ; Prof. Helmut Lütkepohl, EUI ; Prof. Stephen Taylor, Lancaster University This thesis is motivated by the observation that the time series properties of financial security prices can vary fundamentally with their sampling frequency. Econometric models developed for low frequency data may thus be unsuitable for high frequency data and v...

The Fall of Fort Eben Emael: The Effects of Emerging Technologies on the Successful Completion of Military Objectives

Science.gov (United States)

2004-06-18

of Sickle,” World War II Magazine, November 2003, 59. 11Ibid., 60. 12Abbeville is 100 miles north of Paris near the English Channel. 13T. N. Mout... catacombs of Fort Eben Emael. A further understanding of the dynamics of the fort and her defenders can be gained by the knowledge that that fort was...Green Devils German Paratroopers 1939-45 ( Paris , France: Histories & Collections, 1997), 27. Helmut Wenzl (Left in photo) Born - 10 March

T. E. Lawrence: Theorist and Campaign Planner

Science.gov (United States)

1992-05-12

honors in history, Lawrence’s curiosity lead him to the works of Carl von Clausewitz, Henri Jomini. Karl von Willisen, Rudolf von Caemmerer, Helmut von...113. M. J. Steiner . Inside Pan-Arabia. (Chicago: Herxiricks House, 1947), Chap 7. 114. T. E. Lawrence, "The Evolution of a Revolt," p65. 115. T. E...Unity. New York: Devin-Adair, 1958. Steiner . M. J. Inside Pan-Arabia. Chicago: Hendricks House. 1947. Thomas, Lowell. With Lawrence in Arabia. New York

Quantitative computed tomography measurements to evaluate airway disease in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Relationship to physiological measurements, clinical index and visual assessment of airway disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nambu, Atsushi; Zach, Jordan; Schroeder, Joyce; Jin, Gongyoung; Kim, Song Soo; Kim, Yu-IL; Schnell, Christina; Bowler, Russell; Lynch, David A.

2016-01-01

Purpose: To correlate currently available quantitative CT measurements for airway disease with physiological indices and the body-mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity (BODE) index in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Materials and methods: This study was approved by our institutional review board (IRB number 2778). Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects. The subjects included 188 current and former cigarette smokers from the COPDGene cohort who underwent inspiratory and expiratory CT and also had physiological measurements for the evaluation of airflow limitation, including FEF25-75%, airway resistance (Raw), and specific airway conductance (sGaw). The BODE index was used as the index of clinical symptoms. Quantitative CT measures included % low attenuation areas [% voxels ≤ 950 Hounsfield unit (HU) on inspiratory CT, %LAA −950ins ], percent gas trapping (% voxels ≤ −856 HU on expiratory CT, %LAA −856exp ), relative inspiratory to expiratory volume change of voxels with attenuation values from −856 to −950 HU [Relative Volume Change (RVC) −856 to −950 ], expiratory to inspiratory ratio of mean lung density (E/I-ratio MLD ), Pi10, and airway wall thickness (WT), luminal diameter (LD) and airway wall area percent (WA%) in the segmental, subsegmental and subsubsegmental bronchi on inspiratory CT. Correlation coefficients were calculated between the QCT measurements and physiological measurements in all subjects and in the subjects with mild emphysema (%LAA −950ins <10%). Univariate and multiple variable analysis for the BODE index were also performed. Adjustments were made for age, gender, smoking pack years, FEF25-75%, Raw, and sGaw. Results: Quantitative CT measurements had significant correlations with physiological indices. Among them, E/I-ratio MLD had the strongest correlations with FEF25-75% (r = −0.648, <0.001) and sGaw (r = −0.624, <0.001) while in the subjects with

Influence of compressive stress in TGO layer on impedance spectroscopy from TBC coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, To; Zhang, Jianhai; Yuan, Maodan; Song, Sungjin; Kim, Hakjoon; Kim, Yongseok; Seok, Changsung [Sungkyunkwan Univ., Suwon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-02-15

Impedance spectroscopy is a non destructive evaluation (NDE) method first proposed and developed for evaluating TGO layers with compressive stress inside thermally degraded plasma sprayed thermal barrier coatings (PS TBCs). A bode plot (phase angle ({Dirac_h}) vs. frequency (f)) was used to investigate the TGO layer on electrical responses. In our experimental study, the phase angle of Bode plots is sensitive for detecting TGO layers while applying compressive stress on thermal barrier coatings. It is difficult to detect TGO layers in samples isothermally aged for 100hrs and 200hrs without compressive stress, and substantial change of phase was observed these samples with compressive stress. Also, the frequency shift of the phase angle and change of the phase angle are observed in samples isothermally aged for more than 400hrs.

Computer in surgery | Bode | Nigerian Journal of Surgical Research

African Journals Online (AJOL)

How has the advent of the computer impacted the field of surgery? Is it worth embracing for the older practitioners? What does the future portend for our ancient noble profession? This paper reviews current applications of computer technology in the field of surgery and the hopes it hold out to surgeons in developing ...

Cardiac Arrhythmias in Children with Sickle Cell Anaemia | Bode ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background : Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in tropical Africa. Recurrent episodes of vaso-occlusive crisis often lead to organ ischaemia and/or infarction. Arrythmias are common and reliable manifestations of myocardial ischaemia and often follow infarction. The prevalence and ...

Locating M&S Information

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Little, Daniel

2006-01-01

.... Although the retention of vast corporate knowledge is certainly a plus in our community, it does not bode well for our future when the walls we place between ourselves and key leaders are self-imposed...

An amplitude and phase control system for the TFTR rf heating sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cutsogeorge, G.

1989-04-01

Feedback loops that control the amplitude and phase of the rf heating sources on TFTR are described. The method for providing arc protection is also discussed. Block diagrams and Bode plots are included. 6 figs

Recent progress in organic electronics and photonics: A perspective on the future of organic devices

KAUST Repository

Bredas, Jean-Luc

2016-01-01

The fields of organic electronics and photonics have witnessed remarkable advances over the past few years. This progress bodes well for the increased utilization of organic materials as the active layers in devices for applications as diverse

Reseñas de libros: mayo de 1964

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Panesso Robledo

1964-05-01

Full Text Available El documento presenta las reseñas de los siguientes títulos: Eric J. Hobsbawm. Las Revoluciones Burguesas. (The Age of Revolutions Gabriel García Marquez. Notas sobre la Mala Hora. Montaña, Antonio: Cuando termine la lluvia. Bogotá, Ediciones Tecer Mundo, 1963. 194 págs. Beinhauer Werner: El español coloquial. Madrid, Editorial Gredos, 1963. 445 págs. Hatzfeld, Helmut: Estudios sobre el barroco. Madrid, Editorial Gredos, 1964. 487 págs.

Klaasarhitektuur Berliinis / Pille Nagel

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Nagel, Pille

2004-01-01

Helmut Jahni loodud Sony keskus (1993...2000) ja Kranzlereck (1992...2000), Potsdami platsi jaam (bürood Hilmer & Sattler und Albrecht, Modersohn & Freiesleben ja Hermann + Öttl, 1997...2000), intelligentse klaasfassaadiga Debise büroohoone (Renzo Piano koostöös Critoph Kohlbeckeriga, 1991...1997) ja GSW büroohoone (Sauerbruch Hutton Architekten, 1995...1999), topeltfassaadiga Nordrhein-Westfaleni liidumaade esindushoone (Petzinka Pink Architekten, 2000/2001), Riigipäevahoone klaaskuppel (Foster ja Partnerid, 1992...1999), klaaskatusega DZ-Pank (Frank Owen Gehry, 1996...1999)

Elamine gaasimahutites : nelja ajaloolise gasomeetri ümberehitus Viinis / Reinhard Seiss

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Seiss, Reinhard

2005-01-01

Theodor Hermanni plaanide järgi 1896-1899 ehitatud nelja muinsuskaitse all oleva gasomeetri ümberehitusest aastail 1998-2001. Autorid Jean Nouvel, Coop Himmelb(l)au (arhitektid Wolf Prix, Helmut Swiczinsky), Manfred Wehdorn ja Wilhelm Holzbauer. Gasomeertrid on maapealsel korrusel ühendatud jalakäijate ala ja poekompleksiga Shopping Mall, hoonete ülemistes osades on bürood ja korterid, maa-alusel korrusel garaahid. Pleasuredome'i arhitekt Rüdiger Lainer. Linnaosa arendamise kavast. Ill.: 1 joonis, 7 värv. fotot

Raadi mõis Tartu Ülikooli teenistuses / Helmut Piirimäe

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Piirimäe, Helmut, 1930-

2010-01-01

1921. aastal kinkis Eesti Vabariik Raadi mõisa Tartu Ülikoolile, hooneid ja maid hakkas kasutama põllumajandusteaduskond, härrastemaja anti Eesti Rahva Muuseumi käsutusse. Põllumajanduslike katsejaamade rajamine Raadile.

Astronomy: A small star with an Earth-like planet

Science.gov (United States)

Deming, Drake

2015-11-01

A rocky planet close in size to Earth has been discovered in the cosmic vicinity of our Sun. The small size and proximity of the associated star bode well for studies of the planet's atmosphere. See Letter p.204

CERN/USSR: Closer collaboration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

The decision of CERN Council to grant Observer status to the Soviet Union is a new milestone in a long history of collaboration between European and Soviet particle physicists which bodes well for the continued success of their research programmes

Is Texas ready for mileage fees? : a briefing paper.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-01

According to the Transportation Research Board, government regulation and continued : increases in fuel prices could cut fuel consumption in the United States by 20 percent by 2025. : While good news for the environment, this does not bode well for t...

Quantitative computed tomography measurements to evaluate airway disease in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Relationship to physiological measurements, clinical index and visual assessment of airway disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nambu, Atsushi, E-mail: nambu-a@gray.plala.or.jp [Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO, 80206 (United States); Zach, Jordan, E-mail: ZachJ@NJHealth.org [Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO, 80206 (United States); Schroeder, Joyce, E-mail: Joyce.schroeder@stanfordalumni.org [Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO, 80206 (United States); Jin, Gongyoung, E-mail: gyjin@chonbuk.ac.kr [Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO, 80206 (United States); Kim, Song Soo, E-mail: haneul88@hanmail.net [Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO, 80206 (United States); Kim, Yu-IL, E-mail: kyionly@chonnam.ac.kr [Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO (United States); Schnell, Christina, E-mail: SchnellC@NJHealth.org [Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO (United States); Bowler, Russell, E-mail: BowlerR@NJHealth.org [Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health (United States); Lynch, David A., E-mail: LynchD@NJHealth.org [Department of Radiology, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO, 80206 (United States)

2016-11-15

Purpose: To correlate currently available quantitative CT measurements for airway disease with physiological indices and the body-mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity (BODE) index in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Materials and methods: This study was approved by our institutional review board (IRB number 2778). Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects. The subjects included 188 current and former cigarette smokers from the COPDGene cohort who underwent inspiratory and expiratory CT and also had physiological measurements for the evaluation of airflow limitation, including FEF25-75%, airway resistance (Raw), and specific airway conductance (sGaw). The BODE index was used as the index of clinical symptoms. Quantitative CT measures included % low attenuation areas [% voxels ≤ 950 Hounsfield unit (HU) on inspiratory CT, %LAA{sub −950ins}], percent gas trapping (% voxels ≤ −856 HU on expiratory CT, %LAA {sub −856exp}), relative inspiratory to expiratory volume change of voxels with attenuation values from −856 to −950 HU [Relative Volume Change (RVC){sub −856} {sub to} {sub −950}], expiratory to inspiratory ratio of mean lung density (E/I-ratio {sub MLD}), Pi10, and airway wall thickness (WT), luminal diameter (LD) and airway wall area percent (WA%) in the segmental, subsegmental and subsubsegmental bronchi on inspiratory CT. Correlation coefficients were calculated between the QCT measurements and physiological measurements in all subjects and in the subjects with mild emphysema (%LAA{sub −950ins} <10%). Univariate and multiple variable analysis for the BODE index were also performed. Adjustments were made for age, gender, smoking pack years, FEF25-75%, Raw, and sGaw. Results: Quantitative CT measurements had significant correlations with physiological indices. Among them, E/I-ratio {sub MLD} had the strongest correlations with FEF25-75% (r = −0.648, <0.001) and sGaw (r = −0

Corporate financial restructuring in Asia: implications for financial stability

OpenAIRE

Michael Pomerleano

2007-01-01

Corporate financial fragility preceding the Asian financial crisis heightened vulnerabilities. Many countries in the region undertook significant corporate financial restructuring after the crisis, with some countries bouncing back much faster than others. These sounder corporate financial practices bode well for financial stability.

Break-glass handling exceptional situations in access control

CERN Document Server

Petritsch, Helmut

2014-01-01

Helmut Petritsch describes the first holistic approach to Break-Glass which covers the whole life-cycle: from access control modeling (pre-access), to logging the security-relevant system state during Break-Glass accesses (at-access), and the automated analysis of Break-Glass accesses (post-access). Break-Glass allows users to override security restrictions in exceptional situations. While several Break-Glass models specific to given access control models have already been discussed in research (e.g., extending RBAC with Break-Glass), the author introduces a generic Break-Glass model. The pres

Rünnak vaatemängu ajastule / Katrin Kivimaa

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Kivimaa, Katrin, 1969-

2000-01-01

Rahvusvaheline videokunsti ja uue meedia festival "Video Positive 2000" Liverpoolis üldteemal "The Other Side of Zero". Kontseptsiooni autor Steven Bode. Pikemalt sotsiaalsetest projektidest Internetis ja Iliyana Nedkova kureeritud näitusest "Spacecraft", kus oli väljas ka Mare Tralla töö "silm-vaatlusõhupall"

Seasonal and diurnal variations of methane and carbon dioxide in the highly polluted Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Science.gov (United States)

Mahata, Khadak; Panday, Arnico; Rupakheti, Maheswar; Lawrence, Mark

2016-04-01

Anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide and methane - key greenhouse gases (GHGs) - are primary causes of global warming and resultant impacts. The atmospheric warming is more pronounced and likely to cause more serious damage in vulnerable areas such as the Hindukush-Karakorum-Himalayan region (HKH). The HKH region is a data gap region according to the 5th Assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC). In order to understand the mixing ratios and variability of the key GHGs in the foothills of the Central Himalaya, we carried out continuous measurements of CO2, CH4, CO, and water vapor at Bode (an urban site in the Kathmandu valley, Nepal) for a year (March 2013 - Feb 2014), and again at Bode and at Chanban (a background outside the Valley) for 3 months (July 15 - Oct 3, 2015), with two state-of-the-art cavity ring-down instruments (Picarro G2401). The measurements were carried out as a part of the international air pollution measurement campaign: SusKat- ABC (Sustainable atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley - Atmospheric Brown Clouds). The annual average CO2 and CH4 concentrations at Bode were 419 ± 24 and 2.192 ± 0.224 ppm, respectively, which are notably higher than those observed at the background site at Mauna Loa Observatory in the same period. The CO2concentration at Bode was high during the pre-monsoon period and low during the monsoon, while CH4 was high in winter and lower during the pre-monsoon period. The monthly CO2concentration was highest in April. Forest fires and agro-waste burning in the region, and the local emissions in the Kathmandu valley were the main sources of the high CO2 in the pre-monsoon period. CH4 showed a maximum in September due to additional emissions from paddy fields. Seasonally, winter has the highest CH4 concentration which is due to brick production, which is a seasonal activity, and other local sources combined with the shallow mixing layer height in winter. The diurnal pattern of CO2 and CH4

Läti väljavaated Maastrichti kriteeriumide täitmiseks / Helmuts Ancans

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Ancans, Helmuts

2005-01-01

Ilmunud ka: Kroon & Economy nr. 3, lk. 11-15. Läti valmisolekust euroga liitumiseks, kus kõige problemaatilisemaks teguriks võib kujuneda inflatsioon. Lisad: Maastrichti kriteeriumid; Inflatsiooni mõjutavad pakkumispoolsed tegurid

'ZANDER, Helmut, Anthroposophie in Deutschland, Theosophische Weltanschauung und gesellschaftliche Praxis 1884-1945'

OpenAIRE

Georget, Jean-Louis

2013-01-01

Le livre de H.Z. fait date en établissant les conditions de l’émergence et du développement de la théosophie, puis de l’anthroposophie dans un opus magistral de plus de 1800 pages, issu de sa thèse d’habilitation et de nombre de travaux qu’il a consacrés au sujet pendant des années. Dans le premier tome, les dix-neuf chapitres décrivent avec minutie la nébuleuse des associations théosophiques allemandes. L’auteur s’attache à leur histoire et à leur enracinement national et international. Il a...

Measurement of weak low frequency pressure signal using stretchable polyurethane fiber sensor for application in wearables

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaysir, Md Rejvi; Stefani, Alessio; Lwin, Richard

2017-01-01

.e. a capillary) to measure a weak low frequency signal comparable to respiration/heart rate. We characterized the fiber and measured the sensitivity of a PU capillary using a speaker connected to a function generator. The frequency of the modulated signal was recovered using Fourier Transform (FT). This bodes...

The Philippines in a Changing Southeast Asia

Science.gov (United States)

1989-03-01

Philippines, Atenco de Manila University ing fathers borrowed from American constitutional or De La Salle University, to study law, medicine, law in...respectively, in the Atenco de Manila University lation that would extend by an additional two years Opinion Poll. This bodes well not only for the NAFP the

Resin-Bonded Bridges in vitro and in vivo

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veen, Johannes Hilbrandt van der

1988-01-01

In this thesis in vitro and in vivo studies on the clinical application of resin-bonded bridges are described and discussed. The development of different types of resin-bonded bridges is described in chapter 1. The bridges are often made by boding a cast metal retainer fitted with and artificial

Highland Medical Research Journal - Vol 2, No 2 (2004)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Are Congenital Anomalies Common In Jos- Nigeria? EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT. SD Pam, F Bode-Thomas, WE Isaac, HB Ibanga, AO Adekwu, BO Toma, AO Ebonyi, G Gwarzo, FA Akor, F Ochigbo, D Onotu, EF Madu, BA Animasahun, 19-28 ...

Pharmaceutical and pharmacological approaches for bioavailability ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Fleischhack G, Reif S, Hasan C, Jaehde U, Hettmer S and Bode. U 2001 Feasibility of intraventricular administration of etoposide in patients with metastatic brain tumours. Br. J. Cancer 84 1453-1459. 2001. Fractionated doses of oral etoposide in the treatment of patients with AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma: a clinical and.

Autonomy and School Improvement: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go from Here?

Science.gov (United States)

Honig, Meredith I.; Rainey, Lydia R.

2012-01-01

New "autonomy initiatives" aim to increase schools' decision-making authority as a strategy to leverage school improvement. These policies build on lessons of previous reforms such as site-based management in ways that bode well for their success. However, how are these policies actually faring in implementation? The authors addressed that…

Message of the rainforests. A jungle in Vienna; Botschaft der Regenwaelder. Ein Dschungel in Wien

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doeller, M.

2003-07-01

A 'rainforest house' is the latest project of the Vienna Zoo, Tiergarten Schoenbrunn. The contribution presents details of the technical facilities of the envisaged building. [German] Durch die in den letzten zehn Jahren erfolgte Modernisierung der Anlagen besitzt der Wiener Tiergarten Schoenbrunn heute internationalen Vorzeigecharakter. Treibende Kraft hinter dieser Entwicklung ist ohne Zweifel Direktor Dr. Helmut Pechlaner. Wie das juengste Projekt ''Regenwaldhaus'' zeigt, stehen dem anerkannten Zoo-Experten in der baulichen Umsetzung seiner Visionen jedoch nicht minder engagierte Planer zur Seite. Allein das gesamte Haustechnikkonzept ist eine ausgetueftelte Zusammenstellung aus verschiedensten Sonderloesungen sowie Systemeigenentwicklungen. (orig.)

Recherches sur les courants ésotériques occidentaux modernes

OpenAIRE

Faivre, Antoine

2009-01-01

Conférences de la première heure Elles ont porté principalement sur deux ouvrages récents relevant de la spécialité. Le premier, de Helmut Zander (Anthroposophie in Deutschland. Theosophische Weltanschauung und gesellschaftliche Praxis 1884‑1945, 2 vol., Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2007), fort documenté, nous a donné l’occasion de faire le point sur l’état actuel de la recherche en matière d’Anthroposophie steinerienne et de Société Théosophique. Mais nous avons commenté surtout un sous...

Bibliografía

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Revista Chasqui

2015-01-01

Full Text Available “Cine venezolano, largometreajes”, Rodolfo Izaguirre, Fondo Editorial Cinemateca Nacional, Fondo de Fometno Cinematográfico, Caracas, 1983; El cine en la república Federal de Alemania, El nuevo cine alemán, origen, situación actual, Manual, Hans Funther Pflaum/Hans Helmut Prinzler, Inter Nationes Bonn, 1983; Comunicación visual y escuela “Aspectos pedagógicos del lenguaje visual, Lucia Lazotti Fontana. Colección Punto y línea, Editorial Gustavo Gili S.A., Barcelona, 1983; Cine, censura y exilio en América Latina, Alfonso Gumucio-Dagron, CIMCA, La Paz – Bolivia 1984.

Real-Time PCR Assay for a Unique Chromosomal Sequence of Bacillus anthracis

Science.gov (United States)

2004-12-01

13061 Neisseria lactamica .............................................................. 23970 Bacillus coagulans ...NEG Bacillus coagulane 7050 NEG NEG Bacillus cereus 13472 NEG NEG Bacillus licheniforms 12759 NEG NEG Bacillus cereus 13824 NEG NEG Bacillus ...Assay for a Unique Chromosomal Sequence of Bacillus anthracis Elizabeth Bode,1 William Hurtle,2† and David Norwood1* United States Army Medical

Okologie als Frage der Zeit: Eine Antwort auf Helmut Heid und Gerd-Jan Krol (The Concept of Time in Environmental Education: A Replique to Helmut Heid and Gerd-Jan Krol).

Science.gov (United States)

Reheis, Fritz

1997-01-01

Responds to arguments that environmental education must be backed up by a theory of society. Sketches a paradigm that would be broad enough to cover all object areas relevant to a well-grounded pedagogy of environment, and links the basic idea of ecology with insights on scales and rhythms of time. (DSK)

Allowed planetary orbits in the solar system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pintr, P.; Perinova, V.; Luks, A.

2008-01-01

A new law of the Titius-Bode type for planetary distances from the Sun is proposed. These distances for each planet are determined using appropriate nodal circle of a vibrating membrane. Regularities in the distribution of bodies in the solar system and in the systems of giant planets and some exoplanets are pointed out

The Quality of Life in Hong Kong

Science.gov (United States)

Sing, Ming

2009-01-01

The AsiaBarometer of 1,000 respondents shows that Hong Kong people have a great desire for materialistic attainment, and such an emphasis on materialism bodes ill for their quality of life. Negative assessments of the public life sphere, which encompasses the natural environment, the social welfare system, and the democratic system, also detract…

Research

African Journals Online (AJOL)

abp

2016-02-09

Feb 9, 2016 ... PubMed | Google Scholar. 5. Bode CO, Ikhisemojie S, Ademuyiwa AO. Penile injuries from proximal migration of the Plastibell circumcision ring. J Pediatr. Urol. 2010; 6(1):23-27. PubMed | Google Scholar. 6. Manji KP. Circumcision of the young infant in a developing country using the Plastibell. Ann Trop ...

A Study on the Bandwidth Characteristics of Pleated Pneumatic Artificial Muscles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rino Versluys

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Pleated pneumatic artificial muscles have interesting properties that can be of considerable significance in robotics and automation. With a view to the potential use of pleated pneumatic artificial muscles as actuators for a fatigue test bench (high forces and small displacements, the bandwidth characteristics of a muscle-valve system were investigated. Bandwidth is commonly used for linear systems, as the Bode plot is independent of the amplitude of the input signal. However, due to the non-linear behaviour of pleated pneumatic artificial muscles, the system's gain becomes dependent on the amplitude of the input sine wave. As a result, only one Bode plot is insufficient to clearly describe or identify a non-linear system. In this study, the bandwidth of a muscle-valve system was assessed from two perspectives: a varying amplitude and a varying offset of the input sine wave. A brief introduction to pneumatic artificial muscles is given. The concept of pleated pneumatic artificial muscles is explained. Furthermore, the different test methods and experimental results are presented.

Discovery of the first asteroid, Ceres historical studies in asteroid research

CERN Document Server

Cunningham, Clifford

2016-01-01

Based on extensive primary sources, many never previously translated into English, this is the definitive account of the origins of Ceres as it went from being classified as a new planet to reclassification as the first of a previously unknown group of celestial objects. Cunningham opens this critical moment of astronomical discovery to full modern analysis for the first time. This book includes all the voluminous correspondence, translated into English, between the astronomers of Europe about the startling discovery of Ceres by Piazzi in 1801. It covers the period up to March 1802, at which time Pallas was discovered. Also included are Piazzi's two monographs about Ceres, and the sections of two books dealing with Ceres, one by Johann Bode, the other by Johann Schroeter. The origin of the word 'asteroid' is explained, along with several chapters on the antecedents of the story going back to ancient Greek times. The formulation of Bode's Law is given, as are the details on the efforts of Baron von Zach to org...

Exponential law as a more compatible model to describe orbits of planetary systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Saeedi

2012-12-01

Full Text Available   According to the Titus-Bode law, orbits of planets in the solar system obey a geometric progression. Many investigations have been launched to improve this law. In this paper, we apply square and exponential models to planets of solar system, moons of planets, and some extra solar systems, and compare them with each other.

Browse Title Index

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Items 101 - 150 of 234 ... Vol 2, No 1 (2000), Impacted Vesical Calculus: An unusual cause of failed urethral dilatation, Abstract PDF. N. H. Mbibu, L. M. Khalid. Vol 2, No 3 (2000), Improved Outcome of ... LB Chirdan, AF Uba, F Bode-Thomas, BM Mandong. Vol 7, No 3 (2005), Influence of occupational status on patronage and ...

Product Pipeline: Megan K. Fox Looks at the Latest Ebook Devices and What They Mean for Librarians

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Megan K.

2006-01-01

The standalone PDA seems to be dying, but the prominence of smart phones and similar devices are opening new doors for ebooks. The digital music and ipod phenomena bode well for what could happen with e-text publishing, with content and hardware easier to use just as new open standards are beginning to emerge. Mobile, portable, wireless, handheld,…

Die Insolvenz – historische, literarische und philosophische Aspekte des wirtschaftlichen Scheiterns / Helmut Zipperer

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Zipperer, Helmut

2016-01-01

Pankrotiõiguse ajaloolisi (nt XII tahvli seaduste mõju), kirjanduslikke (Gustav Freytagi kaupmeheromaan „Soll und Haben”; Thomas Manni „Buddenbrookid”) ja filosoofilisi aspekte (pankrotimenetlus ja õiglus)

2 ühe hoobiga. "Funny Games", "Hellboy 2 : Kuldne armee" / Helmut Jänes

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Jänes, Helmut, 1972-

2008-01-01

Mängufilm "Jõhkrad mängud" ("Funny Games") : režissöör Michael Haneke : Suurbritannia - Ameerika Ühendriigid - Saksamaa 2007 ja "Hellboy 2: Kuldne armee" ( "The Golden Army") : režissöör Guillermo del Toro : Ameerika Ühendriigid 2008

Un calco Cervantino: Dios es grande

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mitja Skubic

1992-12-01

Full Text Available Algunos estudios recientes dedican amplio espacio al aporte arábigo en Cervantes, ocupándose de manera particular de los préstamos sin embargo, parecen descuidar lo relativo a los calcos semánticos. Resulta curiosa comprobar como el estudio fundamental sabre los medias estilísticos en El Quijote de Helmut Hatzfeld (Don Quijote als Wortlamstwerk, Berlín, 1927, no reserva a los calcos un papel adecuado. Tanto más preciosas son las observaciones de Rafael Lapesa sabre arabismos semánticos, tales como: infante, hidalgo, plata yotros (Historia de la lengua española, 7 edic., Madrid, 1968, pp.108y ss.

Mesoporous yttria-zirconia and metal-yttria-zirconia solid solutions for fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mamak, M.; Coombs, N.; Ozin, G. [Toronto Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Chemistry

2000-02-03

A new class of binary mesoporous yttria-zirconia (YZ) and ternary mesoporous metal-YZ materials (M = electroactive Ni/Pt) is presented here that displays the highest surface area of any known form of yttria-stabilized zirconia. These mesoporous materials form as solid solutions and retain their structural integrity to 800 C, which bodes well for their possible utilization in fuel cells. (orig.)

The right to freedom of expression: The mother of our democracy ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Student-teachers have a sense of the importance of the right to freedom of expression in a democracy, but they have not yet internalised the mechanism or process of balancing the right in praxis. This does not bode well as the school system will fail to be a market place of ideas. In order to enable learners to reach their full ...

DEFTEST. Defence Technological and Scientific Thesaurus. Volume 1. A - L.

Science.gov (United States)

1988-05-01

bodes XTCac j cassFT Asrr~asLn le~rlglod inswuneres Cvntido C~ lstm bodies kimomrod doicir 161aeganera .ngneerlng Calels meduc Ms1pOOW side Sulall quely...Dilomsdit compaunde Sol Wetit. NT Clow"n agent IhiceSua" day predict cleause VmeeAmkdsW wm Pwdkq canpadlI" XT Arma (mw" so"p RNA -bn Cea - NT Caroled w

2 ühe hoobiga. "Uskumatu Hulk", "Aeg on käes..." / Helmut Jänes

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Jänes, Helmut, 1972-

2008-01-01

Seiklusfilm "Uskumatu Hulk" ("The Incredible Hulk") : režissöör Louis Leterrier : Ameerika Ühendriigid 2008 ja ulmefilm "Aeg on käes..." ("The Happening") : režissöör M. Night Shyamalan : peaosas Mark Wahlberg : Ameerika Ühendriigid - India 2008

Eesti ajaloolaste ülemaailmne auhind : dr. Artur Puksovi auhind 2003 / Helmut Piirimäe

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Piirimäe, Helmut, 1930-

2003-01-01

Laureaadid: Enn Küng (monograafia "Rootsi majanduspoliitika Narva kaubanduse küsimuses 17. sajandi teisel poolel"); Anti Selart (monograafia "Liivimaa ja Vene 13. sajandil. Uurimus poliitilisest ajaloost"); Tiina Kala (raamat "Euroopa kirjakultuur hiliskeskaegsetes õppetekstides. Tallinna dominiiklase David Sliperi taskuraamat"); Juhan Kreem (monograafia "The Town and Its Lord: Reval and the Teutonic Order"); Andres Tvauri (monograafia "Muinas- Tartu Uurimus Tartu muinaslinnuse ja asula asustusajaloost")

Co-crystallization: An approach to improve the performance characteristics of active pharmaceutical ingredients

OpenAIRE

Jignasa Ketan Savjani

2015-01-01

Co-crystal chemistry has recently attracted supramolecular scientists. Co-crystals are comprising of hydrogen boding assembly between different molecules. Many issues related to performance characteristics of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) can be resolved using co-crystallization approach. Proper understanding of crystal structure of an API is required for successful formation of co-crystals with the selected co-former. This review article focus on explanation about co-crystals, in...

Application of Kramers-Kronig relationships for titanium impedance data validation in a Ringer's solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bastidas, D. M.

2004-08-01

Full Text Available This paper studies the applicability of Kramers-Kronig (KK relationships to assess the validity of real and imaginary impedance measurements for titanium in a Ringer's solution using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS method. Nyquist and Bode plots showed a capacitive behaviour with a high impedance modulus including two time constants. Two procedures were employed in the implementation of the KK integral relationships based on an equivalent circuit which satisfies KK relationships and an ohmic resistance shunted to the measured EIS data. The titanium's EIS data satisfied the KK relationships.

Este artículo estudia la aplicabilidad de las relaciones de Kramers-Kronig (KK al estudio de la validez de las medidas de impedancia (EIS, parte real y parte imaginaria, del titanio en contacto con la solución de Ringer. Los diagramas de Nyquist y Bode muestran un comportamiento capacitivo, con un módulo de impedancia elevado y con dos constantes de tiempo. En la implementación de las integrales de KK se emplearon dos procedimientos, que se basan en un circuito equivalente que cumple las relaciones de KK y en una resistencia óhmica en paralelo añadida a los datos de impedancia medidos. Los resultados de impedancia del titanio satisfacen las relaciones de KK.

Data Driven Synthesis of Three Term Digital Controllers

Science.gov (United States)

Keel, Lee H.; Mitra, Sandipan; Bhattacharyya, Shankar P.

This paper presents a method for digital PID and first order controller synthesis based on frequency domain data alone. The techniques given here first determine all stabilizing controllers from measurement data. In both PID and first order controller cases, the only information required are frequency domain data (Nyquist-Bode data) and the number of open-loop RHP poles. Specifically no identification of the plant model is required. Examples are given for illustration.

Recent progress in organic electronics and photonics: A perspective on the future of organic devices

KAUST Repository

Bredas, Jean-Luc

2016-02-25

The fields of organic electronics and photonics have witnessed remarkable advances over the past few years. This progress bodes well for the increased utilization of organic materials as the active layers in devices for applications as diverse as light-emitting diodes, field-effect transistors, solar cells, or all-optical switches. In the present document, we choose to focus the discussion on organic all-optical switching applications. © 2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.

Jaroslav Rudiš, La Fin des punks à Helsinki

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morgan Corven

2012-06-01

Full Text Available « Ici c'est no future, Tchernobyl, les Sudètes et le terminus de toutes les lignes de bus. » (pp. 203-204En 1987, aux confins de la Tchécoslovaquie communiste, Nancy, sa crête et son blouson à clous, n'a rien pour plaire au régime. Brimée, persécutée, elle finit même par se faire exclure de l'école. Mais voilà bien le cadet de ses soucis : le pire serait de tomber enceinte à cause de cet idiot d'Helmut. Ou que le mal qui enfle dans sa gorge depuis l'explosion de la centrale Lénine ne s'avère...

The IAEA stopping power database, following the trends in stopping power of ions in matter

Science.gov (United States)

Montanari, C. C.; Dimitriou, P.

2017-10-01

The aim of this work is to present an overview of the state of art of the energy loss of ions in matter, based on the new developments in the stopping power database of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This exhaustive collection of experimental data, graphs, programs and comparisons, is the legacy of Helmut Paul, who made it accessible to the global scientific community, and has been extensively employed in theoretical and experimental research during the last 25 years. The field of stopping power in matter is evolving, with new trends in materials of interest, including oxides, nitrides, polymers, and biological targets. Our goal is to identify areas of interest and emerging data needs to meet the requirements of a continuously developing user community.

Ablation characteristics of boding liver according to cool-tip temperature of RFA equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Young Jae [Dept. of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jeong Koo [Dept. of Radiological Science, Hanseo University, Seosan (Korea, Republic of)

2015-06-15

This study confirmed the correlation between the change of the cooling water in internal cooling system and the size of the ablation site of bovine liver in RF heat treatment equipment. The bovine liver was resection with 4 x 4 x 4 cm{sup 3} in 2 cm cool-tip and with 6 x 6 x 6 cm{sup 3} in 3 cm cool-tip for the experiments. Area and perimeter of the ablation site for bovine liver were measured by Freehand techniques of MRI. It showed area and perimeter decreased during cool-tip temperature rises 6 and 12 minutes ablation using a 2 cm and 3 cm cool-tip. The correlation of cool-tip temperature and area and perimeter was statistically significant the result are shown (p=.000). The measurements of area and perimeter were more accurate with MRI in actual measurements and MRI for ablation range. The statistical results using Paired sample T-test was also significant (p=.038). The ablation range of bovine liver decreased according as cooling water temperature increases in RF heat treatment equipment for reason of carbonization occurred due to does not accurately pass the RF energy. Therefore, it is considered the effect of RF heat treatment would be increased if the temperature of the cooling water consistently maintain the low temperature in order to reduce the generation of carbide at RF heat treatment and RF energy is delivered accurately.

Ablation characteristics of boding liver according to cool-tip temperature of RFA equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Young Jae; Kim, Jeong Koo

2015-01-01

This study confirmed the correlation between the change of the cooling water in internal cooling system and the size of the ablation site of bovine liver in RF heat treatment equipment. The bovine liver was resection with 4 x 4 x 4 cm"3 in 2 cm cool-tip and with 6 x 6 x 6 cm"3 in 3 cm cool-tip for the experiments. Area and perimeter of the ablation site for bovine liver were measured by Freehand techniques of MRI. It showed area and perimeter decreased during cool-tip temperature rises 6 and 12 minutes ablation using a 2 cm and 3 cm cool-tip. The correlation of cool-tip temperature and area and perimeter was statistically significant the result are shown (p=.000). The measurements of area and perimeter were more accurate with MRI in actual measurements and MRI for ablation range. The statistical results using Paired sample T-test was also significant (p=.038). The ablation range of bovine liver decreased according as cooling water temperature increases in RF heat treatment equipment for reason of carbonization occurred due to does not accurately pass the RF energy. Therefore, it is considered the effect of RF heat treatment would be increased if the temperature of the cooling water consistently maintain the low temperature in order to reduce the generation of carbide at RF heat treatment and RF energy is delivered accurately

Pavasarnakts : [luuletused] / Andres Ehin ; Andress Ehins, no igaņu valodas atdzejojis Guntars Godiņš

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Ehin, Andres, 1940-2011

2005-01-01

Sisu: Pavasarnakts ; Būt suņa dzīvoklim ; "baltajā naktī..." ; Atmiņu bilde ; "ceļas vējsh" ; Sarkankrūtīsha saprāts ; Redzējums ; "dziļi zem zemes dzīvo..." ; Esmu, esmu, esmu... ; Nūdeles un makarona mīlestība ; "aiz vemmorskas bodes..." ; Haiku : [6 haikut] ; Esmu jūsu pazudusī mashīna ; Pakārtais ievārījums : (fragments)

Caracterización eléctrica de tejido sanguíneo mediante función de transferencia Caracterización eléctrica de tejido sanguíneo mediante función de transferencia

OpenAIRE

Pascual Palomares Anda; Francisco Hernández Cabrera; Modesto Sosa Aquino; Teodoro Córdova Fraga; Manuel Guía Calderón; J. Jesús Bernal Alvarado; J. Juan Rosales García; José Francisco Gómez Aguilar

2012-01-01

This paper presents an analysis and modeling of electrical impedance spectra applied to the study of experimental data of blood tissue and its main components: red cells, white and plasma. Using the electrical circuit theory yields the transfer functions and the graphic representation of Bode and Nyquist. You can see in this work the experimental technique’s potential to differentiate cellular components of blood tissue, and the usefulness of developing accurate models for analysis. En este t...

Concentrações plasmáticas de testosterona, triiodotironina (T3 e tiroxina (T4 em bodes submetidos ao estresse calórico Plasma concentrations of testosterone, triiodothyronine (T3, and thyroxine (T4 in bucks submitted to heat stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.A. Coelho

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Para verificar o efeito do estresse calórico (EC nas concentrações plasmáticas de testosterona, triiodotironina (T3 e tiroxina (T4, oito bodes, das raças Saanen (n=4 e Alpina (n=4, foram mantidos em câmara bioclimática, sob condições de termoneutralidade (13,0ºC a 26,7ºC durante 30 dias e, após um período (60 dias de descanso, submetidos ao EC (23,7ºC a 34,0ºC por 30 dias. Para minimizar as variações sazonais nos perfis hormonais devido ao fotoperíodo, durante toda fase experimental, incluindo a de adaptação em condições de termoneutralidade (30 dias, o fotoperíodo foi controlado utilizando-se alternância de dias longos (16h de luz e 8h de escuro e de dias curtos (8h de luz e 16h de escuro a cada 30 dias. As amostras de sangue foram coletadas duas vezes por semana durante cinco semanas. No conjunto das raças, o EC não influenciou (P>0,05 as concentrações de testosterona (1,8±0,2 vs 1,3±0,2ng/ml e nem a de T4 (52,7±2,8 vs 50,0±2,8ng/ml. Houve declínio (PTo verify the effect of heat stress (HS on plasma testosterone, triiodothyronine (T3, and thyroxine (T4 concentrations, eight Saanen (n=4 and Alpine Brown (n=4 bucks were kept in climate chamber under thermal neutral conditions (13.0ºC to 26.7ºC for 30 days. After a resting period (60 days, the same bucks were submitted to heat stress (23.7ºC to 34.0ºC for another 30 days. To neutralize the seasonal variations of hormonal profiles throughout the period, the photoperiod was controlled every 30 days altering long (16 hours of light and 8 hours of darkness and short days (8 hours of light and 16 hours of darkness. The blood samples were collected twice a week during five weeks. In both breeds, there was no effect of HS (P>0.05 on plasma concentrations of testosterone (1.8±0.2 vs 1.3±0.2ng/ml and T4 (52.7±2.8 vs 50.0±2.8ng/ml. There was a decline (P<0.01 of plasma T3 concentrations (1.3±0.1 vs 1.0±0.1ng/ml after HS treatment, but this reduction was only

Fatigue and multidimensional disease severity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inal-Ince Deniz

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background and aims Fatigue is associated with longitudinal ratings of health in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD. Although the degree of airflow obstruction is often used to grade disease severity in patients with COPD, multidimensional grading systems have recently been developed. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived and actual fatigue level and multidimensional disease severity in patients with COPD. Materials and methods Twenty-two patients with COPD (aged 52-74 years took part in the study. Multidimensional disease severity was measured using the SAFE and BODE indices. Perceived fatigue was assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS and the Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS. Peripheral muscle endurance was evaluated using the number of sit-ups, squats, and modified push-ups that each patient could do. Results Thirteen patients (59% had severe fatigue, and their St George's Respiratory Questionnaire scores were significantly higher (p Conclusions Peripheral muscle endurance and fatigue perception in patients with COPD was related to multidimensional disease severity measured with both the SAFE and BODE indices. Improvements in perceived and actual fatigue levels may positively affect multidimensional disease severity and health status in COPD patients. Further research is needed to investigate the effects of fatigue perception and exercise training on patients with different stages of multidimensional COPD severity.

COMET: a multicomponent home-based disease-management programme versus routine care in severe COPD.

Science.gov (United States)

Kessler, Romain; Casan-Clara, Pere; Koehler, Dieter; Tognella, Silvia; Viejo, Jose Luis; Dal Negro, Roberto W; Díaz-Lobato, Salvador; Reissig, Karina; Rodríguez González-Moro, José Miguel; Devouassoux, Gilles; Chavaillon, Jean-Michel; Botrus, Pierre; Arnal, Jean-Michel; Ancochea, Julio; Bergeron-Lafaurie, Anne; De Abajo, Carlos; Randerath, Winfried J; Bastian, Andreas; Cornelissen, Christian G; Nilius, Georg; Texereau, Joëlle B; Bourbeau, Jean

2018-01-01

The COPD Patient Management European Trial (COMET) investigated the efficacy and safety of a home-based COPD disease management intervention for severe COPD patients.The study was an international open-design clinical trial in COPD patients (forced expiratory volume in 1 s management intervention or to the usual management practices at the study centre. The disease management intervention included a self-management programme, home telemonitoring, care coordination and medical management. The primary end-point was the number of unplanned all-cause hospitalisation days in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population. Secondary end-points included acute care hospitalisation days, BODE (body mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnoea and exercise) index and exacerbations. Safety end-points included adverse events and deaths.For the 157 (disease management) and 162 (usual management) patients eligible for ITT analyses, all-cause hospitalisation days per year (mean±sd) were 17.4±35.4 and 22.6±41.8, respectively (mean difference -5.3, 95% CI -13.7 to -3.1; p=0.16). The disease management group had fewer per-protocol acute care hospitalisation days per year (p=0.047), a lower BODE index (p=0.01) and a lower mortality rate (1.9% versus 14.2%; pmanagement intervention did not significantly reduce unplanned all-cause hospitalisation days, but reduced acute care hospitalisation days and mortality in severe COPD patients. Copyright ©ERS 2018.

Lava Eruption and Emplacement: Using Clues from Hawaii and Iceland to Probe the Lunar Past

Science.gov (United States)

Needham, Debra Hurwitz; Hamilton, C. W.; Bleacher, J. E.; Whelley, P. L.; Young, K. E.; Scheidt, S. P.; Richardson, J. A.; Sutton, S. S.

2017-01-01

Investigating recent eruptions on Earth is crucial to improving understanding of relationships between eruption dynamics and final lava flow morphologies. In this study, we investigated eruptions in Holuhraun, Iceland, and Kilauea, Hawaii to gain insight into the lava dynamics near the source vent, the initiation of lava channels, and the origin of down-channel features. Insights are applied to Rima Bode on the lunar nearside to deduce the sequence of events that formed this lunar sinuous rille system. These insights are crucial to correctly interpreting whether the volcanic features associated with Rima Bode directly relate to eruption conditions at the vent and, thus, can help us understand those eruption dynamics, or, alternatively, whether the features formed as a result of more localized influences on lava flow dynamics. For example, if the lava channel developed early in the eruption and was linked to pulses in vent activity, its morphology can be analyzed to interpret the flux and duration of the eruption. Conversely, if the lava channel initiated late in the eruption as the result of a catastrophic breaching of lava that had previously pooled within the vent [e.g., 1], then the final channel morphology will not indicate eruption dynamics but rather local dynamics associated with that breach event. Distinguishing between these two scenarios is crucial for correctly interpreting the intensity and duration of volcanic history on the Moon.

Short- and Long-Term Effects of Concurrent Strength and HIIT Training in Octogenarians with COPD.

Science.gov (United States)

Guadalupe-Grau, Amelia; Aznar-Laín, Susana; Mañas, Asier; Castellanos, Juan; Alcázar, Julián; Ara, Ignacio; Mata, Esmeralda; Daimiel, Rosa; García-García, Francisco José

2017-01-01

To investigate the short- and long-term effects of concurrent strength and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on octogenarian COPD patients, nine males (age = 84.2 ± 2.8 years, BMI = 29.3 ± 2.3) with low to severe COPD levels (2.1 ± 1.5 BODE index) underwent a supervised 9-week strength and HIIT exercise program. Training had a significant (p HIIT training increases physical fitness in the oldest-old COPD patients, and has potential long-term benefits.

Digital analysis of vibrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bohnstedt, H.J.; Walter, G.

1982-01-01

Vibrational measurements, e.g. on turbomachinery, can be evaluated rapidly and economically with the aid of a combination of the following instruments: a desk-top computer, a two-channel vector filter and a FFT spectral analyzer. This equipment combination is available within the Allianz Centre for Technology and has also been used for mobile, on-site investigations during the last year. It enables calculation and display of time functions, kinetic shaft orbits, displacement diagrams. Bode plots, polar-coordinate plots, cascade diagrams and histograms. (orig.) [de

John Norris, Collision Course: NATO, Russian and Kosovo (foreword by Strobe Talbott. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2005. 333 pages.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guillaume Colin

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Recension requires thoroughness in reading and examining a book, including its cover. In this connection, the cover of John Norris' book bodes ill for its content. A physical map with mountains, waterways, a few localities - most of which are half hidden by the title. However, enough of them can be made out (Argun, Aksay, Khasavyurt, Gudermes... to understand that this is no map of Kosovo but that of Chechnya! Could anyone fail to suspect an unfortunate mistake, a slip of the pen confirming ...

Do frequent moderate exacerbations contribute to progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients who are ex-smokers?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dreyse J

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Jorge Dreyse,1 Orlando Díaz,1 Paula Repetto,2 Arturo Morales,1 Fernando Saldías,1 Carmen Lisboa11Department of Pulmonary Diseases, School of Medicine, 2School of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, ChileBackground: In addition to smoking, acute exacerbations are considered to be a contributing factor to progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD. However, these findings come from studies including active smokers, while results in ex-smokers are scarce and contradictory. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if frequent acute moderate exacerbations are associated with an accelerated decline in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1 and impairment of functional and clinical outcomes in ex-smoking COPD patients.Methods: A cohort of 100 ex-smoking patients recruited for a 2-year follow-up study was evaluated at inclusion and at 6-monthly scheduled visits while in a stable condition. Evaluation included anthropometry, spirometry, inspiratory capacity, peripheral capillary oxygen saturation, severity of dyspnea, a 6-minute walking test, BODE (Body mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea, Exercise performance index, and quality of life (St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire and Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire. Severity of exacerbation was graded as moderate or severe according to health care utilization. Patients were classified as infrequent exacerbators if they had no or one acute exacerbation/year and frequent exacerbators if they had two or more acute exacerbations/year. Random effects modeling, within hierarchical linear modeling, was used for analysis.Results: During follow-up, 419 (96% moderate acute exacerbations were registered. At baseline, frequent exacerbators had more severe disease than infrequent exacerbators according to their FEV1 and BODE index, and also showed greater impairment in inspiratory capacity, forced vital capacity, peripheral capillary oxygen saturation

Predictive Model for Anxiety and Depression in Spanish Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

González-Gutiérrez, María Victoria; Guerrero Velázquez, José; Morales García, Concepción; Casas Maldonado, Francisco; Gómez Jiménez, Francisco Javier; González Vargas, Francisco

2016-03-01

The association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and anxiety and depression is not yet completely characterized, and differences between countries may exist. We used a predictive model to assess this association in a Spanish population. Prospective transversal descriptive study of 204 patients with stable COPD. Concomitant anxiety or depression were diagnosed by psychiatric assessment, using the diagnostic criteria of the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). Sociodemographic, clinical and lung function parameters were analyzed. In total, 36% of stable COPD patients had psychiatric comorbidities, but 76% were unaware of their diagnosis. Nineteen percent had a pure anxiety disorder, 9.8% had isolated depression, and 7.3% had a mixed anxiety-depression disorder. Predictive variables in the multivariate analysis were younger age, higher educational level, lack of home support, higher BODE index, and greater number of exacerbations. The ROC curve of the model had an AUC of 0.765 (P<0.001). In COPD, concomitant psychiatric disorders are significantly associated with sociodemographic factors. Anxiety disorders are more common than depression. Patients with more severe COPD, according to BODE, younger patients and those with a higher educational level have a greater risk of being diagnosed with anxiety or depression in a structured psychiatric interview. In our population, most patients with psychiatric comorbidities remain unidentified. Copyright © 2015 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Clinical utility of computed tomographic lung volumes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jae Seung; Lee, Sang-Min; Seo, Joon Beom; Lee, Sei Won; Huh, Jin Won; Oh, Yeon-Mok; Lee, Sang-Do

2014-01-01

Published data concerning the utility of computed tomography (CT)-based lung volumes are limited to correlation with lung function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of the CT expiratory-to-inspiratory lung volume ratio (CT Vratio) by assessing the relationship with clinically relevant outcomes. A total of 75 stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients having pulmonary function testing and volumetric CT at full inspiration and expiration were retrospectively evaluated. Inspiratory and expiratory CT lung volumes were measured using in-house software. Correlation of the CT Vratio with patient-centered outcomes, including the modified Medical Research Council (MMRC) dyspnea score, the 6-min walk distance (6MWD), the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score, and multidimensional COPD severity indices, such as the BMI, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity index (BODE) and age, dyspnea, and airflow obstruction (ADO), were analyzed. The CT Vratio correlated significantly with BMI (r = -0.528, p < 0.001). The CT Vratio was also significantly associated with MMRC dyspnea (r = 0.387, p = 0.001), 6MWD (r = -0.459, p < 0.001), and SGRQ (r = 0.369, p = 0.001) scores. Finally, the CT Vratio had significant correlations with the BODE and ADO multidimensional COPD severity indices (r = 0.605, p < 0.001; r = 0.411, p < 0.001). The CT Vratio had significant correlations with patient-centered outcomes and multidimensional COPD severity indices. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Diseño de Herramientas Didácticas Enfocadas al Aprendizaje de Sistemas de Control Utilizando Instrumentación Virtual

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Martínez

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Resumen: En este artículo se describe el diseño de tres herramientas didácticas enfocadas al aprendizaje de sistemas de control implementadas en el software de instrumentación virtual LabVIEW. Estas herramientas están dirigidas al análisis de estabilidad en sistemas de control, el diseño de compensadores utilizando la técnica del lugar geométrico de las raíces y el diseño de compensadores utilizando la técnica de respuesta en frecuencia con trazas de Bode. Cada una de estas herramientas didácticas cuenta con una interfaz gráfica amigable con el usuario. La ventaja de estas herramientas didácticas es que incluyen opciones para realizar simulación en las áreas de control que software especializado no tiene. Abstract: This paper describes the design of three didactic tools focused on learning of control systems implemented in LabVIEW virtual instruments software. These tools are dedicated to stability analysis in control systems, compensator design using root locus approach and Bode diagrams in the frequency domain. Each of them has a friendly interface with the user. The advantage of these didactic tools is the several options to simulate some characteristics referent to control in contrast with others teaching tools. Palabras clave: Estabilidad, Simulación de Sistemas, Educación en Control, Laboratorio Virtual, Keywords: Stability, simulation systems, control education, virtual laboratory

High-Accuracy Global Time and Frequency Transfer with a Space-Borne Hydrogen Maser Clock

Science.gov (United States)

1982-12-01

of t h e s p a c e c l o c k is modu la t ed on t h e c l o c k downl ink car r ie r using PRN p h a s e modula- t i o n (5). The s p a...is t o a c c o u n t f o r r e la t i s t i c e f f e c t s w i t h i n a f r a c t i o n a l f r e q u e n c y error of 0 . T h i s r...Mockler , and J . M . R ichardson , Metrologia , 1, p. 114, 1965. ( 1 3 ) Glaze, D . J . , Helmut Hellwig, Steve J a r v i s , J r . , A

Staff members with 25 years' service at CERN in 2012

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2012-01-01

The 27 staff members who have spent 25 years within CERN in 2012 were invited by the Director-General to a reception in their honour on 2 November.   BARRIN Laurence  -  PH BILLEN Ronald  -  BE BOUCHÉ Jean-Marc  -  HR BURKHARDT Helmut  -  BE CARLIER Etienne  -  TE CASS Antony  -  IT CHAN KWOK CHEON Anne Belinda  -  IT CHARRUE Pierre  -  BE COLLIER Paul  -  BE CUENCA PEREZ Antonio  -  GS DE JONGHE Jurgen  -  GS DEFERT Philippe  -  IT ELSENER Konrad  -  PH FROIDEVAUX Daniel  -  PH GRIGGS Christopher  -  PH MATHEYS Jean-Pol  -  HR MEIJERS Franciscus  -  PH MERTENS Volker  -  TE METRAL Gabriel  -  BE NECCA Rene  -  EN PACE Alberto&...

Rita Temmerman. Towards New Ways of Terminology Description: The Sociocognitive Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosemarie Gläser

2011-10-01

Full Text Available This book appeared as Volume 3 in the Series Terminology and Lexicography Research and Practice edited by Helmi Sonneveld and Sue-Ellen Wright. The author, Rita Temmerman, presently working at the Erasmus Hogeschool, Brussels and specialising in problems of terminology in various domains of the life sciences, presents a polemical, stimulating and innovative monograph which continues and deepens her previous research work. Her doctoral dissertation (Louvain 1998 focused on Terminology Beyond Standardisation: Language and Categorisation in the Life Sciences. The aim of the book under review, Towards New Ways of Terminology Description: The Sociocognitive Approach, is to elaborate a new theory, method and application of terminology research which seeks to overcome the obvious limitations of traditional terminology as chiefly represented by the Vienna School (Eugen W?ster, Helmut Felber, Infoterm and associated institutions.

CALCULATION OF CONTROL CIRCUITS IN FREQUENCY DOMAIN USING SCILAB ENVIRONEMNT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chioncel Petru

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the computing of control circuits in the frequency domain, starting from the mathematical model of the frequency response H(jw obtained from the transfer function H(s where the operational variable keeps just the image part. For PT1 and PT2 elements, using Scilab, the geometrical place is illustrated and the frequency diagrams are determinate for different duping constants (PT2. The logarithmic frequency diagrams (Bode, determine the amplitude and phase reserve for a control circuits with three PT1 elements.

Separation of human milk oligosaccharides using high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lie, Aleksander; Pedersen, Lars Haastrup

individual mothers is considerable, ranging from as few as 23 and up to 130 different oligosaccharides. HMOs are known as beneficial for infant health and development, and have received increasing attention in recent years (Bode & Jantscher-Krenn 2012). High-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAE......) with pulsed amperometric detection (PAD) is an analysis method highly suited for carbohydrates. HPAE with alkaline eluents results in retention of neutral carbohydrates depending on the number of charged groups in the molecule, pH and concentration of competing anions, while PAD has sensitivity...

Analysis of the Behavior of Undamped and Unstable High-Frequency Resonance in DFIG System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Song, Yipeng; Blaabjerg, Frede

2017-01-01

As the wind power generation develops, the Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) based wind power system may suffer Sub Synchronous Resonance (SSR) and High Frequency Resonance (HFR) in the series and parallel compensated weak network. The principle and frequency of HFR have been discussed using...... the Bode diagram as an analysis tool. However, the HFR can be categorized into two different types: undamped HFR (which exists in steady state) and unstable HFR (which eventually results in complete instability and divergence), both of them are not investigated before. Since both the undamped HFR...

Research and design of pulsed switching power supply for deep tumor therapy facility with heavy ions accelerator in Lanzhou

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Chunfeng; Zhao Jiang; Yan Hongbin; Wu Fengjun; Gao Daqing

2012-01-01

The pulsed switching power supply was developed for deep tumor therapy facility with heavy ions in cooler-storage-ring of the heavy ions research facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL-CSR). The control principle of the dual closed-loop scheme was described and the open-loop Bode diagrams were given. The results of simulation and prototype experiment show that the current error gets much smaller than that of the single closed-loop pulsed switching power supply. Moreover, the simulation and test results were analyzed, and the circuit configuration and dual closed-loop strategy selected are practicable. (authors)

Four steps in the history of museum technologies and visitors' digital participation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Jørgen Riber

2011-01-01

technologies used today in three different museums and galleries: the Bode Museum in Berlin, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Dr. Johnson's House in London. The historical verification and documentation in this article describe four steps in the development of exhibition technologies: the Boydell Shakespeare...... participation of visitors and audience. Here the argumentation is based on how the displayed object creates signification in its position between its autonomy and its contexts. The following display technologies are described and analysed: stipple engraving, photography, the audio guide, and the interactive...

Biogas in the agriculture. State of the art. Proceedings; Biogas in der Landwirtschaft. Stand und Perspektiven. Tagungsband

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

Within the meeting of the Association for Technology and Structures in Agriculture (Darmstadt, Federal Republic of Germany) and the Agency for Renewable Resources (Guelzow, Federal Republic of Germany) between 15th and 16th September, 2009, in Weimar the following lectures were held: (1) Results of the actual biogas measurement II (Peter Weiland); (2) Agitators in biogas plants - Technology with central significance (Kay Rostalski); (3) How much energy is needed by a biogas fermenter? (Ludwig Heinloth); (4) The fermentation concept of Rueckert NatUrgas GmbH (Claus Rueckert, Dominique Pfeufer); (5) Experiences from the construction for the practice of the company MT-Energie GmbH (Bodo Drescher); (6) Fermenter/technology concept of Schmack Biogas AG (Thomas Moeeslinger); (7) Transport of biomass - How much does the logistics of Guelle and Co. cost? (Thore Toews); (8) Which factors determine the efficiency of biogas plants? (Gerd Reinhold); (9) Microbial diversity in biogas reactors in the fermentation of renewable raw materials (Michael Klocke et al.); (10) What do additives and ingredients contribute to the optimisation of the production of biogas? (Udo Hoelker); (11) Process optimisation - An interaction between technology and microbiology (Andreas Gronauer et al.); (12) Emissions at the production of biogas - an analysis if the environmental relevance (Joachim Clemens et al.); (13) Support systems for energy plants - Consequences to soil and environment (Matthias Willms et al.); (14) How ecological is biogas? (Sven Gaertner); (15) Biogas plant - Analysis of construction and operation from licensing view (Hans-Walter Schneichel); (16) Biogas plants - Analysis of construction and operation from contractual legal view (Florian Valentin); (17) Biogasplants - Analysis of construction and operation from remuneration legal view (Helmut Loibl); (18) Process and costs of treatment of residues of fermentation (Sebastian Wulf, Helmut Doehler); (19) How do residues of

Hydropower and water supply: competing water uses under a future drier climate modeling scenarios for the Tagus River basin, Portugal

Science.gov (United States)

Alexandre Diogo, Paulo; Nunes, João Pedro; Carmona Rodrigues, António; João Cruz, Maria; Grosso, Nuno

2014-05-01

Climate change in the Mediterranean region is expected to affect existing water resources, both in quantity and quality, as decreased mean annual precipitation and more frequent extreme precipitation events are likely to occur. Also, energy needs tend to increase, together with growing awareness that fossil fuels emissions are determinately responsible for global temperature rise, enhancing renewable energy use and reinforcing the importance of hydropower. When considered together, these facts represent a relevant threat to multipurpose reservoir operations. Great Lisbon main water supply (for c.a. 3 million people), managed by EPAL, is located in Castelo de Bode Reservoir, in the Tagus River affluent designated as Zêzere River. Castelo de Bode is a multipurpose infrastructure as it is also part of the hydropower network system of EDP, the main power company in Portugal. Facing the risk of potential climate change impacts on water resources availability, and as part of a wider project promoted by EPAL (designated as ADAPTACLIMA), climate change impacts on the Zêzere watershed where evaluated based on climate change scenarios for the XXI century. A sequential modeling approach was used and included downscaling climate data methodologies, hydrological modeling, volume reservoir simulations and water quality modeling. The hydrological model SWAT was used to predict the impacts of the A2 and B2 scenarios in 2010-2100, combined with changes in socio-economic drivers such as land use and water demands. Reservoir storage simulations where performed according to hydrological modeling results, water supply needs and dam operational requirements, such as minimum and maximum operational pool levels and turbine capacity. The Ce-Qual-W2 water quality model was used to assess water quality impacts. According to climate scenarios A2 and B2, rainfall decreases between 10 and 18% are expected by 2100, leading to drier climatic conditions and increased frequency and magnitude of

The Impact of Dealing with the Late Effects of National Socialist Terror on West German Psychiatric Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Söhner, Felicitas; Baader, Gerhard

2018-06-01

Health damages and the late effects of NS trauma were largely ignored in German-speaking countries. This paper describes how dealing with the late effects of Nazi terror influenced post-war psychiatry in West Germany and thus the development of the psychiatric reform. As part of a greater overview study of the impulses and framework conditions of the reform-orientated development of post-war psychiatry in West Germany, this analysis is based on a thorough literary and documentary analysis. The sources show that publications by Helmut Paul and Herberg [81] as well as Baeyer et al. [12] can be considered as remarkable milestones. The awareness of psychological late effects of NS persecution was only reluctantly taken up by the scientific community. Nevertheless, this discussion was an essential component of the reform-orientated psychiatry in West Germany in the late 1960s to 1970s.

Thermal construction unit activation with supply air gains significance. Ceilings cooling - supply air heating - more than 50 % energy conservation; Thermische Bauteilaktivierung mit Zuluft gewinnt an Bedeutung. Decke kuehlen - Zuluft erwaermen - mehr als 50% Energie einsparen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmid, Wolfgang

2009-05-15

In the year 2001, in Stuttgart (Federal Republic of Germany) the first office building was established which uses a thermal construction unit activation with air as cooling agent. Today, the system ''Concret-cool'' already is installed in more than 40 buildings. Computations show that due to the room heating by means of internally finned ventilation pipes embedded in concrete more than 50 % less energy in comparison to comparable systems can be used. In his Green Building project ''Skyline Tower'' in Munich (Federal Republic of Germany), also star architect Helmut Jahn uses the know-how of the manufacturer of ventilation systems from Stuttgart. As one of the first multi-storied buildings in Munich, ''Skyline Tower'' with its 23 floors was prized with the pre-certificate of the German quality seal ''sustainable building ''in gold.

Die Rule of Law im Völker- und im Europarecht – aktuelle Probleme. Gegenwärtige Herausforderungen und Chancen für die EU als eine "Union des Rechts"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas J. Kumin

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Bei diesem für die Schriftfassung geringfügig adaptierten Artikel handelt es sich um die am 5. März 2015 in Graz gehaltene Antrittsvorlesung eines Praxisprofessors, der im Hauptberuf Leiter der Abteilung für Europarecht im Völkerrechtsbüro des österreichischen Außenministeriums ist. Im Anschluss an den Beitrag von Helmut Tichy (in ALJ 1/2015, 176–185, der sich auf das Völkerrecht und die internationalen Beziehungen konzentriert, setzt sich der vorliegende Artikel mit aktuellen Herausforderungen und Chancen der EU als „Union des Rechts“ auseinander. Dabei wird auf die Stärkung der Wahrung der Grundwerte und Rechtsstaatlichkeit in den EU-Mitgliedstaaten, den EU-Beitritt zur Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention, die Sicherung einer wirksamen und leistungsfähigen EU-Gerichtsbarkeit sowie die Gewährleistung einer angemessenen demokratischen Mitbestimmung auf allen Stufen der Rechtsetzung eingegangen.

TNFA-863 polymorphism is associated with a reduced risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A replication study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Medina-Coello Chaxiraxi

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Background TNF-α mediated inflammation is thought to play a key role in the respiratory and systemic features of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. The aim of the present study was to replicate and extend recent findings in Taiwanese and Caucasian populations of associations between COPD susceptibility and variants of the TNFA gene in a Spanish cohort. Methods The 3 reported SNPs were complemented with nine tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP of the TNFA and LTA genes and genotyped in 724 individuals (202 COPD patients, 90 smokers without COPD and 432 healthy controls. Pulmonary function parameters and serum inflammatory markers were also measured in COPD patients. Results The TNFA rs1800630 (-863C/A SNP was associated with a lower COPD susceptibility (ORadj = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.33-0.77, p = 0.001. The -863A allele was also associated with less severe forms of the disease (GOLD stages I and II (ORadj = 0.303, 95%CI = 0.14-0.65, p = 0.014 and with lower scores of the BODE index (1 percent predicted (p = 0.004 and a lower BODE index (p = 0.003 over a 2 yrs follow-up period. None of the TNFA or LTA gene variants correlated with the serum inflammatory markers in COPD patients (p > 0.05. Conclusions We replicated the previously reported association between the TNFA -863 SNP and COPD. TNFA -863A allele may confer a protective effect to the susceptibility to the disease in the Spanish population.

Parâmetros e tendência genética da produção de leite de cabra no Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gonçalves Heraldo Cesar

2002-01-01

Full Text Available A caprinocultura leiteira no Brasil, apesar de ser uma atividade rural consolidada há algumas décadas, tem se mostrado totalmente dependente de outros países no que se refere ao melhoramento genético. A maioria dos plantéis existentes atualmente tem como base animais importados, e a renovação do material genético é feita por meio da importação de sêmen. Inexistem informações sobre o valor genético dos animais e sua evolução no decorrer dos anos. No presente trabalho, foram estimadas a herdabilidade e a repetibilidade da produção de leite utilizando o REML. Os valores obtidos foram 0,21557 e 0,21564, respectivamente. Para a predição do valor gênico dos animais, foi usado o procedimento BLUP com modelo animal. A mudança na tendência genética anual estimada por um modelo quadrático foi -0,8109 kg/ano², indicando desaceleração no ganho genético. A correlação de Pearson entre os valores gênicos dos bodes estimados com base na média da capacidade provável de produção das filhas obtida pelo método de mínimos quadrados com as estimadas pelas equações do modelo misto foi de 0,5751. A correlação de SPEARMAN entre as classificações dos bodes obtidos pelos dois métodos foi de 0,5813.

Hall v. Florida: defining intellectual disability in the shadow of the death penalty.

Science.gov (United States)

Appelbaum, Paul S

2014-10-01

When the U.S. Supreme Court held that persons with mental retardation (now called intellectual disability) could not be sentenced to death, it left the question of how to define the condition to the states. That issue was raised in Hall v. Florida, which challenged one state's "bright-line rule" barring consideration of defendants with IQs over 70. In an endorsement of the professional consensus, the justices ruled that a more flexible approach that takes into account both intellectual and adaptive functioning is required. The Court's posture may bode well for its acceptance of mental health expertise in future cases.

Study of the extraction properties of a malonamide-based solid extractant for the separation of lanthanides and actinides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sulakova, Jana; Nash, Kenneth L.; Alexandratos, Spiros D.; Yijia, Yang

2011-01-01

The properties of a TMMA-PVB solid extractant, where tetramethyl malonamide (TMMA) as the extracting agent is bonded by covalent boding to polyvinyl benzene (PVB), for the extraction of 154 Eu, 241 Am, 237 Np, 238 U and 232 Th from nitric acid solutions were investigated. The weight distribution coefficients D g were determined across a wide range of HNO 3 concentrations. Low HNO 3 concentrations have a negligible effect on the extraction, whereas high concentrations reduce the extraction properties. One gram of the material was found to bind approximately 1.5 mmol 154 Eu and 1.7 mmol 238 U. (P.A.)

Further considerations on contracting solar nebula

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rawal, J.J.

1986-01-01

Prentice (1978) in his modern Laplacian theory of the origin of the solar system established the scenario of the formation of the solar system on the basis of the usual laws of conservation of mass and angular momentum and the concept of supersonic turbulent convection. This provides a physical understanding of the Titius-Bode law of planetary distances. Starting with the concept of the Roche limit, the author derives a similar relation and discusses Kepler's third law in relation to this concept. He also discusses the resonant structure in the solar system in this context. (Auth.)

On spatial spillover in feedforward and feedback noise control

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Antai; Bernstein, Dennis

2017-03-01

Active feedback noise control for rejecting broadband disturbances must contend with the Bode integral constraint, which implies that suppression over some frequency range gives rise to amplification over another range at the performance microphone. This is called spectral spillover. The present paper deals with spatial spillover, which refers to the amplification of noise at locations where no microphone is located. A spatial spillover function is defined, which is valid for both feedforward and feedback control with scalar and vector control inputs. This function is numerically analyzed and measured experimentally. Obstructions are introduced in the acoustic space to investigate their effect on spatial spillover.

Methods and results of modeling and transmission-line calculations of the superconducting dipole chains of CERN's LHC collider

CERN Document Server

Bourgeois, F

2001-01-01

Electrical modeling and simulation of the LHC magnet strings are being used to determine the key parameters that are needed for the design of the powering and energy extraction equipment. Poles and zeros of the Laplace expression approximating the Bode plot of the measured coil impedance are used to synthesize an R/L/C model of the magnet. Subsequently, this model is used to simulate the behavior of the LHC main dipole magnet string. Lumped transmission line behavior, impedance, resonance, propagation of the power supply ripple, ramping errors, energy extraction transients and their damping are presented in this paper. (3 refs).

Evolution of Flying Qualities Analysis: Problems for a New Generation of Aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-29

speed. . . Inability to balance and steer still confronts students of the flying problem . . .When this one feature has been worked out, the age of...30 −20 −10 0 10 20 M ag ni tu de ( dB ) 10 −1 10 0 10 1 10 2 −180 −135 −90 −45 0 P ha se ( de g) Bode Diagram, ω n =4, ζ = 0.65 Frequency (rad/sec... Unicorn Silverfox Vertex SPAARO C 152 R ey no ld s N um be r Gross Takeoff Weight (lbs) Comparison of Aircraft Figure 5.4: Aircraft operational

The Respiratory Impedance in an Asymmetric Model of the Lung Structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robin De Keyser

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a model of the respiratory tree as a recurrent, but asymmetric, structure. The intrinsic properties posed by such a system lead to a multi-fractal structure, i.e. a non-integer order model of the total impedance. The fractional order behavior of the asymmetric tree simulated as a dynamic system is assessed by means of Bode plots, on a wide range of frequencies. The results indicate than in a specific frequency range, both the symmetric
and asymmetric representation of the respiratory tree lead to similar values in the impedance.

Kasvatusteaduslike tööde konkursi tulemused / Ulve Kala

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Kala, Ulve, 1947-

2002-01-01

Eesti keeles publitseeritud teadustöö preemia anti Aleksander Elangole, Inger Kraavile ja Kristi Kõivule, diplom Ühiskondlikule Pedagoogika Uurimise Instituudile, Viivi Ekstale, Inger Kraavile, Inge Undile, Viivi Maansole. Võõrkeeles publitseeritud teadustöö preemia monograafiale "Integration als Problem in der Erziehungswissenschaft" (koostaja Airi Liimets, autorid Airi Liimets, Saila Anttonen, Gunnar Bergendal, Gerd-Bodo Reinert von Carlsburg, Helmut Wehr, Tiiu Kuurme, Pauli Siljander, Jüri Kruusvall, Sirje Priimägi, Ene-Silvia Sarv, Kristi Kõiv, Meri-Liis Laherand, Jaan Mikk, Hannele Niemi, Marika Veisson, Irina Würscher, Susanne Jena, Tiina Aunin, Reet Liimets, Heli Mattisen, Aivo Saar, Maie Vikat), diplom Aino Saarele ja Katrin Niglasele. Didaktilis-rakenduslike tööde preemia Eda Heinlale, Estelle Laanele ja Kalle Laanele, Tiiu Kadajasele. Populaarteadusliku töö preemia Maie Tuulikule, diplom Kristi Kõivule. H. Liimetsa nim magistritööde preemia Rain Mikserile, Margus Pedastele, Ülle Rannutile, Inger Kraavile, Tago Sarapuule, Martin Ehalale

Mobility disorders and pain, interrelations that need new research concepts and advanced clinical commitments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sascha Sajer

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This Perspective will discuss topics recently suggested by Prof. Helmut Kern, Vienna, Austria, to advance the research activities of his team, that is: Topic A, 10 years post RISE; Topic B, New research for new solutions on old research questions; Topic C, Working groups on nerve regeneration, training-parameters of seniors in different ages, muscle adaptation; and studies of connective tissue and cartilage. This Perspective summarizes some of the basic concepts and of the evidence-based tools for developing further translational research activities. Clinically relevant results will ask for continuous interests of Basic and Applied Myologists and for the support during the next five to ten years of public and private granting agencies. All together, they will end in protocols, devices and multidisciplinary managements for persons suffering with muscle denervation, neuromuscular-related or non-related pain and for the increasing population of old, older and oldest senior citizens in Europe and beyond.

Particle accelerator physics

CERN Document Server

Wiedemann, Helmut

2015-01-01

This book by Helmut Wiedemann is a well-established, classic text, providing an in-depth and comprehensive introduction to the field of high-energy particle acceleration and beam dynamics. The present 4th edition has been significantly revised, updated and expanded. The newly conceived Part I is an elementary introduction to the subject matter for undergraduate students. Part II gathers the basic tools in preparation of a more advanced treatment, summarizing the essentials of electrostatics and electrodynamics as well as of particle dynamics in electromagnetic fields. Part III is an extensive primer in beam dynamics, followed, in Part IV, by an introduction and description of the main beam parameters and including a new chapter on beam emittance and lattice design. Part V is devoted to the treatment of perturbations in beam dynamics. Part VI then discusses the details of charged particle acceleration. Parts VII and VIII introduce the more advanced topics of coupled beam dynamics and describe very intense bea...

Energy technology of tomorrow. Strategies and concepts. Conference contributions; Energietechnik von morgen. Strategien und Konzepte. Konferenzbeitraege

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-07-01

Within the meeting 'Energy technology of tomorrow - Strategies and concepts' at 12th June, 2007 in Nuremberg (Federal Republic of Germany) the following lectures were held: (1) Cluster energy technology (Klaus Hassmann); (2) Dimension of future energy supply - prognoses/strategies/concepts (Ludger Mohrbach); (3) Future technologies for a CO{sub 2} reduced energy supply (Helmut Tschaffon); (4) Energy research - New specific targets and results (Hartmut Spliethoff); (5) Technological progress for future power plants at RWE (Frank Schwending); (6) Future potential of the generation of syngas with different energy sources (Sebastian Muschelknautz); (7) Innovations in plant engineering - on the way to a CO{sub 2} free power plant (Tobias Jockenhoevel); (8) Solar thermal power plants - status and prospects (Robert Piltz-Paal); (9) Perspectives of the generation of liquid hydrocarbons using nuclear energy (Kurt Kugeler); (10) Application of the MPG gasification technology in the refining of Canadian tar sands (Matthias Mueller-Hagedorn); (11) Perspectives for a sustainable supply with energy carriers (Ulrich Balfanz).

Werner Heisenberg - Life and Work

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

Werner Heisenberg (centre) with Wolfgang Pauli and Enrico Fermi, 1927. An exhibition on the life and work of Werner Heisenberg will be on display in the Main Building (Mezzanine) at CERN from 1 - 30 July*. German theoretical physicist Werner Karl Heisenberg (1901 - 1976) was one of the leading scientists of the 20th century. Nobel Prize in Physics in 1932, his most significant contribution was to the development of quantum mechanics. He is best known for his uncertainty principle, which restricts the accuracy with which some properties of atoms and particles can be determined simultaneously. Heisenberg was a keen supporter of CERN, and was as the first chairman of CERN's Scientific Policy Committee in October 1954. A related celebration will take place in the TH Amphitheatre (4/3-006), on Thursday 18 July at 16:00. After an introduction from the Director-General Luciano Maiani, his daughter, Barbara Blum, his last postgraduate, Helmut Rechenberg and Valentin Telegdi will evoke memories of the life and work ...

Werner Heisenberg - Life and Work

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

Werner Heisenberg (centre) with Wolfgang Pauli (left) and Enrico Fermi on Lake Como, September 1927. An exhibition on the life and work of Werner Heisenberg will be on display in the Main Building (Mezzanine) at CERN from 1 - 23 July. The exhibition was produced by the University Archive of Leipzig University (Gerald Wiemers) and the Max-Planck-Institut für Physik in Munich (Helmut Rechenberg) to mark the centenary of Heisenberg's birth in 1901. German theoretical physicist Werner Karl Heisenberg (5 December 1901 - 1 February 1976) was one of the leading scientists of the 20th century. He carried out important work in nuclear and particle physics, but his most significant contribution was to the development of quantum mechanics. He is best known for his uncertainty principle, which restricts the accuracy with which some properties of atoms and particles - such as position and linear momentum - can be determined simultaneously. In 1932 he was awarded the Noble Prize in Physics 'for the creation of q...

Conference: ActiWiz – Optimizing material selection at CERN's accelerators from the radiological point of view

CERN Multimedia

2012-01-01

by Dr. Helmut Vincke (CERN), Chris Theis (CERN). Tuesday, October 30, 2012 from 15:00 to 16:30 at CERN ( 864-1-D02 - BE Auditorium Prévessin ) Description: The operation of a high-energy accelerator inevitably triggers the activation of equipment, which poses a safety hazard. Consequently access and handling constraints have to be imposed to ensure optimized working conditions. One of the key parameters determining the level of radioactivity is the material composition. Considering the radiological impact in addition to the engineering requirements during the selection of material clearly results in a safety benefit as well as a more efficient accelerator operation due to less stringent access and handling constraints. Another aspect is the minimization of future radioactive waste, which constitutes an important part of CERN’s commitment to limit its environmental impact by applying best practices. The ActiWiz software developed at CERN provides an easy to use method to optimize the m...

Melting hadrons, boiling quarks from Hagedorn temperature to ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions at CERN : with a tribute to Rolf Hagedorn

CERN Document Server

2015-01-01

This book shows how the study of multi-hadron production phenomena in the years after the founding of CERN culminated in Hagedorn's pioneering idea of limiting temperature, leading on to the discovery of the quark-gluon plasma - announced, in February 2000 at CERN. Following the foreword by Herwig Schopper -- the Director General (1981-1988) of CERN at the key historical juncture -- the first part is a tribute to Rolf Hagedorn (1919-2003) and includes contributions by contemporary friends and colleagues, and those who were most touched by Hagedorn: Tamás Biró, Igor Dremin, Torleif Ericson, Marek Gázdzicki, Mark Gorenstein, Hans Gutbrod, Maurice Jacob, István Montvay, Berndt Müller, Grazyna Odyniec, Emanuele Quercigh, Krzysztof Redlich, Helmut Satz, Luigi Sertorio, Ludwik Turko, and Gabriele Veneziano. The second and third parts retrace 20 years of developments that after discovery of the Hagedorn temperature in 1964 led to its recognition as the melting point of hadrons into boiling quarks, and t...

Distribution and Outcomes of a Phenotype-Based Approach to Guide COPD Management: Results from the CHAIN Cohort.

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Borja G Cosio

Full Text Available The Spanish guideline for COPD (GesEPOC recommends COPD treatment according to four clinical phenotypes: non-exacerbator phenotype with either chronic bronchitis or emphysema (NE, asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS, frequent exacerbator phenotype with emphysema (FEE or frequent exacerbator phenotype with chronic bronchitis (FECB. However, little is known on the distribution and outcomes of the four suggested phenotypes.We aimed to determine the distribution of these COPD phenotypes, and their relation with one-year clinical outcomes.We followed a cohort of well-characterized patients with COPD up to one-year. Baseline characteristics, health status (CAT, BODE index, rate of exacerbations and mortality up to one year of follow-up were compared between the four phenotypes.Overall, 831 stable COPD patients were evaluated. They were distributed as NE, 550 (66.2%; ACOS, 125 (15.0%; FEE, 38 (4.6%; and FECB, 99 (11.9%; additionally 19 (2.3% COPD patients with frequent exacerbations did not fulfill the criteria for neither FEE nor FECB. At baseline, there were significant differences in symptoms, FEV1 and BODE index (all p<0.05. The FECB phenotype had the highest CAT score (17.1±8.2, p<0.05 compared to the other phenotypes. Frequent exacerbator groups (FEE and FECB were receiving more pharmacological treatment at baseline, and also experienced more exacerbations the year after (all p<0.05 with no differences in one-year mortality. Most of NE (93% and half of exacerbators were stable after one year.There is an uneven distribution of COPD phenotypes in stable COPD patients, with significant differences in demographics, patient-centered outcomes and health care resources use.

Interleukin-6 and airflow limitation in chemical warfare patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Science.gov (United States)

Attaran, Davood; Lari, Shahrzad M; Towhidi, Mohammad; Marallu, Hassan Ghobadi; Ayatollahi, Hossein; Khajehdaluee, Mohammad; Ghanei, Mostafa; Basiri, Reza

2010-01-01

Objectives Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the main late complications of sulfur mustard poisoning. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6 in war veterans with pulmonary complications of sulfur mustard poisoning and their correlation with severity of airways disease. Methods Fifty consecutive patients with sulfur mustard poisoning and stable COPD, and of mean age 46.3 ± 9.18 years were enrolled in this study. Thirty healthy men were selected as controls and matched to cases by age and body mass index. Spirometry, arterial blood gas, six- minute walk test, BODE (body mass index, obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity), and St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire about quality of life were evaluated. Serum IL-6 was measured in both patient and control groups. Results Fifty-four percent of patients had moderate COPD. Mean serum IL-6 levels were 15.01 ± standard deviation (SD) 0.61 pg/dL and 4.59 ± 3.40 pg/dL in the case and control groups, respectively (P = 0.03). There was a significant correlation between IL-6 levels and Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stage (r = 0.25, P = 0.04) and between IL-6 and BODE index (r = 0.38, P = 0.01). There was also a significant negative correlation between serum IL-6 and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1, r = −0.36, P = 0.016). Conclusion Our findings suggest that serum IL-6 is increased in patients with sulfur mustard poisoning and COPD, and may have a direct association with airflow limitation. PMID:21037957

COPD assessment test (CAT): simple tool for evaluating quality of life of chemical warfare patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Lari, Shahrzad M; Ghobadi, Hassan; Attaran, Davood; Mahmoodpour, Afsoun; Shadkam, Omid; Rostami, Maryam

2014-01-01

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the serious late pulmonary complications caused by sulphur mustard exposure. Health status evaluations of chemical warfare patients with COPD are important to the management of these patients. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of the COPD assessment test (CAT) in evaluating the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of chemical warfare patients with COPD. Eighty-two consecutive patients with stable COPD were enrolled in this study. All subjects were visited by one physician, and the HRQOL was evaluated by the CAT and St. George Respiratory Questionnaires (SGRQs). In addition, a standard spirometry test, 6-min walk distance test and pulse oxymetry were conducted. The severity of the COPD was determined using Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) staging and the body mass index, obstruction, dyspnoea and exercise (BODE) index. The mean age of the patients was 47.30 ± 7.08 years. The mean CAT score was 26.03 ± 8.28. Thirty-five (43%) patients were in CAT stage 3. There were statistically significant correlations between the CAT and the SGRQ (r = 0.70, P = 0.001) and the BODE index (r = 0.70, P = 0.001). A statistically significant inverse correlation was found between the CAT score and the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (r = -0.30, P = 0.03). Our results demonstrated that the CAT is a simple and valid tool for assessment of HRQOL in chemical warfare patients with COPD and can be used in clinical practice. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Levels of physical activity and predictors of mortality in COPD

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Samantha Maria Nyssen

2013-12-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To compare the Body mass index, airway Obstruction, Dyspnea, andExercise capacity (BODE index scores and its individual components between COPD patients with and without severe physical inactivity, as well as to correlate the number of steps/day with scores of physical activity questionnaires, age, and the BODE index (including its components.METHODS: We included 30 patients, who were evaluated for body composition, pulmonary function (FEV1, perception of dyspnea (modified Medical Research Council scale, and exercise capacity (six-minute walk distance [6MWD]. The patients also completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ, short version, and the modified Baecke questionnaire (mBQ. The level of physical activity was assessed by the number of steps/day (as determined by pedometer, using the cut-off of 4,580 steps/day to form two groups: no severe physical inactivity (SPI− and severe physical inactivity (SPI+. We used the Mann-Whitney test or t-test, as well as Pearson's or Spearman's correlation tests, in the statistical analysis.RESULTS: In comparison with the SPI− group, the SPI+ group showed more advanced age, higher mBQ scores (leisure domain, lower 6MWD (in m and % of predicted, and lower IPAQ scores (metabolic equivalent-walk/week domain and total. The IPAQ scores showed weak correlations with steps/day (r = 0.399, age (r = −0.459, and 6MWD-in m (r = 0.446 and in % of predicted (r = 0.422.CONCLUSIONS: In our sample, the cut-off of 4,580 steps/day was not sensitive enough to identify differences between the groups when compared with the predictors of mortality. The IPAQ, short version score correlated with steps/day.

On The Construction of Models for Electrical Conduction in Biological Tissues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez-Aguilar, F.; Bernal-Alvarado, J.; Cordova-Fraga, T.; Rosales-Garcia, J.; Guia-Calderon, M.

2010-01-01

Applying RC circuit theory, a theoretical representation for the electrical conduction in a biological multilayer system was developed. In particular an equivalent circuit for the epidermis, dermis and the subcutaneous tissue was constructed. This model includes an equivalent circuit, inside the dermis, in order to model a small formation like tumor. This work shows the feasibility to apply superficial electrodes to detect subcutaneous abnormalities. The behavior of the model is shown in the form of a frequency response chart. The Bode and Nyquist plots are also obtained. This theoretical frame is proposed to be a general treatment to describe the bioelectrical transport in a three layer bioelectrical system.

500 million people with no access to power - How India can tackle its severe power shortage during the next decades?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kiss, Peter; Sagodi, Attila

2010-09-15

India's population, now around 1.1 billion (out of which 500 million are not yet connected to the grid), is growing fast, and is expected to surpass that of China soon after 2020. Its economy is also expanding and is expected to be over 9 percent for most of the next decade. All of this bodes well for the electricity sector; consumption, currently at 600TWh annually, is set to double by 2020. To meet this demand, total generating capacity should jump by 90 GW, to 241GW, with an increased emphasis on nuclear, clean coal and renewables, including solar and small-hydro.

Viscoelastic dynamic models of resilient elements used in railway tracks

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Zbiciak Artur

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents selected theoretical aspects concerning viscoelastic dynamic modelling of resilient elements used in railway tracks. In order to characterize the research methodology for resilient mats in railway tracks, German Standards [1-4] are used herein. The main goal of the paper is to demonstrate the procedure of insertion loss calculation for a single degree of freedom truck system containing under-ballast mats. Selected results of certain dynamic characteristics of resilient truck systems (transmissibility, Bode and Nyquist plots etc. are also discussed. The results of calculations visualized in graphs, were obtained by using own applications written in programming language MATLAB.

Biomechanical CT Metrics Are Associated With Patient Outcomes in COPD

Science.gov (United States)

Bodduluri, Sandeep; Bhatt, Surya P; Hoffman, Eric A.; Newell, John D.; Martinez, Carlos H.; Dransfield, Mark T.; Han, Meilan K.; Reinhardt, Joseph M.

2017-01-01

Background Traditional metrics of lung disease such as those derived from spirometry and static single-volume CT images are used to explain respiratory morbidity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but are insufficient. We hypothesized that the mean Jacobian determinant, a measure of local lung expansion and contraction with respiration, would contribute independently to clinically relevant functional outcomes. Methods We applied image registration techniques to paired inspiratory-expiratory CT scans and derived the Jacobian determinant of the deformation field between the two lung volumes to map local volume change with respiration. We analyzed 490 participants with COPD with multivariable regression models to assess strengths of association between traditional CT metrics of disease and the Jacobian determinant with respiratory morbidity including dyspnea (mMRC), St Georges Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score, six-minute walk distance (6MWD), and the BODE index, as well as all-cause mortality. Results The Jacobian determinant was significantly associated with SGRQ (adjusted regression co-efficient β = −11.75,95%CI −21.6 to −1.7;p=0.020), and with 6MWD (β=321.15, 95%CI 134.1 to 508.1;p<0.001), independent of age, sex, race, body-mass-index, FEV1, smoking pack-years, CT emphysema, CT gas trapping, airway wall thickness, and CT scanner protocol. The mean Jacobian determinant was also independently associated with the BODE index (β= −0.41, 95%CI −0.80 to −0.02; p = 0.039), and mortality on follow-up (adjusted hazards ratio = 4.26, 95%CI = 0.93 to 19.23; p = 0.064). Conclusion Biomechanical metrics representing local lung expansion and contraction improve prediction of respiratory morbidity and mortality and offer additional prognostic information beyond traditional measures of lung function and static single-volume CT metrics. PMID:28044005

Modeling and analysis of power extraction circuits for passive UHF RFID applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan Bo; Dai Yujie; Zhang Xiaoxing; Lue Yingjie

2009-01-01

Modeling and analysis of far field power extraction circuits for passive UHF RF identification (RFID) applications are presented. A mathematical model is derived to predict the complex nonlinear performance of UHF voltage multiplier using Schottky diodes. To reduce the complexity of the proposed model, a simple linear approximation for Schottky diode is introduced. Measurement results show considerable agreement with the values calculated by the proposed model. With the derived model, optimization on stage number for voltage multiplier to achieve maximum power conversion efficiency is discussed. Furthermore, according to the Bode-Fano criterion and the proposed model, a limitation on maximum power up range for passive UHF RFID power extraction circuits is also studied.

Control analysis and experimental verification of a practical dc–dc boost converter

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Saswati Swapna Dash

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents detailed open loop and closed loop analysis on boost dc–dc converter for both voltage mode control and current mode control. Here the boost dc–dc converter is a practical converter considering all possible parasitic elements like ESR and on state voltage drops. The open loop control, closed loop current mode control and voltage mode control are verified. The comparative study of all control techniques is presented. The PI compensator for closed loop current mode control is designed using these classical techniques like root locus technique and bode diagram. The simulation results are validated with the experimental results of voltage mode control for both open loop and closed loop control.

Contraction of the solar nebula

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rawal, J.J.

1984-01-01

The concept of Roche limit is applied to the Laplacian theory of the origin of the solar system to study the contraction of a spherical gas cloud (solar nebula). In the process of contraction of the solar nebula, it is assumed that the phenomenon of supersonic turbulent convection is operative and brings about the halt at various stages of contraction. It is found that the radius of the contracting solar nebula follows the Titius-Bode law. The consequences of the relation are also discussed. The aim is to attempt to explain, on the basis of the concept of Roche limit, the distribution of planets in the solar system and try to understand the physics underlying it. (Auth.)

Gross xenon stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewins, J.D.; Wilson, P.P.H.

1997-01-01

The effect of xenon in thermal reactors on steady operation is generally destabilizing. Illustrating this involves the study of appropriate transfer functions, which may be conveniently displayed in three ways: as Bode, Nyquist, and root-locus diagrams. The three forms allow different aspects to be highlighted. These are illustrated for the effect of xenon with allowance not only for the stabilizing effect of the direct yield in fission but also to show the consequences of neglecting the time dependence due to the thermal capacity of the reactor. With careful interpretation, all these forms give an interpretation of stability that is consistent with direct evaluation and promote the understanding of the onset of gross oscillations in power

Success with pleasure: MIR interview with Helmut Meysenburg, Head of Brand Strategies, Market Research and Competition at BMW Group

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2014-05-01

Full Text Available Sheer driving pleasure is the essence of the BMW brand. For this reason, we have an ideal candidate for our real-world interview in this MIR issue about emotions in marketing. Mr. Meysenburg takes us behind the scenes of the world brand from Bavaria, the success of which makes one think that the promised thrill behind the wheel is definitely not a product of chance …

Stéfan Einarsson, STUDIES IN GERMANIC PHILOLOGY, edited by Anatoly Li­bermann, Helmut Buske Verlag Hamburg 1986.

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Dora Maček

1987-12-01

Full Text Available This is a miscellany of 12 articles selected from such periodicals as The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, Language, Arkiv för nordisk filologi, PMLA, Budkavlen etc, issued between 1932 and 1964. The editor A. Libermann has taken pains to cover Stéfan Einarsson's main scholarly interests, i.e. phonetics, semantics, metrics, folklore and historiography.  Moreover, he has provided the reader with some very important  discussions and views on Nordic, and particularly Icelandic linguistic and literary topics, which are nevertheless interesting for Germanic and other philologists in general. Though Icelandic and Scandinavian are at the centre of interest, examples and parallels are drawn from other languages and cultures parti­ cularly English and Finnish.

Developing a Democratic View of Academic Subject Matters: John Dewey, William Chandler Bagley, and Boyd Henry Bode

Science.gov (United States)

Watras, Joseph

2012-01-01

In the first half of the twentieth century, the ideal of democracy influenced the conceptions people had of the academic subject matters. A common criticism was that abstract academic subjects served aristocratic societies. Although most theorists considered the academic subjects to be important, they had differing views on the conception of…

1980–2008: The Illusion of the Perpetual Money Machine and What It Bodes for the Future

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Didier Sornette

2014-04-01

Full Text Available We argue that the present crisis and stalling economy that have been ongoing since 2007 are rooted in the delusionary belief in policies based on a “perpetual money machine” type of thinking. We document strong evidence that, since the early 1980s, consumption has been increasingly funded by smaller savings, booming financial profits, wealth extracted from house price appreciation and explosive debt. This is in stark contrast with the productivity-fueled growth that was seen in the 1950s and 1960s. We describe the transition, in gestation in the 1970s, towards the regime of the “illusion of the perpetual money machine”, which started at full speed in the early 1980s and developed until 2008. This regime was further supported by a climate of deregulation and a massive growth in financial derivatives designed to spread and diversify the risks globally. The result has been a succession of bubbles and crashes, including the worldwide stock market bubble and great crash of October 1987, the savings and loans crisis of the 1980s, the burst in 1991 of the enormous Japanese real estate and stock market bubbles, the emerging markets bubbles and crashes in 1994 and 1997, the Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM crisis of 1998, the dotcom bubble bursting in 2000, the recent house price bubbles, the financialization bubble via special investment vehicles, the stock market bubble, the commodity and oil bubbles and the current debt bubble, all developing jointly and feeding on each other until 2008. This situation may be further aggravated in the next decade by an increase in financialization, through exchange-traded-funds (ETFs, speed and automation, through algorithmic trading and public debt, and through growing unfunded liabilities. We conclude that, to get out of this catch 22 situation, we should better manage and understand the incentive structures in our society, we need to focus our efforts on our real economy and we have to respect and master the art of planning and prediction. Only gradual change, with a clear long term planning, can steer our financial and economic system from the turbulence associated with the perpetual money machine to calmer and more sustainable waters.

The speech choir in central European theatres and literary-musical works in the first third of the 20th century

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Meyer-Kalkus Reinhart

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Speech choirs emerged as an offshoot of the choral gatherings of a wider youth musical and singing movement in the first half of the 20th century. The occasionally expressed opinion that choral speaking was cultivated primarily by the Hitler Youth and pressed into service on behalf of Nazi nationalist and racist propaganda is, historically, only partially accurate. The primary forces of choral speaking in Germany were, from 1919, the Social Democratic workers’ and cultural movement and the Catholic youth groups, in addition to elementary and secondary schools. The popularity of speech choirs around 1930 was also echoed in the music of the time. Compositions for musical speech choirs were produced by composers like Heinz Thiessen, Arnold Schönberg, Ernst Toch, Carl Orff, Vladimir Vogel, Luigi Nono, Helmut Lachenmann and Wolfgang Rihm. Moving forward from the Schönberg School, the post-1945 new music thereby opens up the spectrum of vocal expressions of sound beyond that of the singing voice. It does so not only for solo voices but for the choir as well.

Medizinbibliotheken: Innovativ denken, strategisch planen, praktisch umsetzen / Medical libraries: think innovative, plan strategically, implement in practice

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Bauer, Bruno

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The focus of the current issue 3/2011 of GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information is the annual conference 2011 of the German Medical Libraries Association in Cologne. The motto of the conference was “Think innovative, plan strategically, implement in practice”. Focal points of the meeting were innovation management, marketing and new applications in medical libraries.The authors in this issue are Bruno Bauer, Daniel Formanek & Helmut Dollfuß (E-Books at medical libraries: They came to stay, Ursula Georgy (Systematic innovation management, Maurizio Grilli (New library portal at Province College for Health-Care Professions Claudiana, Bozen, Sabine Köhrer-Weisser (Marketing in One Person Libraries, Roland Mumenthaler (Innovation Management at ETH-Bibliothek, Markus Schmiel (Performance-related bonuses at Hannover Medical School: practical experience report of the library, Guus van den Brekel (Mobile Computing & Semantic Web in Health & Medicine, Iris Reimann & Sonja Fräntz (Think innovative, plan strategically, implement in practice – Annual Meeting 2011 of the German MLA, 19th to 21th September in Cologne and Eike Hentschel (Aus der AGMB.

Brazil's Petrobras chops 1992 capital budget

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that Brazil's state owned Petroleos Brasileiro SA has slashed its 1992 capital budget by more than half for lack of adequate cash flow. Petrobras Pres. Benedicto Moreira last week disclosed the cut, to $1.4 billion from $2.9 billion earmarked earlier, citing cash flow problems stemming from heavy subsidies for domestic products. Petrobras Association of Engineers (Aepet) disputes the latest amount, claiming without elaboration the state company actually is cutting the current budget to $1 billion. At either level, the severe budget cut bodes ill for Petrobras plans to boost domestic production by a net 300,000 b/d to 1 million b/d by 1995, an ambitious program that calls for outlays of $18 billion

Synthesis of a wild-type and three mutant Cucurbita maxima trypsin inhibitor-encoding genes by a single-strand approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Botes, D P; Qobose, M D; Corfield, V A

1991-09-15

A single-strand approach to gene assembly, based on a modification of an in vitro complementary oligodeoxyribonucleotide template-directed ligation of the desired sequence to a linearized vector [Chen et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 18 (1990) 871-878], is described. The gene coding for the wild-type Cucurbita maxima trypsin inhibitor of 29 amino acid residues [Bode et al., FEBS Lett. 242 (1989) 285-292], as well as three mutant forms of the gene, in which two of the three disulfide bonds have been replaced singly or as a pair, have been synthesized in a single synthesis run with minimal manual intervention. Subsequent to ligation to pUC9 and in vivo gapped duplex repair by Escherichia coli, their sequences have been verified.

Study of characteristic response of pressure control system in order to obtain the design parameters of the new control system MARK V1 turbine in Cofrentes nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palomo Anaya, M. Jose; Ruiz Bueno, Gregorio; Vauqer Perez, Juan I.; Curiel Nieva, Marceliano

2011-01-01

This paper presents the results obtained from the IBE-CNC/DAQ-090827 project, conducted by the company Titania Servicios Tecnologicos, S.L. in collaboration with the Instituto de Seguridad Industrial, Radiofisica y Medioambiental (ISIRYM), in the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, for the company Iberdrola Generacion S.A. The objective is the acquisition of the pressure sensor signal and the measurement at points C85 and N32 from the cabin of the Turbine Control System in Cofrentes Nuclear Power Plant. With the study of previous data, one can obtain the Bode plot of the crossed signals as requested in the technical specification IM 0191 I. Frequency response (i.e. how the system varies its gain and offset depending on the frequency) defines the dynamics. (author)

The Surprising History of Claims for Life on the Sun

Science.gov (United States)

Crowe, Michael J.

2011-11-01

Because astronomers are now convinced that it is impossible for life, especially intelligent life, to exist on the Sun and stars, it might be assumed that astronomers have always held this view. This paper shows that throughout most of the history of astronomy, some intellectuals, including a number of well-known astronomers, have advocated the existence of intelligent life on our Sun and thereby on stars. Among the more prominent figures discussed are Nicolas of Cusa, Giordano Bruno, William Whiston, Johann Bode, Roger Boscovich, William Herschel, Auguste Comte, Carl Gauss, Thomas Dick, John Herschel, and François Arago. One point in preparing this paper is to show differences between the astronomy of the past and that of the present.

Preparation and electrochemistry of Pd-Ni/Si nanowire nanocomposite catalytic anode for direct ethanol fuel cell.

Science.gov (United States)

Miao, Fengjuan; Tao, Bairui; Chu, Paul K

2012-04-28

A new silicon-based anode suitable for direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) is described. Pd-Ni nanoparticles are coated on Si nanowires (SiNWs) by electroless co-plating to form the catalytic materials. The electrocatalytic properties of the SiNWs and ethanol oxidation on the Pd-Ni catalyst (Pd-Ni/SiNWs) are investigated electrochemically. The effects of temperature and working potential limit in the anodic direction on ethanol oxidation are studied by cyclic voltammetry. The Pd-Ni/SiNWs electrode exhibits higher electrocatalytic activity and better long-term stability in an alkaline solution. It also yields a larger current density and negative onset potential thus boding well for its application to fuel cells. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012

People and things. CERN Courier, Jun 1979, v. 19(4)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1979-01-01

On 1 April, six months ahead of schedule, electrons were injected into the 8 GeV electron-positron storage ring, CESR, at Cornell. Two weeks later beam was accumulated at an energy of 5.5 GeV. The contract for the management and construct/on of the conventional facilities of the ISABELLE 400 GeV proton storage rings to be built at the Brookhaven Laboratory has been awarded to the New York firm of Ammann and Whitney. Greatly helped by the quality of the beams from the new linac, the CERN 800 MeV four-ring Booster has achieved several new records which bode well for the role it has to play with the PS in feeding the high energy machines in the coming years

People and things. CERN Courier, Jun 1979, v. 19(4)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1979-06-15

On 1 April, six months ahead of schedule, electrons were injected into the 8 GeV electron-positron storage ring, CESR, at Cornell. Two weeks later beam was accumulated at an energy of 5.5 GeV. The contract for the management and construct/on of the conventional facilities of the ISABELLE 400 GeV proton storage rings to be built at the Brookhaven Laboratory has been awarded to the New York firm of Ammann and Whitney. Greatly helped by the quality of the beams from the new linac, the CERN 800 MeV four-ring Booster has achieved several new records which bode well for the role it has to play with the PS in feeding the high energy machines in the coming years.

Byzantine history and the discourse of the Russian political/intellectual underground

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Dmitry Shlapentokh

2012-01-01

In the view of the producer, the Byzantine Empire was strong when it followed its autocratic tradition and was attached to Orthodoxy. The movie generated extensive discussions, including among those who belong to Russia's political and intellectual fringe. Quite a few of them were neo-pagans; for them, Christianity, including Orthodox Christianity, was Russia's curse. For them, it was an Asian creed foreign to Aryan Russians. The fact that it was accepted by Russians implied that Russians had been subjugated by an alien, Asiatic, force. Many of these neo-pagans were quite pessimistic in regard to the country's future; and, indeed, their response indicates the deep alienation of quite a few Russians, which hardly bodes well for the country's future.

Multiconfiguration Pair-Density Functional Theory Is Free From Delocalization Error.

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Junwei Lucas; Wang, Ying; He, Xiao; Gagliardi, Laura; Truhlar, Donald G

2017-11-16

Delocalization error has been singled out by Yang and co-workers as the dominant error in Kohn-Sham density functional theory (KS-DFT) with conventional approximate functionals. In this Letter, by computing the vertical first ionization energy for well separated He clusters, we show that multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory (MC-PDFT) is free from delocalization error. To put MC-PDFT in perspective, we also compare it with some Kohn-Sham density functionals, including both traditional and modern functionals. Whereas large delocalization errors are almost universal in KS-DFT (the only exception being the very recent corrected functionals of Yang and co-workers), delocalization error is removed by MC-PDFT, which bodes well for its future as a step forward from KS-DFT.

Electromagnetic Transients in Power Cables

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Silva, Filipe Faria Da; Bak, Claus Leth

. The chapter ends by proposing a systematic method that can be used when doing the insulation co-ordination study for a line, as well as the modelling requirements, both modelling depth and modelling detail of the equipment, for the study of the different types of transients followed by a step-by-step generic...... typically used for the screens of cables (both-ends bonding and cross-boding) and also presents methods that can be used to estimate the maximum current of a cable for different types of soils, i.e. thermal calculations. The end of the chapter introduces the shunt reactor, which is an important element...... detail of the equipment, for the study of the different types of transients followed by a step-by-step generic example....

The escaping "pneuma" - gas of ancient earthquake concepts in relation to animal, atmospheric and thermal precursors

Science.gov (United States)

Helmut, Tributsch

2013-04-01

The escaping "pneuma" - gas of ancient earthquake concepts in relation to animal, atmospheric and thermal precursors Helmut Tributsch Present affiliation: Carinthian University for Applied Sciences, Bio-mimetics program, Europastrasse 4, 9524 Villach, Austria, helmut.tributsch@alice.it Retired from: Free University Berlin, Institute for physical and theoretical chemistry, Takustr. 3, 14195 Berlin, Germany. For two thousand years ancient European and medieval (including islamic) natural philosophers have considered a dry, warm gas, the "pneuma" ( breath, exhalation), escaping from the earth, as precursor and trigger of earthquakes. Also in China an escaping gas or breath (the qi) was considered the cause of earthquake, first in a document from 780 BC. We know today that escaping gas is not causing earthquakes. But it may be that natural phenomena that supported such a pneuma-concept have again and again been observed. The unpolluted environment and the largely absence of distracting artificial stimuli may have allowed the recognition of distinct earthquake precursors, such as described by ancient observers: (1) the sun becomes veiled and has a dim appearance, turns reddish or dark (2) a narrow long stretched cloud becomes visible, like a line drawn by a ruler, (3) earthquakes preceded by a thin streak of cloud stretching over a wide space. (4) earthquakes in the morning sometimes preceded by a still and a strong frost, (5) a surf - line of the air sea is forming (near the horizon). The described phenomena may be interpreted as a kind of smog forming above the ground prior to an earthquake, a smog exhaled from the ground, which is triggering water condensation, releasing latent heat, changing visibility, temperature, heat conduction and radiation properties. This could perfectly match the phenomenon, which is at the origin of satellite monitored temperature anomalies preceding earthquakes. Based on a few examples it will be shown that the time window of temperature

Hans-Heinrich Nolte (Hg.), Klaas Bähre (Red.), Innere Peripherien in Ost und West / [rezensiert von] Helmut Klüter

OpenAIRE

Klüter, Helmut

2008-01-01

Rezensiertes Werk: Innere Peripherien in Ost und West / Hrsg.: Hans-Heinrich Nolte. Red.: Klaas Bähre. - Stuttgart : Steiner, 2001. - 187 S. : Kt. - (Historische Mitteilungen : Beiheft ; 42) ISBN 3-515-07972-6

Modelling Defects Acceptors And Determination Of Electric Model From The Nyquist Plot And Bode In Thin Film CIGS

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Demba Diallo

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract The performance of the chalcopyrite material CuInGaSe2 CIGS used as an absorber layer in thin-film photovoltaic devices is significantly affected by the presence of native defects. Multivalent defects e.g. double acceptors or simple acceptor are important immaterial used in solar cell production in general and in chalcopyrite materials in particular. We used the thin film solar cell simulation software SCAPS to enable the simulation of multivalent defects with up to five different charge states.Algorithms enabled us to simulate an arbitrary number of possible states of load. The presented solution method avoids numerical inaccuracies caused by the subtraction of two almost equal numbers. This new modelling facility is afterwards used to investigate the consequences of the multivalent character of defects for the simulation of chalcopyrite based CIGS. The capacitance increase with the evolution of the number of defects C- f curves have found to have defect dependence.

Multiple Score Comparison: a network meta-analysis approach to comparison and external validation of prognostic scores

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Sarah R. Haile

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Prediction models and prognostic scores have been increasingly popular in both clinical practice and clinical research settings, for example to aid in risk-based decision making or control for confounding. In many medical fields, a large number of prognostic scores are available, but practitioners may find it difficult to choose between them due to lack of external validation as well as lack of comparisons between them. Methods Borrowing methodology from network meta-analysis, we describe an approach to Multiple Score Comparison meta-analysis (MSC which permits concurrent external validation and comparisons of prognostic scores using individual patient data (IPD arising from a large-scale international collaboration. We describe the challenges in adapting network meta-analysis to the MSC setting, for instance the need to explicitly include correlations between the scores on a cohort level, and how to deal with many multi-score studies. We propose first using IPD to make cohort-level aggregate discrimination or calibration scores, comparing all to a common comparator. Then, standard network meta-analysis techniques can be applied, taking care to consider correlation structures in cohorts with multiple scores. Transitivity, consistency and heterogeneity are also examined. Results We provide a clinical application, comparing prognostic scores for 3-year mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using data from a large-scale collaborative initiative. We focus on the discriminative properties of the prognostic scores. Our results show clear differences in performance, with ADO and eBODE showing higher discrimination with respect to mortality than other considered scores. The assumptions of transitivity and local and global consistency were not violated. Heterogeneity was small. Conclusions We applied a network meta-analytic methodology to externally validate and concurrently compare the prognostic properties

Birmingham COPD Cohort: a cross-sectional analysis of the factors associated with the likelihood of being in paid employment among people with COPD

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Rai KK

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Kiran K Rai,1 Rachel E Jordan,1 W Stanley Siebert,2 Steven S Sadhra,3 David A Fitzmaurice,1 Alice J Sitch,1 Jon G Ayres,1,3 Peymané Adab1 1Institute of Applied Health Research, 2The Department of Business and Labour Economics, 3Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK Background: Employment rates among those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD are lower than those without COPD, but little is known about the factors that affect COPD patients’ ability to work. Methods: Multivariable analysis of the Birmingham COPD Cohort Study baseline data was used to assess the associations between lifestyle, clinical, and occupational characteristics and likelihood of being in paid employment among working-age COPD patients. Results: In total, 608 of 1,889 COPD participants were of working age, of whom 248 (40.8% were in work. Older age (60–64 years vs 30–49 years: odds ratio [OR] =0.28; 95% confidence interval [CI] =0.12–0.65, lower educational level (no formal qualification vs degree/higher level: OR =0.43; 95% CI =0.19–0.97, poorer prognostic score (highest vs lowest quartile of modified body mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise (BODE score: OR =0.10; 95% CI =0.03–0.33, and history of high occupational exposure to vapors, gases, dusts, or fumes (VGDF; high VGDF vs no VGDF exposure: OR =0.32; 95% CI =0.12–0.85 were associated with a lower probability of being employed. Only the degree of breathlessness of BODE was significantly associated with employment. Conclusion: This is the first study to comprehensively assess the characteristics associated with employment in a community sample of people with COPD. Future interventions should focus on managing breathlessness and reducing occupational exposures to VGDF to improve the work capability among those with COPD. Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, work, employed, breathlessness, severity, VGDF, UK

Interleukin-6 and airflow limitation in chemical warfare patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

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Davood Attaran

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Davood Attaran1, Shahrzad M Lari1, Mohammad Towhidi1, Hassan Ghobadi Marallu2, Hossein Ayatollahi1, Mohammad Khajehdaluee1, Mostafa Ghanei3, Reza Basiri11Lung Disease and Tuberculosis Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Science, 2Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, 3Research Center of Chemical Injuries, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranObjectives: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD is one of the main late complications of sulfur mustard poisoning. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of interleukin (IL-6 in war veterans with pulmonary complications of sulfur mustard poisoning and their correlation with severity of airways disease.Methods: Fifty consecutive patients with sulfur mustard poisoning and stable COPD, and of mean age 46.3 ± 9.18 years were enrolled in this study. Thirty healthy men were selected as controls and matched to cases by age and body mass index. Spirometry, arterial blood gas, six-minute walk test, BODE (body mass index, obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity, and St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire about quality of life were evaluated. Serum IL-6 was measured in both patient and control groups.Results: Fifty-four percent of patients had moderate COPD. Mean serum IL-6 levels were 15.01 ± standard deviation (SD 0.61 pg/dL and 4.59 ± 3.40 pg/dL in the case and control groups, respectively (P = 0.03. There was a significant correlation between IL-6 levels and Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stage (r = 0.25, P = 0.04 and between IL-6 and BODE index (r = 0.38, P = 0.01. There was also a significant negative correlation between serum IL-6 and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1, r = -0.36, P = 0.016.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that serum IL-6 is increased in patients with sulfur mustard poisoning and COPD, and may have a direct association with airflow limitation.Keywords: sulfur mustard, chronic obstructive pulmonary

Goodwyn project under way off NW Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that the $2 billion (Australian) Goodwyn field development project on Australia's Northwest Shelf is under way with installation of a 17,500 metric ton steel platform jacket. Northwest Shelf project operator Woodside Petroleum Pty. Ltd. and partners are continuing with an extensive exploration program in the Northwest Shelf area. The group expects to begin soon a wide ranging 3-D seismic survey over the WA-28-P license area and the Northwest Shelf production permits. The goal is to identify new and appraise existing oil and gas prospects in the region for an exploratory drilling campaign to begin in first half 1993. Finding more gas reserves would bode well for extending existing LNG contracts with Japan or competing for new markets in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan

Making Change a Natural, Desirable and Continual State

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bergmann, Rasmus

This paper addresses organizational education and change processes within the voluntary sector. Volunteerism has been a hot topic on the political agenda in recent years. Welfare states are under pressure due to economic crisis, ageing populations, rising public expectations, etc., and embracing...... of a variety of welfare issues have been launched. Researchers talk about there discovery of volunteerism on the political agenda (Rochester 2013) and the close relationship between the public sector and the voluntary sector is diligently discussed under labels such as co-production (Verschuere, Brandsen......, and Pestoff 2012), partnerships (Bode and Brandsen 2014), and collaborative innovation (Hartley, Sørensen, and Torfing 2013). In many countries sport constitutes the largest area of volunteerism, and also in this field volunteers and their organizations are increasingly expected to act as welfare policy...

Herbs as new type of green inhibitors for acidic corrosion of steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khamis, E. [Faculty of Science, Chemistry Department, Alexandria University, P.O. Box 426 Ibrahimia Alexandria 21321 (Egypt); AlAndis, N. [College of Science, Chemistry Department, King Saud University (Saudi Arabia)

2002-09-01

Corrosion inhibition of steel in sulphuric acid by six different herb plants has been studied using a.c and d.c electrochemical techniques. The environmentally friendly investigated compounds are namely: thyme, coriander, hibiscus, anis, black cumin and Garden cress. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy has been successfully used to evaluate the performance of these compounds. The ac measurements showed that the dissolution process is activation controlled. Bode and theta diagrams show only one time constant ({tau}). Potentiodynamic polarization curves indicate that the studied compounds are mixed-type inhibitors. The order of increasing inhibition efficiency was correlated with the change of the constituent active materials of the compounds. Thyme, which contains the powerful antiseptic thymol as the active ingredient, offers excellent protection for steel surface. (Abstract Copyright [2002], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Brilliant GeV gamma-ray flash from inverse Compton scattering in the QED regime

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Z.; Hu, R. H.; Lu, H. Y.; Yu, J. Q.; Wang, D. H.; Fu, E. G.; Chen, C. E.; He, X. T.; Yan, X. Q.

2018-04-01

An all-optical scheme is proposed for studying laser plasma based incoherent photon emission from inverse Compton scattering in the quantum electrodynamic regime. A theoretical model is presented to explain the coupling effects among radiation reaction trapping, the self-generated magnetic field and the spiral attractor in phase space, which guarantees the transfer of energy and angular momentum from electromagnetic fields to particles. Taking advantage of a prospective ˜ 1023 W cm-2 laser facility, 3D particle-in-cell simulations show a gamma-ray flash with unprecedented multi-petawatt power and brightness of 1.7 × 1023 photons s-1 mm-2 mrad-2/0.1% bandwidth (at 1 GeV). These results bode well for new research directions in particle physics and laboratory astrophysics exploring laser plasma interactions.

Improvement of a high current DC power supply system for testing the large scaled superconducting cables and magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamada, Shuichi; Chikaraishi, Hirotaka; Tanahashi, Shugo

1993-11-01

A dc 75 kA power supply system was constructed to test the superconducting (SC) R and D cables and magnets for the Large Helical Device. It consists of three 25 kA unit banks. A unit bank has two double-star-rectifier connections with the inter-phase reactors. A digital feedback control method is applied to the automatic current regulation (ACR) in each unit bank. For shortening the dead time of the feedback process, a new algorithm of a digital phase controller for the ACR is investigated. A Bode diagram of the feedback process is directly measured. It is confirmed that the dead time of the feedback process is reduced to one sixth, and that the feedback gain of PID compensation is improved by a factor of two from the original method. (author)

Recombinant organisms for production of industrial products

Science.gov (United States)

Adrio, Jose-Luis

2010-01-01

A revolution in industrial microbiology was sparked by the discoveries of ther double-stranded structure of DNA and the development of recombinant DNA technology. Traditional industrial microbiology was merged with molecular biology to yield improved recombinant processes for the industrial production of primary and secondary metabolites, protein biopharmaceuticals and industrial enzymes. Novel genetic techniques such as metabolic engineering, combinatorial biosynthesis and molecular breeding techniques and their modifications are contributing greatly to the development of improved industrial processes. In addition, functional genomics, proteomics and metabolomics are being exploited for the discovery of novel valuable small molecules for medicine as well as enzymes for catalysis. The sequencing of industrial microbal genomes is being carried out which bodes well for future process improvement and discovery of new industrial products. PMID:21326937

Theoretical analysis and real time implementation of a classical controller with intelligent properties

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Essam Hendawi

2018-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents theoretical analysis and experimental implementation of a classical controller with intelligent properties. The controller has constant parameters, but it performs as an intelligent controller. The controller design mimics the fuzzy logic controller in a classical form and combines the advantages of classical controllers and properties of intelligent controllers. The designed controller parameters force the controlled variable to behave such as a first order system with a desired time constant. DC motor practical system is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented controller. Root locus and frequency response using Bode diagram are used to help the design of the controller parameters. Simulation and experimental results verify the high performance of the presented controller. Keywords: Classical controller, DC motor, Root locus, Frequency response, Arduino microcontroller

Calculations of secondary electron yield of graphene coated copper for vacuum electronic applications

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H. K. A. Nguyen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The suppression of secondary electron yield (SEY which can possibly lead to multipactor is an important goal for several applications. Though some techniques have focused on geometric modifications to lower the SEY, the use of graphene coatings as thin as a few monolayers is a promising new development that deserves attention either as a standalone technique or in concert with geometric alterations. Here we report on Monte Carlo based numerical studies of SEY on graphene coated copper with comparisons to recent experimental data. Our predicted values are generally in good agreement with reported measurements. Suppression of the secondary electron yield by as much as 50 percent (over copper with graphene coating is predicted at energies below 125 eV, and bodes well for multipactor suppression in radio frequency applications.

Recombinant organisms for production of industrial products.

Science.gov (United States)

Adrio, Jose-Luis; Demain, Arnold L

2010-01-01

A revolution in industrial microbiology was sparked by the discoveries of ther double-stranded structure of DNA and the development of recombinant DNA technology. Traditional industrial microbiology was merged with molecular biology to yield improved recombinant processes for the industrial production of primary and secondary metabolites, protein biopharmaceuticals and industrial enzymes. Novel genetic techniques such as metabolic engineering, combinatorial biosynthesis and molecular breeding techniques and their modifications are contributing greatly to the development of improved industrial processes. In addition, functional genomics, proteomics and metabolomics are being exploited for the discovery of novel valuable small molecules for medicine as well as enzymes for catalysis. The sequencing of industrial microbal genomes is being carried out which bodes well for future process improvement and discovery of new industrial products. © 2010 Landes Bioscience

Long term socio-ecological research across temporal and spatial scales

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, S. J.; Haberl, H.

2012-04-01

Long term socio-ecological research across temporal and spatial scales Simron Jit Singh and Helmut Haberl Institute of Social Ecology, Vienna, Austria Understanding trajectories of change in coupled socio-ecological (or human-environment) systems requires monitoring and analysis at several spatial and temporal scales. Long-term ecosystem research (LTER) is a strand of research coupled with observation systems and infrastructures (LTER sites) aimed at understanding how global change affects ecosystems around the world. In recent years it has been increasingly recognized that sustainability concerns require extending this approach to long-term socio-ecological research, i.e. a more integrated perspective that focuses on interaction processes between society and ecosystems over longer time periods. Thus, Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research, abbreviated LTSER, aims at observing, analyzing, understanding and modelling of changes in coupled socio-ecological systems over long periods of time. Indeed, the magnitude of the problems we now face is an outcome of a much longer process, accelerated by industrialisation since the nineteenth century. The paper will provide an overview of a book (in press) on LTSER with particular emphasis on 'socio-ecological transitions' in terms of material, energy and land use dynamics across temporal and spatial scales.

1974 view into the cage of the 520 keV preaccelerator of the PS Linac 1

CERN Multimedia

1974-01-01

The "open pill box" (in the background at the left) contains the ion source, where for many years all protons accelerated at CERN were "born". It is directly attached to the acceleration column where the protons pass from 520 kV to earth potential. The "electronics platform" (big metal structure on insulating pillars in the middle of the picture, for details see 7403120 and 7403071X) contains all the equipment that has to be at the same potential as the source itself. It is being admired by Helmut Haseroth and Jean Luc Vallet (during servicing). The smaller metal box in the foreground is part of the "bouncer" which compensated the voltage drop during acceleration of a proton pulse. The high voltage supply (not included in this photo) was originally a Cockcroft-Walton generator. In 1973 it was replaced by a Sames generator (see 7403074X). The "old" 50 MeV Linac 1, the original PS injector built in the 1950s, was (since 1976) replaced by a new 50 MeV linac (Linac 2). It had a 750 keV "Cockcroft-Walton" (see 760...

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopic Analysis of RuO2 Based Thick Film pH Sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manjakkal, Libu; Djurdjic, Elvira; Cvejin, Katarina; Kulawik, Jan; Zaraska, Krzysztof; Szwagierczak, Dorota

2015-01-01

The conductimetric interdigitated thick film pH sensors based on RuO 2 were fabricated and their electrochemical reactions with solutions of different pH values were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique. The microstructural properties and composition of the sensitive films were examined by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The EIS analysis of the sensor was carried out in the frequency range 10 mHz–2 MHz for pH values of test solutions 2–12. The electrical parameters of the sensor were found to vary with changing pH. The conductance and capacitance of the film were distinctly dependent on pH in the low frequency range. The Nyquist and Bode plots derived from the impedance data for the metal oxide thick film pH sensor provided information about the underlying electrochemical reactions

ATHENS SEASONAL VARIATION OF GROUND RESISTANCE PREDICTION USING NEURAL NETWORKS

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S. Anbazhagan

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The objective in ground resistance is to attain the most minimal ground safety esteem conceivable that bodes well monetarily and physically. An application of artificial neural networks (ANN to presage and relegation has been growing rapidly due to sundry unique characteristics of ANN models. A decent forecast is able to capture the dubiousness associated with those ground resistance. A portion of the key instabilities are soil composition, moisture content, temperature, ground electrodes and spacing of the electrodes. Propelled by this need, this paper endeavors to develop a generalized regression neural network (GRNN to predict the ground resistance. The GRNN has a single design parameter and expeditious learning and efficacious modeling for nonlinear time series. The precision of the forecast is applied to the Athens seasonal variation of ground resistance that shows the efficacy of the proposed approach.

Comparison of the methods for discrete approximation of the fractional-order operator

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Zborovjan Martin

2003-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper we will present some alternative types of discretization methods (discrete approximation for the fractional-order (FO differentiator and their application to the FO dynamical system described by the FO differential equation (FDE. With analytical solution and numerical solution by power series expansion (PSE method are compared two effective methods - the Muir expansion of the Tustin operator and continued fraction expansion method (CFE with the Tustin operator and the Al-Alaoui operator. Except detailed mathematical description presented are also simulation results. From the Bode plots of the FO differentiator and FDE and from the solution in the time domain we can see, that the CFE is a more effective method according to the PSE method, but there are some restrictions for the choice of the time step. The Muir expansion is almost unusable.

Prognostic Value of C-Reactive Protein, Leukocytes, and Vitamin D in Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moberg, Mia; Vestbo, Jørgen; Martinez, Gerd

2014-01-01

Inflammatory biomarkers predict mortality and hospitalisation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Yet, it remains uncertain if biomarkers in addition to reflecting disease severity add new prognostic information on severe COPD. We investigated if leukocytes, C-reactive protein (CRP......), and vitamin D were independent predictors of mortality and hospitalisation after adjusting for disease severity with an integrative index, the i-BODE index. In total, 423 patients participating in a pulmonary rehabilitation programme, with a mean value of FEV1 of 38% of predicted, were included. Mean followup...... was 45 months. During the follow-up period, 149 deaths (35%) were observed and 330 patients (78.0%) had at least one acute hospitalisation; 244 patients (57.7%) had at least one hospitalisation due to an exacerbation of COPD. In the analysis (Cox proportional hazards model) fully adjusted for age, sex...

CAPITALISMO E DESPORTO: Profissionalização, para quê?

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Máuri de Carvalho

1997-01-01

Full Text Available Este trabalho, a meu juízo, representa uma contribuição teórica à compreensão da relação indissociável entre a base econômica e as instâncias ideológicas (mormente, o desporto de uma determinada sociedade. Por outro lado, considero este labor desprentensiosa formulação à polêmica do capitalismo e da globalização versus suas implicações ao desenvolvimento social e econômico da América Latina, no tocante a classe operária, trabalhadores assalariados e, especificamente, servidores públicos colocados, em seu conjunto, como o velho “bode expiatório” da inconseqüência e do servilismo dos mandatários deste país aos interesses do imperialismo.

The influence of ozonated time on the degree of depreciation of BOD, COD, TSS and phosphate in hospital liquid waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isyuniarto and Andrianto

2009-01-01

The influence of ozonated time towards degree depreciation of Bode, COD, TSS and phosphate in hospital liquid waste was done. This research aim study influence of lime adding and ozone using to reduce of BOD, COD, TSS and phosphate in hospital waste. Added of lime mean for total increase ion OH - , while parameter of ozonization time mean to complete organic compounds oxidation in waste and flock formation. From this research it was found that optimum lime addition was 1.1% (% weight) and ozonization time was 20 minutes. In this condition it was achieved degree of BOD = 18.88 mg/l; COD = 25.68 mg/l, TSS = 80 mg/l and phosphate = 1.52 mg/l. This condition fulfil quality standard decided, that has to BOD = 75 mg/l; COD = 100 mg/l, TSS = 100 mg/l and phosphate = 2.0 mg/l. (author)

The vascular plant species of the Krugłe Bagno aquatic peatland complex (Łęczna – Włodawa Lakeland

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Barbara Banach

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the richness of vascular plant species of the Krugłe Bagno aquatic peatland complex and its structure. A field study was carried out in the growing seasons of 2008–2010. The aim of the study was to determine the species richness of the flora and its characteristics as well as to document changes in its composition taking place in successive years of the study. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the stability of the qualitative and quantitative structure of the phytocoenoses and abiotic environmental factors bodes well for the maintenance of this aquatic peatland complex in good condition. However, due to the specificity of its species composition (a large proportion of stenobiontic species, it seems advisable to monitor regularly the biotic and abiotic conditions of this habitat.

Local order origin of thermal stability enhancement in amorphous Ag doping GeTe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, L.; Li, Y.; Yu, N. N.; Zhong, Y. P.; Miao, X. S., E-mail: miaoxs@mail.hust.edu.cn [Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan 430074 (China); School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

2015-01-19

We demonstrate the impacts of Ag doping on the local atomic structure of amorphous GeTe phase-change material. The variations of phonon vibrational modes, boding nature, and atomic structure are shown by Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ab initio calculation. Combining the experiments and simulations, we observe that the number of Ge atoms in octahedral site decreases and that in tetrahedral site increases. This modification in local order of GeTe originating from the low valence element will affect the crystallization behavior of amorphous GeTe, which is verified by differential scanning calorimetry and transmission electron microscope results. This work not only gives the analysis on the structural change of GeTe with Ag dopants but also provides a method to enhance the thermal stability of amorphous phase-change materials for memory and brain-inspired computing applications.

The 9th International Countercurrent Chromatography Conference held at Dominican University, Chicago, USA, August 1-3, 2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Friesen, J Brent; McAlpine, James B; Chen, Shao-Nong; Pauli, Guido F

2017-10-20

The 9th International Countercurrent Chromatography Conference (CCC 2016) was held at Dominican University near Chicago, IL (USA), from August 1st-3rd, 2016. The biennial CCC 20XX conferences provide an opportunity for countercurrent chromatography and centrifugal partition chromatography (CCC/CPC) manufactures, marketers, theorists, and research scientists to gather together socially, learn from each other, and advance countercurrent separation technology. A synopsis of the conference proceedings as well as a series of short reviews of the special edition articles is included in this document. Many productive discussions and collegial conversation at CCC 2016 attested to the liveliness, connectivity, and productivity of the global countercurrent research community and bodes well for the success of the 10th conference at the University of Braunschweig, Germany on August 1-3, 2018. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

State autonomy, policy paralysis: paradoxes of institutions and culture in the French health care system.

Science.gov (United States)

Rochaix, Lise; Wilsford, David

2005-01-01

In this article, we assess the recent performance of the French state at containing costs in health care using political science concepts such as path dependency and incentives, which are central to an economic approach. The article focuses on institutional capacities and cultural immobilism and attempts to lay bare the tensions at play in seizing (or not) opportunities for structural change. In particular, we attempt to delineate what constitutes real change in this policy arena (big reforms versus the accumulation of many small policy movements) and to understand the variables at play in the coming together of conjunctures that provide for the big, as well as the underlying structures that allow the accumulation of the small. Except in cases of favorable conjuncture, the analysis bodes very ill for nonincremental reform and, indeed, for significant change over the long term.

Strafbare Beleidigung eines ausländischen Staatsoberhaupts durch politische Satire? – Was kann Deutschland aus dem Fall Böhmermann lernen? / Helmut Satzger

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Satzger, Helmut

2017-01-01

Poliitilisest satiirist Türgi presidendi Erdogani kohta solvava luuletuse esitanud koomiku Jan Böhmermanni juhtumit taustal ja Saksamaa karistusseadustiku §st 103, mis käsitleb võõrriikide esindajate solvamist

Keim, Karl-Dieter, Das Fenster zum Raum : Traktat über die Erforschung sozialräumlicher Transformation / [rezensiert von] Helmut Klüter

OpenAIRE

Klüter, Helmut

2009-01-01

Rezensiertes Werk: Keim, Karl-Dieter: Das Fenster zum Raum : Traktat über die Erforschung sozialräumlicher Transformation / Karl-Dieter Keim. - Opladen : Leske + Budrich, 2003. - 171 S. : graph. Darst. - (Lehrtexte : Sozialwissenschaften) ISBN 3-8100-4050-9

Water soluble ions in aerosols (TSP) : Characteristics, sources and seasonal variation over the central Himalayas, Nepal

Science.gov (United States)

Tripathee, Lekhendra; Kang, Shichang; Zhang, Qianggong; Rupakheti, Dipesh

2016-04-01

Atmspheric pollutants transported from South Asia could have adverse impact on the Himalayan ecosystems. Investigation of aerosol chemistry in the Himalayan region in Nepal has been limited on a temporal and spatial scale to date. Therefore, the water-soluble ionic composition of aerosol using TSP sampler was investigated for a year period from April 2013 to March 2014 at four sites Bode, Dhunche, Lumbini and Jomsom characterized as an urban, rural, semi-urban and remote sites in Nepal. During the study period, the highest concentration of major cation was Ca2+ with an average concentration of 8.91, 2.17, 7.85 and 6.42 μg m-3 and the highest concentration of major anion was SO42- with an average of 10.96, 4.06, 6.85 and 3.30 μg m-3 at Bode, Dhunche, Lumbini and Jomsom respectively. The soluble ions showed the decrease in concentrations from urban to the rural site. Correlations and PCA analysis suggested that that SO42-, NO3- and NH4+ were derived from the anthropogenic sources where as the Ca2+ and Mg2+ were from crustal sources. Our results also suggest that the largest acid neutralizing agent at our sampling sites in the central Himalayas are Ca2+ followed by NH4+. Seasonal variations of soluble ions in aerosols showed higher concentrations during pre-monsoon and winter (dry-periods) due to limited precipitation amount and lower concentrations during the monsoon which can be explained by the dilution effect, higher the precipitation lower the concentration. K+ which is regarded as the tracer of biomss burning had a significant peaks during pre-monsoon season when the forest fires are active around the regions. In general, the results of this study suggests that the atmospheric chemistry is influenced by natural and anthropogenic sources. Thus, soluble ionic concentrations in aerosols from central Himalayas, Nepal can provide a useful database to assess atmospheric environment and its impacts on human health and ecosystem in the southern side of central

Estudio mediante EIS de la respuesta electroquímica de la aleación AA5083 frente a señales DC anódicas

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Aballe, A.

1998-05-01

Full Text Available Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS has been applied to characterise the behaviour of AA5083 alloy samples under anodic polarisation in a 3.5 % NaCl solution. EIS spectra were obtained at different DC potentials falling within the passivity range characteristic of the anodic polarisation branch of this alloy in the cited corrosive environment. Three different types of electrochemical response, with specific features in the corresponding Nyquist diagrams, were observed within the potential range covered in this study. The different type of spectra have been fitted with equivalent circuits. The evolution of the values of the different elements in the circuits as a function of the applied DC polarisation potential has been established. The analysis of these data has allowed us to determine the ranges of polarisation potentials where the passivation layer remains stable, metastable pits are nucleated or where stable pits grow. Finally, the use of a "Bode Surface Plot" has been proposed to get a better visualization of the evolution of the system with the applied DC potential.

Se ha llevado a cabo un estudio, mediante Espectroscopia de Impedancia Electroquímica (EIS, del comportamiento de la aleación AA5083 polarizada anódicamente en disolución de NaCl al 3,5 %. Los espectros de impedancia se registraron a distintos potenciales DC, seleccionados de acuerdo con el intervalo de pasividad que aparece en su curva de polarización anódica. En el rango de potenciales estudiado, se han obtenido tres tipos de respuesta electroquímica, cada una con un diagrama de Nyquist característico. Los diagramas obtenidos se han simulado construyendo los correspondientes circuitos equivalentes. La evolución, con la polarización aplicada, de los valores de los elementos que componen cada circuito ha permitido definir el intervalo de potencial en el que la capa pasiva es estable, se forman picaduras metaestables, o se nuclean y crecen picaduras. Por

Neutrinos at CERN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

CERN's long and distinguished neutrino tradition began in 1958 at the then new 500 MeV synchrocyclotron (SC) with the first observation of the decay of a charged pion into an electron and a neutrino. At that time, the first ideas on the special (vector/axial vector) structure of the weak interactions had been put forward by Feynman and Gell-Mann and by Marshak and Sudarshan, but the continual non-observation of that charged pion decay was holding up progress. This decay is only one part in ten thousand, and is masked by the dominant muon-neutrino channel. A special telescope was built to pick up the high energy electrons from the pion decay. In 1962 came another SC neutrino success, with the first measurement of the decay of a charged pion into a neutral one, with emission of an electron and a neutrino. Meanwhile the main thrust of CERN's neutrino effort was taking shape at the PS. By the close of 1960, CERN had decided to attack neutrino physics using several detectors - a 1m heavy liquid bubble chamber from Andre Lagarrigue's team in Paris, a CERN 1 m heavy liquid bubble chamber, and a hybrid chamber/counter from a group led by Helmut Faissner

Os comunistas conselhistas e o anarquismo: a crítica ao anarco-sindicalismo no contexto da guerra civil espanhola

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucas Maia

2010-03-01

Full Text Available

Este texto tem como principal objetivo demonstrar como o marxismo, principalmente os comunistas conselhistas, abordaram historicamente o anarquismo. O anarquismo é prenhe de várias tendências: anarco-coletivismo, anarco-individualismo, anarco-mutualismo, anarco-sindicalismo etc. A tendência que destacaremos neste artigo é o anarco-sindicalismo, visto ter sido esta a que os comunistas de conselhos mais criticaram. O Comunismo de Conselhos se desenvolve a partir da segunda metade da década de 1920. Tem em autores como Helmut Wagner, Anton Pannekoek, Karl Korsch, Herman Gorter, Paul Mattick etc. seus principais expoentes. Os autores conselhistas aqui analisados são Wagner e Mattick, pois foram os únicos a polemizarem diretamente com os anarco-sindicalistas no processo da Guerra Civil Espanhola de 1936 a 1939.  Da crítica destes autores ao anarco-sindicalismo conclui-se: que o anarco-sindicalismo e burocrático; que representa uma perspectiva contrária aos trabalhadores; que deve, portanto, ser combatido e não reforçado.

Active Structural Acoustic Control in an Original A400M Aircraft Structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koehne, C; Sachau, D; Renger, K

2016-01-01

Low frequency noise has always been a challenge in propeller driven aircraft. At low frequencies passive noise treatments are not as efficient as active noise reduction systems. The Helmut-Schmidt-University has built up a full-scale test rig with an original A400M aircraft structure. This provides a good opportunity to develop and test active noise reduction systems in a realistic environment. The currently installed system consists of mechanical actuators and acoustical sensors. The actuators are called TVAs (Tuneable Vibration Absorber) and contain two spring-mass systems whose natural frequencies are adjusted to the BPFs (Blade Passage Frequency) of the propellers. The TVAs are mounted to the frames and the force direction is normal to the skin. The sensors are condenser microphones which are attached to the primary structure of the airframe. The TVAs are equipped with signal processing devices. These components carry out Fourier transforms and signal amplification for the sensor data and actuator signals. The communication between the TVAs and the central control unit is implemented by the CAN Bus protocol and mainly consists of complex coefficients for the sensor and actuator data. This paper describes the basic structure of the system, the hardware set-up and function tests of the controller. (paper)

Active Structural Acoustic Control in an Original A400M Aircraft Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Koehne, C.; Sachau, D.; Renger, K.

2016-09-01

Low frequency noise has always been a challenge in propeller driven aircraft. At low frequencies passive noise treatments are not as efficient as active noise reduction systems. The Helmut-Schmidt-University has built up a full-scale test rig with an original A400M aircraft structure. This provides a good opportunity to develop and test active noise reduction systems in a realistic environment. The currently installed system consists of mechanical actuators and acoustical sensors. The actuators are called TVAs (Tuneable Vibration Absorber) and contain two spring-mass systems whose natural frequencies are adjusted to the BPFs (Blade Passage Frequency) of the propellers. The TVAs are mounted to the frames and the force direction is normal to the skin. The sensors are condenser microphones which are attached to the primary structure of the airframe. The TVAs are equipped with signal processing devices. These components carry out Fourier transforms and signal amplification for the sensor data and actuator signals. The communication between the TVAs and the central control unit is implemented by the CAN Bus protocol and mainly consists of complex coefficients for the sensor and actuator data. This paper describes the basic structure of the system, the hardware set-up and function tests of the controller.

The Composition of Experience in the Musical-Holistic Art of Dario Buccino

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefano Lombardi Vallauri

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Nowadays music is no longer exclusively a performative art: as in the case of electronic music, it can also be produced completely by means of technology, without the live bodily action of an instrumentalist. With respect to this aesthetic paradigm, the Italian composer Dario Buccino (Rome, 1968 does exactly the opposite, creating a music which is even hyper-performative, in that it increases to the highest degree the requirements regarding the performing subject's awareness and free intentionality, and minimizes (human automaticity. To this end he has developed an original notation system, with many graphical ad hoc solutions, where musical symbols are integrated with indications about the proprioceptive attitude and the physical actions of the performer (often kindred to those of experimental theatre, dance, and body art, above all about the experiences to be felt when playing. Buccino goes farther on the way of Karlheinz Stockhausen's "intuitive music" (about 1968-70, Dieter Schnebel's Maulwerke (1968-74, Helmut Lachenmann's "musique concrète instrumentale", Brian Ferneyhough's extreme demand for effort, and radicalises an approach which instead is typical of other musical genres, where form at all levels arises in composition (often extemporaneous from the singular physical relationship of the interpreter with the instrument. 

A Theory of the Origin of the Solar System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. MITRA

1969-06-01

Full Text Available theory of tlie origin of the solar system is propounded.
The approach belongs to the dualistic class of theories but still retains all
the essential features of a monistic theory. It emphasizes the need of a
foreign body approaching the solar nebula for the occurrence of an instability
in the boundary layer of the nebular disc. This foreign body is postulated
to be a brother star of the Sun in the sense that both belong to a common
central parent body such as any two successive planets belong to
the Sun. The analysis gives a law of distance of the planets from tlie Sun.
This law is obeyed separately by both the groups of the planets more closely
than the existing Titius - Bode's law. The law is also found to be applicable
in the various satellite systems.

Dynamic Stability Study of Static Gas Bearing for Small Cryogenic Turbo-Expander

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xuemin; Zhuang Ming; Zhang Qiyong; Li Shanshan; Fu Bao

2011-01-01

An experimental method is presented to analyze the dynamic stability of the gas bearing for small cryogenic turbo-expanders. The rotation imbalance response and the shape of the rotor orbit were obtained for different speeds up to 110,000 rpm, and the critical speed of the rotor-bearing system was determined by a Bode diagram. An FFT signal analytical method was applied to identify the resonance frequency, and the waterfall plot was presented. During the whole process of speeding up to the designed speed of 110,000 rpm, the rotor-bearing works stably with no whirl instability, which is validated in a waterfall plot. Also, the tested rotor-bearing model was analyzed theoretically. It was proved that the experimental results were highly consistent with those of theoretical calculations. Thus the experimental method proposed here to analyze the dynamic stability of the gas bearing is feasible. (fusion engineering)

Evaluation of "credit card" libraries for inhibition of HIV-1 gp41 fusogenic core formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yang; Lu, Hong; Kennedy, Jack P; Yan, Xuxia; McAllister, Laura A; Yamamoto, Noboru; Moss, Jason A; Boldt, Grant E; Jiang, Shibo; Janda, Kim D

2006-01-01

Protein-protein interactions are of critical importance in biological systems, and small molecule modulators of such protein recognition and intervention processes are of particular interest. To investigate this area of research, we have synthesized small-molecule libraries that can disrupt a number of biologically relevant protein-protein interactions. These library members are designed upon planar motif, appended with a variety of chemical functions, which we have termed "credit-card" structures. From two of our "credit-card" libraries, a series of molecules were uncovered which act as inhibitors against the HIV-1 gp41 fusogenic 6-helix bundle core formation, viral antigen p24 formation, and cell-cell fusion at low micromolar concentrations. From the high-throughput screening assays we utilized, a selective index (SI) value of 4.2 was uncovered for compound 2261, which bodes well for future structure activity investigations and the design of more potent gp41 inhibitors.

Bioprinting synthetic self-assembling peptide hydrogels for biomedical applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loo, Yihua; Hauser, Charlotte A E

2016-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is a disruptive technology for creating organotypic constructs for high-throughput screening and regenerative medicine. One major challenge is the lack of suitable bioinks. Short synthetic self-assembling peptides are ideal candidates. Several classes of peptides self-assemble into nanofibrous hydrogels resembling the native extracellular matrix. This is a conducive microenvironment for maintaining cell survival and physiological function. Many peptides also demonstrate stimuli-responsive gelation and tuneable mechanical properties, which facilitates extrusion before dispensing and maintains the shape fidelity of the printed construct in aqueous media. The inherent biocompatibility and biodegradability bodes well for in vivo applications as implantable tissues and drug delivery matrices, while their short length and ease of functionalization facilitates synthesis and customization. By applying self-assembling peptide inks to bioprinting, the dynamic complexity of biological tissue can be recreated, thereby advancing current biomedical applications of peptide hydrogel scaffolds. (paper)

Integrated tools for control-system analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Ostroff, Aaron J.; Proffitt, Melissa S.; Clark, David R.

1989-01-01

The basic functions embedded within a user friendly software package (MATRIXx) are used to provide a high level systems approach to the analysis of linear control systems. Various control system analysis configurations are assembled automatically to minimize the amount of work by the user. Interactive decision making is incorporated via menu options and at selected points, such as in the plotting section, by inputting data. There are five evaluations such as the singular value robustness test, singular value loop transfer frequency response, Bode frequency response, steady-state covariance analysis, and closed-loop eigenvalues. Another section describes time response simulations. A time response for random white noise disturbance is available. The configurations and key equations used for each type of analysis, the restrictions that apply, the type of data required, and an example problem are described. One approach for integrating the design and analysis tools is also presented.

Effect of pole zero location on system dynamics of boost converter for micro grid

Science.gov (United States)

Lavanya, A.; Vijayakumar, K.; Navamani, J. D.; Jayaseelan, N.

2018-04-01

Green clean energy like photo voltaic, wind energy, fuel cell can be brought together by microgrid.For low voltage sources like photovoltaic cell boost converter is very much essential. This paper explores the dynamic analysis of boost converter in a continuous conduction mode (CCM). The transient performance and stability analysis is carried out in this paper using time domain analysis and frequency domain analysis techniques. Boost converter is simulated using both PSIM and MATLAB software. Furthermore, state space model obtained and the transfer function is derived. The converter behaviour when a step input is applied is analyzed and stability of the converter is analyzed from bode plot frequency for open loop. Effect of the locations of poles and zeros in the transfer function of boost converter and how the performance parameters are affected is discussed in this paper. Closed loop performance with PI controller is also analyzed for boost converter.

Bioethanol Production from Waste Potatoes as a Sustainable Waste-to-energy Resource via Enzymatic Hydrolysis

Science.gov (United States)

Memon, A. A.; Shah, F. A.; Kumar, N.

2017-07-01

Ever increasing demand of energy and corresponding looming depletion of fossil fuels have transpired into a burning need of time to vie for alternative energy resources before the traditional energy sources are completely exhausted. Scientists are continuously working on sustainable energy production as an alternate source of energy to meet the present and future requirements. This research deals with conversion of the starch to fermentable carbon source (sugars) by fermentation through liquefaction by using yeast and alpha- amylase. The results show that the significant bioethanol production was achieved while using the parameters like temperature (30 °C) pH (6) and incubation time of 84 hrs. About 90 ml of bioethanol was produced from potato intake of 800 g. Pakistan being an agricultural country is rich in potato crop and this research bodes well to open new vistas to arrest the energy shortage in this part of the world

Investigation, development and application of optimal output feedback theory. Volume 2: Development of an optimal, limited state feedback outer-loop digital flight control system for 3-D terminal area operation

Science.gov (United States)

Broussard, J. R.; Halyo, N.

1984-01-01

This report contains the development of a digital outer-loop three dimensional radio navigation (3-D RNAV) flight control system for a small commercial jet transport. The outer-loop control system is designed using optimal stochastic limited state feedback techniques. Options investigated using the optimal limited state feedback approach include integrated versus hierarchical control loop designs, 20 samples per second versus 5 samples per second outer-loop operation and alternative Type 1 integration command errors. Command generator tracking techniques used in the digital control design enable the jet transport to automatically track arbitrary curved flight paths generated by waypoints. The performance of the design is demonstrated using detailed nonlinear aircraft simulations in the terminal area, frequency domain multi-input sigma plots, frequency domain single-input Bode plots and closed-loop poles. The response of the system to a severe wind shear during a landing approach is also presented.

R for fledglings

Science.gov (United States)

Donovan, Therese; Brown, Michelle; Katz, Jonathan

2015-01-01

We’ve been asked to provide a short introduction to R and its utility in natural resource management. In this short introduction, we can guarantee one thing: you won’t learn R in a few days. That would be like learning to speak French in a few days. To actually learn R, you need to practice….Bode Miller didn’t win his Olympic medals without hours and hours of practice. However, in this short introduction, you can gain an appreciation for what R can do, be introduced to some key functions that you will likely use over and over again, and learn some strategies for creating scripts for automating your work. There are several excellent R books that provide much more information than this short introduction….. R has a steep learning curve, and our hope is to cover some basics to get you over the initial hump.

The European Union Training Mission in Mali: A case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dicke Rachel

2014-10-01

Full Text Available For several years, the European Union (EU has been increasing its international presence and moving into the role of a global security actor. To support the goal of greater crisis management capabilities, European security integration (ESI has been deepening. This article therefore examines an Ell operation - the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali - with the aim of gauging the success of the EU's efforts at ESI. To determine the success of EUTM Mali and thus of ESI, three propositions are examined: if EUTM Mali is a security operation showing successful security integration, there will be evidence of (i broad participation, (ii financial burden-sharing and (iii the successful incorporation of troops and equipment. The first and third propositions are supported whereas the second does not receive as much support. Overall, EUTM Mali shows considerable success and bodes well for further ESI.

Development of a head simulator for exposure dose estimation on patients exposed by odontological X-rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moura Neto, Francisco N.; Batista, Eutropio V.; Santos, Adriano M.

2009-01-01

In the obtaining a odontological radiography, the individual is exposed to te radiation and part of that radiation will be absorbed by his organism. The estimative of absorbed dose can be accomplished through calculations where are considered: the distance from the source to the individual, the energy of the emitted X-ray at the moment of the exposure and the bode region exposed; and as that option does not possess great precision, alternative forms are seek for the quantification such doses. This work proposes the construction of a head simulator to be used in the estimative of absorbed dose in patients, during the accomplishment of the odontological radiographic examinations. As a perspective of work, it is intended to use the phantom to help in the absorbed doses for obtainment of parameters in X-ray odontological devices, contributing of image obtainment with more quality and less radiation dose in the patient

Process requirements of galactose oxidase catalyzed oxidation of alcohols

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Asbjørn Toftgaard; R. Birmingham, William; Rehn, Gustav

2015-01-01

-electron oxidants to reactivate the enzyme upon loss of the amino acid radical in its active site. In this work, the addition of catalase, single-electron oxidants, and copper ions was investigated systematically in order to find the minimum concentrations required to obtain a fully active GOase. Furthermore....... GOase was shown to be completely stable for 120 h in buffer with stirring at 25 °C, and the activity even increased 30% if the enzyme solution was also aerated in a similar experiment. The high Km for oxygen of GOase (>5 mM) relative to the solubility of oxygen in water reveals a trade-off between...... supplying oxygen at a sufficiently high rate and ensuring a high degree of enzyme utilization (i.e., ensuring the highest possible specific rate of reaction). Nevertheless, the good stability and high activity of GOase bode well for its future application as an industrial biocatalyst....

On the gravitational instability in thin gaseous Kepler disks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruediger, G.; Tschaepe, R.

1987-01-01

The idea that the Titius-Bode law reflects an unstable mode of a self-gravitational instability in very thin Keplerian disks makes a careful discussion of the Poisson equation especially necessary. Due to the planetary distances in the solar system (δr/r ≅ 0.5) the well-known short-wave approximation is not appropriate for definite assertions. We will here use a simple series expansion of the relation between the radial and vertical wave numbers of the disturbances which is additionally valid for medium-scale and non-zonal modes. The numerical solution of the dispersion relation reveals an extra unstable branch for wave-lengths of rings and spirals two orders of magnitudes larger than those already known. Though we are not yet able to consider modes long enough for application to the planetary system, we feel the existence of the medium-wave instability (δr/r ≅ 0.1) to be a serious challenge for a better, i.e. non-local theory. (author)

Remarkable magnitude of the self-disproportionation of enantiomers (SDE) via achiral chromatography: application to the practical-scale enantiopurification of β-amino acid esters.

Science.gov (United States)

Wzorek, Alicja; Sato, Azusa; Drabowicz, Józef; Soloshonok, Vadim A; Klika, Karel D

2016-02-01

We report the best performance yet for the self-disproportionation of enantiomers (SDE) via achiral chromatography as typically used in laboratories for the isolated yield of the excess enantiomer using N-acetyl β-amino acid ethyl esters. The results are the most convincing ever demonstration of the capability of the SDE for practical-scale enantiopurification as comparable, or even superior for some systems, to that of recrystallization. For example, from a sample of 94.4 % ee, a yield of 71 % of enantiopure material was isolated in a single chromatographic run. Moreover, the lack of an esoteric structural entity, e.g. strongly polarizing groups, such as, for instance CF3, highlights the fact that the phenomenon is not dependent on the presence of such and thus the process is relevant to any usual-type structure. In contrast to recrystallization, the procedure is predictable, general, and dependable, boding well for its widespread application in routine laboratory settings.

Frequency and time domain characteristics of digital control of electric vehicle in-wheel drives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jarzebowicz Leszek

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In-wheel electric drives are promising as actuators in active safety systems of electric and hybrid vehicles. This new function requires dedicated control algorithms, making it essential to deliver models that reflect better the wheel-torque control dynamics of electric drives. The timing of digital control events, whose importance is stressed in current research, still lacks an analytical description allowing for modeling its influence on control system dynamics. In this paper, authors investigate and compare approaches to the analog and discrete analytical modeling of torque control loop in digitally controlled electric drive. Five different analytical models of stator current torque component control are compared to judge their accuracy in representing drive control dynamics related to the timing of digital control events. The Bode characteristics and stepresponse characteristics of the analytical models are then compared with those of a reference model for three commonly used cases of motor discrete control schemes. Finally, the applicability of the presented models is discussed.

Educating and Inspiring Young People for the Next Generation of Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, Robert C., Jr.

2007-01-01

With the graying of the nation's scientific workforce and the decline in students pursuing science, technological, engineering, and math related-studies, real challenges lie ahead if America is to continue to sustain the Vision for Space Exploration in the foreseeable future. Likewise, challenges exist in the economic arena as the United States seeks to maintain its preeminence among the technological leaders of the world. Currently, less than 6 percent of high school seniors are pursuing engineering degrees, down from 36 percent a decade ago. Today, China produces six times as many engineers as does the United States and Japan, at half our population, develops twice as many engineers. Despite spending more per capita on public education than any other nation, except Switzerland, U.S. students of high school age are failing to compete with many foreign countries. These trends do not bode well for America's future competitiveness in space and other technically driven areas, such as defense.

Michael Jackson, Bin Laden and I: functions of positive and negative, public and private flashbulb memories.

Science.gov (United States)

Demiray, Burcu; Freund, Alexandra M

2015-01-01

This study examined the perceived psychosocial functions of flashbulb memories: It compared positive and negative public flashbulb memories (positive: Bin Laden's death, negative: Michael Jackson's death) with private ones (positive: pregnancy, negative: death of a loved one). A sample of n = 389 young and n = 176 middle-aged adults answered canonical category questions used to identify flashbulb memories and rated the personal significance, the psychological temporal distance, and the functions of each memory (i.e., self-continuity, social-boding, directive functions). Hierarchical regressions showed that, in general, private memories were rated more functional than public memories. Positive and negative private memories were comparable in self-continuity and directionality, but the positive private memory more strongly served social functions. In line with the positivity bias in autobiographical memory, positive flashbulb memories felt psychologically closer than negative ones. Finally, middle-aged adults rated their memories as less functional regarding self-continuity and social-bonding than young adults. Results are discussed regarding the tripartite model of autobiographical memory functions.

ALICE on the move

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2011-01-01

A new management, new modules for its sub-detectors and an increased capacity to probe the properties of the quark-gluon plasma. The new year bodes well for ALICE and ion physics as quarks and gluons prepare to unveil their most profound mysteries.   Installation of one of the new EMCal modules in the detector. Paolo Giubellino, the new ALICE spokesperson, talks with enthusiasm about what has already been done by the ALICE collaboration and what is yet to come. He has recently taken over from Jurgen Schukraft, who led the collaboration from its earliest beginnings. “We had a very exciting first year of operation, with many interesting results coming up in a very short space of time,” says Giubellino, a heavy-ion-physics expert from the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (see box for details). “The Christmas technical stop wasn’t a break for us as we upgraded the detector, completing the installation of the electromagnetic calorimeter (E...

Evaluation of “Credit Card” Libraries for Inhibition of HIV-1 gp41 Fusogenic Core Formation

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yang; Lu, Hong; Kennedy, Jack P.; Yan, Xuxia; McAllister, Laura; Yamamoto, Noboru; Moss, Jason A.; Boldt, Grant E.; Jiang, Shibo; Janda, Kim D.

2008-01-01

Protein-protein interactions are of critical importance in biological systems and small molecule modulators of such protein recognition and intervention processes are of particular interests. To investigate this area of research, we have synthesized small molecule libraries that can disrupt a number of biologically relevant protein-protein interactions. These library members are designed upon planar motifs, appended with a variety of chemical functions, which we have termed as “credit-card” structures. From two of our “credit-card” libraries, a series of molecules were uncovered which act as inhibitors against the HIV-1 gp41 fusogenic 6-helix bundle core formation, viral antigen p24 formation and cell-cell fusion at low micromolar concentrations. From the high-throughput screening assays we utilized, a selective index (SI) value of 4.2 was uncovered for compound 2261, which bodes well for future structure activity investigations and the design of more potent gp41 inhibitors. PMID:16827565

Fully-flexible supercapacitors using spray-deposited carbon-nanotube films as electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Churl Seung; Bae, Joonho

2013-12-01

Fully-flexible carbon-nanotube-based supercapacitors were successfully fabricated using a spray method. For electrodes, multiwalled carbon-nanotube films sprayed on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates were employed. Thin Al films on PET were used as current collectors. The electrolyte was 1 M KNO3. Cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements on the flexible supercapacitors revealed that the area-specific capacitance was 0.11 mF/cm2. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the supercapacitors resulted in a low internal resistance (3.7 Ω). The energy density and the power density of the flexible supercapacitor were measured to be 3.06 × 10-8 Wh/cm2 and 2.65 × 10-7 W/cm2, respectively. The Bode | z| and phase-angle plots showed that the supercapacitors functioned close to ideal capacitors at the frequencies near 2 kHz. These results indicate that the spray deposition method of carbon nanotubes could be promising for fabricating flexible energy devices or electronics.

CERN HUMAN RESSOURCES 1999 FRENCH VERSION NOW AVAIABLE

CERN Multimedia

Division du Personnel

1999-01-01

A report on CERN Human Resources is published once every two years. The version of the 1999 report is now available in French and in English: in your divisional secretariat for paper copieson the Web: http://www.cern.ch/HRreportIn its foreword, the Director-General addresses some key issues:'Many (…) key personnel are now steadily approaching retirement. (…) More efficient working methods and new technology can absorb not all the natural depletion. New blood is vital, and about a hundred new people are taken on each year'About the RSL programme, he says:'… More than 30 additional posts have been opened by this voluntary scheme. This programme displays the excellent mutual understanding that has been carefully built up between CERN management and staff. This harmonious atmosphere bodes well for continued success.'The Human Resources 1999 report gives information on a lot of subjects:general information on CERN's aim and the organisation of its operations,major changes in recent years...

Behavior of cross flow heat exchangers during the cooling and dehumidification of air

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ober, C [Karlsruhe Univ. (TH) (Germany, F.R.). Inst. fuer Mess- und Regelungstechnik mit Maschinenlaboratorium

1980-09-01

The task of cross flow heat exchangers in room air engineering consists on the one hand in heating up the air and, on the other hand, in the simultaneous cooling and dehumidification. The facilities used for this purpose generally are multi-row finned pipe heat exchangers which when used for cooling contain cold water or brine as the working fluid. The use of directly evaporating freezing mixtures may not be included in this consideration. The model establishment for the dynamic and the static behavior of multi-row cross flow heat exchangers during cooling and dehumidification of air has been derived in this contribution. The representation is performed for the dynamic case in the complex, display range of the Laplace transformation. A comparison with experimental results can be done very simply by means of measurements of the frequency-responce curves in the form of Bode diagrams. The description of the static behaviour may be applied as a basis for humidity controls with more favourable energy utilization.

Joint trajectories for social and physical aggression as predictors of adolescent maladjustment: Internalizing symptoms, rule-breaking behaviors, and borderline and narcissistic personality features

Science.gov (United States)

UNDERWOOD, MARION K.; BERON, KURT J.; ROSEN, LISA H.

2011-01-01

This investigation examined the relation between developmental trajectories jointly estimated for social and physical aggression and adjustment problems at age 14. Teachers provided ratings of children's social and physical aggression in Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 for a sample of 255 children (131 girls, 21% African American, 52% European American, 21% Mexican American). Participants, parents, and teachers completed measures of the adolescent's adjustment to assess internalizing symptoms, rule-breaking behaviors, and borderline and narcissistic personality features. Results showed that membership in a high and rising trajectory group predicted rule-breaking behaviors and borderline personality features. Membership in a high desister group predicted internalizing symptoms, rule-breaking behaviors, and borderline and narcissistic personality features. The findings suggest that although low levels of social and physical aggression may not bode poorly for adjustment, individuals engaging in high levels of social and physical aggression in middle childhood may be at greatest risk for adolescent psychopathology, whether they increase or desist in their aggression through early adolescence. PMID:21532919

Two-point concrete resistivity measurements: interfacial phenomena at the electrode–concrete contact zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCarter, W J; Taha, H M; Suryanto, B; Starrs, G

2015-01-01

Ac impedance spectroscopy measurements are used to critically examine the end-to-end (two-point) testing technique employed in evaluating the bulk electrical resistivity of concrete. In particular, this paper focusses on the interfacial contact region between the electrode and specimen and the influence of contacting medium and measurement frequency on the impedance response. Two-point and four-point electrode configurations were compared and modelling of the impedance response was undertaken to identify and quantify the contribution of the electrode–specimen contact region on the measured impedance. Measurements are presented in both Bode and Nyquist formats to aid interpretation. Concretes mixes conforming to BSEN206-1 and BS8500-1 were investigated which included concretes containing the supplementary cementitious materials fly ash and ground granulated blast-furnace slag. A measurement protocol is presented for the end-to-end technique in terms of test frequency and electrode–specimen contacting medium in order to minimize electrode–specimen interfacial effect and ensure correct measurement of bulk resistivity. (paper)

Coherence-limited solar power conversion: the fundamental thermodynamic bounds and the consequences for solar rectennas

Science.gov (United States)

Mashaal, Heylal; Gordon, Jeffrey M.

2014-10-01

Solar rectifying antennas constitute a distinct solar power conversion paradigm where sunlight's spatial coherence is a basic constraining factor. In this presentation, we derive the fundamental thermodynamic limit for coherence-limited blackbody (principally solar) power conversion. Our results represent a natural extension of the eponymous Landsberg limit, originally derived for converters that are not constrained by the radiation's coherence, and are irradiated at maximum concentration (i.e., with a view factor of unity to the solar disk). We proceed by first expanding Landsberg's results to arbitrary solar view factor (i.e., arbitrary concentration and/or angular confinement), and then demonstrate how the results are modified when the converter can only process coherent radiation. The results are independent of the specific power conversion mechanism, and hence are valid for diffraction-limited as well as quantum converters (and not just classical heat engines or in the geometric optics regime). The derived upper bounds bode favorably for the potential of rectifying antennas as potentially high-efficiency solar converters.

Modeling and simulation of equivalent circuits in description of biological systems - a fractional calculus approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Francisco Gómez Aguilar

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Using the fractional calculus approach, we present the Laplace analysis of an equivalent electrical circuit for a multilayered system, which includes distributed elements of the Cole model type. The Bode graphs are obtained from the numerical simulation of the corresponding transfer functions using arbitrary electrical parameters in order to illustrate the methodology. A numerical Laplace transform is used with respect to the simulation of the fractional differential equations. From the results shown in the analysis, we obtain the formula for the equivalent electrical circuit of a simple spectrum, such as that generated by a real sample of blood tissue, and the corresponding Nyquist diagrams. In addition to maintaining consistency in adjusted electrical parameters, the advantage of using fractional differential equations in the study of the impedance spectra is made clear in the analysis used to determine a compact formula for the equivalent electrical circuit, which includes the Cole model and a simple RC model as special cases.

Bayesian versus politically motivated reasoning in human perception of climate anomalies

Science.gov (United States)

Ripberger, Joseph T.; Jenkins-Smith, Hank C.; Silva, Carol L.; Carlson, Deven E.; Gupta, Kuhika; Carlson, Nina; Dunlap, Riley E.

2017-11-01

In complex systems where humans and nature interact to produce joint outcomes, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience require that humans perceive feedback—signals of health and distress—from natural systems. In many instances, humans readily perceive feedback. In others, feedback is more difficult to perceive, so humans rely on experts, heuristics, biases, and/or identify confirming rationalities that may distort perceptions of feedback. This study explores human perception of feedback from natural systems by testing alternate conceptions about how individuals perceive climate anomalies, a form of feedback from the climate system. Results indicate that individuals generally perceive climate anomalies, especially when the anomalies are relatively extreme and persistent. Moreover, this finding is largely robust to political differences that generate predictable but small biases in feedback perception at extreme ends of the partisan spectrum. The subtlety of these biases bodes well for mitigation, adaptation, and resilience as human systems continue to interact with a changing climate system.

A Meta-Model of Inter-Organisational Cooperation for the Transition to a Circular Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessandro Ruggieri

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The transition to a circular economy bodes well for a future of environmentally sustainable growth and economic development. The implications and advantages of a shift to a circular economy have been extensively demonstrated by the literature on the subject. What has not been sufficiently investigated is how this paradigm can be enabled through the inter-organisational cooperation among different business enterprises. In order to illustrate this point, in this paper we aim to contribute to the circular economy debate by describing and discussing such a meta-model of inter-organisational cooperation. The present study is therefore based on the analysis of three cases from an equal number of industries, from which we identified factors of potential impact for the stimulation of cooperation in a circular economy perspective. Last, but not least, we discuss the relations between the case studies and try to formulate all possible implications for both managers and research.

High Temperature Materials Laboratory Fourteenth Annual Report: October 2000 through September 2001

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pasto, A.E.

2002-05-16

The HTML User Program continued to work with industrial, academic, and governmental users this year, accepting 92 new projects and developing 48 new user agreements. Table 1 presents the breakdown of these statistics. Figure 1 depicts the continued growth in user agreements and user projects. You will note that the total number of HTML proposals has now exceeded 1000. Also, the large number of new agreements bodes well for the future. At the end of the report, we present a list of proposals to the HTML and a list of agreements between HTML and universities and industries, broken down by state. Program highlights this year included several outstanding user projects (some of which are highlighted in later sections), the annual meeting of the HTML Programs Senior Advisory Committee, and approval by ORNL for the construction of a building to house our new aberration-corrected electron microscope (ACEM) and several other sensitive electron and optical instruments.

Voltage-Controlled Spray Deposition of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes on Semiconducting and Insulating Substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Maulik, Subhodip; Sarkar, Anirban; Basu, Srismrita; Daniels-Race, Theda

2018-05-01

A facile, cost-effective, voltage-controlled, "single-step" method for spray deposition of surfactant-assisted dispersed carbon nanotube (CNT) thin films on semiconducting and insulating substrates has been developed. The fabrication strategy enables direct deposition and adhesion of CNT films on target samples, eliminating the need for substrate surface functionalization with organosilane binder agents or metal layer coatings. Spray coating experiments on four types of sample [bare silicon (Si), microscopy-grade glass samples, silicon dioxide (SiO2), and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)] under optimized control parameters produced films with thickness ranging from 40 nm to 6 μm with substantial surface coverage and packing density. These unique deposition results on both semiconducting and insulator target samples suggest potential applications of this technique in CNT thin-film transistors with different gate dielectrics, bendable electronics, and novel CNT-based sensing devices, and bodes well for further investigation into thin-film coatings of various inorganic, organic, and hybrid nanomaterials on different types of substrate.

An overview on the delivery of antitumor drug doxorubicin by carrier proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Agudelo, D; Bérubé, G; Tajmir-Riahi, H A

2016-07-01

Serum proteins play an increasing role as drug carriers in the clinical settings. In this review, we have compared the binding modalities of anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) to three model carrier proteins, human serum albumin (HSA), bovine serum albumin (BSA) and milk beta-lactoglobulin (β-LG) in order to determine the potential application of these model proteins in DOX delivery. Molecular modeling studies showed stronger binding of DOX with HSA than BSA and β-LG with the free binding energies of -10.75 (DOX-HSA), -9.31 (DOX-BSA) and -8.12kcal/mol (DOX-β-LG). Extensive H-boding network stabilizes DOX-protein conjugation and played a major role in drug-protein complex formation. DOX complexation induced major alterations of HSA and BSA conformations, while did not alter β-LG secondary structure. The literature review shows that these proteins can potentially be used for delivery of DOX in vitro and in vivo. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reduction of Hexavalent Chromium Using Sorbaria sorbifolia Aqueous Leaf Extract

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shashi Prabha Dubey

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Aqueous plant leaves extract (PLE of an abundant shrub, Sorbaria sorbifolia, was explored for the reduction of hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI, to trivalent chromium, Cr(III. The effect of contact time, pH, PLE quantity, ionic strength, hardness, temperature and effective initial Cr(VI ion concentration were tested; Cr(VI reduction followed the pseudo-first order rate kinetics and maximum reduction was observed at pH 2. Significantly, Cr(VI reduction efficacies varied from 97 to 66% over the pH range of 2 to 10, which bodes well for PLE to be used for the reduction of Cr(VI also at a higher pH. PLE-mediated Cr(VI reduction displays considerable efficiency at various ionic strengths; however, hardness strongly affects the reduction ability. Higher temperature significantly enhances the Cr(VI reduction. This study reveals the potential use of PLE as a green reducing agent in aqueous extract for the efficient reduction of Cr(VI to Cr(III.

Commentary: IARC Monographs Program and public health under siege by corporate interests.

Science.gov (United States)

Infante, Peter F; Melnick, Ronald; Vainio, Harri; Huff, James

2018-04-01

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluates causes of cancer with help from independent international experts in an open and transparent manner. Countries, research and regulatory agencies, and other organizations adopt IARC evaluations for communication of human cancer hazards, and for strategies to prevent cancer. Scientists worldwide endorse IARC cancer evaluations and process. Those with economic interests, however, challenge IARC's cancer evaluations, most recently for glyphosate and red and processed meats, and are conducting a campaign including intervention from US Congressional Representatives to discredit IARC's review process and to undermine financial support-a campaign intimidating to IARC and Working Group members. Challenges to scientific interpretations serve to advance science and should be resolved by scientific experts who do not have conflicts of interest. Such interference does not bode well for the free flow of scientific information that informs and protects the public from risks of cancer. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

INCA- INTERACTIVE CONTROLS ANALYSIS

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, F. H.

1994-01-01

plane to W plane and back. These capabilities allow the INCA user to perform block diagram algebraic manipulations quickly for functions in the S, Z, and W domains. Additionally, a versatile digital control capability has been included in INCA. Special plane transformations allow the user to easily convert functions from one domain to another. Other digital control capabilities include: 1) totally independent open loop frequency response analyses on a continuous plant, discrete control system with a delay, 2) advanced Z-transform capability for systems with delays, and 3) multirate sampling analyses. The current version of INCA includes Dynamic Functions (which change when a parameter changes), standard filter generation, PD and PID controller generation, incorporation of the QZ-algorithm (function addition, inverse Laplace), and describing functions that allow the user to calculate the gain and phase characteristics of a nonlinear device. The INCA graphic modes provide the user with a convenient means to document and study frequency response, time response, and root locus analyses. General graphics features include: 1) zooming and dezooming, 2) plot documentation, 3) a table of analytic computation results, 4) multiple curves on the same plot, and 5) displaying frequency and gain information for a specific point on a curve. Additional capabilities in the frequency response mode include: 1) a full complement of graphical methods Bode magnitude, Bode phase, Bode combined magnitude and phase, Bode strip plots, root contour plots, Nyquist, Nichols, and Popov plots; 2) user selected plot scaling; and 3) gain and phase margin calculation and display. In the time response mode, additional capabilities include: 1) support for inverse Laplace and inverse Z transforms, 2) support for various input functions, 3) closed loop response evaluation, 4) loop gain sensitivity analyses, 5) intersample time response for discrete systems using the advanced Z transform, and 6) closed loop

Elections to the Senior Staff Advisory Committee 
("The Nine") 2007

CERN Multimedia

2007-01-01

The electronic voting process for the Senior Staff Advisory Committee ("The Nine") was closed on Friday 1st June. Of the 449 Senior Staff members called to vote, 281 cast a vote, of which 279 were valid. The results are as follows: Electoral Group 1 Name\tDepartment\tVotes Patrick Janot\tPH\t50 Rolf Landua\tDSU\t86 Marcello Mannelli\tPH\t22 Thomas Ruf\tPH\t30 Electoral Group 2Name\tDepartment\tVotes Olivier Brunner\tAB\t47 Doris Burckhart\tPH\t44 Helmut Burkhardt\tAB\t31 Marco Cattaneo\tPH\t48 Paul Collier\tAB\t66 Hubert Gerwig\tPH\t19 Eugenia Hatziangeli\tAB\t34 Miguel Angel Marquina\tIT\t36 Malika Meddahi\tAB\t51 Alberto Pace\tIT\t123 Stephan Russenschuck\tAT\t35 Alan Silverman\tIT\t47 Detlef Swoboda\tTS\t25 Elena Wildner\tAT\t52 Rolf Landua is therefore elected in Group 1, and Alberto Pace, Paul Collier and Elena Wildner are elected in Group 2. Their mandate is from July 2007 to June 2010. The Committee now consists of these newly-elected members together with Monica Pepe-Altarelli, Rudiger Schmidt, R. Martens, A. Unnervik and E. Tsesmelis...

Prominence Bubbles and Plumes: Thermo-magnetic Buoyancy in Coronal Cavity Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Thomas; Hurlburt, N.

2009-05-01

The Hinode/Solar Optical Telescope continues to produce high spatial and temporal resolution images of solar prominences in both the Ca II 396.8 nm H-line and the H-alpha 656.3 nm line. Time series of these images show that many quiescent prominences produce large scale (50 Mm) dark "bubbles" that "inflate" into, and sometimes burst through, the prominence material. In addition, small-scale (2--5 Mm) dark plumes are seen rising into many quiescent prominences. We show typical examples of both phenomena and argue that they originate from the same mechanism: concentrated and heated magnetic flux that rises due to thermal and magnetic buoyancy to equilibrium heights in the prominence/coronal-cavity system. More generally, these bubbles and upflows offer a source of both magnetic flux and mass to the overlying coronal cavity, supporting B.C. Low's theory of CME initiation via steadily increasing magnetic buoyancy breaking through the overlying helmut streamer tension forces. Quiescent prominences are thus seen as the lowermost parts of the larger coronal cavity system, revealing through thermal effects both the cooled downflowing "drainage" from the cavity and the heated upflowing magnetic "plasmoids" supplying the cavity. We compare SOT movies to new 3D compressible MHD simulations that reproduce the dark turbulent plume dynamics to establish the magnetic and thermal character of these buoyancy-driven flows into the corona.

15. dialogue on waste management MV. Current developments in waste and resources economics. Proceedings; 15. Dialog Abfallwirtschaft MV. Aktuelle Entwicklungen in der Abfall und Ressourcenwirtschaft. Tagungsband

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nelles, Michael (ed.)

2012-07-01

Within the 15th dialogue on waste management MV at the University of Rostock (Rostock, Federal Republic of Germany) at 13th June, 2012, the following lectures were held: (1) 20 Years GAA - 20 years of successful work (Hartwig Roessler); (2) Acquisition and evaluation of waste management data in Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania - A basis for planning for strategies according to Cycle and Waste Management Act KrWG (Helmut Kietzmann); (3) Demographic change in Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania - Implications for the waste management (Matthias Leuchter); (4) The HPWM project (Jan Marquardt); (5) Consequences of the modified legal and regulatory situation for the operation of refuse-fuelled power stations (Kurt Wengenroth); (6) Foodstuffs in the waste - Analysis and mitigation proposals (Jakob Barabosz); (7) Disposal of electric and electronic equipment as well as manufacturer responsibility (Vera Susanne Rotter); (8) Advanced waste management concepts in developing countries - foundable? Realizable? Sustainable? (Wolfgang Pfaff-Simoneit); (9) Further development of the mechanical-biological waste treatment (Stephan Schuett); (10) Airjet-pipecleaner - the automatic cleaning facility for ventilation nozzles (Armin Seidel); (11) Exploitation of reusable materials from bottom ash (Dirk Bludau); (12) Is the thermal treatment suitable for the utilization of glass-fibre reinforced plastics wastes? (Karl-Heinz Plepla); (13) Recyclability of bioplastics(An-Sophie Kitzler); (14) Development of process-oriented quality inspections for the near private collection of refuse and recyclable material (Nico Schulte).

Einige Überlegungen zur Bestimmung des Äquivalenzgrades am Beispiel des lexikalischen Feldes „Erhebung im Gelände“

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daumantas Katinas

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Eine der wichtigsten Fragen in der kontrastiven Lexikologie, zweisprachigen Lexikografie und der Übersetzungswissenschaft ist die Bestimmung des Äquivalenzgrades zwischen den Lexemen der Vergleichssprachen. Die meisten Lexikologen, die sich mit kontrastiven Untersuchungen beschäftigen, sprechen von der Voll-, Teil- und Nulläquivalenz. In der Praxis existiert allerdings nur die so genannte Teiläquivalenz. Wenn man aber in der wissenschaftlichen Diskussion nur diesen Begriff verwenden würde, entstünden somit noch größere Schwierigkeiten bei der Bestimmung des Äquivalenzgrades, weil sich das Spektrum der Teiläquivalenz von 1 bis 99 Prozent erstrecken würde. Daher wird im vorliegenden Beitrag eine Formel zur Berechnung des Äquivalenzgrades zwischen zwei Vergleichslexemen vorgeschlagen. In erster Linie wird die semantische Analyse des lexikalischen Feldes „Erhebung im Gelände“ im Litauischen und im Deutschen, das die Grundlage der Formel bildet, kurz präsentiert. Dazu wird der von Helmut Henne und Herbert Ernst Wiegand (Henne 1972, Wiegand 1970, Kühn 1979 vorgeschlagene Entwurf, die lexikalische Bedeutung mit Hilfe von onomasiologischen, komplementär-semasiologischen und autonom-semasiologischen Operationsschritten zu beschreiben, herangezogen. Dieser Entwurf wird durch kontrastive, prototypensemantische und korpusgestützte Aspekte ergänzt. Im zweiten Teil wird die mathematische Formel zur Berechnung des Äquivalenzgrades zwischen zwei Vergleichslexemen angegeben und durch das Beispiel des Lexempaars kalva–Hügel veranschaulicht.

Identificación de parámetros con métodos numéricos para el modelado de sistemas eléctricos con dependencia frecuencial;Identification of parameters with numerical methods for the modelling of electrical systems with frequency dependence.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eduardo Salvador Bañuelos Cabral

2015-06-01

Full Text Available El artículo presenta una descripción detallada de las técnicas más utilizadas para hacer ajuste racional de funciones del dominio de la frecuencia. Las técnicas son: Aproximación Asintótica de Bode, Mínimos Cuadrados Ordinarios, Mínimos Cuadrados Iterativamente Reponderados, Ajuste Vectorial y Levenberg-Marquardt. Estas técnicas se comparan aproximando una función analítica. Después, se aplican al ajuste racional de parámetros dependientes de la frecuencia de una línea de transmisión monofásica. El efecto del ajuste se evalúa considerando los casos de línea abierta, corto circuito y perfectamente acoplada. La transformada numérica de Laplace (NLT se utiliza como referencia para la evaluación. Se concluye que la adecuada implementación de cada técnica depende de varios factores; del tipo de función a ajustar, del rango de ajuste, y otros. Además, no es posible garantizar que una de las técnicas siempre converja al mejor resultado. El artículo propone algunas guías para seleccionar la técnica más adecuada para una aplicación particular. This paper provides a detailed description of the rational fitting techniques that are most used to approximate frequency domain functions. The techniques are: Bode asymptotic approximations, Ordinary Least-Squares, Iteratively Reweighted Least-Squares, Vector Fitting and Levenberg-Marquardt. These techniques are compared by approximating of an analytic function. Then, the techniques are applied to the rational-fitting of the frequency-dependent parameters corresponding to a single-phase transmission line. The effect of the rational representations is evaluated considering transients on cases of open-ended, short-circuited and perfectly matched lines. The numerical Laplace transform technique (NLT is used as reference for the evaluations. It follows that the proper implementation of each fitting technique depends on various factors; the type of function being adjusted, the desired

Budke, Alexandra; Kanwischer, Detlef; Pott, Andreas (Hg.), Internetgeographien : Beobachtungen zum Verhältnis von Internet, Raum und Gesellschaft / [rezensiert von] Helmut Klüter

OpenAIRE

Klüter, Helmut

2009-01-01

Rezensiertes Werk: Internetgeographien : Beobachtungen zum Verhältnis von Internet, Raum und Gesellschaft / hrsg. von Alexandra Budke ... - Stuttgart : Steiner, 2004. - 192 S. : Ill., graph. Darst., Kt. - (Erdkundliches Wissen ; 136) ISBN 3-515-08506-8

Design and Analysis of the Power Control System of the Fast Zero Energy Reactor FR-0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schuh, N J.H.

1966-12-15

This report describes the power control by means of the fine-control rod and the design of the control system of the fast zero energy reactor FR-0 located in Studsvik, Sweden. System requirements and some operational conditions were used as design criteria. Manual and automatic control is possible. Variable electronic end-stops for the control rod have been designed, because of the special construction of the reactor and control rod. Noise in the control system caused by the reactor, detector and electronics caused disturbances of the control system at the lower power levels. The noise power-spectrum was measured. Statistical design methods, using the measured noise power spectrum, were used to design filters, which will reduce the influence of the noise at the lower power levels. Root Loci sketches and Bode diagrams were used for stability analyses. The system was simulated on an analogue computer, taking into account even nonlinearities of the control system and noise. Typical cases of reactor operation were simulated and stability analysis performed.

The Right to Freedom of Expression: The Mother of our Democracy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Willem Johannes van Vollenhoven

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper explores student-teachers' understanding of the right to freedom of expression in education. Analyses of case law and legal principles affirm that the right to freedom of expression is an essential prerequisite to protect and promote democracy. Based on qualitative research, the empirical evidence indicates that although student-teachers are aware of the fact that the right to freedom of expression is not absolute and may be limited, they have a superficial knowledge of the application of this right. Student-teachers have a sense of the importance of the right to freedom of expression in a democracy, but they have not yet internalised the mechanism or process of balancing the right in praxis. This does not bode well as the school system will fail to be a market place of ideas. In order to enable learners to reach their full potential as critical thinkers and autonomous citizens in a developing democracy, it is imperative that teachers should understand and master the application of the right to freedom of expression in schools.

YACHTING CLUB

CERN Document Server

YACHTING CLUB

2010-01-01

INTERNAL RAGATTE - BEST EVER ! If you missed Internal Regatta III on Sunday 11 July, you missed one of the best we can recall! The winds were about perfect, fairly stable Bf 2 with periodic gusts higher and the resulting capsizes to keep crews concentrating. It was extremely hot but we ran the usual three heats for keelboats and a record four for dinghies, catamarans - where there was another record, surely: a total of 11 boats in that class, of which three privately owned by members. And a final record: we calculate five boats were competing in their first-ever regatta. Results on the webpage. Surprisingly for those who remember regattas of a couple of years back, only three keelboats competed, so there would have been plenty of scope for less experienced members to come along regardless and probably find themselves a place. It is also noteworthy that the keelboat winner was Andrea Messina with an - ummm, may I say - less experienced crew himself! We hope this win bodes well for his forthcoming Transl&am...

Acoustic Emission Technique Applied in Textiles Mechanical Characterization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rios-Soberanis Carlos Rolando

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The common textile architecture/geometry are woven, braided, knitted, stitch boded, and Z-pinned. Fibres in textile form exhibit good out-of-plane properties and good fatigue and impact resistance, additionally, they have better dimensional stability and conformability. Besides the nature of the textile, the architecture has a great role in the mechanical behaviour and mechanisms of damage in textiles, therefore damage mechanisms and mechanical performance in structural applications textiles have been a major concern. Mechanical damage occurs to a large extent during the service lifetime consequently it is vital to understand the material mechanical behaviour by identifying its mechanisms of failure such as onset of damage, crack generation and propagation. In this work, textiles of different architecture were used to manufacture epoxy based composites in order to study failure events under tensile load by using acoustic emission technique which is a powerful characterization tool due to its link between AE data and fracture mechanics, which makes this relation a very useful from the engineering point of view.

Effect of black clay soil moisture on the electrochemical behavior of API X70 pipeline steel

Science.gov (United States)

Hendi, R.; Saifi, H.; Belmokre, K.; Ouadah, M.; Smili, B.; Talhi, B.

2018-03-01

The effect of moisture content variation (20–100 wt.%) on the electrochemical behavior of API X70 pipeline steel buried in the soil of Skikda (East of Algeria) was studied using electrochemical techniques, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and weight loss measurement. The electrochemical measurements showed that the corrosion current Icorr is directly proportional to the moisture content up to 50 wt.%, beyond this content, this value becomes almost constant. The result were confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; the capacitance of the double layer formed on the surface is the highest at 50 wt.%. A single time constant was detected by plotting the Bode diagrams. The steel surface degradation has been appreciated using the scanning electron microscopy observations. A few pitting corrosion at 20 wt.% moisture, followed by more degradation at 50 wt.% have been revealed. However, when the moisture amount exceeded 50 wt.%, the surface became entirely covered by a corrosion product. XRD analysis revealed the dominance of FeOOH and Fe3O4 phases on steel surface for a moisture content of 50 wt.%.

Suboptimal control of pressurized water reactor power plant using approximate model-following method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuji, Masashi; Ogawa, Yuichi

1987-01-01

We attempted to develop an effective control system that can successfully manage the nuclear steam supply (NSS) system of a PWR power plant in an operational mode requiring relatively small variations of power. A procedure is proposed for synthesizing control system that is a simple, yet practiced, suboptimal control system. The suboptimal control system is designed in two steps; application of the optimal control theory, based on the linear state-feedback control and the use of an approximate model-following method. This procedure can appreciably reduce the complexity of the structure of the controller by accepting a slight deviation from the optimality and by the use of the output-feedback control. This eliminates the engineering difficulty caused by an incompletely state-feedback that is sometimes encountered in practical applications of the optimal state-feedback control theory to complex large-scale dynamical systems. Digital simulations and graphical studies based on the Bode-diagram demonstrate the effectiveness of the suboptimal control, and the applicability of the proposed design method as well. (author)

Kamide reflects on JGR and the role of editor

Science.gov (United States)

Woods, Peter

After serving the space physics community for more than 11 years, Y. Kamide of the Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory at Nagoya University in Toyokawa, Japan, retired as editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research-Space Physics for the Asian/Pacific region. He had been a JGR editor since AGU first opened two editorial offices in Europe and the Asian/Pacific region in 1989. Even as the initial JGR editor in Asia, Kamide was not new to AGU editorial business. Before accepting the JGR position, Kamide served 3 years as the editor in Japan for Geophysical Research Letters.According to Kamide, over the last 5 years, the number of high-quality submissions to JGR in the Asian/Pacific region has increased dramatically, by a factor of 2.5. This increase came mostly from the younger generation of scientists, which bodes well for the future of JGR and space physics in general. Together with the substantial contributions to JGR from the European community, this achievement has been recognized by AGU as proof that JGR is truly an international journal of the highest editorial standards.

WEO-2011 Executive Summary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

There are few signs that the urgently needed change in direction in global energy trends is underway. Although the recovery in the world economy since 2009 has been uneven, and future economic prospects remain uncertain, global primary energy demand rebounded by a remarkable 5% in 2010, pushing CO2 emissions to a new high. Subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption of fossil fuels jumped to over $400 billion. The number of people without access to electricity remained unacceptably high at 1.3 billion, around 20% of the world's population. Despite the priority in many countries to increase energy efficiency, global energy intensity worsened for the second straight year. Against this unpromising background, events such as those at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and the turmoil in parts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have cast doubts on the reliability of energy supply, while concerns about sovereign financial integrity have shifted the focus of government attention away from energy policy and limited their means of policy intervention, boding ill for agreed global climate change objectives.

Resveratrol in prevention and treatment of common clinical conditions of aging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Andrea Markus

2008-06-01

Full Text Available M Andrea Markus, Brian J MorrisSchool of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, AustraliaAbstract: Resveratrol is a potent member of the class of natural, plant-derived chemicals known as polyphenols. These help explain in part why a diet high in fruit and vegetables confers health benefits and are associated with reduced risk of common complex conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. We present the latest molecular findings that account for the beneficial actions of resveratrol. The intracellular pathways activated are crucial for anti-oxidant defence, regulation of the cell cycle, mitochondrial energy production, vascular tone, oncogene suppression, and many other phenomena which if unchecked lead to morbidity and mortality from onset and progression of these various diseases. While a healthy diet and lifestyle is strongly recommended in prevention of such conditions, the future bodes well for the use of resveratrol and analogues of higher potency than the natural form for treatment of diseases that afflict humans, particularly as they age.Keywords: resveratrol, longevity, SIRT, wine, aging, cancer

Early investigations of Ceres and the discovery of Pallas historical studies in asteroid research

CERN Document Server

Cunningham, Clifford

2016-01-01

An asteroid scholar, Cunningham in this book picks up where his Discovery of the First Asteroid, Ceres left off in telling the story of the impact created by the discovery of this new class of object in the early 1800s. The best and brightest minds of mathematics, science, and philosophy were fascinated by Ceres, and figures as diverse as Gauss, Herschel, Brougham, Kant, and Laplace all contributed something to the conversation. The first few chapters deal with the mathematical and philosophical aspects of the discovery, and the rivalry between Germany and France that so affected science and astronomy of that era. The jockeying for glory over the discovery of Ceres by both Piazzi and Bode is examined in detail, as is the reception given to Herschel’s use of the word 'asteroid.' Archival research that reveals the creator of the word 'asteroid' is presented in this book. Astronomy was a truly cosmopolitan field at the time, spanning across various disciplines, and the discovery of Pallas, a story completely t...

Impedance Spectroscopic Investigation of Proton Conductivity in Nafion Using Transient Electrochemical Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emil Roduner

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Spatially resolved impedance spectroscopy of a Nafion polyelectrolyte membrane is performed employing a conductive and Pt-coated tip of an atomic force microscope as a point-like contact and electrode. The experiment is conducted by perturbing the system by a rectangular voltage step and measuring the incurred current, followed by Fourier transformation and plotting the impedance against the frequency in a conventional Bode diagram. To test the potential and limitations of this novel method, we present a feasibility study using an identical hydrogen atmosphere at a well-defined relative humidity on both sides of the membrane. It is demonstrated that good quality impedance spectra are obtained in a frequency range of 0.2–1,000 Hz. The extracted polarization curves exhibit a maximum current which cannot be explained by typical diffusion effects. Simulation based on equivalent circuits requires a Nernst element for restricted diffusion in the membrane which suggests that this effect is based on the potential dependence of the electrolyte resistance in the high overpotential region.

Washington in '97: Positive energy moves expected

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthews, C.D.

1997-01-01

After the stormy closing weeks of the 1996 electrons, when the fog finally lifted, a strong indication of the direction American politics is taking emerged. It is still moving clearly to the right. Donald Lambro, chief political correspondent of The Washington Times, put it this way, ''Contemporary liberalism may not be dead and buried yet, but it remains comatose and continues to wither away--without a clear and relevant agenda, without a credible champion, and without a majority party. Meanwhile, the Congress that will be sworn in next January will be one of the most conservative in decades.'' Why that will likely bode well for the US oil and gas industry is the theme of the following discussion. Outlined therein are: some thoughts on why Clinton won; a wrapup of key seats and committee members of the 105th Congress; news of a bipartisan forum for the oil/gas industry; improved outlook for movement on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR); progress on the national public education program; and a list of industry's challenges for the next few years

Optimal control of quantum systems: Origins of inherent robustness to control field fluctuations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rabitz, Herschel

2002-01-01

The impact of control field fluctuations on the optimal manipulation of quantum dynamics phenomena is investigated. The quantum system is driven by an optimal control field, with the physical focus on the evolving expectation value of an observable operator. A relationship is shown to exist between the system dynamics and the control field fluctuations, wherein the process of seeking optimal performance assures an inherent degree of system robustness to such fluctuations. The presence of significant field fluctuations breaks down the evolution of the observable expectation value into a sequence of partially coherent robust steps. Robustness occurs because the optimization process reduces sensitivity to noise-driven quantum system fluctuations by taking advantage of the observable expectation value being bilinear in the evolution operator and its adjoint. The consequences of this inherent robustness are discussed in the light of recent experiments and numerical simulations on the optimal control of quantum phenomena. The analysis in this paper bodes well for the future success of closed-loop quantum optimal control experiments, even in the presence of reasonable levels of field fluctuations

Uranium update: geo-socio-political factors of U.S. production, or you wonder where the yellow went

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Odell, R.D.

1986-01-01

Industry developments of 1986 indicate a steady but modest confidence for recovery of the domestic nuclear raw materials business. Concerns of oversupply and foreign inroads into utility contracts were somewhat alleviated with long-overdue recognition by the US Department of Energy in November 1985 that the industry in 1984 failed to meet viability tests, as required of government by public law. However, by February of this year, the government had initiated no perceptive corrective help for the domestic industry, and the DOE was accused of enhancing its competitive position as a provider of enrichment services. New Mexico, once the leader in production of domestic uranium, is compared with Wyoming for remaining and potential reserves. The monopoly by south Texas of low-production-cost uranium in the in-situ-leach (ISL) extractive industry is threatened by oncoming ISL operations in Wyoming and the Crawford, Nebraska, area. Arizona breccia-pipe occurrence of high-grade uranium, domestically speaking, bodes well for mining operators there to compete in what is left of the domestic market

Design and Analysis of the Power Control System of the Fast Zero Energy Reactor FR-0

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuh, N.J.H.

1966-12-01

This report describes the power control by means of the fine-control rod and the design of the control system of the fast zero energy reactor FR-0 located in Studsvik, Sweden. System requirements and some operational conditions were used as design criteria. Manual and automatic control is possible. Variable electronic end-stops for the control rod have been designed, because of the special construction of the reactor and control rod. Noise in the control system caused by the reactor, detector and electronics caused disturbances of the control system at the lower power levels. The noise power-spectrum was measured. Statistical design methods, using the measured noise power spectrum, were used to design filters, which will reduce the influence of the noise at the lower power levels. Root Loci sketches and Bode diagrams were used for stability analyses. The system was simulated on an analogue computer, taking into account even nonlinearities of the control system and noise. Typical cases of reactor operation were simulated and stability analysis performed

Bode’s law and the discovery of Juno historical studies in asteroid research

CERN Document Server

Cunningham, Clifford J

2017-01-01

Johann Bode developed a so-called law of planetary distances best known as Bode’s Law. The story of the discovery of Juno in 1804 by Karl Harding tells how Juno fit into that scheme and is examined as it relates to the philosopher Georg Hegel’s 1801 thesis that there could be no planets between Mars and Jupiter. By 1804 that gap was not only filled but had three residents: Ceres, Pallas and Juno! When Juno was discovered no one could have imagined its study would call into question Newton’s law of gravity, or be the impetus for developing the mathematics of the fast Fourier transform by Carl Gauss. Clifford Cunningham, a dedicated scholar, opens to scrutiny this critical moment of astronomical discovery, continuing the story of asteroid begun in earlier volumes of this series. The fascinating issues raised by the discovery of Juno take us on an extraordinary journey. The revelation of the existence of this new class of celestial bodies transformed our understanding of the Solar System, the implications ...

High Temperature Materials Laboratory Thirteenth Annual Report: October 1999 Through September 2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pasto, AE

2001-11-07

The High Temperature Materials Laboratory (HTML) User Program continued to work with industrial, academic, and governmental users this year, accepting 86 new projects and developing 50 new user agreements. The table on the following page presents the breakdown of these statistics. The figure on page 2 depicts the continued growth in user agreements and user projects. You may note that our total number of proposals is nearing 1000, and we expect to achieve this number in our first proposal review meeting of FY 2001. The large number of new agreements bodes well for the future. A list of proposals to the HTML follows this section; at the end of the report, we present a list of agreements between HTML and universities and industries, broken down by state. Program highlights this year included several outstanding user projects (some of which are discussed in later sections), the annual meeting of the HTML Programs Senior Advisory Committee, the completion of a formal Multiyear Program Plan (MYPP), and finalization of a purchase agreement with JEOL for a new-generation electron microscope.

LHC Report: A new luminosity record

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2011-01-01

After about one month of operation, the LHC has already accumulated an integrated luminosity of 28 pb-1, which corresponds to over 50% of the total delivered to the experiments in 2010. This impressive start to the LHC run in 2011 bodes well for the rest of year.   Following careful collimator set-up and validation, the first phase of beam commissioning 2011 has come to an end. The first stable beams were declared on Sunday 13 March with a moderate 3 bunches per beam and an initial luminosity of 1.6 × 1030 cm-2s-1. Machine protection tests continued during the following week as the commissioning team made absolutely sure that all critical systems (beam dumps, beam interlock system, etc.) were functioning properly. When these tests had finished, the way was opened to increased intensity and the LHC quickly moved through the first part of its planned, staged intensity increase. Fills with increasing numbers of bunches were delivered to the experiments, culminating in a fill with 200...

Teaching Library: Vermittlung von Informationskompetenz an medizinischen Bibliotheken

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bauer, Bruno

2014-08-01

Full Text Available [english] The focus of the current issue 1-2/2014 of GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information is on “Teaching Library: information literacy instruction at medical libraries”. The authors in this issue are Marina Betker & Annette Kustos (Literature research training in health sciences in a new academic library – straight through and strategic planning: the concept of the “hsg Bochum”, Simone Waldboth (Integration of e-learning in the lecture “Information Literacy” at the Provincial College for Health-Care Professions „Claudiana“, Michaele Adam & Jens Mittelbach (Shaping the Future at the SLUB Dresden with Information Literacy in the Research Cycle, Gregor Steinrisser (Sucessfully failing – Fiction and Friction of a teaching library in university and clinical daily routine, Melanie Kintzel & Norbert Sunderbrink (Information literacy classes at the Medical Library of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Markus Schmiel (The teaching and learning concept of the Library of the Hannover Medical School, Jutta Matrisciano & Martina Semmler-Schmetz (Teaching Library – Realization of a concept with many facets at the Library for the Medical Faculty of Mannheim, Karin Cepicka („Teaching Library“ at the Library oft the Medical University Vienna, Helmut Dollfuß (Library user education for the new curriculum at the Medical University Vienna, Manuela Rohrmoser & Irene Schachl (The cooperations of teaching librarians at Vienna University Library und Claudia Hausberger & David Frank (Curriculum reform – a work report from the Library of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna.

Kant Crisis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William H Carter

2011-10-01

Full Text Available • ISSUE 2-1, 2011 • 68 KANT CRISIS This study approaches the last days of Immanuel Kant through the lens of his contemporary biographers and other correspondents. Among the latter, Kant’s brother and, subsequently, his brother’s family provide a symptomatic reflection upon Kant’s management of his genealogy and his legacy. Yet behind this body of work is another corpus, one which embodies maternal and paternal legacies that are not readily subsumed by Oedipus or Kant’s philosophy. This work (of art is Kant’s own body or corpus, which he painstakingly maintained and which provided a case study for his refelctions on preventive medicine in The Conflict of the Faculties. William H. Carter studied at the University of Virginia, the University of Heidelberg, and earned his Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He taught German for three years at Tulane University and recently returned to the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Iowa State University, where he began his teaching career. His current book project is titled “Devilish Details: Goethe’s Public Service and Political Economy.” Julian Fickler attends the Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe, class of Helmut Dorner. He is the recipient of a prestigious fellowship award bestowed by the Künstlerförderung des Cusanuswerks Bonn. He has exhibited solo locally and in group at venues in Berlin and Hamburg.

Blowout heroes : while his crew mate risked fire and falling rock to save him, Curly Slater fought right to the last breath

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Louie, J.

2008-11-15

This article discussed a blow-out that resulted in a fatality at a drilling rig near Helmut, British Columbia (BC). The blowout caused a column of fire, drilling mud, and rock to explode from the floor of the rig. As the rig's derrickman was trapped when drilling mud caked onto his easy rider cable and froze the escape sliding mechanism. The derrickman fell and was left dangling by his harness. Crew members spotted him from a distance and returned to the site in order to unhook the easy rider cable from the manifold shack and move the steel line to a location that would allow him to descend more easily. The derrickman was unable to un-jam his fall arrestor. He freed himself using his own strength, seized a cable, but lost his grip while still 75 feet in the air and fell to his death. The tragedy was caused by the presence of a very large gas pocket encountered at an unusually shallow depth. Several of the crew members have been unable to continue working in the oil and gas industry, due to the psychological trauma of witnessing the man's death. The Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors (CAODC) has issued awards of merit for the crew men who attempted to save the derrickman, and the entire crew will receive medals of bravery from the Governor General of Canada. 2 figs.

Evaluation of body composition in COPD patients using multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

de Blasio F

2016-09-01

expiratory volume in 1 second (P<0.05 and vital capacity (P<0.005. Finally, the 5/250 impedance ratio was reduced (P<0.05 in patients with Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD III and IV (compared to those with GOLD I and II or a BODE index between 6 and 10 points (compared to those with BODE index between 1 and 5 points.Conclusion: MF-BIA may be a useful tool for assessing body composition and nutritional status in COPD patients. In particular, the impedance ratio could give valuable information on cellular integrity and muscle quality.Keywords: muscle quality, impedance ratio, muscle strength

A relação capacidade inspiratória / capacidade pulmonar total (IC/TLC é preditiva da mortalidade na DPOC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Casanova

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Resumo: Foram estudados em dois centros americanos (Flórida e Boston e dois espanhóis (Saragoça e Tenerife 689 doentes entre Dezembro de 1995 e Agosto de 2003, com uma média de estudo de 34 meses.A definição de DPOC foi: exposição tabágica> 20 UMA e FEV1/FVC pós-broncodilatador 25% estavam 58% dos doentes e abaixo de 25% os restantes (42%.A mortalidade nos doentes com IC/TLC 25%.O índice BODE, TM6m, IC/TLC e índice de Charlson foram os melhores preditores de mortalidade global e estes mais a dispneia (MRC para mortalidade de causa respiratória. A relação IC/TLC foi independente do índice BODE como factor preditivo de mortalidade. A correlação entre IC/TLC, MRC e TM6m foi significativa mas não superior à obtida para o FEV1, o que significa que IC/TLC traduz alteração funcional pulmonar, mas de uma forma diferente da do FEV1. Também IC/TLC se correlaciona melhor com o BMI do que FEV1, reflectindo melhor o impacto da gravidade da DPOC.Uma vez que IC/TLC é um excelente parâmetro preditivo de mortalidade, poderá ser esta a explicação para a redução na mortalidade dos doentes que efectuaram cirurgia de redução de volume no estudo NETT.Por último, Celli e o seu grupo propõem que a relação IC/TLC seja designada por «Fracção Inspiratória» por analogia com a “Fracção de Ejecção” utilizada pela cardiologia e de elevado significado clínico.Assim, estes autores recomendam a medição de IC/ /TLC ou Fracção Inspiratória com os outros parâmetros funcionais clássicos para uma avaliação correcta dos doentes com DPOC.

Biological determinants of plant and crop productivity of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.

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Tadeusz Zając

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In Poland the cultivation of the fibrous form of flax (Linum usitatissimum L. is dying out, but the acreage of its oilseed form, linseed, which provides seed (Semen lini used in therapy and being a source of -linolenic acid, is expanding. Nowadays, linseed is grown in 64 countries of the world, but yield levels in these countries vary greatly. Under European conditions, seed yield of linseed shows high variation, which is evidence of little knowledge of the biology of this plant and the lack of precise cultivation solutions in agricultural technologies used. A major reason is the difficulty in obtaining optimal crop density. A sparse crop results in low above-ground biomass yield, which is translated into insufficient crop yields. The selection of highly productive domestic and foreign varieties can partially increase linseed yield; apart from some domestic varieties, the Canadian cultivar 'Flanders' and the Hungarian cultivar 'Barbara' are positive examples in this respect. There is a possibility of effective selection at early stages of linseed breeding, which bodes well for the prospect of obtaining highly productive varieties with normal or very low -linolenic acid content.

Coagulation-Fenton coupled treatment for ecotoxicity reduction in highly polluted industrial wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Perdigón-Melón, J A; Carbajo, J B; Petre, A L; Rosal, R; García-Calvo, E

2010-09-15

A coupled coagulation-Fenton process was applied for the treatment of cosmetic industry effluents. In a first step, FeSO(4) was used as coagulant and the non-precipitated Fe(2+) remaining in dissolution was used as catalyst in the further Fenton process. In the coagulation process a huge decrease in total organic carbon (TOC) was achieved, but the high concentration of phenol derivatives was not diminished. The decrease in TOC in the coagulation step significantly reduces the amount of H(2)O(2) required in the Fenton process for phenol depletion. The coupled process, using a H(2)O(2) dose of only 2 g l(-1), reduced TOC and total phenol to values lower than 40 and 0.10 mg l(-1), respectively. The short reaction period (less than 15 min) in TOC and phenol degradation bodes well for improving treatment in a continuous regime. The combination of both processes significantly reduced the ecotoxicity of raw effluent and markedly increased its biodegradability, thus allowing easier treatment by the conventional biological units in conventional sewage treatment plants (STPs). Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Research of Active Power Filter Modeling with Grid Impedance in Feedback Linearization and Quasi-Sliding Mode Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zeyu Shi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Active power filter (APF is the most popular device in regulating power quality issues. Currently, most literatures ignored the impact of grid impedance and assumed the load voltage is ideal, which had not described the system accurately. In addition, the controllers applied PI control; thus it is hard to improve the compensation quality. This paper establishes a precise model which consists of APF, load, and grid impedance. The Bode diagram of traditional simplified model is obviously different with complete model, which means the descriptions of the system based on the traditional simplified model are inaccurate and incomplete. And then design exact feedback linearization and quasi-sliding mode control (FBL-QSMC is based on precise model in inner current loop. The system performances in different parameters are analyzed and dynamic performance of proposed algorithm is compared with traditional PI control algorithm. At last, simulations are taken in three cases to verify the performance of proposed control algorithm. The results proved that the proposed feedback linearization and quasi-sliding mode control algorithm has fast response and robustness; the compensation performance is superior to PI control obviously, which also means the complete modeling and proposed control algorithm are correct.

Policy responses to the European debt crisis treating the “symptoms” or the “disease”?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antzoulatos Angelos A.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The conventional narrative for the European debt crisis stresses three factors, namely, bad policies and profligacy in the afflicted countries - mostly southern ones, flaws in the EMU design, and wise policies in the northern frugal countries. This paper argues that the root causes of the crisis lie in the failure of many “safety valves” of market economies, at many levels of the society, both in the crisis countries and in the more “prudent” EMU countries, in an economic environment where unfettered finance can overwhelm even the biggest and best managed economies. Hence, the policy responses based on the conventional narrative are akin to treating the “symptoms”, not the “disease”. As such, they may be setting the foundations for a bigger crisis in the future by strengthening the always-present perverse incentives of many economic players and by proposing complex and unworkable regulatory and supervisory structures. This, together with the unequal sharing of the burden of adjustment - both across and within countries, bodes ill for the long-term prospects of EMU, despite that the aforementioned failures are not intrinsically related to the euro.

Towards a comprehensive barcode library for arctic life - Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

Background This study reports progress in assembling a DNA barcode reference library for Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera ("EPTs") from a Canadian subarctic site, which is the focus of a comprehensive biodiversity inventory using DNA barcoding. These three groups of aquatic insects exhibit a moderate level of species diversity, making them ideal for testing the feasibility of DNA barcoding for routine biotic surveys. We explore the correlation between the morphological species delineations, DNA barcode-based haplotype clusters delimited by a sequence threshold (2%), and a threshold-free approach to biodiversity quantification--phylogenetic diversity. Results A DNA barcode reference library is built for 112 EPT species for the focal region, consisting of 2277 COI sequences. Close correspondence was found between EPT morphospecies and haplotype clusters as designated using a standard threshold value. Similarly, the shapes of taxon accumulation curves based upon haplotype clusters were very similar to those generated using phylogenetic diversity accumulation curves, but were much more computationally efficient. Conclusion The results of this study will facilitate other lines of research on northern EPTs and also bode well for rapidly conducting initial biodiversity assessments in unknown EPT faunas. PMID:20003245

Control of horizontal plasma position by feedforward-feedback system with digital computer in the JIPP T-II tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toi, K.; Itoh, S.; Sakurai, K.; Matsuura, K.; Tanahashi, S.

1980-02-01

In the resistive shell tokamak, JIPP T-II, the control of horizontal plasma position is successfully carried out by calculating the equilibrium equation of a large-aspect-ratio tokamak plasma surrounded by a thin resistive shell of a skin time of 5.2 msec, every 1.39 msec with a digital computer. The iron core effect is also taken into account by a simple form in the equation. The required strength of vertical field is determined by the control demand composed of two groups; one is a ''feedback'' term expressed by the deviation of plasma position from the desired one and proportion-integration-differentiation correction (PID-controller), and the other is a ''feedforward'' term which is in proportion to the plasma current. The experimental results have a good agreement with the stability analysis of the control system by using the so-called Bode-diagram. By this control system, the horizontal displacement has been suppressed within 1 cm from the initiation of discharge to the termination in the high-density and low-q(a) plasma of 15 cm-radius which is obtained by both strong gas puffing and second current rise. (author)

Rare transformation to double hit lymphoma in Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Okolo, Onyemaechi N; Johnson, Ariel C; Yun, Seongseok; Arnold, Stacy J; Anwer, Faiz

2017-08-01

Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) is a lymphoproliferative lymphoma that is characterized by monoclonal immunoglobulin M (IgM) protein and bone marrow infiltration. Its incidence is rare and rarer still is its ability to transform to a B-cell lymphoma, particularly the aggressive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which bodes a poor prognosis. When transformation includes mutations of MYC, BCL-2 and/or BCL-6, it is known as a 'double hit' or 'triple hit' lymphoma respectively. This paper presents a rare case of WM with mutations positive for MYC and BCL2, making it a case of double hit B-cell lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma with plasmatic differentiation without morphological transformation to aggressive histology like DLBCL. The paper also broadens to include discussions on current topics in the classification, diagnosis, possible causes of transformation, and treatment of WM, including transformation to double hit lymphoma. The significance of this case lies in that the presence of double hit lymphoma-like genetic mutations in WM have not been previously described in the literature and potentially such changes are harbinger of extra-nodal presentation, aggressive growth, and possibly poor prognosis, if data from other double-hit lymphoma are extrapolated.

Learners’ preferences towards Corrective feedback in writing assignments in tertiary education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Horbacauskiene Jolita

2015-12-01

Full Text Available For several decades, there has been a heated debate about the value of providing corrective feedback in writing assignments in English as a foreign language (EFL classes. Despite the fact that corrective feedback in writing has been analysed from various angles, learners’ expectations regarding feedback given by language instructors are still to be considered, especially in different learning settings. Student attitudes have been found to be associated with motivation, proficiency, learner anxiety, autonomous learning, etc. (Elwood & Bode, 2014. Thus, the aim of this paper was to compare EFL learners’ attitudes towards corrective feedback and self-evaluation of writing skills in different learning settings. Students at two technological universities in France and Lithuania were surveyed and asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire combining the Likert scale and rank order questions. The results indicate that frequency of writing assignments seems to have little or no impact on students’ self-evaluation of writing skills. Moreover, although the two groups of students showed preference for feedback on different error types (e.g., feedback on structure vs. feedback on grammar, nevertheless, indirect corrective feedback with a clue was favoured by all the respondents.

Social/sexual norms and AIDS in the South. Ethics and the politics of aids: lessons for small cities and rural areas throughout the U.S.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, N K

1991-01-01

No one denies that the face of AIDS (the "AIDS profile") is changing, and it is clear that we are entering a new phase in our understanding of this disease. As the AIDS profile changes, however, we are seeing a change in attitudes about prevention. In this stage of the epidemic there seems to be a move toward adopting more coercive strategies for breaking the chain of transmission. One concern, obviously, is that newly HIV-infected persons will find that they have little capacity to demand recognition of their rights to consent, to be treated, to confidentiality, to move about freely in society, to work, and so on. Unfortunately, this bodes ill for newly infected persons in previously low-incidence areas. Two very recent studies suggest that rates of high-risk sexual behavior among homosexual/bisexual men in smaller cities and rural areas in the South are much higher than rates now reported for gay men in large city epicenters. This paper attempts to examine the implications of differences in social and sexual behavior norms in the South for the spread of AIDS/HIV and to suggest morally appropriate primary prevention strategies for working within them.

O catolicismo como ideal: produção literária antijudaica no mundo português da Idade Moderna

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno Feitler

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Nos séculos XVII e XVIII difundiu-se em Portugal uma grande quantidade de obras de polêmica antijudaica quando oficialmente já não existiam judeus no país. Essas obras (tratados, diálogos, sermões, panfletos por vezes tinham o objetivo aparente de converter sinceramente os cristãos-novos, que continuavam a ser identificados aos judeus. De modo mais freqüente, visavam rebaixar os cristãos-novos e alertar a população cristã-velha sobre o perigo que eles representariam para a sociedade, sendo aqueles postos no tradicional papel de bodes expiatórios, desta vez do declínio do poderio português.During the centuries XVII and XVIII, when officially there were no more Jews in the country, a wide variety of works against Judaism appeared in Portugal. These works (treatises, dialogues, sermons, pamphlets sometimes aimed at the conversion of the New Christians, who were still identified to Jews. More often, however, their goal was to alert the population about the problems they could bring to society and blame them for the decline of the Portuguese empire.

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of fully hydrated Nafion membranes at high and low hydrogen partial pressures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsampas, M.N.; Brosda, S.; Vayenas, C.G.

2011-01-01

The proton transport mechanism in fully hydrated Nafion 117 membranes was examined via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and steady-state current–potential measurements both in a symmetric H 2 , Pt|Nafion|Pt, H 2 cell and in a H 2 , Pt|Nafion|Pt, air PEM fuel cell with hydrogen partial pressure values, P H 2 , varied between 0.5 kPa and 100 kPa. In agreement with recent studies it is found that for low P H 2 values the steady-state current–potential curves exhibit bistability and regions of positive slope. In these regions the Nyquist plots are found to exhibit negative real part impedance with a large imaginary component, while the Bode plots show a pronounced negative phase shift. These observations are consistent with the mechanism involving two parallel routes of proton conduction in fully hydrated Nafion membranes, one due to proton migration in the aqueous phase, the other due to proton transfer, probably involving tunneling, between adjacent sulfonate groups in narrow pores. The former mechanism dominates at high P H 2 values and the latter dominates in the low P H 2 region where the real part of the impedance is negative.

N-13 labeled amino acids: biodistribution, metabolism and dosimetric considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosenspire, K.C.; Gelbard, A.S.

1986-01-01

With the growing interest in metabolic imaging and with the increasing number of cyclotron/PET facilities, more studies are being performed in animal and humans using short-lived positron-emitting radionuclides. Amino acids labeled either with N-13 or C-11 are one group of compounds being used to study in vivo regional organ (i.e., brain and heart) or tumor metabolism. Of the studies previously reported using C-11 or N-13 labeled amino acids (methionine, alanine, valine, glutamate, glutamine and tryptophan), imaging was restricted mainly to the organ or tissue of interest with little information obtained about the whole-bode distribution of the label. Such data are important for studying interorgan transport of amino acids and for determining accurate dosimetric measurements after intravenous injection of labeled amino acids. The goals of the authors study were to compare the distribution of several N-13 L-amino acids and N-13 ammonia in tumor-bearing mice and to determine the metabolic fate of the label in vivo. The following amino acids were enzymatically labeled using N-13 ammonia: glutamine, glutamate, methionine, α-aminobutyric acid, valine and leucine. 30 references, 2 figures, 14 tables

Nanocarriers for nuclear imaging and radiotherapy of cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitra, Amitava; Nan, Anjan; Line, Bruce R; Ghandehari, Hamidreza

2006-01-01

Several nanoscale carriers (nanoparticles, liposomes, water-soluble polymers, micelles and dendrimers) have been developed for targeted delivery of cancer diagnostic and therapeutic agents. These carriers can selectively target cancer sites and carry large payloads, thereby improving cancer detection and therapy effectiveness. Further, the combination of newer nuclear imaging techniques providing high sensitivity and spatial resolution such as dual modality imaging with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and use of nanoscale devices to carry diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclides with high target specificity can enable more accurate detection, staging and therapy planning of cancer. The successful clinical applications of radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies for cancer detection and therapy bode well for the future of nanoscale carrier systems in clinical oncology. Several radiolabeled multifunctional nanocarriers have been effective in detecting and treating cancer in animal models. Nonetheless, further preclinical, clinical and long-term toxicity studies will be required to translate this technology to the care of patients with cancer. The objective of this review is to present a brief but comprehensive overview of the various nuclear imaging techniques and the use of nanocarriers to deliver radionuclides for the diagnosis and therapy of cancer.

FADDEEV: A fortran code for the calculation of the frequency response matrix of multiple-input, multiple-output dynamic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Owens, D.H.

1972-06-01

The KDF9/EGDON programme FADDEEV has been written to investigate a technique for the calculation of the matrix of frequency responses G(jw) describing the response of the output vector y from the multivariable differential/algebraic system S to the drive of the system input vector u. S: Ex = Ax + Bu, y = Cx, G(jw) = C(jw E - A ) -1 B. The programme uses an algorithm due to Faddeev and has been written with emphasis upon: (a) simplicity of programme structure and computational technique which should enable a user to find his way through the programme fairly easily, and hence facilitate its manipulation as a subroutine in a larger code; (b) rapid computational ability, particularly in systems with fairly large number of inputs and outputs and requiring the evaluation of the frequency responses at a large number of frequencies. Transport or time delays must be converted by the user to Pade or Bode approximations prior to input. Conditions under which the algorithm fails to give accurate results are identified, and methods for increasing the accuracy of the calculations are discussed. The conditions for accurate results using FADDEEV indicate that its application is specialized. (author)

Design, analysis and control of large transports so that control of engine thrust can be used as a back-up of the primary flight controls. Ph.D. Thesis

Science.gov (United States)

Roskam, Jan; Ackers, Deane E.; Gerren, Donna S.

1995-01-01

A propulsion controlled aircraft (PCA) system has been developed at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, to provide safe, emergency landing capability should the primary flight control system of the aircraft fail. As a result of the successful PCA work being done at NASA Dryden, this project investigated the possibility of incorporating the PCA system as a backup flight control system in the design of a large, ultra-high capacity megatransport in such a way that flight path control using only the engines is not only possible, but meets MIL-Spec Level 1 or Level 2 handling quality requirements. An 800 passenger megatransport aircraft was designed and programmed into the NASA Dryden simulator. Many different analysis methods were used to evaluate the flying qualities of the megatransport while using engine thrust for flight path control, including: (1) Bode and root locus plot analysis to evaluate the frequency and damping ratio response of the megatransport; (2) analysis of actual simulator strip chart recordings to evaluate the time history response of the megatransport; and (3) analysis of Cooper-Harper pilot ratings by two NaSA test pilots.

Development of AC impedance methods for evaluating corroding metal surfaces and coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Knockemus, Ward

1986-01-01

In an effort to investigate metal surface corrosion and the breakdown of metal protective coatings the AC Impedance Method was applied to zinc chromate primer coated 2219-T87 aluminum. The model 368-1 AC Impedance Measurement System recently acquired by the MSFC Corrosion Research Branch was used to monitor changing properties of coated aluminum disks immersed in 3.5% NaCl buffered at ph 5.5 over three to four weeks. The DC polarization resistance runs were performed on the same samples. The corrosion system can be represented by an electronic analog called an equivalent circuit that consists of transistors and capacitors in specific arrangements. This equivalent circuit parallels the impedance behavior of the corrosion system during a frequency scan. Values for resistances and capacities that can be assigned in the equivalent circuit following a least squares analysis of the data describe changes that occur on the corroding metal surface and in the protective coating. A suitable equivalent circuit was determined that predicts the correct Bode phase and magnitude for the experimental sample. The DC corrosion current density data are related to equivalent circuit element parameters.

Many Faces of Migrations

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Milica Antić Gaber

2013-12-01

We believe that in the present thematic issue we have succeeded in capturing an important part of the modern European research dynamic in the field of migration. In addition to well-known scholars in this field several young authors at the beginning their research careers have been shortlisted for the publication. We are glad of their success as it bodes a vibrancy of this research area in the future. At the same time, we were pleased to receive responses to the invitation from representatives of so many disciplines, and that the number of papers received significantly exceeded the maximum volume of the journal. Recognising and understanding of the many faces of migration are important steps towards the comprehensive knowledge needed to successfully meet the challenges of migration issues today and even more so in the future. It is therefore of utmost importance that researchers find ways of transferring their academic knowledge into practice – to all levels of education, the media, the wider public and, of course, the decision makers in local, national and international institutions. The call also applies to all authors in this issue of the journal.

The corrosion mechanisms for primer coated 2219-T87 aluminum

Science.gov (United States)

Danford, Merlin D.; Knockemus, Ward W.

1987-01-01

To investigate metal surface corrosion and the breakdown of metal protective coatings, the ac Impedance Method was applied to zinc chromate primer coated 2219-T87 aluminum. The EG&GPARC Model 368 ac Impedance Measurement System, along with dc measurements with the same system using the Polarization Resistance Method, was used to monitor changing properties of coated aluminum disks immersed in 3.5 percent NaCl solutions buffered at pH 5.5 and pH 8.2 over periods of 40 days each. The corrosion system can be represented by an electronic analog called an equivalent circuit consisting of resistors and capacitors in specific arrangements. This equivalent circuit parallels the impedance behavior of the corrosion system during a frequency scan. Values for resistances and capacitances, that can be assigned in the equivalent circuit following a least squares analysis of the data, describe changes occurring on the corroding metal surface and in the protective coatings. A suitable equivalent circuit has been determined which predicts the correct Bode phase and magnitude for the experimental sample. The dc corrosion current density data are related to equivalent circuit element parameters.

Analysis of energy transfer process based emission spectra of erbium doped germanate glasses for mid-infrared laser materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai, Muzhi; Wei, Tao; Zhou, Beier; Tian, Ying; Zhou, Jiajia; Xu, Shiqing; Zhang, Junjie

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Er 3+ doped germanate glass with good thermal stability were prepared. • Ionic boding nature was proved by bonding parameter calculation. • Mid-infrared fluorescent behaviors and energy transfer were investigated. • Rate equation and Dexter’s theory were utilized to elucidate 2.7 μm emission. - Abstract: Er 3+ activated germanate glass with good thermal stability was prepared. Bonding parameters have been calculated and the nature of ionic bonding of the germanate glass has been determined. Mid-infrared fluorescence was observed and corresponding radiative properties were investigated. For Er 3+ : 4 I 11/2 → 4 I 13/2 transition, high spontaneous radiative transition probability (30.09 s −1 ), large emission cross section ((14.84 ± 0.10) × 10 −21 cm 2 ) and superior gain performance were obtained from the prepared glass. Besides, energy transfer processes concerning the 2.7 μm emission were also discussed in detail. According to simplified rate equation and Dexter’s theory, energy transfer microscopic parameters were computed to elucidate observed 2.7 μm emissions. Results demonstrate that the prepared germanate glass possessing excellent spectroscopic properties might be an attractive candidate for mid-infrared laser or amplifier

Photophysical Behavior of Modified Xanthenic Dyes Embedded into Silsesquioxane Hybrid Films: Application in Photooxidation of Organic Molecules

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Carolina V. Waiman

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Polymeric materials based on a bridged silsesquioxane with pendant dodecyl chains were synthesized and modified with different xanthenic dyes with the aim of developing a material with potential application in photooxidation of organic compounds. The employed dyes constitute a family of novel xanthenic chromophores with outstanding properties as singlet oxygen photosensitizers. The hybrid matrix was chosen for its enhanced properties such as flexibility and chemical resistance. The employed dyes were easily incorporated into the hybrid polymer obtaining homogeneous, transparent, and low-refractive-index materials. The polymeric films were characterized using UV-Vis absorption, fluorescence, and laser flash photolysis techniques. The ability of these materials to produce singlet oxygen was tested following the photooxidation of 9,10-dimethylanthracene which is a well-known chemical trap for singlet oxygen. High photooxidation efficiencies were observed for these materials, which present the advantage of being easily removed/collected from the solution where photooxidation takes place. While photobleaching of the incorporated dyes is commonly observed in the solution, it takes place very slowly when dyes are embedded in the hybrid matrix. These properties bode well for the potential use of these materials in novel wastewater purification strategies.

Lifetimes of charm and beauty hadrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bellini, G.; Dornan, P.J.

1997-01-01

Major breakthroughs have been achieved in the determination of the lifetimes of charm and beauty hadrons. Much larger data samples than previously have become available and new experimental devices and techniques have been developed and employed. The lifetimes of all weakly decaying singly charmed hadrons have been measured, some with an accuracy of a few percent. The difference in the shortest lifetime - τ(Ω c ) - and the longest one - τ(D + ) - is given by a factor of close to ten. The experimental status of beauty lifetimes, while less complete, has still reached a new level of quality and is now better than 5% for the commoner states. New theoretical tools, based mainly on heavy quark expansions, have been developed; they incorporate as well as transcend earlier phenomenological descriptions. The observed pattern in the charm lifetime ratios is reproduced in a semi-quantitative manner as well as could be expected; as far as the beauty lifetime ratios are concerned some problems may well be emerging. The maturity level achieved in the measurements bodes quite well for future challenges where reliable and efficient tracking of the decay vertices will be crucial. (orig.)

Free radicals, reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress and its classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Lushchak, Volodymyr I

2014-12-05

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) initially considered as only damaging agents in living organisms further were found to play positive roles also. This paper describes ROS homeostasis, principles of their investigation and technical approaches to investigate ROS-related processes. Especial attention is paid to complications related to experimental documentation of these processes, their diversity, spatiotemporal distribution, relationships with physiological state of the organisms. Imbalance between ROS generation and elimination in favor of the first with certain consequences for cell physiology has been called "oxidative stress". Although almost 30years passed since the first definition of oxidative stress was introduced by Helmut Sies, to date we have no accepted classification of oxidative stress. In order to fill up this gape here classification of oxidative stress based on its intensity is proposed. Due to that oxidative stress may be classified as basal oxidative stress (BOS), low intensity oxidative stress (LOS), intermediate intensity oxidative stress (IOS), and high intensity oxidative stress (HOS). Another classification of potential interest may differentiate three categories such as mild oxidative stress (MOS), temperate oxidative stress (TOS), and finally severe (strong) oxidative stress (SOS). Perspective directions of investigations in the field include development of sophisticated classification of oxidative stresses, accurate identification of cellular ROS targets and their arranged responses to ROS influence, real in situ functions and operation of so-called "antioxidants", intracellular spatiotemporal distribution and effects of ROS, deciphering of molecular mechanisms responsible for cellular response to ROS attacks, and ROS involvement in realization of normal cellular functions in cellular homeostasis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

People and things. CERN Courier, June 1980, v. 20(4)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1980-01-01

The article reports on achievements of various people, staff changes and position opportunities within the CERN organization and contains news updates on upcoming or past events: On 25th April at a specially convened session of the CERN Council delegates of the twelve CERN Member States unanimously appointed Professor Herwig Schopper as Director General of CERN for the five years 1981-85; On 1 April, His Royal Highness Prince Charles went on a short tour of the TRIUMF site during a visit to Vancouver; An International Symposium on the History of Particle Physics was held at Fermilab from 28-31 May. It concentrated on the origins of particle physics back in the 1930s and 40s before the advent of the big particle accelerators; The Regents of the University of California have approved the formation of a new Institute for Particle Physics on its Santa Cruz Campus. Acronymed SCIPP (the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics I it builds on the strength of existing groups of theoretical and experimental particle physicists; On 18 April, Fermilab brought into operation the world's largest helium liquefier plant; During a few shifts devoted to machine developments on 20 April, the stored beam of PETRA reached the design energy of 19 GeV. ; Earlier this year, a high energy physics meeting, organized by the Academia Sinica, was held in the pleasant winter climate of Guangzhou, Canton.; At a Physics Congress in Ulm the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Helmut Schmidt, voiced his unambiguous support for fundamental research

Model Kassel - more than waste disposal. Kassel days of raw materials; Kasseler Modell - mehr als Abfallentsorgung. Kasseler Wertstofftage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urban, Arnd I.; Halm, Gerhard (eds.)

2009-07-01

Within the meeting at 13th and 14th May, 2009 in Moevenpick Hotel Kassel (Federal Republic of Germany), the following lectures were held: (1) Future waste management between hygienic of housing projects and production of secondary raw materials (Henning Friege); (2) Waste management in Hessen (Edgar Freund); (3) Legal evaluation of model experiments - Regulation of packaging and agreement of coordination (Hartmut Gassner); (4) Model experiments according to alternative recording systems - an actual review (Gabriele Becker); (5) Experiences with the system Yellow Tun Plus in Leipzig and Berlin (Ruediger Oetjen-Dehne); (6) Green Tin Plus - An alternative recording system for recyclable materials (Alfred Ehrhard); (7) ''Sack in a container'' - the trend-setting system of disposal (Michael Wieczorek); (8) Municipal motives and targets (Thomas-Erik Junge); (9) Project ''Wet and dry tun'' Kassel (Gerhard Halm); (10) Process engineering investigation and economic-ecological evaluation of the Kassel model (Arnd I. Urban, Ramona Schroeer); (11) Implementation and experiences in te area of collection with the system ''Wet and dry tun'' (Stefan Stremme, Katja Weiss); (12) First experiences with the utilization of wet and dry material flows from the test area Kassel (Ramona Schroeer, Niklas Schiel); (13) Possibilities and boundary conditions of a recycling of raw materials from waste blends (Joachim Christiani); (14) Possibilities of a waste incinerator as a central component in the waste management of the center of disposal Pohlsche Heide at Minden Luebbecke (Thomas Kropp); (15) The other tuns (Helmut Rechberger).

Adding Gestalt to the picture. Comment on "Move me, astonish me…" delight my eyes and brain: The Vienna Integrated Model of top-down and bottom-up processes in Art Perception (VIMAP) and corresponding affective, evaluative, and neurophysiological correlates; by Matthew Pelowski et al.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagemans, Johan

2017-07-01

Matthew Pelowski and his colleagues from the Helmut Leder lab [17] have made a remarkable contribution to the field of art perception by reviewing the extensive and varied literature (+300 references) on all the factors involved, from a coherent, synthetic perspective-The Vienna Integrated Model of top-down and bottom-up processes in Art Perception (VIMAP). VIMAP builds on earlier attempts from the same group to provide a comprehensive theoretical framework, but it is much wider in scope and richer in the number of levels and topics covered under its umbrella. It is particularly strong in its discussion of the different psychological processes that lead to a wide range of possible responses to art-from mundane, superficial reactions to more profound responses characterized as moving, disturbing, and transformative. By including physiological, emotional, and evaluative factors, the model is able to address truly unique, even intimate responses to art such as awe, chills, thrills, and the experience of the sublime. The unique way in which this rich set of possible responses to art is achieved is through a series of five mandatory consecutive processing steps (each with their own typical duration), followed by two conditional additional steps (which take more time). Three processing checks along this cascade lead to three more or less spontaneous outcomes (<60 sec) and two more time-consuming ones (see their Fig. 1 for an excellent overview). I have no doubt that VIMAP will inspire a whole generation of scientists investigating perception and appreciation of art, testing specific hypotheses derived from this framework for decades to come.

Review: Helmut Kromrey (2006. Empirische Sozialforschung. Modelle und Methoden der standardisierten Datenerhebung und Datenauswertung [Social Research Methods. Models and Methods of Standardized Data Collection and Data Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Udo Kuckartz

2008-01-01

Full Text Available In the new edition of his textbook, KROMREY outlines the basic principles of "traditional" empirical social research. The 650 pages of the book address the foundations of scientific theory and methods within empirical research. There are also extensive explanations of the most important methods of data collection (content analysis, observation, survey and of statistical analyses of data. This book would be a very suitable textbook for introductory university courses in the methods of empirical social research. The text includes many examples and is written in a very understandable style. Qualitative research methods are only mentioned marginally in the "Alternative Research Paradigms" section. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0801240

Meiose e viabilidade polínica em linhagens avançadas de pimenta Meiosis and pollen viability in advanced lines of pepper

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Marisa T Pozzobon

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Doze linhagens de pimenta, incluindo exemplares do tipo Jalapeño (CNPH 2862, CNPH 2864, Dedo-de-Moça (CNPH 1397, CNPH 0039, CNPH 0053, Cambuci (CNPH 0283, Peixe-Boi (CNPH 0434, Falsa Cumari (CNPH 3761, Bode Vermelha (CNPH 3773, Biquinho Doce (CNPH 3870, Tabasco (CNPH 3000 e Malagueta (CNPH 2869 tiveram o comportamento meiótico e a estimativa da viabilidade do pólen analisados, com o objetivo de indicar materiais potencialmente férteis para o programa de melhoramento de Capsicum da Embrapa. A análise convencional, por coloração, revelou um comportamento relativamente normal, durante a microsporogênese, para a maioria das linhagens, com índice meiótico (IM e percentual médio de viabilidade polínica acima de 90%. As principais anormalidades observadas foram aderências cromossômicas, cromossomos não orientados, retardatários, pontes, micronúcleos, micrócitos e citomixia. Três linhagens, CNPH 0283, CNPH 3000 e CNPH 3773 mostraram menor percentual de pólens viáveis, respectivamente 77, 66 e 58%. Somente para CNPH 0283 a baixa fertilidade do pólen esteve associada à maior frequência de irregularidades e, consequentemente, ao baixo IM (77%. Os resultados do presente trabalho confirmam a importância da análise citológica como ferramenta auxiliar na seleção de linhagens meioticamente estáveis e potencialmente férteis o que possibilita o planejamento de programas de produção de sementes das cultivares em vias de lançamento.Twelve lines of pepper, from different groups {Jalapeño (CNPH 2862, CNPH 2864, Dedo-de-Moça (CNPH 1397, CNPH 0039, CNPH 0053, Cambuci (CNPH 0283, Peixe-Boi (CNPH 0434, Falsa Cumari (CNPH 3761, Bode Vermelha (CNPH 3773, Biquinho Doce (CNPH 3870, Tabasco (CNPH 3000 and Malagueta (CNPH 2869 had their meiotic behavior and the estimation of pollen viability analyzed with the aim of indicating potentially fertile material for the Capsicum breeding program. Conventional analysis by staining revealed a

Berlin and nuclear power. Courage to assume responsibility?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knorr, Juergen

2009-01-01

On October 28, 2009, the Kerntechnische Gesellschaft e.V. (KTG) awarded to Professor Dr. Juergen Knorr its 32 nd honorary membership in recognition of his untiring commitment and his decades of work for the peaceful uses of, and research into, nuclear power in Germany. Between 1992 and 2006 the scientist, now retired, held the Nuclear Power Technology chair at the Technical University of Dresden and, temporarily, also headed the university's Institute for Power Technology at the same time. From 1990, Professor Knorr was a member of the Executive Board of the Kerntechnische Gesellschaft; he was KTG Chairman between 1993 and 2000. At the same time and beyond, until 2005, Professor Knorr was a member also of the Board of the Deutsches Atomforum. At the awarding ceremony in Berlin on October 28, KTG Chairman Dr. Helmut Blaesig welcomed the fact that, on the basis of the coalition agreement of CDU, CSU and FDP, the new federal government 'had clearly recognized the advantages of nuclear power.' It appreciated the safety of German plants and, in addition to the non-polluting characteristics due to CO 2 emissions saved and the security of supply, also the economic benefit of electricity generation from nuclear power. This supported the German economy in a situation which continued to be difficult. In his vote of thanks for the 32 nd honorary membership of KTG, Professor Knorr emphasized what he considered a key expectation of the re-evaluation of nuclear power by the new federal government: Creating framework conditions for a societal consensus that fair competition among conventional, renewable and nuclear power technologies will give rise to an optimum mix enabling sustainable development to be achieved. (orig.)

Poly(ethylene glycol)/carbon quantum dot composite solid films exhibiting intense and tunable blue–red emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, Yanling; Gan, Zhixing; Xu, Jiaqing; Wu, Xinglong; Chu, Paul K.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Poly(ethylene glycol)/carbon quantum dots (PEG/CQDs) composite solid films exhibiting strong and tunable blue–red emission were prepared. Successful preparation of tunable emitting CQDs solid films can extend the application of carbon quantum dots in photoelectric devices. • The mechanism of the tunable emission from the PEG/CQDs composite solid films was discussed. • On the basis of the characteristics of the PL from solid films in this work, the complex PL origins of CQDs were further defined. The PL mechanism provides insights into the fluorescence mechanism of CQDs and may promotes their applications. • Poly(ethylene glycol); carbon quantum dots; Strong and tunable blue-red emission; The fluorescent quantum yield of 12.6%. - Abstract: Although carbon quantum dots (CQDs) possess excellent luminescence properties, it is a challenge to apply water-soluble CQDs to tunable luminescent devices. Herein, quaternary CQDs are incorporated into poly(ethylene glycol) to produce poly(ethylene glycol)/CQD composite solid films which exhibit strong and tunable blue–red emission. The fluorescent quantum yield reaches 12.6% which is comparable to that of many liquid CQDs and the photoluminescence characteristics are determined to elucidate the fluorescence mechanism. The CQD solid films with tunable optical properties bode well for photoelectric devices especially displays

Astronomy from Olbers to Schwarzschild. (German Title: Astronomie von Olbers bis Schwarzschild)

Science.gov (United States)

Dick, Wolfgang R.; Hamel, Jürgen

This issue comprises talks presented 2000 September 18 at the colloquium ``International relations in astronomy'' it is supplemented by additional articles about this topic. The foundation of the international ``Vereinigte Astronomische Gesellschaft'', which took place in 1800 in Bremen, prompted us to investigate the development of astronomy in German-speaking regions, and its international relations during the 19th century. We investigate the activities of famous astronomers like W. Olbers, J.E. Bode, F.X. von Zach, J.H. Schroeter, H.C. Schumacher and K. Schwarzschild, as well as those of their less famous professional colleagues like J.G. Schrader and L. de Ball. The geographical spectrum extends from Bremen and Lilienthal over Kiel, Gotha and Dresden to Copenhagen, Vienna and Chile. Among the topics are: telescope construction, including telescopes made by Herschel, the rediscovery of the minor planet Ceres 1801/02, the Berlin ``Astronomisches Jahrbuch'', the foundation of the ``Astronomische Nachrichten'', the evolution from the ``Vereinigte Astronomische Gesellschaft'' to the present-day ``Astronomische Gesellschaft'', the research at the Kuffner Observatory in Vienna, the professionalization in astronomy, and the attempts of many countries to establish a southern observatory in Chile. A listing of astronomical monuments in Lilienthal and Bremen concludes the book. All papers are written in German with English abstracts.

iPTF SEARCH FOR AN OPTICAL COUNTERPART TO GRAVITATIONAL-WAVE TRANSIENT GW150914

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kasliwal, M. M.; Cao, Y.; Barlow, T.; Bellm, E.; Cook, D.; Duggan, G. E.; Kulkarni, S. R.; Lunnan, R. [Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Cenko, S. B.; Singer, L. P. [Astrophysics Science Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 661, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Corsi, A.; Palliyaguru, N. [Texas Tech University, Physics Department, Lubbock, TX 79409-1051 (United States); Bhalerao, V. [Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Post Bag 4, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411007 (India); Ferretti, R. [The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Frail, D. A. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro, NM (United States); Horesh, A.; Manulis, I. [Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot (Israel); Kendrick, R. [Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Palo Alto, CA (United States); Laher, R. [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, M/S 314-6, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Masci, F. [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); and others

2016-06-20

The intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF) autonomously responded to and promptly tiled the error region of the first gravitational-wave event GW150914 to search for an optical counterpart. Only a small fraction of the total localized region was immediately visible in the northern night sky, due both to Sun-angle and elevation constraints. Here, we report on the transient candidates identified and rapid follow-up undertaken to determine the nature of each candidate. Even in the small area imaged of 126 deg{sup 2}, after extensive filtering, eight candidates were deemed worthy of additional follow-up. Within two hours, all eight were spectroscopically classified by the Keck II telescope. Curiously, even though such events are rare, one of our candidates was a superluminous supernova. We obtained radio data with the Jansky Very Large Array and X-ray follow-up with the Swift satellite for this transient. None of our candidates appear to be associated with the gravitational-wave trigger, which is unsurprising given that GW150914 came from the merger of two stellar-mass black holes. This end-to-end discovery and follow-up campaign bodes well for future searches in this post-detection era of gravitational waves.

Control of horizontal plasma position by feedforward-feedback system with digital computer in the JIPP T-II tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toi, Kazuo; Sakurai, Keiichi; Itoh, Satoshi; Matsuura, Kiyokata; Tanashi, Shugo

1980-01-01

In the resistive shell tokamak, JIPP T-II, the control of horizontal plasma position is successfully carried out by calculating the equilibrium equation of a large-aspect-ratio tokamak plasma surrounded by a thin resistive shell of a skin time of 5.2 ms, every 1.39 ms with a digital computer. The iron core effect is also taken into account by a simple form in the equation. The required strenght of vertical field is determined by the control demand composed of two groups; one is a ''feedback'' term expressed by the deviation of plasma position from the desired one and proportion-integration-differentiation correction (PID-controller), and the other is a ''feedforward'' term which is in proportion to the plasma current. The experimental results in a quasi-constant phase of plasma current are in good agreement with the stability analysis of the control system by using the so-called Bode-diagram which is calculated on the assumption that the plasma current is independent of time. By this control system, the horizontal plasma displacement has been suppressed within 1 cm of the initiation of discharge to the termination in the high-density and low-q(a) plasma of 15 cm radius which is obtained by both strong gas puffing and second current rise. (author)

Reabilitação pulmonar em longo prazo na doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica (DPOC

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Cintia Laura Pereira de Araújo

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Introdução: A Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crônica (DPOC prejudica o estado funcional, com consequente limitação das Atividades de Vida Diária (AVD. Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar o efeito de um programa de Reabilitação Pulmonar (RP, em longo prazo, no estado funcional, na dispneia e no índice BODE em pacientes com DPOC. Relato de caso: Trata-se de um estudo retrospectivo e documental, com análise dos prontuários de cinco pacientes participantes de um programa de RP por um ano. Destes prontuários foram coletados dados referentes às avaliações: espirometria, Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC, escalas London Chest Activity of Daily Living (LCADL e Medical Research Council e (MRC teste de caminhada de seis minutos. Após um ano participando do programa de exercício físico, a maioria dos pacientes apresentou maior capacidade funcional, menor dispneia e redução no risco de mortalidade. Conclusão: Um ano de RP parece ter função de manutenção da melhora da capacidade funcional de pacientes com DPOC, após 24 sessões de treinamento.

Hardness and electrochemical behavior of ceramic coatings on Inconel

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C. SUJAYA

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Thin films of ceramic materials like alumina and silicon carbide are deposited on Inconel substrate by pulsed laser deposition technique using Q-switched Nd: YAG laser. Deposited films are characterized using UV-visible spectrophotometry and X-ray diffraction. Composite microhardness of ceramic coated Inconel system is measured using Knoop indenter and its film hardness is separated using a mathematical model based on area-law of mixture. It is then compared with values obtained using nanoindentation method. Film hardness of the ceramic coating is found to be high compared to the substrates. Corrosion behavior of substrates after ceramic coating is studied in 3.5% NaCl solution by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The Nyquist and the Bode plots obtained from the EIS data are fitted by appropriate equivalent circuits. The pore resistance, the charge transfer resistance, the coating capacitance and the double layer capacitance of the coatings are obtained from the equivalent circuit. Experimental results show an increase in corrosion resistance of Inconel after ceramic coating. Alumina coated Inconel showed higher corrosion resistance than silicon carbide coated Inconel. After the corrosion testing, the surface topography of the uncoated and the coated systems are examined by scanning electron microscopy.

Experimental Characterization of Ionic Polymer Metal Composite as a Novel Fractional Order Element

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Riccardo Caponetto

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs are electroactive materials made of ionic polymer thin membranes with platinum metallization on their surfaces. They are interesting materials due to not only their electromechanical applications as transducers but also to their electrochemical features and the relationship between the ionic/solvent current and the potential field. Their electrochemical properties thus suggest the possibility for exploiting them as compact fractional-order elements (FOEs with a view of defining fabrication processes and production strategies that assure the desired performances. In this paper, the experimental electrical characterization of a brand new IPMC setup in a fixed sandwich configuration is proposed. Two IPMC devices with different platinum absorption times (5 h and 20 h are characterized through experimental data: first, a preliminary linearity study is performed for a fixed input voltage amplitude in order to determine the frequency region where IPMC can be approximated as linear; then, a frequency analysis is carried out in order to identify a coherent fractional-order dynamics in the bode diagrams. Such analyses take the first steps towards a simplified model of IPMC as a compact electronic FOE for which the fractional exponent value depends on fabrication parameters as the absorption time.

Temperature-dependent impedance spectroscopy of La0.8Sr0.2FeO3 nano-crystalline material

Science.gov (United States)

Kafa, C. A.; Triyono, D.; Laysandra, H.

2017-04-01

LaFeO3 is a material with perovskite structure which electrical properties frequently investigated. Research are done due to the exhibition of excellent gas sensing behavior through resistivity comparison from the p-type semiconductor. Sr doping on LaFeO3 or La1-xSrxFeO3 are able to improve the electrical conductivity through structural modification. Using Sr dopant concentration (x) of 0.2, La0.8Sr0.2FeO3 nano-crystal pellet was synthesized. The synthesis used sol-gel method, followed by gradual heat treatment and uniaxial compaction. XRD characterization shows that the structure of the sample is Orthorhombic Perovskite. Topography of the sample by SEM reveals grain and grain boundary existence with emerging agglomeration. The electrical properties of the material, as functions of temperature and frequency, were measured by Impedance Spectroscopy method using RLC meter, for temperatures of 303-373K. Through the Nyquist plot and Bode plot, the electrical conductivity of La0.8Sr0.2FeO3 is contributed by the grain and grain boundary. Finally, the electrical permittivities of La0.8Sr0.2FeO3 are increasing with temperature increase, with the highest achieved when measured at 1 kHz frequency.

Effect of Sr substitution on the room temperature electrical properties of La1-xSrxFeO3 nano-crystalline materials

Science.gov (United States)

Kafa, C. A.; Triyono, D.; Laysandra, H.

2017-07-01

LaFeO3 is a material with Perovskite structure which electrical properties got investigated a lot, because as a p-type semiconductor it showed good gas sensing behavior through resistivity comparison. Sr doping on LaFeO3 is able to improve the electrical conductivity through structural modification. Using the Sr atoms doping concentration (x) from 0.1 to 0.4, La1-xSrxFeO3 nanocrystal pellets were synthesized using sol-gel method, followed by gradual heat treatment and uniaxial compaction. Structural analysis from XRD characterization shows that the structure of the materials is Orthorhombic Perovskite. The topography of the sample by SEM reveals grain and grain boundary existence with emerging agglomeration. The electrical properties of the material, as functions of frequency, were measured by Impedance Spectroscopy method using RLC meter. Through the Nyquist plot and Bode plot, the electrical conductivity of La1-xSrxFeO3 is contributed by grain and grain boundaries. It is reported that La0.6Sr0.4FeO3 sample has the most superior electrical conductivity of all samples, and the electrical permittivity of both La0.8Sr0.2FeO3 and La0.7Sr0.3FeO3 are the most stable.

Oil palm monoculture induces drastic erosion of an Amazonian forest mammal fauna.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendes-Oliveira, Ana Cristina; Peres, Carlos A; Maués, Paula Cristina R de A; Oliveira, Geovana Linhares; Mineiro, Ivo G B; de Maria, Susanne L Silva; Lima, Renata C S

2017-01-01

Oil palm monoculture comprises one of the most financially attractive land-use options in tropical forests, but cropland suitability overlaps the distribution of many highly threatened vertebrate species. We investigated how forest mammals respond to a landscape mosaic, including mature oil palm plantations and primary forest patches in Eastern Amazonia. Using both line-transect censuses (LTC) and camera-trapping (CT), we quantified the general patterns of mammal community structure and attempted to identify both species life-history traits and the environmental and spatial covariates that govern species intolerance to oil palm monoculture. Considering mammal species richness, abundance, and species composition, oil palm plantations were consistently depauperate compared to the adjacent primary forest, but responses differed between functional groups. The degree of forest habitat dependency was a leading trait, determining compositional dissimilarities across habitats. Considering both the LTC and CT data, distance from the forest-plantation interface had a significant effect on mammal assemblages within each habitat type. Approximately 87% of all species detected within oil palm were never farther than 1300 m from the forest edge. Our study clearly reinforces the notion that conventional oil palm plantations are extremely hostile to native tropical forest biodiversity, which does not bode well given prospects for oil palm expansion in both aging and new Amazonian deforestation frontiers.

Corrosion Behavior of High Pressure Die Cast Al-Ni and Al-Ni-Ca Alloys in 3.5% NaCl Solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arthanari, Srinivasan; Jang, Jae Cheol; Shin, Kwang Seon [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-06-15

In this investigation corrosion behavior of newly developed high-pressure die cast Al-Ni (N15) and Al-Ni-Ca (NX1503) alloys was studied in 3.5% NaCl solution. The electrochemical corrosion behavior was evaluated using open circuit potential (OCP) measurement, potentiodynamic polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. Potentiodynamic polarization results validated that NX1503 alloy exhibited lower corrosion current density (i{sub corr}) value (5.969 μA/cm{sup 2}) compared to N15 (7.387 μA/cm{sup 2}). EIS-Bode plots revealed a higher impedance (|Z|) value and maximum phase angle value for NX1503 than N15 alloy. Equivalent circuit curve fitting analysis revealed that surface layer (R{sub 1}) and charge transfer resistance (R{sub ct}) values of NX1503 alloy was higher compared to N15 alloy. Immersion corrosion studies were also conducted for alloys using fishing line specimen arrangement to simultaneously measure corrosion rates from weight loss (P{sub W}) and hydrogen volume (P{sub H}) after 72 hours and NX1503 alloy had lower corrosion rate compared to N15 alloy. The addition of Ca to N15 alloy significantly reduced the Al{sub 3}Ni intermetallic phase and further grain refinement may be attributed for reduction in the corrosion rate.

Enhancement of osteogenesis on micro/nano-topographical carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone–nanohydroxyapatite biocomposite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Anxiu [College of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401147 (China); Chongqing Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401147 (China); Liu, Xiaochen [Center for Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Gao, Xiang; Deng, Feng [College of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401147 (China); Chongqing Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401147 (China); Deng, Yi, E-mail: 18210357357@163.com [College of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401147 (China); Chongqing Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401147 (China); Wei, Shicheng, E-mail: weishicheng99@163.com [College of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401147 (China); Chongqing Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401147 (China)

2015-03-01

As an FDA-approved implantable material, carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone (CFRPEEK) possesses excellent mechanical properties similar to those of human cortical bone and is a prime candidate to replace conventional metallic implants. The bioinertness and inferior osteogenic properties of CFRPEEK, however, limit its clinical application as orthopedic/dental implants. The present work aimed at developing a novel carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone–nanohydroxyapatite (PEEK/CF/n-HA) ternary biocomposite with micro/nano-topographical surface for the enhancement of the osteogenesis as a potential bioactive material for bone grafting and bone tissue-engineering applications. The combined modification of oxygen plasma and sand-blasting could improve the hydrophily and generate micro/nano-topographical structures on the surface of the CFRPEEK-based ternary biocomposite. The results clearly showcased that the micro-/nano-topographical PEEK/n-HA/CF ternary biocomposite demonstrated the outstanding ability to promote the proliferation and differentiation of MG-63 cells in vitro as well as to boost the osseointegration between implant and bone in vivo, thereby boding well application to bone tissue engineering. - Highlights: • A novel micro/nano-topographical PEEK/n-HA/CF ternary biocomposite was developed. • The modified PEEK biocomposite promotes proliferation and differentiation of cells. • In vivo osseointegration of the micro/nano-topographical PEEK/n-HA/CF was enhanced.

Verifying Stability of Dynamic Soft-Computing Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Wu; Napolitano, Marcello; Callahan, John

1997-01-01

Soft computing is a general term for algorithms that learn from human knowledge and mimic human skills. Example of such algorithms are fuzzy inference systems and neural networks. Many applications, especially in control engineering, have demonstrated their appropriateness in building intelligent systems that are flexible and robust. Although recent research have shown that certain class of neuro-fuzzy controllers can be proven bounded and stable, they are implementation dependent and difficult to apply to the design and validation process. Many practitioners adopt the trial and error approach for system validation or resort to exhaustive testing using prototypes. In this paper, we describe our on-going research towards establishing necessary theoretic foundation as well as building practical tools for the verification and validation of soft-computing systems. A unified model for general neuro-fuzzy system is adopted. Classic non-linear system control theory and recent results of its applications to neuro-fuzzy systems are incorporated and applied to the unified model. It is hoped that general tools can be developed to help the designer to visualize and manipulate the regions of stability and boundedness, much the same way Bode plots and Root locus plots have helped conventional control design and validation.

Understanding key influencers' attitudes and beliefs about healthy public policy change for obesity prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Raine, Kim D; Nykiforuk, Candace I J; Vu-Nguyen, Karen; Nieuwendyk, Laura M; VanSpronsen, Eric; Reed, Shandy; Wild, T Cameron

2014-11-01

As overweight and obesity is a risk factor for chronic diseases, the development of environmental and healthy public policy interventions across multiple sectors has been identified as a key strategy to address this issue. In 2009, a survey was developed to assess the attitudes and beliefs regarding health promotion principles, and the priority and acceptability of policy actions to prevent obesity and chronic diseases, among key policy influencers in Alberta and Manitoba, Canada. Surveys were mailed to 1,765 key influencers from five settings: provincial government, municipal government, school boards, print media companies, and workplaces with greater than 500 employees. A total of 236 surveys were completed with a response rate of 15.0%. Findings indicate nearly unanimous influencer support for individual-focused policy approaches and high support for some environmental policies. Restrictive environmental and economic policies received weakest support. Obesity was comparable to smoking with respect to perceptions as a societal responsibility versus a personal responsibility, boding well for the potential of environmental policy interventions for obesity prevention. This level of influencer support provides a platform for more evidence to be brokered to policy influencers about the effectiveness of environmental policy approaches to obesity prevention. © 2014 The Obesity Society.

A Two-Disk Extended Jeffcott Rotor Model Distinguishing a Shaft Crack from Other Rotating Asymmetries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xi Wu

2008-01-01

Full Text Available A mathematical model of a cracked rotor and an asymmetric rotor with two disks representing a turbine and a generator is utilized to study the vibrations due to imbalance and side load. Nonlinearities typically related with a “breathing” crack are included using a Mayes steering function. Numerical simulations demonstrate how the variations of rotor parameters affect the vibration response and the effect of coupling between torsional and lateral modes. Bode, spectrum, and orbit plots are used to show the differences between the vibration signatures associated with cracked shafts versus asymmetric shafts. Results show how nonlinear lateral-torsional coupling shifts the resonance peaks in the torsional vibration response for cracked shafts and asymmetric rotors. The resonance peaks shift depending on the ratio of the lateral-to-torsional natural frequencies with the peak responses occurring at noninteger values of the lateral natural frequency. When the general nonlinear models used in this study are constrained to reduce to linear torsional vibration, the peak responses occur at commonly reported integer ratios. Full spectrum analyses of the X and Y vibrations reveal distinct vibration characteristics of both cracked and asymmetric rotors including reverse vibration components. Critical speeds and vibration orders predicted using the models presented herein include and extend diagnostic indicators commonly reported.

Analysis of energy transfer process based emission spectra of erbium doped germanate glasses for mid-infrared laser materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cai, Muzhi; Wei, Tao; Zhou, Beier; Tian, Ying; Zhou, Jiajia; Xu, Shiqing, E-mail: shiqingxu@cjlu.edu.cn; Zhang, Junjie, E-mail: jjzhang@cjlu.edu.cn

2015-03-25

Highlights: • Er{sup 3+} doped germanate glass with good thermal stability were prepared. • Ionic boding nature was proved by bonding parameter calculation. • Mid-infrared fluorescent behaviors and energy transfer were investigated. • Rate equation and Dexter’s theory were utilized to elucidate 2.7 μm emission. - Abstract: Er{sup 3+} activated germanate glass with good thermal stability was prepared. Bonding parameters have been calculated and the nature of ionic bonding of the germanate glass has been determined. Mid-infrared fluorescence was observed and corresponding radiative properties were investigated. For Er{sup 3+}:{sup 4}I{sub 11/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 13/2} transition, high spontaneous radiative transition probability (30.09 s{sup −1}), large emission cross section ((14.84 ± 0.10) × 10{sup −21} cm{sup 2}) and superior gain performance were obtained from the prepared glass. Besides, energy transfer processes concerning the 2.7 μm emission were also discussed in detail. According to simplified rate equation and Dexter’s theory, energy transfer microscopic parameters were computed to elucidate observed 2.7 μm emissions. Results demonstrate that the prepared germanate glass possessing excellent spectroscopic properties might be an attractive candidate for mid-infrared laser or amplifier.

Enhancement of osteogenesis on micro/nano-topographical carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone–nanohydroxyapatite biocomposite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Anxiu; Liu, Xiaochen; Gao, Xiang; Deng, Feng; Deng, Yi; Wei, Shicheng

2015-01-01

As an FDA-approved implantable material, carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone (CFRPEEK) possesses excellent mechanical properties similar to those of human cortical bone and is a prime candidate to replace conventional metallic implants. The bioinertness and inferior osteogenic properties of CFRPEEK, however, limit its clinical application as orthopedic/dental implants. The present work aimed at developing a novel carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone–nanohydroxyapatite (PEEK/CF/n-HA) ternary biocomposite with micro/nano-topographical surface for the enhancement of the osteogenesis as a potential bioactive material for bone grafting and bone tissue-engineering applications. The combined modification of oxygen plasma and sand-blasting could improve the hydrophily and generate micro/nano-topographical structures on the surface of the CFRPEEK-based ternary biocomposite. The results clearly showcased that the micro-/nano-topographical PEEK/n-HA/CF ternary biocomposite demonstrated the outstanding ability to promote the proliferation and differentiation of MG-63 cells in vitro as well as to boost the osseointegration between implant and bone in vivo, thereby boding well application to bone tissue engineering. - Highlights: • A novel micro/nano-topographical PEEK/n-HA/CF ternary biocomposite was developed. • The modified PEEK biocomposite promotes proliferation and differentiation of cells. • In vivo osseointegration of the micro/nano-topographical PEEK/n-HA/CF was enhanced

PREFACE: EDS2010 Preface

Science.gov (United States)

Heggie, Malcolm I.

2011-03-01

The biennial international conference on Extended Defects in Semiconductors started in 1978 with a meeting in Hünfeld, Germany. Subsequent meetings rotated between Poland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Russia and Italy, culminating in EDS2004 in Chernogolovka, EDS2006 in Halle and EDS2008 in Poitiers. EDS2010 was held at the University of Sussex at Brighton, UK from September 19th to 24th. An extension of the tabulation of this history, which first appeared on the EDS2006 website, is given in the attached PDF. It is with sadness that we note one of the founders of the series, Prof. Dr Helmut Alexander, passed away on 3 December 2009 and we were proud to dedicate EDS2010 to his memory. It has become a tradition to make an award in his name, and this year it was made to Ivan Isacov for his poster "Electrical levels of dislocation networks in p- and n-type silicon". A short and warm celebration of Prof. Dr Alexander's life by his friends and colleagues, Prof. Drs Helmut Gottschalk, Eicke Weber and Wolfgang Schröter, is included in this volume. The conference was a forum for the state-of-the-art of investigation and modelling of extended defects in semiconductors. Scientists from universities, research institutes and industry made contributions to a deeper understanding of extended defects, their interaction with point defects and their role in the development of semiconductor technology. The remit of the conference included extended defects, nanostructures, nanoparticles, quantum dots and interfaces within semiconducting materials ranging from narrow to wide band gaps, including graphene-derived materials and diamond. Scientific interests range from defect geometry, electronic structure, dynamics, spectroscopy, microscopy, reactions and chemistry to introduction mechanisms, such as implantation and strained layers and the operation of devices such as integrated circuits, heterostructures, and solar cells. The organisers were confronted with a long period between

The Effect of Ultraviolet Light on the "Liquid Wood"

Science.gov (United States)

Dumitru, Nedelcu; Sabina, Zǎgan; Ticuta, Negreanu-Pirjol; Remus, Zǎgan; Constantin, Cǎrausu

2014-08-01

To preserve resources, the goal is to use biobased materials containing the maximum possible amount of renewable biomass-based derivatives to secure a sustainable future. Bioplastics, biocomposites, biological fibres and related biomaterials will serve as substitutes for materials and products traditionally made from petroleum resources. To support this need, in 1998, Fraunhofer Institute of Chemistry and Tecnaro GmbH Company (founded by Jurgen Pfitzer and Helmut Nagele in Germany) investigated and developed a new compound made of wood components that can be processed as a thermoplastic material. It is well known that bioplastic and biocomposite materials represent another important group of bio-materials that include plastics reinforced with natural fibers and wood-plastic composites (WPCs). The aim of this research is to identify the behavior of "Liquid Wood" after UV irradiation. The materials used were Arbofill Fichte, Arboblend V2 Nature and Arboform L, V3 Nature. The samples were obtained by injection and the experimental study plan followed the Taguchi method with six input parameters and two levels for each of them. Three samples from each material were tested in an ultraviolet environment using different time of exposure in order to establish the material characteristics. After the irradiation process the material did not turn to yellow, which suggests that the composition of the sample liquid timber inhibitors have stability and the number of α-carbonyl (C = O) groups is sufficiently low. After the graphs analyzing can be inferred relatively similar performance of the samples in the first stage both UV and the VIS, indicating that the activity is almost absent. In UV is clearly observed the peak amplitude (maximum absorbance) at different wavelengths (λ). So, in terms of peak intensity the samples follow the order: Arboform L, V3 Nature; Arbofill Fichte and Arboblend V2 Nature.

The Effect of Ultraviolet Light on the 'Liquid Wood'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gheorghe Asachi of Iasi, Romania, Blvd. Mangeron, No. 59A, 700050 Iasi (Romania))" data-affiliation=" (Technical University Gheorghe Asachi of Iasi, Romania, Blvd. Mangeron, No. 59A, 700050 Iasi (Romania))" >Dumitru, Nedelcu; Gheorghe Asachi of Iasi, Romania, Blvd. Mangeron, No. 59A, 700050 Iasi (Romania))" data-affiliation=" (Technical University Gheorghe Asachi of Iasi, Romania, Blvd. Mangeron, No. 59A, 700050 Iasi (Romania))" >Constantin, Cǎrausu; Sabina, Zǎgan; Ticuta, Negreanu-Pirjol; Remus, Zǎgan

2014-01-01

To preserve resources, the goal is to use biobased materials containing the maximum possible amount of renewable biomass-based derivatives to secure a sustainable future. Bioplastics, biocomposites, biological fibres and related biomaterials will serve as substitutes for materials and products traditionally made from petroleum resources. To support this need, in 1998, Fraunhofer Institute of Chemistry and Tecnaro GmbH Company (founded by Jurgen Pfitzer and Helmut Nagele in Germany) investigated and developed a new compound made of wood components that can be processed as a thermoplastic material. It is well known that bioplastic and biocomposite materials represent another important group of bio-materials that include plastics reinforced with natural fibers and wood-plastic composites (WPCs). The aim of this research is to identify the behavior of 'Liquid Wood' after UV irradiation. The materials used were Arbofill Fichte, Arboblend V2 Nature and Arboform L, V3 Nature. The samples were obtained by injection and the experimental study plan followed the Taguchi method with six input parameters and two levels for each of them. Three samples from each material were tested in an ultraviolet environment using different time of exposure in order to establish the material characteristics. After the irradiation process the material did not turn to yellow, which suggests that the composition of the sample liquid timber inhibitors have stability and the number of α-carbonyl (C = O) groups is sufficiently low. After the graphs analyzing can be inferred relatively similar performance of the samples in the first stage both UV and the VIS, indicating that the activity is almost absent. In UV is clearly observed the peak amplitude (maximum absorbance) at different wavelengths (λ). So, in terms of peak intensity the samples follow the order: Arboform L, V3 Nature; Arbofill Fichte and Arboblend V2 Nature

Gas turbines and operation of gas turbines 2011; Gasturbinen und Gasturbinenbetrieb 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

Within the VGB Conference at 11th and 12th May, 2011 in Offenbach/Main (Federal Republic of Germany), the following lectures were held: (1) The future of high temperature gas turbines in power plants (Konrad Vogeler); (2) Development of reliable thermal barrier coatings for high-loaded turbine and combustor parts (Hans-Peter Bossmann); (3) CCPP Irsching 4 with gas turbine SGT5-8000H, on the way to 60 % CC efficiency (Willibald Fischer); (4) First test results of MAN's new 6 MW gas turbine (Markus Beukenberg); (5) Design characteristics and key thermodynamic parameters of the recuperated 4 MW solar turbines Mercury 50 gas turbines: - Economics and environmental feasibility, - operating experience in combined cycle applications with recuperation (Ulrich Stang); (6) Medium size gas turbines - OEM concept for continued reduction of life cycle costs (Vladimir Navrotsky); (7) Fracture mechanical analysis on fatigue failures of gas turbine components: - Root cause analysis - fracture mechanics - stress corrosion cracking - examples of failure analysis (Peter Verstraete); (8) The effectiveness of blade superalloy reheat treatment (Michael Wood); (9) An innovative combustion technology for high efficient gas turbines (Christian Oliver Paschereit); (10) Damping of thermo-acoustic vibrations in gas turbine combustion chambers (Sermed Sadig); (11) Alstom GT13E2 combustor upgrade for Vattenfalls Berlin Mitte combined heat and power plant (Klaus Doebbeling); (12) Optimisation of air inlet filtration for dust, rain and humidity (Heiko Manstein); (13) Life cycle cost reduction through high efficiency membrane based air intake filters (Helmut Krah); (14) Status and impact of national, European and international standardization on GT plants; GT standardizing status quo? (Gerd Weber); (15) Technical and thermodynamic aspects of compresssed air energy storage (Peter Radgen); (16) Requirements on the gas turbine in the course of time - intelligent OEM-concepts to ensure reliable

Conference on wind energy development and biodiversity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gossement, Arnaud; Prevors, Lionel; Nagel, Paul-Bastian; Otto, Iris; Gourat, Fabrice; Sornin-Petit, Nicolas; Kelm, Volker; Beucher, Yannick; Rosenthal, Sonja; Strobl, Reinhard; Kozlowski, Sonia; Herrholz, Thomas; Hannemann, Thomas; Lange, Helmut; Behr, Oliver; Hochradel, Klaus; Mages, Juergen; Nagy, Martina; Korner-Nievergelt, Fraenzi; Niermann, Ivo; Simon, Ralph; Stiller, Florian; Weber, Natalie; Brinkmann, Robert

2013-01-01

Schoenerlinde waste water plant - wind farm project (Thomas Hannemann); 14 - Eno Energy: 14 years of wind energy market experience (Helmut Lange)

Correlates of preferences for autonomy in long-term care: results of a population-based survey among older individuals in Germany

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hajek A

2018-01-01

Full Text Available André Hajek,1 Thomas Lehnert,1 Annemarie Wegener,1 Steffi G Riedel-Heller,2 Hans-Helmut König1 1Department of Health Economics and Health Services Research, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 2Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany Purpose: Thus far, there is little evidence concerning the factors associated with preferences for autonomy in long-term care. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the correlates of preferences for autonomy in long-term care among older individuals in Germany. Methods: Data were gathered from a population-based survey of the German population aged ≥65 years in 2015 (N=1,006. Results: Multiple logistic regressions revealed that preferences for freedom of choice for foods were positively associated with living with partner or spouse (OR: 1.5 [1.0–2.2], being born in Germany (OR: 1.9 [1.1–3.3], and lower self-rated health (OR: 1.3 [1.1–1.6]. Preferences for freedom in choosing bedtime and sleep duration were positively associated with lower age (OR: 1.1 [1.0–1.1] and having children (OR: 2.2 [1.0–4.9]. Preferences for customized living space were positively associated with being female (OR: 2.5 [1.4–4.5] and being born in Germany (OR: 3.7 [1.9–7.1]. Neither preferences for decent and sanitary housing nor preferences for shared decision-making were associated with any of the independent variables. Conclusion: Various independent variables were associated with preferences for autonomy in long-term care. This suggests that preferences for care-related autonomy are complex. Knowing these might help refine long-term care health services. Keywords: caregivers, older adult, long-term care, Germany

Anatomy during the Third Reich--the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Marburg, as an example.

Science.gov (United States)

Aumüller, G; Grundmann, K

2002-05-01

A complete documentation of German anatomical science and its representatives during the period of national socialism has not been published as yet--contrary to the situation in other medical disciplines. Instead of German anatomists, American anatomists have occasionally addressed this issue during their meetings and have reported on special aspects, such as the use of Nazi symbols in anatomical textbooks and atlases (Pernkopf 1952) and the use of corpses of justice victims for anatomical research and student education. Also, the genesis of the atrocious collection of "racial" skulls, initiated along with the SS-institution of the "Ahnenerbe" by the anatomist August Hirt of Strasbourg (who ordered more than 90 inmates from concentration camps to be murdered in the gas chamber built in the concentration camp of Natzweiler-Struthof close to Strasbourg, Alsace) has been described by Frederic Kasten and others. A broader view of the patterns of behaviour and political actions and fates of contemporary scientists, ranging from dismissal to clandestine opportunism, affirmative cooperation and fanatic activism can be obtained by the analysis of the activities in research, medical education and academic positions of the following members of the Institute of Anatomy at the Philipp-University in Marburg: Ernst Göppert, Eduard Jacobshagen, Ernst-Theodor Nauck, Adolf Dabelow, Helmut Becher and Alfred Benninghoff, whose activities and fates differ in several respects and allow more general deductions. Also, the individual fates of a number of prosecuted Jewish anatomists (Wassermann, München; Poll, Hamburg), of devoted and active members of the Nazi party (Clara, Leipzig; Blotevogel, Breslau) and of criminal fanatics (Hirt, Strasbourg; Kremer, Münster) are briefly discussed. The present contribution is an attempt to initiate a more detailed study of all German departments of anatomy during the Hitler regime and to generate a public discussion among the younger generation of

Re-examining the provisions for climate protection. Tightrope walk of the Federal Government

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuermann, H.J.

1996-01-01

The federal government assigns priority to a concept of small steps in climate protection. At the Environmental Summit in Berlin in the Spring of 1995, Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl promised a 25% decrease of German carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions between 1990 and 2005. Even though considerable progress has been made in this country since the early nineties, the CO 2 reduction level envisaged for political reasons remains threatened. Compared to 1990 as the base line year, CO 2 emissions in the Federal Republic by the middle of this decade have been reduced by more than 130 million tons, i.e. 13%. However, this decrease is due to the drastic decline in particularly CO 2 -intensive production processes in the new German federal states. In Eastern Germany, especially the use of lignite, with its relatively high carbon dioxide fractions, has been reduced. A number of aspects need to be taken into account. The reductions promised in voluntary agreements for cooperation between industry and the federal government are an important step in the right direction. Energy taxes based on emissions should be introduced only on the basis of a calculable schedule, in small steps and, if possible, in an internationally harmonized approach in order to protect long-term investments. In this way, longer-term incentives could be offered in the interest of environmentally benign innovations and investments already at the stage of industrial planning. Should nuclear power, which produces no CO 2 emissions, be abandoned on political grounds, the national costs of such a switch would be likely to reach amounts in the double or three-digit billions. The operation of German nuclear power plants at present allows some 150 million tons of CO 2 to be avoided annually. If new reactors could be built in the future without any political obstacles, additional CO 2 savings potentials could be mobilized. (orig./DG)

Booming markets for Moroccan argan oil appear to benefit some rural households while threatening the endemic argan forest.

Science.gov (United States)

Lybbert, Travis J; Aboudrare, Abdellah; Chaloud, Deborah; Magnan, Nicholas; Nash, Maliha

2011-08-23

Morocco's argan oil is now the most expensive edible oil in the world. High-value argan markets have sparked a bonanza of argan activity. Nongovernmental organizations, international and domestic development agencies, and argan oil cooperatives aggressively promote the win-win aim of simultaneously benefiting local people and the health of the argan forest. This paper tests some of these win-win claims. Analysis of a panel of detailed household data suggests that the boom has enabled some rural households to increase consumption, increase their goat herds (which bodes poorly for the argan forest), and send their girls to secondary school. The boom has predictably made households vigilant guardians of fruit on the tree, but it has not incited investments in longer term tree and forest health. We evaluate landscape-level impacts of these changes using commune-level data on educational enrollment and normalized difference vegetation index data over the period from 1981 to 2009. The results of the mesoanalysis of enrollment are consistent with the microanalysis: the argan boom seems to have improved educational outcomes, especially for girls. Our normalized difference vegetation index analysis, however, suggests that booming argan prices have not improved the forest and may have even induced degradation. We conclude by exploring the dynamic interactions between argan markets, local institutions, rural household welfare, and forest conservation and sustainability.

Microbial habitability of the Hadean Earth during the late heavy bombardment

Science.gov (United States)

Abramov, Oleg; Mojzsis, Stephen J.

2009-05-01

Lunar rocks and impact melts, lunar and asteroidal meteorites, and an ancient martian meteorite record thermal metamorphic events with ages that group around and/or do not exceed 3.9Gyr. That such a diverse suite of solar system materials share this feature is interpreted to be the result of a post-primary-accretion cataclysmic spike in the number of impacts commonly referred to as the late heavy bombardment (LHB). Despite its obvious significance to the preservation of crust and the survivability of an emergent biosphere, the thermal effects of this bombardment on the young Earth remain poorly constrained. Here we report numerical models constructed to probe the degree of thermal metamorphism in the crust in the effort to recreate the effect of the LHB on the Earth as a whole; outputs were used to assess habitable volumes of crust for a possible near-surface and subsurface primordial microbial biosphere. Our analysis shows that there is no plausible situation in which the habitable zone was fully sterilized on Earth, at least since the termination of primary accretion of the planets and the postulated impact origin of the Moon. Our results explain the root location of hyperthermophilic bacteria in the phylogenetic tree for 16S small-subunit ribosomal RNA, and bode well for the persistence of microbial biospheres even on planetary bodies strongly reworked by impacts.

Structural properties, electric response and electronic feature of BaSnO3 perovskite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cuervo Farfan, J.; Arbey Rodriguez, J.; Fajardo, F.; Vera Lopez, E.; Landinez Tellez, D.A.; Roa-Rojas, J.

2009-01-01

It has been observed that the semiconducting compound SnO 2 presents very good results as gas sensor. One important development has been performed to study perovskite oxides for this relevant application. One oxide material which constitutes an excellent candidate for this technological application is BaSnO 3 . Polycrystalline samples with single phase of BaSnO 3 were synthesized by using the solid state reaction method. Samples were characterized structurally by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. Rietveld refinement, by using the GSAS code, reveals that this material synthesizes in a cubic perovskite, space group Pm3m (no. 221), with lattice parameter 4.1190(3)A. Electric response was examined through the impedance spectroscopy technique. Results of Bode diagram, from an equivalent circuit, evidence the semiconductor character of material. We carried out a theoretical study by means of the calculation of the bands diagram and the density of states of the BaSnO 3 . Calculation was performed by employing the density functional theory (DFT), with the generalized gradient approach (GGA). DFT theory permitted to establish that BaSnO 3 material has an indirect semiconducting behavior. The calculated gap for this perovskite-like stagnate is at least 0.4 eV. Bulk modulus for material was also determined to be 132 GPa.

Ruthenium sulfide nanoparticles as a new pseudocapacitive material for supercapacitor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krishnamoorthy, Karthikeyan; Pazhamalai, Parthiban; Kim, Sang Jae

2017-01-01

Highlights: • RuS 2 nanoparticles were prepared via sonochemical approach. • RuS 2 based symmetric supercapacitor (SC) device was fabricated. • Symmetric RuS 2 SC device delivered a specific capacitance of 17 F g −1 . • The RuS 2 SC device possesses capacitance retention of about 96.15% over 5000 cycles. - Abstract: Transition metal chalcogenides received much attention as high performance electrode materials for energy storage devices during this decade. In this article, we demonstrated the sonochemical preparation of cubic RuS 2 nanoparticles with average size in the range of 20 nm and investigated their supercapacitive properties in detail using cyclic voltammetry, charge-discharge analysis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, respectively. The RuS 2 electrode delivered a specific capacitance of 85 F g −1 at a constant discharge current density of 0.5 mA cm −1 using a three electrode configuration. The RuS 2 symmetric supercapacitor device delivered a specific capacitance of 17 F g −1 and excellent cyclic stability of about 96.15% capacitance retention over 5000 cycles. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (Nyquist and Bode) analysis together with the frequency dependent capacitance (real and imaginary) studies confirmed the ideal capacitive nature of the RuS 2 supercapacitor. The experimental findings ensure the potential application of RuS 2 nanoparticles as a novel electrode material for electrochemical energy storage devices.

Marine EM: The Past, The Present, and The Future

Science.gov (United States)

Constable, S.

2016-12-01

The high cost of deepwater exploration motivated the development of commercial marine magnetotelluric (MT) exploration in 1995, but it wasn't until marine controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) methods burst upon the industry scene with the formation of three new contractors in 2002 that things got really exciting. Now the bubble has burst and the excitement has diminished, but marine EM remains an important tool for offshore exploration. Early mistakes were made as a result of poor instrumentation and a lack of good interpretation tools - unlike seismics, EM relies heavily on inversion to produce useful results - but both equipment and inversion codes have improved significantly. Still, there are mistakes that can be made. Rock anisotropy and seawater conductivity have to be handled appropriately. A strong galvanic response means that there is a resistivity/thickness ambiguity when imaging reservoirs, but the inductive nature of the data means that multi-frequency inversions are very much better than using single frequencies. Resolution will never be as good as for seismic methods, but is much better than for potential field methods and conductivity may often be a more diagnostic property than acoustic impedance. EM images resistivity, not hydrocarbon content, and false positives occasionally occur, but false negatives are rare. That is, without a CSEM signature there is little chance of discovering economical hydrocarbons. This should bode well for the future of the method.

Nonnatural amino acid incorporation into the methionine 214 position of the metzincin Pseudomonas aeruginosa alkaline protease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Honek John F

2005-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The alkaline protease from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (AprA is a member of the metzincin superfamily of metalloendoproteases. A key feature of these proteases is a conserved methionine-containing 1,4-tight β turn at the base of the active site zinc binding region. Results To explore the invariant methionine position in this class of protease, incorporation of a nonnatural fluorinated methionine, L-difluoromethionine (DFM, into this site was accomplished. Although overproduction of the N-terminal catalytic fragment of AprA resulted in protein aggregates which could not be resolved, successful heterologous production of the entire AprA was accomplished in the presence and absence of the nonnatural amino acid. DFM incorporation was found to only slightly alter the enzyme kinetics of AprA. In addition, differential scanning calorimetry indicated no significant alteration in the thermal stability of the modified enzyme. Conclusion Although invariant in all metzincin proteases, the methionine 214 position in AprA can be successfully replaced by the nonnatural amino acid DFM resulting in little effect on protein structure and function. This study indicates that the increased size of the methyl group by the introduction of two fluorines is still sufficiently non-sterically demanding, and bodes well for the application of DFM to biophysical studies of protein structure and function in this class of protease.

Nonnatural amino acid incorporation into the methionine 214 position of the metzincin Pseudomonas aeruginosa alkaline protease

Science.gov (United States)

Walasek, Paula; Honek, John F

2005-01-01

Background The alkaline protease from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (AprA) is a member of the metzincin superfamily of metalloendoproteases. A key feature of these proteases is a conserved methionine-containing 1,4-tight β turn at the base of the active site zinc binding region. Results To explore the invariant methionine position in this class of protease, incorporation of a nonnatural fluorinated methionine, L-difluoromethionine (DFM), into this site was accomplished. Although overproduction of the N-terminal catalytic fragment of AprA resulted in protein aggregates which could not be resolved, successful heterologous production of the entire AprA was accomplished in the presence and absence of the nonnatural amino acid. DFM incorporation was found to only slightly alter the enzyme kinetics of AprA. In addition, differential scanning calorimetry indicated no significant alteration in the thermal stability of the modified enzyme. Conclusion Although invariant in all metzincin proteases, the methionine 214 position in AprA can be successfully replaced by the nonnatural amino acid DFM resulting in little effect on protein structure and function. This study indicates that the increased size of the methyl group by the introduction of two fluorines is still sufficiently non-sterically demanding, and bodes well for the application of DFM to biophysical studies of protein structure and function in this class of protease. PMID:16221305

Facile Fabrication of MoS2-Modified SnO2 Hybrid Nanocomposite for Ultrasensitive Humidity Sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Dongzhi; Sun, Yan'e; Li, Peng; Zhang, Yong

2016-06-08

An ultrasensitive humidity sensor based on molybdenum-disulfide- (MoS2)-modified tin oxide (SnO2) nanocomposite has been demonstrated in this work. The nanostructural, morphological, and compositional properties of an as-prepared MoS2/SnO2 nanocomposite were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), nitrogen sorption analysis, and Raman spectroscopy, which confirmed its successful preparation and rationality. The sensing characteristics of the MoS2/SnO2 hybrid film device against relative humidity (RH) were investigated at room temperature. The RH sensing results revealed an unprecedented response, ultrafast response/recovery behaviors, and outstanding repeatability. To our knowledge, the sensor response yielded in this work was tens of times higher than that of the existing humidity sensors. Moreover, the MoS2/SnO2 hybrid nanocomposite film sensor exhibited great enhancement in humidity sensing performances as compared to the pure MoS2, SnO2, and graphene counterparts. Furthermore, complex impedance spectroscopy and bode plots were employed to understand the underlying sensing mechanisms of the MoS2/SnO2 nanocomposite toward humidity. The synthesized MoS2/SnO2 hybrid composite was proved to be an excellent candidate for constructing ultrahigh-performance humidity sensor toward various applications.

Long-term antibacterial characteristics and cytocompatibility of titania nanotubes loaded with Au nanoparticles without photocatalytic effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Guomin [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Feng, Hongqing, E-mail: fenghongqing@binn.cas.cn [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), Beijing 100083 (China); Jin, Weihong; Gao, Ang; Peng, Xiang; Li, Wan; Wu, Hao [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Li, Zhou [Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), Beijing 100083 (China); Chu, Paul K., E-mail: paul.chu@cityu.edu.hk [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China)

2017-08-31

Highlights: • Au@TiO{sub 2}-NT shows long-term antibacterial effects without photocatalytical effects. • An ROS-free antibacterial process is confirmed. • Au@TiO{sub 2}-NT shows good compatibility with osteoblasts and does not induce ROS production. - Abstract: Au nanoparticles (NPs) can endow titania nanotubes (Au@TiO{sub 2}-NT) with light-independent antibacterial properties which bode well for in vivo application because of the dark environment inside tissues. In this work, the long-term antibacterial bactericidal properties and cytocompatibility of Au@TiO{sub 2}-NT without photocatalytic effects are studied in details. The materials exhibit antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus according to antibacterial tests carried out for a total time of 21 days, which are normally long enough for early stage tissue healing after surgery. In addition, adhesion and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts on Au@TiO{sub 2}-NT reveal cytocompatibility comparable to that of TiO{sub 2}-NT. No reactive oxygen species (ROS) are detected from either the bacteria or MC3T3-E1 cells cultured on the Au@TiO{sub 2}-NT surface. The absence of ROS, long-term antibacterial properties, and cytocompatibility make Au@TiO{sub 2}-NT promising biomaterials in orthopedic devices and implants.

The Metamorphosis of Polyphemus's Gaze in Marij Pregelj's Painting (1913-1967

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Jure Mikuž

2015-04-01

Full Text Available In 1949-1951 Marij Pregelj, one of the most interesting Slovenian modernist painters, illustrated his version of Homer's Iliad and Odsssey. His illustrations were presented in the time of socialist realist aesthetics announce a reintegration of Slovenian art into the global (Western context. Among the illustrations is the figure of Cyclops devouring Odysseus' comrades. The image of the one-eyed giant Polyphemus is one which concerned Pregelj all his life: the painter, whose vocation is most dependent on the gaze, can show one eye in profile. And the profiles of others' faces and of his own face interested Pregelj his whole life through. Not only people but also objects were one-eyed: the rosette of a cathedral, which changes into a human figure, a washing machine door, a meat grinder's orifice, a blind “windeye” or window, and so on. The themes of his final two paintings, which he, already more than a year before his boding senseless death at the age of 54, executed but did not complete, are Polyphemus and the Portrait of His Son Vasko. In the first, blood flows from the pricked-out eye towards a stylized camera, in the second, the gaze of the son, an enthusiastic filmmaker, extends to the camera that will displace the father's brush.

Microbial habitability of the Hadean Earth during the late heavy bombardment.

Science.gov (United States)

Abramov, Oleg; Mojzsis, Stephen J

2009-05-21

Lunar rocks and impact melts, lunar and asteroidal meteorites, and an ancient martian meteorite record thermal metamorphic events with ages that group around and/or do not exceed 3.9 Gyr. That such a diverse suite of solar system materials share this feature is interpreted to be the result of a post-primary-accretion cataclysmic spike in the number of impacts commonly referred to as the late heavy bombardment (LHB). Despite its obvious significance to the preservation of crust and the survivability of an emergent biosphere, the thermal effects of this bombardment on the young Earth remain poorly constrained. Here we report numerical models constructed to probe the degree of thermal metamorphism in the crust in the effort to recreate the effect of the LHB on the Earth as a whole; outputs were used to assess habitable volumes of crust for a possible near-surface and subsurface primordial microbial biosphere. Our analysis shows that there is no plausible situation in which the habitable zone was fully sterilized on Earth, at least since the termination of primary accretion of the planets and the postulated impact origin of the Moon. Our results explain the root location of hyperthermophilic bacteria in the phylogenetic tree for 16S small-subunit ribosomal RNA, and bode well for the persistence of microbial biospheres even on planetary bodies strongly reworked by impacts.

Performance of commercially available solar and heat pump water heaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lloyd, C.R.; Kerr, A.S.D.

2008-01-01

Many countries are using policy incentives to encourage the adoption of energy-efficient hot water heating as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Such policies rely heavily on assumed performance factors for such systems. In-situ performance data for solar and heat pump hot water systems, however, are not copious in the literature. Otago University has been testing some systems available in New Zealand for a number of years. The results obtained are compared to international studies of in-situ performance of solar hot water systems and heat pump hot water systems, by converting the results from the international studies into a single index suitable for both solar and heat pump systems (COP). Variability in the international data is investigated as well as comparisons to model results. The conclusions suggest that there is not too much difference in performance between solar systems that have a permanently connected electric boost backup and heat pump systems over a wide range of environmental temperatures. The energy payback time was also calculated for electric boost solar flat plate systems as a function of both COP and hot water usage for a given value of embodied energy. The calculations generally bode well for solar systems but ensuring adequate system performance is paramount. In addition, such systems generally favour high usage rates to obtain good energy payback times

Autism awareness in children and young people: surveys of two populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Dillenburger, K; Jordan, J-A; McKerr, L; Lloyd, K; Schubotz, D

2017-08-01

Increasingly, pupils on the autism spectrum are educated in inclusive mainstream classrooms. However, they often experience social isolation and bullying, and raising the awareness of autism in peers has been suggested as a remedy. In order to assess autism awareness in peers, autism-related questions were included in two large-scale surveys: the Kids Life and Times survey for 11-year olds and the Young Life and Times survey for 16-year olds; a total of n = 3353 children and young people completed the surveys. Autism awareness was higher for the teenagers (80%) than for the younger children (50%). Many of the children knew someone with autism (50%) and generally reported positive and supportive attitudes. Self-reported prevalence of autism was 3.1% for teenagers and 2.7% for the younger children. Peers recognised bullying as a problem and were willing to help. Children and young people have good levels of awareness and knowledge about autism and reported positive attitudes towards peers with autism and are willing to help those who are bullied. A higher than expected number of children and young people self-reported being on the autism spectrum. These findings bode well for peer-mediated support strategies for inclusive education. © 2017 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Redesign of a Variable-Gain Output Feedback Longitudinal Controller Flown on the High-Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV)

Science.gov (United States)

Ostroff, Aaron J.

1998-01-01

This paper describes a redesigned longitudinal controller that flew on the High-Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) during calendar years (CY) 1995 and 1996. Linear models are developed for both the modified controller and a baseline controller that was flown in CY 1994. The modified controller was developed with three gain sets for flight evaluation, and several linear analysis results are shown comparing the gain sets. A Neal-Smith flying qualities analysis shows that performance for the low- and medium-gain sets is near the level 1 boundary, depending upon the bandwidth assumed, whereas the high-gain set indicates a sensitivity problem. A newly developed high-alpha Bode envelope criterion indicates that the control system gains may be slightly high, even for the low-gain set. A large motion-base simulator in the United Kingdom was used to evaluate the various controllers. Desired performance, which appeared to be satisfactory for flight, was generally met with both the low- and medium-gain sets. Both the high-gain set and the baseline controller were very sensitive, and it was easy to generate pilot-induced oscillation (PIO) in some of the target-tracking maneuvers. Flight target-tracking results varied from level 1 to level 3 and from no sensitivity to PIO. These results were related to pilot technique and whether actuator rate saturation was encountered.

Antimicrobial Peptides from Plants

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James P. Tam

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Plant antimicrobial peptides (AMPs have evolved differently from AMPs from other life forms. They are generally rich in cysteine residues which form multiple disulfides. In turn, the disulfides cross-braced plant AMPs as cystine-rich peptides to confer them with extraordinary high chemical, thermal and proteolytic stability. The cystine-rich or commonly known as cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs of plant AMPs are classified into families based on their sequence similarity, cysteine motifs that determine their distinctive disulfide bond patterns and tertiary structure fold. Cystine-rich plant AMP families include thionins, defensins, hevein-like peptides, knottin-type peptides (linear and cyclic, lipid transfer proteins, α-hairpinin and snakins family. In addition, there are AMPs which are rich in other amino acids. The ability of plant AMPs to organize into specific families with conserved structural folds that enable sequence variation of non-Cys residues encased in the same scaffold within a particular family to play multiple functions. Furthermore, the ability of plant AMPs to tolerate hypervariable sequences using a conserved scaffold provides diversity to recognize different targets by varying the sequence of the non-cysteine residues. These properties bode well for developing plant AMPs as potential therapeutics and for protection of crops through transgenic methods. This review provides an overview of the major families of plant AMPs, including their structures, functions, and putative mechanisms.

Solution-processed inorganic copper(I) thiocyanate (CuSCN) hole transporting layers for efficient p–i–n perovskite solar cells

KAUST Repository

Zhao, Kui

2015-08-27

CuSCN is a highly transparent, highly stable, low cost and easy to solution process HTL that is proposed as a low cost replacement to existing organic and inorganic metal oxide hole transporting materials. Here, we demonstrate hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite-based p-i-n planar heterojunction solar cells using a solution-processed copper(I) thiocyanate (CuSCN) bottom hole transporting layer (HTL). CuSCN, with its high workfunction, increases the open circuit voltage (Voc) by 0.23 V to 1.06 V as compared with devices based on the well-known poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) (0.83 V), resulting in a superior power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.8% without any notable hysteresis. Photoluminescence measurements suggest a similar efficiency of charge transfer at HTL/perovskite interface as PEDOT:PSS. However, we observe more efficient light harvesting in the presence of CuSCN at shorter wavelengths despite PEDOT:PSS being more transparent. Further investigation of the microstructure and morphology reveals differences in the crystallographic texture of the polycrystalline perovskite film, suggesting somewhat modified perovskite growth on the surface of CuSCN. The successful demonstration of the solution-processed inorganic HTL using simple and low temperature processing routes bodes well for the development of reliable and efficient flexible p-i-n perovskite modules or for integration as a front cell in hybrid tandem solar cells.

Corrosion Performance of AISI-309 Exposed to Molten Salts V2O5-Na2SO4 at 700°C Applying EIS and Rp Electrochemical Techniques

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E. F. Diaz

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The corrosion performance of AISI-309 exposed 5 days to molten salts 50 mol% V2O5-50 mol% Na2SO4 at 700°C is reported in this paper. Such evaluation was made using three electrochemical techniques: potentiodynamic polarization curve (PC, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS, and linear polarization resistance (Rp. From PC, the Tafel slopes, Icorr, and Ecorr were obtained. From Nyquist and Bode plots, it was possible to determine two different stages; the first one showed just one loop, which indicated the initial formation of Cr2O3 layer over the metallic surface; after that, the dissolution of Cr2O3 formed a porous layer, which became part of the corrosion products; at the same time a NiO layer combined with sulfur was forming, which was suggested as the second stage, represented by two capacitive loops. EIS plots were in agreement with the physical characterization made from SEM and EDS analyses. Fitting of EIS experimental data allowed us to propose two electrical circuits, being in concordance with the corrosion stages. Parameters obtained from the simulation of EIS data are also reported. From the results, it was stated that AISI-309 suffered intergranular corrosion due to the presence of sulfur, which diffused to the metallic surface through a porous Cr2O3 layer.

High genetic diversity and low population structure in Porter's sunflower (Helianthus porteri).

Science.gov (United States)

Gevaert, Scott D; Mandel, Jennifer R; Burke, John M; Donovan, Lisa A

2013-01-01

Granite outcrops in the southeastern United States are rare and isolated habitats that support edaphically controlled communities dominated by herbaceous plants. They harbor rare and endemic species that are expected to have low genetic variability and high population structure due to small population sizes and their disjunct habitat. We test this expectation for an annual outcrop endemic, Helianthus porteri (Porter's sunflower). Contrary to expectation, H. porteri has relatively high genetic diversity (H e = 0.681) and relatively low genetic structure among the native populations (F ST = 0.077) when compared to 5 other Helianthus species (N = 288; 18 expressed sequence tag-SSR markers). These findings suggest greater gene flow than expected. The potential for gene flow is supported by the analysis of transplant populations established with propagules from a common source in 1959. One population established close to a native population (1.5 km) at the edge of the natural range is genetically similar to and shares rare alleles with the adjacent native population and is distinct from the central source population. In contrast, a transplant population established north of the native range has remained similar to the source population. The relatively high genetic diversity and low population structure of this species, combined with the long-term success of transplanted populations, bode well for its persistence as long as the habitat persists.

A Dark Energy Camera Search for an Optical Counterpart to the First Advanced LIGO Gravitational Wave Event GW150914

Science.gov (United States)

Soares-Santos, M.; Kessler, R.; Burger, E.; Annis, J.; Brout, D.; Buckley-Geer, E.; Chen, H.; Cowperthwaite, P. S.; Diehl, H.T.; Doctor, Z.;

Corrosion behavior of novel imitation-gold copper alloy with rare earth in 3.5% NaCl solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, J.L.; Li, Z.; Zhu, A.Y.; Luo, L.Y.; Liang, J.

2012-01-01

Highlights: → The design alloy has better anti-tarnish property than that of H7211 alloy during salt-spray test. → The corrosion rate of design alloy is much lower than that of H7211 alloy as immersed in NaCl solution. → In the low frequency region, the capacitive behavior normally faded and diffusion process had a key role. → In the medium frequency region, the Bode pattern showed a capacitive behavior. -- Abstract: A novel imitation-gold copper alloy with rare earth was designed and prepared. The corrosion behavior of the alloy immersed in 3.5% NaCl solution and its anti-tarnish property in the salt spray for different days has been studied. The designed alloy (CuZnAlNiMeRe) has more excellent anti-tarnish property and lower corrosion rate than those of currency coinage materials of H7211 alloy (used in China). A uniform and compact of corrosion film has been formed after the designed alloy immersed in 3.5% NaCl solution. The corrosion current densities I corr of the alloy decreased while the polarization resistance R p increased with time. The capacitance of the corrosion product film C film of the alloy decreased while the charge transfer resistance R ct . The Warburg diffusion impedance W R and the resistance of the equivalent circuit R increased with time.

Progress and delivery of health care in Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon and Gross National Happiness.

Science.gov (United States)

Tobgay, Tashi; Dorji, Tandin; Pelzom, Dorji; Gibbons, Robert V

2011-06-01

The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan is rapidly changing, but it remains relatively isolated, and it tenaciously embraces its rich cultural heritage. Despite very limited resources, Bhutan is making a concerted effort to update its health care and deliver it to all of its citizens. Healthcare services are delivered through 31 hospitals, 178 basic health unit clinics and 654 outreach clinics that provide maternal and child health services in remote communities in the mountains. Physical access to primary health care is now well sustained for more than 90% of the population. Bhutan has made progress in key health indicators. In the past 50 years, life expectancy increased by 18 years and infant mortality dropped from 102.8 to 49.3 per 1000 live births between 1984 and 2008. Bhutan has a rich medical history. One of the ancient names for Bhutan was 'Land of Medicinal Herbs' because of the diverse medicinal plants it exported to neighbouring countries. In 1967, traditional medicine was included in the National Health System, and in 1971, formal training for Drungtshos (traditional doctors) and sMenpas (traditional compounders) began. In 1982, Bhutan established the Pharmaceutical and Research Unit, which manufactures, develops and researches traditional herbal medicines. Despite commendable achievements, considerable challenges lie ahead, but the advances of the past few decades bode well for the future. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Electrochemical corrosion behaviour of nickel chromium-chromium carbide coating by HVOF process

Science.gov (United States)

Amudha, A.; Nagaraja, H. S.; Shashikala, H. D.

2018-04-01

To overcome the corrosion problem in marine industry, coatings are one of the most economical solutions. In this paper, the corrosion behaviour of 25(NiCr)-75Cr3C2 cermet coating on low carbon steel substrate by HVOF process is studied. Different phases such as Cr7C3 and Cr3C2, along with Ni and chromium oxide(Cr3O2) constituents present in the coating were revealed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. The morphology of the coating obtained by scanning electron microscope (SEM) gave confirmation for the XRD analysis. Electrochemical corrosion techniques such as Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) were used to study the corrosion behaviour of the cermet in 3.5wt% NaCl electrolyte solution. The corrosion current density of the coated sample and substrate were found to be 6.878µA/cm-2 and 21.091µA/cm-2 respectively. The Nyquist Impedance spectra were used to derive an equivalent circuit to analyze the interaction between the coating and electrolyte. The Bode Impedance plots obtained by EIS for the coating showed a typical passive material capacitive behaviour, indicated by medium to low frequency with phase angle approaching -60o, suggesting that a stable film is formed on the tested material in the electrolyte used.

What is the value of embedding artificial emotional prosody in human computer interactions? Implications for theory and design in psychological science.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel L. C. Mitchell

2015-11-01

Full Text Available In computerised technology, artificial speech is becoming increasingly important, and is already used in ATMs, online gaming and healthcare contexts. However, today’s artificial speech typically sounds monotonous, a main reason for this being the lack of meaningful prosody. One particularly important function of prosody is to convey different emotions. This is because successful encoding and decoding of emotions is vital for effective social cognition, which is increasingly recognised in human-computer interaction contexts. Current attempts to artificially synthesise emotional prosody are much improved relative to early attempts, but there remains much work to be done due to methodological problems, lack of agreed acoustic correlates, and lack of theoretical grounding. If the addition of synthetic emotional prosody is not of sufficient quality, it may risk alienating users instead of enhancing their experience. So the value of embedding emotion cues in artificial speech may ultimately depend on the quality of the synthetic emotional prosody. However, early evidence on reactions to synthesised nonverbal cues in the facial modality bodes well. Attempts to implement the recognition of emotional prosody into artificial applications and interfaces have perhaps been met with greater success, but the ultimate test of synthetic emotional prosody will be to critically compare how people react to synthetic emotional prosody vs. natural emotional prosody, at the behavioural, socio-cognitive and neural levels.

A Digitally Controlled Power Converter for an Electrostatic Precipitator

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Pedro J. Villegas

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Electrostatic precipitators (ESPs are devices used in industry to eliminate polluting particles in gases. In order to supply them, an interface must be included between the three-phase main line and the required high DC voltage of tens of kilovolts. This paper describes an 80-kW power supply for such an application. Its structure is based on the series parallel resonant converter with a capacitor as output filter (PRC-LCC, which can adequately cope with the parasitic elements of the step-up transformer involved. The physical implementation of the prototype includes the use of silicon carbide—SiC—semiconductors, which provide better switching capabilities than their traditional silicon—Si—counterparts. As a result, a new control strategy results as a better alternative in which the resonant current is maintained in phase with the first harmonic of the inverter voltage. Although this operation mode imposes hard switching in one of the inverter legs, it minimizes the reactive energy that circulates through the resonant tank, the resonant current amplitude itself and the switching losses. Overall efficiency of the converter benefits from this. These ideas are supported mathematically using the steady state and dynamic models of the topology. They are confirmed with experimental measurements that include waveforms, Bode plots and thermal behavior. The experimental setup delivers 80 kW with an estimated efficiency of 98%.

The design of a turboshaft speed governor using modern control techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Delosreyes, G.; Gouchoe, D. R.

1986-01-01

The objectives of this program were: to verify the model of off schedule compressor variable geometry in the T700 turboshaft engine nonlinear model; to evaluate the use of the pseudo-random binary noise (PRBN) technique for obtaining engine frequency response data; and to design a high performance power turbine speed governor using modern control methods. Reduction of T700 engine test data generated at NASA-Lewis indicated that the off schedule variable geometry effects were accurate as modeled. Analysis also showed that the PRBN technique combined with the maximum likelihood model identification method produced a Bode frequency response that was as accurate as the response obtained from standard sinewave testing methods. The frequency response verified the accuracy of linear models consisting of engine partial derivatives and used for design. A power turbine governor was designed using the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) method of full state feedback control. A Kalman filter observer was used to estimate helicopter main rotor blade velocity. Compared to the baseline T700 power turbine speed governor, the LQR governor reduced droop up to 25 percent for a 490 shaft horsepower transient in 0.1 sec simulating a wind gust, and up to 85 percent for a 700 shaft horsepower transient in 0.5 sec simulating a large collective pitch angle transient.

A boom in energy technology innovation despite decades of stagnant investment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bettencourt, Luis M [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Trancik, Jessika A [SANTA FE INSTITUTE; Kaur, Jasleen [INDIANA UNIV

2009-01-01

Rates of patenting in energy technologies in the United States stagnated during a period of low federal investment in the sector from the mid-1980's through 2000. To analyze the current state of the field, we built a new comprehensive database of energy patents in the USA and worldwide aggregated by nation and technology. We show that innovation in energy technologies, as measured by numbers of new patents, has grown dramatically over the last decade both for renewable and fossil fuel-based technologies, but that traditional investment -government and private support for research and development (R&D) -has not risen commensurately. We also show that while venture capital investment in the sector has increased significantly in the last few years it lags the observed uptick in patenting. We find increasing patenting rates in nations worldwide but also differences in regional priorities, as well as a marked divergence in innovation rates across technologies. Renewable energy technologies - especially solar and wind - currently show the fastest rates of innovation, while patenting levels in nuclear fission have remained low despite relatively high levels of sustained investment. While this sharp increase of innovative activity bodes well for change in the energy sector, the future of emerging technologies may hinge on sustained investment in R&D and favorable incentives for market entry.

Analysis of the Long-term Precipitation Trend in Illinois and Its Implications for Agricultural Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vaskar Dahal

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Climate change is expected to modify the hydrological cycle resulting in a change in the amount, frequency, and intensity of surface precipitation. How the future hydrological pattern will look is uncertain. Climate change is expected to bring about intense periods of dryness and wetness, and such behavior is expected to be difficult to predict. Such uncertainty does not bode well for the agricultural systems of the United States (US Midwest that are reliant on natural precipitation systems. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the behavior of precipitation during the cropping period. The manifestation of global-warming-related changes has already been reported for the last couple of decades and more so in the current decade. Thus, precipitation data from the recent past can provide vital information on what is about to come. In this study, the precipitation data of Illinois, a Midwestern state of the US with rain-fed agriculture, was analyzed with a focus on the climate dynamics during the cropping period. It was observed that even though there has been some increase in the annual precipitation amount (+1.84 mm/year due to the increase in precipitation frequency and intensity, such change happened outside of the cropping period, thereby ensuring that climate change has not manifested itself during the cropping period.

Supercapacitive properties of hydrothermally synthesized sphere like MoS2 nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krishnamoorthy, Karthikeyan; Veerasubramani, Ganesh Kumar; Radhakrishnan, Sivaprakasam; Kim, Sang Jae

2014-01-01

Highlights: • MoS 2 nanostructures were synthesized by hydrothermal method. • Randomly stacked MoS 2 was obtained. • FE-SEM studies show the sphere like morphology of MoS 2 . • Specific capacitance of 92.85 F/g was achieved using charge–discharge analysis. • MoS 2 electrode shows capacitance retention of about 93.8% after 1000 cycles. - Abstract: In this communication, we have investigated the supercapacitive behaviour of MoS 2 nanostructures prepared by a facile one-pot hydrothermal approach using ammonium heptamolybdate and thiourea as starting materials. The X-ray diffraction study revealed the formation of randomly stacked layers of MoS 2 . The field-emission scanning electron microscope studies suggested the formation of sphere like MoS 2 nanostructures and a plausible mechanism for the formation of the obtained structure is discussed. The cyclic voltammetry study shows the typical rectangular shaped curves with a specific capacitance of 106 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s. Galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements suggested the maximum specific capacitance of about 92.85 F/g at discharge current density of 0.5 mA/cm 2 . Cyclic stability tests revealed the capacitance retention of about 93.8% after 1000 cycles suggesting a good cyclic capacity of the prepared MoS 2 . The electrochemical impedance spectroscopic results such as Nyquist and Bode phase angle plots suggested that the hydrothermally synthesized MoS 2 nanostructures will be a suitable candidate for electrochemical supercapacitor applications

Characterization of the Wheat Leaf Metabolome during Grain Filling and under Varied N-Supply

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Elmien Heyneke

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Progress in improving crop growth is an absolute goal despite the influence multifactorial components have on crop yield and quality. An Avalon × Cadenza doubled-haploid wheat mapping population was used to study the leaf metabolome of field grown wheat at weekly intervals during the time in which the canopy contributes to grain filling, i.e., from anthesis to 5 weeks post-anthesis. Wheat was grown under four different nitrogen supplies reaching from residual soil N to a luxury over-fertilization (0, 100, 200, and 350 kg N ha−1. Four lines from a segregating doubled haploid population derived of a cross of the wheat elite cvs. Avalon and Cadenza were chosen as they showed pairwise differences in either N utilization efficiency (NUtE or senescence timing. 108 annotated metabolites of primary metabolism and ions were determined. The analysis did not provide genotype specific markers because of a remarkable stability of the metabolome between lines. We speculate that the reason for failing to identify genotypic markers might be due to insufficient genetic diversity of the wheat parents and/or the known tendency of plants to keep metabolome homeostasis even under adverse conditions through multiple adaptations and rescue mechanism. The data, however, provided a consistent catalogue of metabolites and their respective responses to environmental and developmental factors and may bode well for future systems biology approaches, and support plant breeding and crop improvement.

Radioprotective activity of curcumin-encapsulated liposomes against genotoxicity caused by Gamma Cobalt-60 irradiation in human blood cells.

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Nguyen, Minh-Hiep; Pham, Ngoc-Duy; Dong, Bingxue; Nguyen, Thi-Huynh-Nga; Bui, Chi-Bao; Hadinoto, Kunn

2017-11-01

While the radioprotective activity of curcumin against genotoxicity has been well established, its poor oral bioavailability has limited its successful clinical applications. Nanoscale formulations, including liposomes, have been demonstrated to improve curcumin bioavailability. The objective of the present work was (1) to prepare and characterize curcumin-encapsulated liposomes (i.e. size, colloidal stability, encapsulation efficiency, and payload), and (2) subsequently to evaluate their radioprotective activity against genotoxicity in human blood cells caused by Gamma Cobalt-60 irradiation. The curcumin-encapsulated liposomes were prepared by lipid-film hydration method using commercial phosphatidylcholine (i.e. Phospholipon ® 90G). The blood cells were obtained from healthy male donors (n = 3) under an approved ethics protocol. The cell uptake and the radioprotective activity of the curcumin-encapsulated liposomes were characterized by fluorescence microscopy and micronucleus assay, respectively. Nanoscale curcumin-encapsulated liposomes exhibiting good physical characteristics and successful uptake by the human blood cells were successfully prepared. The radioprotective activity of the curcumin-encapsulated liposomes was found to be dependent on the curcumin concentration, where an optimal concentration existed (i.e. 30 μg/mL) independent of the irradiation dose, above which the radioprotective activity had become stagnant (i.e. no more reduction in the micronuclei frequency). The present results established for the first time the radioprotective activity of curcumin-encapsulated liposomes in human blood cells, which coupled by its well-established bioavailability, boded well for its potential application as a nanoscale delivery system of other radioprotective phytochemicals.

Differences in baseline factors and survival between normocapnia, compensated respiratory acidosis and decompensated respiratory acidosis in COPD exacerbation: A pilot study.

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Lun, Chung-Tat; Tsui, Miranda S N; Cheng, Suet-Lai; Chan, Veronica L; Leung, Wah-Shing; Cheung, Alice P S; Chu, Chung-Ming

2016-01-01

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experiencing acute exacerbation (AE-COPD) with decompensated respiratory acidosis are known to have poor outcomes in terms of recurrent respiratory failure and death. However, the outcomes of AE-COPD patients with compensated respiratory acidosis are not known. We performed a 1-year prospective, single-centre, cohort study in patients surviving the index admission for AE-COPD to compare baseline factors between groups with normocapnia, compensated respiratory acidosis and decompensated respiratory acidosis. Survival analysis was done to examine time to readmissions, life-threatening events and death. A total of 250 patients fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited and 245 patients were analysed. Compared with normocapnia, both compensated and decompensated respiratory acidosis are associated with lower FEV1 % (P respiratory acidosis, there was no difference in FEV1 (% predicted) (P = 0.15), GOLD stage (P = 0.091), BODE index (P = 0.158) or time to life-threatening events (P = 0.301). High PaCO2 level (P = 0.002) and previous use of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in acute setting (P respiratory acidosis are associated with poorer lung function and higher risk of future life-threatening events. High PaCO2 level and past history of NIV use in acute settings were predictive factors for future life-threatening events. Compensated respiratory acidosis warrants special attention and optimization of medical therapy as it poses risk of life-threatening events. © 2015 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

Technocultural education

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Lars Løvlie

2006-12-01

Full Text Available In this essay I try to describe the development of a traditional liberal education into a technological liberal one. I propose that we start by dropping the classical oppositions between man and animal, and man and machine; that we stop pitting morality against technology and rhetoric; and that we do away with the idea that ICT in our schools will necessarily tear the fabric of education apart. We should rather try and re-describe the idea of an unencumbered and independent self in terms of relational concepts, like the cyborg or more radically: like the self as interface. John Dewey led the way to this view a century ago, by coining the word intelligence as the name of educative interactions between man, animal and machine. The self as interface is a self of differences rather than identities. But that idea does not do away with our emplaced body, or our personal sense of self and identity. In the postmodern world, the cyborg is a migrant with the ability to interpret signs, understand symbols of power, see through rhetorical games, engage in argumentation, and in these activities partake in his or her own political education. The Internet nomad does not bode anarchy. He or she is the radically decentred subject that may well participate in Kant’s cosmopolitanism, Jürgen Habermas’ discourse ethics and Jacques Derrida’s deconstruction. –  But this is to go slightly beyond the text submitted here …

Measurement of mechanical properties of metallic glass at elevated temperature using sonic resonance method

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Kaluvan, Suresh; Zhang, Haifeng; Mridha, Sanghita; Mukherjee, Sundeep

2017-04-01

Bulk metallic glasses are fully amorphous multi-component alloys with homogeneous and isotropic structure down to the atomic scale. Some attractive attributes of bulk metallic glasses include high strength and hardness as well as excellent corrosion and wear resistance. However, there are few reports and limited understanding of their mechanical properties at elevated temperatures. We used a nondestructive sonic resonance method to measure the Young's modulus and Shear modulus of a bulk metallic glass, Zr41.2Ti13.8Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5, at elevated temperatures. The measurement system was designed using a laser displacement sensor to detect the sonic vibration produced by a speaker on the specimen in high-temperature furnace. The OMICRON Bode-100 Vector Network Analyzer was used to sweep the frequency and its output was connected to the speaker which vibrated the material in its flexural mode and torsional modes. A Polytec OFV-505 laser vibrometer sensor was used to capture the vibration of the material at various frequencies. The flexural and torsional mode frequency shift due to the temperature variation was used to determine the Young's modulus and Shear modulus. The temperature range of measurement was from 50°C to 350°C. The Young's modulus was found to reduce from 100GPa to 94GPa for the 300°C temperature span. Similarly, the Shear modulus decreased from 38.5GPa at 50°C to 36GPa at 350°C.

A preparation method and effects of Al–Cr coating on NdFeB sintered magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, Jingwu; Lin, Min; Xia, Qingping

2012-01-01

A 50 μm Al–Cr coating on NdFeB sintered magnets was prepared through dipping in solution, shaking dry and heating at 300 °C. The morphology and composition of the Al–Cr coating were investigated with scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrometer and X-ray diffraction. The corrosion resistance of NdFeB sintered magnets with and without the Al–Cr coating was analyzed by normal salt spray, polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The magnetic properties were measured with a hysteresis loop tracer. The results show that the Al–Cr coating forms an overlapping structure and Al flakes lie nearly parallel to the substrate, which improves the anticorrosion and increases normal salt spray test from 10 to 100 h. The corrosion potential of NdFeB sintered magnets with and without the Al–Cr coating moves positively from −0.67 to −0.48 V, which is in accordance with Nyquist and Bode plots. The Al–Cr coating has little influence on the magnetic properties of the NdFeB sintered magnets. - Highlights: ► The Al–Cr coating can be prepared by dipping in solution, shaking dry and heating. ► The coating morphology shows to be an intense overlapping structure. ► The barrier effect combines with passivation and cathodic protection. ► The anticorrosion abilities improve while magnetic properties change little. ► Compared with other surface treatments, this method is convenient and low cost.

Central nervous insulin resistance: a promising target in the treatment of metabolic and cognitive disorders?

Science.gov (United States)

Hallschmid, M; Schultes, B

2009-11-01

Research on functions and signalling pathways of insulin has traditionally focused on peripheral tissues such as muscle, fat and liver, while the brain was commonly believed to be insensitive to the effects of this hormone secreted by pancreatic beta cells. However, since the discovery some 30 years ago that insulin receptors are ubiquitously found in the central nervous system, an ever-growing research effort has conclusively shown that circulating insulin accesses the brain, which itself does not synthesise insulin, and exerts pivotal functions in central nervous networks. As an adiposity signal reflecting the amount of body fat, insulin provides direct negative feedback to hypothalamic nuclei that control whole-body energy and glucose homeostasis. Moreover, insulin affects distinct cognitive processes, e.g. by triggering the formation of psychological memory contents. Accordingly, metabolic and cognitive disorders such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease are associated with resistance of central nervous structures to the effects of insulin, which may derive from genetic polymorphisms as well as from long-term exposure to excess amounts of circulating insulin due to peripheral insulin resistance. Thus, overcoming central nervous insulin resistance, e.g. by pharmacological interventions, appears to be an attractive strategy in the treatment and prevention of these disorders. Enhancement of central nervous insulin signalling by administration of intranasal insulin, insulin analogues and insulin sensitisers in basic research approaches has yielded encouraging results that bode well for the successful translation of these effects into future clinical practice.

Magnetic susceptibility of MnZn and NiZn soft ferrites using Laplace transform and the Routh-Hurwitz criterion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fano, Walter Gustavo; Boggi, Silvina; Razzitte, Adrian Cesar

2011-01-01

This paper is devoted to study the Routh-Hurwitz stability criterion from the MnZn and NiZn soft ferrites using a phenomenological model with the gyromagnetic spin contribution and domain wall contribution. The magnetodynamic equation and the harmonic oscillator equation have been used to obtain the domain walls and the spin contribution of the magnetic susceptibility. The ferrite materials have been considered as linear, time invariant, isotropic and homogeneous, and the magnetization vector is proportional to the magnetic field vector. The resulting expression of the magnetization in time domain of both ferrites under study has been obtained by mean of the inverse Laplace transformation applying the residue method. The poles of the magnetic susceptibility have negative real parts, which ensures that the response decays exponentially to zero as the time increase. The degree of the numerator's polynomial of the magnetic susceptibility is less than the degree of denominator's polynomial in the magnetic susceptibility function: and the poles are located in the half left s-plane. Then the system is bounded-input, bounded-output (BIBO), and the results agree with the Routh-Hurwitz stability criterion for the MnZn and NiZn soft ferrites. - Research Highlights: → Laplace transform of the magnetic susceptibility of the MnZn and NiZn soft ferrites. → Routh-Hurwitz stability criterion of magnetic materials. → Bode plot of magnetic susceptibility. → Inverse Laplace transform using residue theorem.

Leaders' perspectives in the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative

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Mattson, D.J.; Clark, S.G.; Byrd, K.L.; Brown, S.R.; Robinson, B.

2011-01-01

The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) was created in 1993 to advance conservation in a 1.2 million km2 portion of the North American Rocky Mountains. We assembled 21 people with influence over Y2Y in a workshop to elucidate perspectives on challenges and solutions for this organization at a key point in its evolution, and used Q method to define four perspectives on challenges and three on solutions. Participants were differentiated by four models for effecting change-vision-based advocacy, practice-based learning, political engagement, and scientific management-with emphasis on the first three. Those with authority in Y2Y aligned with vision-based advocacy and expressed ambivalence about practice-based adaptive learning and rigorous appraisals of existing strategies. Workshop results were consistent with an apparent trend toward organizational maturation focused on stabilizing revenues, developing formal organizational arrangements, and focusing strategies. Consolidation of power in Y2Y around a long-standing formula does not bode well for the effectiveness of Y2Y. We recommend that leaders in Y2Y and similar organizations focused on large-scale conservation to create and maintain an open system-philosophically and operationally-that capitalizes on the diverse perspectives and skills of individuals who are attracted to such efforts. We also recommend that the Y2Y initiative be followed closely to harvest additional lessons for potential application to large-scale conservation efforts elsewhere. ?? Springer Science+Business Media, LLC(outside the USA).2011.

Stability analysis of the Ghana Research Reactor-1 (GHARR-1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Della, R.; Alhassan, E.; Adoo, N.A.; Bansah, C.Y.; Nyarko, B.J.B.; Akaho, E.H.K.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • We developed a theoretical model to study the stability of the Ghana Research Reactor-1. • The neutronics transfer function was described by the point kinetics model for a single group of delayed neutrons. • The thermal hydraulics transfer function was based on the modified lumped parameter concept. • A computer code, RESA (REactor Stability Analysis) was developed. • Results show that the closed-loop transfer function was stable and well damped for variable operating power levels. - Abstract: A theoretical model has been developed to study the stability of the Ghana Research Reactor one (GHARR-1). The closed-loop transfer function of GHARR-1 was established based on the model, which involved the neutronics and the thermal hydraulics transfer functions. The reactor kinetics was described by the point kinetics model for a single group of delayed neutrons, whilst the thermal hydraulics transfer function was based on the modified lumped parameter concept. The inherent internal feedback effect due to the fuel and the coolant was represented by the fuel temperature coefficient and the moderator temperature coefficient respectively. A computer code, RESA (REactor Stability Analysis), entirely in Java was developed based on the model for systems analysis. Stability analysis of the open-loop transfer function of GHARR-1 based on the Nyquist criterion and Bode diagrams using RESA, has shown that the closed-loop transfer function was marginally stable for variable operating power levels. The relative stability margins of GHARR-1 were also identified

Continuous Calibration Improvement in Solar Reflective Bands: Landsat 5 Through Landsat 8

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Nischal; Helder, Dennis; Barsi, Julia; Markham, Brian

2016-01-01

Launched in February 2013, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on-board Landsat 8 continues to perform exceedingly well and provides high science quality data globally. Several design enhancements have been made in the OLI instrument relative to prior Landsat instruments: pushbroom imaging which provides substantially improved Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), spectral bandpasses refinement to avoid atmospheric absorption features, 12 bit data resolution to provide a larger dynamic range that limits the saturation level, a set of well-designed onboard calibrators to monitor the stability of the sensor. Some of these changes such as refinements in spectral bandpasses compared to earlier Landsats and well-designed on-board calibrator have a direct impact on the improved radiometric calibration performance of the instrument from both the stability of the response and the ability to track the changes. The on-board calibrator lamps and diffusers indicate that the instrument drift is generally less than 0.1% per year across the bands. The refined bandpasses of the OLI indicate that temporal uncertainty of better than 0.5% is possible when the instrument is trended over vicarious targets such as Pseudo Invariant Calibration Sites (PICS), a level of precision that was never achieved with the earlier Landsat instruments. The stability measurements indicated by on-board calibrators and PICS agree much better compared to the earlier Landsats, which is very encouraging and bodes well for the future Landsat missions too.

A strong-lensing elliptical galaxy in the MaNGA survey

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Russell J.

2017-01-01

I report discovery of a new galaxy-scale gravitational lens system, identified using public data from the Mapping Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey, as part of a systematic search for lensed background line emitters. The lens is SDSS J170124.01+372258.0, a giant elliptical galaxy with velocity dispersion σ = 256 km s-1, at a redshift of zl = 0.122. After modelling and subtracting the target galaxy light, the integral-field data cube reveals [O II], [O III] and Hβ emission lines corresponding to a source at zs = 0.791, forming an identifiable ring around the galaxy centre. If the ring is formed by a single lensed source, then the Einstein radius is REin ≈ 2.3 arcsec, projecting to ˜5 kpc at the distance of the lens. The total projected lensing mass is MEin = (3.6 ± 0.6) × 1011 M⊙, and the total J-band mass-to-light ratio is 3.0 ± 0.7 solar units. Plausible estimates of the likely dark matter content could reconcile this with a Milky Way-like initial mass function (IMF), for which M/L ≈ 1.5 is expected, but heavier IMFs are by no means excluded with the present data. An alternative interpretation of the system, with a more complex source plane, is also discussed. The discovery of this system bodes well for future lens searches based on MaNGA and other integral-field spectroscopic surveys.

Operating experience feedback report -- Pressure locking and thermal binding of gate valves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, C.

1993-03-01

The potential for valve inoperability caused by pressure locking and thermal binding has been known for many years in the nuclear industry. Pressure locking or thermal binding is a common-mode failure mechanism that can prevent a gate valve from opening, and could render redundant trains of safety systems or multiple safety systems inoperable. In spite of numerous generic communications issued in the past by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and industry, pressure locking and thermal binding continues to occur to gate valves installed in safety-related systems of both boding water reactors (BWRs) and pressurized water reactors (PWRs). The generic communications to date have not led to effective industry action to fully identify, evaluate, and correct the problem. This report provides a review of operating events involving these failure mechanisms. As a result of this review this report: (1) identifies conditions when the failure mechanisms have occurred, (2) identifies the spectrum of safety systems that have been subjected to the failure mechanisms, and (3) identifies conditions that may introduce the failure mechanisms under both normal and accident conditions. On the basis of the evaluation of the operating events, the Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data (AEOD) of the NRC concludes that the binding problems with gate valves are an important safety issue that needs priority NRC and industry attention. This report also provides AEOD's recommendation for actions to effectively prevent the occurrence of valve binding failures

Comparative performance analysis of shunt and series passive filter for LED lamp

Science.gov (United States)

Sarwono, Edi; Facta, Mochammad; Handoko, Susatyo

2018-03-01

Light Emitting Diode lamp or LED lamp nowadays is widely used by consumers as a new innovation in the lighting technologies due to its energy saving for low power consumption lamps for brighter light intensity. How ever, the LED lamp produce an electric pollutant known as harmonics. The harmonics is generated by rectifier as part of LED lamp circuit. The present of harmonics in current or voltage has made the source waveform from the grid is distorted. This distortion may cause inacurrate measurement, mall function, and excessive heating for any element at the grid. This paper present an analysis work of shunt and series filters to suppress the harmonics generated by the LED lamp circuit. The work was initiated by conducting several tests to investigate the harmonic content of voltage and currents. The measurements in this work were carried out by using HIOKI Power Quality Analyzer 3197. The measurement results showed that the harmonics current of tested LED lamps were above the limit of IEEE standard 519-2014. Based on the measurement results shunt and series filters were constructed as low pass filters. The bode analysis were appled during construction and prediction of the filters performance. Based on experimental results, the application of shunt filter at input side of LED lamp has reduced THD current up to 88%. On the other hand, the series filter has significantly reduced THD current up to 92%.

Robust electrodes based on coaxial TiC/C-MnO2 core/shell nanofiber arrays with excellent cycling stability for high-performance supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xuming; Peng, Xiang; Li, Wan; Li, Limin; Gao, Biao; Wu, Guosong; Huo, Kaifu; Chu, Paul K

2015-04-17

A coaxial electrode structure composed of manganese oxide-decorated TiC/C core/shell nanofiber arrays is produced hydrothermally in a KMnO4 solution. The pristine TiC/C core/shell structure prepared on the Ti alloy substrate provides the self-sacrificing carbon shell and highly conductive TiC core, thus greatly simplifying the fabrication process without requiring an additional reduction source and conductive additive. The as-prepared electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance of 645 F g(-1) at a discharging current density of 1 A g(-1) attributable to the highly conductive TiC/C and amorphous MnO2 shell with fast ion diffusion. In the charging/discharging cycling test, the as-prepared electrode shows high stability and 99% capacity retention after 5000 cycles. Although the thermal treatment conducted on the as-prepared electrode decreases the initial capacitance, the electrode undergoes capacitance recovery through structural transformation from the crystalline cluster to layered birnessite type MnO2 nanosheets as a result of dissolution and further electrodeposition in the cycling. 96.5% of the initial capacitance is retained after 1000 cycles at high charging/discharging current density of 25 A g(-1). This study demonstrates a novel scaffold to construct MnO2 based SCs with high specific capacitance as well as excellent mechanical and cycling stability boding well for future design of high-performance MnO2-based SCs. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Environmental Kuznets Curve in China: New evidence from dynamic panel analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Tingting; Wang, Yong; Zhao, Dingtao

2016-01-01

This paper applies a panel of 28 provinces of China from 1996 to 2012 to study the impacts of economic development, energy consumption, trade openness, and urbanization on the carbon dioxide, waste water, and waste solid emissions. By estimating a dynamic panel model with the system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator and an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model with alternative panel estimators, respectively, we find that the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis is well supported for all three major pollutant emissions in China across different models and estimation methods. Our study also confirms positive effects of energy consumption on various pollutant emissions. In addition, we find some evidence that trade and urbanization may deteriorate environmental quality in the long run, albeit not in the short run. From policy perspective, our estimation results bode well for Chinese government's goal of capping greenhouse emissions by 2030 as outlined in the recent China-US climate accord, while containing energy consumption and harm effects from expanding trade and urbanization remains some environmental challenges that China faces. - Highlights: •We apply dynamic panel estimations to study the EKC hypothesis with Chinese panel data. •Our study covers three indicators: carbon dioxide, waste water, and waste solid emissions. •We find robust support for the EKC hypothesis for all three indicators of pollution. •Energy consumption has significantly positive effects on all three pollutant emissions. •Trade and urbanization may have harmful environmental impacts in the long run.

A dual-task design of corrosion-controlling and osteo-compatible hexamethylenediaminetetrakis- (methylene phosphonic acid) (HDTMPA) coating on magnesium for biodegradable bone implants application.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Sheng; Chen, Yingqi; Liu, Bo; Chen, Meiyun; Mao, Jinlong; He, Hairuo; Zhao, Yuancong; Huang, Nan; Wan, Guojiang

2015-05-01

Magnesium as well as its alloys appears increasingly as a revolutionary bio-metal for biodegradable implants application but the biggest challenges exist in its too fast bio-corrosion/degradation. Both corrosion-controllable and bio-compatible Mg-based bio-metal is highly desirable in clinic. In present work, hexamethylenediaminetetrakis (methylenephosphonic acid) [HDTMPA, (H2 O3 P-CH2 )2 -N-(CH2 )6 -N-(CH2 -PO3 H2 )2 ], as a natural and bioactive organic substance, was covalently immobilized and chelating-deposited onto Mg surface by means of chemical conversion process and dip-coating method, to fullfill dual-task performance of corrosion-protective and osteo-compatible functionalities. The chemical grafting of HDTMPA molecules, by participation of functional groups on pretreated Mg surface, ensured a firmly anchored base layer, and then sub-sequential chelating reactions of HDTMPA molecules guaranteed a homogenous and dense HDTMPA coating deposition on Mg substrate. Electrochemical corrosion and immersion degradation results reveal that the HDTMPA coated Mg provides a significantly better controlled bio-corrosion/degradation behavior in phosphate buffer saline solution as compared with untreated Mg from perspective of clinic requirement. Moreover, the HDTMPA coated Mg exhibits osteo-compatible in that it induces not only bioactivity of bone-like apatite precipitation but also promotes osteoblast cells adhesion and proliferation. Our well-controlled biodegradable and biocompatible HDTMPA modified Mg might bode well for next generation bone implant application. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

ZIP MK 2 : A Fortran code for calculating the eigenvalues (poles and zeros and frequency responses of large sets of linear equations representing complex dynamic systems)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sumner, H.M.

1969-03-01

The KDF9/EGDON program ZIP MK 2 is the third of a series of programs for off-line digital computer analysis of dynamic systems: it has been designed specifically to cater for the needs of the design or control engineer in having an input scheme which is minimally computer-oriented. It uses numerical algorithms which are as near fool-proof as the author could discover or devise, and has comprehensive diagnostic sections to help the user in the event of faulty data or machine execution. ZIP MK 2 accepts mathematical models comprising first order linear differential and linear algebraic equations, and from these computes and factorises the transfer functions between specified pairs of output and input variables; if desired, the frequency response may be computed from the computed transfer function. The model input scheme is fully compatible with the frequency response programs FRP MK 1 and MK 2, except that, for ZIP MK 2, transport, or time-delays must be converted by the user to Pade or Bode approximations prior to input. ZIP provides the pole-zero plot, (or complex plane analysis), while FRP provides the frequency response and FIFI the time domain analyses. The pole-zero method of analysis has been little used in the past for complex models, especially where transport delays occur, and one of its primary purposes is as a research tool to investigate the usefulness of this method, for process plant, whether nuclear, chemical or other continuous processes. (author)

Fisheries and fishing effort at the Indigenous Reserves Ashaninka/Kaxinawá, river Breu, Brazil/Peru As pescarias e esforço de pesca na Reserva Indígena Ashaninka/Kaxinawá, rio Breu, Brasil/Peru

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benedito Domingues do Amaral

2005-06-01

ória. Os resultados obtidos foram os seguintes: i os ambientes mais procurados pelos índios foram os poços; ii as espécies mais capturadas os mandis (35%, Pimelodidae, os bodes ou cascudos (Loricariidae, com destaque para o bode praiano (25%, Hypostomus sp., o curimatã (9%, Prochilodus sp. e os saburus (8%, Curimatidae, entre outros; iii constatou-se que os arreios ou apetrechos de pesca que mais capturam peixes são o tingui (veneno, a tarrafa e o arco/flecha, respectivamente; iv durante o verão a atividade de pesca é mais intensa; v as medidas de esforço de pesca e os fatores associados que foram estatisticamente significativos nas predições das capturas na Reserva Indígena foram: f1 = o (número de pescadores, f2 = o (número de pescadores*tempo total das pescarias e f3 = o [(número de pescadores*tempo total das pescarias-(o tempo de deslocamento] e os fatores aldeias e arreios; vi apesar da maioria das pescarias serem realizadas a pé até os pesqueiros, as capturas são maiores quando a locomoção se dá através de canoa a remo; e vii os pescadores mais ativos nas pescarias na Reserva Indígena foram os Kaxinawá.

Detection of a fluorescent-labeled avidin-nucleic acid nanoassembly by confocal laser endomicroscopy in the microvasculature of chronically inflamed intestinal mucosa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Buda A

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Andrea Buda,1,* Sonia Facchin,1,* Elisa Dassie,2 Elisabetta Casarin,3 Mark A Jepson,4 Helmut Neumann,5 Giorgia Hatem,1 Stefano Realdon,6 Renata D’Incà,1 Giacomo Carlo Sturniolo,1 Margherita Morpurgo3 1Department of Surgical, Oncological, and Gastroenterological Sciences, University of Padova, 2Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; 3Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; 4School of Biochemistry and Wolfson Bioimaging Facility, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; 5Ludwig Demlig Endoscopic Center of Excellence, ESGE Endoscopy Training Center, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany; 6Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padova, Italy *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Inflammatory bowel diseases are chronic gastrointestinal pathologies causing great discomfort in both children and adults. The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases is not yet fully understood and their diagnosis and treatment are often challenging. Nanoparticle-based strategies have been tested in local drug delivery to the inflamed colon. Here, we have investigated the use of the novel avidin-nucleic acid nanoassembly (ANANAS platform as a potential diagnostic carrier in an experimental model of inflammatory bowel diseases. Fluorescent-labeled ANANAS nanoparticles were administered to mice with chemically induced chronic inflammation of the large intestine. Localization of mucosal nanoparticles was assessed in vivo by dual-band confocal laser endomicroscopy. This technique enables characterization of the mucosal microvasculature and crypt architecture at subcellular resolution. Intravascular nanoparticle distribution was observed in the inflamed mucosa but not in healthy controls, demonstrating the utility of the combination of ANANAS and confocal laser endomicroscopy for highlighting intestinal inflammatory conditions. The specific localization of

Origins of the Tactical Nuclear Weapons Modernization Program: 1969-1979

Science.gov (United States)

Yaffe, Michael David

On December 12, 1979, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization decided to deploy new long-range theater nuclear forces, Pershing II and Ground-Launched Cruise Missiles. This marked the first major change in NATO's nuclear stockpile since the adoption of the flexible response strategy in 1967. The decision was controversial inasmuch as the Allies disagreed on the fundamental role of nuclear weapons in this strategy and, thereby, the types and number of weapons required for an effective deterrent posture. Europeans generally preferred long-range weapons capable of striking the Soviet Union and small conventional forces while Americans preferred shorter-range nuclear weapons and a stalwart conventional defense. Thus, the December decision is often described as purely politically motivated, in which the Americans reluctantly acquiesced to a European initiative for long-range weapons, prominently expressed by West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt in 1977. Recently declassified US government documents reveal, however, that long-range missiles were part of a long-term comprehensive nuclear modernization program conceived in the Pentagon under Defense Secretary James Schlesinger during the period of 1973 through 1975, and presented to skeptical European elites who favored arms control negotiations over costly new deployments. This program was motivated as much by changes in the American national security culture as by an increase in the Soviet military threat to Europe. It was grounded on a clear military rationale: "that a feasible and affordable conventional defense is only possible if NATO has modern nuclear forces" that can effectively hold at risk Warsaw Pact ground and air forces throughout the depth of their employment from the inner-German border to the western military districts of the Soviet Union. When the new US administration in 1977 disagreed with the modernization plan and its rationale, opting instead for more conventional forces, the Allies in a reversal of

Controlled sp(2) Functionalization of Boron Doped Diamond as a Route for the Fabrication of Robust and Nernstian pH Electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayres, Zoë J; Borrill, Alexandra J; Newland, Jonathan C; Newton, Mark E; Macpherson, Julie V

2016-01-05

The development of a voltammetric boron doped diamond (BDD) pH sensor is described. To obtain pH sensitivity, laser micromachining (ablation) is utilized to introduce controlled regions of sp(2) carbon into a high quality polycrystalline BDD electrode. The resulting sp(2) carbon is activated to produce electrochemically reducible quinone groups using a high temperature acid treatment, followed by anodic polarization. Once activated, no further treatment is required. The quinone groups show a linear (R(2) = 0.999) and Nernstian (59 mV/(pH unit)) pH-dependent reductive current-voltage response over a large analyzable pH range, from pH 2 to pH 12. Using the laser approach, it is possible to optimize sp(2) coverage on the BDD surface, such that a measurable pH response is recorded, while minimizing background currents arising from oxygen reduction reactions on sp(2) carbon in the potential region of interest. This enables the sensor to be used in aerated solutions, boding well for in situ analysis. The voltammetric response of the electrode is not compromised by the presence of excess metal ions such as Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+). Furthermore, the pH sensor is stable over a 3 month period (the current time period of testing), can be stored in air between measurements, requires no reactivation of the surface between measurements, and can be reproducibly fabricated using the proposed approach. The efficacy of this pH sensor in a real-world sample is demonstrated with pH measurements in U.K. seawater.

In situ observations of coral bleaching in the central Saudi Arabian Red Sea during the 2015/2016 global coral bleaching event.

Science.gov (United States)

Monroe, Alison A; Ziegler, Maren; Roik, Anna; Röthig, Till; Hardenstine, Royale S; Emms, Madeleine A; Jensen, Thor; Voolstra, Christian R; Berumen, Michael L

2018-01-01

Coral bleaching continues to be one of the most devastating and immediate impacts of climate change on coral reef ecosystems worldwide. In 2015, a major bleaching event was declared as the "3rd global coral bleaching event" by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, impacting a large number of reefs in every major ocean. The Red Sea was no exception, and we present herein in situ observations of the status of coral reefs in the central Saudi Arabian Red Sea from September 2015, following extended periods of high temperatures reaching upwards of 32.5°C in our study area. We examined eleven reefs using line-intercept transects at three different depths, including all reefs that were surveyed during a previous bleaching event in 2010. Bleaching was most prevalent on inshore reefs (55.6% ± 14.6% of live coral cover exhibited bleaching) and on shallower transects (41% ± 10.2% of live corals surveyed at 5m depth) within reefs. Similar taxonomic groups (e.g., Agariciidae) were affected in 2015 and in 2010. Most interestingly, Acropora and Porites had similar bleaching rates (~30% each) and similar relative coral cover (~7% each) across all reefs in 2015. Coral genera with the highest levels of bleaching (>60%) were also among the rarest (coral cover) in 2015. While this bodes well for the relative retention of coral cover, it may ultimately lead to decreased species richness, often considered an important component of a healthy coral reef. The resultant long-term changes in these coral reef communities remain to be seen.

Pharmaceutical applications of cyclodextrins: basic science and product development.

Science.gov (United States)

Loftsson, Thorsteinn; Brewster, Marcus E

2010-11-01

Drug pipelines are becoming increasingly difficult to formulate. This is punctuated by both retrospective and prospective analyses that show that while 40% of currently marketed drugs are poorly soluble based on the definition of the biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS), about 90% of drugs in development can be characterized as poorly soluble. Although a number of techniques have been suggested for increasing oral bioavailability and for enabling parenteral formulations, cyclodextrins have emerged as a productive approach. This short review is intended to provide both some basic science information as well as data on the ability to develop drugs in cyclodextrin-containing formulations. There are currently a number of marketed products that make use of these functional solubilizing excipients and new product introduction continues to demonstrate their high added value. The ability to predict whether cyclodextrins will be of benefit in creating a dosage form for a particular drug candidate requires a good working knowledge of the properties of cyclodextrins, their mechanism of solubilization and factors that contribute to, or detract from, the biopharmaceutical characteristics of the formed complexes. We provide basic science information as well as data on the development of drugs in cyclodextrin-containing formulations. Cyclodextrins have emerged as an important tool in the formulator's armamentarium to improve apparent solubility and dissolution rate for poorly water-soluble drug candidates. The continued interest and productivity of these materials bode well for future application and their currency as excipients in research, development and drug product marketing. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

Determinants of exercise-induced oxygen desaturation including pulmonary emphysema in COPD: Results from the ECLIPSE study.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrianopoulos, Vasileios; Celli, Bartolome R; Franssen, Frits M E; Pinto-Plata, Victor M; Calverley, Peter M A; Vanfleteren, Lowie E G W; Vogiatzis, Ioannis; Vestbo, Jørgen; Agusti, Alvar; Bakke, Per S; Rennard, Stephen I; MacNee, William; Tal-Singer, Ruth; Yates, Julie C; Wouters, Emiel F M; Spruit, Martijn A

2016-10-01

Exercise-induced oxygen desaturation (EID) is related to mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We investigated: (1) the prevalence of EID; (2) the relative-weight of several physiological determinants of EID including pulmonary emphysema, and (3) the relationship of EID with certain patients' clinical characteristics. Data from 2050 COPD patients (age: 63.3 ± 7.1years; FEV 1 : 48.7 ± 15.7%pred.) were analyzed. The occurrence of EID (SpO 2 post ≤88%) at the six-minute walking test (6MWT) was investigated in association with emphysema quantified by computed-tomography (QCT), and several clinical characteristics. 435 patients (21%) exhibited EID. Subjects with EID had more QCT-emphysema, lower exercise capacity and worse health-status (BODE, ADO indexes) compared to non-EID. Determinant of EID were obesity (BMI≥30 kg/m 2 ), impaired FEV 1 (≤44%pred.), moderate or worse emphysema, and low SpO 2 at rest (≤93%). Linear regression indicated that each 1-point increase on the ADO-score independently elevates odds ratio (≤1.5fold) for EID. About one in five COPD patients in the ECLIPSE cohort present EID. Advanced emphysema is associated with EID. In addition, obesity, severe airflow limitation, and low resting oxygen saturation increase the risk for EID. Patients with EID in GOLD stage II have higher odds to have moderate or worse emphysema compared those with EID in GOLD stage III-IV. Emphysematous patients with high ADO-score should be monitored for EID. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancement of the electrochemical behaviour and biological performance of Ti–25Ta–5Zr alloy by thermo-mechanical processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cimpean, Anisoara [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bucharest, Spl. Independentei, 91-95, 050095 Bucharest (Romania); Vasilescu, Ecaterina; Drob, Paula [Department of Electrochemistry and Corrosion, Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu” of Romanian Academy, Spl. Independentei 202, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Cinca, Ion, E-mail: ion_cinca@hotmail.com [Faculty of Material Science and Engineering, Politehnica University, Spl. Independentei 313, 060042 Bucharest (Romania); Vasilescu, Cora; Anastasescu, Mihai [Department of Electrochemistry and Corrosion, Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu” of Romanian Academy, Spl. Independentei 202, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Mitran, Valentina [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bucharest, Spl. Independentei, 91-95, 050095 Bucharest (Romania); Drob, Silviu Iulian [Department of Electrochemistry and Corrosion, Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu” of Romanian Academy, Spl. Independentei 202, 060021 Bucharest (Romania)

2014-05-01

A new Ti–25Ta–5Zr alloy based only on non-toxic and non-allergic elements was elaborated in as-cast and thermo-mechanical processed, recrystallized states (XRD and SEM) in order to be used as candidate material for implant applications. Its long-term interactions with Ringer–Brown and Ringer solutions of different pH values and its cytocompatibility were determined. The thermo-mechanically processed alloy has nobler electrochemical behaviour than as-cast alloy due to finer microstructure obtained after the applied treatment. Corrosion and ion release rates presented the lowest values for the treated alloy. Nyquist and Bode plots displayed higher impedance values and phase angles for the processed alloy, denoting a more protective passive film. SEM micrographs revealed depositions from solutions that contain calcium, phosphorous and oxygen ions (EDX analysis), namely calcium phosphate. An electric equivalent circuit with two time constants was modelled. Cell culture experiments with MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts demonstrated that thermo-mechanically processed Ti–25Ta–5Zr alloy supports a better cell adhesion and spreading, and enhanced cell proliferation. Altogether, these data indicate that thermo-mechanical treatment endows the alloy with improved anticorrosion and biological performances. - Highlights: • Ti–25Ta–5Zr alloy exhibited noble electrochemical, passive behaviour in simulated biofluids. • An electric equivalent circuit with two time constants was modelled. • Corrosion rates show the lowest values for the recrystallized Ti–25Ta–5Zr alloy. • In vitro tests revealed good cytocompatibility of as-cast and processed alloy. • Recrystallized treatment endows the alloy with superior biological performances.

Economic regulation of ambulance services in California.

Science.gov (United States)

Narad, R A

1997-01-01

This study was intended to identify economic regulatory programs used by California counties (including ambulance franchising and rate setting), to inventory their foci and application, and to identify differences around the state. By studying the variety of programs used in one state, this study establishes a framework for evaluation of state and local regulatory programs elsewhere. This study surveyed all California local EMS agencies (LEMSAs); these are California's equivalent of regional EMS organizations. The survey achieved a 100% response rate, and all data involve population parameters obviating the need for inferential statistics. Seventy-three percent of California counties use economic regulations. Large-population counties and those that operate their own LEMSAs are more likely to use economic regulations than are small counties and those that participate in multicounty EMS agencies. Despite a preference for competition in the authorizing statute, most franchises were granted without competition to existing providers. The majority of franchises in the state were granted to public services. Most ambulance rate setting occurs outside of a competitive process. Economic regulations that were intended to provide a structured marketplace are often being used to protect existing providers, particularly public services, from competition. The growing interest by fire departments in entering the market for emergency ambulance service, along with the existing bias toward them in granting of franchises, does not bode well for use of the competitive process. The growth of managed care may change or eliminate the need for economic regulations but, if they are to continue, more state oversight should be considered.

Can identification of a fourth domain of life be made from sequence data alone, and could it be done on Mars?

Science.gov (United States)

Poole, Anthony M; Willerslev, Eske

2007-10-01

A central question in astrobiology is whether life exists elsewhere in the universe. If so, is it related to Earth life? Technologies exist that enable identification of DNA- or RNA-based microbial life directly from environmental samples here on Earth. Such technologies could, in principle, be applied to the search for life elsewhere; indeed, efforts are underway to initiate such a search. However, surveying for nucleic acid-based life on other planets, if attempted, must be carried out with caution, owing to the risk of contamination by Earth-based life. Here we argue that the null hypothesis must be that any DNA discovered and sequenced from samples taken elsewhere in the universe are Earth-based contaminants. Experience from studies of low-biomass ancient DNA demonstrates that some results, by their very nature, will not enable complete rejection of the null hypothesis. In terms of eliminating contamination as an explanation of the data, there may be value in identification of sequences that lie outside the known diversity of the three domains of life. We therefore have examined whether a fourth domain could be readily identified from environmental DNA sequence data alone. We concluded that, even on Earth, this would be far from trivial, and we illustrate this point by way of examples drawn from the literature. Overall, our conclusions do not bode well for planned PCR-based surveys for life on Mars, and we argue that other independent biosignatures will be essential in corroborating any claims for the presence of life based on nucleic acid sequences.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease history assessment in Spain: a multidimensional chronic obstructive pulmonary disease evaluation. Study methods and organization.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Campos, José Luis; Peces-Barba, Germán; Soler-Cataluña, Juan José; Soriano, Joan B; de Lucas Ramos, Pilar; de-Torres, Juan P; Marín, José M; Casanova, Ciro

2012-12-01

This present paper describes the method and the organization of the study known as the COPD History Assessment In SpaiN (CHAIN), whose main objective is to evaluate the long-term natural history of a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient cohort from a multidimensional standpoint and to identify clinical phenotypes, in comparison with another non-COPD control cohort. CHAIN is a multicenter, observational study of prospective cohorts carried out at 36 Spanish hospitals. Both cohorts will be followed-up during a 5-year study period with complete office visits every 12 months and telephone interviews every 6 months in order to evaluate exacerbations and the vital state of the subjects. The recruitment period for cases was between 15 January 2010 and 31 March 2012. At each annual visit, information will be collected on: (i) clinical aspects (socio-economic situation, anthropometric data, comorbidities, smoking, respiratory symptoms, exacerbations, quality of life, anxiety-depression scale, daily life activities, treatments); (ii) respiratory function (spirometry, blood gases, hyperinflation, diffusion, respiratory pressures); (iii) BODE index (main study variable); (iv) peripheral muscle function, and (v) blood work-up (including IgE and cardiovascular risk factors). In addition, a serum bank will be created for the future determination of biomarkers. The data of the patients are anonymized in a database with a hierarchical access control in order to guarantee secure information access. The CHAIN study will provide information about the progression of COPD and it will establish a network of researchers for future projects related with COPD. Copyright © 2012 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

A preparation method and effects of Al-Cr coating on NdFeB sintered magnets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Jingwu [College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032 (China); Lin, Min, E-mail: linm@nimte.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Magnetic Materials and Devices, Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering Chinese Academy of Science, 519 Road Zhuangshi, District Zhenghai, Ningbo 315201, People' s Republic of China (China); Xia, Qingping [College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032 (China)

2012-11-15

A 50 {mu}m Al-Cr coating on NdFeB sintered magnets was prepared through dipping in solution, shaking dry and heating at 300 Degree-Sign C. The morphology and composition of the Al-Cr coating were investigated with scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrometer and X-ray diffraction. The corrosion resistance of NdFeB sintered magnets with and without the Al-Cr coating was analyzed by normal salt spray, polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The magnetic properties were measured with a hysteresis loop tracer. The results show that the Al-Cr coating forms an overlapping structure and Al flakes lie nearly parallel to the substrate, which improves the anticorrosion and increases normal salt spray test from 10 to 100 h. The corrosion potential of NdFeB sintered magnets with and without the Al-Cr coating moves positively from -0.67 to -0.48 V, which is in accordance with Nyquist and Bode plots. The Al-Cr coating has little influence on the magnetic properties of the NdFeB sintered magnets. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The Al-Cr coating can be prepared by dipping in solution, shaking dry and heating. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The coating morphology shows to be an intense overlapping structure. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The barrier effect combines with passivation and cathodic protection. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The anticorrosion abilities improve while magnetic properties change little. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Compared with other surface treatments, this method is convenient and low cost.

Electrochemical Impedance Response of the surface treated FMS in Liquid Sodium Environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jeong Hyeon; Shin, Sang Hun; Kim, Ji Hyun

2014-01-01

HT9 and Gr.92 are known as compatible in sodium environment because the usual refueling time of SFRs is designed about 54 months. It is very important to investigate the corrosion-related behavior such as surface corrosion rate, carburization, decarburization and mechanical properties for its operation time. SiC and Si 3 N 4 CVD coating for decarburization barrier on the surface of FMS is considered in this study. The decarburization process where dissolved carbon near the specimen surface disused in to the liquid sodium. This process can originate from the difference between dissolved carbon in the material and liquid sodium. A compatibility test the cladding tube revealed that a decrease of the mechanical property instigated by the aging proves governed the whole mechanical property. To monitor the corrosion behavior of these candidate materials in sodium environment, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) method is first introduced and investigated in this study. The compatibility of cladding and structural materials with sodium has to be carefully investigated, as sodium could promote corrosion of cladding and structural materials in two ways. One is produced by the dissolution of alloy constituents into the sodium, and the other is produced through a chemical reaction with impurities (especially oxygen and carbon) in the sodium environment. EIS test with pre-oxidized Gr. 92 specimen in 200 .deg. C liquid sodium environment was carried out in this study. A clear Nyquist and Bode plots were obtained in liquid metal environment and the resistance of sodium and the oxide, and the capacitance of the oxide were measured from this result

A Silenced Conflict: Segregation Processes, Curricular Gaps and Dropout among Spanish Gitanos or Calé

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivan Parra Toro

2017-07-01

Full Text Available This paper offers a basic model of some of the main intersecting causes of the early abandonment and school failure of the Gitano or Spanish Romani adolescents. It is based on a long-term research in an educational community where the presence of Romani students has been particularly important. In this research, we studied how professors, parents and students experimented, perceived and voiced the processes that lead to a marked segregation of schools and of Gitano children in school, and how that related to the gradual lag in competences and grades of these children compared to the majority of pupils. One manifestation of this lag is that Gitano children have to repeat courses more often than their non-Gitano partners and become disillusioned and alienated from school routines, become older than their fellow students, thereby increasing conflicts. The problem becomes more severe during the transition from primary to secondary school, which often involves the displacement to an unknown and less protective environment, and a more demanding curriculum. In high school, Gitano pupils keep failing behind, and often become frustrated and discouraged. Around 16 years of age, the limit age of compulsory education, most Gitano adolescents abandon education for good and quickly become adults in hard but gratifying environments where early marriage and labor with kin offers a shortcut to adulthood and independence. Satisfying as this could be in the short term, it did not bode well for the future independence and the sustainable improvement of the living conditions of the Spanish Romani minority.

Intoxicação experimental por Indigofera suffruticosa em caprinos e ovinos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna P.M. de Figueiredo

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Indigofera suffruticosa é uma planta invasora, ção. Em um caprino e um ovino foram realizados os testes que causa anemia hemolítica com hemoglobinúria em bo-de fragilidade osmótica, determinação de hemoglobina e vinos e, experimentalmente, anemia sem hemoglobinúria metemoglobina e pesquisa de corpúsculos de Heinz. Foi em cobaios. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a comprovado que em caprinos e ovinos, I. suffruticosa cautoxicidade de I. suffruticosa para caprinos e ovinos. Par-sa anemia hemolítica sem hemoglobinúria com formação tes aéreas da planta foram administradas a seis caprinos de corpúsculos de Heinz. Os animais recuperaram-se da e quatro ovinos em doses diárias de 10, 20 e 40g por kg anemia, total ou parcialmente, mesmo com a continuidade de peso vivo, durante períodos de 2 a 24 dias. Foram ava-da administração da planta. Oito a 12 horas após a coleliados os parâmetros hematológicos (hematócrito, níveis ta observa-se pigmento azulado na urina. Sugere-se que o de hemoglobina e contagem de hemácias e foi coletada pigmento seja anilina ou algum metabolito dessa substânurina para urinálise e observação de variações na coloracia e que a anilina seja o princípio ativo responsável pela hemólise causada por I. suffruticosa.

Industrial case study: evaluation of a mixed-mode resin for selective capture of a human growth factor recombinantly expressed in E. coli.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaleas, Kimberly A; Schmelzer, Charles H; Pizarro, Shelly A

2010-01-08

Mixed-mode chromatography resins are gaining popularity as effective purification tools for challenging feedstocks. This study presents the development of an industrial application to selectively capture recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor (rhVEGF) on Capto MMC from an alkaline feedstock. Capto MMC resin contains a ligand that has the potential to participate in ionic, hydrophobic, and hydrogen boding interactions with proteins and is coupled to a highly cross-linked agarose bead matrix. VEGF is a key growth factor involved in angiogenesis and has therapeutic applications for wound healing. In this process, it is expressed in Escherichia coli as inclusion bodies. Solids are harvested from the cell lysate, and the rhVEGF is solubilized and refolded at pH 9.8 in the presence of urea and redox reagents. The unique mixed-mode characteristics of Capto MMC enabled capture of this basic protein with minimal load conditioning and delivered a concentrated pool for downstream processing with >95% yields while reducing host cell protein content to study explores the impact of loading conditions and residence time on the dynamic binding capacity as well as the development of elution conditions for optimal purification performance. After evaluating various elution buffers, l-arginine HCl was shown to be an effective eluting agent for rhVEGF desorption from the Capto MMC mixed-mode resin since it successfully disrupted the multiple interactions between the resin and rhVEGF. The lab scale effort produced a robust chromatography step that was successfully implemented at commercial manufacturing scale. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DUKUN BAYI DALAM PERSALINAN OLEH MASYARAKAT INDONESIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rina Anggorodi

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Baby Soothsayers are Still in Birthing Process by Indonesian Community. One of health case which still many happened in Indonesia, born children with helped by baby soothsayer. In reality, most all Indonesia publics either that is who live in rural and also more even a urban love to be helped by soothsayer. The thing because of local tradition and mores. Finds strategic to build cohesive network between the prominent as of themes, public, soothsayer and midwife in executing health service of maternal and perinatal joinly. Applies qualitative method. Technique done is in-depth interview. Informan is baby soothsayer, nurse and delivering birth mother helped by delivering birth baby soothsayer and mother helped by midwife. Research is done in Kabupaten Kendari (South-east Sulawesi, countryside Tobimiita and countryside Inalobu and countryside Lapulu; Sub-Province Cirebon (West Java, countryside Bode Sari and countryside Karangasem and countryside Gombong. Effort for improvement of service of health of like the one mirror in soothsayer program to train that of course not aim to eliminate role played by system treatment of old health and changes it with system treatment of new health. Education given in soothsayer program to train that is justri realized as confession to carry out (enforcement health service to baby soothsayer institute. Moreover, with education given, baby soothsayer is assumed can replace presence of new health facility assumed able to increase public health level. Partnership is one of solution for this problem most off all will develop cloistered areas where access every very limited health service.

Enhancement of the electrochemical behaviour and biological performance of Ti–25Ta–5Zr alloy by thermo-mechanical processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cimpean, Anisoara; Vasilescu, Ecaterina; Drob, Paula; Cinca, Ion; Vasilescu, Cora; Anastasescu, Mihai; Mitran, Valentina; Drob, Silviu Iulian

2014-01-01

A new Ti–25Ta–5Zr alloy based only on non-toxic and non-allergic elements was elaborated in as-cast and thermo-mechanical processed, recrystallized states (XRD and SEM) in order to be used as candidate material for implant applications. Its long-term interactions with Ringer–Brown and Ringer solutions of different pH values and its cytocompatibility were determined. The thermo-mechanically processed alloy has nobler electrochemical behaviour than as-cast alloy due to finer microstructure obtained after the applied treatment. Corrosion and ion release rates presented the lowest values for the treated alloy. Nyquist and Bode plots displayed higher impedance values and phase angles for the processed alloy, denoting a more protective passive film. SEM micrographs revealed depositions from solutions that contain calcium, phosphorous and oxygen ions (EDX analysis), namely calcium phosphate. An electric equivalent circuit with two time constants was modelled. Cell culture experiments with MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts demonstrated that thermo-mechanically processed Ti–25Ta–5Zr alloy supports a better cell adhesion and spreading, and enhanced cell proliferation. Altogether, these data indicate that thermo-mechanical treatment endows the alloy with improved anticorrosion and biological performances. - Highlights: • Ti–25Ta–5Zr alloy exhibited noble electrochemical, passive behaviour in simulated biofluids. • An electric equivalent circuit with two time constants was modelled. • Corrosion rates show the lowest values for the recrystallized Ti–25Ta–5Zr alloy. • In vitro tests revealed good cytocompatibility of as-cast and processed alloy. • Recrystallized treatment endows the alloy with superior biological performances

Corrigendum to "Geochemistry and geochronology of orthogneisses in Bode Saadu area, southwestern Nigeria and their implications for the Paleoproterozoic evolution of the area" [J. African Earth Sciences 109 (2015) 131-142

Science.gov (United States)

Okonkwo, Chukwuemeka T.; Ganev, Valentin Y.

2018-04-01

The authors regret the error in Table 1-Chemical composition of the orthogneisses where the sum of the elements for each sample was mistakenly indicated as LOI (loss on ignition). The correct table is given below.

VI European Conference on Neutron Scattering (ECNS2015)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

It was a great pleasure for the Materials Science Institute of Aragón (CSIC- University of Zaragoza) to host the VI European Conference on Neutron Scattering (ECNS) from the 30th of August until the 4th of September 2015. The meeting was held in Zaragoza, Spain, a prosperous and well communicated city founded by the Emperor Octavio Augustus over 2000 years ago. Zaragoza, a city where different cultures, Muslims, Jewish, and Christians have left their mark is famous for its landmarks such as the Basilica del Pilar, La Seo Cathedral and the Aljaferfa Palace as well as the local cuisine. The conference is organized every four years as a forum for the European neutron scattering community to discuss recent developments and advances in all branches of science in which neutron scattering is, or eventually could be used. In 2015 the conference gathered more than 650 participants from 31 different countries from around the globe including Japan, United States of America, Taiwan, Republic of Korea, India, Argentina, China and Australia. This volume assembles the proceedings of the ECNS 2015. The main topics in the conference were; Neutron Sources and Facilities, Neutron Instrumentation (Optics, Sample Environment, Detectors and Software), Fundamental Science, Chemistry of Materials, Magnetism, Superconductivity, Functional Materials, Glasses and Liquids, Thin Films and Interfaces, Soft Condensed Matter, Health and Life Sciences, Engineering applications, Cultural Heritage and Archaeometry. Jean-Marie Tarascon, J. Manuel Perez-Mato, Roberto Caciuffo, Paul Schofield, Peter Fierlinger, Helmut Schober and Frank Gabel presented plenary talks. In addition, 33 keynote talks and 222 oral presentations were given during the four parallel sessions as well as 325 poster presentations. The poster sessions, which were held during the lunch and coffee breaks, were well attended and participants had time to visit not only the posters but also the exhibition. The VI European Conference on

Transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of KIAA1199 gene expression in human breast cancer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cem Kuscu

Full Text Available Emerging evidence has demonstrated that upregulated expression of KIAA1199 in human cancer bodes for poor survival. The regulatory mechanism controlling KIAA1199 expression in cancer remains to be characterized. In the present study, we have isolated and characterized the human KIAA1199 promoter in terms of regulation of KIAA1199 gene expression. A 3.3 kb fragment of human genomic DNA containing the 5'-flanking sequence of the KIAA1199 gene possesses both suppressive and activating elements. Employing a deletion mutagenesis approach, a 1.4 kb proximal region was defined as the basic KIAA1199 promoter containing a TATA-box close to the transcription start site. A combination of 5'-primer extension study with 5'RACE DNA sequencing analysis revealed one major transcription start site that is utilized in the human KIAA1199 gene. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that the 1.4 kb KIAA1199 promoter contains putative activating regulatory elements, including activator protein-1(AP-1, Twist-1, and NF-κB sites. Sequential deletion and site-direct mutagenesis analysis demonstrated that the AP-1 and distal NF-κB sites are required for KIAA1199 gene expression. Further analyses using an electrophoretic mobility-shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation confirmed the requirement of these cis- and trans-acting elements in controlling KIAA1199 gene expression. Finally, we found that upregulated KIAA1199 expression in human breast cancer specimens correlated with hypomethylation of the regulatory region. Involvement of DNA methylation in regulation of KIAA1199 expression was recapitulated in human breast cancer cell lines. Taken together, our study unraveled the regulatory mechanisms controlling KIAA1199 gene expression in human cancer.

Electrochemical behavior of single layer CrN, TiN, TiAlN coatings and nanolayered TiAlN/CrN multilayer coatings prepared by reactive direct current magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

William Grips, V.K.; Barshilia, Harish C.; Selvi, V. Ezhil; Kalavati; Rajam, K.S.

2006-01-01

The corrosion behaviors of single layer TiN, CrN, TiAlN and multilayer TiAlN/CrN coatings, deposited on steel substrate using a multi-target reactive direct current magnetron sputtering process, were studied in 3.5% NaCl solution by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The total thickness of the coatings was about 1.5 μm. About 0.5 μm thick chromium interlayer was used for improved adhesion of the coatings. The potentiodynamic polarization measurements showed that for all the coatings the corrosion potential shifted to higher values as compared to the uncoated substrate. Similarly, the corrosion current density decreased for coated samples, indicating better corrosion resistance of the coated samples. The multilayer coatings of TiAlN/CrN exhibited superior corrosion behavior as compared to the single layer coatings. The Nyquist and the Bode plots obtained from the EIS measurements were fitted by appropriate equivalent circuits to calculate the pore resistance, the charge transfer resistance and the capacitance. These studies revealed that the pore resistance was lowest for TiN coatings, which increased for TiAlN coatings. TiAlN/CrN multilayer coatings exhibited highest pore resistance. No significant change in the capacitive behavior of the coatings was observed, suggesting minimal morphological changes as a result of immersion in the electrolyte. This could be attributed to shorter immersion durations. These studies were confirmed by examining the corroded samples under scanning electron microscope. Preliminary experiments conducted with additional interlayer of electroless nickel (5.0 μm thick) have shown significant improvement in the corrosion resistance of the coatings

Photoelectrochemical oxidation of ibuprofen via Cu_2O-doped TiO_2 nanotube arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Qiannan; Peng, Yen-Ping; Chen, Hanlin; Chang, Ken-Lin; Qiu, Yang-Neng; Lai, Shiau-Wu

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A p–n junction material was synthesized to enhance photocatalytic ability. • Cu_2O-doped TiO_2 nanotube arrays works as a photoanode in a PEC system. • Recombination of photo-generated holes and electrons were greatly reduced. • Synergetic effect was quantified in PEC degradation. • Recombination of photogenerated holes and electrons was greatly enhanced. - Abstract: A p–n junction based Cu_2O-doped TiO_2 nanotube arrays (Cu_2O-TNAs) were synthesized and used as a working anode in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) system. The results revealed that the Cu_2O-TNAs were dominated by the anatase phase and responded significantly to visible light. XPS analyses indicated that with an amount of 24.79% Cu doping into the structure, the band gap of Cu_2O-TNAs was greatly reduced. SEM images revealed that the supported TiO_2 nanotubes had diameters of approximately 80 nm and lengths of about 2.63 μm. Upon doping with Cu_2O, the TiO_2 nanotubes maintained their structural integrity, exhibiting no significant morphological change, favoring PEC applications. Under illumination, the photocurrent from Cu_2O/TNAs was 2.4 times larger than that from TNAs, implying that doping with Cu_2O significantly improved electron mobility by reducing the rate of recombination of electron-hole pairs. The EIS and Bode plot revealed that the estimated electron lifetimes, τ_e_l, of TNAs and Cu_2O/TNAs were 6.91 and 26.26 ms, respectively. The efficiencies of degradation of Ibuprofen by photoelectrochemical, photocatalytic (PC), electrochemical (EC) and photolytic (P) methods were measured.

Africa: signs of hope?

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J.F. Kirsten

2008-07-01

Full Text Available The dawning of the 21st century generally brought new hope to African leaders and countless thousands of ordinary citizens of many countries on the continent. The first signs of a new turn of events shone through by the end of the last decade of the previous century. This was manifested by economic growth rates that started to pick up in a number of African states, by pro-democracy movements which in country after country succeeded in replacing authoritarian regimes, and by the winding down and termination of some of Africa’s most devastating wars. The results of this analysis confirm the above-mentioned positive political, economic and conflict trends in Africa. It is clearly a significant turn of events given the well-known political and economic predicament with which Africa is struggling. When this negative legacy and Cold War background of Africa is considered, the importance of present developments is clear to see. The identified heightened sense of purpose among the leaders and peoples of Africa and the changed mood and need among Africans to take charge of their own future that found expression in the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD are indeed significant and bode well for the future of the continent. A word of warning here is, however, necessary. Our conduct with Africa must be very cautious and we must guard against over-optimism and the exaggerated belief that Africa is now on a trajectory of sustained development and peace. We cannot generalise about Africa – for that the continent is just too big and diverse from a geographical, cultural, economic and political point of view.

Two-dimensional NMR studies of squash family inhibitors. Sequence-specific proton assignments and secondary structure of reactive-site hydrolyzed Cucurbita maxima trypsin inhibitor III.

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Krishnamoorthi, R; Gong, Y X; Lin, C L; VanderVelde, D

1992-01-28

The solution structure of reactive-site hydrolyzed Cucurbita maxima trypsin inhibitor III (CMTI-III*) was investigated by two-dimensional proton nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR) spectroscopy. CMTI-III*, prepared by reacting CMTI-III with trypsin which cleaved the Arg5-Ile6 peptide bond, had the two fragments held together by a disulfide linkage. Sequence-specific 1H NMR resonance assignments were made for all the 29 amino acid residues of the protein. The secondary structure of CMTI-III*, as deduced from NOESY cross peaks and identification of slowly exchanging hydrogens, contains two turns (residues 8-12 and 24-27), a 3(10)-helix (residues 13-16), and a triple-stranded beta-sheet (residues 8-10, 29-27, and 21-25). This secondary structure is similar to that of CMTI-I [Holak, T. A., Gondol, D., Otlewski, J., & Wilusz, T. (1989) J. Mol. Biol. 210, 635-648], which has a Glu instead of a Lys at position 9. Sequential proton assignments were also made for the virgin inhibitor, CMTI-III, at pH 4.71, 30 degrees C. Comparison of backbone hydrogen chemical shifts of CMTI-III and CMTI-III* revealed significant changes for residues located far away from the reactive-site region as well as for those located near it, indicating tertiary structural changes that are transmitted through most of the 29 residues of the inhibitor protein. Many of these residues are functionally important in that they make contact with atoms of the enzyme in the trypsin-inhibitor complex, as revealed by X-ray crystallography [Bode, W., Greyling, H. J., Huber, R., Otlewski, J., & Wilusz, T. (1989) FEBS Lett. 242, 285-292].(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Use of cyclotrons in medical research: Past, present, future

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Smathers, James B.; Myers, Lee T.

1985-05-01

The use of cyclotrons in medical research started in the late 1930s with the most prominent use being neutron irradiation in cancer therapy. Due to a lack of understanding of the biological effect of neutrons, the results were less than encouraging. In the 1940s and 1950s, small cyclotrons were used for isotope production and in the mid 60s, the biological effect of neutrons was more thoroughly studied, with the result that a second trial of neutron therapy was initiated at Hammersmith Hospital, England. Concurrent with this, work on the use of high energy charged particles, initially protons and alphas, was initiated in Sweden and Russia and at Harvard and Berkeley. The English success in neutron therapy led to some pilot studies in the USA using physics cyclotrons of various energies and targets. These results in turn lead to the present series of machines presently being installed at M.D. Anderson Hospital (42 MeV), Seattle (50 MeV) and UCLA (46 MeV). The future probably bodes well for cyclotrons at the two extremes of the energy range. For nuclear medicine the shift is away from the use of multiple isotopes, which requires a large range of particles and energies to 11C, 13N, 15O, and 18F, which can be incorporated in metabolic specific compounds and be made with small 8-10 MeV p+ "table top" cyclotrons. For tumor therapy machines of 60 MeV or so will probably be the choice for the future, as they allow the treatment of deep seated tumors with neutrons and the charged particles have sufficient range to allow the treatment of ocular tumors.

[Effectiveness of an educational program for respiratory rehabilitation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients in Primary Care in improving the quality of life, symptoms, and clinical risk].

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Blánquez Moreno, Cristina; Colungo Francia, Cristina; Alvira Balada, M Carme; Kostov, Belchin; González-de Paz, Luis; Sisó-Almirall, Antoni

2017-10-04

To determine the impact of an educational program to improve the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that contributes to an increase of the quality of life, exercise capacity, level of dyspnoea, and clinical risk. Intervention study without controls. Primary Healthcare Centre. 193 patients with COPD were invited, 73 accepted and 55 participated in the educational program. Respiratory rehabilitation educational program with basic concepts of pulmonary and respiratory pathophysiology, respiratory physiotherapy exercises, practical workshop on the use of the most frequent inhalation devices, understanding of chronic disease and self-care measures in case of exacerbation. The quality of life (the COPD assessment test), exercise tolerance (the Six-Minute Walk Test), rating of perceived exertion (Borg Dyspnoea Score) and clinical risk (BODE index) were assessed by means of validated questionnaires in Spanish. A total of 43 (78.2%) participants completed the program. An improvement in the quality of life by a mean of 3.3 points was observed (95%CI; 1.76-4.84). Just over half (53.5%) of the participants obtained a clinically relevant improvement. Participants also improved their physical exercise capacity at post-intervention by increasing the distance that they walked in 6min by a mean of 20.76m (95%CI; 2.57-38.95). Improvements in the level of dyspnoea and clinical risk were also observed. The educational program shows a statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement in the quality of life, fatigue, symptomatology, exercise capacity, level of dyspnoea, and clinical risk. The program is adaptable to the health care routine of healthcare centres. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Subretinal Implantation of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells Derived From Human Embryonic Stem Cells: Improved Survival When Implanted as a Monolayer

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Diniz, Bruno; Thomas, Padmaja; Thomas, Biju; Ribeiro, Ramiro; Hu, Yuntao; Brant, Rodrigo; Ahuja, Ashish; Zhu, Danhong; Liu, Laura; Koss, Michael; Maia, Mauricio; Chader, Gerald; Hinton, David R.; Humayun, Mark S.

2013-01-01

Purpose. To evaluate cell survival and tumorigenicity of human embryonic stem cell–derived retinal pigment epithelium (hESC-RPE) transplantation in immunocompromised nude rats. Cells were transplanted as a cell suspension (CS) or as a polarized monolayer plated on a parylene membrane (PM). Methods. Sixty-nine rats (38 male, 31 female) were surgically implanted with CS (n = 33) or PM (n = 36). Cohort subsets were killed at 1, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Both ocular tissues and systemic organs (brain, liver, kidneys, spleen, heart, and lungs) were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, embedded in paraffin, and sectioned. Every fifth section was stained with hematoxylin and eosin and analyzed histologically. Adjacent sections were processed for immunohistochemical analysis (as needed) using the following antibodies: anti-RPE65 (RPE-specific marker), anti-TRA-1-85 (human cell marker), anti-Ki67 (proliferation marker), anti-CD68 (macrophage), and anti-cytokeratin (epithelial marker). Results. The implanted cells were immunopositive for the RPE65 and TRA-1-85. Cell survival (P = 0.006) and the presence of a monolayer (P < 0.001) of hESC-RPE were significantly higher in eyes that received the PM. Gross morphological and histological analysis of the eye and the systemic organs after the surgery revealed no evidence of tumor or ectopic tissue formation in either group. Conclusions. hESC-RPE can survive for at least 12 months in an immunocompromised animal model. Polarized monolayers of hESC-RPE show improved survival compared to cell suspensions. The lack of teratoma or any ectopic tissue formation in the implanted rats bodes well for similar results with respect to safety in human subjects. PMID:23833067

Stellar variability and its implications for photometric planet detection with Kepler

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Batalha, N. M.; Jenkins, J.; Basri, G. S.; Borucki, W. J.; Koch, D. G.

2002-01-01

Kepler is one of three candidates for the next NASA Discovery Mission and will survey the extended solar neighborhood to detect and characterize hundreds of terrestrial (and larger) planets in or near the habitable zone. Its strength lies in its ability to detect large numbers of Earth-sized planets - planets which produced a 10-4 change in relative stellar brightness during a transit across the disk of a sun-like parent star. Such a detection requires high instrumental relative precision and is facilitated by observing stars which are photometrically quiet on hourly timescales. Probing stellar variability across the HR diagram, one finds that many of the photometrically quietest stars are the F and G dwarfs. The Hipparcos photometric database shows the lowest photometric variances among stars of this spectral class. Our own Sun is a prime example with RMS variations over a few rotational cycles of typically (3 - 4)×10-4 (computed from VIRGO/DIARAD data taken Jan-Mar 2001). And variability on the hourly time scales crucial for planet detection is significantly smaller: just (2 - 5)×10-5. This bodes well for planet detection programs such as Kepler and Eddington. With significant numbers of photometrically quiet solar-type stars, Earth-sized planets should be readily identified provided they are abundant in the solar neighborhood. In support of the Kepler science objectives, we have initiated a study of stellar variability and its implications for planet detection. Herein, we summarize existing observational and theoretrical work with the objective of determining the percentage of stars in the Kepler field of view expected to be photometrically stable at a level which allows for Earth-sized planet detection.

On the relationship between the two branches of the kynurenine pathway in the rat brain in vivo.

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Amori, Laura; Guidetti, Paolo; Pellicciari, Roberto; Kajii, Yasushi; Schwarcz, Robert

2009-04-01

In the mammalian brain, kynurenine aminotransferase II (KAT II) and kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO), key enzymes of the kynurenine pathway (KP) of tryptophan degradation, form the neuroactive metabolites kynurenic acid (KYNA) and 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK), respectively. Although physically segregated, both enzymes use the pivotal KP metabolite l-kynurenine as a substrate. We studied the functional consequences of this cellular compartmentalization in vivo using two specific tools, the KAT II inhibitor BFF 122 and the KMO inhibitor UPF 648. The acute effects of selective KAT II or KMO inhibition were studied using a radiotracing method in which the de novo synthesis of KYNA, and of 3-HK and its downstream metabolite quinolinic acid (QUIN), is monitored following an intrastriatal injection of (3)H-kynurenine. In naïve rats, intrastriatal BFF 122 decreased newly formed KYNA by 66%, without influencing 3-HK or QUIN production. Conversely, UPF 648 reduced 3-HK synthesis (by 64%) without affecting KYNA formation. Similar, selective effects of KAT II and KMO inhibition were observed when the inhibitors were applied acutely together with the excitotoxin QUIN, which impairs local KP metabolism. Somewhat different effects of KMO (but not KAT II) inhibition were obtained in rats that had received an intrastriatal QUIN injection 7 days earlier. In these neuron-depleted striata, UPF 648 not only decreased both 3-HK and QUIN production (by 77% and 66%, respectively) but also moderately raised KYNA synthesis (by 27%). These results indicate a remarkable functional segregation of the two pathway branches in the brain, boding well for the development of selective KAT II or KMO inhibitors for cognitive enhancement and neuroprotection, respectively.

Detection of wine grape nutrient levels using visible and near infrared 1nm spectral resolution remote sensing

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Anderson, Grant; van Aardt, Jan; Bajorski, Peter; Vanden Heuvel, Justine

2016-05-01

The grape industry relies on regular crop assessment to aid in the day-to-day and seasonal management of their crop. More specifically, there are six key nutrients of interest to viticulturists in the growing of wine grapes, namely nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, zinc and boron. Traditional methods of determining the levels of these nutrients are through collection and chemical analysis of petiole samples from the grape vines themselves. We collected ground-level observations of the spectra of the grape vines, using a hyperspectral spectrometer (0.4-2.5um), at the same time that petioles samples were harvested. We then interpolated the data into a consistent 1 nm spectral resolution before comparing it to the nutrient data collected. This nutrient data came from both the industry standard petiole analysis, as well as an additional leaf-level analysis. The data were collected for two different grape cultivars, both during bloom and veraison periods to provide variability, while also considering the impact of temporal/seasonal change. A narrow-band NDI (Normalized Difference Index) approach, as well as a simple ratio index, was used to determine the correlation of the reflectance data to the nutrient data. This analysis was limited to the silicon photodiode range to increase the utility of our approach for wavelength-specific cameras (via spectral filters) in a low cost drone platform. The NDI generated correlation coefficients were as high as 0.80 and 0.88 for bloom and veraison, respectively. The ratio index produced correlation coefficient results that are the same at two decimal places with 0.80 and 0.88. These results bode well for eventual non-destructive, accurate and precise assessment of vineyard nutrient status.

The effect of positive expiratory pressure (PEP) therapy on symptoms, quality of life and incidence of re-exacerbation in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

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Osadnik, Christian R; McDonald, Christine F; Miller, Belinda R; Hill, Catherine J; Tarrant, Ben; Steward, Ranjana; Chao, Caroline; Stodden, Nicole; Oliveira, Cristino C; Gagliardi, Nadia; Holland, Anne E

2014-02-01

Positive expiratory pressure (PEP) is a technique used to enhance sputum clearance during acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). The impact of PEP therapy during acute exacerbations on clinically important outcomes is not clear. This study sought to determine the effect of PEP therapy on symptoms, quality of life and future exacerbations in patients with AECOPD. 90 inpatients (58 men; mean age 68.6 years, FEV(1) 40.8% predicted) with AECOPD and sputum expectoration were randomised to receive usual care (including physical exercise)±PEP therapy. The Breathlessness, Cough and Sputum Scale (BCSS), St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and BODE index (Body mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnoea, Exercise tolerance) were measured at discharge, 8 weeks and 6 months following discharge, and analysed via linear mixed models. Exacerbations and hospitalisations were recorded using home diaries. There were no significant between-group differences over time for BCSS score [mean (SE) at discharge 5.2 (0.4) vs 5.0 (0.4) for PEP and control group, respectively; p=0.978] or SGRQ total score [41.6 (2.6) vs 40.8 (2.8) at 8 weeks, p=0.872]. Dyspnoea improved more rapidly in the PEP group over the first 8 weeks (p=0.006), however these benefits were not observed at 6 months. Exacerbations (p=0.986) and hospitalisations (p=0.359) did not differ between groups. We found no evidence that PEP therapy during AECOPD improves important short-term or long-term outcomes. There does not appear to be a routine role for PEP therapy in the management of such individuals.

Biomimetic electroactive polyimide with rose petal-like surface structure for anticorrosive coating application

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W. F. Ji

2017-08-01

Full Text Available In this work, an electroactive polyimide (EPI coating with biomimetic surface structure of rose petal used in anticorrosion application was first presented. First of all, amino-capped aniline trimer (ACAT was synthesized by oxidative coupling reaction, followed by characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscooy (FTIR, liquid chromatography – mass spcerometry (LC-MS and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR spectroscopy. Subsequently, as-prepared ACAT was reacted with isopropylidenediphenoxy-bis(phthalic anhydride (BPADA to give electroactive poly(amic acid (EPAA. Moreover, poly(dimethylsiloxane (PDMS was used to be the soft negative template for pattern transfer from the surface of rose petal to the surface of polymer coating. The EPI coating with biomimetic structure was obtained by programmed heating the EPAA slurry casting onto the negative PDMS template. The anticorrosive performance of as-prepared biomimetic EPI coating was demonstrated by performing a series of electrochemical measurements (Tafel, Nyquist, and Bode plots upon cold-rolled steel (CRS electrode in a NaCl aqueous solution. It should be noted that the biomimetic EPI coating with rose petal-like structure was found to exhibit better anticorrosion than that of EPI without biomimetic structure. Moreover, the surface contact angle of water droplets for biomimetic EPI coating was found to be ~150°, which is significantly higher than that of EPI coating with smooth structure (~87°, indicating that the EPI coating with biomimetic structure reveals better hydrophobicity. The apparent mechanism for improved anticorrosive properties is twofold: (1 the biomimetic structure of EPI coating can repel water droplets. (2 electroactivity of EPI coating promotes the formation of densely passive layer of metal oxide on metallic surface.

Correlation of six minute walk test with spirometric indices in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients: A tertiary care hospital experience

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Abhijit Kundu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Six-minute walk test (6MWT is a simple, objective, reproducible test which correlated well with different spirometric indices, and thus able to predict severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD and can replace spirometry in resource poor set-up. Aims and Objectives: To find out correlation between spirometric indices (forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 , forced vital capacity (FVC, and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR and 6-minute walk distance (6MWD in COPD patients, and thus to assess whether 6MWT can replace spirometry. Settings and Design: Institution based cross-sectional observational study. Materials and Methods: Eighty patients of COPD (diagnosis confirmed by Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD 2010 criteria were enrolled for the study after applying exclusion criteria. All patients underwent spirometric measurement of FEV 1 , FVC, PEFR, and ratio of FEV 1 and FVC and test repeated after bronchodilation by 200-400 μg of salbutamol. 6MWT was performed following American Thoracic Society (ATS protocol of 6MWT and distance was measured in meters. Results: We found significant linear correlation of 6MWT with post-FEV 1 (r = 0.478, P < 0.001, post-FVC (r = 0.454, P < 0.001, and post-PEFR (r = 0.408, P < 0.001, but no correlation with FEV 1 /FVC (r = 0.250, P = 0.025. We also found significant correlation of 6MWT with BODE (body mass index (BMI, airway obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity index (r = −0.419, P < 0.001. Conclusions: 6MWT can be a useful replacement of spirometry in assessment of severity of COPD.

Effects of a higher dose of near-infrared light on clinical signs and neuroprotection in a monkey model of Parkinson's disease.

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Moro, Cécile; El Massri, Nabil; Darlot, Fannie; Torres, Napoleon; Chabrol, Claude; Agay, Diane; Auboiroux, Vincent; Johnstone, Daniel M; Stone, Jonathan; Mitrofanis, John; Benabid, Alim-Louis

2016-10-01

We have reported previously that intracranial application of near-infrared light (NIr) - when delivered at the lower doses of 25J and 35J - reduces clinical signs and offers neuroprotection in a subacute MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) monkey model of Parkinson's disease. In this study, we explored whether a higher NIr dose (125J) generated beneficial effects in the same MPTP monkey model (n=15). We implanted an NIr (670nm) optical fibre device within a midline region of the midbrain in macaque monkeys, close to the substantia nigra of both sides. MPTP injections (1.8-2.1mg/kg) were made over a five day period, during which time the NIr device was turned on and left on continuously throughout the ensuing three week survival period. Monkeys were evaluated clinically and their brains processed for immunohistochemistry and stereology. Our results showed that the higher NIr dose did not have any toxic impact on cells at the midbrain implant site. Further, this NIr dose resulted in a higher number of nigral tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive cells when compared to the MPTP group. However, the higher NIr dose monkeys showed little evidence for an increase in mean clinical score, number of nigral Nissl-stained cells and density of striatal tyrosine hydroxylase terminations. In summary, the higher NIr dose of 125J was not as beneficial to MPTP-treated monkeys as compared to the lower doses of 25J and 35J, boding well for strategies of NIr dose delivery and device energy consumption in a future clinical trial. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Should we treat obesity in COPD? The effects of diet and resistance exercise training.

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McDonald, Vanessa M; Gibson, Peter G; Scott, Hayley A; Baines, Penelope J; Hensley, Michael J; Pretto, Jeffrey J; Wood, Lisa G

2016-07-01

Obesity is an established risk factor for poor health outcomes, but paradoxically in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it is associated with improved survival and lung function. A major evidence gap exisits to inform treatment recommendations for patients with COPD who are obese. We aimed to determine the effect of weight reduction involving a low-energy diet utilizing a partial meal replacement plan, coupled with resistance exercise training in obese COPD patients. In a proof of concept before-after clinical trial, obese (body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2) ) COPD patients received a 12 week weight reduction programme involving meal replacements, dietary counselling by a dietitian and resistance exercise training prescribed and supervised by a physiotherapist. Patients were reviewed face to face by the dietitian and physiotherapist every 2 weeks for counselling. Twenty-eight participants completed the intervention. Mean (standard deviation) body mass index was 36.3 kg/m(2) (4.6) at baseline and reduced by 2.4 kg/m(2) ((1.1) P exercise capacity, health status, dyspnea, strength and functional outcomes. There was also a significant reduction in the body mass index, obstruction, dyspnea and exercise score (BODE). Systemic inflammation measured by C-reactive protein however did not change. In obese COPD patients, dietary energy restriction coupled with resistance exercise training results in clinically significant improvements in body mass index, exercise tolerance and health status, whilst preserving skeletal muscle mass. This novel study provides a framework for development of guidelines for the management of obese COPD patients and in guiding future research. © 2016 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

Effect of computerized cognitive training with virtual spatial navigation task during bed rest immobilization and recovery on vascular function: A pilot study

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Goswami N

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Nandu Goswami,1 Voyko Kavcic,2 Uros Marusic,3 Bostjan Simunic,3 Andreas Rössler,1 Helmut Hinghofer-Szalkay,1 Rado Pisot3 1Institute of Physiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; 2Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA; 3Institute for Kinesiology Research, University of Primorska, Ankaran, Slovenia Abstract: We investigated the effects of bed rest (BR immobilization, with and without computerized cognitive training with virtual spatial navigation task (CCT, on vascular endothelium on older subjects. The effects of 14-day BR immobilization in healthy older males (n=16 of ages 53–65 years on endothelial function were studied using EndoPAT®, a noninvasive and user-independent method. From the group of 16 older men, 8 randomly received CCT during the BR, using virtual navigation tasks in a virtual environment with joystick device. In all the cases, EndoPAT assessments were done at pre- and post-BR immobilization as well as following 28 days of ambulatory recovery. The EndoPAT index increased from 1.53±0.09 (mean ± standard error of the mean at baseline to 1.61±0.16 following immobilization (P=0.62 in the group with CCT. The EndoPAT index decreased from 2.06±0.13 (mean ± standard error of the mean at baseline to 1.70±0.09 at the last day of BR study, day 14 (BR14 (P=0.09 in the control group. Additionally, there were no statistically significant differences between BR14 and at 28 days of follow-up (rehabilitation program (R28. Our results show a trend of immobilization in older persons affecting the vasoconstrictory endothelial response. As the control subjects had a greater increase in EndoPAT index after R28 (+0.018 compared to subjects who had cognitive training (+0.11 (calculated from the first day of BR study, it is possible that cognitive training during BR does not improve endothelial function but rather contributes to slowing down the impairment of endothelial function. Finally, our results

Direct comparison of the FibroScan XL and M probes for assessment of liver fibrosis in obese and nonobese patients

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Durango E

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Esteban Durango,1,* Christian Dietrich,1,* Helmut Karl Seitz,1 Cornelia Ursula Kunz,2 Gilles T Pomier-Layrargues,3 Andres Duarte-Rojo,4 Melanie Beaton,5 Magdy Elkhashab,6 Robert P Myers,7 Sebastian Mueller1,3 1Department of Medicine and Center for Alcohol Research, Liver Disease and Nutrition, Salem Medical Center, 2Institute of Medical Biometry and Informatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; 3Liver Unit, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Hôpital Saint-Luc, Montréal, Quebec, 4Toronto Western Hospital Liver Centre, Toronto, Ontario; 5Multi-Organ Transplant Unit, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario; 6The Toronto Liver Centre, Toronto, Ontario; 7Liver Unit, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada *These authors contributed equally to this researchBackground: A novel Fibroscan XL probe has recently been introduced and validated for obese patients, and has a diagnostic accuracy comparable with that of the standard M probe. The aim of this study was to analyze and understand the differences between these two probes in nonobese patients, to identify underlying causes for these differences, and to develop a practical algorithm to translate results for the XL probe to those for the M probe.Methods and results: Both probes were directly compared first in copolymer phantoms of varying stiffness (4.8, 11, and 40 kPa and then in 371 obese and nonobese patients (body mass index, range 17.2–72.4 from German (n = 129 and Canadian (n = 242 centers. Liver stiffness values for both probes correlated better in phantoms than in patients (r = 0.98 versus 0.82, P 10 kPa for F0, F1–2, F3, and F4 fibrosis, respectively significantly improved agreement between the two probes from r = 0.655 to 0.679.Conclusion: Liver stiffness can be measured in significantly more obese and nonobese patients using the XL probe than the M probe. However, the XL

Out of the Shadows

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Byers, Nina; Williams, Gary

2010-12-01

Foreword Freeman J. Dyson; Introduction Nina Byers; 1. Hertha Aryton 1854-1923 Joan Mason; 2. Margaret Maltby 1860-1944 Peggy Kidwell; 3. Agnes Pockels 1862-1935 Gary A. Williams; 4. Marie Curie 1867-1934 A. Pais; 5. Henrietta Leavitt 1868-1921 Jean L. Turner; 6. Harriet Brooks 1876-1933 C. W. Wong; 7. Lise Meitner 1878-1968 Ruth Lewin Sime; 8. Emmy Noether 1882-1935 Nina Byers; 9. Inge Lehmann 1888-1993 Bruce A. Bolt; 10. Marietta Blau 1894-1970 Leopold Halpern and Maurice M. Shapiro; 11. Hertha Sponer 1895-1968 Helmut Rechenberg; 12. Irene Joliot-Curie 1897-1956 Hélène Langevin-Joliot and Pierre Radvanyi; 13. Katherine Burr Blodgett 1898-1979 Gary A. Williams; 14. Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin 1900-1979 Vera C. Rubin; 15. Mary Cartwright 1900-1998 Freeman J. Dyson; 16. Bertha Jeffreys 1903-1999 Ruth M. Williams; 17. Kathleen Yardley Lonsdale1903-1971 Judith Milledge; 18. Maria Goeppert Mayer 1906-1972 Steven A. Moszkowski; 19. Helen Megaw 1907-2002 A. Michael Glazer and Christine Kelsey; 20. Yvette Cauchois 1908-1999 Christiane Bonnelle; 21. Marguerite Perey 1909-1975 Jean-Pierre Adloff and George B. Kauffman; 22. Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin 1910-1994 Jenny P. Glusker; 23. Gertrude Scharff Goldhaber 1911-1998 Alfred Scharff Goldhaber; 24. Chien Shiung Wu 1912-1997 Noemie Bencze-Koller; 25. Margaret E. Burbidge 1919 Virginia Trimble; 26. Phyllis Freier 1921-1992 Cecil J. Waddington; 27. Rosalyn S. Yalow 1921 M. S. Dresselhaus and F. A. Stahl; 28. Esther Conwell 1922 Lewis Rothberg; 29. Cecile Dewitt-Morette 1922 Bryce DeWitt; 30. Yvonne Choquet-Bruhat 1923 James W. York Jr.; 31. Vera Rubin 1928 Robert J. Rubin; 32. Mildred S. Dresselhaus 1930 G. Dresselhaus and F. A. Stahl; 33. Myriam Sarachik 1933 Jonathan R. Friedman; 34. Juliet Lee-Franzini 1933 Paolo Franzini; 35. Helen T. Edwards 1936 John Peoples; 36. Mary K. Gaillard 1939 Andreszej Buras; 37. Renata Kallosh 1943 Andrei Linde and Michael Gutperle; 38. Jocelyn Bell Burnell 1943 Ferdinand V. Coroniti and Gary A

The Fantasy Men

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Douglas J. Osler

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The remarkable success of the Anglo-American legal system in establishing stable, democratic societies throughout the globe contrasts with the catastrophic failure, over the centuries, of the legal systems of continental Europe. Nevertheless, nationalistic sentiment in South Africa and Scotland reacted to increasing Common Law influence with a paradoxical idealisation of the Civil Law system. The various discourses of europäische Rechtsgeschichte behind the ideology are set in their historical and cultural contexts. The nationalistic discourse of Savigny, which reduced the whole of European legal history to a translatio studii of Roman law from Italy to France to Holland to German apotheosis, gave way in the wake of two world wars and the Holocaust to the new discourse of the ius commune, a legal paradigm for a future European Union based not on the historical reality of three centuries of religious, political and juridical conflict, but on a fantasy world of European legal unity from the beginning of the modern period until the 19th century national codifications. This was the post-war narrative of Helmut Coing, which, failing to anticipate the eclipse of the British Empire, steadfastly contrasted the shared legal tradition of continental Europe with the opposing system of the Anglo-American Common Law.With England now in the European Union the discourse has had to be modified. By exaggerating the importance of some minor and longrecognised continental influences on the Common Law, the contemporary discourse of the ius commune europaeum propagated by Reinhard Zimmermann succeeds in trumping the historical fantasy of a uniform continental legal past with the even more remote fantasy of a uniform continental and English legal culture. The old nationalist programme of a return to the 17th–18th century Roman-Dutch law, imbibed by Zimmermann as a law professor in Apartheid South Africa, can thus be presented as an appeal to the pan-European legal

Surface analysis and electrochemical behavior of Ti–20Zr alloy in simulated physiological fluids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calderon Moreno, Jose Maria; Vasilescu, Ecaterina; Drob, Paula; Osiceanu, Petre; Vasilescu, Cora; Drob, Silviu Iulian, E-mail: sidrob@chimfiz.icf.ro; Popa, Monica

2013-11-01

Highlights: • The advanced Ti–20Zr alloy shows fully lamellar α + β microstructure. • The alloy passive film improves its properties by deposition of HA (XPS, SEM, EDX, Raman, FT-IR). • Alloy revealed lower corrosion rates and higher polarization resistances than Ti. • EIS spectra depicted a more protective passive film on the alloy surface than on Ti. • The passive film is formed by two layers: an inner barrier and an outer porous layer. -- Abstract: An advanced Ti–20Zr alloy was obtained by double vacuum melting in a semi-levitation furnace with cold crucible. The alloy shows fully lamellar α + β microstructure. Cyclic potentiodynamic polarization curves revealed that the alloy passivated easier, more rapid than Ti, having a more stable passive film in Ringer solutions of different pH values, simulating severe functional conditions of an implant. In neutral and alkaline Ringer solutions, the alloy passive film improved its properties in time (1500 h) by the deposition of protective hydroxyapatite, as was demonstrated by XPS, SEM, EDX, Raman and FT-IR measurements. Alloy presented lower corrosion rates and higher polarization resistances (from linear polarization measurements) than those of Ti (tens of times) proving a more resistant passive film. Alloy open circuit potentials had more electropositive values in comparison with Ti and tended to nobler values in time, which denote better passive state and its enhancement in time, due to the new depositions from the physiological solutions. Nyquist and Bode spectra depicted a more protective passive film on the alloy surface than on Ti surface. The passive film is formed by two layers: an inner barrier layer and an outer porous layer. An electric equivalent circuit with two time constants was modeled.

Całościowa ocena przewlekłej obturacyjnej choroby płuc według raportu GOLD 2011

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Iwona Grzelewska-Rzymowska

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Autorzy omawiają nowe podejście do przewlekłej obturacyjnej choroby płuc, przedstawione w raporcie GOLD 2011. Przewlekła obturacyjna choroba płuc jest ogólnoświatowym problemem zdrowotnym. Badanie BOLD ujawniło, że rozpowszechnienie choroby jest różne w poszczególnych krajach i będzie czwartą przy‑ czyną zgonów w 2030 roku. Główną przyczyną przewlekłej obturacyjnej choroby płuc jest nałóg palenia tytoniu. Raport GOLD 2011 zaleca, aby postawienie diagnozy rozważyć, jeśli pacjent prezentuje takie obja‑ wy, jak: duszność, kaszel i odkrztuszanie wydzieliny z ekspozycją na czynniki ryzyka oraz z obecnością obtu‑ racji potwierdzonej wartością FEV1/ FVC < 0,70. Wskaźnik FEV1 okazał się niedostatecznym deskryptorem wpływu przewlekłej obturacyjnej choroby płuc na pacjenta. Jest to choroba złożona i różnorodna, zbadanie jej wpływu na zdrowie pacjenta wymaga walidowanych testów, takich jak BODE, ADO, DOSE. Raport GOLD 2011 zaleca stosowanie dwóch walidowanych testów: mMRC i CAT. Wskaźniki wentylacyjne są skla‑ syfikowane jako GOLD 1 i 2 (zaburzenia łagodne i umiarkowane oraz GOLD 3 i 4 (zaburzenia ciężkie i bar‑ dzo ciężkie. Zaostrzenia przewlekłej obturacyjnej choroby płuc są ustalane na podstawie wywiadu lub war‑ tości FEV1. Ostatecznie pacjentów można zakwalifikować do kategorii A, B, C lub D. Leczenie farmakologiczne powinno być ustalane po dokonaniu zindywidualizowanej oceny.

Design of methanol Feed control in Pichia pastoris fermentations based upon a growth model.

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Zhang, Wenhui; Smith, Leonard A; Plantz, Bradley A; Schlegel, Vicki L; Meagher, Michael M

2002-01-01

The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is an effective system for recombinant protein productions that utilizes methanol as an inducer, and also as carbon and energy source for a Mut(+) (methanol utilization plus) strain. Pichia fermentation is conducted in a fed-batch mode to obtain a high cell density for a high productivity. An accurate methanol control is required in the methanol fed-batch phase (induction phase) in the fermentation. A simple "on-off" control strategy is inadequate for precise control of methanol concentrations in the fermentor. In this paper we employed a PID (proportional, integral and derivative) control system for the methanol concentration control and designed the PID controller settings on the basis of a Pichia growth model. The closed-loop system was built with four components: PID controller, methanol feed pump, fermentation process, and methanol sensor. First, modeling and transfer functions for all components were derived, followed by frequency response analysis, a powerful method for calculating the optimal PID parameters K(c) (controller gain), tau(I) (controller integral time constant), and tau(D) (controller derivative time constant). Bode stability criteria were used to develop the stability diagram for evaluating the designed settings during the entire methanol fed-batch phase. Fermentations were conducted using four Pichia strains, each expressing a different protein, to verify the control performance with optimal PID settings. The results showed that the methanol concentration matched the set point very well with only small overshoot when the set point was switched, which indicated that a very good control performance was achieved. The method developed in this paper is robust and can serve as a framework for the design of other PID feedback control systems in biological processes.

New simple algebraic root locus method for design of feedback control systems

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Cingara Aleksandar M.

2008-01-01

Full Text Available New concept of algebraic characteristic equation decomposition method is presented to simplify the design of closed-loop systems for practical applications. The method consists of two decompositions. The first one, decomposition of the characteristic equation into two lower order equations, was performed in order to simplify the analysis and design of closed loop systems. The second is the decomposition of Laplace variable, s, into two variables, damping coefficient, ζ, and natural frequency, ω n. Those two decompositions reduce the design of any order feedback systems to setting of two complex dominant poles in the desired position. In the paper, we derived explicit equations for six cases: first, second and third order system with P and PI. We got the analytical solutions for the case of fourth and fifth order characteristic equations with the P and PI controller; one may obtain a complete analytical solution of controller gain as a function of the desired damping coefficient. The complete derivation is given for the third order equation with P and PI controller. We can extend the number of specified poles to the highest order of the characteristic equation working in a similar way, so we can specify the position of each pole. The concept is similar to the root locus but root locus is implicit, which makes it more complicated and this is simpler explicit root locus. Standard procedures, root locus and Bode diagrams or Nichol Charts, are neither algebraic nor explicit. We basically change controller parameters and observe the change of some function until we get the desired specifications. The derived method has three important advantage over the standard procedures. It is general, algebraic and explicit. Those are the best poles design results possible; it is not possible to get better controller design results.

Unraveling the symmetry ambiguity in a hexamer: Calculation of the R6 human insulin structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Donoghue, Sean I.; Chang Xiaoqing; Abseher, Roger; Nilges, Michael; Led, Jens J.

2000-01-01

Crystallographic and NMR studies of insulin have revealed a highly flexible molecule with a range of different aggregation and structural states; the importance of these states for the function of the hormone is still unclear. To address this question, we have studied the solution structure of the insulin R 6 symmetric hexamer using NMR spectroscopy. Structure determination of symmetric oligomers by NMR is complicated due to 'symmetry ambiguity' between intra- and intermonomer NOEs, and between different classes of intermonomer NOEs. Hence, to date, only two symmetric tetramers and one symmetric pentamer (VTB, B subunit of verotoxin) have been solved by NMR; there has been no other symmetric hexamer or higher-order oligomer. Recently, we reported a solution structure for R 6 insulin hexamer. However, in that study, a crystal structure was used as a reference to resolve ambiguities caused by the threefold symmetry; the same method was used in solving VTB. Here, we have successfully recalculated R 6 insulin using the symmetry-ADR method, a computational strategy in which ambiguities are resolved using the NMR data alone. Thus the obtained structure is a refinement of the previous R 6 solution structure. Correlated motions in the final structural ensemble were analysed using a recently developed principal component method; this suggests the presence of two major conformational substates. The study demonstrates that the solution structure of higher-order symmetric oligomers can be determined unambiguously from NMR data alone, using the symmetry-ADR method. This success bodes well for future NMR studies of higher-order symmetric oligomers. The correlated motions observed in the structural ensemble suggest a new insight into the mechanism of phenol exchange and the T 6 ↔ R 6 transition of insulin in solution

Recent advances in the chemistry and biology of carbapenem antibiotics.

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Coulton, S; Hunt, E

1996-01-01

The discovery of the olivanic acids and thienamycin aroused considerable interest amongst medicinal chemists and microbiologists around the world. The susceptibility of these agents to metabolic degradation has, however, been a major obstacle in their development. For many years the only notable success from such intensive research was the combination of imipenem with cilastatin, an inhibitor of the renal dipeptidase enzyme DHP-1. The enormous success of Primaxin for the treatment of a range of life-threatening bacterial infections provided the impetus for the discovery of totally synthetic, non-natural carbapenem derivatives that combine the broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity with stability to enzymatic degradation. This has indeed been realised in the development of meropenem; it possesses the broad spectrum of activity and resistance to beta-lactamases that are embodied in imipenem as well as displaying increased stability to human dehydropeptidases. Most recent research has focused upon the development of carbapenem antibiotics which combine broad spectrum antimicrobial activity and metabolic stability with oral absorption, for the treatment of community-acquired infections. Indeed, the pro-drug esters of the tricyclic carbapenems represent the first significant advance in this respect. However, the increased use of carbapenem antibiotics would undoubtedly accelerate the emergence of carbapenem-hydrolysing enzymes. The ultimate challenge could therefore be the design and synthesis of carbapenem derivatives that are resistant to these metallo-beta-lactamases. Due to the enormous problems encountered in the development of the carbapenem antibiotics, this area of research has, in the past, been described as a battlefield that did not bode well for the future [181]. Primaxin and meropenem proved however that these problems were not insurmountable, and are therefore a testimony to the persistence and dedication of those scientists in their war against

Evaluation of the electrochemical behavior of U2.5Zr7.5Nb and U3Zr9Nb uranium alloys in relation to the pH and the solution aeration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mansur, Fabio Abud; Santos, Ana Maria Matildes dos; Ferraz, Wilmar Barbosa; Figueiredo, Celia de Araujo

2011-01-01

The Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN) is developing, in cooperation with the Centro Tecnologico da Marinha (CTMSP), the advanced nuclear plate type fuel for the second core of the land-based reactor prototype of the Laboratorio de Geracao Nucleo-Eletrica (LABGENE). Recent investigations have shown that the fuel made of uranium-based niobium and zirconium alloys reaches the best performance relative to other fuels, e.g. UO 2 . Niobium and Zirconium also increase the corrosion resistance and the mechanical strength of the uranium alloys. By means of electrochemical techniques the corrosion behavior of alloys U 2 . 5 Zr 7.5 Nb and U 3 Zr 9 Nb, developed at CDTN and heat treated in the temperature range of 200 deg C to 600 deg C, was assessed. The effect of the parameters pH and solution aeration was studied as well as the influence of zirconium and niobium alloying elements in the corrosion of uranium. The techniques used were open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance and potentiodynamic anodic polarization at room temperature. The tests were performed in a three-electrode electrochemical cell with Ag/AgCl (3M KCl) as the reference electrode and a platinum plate as the auxiliary electrode. The potentiodynamic polarization curves of uranium and its alloys in acidic solutions showed regions with anodic currents limited by a passive film. The presence of niobium and zirconium contributed for the formation of this film. The impedance data showed the presence of two semicircles in the Bode diagram, indicating the occurrence of two distinct electrochemical processes. The data were fitted to an equivalent circuit model in order to obtain parameters of the electrochemical processes and evaluate the effect of the studied variables. (author)

A review on locomotion robophysics: the study of movement at the intersection of robotics, soft matter and dynamical systems

Science.gov (United States)

Aguilar, Jeffrey; Zhang, Tingnan; Qian, Feifei; Kingsbury, Mark; McInroe, Benjamin; Mazouchova, Nicole; Li, Chen; Maladen, Ryan; Gong, Chaohui; Travers, Matt; Hatton, Ross L.; Choset, Howie; Umbanhowar, Paul B.; Goldman, Daniel I.

2016-11-01

computational power bodes well for scientists and engineers to engage in a discipline which can readily integrate experiment, theory and computation.

Energymark: Empowering individual Australians to reduce their energy consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dowd, A.; Ashworth, P.; Carr-Cornish, S.; Stenner, K.

2012-01-01

Commitment to increase public awareness of climate change mitigation has risen substantially and so has the appreciation of the impact that comes from voluntary behaviour change. We aimed to test whether a process could be designed that encouraged individuals – from within their existing social networks – to facilitate energy reduction discussions that ultimately changed the way they consumed energy. Our “Energymark” process was grounded in the idea that change is facilitated by several supporting factors including the provision of tailored information, social support, encouragement to set goals, and access to feedback. In this paper we report on the first trial with members of the Australian public. By the end of the trial an average emissions reduction of 20% was reported using a pre- and post-trial carbon calculator incorporating the energy used at home, waste, spending on products and services, beef consumption, and transport. While many identified as climate change aware, and had the socio-economic capacity to make changes, we found that participants of widely varying demographics and dispositions responded to program features, achieving equivalent emissions reductions. This bodes well for the program’s effectiveness and warrants further testing of the impact of voluntary action with social processes such as Energymark. - Highlights: ► Energymark program recognises the importance of voluntary individual behaviour change. ► Key features include the provision of information, social support, goal setting and access to feedback. ► At the end of the process an average individual emissions reduction of 20% was reported. ► Consequential aspects were gaining awareness and information and developing a sense of social responsibility. ► Significant also was participants’ understanding that government has a role to play in mitigation.

Ultrasonographic assessment of the diaphragm in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients: relationships with pulmonary function and the influence of body composition - a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Smargiassi, Andrea; Inchingolo, Riccardo; Tagliaboschi, Linda; Di Marco Berardino, Alessandro; Valente, Salvatore; Corbo, Giuseppe Maria

2014-01-01

Skeletal muscle weakness with loss of fat-free mass (FFM) is one of the main systemic effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The diaphragm is also involved, leading to disadvantageous conditions and poor contractile capacities. We measured the thickness of the diaphragm (TD) by ultrasonography to evaluate the relationships between echographic measurements, parameters of respiratory function and body composition data. Thirty-two patients (23 males) underwent (1) pulmonary function tests, (2) echographic assessment of TD in the zone of apposition at various lung volumes, i.e. TD at residual volume (TDRV), TD at functional residual capacity (TDFRC) and TD at total lung capacity (TDTLC), and (3) bioelectrical body impedance analysis. The BMI and the BODE (BMI-Obstruction-Dyspnea-Exercise) index values were reported. TDRV, TDFRC and TDTLC measured 3.3, 3.6 and 6 mm, respectively, with good intraobserver reproducibility (0.97, 0.97 and 0.96, respectively). All the TDs were found to be related to FFM, with the relationship being greater for TDFRC (r(2) = 0.39 and p = 0.0002). With regard to lung volumes, inspiratory capacity (IC) was found to be closely related to TDTLC (r(2) = 0.42 and p = 0.0001). The difference between TDTLC and TDRV, as a thickening value (TDTLCRV), was closely related to FVC (r(2) = 0.34 and p = 0.0004) and to air-trapping indices (RV/TLC, FRC/TLC and IC/TLC): the degree of lung hyperinflation was greater and the TDTLCRV was less. Finally, we found a progressive reduction of both thicknesses and thickenings as the severity of IC/TLC increased, with a significant p value for the trend in both analyses (p = 0.02). Ultrasonographic assessment of the diaphragm could be a useful tool for studying disease progression in COPD patients, in terms of lung hyperinflation and the loss of FFM. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Electrochemical X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy for trace heavy metal analysis: enhancing X-ray fluorescence detection capabilities by four orders of magnitude.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutton, Laura A; O'Neil, Glen D; Read, Tania L; Ayres, Zoë J; Newton, Mark E; Macpherson, Julie V

2014-05-06

The development of a novel analytical technique, electrochemical X-ray fluorescence (EC-XRF), is described and applied to the quantitative detection of heavy metals in solution, achieving sub-ppb limits of detection (LOD). In EC-XRF, electrochemical preconcentration of a species of interest onto the target electrode is achieved here by cathodic electrodeposition. Unambiguous elemental identification and quantification of metal concentration is then made using XRF. This simple electrochemical preconcentration step improves the LOD of energy dispersive XRF by over 4 orders of magnitude (for similar sample preparation time scales). Large area free-standing boron doped diamond grown using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition techniques is found to be ideal as the electrode material for both electrodeposition and XRF due to its wide solvent window, transparency to the XRF beam, and ability to be produced in mechanically robust freestanding thin film form. During electrodeposition it is possible to vary both the deposition potential (Edep) and deposition time (tdep). For the metals Cu(2+) and Pb(2+) the highest detection sensitivities were found for Edep = -1.75 V and tdep (=) 4000 s with LODs of 0.05 and 0.04 ppb achieved, respectively. In mixed Cu(2+)/Pb(2+) solutions, EC-XRF shows that Cu(2+) deposition is unimpeded by Pb(2+), across a broad concentration range, but this is only true for Pb(2+) when both metals are present at low concentrations (10 nM), boding well for trace level measurements. In a dual mixed metal solution, EC-XRF can also be employed to either selectively deposit the metal which has the most positive formal reduction potential, E(0), or exhaustively deplete it from solution, enabling uninhibited detection of the metal with the more negative E(0).

Proton NMR studies of Cucurbita maxima trypsin inhibitors: evidence for pH-dependent conformational change and His25-Tyr27 interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Krishnamoorthi, R; Lin, C L; Gong, Y X; VanderVelde, D; Hahn, K

1992-01-28

A pH-dependent His25-Tyr27 interaction was demonstrated in the case of Cucurbita maxima trypsin inhibitors (CMTI-I and CMTI-III) by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. pH titration, line widths, peak shapes, deuterium exchange kinetics, and two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) were employed to characterize a conformational change involving Tyr27, which was shown to be triggered by deprotonation of His25 around pH 6. A hydrogen bond is proposed to be formed between N epsilon of His25 and OH of Tyr27, as a distance between the atoms, His25 N epsilon and Tyr27 OH, of 3.02 A is consistent with a model built with NOE-derived distance constraints. Both the X-ray [Bode, W., Greyling, J.H., Huber, R., Otlewski, J., & Wilusz, T. (1989) FEBS Lett. 242, 282-292] and NMR [Holak, T.A., Gondol, D., Otlewski, J., & Wilusz, T. (1989) J. Mol. Biol. 210, 635-648] structures of CMTI-I at low pH (4.7-5.3) rule out such an interaction between the two aromatic rings, as the ring planes are oriented about 10 A away from each other. The presently characterized relative orientations of His25 and Tyr27 are of functional significance, as these residues make contact with the enzyme in the enzyme-inhibitor complex. Furthermore, trypsin assay and inhibitor-binding studies showed that conformations of trypsin and the squash inhibitor were functionally relevant only in the pH range 6-8. The pKa of His25 was determined and found to be influenced by Glu9/Lys substitution and by the hydrolysis of the reactive-site peptide bond between Arg5 and Ile6.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cost-effective alternative to nano-encapsulation: Amorphous curcumin-chitosan nanoparticle complex exhibiting high payload and supersaturation generation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Minh Hiep; Yu, Hong; Kiew, Tie Yi; Hadinoto, Kunn

2015-10-01

While the wide-ranging therapeutic activities of curcumin have been well established, its successful delivery to realize its true therapeutic potentials faces a major challenge due to its low oral bioavailability. Even though nano-encapsulation has been widely demonstrated to be effective in enhancing the bioavailability of curcumin, it is not without drawbacks (i.e. low payload and costly preparation). Herein we present a cost-effective bioavailability enhancement strategy of curcumin in the form of amorphous curcumin-chitosan nanoparticle complex (or curcumin nanoplex in short) exhibiting a high payload (>80%). The curcumin nanoplex was prepared by a simple yet highly efficient drug-polysaccharide complexation method that required only mixing of the curcumin and chitosan solutions under ambient condition. The effects of (1) pH and (2) charge ratio of chitosan to curcumin on the (i) physical characteristics of the nanoplex (i.e. size, colloidal stability and payload), (ii) complexation efficiency, and (iii) production yield were investigated from which the optimal preparation condition was determined. The nanoplex formation was found to favor low acidic pH and charge ratio below unity. At the optimal condition (i.e. pH 4.4. and charge ratio=0.8), stable curcumin nanoplex (≈260nm) was prepared at >90% complexation efficiency and ≈50% production yield. The amorphous state stability, colloidal stability, and in vitro non-cytotoxicity of the nanoplex were successfully established. The curcumin nanoplex produced prolonged supersaturation (3h) in the presence of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) at five times of the saturation solubility of curcumin. In addition, curcumin released from the nanoplex exhibited improved chemical stability owed to the presence of chitosan. Both results (i.e. high supersaturation and improved chemical stability) bode well for the ability of the curcumin nanoplex to enhance the bioavailability of curcumin clinically. Copyright © 2015

Indacaterol for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent C H Chung

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Inhaled bronchodilators are the first-line therapy for COPD. Indacaterol is a novel addition to existing long-acting bronchodilators. OBJECTIVES: Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCT ON efficacy and safety of indacaterol as compared: 1 with placebo at different dosages, 2 with existing bronchodilators; (3 as add-on treatment to tiotropium. METHODS: We searched 13 electronic databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL, and contacted the manufacturer for unpublished data. Primary outcome was mean FEV1 change at 12(th week, secondary outcomes included changes in SGRQ, TDI and BODE index at 6 months, exacerbation at 1 year, and worsening of symptoms. RESULTS: Twelve eligible RCTs of moderate risk of bias included data from 10,977 patients. Compared to placebo, indacaterol improved FEV1 by a weighted mean difference (WMD of 0.16 L (95%CI: 0.15, 0.18 L, p<0.001, homogeneously above the minimally important difference of 0.10 L. It offered clinically relevant improvement in all secondary outcomes except exacerbation. Magnitude of benefit did not differ significantly by dosage, but one treatment related death was reported at 300 ug. Efficacy of Indacaterol was similar to formoterol and salmeterol (FEV1 WMD = 0.04 L, 95%CI: 0.01 L, 0.07 L, p = 0.02; and tiotropium (FEV1 WMD = 0.01 L, 95%CI: -0.01, 0.03 L, p = 0.61. The use of indacaterol on top of tiotropium yielded additional improvement on FEV1 (WMD = 0.07 L, 95%CI: 0.05 L, 0.10 L, p<0.001. CONCLUSION: Indacaterol is safe and beneficial for patients with COPD at dosage ≤150 ug. It may serve as a good alternative to existing bronchodilators, or as an add-on to tiotropium for unresponsive patients. Use of higher dosage requires further justification.

The Need for More Earthquake Science in Southeast Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Sieh, K.

2015-12-01

Many regions within SE Asia have as great a density of active seismic structures as does the western US - Sumatra, Myanmar, Bangladesh, New Guinea and the Philippines come first to mind. Much of Earth's release of seismic energy in the current millennium has, in fact, come from these regions, with great losses of life and livelihoods. Unfortunately, the scientific progress upon which seismic-risk reduction in SE Asia ultimately depends has been and continues to be slow. Last year at AGU, for example, I counted 57 talks about the M6 Napa earthquake. In contrast, I can't recall hearing any talk on a SE Asian M6 earthquake at any venue in the past many years. In fact, even M7+ earthquakes often go unstudied. Not uncommonly, the region's earthquake scientists face high financial and political impediments to conducting earthquake research. Their slow speed in the development of scientific knowledge doesn't bode well for speedy progress in the science of seismic hazards, the sine qua non for substantially reducing seismic risk. There are two basic necessities for the region to evolve significantly from the current state of affairs. Both involve the development of regional infrastructure: 1) Data: Robust and accessible geophysical monitoring systems would need to be installed, maintained and utilized by the region's earth scientists and their results shared internationally. Concomitantly, geological mapping (sensu lato) would need to be undertaken. 2) People: The training, employment, and enduring support of a new, young, international corps of earth scientists would need to accelerate markedly. The United States could play an important role in achieving the goal of significant seismic risk reduction in the most seismically active countries of SE Asia by taking the lead in establishing a coalition to robustly fund a multi-decadal program that supports scientists and their research institutions to work alongside local expertise.

Sensitivity of Support Vector Machine Predictions of Passive Microwave Brightness Temperature Over Snow-covered Terrain in High Mountain Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, J. A.; Forman, B. A.

2017-12-01

High Mountain Asia (HMA) serves as a water supply source for over 1.3 billion people, primarily in south-east Asia. Most of this water originates as snow (or ice) that melts during the summer months and contributes to the run-off downstream. In spite of its critical role, there is still considerable uncertainty regarding the total amount of snow in HMA and its spatial and temporal variation. In this study, the NASA Land Information Systems (LIS) is used to model the hydrologic cycle over the Indus basin. In addition, the ability of support vector machines (SVM), a machine learning technique, to predict passive microwave brightness temperatures at a specific frequency and polarization as a function of LIS-derived land surface model output is explored in a sensitivity analysis. Multi-frequency, multi-polarization passive microwave brightness temperatures as measured by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) over the Indus basin are used as training targets during the SVM training process. Normalized sensitivity coefficients (NSC) are then computed to assess the sensitivity of a well-trained SVM to each LIS-derived state variable. Preliminary results conform with the known first-order physics. For example, input states directly linked to physical temperature like snow temperature, air temperature, and vegetation temperature have positive NSC's whereas input states that increase volume scattering such as snow water equivalent or snow density yield negative NSC's. Air temperature exhibits the largest sensitivity coefficients due to its inherent, high-frequency variability. Adherence of this machine learning algorithm to the first-order physics bodes well for its potential use in LIS as the observation operator within a radiance data assimilation system aimed at improving regional- and continental-scale snow estimates.

David Bowie and the Art of Slow Innovation: A Fast-Second Winner Strategy for Biotechnology and Precision Medicine Global Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Özdemir, Vural; Patrinos, George P

2017-11-01

Original ideas and innovation cannot always be ordered like a courier service and delivered fresh to our desk at 9 am. Yet, most creativity-based organizations, careers, and professions, science and biotechnology innovation included, emphasize the speed as the prevailing ideology. But a narrow focus on speed has several and overlooked shortcomings. For example, it does not offer the opportunity to draw from, and stitch together disparate concepts and practices for truly disruptive innovation. Preventing false starts, learning from others' or our own mistakes, and customizing innovations for local community needs are difficult in a speed-hungry innovation ecosystem. We introduce a new strategy, the Fast-Second Winner, specifically in relation to global development of biotechnologies and precision medicine. This à la carte global development strategy envisions a midstream entry into the innovation ecosystem. Moreover, we draw from the works of the late David Bowie who defied rigid classifications as an artist and prolific innovator, and introduce the concept and practice of slow innovation that bodes well with the Fast-Second Winner strategy. A type of slow innovation, the Fast-Second Winner is actually fast and sustainable in the long term, and efficient by reducing false starts in new precision medicine application contexts and geographies, learning from other innovators' failures, and shaping innovations for the local community needs. The establishment of Centers for Fast-Second Innovation (CFSIs), and their funding, for example, by crowdfunding and other innovative mechanisms, could be timely for omics and precision medicine global development. If precision medicine is about tailoring drug treatments and various health interventions to individuals, we suggest to start from tailoring new ideas, and focus not only on how much we innovate but also what and how we innovate. In principle, the Fast-Second Winner can be applied to omics and other biotechnology

Harnessing Petaflop-Scale Multi-Core Supercomputing for Problems in Space Science

Science.gov (United States)

Albright, B. J.; Yin, L.; Bowers, K. J.; Daughton, W.; Bergen, B.; Kwan, T. J.

2008-12-01

The particle-in-cell kinetic plasma code VPIC has been migrated successfully to the world's fastest supercomputer, Roadrunner, a hybrid multi-core platform built by IBM for the Los Alamos National Laboratory. How this was achieved will be described and examples of state-of-the-art calculations in space science, in particular, the study of magnetic reconnection, will be presented. With VPIC on Roadrunner, we have performed, for the first time, plasma PIC calculations with over one trillion particles, >100× larger than calculations considered "heroic" by community standards. This allows examination of physics at unprecedented scale and fidelity. Roadrunner is an example of an emerging paradigm in supercomputing: the trend toward multi-core systems with deep hierarchies and where memory bandwidth optimization is vital to achieving high performance. Getting VPIC to perform well on such systems is a formidable challenge: the core algorithm is memory bandwidth limited with low compute-to-data ratio and requires random access to memory in its inner loop. That we were able to get VPIC to perform and scale well, achieving >0.374 Pflop/s and linear weak scaling on real physics problems on up to the full 12240-core Roadrunner machine, bodes well for harnessing these machines for our community's needs in the future. Many of the design considerations encountered commute to other multi-core and accelerated (e.g., via GPU) platforms and we modified VPIC with flexibility in mind. These will be summarized and strategies for how one might adapt a code for such platforms will be shared. Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. DOE by the LANS LLC Los Alamos National Laboratory. Dr. Bowers is a LANL Guest Scientist; he is presently at D. E. Shaw Research LLC, 120 W 45th Street, 39th Floor, New York, NY 10036.

Silver vanadium diphosphate Ag2VP2O8: Electrochemistry and characterization of reduced material providing mechanistic insights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeuchi, Esther S.; Lee, Chia-Ying; Cheng, Po-Jen; Menard, Melissa C.; Marschilok, Amy C.; Takeuchi, Kenneth J.

2013-01-01

Silver vanadium phosphorous oxides (Ag w V x P y O z ) are notable battery cathode materials due to their high energy density and demonstrated ability to form in-situ Ag metal nanostructured electrically conductive networks within the cathode. While analogous silver vanadium diphosphate materials have been prepared, electrochemical evaluations of these diphosphate based materials have been limited. We report here the first electrochemical study of a silver vanadium diphosphate, Ag 2 VP 2 O 8 , where the structural differences associated with phosphorous oxides versus diphosphates profoundly affect the associated electrochemistry. Reminiscent of Ag 2 VO 2 PO 4 reduction, in-situ formation of silver metal nanoparticles was observed with reduction of Ag 2 VP 2 O 8 . However, counter to Ag 2 VO 2 PO 4 reduction, Ag 2 VP 2 O 8 demonstrates a significant decrease in conductivity upon continued electrochemical reduction. Structural analysis contrasting the crystallography of the parent Ag 2 VP 2 O 8 with that of the proposed Li 2 VP 2 O 8 reduction product is employed to gain insight into the observed electrochemical reduction behavior, where the structural rigidity associated with the diphosphate anion may be associated with the observed particle fracturing upon deep electrochemical reduction. Further, the diphosphate anion structure may be associated with the high thermal stability of the partially reduced Ag 2 VP 2 O 8 materials, which bodes well for enhanced safety of batteries incorporating this material. - Graphical abstract: Structure and galvanostatic intermittent titration-type test data for silver vanadium diphosphate, Ag 2 VP 2 O 8 . Highlights: ► First electrochemical study of a silver vanadium diphosphate, Ag 2 VP 2 O 8 . ► In-situ formation of Ag 0 nanoparticles was observed upon electrochemical reduction. ► Structural analysis used to provide insight of the electrochemical behavior

Evaluation of the electrochemical behavior of U{sub 2.5}Zr{sub 7.5}Nb and U{sub 3}Zr{sub 9}Nb uranium alloys in relation to the pH and the solution aeration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mansur, Fabio Abud; Santos, Ana Maria Matildes dos; Ferraz, Wilmar Barbosa; Figueiredo, Celia de Araujo, E-mail: ferraz@cdtn.b [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

2011-07-01

The Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN) is developing, in cooperation with the Centro Tecnologico da Marinha (CTMSP), the advanced nuclear plate type fuel for the second core of the land-based reactor prototype of the Laboratorio de Geracao Nucleo-Eletrica (LABGENE). Recent investigations have shown that the fuel made of uranium-based niobium and zirconium alloys reaches the best performance relative to other fuels, e.g. UO{sub 2}. Niobium and Zirconium also increase the corrosion resistance and the mechanical strength of the uranium alloys. By means of electrochemical techniques the corrosion behavior of alloys U{sub 2}.{sub 5}Zr{sub 7.5}Nb and U{sub 3}Zr{sub 9}Nb, developed at CDTN and heat treated in the temperature range of 200 deg C to 600 deg C, was assessed. The effect of the parameters pH and solution aeration was studied as well as the influence of zirconium and niobium alloying elements in the corrosion of uranium. The techniques used were open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance and potentiodynamic anodic polarization at room temperature. The tests were performed in a three-electrode electrochemical cell with Ag/AgCl (3M KCl) as the reference electrode and a platinum plate as the auxiliary electrode. The potentiodynamic polarization curves of uranium and its alloys in acidic solutions showed regions with anodic currents limited by a passive film. The presence of niobium and zirconium contributed for the formation of this film. The impedance data showed the presence of two semicircles in the Bode diagram, indicating the occurrence of two distinct electrochemical processes. The data were fitted to an equivalent circuit model in order to obtain parameters of the electrochemical processes and evaluate the effect of the studied variables. (author)

The complex planetary synchronization structure of the solar system

Science.gov (United States)

Scafetta, N.

2014-01-01

The complex planetary synchronization structure of the solar system, which since Pythagoras of Samos (ca. 570-495 BC) is known as the music of the spheres, is briefly reviewed from the Renaissance up to contemporary research. Copernicus' heliocentric model from 1543 suggested that the planets of our solar system form a kind of mutually ordered and quasi-synchronized system. From 1596 to 1619 Kepler formulated preliminary mathematical relations of approximate commensurabilities among the planets, which were later reformulated in the Titius-Bode rule (1766-1772), which successfully predicted the orbital position of Ceres and Uranus. Following the discovery of the ~ 11 yr sunspot cycle, in 1859 Wolf suggested that the observed solar variability could be approximately synchronized with the orbital movements of Venus, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn. Modern research has further confirmed that (1) the planetary orbital periods can be approximately deduced from a simple system of resonant frequencies; (2) the solar system oscillates with a specific set of gravitational frequencies, and many of them (e.g., within the range between 3 yr and 100 yr) can be approximately constructed as harmonics of a base period of ~ 178.38 yr; and (3) solar and climate records are also characterized by planetary harmonics from the monthly to the millennial timescales. This short review concludes with an emphasis on the contribution of the author's research on the empirical evidences and physical modeling of both solar and climate variability based on astronomical harmonics. The general conclusion is that the solar system works as a resonator characterized by a specific harmonic planetary structure that also synchronizes the Sun's activity and the Earth's climate. The special issue Pattern in solar variability, their planetary origin and terrestrial impacts (Mörner et al., 2013) further develops the ideas about the planetary-solar-terrestrial interaction with the personal contribution of 10

Polyethylenedioxythiophene and molybdenum disulfide nanocomposite electrodes for supercapacitor applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alamro, Turki; Ram, Manoj K.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • MoS_2-PEDOT nanocomposite electrode material was synthesized using polyanion ‘PSS’ and surfactant CTAB in an aqueous media. • The supercapacitor based on composite MoS_2-PEDOT electrode revealed higher energy density than graphene composite electrodes. • The specific capacitance of 361 Farad/gram (F/g) was obtained for 1:2 weight ratio of MoS2 to the EDOT monomer in MoS_2-PEDOT nanocomposite based electrodes. - Abstract: An innovative nanocomposite electrode was chemically synthesized using molybdenum disulphide (MoS_2)- polyethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) to understand the charge mechanism in a symmetric supercapacitor. The MoS_2-PEDOT nanocomposite was produced at various ratios of MoS_2 to ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) in an aqueous medium of polyanions polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) at controlled conditions. The morphology, crystallinity, and optical properties of MoS_2-PEDOT nanocomposite materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, particle size analyzer, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray-diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, respectively. The electrochemical properties of the supercapacitor were investigated using cyclic voltammetry, charging–discharging at constant current and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The specific capacitance, power and energy densities of the supercapacitor were estimated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), charging–discharging, Nyquist and Bode plots. The specific capacitance was estimated to be 361 Farad/gram (F/g) for the 1:2 weight ratio of MoS_2 to the EDOT monomer in the MoS_2-PEDOT nanocomposite based electrodes. Nevertheless, this study provides a fundamental aspect of synthesis of nanocomposite material for optimum attainment supercapacitive properties based on the MoS_2-PEDOT nanocomposite electrode for practical energy storage applications.

A space-time hybrid hourly rainfall model for derived flood frequency analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

U. Haberlandt

2008-12-01

Full Text Available For derived flood frequency analysis based on hydrological modelling long continuous precipitation time series with high temporal resolution are needed. Often, the observation network with recording rainfall gauges is poor, especially regarding the limited length of the available rainfall time series. Stochastic precipitation synthesis is a good alternative either to extend or to regionalise rainfall series to provide adequate input for long-term rainfall-runoff modelling with subsequent estimation of design floods. Here, a new two step procedure for stochastic synthesis of continuous hourly space-time rainfall is proposed and tested for the extension of short observed precipitation time series.

First, a single-site alternating renewal model is presented to simulate independent hourly precipitation time series for several locations. The alternating renewal model describes wet spell durations, dry spell durations and wet spell intensities using univariate frequency distributions separately for two seasons. The dependence between wet spell intensity and duration is accounted for by 2-copulas. For disaggregation of the wet spells into hourly intensities a predefined profile is used. In the second step a multi-site resampling procedure is applied on the synthetic point rainfall event series to reproduce the spatial dependence structure of rainfall. Resampling is carried out successively on all synthetic event series using simulated annealing with an objective function considering three bivariate spatial rainfall characteristics. In a case study synthetic precipitation is generated for some locations with short observation records in two mesoscale catchments of the Bode river basin located in northern Germany. The synthetic rainfall data are then applied for derived flood frequency analysis using the hydrological model HEC-HMS. The results show good performance in reproducing average and extreme rainfall characteristics as well as in

Engineering muscle tissue for the fetus: getting ready for a strong life

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George Joseph Christ

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Congenital malformations frequently involve either skeletal, smooth or cardiac tissues. When large parts of those tissues are damaged, the repair of the malformations is challenged by the fact that so much autologous tissue is missing. Current treatments require the use of prostheses or other therapies and are associated with a significant morbidity and mortality. Nonetheless, affected children have generally good survival rates and mostly normal schooling. As such, new therapeutic modalities need to represent significant improvements with clear safety profiles. Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering technologies have the potential to dramatically improve the treatment of any disease or disorder involving a lack of viable tissue. With respect to congenital soft tissue anomalies, the development of, for example, implantable muscle constructs would provide not only the usual desired elasticity and contractile proprieties, but should also be able to grow with the fetus and/or in the postnatal life. Such an approach would eliminate the need for multiple surgeries. However, the more widespread clinical applications of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering technologies require identification of the optimal indications, as well as further elucidation of the precise mechanisms and best methods (cells, scaffolds/biomaterials for achieving large functional tissue regeneration in those clinical indications. In short, despite some amazing scientific progress, significant safety and efficacy hurdles remain. However, the rapid preclinical advances in the field bode well for future applications. As such, translational researchers and clinicians alike need be informed and prepared to utilize these new techniques for the benefit of their patients, as soon as they are available. To this end, we review herein, the clinical need(s, potential applications, and the relevant preclinical studies that are currently guiding the field toward novel

Surface analysis and electrochemical behavior of Ti–20Zr alloy in simulated physiological fluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calderon Moreno, Jose Maria; Vasilescu, Ecaterina; Drob, Paula; Osiceanu, Petre; Vasilescu, Cora; Drob, Silviu Iulian; Popa, Monica

2013-01-01

Highlights: • The advanced Ti–20Zr alloy shows fully lamellar α + β microstructure. • The alloy passive film improves its properties by deposition of HA (XPS, SEM, EDX, Raman, FT-IR). • Alloy revealed lower corrosion rates and higher polarization resistances than Ti. • EIS spectra depicted a more protective passive film on the alloy surface than on Ti. • The passive film is formed by two layers: an inner barrier and an outer porous layer. -- Abstract: An advanced Ti–20Zr alloy was obtained by double vacuum melting in a semi-levitation furnace with cold crucible. The alloy shows fully lamellar α + β microstructure. Cyclic potentiodynamic polarization curves revealed that the alloy passivated easier, more rapid than Ti, having a more stable passive film in Ringer solutions of different pH values, simulating severe functional conditions of an implant. In neutral and alkaline Ringer solutions, the alloy passive film improved its properties in time (1500 h) by the deposition of protective hydroxyapatite, as was demonstrated by XPS, SEM, EDX, Raman and FT-IR measurements. Alloy presented lower corrosion rates and higher polarization resistances (from linear polarization measurements) than those of Ti (tens of times) proving a more resistant passive film. Alloy open circuit potentials had more electropositive values in comparison with Ti and tended to nobler values in time, which denote better passive state and its enhancement in time, due to the new depositions from the physiological solutions. Nyquist and Bode spectra depicted a more protective passive film on the alloy surface than on Ti surface. The passive film is formed by two layers: an inner barrier layer and an outer porous layer. An electric equivalent circuit with two time constants was modeled

Network modules uncover mechanisms of skeletal muscle dysfunction in COPD patients

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Ákos Tényi

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD patients often show skeletal muscle dysfunction that has a prominent negative impact on prognosis. The study aims to further explore underlying mechanisms of skeletal muscle dysfunction as a characteristic systemic effect of COPD, potentially modifiable with preventive interventions (i.e. muscle training. The research analyzes network module associated pathways and evaluates the findings using independent measurements. Methods We characterized the transcriptionally active network modules of interacting proteins in the vastus lateralis of COPD patients (n = 15, FEV1 46 ± 12% pred, age 68 ± 7 years and healthy sedentary controls (n = 12, age 65 ± 9  years, at rest and after an 8-week endurance training program. Network modules were functionally evaluated using experimental data derived from the same study groups. Results At baseline, we identified four COPD specific network modules indicating abnormalities in creatinine metabolism, calcium homeostasis, oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, showing statistically significant associations with exercise capacity (VO2 peak, Watts peak, BODE index and blood lactate levels (P < 0.05 each, but not with lung function (FEV1. Training-induced network modules displayed marked differences between COPD and controls. Healthy subjects specific training adaptations were significantly associated with cell bioenergetics (P < 0.05 which, in turn, showed strong relationships with training-induced plasma metabolomic changes; whereas, effects of training in COPD were constrained to muscle remodeling. Conclusion In summary, altered muscle bioenergetics appears as the most striking finding, potentially driving other abnormal skeletal muscle responses. Trial registration The study was based on a retrospectively registered trial (May 2017, ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03169270

Multimedia Bootcamp: a health sciences library provides basic training to promote faculty technology integration.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramsey, Ellen C

2006-04-25

Recent research has shown a backlash against the enthusiastic promotion of technological solutions as replacements for traditional educational content delivery. Many institutions, including the University of Virginia, have committed staff and resources to supporting state-of-the-art, showpiece educational technology projects. However, the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library has taken the approach of helping Health Sciences faculty be more comfortable using technology in incremental ways for instruction and research presentations. In July 2004, to raise awareness of self-service multimedia resources for instructional and professional development needs, the Library conducted a "Multimedia Bootcamp" for nine Health Sciences faculty and fellows. Case study. Program stewardship by a single Library faculty member contributed to the delivery of an integrated learning experience. The amount of time required to attend the sessions and complete homework was the maximum fellows had to devote to such pursuits. The benefit of introducing technology unfamiliar to most fellows allowed program instructors to start everyone at the same baseline while not appearing to pass judgment on the technology literacy skills of faculty. The combination of wrapping the program in the trappings of a fellowship and selecting fellows who could commit to a majority of scheduled sessions yielded strong commitment from participants as evidenced by high attendance and a 100% rate of assignment completion. Response rates to follow-up evaluation requests, as well as continued use of Media Studio resources and Library expertise for projects begun or conceived during Bootcamp, bode well for the long-term success of this program. An incremental approach to integrating technology with current practices in instruction and presentation provided a supportive yet energizing environment for Health Sciences faculty. Keys to this program were its faculty focus, traditional hands-on instruction, unrestricted

Photoelectrochemical oxidation of ibuprofen via Cu{sub 2}O-doped TiO{sub 2} nanotube arrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Qiannan [College of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou (China); Peng, Yen-Ping, E-mail: yppeng@thu.edu.tw [Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Chen, Hanlin [College of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou (China); Chang, Ken-Lin [School of Environmental Science and Engineering and Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 51006 China (China); Qiu, Yang-Neng; Lai, Shiau-Wu [Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan (China)

2016-12-05

Highlights: • A p–n junction material was synthesized to enhance photocatalytic ability. • Cu{sub 2}O-doped TiO{sub 2} nanotube arrays works as a photoanode in a PEC system. • Recombination of photo-generated holes and electrons were greatly reduced. • Synergetic effect was quantified in PEC degradation. • Recombination of photogenerated holes and electrons was greatly enhanced. - Abstract: A p–n junction based Cu{sub 2}O-doped TiO{sub 2} nanotube arrays (Cu{sub 2}O-TNAs) were synthesized and used as a working anode in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) system. The results revealed that the Cu{sub 2}O-TNAs were dominated by the anatase phase and responded significantly to visible light. XPS analyses indicated that with an amount of 24.79% Cu doping into the structure, the band gap of Cu{sub 2}O-TNAs was greatly reduced. SEM images revealed that the supported TiO{sub 2} nanotubes had diameters of approximately 80 nm and lengths of about 2.63 μm. Upon doping with Cu{sub 2}O, the TiO{sub 2} nanotubes maintained their structural integrity, exhibiting no significant morphological change, favoring PEC applications. Under illumination, the photocurrent from Cu{sub 2}O/TNAs was 2.4 times larger than that from TNAs, implying that doping with Cu{sub 2}O significantly improved electron mobility by reducing the rate of recombination of electron-hole pairs. The EIS and Bode plot revealed that the estimated electron lifetimes, τ{sub el}, of TNAs and Cu{sub 2}O/TNAs were 6.91 and 26.26 ms, respectively. The efficiencies of degradation of Ibuprofen by photoelectrochemical, photocatalytic (PC), electrochemical (EC) and photolytic (P) methods were measured.

Transient elastography with the XL probe rapidly identifies patients with nonhepatic ascites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mueller S

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Anna Kohlhaas1, Esteban Durango1, Gunda Millonig1, Cecile Bastard2, Laurent Sandrin2, Mohammad Golriz3, Arianeb Mehrabi3, Markus W Büchler3, Helmut Karl Seitz1, Sebastian Mueller11Department of Medicine and Center for Alcohol Research, Liver Disease and Nutrition, Salem Medical Center, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; 2Department of Research and Development, Echosens, Paris, France; 3Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, GermanyBackground: In contrast with other elastographic techniques, ascites is considered an exclusion criterion for assessment of fibrosis stage by transient elastography. However, a normal liver stiffness could rule out hepatic causes of ascites at an early stage. The aim of the present study was to determine whether liver stiffness can be generally determined by transient elastography through an ascites layer, to determine whether the ascites-mediated increase in intra-abdominal pressure affects liver stiffness, and to provide initial data from a pilot cohort of patients with various causes of ascites.Methods and results: Using the XL probe in an artificial ascites model, we demonstrated (copolymer phantoms surrounded by water that a transient elastography-generated shear wave allows accurate determination of phantom stiffness up to a water lamella of 20 mm. We next showed in an animal ascites model that increased intra-abdominal pressure does not affect liver stiffness. Liver stiffness was then determined in 24 consecutive patients with ascites due to hepatic (n = 18 or nonhepatic (n = 6 causes. The cause of ascites was eventually clarified using routine clinical, imaging, laboratory, and other tools. Valid (75% or acceptable (25% liver stiffness data could be obtained in 23 patients (95.8% with ascites up to an ascites lamella of 39 mm. The six patients (25% with nonhepatic causes of ascites (eg, pancreatitis, peritoneal carcinomatosis had a

SIX DECADES OF THE PULA NEUROPSYCHIATRIC MEETINGS--FROM NEUROPSYCHIATRY TO BORDERLANDS OF NEUROLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY BRAIN AND MIND.

Science.gov (United States)

Barac, Bosko; Demarin, Vida

2015-12-01

In 2010, the International Neuropsychiatric Pula Symposia, from 2005 Congresses (INPS/INPC), founded in 1961 by Zagreb and Graz University Neuropsychiatry Departments, celebrated their 50th anniversary of successful development. The co-author of the paper, Bosko Barac, witnessed their growth from 1966, collaborating in their organization from 1974 with the first Secretary General Gerald Grinschgl; elected for his successor after his unexpected death in 1985, he was leading the Kuratorium (Scientific Board) as Secretary General for 23 years, collaborating in this period with his Austrian partner and friend Helmut Lechner. In 2007, Barac handed over this responsible function to the co-author Vida Demarin. Starting when neuropsychiatry was a unique discipline, the INPC followed the processes of emancipation of neurology and psychiatry and their evolution to independent disciplines with new subspecialties. These respectable conferences greatly surpassed the significance of the two disciplines, neurology and psychiatry, granting collaboration of borderland medical and non-medical disciplines, connecting experts from the region, European countries and the world. Inaugurated in 'cold-war' times, in their first phase they enabled to make professional and human contacts between scientists from the two divided 'blocs' thanks to the 'non-aligned' position of the then Yugoslavia, fostering the ideas of mutual understanding and collaboration. On the other hand, the scientific development of the meetings took in the center of their study fields connecting the two disciplines, giving a quite unique quality to these meetings. For many years, the meetings cherished specific neurologic and psychiatric topics, at the same time planning increasing important topics of the 'borderland areas' in their programs. For the important achievements, they earned the title of the Pula School of Science and Humanism, promoting interdisciplinary scientific collaboration important for humanistic

Anthroposophic therapy for attention deficit hyperactivity: A two-year prospective study in outpatients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harald J Hamre

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Harald J Hamre1, Claudia M Witt2, Gunver S Kienle1, Christoph Meinecke3, Anja Glockmann1, Renatus Ziegler4, Stefan N Willich2, Helmut Kiene11Institute for Applied Epistemology and Medical Methodology, Freiburg, Germany; 2Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Economics, Charité University Medical Center, Berlin, Germany; 3Pediatric Consultant, Community Hospital Havelhöhe, Berlin, Germany; 4Society for Cancer Research, Arlesheim, SwitzerlandBackground: Anthroposophic treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD includes special artistic and physical therapies and special medications.Methods: We studied 61 consecutive children starting anthroposophic treatment for ADHD symptoms under routine outpatient conditions. Primary outcome was FBB-HKS (a parents’ questionnaire for ADHD core symptoms, 0–3, and secondary outcomes were disease and symptom scores (physicians’ and parents’ assessment, 0–10 and quality of life (KINDL® total score, 0–100.Results: A total of 67% of patients fulfilled the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD, 15% had an exclusion diagnosis such as pervasive developmental disorders, while 18% did not fulfill ADHD criteria for another reason. Anthroposophic treatment modalities used were eurythmy therapy (in 56% of patients, art therapy (20%, rhythmical massage therapy (8%, and medications (51%. From baseline to six-month follow-up, all outcomes improved significantly; average improvements were FBB-HKS total score 0.30 points (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.18–0.43; P < 0.001, FBB-HKS inattention 0.36 (95% CI: 0.21–0.50; P < 0.001, FBB-HKS hyperactivity 0.29 (95% CI: 0.14–0.44; P < 0.001, FBB-HKS impulsivity 0.22 (95% CI: 0.03–0.40; P < 0.001, disease score 2.33 (95% CI: 1.84–2.82; P < 0.001, symptom score 1.66 (95% CI: 1.17–2.16; P < 0.001, and KINDL 5.37 (95% CI: 2.27–8.47; P = 0.001. Improvements were similar in patients not using stimulants (90% of patients at months 0–6 and

BOOK REVIEW: Great Physicists - The Life and Times of Leading Physicists from Galileo to Hawking

Science.gov (United States)

Cropper, William H.

2002-11-01

might occasionally miss a proper mention of their scientific heroes. These slightly critical observations should not obscure the impression that the chemist Cropper has succeeded with his goal of writing a very useful and informative book, displaying great understanding of the life of the physicists, their ingenious theoretical ideas and experimental discoveries. Simultaneously he has provided a pleasantly readable account of the great success story of physics extending over the past three hundred years. Both laymen and professionals may like to have the book in their public or private libraries. Helmut Rechenberg

Solar Dynamo Driven by Periodic Flow Oscillation

Science.gov (United States)

Mayr, Hans G.; Hartle, Richard E.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

We have proposed that the periodicity of the solar magnetic cycle is determined by wave mean flow interactions analogous to those driving the Quasi Biennial Oscillation in the Earth's atmosphere. Upward propagating gravity waves would produce oscillating flows near the top of the radiation zone that in turn would drive a kinematic dynamo to generate the 22-year solar magnetic cycle. The dynamo we propose is built on a given time independent magnetic field B, which allows us to estimate the time dependent, oscillating components of the magnetic field, (Delta)B. The toroidal magnetic field (Delta)B(sub phi) is directly driven by zonal flow and is relatively large in the source region, (Delta)(sub phi)/B(sub Theta) much greater than 1. Consistent with observations, this field peaks at low latitudes and has opposite polarities in both hemispheres. The oscillating poloidal magnetic field component, (Delta)B(sub Theta), is driven by the meridional circulation, which is difficult to assess without a numerical model that properly accounts for the solar atmosphere dynamics. Scale-analysis suggests that (Delta)B(sub Theta) is small compared to B(sub Theta) in the dynamo region. Relative to B(sub Theta), however, the oscillating magnetic field perturbations are expected to be transported more rapidly upwards in the convection zone to the solar surface. As a result, (Delta)B(sub Theta) (and (Delta)B(sub phi)) should grow relative to B(sub Theta), so that the magnetic fields reverse at the surface as observed. Since the meridional and zonai flow oscillations are out of phase, the poloidal magnetic field peaks during times when the toroidal field reverses direction, which is observed. With the proposed wave driven flow oscillation, the magnitude of the oscillating poloidal magnetic field increases with the mean rotation rate of the fluid. This is consistent with the Bode-Blackett empirical scaling law, which reveals that in massive astrophysical bodies the magnetic moment tends

A brief assessment of physical functioning for prostate cancer patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin-Shei Lai

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Jin-Shei Lai1, Rita Bode2, Hwee-Lin Wee3, David Eton4, David Cella11Department of Medical Social Sciences, 2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, IL USA; 3Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, Singapore; 4Division of Health Care Policy and Research, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USAAbstract: We aimed to validate a more rapid, yet reliable means of assessing physical function (PF for patients with prostate cancer. The sample included 128 prostate cancer patients recruited from urology and general oncology clinics at two Chicago-area hospitals. The main outcome measures were: A 36-item PF item bank that included a 5-item short form (BriefPF and the 10-item PF subscale (PF-10 from the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36. Validity, information function, and relative precision (calculated using Rasch analysis and raw scores of the BriefPF were compared to the PF-10 and the full PF item bank. We found that the BriefPF and PF-10 were strongly correlated (r = 0.85 with the PF bank, and all three scales differentiated patients according to performance status (FPF bank(2,124 = 32.51 P < 0.001, FPF-10(2,121 = 27.35 P < 0.001, FBriefPF (2,123 = 38.40 P < 0.001. BriefPF has excellent precision relative to the PF-10 in measuring patients with different performance status levels. The Rasch-based information function indicated that the BriefPF was more informative than PF-10 in measuring moderate to higher functioning patients. Hence, the BriefPF offers a parsimonious and precise measure of PF for use among men with prostate cancer, and may aid in the timely inclusion of patient-reported outcomes in treatment decision-making.Keywords: quality-of-life, item bank, short-form, Medical Outcomes Study

EIS, Mott Schottky and EFM analysis of the electrochemical stability and dielectric properties of Ca-P-Ag and Ca-P-Si-Ag coatings obtained by plasma electrolytic oxidation in Ti6Al4V

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Sara María Leal-Marin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available El Ti6Al4V ELI (ASTM F136 es una de las aleaciones más empleadas en dispositivos de osteosíntesis y reemplazo articular. Sin embargo, las propiedades de esta aleación pueden ser mejoradas respecto a su biocompatibilidad y osteointegración con el tejido óseo a través de recubrimientos. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el comportamiento electroquímico de un recubrimiento obtenido por oxidación por plasma electrolítico sobre Ti6Al4V ELI empleando soluciones electrolíticas enriquecidas con iones de PO4 2-, Ca+2, Si+4 y varias concentraciones de Ag+1. Los recubrimientos se caracterizaron mediante espectroscopia de impedancia electroquímica (EIS y Mott-Schottky (M-S en una celda de tres electrodos con una solución fisiológica simulada. El comportamiento electroquímico se contrastó con microscopía de fuerza electrostática (EFM, donde se analizó el potencial eléctrico del recubrimiento. Los resultados de EIS mostraron mejores propiedades de estabilidad frente a la corrosión en los sustratos recubiertos con Ca- P-Ag, comparados con los recubiertos con Ca-P-Si-Ag. Los espectros de Nyquist y Bode mostraron relajaciones relacionadas con la transferencia de carga hacia la doble capa electroquímica como reflejo de los cambios microestructurales y de conductividad de los recubrimientos, dada por la presencia particular en cada caso, de los elementos contenidos en estos. De acuerdo con los resultados de M-S, todas las muestras ensayadas presentaron un comportamiento con dopado tipo n, cuya conductividad incrementó con la inclusión de plata. Mediante EFM se observaron mayores contrastes en el potencial, fase y la amplitud de los recubrimientos con mayor cantidad de plata respecto al Ti6Al4V sin recubrir.

Effect of electroless nickel interlayer on the electrochemical behavior of single layer CrN, TiN, TiAlN coatings and nanolayered TiAlN/CrN multilayer coatings prepared by reactive dc magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grips, V.K. William; Ezhil Selvi, V.; Barshilia, Harish C.; Rajam, K.S.

2006-01-01

The electrochemical behavior of single layer TiN, CrN, TiAlN and multilayer TiAlN/CrN coatings, deposited on steel substrates using a multi-target reactive direct current (dc) magnetron sputtering process, was studied in 3.5% NaCl solution. The total thickness of the coatings was about 1.5 μm. About 0.5 μm thick chromium interlayer was used to improve adhesion of the coatings. With an aim to improve the corrosion resistance, an additional interlayer of approximately 5 μm thick electroless nickel (EN) was deposited on the substrate. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to study the corrosion behavior of the coatings. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis were used to characterize the corroded samples. The potentiodynamic polarization tests showed lower corrosion current density and higher polarization resistance (R p ) for the coatings with EN interlayer. For example, the corrosion current density of TiN coated steel was decreased by a factor of 10 by incorporating 5 μm thick EN interlayer. Similarly, multilayer coatings of TiAlN/CrN with EN interlayer showed about 30 times improved corrosion resistance as compared to the multilayers without EN interlayer. The porosity values were calculated from the potentiodynamic polarization data. The Nyquist and the Bode plots obtained from the EIS data were fitted by appropriate equivalent circuits. The pore resistance (R pore ), the charge transfer resistance (R ct ), the coating capacitance (Q coat ) and the double layer capacitance (Q dl ) of the coatings were obtained from the equivalent circuit. Multilayer coatings showed higher R pore and R ct values as compared to the single layer coatings. Similarly, the Q coat and Q dl values decreased from uncoated substrate to the multilayer coatings, indicating a decrease in the defect density by the addition of EN interlayer. These studies were confirmed by examining the corroded samples under

Impacts of climate change on vegetation, hydrological and socio-economic droughts in a transitional wet-to-dry Mediterranean region

Science.gov (United States)

Nunes, João Pedro; Pulquério, Mário; Grosso, Nuno; Duarte Santos, Filipe; João Cruz, Maria

2015-04-01

The Tagus river basin is located in a transitional region between humid and semi-arid climate. The lower part of the basin is a strategic source of water for Portugal, providing water for agricultural irrigation, hydropower generation, and domestic water supplies for over 4 million people. Climate change in this region is expected to lead to higher temperatures and lower rainfall, therefore increasing climatic aridity. In this transitional region, this could lead to an increased frequency of severe droughts, threatening climatic support for current agricultural and forestry practices, as well as the sustainability of domestic water supplies. This work evaluated the impacts of climate change on drought frequency and severity for the Portuguese part of the Tagus river basin. Climate change scenarios for 2010-2100 (A2 greenhouse emission scenarios) were statistically downscaled for the study area. They were evaluated with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) eco-hydrological model, which simulated vegetation water demand and drought stress, soil water availability, irrigation abstraction, streamflow, reservoir storage and groundwater recharge. Water inflows from Spain were estimated using an empirical climate-based model. Drought occurrence and severity was analyzed in terms of: * meteorological drought, based on (i) the Standardized Precipitation Index and (ii) the Aridity Index; * vegetation/agricultural drought, based on plant water stress; * hydrological drought, based on (i) streamflow rates and (ii) reservoir storage; * socio-economic drought, based on (i) the capacity of the main reservoir in the system (Castelo de Bode) to sustain hydropower and domestic supplies, and (ii) the rate of groundwater extraction vs. irrigation demands for the cultures located in the intensive cultivation regions of the Lezírias near the Tagus estuary. The results indicate a trend of increasing frequency and severity of most drought types during the XXIst century, with a

Contextualização dos impactos ambientais em áreas de extração de gemas do Povoado de Taquaral, Itinga (MG

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Ana Paula Rufino Santos

2016-12-01

Full Text Available O presente estudo teve como recorte espacial de análise as áreas de extração de gemas do Povoado de Taquaral, no município de Itinga, pertencente ao distrito mineralógico de Araçuaí, MG. Foram visitados oito garimpos elencados a seguir: Lagoa da Malva, Bode, Lajedo, Manguinha, De Zá, Faixa, Piauí e Jurema. Partindo de revisões bibliográficas cujo enquadramento temático se deu no universo dos riscos ambientais, este trabalho apresentou um debate entre dois contextos típicos e dilemáticos dessas áreas. O primeiro contexto (socioeconômico diz respeito à importância histórica da atividade garimpeira de gemas no Vale do Jequitinhonha como geradora de trabalho e renda para muitos indivíduos que habitam a região. O segundo contexto diz respeito à geração de um conjunto de degradações socioambientais que se intensificam com a continuidade da exploração nas áreas de lavra. Partindo desse pressuposto o objetivo se baseou no diagnóstico e na interpretação das relações socioambientais próprias dos ambientes de garimpo e na existência de riscos advindos da atividade no Povoado de Taquaral, Itinga – MG, com ênfase na degradação dos recursos naturais. Tratou-se se uma pesquisa de caráter qualitativo. A abordagem se desenvolveu mediante um estudo de caso obedecendo três etapas sequenciais: a exploratória, a fase de coleta de dados e a de estudos de campo balizada em métodos Ad Hoc. O trabalho constatou a existência de diversas tipologias de riscos, além da condição de vulnerabilidade ecossistêmica local pela exploração mineral sem qualquer tipo de medida de compensação.

Climate Analogues for agricultural impact projection and adaptation – a reliability test

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Swen P.M. Bos

2015-10-01

both analyses, it appeared that differences between baseline and analogue sites were mostly explained by non-climatic factors. This does not bode well for using the analogue approach

A review of accounting research in internationalising journals in the South African region

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Charl J. de Villiers

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background: This study analyses the accounting research articles published by South African journals. Aim and setting: A review of accounting research in internationalising journals in the South African region that publish accounting research. Methods: The characteristics of accounting articles were analysed. Five journals were analysed, including the four internationalising journals, Investment Analysts Journal, Meditari Accountancy Research, South African Journal of Business Management, and South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences and one local journal, South African Journal of Accounting Research (SAJAR. Results: The findings of this study will be of interest to journal editors, authors who would like their research to make an impact and be cited, as well as university research administrators and government higher education policy-makers. Conclusion: The analyses show that many of the highly cited articles have been published recently, boding well for the citation statistics of these journals in future and indicating some success in their efforts to internationalise. The citations of SAJAR lag behind the citations of the internationalising journals. Each journal publishes articles that cover different subject area(s. Within accounting research, accounting education and social and environmental accounting are popular areas of research, whereas taxation; the public sector; and management accounting are not well represented among published articles during 2015–2016 in these five journals. About half of all accounting articles claim their insights will contribute to the accounting literature, with much smaller percentages claiming to contribute to management, policy-making and practice. The most prolific authors and most prominent universities to some extent follow the most popular subject areas, with a social and environmental researcher, Warren Maroun, featuring strongly, and his university, the University of the

Temperature dependence of liquid lithium film formation and deuterium retention on hot W samples studied by LID-QMS. Implications for future fusion reactors

Science.gov (United States)

de Castro, A.; Sepetys, A.; González, M.; Tabarés, F. L.

2018-04-01

Liquid metal (LM) divertor concepts explore an alternative solution to the challenging power/particle exhaust issues in future magnetic fusion reactors. Among them, lithium (Li) is the most promising material. Its use has shown important advantages in terms of improved H-mode plasma confinement and heat handling capabilities. In such scenario, a possible combination of tungsten (W) on the first wall and liquid Li on the divertor could be an acceptable solution, but several issues related to material compatibility remain open. In particular, the co-deposition of Li and hydrogen isotopes on W components could increase the associated tritium retention and represent a safety risk, especially if these co-deposits can uncontrollably grow in remote/plasma shadowed zones of the first wall. In this work, the retention of Li and deuterium (D) on tungsten at different surface temperature (200 °C-400 °C) has been studied by exposing W samples to Li evaporation under several D2 gaseous environments. Deuterium retention in the W-Li films has been quantified by using laser induced desorption-mass spectrometry (LID-QMS). Additional techniques as thermal desorption spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, profilemetry and flame atomic emission spectroscopy were implemented to corroborate the retention results and for the qualitative and quantitative characterization of the films. The results showed a negligible (below LID sensibility) D uptake at T surface  =  225 °C, when the W-Li layer is exposed to simultaneous Li evaporation and D2 gas exposition (0.67 Pa). Pre-lithiated samples were also exposed to higher D2 pressures (133.3 Pa) at different temperatures (200 °C-400 °C). A non-linear drastic reduction in the D retention with increasing temperatures was found on the W-Li films, presenting a D/Li atomic ratio at 400 °C lower than 0.1 at.% on a thin film of  ≈100 nm thick. These results bode well (in terms of tritium inventory) for the potential