Early uptake and continuous accumulation of thallium-201 chloride in a benign mixed tumor of soft tissue: Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamada Kenichiro

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract A case of benign mixed tumor of the soft tissue in a 64-year-old Japanese male is presented. He noticed a painless, elastic hard mass sized 3 cm in the right knee, which gradually grew larger and harder in the last 5 years. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a mass lesion embedded in the subcutaneous tissue with low and high signal intensity at T1- and T2-weighted images, respectively. Tl-201 scintigraphy showed an early uptake of Tl-201 within the lesion at 10 minutes after injection, which was slightly decreased but still continued at 2 hours later. The patient underwent a resection of tumor, and the pathological diagnosis was a benign mixed tumor of soft tissue without high vascularity, characterized by histological features similar to pleomorphic adenomas in the salivary glands. Immunohistochemical study proved expression of Na+/K+-ATPase of tumor cells. Overexpression of Na+/K+-ATPase of the tumor might be responsible for the early uptake of Tl-201, and poor vascular structure in this tumor might lead to continuous accumulation. The Tl-201 scintigraphic features of mixed tumor of soft tissue are assessed to resemble those of malignant soft tissue tumors.

A survey on dielectric elastomer actuators for soft robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Guo-Ying; Zhu, Jian; Zhu, Li-Min; Zhu, Xiangyang

2017-01-23

Conventional industrial robots with the rigid actuation technology have made great progress for humans in the fields of automation assembly and manufacturing. With an increasing number of robots needing to interact with humans and unstructured environments, there is a need for soft robots capable of sustaining large deformation while inducing little pressure or damage when maneuvering through confined spaces. The emergence of soft robotics offers the prospect of applying soft actuators as artificial muscles in robots, replacing traditional rigid actuators. Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are recognized as one of the most promising soft actuation technologies due to the facts that: i) dielectric elastomers are kind of soft, motion-generating materials that resemble natural muscle of humans in terms of force, strain (displacement per unit length or area) and actuation pressure/density; ii) dielectric elastomers can produce large voltage-induced deformation. In this survey, we first introduce the so-called DEAs emphasizing the key points of working principle, key components and electromechanical modeling approaches. Then, different DEA-driven soft robots, including wearable/humanoid robots, walking/serpentine robots, flying robots and swimming robots, are reviewed. Lastly, we summarize the challenges and opportunities for the further studies in terms of mechanism design, dynamics modeling and autonomous control.

Progress and Opportunities in Soft Photonics and Biologically Inspired Optics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolle, Mathias; Lee, Seungwoo

2018-01-01

Optical components made fully or partially from reconfigurable, stimuli-responsive, soft solids or fluids-collectively referred to as soft photonics-are poised to form the platform for tunable optical devices with unprecedented functionality and performance characteristics. Currently, however, soft solid and fluid material systems still represent an underutilized class of materials in the optical engineers' toolbox. This is in part due to challenges in fabrication, integration, and structural control on the nano- and microscale associated with the application of soft components in optics. These challenges might be addressed with the help of a resourceful ally: nature. Organisms from many different phyla have evolved an impressive arsenal of light manipulation strategies that rely on the ability to generate and dynamically reconfigure hierarchically structured, complex optical material designs, often involving soft or fluid components. A comprehensive understanding of design concepts, structure formation principles, material integration, and control mechanisms employed in biological photonic systems will allow this study to challenge current paradigms in optical technology. This review provides an overview of recent developments in the fields of soft photonics and biologically inspired optics, emphasizes the ties between the two fields, and outlines future opportunities that result from advancements in soft and bioinspired photonics. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Bipolar soft connected, bipolar soft disconnected and bipolar soft compact spaces

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Muhammad Shabir

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Bipolar soft topological spaces are mathematical expressions to estimate interpretation of data frameworks. Bipolar soft theory considers the core features of data granules. Bipolarity is important to distinguish between positive information which is guaranteed to be possible and negative information which is forbidden or surely false. Connectedness and compactness are the most important fundamental topological properties. These properties highlight the main features of topological spaces and distinguish one topology from another. Taking this into account, we explore the bipolar soft connectedness, bipolar soft disconnectedness and bipolar soft compactness properties for bipolar soft topological spaces. Moreover, we introduce the notion of bipolar soft disjoint sets, bipolar soft separation, and bipolar soft hereditary property and study on bipolar soft connected and disconnected spaces. By giving the detailed picture of bipolar soft connected and disconnected spaces we investigate bipolar soft compact spaces and derive some results related to this concept.

Women’s Health Care Utilization among Harder-to-Reach HIV-Infected Women ever on Antiretroviral Therapy in British Columbia

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Xuetao Wang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background. HIV-infected women are disproportionately burdened by gynaecological complications, psychological disorders, and certain sexually transmitted infections that may not be adequately addressed by HIV-specific care. We estimate the prevalence and covariates of women’s health care (WHC utilization among harder-to-reach, treatment-experienced HIV-infected women in British Columbia (BC, Canada. Methods. We used survey data from 231 HIV-infected, treatment-experienced women enrolled in the Longitudinal Investigations into Supportive and Ancillary Health Services (LISA study, which recruited harder-to-reach populations, including aboriginal people and individuals using injection drugs. Independent covariates of interest included sociodemographic, psychosocial, behavioural, individual health status, structural factors, and HIV clinical variables. Logistic regression was used to generate adjusted estimates of associations between use of WHC and covariates of interest. Results. Overall, 77% of women reported regularly utilizing WHC. WHC utilization varied significantly by region of residence (P value <0.01. In addition, women with lower annual income (AOR (95% CI = 0.14 (0.04–0.54, who used illicit drugs (AOR (95% CI = 0.42 (0.19–0.92 and who had lower provider trust (AOR (95% CI = 0.97 (0.95–0.99, were significantly less likely to report using WHC. Conclusion. A health service gap exists along geographical and social axes for harder-to-reach HIV-infected women in BC. Women-centered WHC and HIV-specific care should be streamlined and integrated to better address women’s holistic health.

Working harder to obtain more snack foods when wanting to eat less.

Science.gov (United States)

Giesen, Janneke C A H; Havermans, Remco C; Nederkoorn, Chantal; Strafaci, Silvana; Jansen, Anita

2009-01-01

This study investigates individual differences in the reinforcing value of snack food. More specifically, it was investigated whether differences in restraint status are associated with differences in working for high-caloric snack food. Thirty-six unrestrained non-dieters, twenty restrained non-dieters and fifteen current dieters performed a concurrent schedules task in which they had the option to work for points for either snack food or fruit and vegetables. By progressively increasing the "price" of the snack foods (i.e., the amount of work required to obtain extra snack points) the relative reinforcing value of snack food was determined. As hypothesized, restrained non-dieters worked harder and current dieters worked less hard to obtain snack food as compared to unrestrained non-dieters.

Technological Health Intervention in Population Aging to Assist People to Work Smarter not Harder: Qualitative Study

OpenAIRE

Chen, Sonia Chien-I

2018-01-01

Background Technology-based health care has been promoted as an effective tool to enable clinicians to work smarter. However, some health stakeholders believe technology will compel users to work harder by creating extra work. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate how and why electronic health (eHealth) has been applied in Taiwan and to suggest implications that may inspire other countries facing similar challenges. Methods A qualitative methodology was adopted to obtain in...

Theoretical methods and models for mechanical properties of soft biomaterials

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Zhonggang Feng

2017-06-01

Full Text Available We review the most commonly used theoretical methods and models for the mechanical properties of soft biomaterials, which include phenomenological hyperelastic and viscoelastic models, structural biphasic and network models, and the structural alteration theory. We emphasize basic concepts and recent developments. In consideration of the current progress and needs of mechanobiology, we introduce methods and models for tackling micromechanical problems and their applications to cell biology. Finally, the challenges and perspectives in this field are discussed.

Primary hydatid cyst in the soft tissue of the face: An exceptional occurrence

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Cherry Bansal

2011-01-01

Full Text Available To emphasize that solitary hydatid cyst can be localized in the soft tissue and present as a soft tissue mass even in an unusual site like face, we report the case of a 42-year-old male patient presenting with a slowly growing mass in right temporal region. Computed tomography (CT scan showed an encapsulated mass with multiple cysts. Histopathological examination revealed the characteristic findings, which were consistent with soft-tissue hydatid disease. In the absence of visceral organ involvement, this is the first reported case of a primary subcutaneous hydatid cyst in the skin of face in India. In the English literature, only one case of this kind has been reported till date. When imaging methods confirm cystic nature of a swelling, even in unusual sites, one should always keep a possibility of hydatid cyst and manage accordingly during surgery to avoid precipitation of acute anaphylaxis.

Quantum paradox of choice: More freedom makes summoning a quantum state harder

Science.gov (United States)

Adlam, Emily; Kent, Adrian

2016-06-01

The properties of quantum information in space-time can be investigated by studying operational tasks, such as "summoning," in which an unknown quantum state is supplied at one point and a call is made at another for it to be returned at a third. Hayden and May [arXiv:1210.0913] recently proved necessary and sufficient conditions for guaranteeing successful return of a summoned state for finite sets of call and return points when there is a guarantee of at most one summons. We prove necessary and sufficient conditions when there may be several possible summonses and complying with any one constitutes success, and we demonstrate the existence of an apparent paradox: The extra freedom makes it strictly harder to complete the summoning task. This result has practical applications for distributed quantum computing and cryptography and implications for our understanding of relativistic quantum information and its localization in space-time.

Soft Ultrathin Electronics Innervated Adaptive Fully Soft Robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chengjun; Sim, Kyoseung; Chen, Jin; Kim, Hojin; Rao, Zhoulyu; Li, Yuhang; Chen, Weiqiu; Song, Jizhou; Verduzco, Rafael; Yu, Cunjiang

2018-03-01

Soft robots outperform the conventional hard robots on significantly enhanced safety, adaptability, and complex motions. The development of fully soft robots, especially fully from smart soft materials to mimic soft animals, is still nascent. In addition, to date, existing soft robots cannot adapt themselves to the surrounding environment, i.e., sensing and adaptive motion or response, like animals. Here, compliant ultrathin sensing and actuating electronics innervated fully soft robots that can sense the environment and perform soft bodied crawling adaptively, mimicking an inchworm, are reported. The soft robots are constructed with actuators of open-mesh shaped ultrathin deformable heaters, sensors of single-crystal Si optoelectronic photodetectors, and thermally responsive artificial muscle of carbon-black-doped liquid-crystal elastomer (LCE-CB) nanocomposite. The results demonstrate that adaptive crawling locomotion can be realized through the conjugation of sensing and actuation, where the sensors sense the environment and actuators respond correspondingly to control the locomotion autonomously through regulating the deformation of LCE-CB bimorphs and the locomotion of the robots. The strategy of innervating soft sensing and actuating electronics with artificial muscles paves the way for the development of smart autonomous soft robots. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Soft tissue injuries of the face: early aesthetic reconstruction in polytrauma patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Aveta, Achille; Casati, Paolo

2008-01-01

Facial injuries are often accompanied by soft tissue injuries. The complexity of these injuries is represented by the potential for loss of relationships between the functional and the aesthetic subunits of the head. Most reviews of craniofacial trauma have concentrated on fractures. With this article, we want to emphasize the importance of early aesthetic reconstruction of the face in polytrauma patients. We present 13 patients with soft tissue injuries of the face, treated in our emergency department in the 'day one surgery", without "second look"procedures. The final result always restored a sense of normalcy to the face. The face is the first most visible part of the human anatomy, so, in emergency, surgeons must pay special attention also to the reconstruction of the face, in polytrauma patients.

Soft Robotics Week

CERN Document Server

Rossiter, Jonathan; Iida, Fumiya; Cianchetti, Matteo; Margheri, Laura

2017-01-01

This book offers a comprehensive, timely snapshot of current research, technologies and applications of soft robotics. The different chapters, written by international experts across multiple fields of soft robotics, cover innovative systems and technologies for soft robot legged locomotion, soft robot manipulation, underwater soft robotics, biomimetic soft robotic platforms, plant-inspired soft robots, flying soft robots, soft robotics in surgery, as well as methods for their modeling and control. Based on the results of the second edition of the Soft Robotics Week, held on April 25 – 30, 2016, in Livorno, Italy, the book reports on the major research lines and novel technologies presented and discussed during the event.

The soft notion of China's 'soft power'

OpenAIRE

Breslin, Shaun

2011-01-01

· Although debates over Chinese soft power have increased in\\ud recent years, there is no shared definition of what ‘soft power’\\ud actually means. The definition seems to change depending on\\ud what the observer wants to argue.\\ud · External analyses of soft power often include a focus on\\ud economic relations and other material (hard) sources of power\\ud and influence.\\ud · Many Chinese analyses of soft power focus on the promotion of a\\ud preferred (positive) understanding of China’s inter...

Why it is harder to run RoboCup in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Ferrein

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Robots are widely used as a vehicle to spark interest in science and technology in learners. A number of initiatives focus on this issue, for instance, the Roberta Initiative, the FIRST Lego League, the World Robot Olympiad and RoboCup Junior. Robotic competitions are valuable not only for school learners but also for university students, as the RoboCup initiative shows. Besides technical skills, the students get some project exposure and experience what it means to finish their tasks on time. But qualifying students for future high-tech areas should not only be for students from developed countries. In this article, we present our experiences with research and education in robotics within the RoboCup initiative, in Germany and South Africa; we report on our experiences with trying to get the RoboCup initiative in South Africa going. RoboCup has a huge support base of academic institutions in Germany; this is not the case in South Africa. We present our ‘north–south’ collaboration initiatives in RoboCup between Germany and South Africa and discuss some of the reasons why we think it is harder to run RoboCup in South Africa.

An Empirical Study of Critical Soft Factors for Quality Improvement in The Electrical and Electronics Firms in Malaysia

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Muhammad Madi Abdullah

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Soft factors are important aspect that sustains the organizations in their efforts towards continuous quality improvement (QI and customer satisfaction. The conventional wisdom states that quality improvement in organizations increases profits and productivity. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to examine the influence of critical soft factors (CSF on quality improvement (QI. For that purpose, this study examine: (i the relationship between the CSF and QI and (ii to what extent the six CSF explain QI. The study used survey data from 255 electrical and electronics (E&E firms in Malaysia. The individual managers representing the each firm made the unit of analysis of the study. The finding reveals that QI was significantly influenced by the following soft factors: management commitment, customer focus, employee involvement, training & education, and reward & recognition. Supplier relationship was not a significant predictor of quality improvement. Finally, this study has empirically shown that quality improvement will increase when the organizations emphasize more on soft factors.Keywords: Critical soft factors, quality improvement, Electrical and Electronics firms

Soft ideal topological space and mixed fuzzy soft ideal topological space

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Manash Borah

2019-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper we introduce fuzzy soft ideal and mixed fuzzy soft ideal topological spaces and some properties of this space. Also we introduce fuzzy soft $I$-open set, fuzzy soft $\\alpha$-$I$-open set, fuzzy soft pre-$I$-open set, fuzzy soft semi-$I$-open set and fuzzy soft $\\beta$-$I$-open set and discuss some of their properties.

Pattern recognition algorithms for data mining scalability, knowledge discovery and soft granular computing

CERN Document Server

Pal, Sankar K

2004-01-01

Pattern Recognition Algorithms for Data Mining addresses different pattern recognition (PR) tasks in a unified framework with both theoretical and experimental results. Tasks covered include data condensation, feature selection, case generation, clustering/classification, and rule generation and evaluation. This volume presents various theories, methodologies, and algorithms, using both classical approaches and hybrid paradigms. The authors emphasize large datasets with overlapping, intractable, or nonlinear boundary classes, and datasets that demonstrate granular computing in soft frameworks.Organized into eight chapters, the book begins with an introduction to PR, data mining, and knowledge discovery concepts. The authors analyze the tasks of multi-scale data condensation and dimensionality reduction, then explore the problem of learning with support vector machine (SVM). They conclude by highlighting the significance of granular computing for different mining tasks in a soft paradigm.

SoftAR: visually manipulating haptic softness perception in spatial augmented reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Punpongsanon, Parinya; Iwai, Daisuke; Sato, Kosuke

2015-11-01

We present SoftAR, a novel spatial augmented reality (AR) technique based on a pseudo-haptics mechanism that visually manipulates the sense of softness perceived by a user pushing a soft physical object. Considering the limitations of projection-based approaches that change only the surface appearance of a physical object, we propose two projection visual effects, i.e., surface deformation effect (SDE) and body appearance effect (BAE), on the basis of the observations of humans pushing physical objects. The SDE visualizes a two-dimensional deformation of the object surface with a controlled softness parameter, and BAE changes the color of the pushing hand. Through psychophysical experiments, we confirm that the SDE can manipulate softness perception such that the participant perceives significantly greater softness than the actual softness. Furthermore, fBAE, in which BAE is applied only for the finger area, significantly enhances manipulation of the perception of softness. We create a computational model that estimates perceived softness when SDE+fBAE is applied. We construct a prototype SoftAR system in which two application frameworks are implemented. The softness adjustment allows a user to adjust the softness parameter of a physical object, and the softness transfer allows the user to replace the softness with that of another object.

Soft Neutrosophic Bi-LA-semigroup and Soft Neutrosophic N-LA-seigroup

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Mumtaz Ali

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Soft set theory is a general mathematical tool for dealing with uncertain, fuzzy, not clearly defined objects. In this paper we introduced soft neutrosophic biLA-semigroup,soft neutosophic sub bi-LA-semigroup, soft neutrosophic N -LA-semigroup with the discuission of some of their characteristics. We also introduced a new type of soft neutrophic bi-LAsemigroup, the so called soft strong neutrosophic bi-LAsemigoup which is of pure neutrosophic character. This is also extend to soft neutrosophic strong N-LA-semigroup. We also given some of their properties of this newly born soft structure related to the strong part of neutrosophic theory.

Soft, embodied, situated & connected: enriching interactions with soft wearbles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tomico Plasencia, O.; Wilde, D.

2016-01-01

Soft wearables include clothing and textile-based accessories that incorporate smart textiles and soft electronic interfaces to enable responsive and interactive experiences. When designed well, soft wearables leverage the cultural, sociological and material qualities of textiles, fashion and dress;

Soft electronics for soft robotics

Science.gov (United States)

Kramer, Rebecca K.

2015-05-01

As advanced as modern machines are, the building blocks have changed little since the industrial revolution, leading to rigid, bulky, and complex devices. Future machines will include electromechanical systems that are soft and elastically deformable, lending them to applications such as soft robotics, wearable/implantable devices, sensory skins, and energy storage and transport systems. One key step toward the realization of soft systems is the development of stretchable electronics that remain functional even when subject to high strains. Liquid-metal traces embedded in elastic polymers present a unique opportunity to retain the function of rigid metal conductors while leveraging the deformable properties of liquid-elastomer composites. However, in order to achieve the potential benefits of liquid-metal, scalable processing and manufacturing methods must be identified.

Soft leptogenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Ambrosio, Giancarlo; Giudice, Gian F.; Raidal, Martti

2003-01-01

We study 'soft leptogenesis', a new mechanism of leptogenesis which does not require flavour mixing among the right-handed neutrinos. Supersymmetry soft-breaking terms give a small mass splitting between the CP-even and CP-odd right-handed sneutrino states of a single generation and provide a CP-violating phase sufficient to generate a lepton asymmetry. The mechanism is successful if the lepton-violating soft bilinear coupling is unconventionally (but not unnaturally) small. The values of the right-handed neutrino masses predicted by soft leptogenesis can be low enough to evade the cosmological gravitino problem

Aspects of soft and spontaneous CP violation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frampton, P.H.; Harada, M.

1999-01-01

We study four different models for CP violation: the standard Kobayashi-Maskawa (KM) model, the aspon model of spontaneous breaking, and two models of soft breaking. In all except the standard model, the strong CP problem is addressed and solved. Testable predictions for the area of the unitarity triangle and for (ε ' /ε) K are emphasized. The issue of CP violation may well become the first place where the standard model of particle theory is shown definitively to be deficient. There are two reasons for expecting this to happen: (1) the strong CP problem is still not understood in the unadorned standard model and (2) the KM mechanism, although unquestionably present, may not provide the full explanation of ε K and (ε ' /ε) K . copyright 1999 The American Physical Society

Soft Robotics.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitesides, George M

2018-04-09

This description of "soft robotics" is not intended to be a conventional review, in the sense of a comprehensive technical summary of a developing field. Rather, its objective is to describe soft robotics as a new field-one that offers opportunities to chemists and materials scientists who like to make "things" and to work with macroscopic objects that move and exert force. It will give one (personal) view of what soft actuators and robots are, and how this class of soft devices fits into the more highly developed field of conventional "hard" robotics. It will also suggest how and why soft robotics is more than simply a minor technical "tweak" on hard robotics and propose a unique role for chemistry, and materials science, in this field. Soft robotics is, at its core, intellectually and technologically different from hard robotics, both because it has different objectives and uses and because it relies on the properties of materials to assume many of the roles played by sensors, actuators, and controllers in hard robotics. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

SUPRA SOFT SEPARATION AXIOMS AND SUPRA IRRESOLUTENESS BASED ON SUPRA B-SOFT SETS

OpenAIRE

Abd El-latif, Alaa Mohamed; Hosny, Rodyna Ahmed

2016-01-01

This paper introduces supra soft b-separation axioms based on the supra b-open soft sets which are more general than supra open soft sets. We investigate the relationships between these supra soft separation axioms. Furthermore, with the help of examples it is established that the converse does not hold. We show that, a supra soft topological space (X; t;E) is supra soft b-T1-space, if xE is supra b-closed soft set in for each x 2 X. Also, we prove that xE is supra b-closed soft set for each ...

Soft lubrication

Science.gov (United States)

Skotheim, Jan; Mahadevan, Laksminarayanan

2004-11-01

We study the lubrication of fluid-immersed soft interfaces and show that elastic deformation couples tangential and normal forces and thus generates lift. We consider materials that deform easily, due to either geometry (e.g a shell) or constitutive properties (e.g. a gel or a rubber), so that the effects of pressure and temperature on the fluid properties may be neglected. Four different system geometries are considered: a rigid cylinder moving tangentially to a soft layer coating a rigid substrate; a soft cylinder moving tangentially to a rigid substrate; a cylindrical shell moving tangentially to a rigid substrate; and finally a journal bearing coated with a thin soft layer, which being a conforming contact allows us to gauge the influence of contact geometry. In addition, for the particular case of a soft layer coating a rigid substrate we consider both elastic and poroelastic material responses. Finally, we consider the role of contact geometry in the context of the journal bearing, a conforming contact. For all these cases we find the same generic behavior: there is an optimal combination of geometric and material parameters that maximizes the dimensionless normal force as a function of the softness.

Soft Congruence Relations over Rings

Science.gov (United States)

Xin, Xiaolong; Li, Wenting

2014-01-01

Molodtsov introduced the concept of soft sets, which can be seen as a new mathematical tool for dealing with uncertainty. In this paper, we initiate the study of soft congruence relations by using the soft set theory. The notions of soft quotient rings, generalized soft ideals and generalized soft quotient rings, are introduced, and several related properties are investigated. Also, we obtain a one-to-one correspondence between soft congruence relations and idealistic soft rings and a one-to-one correspondence between soft congruence relations and soft ideals. In particular, the first, second, and third soft isomorphism theorems are established, respectively. PMID:24949493

Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Science.gov (United States)

... muscles, tendons, fat, and blood vessels. Soft tissue sarcoma is a cancer of these soft tissues. There ... have certain genetic diseases. Doctors diagnose soft tissue sarcomas with a biopsy. Treatments include surgery to remove ...

Design of a Soft Robot with Multiple Motion Patterns Using Soft Pneumatic Actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Miao, Yu; Dong, Wei; Du, Zhijiang

2017-11-01

Soft robots are made of soft materials and have good flexibility and infinite degrees of freedom in theory. These properties enable soft robots to work in narrow space and adapt to external environment. In this paper, a 2-DOF soft pneumatic actuator is introduced, with two chambers symmetrically distributed on both sides and a jamming cylinder along the axis. Fibers are used to constrain the expansion of the soft actuator. Experiments are carried out to test the performance of the soft actuator, including bending and elongation characteristics. A soft robot is designed and fabricated by connecting four soft pneumatic actuators to a 3D-printed board. The soft robotic system is then established. The pneumatic circuit is built by pumps and solenoid valves. The control system is based on the control board Arduino Mega 2560. Relay modules are used to control valves and pressure sensors are used to measure pressure in the pneumatic circuit. Experiments are conducted to test the performance of the proposed soft robot.

Report on the workshop on new directions in soft x-ray near-threshold phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindle, D.W.; Perera, R.C.C.

1988-07-01

The ''Workshop on New Directions in Soft X-Ray Near-Threshold Phenomena'' was held at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, CA on March 1--4, 1987. It was attended by 59 scientists from 8 countries, representing 27 institutions. Major funding for the meeting was donated by L-Division of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, who hosted and organized two previous workshops on photoabsorption and scattering in the soft x-ray energy range. Additional funding was provided by the User's Group of the Advanced Light Source. The Workshop, as its name suggests, emphasized physical phenomena in atoms, molecules, and solids near inner-shell thresholds. Of particular interest were threshold ionization, post-collisional interaction, resonant photoemission and fluorescence, and multi-electron effects such as shake-up and shake-off. In these areas and others, special consideration was given to presenting recent discoveries and potential ''new directions'' for future work

The changing emphases in health physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denham, D.H.; Kathren, R.L.

1987-11-01

This paper explores the changing emphases in health physics as evidenced by the subject matter of published papers in four primary English language journals of interest to health physicists. Articles from each journal were first grouped by subject and date of publication and were then compiled according to the list of professional domains practiced by health physicists. Five domains of practice were examined, measurements including dosimetry and environmental monitoring; regulations and standards; facilities and equipment including shielding, ventilation, and instrumentation; operations and procedures; and education and training. 2 tabs

Why don't you try harder? An investigation of effort production in major depression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie-Laure Cléry-Melin

Full Text Available Depression is mainly characterized as an emotional disorder, associated with reduced approach behavior. It remains unclear whether the difficulty in energising behavior relates to abnormal emotional states or to a flattened response to potential rewards, as suggested by several neuroimaging studies. Here, we aimed to demonstrate a specific incentive motivation deficit in major depression, independent of patients' emotional state. We employed a behavioral paradigm designed to measure physical effort in response to both emotional modulation and incentive motivation. Patients did exert more effort following emotionally arousing pictures (whether positive or negative but not for higher monetary incentives, contrary to healthy controls. These results show that emotional and motivational sources of effort production are dissociable in pathological conditions. In addition, patients' ratings of perceived effort increased for high incentives, whereas controls' ratings were decreased. Thus, depressed patients objectively behave as if they do not want to gain larger rewards, but subjectively feel that they try harder. We suggest that incentive motivation impairment is a core deficit of major depression, which may render everyday tasks abnormally effortful for patients.

Fully Soft 3D-Printed Electroactive Fluidic Valve for Soft Hydraulic Robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Zatopa, Alex; Walker, Steph; Menguc, Yigit

2018-06-01

Soft robots are designed to utilize their compliance and contortionistic abilities to both interact safely with their environment and move through it in ways a rigid robot cannot. To more completely achieve this, the robot should be made of as many soft components as possible. Here we present a completely soft hydraulic control valve consisting of a 3D-printed photopolymer body with electrorheological (ER) fluid as a working fluid and gallium-indium-tin liquid metal alloy as electrodes. This soft 3D-printed ER valve weighs less than 10 g and allows for onboard actuation control, furthering the goal of an entirely soft controllable robot. The soft ER valve pressure-holding capabilities were tested under unstrained conditions, cyclic valve activation, and the strained conditions of bending, twisting, stretching, and indentation. It was found that the max holding pressure of the valve when 5 kV was applied across the electrodes was 264 kPa, and that the holding pressure deviated less than 15% from the unstrained max holding pressure under all strain conditions except for indentation, which had a 60% max pressure increase. In addition, a soft octopus-like robot was designed, 3D printed, and assembled, and a soft ER valve was used to stop the fluid flow, build pressure in the robot, and actuate six tentacle-like soft bending actuators.

Soft matter physics

CERN Document Server

Doi, Masao

2013-01-01

Soft matter (polymers, colloids, surfactants and liquid crystals) are an important class of materials in modern technology. They also form the basis of many future technologies, for example in medical and environmental applications. Soft matter shows complex behaviour between fluids and solids, and used to be a synonym of complex materials. Due to the developments of the past two decades, soft condensed matter can now be discussed on the same sound physical basis as solid condensedmatter. The purpose of this book is to provide an overview of soft matter for undergraduate and graduate students

Advertising energy saving programs: The potential environmental cost of emphasizing monetary savings.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Daniel; Bruine de Bruin, Wändi; Fischhoff, Baruch; Lave, Lester

2015-06-01

Many consumers have monetary or environmental motivations for saving energy. Indeed, saving energy produces both monetary benefits, by reducing energy bills, and environmental benefits, by reducing carbon footprints. We examined how consumers' willingness and reasons to enroll in energy-savings programs are affected by whether advertisements emphasize monetary benefits, environmental benefits, or both. From a normative perspective, having 2 noteworthy kinds of benefit should not decrease a program's attractiveness. In contrast, psychological research suggests that adding external incentives to an intrinsically motivating task may backfire. To date, however, it remains unclear whether this is the case when both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations are inherent to the task, as with energy savings, and whether removing explicit mention of extrinsic motivation will reduce its importance. We found that emphasizing a program's monetary benefits reduced participants' willingness to enroll. In addition, participants' explanations about enrollment revealed less attention to environmental concerns when programs emphasized monetary savings, even when environmental savings were also emphasized. We found equal attention to monetary motivations in all conditions, revealing an asymmetric attention to monetary and environmental motives. These results also provide practical guidance regarding the positioning of energy-saving programs: emphasize intrinsic benefits; the extrinsic ones may speak for themselves. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Soft buckling actuators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Dian; Whitesides, George M.

2017-12-26

A soft actuator is described, including: a rotation center having a center of mass; a plurality of bucklable, elastic structural components each comprising a wall defining an axis along its longest dimension, the wall connected to the rotation center in a way that the axis is offset from the center of mass in a predetermined direction; and a plurality of cells each disposed between two adjacent bucklable, elastic structural components and configured for connection with a fluid inflation or deflation source; wherein upon the deflation of the cell, the bucklable, elastic structural components are configured to buckle in the predetermined direction. A soft actuating device including a plurality of the soft actuators and methods of actuation using the soft actuator or soft actuating device disclosed herein are also described.

Live theater on a virtual stage: incorporating soft skills and teamwork in computer graphics education.

Science.gov (United States)

Schweppe, M; Geigel, J

2011-01-01

Industry has increasingly emphasized the need for "soft" or interpersonal skills development and team-building experience in the college curriculum. Here, we discuss our experiences with providing such opportunities via a collaborative project called the Virtual Theater. In this joint project between the Rochester Institute of Technology's School of Design and Department of Computer Science, the goal is to enable live performance in a virtual space with participants in different physical locales. Students work in teams, collaborating with other students in and out of their disciplines.

Extreme Mechanics in Soft Pneumatic Robots and Soft Microfluidic Electronics and Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Majidi, Carmel

2012-02-01

In the near future, machines and robots will be completely soft, stretchable, impact resistance, and capable of adapting their shape and functionality to changes in mission and environment. Similar to biological tissue and soft-body organisms, these next-generation technologies will contain no rigid parts and instead be composed entirely of soft elastomers, gels, fluids, and other non-rigid matter. Using a combination of rapid prototyping tools, microfabrication methods, and emerging techniques in so-called ``soft lithography,'' scientists and engineers are currently introducing exciting new families of soft pneumatic robots, soft microfluidic sensors, and hyperelastic electronics that can be stretched to as much as 10x their natural length. Progress has been guided by an interdisciplinary collection of insights from chemistry, life sciences, robotics, microelectronics, and solid mechanics. In virtually every technology and application domain, mechanics and elasticity have a central role in governing functionality and design. Moreover, in contrast to conventional machines and electronics, soft pneumatic systems and microfluidics typically operate in the finite deformation regime, with materials stretching to several times their natural length. In this talk, I will review emerging paradigms in soft pneumatic robotics and soft microfluidic electronics and highlight modeling and design challenges that arise from the extreme mechanics of inflation, locomotion, sensor operation, and human interaction. I will also discuss perceived challenges and opportunities in a broad range of potential application, from medicine to wearable computing.

Concentration of labelled polyphosphates in soft tissue lesions. Application to the study of cerebral and myocardial infarction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guillemart, Alain.

1975-01-01

The biological behavior and tissue localization of phosphorus compounds used in Nuclear Medicine are reviewed. The mechanism of skeletal localization is emphasized. Labeled pyrophosphate compounds have proved extremely useful for skeletal imaging, however the mechanism of increased accumulation of these agents has been observed also in soft tissues. They localize in the acutely infarcted myocardium and in brain lesions. Clinical results obtained with sup(99m)Tc stannous pyrophosphate in brain and myocardium imaging are reported [fr

Real-time soft x-ray imaging on composite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polichar, R.

1985-01-01

The increased use of composite materials in aircraft structures has emphasized many of the unique and difficult aspects of the inspection of such components. Ultrasound has been extensively applied to certain configurations since it is relatively sensitive to laminar discontinuities in structure. Conversely, the use of conventional x-ray examination has been severely hampered by the fact that these composite materials are virtually transparent to the x-ray energies commonly encountered in industrial radiography (25 kv and above). To produce images with contrast approaching conventional radiography, one must use x-ray beams with average energies below 10 KEV where the absorption coefficients begin to rise rapidly for these low atomic number materials. This new regime of soft x-rays presents a major challenge to real-time imaging components. Special screen and window technology is required if these lower energy x-rays are to be effectively detected. Moreover, conventional x-ray tubes become very inefficient for generating the required x-ray flux at potentials much below 29 kv and the increased operating currents put significant limitations on conventional power sources. The purpose of this paper is to explore these special problems related to soft x-ray real-time imaging and to define the optimal technologies. Practical results obtained with the latest commerical and developmental instruments for real-time imaging will be shown. These instruments include recently developed imaging systems, new x-ray tubes and various approaches to generator design. The measured results convincingly demonstrate the effectiveness practicality of real-time soft x-ray imaging. They also indicate the major changes in technology and approach that must be taken for practical systems to be truly effective

Case report 488: Post-traumatic myositis ossificans mimicking a soft tissue neoplasm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ackerman, L.; Ramamurthy, S.; Jablokow, V.; Van Drunen, M.; Kaplan, E.

1988-01-01

A case of post-traumatic myosotis ossificans (MO) in a young man with only a vague history of preceding physical trauma to the area of the lesion was presented. Imaging modalities, including plain film radiography, CT, contrast angiography and bone scintigraphy, could not exclude a malignancy with a reliable degree of certainty. The biopsy specimen was consistent with MO but could easily be misinterpreted as a sarcomatous lesion. A diagnosis of MO was only established by a scrupulous analysis of all clinical, radiological, scintigraphic and microscopic findings and unnecessary extensive surgery for a malignancy was avoided. The correlative radiological and pathological features in distinguishing post-traumatic myositis ossificans from such lesions as soft tissue osteosarcoma or parosteal osteosarcoma were described and the meaning of the term zoning phenomenon was elucidated. It was emphasized that utilizing the zonal phenomenon (both pathologically and radiologically) ensures a correct diagnosis most of the time. However, it must be emphasized that this zoning phenomenon is not established in the early stages of post-traumatic myositis ossificans. (oerig./MG)

A-Soft Separation Axioms in Soft Topological Space

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luay Abd –Al-Hani Al-Sweedi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The important science tools in a different kinds and  specialties , that considered the basic mainstay of ( the set theory and because of  huge development in all life fields. This causes great problems , that need solution and parallel tools for those developments , so the scientis become responsible to work on the development of number theory and open new horizons , that a new science had appeared  which is  ( soft figures theory which is considered the important tool to solve most difficult problems or overcome them ,in these sciences and their specific life specialization, economy, medicine , geometry and others. Also the theory of soft numbers had entered in general topology in power full and active way. The last years a new science has appeared is (soft topological space.              The main idea of this research is to define the separation axioms in  (soft topological space  and practically in certain point , and to study the most important  properties and results of it .

It may be harder than we thought, but political diversity will (still) improve social psychological science.

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford, Jarret T; Duarte, José L; Haidt, Jonathan; Jussim, Lee; Stern, Charlotta; Tetlock, Philip E

2015-01-01

In our target article, we made four claims: (1) Social psychology is now politically homogeneous; (2) this homogeneity sometimes harms the science; (3) increasing political diversity would reduce this damage; and (4) some portion of the homogeneity is due to a hostile climate and outright discrimination against non-liberals. In this response, we review these claims in light of the arguments made by a diverse group of commentators. We were surprised to find near-universal agreement with our first two claims, and we note that few challenged our fourth claim. Most of the disagreements came in response to our claim that increasing political diversity would be beneficial. We agree with our critics that increasing political diversity may be harder than we had thought, but we explain why we still believe that it is possible and desirable to do so. We conclude with a revised list of 12 recommendations for improving political diversity in social psychology, as well as in other areas of the academy.

Mappings on Neutrosophic Soft Classes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shawkat Alkhazaleh

2014-03-01

Full Text Available In 1995 Smarandache introduced the concept of neutrosophic set which is a mathematical tool for handling problems involving imprecise, indeterminacy and inconsistent data. In 2013 Maji introduced the concept of neutrosophic soft set theory as a general mathematical tool for dealing with uncertainty. In this paper we define the notion of a mapping on classes where the neutrosophic soft classes are collections of neutrosophic soft set. We also define and study the properties of neutrosophic soft images and neutrosophic soft inverse images of neutrosophic soft sets.

SoftLab: A Soft-Computing Software for Experimental Research with Commercialization Aspects

Science.gov (United States)

Akbarzadeh-T, M.-R.; Shaikh, T. S.; Ren, J.; Hubbell, Rob; Kumbla, K. K.; Jamshidi, M

1998-01-01

SoftLab is a software environment for research and development in intelligent modeling/control using soft-computing paradigms such as fuzzy logic, neural networks, genetic algorithms, and genetic programs. SoftLab addresses the inadequacies of the existing soft-computing software by supporting comprehensive multidisciplinary functionalities from management tools to engineering systems. Furthermore, the built-in features help the user process/analyze information more efficiently by a friendly yet powerful interface, and will allow the user to specify user-specific processing modules, hence adding to the standard configuration of the software environment.

Modeling the cosmic-ray-induced soft-error rate in integrated circuits: An overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srinivasan, G.R.

1996-01-01

This paper is an overview of the concepts and methodologies used to predict soft-error rates (SER) due to cosmic and high-energy particle radiation in integrated circuit chips. The paper emphasizes the need for the SER simulation using the actual chip circuit model which includes device, process, and technology parameters as opposed to using either the discrete device simulation or generic circuit simulation that is commonly employed in SER modeling. Concepts such as funneling, event-by-event simulation, nuclear history files, critical charge, and charge sharing are examined. Also discussed are the relative importance of elastic and inelastic nuclear collisions, rare event statistics, and device vs. circuit simulations. The semi-empirical methodologies used in the aerospace community to arrive at SERs [also referred to as single-event upset (SEU) rates] in integrated circuit chips are reviewed. This paper is one of four in this special issue relating to SER modeling. Together, they provide a comprehensive account of this modeling effort, which has resulted in a unique modeling tool called the Soft-Error Monte Carlo Model, or SEMM

Soft Neutrosophic Loops and Their Generalization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mumtaz Ali

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Soft set theory is a general mathematical tool for dealing with uncertain, fuzzy, not clearly defined objects. In this paper we introduced soft neutrosophic loop,soft neutosophic biloop, soft neutrosophic N -loop with the discuission of some of their characteristics. We also introduced a new type of soft neutrophic loop, the so called soft strong neutrosophic loop which is of pure neutrosophic character. This notion also found in all the other corresponding notions of soft neutrosophic thoery. We also given some of their properties of this newly born soft structure related to the strong part of neutrosophic theory.

Fundamentals of soft robot locomotion.

Science.gov (United States)

Calisti, M; Picardi, G; Laschi, C

2017-05-01

Soft robotics and its related technologies enable robot abilities in several robotics domains including, but not exclusively related to, manipulation, manufacturing, human-robot interaction and locomotion. Although field applications have emerged for soft manipulation and human-robot interaction, mobile soft robots appear to remain in the research stage, involving the somehow conflictual goals of having a deformable body and exerting forces on the environment to achieve locomotion. This paper aims to provide a reference guide for researchers approaching mobile soft robotics, to describe the underlying principles of soft robot locomotion with its pros and cons, and to envisage applications and further developments for mobile soft robotics. © 2017 The Author(s).

Microbial quality of soft drinks served by the dispensing machines in fast food restaurants and convenience stores in Griffin, Georgia, and surrounding areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Yoen Ju; Chen, Jinru

2009-12-01

This study was undertaken to evaluate the microbial quality of the soft drinks served by fast food restaurants and gas station convenience stores in Griffin, GA, and surrounding areas. The soft drinks were collected from the dispensing machines in 8 fast food restaurants or gas station convenience stores in 2005 (n = 25) and in 10 fast food restaurants or gas station convenience stores in 2006 (n = 43) and 2007 (n = 43). One hundred milliliters of each soft drink was filtered through a hydrophobic grid membrane filter. The remaining portion of the soft drink was kept at room temperature for 4 h before sampling in order to mimic the possible holding time between purchase and consumption. The membrane filters were sampled for total aerobic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria, and yeasts and molds. The microbial counts in the 2006 samples were numerically higher than the counts in the 2007 samples except for the average lactic acid bacteria counts, and were either significantly or numerically higher than the counts in the 2005 samples. Soft drinks sampled after the 4-h holding period had relatively higher counts than those sampled initially, with a few exceptions. Some soft drinks had over 4 log CFU/100 ml of total aerobic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria, and yeast and mold cells. The study revealed the microbial quality of soft drinks served by dispensing machines in Griffin, GA, and surrounding areas, emphasizing the importance of effective sanitizing practice in retail settings.

Soft-Material Robotics

OpenAIRE

Wang, L; Nurzaman, SG; Iida, Fumiya

2017-01-01

There has been a boost of research activities in robotics using soft materials in the past ten years. It is expected that the use and control of soft materials can help realize robotic systems that are safer, cheaper, and more adaptable than the level that the conventional rigid-material robots can achieve. Contrary to a number of existing review and position papers on soft-material robotics, which mostly present case studies and/or discuss trends and challenges, the review focuses on the fun...

Teaching Soft Skills Employers Need

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Maureen; Kisling, Eric; Hackworth, Robbie G.

2014-01-01

This study identifies the soft skills community colleges teach in an office technology course and determines whether the skills taught are congruent with the soft skills employers require in today's entry-level office work. A qualitative content analysis of a community college office technology soft skills course was performed using 23 soft skills…

Spin waves in the soft layer of exchange-coupled soft/hard bilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiong, Zheng-min; Ge, Su-qin; Wang, Xi-guang; Li, Zhi-xiong; Xia, Qing-lin; Wang, Dao-wei; Nie, Yao-zhuang; Guo, Guang-hua, E-mail: guogh@mail.csu.edu.cn [School of Physics and Electronics, Central South University, Changsha 410083 (China); Tang, Wei [School of Physics and Electronics, Central South University, Changsha 410083 (China); Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215123 (China); Zeng, Zhong-ming [Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215123 (China)

2016-05-15

The magnetic dynamical properties of the soft layer in exchange-coupled soft/hard bilayers have been investigated numerically using a one-dimensional atomic chain model. The frequencies and spatial profiles of spin wave eigenmodes are calculated during the magnetization reversal process of the soft layer. The spin wave modes exhibit a spatially modulated amplitude, which is especially evident for high-order modes. A dynamic pinning effect of surface magnetic moment is observed. The spin wave eigenfrequency decreases linearly with the increase of the magnetic field in the uniformly magnetized state and increases nonlinearly with field when spiral magnetization configuration is formed in the soft layer.

Spin waves in the soft layer of exchange-coupled soft/hard bilayers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng-min Xiong

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The magnetic dynamical properties of the soft layer in exchange-coupled soft/hard bilayers have been investigated numerically using a one-dimensional atomic chain model. The frequencies and spatial profiles of spin wave eigenmodes are calculated during the magnetization reversal process of the soft layer. The spin wave modes exhibit a spatially modulated amplitude, which is especially evident for high-order modes. A dynamic pinning effect of surface magnetic moment is observed. The spin wave eigenfrequency decreases linearly with the increase of the magnetic field in the uniformly magnetized state and increases nonlinearly with field when spiral magnetization configuration is formed in the soft layer.

Nasal Soft-Tissue Triangle Deformities.

Science.gov (United States)

Foda, Hossam M T

2016-08-01

The soft-tissue triangle is one of the least areas attended to in rhinoplasty. Any postoperative retraction, notching, or asymmetries of soft triangles can seriously affect the rhinoplasty outcome. A good understanding of the risk factors predisposing to soft triangle deformities is necessary to prevent such problems. The commonest risk factors in our study were the wide vertical domal angle between the lateral and intermediate crura, and the increased length of intermediate crus. Two types of soft triangle grafts were described to prevent and treat soft triangle deformities. The used soft triangle grafts resulted in an excellent long-term aesthetic and functional improvement. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

STATISTICS OF FLARING LOOPS OBSERVED BY NOBEYAMA RADIOHELIOGRAPH. II. SPECTRAL EVOLUTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Guangli; Nakajima, Hiroshi

2009-01-01

The spectral evolution of solar microwave bursts is studied in 10 impulsive events with loop-like structures, which are selected in the flare list of Nobeyama Radioheliograph. Most events have a brighter and harder looptop (LT) with maximum time later than at least one of its two footpoints (FPs), and have a common feature of the spectral evolution in the LT and the two FPs. There are five simple impulsive bursts with a well known pattern of soft-hard-soft or soft-hard-harder (SHH). It is first found that the other five events have multiple subpeaks in their impulsive phase, and mostly have a new feature of hard-soft-hard (HSH) in each subpeak, but, the well known tendency of SHH is still maintained in the total spectral evolution of these events. All of these features in the spectral evolution of the 10 selected events are consistent with the full Sun observations of Nobeyama Radio Polarimeters in these events. The new feature of HSH may be explained by the thermal free-free emission before, during, and after these bursts, together with multiple injections of nonthermal electrons, while the SHH pattern in the total duration may be directly caused by the trapping effect.

Holiday fun with soft gluons

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2017-01-01

Emissions of soft gluons from energetic particles play an important role in collider processes. While the basic physics of soft emissions is simple, it gives rise to a variety of interesting and intricate phenomena (non-global logs, Glauber phases, super-leading logs, factorization breaking). After an introduction, I will review progress in resummation methods such as Soft-Collinear Effective Theory driven by a better understanding of soft emissions. I will also show some new results for computations of soft-gluon effects in gap-between-jets and isolation-cone cross sections.

Fixing soft margins

NARCIS (Netherlands)

P. Kofman (Paul); A. Vaal, de (Albert); C.G. de Vries (Casper)

1993-01-01

textabstractNon-parametric tolerance limits are employed to calculate soft margins such as advocated in Williamson's target zone proposal. In particular, the tradeoff between softness and zone width is quantified. This may be helpful in choosing appropriate margins. Furthermore, it offers

Advances in Soft Matter Mechanics

CERN Document Server

Li, Shaofan

2012-01-01

"Advances in Soft Matter Mechanics" is a compilation and selection of recent works in soft matter mechanics by a group of active researchers in the field. The main objectives of this book are first to disseminate the latest developments in soft matter mechanics in the field of applied and computational mechanics, and second to introduce soft matter mechanics as a sub-discipline of soft matter physics. As an important branch of soft matter physics, soft matter mechanics has developed rapidly in recent years. A number of the novel approaches discussed in this book are unique, such as the coarse grained finite element method for modeling colloidal adhesion, entropic elasticity, meshfree simulations of liquid crystal elastomers, simulations of DNA, etc. The book is intended for researchers and graduate students in the field of mechanics, condensed matter physics and biomaterials. Dr. Shaofan Li is a professor of the University of California-Berkeley, U.S.A; Dr. Bohua Sun is a professor of Cape Peninsula Universit...

Clinical management of soft tissue sarcomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinedo, H.M.; Verweij, J.

1986-01-01

This book is concerned with the clinical management of soft tissue sarcomas. Topics covered include: Radiotherapy; Pathology of soft tissue sarcomas; Surgical treatment of soft tissue sarcomas; and Chemotherapy in advanced soft tissue sarcomas

Soft optics in intelligent optical networks

Science.gov (United States)

Shue, Chikong; Cao, Yang

2001-10-01

In addition to the recent advances in Hard-optics that pushes the optical transmission speed, distance, wave density and optical switching capacity, Soft-optics provides the necessary intelligence and control software that reduces operational costs, increase efficiency, and enhances revenue generating services by automating optimal optical circuit placement and restoration, and enabling value-added new services like Optical VPN. This paper describes the advances in 1) Overall Hard-optics and Soft-optics 2) Layered hierarchy of Soft-optics 3) Component of Soft-optics, including hard-optics drivers, Management Soft-optics, Routing Soft-optics and System Soft-optics 4) Key component of Routing and System Soft-optics, namely optical routing and signaling (including UNI/NNI and GMPLS signaling). In summary, the soft-optics on a new generation of OXC's enables Intelligent Optical Networks to provide just-in-time service delivery and fast restoration, and real-time capacity management that eliminates stranded bandwidth. It reduces operational costs and provides new revenue opportunities.

CHARACTERIZATIONS OF FUZZY SOFT PRE SEPARATION AXIOMS

OpenAIRE

El-Latif, Alaa Mohamed Abd

2015-01-01

− The notions of fuzzy pre open soft sets and fuzzy pre closed soft sets were introducedby Abd El-latif et al. [2]. In this paper, we continue the study on fuzzy soft topological spaces andinvestigate the properties of fuzzy pre open soft sets, fuzzy pre closed soft sets and study variousproperties and notions related to these structures. In particular, we study the relationship betweenfuzzy pre soft interior fuzzy pre soft closure. Moreover, we study the properties of fuzzy soft pre regulars...

Soft Hair on Black Holes

Science.gov (United States)

Hawking, Stephen W.; Perry, Malcolm J.; Strominger, Andrew

2016-06-01

It has recently been shown that Bondi-van der Burg-Metzner-Sachs supertranslation symmetries imply an infinite number of conservation laws for all gravitational theories in asymptotically Minkowskian spacetimes. These laws require black holes to carry a large amount of soft (i.e., zero-energy) supertranslation hair. The presence of a Maxwell field similarly implies soft electric hair. This Letter gives an explicit description of soft hair in terms of soft gravitons or photons on the black hole horizon, and shows that complete information about their quantum state is stored on a holographic plate at the future boundary of the horizon. Charge conservation is used to give an infinite number of exact relations between the evaporation products of black holes which have different soft hair but are otherwise identical. It is further argued that soft hair which is spatially localized to much less than a Planck length cannot be excited in a physically realizable process, giving an effective number of soft degrees of freedom proportional to the horizon area in Planck units.

Soft Hair on Black Holes.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawking, Stephen W; Perry, Malcolm J; Strominger, Andrew

2016-06-10

It has recently been shown that Bondi-van der Burg-Metzner-Sachs supertranslation symmetries imply an infinite number of conservation laws for all gravitational theories in asymptotically Minkowskian spacetimes. These laws require black holes to carry a large amount of soft (i.e., zero-energy) supertranslation hair. The presence of a Maxwell field similarly implies soft electric hair. This Letter gives an explicit description of soft hair in terms of soft gravitons or photons on the black hole horizon, and shows that complete information about their quantum state is stored on a holographic plate at the future boundary of the horizon. Charge conservation is used to give an infinite number of exact relations between the evaporation products of black holes which have different soft hair but are otherwise identical. It is further argued that soft hair which is spatially localized to much less than a Planck length cannot be excited in a physically realizable process, giving an effective number of soft degrees of freedom proportional to the horizon area in Planck units.

Soft skills and dental education.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez, M A G; Abu Kasim, N H; Naimie, Z

2013-05-01

Soft skills and hard skills are essential in the practice of dentistry. While hard skills deal with technical proficiency, soft skills relate to a personal values and interpersonal skills that determine a person's ability to fit in a particular situation. These skills contribute to the success of organisations that deal face-to-face with clients. Effective soft skills benefit the dental practice. However, the teaching of soft skills remains a challenge to dental schools. This paper discusses the different soft skills, how they are taught and assessed and the issues that need to be addressed in their teaching and assessment. The use of the module by the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya for development of soft skills for institutions of higher learning introduced by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Soft Matter Characterization

CERN Document Server

Borsali, Redouane

2008-01-01

Progress in basic soft matter research is driven largely by the experimental techniques available. Much of the work is concerned with understanding them at the microscopic level, especially at the nanometer length scales that give soft matter studies a wide overlap with nanotechnology. This 2 volume reference work, split into 4 parts, presents detailed discussions of many of the major techniques commonly used as well as some of those in current development for studying and manipulating soft matter. The articles are intended to be accessible to the interdisciplinary audience (at the graduate student level and above) that is or will be engaged in soft matter studies or those in other disciplines who wish to view some of the research methods in this fascinating field. Part 1 contains articles with a largely (but, in most cases, not exclusively) theoretical content and/or that cover material relevant to more than one of the techniques covered in subsequent volumes. It includes an introductory chapter on some of t...

Soft Manipulators and Grippers: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josie Hughes

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Soft robotics is a growing area of research which utilises the compliance and adaptability of soft structures to develop highly adaptive robotics for soft interactions. One area in which soft robotics has the ability to make significant impact is in the development of soft grippers and manipulators. With an increased requirement for automation, robotics systems are required to perform task in unstructured and not well defined environments; conditions which conventional rigid robotics are not best suited. This requires a paradigm shift in the methods and materials used to develop robots such that they can adapt to and work safely in human environments. One solution to this is soft robotics, which enables soft interactions with the surroundings whilst maintaining the ability to apply significant force. This review paper assess the current materials and methods, actuation methods and sensors which are used in the development of soft manipulators. The achievements and shortcomings of recent technology in these key areas are evaluated, and this paper concludes with a discussion on the potential impacts of soft manipulators on industry and society.

Critical issues in soft rocks

OpenAIRE

Milton Assis Kanji

2014-01-01

This paper discusses several efforts made to study and investigate soft rocks, as well as their physico-mechanical characteristics recognized up to now, the problems in their sampling and testing, and the possibility of its reproduction through artificially made soft rocks. The problems in utilizing current and widespread classification systems to some types of weak rocks are also discussed, as well as other problems related to them. Some examples of engineering works in soft rock or in soft ...

Soft skills and dental education

OpenAIRE

Gonzalez, M. A. G.; Abu Kasim, N. H.; Naimie, Z.

2014-01-01

Soft skills and hard skills are essential in the practice of dentistry. While hard skills deal with technical proficiency, soft skills relate to a personal values and interpersonal skills that determine a person's ability to fit in a particular situation. These skills contribute to the success of organisations that deal face-to-face with clients. Effective soft skills benefit the dental practice. However, the teaching of soft skills remains a challenge to dental schools. This paper discusses ...

MANAGEMENT SOFT-FACTORS IN INDUSTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. V. Fatkin

2012-01-01

Full Text Available No proper attention is given in existing management theories and concepts to systematization and analysis of non-material management factors, so-called «soft-factors». In industries, management soft-factors may be treated in a broader way. An example of a broader treatment of management soft-factors is given for the system of state regulation of foreign trade activities in industries along with specification, determination and rating of organizational and administrative management soft-factors.

Brazilian pharmaceutical diplomacy: social democratic principles versus soft power interests.

Science.gov (United States)

Flynn, Matthew

2013-01-01

Current debates concerning the rise of health diplomacy are polarized between competing international relations theories of realism, based on power politics, and constructivist approaches, which emphasize the norms, values, and identities shaping foreign policies. A case study of Brazil's health diplomacy over the past 10 years, focusing on issues related to pharmaceuticals, seeks to provide data to assess these theories. The country's intellectual property disputes, multilateral lobbying efforts, and foreign assistance programs are contrasted with those of the United States, Mexico, and other countries. Instead of viewing Brazilian efforts as a form of soft power, the evidence suggests that the origins of Brazil's involvement and continued efforts in this arena stem more from values based on human rights and social democratic principles. A close examination of domestic political considerations leads to a more nuanced understanding of the drivers behind a country's health diplomacy.

Soft Clouding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søndergaard, Morten; Markussen, Thomas; Wetton, Barnabas

2012-01-01

Soft Clouding is a blended concept, which describes the aim of a collaborative and transdisciplinary project. The concept is a metaphor implying a blend of cognitive, embodied interaction and semantic web. Furthermore, it is a metaphor describing our attempt of curating a new semantics of sound...... archiving. The Soft Clouding Project is part of LARM - a major infrastructure combining research in and access to sound and radio archives in Denmark. In 2012 the LARM infrastructure will consist of more than 1 million hours of radio, combined with metadata who describes the content. The idea is to analyse...... the concept of ‘infrastructure’ and ‘interface’ on a creative play with the fundamentals of LARM (and any sound archive situation combining many kinds and layers of data and sources). This paper will present and discuss the Soft clouding project from the perspective of the three practices and competencies...

Soft theorems from conformal field theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lipstein, Arthur E.

2015-01-01

Strominger and collaborators recently proposed that soft theorems for gauge and gravity amplitudes can be interpreted as Ward identities of a 2d CFT at null infinity. In this paper, we will consider a specific realization of this CFT known as ambitwistor string theory, which describes 4d Yang-Mills and gravity with any amount of supersymmetry. Using 4d ambtwistor string theory, we derive soft theorems in the form of an infinite series in the soft momentum which are valid to subleading order in gauge theory and sub-subleading order in gravity. Furthermore, we describe how the algebra of soft limits can be encoded in the braiding of soft vertex operators on the worldsheet and point out a simple relation between soft gluon and soft graviton vertex operators which suggests an interesting connection to color-kinematics duality. Finally, by considering ambitwistor string theory on a genus one worldsheet, we compute the 1-loop correction to the subleading soft graviton theorem due to infrared divergences.

The softness of an atom in a molecule and a functional group softness definition; an LCAO scale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giambiagi, M.; Giambiagi, M.S. de; Pires, J.M.; Pitanga, P.

1987-01-01

We introduce a scale for the softness of an atom in different molecules and we similarly define a functional group softness. These definitions, unlike previous ones, are not tied to the finite difference approximation neither, hence, to valence state ionization potentials and electron affinities; they result from the LCAO calculation itself. We conclude that a) the softness of an atom in a molecule shows wide variations; b) the geometric average of the softnesses of the atoms in the molecule gives the most consistent results for the molecular softnesses; c) the functional group softness is transferable within a homologous series. (Author) [pt

Int-Soft Interior Hyperideals of Ordered Semihypergroups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asghar Khan

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The main theme of this paper is to study ordered semihypergroups in the context of int-soft interior hyperideals. In this paper, the notion of int-soft interior hyperideals are studied and their related properties are discussed. We present characterizations of interior hyperideals in terms of int-soft interior hyperideals. The concepts of int-soft hyperideals and int-soft interior hyperideals coincide in a regular as well as in intra-regular ordered semihypergroups. We prove that every int-soft hyperideal is an int-soft interior hyperideal but the converse is not true which is shown with help of an example. Furthermore we characterize simple ordered semihypergroups by means of int-soft hyperideals and int-soft interior hyperideals.

Preparing soft-bodied arthropods for microscope examination: Soft Scales (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coccidae)

Science.gov (United States)

Proper identification of soft scales (Hemiptera:Coccidae) requires preparation of the specimen on a microscope slide. This training video provides visual instruction on how to prepare soft scale specimens on microscope slides for examination and identification. Steps ranging from collection, speci...

From Hard to Soft Governance in Multi-Level Education Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkoszewski, Harald; Sundby, Eli

2016-01-01

Decision-making in educations systems has become more complex: while decentralisation has moved the locus of power to lower governance levels, the central level still is held responsible for the quality of outcomes. As a consequence, new steering strategies have emerged that tend to apply softer modes of governance as opposed to harder ones in the…

Evaluating Six Soft Approaches

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Lene Tolstrup; Valqui Vidal, René Victor

2008-01-01

's interactive planning principles to be supported by soft approaches in carrying out the principles in action. These six soft approaches are suitable forsupporting various steps of the strategy development and planning process. These are the SWOT analysis, the Future Workshop, the Scenario methodology......, Strategic Option Development and Analysis, Strategic Choice Approach and Soft Systems Methodology. Evaluations of each methodology are carried out using a conceptual framework in which the organisation, the result, the process and the technology of the specific approach are taken into consideration. Using...

Evaluating six soft approaches

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Lene Tolstrup; Vidal, Rene Victor Valqui

2008-01-01

's interactive planning principles to be supported by soft approaches in carrying out the principles in action. These six soft approaches are suitable forsupporting various steps of the strategy development and planning process. These are the SWOT analysis, the Future Workshop, the Scenario methodology......, Strategic Option Development and Analysis, Strategic Choice Approach and Soft Systems Methodology. Evaluations of each methodology are carried out using a conceptual framework in which the organisation, the result, the process and the technology of the specific approach are taken into consideration. Using...

Applications of Soft Sets in -Algebras

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. O. Alshehri

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In 1999, Molodtsov introduced the concept of soft set theory as a general mathematical tool for dealing with uncertainty and vagueness. In this paper, we apply the concept of soft sets to K-algebras and investigate some properties of Abelian soft K-algebras. We also introduce the concept of soft intersection K-algebras and investigate some of their properties.

Transient soft X-ray sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayakawa, S.; Murakami, T.; Nagase, F.; Tanaka, Y.; Yamashita, K.

1976-01-01

A rocket observation of cosmic soft X-rays suggests the existence of transient, recurrent soft X-ray sources which are found variable during the flight time of the rocket. Some of the soft X-ray sources thus far reported are considered to be of this time. These sources are listed and their positions are shown. (Auth.)

On Neutrosophic Soft Topological Space

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tuhin Bera

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the concept of connectedness and compactness on neutrosophic soft topological space have been introduced along with the investigation of their several characteristics. Some related theorems have been established also. Then, the notion of neutrosophic soft continuous mapping on a neutrosophic soft topological space and it’s properties are developed here.

Evaluating six soft approaches

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Lene; Vidal, Rene Victor Valqui

2006-01-01

’s interactive planning principles to be supported by soft approaches in carrying out the principles in action. These six soft approaches are suitable for supporting various steps of the strategy development and planning process. These are the SWOT analysis, the Future Workshop, the Scenario methodology......, Strategic Option Development and Analysis, Strategic Choice Approach and Soft Systems Methodology. Evaluations of each methodology are carried out using a conceptual framework in which the organisation, the result, the process and the technology of the specific approach are taken into consideration. Using...

Soft, Embodied, Situated & Connected

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tomico, Oscar; Wilde, Danielle

2015-01-01

Soft wearables include clothing and textile-based accessories that incorporate smart textiles and soft electronic interfaces to enable responsive and interactive experiences. When designed well, they leverage the cultural, sociological and material qualities of textiles, fashion and dress; divers...

Soft, embodied, situated & connected

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tomico Plasencia, O.; Wilde, D.

2015-01-01

Soft wearables include clothing and textile-based accessories that incorporate smart textiles and soft electronic interfaces to enable responsive and interactive experiences. When designed well, they leverage the cultural, sociological and material qualities of textiles, fashion and dress; diverse

Soft tissue modelling with conical springs.

Science.gov (United States)

Omar, Nadzeri; Zhong, Yongmin; Jazar, Reza N; Subic, Aleksandar; Smith, Julian; Shirinzadeh, Bijan

2015-01-01

This paper presents a new method for real-time modelling soft tissue deformation. It improves the traditional mass-spring model with conical springs to deal with nonlinear mechanical behaviours of soft tissues. A conical spring model is developed to predict soft tissue deformation with reference to deformation patterns. The model parameters are formulated according to tissue deformation patterns and the nonlinear behaviours of soft tissues are modelled with the stiffness variation of conical spring. Experimental results show that the proposed method can describe different tissue deformation patterns using one single equation and also exhibit the typical mechanical behaviours of soft tissues.

Mapping on complex neutrosophic soft expert sets

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Quran, Ashraf; Hassan, Nasruddin

2018-04-01

We introduce the mapping on complex neutrosophic soft expert sets. Further, we investigated the basic operations and other related properties of complex neutrosophic soft expert image and complex neutrosophic soft expert inverse image of complex neutrosophic soft expert sets.

Soft-tissue tension total knee arthroplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Asano, Hiroshi; Hoshino, Akiho; Wilton, Tim J

2004-08-01

It is far from clear how best to define the proper strength of soft-tissue tensioning in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We attached a torque driver to the Monogram balancer/tensor device and measured soft-tissue tension in full extension and 90 degrees flexion during TKA. In our surgical procedure, when we felt proper soft-tissue tension was being applied, the mean distraction force was noted to be 126N in extension and 121N in flexion. There was no significant correlation between soft-tissue tension and the postoperative flexion angle finally achieved. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the actual distraction forces in relation to soft-tissue tension in TKA. Further study may reveal the most appropriate forces to achieve proper soft-tissue tension in the wide variety of circumstances presenting at knee arthroplasty.

Planar Elongation Measurements on Soft Elastomers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Mette Krog; Skov, Anne Ladegaard; Rasmussen, Henrik K.

2009-01-01

A new fixture to the filament stretch rheometer (FSR) has been developed to measure planar elongation of soft polymeric networks. To validate this new technique, soft polymeric networks of poly(propyleneoxide) (PPO) were investigated during deformation.......A new fixture to the filament stretch rheometer (FSR) has been developed to measure planar elongation of soft polymeric networks. To validate this new technique, soft polymeric networks of poly(propyleneoxide) (PPO) were investigated during deformation....

Success of Chemotherapy in Soft Matter

OpenAIRE

Trifonova, I.; Kurteva, G.; Stefanov, S. Z.

2014-01-01

The success of chemotharapy in soft matter as a survival is found in the paper. Therefore, it is found the analogous tumor stretching force in soft matter; ultrasonography is performed for this tumor; restoration in soft matter with such a tumor is found; Bayes estimate of the probability of chemotherapy success is derived from the transferred chemical energy and from soft matter entropy; survival probability is juxtaposed to this probability of success.

Soft Tissue Sarcoma—Health Professional Version

Science.gov (United States)

Soft tissue sarcomas are malignant tumors that arise in any of the mesodermal tissues of the extremities, trunk and retroperitoneum, or head and neck. Soft tissue sarcomas may be heterogeneous. Find evidence-based information on soft tissue sarcoma treatment and research.

Mastering the soft skills in the implementation of work based learning among community college students

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Azita Binti; Islamiah Rosli, Doria; Sujadi, Imam; Usodo, Budi; Adie Perdana, Fengky

2017-01-01

Emphasizing the aspects of soft skills among students is an important element to produce graduates who are competitive when facing any situations in the workplace. Various efforts have been taken by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MOHE) to improve the education system in Malaysia. Learning methods were introduced to ensure the education systems achieve the educational goals and to produce individuals who are well-balanced with spiritually, emotionally and physically. However, the issue of unemployment among graduates often being spoken in the community and it was regarded as a failure of educational institutions to produce quality graduates. Thus, the method of Work-Based Learning (WBL) was seen as a way to improve the soft skills among the graduates. The study was conducted using quantitative research survey as the design of the study used a questionnaire that was adapted as an instrument. Data were analysed using Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0. The respondents were consisted of 97 students who attended WBL programs at the community college. Data were obtained from questionnaires using descriptive statistics for the calculation of the mean and one-way ANOVA test. The findings of the level of soft skills among community colleges were high where the communication skills obtained (mean = 4.1218), critical and problem solving skills (mean = 4.0946), teamwork skills (mean = 4.2297), learning and information management (mean = 4.1219), entrepreneurial skills (mean = 4.0240), professional ethics and moral (mean = 3.9410) and leadership skills (mean = 4.2104). The findings also showed the differences in term of communication skills among the community colleges. This study was significant to the community colleges to identify the level of soft skills among students who performed WBL methods in order to reduce the number of unemployment.

Radiosensitivity of soft tissue sarcomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirano, Toru; Iwasaki, Katsuro; Suzuki, Ryohei; Monzen, Yoshio; Hombo, Zenichiro

1989-01-01

The correlation between the effectiveness of radiation therapy and the histology of soft tissue sarcomas was investigated. Of 31 cases with a soft tissue sarcoma of an extremity treated by conservative surgery and postoperative radiation of 3,000-6,000 cGy, local recurrence occurred in 12; 5 out of 7 synovial sarcomas, 4 of 9 MFH, one of 8 liposarcomas, none of 4 rhabdomyosarcomas and 2 of 3 others. As for the histological subtyping, the 31 soft tissue sarcomas were divided into spindle cell, pleomorphic cell, myxoid and round cell type, and recurrence rates were 75%, 33.3%, 16.7% and 0%, respectively. From the remarkable difference in recurrent rate, it was suggested that round cell and myxoid type of soft tissue sarcomas showed a high radiosensitivity compared to the spindle cell type with low sensitivity. Clarifying the degree of radiosensitivity is helpful in deciding on the management of limb salvage in soft tissue sarcomas of an extremity. (author)

Architecture design for soft errors

CERN Document Server

Mukherjee, Shubu

2008-01-01

This book provides a comprehensive description of the architetural techniques to tackle the soft error problem. It covers the new methodologies for quantitative analysis of soft errors as well as novel, cost-effective architectural techniques to mitigate them. To provide readers with a better grasp of the broader problem deffinition and solution space, this book also delves into the physics of soft errors and reviews current circuit and software mitigation techniques.

Soft behavior of a closed massless state in superstring and universality in the soft behavior of the dilaton

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vecchia, Paolo Di [The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen,Blegdamsvej 17, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø (Denmark); Nordita, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University, Roslagstullsbacken 23, SE-10691 Stockholm (Sweden); Marotta, Raffaele [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Napoli,Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo ed. 6, via Cintia, 80126, Napoli (Italy); Mojaza, Matin [Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Albert-Einstein-Institut, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam (Germany)

2016-12-06

We consider the tree-level scattering amplitudes in the NS-NS (Neveu-Schwarz) massless sector of closed superstrings in the case where one external state becomes soft. We compute the amplitudes generically for any number of dimensions and any number and kind of the massless closed states through the subsubleading order in the soft expansion. We show that, when the soft state is a graviton or a dilaton, the full result can be expressed as a soft theorem factorizing the amplitude in a soft and a hard part. This behavior is similar to what has previously been observed in field theory and in the bosonic string. Differently from the bosonic string, the supersymmetric soft theorem for the graviton has no string corrections at subsubleading order. The dilaton soft theorem, on the other hand, is found to be universally free of string corrections in any string theory.

Soft behavior of a closed massless state in superstring and universality of the soft behavior of the dilaton

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

di Vecchia, Paolo; Marotta, Raffaele; Mojaza, Matin

2016-01-01

We consider the tree-level scattering amplitudes in the NS-NS (Neveu-Schwarz) massless sector of closed superstrings in the case where one external state becomes soft. We compute the amplitudes generically for any number of dimensions and any number and kind of the massless closed states through...... the subsubleading order in the soft expansion. We show that, when the soft state is a graviton or a dilaton, the full result can be expressed as a soft theorem factorizing the amplitude in a soft and a hard part. This behavior is similar to what has previously been observed in field theory and in the bosonic string....... Differently from the bosonic string, the supersymmetric soft theorem for the graviton has no string corrections at subsubleading order. The dilaton soft theorem, on the other hand, is found to be universally free of string corrections in any string theory....

Joint Force Quarterly. Issue 76, 1st Quarter 2015

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

should be a humanist approach that emphasizes the importance of meeting the student’s full range of needs: emotional, spiritual, physical, and...always be calibrated against the Soviet Union’s existential threat. In contrast, the 21st century’s strategic context is much harder to define and

On single and double soft behaviors in NLSM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Yi-Jian; Luo, Hui

2015-01-01

In this paper, we study the single and double soft behaviors of tree level off-shell currents and on-shell amplitudes in nonlinear sigma model (NLSM). We first propose and prove the leading soft behavior of the tree level currents with a single soft particle. In the on-shell limit, this single soft emission becomes the Adler’s zero. Then we establish the leading and subleading soft behaviors of tree level currents with two adjacent soft particles. With a careful analysis of the on-shell limit, we obtain the double soft behaviors of on-shell amplitudes where the two soft particles are adjacent to each other. By applying Kleiss-Kuijf (KK) relation, we further obtain the leading and subleading behaviors of amplitudes with two nonadjacent soft particles.

Leading multi-soft limits from scattering equations

Science.gov (United States)

Zlotnikov, Michael

2017-10-01

A Cachazo-He-Yuan (CHY) type formula is derived for the leading gluon, bi-adjoint scalar ϕ 3, Yang-Mills-scalar and non-linear sigma model m-soft factors S m in arbitrary dimension. The general formula is used to evaluate explicit examples for up to three soft legs analytically and up to four soft legs numerically via comparison with amplitude ratios under soft kinematics. A structural pattern for gluon m-soft factor is inferred and a simpler formula for its calculation is conjectured. In four dimensions, a Cachazo-Svrček-Witten (CSW) recursive procedure producing the leading m-soft gluon factor in spinor helicity formalism is developed as an alternative, and Britto-Cachazo-Feng-Witten (BCFW) recursion is used to obtain the leading four-soft gluon factor for all analytically distinct helicity configurations.

Soft Space Planning in Cities unbound

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Kristian

This paper analyses contemporary experiments of building governance capacity in new soft spaces in Denmark through processes of spatial strategy-making. The paper argues that new soft spaces are emerging in Danish spatial planning, which set out to promote more effective forms of strategic spatial...... planning, and how their obsession with promoting economic development at the expense of wider planning responsibilities support contemporary neoliberal transformations of strategic spatial planning....... planning. The Danish case of soft space planning demonstrates how Danish soft spaces at subnational scales fail to fill in the gaps between formal planning structures and provide the glue that binds formal scales of planning together as promised in the soft space literature. This raises a number...

Small scale soft x-ray lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skinner, C.H.; DiCicco, D.S.; Kim, D.; Voorhees, D.; Suckewer, S.

1990-01-01

The widespread application of soft x-ray laser technology is contingent on the development of small scale soft x-ray lasers that do not require large laser facilities. Progress in the development of soft x-ray lasers pumped by a Nd laser of energy 6-12J is reported below. Application of an existing soft x-ray laser to x-ray microscopy has begun. A soft x-ray laser of output energy 1-3 mJ at 18,2 nm has been used to record high resolution images of biological specimens. The contact images were recorded on photoresist which was later viewed in a scanning electron microscope. The authors present a composite optical x-ray laser microscope design

Soft Decision Analyzer

Science.gov (United States)

Lansdowne, Chatwin; Steele, Glen; Zucha, Joan; Schlesinger, Adam

2013-01-01

We describe the benefit of using closed-loop measurements for a radio receiver paired with a counterpart transmitter. We show that real-time analysis of the soft decision output of a receiver can provide rich and relevant insight far beyond the traditional hard-decision bit error rate (BER) test statistic. We describe a Soft Decision Analyzer (SDA) implementation for closed-loop measurements on single- or dual- (orthogonal) channel serial data communication links. The analyzer has been used to identify, quantify, and prioritize contributors to implementation loss in live-time during the development of software defined radios. This test technique gains importance as modern receivers are providing soft decision symbol synchronization as radio links are challenged to push more data and more protocol overhead through noisier channels, and software-defined radios (SDRs) use error-correction codes that approach Shannon's theoretical limit of performance.

Soft pneumatic grippers embedded with stretchable electroadhesion

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, J.; Elgeneidy, K.; Xiang, C.; Lohse, N.; Justham, L.; Rossiter, J.

2018-05-01

Current soft pneumatic grippers cannot robustly grasp flat materials and flexible objects on curved surfaces without distorting them. Current electroadhesive grippers, on the other hand, are difficult to actively deform to complex shapes to pick up free-form surfaces or objects. An easy-to-implement PneuEA gripper is proposed by the integration of an electroadhesive gripper and a two-fingered soft pneumatic gripper. The electroadhesive gripper was fabricated by segmenting a soft conductive silicon sheet into a two-part electrode design and embedding it in a soft dielectric elastomer. The two-fingered soft pneumatic gripper was manufactured using a standard soft lithography approach. This novel integration has combined the benefits of both the electroadhesive and soft pneumatic grippers. As a result, the proposed PneuEA gripper was not only able to pick-and-place flat and flexible materials such as a porous cloth but also delicate objects such as a light bulb. By combining two soft touch sensors with the electroadhesive, an intelligent and shape-adaptive PneuEA material handling system has been developed. This work is expected to widen the applications of both soft gripper and electroadhesion technologies.

Soft timing closure for soft programmable logic cores: The ARGen approach

OpenAIRE

Bollengier , Théotime; Lagadec , Loïc; Najem , Mohamad; Le Lann , Jean-Christophe; Guilloux , Pierre

2017-01-01

International audience; Reconfigurable cores support post-release updates which shortens time-to-market while extending circuits’ lifespan. Reconfigurable cores can be provided as hard cores (ASIC) or soft cores (RTL). Soft reconfigurable cores outperform hard reconfigurable cores by preserving the ASIC synthesis flow, at the cost of lowering scalability but also exacerbating timing closure issues. This article tackles these two issues and introduces the ARGen generator that produces scalable...

Neutrosophic Parameterized Soft Relations and Their Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irfan Deli

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to introduce the concept of relation on neutrosophic parameterized soft set (NP- soft sets theory. We have studied some related properties and also put forward some propositions on neutrosophic parameterized soft relation with proofs and examples. Finally the notions of symmetric, transitive, reflexive, and equivalence neutrosophic parameterized soft set relations have been established in our work. Finally a decision making method on NP-soft sets is presented.

learning and soft skills

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Lauge Baungaard

2000-01-01

Learning of soft skills are becoming more and more necessary due to the complexe development of modern companies and their environments. However, there seems to be a 'gap' between intentions and reality regarding need of soft skills and the possiblities to be educated in this subject in particular...

Soft Mobility and Urban Transformation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosa Anna La Rocca

2010-04-01

Full Text Available This paper examines some European cases referred to promotion of soft mobility as a new lifestyle aimed to improve benefits on environment and urban liveability. Soft mobility includes any non-motorized transport (human powered mobility. According to this, soft mobility refers to pedestrian, bicycle, roller skate and skateboard transfers. It could be indented as “zeroimpact” mobility too. As a matter of fact, the words to define this way of moving have not been codified yet, therefore mobilitè douce, soft mobility, slow traffic are synonymous in referring mainly to pedestrians and cyclists to indicate alternative to car use. Soft mobility, indeed, can be defined as a special form of sustainable mobility able to optimize urban liveability, by keeping the individual right to move. At present, cities are engaged in defining policies, procedures and interventions to further “slow traffic”, both to relieve the traffic congestion, and to work for regeneration and environmental improvements. This asks for an in-depth cooperation between different political and administrative levels to achieve common objectives of development more attentive to environmental concerns. Despite this increasing attention, the idea of a “network” for soft mobility has not been yet achieved and the supply of integrated facilities and services as an alternative to the car use seems to be still difficult of accomplishment. High disparity characterizes European countries in promoting soft mobility: despite a prolific production of laws and roles referred to emergency of adopting alternative ways of moving to minimize negatives impacts (especially air and noise pollution as very threat to health due to car dependence for urban short distance too. And yet, soft mobility could represent a real occasion of urban and territorial regeneration aimed to rehabilitate some disused paths and routes (greenways. Some successful European cases show how it is possible to

Fundamentals of soft robot locomotion

OpenAIRE

Calisti, M.; Picardi, G.; Laschi, C.

2017-01-01

Soft robotics and its related technologies enable robot abilities in several robotics domains including, but not exclusively related to, manipulation, manufacturing, human���robot interaction and locomotion. Although field applications have emerged for soft manipulation and human���robot interaction, mobile soft robots appear to remain in the research stage, involving the somehow conflictual goals of having a deformable body and exerting forces on the environment to achieve locomotion. This p...

Imaging of musculoskeletal soft tissue infections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turecki, Marcin B.; Taljanovic, Mihra S.; Holden, Dean A.; Hunter, Tim B.; Rogers, Lee F. [University of Arizona HSC, Department of Radiology, Tucson, AZ (United States); Stubbs, Alana Y. [Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, Department of Radiology, Tucson, AZ (United States); Graham, Anna R. [University of Arizona HSC, Department of Pathology, Tucson, AZ (United States)

2010-10-15

Prompt and appropriate imaging work-up of the various musculoskeletal soft tissue infections aids early diagnosis and treatment and decreases the risk of complications resulting from misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. The signs and symptoms of musculoskeletal soft tissue infections can be nonspecific, making it clinically difficult to distinguish between disease processes and the extent of disease. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the imaging modality of choice in the evaluation of soft tissue infections. Computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, radiography and nuclear medicine studies are considered ancillary. This manuscript illustrates representative images of superficial and deep soft tissue infections such as infectious cellulitis, superficial and deep fasciitis, including the necrotizing fasciitis, pyomyositis/soft tissue abscess, septic bursitis and tenosynovitis on different imaging modalities, with emphasis on MRI. Typical histopathologic findings of soft tissue infections are also presented. The imaging approach described in the manuscript is based on relevant literature and authors' personal experience and everyday practice. (orig.)

Imaging of musculoskeletal soft tissue infections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turecki, Marcin B.; Taljanovic, Mihra S.; Holden, Dean A.; Hunter, Tim B.; Rogers, Lee F.; Stubbs, Alana Y.; Graham, Anna R.

2010-01-01

Prompt and appropriate imaging work-up of the various musculoskeletal soft tissue infections aids early diagnosis and treatment and decreases the risk of complications resulting from misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. The signs and symptoms of musculoskeletal soft tissue infections can be nonspecific, making it clinically difficult to distinguish between disease processes and the extent of disease. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the imaging modality of choice in the evaluation of soft tissue infections. Computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, radiography and nuclear medicine studies are considered ancillary. This manuscript illustrates representative images of superficial and deep soft tissue infections such as infectious cellulitis, superficial and deep fasciitis, including the necrotizing fasciitis, pyomyositis/soft tissue abscess, septic bursitis and tenosynovitis on different imaging modalities, with emphasis on MRI. Typical histopathologic findings of soft tissue infections are also presented. The imaging approach described in the manuscript is based on relevant literature and authors' personal experience and everyday practice. (orig.)

Not-so-Soft Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Curran, Mary

2010-01-01

Much recent discussion about the skills needed to secure Britain's economic recovery has focused on skills for employability. However, too often, these fundamental skills are understood in narrow functional or vocational terms. So-called "soft skills", what Penelope Tobin, in her 2008 paper "Soft Skills: the hard facts", terms "traits and…

Glass transition in soft-sphere dispersions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

RamIrez-Gonzalez, P E; Medina-Noyola, M

2009-01-01

The concept of dynamic equivalence among mono-disperse soft-sphere fluids is employed in the framework of the self-consistent generalized Langevin equation (SCGLE) theory of colloid dynamics to calculate the ideal glass transition phase diagram of model soft-sphere colloidal dispersions in the softness-concentration state space. The slow dynamics predicted by this theory near the glass transition is compared with available experimental data for the decay of the intermediate scattering function of colloidal dispersions of soft-microgel particles. Increasing deviations from this simple scheme occur for increasingly softer potentials, and this is studied here using the Rogers-Young static structure factor of the soft-sphere systems as the input of the SCGLE theory, without assuming a priori the validity of the equivalence principle above.

3D printing of soft robotic systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wallin, T. J.; Pikul, J.; Shepherd, R. F.

2018-06-01

Soft robots are capable of mimicking the complex motion of animals. Soft robotic systems are defined by their compliance, which allows for continuous and often responsive localized deformation. These features make soft robots especially interesting for integration with human tissues, for example, the implementation of biomedical devices, and for robotic performance in harsh or uncertain environments, for example, exploration in confined spaces or locomotion on uneven terrain. Advances in soft materials and additive manufacturing technologies have enabled the design of soft robots with sophisticated capabilities, such as jumping, complex 3D movements, gripping and releasing. In this Review, we examine the essential soft material properties for different elements of soft robots, highlighting the most relevant polymer systems. Advantages and limitations of different additive manufacturing processes, including 3D printing, fused deposition modelling, direct ink writing, selective laser sintering, inkjet printing and stereolithography, are discussed, and the different techniques are investigated for their application in soft robotic fabrication. Finally, we explore integrated robotic systems and give an outlook for the future of the field and remaining challenges.

Bi-magnetic microwires: a novel family of materials with controlled magnetic behavior

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pirota, K.R.; Provencio, M.; Garcia, K.L.; Escobar-Galindo, R.; Mendoza Zelis, P.; Hernandez-Velez, M.; Vazquez, M.

2005-01-01

A novel technique involving combined sputtering and electroplating procedures has been recently developed to deposit metallic (magnetic or not) nano and microlayer tubes onto glass-coated amorphous magnetic microwires to enable the tailoring of their magnetic behavior. Here, after introducing the general aspects of that technique, we present the latest results on a new family of two-phase magnetic samples: bi-magnetic multilayer microwires. They consist of a magnetically soft nucleus (typically a Fe or Co base amorphous microwire, coated by Pyrex layer) onto which a 30 nm thick Au layer is first sputtered followed by the electroplating of a harder microlayer, namely Co x Ni (1- x ) layer, with x controlled by the current density during electrodeposition whose micrometric thickness is also controlled by plating time. The hysteresis loops present a two-step reversal process typical of two-phase magnetic material. The magnetization reversal of the soft nucleus and the harder layer takes place at around 1 Oe and up to about 200 Oe, respectively. The presence of sputtered and electroplated layers induces significant stresses in the soft magnetic nucleus that modify its magnetization easy axis. This technique allowing us the tailoring of the magnetic behavior of multilayer magnetic microwires opens new possibilities for applying these novel materials as sensing elements in various devices

Mineralization of soft-part anatomy and invading microbes in the horseshoe crab Mesolimulus from the Upper Jurassic Lagerstätte of Nusplingen, Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Briggs, Derek E G; Moore, Rachel A; Shultz, Jeffrey W; Schweigert, Günter

2005-03-22

A remarkable specimen of Mesolimulus from the Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) of Nusplingen, Germany, preserves the musculature of the prosoma and associated microbes in three dimensions in calcium phosphate (apatite). The musculature of Mesolimulus conforms closely to that of modern horseshoe crabs. Associated with the muscles are patches of mineralized biofilm with spiral and coccoid forms. This discovery emphasizes the potential of soft-bodied fossils as a source for increasing our knowledge of the diversity of fossil microbes in particular settings.

Electroroentgenography in diagnosis of soft tissue tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vintergal'ter, S.F.; Vishevnik, B.I.

1989-01-01

Clinical, electroroentgenographic and X-ray studies of soft tissues were carried out in 425 patients with malignant (75), benign (246) soft tissue tumors and in cases of such soft tissue pathologies of the extremities and body (104). The paper discusses the technicalities of electroroentgenography which produces on one roentgenogram separate images of all components of soft tissues and bones in a given segment. A comparions of image quality assured by electroroentgeno- and roentgenography did not establish any significant difference in soft tissue tumor semiotics

Combining PPI with qualitative research to engage 'harder-to-reach' populations: service user groups as co-applicants on a platform study for a trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Heather; Thomson, Gill; Crossland, Nicola; Dykes, Fiona; Hoddinott, Pat

2016-01-01

It is recommended that research studies are carried out with or by patients and the public through their involvement from the beginning and in as many stages as possible (known as PPI). Some studies formally invite patients and the public to participate in interviews and focused group discussions to collect views about topics (known as qualitative research). In our study on financial incentives for giving up smoking in pregnancy and breastfeeding, we combined both PPI and qualitative research to include the views of women with a range of experiences of smoking and breastfeeding. We involved two mother and baby groups in disadvantaged areas of North East Scotland and North West England as research partners on our team. First, we asked members to comment on our research plans and documents, which is standard PPI. Second, we asked members to participate in voice recorded discussions, contributing to qualitative research data. These discussions revealed different views from those that we heard through research interviews. They allowed us to develop more relevant research tools and resources. Members also helped us to identify people outside the groups who we could interview. Combining involvement and participation helped us to include the views of a wide range of women from 'harder-to-reach' groups who don't usually take part in research. This was important because the research was intended for women who could benefit from incentives to stop smoking in pregnancy and breastfeed, often present in such groups. Positive continuing relationships and trust improved on involvement or participation alone. ᅟ. Patient and public involvement (PPI) in all research studies is recommended from the earliest point and in as many stages as possible. Qualitative research is also recommended in the early stages of designing complex intervention trials. Combining both together might enable inclusion of 'harder-to-reach' perspectives from the target population(s), particularly when the

Soft Robotics: from scientific challenges to technological applications

Science.gov (United States)

Laschi, C.

2016-05-01

Soft robotics is a recent and rapidly growing field of research, which aims at unveiling the principles for building robots that include soft materials and compliance in the interaction with the environment, so as to exploit so-called embodied intelligence and negotiate natural environment more effectively. Using soft materials for building robots poses new technological challenges: the technologies for actuating soft materials, for embedding sensors into soft robot parts, for controlling soft robots are among the main ones. This is stimulating research in many disciplines and many countries, such that a wide community is gathering around initiatives like the IEEE TAS TC on Soft Robotics and the RoboSoft CA - A Coordination Action for Soft Robotics, funded by the European Commission. Though still in its early stages of development, soft robotics is finding its way in a variety of applications, where safe contact is a main issue, in the biomedical field, as well as in exploration tasks and in the manufacturing industry. And though the development of the enabling technologies is still a priority, a fruitful loop is growing between basic research and application-oriented research in soft robotics.

Windchill-201 - Custom Soft-Type Construction

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Corey; LaPha, Steven

2013-01-01

This presentation will explain Windchill soft-types-what they are, how they work, and how to construct custom ones, configured specifically for your system. The process and particulars of creating and implementing a WTDocument soft-type will be discussed, and the interaction between soft-types and Windchill objects will be shown.

A Classroom Research Skills Development Emphasizing Data Analysis and Result of SSRU Students by RBL

Science.gov (United States)

Waree, Chaiwat

2017-01-01

The purpose of the study is the learning using research as a base. To strengthen the skills of classroom research Emphasizing Data Analysis and Result and to study the development of research skills in the class Emphasizing Data Analysis and Result of SSRU' Students by learning using research base. The target group are students in the 2nd semester…

Embodying Soft Wearables Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tomico, Oscar; Wilde, Danielle

2016-01-01

of soft wearables. Throughout, we will experiment with how embodied design research techniques might be shared, developed, and used as direct and unmediated vehicles for their own reporting. Rather than engage in oral presentations, participants will lead each other through a proven embodied method...... and knowledge transfer in the context of soft wearables....

Soft and Collinear Radiation and Factorization in Perturbation Theory and Beyond

CERN Document Server

Gardi, Einan

2002-01-01

Power corrections to differential cross sections near a kinematic threshold are analysed by Dressed Gluon Exponentiation. Exploiting the factorization property of soft and collinear radiation, the dominant radiative corrections in the threshold region are resummed, yielding a renormalization-scale-invariant expression for the Sudakov exponent. The interplay between Sudakov logs and renormalons is clarified, and the necessity to resum the latter whenever power corrections are non-negligible is emphasized. The presence of power-suppressed ambiguities in the exponentiation kernel suggests that power corrections exponentiate as well. This leads to a non-perturbative factorization formula with non-trivial predictions on the structure of power corrections, which can be contrasted with the OPE. Two examples are discussed. The first is event-shape distributions in the two-jet region, where a wealth of precise data provides a strong motivation for the improved perturbative technique and an ideal situation to study had...

Dissecting soft radiation with factorization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stewart, Iain W.; Tackmann, Frank J.; Waalewijn, Wouter J.; Amsterdam Univ.

2014-05-01

An essential part of high-energy hadronic collisions is the soft hadronic activity that underlies the primary hard interaction. It can receive contributions from soft radiation from the primary hard partons, secondary multiple parton interactions (MPI), and factorization violating effects. The invariant mass spectrum of the leading jet in Z+jet and H+jet events is directly sensitive to these effects. We use a QCD factorization theorem to predict the dependence on the jet radius R, jet p T , jet rapidity, and partonic process for both the perturbative and nonperturbative components of primary soft radiation. The nonperturbative contributions involve only odd powers of R, and the linear R term is universal for quark and gluon jets. The hadronization model in PYTHIA8 agrees well with these properties. The perturbative soft initial state radiation (ISR) has a contribution that depends on the jet area in the same way as the underlying event. This degeneracy is broken by the jet p T dependence. The size of this soft ISR contribution is proportional to the color state of the initial partons, yielding the same positive contribution for gg→Hg and gq→Zq, but a negative interference contribution for q anti q→Zg. Hence, measuring these dependencies allows one to separate hadronization, soft ISR, and MPI contributions in the data.

Possibility Fuzzy Soft Set

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shawkat Alkhazaleh

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We introduce the concept of possibility fuzzy soft set and its operation and study some of its properties. We give applications of this theory in solving a decision-making problem. We also introduce a similarity measure of two possibility fuzzy soft sets and discuss their application in a medical diagnosis problem.

Soft computing techniques in engineering applications

CERN Document Server

Zhong, Baojiang

2014-01-01

The Soft Computing techniques, which are based on the information processing of biological systems are now massively used in the area of pattern recognition, making prediction & planning, as well as acting on the environment. Ideally speaking, soft computing is not a subject of homogeneous concepts and techniques; rather, it is an amalgamation of distinct methods that confirms to its guiding principle. At present, the main aim of soft computing is to exploit the tolerance for imprecision and uncertainty to achieve tractability, robustness and low solutions cost. The principal constituents of soft computing techniques are probabilistic reasoning, fuzzy logic, neuro-computing, genetic algorithms, belief networks, chaotic systems, as well as learning theory. This book covers contributions from various authors to demonstrate the use of soft computing techniques in various applications of engineering.  

Energy efficiency of mobile soft robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Shui, Langquan; Zhu, Liangliang; Yang, Zhe; Liu, Yilun; Chen, Xi

2017-11-15

The performance of mobile soft robots is usually characterized by their locomotion/velocity efficiency, whereas the energy efficiency is a more intrinsic and fundamental criterion for the performance evaluation of independent or integrated soft robots. In this work, a general framework is established to evaluate the energy efficiency of mobile soft robots by considering the efficiency of the energy source, actuator and locomotion, and some insights for improving the efficiency of soft robotic systems are presented. Proposed as the ratio of the desired locomotion kinetic energy to the input mechanical energy, the energy efficiency of locomotion is found to play a critical role in determining the overall energy efficiency of soft robots. Four key factors related to the locomotion energy efficiency are identified, that is, the locomotion modes, material properties, geometric sizes, and actuation states. It is found that the energy efficiency of most mobile soft robots reported in the literature is surprisingly low (mostly below 0.1%), due to the inefficient mechanical energy that essentially does not contribute to the desired locomotion. A comparison of the locomotion energy efficiency for several representative locomotion modes in the literature is presented, showing a descending ranking as: jumping ≫ fish-like swimming > snake-like slithering > rolling > rising/turning over > inchworm-like inching > quadruped gait > earthworm-like squirming. Besides, considering the same locomotion mode, soft robots with lower stiffness, higher density and larger size tend to have higher locomotion energy efficiency. Moreover, a periodic pulse actuation instead of a continuous actuation mode may significantly reduce the input mechanical energy, thus improving the locomotion energy efficiency, especially when the pulse actuation matches the resonant states of the soft robots. The results presented herein indicate a large and necessary space for improving the locomotion energy

TRIBOLOGY OF BIO-INSPIRED NANOWRINKLED FILMS ON ULTRASOFT SUBSTRATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juergen M. Lackner

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Biomimetic design of new materials uses nature as antetype, learning from billions of years of evolution. This work emphasizes the mechanical and tribological properties of skin, combining both hardness and wear resistance of its surface (the stratum corneum with high elasticity of the bulk (epidermis, dermis, hypodermis. The key for combination of such opposite properties is wrinkling, being consequence of intrinsic stresses in the bulk (soft tissue: Tribological contact to counterparts below the stress threshold for tissue trauma occurs on the thick hard stratum corneum layer pads, while tensile loads smooth out wrinkles in between these pads. Similar mechanism offers high tribological resistance to hard films on soft, flexible polymers, which is shown for diamond-like carbon (DLC and titanium nitride thin films on ultrasoft polyurethane and harder polycarbonate substrates. The choice of these two compared substrate materials will show that ultra-soft substrate materials are decisive for the distinct tribological material. Hierarchical wrinkled structures of films on these substrates are due to high intrinsic compressive stress, which evolves during high energetic film growth. Incremental relaxation of these stresses occurs by compound deformation of film and elastic substrate surface, appearing in hierarchical nano-wrinkles. Nano-wrinkled topographies enable high elastic deformability of thin hard films, while overstressing results in zigzag film fracture along larger hierarchical wrinkle structures. Tribologically, these fracture mechanisms are highly important for ploughing and sliding of sharp and flat counterparts on hard-coated ultra-soft substrates like polyurethane. Concentration of polyurethane deformation under the applied normal loads occurs below these zigzag cracks. Unloading closes these cracks again. Even cyclic testing do not lead to film delamination and retain low friction behavior, if the adhesion to the substrate is high

Tribology of bio-inspired nanowrinkled films on ultrasoft substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Lackner, Juergen M; Waldhauser, Wolfgang; Major, Lukasz; Teichert, Christian; Hartmann, Paul

2013-01-01

Biomimetic design of new materials uses nature as antetype, learning from billions of years of evolution. This work emphasizes the mechanical and tribological properties of skin, combining both hardness and wear resistance of its surface (the stratum corneum) with high elasticity of the bulk (epidermis, dermis, hypodermis). The key for combination of such opposite properties is wrinkling, being consequence of intrinsic stresses in the bulk (soft tissue): Tribological contact to counterparts below the stress threshold for tissue trauma occurs on the thick hard stratum corneum layer pads, while tensile loads smooth out wrinkles in between these pads. Similar mechanism offers high tribological resistance to hard films on soft, flexible polymers, which is shown for diamond-like carbon (DLC) and titanium nitride thin films on ultrasoft polyurethane and harder polycarbonate substrates. The choice of these two compared substrate materials will show that ultra-soft substrate materials are decisive for the distinct tribological material. Hierarchical wrinkled structures of films on these substrates are due to high intrinsic compressive stress, which evolves during high energetic film growth. Incremental relaxation of these stresses occurs by compound deformation of film and elastic substrate surface, appearing in hierarchical nano-wrinkles. Nano-wrinkled topographies enable high elastic deformability of thin hard films, while overstressing results in zigzag film fracture along larger hierarchical wrinkle structures. Tribologically, these fracture mechanisms are highly important for ploughing and sliding of sharp and flat counterparts on hard-coated ultra-soft substrates like polyurethane. Concentration of polyurethane deformation under the applied normal loads occurs below these zigzag cracks. Unloading closes these cracks again. Even cyclic testing do not lead to film delamination and retain low friction behavior, if the adhesion to the substrate is high and the initial

Wanted: Soft Skills for Today's Jobs

Science.gov (United States)

Hirsch, Barton J.

2017-01-01

Educating high school students for both college and career is difficult. Teaching trade skills seems alien to the academic culture. But new research indicates that soft skills are quite important to judgments of employability and that youth learn many soft skills in traditional academic subjects (e.g., literature). A focus on soft skills allows…

Impulsive behavior in solar soft X-radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, H. S.; Strong, K. T.; Dennis, B. R.; Zarro, D.; Inda, M.; Kosugi, T.; Sakao, T.

1994-01-01

The Yohkoh soft X-ray telescope has observed impulsive, thermal, soft X-ray emission at the footpoints of magnetic loops during solar flares. The soft X-ray (thermal) time profiles at the footpoints closely match the hard X-ray (nonthermal) time profiles, directly demonstrating the heating of the lower solar atmosphere on short timescales during the interval of nonthermal energy release. This phenomenon is the rule, rather than the exception, occurring in the majority of flares that we have examined with the Yohkoh data. We illustrate the impulsive behavior with data from the major flare of 1992 January 26. For this flare, the soft X-ray peak times matched the hard X-ray peak times within the time resolution of the soft X-ray measurements (about 10 s), and the soft and hard X-ray locations match within the resolution of the hard X-ray imager. The impulsive soft X-ray emission clearly has a thermal spectral signature, but not at the high temperature of a 'superhot' source. We conclude that the impulsive soft X-ray emission comes from material heated by precipitating electrons at loop footpoints and evaporating from the deeper atmosphere into the flaring flux tube.

Cyclic Soft Groups and Their Applications on Groups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hacı Aktaş

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In crisp environment the notions of order of group and cyclic group are well known due to many applications. In this paper, we introduce order of the soft groups, power of the soft sets, power of the soft groups, and cyclic soft group on a group. We also investigate the relationship between cyclic soft groups and classical groups.

Rapid Soil Stabilization of Soft Clay Soils for Contingency Airfields

Science.gov (United States)

2006-12-01

quicklime or calcium carbide, could possibly crosslink the polymers of sodium or potassium polyacrylic acid together to form a harder material. Very...LiquiBlock 40K and 41K are both potassium salts of crosslinked polyacrylic acids/polyacrylamide copolymers in granular form that also gel in the presence...communication, 2006), soil could possibly be stabilized with calcium and super absorbent polymers, such as sodium or potassium polyacrylic acids. This

Soft-sediment mullions

Science.gov (United States)

Ortner, Hugo

2015-04-01

In this contribution I describe the appearance, formation and significance of soft-sediment mullions. I use several examples from synorogenic turbidites of the Alps and the Pyrenees to show their appearance in the field. Soft-sediment mullions are elongate, slightly irregular bulges at the base of coarse-grained clastic beds (sand to conglomerate), separated by narrow, elongate flames of fine-grained material (mud) protruding into the coarse-grained bed. Various processes may lead to the formation of such structures: (1) longitudinal furrows parallel to the sediment transport direction may form by spiral motion in flow rolls during sediment transport (Dzulinski, 1966; Dzulinski & Simpson, 1966). (2) Loading combined with downslope movement can produce elongate structures parallelling the dowslope direction (Anketell et al., 1970). (3) Soft-sediment mullions are oriented perpendicular or oblique to the downslope direction, and show evidence of bedding-parallel shortening. Thus, they resemble cuspate-lobate folds or mullions, which are well-known in ductile structural geology (e.g. Urai et al., 2001). Soft-sediment mullions have been observed in two cases: Either bedding-parallel shortening can be achieved by slump processes, or by active tectonic shortening. Slumping is characterized by an alternation of stretching and shortening (e.g. Ortner, 2007; Alsop & Marco 2014), and therefore mullions do overprint or are overprinted by normal faults. In active depositional systems that are subject to tectonic shortening growth strata will form, but sediments already deposited will be shortened during lithification. In some cases, the formation of soft-sediment mullions predates folding, but the most widespread expression of syn-lithification shortening seems to be soft-sediment mullions, that form in the inner arcs of fold hinges. In the examples documented so far, the size of soft-sediment mullions is dependent on the grain-size of the coarse-grained layer, in which the

Soft x-ray Planetary Imager

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The project is to prototype a soft X-ray Imager for planetary applications that has the sensitivity to observe solar system sources of soft  X-ray emission. A strong...

Biologically-inspired soft exosuit.

Science.gov (United States)

Asbeck, Alan T; Dyer, Robert J; Larusson, Arnar F; Walsh, Conor J

2013-06-01

In this paper, we present the design and evaluation of a novel soft cable-driven exosuit that can apply forces to the body to assist walking. Unlike traditional exoskeletons which contain rigid framing elements, the soft exosuit is worn like clothing, yet can generate moments at the ankle and hip with magnitudes of 18% and 30% of those naturally generated by the body during walking, respectively. Our design uses geared motors to pull on Bowden cables connected to the suit near the ankle. The suit has the advantages over a traditional exoskeleton in that the wearer's joints are unconstrained by external rigid structures, and the worn part of the suit is extremely light, which minimizes the suit's unintentional interference with the body's natural biomechanics. However, a soft suit presents challenges related to actuation force transfer and control, since the body is compliant and cannot support large pressures comfortably. We discuss the design of the suit and actuation system, including principles by which soft suits can transfer force to the body effectively and the biological inspiration for the design. For a soft exosuit, an important design parameter is the combined effective stiffness of the suit and its interface to the wearer. We characterize the exosuit's effective stiffness, and present preliminary results from it generating assistive torques to a subject during walking. We envision such an exosuit having broad applicability for assisting healthy individuals as well as those with muscle weakness.

Magnetic imaging with full-field soft X-ray microscopies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, Peter; Im, Mi-Young; Baldasseroni, Chloe; Bordel, Catherine; Hellman, Frances; Lee, Jong-Soo; Fadley, Charles S.

2013-01-01

Progress toward a fundamental understanding of magnetism continues to be of great scientific interest and high technological relevance. To control magnetization on the nanoscale, external magnetic fields and spin polarized currents are commonly used. In addition, novel concepts based on spin manipulation by electric fields or photons are emerging which benefit from advances in tailoring complex magnetic materials. Although the nanoscale is at the very origin of magnetic behavior, there is a new trend toward investigating mesoscale magnetic phenomena, thus adding complexity and functionality, both of which will become crucial for future magnetic devices. Advanced analytical tools are thus needed for the characterization of magnetic properties spanning the nano- to the meso-scale. Imaging magnetic structures with high spatial and temporal resolution over a large field of view and in three dimensions is therefore a key challenge. A variety of spectromicroscopic techniques address this challenge by taking advantage of variable-polarization soft X-rays, thus enabling X-ray dichroism effects provide magnetic contrast. These techniques are also capable of quantifying in an element-, valence- and site-sensitive way the basic properties of ferro(i)- and antiferro-magnetic systems, such as spin and orbital moments, spin configurations from the nano- to the meso-scale and spin dynamics with sub-ns time resolution. This paper reviews current achievements and outlines future trends with one of these spectromicroscopies, magnetic full field transmission soft X-ray microscopy (MTXM) using a few selected examples of recent research on nano- and meso-scale magnetic phenomena. The complementarity of MTXM to X-ray photoemission electron microscopy (X-PEEM) is also emphasized

Magnetic imaging with full-field soft X-ray microscopies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fischer, Peter, E-mail: PJFischer@lbl.gov [Center for X-ray Optics, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Im, Mi-Young [Center for X-ray Optics, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Baldasseroni, Chloe [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Bordel, Catherine; Hellman, Frances [Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Material Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94270 (United States); Lee, Jong-Soo [Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 711-873 (Korea, Republic of); Fadley, Charles S. [Department of Physics, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616 (United States); Material Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94270 (United States)

2013-08-15

Progress toward a fundamental understanding of magnetism continues to be of great scientific interest and high technological relevance. To control magnetization on the nanoscale, external magnetic fields and spin polarized currents are commonly used. In addition, novel concepts based on spin manipulation by electric fields or photons are emerging which benefit from advances in tailoring complex magnetic materials. Although the nanoscale is at the very origin of magnetic behavior, there is a new trend toward investigating mesoscale magnetic phenomena, thus adding complexity and functionality, both of which will become crucial for future magnetic devices. Advanced analytical tools are thus needed for the characterization of magnetic properties spanning the nano- to the meso-scale. Imaging magnetic structures with high spatial and temporal resolution over a large field of view and in three dimensions is therefore a key challenge. A variety of spectromicroscopic techniques address this challenge by taking advantage of variable-polarization soft X-rays, thus enabling X-ray dichroism effects provide magnetic contrast. These techniques are also capable of quantifying in an element-, valence- and site-sensitive way the basic properties of ferro(i)- and antiferro-magnetic systems, such as spin and orbital moments, spin configurations from the nano- to the meso-scale and spin dynamics with sub-ns time resolution. This paper reviews current achievements and outlines future trends with one of these spectromicroscopies, magnetic full field transmission soft X-ray microscopy (MTXM) using a few selected examples of recent research on nano- and meso-scale magnetic phenomena. The complementarity of MTXM to X-ray photoemission electron microscopy (X-PEEM) is also emphasized.

Double soft theorems in gauge and string theories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Volovich, Anastasia [Brown University Department of Physics,182 Hope St, Providence, RI, 02912 (United States); Wen, Congkao [I.N.F.N. Sezione di Roma “Tor Vergata”,Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Roma (Italy); Zlotnikov, Michael [Brown University Department of Physics,182 Hope St, Providence, RI, 02912 (United States)

2015-07-20

We investigate the tree-level S-matrix in gauge theories and open superstring theory with several soft particles. We show that scattering amplitudes with two or three soft gluons of non-identical helicities behave universally in the limit, with multi-soft factors which are not the product of individual soft gluon factors. The results are obtained from the BCFW recursion relations in four dimensions, and further extended to arbitrary dimensions using the CHY formula. We also find new soft theorems for double soft limits of scalars and fermions in N=4 and pure N=2 SYM. Finally, we show that the double-soft-scalar theorems can be extended to open superstring theory without receiving any α{sup ′} corrections.

Interval-Valued Vague Soft Sets and Its Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khaleed Alhazaymeh

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Molodtsov has introduced the concept of soft sets and the application of soft sets in decision making and medical diagnosis problems. The basic properties of vague soft sets are presented. In this paper, we introduce the concept of interval-valued vague soft sets which are an extension of the soft set and its operations such as equality, subset, intersection, union, AND operation, OR operation, complement, and null while further studying some properties. We give examples for these concepts, and we give a number of applications on interval-valued vague soft sets.

Zur Dialektik von Soft Skills und fachlicher Kompetenz

OpenAIRE

Jendrowiak, Hans-Werner

2010-01-01

[Der Autor stellt folgende Thesen zur Dialektik von Soft Skills und fachlicher Bildung auf:] 1. Soft Skills sind normale Bildungskategorien und Teil einer Allgemeinen Bildung. […] 2. Soft Skills sind als personalgebundene Kriterien auch immer schon Gegenstand bildungstheoretischer Debatten. […] 3. Soft Skills ist eine trendorientierte Bezeichnung für Bildung. […] 4. Soft Skills sind Ausdruck von Vorstellungen, Ideen und Theorien (Schulkultur, Unternehmenskultur, Unternehmensphilosophie). 5. S...

Conservative Soft Power: Liberal soft power bias and the ‘hidden’ attraction of Russia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Keating, Vincent Charles; Kaczmarska, Katarzyna

2018-01-01

The study of soft power in international relations suffers from a liberal democratic bias. Throughout the literature, liberal concepts and values are assumed to be universal in their appeal. This bias has led scholars to underestimate Russian soft power by instrumentalizing it, that is, to see it...

Soft tissue tumors - imaging methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arlart, I.P.

1985-01-01

Soft Tissue Tumors - Imaging Methods: Imaging methods play an important diagnostic role in soft tissue tumors concerning a preoperative evaluation of localization, size, topographic relationship, dignity, and metastatic disease. The present paper gives an overview about diagnostic methods available today such as ultrasound, thermography, roentgenographic plain films and xeroradiography, radionuclide methods, computed tomography, lymphography, angiography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Besides sonography particularly computed tomography has the most important diagnostic value in soft tissue tumors. The application of a recently developed method, the magnetic resonance imaging, cannot yet be assessed in its significance. (orig.) [de

Soft Active Materials for Actuation, Sensing, and Electronics

OpenAIRE

Kramer, Rebecca Krone

2012-01-01

Future generations of robots, electronics, and assistive medical devices will include systems that are soft and elastically deformable, allowing them to adapt their morphology in unstructured environments. This will require soft active materials for actuation, circuitry, and sensing of deformation and contact pressure. The emerging field of soft robotics utilizes these soft active materials to mimic the inherent compliance of natural soft-bodied systems. As the elasticity of robot components ...

New Concepts and Applications in Soft Computing

CERN Document Server

Fodor, János; Várkonyi-Kóczy, Annamária

2013-01-01

              The book provides a sample of research on the innovative theory and applications of soft computing paradigms.             The idea of Soft Computing was initiated in 1981 when Professor Zadeh published his first paper on soft data analysis and constantly evolved ever since. Professor Zadeh defined Soft Computing as the fusion of the fields of fuzzy logic (FL), neural network theory (NN) and probabilistic reasoning (PR), with the latter subsuming belief networks, evolutionary computing including DNA computing, chaos theory and parts of learning theory into one multidisciplinary system. As Zadeh said the essence of soft computing is that unlike the traditional, hard computing, soft computing is aimed at an accommodation with the pervasive imprecision of the real world. Thus, the guiding principle of soft computing is to exploit the tolerance for imprecision, uncertainty and partial truth to achieve tractability, robustness, low solution cost and better rapport with reality. ...

An Example Emphasizing Mass-Volume Relationships for Problem Solving in Soils

Science.gov (United States)

Heitman, J. L.; Vepraskas, M. J.

2009-01-01

Mass-volume relationships are a useful tool emphasized for problem solving in many geo-science and engineering applications. These relationships also have useful applications in soil science. Developing soils students' ability to utilize mass-volume relationships through schematic diagrams of soil phases (i.e., air, water, and solid) can help to…

Multiple soft limits of cosmological correlation functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joyce, Austin; Khoury, Justin; Simonović, Marko

2015-01-01

We derive novel identities satisfied by inflationary correlation functions in the limit where two external momenta are taken to be small. We derive these statements in two ways: using background-wave arguments and as Ward identities following from the fixed-time path integral. Interestingly, these identities allow us to constrain some of the O(q 2 ) components of the soft limit, in contrast to their single-soft analogues. We provide several nontrivial checks of our identities both in the context of resonant non-Gaussianities and in small sound speed models. Additionally, we extend the relation at lowest order in external momenta to arbitrarily many soft legs, and comment on the many-soft extension at higher orders in the soft momentum. Finally, we consider how higher soft limits lead to identities satisfied by correlation functions in large-scale structure

Revisiting the Fundamentals in the Design and Control of Nanoparticulate Colloids in the Frame of Soft Chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Uskoković, Vuk

2013-10-01

This review presents thoughts on some of the fundamental features of conceptual models applied in the design of fine particles in the frames of colloid and soft chemistry. A special emphasis is placed on the limitations of these models, an acknowledgment of which is vital in improving their intricacy and effectiveness in predicting the outcomes of the corresponding experimental settings. Thermodynamics of self-assembly phenomena illustrated on the examples of protein assembly and micellization is analyzed in relation to the previously elaborated thesis that each self-assembly in reality presents a co-assembly, since it implies a mutual reorganization of the assembling system and its immediate environment. Parameters used in the design of fine particles by precipitation are discussed while referring to solubility product, various measures of supersaturation levels, induction time, nucleation and crystal growth rates, interfacial energies, and the Ostwald-Lussac law of phases. Again, the main drawbacks and inadequacies of using the aforementioned parameters in tailoring the materials properties in a soft and colloidal chemical setting were particularly emphasized. The basic and practical limitations of zeta-potential analyses, routinely used to stabilize colloidal dispersions and initiate specific interactions between soft chemical entities, were also outlined. The final section of the paper reiterates the unavoidable presence of practical qualitative models in the design and control of nanoparticulate colloids, which is supported by the overwhelming complexity of quantitative relationships that govern the processes of their formation and assembly.

Monitoring asthma control in children with allergies by soft computing of lung function and exhaled nitric oxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Pifferi, Massimo; Bush, Andrew; Pioggia, Giovanni; Di Cicco, Maria; Chinellato, Iolanda; Bodini, Alessandro; Macchia, Pierantonio; Boner, Attilio L

2011-02-01

Asthma control is emphasized by new guidelines but remains poor in many children. Evaluation of control relies on subjective patient recall and may be overestimated by health-care professionals. This study assessed the value of spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements, used alone or in combination, in models developed by a machine learning approach in the objective classification of asthma control according to Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines and tested the model in a second group of children with asthma. Fifty-three children with persistent atopic asthma underwent two to six evaluations of asthma control, including spirometry and FeNO. Soft computing evaluation was performed by means of artificial neural networks and principal component analysis. The model was then tested in a cross-sectional study in an additional 77 children with allergic asthma. The machine learning method was not able to distinguish different levels of control using either spirometry or FeNO values alone. However, their use in combination modeled by soft computing was able to discriminate levels of asthma control. In particular, the model is able to recognize all children with uncontrolled asthma and correctly identify 99.0% of children with totally controlled asthma. In the cross-sectional study, the model prospectively identified correctly all the uncontrolled children and 79.6% of the controlled children. Soft computing analysis of spirometry and FeNO allows objective categorization of asthma control status.

Soft error mechanisms, modeling and mitigation

CERN Document Server

Sayil, Selahattin

2016-01-01

This book introduces readers to various radiation soft-error mechanisms such as soft delays, radiation induced clock jitter and pulses, and single event (SE) coupling induced effects. In addition to discussing various radiation hardening techniques for combinational logic, the author also describes new mitigation strategies targeting commercial designs. Coverage includes novel soft error mitigation techniques such as the Dynamic Threshold Technique and Soft Error Filtering based on Transmission gate with varied gate and body bias. The discussion also includes modeling of SE crosstalk noise, delay and speed-up effects. Various mitigation strategies to eliminate SE coupling effects are also introduced. Coverage also includes the reliability of low power energy-efficient designs and the impact of leakage power consumption optimizations on soft error robustness. The author presents an analysis of various power optimization techniques, enabling readers to make design choices that reduce static power consumption an...

3D printing for soft robotics - a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gul, Jahan Zeb; Sajid, Memoon; Rehman, Muhammad Muqeet; Siddiqui, Ghayas Uddin; Shah, Imran; Kim, Kyung-Hwan; Lee, Jae-Wook; Choi, Kyung Hyun

2018-01-01

Soft robots have received an increasing attention due to their advantages of high flexibility and safety for human operators but the fabrication is a challenge. Recently, 3D printing has been used as a key technology to fabricate soft robots because of high quality and printing multiple materials at the same time. Functional soft materials are particularly well suited for soft robotics due to a wide range of stimulants and sensitive demonstration of large deformations, high motion complexities and varied multi-functionalities. This review comprises a detailed survey of 3D printing in soft robotics. The development of key 3D printing technologies and new materials along with composites for soft robotic applications is investigated. A brief summary of 3D-printed soft devices suitable for medical to industrial applications is also included. The growing research on both 3D printing and soft robotics needs a summary of the major reported studies and the authors believe that this review article serves the purpose.

Dental plaque pH variation with regular soft drink, diet soft drink and high energy drink: an in vivo study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jawale, Bhushan Arun; Bendgude, Vikas; Mahuli, Amit V; Dave, Bhavana; Kulkarni, Harshal; Mittal, Simpy

2012-03-01

A high incidence of dental caries and dental erosion associated with frequent consumption of soft drinks has been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pH response of dental plaque to a regular, diet and high energy drink. Twenty subjects were recruited for this study. All subjects were between the ages of 20 and 25 and had at least four restored tooth surfaces present. The subjects were asked to refrain from brushing for 48 hours prior to the study. At baseline, plaque pH was measured from four separate locations using harvesting method. Subjects were asked to swish with 15 ml of the respective soft drink for 1 minute. Plaque pH was measured at the four designated tooth sites at 5, 10 and 20 minutes intervals. Subjects then repeated the experiment using the other two soft drinks. pH was minimum for regular soft drink (2.65 ± 0.026) followed by high energy drink (3.39 ± 0.026) and diet soft drink (3.78 ± 0.006). The maximum drop in plaque pH was seen with regular soft drink followed by high energy drink and diet soft drink. Regular soft drink possesses a greater acid challenge potential on enamel than diet and high energy soft drinks. However, in this clinical trial, the pH associated with either soft drink did not reach the critical pH which is expected for enamel demineralization and dissolution.

Engineering applications of soft computing

CERN Document Server

Díaz-Cortés, Margarita-Arimatea; Rojas, Raúl

2017-01-01

This book bridges the gap between Soft Computing techniques and their applications to complex engineering problems. In each chapter we endeavor to explain the basic ideas behind the proposed applications in an accessible format for readers who may not possess a background in some of the fields. Therefore, engineers or practitioners who are not familiar with Soft Computing methods will appreciate that the techniques discussed go beyond simple theoretical tools, since they have been adapted to solve significant problems that commonly arise in such areas. At the same time, the book will show members of the Soft Computing community how engineering problems are now being solved and handled with the help of intelligent approaches. Highlighting new applications and implementations of Soft Computing approaches in various engineering contexts, the book is divided into 12 chapters. Further, it has been structured so that each chapter can be read independently of the others.

Theory of electrostatics and electrokinetics of soft particles

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Hiroyuki Ohshima

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We investigate theoretically the electrostatics and electrokinetics of a soft particle, i.e. a hard particle covered with an ion-penetrable surface layer of polyelectrolytes. The electric properties of soft particles in an electrolyte solution, which differ from those of hard particles, are essentially determined by the Donnan potential in the surface layer. In particular, the Donnan potential plays an essential role in the electrostatics and electrokinetics of soft particles. Furthermore, the concept of zeta potential, which is important in the electrokinetics of hard particles, loses its physical meaning in the electrokinetics of soft particles. In this review, we discuss the potential distribution around a soft particle, the electrostatic interaction between two soft particles, and the motion of a soft particle in an electric field.

PENINGKATAN SOFT SKILLS SISWA SMP MELALUI PEMBELAJARAN GENERATIF

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La Moma

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Abstrak: Soft skills merupakan faktor yang turut menunjang kesuksesan siswa belajar matematika. Perlu ada upaya untuk menerapkan suatu model pembelajaran yang dapat memicu peningkatan soft skills siswa dalam matematika. Penelitian ini menerapkan model pembelajaran generatif sebagai alternatif pembelajaran yang diperkirakan akan memicu peningkatan ketiga kemampuan tersebut. Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui seberapa besar kontribusi penerapan model tersebut terhadap peningkatan kemampuan soft skills pada level sekolah (tinggi, sedang dan rendah. Penelitian menerapkan desain kuasi eksperimen. Sampel terdiri atas 191 orang siswa kelas VIII pada tiga SMP Negeri di Kota Yogyakarta yang mewakili level sekolah. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan teknik tes (pretes dan postes, sedang analisis data menggunakan statistik uji-t dan anova dua jalur. Dari hasil analisis data ditemukan bahwa (1 ada perbedaan pencapaian, peningkatan soft skills siswa antara kelas eksperimen dan kelas kontrol; (2 tidak terdapat interaksi antara pembelajaran dan level sekolah terhadap peningkatan soft skills. Kata Kunci: kemampuan soft skills, pembelajaran generatif THE ENHANCEMENT OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS SOFT SKILLS THROUGH GENERATIVE LEARNING Abstract: Soft skills are factors that support students success in learning mathematics. The importance of the students soft skills, unfortunately, are not in line with at the students abilities in these competence. Therefore, we have to implemented a learning model that is expected to lead development soft skills of the students in mathematics. Generative learning model is applied in this study as an alternative learning is predicted to stimulate development soft skills of the students. This study is aimed at determining the contribution of generative learning model of the enhancement of soft skills for difference school levels (high, medium, low.This study is quasi-experimental research involving 191 students of eight

Analysis of appearance of softness for interior plastic parts; Naiso jushi buhin no soft kan kaiseki

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kubota, T; Wada, T; Matsuda, M [Toyota Central R and D Laboratories Inc., Aichi (Japan); Nagata, M; Maeda, M [Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd., Aichi (Japan)

1997-10-01

The Appearance of softness was evaluated using the paired comparison method for steering wheel pads. Many kinds of physical quantities of sample pads, such as the depth of wrinkles, surface roughness and gloss, were measured. Correlations between the appearance of softness and the physical quantities were analyzed. As a result, this appearance of softness was found to be characterized by four factors, the depth and slope of wrinkles, gloss and lightness. 3 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs.

From Soft Walls to Infrared Branes

CERN Document Server

von Gersdorff, Gero

2010-01-01

Five dimensional warped spaces with soft walls are generalizations of the standard Randall-Sundrum compactifications, where instead of an infrared brane one has a curvature singularity (with vanishing warp factor) at finite proper distance in the bulk. We project the physics near the singularity onto a hypersurface located a small distance away from it in the bulk. This results in a completely equivalent description of the soft wall in terms of an effective infrared brane, hiding any singular point. We perform explicitly this calculation for two classes of soft wall backgrounds used in the literature. The procedure has several advantages. It separates in a clean way the physics of the soft wall from the physics of the five dimensional bulk, facilitating a more direct comparison with standard two-brane warped compactifications. Moreover, consistent soft walls show a sort of universal behavior near the singularity which is reflected in the effective brane Lagrangian. Thirdly, for many purposes, a good approxima...

Teaching bioethics: the tale of a "soft" science in a hard world.

Science.gov (United States)

Lovy, Andrew; Paskhover, Boris; Trachtman, Howard

2010-10-01

Although bioethics is considered essential to the practice of medicine, medical students often view it as a "soft" subject that is secondary in importance to the other courses in their basic science and clinical curriculum. This perspective may be a consequence of the heavy reliance on students' aptitude in the quantitative sciences as a criterion for entry into medical school and as a barometer of academic success after admission. It is exacerbated by the widespread impression that bioethics is imprecise and culturally relativistic. In an effort to redress this imbalance, we propose an approach to teaching bioethics to medical students which emphasizes that the intellectual basis and the degree of certainty of knowledge is comparable in all medical subjects ranging from basic science courses to clinical rotations to bioethics tutorials. Adopting these pedagogical steps may promote greater integration of the various elements-bioethics and clinical science-in the medical school curriculum.

Soft modes and structural phase transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venkataraman, G [Reactor Research Centre, Kalpakkam (India)

1979-12-01

A survey of soft modes and their relationship to structural phase transitions is presented. After introducing the concept of a soft mode, the origin of softening is considered from a lattice-dynamical point. The Landau theory approach to structural transitions is then discussed, followed by a generalisation of the soft-mode concept through the use of the dynamic order-parameter susceptibility. The relationship of soft modes to broken symmetry is also examined. Experimental results for several classes of crystals are next presented, bringing out various features such as the co-operative Jahn-Teller effect. The survey concludes with a discussion of the central peak, touching upon both the experimental results and the theoretical speculations.

Soft law as a new mode of governance

OpenAIRE

Peters, Anne

2011-01-01

The paper analyses soft law as a mode of EU governance. European soft law can be qualified as a relatively ‘new’ mode, notably due to its dramatic proliferation and the increasing involvement of private actors. The concept of ‘soft law’ is viable on the premiss that normativity may be graduated (‘the continuum view’). Soft law deploys specific legal effects apart from outright legal bindingness, and not merely political or otherwise factual effects. The legal effects of European soft law flow...

Interaction with Soft Robotic Tentacles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Jonas

2018-01-01

Soft robotics technology has been proposed for a number of applications that involve human-robot interaction. In this tabletop demonstration it is possible to interact with two soft robotic platforms that have been used in human-robot interaction experiments (also accepted to HRI'18 as a Late...

Mapping quantitative trait loci for a unique 'super soft' kernel trait in soft white wheat

Science.gov (United States)

Wheat (Triticum sp.) kernel texture is an important factor affecting milling, flour functionality, and end-use quality. Kernel texture is normally characterized as either hard or soft, the two major classes of texture. However, further variation is typically encountered in each class. Soft wheat var...

Scalable manufacturing processes with soft materials

OpenAIRE

White, Edward; Case, Jennifer; Kramer, Rebecca

2014-01-01

The emerging field of soft robotics will benefit greatly from new scalable manufacturing techniques for responsive materials. Currently, most of soft robotic examples are fabricated one-at-a-time, using techniques borrowed from lithography and 3D printing to fabricate molds. This limits both the maximum and minimum size of robots that can be fabricated, and hinders batch production, which is critical to gain wider acceptance for soft robotic systems. We have identified electrical structures, ...

Applications of Soft Union Sets in the Ring Theory

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Yongwei Yang

2013-01-01

through discussing quotient soft subsets, an approach for constructing quotient soft union rings is made. Finally, isomorphism theorems of λ,μ-soft union rings related to invariant soft sets are discussed.

Revisiting the Fundamentals in the Design and Control of Nanoparticulate Colloids in the Frame of Soft Chemistry1

Science.gov (United States)

Uskoković, Vuk

2013-01-01

This review presents thoughts on some of the fundamental features of conceptual models applied in the design of fine particles in the frames of colloid and soft chemistry. A special emphasis is placed on the limitations of these models, an acknowledgment of which is vital in improving their intricacy and effectiveness in predicting the outcomes of the corresponding experimental settings. Thermodynamics of self-assembly phenomena illustrated on the examples of protein assembly and micellization is analyzed in relation to the previously elaborated thesis that each self-assembly in reality presents a co-assembly, since it implies a mutual reorganization of the assembling system and its immediate environment. Parameters used in the design of fine particles by precipitation are discussed while referring to solubility product, various measures of supersaturation levels, induction time, nucleation and crystal growth rates, interfacial energies, and the Ostwald–Lussac law of phases. Again, the main drawbacks and inadequacies of using the aforementioned parameters in tailoring the materials properties in a soft and colloidal chemical setting were particularly emphasized. The basic and practical limitations of zeta-potential analyses, routinely used to stabilize colloidal dispersions and initiate specific interactions between soft chemical entities, were also outlined. The final section of the paper reiterates the unavoidable presence of practical qualitative models in the design and control of nanoparticulate colloids, which is supported by the overwhelming complexity of quantitative relationships that govern the processes of their formation and assembly. PMID:24490052

(M,N-Soft Intersection BL-Algebras and Their Congruences

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Xueling Ma

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to give a foundation for providing a new soft algebraic tool in considering many problems containing uncertainties. In order to provide these new soft algebraic structures, we discuss a new soft set-(M, N-soft intersection set, which is a generalization of soft intersection sets. We introduce the concepts of (M, N-SI filters of BL-algebras and establish some characterizations. Especially, (M, N-soft congruences in BL-algebras are concerned.

Soft shoulders ahead: spurious signatures of soft and partial selective sweeps result from linked hard sweeps.

Science.gov (United States)

Schrider, Daniel R; Mendes, Fábio K; Hahn, Matthew W; Kern, Andrew D

2015-05-01

Characterizing the nature of the adaptive process at the genetic level is a central goal for population genetics. In particular, we know little about the sources of adaptive substitution or about the number of adaptive variants currently segregating in nature. Historically, population geneticists have focused attention on the hard-sweep model of adaptation in which a de novo beneficial mutation arises and rapidly fixes in a population. Recently more attention has been given to soft-sweep models, in which alleles that were previously neutral, or nearly so, drift until such a time as the environment shifts and their selection coefficient changes to become beneficial. It remains an active and difficult problem, however, to tease apart the telltale signatures of hard vs. soft sweeps in genomic polymorphism data. Through extensive simulations of hard- and soft-sweep models, here we show that indeed the two might not be separable through the use of simple summary statistics. In particular, it seems that recombination in regions linked to, but distant from, sites of hard sweeps can create patterns of polymorphism that closely mirror what is expected to be found near soft sweeps. We find that a very similar situation arises when using haplotype-based statistics that are aimed at detecting partial or ongoing selective sweeps, such that it is difficult to distinguish the shoulder of a hard sweep from the center of a partial sweep. While knowing the location of the selected site mitigates this problem slightly, we show that stochasticity in signatures of natural selection will frequently cause the signal to reach its zenith far from this site and that this effect is more severe for soft sweeps; thus inferences of the target as well as the mode of positive selection may be inaccurate. In addition, both the time since a sweep ends and biologically realistic levels of allelic gene conversion lead to errors in the classification and identification of selective sweeps. This

Soft Thermal Sensor with Mechanical Adaptability.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hui; Qi, Dianpeng; Liu, Zhiyuan; Chandran, Bevita K; Wang, Ting; Yu, Jiancan; Chen, Xiaodong

2016-11-01

A soft thermal sensor with mechanical adaptability is fabricated by the combination of single-wall carbon nanotubes with carboxyl groups and self-healing polymers. This study demonstrates that this soft sensor has excellent thermal response and mechanical adaptability. It shows tremendous promise for improving the service life of soft artificial-intelligence robots and protecting thermally sensitive electronics from the risk of damage by high temperature. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Integrating soft sensor systems using conductive thread

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, Lijun; Jeronimo, Karina; Wei, Tianqi; Nemitz, Markus P.; Lyu, Geng; Stokes, Adam A.

2018-05-01

We are part of a growing community of researchers who are developing a new class of soft machines. By using mechanically soft materials (MPa modulus) we can design systems which overcome the bulk-mechanical mismatches between soft biological systems and hard engineered components. To develop fully integrated soft machines—which include power, communications, and control sub-systems—the research community requires methods for interconnecting between soft and hard electronics. Sensors based upon eutectic gallium alloys in microfluidic channels can be used to measure normal and strain forces, but integrating these sensors into systems of heterogeneous Young’s modulus is difficult due the complexity of finding a material which is electrically conductive, mechanically flexible, and stable over prolonged periods of time. Many existing gallium-based liquid alloy sensors are not mechanically or electrically robust, and have poor stability over time. We present the design and fabrication of a high-resolution pressure-sensor soft system that can transduce normal force into a digital output. In this soft system, which is built on a monolithic silicone substrate, a galinstan-based microfluidic pressure sensor is integrated with a flexible printed circuit board. We used conductive thread as the interconnect and found that this method alleviates problems arising due to the mechanical mismatch between conventional metal wires and soft or liquid materials. Conductive thread is low-cost, it is readily wetted by the liquid metal, it produces little bending moment into the microfluidic channel, and it can be connected directly onto the copper bond-pads of the flexible printed circuit board. We built a bridge-system to provide stable readings from the galinstan pressure sensor. This system gives linear measurement results between 500-3500 Pa of applied pressure. We anticipate that integrated systems of this type will find utility in soft-robotic systems as used for wearable

Scaling in soft spheres: fragility invariance on the repulsive potential softness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michele, Cristiano De; Sciortino, Francesco; Coniglio, Antonio

2004-01-01

We address the question of the dependence of the fragility of glass forming supercooled liquids on the 'softness' of an interacting potential by performing numerical simulation of a binary mixture of soft spheres with different power n of the interparticle repulsive potential. We show that the temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficients for various n collapses onto a universal curve, supporting the unexpected view that fragility is not related to the hard core repulsion. We also find that the configurational entropy correlates with the slowing down of the dynamics for all studied n. (letter to the editor)

4th World Conference on Soft Computing

CERN Document Server

Abbasov, Ali; Yager, Ronald; Shahbazova, Shahnaz; Reformat, Marek

2016-01-01

This book reports on advanced theories and cutting-edge applications in the field of soft computing. The individual chapters, written by leading researchers, are based on contributions presented during the 4th World Conference on Soft Computing, held May 25-27, 2014, in Berkeley. The book covers a wealth of key topics in soft computing, focusing on both fundamental aspects and applications. The former include fuzzy mathematics, type-2 fuzzy sets, evolutionary-based optimization, aggregation and neural networks, while the latter include soft computing in data analysis, image processing, decision-making, classification, series prediction, economics, control, and modeling. By providing readers with a timely, authoritative view on the field, and by discussing thought-provoking developments and challenges, the book will foster new research directions in the diverse areas of soft computing. .

Soft Computing Applications : Proceedings of the 5th International Workshop Soft Computing Applications

CERN Document Server

Fodor, János; Várkonyi-Kóczy, Annamária; Dombi, Joszef; Jain, Lakhmi

2013-01-01

                This volume contains the Proceedings of the 5thInternational Workshop on Soft Computing Applications (SOFA 2012).                                The book covers a broad spectrum of soft computing techniques, theoretical and practical applications employing knowledge and intelligence to find solutions for world industrial, economic and medical problems. The combination of such intelligent systems tools and a large number of applications introduce a need for a synergy of scientific and technological disciplines in order to show the great potential of Soft Computing in all domains.                   The conference papers included in these proceedings, published post conference, were grouped into the following area of research: ·         Soft Computing and Fusion Algorithms in Biometrics, ·         Fuzzy Theory, Control andApplications, ·         Modelling and Control Applications, ·         Steps towa...

Q-Neutrosophic Soft Relation and Its Application in Decision Making

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Majdoleen Abu Qamar

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Q-neutrosophic soft sets are essentially neutrosophic soft sets characterized by three independent two-dimensional membership functions which stand for uncertainty, indeterminacy and falsity. Thus, it can be applied to two-dimensional imprecise, indeterminate and inconsistent data which appear in most real life problems. Relations are a suitable tool for describing correspondences between objects. In this study we introduce and discuss Q-neutrosophic soft relations, which can be discussed as a generalization of fuzzy soft relations, intuitionistic fuzzy soft relations, and neutrosophic soft relations. Q-neutrosophic soft relation is a sub Q-neutrosophic soft set of the Cartesian product of the Q-neutrosophic soft sets, in other words Q-neutrosophic soft relation is Q-neutrosophic soft sets in a Cartesian product of universes. We also present the notions of inverse, composition of Q-neutrosophic soft relations and functions along with some related theorems and properties. Reflexivity, symmetry, transitivity as well as equivalence relations and equivalence classes of Q-neutrosophic soft relations are also defined. Some properties of these concepts are presented and supported by real life examples. Finally, an algorithm to solve decision making problems using Q-neutrosophic soft relations is developed and verified by an example to show the efficiency of this method.

Radionuclide imaging of soft tissue neoplasms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chew, F.S.; Hudson, T.M.; Enneking, W.F.

1981-01-01

Two classes of radiopharmaceuticals may be used for imaging tumors of the musculoskeletal system. The first is comprised of soft tissue or tumor specific agents such as gallium-67, bleomycin, and radionuclide-labeled antibodies, which may be useful for detecting and localizing these tumors. The other class of tracer is comprised of those with avidity for bone. The 99mTc-labeled-phosphate skeletal imaging compounds have been found to localize in a variety of soft tissue lesions, including benign and malignant tumors. In 1972, Enneking began to include bone scans in the preoperative evaluation of soft tissue masses. Later, he and his associates reported that these scans were useful in planning operative treatment of sarcomas by detecting involvement of bone by the tumors. Nearly all malignant soft tissue tumors take up bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals, and bone involvement was indicated in two-thirds of the scans we reviewed. About half of benign soft tissue lesions had normal scans, but the other half showed uptake within the lesion and a few also showed bone involvement. Careful, thorough imaging technique is essential to proper evaluation. Multiple, high-resolution static gamma camera images in different projections are necessary to adequately demonstrate the presence or absence of soft tissue abnormality and to define the precise relationship of the tumor to the adjacent bone

Slow food: sustained impact of harder foods on the reduction in energy intake over the course of the day.

Science.gov (United States)

Bolhuis, Dieuwerke P; Forde, Ciarán G; Cheng, Yuejiao; Xu, Haohuan; Martin, Nathalie; de Graaf, Cees

2014-01-01

Previous research has shown that oral processing characteristics like bite size and oral residence duration are related to the satiating efficiency of foods. Oral processing characteristics are influenced by food texture. Very little research has been done on the effect of food texture within solid foods on energy intake. The first objective was to investigate the effect of hardness of food on energy intake at lunch, and to link this effect to differences in food oral processing characteristics. The second objective was to investigate whether the reduction in energy intake at lunch will be compensated for in the subsequent dinner. Fifty subjects (11 male, BMI: 21±2 kg/m2, age: 24±2 y) participated in a cross-over study in which they consumed ad libitum from a lunch with soft foods or hard foods on two separate days. Oral processing characteristics at lunch were assessed by coding video records. Later on the same days, subjects consumed dinner ad libitum. Hard foods led to a ∼13% lower energy intake at lunch compared to soft foods (Pfoods were consumed with smaller bites, longer oral duration per gram food, and more chewing per gram food compared to the soft foods (Pfoods led to reduced energy intake compared to soft foods, and this reduction in energy intake was sustained over the next meal. We argue that the differences in oral processing characteristics produced by the hardness of the foods explain the effect on intake. The sustained reduction in energy intake suggests that changes in food texture can be a helpful tool in reducing the overall daily energy intake.

An electromechanical based deformable model for soft tissue simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Yongmin; Shirinzadeh, Bijan; Smith, Julian; Gu, Chengfan

2009-11-01

Soft tissue deformation is of great importance to surgery simulation. Although a significant amount of research efforts have been dedicated to simulating the behaviours of soft tissues, modelling of soft tissue deformation is still a challenging problem. This paper presents a new deformable model for simulation of soft tissue deformation from the electromechanical viewpoint of soft tissues. Soft tissue deformation is formulated as a reaction-diffusion process coupled with a mechanical load. The mechanical load applied to a soft tissue to cause a deformation is incorporated into the reaction-diffusion system, and consequently distributed among mass points of the soft tissue. Reaction-diffusion of mechanical load and non-rigid mechanics of motion are combined to govern the simulation dynamics of soft tissue deformation. An improved reaction-diffusion model is developed to describe the distribution of the mechanical load in soft tissues. A three-layer artificial cellular neural network is constructed to solve the reaction-diffusion model for real-time simulation of soft tissue deformation. A gradient based method is established to derive internal forces from the distribution of the mechanical load. Integration with a haptic device has also been achieved to simulate soft tissue deformation with haptic feedback. The proposed methodology does not only predict the typical behaviours of living tissues, but it also accepts both local and large-range deformations. It also accommodates isotropic, anisotropic and inhomogeneous deformations by simple modification of diffusion coefficients.

[Soft contactlenses in general practice (author's transl)].

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, B

1975-07-01

In contrast to the hard lenses the soft lens has enough permeability for oxygen and water-soluble substances, whereas high molecular substances, bacteria and virus cannot penetrate the soft lenses, so long as their surfaces are intact. The two principal production methods, the spin cast method and the lathe-turned method are compared. The duration of wearing of the soft lens depends on the deposits of proteins from the tears on the surface of the lens and the desinfection method. The daily boiling of the lenses shortens their useful life, while chemical desinfection causes besides bacteriolysis, damage of the corneal cell protein. The new cleaners on the base of proteolytic plant enzymes promise good results. For the optical correction of astigmatism with more than 1 cyl, soft lenses with conic outer surface are used or combinations of a soft and a hard lens (Duosystem). The therapeutic use of soft lenses has as aim: protection of the cornea against mechanical irritation, release of pain, protracted administration output of medicaments. Further indications for use: aseptic corneal inflammation and corneal defects.

Time-Resolved Soft X-ray Diffraction Reveals Transient Structural Distortions of Ternary Liquid Crystals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klaus Mann

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Home-based soft X-ray time-resolved scattering experiments with nanosecond time resolution (10 ns and nanometer spatial resolution were carried out at a table top soft X-ray plasma source (2.2–5.2 nm. The investigated system was the lyotropic liquid crystal C16E7/paraffin/glycerol/formamide/IR 5. Usually, major changes in physical, chemical, and/or optical properties of the sample occur as a result of structural changes and shrinking morphology. Here, these effects occur as a consequence of the energy absorption in the sample upon optical laser excitation in the IR regime. The liquid crystal shows changes in the structural response within few hundred nanoseconds showing a time decay of 182 ns. A decrease of the Bragg peak diffracted intensity of 30% and a coherent macroscopic movement of the Bragg reflection are found as a response to the optical pump. The Bragg reflection movement is established to be isotropic and diffusion controlled (1 μs. Structural processes are analyzed in the Patterson analysis framework of the time-varying diffraction peaks revealing that the inter-lamellar distance increases by 2.7 Å resulting in an elongation of the coherently expanding lamella crystallite. The present studies emphasize the possibility of applying TR-SXRD techniques for studying the mechanical dynamics of nanosystems.

Soft errors in modern electronic systems

CERN Document Server

Nicolaidis, Michael

2010-01-01

This book provides a comprehensive presentation of the most advanced research results and technological developments enabling understanding, qualifying and mitigating the soft errors effect in advanced electronics, including the fundamental physical mechanisms of radiation induced soft errors, the various steps that lead to a system failure, the modelling and simulation of soft error at various levels (including physical, electrical, netlist, event driven, RTL, and system level modelling and simulation), hardware fault injection, accelerated radiation testing and natural environment testing, s

Soft Sensors - Modern Chemical Engineering Tool

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Bolf

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Control systems and optimization procedures require regular and reliable measurements at the appropriate frequency. At the same time, legal regulations dictate strict product quality specifications and refinery emissions. As a result, a greater number of process variables need to be measured and new expensive process analyzers need to be installed to achieve efficient process control. This involves synergy between plant experts, system analysts and process operators. One of the common problems in industrial plants is the inability of the real time and continuous measurement of key process variables.Absence of key value measurement in a timely manner aggravates control, but it does not mean that it is always an impossible step. As an alternative, the use of soft sensors as a substitute for process analyzers and laboratory testing is suggested. With the soft sensors, the objective is to develop an inferential model to estimate infrequently measured variables and laboratory assays using the frequently measured variables. By development of soft sensors based on measurement of continuous variables (such as flow, temperature, pressure it is possible to estimate the difficult- -to-measure variables as well as product quality and emissions usually carried by laboratory assays.Software sensors, as part of virtual instrumentation, are focused on assessing the system state variables and quality products by applying the model, thus replacing the physical measurement and laboratory analysis. Multiple linear/nonlinear regression methods and artificial intelligence methods (such as neural network, fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms are usually applied in the design of soft sensor models for identification of nonlinear processes.Review of published research and industrial application in the field of soft sensors is given with the methods of soft sensor development and nonlinear dynamic model identification. Based on soft sensors, it is possible to estimate

Soft Active Materials for Actuation, Sensing, and Electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Kramer, Rebecca Krone

Future generations of robots, electronics, and assistive medical devices will include systems that are soft and elastically deformable, allowing them to adapt their morphology in unstructured environments. This will require soft active materials for actuation, circuitry, and sensing of deformation and contact pressure. The emerging field of soft robotics utilizes these soft active materials to mimic the inherent compliance of natural soft-bodied systems. As the elasticity of robot components increases, the challenges for functionality revert to basic questions of fabrication, materials, and design - whereas such aspects are far more developed for traditional rigid-bodied systems. This thesis will highlight preliminary materials and designs that address the need for soft actuators and sensors, as well as emerging fabrication techniques for manufacturing stretchable circuits and devices based on liquid-embedded elastomers.

Dynamics of Soft Matter

CERN Document Server

García Sakai, Victoria; Chen, Sow-Hsin

2012-01-01

Dynamics of Soft Matter: Neutron Applications provides an overview of neutron scattering techniques that measure temporal and spatial correlations simultaneously, at the microscopic and/or mesoscopic scale. These techniques offer answers to new questions arising at the interface of physics, chemistry, and biology. Knowledge of the dynamics at these levels is crucial to understanding the soft matter field, which includes colloids, polymers, membranes, biological macromolecules, foams, emulsions towards biological & biomimetic systems, and phenomena involving wetting, friction, adhesion, or micr

Hard and Soft Governance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moos, Lejf

2009-01-01

of Denmark, and finally the third layer: the leadership used in Danish schools. The use of 'soft governance' is shifting the focus of governance and leadership from decisions towards influence and power and thus shifting the focus of the processes from the decision-making itself towards more focus......The governance and leadership at transnational, national and school level seem to be converging into a number of isomorphic forms as we see a tendency towards substituting 'hard' forms of governance, that are legally binding, with 'soft' forms based on persuasion and advice. This article analyses...... and discusses governance forms at several levels. The first layer is the global: the methods of 'soft governance' that are being utilised by transnational agencies. The second layer is the national and local: the shift in national and local governance seen in many countries, but here demonstrated in the case...

Glass transition of soft colloids

Science.gov (United States)

Philippe, Adrian-Marie; Truzzolillo, Domenico; Galvan-Myoshi, Julian; Dieudonné-George, Philippe; Trappe, Véronique; Berthier, Ludovic; Cipelletti, Luca

2018-04-01

We explore the glassy dynamics of soft colloids using microgels and charged particles interacting by steric and screened Coulomb interactions, respectively. In the supercooled regime, the structural relaxation time τα of both systems grows steeply with volume fraction, reminiscent of the behavior of colloidal hard spheres. Computer simulations confirm that the growth of τα on approaching the glass transition is independent of particle softness. By contrast, softness becomes relevant at very large packing fractions when the system falls out of equilibrium. In this nonequilibrium regime, τα depends surprisingly weakly on packing fraction, and time correlation functions exhibit a compressed exponential decay consistent with stress-driven relaxation. The transition to this novel regime coincides with the onset of an anomalous decrease in local order with increasing density typical of ultrasoft systems. We propose that these peculiar dynamics results from the combination of the nonequilibrium aging dynamics expected in the glassy state and the tendency of colloids interacting through soft potentials to refluidize at high packing fractions.

Vibrio cholerae Colonization of Soft-Shelled Turtles.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jiazheng; Yan, Meiying; Gao, He; Lu, Xin; Kan, Biao

2017-07-15

Vibrio cholerae is an important human pathogen and environmental microflora species that can both propagate in the human intestine and proliferate in zooplankton and aquatic organisms. Cholera is transmitted through food and water. In recent years, outbreaks caused by V. cholerae -contaminated soft-shelled turtles, contaminated mainly with toxigenic serogroup O139, have been frequently reported, posing a new foodborne disease public health problem. In this study, the colonization by toxigenic V. cholerae on the body surfaces and intestines of soft-shelled turtles was explored. Preferred colonization sites on the turtle body surfaces, mainly the carapace and calipash of the dorsal side, were observed for the O139 and O1 strains. Intestinal colonization was also found. The colonization factors of V. cholerae played different roles in the colonization of the soft-shelled turtle's body surface and intestine. Mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin (MSHA) of V. cholerae was necessary for body surface colonization, but no roles were found for toxin-coregulated pili (TCP) or N -acetylglucosamine-binding protein A (GBPA). Both TCP and GBPA play important roles for colonization in the intestine, whereas the deletion of MSHA revealed only a minor colonization-promoting role for this factor. Our study demonstrated that V. cholerae can colonize the surfaces and the intestines of soft-shelled turtles and indicated that the soft-shelled turtles played a role in the transmission of cholera. In addition, this study showed that the soft-shelled turtle has potential value as an animal model in studies of the colonization and environmental adaption mechanisms of V. cholerae in aquatic organisms. IMPORTANCE Cholera is transmitted through water and food. Soft-shelled turtles contaminated with Vibrio cholerae (commonly the serogroup O139 strains) have caused many foodborne infections and outbreaks in recent years, and they have become a foodborne disease problem. Except for epidemiological

Spectator interactions in soft-collinear effective theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, Richard J.; Neubert, Matthias

2003-01-01

Soft-collinear effective theory is generalized to include soft massless quarks in addition to collinear fields. This extension is necessary for the treatment of interactions with the soft spectator quark in a heavy meson. The power counting of the relevant fields and the construction of the effective Lagrangian are discussed at leading order in Λ/m b . Several novel effects occur in the matching of full-theory amplitudes onto effective-theory operators containing soft light quarks, such as the appearance of an intermediate mass scale and large non-localities of operators on scales of order 1/Λ. Important examples of effective-theory operators with soft light quarks are studied and their renormalization properties explored. The formalism presented here forms the basis for a systematic analysis of factorization and power corrections for any exclusive B-meson decay into light particles

Spectator Interactions in Soft-Collinear Effective Theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, Richard J

2002-01-01

Soft-collinear effective theory is generalized to include soft massless quarks in addition to collinear fields. This extension is necessary for the treatment of interactions with the soft spectator quark in a heavy meson. The power counting of the relevant fields and the construction of the effective Lagrangian are discussed at leading order in Λ/m b . Several novel effects occur in the matching of full-theory amplitudes onto effective-theory operators containing soft light quarks, such as the appearance of an intermediate mass scale and large non-localities of operators on scales of order 1/Λ. Important examples of effective-theory operators with soft light quarks are studied and their renormalization properties explored. The formalism presented here forms the basis for a systematic analysis of factorization and power corrections for any exclusive B-meson decay into light particles

Hard evidence on soft skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Heckman, James J; Kautz, Tim

2012-08-01

This paper summarizes recent evidence on what achievement tests measure; how achievement tests relate to other measures of "cognitive ability" like IQ and grades; the important skills that achievement tests miss or mismeasure, and how much these skills matter in life. Achievement tests miss, or perhaps more accurately, do not adequately capture, soft skills -personality traits, goals, motivations, and preferences that are valued in the labor market, in school, and in many other domains. The larger message of this paper is that soft skills predict success in life, that they causally produce that success, and that programs that enhance soft skills have an important place in an effective portfolio of public policies.

Democratic Educational Leadership as Decency

Science.gov (United States)

Sernak, Kathleen S.

2010-01-01

The primary priority for an educational leader in a democracy is decency. The author understands decency as showing compassion, respect, love, and caring for one another. That may sound soft and fuzzy, but she believes it is one of the harder things to do as a leader. It is fundamental to everything written about democracy--the need for dialogue;…

Musculoskeletal Application of Ultrasound Elastography: Soft Tissue Lipoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Ja Young; Hong, Sung Hwan; Yoo, Hye Jin; Kim, Su Jin

2010-01-01

Real-time freehand elastography. Conventional ultrasonography (US) and real-time freehand US elastography were performed in nine patients (M:F = 4:5: mean age, 53 years: 29-64 years) with soft-tissue lipoma confirmed by surgical resection. The elastogram was color-coded by 256 scales according to the degree of strain induced by light compression. The relative strains for lipoma and surrounding soft tissue were measured and mean strains were examined by using a Wilcoxon signed rank test. The elastograms showed red to sky-blue color in all lipomas and predominantly black in surrounding soft tissue. The mean relative strain (±standard deviation) was 67.9±28.5, 77.1±25.3, 63.3±31.2, and 15.7±18.3 for total, intramuscular, and subcutaneous lipoma, and surrounding soft tissue, respectively. The mean strain of the lipoma was significantly higher than one of surrounding soft tissue (p = .008, Wilcoxon signed rank test). Real-time elastography yields characteristic elastographic features of soft tissue lipoma distinguishing from those of adjacent soft tissues

The decline of soft power?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Vladimirovna Pimenova

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the origins and stages of the evolution of the concept of “soft power” in the political practice of the key countries in the world. This concept is both theoretical and practical product since it synthesizes and represents the direction of the application by a state its of social and political resources. It is significant to trace the transformation of the views of the author of the term J. Nye on the essential elements and mechanisms of “soft power”. The author examines the concept of “soft power” as an element of the US strategy to maintain its leadership in the world. In this regard, for other countries the use of “soft power” may be less effective for their own political purposes, because the concept is tuned to the specific characteristics of US policy. Moreover, with change in the international environment, Wash-ington modernizes the concept, of “smart power”. The author draws attention to the fact that the conditions for the use of turning it in “soft power” are likely to have been changed for the other states. The author concludes that there is a need to revise the existing theoretical approaches to the image of the state in the international arena and to develop new tools that can take into account the complex cultural, tourism, educational opportunities and achievements of every state.

3D printing for soft robotics – a review

Science.gov (United States)

Gul, Jahan Zeb; Sajid, Memoon; Rehman, Muhammad Muqeet; Siddiqui, Ghayas Uddin; Shah, Imran; Kim, Kyung-Hwan; Lee, Jae-Wook; Choi, Kyung Hyun

2018-01-01

Abstract Soft robots have received an increasing attention due to their advantages of high flexibility and safety for human operators but the fabrication is a challenge. Recently, 3D printing has been used as a key technology to fabricate soft robots because of high quality and printing multiple materials at the same time. Functional soft materials are particularly well suited for soft robotics due to a wide range of stimulants and sensitive demonstration of large deformations, high motion complexities and varied multi-functionalities. This review comprises a detailed survey of 3D printing in soft robotics. The development of key 3D printing technologies and new materials along with composites for soft robotic applications is investigated. A brief summary of 3D-printed soft devices suitable for medical to industrial applications is also included. The growing research on both 3D printing and soft robotics needs a summary of the major reported studies and the authors believe that this review article serves the purpose. PMID:29707065

Parton showers with quantum interference

CERN Document Server

Nagy, Zoltan

2007-01-01

We specify recursive equations that could be used to generate a lowest order parton shower for hard scattering in hadron-hadron collisions. The formalism is based on the factorization soft and collinear interactions from relatively harder interactions in QCD amplitudes. It incorporates quantum interference between different amplitudes in those cases in which the interference diagrams have leading soft or collinear singularities. It incorporates the color and spin information carried by partons emerging from a hard interaction. One motivation for this work is to have a method that can naturally cooperate with next-to-leading order calculations.

Parton showers with quantum interference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagy, Zoltan; Soper, Davison E.

2007-01-01

We specify recursive equations that could be used to generate a lowest order parton shower for hard scattering in hadron-hadron collisions. The formalism is based on the factorization soft and collinear interactions from relatively harder interactions in QCD amplitudes. It incorporates quantum interference between different amplitudes in those cases in which the interference diagrams have leading soft or collinear singularities. It incorporates the color and spin information carried by partons emerging from a hard interaction. One motivation for this work is to have a method that can naturally cooperate with next-to-leading order calculations

A Recipe for Soft Fluidic Elastomer Robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Marchese, Andrew D; Katzschmann, Robert K; Rus, Daniela

2015-03-01

This work provides approaches to designing and fabricating soft fluidic elastomer robots. That is, three viable actuator morphologies composed entirely from soft silicone rubber are explored, and these morphologies are differentiated by their internal channel structure, namely, ribbed, cylindrical, and pleated. Additionally, three distinct casting-based fabrication processes are explored: lamination-based casting, retractable-pin-based casting, and lost-wax-based casting. Furthermore, two ways of fabricating a multiple DOF robot are explored: casting the complete robot as a whole and casting single degree of freedom (DOF) segments with subsequent concatenation. We experimentally validate each soft actuator morphology and fabrication process by creating multiple physical soft robot prototypes.

Building China’s soft power for a peaceful rise

OpenAIRE

Li, Xin; Worm, Verner

2009-01-01

With China’s rapid economic progress and steady increase in its international influence, China has gradually embarked on the soft power idea and has made developing its soft power as its national strategy. We argue that China’s soft power strategy is in accordance to Chinese Confucian culture and political value and fits well with its grand strategy of peaceful rise. Based on existing conceptualizations of soft power, we expanded the sources of soft power to six pillars: cul...

Is Marathon Training Harder than the Ironman Training? An ECO-method Comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Esteve-Lanao, Jonathan; Moreno-Pérez, Diego; Cardona, Claudia A; Larumbe-Zabala, Eneko; Muñoz, Iker; Sellés, Sergio; Cejuela, Roberto

2017-01-01

Purpose: To compare the absolute and relative training load of the Marathon (42k) and the Ironman (IM) training in recreational trained athletes. Methods: Fifteen Marathoners and Fifteen Triathletes participated in the study. Their performance level was the same relative to the sex's absolute winner at the race. No differences were presented neither in age, nor in body weight, height, BMI, running VO 2max max, or endurance training experience ( p > 0.05). They all trained systematically for their respective event (IM or 42k). Daily training load was recorded in a training log, and the last 16 weeks were compared. Before this, gas exchange and lactate metabolic tests were conducted in order to set individual training zones. The Objective Load Scale (ECOs) training load quantification method was applied. Differences between IM and 42k athletes' outcomes were assessed using Student's test and significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: As expected, Competition Time was significantly different (IM 11 h 45 min ± 1 h 54 min vs. 42k 3 h 6 min ± 28 min, p < 0.001). Similarly, Training Weekly Avg Time (IM 12.9 h ± 2.6 vs. 42k 5.2 ± 0.9), and Average Weekly ECOs (IM 834 ± 171 vs. 42k 526 ± 118) were significantly higher in IM ( p < 0.001). However, the Ratio between Training Load and Training Time was superior for 42k runners when comparing ECOs (IM 65.8 ± 11.8 vs. 42k 99.3 ± 6.8) ( p < 0.001). Finally, all ratios between training time or load vs. Competition Time were superior for 42k ( p < 0.001) (Training Time/Race Time: IM 1.1 ± 0.3 vs. 42k 1.7 ± 0.5), (ECOs Training Load/Race Time: IM 1.2 ± 0.3 vs. 42k 2.9 ± 1.0). Conclusions: In spite of IM athletes' superior training time and total or weekly training load, when comparing the ratios between training load and training time, and training time or training load vs. competition time, the preparation of a 42k showed to be harder.

Is Marathon Training Harder than the Ironman Training? An ECO-method Comparison

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan Esteve-Lanao

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To compare the absolute and relative training load of the Marathon (42k and the Ironman (IM training in recreational trained athletes.Methods: Fifteen Marathoners and Fifteen Triathletes participated in the study. Their performance level was the same relative to the sex's absolute winner at the race. No differences were presented neither in age, nor in body weight, height, BMI, running VO2max max, or endurance training experience (p > 0.05. They all trained systematically for their respective event (IM or 42k. Daily training load was recorded in a training log, and the last 16 weeks were compared. Before this, gas exchange and lactate metabolic tests were conducted in order to set individual training zones. The Objective Load Scale (ECOs training load quantification method was applied. Differences between IM and 42k athletes' outcomes were assessed using Student's test and significance level was set at p < 0.05.Results: As expected, Competition Time was significantly different (IM 11 h 45 min ± 1 h 54 min vs. 42k 3 h 6 min ± 28 min, p < 0.001. Similarly, Training Weekly Avg Time (IM 12.9 h ± 2.6 vs. 42k 5.2 ± 0.9, and Average Weekly ECOs (IM 834 ± 171 vs. 42k 526 ± 118 were significantly higher in IM (p < 0.001. However, the Ratio between Training Load and Training Time was superior for 42k runners when comparing ECOs (IM 65.8 ± 11.8 vs. 42k 99.3 ± 6.8 (p < 0.001. Finally, all ratios between training time or load vs. Competition Time were superior for 42k (p < 0.001 (Training Time/Race Time: IM 1.1 ± 0.3 vs. 42k 1.7 ± 0.5, (ECOs Training Load/Race Time: IM 1.2 ± 0.3 vs. 42k 2.9 ± 1.0.Conclusions: In spite of IM athletes' superior training time and total or weekly training load, when comparing the ratios between training load and training time, and training time or training load vs. competition time, the preparation of a 42k showed to be harder.

States reducing solar's soft costs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meehan, Chris

2012-07-01

In 2012 the costs of modules will drop below the balance of system costs or 'soft costs' of solar in the US. Federal policy that nationalizes permitting processes could reduce some of the soft costs, but is unlikely. That's why states like California, Colorado, Connecticut and Vermont passed own laws to reduce soft costs by speeding solar permitting and reducing fees. (orig.)

Bioinspired Soft Actuation System Using Shape Memory Alloys

OpenAIRE

Cianchetti, Matteo; Licofonte, Alessia; Follador, Maurizio; Rogai, Francesco; Laschi, Cecilia

2014-01-01

Soft robotics requires technologies that are capable of generating forces even though the bodies are composed of very light, flexible and soft elements. A soft actuation mechanism was developed in this work, taking inspiration from the arm of the Octopus vulgaris, specifically from the muscular hydrostat which represents its constitutive muscular structure. On the basis of the authors’ previous works on shape memory alloy (SMA) springs used as soft actuators, a specific arrangement of such SM...

Histopathologic and immunohistochemical features of soft palate muscles and nerves in dogs with an elongated soft palate.

Science.gov (United States)

Arai, Kiyotaka; Kobayashi, Masanori; Harada, Yasuji; Hara, Yasushi; Michishita, Masaki; Ohkusu-Tsukada, Kozo; Takahashi, Kimimasa

2016-01-01

To histologically evaluate and compare features of myofibers within the elongated soft palate (ESP) of brachycephalic and mesocephalic dogs with those in the soft palate of healthy dogs and to assess whether denervation or muscular dystrophy is associated with soft palate elongation. Soft palate specimens from 24 dogs with ESPs (obtained during surgical intervention) and from 14 healthy Beagles (control group). All the soft palate specimens underwent histologic examination to assess myofiber atrophy, hypertrophy, hyalinization, and regeneration. The degrees of atrophy and hypertrophy were quantified on the basis of the coefficient of variation and the number of myofibers with hyalinization and regeneration. The specimens also underwent immunohistochemical analysis with anti-neurofilament or anti-dystrophin antibody to confirm the distribution of peripheral nerve branches innervating the palatine myofibers and myofiber dystrophin expression, respectively. Myofiber atrophy, hypertrophy, hyalinization, and regeneration were identified in almost all the ESP specimens. Degrees of atrophy and hypertrophy were significantly greater in the ESP specimens, compared with the control specimens. There were fewer palatine peripheral nerve branches in the ESP specimens than in the control specimens. Almost all the myofibers in the ESP and control specimens were dystrophin positive. These results suggested that palatine myopathy in dogs may be caused, at least in part, by denervation of the palatine muscles and not by Duchenne- or Becker-type muscular dystrophy. These soft palate changes may contribute to upper airway collapse and the progression of brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome.

Technological Health Intervention in Population Aging to Assist People to Work Smarter not Harder: Qualitative Study

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

Background Technology-based health care has been promoted as an effective tool to enable clinicians to work smarter. However, some health stakeholders believe technology will compel users to work harder by creating extra work. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate how and why electronic health (eHealth) has been applied in Taiwan and to suggest implications that may inspire other countries facing similar challenges. Methods A qualitative methodology was adopted to obtain insightful inputs from deeper probing. Taiwan was selected as a typical case study, given its aging population, advanced technology, and comprehensive health care system. This study investigated 38 stakeholders in the health care ecosystem through in-depth interviews and focus groups, which provides an open, flexible, and enlightening way to study complex, dynamic, and interactive situations through informal conversation or a more structured, directed discussion. Results First, respondents indicated that the use of technology can enable seamless patient care and clinical benefits such as flexibility in time management. Second, the results suggested that a leader’s vision, authority, and management skills might influence success in health care innovation. Finally, the results implied that both internal and external organizational governance are highly relevant for implementing technology-based innovation in health care. Conclusions This study provided Taiwanese perspectives on how to intelligently use technology to benefit health care and debated the perception that technology prevents human interaction between clinicians and patients. PMID:29301736

Infrared, terahertz, and microwave spectroscopy of the soft and central modes in Pb (M g1 /3N b2 /3 ) O3

Science.gov (United States)

Nuzhnyy, D.; Petzelt, J.; Bovtun, V.; Kempa, M.; Kamba, S.; Hlinka, J.; Hehlen, B.

2017-11-01

From the new infrared (IR) reflectivity and time-domain terahertz spectra combined with available high-frequency dielectric data above the megahertz range in a broad temperature range of 10 to 900 K, a full picture of the soft- and central-mode behavior in the classical relaxor ferroelectric Pb (M g1 /3N b2 /3 ) O3 (PMN) is suggested. A detailed comparison is made with the recent hyper-Raman spectroscopy data [Hehlen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 155501 (2016), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.155501] and also with other available experiments based on inelastic light and neutron scattering. It is revealed that each type of experiment provides slightly different data. The closest agreement is with the hyper-Raman data: both techniques yield the same number of soft-mode components and the same high-temperature softening towards the temperature T*≈400 K . In addition to evaluation of the IR-terahertz data using fitting with the standard factorized form of the dielectric function, we performed a successful fitting of the same data using the effective medium approach (EMA), originally based on the assumption that the mesoscopic structure of PMN consists of randomly oriented uniaxially anisotropic polar nanodomains (PNDs) with somewhat harder transverse optical polar modes in the direction along the local PND dipole [Hlinka et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 027601 (2006), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.027601]. Evaluation using Bruggeman EMA modeling has been successfully applied in the entire investigated temperature range. These results suggest that the response perpendicular to the local dipole moment, at high temperatures induced by random fields rather than PNDs, undergoes a classical softening from high temperatures with permittivity obeying the Curie-Weiss law, ɛ⊥=C /(T -TC) , where C =1.7 ×105K and TC=380 K , whereas the response parallel to it shows no softening. Below the Burns temperature, ˜620 K , a gigahertz relaxation ascribed to flipping of the PNDs emerges from the soft

Modelling and mitigation of soft-errors in CMOS processors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rohani, A.

2014-01-01

The topic of this thesis is about soft-errors in digital systems. Different aspects of soft-errors have been addressed here, including an accurate simulation model to emulate soft-errors in a gate-level net list, a simulation framework to study the impact of soft-errors in a VHDL design and an

Levitation properties of maglev systems using soft ferromagnets

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chen-Guang; Zhou, You-He

2015-03-01

Soft ferromagnets are widely used as flux-concentration materials in the design of guideways for superconducting magnetic levitation transport systems. In order to fully understand the influence of soft ferromagnets on the levitation performance, in this work we apply a numerical model based on the functional minimization method and the Bean’s critical state model to study the levitation properties of an infinitely long superconductor immersed in the magnetic field created by a guideway of different sets of infinitely long parallel permanent magnets with soft ferromagnets between them. The levitation force, guidance force, magnetic stiffness and magnetic pole density are calculated considering the coupling between the superconductor and soft ferromagnets. The results show that the levitation performance is closely associated with the permanent magnet configuration and with the location and dimension of the soft ferromagnets. Introducing the soft ferromagnet with a certain width in a few configurations always decreases the levitation force. However, for most configurations, the soft ferromagnets contribute to improve the levitation performance only when they have particular locations and dimensions in which the optimized location and thickness exist to increase the levitation force the most. Moreover, if the superconductor is laterally disturbed, the presence of soft ferromagnets can effectively improve the lateral stability for small lateral displacement and reduce the degradation of levitation force.

Positive Implicative Ideals of BCK-Algebras Based on Intersectional Soft Sets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eun Hwan Roh

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to lay a foundation for providing a soft algebraic tool in considering many problems that contain uncertainties. In order to provide these soft algebraic structures, the notion of int-soft positive implicative ideals is introduced, and related properties are investigated. Relations between an int-soft ideal and an int-soft positive implicative ideal are established. Characterizations of an int-soft positive implicative ideal are obtained. Extension property for an int-soft positive implicative ideal is constructed. The ∧-product and ∨-product of int-soft positive implicative ideals are considered, and the soft intersection (resp., union of int-soft positive implicative ideals is discussed.

On Some Nonclassical Algebraic Properties of Interval-Valued Fuzzy Soft Sets

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Interval-valued fuzzy soft sets realize a hybrid soft computing model in a general framework. Both Molodtsov's soft sets and interval-valued fuzzy sets can be seen as special cases of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets. In this study, we first compare four different types of interval-valued fuzzy soft subsets and reveal the relations among them. Then we concentrate on investigating some nonclassical algebraic properties of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets under the soft product operations. We show that some fundamental algebraic properties including the commutative and associative laws do not hold in the conventional sense, but hold in weaker forms characterized in terms of the relation =L. We obtain a number of algebraic inequalities of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets characterized by interval-valued fuzzy soft inclusions. We also establish the weak idempotent law and the weak absorptive law of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets using interval-valued fuzzy soft J-equal relations. It is revealed that the soft product operations ∧ and ∨ of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets do not always have similar algebraic properties. Moreover, we find that only distributive inequalities described by the interval-valued fuzzy soft L-inclusions hold for interval-valued fuzzy soft sets. PMID:25143964

On Some Nonclassical Algebraic Properties of Interval-Valued Fuzzy Soft Sets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyan Liu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Interval-valued fuzzy soft sets realize a hybrid soft computing model in a general framework. Both Molodtsov’s soft sets and interval-valued fuzzy sets can be seen as special cases of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets. In this study, we first compare four different types of interval-valued fuzzy soft subsets and reveal the relations among them. Then we concentrate on investigating some nonclassical algebraic properties of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets under the soft product operations. We show that some fundamental algebraic properties including the commutative and associative laws do not hold in the conventional sense, but hold in weaker forms characterized in terms of the relation =L. We obtain a number of algebraic inequalities of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets characterized by interval-valued fuzzy soft inclusions. We also establish the weak idempotent law and the weak absorptive law of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets using interval-valued fuzzy soft J-equal relations. It is revealed that the soft product operations ∧ and ∨ of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets do not always have similar algebraic properties. Moreover, we find that only distributive inequalities described by the interval-valued fuzzy soft L-inclusions hold for interval-valued fuzzy soft sets.

On some nonclassical algebraic properties of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaoyan; Feng, Feng; Zhang, Hui

2014-01-01

Interval-valued fuzzy soft sets realize a hybrid soft computing model in a general framework. Both Molodtsov's soft sets and interval-valued fuzzy sets can be seen as special cases of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets. In this study, we first compare four different types of interval-valued fuzzy soft subsets and reveal the relations among them. Then we concentrate on investigating some nonclassical algebraic properties of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets under the soft product operations. We show that some fundamental algebraic properties including the commutative and associative laws do not hold in the conventional sense, but hold in weaker forms characterized in terms of the relation = L . We obtain a number of algebraic inequalities of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets characterized by interval-valued fuzzy soft inclusions. We also establish the weak idempotent law and the weak absorptive law of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets using interval-valued fuzzy soft J-equal relations. It is revealed that the soft product operations ∧ and ∨ of interval-valued fuzzy soft sets do not always have similar algebraic properties. Moreover, we find that only distributive inequalities described by the interval-valued fuzzy soft L-inclusions hold for interval-valued fuzzy soft sets.

Nonlinear Properties of Soft Glass Waveguides

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steffensen, Henrik

-infrared applications and the THz applications. In the mid-infrared, it is investigated whether soft glasses are a suitable candidate for supercontinuum generation (SCG). A few commercially available fluoride fibers are tested for their zero dispersion wavelength (ZDW), a key property when determining the possibility......This thesis builds around the investigation into using soft glass materials for midinfrared and THz applications. Soft glasses is a term that cov ers a wide range of chemical compositions where many are yet to be fully investigated. The work in this thesis is separated in two parts, the mid...... of SCG in a fiber. A group of soft glasses, namely the chalcogenides, are known to display two photon absorption (TPA) which could potentially limit the SCG when this is initiated within the frequency range where this nonlinear process occur. An analytic model is presented to estimate the soliton self...

A Simulation-Based Soft Error Estimation Methodology for Computer Systems

OpenAIRE

Sugihara, Makoto; Ishihara, Tohru; Hashimoto, Koji; Muroyama, Masanori

2006-01-01

This paper proposes a simulation-based soft error estimation methodology for computer systems. Accumulating soft error rates (SERs) of all memories in a computer system results in pessimistic soft error estimation. This is because memory cells are used spatially and temporally and not all soft errors in them make the computer system faulty. Our soft-error estimation methodology considers the locations and the timings of soft errors occurring at every level of memory hierarchy and estimates th...

Strain-accelerated dynamics of soft colloidal glasses

KAUST Repository

Agarwal, Praveen

2011-04-11

We have investigated strain-accelerated dynamics of soft glasses theoretically and experimentally. Mechanical rheology measurements performed on a variety of systems reveal evidence for the speeding-up of relaxation at modest shear strains in both step and oscillatory shear flows. Using the soft glassy rheology (SGR) model framework, we show that the observed behavior is a fundamental, but heretofore unexplored attribute of soft glasses. © 2011 American Physical Society.

A compact scanning soft X-ray microscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trail, J.A.

1989-01-01

Soft x-ray microscopes operating at wavelengths between 2.3 nm and 4.4 nm are capable of imaging wet biological cells with a resolution many times that of a visible light microscope. Several such soft x-ray microscopes have been constructed. However, with the exception of contact microscopes, all use synchrotrons as the source of soft x-ray radiation and Fresnel zone plates as the focusing optics. These synchrotron based microscopes are very successful but have the disadvantage of limited access. This dissertation reviews the construction and performance of a compact scanning soft x-ray microscope whose size and accessibility is comparable to that of an electron microscope. The microscope uses a high-brightness laser-produced plasma as the soft x-ray source and normal incidence multilayer-coated mirrors in a Schwarzschild configuration as the focusing optics. The microscope operates at a wavelength of 14 nm, has a spatial resolution of 0.5 μm, and has a soft x-ray photon flux through the focus of 10 4 -10 5 s -1 when operated with only 170 mW of average laser power. The complete system, including the laser, fits on a single 4' x 8' optical table. The significant components of the compact microscope are the laser-produced plasma (LPP) source, the multilayer coatings, and the Schwarzschild objective. These components are reviewed, both with regard to their particular use in the current microscope and with regard to extending the microscope performance to higher resolution, higher speed, and operation at shorter wavelengths. Measurements of soft x-ray emission and debris emission from our present LPP source are presented and considerations given for an optimal LPP source. The LPP source was also used as a broadband soft x-ray source for measurement of normal incidence multilayer mirror reflectance in the 10-25 nm spectral region

"Soft Skills": A Phrase in Search of Meaning

Science.gov (United States)

Matteson, Miriam L.; Anderson, Lorien; Boyden, Cynthia

2016-01-01

Soft skills are a collection of people management skills, important to many professions and job positions, including academic librarianship. Yet the concept of soft skills lacks definition, scope, instrumentation, and systematic education and training. This literature review explores the definition of "soft skills"; contrasts skills with…

Hardware for soft computing and soft computing for hardware

CERN Document Server

Nedjah, Nadia

2014-01-01

Single and Multi-Objective Evolutionary Computation (MOEA),  Genetic Algorithms (GAs), Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Fuzzy Controllers (FCs), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Ant colony Optimization (ACO) are becoming omnipresent in almost every intelligent system design. Unfortunately, the application of the majority of these techniques is complex and so requires a huge computational effort to yield useful and practical results. Therefore, dedicated hardware for evolutionary, neural and fuzzy computation is a key issue for designers. With the spread of reconfigurable hardware such as FPGAs, digital as well as analog hardware implementations of such computation become cost-effective. The idea behind this book is to offer a variety of hardware designs for soft computing techniques that can be embedded in any final product. Also, to introduce the successful application of soft computing technique to solve many hard problem encountered during the design of embedded hardware designs. Reconfigurable em...

Soft physics with a supercollider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, B.

1984-01-01

I discuss a set of possible, more or less adventurous, physics scenarios for the soft physics of a supercollider of 10-20 TeV cms energy. I also present extrapolations of the sizes of different quantities to these immense energies. One should always note that whether we like it or not, some 95-99% of the cross-section is soft physics at all energies. (orig.)

Mechanics of soft materials

CERN Document Server

Volokh, Konstantin

2016-01-01

This book provides a concise introduction to soft matter modelling. It offers an up-to-date review of continuum mechanical description of soft and biological materials from the basics to the latest scientific materials. It includes multi-physics descriptions, such as chemo-, thermo-, electro- mechanical coupling. It derives from a graduate course at Technion that has been established in recent years. It presents original explanations for some standard materials and features elaborated examples on all topics throughout the text. PowerPoint lecture notes can be provided to instructors. .

Soft Pneumatic Actuators for Rehabilitation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guido Belforte

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Pneumatic artificial muscles are pneumatic devices with practical and various applications as common actuators. They, as human muscles, work in agonistic-antagonistic way, giving a traction force only when supplied by compressed air. The state of the art of soft pneumatic actuators is here analyzed: different models of pneumatic muscles are considered and evolution lines are presented. Then, the use of Pneumatic Muscles (PAM in rehabilitation apparatus is described and the general characteristics required in different applications are considered, analyzing the use of proper soft actuators with various technical properties. Therefore, research activity carried out in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the field of soft and textile actuators is presented here. In particular, pneumatic textile muscles useful for active suits design are described. These components are made of a tubular structure, with an inner layer of latex coated with a deformable outer fabric sewn along the edge. In order to increase pneumatic muscles forces and contractions Braided Pneumatic Muscles are studied. In this paper, new prototypes are presented, based on a fabric construction and various kinds of geometry. Pressure-force-deformation tests results are carried out and analyzed. These actuators are useful for rehabilitation applications. In order to reproduce the whole upper limb movements, new kind of soft actuators are studied, based on the same principle of planar membranes deformation. As an example, the bellows muscle model and worm muscle model are developed and described. In both cases, wide deformations are expected. Another issue for soft actuators is the pressure therapy. Some textile sleeve prototypes developed for massage therapy on patients suffering of lymph edema are analyzed. Different types of fabric and assembly techniques have been tested. In general, these Pressure Soft Actuators are useful for upper/lower limbs treatments

Experimental investigation of halogen-bond hard-soft acid-base complementarity.

Science.gov (United States)

Riel, Asia Marie S; Jessop, Morly J; Decato, Daniel A; Massena, Casey J; Nascimento, Vinicius R; Berryman, Orion B

2017-04-01

The halogen bond (XB) is a topical noncovalent interaction of rapidly increasing importance. The XB employs a `soft' donor atom in comparison to the `hard' proton of the hydrogen bond (HB). This difference has led to the hypothesis that XBs can form more favorable interactions with `soft' bases than HBs. While computational studies have supported this suggestion, solution and solid-state data are lacking. Here, XB soft-soft complementarity is investigated with a bidentate receptor that shows similar associations with neutral carbonyls and heavy chalcogen analogs. The solution speciation and XB soft-soft complementarity is supported by four crystal structures containing neutral and anionic soft Lewis bases.

Probabilistic soft sets and dual probabilistic soft sets in decision making with positive and negative parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Fatimah, F.; Rosadi, D.; Hakim, R. B. F.

2018-03-01

In this paper, we motivate and introduce probabilistic soft sets and dual probabilistic soft sets for handling decision making problem in the presence of positive and negative parameters. We propose several types of algorithms related to this problem. Our procedures are flexible and adaptable. An example on real data is also given.

A study on generalized hesitant intuitionistic Fuzzy soft sets

Science.gov (United States)

Nazra, A.; Syafruddin; Wicaksono, G. C.; Syafwan, M.

2018-03-01

By combining the concept of hesitant intuitionistic fuzzy sets, fuzzy soft sets and fuzzy sets, we extend hesitant intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets to a generalized hesitant intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets. Some operations on generalized hesitant intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets, such as union, complement, operations “AND” and “OR”, and intersection are defined. From such operations the authors obtain related properties such as commutative, associative and De Morgan's laws. The authors also get an algebraic structure of the collection of all generalized hesitant intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets over a set.

ON SOFT D2-ALGEBRA AND SOFT D2-IDEALS

OpenAIRE

S. Subramanian; S. Seethalaksmi

2018-01-01

In this paper, we have studied some characterization of soft D2-algebra, kernel, intersection, image, quotient D2-algebra’s and relations ship between D2-algebra and D2-ideals with suitable examples.

High performance soft magnetic materials

CERN Document Server

2017-01-01

This book provides comprehensive coverage of the current state-of-the-art in soft magnetic materials and related applications, with particular focus on amorphous and nanocrystalline magnetic wires and ribbons and sensor applications. Expert chapters cover preparation, processing, tuning of magnetic properties, modeling, and applications. Cost-effective soft magnetic materials are required in a range of industrial sectors, such as magnetic sensors and actuators, microelectronics, cell phones, security, automobiles, medicine, health monitoring, aerospace, informatics, and electrical engineering. This book presents both fundamentals and applications to enable academic and industry researchers to pursue further developments of these key materials. This highly interdisciplinary volume represents essential reading for researchers in materials science, magnetism, electrodynamics, and modeling who are interested in working with soft magnets. Covers magnetic microwires, sensor applications, amorphous and nanocrystalli...

Unintended Effects of Emphasizing Disparities in Cancer Communication to African-Americans

OpenAIRE

Nicholson, Robert A.; Kreuter, Matthew W.; Lapka, Christina; Wellborn, Rachel; Clark, Eddie M.; Sanders-Thompson, Vetta; Jacobsen, Heather M.; Casey, Chris

2008-01-01

Little is known about how minority groups react to public information that highlights racial disparities in cancer. This double-blind randomized study compared emotional and behavioral reactions to four versions of the same colon cancer (CRC) information presented in mock news articles to a community sample of African-American adults (n = 300). Participants read one of four articles that varied in their framing and interpretation of race-specific CRC mortality data, emphasizing impact (CRC is...

SOFT SKILLS COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT OF VOCATIONAL TEACHER CANDIDATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Made Sudana

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Vocational education curriculum 2013 that applied nationally in the academic year 2014/2015 mandated that religious subject added character educational in which contactwith aspects of soft skills. This needs to be addressed by LPTK as producer vocational teacher candidate, so that future graduates are able to fulfill the mandate of the curriculum. Curriculum vocational teacher candidates who applied seems also still focused on providing hard skills competencies, so that graduates do not have adequate soft skills competence. On the other hand in the world of work has been going on trend shift in terms of hard skills to soft skills.Research and development is designed to go through stages and multiyear to produce soft skills development strategy for prospective teachers of vocational school. Development strategy departs from theoretical studies and mapping needs soft skills aspects of relevant research, analysis and LPTK vocational curriculum, soft skills needs and job requirements of future trends, soft skills required by vocational teachers, teaching soft skills already there, done to map the needs and later for further development until the hypothetical model generated Late models. Subjects were LPTK lecturers, teachers of vocational productive industrials. Data were obtained by observation and interviews, review of documents that the results were analyzed with descriptive qualitative and quantitative techniques. There are several aspects of the soft skills required candidates vocational school teachers, among others: (1 self-discipline, (2 responsibility, (3 the spirit of the work, (4 problem solving, (5 collaboration, (6 the ability of communication, (7 personality, (8 social attitudes, (9 critical thinking, (10 creative thinking and innovative, (11 confidence and (12 self-motivation. Soft skills development strategy skills prospective teachers through extra-curricular with gradual pattern through four stages, namely: (1 the development of

Overview of the NEES-Soft Experimental Program for Seismic Risk Reduction of Soft-Story Woodframe Buildings

Science.gov (United States)

John W. van de Lindt; Pouria Bahmani; Steven E. Pryor; Gary Mochizuki; Mikhail Gershfeld; Weichiang Pang; Ershad Ziaei; Elaina N. Jennings; Michael D. Symans; Xiaoyun Shao; Jingjing Tian; Doug Rammer

2014-01-01

The existence of thousands of soft-story woodframe buildings in California has been recognized as a disaster preparedness problem resulting in mitigation efforts throughout the state. The considerable presence of these large multi-family buildings in San Francisco prompted the city to mandate their retrofitting over the next seven years. The NEES-Soft project, whose...

M. Annette Harder, Remco F. Regtuit et Gerry C. Wakker (éd., avec le concours d’Annemarie Ambühl, Nature and Science in Hellenistic Poetry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christophe Cusset

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Le volume Nature and Science in Hellenistic Poetry édité par M. Annette Harder, Remco F. Regtuit et Gerry C. Wakker contient les actes de la conférence organisée en 2006 à Groningen, selon un rythme bisannuel depuis 1992. Ces rendez-vous réguliers sont devenus des rencontres incontournables pour les spécialistes de poésie hellénistique et le présent volume réunit les contributions d’une session stimulante où il s’agissait de montrer notamment comment ...

MR Histoanatomical Distribution of 290 Soft-tissue Tumors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moon, Tae Yong; Lee, In Sook; Lee, Gee Won; Kim, Jeung Il; Choi, Kyung Un; Kim, Won Taek [Pusan National University Hospital, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2008-12-15

This study was designed too identify the MR histoanatomical distribution of soft-tissue tumors. A total of 290 soft-tissue tumors of 281 patients were analyzed by the use of MR imaging and were pathologically confirmed after surgical resection or a biopsy. There were 120 malignant soft-tissue tumors including tumors of an intermediate malignancy and 170 benign tumors. The histoanatomical locations were divided into three types: 'type I' with superficial layer tumors that involved the cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue, 'type II' with deep layer tumors that involved the muscle or tendon and 'type III' with soft tissue tumors that involved both the superficial and deep layers. Soft-tissue tumors with more than three cases with a frequency of more than 75% included dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, glomus tumor, angiolipoma, leiomyosarcoma and lymphoma as 'type I' tumors. 'Type II' tumors with more than three cases with a frequency of more than 75% included liposarcoma, fibromatosis, papillary endothelial hyperplasia and rhabdomyosarcoma. 'Type III' tumors with more than three cases with a frequency of more than 50% included neurofibromatosis. The MR histoanatomical distributions of soft tissue tumors are useful in the differential pathological diagnosis when a soft-tissue tumor has a nonspecific MR appearance.

Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaber, Omar I; Kirby, Patricia A

2015-11-01

Alveolar soft part sarcoma is a rare neoplasm usually arising in the soft tissues of the lower limbs in adults and in the head and neck region in children. It presents primarily as a slowly growing mass or as metastatic disease. It is characterized by a specific chromosomal alteration, der(17)t(X:17)(p11:q25), resulting in fusion of the transcription factor E3 (TFE3) with alveolar soft part sarcoma critical region 1 (ASPSCR1) at 17q25. This translocation is diagnostically useful because the tumor nuclei are positive for TFE3 by immunohistochemistry. Real-time polymerase chain reaction to detect the ASPSCR1-TFE3 fusion transcript on paraffin-embedded tissue blocks has been shown to be more sensitive and specific than detection of TFE3 by immunohistochemical stain. Cathepsin K is a relatively recent immunohistochemical stain that can aid in the diagnosis. The recent discovery of the role of the ASPSCR1-TFE3 fusion protein in the MET proto-oncogene signaling pathway promoting angiogenesis and cell proliferation offers a promising targeted molecular therapy.

Building-up domestic enrichment capacity is emphasized

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1976-01-01

This is an interim report presented by the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Committee of the Japanese Atomic Energy Commission to recommend adequate policy lines in each field of fuel cycle. As for the procurement of natural uranium, advises are given for both state authorities and for private companies (including electric utilities) on the basis of the ''develop-and-import'' policy. As for the procurement of enriched uranium, the urgency of the development of enrichment techniques and plants is emphasized together with the important role of the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC). As for reprocessing, it is confirmed that the construction and operation of the second reprocessing plant should be undertaken by private interests. The state authorities are advised to undertake revisions of the relevant laws, regulations, and standards. As for plutonium recycle, the demonstration of the use of plutonium with Fugen type heavy water reactors, as well as light water reactors is encouraged. As for the radiative waste disposal, advices associated with experimental ocean dumping, solidification, storage, and geological disposal are given. Finally, as for spent fuel transportation, problems associate with the physical protection and the safety of spent fuel transportation are treated. (Aoki, K.)

Soft-Tissue Chondroma of Anterior Gingiva: A Rare Entity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dhana Lakshmi Jeyasivanesan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Soft-tissue chondroma is a rare, benign, slow-growing tumor made up of heterotopic cartilaginous tissue. It occurs most commonly in the third and fourth decades in the hands and feet. Oral soft-tissue chondromas are uncommon and soft-tissue chondroma of gingiva is extremely uncommon. Here, we report an unusual case of soft-tissue chondroma of gingiva in a 50-year-old woman.

The Beauty Trap: Chinese Theories of “Soft Power”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evgenia Vladimirovna Zhuravleva

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Currently there are a lot of definitions and conceptions of “soft power” in the world’s scientific literature. The English-language works mainly adopted the term “soft power”, terminology is also varied in Chinese historiography: “ruan shili”, “ruan liliang” and “ruan quanli” (软实力, 软力量and 软权力. A variety of terms is reflected in the variety of interpretations of the system or mechanismof “soft power”, that allows us to conclude that at the moment there is noformed unified vision and approach to its study. The subject of this study is the Russian and foreign theories of “soft power” in relation to China's foreign policy. The author raised a number of tasks, among which are: to determine the place a policy of “soft power” in the foreign policy of China, to analyze the existing interpretation of the concept of “soft power with Chinese characteristics”, as well as trace the development of theories of “soft power”. As a result of the research the author comes to the conclusion that despite the difference in interpretations, there are a lot of common aspects, including the idea of the majority of researchers that the concept is directly related to the influence of the subject to the object, and that the main instruments of “soft power” are humanitarian cooperation, investment, dialogue at the highest level, and others. But the combination of numerous non-military elements within the same term “soft power” doesn’t form a unified, approved concept. Different countries have their own unique system of soft power, and its instruments, key elements and basic principles are not the same. For example, talking about “attractiveness” applied to Chinese soft power, we can conclude, that it is only the tip of the iceberg. This study allows not only to form an idea of the “soft power” through the prism of various scientific researches, but also to identify the key elements of the system

Mechanical transduction via a single soft polymer

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Ruizheng; Wang, Nan; Bao, Weizhu; Wang, Zhisong

2018-04-01

Molecular machines from biology and nanotechnology often depend on soft structures to perform mechanical functions, but the underlying mechanisms and advantages or disadvantages over rigid structures are not fully understood. We report here a rigorous study of mechanical transduction along a single soft polymer based on exact solutions to the realistic three-dimensional wormlike-chain model and augmented with analytical relations derived from simpler polymer models. The results reveal surprisingly that a soft polymer with vanishingly small persistence length below a single chemical bond still transduces biased displacement and mechanical work up to practically significant amounts. This "soft" approach possesses unique advantages over the conventional wisdom of rigidity-based transduction, and potentially leads to a unified mechanism for effective allosterylike transduction and relay of mechanical actions, information, control, and molecules from one position to another in molecular devices and motors. This study also identifies an entropy limit unique to the soft transduction, and thereby suggests a possibility of detecting higher efficiency for kinesin motor and mutants in future experiments.

Parental attitudes towards soft drink vending machines in high schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendel-Paterson, Maia; French, Simone A; Story, Mary

2004-10-01

Soft drink vending machines are available in 98% of US high schools. However, few data are available about parents' opinions regarding the availability of soft drink vending machines in schools. Six focus groups with 33 parents at three suburban high schools were conducted to describe the perspectives of parents regarding soft drink vending machines in their children's high school. Parents viewed the issue of soft drink vending machines as a matter of their children's personal choice more than as an issue of a healthful school environment. However, parents were unaware of many important details about the soft drink vending machines in their children's school, such as the number and location of machines, hours of operation, types of beverages available, or whether the school had contracts with soft drink companies. Parents need more information about the number of soft drink vending machines at their children's school, the beverages available, the revenue generated by soft drink vending machine sales, and the terms of any contracts between the school and soft drink companies.

BMS symmetry, soft particles and memory

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Atreya; Lowe, David A.

2018-05-01

In this work, we revisit unitary irreducible representations of the Bondi–Metzner–Sachs (BMS) group discovered by McCarthy. Representations are labelled by an infinite number of supermomenta in addition to 4-momentum. Tensor products of these irreducible representations lead to particle-like states dressed by soft gravitational modes. Conservation of 4-momentum and supermomentum in the scattering of such states leads to a memory effect encoded in the outgoing soft modes. We note there exist irreducible representations corresponding to soft states with strictly vanishing 4-momentum, which may nevertheless be produced by scattering of particle-like states. This fact has interesting implications for the S-matrix in gravitational theories.

Soft-contact-lenses-induced complications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suvajac Gordana

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aim. Soft contact lenses occupy significant place in ophthalmology, both in the correction of refraction anomalies and in the treatment of many eye diseases. The number of patients that wear soft contact lenses for the purpose of correcting ametropia is constantly increasing. Due to the increasing number of wearers, the percentage of complications that can lead to serious eye damage and serious vision loss is also increasing. The aim of this study was to point out the most common complications related to soft contact lens use. Methods. In the period from 1995−2004 this prospective study included 510 patients wearing soft contact lenses for correcting ametropia. None of the patients wore contact lenses before and none suffered from any system or local diseases that could affected the development of eventual complications. The study took seven years with the patients who wore conventional lenses and three years with those who wore replacement contact lenses. All the necessary ophthalmologic examinations were done (visual acuity, refractokeratometry, the quantity of tear film, biomicroscopic examination of anterior eye segment. All the complications were filmed by video camera. Results. Of all the patients, 19 had blepharitis, 73 suffered from “dry eye”, 57 had conjunctival hyperemia, 12 had conjunctivitis, 34 had gigantopapillary conjunctivitis (GPC, 93 had punctiform epitheliopathy, 20 had corneal infiltration, one patient had keratitis, 91 had corneal vascularisation, and 95 patients had corneal deposits. Conclusion. Both the type and frequency of complications related to soft contact lens use in our group of patients, proved to be significant. Some of this complications (keratitis can significantly damage vision and lead to loss of vision and sometimes can require operative treatment.

An Opinion on Soft Power

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evgeny Mikhailovitch Astakhov

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article analyzes different aspects of the "soft power" of Russia. The author affirms that in this field the country doesn't have well defined strategies policy. To Russia has the excellent potential for the promotion of its positive image. This potential is primarily due to the famous Russian science, literature, music and art. But this "natural"potential has to be used in the national interests abroad. In recent years the Russian government has made some important steps in cultural diplomacy, in particular for the promotion of Russian language and supporting Russian Diaspora. However, much more has to be done not only in these directions, but also in propaganda and counterpropaganda to meet information pressure against Russia. In this connection, to form properly all directions of the policy of "soft power", is desirable to use the experience of other countries. The states who pretend to have an important place in the world, consider "soft power" as a strategic policy aiming to strengthen their geopolitical positions. In this context the author offers some suggestions concerning different organizational aspects. Special attention is given to the coordination of the activities of all structures involved in the policy of "soft power ".

Exploratory Practice and Soft Systems Methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Tajino, Akira; Smith, Craig

2005-01-01

This paper aims to demonstrate that Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), a soft systems approach developed in management studies (see Checkland, 1981), can be usefully linked with Exploratory Practice (EP), a form of practitioner research for language classrooms. Some compatible SSM and EP characteristics, in tandem, could enhance continual efforts to…

Scalable fabric tactile sensor arrays for soft bodies

Science.gov (United States)

Day, Nathan; Penaloza, Jimmy; Santos, Veronica J.; Killpack, Marc D.

2018-06-01

Soft robots have the potential to transform the way robots interact with their environment. This is due to their low inertia and inherent ability to more safely interact with the world without damaging themselves or the people around them. However, existing sensing for soft robots has at least partially limited their ability to control interactions with their environment. Tactile sensors could enable soft robots to sense interaction, but most tactile sensors are made from rigid substrates and are not well suited to applications for soft robots which can deform. In addition, the benefit of being able to cheaply manufacture soft robots may be lost if the tactile sensors that cover them are expensive and their resolution does not scale well for manufacturability. This paper discusses the development of a method to make affordable, high-resolution, tactile sensor arrays (manufactured in rows and columns) that can be used for sensorizing soft robots and other soft bodies. However, the construction results in a sensor array that exhibits significant amounts of cross-talk when two taxels in the same row are compressed. Using the same fabric-based tactile sensor array construction design, two different methods for cross-talk compensation are presented. The first uses a mathematical model to calculate a change in resistance of each taxel directly. The second method introduces additional simple circuit components that enable us to isolate each taxel electrically and relate voltage to force directly. Fabric sensor arrays are demonstrated for two different soft-bodied applications: an inflatable single link robot and a human wrist.

Soft sensor for real-time cement fineness estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanišić, Darko; Jorgovanović, Nikola; Popov, Nikola; Čongradac, Velimir

2015-03-01

This paper describes the design and implementation of soft sensors to estimate cement fineness. Soft sensors are mathematical models that use available data to provide real-time information on process variables when the information, for whatever reason, is not available by direct measurement. In this application, soft sensors are used to provide information on process variable normally provided by off-line laboratory tests performed at large time intervals. Cement fineness is one of the crucial parameters that define the quality of produced cement. Providing real-time information on cement fineness using soft sensors can overcome limitations and problems that originate from a lack of information between two laboratory tests. The model inputs were selected from candidate process variables using an information theoretic approach. Models based on multi-layer perceptrons were developed, and their ability to estimate cement fineness of laboratory samples was analyzed. Models that had the best performance, and capacity to adopt changes in the cement grinding circuit were selected to implement soft sensors. Soft sensors were tested using data from a continuous cement production to demonstrate their use in real-time fineness estimation. Their performance was highly satisfactory, and the sensors proved to be capable of providing valuable information on cement grinding circuit performance. After successful off-line tests, soft sensors were implemented and installed in the control room of a cement factory. Results on the site confirm results obtained by tests conducted during soft sensor development. Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of material properties on soft contact dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khurshid, A.; Malik, M.A.; Ghafoor, A.

2009-01-01

The superiority of deformable human fingertips as compared to hard robot gripper fingers for grasping and manipulation has led to a number of investigations with robot hands employing elastomers or materials such as fluids or powders beneath a membrane at the fingertips. In this paper, to analyze the stability of dynamic control of an object grasped between two soft fingertips through a soft interface using the viscoelastic material between the manipulating fingers and a manipulated object is modeled through bond graph method (BGM). The fingers are made viscoelastic by using springs and dampers. Detailed bond graph modeling (BGM) of the contact phenomenon with two soft-finger contacts considered to be placed against each other on the opposite sides of the grasped object as is generally the case in a manufacturing environment is presented. The stiffness of the springs is exploited in order to achieve the stability in the soft-grasping which includes friction between the soft finger contact surfaces and the object, The paper also analyses stability of dynamic control through a soft interface between a manipulating finger and a manipulated object. It is shown in the paper that the system stability depends on the visco-elastic material properties of the soft interface. Method of root locus is used to analyze this phenomenon. The paper shows how the weight of the object coming downward is controlled by the friction between the fingers and the object during the application of contact forces by varying the damping and the stiffness in the soft finger. (author)

The mechanics of soft biological composites.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nguyen, Thao D. (Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA); Grazier, John Mark; Boyce, Brad Lee; Jones, Reese E. (Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA)

2007-10-01

Biological tissues are uniquely structured materials with technologically appealing properties. Soft tissues such as skin, are constructed from a composite of strong fibrils and fluid-like matrix components. This was the first coordinated experimental/modeling project at Sandia or in the open literature to consider the mechanics of micromechanically-based anisotropy and viscoelasticity of soft biological tissues. We have exploited and applied Sandia's expertise in experimentation and mechanics modeling to better elucidate the behavior of collagen fibril-reinforced soft tissues. The purpose of this project was to provide a detailed understanding of the deformation of ocular tissues, specifically the highly structured skin-like tissue in the cornea. This discovery improved our knowledge of soft/complex materials testing and modeling. It also provided insight into the way that cornea tissue is bio-engineered such that under physiologically-relevant conditions it has a unique set of properties which enhance functionality. These results also provide insight into how non-physiologic loading conditions, such as corrective surgeries, may push the cornea outside of its natural design window, resulting in unexpected non-linear responses. Furthermore, this project created a clearer understanding of the mechanics of soft tissues that could lead to bio-inspired materials, such as highly supple and impact resistant body armor, and improve our design of human-machine interfaces, such as micro-electrical-mechanical (MEMS) based prosthetics.

The separate universe approach to soft limits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kenton, Zachary; Mulryne, David J., E-mail: z.a.kenton@qmul.ac.uk, E-mail: d.mulryne@qmul.ac.uk [School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS (United Kingdom)

2016-10-01

We develop a formalism for calculating soft limits of n -point inflationary correlation functions using separate universe techniques. Our method naturally allows for multiple fields and leads to an elegant diagrammatic approach. As an application we focus on the trispectrum produced by inflation with multiple light fields, giving explicit formulae for all possible single- and double-soft limits. We also investigate consistency relations and present an infinite tower of inequalities between soft correlation functions which generalise the Suyama-Yamaguchi inequality.

Soft And Hard Skills of Social Worker

OpenAIRE

HANTOVÁ, Libuše

2011-01-01

The work deals with soft and hard skills relevant to the profession of social worker. The theoretical part at first evaluates and analyzes important soft and hard skills necessary for people working in the field of social work. Then these skills are compared. The practical part illustrates the use of soft and hard skills in practice by means of model scenes and deals with the preferences in three groups of people ? students of social work, social workers and people outside the sphere, namely ...

Strain-accelerated dynamics of soft colloidal glasses

KAUST Repository

Agarwal, Praveen; Archer, Lynden A.

2011-01-01

step and oscillatory shear flows. Using the soft glassy rheology (SGR) model framework, we show that the observed behavior is a fundamental, but heretofore unexplored attribute of soft glasses. © 2011 American Physical Society.

Dimensional soft tissue changes following soft tissue grafting in conjunction with implant placement or around present dental implants: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Poskevicius, Lukas; Sidlauskas, Antanas; Galindo-Moreno, Pablo; Juodzbalys, Gintaras

2017-01-01

To systematically review changes in mucosal soft tissue thickness and keratinised mucosa width after soft tissue grafting around dental implants. An electronic literature search was conducted of the MEDLINE database published between 2009 and 2014. Sequential screenings at the title, abstract, and full-text levels were performed. Clinical human studies in the English language that had reported changes in soft tissue thickness or keratinised mucosa width after soft tissue grafting at implant placement or around a present implant at 6-month follow-up or longer were included. The search resulted in fourteen articles meeting the inclusion criteria: Six of them reported connective tissue grafting around present dental implants, compared to eight at the time of implant placement. Better long-term soft tissue thickness outcomes were reported for soft tissue augmentation around dental implants (0.8-1.4 mm), compared with augmentation at implant placement (-0.25-1.43 mm). Both techniques were effective in increasing keratinised tissue width: at implant placement (2.5 mm) or around present dental implants (2.33-2.57 mm). The present systematic review discovered that connective tissue grafts enhanced keratinised mucosa width and soft tissue thickness for an observation period of up to 48 months. However, some shrinkage may occur, resulting in decreases in soft tissue, mostly for the first three months. Further investigations using accurate evaluation methods need to be done to evaluate the appropriate time for grafting. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Technological Health Intervention in Population Aging to Assist People to Work Smarter not Harder: Qualitative Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Sonia Chien-I

2018-01-04

Technology-based health care has been promoted as an effective tool to enable clinicians to work smarter. However, some health stakeholders believe technology will compel users to work harder by creating extra work. The objective of this study was to investigate how and why electronic health (eHealth) has been applied in Taiwan and to suggest implications that may inspire other countries facing similar challenges. A qualitative methodology was adopted to obtain insightful inputs from deeper probing. Taiwan was selected as a typical case study, given its aging population, advanced technology, and comprehensive health care system. This study investigated 38 stakeholders in the health care ecosystem through in-depth interviews and focus groups, which provides an open, flexible, and enlightening way to study complex, dynamic, and interactive situations through informal conversation or a more structured, directed discussion. First, respondents indicated that the use of technology can enable seamless patient care and clinical benefits such as flexibility in time management. Second, the results suggested that a leader's vision, authority, and management skills might influence success in health care innovation. Finally, the results implied that both internal and external organizational governance are highly relevant for implementing technology-based innovation in health care. This study provided Taiwanese perspectives on how to intelligently use technology to benefit health care and debated the perception that technology prevents human interaction between clinicians and patients. ©Sonia Chien-I Chen. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 04.01.2018.

Effective Strategies and Activities for Developing Soft Skills, Part 2

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Diana J.; Blaszczynski, Carol

2012-01-01

Employers seek employees who possess soft skills. Employees who do not have excellent soft skills may not experience success in obtaining and sustaining employment. McEwen's (2010) framework for skill-building--introduce, explain, practice, and reinforce--was used to describe activities for enhancing soft skills. Soft skills building activities…

Effective Strategies and Activities for Developing Soft Skills, Part 1

Science.gov (United States)

Blaszczynski, Carol; Green, Diana J.

2012-01-01

Employers seek employees who possess soft skills. Employees who do not have excellent soft skills may not experience success in obtaining and sustaining employment. McEwen's (2010) framework for skill-building--introduce, explain, practice, and reinforce--was used to describe activities for enhancing soft skills. Assessment of soft skills…

Modern Soft Tissue Pathology | Center for Cancer Research

Science.gov (United States)

This book comprehensively covers modern soft tissue pathology and includes both tumors and non-neoplastic entities. Soft tissues make up a large bulk of the human body, and they are susceptible to a wide range of diseases. Many soft-tissue tumors are biologically very aggressive, and the chance of them metastasizing to vital organs is quite high. In recent years, the outlook

Soft Pneumatic Bending Actuator with Integrated Carbon Nanotube Displacement Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tim Giffney

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The excellent compliance and large range of motion of soft actuators controlled by fluid pressure has lead to strong interest in applying devices of this type for biomimetic and human-robot interaction applications. However, in contrast to soft actuators fabricated from stretchable silicone materials, conventional technologies for position sensing are typically rigid or bulky and are not ideal for integration into soft robotic devices. Therefore, in order to facilitate the use of soft pneumatic actuators in applications where position sensing or closed loop control is required, a soft pneumatic bending actuator with an integrated carbon nanotube position sensor has been developed. The integrated carbon nanotube position sensor presented in this work is flexible and well suited to measuring the large displacements frequently encountered in soft robotics. The sensor is produced by a simple soft lithography process during the fabrication of the soft pneumatic actuator, with a greater than 30% resistance change between the relaxed state and the maximum displacement position. It is anticipated that integrated resistive position sensors using a similar design will be useful in a wide range of soft robotic systems.

Practical applications of soft computing in engineering

CERN Document Server

2001-01-01

Soft computing has been presented not only with the theoretical developments but also with a large variety of realistic applications to consumer products and industrial systems. Application of soft computing has provided the opportunity to integrate human-like vagueness and real-life uncertainty into an otherwise hard computer program. This book highlights some of the recent developments in practical applications of soft computing in engineering problems. All the chapters have been sophisticatedly designed and revised by international experts to achieve wide but in-depth coverage. Contents: Au

Effects of messages emphasizing environmental determinants of obesity on intentions to engage in diet and exercise behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Niederdeppe, Jeff; Roh, Sungjong; Shapiro, Michael A; Kim, Hye Kyung

2013-12-12

Reducing rates of obesity will require interventions that influence both individual decisions and environmental factors through changes in public policy. Previous work indicates that messages emphasizing environmental determinants increases support for public policies, but some suspect this strategy may undermine motivation to engage in diet and exercise. Study 1 involved 485 adults recruited from a shopping mall in New York. Study 2 involved 718 adult members of a Web-based national panel of US adults. Respondents in both studies were randomly assigned to read a story that emphasized environmental determinants of health or a control condition. The stories varied in the extent to which they described the story character as taking personal responsibility for weight management. Logistic regression and ordered logit models were used to test for differences in intentions to engage in diet and exercise behaviors based on which story the participant read. Analyses were also performed separately by participants' weight status. In both studies, messages that acknowledged personal responsibility while emphasizing environmental causes of obesity increased intentions to engage in healthy behavior for at least 1 weight status group. Emphasizing factors outside of personal control appears to enhance rather than undermine motivations to engage in healthy diet and exercise behavior.

3D printing of soft-matter to open a new era of soft-matter MEMS/robotics (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Furukawa, Hidemitsu

2017-04-01

3D printing technology is becoming useful and applicable by the progress of information and communication technology (ICT). It means 3D printer is a kind of useful robot for additive manufacturing and is controlled by computer with human-friendly software. Once user starts to use 3D printing of soft-matter, one can immediately understand computer-aided design (CAD) and engineering (CAE) technology will be more important and applicable for soft-matter systems. User can easily design soft-matter objects and 3D-print them. User can easily apply 3D-printed soft-matter objects to develop new research and application on MEMS and robotics. Here we introduce the recent progress of 3D printing (i.e. additive manufacturing), especially focusing on our 3D gel printing. We are trying to develop new advanced research and applications of 3D gel printer, including GEL-MECHANICS, GEL-PHOTONICS, and GEL-ROBOTICS. In the gel-mechanics, we are developing new gel materials for mechanical engineering. Some gels have high-mechanical strength and shape memory properties. In the gel-photonics. We are applying our original characterizing system, named `Scanning Microscopic Light Scattering (SMILS)', to analyze 3D printed gel materials. In the gel-robotics, we focus on 3D printing of soft parts for soft-robotics made form gel materials, like gel finger. Also we are challenging to apply 3D gel printing to start new company, to innovate new businesses in county side, and to create new 3D-printed foods.

Necrotising soft tissue infection following mastectomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jackson P

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Necrotising fasciitis is a rare but rapidly progressive soft tissue disease which can lead to extensive necrosis, systemic sepsis and death. Including this case, only 7 other cases have been reported in the world literature with only 2 others affecting the patient post mastectomy.This 59 year old Caucasian lady presented with severe soft tissue infection soon after mastectomy, which was successfully treated with a combination of debridement, triangulation, VAC© dressing and skin grafting.Necrotising soft tissue infections following mastectomy are rapidly progressive and potentially extremely serious. It is essential that a high index of clinical suspicion is maintained together with prompt aggressive treatment in a multidisciplinary environment to prevent worsening physical and psychological sequelae.

[The emphases and basic procedures of genetic counseling in psychotherapeutic model].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yuan-Zhi; Zhong, Nanbert

2006-11-01

The emphases and basic procedures of genetic counseling are all different with those in old models. In the psychotherapeutic model, genetic counseling will not only focus on counselees' genetic disorders and birth defects, but also their psychological problems. "Client-centered therapy" termed by Carl Rogers plays an important role in genetic counseling process. The basic procedures of psychotherapeutic model of genetic counseling include 7 steps: initial contact, introduction, agendas, inquiry of family history, presenting information, closing the session and follow-up.

The use of soft robotics in cardiovascular therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wamala, Isaac; Roche, Ellen T; Pigula, Frank A

2017-10-01

Robots have been employed in cardiovascular therapy as surgical tools and for automation of hospital systems. Soft robots are a new kind of robot made of soft deformable materials, that are uniquely suited for biomedical applications because they are inherently less likely to injure body tissues and more likely to adapt to biological environments. Awareness of the soft robotic systems under development will help promote clinician involvement in their successful clinical translation. Areas covered: The most advanced soft robotic systems, across the size scale from nano to macro, that have shown the most promise for clinical application in cardiovascular therapy because they offer solutions where a clear therapeutic need still exists. We discuss nano and micro scale technology that could help improve targeted therapy for cardiac regeneration in ischemic heart disease, and soft robots for mechanical circulatory support. Additionally, we suggest where the gaps in the technology currently lie. Expert commentary: Soft robotic technology has now matured from the proof-of-concept phase to successful animal testing. With further refinement in materials and clinician guided application, they will be a useful complement for cardiovascular therapy.

Advances in soft computing, intelligent robotics and control

CERN Document Server

Fullér, Robert

2014-01-01

Soft computing, intelligent robotics and control are in the core interest of contemporary engineering. Essential characteristics of soft computing methods are the ability to handle vague information, to apply human-like reasoning, their learning capability, and ease of application. Soft computing techniques are widely applied in the control of dynamic systems, including mobile robots. The present volume is a collection of 20 chapters written by respectable experts of the fields, addressing various theoretical and practical aspects in soft computing, intelligent robotics and control. The first part of the book concerns with issues of intelligent robotics, including robust xed point transformation design, experimental verification of the input-output feedback linearization of differentially driven mobile robot and applying kinematic synthesis to micro electro-mechanical systems design. The second part of the book is devoted to fundamental aspects of soft computing. This includes practical aspects of fuzzy rule ...

Soft error evaluation in SRAM using α sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Chaohui; Chu Jun; Ren Xueming; Xia Chunmei; Yang Xiupei; Zhang Weiwei; Wang Hongquan; Xiao Jiangbo; Li Xiaolin

2006-01-01

Soft errors in memories influence directly the reliability of products. To compare the ability of three different memories against soft errors by experiments of alpha particles irradiation, the numbers of soft errors are measured for three different SRAMs and the cross sections of single event upset (SEU) and failures in time (FIT) are calculated. According to the cross sections of SEU, the ability of A166M against soft errors is the best and then B166M, the last B200M. The average FIT of B166M is smaller than that of B200M, and that of A166M is the biggest among them. (authors)

Soft China: o caráter evolutivo da estratégia de charme chinesa Soft China: the changing nature of china's charm strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulo Duarte

2012-12-01

Full Text Available O presente artigo analisa outra vertente (por vezes ignorada ou subestimada do conceito de poder, o soft power, relacionando-o com o caso concreto de uma potência em ascensão: a China. Inicia-se por definir a noção de soft power, distinguindo-a, para este efeito, dos conceitos de hard power e de smart power. Se, numa primeira fase se recorrerá, sobretudo, à teoria para destacarmos as principais características do soft power, a segunda etapa, essencialmente prática, baseia-se em um estudo de caso: investiga o comportamento da China em matéria de soft power. Desta forma, pretende-se conferir à teoria uma aplicabilidade, sendo ambas duas peças que não se excluem, antes interagem harmoniosamente. Como se concretiza a "ofensiva de charme" chinesa no Sudeste Asiático? Que pontos fortes e pontos fracos tem o soft power chinês? Como se comporta a China perante a questão dos Estados-pária? Como se comporta o soft power chinês no que diz respeito à estratégia marítima da China? Estas e outras questões serão abordadas pelo presente artigo. Na prática, procura-se demonstrar que, ao contrário do passado, o soft power já não é um elemento "estranho" no discurso oficial chinês. Na verdade, a China de hoje parece estar mais preocupada com a imagem que o mundo tem dela.This article examines another aspect (sometimes ignored or underestimated of the concept of power - soft power - relating it to the case of a rising power: China. It begins by defining the notion of soft power, distinguishing it, for this purpose, from the concepts of hard power and smart power. In a first phase, the text brings to bear theory in order to highlight the main features of soft power. The second - essentially practical - phase is based on a case study: the analysis of China's behavior in terms of soft power. The text thus provides the notion of soft power with practical applicability, these two elements being shown to be not mutually exclusive, but rather

Design and fabrication of soft x-ray mirrors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawata, Masaru; Sasai, Hiroyuki; Sano, Kazuo [Shimadzu Corp., Production Engineering Laboratory, Kyoto (Japan)

2000-03-01

Soft x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic technology is important for measuring the chemical status of material surface in the LSI manufacturing process. We report on non-spherical mirrors focusing laser-induced plasma soft x-ray to fine sample surface. We designed toric and ellipsoidal mirror as soft x-ray condensing means, simulated focusing image, manufactured mirror surface on fused quartz substrate, and measured form accuracy. (author)

Experimental studies on pulse soft X-ray generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Chengrong; Yang Qinchi; Luo Chengmu; Han Min

1990-01-01

Emission sources of soft x rays (2 keV < hv < 6 keV) from hot plasmas have been studied in a small gas-puff Z-pinch. The emission sources are a group of uncontinuous hot spots. The output of soft x rays from the hot spots have been measured and the effect of the initial gas density on the yield of soft x rays has been investigated

Experimental and Computational Techniques in Soft Condensed Matter Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Olafsen, Jeffrey

2010-09-01

1. Microscopy of soft materials Eric R. Weeks; 2. Computational methods to study jammed Systems Carl F. Schrek and Corey S. O'Hern; 3. Soft random solids: particulate gels, compressed emulsions and hybrid materials Anthony D. Dinsmore; 4. Langmuir monolayers Michael Dennin; 5. Computer modeling of granular rheology Leonardo E. Silbert; 6. Rheological and microrheological measurements of soft condensed matter John R. de Bruyn and Felix K. Oppong; 7. Particle-based measurement techniques for soft matter Nicholas T. Ouellette; 8. Cellular automata models of granular flow G. William Baxter; 9. Photoelastic materials Brian Utter; 10. Image acquisition and analysis in soft condensed matter Jeffrey S. Olafsen; 11. Structure and patterns in bacterial colonies Nicholas C. Darnton.

Soft Robotic Grippers for Biological Sampling on Deep Reefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Galloway, Kevin C; Becker, Kaitlyn P; Phillips, Brennan; Kirby, Jordan; Licht, Stephen; Tchernov, Dan; Wood, Robert J; Gruber, David F

2016-03-01

This article presents the development of an underwater gripper that utilizes soft robotics technology to delicately manipulate and sample fragile species on the deep reef. Existing solutions for deep sea robotic manipulation have historically been driven by the oil industry, resulting in destructive interactions with undersea life. Soft material robotics relies on compliant materials that are inherently impedance matched to natural environments and to soft or fragile organisms. We demonstrate design principles for soft robot end effectors, bench-top characterization of their grasping performance, and conclude by describing in situ testing at mesophotic depths. The result is the first use of soft robotics in the deep sea for the nondestructive sampling of benthic fauna.

CT discography for cervical soft disc hernia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iwasa, Kenichi; Mizutani, Shigeru; Morimoto, Hiroyuki; Yamada, Hidehito; Iwasa, Satoru

1985-03-01

In this study the effectiveness of computed tomographic discography (CTD) in diagnosing cervical soft disc hernia was evaluated. Twenty-five intervertebral discs of 15 cases with cervical soft disc hernia were examined with a discography and then a CT scan. Results of the CT scan were as follows: three discs were protruded, 12 discs were prolapsed, 6 discs were extruded, and 4 discs were sequestrated. The findings were helpful in determining the location of soft disc hernias between the median and posterolateral discs. They were also valuable in classifying types of hernias and surgical approaches.

Mesoscopic modelling and simulation of soft matter.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiller, Ulf D; Krüger, Timm; Henrich, Oliver

2017-12-20

The deformability of soft condensed matter often requires modelling of hydrodynamical aspects to gain quantitative understanding. This, however, requires specialised methods that can resolve the multiscale nature of soft matter systems. We review a number of the most popular simulation methods that have emerged, such as Langevin dynamics, dissipative particle dynamics, multi-particle collision dynamics, sometimes also referred to as stochastic rotation dynamics, and the lattice-Boltzmann method. We conclude this review with a short glance at current compute architectures for high-performance computing and community codes for soft matter simulation.

Soft and hard pomerons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maor, Uri; Tel Aviv Univ.

1995-09-01

The role of s-channel unitarity screening corrections, calculated in the eikonal approximation, is investigated for soft Pomeron exchange responsible for elastic and diffractive hadron scattering in the high energy limit. We examine the differences between our results and those obtained from the supercritical Pomeron-Regge model with no such corrections. It is shown that screening saturation is attained at different scales for different channels. We then proceed to discuss the new HERA data on hard (PQCD) Pomeron diffractive channels and discuss the relationship between the soft and hard Pomerons and the relevance of our analysis to this problem. (author). 18 refs, 9 figs, 1 tab

The Soft Palate Friendly Speech Bulb for Velopharyngeal Insufficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahlon, Sukhdeep Singh; Kahlon, Monaliza; Gupta, Shilpa; Dhingra, Parvinder Singh

2016-09-01

Velopharyngeal insufficiency is an anatomic defect of the soft palate making palatopharyngeal sphincter incomplete. It is an important concern to address in patients with bilateral cleft lip and palate. Speech aid prosthesis or speech bulbs are best choice in cases where surgically repaired soft palate is too short to contact pharyngeal walls during function but these prosthesis have been associated with inadequate marginal closure, ulcerations and patient discomfort. Here is a case report of untreated bilateral cleft lip and palate associated with palatal insufficiency treated by means of palate friendly innovative speech bulb. This modified speech bulb is a combination of hard acrylic and soft lining material. The hard self-curing acrylic resin covers only the hard palate area and a permanent soft silicone lining material covering the soft palate area. A claw-shaped wire component was extended backwards from acrylic and was embedded in soft silicone to aid in retention and approximation of two materials. The advantage of adding the soft lining material in posterior area helped in covering the adequate superior extension and margins for maximal pharyngeal activity. This also improved the hypernasality, speech, comfort and overall patient acceptance.

Exploiting the Dynamics of Soft Materials for Machine Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakajima, Kohei; Hauser, Helmut; Li, Tao; Pfeifer, Rolf

2018-06-01

Soft materials are increasingly utilized for various purposes in many engineering applications. These materials have been shown to perform a number of functions that were previously difficult to implement using rigid materials. Here, we argue that the diverse dynamics generated by actuating soft materials can be effectively used for machine learning purposes. This is demonstrated using a soft silicone arm through a technique of multiplexing, which enables the rich transient dynamics of the soft materials to be fully exploited as a computational resource. The computational performance of the soft silicone arm is examined through two standard benchmark tasks. Results show that the soft arm compares well to or even outperforms conventional machine learning techniques under multiple conditions. We then demonstrate that this system can be used for the sensory time series prediction problem for the soft arm itself, which suggests its immediate applicability to a real-world machine learning problem. Our approach, on the one hand, represents a radical departure from traditional computational methods, whereas on the other hand, it fits nicely into a more general perspective of computation by way of exploiting the properties of physical materials in the real world.

Hesitant fuzzy soft sets with application in multicriteria group decision making problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jian-qiang; Li, Xin-E; Chen, Xiao-hong

2015-01-01

Soft sets have been regarded as a useful mathematical tool to deal with uncertainty. In recent years, many scholars have shown an intense interest in soft sets and extended standard soft sets to intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets, interval-valued fuzzy soft sets, and generalized fuzzy soft sets. In this paper, hesitant fuzzy soft sets are defined by combining fuzzy soft sets with hesitant fuzzy sets. And some operations on hesitant fuzzy soft sets based on Archimedean t-norm and Archimedean t-conorm are defined. Besides, four aggregation operations, such as the HFSWA, HFSWG, GHFSWA, and GHFSWG operators, are given. Based on these operators, a multicriteria group decision making approach with hesitant fuzzy soft sets is also proposed. To demonstrate its accuracy and applicability, this approach is finally employed to calculate a numerical example.

Soft factors for double parton scattering at NNLO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vladimirov, Alexey [Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Regensburg,D-93040 Regensburg (Germany)

2016-12-13

We show at NNLO that the soft factors for double parton scattering (DPS) for both integrated and unintegrated kinematics, can be presented entirely in the terms of the soft factor for single Drell-Yan process, i.e. the transverse momentum dependent (TMD) soft factor. Using the linearity of the logarithm of TMD soft factor in rapidity divergences, we decompose the DPS soft factor matrices into a product of matrices with rapidity divergences in given sectors, and thus, define individual double parton distributions at NNLO. The rapidity anomalous dimension matrices for double parton distributions are presented in the terms of TMD rapidity anomalous dimension. The analysis is done using the generating function approach to web diagrams. Significant part of the result is obtained from the symmetry properties of web diagrams without referring to explicit expressions or a particular rapidity regularization scheme. Additionally, we present NNLO expression for the web diagram generating function for Wilson lines with two light-like directions.

Soft cooperation systems and games

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández, J. R.; Gallego, I.; Jiménez-Losada, A.; Ordóñez, M.

2018-04-01

A cooperative game for a set of agents establishes a fair allocation of the profit obtained for their cooperation. In order to obtain this allocation, a characteristic function is known. It establishes the profit of each coalition of agents if this coalition decides to act alone. Originally players are considered symmetric and then the allocation only depends on the characteristic function; this paper is about cooperative games with an asymmetric set of agents. We introduced cooperative games with a soft set of agents which explains those parameters determining the asymmetry among them in the cooperation. Now the characteristic function is defined not over the coalitions but over the soft coalitions, namely the profit depends not only on the formed coalition but also on the attributes considered for the players in the coalition. The best known of the allocation rules for cooperative games is the Shapley value. We propose a Shapley kind solution for soft games.

Soft x-ray tomography on TFTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuo-Petravic, G.

1988-12-01

The tomographic method used for deriving soft x-ray local emissivities on TFTR, using one horizontal array of 60 soft x-ray detectors, is described. This method, which is based on inversion of Fourier components and subsequent reconstruction, has been applied to the study of a sawtooth crash. A flattening in the soft x-ray profile, which we interpret as an m = 1 island, is clearly visible during the precursor phase and its location and width correlate well with those from electron temperature profiles reconstructed from electron cyclotron emission measurement. The limitations of the Fourier method, due notably to the aperiodic nature of the signals in the fast crash phase and the difficulty of obtaining accurately the higher Fourier harmonics, are discussed. 9 refs., 13 figs

Multisensory softness perceived compliance from multiple sources of information

CERN Document Server

Luca, Massimiliano Di

2014-01-01

Offers a unique multidisciplinary overview of how humans interact with soft objects and how multiple sensory signals are used to perceive material properties, with an emphasis on object deformability. The authors describe a range of setups that have been employed to study and exploit sensory signals involved in interactions with compliant objects as well as techniques to simulate and modulate softness - including a psychophysical perspective of the field. Multisensory Softness focuses on the cognitive mechanisms underlying the use of multiple sources of information in softness perception. D

Fuzzy systems and soft computing in nuclear engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruan, D.

2000-01-01

This book is an organized edited collection of twenty-one contributed chapters covering nuclear engineering applications of fuzzy systems, neural networks, genetic algorithms and other soft computing techniques. All chapters are either updated review or original contributions by leading researchers written exclusively for this volume. The volume highlights the advantages of applying fuzzy systems and soft computing in nuclear engineering, which can be viewed as complementary to traditional methods. As a result, fuzzy sets and soft computing provide a powerful tool for solving intricate problems pertaining in nuclear engineering. Each chapter of the book is self-contained and also indicates the future research direction on this topic of applications of fuzzy systems and soft computing in nuclear engineering. (orig.)

MRI features of soft-tissue lumps and bumps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuang, K.D.; Tandon, A.A.; Ho, B.C.S.; Chong, B.K.

2014-01-01

Superficial soft-tissue lesions are frequently encountered by radiologists in everyday practice. Characterization of these soft-tissue lesions remains problematic, despite advances in imaging. By systematically using clinical history, anatomical location, and signal intensity characteristics on MRI images, one can determine the diagnosis for the subset of determinate lesions that have characteristic clinical and imaging features as well as narrow the differential diagnoses for lesions with non-specific or indeterminate characteristics. In this review, a spectrum of histologically proven benign and malignant superficial soft-tissue lesions from a single institution will be presented. In addition, a few tumour-like conditions will be included as they can be encountered during imaging of soft-tissue masses

On-line soft sensing in upstream bioprocessing.

Science.gov (United States)

Randek, Judit; Mandenius, Carl-Fredrik

2018-02-01

This review provides an overview and a critical discussion of novel possibilities of applying soft sensors for on-line monitoring and control of industrial bioprocesses. Focus is on bio-product formation in the upstream process but also the integration with other parts of the process is addressed. The term soft sensor is used for the combination of analytical hardware data (from sensors, analytical devices, instruments and actuators) with mathematical models that create new real-time information about the process. In particular, the review assesses these possibilities from an industrial perspective, including sensor performance, information value and production economy. The capabilities of existing analytical on-line techniques are scrutinized in view of their usefulness in soft sensor setups and in relation to typical needs in bioprocessing in general. The review concludes with specific recommendations for further development of soft sensors for the monitoring and control of upstream bioprocessing.

Phase space and jet definitions in soft-collinear effective theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheung, William Man-Yin; Luke, Michael; Zuberi, Saba

2009-01-01

We discuss consistent power counting for integrating soft and collinear degrees of freedom over arbitrary regions of phase space in the soft-collinear effective theory, and illustrate our results at one-loop with several jet algorithms: JADE, Sterman-Weinberg and k perpendicular . Consistently applying soft-collinear effective theory power counting in phase space, along with nontrivial zero-bin subtractions, prevents double counting of final states. The resulting phase space integrals over soft and collinear regions are individually ultraviolet divergent, but the phase space ultraviolet divergences cancel in the sum. Whether the soft and collinear contributions are individually infrared safe depends on the jet definition. We show that while this is true at one-loop for JADE and Sterman-Weinberg, the k perpendicular algorithm does not factorize into individually infrared safe soft and collinear pieces in dimensional regularization. We point out that this statement depends on the ultraviolet regulator, and that in a cutoff scheme the soft functions are infrared safe.

Soft Legged Wheel-Based Robot with Terrestrial Locomotion Abilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Sadeghi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In recent years robotics has been influenced by a new approach, soft-robotics, bringing the idea that safe interaction with user and more adaptation to the environment can be achieved by exploiting easily deformable materials and flexible components in the structure of robots. In 2016, the soft-robotics community has promoted a new robotics challenge, named RoboSoft Grand Challenge, with the aim of bringing together different opinions on the usefulness and applicability of softness and compliancy in robotics. In this paper we describe the design and implementation of a terrestrial robot based on two soft legged wheels. The tasks predefined by the challenge were set as targets in the robot design, which finally succeeded to accomplish all the tasks. The wheels of the robot can passively climb over stairs and adapt to slippery grounds using two soft legs embedded in their structure. The soft legs, fabricated by integration of soft and rigid materials and mounted on the circumference of a conventional wheel, succeed to enhance its functionality and easily adapt to unknown grounds. The robot has a semi stiff tail that helps in the stabilization and climbing of stairs. An active wheel is embedded at the extremity of the tail in order to increase the robot maneuverability in narrow environments. Moreover two parallelogram linkages let the robot to reconfigure and shrink its size allowing entering inside gates smaller than its initial dimensions.

Triggering soft bombs at the LHC

Science.gov (United States)

Knapen, Simon; Griso, Simone Pagan; Papucci, Michele; Robinson, Dean J.

2017-08-01

Very high multiplicity, spherically-symmetric distributions of soft particles, with p T ˜ few×100 MeV, may be a signature of strongly-coupled hidden valleys that exhibit long, efficient showering windows. With traditional triggers, such `soft bomb' events closely resemble pile-up and are therefore only recorded with minimum bias triggers at a very low efficiency. We demonstrate a proof-of-concept for a high-level triggering strategy that efficiently separates soft bombs from pile-up by searching for a `belt of fire': a high density band of hits on the innermost layer of the tracker. Seeding our proposed high-level trigger with existing jet, missing transverse energy or lepton hardware-level triggers, we show that net trigger efficiencies of order 10% are possible for bombs of mass several × 100 GeV. We also consider the special case that soft bombs are the result of an exotic decay of the 125 GeV Higgs. The fiducial rate for `Higgs bombs' triggered in this manner is marginally higher than the rate achievable by triggering directly on a hard muon from associated Higgs production.

The Hard Facts about Soft-Skills Software.

Science.gov (United States)

Barron, Tom

1998-01-01

Although many trainers are using off-the-shelf courseware in a broad soft-skills training program, the perfect product has yet to be developed. Many multimedia soft-skills programs are custom developed for specific companies. Continuing technological improvements may make them more universally useful. (JOW)

Subsubleading soft theorems of gravitons and dilatons in the bosonic string

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vecchia, Paolo Di; Marotta, Raffaele; Mojaza, Matin

2016-01-01

Starting from the amplitude with an arbitrary number of massless closed states of the bosonic string, we compute the soft limit when one of the states becomes soft to subsubleading order in the soft momentum expansion, and we show that when the soft state is a graviton or a dilaton, the full string amplitude can be expressed as a soft theorem through subsubleading order. It turns out that there are string corrections to the field theoretical limit in the case of a soft graviton, while for a soft dilaton the string corrections vanish. We then show that the new soft theorems, including the string corrections, can be simply obtained from the exchange diagrams where the soft state is attached to the other external states through the three-point string vertex of three massless states. In the soft-limit, the propagator of the exchanged state is divergent, and at tree-level these are the only divergent contributions to the full amplitude. However, they do not form a gauge invariant subset and must be supplemented with extra non-singular terms. The requirement of gauge invariance then fixes the complete amplitude through subsubleading order in the soft expansion, reproducing exactly what one gets from the explicit calculation in string theory. From this it is seen that the string corrections at subsubleading order arise as a consequence of the three-point amplitude having string corrections in the bosonic string. When specialized to a soft dilaton, it remarkably turns out that the string corrections vanish and that the non-singular piece of the subsubleading term of the dilaton soft theorem is the generator of space-time special conformal transformation.

CT discography for cervical soft disc hernia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwasa, Kenichi; Mizutani, Shigeru; Morimoto, Hiroyuki; Yamada, Hidehito; Iwasa, Satoru

1985-01-01

In this study the effectiveness of computed tomographic discography (CTD) in diagnosing cervical soft disc hernia was evaluated. Twenty-five interververtebral discs of 15 cases with cervical soft disc hernia were examined with a discography and then a CT scan. Results of the CT scan were as follows: three discs were protruded, 12 discs were prolapsed, 6 discs were extruded, and 4 discs were sequestrated. The findings were helpful in determining the location of soft disc hernians between the median and posterolateral discs. They were also valuable in classifying types of hernians and surgical aproaches. (author)

Understanding soft condensed matter via modeling and computation

CERN Document Server

Shi, An-Chang

2011-01-01

All living organisms consist of soft matter. For this reason alone, it is important to be able to understand and predict the structural and dynamical properties of soft materials such as polymers, surfactants, colloids, granular matter and liquids crystals. To achieve a better understanding of soft matter, three different approaches have to be integrated: experiment, theory and simulation. This book focuses on the third approach - but always in the context of the other two.

Elastic Inflatable Actuators for Soft Robotic Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Gorissen, Benjamin; Reynaerts, Dominiek; Konishi, Satoshi; Yoshida, Kazuhiro; Kim, Joon-Wan; De Volder, Michael

2017-11-01

The 20th century's robotic systems have been made from stiff materials, and much of the developments have pursued ever more accurate and dynamic robots, which thrive in industrial automation, and will probably continue to do so for decades to come. However, the 21st century's robotic legacy may very well become that of soft robots. This emerging domain is characterized by continuous soft structures that simultaneously fulfill the role of robotic link and actuator, where prime focus is on design and fabrication of robotic hardware instead of software control. These robots are anticipated to take a prominent role in delicate tasks where classic robots fail, such as in minimally invasive surgery, active prosthetics, and automation tasks involving delicate irregular objects. Central to the development of these robots is the fabrication of soft actuators. This article reviews a particularly attractive type of soft actuators that are driven by pressurized fluids. These actuators have recently gained traction on the one hand due to the technology push from better simulation tools and new manufacturing technologies, and on the other hand by a market pull from applications. This paper provides an overview of the different advanced soft actuator configurations, their design, fabrication, and applications. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Soft Dielectric Elastomer Oscillators Driving Bioinspired Robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Henke, E-F Markus; Schlatter, Samuel; Anderson, Iain A

2017-12-01

Entirely soft robots with animal-like behavior and integrated artificial nervous systems will open up totally new perspectives and applications. To produce them, we must integrate control and actuation in the same soft structure. Soft actuators (e.g., pneumatic and hydraulic) exist but electronics are hard and stiff and remotely located. We present novel soft, electronics-free dielectric elastomer oscillators, which are able to drive bioinspired robots. As a demonstrator, we present a robot that mimics the crawling motion of the caterpillar, with an integrated artificial nervous system, soft actuators and without any conventional stiff electronic parts. Supplied with an external DC voltage, the robot autonomously generates all signals that are necessary to drive its dielectric elastomer actuators, and it translates an in-plane electromechanical oscillation into a crawling locomotion movement. Therefore, all functional and supporting parts are made of polymer materials and carbon. Besides the basic design of this first electronic-free, biomimetic robot, we present prospects to control the general behavior of such robots. The absence of conventional stiff electronics and the exclusive use of polymeric materials will provide a large step toward real animal-like robots, compliant human machine interfaces, and a new class of distributed, neuron-like internal control for robotic systems.

Terrestrial neutron-induced soft errors in advanced memory devices

CERN Document Server

Nakamura, Takashi; Ibe, Eishi; Yahagi, Yasuo; Kameyama, Hideaki

2008-01-01

Terrestrial neutron-induced soft errors in semiconductor memory devices are currently a major concern in reliability issues. Understanding the mechanism and quantifying soft-error rates are primarily crucial for the design and quality assurance of semiconductor memory devices. This book covers the relevant up-to-date topics in terrestrial neutron-induced soft errors, and aims to provide succinct knowledge on neutron-induced soft errors to the readers by presenting several valuable and unique features. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1: Introduction (238 KB). Table A.30 mentioned in Appendix A.6 on

3D printed soft parallel actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Zolfagharian, Ali; Kouzani, Abbas Z.; Khoo, Sui Yang; Noshadi, Amin; Kaynak, Akif

2018-04-01

This paper presents a 3-dimensional (3D) printed soft parallel contactless actuator for the first time. The actuator involves an electro-responsive parallel mechanism made of two segments namely active chain and passive chain both 3D printed. The active chain is attached to the ground from one end and constitutes two actuator links made of responsive hydrogel. The passive chain, on the other hand, is attached to the active chain from one end and consists of two rigid links made of polymer. The actuator links are printed using an extrusion-based 3D-Bioplotter with polyelectrolyte hydrogel as printer ink. The rigid links are also printed by a 3D fused deposition modelling (FDM) printer with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) as print material. The kinematics model of the soft parallel actuator is derived via transformation matrices notations to simulate and determine the workspace of the actuator. The printed soft parallel actuator is then immersed into NaOH solution with specific voltage applied to it via two contactless electrodes. The experimental data is then collected and used to develop a parametric model to estimate the end-effector position and regulate kinematics model in response to specific input voltage over time. It is observed that the electroactive actuator demonstrates expected behaviour according to the simulation of its kinematics model. The use of 3D printing for the fabrication of parallel soft actuators opens a new chapter in manufacturing sophisticated soft actuators with high dexterity and mechanical robustness for biomedical applications such as cell manipulation and drug release.

PREFACE: International Symposium on Non-Equilibrium Soft Matter 2010 International Symposium on Non-Equilibrium Soft Matter 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Kawakatsu, T.; Matsuyama, A.; Ohta, T.; Tanaka, H.; Tanaka, S.

2011-07-01

Soft matter is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary research field covering a range of subject areas including physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and engineering. Some of the important universal features of these materials are their mesoscopic structures and their dynamics. Due to the existence of such large-scale structures, which nevertheless exhibit interactions of the order of the thermal energy, soft matter can readily be taken out of equilibrium by imposing a weak external field such as an electric field, a mechanical stress or a shear flow. The importance of the coexistence of microscopic molecular dynamics and the mesoscopic/macroscopic structures and flows requires us to develop hierarchical approaches to understand the nonlinear and nonequilibrium phenomena, which is one of the central issues of current soft matter research. This special section presents selected contributions from the 'International Symposium on Non-Equilibrium Soft Matter 2010' held from 17-20 August 2010 in Nara, Japan, which aimed to describe recent advances in soft matter research focusing especially on its nonequilibrium aspects. The topics discussed cover statics and dynamics of a wide variety of materials ranging from traditional soft matter like polymers, gels, emulsions, liquid crystals and colloids to biomaterials such as biopolymers and biomembranes. Among these studies, we highlighted the physics of biomembranes and vesicles, which has attracted great attention during the last decade; we organized a special session for this active field. The work presented in this issue deals with (1) structure formation in biomembranes and vesicles, (2) rheology of polymers and gels, (3) mesophases in block copolymers, (4) mesoscopic structures in liquid crystals and ionic liquids, and (5) nonequilibrium dynamics. This symposium was organized as part of a research project supported by the Grant-in-Aid for the priority area 'Soft Matter Physics' (2006-2010) from the Ministry of Education

Double soft theorem for perturbative gravity

OpenAIRE

Saha, Arnab

2016-01-01

Following up on the recent work of Cachazo, He and Yuan \\cite{arXiv:1503.04816 [hep-th]}, we derive the double soft graviton theorem in perturbative gravity. We show that the double soft theorem derived using CHY formula precisely matches with the perturbative computation involving Feynman diagrams. In particular, we find how certain delicate limits of Feynman diagrams play an important role in obtaining this equivalence.

Obama Emphasizes Science and Innovation in State of the Union Address

Science.gov (United States)

Tretkoff, Ernie

2011-02-01

U.S. president Barack Obama emphasized innovation and competitiveness in his State of the Union address on 25 January. He also raised science and technology early in the hour-long speech, noting that nations like China and India are focusing on math and science education and investing in research and technology. To be competitive with those countries, “we need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world,” Obama said. “The first step in winning the future is encouraging American innovation.”

Fracture in Soft Materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hassager, Ole

Fracture is a phenomenon that is generally associated with solids. A key element in fracture theory is the so-called weakest link idea that fracture initiates from the largest pre-existing material imperfection. However, recent work has demonstrated that fracture can also happen in liquids, where...... surface tension will act to suppress such imperfections. Therefore, the weakest link idea does not seem immediately applicable to fracture in liquids. This presentation will review fracture in liquids and argue that fracture in soft liquids is a material property independent of pre-existing imperfections....... The following questions then emerge: What is the material description needed to predict crack initiation, crack speed and crack shape in soft materials and liquids....

Novelty Search for Soft Robotic Space Exploration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Methenitis, G.; Hennes, D.; Izzo, D.; Visser, A.

2015-01-01

The use of soft robots in future space exploration is still a far-fetched idea, but an attractive one. Soft robots are inherently compliant mechanisms that are well suited for locomotion on rough terrain as often faced in extra-planetary environments. Depending on the particular application and

Novelty search for soft robotic space exploration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

G. Methenitis (Georgios); D. Hennes; D. Izzo; A. Visser

2015-01-01

textabstractThe use of soft robots in future space exploration is still a far-fetched idea, but an attractive one. Soft robots are inherently compliant mechanisms that are well suited for locomotion on rough terrain as often faced in extra-planetary environments. Depending on the particular

Providing Bright-Hard X-ray Beams from a Lower Energy Light Source

Science.gov (United States)

Robin, David

2002-04-01

At the Advanced Light Source (ALS) there had been an increasing demand for more high brightness harder X-ray sources in the 7 to 40 KeV range. In response to that demand, the ALS storage ring was modified in August 2001. Three 1.3 Tesla normal conducting bending magnets were removed and replaced with three 5 Tesla superconducting magnets (Superbends). The radiation produced by these Superbends is an order of magnitude higher in photon brightness and flux at 12 keV than the 1.3 Tesla bends, making them excellent sources of harder x-rays for protein crystallography and other harder x-ray applications. At the same time the Superbends do not compromise the performance of the facility in the UV and Soft X-ray regions of the spectrum. The Superbends will eventually feed 12 new x-ray beam lines greatly enhancing the facility's capacity in the hard x-ray region. The Superbend project is the biggest upgrade to the ALS storage ring since the ring was commissioned in 1993. In this paper we present, a history of the project, details of the magnet, installation, commissioning, and resulting performance of the ALS with Superbends.

Soft and smart modular structures actuated by shape memory alloy (SMA) wires as tentacles of soft robots

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Hu; Dong, Erbao; Xu, Min; Liu, Chunshan; Alici, Gursel; Jie, Yang

2016-08-01

This paper introduces the design and fabrication of a multi-layered smart modular structure (SMS) that has been inspired by the muscular organs and modularity in soft animals. The SMS is capable of planar reciprocal motion of bending in heating process and recovering in cooling process when SMA wires carry out phase transformation. An adaptive regulation heating strategy is applied to avoid overheating and achieve bending range control of the SMS based on the resistance feedback of the SMA wires which as actuator of the SMS. The SMS can modular assemble soft robots with multiple morphologies such as lateral robots, bilateral robots and actinomorphic robots. A five-armed actinomorphic soft robot is conducted to crawling in terrestrial ground (max speed: 140 mm s-1, 0.7 body s-1), swimming in underwater environment (max speed: 67 mm s-1, 2.5 height s-1) and griping fragile objects (max object weight: 0.91 kg, 15 times the weight of itself). Those demonstrate that the performance of the SMS is good enough to be modular units to establish soft robots which possess a high speed of response, good adaptability and a safe interaction with their environments.

Dynamics and Rheology of Soft Colloidal Glasses

KAUST Repository

Wen, Yu Ho

2015-01-20

© 2015 American Chemical Society. The linear viscoelastic (LVE) spectrum of a soft colloidal glass is accessed with the aid of a time-concentration superposition (TCS) principle, which unveils the glassy particle dynamics from in-cage rattling motion to out-of-cage relaxations over a broad frequency range 10-13 rad/s < ω < 101 rad/s. Progressive dilution of a suspension of hairy nanoparticles leading to increased intercenter distances is demonstrated to enable continuous mapping of the structural relaxation for colloidal glasses. In contrast to existing empirical approaches proposed to extend the rheological map of soft glassy materials, i.e., time-strain superposition (TSS) and strain-rate frequency superposition (SRFS), TCS yields a LVE master curve that satis fies the Kramers-Kronig relations which interrelate the dynamic moduli for materials at equilibrium. The soft glassy rheology (SGR) model and literature data further support the general validity of the TCS concept for soft glassy materials.

BMS supertranslations and not so soft gravitons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Conde, Eduardo [School of Physics & Astronomy and Center for Theoretical Physics,Seoul National University, Seoul 08826 (Korea, Republic of); Mao, Pujian [Institute of High Energy Physics and Theoretical Physics Center for Science Facilities,Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19B Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049 (China)

2017-05-11

In a previous article https://www.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.95.021701, we have argued that Low’s sub-leading soft photon theorem can be recovered as a Ward identity associated to the same large gauge transformations that control the leading piece of the theorem. The key for that was to link the energy expansion displayed in the soft theorem to a (1/r) expansion that we can perform in the associated asymptotic charge. We expect this idea to be valid in general, and here we provide compelling evidence for it by showing how the same method works in the case of Einstein-Hilbert gravity. More precisely, we are able to derive the three orders of the tree-level soft graviton theorem simply from the BMS supertranslation charge, known to give rise to the leading soft graviton theorem. In particular, we do not need to invoke superrotations (nor extended superrotations) at any point of the argument.

Observations of several disruptions in PLT using soft and ultra-soft x-ray radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eames, D.R.; von Goeler, S.; Sauthoff, N.R.; Stodiek, W.

1979-03-01

The evolution of ultra-soft x-ray radiation (USX, hν approx. > 100 eV) is compared to that of the soft x-ray radiation (SX, hν approx. > 1000 eV) during several disruptions in PLT. Spatial resolution is obtained in both cases by arrays of silicon surface barrier detectors viewing along different chords. During some disruptions the USX behaves quite differently from the SX, and a classification is made based on the USX behavior. Different interpretations of the data are discussed, along with the possibility that these measurements may distinguish between the roles of temperature and impurity density changes during disruptions

Soft thermal contributions to 3-loop gauge coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Laine, M.; Schicho, P.; Schröder, Y.

2018-05-01

We analyze 3-loop contributions to the gauge coupling felt by ultrasoft ("magnetostatic") modes in hot Yang-Mills theory. So-called soft/hard terms, originating from dimension-six operators within the soft effective theory, are shown to cancel 1097/1098 of the IR divergence found in a recent determination of the hard 3-loop contribution to the soft gauge coupling. The remaining 1/1098 originates from ultrasoft/hard contributions, induced by dimension-six operators in the ultrasoft effective theory. Soft 3-loop contributions are likewise computed, and are found to be IR divergent, rendering the ultrasoft gauge coupling non-perturbative at relative order O({α}s^{3/2}) . We elaborate on the implications of these findings for effective theory studies of physical observables in thermal QCD.

Soft Skills Assessment: Theory Development and the Research Agenda

Science.gov (United States)

Gibb, Stephen

2014-01-01

Soft skills have become a subject of increasing interest in lifelong learning. Soft skills development is intended to enable and enhance personal development, participation in learning and success in employment. The assessment of soft skill is therefore widely practised, but there is little in the way of research or evidence on how well this…

Biological Soft Robotics.

Science.gov (United States)

Feinberg, Adam W

2015-01-01

In nature, nanometer-scale molecular motors are used to generate force within cells for diverse processes from transcription and transport to muscle contraction. This adaptability and scalability across wide temporal, spatial, and force regimes have spurred the development of biological soft robotic systems that seek to mimic and extend these capabilities. This review describes how molecular motors are hierarchically organized into larger-scale structures in order to provide a basic understanding of how these systems work in nature and the complexity and functionality we hope to replicate in biological soft robotics. These span the subcellular scale to macroscale, and this article focuses on the integration of biological components with synthetic materials, coupled with bioinspired robotic design. Key examples include nanoscale molecular motor-powered actuators, microscale bacteria-controlled devices, and macroscale muscle-powered robots that grasp, walk, and swim. Finally, the current challenges and future opportunities in the field are addressed.

Fuzzy logic, neural networks, and soft computing

Science.gov (United States)

Zadeh, Lofti A.

1994-01-01

The past few years have witnessed a rapid growth of interest in a cluster of modes of modeling and computation which may be described collectively as soft computing. The distinguishing characteristic of soft computing is that its primary aims are to achieve tractability, robustness, low cost, and high MIQ (machine intelligence quotient) through an exploitation of the tolerance for imprecision and uncertainty. Thus, in soft computing what is usually sought is an approximate solution to a precisely formulated problem or, more typically, an approximate solution to an imprecisely formulated problem. A simple case in point is the problem of parking a car. Generally, humans can park a car rather easily because the final position of the car is not specified exactly. If it were specified to within, say, a few millimeters and a fraction of a degree, it would take hours or days of maneuvering and precise measurements of distance and angular position to solve the problem. What this simple example points to is the fact that, in general, high precision carries a high cost. The challenge, then, is to exploit the tolerance for imprecision by devising methods of computation which lead to an acceptable solution at low cost. By its nature, soft computing is much closer to human reasoning than the traditional modes of computation. At this juncture, the major components of soft computing are fuzzy logic (FL), neural network theory (NN), and probabilistic reasoning techniques (PR), including genetic algorithms, chaos theory, and part of learning theory. Increasingly, these techniques are used in combination to achieve significant improvement in performance and adaptability. Among the important application areas for soft computing are control systems, expert systems, data compression techniques, image processing, and decision support systems. It may be argued that it is soft computing, rather than the traditional hard computing, that should be viewed as the foundation for artificial

Perturbative Universality in Soft Particle Production

CERN Document Server

Khoze, V A; Ochs, Wolfgang; Khoze, Valery A.; Lupia, Sergio; Ochs, Wolfgang

1998-01-01

The spectrum of partons in a QCD jet becomes independent of the primary energy in the low momentum limit. This follows within the perturbative QCD from the colour coherence in soft gluon branching. Remarkably, the hadrons follow such behaviour closely, suggesting the parton hadron duality picture to be appropriate also for the low momentum particles. More generally, this scaling property holds for particles of low transverse and arbitrary longitudinal momentum, which explains an old experimental observation (``fan invariance''). Further tests of the perturbatively based picture for soft particle production are proposed for three-jet events in e+e- annihilation and di-jet production events in gamma p, gamma-gamma and p\\bar p collisions. They are based upon the difference in the intensity of the soft radiation from primary q\\bar q and gg antennae.

[IOP measurement through frequent-replacement soft contact lenses].

Science.gov (United States)

Touboul, J

2008-07-01

Intraocular pressure (IOP) can be measured through soft contact lenses with an air-puff tonometer. These measurements seemed accurate for low-power negative lenses. For positive soft contact lenses, IOP is overestimated. The measurement of IOP through a soft contact lens is acceptable in clinical practice only for glaucoma screening. In glaucomatous patients or patients with ocular hypertension, IOP measurements should be performed without a contact lens. The main technique for IOP measurement remains Goldmann applanation tonometry.

Experimental benchmark for an improved simulation of absolute soft-X-ray emission from polystyrene targets irradiated with the Nike laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weaver, J.L.; Colombant, D.G.; Mostovych, A.N.; Busquet, M.; Feldman, U.; Klapisch, M.; Seely, J.F.; Brown, C.; Holland, G.

2005-01-01

Absolutely calibrated, time-resolved spectral intensity measurements of soft-x-ray emission (hν∼0.1-1.0 keV) from laser-irradiated polystyrene targets are compared to radiation-hydrodynamic simulations that include our new postprocessor, Virtual Spectro. This new capability allows a unified, detailed treatment of atomic physics and radiative transfer in nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium conditions for simple spectra from low-Z materials as well as complex spectra from high-Z materials. The excellent agreement (within a factor of ∼1.5) demonstrates the powerful predictive capability of the codes for the complex conditions in the ablating plasma. A comparison to data with high spectral resolution (E/δE∼1000) emphasizes the importance of including radiation coupling in the quantitative simulation of emission spectra

Experimental benchmark for an improved simulation of absolute soft-x-ray emission from polystyrene targets irradiated with the Nike laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Weaver, J L; Busquet, M; Colombant, D G; Mostovych, A N; Feldman, U; Klapisch, M; Seely, J F; Brown, C; Holland, G

2005-02-04

Absolutely calibrated, time-resolved spectral intensity measurements of soft-x-ray emission (hnu approximately 0.1-1.0 keV) from laser-irradiated polystyrene targets are compared to radiation-hydrodynamic simulations that include our new postprocessor, Virtual Spectro. This new capability allows a unified, detailed treatment of atomic physics and radiative transfer in nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium conditions for simple spectra from low-Z materials as well as complex spectra from high-Z materials. The excellent agreement (within a factor of approximately 1.5) demonstrates the powerful predictive capability of the codes for the complex conditions in the ablating plasma. A comparison to data with high spectral resolution (E/deltaE approximately 1000) emphasizes the importance of including radiation coupling in the quantitative simulation of emission spectra.

The Investigation of Soft Furniture Upholstery Deformational Behaviour

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donata ZUBAUSKIENE

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Textile materials, which are different in fibre content, weave type, density and thickness, as well as multi-layered synthetic leathers, are used in soft furniture upholstery production. Deformation - relaxation behaviour, which depends on mechanical properties of such materials differs significantly, also. From this standpoint substantial problem exists in soft furniture production, because the dimensions of its upholstery patterns, i.e. initial pretention must be adjusted taking into account the differences of applied materials mechanical properties. Otherwise external view and quality of upholstery may be unacceptable due to obvious visual material excess on soft furniture surfaces, which is called pull-on ease. The aim of this investigation was to determine the dependencies between three different levels of soft furniture upholstery pre-tension and corresponding values of pull-on ease. New testing method presented in this study allows defining soft furniture upholstery deformational behaviour and its regularities in respect to the initial dimensions of upholstery patterns.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.18.4.3099

Performance-Based Seismic Retrofit of Soft-Story Woodframe Buildings

Science.gov (United States)

P. Bahmani; J.W. van de Lindt; S.E. Pryor; G.L. Mochizuki; M. Gershfeld; D. Rammer; J. Tian; D. Symans

2013-01-01

Soft-story woodframe buildings are recognizable by their large garage openings at the bottom story which are typically for parking and storage. In soft-story buildings the relative stiffness and strength of the soft-story, usually the bottom story, is significantly less than the upper stories due to the presence of large openings which reduce the available space for...

Soft Power: Political Use of A Scientific Concept

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maksim Vladimirovich Kharkevich

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the use and transformation of the American scientific concept "soft power" in official Russian and US foreign policy rhetoric with the methodological help of Habermas' communicative action theory and its adoption to IR by T. Risse. In mainstream IR the proliferation of the "soft power" concept is viewed in terms of ideological competition among states. The author argues that it is better to view this process as a form of international political deliberations on new forms of power in world politics. The article shows that there's no communicative action of US and Russia based on their tentative discussion of the "soft power" concept. On of reasons might be the lack of interest of both states for the concept as an ideological basis for cooperative actions. For Russia soft power in its classical form might be used towards its near abroad and probably BIC states. In dealings with western states Russian soft power turns into lobbyism and propaganda which is strictly not soft power. US under Obama have basically refuted the concept, having changed it for analytically meaningless "smart power". The conclusion is that communicative action requires prior existence of commutative rationality. This type of rationality is evident among postmodern states - the EU member states - and apparently absent among modern states such as Russia and US.

Self-Healing and Damage Resilience for Soft Robotics: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Adam Bilodeau

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Advances in soft robotics will be crucial to the next generation of robot–human interfaces. Soft material systems embed safety at the material level, providing additional safeguards that will expedite their placement alongside humans and other biological systems. However, in order to function in unpredictable, uncontrolled environments alongside biological systems, soft robotic systems should be as robust in their ability to recover from damage as their biological counterparts. There exists a great deal of work on self-healing materials, particularly polymeric and elastomeric materials that can self-heal through a wide variety of tools and techniques. Fortunately, most emerging soft robotic systems are constructed from polymeric or elastomeric materials, so this work can be of immediate benefit to the soft robotics community. Though the field of soft robotics is still nascent as a whole, self-healing and damage resilient systems are beginning to be incorporated into three key support pillars that are enabling the future of soft robotics: actuators, structures, and sensors. This article reviews the state-of-the-art in damage resilience and self-healing materials and devices as applied to these three pillars. This review also discusses future applications for soft robots that incorporate self-healing capabilities.

Bamboo leaf ash as the stabilizer for soft soil treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, A. S. A.; Jais, I. B. M.; Sidek, N.; Ahmad, J.; Rosli, M. I. F.

2018-04-01

Soft soil is a type of soil that have the size of particle less than 0.063mm. The strength of the soft soil does not fulfil the requirement for construction. The present of soft soil at the construction site always give a lot of problems and issues to geotechnical sector. Soil settlement is one of the problems that related to soft soil. The determination of the soft soil physical characteristics will provide a detail description on its characteristic. Soft soil need to be treated in order to gain the standard strength for construction. One of the method to strengthen the soft soil is by using pozzolanic material as a treatment method for soft soil. Furthermore bamboo leaf ash is one of the newly founded materials that contain pozzolanic material. Any material that consist of Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) as the main component and followed by Aluminium Oxide (Al2O3) and Iron Oxide (Fe2O3) are consider as pozzolanic material. Bamboo leaf ash is mix with the cement as the treatment material. Bamboo leaf ash will react with the cement to produce additional cement binder. Thus, it will increase the soil strength and will ease the geotechnical sector to achieve high quality of construction product.

Significance of prevertebral soft tissue measurement in cervical spine injuries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dai Liyang E-mail: lydai@etang.com

2004-07-01

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of prevertebral soft tissue swelling in cervical spine injuries. Materials and methods: A group of 107 consecutive patients with suspected injuries of the cervical vertebrae were reviewed retrospectively to identify the presence of prevertebral soft tissue swelling and to investigate the association of prevertebral soft tissue swelling with the types and degrees of cervical spine injuries. Results: Prevertebral soft tissue swelling occurred in 47 (43.9%) patients. Of the 47 patients, 38 were found with bony injury and nine were without. The statistic difference was significant (P<0.05). No correlation was demonstrated between soft tissue swelling and either the injured level of the cervical vertebrae or the degree of the spinal cord injury (P>0.05). Anterior element injuries in the cervical vertebrae had widening of the prevertebral soft tissue more than posterior element injuries (P<0.05). Conclusion: The diagnostic value of prevertebral soft tissue swelling for cervical spine injuries is significant, but the absence of this sign does not mean that further image evaluation can be spared.

A Systematic Approach for Soft Sensor Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lin, Bao; Recke, Bodil; Renaudat, Philippe

2007-01-01

This paper presents a systematic approach based on robust statistical techniques for development of a data-driven soft sensor, which is an important component of the process analytical technology (PAT) and is essential for effective quality control. The data quality is obviously of essential...... significance for a data-driven soft sensor. Therefore, preprocessing procedures for process measurements are described in detail. First, a template is defined based on one or more key process variables to handle missing data related to severe operation interruptions. Second, a univariate, followed...... reveal the effectiveness of the systematic framework in deriving data-driven soft sensors that provide reasonably reliable one-step-ahead predictions....

Soft x-ray source by laser produced Xe plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amano, Sho; Masuda, Kazuya; Miyamoto, Shuji; Mochizuki, Takayasu

2010-01-01

The laser plasma soft X-ray source in the wavelength rage of 5-17 nm was developed, which consisted of the rotating drum system supplying cryogenic Xe target and the high repetition rate pulse Nd:YAG slab laser. We found the maximum conversion efficiency of 30% and it demonstrated the soft X-ray generation with the high repetition rate pulse of 320 pps and the high average power of 20 W. The soft X-ray cylindrical mirror was developed and successfully focused the soft X-ray with an energy intensity of 1.3 mJ/cm 2 . We also succeeded in the plasma debris mitigation with Ar gas. This will allow a long lifetime of the mirror and a focusing power intensity of 400 mW/cm 2 with 320 pps. The high power soft X-ray is useful for various applications. (author)

Statistical distribution of solar soft X-ray bursts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaufmann, P.; Piazza, L.R.; Schaal, R.E.

1979-01-01

Nearly 1000 solar events with fluxes measured in 0.5-3A 0 , 1-8A 0 and 8-20A 0 bands by Explorer 37 (US NRL Solrad) satelite are statistically analysed. The differential distribution of peak fluxes can be represented by power laws with exponents -1.4, -2.2, -2.9 respectively, which are compared to 2-12A 0 results. At the 0.5-3A 0 band there is a suggested peak in the distribution. Autocorrelation analysis of the distribution have shown that in the harder band (0.5-3A 0 ) there is a concentration of events at preferred values multiplied of about 10x10 -5 erg cm -2 S -1 of unknown origin [pt

Novel spectroscopic techniques with using soft x-ray

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gejo, Tatsuo

2010-01-01

Recent progress of experimental techniques related to synchrotron radiation makes possible of detail investigation of molecular dynamics after irradiation of soft X-ray. We introduce several novel spectroscopic techniques with using soft X-ray: Symmetry-resolved zero kinetic energy electron spectroscopy, symmetry-resolved metastable photofragment spectroscopy, soft X-ray emission spectroscopy, time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, and time-resolved-fluorescence mass-selected-ion coincidence spectroscopy. We also show new techniques performed by other groups at BL27SU in SPring-8. (author)

Cast bulk metallic glass alloys: prospects as wear materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hawk, Jeffrey A.; Dogan, Omer N.; Shiflet, Gary J. (Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA)

2005-01-01

Bulk metallic glasses are single phase materials with unusual physical and mechanical properties. One intriguing area of possible use is as a wear material. Usually, pure metals and single phase dilute alloys do not perform well in tribological conditions. When the metal or alloy is lightweight, it is usually soft leading to galling in sliding situations. For the harder metals and alloys, their density is usually high, so there is an energy penalty when using these materials in wear situations. However, bulk metallic glasses at the same density are usually harder than corresponding metals and dilute single phase alloys, and so could offer better wear resistance. This work will discuss preliminary wear results for metallic glasses with densities in the range of 4.5 to 7.9 g/cc. The wear behavior of these materials will be compared to similar metals and alloys.

Stretchable and Soft Electronics using Liquid Metals.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickey, Michael D

2017-07-01

The use of liquid metals based on gallium for soft and stretchable electronics is discussed. This emerging class of electronics is motivated, in part, by the new opportunities that arise from devices that have mechanical properties similar to those encountered in the human experience, such as skin, tissue, textiles, and clothing. These types of electronics (e.g., wearable or implantable electronics, sensors for soft robotics, e-skin) must operate during deformation. Liquid metals are compelling materials for these applications because, in principle, they are infinitely deformable while retaining metallic conductivity. Liquid metals have been used for stretchable wires and interconnects, reconfigurable antennas, soft sensors, self-healing circuits, and conformal electrodes. In contrast to Hg, liquid metals based on gallium have low toxicity and essentially no vapor pressure and are therefore considered safe to handle. Whereas most liquids bead up to minimize surface energy, the presence of a surface oxide on these metals makes it possible to pattern them into useful shapes using a variety of techniques, including fluidic injection and 3D printing. In addition to forming excellent conductors, these metals can be used actively to form memory devices, sensors, and diodes that are completely built from soft materials. The properties of these materials, their applications within soft and stretchable electronics, and future opportunities and challenges are considered. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Advance Trends in Soft Computing

CERN Document Server

Kreinovich, Vladik; Kacprzyk, Janusz; WCSC 2013

2014-01-01

This book is the proceedings of the 3rd World Conference on Soft Computing (WCSC), which was held in San Antonio, TX, USA, on December 16-18, 2013. It presents start-of-the-art theory and applications of soft computing together with an in-depth discussion of current and future challenges in the field, providing readers with a 360 degree view on soft computing. Topics range from fuzzy sets, to fuzzy logic, fuzzy mathematics, neuro-fuzzy systems, fuzzy control, decision making in fuzzy environments, image processing and many more. The book is dedicated to Lotfi A. Zadeh, a renowned specialist in signal analysis and control systems research who proposed the idea of fuzzy sets, in which an element may have a partial membership, in the early 1960s, followed by the idea of fuzzy logic, in which a statement can be true only to a certain degree, with degrees described by numbers in the interval [0,1]. The performance of fuzzy systems can often be improved with the help of optimization techniques, e.g. evolutionary co...

A Dynamic Approach to the Analysis of Soft Power in International Relations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chi Zhang

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This article discusses soft power in international relations and the soft power of China’s foreign policy in recent years. After presenting a critique of the soft power theory developed by Joseph S. Nye, the paper provides an alternative interpretation of soft power. The author proposes a dynamic analysis of soft power in international relations, and argues that whether a power resource is soft or hard depends on the perceptions and feelings of various actors in specific situations. Due to the varying degrees of acceptance, power can be divided into hard power, soft power and bargaining power. An analysis should look at the soft or hard effectiveness of a power resource from three perspectives–horizontally, vertically and relatively. Recently, the soft power of China’s foreign policy and international behavior has mainly been manifested in multilateralism, economic diplomacy and a good-neighborly policy.

Corrosion of aluminium in soft drinks.

Science.gov (United States)

Seruga, M; Hasenay, D

1996-04-01

The corrosion of aluminium (Al) in several brands of soft drinks (cola- and citrate-based drinks) has been studied, using an electrochemical method, namely potentiodynamic polarization. The results show that the corrosion of Al in soft drinks is a very slow, time-dependent and complex process, strongly influenced by the passivation, complexation and adsorption processes. The corrosion of Al in these drinks occurs principally due to the presence of acids: citric acid in citrate-based drinks and orthophosphoric acid in cola-based drinks. The corrosion rate of Al rose with an increase in the acidity of soft drinks, i.e. with increase of the content of total acids. The corrosion rates are much higher in the cola-based drinks than those in citrate-based drinks, due to the facts that: (1) orthophosphoric acid is more corrosive to Al than is citric acid, (2) a quite different passive oxide layer (with different properties) is formed on Al, depending on whether the drink is cola or citrate based. The method of potentiodynamic polarization was shown as being very suitable for the study of corrosion of Al in soft drinks, especially if it is combined with some non-electrochemical method, e.g. graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS).

Multiple soft fibromas of the lid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuel John

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Fibromas are benign tumors that are composed of fibrous or connective tissue. They can grow in all organs, arising from mesenchymal tissue (a type of loose connective tissue. The term "fibroblastic" or "fibromatous" is used to describe tumors like the fibroma. This 69-year-old male presented to us with giant, multiple, very slowly progressive, painless, noninflammatory, soft, trans-illuminant, pedunculated lid swellings with a two decade history. There were no other swellings on the body. He was clinically normal on systemic examination except for the immature cataracts in both eyes. The diagnosis was confirmed on histopathology. Simple excision removed all the soft fibromas virtually leaving no scar. A review of literature world-wide using Medline Plus/PubMed revealed this to be the only reported case of multiple giant soft fibromas of the lid.

On Soft Biometrics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nixon, Mark; Correia, Paulo; Nasrollahi, Kamal

2015-01-01

Innovation has formed much of the rich history in biometrics. The field of soft biometrics was originally aimed to augment the recognition process by fusion of metrics that were sufficient to discriminate populations rather than individuals. This was later refined to use measures that could be us...

Soft-photon analysis of pion-proton bremsstrahlung

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liou, M.K.; Nutt, W.T.

1977-01-01

We define the soft-photon approximation consistent in its treatment of both the kinematical and dynamical aspects of bremsstrahlung. Using this consistent soft-photon approximation, we calculate π +- p cross sections and obtain excellent agreement with experiment. Our results suggest that the contributions from off-mass-shell effects and resonances are small

Soft options. Sanfte Alternativen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lutz, R

1981-01-01

This collection of contributions made by supporters of the ''soft approach'' is intended to provide an insight into a conceivable future which is quite different from traditional ideas on social and economic developments based on the usual economic thinking and conventional energy sources. The chapter entitled ''The new world view'' shows the way from a machine-like paradigm to a living example in science. In the chapter entitled ''Women are organizing their future'' female perspectives and concepts of solutions are described. In the chapter ''Eco-tecture'' examples of living architecture and of environment formation are presented. In the chapter ''Soft technology'' approaches to an ecology-oriented technology are discussed, and in the chapter ''Network and future workshops'' novel forms of organization and communication are described.

Measuring intergroup ideologies: positive and negative aspects of emphasizing versus looking beyond group differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Hahn, Adam; Banchefsky, Sarah; Park, Bernadette; Judd, Charles M

2015-12-01

Research on interethnic relations has focused on two ideologies, asking whether it is best to de-emphasize social-category differences (colorblind) or emphasize and celebrate differences (multicultural). We argue each of these can manifest with negative outgroup evaluations: Assimilationism demands that subordinate groups adopt dominant group norms to minimize group distinctions; segregationism holds that groups should occupy separate spheres. Parallel versions can be identified for intergender relations. Scales to measure all four ideologies are developed both for ethnicity (Studies 1 and 2) and gender (Studies 3 and 4). Results demonstrate that the ideologies can be reliably measured, that the hypothesized four-factor models are superior to alternative models with fewer factors, and that the ideologies relate as predicted to the importance ascribed to group distinctions, subordinate group evaluations, and solution preferences for intergroup conflict scenarios. We argue that this fourfold model can help clarify theory and measurement, allowing a more nuanced assessment of ideological attitudes. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Comparison of soft-input-soft-output detection methods for dual-polarized quadrature duobinary system

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Chun; Huang, Benxiong; Xu, Zhengguang; Li, Bin; Zhao, Nan

2018-02-01

Three soft-input-soft-output (SISO) detection methods for dual-polarized quadrature duobinary (DP-QDB), including maximum-logarithmic-maximum-a-posteriori-probability-algorithm (Max-log-MAP)-based detection, soft-output-Viterbi-algorithm (SOVA)-based detection, and a proposed SISO detection, which can all be combined with SISO decoding, are presented. The three detection methods are investigated at 128 Gb/s in five-channel wavelength-division-multiplexing uncoded and low-density-parity-check (LDPC) coded DP-QDB systems by simulations. Max-log-MAP-based detection needs the returning-to-initial-states (RTIS) process despite having the best performance. When the LDPC code with a code rate of 0.83 is used, the detecting-and-decoding scheme with the SISO detection does not need RTIS and has better bit error rate (BER) performance than the scheme with SOVA-based detection. The former can reduce the optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) requirement (at BER=10-5) by 2.56 dB relative to the latter. The application of the SISO iterative detection in LDPC-coded DP-QDB systems makes a good trade-off between requirements on transmission efficiency, OSNR requirement, and transmission distance, compared with the other two SISO methods.

Applications of soft x-ray lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skinner, C.H.

1993-01-01

The high brightness and short pulse duration of soft x-ray lasers provide unique advantages for novel applications. Imaging of biological specimens using x-ray lasers has been demonstrated by several groups. Other applications to fields such as chemistry, material science, plasma diagnostics, and lithography are beginning to emerge. We review the current status of soft x-ray lasers from the perspective of applications, and present an overview of the applications currently being developed

Soft Spaces as Vehicles for Neoliberal Transformations of Strategic Spatial Planning?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Kristian

2012-01-01

This paper analyses how policy agendas are being shaped and reshaped in new soft spaces emerging in Danish spatial planning at subnational scales, and how policy-making in these soft spaces seeks to influence formal planning arenas. The paper demonstrates how the new soft planning spaces in Danis...... spatial planning, being used as vehicles for neoliberal transformations of strategic spatial planning. This paper therefore argues for a need to maintain a critical stance towards the emergence of soft spaces in spatial planning.......This paper analyses how policy agendas are being shaped and reshaped in new soft spaces emerging in Danish spatial planning at subnational scales, and how policy-making in these soft spaces seeks to influence formal planning arenas. The paper demonstrates how the new soft planning spaces in Danish...... spatial planning primarily are concerned with promoting policy agendas centred on economic development, whilst doing limited work in filling in the gaps between formal scales of planning, as envisaged in the planning literature. Instead, soft spaces seem to add to the increasing pressures on statutory...

Health Safety of Soft Drinks: Contents, Containers, and Microorganisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dorota Kregiel

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Soft drinks consumption is still a controversial issue for public health and public policy. Over the years, numerous studies have been conducted into the possible links between soft drink intake and medical problems, the results of which, however, remain highly contested. Nevertheless, as a result, increasing emphasis is being placed on the health properties of soft drinks, by both the industry and the consumers, for example, in the expanding area of functional drinks. Extensive legislation has been put in place to ensure that soft drinks manufacturers conform to established national and international standards. Consumers trust that the soft drinks they buy are safe and their quality is guaranteed. They also expect to be provided with information that can help them to make informed decisions about the purchase of products and that the information on product labels is not false or misleading. This paper provides a broad overview of available scientific knowledge and cites numerous studies on various aspects of soft drinks and their implications for health safety. Particular attention is given to ingredients, including artificial flavorings, colorings, and preservatives and to the lesser known risks of microbiological and chemical contamination during processing and storage.

Soft lubrication: The elastohydrodynamics of nonconforming and conforming contacts

Science.gov (United States)

Skotheim, J. M.; Mahadevan, L.

2005-09-01

We study the lubrication of fluid-immersed soft interfaces and show that elastic deformation couples tangential and normal forces and thus generates lift. We consider materials that deform easily, due to either geometry (e.g., a shell) or constitutive properties (e.g., a gel or a rubber), so that the effects of pressure and temperature on the fluid properties may be neglected. Four different system geometries are considered: a rigid cylinder moving parallel to a soft layer coating a rigid substrate; a soft cylinder moving parallel to a rigid substrate; a cylindrical shell moving parallel to a rigid substrate; and finally a cylindrical conforming journal bearing coated with a thin soft layer. In addition, for the particular case of a soft layer coating a rigid substrate, we consider both elastic and poroelastic material responses. For all these cases, we find the same generic behavior: there is an optimal combination of geometric and material parameters that maximizes the dimensionless normal force as a function of the softness parameter η =hydrodynamicpressure/elasticstiffness=surfacedeflection/gapthickness, which characterizes the fluid-induced deformation of the interface. The corresponding cases for a spherical slider are treated using scaling concepts.

Hydraulic Soft Yaw System Load Reduction and Prototype Results

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stubkier, Søren; Pedersen, Henrik C.; Markussen, Kristian

2013-01-01

Introducing a hydraulic soft yaw concept for wind turbines leads to significant load reductions in the wind turbine structure. The soft yaw system operates as a shock absorption system on a car, hence absorbing the loading from turbulent wind conditions instead of leading them into the stiff wind...... turbine structure. Results presented shows fatigue reductions of up to 40% and ultimate load reduction of up to 19%. The ultimate load reduction increases even more when the over load protection system in the hydraulic soft yaw system is introduced and results show how the exact extreme load cut off...... operates. Further it is analyzed how the soft yaw system influence the power production of the turbine. It is shown that the influence is minimal, but at larger yaw errors the effect is possitive. Due to the implemeted functions in the hydraulic soft yaw system such as even load distribution on the pinions...

Complex system modelling and control through intelligent soft computations

CERN Document Server

Azar, Ahmad

2015-01-01

The book offers a snapshot of the theories and applications of soft computing in the area of complex systems modeling and control. It presents the most important findings discussed during the 5th International Conference on Modelling, Identification and Control, held in Cairo, from August 31-September 2, 2013. The book consists of twenty-nine selected contributions, which have been thoroughly reviewed and extended before their inclusion in the volume. The different chapters, written by active researchers in the field, report on both current theories and important applications of soft-computing. Besides providing the readers with soft-computing fundamentals, and soft-computing based inductive methodologies/algorithms, the book also discusses key industrial soft-computing applications, as well as multidisciplinary solutions developed for a variety of purposes, like windup control, waste management, security issues, biomedical applications and many others. It is a perfect reference guide for graduate students, r...

Collapse of Non-Rectangular Channels in a Soft Elastomer

Science.gov (United States)

Tepayotl-Ramirez, Daniel; Park, Yong-Lae; Lu, Tong; Majidi, Carmel

2013-03-01

We examine the collapse of microchannels in a soft elastomer by treating the sidewalls as in- denters that penetrate the channel base. This approach leads to a closed-form algebraic mapping between applied pressure and cross-sectional deformation that are in strong agreement with ex- perimental measurements and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulation. Applications of this new approach to modeling soft microchannel collapse range from lab-on-a-chip microfluidics for pressure-controlled protein filtration to soft-matter pressures sensing. We demonstrate the latter by comparing theoretical predictions with experimental measurements of the pressure-controlled electrical resistance of liquid-phase Gallium alloy microchannels embedded in a soft silicone elas- tomer.

More on neutrosophic soft rough sets and its modification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emad Marei

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to introduce and discuss anew mathematical tool for dealing with uncertainties, which is a combination of neutrosophic sets, soft sets and rough sets, namely neutrosophic soft rough set model. Also, its modification is introduced. Some of their properties are studied and supported with proved propositions and many counter examples. Some of rough relations are redefined as a neutrosophic soft rough relations. Comparisons among traditional rough model, suggested neutrosophic soft rough model and its modification, by using their properties and accuracy measures are introduced. Finally, we illustrate that, classical rough set model can be viewed as a special case of suggested models in this paper.

4D printed actuators with soft-robotic functions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

López-Valdeolivas, M.; Liu, D.; Broer, D.J.; Sánchez-Somolinos, C.

2018-01-01

Soft matter elements undergoing programed, reversible shape change can contribute to fundamental advance in areas such as optics, medicine, microfluidics, and robotics. Crosslinked liquid crystalline polymers have demonstrated huge potential to implement soft responsive elements; however, the

Angiofibroma of soft tissue: clinicopathologic study of 2 cases of a recently characterized benign soft tissue tumor.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Ming; Sun, Ke; Li, Changshui; Zheng, Jiangjiang; Yu, Jingjing; Jin, Jie; Xia, Wenping

2013-01-01

Angiofibroma of soft tissue is a very recently characterized, histologically distinctive benign mesenchymal neoplasm of unknown cellular origin composed of 2 principal components, the spindle cell component and very prominent stromal vasculatures. It usually occurs in middle-aged adults, with a female predominance. Herein, we describe the clinical and pathologic details of 2 other examples of this benign tumor. Both patients were middle-aged male and presented with a slow-growing, painless mass located in the deep-seated soft tissue of thigh and left posterior neck region, respectively. Grossly, both tumors were well-demarcated, partial encapsulated of a grayish-white color with firm consistence. Histologically, one case showed morphology otherwise identical to those have been described before, whereas the other case showed in areas being more cellular than most examples of this subtype tumor had, with the lesional cells frequently exhibiting short fascicular, vaguely storiform and occasionally swirling arrangements, which posed a challenging differential diagnosis. Immunostains performed on both tumors did not confirm any specific cell differentiation with lesional cells only reactive for vimentin and focally desmin and negative for all the other markers tested. This report serves to broaden the morphologic spectrum of angiofibroma of soft tumor. Awareness of this tumor is important to prevent misdiagnosis as other more aggressive soft tissue tumor.

Treatment of foods with 'soft-electrons' (low-energy electrons)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayashi, Toru; Todoriki, Setsuko

2003-01-01

Electrons with energies of 300 keV or lower were defined as soft-electrons'. Soft-electrons can eradicate microorganisms residing on the surface of grains, pulses, spices, dehydrated vegetables, tea leaves and seeds, and reduce their microbial loads to levels lower than 10 CFU/g with little quality deterioration. Soft-electrons can inactivate insect pests infesting grains and pulses and inhibit sprouting of potatoes. (author)

Adaptive Iterative Soft-Input Soft-Output Parallel Decision-Feedback Detectors for Asynchronous Coded DS-CDMA Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Wei

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The optimum and many suboptimum iterative soft-input soft-output (SISO multiuser detectors require a priori information about the multiuser system, such as the users' transmitted signature waveforms, relative delays, as well as the channel impulse response. In this paper, we employ adaptive algorithms in the SISO multiuser detector in order to avoid the need for this a priori information. First, we derive the optimum SISO parallel decision-feedback detector for asynchronous coded DS-CDMA systems. Then, we propose two adaptive versions of this SISO detector, which are based on the normalized least mean square (NLMS and recursive least squares (RLS algorithms. Our SISO adaptive detectors effectively exploit the a priori information of coded symbols, whose soft inputs are obtained from a bank of single-user decoders. Furthermore, we consider how to select practical finite feedforward and feedback filter lengths to obtain a good tradeoff between the performance and computational complexity of the receiver.

Equilibrium and nonequilibrium dynamics of soft sphere fluids.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Yajun; Mittal, Jeetain

2015-07-14

We use computer simulations to test the freezing-point scaling relationship between equilibrium transport coefficients (self-diffusivity, viscosity) and thermodynamic parameters for soft sphere fluids. The fluid particles interact via the inverse-power potential (IPP), and the particle softness is changed by modifying the exponent of the distance-dependent potential term. In the case of IPP fluids, density and temperature are not independent variables and can be combined to obtain a coupling parameter to define the thermodynamic state of the system. We find that the rescaled coupling parameter, based on its value at the freezing point, can approximately collapse the diffusivity and viscosity data for IPP fluids over a wide range of particle softness. Even though the collapse is far from perfect, the freezing-point scaling relationship provides a convenient and effective way to compare the structure and dynamics of fluid systems with different particle softness. We further show that an alternate scaling relationship based on two-body excess entropy can provide an almost perfect collapse of the diffusivity and viscosity data below the freezing transition. Next, we perform nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to calculate the shear-dependent viscosity and to identify the distinct role of particle softness in underlying structural changes associated with rheological properties. Qualitatively, we find a similar shear-thinning behavior for IPP fluids with different particle softness, though softer particles exhibit stronger shear-thinning tendency. By investigating the distance and angle-dependent pair correlation functions in these systems, we find different structural features in the case of IPP fluids with hard-sphere like and softer particle interactions. Interestingly, shear-thinning in hard-sphere like fluids is accompanied by enhanced translational order, whereas softer fluids exhibit loss of order with shear. Our results provide a systematic evaluation

Fuzzy GML Modeling Based on Vague Soft Sets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Wei

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC Geography Markup Language (GML explicitly represents geographical spatial knowledge in text mode. All kinds of fuzzy problems will inevitably be encountered in spatial knowledge expression. Especially for those expressions in text mode, this fuzziness will be broader. Describing and representing fuzziness in GML seems necessary. Three kinds of fuzziness in GML can be found: element fuzziness, chain fuzziness, and attribute fuzziness. Both element fuzziness and chain fuzziness belong to the reflection of the fuzziness between GML elements and, then, the representation of chain fuzziness can be replaced by the representation of element fuzziness in GML. On the basis of vague soft set theory, two kinds of modeling, vague soft set GML Document Type Definition (DTD modeling and vague soft set GML schema modeling, are proposed for fuzzy modeling in GML DTD and GML schema, respectively. Five elements or pairs, associated with vague soft sets, are introduced. Then, the DTDs and the schemas of the five elements are correspondingly designed and presented according to their different chains and different fuzzy data types. While the introduction of the five elements or pairs is the basis of vague soft set GML modeling, the corresponding DTD and schema modifications are key for implementation of modeling. The establishment of vague soft set GML enables GML to represent fuzziness and solves the problem of lack of fuzzy information expression in GML.

Soft skills and their progress by students FM VŠE

OpenAIRE

Jedounová, Lucie

2009-01-01

In theoretic part of bachelor I define term soft skills, point out their importance generally for human, specially for students (graduates) as future job candidates and describe constituent soft skills. The goal of practical part this work is map situation in soft skills by students 1st and 3rd year bachelor, attendance study and find out, if they have during their study ample opportunity for progress soft skills and if they feel improvement at the end 3rd year in this sphere.

Capillary Self-Alignment of Microchips on Soft Substrates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Chang

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Soft micro devices and stretchable electronics have attracted great interest for their potential applications in sensory skins and wearable bio-integrated devices. One of the most important steps in building printed circuits is the alignment of assembled micro objects. Previously, the capillary self-alignment of microchips driven by surface tension effects has been shown to be able to achieve high-throughput and high-precision in the integration of micro parts on rigid hydrophilic/superhydrophobic patterned surfaces. In this paper, the self-alignment of microchips on a patterned soft and stretchable substrate, which consists of hydrophilic pads surrounded by a superhydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS background, is demonstrated for the first time. A simple process has been developed for making superhydrophobic soft surface by replicating nanostructures of black silicon onto a PDMS surface. Different kinds of PDMS have been investigated, and the parameters for fabricating superhydrophobic PDMS have been optimized. A self-alignment strategy has been proposed that can result in reliable self-alignment on a soft PDMS substrate. Our results show that capillary self-alignment has great potential for building soft printed circuits.

Damage Models for Soft Tissues: A Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wenguang

Damage to soft tissues in the human body has been investigated for applications in healthcare, sports, and biomedical engineering. This paper reviews and classifies damage models for soft tissues to summarize achievements, identify new directions, and facilitate finite element analysis. The main ideas of damage modeling methods are illustrated and interpreted. A few key issues related to damage models, such as experimental data curve-fitting, computational effort, connection between damage and fractures/cracks, damage model applications, and fracture/crack extension simulation, are discussed. Several new challenges in the field are identified and outlined. This review can be useful for developing more advanced damage models and extending damage modeling methods to a variety of soft tissues.

SolarSoft Web Services

Science.gov (United States)

Freeland, S.; Hurlburt, N.

2005-12-01

The SolarSoft system (SSW) is a set of integrated software libraries, databases, and system utilities which provide a common programming and data analysis environment for solar physics. The system includes contributions from a large community base, representing the efforts of many NASA PI team MO&DA teams,spanning many years and multiple NASA and international orbital and ground based missions. The SSW general use libraries include Many hundreds of utilities which are instrument and mission independent. A large subset are also SOLAR independent, such as time conversions, digital detector cleanup, time series analysis, mathematics, image display, WWW server communications and the like. PI teams may draw on these general purpose libraries for analysis and application development while concentrating efforts on instrument specific calibration issues rather than reinvention of general use software. By the same token, PI teams are encouraged to contribute new applications or enhancements to existing utilities which may have more general interest. Recent areas of intense evolution include space weather applications, automated distributed data access and analysis, interfaces with the ongoing Virtual Solar Observatory efforts, and externalization of SolarSoft power through Web Services. We will discuss the current status of SSW web services and demonstrate how this facilitates accessing the underlying power of SolarSoft in more abstract terms. In this context, we will describe the use of SSW services within the Collaborative Sun Earth Connector environment.

Soft x-ray lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthews, D.L.; Rosen, M.D.

1988-01-01

One of the elusive dreams of laser physicists has been the development of an x-ray laser. After 25 years of waiting, the x-ray laser has at last entered the scientific scene, although those now in operation are still laboratory prototypes. They produce soft x rays down to about five nanometers. X-ray lasers retain the usual characteristics of their optical counterparts: a very tight beam, spatial and temporal coherence, and extreme brightness. Present x-ray lasers are nearly 100 times brighter that the next most powerful x-ray source in the world: the electron synchrotron. Although Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is widely known for its hard-x-ray laser program which has potential applications in the Strategic Defense Initiative, the soft x-ray lasers have no direct military applications. These lasers, and the scientific tools that result from their development, may one day have a place in the design and diagnosis of both laser fusion and hard x-ray lasers. The soft x-ray lasers now in operation at the LLNL have shown great promise but are still in the primitive state. Once x-ray lasers become reliable, efficient, and economical, they will have several important applications. Chief among them might be the creation of holograms of microscopic biological structures too small to be investigated with visible light. 5 figs

Synchrotron radiation calibration for soft X-ray detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ning, Jiamin; Guo, Cun; Xu, Rongkun; Jiang, Shilun; Xu, Zeping; Chen, Jinchuan; Xia, Guangxin; Xue, Feibiao; Qin, Yi

2009-04-01

The calibration experiments were carried out to X-ray film, scintillator and transmission grating by employing the soft X-ray station at 3W1B beam-line in Beijing synchrotron Radiation Facility. The experiments presented the black intensity curve and energy response curve of soft X-ray film. And the experimental results can be used in diagnosis of X-ray radiation characterization of Z-pinch, such as in the measurement of soft X-ray Power Meter, grating spectrometer, pinhole camera and one-dimension imaging system which can ensure precision of Z-pinch results. (authors)

Dressed Hard States and Black Hole Soft Hair.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirbabayi, Mehrdad; Porrati, Massimo

2016-11-18

A recent, intriguing Letter by Hawking, Perry, and Strominger suggests that soft photons and gravitons can be regarded as black hole hair and may be relevant to the black hole information paradox. In this Letter we make use of factorization theorems for infrared divergences of the S matrix to argue that by appropriately dressing in and out hard states, the soft-quanta-dependent part of the S matrix becomes essentially trivial. The information paradox can be fully formulated in terms of dressed hard states, which do not depend on soft quanta.

EU Soft Power and the Capability-Expectations Gap

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Kristian L.

2013-01-01

The European Union has in the past ten years frequently emphasised its soft power as its primary currency in international affairs. Yet a systematic analysis of the EU’s foreign policy performance, through the prism of the classic ‘capability-expectations gap’, suggests that soft power in itself...... the gap between the expectations and the capabilities. Rather, soft power, when it is present, widens that gap even further by adding to expectations, thus leading to even greater eventual disillusionment when the EU’s hard power capabilities do not match....

Characteristics of soft X-ray lens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Yi

2007-12-01

A soft X-lens was devised with waveguide X-ray optics of total external reflection (TER). The lens consists of a stack of 1 387 TER waveguides with inner diameter of 0.45 mm and outer diameter of 0.60 mm. With the help of plasma sources of soft X-ray radiation, high density of pure soft X-ray radiation (without plasma expansion fragments) with broad-band spectral range can be obtained at the focus of the lens. As laser-plasma is considered, the radiation density of 1.3 x 10 5 W/cm 2 is obtained, the transmission coefficient is 18.6%, the ratio of the density at the focus with and without the lens is 1000 and the radiation capture is 28.9 degree. The density of 0.5 TW/cm 2 can be obtained as far as Qiang-Guang I facility is considered. (authors)

Perceptions of a Soft Robotic Tentacle in Interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Jonas

2018-01-01

Soft robotics technology has been proposed for a number of applications that involve human-robot interaction. This video documents a platform created to explore human perceptions of soft robots in interaction. The video presents select footage from an interaction experiment conducted...

Light Scattering by Optically Soft Particles Theory and Applications

CERN Document Server

Sharma, Subodh K

2006-01-01

The present monograph deals with a particular class of approximation methods in the context of light scattering by small particles. This class of approximations has been termed as eikonal or soft particle approximations. The eikonal approximation was studied extensively in the potential scattering and then adopted in optical scattering problems. In this context, the eikonal and other soft particle approximations pertain to scatterers whose relative refractive index compared to surrounding medium is close to unity. The study of these approximations is very important because soft particles occur abundantly in nature. For example, the particles that occur in ocean optics, biomedical optics, atmospheric optics and in many industrial applications can be classified as soft particles. This book was written in recognition of the long-standing and current interest in the field of scattering approximations for soft particles. It should prove to be a useful addition for researchers in the field of light scattering.

Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sahil Aggarwal, BS

2018-04-01

Full Text Available History of present illness: A 71-year-old woman with a history of metastatic ovarian cancer presented with sudden onset, rapidly progressing painful rash in the genital region and lower abdominal wall. She was febrile to 103°F, heart rate was 114 beats per minute, and respiratory rate was 24 per minute. Her exam was notable for a toxic-appearing female with extensive areas of erythema, tenderness, and induration to her lower abdomen, intertriginous areas, and perineum with intermittent segments of crepitus without hemorrhagic bullae or skin breakdown. Significant findings: Computed tomography (CT of the abdominal and pelvis with intravenous (IV contrast revealed inflammatory changes, including gas and fluid collections within the ventral abdominal wall extending to the vulva, consistent with a necrotizing soft tissue infection. Discussion: Necrotizing fasciitis is a serious infection of the skin and soft tissues that requires an early diagnosis to reduce morbidity and mortality. Classified into several subtypes based on the type of microbial infection, necrotizing fasciitis can rapidly progress to septic shock or death if left untreated.1 Diagnosing necrotizing fasciitis requires a high index of suspicion based on patient risk factors, presentation, and exam findings. Definitive treatment involves prompt surgical exploration and debridement coupled with IV antibiotics.2,3 Clinical characteristics such as swelling, disproportionate pain, erythema, crepitus, and necrotic tissue should be a guide to further diagnostic tests.4 Unfortunately, lab values such as white blood cell count and lactate imaging studies have high sensitivity but low specificity, making the diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis still largely a clinical one.4,5 CT is a reliable method to exclude the diagnosis of necrotizing soft tissue infections (sensitivity of 100%, but is only moderately reliable in correctly identifying such infections (specificity of 81%.5 Given the emergent

Can soft biometric traits assist user recognition?

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Anil K.; Dass, Sarat C.; Nandakumar, Karthik

2004-08-01

Biometrics is rapidly gaining acceptance as the technology that can meet the ever increasing need for security in critical applications. Biometric systems automatically recognize individuals based on their physiological and behavioral characteristics. Hence, the fundamental requirement of any biometric recognition system is a human trait having several desirable properties like universality, distinctiveness, permanence, collectability, acceptability, and resistance to circumvention. However, a human characteristic that possesses all these properties has not yet been identified. As a result, none of the existing biometric systems provide perfect recognition and there is a scope for improving the performance of these systems. Although characteristics like gender, ethnicity, age, height, weight and eye color are not unique and reliable, they provide some information about the user. We refer to these characteristics as "soft" biometric traits and argue that these traits can complement the identity information provided by the primary biometric identifiers like fingerprint and face. This paper presents the motivation for utilizing soft biometric information and analyzes how the soft biometric traits can be automatically extracted and incorporated in the decision making process of the primary biometric system. Preliminary experiments were conducted on a fingerprint database of 160 users by synthetically generating soft biometric traits like gender, ethnicity, and height based on known statistics. The results show that the use of additional soft biometric user information significantly improves (approximately 6%) the recognition performance of the fingerprint biometric system.

Carbon nanotubes and graphene towards soft electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Chae, Sang Hoon; Lee, Young Hee

2014-04-01

Although silicon technology has been the main driving force for miniaturizing device dimensions to improve cost and performance, the current application of Si to soft electronics (flexible and stretchable electronics) is limited due to material rigidity. As a result, various prospective materials have been proposed to overcome the rigidity of conventional Si technology. In particular, nano-carbon materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene are promising due to outstanding elastic properties as well as an excellent combination of electronic, optoelectronic, and thermal properties compared to conventional rigid silicon. The uniqueness of these nano-carbon materials has opened new possibilities for soft electronics, which is another technological trend in the market. This review covers the recent progress of soft electronics research based on CNTs and graphene. We discuss the strategies for soft electronics with nano-carbon materials and their preparation methods (growth and transfer techniques) to devices as well as the electrical characteristics of transparent conducting films (transparency and sheet resistance) and device performances in field effect transistor (FET) (structure, carrier type, on/off ratio, and mobility). In addition to discussing state of the art performance metrics, we also attempt to clarify trade-off issues and methods to control the trade-off on/off versus mobility). We further demonstrate accomplishments of the CNT network in flexible integrated circuits on plastic substrates that have attractive characteristics. A future research direction is also proposed to overcome current technological obstacles necessary to realize commercially feasible soft electronics.

Quantitative estimation of the human error probability during soft control operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Seung Jun; Kim, Jaewhan; Jung, Wondea

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► An HRA method to evaluate execution HEP for soft control operations was proposed. ► The soft control tasks were analyzed and design-related influencing factors were identified. ► An application to evaluate the effects of soft controls was performed. - Abstract: In this work, a method was proposed for quantifying human errors that can occur during operation executions using soft controls. Soft controls of advanced main control rooms have totally different features from conventional controls, and thus they may have different human error modes and occurrence probabilities. It is important to identify the human error modes and quantify the error probability for evaluating the reliability of the system and preventing errors. This work suggests an evaluation framework for quantifying the execution error probability using soft controls. In the application result, it was observed that the human error probabilities of soft controls showed both positive and negative results compared to the conventional controls according to the design quality of advanced main control rooms

Soft skill appraisal for dentistry: a tool for positive practice management.

Science.gov (United States)

Jawale, Bhushan Arun; Bendgude, Vikas; Husain, Nadeem; Thosar, Nilima; Tandon, Piyush

2011-11-01

Soft skills adoption is a learning experience for every practitioner and every academician. Author has expressed his opinion for success through educational and real values of soft skill. Soft skills behavior of individual and institution help in achieving desirable goals in general and specialty practices. Author also focused on some realistic soft skill methods for improvisation of practices for all doctor. These skills indulge positive energy in human relationship for working in symbiosis and explore infinite capabilities at institutional and doctoral level. Here, some optimistic suggestions are given for improving dental practices and academic fulfillments. These soft skills help to organize, plan and manage, and track changes during the course of the growing dental practices. However, understanding of the soft skills in practice management, its simplicity and complexity and also, its contributing factors, helps practitioners to understand the dynamic, social and complex contexts of practices. It is really helpful to all practitioners to grow their practices using soft skills.

Soft tissue deformation modelling through neural dynamics-based reaction-diffusion mechanics.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jinao; Zhong, Yongmin; Gu, Chengfan

2018-05-30

Soft tissue deformation modelling forms the basis of development of surgical simulation, surgical planning and robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery. This paper presents a new methodology for modelling of soft tissue deformation based on reaction-diffusion mechanics via neural dynamics. The potential energy stored in soft tissues due to a mechanical load to deform tissues away from their rest state is treated as the equivalent transmembrane potential energy, and it is distributed in the tissue masses in the manner of reaction-diffusion propagation of nonlinear electrical waves. The reaction-diffusion propagation of mechanical potential energy and nonrigid mechanics of motion are combined to model soft tissue deformation and its dynamics, both of which are further formulated as the dynamics of cellular neural networks to achieve real-time computational performance. The proposed methodology is implemented with a haptic device for interactive soft tissue deformation with force feedback. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed methodology exhibits nonlinear force-displacement relationship for nonlinear soft tissue deformation. Homogeneous, anisotropic and heterogeneous soft tissue material properties can be modelled through the inherent physical properties of mass points. Graphical abstract Soft tissue deformation modelling with haptic feedback via neural dynamics-based reaction-diffusion mechanics.

Quality characteristics of U.S. soft white and club wheat

Science.gov (United States)

U.S. soft white wheat from the Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho is a premium quality, versatile soft wheat. Soft White wheat (SWW) is comprised of winter and spring-sown varieties; spike morphology further delineates the class into ‘common’ (lax) and club sub-classes. The reg...

Olaratumab for advanced soft tissue sarcoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Tobias, Alexander; O'brien, Michael P; Agulnik, Mark

2017-07-01

Olaratumab is a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody that blocks the platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRα). Its antagonistic behavior inhibits the receptor's tyrosine kinase activity, thereby, turning off the downstream signaling cascades responsible for soft tissue sarcoma tumorigenesis. In October 2016, olaratumab received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its use in combination with doxorubicin for treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma. Areas covered: This drug profile takes a comprehensive look at the clinical studies leading to FDA approval of olaratumab as well as its safety and efficacy as a front-line treatment option for sarcoma patients. The literature search was primarily conducted using PubMed. Expert commentary: The combination of olaratumab plus doxorubicin has provided a new front-line therapeutic option for soft tissue sarcoma patients. An open-label phase Ib and randomized phase II trial in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma demonstrated that the addition of olaratumab to doxorubicin prolonged progression-free survival by 2.5 months and overall survival by 11.8 months when compared to doxorubicin alone. Of importance, this clinically meaningful increase in overall survival did not come at the expense of a significantly greater number of toxicities. A phase III confirmatory trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT02451943) will be completed in 2020.

Facial soft tissue thickness in North Indian adult population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanushri Saxena

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Forensic facial reconstruction is an attempt to reproduce a likeness of facial features of an individual, based on characteristics of the skull, for the purpose of individual identification - The aim of this study was to determine the soft tissue thickness values of individuals of Bareilly population, Uttar Pradesh, India and to evaluate whether these values can help in forensic identification. Study design: A total of 40 individuals (19 males, 21 females were evaluated using spiral computed tomographic (CT scan with 2 mm slice thickness in axial sections and soft tissue thicknesses were measured at seven midfacial anthropological facial landmarks. Results: It was found that facial soft tissue thickness values decreased with age. Soft tissue thickness values were less in females than in males, except at ramus region. Comparing the left and right values in individuals it was found to be not significant. Conclusion: Soft tissue thickness values are an important factor in facial reconstruction and also help in forensic identification of an individual. CT scan gives a good representation of these values and hence is considered an important tool in facial reconstruction- This study has been conducted in North Indian population and further studies with larger sample size can surely add to the data regarding soft tissue thicknesses.

Material parameter identification and inverse problems in soft tissue biomechanics

CERN Document Server

Evans, Sam

2017-01-01

The articles in this book review hybrid experimental-computational methods applied to soft tissues which have been developed by worldwide specialists in the field. People developing computational models of soft tissues and organs will find solutions for calibrating the material parameters of their models; people performing tests on soft tissues will learn what to extract from the data and how to use these data for their models and people worried about the complexity of the biomechanical behavior of soft tissues will find relevant approaches to address this complexity.

ANALYSIS OF PARAMETERIZATION VALUE REDUCTION OF SOFT SETS AND ITS ALGORITHM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Adam Taheir Mohammed

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the parameterization value reduction of soft sets and its algorithm in decision making are studied and described. It is based on parameterization reduction of soft sets. The purpose of this study is to investigate the inherited disadvantages of parameterization reduction of soft sets and its algorithm. The algorithms presented in this study attempt to reduce the value of least parameters from soft set. Through the analysis, two techniques have been described. Through this study, it is found that parameterization reduction of soft sets and its algorithm has yielded a different and inconsistency in suboptimal result.

Low energy (soft) x rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoshi, Masaharu; Antoku, Shigetoshi; Russell, W.J.; Miller, R.C.; Nakamura, Nori; Mizuno, Masayoshi; Nishio, Shoji.

1987-05-01

Dosimetry of low-energy (soft) X rays produced by the SOFTEX Model CMBW-2 was performed using Nuclear Associates Type 30 - 330 PTW, Exradin Type A2, and Shonka-Wyckoff ionization chambers with a Keithley Model 602 electrometer. Thermoluminescent (BeO chip) dosimeters were used with a Harshaw Detector 2000-A and Picoammeter-B readout system. Beam quality measurements were made using aluminum absorbers; exposure rates were assessed by the current of the X-ray tube and by exposure times. Dose distributions were established, and the average factors for non-uniformity were calculated. The means of obtaining accurate absorbed and exposed doses using these methods are discussed. Survival of V79 cells was assessed by irradiating them with soft X rays, 200 kVp X rays, and 60 Co gamma rays. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values for soft X rays with 0, 0.2, 0.7 mm added thicknesses of aluminum were 1.6, which were compared to 60 Co. The RBE of 200 kVp X rays relative to 60 Co was 1.3. Results of this study are available for reference in future RERF studies of cell survival. (author)

Vascularization of soft tissue engineering constructs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pimentel Carletto, Rodrigo

with mechanical properties in the range of soft tissues has not been fully achieved. My project focused on the fabrication and the active perfusion of hydrogel constructs with multi-dimensional vasculature and controlled mechanical properties targeting soft tissues. Specifically, the initial part of the research...... nanotechnology-based paradigm for engineering vascularised liver tissue for transplantation”) and the Danish National Research Foundation and Villum Foundation’s Center for Intelligent Drug delivery and sensing Using microcontainers and Nanomechanics (Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF122)....

Microscale soft robotics motivations, progress, and outlook

CERN Document Server

Kim, Jaeyoun (Jay)

2017-01-01

This book presents the technological basics and applications of small-scale (mm to sub-mm in length-scales) soft robots and devices, written for researchers in both academia and industry. Author Jaeyoun Kim presents technological motivations, enabling factors, and examples in an inter-linked fashion, making it easy for readers to understand and explore how microscale soft robots are a solution to researchers in search of technological platforms for safe, human-friendly biomedical devices. A compact and timely introduction, this book summarizes not only the enabling factors for soft robots and MEMS devices, but also provides a survey of progress in the field and looks to the future in terms of the material, design, and application aspects this new technology demonstrates.

Soft x-ray spectrographs for solar observations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruner, M.E.

1988-01-01

This paper surveys some of the recent advances in the state of the art of soft X-ray spectrometers, particularly as they might be applied to Solar Observations. The discussions center on the windowless region from roughly 1 to 100 A, and covers both grating and crystal instruments. The author begins with a short discussion of the solar soft X-ray spectrum and its interpretation, followed by a few general comments on problems peculiar to soft X-ray instruments. The paper reviews of recent developments in spectrometer optical design, which has been a lively field during the last dozen years. This is particularly true in the case of grating spectrometers. The paper concludes with a short section on telescope considerations, and some remarks on future flight opportunities

Soft Systems Methodology Embedded in Organizational Knowledge-Creating Process

OpenAIRE

Yoshida, Taketoshi

2005-01-01

We clarify the role of tacit knowing in the soft systems methodology. For the purpose we investigate the basic structure of its seven-stage model, while embedding the soft systems methodology in organizational knowledge-creating process. This leads to the introduction of concept creation to the methodology. This changes the basic shape of the soft systems methodology from learning cycle to organizational knowledge-creating spiral where concept creation is the key point.

Toward "harder" medical humanities: moving beyond the "two cultures" dichotomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Polianski, Igor J; Fangerau, Heiner

2012-01-01

Using the current international debate surrounding the incorporation of medical humanities into medical curricula as a starting point, the authors address both the legitimacy and didactics of teaching medical humanities to medical students. They highlight the paradox of the increasing prevalence of medical humanities in medical curricula and the often critical reception humanities courses receive. The alleged lack of empirical evidence linking such courses with improved patient care cannot alone explain the criticism they engender. After a short overview of the debate surrounding medical humanities and their inclusion in outcomes-based education, the authors outline the medical humanities block, "The History, Theory, and Ethics of Medicine," which is part of the German medical curriculum. A model developed at Ulm University exemplifies the integrated inclusion of the heterogeneous aspects of medical culture into medical education. This model emphasizes a reflexive approach (i.e., understanding how the humanities are manifested in medicine) as an alternative to the currently dominant narrative approach (i.e., liberal arts, moral development, and/or mental retreat), which has gradually been limited to a quasi-"secular religion" for doctors. This model uses established concepts from science and cultural studies as the "instruments" for seminars and courses; paradigms, discourses, social systems, and cosmologies constitute the tools for teaching and learning about the historical, theoretical, and ethical dimensions of medicine. The authors argue that this approach both precludes the need to justify the medical humanities and overcomes the dichotomy that has heretofore existed between the two cultures of science and the humanities in medicine.

Nursing students' perceptions of soft skills training in Ghana.

Science.gov (United States)

Laari, Luke; Dube, Barbara M

2017-09-22

The quality of nursing care rendered today is markedly reducing and the amount of time spent with patients listening to and explaining issues concerning their conditions is gradually diminishing. The therapeutic touch and the listening ear of the nurse are no longer accessible to the patient. Understanding what non-technical skills are and their relevance for healthcare practitioners has become a new area of consideration. Although recent literature has highlighted the necessity of introducing soft skills training and assessment within medical education, nursing education is yet to fully embrace this skills training. The aim of this study was to explore nursing students' understanding of the concept of soft skills and to acquire their perception on the need for soft skills training to promote quality nursing care. A quantitative research design with descriptive and explorative strategies was used. One hundred and ten nursing students were sampled after permission to conduct the study was requested and obtained from the University of KwaZulu-Natal Ethics Committee. The results indicated that a majority (68.8%) of respondents understood the concept of soft skills and agreed with the definition of 'soft skills'. They furthermore agreed that soft skills should be part of the training that student nurses receive during their professional training. The study revealed that there is a need for nursing students to be educated in soft skills and that this will enhance their job performances in the clinical environment and improve the way in which they communicate with their clients.

ATLAS soft QCD results

CERN Document Server

Sykora, Tomas; The ATLAS collaboration

2018-01-01

Recent results of soft QCD measurements performed by the ATLAS collaboration are reported. The measurements include total, elastic and inelastic cross sections, inclusive spectra, underlying event and particle correlations in p-p and p-Pb collisions.

Statistical distribution of solar soft X-ray bursts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaufmann, P; Piazza, L R; Schaal, R E [Universidade Mackenzie, Sao Paulo (Brazil). Centro de Radio-Astronomia e Astrofisica

1979-03-01

Nearly 1000 solar events with fluxes measured in 0.5-3A/sup 0/, 1-8A/sup 0/ and 8-20A/sup 0/ bands by Explorer 37 (US NRL Solrad) satellite are statistically analyzed. The differential distribution of peak fluxes can be represented by power laws with exponents -1.4, -2.2, -2.9 respectively, which are compared to 2-12A/sup 0/ results. For the 0.5-3A/sup 0/ band there is a suggested peak in the distribution. Autocorrelation analyses of the distribution have shown that in the harder band (0.5-3A/sup 0/) there is a concentration of events at preferred values multiplied of about 10x10/sup -5/erg cm/sup -2/S/sup -1/ of unknown origin.

Post-radiation soft tissue sarcoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomita, Yasuhiko; Kuratsu, Shigeyuki; Myoui, Akira; Ohsawa, Masahiko; Aozasa, Katsuyuki; Uchida, Atsumasa; Ono, Keiro

1993-01-01

Seven patients received radiation for malignancies, and two received for benign tumors. The latency period from radiation to symptom ranged from two years to 36 years (mean 17.2 years). Post-radiation soft tissue sarcomas (PRS) comprised six cases of malignant fibrous histiocytomas, two leiomyosarcomas, and one angiosarcoma. The five-year survival of PRS was 16.7% showing a worse prognosis than spontaneously occurring soft tissue sarcomas. Seven PRS occurred superficially, and two were deeply located. Four cases occurring in the superficial tissues had histories of radiation-induced dermatitis. The radiation-induced dermatitis was suggested to be a risk factor for development of PRS. (author)

Competition soft law in national courts - Quo vadis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Georgieva, Zlatina

2016-01-01

This paper is based on an empirical data-set of 103 national competition cases of EU Member States, which contain judicial reasoning on supranational, Commission-issued competition soft law. The paper enquires into the possible reasons for detected national judicial attitudes to supranational soft

Development of small scale soft x-ray lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, D.; Suckewer, S.; Princeton Univ., NJ; Skinner, C.H.; Voorhees, D.

1991-05-01

At present rapid progress is being made in the application of soft x-ray lasers to fields such as microscopy and microlithography. A critical factor in the range of suitable applications is the scale and hence cost of the soft x-ray lasers. At Princeton, gain at 183 angstrom has been obtained with relatively low pump laser energies (as low as 6J) in a ''portable'' small-scale soft x-ray laser system. We will also discuss aspects of data interpretation and pitfalls to be avoided in measurements of gain in such systems. 14 refs., 7 figs

One-loop soft theorems via dual superconformal symmetry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brandhuber, Andreas; Hughes, Edward; Spence, Bill; Travaglini, Gabriele [Centre for Research in String Theory, School of Physics and Astronomy,Queen Mary University of London,Mile End Road, London E1 4NS (United Kingdom)

2016-03-14

We study soft theorems at one loop in planar N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory through finite order in the infrared regulator and to subleading order in the soft parameter δ. In particular, we derive a universal constraint from dual superconformal symmetry, which we use to bootstrap subleading log δ behaviour. Moreover, we determine the complete infrared-finite subleading soft contribution of n-point MHV amplitudes using momentum twistors. Finally, we compute the subleading log δ behaviour of one-loop NMHV ratio functions at six and seven points, finding that universality holds within but not between helicity sectors.

Bioinspired Soft Actuation System Using Shape Memory Alloys

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matteo Cianchetti

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Soft robotics requires technologies that are capable of generating forces even though the bodies are composed of very light, flexible and soft elements. A soft actuation mechanism was developed in this work, taking inspiration from the arm of the Octopus vulgaris, specifically from the muscular hydrostat which represents its constitutive muscular structure. On the basis of the authors’ previous works on shape memory alloy (SMA springs used as soft actuators, a specific arrangement of such SMA springs is presented, which is combined with a flexible braided sleeve featuring a conical shape and a motor-driven cable. This robot arm is able to perform tasks in water such as grasping, multi-bending gestures, shortening and elongation along its longitudinal axis. The whole structure of the arm is described in detail and experimental results on workspace, bending and grasping capabilities and generated forces are presented. Moreover, this paper demonstrates that it is possible to realize a self-contained octopus-like robotic arm with no rigid parts, highly adaptable and suitable to be mounted on underwater vehicles. Its softness allows interaction with all types of objects with very low risks of damage and limited safety issues, while at the same time producing relatively high forces when necessary.

Soft-tissue mineralization in Werner syndrome

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leone, Antonio; Costantini, Alessandro Maria; Brigida, Raffaela; Antoniol, Onorina Monica; Bonomo, Lorenzo [Universita Cattolica School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Rome (Italy); Antonelli-Incalzi, Raffaele [Universita Cattolica School of Medicine, Department of Geriatrics, Rome (Italy)

2005-01-01

Werner syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by clinical signs of premature aging, short stature, scleroderma-like skin changes, endocrine abnormalities, cataracts, and an increased incidence of malignancies. We report on a 48-year-old woman with Werner syndrome associated with intracranial meningiomas who had extensive musculoskeletal manifestations including osteoporosis of the extremities, extensive tendinopathy about the ankles, osteomyelitis of the phalanges of the first left toe, abundant soft-tissue calcification, and two dense ossified soft-tissue masses, with cortical bone and trabeculae arising from the posterosuperior aspect of the calcanei and extending into Kager fat pads. A review of previous descriptions of the radiological abnormalities of Werner syndrome indicates that the presence of soft-tissue calcifications has either not been noted or been mentioned only briefly. Moreover, there is no mention of bony masses associated with Werner syndrome in the world literature, and this would appear to be the first report of this kind. (orig.)

Soft magnetic moldable composites: Properties and applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Svensson, Leif, E-mail: leif.svensson@iprod.lth.se [Lund University, Division of Production and Materials Engineering, Box 188, 221 00 Lund (Sweden); Frogner, Kenneth, E-mail: kenneth.frogner@iprod.lth.se [Lund University, Division of Production and Materials Engineering, Box 188, 221 00 Lund (Sweden); Jeppsson, Peter, E-mail: peter.jeppsson@iprod.lth.se [Lund University, Division of Production and Materials Engineering, Box 188, 221 00 Lund (Sweden); Cedell, Tord, E-mail: tord.cedell@iprod.lth.se [Lund University, Division of Production and Materials Engineering, Box 188, 221 00 Lund (Sweden); Andersson, Mats, E-mail: mats.andersson@iprod.lth.se [Lund University, Division of Production and Materials Engineering, Box 188, 221 00 Lund (Sweden)

2012-09-15

A new type of electromagnetic soft magnetic material (SMM) is introduced, based on spherical iron powder particles and a suitable polymer binder. A key feature of this material is that it can be cast or molded into almost any 3D shape, hence the denotation soft magnetic moldable composite (SM{sup 2}C). The SM{sup 2}C is compared with a set of reference materials, such as ferrites, laminated steels, and soft magnetic composites, in terms of primary properties such as permeability and loss, and other properties, such as thermal conductivity and manufacturability. The SM{sup 2}C has the obvious disadvantage of relatively low permeability, but offers benefits such as relatively low losses and high potential for close integration into electromagnetic circuits. Some recent SM{sup 2}C applications are illustrated, and design and manufacturing aspects are discussed. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A new type of soft magnetic composite is introduced. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Properties are compared to other flux core materials. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The new material has low losses but also low permeability. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Potential benefits in freedom of design and manufacturing issues.

MRI evaluation of soft tissue hydatid disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Diez, A.I.; Ros Mendoza, L.H.; Villacampa, V.M.; Cozar, M.; Fuertes, M.I.

2000-01-01

Infestation in soft tissue by Echinococcus granulosus is not a common disease, and its diagnosis is based on clinical, laboratory data and radiological findings. The aim of our retrospective study is to give an overview of the different signs and patterns shown by MRI that can be useful in characterizing soft tissue hydatid disease. The MRI images obtained in seven patients with soft tissue and subcutaneous hydatidosis were reviewed. Typical signs of hydatidosis were multivesicular lesions with or without hypointense peripheral ring (''rim sign''). Related to the presence and absence, respectively, of viable scolices in the microscopic exam, daughter cysts were presented either as high signal intensity or low signal intensity on T2-weighted images. Low-intensity detached layers within the cyst and peripheral enhancement with gadolinium-DTPA were also presented. Atypical signs were presented in an infected muscular cyst, a subcutaneous unilocular cyst and several unilocular cysts. Knowledge of the different patterns in MRI of soft tissue hydatid disease can be useful in diagnosing this entity. We observed that the ''rim sign'' is not as common as in other locations, and in addition, MRI seems to be of assistance when evaluating the vitality of the cysts. (orig.)

Prevalence of Soft Tissue Calcifications in CBCT Images of Mandibular Region.

Science.gov (United States)

Khojastepour, Leila; Haghnegahdar, Abdolaziz; Sayar, Hamed

2017-06-01

Most of the soft tissue calcifications within the head and neck region might not be accompanied by clinical symptoms but may indicate some pathological conditions. The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of soft tissue calcifications in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of mandibular region. In this cross sectional study the CBCT images of 602 patients including 294 men and 308 women with mean age 41.38±15.18 years were evaluated regarding the presence, anatomical location; type (single or multiple) and size of soft tissue calcification in mandibular region. All CBCT images were acquired by NewTom VGi scanner. Odds ratio and chi-square tests were used for data analysis and p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. 156 out of 602 patients had at least one soft tissue calcification in their mandibular region (25.9%. of studied population with mean age 51.7±18.03 years). Men showed significantly higher rate of soft tissue calcification than women (30.3% vs. 21.8%). Soft tissue calcification was predominantly seen at posterior region of the mandible (88%) and most of them were single (60.7%). The prevalence of soft tissue calcification increased with age. Most of the detected soft tissue calcifications were smaller than 3mm (90%). Soft tissue calcifications in mandibular area were a relatively common finding especially in posterior region and more likely to happen in men and in older age group.

Peer Assessment of Soft Skills and Hard Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Aimao

2012-01-01

Both the information technology (IT) industry and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) demand soft-skill training in higher education and require IT graduates to demonstrate competence in interpersonal communication, teamwork, and conflict management. Group projects provide teamwork environment for soft-skill training, but…

Soft skills for TQM in Higher Education Standards

NARCIS (Netherlands)

PhD Everard van Kemenade

2012-01-01

The hard side in total quality management of measurement and data analysis can only be successful if it is replenished with the soft side, the people side. This conclusion has serious consequences for the education of professionals, especially managers. Managers should be trained in soft skills,

A soft body as a reservoir: case studies in a dynamic model of octopus-inspired soft robotic arm

Science.gov (United States)

Nakajima, Kohei; Hauser, Helmut; Kang, Rongjie; Guglielmino, Emanuele; Caldwell, Darwin G.; Pfeifer, Rolf

2013-01-01

The behaviors of the animals or embodied agents are characterized by the dynamic coupling between the brain, the body, and the environment. This implies that control, which is conventionally thought to be handled by the brain or a controller, can partially be outsourced to the physical body and the interaction with the environment. This idea has been demonstrated in a number of recently constructed robots, in particular from the field of “soft robotics”. Soft robots are made of a soft material introducing high-dimensionality, non-linearity, and elasticity, which often makes the robots difficult to control. Biological systems such as the octopus are mastering their complex bodies in highly sophisticated manners by capitalizing on their body dynamics. We will demonstrate that the structure of the octopus arm cannot only be exploited for generating behavior but also, in a sense, as a computational resource. By using a soft robotic arm inspired by the octopus we show in a number of experiments how control is partially incorporated into the physical arm's dynamics and how the arm's dynamics can be exploited to approximate non-linear dynamical systems and embed non-linear limit cycles. Future application scenarios as well as the implications of the results for the octopus biology are also discussed. PMID:23847526

A Soft Body as a Reservoir: Case Studies in a Dynamic Model of Octopus-Inspired Soft Robotic Arm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kohei eNakajima

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The behaviors of the animals or embodied agents are characterized by the dynamic coupling between the brain, the body, and the environment. This implies that control, which is conventionally thought to be handled by the brain or a controller, can partially be outsourced to the physical body and the interaction with the environment. This idea has been demonstrated in a number of recently constructed robots, in particular from the field of soft robotics. Soft robots are made of a soft material introducing high-dimensionality, nonlinearity, and elasticity, which often makes the robots difficult to control. Biological systems such as the octopus are mastering their complex bodies in highly sophisticated manners by capitalizing on their body dynamics. We will demonstrate that the structure of the octopus arm cannot only be exploited for generating behavior but also, in a sense, as a computational resource. By using a soft robotic arm inspired by the octopus we show in a number of experiments how control is partially incorporated into the physical arm’s dynamics and how the arm’s dynamics can be exploited to approximate nonlinear dynamical systems and embed nonlinear limit cycles. Future application scenarios as well as the implications of the results for the octopus biology are also discussed.

Discrete Cosserat Approach for Multi-Section Soft Robots Dynamics

OpenAIRE

Renda, Federico; Boyer, Frederic; Dias, Jorge; Seneviratne, Lakmal

2017-01-01

In spite of recent progress, soft robotics still suffers from a lack of unified modeling framework. Nowadays, the most adopted model for the design and control of soft robots is the piece-wise constant curvature model, with its consolidated benefits and drawbacks. In this work, an alternative model for multisection soft robots dynamics is presented based on a discrete Cosserat approach, which, not only takes into account shear and torsional deformations, essentials to cope with out-of-plane e...

On Soft Limits of Large-Scale Structure Correlation Functions

OpenAIRE

Ben-Dayan, Ido; Konstandin, Thomas; Porto, Rafael A.; Sagunski, Laura

2014-01-01

We study soft limits of correlation functions for the density and velocity fields in the theory of structure formation. First, we re-derive the (resummed) consistency conditions at unequal times using the eikonal approximation. These are solely based on symmetry arguments and are therefore universal. Then, we explore the existence of equal-time relations in the soft limit which, on the other hand, depend on the interplay between soft and hard modes. We scrutinize two approaches in the literat...

Soft Spaces as Vehicles for Neoliberal Transformations of Strategic Spatial Planning?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Kristian

focused on the lack of transparency and potential democratic deficits of contemporary spatial planning. Limited critical attention has been paid to how policy agendas are being shaped and reshaped in soft spaces, and how these agendas seek to influence formal planning arenas. These questions seem...... spatial planning practices. This paper seeks to broaden the soft space debate in a European context by offering an account of the emergence of soft spaces in Danish spatial planning. The paper analyses how spatial strategy-making is carried out at the scale of two new soft spaces emerging in Danish...... spatial planning at subnational scales. In these soft spaces, the paper explores how policy agendas are being shaped and reshaped, and how these agendas seek to influence formal planning arenas. The central argument running through this paper is that soft spaces in neoliberal political climates might...

Soft Tissue Biomechanical Modeling for Computer Assisted Surgery

CERN Document Server

2012-01-01

  This volume focuses on the biomechanical modeling of biological tissues in the context of Computer Assisted Surgery (CAS). More specifically, deformable soft tissues are addressed since they are the subject of the most recent developments in this field. The pioneering works on this CAS topic date from the 1980's, with applications in orthopaedics and biomechanical models of bones. More recently, however, biomechanical models of soft tissues have been proposed since most of the human body is made of soft organs that can be deformed by the surgical gesture. Such models are much more complicated to handle since the tissues can be subject to large deformations (non-linear geometrical framework) as well as complex stress/strain relationships (non-linear mechanical framework). Part 1 of the volume presents biomechanical models that have been developed in a CAS context and used during surgery. This is particularly new since most of the soft tissues models already proposed concern Computer Assisted Planning, with ...

Magnetically Assisted Bilayer Composites for Soft Bending Actuators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sung-Hwan Jang

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This article presents a soft pneumatic bending actuator using a magnetically assisted bilayer composite composed of silicone polymer and ferromagnetic particles. Bilayer composites were fabricated by mixing ferromagnetic particles to a prepolymer state of silicone in a mold and asymmetrically distributed them by applying a strong non-uniform magnetic field to one side of the mold during the curing process. The biased magnetic field induces sedimentation of the ferromagnetic particles toward one side of the structure. The nonhomogeneous distribution of the particles induces bending of the structure when inflated, as a result of asymmetric stiffness of the composite. The bilayer composites were then characterized with a scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The bending performance and the axial expansion of the actuator were discussed for manipulation applications in soft robotics and bioengineering. The magnetically assisted manufacturing process for the soft bending actuator is a promising technique for various applications in soft robotics.

Magnetically Assisted Bilayer Composites for Soft Bending Actuators.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Sung-Hwan; Na, Seon-Hong; Park, Yong-Lae

2017-06-12

This article presents a soft pneumatic bending actuator using a magnetically assisted bilayer composite composed of silicone polymer and ferromagnetic particles. Bilayer composites were fabricated by mixing ferromagnetic particles to a prepolymer state of silicone in a mold and asymmetrically distributed them by applying a strong non-uniform magnetic field to one side of the mold during the curing process. The biased magnetic field induces sedimentation of the ferromagnetic particles toward one side of the structure. The nonhomogeneous distribution of the particles induces bending of the structure when inflated, as a result of asymmetric stiffness of the composite. The bilayer composites were then characterized with a scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The bending performance and the axial expansion of the actuator were discussed for manipulation applications in soft robotics and bioengineering. The magnetically assisted manufacturing process for the soft bending actuator is a promising technique for various applications in soft robotics.

Data mining in soft computing framework: a survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitra, S; Pal, S K; Mitra, P

2002-01-01

The present article provides a survey of the available literature on data mining using soft computing. A categorization has been provided based on the different soft computing tools and their hybridizations used, the data mining function implemented, and the preference criterion selected by the model. The utility of the different soft computing methodologies is highlighted. Generally fuzzy sets are suitable for handling the issues related to understandability of patterns, incomplete/noisy data, mixed media information and human interaction, and can provide approximate solutions faster. Neural networks are nonparametric, robust, and exhibit good learning and generalization capabilities in data-rich environments. Genetic algorithms provide efficient search algorithms to select a model, from mixed media data, based on some preference criterion/objective function. Rough sets are suitable for handling different types of uncertainty in data. Some challenges to data mining and the application of soft computing methodologies are indicated. An extensive bibliography is also included.

International Conference on Soft Computing Systems

CERN Document Server

Panigrahi, Bijaya

2016-01-01

The book is a collection of high-quality peer-reviewed research papers presented in International Conference on Soft Computing Systems (ICSCS 2015) held at Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education, Chennai, India. These research papers provide the latest developments in the emerging areas of Soft Computing in Engineering and Technology. The book is organized in two volumes and discusses a wide variety of industrial, engineering and scientific applications of the emerging techniques. It presents invited papers from the inventors/originators of new applications and advanced technologies.

Results of Soft-Diffraction at LHCb

CERN Document Server

Meissner, Marco

2013-01-01

The LHCb detector with its unique pseudorapidity coverage allows to perform soft-QCD measurements in the kinematic forward region where QCD models have large uncertainties. Selected analyses related to soft-Diffraction will be summarised in these proceedings. Energy flow and charged particle multiplicity have been measured separately in different event classes. They give input for modelling the underlying event in $pp$ collisions. Prompt hadron ratios are important for hadronisation models, while the $p/p$ ratio is a good observable to test models of baryon number transport.

Soft skills, hard skills, and individual innovativeness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hendarman, Achmad Fajar; Cantner, Uwe

2018-01-01

of Indonesian firms from different industries are used from an online survey on manager and worker perceptions related to individual innovation performance on the one hand and individual skills on the other hand. The results show that soft skills and hard skills are significantly and positively associated...... with individual level innovativeness. However, no complementarity (positive interaction effect) is found between soft skills and hard skills....

A constitutional economics perspective on soft paternalism

OpenAIRE

Schnellenbach, Jan

2015-01-01

Using a framework that distinguishes short-term consumer preferences, individual reflective preferences and political preferences, we discuss from a constitutional economics perspective whether individuals find it in their common constitutional interest to endow representatives and bureaucrats with the competence to impose soft paternalist policies. The focus is specifically on soft paternalist policies, because these often work with non-transparent 'nudges' that are considered as manipulativ...

PENGEMBANGAN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN SOFT SKILLS DAN HARD SKILLS UNTUK SISWA SMK

OpenAIRE

Widarto Noto Widodo, Pardjono

2013-01-01

Abstrak: Pengembangan Model Pembelajaran Soft Skills dan Hard Skills untuk Siswa SMK. Era global menuntut sumber daya manusia yang memiliki daya saing, adaptif dan antisipatif, mampu belajar, terampil, mudah beradaptasi dengan teknologi baru. Profil tenaga kerja yang dibutuhkan pasar adalah yang kuat pada aspek soft skills dan hard skills. Ada tiga alternatif model pendidikan yang memadukan hard skills dan soft skills, yaitu (1) aspek soft skills dan hard skills dilaksanakan di sekolah; (2) a...

Soft electron processor for surface sterilization of food material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baba, Takashi; Kaneko, Hiromi; Taniguchi, Shuichi

2004-01-01

As frozen or chilled foods have become popular nowadays, it has become very important to provide raw materials with lower level microbial contamination to food processing companies. Consequently, the sterilization of food material is one of the major topics for food processing. Dried materials like grains, beans and spices, etc., are not typically deeply contaminated by microorganisms, which reside on the surfaces of materials, so it is very useful to take low energetic, lower than 300 keV, electrons with small penetration power (Soft-Electrons), as a sterilization method for such materials. Soft-Electrons is researched and named by Dr. Hayashi et al. This is a non-thermal method, so one can keep foods hygienic without serious deterioration. It is also a physical method, so is free from residues of chemicals in foods. Recently, Nissin-High Voltage Co., Ltd. have developed and manufactured equipment for commercial use of Soft-Electrons (Soft Electron Processor), which can process 500 kg/h of grains. This report introduces the Soft Electron Processor and shows the results of sterilization of wheat and brown rice by the equipment

Hard and soft acids and bases: structure and process.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, James L

2012-07-05

Under investigation is the structure and process that gives rise to hard-soft behavior in simple anionic atomic bases. That for simple atomic bases the chemical hardness is expected to be the only extrinsic component of acid-base strength, has been substantiated in the current study. A thermochemically based operational scale of chemical hardness was used to identify the structure within anionic atomic bases that is responsible for chemical hardness. The base's responding electrons have been identified as the structure, and the relaxation that occurs during charge transfer has been identified as the process giving rise to hard-soft behavior. This is in contrast the commonly accepted explanations that attribute hard-soft behavior to varying degrees of electrostatic and covalent contributions to the acid-base interaction. The ability of the atomic ion's responding electrons to cause hard-soft behavior has been assessed by examining the correlation of the estimated relaxation energies of the responding electrons with the operational chemical hardness. It has been demonstrated that the responding electrons are able to give rise to hard-soft behavior in simple anionic bases.

Two Understandings of "Soft Power": Prerequisites, Correlates and Consequences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavel Parshin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The category of "soft power" suggested by Joseph Nye in early 1990s is analyzed in the paper as one of realization of tactile metaphor. Highlighted are those cognitive semantic peculiarities of this metaphor which contribute to its wide popularity and, at the same time, produce prerequisites for two dramatically different understandings of "soft power". According to technological understanding, "soft power" is an instrument or, broader, a technology, especially a communicative one, applied in world politics in such a way as to minimize damage caused to the object of power exertion in comparison to other, "hard power" instruments. In accordance with resource understanding, "soft power" is peculiar to influence exerted by an actor due to his/her/its attractiveness and shared values. The author analyses political and ideological correlates of these two understandings and relates them to different traditions in the study of country image and reputation, namely international relations theory and nation branding.. Analyzed are also the most topical disagreements about the "soft power" in the discourse of world politics.

German "Soft power" Policies in the Muslim World

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leili R. Rustamova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, a number of foreign policy concepts declared the importance of using the instruments of "soft power" to promote the national interests of a country. Soft power is the ability through political values, culture and foreign policy to influence others by forming attractiveness [18]. Germany is generally recognized as the leader in the resources of "soft power." The article discusses what kind of resources are deployed by Germany to increase its "soft power" in the Muslim direction of foreign policy. The Muslim world has its own specifics, which complicate the use of instruments of "soft power." Countries with large Muslim population are difficult to influence, as they differ from Europe in the civilizational respect, have their own customs and traditions which they strictly follow because of the nature of Muslim religion. The author notes that in the Muslim direction of foreign policy the problem for Germany lies in the fact that the formation of its attractiveness resulted in a significant flow of immigration of Muslims in the country. A part of immigrant Muslims tries to live isolated from European society, professes radical currents ofIslam and participates in military conflicts abroad, participation in which in the role of active player is ruled out by Germany. Failure to integrate them into German society and the lack of progress in the formation of its positive image in the Muslim countries resulted, on the one hand, in the split of German society, on the other hand, in the threat of absorption by foreign civilization, as it is observed now in Germany the presence of "soft power" of Muslim countries, which use its former and current citizens to influence German political course. The article was written within the constructivist methodology, which consider the "soft power" as a way of construction of social reality with the use of tangible and intangible resources for the formation of an attractive image of Germany in world

Prevalence of bone and soft tissue tumors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yücetürk, Güven; Sabah, Dündar; Keçeci, Burçin; Kara, Ahmet Duran; Yalçinkaya, Selçuk

2011-01-01

Multidisciplinary approach is a necessity for the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of bone and soft tissue tumors. The Ege University Musculoskeletal Tumor Council offers consultation services to other hospitals in the Aegean region. Since 1988 the Council has met weekly and spent approximately 1,500 hours evaluating almost 6,000 patients with suspected skeletal system tumors. Our objective was to present the data obtained from this patient group. A total of 5,658 patients, suspected to have a musculoskeletal tumor, were evaluated retrospectively. Multiple records of the patients due to multiple attendance to the Council were excluded. The prevalance of the bone and soft tissue tumors in these patients were analysed. Malignant mesenchymal tumors accounted for 39.7% of the total patients, benign tumors for 17%, tumor-like lesions for 17.8% and metastatic carsinomas for 8.6%. Malignant bone tumors were 50.2% and malignant soft tissue tumors were 49.8% of all the sarcomas. Among the malignant bone tumors the most common was osteosarcomas at a rate of 33.6%, followed by Ewing-PNET at 25.5%, chondrosarcomas at 19.4% and haematopoietic tumors at 17.6%. Pleomorphic sarcomas (24.5%), liposarcoma (16.4%), synovial sarcoma (13%) and undifferential sarcomas (8.8%) were the most common types of malignant sof tissue tumors. Benign soft tissue tumors (48%), benign cartilage tumors (28%), giant cell tumor (15%) and osteogenic tumors (9%) were found among the benign tumors. Hemangioma, lipoma, agressive fibromatosis, enchondroma, solitary chondroma and osteoid osteoma were the most common tumors in their groups. Lung (27%), breast (24%), gastrointestinal system (10.5%) and kidney (8.2%) carcinomas were the most common primary sites of the bone metastasis. Turkey still lacks a comprehensive series indicating the incidence and diagnostic distribution of bone and soft tissue tumors. The presented data would add to our knowledge on the specific rates of the bone and soft tissue

Latest progress of soft rock mechanics and engineering in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manchao He

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The progress of soft rock mechanics and associated technology in China is basically accompanied by the development of mining engineering and the increasing disasters of large rock deformation during construction of underground engineering. In this regard, Chinese scholars proposed various concepts and classification methods for soft rocks in terms of engineering practices. The large deformation mechanism of engineering soft rocks is to be understood through numerous experiments; and thus a coupled support theory for soft rock roadways is established, followed by the development of a new support material, i.e. the constant resistance and large deformation bolt/anchor with negative Poisson's ratio effect, and associated control technology. Field results show that large deformation problems related to numbers of engineering cases can be well addressed with this new technology, an effective way for similar soft rock deformation control.

Thermal-mechanical deformation modelling of soft tissues for thermal ablation.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xin; Zhong, Yongmin; Jazar, Reza; Subic, Aleksandar

2014-01-01

Modeling of thermal-induced mechanical behaviors of soft tissues is of great importance for thermal ablation. This paper presents a method by integrating the heating process with thermal-induced mechanical deformations of soft tissues for simulation and analysis of the thermal ablation process. This method combines bio-heat transfer theories, constitutive elastic material law under thermal loads as well as non-rigid motion dynamics to predict and analyze thermal-mechanical deformations of soft tissues. The 3D governing equations of thermal-mechanical soft tissue deformation are discretized by using the finite difference scheme and are subsequently solved by numerical algorithms. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively predict the thermal-induced mechanical behaviors of soft tissues, and can be used for the thermal ablation therapy to effectively control the delivered heat energy for cancer treatment.

A thermo-elastic model for soft rocks considering structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Z.; Zhang, S.; Teng, J.; Xiong, Y.

2017-01-01

In the fields of nuclear waste geological deposit, geothermal energy and deep mining, the effects of temperature on the mechanical behaviors of soft rocks cannot be neglected. Experimental data in the literature also showed that the structure of soft rocks cannot be ignored. Based on the super-loading yield surface and the concept of temperature-deduced equivalent stress, a thermo-elastoplastic model for soft rocks is proposed considering the structure. Compared to the super-loading yield surface, only one parameter is added, i.e. the linear thermal expansion coefficient. The predicted results and the comparisons with experimental data in the literature show that the proposed model is capable of simultaneously describing heat increase and heat decrease of soft rocks. A stronger initial structure leads to a greater strength of the soft rocks. Heat increase and heat decrease can be converted between each other due to the change of the initial structure of soft rocks. Furthermore, regardless of the heat increase or heat decrease, a larger linear thermal expansion coefficient or a greater temperature always leads to a much rapider degradation of the structure. The degradation trend will be more obvious for the coupled greater values of linear thermal expansion coefficient and temperature. Lastly, compared to heat decrease, the structure will degrade more easily in the case of heat increase. (authors)

A thermo-elastoplastic model for soft rocks considering structure

Science.gov (United States)

He, Zuoyue; Zhang, Sheng; Teng, Jidong; Xiong, Yonglin

2017-11-01

In the fields of nuclear waste geological deposit, geothermy and deep mining, the effects of temperature on the mechanical behaviors of soft rocks cannot be neglected. Experimental data in the literature also showed that the structure of soft rocks cannot be ignored. Based on the superloading yield surface and the concept of temperature-deduced equivalent stress, a thermo-elastoplastic model for soft rocks is proposed considering the structure. Compared to the superloading yield surface, only one parameter is added, i.e. the linear thermal expansion coefficient. The predicted results and the comparisons with experimental data in the literature show that the proposed model is capable of simultaneously describing heat increase and heat decrease of soft rocks. A stronger initial structure leads to a greater strength of the soft rocks. Heat increase and heat decrease can be converted between each other due to the change of the initial structure of soft rocks. Furthermore, regardless of the heat increase or heat decrease, a larger linear thermal expansion coefficient or a greater temperature always leads to a much rapider degradation of the structure. The degradation trend will be more obvious for the coupled greater values of linear thermal expansion coefficient and temperature. Lastly, compared to heat decrease, the structure will degrade more easily in the case of heat increase.

Enhanced gluten properties in soft kernel durum wheat

Science.gov (United States)

Soft kernel durum wheat is a relatively recent development (Morris et al. 2011 Crop Sci. 51:114). The soft kernel trait exerts profound effects on kernel texture, flour milling including break flour yield, milling energy, and starch damage, and dough water absorption (DWA). With the caveat of reduce...

Soft condensed matter: Polymers, complex fluids, and biomaterials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefer, D.

1995-01-01

Historians often characterize epochs through their dominant materials, clay, bronze, iron, and steel. From this perspective, the modern era is certainly the age of plastics. The progression from hard to soft materials suggests that the emerging era will be the age of open-quotes soft condensed matter.close quotes

Soft-tissue metastasis revealing a pancreatic adenocarcinoma: One ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Soft tissue metastases from pancreatic adenocarcinoma are rare lesions and can be the source of diagnostic confusion both clinically and pathologically. To our knowledge, one patient has been reported on with soft tissue lesions that ultimately disclose a pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We report here on a patient who ...

Hybrid soft computing approaches research and applications

CERN Document Server

Dutta, Paramartha; Chakraborty, Susanta

2016-01-01

The book provides a platform for dealing with the flaws and failings of the soft computing paradigm through different manifestations. The different chapters highlight the necessity of the hybrid soft computing methodology in general with emphasis on several application perspectives in particular. Typical examples include (a) Study of Economic Load Dispatch by Various Hybrid Optimization Techniques, (b) An Application of Color Magnetic Resonance Brain Image Segmentation by ParaOptiMUSIG activation Function, (c) Hybrid Rough-PSO Approach in Remote Sensing Imagery Analysis,  (d) A Study and Analysis of Hybrid Intelligent Techniques for Breast Cancer Detection using Breast Thermograms, and (e) Hybridization of 2D-3D Images for Human Face Recognition. The elaborate findings of the chapters enhance the exhibition of the hybrid soft computing paradigm in the field of intelligent computing.

Rotation of hard particles in a soft matrix

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Weizhu; Liu, Qingchang; Yue, Zhufeng; Li, Xiaodong; Xu, Baoxing

Soft-hard materials integration is ubiquitous in biological materials and structures in nature and has also attracted growing attention in the bio-inspired design of advanced functional materials, structures and devices. Due to the distinct difference in their mechanical properties, the rotation of hard phases in soft matrixes upon deformation has been acknowledged, yet is lack of theory in mechanics. In this work, we propose a theoretical mechanics framework that can describe the rotation of hard particles in a soft matrix. The rotation of multiple arbitrarily shaped, located and oriented particles with perfectly bonded interfaces in an elastic soft matrix subjected to a far-field tensile loading is established and analytical solutions are derived by using complex potentials and conformal mapping methods. Strong couplings and competitions of the rotation of hard particles among each other are discussed by investigating numbers, relative locations and orientations of particles in the matrix at different loading directions. Extensive finite element analyses are performed to validate theoretical solutions and good agreement of both rotation and stress field between them are achieved. Possible extensions of the present theory to non-rigid particles, viscoelastic matrix and imperfect bonding are also discussed. Finally, by taking advantage of the rotation of hard particles, we exemplify an application in a conceptual design of soft-hard material integrated phononic crystal and demonstrate that phononic band gaps can be successfully tuned with a high accuracy through the mechanical tension-induced rotation of hard particles. The present theory established herein is expected to be of immediate interests to the design of soft-hard materials integration based functional materials, structures and devices with tunable performance via mechanical rotation of hard phases.

The Topologies Research of a Soft Switching Bidirectional DC/DC Converter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Qi; Zhang, Yongping; Sun, Xiangdong

2017-01-01

A soft-switching solution implemented to the traditional bidirectional DC/DC converter is developed. The soft-switching cell, which composed of three auxiliary switches, one resonant capacitor and one resonant inductor, is equipped in the traditional bidirectional DC/DC converter to realize circuit...... circle. And the proposed topology of bidirectional soft-switching dc-dc converter(TASBC) performs ideal soft switching at boost operations. The characteristics of the proposed converter has been verified by MATLAB simulations and experimental results....

Soft-Collinear Effective Theory

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2017-01-01

I will review the basic principles about Soft-Collinear Effective Theory. I will focus on how it can be used to understand factorization properties and how one can resum large logarithms arising from infrared physics using the renormalization group evolution.

Research Update: Computational materials discovery in soft matter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tristan Bereau

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Soft matter embodies a wide range of materials, which all share the common characteristics of weak interaction energies determining their supramolecular structure. This complicates structure-property predictions and hampers the direct application of data-driven approaches to their modeling. We present several aspects in which these methods play a role in designing soft-matter materials: drug design as well as information-driven computer simulations, e.g., histogram reweighting. We also discuss recent examples of rational design of soft-matter materials fostered by physical insight and assisted by data-driven approaches. We foresee the combination of data-driven and physical approaches a promising strategy to move the field forward.

End-use quality of soft kernel durum wheat

Science.gov (United States)

Kernel texture is a major determinant of end-use quality of wheat. Durum wheat has very hard kernels. We developed soft kernel durum wheat via Ph1b-mediated homoeologous recombination. The Hardness locus was transferred from Chinese Spring to Svevo durum wheat via back-crossing. ‘Soft Svevo’ had SKC...

Miniaturized soft bio-hybrid robotics: a step forward into healthcare applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Patino, T; Mestre, R; Sánchez, S

2016-10-07

Soft robotics is an emerging discipline that employs soft flexible materials such as fluids, gels and elastomers in order to enhance the use of robotics in healthcare applications. Compared to their rigid counterparts, soft robotic systems have flexible and rheological properties that are closely related to biological systems, thus allowing the development of adaptive and flexible interactions with complex dynamic environments. With new technologies arising in bioengineering, the integration of living cells into soft robotic systems offers the possibility of accomplishing multiple complex functions such as sensing and actuating upon external stimuli. These emerging bio-hybrid systems are showing promising outcomes and opening up new avenues in the field of soft robotics for applications in healthcare and other fields.

The Curious Case of Soft Matter Ranjini Bandyopadhyay Raman ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

ranjeetha

My research interests: structure, dynamics, phase behavior and flow of 'soft' ... Examples of soft materials ... You can study them with a microscope, by autocorrelating scattered light intensity ... on the application of very small applied forces.

AN INTERIM REPORT ON SOFT SYSTEMS EVALUATION

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Viljem Rupnik

2011-02-01

Full Text Available As application areas rapidly grow beyond the theoretical framework of fundamental decision theory we are very often temptated to see whether or not soft systems may promise some efficient modelling of real life problems. The pioneering bust towards soft systems methodology has come from the needs of mathematical sociology. Its contemporary definition as well as its applied architecture have been dealt with as in a paper proposed.

Thin film soft X-ray absorption filters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stattin, H.

1992-11-01

This report discusses the composition, reparation and performance of soft x-ray transmission filters for a water window soft x-ray microscope. Unbacked thin films of aluminum, silver and vanadium/aluminum were made by evaporation on a substrate from which they were released. Measured transmittances agree reasonably well with calculations. The report also includes some related theory and discussions about film preparation methods, film contamination and evaluation methods. 33 refs

Microwave tomography for functional imaging of extremity soft tissues: feasibility assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Semenov, Serguei; Kellam, James; Althausen, Peter; Williams, Thomas; Abubakar, Aria; Bulyshev, Alexander; Sizov, Yuri

2007-01-01

It is important to assess the viability of extremity soft tissues, as this component is often the determinant of the final outcome of fracture treatment. Microwave tomography (MWT) and sensing might be able to provide a fast and mobile assessment of such properties. MWT imaging of extremities possesses a complicated, nonlinear, high dielectric contrast inverse problem of diffraction tomography. There is a high dielectric contrast between bone and soft tissue in the extremities. A contrast between soft tissue abnormalities is less pronounced when compared with the high bone-soft tissue contrast. The goal of this study was to assess the feasibility of MWT for functional imaging of extremity soft tissues, i.e. to detect a relatively small contrast within soft tissues in closer proximity to high contrast boney areas. Both experimental studies and computer simulation were performed. Experiments were conducted using live pigs with compromised blood flow and compartment syndrome within an extremity. A whole 2D tomographic imaging cycle at 1 GHz was computer simulated and images were reconstructed using the Newton, MR-CSI and modified Born methods. Results of experimental studies demonstrate that microwave technology is sensitive to changes in the soft tissue blood content and elevated compartment pressure. It was demonstrated that MWT is feasible for functional imaging of extremity soft tissues, circulatory-related changes, blood flow and elevated compartment pressure

Extreme Toughening of Soft Materials with Liquid Metal.

Science.gov (United States)

Kazem, Navid; Bartlett, Michael D; Majidi, Carmel

2018-05-01

Soft and tough materials are critical for engineering applications in medical devices, stretchable and wearable electronics, and soft robotics. Toughness in synthetic materials is mostly accomplished by increasing energy dissipation near the crack tip with various energy dissipation techniques. However, bio-materials exhibit extreme toughness by combining multi-scale energy dissipation with the ability to deflect and blunt an advancing crack tip. Here, we demonstrate a synthetic materials architecture that also exhibits multi-modal toughening, whereby embedding a suspension of micron sized and highly deformable liquid metal (LM) droplets inside a soft elastomer, the fracture energy dramatically increases by up to 50x (from 250 ± 50 J m -2 to 11,900 ± 2600 J m -2 ) over an unfilled polymer. For some LM-embedded elastomer (LMEE) compositions, the toughness is measured to be 33,500 ± 4300 J m -2 , which far exceeds the highest value previously reported for a soft elastic material. This extreme toughening is achieved by (i) increasing energy dissipation, (ii) adaptive crack movement, and (iii) effective elimination of the crack tip. Such properties arise from the deformability of the LM inclusions during loading, providing a new mechanism to not only prevent crack initiation, but also resist the propagation of existing tears for ultra tough, soft materials. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The role of soft computing in intelligent machines.

Science.gov (United States)

de Silva, Clarence W

2003-08-15

An intelligent machine relies on computational intelligence in generating its intelligent behaviour. This requires a knowledge system in which representation and processing of knowledge are central functions. Approximation is a 'soft' concept, and the capability to approximate for the purposes of comparison, pattern recognition, reasoning, and decision making is a manifestation of intelligence. This paper examines the use of soft computing in intelligent machines. Soft computing is an important branch of computational intelligence, where fuzzy logic, probability theory, neural networks, and genetic algorithms are synergistically used to mimic the reasoning and decision making of a human. This paper explores several important characteristics and capabilities of machines that exhibit intelligent behaviour. Approaches that are useful in the development of an intelligent machine are introduced. The paper presents a general structure for an intelligent machine, giving particular emphasis to its primary components, such as sensors, actuators, controllers, and the communication backbone, and their interaction. The role of soft computing within the overall system is discussed. Common techniques and approaches that will be useful in the development of an intelligent machine are introduced, and the main steps in the development of an intelligent machine for practical use are given. An industrial machine, which employs the concepts of soft computing in its operation, is presented, and one aspect of intelligent tuning, which is incorporated into the machine, is illustrated.

4th International Conference on Quantitative Logic and Soft Computing

CERN Document Server

Chen, Shui-Li; Wang, San-Min; Li, Yong-Ming

2017-01-01

This book is the proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Quantitative Logic and Soft Computing (QLSC2016) held 14-17, October, 2016 in Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China. It includes 61 papers, of which 5 are plenary talks( 3 abstracts and 2 full length talks). QLSC2016 was the fourth in a series of conferences on Quantitative Logic and Soft Computing. This conference was a major symposium for scientists, engineers and practitioners to present their updated results, ideas, developments and applications in all areas of quantitative logic and soft computing. The book aims to strengthen relations between industry research laboratories and universities in fields such as quantitative logic and soft computing worldwide as follows: (1) Quantitative Logic and Uncertainty Logic; (2) Automata and Quantification of Software; (3) Fuzzy Connectives and Fuzzy Reasoning; (4) Fuzzy Logical Algebras; (5) Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing; (6) Fuzzy Sets Theory and Applications.

Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Method Based on Neutrosophic Soft Rough Information

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Muhammad Akram

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Soft sets (SSs, neutrosophic sets (NSs, and rough sets (RSs are different mathematical models for handling uncertainties, but they are mutually related. In this research paper, we introduce the notions of soft rough neutrosophic sets (SRNSs and neutrosophic soft rough sets (NSRSs as hybrid models for soft computing. We describe a mathematical approach to handle decision-making problems in view of NSRSs. We also present an efficient algorithm of our proposed hybrid model to solve decision-making problems.

Acknowledging individual responsibility while emphasizing social determinants in narratives to promote obesity-reducing public policy: a randomized experiment.

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Jeff Niederdeppe

Full Text Available This study tests whether policy narratives designed to increase support for obesity-reducing public policies should explicitly acknowledge individual responsibility while emphasizing social, physical, and economic (social determinants of obesity. We use a web-based, randomized experiment with a nationally representative sample of American adults (n = 718 to test hypotheses derived from theory and research on narrative persuasion. Respondents exposed to narratives that acknowledged individual responsibility while emphasizing obesity's social determinants were less likely to engage in counterargument and felt more empathy for the story's main character than those exposed to a message that did not acknowledge individual responsibility. Counterarguing and affective empathy fully mediated the relationship between message condition and support for policies to reduce rates of obesity. Failure to acknowledge individual responsibility in narratives emphasizing social determinants of obesity may undermine the persuasiveness of policy narratives. Omitting information about individual responsibility, a strongly-held American value, invites the public to engage in counterargument about the narratives and reduces feelings of empathy for a character that experiences the challenges and benefits of social determinants of obesity.

Acknowledging individual responsibility while emphasizing social determinants in narratives to promote obesity-reducing public policy: a randomized experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Niederdeppe, Jeff; Roh, Sungjong; Shapiro, Michael A

2015-01-01

This study tests whether policy narratives designed to increase support for obesity-reducing public policies should explicitly acknowledge individual responsibility while emphasizing social, physical, and economic (social) determinants of obesity. We use a web-based, randomized experiment with a nationally representative sample of American adults (n = 718) to test hypotheses derived from theory and research on narrative persuasion. Respondents exposed to narratives that acknowledged individual responsibility while emphasizing obesity's social determinants were less likely to engage in counterargument and felt more empathy for the story's main character than those exposed to a message that did not acknowledge individual responsibility. Counterarguing and affective empathy fully mediated the relationship between message condition and support for policies to reduce rates of obesity. Failure to acknowledge individual responsibility in narratives emphasizing social determinants of obesity may undermine the persuasiveness of policy narratives. Omitting information about individual responsibility, a strongly-held American value, invites the public to engage in counterargument about the narratives and reduces feelings of empathy for a character that experiences the challenges and benefits of social determinants of obesity.

The Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Hematological and Chemical Abnormalities in Soft Tissue Sarcoma: A Comparative Study in Patients with Benign and Malignant Soft Tissue Tumors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ariizumi, Takashi; Kawashima, Hiroyuki; Ogose, Akira; Sasaki, Taro; Hotta, Tetsuo; Hatano, Hiroshi; Morita, Tetsuro; Endo, Naoto

2018-01-01

The value of routine blood tests in malignant soft tissue tumors remains uncertain. To determine if these tests can be used for screening, the routine pretreatment blood test findings were retrospectively investigated in 359 patients with benign and malignant soft tissue tumors. Additionally, the prognostic potential of pretreatment blood abnormalities was evaluated in patients with soft tissue sarcomas. We compared clinical factors and blood tests findings between patients with benign and malignant soft tissue tumors using univariate and multivariate analysis. Subsequently, patients with malignant tumors were divided into two groups based on blood test reference values, and the prognostic significance of each parameter was evaluated. In the univariate analysis, age, tumor size, and tumor depth were significant clinical diagnostic factors. Significant increases in the granulocyte count, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP) levels were found in patients with malignant soft tissue tumors. Multiple logistic regression showed that tumor size and ESR were independent factors that predicted malignant soft tissue tumors. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that granulocyte counts, γ-GTP levels, and CRP levels correlated significantly with overall survival. Thus, pretreatment routine blood tests are useful diagnostic and prognostic markers for diagnosing soft tissue sarcoma. © 2018 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.

Pauli principle in the soft-photon approach to proton-proton bremsstrahlung

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liou, MK; Timmermans, R; Gibson, BF

1996-01-01

A relativistic and manifestly gauge-invariant soft-photon amplitude, which is consistent with the soft-photon theorem and satisfies the Pauli principle, is derived for the proton-proton bremsstrahlung process. This soft-photon amplitude is the first two-u-two-t special amplitude to satisfy all

Soft tissue grafting to improve implant esthetics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moawia M Kassab

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Moawia M KassabDivision of Periodontics, Marquette University, School of Dentistry, Milwaukee, WI, USAAbstract: Dental implants are becoming the treatment of choice to replace missing teeth, especially if the adjacent teeth are free of restorations. When minimal bone width is present, implant placement becomes a challenge and often resulting in recession and dehiscence around the implant that leads to subsequent gingival recession. To correct such defect, the author turned to soft tissue autografting and allografting to correct a buccal dehiscence around tooth #24 after a malpositioned implant placed by a different surgeon. A 25-year-old woman presented with the chief complaint of gingival recession and exposure of implant threads around tooth #24. The patient received three soft tissue grafting procedures to augment the gingival tissue. The first surgery included a connective tissue graft to increase the width of the keratinized gingival tissue. The second surgery included the use of autografting (connective tissue graft to coronally position the soft tissue and achieve implant coverage. The third and final surgery included the use of allografting material Alloderm to increase and mask the implant from showing through the gingiva. Healing period was uneventful for the patient. After three surgical procedures, it appears that soft tissue grafting has increased the width and height of the gingiva surrounding the implant. The accomplished thickness of gingival tissue appeared to mask the showing of implant threads through the gingival tissue and allowed for achieving the desired esthetic that the patient desired. The aim of the study is to present a clinical case with soft tissue grafting procedures.Keywords: case report, connective tissue, dental implants, allograft, coronally positioned flap

A versatile model for soft patchy particles with various patch arrangements.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhan-Wei; Zhu, You-Liang; Lu, Zhong-Yuan; Sun, Zhao-Yan

2016-01-21

We propose a simple and general mesoscale soft patchy particle model, which can felicitously describe the deformable and surface-anisotropic characteristics of soft patchy particles. This model can be used in dynamics simulations to investigate the aggregation behavior and mechanism of various types of soft patchy particles with tunable number, size, direction, and geometrical arrangement of the patches. To improve the computational efficiency of this mesoscale model in dynamics simulations, we give the simulation algorithm that fits the compute unified device architecture (CUDA) framework of NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs). The validation of the model and the performance of the simulations using GPUs are demonstrated by simulating several benchmark systems of soft patchy particles with 1 to 4 patches in a regular geometrical arrangement. Because of its simplicity and computational efficiency, the soft patchy particle model will provide a powerful tool to investigate the aggregation behavior of soft patchy particles, such as patchy micelles, patchy microgels, and patchy dendrimers, over larger spatial and temporal scales.

Imaging of benign and malignant soft tissue masses of the foot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waldt, Simone; Rummeny, Ernst J.; Woertler, Klaus; Rechl, Hans

2003-01-01

The foot is a relatively uncommon site of neoplastic and non-neoplastic soft tissue tumors. Although it contains a relatively small amount of somatic soft tissue elements, the foot is considerably rich in tendons, fasciae, retinaculae, and synovium. Corresponding to this distribution of soft tissue elements, some soft tissue lesions, such as giant cell tumor of tendon sheath, fibromatosis, and synovial sarcoma, are commonly seen in this location. Vascular tumors represent common soft tissue masses of the foot as well. Magnetic resonance imaging is the modality of choice in the assessment of soft tissue tumors. The presence of a suspected lesion can be confirmed and tumor margins can be defined accurately. In general, MRI does not provide histologic specificity, but considering some MR features may often help in correctly distinguishing benign from malignant lesions. In addition, characteristic features of the most common benign tumors (i.e., fibromatosis, cavernous hemangioma) and reactive processes of the foot (ganglion cyst, Morton's neuroma) often suggest a specific diagnosis. (orig.)

Fat-containing soft-tissue masses in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheybani, Elizabeth F; Eutsler, Eric P; Navarro, Oscar M

2016-12-01

The diagnosis of soft-tissue masses in children can be difficult because of the frequently nonspecific clinical and imaging characteristics of these lesions. However key findings on imaging can aid in diagnosis. The identification of macroscopic fat within a soft-tissue mass narrows the differential diagnosis considerably and suggests a high likelihood of a benign etiology in children. Fat can be difficult to detect with sonography because of the variable appearance of fat using this modality. Fat is easier to recognize using MRI, particularly with the aid of fat-suppression techniques. Although a large portion of fat-containing masses in children are adipocytic tumors, a variety of other tumors and mass-like conditions that contain fat should be considered by the radiologist confronted with a fat-containing mass in a child. In this article we review the sonographic and MRI findings in the most relevant fat-containing soft-tissue masses in the pediatric age group, including adipocytic tumors (lipoma, angiolipoma, lipomatosis, lipoblastoma, lipomatosis of nerve, and liposarcoma); fibroblastic/myofibroblastic tumors (fibrous hamartoma of infancy and lipofibromatosis); vascular anomalies (involuting hemangioma, intramuscular capillary hemangioma, phosphate and tensin homologue (PTEN) hamartoma of soft tissue, fibro-adipose vascular anomaly), and other miscellaneous entities, such as fat necrosis and epigastric hernia.

MRI evaluation of soft tissue hydatid disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia-Diez, A.I.; Ros Mendoza, L.H.; Villacampa, V.M.; Cozar, M.; Fuertes, M.I. [Dept. of Radiology, Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza (Spain)

2000-03-01

Infestation in soft tissue by Echinococcus granulosus is not a common disease, and its diagnosis is based on clinical, laboratory data and radiological findings. The aim of our retrospective study is to give an overview of the different signs and patterns shown by MRI that can be useful in characterizing soft tissue hydatid disease. The MRI images obtained in seven patients with soft tissue and subcutaneous hydatidosis were reviewed. Typical signs of hydatidosis were multivesicular lesions with or without hypointense peripheral ring (''rim sign''). Related to the presence and absence, respectively, of viable scolices in the microscopic exam, daughter cysts were presented either as high signal intensity or low signal intensity on T2-weighted images. Low-intensity detached layers within the cyst and peripheral enhancement with gadolinium-DTPA were also presented. Atypical signs were presented in an infected muscular cyst, a subcutaneous unilocular cyst and several unilocular cysts. Knowledge of the different patterns in MRI of soft tissue hydatid disease can be useful in diagnosing this entity. We observed that the ''rim sign'' is not as common as in other locations, and in addition, MRI seems to be of assistance when evaluating the vitality of the cysts. (orig.)

Fat-containing soft-tissue masses in children

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sheybani, Elizabeth F. [University of Toronto, Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto, ON (Canada); The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Toronto, ON (Canada); Washington University School of Medicine, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, St. Louis, MO (United States); Eutsler, Eric P. [Washington University School of Medicine, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, St. Louis, MO (United States); Navarro, Oscar M. [University of Toronto, Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto, ON (Canada); The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Toronto, ON (Canada)

2016-12-15

The diagnosis of soft-tissue masses in children can be difficult because of the frequently nonspecific clinical and imaging characteristics of these lesions. However key findings on imaging can aid in diagnosis. The identification of macroscopic fat within a soft-tissue mass narrows the differential diagnosis considerably and suggests a high likelihood of a benign etiology in children. Fat can be difficult to detect with sonography because of the variable appearance of fat using this modality. Fat is easier to recognize using MRI, particularly with the aid of fat-suppression techniques. Although a large portion of fat-containing masses in children are adipocytic tumors, a variety of other tumors and mass-like conditions that contain fat should be considered by the radiologist confronted with a fat-containing mass in a child. In this article we review the sonographic and MRI findings in the most relevant fat-containing soft-tissue masses in the pediatric age group, including adipocytic tumors (lipoma, angiolipoma, lipomatosis, lipoblastoma, lipomatosis of nerve, and liposarcoma); fibroblastic/myofibroblastic tumors (fibrous hamartoma of infancy and lipofibromatosis); vascular anomalies (involuting hemangioma, intramuscular capillary hemangioma, phosphate and tensin homologue (PTEN) hamartoma of soft tissue, fibro-adipose vascular anomaly), and other miscellaneous entities, such as fat necrosis and epigastric hernia. (orig.)

Hybrid 3D Printing of Soft Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Valentine, Alexander D; Busbee, Travis A; Boley, John William; Raney, Jordan R; Chortos, Alex; Kotikian, Arda; Berrigan, John Daniel; Durstock, Michael F; Lewis, Jennifer A

2017-10-01

Hybrid 3D printing is a new method for producing soft electronics that combines direct ink writing of conductive and dielectric elastomeric materials with automated pick-and-place of surface mount electronic components within an integrated additive manufacturing platform. Using this approach, insulating matrix and conductive electrode inks are directly printed in specific layouts. Passive and active electrical components are then integrated to produce the desired electronic circuitry by using an empty nozzle (in vacuum-on mode) to pick up individual components, place them onto the substrate, and then deposit them (in vacuum-off mode) in the desired location. The components are then interconnected via printed conductive traces to yield soft electronic devices that may find potential application in wearable electronics, soft robotics, and biomedical devices. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Classification of soft and hard impacts-Application to aircraft crash

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koechlin, Pierre; Potapov, Serguei

2009-01-01

Before modeling an aircraft crash on a shield building of a nuclear power plant, it is very important to understand the physical phenomena and the structural behavior associated with this kind of impact. In the scientific literature, aircraft crash is classified as a soft impact, or as an impact of deformable missile. Nevertheless the existing classifications are not precise enough to be able to predict 'a priori' the structural response mode. The aim of this paper is to characterize very precisely what is a soft and a hard impact in the frame of aircraft crash on nuclear power plant. First the existing qualitative definition of soft and hard impact is quickly reviewed in order to introduce a new criterion to make a quantitative distinction between soft and hard impact. Then the experimental tests carried out during the last thirty years in the research field of aircraft crash are presented in the light of the new classification. The authors show that this characterization of soft and hard impacts has a real physical interest because it is linked to the failure mode for perforation: for soft impacts, perforation is the consequence of a shear plug breaking away and for hard impact it comes from local failure and projectile penetration. Moreover the boundary between soft and hard impact is the limit for the use of an impact force in an uncoupled computation of the impact

A new physical method to assess handle properties of fabrics made from wood-based fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Abu-Rous, M.; Liftinger, E.; Innerlohinger, J.; Malengier, B.; Vasile, S.

2017-10-01

In this work, the handfeel of fabrics made of wood-based fibers such as viscose, modal and Lyocell was investigated in relation to cotton fabrics applying the Tissue Softness Analyzer (TSA) method in comparison to other classical methods. Two different construction groups of textile were investigated. The validity of TSA in assessing textile softness of these constructions was tested. TSA results were compared to human hand evaluation as well as to classical physical measurements like drape coefficient, ring pull-through and Handle-o-meter, as well as a newer device, the Fabric Touch Tester (FTT). Physical methods as well as human hand assessments mostly agreed on the softest and smoothest range, but showed different rankings in the harder/rougher side fabrics. TSA ranking of softness and smoothness corresponded to the rankings by other physical methods as well as with human hand feel for the basic textile constructions.

Bacterial Infection Potato Tuber Soft Rot Disease Detection Based on Electronic Nose

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang Zhiyong

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Soft rot is a severe bacterial disease of potatoes, and soft rot infection can cause significant economic losses during the storage period of potatoes. In this study, potato soft rot was selected as the research object, and a type of potato tuber soft rot disease early detection method based on the electronic nose technology was proposed. An optimized bionic electronic nose gas chamber and a scientific and reasonable sampling device were designed to detect a change in volatile substances of the infected soft rot disease of potato tuber. The infection of soft rot disease in potato tuber samples was detected and identified by using the RBF NN algorithm and SVM algorithm. The results revealed that the proposed bionic electronic nose system can be utilized for early detection of potato tuber soft rot disease. Through comparison and analysis, the recognition rate using the SVM algorithm reached up to 89.7%, and the results were superior to the RBF NN algorithm.

Controllable helical deformations on printed anisotropic composite soft actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dong; Li, Ling; Serjouei, Ahmad; Dong, Longteng; Weeger, Oliver; Gu, Guoying; Ge, Qi

2018-04-01

Helical shapes are ubiquitous in both nature and engineering. However, the development of soft actuators and robots that mimic helical motions has been hindered primarily due to the lack of efficient modeling approaches that take into account the material anisotropy and the directional change of the external loading point. In this work, we present a theoretical framework for modeling controllable helical deformations of cable-driven, anisotropic, soft composite actuators. The framework is based on the minimum potential energy method, and its model predictions are validated by experiments, where the microarchitectures of the soft composite actuators can be precisely defined by 3D printing. We use the developed framework to investigate the effects of material and geometric parameters on helical deformations. The results show that material stiffness, volume fraction, layer thickness, and fiber orientation can be used to control the helical deformation of a soft actuator. In particular, we found that a critical fiber orientation angle exists at which the twist of the actuator changes the direction. Thus, this work can be of great importance for the design and fabrication of soft actuators with tailored deformation behavior.

MEASURING SOFT ECONOMIC POWER OF COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Chugaiev

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Existing methods of measuring economic component of national soft power are mainly based on surveys of public opinion. Their results are summarized. We elaborate and test an index of soft economic power based on webometric approach. The index measures the amount of economic information about a country in the internet and the ratio of positive and negative information. The information usually reflects economic situation in a country, news, conditions for business, efficiency of governance, returns or economic relations with other countries. The leaders by the soft economic power index are the EU, the U,S, and China, The correlation between the index and the share in world GDP is high, but several outliers were detected. English-speaking countries tend to be overrepresented in the internet. Despite several advantages of the suggested approach, use of the index as the sole method of measurement is problematic, because other language bias, occasional double counting, imperfect classification of information as positive or negative, and imprecise results for small countries.

Dermal fillers for facial soft tissue augmentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Dastoor, Sarosh F; Misch, Carl E; Wang, Hom-Lay

2007-01-01

Nowadays, patients are demanding not only enhancement to their dental (micro) esthetics, but also their overall facial (macro) esthetics. Soft tissue augmentation via dermal filling agents may be used to correct facial defects such as wrinkles caused by age, gravity, and trauma; thin lips; asymmetrical facial appearances; buccal fold depressions; and others. This article will review the pathogenesis of facial wrinkles, history, techniques, materials, complications, and clinical controversies regarding dermal fillers for soft tissue augmentation.

Pediatric rhabdomyosarcomas and nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma

OpenAIRE

Agarwala Sandeep

2006-01-01

Tumors arising from the soft tissues are uncommon in children, accounting for about 6% of all childhood malignancies. More than half (53%) of these originate from the striated muscles and are called rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) the remaining are nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas (NRSTS). Almost two-thirds of RMS cases are diagnosed in children < 6 years of age. They can arise at varied locations like the head and neck region, genitourinary tract, extremities, trunk and retrope...

SCHEME (Soft Control Human error Evaluation MEthod) for advanced MCR HRA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jang, Inseok; Jung, Wondea; Seong, Poong Hyun

2015-01-01

The Technique for Human Error Rate Prediction (THERP), Korean Human Reliability Analysis (K-HRA), Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART), A Technique for Human Event Analysis (ATHEANA), Cognitive Reliability and Error Analysis Method (CREAM), and Simplified Plant Analysis Risk Human Reliability Assessment (SPAR-H) in relation to NPP maintenance and operation. Most of these methods were developed considering the conventional type of Main Control Rooms (MCRs). They are still used for HRA in advanced MCRs even though the operating environment of advanced MCRs in NPPs has been considerably changed by the adoption of new human-system interfaces such as computer-based soft controls. Among the many features in advanced MCRs, soft controls are an important feature because the operation action in NPP advanced MCRs is performed by soft controls. Consequently, those conventional methods may not sufficiently consider the features of soft control execution human errors. To this end, a new framework of a HRA method for evaluating soft control execution human error is suggested by performing the soft control task analysis and the literature reviews regarding widely accepted human error taxonomies. In this study, the framework of a HRA method for evaluating soft control execution human error in advanced MCRs is developed. First, the factors which HRA method in advanced MCRs should encompass are derived based on the literature review, and soft control task analysis. Based on the derived factors, execution HRA framework in advanced MCRs is developed mainly focusing on the features of soft control. Moreover, since most current HRA database deal with operation in conventional type of MCRs and are not explicitly designed to deal with digital HSI, HRA database are developed under lab scale simulation

Soft x-ray virtual diagnostics for tokamak simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, J. S.; Zhao, L.; Bogatu, I. N.; In, Y.; Turnbull, A.; Osborne, T.; Maraschek, M.; Comer, K.

2009-11-01

The numerical toolset, FAR-TECH Virtual Diagnostic Utility, for generating virtual experimental data based on theoretical models and comparing it with experimental data, has been developed for soft x-ray diagnostics on DIII-D. The virtual (or synthetic) soft x-ray signals for a sample DIII-D discharge are compared with the experimental data. The plasma density and temperature radial profiles needed in the soft x-ray signal modeling are obtained from experimental data, i.e., from Thomson scattering and electron cyclotron emission. The virtual soft x-ray diagnostics for the equilibriums have a good agreement with the experimental data. The virtual diagnostics based on an ideal linear instability also agree reasonably well with the experimental data. The agreements are good enough to justify the methodology presented here for utilizing virtual diagnostics for routine comparison of experimental data. The agreements also motivate further detailed simulations with improved physical models such as the nonideal magnetohydrodynamics contributions (resistivity, viscosity, nonaxisymmetric error fields, etc.) and other nonlinear effects, which can be tested by virtual diagnostics with various stability modeling.

Continued Development of a Soft Gamma-Ray Concentrator

Science.gov (United States)

Bloser, Peter

We propose to continue our development of a concept for a soft gamma-ray (E > 100 keV) concentrator using thin-film multilayer structures. Alternating layers of low- and high-density materials will channel soft gamma-ray photons via total external reflection. A suitable arrangement of bent structures will then concentrate the incident radiation to a point. Gamma-ray optics made in this way offer the potential for soft gamma-ray telescopes with focal lengths of less than 10 m, removing the need for formation flying spacecraft and opening the field up to balloon-borne instruments. Under previous APRA funding we have been investigating methods for efficiently producing such multilayer structures and modeling their performance. We now propose to pursue magnetron sputtering (MS) techniques to quickly produce structures with the required smoothness and thickness, to measure their channeling efficiency and compare with calculations, and to design a "lens" with optimized bandpass and throughput and predict its scientific performance. If successful, this work will confirm that this innovative optics concept is suitable for a balloon-born soft gamma-ray telescope with unprecedented sensitivity.

Soft Somatosensitive Actuators via Embedded 3D Printing.

Science.gov (United States)

Truby, Ryan L; Wehner, Michael; Grosskopf, Abigail K; Vogt, Daniel M; Uzel, Sebastien G M; Wood, Robert J; Lewis, Jennifer A

2018-04-01

Humans possess manual dexterity, motor skills, and other physical abilities that rely on feedback provided by the somatosensory system. Herein, a method is reported for creating soft somatosensitive actuators (SSAs) via embedded 3D printing, which are innervated with multiple conductive features that simultaneously enable haptic, proprioceptive, and thermoceptive sensing. This novel manufacturing approach enables the seamless integration of multiple ionically conductive and fluidic features within elastomeric matrices to produce SSAs with the desired bioinspired sensing and actuation capabilities. Each printed sensor is composed of an ionically conductive gel that exhibits both long-term stability and hysteresis-free performance. As an exemplar, multiple SSAs are combined into a soft robotic gripper that provides proprioceptive and haptic feedback via embedded curvature, inflation, and contact sensors, including deep and fine touch contact sensors. The multimaterial manufacturing platform enables complex sensing motifs to be easily integrated into soft actuating systems, which is a necessary step toward closed-loop feedback control of soft robots, machines, and haptic devices. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Botanicals to Control Soft Rot Bacteria of Potato

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. M. Rahman

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Extracts from eleven different plant species such as jute (Corchorus capsularis L., cheerota (Swertia chiraita Ham., chatim (Alstonia scholaris L., mander (Erythrina variegata, bael (Aegle marmelos L., marigold (Tagetes erecta, onion (Allium cepa, garlic (Allium sativum L., neem (Azadiracta indica, lime (Citrus aurantifolia, and turmeric (Curcuma longa L. were tested for antibacterial activity against potato soft rot bacteria, E. carotovora subsp. carotovora (Ecc P-138, under in vitro and storage conditions. Previously, Ecc P-138 was identified as the most aggressive soft rot bacterium in Bangladeshi potatoes. Of the 11 different plant extracts, only extracts from dried jute leaves and cheerota significantly inhibited growth of Ecc P-138 in vitro. Finally, both plant extracts were tested to control the soft rot disease of potato tuber under storage conditions. In a 22-week storage condition, the treated potatoes were significantly more protected against the soft rot infection than those of untreated samples in terms of infection rate and weight loss. The jute leaf extracts showed more pronounced inhibitory effects on Ecc-138 growth both in in vitro and storage experiments.

Soft x-ray virtual diagnostics for tokamak simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, J. S.; Zhao, L.; Bogatu, I. N.; In, Y.; Turnbull, A.; Osborne, T.; Maraschek, M.; Comer, K.

2009-01-01

The numerical toolset, FAR-TECH Virtual Diagnostic Utility, for generating virtual experimental data based on theoretical models and comparing it with experimental data, has been developed for soft x-ray diagnostics on DIII-D. The virtual (or synthetic) soft x-ray signals for a sample DIII-D discharge are compared with the experimental data. The plasma density and temperature radial profiles needed in the soft x-ray signal modeling are obtained from experimental data, i.e., from Thomson scattering and electron cyclotron emission. The virtual soft x-ray diagnostics for the equilibriums have a good agreement with the experimental data. The virtual diagnostics based on an ideal linear instability also agree reasonably well with the experimental data. The agreements are good enough to justify the methodology presented here for utilizing virtual diagnostics for routine comparison of experimental data. The agreements also motivate further detailed simulations with improved physical models such as the nonideal magnetohydrodynamics contributions (resistivity, viscosity, nonaxisymmetric error fields, etc.) and other nonlinear effects, which can be tested by virtual diagnostics with various stability modeling.

Water demand forecasting: review of soft computing methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghalehkhondabi, Iman; Ardjmand, Ehsan; Young, William A; Weckman, Gary R

2017-07-01

Demand forecasting plays a vital role in resource management for governments and private companies. Considering the scarcity of water and its inherent constraints, demand management and forecasting in this domain are critically important. Several soft computing techniques have been developed over the last few decades for water demand forecasting. This study focuses on soft computing methods of water consumption forecasting published between 2005 and 2015. These methods include artificial neural networks (ANNs), fuzzy and neuro-fuzzy models, support vector machines, metaheuristics, and system dynamics. Furthermore, it was discussed that while in short-term forecasting, ANNs have been superior in many cases, but it is still very difficult to pick a single method as the overall best. According to the literature, various methods and their hybrids are applied to water demand forecasting. However, it seems soft computing has a lot more to contribute to water demand forecasting. These contribution areas include, but are not limited, to various ANN architectures, unsupervised methods, deep learning, various metaheuristics, and ensemble methods. Moreover, it is found that soft computing methods are mainly used for short-term demand forecasting.

The development for small scale soft X-ray spectrometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Kexu; Jiang Shaoen; Yi Rongqing; Cui Yanli

2004-12-01

For the development of small-scale soft X-ray spectrometer, first, some small-scale soft X-ray detection elements are developed, it is included GaAs irradiated with neutron, GaAs irradiated with proton, multi-layer mirror, plane mirror and small scale X-ray diode et al. Soft X-ray spectrometers built of multi-layer mirror-GaAs (with neutron irradiation), and plane mirror-small-scale XRD, and plane mirror-GaAs (with proton irradiation) are prepared. These spectrometers are examined in Shen Guang-II laser facility, and some external estimation are given. (authors)

Current knowledge of soft cheeses flavor and related compounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Sablé, S; Cottenceau, G

1999-12-01

Cheese aroma is the result of the perception of a large number of molecules belonging to different chemical classes. The volatile compounds involved in the soft cheese flavor have received a great deal of attention. However, there has been less work concerning the volatile compounds in the soft smear-ripened cheeses than in the mold-ripened cheeses. This paper reviews the components that contribute to the characteristic flavor in the soft cheeses such as surface-ripened, Camembert-type, and Blue cheeses. The sensory properties and quantities of the molecules in the different cheeses are discussed.

Phoneme-based speech segmentation using hybrid soft computing framework

CERN Document Server

Sarma, Mousmita

2014-01-01

The book discusses intelligent system design using soft computing and similar systems and their interdisciplinary applications. It also focuses on the recent trends to use soft computing as a versatile tool for designing a host of decision support systems.

Ball Screw Actuator Including an Axial Soft Stop

Science.gov (United States)

Wingett, Paul T. (Inventor); Forrest, Steven Talbert (Inventor); Abel, Steve (Inventor); Woessner, George (Inventor); Hanlon, Casey (Inventor)

2016-01-01

An actuator includes an actuator housing, a ball screw, and an axial soft stop assembly. The ball screw extends through the actuator housing and has a first end and a second end. The ball screw is coupled to receive a drive force and is configured, upon receipt of the drive force, to selectively move in a retract direction and an extend direction. The axial soft stop assembly is disposed within the actuator housing. The axial soft stop assembly is configured to be selectively engaged by the ball screw and, upon being engaged thereby, to translate, with compliance, a predetermined distance in the extend direction, and to prevent further movement of the ball screw upon translating the predetermined distance.

[Follow-up on an outbreak in Venezuela of soft-tissue infection due to Mycobacterium abscessus associated with Mesotherapy].

Science.gov (United States)

Da Mata Jardín, Omaira; Hernández-Pérez, Rolando; Corrales, Haideé; Cardoso-Leao, Sylvia; de Waard, Jacobus H

2010-11-01

Skin and soft tissue infections caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NMT) are reported to be associated with injections, liposuction, plastic surgery, and acupuncture. Herein, we describe an outbreak of soft tissue infection due to NMT following mesotherapy, a cosmetic procedure involving injection of poorly defined mixtures alleged to reduce local adiposity. Patients with skin lesions and a history of mesotherapy treatment, who visited the dermatology department of the public hospital in Barinas, Venezuela, from November 2004 to February 2005 were interviewed. Clinical and environmental samples were taken for mycobacteria isolation. The interviews revealed that 68 patients who had been treated for cosmetic purposes at the same clinic by the same therapist had received injections with the same product and were infected with NMT. Clinical specimens from 5 patients grew Mycobacterium abscessus. No mesotherapy solution was available for analysis but M. abscessus was isolated from an environmental sample in the clinic. PCR-based strain typing techniques (ERIC-PCR, BOXA1R and RAPD) showed that the patient's isolates were undistinguishable from each other but different from the environmental isolate. This outbreak was likely caused by a contaminated injectable mesotherapy product and not by mycobacteria from the clinic environment. We emphasize the importance of better microbiological control of these products. To our knowledge, this outbreak, which affected at least 68 patients, appears to be the largest ever associated with mesotherapy and described in the literature. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Flexidrive: a soft artificial muscle motor

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Iain A.; Tse, Tony C. H.; Inamura, Tokushu; O'Brien, Benjamin; McKay, Thomas; Gisby, Todd

2011-04-01

We use our thumbs and forefingers to rotate an object such as a control knob on a stereo system by moving our finger relative to our thumb. Motion is imparted without sliding and in a precise manner. In this paper we demonstrate how an artificial muscle membrane can be used to mimic this action. This is achieved by embedding a soft gear within the membrane. Deformation of the membrane results in deformation of the polymer gear and this can be used for motor actuation by rotating the shaft. The soft motors were fabricated from 3M VHB4905 membranes 0.5mm thick that were pre-stretched equibiaxially to a final thickness of 31 μm. Each membrane had polymer acrylic soft gears inserted at the center. Sectors of each membrane (60° sector) were painted on both sides with conducting carbon grease leaving gaps between adjoining sectors to avoid arcing between them. Each sector was electrically connected to a power supply electrode on the rigid acrylic frame via narrow avenues of carbon-grease. The motors were supported in rigid acrylic frames aligned concentrically. A flexible shaft was inserted through both gears. Membranes were charged using a step wave PWM voltage signal delivered using a Biomimetics Lab EAP Control unit. Both membrane viscoelasticity and the resisting torque on the shaft influence motor speed by changing the effective circumference of the flexible gear. This new soft motor opens the door to artificial muscle machines molded as a single part.

Fibre-Matrix Interaction in Soft Tissue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Zaoyang

2010-01-01

Although the mechanical behaviour of soft tissue has been extensively studied, the interaction between the collagen fibres and the ground matrix has not been well understood and is therefore ignored by most constitutive models of soft tissue. In this paper, the human annulus fibrosus is used as an example and the potential fibre-matrix interaction is identified by careful investigation of the experimental results of biaxial and uniaxial testing of the human annulus fibrosus. First, the uniaxial testing result of the HAF along the axial direction is analysed and it is shown that the mechanical behaviour of the ground matrix can be well simulated by the incompressible neo-Hookean model when the collagen fibres are all under contraction. If the collagen fibres are stretched, the response of the ground matrix can still be described by the incompressible neo-Hookean model, but the effective stiffness of the matrix depends on the fibre stretch ratio. This stiffness can be more than 10 times larger than the one obtained with collagen fibres under contraction. This phenomenon can only be explained by the fibre-matrix interaction. Furthermore, we find that the physical interpretation of this interaction includes the inhomogeneity of the soft tissue and the fibre orientation dispersion. The dependence of the tangent stiffness of the matrix on the first invariant of the deformation tensor can also be explained by the fibre orientation dispersion. The significant effect of the fibre-matrix interaction strain energy on mechanical behaviour of the soft tissue is also illustrated by comparing some simulation results.

Quantifying structural states of soft mudrocks

Science.gov (United States)

Li, B.; Wong, R. C. K.

2016-05-01

In this paper, a cm model is proposed to quantify structural states of soft mudrocks, which are dependent on clay fractions and porosities. Physical properties of natural and reconstituted soft mudrock samples are used to derive two parameters in the cm model. With the cm model, a simplified homogenization approach is proposed to estimate geomechanical properties and fabric orientation distributions of soft mudrocks based on the mixture theory. Soft mudrocks are treated as a mixture of nonclay minerals and clay-water composites. Nonclay minerals have a high stiffness and serve as a structural framework of mudrocks when they have a high volume fraction. Clay-water composites occupy the void space among nonclay minerals and serve as an in-fill matrix. With the increase of volume fraction of clay-water composites, there is a transition in the structural state from the state of framework supported to the state of matrix supported. The decreases in shear strength and pore size as well as increases in compressibility and anisotropy in fabric are quantitatively related to such transition. The new homogenization approach based on the proposed cm model yields better performance evaluation than common effective medium modeling approaches because the interactions among nonclay minerals and clay-water composites are considered. With wireline logging data, the cm model is applied to quantify the structural states of Colorado shale formations at different depths in the Cold Lake area, Alberta, Canada. Key geomechancial parameters are estimated based on the proposed homogenization approach and the critical intervals with low strength shale formations are identified.

An Approach to the Concept of Soft Vieotoris Topology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Izzettin Demir

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In the present paper, we study the Vietoris topology in the context of soft set. Firstly, we investigate some aspects of first countability in the soft Vietoris topology. Then, we obtain some properties about its second countability.

Appeal and Perceived Naturalness of a Soft Robotic Tentacle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Jonas

2018-01-01

Soft robotics technology has been proposed for a number of applications that involve human-robot interaction. This study investigates how a silicone-based pneumatically actuated soft robotic tentacle is perceived in interaction. Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered from questionnaires (N...

Tribological performance of Zinc soft metal coatings in solid lubrication

Science.gov (United States)

Regalla, Srinivasa Prakash; Krishnan Anirudh, V.; Reddy Narala, Suresh Kumar

2018-04-01

Solid lubrication by soft coatings is an important technique for superior tribological performance in machine contacts involving high pressures. Coating with soft materials ensures that the subsurface machine component wear decreases, ensuring longer life. Several soft metal coatings have been studied but zinc coatings have not been studied much. This paper essentially deals with the soft coating by zinc through electroplating on hard surfaces, which are subsequently tested in sliding experiments for tribological performance. The hardness and film thickness values have been found out, the coefficient of friction of the zinc coating has been tested using a pin on disc wear testing machine and the results of the same have been presented.

Significance of Soft Zone Sediments at the SRS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aadland, R.K.

2000-02-03

The purpose of this report is to provide information on the origin, extent and stability of ''soft zones'' in the carbonate bearing strata at the Savannah River Site (SRS). As part of this study, a comprehensive historical compendium of how soft zones have been addressed during the past 47 years at SRS is reviewed.

Recent developments and new directions in soft computing

CERN Document Server

Abbasov, Ali; Yager, Ronald; Shahbazova, Shahnaz; Reformat, Marek

2014-01-01

The book reports on the latest advances and challenges of soft computing. It  gathers original scientific contributions written by top scientists in the field and covering theories, methods and applications in a number of research areas related to soft-computing, such as decision-making, probabilistic reasoning, image processing, control, neural networks and data analysis.  

Evaluation of seismic stability of nuclear power plants on weathered soft rocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogata, Nobuhide; Nishi, Koichi; Honsho, Shizumitsu

1991-01-01

Soft rocks such as weathered rocks or low cemented sedimentary rocks spread all over the country. If it is possible to construct nuclear power plants on such soft rocks, there will be more available sites for nuclear power plants. The investigation on the following research items was carried out. (1) Geological survey and the application of test methods on soft rocks. (2) Methods and application of laboratory and in-situ tests on soft rocks. (3) Response analysis of a reactor building and foundation ground during earthquake. (4) Stability analysis of soft rock ground as the foundation of a nuclear power plant regarding both earthquake and long-term settlement. From the results of the investigation, it became evident that the seismic stability of a nuclear power plant on weathered soft rocks can be assured enough. (author)

Soft matter assemblies as nanomedicine platforms for cancer chemotherapy: a journey from market products towards novel approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Jäger, Eliézer; Giacomelli, Fernando C

2015-01-01

The current review aims to outline the likely medical applications of nanotechnology and the potential of the emerging field of nanomedicine. Nanomedicine can be defined as the investigation area encompassing the design of diagnostics and therapeutics at the nanoscale, including nanobots, nanobiosensors, nanoparticles and other nanodevices, for the remediation, prevention and diagnosis of a variety of illnesses. The ultimate goal of nanomedicine is to improve patient quality-of-life. Because nanomedicine includes the rational design of an enormous number of nanotechnology-based products focused on miscellaneous diseases, a variety of nanomaterials can be employed. Therefore, this review will focus on recent advances in the manufacture of soft matterbased nanomedicines specifically designed to improve diagnostics and cancer chemotherapy efficacy. It will be particularly highlighted liposomes, polymer-drug conjugates, drug-loaded block copolymer micelles and biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles, emphasizing the current investigations and potential novel approaches towards overcoming the remaining challenges in the field as well as formulations that are in clinical trials and marketed products.

Soft Robotic Actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Godfrey, Juleon Taylor

In this thesis a survey on soft robotic actuators is conducted. The actuators are classified into three main categories: Pneumatic Artificial Muscles (PAM), Electronic Electroactive Polymers (Electric EAP), and Ionic Electroactive Polymers (Ionic EAP). Soft robots can have many degrees and are more compliant than hard robots. This makes them suitable for applications that are difficult for hard robots. For each actuator background history, build materials, how they operate, and modeling are presented. Multiple actuators in each class are reviewed highlighting both their use and their mathematical formulation. In addition to the survey the McKibben actuator was chosen for fabrication and in-depth experimental analysis. Four McKibben actuators were fabricated using mesh sleeve, barbed hose fittings, and different elastic bladders. All were actuated using compressed air. Tensile tests were performed for each actuator to measure the tension force as air pressure increased from 20 to 100 psi in 10 psi increments. To account for material relaxation properties eleven trials for each actuator were run for 2-3 days. In conclusion, the smallest outer diameter elastic bladder was capable of producing the highest force due to the larger gap between the bladder and the sleeve.

Design and development of the roadbed construction on the soft soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yushkov Boris Semenovich

2014-12-01