WorldWideScience

Sample records for identifies genuine products

  1. Attitudes of green organizations' personnel toward genuine sustainable development

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Allevato, Camillo

    2017-01-01

    Layman's summary: This thesis dissertation concerns the identification of the main factors that influence attitudes towards genuine sustainable development, in order to identify strategies that will be more effective in education for quality sustainable development. In the pursuit of genuine

  2. Nurses' perceptions of facilitating genuineness in a nurse–patient relationship

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Elizabeth Van den Heever

    2015-06-01

    Results: When groups were compared, statistically significant differences were identified in nurses' perceptions of facilitating genuineness with respect to age, years' experience as a nurse and qualifications. It is recommended that nurses' awareness of genuineness and its facilitation should involve learning through socialisation and self-awareness.

  3. Detecting genuine multipartite correlations in terms of the rank of coefficient matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Bo; Kwek, Leong Chuan; Fan Heng

    2012-01-01

    We propose a method to detect genuine quantum correlation for arbitrary quantum states in terms of the rank of coefficient matrices associated with the pure state. We then derive a necessary and sufficient condition for a quantum state to possess genuine correlation, namely that all corresponding coefficient matrices have rank larger than 1. We demonstrate an approach to decompose the genuine quantum correlated state with high rank coefficient matrix into the form of product states with no genuine quantum correlation for a pure state. (paper)

  4. Recognition of Genuine Smiles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dibeklioğlu, H.; Salah, A.A.; Gevers, T.

    2015-01-01

    Automatic distinction between genuine (spontaneous) and posed expressions is important for visual analysis of social signals. In this paper, we describe an informative set of features for the analysis of face dynamics, and propose a completely automatic system to distinguish between genuine and

  5. Scientific collaboration: genuine and false motivators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    VOLPATO, G. L.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Here, I emphasize the need for collaborative research among scientists. Such collaboration should aim to address the genuine integrative need to build knowledge rather than searching for visibility based on the international prestige of a collaborator, increased productivity, or funding. Scientists must provide a valid and honest counterpart, such as a solid scientific proposal and performance, and avoid opportunistic motivators.

  6. Demonstration of pyropartitioning process by using genuine high-level liquid waste. Reductive-extraction of actinide elements from chlorination product

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uozumi, Koichi; Iizuka, Masatoshi; Kurata, Masaki; Ougier, Michel; Malmbeck, Rikard; Winckel, Stefaan van

    2009-01-01

    The pyropartitioning process separates the minor actinide elements (MAs) together with uranium and plutonium from the high-level liquid waste generated at the Purex reprocessing of spent LWR fuel and introduces them to metallic fuel cycle. For the demonstration of this technology, a series experiment using 520g of genuine high-level liquid waste was started and the conversion of actinide elements to their chlorides was already demonstrated by denitration and chlorination. In the present study, a reductive extraction experiment in molten salt/liquid cadmium system to recover actinide elements from the chlorination product of the genuine high-level liquid waste was performed. The results of the experiment are as following; 1) By the addition of the cadmium-lithium alloy reductant, almost all of plutonium and MAs in the initial high-level liquid waste were recovered in the cadmium phase. It means no mass loss during denitration, chlorination, and reductive-extraction. 2) The separation factor values of plutonium, MAs, and rare-earth fission product elements versus uranium agreed with the literature values. Therefore, actinide elements will be separated from fission product elements in the actual system. Hence, the pyropartitioning process was successfully demonstrated. (author)

  7. Nurses' Journey Toward Genuine Participation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østergaard, Kija Lin; Simonsen, Jesper; Karasti, Teija Helena

    2016-01-01

    This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on participation in Participatory Design (PD) by drawing on the notion of genuine participation [8]. It clarifies nurses' empirical journey as one of becoming and learning [1, 6], where they move from being reluctant participants, attending only because...... management has instructed them to do so, to taking an interest and finding their voices in the design process. In this way, they are ultimately able to engage in genuine and willing participation. The main discussion points in the paper are the transitions in the nurses' journey toward embracing qualities...... of genuine participation, the nurse-researcher's reflections on her facilitation of the process, and collective learning as an integral part of the process....

  8. Multisetting Bell-type inequalities for detecting genuine multipartite entanglement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pal, Karoly F.; Vertesi, Tamas

    2011-01-01

    In a recent paper, Bancal et al.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 250404 (2011)] put forward the concept of device-independent witnesses of genuine multipartite entanglement. These witnesses are capable of verifying genuine multipartite entanglement produced in a laboratory without resorting to any knowledge of the dimension of the state space or of the specific form of the measurement operators. As a by-product they found a multiparty three-setting Bell inequality which makes it possible to detect genuine n-partite entanglement in a noisy n-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state for visibilities as low as 2/3 in a device-independent way. In this paper, we generalize this inequality to an arbitrary number of settings, demonstrating a threshold visibility of 2/π∼0.6366 for number of settings going to infinity. We also present a pseudotelepathy Bell inequality achieving the same threshold value. We argue that our device-independent witnesses are optimal in the sense that for n odd the above value cannot be beaten with n-party-correlation Bell inequalities.

  9. Genuine and natural: the opinion of teen consumers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefania Balzan

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Food packaging frequently reports the terms natural, 100% natural or similar. Often these indications induce consumers to purchase those products that are considered healthier and fresher. The overall goal of this study was to assess what teen consumers perceive to be genuine and natural foods. A questionnaire was distributed to the students of some high schools (lyceum, technical and professional institutes. It was completed by 349 females and 314 males, with an average age of 17.6 years. Respondents are quite interested in the information on recipes, diet, beauty and food safety; websites were important information retrieval tools. Genuine food is defined mainly as fruits and vegetables, home-made and salubrious, with less or without fat and that is good for health. Meanwhile, natural is demarcated primarily by the absence of additives and manipulation or treatments (negative impact. Also fruits and vegetables and organic production are associated to natural. The existence of a natural food preference is well described and the presence on food label may cause a wrong perception of healthfulness.

  10. Genuine and Natural: The Opinion of Teen Consumers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balzan, Stefania; Fasolato, Luca; Cardazzo, Barbara; Penon, Cristiana; Novelli, Enrico

    2017-01-01

    Food packaging frequently reports the terms natural, 100% natural or similar. Often these indications induce consumers to purchase those products that are considered healthier and fresher. The overall goal of this study was to assess what teen consumers perceive to be genuine and natural foods. A questionnaire was distributed to the students of some high schools (lyceum, technical and professional institutes). It was completed by 349 females and 314 males, with an average age of 17.6 years. Respondents are quite interested in the information on recipes, diet, beauty and food safety; websites were important information retrieval tools. Genuine food is defined mainly as fruits and vegetables, home-made and salubrious, with less or without fat and that is good for health. Meanwhile, natural is demarcated primarily by the absence of additives and manipulation or treatments (negative impact). Also fruits and vegetables and organic production are associated to natural. The existence of a natural food preference is well described and the presence on food label may cause a wrong perception of healthfulness. PMID:28462202

  11. A demand for genuine CSR : a case study of two scandinavian companies

    OpenAIRE

    Dahle, Malin Austrheim

    2010-01-01

    This study aims to shed new light on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by developing tools and concepts that can be fruitful in analysing a company's CSR practice by distinguishing between different dimensions of CSR. Of particular interest is the distinction between instrumental and genuine CSR. Four dichotomous concepts, or dimensions, will be identified: weak - strong, strategic - genuine, narrow - broad and PR profile - No PR profile. In order to demonstrate the practical relevance of...

  12. Perceived emotion genuineness: normative ratings for popular facial expression stimuli and the development of perceived-as-genuine and perceived-as-fake sets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dawel, Amy; Wright, Luke; Irons, Jessica; Dumbleton, Rachael; Palermo, Romina; O'Kearney, Richard; McKone, Elinor

    2017-08-01

    In everyday social interactions, people's facial expressions sometimes reflect genuine emotion (e.g., anger in response to a misbehaving child) and sometimes do not (e.g., smiling for a school photo). There is increasing theoretical interest in this distinction, but little is known about perceived emotion genuineness for existing facial expression databases. We present a new method for rating perceived genuineness using a neutral-midpoint scale (-7 = completely fake; 0 = don't know; +7 = completely genuine) that, unlike previous methods, provides data on both relative and absolute perceptions. Normative ratings from typically developing adults for five emotions (anger, disgust, fear, sadness, and happiness) provide three key contributions. First, the widely used Pictures of Facial Affect (PoFA; i.e., "the Ekman faces") and the Radboud Faces Database (RaFD) are typically perceived as not showing genuine emotion. Also, in the only published set for which the actual emotional states of the displayers are known (via self-report; the McLellan faces), percepts of emotion genuineness often do not match actual emotion genuineness. Second, we provide genuine/fake norms for 558 faces from several sources (PoFA, RaFD, KDEF, Gur, FacePlace, McLellan, News media), including a list of 143 stimuli that are event-elicited (rather than posed) and, congruently, perceived as reflecting genuine emotion. Third, using the norms we develop sets of perceived-as-genuine (from event-elicited sources) and perceived-as-fake (from posed sources) stimuli, matched on sex, viewpoint, eye-gaze direction, and rated intensity. We also outline the many types of research questions that these norms and stimulus sets could be used to answer.

  13. arXiv Describing dynamical fluctuations and genuine correlations by Weibull regularity

    CERN Document Server

    Nayak, Ranjit K.; Sarkisyan-Grinbaum, Edward K.; Tasevsky, Marek

    The Weibull parametrization of the multiplicity distribution is used to describe the multidimensional local fluctuations and genuine multiparticle correlations measured by OPAL in the large statistics $e^{+}e^{-} \\to Z^{0} \\to hadrons$ sample. The data are found to be well reproduced by the Weibull model up to higher orders. The Weibull predictions are compared to the predictions by the two other models, namely by the negative binomial and modified negative binomial distributions which mostly failed to fit the data. The Weibull regularity, which is found to reproduce the multiplicity distributions along with the genuine correlations, looks to be the optimal model to describe the multiparticle production process.

  14. Genuine Multipartite Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Steering

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Q. Y.; Reid, M. D.

    2013-12-01

    We develop the concept of genuine N-partite Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering. This nonlocality is the natural multipartite extension of the original EPR paradox. Useful properties emerge that are not guaranteed for genuine multipartite entangled states. In particular, there is a close link with the task of one-sided, device-independent quantum secret sharing. We derive inequalities to demonstrate multipartite EPR steering for Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and Gaussian continuous variable states in loophole-free scenarios.

  15. General form of genuine multipartite entanglement quantum channels for teleportation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Pingxing; Zhu Shiyao; Guo, Guangcan

    2006-01-01

    Recently Yeo and Chua [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 060502 (2006)] presented an explicit protocol for faithfully teleporting an arbitrary two-qubit state via a genuine four-qubit entanglement channel. Here we generalize completely their results to teleporting an arbitrary N-qubit state via genuine N-qubit entanglement channels. And we present the general form of the genuine multipartite entanglement channels, namely, the sufficient and necessary condition the genuine N-qubit entanglement channels must satisfy to teleport an arbitrary N-qubit state

  16. Popper, laws, and the exclusion of biology from genuine science.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stamos, David N

    2007-01-01

    The primary purpose of this paper is to argue that biologists should stop citing Karl Popper on what a genuinely scientific theory is. Various ways in which biologists cite Popper on this matter are surveyed, including the use of Popper to settle debates on methodology in phylogenetic systematics. It is then argued that the received view on Popper--namely, that a genuinely scientific theory is an empirically falsifiable one--is seriously mistaken, that Popper's real view was that genuinely scientific theories have the form of statements of laws of nature. It is then argued that biology arguably has no genuine laws of its own. In place of Popperian falsifiability, it is suggested that a cluster class epistemic values approach (which subsumes empirical falsifiability) is the best solution to the demarcation problem between genuine science and pseudo- or non-science.

  17. Measurement of Genuine Three-Particle Bose-Einstein Correlations in Hadronic Z decay

    CERN Document Server

    Achard, P; Aguilar-Benítez, M; Alcaraz, J; Alemanni, G; Allaby, James V; Aloisio, A; Alviggi, M G; Anderhub, H; Andreev, V P; Anselmo, F; Arefev, A; Azemoon, T; Aziz, T; Bagnaia, P; Bajo, A; Baksay, G; Baksay, L; Baldew, S V; Banerjee, S; Banerjee, Sw; Barczyk, A; Barillère, R; Bartalini, P; Basile, M; Batalova, N; Battiston, R; Bay, A; Becattini, F; Becker, U; Behner, F; Bellucci, L; Berbeco, R; Berdugo, J; Berges, P; Bertucci, B; Betev, B L; Biasini, M; Biglietti, M; Biland, A; Blaising, J J; Blyth, S C; Bobbink, Gerjan J; Böhm, A; Boldizsar, L; Borgia, B; Bottai, S; Bourilkov, D; Bourquin, Maurice; Braccini, S; Branson, J G; Brochu, F; Burger, J D; Burger, W J; Cai, X D; Capell, M; Cara Romeo, G; Carlino, G; Cartacci, A M; Casaus, J; Cavallari, F; Cavallo, N; Cecchi, C; Cerrada, M; Chamizo-Llatas, M; Chang, Y H; Chemarin, M; Chen, A; Chen, G; Chen, G M; Chen, H F; Chen, H S; Chiefari, G; Cifarelli, Luisa; Cindolo, F; Clare, I; Clare, R; Coignet, G; Colino, N; Costantini, S; de la Cruz, B; Cucciarelli, S; van Dalen, J A; De Asmundis, R; Déglon, P L; Debreczeni, J; Degré, A; Dehmelt, K; Deiters, K; Della Volpe, D; Delmeire, E; Denes, P; De Notaristefani, F; De Salvo, A; Diemoz, M; Dierckxsens, M; Dionisi, C; Dittmar, Michael; Doria, A; Dova, M T; Duchesneau, D; Echenard, B; Eline, A; El-Mamouni, H; Engler, A; Eppling, F J; Ewers, A; Extermann, Pierre; Falagán, M A; Falciano, S; Favara, A; Fay, J; Fedin, O; Felcini, Marta; Ferguson, T; Fesefeldt, H S; Fiandrini, E; Field, J H; Filthaut, Frank; Fisher, P H; Fisher, W; Fisk, I; Forconi, G; Freudenreich, Klaus; Furetta, C; Galaktionov, Yu; Ganguli, S N; García-Abia, P; Gataullin, M; Gentile, S; Giagu, S; Gong, Z F; Grenier, G; Grimm, O; Grünewald, M W; Guida, M; van Gulik, R; Gupta, V K; Gurtu, A; Gutay, L J; Haas, D; Hakobyan, R S; Hatzifotiadou, D; Hebbeker, T; Hervé, A; Hirschfelder, J; Hofer, H; Hohlmann, M; Holzner, G; Hou, S R; Hu, Y; Jin, B N; Jones, L W; de Jong, P; Josa-Mutuberria, I; Käfer, D; Kaur, M; Kienzle-Focacci, M N; Kim, J K; Kirkby, Jasper; Kittel, E W; Klimentov, A; König, A C; Kopal, M; Koutsenko, V F; Kräber, M H; Krämer, R W; Krenz, W; Krüger, A; Kunin, A; Ladrón de Guevara, P; Laktineh, I; Landi, G; Lebeau, M; Lebedev, A; Lebrun, P; Lecomte, P; Lecoq, P; Le Coultre, P; Le Goff, J M; Leiste, R; Levtchenko, M; Levchenko, P M; Li, C; Likhoded, S A; Lin, C H; Lin, W T; Linde, Frank L; Lista, L; Liu, Z A; Lohmann, W; Longo, E; Lü, Y S; Lübelsmeyer, K; Luci, C; Luminari, L; Lustermann, W; Ma Wen Gan; Malgeri, L; Malinin, A; Maña, C; Mangeol, D J J; Mans, J; Martin, J P; Marzano, F; Mazumdar, K; McNeil, R R; Mele, S; Merola, L; Meschini, M; Metzger, W J; Mihul, A; Milcent, H; Mirabelli, G; Mnich, J; Mohanty, G B; Muanza, G S; Muijs, A J M; Musicar, B; Musy, M; Nagy, S; Natale, S; Napolitano, M; Nessi-Tedaldi, F; Newman, H; Niessen, T; Nisati, A; Nowak, H; Ofierzynski, R A; Organtini, G; Palomares, C; Pandoulas, D; Paolucci, P; Paramatti, R; Passaleva, G; Patricelli, S; Paul, T; Pauluzzi, M; Paus, C; Pauss, Felicitas; Pedace, M; Pensotti, S; Perret-Gallix, D; Petersen, B; Piccolo, D; Pierella, F; Pioppi, M; Piroué, P A; Pistolesi, E; Plyaskin, V; Pohl, M; Pozhidaev, V; Pothier, J; Prokofiev, D O; Prokofev, D; Quartieri, J; Rahal-Callot, G; Rahaman, M A; Raics, P; Raja, N; Ramelli, R; Rancoita, P G; Ranieri, R; Raspereza, A V; Razis, P A; Ren, D; Rescigno, M; Reucroft, S; Riemann, S; Riles, K; Roe, B P; Romero, L; Rosca, A; Rosier-Lees, S; Roth, S; Rosenbleck, C; Roux, B; Rubio, Juan Antonio; Ruggiero, G; Rykaczewski, H; Sakharov, A; Saremi, S; Sarkar, S; Salicio, J; Sánchez, E; Sanders, M P; Schäfer, C; Shchegelskii, V; Schmidt-Kärst, S; Schmitz, D; Schopper, Herwig Franz; Schotanus, D J; Schwering, G; Sciacca, C; Servoli, L; Shevchenko, S; Shivarov, N; Shoutko, V; Shumilov, E; Shvorob, A V; Siedenburg, T; Son, D; Souga, C; Spillantini, P; Steuer, M; Stickland, D P; Stoyanov, B; Strässner, A; Sudhakar, K; Sultanov, G G; Sun, L Z; Sushkov, S V; Suter, H; Swain, J D; Szillási, Z; Tang, X W; Tarjan, P; Tauscher, Ludwig; Taylor, L; Tellili, B; Teyssier, D; Timmermans, C; Ting, Samuel C C; Ting, S M; Tonwar, S C; Tóth, J; Tully, C; Tung, K L; Ulbricht, J; Valente, E; Van de Walle, R T; Vásquez, R P; Veszpremi, V; Vesztergombi, G; Vetlitskii, I; Vicinanza, D; Viertel, Gert M; Villa, S; Vivargent, M; Vlachos, S; Vodopyanov, I; Vogel, H; Vogt, H; Vorobev, I; Vorobyov, A A; Wadhwa, M; Wallraff, W; Wang, X L; Wang, Z M; Weber, M; Wienemann, P; Wilkens, H; Wynhoff, S; Xia, L; Xu, Z Z; Yamamoto, J; Yang, B Z; Yang, C G; Yang, H J; Yang, M; Yeh, S C; Zalite, A; Zalite, Yu; Zhang, Z P; Zhao, J; Zhu, G Y; Zhu, R Y; Zhuang, H L; Zichichi, A; Zimmermann, B; Zöller, M

    2002-01-01

    We measure three-particle Bose-Einstein correlations in hadronic Z decay with the L3 detector at LEP. Genuine three-particle Bose-Einstein correlations are observed. By comparing two- and three-particle correlations we find that the data are consistent with fully incoherent pion production.

  18. Analytical characterization of the genuine multiparticle negativity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hofmann, Martin; Moroder, Tobias; Gühne, Otfried

    2014-01-01

    The genuine multiparticle negativity is a measure of genuine multiparticle entanglement which can be numerically calculated. We present several results of how this entanglement measure can be characterized in an analytical way. First, we show that with an appropriate normalization this measure can be seen as coming from a mixed convex roof construction. Based on this, we determine its value for n-qubit GHZ-diagonal states and four-qubit cluster-diagonal states. (paper)

  19. Genuine Jersey’: Branding and Authenticity in a Small Island Culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henry Johnson

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Jersey has attained a recognized international reputation especially in agriculture, tourism and finance. Over the past century, this small island has developed rapidly as a tourist destination and, since the 1960s, as a leading international finance centre. This paper discusses how a public-private organization uses a notion of islandness in order to help add value to local produce and products, and at the same time offering a sense of authenticity in terms of provenance. As an organization and brand, “Genuine Jersey” was launched in 2001 and is now a particularly visible island-based brand that does much to support local businesses and promote selected island produce and products more broadly to locals and visitors alike, as well as within a wider export industry. Drawing on discourses mainly from island studies and marketing, the article discusses how and why this brand exists on Jersey. While including a critical discussion of the brand itself, the paper shows how Genuine Jersey operates on and as a result of this particular island context.

  20. Characterizing quantum correlations. The genuine multiparticle negativity as entanglement monotone

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hofmann, Martin

    2014-01-01

    Multiparticle entanglement is a useful resource in quantum information processing. It is involved in some quantum key distribution protocols, quantum metrology and many other physical applications and phenomena and can be experimentally observed in various quantum systems. Having said this, its classification, detection and especially its quantification is quite challenging. To this day there exists no general mixed state measure for genuine multiparticle entanglement, which can be computed and analytically treated at the same time. In this thesis the analytical characterisation of genuine multiparticle entanglement in quantum systems using the computable genuine multiparticle negativity as entanglement measure is provided. Furthermore, the notion of stabiliser states, which are families of symmetric genuine multiparticle entangled states, is generalised and a useful method to exploit local symmetries to speed up the computation of the investigated entanglement measure is provided. In the first part, after a short introduction, the genuine multiparticle negativity, which is defined as an optimisation problem known as semidefinite programming problem, is investigated. It is discussed, how this entanglement measure can be characterised in an analytical way. First, it is shown that the genuine multiparticle negativity with an appropriate renormalisation can be considered as coming from a mixed convex roof construction. Using this result, its analytical value for generalised n-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilingerdiagonal states and four-qubit cluster-diagonal states is determined. In the second part of this thesis, the genuine multiparticle negativity is used to study the scaling and spatial distribution of genuine multiparticle entanglement in three- and four-spin reduced states of a onedimensional spin model at its quantum phase transition. At the quantum phase transition of the one dimensional XY -model, which can be studied with analytic rigour, a logarithmic

  1. Genuine tripartite entangled states with a local hidden-variable model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toth, Geza; Acin, Antonio

    2006-01-01

    We present a family of three-qubit quantum states with a basic local hidden-variable model. Any von Neumann measurement can be described by a local model for these states. We show that some of these states are genuine three-partite entangled and also distillable. The generalization for larger dimensions or higher number of parties is also discussed. As a by-product, we present symmetric extensions of two-qubit Werner states

  2. Imaging the functional connectivity of the Periaqueductal Gray during genuine and sham electroacupuncture treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tu Peichi

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Electroacupuncture (EA is currently one of the most popular acupuncture modalities. However, the continuous stimulation characteristic of EA treatment presents challenges to the use of conventional functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI approaches for the investigation of neural mechanisms mediating treatment response because of the requirement for brief and intermittent stimuli in event related or block designed task paradigms. A relatively new analysis method, functional connectivity fMRI (fcMRI, has great potential for studying continuous treatment modalities such as EA. In a previous study, we found that, compared with sham acupuncture, EA can significantly reduce Periaqueductal Gray (PAG activity when subsequently evoked by experimental pain. Given the PAG's important role in mediating acupuncture analgesia, in this study we investigated functional connectivity with the area of the PAG we previously identified and how that connectivity was affected by genuine and sham EA. Results Forty-eight subjects, who were randomly assigned to receive either genuine or sham EA paired with either a high or low expectancy manipulation, completed the study. Direct comparison of each treatment mode's functional connectivity revealed: significantly greater connectivity between the PAG, left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC, and precuneus for the contrast of genuine minus sham; significantly greater connectivity between the PAG and right anterior insula for the contrast of sham minus genuine; no significant differences in connectivity between different contrasts of the two expectancy levels. Conclusions Our findings indicate the intrinsic functional connectivity changes among key brain regions in the pain matrix and default mode network during genuine EA compared with sham EA. We speculate that continuous genuine EA stimulation can modify the coupling of spontaneous activity in brain regions that play a role in modulating pain

  3. Epistemic Authority and Genuine Ethical Controversies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Adam James

    2017-05-01

    In 'Professional Hubris and its Consequences', Eric Vogelstein claims that 'that there are no good arguments in favor of professional organizations taking genuinely controversial positions on issues of professional ethics'. In this response, I defend two arguments in favour of organisations taking such positions: that their stance-taking may lead to better public policy, and that it may lead to better practice by medical professionals. If either of those defences succeeds, then Vogelstein's easy path to his conclusion - that professional organisations should not take such stances - is blocked. He or others must instead look to establish that the reasons against stance-taking on genuine ethical controversies are more compelling than those for it: plausibly a more challenging task. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. Two-Year-Old Children Differentiate Test Questions from Genuine Questions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grosse, Gerlind; Tomasello, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Children are frequently confronted with so-called "test questions". While genuine questions are requests for missing information, test questions ask for information obviously already known to the questioner. In this study we explored whether two-year-old children respond differentially to one and the same question used as either a genuine question…

  5. Separability criteria for genuine multiparticle entanglement

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Guhne, O.; Seevinck, M.P.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304847399

    2010-01-01

    We present a method to derive separability criteria for different classes of multiparticle entanglement, especially genuine multiparticle entanglement. The resulting criteria are necessary and sufficient for certain families of states. This, for example, completely solves the problem of classifying

  6. Separability Criteria for Genuine Multiparticle Entanglement

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Guehne, O.; Seevinck, M.P.

    2010-01-01

    We present a method to derive separability criteria for different classes of multiparticle entanglement, especially genuine multiparticle entanglement. The resulting criteria are necessary and sufficient for certain families of states. This, for example, completely solves the problem of classifying

  7. An approach for quantitatively analyzing the genuine tripartite nonlocality of general three-qubit states

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Zhaofeng; Li, Lvzhou; Ling, Jie

    2018-04-01

    Nonlocality is an important resource for quantum information processing. Genuine tripartite nonlocality, which is sufficiently confirmed by the violation of Svetlichny inequality, is a kind of more precious resource than the standard one. The genuine tripartite nonlocality is usually quantified by the amount of maximal violation of Svetlichny inequality. The problem of detecting and quantifying the genuine tripartite nonlocality of quantum states is of practical significance but still open for the case of general three-qubit quantum states. In this paper, we quantitatively investigate the genuine nonlocality of three-qubit states, which not only include pure states but also include mixed states. Firstly, we derive a simplified formula for the genuine nonlocality of a general three-qubit state, which is a function of the corresponding three correlation matrices. Secondly, we develop three properties of the genuine nonlocality which can help us to analyze the genuine nonlocality of complex states and understand the nature of quantum nonlocality. Further, we get analytical results of genuine nonlocality for two classes of three-qubit states which have special correlation matrices. In particular, the genuine nonlocality of generalized three-qubit GHZ states, which is derived by Ghose et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 250404, 2009), and that of three-qubit GHZ-symmetric states, which is derived by Paul et al. (Phys. Rev. A 94, 032101, 2016), can be easily derived by applying the strategy and properties developed in this paper.

  8. Genuine Four Tangle for Four Qubit States

    OpenAIRE

    Sharma, S. Shelly; Sharma, N. K.

    2013-01-01

    We report a four qubit polynomial invariant that quantifies genuine four-body correlations. The four qubit invariants are obtained from transformation properties of three qubit invariants under a local unitary on the fourth qubit.

  9. Can a significance test be genuinely Bayesian?

    OpenAIRE

    Pereira, Carlos A. de B.; Stern, Julio Michael; Wechsler, Sergio

    2008-01-01

    The Full Bayesian Significance Test, FBST, is extensively reviewed. Its test statistic, a genuine Bayesian measure of evidence, is discussed in detail. Its behavior in some problems of statistical inference like testing for independence in contingency tables is discussed.

  10. Criteria for genuine N -partite continuous-variable entanglement and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teh, R. Y.; Reid, M. D.

    2014-12-01

    Following previous work, we distinguish between genuine N -partite entanglement and full N -partite inseparability. Accordingly, we derive criteria to detect genuine multipartite entanglement using continuous-variable (position and momentum) measurements. Our criteria are similar but different to those based on the van Loock-Furusawa inequalities, which detect full N -partite inseparability. We explain how the criteria can be used to detect the genuine N -partite entanglement of continuous variable states generated from squeezed and vacuum state inputs, including the continuous-variable Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state, with explicit predictions for up to N =9 . This makes our work accessible to experiment. For N =3 , we also present criteria for tripartite Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering. These criteria provide a means to demonstrate a genuine three-party EPR paradox, in which any single party is steerable by the remaining two parties.

  11. Why virtual friendship is no genuine friendship

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fröding, B.; Peterson, M.B.

    2012-01-01

    Based on a modern reading of Aristotle’s theory of friendship, we argue that virtual friendship does not qualify as genuine friendship. By ‘virtual friendship’ we mean the type of friendship that exists on the internet, and seldom or never is combined with real life interaction. A ‘traditional

  12. Genuine Inquiry: Widely Espoused Yet Rarely Enacted

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Fevre, Deidre M.; Robinson, Viviane M. J.; Sinnema, Claire E. L.

    2015-01-01

    The concept of inquiry is central to contemporary discussions of teacher and leader professional learning and problem solving in interpersonal contexts. However, while few would debate its value, there has been little discussion of the significant challenges inherent in engaging in genuine inquiry. In this article, we distinguish between genuine…

  13. Testing of complementarity of PDA and MS detectors using chromatographic fingerprinting of genuine and counterfeit samples containing sildenafil citrate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Custers, Deborah; Krakowska, Barbara; De Beer, Jacques O; Courselle, Patricia; Daszykowski, Michal; Apers, Sandra; Deconinck, Eric

    2016-02-01

    Counterfeit medicines are a global threat to public health. High amounts enter the European market, which is why characterization of these products is a very important issue. In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array (HPLC-PDA) and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) method were developed for the analysis of genuine Viagra®, generic products of Viagra®, and counterfeit samples in order to obtain different types of fingerprints. These data were included in the chemometric data analysis, aiming to test whether PDA and MS are complementary detection techniques. The MS data comprise both MS1 and MS2 fingerprints; the PDA data consist of fingerprints measured at three different wavelengths, i.e., 254, 270, and 290 nm, and all possible combinations of these wavelengths. First, it was verified if both groups of fingerprints can discriminate between genuine, generic, and counterfeit medicines separately; next, it was studied if the obtained results could be ameliorated by combining both fingerprint types. This data analysis showed that MS1 does not provide suitable classification models since several genuines and generics are classified as counterfeits and vice versa. However, when analyzing the MS1_MS2 data in combination with partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), a perfect discrimination was obtained. When only using data measured at 254 nm, good classification models can be obtained by k nearest neighbors (kNN) and soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA), which might be interesting for the characterization of counterfeit drugs in developing countries. However, in general, the combination of PDA and MS data (254 nm_MS1) is preferred due to less classification errors between the genuines/generics and counterfeits compared to PDA and MS data separately.

  14. Nurses' perceptions of facilitating genuineness in a nurse-patient ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Anna Elizabeth Van den Heever

    in a nurseepatient relationship were self-assessed on a five-point scale in a questionnaire. Data analysis: Descriptive .... of physical or psychological harm. Truth-telling and genu- ... Not only is genuineness closely linked to a person's beliefs.

  15. The Dynamic Features of Lip Corners in Genuine and Posed Smiles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui Guo

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The smile is a frequently expressed facial expression that typically conveys a positive emotional state and friendly intent. However, human beings have also learned how to fake smiles, typically by controlling the mouth to provide a genuine-looking expression. This is often accompanied by inaccuracies that can allow others to determine that the smile is false. Mouth movement is one of the most striking features of the smile, yet our understanding of its dynamic elements is still limited. The present study analyzes the dynamic features of lip corners, and considers how they differ between genuine and posed smiles. Employing computer vision techniques, we investigated elements such as the duration, intensity, speed, symmetry of the lip corners, and certain irregularities in genuine and posed smiles obtained from the UvA-NEMO Smile Database. After utilizing the facial analysis tool OpenFace, we further propose a new approach to segmenting the onset, apex, and offset phases of smiles, as well as a means of measuring irregularities and symmetry in facial expressions. We extracted these features according to 2D and 3D coordinates, and conducted an analysis. The results reveal that genuine smiles have higher values for onset, offset, apex, and total durations, as well as offset displacement, and a variable we termed Irregularity-b (the SD of the apex phase than do posed smiles. Conversely, values tended to be lower for onset and offset Speeds, and Irregularity-a (the rate of peaks, Symmetry-a (the correlation between left and right facial movements, and Symmetry-d (differences in onset frame numbers between the left and right faces. The findings from the present study have been compared to those of previous research, and certain speculations are made.

  16. Discriminant function for classification of genuine and counterfeit ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Findings of the research revealed that the naira notes are to be classified as counterfeit or genuine according to the model: Z = 440.3007X - 858.8366Y + 147.5228Z such that Z > Z0 where Z0 is the end point of classification. Hotelling's T2 and Mahalanobis quantity were also computed. The test result showed that ...

  17. Distinguishing simulated from genuine dissociative identity disorder on the MMPI-2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brand, Bethany L; Chasson, Gregory S

    2015-01-01

    Due to high elevations on validity and clinical scales on personality and forensic measures, it is challenging to determine if individuals presenting with symptoms of dissociative identity disorder (DID) are genuine or not. Little research has focused on malingering DID, or on the broader issue of the profiles these patients obtain on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2), despite increasing awareness of dissociation. This study sought to characterize the MMPI-2 profiles of DID patients and to determine the utility of the MMPI-2 in distinguishing DID patients from uncoached and coached DID simulators. The analyses revealed that Infrequency, Back Infrequency, and Infrequency-Psychopathology (Fp) distinguished simulators from genuine DID patients. Fp was best able to discriminate simulated DID. Utility statistics and classification functions are provided for classifying individual profiles as indicative of genuine or simulated DID. Despite exposure to information about DID, the simulators were not able to accurately feign DID, which is inconsistent with the iatrogenic/sociocultural model of DID. Given that dissociation was strongly associated with elevations in validity, as well as clinical scales, including Scale 8 (i.e., Schizophrenia), considerable caution should be used in interpreting validity scales as indicative of feigning, and Scale 8 as indicative of schizophrenia, among highly dissociative individuals. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  18. Towards a "fingerprint" of paper network: separating forgeries from genuine by the properties of fibre structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takalo, Jouni; Timonen, Jussi; Sampo, Jouni; Rantala, Maaria; Siltanen, Samuli; Lassas, Matti

    2014-10-01

    A novel method is introduced for distinguishing counterfeit banknotes from genuine samples. The method is based on analyzing differences in the networks of paper fibers. The main tool is a curvelet-based algorithm for measuring the distribution of overall fiber orientation and quantifying its anisotropy. The use of a couple or more appropriate parameters makes it possible to distinguish forgeries from genuine samples as concentrated point clouds in a two- or three-dimensional parameter space. Furthermore, the techniques of making watermarks is investigated by comparing genuine and counterfeit €50 banknotes. In addition, the so-called wire markings are shown to differ significantly from each other in all of investigated banknotes.

  19. [Setomaa. Traditsioonilise arhitektuuri põhijooni ; Setomaa. Unique and genuine] / Hannu Oittinen

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Oittinen, Hannu, 1959-

    2015-01-01

    Tutvustus: Setomaa : traditsioonilise arhitektuuri põhijooni / [tekst: MTÜ Vanaajamaja ja Ahto Raudoja. [Värska] : [Seto Instituut], 2014 ; Setomaa : unique and genuine / SA Seto Instituut ; Paul Hagu jt. [Värska] : Seto Instituut, 2014

  20. Human matching performance of genuine crime scene latent fingerprints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Matthew B; Tangen, Jason M; McCarthy, Duncan J

    2014-02-01

    There has been very little research into the nature and development of fingerprint matching expertise. Here we present the results of an experiment testing the claimed matching expertise of fingerprint examiners. Expert (n = 37), intermediate trainee (n = 8), new trainee (n = 9), and novice (n = 37) participants performed a fingerprint discrimination task involving genuine crime scene latent fingerprints, their matches, and highly similar distractors, in a signal detection paradigm. Results show that qualified, court-practicing fingerprint experts were exceedingly accurate compared with novices. Experts showed a conservative response bias, tending to err on the side of caution by making more errors of the sort that could allow a guilty person to escape detection than errors of the sort that could falsely incriminate an innocent person. The superior performance of experts was not simply a function of their ability to match prints, per se, but a result of their ability to identify the highly similar, but nonmatching fingerprints as such. Comparing these results with previous experiments, experts were even more conservative in their decision making when dealing with these genuine crime scene prints than when dealing with simulated crime scene prints, and this conservatism made them relatively less accurate overall. Intermediate trainees-despite their lack of qualification and average 3.5 years experience-performed about as accurately as qualified experts who had an average 17.5 years experience. New trainees-despite their 5-week, full-time training course or their 6 months experience-were not any better than novices at discriminating matching and similar nonmatching prints, they were just more conservative. Further research is required to determine the precise nature of fingerprint matching expertise and the factors that influence performance. The findings of this representative, lab-based experiment may have implications for the way fingerprint examiners testify in

  1. Discrimination thresholds for smiles in genuine versus blended facial expressions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aida Gutiérrez-García

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Genuine smiles convey enjoyment or positive affect, whereas fake smiles conceal or leak negative feelings or motives (e.g. arrogance, contempt, embarrassment, or merely show affiliation or politeness. We investigated the minimum display time (i.e. threshold; ranging from 50 to 1,000 ms that is necessary to distinguish a fake from a genuine smile. Variants of fake smiles were created by varying the type of non-happy (e.g. neutral, angry, sad, etc. eyes in blended expressions with a smiling mouth. Participants judged whether faces conveyed happiness or not. Results showed that thresholds vary as a function of type of eyes: blended expressions with angry eyes are discriminated early (100 ms, followed by those with disgusted eyes, fearful, and sad (from 250 to 500 ms, surprised (750 ms, and neutral (from 750 to 1,000 ms eyes. An important issue for further research is the extent to which such discrimination threshold differences depend on physical or affective factors.

  2. Connecting Quantum Contextuality and Genuine Multipartite Nonlocality with the Quantumness Witness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Xu; Su Hong-Yi; Chen Jing-Ling

    2016-01-01

    The Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt-type noncontextuality inequality and the Svetlichny inequality are derived from the Alicki-van Ryn quantumness witness. Thus connections between quantumness and quantum contextuality, and between quantumness and genuine multipartite nonlocality are established. (paper)

  3. Methodological developments in US state-level Genuine Progress Indicators: toward GPI 2.0

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Berik, Günseli; Gaddis, Erica J. Brown

    2014-01-01

    The Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) has emerged as an important monetary measure of economic well-being. Unlike mainstream economic indicators, primarily Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the GPI accounts for both the benefits and costs of economic production across diverse economic, social, and environmental domains in a more comprehensive manner. Recently, the GPI has gained traction in subnational policy in the United States, with GPI studies being conducted in a number of states and with their formal adoption by several state governments. As the GPI is applied in different locations, new methods are developed, different data sources are available, and new issues of policy relevance are addressed using its component indicators. This has led to a divergence in methods, reducing comparability between studies and yielding results that are of varying methodological sophistication. In this study, we review the “state of the art” in recent US state-level GPI studies, focusing on those from Hawaii, Maryland, Ohio, Utah, and Vermont. Through adoption of a consistent approach, these and future GPI studies could utilize a framework that supports more uniform, comparable, and accurate measurements of progress. We also identify longer-term issues, particularly related to treatment of nonrenewable resource depletion, government spending, income inequality, and ecosystem services. As these issues are successfully addressed and disseminated, a “GPI 2.0” will emerge that better measures economic well-being and has greater accuracy and policy relevance than past GPI measurements. As the GPI expands further into mainstream policy analysis, a more formal process by which methods could be updated, standardized, and applied is needed.

  4. Using Digital Board Games for Genuine Communication in EFL Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Chia-Jung; Chen, Gwo-Dong; Huang, Chi-Wen

    2014-01-01

    EFL learners in Taiwan have a low-level communication ability because many learners are still not provided opportunities to use language for genuine communication in classrooms and receive insufficient language input due to the environment. This study examines the use of digital board game language learning set in a task-collaborative platform,…

  5. Separation of minor actinides from a genuine MA/LN fraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satmark, B.; Courson, O.; Malmbeck, R.; Pagliosa, G.; Romer, K.; Glatz, J.P.

    2001-01-01

    Separation of the trivalent Minor Actinides (MA), Am and Cm, has been performed from a genuine MA(III) + Ln(III) solution using Bis-Triazine-Pyridine (BTP) as organic extractant. The representative MA/Ln fraction was obtained from a dissolved commercial LWR fuel (45.2 GWd/tM) submitted subsequently too a PUREX process followed by a DIAMEX process. A centrifugal extractor set-up (16-stages), working in a continuous counter-current mode, was used for the liquid-liquid separation. In the nPr-BTP process, feed decontamination factors for Am and Cm above 96 and 65, respectively were achieved. The back-extraction was more efficient for Am (99.1% recovery) than for Cm (97.5%). This experiment, using the Bis-Triazine-Pyridine molecule is the first successful demonstration of the separation of MA from lanthanides in a genuine MA/Ln fraction with a nitric acid concentration of ca. 1 M. It represents an important break through in the difficult field of minor actinide partitioning of high level liquid waste. (author)

  6. [Study of genuineness based on changes of ancient herbal origin--taking Astragalus membranaceus and Salvia miltiorrhiza as examples].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhan, Zhi-Lai; Deng, Ai-Ping; Peng, Hua-Sheng; Zhang, Xiao-Bo; Guo, Lan-Ping; Huang, Lu-Qi

    2016-09-01

    Basically, Dao-di hers are produced in specific area which has a long history, good quality, good medicine, curative effect. However genuine medicinal material area in history is not static, this makes the establishment of genuine medicinal material origin and the in-depth research be very difficult. This paper has profoundly analyzed the origin of different historical periods taking Astragalus membranaceus and Salvia miltiorrhiza as examples, and then summarized the reasons of herbal origin changes from the humanities, social and natural three aspects. This paper provides a basis for establishment and the further research of high-quality genuine producing area. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

  7. Social power, product conspicuousness, and the demand for luxury brand counterfeit products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bian, Xuemei; Haque, Sadia; Smith, Andrew

    2015-03-01

    The aim of this article is twofold: (1) to achieve a better understanding of the psychological determinants of the demand for luxury brand counterfeit products (LBCP) through exploring the effects of social power; (2) to extend power literature by identifying boundary conditions of the relationship between social power and compensatory consumption identified by Rucker and Galinsky (2008, J. Consum. Res., 35, 257-267) and Rucker and Galinsky (2009, J. Exp. Soc. Psychol., 45, 549-555). Findings from three experiments demonstrate that social power holds key insights into understanding consumers' purchase propensity for LBCP; product conspicuousness moderates the effects of social power on purchase propensity for status products; these moderation effects are only observed when the status products are LBCP but not genuine products. This article, therefore, contributes to the literature regarding the demand for counterfeits as well as the social power and compensatory consumption literature. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

  8. How a Huottuja (Piaroa community perceives genuine and false honey from the Venezuelan Amazon, by free-choice profi le sensory method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia Vit

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Pot honey is the most abundant honey in the forest, produced by many species of stingless bees (Meliponini of the Huottuja (Piaroa community in Paria Grande, Venezuela. However, the commercialization of this honey is low, and false honeys, which are sold in labelled bottles, are easily found in the market. This study has investigated the ability of an untrained panel of Piaroa assessors to differentiate the genuine from the false pot honey using the Free-choice profile. This sensory method allows consumers to use their own words to describe and to quantify sensory attributes of a product. The genuine honeys, light amber Melipona fuscopilosa "isabitto" and dark amber Tetragona clavipes "ajavitte", the false light and dark "angelita" honeys, and the amber Apis mellifera honey, were evaluated. Sensory attributes related to the appearance, color, odor, flavor and mouthfeel were elicited in a qualitative session and were quantified in 10-cm unstructured line scales using individual score sheets. The data were analyzed by Generalized Procrustes Analysis (GPA. The bidimensional plot successfully separated genuine from false pot honeys. The first dimension (39.50% was represented by the low viscosity, fermented odor and sour taste, whereas the second dimension (24.69% was related to fruity and honey odor and flavor. Huottuja assessors differentiated the five honey types in terms of the perceived sensory characteristics.

  9. How a Huottuja (Piaroa community perceives genuine and false honey from the Venezuelan Amazon, by free-choice profi le sensory method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia Vit

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Pot honey is the most abundant honey in the forest, produced by many species of stingless bees (Meliponini of the Huottuja (Piaroa community in Paria Grande, Venezuela. However, the commercialization of this honey is low, and false honeys, which are sold in labelled bottles, are easily found in the market. This study has investigated the ability of an untrained panel of Piaroa assessors to differentiate the genuine from the false pot honey using the Free-choice profile. This sensory method allows consumers to use their own words to describe and to quantify sensory attributes of a product. The genuine honeys, light amber Melipona fuscopilosa "isabitto" and dark amber Tetragona clavipes "ajavitte", the false light and dark "angelita" honeys, and the amber Apis mellifera honey, were evaluated. Sensory attributes related to the appearance, color, odor, flavor and mouthfeel were elicited in a qualitative session and were quantified in 10-cm unstructured line scales using individual score sheets. The data were analyzed by Generalized Procrustes Analysis (GPA. The bidimensional plot successfully separated genuine from false pot honeys. The first dimension (39.50% was represented by the low viscosity, fermented odor and sour taste, whereas the second dimension (24.69% was related to fruity and honey odor and flavor. Huottuja assessors differentiated the five honey types in terms of the perceived sensory characteristics.

  10. Towards a Genuine Economic and Monetary Union—Comments on a Roadmap

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ansgar Belke

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The Van Rompuy Report and also additional proposals made by the European Commission outlined steps for a 'genuine Economic and Monetary Union'. This article explains, assesses and comments on the proposals made. Moreover, it outlines what could be recommendations in order to achieve a 'genuine Economic and Monetary Union'. For this purpose, details of the Interim Report are systematically evaluated. We also deal with different governance visions emerging from the ongoing euro area crisis and starts from different views of the 'North and the South' of the euro area on this issue. This contribution argues that there is an alternative option to the notion of cooperative fiscal federalism involving fiscal union, bailouts and debt mutualisation: competition-based fiscal federalism accompanied by a properly defined banking union. In order to be a successful one, any deal will have to come up with a successful recipe of how to (re-create trust between European citizens and their elected governments.

  11. One-way EPR steering and genuine multipartite EPR steering

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Qiongyi; Reid, Margaret D.

    2012-11-01

    We propose criteria and experimental strategies to realise the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering nonlocality. One-way steering can be obtained where there is asymmetry of thermal noise on each system. We also present EPR steering inequalities that act as signatures and suggest how to optimise EPR correlations in specific schemes so that the genuine multipartite EPR steering nonlocality (EPR paradox) can also possibly be realised. The results presented here also apply to the spatially separated macroscopic atomic ensembles.

  12. Demonstration of Minor Actinide separation from a genuine PUREX raffinate by TODGA/TBP and SANEX reprocessing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Magnusson, D. [European Commission, Joint Research Center, Institute for Transuranium Elements, Postfach 2340 D-76125 Karlsruhe (Germany); Chalmers University of Technology, Nuclear Chemistry, Deparment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Gothenburg (Sweden); Christiansen, B.; Glatz, J.P.; Malmbeck, R.; Serrano-Purroy, D. [European Commission, Joint Research Center, Institute for Transuranium Elements, Postfach 2340 D-76125 Karlsruhe (Germany); Modolo, G. [Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute for Energy Research, Safety Research and Reactor Technology, D-52425 Juelich (Germany); Sorel, C. [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique Valrho (CEA), DRCP/SCPS, BP17171, 30207 Bagnols-sur-Ceze (France)

    2008-07-01

    A genuine High Active Raffinate was produced from small scale Purex reprocessing of a UO{sub 2} spent fuel solution and used as feed for a subsequent TODGA/TBP process. In this process, efficient recovery of the trivalent Minor Actinides (MA) actinides could be demonstrated using a hot cell set-up of 32 centrifugal contactor stages. The feed decontamination factors obtained for Am and Cm were in the range of 4.10{sup 4} which corresponds to a recovery of more than 99.99 % in the product fraction. Trivalent lanthanides and Y were co-extracted, otherwise only a small part of the Ru ended up in the product. The collected actinide/lanthanide fraction was later used as feed for a Sanex (separation of actinides from lanthanides) process based on the CyMe{sub 4}-BTBP ligand. Preliminary results show recoveries of more than 99.9 % of Am, Cm and less than 0.1 % of the major lanthanides in the product. (authors)

  13. Svetlichny's inequality and genuine tripartite nonlocality in three-qubit pure states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ajoy, Ashok; Rungta, Pranaw

    2010-01-01

    The violation of the Svetlichny's inequality (SI) [Phys. Rev. D 35, 3066 (1987)] is sufficient but not necessary for genuine tripartite nonlocal correlations. Here we quantify the relationship between tripartite entanglement and the maximum expectation value of the Svetlichny operator (which is bounded from above by the inequality) for the two inequivalent subclasses of pure three-qubit states: the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) class and the W class. We show that the maximum for the GHZ-class states reduces to Mermin's inequality [Phys. Rev. Lett. 65, 1838 (1990)] modulo a constant factor, and although it is a function of the three tangle and the residual concurrence, large numbers of states do not violate the inequality. We further show that by design SI is more suitable as a measure of genuine tripartite nonlocality between the three qubits in the W-class states, and the maximum is a certain function of the bipartite entanglement (the concurrence) of the three reduced states, and only when their sum attains a certain threshold value do they violate the inequality.

  14. Genuine participation in participant-centred research initiatives: the rhetoric and the potential reality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feeney, Oliver; Borry, Pascal; Felzmann, Heike; Galvagni, Lucia; Haukkala, Ari; Loi, Michele; Nordal, Salvör; Rakic, Vojin; Riso, Brígida; Sterckx, Sigrid; Vears, Danya

    2018-04-01

    The introduction of Web 2.0 technology, along with a population increasingly proficient in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), coupled with the rapid advancements in genetic testing methods, has seen an increase in the presence of participant-centred research initiatives. Such initiatives, aided by the centrality of ICT interconnections, and the ethos they propound seem to further embody the ideal of increasing the participatory nature of research, beyond what might be possible in non-ICT contexts alone. However, the majority of such research seems to actualise a much narrower definition of 'participation'-where it is merely the case that such research initiatives have increased contact with participants through ICT but are otherwise non-participatory in any important normative sense. Furthermore, the rhetoric of participant-centred initiatives tends to inflate this minimalist form of participation into something that it is not, i.e. something genuinely participatory, with greater connections with both the ICT-facilitated political contexts and the largely non-ICT participatory initiatives that have expanded in contemporary health and research contexts. In this paper, we highlight that genuine (ICT-based) 'participation' should enable a reasonable minimum threshold of participatory engagement through, at least, three central participatory elements: educative, sense of being involved and degree of control. While we agree with criticisms that, at present, genuine participation seems more rhetoric than reality, we believe that there is clear potential for a greater ICT-facilitated participatory engagement on all three participatory elements. We outline some practical steps such initiatives could take to further develop these elements and thereby their level of ICT-facilitated participatory engagement.

  15. Genuine multipartite entanglement of symmetric Gaussian states: Strong monogamy, unitary localization, scaling behavior, and molecular sharing structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adesso, Gerardo; Illuminati, Fabrizio

    2008-10-01

    We investigate the structural aspects of genuine multipartite entanglement in Gaussian states of continuous variable systems. Generalizing the results of Adesso and Illuminati [Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 150501 (2007)], we analyze whether the entanglement shared by blocks of modes distributes according to a strong monogamy law. This property, once established, allows us to quantify the genuine N -partite entanglement not encoded into 2,…,K,…,(N-1) -partite quantum correlations. Strong monogamy is numerically verified, and the explicit expression of the measure of residual genuine multipartite entanglement is analytically derived, by a recursive formula, for a subclass of Gaussian states. These are fully symmetric (permutation-invariant) states that are multipartitioned into blocks, each consisting of an arbitrarily assigned number of modes. We compute the genuine multipartite entanglement shared by the blocks of modes and investigate its scaling properties with the number and size of the blocks, the total number of modes, the global mixedness of the state, and the squeezed resources needed for state engineering. To achieve the exact computation of the block entanglement, we introduce and prove a general result of symplectic analysis: Correlations among K blocks in N -mode multisymmetric and multipartite Gaussian states, which are locally invariant under permutation of modes within each block, can be transformed by a local (with respect to the partition) unitary operation into correlations shared by K single modes, one per block, in effective nonsymmetric states where N-K modes are completely uncorrelated. Due to this theorem, the above results, such as the derivation of the explicit expression for the residual multipartite entanglement, its nonnegativity, and its scaling properties, extend to the subclass of non-symmetric Gaussian states that are obtained by the unitary localization of the multipartite entanglement of symmetric states. These findings provide strong

  16. Preparation of genuine Yeo-Chua entangled state and teleportation of two-atom state via cavity QED

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2010-01-01

    We first propose a scheme for preparing the genuine Yeo-Chua 4-qubit entangled state via cavity QED. Using the genuine Yeo-Chua atomic state, we further propose a cavity QED scheme for teleporting an arbitrary two-atom state. In two schemes the large-detuning is chosen and the necessary time is designed to be much shorter than Rydberg-atom’s lifespan. Both schemes share the distinct advantage that cavity decay and atom decay can be neglected. As for the interaction manipulation, our preparation scheme is more feasible than a recent similar one. Compared with the Yeo and Chua’s scheme, our teleportation scheme has significantly reduced the measuring difficulty.

  17. Midurethral bulbocavernous muscle sling for genuine stress incontinence - an alternative to synthetic slings?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N Rajamaheswari

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To assess the efficacy of midurethral bulbo-cavernous muscle sling (BCMS in the treatment of genu-ine stress incontinence in women. Methods: A prospective study comprising 25 women was carried out at the Govt. Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, Chennai. The women whose age was in the range of 30-65 years had GSI as proved by urodynamic evaluation. The bulbocavernous muscle sling implies the approximation of both the bulbocavernous muscles around the midurethra with prolene sutures. The procedure is done under regional anaesthesia. Results: These patients were followed up for 2 years. Eighteen (72% women reported complete cure, 4 (16% were significantly improved and in 3 the surgery failed. Conclusions: The bulbocavernous muscle sling is a promising new procedure for genuine stress incontinence. There is no need for intraoperative cystoscopy and the chances of bladder injury are nonexistent. Larger sample with long term follow up and randomized controlled trials comparing it with the other surgical techniques may prove its true efficacy.

  18. Honesty and genuine happiness : Or why soft healers make stinking wounds (Dutch proverb)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Torka, Nicole

    2018-01-01

    Genuine happiness is impossible without authentic concern for and corresponding behaviour towards the well-being of others. Such an incorporation of others into the self refers to a “democratic self” and the related regard for the common good. The author argues that the honesty of professionals who

  19. Biofeedback and physiotherapy versus physiotherapy alone in the treatment of genuine stress urinary incontinence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glavind, K; Nøhr, S B; Walter, S

    1996-01-01

    Biofeedback is a method of pelvic floor rehabilitation using a surface electrode inserted into the vagina and a catheter in the rectum. Forty women with genuine urinary stress incontinence were randomized to compare the efficacy of physiotherapy and physiotherapy in combination with biofeedback...

  20. Internet-ordered viagra (sildenafil citrate) is rarely genuine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Neil; Clark, John P; Stecher, Vera J; Goldstein, Irwin

    2012-11-01

    Counterfeit medication is a growing problem. This study assessed the requirement for prescription, cost, origin, and content of medications sold via the Internet and purporting to be the phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor Viagra (sildenafil citrate). Pfizer monitored top search results for the query "buy Viagra" on the two leading Internet search engines in March 2011. Orders were placed from 22 unique Web sites claiming to sell Viagra manufactured by Pfizer. Tablets received were assessed for chemical composition. No Web site examined required a prescription for purchase or a health screening survey; 90% offered illegal "generic Viagra." Cost per tablet ranged from $3.28-$33.00. Shipment origins of purchases were Hong Kong (N = 11), the United States (N = 6), and the United Kingdom (N = 2) as well as Canada, China, and India (N = 1 each). Notably, the four Internet pharmacies claiming to be Canadian did not ship medication from a Canadian address. Of 22 sample tablets examined, 17 (77%) were counterfeit, 4 (18%) were authentic, and 1 (5%) was an illegal generic. Counterfeit tablets were analyzed for sildenafil citrate, the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of Viagra, and contents varied between 30% and 50% of the label claim. Counterfeits lacked product information leaflets, including appropriate safety warnings, and genuine Viagra formulations. Internet sites claiming to sell authentic Viagra shipped counterfeit medication 77% of the time; counterfeits usually came from non-U.S. addresses and had 30% to 50% of the labeled API claim. Caution is warranted when purchasing Viagra via the Internet. © 2012 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

  1. Converting multilevel nonclassicality into genuine multipartite entanglement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Regula, Bartosz; Piani, Marco; Cianciaruso, Marco; Bromley, Thomas R.; Streltsov, Alexander; Adesso, Gerardo

    2018-03-01

    Characterizing genuine quantum resources and determining operational rules for their manipulation are crucial steps to appraise possibilities and limitations of quantum technologies. Two such key resources are nonclassicality, manifested as quantum superposition between reference states of a single system, and entanglement, capturing quantum correlations among two or more subsystems. Here we present a general formalism for the conversion of nonclassicality into multipartite entanglement, showing that a faithful reversible transformation between the two resources is always possible within a precise resource-theoretic framework. Specializing to quantum coherence between the levels of a quantum system as an instance of nonclassicality, we introduce explicit protocols for such a mapping. We further show that the conversion relates multilevel coherence and multipartite entanglement not only qualitatively, but also quantitatively, restricting the amount of entanglement achievable in the process and in particular yielding an equality between the two resources when quantified by fidelity-based geometric measures.

  2. The energy accounts for the Nova Scotia genuine progress index : executive summary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lipp, J.; Cain, S.; Colman, R.; Parmenter, R.; Milne, K.; Mullaly, H.; Wysocki, A.

    2005-10-01

    GPI Atlantic has developed a Genuine Progress Index (GPI) involving a new measure of sustainability, wellbeing and quality of life in order to better evaluate energy supply and demand by accounting for all benefits and costs including natural capital, social capital, human capital, and conventional produced capital. The executive summary provides an energy overview and presents indicators of energy sustainability including socio-economic, health and environmental and institutional indicators. Socio-economic indicators are organized across the following 6 areas of concern: reliability, affordability, employment; energy efficiency, energy consumption; and energy production and supply. Health and environmental trends examined include carbon monoxide; nitrogen oxide; sulphur dioxide; mercury; total particulate matter; volatile organic compounds; and greenhouse gas emissions. Trends over time are assessed to determine if energy use is becoming more or less sustainable. Institutional indicators are grouped according to several areas of concern, such as leading by example; creating societal change; reporting; and evaluation. The full cost of energy was then discussed using the underlying physical indicators. It was concluded that Nova Scotia is not making sufficient progress towards sustainability in its energy system, and that the production and use of energy are the leading causes of a number of serious environmental problems. Several recommendations are made for government to lead on a number of initiatives. 4 tabs

  3. Genuineness assessment of mandarin essential oils employing gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio MS (GC-C-IRMS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schipilliti, Luisa; Tranchida, Peter Quinto; Sciarrone, Danilo; Russo, Marina; Dugo, Paola; Dugo, Giovanni; Mondello, Luigi

    2010-03-01

    Cold-pressed mandarin essential oils are products of great economic importance in many parts of the world and are used in perfumery, as well as in food products. Reconstituted mandarin oils are easy to find on the market; useful information on essential oil authenticity, quality, extraction technique, geographic origin and biogenesis can be attained through high-resolution GC of the volatile fraction, or enantioselective GC, using different chiral stationary phases. Stable isotope ratio analysis has gained considerable interest for the unveiling of citrus oil adulteration, detecting small differences in the isotopic carbon composition and providing plenty of information concerning the discrimination among products of different geographical origin and the adulteration of natural essential oils with synthetic or natural compounds. In the present research, the authenticity of several mandarin essential oils was assessed through the employment of GC hyphenated to isotope ratio MS, conventional GC flame ionization detector, enantioselective GC and HPLC. Commercial mandarin oils and industrial natural (declared as such) mandarin essential oils, characterized by different harvest periods and geographic origins, were subjected to analysis. The results attained were compared with those of genuine cold-pressed Italian mandarin oils, obtained during the 2008-2009 harvest season.

  4. 16 CFR 23.24 - Misuse of the words “real,” “genuine,” “natural,” “precious,” etc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Misuse of the words âreal,â âgenuine,â ânatural,â âprecious,â etc. 23.24 Section 23.24 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION GUIDES AND... the words “real,” “genuine,” “natural,” “precious,” etc. It is unfair or deceptive to use the word...

  5. Dynamic Displays Enhance the Ability to Discriminate Genuine and Posed Facial Expressions of Emotion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Namba, Shushi; Kabir, Russell S.; Miyatani, Makoto; Nakao, Takashi

    2018-01-01

    Accurately gauging the emotional experience of another person is important for navigating interpersonal interactions. This study investigated whether perceivers are capable of distinguishing between unintentionally expressed (genuine) and intentionally manipulated (posed) facial expressions attributed to four major emotions: amusement, disgust, sadness, and surprise. Sensitivity to this discrimination was explored by comparing unstaged dynamic and static facial stimuli and analyzing the results with signal detection theory. Participants indicated whether facial stimuli presented on a screen depicted a person showing a given emotion and whether that person was feeling a given emotion. The results showed that genuine displays were evaluated more as felt expressions than posed displays for all target emotions presented. In addition, sensitivity to the perception of emotional experience, or discriminability, was enhanced in dynamic facial displays, but was less pronounced in the case of static displays. This finding indicates that dynamic information in facial displays contributes to the ability to accurately infer the emotional experiences of another person. PMID:29896135

  6. Update on the bird-egg syndrome and genuine poultry meat allergy

    OpenAIRE

    Hemmer, Wolfgang; Klug, Christoph; Swoboda, Ines

    2016-01-01

    Summary Allergy to poultry meat is rare and affects both children and adults. The prevalence of poultry meat allergy is unknown, but presumably is similar to that of red meat allergy. There is no close relationship between allergy to poultry meat and allergy to red meat. Poultry meat allergy may present as primary (genuine) food allergy or as secondary food allergy resulting from cross-reactivity. Secondary poultry meat allergy may arise in the context of bird-egg-syndrome, which is due to se...

  7. GRB 090227B: THE MISSING LINK BETWEEN THE GENUINE SHORT AND LONG GAMMA-RAY BURSTS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muccino, M.; Ruffini, R.; Bianco, C. L.; Izzo, L.; Penacchioni, A. V. [Dip. di Fisica and ICRA, Sapienza Universita di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome (Italy)

    2013-02-15

    The time-resolved spectral analysis of GRB 090227B, made possible by the Fermi-GBM data, allows us to identify in this source the missing link between the genuine short and long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Within the Fireshell model of the GRBs we predict genuine short GRBs: bursts with the same inner engine of the long bursts but endowed with a severely low value of the baryon load, B {approx}< 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -5}. A first energetically predominant emission occurs at the transparency of the e {sup +} e {sup -} plasma, the Proper-GRB (P-GRB), followed by a softer emission, the extended afterglow. The typical separation between the two emissions is expected to be of the order of 10{sup -3}-10{sup -2} s. We identify the P-GRB of GRB 090227B in the first 96 ms of emission, where a thermal component with the temperature kT = (517 {+-} 28) keV and a flux comparable with the non-thermal part of the spectrum is observed. This non-thermal component as well as the subsequent emission, where there is no evidence for a thermal spectrum, is identified with the extended afterglow. We deduce a theoretical cosmological redshift z = 1.61 {+-} 0.14. We then derive the total energy E{sup tot}{sub e{sup +}e{sup -}}= (2.83{+-}0.15) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 53} erg, the baryon load B = (4.13 {+-} 0.05) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -5}, the Lorentz {Gamma} factor at transparency {Gamma}{sub tr} = (1.44 {+-} 0.01) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 4}, and the intrinsic duration {Delta}t' {approx} 0.35 s. We also determine the average density of the circumburst medium (CBM), (n {sub CBM}) = (1.90 {+-} 0.20) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -5} particles cm{sup -3}. There is no evidence of beaming in the system. In view of the energetics and of the baryon load of the source, as well as of the low interstellar medium and of the intrinsic timescale of the signal, we identify the GRB progenitor as a binary neutron star. From the recent progress in the theory of neutron stars, we obtain

  8. Interchange. Program Improvement Products Identified through Networking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohio State Univ., Columbus. National Center for Research in Vocational Education.

    This catalog lists exemplary field-based program improvement products identified by the Dissemination and Utilization Products and Services Program (D&U) at the National Center for Research in Vocational Education. It is designed to increase awareness of these products among vocational educators and to provide information about them that…

  9. Identifying potential engaging leaders within medical education: The role of positive influence on peers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michalec, Barret; Veloski, J Jon; Hojat, Mohammadreza; Tykocinski, Mark L

    2014-08-26

    Abstract Background: Previous research has paid little to no attention towards exploring methods of identifying existing medical student leaders. Aim: Focusing on the role of influence and employing the tenets of the engaging leadership model, this study examines demographic and academic performance-related differences of positive influencers and if students who have been peer-identified as positive influencers also demonstrate high levels of genuine concern for others. Methods: Three separate fourth-year classes were asked to designate classmates that had significant positive influences on their professional and personal development. The top 10% of those students receiving positive influence nominations were compared with the other students on demographics, academic performance, and genuine concern for others. Results: Besides age, no demographic differences were found between positive influencers and other students. High positive influencers were not found to have higher standardized exam scores but did receive significantly higher clinical clerkship ratings. High positive influencers were found to possess a higher degree of genuine concern for others. Conclusion: The findings lend support to (a) utilizing the engaging model to explore leaders and leadership within medical education, (b) this particular method of identifying existing medical student leaders, and (c) return the focus of leadership research to the power of influence.

  10. Update on the bird-egg syndrome and genuine poultry meat allergy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hemmer, Wolfgang; Klug, Christoph; Swoboda, Ines

    Allergy to poultry meat is rare and affects both children and adults. The prevalence of poultry meat allergy is unknown, but presumably is similar to that of red meat allergy. There is no close relationship between allergy to poultry meat and allergy to red meat. Poultry meat allergy may present as primary (genuine) food allergy or as secondary food allergy resulting from cross-reactivity. Secondary poultry meat allergy may arise in the context of bird-egg-syndrome, which is due to sensitization to serum albumins present in many tissues including muscle tissue and egg yolk (Gal d 5). Primary sensitization to serum albumin may happen via the respiratory tract through exposure to pet birds (mainly in adults) or within the context of egg allergy in early childhood. Due to the heat lability of serum albumins, reactions are often limited to the skin upon contact with raw meat. Symptoms from meat ingestion are rare and mostly mild, whereas systemic reactions are common after ingestion of raw or soft-boiled egg yolk. Primary poultry meat allergy is mainly seen in adolescents and young adults, though hypersensitivity may have started already at (pre)school age. Egg allergy is usually absent. Typical symptoms of primary poultry meat allergy include OAS (±dyspnea), gastrointestinal complaints, urticaria and angioedema. Severe anaphylaxis with cardiovascular symptoms is rare. Chicken and turkey meat are highly cross-reactive and responsible for most reactions, while duck and goose meat causes milder or no symptoms. Soups, sausages, and ham represent relevant allergen sources, too. Patients with poultry meat allergy unexpectedly often suffer from concomitant allergy to fish and possibly shrimp. Serum specific IgE against fish and shrimp is found in respectively 60 and 40 % of sera, suggestive of cross-reactive allergens in these foods. The allergens thus far recognized in genuine poultry meat are LMW proteins of 5-25 kDa. One of them has been identified as

  11. Strong monogamy of bipartite and genuine multipartite entanglement: the Gaussian case.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adesso, Gerardo; Illuminati, Fabrizio

    2007-10-12

    We demonstrate the existence of general constraints on distributed quantum correlations, which impose a trade-off on bipartite and multipartite entanglement at once. For all N-mode Gaussian states under permutation invariance, we establish exactly a monogamy inequality, stronger than the traditional one, that by recursion defines a proper measure of genuine N-partite entanglement. Strong monogamy holds as well for subsystems of arbitrary size, and the emerging multipartite entanglement measure is found to be scale invariant. We unveil its operational connection with the optimal fidelity of continuous variable teleportation networks.

  12. PDT (Product Data Technology), Production and Society

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vesterager, Johan

    1997-01-01

    Information and communication technology (ICT) constitute a genuine technical revolution by enabling a dynamic and flexible support or automation of knowledge and information work. Bearing in mind that products are frozen knowledge, ICT as known will change the way we produce products dramatically....... The use of ICT in engineering of products constitutes product data technology (PDT).This paper presents a a basic platform for an understanding the ongoing revolution with focus on the PDT-area taking outset in the fundamental elements of knowledge and information work: creation, transformation...

  13. Simulated Batch Production of Penicillin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitaker, A.; Walker, J. D.

    1973-01-01

    Describes a program in applied biology in which the simulation of the production of penicillin in a batch fermentor is used as a teaching technique to give students experience before handling a genuine industrial fermentation process. Details are given for the calculation of minimum production cost. (JR)

  14. Identifying variables that influence manufacturing product quality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marek Krynke

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available In the article a risk analysis of the production process of selected products in a plant producing votive candles was conducted. The Pareto-Lorenz diagram and FMEA method were used which indicated the most important areas affecting the production of selected elements of candles. The synthesis of intangible factors affecting production in the audited company was also carried out with particular emphasis on the operation of the production system. The factors determining the validity of studies was examined, describing the principle of BOST 14 Toyota management. The most important areas of the company were identified, positively affecting the production process.

  15. Energy expenditure of genuine laughter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buchowski, MS; Majchrzak, KM; Blomquist, K; Chen, KY; Byrne, DW; Bachorowski, J-A

    2012-01-01

    Objective To measure energy expenditure (EE) and heart rate (HR) during genuine laughter. Design Experimental trial of viewing film clips in four cycles either intended to evoke laughter (humorous −10 min) or unlikely to elicit laughter (not humorous −5 min) under strictly controlled conditions of a whole-room indirect calorimeter equipped with audio recording system. Participants Forty five adult friend dyads in either same-sex male (n=7), same-sex female (n=21) and mix-sex male-female (n=17); age 18–34 years; body mass index 24.7±4.9 (range 17.9–41.1). Measurements Energy expenditure in a whole-room indirect calorimeter, HR using Polar HR monitor. Laugh rate, duration and type from digitized audio data using a computerized system and synchronized with HR and EE results. Results Laughter EE was 0.79±1.30 kJ/min (0.19±0.31 kcal/min) higher than resting EE (Plaughter segments increased above resting by 2.1±3.8 beats/min, ranging from −7.6 to 26.8 beats/min. Laughter EE was correlated with HR (rs=0.250, Plaughter EE and HR were positively correlated with laughter duration (rs=0.282 and 0.337, both Plaughter causes a 10–20% increase in EE and HR above resting values, which means that 10–15 min of laughter per day could increase total EE by 40–170 kJ (10–40 kcal). PMID:16652129

  16. A Protocol for Bidirectional Quantum Secure Communication Based on Genuine Four-Particle Entangled States

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao Gan; Wang Liping

    2010-01-01

    By swapping the entanglement of genuine four-particle entangled states, we propose a bidirectional quantum secure communication protocol. The biggest merit of this protocol is that the information leakage does not exist. In addition, the ideas of the 'two-step' transmission and the block transmission are employed in this protocol. In order to analyze the security of the second sequence transmission, decoy states are used. (general)

  17. Laser photothermal diagnostics of genuine and counterfeit British and United States banknotes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Othonos, Andreas; Mandelis, Andreas; Nestoros, Marios; Christofides, Constantinos

    1997-02-01

    Laser-induced, frequency-scanned IR photothermal radiometry was used to investigate the thermophysical properties of the paper on which several genuine and counterfeit British (10 pounds) and U.S. ($DOL50, $DOL100) currency bills were printed. The radiometric photothermal amplitudes and phases were further compared with a theoretical model, which yielded simultaneous quantitative measurements of the thermal diffusivities and conductivities of the bills. Both statistical and single-specimen results demonstrated the excellent thermophysical resolution of the technique with prospects for its use in the nonintrusive, on-line identification of counterfeit banknotes.

  18. [The "specific" liability regime for blood products].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byk, Christian

    2017-10-13

    Based on the system of liability for defective products as organized by the European Directive of 25 July 1985, responsibility for blood products does not therefore constitute a genuine specific regime. However, European law leaves States a margin of discretion in the implementation of the Directive with regard to health products. This is the case in particular with the exemption for development risk.

  19. Effect of hypotension and carbon dioxide changes in an improved genuine closed cranial window rat model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, K A; Dyrby, Lone; Williamson, D

    2005-01-01

    The genuine closed cranial window model, in which the thinned parietal bone constitutes the covering of the preparation, has contributed to a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms in migraine. In its present form, only measurements of the middle meningeal artery (MMA) are perf......The genuine closed cranial window model, in which the thinned parietal bone constitutes the covering of the preparation, has contributed to a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms in migraine. In its present form, only measurements of the middle meningeal artery (MMA......) are performed. The aim of this study was, in addition, to measure pial artery/arteriole (PA) diameter and cortical cerebral blood flux in the same cranial window. The model was evaluated by studying the effects of hypotension and changes in arterial carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO2), because these parameters......-induced hypotension (-64+/-0.8 mmHg) caused an increase of MMA diameter of 11.8+/-8.4%, PA diameter of 61.2+/-7.7% and a decrease in LCBF(Flux) of -36.4+/-2.5%. The decrease in blood pressure did not significantly change the MMA (P=0.38); however, the PA diameter and the LCBF(Flux) were affected (P

  20. Genetic differentiation between fake abalone and genuine Haliotis species using the forensically informative nucleotide sequencing (FINS) method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ha, Wai Y; Reid, David G; Kam, Wan L; Lau, Yuk Y; Sham, Wing C; Tam, Silvia Y K; Sin, Della W M; Mok, Chuen S

    2011-05-25

    Abalones ( Haliotis species) are a popular delicacy and commonly preserved in dried form either whole or in slices or small pieces for consumption in Asian countries. Driven by the huge profit from trading abalones, dishonest traders may substitute other molluscan species for processed abalone, of which the morphological characteristics are frequently lost in the processed form. For protection of consumer rights and law enforcement against fraud, there is a need for an effective methodology to differentiate between fake and genuine abalone. This paper describes a method (validated according to the international forensic guidelines provided by SWGDAM) for the identification of fake abalone species using forensically informative nucleotide sequence (FINS) analysis. A study of the local market revealed that many claimed "abalone slice" samples on sale are not genuine. The fake abalone samples were found to be either volutids of the genus Cymbium (93%) or the muricid Concholepas concholepas (7%). This is the first report of Cymbium species being used for the preparation and sale as "abalone" in dried sliced form in Hong Kong.

  1. The Las Vegas Strip as a Genuinely Invented Global Landscape

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Ortega

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available Las Vegas, Nevada, is typically recognised as a place via a single urban gesture, that gesture being Las Vegas Boulevard, which is more commonly referred to as "The Strip". In constructing a thesis around the theme, "Here or There? Interconnections between the Global and the Local", one cannot ignore the invitation to discuss globalisation and its effects on a particular local fabric. For the purpose of this text, globalisation can be thought of as what Carmona et al describe as an intricate series of events leading to the world "becoming increasingly interconnected, with centralised decision making exploiting economies of scale and standardisation" (2003: 101. The centralised decision-making process for The Strip is evident in the strategy to develop individually themed casino resorts along Las Vegas Boulevard that respond to a competitive economy, thus creating a newly standardised landscape. If we also understand that globalisation can be thought of as the development of an interconnected world where economic, political and cultural boundaries can be easily crossed, this work can begin to define how the Las Vegas Strip is a genuinely invented global landscape. This paper addresses the "here-ness" as well as the "there-ness" of The Strip, while offering a dialectical framework for establishing a meaning of place by having 'there' placed 'here'. By employing semiological interpretations of real landscapes from around the globe (for example, Venturi et al, 1972, The Strip becomes a newly invented landscape of "simulations" (Baudrillard, 1988. As such, The Strip acts as a narrative that forms a unique place, opening the door to questions of authenticity and identity. This paper concludes by focusing on the question of "Here or There?" as an appropriate deviation from the assumed role that the post-modern landscape of the Las Vegas Strip plays. This work is intended to be a point of departure from the frequent criticism of the Las Vegas Strip as

  2. A genuine article: Intersectionality, Black lesbian gender expression, and the feminist pedagogical project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, Mel Michelle

    2017-10-02

    This article examines gender expression as central to the pedagogical projects of Black lesbian feminist pedagogues teaching interdisciplinary material related to race, gender, and sexuality. Participants discuss the ways in which their own masculinity, femme identity, and gendered performances influence instructive practices in the classroom and collegiality on campus. Being a "genuine article" of intersectionality theory plays a role in creative applications of the body as text and the institutional impediments to education as the practice of freedom for pedagogues whose marginalized gender, racial, sexual, and political identities closely align with their subject matter and influence campus roles and relationships.

  3. Demonstration of a SANEX Process in Centrifugal Contactors using the CyMe{sub 4}-BTBP Molecule on a Genuine Fuel Solution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Magnusson, D.; Christiansen, B.; Glatz, J.P.; Malmbeck, R.; Serrano-Purroy, D. [European Commiss, Joint Res Ctr, Inst Transuranium Elements, D-76125 Karlsruhe, (Germany); Foreman, M.R.S. [Univ Reading, Dept Chem, Reading RG6 6AD, Berks, (United Kingdom); Geist, A. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Inst Nukl Entsorgung, D-76021 Karlsruhe, (Germany); Modolo, G. [Forschungszentrum Julich, Inst Energy Res Safety Res and Reactor Technol, D-52425 Julich, (Germany); Sorel, C. [Commissariat Energie Atom Valrho, CEA, DRCP SCPS, F-30207 Bagnols Sur Ceze, (France)

    2009-07-01

    Efficient recovery of minor actinides from a genuine spent fuel solution has been successfully demonstrated by the CyMe{sub 4}-BTBP/DMDOHEMA extractant mixture dissolved in octanol. The continuous countercurrent process, in which actinides(III) were separated from lanthanides(III), was carried out in laboratory centrifugal contactors using an optimized flow-sheet involving a total of 16 stages. The process was divided into 9 stages for extraction from a 2 M nitric acid feed solution, 3 stages for lanthanide scrubbing, and 4 stages for actinide back-extraction. Excellent feed decontamination factors for Am (7000) and Cm (1000) were obtained and the recoveries of these elements were higher than 99.9%. More than 99.9% of the lanthanides were directed to the raffinate except Gd for which 0.32% was recovered in the product. (authors)

  4. Detect genuine multipartite entanglement in the one-dimensional transverse-field Ising model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng Dongling; Gu Shijian; Chen Jingling

    2010-01-01

    Recently Seevinck and Uffink argued that genuine multipartite entanglement (GME) had not been established in the experiments designed to confirm GME. In this paper, we use the Bell-type inequalities introduced by Seevinck and Svetlichny [M. Seevinck, G. Svetlichny, Phys. Rev. Lett. 89 (2002) 060401] to investigate the GME problem in the one-dimensional transverse-field Ising model. We show explicitly that the ground states of this model violate the inequality when the external transverse magnetic field is weak, which indicate that the ground states in this model with weak magnetic field are fully entangled. Since this model can be simulated with nuclear magnetic resonance, our results provide a fresh approach to experimental test of GME.

  5. Comment on Black's (1993) article, "comparing genuine and simulated suicide notes: a new perspective".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diamond, G M; More, D L; Hawkins, A G; Soucar, E

    1995-02-01

    The recent article by Stephen T. Black (1993) comparing genuine suicide notes with simulated notes is examined here. This article corrected a sampling error made in the original study by E. S. Shneidman and N. Farberow (1957), but Black's design suffers from theoretical and methodological problems that render it uninterpretable: First, no theoretical background is elaborated, and no hypotheses are offered. Second, no constructs are operationalized, and no predictions are tested. In the present article, the operational design is critiqued, and then it is suggested that the study of suicide notes in this fashion should cease.

  6. "What is genuine maternal love"? Clinical considerations and technique n psychoanalytic parent-infant psychotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baradon, Tessa

    2005-01-01

    The question of what is genuine maternal love was posed by a mother struggling to understand and value the nature of her bond with her small baby. The question surfaced time and again in the context of this dyad's long-term parent-infant psychotherapy and has challenged me to examine my thinking and, indeed, has produced impassioned discussions within the Parent Infant Project team at The Anna Freud Centre. In this paper I will address this question through sessional material of this mother and baby and discuss issues of technique in response to it, including my countertransference and conceptualization.

  7. Entropy Production in Stochastics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Demetris Koutsoyiannis

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available While the modern definition of entropy is genuinely probabilistic, in entropy production the classical thermodynamic definition, as in heat transfer, is typically used. Here we explore the concept of entropy production within stochastics and, particularly, two forms of entropy production in logarithmic time, unconditionally (EPLT or conditionally on the past and present having been observed (CEPLT. We study the theoretical properties of both forms, in general and in application to a broad set of stochastic processes. A main question investigated, related to model identification and fitting from data, is how to estimate the entropy production from a time series. It turns out that there is a link of the EPLT with the climacogram, and of the CEPLT with two additional tools introduced here, namely the differenced climacogram and the climacospectrum. In particular, EPLT and CEPLT are related to slopes of log-log plots of these tools, with the asymptotic slopes at the tails being most important as they justify the emergence of scaling laws of second-order characteristics of stochastic processes. As a real-world application, we use an extraordinary long time series of turbulent velocity and show how a parsimonious stochastic model can be identified and fitted using the tools developed.

  8. The ambient air quality accounts for the Nova Scotia Genuine Progress Index

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Monette, A.; Colman, R.

    2004-01-01

    The Nova Scotia Genuine Progress Index (GPI) is a measure of sustainable development which provides a complete and accurate picture of our well-being as a society. The GPI assigns explicit values to environmental quality, population health, livelihood security, equity, free time, and educational attainment. The Nova Scotia GPI includes 22 social, economic and environmental components, including ambient air quality. This report investigates Nova Scotia's ambient air concentrations and emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), total particulate matter (PM), sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and volatile organic compounds (VOC). The costs of damages caused by the these key air pollutants are also examined. Exposure to these pollutants results in negative impacts on human health, damage to materials, agricultural crops and changes in forest productivity. From 1979 to 1996, national ambient concentrations of each of these pollutants decreased significantly. However, the national average concentration of ground-level ozone increased by 34 per cent during the same time period. In Nova Scotia, concentrations of CO, PM and SO 2 have declined dramatically since 1979, but the trends for NO 2 and ground-level ozone do not show significant declines. On a per capita basis, SOx emissions from electric power generation in the province are more than 8 times the Canadian average. The province also had higher per capita emissions of CO, PM, SOx and VOCs than all reporting OECD countries. Electric power generation is the greatest source of fuel combustion emissions in the province, followed by industrial and transportation sources. This report also described some individual actions that can be taken to reduce air pollutant emissions. 174 refs., 37 tabs., 60 figs

  9. Action potential influences spatial perception: Evidence for genuine top-down effects on perception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Witt, Jessica K

    2017-08-01

    The action-specific account of spatial perception asserts that a perceiver's ability to perform an action, such as hitting a softball or walking up a hill, impacts the visual perception of the target object. Although much evidence is consistent with this claim, the evidence has been challenged as to whether perception is truly impacted, as opposed to the responses themselves. These challenges have recently been organized as six pitfalls that provide a framework with which to evaluate the empirical evidence. Four case studies of action-specific effects are offered as evidence that meets the framework's high bar, and thus that demonstrates genuine perceptual effects. That action influences spatial perception is evidence that perceptual and action-related processes are intricately and bidirectionally linked.

  10. Integrative production technology theory and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Özdemir, Denis

    2017-01-01

    This contributed volume contains the research results of the Cluster of Excellence “Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage Countries”, funded by the German Research Society (DFG). The approach to the topic is genuinely interdisciplinary, covering insights from fields such as engineering, material sciences, economics and social sciences. The book contains coherent deterministic models for integrative product creation chains as well as harmonized cybernetic models of production systems. The content is structured into five sections: Integrative Production Technology, Individualized Production, Virtual Production Systems, Integrated Technologies, Self-Optimizing Production Systems and Collaboration Productivity.The target audience primarily comprises research experts and practitioners in the field of production engineering, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students. .

  11. Identifying and Researching Market Opportunities for New High Technology Products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunstan, Peter

    Using a product called the synchro-pulse welder as a case study example, this paper discusses the activities of CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) in identifying and marketing new high-technology products. A general discussion of CSIRO's market research plans includes two goals to be attained within the next 5…

  12. Teleportation of a two-qubit arbitrary unknown state using a four-qubit genuine entangled state with the combination of bell-state measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dong, Li; Xiu, Xiao-Ming, E-mail: xiuxiaomingdl@126.com [Dalian University of Technology, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology (China); Ren, Yuan-Peng [Bohai University, Higher Professional Technical Institute (China); Gao, Ya-Jun [Bohai University, College of Mathematics and Physics (China); Yi, X. X. [Dalian University of Technology, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology (China)

    2013-01-15

    We propose a protocol transferring an arbitrary unknown two-qubit state using the quantum channel of a four-qubit genuine entangled state. Simplifying the four-qubit joint measurement to the combination of Bell-state measurements, it can be realized more easily with currently available technologies.

  13. Multipartite Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering and genuine tripartite entanglement with optical networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, Seiji; Wang, Meng; Teh, Run Yan; Gong, Qihuang; He, Qiongyi; Janousek, Jiri; Bachor, Hans-Albert; Reid, Margaret D.; Lam, Ping Koy

    2015-02-01

    Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen (EPR) pointed out in their famous paradox that two quantum-entangled particles can have perfectly correlated positions and momenta. Such correlations give evidence for the nonlocality of quantum mechanics and form the basis for quantum cryptography and teleportation. EPR steering is the nonlocality associated with the EPR paradox and has traditionally been investigated between only two parties. Using optical networks and efficient detection, we present experimental observations of multiparty EPR steering and of the genuine entanglement of three intense optical beams. We entangle the quadrature phase amplitudes of distinct fields, in analogy to the position-momentum entanglement of the original paradox. Our experiments complement tests of quantum mechanics that have entangled small systems or have demonstrated tripartite inseparability. Our methods establish principles for the development of multiparty quantum communication protocols with asymmetric observers, and can be extended to qubits, whether photonic, atomic, superconducting, or otherwise.

  14. Genuinely high-dimensional nonlocality optimized by complementary measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, James; Ryu, Junghee; Yoo, Seokwon; Lee, Changhyoup; Bang, Jeongho; Lee, Jinhyoung

    2010-01-01

    Qubits exhibit extreme nonlocality when their state is maximally entangled and this is observed by mutually unbiased local measurements. This criterion does not hold for the Bell inequalities of high-dimensional systems (qudits), recently proposed by Collins-Gisin-Linden-Massar-Popescu and Son-Lee-Kim. Taking an alternative approach, called the quantum-to-classical approach, we derive a series of Bell inequalities for qudits that satisfy the criterion as for the qubits. In the derivation each d-dimensional subsystem is assumed to be measured by one of d possible measurements with d being a prime integer. By applying to two qubits (d=2), we find that a derived inequality is reduced to the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality when the degree of nonlocality is optimized over all the possible states and local observables. Further applying to two and three qutrits (d=3), we find Bell inequalities that are violated for the three-dimensionally entangled states but are not violated by any two-dimensionally entangled states. In other words, the inequalities discriminate three-dimensional (3D) entanglement from two-dimensional (2D) entanglement and in this sense they are genuinely 3D. In addition, for the two qutrits we give a quantitative description of the relations among the three degrees of complementarity, entanglement and nonlocality. It is shown that the degree of complementarity jumps abruptly to very close to its maximum as nonlocality starts appearing. These characteristics imply that complementarity plays a more significant role in the present inequality compared with the previously proposed inequality.

  15. A genuine nonlinear approach for controller design of a boiler-turbine system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Shizhong; Qian, Chunjiang; Du, Haibo

    2012-05-01

    This paper proposes a genuine nonlinear approach for controller design of a drum-type boiler-turbine system. Based on a second order nonlinear model, a finite-time convergent controller is first designed to drive the states to their setpoints in a finite time. In the case when the state variables are unmeasurable, the system will be regulated using a constant controller or an output feedback controller. An adaptive controller is also designed to stabilize the system since the model parameters may vary under different operating points. The novelty of the proposed controller design approach lies in fully utilizing the system nonlinearities instead of linearizing or canceling them. In addition, the newly developed techniques for finite-time convergent controller are used to guarantee fast convergence of the system. Simulations are conducted under different cases and the results are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed controllers. Copyright © 2011 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Markers of quality and genuineness of commercial extra virgin sacha inchi oils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chasquibol, N.A.; Gomez-Coca, R.B.; Yacono, J.C.; Guinda, A.; Moreda, W.; Aguila, C.; Perez-Camino, M.C.

    2016-01-01

    This work tackles the study of the quality and authenticity of oils labeled and commercialized as extra virgin sacha inchi oil. Major and minor components as triglycerides, fatty acid methyl esters, tocopherols, sterols and hydrocarbons are determined as well as other physicochemical parameters (density, viscosity, acidity and peroxide value). The results showed that some of the commercialized oils do not fulfill the basic requirement established in the regulation such as the content of α-linolenic acid, higher than 44.7 or 55.0% in the cases of P. volubilis and P. huayllabambana, respectively. The calculated stigmasterol/campesterol ratio for genuine sacha inchi oils should be around 4, however not all commercial oils analyzed comply with this requirement. The presence of the flavons sesamin and sesamolin indicates the addition of compounds from sesame oils. Finally, some of the commercial oils showed to contain trans fatty acids although this was not accompanied by the sterene hydrocarbon presence. [es

  17. Markers of quality and genuineness of commercial extra virgin sacha inchi oils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. A. Chasquibol

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This work tackles the study of the quality and authenticity of oils labeled and commercialized as extra virgin sacha inchi oil. Major and minor components as triglycerides, fatty acid methyl esters, tocopherols, sterols and hydrocarbons are determined as well as other physicochemical parameters (density, viscosity, acidity and peroxide value. The results showed that some of the commercialized oils do not fulfill the basic requirement established in the regulation such as the content of α-linolenic acid, higher than 44.7 or 55.0% in the cases of P. volubilis and P. huayllabambana, respectively. The calculated stigmasterol/campesterol ratio for genuine sacha inchi oils should be around 4, however not all commercial oils analyzed comply with this requirement. The presence of the flavons sesamin and sesamolin indicates the addition of compounds from sesame oils. Finally, some of the commercial oils showed to contain trans fatty acids although this was not accompanied by the sterene hydrocarbon presence.

  18. Generalized Remote Preparation of Arbitrary m-qubit Entangled States via Genuine Entanglements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong Wang

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Herein, we present a feasible, general protocol for quantum communication within a network via generalized remote preparation of an arbitrary m-qubit entangled state designed with genuine tripartite Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger-type entangled resources. During the implementations, we construct novel collective unitary operations; these operations are tasked with performing the necessary phase transfers during remote state preparations. We have distilled our implementation methods into a five-step procedure, which can be used to faithfully recover the desired state during transfer. Compared to previous existing schemes, our methodology features a greatly increased success probability. After the consumption of auxiliary qubits and the performance of collective unitary operations, the probability of successful state transfer is increased four-fold and eight-fold for arbitrary two- and three-qubit entanglements when compared to other methods within the literature, respectively. We conclude this paper with a discussion of the presented scheme for state preparation, including: success probabilities, reducibility and generalizability.

  19. On Modeling Large-Scale Multi-Agent Systems with Parallel, Sequential and Genuinely Asynchronous Cellular Automata

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tosic, P.T.

    2011-01-01

    We study certain types of Cellular Automata (CA) viewed as an abstraction of large-scale Multi-Agent Systems (MAS). We argue that the classical CA model needs to be modified in several important respects, in order to become a relevant and sufficiently general model for the large-scale MAS, and so that thus generalized model can capture many important MAS properties at the level of agent ensembles and their long-term collective behavior patterns. We specifically focus on the issue of inter-agent communication in CA, and propose sequential cellular automata (SCA) as the first step, and genuinely Asynchronous Cellular Automata (ACA) as the ultimate deterministic CA-based abstract models for large-scale MAS made of simple reactive agents. We first formulate deterministic and nondeterministic versions of sequential CA, and then summarize some interesting configuration space properties (i.e., possible behaviors) of a restricted class of sequential CA. In particular, we compare and contrast those properties of sequential CA with the corresponding properties of the classical (that is, parallel and perfectly synchronous) CA with the same restricted class of update rules. We analytically demonstrate failure of the studied sequential CA models to simulate all possible behaviors of perfectly synchronous parallel CA, even for a very restricted class of non-linear totalistic node update rules. The lesson learned is that the interleaving semantics of concurrency, when applied to sequential CA, is not refined enough to adequately capture the perfect synchrony of parallel CA updates. Last but not least, we outline what would be an appropriate CA-like abstraction for large-scale distributed computing insofar as the inter-agent communication model is concerned, and in that context we propose genuinely asynchronous CA. (author)

  20. A vacuum isolated cryoprobe for the elimination of pains. Kryotherapie bei genuiner Trigeminusneuralgie. Eine vakuumisolierte Kryosonde fuer die Schmerzausschaltung

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schumann, B.; Herzog, R.; Eckelt, U. (Medizinische Akademie Dresden (Germany)); Krantz, H. (Medizinische Akademie Dresden (Germany)); Spoerl, E. (Medizinische Akademie Dresden (Germany))

    1993-01-01

    In cryosurgery the destructive effect of coldness on cells and tissue is exploited and used for specific therapeutic purposes. The phenomenon of cold analgesia is brought about by damage to fibre elements of afferent peripheral nerves during the freezing process. Temporary inhibition of pain-mediating nerves through dosed application of coldness in severe states of chronic pain is desirable and applied under the designation cryotherapy in treatment for genuine trigeminus neuralgias. (orig./HW)

  1. An acquisition system for CMOS imagers with a genuine 10 Gbit/s bandwidth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guérin, C.; Mahroug, J.; Tromeur, W.; Houles, J.; Calabria, P.; Barbier, R.

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a high data throughput acquisition system for pixel detector readout such as CMOS imagers. This CMOS acquisition board offers a genuine 10 Gbit/s bandwidth to the workstation and can provide an on-line and continuous high frame rate imaging capability. On-line processing can be implemented either on the Data Acquisition Board or on the multi-cores workstation depending on the complexity of the algorithms. The different parts composing the acquisition board have been designed to be used first with a single-photon detector called LUSIPHER (800×800 pixels), developed in our laboratory for scientific applications ranging from nano-photonics to adaptive optics. The architecture of the acquisition board is presented and the performances achieved by the produced boards are described. The future developments (hardware and software) concerning the on-line implementation of algorithms dedicated to single-photon imaging are tackled.

  2. Algorithm of actions to identify and reduce risks in the production of milk and plant products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. E. Glagoleva

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Foods with a new generation of functional and improved consumer properties, corresponds to the modern concepts of nutrition science and consumer needs. functional food production is a major global trend in food science and the subject of innovation. One of the important trends is the use of plant complexes and plant food systems. Using the plant complexes (PC and plant food systems (PFS provides a number of benefits: improved consumer properties of the product, do not need to change the process, it is possible to control directional rheological properties and consistency of the finished products, reduced the number of risk points in the production cycle. This paper describes the development of an algorithm of action to identify and mitigate risks in the production of milk and plant products. Also conducted a risk analysis, identified and assessed the risks in the process of production, installed capacity of available resources to reduce the level of risk. Established and submitted to the critical control points in production processes, as well as the critical limits for each critical control points, and the procedure for corrective action in case of violations of the past. During the study, measured changes in the quantitative and qualitative composition of microflora of semi-finished and Quantity of Mesophilic Aerobic and Facultative Anaerobic Microorganisms (QMAFAnM. To determine QMAFAnM samples were taken: 1 – cheesecakes (control, 2 – cheesecakes with RPS. Microbiological studies analyzed frozen-conjugated semi-finished products was determined within 90 days. It is clear from the data that the cottage cheese with semi-finished products have a lower RPM 11.7%. Analyzing the data, it is possible to conclude that the physico-chemical, organoleptic and microbiological indicators of products was developed to set standards on cheese semi-finished products. multilevel structure that characterizes the quality indicators has been developed and is

  3. Soy production and certification

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tomei, Julia; Semino, Stella Maris; Paul, Helena

    2010-01-01

    With the rising emphasis on biofuels as a potential solution to climate change, this paper asks whether certification schemes, developed to promote sustainable feedstock production, are able to deliver genuine sustainability benefits. The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) is a certification...... the social and environmental impacts of soybean production can be mitigated by the RTRS. It concludes that at present certification schemes are unlikely to be able to address either the institutional challenges associated with their implementation or the detrimental impacts of the additional demand generated...... scheme that aims to promote responsible soy production through the development of principles and criteria. However, can and does this initiative address the negative impacts associated with the intensive production of soy? Taking the example of soy biodiesel produced in Argentina, this paper asks whether...

  4. How to Identify Possible Applications of Product Configuration Systems in Engineer-to-Order Companies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristjansdottir, Katrin; Shafiee, Sara; Hvam, Lars

    2017-01-01

    -toorder (ETO) companies that support gradual implementation of PCS due to large product variety and, several times, higher complexity of products and processes. The overall PCS process can thereby be broken down, and the risk minimised. This paper provides a three-step framework to identify different......Product configuration systems (PCS) play an essential role when providing customised and engineered products efficiently. Literature in the field describes numerous strategies to develop PCS but neglects to identify different application areas. This topic is particularly important for engineer...

  5. 9 CFR 312.3 - Official marks and devices to identify inspected and passed equine products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... inspected and passed equine products. 312.3 Section 312.3 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND... § 312.3 Official marks and devices to identify inspected and passed equine products. (a) The official... § 317.2 of this subchapter to identify inspected and passed mule and other (nonhorse) equine carcasses...

  6. Analysis of genuine saving and potential green net national income. Portugal, 1990-2005

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mota, Rui Pedro; Domingos, Tiago; Martins, Victor

    2010-01-01

    The context of this paper is the measurement of welfare and weak sustainability (defined as non-declining utility) in dynamic economies, i.e., comprehensive or green accounting. We estimate green net national income (GNNI) and genuine saving (GS) for Portugal, for the years 1990 to 2005, accounting for the disamenity of air pollution emissions, the depreciation of commercial forests and the value of time, discussing the implications of the assumptions underlying the inclusion of these terms in the green accounting model. The influence of short-run cycles is analyzed by estimating GNNI excluding business cycles. Our results suggest that business cycles affect the sustainability message of GNNI. We find that potential GNNI is growing and GS is positive in the analyzed period, thereby not indicating a weak sustainability problem in Portugal, although both depict a trend towards unsustainability. Excluding technological progress there is a contradiction in the sustainability message of GNNI and GS. (author)

  7. Analysis of genuine saving and potential green net national income. Portugal, 1990-2005

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mota, Rui Pedro; Domingos, Tiago [Environment and Energy Section, DEM, Instituto Superior Tecnico (Portugal); Martins, Victor [Department of Economics, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao (Portugal)

    2010-08-15

    The context of this paper is the measurement of welfare and weak sustainability (defined as non-declining utility) in dynamic economies, i.e., comprehensive or green accounting. We estimate green net national income (GNNI) and genuine saving (GS) for Portugal, for the years 1990 to 2005, accounting for the disamenity of air pollution emissions, the depreciation of commercial forests and the value of time, discussing the implications of the assumptions underlying the inclusion of these terms in the green accounting model. The influence of short-run cycles is analyzed by estimating GNNI excluding business cycles. Our results suggest that business cycles affect the sustainability message of GNNI. We find that potential GNNI is growing and GS is positive in the analyzed period, thereby not indicating a weak sustainability problem in Portugal, although both depict a trend towards unsustainability. Excluding technological progress there is a contradiction in the sustainability message of GNNI and GS. (author)

  8. Unitary input DEA model to identify beef cattle production systems typologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eliane Gonçalves Gomes

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available The cow-calf beef production sector in Brazil has a wide variety of operating systems. This suggests the identification and the characterization of homogeneous regions of production, with consequent implementation of actions to achieve its sustainability. In this paper we attempted to measure the performance of 21 livestock modal production systems, in their cow-calf phase. We measured the performance of these systems, considering husbandry and production variables. The proposed approach is based on data envelopment analysis (DEA. We used unitary input DEA model, with apparent input orientation, together with the efficiency measurements generated by the inverted DEA frontier. We identified five modal production systems typologies, using the isoefficiency layers approach. The results showed that the knowledge and the processes management are the most important factors for improving the efficiency of beef cattle production systems.

  9. Identifying key drivers of greenhouse gas emissions from biomass feedstocks for energy production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, David R.; Curtright, Aimee E.; Willis, Henry H.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Production emissions dominate transportation and processing emissions. • Choice of feedstock, geographic location and prior land use drive emissions profile. • Within scenarios, emissions variability is driven by uncertainty in yields. • Favorable scenarios maximize carbon storage from direct land-use change. • Similarly, biomass production should attempt to minimize indirect land-use change. -- Abstract: Many policies in the United States, at both the federal and state levels, encourage the adoption of renewable energy from biomass. Though largely motivated by a desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, these policies do not explicitly identify scenarios in which the use of biomass will produce the greatest benefits. We have modeled “farm-to-hopper” emissions associated with seven biomass feedstocks, under a wide variety of scenarios and production choices, to characterize the uncertainty in emissions. We demonstrate that only a handful of factors have a significant impact on life cycle emissions: choice of feedstock, geographic location, prior land use, and time dynamics. Within a given production scenario, the remaining variability in emissions is driven by uncertainty in feedstock yields and the release rate of N 2 O into the atmosphere from nitrogen fertilizers. With few exceptions, transport and processing choices have relatively little impact on total emissions. These results illustrate the key decisions that will determine the success of biomass programs in reducing the emissions profile of energy production, and our publicly available model provides a useful tool for identifying the most beneficial production scenarios. While model data and results are restricted to biomass production in the contiguous United States, we provide qualitative guidance for identifying favorable production scenarios that should be applicable in other regions

  10. Finding the "bio" in biobased products: electrophoretic identification of wheat proteins in processed products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, George H; Hurkman, William J; Cao, Trung K; Tanaka, Charlene K; Orts, William J

    2010-04-14

    Verification of the biocontent in biobased or "green" products identifies genuine products, exposes counterfeit copies, supports or refutes content claims, and ensures consumer confidence. When the biocontent includes protein, elemental nitrogen analysis is insufficient for verification since non-protein, but nitrogen-rich, content also may be present. However, the proteins can be extracted, separated by electrophoretic methods, and detected by UV absorption, protein stain, or immunoblotting. We utilized capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) to separate proteins in a gliadin fraction that had been dissolved in aqueous ethanol (70%) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) to separate proteins in a gliadin-plus-glutenin fraction that had been dissolved in water containing both sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and a reducing agent, dithiothreitol (DTT). We sought to verify the presence of these wheat grain proteins in wheat bread, a wheat flake cereal, wheat beer, and an enclosure for an antique automobile ignition coil reputed to contain wheat gluten. Proteins extracted from commercial wheat, corn, and soy flours served as standards, and proteins from heat-altered wheat served as process condition references. This approach successfully identified wheat proteins in these products especially if the process temperature did not exceed 120 degrees C. Above this temperature attenuation was nearly complete for proteins analyzed by CZE, but wheat-like patterns could still be recognized by one- and two-dimensional PAGE. Immunoblots reacted with grain-specific antibodies confirmed the identities of the cereal component especially when the protein pattern was greatly altered by thermal modification, specific protein adsorption, or protein digestion. In addition to verifying that wheat proteins are present, the complementary use of these methods can reveal whether whole wheat gluten or merely an alcohol-soluble fraction had been used in the specific product and indicate the

  11. The Europe-U.S. Retail Trade Productivity Gap in a Rear-view Mirror

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Harchaoui, Tarek M.

    2012-01-01

    Is the Europe-U.S. retail trade productivity gap a genuine phenomenon or the result of a variety of measurement issues? This research question, which raised concerns during most of the decade preceding the Great Recession, has two primary motivations. First, I hope to gain a better understanding of

  12. SUSY-QCD corrections to Higgs boson production at hadron colliders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Djouadi, A.; Spira, M.

    1999-12-01

    We analyze the next-to-leading order SUSY-QCD corrections to the production of Higgs particles at hadron colliders in supersymmetric extensions of the standard model. Besides the standard QCD corrections due to gluon exchange and emission, genuine supersymmetric corrections due to the virtual exchange of squarks and gluinos are present. At both the Tevatron and the LHC, these corrections are found to be small in the Higgs-strahlung, Drell-Yan-like Higgs pair production and vector boson fusion processes. (orig.)

  13. Effectively identifying regulatory hotspots while capturing expression heterogeneity in gene expression studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) mapping is a tool that can systematically identify genetic variation affecting gene expression. eQTL mapping studies have shown that certain genomic locations, referred to as regulatory hotspots, may affect the expression levels of many genes. Recently, studies have shown that various confounding factors may induce spurious regulatory hotspots. Here, we introduce a novel statistical method that effectively eliminates spurious hotspots while retaining genuine hotspots. Applied to simulated and real datasets, we validate that our method achieves greater sensitivity while retaining low false discovery rates compared to previous methods. PMID:24708878

  14. Fragrance contact allergens in 5588 cosmetic products identified through a novel smartphone application

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bennike, N H; Oturai, N B; Müller, S

    2018-01-01

    -on and 100 ppm or above in wash-off cosmetics. OBJECTIVE: To examine exposure, based on ingredient labelling, to the 26 fragrances in a sample of 5588 fragranced cosmetic products. METHODS: The investigated products were identified through a novel, non-profit smartphone application (app), designed to provide...

  15. Simplified LCA and matrix methods in identifying the environmental aspects of a product system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hur, Tak; Lee, Jiyong; Ryu, Jiyeon; Kwon, Eunsun

    2005-05-01

    In order to effectively integrate environmental attributes into the product design and development processes, it is crucial to identify the significant environmental aspects related to a product system within a relatively short period of time. In this study, the usefulness of life cycle assessment (LCA) and a matrix method as tools for identifying the key environmental issues of a product system were examined. For this, a simplified LCA (SLCA) method that can be applied to Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) was developed to efficiently identify their significant environmental aspects for eco-design, since a full scale LCA study is usually very detailed, expensive and time-consuming. The environmentally responsible product assessment (ERPA) method, which is one of the matrix methods, was also analyzed. Then, the usefulness of each method in eco-design processes was evaluated and compared using the case studies of the cellular phone and vacuum cleaner systems. It was found that the SLCA and the ERPA methods provided different information but they complemented each other to some extent. The SLCA method generated more information on the inherent environmental characteristics of a product system so that it might be useful for new design/eco-innovation when developing a completely new product or method where environmental considerations play a major role from the beginning. On the other hand, the ERPA method gave more information on the potential for improving a product so that it could be effectively used in eco-redesign which intends to alleviate environmental impacts of an existing product or process.

  16. A multiplex PCR mini-barcode assay to identify processed shark products in the global trade.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diego Cardeñosa

    Full Text Available Protecting sharks from overexploitation has become global priority after widespread population declines have occurred. Tracking catches and trade on a species-specific basis has proven challenging, in part due to difficulties in identifying processed shark products such as fins, meat, and liver oil. This has hindered efforts to implement regulations aimed at promoting sustainable use of commercially important species and protection of imperiled species. Genetic approaches to identify shark products exist but are typically based on sequencing or amplifying large DNA regions and may fail to work on heavily processed products in which DNA is degraded. Here, we describe a novel multiplex PCR mini-barcode assay based on two short fragments of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI gene. This assay can identify to species all sharks currently listed on the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES and most shark species present in the international trade. It achieves species diagnosis based on a single PCR and one to two downstream DNA sequencing reactions. The assay is capable of identifying highly processed shark products including fins, cooked shark fin soup, and skin-care products containing liver oil. This is a straightforward and reliable identification method for data collection and enforcement of regulations implemented for certain species at all governance levels.

  17. Combating the counterfeits with web portal technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ting, S. L.; Ip, W. H.

    2015-10-01

    Due to the globalisation of counterfeiting activities, the penetration of fake products in open market is growing. So far, the technologies to combat counterfeiting are mostly applied to high-value products (e.g. premium wine and branded handbags); however, in the medium- and low-value products' perspective, there is no secure way for consumers to identify whether the purchased items are genuine or not. To address the counterfeiting problems effectively, a platform for identifying authenticated products and promoting anti-counterfeit activities is very important. The aim of this paper is to design and develop an anti-counterfeit platform which includes two functions: providing customers a secure network to ascertain the genuineness of their purchased product and increasing public awareness of the current counterfeit problems and updated anti-counterfeit solutions. By combining these two functions, it enables public to fight against fake and beware of counterfeit. Results of adopting portal technology in anti-counterfeiting show high accuracy in product checking and improved creditability. This reveals that the applicability and advantage of the proposed methodology are satisfactory.

  18. Protein functional links in Trypanosoma brucei, identified by gene fusion analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Trimpalis Philip

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Domain or gene fusion analysis is a bioinformatics method for detecting gene fusions in one organism by comparing its genome to that of other organisms. The occurrence of gene fusions suggests that the two original genes that participated in the fusion are functionally linked, i.e. their gene products interact either as part of a multi-subunit protein complex, or in a metabolic pathway. Gene fusion analysis has been used to identify protein functional links in prokaryotes as well as in eukaryotic model organisms, such as yeast and Drosophila. Results In this study we have extended this approach to include a number of recently sequenced protists, four of which are pathogenic, to identify fusion linked proteins in Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness. We have also examined the evolution of the gene fusion events identified, to determine whether they can be attributed to fusion or fission, by looking at the conservation of the fused genes and of the individual component genes across the major eukaryotic and prokaryotic lineages. We find relatively limited occurrence of gene fusions/fissions within the protist lineages examined. Our results point to two trypanosome-specific gene fissions, which have recently been experimentally confirmed, one fusion involving proteins involved in the same metabolic pathway, as well as two novel putative functional links between fusion-linked protein pairs. Conclusions This is the first study of protein functional links in T. brucei identified by gene fusion analysis. We have used strict thresholds and only discuss results which are highly likely to be genuine and which either have already been or can be experimentally verified. We discuss the possible impact of the identification of these novel putative protein-protein interactions, to the development of new trypanosome therapeutic drugs.

  19. Enzymatic production of human milk oligosaccharides

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holck, Jesper; Jers, Carsten; Michalak, Malwina

    2014-01-01

    Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a group of complex glycans that are abundant in human breastmilk. Breastfeeding infants is linked to several beneficial effects like promotion of bifidogenic growth,anti‐adhesive effects by blocking pathogens, and sialylated HMOs are moreover involved...... in infant brain development. Only trace amounts of these oligosaccharides are present in bovine milk‐based infantformula. In order to produce genuine HMOs, this project explores a sustainable way to develop anenzymatic process capable of converting certain kinds of food materials into the desired products....

  20. Local food in Iceland: identifying behavioral barriers to increased production and consumption

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ósk Halldórsdóttir, Þórhildur; Nicholas, Kimberly A.

    2016-11-01

    Increased production and consumption of local food may reduce the negative environmental, social, and economic impacts of industrialized and globalized food production. Here we examined potential barriers to increasing production and consumption of food produced in Iceland. First, we developed a new framework to address the behaviors of production and consumption simultaneously, to comprehensively analyze their potential barriers. We examined structural barriers by estimating the food production capacity of Iceland, and cultural and personal barriers through survey data on cultural norms and purchasing behavior from Matís, a research and development company. We found no structural barriers preventing Iceland from increasing production of local cereals, which would compliment current local production of meat and dairy and reduce reliance on imports, currently at 50% of the daily caloric intake. However, if food production became entirely local without changing the current mix of crops grown, there would be a 50% reduction in diversity (from 50 to 25 items in eight out of ten food categories). We did not identify any cultural barriers, as survey results demonstrated that consumers hold generally positive worldviews towards local food, with 88% satisfied with local food they had purchased. More than two-thirds of consumers regarded supporting the local farmer and considerations such as environmentally friendly production, fewer food miles, lower carbon footprint as important. However, they rated the local food they have access to as lower in meeting sustainability criteria, showing that they make justifications for not choosing local food in practice. This is a personal barrier to increased consumption of local food, and implies that marketing strategies and general knowledge connected to local food in Iceland might be improved. Although the results apply to the case of Iceland, the method of identifying behavioral barriers to change is applicable to other countries

  1. Refining the vulnerability model of low self-esteem and depression: Disentangling the effects of genuine self-esteem and narcissism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orth, Ulrich; Robins, Richard W; Meier, Laurenz L; Conger, Rand D

    2016-01-01

    A growing body of research supports the vulnerability model of low self-esteem and depression, which states that low self-esteem is a risk factor for depression. The goal of the present research was to refine the vulnerability model, by testing whether the self-esteem effect is truly due to a lack of genuine self-esteem or due to a lack of narcissistic self-enhancement. For the analyses, we used data from 6 longitudinal studies consisting of 2,717 individuals. In each study, we tested the prospective effects of self-esteem and narcissism on depression both separately for each construct and mutually controlling the constructs for each other (i.e., a strategy that informs about effects of genuine self-esteem and pure narcissism), and then meta-analytically aggregated the findings. The results indicated that the effect of low self-esteem holds when narcissism is controlled for (uncontrolled effect = -.26, controlled effect = -.27). In contrast, the effect of narcissism was close to zero when self-esteem was controlled for (uncontrolled effect = -.06, controlled effect = .01). Moreover, the analyses suggested that the self-esteem effect is linear across the continuum from low to high self-esteem (i.e., the effect was not weaker at very high levels of self-esteem). Finally, self-esteem and narcissism did not interact in their effect on depression; that is, individuals with high self-esteem have a lower risk for developing depression, regardless of whether or not they are narcissistic. The findings have significant theoretical implications because they strengthen the vulnerability model of low self-esteem and depression. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  2. Identifying and prioritizing customer requirements from tractor production by QFD method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H Taghizadeh

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Discovering and understanding customer needs and expectations are considered as important factors on customer satisfaction and play vital role to maintain the current activity among its competitors, proceeding and obtaining customer satisfaction which are critical factors to design a successful production; thus the successful organizations must meet their needs containing the quality of the products or services to customers. Quality Function Deployment (QFD is a technique for studying demands and needs of customers which is going to give more emphasis to the customer's interests in this way. The QFD method in general implemented various tools and methods for reaching qualitative goals; but the most important and the main tool of this method is the house of quality diagrams. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP is a famous and common MADM method based on pair wise comparisons used for determining the priority of understudied factors in various studies until now. With considering effectiveness of QFD method to explicating customer's demands and obtaining customer satisfaction, generally, the researchers followed this question's suite and scientific answer: how can QFD explicate real demands and requirements of customers from tractor final production and what is the prioritization of these demands and requirements in view of customers. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to identify and prioritize the customer requirements of Massey Ferguson (MF 285 tractor production in Iran tractor manufacturing company with t- student statistical test, AHP and QFD methods. Materials and Methods Research method was descriptive and statistical population included all of the tractor customers of Tractor Manufacturing Company in Iran from March 2011 to March 2015. The statistical sample size was 171 which are determined with Cochran index. Moreover, 20 experts' opinion has been considered for determining product's technical requirements. Literature

  3. Genuine federalism in the Russian health care system: changing roles of government.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chernichovsky, D; Potapchik, E

    1999-02-01

    The reforms that have affected the Russian health care system since the breakup of the Soviet Union, principally those in the general administration of the Russian Federation, have suffered from inconsistency and the absence of a strategy. The various reforms have caused a shift from a national health system characterized by highly centralized management and control, typical of the totalitarian uniform state, to a highly decentralized but fragmented multitude of state systems. Each of these systems is relatively centralized at the local level and run by local administrations with limited government infrastructure and experience. The role of government in the emerging system, and in particular the role of the federal government, remains ill defined. As a result, there is a grave risk that the Russian health care system may disintegrate as a national system. This undermines (a) the prevailing universal and fairly equitable access to care, (b) stabilization of the system following a long period of transition, and (c) the long-term reform that is required to bring the Russian health care system up to par with the health care systems in other developed countries. A rapid transition to a genuine federal health system with well-articulated roles for different levels of government, in tandem with implementation of the 1993 Compulsory Health Insurance System, is essential for the stabilization and reform of the Russian health care system.

  4. Interdisciplinary Knowledge Integration: Genuine Scientific Inquiry or 'Full-Bodied' Red Wine?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christakos, G.

    2004-12-01

    If the development of conceptual models is going to produce rigorous rules for the integration of knowledge from different disciplines and levels of organization, it should rely on an adequate understanding of scientific interdisciplinarity. Interdisciplinarity, however, is not always a clearly understood and widely accepted concept: (i) Interdisciplinarity has been viewed by certain groups in the same context as the unification of science, which refers to the pyramidal hierarchy that reduces one domain of science to another, seeking the unity of science and searching for the ultimate scientific truth. (ii) A distinction is made between interdisciplinarity producing a new discipline and interdisciplinarity involving the continuing interaction of a variety of disciplines without leading to a separate discipline. (iii) Another distinction is made between interdisciplinarity viewed as a merely practical activity happening on an everyday basis (e.g., studying the components of structured whole in isolation and applying ad hoc combinations to yield the final result) and interdisciplinarity considered for scientific research purposes (in which case issues of disciplinary incompleteness and non-reductive autonomy to be blended with another one may arise). In view of the above, genuinely interdisciplinary and innovative knowledge integration should not be confused with cosmetic inderdisciplinarity, the latter having a superficial and ad hoc interdisciplinary character allowing disciplinary business to go on as usual at the cheap price of some interdisciplinary rhetoric. In the cosmetic case 'interdisciplinarity' is used to describe -and praise- research projects as routinely as 'full-bodied' is used to describe red wines.

  5. Negative Effects on Psychological Health and Quality of Life of Genuine Irritable Bowel Syndrome-type Symptoms in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gracie, David J; Williams, Christopher J M; Sood, Ruchit; Mumtaz, Saqib; Bholah, M Hassan; Hamlin, P John; Ford, Alexander C

    2017-03-01

    Symptoms compatible with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but it is unclear whether this relates to occult IBD activity. We attempted to resolve this issue in a secondary care population by using a cross-sectional study design. We analyzed Rome III IBS symptoms, disease activity indices, and psychological, somatization, and quality of life data from 378 consecutive, unselected adult patients with IBD seen in clinics at St James's University Hospital in Leeds, United Kingdom from November 2012 through June 2015. Participants provided a stool sample for fecal calprotectin (FC) analysis; levels ≥250 μg/g were used to define mucosal inflammation. By using symptom data and FC levels we identified 4 distinct groups of patients: those with true IBS-type symptoms (IBS-type symptoms with FC levels life levels were also significantly reduced compared with patients with quiescent disease or occult inflammation and were similar to those of patients with active IBD. By using FC levels ≥100 μg/g to define mucosal inflammation, we found a similar effect of IBS-type symptoms on psychological health and quality of life. In a cross-sectional study, we identified a distinct group of patients with IBD and genuine IBS-type symptoms in the absence of mucosal inflammation. These symptoms had negative effects on psychological well-being and quality of life to the same degree as active IBD. New management strategies are required for this patient group. Copyright © 2017 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Dynamic detection-rate-based bit allocation with genuine interval concealment for binary biometric representation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Meng-Hui; Teoh, Andrew Beng Jin; Toh, Kar-Ann

    2013-06-01

    Biometric discretization is a key component in biometric cryptographic key generation. It converts an extracted biometric feature vector into a binary string via typical steps such as segmentation of each feature element into a number of labeled intervals, mapping of each interval-captured feature element onto a binary space, and concatenation of the resulted binary output of all feature elements into a binary string. Currently, the detection rate optimized bit allocation (DROBA) scheme is one of the most effective biometric discretization schemes in terms of its capability to assign binary bits dynamically to user-specific features with respect to their discriminability. However, we learn that DROBA suffers from potential discriminative feature misdetection and underdiscretization in its bit allocation process. This paper highlights such drawbacks and improves upon DROBA based on a novel two-stage algorithm: 1) a dynamic search method to efficiently recapture such misdetected features and to optimize the bit allocation of underdiscretized features and 2) a genuine interval concealment technique to alleviate crucial information leakage resulted from the dynamic search. Improvements in classification accuracy on two popular face data sets vindicate the feasibility of our approach compared with DROBA.

  7. Comparison of methods to identify crop productivity constraints in developing countries. A review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kraaijvanger, R.G.M.; Sonneveld, M.P.W.; Almekinders, C.J.M.; Veldkamp, T.

    2015-01-01

    Selecting a method for identifying actual crop productivity constraints is an important step for triggering innovation processes. Applied methods can be diverse and although such methods have consequences for the design of intervention strategies, documented comparisons between various methods are

  8. Actinides in intermediate-level liquid waste: removal by oxalic acid precipitation followed by cement incorporation and characterization of the final product

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bokelund, H.; Lebrun, M.; Ougier, M.; de Caritat de Peruzzis, G.

    1991-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the conditions for the provision of an alpha free waste form (non-TRU waste with 5000) and adequate (70) DF-values were found for americium and for plutonium, respectively, with calcium as the preferred carrier. No difference between simulated and genuine ILLW was found. The final cement product was investigated by measurements of its mechanical and chemical properties. The compressive strength was evaluated as functions of the ageing time and the salt content of the waste incorporated. Furthermore, the change of porosity of the product and its resistance to water leaching were tested. The study was carried out on both simulated and genuine ILLW samples. The use of microsilica as an additive to the cement gave significant improvements in the performance of the matrix: the compressive strength was increased and, more pronounced, the leachability was decreased by up to 50%. No detrimental effects of oxalates on the cement matrix were found

  9. Investigations regarding the lowering of specific intellectual property risks identified in the production process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pakocs Ramona

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The main purpose of this research is to decrease the emergence of specific intellectual property risks within the production process as well as increasing risk management performance of IP by preventing them. In order to achieve this, previous studies regarding the main specific intellectual property risks from industrial companies were analyzed together with their managerial methods as well as the possibility of reducing their emergence. As a result of the research conducted were identified five types of intellectual property risks that have a high potential of emergence in the production process, namely: the risk of production of goods in violation of IP rights; the know-how, production knowledge and trade secret disclosure risk; the technological risk of unprotected utility models; the technological risk of unprotected integrated circuits topographies and finally the risk of product counterfeit. In order to achieve the main purpose of our investigation, we have proposed new formulas for estimating the specific intellectual property risks identified in the production process. Their purpose was to minimalize the risk’s negative effects on industrial companies and to increase the managerial performance from the intellectual property domain through a new type of management appropriately named: intellectual property management. The research is finalized with a case study regarding the lapse of rights of a patented invention. Based on a case analysis, it was proved that the exploitation of an invention without a contract represents a counterfeit.

  10. Influence of thermal treatment on color, enzyme activities, and antioxidant capacity of innovative pastelike parsley products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaiser, Andrea; Brinkmann, Maike; Carle, Reinhold; Kammerer, Dietmar R

    2012-03-28

    Conventional spice powders are often characterized by low sensory quality and high microbial loads. Furthermore, genuine enzymes are only inhibited but not entirely inactivated upon drying, so that they may regain their activity upon rehydration of dried foods. To overcome these problems, initial heating was applied in the present study as the first process step for the production of innovative pastelike parsley products. For this purpose, fresh parsley was blanched (80, 90, and 100 °C for 1-10 min) and subsequently comminuted to form a paste. Alternatively, mincing was carried out prior to heat treatment. Regardless of temperature, the color of the latter product did not show any change after heating for 1 min. With progressing exposure time the green color turned to olive hues due to marked pheophytin formation. Inactivation of genuine peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was achieved at all temperature-time regimes applied. In contrast, the parsley products obtained after immediate water-blanching were characterized by brighter green colors and enhanced pigment retention. With the exception of the variants water-blanched at 80 °C, POD and PPO were completely inactivated at any of the thermal treatments. Furthermore, in water-blanched samples, antioxidant capacities as determined by the TEAC and FRAP assays were even enhanced compared to unheated parsley, whereas a decrease of phenolic contents could not be prevented. Consequently, the innovative process presented in this study allows the production of novel herb and spice products characterized by improved sensory quality as compared to conventional spice products.

  11. Mis-fitting Menstrual Hygiene Products: An Examination of Advertisements to Identify Gaps in the Diffusion of Innovation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arpan Yagnik

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available This research examines advertisements for menstrual hygiene products to discover the roadblocks in the diffusion of innovation of menstrual hygiene products. The objective is to evaluate the advertisements to comprehend the cultural relevance of the diffusion, justify the rate of diffusion of innovation, identify the bottlenecks prohibiting the diffusion, and suggest ideas for a successful diffusion of innovation. A convenient sample of 75 television advertisements and print advertisements of sanitary hygiene products was selected for analysis. Using thematic analysis this research identifies and extracts themes that are the potential bottlenecks to successful diffusion of innovation. The main themes identified were the assumption regarding the knowledge of usage, knowledge of disposal, knowledge of sharing, existing clothing standards, affordability, role of woman, and comfort with insertion. The discovery of themes not only demonstrate ignorance and incompetent market research but also give us a sense of the glacial diffusion of menstrual hygiene products in the recipient country.

  12. Mapping industrial networks as an approach to identify inter-organisational collaborative potential in new product development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Parraguez, Pedro; Maier, Anja

    2012-01-01

    . Consequently, identifying and selecting potential partners to establish collaboration agreements can be a key activity in the new product development process. This paper explores the implications of mapping industrial networks with the purpose of identifying inter-organisational collaborative potential...

  13. User-identified gel characteristics: a qualitative exploration of perceived product efficacy of topical vaginal microbicides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrow, Kathleen M; Underhill, Kristen; van den Berg, Jacob J; Vargas, Sara; Rosen, Rochelle K; Katz, David F

    2014-10-01

    Research has demonstrated that certain vaginal gel products--microbicides containing antiretroviral drugs--may reduce HIV infection risk among women. But for vaginal gels to avert HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), at-risk women must be willing to use them as directed. These products must therefore be "acceptable" to women and an important component of acceptability is users' perception that the product will work to prevent infection. We sought to understand how women's perceptions of vaginal gel properties may shape their understanding of product efficacy for HIV and STI prevention. Sixteen women completed two in-depth qualitative interviews (k = 32) to identify the range and types of sensory perceptions they experienced when using two vaginal gels. We identified emergent themes and linkages between users' sensory perceptions and their beliefs about product efficacy. Users' predictions about product efficacy for preventing infection corresponded to measurable physical properties, including gel volume, location in the vagina, coating behavior, sensation of the gel in the vagina, leakage, and gel changes during coital acts. Although the women described similar sensory experiences (e.g., gel leaked from the vagina), they interpreted these experiences to have varying implications for product efficacy (e.g., leakage was predicted to increase or decrease efficacy). To improve microbicide acceptability, gel developers should investigate and deliberately incorporate properties that influence users' perceptions of efficacy. When a microbicide is approved for use, providers should educate users to anticipate and understand their sensory experiences; improving users' experience can maximize adherence and product effectiveness.

  14. Overview of Skin Whitening Agents: Drugs and Cosmetic Products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Céline Couteau

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Depigmentation and skin lightening products, which have been in use for ages in Asian countries where skin whiteness is a major esthetic criterion, are now also highly valued by Western populations, who expose themselves excessively to the sun and develop skin spots as a consequence. After discussing the various possible mechanisms of depigmentation, the different molecules that can be used as well as the status of the products containing them will now be presented. Hydroquinone and derivatives thereof, retinoids, alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids, ascorbic acid, divalent ion chelators, kojic acid, azelaic acid, as well as diverse herbal extracts are described in terms of their efficacy and safety. Since a genuine effect (without toxic effects is difficult to obtain, prevention by using sunscreen products is always preferable.

  15. Evaluating a satellite-based seasonal evapotranspiration product and identifying its relationship with other satellite-derived products and crop yield: A case study for Ethiopia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tadesse, Tsegaye; Senay, Gabriel B.; Berhan, Getachew; Regassa, Teshome; Beyene, Shimelis

    2015-08-01

    Satellite-derived evapotranspiration anomalies and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) products from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are currently used for African agricultural drought monitoring and food security status assessment. In this study, a process to evaluate satellite-derived evapotranspiration (ETa) products with a geospatial statistical exploratory technique that uses NDVI, satellite-derived rainfall estimate (RFE), and crop yield data has been developed. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the ETa using the NDVI and RFE, and identify a relationship between the ETa and Ethiopia's cereal crop (i.e., teff, sorghum, corn/maize, barley, and wheat) yields during the main rainy season. Since crop production is one of the main factors affecting food security, the evaluation of remote sensing-based seasonal ETa was done to identify the appropriateness of this tool as a proxy for monitoring vegetation condition in drought vulnerable and food insecure areas to support decision makers. The results of this study showed that the comparison between seasonal ETa and RFE produced strong correlation (R2 > 0.99) for all 41 crop growing zones in Ethiopia. The results of the spatial regression analyses of seasonal ETa and NDVI using Ordinary Least Squares and Geographically Weighted Regression showed relatively weak yearly spatial relationships (R2 products have a good predictive potential for these 31 identified zones in Ethiopia. Decision makers may potentially use ETa products for monitoring cereal crop yields and early warning of food insecurity during drought years for these identified zones.

  16. Self-rated health assessed by web versus mail modes in a mixed mode survey: the digital divide effect and the genuine survey mode effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shim, Jae-Mahn; Shin, Eunjung; Johnson, Timothy P

    2013-09-01

    To investigate differences in self-rated health (SRH) between web and mail questionnaires in a mixed mode survey and to provide a model that explains those differences. A total of 15,200 mail respondents and 17,829 web respondents from the 2008 US National Health Survey conducted by the Gallup Panel. Respondents were recruited using random digit dialing and assigned to one of the two survey modes (web or mail). Respondents with household Internet connection and frequent Internet usage were invited to complete the survey through the web mode. Respondents who had no Internet connection or who used the Internet infrequently were invited to the mail mode. Thus, respondents with better Internet access used the web mode. Respondents completed a questionnaire that asked about SRH status, objective health conditions, health behaviors, and other socioeconomic variables. Statistical associations were analyzed with ordered Logit and negative binomial models. Web respondents reported better SRH than mail respondents. This difference is in part reflective of variability in objective health status between these two groups, and in part attributable to the effects of survey mode. These results maintained with age controlled. The alignment between survey mode selection, Internet access, and health disparities, as well as genuine survey mode characteristics, leads to web-mail differences in SRH. Unless the digital divide and its influences on survey mode selection are resolved and differential genuine mode effects are fully comprehended, we recommend that both modes be simultaneously used on a complementary basis.

  17. Hypothesis: Co-transfer of genuine embryos and implantation-promoting compounds via artificial containers improve endometrium receptivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celik, Onder; Acet, Mustafa; Celik, Sudenaz; Sahin, Levent; Koc, Onder; Celik, Nilufer

    2017-06-01

    As with other organs endometrial functions are altered with the advancing age. Age related decrease in reproductive functions leads to decline in the number of oocytes retrieved and the synthesis of endometrial receptivity molecules. Despite the significant improvement in assisted reproductive technologies we do not have so many options to enhance endometrial receptivity. Due to lack of drugs having endometrium receptivity enhancement properties, oocyte donation seems to be the only solution for women with implantation failure. The euploid oocytes come from young and healthy donors may overcome age associated endometrial receptivity defect. Nevertheless, many reasons restrict us from using oocyte donation in women with implantation failure. We, therefore, hypothesized that by mimicking a young blastocyst's effect on endometrium, the transfer of genuine embryos and implantation-promoting compounds together might be the new treatment option for infertile women with recurrent implantation failure. Artificial beads, MI or GV oocytes, and empty zona can be used as a container for intrauterine replacement of implantation-promoting compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Genuine two-fluid computations of laser-plasma interaction for generation of nonlinear force driven plasma blocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nafari, F.; Yazdani, E.; Malekynia, B.; Ghoranneviss, M.

    2010-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows. Anomalous interaction of picosecond laser pulses of terawatt to petawatt power is due to suppression of relativistic self-focusing if prepulses are cut-off by a contrast ratio higher than 10 8 . Resulting non-linear ponderomotive forces induced at the skin-layer interaction of a short laser-pulse with a proper preplasma layer produced by the laser prepulse in front of a solid target accelerate two thin (a few μm) quasi-neutral plasma blocks, propagating in forward and backward directions, backward moving against the laser light (ablation) and forward moving into the target. This compressed block produces an ion current density of above 10 11 A/cm 2 . This may support the requirement to produce a fast ignition deuterium tritium fusion at densities not much higher than the solid state by a single shot pw-ps laser pulse. With studying skin-layer subrelativistic interaction of a short (≤ 1 ps) laser pulse with an initial Rayleigh density profile in genuine two-fluid hydrodynamic model, time and spatial distributions of ion block temperature are presented.

  19. A Study Identifying Causes of Construction Waste Production and Applying Safety Management on Construction Site

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Asghar Najafpoor

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Background and purpose: In a recent century, the amount of construction waste has increased significantly. Although the building industry has a considerable role in the development of a society, it is regarded as an environmentally destructive. Source reduction is the highest goal in the waste management hierarchy and is in priority. It also has economic benefits by reducing costs associated with transportation, disposal or recycling of wastes. The present study is aimed to identify activities generating the wastes in design, transportation and storage and procurement of building materials. Materials and Methods: This was questionnaire survey. A total of 94 professionals in the construction industry were attended in this study. To determine the validity and reliability of the instrument, content validity method and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (0.79 were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows. Frequencies, percentage, mean and standard deviation were determined in this research. Results: The results showed that handling and storage have been chosen as the most causative factor of waste production in construction activity. Improper material storage was identified major factor in producing waste in handling and storage phase. Usage of low-quality material in design stage and material price changes in procurement were recognized as major causes of waste production in these stages. Conclusion: All studied phases in this research were identified as causative factors in producing of waste. Identifying causes of construction waste production will help us decide better how to control this sort of wastes.

  20. Identifying and Prioritizing Cleaner Production Strategies in Raw Materials’ Warehouse of Yazdbaf Textile Company in 2015

    OpenAIRE

    Mohammad Taghi Ghaneian; Raziye Montazerolfaraj; Hakime Selsele Vaziri; Mohammad Hassan Ehrampoush; Alireza Arsalan; Tahere Zarabie

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: Cleaner productions in textile industry is achieved by reducing water and chemicals’ consumption, saving energy, reducing production of air pollution and solid wastes, reducing toxicity and noise pollution through many solutions. The purpose of the present research was to apply Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) and Quality Systems Planning Matrix (QSPM) techniques in identifying and prioritizing production in raw materials’ warehouse of Yazdbaf Tex...

  1. Identifying product order with restricted Boltzmann machines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Wen-Jia; Li, Zhenyu; Zhu, Qiong; Luo, Mingxing; Wan, Xin

    2018-03-01

    Unsupervised machine learning via a restricted Boltzmann machine is a useful tool in distinguishing an ordered phase from a disordered phase. Here we study its application on the two-dimensional Ashkin-Teller model, which features a partially ordered product phase. We train the neural network with spin configuration data generated by Monte Carlo simulations and show that distinct features of the product phase can be learned from nonergodic samples resulting from symmetry breaking. Careful analysis of the weight matrices inspires us to define a nontrivial machine-learning motivated quantity of the product form, which resembles the conventional product order parameter.

  2. A Drosophila Genome-Wide Screen Identifies Regulators of Steroid Hormone Production and Developmental Timing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomas Danielsen, E.; E. Møller, Morten; Yamanaka, Naoki

    2016-01-01

    Steroid hormones control important developmental processes and are linked to many diseases. To systematically identify genes and pathways required for steroid production, we performed a Drosophila genome-wide in vivo RNAi screen and identified 1,906 genes with potential roles in steroidogenesis...... and developmental timing. Here, we use our screen as a resource to identify mechanisms regulating intracellular levels of cholesterol, a substrate for steroidogenesis. We identify a conserved fatty acid elongase that underlies a mechanism that adjusts cholesterol trafficking and steroidogenesis with nutrition...... and developmental programs. In addition, we demonstrate the existence of an autophagosomal cholesterol mobilization mechanism and show that activation of this system rescues Niemann-Pick type C1 deficiency that causes a disorder characterized by cholesterol accumulation. These cholesterol-trafficking mechanisms...

  3. Disentangling Genuine Semantic Stroop Effects in Reading from Contingency Effects: On the Need for Two Neutral Baselines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eric eLorentz

    2016-03-01

    plays a large role when repeating congruent items more than incongruent items, but appropriate pair-frequency matched neutral baselines allow for the assessment of genuine facilitation and interference. Using such baselines, we found reading processes proceed to a semantic level for familiar words, but not pseudohomophones (i.e., phonetic decoding. Such assessment is critical for separating the effects of genuine congruency from contingency during automatic word reading in the Stroop task, and when used with color associates, isolates the semantic contribution.

  4. Characterization of the genuine type 2 chromatic acclimation in the two Geminocystis cyanobacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirose, Yuu; Misawa, Naomi; Yonekawa, Chinatsu; Nagao, Nobuyoshi; Watanabe, Mai; Ikeuchi, Masahiko; Eki, Toshihiko

    2017-08-01

    Certain cyanobacteria can adjust the wavelengths of light they absorb by remodeling their photosynthetic antenna complex phycobilisome via a process called chromatic acclimation (CA). Although several types of CA have been reported, the diversity of the molecular mechanisms of CA among the cyanobacteria phylum is not fully understood. Here, we characterized the molecular process of CA of Geminocystis sp. strains National Institute of Environmental Studies (NIES)-3708 and NIES-3709. Absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that both strains dramatically alter their phycoerythrin content in response to green and red light. Whole-genome comparison revealed that the two strains share the typical phycobilisome structure consisting of a central core and peripheral rods, but they differ in the number of rod linkers of phycoerythrin and thus have differing capacity for phycoerythrin accumulation. RNA sequencing analysis suggested that the length of phycoerythrin rods in each phycobilisome is strictly regulated by the green light and red light-sensing CcaS/R system, whereas the total number of phycobilisomes is governed by the excitation-balancing system between phycobilisomes and photosystems. We reclassify the conventional CA types based on the genome information and designate CA of the two strains as genuine type 2, where components of phycoerythrin, but not rod-membrane linker of phycocyanin, are regulated by the CcaS/R system. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Kazusa DNA Research Institute.

  5. Identifying and Prioritizing Cleaner Production Strategies in Raw Materials’ Warehouse of Yazdbaf Textile Company in 2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Taghi Ghaneian

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Cleaner productions in textile industry is achieved by reducing water and chemicals’ consumption, saving energy, reducing production of air pollution and solid wastes, reducing toxicity and noise pollution through many solutions. The purpose of the present research was to apply Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT and Quality Systems Planning Matrix (QSPM techniques in identifying and prioritizing production in raw materials’ warehouse of Yazdbaf Textile Factory. Materials and Methods: In this research, effective internal and external factors in cleaner production were identified by providing the required information through field visit and interview with industry managers and supervisors of raw materials’ warehouse. Finally, To form matrix of internal and external factors 17 important internal factors and 7 important external factors were identified and selected respectively.Then, QSPM matrix was formed to determine the attractiveness and priority of the selected strategies by using results of internal and external factors and SWOT matrixes. Results: According to the results, the total score of raw materials’ warehouse in Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE matrix is equal to 2.90 which shows the good situation of warehouse than the internal factors. However, the total score in External Factor Evaluation (EFE matrix is 2.14 and indicates the relative weak situation of warehouse than the external factors. Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, continuity, monitor, and improvement of the general plan of qualitative control (QC of raw materials and laboratory as well as more emphasis on quality indexes according to its importance in the production processes were selected as the most important strategies. 

  6. The Situation of Complementary and Alternative Medicine / Integrative Medicine in Finland: Genuine Research Is Needed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimmermann, Peter Josef; Aarva, Pauliina; Sorsa, Minna

    The official acceptance of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) or integrative medicine in the academic discussion and in health policies in Finland is still poor. This is in contradiction to the fact that modern Finnish citizens use CAM as much as any people elsewhere in the European Union, with rates of 28-46% of the general population, or even more. This was one of the reasons for the foundation of the Finnish Forum for Research in Integrative Medicine and Healthcare (SILF) in November 2014. A first challenge for the SILF was to facilitate a research seminar to address the issue of CAM research as a part of the Finnish academic research. The seminar was organized by the Department of Health Sciences of the University of Tampere on November 13, 2015. Almost one third of the more than 400 participants were health professionals, and again one-third out of this group were physicians. As a result of the seminar, a research network was inaugurated. Obviously there is an increasing interest of health professionals in CAM and maybe even a change of attitude towards CAM also in Finland. However, genuine Finnish CAM research is essential in order to open up the academic discussion. © 2017 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

  7. Identifying and engineering promoters for high level and sustainable therapeutic recombinant protein production in cultured mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Steven C L; Yang, Yuansheng

    2014-08-01

    Promoters are essential on plasmid vectors to initiate transcription of the transgenes when generating therapeutic recombinant proteins expressing mammalian cell lines. High and sustained levels of gene expression are desired during therapeutic protein production while gene expression is useful for cell engineering. As many finely controlled promoters exhibit cell and product specificity, new promoters need to be identified, optimized and carefully evaluated before use. Suitable promoters can be identified using techniques ranging from simple molecular biology methods to modern high-throughput omics screenings. Promoter engineering is often required after identification to either obtain high and sustained expression or to provide a wider range of gene expression. This review discusses some of the available methods to identify and engineer promoters for therapeutic recombinant protein expression in mammalian cells.

  8. Tension free vaginal tape in the management of genuine stress incontinence in women - the Indian experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N Rajamaheswari

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To study retrospectively the results of the Tension Free Vaginal Tape (TVT, a new ambulatory sur-gical procedure for the treatment of stress urinary incon-tinence (SUI among Indian women. Methods: TVT implies the implantation of a prolene tape around the mid-uretha via a minimal vaginal incision. TVT was done on 54 patients diagnosed to have Genuine Stress Incontinence (GSI. The procedure was done either under regional anaesthesia (RA or under local anaesthesia (LA with IV analgesics. Results: Thirty-eight patients underwent only the TVT procedure and in 16 patients concomitant procedures were done along with the TVT The TVT was done as the pri-mary procedure for GSI in 46 patients. Eight patients had prior surgery for stress incontinence. All patients were followed up from 6 months to 2 years. Forty-eight (88% patients reported complete cure. There was significant improvement of symptoms in 4(7.4% patients and in 2(3.7% the surgery failed. Conclusions: These results prove that the TVT proce-dure is a minimally invasive, safe and effective method for the treatment of SUI in women.

  9. Quality Issues Identified During the Evaluation of Biosimilars by the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cilia, Mark; Ruiz, Sol; Richardson, Peter; Salmonson, Tomas; Serracino-Inglott, Anthony; Wirth, Francesca; Borg, John Joseph

    2018-02-01

    The aim of this study was to identify trends in deficiencies raised during the EU evaluation of the quality part of dossiers for marketing authorisation applications of biosimilar medicinal products. All adopted day 120 list of questions on the quality module of 22 marketing authorisation applications for biosimilars submitted to the European Medicines Agency and concluded by the end of October 2015 was analysed. Frequencies of common deficiencies identified were calculated and summarised descriptions included. Frequencies and trends on quality deficiencies were recorded and presented for 22 biosimilar applications. Thirty-two 'major objections' for 9 products were identified from 14 marketing authorisation applications with 15 raised for drug substance and 17 for drug product. In addition, 547 'other concerns' for drug substance and 495 for drug product were also adopted. The frequencies and trends of the identified deficiencies together with their impact were discussed from a regulatory perspective and how these impact key manufacturing processes and key materials used in the production of biosimilars. This study provides an insight to the regulatory challenges prospective companies need to consider when developing biosimilars; it also helps elucidate common pitfalls in the development and production of biosimilars and in the submission of dossiers for their marketing authorisations. The results are expected to be of interest to pharmaceutical companies but also to regulators to obtain consistent information on medicinal products based on transparent rules safeguarding the necessary pharmaceutical quality of medicinal products.

  10. Fragrance contact allergens in 5588 cosmetic products identified through a novel smartphone application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennike, N H; Oturai, N B; Müller, S; Kirkeby, C S; Jørgensen, C; Christensen, A B; Zachariae, C; Johansen, J D

    2018-01-01

    More than 25% of the adult European population suffers from contact allergy, with fragrance substances recognized as one of the main causes. Since 2005, 26 fragrance contact allergens have been mandatory to label in cosmetic products within the EU if present at 10 ppm or above in leave-on and 100 ppm or above in wash-off cosmetics. To examine exposure, based on ingredient labelling, to the 26 fragrances in a sample of 5588 fragranced cosmetic products. The investigated products were identified through a novel, non-profit smartphone application (app), designed to provide information to consumers about chemical substances in cosmetic products. Products registered through the app between December 2015 and October 2016 were label checked according to International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) for the presence of the 26 fragrance substances or the wording 'fragrance/parfum/aroma'. The largest product categories investigated were 'cream, lotion and oil' (n = 1192), 'shampoo and conditioner' (n = 968) and 'deodorants' (n = 632). Among cosmetic products labelled to contain at least one of the 26 fragrances, 85.5% and 73.9% contained at least two and at least three of the 26 fragrances, respectively. Linalool (49.5%) and limonene (48.5%) were labelled most often among all investigated products. Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde (HICC/Lyral ® ) was found in 13.5% of deodorants. Six of the 26 fragrance substances were labelled on less than one per cent of all products, including the natural extracts Evernia furfuracea (tree moss) and Evernia prunastri (oak moss). A total of 329 (5.9%) products had one or more of the 26 fragrance substances labelled but did not have 'parfum/fragrance/aroma' listed on the label. Consumers are widely exposed to, often multiple, well-established fragrance contact allergens through various cosmetic products intended for daily use. Several fragrance substances that are common causes of contact allergy were rarely

  11. Identifying Sources of Funding That Contribute to Scholastic Productivity in Academic Plastic Surgeons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruan, Qing Zhao; Cohen, Justin B; Baek, Yoonji; Chen, Austin D; Doval, Andres F; Singhal, Dhruv; Fukudome, Eugene Y; Lin, Samuel J; Lee, Bernard T

    2018-04-01

    Scholastic productivity has previously been shown to be positively associated with National Institute of Health (NIH) grants and industry funding. This study examines whether society, industry, or federal funding contributes toward academic productivity as measured by scholastic output of academic plastic surgeons. Institution Web sites were used to acquire academic attributes of full-time academic plastic surgeons. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payment database, NIH reporter, the Plastic Surgery Foundation (PSF), and American Association of Plastic Surgeons (AAPS) Web sites were accessed for funding and endowment details. Bibliometric data of each surgeon were then collected via Scopus to ascertain strengths of association with each source. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify significant contributors to high scholastic output. We identified 935 academic plastic surgeons with 94 (10.1%), 24 (2.6%), 724 (77.4%), and 62 (6.6%) receiving funding from PSF, AAPS, industry, and NIH, respectively. There were positive correlations in receiving NIH, PSF, and/or AAPS funding (P funding was found to negatively associate with PSF (r = -0.75, P = 0.022) grants. The NIH R award was consistently found to be the most predictive of academic output across bibliometrics, followed by the AAPS academic scholarship award. Conventional measures of academic seniority remained predictive across all measures used. Our study demonstrates for the first time interactions between industry, federal, and association funding. The NIH R award was the strongest determinant of high scholastic productivity. Recognition through AAPS academic scholarships seemed to associate with subsequent success in NIH funding.

  12. Evaluating a satellite-based seasonal evapotranspiration product and identifying its relationship with other satellite-derived products and crop yield: A case study for Ethiopia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tadesse, Tsegaye; Senay, Gabriel B.; Berhan, Getachew; Regassa, Teshome; Beyene, Shimelis

    2015-01-01

    Satellite-derived evapotranspiration anomalies and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) products from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are currently used for African agricultural drought monitoring and food security status assessment. In this study, a process to evaluate satellite-derived evapotranspiration (ETa) products with a geospatial statistical exploratory technique that uses NDVI, satellite-derived rainfall estimate (RFE), and crop yield data has been developed. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the ETa using the NDVI and RFE, and identify a relationship between the ETa and Ethiopia’s cereal crop (i.e., teff, sorghum, corn/maize, barley, and wheat) yields during the main rainy season. Since crop production is one of the main factors affecting food security, the evaluation of remote sensing-based seasonal ETa was done to identify the appropriateness of this tool as a proxy for monitoring vegetation condition in drought vulnerable and food insecure areas to support decision makers. The results of this study showed that the comparison between seasonal ETa and RFE produced strong correlation (R2 > 0.99) for all 41 crop growing zones in Ethiopia. The results of the spatial regression analyses of seasonal ETa and NDVI using Ordinary Least Squares and Geographically Weighted Regression showed relatively weak yearly spatial relationships (R2 < 0.7) for all cropping zones. However, for each individual crop zones, the correlation between NDVI and ETa ranged between 0.3 and 0.84 for about 44% of the cropping zones. Similarly, for each individual crop zones, the correlation (R2) between the seasonal ETa anomaly and de-trended cereal crop yield was between 0.4 and 0.82 for 76% (31 out of 41) of the crop growing zones. The preliminary results indicated that the ETa products have a good predictive potential for these 31 identified zones in Ethiopia. Decision makers may potentially use ETa products for monitoring cereal

  13. Electrochemical sensors for identifying pyocyanin production in clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sismaet, Hunter J; Pinto, Ameet J; Goluch, Edgar D

    2017-11-15

    In clinical practice, delays in obtaining culture results impact patient care and the ability to tailor antibiotic therapy. Despite the advancement of rapid molecular diagnostics, the use of plate cultures inoculated from swab samples continues to be the standard practice in clinical care. Because the inoculation culture process can take between 24 and 48h before a positive identification test can be run, there is an unmet need to develop rapid throughput methods for bacterial identification. Previous work has shown that pyocyanin can be used as a rapid, redox-active biomarker for identifying Pseudomonas aeruginosa in clinical infections. However, further validation is needed to confirm pyocyanin production occurs in all clinical strains of P. aeruginosa. Here, we validate this electrochemical detection strategy using clinical isolates obtained from patients with hospital-acquired infections or with cystic fibrosis. Square-wave voltammetric scans of 94 different clinical P. aeruginosa isolates were taken to measure the concentration of pyocyanin. The results showed that all isolates produced measureable concentrations of pyocyanin with production rates correlated with patient symptoms and comorbidity. Further bioinformatics analysis confirmed that 1649 genetically sequenced strains (99.9%) of P. aeruginosa possess the two genes (PhzM and PhzS) necessary to produce pyocyanin, supporting the specificity of this biomarker. Confirming the production of pyocyanin by all clinically-relevant strains of P. aeruginosa is a significant step towards validating this strategy for rapid, point-of-care diagnostics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Top-squark mixing effects in the supersymmetric electroweak corrections to top-quark production at the Fermilab Tevatron

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, J.M.; Li, C.S.

    1996-01-01

    Taking into account the mixing effects between left- and right-handed top squarks, we calculate the genuine supersymmetric electroweak correction to top-quark production at the Fermilab Tevatron in the minimal supersymmetric model. The analytic expressions of the corrections to both the parton level cross section and the total hadronic cross section are presented. Some numerical examples are also given to show the size of the corrections. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

  15. Media hype, diagnostic fad or genuine disorder? Professionals' opinions about night eating syndrome, orthorexia, muscle dysmorphia, and emetophobia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandereycken, Walter

    2011-01-01

    Many "new" syndromes have been proposed for inclusion in the DSM-V. Some disorders acquired popularity through the Internet, but will they be taken seriously and get accepted by the scientific community? We organized an opinion poll among professionals in the field of eating disorders by presenting them a provisional set of diagnostic criteria of four "new" disorders: Night Eating Syndrome, Orthorexia, Muscle Dysmorphia, and Emetophobia. In general, the opinions did not differ much according to the characteristics of the 111 respondents. Among these professionals, Orthorexia is the best known and Night Eating Syndrome the least. Although the majority is familiar with the concept of Muscle Dysmorphia, it is most often viewed as a creation of the popular media and rarely observed in daily practice. In contrast, the other three disorders seem to be taken more seriously in the sense of "genuine" syndromes, which should receive more attention in research and clinical practice. Emetophobia appears to be the least "fashionable" of the four. The findings are discussed in the light of medialization and medicalization.

  16. Identifying and Supporting Productive Collaborative Teacher Talk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flarend, Alice M.

    As improvements and changes in science education are promulgated, science teachers must be educated about these changes. Professional development programs are central to promoting teacher learning. Although the field seems to have agreed upon large-scalepedagogical features of high quality professional development with an emphasis on building a collaborative community of learners, effective implementation of these features is still problematic. The connections between these collaborative features and actual teacher work during the professional development remain unclear. This qualitative discourse study investigated how teachers engaged in small group discussions use discourse to collaborate during a weeklong professional development program that employed these useful pedagogical features. Small group discussions among the forty-two participants, diverse in their demographics and teaching experiences, were video and audio recorded. A collaborative discourse framework is developed and applied to the discussions, successfully categorizing episodes of discourse according to their productive potential for learning. The structure of the PD activities is then investigated to determine characteristics encouraging to these productive learning conversations. The analysis in this study indicated requiring groups to come to a consensus helps groups dig deeper into the content, promoting a more productive negotiation of concepts. Building consensus around an artifact such as a graph strengthened the need for consensus and thereby strengthened the opportunities for productive conversation. In addition, professional development activities that target building and using specific language were also opportunities for productive learning talk, providing opportunities to negotiate the deep meaning of words and concepts rather then leaving them unexamined. When viewed through the lens of Wenger's Community of Practice (1998) these findings are ways of strengthening the community

  17. Virtual target screening to rapidly identify potential protein targets of natural products in drug discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuri Pevzner

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Inherent biological viability and diversity of natural products make them a potentially rich source for new therapeutics. However, identification of bioactive compounds with desired therapeutic effects and identification of their protein targets is a laborious, expensive process. Extracts from organism samples may show desired activity in phenotypic assays but specific bioactive compounds must be isolated through further separation methods and protein targets must be identified by more specific phenotypic and in vitro experimental assays. Still, questions remain as to whether all relevant protein targets for a compound have been identified. The desire is to understand breadth of purposing for the compound to maximize its use and intellectual property, and to avoid further development of compounds with insurmountable adverse effects. Previously we developed a Virtual Target Screening system that computationally screens one or more compounds against a collection of virtual protein structures. By scoring each compound-protein interaction, we can compare against averaged scores of synthetic drug-like compounds to determine if a particular protein would be a potential target of a compound of interest. Here we provide examples of natural products screened through our system as we assess advantages and shortcomings of our current system in regards to natural product drug discovery.

  18. Virtual target screening to rapidly identify potential protein targets of natural products in drug discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuri Pevzner

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Inherent biological viability and diversity of natural products make them a potentially rich source for new therapeutics. However, identification of bioactive compounds with desired therapeutic effects and identification of their protein targets is a laborious, expensive process. Extracts from organism samples may show desired activity in phenotypic assays but specific bioactive compounds must be isolated through further separation methods and protein targets must be identified by more specific phenotypic and in vitro experimental assays. Still, questions remain as to whether all relevant protein targets for a compound have been identified. The desire is to understand breadth of purposing for the compound to maximize its use and intellectual property, and to avoid further development of compounds with insurmountable adverse effects. Previously we developed a Virtual Target Screening system that computationally screens one or more compounds against a collection of virtual protein structures. By scoring each compound-protein interaction, we can compare against averaged scores of synthetic drug-like compounds to determine if a particular protein would be a potential target of a compound of interest. Here we provide examples of natural products screened through our system as we assess advantages and shortcomings of our current system in regards to natural product drug discovery.

  19. Production of identified particles in p–Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV measured with ALICE

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2014-01-01

    Transverse momentum distributions of identified particles have been measured in several multiplicity classes in p-Pb collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 5.02 TeV. This measurement can shed light on the understanding of possible collective effects in high multiplicity events. Furthermore p-Pb collisions bridge the charged multiplicity gap between pp and low multiplicity Pb–Pb collisions. Studying the particle production in this region can improve the understanding of the underlying production mechanisms. Particles are reconstructed with the central barrel detectors over a wide transverse momentum range (from 0 up to 15 GeV/c), exploiting different identification techniques.   Primary charged particles (pions, kaons, protons, antiprotons, deuterons and anti-deuterons) are identified by their specific energy loss (dE/dx) and time-of-flight. Weakly decaying particles are identified by their characteristic decay topology. Particle-production yields, spectral shapes and particle ratios have been m...

  20. Identification of genuine primary pulmonary NK cell lymphoma via clinicopathologic observation and clonality assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Li; Wei, Long-Xiao; Huang, Gao-Sheng; Zhang, Wen-Dong; Wang, Lu; Zhu, Shao-Jun; Han, Xiu-Juan; Yao, Li; Lan, Miao; Li, Yan-Hong; Zhang, Wei

    2013-08-19

    Extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, is an uncommon lymphoma associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It most commonly involves the nasal cavity and upper respiratory tract. Primary pulmonary NK/T cell lymphoma is extremely rare. If a patient with a NK or T-cell tumor has an unusual reaction to treatment or an unusual prognosis, it is wise to differentiate NK from T-cell tumors. The clinicopathologic characteristics, immunophenotype, EBV in situ hybridization, and T cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangement of primary pulmonary NK cell lymphoma from a 73-year-old Chinese woman were investigated and the clonal status was determined using female X-chromosomal inactivation mosaicism and polymorphisms at the phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) gene. The lesion showed the typical histopathologic characteristics and immunohistochemical features of NK/T cell lymphoma. However, the sample was negative for TCR gene rearrangement. A clonality assay demonstrated that the lesion was monoclonal. It is concluded that this is the first recorded case of genuine primary pulmonary NK cell lymphoma. The purpose of the present work is to recommend that pathologists carefully investigate the whole lesion to reduce the likelihood that primary pulmonary NK cell lymphoma will be misdiagnosed as an infectious lesion. In addition, TCR gene rearrangement and clonal analysis, which is based on female X-chromosomal inactivation mosaicism and polymorphisms at PGK and androgen receptor (AR) loci, were found to play important roles in differentiating NK cell lymphoma from T cell lymphoma. The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/5205300349457729.

  1. Long-term affected energy production of waste to energy technologies identified by use of energy system analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Münster, Marie; Meibom, Peter

    2010-01-01

    Affected energy production is often decisive for the outcome of consequential life-cycle assessments when comparing the potential environmental impact of products or services. Affected energy production is however difficult to determine. In this article the future long-term affected energy...... production is identified by use of energy system analysis. The focus is on different uses of waste for energy production. The Waste-to-Energy technologies analysed include co-combustion of coal and waste, anaerobic digestion and thermal gasification. The analysis is based on optimization of both investments...... and production of electricity, district heating and bio-fuel in a future possible energy system in 2025 in the countries of the Northern European electricity market (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Germany). Scenarios with different CO2 quota costs are analysed. It is demonstrated that the waste...

  2. 9 CFR 312.2 - Official marks and devices to identify inspected and passed products of cattle, sheep, swine, or...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ..., and the smaller varieties of sausage and meat food products in animal casings. EC11SE91.001 For application to calf and goat carcasses and on the larger varieties of sausage and meat food products in animal... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Official marks and devices to identify...

  3. Identifying sustainability issues using participatory SWOT analysis - A case study of egg production in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mollenhorst, H.; Boer, de I.J.M.

    2004-01-01

    The aim of this paper was to demonstrate how participatory strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis can be used to identify relevant economic, ecological and societal (EES) issues for the assessment of sustainable development. This is illustrated by the case of egg production

  4. Comparative genomic analysis identified a mutation related to enhanced heterologous protein production in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Feng-Jie; Katayama, Takuya; Maruyama, Jun-Ichi; Kitamoto, Katsuhiko

    2016-11-01

    Genomic mapping of mutations using next-generation sequencing technologies has facilitated the identification of genes contributing to fundamental biological processes, including human diseases. However, few studies have used this approach to identify mutations contributing to heterologous protein production in industrial strains of filamentous fungi, such as Aspergillus oryzae. In a screening of A. oryzae strains that hyper-produce human lysozyme (HLY), we previously isolated an AUT1 mutant that showed higher production of various heterologous proteins; however, the underlying factors contributing to the increased heterologous protein production remained unclear. Here, using a comparative genomic approach performed with whole-genome sequences, we attempted to identify the genes responsible for the high-level production of heterologous proteins in the AUT1 mutant. The comparative sequence analysis led to the detection of a gene (AO090120000003), designated autA, which was predicted to encode an unknown cytoplasmic protein containing an alpha/beta-hydrolase fold domain. Mutation or deletion of autA was associated with higher production levels of HLY. Specifically, the HLY yields of the autA mutant and deletion strains were twofold higher than that of the control strain during the early stages of cultivation. Taken together, these results indicate that combining classical mutagenesis approaches with comparative genomic analysis facilitates the identification of novel genes involved in heterologous protein production in filamentous fungi.

  5. Transoral laser surgery for laryngeal carcinoma: has Steiner achieved a genuine paradigm shift in oncological surgery?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, A T; Tanyi, A; Hart, R D; Trites, J; Rigby, M H; Lancaster, J; Nicolaides, A; Taylor, S M

    2018-01-01

    Transoral laser microsurgery applies to the piecemeal removal of malignant tumours of the upper aerodigestive tract using the CO 2 laser under the operating microscope. This method of surgery is being increasingly popularised as a single modality treatment of choice in early laryngeal cancers (T1 and T2) and occasionally in the more advanced forms of the disease (T3 and T4), predominantly within the supraglottis. Thomas Kuhn, the American physicist turned philosopher and historian of science, coined the phrase 'paradigm shift' in his groundbreaking book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. He argued that the arrival of the new and often incompatible idea forms the core of a new paradigm, the birth of an entirely new way of thinking. This article discusses whether Steiner and colleagues truly brought about a paradigm shift in oncological surgery. By rejecting the principle of en block resection and by replacing it with the belief that not only is it oncologically safe to cut through the substance of the tumour but in doing so one can actually achieve better results, Steiner was able to truly revolutionise the management of laryngeal cancer. Even though within this article the repercussions of his insight are limited to the upper aerodigestive tract oncological surgery, his willingness to question other peoples' dogma makes his contribution truly a genuine paradigm shift.

  6. One gluon, two gluon: multigluon production via high energy evolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovner, Alex; Lublinsky, Michael

    2006-01-01

    We develop an approach for calculating the inclusive multigluon production within the JIMWLK high energy evolution. We give a formal expression of multigluon cross section in terms of a generating functional for arbitrary number of gluons n. In the dipole limit the expression simplifies dramatically. We recover the previously known results for single and double gluon inclusive cross section and generalize those for arbitrary multigluon amplitude in terms of Feynman diagramms of Pomeron - like objects coupled to external rapidity dependent field s(η). We confirm the conclusion that the AGK cutting rules in general are violated in multigluon production. However we present an argument to the effect that for doubly inclusive cross section the AGK diagramms give the leading contribution at high energy, while genuine violation only occurs for triple and higher inclusive gluon production. We discuss some general properties of our expressions and suggest a line of argument to simplify the approach further

  7. IDENTIFYING PRODUCT AND PRICE STRATEGIES FOR DESIGNING TRANSACTIONAL BANKING PACKAGES ADDRESSED TO SMES (CONSIDERATIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giuca Simona-Mihaela

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The current paper has the aim to provide guidelines for designing efficient product and price strategies, through proposed business cases which could be used especially for banking products addressed to SMEs. While identifying the optimal product and price strategy and designing the product catalogue structure, the marketing specialist should definitely consider existing portfolio behaviour and estimate the growing potential (if possible, overall portfolio, with focus on accurately defining the additional impact of the newly proposed product/ products. A business case contains estimations for results to be generated by products to be launched or optimized. This paper presents complex schemes for business case scenarios for migration of existing portfolio to the new products, but also considers new clients acquisition based on important features of the products. The pricing strategy is not a simple task to manage. Especially when speaking about transactional packages (for which the price is lower than separate services included, some segments or clusters may generate loss to the bank if they already used the services at a higher price than the one of the package. Therefore, the decision of setting up specific prices needs to be based on an accurate and complex analysis, as presented in current paper. The assumptions used in a business case need to be relevant for the entire process of designing and launching a product, therefore they can always be adjusted for better calculation of the impact. No matter if the assumptions and prices remain as in the initial proposal or not, the steps to be followed are the same. Segmentation also plays an important role in designing the product strategy, since the target for a product or product catalogue can be represented by a segment, a sub segment or a cluster of many segments. Not always the initial segmentation represents the clustering for the product strategy. Sometimes, behaviour of existing clients

  8. Ligth-flavour identified charged-hadron production in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC

    CERN Document Server

    INSPIRE-00246857

    2013-01-01

    Thanks to the unique detector design adopted to fulfill tracking and particle-identification (PID) requirements (e.g. low momentum cut-off and low material budget), the ALICE experiment provides significant information about hadron production both in pp and Pb-Pb collisions. In particular, the $p_{\\rm T}$-differential and integrated production yields of identified particles play a key role in the study of the collective and thermal properties of the matter formed in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. Furthermore, the production of high-$p_{\\rm T}$ particles provides insights into the property of the hot medium created in such collisions and the in-medium energy-loss mechanisms. Transverse momentum spectra of $\\pi^{\\pm}$, K$^{\\pm}$, p and $\\bar{\\rm p}$ are measured at mid-rapidity ($\\left|y\\right| <~0.5$) over a wide momentum range, from $\\sim$~100 MeV/$c$ up to $\\sim$~20 GeV/$c$. The current results on light-flavour charged-hadron production will be presented for pp collisions at $\\sqrt{s}$ = 0.9, 2.76 and ...

  9. A Simple Defined Medium for the Production of True Diketopiperazines in Xylella fastidiosa and Their Identification by Ultra-Fast Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Michelli Massaroli da; Andrade, Moacir Dos Santos; Bauermeister, Anelize; Merfa, Marcus Vinícius; Forim, Moacir Rossi; Fernandes, João Batista; Vieira, Paulo Cezar; Silva, Maria Fátima das Graças Fernandes da; Lopes, Norberto Peporine; Machado, Marcos Antônio; Souza, Alessandra Alves de

    2017-06-13

    Diketopiperazines can be generated by non-enzymatic cyclization of linear dipeptides at extreme temperature or pH, and the complex medium used to culture bacteria and fungi including phytone peptone and trypticase peptone, can also produce cyclic peptides by heat sterilization. As a result, it is not always clear if many diketopiperazines reported in the literature are artifacts formed by the different complex media used in microorganism growth. An ideal method for analysis of these compounds should identify whether they are either synthesized de novo from the products of primary metabolism and deliver true diketopiperazines. A simple defined medium ( X. fastidiosa medium or XFM) containing a single carbon source and no preformed amino acids has emerged as a method with a particularly high potential for the grown of X. fastidiosa and to produce genuine natural products. In this work, we identified a range of diketopiperazines from X. fastidiosa 9a5c growth in XFM, using Ultra-Fast Liquid Chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Diketopiperazines are reported for the first time from X. fastidiosa , which is responsible for citrus variegated chlorosis. We also report here fatty acids from X. fastidiosa , which were not biologically active as diffusible signals, and the role of diketopiperazines in signal transduction still remains unknown.

  10. A Simple Defined Medium for the Production of True Diketopiperazines in Xylella fastidiosa and Their Identification by Ultra-Fast Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelli Massaroli da Silva

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Diketopiperazines can be generated by non-enzymatic cyclization of linear dipeptides at extreme temperature or pH, and the complex medium used to culture bacteria and fungi including phytone peptone and trypticase peptone, can also produce cyclic peptides by heat sterilization. As a result, it is not always clear if many diketopiperazines reported in the literature are artifacts formed by the different complex media used in microorganism growth. An ideal method for analysis of these compounds should identify whether they are either synthesized de novo from the products of primary metabolism and deliver true diketopiperazines. A simple defined medium (X. fastidiosa medium or XFM containing a single carbon source and no preformed amino acids has emerged as a method with a particularly high potential for the grown of X. fastidiosa and to produce genuine natural products. In this work, we identified a range of diketopiperazines from X. fastidiosa 9a5c growth in XFM, using Ultra-Fast Liquid Chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Diketopiperazines are reported for the first time from X. fastidiosa, which is responsible for citrus variegated chlorosis. We also report here fatty acids from X. fastidiosa, which were not biologically active as diffusible signals, and the role of diketopiperazines in signal transduction still remains unknown.

  11. Natural or Induced: Identifying Natural and Induced Swarms from Pre-production and Co-production Microseismic Catalogs at the Coso Geothermal Field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoenball, Martin; Kaven, Joern; Glen, Jonathan M. G.; Davatzes, Nicholas C.

    2015-01-01

    Increased levels of seismicity coinciding with injection of reservoir fluids have prompted interest in methods to distinguish induced from natural seismicity. Discrimination between induced and natural seismicity is especially difficult in areas that have high levels of natural seismicity, such as the geothermal fields at the Salton Sea and Coso, both in California. Both areas show swarm-like sequences that could be related to natural, deep fluid migration as part of the natural hydrothermal system. Therefore, swarms often have spatio-temporal patterns that resemble fluid-induced seismicity, and might possibly share other characteristics. The Coso Geothermal Field and its surroundings is one of the most seismically active areas in California with a large proportion of its activity occurring as seismic swarms. Here we analyze clustered seismicity in and surrounding the currently produced reservoir comparatively for pre-production and co-production periods. We perform a cluster analysis, based on the inter-event distance in a space-time-energy domain to identify notable earthquake sequences. For each event j, the closest previous event i is identified and their relationship categorized. If this nearest neighbor’s distance is below a threshold based on the local minimum of the bimodal distribution of nearest neighbor distances, then the event j is included in the cluster as a child to this parent event i. If it is above the threshold, event j begins a new cluster. This process identifies subsets of events whose nearest neighbor distances and relative timing qualify as a cluster as well as a characterizing the parent-child relationships among events in the cluster. We apply this method to three different catalogs: (1) a two-year microseismic survey of the Coso geothermal area that was acquired before exploration drilling in the area began; (2) the HYS_catalog_2013 that contains 52,000 double-difference relocated events and covers the years 1981 to 2013; and (3) a

  12. The lasting effect of limonene-induced particle formation on air quality in a genuine indoor environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rösch, Carolin; Wissenbach, Dirk K; von Bergen, Martin; Franck, Ulrich; Wendisch, Manfred; Schlink, Uwe

    2015-09-01

    Atmospheric ozone-terpene reactions, which form secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles, can affect indoor air quality when outdoor air mixes with indoor air during ventilation. This study, conducted in Leipzig, Germany, focused on limonene-induced particle formation in a genuine indoor environment (24 m(3)). Particle number, limonene and ozone concentrations were monitored during the whole experimental period. After manual ventilation for 30 min, during which indoor ozone levels reached up to 22.7 ppb, limonene was introduced into the room at concentrations of approximately 180 to 250 μg m(-3). We observed strong particle formation and growth within a diameter range of 9 to 50 nm under real-room conditions. Larger particles with diameters above 100 nm were less affected by limonene introduction. The total particle number concentrations (TPNCs) after limonene introduction clearly exceed outdoor values by a factor of 4.5 to 41 reaching maximum concentrations of up to 267,000 particles cm(-3). The formation strength was influenced by background particles, which attenuated the formation of new SOA with increasing concentration, and by ozone levels, an increase of which by 10 ppb will result in a six times higher TPNC. This study emphasizes indoor environments to be preferred locations for particle formation and growth after ventilation events. As a consequence, SOA formation can produce significantly higher amounts of particles than transported by ventilation into the indoor air.

  13. Assessing the Probability that a Finding Is Genuine for Large-Scale Genetic Association Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuo, Chia-Ling; Vsevolozhskaya, Olga A; Zaykin, Dmitri V

    2015-01-01

    Genetic association studies routinely involve massive numbers of statistical tests accompanied by P-values. Whole genome sequencing technologies increased the potential number of tested variants to tens of millions. The more tests are performed, the smaller P-value is required to be deemed significant. However, a small P-value is not equivalent to small chances of a spurious finding and significance thresholds may fail to serve as efficient filters against false results. While the Bayesian approach can provide a direct assessment of the probability that a finding is spurious, its adoption in association studies has been slow, due in part to the ubiquity of P-values and the automated way they are, as a rule, produced by software packages. Attempts to design simple ways to convert an association P-value into the probability that a finding is spurious have been met with difficulties. The False Positive Report Probability (FPRP) method has gained increasing popularity. However, FPRP is not designed to estimate the probability for a particular finding, because it is defined for an entire region of hypothetical findings with P-values at least as small as the one observed for that finding. Here we propose a method that lets researchers extract probability that a finding is spurious directly from a P-value. Considering the counterpart of that probability, we term this method POFIG: the Probability that a Finding is Genuine. Our approach shares FPRP's simplicity, but gives a valid probability that a finding is spurious given a P-value. In addition to straightforward interpretation, POFIG has desirable statistical properties. The POFIG average across a set of tentative associations provides an estimated proportion of false discoveries in that set. POFIGs are easily combined across studies and are immune to multiple testing and selection bias. We illustrate an application of POFIG method via analysis of GWAS associations with Crohn's disease.

  14. Criteria to identify and define territories with productive development potential to establish Special Economic Zones of Development (SEZD in Costa Rica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafael Arias Ramírez

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available This study is aimed to identify, based on a series of variables and indicators, territories that have characteristics to propitiate an endogenous development, from the basis of the resource endowment they have, along with a productive policy, at the national and local level to promote it. A county´s index of productive potential is built around three components (productive, infrastructure and institutions; then a cluster analysis is applied. The outcomes of the study are not only new for the country, also they make a contribution with the elaboration of a matrix of variables and indicators, which provide criteria, empirically validated, to identify and define Special Economic Zones of Development (SEZD for Costa Rica.

  15. Identifying Major Transitions in the Evolution of Lithic Cutting Edge Production Rates.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antoine Muller

    Full Text Available The notion that the evolution of core reduction strategies involved increasing efficiency in cutting edge production is prevalent in narratives of hominin technological evolution. Yet a number of studies comparing two different knapping technologies have found no significant differences in edge production. Using digital analysis methods we present an investigation of raw material efficiency in eight core technologies broadly representative of the long-term evolution of lithic technology. These are bipolar, multiplatform, discoidal, biface, Levallois, prismatic blade, punch blade and pressure blade production. Raw material efficiency is assessed by the ratio of cutting edge length to original core mass. We also examine which flake attributes contribute to maximising raw material efficiency, as well as compare the difference between expert and intermediate knappers in terms of cutting edge produced per gram of core. We identify a gradual increase in raw material efficiency over the broad sweep of lithic technological evolution. The results indicate that the most significant transition in efficiency likely took place with the introduction of small foliate biface, Levallois and prismatic blade knapping, all introduced in the Middle Stone Age / Middle Palaeolithic among early Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. This suggests that no difference in raw material efficiency existed between these species. With prismatic blade technology securely dated to the Middle Palaeolithic, by including the more recent punch and pressure blade technology our results dispel the notion that the transition to the Upper Palaeolithic was accompanied by an increase in efficiency. However, further increases in cutting edge efficiency are evident, with pressure blades possessing the highest efficiency in this study, indicating that late/epi-Palaeolithic and Neolithic blade technologies further increased efficiency.

  16. The evaluation of trustworthiness to identify health insurance fraud in dentistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Shu-Li; Pai, Hao-Ting; Wu, Mei-Fang; Wu, Fan; Li, Chen-Lin

    2017-01-01

    According to the investigations of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), health insurance fraud has caused an enormous pecuniary loss in the U.S. In Taiwan, in dentistry the problem is getting worse if dentists (authorized entities) file fraudulent claims. Several methods have been developed to solve health insurance fraud; however, these methods are like a rule-based mechanism. Without exploring the behavior patterns, these methods are time-consuming and ineffective; in addition, they are inadequate for managing the fraudulent dentists. Based on social network theory, we develop an evaluation approach to solve the problem of cross-dentist fraud. The trustworthiness score of a dentist is calculated based upon the amount and type of dental operations performed on the same patient and the same tooth by that dentist and other dentists. The simulation provides the following evidence. (1) This specific type of fraud can be identified effectively using our evaluation approach. (2) A retrospective study for the claims is also performed. (3) The proposed method is effective in identifying the fraudulent dentists. We provide a new direction for investigating the genuineness of claims data. If the insurer can detect fraudulent dentists using the traditional method and the proposed method simultaneously, the detection will be more transparent and ultimately reduce the losses caused by fraudulent claims. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Food and Wine Tourism: an Analysis of Italian Typical Products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesco Maria Olivieri

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work is to focus the specific role of local food productions in spite of its relationship with tourism sector to valorization and promotion of the territorial cultural heritage. The modern agriculture has been and, in the recent years, several specific features are emerging referring to different territorials areas. Tourist would like to have a complete experience consumption of a destination, specifically to natural and cultural heritage and genuine food. This contribute addresses the topics connected to the relationship between typical productions system and tourism sector to underline the competitive advantages to local development. The typical productions are Designation of Protected Origin (Italian DOP, within wine certifications DOCG and DOC and Typical Geographical Indication (IGP and wine’s IGT. The aim is an analysis of the specialization of these kinds of production at Italian regional scale. The implication of the work has connected with defining a necessary and appropriate value strategies based on marketing principles in order to translate the benefit of typical productions to additional value for the local system. Thus, the final part of the paper describes the potential dynamics with the suitable accommodation typology of agriturismo and the typical production system of Italian Administrative Regions.

  18. Conspicuous consumption, luxury products and counterfeit market in the UK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Trang Huyen My Pham

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The fast growth of fashion brands and the popularity of counterfeit goods has posed certain challenges to the existing and new luxury fashion brand players. This study elaborates on the factors driving the market for counterfeit products in the UK. The data collected by means of survey questionnaires from 306 respondents and empirical techniques including descriptive and inferential statistics (correlation and multiple regression analysis, have shown that the consumers have a negative attitude towards counterfeit luxury products. However, they showed fewer tendencies to seek for a brand whose counterfeit cannot easily be found and preferred to buy a genuine rather than a counterfeit. In terms of frequency of purchase, reversion to counterfeit has negative impact, unlike the tendency to seek a brand whose counterfeit is hard to find. The overall results show that the attitude and acceptance of counterfeit do not greatly prevail in the market. However, about 27% of respondents demonstrated either a positive or a neutral tendency towards counterfeit products, which could have serious implications for the luxury goods market.

  19. Identifying Industry-Specific Components of Product Liability Response System Using Delphi-AHP Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seo JunHyeok

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available PL (product liability response system is an enterprise-wide system that prevents company’s financial loss due to PL-related accidents. Existing researches on PL response system are mainly focused on preventive and/or defense strategies for the companies. Also, it is obvious that each industry has their original characteristics related on PL issues. It means industry-specific characteristics should be considered to adopt PL response strategies. Thus, this paper aims to discuss industry-specific PL response system and their components. Based on prior researches, we tried to reveal the possibility of its application to manufacturing companies of existing PL response strategies using Delphi method with PL experts. Based on first round results, we tried to classify existing PL strategies of manufacturing companies into several categories. To validate our suggestion for essential components of PL response system, second round Delphi method are applied. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP technique will be applied to identify a prioritized list of each components and strategies. Existing PL response strategies could be categorized with six components – strategy, technology, investment, training, awareness, and organization. Among six components, Technology – it represents the technology needed for improving the safety of all products – is the most important components to prepare PL accidents. The limitation of this paper is on the size of survey and variety of examples. However, the future study will enhance the potential of the proposed method. Regardless of rich research efforts to identify PL response strategies, there is no effort to categorize these strategies and prioritized them. Well-coordinated and actionable PL response strategies and their priorities could help small-and-medium sized enterprise (SME to develop their own PL response system with their limited resources.

  20. The cereal pathogen Fusarium pseudograminearum produces a new class of active cytokinins during infection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Jens Laurids; Benfield, Aurelie H.; Wollenberg, Rasmus Dam

    2018-01-01

    -senescence activities and the production of a cytokinin mimic by what was once considered a necrotrophic pathogen that promotes cell death and senescence challenges the simple view that this pathogen invades its hosts by employing a barrage of lytic enzymes and toxins. Through genome mining, a gene cluster in the F....... pseudograminearum genome for the production of Fusarium cytokinins was identified and the biosynthetic pathway established using gene knockouts. The Fusarium cytokinins could activate plant cytokinin signalling, demonstrating their genuine hormone mimicry. In planta analysis of the transcriptional response to one...

  1. Phenotypic Screening Identifies Synergistically Acting Natural Product Enhancing the Performance of Biomaterial Based Wound Healing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Srinivasan Sivasubramanian

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The potential of multifunctional wound heal biomaterial relies on the optimal content of therapeutic constituents as well as the desirable physical, chemical, and biological properties to accelerate the healing process. Formulating biomaterials such as amnion or collagen based scaffolds with natural products offer an affordable strategy to develop dressing material with high efficiency in healing wounds. Using image based phenotyping and quantification, we screened natural product derived bioactive compounds for modulators of types I and III collagen production from human foreskin derived fibroblast cells. The identified hit was then formulated with amnion to develop a biomaterial, and its biophysical properties, in vitro and in vivo effects were characterized. In addition, we performed functional profiling analyses by PCR array to understand the effect of individual components of these materials on various genes such as inflammatory mediators including chemokines and cytokines, growth factors, fibroblast stimulating markers for collagen secretion, matrix metalloproteinases, etc., associated with wound healing. FACS based cell cycle analyses were carried out to evaluate the potential of biomaterials for induction of proliferation of fibroblasts. Western blot analyses was done to examine the effect of biomaterial on collagen synthesis by cells and compared to cells grown in the presence of growth factors. This work demonstrated an uncomplicated way of identifying components that synergistically promote healing. Besides, we demonstrated that modulating local wound environment using biomaterials with bioactive compounds could enhance healing. This study finds that the developed biomaterials offer immense scope for healing wounds by means of their skin regenerative features such as anti-inflammatory, fibroblast stimulation for collagen secretion as well as inhibition of enzymes and markers impeding the healing, hydrodynamic properties complemented

  2. Wastewater Reuse: An Economic Perspective to Identify Suitable Areas for Poplar Vegetation Filter Systems for Energy Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauro Viccaro

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The increasing interest towards climate change, water and energy saving, and soil protection has led the research community to consider non-conventional water as a sustainable source for irrigation of energy crops. Vegetation filter systems are considered a reliable technique for sustainable biomass cultivation, enabling the use of reclaimed wastewater as water and nutrients sources during irrigation periods. In this study, a geographic information system (GIS-based spatial model was developed to identify areas potentially suitable for creating vegetation filter systems with poplars to size the plants of energy production. An economic assessment allowed us to identify the cost-effectiveness areas for biomass production that can be fertigated by reclaimed wastewater. Considering the Basilicata region as the test region, a surface area of 258,512 ha was investigated, identifying 73,331 ha of SRF soils sited downstream of 45 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs. However, considering only areas that have positive net present value and are economically attractive, results indicate 1606 ha of SRF falling within the areas of influence of 39 WWTPs. The results show that the sector of dedicated crops, adjacent and linked with WWTPs, expresses a total capacity of 50.56 MW for thermal, 8.25 MW for electricity, and 31 MW for cogeneration (25.07 MWt and 5.94 MWe plants.

  3. Identifying consumer preferences for specific beef flavor characteristics in relation to cattle production and postmortem processing parameters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Quinn, T G; Woerner, D R; Engle, T E; Chapman, P L; Legako, J F; Brooks, J C; Belk, K E; Tatum, J D

    2016-02-01

    Sensory analysis of ground LL samples representing 12 beef product categories was conducted in 3 different regions of the U.S. to identify flavor preferences of beef consumers. Treatments characterized production-related flavor differences associated with USDA grade, cattle type, finishing diet, growth enhancement, and postmortem aging method. Consumers (N=307) rated cooked samples for 12 flavors and overall flavor desirability. Samples were analyzed to determine fatty acid content. Volatile compounds produced by cooking were extracted and quantified. Overall, consumers preferred beef that rated high for beefy/brothy, buttery/beef fat, and sweet flavors and disliked beef with fishy, livery, gamey, and sour flavors. Flavor attributes of samples higher in intramuscular fat with greater amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids and lesser proportions of saturated, odd-chain, omega-3, and trans fatty acids were preferred by consumers. Of the volatiles identified, diacetyl and acetoin were most closely correlated with desirable ratings for overall flavor and dimethyl sulfide was associated with an undesirable sour flavor. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Genuine halitosis in patients with dental and laryngological etiologies of mouth odor: severity and role of oral hygiene behaviors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herman, Sabina; Lisowska, Grażyna; Herman, Joanna; Wojtyna, Ewa; Misiołek, Maciej

    2018-04-01

    The aims of the study were to determine the severity of halitosis and the association between oral hygiene practices and the severity of malodor in patients with dental and laryngological etiologies of genuine halitosis. Thirty-five laryngological and 40 dental patients with halitosis completed a structured interview and underwent laryngological and dental examinations. Halitosis was assessed using organoleptic and halimeter tests. Greater halitosis severity in laryngological patients was associated with worse clinical status of the palatine tonsils, less frequent toothbrushing, less frequent use of tongue cleaners, fewer daily meals, and increased use of mouthrinses. Among dental patients, more severe halitosis was associated with worse clinical status of the periodontium, more tongue coating, less saliva secretion, and less frequent use of dental floss, interdental toothbrushes, and tongue cleaners. Oral hygiene was found to be a key moderator of the relationship between status of the periodontium or tonsils and severity of halitosis. The severity of halitosis in laryngological patients and dental patients is essentially similar; however, oral hygiene routines are associated with different effects in each group. Consequently, individual recommendations for patients with halitosis should be adjusted for the underlying disease and emphasize the role of effective specific hygiene behaviors. © 2018 Eur J Oral Sci.

  5. Genetic effects of PDGFRB and MARCH1 identified in GWAS revealing strong associations with semen production traits in Chinese Holstein bulls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Shuli; Yin, Hongwei; Li, Cong; Qin, Chunhua; Cai, Wentao; Cao, Mingyue; Zhang, Shengli

    2017-07-03

    Using a genome-wide association study strategy, our previous study discovered 19 significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to semen production traits in Chinese Holstein bulls. Among them, three SNPs were within or close to the phosphodiesterase 3A (PDE3A), membrane associated ring-CH-type finger 1 (MARCH1) and platelet derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRB) genes. The present study was designed with the objectives of identifying genetic polymorphism of the PDE3A, PDGFRB and MARCH1 genes and their effects on semen production traits in a Holstein bull population. A total of 20 SNPs were detected and genotyped in 730 bulls. Association analyses using de-regressed estimated breeding values of each semen production trait revealed four statistically significant SNPs for one or more semen production traits (P semen volume per ejaculate. Furthermore, high expression of the MARCH1 gene was observed in sperm cells. One SNP (rs43445726) in the regulatory region of MARCH1 had a significant effect on gene expression. Our study demonstrated the significant associations of genetic variants of the PDGFRB and MARCH1 genes with semen production traits. The identified SNPs may serve as genetic markers to optimize breeding programs for semen production traits in Holstein bull populations.

  6. Forward genetics screen coupled with whole-genome resequencing identifies novel gene targets for improving heterologous enzyme production in Aspergillus niger.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reilly, Morgann C; Kim, Joonhoon; Lynn, Jed; Simmons, Blake A; Gladden, John M; Magnuson, Jon K; Baker, Scott E

    2018-02-01

    Plant biomass, once reduced to its composite sugars, can be converted to fuel substitutes. One means of overcoming the recalcitrance of lignocellulose is pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. However, currently available commercial enzyme cocktails are inhibited in the presence of residual pretreatment chemicals. Recent studies have identified a number of cellulolytic enzymes from bacteria that are tolerant to pretreatment chemicals such as ionic liquids. The challenge now is generation of these enzymes in copious amounts, an arena where fungal organisms such as Aspergillus niger have proven efficient. Fungal host strains still need to be engineered to increase production titers of heterologous protein over native enzymes, which has been a difficult task. Here, we developed a forward genetics screen coupled with whole-genome resequencing to identify specific lesions responsible for a protein hyper-production phenotype in A. niger. This strategy successfully identified novel targets, including a low-affinity glucose transporter, MstC, whose deletion significantly improved secretion of recombinant proteins driven by a glucoamylase promoter.

  7. Forward genetics screen coupled with whole-genome resequencing identifies novel gene targets for improving heterologous enzyme production in Aspergillus niger

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reilly, Morgann C. [Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Kim, Joonhoon [Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lynn, Jed [Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA (United States); Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, OH (United States); Simmons, Blake A. [Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Gladden, John M. [Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Magnuson, Jon K. [Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Baker, Scott E. [Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2018-01-06

    Plant biomass, once reduced to its composite sugars, can be converted to fuel substitutes. One means of overcoming the recalcitrance of lignocellulose is pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. However, currently available commercial enzyme cocktails are inhibited in the presence of residual pretreatment chemicals. Recent studies have identified a number of cellulolytic enzymes from bacteria that are tolerant to pretreatment chemicals such as ionic liquids. The challenge now is generation of these enzymes in copious amounts, an arena where fungal organisms such as Aspergillus niger have proven efficient. Fungal host strains still need to be engineered to increase production titers of heterologous protein over native enzymes, which has been a difficult task. Here, we developed a forward genetics screen coupled with whole-genome resequencing to identify specific lesions responsible for a protein hyper-production phenotype in A. niger. This strategy successfully identified novel targets, including a low-affinity glucose transporter, MstC, whose deletion significantly improved secretion of recombinant proteins driven by a glucoamylase promoter.

  8. Agricultural biodiversity, food security and climate change: a call for research and international collaboration.; Biodiversidad agricola, seguridad alimentaria y cambio climatico: una llamada a la investigacion y a la colaboracion internacional

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hodgkin, T.; Frison, E.; Fanzo, J.; Lopez Noriega, I.

    2011-07-01

    The events of these last years have shown that there are still major problems in the global food supply and food security and food prices can change very quickly. Therefore the reduction of food stocks, such as poor harvests, competition with bio fuels production, land grabbing and speculation have been identified as causing this situation. whatever the cause, the crisis has shown how far we are to achieve genuine food security. (Author) 31 refs.

  9. Relevance of Assembly-Activating Protein for Adeno-associated Virus Vector Production and Capsid Protein Stability in Mammalian and Insect Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grosse, Stefanie; Penaud-Budloo, Magalie; Herrmann, Anne-Kathrin; Börner, Kathleen; Fakhiri, Julia; Laketa, Vibor; Krämer, Chiara; Wiedtke, Ellen; Gunkel, Manuel; Ménard, Lucie; Ayuso, Eduard; Grimm, Dirk

    2017-10-15

    -like particles composed solely of the major capsid protein VP3, AAP's role in and relevance for assembly of genuine AAV capsids have remained largely unclear. Thus, we established a trans -complementation assay permitting assessment of AAP functionality during production of recombinant vectors based on complete AAV capsids and derived from any serotype. We find that AAP is indeed a critical factor not only for AAV2, but also for generation of vectors derived from nine other AAV serotypes. Moreover, we identify a new role of AAP in maintaining capsid protein stability in mammalian and insect cells. Thereby, our study expands our current understanding of AAV/AAP biology, and it concomitantly provides insights into the importance of AAP for AAV vector production. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

  10. Biotechnology in livestock production: Overview of possibilities for ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    STORAGESEVER

    2008-12-29

    Dec 29, 2008 ... Public concerns on food safety, environment and ethics are issues that cannot be ... Biotechnology is simply the application of in-genuine biological ... agro-based companies that finance their development. Nonetheless, it is ...

  11. Search for electroweak production of supersymmetric gauginos with photons at CMS

    CERN Document Server

    Schulz, Johannes

    2014-01-01

    In this thesis a search for electroweak production of gauginos in the theoretical context of gaugemediated supersymmetry is presented. Under the assumption of a bino-like mixture of the gaugeeigenstates of the lightest neutralino, being the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle in thisanalysis, decays of the lightest neutralino into a photon and a gravitino are highly preferred. Dueto R-parity conservation, the gravitino is stable. Since it does not interact with the detector, anincreased amount of missing transverse energy is expected in the event. The search is performedusing a parked dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 7.4 fb−1 , recorded by theCMS detector during the proton-proton collisions at the LHC in 2012. The search strategy isfocused on selecting high energetic photons accompanied by significantly high genuine missingtransverse energy. Due to the focus on electroweak production, the event selection favors finalstates with a moderate amount of hadronic activity, complementing...

  12. Identifying and Remediating High Water Production Problems in Basin-Centered Formations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    R.L. Billingsley

    2005-12-01

    Through geochemical analyses of produced waters, petrophysics, and reservoir simulation we developed concepts and approaches for mitigating unwanted water production in tight gas reservoirs and for increasing recovery of gas resources presently considered noncommercial. Only new completion research (outside the scope of this study) will validate our hypothesis. The first task was assembling and interpreting a robust regional database of historical produced-water analyses to address the production of excessive water in basin-centered tight gas fields in the Greater Green (GGRB ) and Wind River basins (WRB), Wyoming. The database is supplemented with a sampling program in currently active areas. Interpretation of the regional water chemistry data indicates most produced waters reflect their original depositional environments and helps identify local anomalies related to basement faulting. After the assembly and evaluation phases of this project, we generated a working model of tight formation reservoir development, based on the regional nature and occurrence of the formation waters. Through an integrative approach to numerous existing reservoir concepts, we synthesized a generalized development scheme organized around reservoir confining stress cycles. This single overarching scheme accommodates a spectrum of outcomes from the GGRB and Wind River basins. Burial and tectonic processes destroy much of the depositional intergranular fabric of the reservoir, generate gas, and create a rock volume marked by extremely low permeabilities to gas and fluids. Stress release associated with uplift regenerates reservoir permeability through the development of a penetrative grain bounding natural fracture fabric. Reservoir mineral composition, magnitude of the stress cycle and local tectonics govern the degree, scale and exact mechanism of permeability development. We applied the reservoir working model to an area of perceived anomalous water production. Detailed water analyses

  13. The lipid accumulation product as a useful index for identifying abnormal glucose regulation in young Korean women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, J-Y; Sung, Y-A; Lee, H J

    2013-04-01

    The lipid accumulation product, a combination of waist circumference and triglycerides concentration, has been suggested as a better marker for abnormal glucose regulation than BMI. We aimed to compare the lipid accumulation product and BMI as useful markers for abnormal glucose regulation in young Korean women. The lipid accumulation product was calculated using the formula [waist circumference (cm) - 58] × triglycerides (mmol/l). Glucose tolerance status was determined using a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test in 2810 Korean women aged 18-39 years from the general population. The prevalence of abnormal glucose regulation was 6.8% (isolated impaired fasting glucose 1.8%, isolated impaired glucose tolerance 4.0%; impaired fasting glucose + impaired glucose tolerance 0.4% and diabetes mellitus 0.6%). According to the quintile distributions of the lipid accumulation product and BMI, women with a lipid accumulation product quintile greater than their BMI quintile exhibited significantly greater areas under the curve and higher levels of 2-h post-load glucose, insulin, homeostasis model analysis of insulin resistance and lipid profiles than did women with a BMI quintile greater than their lipid accumulation product quintile. Multiple logistic regression revealed that the lipid accumulation product exhibited a higher odds ratio for abnormal glucose regulation than did BMI after adjusting for age, systolic blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, previous history of gestational diabetes and family history of diabetes (odds ratios 3.5 and 2.6 of the highest vs. the lowest quintiles of lipid accumulation product and BMI, respectively). The lipid accumulation product could be useful for identifying the young Korean women with abnormal glucose regulation. © 2012 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine © 2012 Diabetes UK.

  14. Identifying improvement potentials in cement production with life cycle assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boesch, Michael Elias; Hellweg, Stefanie

    2010-12-01

    Cement production is an environmentally relevant process responsible for 5% of total anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and 7% of industrial fuel use. In this study, life cycle assessment is used to evaluate improvement potentials in the cement production process in Europe and the USA. With a current fuel substitution rate of 18% in Europe and 11% in the USA, both regions have a substantial potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save virgin resources by further increasing the coprocessing of waste fuels. Upgrading production technology would be particularly effective in the USA where many kiln systems with very low energy efficiency are still in operation. Using best available technology and a thermal substitution rate of 50% for fuels, greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 9% for Europe and 18% for the USA per tonne of cement. Since clinker production is the dominant pollution producing step in cement production, the substitution of clinker with mineral components such as ground granulated blast furnace slag or fly ash is an efficient measure to reduce the environmental impact. Blended cements exhibit substantially lower environmental footprints than Portland cement, even if the substitutes feature lower grindability and require additional drying and large transport distances. The highest savings in CO(2) emissions and resource consumption are achieved with a combination of measures in clinker production and cement blending.

  15. A COMPARATIVE ANALISYS ON THE TRADITIONAL FOOD PRODUCTS IN EU

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teodora Mihaela Tarcza

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper is intent on highlighting the differences between traditional food products registered in every member state of the EU. The legislative system protecting the 'peculiar, endemic', food products was first introduced in the EU in 1992 and it was implemented in the then - member states.The countries that adhered to the EU in the following years underwent a preparation phase in terms of legislation in order to educate the producers and consumers regarding these regulations.Therefore, some countries have a history of over twenty years in recognizing and registering traditional food products(TFP, whereas newly - entered EU member states have an experience of less than ten years.This can be one of the many reasons underlying the significant discrepancy in the number of traditional food products registered in every EU member state.Throughout the paper we intend to analyse and highlight the number of traditional food products registered in the European Union’ s database– DOORdatabase– by every EU member state, and also provide an overview of their status in the EU.Moreover, throughout the paper we will answer questions such as„ Why does France have 255 traditional food products registered, whereas countries like Romania and Bulgaria only 4 ? “aiming to justify these differences but also present the evolution of the supply of traditional food products over time.To achieve the objectives of our research, we have covered vast literature and we have processed a series of secondary data that were put at our disposal by the databases of the European Commission, the agricultural sector.The results of our research are interesting, and the graphs will help better visualize and understand the status of the supply of traditional food products from a quantitative point of view countrywide.The identified elements as influencing factors in the quantitative supply of traditional food products and their grouping in a series of criteria tantamount to

  16. USING THE PARETO DIAGRAM AND FMEA (FAILURE MODE AND EFFECTS ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY KEY DEFECTS IN A PRODUCT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michał ZASADZIEŃ

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The article presents the results of studies conducted in a company manufacturing aluminium forgings for the automotive industry. The aim of the research was to identify the defects which form during the production process as well as the locations and causes of their occurrence. Selected quality management tools were used in the process. Based on the FMEA and the costs generated by the identified defects, a hierarchy of them was created for the company along with a proposal of improvements in case of the most significant ones in order to reduce their number and increase the detection efficiency.

  17. According to the CPLL proteome sheriffs, not all aperitifs are created equal!

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lerma-García, María Jesús; D'Amato, Alfonsina; Fasoli, Elisa; Simó-Alfonso, Ernesto Francisco; Righetti, Pier Giorgio

    2014-09-01

    Combinatorial peptide ligand libraries (CPLLs) have been adopted for investigating the proteome of a popular aperitif in Northern Italy, called "Amaro Branzi", stated to be an infusion of a secret herbal mixture, of which some ingredients are declared on the label, namely Angelica officinalis, Gentiana lutea and orange peel, sweetened by a final addition of honey. In order to assess the genuineness of this commercial liqueur, we have prepared extracts of the three vegetable ingredients, assessed their proteomes, and compared them to the one found in the aperitif. The amaro's proteome was identified via prior capture with CPLLs at two different pH values (2.2 and 4.8). Via mass spectrometry analysis of the recovered fractions, after elution of the captured populations in 4% boiling SDS, we could confirm the presence of the following: six proteins originating from honey, 11 from orange peels, 29 from G. lutea and 46 from A. officinalis (including shared species), plus 33 species which could not be attributed to the other secret ingredients, due to paucity of genomic data on plant proteins, for a total of 93 unique gene products (merging shared proteins). This fully confirmed the genuineness of the product. Considering that most of these species could be present in trace amounts, undetectable by conventional techniques, the CPLL methodology, due to its ability to enhance the signal of trace components up to 3 to 4 orders of magnitude, could represent a powerful tool for investigating the genuineness and natural origin of commercial beverages in order to protect consumers from adulterated products. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. [Altered identification with relative preservation of emotional prosody production in patients with Alzheimer's disease].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Templier, Lorraine; Chetouani, Mohamed; Plaza, Monique; Belot, Zoé; Bocquet, Patrick; Chaby, Laurence

    2015-03-01

    Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) show cognitive and behavioral disorders, which they and their caregivers have difficulties to cope with in daily life. Psychological symptoms seem to be increased by impaired emotion processing in patients, this ability being linked to social cognition and thus essential to maintain good interpersonal relationships. Non-verbal emotion processing is a genuine way to communicate, especially so for patients whose language may be rapidly impaired. Many studies focus on emotion identification in AD patients, mostly by means of facial expressions rather than emotional prosody; even fewer consider emotional prosody production, despite its playing a key role in interpersonal exchanges. The literature on this subject is scarce with contradictory results. The present study compares the performances of 14 AD patients (88.4±4.9 yrs; MMSE: 19.9±2.7) to those of 14 control subjects (87.5±5.1 yrs; MMSE: 28.1±1.4) in tasks of emotion identification through faces and voices (non linguistic vocal emotion or emotional prosody) and in a task of emotional prosody production (12 sentences were to be pronounced in a neutral, positive, or negative tone, after a context was read). The Alzheimer's disease patients showed weaker performances than control subjects in all emotional recognition tasks and particularly when identifying emotional prosody. A negative relation between the identification scores and the NPI (professional caregivers) scores was found which underlines their link to psychological and behavioral disorders. The production of emotional prosody seems relatively preserved in a mild to moderate stage of the disease: we found subtle differences regarding acoustic parameters but in a qualitative way judges established that the patients' productions were as good as those of control subjects. These results suggest interesting new directions for improving patients' care.

  19. Criteria for confirming sequence periodicity identified by Fourier transform analysis: application to GCR2, a candidate plant GPCR?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Illingworth, Christopher J R; Parkes, Kevin E; Snell, Christopher R; Mullineaux, Philip M; Reynolds, Christopher A

    2008-03-01

    Methods to determine periodicity in protein sequences are useful for inferring function. Fourier transformation is one approach but care is required to ensure the periodicity is genuine. Here we have shown that empirically-derived statistical tables can be used as a measure of significance. Genuine protein sequences data rather than randomly generated sequences were used as the statistical backdrop. The method has been applied to G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) sequences, by Fourier transformation of hydrophobicity values, codon frequencies and the extent of over-representation of codon pairs; the latter being related to translational step times. Genuine periodicity was observed in the hydrophobicity whereas the apparent periodicity (as inferred from previously reported measures) in the translation step times was not validated statistically. GCR2 has recently been proposed as the plant GPCR receptor for the hormone abscisic acid. It has homology to the Lanthionine synthetase C-like family of proteins, an observation confirmed by fold recognition. Application of the Fourier transform algorithm to the GCR2 family revealed strongly predicted seven fold periodicity in hydrophobicity, suggesting why GCR2 has been reported to be a GPCR, despite negative indications in most transmembrane prediction algorithms. The underlying multiple sequence alignment, also required for the Fourier transform analysis of periodicity, indicated that the hydrophobic regions around the 7 GXXG motifs commence near the C-terminal end of each of the 7 inner helices of the alpha-toroid and continue to the N-terminal region of the helix. The results clearly explain why GCR2 has been understandably but erroneously predicted to be a GPCR.

  20. Developing tools to identify marginal lands and assess their potential for bioenergy production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galatsidas, Spyridon; Gounaris, Nikolaos; Dimitriadis, Elias; Rettenmaier, Nils; Schmidt, Tobias; Vlachaki, Despoina

    2017-04-01

    The term "marginal land" is currently intertwined in discussions about bioenergy although its definition is neither specific nor firm. The uncertainty arising from marginal land classification and quantification is one of the major constraining factors for its potential use. The clarification of political aims, i.e. "what should be supported?" is also an important constraining factor. Many approaches have been developed to identify marginal lands, based on various definitions according to the management goals. Concerns have been frequently raised regarding the impacts of marginal land use on environment, ecosystem services and sustainability. Current tools of soil quality and land potentials assessment fail to meet the needs of marginal land identification and exploitation for biomass production, due to the lack of comprehensive analysis of interrelated land functions and their quantitative evaluation. Land marginality is determined by dynamic characteristics in many cases and may therefore constitute a transitional state, which requires reassessment in due time. Also, marginal land should not be considered simply a dormant natural resource waiting to be used, since it may already provide multiple benefits and services to society relating to wildlife, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, etc. The consequences of cultivating such lands need to be fully addressed to present a balanced view of their sustainable potential for bioenergy. This framework is the basis for the development of the SEEMLA tools, which aim at supporting the identification, assessment, management of marginal lands in Europe and the decision-making for sustainable biomass production of them using appropriate bioenergy crops. The tools comprise two applications, a web-based one (independent of spatial data) and a GIS-based application (land regionalization on the basis of spatial data), which both incorporate: - Land resource characteristics, restricting the cultivation of agricultural crops but

  1. Cold War competition and food production in China, 1957-1962.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yixin

    2009-01-01

    This article examines how Mao's grand strategy for Cold War competition inflicted a catastrophic agricultural failure in China and victimized tens of millions of Chinese peasants. It argues that Khrushchev's 1957 boast about the Soviet Union surpassing the United States in key economic areas inspired Mao to launch an industrialization program that would push the People's Republic past Great Britain in some production categories within fifteen years. Beginning in 1958 Mao imposed unrealistic targets on Chinese grain production to extract funds from agriculture for rapid industrial growth. Maoists placed relentless pressure on communist cadres for ruthless implementation of the Great Leap Forward. Contrary to Maoist plans, China's grain output in 1959-1960 declined sharply from 1957 levels and rural per capita grain retention decreased dramatically. Throughout China, party cadres' mismanagement of agricultural production was responsible for the decline in grain output, and the communist state's excessive requisition of grain caused food shortages for the peasants. But the key factor determining the famine's uneven impact on the peasantry in the provinces was the degree to which provincial leaders genuinely and energetically embraced Maoist programs. This is illustrated by a close examination of the Great Leap famine in Anhui Province.

  2. Counterfeit Currency Identification System - A Case Study on ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Counterfeit notes came into circulation right from the time of existence of genuine notes. A number of techniques like first line inspection methods, second line inspection methods and smart money counterfeit detector are being used in many countries to identify the genuine notes from the fake ones. The other method is ...

  3. Development of a purification technology for treatment of medium- and low-activity radioactive waste of radiochemical production from Co-60 and Cs-137

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Apalkov Gleb

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The technological flowchart of purification of medium- and low-activity waste from Co-60 and Cs-137 is developed and introduced. The developed purification scheme has been successfully tested using genuine medium- and low-level liquid radioactive waste of radiochemical production containing complexing and colloid forming components complexons, surfactants. The optimal conditions of the presented method of purification ensure reduction of the residual specific activity of 60Co and 137Cs radionuclides in the solution to less than 0,9 Bq per litre.

  4. Membrane separation of enzyme-converted biomass compounds: Recovery of xylose and production of gluconic acid as a value-added product

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Morthensen, Sofie Thage; Zeuner, Birgitte; Meyer, Anne S.

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to assess the efficiency of enzyme-assisted nanofiltration for separation of xylose from glucose present in genuine biorefinery liquors obtained from hydrothermal pretreatment of wheat straw, corn stover and Miscanthus stalks. Glucose oxidase and catalase were...

  5. Screening of Natural Product Derivatives Identifies Two Structurally Related Flavonoids as Potent Quorum Sensing Inhibitors against Gram-Negative Bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suvi Manner

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Owing to the failure of conventional antibiotics in biofilm control, alternative approaches are urgently needed. Inhibition of quorum sensing (QS represents an attractive target since it is involved in several processes essential for biofilm formation. In this study, a compound library of natural product derivatives (n = 3040 was screened for anti-quorum sensing activity using Chromobacterium violaceum as reporter bacteria. Screening assays, based on QS-mediated violacein production and viability, were performed in parallel to identify non-bactericidal QS inhibitors (QSIs. Nine highly active QSIs were identified, while 328 compounds were classified as moderately actives and 2062 compounds as inactives. Re-testing of the highly actives at a lower concentration against C. violaceum, complemented by a literature search, led to the identification of two flavonoid derivatives as the most potent QSIs, and their impact on biofilm maturation in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was further investigated. Finally, effects of these leads on swimming and swarming motility of P. aeruginosa were quantified. The identified flavonoids affected all the studied QS-related functions at micromolar concentrations. These compounds can serve as starting points for further optimization and development of more potent QSIs as adjunctive agents used with antibiotics in the treatment of biofilms.

  6. Long-term affected energy production of waste to energy technologies identified by use of energy system analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Münster, M; Meibom, P

    2010-12-01

    Affected energy production is often decisive for the outcome of consequential life-cycle assessments when comparing the potential environmental impact of products or services. Affected energy production is however difficult to determine. In this article the future long-term affected energy production is identified by use of energy system analysis. The focus is on different uses of waste for energy production. The Waste-to-Energy technologies analysed include co-combustion of coal and waste, anaerobic digestion and thermal gasification. The analysis is based on optimization of both investments and production of electricity, district heating and bio-fuel in a future possible energy system in 2025 in the countries of the Northern European electricity market (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Germany). Scenarios with different CO(2) quota costs are analysed. It is demonstrated that the waste incineration continues to treat the largest amount of waste. Investments in new waste incineration capacity may, however, be superseded by investments in new Waste-to-Energy technologies, particularly those utilising sorted fractions such as organic waste and refuse derived fuel. The changed use of waste proves to always affect a combination of technologies. What is affected varies among the different Waste-to-Energy technologies and is furthermore dependent on the CO(2) quota costs and on the geographical scope. The necessity for investments in flexibility measures varies with the different technologies such as storage of heat and waste as well as expansion of district heating networks. Finally, inflexible technologies such as nuclear power plants are shown to be affected. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Molecular characterization of an unauthorized genetically modified Bacillus subtilis production strain identified in a vitamin B2 feed additive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paracchini, Valentina; Petrillo, Mauro; Reiting, Ralf; Angers-Loustau, Alexandre; Wahler, Daniela; Stolz, Andrea; Schönig, Birgit; Matthies, Anastasia; Bendiek, Joachim; Meinel, Dominik M; Pecoraro, Sven; Busch, Ulrich; Patak, Alex; Kreysa, Joachim; Grohmann, Lutz

    2017-09-01

    Many food and feed additives result from fermentation of genetically modified (GM) microorganisms. For vitamin B2 (riboflavin), GM Bacillus subtilis production strains have been developed and are often used. The presence of neither the GM strain nor its recombinant DNA is allowed for fermentation products placed on the EU market as food or feed additive. A vitamin B 2 product (80% feed grade) imported from China was analysed. Viable B. subtilis cells were identified and DNAs of two bacterial isolates (LHL and LGL) were subjected to three whole genome sequencing (WGS) runs with different devices (MiSeq, 454 or HiSeq system). WGS data revealed the integration of a chloramphenicol resistance gene, the deletion of the endogenous riboflavin (rib) operon and presence of four putative plasmids harbouring rib operons. Event- and construct-specific real-time PCR methods for detection of the GM strain and its putative plasmids in food and feed products have been developed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Neural signal processing for identifying failed fuel rods in nuclear reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seixas, Jose M. de; Soares Filho, William; Pereira, Wagner C.A.; Teles, Claudio C.B.

    2002-01-01

    Ultrasonic pulses were used for automatic detection of failed nuclear fuel rods. For experimental tests of the proposed method, an assembly prototype of 16 x 16 rods was built by using genuine rods but without fuel inside (just air). Some rods were partially filled with water to simulate cracked rods. Using neural signal processing on the received echoes of the emitted ultrasonic pulses, a detection efficiency of 97% was obtained. Neural detection is shown to outperform other classical discriminating methods and can also reveal important features of the signal structure of the received echoes. (author)

  9. Api m 10, a genuine A. mellifera venom allergen, is clinically relevant but underrepresented in therapeutic extracts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blank, S; Seismann, H; Michel, Y; McIntyre, M; Cifuentes, L; Braren, I; Grunwald, T; Darsow, U; Ring, J; Bredehorst, R; Ollert, M; Spillner, E

    2011-10-01

    Generalized systemic reactions to stinging hymenoptera venom constitute a potentially fatal condition in venom-allergic individuals. Hence, the identification and characterization of all allergens is imperative for improvement of diagnosis and design of effective immunotherapeutic approaches. Our aim was the immunochemical characterization of the carbohydrate-rich protein Api m 10, an Apis mellifera venom component and putative allergen, with focus on the relevance of glycosylation. Furthermore, the presence of Api m 10 in honeybee venom (HBV) and licensed venom immunotherapy preparations was addressed. Api m 10 was produced as soluble, aglycosylated protein in Escherichia coli and as differentially glycosylated protein providing a varying degree of fucosylation in insect cells. IgE reactivity and basophil activation of allergic patients were analyzed. For detection of Api m 10 in different venom preparations, a monoclonal human IgE antibody was generated. Both, the aglycosylated and the glycosylated variant of Api m 10 devoid of cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants (CCD), exhibited IgE reactivity with approximately 50% of HBV-sensitized patients. A corresponding reactivity could be documented for the activation of basophils. Although the detection of the native protein in crude HBV suggested content comparable to other relevant allergens, three therapeutical HBV extracts lacked detectable amounts of this component. Api m 10 is a genuine allergen of A. mellifera venom with IgE sensitizing potential in a significant fraction of allergic patients independent of CCD reactivity. Thus, Api m 10 could become a key element for component-resolved diagnostic tests and improved immunotherapeutic approaches in hymenoptera venom allergy. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  10. Identifying tier one key suppliers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wicks, Steve

    2013-01-01

    In today's global marketplace, businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on suppliers for the provision of key processes, activities, products and services in support of their strategic business goals. The result is that now, more than ever, the failure of a key supplier has potential to damage reputation, productivity, compliance and financial performance seriously. Yet despite this, there is no recognised standard or guidance for identifying a tier one key supplier base and, up to now, there has been little or no research on how to do so effectively. This paper outlines the key findings of a BCI-sponsored research project to investigate good practice in identifying tier one key suppliers, and suggests a scalable framework process model and risk matrix tool to help businesses effectively identify their tier one key supplier base.

  11. Genuine worker participation-an indispensable key to effective global OHS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Garrett

    2009-01-01

    Working conditions, including workplace safety, in global supply chains of products sold by transnational corporations have only marginally improved over the last 15 years despite the development of hundreds of corporate "codes of conduct," code monitoring systems, and an elaborate new "corporate social responsibility" industry. The two underlying reasons for the lack of significant change are: 1) a schizophrenic business model which fatally undermines "socially responsible" sourcing programs with unyielding dictates for the lowest possible production costs; and 2) the lack of any meaningful participation by shop-floor workers in plant safety programs. Only when trained, empowered, and active workers are an integral part of workplace safety programs will conditions improve over the long term.

  12. The interprocess NIR sampling as an alternative approach to multivariate statistical process control for identifying sources of product-quality variability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marković, Snežana; Kerč, Janez; Horvat, Matej

    2017-03-01

    We are presenting a new approach of identifying sources of variability within a manufacturing process by NIR measurements of samples of intermediate material after each consecutive unit operation (interprocess NIR sampling technique). In addition, we summarize the development of a multivariate statistical process control (MSPC) model for the production of enteric-coated pellet product of the proton-pump inhibitor class. By developing provisional NIR calibration models, the identification of critical process points yields comparable results to the established MSPC modeling procedure. Both approaches are shown to lead to the same conclusion, identifying parameters of extrusion/spheronization and characteristics of lactose that have the greatest influence on the end-product's enteric coating performance. The proposed approach enables quicker and easier identification of variability sources during manufacturing process, especially in cases when historical process data is not straightforwardly available. In the presented case the changes of lactose characteristics are influencing the performance of the extrusion/spheronization process step. The pellet cores produced by using one (considered as less suitable) lactose source were on average larger and more fragile, leading to consequent breakage of the cores during subsequent fluid bed operations. These results were confirmed by additional experimental analyses illuminating the underlying mechanism of fracture of oblong pellets during the pellet coating process leading to compromised film coating.

  13. Towards identifying novel anti-Eimeria agents: trace elements, vitamins, and plant-based natural products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wunderlich, Frank; Al-Quraishy, Saleh; Steinbrenner, Holger; Sies, Helmut; Dkhil, Mohamed A

    2014-10-01

    Eimeriosis, a widespread infectious disease of livestock, is caused by coccidian protozoans of the genus Eimeria. These obligate intracellular parasites strike the digestive tract of their hosts and give rise to enormous economic losses, particularly in poultry, ruminants including cattle, and rabbit farming. Vaccination, though a rational prophylactic measure, has not yet been as successful as initially thought. Numerous broad-spectrum anti-coccidial drugs are currently in use for treatment and prophylactic control of eimeriosis. However, increasing concerns about parasite resistance, consumer health, and environmental safety of the commercial drugs warrant efforts to search for novel agents with anti-Eimeria activity. This review summarizes current approaches to prevent and treat eimeriosis such as vaccination and commercial drugs, as well as recent attempts to use dietary antioxidants as novel anti-Eimeria agents. In particular, the trace elements selenium and zinc, the vitamins A and E, and natural products extracted from garlic, barberry, pomegranate, sweet wormwood, and other plants are discussed. Several of these novel anti-Eimeria agents exhibit a protective role against oxidative stress that occurs not only in the intestine of Eimeria-infected animals, but also in their non-parasitized tissues, in particular, in the first-pass organ liver. Currently, it appears to be promising to identify safe combinations of low-cost natural products with high anti-Eimeria efficacy for a potential use as feed supplementation in animal farming.

  14. Use of radiosensitivity to identify irradiated fresh poultry products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Copin, M.P.; Bourgeois, C.M.

    1991-01-01

    Microbiological comparison between irradiated and non-irradiated foodstuff has been studied for a long time as a way to detect whether a foodstuff has been irradiated or not. Generally, the proposed methods are based on the fact that ionization select species of bacteria which are recognized to be radioresistant. So reduction or elimination of known radiation sensitive microbes from the normal endogenous microflora could give an indication that the foodstuff has been irradiated, predominance of known radioresistant bacteria should be another indication. In the present work, we try to develop a test based on the radiosensitivity of the bacteria independently of their place. These first experiments show that the determination of radiosensitivity of strains isolated from a product or even of global radioresistance of mesophilic microflora could indicate if this product has been previously submitted to ionizing radiations. (4 tabs)

  15. Insight into particle production mechanisms from angular correlations of identified particles in pp collisions measured by ALICE

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2017-01-01

    Two-particle angular correlations are a robust tool which provide access to the underlying physics phenomena of particle production in collisions of both protons and heavy ions by studying distributions of particles in pseudorapidity and azimuthal angle difference. The correlation measurement is sensitive to several phenomena, including mini-jets, elliptic flow, Bose-Einstein correlations, resonance decays, conservation laws, which can be separated by selections of momentum, particle type and by analysing the shapes of the correlation structures. In this talk, we report measurements of the correlations of identified particles and their antiparticles (for pions, kaons, protons, and lambdas) at low transverse momenta in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, recently submitted for publication by the ALICE Collaboration [arXiv:1612.08975]. The analysis reveals differences in particle production between baryons and mesons. The correlation functions for mesons exhibit the expected peak dominated by effects of mini-jet...

  16. Developing and commercializing sustainable new wood products : a process for identifying viable products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon A. Enk; Stuart L. Hart

    2003-01-01

    A process was designed to evaluate the sustainability and potential marketability of USDA Forest Service patented technologies. The process was designed and tested jointly by the University of North Carolina, the University of Michigan, Partners for Strategic Change, and the USDA Forest Service. Two technologies were evaluated: a fiber-based product and a wood fiber/...

  17. Participatory approach to identify interventions to improve the health, safety, and work productivity of smallholder women vegetable farmers in the Gambia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanderwal, Londa; Rautiainen, Risto; Ramirez, Marizen; Kuye, Rex; Peek-Asa, Corinne; Cook, Thomas; Culp, Kennith; Donham, Kelley

    2011-03-01

    This paper describes the qualitative, community-based participatory approach used to identify culturally-acceptable and sustainable interventions to improve the occupational health, safety, and productivity of smallholder women vegetable farmers in The Gambia (West Africa). This approach was used to conduct: 1) analysis of the tasks and methods traditionally used in vegetable production, and 2) selection of interventions. The most arduous garden tasks that were amenable to interventions were identified, and the interventions were selected through a participatory process for further evaluation. Factors contributing to the successful implementation of the participatory approach used in this study included the following: 1) ensuring that cultural norms were respected and observed; 2) working closely with the existing garden leadership structure; and 3) research team members working with the subjects for an extended period of time to gain first-hand understanding of the selected tasks and to build credibility with the subjects.

  18. Automated systems to identify relevant documents in product risk management

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Background Product risk management involves critical assessment of the risks and benefits of health products circulating in the market. One of the important sources of safety information is the primary literature, especially for newer products which regulatory authorities have relatively little experience with. Although the primary literature provides vast and diverse information, only a small proportion of which is useful for product risk assessment work. Hence, the aim of this study is to explore the possibility of using text mining to automate the identification of useful articles, which will reduce the time taken for literature search and hence improving work efficiency. In this study, term-frequency inverse document-frequency values were computed for predictors extracted from the titles and abstracts of articles related to three tumour necrosis factors-alpha blockers. A general automated system was developed using only general predictors and was tested for its generalizability using articles related to four other drug classes. Several specific automated systems were developed using both general and specific predictors and training sets of different sizes in order to determine the minimum number of articles required for developing such systems. Results The general automated system had an area under the curve value of 0.731 and was able to rank 34.6% and 46.2% of the total number of 'useful' articles among the first 10% and 20% of the articles presented to the evaluators when tested on the generalizability set. However, its use may be limited by the subjective definition of useful articles. For the specific automated system, it was found that only 20 articles were required to develop a specific automated system with a prediction performance (AUC 0.748) that was better than that of general automated system. Conclusions Specific automated systems can be developed rapidly and avoid problems caused by subjective definition of useful articles. Thus the efficiency of

  19. Practical use of registered veterinary medicinal products in Macedonia in identifying the risk of developing of antimicrobial resistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Velev Romel

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The use of antimicrobial agents is the key risk factor for the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. It is therefore generally recognized that data on the usage of antimicrobial agents in food-producing animals are essential for identifying and quantifying the risk of developing and spreading of antimicrobial resistance in the food-chain. According to the WHO guidelines, the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical system for the classification of veterinary medicines (ATC-vet is widely recognized as a classification tool. The aim of this work is to analyze the list of registered veterinary medicinal products in R. Macedonia and to evaluate the quality and practical use of this list according to the ATC-vet classification in order to identify the risk of developing and spreading of antimicrobial resistance.

  20. New genetic tools to identify and protect typical italian products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergio Lanteri

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available During last decades the use of local varieties was strongly reduced due to introduction of modern cultivars characterized by higher yield, and breed for different traits of agronomic value. However, these cultivars not always have the quality aspects that was found in old traditional and typical crops also depending from the know-how of traditional cultivation. Nowadays the practise of intensive agriculture select only a small number of species and varieties with a consequent reduction of the diversity in agro-ecosystems and risk of loss of important alleles characterizing genetic materials adapted to specific environments. The creation of quality marks of the European Union proved to be a successful system to protect typical products through the Denomination of Origins (PDO- Protected Denomination of Origin and PGI- Protected Geographical Indication. However, the protection of quality needs efficient instruments to discriminate DOP or IGP varieties in the field and to trace them along the agro-food chain. DNA fingerprinting represents an excellent system to discriminate herbaceous and tree species as well as to quantify the amount of genetic variability present in germplasm collections. The paper describes several examples in which AFLPs, SSRs and minisatellite markers were successfully used to identify tomato, artichoke, grape, apple and walnut varieties proving to be effective in discriminating also closely related genetic material. DNA fingerprinting based on SSR is also a powerful tool to trace and authenticate row plant materials in agro-food chains. The paper describes examples of varieties traceability in the food chains durum wheat, olive, apple and tomato pursued through the identification of SSR allelic profiles obtained from DNA isolated from complex highly processed food, such as bread, olive oil, apple pureè and nectar and peeled tomato.

  1. New genetic tools to identify and protect typical italian products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergio Lanteri

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available During last decades the use of local varieties was strongly reduced due to introduction of modern cultivars characterized by higher yield, and breed for different traits of agronomic value. However, these cultivars not always have the quality aspects that was found in old traditional and typical crops also depending from the know-how of traditional cultivation. Nowadays the practise of intensive agriculture select only a small number of species and varieties with a consequent reduction of the diversity in agro-ecosystems and risk of loss of important alleles characterizing genetic materials adapted to specific environments. The creation of quality marks of the European Union proved to be a successful system to protect typical products through the Denomination of Origins (PDO- Protected Denomination of Origin and PGI- Protected Geographical Indication. However, the protection of quality needs efficient instruments to discriminate DOP or IGP varieties in the field and to trace them along the agro-food chain. DNA fingerprinting represents an excellent system to discriminate herbaceous and tree species as well as to quantify the amount of genetic variability present in germplasm collections. The paper describes several examples in which AFLPs, SSRs and minisatellite markers were successfully used to identify tomato, artichoke, grape, apple and walnut varieties proving to be effective in discriminating also closely related genetic material. DNA fingerprinting based on SSR is also a powerful tool to trace and authenticate row plant materials in agro-food chains. The paper describes examples of varieties traceability in the food chains durum wheat, olive, apple and tomato pursued through the identification of SSR allelic profiles obtained from DNA isolated from complex highly processed food, such as bread, olive oil, apple pureè and nectar and peeled tomato.

  2. Kepler Data Validation I: Architecture, Diagnostic Tests, and Data Products for Vetting Transiting Planet Candidates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Twicken, Joseph D.; Catanzarite, Joseph H.; Clarke, Bruce D.; Giroud, Forrest; Jenkins, Jon M.; Klaus, Todd C.; Li, Jie; McCauliff, Sean D.; Seader, Shawn E.; Tennenbaum, Peter; hide

    2018-01-01

    The Kepler Mission was designed to identify and characterize transiting planets in the Kepler Field of View and to determine their occurrence rates. Emphasis was placed on identification of Earth-size planets orbiting in the Habitable Zone of their host stars. Science data were acquired for a period of four years. Long-cadence data with 29.4 min sampling were obtained for approx. 200,000 individual stellar targets in at least one observing quarter in the primary Kepler Mission. Light curves for target stars are extracted in the Kepler Science Data Processing Pipeline, and are searched for transiting planet signatures. A Threshold Crossing Event is generated in the transit search for targets where the transit detection threshold is exceeded and transit consistency checks are satisfied. These targets are subjected to further scrutiny in the Data Validation (DV) component of the Pipeline. Transiting planet candidates are characterized in DV, and light curves are searched for additional planets after transit signatures are modeled and removed. A suite of diagnostic tests is performed on all candidates to aid in discrimination between genuine transiting planets and instrumental or astrophysical false positives. Data products are generated per target and planet candidate to document and display transiting planet model fit and diagnostic test results. These products are exported to the Exoplanet Archive at the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, and are available to the community. We describe the DV architecture and diagnostic tests, and provide a brief overview of the data products. Transiting planet modeling and the search for multiple planets on individual targets are described in a companion paper. The final revision of the Kepler Pipeline code base is available to the general public through GitHub. The Kepler Pipeline has also been modified to support the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) Mission which is expected to commence in 2018.

  3. Kepler Data Validation I—Architecture, Diagnostic Tests, and Data Products for Vetting Transiting Planet Candidates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Twicken, Joseph D.; Catanzarite, Joseph H.; Clarke, Bruce D.; Girouard, Forrest; Jenkins, Jon M.; Klaus, Todd C.; Li, Jie; McCauliff, Sean D.; Seader, Shawn E.; Tenenbaum, Peter; Wohler, Bill; Bryson, Stephen T.; Burke, Christopher J.; Caldwell, Douglas A.; Haas, Michael R.; Henze, Christopher E.; Sanderfer, Dwight T.

    2018-06-01

    The Kepler Mission was designed to identify and characterize transiting planets in the Kepler Field of View and to determine their occurrence rates. Emphasis was placed on identification of Earth-size planets orbiting in the Habitable Zone of their host stars. Science data were acquired for a period of four years. Long-cadence data with 29.4 min sampling were obtained for ∼200,000 individual stellar targets in at least one observing quarter in the primary Kepler Mission. Light curves for target stars are extracted in the Kepler Science Data Processing Pipeline, and are searched for transiting planet signatures. A Threshold Crossing Event is generated in the transit search for targets where the transit detection threshold is exceeded and transit consistency checks are satisfied. These targets are subjected to further scrutiny in the Data Validation (DV) component of the Pipeline. Transiting planet candidates are characterized in DV, and light curves are searched for additional planets after transit signatures are modeled and removed. A suite of diagnostic tests is performed on all candidates to aid in discrimination between genuine transiting planets and instrumental or astrophysical false positives. Data products are generated per target and planet candidate to document and display transiting planet model fit and diagnostic test results. These products are exported to the Exoplanet Archive at the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, and are available to the community. We describe the DV architecture and diagnostic tests, and provide a brief overview of the data products. Transiting planet modeling and the search for multiple planets on individual targets are described in a companion paper. The final revision of the Kepler Pipeline code base is available to the general public through GitHub. The Kepler Pipeline has also been modified to support the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) Mission which is expected to commence in 2018.

  4. PATTERNS OF SEVEN AND COMPLICATED MALARIA IN CHILDREN

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    GB

    pharmaceutical industries in many countries with advancement in transport technologies facilitated not only trade of genuine .... production and trade in pharmaceutical products in ...... attractive career structure and incentives were reported to ...

  5. Identifying Social Impacts in Product Supply Chains:Overview and Application of the Social Hotspot Database

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gregory Norris

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available One emerging tool to measure the social-related impacts in supply chains is Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA, a derivative of the well-established environmental LCA technique. LCA has recently started to gain popularity among large corporations and initiatives, such as The Sustainability Consortium or the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. Both have made the technique a cornerstone of their applied-research program. The Social Hotspots Database (SHDB is an overarching, global database that eases the data collection burden in S-LCA studies. Proposed “hotspots” are production activities or unit processes (also defined as country-specific sectors in the supply chain that may be at risk for social issues to be present. The SHDB enables efficient application of S-LCA by allowing users to prioritize production activities for which site-specific data collection is most desirable. Data for three criteria are used to inform prioritization: (1 labor intensity in worker hours per unit process and (2 risk for, or opportunity to affect, relevant social themes or sub-categories related to Human Rights, Labor Rights and Decent Work, Governance and Access to Community Services (3 gravity of a social issue. The Worker Hours Model was developed using a global input/output economic model and wage rate data. Nearly 200 reputable sources of statistical data have been used to develop 20 Social Theme Tables by country and sector. This paper presents an overview of the SHDB development and features, as well as results from a pilot study conducted on strawberry yogurt. This study, one of seven Social Scoping Assessments mandated by The Sustainability Consortium, identifies the potential social hotspots existing in the supply chain of strawberry yogurt. With this knowledge, companies that manufacture or sell yogurt can refine their data collection efforts in order to put their social responsibility performance in perspective and effectively set up programs and

  6. Recognizing the Capability of National and Traditional Images in Identifying the Packaging of Products for Export (Case Study: Iranian Edible Export

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leila Minaei

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Identity is a complicated and significant issue in contemporary era in such a way that attention to its status forms the basis of the present study. One of the areas that can play o role in representing identity is relying on images used in packaging. Packaging is an applied art known as essential in contemporary societies and it is present everywhere. Packaging with national and traditional visual components is an important way to create and transfer identity. The necessity of this research is to reach patterns and theoretical viewpoints related to the concept of identity and to focus on recognizing its aspects through the images on the packaging of products for export. On this basis, the present study was conducted to recognize identifying elements used in the packaging of Iranian edible products for export. This basic research is descriptive-analytic in nature. Observation and combination were used for data gathering. Along the conducted study and based on the findings of the research, the results show that among all identity aspects in this research, by representation geography aspect, Persian language and writing, Iranian arts and historical aspect are respectively the most effective agents in identifying the packaging of Iranian products for export.

  7. Genuine myotubular myopathy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edstroem, L.; Wroblewski, R.; Mair, W.G.

    1982-01-01

    Two patients, a father and his 14-year-old son, were suffering from a facioperoneal syndrome, and muscle biopsy findings were consistent with a myotubular myopathy. The father exhibited central nuclei in most muscle fibers, but his son had typical changes exclusively in hypotrophic type I fibers. The cytochemical and ultrastructural analysis revealed a spectrum of pathological changes typical of myotubular myopathy. Energy-dispersive electron probe x-ray microanalysis was performed on 6- to 12-microns thick freeze-dried cryosections visualized in the scanning or scanning transmission mode of electron microscopy. We found a high intracellular sodium and chlorine concentration and a low potassium concentration in comparison with control muscles. These changes pointed in the direction similar to results from human fetal muscle. The changes in the intracellular elemental composition may indicate a membrane pump dysfunction, which might be caused by a partial arrest in muscle fiber maturation

  8. Methodological Approaches for Estimating Gross Regional Product after Taking into Account Depletion of Natural Resources, Environmental Pollution and Human Capital Aspects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Boris Alengordovich Korobitsyn

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available A key indicator of the System of National Accounts of Russia at a regional scale is Gross Regional Product characterizing the value of goods and services produced in all sectors of the economy in a country and intended for final consumption, capital formation and net exports (excluding imports. From a sustainability perspective, the most weakness of GRP is that it ignores depreciation of man-made assets, natural resource depletion, environmental pollution and degradation, and potential social costs such as poorer health due to exposure to occupational hazards. Several types of alternative approaches to measuring socio-economic progress are considering for six administrative units of the Ural Federal District for the period 2006–2014. Proposed alternatives to GRP as a measure of social progress are focused on natural resource depletion, environmental externalities and some human development aspects. The most promising is the use of corrected macroeconomic indicators similar to the “genuine savings” compiled by the World Bank. Genuine savings are defined in this paper as net savings (net gross savings minus consumption of fixed capital minus the consumption of natural non-renewable resources and the monetary evaluations of damages resulting from air pollution, water pollution and waste disposal. Two main groups of non renewable resources are considered: energy resources (uranium ore, oil and natural gas and mineral resources (iron ore, copper, and aluminum. In spite of various shortcomings, this indicator represents a considerable improvement over GRP information. For example, while GRP demonstrates steady growth between 2006 and 2014 for the main Russian oil- and gas-producing regions — Hanty-Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs, genuine savings for these regions decreased over all period. It means that their resource-based economy could not be considered as being on a sustainable path even in the framework of

  9. Effect of genuine non-anthocyanin phenolics and chlorogenic acid on color and stability of black carrot (Daucus carota ssp. sativus var. atrorubens Alef.) anthocyanins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gras, Claudia C; Bogner, Hanna; Carle, Reinhold; Schweiggert, Ralf M

    2016-07-01

    This work aimed at studying the color intensity and stability of black carrot anthocyanins as influenced by intermolecular co-pigmentation. For this purpose, purified anthocyanin solutions were supplemented with purified genuine black carrot phenolics, chlorogenic acid, and an aqueous phenolic-rich green coffee bean extract at various anthocyanin:co-pigment ratios (1:0-1:162; pH 3.6). The hyperchromic co-pigmentation effect depended on the concentration of added co-pigments, resulting in an absorbance increase of up to 22% at the absorption maximum. Anthocyanin stability during heating (90°C, 5h) was barely improved unless the concentrations of co-pigments exceeded those of their natural source. When adding co-pigments at ratios above 1:9.4, anthocyanin heat stability was significantly improved. As acylated anthocyanins were most stable, breeders might aim at increasing their content in the future, while breeding for high levels of colorless polyphenols may be unreachable. Nevertheless, we provided proof-of-concept for the successful color enhancement by the addition of a phenolic-rich green coffee bean extract, being useful for food-grade applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Multipartite fully nonlocal quantum states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almeida, Mafalda L.; Cavalcanti, Daniel; Scarani, Valerio; Acin, Antonio

    2010-01-01

    We present a general method for characterizing the quantum correlations obtained after local measurements on multipartite systems. Sufficient conditions for a quantum system to be fully nonlocal according to a given partition, as well as being (genuinely) multipartite fully nonlocal, are derived. These conditions allow us to identify all completely connected graph states as multipartite fully nonlocal quantum states. Moreover, we show that this feature can also be observed in mixed states: the tensor product of five copies of the Smolin state, a biseparable and bound entangled state, is multipartite fully nonlocal.

  11. Identifying High Performance ERP Projects

    OpenAIRE

    Stensrud, Erik; Myrtveit, Ingunn

    2002-01-01

    Learning from high performance projects is crucial for software process improvement. Therefore, we need to identify outstanding projects that may serve as role models. It is common to measure productivity as an indicator of performance. It is vital that productivity measurements deal correctly with variable returns to scale and multivariate data. Software projects generally exhibit variable returns to scale, and the output from ERP projects is multivariate. We propose to use Data Envelopment ...

  12. Identifying Features of Bodily Expression As Indicators of Emotional Experience during Multimedia Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valentin Riemer

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The importance of emotions experienced by learners during their interaction with multimedia learning systems, such as serious games, underscores the need to identify sources of information that allow the recognition of learners’ emotional experience without interrupting the learning process. Bodily expression is gaining in attention as one of these sources of information. However, to date, the question of how bodily expression can convey different emotions has largely been addressed in research relying on acted emotion displays. Following a more contextualized approach, the present study aims to identify features of bodily expression (i.e., posture and activity of the upper body and the head that relate to genuine emotional experience during interaction with a serious game. In a multimethod approach, 70 undergraduates played a serious game relating to financial education while their bodily expression was captured using an off-the-shelf depth-image sensor (Microsoft Kinect. In addition, self-reports of experienced enjoyment, boredom, and frustration were collected repeatedly during gameplay, to address the dynamic changes in emotions occurring in educational tasks. Results showed that, firstly, the intensities of all emotions indeed changed significantly over the course of the game. Secondly, by using generalized estimating equations, distinct features of bodily expression could be identified as significant indicators for each emotion under investigation. A participant keeping their head more turned to the right was positively related to frustration being experienced, whereas keeping their head more turned to the left was positively related to enjoyment. Furthermore, having their upper body positioned more closely to the gaming screen was also positively related to frustration. Finally, increased activity of a participant’s head emerged as a significant indicator of boredom being experienced. These results confirm the value of bodily

  13. The genuine individual within the ICT environment.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amos Avny

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The Post-modern era of the 21st Century differs significantly from the previous time because many traditional conventions that seemed steady become unclear and uncertain. The Author examines four issues: 1 whether future communities have Vision and Goals and how they affect their life? 2 How does a consumer community match social and cultural desires? 3 What are the traits and expertise required from the national or local leadership? And 4 whether nations have Updated strategy for the future and who promote it? The Author argues that at the Post -modern era a prosperous society should be a creative and a knowledge one. It should combine trust with faith, individual strive with social accountability, self-esteem with curiosity, deep commitment with inspiring vision. At these tumultuous conditions and in order to minimize youth unemployment, so wide spreading at present, higher education systems should prepare better youngsters for nowadays challenges. But, for qualifying for that mission they must to change. They have to change their teaching methods and reshape the traditional student-professor relationships and make them more student-oriented. Professors are required to act as coaches, performers and facilitators. In sum, nations that want to prosper should strive for innovation and invest resources for identifying the appropriate people for these missions. They are usually those individuals who are dissatisfied with the current state of affairs, have a deep sense of curiosity, an opened-mindedness, a creative thinking and mostly are non-conformists.

  14. Measuring hydrodynamical expansion via the production of identified hadrons in Pb$-$Pb collisions with ALICE arXiv

    CERN Document Server

    Jacazio, Nicolò

    During the LHC Run-2, ALICE has collected data from Pb$-$Pb collisions at $\\sqrt{s_{\\rm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV. The centrality dependence of identified particle production, including elliptic ($v_{2}$) and higher harmonic flow coefficients ($v_{3},v_{4}$), has been measured. The high-precision measurement of transverse momentum ($p_{\\rm T}$) differential elliptic flow of the $\\phi$-meson (whose mass is close to that of the proton) allows for a unique testing of mass ordering at low $p_{\\rm T}$ as well as baryon and meson grouping at intermediate $p_{\\rm T}$. The $p_{\\rm T}$-differential hadron spectra are presented and, together with flow coefficients, compared with state-of-the-art calculations from models based on relativistic hydrodynamics coupled with UrQMD. The added transport code is to describe rescattering in the hadronic phase, which has been successful in describing the $p_{\\rm T}$-spectra of identified particles up to a few GeV/$c$. Moreover, results from the simultaneous Blast-Wave fit to the $p_{\\rm T...

  15. Identifying Quantum Structures in the Ellsberg Paradox

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aerts, Diederik; Sozzo, Sandro; Tapia, Jocelyn

    2014-10-01

    Empirical evidence has confirmed that quantum effects occur frequently also outside the microscopic domain, while quantum structures satisfactorily model various situations in several areas of science, including biological, cognitive and social processes. In this paper, we elaborate a quantum mechanical model which faithfully describes the Ellsberg paradox in economics, showing that the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics is capable to represent the ambiguity present in this kind of situations, because of the presence of contextuality. Then, we analyze the data collected in a concrete experiment we performed on the Ellsberg paradox and work out a complete representation of them in complex Hilbert space. We prove that the presence of quantum structure is genuine, that is, interference and superposition in a complex Hilbert space are really necessary to describe the conceptual situation presented by Ellsberg. Moreover, our approach sheds light on `ambiguity laden' decision processes in economics and decision theory, and allows to deal with different Ellsberg-type generalizations, e.g., the Machina paradox.

  16. Decreased levels of genuine large free hCG alpha in men presenting with abnormal semen analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Plas Eugen

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG and its free subunits (hCG alpha, hCG beta are produced in the male reproductive tract and found in high concentrations in seminal fluid, in particular hCG alpha. This study aimed to elucidate changes in peptide hormone profiles in patients showing abnormal semen analyses and to determine the genuineness of the highly abundant hCG alpha. Methods Seminal plasma was obtained from 45 male patients undergoing semen analysis during infertility workups. Comprehensive peptide hormone profiles were established by a panel of immunofluorometric assays for hCG, hCG alpha, hCG beta and its metabolite hCG beta core fragment, placental lactogen, growth hormone and prolactin in seminal plasma of patients with abnormal semen analysis results (n = 29 versus normozoospermic men (n = 16. The molecular identity of large hyperglycosylated hCG alpha was analyzed by mass-spectrometry and selective deglycosylation. Results hCG alpha levels were found to be significantly lower in men with impaired semen quality (1346 +/- 191 vs. 2753 +/- 533 ng/ml, P = 0.022. Moreover, patients with reduced sperm count had reduced intact hCG levels compared with normozoospermic men (0.097 +/- 0.022 vs. 0.203 +/- 0.040 ng/ml, P = 0.028. Using mass-spectrometry, the biochemical identity of hCG alpha purified from seminal plasma was verified. Under non-reducing conditions in SDS-PAGE, hCG alpha isolated from seminal plasma migrated in a manner comparable with large free hCG alpha with an apparent molecular mass (Mr, app of 24 kDa, while hCG alpha dissociated from pregnancy-derived holo-hCG migrated at approximately 22 kDa. After deglycosylation with PNGase F under denaturing conditions, all hCG alpha variants showed an Mr, app of 15 kDa, indicating identical amino acid backbones. Conclusions The findings indicate a pathophysiological relevance of hCG, particularly its free alpha subunit, in spermatogenesis. The

  17. Ascospores of large-spored Metschnikowia species are genuine meiotic products of these yeasts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marinoni, G.; Piskur, Jure; Lachance, M.A.

    2003-01-01

    continentalis var. continentalis, and M. continentalis var. borealis. Asci were dissected and the segregation patterns for various phenotypes analyzed. In all cases (n = 47) both mating types (h(+) and h(-)) were recovered in pairs of sister spores, casting further uncertainty as to whether normal meiosis takes...... place. However, the segregation patterns for cycloheximide resistance and several auxotrophic markers were random, suggesting that normal meiosis indeed occurs. To explain the lack of second-division segregation of mating types, we concluded that crossing-over does not occur between the mating......-type locus and the centromere, and that meiosis I is tied to spore formation, which explains why the number of spores is limited to two. The latter assumption was also supported by fluorescence microscopy. The second meiotic division takes place inside the spores and is followed by the resorption of two...

  18. Four-concurrence in the transverse X Y spin-1/2 chain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osterloh, Andreas; Schützhold, Ralf

    2017-07-01

    We analyze the entanglement measure C4 for specific mixed states in general and for the ground state of the transverse X Y spin-1/2 chain. We find that its factorizing property for pure states does not easily extend to mixed states. For cases where the density matrix is a tensor product, C4 is definitely upper bounded by the product of the corresponding concurrences. In transverse X Y chains, we find that for large distances this condition goes conform with the working hypotheses of a factorizing property of density matrices in this limit. Additionally, we find that C4 together with the genuine multipartite negativity makes it impossible to decide—at the present state of knowledge—which type of entanglement prevails in the system. In particular, this is true for all entanglement measures that detect SL-invariant genuine n -partite entanglement for different n . Further measures of SL-invariant genuine multipartite entanglement have to be considered here. C4 is, however, of the same order of magnitude as the genuine multipartite negativity in Phys. Rev. B 89, 134101 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevB.89.134101 and shows the same functional behavior, which we read as a hint towards the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) type of entanglement. Furthermore, we observe an interesting feature in the C4 values that resembles a destructive interference with the underlying concurrence.

  19. Hybridization-based antibody cDNA recovery for the production of recombinant antibodies identified by repertoire sequencing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valdés-Alemán, Javier; Téllez-Sosa, Juan; Ovilla-Muñoz, Marbella; Godoy-Lozano, Elizabeth; Velázquez-Ramírez, Daniel; Valdovinos-Torres, Humberto; Gómez-Barreto, Rosa E; Martinez-Barnetche, Jesús

    2014-01-01

    High-throughput sequencing of the antibody repertoire is enabling a thorough analysis of B cell diversity and clonal selection, which may improve the novel antibody discovery process. Theoretically, an adequate bioinformatic analysis could allow identification of candidate antigen-specific antibodies, requiring their recombinant production for experimental validation of their specificity. Gene synthesis is commonly used for the generation of recombinant antibodies identified in silico. Novel strategies that bypass gene synthesis could offer more accessible antibody identification and validation alternatives. We developed a hybridization-based recovery strategy that targets the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDRH3) for the enrichment of cDNA of candidate antigen-specific antibody sequences. Ten clonal groups of interest were identified through bioinformatic analysis of the heavy chain antibody repertoire of mice immunized with hen egg white lysozyme (HEL). cDNA from eight of the targeted clonal groups was recovered efficiently, leading to the generation of recombinant antibodies. One representative heavy chain sequence from each clonal group recovered was paired with previously reported anti-HEL light chains to generate full antibodies, later tested for HEL-binding capacity. The recovery process proposed represents a simple and scalable molecular strategy that could enhance antibody identification and specificity assessment, enabling a more cost-efficient generation of recombinant antibodies.

  20. Guidelines for identifying suspect/counterfeit material

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-09-01

    These guidelines are intended to assist users of products in identifying: substandard, misrepresented, or fraudulently marked items. The guidelines provide information about such topics as: precautions, inspection and testing, dispositioning identified items, installed inspection and reporting suspect/counterfeit materials. These guidelines apply to users who are developing procurement documents, product acceptance/verification methods, company procedures, work instructions, etc. The intent of these SM guidelines in relation to the Quality Assurance Program Description (QAPD) and implementing company Management Control Procedures is not to substitute or replace existing requirements, as defined in either the QAPD or company implementing instructions (Management Control Procedures). Instead, the guidelines are intended to provide a consolidated source of information addressing the issue of Suspect/Counterfeit materials. These guidelines provide an extensive suspect component listing and suspect indications listing. Users can quickly check their suspect items against the list of manufacturers products (i.e., type, LD. number, and nameplate information) by consulting either of these listings.

  1. Identifying Robust Co-Occurrence Patterns in Personal Care Product Purchases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Personal care products (PCPs) are used for beautification and personal hygiene, and because they are applied to the skin, hair, and mouth, they provide an efficient delivery vehicle for chemicals into our bodies. Although efforts have been made to enumerate the chemicals in indiv...

  2. Identifying metabolic pathways for production of extracellular polymeric substances by the diatom Fragilariopsis cylindrus inhabiting sea ice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aslam, Shazia N; Strauss, Jan; Thomas, David N; Mock, Thomas; Underwood, Graham J C

    2018-05-01

    Diatoms are significant primary producers in sea ice, an ephemeral habitat with steep vertical gradients of temperature and salinity characterizing the ice matrix environment. To cope with the variable and challenging conditions, sea ice diatoms produce polysaccharide-rich extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) that play important roles in adhesion, cell protection, ligand binding and as organic carbon sources. Significant differences in EPS concentrations and chemical composition corresponding to temperature and salinity gradients were present in sea ice from the Weddell Sea and Eastern Antarctic regions of the Southern Ocean. To reconstruct the first metabolic pathway for EPS production in diatoms, we exposed Fragilariopsis cylindrus, a key bi-polar diatom species, to simulated sea ice formation. Transcriptome profiling under varying conditions of EPS production identified a significant number of genes and divergent alleles. Their complex differential expression patterns under simulated sea ice formation was aligned with physiological and biochemical properties of the cells, and with field measurements of sea ice EPS characteristics. Thus, the molecular complexity of the EPS pathway suggests metabolic plasticity in F. cylindrus is required to cope with the challenging conditions of the highly variable and extreme sea ice habitat.

  3. Identifying demand effects in a large network of product categories

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gelper, S.E.C.; Wilms, I.; Croux, C.

    2016-01-01

    Planning marketing mix strategies requires retailers to understand within- as well as cross-category demand effects. Most retailers carry products in a large variety of categories, leading to a high number of such demand effects to be estimated. At the same time, we do not expect cross-category

  4. Proteomics identifies Bacillus cereus EntD as a pivotal protein for the production of numerous virulence factors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hélène eOmer

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Bacillus cereus is a gram-positive pathogen that causes a wide variety of diseases in humans. It secretes into the extracellular milieu proteins that may contribute directly or indirectly to its virulence. EntD is a novel exoprotein identified by proteogenomics of B. cereus ATCC 14579. We constructed a ΔentD mutant and analyzed the impact of entD disruption on the cellular proteome and exoproteome isolated from early, late and stationary-phase cultures. We identified 308 and 79 proteins regulated by EntD in the cellular proteome and the exoproteome, respectively. The contribution of these proteins to important virulence-associated functions, including central metabolism, cell structure, antioxidative ability, cell motility and toxin production, are presented. The proteomic data were correlated with the growth defect, cell morphology change, reduced motility and reduced cytotoxicity of the ΔentD mutant strain. We conclude that EntD is an important player in B. cereus virulence. The function of EntD and the putative EntD-dependent regulatory network are discussed. To our knowledge, this study is the first characterization of an Ent family protein in a species of the B. cereus group.

  5. Identifying the causes of differences in ozone production from the CB05 and CBMIV chemical mechanisms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. D. Saylor

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available An investigation was conducted to identify the mechanistic differences between two versions of the carbon bond gas-phase chemical mechanism (CB05 and CBMIV which consistently lead to larger ground-level ozone concentrations being produced in the CB05 version of the National Air Quality Forecasting Capability (NAQFC modeling system even though the two parallel forecast systems utilize the same meteorology and base emissions and similar initial and boundary conditions. Box models of each of the mechanisms as they are implemented in the NAQFC were created and a set of 12 sensitivity simulations was designed. The sensitivity simulations independently probed the conceptual mechanistic differences between CB05 and CBMIV and were exercised over a 45-scenario simulation suite designed to emulate the wide range of chemical regimes encountered in a continental-scale atmospheric chemistry model. Results of the sensitivity simulations indicate that two sets of reactions that were included in the CB05 mechanism, but which were absent from the CBMIV mechanism, are the primary causes of the greater ozone production in the CB05 version of the NAQFC. One set of reactions recycles the higher organic peroxide species of CB05 (ROOH, resulting in additional photochemically reactive products that act to produce additional ozone in some chemical regimes. The other set of reactions recycles reactive nitrogen from less reactive forms back to NO2, increasing the effective NOx concentration of the system. In particular, the organic nitrate species (NTR, which was a terminal product for reactive nitrogen in the CBMIV mechanism, acts as a reservoir species in CB05 to redistribute NOx from major source areas to potentially NOx-sensitive areas where additional ozone may be produced in areas remote from direct NOx sources.

  6. Low-parachor solvents extraction and thermostated micro-thin-layer chromatography separation for fast screening and classification of spirulina from pharmaceutical formulations and food samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zarzycki, Paweł K; Zarzycka, Magdalena B; Clifton, Vicki L; Adamski, Jerzy; Głód, Bronisław K

    2011-08-19

    The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the separation and detection capability of eco-friendly micro-TLC technique for the classification of spirulina and selected herbs from pharmaceutical and food products. Target compounds were extracted using relatively low-parachor liquids. A number of the spirulina samples which originated from pharmaceutical formulations and food products, were isolated using a simple one step extraction with small volume of methanol, acetone or tetrahydrofuran. Herb samples rich in chlorophyll dyes were analyzed as reference materials. Quantitative data derived from micro-plates under visible light conditions and after iodine staining were explored using chemometrics tools including cluster analysis and principal components analysis. Using this method we could easily distinguish genuine spirulina and non-spirulina samples as well as fresh from expired commercial products and furthermore, we could identify some biodegradation peaks appearing on micro-TLC profiles. This methodology can be applied as a fast screening or fingerprinting tool for the classification of genuine spirulina and herb samples and in particular may be used commercially for the rapid quality control screening of products. Furthermore, this approach allows low-cost fractionation of target substances including cyanobacteria pigments in raw biological or environmental samples for preliminary chemotaxonomic investigations. Due to the low consumption of the mobile phase (usually less than 1 mL per run), this method can be considered as environmentally friendly analytical tool, which may be an alternative for fingerprinting protocols based on HPLC machines and simple separation systems involving planar micro-fluidic or micro-chip devices. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Measurement of the Top Quark Pair Production Cross-Section in the Dilepton Channel Using Lepton Plus Track Selection and Identified B-Jets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Spreitzer, Teresa [Univ. of Toronto, ON (Canada)

    2008-01-01

    Using 1.0 fb-1 of data collected by the collider detector at fermilab (CDF) from run II of the fermilab tevatron, we measure the t$\\bar{t}$ production cross-section in events with two leptons, significant missing transverse energy, and ≥ 2 jets, at least one of which is identified as a b-jet.

  8. Inhibitors of MyD88-dependent proinflammatory cytokine production identified utilizing a novel RNA interference screening approach.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John S Cho

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available The events required to initiate host defenses against invading pathogens involve complex signaling cascades comprised of numerous adaptor molecules, kinases, and transcriptional elements, ultimately leading to the production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha. How these signaling cascades are regulated, and the proteins and regulatory elements participating are still poorly understood.We report here the development a completely random short-hairpin RNA (shRNA library coupled with a novel forward genetic screening strategy to identify inhibitors of Toll-like receptor (TLR dependent proinflammatory responses. We developed a murine macrophage reporter cell line stably transfected with a construct expressing diphtheria toxin-A (DT-A under the control of the TNF-alpha-promoter. Stimulation of the reporter cell line with the TLR ligand lipopolysaccharide (LPS resulted in DT-A induced cell death, which could be prevented by the addition of an shRNA targeting the TLR adaptor molecule MyD88. Utilizing this cell line, we screened a completely random lentiviral short hairpin RNA (shRNA library for sequences that inhibited TLR-mediated TNF-alpha production. Recovery of shRNA sequences from surviving cells led to the identification of unique shRNA sequences that significantly inhibited TLR4-dependent TNF-alpha gene expression. Furthermore, these shRNA sequences specifically blocked TLR2 but not TLR3-dependent TNF-alpha production.Thus, we describe the generation of novel tools to facilitate large-scale forward genetic screens in mammalian cells and the identification of potent shRNA inhibitors of TLR2 and TLR4- dependent proinflammatory responses.

  9. How do you select the right security features for your company's products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pickett, Gordon E.

    1998-04-01

    If your company manufacturers, supplies, or distributes products of almost any type, style, shape, or for any usage, they may become the objective of fraudulent activities from one or more sources. Therefore, someone at your company should be concerned about how these activities may affect the company's future. This paper/presentation will provide information about where these 'threats' may come from, what products have been compromised in the past, and what steps might be taken to deter these threats. During product security conferences, conversations, and other sources of information, you'll hear about many different types of security features that can be incorporated into monetary and identification documents, packaging, labeling, and other products/systems to help protect against counterfeiting, unauthorized tampering, or to identify 'genuine' products. Many of these features have been around for some time (which means that they may have lost at least some of their effectiveness) while others, or improved versions of some of the more mature features, have been or are being developed. This area is a 'moving target' and re-examination of the threats and counterthreats needs to be an ongoing activity. The 'value' and the capabilities of these features can sometimes be overstated, i.e. that a feature/system can solve all of the security-related problems that you may (or may not) have with your products. A couple of things to always keep in mind is that no feature(s) is universally effective and none of the features, or even combinations of features, is totally 'tamperproof' or counterfeitproof, irrespective of what may be said or claimed. So how do you go about determining if you have a product security problem and what, if any, security features might be used to reduce the threat(s) to your products? This paper will attempt to provide information to help you separate the 'wheat from the chaff' in these considerations. Specifically, information to be discussed in

  10. Knowledge is power and power affects Knowledge: Challenges for ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article engages with the challenges facing genuine research collaboration and knowledge production in a North–South interaction. It maps the asymmetries in global knowledge production in general and revisits African realities in particular. Using the experiences of the Norwegian research programme NORGLOBAL ...

  11. Eleven new heaviest isotopes of elements Z=105 to Z=117 identified among the products of 249Bk+48Ca reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oganessian, Yu. Ts.; Abdullin, F. Sh.; Dmitriev, S. N.; Itkis, M. G.; Lobanov, Yu. V.; Mezentsev, A. N.; Polyakov, A. N.; Sagaidak, R. N.; Shirokovsky, I. V.; Subbotin, V. G.; Sukhov, A. M.; Tsyganov, Yu. S.; Utyonkov, V. K.; Voinov, A. A.; Vostokin, G. K.; Bailey, P. D.; Benker, D. E.; Ezold, J. G.; Porter, C. E.; Riley, F. D.

    2011-01-01

    The heaviest isotopes of elements Z=117 to Z=105, 294 117, 293 117, 290 115, 289 115, 286 113, 285 113, 282 Rg, 281 Rg, 278 Mt, 274 Bh, and 270 Db, were identified by means of the Dubna gas-filled recoil separator among the products of the 249 Bk + 48 Ca reaction. The details of the observed six decay chains, indicating the production and decay of isotopes 293 117 and 294 117, are presented and discussed. The decay energies and resulting half-lives of these new nuclei show a strong rise of stability with increasing neutron number, validating the concept of the island of enhanced stability for superheavy nuclei [Oganessian et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 142502 (2010)].

  12. Identifying product development crises: The potential of adaptive heuristics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Münzberger, C.; Stingl, Verena; Oehmen, Josef

    2017-01-01

    This paper introduces adaptive heuristics as a tool to identify crises in design projects and highlights potential applications of these heuristics as decision support tool for crisis identification. Crises may emerge slowly or suddenly, and often have ambiguous signals. Thus the identification...... for the application of heuristics in design sciences. To achieve this, the paper compares crises to 'business as usual', and presents sixteen indicators for emerging crises. These indicators are potential cues for adaptive heuristics. Specifically three adaptive heuristics, One-single-cue, Fast-and-Frugal-Trees...

  13. Identifying the Gifted Child Humorist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fern, Tami L.

    1991-01-01

    This study attempted to identify gifted child humorists among 1,204 children in grades 3-6. Final identification of 13 gifted child humorists was determined through application of such criteria as funniness, originality, and exemplary performance or product. The influence of intelligence, development, social factors, sex differences, family…

  14. Antibiotics in Canadian poultry productions and anticipated alternatives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moussa Sory Diarra

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The use of antibiotics in food-producing animals has significantly increased animal health by lowering mortality and the incidence of diseases. Antibiotics also have largely contributed to increase productivity of farms. However, antibiotic usage in general and relevance of non-therapeutic antibiotics in feed (growth promoters need to be reevaluated especially because bacterial pathogens of humans and animals have developed and shared a variety of antibiotic resistance mechanisms that can easily spread within microbial communities. In Canada, poultry production involves more than 2,600 regulated chicken producers. There are several antibiotics approved as feed additives available for poultry farmers. Feed recipes and mixtures greatly vary geographically and from one farm to another, making links between use of a specific antibiotic feed additive and production yields or selection of specific antibiotic-resistant bacteria difficult to establish. Many on-farm studies have revealed the widespread presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in broiler chickens. While sporadic reports linked the presence of antibiotic-resistant organisms to the use of feed supplemented with antibiotics, no recent studies could clearly demonstrate the benefit of antimicrobial growth promoters on performance and production yields. With modern biosecurity and hygienic practices, there is a genuine concern that intensive utilization of antibiotics or use of antimicrobial growth promoters in feed might no longer be useful. Public pressure and concerns about food and environmental safety (antibiotic residues, antibiotic-resistant pathogens have driven researchers to actively look for alternatives to antibiotics. Some of the alternatives include pre- and probiotics, organic acids and essential oils. We will describe here the properties of some bioactive molecules, like those found in cranberry, which have shown interesting polyvalent antibacterial and immuno

  15. Examining the Possibilities of Identifying and Modeling Correlations between Product Families and Business Processes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jepsen, Allan Dam; Hvam, Lars

    2010-01-01

    In order for companies to make well founded decisions on the product family makeup, an understanding of the correlation between the complexity of the product family and business processes is required, though it is often not available. This paper investigates the potential of using the Product...... Variant Master (PVM) modeling technique and Process Flow Charts in combination, to analyze the correlation between complexity in product families and business processes. The approach is based on a visual modeling of the product assortment and the business processes. It is hypothesized that the combined...... use of the modeling techniques can allow for analysis and communication of the product family and business processes; as well as the connections between the two, with the potential of creating a single combined model. A case from a Danish industrial company is used for the purpose of the investigation...

  16. Weak pion production off the nucleon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hernandez, E.; Nieves, J.; Valverde, M.

    2007-01-01

    We develop a model for the weak pion production off the nucleon, which besides the delta pole mechanism [weak excitation of the Δ(1232) resonance and its subsequent decay into Nπ], includes also some background terms required by chiral symmetry. We refit the C 5 A (q 2 ) form factor to the flux-averaged ν μ p→μ - pπ + ANL q 2 -differential cross section data, finding a substantially smaller contribution of the delta pole mechanism than traditionally assumed in the literature. Within this scheme, we calculate several differential and integrated cross sections, including pion angular distributions, induced by neutrinos and antineutrinos and driven both by charged and neutral currents. In all cases we find that the background terms produce quite significant effects, and that they lead to an overall improved description of the data, as compared to the case where only the delta pole mechanism is considered. We also show that the interference between the delta pole and the background terms produces parity-violating contributions to the pion angular differential cross section, which are intimately linked to T-odd correlations in the contraction between the leptonic and hadronic tensors. However, these latter correlations do not imply a genuine violation of time-reversal invariance because of the existence of strong final state interaction effects

  17. 7 CFR 56.37 - Lot marking of officially identified shell eggs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Lot marking of officially identified shell eggs. 56.37... AND STANDARDS UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946 AND THE EGG PRODUCTS INSPECTION ACT (CONTINUED) VOLUNTARY GRADING OF SHELL EGGS Grading of Shell Eggs Identifying and Marking Products § 56.37...

  18. NLO electroweak automation and precise predictions for W+ multijet production at the LHC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kallweit, S.; Lindert, J.M.; Maierhöfer, P.; Pozzorini, S.; Schönherr, M.

    2015-01-01

    We present a fully automated implementation of next-to-leading order electroweak (NLO EW) corrections in the OPENLOOPS matrix-element generator combined with the SHERPA and MUNICH Monte Carlo frameworks. The process-independent character of the implemented algorithms opens the door to NLO QCD+EW simulations for a vast range of Standard Model processes, up to high particle multiplicity, at current and future colliders. As a first application, we present NLO QCD+EW predictions for the production of positively charged on-shell W bosons in association with up to three jets at the Large Hadron Collider. At the TeV energy scale, due to the presence of large Sudakov logarithms, EW corrections reach the 20–40% level and play an important role for searches of physics beyond the Standard Model. The dependence of NLO EW effects on the jet multiplicity is investigated in detail, and we find that W+ multijet final states feature genuinely different EW effects as compared to the case of W+1 jet.

  19. Quantification of uncertainty and of profitability in petroleum and natural gas exploration and production

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Voegl, E

    1970-07-01

    This study is to acquaint the oil geologist, reservoir engineer, and manager with modern methods of appraising geological/technical projects and decision problems under uncertainty. Uncertainty attaches to any appraisal of investment projects whose income lies in the future. The greater that uncertainty, the less important become the appraisal methods proper while the computation procedures concerning uncertainty gain in significance. There are briefly discussed the tools of risk determination, i.e., mathematical statistics and probability theory, and some of the most common methods of quantifying the uncertainty are explained. The best known methods of decision finding under multivalent or uncertain expectations, such as conditional and sensibility analyses, minimax and minimax-risk rule, and preference theory are set forth. The risk is defined, and the most common methods of genuine risk determination in exploration and exploitation are discussed. Practical examples illustrate the solution of decision problems under uncertainty, and examples of genuine risk determination are furnished. (29 refs.)

  20. Great Work, Genuine Problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berry, John N., III

    2007-01-01

    This article presents findings from the "Library Journal's" Job Satisfaction Survey among 3,095 library staffers from public, academic, special, and school libraries. A whopping 85.6 percent of the respondents said they would choose a career in librarianship again if they had to start over. Workers in all types of libraries--and across…

  1. Knowledge: Genuine and Bogus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bunge, Mario

    2011-05-01

    Pseudoscience is error, substantive or methodological, parading as science. Obvious examples are parapsychology, "intelligent design," and homeopathy. Psychoanalysis and pop evolutionary psychology are less obvious, yet no less flawed in both method and doctrine. The fact that science can be faked to the point of deceiving science lovers suggests the need for a rigorous sifting device, one capable of revealing out the worm in the apple. This device is needed to evaluate research proposal as well as new fashions. Such a device can be designed only with the help of a correct definition of science, one attending not only to methodological aspects, such as testability and predictive power, but also to other features of scientific knowledge, such as intelligibility, corrigibility, and compatibility with the bulk of antecedent knowledge. The aim of this paper is to suggest such a criterion, to illustrate it with a handful of topical examples, and to emphasize the role of philosophy in either promoting or blocking scientific progress. This article is a revised version of a chapter in the author's forthcoming book Matter and Mind (Springer). [The Appendix on inductive logic was written at the request of the editors in order to elaborate claims made in #10 (4).

  2. Knowledge: Genuine and Bogus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bunge, Mario

    2011-01-01

    Pseudoscience is error, substantive or methodological, parading as science. Obvious examples are parapsychology, "intelligent design," and homeopathy. Psychoanalysis and pop evolutionary psychology are less obvious, yet no less flawed in both method and doctrine. The fact that science can be faked to the point of deceiving science lovers suggests…

  3. Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and W entanglement witnesses for the noninteracting Fermi gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Habibian, Hessam; Clark, John W.; Behbood, Naeimeh; Hingerl, Kurt

    2010-01-01

    The existence and nature of tripartite entanglement of a noninteracting Fermi gas (NIFG) is investigated. Three classes of parametrized entanglement witnesses (EWs) are introduced with the aim of detecting genuine tripartite entanglement in the three-body reduced density matrix and discriminating between the presence of the two types of genuine tripartite entanglement, W/B and GHZ/W (the convex set of B states is comprised of mixed states of product and biseparable states; that of W states is comprised of mixed states of B states and W-type pure entangled states; and the GHZ (Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger) set contains generic mixtures of any kind for a tripartite system). By choosing appropriate EW operators, the problem of finding GHZ and W EWs is reduced to linear programming. Specifically, we devise W EWs based on a spin-chain model with periodic boundary conditions, and we construct a class of parametrized GHZ EWs by linearly combining projection operators corresponding to all the different state-vector types arising for a three-fermion system. A third class of EWs is provided by a GHZ stabilizer operator capable of distinguishing W/B from GHZ/B entanglement, which is not possible with W EWs. Implementing these classes of EWs, it is found that all states containing genuine tripartite entanglement are of W type, and hence states containing GHZ/W genuine tripartite entanglement do not arise. Some genuine tripartite entangled states that have a positive partial transpose (PPT) with respect to some bipartition are detected. Finally, it is demonstrated that a NIFG does not exhibit 'pure'W/B genuine tripartite entanglement: three-party entanglement without any separable or biseparable admixture does not occur.

  4. The Budding Yeast “Saccharomyces cerevisiae” as a Drug Discovery Tool to Identify Plant-Derived Natural Products with Anti-Proliferative Properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bouchra Qaddouri

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a valuable system to study cell-cycle regulation, which is defective in cancer cells. Due to the highly conserved nature of the cell-cycle machinery between yeast and humans, yeast studies are directly relevant to anticancer-drug discovery. The budding yeast is also an excellent model system for identifying and studying antifungal compounds because of the functional conservation of fungal genes. Moreover, yeast studies have also contributed greatly to our understanding of the biological targets and modes of action of bioactive compounds. Understanding the mechanism of action of clinically relevant compounds is essential for the design of improved second-generation molecules. Here we describe our methodology for screening a library of plant-derived natural products in yeast in order to identify and characterize new compounds with anti-proliferative properties.

  5. Identifying individual fires from satellite-derived burned area data

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Archibald, S

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available An algorithm for identifying individual fires from the Modis burned area data product is introduced for southern Africa. This algorithm gives the date of burning, size of fire, and location of the centroid for all fires identified over 8 years...

  6. Major Differences in Rates of Occupational Accidents between Different nationalities of Seafarers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Henrik Lyngbeck; Laursen, Lise Hedegaard; Frydberg, Morten

    2008-01-01

    . Differences in approach to safety and risk taking between South East Asian and European seafarers should be identified and positives attitudes included in accident preventing programmes. Main messages Seafarers from South East Asia, mainly the Philippines, seem to have a genuine lower risk of occupational...... sources on occurrence of accidents were used and to identify specific causes of excess accident rates among certain nationalities. METHODS: Occupational accidents aboard Danish merchant ships during one year were identified from four different sources. These included accidents reported to the maritime...... including only more serious accidents, IRR for South East Asians rose to 0.36 (0.26-0.48). DISCUSSION: This study indicates that seafarers from South East Asia, mainly the Philippines, may have a genuine lower risk of occupational accidents in comparison with seafarers from Western and Eastern Europe...

  7. School Foodservice Personnel's Struggle with Using Labels to Identify Whole-Grain Foods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, Yen Li; Orsted, Mary; Marquart, Len; Reicks, Marla

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To describe how school foodservice personnel use current labeling methods to identify whole-grain products and the influence on purchasing for school meals. Methods: Focus groups explored labeling methods to identify whole-grain products and barriers to incorporating whole-grain foods in school meals. Qualitative analysis procedures and…

  8. Developing Data Citations from Digital Object Identifier Metadata

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wanchoo, L.; James, N.

    2015-12-01

    NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project has been processing information for the registration of Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) for the last five years of which an automated system has been in operation for the last two years. The ESDIS DOI registration system has registered over 2000 DOIs with over 1000 DOIs held in reserve until all required information has been collected. By working towards the goal of assigning DOIs to the 8000+ data collections under its management, ESDIS has taken the first step towards facilitating the use of data citations with those products. When registering DOIs, ESDIS requires certain DOI elements be collected for the DOI landing page as recommended by NASA's Earth Science Data System Working Group (ESDSWG). The landing page provides sufficient information to 1) identify NASA data as referenced in a science publication, 2) credit data creators and distributors, and 3) access the data itself enabling the trace-ability and reproducibility of the data. However, the required elements for this DOI landing page are also the core required elements for forming an Earth science data citation. Data citations are getting significant attention from the scientific community and data centers alike. So to encourage the citing of Earth science data products, each product DOI landing page displays a sample data citation and makes the required citation elements available to DataCite for use in its Data Citation generation tool. This paper will describe that process. ESDIS data centers are constantly developing technologies to better serve the Earth science user community such as Geospatial Interactive Online Visualization ANd aNalysis Infrastructure (GIOVANNI), Land and Atmospheric Near Real-Time Capability for EOS (LANCE), and advanced tools that support virtual data collections, and virtual data products. These all provide easier access to data and make possible the creation of data products with user specified parameters

  9. COMPASS results on the transverse spin asymmetry in identified dihadron production in SIDIS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Braun, Christopher [Univ. Erlangen (Germany)

    2014-07-01

    The parton distribution function h{sub 1}{sup q}(x) of a transversely polarized quark q inside a transversely polarized nucleon, is chiral-odd and therefore not accessible in inclusive deep-inelastic scattering. It can only be observed in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering (SIDIS) in combination with another chiral-odd function like the dihadron interference fragmentation function (IFF) H{sub 1,q} {sup triangleleft}. The 160 GeV/c polarized muon beam of CERNs M2 beamline allows COMPASS to investigate transverse spin effects using polarized solid state targets. In this contribution an overview of COMPASS results for the azimuthal asymmetry in identified dihadron production is given. Taking advantage of the very precise particle identification of the apparatus using the RICH detector an identification of the hadrons which form the pairs in terms of pions and kaons was performed. Recently, the full set of this asymmetry from the COMPASS data on the deuteron and the proton target is available. The latter has been taken in the years 2007 and 2010, while the deuteron date dates back to the years 2003 and 2004. Data sets from same targets have been combined and analyzed using homogeneous cuts and methods. This allows for a detailed comparison of the obtained results to each other, to the corresponding results of the HERMES experiment and to model predictions. Furthermore an extraction of the so-called ''Transversity'' distribution h{sub 1}(x) for u and d quarks was carried out.

  10. Process Architecture for Managing Digital Object Identifiers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wanchoo, L.; James, N.; Stolte, E.

    2014-12-01

    In 2010, NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project implemented a process for registering Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for data products distributed by Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). For the first 3 years, ESDIS evolved the process involving the data provider community in the development of processes for creating and assigning DOIs, and guidelines for the landing page. To accomplish this, ESDIS established two DOI User Working Groups: one for reviewing the DOI process whose recommendations were submitted to ESDIS in February 2014; and the other recently tasked to review and further develop DOI landing page guidelines for ESDIS approval by end of 2014. ESDIS has recently upgraded the DOI system from a manually-driven system to one that largely automates the DOI process. The new automated feature include: a) reviewing the DOI metadata, b) assigning of opaque DOI name if data provider chooses, and c) reserving, registering, and updating the DOIs. The flexibility of reserving the DOI allows data providers to embed and test the DOI in the data product metadata before formally registering with EZID. The DOI update process allows the changing of any DOI metadata except the DOI name unless the name has not been registered. Currently, ESDIS has processed a total of 557 DOIs of which 379 DOIs are registered with EZID and 178 are reserved with ESDIS. The DOI incorporates several metadata elements that effectively identify the data product and the source of availability. Of these elements, the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) attribute has the very important function of identifying the landing page which describes the data product. ESDIS in consultation with data providers in the Earth Science community is currently developing landing page guidelines that specify the key data product descriptive elements to be included on each data product's landing page. This poster will describe in detail the unique automated process and

  11. [Sustainable development of the three economic patterns in China: The application of genuine progress indicator in the sustainability assessment of six typical cities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jing; Huang, Lu; Yan, Li Jiao

    2016-06-01

    Three economic patterns, i.e., Zhujiang Model, Wenzhou Model and Sunan Model, were all generated in the developed areas of China. Sustainability assessment of those areas plays an important role in guiding future development of the economy of China. Genuine progress indicator (GPI) was adopted in this study to evaluate the sustainability of 6 typical cities (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wenzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou) of the three economic patterns from 1995 to 2012. During the study period, the values of GDP for the six cities had experienced exponential growth, while the values of GPI started to increase since 2005 after a relatively constant period between 1995 and 2005. The gap between GPI and GDP had been widening from a historical perspective. Zhujiang Model made great progress in economic growth, however, the economic, social, and environmental costs were evident. It should tackle income inequality, traffic jam, and environmental pollution to reach sustainability. The development of Wenzhou Model slowed down in the late pe-riod, with inadequate potential to develop. Its income inequality was tough, social and economic development was slow, and the economic development pattern needed to be urgently changed. Sunan Model had a higher value of GPI and the potential to reach sustainability, with remarkable growth of economy, median level of the GPI costs, and steady improvement of social development, although its natural resources were depleted. Three economic patterns should focus on the three dimensions of sustainability (economy, environment, and society), and Zhujiang Model and Wenzhou Model needed to be more active to search for transition of their development.

  12. Proteomic analysis identifies insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-related protein-1 as a podocyte product.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsumoto, Takayuki; Hess, Sonja; Kajiyama, Hiroshi; Sakairi, Toru; Saleem, Moin A; Mathieson, Peter W; Nojima, Yoshihisa; Kopp, Jeffrey B

    2010-10-01

    The podocyte secretory proteome may influence the phenotype of adjacent podocytes, endothelial cells, parietal epithelial cells, and tubular epithelial cells but has not been systematically characterized. We have initiated studies to characterize this proteome, with the goal of further understanding the podocyte cell biology. We cultured differentiated conditionally immortalized human podocytes and subjected the proteins in conditioned medium to mass spectrometry. At a false discovery rate of factor-binding protein-related protein-1 (IGFBP-rP1), was expressed in mRNA and protein of cultured podocytes. In addition, transforming growth factor-β1 stimulation increased IGFBP-rP1 in conditioned medium. We analyzed IGFBP-rP1 glomerular expression in a mouse model of human immunodeficiency virus-associated nephropathy. IGFBP-rP1 was absent from podocytes of normal mice and was expressed in podocytes and pseudocrescents of transgenic mice, where it was coexpressed with desmin, a podocyte injury marker. We conclude that IGFBP-rP1 may be a product of injured podocytes. Further analysis of the podocyte secretory proteome may identify biomarkers of podocyte injury.

  13. Low income product innovation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Cecília Sobral

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available At affluent markets, the literature on product development management tells us to aggregate value and technology, to differentiate products and to launch fast. And at the low-income markets? This exploratory research defines a popular product, characterizes and measures their markets in Brazil, and identifies innovation strategies for them. The results suggest that the effective strategic orientation differs from affluent markets. It includes: to enhance the auto service component; to identify and service the key functionalities to the targeted public; to standardize products and increase the production scale; to extend the product life cycle; to use convenient distribution and marketing channels; to build product images that have appeal in the popular market; to offer longer financing horizons with befittingly lower installments. Data came from market researches and general demographic census. General media published stories were used to identify companies and their strategies. And a few case studies allowed the authors a deeper exploration of the relevant themes.

  14. A theranostic nanoplatform: magneto-gold@fluorescence polymer nanoparticles for tumor targeting T1&T2-MRI/CT/NIR fluorescence imaging and induction of genuine autophagy mediated chemotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Guannan; Qian, Kun; Mei, Xifan

    2018-06-14

    Multifunctional nanoparticles, bearing low toxicity and tumor-targeting properties, coupled with multifunctional diagnostic imaging and enhanced treatment efficacy, have drawn tremendous attention due to their enormous potential for medical applications. Herein, we report a new kind of biocompatible and tumor-targeting magneto-gold@fluorescent polymer nanoparticle (MGFs-LyP-1), which is based on ultra-small magneto-gold (Fe 3 O 4 -Au) nanoparticles and NIR emissive fluorescent polymers by a solvent-mediated method. This kind of nanoparticle could be taken up efficiently and simultaneously serve for in vivo tumor targeting T 1 &T 2 -MRI/CT/near infrared (NIR) fluorescence bioimaging. Furthermore, the nanoparticles exhibit small size, higher tumor targeting accumulation, excellent cytocompatibility for long-term tracking, and no disturbing cell proliferation and differentiation. Moreover, clear and convincing evidence proves that as-synthesized MGFs-LyP-1 could elicit genuine autophagy via inducing autophagosome formation, which offers a definite synergistic effect to enhance cancer therapy with doxorubicin (DOX) at a nontoxic concentration through enhancement of the autophagy flux. Meanwhile, the as-prepared nanoparticles could be rapidly cleared from mice without any obvious organ impairment. The results indeed reveal a promising prospect of an MGFs-LyP-1 contrast agent with low toxicity and high efficiency for promising application in biomedicine.

  15. Green product development : What does the country product space imply?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fraccascia, Luca; Giannoccaro, Ilaria; Albino, Vito

    This paper contributes to green product development by identifying the green products with the highest potential for growth in a country. To address our aim, we use the concept of product proximity and product space and, borrowing from the results of recent studies on complexity economics, we

  16. Authentication of monofloral Yemeni Sidr honey using ultraviolet spectroscopy and chemometric analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roshan, Abdul-Rahman A; Gad, Haidy A; El-Ahmady, Sherweit H; Khanbash, Mohamed S; Abou-Shoer, Mohamed I; Al-Azizi, Mohamed M

    2013-08-14

    This work describes a simple model developed for the authentication of monofloral Yemeni Sidr honey using UV spectroscopy together with chemometric techniques of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA). The model was constructed using 13 genuine Sidr honey samples and challenged with 25 honey samples of different botanical origins. HCA and PCA were successfully able to present a preliminary clustering pattern to segregate the genuine Sidr samples from the lower priced local polyfloral and non-Sidr samples. The SIMCA model presented a clear demarcation of the samples and was used to identify genuine Sidr honey samples as well as detect admixture with lower priced polyfloral honey by detection limits >10%. The constructed model presents a simple and efficient method of analysis and may serve as a basis for the authentication of other honey types worldwide.

  17. Identifying efficiency trends for Queensland broad-acre beef enterprises

    OpenAIRE

    Gregg, Daniel; Rolfe, John

    2010-01-01

    Productivity and efficiency improvements in agriculture have recently been targeted as Federal Government priorities in Australia. This research examined a dataset of 116 broad-acre beef enterprises from Queensland who participated in a program, Profit Probe, developed to improve management and profitability of enterprises. The aim of this research was to identify the sources, if any, of productivity growth for this sample of enterprises. Two potential sources of productivity growth were iden...

  18. The NOAA Dataset Identifier Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    de la Beaujardiere, J.; Mccullough, H.; Casey, K. S.

    2013-12-01

    The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) initiated a project in 2013 to assign persistent identifiers to datasets archived at NOAA and to create informational landing pages about those datasets. The goals of this project are to enable the citation of datasets used in products and results in order to help provide credit to data producers, to support traceability and reproducibility, and to enable tracking of data usage and impact. A secondary goal is to encourage the submission of datasets for long-term preservation, because only archived datasets will be eligible for a NOAA-issued identifier. A team was formed with representatives from the National Geophysical, Oceanographic, and Climatic Data Centers (NGDC, NODC, NCDC) to resolve questions including which identifier scheme to use (answer: Digital Object Identifier - DOI), whether or not to embed semantics in identifiers (no), the level of granularity at which to assign identifiers (as coarsely as reasonable), how to handle ongoing time-series data (do not break into chunks), creation mechanism for the landing page (stylesheet from formal metadata record preferred), and others. Decisions made and implementation experience gained will inform the writing of a Data Citation Procedural Directive to be issued by the Environmental Data Management Committee in 2014. Several identifiers have been issued as of July 2013, with more on the way. NOAA is now reporting the number as a metric to federal Open Government initiatives. This paper will provide further details and status of the project.

  19. Identified Hadron Production and Light Quark Fragmentation in Z{sup 0} Decays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kalelkar, Mohan S

    1998-10-16

    We have measured the differential cross sections for the production of {pi}{sup +}, K{sup +}, K{sup 0}, K*{sup 0}, {phi}, p, {Lambda} and their corresponding antiparticles in separate samples of flavor-tagged Z{sup 0} {yields} light-flavor (u{bar u}, d{bar d}, or s{bar s}), Z{sup 0} {yields} b{bar b} events. Clear flavor dependences are observed, and the results are compared with the predictions of three fragmentation models. We have also performed a direct measurement of A{sub s}, the parity-violating coupling of the Z{sup 0} to strange quarks, by measuring the left-right-forward-backward production asymmetry in polar angle of the tagged s quark. Our preliminary result is A{sub s} = 0.82 {+-} 0.10(stat.) {+-} 0.07(syst.).

  20. Identifying Usability and Productivity Dimensions for Measuring the Success of Mobile Business Services

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maiju Vuolle

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper reviews existing measures used for evaluating the usability of information systems and those used for evaluating the level of the productivity of a company. We discuss the usefulness of the existing measures in the mobile business context, where both mobility and work-context pose specific demands for the mobile business services. The review showed that the existing measures rarely consider the great contextual variation caused by the mobility of the services and the demands this poses on usability; which, in turn, affects productivity. To build a measurement tool that better meets the requirements of mobile business services, we completed case studies on two mobile business services, one used in passenger transport and the other in construction sites. Based on the understanding gained from the case studies, we propose a list of dimensions and items addressing both usability and productivity aspects that work as the basis for a multidisciplinary measurement tool.

  1. Genetic evidence of 'genuine' empty follicle syndrome: a novel effective mutation in the LHCGR gene and review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Ping; He, Zuyong; Zheng, Lingyan; Wang, Wenjun; Li, Yu; Zhao, Haijing; Zhang, Victor Wei; Zhang, Qingxue; Yang, Dongzi

    2017-04-01

    Empty follicle syndrome (EFS) is a reproductive disorder in which no oocytes are retrieved during IVF. The existence of genuine EFS (GEFS) is still controversial, and to date, only one missense mutation of Luteinizing Hormone/Choriogonadotropin Receptor (LHCGR) has been reported to be associated with this disease. Here, we describe a GEFS patient in a non-consanguineous family from China. A 27-year-old woman presented with a 5-year history of primary infertility and LH resistance-like ovaries of unequal sizes, but with normal levels of circulating LH. In spite of a satisfactory ovarian reserve and response, no oocytes were retrieved after two cycles of IVF. Her condition did not appear to be failure of the hCG injection. It is more likely to be a genetic cause. A novel homozygous mutation in LHCGR gene, c.1345G>A (p.Ala449Thr), was detected in this patient. Each of her parents is heterozygous for this change, and the change was absent from 407 control subjects. Alanine at this amino acid position was highly conserved and replacement of threonine was predicted to disrupt the third transmembrane helix of the rhodopsin-like G protein-coupled receptor domain. Protein localization studies revealed that a portion of the mutant LHCGR protein molecules was retained intracellularly. Signalling studies demonstrated that this mutation had differing effects on the response of LHCGR to hCG or LH at different concentrations. Specifically, at a concentration 1 IU/ml), the mutant was activated by both hCG and LH. These data suggest that screening for mutations in the LHCGR gene may assist in the diagnosis of patients with GEFS. The literature describing the relationship between phenotype and genotypes in females is reviewed, and possible aetiologies and treatment options for this disease are proposed based on our and other studies. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved

  2. Prospects for a genuine revival of primary health care--through the visible hand of social justice rather than the invisible hand of the market: Part II.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katz, Alison Rosamund

    2010-01-01

    This second part of a two-part article explores the prospects for genuine revival of primary health care (PHC) as announced by the WHO in 2008, with reference, briefly, to Global Health Watch 2, published by the People's Health Movement, Medact, and Equity Gauge Alliance, and, in more depth, to the positions of social and people's movements most closely aligned with the original values and principles of Alma-Ata and the structural foundations of the PHC project. The author argues that the social justice struggle for health cannot be limited to curbing capitalism's excesses. The multiple crises of today--in energy, water, food, the environment, finance, science, information, and democracy--must be recognized as capitalist crises and addressed as such. Particular attention is given to ideology, including the distortion of human nature and society under neoliberal capitalism, and to moral foundations of Health for All. Not only must the invisible hand of the market be replaced by the visible hand of social justice, but the single ideology proclaiming the "end of history" and, by implication, the end of politics and political struggle must be exposed and rejected as neoliberal, totalitarian propaganda. In line with the spirit and intention of the U.N. Charter, PHC remains a political project for a fair and safe world in which Health for All is both possible and necessary.

  3. Production process of a new cellulosic fiber with antimicrobial properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zikeli, Stefan

    2006-01-01

    The Lyocell process (system: cellulose-water-N-methylmorpholine oxide) of Zimmer AG offers special advantages for the production of cellulose fibers. The process excels by dissolving the most diverse cellulose types as these are optimally adjusted to the process by applying different pretreatment methods. Based on this stable process, Zimmer AG's objective is to impart to the Lyocell fiber additional value to improve quality of life and thus to tap new markets for the product. Thanks to the specific incorporation of seaweed, the process allows to produce cellulose Lyocell fibers with additional and new features. They are activated in a further step - by specific charging with metal ions - in order to obtain antibacterial properties. The favorable textile properties of fibers produced by the Lyocell process are not adversely affected by the incorporation of seaweed material or by activation to obtain an antibacterial fiber so that current textile products can be made from the fibers thus produced. The antibacterial effect is achieved by metal ion activation of the Lyocell fibers with incorporated seaweed, which contrasts with the antibacterial fibers known so far. Antibacterial fibers produced by conventional methods are in part only surface finished with antibacterially active chemicals or else they are produced by incorporating organic substances with antibacterial and fungicidal effects. Being made from cellulose, the antibacterial Lyocell fiber Sea Cell Active as the basis for quality textiles exhibits a special wear comfort compared to synthetic fibers with antibacterial properties and effects. This justifies the conclusion that the Zimmer Lyocell process provides genuine value added and that it is a springboard for further applications.

  4. Search for top squark pair production in compressed-mass-spectrum scenarios in proton-proton collisions at $ \\sqrt{s} = $ 8 TeV using the ${\\alpha_\\mathrm{T}}$ variable

    CERN Document Server

    Khachatryan, Vardan; Tumasyan, Armen; Adam, Wolfgang; Aşılar, Ece; Bergauer, Thomas; Brandstetter, Johannes; Brondolin, Erica; Dragicevic, Marko; Erö, Janos; Flechl, Martin; Friedl, Markus; Fruehwirth, Rudolf; Ghete, Vasile Mihai; Hartl, Christian; Hörmann, Natascha; Hrubec, Josef; Jeitler, Manfred; König, Axel; Krammer, Manfred; Krätschmer, Ilse; Liko, Dietrich; Matsushita, Takashi; Mikulec, Ivan; Rabady, Dinyar; Rad, Navid; Rahbaran, Babak; Rohringer, Herbert; Schieck, Jochen; Strauss, Josef; Treberer-Treberspurg, Wolfgang; Waltenberger, Wolfgang; Wulz, Claudia-Elisabeth; Mossolov, Vladimir; Shumeiko, Nikolai; Suarez Gonzalez, Juan; Alderweireldt, Sara; Cornelis, Tom; De Wolf, Eddi A; Janssen, Xavier; Knutsson, Albert; Lauwers, Jasper; Luyckx, Sten; Van De Klundert, Merijn; Van Haevermaet, Hans; Van Mechelen, Pierre; Van Remortel, Nick; Van Spilbeeck, Alex; Abu Zeid, Shimaa; Blekman, Freya; D'Hondt, Jorgen; Daci, Nadir; De Bruyn, Isabelle; Deroover, Kevin; Heracleous, Natalie; Keaveney, James; Lowette, Steven; Moortgat, Seth; Moreels, Lieselotte; Olbrechts, Annik; Python, Quentin; Strom, Derek; Tavernier, Stefaan; Van Doninck, Walter; Van Mulders, Petra; Van Parijs, Isis; Brun, Hugues; Caillol, Cécile; Clerbaux, Barbara; De Lentdecker, Gilles; Fasanella, Giuseppe; Favart, Laurent; Goldouzian, Reza; Grebenyuk, Anastasia; Karapostoli, Georgia; Lenzi, Thomas; Léonard, Alexandre; Maerschalk, Thierry; Marinov, Andrey; Randle-conde, Aidan; Seva, Tomislav; Vander Velde, Catherine; Vanlaer, Pascal; Yonamine, Ryo; Zenoni, Florian; Zhang, Fengwangdong; Benucci, Leonardo; Cimmino, Anna; Crucy, Shannon; Dobur, Didar; Fagot, Alexis; Garcia, Guillaume; Gul, Muhammad; Mccartin, Joseph; Ocampo Rios, Alberto Andres; Poyraz, Deniz; Ryckbosch, Dirk; Salva Diblen, Sinem; Schöfbeck, Robert; Sigamani, Michael; Tytgat, Michael; Van Driessche, Ward; Yazgan, Efe; Zaganidis, Nicolas; Beluffi, Camille; Bondu, Olivier; Brochet, Sébastien; Bruno, Giacomo; Caudron, Adrien; Ceard, Ludivine; De Visscher, Simon; Delaere, Christophe; Delcourt, Martin; Forthomme, Laurent; Francois, Brieuc; Giammanco, Andrea; Jafari, Abideh; Jez, Pavel; Komm, Matthias; Lemaitre, Vincent; Magitteri, Alessio; Mertens, Alexandre; Musich, Marco; Nuttens, Claude; Piotrzkowski, Krzysztof; Quertenmont, Loic; Selvaggi, Michele; Vidal Marono, Miguel; Wertz, Sébastien; Beliy, Nikita; Hammad, Gregory Habib; Aldá Júnior, Walter Luiz; Alves, Fábio Lúcio; Alves, Gilvan; Brito, Lucas; Correa Martins Junior, Marcos; Hamer, Matthias; Hensel, Carsten; Moraes, Arthur; Pol, Maria Elena; Rebello Teles, Patricia; Belchior Batista Das Chagas, Ewerton; Carvalho, Wagner; Chinellato, Jose; Custódio, Analu; Melo Da Costa, Eliza; De Jesus Damiao, Dilson; De Oliveira Martins, Carley; Fonseca De Souza, Sandro; Huertas Guativa, Lina Milena; Malbouisson, Helena; Matos Figueiredo, Diego; Mora Herrera, Clemencia; Mundim, Luiz; Nogima, Helio; Prado Da Silva, Wanda Lucia; Santoro, Alberto; Sznajder, Andre; Tonelli Manganote, Edmilson José; Vilela Pereira, Antonio; Ahuja, Sudha; Bernardes, Cesar Augusto; De Souza Santos, Angelo; Dogra, Sunil; Tomei, Thiago; De Moraes Gregores, Eduardo; Mercadante, Pedro G; Moon, Chang-Seong; Novaes, Sergio F; Padula, Sandra; Romero Abad, David; Ruiz Vargas, José Cupertino; Aleksandrov, Aleksandar; Hadjiiska, Roumyana; Iaydjiev, Plamen; Rodozov, Mircho; Stoykova, Stefka; Sultanov, Georgi; Vutova, Mariana; Dimitrov, Anton; Glushkov, Ivan; Litov, Leander; Pavlov, Borislav; Petkov, Peicho; Fang, Wenxing; Ahmad, Muhammad; Bian, Jian-Guo; Chen, Guo-Ming; Chen, He-Sheng; Chen, Mingshui; Cheng, Tongguang; Du, Ran; Jiang, Chun-Hua; Leggat, Duncan; Plestina, Roko; Romeo, Francesco; Shaheen, Sarmad Masood; Spiezia, Aniello; Tao, Junquan; Wang, Chunjie; Wang, Zheng; Zhang, Huaqiao; Asawatangtrakuldee, Chayanit; Ban, Yong; Li, Qiang; Liu, Shuai; Mao, Yajun; Qian, Si-Jin; Wang, Dayong; Xu, Zijun; Avila, Carlos; Cabrera, Andrés; Chaparro Sierra, Luisa Fernanda; Florez, Carlos; Gomez, Juan Pablo; Gomez Moreno, Bernardo; Sanabria, Juan Carlos; Godinovic, Nikola; Lelas, Damir; Puljak, Ivica; Ribeiro Cipriano, Pedro M; Antunovic, Zeljko; Kovac, Marko; Brigljevic, Vuko; Ferencek, Dinko; Kadija, Kreso; Luetic, Jelena; Micanovic, Sasa; Sudic, Lucija; Attikis, Alexandros; Mavromanolakis, Georgios; Mousa, Jehad; Nicolaou, Charalambos; Ptochos, Fotios; Razis, Panos A; Rykaczewski, Hans; Finger, Miroslav; Finger Jr, Michael; Carrera Jarrin, Edgar; Assran, Yasser; Ellithi Kamel, Ali; Mahrous, Ayman; Radi, Amr; Calpas, Betty; Kadastik, Mario; Murumaa, Marion; Perrini, Lucia; Raidal, Martti; Tiko, Andres; Veelken, Christian; Eerola, Paula; Pekkanen, Juska; Voutilainen, Mikko; Härkönen, Jaakko; Karimäki, Veikko; Kinnunen, Ritva; Lampén, Tapio; Lassila-Perini, Kati; Lehti, Sami; Lindén, Tomas; Luukka, Panja-Riina; Peltola, Timo; Tuominiemi, Jorma; Tuovinen, Esa; Wendland, Lauri; Talvitie, Joonas; Tuuva, Tuure; Besancon, Marc; Couderc, Fabrice; Dejardin, Marc; Denegri, Daniel; Fabbro, Bernard; Faure, Jean-Louis; Favaro, Carlotta; Ferri, Federico; Ganjour, Serguei; Givernaud, Alain; Gras, Philippe; Hamel de Monchenault, Gautier; Jarry, Patrick; Locci, Elizabeth; Machet, Martina; Malcles, Julie; Rander, John; Rosowsky, André; Titov, Maksym; Zghiche, Amina; Abdulsalam, Abdulla; Antropov, Iurii; Baffioni, Stephanie; Beaudette, Florian; Busson, Philippe; Cadamuro, Luca; Chapon, Emilien; Charlot, Claude; Davignon, Olivier; Dobrzynski, Ludwik; Granier de Cassagnac, Raphael; Jo, Mihee; Lisniak, Stanislav; Miné, Philippe; Naranjo, Ivo Nicolas; Nguyen, Matthew; Ochando, Christophe; Ortona, Giacomo; Paganini, Pascal; Pigard, Philipp; Regnard, Simon; Salerno, Roberto; Sirois, Yves; Strebler, Thomas; Yilmaz, Yetkin; Zabi, Alexandre; Agram, Jean-Laurent; Andrea, Jeremy; Aubin, Alexandre; Bloch, Daniel; Brom, Jean-Marie; Buttignol, Michael; Chabert, Eric Christian; Chanon, Nicolas; Collard, Caroline; Conte, Eric; Coubez, Xavier; Fontaine, Jean-Charles; Gelé, Denis; Goerlach, Ulrich; Goetzmann, Christophe; Le Bihan, Anne-Catherine; Merlin, Jeremie Alexandre; Skovpen, Kirill; Van Hove, Pierre; Gadrat, Sébastien; Beauceron, Stephanie; Bernet, Colin; Boudoul, Gaelle; Bouvier, Elvire; Carrillo Montoya, Camilo Andres; Chierici, Roberto; Contardo, Didier; Courbon, Benoit; Depasse, Pierre; El Mamouni, Houmani; Fan, Jiawei; Fay, Jean; Gascon, Susan; Gouzevitch, Maxime; Ille, Bernard; Lagarde, Francois; Laktineh, Imad Baptiste; Lethuillier, Morgan; Mirabito, Laurent; Pequegnot, Anne-Laure; Perries, Stephane; Popov, Andrey; Ruiz Alvarez, José David; Sabes, David; Sordini, Viola; Vander Donckt, Muriel; Verdier, Patrice; Viret, Sébastien; Toriashvili, Tengizi; Tsamalaidze, Zviad; Autermann, Christian; Beranek, Sarah; Feld, Lutz; Heister, Arno; Kiesel, Maximilian Knut; Klein, Katja; Lipinski, Martin; Ostapchuk, Andrey; Preuten, Marius; Raupach, Frank; Schael, Stefan; Schomakers, Christian; Schulte, Jan-Frederik; Schulz, Johannes; Verlage, Tobias; Weber, Hendrik; Zhukov, Valery; Ata, Metin; Brodski, Michael; Dietz-Laursonn, Erik; Duchardt, Deborah; Endres, Matthias; Erdmann, Martin; Erdweg, Sören; Esch, Thomas; Fischer, Robert; Güth, Andreas; Hebbeker, Thomas; Heidemann, Carsten; Hoepfner, Kerstin; Knutzen, Simon; Merschmeyer, Markus; Meyer, Arnd; Millet, Philipp; Mukherjee, Swagata; Olschewski, Mark; Padeken, Klaas; Papacz, Paul; Pook, Tobias; Radziej, Markus; Reithler, Hans; Rieger, Marcel; Scheuch, Florian; Sonnenschein, Lars; Teyssier, Daniel; Thüer, Sebastian; Cherepanov, Vladimir; Erdogan, Yusuf; Flügge, Günter; Geenen, Heiko; Geisler, Matthias; Hoehle, Felix; Kargoll, Bastian; Kress, Thomas; Künsken, Andreas; Lingemann, Joschka; Nehrkorn, Alexander; Nowack, Andreas; Nugent, Ian Michael; Pistone, Claudia; Pooth, Oliver; Stahl, Achim; Aldaya Martin, Maria; Asin, Ivan; Beernaert, Kelly; Behnke, Olaf; Behrens, Ulf; Borras, Kerstin; Campbell, Alan; Connor, Patrick; Contreras-Campana, Christian; Costanza, Francesco; Diez Pardos, Carmen; Dolinska, Ganna; Dooling, Samantha; Eckerlin, Guenter; Eckstein, Doris; Eichhorn, Thomas; Gallo, Elisabetta; Garay Garcia, Jasone; Geiser, Achim; Gizhko, Andrii; Grados Luyando, Juan Manuel; Gunnellini, Paolo; Harb, Ali; Hauk, Johannes; Hempel, Maria; Jung, Hannes; Kalogeropoulos, Alexis; Karacheban, Olena; Kasemann, Matthias; Kieseler, Jan; Kleinwort, Claus; Korol, Ievgen; Lange, Wolfgang; Lelek, Aleksandra; Leonard, Jessica; Lipka, Katerina; Lobanov, Artur; Lohmann, Wolfgang; Mankel, Rainer; Melzer-Pellmann, Isabell-Alissandra; Meyer, Andreas Bernhard; Mittag, Gregor; Mnich, Joachim; Mussgiller, Andreas; Ntomari, Eleni; Pitzl, Daniel; Placakyte, Ringaile; Raspereza, Alexei; Roland, Benoit; Sahin, Mehmet Özgür; Saxena, Pooja; Schoerner-Sadenius, Thomas; Seitz, Claudia; Spannagel, Simon; Stefaniuk, Nazar; Trippkewitz, Karim Damun; Van Onsem, Gerrit Patrick; Walsh, Roberval; Wissing, Christoph; Blobel, Volker; Centis Vignali, Matteo; Draeger, Arne-Rasmus; Dreyer, Torben; Erfle, Joachim; Garutti, Erika; Goebel, Kristin; Gonzalez, Daniel; Görner, Martin; Haller, Johannes; Hoffmann, Malte; Höing, Rebekka Sophie; Junkes, Alexandra; Klanner, Robert; Kogler, Roman; Kovalchuk, Nataliia; Lapsien, Tobias; Lenz, Teresa; Marchesini, Ivan; Marconi, Daniele; Meyer, Mareike; Niedziela, Marek; Nowatschin, Dominik; Ott, Jochen; Pantaleo, Felice; Peiffer, Thomas; Perieanu, Adrian; Pietsch, Niklas; Poehlsen, Jennifer; Sander, Christian; Scharf, Christian; Schleper, Peter; Schlieckau, Eike; Schmidt, Alexander; Schumann, Svenja; Schwandt, Joern; Stadie, Hartmut; Steinbrück, Georg; Stober, Fred-Markus Helmut; Tholen, Heiner; Troendle, Daniel; Usai, Emanuele; Vanelderen, Lukas; Vanhoefer, Annika; Vormwald, Benedikt; Barth, Christian; Baus, Colin; Berger, Joram; Böser, Christian; Butz, Erik; Chwalek, Thorsten; Colombo, Fabio; De Boer, Wim; Descroix, Alexis; Dierlamm, Alexander; Fink, Simon; Frensch, Felix; Friese, Raphael; Giffels, Manuel; Gilbert, Andrew; Haitz, Dominik; Hartmann, Frank; Heindl, Stefan Michael; Husemann, Ulrich; Katkov, Igor; Kornmayer, Andreas; Lobelle Pardo, Patricia; Maier, Benedikt; Mildner, Hannes; Mozer, Matthias Ulrich; Müller, Thomas; Müller, Thomas; Plagge, Michael; Quast, Gunter; Rabbertz, Klaus; Röcker, Steffen; Roscher, Frank; Schröder, Matthias; Sieber, Georg; Simonis, Hans-Jürgen; Ulrich, Ralf; Wagner-Kuhr, Jeannine; Wayand, Stefan; Weber, Marc; Weiler, Thomas; Williamson, Shawn; Wöhrmann, Clemens; Wolf, Roger; Anagnostou, Georgios; Daskalakis, Georgios; Geralis, Theodoros; Giakoumopoulou, Viktoria Athina; Kyriakis, Aristotelis; Loukas, Demetrios; Psallidas, Andreas; Topsis-Giotis, Iasonas; Agapitos, Antonis; Kesisoglou, Stilianos; Panagiotou, Apostolos; Saoulidou, Niki; Tziaferi, Eirini; Evangelou, Ioannis; Flouris, Giannis; Foudas, Costas; Kokkas, Panagiotis; Loukas, Nikitas; Manthos, Nikolaos; Papadopoulos, Ioannis; Paradas, Evangelos; Strologas, John; Filipovic, Nicolas; Bencze, Gyorgy; Hajdu, Csaba; Hidas, Pàl; Horvath, Dezso; Sikler, Ferenc; Veszpremi, Viktor; Vesztergombi, Gyorgy; Zsigmond, Anna Julia; Beni, Noemi; Czellar, Sandor; Karancsi, János; Molnar, Jozsef; Szillasi, Zoltan; Bartók, Márton; Makovec, Alajos; Raics, Peter; Trocsanyi, Zoltan Laszlo; Ujvari, Balazs; Choudhury, Somnath; Mal, Prolay; Mandal, Koushik; Nayak, Aruna; Sahoo, Deepak Kumar; Sahoo, Niladribihari; Swain, Sanjay Kumar; Bansal, Sunil; Beri, Suman Bala; Bhatnagar, Vipin; Chawla, Ridhi; Gupta, Ruchi; Bhawandeep, Bhawandeep; Kalsi, Amandeep Kaur; Kaur, Anterpreet; Kaur, Manjit; Kumar, Ramandeep; Mehta, Ankita; Mittal, Monika; Singh, Jasbir; Walia, Genius; Kumar, Ashok; Bhardwaj, Ashutosh; Choudhary, Brajesh C; Garg, Rocky Bala; Keshri, Sumit; Kumar, Ajay; Malhotra, Shivali; Naimuddin, Md; Nishu, Nishu; Ranjan, Kirti; Sharma, Ramkrishna; Sharma, Varun; Bhattacharya, Rajarshi; Bhattacharya, Satyaki; Chatterjee, Kalyanmoy; Dey, Sourav; Dutta, Suchandra; Ghosh, Shamik; Majumdar, Nayana; Modak, Atanu; Mondal, Kuntal; Mukhopadhyay, Supratik; Nandan, Saswati; Purohit, Arnab; Roy, Ashim; Roy, Debarati; Roy Chowdhury, Suvankar; Sarkar, Subir; Sharan, Manoj; Chudasama, Ruchi; Dutta, Dipanwita; Jha, Vishwajeet; Kumar, Vineet; Mohanty, Ajit Kumar; Pant, Lalit Mohan; Shukla, Prashant; Topkar, Anita; Aziz, Tariq; Banerjee, Sudeshna; Bhowmik, Sandeep; Chatterjee, Rajdeep Mohan; Dewanjee, Ram Krishna; Dugad, Shashikant; Ganguly, Sanmay; Ghosh, Saranya; Guchait, Monoranjan; Gurtu, Atul; Jain, Sandhya; Kole, Gouranga; Kumar, Sanjeev; Mahakud, Bibhuprasad; Maity, Manas; Majumder, Gobinda; Mazumdar, Kajari; Mitra, Soureek; Mohanty, Gagan Bihari; Parida, Bibhuti; Sarkar, Tanmay; Sur, Nairit; Sutar, Bajrang; Wickramage, Nadeesha; Chauhan, Shubhanshu; Dube, Sourabh; Kapoor, Anshul; Kothekar, Kunal; Rane, Aditee; Sharma, Seema; Bakhshiansohi, Hamed; Behnamian, Hadi; Etesami, Seyed Mohsen; Fahim, Ali; Khakzad, Mohsen; Mohammadi Najafabadi, Mojtaba; Naseri, Mohsen; Paktinat Mehdiabadi, Saeid; Rezaei Hosseinabadi, Ferdos; Safarzadeh, Batool; Zeinali, Maryam; Felcini, Marta; Grunewald, Martin; Abbrescia, Marcello; Calabria, Cesare; Caputo, Claudio; Colaleo, Anna; Creanza, Donato; Cristella, Leonardo; De Filippis, Nicola; De Palma, Mauro; Fiore, Luigi; Iaselli, Giuseppe; Maggi, Giorgio; Maggi, Marcello; Miniello, Giorgia; My, Salvatore; Nuzzo, Salvatore; Pompili, Alexis; Pugliese, Gabriella; Radogna, Raffaella; Ranieri, Antonio; Selvaggi, Giovanna; Silvestris, Lucia; Venditti, Rosamaria; Abbiendi, Giovanni; Battilana, Carlo; Bonacorsi, Daniele; Braibant-Giacomelli, Sylvie; Brigliadori, Luca; Campanini, Renato; Capiluppi, Paolo; Castro, Andrea; Cavallo, Francesca Romana; Chhibra, Simranjit Singh; Codispoti, Giuseppe; Cuffiani, Marco; Dallavalle, Gaetano-Marco; Fabbri, Fabrizio; Fanfani, Alessandra; Fasanella, Daniele; Giacomelli, Paolo; Grandi, Claudio; Guiducci, Luigi; Marcellini, Stefano; Masetti, Gianni; Montanari, Alessandro; Navarria, Francesco; Perrotta, Andrea; Rossi, Antonio; Rovelli, Tiziano; Siroli, Gian Piero; Tosi, Nicolò; Cappello, Gigi; Chiorboli, Massimiliano; Costa, Salvatore; Di Mattia, Alessandro; Giordano, Ferdinando; Potenza, Renato; Tricomi, Alessia; Tuve, Cristina; Barbagli, Giuseppe; Ciulli, Vitaliano; Civinini, Carlo; D'Alessandro, Raffaello; Focardi, Ettore; Gori, Valentina; Lenzi, Piergiulio; Meschini, Marco; Paoletti, Simone; Sguazzoni, Giacomo; Viliani, Lorenzo; Benussi, Luigi; Bianco, Stefano; Fabbri, Franco; Piccolo, Davide; Primavera, Federica; Calvelli, Valerio; Ferro, Fabrizio; Lo Vetere, Maurizio; Monge, Maria Roberta; Robutti, Enrico; Tosi, Silvano; Brianza, Luca; Dinardo, Mauro Emanuele; Fiorendi, Sara; Gennai, Simone; Ghezzi, Alessio; Govoni, Pietro; Malvezzi, Sandra; Manzoni, Riccardo Andrea; Marzocchi, Badder; Menasce, Dario; Moroni, Luigi; Paganoni, Marco; Pedrini, Daniele; Pigazzini, Simone; Ragazzi, Stefano; Redaelli, Nicola; Tabarelli de Fatis, Tommaso; Buontempo, Salvatore; Cavallo, Nicola; Di Guida, Salvatore; Esposito, Marco; Fabozzi, Francesco; Iorio, Alberto Orso Maria; Lanza, Giuseppe; Lista, Luca; Meola, Sabino; Merola, Mario; Paolucci, Pierluigi; Sciacca, Crisostomo; Thyssen, Filip; Azzi, Patrizia; Bacchetta, Nicola; Benato, Lisa; Boletti, Alessio; Branca, Antonio; Dall'Osso, Martino; De Castro Manzano, Pablo; Dorigo, Tommaso; Fanzago, Federica; Gonella, Franco; Gozzelino, Andrea; Gulmini, Michele; Kanishchev, Konstantin; Lacaprara, Stefano; Margoni, Martino; Meneguzzo, Anna Teresa; Montecassiano, Fabio; Passaseo, Marina; Pazzini, Jacopo; Pegoraro, Matteo; Pozzobon, Nicola; Ronchese, Paolo; Simonetto, Franco; Torassa, Ezio; Tosi, Mia; Ventura, Sandro; Zanetti, Marco; Zotto, Pierluigi; Zucchetta, Alberto; Zumerle, Gianni; Braghieri, Alessandro; Magnani, Alice; Montagna, Paolo; Ratti, Sergio P; Re, Valerio; Riccardi, Cristina; Salvini, Paola; Vai, Ilaria; Vitulo, Paolo; Alunni Solestizi, Luisa; Bilei, Gian Mario; Ciangottini, Diego; Fanò, Livio; Lariccia, Paolo; Leonardi, Roberto; Mantovani, Giancarlo; Menichelli, Mauro; Saha, Anirban; Santocchia, Attilio; Androsov, Konstantin; Azzurri, Paolo; Bagliesi, Giuseppe; Bernardini, Jacopo; Boccali, Tommaso; Castaldi, Rino; Ciocci, Maria Agnese; Dell'Orso, Roberto; Donato, Silvio; Fedi, Giacomo; Giassi, Alessandro; Grippo, Maria Teresa; Ligabue, Franco; Lomtadze, Teimuraz; Martini, Luca; Messineo, Alberto; Palla, Fabrizio; Rizzi, Andrea; Savoy-Navarro, Aurore; Spagnolo, Paolo; Tenchini, Roberto; Tonelli, Guido; Venturi, Andrea; Verdini, Piero Giorgio; Barone, Luciano; Cavallari, Francesca; D'imperio, Giulia; Del Re, Daniele; Diemoz, Marcella; Gelli, Simone; Jorda, Clara; Longo, Egidio; Margaroli, Fabrizio; Meridiani, Paolo; Organtini, Giovanni; Paramatti, Riccardo; Preiato, Federico; Rahatlou, Shahram; Rovelli, Chiara; Santanastasio, Francesco; Amapane, Nicola; Arcidiacono, Roberta; Argiro, Stefano; Arneodo, Michele; Bartosik, Nazar; Bellan, Riccardo; Biino, Cristina; Cartiglia, Nicolo; Costa, Marco; Covarelli, Roberto; Degano, Alessandro; Demaria, Natale; Finco, Linda; Kiani, Bilal; Mariotti, Chiara; Maselli, Silvia; Migliore, Ernesto; Monaco, Vincenzo; Monteil, Ennio; Obertino, Maria Margherita; Pacher, Luca; Pastrone, Nadia; Pelliccioni, Mario; Pinna Angioni, Gian Luca; Ravera, Fabio; Romero, Alessandra; Ruspa, Marta; Sacchi, Roberto; Sola, Valentina; Solano, Ada; Staiano, Amedeo; Traczyk, Piotr; Belforte, Stefano; Candelise, Vieri; Casarsa, Massimo; Cossutti, Fabio; Della Ricca, Giuseppe; La Licata, Chiara; Schizzi, Andrea; Zanetti, Anna; Nam, Soon-Kwon; Kim, Dong Hee; Kim, Gui Nyun; Kim, Min Suk; Kong, Dae Jung; Lee, Sangeun; Lee, Seh Wook; Oh, Young Do; Sakharov, Alexandre; Son, Dong-Chul; Yang, Yu Chul; Brochero Cifuentes, Javier Andres; Kim, Hyunsoo; Kim, Tae Jeong; Song, Sanghyeon; Cho, Sungwoong; Choi, Suyong; Go, Yeonju; Gyun, Dooyeon; Hong, Byung-Sik; Jo, Youngkwon; Kim, Yongsun; Lee, Byounghoon; Lee, Kisoo; Lee, Kyong Sei; Lee, Songkyo; Lim, Jaehoon; Park, Sung Keun; Roh, Youn; Yoo, Hwi Dong; Choi, Minkyoo; Kim, Hyunchul; Kim, Hyunyong; Kim, Ji Hyun; Lee, Jason Sang Hun; Park, Inkyu; Ryu, Geonmo; Ryu, Min Sang; Choi, Young-Il; Goh, Junghwan; Kim, Donghyun; Kwon, Eunhyang; Lee, Jongseok; Yu, Intae; Dudenas, Vytautas; Juodagalvis, Andrius; Vaitkus, Juozas; Ahmed, Ijaz; Ibrahim, Zainol Abidin; Komaragiri, Jyothsna Rani; Md Ali, Mohd Adli Bin; Mohamad Idris, Faridah; Wan Abdullah, Wan Ahmad Tajuddin; Yusli, Mohd Nizam; Zolkapli, Zukhaimira; Casimiro Linares, Edgar; Castilla-Valdez, Heriberto; De La Cruz-Burelo, Eduard; Heredia-De La Cruz, Ivan; Hernandez-Almada, Alberto; Lopez-Fernandez, Ricardo; Mejia Guisao, Jhovanny; Sánchez Hernández, Alberto; Carrillo Moreno, Salvador; Vazquez Valencia, Fabiola; Pedraza, Isabel; Salazar Ibarguen, Humberto Antonio; Uribe Estrada, Cecilia; Morelos Pineda, Antonio; Krofcheck, David; Butler, Philip H; Ahmad, Ashfaq; Ahmad, Muhammad; Hassan, Qamar; Hoorani, Hafeez R; Khan, Wajid Ali; Qazi, Shamona; Shoaib, Muhammad; Waqas, Muhammad; Bialkowska, Helena; Bluj, Michal; Boimska, Bożena; Frueboes, Tomasz; Górski, Maciej; Kazana, Malgorzata; Nawrocki, Krzysztof; Romanowska-Rybinska, Katarzyna; Szleper, Michal; Zalewski, Piotr; Brona, Grzegorz; Bunkowski, Karol; Byszuk, Adrian; Doroba, Krzysztof; Kalinowski, Artur; Konecki, Marcin; Krolikowski, Jan; Misiura, Maciej; Olszewski, Michal; Walczak, Marek; Bargassa, Pedrame; Beirão Da Cruz E Silva, Cristóvão; Di Francesco, Agostino; Faccioli, Pietro; Ferreira Parracho, Pedro Guilherme; Gallinaro, Michele; Hollar, Jonathan; Leonardo, Nuno; Lloret Iglesias, Lara; Nemallapudi, Mythra Varun; Nguyen, Federico; Rodrigues Antunes, Joao; Seixas, Joao; Toldaiev, Oleksii; Vadruccio, Daniele; Varela, Joao; Vischia, Pietro; Afanasiev, Serguei; Bunin, Pavel; Gavrilenko, Mikhail; Golutvin, Igor; Gorbunov, Ilya; Karjavin, Vladimir; Lanev, Alexander; Malakhov, Alexander; Matveev, Viktor; Moisenz, Petr; Palichik, Vladimir; Perelygin, Victor; Savina, Maria; Shmatov, Sergey; Shulha, Siarhei; Skatchkov, Nikolai; Smirnov, Vitaly; Voytishin, Nikolay; Zarubin, Anatoli; Golovtsov, Victor; Ivanov, Yury; Kim, Victor; Kuznetsova, Ekaterina; Levchenko, Petr; Murzin, Victor; Oreshkin, Vadim; Smirnov, Igor; Sulimov, Valentin; Uvarov, Lev; Vavilov, Sergey; Vorobyev, Alexey; Andreev, Yuri; Dermenev, Alexander; Gninenko, Sergei; Golubev, Nikolai; Karneyeu, Anton; Kirsanov, Mikhail; Krasnikov, Nikolai; Pashenkov, Anatoli; Tlisov, Danila; Toropin, Alexander; Epshteyn, Vladimir; Gavrilov, Vladimir; Lychkovskaya, Natalia; Popov, Vladimir; Pozdnyakov, Ivan; Safronov, Grigory; Spiridonov, Alexander; Toms, Maria; Vlasov, Evgueni; Zhokin, Alexander; Chadeeva, Marina; Chistov, Ruslan; Popova, Elena; Rusinov, Vladimir; Tarkovskii, Evgenii; Andreev, Vladimir; Azarkin, Maksim; Dremin, Igor; Kirakosyan, Martin; Leonidov, Andrey; Mesyats, Gennady; Rusakov, Sergey V; Baskakov, Alexey; Belyaev, Andrey; Boos, Edouard; Dubinin, Mikhail; Dudko, Lev; Ershov, Alexander; Gribushin, Andrey; Klyukhin, Vyacheslav; Kodolova, Olga; Lokhtin, Igor; Miagkov, Igor; Obraztsov, Stepan; Petrushanko, Sergey; Savrin, Viktor; Snigirev, Alexander; Azhgirey, Igor; Bayshev, Igor; Bitioukov, Sergei; Kachanov, Vassili; Kalinin, Alexey; Konstantinov, Dmitri; Krychkine, Victor; Petrov, Vladimir; Ryutin, Roman; Sobol, Andrei; Tourtchanovitch, Leonid; Troshin, Sergey; Tyurin, Nikolay; Uzunian, Andrey; Volkov, Alexey; Adzic, Petar; Cirkovic, Predrag; Devetak, Damir; Milosevic, Jovan; Rekovic, Vladimir; Alcaraz Maestre, Juan; Calvo, Enrique; Cerrada, Marcos; Chamizo Llatas, Maria; Colino, Nicanor; De La Cruz, Begona; Delgado Peris, Antonio; Escalante Del Valle, Alberto; Fernandez Bedoya, Cristina; Fernández Ramos, Juan Pablo; Flix, Jose; Fouz, Maria Cruz; Garcia-Abia, Pablo; Gonzalez Lopez, Oscar; Goy Lopez, Silvia; Hernandez, Jose M; Josa, Maria Isabel; Navarro De Martino, Eduardo; Pérez-Calero Yzquierdo, Antonio María; Puerta Pelayo, Jesus; Quintario Olmeda, Adrián; Redondo, Ignacio; Romero, Luciano; Senghi Soares, Mara; de Trocóniz, Jorge F; Missiroli, Marino; Moran, Dermot; Cuevas, Javier; Fernandez Menendez, Javier; Folgueras, Santiago; Gonzalez Caballero, Isidro; Palencia Cortezon, Enrique; Vizan Garcia, Jesus Manuel; Cabrillo, Iban Jose; Calderon, Alicia; Castiñeiras De Saa, Juan Ramon; Curras, Esteban; Fernandez, Marcos; Garcia-Ferrero, Juan; Gomez, Gervasio; Lopez Virto, Amparo; Marco, Jesus; Marco, Rafael; Martinez Rivero, Celso; Matorras, Francisco; Piedra Gomez, Jonatan; Rodrigo, Teresa; Rodríguez-Marrero, Ana Yaiza; Ruiz-Jimeno, Alberto; Scodellaro, Luca; Trevisani, Nicolò; Vila, Ivan; Vilar Cortabitarte, Rocio; Abbaneo, Duccio; Auffray, Etiennette; Auzinger, Georg; Bachtis, Michail; Baillon, Paul; Ball, Austin; Barney, David; Benaglia, Andrea; Benhabib, Lamia; Berruti, Gaia Maria; Bloch, Philippe; Bocci, Andrea; Bonato, Alessio; Botta, Cristina; Breuker, Horst; Camporesi, Tiziano; Castello, Roberto; Cepeda, Maria; Cerminara, Gianluca; D'Alfonso, Mariarosaria; D'Enterria, David; Dabrowski, Anne; Daponte, Vincenzo; David Tinoco Mendes, Andre; De Gruttola, Michele; De Guio, Federico; De Roeck, Albert; Di Marco, Emanuele; Dobson, Marc; Dordevic, Milos; Dorney, Brian; Du Pree, Tristan; Duggan, Daniel; Dünser, Marc; Dupont, Niels; Elliott-Peisert, Anna; Fartoukh, Stephane; Franzoni, Giovanni; Fulcher, Jonathan; Funk, Wolfgang; Gigi, Dominique; Gill, Karl; Girone, Maria; Glege, Frank; Guida, Roberto; Gundacker, Stefan; Guthoff, Moritz; Hammer, Josef; Harris, Philip; Hegeman, Jeroen; Innocente, Vincenzo; Janot, Patrick; Kirschenmann, Henning; Knünz, Valentin; Kortelainen, Matti J; Kousouris, Konstantinos; Lecoq, Paul; Lourenco, Carlos; Lucchini, Marco Toliman; Magini, Nicolo; Malgeri, Luca; Mannelli, Marcello; Martelli, Arabella; Masetti, Lorenzo; Meijers, Frans; Mersi, Stefano; Meschi, Emilio; Moortgat, Filip; Morovic, Srecko; Mulders, Martijn; Neugebauer, Hannes; Orfanelli, Styliani; Orsini, Luciano; Pape, Luc; Perez, Emmanuelle; Peruzzi, Marco; Petrilli, Achille; Petrucciani, Giovanni; Pfeiffer, Andreas; Pierini, Maurizio; Piparo, Danilo; Racz, Attila; Reis, Thomas; Rolandi, Gigi; Rovere, Marco; Ruan, Manqi; Sakulin, Hannes; Sauvan, Jean-Baptiste; Schäfer, Christoph; Schwick, Christoph; Seidel, Markus; Sharma, Archana; Silva, Pedro; Simon, Michal; Sphicas, Paraskevas; Steggemann, Jan; Stoye, Markus; Takahashi, Yuta; Treille, Daniel; Triossi, Andrea; Tsirou, Andromachi; Veckalns, Viesturs; Veres, Gabor Istvan; Wardle, Nicholas; Wöhri, Hermine Katharina; Zagoździńska, Agnieszka; Zeuner, Wolfram Dietrich; Bertl, Willi; Deiters, Konrad; Erdmann, Wolfram; Horisberger, Roland; Ingram, Quentin; Kaestli, Hans-Christian; Kotlinski, Danek; Langenegger, Urs; Rohe, Tilman; Bachmair, Felix; Bäni, Lukas; Bianchini, Lorenzo; Casal, Bruno; Dissertori, Günther; Dittmar, Michael; Donegà, Mauro; Eller, Philipp; Grab, Christoph; Heidegger, Constantin; Hits, Dmitry; Hoss, Jan; Kasieczka, Gregor; Lecomte, Pierre; Lustermann, Werner; Mangano, Boris; Marionneau, Matthieu; Martinez Ruiz del Arbol, Pablo; Masciovecchio, Mario; Meinhard, Maren Tabea; Meister, Daniel; Micheli, Francesco; Musella, Pasquale; Nessi-Tedaldi, Francesca; Pandolfi, Francesco; Pata, Joosep; Pauss, Felicitas; Perrin, Gaël; Perrozzi, Luca; Quittnat, Milena; Rossini, Marco; Schönenberger, Myriam; Starodumov, Andrei; Takahashi, Maiko; Tavolaro, Vittorio Raoul; Theofilatos, Konstantinos; Wallny, Rainer; Aarrestad, Thea Klaeboe; Amsler, Claude; Caminada, Lea; Canelli, Maria Florencia; Chiochia, Vincenzo; De Cosa, Annapaola; Galloni, Camilla; Hinzmann, Andreas; Hreus, Tomas; Kilminster, Benjamin; Lange, Clemens; Ngadiuba, Jennifer; Pinna, Deborah; Rauco, Giorgia; Robmann, Peter; Salerno, Daniel; Yang, Yong; Chen, Kuan-Hsin; Doan, Thi Hien; Jain, Shilpi; Khurana, Raman; Konyushikhin, Maxim; Kuo, Chia-Ming; Lin, Willis; Lu, Yun-Ju; Pozdnyakov, Andrey; Yu, Shin-Shan; Kumar, Arun; Chang, Paoti; Chang, You-Hao; Chang, Yu-Wei; Chao, Yuan; Chen, Kai-Feng; Chen, Po-Hsun; Dietz, Charles; Fiori, Francesco; Hou, George Wei-Shu; Hsiung, Yee; Liu, Yueh-Feng; Lu, Rong-Shyang; Miñano Moya, Mercedes; Tsai, Jui-fa; Tzeng, Yeng-Ming; Asavapibhop, Burin; Kovitanggoon, Kittikul; Singh, Gurpreet; Srimanobhas, Norraphat; Suwonjandee, Narumon; Adiguzel, Aytul; Bakirci, Mustafa Numan; Cerci, Salim; Damarseckin, Serdal; Demiroglu, Zuhal Seyma; Dozen, Candan; Dumanoglu, Isa; Eskut, Eda; Girgis, Semiray; Gokbulut, Gul; Guler, Yalcin; Gurpinar, Emine; Hos, Ilknur; Kangal, Evrim Ersin; Kayis Topaksu, Aysel; Onengut, Gulsen; Ozdemir, Kadri; Polatoz, Ayse; Zorbilmez, Caglar; Bilin, Bugra; Bilmis, Selcuk; Isildak, Bora; Karapinar, Guler; Yalvac, Metin; Zeyrek, Mehmet; Gülmez, Erhan; Kaya, Mithat; Kaya, Ozlem; Yetkin, Elif Asli; Yetkin, Taylan; Cakir, Altan; Cankocak, Kerem; Sen, Sercan; Grynyov, Boris; Levchuk, Leonid; Sorokin, Pavel; Aggleton, Robin; Ball, Fionn; Beck, Lana; Brooke, James John; Burns, Douglas; Clement, Emyr; Cussans, David; Flacher, Henning; Goldstein, Joel; Grimes, Mark; Heath, Greg P; Heath, Helen F; Jacob, Jeson; Kreczko, Lukasz; Lucas, Chris; Meng, Zhaoxia; Newbold, Dave M; Paramesvaran, Sudarshan; Poll, Anthony; Sakuma, Tai; Seif El Nasr-storey, Sarah; Senkin, Sergey; Smith, Dominic; Smith, Vincent J; Bell, Ken W; Belyaev, Alexander; Brew, Christopher; Brown, Robert M; Calligaris, Luigi; Cieri, Davide; Cockerill, David JA; Coughlan, John A; Harder, Kristian; Harper, Sam; Olaiya, Emmanuel; Petyt, David; Shepherd-Themistocleous, Claire; Thea, Alessandro; Tomalin, Ian R; Williams, Thomas; Worm, Steven; Baber, Mark; Bainbridge, Robert; Buchmuller, Oliver; Bundock, Aaron; Burton, Darren; Casasso, Stefano; Citron, Matthew; Colling, David; Corpe, Louie; Dauncey, Paul; Davies, Gavin; De Wit, Adinda; Della Negra, Michel; Dunne, Patrick; Elwood, Adam; Futyan, David; Haddad, Yacine; Hall, Geoffrey; Iles, Gregory; Lane, Rebecca; Lucas, Robyn; Lyons, Louis; Magnan, Anne-Marie; Malik, Sarah; Mastrolorenzo, Luca; Nash, Jordan; Nikitenko, Alexander; Pela, Joao; Penning, Bjoern; Pesaresi, Mark; Raymond, David Mark; Richards, Alexander; Rose, Andrew; Seez, Christopher; Tapper, Alexander; Uchida, Kirika; Vazquez Acosta, Monica; Virdee, Tejinder; Zenz, Seth Conrad; Cole, Joanne; Hobson, Peter R; Khan, Akram; Kyberd, Paul; Leslie, Dawn; Reid, Ivan; Symonds, Philip; Teodorescu, Liliana; Turner, Mark; Borzou, Ahmad; Call, Kenneth; Dittmann, Jay; Hatakeyama, Kenichi; Liu, Hongxuan; Pastika, Nathaniel; Charaf, Otman; Cooper, Seth; Henderson, Conor; Rumerio, Paolo; Arcaro, Daniel; Avetisyan, Aram; Bose, Tulika; Gastler, Daniel; Rankin, Dylan; Richardson, Clint; Rohlf, James; Sulak, Lawrence; Zou, David; Alimena, Juliette; Benelli, Gabriele; Berry, Edmund; Cutts, David; Ferapontov, Alexey; Garabedian, Alex; Hakala, John; Heintz, Ulrich; Jesus, Orduna; Laird, Edward; Landsberg, Greg; Mao, Zaixing; Narain, Meenakshi; Piperov, Stefan; Sagir, Sinan; Syarif, Rizki; Breedon, Richard; Breto, Guillermo; Calderon De La Barca Sanchez, Manuel; Chauhan, Sushil; Chertok, Maxwell; Conway, John; Conway, Rylan; Cox, Peter Timothy; Erbacher, Robin; Flores, Chad; Funk, Garrett; Gardner, Michael; Ko, Winston; Lander, Richard; Mclean, Christine; Mulhearn, Michael; Pellett, Dave; Pilot, Justin; Ricci-Tam, Francesca; Shalhout, Shalhout; Smith, John; Squires, Michael; Stolp, Dustin; Tripathi, Mani; Wilbur, Scott; Yohay, Rachel; Cousins, Robert; Everaerts, Pieter; Florent, Alice; Hauser, Jay; Ignatenko, Mikhail; Saltzberg, David; Takasugi, Eric; Valuev, Vyacheslav; Weber, Matthias; Burt, Kira; Clare, Robert; Ellison, John Anthony; Gary, J William; Hanson, Gail; Heilman, Jesse; Jandir, Pawandeep; Kennedy, Elizabeth; Lacroix, Florent; Long, Owen Rosser; Malberti, Martina; Olmedo Negrete, Manuel; Paneva, Mirena Ivova; Shrinivas, Amithabh; Wei, Hua; Wimpenny, Stephen; Yates, Brent; Branson, James G; Cerati, Giuseppe Benedetto; Cittolin, Sergio; D'Agnolo, Raffaele Tito; Derdzinski, Mark; Gerosa, Raffaele; Holzner, André; Kelley, Ryan; Klein, Daniel; Letts, James; Macneill, Ian; Olivito, Dominick; Padhi, Sanjay; Pieri, Marco; Sani, Matteo; Sharma, Vivek; Simon, Sean; Tadel, Matevz; Vartak, Adish; Wasserbaech, Steven; Welke, Charles; Wood, John; Würthwein, Frank; Yagil, Avraham; Zevi Della Porta, Giovanni; Bradmiller-Feld, John; Campagnari, Claudio; Dishaw, Adam; Dutta, Valentina; Flowers, Kristen; Franco Sevilla, Manuel; Geffert, Paul; George, Christopher; Golf, Frank; Gouskos, Loukas; Gran, Jason; Incandela, Joe; Mccoll, Nickolas; Mullin, Sam Daniel; Richman, Jeffrey; Stuart, David; Suarez, Indara; West, Christopher; Yoo, Jaehyeok; Anderson, Dustin; Apresyan, Artur; Bendavid, Joshua; Bornheim, Adolf; Bunn, Julian; Chen, Yi; Duarte, Javier; Mott, Alexander; Newman, Harvey B; Pena, Cristian; Spiropulu, Maria; Vlimant, Jean-Roch; Xie, Si; Zhu, Ren-Yuan; Andrews, Michael Benjamin; Azzolini, Virginia; Calamba, Aristotle; Carlson, Benjamin; Ferguson, Thomas; Paulini, Manfred; Russ, James; Sun, Menglei; Vogel, Helmut; Vorobiev, Igor; Cumalat, John Perry; Ford, William T; Jensen, Frank; Johnson, Andrew; Krohn, Michael; Mulholland, Troy; Stenson, Kevin; Wagner, Stephen Robert; Alexander, James; Chatterjee, Avishek; Chaves, Jorge; Chu, Jennifer; Dittmer, Susan; Eggert, Nicholas; Mirman, Nathan; Nicolas Kaufman, Gala; Patterson, Juliet Ritchie; Rinkevicius, Aurelijus; Ryd, Anders; Skinnari, Louise; Soffi, Livia; Sun, Werner; Tan, Shao Min; Teo, Wee Don; Thom, Julia; Thompson, Joshua; Tucker, Jordan; Weng, Yao; Wittich, Peter; Abdullin, Salavat; Albrow, Michael; Apollinari, Giorgio; Banerjee, Sunanda; Bauerdick, Lothar AT; Beretvas, Andrew; Berryhill, Jeffrey; Bhat, Pushpalatha C; Bolla, Gino; Burkett, Kevin; Butler, Joel Nathan; Cheung, Harry; Chlebana, Frank; Cihangir, Selcuk; Cremonesi, Matteo; Elvira, Victor Daniel; Fisk, Ian; Freeman, Jim; Gottschalk, Erik; Gray, Lindsey; Green, Dan; Grünendahl, Stefan; Gutsche, Oliver; Hare, Daryl; Harris, Robert M; Hasegawa, Satoshi; Hirschauer, James; Hu, Zhen; Jayatilaka, Bodhitha; Jindariani, Sergo; Johnson, Marvin; Joshi, Umesh; Klima, Boaz; Kreis, Benjamin; Lammel, Stephan; Lewis, Jonathan; Linacre, Jacob; Lincoln, Don; Lipton, Ron; Liu, Tiehui; Lopes De Sá, Rafael; Lykken, Joseph; Maeshima, Kaori; Marraffino, John Michael; Maruyama, Sho; Mason, David; McBride, Patricia; Merkel, Petra; Mrenna, Stephen; Nahn, Steve; Newman-Holmes, Catherine; O'Dell, Vivian; Pedro, Kevin; Prokofyev, Oleg; Rakness, Gregory; Sexton-Kennedy, Elizabeth; Soha, Aron; Spalding, William J; Spiegel, Leonard; Stoynev, Stoyan; Strobbe, Nadja; Taylor, Lucas; Tkaczyk, Slawek; Tran, Nhan Viet; Uplegger, Lorenzo; Vaandering, Eric Wayne; Vernieri, Caterina; Verzocchi, Marco; Vidal, Richard; Wang, Michael; Weber, Hannsjoerg Artur; Whitbeck, Andrew; Acosta, Darin; Avery, Paul; Bortignon, Pierluigi; Bourilkov, Dimitri; Brinkerhoff, Andrew; Carnes, Andrew; Carver, Matthew; Curry, David; Das, Souvik; Field, Richard D; Furic, Ivan-Kresimir; Konigsberg, Jacobo; Korytov, Andrey; Kotov, Khristian; Ma, Peisen; Matchev, Konstantin; Mei, Hualin; Milenovic, Predrag; Mitselmakher, Guenakh; Rank, Douglas; Rossin, Roberto; Shchutska, Lesya; Sperka, David; Terentyev, Nikolay; Thomas, Laurent; Wang, Jian; Wang, Sean-Jiun; Yelton, John; Linn, Stephan; Markowitz, Pete; Martinez, German; Rodriguez, Jorge Luis; Ackert, Andrew; Adams, Jordon Rowe; Adams, Todd; Askew, Andrew; Bein, Samuel; Bochenek, Joseph; Diamond, Brendan; Haas, Jeff; Hagopian, Sharon; Hagopian, Vasken; Johnson, Kurtis F; Khatiwada, Ajeeta; Prosper, Harrison; Santra, Arka; Weinberg, Marc; Baarmand, Marc M; Bhopatkar, Vallary; Colafranceschi, Stefano; Hohlmann, Marcus; Kalakhety, Himali; Noonan, Daniel; Roy, Titas; Yumiceva, Francisco; Adams, Mark Raymond; Apanasevich, Leonard; Berry, Douglas; Betts, Russell Richard; Bucinskaite, Inga; Cavanaugh, Richard; Evdokimov, Olga; Gauthier, Lucie; Gerber, Cecilia Elena; Hofman, David Jonathan; Kurt, Pelin; O'Brien, Christine; Sandoval Gonzalez, Irving Daniel; Turner, Paul; Varelas, Nikos; Wu, Zhenbin; Zakaria, Mohammed; Zhang, Jingyu; Bilki, Burak; Clarida, Warren; Dilsiz, Kamuran; Durgut, Süleyman; Gandrajula, Reddy Pratap; Haytmyradov, Maksat; Khristenko, Viktor; Merlo, Jean-Pierre; Mermerkaya, Hamit; Mestvirishvili, Alexi; Moeller, Anthony; Nachtman, Jane; Ogul, Hasan; Onel, Yasar; Ozok, Ferhat; Penzo, Aldo; Snyder, Christina; Tiras, Emrah; Wetzel, James; Yi, Kai; Anderson, Ian; Blumenfeld, Barry; Cocoros, Alice; Eminizer, Nicholas; Fehling, David; Feng, Lei; Gritsan, Andrei; Maksimovic, Petar; Osherson, Marc; Roskes, Jeffrey; Sarica, Ulascan; Swartz, Morris; Xiao, Meng; Xin, Yongjie; You, Can; Baringer, Philip; Bean, Alice; Bruner, Christopher; Castle, James; Kenny III, Raymond Patrick; Kropivnitskaya, Anna; Majumder, Devdatta; Malek, Magdalena; Mcbrayer, William; Murray, Michael; Sanders, Stephen; Stringer, Robert; Wang, Quan; Ivanov, Andrew; Kaadze, Ketino; Khalil, Sadia; Makouski, Mikhail; Maravin, Yurii; Mohammadi, Abdollah; Saini, Lovedeep Kaur; Skhirtladze, Nikoloz; Toda, Sachiko; Lange, David; Rebassoo, Finn; Wright, Douglas; Anelli, Christopher; Baden, Drew; Baron, Owen; Belloni, Alberto; Calvert, Brian; Eno, Sarah Catherine; Ferraioli, Charles; Gomez, Jaime; Hadley, Nicholas John; Jabeen, Shabnam; Kellogg, Richard G; Kolberg, Ted; Kunkle, Joshua; Lu, Ying; Mignerey, Alice; Shin, Young Ho; Skuja, Andris; Tonjes, Marguerite; Tonwar, Suresh C; Apyan, Aram; Barbieri, Richard; Baty, Austin; Bi, Ran; Bierwagen, Katharina; Brandt, Stephanie; Busza, Wit; Cali, Ivan Amos; Demiragli, Zeynep; Di Matteo, Leonardo; Gomez Ceballos, Guillelmo; Goncharov, Maxim; Gulhan, Doga; Hsu, Dylan; Iiyama, Yutaro; Innocenti, Gian Michele; Klute, Markus; Kovalskyi, Dmytro; Krajczar, Krisztian; Lai, Yue Shi; Lee, Yen-Jie; Levin, Andrew; Luckey, Paul David; Marini, Andrea Carlo; Mcginn, Christopher; Mironov, Camelia; Narayanan, Siddharth; Niu, Xinmei; Paus, Christoph; Roland, Christof; Roland, Gunther; Salfeld-Nebgen, Jakob; Stephans, George; Sumorok, Konstanty; Tatar, Kaya; Varma, Mukund; Velicanu, Dragos; Veverka, Jan; Wang, Jing; Wang, Ta-Wei; Wyslouch, Bolek; Yang, Mingming; Zhukova, Victoria; Benvenuti, Alberto; Dahmes, Bryan; Evans, Andrew; Finkel, Alexey; Gude, Alexander; Hansen, Peter; Kalafut, Sean; Kao, Shih-Chuan; Klapoetke, Kevin; Kubota, Yuichi; Lesko, Zachary; Mans, Jeremy; Nourbakhsh, Shervin; Ruckstuhl, Nicole; Rusack, Roger; Tambe, Norbert; Turkewitz, Jared; Acosta, John Gabriel; Oliveros, Sandra; Avdeeva, Ekaterina; Bartek, Rachel; Bloom, Kenneth; Bose, Suvadeep; Claes, Daniel R; Dominguez, Aaron; Fangmeier, Caleb; Gonzalez Suarez, Rebeca; Kamalieddin, Rami; Knowlton, Dan; Kravchenko, Ilya; Meier, Frank; Monroy, Jose; Ratnikov, Fedor; Siado, Joaquin Emilo; Snow, Gregory R; Stieger, Benjamin; Alyari, Maral; Dolen, James; George, Jimin; Godshalk, Andrew; Harrington, Charles; Iashvili, Ia; Kaisen, Josh; Kharchilava, Avto; Kumar, Ashish; Parker, Ashley; Rappoccio, Salvatore; Roozbahani, Bahareh; Alverson, George; Barberis, Emanuela; Baumgartel, Darin; Chasco, Matthew; Hortiangtham, Apichart; Massironi, Andrea; Morse, David Michael; Nash, David; Orimoto, Toyoko; Teixeira De Lima, Rafael; Trocino, Daniele; Wang, Ren-Jie; Wood, Darien; Zhang, Jinzhong; Bhattacharya, Saptaparna; Hahn, Kristan Allan; Kubik, Andrew; Low, Jia Fu; Mucia, Nicholas; Odell, Nathaniel; Pollack, Brian; Schmitt, Michael Henry; Sung, Kevin; Trovato, Marco; Velasco, Mayda; Dev, Nabarun; Hildreth, Michael; Jessop, Colin; Karmgard, Daniel John; Kellams, Nathan; Lannon, Kevin; Marinelli, Nancy; Meng, Fanbo; Mueller, Charles; Musienko, Yuri; Planer, Michael; Reinsvold, Allison; Ruchti, Randy; Rupprecht, Nathaniel; Smith, Geoffrey; Taroni, Silvia; Valls, Nil; Wayne, Mitchell; Wolf, Matthias; Woodard, Anna; Antonelli, Louis; Brinson, Jessica; Bylsma, Ben; Durkin, Lloyd Stanley; Flowers, Sean; Hart, Andrew; Hill, Christopher; Hughes, Richard; Ji, Weifeng; Liu, Bingxuan; Luo, Wuming; Puigh, Darren; Rodenburg, Marissa; Winer, Brian L; Wulsin, Howard Wells; Driga, Olga; Elmer, Peter; Hardenbrook, Joshua; Hebda, Philip; Koay, Sue Ann; Lujan, Paul; Marlow, Daniel; Medvedeva, Tatiana; Mooney, Michael; Olsen, James; Palmer, Christopher; Piroué, Pierre; Stickland, David; Tully, Christopher; Zuranski, Andrzej; Malik, Sudhir; Barker, Anthony; Barnes, Virgil E; Benedetti, Daniele; Gutay, Laszlo; Jha, Manoj; Jones, Matthew; Jung, Andreas Werner; Jung, Kurt; Miller, David Harry; Neumeister, Norbert; Radburn-Smith, Benjamin Charles; Shi, Xin; Sun, Jian; Svyatkovskiy, Alexey; Wang, Fuqiang; Xie, Wei; Xu, Lingshan; Parashar, Neeti; Stupak, John; Adair, Antony; Akgun, Bora; Chen, Zhenyu; Ecklund, Karl Matthew; Geurts, Frank JM; Guilbaud, Maxime; Li, Wei; Michlin, Benjamin; Northup, Michael; Padley, Brian Paul; Redjimi, Radia; Roberts, Jay; Rorie, Jamal; Tu, Zhoudunming; Zabel, James; Betchart, Burton; Bodek, Arie; de Barbaro, Pawel; Demina, Regina; Duh, Yi-ting; Eshaq, Yossof; Ferbel, Thomas; Galanti, Mario; Garcia-Bellido, Aran; Han, Jiyeon; Hindrichs, Otto; Khukhunaishvili, Aleko; Lo, Kin Ho; Tan, Ping; Verzetti, Mauro; Chou, John Paul; Contreras-Campana, Emmanuel; Gershtein, Yuri; Gómez Espinosa, Tirso Alejandro; Halkiadakis, Eva; Heindl, Maximilian; Hidas, Dean; Hughes, Elliot; Kaplan, Steven; Kunnawalkam Elayavalli, Raghav; Kyriacou, Savvas; Lath, Amitabh; Nash, Kevin; Saka, Halil; Salur, Sevil; Schnetzer, Steve; Sheffield, David; Somalwar, Sunil; Stone, Robert; Thomas, Scott; Thomassen, Peter; Walker, Matthew; Foerster, Mark; Heideman, Joseph; Riley, Grant; Rose, Keith; Spanier, Stefan; Thapa, Krishna; Bouhali, Othmane; Castaneda Hernandez, Alfredo; Celik, Ali; Dalchenko, Mykhailo; De Mattia, Marco; Delgado, Andrea; Dildick, Sven; Eusebi, Ricardo; Gilmore, Jason; Huang, Tao; Kamon, Teruki; Krutelyov, Vyacheslav; Mueller, Ryan; Osipenkov, Ilya; Pakhotin, Yuriy; Patel, Rishi; Perloff, Alexx; Perniè, Luca; Rathjens, Denis; Rose, Anthony; Safonov, Alexei; Tatarinov, Aysen; Ulmer, Keith; Akchurin, Nural; Cowden, Christopher; Damgov, Jordan; Dragoiu, Cosmin; Dudero, Phillip Russell; Faulkner, James; Kunori, Shuichi; Lamichhane, Kamal; Lee, Sung Won; Libeiro, Terence; Undleeb, Sonaina; Volobouev, Igor; Wang, Zhixing; Appelt, Eric; Delannoy, Andrés G; Greene, Senta; Gurrola, Alfredo; Janjam, Ravi; Johns, Willard; Maguire, Charles; Mao, Yaxian; Melo, Andrew; Ni, Hong; Sheldon, Paul; Tuo, Shengquan; Velkovska, Julia; Xu, Qiao; Arenton, Michael Wayne; Barria, Patrizia; Cox, Bradley; Francis, Brian; Goodell, Joseph; Hirosky, Robert; Ledovskoy, Alexander; Li, Hengne; Neu, Christopher; Sinthuprasith, Tutanon; Sun, Xin; Wang, Yanchu; Wolfe, Evan; Xia, Fan; Clarke, Christopher; Harr, Robert; Karchin, Paul Edmund; Kottachchi Kankanamge Don, Chamath; Lamichhane, Pramod; Sturdy, Jared; Belknap, Donald; Carlsmith, Duncan; Dasu, Sridhara; Dodd, Laura; Duric, Senka; Gomber, Bhawna; Grothe, Monika; Herndon, Matthew; Hervé, Alain; Klabbers, Pamela; Lanaro, Armando; Levine, Aaron; Long, Kenneth; Loveless, Richard; Mohapatra, Ajit; Ojalvo, Isabel; Perry, Thomas; Pierro, Giuseppe Antonio; Polese, Giovanni; Ruggles, Tyler; Sarangi, Tapas; Savin, Alexander; Sharma, Archana; Smith, Nicholas; Smith, Wesley H; Taylor, Devin; Verwilligen, Piet; Woods, Nathaniel

    2017-04-10

    An inclusive search is performed for supersymmetry in final states containing jets and an apparent imbalance in transverse momentum, $ \\vec{p}_{\\mathrm{T}}^{\\text{miss}} $, due to the production of unobserved weakly interacting particles in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The data, recorded with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 18.5 fb$^{-1}$. The dimensionless kinematic variable ${\\alpha_\\mathrm{T}}$ is used to discriminate between events with genuine $ \\vec{p}_{\\mathrm{T}}^{\\text{miss}} $ associated with unobserved particles and spurious values of $ \\vec{p}_{\\mathrm{T}}^{\\text{miss}} $ arising from jet energy mismeasurements. No excess of event yields above the expected standard model backgrounds is observed. The results are interpreted in terms of constraints on the parameter space of several simplified models of supersymmetry that assume the pair production of top squarks. The search provides sensitivity to a broad range of top squark ($\\tilde{...

  5. Identified research directions for using manufacturing knowledge earlier in the product lifecycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hedberg, Thomas D; Hartman, Nathan W; Rosche, Phil; Fischer, Kevin

    2017-01-01

    Design for Manufacturing (DFM), especially the use of manufacturing knowledge to support design decisions, has received attention in the academic domain. However, industry practice has not been studied enough to provide solutions that are mature for industry. The current state of the art for DFM is often rule-based functionality within Computer-Aided Design (CAD) systems that enforce specific design requirements. That rule-based functionality may or may not dynamically affect geometry definition. And, if rule-based functionality exists in the CAD system, it is typically a customization on a case-by-case basis. Manufacturing knowledge is a phrase with vast meanings, which may include knowledge on the effects of material properties decisions, machine and process capabilities, or understanding the unintended consequences of design decisions on manufacturing. One of the DFM questions to answer is how can manufacturing knowledge, depending on its definition, be used earlier in the product lifecycle to enable a more collaborative development environment? This paper will discuss the results of a workshop on manufacturing knowledge that highlights several research questions needing more study. This paper proposes recommendations for investigating the relationship of manufacturing knowledge with shape, behavior, and context characteristics of product to produce a better understanding of what knowledge is most important. In addition, the proposal includes recommendations for investigating the system-level barriers to reusing manufacturing knowledge and how model-based manufacturing may ease the burden of knowledge sharing. Lastly, the proposal addresses the direction of future research for holistic solutions of using manufacturing knowledge earlier in the product lifecycle.

  6. Identifying ingredients that delay outgrowth of Listeria monocytogenes in natural, organic, and clean-label ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonnell, Lindsey M; Glass, Kathleen A; Sindelar, Jeffrey J

    2013-08-01

    The objective of this study was to identify ingredients that inhibit Listeria monocytogenes in natural, organic, or clean-label ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. Fourteen ingredients were screened in uncured (no-nitrate-or-nitrite-added), traditional-cured (156 ppm of purified sodium nitrite), cultured (alternative cured, natural nitrate source, and Staphylococcus carnosus), or preconverted (alternative cured, natural nitrite source) turkey slurries. Slurries were cooked, cooled, inoculated to yield 3 log CFU/ml L. monocytogenes, stored at 4°C, and tested weekly for 4 weeks. Three antimicrobial ingredients, 1.5 % vinegar-lemon-cherry powder blend, 2.5 % buffered vinegar, and 3.0 % cultured sugar-vinegar blend, were incorporated into alternative-cured ham and uncured roast beef and deli-style turkey breast. Controls included all three meat products without antimicrobial ingredients and a traditional-cured ham with 2.8 % sodium lactate-diacetate. Cooked, sliced products were inoculated with 3 log CFU/g L. monocytogenes, vacuum packed, and stored at 4 or 7°C, for up to 12 weeks. For control products without antimicrobial agents stored at 4°C, a 2-log L. monocytogenes increase was observed at 2 weeks for ham and turkey and at 4 weeks for roast beef. Growth (>1-log increase) in the sodium lactate-diacetate was delayed until week 6. Compared with the control, the addition of either vinegar-lemon-cherry powder blend or buffered vinegar delayed L. monocytogenes growth for an additional 2 weeks, while the addition of cultured sugar-vinegar blend delayed growth for an additional 4 weeks for both ham and turkey. The greatest L. monocytogenes delay was observed in roast beef containing any of the three antimicrobial ingredients, with no growth detected through 12 weeks at 4°C for all the treatments. As expected, L. monocytogenes grew substantially faster in products stored at 7°C than at 4°C. These data suggest that antimicrobial ingredients from a natural source

  7. Efficient eigenvalue determination for arbitrary Pauli products based on generalized spin-spin interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leibfried, D.; Wineland, D. J.

    2018-03-01

    Effective spin-spin interactions between ? qubits enable the determination of the eigenvalue of an arbitrary Pauli product of dimension N with a constant, small number of multi-qubit gates that is independent of N and encodes the eigenvalue in the measurement basis states of an extra ancilla qubit. Such interactions are available whenever qubits can be coupled to a shared harmonic oscillator, a situation that can be realized in many physical qubit implementations. For example, suitable interactions have already been realized for up to 14 qubits in ion traps. It should be possible to implement stabilizer codes for quantum error correction with a constant number of multi-qubit gates, in contrast to typical constructions with a number of two-qubit gates that increases as a function of N. The special case of finding the parity of N qubits only requires a small number of operations that is independent of N. This compares favorably to algorithms for computing the parity on conventional machines, which implies a genuine quantum advantage.

  8. Identifying balance impairments in people with Parkinson's disease using video and wearable sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stack, Emma; Agarwal, Veena; King, Rachel; Burnett, Malcolm; Tahavori, Fatemeh; Janko, Balazs; Harwin, William; Ashburn, Ann; Kunkel, Dorit

    2018-05-01

    Falls and near falls are common among people with Parkinson's (PwP). To date, most wearable sensor research focussed on fall detection, few studies explored if wearable sensors can detect instability. Can instability (caution or near-falls) be detected using wearable sensors in comparison to video analysis? Twenty-four people (aged 60-86) with and without Parkinson's were recruited from community groups. Movements (e.g. walking, turning, transfers and reaching) were observed in the gait laboratory and/or at home; recorded using clinical measures, video and five wearable sensors (attached on the waist, ankles and wrists). After defining 'caution' and 'instability', two researchers evaluated video data and a third the raw wearable sensor data; blinded to each other's evaluations. Agreement between video and sensor data was calculated on stability, timing, step count and strategy. Data was available for 117 performances: 82 (70%) appeared stable on video. Ratings agreed in 86/117 cases (74%). Highest agreement was noted for chair transfer, timed up and go test and 3 m walks. Video analysts noted caution (slow, contained movements, safety-enhancing postures and concentration) and/or instability (saving reactions, stopping after stumbling or veering) in 40/134 performances (30%): raw wearable sensor data identified 16/35 performances rated cautious or unstable (sensitivity 46%) and 70/82 rated stable (specificity 85%). There was a 54% chance that a performance identified from wearable sensors as cautious/unstable was so; rising to 80% for stable movements. Agreement between wearable sensor and video data suggested that wearable sensors can detect subtle instability and near-falls. Caution and instability were observed in nearly a third of performances, suggesting that simple, mildly challenging actions, with clearly defined start- and end-points, may be most amenable to monitoring during free-living at home. Using the genuine near-falls recorded, work continues to

  9. Why has productivity growth declined? Productivity and public investment

    OpenAIRE

    Alicia H. Munnell

    1990-01-01

    The decline in United States productivity has been widely identified as one of the major economic problems facing the nation. This concern is understandable; productivity growth is the major determinant of the future standard of living. Economists have gone to great lengths to try to identify the reasons for the slowdown, and David Aschauer recently introduced the notion that the stock of public infrastructure, as well as the stock of private capital, may be a key to explaining changes in out...

  10. An application in identifying high-risk populations in alternative tobacco product use utilizing logistic regression and CART: a heuristic comparison.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lei, Yang; Nollen, Nikki; Ahluwahlia, Jasjit S; Yu, Qing; Mayo, Matthew S

    2015-04-09

    Other forms of tobacco use are increasing in prevalence, yet most tobacco control efforts are aimed at cigarettes. In light of this, it is important to identify individuals who are using both cigarettes and alternative tobacco products (ATPs). Most previous studies have used regression models. We conducted a traditional logistic regression model and a classification and regression tree (CART) model to illustrate and discuss the added advantages of using CART in the setting of identifying high-risk subgroups of ATP users among cigarettes smokers. The data were collected from an online cross-sectional survey administered by Survey Sampling International between July 5, 2012 and August 15, 2012. Eligible participants self-identified as current smokers, African American, White, or Latino (of any race), were English-speaking, and were at least 25 years old. The study sample included 2,376 participants and was divided into independent training and validation samples for a hold out validation. Logistic regression and CART models were used to examine the important predictors of cigarettes + ATP users. The logistic regression model identified nine important factors: gender, age, race, nicotine dependence, buying cigarettes or borrowing, whether the price of cigarettes influences the brand purchased, whether the participants set limits on cigarettes per day, alcohol use scores, and discrimination frequencies. The C-index of the logistic regression model was 0.74, indicating good discriminatory capability. The model performed well in the validation cohort also with good discrimination (c-index = 0.73) and excellent calibration (R-square = 0.96 in the calibration regression). The parsimonious CART model identified gender, age, alcohol use score, race, and discrimination frequencies to be the most important factors. It also revealed interesting partial interactions. The c-index is 0.70 for the training sample and 0.69 for the validation sample. The misclassification

  11. Exploiting Wireless Received Signal Strength Indicators to Detect Evil-Twin Attacks in Smart Homes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhanyong Tang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Evil-Twin is becoming a common attack in smart home environments where an attacker can set up a fake AP to compromise the security of the connected devices. To identify the fake APs, The current approaches of detecting Evil-Twin attacks all rely on information such as SSIDs, the MAC address of the genuine AP, or network traffic patterns. However, such information can be faked by the attacker, often leading to low detection rates and weak protection. This paper presents a novel Evil-Twin attack detection method based on the received signal strength indicator (RSSI. Our approach considers the RSSI as a fingerprint of APs and uses the fingerprint of the genuine AP to identify fake ones. We provide two schemes to detect a fake AP in two different scenarios where the genuine AP can be located at either a single or multiple locations in the property, by exploiting the multipath effect of the Wi-Fi signal. As a departure from prior work, our approach does not rely on any professional measurement devices. Experimental results show that our approach can successfully detect 90% of the fake APs, at the cost of a one-off, modest connection delay.

  12. THE COMMUNICATION MIX ADRESSED TO THE FEMININE SEGMENT. CASE STUDY ON THE ROMANIAN MARKET OF COSMETIC PRODUCTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CLAUDIA ELENA PAICU

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Currently, the female segment represents a genuine power in terms of consumer behavior. We can certainly argue that the feminine segment is no longer just a market niche. We can relate to this segment as the majority. To support this idea, we consider the data provided by the National Institute of Statistics. According to these statistics, the female segment sums up 51.4% of the total population, an increase being recorded in the last 10 years, from just over 50% to more than 51%. Therefore, it is not wrong to claim that feminine segment holds the majority in terms of consumer behavior. In this context, the female consumer’s preferences and needs should be integrated into all the communication strategies of organizations. The present study aims to see to what extent, at present, an attention is paid to this segment, proposing as an example a study in an area addressed in a high percentage to the feminine segment, the market of cosmetic products.

  13. Using event related potentials to identify a user's behavioural intention aroused by product form design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Yi; Guo, Fu; Zhang, Xuefeng; Qu, Qingxing; Liu, Weilin

    2016-07-01

    The capacity of product form to arouse user's behavioural intention plays a decisive role in further user experience, even in purchase decision, while traditional methods rarely give a fully understanding of user experience evoked by product form, especially the feeling of anticipated use of product. Behavioural intention aroused by product form designs has not yet been investigated electrophysiologically. Hence event related potentials (ERPs) were applied to explore the process of behavioural intention when users browsed different smart phone form designs with brand and price not taken into account for mainly studying the brain activity evoked by variety of product forms. Smart phone pictures with different anticipated user experience were displayed with equiprobability randomly. Participants were asked to click the left mouse button when certain picture gave them a feeling of behavioural intention to interact with. The brain signal of each participant was recorded by Curry 7.0. The results show that pictures with an ability to arouse participants' behavioural intention for further experience can evoke enhanced N300 and LPPs (late positive potentials) in central-parietal, parietal and occipital regions. The scalp topography shows that central-parietal, parietal and occipital regions are more activated. The results indicate that the discrepancy of ERPs can reflect the neural activities of behavioural intention formed or not. Moreover, amplitude of ERPs occurred in corresponding brain areas can be used to measure user experience. The exploring of neural correlated with behavioural intention provide an accurate measurement method of user's perception and help marketers to know which product can arouse users' behavioural intention, maybe taken as an evaluating indicator of product design. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  14. Using observed warming to identify hazards to Mozambique maize production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Funk, Christopher C.; Harrison, Laura; Eilerts, Gary

    2011-01-01

    New Perspectives on Crop Yield Constraints because of Climate Change. Climate change impact assessments usually focus on changes to precipitation because most global food production is from rainfed cropping systems; however, other aspects of climate change may affect crop growth and potential yields.A recent (2011) study by the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Climate Hazards Group, determined that climate change may be affecting Mozambique's primary food crop in a usually overlooked, but potentially significant way (Harrison and others, 2011). The study focused on the direct relation between maize crop development and growing season temperature. It determined that warming during the past three decades in Mozambique may be causing more frequent crop stress and yield reductions in that country's maize crop, independent of any changes occurring in rainfall. This report summarizes the findings and conclusions of that study.

  15. Production monitoring system for understanding product robustness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boorla, Srinivasa Murthy; Howard, Thomas J.

    2016-01-01

    study is used to demonstrate how the monitoring system can be used to efficiently guide corrective action to improve product performance. It is claimed that the monitoring system can be used to dramatically cut the time taken to identify, planand execute corrective action related to typical quality......In the current quality paradigm, the performance of a product is kept within specification by ensuring that its parts are within specification. Product performance is then validated after final assembly. However, this does not control how robust the product performance is, i.e. how much...... it will vary between the specification limits. In this paper, a model for predicting product performance is proposed, taking into account design, assembly and process parameters live from production. This empowers production to maintain final product performance, instead of part quality. The PRECI‐IN case...

  16. Proportioning of 79Se and 126Sn long life radionuclides in the fission products solutions coming from spent fuels processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Comte, J.

    2001-11-01

    The determination of radionuclides present in waste resulting from the nuclear fuel reprocessing is a request from the regulatory authorities to ensure an optimal management of the storage sites. Long-lived radionuclides (T 1/2 > 30 years) are particularly concerned owing to the fact that their impact must be considered for the long term. Safety studies have established a list of long-lived radionuclides (LLRN) whose quantification is essential for the management of the disposal site. Among these, several are pure β emitters, present at low concentration levels in complex matrices. Their determination, by radiochemical method or mass spectrometry, involves selective chemical separations from the others β/γ emitters and from the measurement interfering elements. The work undertaken in this thesis relates to the development of analytical methods for the determination of two long-lived radionuclides: selenium 79 and tin 126, in acid solutions of fission products present in nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. For selenium 79, a β emitter with a half live estimated to be 10 6 years, the bibliography describes different chemical separation methods including precipitation, liquid-liquid extraction and chromatography on ionic resins. After optimisation on a synthetic solution, two of these techniques, precipitation by potassium iodine and separation with ion exchange resins were applied to a genuine solution of fission products at Cogema La Hague. The results showed that only the ion exchange method allows us to obtain a solution sufficiently decontaminated (FDβγ = 250) with a significant selenium recovery yield (85%). This separation allows the measurement of the 79 Se by electrothermal vaporization coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ETV-ICP/MS), after transfer of the samples to CEA/Cadarache. The concentration of 79 Se measured is 0,42 mg/L in the solution of fission products with an isotopic ratio 79 Se/ 82 Se equal to that recommended by the

  17. Validated modified Lycopodium spore method development for standardisation of ingredients of an ayurvedic powdered formulation Shatavaryadi churna.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Puspendra; Jha, Shivesh; Naved, Tanveer

    2013-01-01

    Validated modified lycopodium spore method has been developed for simple and rapid quantification of herbal powdered drugs. Lycopodium spore method was performed on ingredients of Shatavaryadi churna, an ayurvedic formulation used as immunomodulator, galactagogue, aphrodisiac and rejuvenator. Estimation of diagnostic characters of each ingredient of Shatavaryadi churna individually was carried out. Microscopic determination, counting of identifying number, measurement of area, length and breadth of identifying characters were performed using Leica DMLS-2 microscope. The method was validated for intraday precision, linearity, specificity, repeatability, accuracy and system suitability, respectively. The method is simple, precise, sensitive, and accurate, and can be used for routine standardisation of raw materials of herbal drugs. This method gives the ratio of individual ingredients in the powdered drug so that any adulteration of genuine drug with its adulterant can be found out. The method shows very good linearity value between 0.988-0.999 for number of identifying character and area of identifying character. Percentage purity of the sample drug can be determined by using the linear equation of standard genuine drug.

  18. Anti-schistosomal intervention targets identified by lifecycle transcriptomic analyses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer M Fitzpatrick

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Novel methods to identify anthelmintic drug and vaccine targets are urgently needed, especially for those parasite species currently being controlled by singular, often limited strategies. A clearer understanding of the transcriptional components underpinning helminth development will enable identification of exploitable molecules essential for successful parasite/host interactions. Towards this end, we present a combinatorial, bioinformatics-led approach, employing both statistical and network analyses of transcriptomic data, for identifying new immunoprophylactic and therapeutic lead targets to combat schistosomiasis.Utilisation of a Schistosoma mansoni oligonucleotide DNA microarray consisting of 37,632 elements enabled gene expression profiling from 15 distinct parasite lifecycle stages, spanning three unique ecological niches. Statistical approaches of data analysis revealed differential expression of 973 gene products that minimally describe the three major characteristics of schistosome development: asexual processes within intermediate snail hosts, sexual maturation within definitive vertebrate hosts and sexual dimorphism amongst adult male and female worms. Furthermore, we identified a group of 338 constitutively expressed schistosome gene products (including 41 transcripts sharing no sequence similarity outside the Platyhelminthes, which are likely to be essential for schistosome lifecycle progression. While highly informative, statistics-led bioinformatics mining of the transcriptional dataset has limitations, including the inability to identify higher order relationships between differentially expressed transcripts and lifecycle stages. Network analysis, coupled to Gene Ontology enrichment investigations, facilitated a re-examination of the dataset and identified 387 clusters (containing 12,132 gene products displaying novel examples of developmentally regulated classes (including 294 schistosomula and/or adult transcripts with no

  19. Identifying N fertilizer regime and vegetable production system in tropical Brazil using (15) N natural abundance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inácio, Caio T; Urquiaga, Segundo; Chalk, Phillip M; Mata, Maria Gabriela F; Souza, Paulo O

    2015-12-01

    This study was conducted in areas of vegetable production in tropical Brazil, with the objectives of (i) measuring the variation in δ(15)  N in soils, organic N fertilizer sources and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) from different farming systems, (ii) measuring whether plant δ(15)  N can differentiate organic versus conventional lettuce and (iii) identifying the factors affecting lettuce δ(15)  N. Samples of soil, lettuce and organic inputs were taken from two organic, one conventional and one hydroponic farm. The two organic farms had different N-sources with δ(15)  N values ranging from 0.0 to +14.9‰ (e.g. leguminous green manure and animal manure compost, respectively), and differed significantly (P hydroponic lettuce δ(15)  N (+4.5 ± 0.2‰) due to manure inputs. The N from leguminous green manure made a small contribution to the N nutrition of lettuce in the multi-N-source organic farm. To differentiate organic versus conventional farms using δ(15)  N the several subsets of mode of fertilization should be considered. Comparisons of δ(15)  N of soil, organic inputs and lettuce allowed a qualitative analysis of the relative importance of different N inputs. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

  20. Banana production systems: identification of alternative systems for more sustainable production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellamy, Angelina Sanderson

    2013-04-01

    Large-scale, monoculture production systems dependent on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, increase yields, but are costly and have deleterious impacts on human health and the environment. This research investigates variations in banana production practices in Costa Rica, to identify alternative systems that combine high productivity and profitability, with reduced reliance on agrochemicals. Farm workers were observed during daily production activities; 39 banana producers and 8 extension workers/researchers were interviewed; and a review of field experiments conducted by the National Banana Corporation between 1997 and 2002 was made. Correspondence analysis showed that there is no structured variation in large-scale banana producers' practices, but two other banana production systems were identified: a small-scale organic system and a small-scale conventional coffee-banana intercropped system. Field-scale research may reveal ways that these practices can be scaled up to achieve a productive and profitable system producing high-quality export bananas with fewer or no pesticides.

  1. Confronting product life thinking with product life cycle analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    McAloone, Tim C.

    2001-01-01

    to "read" the environment out of the product, in order to systematically, quickly and efficiently come to some design recommendations for the company. The phrases "LCA" and "product life thinking" will be described and differentiated and a pattern identified for their cooperative effect in use....

  2. Drug product selection: legal issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christensen, T P; Kirking, D M; Ascione, F J; Welage, L S; Gaither, C A

    2001-01-01

    To review the potential legal liability of the pharmacist in the drug product selection process. Published articles identified through MEDLINE, published law reviews identified through InfoTrac, and appellate court decisions. Search terms used included pharmacist liability, drug product selection, and generic substitution. Additional articles, books, and appellate court decisions were identified from the bibliographies of retrieved articles and citations in appellate court decisions. Pharmacists engaging in drug product selection are civilly liable under three legal theories: negligence, express or implied warranties, and strict product liability. Potential criminal liability includes prosecution for insurance fraud, deceptive business practices, and violation of state drug product selection laws and regulation. Pharmacists increase their liability when engaging in drug product selection, but the increase is small. Still, the law continues to evolve as pharmacists seek expanded roles and responsibilities. When courts give closer examination to pharmacists' expanded role, it is likely that pharmacists' liability will increase.

  3. Redeployment-based drug screening identifies the anti-helminthic niclosamide as anti-myeloma therapy that also reduces free light chain production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khanim, F L; Merrick, B A M E; Giles, H V; Jankute, M; Jackson, J B; Giles, L J; Birtwistle, J; Bunce, C M; Drayson, M T

    2011-01-01

    Despite recent therapeutic advancements, multiple myeloma (MM) remains incurable and new therapies are needed, especially for the treatment of elderly and relapsed/refractory patients. We have screened a panel of 100 off-patent licensed oral drugs for anti-myeloma activity and identified niclosamide, an anti-helminthic. Niclosamide, at clinically achievable non-toxic concentrations, killed MM cell lines and primary MM cells as efficiently as or better than standard chemotherapy and existing anti-myeloma drugs individually or in combinations, with little impact on normal donor cells. Cell death was associated with markers of both apoptosis and autophagy. Importantly, niclosamide rapidly reduced free light chain (FLC) production by MM cell lines and primary MM. FLCs are a major cause of renal impairment in MM patients and light chain amyloid and FLC reduction is associated with reversal of tissue damage. Our data indicate that niclosamides anti-MM activity was mediated through the mitochondria with rapid loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation and production of mitochondrial superoxide. Niclosamide also modulated the nuclear factor-κB and STAT3 pathways in MM cells. In conclusion, our data indicate that MM cells can be selectively targeted using niclosamide while also reducing FLC secretion. Importantly, niclosamide is widely used at these concentrations with minimal toxicity

  4. Methodological Challenges of Identifying Ultimate Land Use Changes Caused by Biofuel Production

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wenzel, Henrik; Kløverpris, Jesper; Nielsen, Per Henning

    2007-01-01

    that is only poorly dealt with by LCA methods. Even though the use of land, or change of land cover and its eco-systems, is acknowledged to be a very important impact of human activities, a methodology for assessing this impact category has not yet  been properly developed within LCA. Some LCA scientists have...... looked into methods for assessing the impacts of given changes of land use, i.e. the impact assessment component of the LCA, but very few have looked into how to actually do the inventory modelling, i.e. how to identify which land is ultimately affected by the decision and system under study. State...... in the systems being studied. The aims of this paper is to analyse the mechanisms influencing the long-term land use consequences of changes in crop demand and propose a methodological framework for identifying these consequences within a global scope. The outset of the paper is the principles of consequential...

  5. A Collaborative Approach to Identifying Social Media Markers of Schizophrenia by Employing Machine Learning and Clinical Appraisals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birnbaum, Michael L; Ernala, Sindhu Kiranmai; Rizvi, Asra F; De Choudhury, Munmun; Kane, John M

    2017-08-14

    Linguistic analysis of publicly available Twitter feeds have achieved success in differentiating individuals who self-disclose online as having schizophrenia from healthy controls. To date, limited efforts have included expert input to evaluate the authenticity of diagnostic self-disclosures. This study aims to move from noisy self-reports of schizophrenia on social media to more accurate identification of diagnoses by exploring a human-machine partnered approach, wherein computational linguistic analysis of shared content is combined with clinical appraisals. Twitter timeline data, extracted from 671 users with self-disclosed diagnoses of schizophrenia, was appraised for authenticity by expert clinicians. Data from disclosures deemed true were used to build a classifier aiming to distinguish users with schizophrenia from healthy controls. Results from the classifier were compared to expert appraisals on new, unseen Twitter users. Significant linguistic differences were identified in the schizophrenia group including greater use of interpersonal pronouns (P<.001), decreased emphasis on friendship (P<.001), and greater emphasis on biological processes (P<.001). The resulting classifier distinguished users with disclosures of schizophrenia deemed genuine from control users with a mean accuracy of 88% using linguistic data alone. Compared to clinicians on new, unseen users, the classifier's precision, recall, and accuracy measures were 0.27, 0.77, and 0.59, respectively. These data reinforce the need for ongoing collaborations integrating expertise from multiple fields to strengthen our ability to accurately identify and effectively engage individuals with mental illness online. These collaborations are crucial to overcome some of mental illnesses' biggest challenges by using digital technology. ©Michael L Birnbaum, Sindhu Kiranmai Ernala, Asra F Rizvi, Munmun De Choudhury, John M Kane. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http

  6. ЛИБЕРАЛИЗМ И ПРИРОДА1

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wissenburg, M.L.J.

    2010-01-01

    Are liberal and environmental concerns incompatible? Distinguishing between classical and social liberalism, and between environmentalism (seeing nature as resources) and ecologism (seeing it as in itself valuable), this text discusses the areas of genuine conflict. Three such areas are identified:

  7. SPARQL-enabled identifier conversion with Identifiers.org.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wimalaratne, Sarala M; Bolleman, Jerven; Juty, Nick; Katayama, Toshiaki; Dumontier, Michel; Redaschi, Nicole; Le Novère, Nicolas; Hermjakob, Henning; Laibe, Camille

    2015-06-01

    On the semantic web, in life sciences in particular, data is often distributed via multiple resources. Each of these sources is likely to use their own International Resource Identifier for conceptually the same resource or database record. The lack of correspondence between identifiers introduces a barrier when executing federated SPARQL queries across life science data. We introduce a novel SPARQL-based service to enable on-the-fly integration of life science data. This service uses the identifier patterns defined in the Identifiers.org Registry to generate a plurality of identifier variants, which can then be used to match source identifiers with target identifiers. We demonstrate the utility of this identifier integration approach by answering queries across major producers of life science Linked Data. The SPARQL-based identifier conversion service is available without restriction at http://identifiers.org/services/sparql. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

  8. SPARQL-enabled identifier conversion with Identifiers.org

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wimalaratne, Sarala M.; Bolleman, Jerven; Juty, Nick; Katayama, Toshiaki; Dumontier, Michel; Redaschi, Nicole; Le Novère, Nicolas; Hermjakob, Henning; Laibe, Camille

    2015-01-01

    Motivation: On the semantic web, in life sciences in particular, data is often distributed via multiple resources. Each of these sources is likely to use their own International Resource Identifier for conceptually the same resource or database record. The lack of correspondence between identifiers introduces a barrier when executing federated SPARQL queries across life science data. Results: We introduce a novel SPARQL-based service to enable on-the-fly integration of life science data. This service uses the identifier patterns defined in the Identifiers.org Registry to generate a plurality of identifier variants, which can then be used to match source identifiers with target identifiers. We demonstrate the utility of this identifier integration approach by answering queries across major producers of life science Linked Data. Availability and implementation: The SPARQL-based identifier conversion service is available without restriction at http://identifiers.org/services/sparql. Contact: sarala@ebi.ac.uk PMID:25638809

  9. Buying Imported Products Online : A quantitative study about Chinese Online consumer behavior towards imported products

    OpenAIRE

    Chen, Qianqian; Wang, Yuren

    2015-01-01

    With the fast growing Chinese online marketplace and the increasing popularity of shopping imported products online in China, more and more practitioners and researchers are interested in understanding the cues that Chinese consumers use to evaluate imported products consumption online. Our quantitative study aims to identify what factors affect the behavior of Chinese online consumers towards imported products and the relationships between the identified factors and purchase intention, and t...

  10. Innovation in Product Development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    McAloone, Tim C.; Restrepo-Giraldo, John Dairo

    2005-01-01

    The course on Innovation in Product Development attempts to identify and understand the nature of innovation and product development and their important factors. The course takes both a theoretical and a practical approach and employs a mix of lectures, project work and group discussion. Format...... insight. Course content The following aspects of innovation in product development are considered: - Humans and products - Needs and products - Product life - Teams creating products - Products creating business - Product development models - Organising product development - Product development tools...... - The future of product development....

  11. Negligence, genuine error, and litigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sohn, David H

    2013-01-01

    Not all medical injuries are the result of negligence. In fact, most medical injuries are the result either of the inherent risk in the practice of medicine, or due to system errors, which cannot be prevented simply through fear of disciplinary action. This paper will discuss the differences between adverse events, negligence, and system errors; the current medical malpractice tort system in the United States; and review current and future solutions, including medical malpractice reform, alternative dispute resolution, health courts, and no-fault compensation systems. The current political environment favors investigation of non-cap tort reform remedies; investment into more rational oversight systems, such as health courts or no-fault systems may reap both quantitative and qualitative benefits for a less costly and safer health system. PMID:23426783

  12. Negligence, genuine error, and litigation

    OpenAIRE

    Sohn DH

    2013-01-01

    David H SohnDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, OH, USAAbstract: Not all medical injuries are the result of negligence. In fact, most medical injuries are the result either of the inherent risk in the practice of medicine, or due to system errors, which cannot be prevented simply through fear of disciplinary action. This paper will discuss the differences between adverse events, negligence, and system errors; the current medical malpractice tort syst...

  13. Negligence, genuine error, and litigation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sohn DH

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available David H SohnDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, OH, USAAbstract: Not all medical injuries are the result of negligence. In fact, most medical injuries are the result either of the inherent risk in the practice of medicine, or due to system errors, which cannot be prevented simply through fear of disciplinary action. This paper will discuss the differences between adverse events, negligence, and system errors; the current medical malpractice tort system in the United States; and review current and future solutions, including medical malpractice reform, alternative dispute resolution, health courts, and no-fault compensation systems. The current political environment favors investigation of non-cap tort reform remedies; investment into more rational oversight systems, such as health courts or no-fault systems may reap both quantitative and qualitative benefits for a less costly and safer health system.Keywords: medical malpractice, tort reform, no fault compensation, alternative dispute resolution, system errors

  14. Sensorial evaluation genuineness of wine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivo Tomášek

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The qualitative indicators of wine are also sensoric properties besides analytic properties. The specimens were evaluated immediately after their stabilization. Of course, by the time the sensoric properties are changing and can influence later evaluation, even customers in their desicion for repeating purchase. Specialists evaluated specimen of white wines such as: rhine Riesling, Sauvignon blanc and gruner Veltliner from three locations of Znojmo winery region. All specimen weren´t fermented to dry and they weren´t procesed the same technology, in spite of this, the speciments were evaluated objectively as possilble. The common parameters of vineyards were: exhibition, evaluation above sea-level and average annual temperatrature. The climatic factors had minimum differences in both monitoring vintages of growing season. A different parametr had soils, their geological origin, type of soil, structure and po­wer of topsoil. The acquired results were evaluated and graphically displayed.Gruner Veltliner – specimen No. 1 – this variety was covered in smell and taste by used technology. An outstanding location was a vineyard Weinperky with paleozoic sediments of neogene and higher pH and deeper arable level provides this location incommutable feature in contrast to from other recognizing vineyards of future wine. More likely geological-soil features have even specimens No. 3 and 4, which showed balance characteristic features in recognizing vintage. The specimens No. 2 and 1 had quantity untypical variety shades and they showed balance large differences both in evaluating committees and in recognizing vintages.Sauvignon blanc – the most suitable location was a vineyard Knížecí vrch – a specimen No. 6, which lies on lighter limy soils of Dyje massif together with higher pH created nice feature of variety. A spe­cimen No. 8 had more likely characteristics of location than a specimen No. 6. That express in evaluation. A specimen No. 7 seems less typical and characteristic substitute in evaluation.Riesling rhine – the most suitable location was chosen vineyard Šobes by judges, which gives incommutable features to smell and taste by sandy soils of Dyje massif above river Dyje. A specimen No. 9 represented the smell; specimens No. 10 and 11 were evaluated as average and untypical. They had quite different features in recognizing vintages.The authenticity was extended by sensorial evaluation and at the same time the outstanding locations were chosen, which can give wines of unusual quantity every year in connecting certain variety. The most suitable locations for singular type of wine with extending authenticity are Riesling rhine – vineyard Šobes, Sauvignon blanc – vineyard Knížecí vrch, Veltliner grun – vineyard Weinperky.

  15. Identification of diacetonamine from soybean curd residue as a sporulation-inducing factor toward Bacillus spp.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikeda, Aki; Kim, Dongyeop; Hashidoko, Yasuyuki

    2017-12-01

    Under bioassay-guided investigation, a sporulation-inducing factor (SIF) toward Bacillus spp. was searched for in methanol (MeOH) extracts of soybean curd residues, and diacetonamine (1) was identified as the active compound. SIF was first isolated as a monoacetylated derivative (2, 4.1 mg from 655 g soybean curd residues), and its chemical structure was elucidated by field desorption mass spectrometry, electron ionization mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses. After 48-h incubation, 40 µM diacetonamine hydrochloride (1b) exhibited sporulation-inducing activity with 35% sporulation frequency toward a Bacillus amyloliquefaciens wild-type strain (AHU 2170), whereas 40 µM diacetone acrylamide (3) showed 99% sporulation induction, which was much higher than that of 1b. Although Bacillus megaterium NBRC 15308 was sporulated by the treatment with 400 µM 1b with 36 and 70% sporulation frequency after 72- and 96-h incubation respectively, 3 at the same concentration showed only 2% sporulation after 72-h incubation. Hence, diacetonamine (1) was characterized as a genuine SIF from soybean curd residues, but it was uncertain whether 1 is a natural product or an artifact. Spores of B. amyloliquefaciens induced by 1b survived after treatment with heating at 95 °C for 10 min, also suggesting that 1 is genuine SIF in soybean curd residue. As sporulation induction is likely linked to activation of antibiotic production in some spore-forming Firmicutes bacteria, compound 1 would be a possible chemical tool to develop an effective fermentation technology in Bacillus species.

  16. Complex archaeometallurgical investigation of silver coins from the XVI{sup th}-XVIII{sup th} century

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fierascu, Radu Claudiu [National R& D Institute for Chemistry and Petrochemistry – ICECHIM Bucharest, 202 Spl. Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Fierascu, Irina, E-mail: dumitriu.irina@yahoo.com [National R& D Institute for Chemistry and Petrochemistry – ICECHIM Bucharest, 202 Spl. Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Ortan, Alina, E-mail: alina_ortan@hotmail.com [National R& D Institute for Chemistry and Petrochemistry – ICECHIM Bucharest, 202 Spl. Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 59 Mărăşti Blvd., 011464 Bucharest (Romania); Constantin, Florin; Mirea, Dragos Alexandru; Statescu, Mihai [“Horia Hulubei” National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, 30 Reactorului Str., 077125 Magurele, Ilfov (Romania)

    2017-06-15

    Highlights: • A methodology for studying metal artifacts using nuclear techniques is presented. • The methodology is applied on seven historical coins. • The results allows the identification of the alloy and corrosion products. • From the results, conclusions can be drawn related to their origin. - Abstract: When dealing with cultural heritage artifacts, the use of non-invasive and non-destructive analyses techniques is a must. Determination of the surface corrosion layers and coin composition is important both for identifying compounds that form different alloys (which can be considered support material for important objects, such as numismatic artifacts), and also for their conservation. The selection of analytical techniques is of great importance, as it is a strict condition that the structure of the artifacts should not be affected. The paper presents the archaeometallurgical study of seven silver coins, using several nuclear techniques (X-ray fluorescence – XRF, X-ray diffraction – XRD, Particle induced X-ray emission – PIXE) and optical microscopy. The study was performed using bulk methods and micro-area measurements in order to establish their composition, as well as the presence of corrosion products. This could, in turn, provide information in support of the categorization in genuine/possible forgery. From the analyzed set of samples, six can be surely categorized as genuine, while one raises some questions. A decisive conclusion cannot be drawn for one of the analyzed samples, but the scientific evidences suggest either a misstruck or a forgery approximately contemporary with the original issue of these coins.

  17. The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development: business as usual in the end

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huckle, John; Wals, A.E.J.

    2015-01-01

    An analysis of the literature supporting the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and a sample of its key products suggests that it failed to acknowledge or challenge neoliberalism as a hegemonic force blocking transitions towards genuine sustainability. The authors argue that the

  18. The role of civil organizations in monitoring the convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines and on their destruction: a proposal for a cooperative compliance mechanism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiseberg, LS.

    1998-01-01

    On December 2, 1997, approximately 100 government representatives will gather in Ottawa, Canada to sign a treaty banning the production, use or stockpiling of landmines. Both the speed with which this treaty was negotiated, and the extent to which it is a product of genuine cooperation between like-minded governments and non-governmental organizations (especially the International Campaign to Ban Landmines) make it a landmark document. Nonetheless, when the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on their Destruction (hereinafter, the APM Treaty) is reviewed in the context of other arms control agreements, it is clear that the 'compliance mechanism' is extremely soft. There are no sanctions against states who do not live up to the obligations they assume on signing the APM Treaty, although (under Article 8), States Parties may authorize a fact-finding mission to clarify a question regarding alleged non-compliance. This notwithstanding, the primary compliance mechanism is the provision that states voluntarily report once a year on measures they have taken to implement the treaty. (author)

  19. Identifying the ideal profile of French yogurts for different clusters of consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masson, M; Saint-Eve, A; Delarue, J; Blumenthal, D

    2016-05-01

    Identifying the sensory properties that affect consumer preferences for food products is an important feature of product development. Different methods, such as external preference mapping or partial least squares regression, are used to establish relationships between sensory data and consumer preferences and to identify sensory attributes that drive consumer preferences, by highlighting optimum products. Plain French yogurts were evaluated by a sensory profiling method performed by 12 trained judges. In parallel, 180 consumers were asked to score their overall liking and complete a cognitive restraint questionnaire. After hierarchical cluster analysis on the liking scores, preference mapping using a quadratic regression model was performed. Five clusters of consumers were identified as a function of different preference patterns. Contrary to our expectations, fat levels were not discriminating. For each cluster, the results of preference mapping enabled the identification of optimum products. A comparison of the 5 sensory profiles revealed numerous differences between key sensory attributes. For example, one consumer cluster had a strong preference for products perceived as very thick, grainy, but with a less flowing texture, less sticky, whey presence and color, in contrast to other clusters. In addition, each segment of consumers was characterized according to the results of the cognitive restraint questionnaire. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Productivity and Performance Measurement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hald, Kim Sundtoft; Spring, Martin

    This study explores conceptually how performance measurement as discussed in the literature, enables or constrains the ability to manage and improve productivity. It uses an inter-disciplinary literature review to identify five areas of concern relating productivity accounting to the ability...... to improve productivity: “Productivity representation”; “productivity incentives”, “productivity intervention”; “productivity trade-off or synergy” and “productivity strategy and context”. The paper discusses these areas of concern and expands our knowledge of how productivity and performance measurement...

  1. Simulation Study of a Vehicle Production Line for Productivity Improvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.F.F. Ab Rashid

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the study of a motorcycle frame production line in a particular company in Malaysia. Due to the high demand, the company needs to increase its production by at least 12% compared with current output. In order to improve productivity, the production-floor data was collected and simulated using the discrete event simulation approach. Later, a number of suggestions for improvement were simulated to identify the effect of the suggestions on productivity. In addition, cost analysis was also undertaken to identify the profit margin for a particular period of time for each suggestion. Simulation results indicate that there are three suggestions that are able to fulfill the 12% volume increment. In the short term, the suggestion to hire an assistant line leader will give instant effect to the profit. Meanwhile, for the medium term, Poka-yoke will give higher profit compared with the others, while in the long term, SOP (standard operating procedure implementation will yield a better profit margin. In future, the simulation of a dynamic demand model for this product is suggested to cope with new trends in the market.

  2. Identifying trace evidence in data wiping application software

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gregory H. Carlton

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available One area of particular concern for computer forensics examiners involves situations in which someone utilized software applications to destroy evidence. There are products available in the marketplace that are relatively inexpensive and advertised as being able to destroy targeted portions of data stored within a computer system. This study was undertaken to identify these tools and analyze them to determine the extent to which each of the evaluated data wiping applications perform their tasks and to identify trace evidence, if any, left behind on disk media after executing these applications. We evaluated five Windows 7 compatible software products whose advertised features include the ability for users to wipe targeted files, folders, or evidence of selected activities. We conducted a series of experiments that involved executing each application on systems with identical data, and we then analyzed the results and compared the before and after images for each application. We identified information for each application that is beneficial to forensics examiners when faced with similar situations. This paper describes our application selection process, our application evaluation methodology, and our findings. Following this, we describe limitations of this study and suggest areas of additional research that will benefit the study of digital forensics.

  3. Having your radioactive objects identified and collected

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-12-01

    This brochure explains the risks linked with some ancient radioactive objects of domestic use (like radium products of medical use), how to identify them and to have them collected by the French national agency of radioactive wastes (Andra) for further processing. Some advice are given regarding the identification of the objects, their relative hazardousness and the precautions to take for their handling

  4. European New Legal Realism and International Law:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holtermann, Jakob v. H.; Madsen, Mikael Rask

    2015-01-01

    complex analysis which takes legal validity seriously but as a genuinely empirical object of study. This article constructs this position by identifying a distinctively European realist path which takes as its primary inspirations Weberian sociology of law and Alf Ross’ Scandinavian Legal Realism...

  5. A diagnostic of knowledge management processes at the restaurant industry SMEs to identify improvements at their productive processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alonso Perez-Soltero

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: This paper is the result of an investigation performed in northwest Mexico with the objective to analyze and diagnose knowledge management (KM processes in small and midsize restaurants. The main purpose of this study was to identify the present state of KM processes in these organizations as a way to identify improvement opportunities as well as to define facilitators and barriers that could difficult the implementation of KM initiatives.Design/methodology/approach: The study was performed in 12 restaurants and two types of questionnaires were applied. The questionnaires were applied to managers and personnel. The questionnaires analyzed knowledge Identification/location, Acquisition/learning, Development, Distribution/transference, Utilization/Application, Preservation/maintenance, and Assessment/valuation.Findings: We found that the respondents agreed that five of the GC processes have an acceptable level of development, while less developed processes were the Preservation/maintenance and Assessment/valuation of knowledge. On the other hand, the main facilitators to implementing KM initiatives are the availability of entrepreneurs to participate, staff responsive to the needs of the company, and staff is willing to share their knowledge. The main barriers are resistance to change, low level of knowledge in the use of technology by some members of the organization; difficulty accepting a strategic plan including knowledge management and unwillingness to document good practices.Originality/value: It is a novel study in Latin America, since no similar work in this productive sector has been found. Additionally, the study has a methodological approach that simultaneously addresses the analysis of the processes of knowledge management, and the identification of facilitators and barriers to implementing knowledge management initiatives.

  6. Identifying X-consumers using causal recipes: "whales" and "jumbo shrimps" casino gamblers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodside, Arch G; Zhang, Mann

    2012-03-01

    X-consumers are the extremely frequent (top 2-3%) users who typically consume 25% of a product category. This article shows how to use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to provide "causal recipes" sufficient for profiling X-consumers accurately. The study extends Dik Twedt's "heavy-half" product users for building theory and strategies to nurture or control X-behavior. The study here applies QCA to offer configurations that are sufficient in identifying "whales" and "jumbo shrimps" among X-casino gamblers. The findings support the principle that not all X-consumers are alike. The theory and method are applicable for identifying the degree of consistency and coverage of alternative X-consumers among users of all product-service category and brands.

  7. COUNTRIES IN TRANSITION

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Cathy Egan

    a distinct role in supporting research and policy-making for .... Being in the region can suffice; IDRC's well-connected regional officer in Southeast Asia proved ... at headquarters, and the chief executive of the organization. In IDRC's ... ventures. But note: genuinely productive partnerships demand financial commit- ment.

  8. Using a simple HPLC approach to identify the enzymatic products of UTL-5g, a small molecule TNF-α inhibitor, from porcine esterase and from rabbit esterase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swartz, Kenneth; Zhang, Yiguan; Valeriote, Frederick; Chen, Ben; Shaw, Jiajiu

    2013-12-01

    UTL-5g is a novel small-molecule chemoprotector that lowers hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and myelotoxicity induced by cisplatin through TNF-α inhibition among other factors. As a prelude to investigating the metabolites of UTL-5g, we set out to identify the enzymatic products of UTL-5g under the treatment of both porcine liver esterase (PLE) and rabbit liver esterase (RLE). First, a number of mixtures made by UTL-5g and PLE were incubated at 25°C. At predetermined time points, individual samples were quenched by acetonitrile, vortexed, and centrifuged. The supernatants were then analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC (using a C18 column). The retention times and UV/vis spectra of individual peaks were compared to those of UTL-5g and its two postulated enzymatic products; thus the enzymatic products of UTL-5g were tentatively identified. Secondly, a different HPLC method (providing different retentions times) was used to cross-check and to confirm the identities of the two enzymatic products. Based on the observations, it was concluded that under the treatment of PLE, the major enzymatic products of UTL-5g were 5-methyliosxazole-3-carboxylic acid (ISOX) and 2,4-dichloroaniline (DCA). Treatment of UTL-5g by RLE also provided the same enzymatic products of UTL-5g from esterase. These results indicate that the peptide bond in UTL-5g was cleaved by PLE/RLE. Michaelis-Menten kinetics showed that the Km values of UTL-5g were 2.07mM with PLE and 0.37mM with RLE indicating that UTL-5g had a higher affinity with RLE. In summary, by a simple HPLC approach, we have concluded that the peptide bond in UTL-5g was cleaved by esterase from either porcine liver or rabbit liver in vitro and afforded DCA (at a mole ratio of 1:1) and ISOX. However, further studies are needed in order to determine whether UTL-5g is metabolized by microsomal enzymes to produce ISOX and DCA. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Coordiantion by using Product Specifications in Product Development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Terkelsen, Søren Bendix

    1997-01-01

    This paper is based on a case study. It treats the coordination by generating product specifications in product development. This paper contains three very important aspects, which cause a need for coordination, and call attention to the coordination mechanisms. The three aspects are task...... uncertainty, task complexity, and dependencies between activities. If one want to select coordination mechanisms, which improve the performance in product development, it is very important to have a knowledge about these three aspects. In the following the aspects are identified in the literature...

  10. Identifiability of location and magnitude of flow barriers in slightly compressible flow

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kahrobaei, S.; Mansoori Habib Abadi, M.; Joosten, G.J.P.; Hof, Van den P.M.J.; Jansen, J.D.

    2015-01-01

    Classic identifiability analysis of flow barriers in incompressible single-phase flow reveals that it is not possible to identify the location and permeability of low-permeability barriers from production data (wellbore pressures and rates), and that only averaged reservoir properties in between

  11. Identifiability of location and magnitude of flow barriers in slightly compressible flow

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kahrobaei, S.; Mansoori Habib Abadi, M.; Joosten, G.J.P.; Van den Hof, P.; Jansen, J.D.

    2016-01-01

    Classic identifiability analysis of flow barriers in incompressible single-phase flow reveals that it is not possible to identify the location and permeability of low-permeability barriers from production data (wellbore pressures and rates), and that only averaged reservoir properties in between

  12. Formulation of a Production Strategy for a Software Product Line

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-08-01

    Strategy 9 5.1 Identifying the Critical Factors 9 5.1.1 Market Analysis 10 5.1.2 Building a Business Case 10 5.1.3 Scoping 10 5.1.4 Technology...ability to deliver new products quickly (i.e., its time to market ). The production strategy for a software product line is the high-level description of... strategy . The critical factors mentioned above refer to both market conditions that affect an organ- ization and how an organization’s products can

  13. Development of black ink for calligraphy purpose in the production of Al-quran

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahim, F. F. A.; Jai, J.; Hamzah, F.; Bakar, N. F. A.

    2018-03-01

    Commercialised calligraphy inks are currently formulated for general purposes and is not to be practiced solely for the writings of Al-Quran. Thus the usage on Al-Quran is uncertain due to the unknown ingredients used. The virtue of this work is to develop halal and genuine formulations of black inks for calligraphy purpose in the production of Al-Quran manuscript. The black ink produced is required to have few properties; rich solid black, soft handling, fast drying time, non-lifting, non-feathering and waterproof. Pigment used include graphene, charcoal and lampblack. The binders are shellac and acrylic emulsion while solvent used are glycerol and ethanol. From the chosen pigments, binders and solvent, 19 formulation of inks were developed by manipulating the type and amount of each element. Evaluation of all 19 inks produced were done by an expert calligrapher using a professional scale. From the evaluation, one ink was chosen to have the best characteristics of an ink (ink code S9) with formulation of 0.3 g lampblack and 13 mL shellac. The produced black ink has fulfilled the requirement by the calligraphy expert.

  14. Identifying conditions for inducible protein production in E. coli: combining a fed-batch and multiple induction approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Choi Young J

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In the interest of generating large amounts of recombinant protein, inducible systems have been studied to maximize both the growth of the culture and the production of foreign proteins. Even though thermo-inducible systems were developed in the late 1970's, the number of studies that focus on strategies for the implementation at bioreactor scale is limited. In this work, the bacteriophage lambda PL promoter is once again investigated as an inducible element but for the production of green fluorescent protein (GFP. Culture temperature, induction point, induction duration and number of inductions were considered as factors to maximize GFP production in a 20-L bioreactor. Results It was found that cultures carried out at 37°C resulted in a growth-associated production of GFP without the need of an induction at 42°C. Specific production was similar to what was achieved when separating the growth and production phases. Shake flask cultures were used to screen for desirable operating conditions. It was found that multiple inductions increased the production of GFP. Induction decreased the growth rate and substrate yield coefficients; therefore, two time domains (before and after induction having different kinetic parameters were created to fit a model to the data collected. Conclusion Based on two batch runs and the simulation of culture dynamics, a pre-defined feeding and induction strategy was developed to increase the volumetric yield of a temperature regulated expression system and was successfully implemented in a 20-L bioreactor. An overall cell density of 5.95 g DW l-1 was achieved without detriment to the cell specific production of GFP; however, the production of GFP was underestimated in the simulations due to a significant contribution of non-growth associated product formation under limiting nutrient conditions.

  15. Identifying workers at risk of sickness absence by questionnaire

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roelen, Corne A. M.; van der Pol, Tjepke R.; Koopmans, Petra C.; Groothoff, Johan W.

    2006-01-01

    Background Sickness absence is an important economic problem, because of high costs and lost productivity. Determining factors associated with increased risk of sickness absence may lead to the development of preventive measures. Aims To determine whether self-report questionnaires can identify

  16. Growth of Scytalidium sp. in a counterfeit bevacizumab bottle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gerardo Garcia-Aguirre

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available After drawing a dose from an closed bevacizumab (Avastin bottle, a fungus-like foreign body was observed inside. Samples from the vial were cultured in Sabouraud Emmons media. Growth of multiple light brown colonies with dark pigment was observed after 10 days. The species was identified as Scytalidium sp.Vial, analysis reported that the seal was lacking proper identification measures and that the label, batch number and expiry date did not correspond to a genuine product. Chemical analysis showed no protein, but 3% of polyethylene glycol, citrate and ethanol. Counterfeit bevacizumab is a real situation that poses a significant risk for ophthalmology and oncology patients. The medical community should be aware of this situation in order to enforce adequate preventive measures.

  17. Temporal Profiling and Pulsed SILAC Labeling Identify Novel Secreted Proteins During Ex Vivo Osteoblast Differentiation of Human Stromal Stem Cells*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kristensen, Lars P.; Chen, Li; Nielsen, Maria Overbeck; Qanie, Diyako W.; Kratchmarova, Irina; Kassem, Moustapha; Andersen, Jens S.

    2012-01-01

    It is well established that bone forming cells (osteoblasts) secrete proteins with autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine function. However, the identity and functional role for the majority of these secreted and differentially expressed proteins during the osteoblast (OB) differentiation process, is not fully established. To address these questions, we quantified the temporal dynamics of the human stromal (mesenchymal, skeletal) stem cell (hMSC) secretome during ex vivo OB differentiation using stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC). In addition, we employed pulsed SILAC labeling to distinguish genuine secreted proteins from intracellular contaminants. We identified 466 potentially secreted proteins that were quantified at 5 time-points during 14-days ex vivo OB differentiation including 41 proteins known to be involved in OB functions. Among these, 315 proteins exhibited more than 2-fold up or down-regulation. The pulsed SILAC method revealed a strong correlation between the fraction of isotope labeling and the subset of proteins known to be secreted and involved in OB differentiation. We verified SILAC data using qRT-PCR analysis of 9 identified potential novel regulators of OB differentiation. Furthermore, we studied the biological effects of one of these proteins, the hormone stanniocalcin 2 (STC2) and demonstrated its autocrine effects in enhancing osteoblastic differentiation of hMSC. In conclusion, combining complete and pulsed SILAC labeling facilitated the identification of novel factors produced by hMSC with potential role in OB differentiation. Our study demonstrates that the secretome of osteoblastic cells is more complex than previously reported and supports the emerging evidence that osteoblastic cells secrete proteins with endocrine functions and regulate cellular processes beyond bone formation. PMID:22801418

  18. Principles and practices of lean production applied in a metal structures production system

    OpenAIRE

    Carvalho, Rogério; Alves, Anabela Carvalho; Lopes, Isabel da Silva

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a work undertaken in a metal structures production system in a company producing several assorted products for the civil construction. The work aim was to improve the production process, solving several productive problems encountered in the production system, such as: deliveries delays, long lead times, too many material handling, high stocks, errors and defects in metal structures assembly and production, and unnecessary motions. The identified problems were analyzed and...

  19. Productivity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Spring, Martin; Johnes, Geraint; Hald, Kim Sundtoft

    Productivity is increasingly critical for developed economies. It has always been important: as Paul Krugman puts it, “Productivity isn’t everything, but in the long run it is almost everything. A country’s ability to improve its standard of living over time depends almost entirely on its ability...... to raise its output per worker”(Krugman, 1994). Analyses of productivity have, by and large, been the preserve of economists. Operations Management (OM) is rooted in a similar concern for the efficient use of scarce resources; Management Accounting (MA) is concerned with the institutionalised measurement...... and management of productivity. Yet the three perspectives are rarely connected. This paper is a sketch of a literature review seeking to identify, contrast and reconcile these three perspectives. In so doing, it aims to strengthen the connections between policy and managerial analyses of productivity....

  20. Production of RVNRL and manufacture of products from it

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vijayakumar, K.C.; Jacob, J.

    1996-01-01

    The procedure of the trial irradiation of latex at the pilot plant are discussed. Factory influencing the quality of RVNRL during trial production are identified. Procedure for processing of radiation prevulcanised latex into end products has been standardised. Household gloves, industrial gloves, to), balloons, blood transfusion tubes and nipples are manufactured commercially from RVNRL produced at Rubber Board

  1. Detection of Genuine conducting direction by radionuclide phase analysis in pseudo-RBBB in complete atrial-ventricular block patients with apical pacing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu, L.S.; Liu, R.S.; Chang, C.P.; Wu, LC; Liou, J.Y.; Chen, W.L.; Kong, C.W.; Liao, S.Q.

    2004-01-01

    right chest leads. Conclusion: As if the QRS complex and T wave are not opposite or concordant in the complete A-V block with apical pacing, the radionuclide tracing was proved to be potential means to assess the genuine conducting direction. (authors)

  2. Nuclear material production cycle vulnerability analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bott, T.F.

    1996-01-01

    This paper discusses a method for rapidly and systematically identifying vulnerable equipment in a nuclear material or similar production process and ranking that equipment according to its attractiveness to a malevolent attacker. A multistep approach was used in the analysis. First, the entire production cycle was modeled as a flow diagram. This flow diagram was analyzed using graph theoretical methods to identify processes in the production cycle and their locations. Models of processes that were judged to be particularly vulnerable based on the cycle analysis then were developed in greater detail to identify equipment in that process that is vulnerable to intentional damage

  3. Identifying target processes for microbial electrosynthesis by elementary mode analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kracke, Frauke; Krömer, Jens O

    2014-12-30

    Microbial electrosynthesis and electro fermentation are techniques that aim to optimize microbial production of chemicals and fuels by regulating the cellular redox balance via interaction with electrodes. While the concept is known for decades major knowledge gaps remain, which make it hard to evaluate its biotechnological potential. Here we present an in silico approach to identify beneficial production processes for electro fermentation by elementary mode analysis. Since the fundamentals of electron transport between electrodes and microbes have not been fully uncovered yet, we propose different options and discuss their impact on biomass and product yields. For the first time 20 different valuable products were screened for their potential to show increased yields during anaerobic electrically enhanced fermentation. Surprisingly we found that an increase in product formation by electrical enhancement is not necessarily dependent on the degree of reduction of the product but rather the metabolic pathway it is derived from. We present a variety of beneficial processes with product yield increases of maximal 36% in reductive and 84% in oxidative fermentations and final theoretical product yields up to 100%. This includes compounds that are already produced at industrial scale such as succinic acid, lysine and diaminopentane as well as potential novel bio-commodities such as isoprene, para-hydroxybenzoic acid and para-aminobenzoic acid. Furthermore, it is shown that the way of electron transport has major impact on achievable biomass and product yields. The coupling of electron transport to energy conservation could be identified as crucial for most processes. This study introduces a powerful tool to determine beneficial substrate and product combinations for electro-fermentation. It also highlights that the maximal yield achievable by bio electrochemical techniques depends strongly on the actual electron transport mechanisms. Therefore it is of great importance to

  4. Monochromatic and identifiable photons used in photonuclear research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beil, Hans; Bergere, Roland.

    1980-07-01

    A general overview is given of the most common experimental procedures for the production and utilisation of monochromatic and (or) identifiable photon probes actually operational in 1979. Their basic characteristics, merits and drawbacks, together with their respective major domains of experimental physics to which they are usually applied, are also investigated. Methods for producing such monochromatic and (or) identifiable photon probes, with a continuously variable energy from a few MeV up till about 180 GeV, are treated in some detail. Some of the most promising future trends in the ulterior development of such electromagnetic probes are also mentioned

  5. JPRS Report, East Europe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1990-03-02

    Relevant proposals and cri- . Cereal and protein fodder production, tiques may be sent either direct to the ministry or to our • Vegetable and fruit...There are several categories: a) Employees whose work industrial dinosaurs which were in the past genuine invest- contracts were anulled under the old

  6. Salvador Quevedo y Zubieta y la primera Psicología social en México (1906-1935 ¿rigor científico vs. licencia poética?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodríguez Preciado, Salvador Ivan

    2003-05-01

    Full Text Available The thesis presented affirms that Social Psychology appears in Mexico as the result of aixture between a genuine cultural product and a new element on the academic horizon of the last twenty years of the XIX century. The place where the mixture is done features the public _expression forms: press, literature, political cartoon, etc. in a time when all this gaps were full of disputes about the important social topics. In this context the project of Salvador Quevedo y Zubieta appears as an example of genuine Mexican Social Psychology in early 1906. The thesis concludes with a few doubts that question the paradigmatic form of Social Psychology, as this has been in practice in Mexico for a bit more than a century.

  7. Diffractive D{sup *}-mesons production in DIS at HERA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vinokurova, Svetlana

    2010-05-15

    This thesis presents a measurement of the cross sections for the production of the charmed mesons in diffractive deep inelastic positron-proton scattering (DIS) interactions of the type ep{yields}eXY, where the system X is separated from a low-mass system Y, by a large rapidity gap where no particles are observed. These diffractive processes can be explained as a result of the exchange of a strongly interacting colour singlet object between the final state particles. In this measurement data taken with the H1 detector in the years 1999-2000, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of L{sub int}=46.7 pb{sup -1} are used. Inclusive DIS events are selected in the kinematic range with the momentum transfer Q{sup 2} element of [2;100] GeV and inelasticity y{sub bj} element of [0.05;07]. The charm quark is tagged by requiring a D{sup *} meson decaying into the channel D{sup *}{yields}D{sup 0}{pi}{sub slow}{yields}K{pi}{pi}{sub slow} inside the central tracking system with transverse momenta p{sub t}(D{sup *})>2 GeV. The forward components of the H1 detector are used to select genuine diffractive events on the basis of the forward sub-detectors activity and of the presence a large rapidity gap in the final state hadrons. The visible charm production cross sections are measured in the diffractive kinematic range M{sub Y} < 1.6 GeV, vertical stroke t vertical stroke < 1 GeV{sup 2} and x{sub P} < 0.04 to be {sigma}(ep{yields}e{sup '}(D{sup *}X)Y)=249{+-}31(stat.){+-}30(sys) pb, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The shape of the differential distributions for diffractive D{sup *} production are well described by the collinear factorisation model which is implemented in the Monte Carlo simulation RAPGAP. (orig.)

  8. Product Platform Development in Industrial Networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Karlsson, Christer; Skold, Martin

    2011-01-01

    The article examines the strategic issues involved in the deployment of product platform development in an industrial network. The move entails identifying the types and characteristics of generically different product platform strategies and clarifying strategic motives and differences. Number o...... of platforms and product brands serve as the key dimensions when distinguishing the different strategies. Each strategy has its own challenges and raises various issues to deal with.......The article examines the strategic issues involved in the deployment of product platform development in an industrial network. The move entails identifying the types and characteristics of generically different product platform strategies and clarifying strategic motives and differences. Number...

  9. Non-targeted detection of chemical contamination in carbonated soft drinks using NMR spectroscopy, variable selection and chemometrics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Charlton, Adrian J. [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ (United Kingdom)], E-mail: adrian.charlton@csl.gov.uk; Robb, Paul; Donarski, James A.; Godward, John [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ (United Kingdom)

    2008-06-23

    An efficient method for detecting malicious and accidental contamination of foods has been developed using a combined {sup 1}H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and chemometrics approach. The method has been demonstrated using a commercially available carbonated soft drink, as being capable of identifying atypical products and to identify contaminant resonances. Soft-independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA) was used to compare {sup 1}H NMR profiles of genuine products (obtained from the manufacturer) against retail products spiked in the laboratory with impurities. The benefits of using feature selection for extracting contaminant NMR frequencies were also assessed. Using example impurities (paraquat, p-cresol and glyphosate) NMR spectra were analysed using multivariate methods resulting in detection limits of approximately 0.075, 0.2, and 0.06 mM for p-cresol, paraquat and glyphosate, respectively. These detection limits are shown to be approximately 100-fold lower than the minimum lethal dose for paraquat. The methodology presented here is used to assess the composition of complex matrices for the presence of contaminating molecules without a priori knowledge of the nature of potential contaminants. The ability to detect if a sample does not fit into the expected profile without recourse to multiple targeted analyses is a valuable tool for incident detection and forensic applications.

  10. Non-targeted detection of chemical contamination in carbonated soft drinks using NMR spectroscopy, variable selection and chemometrics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charlton, Adrian J.; Robb, Paul; Donarski, James A.; Godward, John

    2008-01-01

    An efficient method for detecting malicious and accidental contamination of foods has been developed using a combined 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and chemometrics approach. The method has been demonstrated using a commercially available carbonated soft drink, as being capable of identifying atypical products and to identify contaminant resonances. Soft-independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA) was used to compare 1 H NMR profiles of genuine products (obtained from the manufacturer) against retail products spiked in the laboratory with impurities. The benefits of using feature selection for extracting contaminant NMR frequencies were also assessed. Using example impurities (paraquat, p-cresol and glyphosate) NMR spectra were analysed using multivariate methods resulting in detection limits of approximately 0.075, 0.2, and 0.06 mM for p-cresol, paraquat and glyphosate, respectively. These detection limits are shown to be approximately 100-fold lower than the minimum lethal dose for paraquat. The methodology presented here is used to assess the composition of complex matrices for the presence of contaminating molecules without a priori knowledge of the nature of potential contaminants. The ability to detect if a sample does not fit into the expected profile without recourse to multiple targeted analyses is a valuable tool for incident detection and forensic applications

  11. Data-Driven Inference on Sign Restrictions in Bayesian Structural Vector Autoregression

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lanne, Markku; Luoto, Jani

    a genuinely noninformative prior and thus learning from the data about the impulse responses. While the shocks are statistically identified, they carry no economic meaning as such, and we propose a procedure for labeling them by their probabilities of satisfying each of the given sign restrictions...

  12. Profiling DNA damage response following mitotic perturbations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Ronni Sølvhøi; Karemore, Gopal; Gudjonsson, Thorkell

    2016-01-01

    that a broad spectrum of mitotic errors correlates with increased DNA breakage in daughter cells. Unexpectedly, we find that only a subset of these correlations are functionally linked. We identify the genuine mitosis-born DNA damage events and sub-classify them according to penetrance of the observed...

  13. Psychological Universals: What Are They and How Can We Know?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norenzayan, Ara; Heine, Steven J.

    2005-01-01

    Psychological universals, or core mental attributes shared by humans everywhere, are a foundational postulate of psychology, yet explicit analysis of how to identify such universals is lacking. This article offers a conceptual and methodological framework to guide the investigation of genuine universals through empirical analysis of psychological…

  14. Value stream mapping as a tool for lean production waste-free production; Wertstromanalyse als Werkzeug fuer Lean Production. Die verschwendungsfreiere Produktion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boerkircher, Mikko [Rheinkalk GmbH, Flandersbach (Germany). Bereich Brennen und Veredeln

    2010-01-15

    In the value stream mapping method the product flow is the focal point of all considerations. The method can be used easily and quickly and produces concrete results. A company soon learns to view its own production in a different light. In the following contribution it is shown how companies can identify potential for improvement in their production. (orig.)

  15. Hydrogen Production Technical Team Roadmap

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2013-06-01

    The Hydrogen Production Technical Team Roadmap identifies research pathways leading to hydrogen production technologies that produce near-zero net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from highly efficient and diverse renewable energy sources. This roadmap focuses on initial development of the technologies, identifies their gaps and barriers, and describes activities by various U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) offices to address the key issues and challenges.

  16. Transverse vibration technique to identify deteriorated wood floor systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    R.J. Ross; X. Wang; M.O. Hunt; L.A. Soltis

    2002-01-01

    The Forest Products Laboratory, USDA Forest Service, has been developing nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques to identify degradation of wood in structures and the performance characteristics that remain in the structure. This work has focused on using dynamic testing techniques, particularly stress wave and ultrasonic transmission NDE techniques for both...

  17. Improvement of productivity in low volume production industry layout by using witness simulation software

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaffrey, V.; Mohamed, N. M. Z. N.; Rose, A. N. M.

    2017-10-01

    In almost all manufacturing industry, increased productivity and better efficiency of the production line are the most important goals. Most factories especially small scale factory has less awareness of manufacturing system optimization and lack of knowledge about it and uses the traditional way of management. Problems that are commonly identified in the factory are a high idle time of labour and also small production. This study is done in a Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) low volume production company. Data collection and problems affecting productivity and efficiency are identified. In this study, Witness simulation software is being used to simulate the layout and the output is focusing on the improvement of layout in terms of productivity and efficiency. In this study, the layout is rearranged by reducing the travel time from a workstation to another workstation. Then, the improved layout is modelled and the machine and labour statistic of both, original and improved layout is taken. Productivity and efficiency are calculated for both layout and then being compared.

  18. Using a standing-tree acoustic tool to identify forest stands for the production of mechanically-graded lumber.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paradis, Normand; Auty, David; Carter, Peter; Achim, Alexis

    2013-03-12

    This study investigates how the use of a Hitman ST300 acoustic sensor can help identify the best forest stands to be used as supply sources for the production of Machine Stress-Rated (MSR) lumber. Using two piezoelectric sensors, the ST300 measures the velocity of a mechanical wave induced in a standing tree. Measurements were made on 333 black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) trees from the North Shore region, Quebec (Canada) selected across a range of locations and along a chronosequence of elapsed time since the last fire (TSF). Logs were cut from a subsample of 39 trees, and sawn into 77 pieces of 38 mm × 89 mm cross-section before undergoing mechanical testing according to ASTM standard D-4761. A linear regression model was developed to predict the static modulus of elasticity of lumber using tree acoustic velocity and stem diameter at 1.3 m above ground level (R2 = 0.41). Results suggest that, at a regional level, 92% of the black spruce trees meet the requirements of MSR grade 1650Fb-1.5E, whilst 64% and 34% meet the 2100Fb-1.8E and 2400Fb-2.0E, respectively. Mature stands with a TSF < 150 years had 11 and 18% more boards in the latter two categories, respectively, and therefore represented the best supply source for MSR lumber.

  19. [Service productivity in hospital nursing--conceptual framework of a productivity analysis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, D; Borchert, M; Brockhaus, N; Jäschke, L; Schmitz, G; Wasem, J

    2015-01-01

    Decreasing staff numbers compounded by an increasing number of cases is regarded as main challenge in German hospital nursing. These input reductions accompanied by output extensions imply that hospital nursing services have had to achieve a continuous productivity growth in the recent years. Appropriately targeted productivity enhancements require approved and effective methods for productivity acquisition and measurement. However, there is a lack of suitable productivity measurement instruments for hospital nursing services. This deficit is addressed in the present study by the development of an integrated productivity model for hospital nursing services. Conceptually, qualitative as well as quantitative aspects of nursing services productivity are equally taken into consideration. Based on systematic literature reviews different conceptual frameworks of service productivity and the current state of research in hospital nursing services productivity were analysed. On this basis nursing sensitive inputs, processes and outputs were identified and integrated into a productivity model. As an adequate framework for a hospital nursing services productivity model the conceptual approach by Grönroos/Ojasalo was identified. The basic structure of this model was adapted stepwise to our study purpose by integrating theoretical and empirical findings from the research fields of service productivity, nursing productivity as well as national and international nursing research. Special challenges existed concerning the identification of relevant influencing factors as well as the representation of nursing sensitive outputs. The final result is an integrated productivity model, which can be used as an adequate framework for further research in hospital nursing productivity. Research on hospital nursing services productivity is rare, especially in Germany. The conceptual framework developed in this study builds on established knowledge in service productivity research. The

  20. Matrine Is Identified as a Novel Macropinocytosis Inducer by a Network Target Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bo Zhang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Comprehensively understanding pharmacological functions of natural products is a key issue to be addressed for the discovery of new drugs. Unlike some single-target drugs, natural products always exert diverse therapeutic effects through acting on a “network” that consists of multiple targets, making it necessary to develop a systematic approach, e.g., network pharmacology, to reveal pharmacological functions of natural products and infer their mechanisms of action. In this work, to identify the “network target” of a natural product, we perform a functional analysis of matrine, a marketed drug in China extracted from a medical herb Ku-Shen (Radix Sophorae Flavescentis. Here, the network target of matrine was firstly predicted by drugCIPHER, a genome-wide target prediction method. Based on the network target of matrine, we performed a functional gene set enrichment analysis to computationally identify the potential pharmacological functions of matrine, most of which are supported by the literature evidence, including neurotoxicity and neuropharmacological activities of matrine. Furthermore, computational results demonstrated that matrine has the potential for the induction of macropinocytosis and the regulation of ATP metabolism. Our experimental data revealed that the large vesicles induced by matrine are consistent with the typical characteristics of macropinosome. Our verification results also suggested that matrine could decrease cellular ATP level. These findings demonstrated the availability and effectiveness of the network target strategy for identifying the comprehensive pharmacological functions of natural products.

  1. Linguistic and Cultural Bases of Intercultural Dialogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olga IVANISHCHEVA

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Knowledge of the Other’s language is not sufficient to establish a genuine communicativeinteraction. It is essential to identify the pragmatic side of language and know the cultureassociated with the language and the speakers’ behavior. This assumption is shown here on thebasis of the Russian language.

  2. Unraveling the Effect of Genes and Environment in the Transmission of Parental Antisocial Behavior to Children's Conduct Disturbance, Depression and Hyperactivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silberg, Judy L.; Maes, Hermine; Eaves, Lindon J.

    2012-01-01

    Background: A critical issue in devising effective interventions for the treatment of children's behavioral and emotional problems identifying genuine family environmental factors that place children at risk. In most twin and family studies, environmental factors are confounded with both direct genetic risk from parents and the indirect effect of…

  3. The safety of fishery products

    OpenAIRE

    Zugravu Gheorghe, Adrian; Turek Rahoveanu, Maria Magdalena; Turek Rahoveanu, Adrian

    2012-01-01

    The paper follows two main objectives: to understand consumers' perception and image of fishery products and to identify communication levers in order to improve the perceived image of fishery products. Orientations in terms of communication are product-focused and aim at enhancing the reputation of products, consequently with impact on product consumption. The present research is focused on the fishery products, regardless of their presentation - fresh, frozen or processed. This paper conduc...

  4. The development of environmental productivity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henningsen, Geraldine; Henningsen, Arne; Schröder, Sascha T.

    the environmental productivity of individual generator units based on a panel data set for the period 1998 to 2011 that includes virtually all fuel-fired generator units in Denmark. We further decompose total productivity into technical efficiency, best practice ratio, and scale efficiency and use a global...... Malmquist index to calculate the yearly changes. By applying time series clustering, we can identify high, middle, and low performance groups of generator units in a dynamic setting. Our results indicate that the sectoral productivity only slightly increased over the fourteen years. Furthermore, we find...... that there is no overall high achiever group, but that the ranking, although time consistent, varies between the different productivity measures. However, we identify steam turbines and combustion engines for combined heat and power production as potential high performers, while combustion engines that only produce...

  5. Exams for attribution of sevres porcelain by x-ray fluorescence in Havana museums

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mendoza Cuevas, Ariadna; Nazco Torres, Julio

    2010-01-01

    Analysis with X-ray fluorescence on Sevres porcelain was performed in order to determine criteria from the scientific examination that may support the attribution of special pieces. Multielemental chemical analyses of decorations colours, marks and glazed porcelain body were related to specific historic information about used materials and procedure of Sevres french manufactory. The used portable XRF spectrometer allows non destructive and in situ studies of Havana's collections with adequate sensibility for this application. Collections of Havana City Museum, Decorative Art Museum and Napoleonic Museum and some pieces of different background were studied. Non typical pigments used in Sevres allows to identify non genuine Sevres decorations while cluster analysis on porcelain body differentiates Sevres and 'surdecor' porcelains from Sevres style non genuine porcelains. (author)

  6. Exams for attribution of sevres porcelain by x-ray fluorescence in Havana museums

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mendoza Cuevas, Ariadna; Nazco Torres, Julio

    2009-01-01

    Analysis with X-ray fluorescence on Sevres porcelain was performed in order to determine criteria from the scientific examination that may support the attribution of special pieces. Multielemental chemical analyses of decorations colours, marks and glazed porcelain body were related to specific historic information about used materials and procedure of Sevres french manufactory. The used portable XRF spectrometer allows non destructive and in situ studies of Havana's collections with adequate sensibility for this application. Collections of Havana City Museum, Decorative Art Museum and Napoleonic Museum and some pieces of different background were studied. Non typical pigments used in Sevres allows to identify non genuine Sevres decorations while cluster analysis on porcelain body differentiates Sevres and 'surdecor' porcelains from Sevres style non genuine porcelains. (author)

  7. Evaluation of pig production practices, constraints and opportunities for improvement in smallholder production systems in Kenya.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mbuthia, Jackson Mwenda; Rewe, Thomas Odiwuor; Kahi, Alexander Kigunzu

    2015-02-01

    This study evaluated pig production practices by smallholder farmers in two distinct production systems geared towards addressing their constraints and prospects for improvement. The production systems evaluated were semi-intensive and extensive and differed in remoteness, market access, resource availability and pig production intensity. Data were collected using structured questionnaires where a total of 102 pig farmers were interviewed. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed to define the socioeconomic characteristics of the production systems, understanding the different roles that pigs play, marketing systems and constraints to production. In both systems, regular cash income and insurance against emergencies were ranked as the main reasons for rearing pigs. Marketing of pigs was mainly driven by the type of production operation. Finances, feeds and housing were identified as the major constraints to production. The study provides important parameters and identifies constraints important for consideration in design of sustainable production improvement strategies. Feeding challenges can be improved through understanding the composition and proper utilization of local feed resources. Provision of adequate housing would improve the stocking rates and control mating.

  8. Identified particles in quark and gluon jets

    CERN Document Server

    Abreu, P; Adye, T; Ajinenko, I; Alekseev, G D; Alemany, R; Allport, P P; Almehed, S; Amaldi, Ugo; Amato, S; Andreazza, A; Andrieux, M L; Antilogus, P; Apel, W D; Åsman, B; Augustin, J E; Augustinus, A; Baillon, Paul; Bambade, P; Barão, F; Barbi, M S; Barbiellini, Guido; Bardin, Dimitri Yuri; Barker, G; Baroncelli, A; Bärring, O; Barrio, J A; Bartl, Walter; Bates, M J; Battaglia, Marco; Baubillier, M; Baudot, J; Becks, K H; Begalli, M; Beillière, P; Belokopytov, Yu A; Benvenuti, Alberto C; Berggren, M; Bertini, D; Bertrand, D; Besançon, M; Bianchi, F; Bigi, M; Bilenky, S M; Billoir, P; Bizouard, M A; Bloch, D; Blume, M; Bolognese, T; Bonesini, M; Bonivento, W; Booth, P S L; Bosio, C; Botner, O; Boudinov, E; Bouquet, B; Bourdarios, C; Bowcock, T J V; Bozzo, M; Branchini, P; Brand, K D; Brenke, T; Brenner, R A; Bricman, C; Brown, R C A; Brückman, P; Brunet, J M; Bugge, L; Buran, T; Burgsmüller, T; Buschmann, P; Cabrera, S; Caccia, M; Calvi, M; Camacho-Rozas, A J; Camporesi, T; Canale, V; Canepa, M; Cankocak, K; Cao, F; Carena, F; Carroll, L; Caso, Carlo; Castillo-Gimenez, M V; Cattai, A; Cavallo, F R; Chabaud, V; Charpentier, P; Chaussard, L; Checchia, P; Chelkov, G A; Chen, M; Chierici, R; Chliapnikov, P V; Chochula, P; Chorowicz, V; Chudoba, J; Cindro, V; Collins, P; Contri, R; Cortina, E; Cosme, G; Cossutti, F; Cowell, J H; Crawley, H B; Crennell, D J; Crosetti, G; Cuevas-Maestro, J; Czellar, S; Dahl-Jensen, Erik; Dahm, J; D'Almagne, B; Dam, M; Damgaard, G; Dauncey, P D; Davenport, Martyn; Da Silva, W; Defoix, C; Deghorain, A; Della Ricca, G; Delpierre, P A; Demaria, N; De Angelis, A; de Boer, Wim; De Brabandere, S; De Clercq, C; La Vaissière, C de; De Lotto, B; De Min, A; De Paula, L S; De Saint-Jean, C; Dijkstra, H; Di Ciaccio, Lucia; Di Diodato, A; Djama, F; Djannati, A; Dolbeau, J; Doroba, K; Dracos, M; Drees, J; Drees, K A; Dris, M; Durand, J D; Edsall, D M; Ehret, R; Eigen, G; Ekelöf, T J C; Ekspong, Gösta; Elsing, M; Engel, J P; Erzen, B; Espirito-Santo, M C; Falk, E; Fassouliotis, D; Feindt, Michael; Ferrer, A; Fichet, S; Filippas-Tassos, A; Firestone, A; Fischer, P A; Föth, H; Fokitis, E; Fontanelli, F; Formenti, F; Franek, B J; Frenkiel, P; Fries, D E C; Frodesen, A G; Frühwirth, R; Fulda-Quenzer, F; Fuster, J A; Galloni, A; Gamba, D; Gandelman, M; García, C; García, J; Gaspar, C; Gasparini, U; Gavillet, P; Gazis, E N; Gelé, D; Gerber, J P; Gerdyukov, L N; Gokieli, R; Golob, B; Gopal, Gian P; Gorn, L; Górski, M; Guz, Yu; Gracco, Valerio; Graziani, E; Green, C; Grefrath, A; Gris, P; Grosdidier, G; Grzelak, K; Gumenyuk, S A; Gunnarsson, P; Günther, M; Guy, J; Hahn, F; Hahn, S; Hajduk, Z; Hallgren, A; Hamacher, K; Harris, F J; Hedberg, V; Henriques, R P; Hernández, J J; Herquet, P; Herr, H; Hessing, T L; Heuser, J M; Higón, E; Hilke, Hans Jürgen; Hill, T S; Holmgren, S O; Holt, P J; Holthuizen, D J; Hoorelbeke, S; Houlden, M A; Hrubec, Josef; Huet, K; Hultqvist, K; Jackson, J N; Jacobsson, R; Jalocha, P; Janik, R; Jarlskog, C; Jarlskog, G; Jarry, P; Jean-Marie, B; Johansson, E K; Jönsson, L B; Jönsson, P E; Joram, Christian; Juillot, P; Kaiser, M; Kapusta, F; Karafasoulis, K; Karlsson, M; Karvelas, E; Katargin, A; Katsanevas, S; Katsoufis, E C; Keränen, R; Khokhlov, Yu A; Khomenko, B A; Khovanskii, N N; King, B J; Kjaer, N J; Klapp, O; Klein, H; Klovning, A; Kluit, P M; Köne, B; Kokkinias, P; Koratzinos, M; Korcyl, K; Kostyukhin, V; Kourkoumelis, C; Kuznetsov, O; Krammer, Manfred; Kreuter, C; Kronkvist, I J; Krumshtein, Z; Krupinski, W; Kubinec, P; Kucewicz, W; Kurvinen, K L; Lacasta, C; Laktineh, I; Lamsa, J; Lanceri, L; Lane, D W; Langefeld, P; Lapin, V; Laugier, J P; Lauhakangas, R; Leder, Gerhard; Ledroit, F; Lefébure, V; Legan, C K; Leitner, R; Lemonne, J; Lenzen, Georg; Lepeltier, V; Lesiak, T; Libby, J; Liko, D; Lindner, R; Lipniacka, A; Lippi, I; Lörstad, B; Loken, J G; López, J M; Loukas, D; Lutz, P; Lyons, L; MacNaughton, J N; Maehlum, G; Mahon, J R; Malmgren, T G M; Malychev, V; Mandl, F; Marco, J; Marco, R P; Maréchal, B; Margoni, M; Marin, J C; Mariotti, C; Markou, A; Martínez-Rivero, C; Martínez-Vidal, F; Martí i García, S; Masik, J; Matorras, F; Matteuzzi, C; Matthiae, Giorgio; Mazzucato, M; McCubbin, M L; McKay, R; McNulty, R; Medbo, J; Merk, M; Meroni, C; Meyer, S; Meyer, W T; Michelotto, M; Migliore, E; Mirabito, L; Mitaroff, Winfried A; Mjörnmark, U; Moa, T; Møller, R; Mönig, K; Monge, M R; Morettini, P; Müller, H; Münich, K; Mulders, M; Mundim, L M; Murray, W J; Muryn, B; Myatt, Gerald; Naraghi, F; Navarria, Francesco Luigi; Navas, S; Nawrocki, K; Negri, P; Neumann, W; Neumeister, N; Nicolaidou, R; Nielsen, B S; Nieuwenhuizen, M; Nikolaenko, V; Niss, P; Nomerotski, A; Normand, Ainsley; Novák, M; Oberschulte-Beckmann, W; Obraztsov, V F; Olshevskii, A G; Onofre, A; Orava, Risto; Österberg, K; Ouraou, A; Paganini, P; Paganoni, M; Pagès, P; Pain, R; Palka, H; Papadopoulou, T D; Papageorgiou, K; Pape, L; Parkes, C; Parodi, F; Passeri, A; Pegoraro, M; Peralta, L; Pernicka, Manfred; Perrotta, A; Petridou, C; Petrolini, A; Petrovykh, M; Phillips, H T; Piana, G; Pierre, F; Pimenta, M; Podobnik, T; Podobrin, O; Pol, M E; Polok, G; Poropat, P; Pozdnyakov, V; Privitera, P; Pukhaeva, N; Pullia, Antonio; Radojicic, D; Ragazzi, S; Rahmani, H; Rames, J; Ratoff, P N; Read, A L; Reale, M; Rebecchi, P; Redaelli, N G; Regler, Meinhard; Reid, D; Reinhardt, R; Renton, P B; Resvanis, L K; Richard, F; Richardson, J; Rídky, J; Rinaudo, G; Ripp, I; Romero, A; Roncagliolo, I; Ronchese, P; Roos, L; Rosenberg, E I; Roudeau, Patrick; Rovelli, T; Rückstuhl, W; Ruhlmann-Kleider, V; Ruiz, A; Rybicki, K; Rybin, A; Saarikko, H; Sacquin, Yu; Sadovskii, A; Sahr, O; Sajot, G; Salt, J; Sánchez, J; Sannino, M; Schimmelpfennig, M; Schneider, H; Schwickerath, U; Schyns, M A E; Sciolla, G; Scuri, F; Seager, P; Sedykh, Yu; Segar, A M; Seitz, A; Sekulin, R L; Serbelloni, L; Shellard, R C; Siegrist, P; Silvestre, R; Simonetti, S; Simonetto, F; Sissakian, A N; Sitár, B; Skaali, T B; Smadja, G; Smirnov, N; Smirnova, O G; Smith, G R; Sosnowski, R; Souza-Santos, D; Spassoff, Tz; Spiriti, E; Sponholz, P; Squarcia, S; Stampfer, D; Stanescu, C; Stanic, S; Stapnes, Steinar; Stavitski, I; Stevenson, K; Stocchi, A; Strauss, J; Strub, R; Stugu, B; Szczekowski, M; Szeptycka, M; Tabarelli de Fatis, T; Tavernet, J P; Chikilev, O G; Thomas, J; Tilquin, A; Timmermans, J; Tkatchev, L G; Todorov, T; Todorova, S; Toet, D Z; Tomaradze, A G; Tomé, B; Tonazzo, A; Tortora, L; Tranströmer, G; Treille, D; Tristram, G; Trombini, A; Troncon, C; Tsirou, A L; Turluer, M L; Tyapkin, I A; Tyndel, M; Tzamarias, S; Überschär, B; Ullaland, O; Uvarov, V; Valenti, G; Vallazza, E; Van der Velde, C; van Apeldoorn, G W; van Dam, P; Van Doninck, W K; Van Eldik, J; Van Lysebetten, A; Vassilopoulos, N; Vegni, G; Ventura, L; Venus, W A; Verbeure, F; Verlato, M; Vertogradov, L S; Vilanova, D; Vincent, P; Vitale, L; Vlasov, E; Vodopyanov, A S; Vrba, V; Wahlen, H; Walck, C; Weierstall, M; Weilhammer, Peter; Weiser, C; Wetherell, Alan M; Wicke, D; Wickens, J H; Wielers, M; Wilkinson, G R; Williams, W S C; Winter, M; Witek, M; Wlodek, T; Woschnagg, K; Yip, K; Yushchenko, O P; Zach, F; Zaitsev, A; Zalewska-Bak, A; Zalewski, Piotr; Zavrtanik, D; Zevgolatakos, E; Zimin, N I; Zito, M; Zontar, D; Zucchelli, G C; Zumerle, G

    1997-01-01

    A sample of about 1.4 million hadronic \\z decays, selected among the data recorded by the DELPHI detector at LEP during 1994, was used to measure for the first time the momentum spectra of \\kp, \\ko, \\p, \\l and their antiparticles in gluon and quark jets. As observed for inclusive charged particles, the production spectra of identified particles were found to be softer in gluon jets than in quark jets, with a higher total multiplicity.

  9. Inability to identify source of HIV precludes damage award.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1996-08-09

    The Florida Court of Appeals ruled that the spouse of a hemophiliac who contracted HIV from a tainted blood-clotting product cannot recover wrongful death damages because she could not identify a specific manufacturer. [Name removed] [name removed]'s widow sued four manufacturers of clotting concentrate, Armour Pharmaceutical Co., Alpha Therapeutic Corp., Cutter Laboratories, and Baxter Healthcare Corp. The court rejected the applicability of a market-share approach to liability in this case. The Court of Appeals explained that blood-clotting products do not share a uniform composition because the plasma is collected from different sites across the country.

  10. Product Differentiation and Positioning: Confused Concepts

    OpenAIRE

    Shaheen Borna; Joseph Chapman

    1993-01-01

    This article examines two common marketing terms: product positioning and product differentiation. Many authors use these terms interchangeably, yet most marketing texts treat product positioning and product differentiation as two seperate concepts. This article attempts to identify the underlying concepts of both product differentiation and product positioning. Product differentiation is shown to be a special case of product positioning: therefore, it is suggested that marketers may want to ...

  11. HANPP Collection: Human Appropriation of Net Primary Productivity as a Percentage of Net Primary Productivity

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Human Appropriation of Net Primary Productivity (HANPP) as a Percentage of Net Primary Product (NPP) portion of the HANPP Collection represents a map identifying...

  12. Production-logistic system in the aspect of strategies for production planning and control and for logistic customer service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Łukasz Hadaś

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: The authors made multi-dimensional review of production and logistic strategies in order to prove their coherence in shaping internal and external supply chain. The paper is concluded with definition of production-logistic system as an object of modeling in transformation of business systems of manufacturing companies. Material and methods: The paper is based on analysis of state of the art presented in the literature on the subject of production and logistics strategies. Publications of key importance were selected to identify genesis and basic assumptions of strategies and their functioning. Comparative synthesis of logistic and production strategies identified is developed with respect to authors' experience in application of predefined tools and methods characteristic for strategies identified. Results: The result of the work conducted is consolidation of production and logistic strategies according to multi-variant customer service and original definition of production and logistic system. Conclusions: Production system and logistic system can and should be treated as equal elements in context of material flows management in internal and external supply chains. Such approach enables modeling of both systems as coherent elements realizing selected strategy of customer service.     

  13. Ethics and end of life care: the Liverpool Care Pathway and the Neuberger Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wrigley, Anthony

    2015-08-01

    The Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying has recently been the topic of substantial media interest and also been subject to the independent Neuberger Review. This review has identified clear failings in some areas of care and recommended the Liverpool Care Pathway be phased out. I argue that while the evidence gathered of poor incidences of practice by the Review is of genuine concern for end of life care, the inferences drawn from this evidence are inconsistent with the causes for the concern. Seeking to end an approach that is widely seen as best practice and which can genuinely deliver high quality care because of negative impressions that have been formed from failing to implement it properly is not a good basis for radically overhauling our approach to end of life care. I conclude that improvements in training, communication and ethical decision-making, without the added demand to end the Liverpool Care Pathway, would have resulted in a genuine advance in end of life care. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  14. Causation of Genuinely Social Costs: Pigou Enabling Coase Through the Causation Principles Underlying Environmental Taxation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    D. Heine (Dirk)

    2017-01-01

    markdownabstractWhen a producer manufactures a polluting product that is demanded by a consumer, who is causing that pollution? The producer, the consumer, or both? And if the state then imposes policies to mitigate the emissions but the producer passes the abatement costs onto its customers, does

  15. Product Structuring, an overview

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tichem, Marcel; Storm, Ton; Andreasen, Mogens Myrup

    1997-01-01

    .In the paper, the field of product structuring is defined and broken down into topics. For each of the topics, results of research are presented. Issues for further research are identified. The references in the paper refer to papers in the proceedings of the workshops.......This paper presents the highlights of two WDK Workshops on Product Structuring. Product structuring plays an important role in creating products which have good functional and life-cycle related properties, in design process management, and in several other company functions like production control...

  16. Carbon footprinting of electronic products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasan, Arvind; Sood, Bhanu; Pecht, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Challenges in adopting existing CF standards for electronic products are discussed. • Carbon footprint of electronic products is underestimated using existing standards. • Multipronged approach is presented to overcome the identified challenges. • Multipronged approach demonstrated on commercial and military grade DC–DC converter system. - Abstract: In order to mitigate the effects of global warming, companies are being compelled by governments, investors, and customers to control their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Similar to the European Union’s legislation on the airline industry, legislation is expected to require the electronics industry to assess their product’s carbon footprint before sale or use, as the electronics industry’s contribution to global GHG emissions is comparable to the airline industry’s contribution. Thus, it is necessary for members of the electronics industry to assess their current GHG emission rates and identify methods to reduce environmental impacts. Organizations use Carbon Footprint (CF) analysis methods to identify and quantify the GHG emissions associated with the life cycle stages of their product or services. This paper discusses the prevailing methods used by organizations to estimate the CF of their electronics products and identifies the challenges faced by the electronics industry when adopting these methods in an environment of decreasing product development cycles with complex and diffuse supply chains. We find that, as a result of the inconsistencies arising from the system boundary selection methods and databases, the use of outdated LCA approaches, and the lack of supplier’s emissions-related data, the CFs of electronic products are typically underestimated. To address these challenges, we present a comprehensive approach to the carbon footprinting of electronic products that involves the use of product-group-oriented standards, hybrid life cycle assessment techniques, and the

  17. Product Platform Performance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munk, Lone

    The aim of this research is to improve understanding of platform-based product development by studying platform performance in relation to internal effects in companies. Platform-based product development makes it possible to deliver product variety and at the same time reduce the needed resources...... engaging in platform-based product development. Similarly platform assessment criteria lack empirical verification regarding relevance and sufficiency. The thesis focuses on • the process of identifying and estimating internal effects, • verification of performance of product platforms, (i...... experienced representatives from the different life systems phase systems of the platform products. The effects are estimated and modeled within different scenarios, taking into account financial and real option aspects. The model illustrates and supports estimation and quantification of internal platform...

  18. Disposable products in the hospital waste stream.

    OpenAIRE

    Gilden, D. J.; Scissors, K. N.; Reuler, J. B.

    1992-01-01

    Use of disposable products in hospitals continues to increase despite limited landfill space and dwindling natural resources. We analyzed the use and disposal patterns of disposable hospital products to identify means of reducing noninfectious, nonhazardous hospital waste. In a 385-bed private teaching hospital, the 20 disposable products of which the greatest amounts (by weight) were purchased, were identified, and total hospital waste was tabulated. Samples of trash from three areas were so...

  19. Identifying Multiquark Hadrons from Heavy Ion Collisions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Sungtae; Furumoto, Takenori; Yazaki, Koichi; Hyodo, Tetsuo; Jido, Daisuke; Ohnishi, Akira; Ko, Che Ming; Lee, Su Houng; Nielsen, Marina; Sekihara, Takayasu; Yasui, Shigehiro

    2011-01-01

    Identifying hadronic molecular states and/or hadrons with multiquark components either with or without exotic quantum numbers is a long-standing challenge in hadronic physics. We suggest that studying the production of these hadrons in relativistic heavy ion collisions offers a promising resolution to this problem as yields of exotic hadrons are expected to be strongly affected by their structures. Using the coalescence model for hadron production, we find that, compared to the case of a nonexotic hadron with normal quark numbers, the yield of an exotic hadron is typically an order of magnitude smaller when it is a compact multiquark state and a factor of 2 or more larger when it is a loosely bound hadronic molecule. We further find that some of the newly proposed heavy exotic states could be produced and realistically measured in these experiments.

  20. Combining functional weed ecology and crop stable isotope ratios to identify cultivation intensity: a comparison of cereal production regimes in Haute Provence, France and Asturias, Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogaard, Amy; Hodgson, John; Nitsch, Erika; Jones, Glynis; Styring, Amy; Diffey, Charlotte; Pouncett, John; Herbig, Christoph; Charles, Michael; Ertuğ, Füsun; Tugay, Osman; Filipovic, Dragana; Fraser, Rebecca

    This investigation combines two independent methods of identifying crop growing conditions and husbandry practices-functional weed ecology and crop stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis-in order to assess their potential for inferring the intensity of past cereal production systems using archaeobotanical assemblages. Present-day organic cereal farming in Haute Provence, France features crop varieties adapted to low-nutrient soils managed through crop rotation, with little to no manuring. Weed quadrat survey of 60 crop field transects in this region revealed that floristic variation primarily reflects geographical differences. Functional ecological weed data clearly distinguish the Provence fields from those surveyed in a previous study of intensively managed spelt wheat in Asturias, north-western Spain: as expected, weed ecological data reflect higher soil fertility and disturbance in Asturias. Similarly, crop stable nitrogen isotope values distinguish between intensive manuring in Asturias and long-term cultivation with minimal manuring in Haute Provence. The new model of cereal cultivation intensity based on weed ecology and crop isotope values in Haute Provence and Asturias was tested through application to two other present-day regimes, successfully identifying a high-intensity regime in the Sighisoara region, Romania, and low-intensity production in Kastamonu, Turkey. Application of this new model to Neolithic archaeobotanical assemblages in central Europe suggests that early farming tended to be intensive, and likely incorporated manuring, but also exhibited considerable variation, providing a finer grained understanding of cultivation intensity than previously available.

  1. Defining product intake fraction to quantify and compare exposure to consumer products

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jolliet, Oliver; Ernstoff, Alexi; Csiszar, Susan A.

    2015-01-01

    There is a growing consciousness that exposure studies need to better cover near-field exposure associated with products use. To consistently and quantitatively compare human exposure to chemicals in consumer products, we introduce the concept of product intake fraction, as the fraction...... of a chemical within a product that is eventually taken in by the human population. This metric enables consistent comparison of exposures during consumer product use for different product-chemical combinations, exposure duration, exposure routes and pathways and for other life cycle stages. We present example...... modalities within life cycle assessment and risk assessment contexts. The product intake fraction helps to provide a clear interface between the life cycle inventory and impact assessment phases, to identify best suited sentinel products and to calculate overall exposure to chemicals in consumer products...

  2. 75 FR 7951 - New Postal Product

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-23

    ... is adding Express Mail Contract 8 to the Competitive Product List. This action is consistent with a postal reform law. Republication of the Product Lists is also consistent with a statutory provision... seeks to add a new product identified as Express Mail Contract 8 to the Competitive Product List. For...

  3. What foods are identified as animal friendly by Italian consumers?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorgelina Di Pasquale

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available In the Italian market, voluntary certifications implying higher levels of animal welfare generally fall into wider production schemes. Despite of the results of EU surveys indicating that about 50% of Italian consumers can easily identify and find animal-friendly products, they still are distributed scarcely or discontinuously in the main retail chains. To assess the apparent contradiction between the intricate information consumers receive from labels and their declared awareness about animal welfare, a survey was conducted in Emilia Romagna region on 355 Italian consumers (face-to-face interviews based on a structured, semi-close-ended questionnaire. Overall, consumers showed a low degree of knowledge about animal welfare attributes, animal farming conditions and animal protection policies (about 30% of correct answers, and a low level of awareness of the effects of their purchasing choices on the welfare of farmed animals (22%. The respondents also showed difficulties in identifying animal-friendly products and often confused them with other certified foods, having sometimes a weak connection (or none at all to animal welfare (e.g., Protected Designation of Origin products. However, most consumers declared to be ready to pay a premium price in name of animal welfare. In conclusion, a labelling system for the welfare content of animal-derived foods is confirmed to be an effective strategy to compensate the efforts of farmers in improving animal welfare, provided that the information given is clear and able to fill the substantial lack of consumer knowledge.

  4. Understanding Product Attachment and Expected Product Lifetime by Extending Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with Product Personalization and Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yun, Younghwa

    2013-01-01

    Identifying and understanding consumers is fundamental, especially for quickly spreading new products. In recent years, the popularity of digital gadgets has sky rocketed; however, there has also been a growing tendency of relative obsolescence--replacement of a product regardless of the demise of its perfect functioning. Therefore, a question is…

  5. Examining situated design practices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østergaard, Kija Lin; Simonsen, Jesper; Karasti, Teija Helena

    2018-01-01

    We scrutinise the concrete practices of participants' engagement in participatory design through an empirical case in which nurses from different hospital wards began as reluctant users, but gradually engaged in processes approaching genuine participation. We expand a newly proposed, psychologica......We scrutinise the concrete practices of participants' engagement in participatory design through an empirical case in which nurses from different hospital wards began as reluctant users, but gradually engaged in processes approaching genuine participation. We expand a newly proposed......, psychologically inspired perspective into a conceptual frame to investigate transformations towards genuine participation. This analytical lens elucidates how participants engage in becoming authentic, credible, attentive and present in participatory endeavours, and how this affects reflection and learning....... The case includes the designer's process of becoming a genuine participant during the project. By offering a new take on the concept of genuine participation using a dimension characterised by a genuine, focused presence, we offer our lessons learnt from applying the framework...

  6. Consumer oriented new product development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van Trijp, Hans C.M.; Grunert, Klaus G

    2014-01-01

    New product development is a necessary activity for a company’s competitiveness, profitability and growth. However, new product development is a risky activity as a large percentage of new product introductions fail to achieve their commercial targets. The present chapter reviews the existing evi...... evidence on new product success and failure factors. From that it introduces the perspective of consumer-oriented new product development as a way to balance new technological opportunity against identified consumer needs and desires....

  7. Productivity in services: a systematic review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noel Torres Júnior

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Through the method of Systematic Review of Literature (SRL, this study conducted an analysis of productivity in services. For this purpose, fourteen journals of Operations Management and Scielo database were consulted. The studies were analyzed with respect to six criteria for classification: i type of study, ii investigated business sector, iii affiliation of authors, iv prevailing methodological approach, v themes, e vi methods used in comparative analyzes of performance. It was found that the greatest amount of work used the modeling approach to assess the productivity, particularly by linear programming methodology - Data Analysis Envelopment (DEA. It was observed that the vast majority of authors are academic, there are few publications of researchers from companies or that have both types of researchers. The study identified four recurring themes in the articles. Then, some studies have focused on the establishment of productivity indicators and their analysis over time, comparing the performance of different firms or industries. Other studies have identified the characteristics and difficulties of measuring productivity in services in relation to manufacturing companies. Different studies have proposed indicators to measure productivity in services. Finally, in light of the main textbooks on operation's management and service literature, this study identified key strategies and methods for improving productivity in services. It was found that the theme productivity in services is a promising research topic.

  8. Price strategies for sustainable food products

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ingenbleek, P.T.M.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose – Sustainable products often suffer a competitive disadvantage compared with mainstream products because they must cover ecological and social costs that their competitors leave to future generations. The purpose of this paper is to identify price strategies for sustainable products that

  9. Beneficial and Harmful Agile Practices for Product Quality

    OpenAIRE

    Theobald, Sven; Diebold, Philipp

    2017-01-01

    There is the widespread belief that Agile neglects the product quality. This lack of understanding how Agile processes assure the quality of the product prevents especially companies from regulated domains from an adoption of Agile. This work aims to identify which Agile Practices contribute towards product quality. Hence, data from a survey study is analyzed to identify Ag-ile Practices which are beneficial or harmful for the quality of the product. From 49 practices that were used in the su...

  10. A synthetic cannabinoid FDU-NNEI, two 2H-indazole isomers of synthetic cannabinoids AB-CHMINACA and NNEI indazole analog (MN-18), a phenethylamine derivative N-OH-EDMA, and a cathinone derivative dimethoxy-α-PHP, newly identified in illegal products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uchiyama, Nahoko; Shimokawa, Yoshihiko; Kikura-Hanajiri, Ruri; Demizu, Yosuke; Goda, Yukihiro; Hakamatsuka, Takashi

    Six new psychoactive substances were identified together with two other substances (compounds 1 - 8 ) in illegal products by our ongoing survey in Japan between January and July 2014. A new synthetic cannabinoid, FDU-NNEI [1-(4-fluorobenzyl)- N -(naphthalen-1-yl)-1 H -indole-3-carboxamide, 2 ], was detected with the newly distributed synthetic cannabinoid FDU-PB-22 ( 1 ). Two 2 H -indazole isomers of synthetic cannabinoids, AB-CHMINACA 2 H -indazole analog ( 3 ) and NNEI 2 H -indazole analog ( 4 ), were newly identified with 1 H -indazoles [AB-CHMINACA and NNEI indazole analog (MN-18)]. In addition, 2-methylpropyl N -(naphthalen-1-yl) carbamate ( 5 ) and isobutyl 1-pentyl-1 H -indazole-3-carboxylate ( 6 ) were detected in illegal products. Compound 6 is considered to be a by-product of the preparation of NNEI indazole analog from compound 5 and 1-pentyl-1 H -indazole. A phenethylamine derivative, N -OH-EDMA [ N -hydroxy-3,4-ethylenedioxy- N -methylamphetamine, 7 ], and a cathinone derivative, dimethoxy-α-PHP (dimethoxy-α-pyrrolidinohexanophenone, 8 ), were newly identified in illegal products. Among them, compounds 1 and 8 have been controlled as designated substances (Shitei-Yakubutsu) under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law in Japan since August and November 2014, respectively.

  11. Leading co-production

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tortzen, Anne

    leadership styles executed by public managers affect the quality and public value of co-production processes? The paper argues that publicly initiated co-production initiatives are influenced by conflicting governance logics placing public managers in an institutional cross pressure (Lowndes & Roberts, 2013...... of building networks and relations, developing trust and focusing on empowerment and on the participants' resources to develop innovative solutions Drawing on three qualitative case studies of ‘most likely' co-production cases in Danish municipalities, the study identifies three different leadership styles...... and increase public value (Bovaird & Löffler, 2012; Osborne, 2010). The paper argues that a deeper understanding of the dynamics of co-production can be gained from analyzing the leadership dimension of co-production processes, which has hitherto not been given much attention by co-production researchers...

  12. Identifying potential areas for biofuel production and evaluating the environmental effects: a case study of the James River Basin in the Midwestern United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Yiping; Liu, Shu-Guang; Li, Zhengpeng

    2012-01-01

    Biofuels are now an important resource in the United States because of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Both increased corn growth for ethanol production and perennial dedicated energy crop growth for cellulosic feedstocks are potential sources to meet the rising demand for biofuels. However, these measures may cause adverse environmental consequences that are not yet fully understood. This study 1) evaluates the long-term impacts of increased frequency of corn in the crop rotation system on water quantity and quality as well as soil fertility in the James River Basin and 2) identifies potential grasslands for cultivating bioenergy crops (e.g. switchgrass), estimating the water quality impacts. We selected the soil and water assessment tool, a physically based multidisciplinary model, as the modeling approach to simulate a series of biofuel production scenarios involving crop rotation and land cover changes. The model simulations with different crop rotation scenarios indicate that decreases in water yield and soil nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) concentration along with an increase in NO3-N load to stream water could justify serious concerns regarding increased corn rotations in this basin. Simulations with land cover change scenarios helped us spatially classify the grasslands in terms of biomass productivity and nitrogen loads, and we further derived the relationship of biomass production targets and the resulting nitrogen loads against switchgrass planting acreages. The suggested economically efficient (planting acreage) and environmentally friendly (water quality) planting locations and acreages can be a valuable guide for cultivating switchgrass in this basin. This information, along with the projected environmental costs (i.e. reduced water yield and increased nitrogen load), can contribute to decision support tools for land managers to seek the sustainability of biofuel development in this region.

  13. Sufficient condition for a quantum state to be genuinely quantum non-Gaussian

    Science.gov (United States)

    Happ, L.; Efremov, M. A.; Nha, H.; Schleich, W. P.

    2018-02-01

    We show that the expectation value of the operator \\hat{{ \\mathcal O }}\\equiv \\exp (-c{\\hat{x}}2)+\\exp (-c{\\hat{p}}2) defined by the position and momentum operators \\hat{x} and \\hat{p} with a positive parameter c can serve as a tool to identify quantum non-Gaussian states, that is states that cannot be represented as a mixture of Gaussian states. Our condition can be readily tested employing a highly efficient homodyne detection which unlike quantum-state tomography requires the measurements of only two orthogonal quadratures. We demonstrate that our method is even able to detect quantum non-Gaussian states with positive–definite Wigner functions. This situation cannot be addressed in terms of the negativity of the phase-space distribution. Moreover, we demonstrate that our condition can characterize quantum non-Gaussianity for the class of superposition states consisting of a vacuum and integer multiples of four photons under more than 50 % signal attenuation.

  14. Lambda hyperon production and polarization in collisions of p(3.5 GeV)+Nb

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agakishiev, G.; Belyaev, A.V.; Chernenko, S.; Fateev, O.V.; Ierusalimov, A.; Ladygin, V.; Muentz, C.; Vasiliev, T.; Zanevsky, Y.V.; Arnold, O.; Berger-Chen, J.C.; Epple, E.; Fabbietti, L.; Lalik, R.; Lapidus, K.; Schmah, A.; Siebenson, J.; Balanda, A.; Dybczak, A.; Michalska, B.; Palka, M.; Przygoda, W.; Salabura, P.; Trebacz, R.; Belver, D.; Cabanelas, P.; Garzon, J.A.; Kornakov, G.; Blanco, A.; Fonte, P.; Lopes, L.; Mangiarotti, A.; Boehmer, M.; Friese, J.; Gernhaeuser, R.; Jurkovic, M.; Kruecken, R.; Maier, L.; Weber, M.; Boyard, J.L.; Hennino, T.; Liu, T.; Ramstein, B.; Finocchiaro, P.; Froehlich, I.; Goebel, K.; Lorenz, M.; Markert, J.; Michel, J.; Pachmayer, Y.C.; Pechenova, O.; Rustamov, A.; Stroebele, H.; Tarantola, A.; Teilab, K.; Galatyuk, T.; Gonzalez-Diaz, D.; Golubeva, M.; Guber, F.; Ivashkin, A.; Karavicheva, T.; Kurepin, A.; Reshetin, A.; Sadovsky, A.; Gumberidze, M.; Heinz, T.; Holzmann, R.; Koenig, I.; Koenig, W.; Kolb, B.W.; Lang, S.; Pechenov, V.; Pietraszko, J.; Schwab, E.; Sturm, C.; Traxler, M.; Yurevich, S.; Iori, I.; Kaempfer, B.; Kotte, R.; Naumann, L.; Wendisch, C.; Wuestenfeld, J.; Krasa, A.; Krizek, F.; Kugler, A.; Sobolev, Yu.G.; Tlusty, P.; Wagner, V.; Kuc, H.; Kuehn, W.; Metag, V.; Spataro, S.; Spruck, B.; Lebedev, A.; Parpottas, Y.; Tsertos, H.; Stroth, J.

    2014-01-01

    Results on Λ hyperon production are reported for collisions of p(3.5 GeV) + Nb, studied with the High-Acceptance Di-Electron Spectrometer (HADES) at SIS18 at GSI Helmholtzzentrum for Heavy-Ion Research, Darmstadt. The transverse mass distributions in rapidity bins are well described by Boltzmann shapes with a maximum inverse slope parameter of about 90 MeV at a rapidity of y = 1.0, i.e. slightly below the center-of-mass rapidity for nucleon-nucleon collisions, y cm = 1.12. The rapidity density decreases monotonically with increasing rapidity within a rapidity window ranging from 0.3 to 1.3. The Λ phase-space distribution is compared with results of other experiments and with predictions of two transport approaches which are available publicly. None of the present versions of the employed models is able to fully reproduce the experimental distributions, i.e. in absolute yield and in shape. Presumably, this finding results from an insufficient modelling in the transport models of the elementary processes being relevant for Λ production, rescattering and absorption. The present high-statistics data allow for a genuine two-dimensional investigation as a function of phase space of the self-analyzing Λ polarization in the weak decay Λ → pπ - . Finite negative values of the polarization in the order of 5-20% are observed over the entire phase space studied. The absolute value of the polarization increases almost linearly with increasing transverse momentum for p t > 300 MeV/c and increases with decreasing rapidity for y < 0.8. (orig.)

  15. Lambda hyperon production and polarization in collisions of p(3.5 GeV)+Nb

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Agakishiev, G.; Belyaev, A.V.; Chernenko, S.; Fateev, O.V.; Ierusalimov, A.; Ladygin, V.; Muentz, C.; Vasiliev, T.; Zanevsky, Y.V. [Joint Institute of Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); Arnold, O.; Berger-Chen, J.C.; Epple, E.; Fabbietti, L.; Lalik, R.; Lapidus, K.; Schmah, A.; Siebenson, J. [Excellence Cluster ' ' Origin and Structure of the Universe' ' , Garching (Germany); Balanda, A.; Dybczak, A.; Michalska, B.; Palka, M.; Przygoda, W.; Salabura, P.; Trebacz, R. [Jagiellonian University of Cracow, Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Krakow (Poland); Belver, D.; Cabanelas, P.; Garzon, J.A.; Kornakov, G. [Univ. de Santiago de Compostela, LabCAF F. Fisica, Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Blanco, A.; Fonte, P.; Lopes, L.; Mangiarotti, A. [LIP-Laboratorio de Instrumentacao e Fisica Experimental de Particulas, Coimbra (Portugal); Boehmer, M.; Friese, J.; Gernhaeuser, R.; Jurkovic, M.; Kruecken, R.; Maier, L.; Weber, M. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Department E12, Garching (Germany); Boyard, J.L.; Hennino, T.; Liu, T.; Ramstein, B. [Universite Paris Sud, Institut de Physique Nucleaire (UMR 8608), CNRS/IN2P3, Orsay Cedex (France); Finocchiaro, P. [Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, INFN, Catania (Italy); Froehlich, I.; Goebel, K.; Lorenz, M.; Markert, J.; Michel, J.; Pachmayer, Y.C.; Pechenova, O.; Rustamov, A.; Stroebele, H.; Tarantola, A.; Teilab, K. [Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitaet, Institut fuer Kernphysik, Frankfurt (Germany); Galatyuk, T.; Gonzalez-Diaz, D. [Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, Darmstadt (Germany); Golubeva, M.; Guber, F.; Ivashkin, A.; Karavicheva, T.; Kurepin, A.; Reshetin, A.; Sadovsky, A. [Russian Academy of Science, Institute for Nuclear Research, Moscow (Russian Federation); Gumberidze, M. [Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, Darmstadt (Germany); Universite Paris Sud, Institut de Physique Nucleaire (UMR 8608), CNRS/IN2P3, Orsay Cedex (France); Heinz, T.; Holzmann, R.; Koenig, I.; Koenig, W.; Kolb, B.W.; Lang, S.; Pechenov, V.; Pietraszko, J.; Schwab, E.; Sturm, C.; Traxler, M.; Yurevich, S. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Iori, I. [Sezione di Milano, INFN, Milano (Italy); Kaempfer, B.; Kotte, R.; Naumann, L.; Wendisch, C.; Wuestenfeld, J. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institut fuer Strahlenphysik, Dresden (Germany); Krasa, A.; Krizek, F.; Kugler, A.; Sobolev, Yu.G.; Tlusty, P.; Wagner, V. [Academy of Sciences of Czech Republic, Nuclear Physics Institute, Rez (Czech Republic); Kuc, H. [Jagiellonian University of Cracow, Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Krakow (Poland); Universite Paris Sud, Institut de Physique Nucleaire (UMR 8608), CNRS/IN2P3, Orsay Cedex (France); Kuehn, W.; Metag, V.; Spataro, S.; Spruck, B. [Justus Liebig Universitaet Giessen, II.Physikalisches Institut, Giessen (Germany); Lebedev, A. [Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Moscow (Russian Federation); Parpottas, Y.; Tsertos, H. [University of Cyprus, Department of Physics, Nicosia (Cyprus); Stroth, J. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitaet, Institut fuer Kernphysik, Frankfurt (Germany); Collaboration: HADES Collaboration

    2014-05-15

    Results on Λ hyperon production are reported for collisions of p(3.5 GeV) + Nb, studied with the High-Acceptance Di-Electron Spectrometer (HADES) at SIS18 at GSI Helmholtzzentrum for Heavy-Ion Research, Darmstadt. The transverse mass distributions in rapidity bins are well described by Boltzmann shapes with a maximum inverse slope parameter of about 90 MeV at a rapidity of y = 1.0, i.e. slightly below the center-of-mass rapidity for nucleon-nucleon collisions, y{sub cm} = 1.12. The rapidity density decreases monotonically with increasing rapidity within a rapidity window ranging from 0.3 to 1.3. The Λ phase-space distribution is compared with results of other experiments and with predictions of two transport approaches which are available publicly. None of the present versions of the employed models is able to fully reproduce the experimental distributions, i.e. in absolute yield and in shape. Presumably, this finding results from an insufficient modelling in the transport models of the elementary processes being relevant for Λ production, rescattering and absorption. The present high-statistics data allow for a genuine two-dimensional investigation as a function of phase space of the self-analyzing Λ polarization in the weak decay Λ → pπ{sup -}. Finite negative values of the polarization in the order of 5-20% are observed over the entire phase space studied. The absolute value of the polarization increases almost linearly with increasing transverse momentum for p{sub t} > 300 MeV/c and increases with decreasing rapidity for y < 0.8. (orig.)

  16. Analytical methods to identify irradiated food

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Helle, N.; Schreiber, G.A.; Boegl, K.W.

    1992-01-01

    During the last years, three promising techniques for the identification of irradiated food were developed: - Studies of luminescence, mainly thermoluminescence measurements, of food containing mineral impurities like spices, dried vegetables: and fresh fuit and vegetables. This technique can probably be applied also to food with crystalline components like shells or bones. - Gaschromatographic/mass-spectrometric investigation of radiation-induced lipid changes. - Electron-spin-resonance measurements of dried products or of products containing dry components like bones, fish bones, shells or seeds. The thermoluminescence technique has been routinely applied for more than one year by several German Food Inspection Laboratories. The results suggest that there are scarcely any irradiated spices and dried vegetables in the German market. Gaschromatography/mass spectrometry of lipid components and electron-spin-resonance spectroscopy will be established in routine food inspections in Germany in the next two years. Further possibilities to identify irradiated food are the analysis of specific changes in amino acids, DNA and carbohydrates. Radiation-induced viscosity changes, and changes in electric properties (impedance) may be helpful in identifiying at least some irradiated products. Also microbiological and biological techniques as e.g. microbial flora shift or embryo development tests in citrus fruit have been considered. All activities concerning the development of identification techniques are now coordinated by the European Communities and by IAEA. (orig.) [de

  17. The prospects of natural gas vehicles in France and Europe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nicolle, J.M.

    2009-01-01

    Given the availability and environmental advantages of natural gas, several countries soon felt that natural gas vehicles (NGVs) were a logical way to respond to transportation needs while meeting up to the standards of sustainable development. Natural gas is now a genuine alternative to petroleum products, and NGVs are capable of using the current engine technology. (author)

  18. Emotional Laour in Teaching Secondary Physical Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ye Hoon Lee

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Background: Teaching physical education is an emotion-laden context which requires physical education teachers to engage in emotional labor in order to foster their well-being, as well as student’s outcomes. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictability of emotional labour strategies on job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion among secondary physical education teachers in South Korea. Specifically, the four forms of emotional labour (i.e., surface acting, deep acting, genuine positive expression, and genuine negative expression were hypothesized to have different influences on job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion. Method: A total of 225 full-time physical education teachers were invited to participate in the paper-pencil survey. The questionnaires contained items measuring the four forms of emotional labour, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction which had been modified to fit the physical education setting. Results: The results indicated that surface acting, genuine positive expression, and genuine expression was significantly associated with emotional exhaustion whereas only genuine positive expression was significantly associated with job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion. Finally, emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between surface acting and job satisfaction, genuine positive expression and job satisfaction, and genuine negative expression and job satisfaction. Conclusion: These results suggest that emotional labour plays a critical role on physical education teachers’ well-being and job attitude.  Keywords: emotional regulation, physical education teacher, genuine expression, Asian culture, surface acting

  19. Revealing Tripartite Quantum Discord with Tripartite Information Diagram

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei-Ting Lee

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available A new measure based on the tripartite information diagram is proposed for identifying quantum discord in tripartite systems. The proposed measure generalizes the mutual information underlying discord from bipartite to tripartite systems, and utilizes both one-particle and two-particle projective measurements to reveal the characteristics of the tripartite quantum discord. The feasibility of the proposed measure is demonstrated by evaluating the tripartite quantum discord for systems with states close to Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger, W, and biseparable states. In addition, the connections between tripartite quantum discord and two other quantum correlations—namely genuine tripartite entanglement and genuine tripartite Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen steering—are briefly discussed. The present study considers the case of quantum discord in tripartite systems. However, the proposed framework can be readily extended to general N-partite systems.

  20. Novel Ways to Identify and Nurture Healthcare Innovation

    OpenAIRE

    Kurt Hertogs

    2015-01-01

    Johnson & Johnson is engaged in a new strategy of partnering and cultivating external innovation that relies on strengthening the ecosystem for innovation in its areas of interest. Johnson & Johnson Innovation (JJI) has been implementing this strategy by identifying early innovation and helping to translate it into value added therapeutic solutions and portfolio products. In order to achieve transformational results in areas of high unmet medical need and risk, collaboration with different st...

  1. The Internationalisation of Production

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yang, Cheng; Madsen, Erik Skov

    2013-01-01

    practice is further analysed in terms of (1) general information of each case company; (2) motivation of production internationalisation of each case company; (3) limitations as SMEs to internationalise production; (4) operational activities during the internationalization; (5) benefits of joint effort......This paper mainly aims to explore how SMEs internationalise their production. Directed by this objective, a new practice adopted by five Danish SMEs to internationalise their production to China is identified, which to our knowledge has never been reported by any of the existing literature. The new...

  2. Biometric Border Security Evaluation Framework (Biometrique Cadre D’evaluation de la Securite des Frontieres)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-01

    pour faire l’essai, dont environ 6 000 étaient d’une qualité suffisante pour l’analyse. Les données ont été recueillies grâce à trois mécanismes : le...90 Veri look 3 .2 Score • Controlled Im poster • Uncontrolled Imposter ..t. Pa ssport Genuine e HD CCTV Genuine Figure 37: VeriLook 3.2 PDFs...0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Verilook 4.0 Score • Control led Im poster • Uncontrolled Imposter • Pa ssport Genuine • HD CCTV Genuine Figure

  3. Fragranced consumer products and undisclosed ingredients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steinemann, Anne C.

    2009-01-01

    Fragranced consumer products-such as air fresheners, laundry supplies, personal care products, and cleaners-are widely used in homes, businesses, institutions, and public places. While prevalent, these products can contain chemicals that are not disclosed to the public through product labels or material safety data sheets (MSDSs). What are some of these chemicals and what limits their disclosure? This article investigates these questions, and brings new pieces of evidence to the science, health, and policy puzzle. Results from a regulatory analysis, coupled with a chemical analysis of six best-selling products (three air fresheners and three laundry supplies), provide several findings. First, no law in the U.S. requires disclosure of all chemical ingredients in consumer products or in fragrances. Second, in these six products, nearly 100 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified, but none of the VOCs were listed on any product label, and one was listed on one MSDS. Third, of these identified VOCs, ten are regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, with three (acetaldehyde, chloromethane, and 1,4-dioxane) classified as Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs). Results point to a need for improved understanding of product constituents and mechanisms between exposures and effects

  4. Identifying PHM market and network opportunities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grube, Mark E; Krishnaswamy, Anand; Poziemski, John; York, Robert W

    2015-11-01

    Two key processes for healthcare organizations seeking to assume a financially sustainable role in population health management (PHM), after laying the groundwork for the effort, are to identify potential PHM market opportunities and determine the scope of the PHM network. Key variables organizations should consider with respect to market opportunities include the patient population, the overall insurance/employer market, and available types of insurance products. Regarding the network's scope, organizations should consider both traditional strategic criteria for a viable network and at least five additional criteria: network essentiality and PHM care continuum, network adequacy, service distribution right-sizing, network growth strategy, and organizational agility.

  5. Guidelines for the Deployment of Product-Related Environmental Legislation into Requirements for the Product Development Process

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ferraz, Mariana; Pigosso, Daniela Cristina Antelmi; Teixeira, Cláudia Echevenguá

    2013-01-01

    Environmental legislation is increasingly changing its focus from end-of-pipe approaches to a life cycle perspective. Therefore, manufacturing companies are increasingly identifying the need of deploying and incorporating product-related environmental requirements into the product development...... process. This paper presents twelve guidelines, clustered into three groups, to support companies in the identification, analysis and deployment of product requirements from product-related environmental legislation....

  6. Towards a theory of product design specifications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Claus Thorp; Andreasen, Mogens Myrup

    2004-01-01

    , which express the customers¿ need and perception of value. In this paper we will scrutinize this assumption. We outline the roles and tasks of the product design specification in order to identify the requirements on a theory of product design specifications and we identify existing theory elements....... In the design methodology literature we find guidelines and methods to compile a product design specification. The contributions are based on the common underlying assumption that it is meaningful and the only feasible approach to interpret the result of a need analysis into a set of technical specifications...... to build such a theory of product design specifications upon....

  7. Alcohol-flavoured tobacco products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackler, Robert K; VanWinkle, Callie K; Bumanlag, Isabela M; Ramamurthi, Divya

    2018-05-01

    In 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned characterising flavours in cigarettes (except for menthol) due to their appeal to teen starter smokers. In August 2016, the agency deemed all tobacco products to be under its authority and a more comprehensive flavour ban is under consideration. To determine the scope and scale of alcohol-flavoured tobacco products among cigars & cigarillos, hookahs and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). Alcohol-flavoured tobacco products were identified by online search of tobacco purveyors' product lines and via Google search cross-referencing the various tobacco product types versus a list of alcoholic beverage flavours (eg, wine, beer, appletini, margarita). 48 types of alcohol-flavoured tobacco products marketed by 409 tobacco brands were identified. Alcohol flavours included mixed drinks (n=25), spirits (11), liqueurs (7) and wine/beer (5). Sweet and fruity tropical mixed drink flavours were marketed by the most brands: piña colada (96), mojito (66) and margarita (50). Wine flavours were common with 104 brands. Among the tobacco product categories, brands offering alcohol-flavoured e-cigarettes (280) were most numerous, but alcohol-flavoured products were also marketed by cigars & cigarillos (88) and hookah brands (41). Brands by major tobacco companies (eg, Philip Morris, Imperial Tobacco) were well represented among alcohol-flavoured cigars & cigarillos with five companies offering a total of 17 brands. The widespread availability of alcohol-flavoured tobacco products illustrates the need to regulate characterising flavours on all tobacco products. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  8. Identifying and Prioritizing the Effective Parameters on Lack of Timeliness of Operations of Sugarcane Production using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N Monjezi

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Planning and scheduling of farming mechanized operations is very important. If the operation is not performed on time, yield will be reduced. Also for sugarcane, any delay in crop planting and harvesting operations reduces the yield. The most useful priority setting method for agricultural projects is the analytic hierarchy process (AHP. So, this article presents an introductry application manner of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP as a mostly common method of setting agricultural projects priorities. Analytic Hierarchy process (AHP is a decision making algorithm developed by Dr. Saatyin 1980. It has many applications as documented in Decision Support System literature. Currently, this technique is widely used in complicated management decision makings which AHP was preferred from other established methodologies as it does not demand prior knowledge of the utility function; it is based on a hierarchy of criteria and attributes reflecting the understanding of the problem, and finally, because it allows relative and absolute comparisons, thus making this method a very robust tool. The purpose of this research is to identify and prioritize the effective parameters on lack of timeliness of operations of sugarcane production using AHP in Khuzestan province of Iran. Materials and Methods The effective parameters effecting on lack of timeliness of operations have been defined based on expert’s opinions. A questionnaire and personal interviews have formed the basis of this research. The study was applied to a panel of qualified informants made up of fourteen experts. Those interviewed were distributed in Sugarcane Development and By-products Company in 2013-2014. Then, by using the Analytical hierarchy process, a questionnaire was designed for defining the weight and importance of parameters affecting on lack of timeliness of operations. For this method of evaluation, three main criteria considered were yield criteria, cost criteria

  9. 75 FR 3383 - New Postal Product

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-21

    ... is adding Express Mail Contract 7 to the Competitive Product List. This action is consistent with a postal reform law. Republication of the lists of market dominant and competitive products is also.... Introduction The Postal Service seeks to add a new product identified as Express Mail [[Page 3384

  10. Leading Staff Development for School Improvement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bubb, Sara; Earley, Peter

    2009-01-01

    As part of a CfBT Education Trust funded study, we investigated the practical steps school leaders can take to ensure that self-evaluation of school performance led, through the effective staff development, to genuine school improvement. On the journey from self-evaluation to school improvement our research identified what schools did that worked,…

  11. The Evolution of Research on Digital Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dillenbourg, Pierre

    2016-01-01

    How does AI&EdAIED today compare to 25 years ago? This paper addresses this evolution by identifying six trends. The trends are ongoing and will influence learning technologies going forward. First, the physicality of interactions and the physical space of the learner became genuine components of digital education. The frontier between the…

  12. DOES MICRO LC/MS OFFER ADVANTAGES OVER CONVENTIONAL LC/MS IN IDENTIFYING DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lower maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) of disinfection by-products were set for drinking water municipalities by the Stage 1 DBP Rule in November, 1998. With these new regulations, additional water treatment plants are expected to choose alternative disinfectants to chlorine. Al...

  13. Identifying e-cigarette vape stores: description of an online search methodology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Annice E; Loomis, Brett; Rhodes, Bryan; Eggers, Matthew E; Liedtke, Christopher; Porter, Lauren

    2016-04-01

    Although the overall impact of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) on public health is unclear, awareness, use, and marketing of the products have increased markedly in recent years. Identifying the increasing number of 'vape stores' that specialise in selling ENDS can be challenging given the lack of regulatory policies and licensing. This study assesses the utility of online search methods in identifying ENDS vape stores. We conducted online searches in Google Maps, Yelp, and YellowPages to identify listings of ENDS vape stores in Florida, and used a crowdsourcing platform to call and verify stores that primarily sold ENDS to consumers. We compared store listings generated from the online search and crowdsourcing methodology to list licensed tobacco and ENDS retailers from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The combined results from all three online sources yielded a total of 403 ENDS vape stores. Nearly 32.5% of these stores were on the state tobacco licensure list, while 67.5% were not. Accuracy of online results was highest for Yelp (77.6%), followed by YellowPages (77.1%) and Google (53.0%). Using the online search methodology we identified more ENDS vape stores than were on the state tobacco licensure list. This approach may be a promising strategy to identify and track the growth of ENDS vape stores over time, especially in states without a systematic licensing requirement for such stores. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  14. Three-nucleon forces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sauer, P.U.

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, the role of three-nucleon forces in ab initio calculations of nuclear systems is investigated. The difference between genuine and induced many-nucleon forces is emphasized. Induced forces arise in the process of solving the nuclear many-body problem as technical intermediaries toward calculationally converged results. Genuine forces make up the Hamiltonian. They represent the chosen underlying dynamics. The hierarchy of contributions arising from genuine two-, three- and many-nucleon forces is discussed. Signals for the need of the inclusion of genuine three-nucleon forces are studied in nuclear systems, technically best under control, especially in three-nucleon and four-nucleon systems. Genuine three-nucleon forces are important for details in the description of some observables. Their contributions to observables are small on the scale set by two-nucleon forces. (author)

  15. A tool for identifying potential Eucalyptus nitens seed orchard sites ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Shy seed production in orchards of Eucalyptus nitens is a major barrier to the deployment of genetic gain in South African plantations. A machine learning method was used to identify optimal sites for the establishment of E. nitens seed orchards within the plantation forestry landscape of the summer rainfall region of South ...

  16. Procedures for identifying S-allele genotypes of Brassica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallace, D H

    1979-11-01

    Procedures are described for efficient selection of: (1) homozygous and heterozygous S-allele genotypes; (2) homozygous inbreds with the strong self- and sib-incompatibility required for effective seed production of single-cross F1 hybrids; (3) heterozygous genotypes with the high self- and sib-incompatibility required for effective seed production of 3- and 4-way hybrids.From reciprocal crosses between two first generation inbred (I1) plants there are three potential results: both crosses are incompatible; one is incompatible and the other compatible; and both are compatible. Incompatibility of both crosses is useful information only when combined with data from other reciprocal crosses. Each compatible cross, depending on whether its reciprocal is incompatible or compatible, dictates alternative reasoning and additional reciprocal crosses for efficiently and simultaneously identifying: (A) the S-allele genotype of all individual I1 plants, and (B) the expressions of dominance or codominance in pollen and stigma (sexual organs) of an S-allele heterozygous genotype. Reciprocal crosses provide the only efficient means of identifying S-allele genotypes and also the sexual-organ x S-allele-interaction types.Fluorescent microscope assay of pollen tube penetration into the style facilitates quantitation within 24-48 hours of incompatibility and compatibility of the reciprocal crosses. A procedure for quantitating the reciprocal difference is described that maximizes informational content of the data about interactions between S alleles in pollen and stigma of the S-allele-heterozygous genotype.Use of the non-inbred Io generation parent as a 'known' heterozygous S-allele genotype in crosses with its first generation selfed (I1) progeny usually reduces at least 7 fold the effort required for achieving objectives 1, 2, and 3, compared to the method of making reciprocal crosses only among I1 plants.Identifying the heterozygous and both homozygous S-allele genotypes during

  17. Identifying efficient dairy heifer producers using production costs and data envelopment analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heinrichs, A J; Jones, C M; Gray, S M; Heinrichs, P A; Cornelisse, S A; Goodling, R C

    2013-01-01

    During November and December 2011, data were collected from 44 dairy operations in 13 Pennsylvania counties. Researchers visited each farm to collect information regarding management practices and feeding, and costs for labor, health, bedding, and reproduction for replacement heifers from birth until first calving. Costs per heifer were broken up into 4 time periods: birth until weaning, weaning until 6 mo of age, 6 mo of age until breeding age, and heifers from breeding to calving. Milk production records for each herd were obtained from Dairy Herd Improvement. The average number of milking cows on farms in this study was 197.8 ± 280.1, with a range from 38 to 1,708. Total cost averaged $1,808.23 ± $338.62 from birth until freshening. Raising calves from birth to weaning cost $217.49 ± 86.21; raising heifers from weaning age through 6 mo of age cost $247.38 ± 78.89; raising heifers from 6 mo of age until breeding cost $607.02 ± 192.28; and total cost for bred heifers was $736.33 ± 162.86. Feed costs were the largest component of the cost to raise heifers from birth to calving, accounting for nearly 73% of the total. Data envelopment analysis determined that 9 of the 44 farms had no inefficiencies in inputs or outputs. These farms best combined feed and labor investments, spending, on average, $1,137.40 and $140.62/heifer for feed and labor. These heifers calved at 23.7 mo of age and produced 88.42% of the milk produced by older cows. In contrast, the 35 inefficient farms spent $227 more on feed and $78 more on labor per heifer for animals that calved 1.6 mo later and produced only 82% of the milk made by their mature herdmates. Efficiency was attained by herds with the lowest input costs, but herds with higher input costs were also able to be efficient if age at calving was low and milk production was high for heifers compared with the rest of the herd. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. A longitudinal study to identify the influence of quality of chronic care delivery on productive interactions between patients and (teams of) healthcare professionals within disease management programmes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cramm, Jane Murray; Nieboer, Anna Petra

    2014-09-19

    The chronic care model is an increasingly used approach to improve the quality of care through system changes in care delivery. While theoretically these system changes are expected to increase productive patient-professional interaction empirical evidence is lacking. This study aims to identify the influence of quality of care on productive patient-professional interaction. Longitudinal study in 18 Dutch regions. Questionnaires were sent to all 5076 patients participating in 18 Disease Management Programmes (DMPs) in 2010 (2676 (53%) respondents). One year later (T1), 4693 patients still participating in the DMPs received a questionnaire (2191 (47%) respondents) and 2 years later (in 2012; T2) 1722 patients responded (out of 4350; 40% response). DMPs Patients' perceptions of the productivity of interactions (measured as relational coordination/coproduction of care) with professionals. Patients were asked about communication dimensions (frequent, accurate, and problem-solving communication) and relationship dimensions (shared goals and mutual respect). After controlling for background characteristics these results clearly show that quality of chronic care (T0), first-year changes in quality of chronic care (T1-T0) and second-year changes in quality of chronic care (T2-T1) predicted productive interactions between patients and professionals at T2 (all at p≤0.001). Furthermore, we found a negative relationship between lower educational level and productive interactions between patients and professionals 2 years later. We can conclude that successfully dealing with the consequences of chronic illnesses requires proactive patients who are able to make productive decisions together with their healthcare providers. Since patients and professionals share responsibility for management of the chronic illness, they must also share control of interactions and decisions. The importance of patient-centeredness is growing and this study reports a first example of how quality

  19. Cost Optimization of Product Families using Analytic Cost Models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brunø, Thomas Ditlev; Nielsen, Peter

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a new method for analysing the cost structure of a mass customized product family. The method uses linear regression and backwards selection to reduce the complexity of a data set describing a number of historical product configurations and incurred costs. By reducing the data...... set, the configuration variables which best describe the variation in product costs are identified. The method is tested using data from a Danish manufacturing company and the results indicate that the method is able to identify the most critical configuration variables. The method can be applied...... in product family redesign projects focusing on cost reduction to identify which modules contribute the most to cost variation and should thus be optimized....

  20. Factors affecting research productivity of production and operations management groups: An empirical study

    OpenAIRE

    George C. Hadjinicola; Andreas C. Soteriou

    2006-01-01

    This paper identifies factors that promote research productivity of production and operations management (POM) groups of researchers in US business schools. In this study, research productivity of a POM group is defined as the number of articles published per POM professor in a specific period of time. The paper also examines factors that affect research quality, as measured by the number of articles published per POM professor in journals, which have been recognized in the POM literature as ...

  1. A proposal for a classification of product-related dependencies in development of mechatronic products

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Torry-Smith, Jonas; Mortensen, Niels Henrik; Achiche, Sofiane

    2014-01-01

    to the classification of product-related dependencies. Traditionally these dependencies have been described as appearing between the following product attributes: function, properties and structure. By analysing three mechatronic projects from industry we identified and classified 13 types of product......-related dependencies. Each product-related dependency is described and illustrated using the practical examples from the industrial projects. The value of the classification is evaluated by applying it to an industrial development setting not used for the analysis. The evaluation shows that delays in the project...

  2. Nuclear magnetic resonance and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry combined with an incompleted separation strategy for identifying the natural products in crude extract

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai Dongmei; He Jiuming; Sun Ruixiang; Zhang Ruiping; Aisa, Haji Akber; Abliz, Zeper

    2009-01-01

    NMR and LC-MS combined with an incompleted separation strategy were proposed to the simultaneous structure identification of natural products in crude extracts, and a novel method termed as NMR/LC-MS parallel dynamic spectroscopy (NMR/LC-MS PDS) was developed to discover the intrinsic correlation between retention time (Rt), mass/charge (m/z) and chemical shift (δ) data of the same constituent from mixture spectra by the co-analysis of parallelly visualized multispectroscopic datasets from LC-MS and 1 H NMR. The extracted ion chromatogram (XIC) and 1 H NMR signals deriving from the same individual constituent were correlated through fraction ranges and intensity changing profiles in NMR/LC-MS PDS spectrum due to the signal amplitude co-variation resulted from the concentration variation of constituents in a series of incompletely separated fractions. NMR/LC-MS PDS was applied to identify 12 constituents in an active herbal extract including flavonol glycosides, which was separated into a series of fractions by flash column chromatography. The complementary spectral information of the same individual constituent in the crude extract was discovered simultaneously from mixture spectra. Especially, two groups of co-eluted isomers were identified successfully. The results demonstrated that NMR/LC-MS PDS combined with the incompleted separation strategy achieved the similar function of on-line LC-NMR-MS analysis in off-line mode and had the potential for simplifying and accelerating the analytical routes for structure identification of constituents in herbs or their active extracts

  3. Nuclear magnetic resonance and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry combined with an incompleted separation strategy for identifying the natural products in crude extract

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dai Dongmei; He Jiuming [Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resource Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050 (China); Sun Ruixiang [Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080 (China); Zhang Ruiping [Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resource Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050 (China); Aisa, Haji Akber [Xinjiang Technological Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011 (China); Abliz, Zeper [Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resource Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 1 Xian Nong Tan Street, Beijing 100050 (China)], E-mail: zeper@imm.ac.cn

    2009-01-26

    NMR and LC-MS combined with an incompleted separation strategy were proposed to the simultaneous structure identification of natural products in crude extracts, and a novel method termed as NMR/LC-MS parallel dynamic spectroscopy (NMR/LC-MS PDS) was developed to discover the intrinsic correlation between retention time (Rt), mass/charge (m/z) and chemical shift ({delta}) data of the same constituent from mixture spectra by the co-analysis of parallelly visualized multispectroscopic datasets from LC-MS and {sup 1}H NMR. The extracted ion chromatogram (XIC) and {sup 1}H NMR signals deriving from the same individual constituent were correlated through fraction ranges and intensity changing profiles in NMR/LC-MS PDS spectrum due to the signal amplitude co-variation resulted from the concentration variation of constituents in a series of incompletely separated fractions. NMR/LC-MS PDS was applied to identify 12 constituents in an active herbal extract including flavonol glycosides, which was separated into a series of fractions by flash column chromatography. The complementary spectral information of the same individual constituent in the crude extract was discovered simultaneously from mixture spectra. Especially, two groups of co-eluted isomers were identified successfully. The results demonstrated that NMR/LC-MS PDS combined with the incompleted separation strategy achieved the similar function of on-line LC-NMR-MS analysis in off-line mode and had the potential for simplifying and accelerating the analytical routes for structure identification of constituents in herbs or their active extracts.

  4. Chlorhexidine in cosmetic products

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Opstrup, Morten Schjørring; Johansen, Jeanne Duus; Bossi, Rossana

    2015-01-01

    or an antimicrobial agent in cosmetic products at a concentration up to 0.3%, as set by the European Cosmetics Directive (now Regulations). OBJECTIVES: To identify cosmetic product types containing chlorhexidine, and to measure the concentration of chlorhexidine in selected products. METHODS: Between February 2013...... and April 2013, we checked for chlorhexidine in cosmetic products in 14 supermarkets, one hairdressing salon and one beauty and retail store in Copenhagen, Denmark by reading the ingredient labels. The chlorhexidine concentration was measured in 10 selected products by high-performance liquid chromatography...... concentrations were 0.01-0.15%. CONCLUSIONS: We found chlorhexidine in various cosmetic product types, predominantly aimed at females, and in hair products. The measured chlorhexidine concentrations were all within the permitted limit. The relevance for allergic sensitization should be further explored....

  5. Ghosts of the City: A Spectrology of Cinematic Spaces

    OpenAIRE

    Petra Löffler

    2015-01-01

    This paper investigates how, in early cinema, in-between spaces were created that were receptive to scenes of haunting. Adopting Derrida’s notions of a hauntology and a spectrology it argues for a genuine productivity of cinematic space that is able to build ghostly environments without incorporating an actual specter. This productivity is described as ‘making appear’ and ‘making act’. Furthermore, the paper explains how, in the era of silent cinema, cinematic techniques were used to create s...

  6. A selective genotyping approach identifies single nucleotide polymorphisms in porcine chromosome 2 genes associated with production and carcass traits in Italian heavy pigs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vincenzo Russo

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Several studies have shown that porcine chromosome 2 (SSC2 harbors important quantitative trait loci (QTL for production traits. In particular, an imprinted QTL for muscle mass production is determined by a mutation in the IGF2 gene (intron3-g.3072G>A. We recently identified and analysed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in genes (cathepsin D, CTSD g.70G>A; cathepsin F, CTSF g.22G>C; lactate dehydrogenase A, LDHA g.46G>T localized on SSC2 (including the IGF2 intron3-g.3072G>A SNP showing association with production traits in Italian Large White pigs and/or localizing them on QTL regions. Here we analysed these markers applying a selective genotyping approach based on estimated breeding values (EBVs. Three groups of Italian Large White pigs each made by animals with the most positive (n. 50 and most negative (n. 50 EBVs for average daily gain (ADG, backfat thickness (BFT or weight of lean cuts (LC and one group of Italian Duroc pigs made by 50 animals with most positive and 50 animals with most negative EBV for visible intermuscular fat (VIF were genotyped. In Italian Large White pigs, allele frequency differences for the IGF2 intron3-g.3072G>A SNP between the two extreme tails for all groups were highly significant (considering all analysed animals: P=9.53E-20 for LC; P=3.16E-15 for BFT; P=4.41E-6 for ADG. Significant allele frequency differences were also observed for the CTSD g.70G>A (P=0.0002 for ADG; P=0.00068 and LDHA g.46G>T (P=2.32E-5 for ADG polymorphisms. These results provide further support on the effects of these polymorphisms or genes whose application on marker assisted selection programs could be envisaged.

  7. Air quality and composite wood products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melissa G. D. Baumann

    1999-01-01

    Research at the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) is being conducted to identify the compounds emitted from wood products during their manufacture and subsequent use. The FPL researchers are measuring the types and quantities of VOCs that are emitted from particleboard and MDF products to provide quantitative emissions information. This information...

  8. High-performance liquid chromatography for the analytical characterization of anthocyanins in Vaccinium myrtillus L. (bilberry) fruit and food products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benvenuti, Stefania; Brighenti, Virginia; Pellati, Federica

    2018-06-01

    Anthocyanins represent the most abundant class of bioactive compounds present in Vaccinium myrtillus L. (bilberry) fruit, conferring it several health-promoting properties. The content of anthocyanins in food products produced from bilberries can be affected by many parameters, making the study of their composition a critical issue. In this ambit, this work was aimed at a comprehensive profiling of anthocyanins in bilberry fruit and derivatives from the Italian Northern Apennines, including jam, juice, and liqueur ("Mirtillino"). Anthocyanins were extracted from the jams by means of a dynamic maceration with acidified methanol, while juice and liqueurs were directly analyzed. The analysis of anthocyanins in the extracts was carried out by means of HPLC-UV/DAD, HPLC-ESI-MS, and MS 2 , under gradient elution. As a comparison, authentic bilberry fruits were analyzed. The total anthocyanin content was in the range 582.4-795.2 mg/100 g (FW) for the fruit, 2.3-234.5 mg/100 g for the jams, 109.2-2252.2 mg/L for the juice, and 27.9-759.3 mg/L for the liqueurs. To deeper investigate the anthocyanin profile of the liqueurs that exhibited a remarkably different composition in comparison with the other products, an authentic bilberry liqueur was prepared in the lab, following a traditional recipe, and monitored weakly by HPLC. The percentage of degradation of 3-O-galactosides and 3-O-arabinosides of bilberry anthocyanidins was found to be higher than that of 3-O-glucosides. The results of this work demonstrated the importance of a suitable and reliable analysis of bilberry fruit and related food products to ensure their genuineness and quality. Graphical abstract Vaccinium myrtillus L. (bilberry) fruit and food products analyzed in this work.

  9. De identificatie van een zilveren microscoopje van Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiemen Cocquyt

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available A hitherto unknown silver microscope of the famous Delft microscopist Antoni van Leeuwenhoek has been identified as genuine, thanks to an intensive investigation using various modern forensic techniques. In this research the preserved Leeuwenhoek microscopes with known provenance were used as a benchmark. It is argued that for a reliable judgement about the authenticity of an object a holistic approach is required: a forensic investigation needs to assess its origin, style characteristics, material properties and production techniques, as well as 'connoisseurship' and the object’s publication history. In this paper all these aspects and their pitfall are discussed. The optical research has shown that the newly discovered instrument has a blown lens (similar to the Utrecht Leeuwenhoek microscope, with a magnification of 248 times, which makes it one of the strongest magnifying Leeuwenhoek microscopes preserved.

  10. From the editor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir Bukh

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available In the design market a personal architectural firm is identified by creative image of its head and does not offer «a pig in a poke» to the client who is concerned about high-quality architecture. Another matter is faceless ex-design institutions, which are functioning now in the form of joint-stock companies. Their design business is not determined by architecture. Their products are in demand among developers that continue to believe that architectural goals depend on the manner of their construction realization, among the developers that let builders push themselves around. But the demand for genuine architecture is awakening and strengthening. We make an attempt to show you, by the example of Irkutskgrazhdanproject, how the system of design institutions works in the new economic conditions.

  11. Product Knowledge Modelling and Management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Y.; MacCallum, K. J.; Duffy, Alex

    1996-01-01

    function-oriented design. Both Specific Product Knowledge and Product Domain Knowledge are modelled at two levels, a meta-model and an information-level.Following that, a computer-based scheme to manage the proposed product lknowledge models within a dynamically changing environment is presented.......The term, Product Knowledge is used to refer to two related but distinct concepts; the knowledge of a specific product (Specific Product Knowledge) and the knowledge of a product domain (Product Domain Knowledge). Modelling and managing Product Knowlege is an essential part of carrying out design.......A scheme is presented in this paper to model, i.e. classify, structure and formalise the product knowledge for the purpose of supporting function-oriented design. The product design specification and four types of required attributes of a specific product have been identified to form the Specific Product...

  12. Logistic regression function for detection of suspicious performance during baseline evaluations using concussion vital signs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Benjamin David; Womble, Melissa N; Rohling, Martin L

    2015-01-01

    This study utilized logistic regression to determine whether performance patterns on Concussion Vital Signs (CVS) could differentiate known groups with either genuine or feigned performance. For the embedded measure development group (n = 174), clinical patients and undergraduate students categorized as feigning obtained significantly lower scores on the overall test battery mean for the CVS, Shipley-2 composite score, and California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition subtests than did genuinely performing individuals. The final full model of 3 predictor variables (Verbal Memory immediate hits, Verbal Memory immediate correct passes, and Stroop Test complex reaction time correct) was significant and correctly classified individuals in their known group 83% of the time (sensitivity = .65; specificity = .97) in a mixed sample of young-adult clinical cases and simulators. The CVS logistic regression function was applied to a separate undergraduate college group (n = 378) that was asked to perform genuinely and identified 5% as having possibly feigned performance indicating a low false-positive rate. The failure rate was 11% and 16% at baseline cognitive testing in samples of high school and college athletes, respectively. These findings have particular relevance given the increasing use of computerized test batteries for baseline cognitive testing and return-to-play decisions after concussion.

  13. Cigarette smokers' classification of tobacco products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casseus, M; Garmon, J; Hrywna, M; Delnevo, C D

    2016-11-01

    Cigarette consumption has declined in the USA. However, cigar consumption has increased. This may be due in part to some cigarette smokers switching to filtered cigars as a less expensive substitute for cigarettes. Additionally, some cigarette smokers may perceive and consume little filtered cigars as cigarettes. The purpose of this study was to determine how cigarette smokers classify tobacco products when presented with photographs of those products. An online survey was conducted with a sample of 344 self-identified cigarette smokers. Respondents were presented with pictures of various types of tobacco products, both with and without packaging, and then asked to categorise them as either a cigarette, little cigar, cigarillo, cigar or machine-injected roll-your-own cigarette (RYO). Respondents were also asked about their tobacco use and purchasing behaviour. Overall, respondents had difficulty distinguishing between cigarettes, little cigars, cigarillos and RYO. When presented with images of the products without packaging, 93% of respondents identified RYO as a cigarette, while 42% identified a little cigar as a cigarette. Additionally, respondents stated that they would consider purchasing little cigars as substitutes for cigarettes because of the price advantage. The results of this survey suggest that when presented with photographs of tobacco products, large proportions of current smokers were unable to differentiate between cigarettes, little cigars, cigarillos, RYO and cigars. Findings have implications for existing public health efforts targeting cigarette smokers, and underscore the need to review current definitions of tobacco products and federal excise taxes on such products. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  14. A lanthipeptide library used to identify a protein-protein interaction inhibitor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xiao; Lennard, Katherine R; He, Chang; Walker, Mark C; Ball, Andrew T; Doigneaux, Cyrielle; Tavassoli, Ali; van der Donk, Wilfred A

    2018-04-01

    In this article we describe the production and screening of a genetically encoded library of 10 6 lanthipeptides in Escherichia coli using the substrate-tolerant lanthipeptide synthetase ProcM. This plasmid-encoded library was combined with a bacterial reverse two-hybrid system for the interaction of the HIV p6 protein with the UEV domain of the human TSG101 protein, which is a critical protein-protein interaction for HIV budding from infected cells. Using this approach, we identified an inhibitor of this interaction from the lanthipeptide library, whose activity was verified in vitro and in cell-based virus-like particle-budding assays. Given the variety of lanthipeptide backbone scaffolds that may be produced with ProcM, this method may be used for the generation of genetically encoded libraries of natural product-like lanthipeptides containing substantial structural diversity. Such libraries may be combined with any cell-based assay to identify lanthipeptides with new biological activities.

  15. The Perception of Aquaponics Products in Romania

    OpenAIRE

    Adrian Gheorghe Zugravu; Maria Magdalena Turek Rahoveanu; Adrian Turek Rahoveanu; Mohamed S. Khalel; Mostafa Abdel Rahman Ibrahim

    2016-01-01

    The paper follows two main objectives: to understand consumers' perception and image of aquaponics products and to identify levers communication in order to improve the perceived image of aquaponics products. Orientations in terms of communication aims product-focused and aim at enhancing the reputation of products, consequently with impact on product consumption. The present research is focused on the aquaponics products, regardless of their presentation - fresh, frozen or processed. This pa...

  16. Defining Product Intake Fraction to Quantify and Compare Exposure to Consumer Products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jolliet, Olivier; Ernstoff, Alexi S; Csiszar, Susan A; Fantke, Peter

    2015-08-04

    There is a growing consciousness that exposure studies need to better cover near-field exposure associated with products use. To consistently and quantitatively compare human exposure to chemicals in consumer products, we introduce the concept of product intake fraction, as the fraction of a chemical within a product that is eventually taken in by the human population. This metric enables consistent comparison of exposures during consumer product use for different product-chemical combinations, exposure duration, exposure routes and pathways and for other life cycle stages. We present example applications of the product intake fraction concept, for two chemicals in two personal care products and two chemicals encapsulated in two articles, showing how intakes of these chemicals can primarily occur during product use. We demonstrate the utility of the product intake fraction and its application modalities within life cycle assessment and risk assessment contexts. The product intake fraction helps to provide a clear interface between the life cycle inventory and impact assessment phases, to identify best suited sentinel products and to calculate overall exposure to chemicals in consumer products, or back-calculate maximum allowable concentrations of substances inside products.

  17. Metabolites of cannabidiol identified in human urine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harvey, D J; Mechoulam, R

    1990-03-01

    1. Urine from a dystonic patient treated with cannabidiol (CBD) was examined by g.l.c.-mass spectrometry for CBD metabolites. Metabolites were identified as their trimethylsilyl (TMS), [2H9]TMS, and methyl ester/TMS derivatives and as the TMS derivatives of the product of lithium aluminium deuteride reduction. 2. Thirty-three metabolites were identified in addition to unmetabolized CBD, and a further four metabolites were partially characterized. 3. The major metabolic route was hydroxylation and oxidation at C-7 followed by further hydroxylation in the pentyl and propenyl groups to give 1"-, 2"-, 3"-, 4"- and 10-hydroxy derivatives of CBD-7-oic acid. Other metabolites, mainly acids, were formed by beta-oxidation and related biotransformations from the pentyl side-chain and these were also hydroxylated at C-6 or C-7. The major oxidized metabolite was CBD-7-oic acid containing a hydroxyethyl side-chain. 4. Two 8,9-dihydroxy compounds, presumably derived from the corresponding epoxide were identified. 5. Also present were several cyclized cannabinoids including delta-6- and delta-1-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinol. 6. This is the first metabolic study of CBD in humans; most observed metabolic routes were typical of those found for CBD and related cannabinoids in other species.

  18. Identifying risk event in Indonesian fresh meat supply chain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wahyuni, H. C.; Vanany, I.; Ciptomulyono, U.

    2018-04-01

    The aim of this paper is to identify risk issues in Indonesian fresh meat supply chain from the farm until to the “plate”. The critical points for food safety in physical fresh meat product flow are also identified. The paper employed one case study in the Indonesian fresh meat company by conducting observations and in-depth three stages of interviews. At the first interview, the players, process, and activities in the fresh meat industry were identified. In the second interview, critical points for food safety were recognized. The risk events in each player and process were identified in the last interview. The research will be conducted in three stages, but this article focuses on risk identification process (first stage) only. The second stage is measuring risk and the third stage focuses on determining the value of risk priority. The results showed that there were four players in the fresh meat supply chain: livestock (source), slaughter (make), distributor and retail (deliver). Each player has different activities and identified 16 risk events in the fresh meat supply chain. Some of the strategies that can be used to reduce the occurrence of such risks include improving the ability of laborers on food safety systems, improving cutting equipment and distribution processes

  19. On Identifying Useful Patterns to Analyze Products in Retail Transaction Databases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yun, Unil

    Mining correlated patterns in large transaction databases is one of the essential tasks in data mining since a huge number of patterns are usually mined, but it is hard to find patterns with the correlation. The needed data analysis should be made according to the requirements of the particular real application. In previous mining approaches, patterns with the weak affinity are found even with a high minimum support. In this paper, we suggest weighted support affinity pattern mining in which a new measure, weighted support confidence (ws-confidence) is developed to identify correlated patterns with the weighted support affinity. To efficiently prune the weak affinity patterns, we prove that the ws-confidence measure satisfies the anti-monotone and cross weighted support properties which can be applied to eliminate patterns with dissimilar weighted support levels. Based on the two properties, we develop a weighted support affinity pattern mining algorithm (WSP). The weighted support affinity patterns can be useful to answer the comparative analysis queries such as finding itemsets containing items which give similar total selling expense levels with an acceptable error range α% and detecting item lists with similar levels of total profits. In addition, our performance study shows that WSP is efficient and scalable for mining weighted support affinity patterns.

  20. Energy production from biomass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bestebroer, S.I.

    1995-01-01

    The aim of the task group 'Energy Production from Biomass', initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, was to identify bottlenecks in the development of biomass for energy production. The bottlenecks were identified by means of a process analysis of clean biomass fuels to the production of electricity and/or heat. The subjects in the process analysis are the potential availability of biomass, logistics, processing techniques, energy use, environmental effects, economic impact, and stimulation measures. Three categories of biomass are distinguished: organic residual matter, imported biomass, and energy crops, cultivated in the Netherlands. With regard to the processing techniques attention is paid to co-firing of clean biomass in existing electric power plants (co-firing in a coal-fired power plant or co-firing of fuel gas from biomass in a coal-fired or natural gas-fired power plant), and the combustion or gasification of clean biomass in special stand-alone installations. 5 figs., 13 tabs., 28 refs

  1. Increasing the bioflocculant production and identifying the effect of overexpressing epsB on the synthesis of polysaccharide and γ-PGA in Bacillus licheniformis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Peize; Chen, Zhen; Yang, Lijie; Li, Qingbiao; He, Ning

    2017-09-26

    Polysaccharides and poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) are biomacromolecules that have been reported as bioflocculants, and they exhibit high flocculating activity in many industrial applications. Bacillus licheniformis CGMCC 2876 can produce polysaccharide and γ-PGA bioflocculants under different culture conditions. Several key genes are involved in the metabolic pathway of polysaccharides in B. licheniformis, but the impacts of the regulation of these genes on the production of polysaccharide bioflocculants have not been illustrated completely. To increase the bioflocculant production and identify the correlation between the synthesis of polysaccharides and γ-PGA in B. licheniformis, a few key genes were investigated to explore their influence on the synthesis of the bioflocculants. Overexpressing epsB from the eps gene cluster not only improved the bioflocculant crude yield by 13.98% but also enhanced the flocculating activity by 117.92%. The composition of the bioflocculant from the epsB recombinant strain was 28.95% total sugar, 3.464% protein and 44.03% γ-PGA, while in the original strain, these components represented 53.67%, 3.246% and 34.13%, respectively. In combination with an analysis of the transcriptional levels of several key genes involved in γ-PGA synthesis in B. licheniformis, we inferred that epsB played a key role in the synthesis of both polysaccharide and γ-PGA. The bioflocculant production of the epsB recombinant strain was further evaluated during batch fermentation in a 2 L fermenter; the flocculating activity reached 9612.75 U/mL, and the bioflocculant yield reached 10.26 g/L after 72 h, representing increases of 224% and 36.62%, respectively, compared with the original strain. Moreover, we found that the tandem expression of phosphoglucomutase (pgcA) and UTP-glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (gtaB1) could enhance the crude yield of the bioflocculant by 20.77% and that the overexpression of epsA could enhance the bioflocculant

  2. A Classification Scheme for Production System Processes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Daniel Grud Hellerup; Brunø, Thomas Ditlev; Nielsen, Kjeld

    2018-01-01

    Manufacturing companies often have difficulties developing production platforms, partly due to the complexity of many production systems and difficulty determining which processes constitute a platform. Understanding production processes is an important step to identifying candidate processes...... for a production platform based on existing production systems. Reviewing a number of existing classifications and taxonomies, a consolidated classification scheme for processes in production of discrete products has been outlined. The classification scheme helps ensure consistency during mapping of existing...

  3. Subsidiary Power in Multinational Corporations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dörrenbächer, Christoph; Gammelgaard, Jens

    2011-01-01

    Purpose – As subsidiary power has received relatively little attention in existing research, this paper aims to enhance the understanding of genuine sources of subsidiary power and how they work in headquarters-subsidiary relationships. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a review...... of the relevant literature and four illustrative case studies, which are written on the basis of secondary sources. Each case was selected because it adequately represents a particular type of power. This allows for cross-case comparisons of the strengths and sustainability of different types of power......, and facilitates the exploration of the application of subsidiary power in headquarters-subsidiary relationships. Findings – Four genuine types of subsidiary power are identified. One of these – micro-political bargaining power – plays a subtle but crucial role, as it is important in the enactment of the three...

  4. Evilness as intention

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bertelsen, Preben

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to examine on which psychological foundation we might be able to identify evil as an independent psychological phenomenon which requires its own. non-clinical concept and diagnostics. An evil act, it is proposed, is something which a person does intentionally and can...... be held responsible for. A basic model of human activity is presented based on human connectedness to the world in general and on co-existence as a core of the human condition in particular. Genuine evilness is defined as intentional detachment from and destruction of human co-existence. This definition...... presupposes a level of selforganization where co-existence can be an intentional project in itself. Only beings that can have co-existence as an intentional project in itself can intentionally detach from it and act destructively towards it in a genuinely evil manner....

  5. Evilness as intention

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bertelsen, Preben

    2005-01-01

    be held responsible for. A basic model of human activity is presented based on human connectedness to the world in general and on co-existence as a core of the human condition in particular. Genuine evilness is defined as intentional detachment from and destruction of human co-existence. This definition...... presupposes a level of selforganization where co-existence can be an intentional project in itself. Only beings that can have co-existence as an intentional project in itself can intentionally detach from it and act destructively towards it in a genuinely evil manner.......The purpose of this article is to examine on which psychological foundation we might be able to identify evil as an independent psychological phenomenon which requires its own. non-clinical concept and diagnostics. An evil act, it is proposed, is something which a person does intentionally and can...

  6. Does iris change over time?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehrotra, Hunny; Vatsa, Mayank; Singh, Richa; Majhi, Banshidhar

    2013-01-01

    Iris as a biometric identifier is assumed to be stable over a period of time. However, some researchers have observed that for long time lapse, the genuine match score distribution shifts towards the impostor score distribution and the performance of iris recognition reduces. The main purpose of this study is to determine if the shift in genuine scores can be attributed to aging or not. The experiments are performed on the two publicly available iris aging databases namely, ND-Iris-Template-Aging-2008-2010 and ND-TimeLapseIris-2012 using a commercial matcher, VeriEye. While existing results are correct about increase in false rejection over time, we observe that it is primarily due to the presence of other covariates such as blur, noise, occlusion, and pupil dilation. This claim is substantiated with quality score comparison of the gallery and probe pairs.

  7. Product returns – interdisciplinary interfaces between knowledge, quality and product innovation management

    OpenAIRE

    Klapalová Alena; Krčál Michal

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review existing research on intersections of four disciplines, specifically knowledge, quality and product innovation management related to the consumers´ product returns within the reverse logistics (reverse supply chain management) discipline to identify gaps justifying further research activities. The primary aim of this review is to summarize and evaluate existing literature pertaining the above-mentioned areas of interest and to formulate potentia...

  8. Managing product complexity: It`s just a matter of time

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hinckley, C.M.

    1998-06-01

    It has long been the goal of designers to identify a robust measure of product complexity to guide product decisions. Using Design for Assembly evaluations from over 225 assemblies and subassemblies, alternative measures of product complexity are identified and compared. Time is shown to be the most consistently predicted, useful, and fungible measure. The distribution of assembly times for a product can be modeled by Pareto`s law. This leads to a new, more effective product design guideline and a predictive tool that enables rapid and accurate prediction of assembly times for redesigned products without having to repeat DFMA analysis.

  9. 26 CFR 301.7609-2 - Notification of persons identified in third-party summonses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... records of the business transactions or affairs of a person identified in the summons have been made or... through intimidation, bribery, or collusion, or to flee to avoid prosecution, testifying, or production of...

  10. Development of Hybrid Product Breakdown Structure for NASA Ground Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monaghan, Mark W.; Henry, Robert J.

    2013-01-01

    The Product Breakdown Structure is traditionally a method of identification of the products of a project in a tree structure. It is a tool used to assess, plan, document, and display the equipment requirements for a project. It is part of a product based planning technique, and attempts to break down all components of a project in as much detail as possible, so that nothing is overlooked. The PBS for ground systems at the Kennedy Space Center is being developed to encompass the traditional requirements including the alignment of facility, systems, and components to the organizational hierarchy. The Ground Operations Product Breakdown Structure is a hybrid in nature in that some aspects of a work breakdown structure will be incorporated and merged with the Architecture Concept of Operations, Master Subsystem List, customer interface, and assigned management responsibility. The Ground Operations Product Breakdown Structure needs to be able to identify the flexibility of support differing customers (internal and external) usage of ground support equipment within the Kennedy Space Center launch and processing complex. The development of the Product Breakdown Structure is an iterative activity Initially documenting the organization hierarchy structure and relationships. The Product Breakdown Structure identifies the linkage between the customer program requirements, allocation of system resources, development of design goals, and identification logistics products. As the Product Breakdown Structure progresses the incorporation of the results of requirement planning for the customer occurs identifying facility needs and systems. The mature Product Breakdown Structure is baselined with a hierarchical drawing, the Product Breakdown Structure database, and an associated document identifying the verification of the data through the life cycle of the program/product line. This paper will document, demonstrate, and identify key aspects of the life cycle of a Hybrid Product

  11. Quantum mechanics of Proca fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zamani, Farhad; Mostafazadeh, Ali

    2009-01-01

    We construct the most general physically admissible positive-definite inner product on the space of Proca fields. Up to a trivial scaling this defines a five-parameter family of Lorentz invariant inner products that we use to construct a genuine Hilbert space for the quantum mechanics of Proca fields. If we identify the generator of time translations with the Hamiltonian, we obtain a unitary quantum system that describes first-quantized Proca fields and does not involve the conventional restriction to the positive-frequency fields. We provide a rather comprehensive analysis of this system. In particular, we examine the conserved current density responsible for the conservation of the probabilities, explore the global gauge symmetry underlying the conservation of the probabilities, obtain a probability current density, construct position, momentum, helicity, spin, and angular momentum operators, and determine the localized Proca fields. We also compute the generalized parity (P), generalized time-reversal (T), and generalized charge or chirality (C) operators for this system and offer a physical interpretation for its PT-, C-, and CPT-symmetries.

  12. Computer-aided approach for design of tailor-made blended products

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yunus, Nor Alafiza; Gernaey, Krist; Woodley, John

    2012-01-01

    A computer-aided methodology has been developed for the design of blended (mixture) products. Through this methodology, it is possible to identify the most suitable chemicals for blending, and “tailor” the blend according to specified product needs (usually product attributes, e.g. performance...... as well as regulatory). The product design methodology has four tasks. First, the design problem is defined: the product needs are identified, translated into target properties and the constraints for each target property are defined. Secondly, target property models are retrieved from a property model...

  13. Beyond basic citation—What to identify, when, and why

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parsons, M. A.

    2015-12-01

    Persistent identifiers (and locators) have emerged as a critical component in designing and implementing information systems and networks. This is especially evident in the use of the Digital Object Identifier in association with formal bibliographic citation of literature and increasingly of data sets. Indeed, the principles and methods of data citation have been a hot topic in the informatics community over the last decade or so. To date the focus has typically been on closely linking data sets to associated literature and generally emulating bibliographic-style citation. To design a sustainable, trusted data infrastructure, however, requires us to unambiguously reference many things in many ways, be they data, software, instruments, methods, or people. Design of this infrastructure also requires us to consider the entire data lifecycle and when important elements come into play and need to be identified. This paper will advocate an "ecological" model of data sharing that takes a more holistic perspective than many traditional data publication approaches. It will explore a variety of use cases around what elements of an information ecosystem need to be unambiguously identified and located, at what point in the data production process, and to what explicit purpose.

  14. When municipalities lead co-production

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tortzen, Anne

    2015-01-01

    from research in governance and leadership, the paper analyses a critical case of co-production in the Danish Municipality of Holbæk. The main focus is on exploring how leadership interventions are enacted by civil servants and politicians, and how these shape the co-production process. The analysis...... points to the significant role played by municipalities as hands-off leaders of co-production processes, and identifies leadership dynamics which merit further exploration....

  15. Effect of production phase on bottle-fermented sparkling wine quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kemp, Belinda; Alexandre, Hervé; Robillard, Bertrand; Marchal, Richard

    2015-01-14

    This review analyzes bottle-fermented sparkling wine research at each stage of production by evaluating existing knowledge to identify areas that require future investigation. With the growing importance of enological investigation being focused on the needs of the wine production industry, this review examines current research at each stage of bottle-fermented sparkling wine production. Production phases analyzed in this review include pressing, juice adjustments, malolactic fermentation (MLF), stabilization, clarification, tirage, lees aging, disgorging, and dosage. The aim of this review is to identify enological factors that affect bottle-fermented sparkling wine quality, predominantly aroma, flavor, and foaming quality. Future research topics identified include regional specific varieties, plant-based products from vines, grapes, and yeast that can be used in sparkling wine production, gushing at disgorging, and methods to increase the rate of yeast autolysis. An internationally accepted sensory analysis method specifically designed for sparkling wine is required.

  16. Product Architecture Modularity Strategies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkola, Juliana Hsuan

    2003-01-01

    The focus of this paper is to integrate various perspectives on product architecture modularity into a general framework, and also to propose a way to measure the degree of modularization embedded in product architectures. Various trade-offs between modular and integral product architectures...... and how components and interfaces influence the degree of modularization are considered. In order to gain a better understanding of product architecture modularity as a strategy, a theoretical framework and propositions are drawn from various academic literature sources. Based on the literature review......, the following key elements of product architecture are identified: components (standard and new-to-the-firm), interfaces (standardization and specification), degree of coupling, and substitutability. A mathematical function, termed modularization function, is introduced to measure the degree of modularization...

  17. Production loss among employees perceiving work environment problems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lohela-Karlsson, Malin; Hagberg, Jan; Bergström, Gunnar

    2015-08-01

    The overall aim of this explorative study was to investigate the relationship between factors in the psychosocial work environment and work environment-related production loss. Employees at a Swedish university were invited to answer a workplace questionnaire and were selected for this study if they reported having experienced work environment-related problems in the past 7 days (n = 302). A stepwise logistic regression and a modified Poisson regression were used to identify psychosocial work factors associated with work environment-related production loss as well as to identify at what level those factors are associated with production loss. Employees who reported having experienced work environment problems but also fair leadership, good social climate, role clarity and control of decision had significantly lower levels of production loss, whereas employees who reported inequality and high decision demands reported significantly higher levels of production loss. Never or seldom experiencing fair leadership, role clarity, equality, decision demands and good social climate increase the risk of production loss due to work environment problems, compared to those who experience these circumstances frequently, always or most of the time. Several psychosocial work factors are identified as factors associated with a reduced risk of production losses among employees despite the nature of the work environment problem. Knowledge of these factors may be important not only to reduce employee ill-health and the corresponding health-related production loss, but also reduce immediate production loss due to work environment-related problems.

  18. Ghosts of the City: A Spectrology of Cinematic Spaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petra Löffler

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates how, in early cinema, in-between spaces were created that were receptive to scenes of haunting. Adopting Derrida’s notions of a hauntology and a spectrology it argues for a genuine productivity of cinematic space that is able to build ghostly environments without incorporating an actual specter. This productivity is described as ‘making appear’ and ‘making act’. Furthermore, the paper explains how, in the era of silent cinema, cinematic techniques were used to create scenes of haunting.

  19. Antimicrobial resistance issues in beef production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antimicrobial resistance threats to human health as identified have been recognized as a critical global public health concern. Linkage of some threats to beef production is discussed. The relevance to beef production of recent government actions will be examined. Prominent antimicrobial resistance ...

  20. Innovation in Product Development: Notes for course 41629

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    McAloone, Timothy Charles; Tan, Adrian

    2003-01-01

    The course on Innovatino in Product Development attempts to identify and understand the nature of innovation and product development and their important factors. The course takes both a theoretical and a practical approach and employs a mix of lectures, project work and group discussion. Format...... insight. Course content The following aspects of innovation in product development are considered: - Humans and products - Needs and products - Product life - Teams creating products - Products creating business - Product development models - Organising product development - Product development tools...... - The future of product development...

  1. Newer Approaches to Identify Potential Untoward Effects in Functional Foods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marone, Palma Ann; Birkenbach, Victoria L; Hayes, A Wallace

    2016-01-01

    Globalization has greatly accelerated the numbers and variety of food and beverage products available worldwide. The exchange among greater numbers of countries, manufacturers, and products in the United States and worldwide has necessitated enhanced quality measures for nutritional products for larger populations increasingly reliant on functionality. These functional foods, those that provide benefit beyond basic nutrition, are increasingly being used for their potential to alleviate food insufficiency while enhancing quality and longevity of life. In the United States alone, a steady import increase of greater than 15% per year or 24 million shipments, over 70% products of which are food related, is regulated under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This unparalleled growth has resulted in the need for faster, cheaper, and better safety and efficacy screening methods in the form of harmonized guidelines and recommendations for product standardization. In an effort to meet this need, the in vitro toxicology testing market has similarly grown with an anticipatory 15% increase between 2010 and 2015 of US$1.3 to US$2.7 billion. Although traditionally occupying a small fraction of the market behind pharmaceuticals and cosmetic/household products, the scope of functional food testing, including additives/supplements, ingredients, residues, contact/processing, and contaminants, is potentially expansive. Similarly, as functional food testing has progressed, so has the need to identify potential adverse factors that threaten the safety and quality of these products. © The Author(s) 2015.

  2. Improvements in the Protein Identifier Cross-Reference service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wein, Samuel P; Côté, Richard G; Dumousseau, Marine; Reisinger, Florian; Hermjakob, Henning; Vizcaíno, Juan A

    2012-07-01

    The Protein Identifier Cross-Reference (PICR) service is a tool that allows users to map protein identifiers, protein sequences and gene identifiers across over 100 different source databases. PICR takes input through an interactive website as well as Representational State Transfer (REST) and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) services. It returns the results as HTML pages, XLS and CSV files. It has been in production since 2007 and has been recently enhanced to add new functionality and increase the number of databases it covers. Protein subsequences can be Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) against the UniProt Knowledgebase (UniProtKB) to provide an entry point to the standard PICR mapping algorithm. In addition, gene identifiers from UniProtKB and Ensembl can now be submitted as input or mapped to as output from PICR. We have also implemented a 'best-guess' mapping algorithm for UniProt. In this article, we describe the usefulness of PICR, how these changes have been implemented, and the corresponding additions to the web services. Finally, we explain that the number of source databases covered by PICR has increased from the initial 73 to the current 102. New resources include several new species-specific Ensembl databases as well as the Ensembl Genome ones. PICR can be accessed at http://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/picr/.

  3. Design for the Environment Products (Raw Data)

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This dataset contains a list of products that carry the Design for the Environment (DfE) label. This mark enables consumers to quickly identify and choose products...

  4. Design for the Environment Products (Online Search)

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This dataset contains a list of products that carry the Design for the Environment (DfE) label. This mark enables consumers to quickly identify and choose products...

  5. PERFORMANCE OF ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE IN ROMANIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CIPRIAN APOSTOL

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The term ecological agriculture has been attributed by the European Union of Romania to define this system of agriculture and is similar with terms organic agriculture or biological agriculture, which are used in other member states. One of the main goals of ecological agriculture is the production of agricultural and food products fresh and genuine through processes created to respect nature and its systems. Thus, it prohibits the use of genetically modified organisms, fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, stimulators and growth regulators, hormones, antibiotics for livestock and the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, drastic interventions on the soil, the introduction of genetically modified organisms, in the case of the cultivated soil. The study aims to highlight the main features of ecological agriculture and its impact on the national economy. Through a descriptive and comparative analysis of specific indicators are surprising the main aspects of ecological agriculture performance in Romania and are identified investment opportunities in this sector of the national economy. Following this study, it was found that ecological agriculture in Romania is quite performant and recorded a continuous development, but mainly in the production, not in the processing and trading of natural products, which is why investment in these areas would be welcome.

  6. Development of a New Process for the Selective Extraction of Uranium from Phosphate Rocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bernier, G.; Miguirditchian, M.; Pacary, V.; Balaguer, C.; Bertrand, M.; Camès, B.; Hérès, X.; Mokhtari, H.

    2014-01-01

    Conclusions: • Amido-phosphonate DEHCNPB is very promising for U extraction from phosphoric acid – Selective extraction of U even among high concentrations of iron in genuine 5 M H3PO4 solution : [Fe]/[U] reduced from 30 (feed) to 4.3 10-4 (product); • Parametric laboratory studies: – Characterize the stoichiometry of extracted complex in organic phase; – Propose extraction mechanisms; • Model developed and implemented in CEA PAREX code: – Modelling and flowsheet design; • Counter-current test on PROUST platform in G1 facility with genuine industrial phosphoric solution: – Treatment of an industrial phosphoric acid in laboratory-scale mixer-settlers; – Very promising performances of the run with good U recovery (91%) and good decontamination ([Fe] / [U] < ASTM specifications); – Experimental and calculated profiles of U and Fe in good agreement; • Experiments in progress to optimize this flowsheet

  7. Productivity Improvement in Underground Coal Mines - A Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Devi Prasad Mishra

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Improvement of productivity has become an important goal for today's coal industry in the race to increase price competitiveness. The challenge now lying ahead for the coal industry is to identify areas of waste, meet the market price and maintain a healthy profit. The only way to achieve this is to reduce production costs by improving productivity, efficiency and the effectiveness of the equipment. This paper aims to identify the various factors and problems affecting the productivity of underground coal mines adopting the bord and pillar method of mining and to propose suitable measures for improving them. The various key factors affecting productivity, namely the cycle of operations, manpower deployment, machine efficiency, material handling and management of manpower are discussed. In addition, the problem of side discharge loader (SDL cable handling resulting in the wastage of precious manpower resources and SDL breakdown have also been identified and resolved in this paper.

  8. Fragranced consumer products: Chemicals emitted, ingredients unlisted

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steinemann, Anne C.; MacGregor, Ian C.; Gordon, Sydney M.; Gallagher, Lisa G.; Davis, Amy L.; Ribeiro, Daniel S.; Wallace, Lance A.

    2011-01-01

    Fragranced consumer products are pervasive in society. Relatively little is known about the composition of these products, due to lack of prior study, complexity of formulations, and limitations and protections on ingredient disclosure in the U.S. We investigated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from 25 common fragranced consumer products-laundry products, personal care products, cleaning supplies, and air fresheners-using headspace analysis with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Our analysis found 133 different VOCs emitted from the 25 products, with an average of 17 VOCs per product. Of these 133 VOCs, 24 are classified as toxic or hazardous under U.S. federal laws, and each product emitted at least one of these compounds. For 'green' products, emissions of these compounds were not significantly different from the other products. Of all VOCs identified across the products, only 1 was listed on any product label, and only 2 were listed on any material safety data sheet (MSDS). While virtually none of the chemicals identified were listed, this nonetheless accords with U.S. regulations, which do not require disclosure of all ingredients in a consumer product, or of any ingredients in a mixture called 'fragrance.' Because the analysis focused on compounds emitted and listed, rather than exposures and effects, it makes no claims regarding possible risks from product use. Results of this study contribute to understanding emissions from common products, and their links with labeling and legislation.

  9. Characterization of three small molecule inhibitors of enterovirus 71 identified from screening of a library of natural products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Guiming; Gao, Qianqian; Yuan, Shilin; Wang, Lili; Altmeyer, Ralf; Lan, Ke; Yin, Feifei; Zou, Gang

    2017-07-01

    Enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) is a major cause of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). Infection with EV-A71 is more often associated with neurological complications in children and is responsible for the majority of fatalities, but currently there is no approved antiviral therapy for treatment. Here, we identified auraptene, formononetin, and yangonin as effective inhibitors of EV-A71 infection in the low-micromolar range from screening of a natural product library. Among them, formononetin and yangonin selectively inhibited EV-A71 while auraptene could inhibit viruses within the enterovirus species A. Time of addition studies showed that all the three inhibitors inhibit both attachment and postattachment step of entry. We found mutations conferring the resistance to these inhibitors in the VP1 and VP4 capsid proteins and confirmed the target residues using a reverse genetic approach. Interestingly, auraptene- and formononetin-resistant viruses exhibit cross-resistance to other inhibitors while yangonin-resistant virus still remains susceptible to auraptene and formononetin. Moreover, auraptene and formononetin, but not yangonin protected EV-A71 against thermal inactivation, indicating a direct stabilizing effect of both compounds on virion capsid conformation. Finally, neither biochanin A (an analog of formononetin) nor DL-Kavain (an analog of yangonin) exhibited anti-EV-A71 activity, suggesting the structural elements required for anti-EV-A71 activity. Taken together, these compounds could become potential lead compounds for anti-EV-A71 drug development and also serve as tool compounds for studying virus entry. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Teaching and Productivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waxman, Hersholt C.; Walberg, Herbert J.

    1986-01-01

    Describes a theory of educational productivity that demonstrates the relationship between instructional practices and student outcomes. Identifies and discusses nine factors related to increasing student learning: ability, development, motivation, instructional quality, learning time, home environment, classroom social group, peer group, and use…

  11. Production of Sophorolipid from an Identified Current Yeast, Lachancea thermotolerans BBMCZ7FA20, Isolated from Honey Bee.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mousavi, Fereshteh; Beheshti-Maal, Keivan; Massah, Ahmadreza

    2015-08-01

    Biosurfactants are a family of diverse amphipathic molecules that are produced by several microorganisms such as bacteria, molds, and yeasts. These surface active agents have several applications in agriculture, oil processing, food, and pharmaceutical industries. In this research using YMG and YUG culture media, a native yeast strain, HG5, was isolated from honey bee. The oil spread test as a screening method was used to evaluate biosurfactant production by the yeast HG5 isolate. The 5.8s-rDNA analysis confirmed that the isolated yeast was related to Lachancea thermotolerans. We named this strain Lachancea thermotolerans strain BBMCZ7FA20 and its 5.8s-rDNA sequence was deposited in GenBank, NCBI under accession number of KM042082.1. The best precursor of biosurfactant production was canola oil and the sophorolipid amount was measured for 24.2 g/l. The thin layer chromatography and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analysis showed that the extracted biosurfactant from Lachancea thermotolerans was sophorolipid. In conclusion, this is the first report of sophorolipid production by a native yeast Lachancea thermotolerans BBMCZ7FA20 we isolated from the honey bee gut collected from an apiary farm in Saman, Chaharmahal Bakhtiari province, Iran. We suggested that some cost-effective supplements such as canola oil, sunflower oil, and corn oils could be applied for increasing the sophorolipid production by this native yeast strain. According to several applications of biosurfactants in today world, the production of sophorolipid by Lachancea thermotolerans could be considered as a potential in the current industrial microbiology and modern microbial biotechnology.

  12. 75 FR 12445 - New Postal Product

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-16

    ... Commission is adding International Business Reply Service Competitive Contract 2 to the Competitive Product List. This action is consistent with a postal reform law. Republication of the Market Dominant and... identified as International Business Reply Service Competitive Contract 2 to the Competitive Product [[Page...

  13. 75 FR 57995 - New Postal Product

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-23

    ... contract for future functional equivalence analyses of the GEPS 3 product. \\1\\ Notice of United States... Schedule language for the GEPS product. The Postal Service identifies customer-specific information and... Service asserts that ``[b]ecause the agreements incorporate the same cost attributes and methodology, the...

  14. Ex vivo analysis identifies effective HIV-1 latency–reversing drug combinations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laird, Gregory M.; Bullen, C. Korin; Rosenbloom, Daniel I.S.; Martin, Alyssa R.; Hill, Alison L.; Durand, Christine M.; Siliciano, Janet D.; Siliciano, Robert F.

    2015-01-01

    Reversal of HIV-1 latency by small molecules is a potential cure strategy. This approach will likely require effective drug combinations to achieve high levels of latency reversal. Using resting CD4+ T cells (rCD4s) from infected individuals, we developed an experimental and theoretical framework to identify effective latency-reversing agent (LRA) combinations. Utilizing ex vivo assays for intracellular HIV-1 mRNA and virion production, we compared 2-drug combinations of leading candidate LRAs and identified multiple combinations that effectively reverse latency. We showed that protein kinase C agonists in combination with bromodomain inhibitor JQ1 or histone deacetylase inhibitors robustly induce HIV-1 transcription and virus production when directly compared with maximum reactivation by T cell activation. Using the Bliss independence model to quantitate combined drug effects, we demonstrated that these combinations synergize to induce HIV-1 transcription. This robust latency reversal occurred without release of proinflammatory cytokines by rCD4s. To extend the clinical utility of our findings, we applied a mathematical model that estimates in vivo changes in plasma HIV-1 RNA from ex vivo measurements of virus production. Our study reconciles diverse findings from previous studies, establishes a quantitative experimental approach to evaluate combinatorial LRA efficacy, and presents a model to predict in vivo responses to LRAs. PMID:25822022

  15. 9 CFR 101.3 - Biological products and related terms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... as required by the regulations. (e) Released product. A finished product released for marketing after... total quantity of completed product which has been thoroughly mixed in a single container and identified... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Biological products and related terms...

  16. Attitudes of European citizens towards pig production systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krystallis, Athanasios; de Barcellos, Marcia Dutra; Kügler, Jens Oliver

    2009-01-01

    The objective of the study is to map citizen attitudes towards pigmeat production systems, and to investigate whether these attitudes associate with pork and pork product consumption. A conjoint experimentwas carried out with empirical data collected from 1931 individuals in four European countries...... pork with specific fat content, and finally the preferred quality characteristics of the pork end-product. The results of the conjoint analysis were used for a subsequent cluster analysis in order to identify European citizen clusters. Respondents' socio-demographic profile, attitudes towards issues...... that are expected to influence the way people evaluate pig meat production systems, and consumption frequency of various pork products are used as background information to identify segment profiles. Pork appears to play a substantial role as a part of the diet for most respondents in the four countries...

  17. Detection of counterfeit antiviral drug Heptodin and classification of counterfeits using isotope amount ratio measurements by multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santamaria-Fernandez, Rebeca; Hearn, Ruth; Wolff, Jean-Claude

    2009-06-01

    Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) are highly important techniques that can provide forensic evidence that otherwise would not be available. MC-ICP-MS has proved to be a very powerful tool for measuring high precision and accuracy isotope amount ratios. In this work, the potential of combining isotope amount ratio measurements performed by MC-ICP-MS and IRMS for the detection of counterfeit pharmaceutical tablets has been investigated. An extensive study for the antiviral drug Heptodin has been performed for several isotopic ratios combining MC-ICP-MS and an elemental analyser EA-IRMS for stable isotope amount ratio measurements. The study has been carried out for 139 batches of the antiviral drug and analyses have been performed for C, S, N and Mg isotope ratios. Authenticity ranges have been obtained for each isotopic system and combined to generate a unique multi-isotopic pattern only present in the genuine tablets. Counterfeit tablets have then been identified as those tablets with an isotopic fingerprint outside the genuine isotopic range. The combination of those two techniques has therefore great potential for pharmaceutical counterfeit detection. A much greater power of discrimination is obtained when at least three isotopic systems are combined. The data from these studies could be presented as evidence in court and therefore methods need to be validated to support their credibility. It is also crucial to be able to produce uncertainty values associated to the isotope amount ratio measurements so that significant differences can be identified and the genuineness of a sample can be assessed.

  18. Improving occupational safety and health by integration into product development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Broberg, Ole

    1996-01-01

    A cross-sectional case study was performed in a large company producing electro-mechanical products for industrial application. The objectives were: (i) to study the product development process and the role of key actors', (ii) to identify current practice on integrating occupational safety and h...... and studies of documents. A questionnaire regarding product development tasks and occupational safety and health were distributed to 30 design and production engineers. A total of 27 completed the questionnaire corresponding to a response rate of 90 per cent.......A cross-sectional case study was performed in a large company producing electro-mechanical products for industrial application. The objectives were: (i) to study the product development process and the role of key actors', (ii) to identify current practice on integrating occupational safety...... and health into the development process, especially the efforts and attitudes of design and production engineers', and (iii) to identify key actors'reflections on how to improve this integration. The study was based on qualitative as well as quantitative methods including interviews, questionnaires...

  19. Study of by-products of agro-food industries which could be used for bio-fuel production (animal fat, used food oils, and wine production by-products). Synthesis of the final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gomy, Catherine; Thonier, Gregoire; Gagnepain, Bruno; Mhiri, Tarek

    2015-04-01

    As the Renewable Energy directive proposes the implementation of incentive arrangements for the production of bio-fuels from biomass, this report proposes a synthesis of a study which addressed three by-products of agro-food industry and of catering (collective, traditional, fast) which can help to reach objectives of energy production from biomass: used food oils, rendered animal fat of category 1 and 2, and vinification by-products (grape marc, lees, sludge). The objectives were to quantify, at the French national and regional levels, present resources and uses for these three by-products, non-valorised volumes and thus potentially available volumes for the production of liquid bio-fuels, to identify present actors and their interactions, and to study the potential of local production of liquid bio-fuels. The study comprised a comprehensive analysis of production and valorisation sectors for the three addressed types of by-products, and an identification of recent experiments implemented for the production of liquid bio-fuels. This synthesis states the lessons learned from the study of these three different sectors, and proposes recommendations for further developments

  20. Chemical production from industrial by-product gases: Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lyke, S.E.; Moore, R.H.

    1981-04-01

    The potential for conservation of natural gas is studied and the technical and economic feasibility and the implementation of ventures to produce such chemicals using carbon monoxide and hydrogen from byproduct gases are determined. A survey was performed of potential chemical products and byproduct gas sources. Byproduct gases from the elemental phosphorus and the iron and steel industries were selected for detailed study. Gas sampling, preliminary design, market surveys, and economic analyses were performed for specific sources in the selected industries. The study showed that production of methanol or ammonia from byproduct gas at the sites studied in the elemental phosphorus and the iron and steel industries is technically feasible but not economically viable under current conditions. Several other applications are identified as having the potential for better economics. The survey performed identified a need for an improved method of recovering carbon monoxide from dilute gases. A modest experimental program was directed toward the development of a permselective membrane to fulfill that need. A practical membrane was not developed but further investigation along the same lines is recommended. (MCW)

  1. Extracting product offers from e-shop websites

    OpenAIRE

    Horch, Andrea; Kett, Holger; Weisbecker, Anette

    2016-01-01

    On-line retailers as well as e-shoppers are very interested in gathering product records from the Web in order to compare products and prices. The consumers compare products and prices to find the best price for a specific product or they want to identify alternatives for a product whereas the on-line retailers need to compare their offers with those of their competitors for being able to remain competitive. As there is a huge number and vast array of product offers in the Web the product dat...

  2. One-carbon substrate-based biohydrogen production: microbes, mechanism, and productivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rittmann, Simon K-M R; Lee, Hyun Sook; Lim, Jae Kyu; Kim, Tae Wan; Lee, Jung-Hyun; Kang, Sung Gyun

    2015-01-01

    Among four basic mechanisms for biological hydrogen (H2) production, dark fermentation has been considered to show the highest hydrogen evolution rate (HER). H2 production from one-carbon (C1) compounds such as formate and carbon monoxide (CO) is promising because formate is an efficient H2 carrier, and the utilization of CO-containing syngas or industrial waste gas may render the industrial biohydrogen production process cost-effective. A variety of microbes with the formate hydrogen lyase (FHL) system have been identified from phylogenetically diverse groups of archaea and bacteria, and numerous efforts have been undertaken to improve the HER for formate through strain optimization and bioprocess development. CO-dependent H2 production has been investigated to enhance the H2 productivity of various carboxydotrophs via an increase in CO gas-liquid mass transfer rates and the construction of genetically modified strains. Hydrogenogenic CO-conversion has been applied to syngas and by-product gas of the steel-mill process, and this low-cost feedstock has shown to be promising in the production of biomass and H2. Here, we focus on recent advances in the isolation of novel phylogenetic groups utilizing formate or CO, the remarkable genetic engineering that enhances H2 productivity, and the practical implementation of H2 production from C1 substrates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. 75 FR 65676 - New Postal Product

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-26

    ... contract for future functional equivalence analyses of the GEPS 3 product. \\1\\ Notice of United States... Schedule language for the GEPS 3 product. The Postal Service identifies customer-specific information and... Service asserts that ``[b]ecause the agreements incorporate the same cost attributes and methodology, the...

  4. 75 FR 72845 - New Postal Product

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-26

    ... contract for future functional equivalence analyses of the GEPS 3 product. \\1\\ Notice of United States... Classification Schedule language for the GEPS 3 product. The Postal Service identifies customer-specific... methodology, the relevant characteristics of these five GEPS contracts are similar, if not the same, as the...

  5. Recommendations for sustainable development of non-timber forest products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gina H. Mohammed

    2001-01-01

    Non-timber forest products--or NTFPs--are considered here to be botanical products harvested or originating from forest-based species, but excluding primary timber products, industrial boards and composites, and paper products. A recent study of non-timber forest products in Ontario, Canada, identified at least 50 types of NTFPs and hundreds of specific products used...

  6. Systematic reviews addressing identified health policy priorities in Eastern Mediterranean countries: a situational analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Jardali, Fadi; Akl, Elie A; Karroum, Lama Bou; Kdouh, Ola; Akik, Chaza; Fadlallah, Racha; Hammoud, Rawan

    2014-08-20

    Systematic reviews can offer policymakers and stakeholders concise, transparent, and relevant evidence pertaining to pressing policy priorities to help inform the decision-making process. The production and the use of systematic reviews are specifically limited in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The extent to which published systematic reviews address policy priorities in the region is still unknown. This situational analysis exercise aims at assessing the extent to which published systematic reviews address policy priorities identified by policymakers and stakeholders in Eastern Mediterranean region countries. It also provides an overview about the state of systematic review production in the region and identifies knowledge gaps. We conducted a systematic search of the Health System Evidence database to identify published systematic reviews on policy-relevant priorities pertaining to the following themes: human resources for health, health financing, the role of the non-state sector, and access to medicine. Priorities were identified from two priority-setting exercises conducted in the region. We described the distribution of these systematic reviews across themes, sub-themes, authors' affiliations, and countries where included primary studies were conducted. Out of the 1,045 systematic reviews identified in Health System Evidence on selected themes, a total of 200 systematic reviews (19.1%) addressed the priorities from the Eastern Mediterranean region. The theme with the largest number of systematic reviews included was human resources for health (115) followed by health financing (33), access to medicine (27), and role of the non-state sector (25). Authors based in the region produced only three systematic reviews addressing regional priorities (1.5%). Furthermore, no systematic review focused on the Eastern Mediterranean region. Primary studies from the region had limited contribution to systematic reviews; 17 systematic reviews (8.5%) included primary

  7. Systematic reviews addressing identified health policy priorities in Eastern Mediterranean countries: a situational analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background Systematic reviews can offer policymakers and stakeholders concise, transparent, and relevant evidence pertaining to pressing policy priorities to help inform the decision-making process. The production and the use of systematic reviews are specifically limited in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The extent to which published systematic reviews address policy priorities in the region is still unknown. This situational analysis exercise aims at assessing the extent to which published systematic reviews address policy priorities identified by policymakers and stakeholders in Eastern Mediterranean region countries. It also provides an overview about the state of systematic review production in the region and identifies knowledge gaps. Methods We conducted a systematic search of the Health System Evidence database to identify published systematic reviews on policy-relevant priorities pertaining to the following themes: human resources for health, health financing, the role of the non-state sector, and access to medicine. Priorities were identified from two priority-setting exercises conducted in the region. We described the distribution of these systematic reviews across themes, sub-themes, authors’ affiliations, and countries where included primary studies were conducted. Results Out of the 1,045 systematic reviews identified in Health System Evidence on selected themes, a total of 200 systematic reviews (19.1%) addressed the priorities from the Eastern Mediterranean region. The theme with the largest number of systematic reviews included was human resources for health (115) followed by health financing (33), access to medicine (27), and role of the non-state sector (25). Authors based in the region produced only three systematic reviews addressing regional priorities (1.5%). Furthermore, no systematic review focused on the Eastern Mediterranean region. Primary studies from the region had limited contribution to systematic reviews; 17 systematic reviews

  8. Productive Regions: Criteria and Classification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vlasyuk L. I.

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available An official statistical dataset for 80 territorial subjects of the Russian Federation for 2000, 2007 and 2009 has proved the hypothesis that, under the neoclassical concept, the resources move to regions with the highest marginal productivity of the factors of production, which leads to the accumulation of investment resources, while providing financial and social efficiency. Based on cluster analysis by three performance criteria, productive regions are identified, which are dominated by regions productive in the extraction of minerals. It is shown that the stability of the factors’ distribution in space determines the current and future specialization of regional economies

  9. Evaluation of factors important to enhance productivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanjay Kumar

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Productivity as a measure for output is important to industry and academia. In this research, factors to enhance productivity have been identified from the literature by reviewing various international and national sources to explore this evergreen field of research that is “productivity,” which has always been an increasingly interesting area of research for researchers over decades or perhaps over centuries. In total, 15 number of factors have been identified to enhance productivity. Analytic hierarchy process approach has been appropriately chosen to rank these factors because of its simplicity and effectiveness. The tool has been used by taking perception of experts from the Indian manufacturing industry. Positive attitude and involvement of management, proactive employees, and good working conditions have been ranked as top three factors as per the experts’ opinion. The ranking of factors to enhance productivity, categorization of the factors into four perspectives, and hierarchy of perspective and action plan as a final outcome of the paper may help academia and operations managers toward effective management of “operations and production activities of firms/supply chains.”

  10. Biomass productivity improvement for eastern cottonwood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terry L. Robison; Randy J. Rousseau; Jianwei Zhang

    2006-01-01

    Eastern cottonwood ( Populus deltoides Marsh.) is grown in plantations by MeadWestvaco for use at its Wickliffe Kentucky Fine Papers Mill1. Genetic and productivity research over the past two decades have led to significant increases in biomass yield while reducing production costs.Initially, genetic research identified fast growing...

  11. The Traceability and Safety of Fishery Products

    OpenAIRE

    Gheorghe Adrian ZUGRAVU; Ionica SOARE

    2012-01-01

    The paper follows two main objectives: to understand consumers’ perception of safety trasability and quality of fishery products and to identify communication levers in order to improve the perceived image of fishery products. The present research is focused on the fishery products, regardless of their presentation – fresh, frozen or processed. This paper conducted a questionnaire survey of Romanian consumers’ perception toward fishery products. The empirical study with brands indicated that ...

  12. 42 CFR 3.206 - Confidentiality of patient safety work product.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Confidentiality of patient safety work product. 3... individually identifiable health information in such patient safety work product, the direct identifiers listed at 45 CFR 164.514(e)(2) have been removed. (5) Disclosure of nonidentifiable patient safety work...

  13. Methods to identify the unexplored diversity of microbial exopolysaccharides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rühmann, Broder; Schmid, Jochen; Sieber, Volker

    2015-01-01

    Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS) are a structurally very diverse class of molecules. A number of them have found their application in rather diverging fields that extend from medicine, food, and cosmetics on the one side to construction, drilling, and chemical industry on the other side. The analysis of microbial strains for their competence in polysaccharide production has therefore been a major issue in the past, especially in the search for new polysaccharide variants among natural strain isolates. Concerning the fact that nearly all microbes carry the genetic equipment for the production of polysaccharides under specific conditions, the naturally provided EPS portfolio seems to be still massively underexplored. Therefore, there is a need for high throughput screening techniques capable of identifying novel variants of bacterial EPS with properties superior to the already described ones, or even totally new ones. A great variety of different techniques has been used in screening approaches for identifying microorganisms that are producing EPS in substantial amounts. Mucoid growth is often the method of choice for visual identification of EPS producing strains. Depending on the thickening characteristics of the polysaccharide, observation of viscosity in culture broth can also be an option to evaluate EPS production. Precipitation with different alcohols represents a common detection, isolation, and purification method for many EPS. A more quantitative approach is found in the total carbohydrate content analysis, normally determined, e.g., by phenol-sulfuric-acid-method. In addition, recently a new and reliable method for the detailed analysis of the monomeric composition and the presence of rare sugars and sugar substitutions has become available, which could give a first hint of the polymer structure of unknown EPS. This minireview will compare available methods and novel techniques and discuss their benefits and disadvantages.

  14. Methods to identify the unexplored diversity of microbial exopolysaccharides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Broder eRühmann

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS are a structurally very diverse class of molecules. A number of them have found their application in rather diverging fields that extend from medicine, food and cosmetics on the one side to construction, drilling and chemical industry on the other side. The analysis of microbial strains for their competence in polysaccharide production has therefore been a major issue in the past, especially in the search for new polysaccharide variants among natural strain isolates. Concerning the fact that nearly all microbes carry the genetic equipment for the production of polysaccharides under specific conditions, the naturally provided EPS portfolio seems to be still massively underexplored. Therefore, there is a need for high throughput screening techniques capable of identifying novel variants of bacterial exopolysaccharides with properties superior to the already described ones, or even totally new ones. A great variety of different techniques has been used in screening approaches for identifying microorganisms that are producing EPS in substantial amounts. Mucoid growth is often the method of choice for visual identification of EPS producing strains. Depending on the thickening characteristics of the polysaccharide, observation of viscosity in culture broth can also be an option to evaluate EPS production. Precipitation with different alcohols represents a common detection, isolation and purification method for many EPS. A more quantitative approach is found in the total carbohydrate content analysis, normally determined e.g. by phenol-sulfuric-acid-method. In addition, recently a new and reliable method for the detailed analysis of the monomeric composition and the presence of rare sugars and sugar substitutions has become available, which could give a first hint of the polymer structure of unknown EPS. This minireview will compare available methods and novel techniques and discuss their benefits and disadvantages.

  15. Monitoring product safety in the postmarketing environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharrar, Robert G; Dieck, Gretchen S

    2013-10-01

    The safety profile of a medicinal product may change in the postmarketing environment. Safety issues not identified in clinical development may be seen and need to be evaluated. Methods of evaluating spontaneous adverse experience reports and identifying new safety risks include a review of individual reports, a review of a frequency distribution of a list of the adverse experiences, the development and analysis of a case series, and various ways of examining the database for signals of disproportionality, which may suggest a possible association. Regulatory agencies monitor product safety through a variety of mechanisms including signal detection of the adverse experience safety reports in databases and by requiring and monitoring risk management plans, periodic safety update reports and postauthorization safety studies. The United States Food and Drug Administration is working with public, academic and private entities to develop methods for using large electronic databases to actively monitor product safety. Important identified risks will have to be evaluated through observational studies and registries.

  16. Freeware Versus Commercial Office Productivity Software

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-01

    THREAT (SWOT) ANALYSIS Comparing multiple categories in a product selection process helps aid the DOD in choosing the correct productivity suite...DOD (Taylor, 2016). Because SWOT identifies both internal and external forces, the DOD’s product selection process needs to consider both. Once...search on alternate third party apps for things like hotels and restaurants instead of going to Google’s website. Google does not get paid if the users

  17. White paper on geothermal sustainability; Grundlagenpapier 'Geothermal sustainability - A review with identified research needs'

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rybach, L.; Megel, T.

    2006-12-15

    This comprehensive appendix contained in a comprehensive annual report 2006 for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) reviews research needs identified in connection with the topic of geothermal sustainability. It is noted that excessive production often pursued - mostly for economical reasons - can lead to the depletion of heat reservoirs. Sustainable production can be achieved with lower production rates and still provide similar total energy yields. The regeneration of geothermal resources following exploitation is discussed. The need for further research into geothermal production sustainability is noted. A doublet system realised in Riehen, Switzerland, is discussed, as is an Enhanced Geothermal System EGS using circulation in fractured rock layers. Research still needed is noted.

  18. VPPD Lab - The Chemical Product Simulator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kalakul, Sawitree; Hussain, Rehan; Elbashir, Nimir

    2015-01-01

    , detergent, etc.). It has interface to identify workflow/data-flow for the inter-related activities between knowledge-based system and model-based calculation procedures to systematically, efficiently and robustly solve various types of product design-analysis problems. The application of the software......In this paper, the development of a systematic model-based framework for product design, implemented in the new product design software called VPPD-Lab is presented. This framework employs its in-house knowledge-based system to design and evaluate chemical products. The built-in libraries...... of product performance models and product-chemical property models are used to evaluate different classes of product. The product classes are single molecular structure chemicals (lipids, solvents, aroma, etc.), blended products (gasoline, jet-fuels, lubricants, etc.), and emulsified product (hand wash...

  19. Reduction of product platform complexity by vectorial Euclidean algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Navarrete, Israel Aguilera; Guzman, Alejandro A. Lozano

    2013-01-01

    In traditional machine, equipment and devices design, technical solutions are practically independent, thus increasing designs cost and complexity. Overcoming this situation has been tackled just using designer's experience. In this work, a product platform complexity reduction is presented based on a matrix representation of technical solutions versus product properties. This matrix represents the product platform. From this matrix, the Euclidean distances among technical solutions are obtained. Thus, the vectorial distances among technical solutions are identified in a new matrix of order of the number of technical solutions identified. This new matrix can be reorganized in groups with a hierarchical structure, in such a way that modular design of products is now more tractable. As a result of this procedure, the minimum vector distances are found thus being possible to identify the best technical solutions for the design problem raised. Application of these concepts is shown with two examples.

  20. Identifying genes involved in the interaction of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans with Maillard reaction products (MRP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaha, Raniah Abdulmohsen

    Aggregatibacter (Actinobacillus) actinomycelemcomitcrns is a gram-negative bacterium that is a facultative anaerobe which can grow in either aerobic or anaerobic conditions. The bacteria cause localized aggressive periodontitis that can result in the loss of teeth and endocarditis, which is an infection of the heart valves. A rich medium is an essential requirement for its growth. There arc some difficulties associated with growing the bacteria as they easily switch from the rough to smooth phenotype under no specific conditions. The bacteria start to lose viability after about 19 hours of growth in broth or about three days on plates. Colonies in the dense part of the streak on plates die earlier. It was shown that acid secreted by the colonies is responsible for the loss of viability as the bacteria are extremely sensitive to low pH. Autoclaving the growth medium for A. actinomycetemcomitans causes the bacteria to grow slowly because of the formation of Maillard reaction products (MRPs). A method has been developed to make the A. actinomycetemcomitans growth medium using the microwave instead of the autoclave. This method produces much less of the inhibitory product since the heating time is only six minutes, compared to more than an hour when using the autoclave. Two approaches were sought in this research. The first approach was the identification of genes responsible for the interaction between the MRP and A. actinomycetemcomitans. The gene responsible for this interaction was found to be a Lys M protein which is found in many genes responsible for the cell wall integrity. The second approach was to develop a new drug made of glucose and lysine with a minimum inhibitory concentration as 75mM.