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Sample records for idiomatic meanings simultaneously

  1. Idioms and mental imagery: the metaphorical motivation for idiomatic meaning.

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    Gibbs, R W; O'Brien, J E

    1990-07-01

    We conducted three experiments to investigate the mental images associated with idiomatic phrases in English. Our hypothesis was that people should have strong conventional images for many idioms and that the regularity in people's knowledge of their images for idioms is due to the conceptual metaphors motivating the figurative meanings of idioms. In the first study, subjects were asked to form and describe their mental images for different idiomatic expressions. Subjects were then asked a series of detailed questions about their images regarding the causes and effects of different events within their images. We found high consistency in subjects' images of idioms with similar figurative meanings despite differences in their surface forms (e.g., spill the beans and let the cat out of the bag). Subjects' responses to detailed questions about their images also showed a high degree of similarity in their answers. Further examination of subjects' imagery protocols supports the idea that the conventional images and knowledge associated with idioms are constrained by the conceptual metaphors (e.g., the MIND IS A CONTAINER and IDEAS ARE ENTITIES) which motivate the figurative meanings of idioms. The results of two control studies showed that the conventional images associated with idioms are not solely based on their figurative meanings (Experiment 2) and that the images associated with literal phrases (e.g., spill the peas) were quite varied and unlikely to be constrained by conceptual metaphor (Experiment 3). These findings support the view that idioms are not "dead" metaphors with their meanings being arbitrarily determined. Rather, the meanings of many idioms are motivated by speakers' tacit knowledge of the conceptual metaphors underlying the meanings of these figurative phrases.

  2. False memory for idiomatic expressions in younger and older adults: evidence for indirect activation of figurative meanings.

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    Coane, Jennifer H; Sánchez-Gutiérrez, Claudia; Stillman, Chelsea M; Corriveau, Jennifer A

    2014-01-01

    Idiomatic expressions can be interpreted literally or figuratively. These two meanings are often processed in parallel or very rapidly, as evidenced by online measures of idiomatic processing. Because in many cases the figurative meaning cannot be derived from the component lexical elements and because of the speed with which this meaning is accessed, it is assumed such meanings are stored in semantic memory. In the present study, we examined how literal equivalents and intact idiomatic expressions are stored in memory and whether episodic memory traces interact or interfere with semantic-level representations and vice versa. To examine age-invariance, younger and older adults studied lists of idioms and literal equivalents. On a recognition test, some studied items were presented in the alternative form (e.g., if the idiom was studied, its literal equivalent was tested). False alarms to these critical items suggested that studying literal equivalents activates the idiom from which they are derived, presumably due to spreading activation in lexical/semantic networks, and results in high rates of errors. Importantly, however, the converse (false alarms to literal equivalents after studying the idiom) were significantly lower, suggesting an advantage in storage for idioms. The results are consistent with idiom processing models that suggest obligatory access to figurative meanings and that this access can also occur indirectly, through literal equivalents.

  3. False memory for idiomatic expressions in younger and older adults: Evidence for indirect activation of figurative meanings

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    Jennifer H Coane

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Idiomatic expressions can be interpreted literally or figuratively. These two meanings are often processed in parallel or very rapidly, as evidenced by online measures of idiomatic processing. Because in many cases the figurative meaning cannot be derived from the component lexical elements and because of the speed with which this meaning is accessed, it is assumed such meanings are stored in semantic memory. In the present study, we examined how literal equivalents and intact idiomatic expressions are stored in memory and whether episodic memory traces interact or interfere with semantic-level representations and vice versa. To examine age-invariance, younger and older adults studied lists of idioms and literal equivalents. On a recognition test, some studied items were presented in the alternative form (e.g., if the idiom was studied, its literal equivalent was tested. False alarms to these critical items suggested that studying literal equivalents activates the idiom from which they are derived, presumably due to spreading activation in lexical/semantic networks, and results in high rates of errors. Importantly, however, the converse (false alarms to literal equivalents after studying the idiom were significantly lower, suggesting an advantage in storage for idioms. The results are consistent with idiom processing models that suggest obligatory access to figurative meanings and that this access can also occur indirectly, through literal equivalents.

  4. Idiomaticity of English Business Terms and Their Equivalents in Lithuanian

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    Pavel Skorupa

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the survey of idiomatic English business terms and their Lithuanian equivalents. The study was based on the theory of idioms and idiomaticity, highlighting the idea that idiomaticity can affect single words, word combinations, and longer text passages. Idiomatic business terms were taken from different English and Lithuanian general and special dictionaries, course books, as well as business texts. The analyzed terms were classified into distinct groups according to their meaning. The key problem encountered was the lack of Lithuanian translation equivalents to certain idiomatic English business terms. Possible Lithuanian translation was provided.

  5. A Study of Applied Strategies in Translating Idiomatic Expressions in Two Movie Subtitles: Bring It On & Mean Girls

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    Mahmood Hashemian

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Idiomatic expressions are considered as a part of everyday language. In other words, they are the essence of each language and one of the most problematic parts to cope with, especially in the process of interlingual translation. Furthermore, there is sometimes no one-to-one equivalent for the idioms of the source language (SL in the target language (TL. This study aimed at investigating the applied strategies in the translation of idiomatic expressions in 2 American subtitled movies, namely Mean Girls (2004 and Bring It On! (2009, through using Baker’s (1992 proposed procedures in translating idiomatic expressions in translation studies. To this aim, the idiomatic expressions were extracted from the original versions of the movies and compared with the subtitled translations in Persian. Analysis of the relevant data indicated that the chi-square results were not significant at χ2 (3, N = 2 = 1.188, p = 0, considering p ˂ 0.05. Therefore, Baker’s (1992 strategies were not distributed equally between these two movies. Moreover, the “omission” strategy with the frequency of 40 was the topmost used strategy in these movies.

  6. Comprehension of idiomatic expressions by Russian speaking typically developing children

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    Eliseeva N.N.

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Background. The ability to understand idiomatic expressions begins to develop at an early age. However, such skill is not achieved within the same age and at the same pace in children speaking di erent languages. Objective. This study assesses comprehension of idiomatic expressions by Russian-speaking monolingual children aged 4 to 12 and monitoring the age dynamics of gurative language understanding. Design. 80 children were split in 4 age groups balanced for gender and level of formal education. e participants were asked to identify the correct non-literal meaning of 10 idioms. For each idiomatic expression, children heard three potential interpretations (one correct, and two incorrect ones of which one was literal while the other was overtly wrong. Results. Age-related di erences were analysed by performing a series of univariate ANOVAs. ese analyses showed that already at preschool age children begin to understand some kinds of idiomatic expressions and that such ability slowly develops throughout childhood. Interestingly, until the age of 6 children predominantly interpreted idioms literally. By the age of 7 their ability to correctly understand the non-literal meanings of idiomatic expressions enhanced signi cantly until it reached a plateau around the age of 12. Conclusion. The results of the study are in line with those found for children speaking other languages. The findings are interpreted in light of recent theories of language and cognitive development. Potential limitations of the study are also discussed.

  7. Etymological aspects of idiomatic and proverbial expressions in the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Idiomatic and proverbial expressions are important components of the oral tradition of Sesotho sa Leboa, and therefore a knowledge of the literal meaning of words as they appear in dictionaries without inclusion of their figurative meaning seems to be a shortcoming. An idiom or a proverb possesses one basic meaning, i.e. ...

  8. Proper Names in Dialectal Idioms: Stages of Idiomatization

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    Ekaterina S. Kogan

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the functioning of proper names (both personal and place names and their derivatives in dialectal idioms. Based upon the criteria of the establishing of the idiomatic status of word combinations, traditionally used in contemporary lexicology, the author marks out four stages of the entry of units containing proper names and their derivatives into a regional idiomatic inventory: 1 word combinations with figurative meanings and transparent motivation easily decoded by every member of the local community (e. g., naryaditsa kak Anisya Klimovskaya ‘to be slovenly dressed’; 2 word combinations with a proper name localizing a nationally known idiom (e. g., zhelninsky telyonok ‘screaming person’; 3 word combinations including a name with a general meaning (e. g., Masha s Yashey ‘two inseparable persons’; 4 idioms with non-transparent motivation (e. g., tutursky pop ‘cuckoo male’. The analyzed data are retrieved from dialect dictionaries (including those of idioms and notes made by the Ural Federal University Toponymic Expeditions in Kostroma Region in 2011–2013.

  9. The ability of left- and right-hemisphere damaged individuals to produce prosodic cues to disambiguate Korean idiomatic sentences

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    Seung-Yun Yang

    2014-05-01

    Three speech language pathologists with training in phonetics participated as raters for vocal qualities. Nasality was significantly salient vocal quality of idiomatic utterances. Conclusion The findings support that (1 LHD negatively affected the production of durational cues and RHD negatively affected the production of fundamental frequency cues in idiomatic-literal contrasts; (2 healthy listeners successfully identified idiomatic and literal versions of ambiguous sentences produced by healthy speakers but not by RHD speakers; (3 Productions in brain-damaged participants approximated HC’s measures in the repetition tasks, but not in the elicitation tasks; (4 Nasal voice quality was judged to be associated with idiomatic utterances in all groups of participants. Findings agree with previous studies indicating HC’s abilities to discriminate literal versus idiomatic meanings in ditropically ambiguous idioms, as well as deficient processing of pitch production and impaired pragmatic ability in RHD.

  10. General types of idiomatic verbal units in English and Swahili

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    Людмила Алексеевна Семенкова

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the comparative analysis of the idiomatic verbal units-word combination of the two typologically different languages - English and Swahili: As a result a number of general syntactic types of their idiomatic verbal units are determined.

  11. The Learning of Chinese Idiomatic Expressions as a Foreign Language

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    Liu, Li; Yao, Jiayi

    2017-01-01

    Chinese idioms are mostly four-character phrases and are called Quadra-syllabic Idiomatic Expressions (QIEs). It has long been reported that learning of Chinese QIEs poses a great challenge for both young L1 speakers and adult L2 learners as the condensed form is often associated with complicated figurative meanings. The present study explored the…

  12. Developing Idiomatic Competence in the ESOL Classroom: A Pragmatic Account

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    Liontas, John I.

    2015-01-01

    Building on previous theoretical constructs and empirical findings on idioms, this article advances an integrated theoretical and methodological framework for developing idiomatic competence in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). Beginning with a definition of the term "idiomatic competence," the author then presents a…

  13. Is the comprehension of idiomatic sentences indeed impaired in paranoid Schizophrenia? A window into semantic processing deficits

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    Pesciarelli, Francesca; Gamberoni, Tania; Ferlazzo, Fabio; Lo Russo, Leo; Pedrazzi, Francesca; Melati, Ermanno; Cacciari, Cristina

    2014-01-01

    Schizophrenia patients have been reported to be more impaired in comprehending non-literal than literal language since early studies on proverbs. Preference for literal rather than figurative interpretations continues to be documented. The main aim of this study was to establish whether patients are indeed able to use combinatorial semantic processing to comprehend literal sentences and both combinatorial analysis, and retrieval of pre-stored meanings to comprehend idiomatic sentences. The study employed a sentence continuation task in which subjects were asked to decide whether a target word was a sensible continuation of a previous sentence fragment to investigate idiomatic and literal sentence comprehension in patients with paranoid schizophrenia. Patients and healthy controls were faster in accepting sensible continuations than in rejecting non-sensible ones in both literal and idiomatic sentences. Patients were as accurate as controls in comprehending literal and idiomatic sentences, but they were overall slower than controls in all conditions. Once the contribution of cognitive covariates was partialled out, the response times (RTs) to sensible idiomatic continuations of patients did not significantly differ from those of controls. This suggests that the state of residual schizophrenia did not contribute to slower processing of sensible idioms above and beyond the cognitive deficits that are typically associated with schizophrenia. PMID:25346676

  14. Idiomatic Control used in Sugar Plants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kirsten Mølgaard; Nielsen, Jens Frederik Dalsgaard; Pedersen, Tom Søndergaard

    1993-01-01

    A description of a control system for a large scale industrial plant - the evaporator section of a sugar plant. The control system is based on the idiomatic control concept, causing decomposition into loop control units - idioms. Dynamic decoupling, feedforward- and feedback loops eg. have been...

  15. Forms and Functions of Idiomatic Expressions in Conversational Interaction

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    Schmale, Günter

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Following a study of the conversational treatment of idiomatic expressions of German talk shows, the present treaty examines in which form and in which way idiomatic expressions are being employed and treated by participants in authentic conversations. Based on four conversational corpora from various domains seven different types of auto- and hetero-rephrasals and paraphrases are described. For each type general and specific functions are then analyzed. The article also deals with idiomatic expressions which remain untreated, i. e. where no subsequent activity might provide a clue as to the understanding of the idiom in question. The study thus concentrates on co(ntextual or semantic indicators which might facilitate the understanding and interpretation of untreated idioms. Finally the hypothesis is put forward that not the correct understanding of an idiom is decisive but rather the production of a next activity meeting the idiom producer's expectations. The idiom may even be misinterpreted as long as its host turn can be interpreted adequately in order to produce a conditionally relevant following turn.

  16. A contrastive study of idiomatic expressions in Romanian and English

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    Laura IONICĂ

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Most idiomatic expressions are not simply matters of language, but products of our conceptual system. When analyzing idioms we should be fully aware of their meaning whether it is taken as a whole or an assembly of constituting parts. Their significance implies a general knowledge of the world which is embodied in our mentality. Therefore, language learners should go beyond the arbitrariness of idioms and focus on the motivational factor of their usage. This paper aims to analyze the functioning of idioms in two different languages and the translation difficulties arising from linguistic incongruities

  17. Teaching Idiomatic Expressions: A Comparison of Two Instructional Methods.

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    Rittenhouse, Robert K.; Kenyon, Patricia L.

    1990-01-01

    Twenty hearing-impaired adolescents were taught idiomatic expressions using captioned videotape presentations followed by classroom discussion, or by extended classroom discussions. Improvement in understanding idioms was significantly greater under the videotape method. (Author/JDD)

  18. A Contrastive Analysis of Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions in Three English and Persian Novels for Translation Purposes

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    Mohammad Ahmadi

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The significance of idioms and idiomatic expressions in English can be understood from their appearance in all types of discourse ranging from every day conversations to scientific texts. So, the present study deals with the translation of idioms and idiomatic expressions from English into Persian focusing on the procedures involved. Baker's model (1992 which groups possible procedures into four strategies was chosen as the theoretical framework of this research. This study is an attempt to investigate strategies used in translating and also to find out which strategy is mostly used. To do so, a total number of 90 idioms and idiomatic expressions were extracted from three English novels. This study was carried out through a comparative study of idioms and idiomatic expressions from English into Persian. The findings of the research indicated that four strategies were used in translating idioms and idiomatic expressions and their frequency of being used is different and also it was revealed that most of the data were translated by paraphrase.

  19. Educating Educators about Second Language Idiomaticity through Action Research

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    Liontas, John I.

    2013-01-01

    Idiomaticity is central to linguistic theory. Despite the pervasiveness of idioms in language, pedagogical articles in professional journals have yet to pay attention to the benefits of idiom instruction in the second language (SL) classroom. Addressing this concern, this article reports the results of an exploratory qualitative research study…

  20. Figurative Idiomatic Language: Strategies and Difficulties of Understanding English Idioms

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    Nisreen Al-Khawaldeh

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Learning idioms which is considered a very essential part of learning and using language (Sridhar and Karunakaran, 2013 has recently attracted a great attention of English learning researchers particularly the assessment of how well Asian language learners acquire and use idioms in communication (Tran, 2013. Understanding and using them fluently could be viewed as a sign towards language proficiency as they could be an effective way to give students better conditions to enhance their communication skills in the daily context (Beloussova, 2015. Investigating how idiomatic expressions are dealt with and processed in a second language or foreign language is an issue worth examining further since it may give language teachers a better idea of some of the strategies language learners use in order to interpret figurative language. Despite their importance, learning and using English idioms by Arab EFL learners have not been investigated extensively, and no research has been conducted on Jordanian students’ idiomatic competency. Thus, the researcher decided to work on these un-tackled issues in the Jordanian context. Most idioms-based investigations are the difficulties Jordanians learners of English face when translating them into Arabic (Hussein, Khanji, and Makhzoumi, 2000; Bataineh and Bataineh, 2002; Alrishan and Smadi, 2015. The analysis of the test showed students’ very poor idiomatic competence; particularly a very limited awareness of the most frequently used idioms despite their overwhelming desire to learn them. Data analysis of the questionnaire revealed the strategies students use and the problems they face in understanding and learning idioms.

  1. The Problem of English Spatial, Non-spatial and Idiomatic Adpositions in Iranian EFL Environment: A Prototypical Approach

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    Nassim Golaghaei

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Several studies of L2 learners’ interlanguage have addressed the complexity of the English adpositional system due to several reasons like L1 transfer, lack of knowledge in L2 and the strong collocational relations of prepositions with other elements of the English language. The major purpose of the present study is to evaluate the performance of Iranian students in dealing with three broad categories of spatial, non-spatial and idiomatic adpositions in English. To achieve the inclinations of the research project, 60 students majoring in TEFL at Roudehen University were selected. A paper-based TOEFL test of English Proficiency was administered to obtain some information about the participants’ general language proficiency. Three completion tasks with the division of spatial, non-spatial (nominal, adjectival and verbal and idiomatic adpositions were administered. The obtained results represented the fact that the Iranian participants were considerably inclined to transfer their L1 adpositional patterns to their L2 production. The correlational analyses indicated that whereas the scores related to adposition task in general, non-spatial as well as the idiomatic subtests were strongly correlated with the scores obtained from the TOEFL test, there was a moderate correlation between the spatial subtest and the TOEFL one. The independent sample t-test results between the freshmen and sophomores dealing with spatial, nominal and adjectival subtests were considered to be significant.  However, in reference to the verbal subtest, the difference between the two groups was not significant. The results obtained from the independent sample t-test indicated no significant differences between the freshmen and sophomores in their performance on idiomatic adpositions. Finally, the result of the correlation coefficients showed high correlation coefficients between the whole adposition test and the three subtests of spatial, non-spatial and idiomatic ones

  2. THE CREATION OF IMAGERY THROUGH POETIC DICTION IN POETRY TRANSLATION: LITERAL OR IDIOMATIC?

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    I Gusti Agung Sri Rwa Jayantini

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims at investigating the creation of imagery in the translation of the Indonesian poem entitled Batas into Borders as found in the poem anthology of the Indonesian poet, M. Aan Mansyur. It is interesting to reveal how the images of ‗borders‘ created by the poet are transferred by the translator considering that poetic diction may influence the whole message intended in both Indonesian and English poems. The question is how the naturalness in poetry translation is made. Is it done through literal or idiomatic translation? Imagery that is understood as the presentation of images through words is the picture that the readers can get by observing line by line expressed through poetic diction in the poem. Having done the analysis, it is found that some images are literally transferred that can be clearly seen from the diction in the translation version. However, some images are also idiomatically transferred through the appropriate lexical choices to maintain the atmosphere established in the poem.

  3. Etymological Aspects of Idiomatic and Proverbial Expressions in the Lexicographic Development of Sesotho sa Leboa ? A Semantic Analysis*

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    V.M. Mojela

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available

    Abstract: Idiomatic and proverbial expressions are important components of the oral traditionof Sesotho sa Leboa, and therefore a knowledge of the literal meaning of words as they appear indictionaries without inclusion of their figurative meaning seems to be a shortcoming. An idiom or aproverb possesses one basic meaning, i.e. the meaning to which the idiom or proverb is basicallymeant to refer, but each idiom or proverb is made up of several lexical items. Each of these lexicalitems has its own meaning, which usually differs from the figurative sense of the idiom or proverb.Even though the meaning of the words in an idiomatic or proverbial expression seems to differfrom the sense of the idiom or proverb, there is to a certain extent a relationship. It is this relationshipwhich lexicographers can assist to explain in their definitions in order to clarify both the literaland the figurative meanings of words in Sesotho sa Leboa.This article aims to stress the importance of having specialized dictionaries which will giveusers detailed etymological explanations of the meaning of idiomatic and proverbial expressions asused in Sesotho sa Leboa. The etymological analysis of the meaning of these lexical items (idiomsand proverbs will provide a better understanding of these expressions and enrich dictionarieswith detailed definitions. This will create a better understanding of the relationship between theliteral meanings of the expressions and their real (i.e. figurative meanings.

    Keywords: DIACHRONIC ANALYSIS, ETYMOLOGY, FIGURATIVE EXPRESSION, IDIOM,LEMMATIZATION, LEXICOLOGY, METAPHOR, METAPHORIC EXPRESSION, PROVERB,SYNCHRONIC ANALYSIS, TERMINOGRAPHY.

    Opsomming: Etimologiese aspekte van idiomatiese en spreekwoordelikeuitdrukkings in die leksikografiese ontwikkeling van Sesotho sa Leboa — 'nsemantiese ontleding. Idiomatiese en spreekwoordelike uitdrukkings is belangrike komponentevan die mondelinge tradisie van Sesotho sa Leboa en

  4. Pragmalinguistic characteristics of Biblical idiomatic expressions in Russian, Spanish, Italian, French, and English

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    Елена Владимировна Реунова

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This article is a cross-cultural analysis of idiomatic expressions of biblical origin in five languages: Russian, Spanish, Italian, French and English. Biblical idioms are regarded as important phenomena which strongly influence different speech acts. The article discusses the most important structural and stylistic characteristics of these idioms and identifies and compares their substantive differences.

  5. The influence of idiomatic salience during the comprehension of ambiguous idioms by patients with schizophrenia.

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    Iakimova, Galina; Passerieux, Christine; Denhière, Guy; Laurent, Jean-Paul; Vistoli, Damien; Vilain, Jeanne; Hardy-Baylé, Marie-Christine

    2010-05-15

    This study investigates whether figurative comprehension in schizophrenia is influenced by the salience of idiomatic meaning, and whether it is affected by clinical and demographic factors and IQ. Twenty-seven schizophrenic patients and 25 healthy participants performed a semantic relatedness judgement task which required the comprehension of idioms with two plausible meanings (literal and figurative). The study also used literal expressions. The figurative meaning of the idioms was less salient (ILS), more salient (IFS), or equally salient (IES) compared to the literal meaning. The results showed "a salience effect" (i.e., all participants understood the salient meanings better than the less salient meanings). There was also a "figurativeness effect" (i.e., healthy individuals understood the figurative meaning of IES better than the literal meaning but not schizophrenic patients). In patients, their thought disorder influenced the figurative comprehension of IFS. The verbal IQ influenced the figurative comprehension of ILS. The thought disorder, the verbal IQ, and the educational level influenced the figurative comprehension of IES. The patients' clinically evaluated concretism was associated with a reduced figurative comprehension of IFS and IES evaluated at a cognitive level. The results are discussed in relation to cognitive mechanisms which underscore figurative comprehension in schizophrenia. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Suppression of Literal Meanings in L2 Idiom Processing: Does Context Help?

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    Cieslicka, Anna B.

    2011-01-01

    Most current idiom processing models acknowledge, after Gernsbacher and Robertson (1999) that deriving an idiomatic meaning entails suppression of contextually inappropriate, literal meanings of idiom constituent words. While embedding idioms in the rich disambiguating context can promote earlier suppression of incompatible literal meanings,…

  7. Understanding of Idiomatic Expressions in Context in Skilled and Less Skilled Comprehenders: Online Processing and Interpretation

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    Oakhill, Jane; Cain, Kate; Nesi, Barbara

    2016-01-01

    This article reports a study in which good and poor comprehenders (in 2 age groups: 8- and 10-year-olds) read short passages containing phrases that could be interpreted as idiomatic or not, depending on the context. Familiarity was manipulated by including real (English) idioms and novel (translations of Italian) idioms. Reading times for the…

  8. Bayesian Simultaneous Estimation for Means in k Sample Problems

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    Imai, Ryo; Kubokawa, Tatsuya; Ghosh, Malay

    2017-01-01

    This paper is concerned with the simultaneous estimation of k population means when one suspects that the k means are nearly equal. As an alternative to the preliminary test estimator based on the test statistics for testing hypothesis of equal means, we derive Bayesian and minimax estimators which shrink individual sample means toward a pooled mean estimator given under the hypothesis. Interestingly, it is shown that both the preliminary test estimator and the Bayesian minimax shrinkage esti...

  9. Non-Equivalence at Idiomatic and Expressional Level and the Strategies to Deal with: English Translation into Persian

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    Ahmad Ezzati Vazifehkhah

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The main purpose of this paper is to throw some light on non-equivalence at an idiomatic and expressional level in a contrastive analysis framework from English translation into Persian. The present paper makes an effort to analyze six main strategies such as using an idiom or an expression of similar meaning and form, similar meaning but dissimilar form, borrowing the source language, translation by paraphrase, translation by omission of a play on idiom or expression and translation by omission of entire idiom or expression (Baker, 2011. Hence, the core properties of this issue are described both in English and Persian languages. Moreover, within the text, there is a comparison which is conducted to highlight the matches and mismatches between these two languages. Further, other translators may well take this information as one of the main platforms from which they find out some strategies in translation idioms and expressions. This study concludes Baker’s (2011 proposed strategies are applicable and then proposes some weighty recommendations to be taken by translators in such a demanding issue.

  10. The representation of the back in idiomatic expressions--do idioms value the body?

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    Cedraschi, C; Bove, D; Perrin, E; Vischer, T L

    2000-01-01

    Whilst investigating the influence of patients' representations on the impact of teaching in the back school, we took an interest in 1) the place of the back in the French idioms referring to the body; and 2) the meaning these idioms convey about the back. The idioms including body part terms were sought on the basis of a compilation of French idioms; it has to be noted that such a compilation, however excellent it may be, can only offer a partial view of lay conversation. Occurrence of body parts and of their connotations were assessed. Idioms were classified as positive, negative or neutral, keeping in mind the difficulties of a strict classification in such a field. Drawings were then performed on the basis of the results of the descriptive analysis. Globally, idiomatic expressions offer a rather negative picture of the body or at least suggest that the body is prominently used to express negative ideas and emotions. This is particularly striking for the idioms associated with the back. The analysis of idioms referring to the body allows us to 'see with our own eyes' another aspect of the representations of the body and the back, as they are conveyed in the French language.

  11. What can children tell us about the fixedness of idiomatic phrases? The psycholinguistic relevance of a linguistic model

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    Kleopatra Diakogiorgi

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The present paper contains two distinct yet intricately linked studies concerning idiomatic phrases in Greek: a linguistic study and a psycholinguistic study. The linguistic study aims at investigating the degree of fixedness of idiomatic phrases, through a semantic-lexical categorization of 470 phrases with fixed subject. Three phrase categories were distinguished: typical phrases characterized by a strong semantic-lexical articulation between their constituents, and non-typical phrases, in which the constituents have a certain semantic autonomy. Non-typical phrases were further categorized into a quasi-phrases and b conventionalized phrases, the constituents of which have the highest degree of semantic autonomy. Α linguistic model was developed named “graded fixedness model”, and the psycholinguistic relevance of the model assessed by examining idiom comprehension in Greek elementary school children, aged 7.5 and 9.5 years old. To achieve this, a psycholinguistic study was then carried out. Children were presented with 8 typical, 8 quasi and 8 conventionalized phrases. For each phrase, they were asked to choose the one they thought correct out of three interpretations proposed (idiomatic, literal and other. The research findings presented and discussed herein provide evidence supporting the psychological reality of the notion of semantic autonomy even for the younger children’s processing which was overall quite poor: thus, the greater the semantic autonomy of a phrase’s constituents, the easier the access to its idiomatic meaning.Le présent article comporte deux études distinctes mais étroitement liées concernant les phrases idomatiques en grec : une étude linguistique et une étude psycholinguistique. L’étude linguistique vise à examiner le degré de figement des phrases idiomatiques, à travers une catégorisation sémantico-lexicale de 470 phrases à sujet fixe. Trois catégories de phrases ont été distingu

  12. Not Just "Small Potatoes": Knowledge of the Idiomatic Meanings of Collocations

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    Macis, Marijana; Schmitt, Norbert

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated learner knowledge of the figurative meanings of 30 collocations that can be both literal and figurative. One hundred and seven Chilean Spanish-speaking university students of English were asked to complete a meaning-recall collocation test in which the target items were embedded in non-defining sentences. Results showed…

  13. Familiarity breeds dissent: Reliability analyses for British-English idioms on measures of familiarity, meaning, literality, and decomposability.

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    Nordmann, Emily; Cleland, Alexandra A; Bull, Rebecca

    2014-06-01

    To date, there have been several attempts made to build a database of normative data for English idiomatic expressions (e.g., Libben & Titone, 2008; Titone & Connine, 1994), however, there has been some discussion in the literature as to the validity and reliability of the data obtained, particularly for decomposability ratings. Our work aimed to address these issues by looking at ratings from native and non-native speakers and to extend the deeper investigation and analysis of decomposability to other aspects of idiomatic expressions, namely familiarly, meaning and literality. Poor reliability was observed on all types of ratings, suggesting that rather than decomposability being a special case, individual variability plays a large role in how participants rate idiomatic phrases in general. Ratings from native and non-native speakers were positively correlated and an analysis of covariance found that once familiarity with an idiom was accounted for, most of the differences between native and non-native ratings were not significant. Overall, the results suggest that individual experience with idioms plays an important role in how they are perceived and this should be taken into account when selecting stimuli for experimental studies. Furthermore, the results are suggestive of the inability of speakers to inhibit the figurative meanings for idioms that they are highly familiar with. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Simultaneous Mean and Covariance Correction Filter for Orbit Estimation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaoxu; Pan, Quan; Ding, Zhengtao; Ma, Zhengya

    2018-05-05

    This paper proposes a novel filtering design, from a viewpoint of identification instead of the conventional nonlinear estimation schemes (NESs), to improve the performance of orbit state estimation for a space target. First, a nonlinear perturbation is viewed or modeled as an unknown input (UI) coupled with the orbit state, to avoid the intractable nonlinear perturbation integral (INPI) required by NESs. Then, a simultaneous mean and covariance correction filter (SMCCF), based on a two-stage expectation maximization (EM) framework, is proposed to simply and analytically fit or identify the first two moments (FTM) of the perturbation (viewed as UI), instead of directly computing such the INPI in NESs. Orbit estimation performance is greatly improved by utilizing the fit UI-FTM to simultaneously correct the state estimation and its covariance. Third, depending on whether enough information is mined, SMCCF should outperform existing NESs or the standard identification algorithms (which view the UI as a constant independent of the state and only utilize the identified UI-mean to correct the state estimation, regardless of its covariance), since it further incorporates the useful covariance information in addition to the mean of the UI. Finally, our simulations demonstrate the superior performance of SMCCF via an orbit estimation example.

  15. Simultaneous genetic analysis of longitudinal means and covariance structure in the simplex model using twin data

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dolan, C.V.; Molenaar, P.C.M.; Boomsma, D.I.

    1991-01-01

    D. Soerbom's (1974, 1976) simplex model approach to simultaneous analysis of means and covariance structure was applied to analysis of means observed in a single group. The present approach to the simultaneous biometric analysis of covariance and mean structure is based on the testable assumption

  16. Spared Access to Idiomatic and Literal Meanings: A Single-Case Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hillert, Dieter G.

    2004-01-01

    The current study examines how patients with aphasia access the meanings of idioms during spoken sentence comprehension. In our experiment, we had 4 subjects whose native language is German: 2 left-hemisphere damaged patients (Wernicke's and global aphasia); 1 right-hemisphere damaged patient; and 1 age-matched healthy speaker. Ambiguous…

  17. LEXICAL AND CONTEXTUAL VARIABILITY OF IDIOMATIC PHRASAL VERBS IN HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS MOVIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghofar Romli

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The popularity of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (HPDH as a novel is almost accentuated in the movie version. However, the fascination of watching the movies may be interrupted by the problems arising from the use of some problematic expressions in the original language, especially idiomatic phrasal verbs (IPVs. The Indonesian viewers who happen to be learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL will not have the fullest understanding of the story/text/sentence of the movies when they translate idiom lexically as the meaning of an idiom cannot be predicted from its individual constituents (Langlotz, 2006:4. This paper undergoes some procedures of the analysis starting from the process of data collection, progressing to selection, filtering, and labeling. It extracts PVs in HPDH (97 in HPDH part one and 70 in part two using linguistic concepts of PV. Later by limiting the PVs under conventional and characteristics modelling function of idioms, IPVs can be identified and served as the primary data. The final phase of the analysis wants to see how lexical interpretation, relying on Oxford Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary 8th Edition (OALD 8th ed, and Halidayan contextual variability (field, tenor and mode help classifying and explaining the meanings of the IPVs. Finally it is expected that this paper can offer appropriate logical and contextual interpretations of the IPVs. This way, by watching the HPDH, learners of English can gain better understanding of the movies and, more importantly, better knowledge of IPVs as inseparable part of their competence of EFL.

  18. Hemispheric differences in processing the literal interpretation of idioms: converging evidence from behavioral and fMRI studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mashal, Nira; Faust, Miriam; Hendler, Talma; Jung-Beeman, Mark

    2008-01-01

    The present study examined the role of the left (LH) and right (RH) cerebral hemispheres in processing alternative meanings of idiomatic sentences. We conducted two experiments using ambiguous idioms with plausible literal interpretations as stimuli. In the first experiment we tested hemispheric differences in accessing either the literal or the idiomatic meaning of idioms for targets presented to either the left or the right visual field. In the second experiment, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to define regional brain activation patterns in healthy adults processing either the idiomatic meaning of idioms or the literal meanings of either idioms or literal sentences. According to the Graded Salience Hypothesis (GSH, Giora, 2003), a selective RH involvement in the processing of nonsalient meanings, such as literal interpretations of idiomatic expressions, was expected. Results of the two experiments were consistent with the GSH predictions and show that literal interpretations of idioms are accessed faster than their idiomatic meanings in the RH. The fMRI data showed that processing the idiomatic interpretation of idioms and the literal interpretations of literal sentences involved LH regions whereas processing the literal interpretation of idioms was associated with increased activity in right brain regions including the right precuneus, right middle frontal gyrus (MFG), right posterior middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and right anterior superior temporal gyrus (STG). We suggest that these RH areas are involved in semantic ambiguity resolution and in processing nonsalient meanings of conventional idiomatic expressions.

  19. Bilingual and Monolingual Idiom Processing Is Cut from the Same Cloth: The Role of the L1 in Literal and Figurative Meaning Activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beck, Sara D; Weber, Andrea

    2016-01-01

    The present study examines non-native (L2) and native (L1) listeners' access to figurative idiomatic meaning and literal constituent meaning in two cross-modal priming experiments. Proficient German learners of English (L2) and native speakers of American English (L1) responded to English target words preceded by English idioms embedded in non-biasing prime sentences in a lexical decision task. English idioms differed in levels of translatability: Lexical level idioms had word-for-word translation equivalents in German, while post-lexical level idioms had matching idiomatic concepts in German but could not be translated word for word. Target words either related to the figurative meaning of the idiom or related to the literal meaning of the final constituent word of the idiom (e.g., to pull someone's leg, literal target: walk, figurative target: joke). Both L1 and L2 listeners showed facilitatory priming for literally- and figuratively-related target words compared to unrelated control target words, with only marginal differences between the listener groups. No effect of translatability was found; that is, the existence of word-for-word translation equivalents in German neither facilitated nor hindered meaning activation for German L2 listeners. The results are interpreted in the context of L1 and L2 models of idiom processing as well as further relevant translation studies.

  20. Bilingual and monolingual idiom processing is cut from the same cloth: The role of the L1 in literal and figurative meaning activation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara Donnell Beck

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The present study examines non-native (L2 and native (L1 listeners’ access to figurative idiomatic meaning and literal constituent meaning in two cross-modal priming experiments. Proficient German learners of English (L2 and native speakers of American English (L1 responded to English target words preceded by English idioms embedded in non-biasing prime sentences in a lexical decision task. English idioms differed in levels of translatability: Lexical level idioms had word-for-word translation equivalents in German, while post-lexical level idioms had matching idiomatic concepts in German but could not be translated word for word. Target words either related to the figurative meaning of the idiom or related to the literal meaning of the final constituent word of the idiom (e.g., to pull someone’s leg, literal target: walk, figurative target: joke. Both L1 and L2 listeners showed facilitatory priming for literally- and figuratively-related target words compared to unrelated control target words, with only marginal differences between the listener groups. No effect of translatability was found; that is, the existence of word-for-word translation equivalents in German neither facilitated nor hindered meaning activation for German L2 listeners. The results are interpreted in the context of L1 and L2 models of idiom processing as well as further relevant translation studies.

  1. Sticking your neck out and burying the hatchet: what idioms reveal about embodied simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kacinik, Natalie A

    2014-01-01

    Idioms are used in conventional language twice as frequently as metaphors, but most research, particularly recent work on embodiment has focused on the latter. However, idioms have the potential to significantly deepen our understanding of embodiment because their meanings cannot be derived from their component words. To determine whether sensorimotor states could activate idiomatic meaning, participants were instructed to engage in postures/actions reflecting various idioms (e.g., sticking your neck out) relative to non-idiomatic control postures/actions while reading and responding to statements designed to assess idiomatic meaning. The results showed that statements were generally more strongly endorsed after idiom embodiment than control conditions, indicating that the meaning of idiomatic expressions may not be as disconnected from perceptual and motor experiences than previously thought. These findings are discussed in terms of the mirror neuron system and the necessity of pluralistic contributions from both sensorimotor and amodal linguistic systems to fully account for the representation and processing of idioms and other figurative expressions.

  2. Sticking your neck out and burying the hatchet: What idioms reveal about embodied simulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalie A Kacinik

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Idioms are used in conventional language twice as frequently as metaphors, but most research, particularly recent work on embodiment has focused on the latter. However, idioms have the potential to significantly deepen our understanding of embodiment because their meanings cannot be derived from their component words. To determine whether sensorimotor states could activate idiomatic meaning, participants were instructed to engage in postures/actions reflecting various idioms (e.g., sticking your neck out relative to non-idiomatic control postures/actions while reading and responding to statements designed to assess idiomatic meaning. The results showed that statements were generally more strongly endorsed after idiom embodiment than control conditions, indicating that the meaning of idiomatic expressions may not be as disconnected from perceptual and motor experiences than previously thought. These findings are discussed in terms of the mirror neuron system and the necessity of pluralistic contributions from both sensorimotor and amodal linguistic systems to fully account for the representation and processing of idioms and other figurative expressions.

  3. Sticking your neck out and burying the hatchet: what idioms reveal about embodied simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kacinik, Natalie A.

    2014-01-01

    Idioms are used in conventional language twice as frequently as metaphors, but most research, particularly recent work on embodiment has focused on the latter. However, idioms have the potential to significantly deepen our understanding of embodiment because their meanings cannot be derived from their component words. To determine whether sensorimotor states could activate idiomatic meaning, participants were instructed to engage in postures/actions reflecting various idioms (e.g., sticking your neck out) relative to non-idiomatic control postures/actions while reading and responding to statements designed to assess idiomatic meaning. The results showed that statements were generally more strongly endorsed after idiom embodiment than control conditions, indicating that the meaning of idiomatic expressions may not be as disconnected from perceptual and motor experiences than previously thought. These findings are discussed in terms of the mirror neuron system and the necessity of pluralistic contributions from both sensorimotor and amodal linguistic systems to fully account for the representation and processing of idioms and other figurative expressions. PMID:25309381

  4. The development of the idiomatic piano language through Clementi’s edition of D. Scarlatti’s sonatas (1791

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Cuervo Calvo

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Muzio Clementi edited the first known publication of Domenico Scarlatti´s sonatas for piano: Scarlatti’s Chefs d’Oeuvre, for the Harpsichord or Piano forte [1791]. This work contains ten Scarlatti´s sonatas selected by Clementi among some 18th- century manuscripts, one Antonio Soler sonata, and another anonymous one. The imnportance of this collection is that it made possible the diffusion of the Scarlatti’s sonatas Kk 378, 380, 490, 400, 475, 381, 206, 531, 462, 463, which only were accessible to a minority. Moreover, The musical text of Clementi´s edition varies considerably from most other manuscript sources. Studying the published reviews, it will be possible to contribute information about the interpretive practice of the key instruments about the end of the 18th century, about the characteristics of the English pianos for which Clementi realized the above mentioned review, and about the development of the idiomatic specific language of the piano in this epoch.

  5. Representing idioms: syntactic and contextual effects on idiom processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holsinger, Edward

    2013-09-01

    Recent work on the processing of idiomatic expressions argues against the idea that idioms are simply big words. For example, hybrid models of idiom representation, originally investigated in the context of idiom production, propose a priority of literal computation, and a principled relationship between the conceptual meaning of an idiom, its literal lemmas and its syntactic structure. We examined the predictions of the hybrid representation hypothesis in the domain of idiom comprehension. We conducted two experiments to examine the role of syntactic, lexical and contextual factors on the interpretation of idiomatic expressions. Experiment I examines the role of syntactic compatibility and lexical compatibility on the real-time processing of potentially idiomatic strings. Experiment 2 examines the role of contextual information on idiom processing and how context interacts with lexical information during processing. We find evidence that literal computation plays a causal role in the retrieval of idiomatic meaning and that contextual, lexical and structural information influence the processing of idiomatic strings at early stages during processing, which provide support for the hybrid model of idiom representation in the domain of idiom comprehension.

  6. Even with a green card, you can be put out to pasture and still have to work: non-native intuitions of the transparency of common English idioms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malt, Barbara C; Eiter, Brianna

    2004-09-01

    Native speakers of English use idioms such as put your foot down and spill the beans to label events that are not described literally by the words that compose the idioms. For many such expressions, the idiomatic meanings are transparent; that is, the connection between the literal expression and its figurative meaning makes sense to native speakers. We tested Keysar and Bly's (1995) hypothesis that this sense of transparency for the meaning of everyday idioms does not necessarily obtain because the idiomatic meanings are derived from motivating literal meanings or conceptual metaphors, but rather (at least in part) because language users construct explanations after the fact for whatever meaning is conventionally assigned to the expression. Non-native speakers of English were exposed to common English idioms and taught either the conventional idiomatic meaning or an alternative meaning. In agreement with Keysar and Bly's suggestion, their subsequent sense of transparency was greater for the meaning that the speakers had learned and used, regardless of which one it was.

  7. Positive and negative meanings are simultaneously ascribed to colorectal cancer: relationship to quality of life and psychosocial adjustment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camacho, Aldo Aguirre; Garland, Sheila N; Martopullo, Celestina; Pelletier, Guy

    2014-08-01

    Experiencing cancer can give rise to existential concerns causing great distress, and consequently drive individuals to make sense of what cancer may mean to their lives. To date, meaning-based research in the context of cancer has largely focused on one possible outcome of this process, the emergence of positive meanings (e.g. post-traumatic growth). However, negative meanings may also be ascribed to cancer, simultaneously with positive meanings. This study focused on the nature of the co-existence of positive and negative meanings in a sample of individuals diagnosed with colorectal cancer to find out whether negative meaning had an impact on quality of life and psychosocial adjustment above and beyond positive meaning. Participants were given questionnaires measuring meaning-made, quality of life, and psychological distress. Semi structured interviews were conducted with a subgroup from the original sample. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that negative meaning-made (i.e. helplessness) was a significant predictor of poor quality of life and increased levels of depression/anxiety above and beyond positive meaning-made (i.e. life meaningfulness, acceptance, and perceived benefits). Correlational analyses and interview data revealed that negative meaning-made was mainly associated with physical and functional disability, while positive meaning-made was mostly related to emotional and psychological well-being. Meanings of varying valence may simultaneously be ascribed to cancer as it impacts different life dimensions, and they may independently influence quality of life and psychosocial adjustment. The presence of positive meaning was not enough to prevent the detrimental effects of negative meaning on psychosocial adjustment and quality of life among individuals taking part in this study. Future attention to negative meaning is warranted, as it may be at least as important as positive meaning in predicting psychosocial adjustment and quality of

  8. How to "Save Your Skin" When Processing L2 Idioms: An Eye Movement Analysis of Idiom Transparency and Cross-Language Similarity among Bilinguals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cieslicka, Anna B.; Heredia, Roberto R.

    2017-01-01

    The current study looks at whether bilinguals varying in language dominance show a processing advantage for idiomatic over non-idiomatic phrases and to what extent this effect is modulated by idiom transparency (i.e., the degree to which the idiom's figurative meaning can be inferred from its literal analysis) and cross-language similarity (i.e.,…

  9. Semantic analyzability in children's understanding of idioms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibbs, R W

    1991-06-01

    This study investigated the role of semantic analyzability in children's understanding of idioms. Kindergartners and first, third, and fourth graders listened to idiomatic expressions either alone or at the end of short story contexts. Their task was to explain verbally the intended meanings of these phrases and then to choose their correct idiomatic interpretations. The idioms presented to the children differed in their degree of analyzability. Some idioms were highly analyzable or decomposable, with the meanings of their parts contributing independently to their overall figurative meanings. Other idioms were nondecomposable because it was difficult to see any relation between a phrase's individual components and the idiom's figurative meaning. The results showed that younger children (kindergartners and first graders) understood decomposable idioms better than they did nondecomposable phrases. Older children (third and fourth graders) understood both kinds of idioms equally well in supporting contexts, but were better at interpreting decomposable idioms than they were at understanding nondecomposable idioms without contextual information. These findings demonstrate that young children better understand idiomatic phrases whose individual parts independently contribute to their overall figurative meanings.

  10. Kill the song—steal the show: what does distinguish predicative metaphors from decomposable idioms?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caillies, Stéphanie; Declercq, Christelle

    2011-06-01

    This study examined the semantic processing difference between decomposable idioms and novel predicative metaphors. It was hypothesized that idiom comprehension results from the retrieval of a figurative meaning stored in memory, that metaphor comprehension requires a sense creation process and that this process difference affects the processing time of idiomatic and metaphoric expressions. In the first experiment, participants read sentences containing decomposable idioms, predicative metaphors or control expressions and performed a lexical decision task on figurative targets presented 0, 350, and 500 ms, or 750 after reading. Results demonstrated that idiomatic expressions were processed sooner than metaphoric ones. In the second experiment, participants were asked to assess the meaningfulness of idiomatic, metaphoric and literal expressions after reading a verb prime that belongs to the target phrase (identity priming). The results showed that verb identity priming was stronger for idiomatic expressions than for metaphor ones, indicating different mental representations.

  11. Simultaneous radiochemotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunst, J.; Sauer, R.

    1993-01-01

    Simultaneous radiochemotherapy (RCT) means the simultaneous application of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The major objective of this approach is the improvement of local control. On the cellular level, three types of interactions may be distinguished: Additivity, synergism, and sensibilization. The main type of interaction seems to be a simple additive effect. The clinical effect of a simultaneous chemotherapy depends mainly on the cytotoxic action of the drug itself and not on radiosensibilization. Therefore, effective chemotherapeutic drugs are to be delivered in cytotoxic dosages in RCT protocols. Compromises in radiotherapy as the main modality should be avoided. Recent clinical data have shown that simultaneous radiochemotherapy may yield heigh remission rates in a number of tumor entities (e.g. anal cancer, bladder cancer, head and neck cancer). This seems to improve local control as compared to radiotherapy alone. In some tumors (e.g. head and neck, esophagus), survival may be improved also. However, several questions require future detailed clinical trials. These questions include the value of simultaneous radiochemotherapy compared to optimal fractionation schemes, the clear definition of subgroups of patients with benefit by radiochemotherapy and the optimal dose intensity of cytotoxic drugs. (orig.) [de

  12. Forms of encoded pragmatic meaning: semantic prosody. A lexicographic perspective.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mojca Šorli

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract – The present paper focuses on ways in which the pragmatic (functional meaning that arises from various contextual features, known in corpus linguistics as semantic prosody (Sinclair 1996, 2004; Louw 1993, etc. can become an integral part of lexicographic descriptions. This is especially important for the treatment of phraseology and idiomatics. The workings of semantic prosody are a good example of the ways pragmatic meaning exploits linguistic means to be codified in the text. We thus investigate the meaning that can only be studied in context, as it is completely dependent on collocation, i.e., syntagmatic relations, and therefore cannot be attributed solely to a concrete word form. Corpus analysis has yielded significant results in areas such as the lexicographic treatment of semantic prosody. We believe that in order to improve teaching pragmatics in all its complexity, it is necessary to recognise and assess various aspects of pragmatic meaning both in written and spoken language. Second/foreign language teaching/learning in particular has been strongly dependent on the inclusion of relevant information in dictionaries, in which, traditionally, pragmatic aspects of meaning have been largely neglected. Language technologies have enabled us both to study the subtleties of pragmatic meaning and to design accurate and more user-friendly (pedagogical dictionaries. We will attempt to demonstrate the value of explicit description of functional pragmatic meaning, i.e. semantic prosody, as implemented in the Slovene Lexical Database (2008-2012. A brief overview of the theoretical background is first provided, after which we describe the definition strategies employed to include pragmatics, as well as presenting a case study and arguing that explicating semantic prosody is crucial in developing pragmatic competence in (young/foreign language learners. Keywords: semantic prosody; pragmatics; lexicographic description; dictionary; lexical

  13. Of black sheep and white crows: Extending the bilingual dual coding theory to memory for idioms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lena K. Pritchett

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Are idioms stored in memory in ways that preserve their surface form or language or are they represented amodally? We examined this question using an incidental cued recall paradigm in which two word idiomatic expressions were presented to adult bilinguals proficient in Russian and English. Stimuli included phrases with idiomatic equivalents in both languages (e.g. “empty words/пycтыe cлoвa” or in one language only (English—e.g. “empty suit/пycтoй кocтюм” or Russian—e.g. “empty sound/пycтoй звyк”, or in neither language (e.g. “empty rain/пycтoй дoждь”. If idioms are stored in a language-specific format, then phrases with idiomatic equivalents in both languages would have dual representation, and should therefore be more easily recalled than phrases with idiomatic meaning in only one language. This result was obtained. As such, the findings support the dual-coding theory of memory and are also compatible with models of the bilingual lexicon that include language tags or nodes.

  14. Interpretation of Chichewa idioms: an optimality theoretic account

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    answer this question, Beaver & Lee (2004) state that the existence of a special meaning prevents the logically possible meaning. So, the existence of the form- meaning pair (f, m') (which has special meaning) blocks (f, m) (which has stereotypical meaning). This enables us to remain with one meaning only (the idiomatic ...

  15. Simultaneous radioimmunoassay for corticosterone and deoxycortisol in human serum: Sex differences in the mean serum concentrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schoeneshoefer, M.; Harendt, H.; Vecsei, P.

    1977-01-01

    A specific radioimmunoassay is described which allows the simultaneous determination of serum corticosterone and deoxycortisol. The normal serum concentration of both steroids were found to be dependent on sex and menstrual cycle. Mean concentrations (+-S.D.) in males, females (follicular phase) and females (luteal phase) were 4210 +- 2170 ng/l, 2410 +- 1480 ng/l and 4390 +- 2320 ng/l for corticosterone and 499 +- 273 ng/l, 207 +- 152 ng/l and 335 +- 182 ng/l for deoxycortisol. After adrenal stimulation by corticotropin itself or by insulin induced hypoglycemia, the serum concentrations of corticosterone became significantly higher than those of deoxycortisol. After oral administration of dexamethasone serum concentrations of both steroids were suppressed to levels below the limit of the normal range. One hour after oral metyrapone administration at midnight, serum corticosterone decreased, while serum deoxycortisol increased by a factor of about five. After eight hours serum concentrations of both steroids were increased considerably. Corticosterone attained levels slightly higher than the normal range and deoxycortisol rose to levels which were higher than the normal mean concentrations by a factor of about 500. (orig./AS) [de

  16. Business Negotiations Idioms

    OpenAIRE

    Юрченко, С.О.

    2013-01-01

    English idioms or idiomatic expressions have always been one of the trickiest topics. This is because the real meanings of English idioms are so far off their literal meanings. To make things more complicated, idioms are used in business negotiations.

  17. How children understand idioms in discourse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cacciari, C; Levorato, M C

    1989-06-01

    Some studies have shown that children tend to interpret figurative language literally. Our hypothesis is that they can reach an idiomatic competence if idioms are presented within a rich informational environment allowing children to grasp their figurative sense. First and third graders were presented with narratives biased both to the figurative meaning of idioms (experiment 1) and to the literal meaning (experiment 2) and then given a comprehension task. Experiment 3 was designed to investigate children's production of idioms as compared to the comprehension abilities explored in experiments 1 and 2. Results show that informative contexts can improve children's ability to perceive idiomatic meanings even at the age of seven; and that children are less able to produce idioms than to comprehend them. Generally results emphasize that children seem able to perceive that language can be both figurative and literal.

  18. A piece of the action: modulation of sensory-motor regions by action idioms and metaphors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desai, Rutvik H; Conant, Lisa L; Binder, Jeffrey R; Park, Haeil; Seidenberg, Mark S

    2013-12-01

    The idea that the conceptual system draws on sensory and motor systems has received considerable experimental support in recent years. Whether the tight coupling between sensory-motor and conceptual systems is modulated by factors such as context or task demands is a matter of controversy. Here, we tested the context sensitivity of this coupling by using action verbs in three different types of sentences in an fMRI study: literal action, apt but non-idiomatic action metaphors, and action idioms. Abstract sentences served as a baseline. The result showed involvement of sensory-motor areas for literal and metaphoric action sentences, but not for idiomatic ones. A trend of increasing sensory-motor activation from abstract to idiomatic to metaphoric to literal sentences was seen. These results support a gradual abstraction process whereby the reliance on sensory-motor systems is reduced as the abstractness of meaning as well as conventionalization is increased, highlighting the context sensitive nature of semantic processing. © 2013.

  19. The Effect of Mental Imaging Technique on Idiom Comprehension in EFL Learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Burcu AYDIN

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available In an English Foreign Language learning context, where access to native like use of metaphorical language is limited, gaining this ability becomes challenging. For many years, foreign language educators didn’t pay much attention to idiomatic language and assumed that idioms could only be taught through rote learning. For this reason, they face with difficulties in using appropriate approaches to idiom instruction. Furthermore, learners struggle with comprehending and practicing idioms. To resolve the concern, linguists are trying to develop cognitive approaches to the teaching of idiomatic language. The purpose of this study is to provide educators with guidelines to choose the appropriate idiom teaching technique for English Foreign Language learners taking into account the learners’ metaphorical competence level and their cognitive style preferences. In evaluating the appropriate teaching technique, three different techniques (context out, context in and mental imaging technique were used. The participants were presented 50 idioms. As a first technique, context out, idioms were taught with their definitions in the dictionary without additional contextual support. As a second technique, context in, in an attempt to investigate the effect of contextual support, idioms were both presented in a sentence and with their definitions. As a third technique, mental imaging technique, in an attempt to investigate the effect of Dual Coding approach, both pictorial representations of a mapping of literal senses of each idiomatic expression and verbal support (the definition of the idiom and the sentence in which the idiom is used were used concurrently. The findings point that mental imaging technique has positive effect on learning and recalling of the idiomatic expressions as it provides simultaneous verbal information with mental image which creates a supplementary pathway for recollecting the verbal information. In contrast, the results indicate no

  20. Patterns and Meanings of English Words through Word Formation Processes of Acronyms, Clipping, Compound and Blending Found in Internet-Based Media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rio Rini Diah Moehkardi

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to explore the word-formation process in English new words found in the internet-based media through acronym, compound,  clipping and blending and their meanings. This study applies Plag’s (2002 framework of acronym and compound; Jamet’s (2009 framework of clipping, and Algeo’s framework (1977 in Hosseinzadeh  (2014 for blending. Despite the  formula established in each respective framework,  there could be occurrences  of novelty and modification on how words are formed and  how meaning developed in  the newly formed words. The research shows that well accepted acronyms can become real words by taking lower case and affixation. Some acronyms initialized non-lexical words, used non initial letters, and used letters and numbers that pronounced the same with the words they represent. Compounding also includes numbers as the element member of the compound. The nominal nouns are likely to have metaphorical and idiomatic meanings. Some compounds evolve to new and more specific meaning. The study also finds that back-clipping is the most dominant clipping. In blending, the sub-category clipping of blending, the study finds out that when clipping takes place, the non-head element is back-clipped and the head is fore-clipped.

  1. Children's understanding of idioms and theory of mind development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caillies, Stéphanie; Le Sourn-Bissaoui, Sandrine

    2008-09-01

    The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis according to which theory of mind competence was a prerequisite to ambiguous idioms understanding. We hypothesized that the child needs to understand that the literal interpretation could be a false world representation, a false belief, and that the speaker's intention is to mean something else, to correctly process idiomatic expressions. Two kinds of ambiguous idioms were of interest: decomposable and nondecomposable expressions (Titone & Connine, 1999). An experiment was designed to assess the figurative developmental changes that occur with theory of mind competence. Five-, 6- and 7-year-old children performed five theory of mind tasks (an appearance-reality task, three false-belief tasks and a second-order false-belief task) and listened to decomposable and nondecomposable idiomatic expressions inserted in context, before performing a multiple choice task. Results indicated that only nondecomposable idiomatic expression was predicted from the theory of mind scores, and particularly from the second-order competences. Results are discussed with respect to theory of mind and verbal competences.

  2. Pharmaco-Mechanical Strategies to Optimize the Balance between Ischemia and Bleeding after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention –Navigating between Scylla and Charybdis–

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    F. Costa (Francesco)

    2018-01-01

    textabstractBeing between Scylla and Charybdis is an idiomatic form originating from Greek mythology, which means the obligation of choosing between two evils. Dual antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention is the cornerstone of the treatment for secondary prevention

  3. Does Copying Idioms Promote Their Recall?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stengers, Hélène; Deconinck, Julie; Boers, Frank; Eyckmans, June

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports an experiment designed to evaluate an attempt to improve the effectiveness of an existing L2 idiom-learning tool. In this tool, learners are helped to associate the abstract, idiomatic meaning of expressions such as "jump the gun" (act too soon) with their original, concrete meaning (e.g. associating "jump the…

  4. Simultaneous estimation of the in-mean and in-variance causal connectomes of the human brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duggento, A; Passamonti, L; Guerrisi, M; Toschi, N

    2017-07-01

    In recent years, the study of the human connectome (i.e. of statistical relationships between non spatially contiguous neurophysiological events in the human brain) has been enormously fuelled by technological advances in high-field functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as well as by coordinated world wide data-collection efforts like the Human Connectome Project (HCP). In this context, Granger Causality (GC) approaches have recently been employed to incorporate information about the directionality of the influence exerted by a brain region on another. However, while fluctuations in the Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) signal at rest also contain important information about the physiological processes that underlie neurovascular coupling and associations between disjoint brain regions, so far all connectivity estimation frameworks have focused on central tendencies, hence completely disregarding so-called in-variance causality (i.e. the directed influence of the volatility of one signal on the volatility of another). In this paper, we develop a framework for simultaneous estimation of both in-mean and in-variance causality in complex networks. We validate our approach using synthetic data from complex ensembles of coupled nonlinear oscillators, and successively employ HCP data to provide the very first estimate of the in-variance connectome of the human brain.

  5. Literal Translation using Google Translate in Translating the Text from French to English in Digital Tourism Brochure “Bienvenue À Paris”

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rila Hilma

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Translation is basically change of form. The form from which the translation is made will be called the source language and the form into which it is to be changed will be called the receptor language. Translation consists of transferring the meaning of the source language into the receptor language. Translating is not an easy job to do because many things to be considered to do this activity because translation means determining the meaning of a text, then reconstructing this same meaning using the appropriate structure and form in the receptor language. Translation is basically divided by two types of translation, one is literal and the other is idiomatic. Literal translation is really strict to the structure and form then often can not well express the true meaning of source language. Idiomatic translation makes every effort to communicate the meaning of the source language text in the natural forms of the receptor language. Then the most popular translation machine, Google Translate, in this study shows the results of translation which remain odd, unnatural, and nonsensical because the unsuccessful of message delivery, which is notably the typically error of literal translation.

  6. Simultaneous two-phase flow measurement of spray mixing process by means of high-speed two-color PIV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Ming; Xu, Min; Hung, David L S

    2014-01-01

    In this article, a novel high-speed two-color PIV optical diagnostic technique has been developed and applied to simultaneously measure the velocity flow-fields of a multi-hole spark-ignition direct injection (SIDI) fuel injector spray and its ambient gas in a high-pressure constant volume chamber. To allow for the phase discrimination between the fuel droplets and ambient gas, a special tracer-filter system was designed. Fluorescent seeding particles with Sauter mean diameter (SMD) of 4.8 µm were used to trace the gas inside the chamber. With a single high-speed Nd:YLF laser sheet (527 nm) as the incident light source, the Mie-scattering signal marked the phase of the fuel spray, while the fluorescent signal generated from the seeding particles tracked the phase of ambient gas. A high-speed camera, with an image-doubler (mounted in front of the camera lens) that divided the camera pixels into two parts focusing on the same field of view, was used to collect the Mie-scattering signal and LIF (laser induced fluorescence) signal simultaneously with two carefully selected optical filters. To accommodate the large dynamic range of velocities in the two phases (1–2 orders of magnitude difference), two separation times (dt) were introduced. This technique was successfully applied to the liquid spray and ambient gas two-phase flow measurement. The measurement accuracy was compared with those from LDV (laser Doppler velocimetry) measurement and good agreement was obtained. Ambient gas motion surrounding the fuel spray was investigated and characterized into three zones. The momentum transfer process between the fuel spray and ambient gas in each zone was analyzed. The two-phase flow interaction under various superheated conditions was investigated. A strengthened momentum transfer from the liquid spray to the ambient was observed with increased superheat degree. (paper)

  7. Simultaneous inference for model averaging of derived parameters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Signe Marie; Ritz, Christian

    2015-01-01

    Model averaging is a useful approach for capturing uncertainty due to model selection. Currently, this uncertainty is often quantified by means of approximations that do not easily extend to simultaneous inference. Moreover, in practice there is a need for both model averaging and simultaneous...... inference for derived parameters calculated in an after-fitting step. We propose a method for obtaining asymptotically correct standard errors for one or several model-averaged estimates of derived parameters and for obtaining simultaneous confidence intervals that asymptotically control the family...

  8. The Teaching of English Idioms in Kenyan Secondary Schools: Difficulties and Effective Strategies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moses Gatambuki Gathigia

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The acquisition of idiomatic expressions is one of the primary challenges to learners of English as a Second Language (ESL in multilingual contexts such as Kenya; yet, the learners are expected to use these expressions in their writing. The study on which this paper is based sought to assess the teaching of English idiomatic expressions in Kenyan secondary schools with a view to establishing the challenges teachers face in teaching the expressions and, thereafter, proposing effective strategies that can be applied for effective teaching of English idioms to ESL speakers.  Ten teachers of English from both rural and urban secondary schools in Kenya were interviewed to find out the actual practices in their classrooms, the difficulties they face, and the effective strategies they employ for successful teaching of English idioms. The data collected were qualitatively analyzed. First, the study notes that it is possible to infer semantic relations between the literal sense of individual parts of an idiom and its meaning when interpreting compositional idioms. Second, there is incongruity between form and meaning when dealing with non compositional idioms since their semantic interpretation cannot be retrieved by means of their constituent parts. The study concludes that an understanding of the etymology of idioms can improve the comprehension and retention of idioms. The study recommends that idioms should be taught effectively in schools because the acquisition of idioms by learners will be an important indicator of their mastery of the English language. Keywords: Idiomatic expressions, semantic relations, compositional idioms, non compositional idioms

  9. Loudness estimation of simultaneous sources using beamforming

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Song, Woo-keun; Ellermeier, Wolfgang; Minnaar, Pauli

    2006-01-01

    An algorithm is proposed for estimating the loudness of several simultaneous sound sources by means of microphone-array beamforming. The algorithm is derived from two listening experiments in which the loudness of two simultaneous sounds (narrow-band noises with 1-kHz and 3.15-kHz center...... frequencies) was matched to a single sound (2-kHz narrow-band noise). The simultaneous sounds were presented from either one sound source or two spatially separated sources, whereas the single sound was presented from the frontal direction. The results indicate that overall loudness can be calculated...... by summing the loudnesses of the individual sources according to a simple psychophysical relationship....

  10. Comparison of ablation centration after bilateral sequential versus simultaneous LASIK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Jane-Ming; Tsai, Yi-Yu

    2005-01-01

    To compare ablation centration after bilateral sequential and simultaneous myopic LASIK. A retrospective randomized case series was performed of 670 eyes of 335 consecutive patients who had undergone either bilateral sequential (group 1) or simultaneous (group 2) myopic LASIK between July 2000 and July 2001 at the China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. The ablation centrations of the first and second eyes in the two groups were compared 3 months postoperatively. Of 670 eyes, 274 eyes (137 patients) comprised the sequential group and 396 eyes (198 patients) comprised the simultaneous group. Three months post-operatively, 220 eyes of 110 patients (80%) in the sequential group and 236 eyes of 118 patients (60%) in the simultaneous group provided topographic data for centration analysis. For the first eyes, mean decentration was 0.39 +/- 0.26 mm in the sequential group and 0.41 +/- 0.19 mm in the simultaneous group (P = .30). For the second eyes, mean decentration was 0.28 +/- 0.23 mm in the sequential group and 0.30 +/- 0.21 mm in the simultaneous group (P = .36). Decentration in the second eyes significantly improved in both groups (group 1, P = .02; group 2, P sequential group and 0.32 +/- 0.18 mm in the simultaneous group (P = .33). The difference of ablation center angles between the first and second eyes was 43.2 sequential group and 45.1 +/- 50.8 degrees in the simultaneous group (P = .42). Simultaneous bilateral LASIK is comparable to sequential surgery in ablation centration.

  11. THE USE OF PHRASEMES/IDIOMES IN BOSNIAN AND HERZEGOVINIAN MEDIA LANGUAGE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sedina Brkić-Međedović

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper is about the analysis of the use of idioms in Bosnian and Herzegovinian media language where their origin, characteristics and their meaning are being researched. The frequency of the idioms in media language is defined. The idioms are given phraseological/idiomatic meaning and some new idioms, which are still not found nor written, are being indentified.

  12. THE USE OF PHRASEMES - IDIOMES IN BOSNIAN AND HERZEGOVINIAN MEDIA LANGUAGE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sedina Brkić-Međedović

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper is about the analysis of the use of idioms in Bosnian and Herzegovinian media language where their origin, characteristics and their meaning are being researched. The frequency of the idioms in media language is defined. The idioms are given phraseological/idiomatic meaning and some new idioms, which are still not found nor written, are being indentified.

  13. Стилистическое использование китайских идиоматических выражений (чэнъюй) в тексте рекламы

    OpenAIRE

    Журавлева, Я.

    2003-01-01

    The article given above is devoted to stylistic usage of the idiomatic expression in Modern Chinese, in particular the use of the idiomatic expression in Chinese advertisement. In this article is explained uncasuality of returning advertisement to Chinese idiomatic expression, both in psychological, and linguistics' sphere. Saying in details, the author of this article lights the question of making use of idioms "chengyu" in advertisement text as one kind of the phraseological unit, which fil...

  14. Les enjeux de la création d’un environnement d’apprentissage électronique axé sur la compréhension orale à l’aide du système auteur IDIOMA-TIC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Armand Héroguel

    2005-11-01

    Full Text Available À travers le projet européen Lingu@tic nous nous proposons de créer un environnement d’apprentissage électronique qui favorise l’acquisition de la langue du voisin (le français pour les Flamands, le néerlandais pour les Français. Axé sur la compréhension orale, l’environnement est construit autour de fragments authentiques fournis par trois chaînes de télévision régionales. Cette communication fournit une présentation du système auteur IDIOMA-TIC à base duquel l’environnement sera créé et qui présente un certain nombre de spécificités qui facilitent largement la réalisation des options pédagogiques et technologiques qui sous-tendent le projet Lingu@tic. Parmi les principaux atouts d’IDIOMA-TIC, l’on peut citer notamment la présence d’activités semi-ouvertes, le système de feedback intelligent et le traçage et la journalisation avancés.

  15. Simultaneous Versus Sequential Ptosis and Strabismus Surgery in Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Revere, Karen E; Binenbaum, Gil; Li, Jonathan; Mills, Monte D; Katowitz, William R; Katowitz, James A

    The authors sought to compare the clinical outcomes of simultaneous versus sequential ptosis and strabismus surgery in children. Retrospective, single-center cohort study of children requiring both ptosis and strabismus surgery on the same eye. Simultaneous surgeries were performed during a single anesthetic event; sequential surgeries were performed at least 7 weeks apart. Outcomes were ptosis surgery success (margin reflex distance 1 ≥ 2 mm, good eyelid contour, and good eyelid crease); strabismus surgery success (ocular alignment within 10 prism diopters of orthophoria and/or improved head position); surgical complications; and reoperations. Fifty-six children were studied, 38 had simultaneous surgery and 18 sequential. Strabismus surgery was performed first in 38/38 simultaneous and 6/18 sequential cases. Mean age at first surgery was 64 months, with mean follow up 27 months. A total of 75% of children had congenital ptosis; 64% had comitant strabismus. A majority of ptosis surgeries were frontalis sling (59%) or Fasanella-Servat (30%) procedures. There were no significant differences between simultaneous and sequential groups with regards to surgical success rates, complications, or reoperations (all p > 0.28). In the first comparative study of simultaneous versus sequential ptosis and strabismus surgery, no advantage for sequential surgery was seen. Despite a theoretical risk of postoperative eyelid malposition or complications when surgeries were performed in a combined manner, the rate of such outcomes was not increased with simultaneous surgeries. Performing ptosis and strabismus surgery together appears to be clinically effective and safe, and reduces anesthesia exposure during childhood.

  16. Factorial and reduced K-means reconsidered

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Timmerman, Marieke E.; Ceulemans, Eva; Kiers, Henk A. L.; Vichi, Maurizio

    2010-01-01

    Factorial K-means analysis (FKM) and Reduced K-means analysis (RKM) are clustering methods that aim at simultaneously achieving a clustering of the objects and a dimension reduction of the variables. Because a comprehensive comparison between FKM and RKM is lacking in the literature so far, a

  17. Call Combinations in Monkeys: Compositional or Idiomatic Expressions?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Kate; Zuberbuhler, Klaus

    2012-01-01

    Syntax is widely considered the feature that most decisively sets human language apart from other natural communication systems. Animal vocalisations are generally considered to be holistic with few examples of utterances meaning something other than the sum of their parts. Previously, we have shown that male putty-nosed monkeys produce call…

  18. H:\\USERS\\lex12\\skyf\\LVSA kongresreferaat (Lexikos)1

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Riette Ruthven

    acquired a metaphorical meaning and idiomatic status in Dutch, but is generally unknown to the. Afrikaans lexicographer outside the Dutch context. For the Afrikaans lexicographer with his unique frame of reference and cultural and social value judgements, it becomes clear only in a. Dutch milieu why the lexicographical ...

  19. Identification of Nigerian English idioms: A methodological perspective

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The task becomes more challenging when the feature of interest involves figurative meaning such as idioms and idiomatic expressions. In a recently completed project that sought to examine idioms in Nigerian English, questions and issues about methodology were raised. Among these were the questions of how idioms in ...

  20. Adrenal vein sampling in primary aldosteronism: concordance of simultaneous vs sequential sampling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almarzooqi, Mohamed-Karji; Chagnon, Miguel; Soulez, Gilles; Giroux, Marie-France; Gilbert, Patrick; Oliva, Vincent L; Perreault, Pierre; Bouchard, Louis; Bourdeau, Isabelle; Lacroix, André; Therasse, Eric

    2017-02-01

    Many investigators believe that basal adrenal venous sampling (AVS) should be done simultaneously, whereas others opt for sequential AVS for simplicity and reduced cost. This study aimed to evaluate the concordance of sequential and simultaneous AVS methods. Between 1989 and 2015, bilateral simultaneous sets of basal AVS were obtained twice within 5 min, in 188 consecutive patients (59 women and 129 men; mean age: 53.4 years). Selectivity was defined by adrenal-to-peripheral cortisol ratio ≥2, and lateralization was defined as an adrenal aldosterone-to-cortisol ratio ≥2, the contralateral side. Sequential AVS was simulated using right sampling at -5 min (t = -5) and left sampling at 0 min (t = 0). There was no significant difference in mean selectivity ratio (P = 0.12 and P = 0.42 for the right and left sides respectively) and in mean lateralization ratio (P = 0.93) between t = -5 and t = 0. Kappa for selectivity between 2 simultaneous AVS was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.60-0.82), whereas it was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.76-0.92) and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.77-0.93) between sequential and simultaneous AVS at respectively -5 min and at 0 min. Kappa for lateralization between 2 simultaneous AVS was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.75-0.93), whereas it was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.78-0.94) and 0.80 (95% CI: 0.71-0.90) between sequential AVS and simultaneous AVS at respectively -5 min at 0 min. Concordance between simultaneous and sequential AVS was not different than that between 2 repeated simultaneous AVS in the same patient. Therefore, a better diagnostic performance is not a good argument to select the AVS method. © 2017 European Society of Endocrinology.

  1. Simultaneous alcohol and cannabis expectancies predict simultaneous use

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Earleywine Mitch

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis predicts increased negative consequences for users beyond individual or even concurrent use of the two drugs. Given the widespread use of the drugs and common simultaneous consumption, problems unique to simultaneous use may bear important implications for many substance users. Cognitive expectancies offer a template for future drug use behavior based on previous drug experiences, accurately predicting future use and problems. Studies reveal similar mechanisms underlying both alcohol and cannabis expectancies, but little research examines simultaneous expectancies for alcohol and cannabis use. Whereas research has demonstrated unique outcomes associated with simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use, this study hypothesized that unique cognitive expectancies may underlie simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use. Results: This study examined a sample of 2600 (66% male; 34% female Internet survey respondents solicited through advertisements with online cannabis-related organizations. The study employed known measures of drug use and expectancies, as well as a new measure of simultaneous drug use expectancies. Expectancies for simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis predicted simultaneous use over and above expectancies for each drug individually. Discussion Simultaneous expectancies may provide meaningful information not available with individual drug expectancies. These findings bear potential implications on the assessment and treatment of substance abuse problems, as well as researcher conceptualizations of drug expectancies. Policies directing the treatment of substance abuse and its funding ought to give unique consideration to simultaneous drug use and its cognitive underlying factors.

  2. ON THE PECULIARITIES OF TERMINOLOGICAL WORD GROUP WITH MEANING VALUE BASED PRICING / ЦЕНА-СТОИМОСТЬ / CENA-WARTOŚĆ AND THE PROBLEM OF THEIR EQUIVALENCE IN TRANSLATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irene Rolak

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents a semantic analysis of a range of selected terms along with contrastive characteristics of their syntagmatic and paradigmatic peculiarities. “Price”, “cost” and “value” are the basic notions of market economy and, correspondingly, the lexemes denoting them. As a result, the paper focuses on the information these lexemes transmit along with their equivalents in the Polish and Russian languages. Probable variants of their translation are also shown. The problem of evaluation of their linguistic volume refers to the functioning of these words in economic discourse as general notions (hyperonyms that involve a range of particular ones. The author takes into consideration the factors, which have the impact on translation of the Polish and Russian terminological phrases (word groups that are often calques of English terms. An adequate translation is influenced by the following: understanding of terminological and non-terminological nature of a phrase being translated, acquaintance with idiomatic expressions used at translation of English terminological lexis, taking into account the regularities of syntagmatic collocation of a word. On the basis of use of phrases from the Russian and Polish economic discourses, the author shows the characteristics of use for selected terms and gives some adequate variants of their translation. The analysis of relations within the terminological group under study has shown that in the process of translation and choice for synonyms terminological and non-terminological meaning of a word, use of idiomatic expressions in both target languages that are calques from English, a tradition in realization of syntagmatic collocation of a word should be taken into consideration.

  3. Simultaneous deblending and interpolation using structure-oriented filters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yatong; Li, Song

    2018-03-01

    Simultaneous source shooting is a modern marine acquisition technology that accelerates field acquisition tremendously. However, we need to carefully remove the spike-like noise in the recorded seismic data, the process of which is called deblending. Considering the field obstacles, the recorded data may also contain missing traces. In this paper, we propose a very efficient way to simultaneously remove the spike-like noise to separate simultaneous sources and fill the data gaps in the recorded data. We propose to apply structure-oriented median and mean filters to reject the spike-like noise and restore the missing data. The commonly used median and mean filters guarantee the efficiency and convenience of the proposed algorithm framework. We use a robust slope estimation method to calculate the local slope of the structure patterns in the seismic data. Both synthetic and field data examples demonstrate the successful performance of the proposed algorithm. When compared with the state-of-the-art FK transform based projection onto convex sets (POCS) method, the presented method can obtain better performance with much less computational cost.

  4. Simultaneous determination of sample thickness, tilt, and electron mean free path using tomographic tilt images based on Beer-Lambert law.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Rui; Edwards, Thomas J; Pankratz, Logan M; Kuhn, Richard J; Lanman, Jason K; Liu, Jun; Jiang, Wen

    2015-11-01

    Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) is an emerging technique that can elucidate the architecture of macromolecular complexes and cellular ultrastructure in a near-native state. Some important sample parameters, such as thickness and tilt, are needed for 3-D reconstruction. However, these parameters can currently only be determined using trial 3-D reconstructions. Accurate electron mean free path plays a significant role in modeling image formation process essential for simulation of electron microscopy images and model-based iterative 3-D reconstruction methods; however, their values are voltage and sample dependent and have only been experimentally measured for a limited number of sample conditions. Here, we report a computational method, tomoThickness, based on the Beer-Lambert law, to simultaneously determine the sample thickness, tilt and electron inelastic mean free path by solving an overdetermined nonlinear least square optimization problem utilizing the strong constraints of tilt relationships. The method has been extensively tested with both stained and cryo datasets. The fitted electron mean free paths are consistent with reported experimental measurements. The accurate thickness estimation eliminates the need for a generous assignment of Z-dimension size of the tomogram. Interestingly, we have also found that nearly all samples are a few degrees tilted relative to the electron beam. Compensation of the intrinsic sample tilt can result in horizontal structure and reduced Z-dimension of tomograms. Our fast, pre-reconstruction method can thus provide important sample parameters that can help improve performance of tomographic reconstruction of a wide range of samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. combination Dictionary

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    rbr

    of the idiomatic expression as a whole" (Crystal 2003: 225-226). Idiomatic .... nations and idioms.11 Nonetheless, free combinations of words have not been .... those who thronged Emmett place last night wanted to see the film, and they.

  6. Simultaneous determination of aquifer parameters and zone structures with fuzzy c-means clustering and meta-heuristic harmony search algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayvaz, M. Tamer

    2007-11-01

    This study proposes an inverse solution algorithm through which both the aquifer parameters and the zone structure of these parameters can be determined based on a given set of observations on piezometric heads. In the zone structure identification problem fuzzy c-means ( FCM) clustering method is used. The association of the zone structure with the transmissivity distribution is accomplished through an optimization model. The meta-heuristic harmony search ( HS) algorithm, which is conceptualized using the musical process of searching for a perfect state of harmony, is used as an optimization technique. The optimum parameter zone structure is identified based on three criteria which are the residual error, parameter uncertainty, and structure discrimination. A numerical example given in the literature is solved to demonstrate the performance of the proposed algorithm. Also, a sensitivity analysis is performed to test the performance of the HS algorithm for different sets of solution parameters. Results indicate that the proposed solution algorithm is an effective way in the simultaneous identification of aquifer parameters and their corresponding zone structures.

  7. Oromo Oral Pun (Miliqqee): Confusion with Oromo Idiom (Jechama ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The nature of the study was of a qualitative and quantitative type and the data were analysed by describing the existing qualities of the puns on theoretical basis. The tools used were content analysis, questionnaire and interview. The result shows that idiomatic meanings have been used as puns, was confusion of puns with ...

  8. An experimental study of simultaneous ablation with dual probes in radiofrequency thermal ablation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jang, Il Soo; Rhim, Hyun Chul; Koh, Byung Hee; Cho, On Koo; Seo, Heung Suk; Kim, Yong Soo; Kim, Young Sun; Heo, Jeong Nam

    2003-01-01

    To determine the differences between sequential ablation with a single probe and simultaneous ablation with dual probes. Using two 14-gauge expandable probes (nine internal prongs with 4-cm deployment), radiofrequency was applied sequentially (n=8) or simultaneously (n=8) to ten ex-vivo cow livers. Before starting ablation, two RF probes with an inter-probe space of 2 cm (n=8) or 3 cm (n=8) were inserted. In the sequential group, switching the connecting cable to an RF generator permitted ablation with the second probe just after ablation with the first probe had finished. In the simultaneous group, single ablation was performed only after connecting the shafts of both RF probes using a connection device. Each ablation lasted 7 minutes at a target temperature of 105-110 .deg. C. The size and shape of the ablated area, and total ablation time were then compared between the two groups. With 2-cm spacing, the group, mean length and overlapping width of ablated lesions were, respectively, 5.20 and 5.05 cm in the sequential group (n=4), and 5.81 and 5.65 cm in the simultaneous group (n=4). With 3-cm spacing, the corresponding figures were 4.99 and 5.60 cm in the sequential group (n=4), and 6.04 and 6.78 cm in the simultaneous group (n=4). With 2-cm spacing, the mean depth of the proximal waist was 0.58 cm in the sequential (group and 0.28 cm in the simultaneous group, while with 3-cm spacing, the corresponding figures were 1.65 and 1.48 cm. In neither group was there a distal waist. Mean total ablation time was 23.4 minutes in the sequential group and 14 minutes in the simultaneous group. In terms of ablation size and ablation time, simultaneous radiofrequency ablation with dual probes is superior to sequential ablation with a single probe. A simultaneous approach will enable an operator to overcome difficulty in probe repositioning during overlapping ablation, resulting in complete ablation with a successful safety margin

  9. Simultaneous versus sequential penetrating keratoplasty and cataract surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayashi, Ken; Hayashi, Hideyuki

    2006-10-01

    To compare the surgical outcomes of simultaneous penetrating keratoplasty and cataract surgery with those of sequential surgery. Thirty-nine eyes of 39 patients scheduled for simultaneous keratoplasty and cataract surgery and 23 eyes of 23 patients scheduled for sequential keratoplasty and secondary phacoemulsification surgery were recruited. Refractive error, regular and irregular corneal astigmatism determined by Fourier analysis, and endothelial cell loss were studied at 1 week and 3, 6, and 12 months after combined surgery in the simultaneous surgery group or after subsequent phacoemulsification surgery in the sequential surgery group. At 3 and more months after surgery, mean refractive error was significantly greater in the simultaneous surgery group than in the sequential surgery group, although no difference was seen at 1 week. The refractive error at 12 months was within 2 D of that targeted in 15 eyes (39%) in the simultaneous surgery group and within 2 D in 16 eyes (70%) in the sequential surgery group; the incidence was significantly greater in the sequential group (P = 0.0344). The regular and irregular astigmatism was not significantly different between the groups at 3 and more months after surgery. No significant difference was also found in the percentage of endothelial cell loss between the groups. Although corneal astigmatism and endothelial cell loss were not different, refractive error from target refraction was greater after simultaneous keratoplasty and cataract surgery than after sequential surgery, indicating a better outcome after sequential surgery than after simultaneous surgery.

  10. Alterations in audiovisual simultaneity perception in amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richards, Michael D; Goltz, Herbert C; Wong, Agnes M F

    2017-01-01

    Amblyopia is a developmental visual impairment that is increasingly recognized to affect higher-level perceptual and multisensory processes. To further investigate the audiovisual (AV) perceptual impairments associated with this condition, we characterized the temporal interval in which asynchronous auditory and visual stimuli are perceived as simultaneous 50% of the time (i.e., the AV simultaneity window). Adults with unilateral amblyopia (n = 17) and visually normal controls (n = 17) judged the simultaneity of a flash and a click presented with both eyes viewing. The signal onset asynchrony (SOA) varied from 0 ms to 450 ms for auditory-lead and visual-lead conditions. A subset of participants with amblyopia (n = 6) was tested monocularly. Compared to the control group, the auditory-lead side of the AV simultaneity window was widened by 48 ms (36%; p = 0.002), whereas that of the visual-lead side was widened by 86 ms (37%; p = 0.02). The overall mean window width was 500 ms, compared to 366 ms among controls (37% wider; p = 0.002). Among participants with amblyopia, the simultaneity window parameters were unchanged by viewing condition, but subgroup analysis revealed differential effects on the parameters by amblyopia severity, etiology, and foveal suppression status. Possible mechanisms to explain these findings include visual temporal uncertainty, interocular perceptual latency asymmetry, and disruption of normal developmental tuning of sensitivity to audiovisual asynchrony.

  11. Alterations in audiovisual simultaneity perception in amblyopia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael D Richards

    Full Text Available Amblyopia is a developmental visual impairment that is increasingly recognized to affect higher-level perceptual and multisensory processes. To further investigate the audiovisual (AV perceptual impairments associated with this condition, we characterized the temporal interval in which asynchronous auditory and visual stimuli are perceived as simultaneous 50% of the time (i.e., the AV simultaneity window. Adults with unilateral amblyopia (n = 17 and visually normal controls (n = 17 judged the simultaneity of a flash and a click presented with both eyes viewing. The signal onset asynchrony (SOA varied from 0 ms to 450 ms for auditory-lead and visual-lead conditions. A subset of participants with amblyopia (n = 6 was tested monocularly. Compared to the control group, the auditory-lead side of the AV simultaneity window was widened by 48 ms (36%; p = 0.002, whereas that of the visual-lead side was widened by 86 ms (37%; p = 0.02. The overall mean window width was 500 ms, compared to 366 ms among controls (37% wider; p = 0.002. Among participants with amblyopia, the simultaneity window parameters were unchanged by viewing condition, but subgroup analysis revealed differential effects on the parameters by amblyopia severity, etiology, and foveal suppression status. Possible mechanisms to explain these findings include visual temporal uncertainty, interocular perceptual latency asymmetry, and disruption of normal developmental tuning of sensitivity to audiovisual asynchrony.

  12. Semantische Besonderheiten phraseologischer Ausdrücke – korpusbasierte Analyse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hümmer, Christiane

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available In the linguistic literature, phraseological units have been described as a subgroup of lexical units characterised by a set of morphosyntactic and semantic properties such as idiomaticity, expressiveness, motivation and fixedness. These properties are generally seen as gradual, i. e. their validity for individual phraseological units is a matter of degree, none of them being obligatory. With the increasing importance of corpus linguistics in recent years, there has been a growing interest in grounding all linguistic generalizations on a broad empirical basis. The present paper therefore proposes a method for systematically inferring statements on the degree of idiomaticity, motivation and expressiveness of phraseological units from corpus data. The criteria taken as relevant for this aim are derived from the realisation of the phraseological unit itself as well as from properties of its contextual embedding. Thus, evidence for a greater or lesser degree of idiomaticity, expressiveness and motivation comes from certain types of deviations from the canonical form of a phraseological unit on the one hand. On the other hand, contextual elements and structures that are related to that phraseological unit on the level of literal or figurative meaning of its components or of the entire unit, to the level of metaphor or to the phraseological unit's internal phrase structure provide the basis for systematic insights. The present paper illustrates the practical application of the proposed method by means of three case studies. The contextual behaviour of the German expressions etw. aus dem Ärmel schütteln ('to do sth. with great ease', etw. mit der Muttermilch einsaugen/aufsaugen ('to learn sth. very early in life' and auf allen Hochzeiten tanzen (similar to the English expression to have a finger in every pie is analysed in detail on the basis of their occurrences in the 949 mio word-corpus of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and the

  13. Direct and simultaneous quantification of tannin mean degree of polymerization and percentage of galloylation in grape seeds using diffuse reflectance fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pappas, Christos; Kyraleou, Maria; Voskidi, Eleni; Kotseridis, Yorgos; Taranilis, Petros A; Kallithraka, Stamatina

    2015-02-01

    The direct and simultaneous quantitative determination of the mean degree of polymerization (mDP) and the degree of galloylation (%G) in grape seeds were quantified using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and partial least squares (PLS). The results were compared with those obtained using the conventional analysis employing phloroglucinolysis as pretreatment followed by high performance liquid chromatography-UV and mass spectrometry detection. Infrared spectra were recorded in solid state samples after freeze drying. The 2nd derivative of the 1832 to 1416 and 918 to 739 cm(-1) spectral regions for the quantification of mDP, the 2nd derivative of the 1813 to 607 cm(-1) spectral region for the degree of %G determination and PLS regression were used. The determination coefficients (R(2) ) of mDP and %G were 0.99 and 0.98, respectively. The corresponding values of the root-mean-square error of calibration were found 0.506 and 0.692, the root-mean-square error of cross validation 0.811 and 0.921, and the root-mean-square error of prediction 0.612 and 0.801. The proposed method in comparison with the conventional method is simpler, less time consuming, more economical, and requires reduced quantities of chemical reagents and fewer sample pretreatment steps. It could be a starting point for the design of more specific models according to the requirements of the wineries. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

  14. On the idiom ne gine (gibi mi (ti etc.: Syntactic structure, semantics, and lexicographic status

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vučković Marija D.

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with the idiom ne gine mi (ti etc. and its variant ne gibi mi (ti etc.. The research is based on the historical and contemporary corpus that also comprises the dialectological material. After pointing out chronological and areal characteristics of the two idiom variants, their syntactic structure as well as semantics are discussed. In the domain of semantics the special attention is paid to the change of the axiological component of the idiomatic meaning. It is argued that there might be the interrelation between this change and the syntactic structure of the idiom. The final segment of the paper is concerned with the status of the analysed idiomatic phrases in the most important monolingual general and phraseological dictionaries. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 178007: Etimološka istraživanja srpskog jezika i izrada Etimološkog rečnika srpskog jezika

  15. A device for simultaneous spin analysis of ultracold neutrons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Afach, S. [Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zuerich, Zuerich (Switzerland); Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen-PSI (Switzerland); Jena University Hospital, Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena (Germany); Ban, G.; Lefort, T.; Lemiere, Y.; Naviliat-Cuncic, O.; Quemener, G. [Universite de Caen, CNRS/IN2P3, LPC Caen ENSICAEN, Caen (France); Bison, G.; Chowdhuri, Z.; Daum, M.; Henneck, R.; Lauss, B.; Mtchedlishvili, A.; Schmidt-Wellenburg, P.; Zsigmond, G. [Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen-PSI (Switzerland); Bodek, K.; Rawlik, M.; Rozpedzik, D.; Zejma, J. [Jagiellonian University, Marian Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Cracow (Poland); Fertl, M.; Franke, B.; Kirch, K.; Komposch, S. [Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zuerich, Zuerich (Switzerland); Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen-PSI (Switzerland); Geltenbort, P. [Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble (France); Grujic, Z.D.; Kasprzak, M.; Weis, A. [University of Fribourg, Physics Department, Fribourg (Switzerland); Hayen, L.; Severijns, N.; Wursten, E. [Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Instituut voor Kernen Stralingsfysica, Leuven (Belgium); Helaine, V. [Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen-PSI (Switzerland); Universite de Caen, CNRS/IN2P3, LPC Caen ENSICAEN, Caen (France); Kermaidic, Y.; Pignol, G.; Rebreyend, D. [Universite Grenoble Alpes, CNRS/IN2P3, LPSC, Grenoble (France); Kozela, A. [Henryk Niedwodniczanski Institute for Nuclear Physics, Cracow (Poland); Krempel, J.; Piegsa, F.M. [Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zuerich, Zuerich (Switzerland); Prashanth, P.N. [Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen-PSI (Switzerland); Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Instituut voor Kernen Stralingsfysica, Leuven (Belgium); Ries, D. [Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen-PSI (Switzerland); Jena University Hospital, Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena (Germany); Roccia, S. [Universite Paris Sud, CNRS/IN2P3, CSNSM, Orsay campus (France); Wyszynski, G. [Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zuerich, Zuerich (Switzerland); Jagiellonian University, Marian Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Cracow (Poland)

    2015-11-15

    We report on the design and first tests of a device allowing for measurement of ultracold neutrons polarisation by means of the simultaneous analysis of the two spin components. The device was developed in the framework of the neutron electric dipole moment experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institute. Individual parts and the entire newly built system have been characterised with ultracold neutrons. The gain in statistical sensitivity obtained with the simultaneous spin analyser is (18.2 ± 6.1) % relative to the former sequential analyser under nominal running conditions. (orig.)

  16. Mozambican PSL University Student’s Path Forward in Writing: Better na Egg Today Than a Hen Tomorrow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Armando Jorge Lopes

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Resorting to data taken out of corpora from doctoral dissertations in linguistics, which have recently been completed at the UEM, the present article analyses infelicitous discourse segments in Portuguese Second Language (PSL writing composed by Mozambican university students. The nature of discourse infelicity related to rhetorical devices (discourse markers, and other idiomatic and cultural elements is especially discussed. It is assumed that advanced learners of a given language need to acquire the necessary conventions as well as discourse and rhetorical preferences, so that their linguistic-discursive processing is increasingly determined by the practices of textual cohesion and discourse coherence. Idiomaticity, which is personalized and idiosyncratic, has to do with formations which are peculiar to users of a determined language and culture, and which are normally recognized by its native or quasi-native writers. It is argued that the average PSL writer does not normally miss the message content, although he may, at times, tend to miss the way in which the message content is structured. He equally shows problems with text typology and idiomaticity, either by default—by being under-idiomatic, or by excess—by being over-idiomatic, when compared with native writing. In order to overcome this kind of problems, we believe that the teaching-learning process is best served when it is learner-centred.

  17. Simultaneous versus Sequential Bilateral Cataract Surgery for Infants with Congenital Cataracts: Visual Outcomes and Economic Costs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dave, Hreem; Phoenix, Vidya; Becker, Edmund R.; Lambert, Scott R.

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVES To compare the incidence of adverse events, visual outcomes and economic costs of sequential versus simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery for infants with congenital cataracts. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the incidence of adverse events, visual outcomes and medical payments associated with simultaneous versus sequential bilateral cataract surgery for infants with congenital cataracts who underwent cataract surgery when 6 months of age or younger at our institution. RESULTS Records were available for 10 children who underwent sequential surgery at a mean age of 49 days for the first eye and 17 children who underwent simultaneous surgery at a mean age of 68 days (p=.25). We found a similar incidence of adverse events between the two treatment groups. Intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred in 14 eyes. The most common postoperative complication was glaucoma. No eyes developed endophthalmitis. The mean absolute interocular difference in logMAR visual acuities between the two treatment groups was 0.47±0.76 for the sequential group and 0.44±0.40 for the simultaneous group (p=.92). Hospital, drugs, supplies and professional payments were on average 21.9% lower per patient in the simultaneous group. CONCLUSIONS Simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery for infants with congenital cataracts was associated with a 21.9% reduction in medical payments and no discernible difference in the incidence of adverse events or visual outcome. PMID:20697007

  18. Simultaneous refinement of two components of an exsolution intergrowth

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Topa, Dan; Petricek, Vaclav; Dusek, Michal

    2008-01-01

    Crystal structures of intergrown lindstromite and krupkaite were determined in two distinct samples by a simultaneous crystal-structure refinement using a modified JANA program package. The exsolution intergrowths have a bulk composition, determined by means of electron microprobe, equal to bd(60...

  19. Politics Under Electronic Simultaneity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valery P. Terin

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In contradistinction to the book and the other typographic products, the electronic media operates on a 24-hour-a-day basis evoking simultaneity as the guiding mode of perception and thinking for all those under its influence. The discovery of this fact manifested itself in the formation and development of the managerial technologies operating by means of the electronic information environment and following the principle of simultaneity in the first place. Thus, at the end of the 1960s already the election campaigns in the U.S.A. began to operate on the basis of the final cause as the guiding principle of the country's mass consciousness motivating to carry out each particular event as if already rejoicing at the victory. With this in mind, there emerged a problem of applying this approach with its enormous managerial potential elsewhere. To add, simultaneity as a norm of perception and thinking turned out to be increasingly important with the advent of the electrical telegraph and the press relying on its short disconnected messages instantaneously arriving from all parts of the world. All the other media, which emerged in the wake of this development, has served to fortify this mode of thought as governing in the electronic information environment. The potential of the electronically operating global managerial technologies is quickly growing. The article also deals with the information overload and pattern recognition problem understood in managerial terms as well as mythologization and demythologization processes as they are necessitated by the electronic media coverage worldwide.

  20. H-point standard additions method for simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in pharmaceutical formulations and biological fluids with simultaneous addition of two analytes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Givianrad, M. H.; Saber-Tehrani, M.; Aberoomand-Azar, P.; Mohagheghian, M.

    2011-03-01

    The applicability of H-point standard additions method (HPSAM) to the resolving of overlapping spectra corresponding to the sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim is verified by UV-vis spectrophotometry. The results show that the H-point standard additions method with simultaneous addition of both analytes is suitable for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in aqueous media. The results of applying the H-point standard additions method showed that the two drugs could be determined simultaneously with the concentration ratios of sulfamethoxazole to trimethoprim varying from 1:18 to 16:1 in the mixed samples. Also, the limits of detections were 0.58 and 0.37 μmol L -1 for sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, respectively. In addition the means of the calculated RSD (%) were 1.63 and 2.01 for SMX and TMP, respectively in synthetic mixtures. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in some synthetic, pharmaceutical formulation and biological fluid samples.

  1. Simultaneous Monte Carlo zero-variance estimates of several correlated means

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Booth, T.E.

    1998-01-01

    Zero-variance biasing procedures are normally associated with estimating a single mean or tally. In particular, a zero-variance solution occurs when every sampling is made proportional to the product of the true probability multiplied by the expected score (importance) subsequent to the sampling; i.e., the zero-variance sampling is importance weighted. Because every tally has a different importance function, a zero-variance biasing for one tally cannot be a zero-variance biasing for another tally (unless the tallies are perfectly correlated). The way to optimize the situation when the required tallies have positive correlation is shown

  2. English Idioms and Iranian Beginner Learners: A Focus on Short Stories and Pictures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehrpour, Saeed; Mansourzadeh, Nurullah

    2017-01-01

    Idiomatic expressions are among the most difficult and challenging aspects in the realm of lexicon. The focus of the present study was on investigating the effect of short stories and pictures on learning idiomatic expressions by beginner EFL learners. For this aim, 52 Iranian EFL learners were chosen and assigned to three groups randomly: two…

  3. The effects of different tasks on the comprehension and production of idioms in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levorato, M C; Cacciari, C

    1995-10-01

    The present study investigated the developmental processes which lead from a literal interpretation of idiomatic expression to the ability of comprehending and producing them figuratively. A Model of the Development of Figurative Competence was presented according to which acquisition of idioms occurs as part of the general process of language and world knowledge development. Three experiments were carried out with second- and fourth-grade children, in which comprehension tasks - Recall, Multiple Choice, Paraphrase - and a production task - Completion - were employed. The results showed that younger children are more literally oriented than older children who in turn are more idiomatically oriented and that children of both age groups found it more difficult to produce idiomatic expressions than to comprehend them.

  4. Simultaneous compared with sequential blood pressure measurement results in smaller inter-arm blood pressure differences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Hoeven, Niels V; Lodestijn, Sophie; Nanninga, Stephanie; van Montfrans, Gert A; van den Born, Bert-Jan H

    2013-11-01

    There are currently few recommendations on how to assess inter-arm blood pressure (BP) differences. The authors compared simultaneous with sequential measurement on mean BP, inter-arm BP differences, and within-visit reproducibility in 240 patients stratified according to age (simultaneous and three sequential BP measurements were taken in each patient. Starting measurement type and starting arm for sequential measurements were randomized. Mean BP and inter-arm BP differences of the first pair and reproducibility of inter-arm BP differences of the first and second pair were compared between both methods. Mean systolic BP was 1.3±7.5 mm Hg lower during sequential compared with simultaneous measurement (Psequential measurement was on average higher than the second, suggesting an order effect. Absolute systolic inter-arm BP differences were smaller on simultaneous (6.2±6.7/3.3±3.5 mm Hg) compared with sequential BP measurement (7.8±7.3/4.6±5.6 mm Hg, PSimultaneous measurement of BP at both arms reduces order effects and results in smaller inter-arm BP differences, thereby potentially reducing unnecessary referral and diagnostic procedures. ©2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. The Teaching of English Idioms in Kenyan Secondary Schools: Difficulties and Effective Strategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gathigia, Moses Gatambuki; Njoroge, Martin C.

    2016-01-01

    The acquisition of idiomatic expressions is one of the primary challenges to learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) in multilingual contexts such as Kenya; yet, the learners are expected to use these expressions in their writing. The study on which this paper is based sought to assess the teaching of English idiomatic expressions in Kenyan…

  6. Simultaneous communication supports learning in noise by cochlear implant users

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Blom, H.C.; Marschark, M.; Machmer, E.

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the potential of using spoken language and signing together (simultaneous communication, SimCom, sign-supported speech) as a means of improving speech recognition, comprehension, and learning by cochlear implant (CI) users in noisy contexts.Methods: Forty

  7. A simultaneous confidence band for sparse longitudinal regression

    KAUST Repository

    Ma, Shujie; Yang, Lijian; Carroll, Raymond J.

    2012-01-01

    Functional data analysis has received considerable recent attention and a number of successful applications have been reported. In this paper, asymptotically simultaneous confidence bands are obtained for the mean function of the functional regression model, using piecewise constant spline estimation. Simulation experiments corroborate the asymptotic theory. The confidence band procedure is illustrated by analyzing CD4 cell counts of HIV infected patients.

  8. Bilateral simultaneous breast reconstruction with SGAP flaps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flores, Jaime I; Magarakis, Michael; Venkat, Raghunandan; Shridharani, Sachin M; Rosson, Gedge D

    2012-07-01

    Two work-horse approaches to postmastectomy breast reconstruction are the deep inferior epigastric perforator flap and the superior gluteal artery perforator (SGAP) flap [and its variation, the lateral septocutaneous superior gluteal artery perforator flap]. Our purpose was fourfold: 1) to analyze our experience with the SGAP flaps for simultaneous bilateral breast reconstruction; 2) to analyze our experience with lateral septocutaneous superior gluteal artery perforator flaps for that procedure; 3) to compare our results with those in the literature; and 4) to highlight the importance of preoperative three-dimensional computed tomographic angiography. A retrospective chart review was completed for 23 patients who underwent breast reconstruction between December 2005 and January 2010 via an SGAP flap (46 flaps). We reviewed flap weight, ischemia time, length of stay, overall flap survival, fat necrosis development, and emergency re-exploration. Mean weights were 571.2 ± 222.0 g (range 186-1,117 g) and 568.0 ± 237.5 g (range 209-1,115 g) for the left and right buttock flap, respectively. Mean ischemia time was 129.1 ± 15.7 and 177.7 ± 24.7 minutes for the first and second flap, respectively. Mean hospital stay was 5.3 ± 2.5 days. All flaps survived. Fat necrosis developed in five flaps (10.8%), and emergency re-exploration was required in three patients (three flaps). When harvesting abdominal tissue is a poor option, the SGAP flap is an efficacious procedure for patients desiring autologous breast reconstruction, and bilateral procedures can be performed simultaneously. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. EFFICACY OF BILATERAL SIMULTANEOUS HALLUX VALGUS CORRECTION COMPARED TO UNILATERAL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. V. Boychenko

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim - to compare the results of simultaneous bilateral and unilateral surgical correction of hallux valgus and to create recommendations for treatment of the patients with this pathology. Material and methods. The authorse analyzed the data of 40 patients (60 feet who carried out an operative treatment of hallux valgus in SPb multiprofile city hospital N 2 since 2011 to 2013. Functional (AOFAS score and X-ray results were compared between groups with bilateral and unilateral correction. Mean AOFAS score in these 2 groups after 12 months after surgery was 85,6±6,2 and 85,5±6,9 (p>0,05, mean intermetatarsal angle - 8,4±0,5° and 8,8±0,8° (p>0,05 respectively. No statistically significant difference between these two groups was found. Conclusion. A bigger surgical trauma in case of simultaneous bilateral correction neither worsens functional and x-ray results nor increases a complication rate.

  10. Results of simultaneous and sequential pediatric liver and kidney transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, J; Bueno, J; Shapiro, R; Scantlebury, V; Mazariegos, G; Fung, J; Reyes, J

    2001-11-27

    The indications for simultaneous and sequential pediatric liver (LTx) and kidney (KTx) transplantation have not been well defined. We herein report the results of our experience with these procedures in children with end-stage liver disease and/or subsequent end-stage renal disease. Between 1984 and 1995, 12 LTx recipients received 15 kidney allografts. Eight simultaneous and seven sequential LTx/KTx were performed. There were six males and six females, with a mean age of 10.9 years (1.5-23.7). One of the eight simultaneous LTx/KTx was part of a multivisceral allograft. Five KTx were performed at varied intervals after successful LTx, one KTx was performed after a previous simultaneous LTx/KTx, and one KTx was performed after previous sequential LTx/KTx. Immunosuppression was with tacrolimus or cyclosporine and steroids. Indications for LTx were oxalosis (four), congenital hepatic fibrosis (two), cystinosis (one), polycystic liver disease (one), A-1-A deficiency (one), Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN)-related (one), cryptogenic cirrhosis (one), and hepatoblastoma (one). Indications for KTx were oxalosis (four), drug-induced (four), polycystic kidney disease (three), cystinosis (one), and glomerulonephritis (1). With a mean follow-up of 58 months (0.9-130), the overall patient survival rate was 58% (7/12). One-year and 5-year actuarial patient survival rates were 66% and 58%, respectively. Patient survival rates at 1 year after KTx according to United Network of Organ Sharing (liver) status were 100% for status 3, 50% for status 2, and 0% for status 1. The overall renal allograft survival rate was 47%. Actuarial renal allograft survival rates were 53% at 1 and 5 years. The overall hepatic allograft survival rate was equivalent to the overall patient survival rate (58%). Six of seven surviving patients have normal renal allograft function, and one patient has moderate chronic allograft nephropathy. All surviving patients have normal hepatic allograft function. Six

  11. Simultaneous vs sequential bilateral cataract surgery for infants with congenital cataracts: Visual outcomes, adverse events, and economic costs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dave, Hreem; Phoenix, Vidya; Becker, Edmund R; Lambert, Scott R

    2010-08-01

    To compare the incidence of adverse events and visual outcomes and to compare the economic costs of sequential vs simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery for infants with congenital cataracts. Retrospective review of simultaneous vs sequential bilateral cataract surgery for infants with congenital cataracts who underwent cataract surgery when 6 months or younger at our institution. Records were available for 10 children who underwent sequential surgery at a mean age of 49 days for the first eye and 17 children who underwent simultaneous surgery at a mean age of 68 days (P = .25). We found a similar incidence of adverse events between the 2 treatment groups. Intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred in 14 eyes. The most common postoperative complication was glaucoma. No eyes developed endophthalmitis. The mean (SD) absolute interocular difference in logMAR visual acuities between the 2 treatment groups was 0.47 (0.76) for the sequential group and 0.44 (0.40) for the simultaneous group (P = .92). Payments for the hospital, drugs, supplies, and professional services were on average 21.9% lower per patient in the simultaneous group. Simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery for infants with congenital cataracts is associated with a 21.9% reduction in medical payments and no discernible difference in the incidence of adverse events or visual outcomes. However, our small sample size limits our ability to make meaningful comparisons of the relative risks and visual benefits of the 2 procedures.

  12. Motor activation in literal and non literal sentences: does time matter?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina eCacciari

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Despite the impressive amount of evidence showing involvement of the sensorimotor systems in language processing, important questions remain unsolved among which the relationship between non literal uses of language and sensorimotor activation. The literature did not yet provide a univocal answer on whether the comprehension of non literal, abstract motion sentences engages the same neural networks recruited for literal sentences. A previous TMS study using the same experimental materials of the present study showed activation for literal, fictive and metaphoric motion sentences but not for idiomatic ones. To evaluate whether this may depend on insufficient time for elaborating the idiomatic meaning, we conducted a behavioural experiment that used a sensibility judgment task performed by pressing a button either with a hand finger or with a foot. Motor activation is known to be sensitive to the action-congruency of the effector used for responding. Therefore, all other things being equal, significant differences between response emitted with an action-congruent or incongruent effector (foot vs. hand may be attributed to motor activation. Foot-related action verbs were embedded in sentences conveying literal motion, fictive motion, metaphoric motion or idiomatic motion. Mental sentences were employed as a control condition. Foot responses were significantly faster than finger responses but only in literal motion sentences. We hypothesize that motor activation may arise in early phases of comprehension processes (i.e. upon reading the verb for then decaying as a function of the strength of the semantic motion component of the verb.

  13. Theory of Mind and social functioning in schizophrenia: correlation with figurative language abnormalities, clinical symptoms and general intelligence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piovan, Cristiano; Gava, Laura; Campeol, Mara

    2016-01-01

    Over past few decades, studies displayed Theory of Mind (ToM) as a system, including cognitive and affective features, rather than an unitary process. Within domains defining social cognition, ToM stands for the best predictor of poor social functioning in schizophrenia. The current study aimed to explore competence in ToM tasks, in metaphorical and idiomatic language identification tasks and in a conversational rules observance test, as well as relationship with social functioning, in a group of outpatients suffering from schizophrenia. METHODS.: 30 outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 24 healthy subjects have been recruited. Both groups underwent TIB as premorbid IQ evaluation, PANSS, Theory of Mind Picture Sequencing Task, a metaphors and idiomatic expressions comprehension test and a conversational test. Social functioning was assessed with PSP. Results.Mean values of premorbid IQ showed no significant difference between patients and control group. In ToM and pragmatic competence tasks, differences between groups resulted in high significance, due to patients' lower performance. A correlation between metaphors and idiomatic expressions comprehension and second order false beliefs was detected. PSP showed a correlation with PANSS and cognitive-ToM, whereas leaving aside affective-ToM. Results showed how people affected with schizophrenia, in stable clinical condition, do have clear impairments in ToM and figurative language comprehension assignments. In our theoretical framework, correlation arisen between cognitive-ToM, pragmatic deficits, clinical status and social functioning level suggests usefulness of rehabilitative interventions to recover metacognitive functions and pragmatic abilities, in order to reduce social disability in schizophrenia.

  14. Diagnostic Role of ECG Recording Simultaneously With EEG Testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kendirli, Mustafa Tansel; Aparci, Mustafa; Kendirli, Nurten; Tekeli, Hakan; Karaoglan, Mustafa; Senol, Mehmet Guney; Togrol, Erdem

    2015-07-01

    Arrhythmia is not uncommon in the etiology of syncope which mimics epilepsy. Data about the epilepsy induced vagal tonus abnormalities have being increasingly reported. So we aimed to evaluate what a neurologist may gain by a simultaneous electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) recording in the patients who underwent EEG testing due to prediagnosis of epilepsy. We retrospectively evaluated and detected ECG abnormalities in 68 (18%) of 376 patients who underwent EEG testing. A minimum of 20 of minutes artifact-free recording were required for each patient. Standard 1-channel ECG was simultaneously recorded in conjunction with the EEG. In all, 28% of females and 14% of males had ECG abnormalities. Females (mean age 49 years, range 18-88 years) were older compared with the male group (mean age 28 years, range 16-83 years). Atrial fibrillation was more frequent in female group whereas bradycardia and respiratory sinus arrhythmia was higher in male group. One case had been detected a critical asystole indicating sick sinus syndrome in the female group and treated with a pacemaker implantation in the following period. Simultaneous ECG recording in conjunction with EEG testing is a clinical prerequisite to detect and to clarify the coexisting ECG and EEG abnormalities and their clinical relevance. Potentially rare lethal causes of syncope that mimic seizure or those that could cause resistance to antiepileptic therapy could effectively be distinguished by detecting ECG abnormalities coinciding with the signs and abnormalities during EEG recording. © EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society (ECNS) 2014.

  15. [Cross-cultural adaptation of the Myocardial Infarction Dimensional Assessment Scale (MIDAS) to the Brazilian Portuguese language].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiorin, Bruno Henrique; Oliveira, Elizabete Regina Araújo de; Moreira, Rita Simone Lopes; Luna Filho, Bráulio

    2018-03-01

    From the evaluation of the factors that affect quality of life (QOL) it is possible to plan interventions that lead to the improved well-being of patients. The scope of this study was to conduct the cross-cultural adaptation of the Myocardial Infarction Dimensional Assessment Scale (MIDAS) questionnaire to the Portuguese language, seeking the necessary semantic, idiomatic, conceptual and cultural equivalence. The theoretical framework of Guillemin, Bombardier and Beaton was used, fulfilling the following steps: translation, back translation, evaluation of the authors, peer review and pre-testing. After all the tests, the semantic, idiomatic, conceptual and cultural equivalence was achieved. The scale proved to be easy to use and was clinically important. MIDAS was validated in terms of its semantic, idiomatic, conceptual and cultural equivalences. Subsequently, the measurement equivalence will be evaluated to verify the psychometric properties.

  16. Correlations of the chemical shift on fasly rotating biological solids by means of NMR spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herbst, Christian

    2010-01-01

    The basic aim of the thesis was the development and improvement of homo- and heteronuclear feedback sequences for the generation of correlation spectra of the chemical shift. In a first step the possibility of the acquisition of 13 C- 13 correlation spectra of the chemical shift by means of inversion pulses with low RF power factor was studied. Furthermore it was shown that broad-band phase-modulated inversion and universal rotational pulses can be constructed by means of global optimization procedures like the genetic algorithms under regardment of the available RF field strength. By inversion, universal rotational, and 360 pulses as starting values of the optimization efficient homonuclear CN n ν and RN n ν mixing sequences as well as heteronuclear RN n ν s ,ν k feedback sequences were generated. The satisfactory power of the numerically optimized sequences was shown by means of the simulation as well by means of correlation experiments of the chemical shift of L-histidine, L-arginine, and the (CUG) 97 -RNA. This thesis deals furthermore with the possibility to acquire simultaneously different signals with several receivers. By means of numerically optimized RN n ν s ,ν k pulse sequences both 15 N- 13 C and 13 C- 15 N correlation spectra were simultaneously generated. Furthermore it could be shown that the simultaneous acquisition of 3D- 15 N- 13 C- 13 C and 13 C- 15 N-( 1 H)- 1 H correlation spectra is possible. By this in only one measurement process resonance assignments can be met and studies of the global folding performed. A further application of several receivers is the simultaneous acquisition of CHHC, NHHN, NHHC, as well as CHHN spectra. By such experiments it is possible to characterize the hydrogen-bonding pattern and the glycosidic torsion angle χ in RNA. This was demonstrated by means of the (CUG) 97 -RNA. The simultaneous acquisition of all relevant crossing signals of the correlation spectra leads not only to an essential time saving, but

  17. Simultaneous Cake Cutting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Balkanski, Eric; Branzei, Simina; Kurokawa, David

    2014-01-01

    We introduce the simultaneous model for cake cutting (the fair allocation of a divisible good), in which agents simultaneously send messages containing a sketch of their preferences over the cake. We show that this model enables the computation of divisions that satisfy proportionality — a popular...

  18. Emergence and Evolution of Meaning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José M. Díaz Nafría

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The category of meaning is traced forward starting from the origin of the Universe itself as well as its very grounding in pre-geometry. Different from many former approaches in the theories of information and also in biosemiotics, we will show that the forms of meaning emerge simultaneously (alongside with information and energy. Hence, information is always meaningful (in a sense to be explicated rather than its meaning would show up as a later specification of information within social systems only. This perspective taken has two immediate consequences: (1 We follow the GDI as defined by Floridi, though we modify it somehow as to the aspect of truthfulness. (2 We can conceptually solve Capurro’s trilemma. Hence, what we actually do is to follow the strict (i.e. optimistic line of UTI in the sense of Hofkirchner’s. While doing this, we treat energy and information as two different categorial aspects of one and the same underlying primordial structure.

  19. Simultaneity, relativity and conventionality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janis, Allen I.

    2008-01-01

    The view of simultaneity presented by Max Jammer is almost breathtaking, encompassing, as the book's subtitle suggests, the period from antiquity to the 21st century. Many interesting things are to be found along the way. For example, what Jammer (p. 49) says "may well be regarded as probably the earliest recorded example of an operational definition of distant simultaneity" is due to St. Augustine (in his Confessions, written in 397 A.D.; for a modern translation, see Augustine, 2006). He was arguing against astrology by presenting the story of two women, one rich and one poor, who gave birth simultaneously. Although the two children thus had precisely the same horoscopes, their lives followed quite different courses. And how was it determined that the births were simultaneous? A messenger went from each birth site to the other, leaving the instant the child was born (and, presumably, traveling with equal speeds). Since the messengers met at the midpoint between the locations of the two births, the births must have been simultaneous. This is, of course, quite analogous to Albert Einstein's definition of simultaneity (given more than 1500 years later), which will be discussed in Section 2.1.

  20. Simultaneous determination of some antiprotozoal drugs in different combined dosage forms by mean centering of ratio spectra and multivariate calibration with model updating methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdelaleem Eglal A

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Metronidazole (MET and Diloxanide Furoate (DF, act as antiprotozoal drugs, in their ternary mixtures with Mebeverine HCl (MEH, an effective antispasmodic drug. This work concerns with the development and validation of two simple, specific and cost effective methods mainly for simultaneous determination of the proposed ternary mixture. In addition, the developed multivariate calibration model has been updated to determine Metronidazole benzoate (METB in its binary mixture with DF in Dimetrol® suspension. Results Method (I is the mean centering of ratio spectra spectrophotometric method (MCR that depends on using the mean centered ratio spectra in two successive steps that eliminates the derivative steps and therefore the signal to noise ratio is enhanced. The developed MCR method has been successfully applied for determination of MET, DF and MEH in different laboratory prepared mixtures and in tablets. Method (II is the partial least square (PLS multivariate calibration method that has been optimized for determination of MET, DF and MEH in Dimetrol ® tablets and by updating the developed model, it has been successfully used for prediction of binary mixtures of DF and Metronidazole Benzoate ester (METB in Dimetrol ® suspension with good accuracy and precision without reconstruction of the calibration set. Conclusion The developed methods have been validated; accuracy, precision and specificity were found to be within the acceptable limits. Moreover results obtained by the suggested methods showed no significant difference when compared with those obtained by reported methods. Graphical Abstract

  1. State Estimation for Linear Systems Driven Simultaneously by Wiener and Poisson Processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1978-12-01

    The state estimation problem of linear stochastic systems driven simultaneously by Wiener and Poisson processes is considered, especially the case...where the incident intensities of the Poisson processes are low and the system is observed in an additive white Gaussian noise. The minimum mean squared

  2. Translation of the Children Helping Out--Responsibilities, Expectations and Supports (CHORES) questionnaire into Brazilian-Portuguese: semantic, idiomatic, conceptual and experiential equivalences and application in normal children and adolescents and in children with cerebral palsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amaral, Maíra; Paula, Rebeca L; Drummond, Adriana; Dunn, Louise; Mancini, Marisa C

    2012-01-01

    The participation of children with disabilities in daily chores in different environments has been a therapeutic goal shared by both parents and rehabilitation professionals, leading to increased demand for instrument development. The Children Helping Out: Responsibilities, Expectations and Supports (CHORES) questionnaire was created with the objective of measuring child and teenager participation in daily household tasks. To translate the CHORES questionnaire into Brazilian Portuguese, evaluate semantic, idiomatic, experiential, and conceptual equivalences, apply the questionnaire to children and teenagers with and without disabilities, and test its test-retest reliability. Methodological study developed through the following stages: (1) translation of the questionnaire by two different translators; (2) synthesis of translations; (3) back-translation into English; (4) analysis by an expert committee to develop the pre-final version; (5) test-retest reliability; (6) administration to a sample of 50 parents of children with and without disabilities. The CHORES translation was validated in all stages. The implemented adaptations aimed to improve the understanding of the instrument's content by families of different socioeconomic and educational levels. The questionnaire showed strong consistency within a 7 to 14-day interval (ICCs=0.93 a 0.97; p=0.0001). After application, there was no need to change any items in the questionnaire. The translation of the CHORES questionnaire into Brazilian Portuguese offers a unique instrument for health professionals in Brazil, enabling the documentation of child and teenager participation in daily household tasks and making it possible to develop scientific investigation on the topic.

  3. Multiphoton- and simultaneous conjugate Ramsey-Borde atom interferometers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mueller, Holger; Chiow, Sheng-wey; Herrmann, Sven; Chu, Steven

    2008-01-01

    We report on our experiment to measure h/M, the ratio of the Planck constant to the mass of Cs atoms, and thereby the fine-structure constant. The target accuracy is 1 part per billion or better. We focus on two recent milestones: (i) The first realization of atom interferometers based on light-pulse beam splitters that transfer the momentum of up to 12 photon pairs, which increases the useful signal (matter wave phase shift) by a factor of 144 compared to the beam splitters used in the best present atom interferometers. Moreover, they lead to a cancellation of important systematic effects. (ii) The first realization of a simultaneous pair of conjugate Ramsey-Borde interferometers. In these, the relative sign of the inertial term is reversed so that it can be cancelled. Simultaneous operation means that this holds for a time-dependent inertial term (vibrations) too, which promises a substantial improvement in the signal to noise ratio

  4. Exploring the Rendition of Humor in Dubbed English Comedy Animations into Persian

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamid Reza Sadeghpour

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Dubbing is one of the developing areas in Translation Studies, and this study aimed at investigating the translation strategies used in the dubbing of comedy animations from English to Persian. Since colloquial, idiomatic, and humorous expressions have the capacity to elicit laughter and as it is not always easy to draw a clear-cut line between these three types of expressions, this study examines all three types, investigating the strategies used in translating these expressions. The data was collected from five popular American comedy animations dubbed into Persian. The original humorous, colloquial, and idiomatic expressions and their Persian translations were written down and the strategies used in translating them were identified and classified into nine groups for further analysis. The findings from the sample demonstrate that the Persian translators tend to use familiar expressions rather than translate literally and that beside humorous expressions, the translators tend to use idiomatic and colloquial expressions to produce laughter mostly in cases where the original animation has not used them. In short, the Persian translators have frequently and freely used idiomatic and colloquial expressions in their secondary function to elicit laughter which is a strategy that can be used in the translation of comedies, especially for children, where there are numerous linguistic and cultural barriers across the cultures.

  5. On relation of momenta of structure functions of the composite systems with their simultaneous wave functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Linkevich, A.D.; Savrin, V.I.; Sanadze, V.V.; Skachkov, N.B.

    1984-01-01

    Calculation of hadron structure function (SF) comprising point objects is carried out. The obtained hadron SF is expressed by means of simultaneous relativistic wave functions of a composite particle. Exact calculation of hadron SF momenta in simultaneous formulation of quantum field theory off-energy surface is conducted. The given calculation of hadron SF is shown to result in their dependence on momentum transferred square (or square of total vector of energy-momentum of Compton scattering on a quark) whih is determined by the set of simultaneous hadron wave functions as bound state of quark (partons) in the considered case of non-structural quarks

  6. Comparison of soft-tissue changes in simultaneous maxillomandibular distraction with mandibular distraction with second-stage maxillary osteotomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S M Balaji

    2016-01-01

    Discussion and Conclusion: The results indicate that the simultaneous DO yields more better frontal lip cant change between both halves than the mono-DO with orthognathic surgery. The mean change is much higher in the simultaneous DO cases indicating a more effective correction and desired result. The biological reason and lip musculature mechanism behind the response in both conditions are discussed.

  7. Comparison of soft-tissue changes in simultaneous maxillomandibular distraction with mandibular distraction with second-stage maxillary osteotomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balaji, S M; Balaji, Preetha

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the frontal lip cant changes in common facial asymmetry (FA) cases after simultaneous maxillomandibular distraction osteogenesis (DO) and mandibular DO with maxillary orthognathic surgery. Retrospective analysis of FA cases at tertiary craniofacial referral was performed. Patients of either gender with all medical imaging records and pre- and post-operative (1 year) facial photographs in natural head position were included in the study. The lip cant change was assessed by the ratio of the linear dimension between affected and unaffected side labial commissures and the bi-pupillary reference line. Difference between the pre- and post-operative ratio was analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed for the outcome. P ≤0.05 was taken as significant. The mean preoperative measured value of the affected side was 0.845 ± 0.036 while the postoperative value was 0.95 ± 0.032. The effective change was 0.11 ± 0.044. The postoperative ratio compared with simultaneous DO case was 0.98 ± 0.06 while that of mandibular distraction with orthognathic surgery was 0.92 ± 0.08 (P = 0.048). The mean change of the simultaneous DO case was measured as 0.114 ± 0.041 while the same for the mandibular distraction with orthognathic surgery was 0.069 ± 0.035 (P = 0.013). The results indicate that the simultaneous DO yields more better frontal lip cant change between both halves than the mono-DO with orthognathic surgery. The mean change is much higher in the simultaneous DO cases indicating a more effective correction and desired result. The biological reason and lip musculature mechanism behind the response in both conditions are discussed.

  8. Reliability of semiquantitative 18F-FDG PET parameters derived from simultaneous brain PET/MRI: A feasibility study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jena, Amarnath; Taneja, Sangeeta; Goel, Reema; Renjen, Pushpendranath; Negi, Pradeep

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: Simultaneous brain PET/MRI faces an important issue of validation of accurate MRI based attenuation correction (AC) method for precise quantitation of brain PET data unlike in PET/CT systems where the use of standard, validated CT based AC is routinely available. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of evaluation of semiquantitative 18 F-FDG PET parameters derived from simultaneous brain PET/MRI using ultrashort echo time (UTE) sequences for AC and to assess their agreement with those obtained from PET/CT examination. Methods: Sixteen patients (age range 18–73 years; mean age 49.43 (19.3) years; 13 men 3 women) underwent simultaneous brain PET/MRI followed immediately by PET/CT. Quantitative analysis of brain PET images obtained from both studies was undertaken using Scenium v.1 brain analysis software package. Twenty ROIs for various brain regions were system generated and 6 semiquantitative parameters including maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max), SUV mean, minimum SUV (SUV min), minimum standard deviation (SD min), maximum SD (SD max) and SD from mean were calculated for both sets of PET data for each patient. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were determined to assess agreement between the various semiquantitative parameters for the two PET data sets. Results: Intra-class co-relation between the two PET data sets for SUV max, SUV mean and SD max was highly significant (p < 0.00) for all the 20 predefined brain regions with ICC > 0.9. SD from mean was also found to be statistically significant for all the predefined brain regions with ICC > 0.8. However, SUV max and SUV mean values obtained from PET/MRI were significantly lower compared to those of PET/CT for all the predefined brain regions. Conclusion: PET quantitation accuracy using the MRI based UTE sequences for AC in simultaneous brain PET/MRI is reliable in a clinical setting, being similar to that obtained using PET/CT

  9. Simultaneous monitoring of static and dynamic intracranial pressure parameters from two separate sensors in patients with cerebral bleeds: comparison of findings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eide, Per Kristian; Holm, Sverre; Sorteberg, Wilhelm

    2012-09-07

    We recently reported that in an experimental setting the zero pressure level of solid intracranial pressure (ICP) sensors can be altered by electrostatics discharges. Changes in the zero pressure level would alter the ICP level (mean ICP); whether spontaneous changes in mean ICP happen in clinical settings is not known. This can be addressed by comparing the ICP parameters level and waveform of simultaneous ICP signals. To this end, we retrieved our recordings in patients with cerebral bleeds wherein the ICP had been recorded simultaneously from two different sensors. During a time period of 10 years, 17 patients with cerebral bleeds were monitored with two ICP sensors simultaneously; sensor 1 was always a solid sensor while Sensor 2 was a solid -, a fluid - or an air-pouch sensor. The simultaneous signals were analyzed with automatic identification of the cardiac induced ICP waves. The output was determined in consecutive 6-s time windows, both with regard to the static parameter mean ICP and the dynamic parameters (mean wave amplitude, MWA, and mean wave rise time, MWRT). Differences in mean ICP, MWA and MWRT between the two sensors were determined. Transfer functions between the sensors were determined to evaluate how sensors reproduce the ICP waveform. Comparing findings in two solid sensors disclosed major differences in mean ICP in 2 of 5 patients (40%), despite marginal differences in MWA, MWRT, and linear phase magnitude and phase. Qualitative assessment of trend plots of mean ICP and MWA revealed shifts and drifts of mean ICP in the clinical setting. The transfer function analysis comparing the solid sensor with either the fluid or air-pouch sensors revealed more variable transfer function magnitude and greater differences in the ICP waveform derived indices. Simultaneous monitoring of ICP using two solid sensors may show marked differences in static ICP but close to identity in dynamic ICP waveforms. This indicates that shifts in ICP baseline pressure

  10. Simultaneous monitoring of static and dynamic intracranial pressure parameters from two separate sensors in patients with cerebral bleeds: comparison of findings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eide Per

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background We recently reported that in an experimental setting the zero pressure level of solid intracranial pressure (ICP sensors can be altered by electrostatics discharges. Changes in the zero pressure level would alter the ICP level (mean ICP; whether spontaneous changes in mean ICP happen in clinical settings is not known. This can be addressed by comparing the ICP parameters level and waveform of simultaneous ICP signals. To this end, we retrieved our recordings in patients with cerebral bleeds wherein the ICP had been recorded simultaneously from two different sensors. Materials and Methods: During a time period of 10 years, 17 patients with cerebral bleeds were monitored with two ICP sensors simultaneously; sensor 1 was always a solid sensor while Sensor 2 was a solid -, a fluid - or an air-pouch sensor. The simultaneous signals were analyzed with automatic identification of the cardiac induced ICP waves. The output was determined in consecutive 6-s time windows, both with regard to the static parameter mean ICP and the dynamic parameters (mean wave amplitude, MWA, and mean wave rise time, MWRT. Differences in mean ICP, MWA and MWRT between the two sensors were determined. Transfer functions between the sensors were determined to evaluate how sensors reproduce the ICP waveform. Results Comparing findings in two solid sensors disclosed major differences in mean ICP in 2 of 5 patients (40%, despite marginal differences in MWA, MWRT, and linear phase magnitude and phase. Qualitative assessment of trend plots of mean ICP and MWA revealed shifts and drifts of mean ICP in the clinical setting. The transfer function analysis comparing the solid sensor with either the fluid or air-pouch sensors revealed more variable transfer function magnitude and greater differences in the ICP waveform derived indices. Conclusions Simultaneous monitoring of ICP using two solid sensors may show marked differences in static ICP but close to identity

  11. IDIOMS CONTAINING THE COMPONENT BLACK / SCHWARZ IN THE ENGLISH AND GERMAN LANGUAGES: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yakovleva, S.L.

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The article presents a comparative analysis of English and German idiomatic expressions containing the component of colour in their structure. It has been revealed that black dominates in the English linguistic idiomatic view of the world. The core centre of the focal colours in the German culture is also schwarz / black. General and specific features of black / schwarz as a part of national linguistic views of the world of the English and German languages are considered in the article.

  12. The misconception of mean-reversion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eliazar, Iddo I; Cohen, Morrel H

    2012-01-01

    The notion of random motion in a potential well is elemental in the physical sciences and beyond. Quantitatively, this notion is described by reverting diffusions—asymptotically stationary diffusion processes which are simultaneously (i) driven toward a reversion level by a deterministic force, and (ii) perturbed off the reversion level by a random white noise. The archetypal example of reverting diffusions is the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process, which is mean-reverting. In this paper we analyze reverting diffusions and establish that: (i) if the magnitude of the perturbing noise is constant then the diffusion's stationary density is unimodal and the diffusion is mode-reverting; (ii) if the magnitude of the perturbing noise is non-constant then, in general, neither is the diffusion's stationary density unimodal, nor is the diffusion mode-reverting. In the latter case we further establish a result asserting when unimodality and mode-reversion do hold. In particular, we demonstrate that the notion of mean-reversion, which is fundamental in economics and finance, is a misconception—as mean-reversion is an exception rather than the norm. (fast track communication)

  13. Different Spectrophotometric Methods for Simultaneous Determination of Trelagliptin and Its Acid Degradation Product

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassan, Mostafa A.; Zaghary, Wafaa A.

    2018-01-01

    New spectrophotometric and chemometric methods were carried out for the simultaneous assay of trelagliptin (TRG) and its acid degradation product (TAD) and applied successfully as a stability indicating assay to recently approved Zafatek® tablets. TAD was monitored using TLC to ensure complete degradation. Furthermore, HPLC was used to confirm dealing with one major acid degradation product. The proposed methods were developed by manipulating zero-order, first-derivative, and ratio spectra of TRG and TAD using simultaneous equation, first-derivative, and mean-centering methods, respectively. Using Spectra Manager II and Minitab v.14 software, the absorbance at 274 nm–260.4 nm, amplitudes at 260.4 nm–274.0 nm, and mean-centered values at 287.6 nm–257.2 nm were measured against methanol as a blank for TRG and TAD, respectively. Linearity and the other validation parameters were acceptable at concentration ranges of 5–50 μg/mL and 2.5–25 μg/mL for TRG and TAD, respectively. Using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), the optimized methods were compared and proved to be accurate for the simultaneous assay of TRG and TAD. PMID:29629213

  14. Note on Magnetism and Simultaneity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huggins, Elisha

    2009-01-01

    The paper on "Magnetism and Simultaneity" by Adler provides an excellent new thought experiment involving the lack of simultaneity in Einstein's special relativity. Adler uses the lack of simultaneity rather than the Lorentz contraction to derive the formula for the magnetic force on a moving charged particle. Advantages of his derivation are that…

  15. Reconstructive periodontal therapy with simultaneous ridge augmentation. A clinical and histological case series report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Windisch, Péter; Szendroi-Kiss, Dóra; Horváth, Attila; Suba, Zsuzsanna; Gera, István; Sculean, Anton

    2008-09-01

    Treatment of intrabony periodontal defects with a combination of a natural bone mineral (NBM) and guided tissue regeneration (GTR) has been shown to promote periodontal regeneration in intrabony defects. In certain clinical situations, the teeth presenting intrabony defects are located at close vicinity of the resorbed alveolar ridge. In these particular cases, it is of clinical interest to simultaneously reconstruct both the intrabony periodontal defect and the resorbed alveolar ridge, thus allowing insertion of endosseous dental implants. The aim of the present study was to present the clinical and histological results obtained with a new surgical technique designed to simultaneously reconstruct the intrabony defect and the adjacently located resorbed alveolar ridge. Eight patients with chronic advanced periodontitis displaying intrabony defects located in the close vicinity of resorbed alveolar ridges were consecutively enrolled in the study. After local anesthesia, mucoperiosteal flaps were raised, the granulation tissue removed, and the roots meticulously scaled and planed. A subepithelial connective tissue graft was harvested from the palate and sutured to the oral flap. The intrabony defect and the adjacent alveolar ridge were filled with a NBM and subsequently covered with a bioresorbable collagen membrane (GTR). At 11-20 months (mean, 13.9+/-3.9 months) after surgery, implants were placed, core biopsies retrieved, and histologically evaluated. Mean pocket depth reduction measured 3.8+/-1.7 mm and mean clinical attachment level gain 4.3+/-2.2 mm, respectively. Reentry revealed in all cases a complete fill of the intrabony component and a mean additional vertical hard tissue gain of 1.8+/-1.8 mm. The histologic evaluation indicated that most NBM particles were surrounded by bone. Mean new bone and mean graft area measured 17.8+/-2.8% and 32.1+/-8.3%, respectively. Within their limits, the present findings indicate that the described surgical approach may be

  16. Evaluation of diagnostic performance of whole-body simultaneous PET/MRI in pediatric lymphoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ponisio, Maria Rosana; Laforest, Richard; Khanna, Geetika; McConathy, Jonathan

    2016-01-01

    Whole-body 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is the standard of care for lymphoma. Simultaneous PET/MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a promising new modality that combines the metabolic information of PET with superior soft-tissue resolution and functional imaging capabilities of MRI while decreasing radiation dose. There is limited information on the clinical performance of PET/MRI in the pediatric setting. This study evaluated the feasibility, dosimetry, and qualitative and quantitative diagnostic performance of simultaneous whole-body FDG-PET/MRI in children with lymphoma compared to PET/CT. Children with lymphoma undergoing standard of care FDG-PET/CT were prospectively recruited for PET/MRI performed immediately after the PET/CT. Images were evaluated for quality, lesion detection and anatomical localization of FDG uptake. Maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUV max/mean ) of normal organs and SUV max of the most FDG-avid lesions were measured for PET/MRI and PET/CT. Estimation of radiation exposure was calculated using specific age-related factors. Nine PET/MRI scans were performed in eight patients (mean age: 15.3 years). The mean time interval between PET/CT and PET/MRI was 51 ± 10 min. Both the PET/CT and PET/MRI exams had good image quality and alignment with complete (9/9) concordance in response assessment. The SUVs from PET/MRI and PET/CT were highly correlated for normal organs (SUV mean r 2 : 0.88, P<0.0001) and very highly for FDG-avid lesions (SUV max r 2 : 0.94, P=0.0002). PET/MRI demonstrated an average percent radiation exposure reduction of 39% ± 13% compared with PET/CT. Simultaneous whole-body PET/MRI is clinically feasible in pediatric lymphoma. PET/MRI performance is comparable to PET/CT for lesion detection and SUV measurements. Replacement of PET/CT with PET/MRI can significantly decrease radiation dose from diagnostic imaging in children. (orig.)

  17. Simultaneous determination of left ventricular perfusion and function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gremillet, E.; Champailler, A.; Esquerre, J.P.; Ouhayoun, E.; Coca, F.; Furber, A.; Le Jeune, J.J.

    1997-01-01

    Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy is a very useful tool for the diagnosis and prognosis of coronary artery disease. The evaluation of left ventricular function during stress testing in also very useful to determine the prognosis of coronary artery disease. This chapter highlights three different imaging methods to assess left ventricular function and myocardial perfusion/ The first one consists of sequential dual isotope myocardial SPECT with ECG-gating. The second concerns magnetic resonance imaging and the third explores first pass exercise ventriculography and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy simultaneously evaluated by means of 99m Tc-sestamibi. (authors)

  18. Simultaneous air transportation of the harvested heart and visceral organs for transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aydin, U; Yazici, P; Kazimi, C; Bozoklar, A; Sozbilen, M; Zeytunlu, M; Kilic, M

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the duration for organ procurement including both heart and visceral organs and outcomes of the simultaneous transportation of the teams back to the recipient hospitals. Between March 2005 and March 2007, 37/82 organ procurement was performed in the district hospitals and transported to our institution for organ transplantation. Combined heart and visceral organ procurement which was simultaneously transported to the recipient hospitals by one air vehicle was reviewed. After both the thoracic and abdominal cavities were entered, all intra-abdominal organs were mobilized allowing exposure of the inferior mesenteric vein and aorta. The supraceliac abdominal aorta was elevated. The attachments of the liver in the hilar region were incised and both kidneys and pancreas prepared for removal. After the inferior mesenteric vein and aorta were cannulated, simultaneous aortic cross-clamping was performed and cold preservation solution infused. Harvested organs were packed with ice and removed to the back table for initial preparation and packaging for air transport. The mean duration of 6 procurement procedures was 63 minutes (range 50-75 minutes) to aortic clamping, and 27.5 minutes (range, 20-40 minutes) between clamping and harvesting. Mean cold ischemia times for 6 hearts, 6 livers, 12 kidneys, 2 pancreas, and 1 small intestine were 2.4 hours (range, 2-3.5 hours), 5 hours (range, 3-8 hours), 10.3 hours (range, 8-15 hours), 6.7 hours, and 9.5 hours, respectively. No graft complication was observed to be associated with the procurement procedure. Better collaborations between surgical teams and rapid procurement techniques provide simultaneous air transportation back to the recipient hospital with reduced cold ischemia times of the visceral organs.

  19. A Variational Approach to Simultaneous Image Segmentation and Bias Correction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Kaihua; Liu, Qingshan; Song, Huihui; Li, Xuelong

    2015-08-01

    This paper presents a novel variational approach for simultaneous estimation of bias field and segmentation of images with intensity inhomogeneity. We model intensity of inhomogeneous objects to be Gaussian distributed with different means and variances, and then introduce a sliding window to map the original image intensity onto another domain, where the intensity distribution of each object is still Gaussian but can be better separated. The means of the Gaussian distributions in the transformed domain can be adaptively estimated by multiplying the bias field with a piecewise constant signal within the sliding window. A maximum likelihood energy functional is then defined on each local region, which combines the bias field, the membership function of the object region, and the constant approximating the true signal from its corresponding object. The energy functional is then extended to the whole image domain by the Bayesian learning approach. An efficient iterative algorithm is proposed for energy minimization, via which the image segmentation and bias field correction are simultaneously achieved. Furthermore, the smoothness of the obtained optimal bias field is ensured by the normalized convolutions without extra cost. Experiments on real images demonstrated the superiority of the proposed algorithm to other state-of-the-art representative methods.

  20. A method for simultaneous determination of wear-resistance of structurally identical machine parts with mutual friction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valigura, V.; Volyn'ski, A.

    1979-01-01

    There are mechanisms in the technique, boundary state of separate parts of which is determined by the process of wear of three elements of the mechanism, made of the same material (for example antifriction bearings). The main concept of wear determination in the case of such a mechanism is to conduct measurements by means of simultaneous application of three different methods, for example: the method of roentgen-fluorescence; the tracer technique with application of activation by means of irradiation by different elementary particles, practically by means of neutrons and protons; the method of artifical bases application. In the paper the method is presented having been developed in the Institute of Working Machines of the Poznan Polytechnic. This method of simultaneous investigation in the wear process of bearing rings, inner and outer, and rolling elements of roller bearings. All these elements of bearings are made of LX-15 steel. The method developed, permits to determine the wear sufficient for practical purposes sensitivity [ru

  1. Simultaneous determination of size and refractive index of red blood cells by light scattering measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghosh, N.; Buddhiwant, P.; Uppal, A.; Majumder, S.K.; Patel, H.S.; Gupta, P.K.

    2006-01-01

    We present a fast and accurate approach for simultaneous determination of both the mean diameter and refractive index of a collection of red blood cells (RBCs). The approach uses the peak frequency of the power spectrum and the corresponding phase angle obtained by performing Fourier transform on the measured angular distribution of scattered light to determine these parameters. Results on the measurement of two important clinical parameters, the mean cell volume and mean cell hemoglobin concentration of a collection of RBCs, are presented

  2. Quantum uncertainty relation based on the mean deviation

    OpenAIRE

    Sharma, Gautam; Mukhopadhyay, Chiranjib; Sazim, Sk; Pati, Arun Kumar

    2018-01-01

    Traditional forms of quantum uncertainty relations are invariably based on the standard deviation. This can be understood in the historical context of simultaneous development of quantum theory and mathematical statistics. Here, we present alternative forms of uncertainty relations, in both state dependent and state independent forms, based on the mean deviation. We illustrate the robustness of this formulation in situations where the standard deviation based uncertainty relation is inapplica...

  3. Predicting binary choices from probability phrase meanings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallsten, Thomas S; Jang, Yoonhee

    2008-08-01

    The issues of how individuals decide which of two events is more likely and of how they understand probability phrases both involve judging relative likelihoods. In this study, we investigated whether derived scales representing probability phrase meanings could be used within a choice model to predict independently observed binary choices. If they can, this simultaneously provides support for our model and suggests that the phrase meanings are measured meaningfully. The model assumes that, when deciding which of two events is more likely, judges take a single sample from memory regarding each event and respond accordingly. The model predicts choice probabilities by using the scaled meanings of individually selected probability phrases as proxies for confidence distributions associated with sampling from memory. Predictions are sustained for 34 of 41 participants but, nevertheless, are biased slightly low. Sequential sampling models improve the fit. The results have both theoretical and applied implications.

  4. Estimating individual listeners’ auditory-filter bandwidth in simultaneous and non-simultaneous masking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buchholz, Jörg; Caminade, Sabine; Strelcyk, Olaf

    2010-01-01

    Frequency selectivity in the human auditory system is often measured using simultaneous masking of tones presented in notched noise. Based on such masking data, the equivalent rectangular bandwidth (ERB) of the auditory filters can be derived by applying the power spectrum model of masking....... Considering bandwidth estimates from previous studies based on forward masking, only average data across a number of subjects have been considered. The present study is concerned with bandwidth estimates in simultaneous and forward masking in individual normal-hearing subjects. In order to investigate...... the reliability of the individual estimates, a statistical resampling method is applied. It is demonstrated that a rather large set of experimental data is required to reliably estimate auditory filter bandwidth, particularly in the case of simultaneous masking. The poor overall reliability of the filter...

  5. Simultaneous feature selection and classification via Minimax Probability Machine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liming Yang

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a novel method for simultaneous feature selection and classification by incorporating a robust L1-norm into the objective function of Minimax Probability Machine (MPM. A fractional programming framework is derived by using a bound on the misclassification error involving the mean and covariance of the data. Furthermore, the problems are solved by the Quadratic Interpolation method. Experiments show that our methods can select fewer features to improve the generalization compared to MPM, which illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.

  6. The method for simultaneous extraction and back extraction in liquid three-phase system and equipment for simultaneous extraction and back extraction in liquid three-phase system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palyska, W.; Chmielewski, A.G.

    1992-01-01

    The method for simultaneous extraction and back extraction in liquid three-phase system has been worked out. The equipment designed for that process has been also subject of the patent. The interesting component is extracted first to intermediate phase consists of magnetic solvent keeping two extracting phases separately. The intermediate magnetic liquid has been kept in its position using a stable magnet maintained on the surface of the extraction vessel. Then the component pass from intermediate phase to the third phase as a result of back extraction. Mixing in the extraction and back extraction zones is organized by means of rotating shaft going along the whole apparatus. The extraction and back extraction processes occur simultaneously as a result of continuous flow of solvent in their zones. The single extraction back extraction facilities can be joined in larger batteries. 3 figs

  7. Simultaneous and sequential implantation of intacs and verisyse phakic intraocular lens for refractive improvement in keratectasia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moshirfar, Majid; Fenzl, Carlton R; Meyer, Jay J; Neuffer, Marcus C; Espandar, Ladan; Mifflin, Mark D

    2011-02-01

    To evaluate the safety, efficacy, and visual outcomes of simultaneous and sequential implantation of Intacs (Addition Technology, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA) and Verisyse phakic intraocular lens (AMO, Santa Ana, CA) in selected cases of ectatic corneal disease. John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, UT. Prospective data were collected from 19 eyes of 12 patients (5 eyes, post-laser in situ keratomileusis ectasia and 14 eyes, keratoconus). Intacs segments were implanted followed by insertion of a phakic Verisyse lens at the same session (12 eyes) in the simultaneous group or several months later (7 eyes) in the sequential group. The uncorrected visual acuity, best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), and manifest refraction were recorded at each visit. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were observed. At the last follow-up (19 ± 6 months), in the simultaneous group, mean spherical error was -0.79 ± 1.0 diopter (D) (range, -2.0 to +1.50 D) and cylindrical error +2.06 ± 1.21 D (range, +0.5 to +3.75 D). In the sequential group, at the last follow-up, at 36 ± 21 months, the mean spherical error was -1.64 ± 1.31 D (range, -3.25 to +1.0 D) and cylindrical error +2.07 ± 1.03 D (range, +0.75 to +3.25 D). There were no significant differences in mean uncorrected visual acuity or BSCVA between the 2 groups preoperatively or postoperatively. No eye lost lines of preoperative BSCVA. Combined insertion of Intacs and Verisyse was safe and effective in all cases. The outcomes of the simultaneous implantation of the Intacs and Verisyse lens in 1 surgery were similar to the results achieved with sequential implantation using 2 surgeries.

  8. Concepts of Simultaneity From Antiquity to Einstein and beyond

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muller, F A [Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for the History and Foundations of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht University P.O Box 80125, 3508 TC Utrecht (Netherlands)

    2007-10-05

    relation in terms of the structure of Minkowski space-time uniquely determines the standard convention (1977). R.I.P. conventionality thesis? The livel y debate about this question is the topic of chapter 14. Finally we want to mention chapter 11, which is devoted to the question whether the simultaneity relation is, besides trivially reflexive, symmetric and transitive too. Einstein explicitly mentioned in 1905 that he assumed this to be so, if only for the sake of expediency-it needs to be an equivalence relation in order to partition Minkowski space-time, we would say now. Should however the symmetry and transitivity of the simultaneity relation should not follow from the synchronisation procedure? It turns out that for Einstein's standard procedure (equal two-way velocity of light assumed) the symmetry and in particular the transitivity cannot be demonstrated without making additional assumptions. Jammer provides a piercing discussion of all sorts of fascinating schemas to demonstrate the symmetry and transitivity. What can be established without additional assumptions is that non-standard simultaneity relations are neither symmetric nor transitive. The chapter ends with a conventionality thesis of transitivity{exclamation_point} All in all, in spite of the deplorable fact that Simultaneity does not have a list of references (which means annoying footnote back tracking), every serious physics and philosophy library should have it on its shelves. Everyone who is teaching a course in the Special Theory of Relativity will do well to browse an afternoon in Simultaneity and certainly to study chapters 7, 9, 11, 13 and 14. Recommendations to even bachelor-level students are appropriate, because Simultaneity is a monograph that is accessible, revealing and engaging.

  9. Concepts of Simultaneity From Antiquity to Einstein and beyond

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muller, F A

    2007-01-01

    -time uniquely determines the standard convention (1977). R.I.P. conventionality thesis? The livel y debate about this question is the topic of chapter 14. Finally we want to mention chapter 11, which is devoted to the question whether the simultaneity relation is, besides trivially reflexive, symmetric and transitive too. Einstein explicitly mentioned in 1905 that he assumed this to be so, if only for the sake of expediency-it needs to be an equivalence relation in order to partition Minkowski space-time, we would say now. Should however the symmetry and transitivity of the simultaneity relation should not follow from the synchronisation procedure? It turns out that for Einstein's standard procedure (equal two-way velocity of light assumed) the symmetry and in particular the transitivity cannot be demonstrated without making additional assumptions. Jammer provides a piercing discussion of all sorts of fascinating schemas to demonstrate the symmetry and transitivity. What can be established without additional assumptions is that non-standard simultaneity relations are neither symmetric nor transitive. The chapter ends with a conventionality thesis of transitivity! All in all, in spite of the deplorable fact that Simultaneity does not have a list of references (which means annoying footnote back tracking), every serious physics and philosophy library should have it on its shelves. Everyone who is teaching a course in the Special Theory of Relativity will do well to browse an afternoon in Simultaneity and certainly to study chapters 7, 9, 11, 13 and 14. Recommendations to even bachelor-level students are appropriate, because Simultaneity is a monograph that is accessible, revealing and engaging

  10. Orthognathic Surgery and Rhinoplasty: Simultaneous or Staged?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Alexander H; Steinbacher, Derek M

    2018-02-01

    Orthognathic surgery can significantly impact the nasolabial envelope, and at times requires an adjunctive rhinoplasty. The purpose of this study was to evaluate nasal morphology in orthognathic patients, focusing on predictive variables, and the need for and timing of definitive rhinoplasty. Based on these data, an algorithm for the implementation of adjunctive rhinoplasty is proposed. A review of cases over a 3-year period was completed. Information regarding demographic, diagnostic, and operative details; nasal morphology; and use of rhinoplasty was compiled. Three-dimensional images were used to quantify anatomical variables. Over 589 patients were reviewed during this period. Of these, 163 fulfilled inclusion criteria for this study. The mean age was 23.3 years. In total, 41.7 percent of orthognathic cases underwent adjunctive rhinoplasty. Of these, 82.4 percent were staged and 17.6 percent were simultaneous. The average time between staged procedures was 208 days. When simultaneous, 16.7 percent of the orthognathic procedures had significant maxillary movement (advancement >4 to 5 mm, impaction >2 mm, alar base excisions); in comparison, 92.9 percent of staged cases had significant maxillary movement (p orthognathic surgery. The authors present an algorithm to extensively treat the nasomaxillofacial relationship using orthognathic surgery alone, orthognathic surgery in concert with rhinoplasty, or orthognathic surgery followed by staged rhinoplasty.

  11. Simultaneous engineering; Simultaneous Engineering bei der Entwicklung der Motorenbaureihen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reifenscheid, O. [Entwicklung Kommerzielle Motoren, MTU, Friedrichshafen (Germany)

    1997-10-01

    At a time when the German industry is faced with world-wide competition and the recent recession has not been fully overcome, the subject of simultaneous engineering is very popular. A series of punch words such as Lean Management, TQM, (Total Quality Management), Lean Production, KVP, Kaizen, Value Management, etc. are considered as synonyms for strategies by which product development is to be made more efficient and production more economical, faster and more flexible. In this respect the co-ordination between market, company the human element, procedure and structure play a major role. The present paper describes Simultaneous Enginering (SE) from the standpoint of the research engineer; provides information regarding the degree of implementation of SE at MTU and presents some of the author`s personal thoughts and experiences for discussion. (orig.)

  12. Simultaneous sinus lift and implantation using platelet-rich fibrin as sole grafting material.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeong, Seung-Mi; Lee, Chun-Ui; Son, Jeong-Seog; Oh, Ji-Hyeon; Fang, Yiqin; Choi, Byung-Ho

    2014-09-01

    Recently, several authors have shown that simultaneous sinus lift and implantation using autologous platelet-rich fibrin as the sole filling material is a reliable procedure promoting bone augmentation in the maxillary sinus. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of simultaneous sinus lift and implantation using platelet-rich fibrin as the sole grafting material on bone formation in a canine sinus model. An implant was placed after sinus membrane elevation in the maxillary sinus of six adult female mongrel dogs. The resulting space between the membrane and sinus floor was filled with autologous platelet-rich fibrin retrieved from each dog. The implants were left in place for six months. Bone tissue was seen at the lower part of the implants introduced into the sinus cavity. The height of the newly formed bone around the implants ranged from 0 mm to 4.9 mm (mean; 2.6 ± 2.0 mm) on the buccal side and from 0 mm to 4.2 mm (mean; 1.3 ± 1.8 mm) on the palatal side. The findings from this study suggest that simultaneous sinus lift and implantation using platelet-rich fibrin as sole grafting material is not a predictable and reproducible procedure, especially with respect to the bone formation around the implants in the sinus cavity. Copyright © 2014 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. All rights reserved.

  13. Clinical introduction of simultaneous radiohyperthermotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuroda, Masahiro; Asaumi, Junichi; Hiraki, Yoshio; Inamura, Keiji; Tahara, Seiji; Mimura, Seiichi; Mikami, Yasutaka; Kawasaki, Shoji.

    1992-01-01

    Simultaneous radiohyperthermotherapy (SRH) is a combined hyperthermia-radiation therapy in which radiation is given during heating. Mutual interference between the high energy radiotherapy system (Toshiba LMR-15A) and the 13.56 MHz capacitive heating system (Omron HEH-500C) was examined using phantoms prior to clinical trials. Phantoms were irradiated and heated simultaneously at right angles. The energy and flatness of irradiation were measured using films and were not affected by the heating system within the range of clinical use. The temperature increase was measured with a thermocouple thermometer, and the temperature distribution was determined by liquid crystal thermometer. The high energy radiotherapy system did not affect the heating device set power, the temperature increase and distribution during simultaneous treatment. This study clarified that these apparatuses work simultaneously without clinically significant mutual interference. SRH using these apparatuses can be safely applied to clinical study. (author)

  14. Of black sheep and white crows: Extending the bilingual dual coding theory to memory for idioms

    OpenAIRE

    Lena K. Pritchett; Jyotsna Vaid; Sumeyra Tosun

    2016-01-01

    Are idioms stored in memory in ways that preserve their surface form or language or are they represented amodally? We examined this question using an incidental cued recall paradigm in which two word idiomatic expressions were presented to adult bilinguals proficient in Russian and English. Stimuli included phrases with idiomatic equivalents in both languages (e.g. “empty words/пycтыe cлoвa”) or in one language only (English—e.g. “empty suit/пycтoй кocтюм” or Russian—e.g. “empty sound/пycтoй ...

  15. Simultaneous repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm and resection of unexpected, associated abdominal malignancies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Illuminati, Giulio; Calio', Francesco G; D'Urso, Antonio; Lorusso, Riccardo; Ceccanei, Gianluca; Vietri, Francesco

    2004-12-15

    The management of unexpected intra-abdominal malignancy, discovered at laparotomy for elective treatment of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), is controversial. It is still unclear whether both conditions should be treated simultaneously or a staged approach is to be preferred. To contribute in improving treatment guidelines, we retrospectively reviewed the records of patients undergoing laparotomy for elective AAA repair. From January 1994 to March 2003, 253 patients underwent elective, trans-peritoneal repair of an AAA. In four patients (1.6%), an associated, unexpected neoplasm was detected at abdominal exploration, consisting of one renal, one gastric, one ileal carcinoid, and one ascending colon tumor. All of them were treated at the same operation, after aortic repair and careful isolation of the prosthetic graft. The whole series' operative mortality was 3.6%. None of the patients simultaneously treated for AAA and tumor resection died in the postoperative period. No graft-related infections were observed. Simultaneous treatment of AAA and tumor did not prolong significantly the mean length of stay in the hospital, compared to standard treatment of AAA alone. Except for malignancies of organs requiring major surgical resections, simultaneous AAA repair and resection of an associated, unexpected abdominal neoplasm can be safely performed, in most of the patients, sparing the need for a second procedure. Endovascular grafting of the AAA can be a valuable tool in simplifying simultaneous treatment, or in staging the procedures with a very short delay.

  16. Activity and meaning-making in everyday life of people with advanced cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    la Cour, Karen; Johannessen, Helle; Josephsson, Staffan

    2009-01-01

    . A narrative of “being healthy although ill” provided an arena for exploring the contrast between simultaneously feeling well and severely ill. Further emplotment of activities in “routines and continuity” was identified as a means to provide a safe, familiar framework stimulating participants’ everyday agency...

  17. The simultaneous boost technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lebesque, J.V.; Keus, R.B.

    1991-01-01

    Simultaneous boost technique in radiotherapy consists of delivering the boost treatment (additional doses to reduced volumes) simultaneously with the basic (large-field) treatment for all treatment sessions. Both the dose per fraction delivered by basic-treatment fields and by boost-treatment fields have to be reduced to end up with the same total dose in boost volume as in the original schedule, where basic treatment preceded boost treatment. These dose reductions and corresponding weighting factors have been calculated using the linear-quadratic (LQ) model and the concept of Normalized Total Dose (NTD). Relative NTD distributions were computed to evaluate the dose distributions resulting for the simultaneous boost technique with respect to acute and late normal tissue damage and tumor control. For the example of treatment of prostate cancer the weighting factors were calculated on basis of NTD for late normal tissue damage. For treatment of oropharyngeal cancer NTD for acute and normal tissue damage was used to determine the weighting factors. In this last example a theoretical sparing of late normal tissue damage can be demonstrated. Another advantage of simultaneous boost technique is that megavoltage images of the large basic-treatment fields facilitates the determination of the position of the patient with respect to the small boost-treatment fields. (author). 42 refs., 8 figs

  18. How to Save You Skin When Processing L2 Idioms: An Eye Movement Analysis of Idiom Transparency and Cross-language Similarity among Bilinguals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Cieślicka

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The current study looks at whether bilinguals varying in language dominance show a processing advantage for idiomatic over non-idiomatic phrases and to what extent this effect is modulated by idiom transparency (i.e., the degree to which the idiom’s figurative meaning can be inferred from its literal analysis and cross-language similarity (i.e., the extent to which an idiom has an identical translation equivalent in another language. An eye tracking experiment was conducted in which Spanish-English bilinguals were presented with literally plausible (i.e., idioms that can be interpreted both figuratively and literally transparent (e.g., break the ice, where the figurative meaning can be deduced from analyzing the idiom literally and opaque idioms (e.g., hit the sack, where the meaning cannot be inferred from idiom constituents. Idioms varied along the dimension of cross-language similarity, with half the idioms having word for word translation equivalents in English and Spanish and another half being different, that is, having no similar counterpart in another language. Each idiom was used either in its literal (e.g., get cold feet: become coldor figurative meaning (e.g., get cold feet: become afraid. In control phrases the last word of the idiom was replaced by a carefully matched control (e.g., get cold hands. Reading measures (fixation count, first pass/gaze reading time and total reading time revealed that cross-language similarity interacts in an important way with idiom transparency, such that opaque idioms were more difficult to process than transparent ones, and different transparent idioms took faster to process than similar transparent idioms. Results are discussed with regard to the holistic vs. compositional views of idiom storage and the role of activated L1 (first language knowledge in the course of L2 (second language figurative processing.

  19. Simultaneous compared with sequential blood pressure measurement results in smaller inter-arm blood pressure differences

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Hoeven, Niels V.; Lodestijn, Sophie; Nanninga, Stephanie; van Montfrans, Gert A.; van den Born, Bert-Jan H.

    2013-01-01

    There are currently few recommendations on how to assess inter-arm blood pressure (BP) differences. The authors compared simultaneous with sequential measurement on mean BP, inter-arm BP differences, and within-visit reproducibility in 240 patients stratified according to age ( <50 or ≥60 years) and

  20. Simultaneous determination of 41 multiclass organic pollutants in environmental waters by means of polyethersulfone microextraction followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mijangos, Leire; Ziarrusta, Haizea; Olivares, Maitane; Zuloaga, Olatz; Möder, Monika; Etxebarria, Nestor; Prieto, Ailette

    2018-01-01

    A new procedure using polyethersulfone (PES) microextraction followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis was developed in this work for the simultaneous determination of 41 multiclass priority and emerging organic pollutants including herbicides, hormones, personal care products, and pharmaceuticals, among others, in seawater, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents, and estuary samples. The optimization of the analysis included two different chromatographic columns and different variables (polarity, fragmentor voltage, collision energy, and collision cell accelerator) of the mass spectrometer. In the case of PES extraction, ion strength of the water, pH, addition of EDTA, and the amount of the polymeric material were thoroughly investigated. The developed procedure was compared with a previously validated one based on a standard solid-phase extraction (SPE). In contrast to the SPE protocol, the PES method allowed a cost-efficient extraction of complex aqueous samples with lower matrix effect from 120 mL of water sample. Satisfactory and comparable apparent recovery values (80-119 and 70-131%) and method quantification limits (MQLs, 0.4-26 and 0.2-23 ng/L) were obtained for PES and SPE procedures, respectively, regardless of the matrix. Repeatability values lower than 27% were obtained. Finally, the developed methods were applied to the analysis of real samples from the Basque Country and irbesartan, valsartan, acesulfame, and sucralose were the analytes most often detected at the highest concentrations (51-1096 ng/L). Graphical abstract Forty-one multiclass pollutant determination in environmental waters by means of PES/SPE-LC-MS/MS.

  1. Simultaneous surgery in patients with both cardiac and noncardiac diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yang Y

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Yang Yang,1 Feng Xiao,1 Jin Wang,1 Bo Song,1 Xi-Hui Li,1 Jian Li,2 Zhi-Song He,3 Huan Zhang,4 Ling Yin5 1Department of Cardiac Surgery, 2Department of Thoracic Surgery, 3Department of Urology Surgery, 4Department of General Surgery, 5Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China Background: To investigate the possibility and feasibility of simultaneous cardiac and noncardiac surgery.Methods: From August 2000 to March 2015, 64 patients suffering from cardiac and noncardiac diseases have been treated by simultaneous surgeries.Results: Two patients died after operations in hospital; thus, the hospital mortality rate was 3.1%. One patient with coronary heart disease, acute myocardial infarction, and a recurrence of bladder cancer accepted emergency simultaneous coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG, bladder cystectomy, and ureterostomy. He died of acute cerebral infarction complicated with multiple organ failure on the 153rd day after operation. The other patient with chronic constrictive pericarditis and right lung cancer underwent pericardial stripping and right lung lower lobectomy, which resulted in multiple organ failure, and the patient died on the tenth day postoperatively. The remaining 62 patients recovered and were discharged. The total operative morbidity was 17.2%: postoperative hemorrhage (n, % [1, 1.6%], pulmonary infection and hypoxemia (2, 3.1%, hemorrhage of upper digestive tract (1, 1.6%, incisional infection (3, 4.7%, subphrenic abscess (1, 1.6%, and postoperative acute renal failure and hemofiltration (3, 4.7%. Of the 62 patients discharged, 61 patients were followed up. Eleven patients died with 10 months to 10 years during the follow-up. The mean survival time is 116.2±12.4 months. The cumulative survival rate is 50.8%.Conclusion: Simultaneous surgeries in patients suffering from both cardiac and noncardiac benign or malignant diseases are safe and possible

  2. The comprehension of ambiguous idioms in aphasic patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cacciari, Cristina; Reati, Fabiola; Colombo, Maria Rosa; Padovani, Roberto; Rizzo, Silvia; Papagno, Costanza

    2006-01-01

    The ability to understand ambiguous idioms was assessed in 15 aphasic patients with preserved comprehension at a single word level. A string-to-word matching task was used. Patients were requested to choose one among four alternatives: a word associated with the figurative meaning of the idiom string; a word semantically associate with the last constituent of the idiom string; and two unrelated words. The results showed that patients' performance was impaired with respect to a group of matched controls, with patients showing a frontal and/or temporal lesion being the most impaired. A significant number of semantically associate errors were produced, suggesting an impairment of inhibition mechanisms and/or of recognition/activation of the idiomatic meaning.

  3. Non-parametric classification of esophagus motility by means of neural networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thøgersen, C; Rasmussen, C; Rutz, K

    1997-01-01

    . The aim of the present work has been to test the ability of neural networks to identify abnormal contraction patterns in patients with non-obstructive dysphagia (NOBD). Nineteen volunteers and 22 patients with NOBD underwent simultaneous recordings of four pressures in the esophagus for at least 23 hours......Automatic long-term recording of esophageal pressures by means of intraluminal transducers is used increasingly for evaluation of esophageal function. Most automatic analysis techniques are based on detection of derived parameters from the time series by means of arbitrary rule-based criterions...

  4. Porous Silicon–Carbon Composite Materials Engineered by Simultaneous Alkaline Etching for High-Capacity Lithium Storage Anodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sohn, Myungbeom; Kim, Dae Sik; Park, Hyeong-Il; Kim, Jae-Hun; Kim, Hansu

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A porous Si–C anode is obtained by alkaline etching of a non-porous Si–C composite. • The pores in the carbon frame are created by simultaneous etching of Si and carbon. • The cycle life is greatly improved after the alkaline treatment. • The porous Si–C composite electrode shows high dimensional stability during cycling. - Abstract: Porous silicon–carbon (Si–C) composite materials have attracted a great deal of attention as high-performance anode materials for Li-ion batteries (LIBs), but their use suffers from the complex and limited synthetic routes for their preparation. Herein we demonstrate a scalable and nontoxic method to synthesize porous Si–C composite materials by means of simultaneous chemical etching of Si and carbon phases using alkaline solution. The resulting porous Si–C composite material showed greatly improved cycle performance, good rate capability, and high dimensional stability during cycling. Porous Si–C electrode showed an expansion of the height by about 22% after the first lithiation and only 16% after the first cycle. The material synthesis concept and scalable simultaneous etching approach presented here represent a means of improving the electrochemical properties of Si-based porous anode materials for use in commercial LIBs.

  5. Simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim residues on manufacturing equipment surfaces

    OpenAIRE

    Coutinho, Roberto C.; Barbosa, Elder T.; Sena, Marcelo M.; Pérez, Caridad Noda

    2009-01-01

    A cleaning validation method was developed and validated, based on swabbing sampling and simultaneous chromatographic determination of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP) residues. The method presented limits of detection of 0.06 mg mL-1 for SMX and 0.09 mg mL-1 for TMP. It was considered selective, precise, accurate and robust according to the guidelines from ANVISA, the Brazilian regulatory agency, and International Conference on Harmonization. Mean swab recovery factors of 98.5% ...

  6. Simultaneous orthogonal plane imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mickevicius, Nikolai J; Paulson, Eric S

    2017-11-01

    Intrafraction motion can result in a smearing of planned external beam radiation therapy dose distributions, resulting in an uncertainty in dose actually deposited in tissue. The purpose of this paper is to present a pulse sequence that is capable of imaging a moving target at a high frame rate in two orthogonal planes simultaneously for MR-guided radiotherapy. By balancing the zero gradient moment on all axes, slices in two orthogonal planes may be spatially encoded simultaneously. The orthogonal slice groups may be acquired with equal or nonequal echo times. A Cartesian spoiled gradient echo simultaneous orthogonal plane imaging (SOPI) sequence was tested in phantom and in vivo. Multiplexed SOPI acquisitions were performed in which two parallel slices were imaged along two orthogonal axes simultaneously. An autocalibrating phase-constrained 2D-SENSE-GRAPPA (generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition) algorithm was implemented to reconstruct the multiplexed data. SOPI images without intraslice motion artifacts were reconstructed at a maximum frame rate of 8.16 Hz. The 2D-SENSE-GRAPPA reconstruction separated the parallel slices aliased along each orthogonal axis. The high spatiotemporal resolution provided by SOPI has the potential to be beneficial for intrafraction motion management during MR-guided radiation therapy or other MRI-guided interventions. Magn Reson Med 78:1700-1710, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  7. The Role of Semantic Transfer in Clitic Drop among Simultaneous and Sequential Chinese-Spanish Bilinguals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuza, Alejandro; Perez-Leroux, Ana Teresa; Sanchez, Liliana

    2013-01-01

    This study examines the acquisition of the featural constraints on clitic and null distribution in Spanish among simultaneous and sequential Chinese-Spanish bilinguals from Peru. A truth value judgment task targeted the referential meaning of null objects in a negation context. Objects were elicited via two clitic elicitation tasks that targeted…

  8. Method of simultaneous recovery of oil and sulfur from bituminous shales

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1919-02-25

    The method consists of means for dry distillation of bituminous shales in furnaces heated from inside to recover simultaneously oil and sulfur, and is characterized by obtaining the sulfur partly in the form of sulfuretted hydrogen as a direct distillation product produced in the upper part of the furnace and partly in the form of free sulfur formed in the reduction zone of the furnace by the reduction of the sulfur dioxide formed in the burning zone. It is also characterized by the recovery of sulfur--in so far as the reduction and formation of sulfur dioxide are concerned--being regulated by means of the corresponding regulation of the proportion of the speed of discharging to the amount of air introduced into the process.

  9. Three-Dimensional Conformal Simultaneously Integrated Boost Technique for Breast-Conserving Radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laan, Hans Paul van der; Dolsma, Wil V.; Maduro, John H.; Korevaar, Erik W.; Hollander, Miranda; Langendijk, Johannes A.

    2007-01-01

    Purpose: To compare the target coverage and normal tissue dose with the simultaneously integrated boost (SIB) and the sequential boost technique in breast cancer, and to evaluate the incidence of acute skin toxicity in patients treated with the SIB technique. Methods and Materials: Thirty patients with early-stage left-sided breast cancer underwent breast-conserving radiotherapy using the SIB technique. The breast and boost planning target volumes (PTVs) were treated simultaneously (i.e., for each fraction, the breast and boost PTVs received 1.81 Gy and 2.3 Gy, respectively). Three-dimensional conformal beams with wedges were shaped and weighted using forward planning. Dose-volume histograms of the PTVs and organs at risk with the SIB technique, 28 x (1.81 + 0.49 Gy), were compared with those for the sequential boost technique, 25 x 2 Gy + 8 x 2 Gy. Acute skin toxicity was evaluated for 90 patients treated with the SIB technique according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 3.0. Results: PTV coverage was adequate with both techniques. With SIB, more efficiently shaped boost beams resulted in smaller irradiated volumes. The mean volume receiving ≥107% of the breast dose was reduced by 20%, the mean volume outside the boost PTV receiving ≥95% of the boost dose was reduced by 54%, and the mean heart and lung dose were reduced by 10%. Of the evaluated patients, 32.2% had Grade 2 or worse toxicity. Conclusion: The SIB technique is proposed for standard use in breast-conserving radiotherapy because of its dose-limiting capabilities, easy implementation, reduced number of treatment fractions, and relatively low incidence of acute skin toxicity

  10. a Method for Simultaneous Aerial and Terrestrial Geodata Acquisition for Corridor Mapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molina, P.; Blázquez, M.; Sastre, J.; Colomina, I.

    2015-08-01

    In this paper, we present mapKITE, a new mobile, simultaneous terrestrial and aerial, geodata collection and post-processing method. On one side, the method combines a terrestrial mobile mapping system (TMMS) with an unmanned aerial mapping one, both equipped with remote sensing payloads (at least, a nadir-looking visible-band camera in the UA) by means of which aerial and terrestrial geodata are acquired simultaneously. This tandem geodata acquisition system is based on a terrestrial vehicle (TV) and on an unmanned aircraft (UA) linked by a 'virtual tether', that is, a mechanism based on the real-time supply of UA waypoints by the TV. By means of the TV-to-UA tether, the UA follows the TV keeping a specific relative TV-to-UA spatial configuration enabling the simultaneous operation of both systems to obtain highly redundant and complementary geodata. On the other side, mapKITE presents a novel concept for geodata post-processing favoured by the rich geometrical aspects derived from the mapKITE tandem simultaneous operation. The approach followed for sensor orientation and calibration of the aerial images captured by the UA inherits the principles of Integrated Sensor Orientation (ISO) and adds the pointing-and-scaling photogrammetric measurement of a distinctive element observed in every UA image, which is a coded target mounted on the roof of the TV. By means of the TV navigation system, the orientation of the TV coded target is performed and used in the post-processing UA image orientation approach as a Kinematic Ground Control Point (KGCP). The geometric strength of a mapKITE ISO network is therefore high as it counts with the traditional tie point image measurements, static ground control points, kinematic aerial control and the new point-and-scale measurements of the KGCPs. With such a geometry, reliable system and sensor orientation and calibration and eventual further reduction of the number of traditional ground control points is feasible. The different

  11. Using Spread Spectrum Transform for Fast and Robust Simultaneous Measurement in Active Sensors with Multiple Emitters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harbo, Anders La-Cour; Stoustrup, Jakob

    2002-01-01

    We present a signal processing algorithm for making robust and simultaneous measurements in an active sensor, which has one or more emitters and a receiver, and which employs some sort of signal processing hardware. Robustness means low sensitivity to time and frequency localized disturbances......-cost active sensors....

  12. Morphological isolates in idioms: cranberries or real words?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nenonen, M; Niemi, J

    The present study focuses on a subtype of Finnish nouns that appear only as complements in idiomatic verb phrases. In addition to the idioms as their sole environment, these idiomatic isolates, as we call them, are typically frozen to a single case form. In two experiments, in a subjective rating task and a lexical decision task, the isolates are pitted against ordinary nouns and nouns that appear as frozen forms in idioms in addition to being ordinary, free words. The experiments show that the isolates, in spite of their defective syntactic and morphological properties, are processed like ordinary lexical items. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

  13. Numbers of simultaneous turnovers calculated from anesthesia or operating room information management system data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dexter, Franklin; Marcon, Eric; Aker, John; Epstein, Richard H

    2009-09-01

    More personnel are needed to turn over operating rooms (ORs) promptly when there are more simultaneous turnovers. Anesthesia and/or OR information management system data can be analyzed statistically to quantify simultaneous turnovers to evaluate whether to add an additional turnover team. Data collected for each case at a six OR facility were room, date of surgery, time of patient entry into the OR, and time of patient exit from the OR. The number of simultaneous turnovers was calculated for each 1 min of 122 4-wk periods. Our end point was the reduction in the daily minutes of simultaneous turnovers exceeding the number of teams caused by the addition of a team. Increasing from two turnover teams to three teams reduced the mean daily minutes of simultaneous turnovers exceeding the numbers of teams by 19 min. The ratio of 19 min to 8 h valued the time of extra personnel as 4.0% of the time of OR staff, surgeons, and anesthesia providers. Validity was suggested by other methods of analyses also suggesting staffing for three simultaneous turnovers. Discrete-event simulation showed that the reduction in daily minutes of turnover times from the addition of a team would likely match or exceed the reduction in the daily minutes of simultaneous turnovers exceeding the numbers of teams. Confidence intervals for daily minutes of turnover times achieved by increasing from two to three teams were calculated using successive 4-wk periods. The distribution was sufficiently close to normal that accurate confidence intervals could be calculated using Student's t distribution (Lilliefors' test P = 0.58). Analysis generally should use 13 4-wk periods as increasing the number of periods from 6 to 13 significantly reduced the coefficient of variation of the averages but not increasing the number of periods from 6 to 9 or from 9 to 13. The number of simultaneous turnovers can be calculated for each 1 min over 1 yr. The reduction in the daily minutes of simultaneous turnovers

  14. Simultaneous invention and the patent law

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Howells, John

    inventions they often find this to challenge the idea that patent law (which rewards only the first inventor with exclusive rights) is needed to encourage invention and innovation. We review the empirical evidence alleged to show that simultaneous invention is prevalent for important inventions. In general...... is typical of important pioneer inventions in both survey evidence and alleged illustrative cases of simultaneous invention. We show this in the cases of Edison, the Wright brothers, the Selden automobile patent vis a vis Ford, Watt and the steam engine. We then point out that patent law inherently ensures...... that patent protection is not extended to near simultaneous inventions. There remain a number of simultaneous inventions discovered through interference proceedings but we find the number too small to mount a serious challenge to the general operation of patent law....

  15. P-Q simultaneous control scheme for SMES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsuji, K.; Ise, T.; Murakami, Y.

    1981-01-01

    Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) can be looked at as a control device as well as an effective energy storage device in power system applications. Thus far, active power control and reactive power control seem to have been treated separately. However, under some minor constraints, active (P) and reactive power (Q) may be controlled simultaneously and this capability is perhaps one of the most valuable characteristics of SMES in power system applications. In this brief paper, we examine the possibility of controlling active and reactive power simultaneously (henceforth we call it P-Q simultaneous control) and propose a direct digital control algorithm for the P-Q simultaneous control of SMES. Some simulation results are presented. In addition, a hierarchical control scheme for SMES at a load center is briefly discussed as an extension of P-Q simultaneous control presented in this paper

  16. Mean field strategies induce unrealistic nonlinearities in calcium puffs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guillermo eSolovey

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Mean field models are often useful approximations to biological systems, but sometimes, they can yield misleading results. In this work, we compare mean field approaches with stochastic models of intracellular calcium release. In particular, we concentrate on calcium signals generated by the concerted opening of several clustered channels (calcium puffs. To this end we simulate calcium puffs numerically and then try to reproduce features of the resulting calcium distribution using mean field models were all the channels open and close simultaneously. We show that an unrealistic nonlinear relationship between the current and the number of open channels is needed to reproduce the simulated puffs. Furthermore, a single channel current which is five times smaller than the one of the stochastic simulations is also needed. Our study sheds light on the importance of the stochastic kinetics of the calcium release channel activity to estimate the release fluxes.

  17. An approach for analyzing the ensemble mean from a dynamic point of view

    OpenAIRE

    Pengfei, Wang

    2014-01-01

    Simultaneous ensemble mean equations (LEMEs) for the Lorenz model are obtained, enabling us to analyze the properties of the ensemble mean from a dynamical point of view. The qualitative analysis for the two-sample and n-sample LEMEs show the locations and number of stable points are different from the Lorenz equations (LEs), and the results are validated by numerical experiments. The analysis for the eigenmatrix of the stable points of LEMEs indicates that the stability of these stable point...

  18. Simultaneous Multiple Preoperative Localizations of Small Pulmonary Lesions Using a Short Hook Wire and Suture System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iguchi, Toshihiro; Hiraki, Takao; Gobara, Hideo; Fujiwara, Hiroyasu; Matsui, Yusuke; Sugimoto, Seiichiro; Toyooka, Shinichi; Oto, Takahiro; Miyoshi, Shinichiro; Kanazawa, Susumu

    2015-01-01

    PurposeThe aim of the study was to retrospectively evaluate simultaneous multiple hook wire placement outcomes before video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).Materials and MethodsThirty-eight procedures were performed on 35 patients (13 men and 22 women; mean age, 59.9 years) with 80 lung lesions (mean diameter 7.9 mm) who underwent simultaneous multiple hook wire placements for preoperative localizations. The primary endpoints were technical success, complications, procedure duration, and VATS outcome; secondary endpoints included comparisons between technical success rates, complication rates, and procedure durations of the 238 single-placement procedures performed. Complications were also evaluated.ResultsIn 35 procedures including 74 lesions, multiple hook wire placements were technically successful; in the remaining three procedures, the second target placement was aborted because of massive pneumothorax after the first placement. Although complications occurred in 34 procedures, no grade 3 or above adverse event was observed. The mean procedure duration was 36.4 ± 11.8 min. Three hook wires dislodged during patient transport to the surgical suite. Seventy-four successfully marked lesions were resected. Six lesions without hook wires were successfully resected after detection by palpation with an additional mini-thoracotomy or using subtle pleural changes as a guide. The complication rates and procedure durations of multiple-placement procedures were significantly higher (P = 0.04) and longer (P < 0.001) than those in the single-placement group, respectively, while the technical success rate was not significantly different (P = 0.051).ConclusionsSimultaneous multiple hook wire placements before VATS were clinically feasible, but increased the complication rate and lengthened the procedure time

  19. Simultaneous Multiple Preoperative Localizations of Small Pulmonary Lesions Using a Short Hook Wire and Suture System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iguchi, Toshihiro, E-mail: iguchi@ba2.so-net.ne.jp; Hiraki, Takao, E-mail: takaoh@tc4.so-net.ne.jp; Gobara, Hideo, E-mail: gobara@cc.okayama-u.ac.jp; Fujiwara, Hiroyasu, E-mail: hirofujiwar@gmail.com; Matsui, Yusuke, E-mail: wckyh140@yahoo.co.jp [Okayama University Medical School, Department of Radiology (Japan); Sugimoto, Seiichiro, E-mail: sei1675sugi@yahoo.co.jp; Toyooka, Shinichi, E-mail: shintoyooka@gmail.com; Oto, Takahiro, E-mail: yellowpeachoto@hotmail.com; Miyoshi, Shinichiro, E-mail: smiyoshi@md.okayama-u.ac.jp [Okayama University Medical School, Department of General Thoracic Surgery (Japan); Kanazawa, Susumu, E-mail: susumu@cc.okayama-u.ac.jp [Okayama University Medical School, Department of Radiology (Japan)

    2015-08-15

    PurposeThe aim of the study was to retrospectively evaluate simultaneous multiple hook wire placement outcomes before video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).Materials and MethodsThirty-eight procedures were performed on 35 patients (13 men and 22 women; mean age, 59.9 years) with 80 lung lesions (mean diameter 7.9 mm) who underwent simultaneous multiple hook wire placements for preoperative localizations. The primary endpoints were technical success, complications, procedure duration, and VATS outcome; secondary endpoints included comparisons between technical success rates, complication rates, and procedure durations of the 238 single-placement procedures performed. Complications were also evaluated.ResultsIn 35 procedures including 74 lesions, multiple hook wire placements were technically successful; in the remaining three procedures, the second target placement was aborted because of massive pneumothorax after the first placement. Although complications occurred in 34 procedures, no grade 3 or above adverse event was observed. The mean procedure duration was 36.4 ± 11.8 min. Three hook wires dislodged during patient transport to the surgical suite. Seventy-four successfully marked lesions were resected. Six lesions without hook wires were successfully resected after detection by palpation with an additional mini-thoracotomy or using subtle pleural changes as a guide. The complication rates and procedure durations of multiple-placement procedures were significantly higher (P = 0.04) and longer (P < 0.001) than those in the single-placement group, respectively, while the technical success rate was not significantly different (P = 0.051).ConclusionsSimultaneous multiple hook wire placements before VATS were clinically feasible, but increased the complication rate and lengthened the procedure time.

  20. Prostate stereotactic body radiotherapy with simultaneous integrated boost: which is the best planning method?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tree, Alison; Jones, Caroline; Sohaib, Aslam; Khoo, Vincent; As, Nicholas van

    2013-01-01

    The delivery of a simultaneous integrated boost to the intra-prostatic tumour nodule may improve local control. The ability to deliver such treatments with hypofractionated SBRT was attempted using RapidArc (Varian Medical systems, Palo Alto, CA) and Multiplan (Accuray inc, Sunnyvale, CA). 15 patients with dominant prostate nodules had RapidArc and Multiplan plans created using a 5 mm isotropic margin, except 3 mm posteriorly, aiming to deliver 47.5 Gy in 5 fractions to the boost whilst treating the whole prostate to 36.25 Gy in 5 fractions. An additional RapidArc plan was created using an 8 mm isotropic margin, except 5 mm posteriorly, to account for lack of intrafraction tracking. Both RapidArc and Multiplan can produce clinically acceptable boost plans to a dose of 47.5 Gy in 5 fractions. The mean rectal doses were lower for RapidArc plans (D50 13.2 Gy vs 15.5 Gy) but the number of missed constraints was the same for both planning methods (11/75). When the margin was increased to 8 mm/5 mm for the RapidArc plans to account for intrafraction motion, 37/75 constraints were missed. RapidArc and Multiplan can produce clinically acceptable simultaneous integrated boost plans, but the mean rectal D50 and D20 with RapidArc are lower. If the margins are increased to account for intrafraction motion, the RapidArc plans exceed at least one dose constraint in 13/15 cases. Delivering a simultaneous boost with hypofractionation appears feasible, but requires small margins needing intrafraction motion tracking

  1. The concept of ‘time’ in Spanish and Serbian phraseology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andjelka Pejović

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The fact that Spanish and Serbian belong to different linguistic families(within the larger Indo-European family, and that their respective cultures also differ considerably, underlying this analysis of phraseological units (idioms, in particular referring to the concept of “time”, a universal phenomenon presenting a variety of facets that can be analyzed from many different points of view. Our investigation is based on a corpus of some 350 idioms selected from different lexicographical sources (phraseological as well as general. We examine these idioms from a lexical-semantic perspective, always using a contrastive-analysis method, and we investigate the mechanism these two languages use when creating temporal idioms. We establish a general taxonomy of these expressions, classifying them in six groups according to their meaning: temporal relations, frequency, duration, temporal limits, rapidity, and temporal segments. Besides these groups with strictly temporal meaning, we distinguish one particular group consisted of temporal idioms displayed through the perspective of human life. At the beginning of our investigation we expected to encounter more differences when comparing their temporal idioms due to typological differences between the languages we examined. However, our study demonstrated that partial equivalents are predominant, in that they show many common features: temporal fixed expressions in either language do not present high level of idiomaticity (most of them are adverbial idioms and they oft en use lexemes with temporal meaning. Additionally, it also demonstrated that both languages use lexemes from the same semantic fields (names of fruits, names of animals but to express different temporal relations. The differences increase when comparing substantive, adjectival and verbal idioms, because they reveal a higher level of idiomaticity.

  2. Validated spectrophotometric methods for simultaneous determination of troxerutin and carbazochrome in dosage form

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khattab, Fatma I.; Ramadan, Nesrin K.; Hegazy, Maha A.; Al-Ghobashy, Medhat A.; Ghoniem, Nermine S.

    2015-03-01

    Four simple, accurate, sensitive and precise spectrophotometric methods were developed and validated for simultaneous determination of Troxerutin (TXN) and Carbazochrome (CZM) in their bulk powders, laboratory prepared mixtures and pharmaceutical dosage forms. Method A is first derivative spectrophotometry (D1) where TXN and CZM were determined at 294 and 483.5 nm, respectively. Method B is first derivative of ratio spectra (DD1) where the peak amplitude at 248 for TXN and 439 nm for CZM were used for their determination. Method C is ratio subtraction (RS); in which TXN was determined at its λmax (352 nm) in the presence of CZM which was determined by D1 at 483.5 nm. While, method D is mean centering of the ratio spectra (MCR) in which the mean centered values at 300 nm and 340.0 nm were used for the two drugs in a respective order. The two compounds were simultaneously determined in the concentration ranges of 5.00-50.00 μg mL-1 and 0.5-10.0 μg mL-1 for TXN and CZM, respectively. The methods were validated according to the ICH guidelines and the results were statistically compared to the manufacturer's method.

  3. Comparison of unilateral and simultaneous bilateral measurement of the globe position, using the Hertel exophthalmometer.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Ameri, Hossein

    2012-02-03

    PURPOSE: To assess the effect of simultaneous measurement of the two eyes in Hertel exophthalmometry (i.e., when both readings are taken sequentially, without removing the instrument from the orbital rims) and to find out whether simultaneous measurement would influence the final reading of each eye. METHODS: In this prospective, comparative study, Hertel exophthalmometry was performed on 61 patients by two experienced observers. Only patients with no history of orbital disease were included. Three different measurements were performed on each patient by each observer. Initially, the right eye was measured separately, then the left eye was measured separately, and finally, both eyes were measured together. RESULTS: When the eyes were measured separately, in 30% of cases observers obtained equal readings in both eyes; in 47%, the difference between the two eyes was 1 mm; and in 23%, the difference was 2 mm or more. However, in simultaneous bilateral measurements, in 73% of cases, observers obtained equal readings in both eyes; in 24%, the difference between the two eyes was 1 mm; and only in 3% was the difference 2 mm or greater. Paired t tests showed that the mean difference between measurements of the two eyes was significantly smaller in simultaneous bilateral measurements (p <0.001). Interobserver variation was similar for measurements taken separately on each eye and for simultaneous bilateral measurements. CONCLUSIONS: When both eyes were measured simultaneously with the Hertel exophthalmometer, examiners were inclined to obtain similar readings in both eyes of patients with symmetrical-appearing eyes. The possible bias arising this way may reduce the reliability of Hertel exophthalmometer in relative exophthalmometry.

  4. A probabilistic model for estimating the waiting time until the simultaneous collapse of two contingencies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnett, C.S.

    1991-06-01

    The Double Contingency Principle (DCP) is widely applied to criticality safety practice in the United States. Most practitioners base their application of the principle on qualitative, intuitive assessments. The recent trend toward probabilistic safety assessments provides a motive to search for a quantitative, probabilistic foundation for the DCP. A Markov model is tractable and leads to relatively simple results. The model yields estimates of mean time to simultaneous collapse of two contingencies as a function of estimates of mean failure times and mean recovery times of two independent contingencies. The model is a tool that can be used to supplement the qualitative methods now used to assess effectiveness of the DCP. 3 refs., 1 fig

  5. A probabilistic model for estimating the waiting time until the simultaneous collapse of two contingencies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnett, C.S.

    1991-01-01

    The Double Contingency Principle (DCP) is widely applied to criticality safety practice in the United States. Most practitioners base their application of the principle on qualitative, intuitive assessments. The recent trend toward probabilistic safety assessments provides a motive to search for a quantitative, probabilistic foundation for the DCP. A Markov model is tractable and leads to relatively simple results. The model yields estimates of mean time to simultaneous collapse of two contingencies as a function of estimates of mean failure times and mean recovery times of two independent contingencies. The model is a tool that can be used to supplement the qualitative methods now used to assess effectiveness of the DCP. (Author)

  6. A probabilistic model for estimating the waiting time until the simultaneous collapse of two contingencies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnett, C.S.

    1992-01-01

    The double contingency principle (DCP) is widely applied to criticality safety practice in the United States. Most practitioners base their application of the principle on qualitative and intuitive assessments. The recent trend toward probabilistic safety assessments provides a motive for a search for a quantitative and probabilistic foundation for the DCP. A Markov model is tractable and leads to relatively simple results. The model yields estimates of mean time to simultaneous collapse of two contingencies, as functions of estimates of mean failure times and mean recovery times of two independent contingencies. The model is a tool that can be used to supplement the qualitative methods now used to assess the effectiveness of the DCP. (Author)

  7. 5 CFR 1651.11 - Simultaneous death.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Simultaneous death. 1651.11 Section 1651.11 Administrative Personnel FEDERAL RETIREMENT THRIFT INVESTMENT BOARD DEATH BENEFITS § 1651.11 Simultaneous death. If a beneficiary dies at the same time as the participant, the beneficiary will be treated...

  8. Continuous and simultaneous estimation of finger kinematics using inputs from an EMG-to-muscle activation model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngeo, Jimson G; Tamei, Tomoya; Shibata, Tomohiro

    2014-08-14

    Surface electromyography (EMG) signals are often used in many robot and rehabilitation applications because these reflect motor intentions of users very well. However, very few studies have focused on the accurate and proportional control of the human hand using EMG signals. Many have focused on discrete gesture classification and some have encountered inherent problems such as electro-mechanical delays (EMD). Here, we present a new method for estimating simultaneous and multiple finger kinematics from multi-channel surface EMG signals. In this study, surface EMG signals from the forearm and finger kinematic data were extracted from ten able-bodied subjects while they were tasked to do individual and simultaneous multiple finger flexion and extension movements in free space. Instead of using traditional time-domain features of EMG, an EMG-to-Muscle Activation model that parameterizes EMD was used and shown to give better estimation performance. A fast feed forward artificial neural network (ANN) and a nonparametric Gaussian Process (GP) regressor were both used and evaluated to estimate complex finger kinematics, with the latter rarely used in the other related literature. The estimation accuracies, in terms of mean correlation coefficient, were 0.85 ± 0.07, 0.78 ± 0.06 and 0.73 ± 0.04 for the metacarpophalangeal (MCP), proximal interphalangeal (PIP) and the distal interphalangeal (DIP) finger joint DOFs, respectively. The mean root-mean-square error in each individual DOF ranged from 5 to 15%. We show that estimation improved using the proposed muscle activation inputs compared to other features, and that using GP regression gave better estimation results when using fewer training samples. The proposed method provides a viable means of capturing the general trend of finger movements and shows a good way of estimating finger joint kinematics using a muscle activation model that parameterizes EMD. The results from this study demonstrates a potential control

  9. Intracranial germinomas with simultaneous lesions at pineal and suprasellar regions: diagnostics and therapeutics considerations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cardenas, Bolivar; Cardenas, Nancy; Vasconez, Jose; Mena, Ivan

    1998-01-01

    Germinomas are the most common intracranial germ cell tumor. Germinomas comprise 65% of this type of tumor and represent a less malignant form. This neoplasm constitutes approximately 0.1% to 3.4% of all intracranial tumors. The embryologic origin remains a mystery. Ninety-five percent of germinomas arise in the region of the third ventricle, along an axis from the suprasellar cistern (48%) to the pineal region (37%, involvement of both sites, either sequentially or simultaneously, ocurred rarely (6%). Clinical presentation depends on tumor location and may involve endocrine, hypothalamic, visual and cognitive dysfunction. We report two cases of patients with germinomas with simultaneous lesions in both the suprasellar and pineal regions and review on the clinical presentation, means of diagnosis, treatment using radiotherapy and outcome of this rate treatable neoplasm. (The author)

  10. Simultaneous Fault Detection and Sensor Selection for Condition Monitoring of Wind Turbines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenna Zhang

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Data collected from the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA system are used widely in wind farms to obtain operation and performance information about wind turbines. The paper presents a three-way model by means of parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC for wind turbine fault detection and sensor selection, and evaluates the method with SCADA data obtained from an operational farm. The main characteristic of this new approach is that it can be used to simultaneously explore measurement sample profiles and sensors profiles to avoid discarding potentially relevant information for feature extraction. With K-means clustering method, the measurement data indicating normal, fault and alarm conditions of the wind turbines can be identified, and the sensor array can be optimised for effective condition monitoring.

  11. Open gas exchange system for simultaneous determination of the apparent CO2 assimilation by means of URAS technique and incorporation of 14C into plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schumann, F.; Merbach, W.; Freye, E.; Schilling, G.

    1988-01-01

    Apparent CO 2 assimilation and 14 C incorporation into intact plants (Hordeum distichon L., Beta vulgaris L., and Vicia faba L.) were simultaneously measured on the same leaf, using a simple combination of the URAS technique (infrared absorption recorder) and 14 CO 2 fumigation in an open system. As a result of 14 C discrimination during the CO 2 incorporation and respiration losses during harvest and post-harvest treatment, the 14 C method gave always lower CO 2 assimilation values (by 17 to 25%) than the URAS technique. Nevertheless, the results obtained by both methods were closely correlated. Therefore, for quantifying the assimilated CO 2 properly and simultaneously tracing the assimilates synthesized from CO 2 , it is not sufficient to measure solely 14 C incorporation, but to combine both techniques. The system presented is qualified to meet these requirements. (author)

  12. Why are idioms recognized fast?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabossi, Patrizia; Fanari, Rachele; Wolf, Kinou

    2009-06-01

    It is an established fact that idiomatic expressions are fast to process. However, the explanation of the phenomenon is controversial. Using a semantic judgment paradigm, where people decide whether a string is meaningful or not, the present experiment tested the predictions deriving from the three main theories of idiom recognition-the lexical representation hypothesis, the idiom decomposition hypothesis, and the configuration hypothesis. Participants were faster at judging decomposable idioms, nondecomposable idioms, and clichés than at judging their matched controls. The effect was comparable for all conventional expressions. The results were interpreted as suggesting that, as posited by the configuration hypothesis, the fact that they are known expressions, rather than idiomaticity, explains their fast recognition.

  13. Balanced Cluster Head Selection Based on Modified k-Means in a Distributed Wireless Sensor Network

    OpenAIRE

    Periyasamy, Sasikumar; Khara, Sibaram; Thangavelu, Shankar

    2016-01-01

    A major problem with Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is the maximization of effective network lifetime through minimization of energy usage in the network nodes. A modified k-means (Mk-means) algorithm for clustering was proposed which includes three cluster heads (simultaneously chosen) for each cluster. These cluster heads (CHs) use a load sharing mechanism to rotate as the active cluster head, which conserves residual energy of the nodes, thereby extending network lifetime. Moreover, it re...

  14. Isobutane Alkylation Process Synthesis by means of Hybrid Simulation-Multiobjective Optimization

    OpenAIRE

    Fernandez-Torres, Maria J.; García, Norberto; Caballero, José A.

    2014-01-01

    Multiobjective Generalized Disjunctive Programming (MO-GDP) optimization has been used for the synthesis of an important industrial process, isobutane alkylation. The two objective functions to be simultaneously optimized are the environmental impact, determined by means of LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), and the economic potential of the process. The main reason for including the minimization of the environmental impact in the optimization process is the widespread environmental concern by the ...

  15. High-dose simultaneously integrated breast boost using intensity-modulated radiotherapy and inverse optimization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hurkmans, Coen W.; Meijer, Gert J.; Vliet-Vroegindeweij, Corine van; Sangen, Maurice J. van der; Cassee, Jorien

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: Recently a Phase III randomized trial has started comparing a boost of 16 Gy as part of whole-breast irradiation to a high boost of 26 Gy in young women. Our main aim was to develop an efficient simultaneously integrated boost (SIB) technique for the high-dose arm of the trial. Methods and Materials: Treatment planning was performed for 5 left-sided and 5 right-sided tumors. A tangential field intensity-modulated radiotherapy technique added to a sequentially planned 3-field boost (SEQ) was compared with a simultaneously planned technique (SIB) using inverse optimization. Normalized total dose (NTD)-corrected dose volume histogram parameters were calculated and compared. Results: The intended NTD was produced by 31 fractions of 1.66 Gy to the whole breast and 2.38 Gy to the boost volume. The average volume of the PTV-breast and PTV-boost receiving more than 95% of the prescribed dose was 97% or more for both techniques. Also, the mean lung dose and mean heart dose did not differ much between the techniques, with on average 3.5 Gy and 2.6 Gy for the SEQ and 3.8 Gy and 2.6 Gy for the SIB, respectively. However, the SIB resulted in a significantly more conformal irradiation of the PTV-boost. The volume of the PTV-breast, excluding the PTV-boost, receiving a dose higher than 95% of the boost dose could be reduced considerably using the SIB as compared with the SEQ from 129 cc (range, 48-262 cc) to 58 cc (range, 30-102 cc). Conclusions: A high-dose simultaneously integrated breast boost technique has been developed. The unwanted excessive dose to the breast was significantly reduced

  16. Extraction as a source of additional information when concentrations in multicomponent systems are simultaneously determined

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perkov, I.G.

    1988-01-01

    Using as an example photometric determination of Nd and Sm in their joint presence, the possibility to use the influence of extraction on analytic signal increase is considered. It is shown that interligand exchange in extracts in combination with simultaneous determination of concentrations can be used as a simple means increasing the accuracy of determination. 5 refs.; 2 figs.; 3 tabs

  17. Basic characteristics of simultaneous color contrast revisited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ekroll, Vebjørn; Faul, Franz

    2012-10-01

    In this article, we present evidence supporting the hypothesis that the local mechanism of simultaneous color contrast is the same as the mechanism responsible for the crispening effect and the gamut expansion effect. A theoretically important corollary of this hypothesis is that the basic characteristics of simultaneous contrast are at odds with traditional laws. First, this hypothesis implies that the direction of the simultaneous contrast effect in color space is given by the vector from surround to target and not--as traditionally assumed--by the hue complementary to that of the surround. Second, it implies that the size of the simultaneous contrast effect depends on the difference between the target and surround colors in a way that challenges Kirschmann's fourth law. The widespread belief in the traditional laws, we argue, is due to the confounding influence of temporal adaptation.

  18. Simultaneous Rheoelectric Measurements of Strongly Conductive Complex Fluids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helal, Ahmed; Divoux, Thibaut; McKinley, Gareth H.

    2016-12-01

    We introduce an modular fixture designed for stress-controlled rheometers to perform simultaneous rheological and electrical measurements on strongly conductive complex fluids under shear. By means of a nontoxic liquid metal at room temperature, the electrical connection to the rotating shaft is completed with minimal additional mechanical friction, allowing for simultaneous stress measurements at values as low as 1 Pa. Motivated by applications such as flow batteries, we use the capabilities of this design to perform an extensive set of rheoelectric experiments on gels formulated from attractive carbon-black particles, at concentrations ranging from 4 to 15 wt %. First, experiments on gels at rest prepared with different shear histories show a robust power-law scaling between the elastic modulus G0' and the conductivity σ0 of the gels—i.e., G0'˜σ0α, with α =1.65 ±0.04 , regardless of the gel concentration. Second, we report conductivity measurements performed simultaneously with creep experiments. Changes in conductivity in the early stage of the experiments, also known as the Andrade-creep regime, reveal for the first time that plastic events take place in the bulk, while the shear rate γ ˙ decreases as a weak power law of time. The subsequent evolution of the conductivity and the shear rate allows us to propose a local yielding scenario that is in agreement with previous velocimetry measurements. Finally, to establish a set of benchmark data, we determine the constitutive rheological and electrical behavior of carbon-black gels. Corrections first introduced for mechanical measurements regarding shear inhomogeneity and wall slip are carefully extended to electrical measurements to accurately distinguish between bulk and surface contributions to the conductivity. As an illustrative example, we examine the constitutive rheoelectric properties of five different grades of carbon-black gels and we demonstrate the relevance of this rheoelectric apparatus as a

  19. Simultaneous Implantation of an Ahmed and Baerveldt Glaucoma Drainage Device for Uncontrolled Intraocular Pressure in Advanced Glaucoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Veena S; Christenbury, Joseph; Lee, Paul; Allingham, Rand; Herndon, Leon; Challa, Pratap

    2017-02-01

    To evaluate efficacy and safety of a novel technique, simultaneous implantation of Ahmed and Baerveldt shunts, for improved control of intraocular pressure (IOP) in advanced glaucoma with visual field defects threatening central fixation. Retrospective case series; all patients receiving simultaneous Ahmed and Baerveldt implantation at a single institution between October 2004 and October 2009 were included. Records were reviewed preoperatively and at postoperative day 1, week 1, month 1, month 3, month 6, year 1, and yearly until year 5. Outcome measures included IOP, best-corrected visual acuity, visual field mean deviation, cup to disc ratio, number of glaucoma medications, and complications. Fifty-nine eyes were identified; mean (±SD) follow-up was 26±23 months. Primary open-angle glaucoma was most common (n=37, 63%). Forty-six eyes (78%) had prior incisional surgery. Mean preoperative IOP was 25.5±9.8 mm Hg. IOP was reduced 50% day 1 (Pglaucoma tube implantation with effects persisting over postoperative year 1 and up to year 5. Complications were higher than that seen in reports of single shunt implantation, which may be explained by patient complexity in this cohort. This technique may prove a promising novel approach for management of uncontrolled IOP in advanced glaucoma.

  20. Simultaneous communication supports learning in noise by cochlear implant users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blom, Helen; Marschark, Marc; Machmer, Elizabeth

    2017-01-01

    This study sought to evaluate the potential of using spoken language and signing together (simultaneous communication, SimCom, sign-supported speech) as a means of improving speech recognition, comprehension, and learning by cochlear implant (CI) users in noisy contexts. Forty eight college students who were active CI users, watched videos of three short presentations, the text versions of which were standardized at the 8 th -grade reading level. One passage was presented in spoken language only, one was presented in spoken language with multi-talker babble background noise, and one was presented via simultaneous communication with the same background noise. Following each passage, participants responded to 10 (standardized) open-ended questions designed to assess comprehension. Indicators of participants' spoken language and sign language skills were obtained via self-reports and objective assessments. When spoken materials were accompanied by signs, scores were significantly higher than when materials were spoken in noise without signs. Participants' receptive spoken language skills significantly predicted scores in all three conditions; neither their receptive sign skills nor age of implantation predicted performance. Students who are CI users typically rely solely on spoken language in the classroom. The present results, however, suggest that there are potential benefits of simultaneous communication for such learners in noisy settings. For those CI users who know sign language, the redundancy of speech and signs potentially can offset the reduced fidelity of spoken language in noise. Accompanying spoken language with signs can benefit learners who are CI users in noisy situations such as classroom settings. Factors associated with such benefits, such as receptive skills in signed and spoken modalities, classroom acoustics, and material difficulty need to be empirically examined.

  1. Comparison of sequential vs same-day simultaneous collagen cross-linking and topography-guided PRK for treatment of keratoconus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanellopoulos, Anastasios John

    2009-09-01

    The safety and efficacy of corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) and topography-guided photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) using a different sequence and timing were evaluated in consecutive keratoconus cases. This study included a total of 325 eyes with keratoconus. Eyes were divided into two groups. The first group (n=127 eyes) underwent CXL with subsequent topography-guided PRK performed 6 months later (sequential group) and the second group (n=198 eyes) underwent CXL and PRK in a combined procedure on the same day (simultaneous group). Statistical differences were examined for pre- to postoperative changes in uncorrected (UCVA, logMAR) and best-spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA, logMAR), manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE), keratometry (K), topography, central corneal thickness, endothelial cell count, corneal haze, and ectatic progression. Mean follow-up was 36+/-18 months (range: 24 to 68 months). At last follow-up in the sequential group, the mean UCVA improved from 0.9+/-0.3 logMAR to 0.49+/-0.25 logMAR, and mean BSCVA from 0.41+/-0.25 logMAR to 0.16+/-0.22 logMAR. Mean reduction in spherical equivalent refraction was 2.50+/-1.20 diopters (D), mean haze score was 1.2+/-0.5, and mean reduction in K was 2.75+/-1.30 D. In the simultaneous group, mean UCVA improved from 0.96+/-0.2 logMAR to 0.3+/-0.2 logMAR, and mean BSCVA from 0.39+/-0.3 logMAR to 0.11+/-0.16 logMAR. Mean reduction in spherical equivalent refraction was 3.20+/-1.40 D, mean haze score was 0.5+/-0.3, and mean reduction in K was 3.50+/-1.3 D. Endothelial cell count preoperatively and at last follow-up was unchanged (PPRK and CXL appears to be superior to sequential CXL with later PRK in the visual rehabilitation of progressing keratoconus. Copyright 2009, SLACK Incorporated.

  2. Simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery: economic analysis; Helsinki Simultaneous Bilateral Cataract Surgery Study Report 2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leivo, Tiina; Sarikkola, Anna-Ulrika; Uusitalo, Risto J; Hellstedt, Timo; Ess, Sirje-Linda; Kivelä, Tero

    2011-06-01

    To present an economic-analysis comparison of simultaneous and sequential bilateral cataract surgery. Helsinki University Eye Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. Economic analysis. Effects were estimated from data in a study in which patients were randomized to have bilateral cataract surgery on the same day (study group) or sequentially (control group). The main clinical outcomes were corrected distance visual acuity, refraction, complications, Visual Function Index-7 (VF-7) scores, and patient-rated satisfaction with vision. Health-care costs of surgeries and preoperative and postoperative visits were estimated, including the cost of staff, equipment, material, floor space, overhead, and complications. The data were obtained from staff measurements, questionnaires, internal hospital records, and accountancy. Non-health-care costs of travel, home care, and time were estimated based on questionnaires from a random subset of patients. The main economic outcome measures were cost per VF-7 score unit change and cost per patient in simultaneous versus sequential surgery. The study comprised 520 patients (241 patients included non-health-care and time cost analyses). Surgical outcomes and patient satisfaction were similar in both groups. Simultaneous cataract surgery saved 449 Euros (€) per patient in health-care costs and €739 when travel and paid home-care costs were included. The savings added up to €849 per patient when the cost of lost working time was included. Compared with sequential bilateral cataract surgery, simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery provided comparable clinical outcomes with substantial savings in health-care and non-health-care-related costs. No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. Copyright © 2011 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Quantitative evaluation of bone metastases from prostate cancer with simultaneous [18F] choline PET/MRI. Combined SUV and ADC analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wetter, A.; Lipponer, C.; Nensa, F.; Schlosser, T.W.; Lauenstein, T.C.; Heusch, P.; Ruebben, H.; Poeppel, T.D.; Nagarajah, J.

    2014-01-01

    To quantitatively analyze bone metastases from prostate cancer and correlate the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) and standardized uptake values (SUVs). Fifty-five patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer or suspected recurrent prostate cancer were examined with simultaneous [ 18 F] choline Positron emission tomography (PET)/MRI at 3 T. In 11 patients, thirty-two PET-positive bone lesions could be identified that were located in the field-of-view of the Diffusion weighted imaging-sequence. Region-of-interest and volume-of-interest analyses were performed to measure the mean and minimal ADCs and to assess maximum and mean SUVs of every bone lesion. Correlations between maximum and mean SUVs and mean and minimal ADCs were calculated. The SUV max of all lesions was 5.5 ± 3.1 (mean ± SD). The SUV mean was 1.8 ± 0.9. The mean ADC (ADC mean ) of all lesions was 0.67 ± 0.13 x 10 -3 mm 2 /s. The minimal ADC (ADC min ) of all lesions was 0.56 ± 0.14 x 10 -3 mm 2 /s. There was a moderate but significant inverse correlation of SUV max vs. ADC mean with a correlation coefficient of -0.4 (p=0.02). There was also a significant inverse correlation of SUV max vs. ADC min with r=-0.41 (p=0.02). Our initial results demonstrate a moderate but significant inverse correlation between increased choline metabolism and ADC values of bone metastases from prostate cancer. Further research on a multimodality approach using simultaneous PET/MRI in bone metastasis of prostate cancer seems to be justified. (author)

  4. Forestland owners’ willingness to consider multiple ways of supplying biomass simultaneously: Implications for biofuel incentive policies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolde, Bernabas; Lal, Pankaj; Burli, Pralhad

    2017-01-01

    Because socioeconomic based approaches account for relevant limiting and motivating factors, they provide a more realistic measurement of forestland owners’ willingness to supply biomass for bioenergy production- information useful to policy makers in setting production targets and in designing relevant incentive programs. Although forestland owners can supply biomass using different means, including supplying biomass from existing stands and changing land use to establish feedstock plantation, among others, previous studies mostly focus only on a given way of supplying biomass at a time. This produces incomplete information that adversely affects its use. By presenting survey takers in Virginia and Texas three different ways of supplying biomass at the same time, we determine forestland owners’ willingness to consider multiple ways of supplying biomass simultaneously and identify the factors that predict such behavior, assess overlap in forestland owners across the different ways of supplying biomass, and assess if and how respondents’ forest management plans and sustainability concerns correspond with their supply decision. Our results show a higher and more articulated rate of willingness to supply biomass than reported in previous studies. The results also suggest that opportunities exist for synergizing programs that incentivize disparate ways of supplying biomass. - Highlights: • Forestland owners are more willing to supply biomass than previous estimated. • Forestland owners will consider multiple ways of supplying biomass simultaneously. • Socioeconomics, sustainability concerns, and management plans predict this behavior. • Incentive programs can target multiple means of supplying biomass simultaneously. • Considerable mismatches exist between the suppliers’ preferences and existing policies.

  5. SIMULTANEOUS PANCREAS-KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION: EARLY POSTOPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.Sh. Khubutia

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim: evaluation of the incidence of early postoperative complications after simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation.Materials and methods. The analysis of early postoperative complications after simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation is presented in the paper, the most rational diagnostic algorithms, non-surgical and surgical complications’ treatment; the outcomes of the SPKT are reported.Results. 15,6% of patients experienced surgical complications, 12,5% – immunological complications, 12,5% – infectious complications, 6,25% – complications of the immunosuppressive therapy. 1-year patient survival after SPKT was 91,4%; pancreas graft survival – 85,7%; kidney graft survival – 88,6%.Conclusion. The incidence of early postoperative complications after simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation remains signifi cant in spite of progressive improvement of simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation due to surgical technique improvement, introduction of new antibacterial and immunosuppressive agents. Data, we recovered, fully correspond to the data obtained from the global medical community.

  6. Better dual-task processing in simultaneous interpreters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strobach, Tilo; Becker, Maxi; Schubert, Torsten; Kühn, Simone

    2015-01-01

    Simultaneous interpreting (SI) is a highly complex activity and requires the performance and coordination of multiple, simultaneous tasks: analysis and understanding of the discourse in a first language, reformulating linguistic material, storing of intermediate processing steps, and language production in a second language among others. It is, however, an open issue whether persons with experience in SI possess superior skills in coordination of multiple tasks and whether they are able to transfer these skills to lab-based dual-task situations. Within the present study, we set out to explore whether interpreting experience is associated with related higher-order executive functioning in the context of dual-task situations of the Psychological Refractory Period (PRP) type. In this PRP situation, we found faster reactions times in participants with experience in simultaneous interpretation in contrast to control participants without such experience. Thus, simultaneous interpreters possess superior skills in coordination of multiple tasks in lab-based dual-task situations. PMID:26528232

  7. Simultaneous confidence bands for the integrated hazard function

    OpenAIRE

    Dudek, Anna; Gocwin, Maciej; Leskow, Jacek

    2006-01-01

    The construction of the simultaneous confidence bands for the integrated hazard function is considered. The Nelson--Aalen estimator is used. The simultaneous confidence bands based on bootstrap methods are presented. Two methods of construction of such confidence bands are proposed. The weird bootstrap method is used for resampling. Simulations are made to compare the actual coverage probability of the bootstrap and the asymptotic simultaneous confidence bands. It is shown that the equal--tai...

  8. Simultaneous bilateral stereotactic procedure for deep brain stimulation implants: a significant step for reducing operation time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fonoff, Erich Talamoni; Azevedo, Angelo; Angelos, Jairo Silva Dos; Martinez, Raquel Chacon Ruiz; Navarro, Jessie; Reis, Paul Rodrigo; Sepulveda, Miguel Ernesto San Martin; Cury, Rubens Gisbert; Ghilardi, Maria Gabriela Dos Santos; Teixeira, Manoel Jacobsen; Lopez, William Omar Contreras

    2016-07-01

    OBJECT Currently, bilateral procedures involve 2 sequential implants in each of the hemispheres. The present report demonstrates the feasibility of simultaneous bilateral procedures during the implantation of deep brain stimulation (DBS) leads. METHODS Fifty-seven patients with movement disorders underwent bilateral DBS implantation in the same study period. The authors compared the time required for the surgical implantation of deep brain electrodes in 2 randomly assigned groups. One group of 28 patients underwent traditional sequential electrode implantation, and the other 29 patients underwent simultaneous bilateral implantation. Clinical outcomes of the patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) who had undergone DBS implantation of the subthalamic nucleus using either of the 2 techniques were compared. RESULTS Overall, a reduction of 38.51% in total operating time for the simultaneous bilateral group (136.4 ± 20.93 minutes) as compared with that for the traditional consecutive approach (220.3 ± 27.58 minutes) was observed. Regarding clinical outcomes in the PD patients who underwent subthalamic nucleus DBS implantation, comparing the preoperative off-medication condition with the off-medication/on-stimulation condition 1 year after the surgery in both procedure groups, there was a mean 47.8% ± 9.5% improvement in the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III (UPDRS-III) score in the simultaneous group, while the sequential group experienced 47.5% ± 15.8% improvement (p = 0.96). Moreover, a marked reduction in the levodopa-equivalent dose from preoperatively to postoperatively was similar in these 2 groups. The simultaneous bilateral procedure presented major advantages over the traditional sequential approach, with a shorter total operating time. CONCLUSIONS A simultaneous stereotactic approach significantly reduces the operation time in bilateral DBS procedures, resulting in decreased microrecording time, contributing to the optimization of functional

  9. A desirability functions-based approach for simultaneous ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    optimization of a single quality characteristic only, whereas most of the modern ... In this article, a new procedure for simultaneous optimization of quantitative and ... Section 3 describes the framework of the proposed method for simultaneous ... was originally introduced by Harrington (1965), as a metric for optimization of ...

  10. Simultaneous selection for cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) genotypes with adaptability and yield stability using mixed models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres, F E; Teodoro, P E; Rodrigues, E V; Santos, A; Corrêa, A M; Ceccon, G

    2016-04-29

    The aim of this study was to select erect cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) genotypes simultaneously for high adaptability, stability, and yield grain in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil using mixed models. We conducted six trials of different cowpea genotypes in 2005 and 2006 in Aquidauana, Chapadão do Sul, Dourados, and Primavera do Leste. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks with four replications and 20 genotypes. Genetic parameters were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood/best linear unbiased prediction, and selection was based on the harmonic mean of the relative performance of genetic values method using three strategies: selection based on the predicted breeding value, having considered the performance mean of the genotypes in all environments (no interaction effect); the performance in each environment (with an interaction effect); and the simultaneous selection for grain yield, stability, and adaptability. The MNC99542F-5 and MNC99-537F-4 genotypes could be grown in various environments, as they exhibited high grain yield, adaptability, and stability. The average heritability of the genotypes was moderate to high and the selective accuracy was 82%, indicating an excellent potential for selection.

  11. Simultaneous topography-guided PRK followed by corneal collagen cross-linking for keratoconus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kymionis, George D; Kontadakis, Georgios A; Kounis, George A; Portaliou, Dimitra M; Karavitaki, Alexandra E; Magarakis, Michael; Yoo, Sonia; Pallikaris, Ioannis G

    2009-09-01

    To present the results after simultaneous photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) followed by corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) for progressive keratoconus. Twelve patients (14 eyes) with progressive keratoconus were prospectively treated with customized topography-guided PRK with the Pulzar Z1 (wavelength 213 nm, CustomVis) immediately followed by corneal collagen CXL with the use of riboflavin and ultraviolet A irradiation. Mean follow-up was 10.69+/-5.95 months (range: 3 to 16 months). Mean preoperative spherical equivalent refraction (SE) was -3.03+/-3.23 diopters (D) and defocus was 4.67+/-3.29 D; at last follow-up SE and defocus were statistically significantly reduced to -1.29+/-2.05 D and 3.04+/-2.53 D, respectively (PPRK followed by CXL seems to be a promising treatment capable of offering functional vision in patients with keratoconus. Copyright 2009, SLACK Incorporated.

  12. Simultaneous measurement of temperature and humidity with microstructured polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Woyessa, Getinet; Pedersen, Jens Kristian Mølgaard; Fasano, Andrea

    2017-01-01

    A microstructured polymer optical fiber (mPOF) Bragg grating sensor system for the simultaneous measurement of temperature and relative humidity (RH) has been developed and characterized. The sensing head is based on two in-line fiber Bragg gratings recorded in a mPOF. The sensor system has a root...... mean square deviation of 1.04 % RH and 0.8 °C in the range 10 to 90% RH and 20 to 80 °C. The proposed sensor system is easy to fabricate, cheap and compact....

  13. Visualizing measurement for 3D smooth density distributions by means of linear programming

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tayama, Norio; Yang, Xue-dong

    1994-01-01

    This paper is concerned with a theoretical possibility of a new visualizing measurement method based on an optimum 3D reconstruction from a few selected projections. A theory of optimum 3D reconstruction by a linear programming is discussed, utilizing a few projections for sampled 3D smooth-density-distribution model which satisfies the condition of the 3D sampling theorem. First by use of the sampling theorem, it is shown that we can set up simultaneous simple equations which corresponds to the case of the parallel beams. Then we solve the simultaneous simple equations by means of linear programming algorithm, and we can get an optimum 3D density distribution images with minimum error in the reconstruction. The results of computer simulation with the algorithm are presented. (author)

  14. Predicate Structures, Gesture, and Simultaneity in the Representation of Action in British Sign Language: Evidence From Deaf Children and Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cormier, Kearsy

    2013-01-01

    British Sign Language (BSL) signers use a variety of structures, such as constructed action (CA), depicting constructions (DCs), or lexical verbs, to represent action and other verbal meanings. This study examines the use of these verbal predicate structures and their gestural counterparts, both separately and simultaneously, in narratives by deaf children with various levels of exposure to BSL (ages 5;1 to 7;5) and deaf adult native BSL signers. Results reveal that all groups used the same types of predicative structures, including children with minimal BSL exposure. However, adults used CA, DCs, and/or lexical signs simultaneously more frequently than children. These results suggest that simultaneous use of CA with lexical and depicting predicates is more complex than the use of these predicate structures alone and thus may take deaf children more time to master. PMID:23670881

  15. Simultaneous optimization of photons and electrons for mixed beam radiotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, S; Fix, M K; Joosten, A; Henzen, D; Frei, D; Volken, W; Kueng, R; Aebersold, D M; Stampanoni, M F M; Manser, P

    2017-06-26

    The aim of this work is to develop and investigate an inverse treatment planning process (TPP) for mixed beam radiotherapy (MBRT) capable of performing simultaneous optimization of photon and electron apertures. A simulated annealing based direct aperture optimization (DAO) is implemented to perform simultaneous optimization of photon and electron apertures, both shaped with the photon multileaf collimator (pMLC). Validated beam models are used as input for Monte Carlo dose calculations. Consideration of photon pMLC transmission during DAO and a weight re-optimization of the apertures after deliverable dose calculation are utilized to efficiently reduce the differences between optimized and deliverable dose distributions. The TPP for MBRT is evaluated for an academic situation with a superficial and an enlarged PTV in the depth, a left chest wall case including the internal mammary chain and a squamous cell carcinoma case. Deliverable dose distributions of MBRT plans are compared to those of modulated electron radiotherapy (MERT), photon IMRT and if available to those of clinical VMAT plans. The generated MBRT plans dosimetrically outperform the MERT, photon IMRT and VMAT plans for all investigated situations. For the clinical cases of the left chest wall and the squamous cell carcinoma, the MBRT plans cover the PTV similarly or more homogeneously than the VMAT plans, while OARs are spared considerably better with average reductions of the mean dose to parallel OARs and D 2% to serial OARs by 54% and 26%, respectively. Moreover, the low dose bath expressed as V 10% to normal tissue is substantially reduced by up to 45% compared to the VMAT plans. A TPP for MBRT including simultaneous optimization is successfully implemented and the dosimetric superiority of MBRT plans over MERT, photon IMRT and VMAT plans is demonstrated for academic and clinical situations including superficial targets with and without deep-seated part.

  16. Treatment of pediatric moyamoya disease by simultaneous bilateral dual EDASs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimoji, Takeyoshi; Nagamine, Tomoaki; Yamashiro, Katumi

    2007-01-01

    Treatment of moyamoya disease should be considered, especially in children in whom the disease develops rapidly and causes mental retardation. To address these concerns, we have been treating these patients with simultaneous bilateral dual encephaloduro-arterio-synangiosis (EDAS). The patients were 12 children and one adult. Ten of the children developed symptoms under 6 years of age. Their initial symptoms were transient ischemic attack (TIA) in 7, convulsions in 2, hemiparesis secondary to infarction and hemorrhage in 2, TIA and convulsion in 1, and headache in 1. All patients had diagnosis made by the cerebral angiography. All of them underwent EDAS using anterior and posterior branches of superficial temporal artery simultaneously and bilaterally. In this procedure, it is important to dissect both branches more than 10 cm. The mean operation time was 8 hours 25 minutes. Postoperatively, two patients developed hemiparesis secondary to cerebral infarction; both, however, recovered with the aid of rehabilitation. TIAs decreased immediately after surgery and disappeared in a couple of years except in one case. Convulsions ceased immediately. One patient with pre-op TIA developed convulsions 2 years after surgery. Headaches decreased in frequency. One developed cerebral infarction after surgery and mental status deteriorated, but the others maintained stable mental condition post-operatively. Post-operative angiographies were performed 3 and 9 months after surgery. Most patients attained excellent revascularization in the frontal to parietal regions except for three cases. Two of them finally showed good anastomosis 2 and 8 years later. One remained poor because the patient still had early stage of moyamoya disease. It may be postulated that the use of simultaneous bilateral dual EDAS prevents the rapid progression of and the development of mental problems seen in child moyamoya disease. (author)

  17. Simultaneous PET and MR imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yiping Shao; Cherry, Simon R.; Meadors, Ken; Siegel, Stefan; Silverman, Robert W.; Farahani, Keyvan; Marsden, Paul K.

    1997-01-01

    We have developed a prototype PET detector which is compatible with a clinical MRI system to provide simultaneous PET and MR imaging. This single-slice PET system consists of 48 2x2x10mm 3 LSO crystals in a 38 mm diameter ring configuration that can be placed inside the receiver coil of the MRI system, coupled to three multi-channel photomultipliers housed outside the main magnetic field via 4 m long and 2 mm diameter optical fibres. The PET system exhibits 2 mm spatial resolution, 41% energy resolution at 511 keV and 20 ns timing resolution. Simultaneous PET and MR phantom images were successfully acquired. (author)

  18. Model Persamaan Simultan pada Analisis Hubungan Kemiskian dan PDRB

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rokhana Dwi Bekti

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Simultaneous model is a model for some equation which have simultaneous relationships. It was often found in econometrics, such as the relationship between Gross Domestic Regional Product (GDRP and poverty. GDP is a common indicator that can be used to determine the economic growth occurred in region. Meanwhile, poverty is one of the indicators to measure the society welfare. Information about these relathionships were important to perform the relathionsips between GDP and poverty. So this research conducted an analysis to obtain simultaneous models between GDRP and poverty. Estimation of the parameters used is Two-Stage Least Squares Estimation (2SLS. The data used are 33 provinces in Indonesia at 2010. By α = 5%, it was conclude that variable which significant effect on GDRP is poverty, export, and import. Meanwhile, the variables that significantly affect poverty are population. The simultaneous model (α = 5% also conclude that there is no simultaneous relationship between GDRP and poverty. However, with α = 25%, there is a simultaneous relationship between GDRP and poverty.

  19. Hemispheric Asymmetry of Visual Cortical Response by Means of Functional Transcranial Doppler

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roje-Bedeković, Marina; Lovrenčić-Huzjan, Arijana; Bosnar-Puretić, Marijana; Šerić, Vesna; Demarin, Vida

    2012-01-01

    We assessed the visual evoked response and investigated side-to-side differences in mean blood flow velocities (MBFVs) by means of functional transcranial Doppler (fTCD) in 49 right-handed patients with severe internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis and 30 healthy volunteers, simultaneously in both posterior cerebral arteries (PCAs) using 2 MHz probes, successively in the dark and during the white light stimulation. Statistically significant correlation (P = 0.001) was shown in healthy and in patients (P 0.05). The correlation between ipsilateral left PCA was significantly higher than the one with contralateral right PCA (P < 0.05). There is a clear trend towards the lateralisation of the visual evoked response in the right PCA. PMID:22135771

  20. Transparency perception: the key to understanding simultaneous color contrast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ekroll, Vebjørn; Faul, Franz

    2013-03-01

    The well-known simultaneous color contrast effect is traditionally explained in terms of visual color constancy mechanisms correcting for the confounding influence of ambient illumination on the retinal color signal. Recent research, however, suggests that the traditional gross quantitative laws of simultaneous color contrast, which are readily compatible with this functional explanation, should be revised and replaced by others, which are not readily understandable in terms of this perspective. Here, we show that the revised laws of simultaneous color contrast are well accounted for by an alternative theory explaining the simultaneous contrast effect in terms of mechanisms subserving the perception of transparent media.

  1. Measurement of the heat of smoldering combustion in straws and stalks by means of simultaneous thermal analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, Fang; Yi, Weiming; Zha, Jianwen [School of Light Industry and Agricultural Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, Shandong 255049 (China)

    2009-01-15

    In order to investigate reaction heat of agro-stalks smoldering, wheat straw, corn stalk, cotton stalk, millet straw, sorghum stalk and sweet potato rattan powder were smoldered and pyrolyzed in a simultaneous thermal analyzer (STA). The samples were placed in a platinum crucible (5 mm x 5 mm) with a lid (with a 1 mm hole) on a high-accuracy differential scanning calorimetry-heat capacity (DSC-cp) holder in the furnace of an STA and heated from 303 to 1073 K at a heating rate of 10 K min{sup -1}. Sweeping gas with a flow rate of 25 ml min{sup -1} was air and nitrogen during smoldering and pyrolysis, respectively. Results showed that the heat emission characteristic of the smoldering process differed remarkably from the pyrolysis process. Based on the analysis of the DSC curves, oxidative polymer degradation heat and char oxidation heat were obtained from experimental data. It showed that the oxidative polymer degradation heat of the agro-stalks is more than 6.92 MJ kg{sup -1} consumed matter, higher than that of cellulose paper. And char oxidation heat is around 23 MJ kg{sup -1} consumed matter, similar to that of cellulose paper, but higher than that of cigarette. Total net heat emission of smoldering in STA was also obtained. These data can be used as reference data in analyzing smoldering of agro-stalks under similar conditions. (author)

  2. Estimating Bacterial Production in Marine Waters from the Simultaneous Incorporation of Thymidine and Leucine

    OpenAIRE

    Chin-Leo, Gerardo; Kirchman, David L.

    1988-01-01

    We examined the simultaneous incorporation of [3H]thymidine and [14C]leucine to obtain two independent indices of bacterial production (DNA and protein syntheses) in a single incubation. Incorporation rates of leucine estimated by the dual-label method were generally higher than those obtained by the single-label method, but the differences were small (dual/single = 1.1 ± 0.2 [mean ± standard deviation]) and were probably due to the presence of labeled leucyl-tRNA in the cold trichloroacetic ...

  3. Simultaneous determination of Albendazol and Triclabendazole in Triclazol 22 suspension for veterinary purposes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia Penna, Caridad Margarita; Gafas Leyva, Maite; Rosales Bosch, Karina

    2013-01-01

    To validate the analytical method for simultaneous determination of triclabendazole and al bendazole in triclazol 22 suspension for quality control. For quantitation of the active principle in the final product, the separation was performed through a liquid chromatographic column Lichrosorb RP-18 (5 μm) (250 x 4 mm), with ultraviolet detection range of 298 nm, by using a mobile phase of acetonitrile: ammonium acetate buffer solution of ph 6.6 (70:30); the quantitation was made against a reference sample by means of the external standard method

  4. Short-term visual result after simultaneous photorefractive keratectomy and small-aperture cornea inlay implantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moshirfar M

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Majid Moshirfar,1,2 Ryan T Wallace,3 David F Skanchy,4 Jordan D Desautels,5 Steven H Linn,1 Phillip C Hoopes Jr,1 Daniel S Durrie1,6 1Hoopes, Durrie, Rivera, Research Center, Hoopes Vision, Draper, UT, 2Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, 3Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 4McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 5Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 6Durrie Vision, Overland Park, KS, USA Purpose: To report the short-term results of simultaneous photorefractive keratectomy (PRK and small-aperture cornea inlay implantation (KAMRA surgery in treating presbyopia. Methods: Simultaneous PRK and KAMRA inlay surgery was performed on 21 patients from July 2015 to March 2016. Follow-up exams were conducted at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. Our patients were also divided preoperatively into three categories: myopic, hyperopic, and emmetropic. Over the 6-month period, the main outcome measures were uncorrected near visual acuity (UNVA, changes in best-corrected distance visual acuity, and mean spherical equivalent refraction. Results: At 6-month follow-up, 83% (10/12 of patients had a monocular UNVA of 20/40 or better, and 75% had a binocular UNVA of 20/40 (J5 or better. At 6 months, the overall mean refractive spherical equivalent (MRSE was -0.60 D (±0.42 standard deviation [SD], range: -1.38 to -0.13 with a mean change of -0.43 D (±1.19 SD, range: -1.5 to 2.63 compared to preoperative data. Overall, 91% (10/11 of patients were within a ±0.5 D range of our target -0.75 D for KAMRA use. One-hundred percent (5/5 of the hyperopes, 50% (1/2 of emmetropes, and 100% (4/4 of myopes met the targeted range. At 6 months, the MRSE for the hyperopic subgroup (n=5 was 0.33 D (±0.20 SD, the MRSE for the emmetropic subgroup (n=2 was -1.19 D (±0.19 SD, and the MRSE for the myopic

  5. Freeform object design and simultaneous manufacturing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Weihan; Lin, Heng; Leu, Ming C.

    2003-04-01

    Today's product design, especially the consuming product design, focuses more and more on individuation, originality, and the time to market. One way to meet these challenges is using the interactive and creationary product design methods and rapid prototyping/rapid tooling. This paper presents a novel Freeform Object Design and Simultaneous Manufacturing (FODSM) method that combines the natural interaction feature in the design phase and simultaneous manufacturing feature in the prototyping phase. The natural interactive three-dimensional design environment is achieved by adopting virtual reality technology. The geometry of the designed object is defined through the process of "virtual sculpting" during which the designer can touch and visualize the designed object and can hear the virtual manufacturing environment noise. During the designing process, the computer records the sculpting trajectories and automatically translates them into NC codes so as to simultaneously machine the designed part. The paper introduced the principle, implementation process, and key techniques of the new method, and compared it with other popular rapid prototyping methods.

  6. LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, READING COMPREHENSION AND IDIOM COMREHENSION TRILOGY: PEER COMMENTARY ON LEVORATO ET

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huseyin UYSAL

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper is a peer commentary on Levorato, M. C., Nesi, B. & Cacciari, C. (2004. Reading comprehension and understanding idiomatic expressions: A developmental study. Brain and Language, 91(3, 303-314.

  7. Making technology familiar: orthodox Jews and infertility support, advice, and inspiration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahn, Susan Martha

    2006-12-01

    This paper examines how orthodox Jews use traditional strategies and new media simultaneously to cope with infertility in the age of new reproductive technologies. Not only have they used the Internet to establish support, information, and educational networks, but also they have created frameworks for unique professional collaborations among rabbis, doctors, and clinic personnel in order to ensure that their fertility treatments are conducted with strict attention to Jewish legal concerns, particularly with regard to incest, adultery, and traditional practices regarding bodily emissions. Throughout these processes, they have innovated a hybrid language for describing and explaining infertility treatments that blends Hebrew prayers, Yiddish aphorisms, English slang, Gematria (numerology), and biomedical terminology. By using idiomatic language and folk practice, orthodox Jews construct a unique terrain that shapes and makes familiar their experience and understanding of fertility treatment. Biomedicine in this context is understood as a set of tools and strategies that can be readily appropriated and harnessed to a particular set of individual and collective goals.

  8. Evaluation of diabetic peripheral arterial disease in lower limb using 3.0 T contrast-enhanced MR angiography with simultaneous calf compression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jie; Zhao Jungong; Zhu Yueqi; Li Minghua; Wang Jue; Qiao Ruihua

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To determine the value of 3.0 T contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA) with simultaneous calf compression in demonstrating and diagnosing diabetic peripheral vascular disease. Methods: Sixth-one patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus complicating vascular disease of lower limb were enrolled in this study. The patients included 37 males and 24 females with a mean age of (70±7.65) years. The mean duration of disease was (11.6±6.0) years. The patients were randomly divided into compression group (n=31) and conventional group (n=30). CE-MRA with a 3.0 T MR unit was performed in all patients. During CE-MRA, calf compression with a cuff was simultaneously applied to patients of compression group. DSA, which was regarded as gold standard, was conducted within one week after the procedure. The quality of MRA images was separately evaluated by two radiologists, the results were compared between two groups. Results: Taking DSA findings as reference, the image quality of calf and foot in compression group was much better than that in conventional group (P 50% arterial stenosis or occlusion of leg the image in compression group was also better than that in conventional group (P<0.05). CE-MRA with simultaneous calf compression could significantly eliminate the overlapping venous shadow (P<0.05). Conclusion: The 3.0 T CE-MRA with simultaneous calf compression is a simple and practical technique, it can markedly improve the image quality as well as the diagnostic accuracy of peripheral vascular disease of lower limb in diabetic patients. (authors)

  9. Journal of Humanities

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Factors influencing children's interpretation and acquisition of Chichewa idiomatic expressions: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach · EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT. Mervis Kamanga, 90-117 ...

  10. Journal of Humanities - Vol 25, No 2 (2017)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Factors influencing children's interpretation and acquisition of Chichewa idiomatic expressions: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach · EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT. Mervis Kamanga, 90-117 ...

  11. Keeping in Touch

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Riette Ruthven

    (Opole) on Polish, Bernhard Pöll (Salzburg) on Spanish and Portuguese, and ..... rushing into e-text can detract from serious academic judgement and idiomatic .... on lexical cohesion, guest-edited by John Flowerdew and Michaela Mahlberg,.

  12. The meaning of pharmacological treatment for schizophrenic patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vedana, Kelly Graziani Giacchero; Miasso, Adriana Inocenti

    2014-01-01

    to understand the meaning of medication therapy for schizophrenic patients and formulate a theoretical model about the study phenomenon. a qualitative approach was employed, using Symbolic Interactionism as the theoretical and Grounded Theory as the methodological framework. The research was developed between 2008 and 2010 at three community mental health services in the interior of the State of São Paulo - Brazil. Thirty-six patients and thirty-six family members were selected through theoretical sampling. The data were mainly collected through open interviews and observation and simultaneously analyzed through open, axial and selective coding. the meaning of the pharmacotherapy is centered on the phenomenon "Living with a help that bothers", which expresses the patients' ambivalence towards the medication and determines their decision making. The insight, access, limitations for self-administration of the drugs and interactions with family members and the health team influenced the patient's medication-related behavior. the theory presented in this study provides a comprehensive, contextualized, motivational and dynamic understanding of the relation the patient experiences and indicates potentials and barriers to follow the medication treatment.

  13. Simultaneous Feedback Models with Macro-Comparative Cross-Sectional Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nate Breznau

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Social scientists often work with theories of reciprocal causality. Sometimes theories suggest that reciprocal causes work simultaneously, or work on a time-scale small enough to make them appear simultaneous. Researchers may employ simultaneous feedback models to investigate such theories, although the practice is rare in cross-sectional survey research. This paper discusses the certain conditions that make these models possible if not desirable using such data. This methodological excursus covers the construction of simultaneous feedback models using a structural equation modeling perspective. This allows the researcher to test if a simultaneous feedback theory fits survey data, test competing hypotheses and engage in macro-comparisons. This paper presents methods in a manner and language amenable to the practicing social scientist who is not a statistician or matrix mathematician. It demonstrates how to run models using three popular software programs (MPlus, Stata and R, and an empirical example using International Social Survey Program data.

  14. Simultaneous determination of aliphatic hydrocarbons, PCBs and PCTs in pork liver by gas chromatography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gonzalez-Barros, C [Dept. de Quimica Analitica, Nutricion y Bromatologia, Area Nutricion y Bromatologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Alvarez Pineiro, M E [Inst. de Investigacion y Analisis Alimentarios, Lab. de Bromatologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Simal Lozano, J [Dept. de Quimica Analitica, Nutricion y Bromatologia, Area Nutricion y Bromatologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Lage Yusty, M A [Inst. de Investigacion y Analisis Alimentarios, Lab. de Bromatologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

    1996-10-01

    A multicomponent extraction/concentration procedure has been developed for the enrichment of PCBs, PCTs and aliphatic hydrocarbons (pristane, C{sub 18}, C{sub 19}, C{sub 20}, C{sub 22}, C{sub 24}, C{sub 28}, C{sub 32} and C{sub 36}) in pork liver. These components of the enriched extract were then simultaneously determined by gas chromatography. Mean recoveries ranged from 81.5% for pristane to 93% for PCBs; CV % (0.9-6.7) indicated the method to be both precise and reproducible. (orig.)

  15. Simultaneous Determination of Famotidine and Flurbiprofen by High ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: To develop a selective, sensitive and accurate simultaneous High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method for the analysis of flurbiprofen and famotidine tablet dosage form and excipients. Methods: A simultaneous method for the determination of the two drugs was employed. The assay consisted of ...

  16. Correlations of the chemical shift on fasly rotating biological solids by means of NMR spectroscopy; Korrelationen der chemischen Verschiebung an schnell rotierenden biologischen Festkoerpern mittels NMR-Spektroskopie

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herbst, Christian

    2010-04-27

    The basic aim of the thesis was the development and improvement of homo- and heteronuclear feedback sequences for the generation of correlation spectra of the chemical shift. In a first step the possibility of the acquisition of {sup 13}C-{sup 13} correlation spectra of the chemical shift by means of inversion pulses with low RF power factor was studied. Furthermore it was shown that broad-band phase-modulated inversion and universal rotational pulses can be constructed by means of global optimization procedures like the genetic algorithms under regardment of the available RF field strength. By inversion, universal rotational, and 360 pulses as starting values of the optimization efficient homonuclear CN{sub n}{sup {nu}} and RN{sub n}{sup {nu}} mixing sequences as well as heteronuclear RN{sub n}{sup {nu}{sub s},{nu}{sub k}} feedback sequences were generated. The satisfactory power of the numerically optimized sequences was shown by means of the simulation as well by means of correlation experiments of the chemical shift of L-histidine, L-arginine, and the (CUG){sub 97}-RNA. This thesis deals furthermore with the possibility to acquire simultaneously different signals with several receivers. By means of numerically optimized RN{sub n}{sup {nu}{sub s},{nu}{sub k}} pulse sequences both {sup 15}N-{sup 13}C and {sup 13}C-{sup 15}N correlation spectra were simultaneously generated. Furthermore it could be shown that the simultaneous acquisition of 3D-{sup 15}N-{sup 13}C-{sup 13}C and {sup 13}C-{sup 15}N-({sup 1}H)-{sup 1}H correlation spectra is possible. By this in only one measurement process resonance assignments can be met and studies of the global folding performed. A further application of several receivers is the simultaneous acquisition of CHHC, NHHN, NHHC, as well as CHHN spectra. By such experiments it is possible to characterize the hydrogen-bonding pattern and the glycosidic torsion angle {sup {chi}} in RNA. This was demonstrated by means of the (CUG){sub 97

  17. Illustrative examples in a bilingual decoding dictionary: An (un ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Keywords: Illustrative Examples, Bilingual Decoding Dictionary, Semantic Differences Between Source Language (Sl) And Target Language (Tl), Grammatical Differences Between Sl And Tl, Translation Of Examples, Transposition, Context-Dependent Translation, One-Word Equivalent, Zero Equivalent, Idiomatic ...

  18. Reading Remediation Based on Sequential and Simultaneous Processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunnison, Judy; And Others

    1982-01-01

    The theory postulating a dichotomy between sequential and simultaneous processing is reviewed and its implications for remediating reading problems are reviewed. Research is cited on sequential-simultaneous processing for early and advanced reading. A list of remedial strategies based on the processing dichotomy addresses decoding and lexical…

  19. Equivalence between quantum simultaneous games and quantum sequential games

    OpenAIRE

    Kobayashi, Naoki

    2007-01-01

    A framework for discussing relationships between different types of games is proposed. Within the framework, quantum simultaneous games, finite quantum simultaneous games, quantum sequential games, and finite quantum sequential games are defined. In addition, a notion of equivalence between two games is defined. Finally, the following three theorems are shown: (1) For any quantum simultaneous game G, there exists a quantum sequential game equivalent to G. (2) For any finite quantum simultaneo...

  20. Simultaneous Communication and Cochlear Implants in the Classroom?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blom, Helen C; Marschark, Marc

    2015-09-01

    This study was designed to evaluate the potential of simultaneous communication (sign and speech together) to support classroom learning by college students who use cochlear implants (CIs). Metacognitive awareness of learning also was evaluated. A within-subjects design involving 40 implant users indicated that the student participants learned significantly more when material was presented via simultaneous communication than spoken language overall, but a statistical interaction indicated that the difference held only with more difficult material. Learning in the speech-only condition was positively related to the students' spoken language skills, their confidence with spoken language, and their receptive simultaneous communication skills. Learning in that condition was negatively related to the age at which the participants learned to sign. Findings were interpreted to indicate that simultaneous communication can be beneficial for classroom learning by college students with CIs, at least with more complex material or when information redundancy is otherwise important. Further research is needed to determine who is likely to benefit in what settings.

  1. The use of simultaneous chemical precipitation in modified activated ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The use of simultaneous chemical precipitation in modified activated sludge systems exhibiting biological excess phosphate removal: Part 6: Modelling of simultaneous chemical-biological P removal - review of existing models.

  2. Alterations in audiovisual simultaneity perception in amblyopia

    OpenAIRE

    Richards, Michael D.; Goltz, Herbert C.; Wong, Agnes M. F.

    2017-01-01

    Amblyopia is a developmental visual impairment that is increasingly recognized to affect higher-level perceptual and multisensory processes. To further investigate the audiovisual (AV) perceptual impairments associated with this condition, we characterized the temporal interval in which asynchronous auditory and visual stimuli are perceived as simultaneous 50% of the time (i.e., the AV simultaneity window). Adults with unilateral amblyopia (n = 17) and visually normal controls (n = 17) judged...

  3. Use of pattern recognition for unaliasing simultaneously acquired slices in simultaneous multislice MR fingerprinting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Yun; Ma, Dan; Bhat, Himanshu; Ye, Huihui; Cauley, Stephen F; Wald, Lawrence L; Setsompop, Kawin; Griswold, Mark A

    2017-11-01

    The purpose of this study is to accelerate an MR fingerprinting (MRF) acquisition by using a simultaneous multislice method. A multiband radiofrequency (RF) pulse was designed to excite two slices with different flip angles and phases. The signals of two slices were driven to be as orthogonal as possible. The mixed and undersampled MRF signal was matched to two dictionaries to retrieve T 1 and T 2 maps of each slice. Quantitative results from the proposed method were validated with the gold-standard spin echo methods in a phantom. T 1 and T 2 maps of in vivo human brain from two simultaneously acquired slices were also compared to the results of fast imaging with steady-state precession based MRF method (MRF-FISP) with a single-band RF excitation. The phantom results showed that the simultaneous multislice imaging MRF-FISP method quantified the relaxation properties accurately compared to the gold-standard spin echo methods. T 1 and T 2 values of in vivo brain from the proposed method also matched the results from the normal MRF-FISP acquisition. T 1 and T 2 values can be quantified at a multiband acceleration factor of two using our proposed acquisition even in a single-channel receive coil. Further acceleration could be achieved by combining this method with parallel imaging or iterative reconstruction. Magn Reson Med 78:1870-1876, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  4. The Meaning of Meaning, Etc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nilsen, Don L. F.

    This paper attempts to dispel a number of misconceptions about the nature of meaning, namely that: (1) synonyms are words that have the same meanings, (2) antonyms are words that have opposite meanings, (3) homonyms are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings, (4) converses are antonyms rather than synonyms, (5)…

  5. Simultaneous evaluation of the shell and pairing corrections to the nuclear deformation energy: the case of odd-systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benhamouda, N.; Oudih, M.R.

    2002-01-01

    A method of simultaneous evaluation of the shell and pairing corrections to the nuclear deformation energy, recently proposed for the even-even nuclei, is generalized to the case of odd systems. * By means of the blocked-level technique, a level density with explicit dependence on pairing correlations is defined. The microscopic corrections to the deformation energy are then determined by a procedure which is analogous to that of Strutinsky. The method is applied to the ground state of Europium isotopes using the single-particle energies of a deformed Woods-Saxon mean-field. The obtained results are in good agreement with the experimental values

  6. Discrimination between sequential and simultaneous virtual channels with electrical hearing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landsberger, David; Galvin, John J

    2011-09-01

    In cochlear implants (CIs), simultaneous or sequential stimulation of adjacent electrodes can produce intermediate pitch percepts between those of the component electrodes. However, it is unclear whether simultaneous and sequential virtual channels (VCs) can be discriminated. In this study, CI users were asked to discriminate simultaneous and sequential VCs; discrimination was measured for monopolar (MP) and bipolar + 1 stimulation (BP + 1), i.e., relatively broad and focused stimulation modes. For sequential VCs, the interpulse interval (IPI) varied between 0.0 and 1.8 ms. All stimuli were presented at comfortably loud, loudness-balanced levels at a 250 pulse per second per electrode (ppse) stimulation rate. On average, CI subjects were able to reliably discriminate between sequential and simultaneous VCs. While there was no significant effect of IPI or stimulation mode on VC discrimination, some subjects exhibited better VC discrimination with BP + 1 stimulation. Subjects' discrimination between sequential and simultaneous VCs was correlated with electrode discrimination, suggesting that spatial selectivity may influence perception of sequential VCs. To maintain equal loudness, sequential VC amplitudes were nearly double those of simultaneous VCs, presumably resulting in a broader spread of excitation. These results suggest that perceptual differences between simultaneous and sequential VCs might be explained by differences in the spread of excitation. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America

  7. Simultaneous determination of nikethamide and lidocaine in human blood and cerebrospinal fluid by high performance liquid chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Lili; Liao, Linchuan; Zuo, Zhong; Yan, Youyi; Yang, Lin; Fu, Qiang; Chen, Yu; Hou, Junhong

    2007-04-11

    Nikethamide and lidocaine are often requested to be quantified simultaneously in forensic toxicological analysis. A simple reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method has been developed for their simultaneous determination in human blood and cerebrospinal fluid. The method involves simple protein precipitation sample treatment followed by quantification of analytes using HPLC at 263 nm. Analytes were separated on a 5 microm Zorbax Dikema C18 column (150 mm x 4.60 mm, i.d.) with a mobile phase of 22:78 (v/v) mixture of methanol and a diethylamine-acetic acid buffer, pH 4.0. The mean recoveries were between 69.8 and 94.4% for nikethamide and between 78.9 and 97.2% for lidocaine. Limits of detection (LODs) for nikethamide and lidocaine were 0.008 and 0.16 microg/ml in plasma and 0.007 and 0.14 microg/ml in cerebrospinal fluid, respectively. The mean intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation (CVs) for both analytes were less than 9.2 and 10.8%, respectively. The developed method was applied to blood sample analyses in eight forensic cases, where blood concentrations of lidocaine ranged from 0.68 to 34.4 microg/ml and nikethamide ranged from 1.25 to 106.8 microg/ml. In six cases cerebrospinal fluid analysis was requested. The values ranged from 20.3 to 185.6 microg/ml of lidocaine and 8.0 to 72.4 microg/ml of nikethamide. The method is simple and sensitive enough to be used in toxicological analysis for simultaneous determination of nikethamide and lidocaine in blood and cerebrospinal fluid.

  8. Bulletin of International Simultaneous Observations

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The publication of the Bulletin of International Simultaneous Observations, began July 1, 1875, with daily maps added in 1877. It was published for distribution...

  9. The unpredictable outcomes of bilateral simultaneous fractures of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Bilateral simultaneous fractures of Neck of Femur (NOF) are rare. They result amongst others from trauma, metabolic disease, electro-convulsion and simple falls. We report two cases of 40-year-old and 74-year-old females who presented with bilateral simultaneous fractures of NOF post simple falls. Both patients had ...

  10. Simultaneous administration of lactulose and 51Cr-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jenkins, A.P.; Nukajam, W.S.; Menzies, S.; Creamer, B.

    1992-01-01

    In normal adults intestinal permeation of ingested 51 Cr-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is greater than that of lactulose. This difference is abolished in patients with ileostomies, suggesting that it results from colonic permeation of 51 Cr-EDTA, which, unlike lactulose, resists bacterial degradation. To investigate the effect of an increase in colonic permeability on absorption of the two molecules, lactulose and 51 Cr-EDTA were given orally in isosmolar solution to 11 patients with colitis, and their 24-h urinary excretion measured. By comparison the effect of an increase in small-intestinal permeability induced by ingestion of a hyperosmolar solution was measured in 10 healthy adults. Hyperosmolar stress increased the 24-h urinary excretion of 51 Cr-EDTA above the normal mean + 2 standard deviations in all 10 healthy subjects, and in all of these excretion of lactulose was also increased. In contrast, although seven colitics had a urinary excretion of 51 Cr-EDTA above the normal mean + 2 SD, in only two of these patients was recovery of lactulose increased. This suggests that simultaneous administration of lactulose and 51 Cr-EDTA may enable permeability changes affecting the colon alone to be distinguished from those involving the small intestine. 15 refs., 1 fig., 5 tabs

  11. Corpus–Based Lexicographical Descriptions with a Special Focus on Pragmatics: The Case of the Slovene Lexical Database

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mojca Šorli

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The present paper focuses on ways in which the pragmatic (functional meaning that arises from various contextual features, known in corpus linguistics as semantic prosody, can become an integral part of lexicographical descriptions as they are represented in the Slovene Lexical Database (SLD. This is particularly important for the treatment of phraseology and idiomatics. First, the theoretical background is provided, with the focus on the prototype theory and its practical implications for monolingual lexicography. A parallel is drawn with the model of meaning analysis in the SLD. The second part begins with a brief introduction to semantic prosody and continues with an analysis of monolingual meaning descriptions in the SLD against a number of authentic corpus examples, investigating how their pragmatic components have been identified. The analysis of corpus data shows that pragmatics is an important contributor to the process of sense discrimination in works of lexical and lexicographic relevance.

  12. LINGUISTIC TEMPORALITY IN THE DIACHRONIC PERSPECTIVE: CORPUS ASPECT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Konnova Mariya Nikolaevna

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available In the scope of complex cognitive and linguoculturological approach, aiming at investigating the triple unity of language, mind and culture, the author analyzes cognitive mechanisms of change in the meaning of New Testament saying "Dovleet dnevi zloba yego" (Mf. 6: 34 / "Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof" (St. Matthew 6: 34. This approach provides deeper insight into the essence of mental schemes underlying the process of lexicalisation of biblical micro-texts both as fixed phrases (quotations and idioms. The semantic shifts of microdiachronic character, which touched upon the semantic structure of biblical idiomatic expressions in 19-20th centuries and led to substantial restructuring of axiological and temporal components of meaning, are analyzed on the data of Russian National Corpus. The author proves that the use of biblical quotations outside their original context leads to their complete semantic transformation. The loss of original meaning is connected with the loss of key axiological and temporal characteristics typical for New Testament texts.

  13. Usefulness of MRI-assisted metabolic volumetric parameters provided by simultaneous {sup 18}F-fluorocholine PET/MRI for primary prostate cancer characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Yong-il [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University, Department of Molecular Medicine and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Cancer Research Institute, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Cheon, Gi Jeong [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Cancer Research Institute, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Radiological Science Research Institute, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Chongno-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Paeng, Jin Chul [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Jeong Yeon [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Radiological Science Research Institute, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, 101 Daehak-ro, Chongno-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kwak, Cheol [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Urology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Keon Wook; Chung, June-Key [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Cancer Research Institute, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Radiological Science Research Institute, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Euishin Edmund [Seoul National University, Department of Molecular Medicine and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); University of California, Department of Radiological Sciences, Irvine, CA (United States); Lee, Dong Soo [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University, Department of Molecular Medicine and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-07-15

    The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of MRI-assisted positron emission tomography (PET) parameters provided by simultaneous {sup 18}F-fluorocholine (FCH) PET/MRI for characterization of primary prostate cancer. Thirty patients with localized prostate cancer (mean age 69.4 ± 6.7 years) confirmed by biopsy were prospectively enrolled for simultaneous PET/MRI imaging. The patients underwent {sup 18}F-FCH PET/MRI 1 week before undergoing total prostatectomy. Multiple parameters of diffusion-weighted MRI [minimum and mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC{sub min} and ADC{sub mean})], metabolic PET [maximum and mean standardized uptake value (SUV{sub max} and SUV{sub mean})], and metabolic volumetric PET [metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and uptake volume product (UVP)] were compared with laboratory, pathologic, and immunohistochemical (IHC) features of the prostate cancer specimen. PET parameters were divided into two categories as follows: volume of interest (VOI) of prostate by SUV cutoff 2.5 (SUV{sub max}, SUV{sub mean}, MTV{sub SUV}, and UVP{sub SUV}) and MRI-assisted VOI of prostate cancer (SUV{sub maxMRI}, SUV{sub meanMRI}, MTV{sub MRI}, and UVP{sub MRI}). The rates of prostate cancer-positive cases identified by MRI alone, {sup 18}F-FCH PET alone, and {sup 18}F-FCH PET/MRI were 83.3, 80.0, and 93.3 %, respectively. Among the multiple PET/MRI parameters, MTV{sub MRI} showed fair correlation with serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA; r = 0.442, p = 0.014) and highest correlation with tumor volume (r = 0.953, p < 0.001). UVP{sub MRI} showed highest correlation with serum PSA (r = 0.531, p = 0.003), good correlation with tumor volume (r = 0.908, p < 0.001), and it was significantly associated with Gleason score (p = 0.041). High MTV{sub MRI} and UVP{sub MRI} values were significant for perineural invasion, lymphatic invasion, extracapsular extension, seminal vesicle invasion, and positive B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) expression (all p < 0

  14. Preferences for Simultaneous Polydrug Use:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østergaard, Jeanette; Østergaard, Stine Vernstrøm; Fletcher, Adam

    2016-01-01

    among those reporting drug use, according to sociodemographics, alcohol intake, frequency of intoxication, and smoking. Illicit drug use was more prevalent among young adults in England than Denmark. The difference was smallest for cannabis use: Lifetime cannabis use is 66% in England and 58% in Denmark......Cross-national surveys of young adults’ simultaneous polydrug use (SPU) are rare, as measuring polydrug use requires multiple questions capturing the timing, sequence, and dosage of mixing drugs. This study proposes a new way of measuring SPU by examining how preferences for simultaneous polydrug...... use (PSPU) vary among club/bar-goers in two European countries, Denmark and England, typically cited as exemplars of the normalization of illegal drug use. The study considers the utility of the normalization thesis for understanding preferences for polydrug use in the European nighttime economy...

  15. Automated installation for several photomultiplier photocathode activation by means of one vacuum facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beschastnov, P.M.; Peryshkin, A.I.; Pyata, E.Eh.; Usov, Yu.V.

    1989-01-01

    An automated installation for simultaneous activation of up to four photocathodes of several photomultipliers by means of one vacuum station with the common furnace is described. Production technology of producing multialkaline photocathode makes up the basis for creating automated technology. The installation is produced on the base of the R110B industrial station and the Electronica-60 microcomputer. Software written in FORTRAN providing for control over all process stages is developed. 6 refs.; 2 figs

  16. Simultaneous caving and surface restoration system for oil shale mining

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Allsman, P.T.

    1968-10-01

    A modified caving method is introduced for mining oil shale and simultaneous restoration of the land surface by return of spent shale onto the subsided area. Other methods have been designed to mine the relatively thin richer beds occurring near outcrops in the Piceance Creek Basin of NW. Colorado. Since the discovery of the much thicker beds in the N.-central part of the basin, some attention has focused on in situ and open-pit methods of recovery. Although caving has been recognized as a possible means of mining shale, most people have been skeptical of its success. This stems from the unknown and salient factors of cavability and size of broken rock with caving. Wisdom would seem to dictate that serious evaluation of the caving method be made along with the other methods.

  17. Simultaneous Laser-induced Fluorescence of Nitric Oxide and Atomic Oxygen in the Hypersonic Materials Environment Test System Arcjet Facility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johansen, Craig; Lincoln, Daniel; Bathel, Brett; Inman, Jennifer; Danehy, Paul

    2014-01-01

    Simultaneous nitric oxide (NO) and atomic oxygen (O) laser induced fluorescence (LIF) experiments were performed in the Hypersonic Materials Environmental Test System (HYMETS) facility at the NASA Langley Research Center. The data serves as an experimental database for validation for chemical and thermal nonequilibrium models used in hypersonic flows. Measurements were taken over a wide range of stagnation enthalpies (6.7 - 18.5 MJ/kg) using an Earth atmosphere simulant with a composition of 75% N2, 20% O2, and 5% Ar (by volume). These are the first simultaneous measurements of NO and O LIF to be reported in literature for the HYMETS facility. The maximum O LIF mean signal intensity was observed at a stagnation enthalpy of approximately 12 MJ/kg while the maximum NO LIF mean signal intensity was observed at a stagnation enthalpy of 6.7 MJ/kg. Experimental results were compared to simple fluorescence model that assumes equilibrium conditions in the plenum and frozen chemistry in the isentropic nozzle expansion (Mach 5). The equilibrium calculations were performed using CANTERA v2.1.1 with 16 species. The fluorescence model captured the correlation in mean O and NO LIF signal intensities over the entire range of stagnation enthalpies tested. Very weak correlations between single-shot O and NO LIF intensities were observed in the experiments at all of the stagnation enthalpy conditions.

  18. Control functions in nonseparable simultaneous equations models

    OpenAIRE

    Blundell, R.; Matzkin, R. L.

    2014-01-01

    The control function approach (Heckman and Robb (1985)) in a system of linear simultaneous equations provides a convenient procedure to estimate one of the functions in the system using reduced form residuals from the other functions as additional regressors. The conditions on the structural system under which this procedure can be used in nonlinear and nonparametric simultaneous equations has thus far been unknown. In this paper, we define a new property of functions called control function ...

  19. Comparisons of Simultaneously Acquired Airborne Sfm Photogrammetry and Lidar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larsen, C. F.

    2014-12-01

    Digital elevation models (DEMs) created using images from a consumer DSLR camera are compared against simultaneously acquired LiDAR on a number of airborne mapping projects across Alaska, California and Utah. The aircraft used is a Cessna 180, and is equipped with the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute (UAF-GI) scanning airborne LiDAR system. This LiDAR is the same as described in Johnson et al, 2013, and is the principal instrument used for NASA's Operation IceBridge flights in Alaska. The system has been in extensive use since 2009, and is particularly well characterized with dozens of calibration flights and a careful program of boresight angle determination and monitoring. The UAF-GI LiDAR has a precision of +/- 8 cm and accuracy of +/- 15 cm. The photogrammetry DEM simultaneously acquired with the LiDAR relies on precise shutter timing using an event marker input to the IMU associated with the LiDAR system. The photo positions are derived from the fully coupled GPS/IMU processing, which samples at 100 Hz and is able to directly calculate the antenna to image plane offset displacements from the full orientation data. This use of the GPS/IMU solution means that both the LiDAR and Cessna 180 photogrammetry DEM share trajectory input data, however no orientation data nor ground control is used for the photorammetry processing. The photogrammetry DEMs are overlaid on the LiDAR point cloud and analyzed for horizontal shifts or warps relative to the LiDAR. No warping or horizontal shifts have been detectable for a number of photogrammetry DEMs. Vertical offsets range from +/- 30 cm, with a typical standard deviation about that mean of 10 cm or better. LiDAR and photogrammetry function inherently differently over trees and brush, and direct comparisons between the two methods show much larger differences over vegetated areas. Finally, the differences in flight patterns associated with the two methods will be discussed, highlighting the photogrammetry

  20. Development and Validation of Spectrophotometric Methods for Simultaneous Estimation of Valsartan and Hydrochlorothiazide in Tablet Dosage Form

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Monika L. Jadhav

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Two UV-spectrophotometric methods have been developed and validated for simultaneous estimation of valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide in a tablet dosage form. The first method employed solving of simultaneous equations based on the measurement of absorbance at two wavelengths, 249.4 nm and 272.6 nm, λmax for valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide, respectively. The second method was absorbance ratio method, which involves formation of Q-absorbance equation at 258.4 nm (isoabsorptive point and also at 272.6 nm (λmax of hydrochlorothiazide. The methods were found to be linear between the range of 5–30 µg/mL for valsartan and 4–24 μg/mL for hydrochlorothiazide using 0.1 N NaOH as solvent. The mean percentage recovery was found to be 100.20% and 100.19% for the simultaneous equation method and 98.56% and 97.96% for the absorbance ratio method, for valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide, respectively, at three different levels of standard additions. The precision (intraday, interday of methods was found within limits (RSD<2%. It could be concluded from the results obtained in the present investigation that the two methods for simultaneous estimation of valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide in tablet dosage form are simple, rapid, accurate, precise and economical and can be used, successfully, in the quality control of pharmaceutical formulations and other routine laboratory analysis.

  1. Simultaneous determination of amino acids and carbohydrates in culture media of Clostridium thermocellum by valve-switching ion chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fa, Yun; Yang, Haiyan; Ji, Chengshuai; Cui, He; Zhu, Xinshu; Du, Juan; Gao, Jun

    2013-10-10

    An improved method for the simultaneous determination of 20 amino acids and 7 carbohydrates using one-valve switching after injection, ion chromatography, and integrated pulsed amperometric detection is proposed. The resolution of the amino acids and carbohydrates in the cation trap column was investigated. In addition, parameters including flow liquid type, flow rate, concentration, and valve-switch timing were optimized. The method is time-saving, effective, and accurate for the simultaneous separation of amino acids and carbohydrates, with a mean correlation coefficient of >0.99 and repeatability of 0.5-4.6% for eight replicates. The method was successfully applied in the analysis of amino acids and carbohydrates in aseptic media and in extracellular culture media of three phenotypes of Clostridium thermocellum. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Simultaneous microwave-assisted synthesis, characterization, thermal stability, and antimicrobial activity of cellulose/AgCl nanocomposites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Shu-Ming; Fu, Lian-Hua; Ma, Ming-Guo; Zhu, Jie-Fang; Sun, Run-Cang; Xu, Feng

    2012-01-01

    By means of a simultaneous microwave-assisted method and a simple chemical reaction, cellulose/AgCl nanocomposites have been successfully synthesized using cellulose solution and AgNO 3 in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) solvent. The cellulose solution was firstly prepared by the dissolution of the microcrystalline cellulose and lithium chloride (LiCl) in DMAc. DMAc acts as both a solvent and a microwave absorber. LiCl was used as the reactant to fabricate AgCl crystals. The effects of the heating time and heating temperature on the products were studied. This method is based on the simultaneous formation of AgCl nanoparticles and precipitation of the cellulose, leading to a homogeneous distribution of AgCl nanoparticles in the cellulose matrix. The experimental results confirmed the formation of cellulose/AgCl nanocomposites with high-purity, good thermal stability and antimicrobial activity. This rapid, green and environmentally friendly microwave-assisted method opens a new window to the high value-added applications of biomass. -- Highlights: ► Cellulose/AgCl nanocomposites have been synthesized by microwave method. ► Effect of heating temperature on the nanocomposites was researched. ► Thermal stability of the nanocomposites was investigated. ► Cellulose/AgCl nanocomposites had good antimicrobial activity. ► This method is based on the simultaneous formation of AgCl and cellulose.

  3. Alveolar Ridge Reconstruction with Titanium Meshes and Simultaneous Implant Placement: A Retrospective, Multicenter Clinical Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raquel Zita Gomes

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To evaluate horizontal bone gain and implant survival and complication rates in patients treated with titanium meshes placed simultaneously with dental implants and fixed over them. Methods. Twenty-five patients treated with 40 implants and simultaneous guided bone regeneration with titanium meshes (i–Gen®, MegaGen, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea were selected for inclusion in the present retrospective multicenter study. Primary outcomes were horizontal bone gain and implant survival; secondary outcomes were biological and prosthetic complications. Results. After the removal of titanium meshes, the CBCT evaluation revealed a mean horizontal bone gain of 3.67 mm (±0.89. The most frequent complications were mild postoperative edema (12/25 patients: 48% and discomfort after surgery (10/25 patients: 40%; these complications were resolved within one week. Titanium mesh exposure occurred in 6 patients (6/25 : 24%: one of these suffered partial loss of the graft and another experienced complete graft loss and implant failure. An implant survival rate of 97.5% (implant-based and a peri-implant marginal bone loss of 0.43 mm (±0.15 were recorded after 1 year. Conclusions. The horizontal ridge reconstruction with titanium meshes placed simultaneously with dental implants achieved predictable satisfactory results. Prospective randomized controlled trials on a larger sample of patients are required to validate these positive outcomes.

  4. О проблеме эквивалентности перевода фразеологических единиц: на примере русско-нидерландского фразеологического словаря

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Novitskaja, O.; Metz, E.

    2013-01-01

    Translating Phraseological Units: on the Problem of Equivalence in the Russian-Dutch Phraseological Dictionary Because of their idiomatic character, phraseological expressions belong to the linguistic units that are the most difficult to understand for foreign speakers. Concomitantly, an adequate

  5. Audiovisual Simultaneity Judgment and Rapid Recalibration throughout the Lifespan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noel, Jean-Paul; De Niear, Matthew; Van der Burg, Erik; Wallace, Mark T

    2016-01-01

    Multisensory interactions are well established to convey an array of perceptual and behavioral benefits. One of the key features of multisensory interactions is the temporal structure of the stimuli combined. In an effort to better characterize how temporal factors influence multisensory interactions across the lifespan, we examined audiovisual simultaneity judgment and the degree of rapid recalibration to paired audiovisual stimuli (Flash-Beep and Speech) in a sample of 220 participants ranging from 7 to 86 years of age. Results demonstrate a surprisingly protracted developmental time-course for both audiovisual simultaneity judgment and rapid recalibration, with neither reaching maturity until well into adolescence. Interestingly, correlational analyses revealed that audiovisual simultaneity judgments (i.e., the size of the audiovisual temporal window of simultaneity) and rapid recalibration significantly co-varied as a function of age. Together, our results represent the most complete description of age-related changes in audiovisual simultaneity judgments to date, as well as being the first to describe changes in the degree of rapid recalibration as a function of age. We propose that the developmental time-course of rapid recalibration scaffolds the maturation of more durable audiovisual temporal representations.

  6. The role of simultaneous and successive processing in EFL reading.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filickova, Marta; Kovalcikova, Iveta; Ropovik, Ivan

    2016-10-01

    This study examines the relationship between simultaneous and successive processing (the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous and Successive processing [PASS] theory processes) and reading skills in English as a foreign language (EFL). A group of 81 children were administered two batteries of tests. One was used to measure EFL reading skills, while the other one assessed simultaneous and successive processing. We hypothesised (a) cognitive processes to predict reading ability, as well as (b) the presence of a significant relationship between (c) simultaneous processing and reading comprehension and (d) successive processing and letter and word decoding. The findings confirmed that the anticipated relationships between these domains exist and are of moderate effect size. The research has helped to contribute to the understanding of how simultaneous and successive processing can affect EFL reading skills both on the level of basic word and letter decoding and reading comprehension. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

  7. Simultaneous radiochemotherapy and endoluminal HDR brachytherapy in esophageal cancer; Simultane Radiochemotherapie mit intraluminaler HDR-Brachytherapie des Oesophaguskarzinoms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Patonay, P.; Naszaly, A.; Mayer, A. [Hauptstaedtisches Zentrum fuer Radioonkologie und Strahlentherapie, Budapest (Hungary)

    2007-02-15

    Purpose: to study efficacy and toxicity of radiochemotherapy in esophageal cancer including initial endoluminal high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT). Patients and methods: between 01/1995 and 06/2005, 61 patients with esophageal cancer were treated preoperatively with definitive and palliative intent. Treatment started with intraluminal HDR-BT for recanalization of the esophagus (single fraction size of 8 Gy in 0.5 cm depth, three times, q7d) followed by external-beam radiation therapy (50 Gy total dose, 5 x 2 Gy/week, 25 fractions in 5 weeks). Chemotherapy was started simultaneously with external irradiation (three courses of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil, q21d). Results: swallowing function improved in 55/61 patients (dysphagia classification according to the RTOG), and worsened in 6/61 patients, respectively. Median duration of symptomatic improvement was 11 months, median follow-up 12 months (range 3-68 months). Following simultaneous radiochemotherapy, tumor resectability was achieved in 7/25 patients of the neoadjuvant group, and the histological specimen showed complete remission in 6/7 patients. Conclusion: these results indicate a favorable effect of simultaneous radiochemotherapy starting with endoluminal HDR-after-loading-(AL-)BT in esophageal cancer. (orig.)

  8. The meaning of pharmacological treatment for schizophrenic patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelly Graziani Giacchero Vedana

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: to understand the meaning of medication therapy for schizophrenic patients and formulate a theoretical model about the study phenomenon.METHOD: a qualitative approach was employed, using Symbolic Interactionism as the theoretical and Grounded Theory as the methodological framework. The research was developed between 2008 and 2010 at three community mental health services in the interior of the State of São Paulo - Brazil. Thirty-six patients and thirty-six family members were selected through theoretical sampling. The data were mainly collected through open interviews and observation and simultaneously analyzed through open, axial and selective coding.RESULTS: the meaning of the pharmacotherapy is centered on the phenomenon "Living with a help that bothers", which expresses the patients' ambivalence towards the medication and determines their decision making. The insight, access, limitations for self-administration of the drugs and interactions with family members and the health team influenced the patient's medication-related behavior.CONCLUSION: the theory presented in this study provides a comprehensive, contextualized, motivational and dynamic understanding of the relation the patient experiences and indicates potentials and barriers to follow the medication treatment.

  9. Simultaneous Analysis of Sensor Data for Breath Control in Respiratory Air

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rolf Seifert

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available There is a broad field of applications of breath monitoring in human health care, medical applications and alcohol control. In this report, an innovative mobile sensor system for breath control in respiratory air called AGaMon will be introduced. The sensor system is able to recognize a multitude of different gases like ethanol (which is the leading component of alcoholic drinks, H2S (which is the leading component for halitosis, H2 (which is the leading component for dyspepsia and food intolerance, NO (which is the leading component for asthma or acetone (which is the leading component for diabetes, thus ,covering almost all significant aspects. An innovative calibration and evaluation procedure called SimPlus was developed which is able to evaluate the sensor data simultaneously. That means, SimPlus is able to identify the samples simultaneously; for example, whether the measured sample is ethanol or another substance under consideration. Furthermore, SimPlus is able to determine the concentration of the identified sample. This will be demonstrated in this report for the application of ethanol, H2, acetone and the binary mixture ethanol-H2. It has been shown that SimPlus could identify the investigated gases and volatile organic compounds (VOCs very well and that the relative analysis errors were smaller than 10% in all considered applications.

  10. Induction of simultaneous and sequential malolactic fermentation in durian wine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taniasuri, Fransisca; Lee, Pin-Rou; Liu, Shao-Quan

    2016-08-02

    This study represented for the first time the impact of malolactic fermentation (MLF) induced by Oenococcus oeni and its inoculation strategies (simultaneous vs. sequential) on the fermentation performance as well as aroma compound profile of durian wine. There was no negative impact of simultaneous inoculation of O. oeni and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the growth and fermentation kinetics of S. cerevisiae as compared to sequential fermentation. Simultaneous MLF did not lead to an excessive increase in volatile acidity as compared to sequential MLF. The kinetic changes of organic acids (i.e. malic, lactic, succinic, acetic and α-ketoglutaric acids) varied with simultaneous and sequential MLF relative to yeast alone. MLF, regardless of inoculation mode, resulted in higher production of fermentation-derived volatiles as compared to control (alcoholic fermentation only), including esters, volatile fatty acids, and terpenes, except for higher alcohols. Most indigenous volatile sulphur compounds in durian were decreased to trace levels with little differences among the control, simultaneous and sequential MLF. Among the different wines, the wine with simultaneous MLF had higher concentrations of terpenes and acetate esters while sequential MLF had increased concentrations of medium- and long-chain ethyl esters. Relative to alcoholic fermentation only, both simultaneous and sequential MLF reduced acetaldehyde substantially with sequential MLF being more effective. These findings illustrate that MLF is an effective and novel way of modulating the volatile and aroma compound profile of durian wine. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Multichannel simultaneous magnetic induction measurement system (MUSIMITOS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steffen, Matthias; Leonhardt, Steffen; Heimann, Konrad; Bernstein, Nina

    2008-01-01

    Non-contact heart and lung activity monitoring would be a desirable supplement to conventional monitoring techniques. Based on the potential of non-contact magnetic induction measurements, requirements for an adequate monitoring system were estimated. This formed the basis for the development of the presented extendable multichannel simultaneous magnetic induction measurement system (MUSIMITOS). Special focus was given to the dynamic behaviour and simultaneous multichannel measurements, so that the system allows for up to 14 receiver coils working simultaneously at 6 excitation frequencies. Moreover, a real-time software concept for online signal processing visualization in combination with a fast software demodulation is presented. Finally, first steps towards a clinical application are pointed out and technical performance as well as first in vivo measurements are presented. This paper covers some aspects previously presented in Steffen and Leonhardt (2007 Proc. 13th Int. Conf. on Electrical Bioimpedance and the 8th Conf. on Electrical Impedance Tomography, Graz 2007)

  12. Simultaneous nephrectomy and coronary artery bypass grafting through extended sternotomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Budrikis Algimantas

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The advances in surgical techniques, resuscitation and anesthesiology support over the last years have allowed simultaneous thoracic and abdominal operations to be made for cancer and concomitant severe heart vessel disease relieving the patient from several diseases simultaneously and achieving long lasting remission or cure. Clinical case A simultaneous nephrectomy and coronary artery bypass grafting procedure through extended sternotomy is reported. A 63-year-old man with severe coronary artery disease was found to have renal carcinoma. Diagnosis Postoperative pathological investigation of the tumor revealed the presence of renal cell carcinoma pT3a N0 M0, G2. Coronarography revealed advanced three-vessel coronary artery disease. Treatment We successfully performed a simultaneous curative surgery for renal carcinoma and coronary artery bypass graft surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass using a novel technique of extended sternotomy. Simultaneous surgery thus appears to be a beneficial and safe approach for the treatment of coronary artery disease and resectable renal cancer in carefully selected patients.

  13. Simultaneous evaluation of the shell and pairing corrections to the nuclear deformation energy: the case of odd-systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Benhamouda, N [Laboratoire de Physique Theoique, Faculte des Sciences, USTHB BP 32 El-Alia, 16111 Bab-Ezzouar, Algers (Algeria); Oudih, M R [CRNA, 2. Bd Frantz Fanon, BP 399 Alger-Gare, Algers (Algeria)

    2002-09-15

    A method of simultaneous evaluation of the shell and pairing corrections to the nuclear deformation energy, recently proposed for the even-even nuclei, is generalized to the case of odd systems. {sup *} By means of the blocked-level technique, a level density with explicit dependence on pairing correlations is defined. The microscopic corrections to the deformation energy are then determined by a procedure which is analogous to that of Strutinsky. The method is applied to the ground state of Europium isotopes using the single-particle energies of a deformed Woods-Saxon mean-field. The obtained results are in good agreement with the experimental values.

  14. Simultaneous Balancing and Model Reduction of Switched Linear Systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Monshizadeh, Nima; Trentelman, Hendrikus; Camlibel, M.K.

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, first, balanced truncation of linear systems is revisited. Then, simultaneous balancing of multiple linear systems is investigated. Necessary and sufficient conditions are introduced to identify the case where simultaneous balancing is possible. The validity of these conditions is not

  15. Discrimination between sequential and simultaneous virtual channels with electrical hearing

    OpenAIRE

    Landsberger, David; Galvin, John J.

    2011-01-01

    In cochlear implants (CIs), simultaneous or sequential stimulation of adjacent electrodes can produce intermediate pitch percepts between those of the component electrodes. However, it is unclear whether simultaneous and sequential virtual channels (VCs) can be discriminated. In this study, CI users were asked to discriminate simultaneous and sequential VCs; discrimination was measured for monopolar (MP) and bipolar + 1 stimulation (BP + 1), i.e., relatively broad and focused stimulation mode...

  16. SIMULTANEOUS INTEGRATION OF WATER AND ENERGY: ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junior Lorenzo Llanes

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Process Integration (PI is a tool that for over forty years has demonstrated its strength to provide optimal solutions to complex problems. The interaction of exchange systems of energy and water networks is a typical case of such problems. The gradual increase in the consumption of water and energy has determined the development of methodologies that take into account the simultaneous integration of these resources. This paper aims to present a literature review related to the simultaneous integration of water and energy. First, general items related to this research field are presented, emphasizing the approaches to simultaneous integration (Pinch Analysis and Mathematical Programming. Some recent cases of studies, demonstrating the strength of these tools mainly focus to sugar industry, are also presented. Finally some of the challenges to be faced by the simultaneous integration of water and energy for the diversification of the Cuban sugar industry are presented.

  17. 3D Acoustic Modelling of Dissipative Silencers with Nonhomogeneous Properties and Mean Flow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. M. Sánchez-Orgaz

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available A finite element approach is proposed for the acoustic analysis of automotive silencers including a perforated duct with uniform axial mean flow and an outer chamber with heterogeneous absorbent material. This material can be characterized by means of its equivalent acoustic properties, considered coordinate-dependent via the introduction of a heterogeneous bulk density, and the corresponding material airflow resistivity variations. An approach has been implemented to solve the pressure wave equation for a nonmoving heterogeneous medium, associated with the problem of sound propagation in the outer chamber. On the other hand, the governing equation in the central duct has been solved in terms of the acoustic velocity potential considering the presence of a moving medium. The coupling between both regions and the corresponding acoustic fields has been carried out by means of a perforated duct and its acoustic impedance, adapted here to include absorbent material heterogeneities and mean flow effects simultaneously. It has been found that bulk density heterogeneities have a considerable influence on the silencer transmission loss.

  18. Method and apparatus for simultaneous determination of fluid mass flow rate, mean velocity and density

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamel, W.R.

    1984-01-01

    This invention relates to a new method and new apparatus for determining fluid mass flow rate and density. In one aspect of the invention, the fluid is passed through a straight cantilevered tube in which transient oscillation has been induced, thus generating Coriolis damping forces on the tube. The decay rate and frequency of the resulting damped oscillation are measured, and the fluid mass flow rate and density are determined therefrom. In another aspect of the invention, the fluid is passed through the cantilevered tube while an electrically powered device imparts steady-state harmonic excitation to the tube. This generates Coriolis tube-damping forces which are dependent on the mass flow rate of the fluid. Means are provided to respond to incipient flow-induced changes in the amplitude of vibration by changing the power input to the excitation device as required to sustain the original amplitude of vibration. The fluid mass flow rate and density are determined from the required change in power input. The invention provides stable, rapid, and accurate measurements. It does not require bending of the fluid flow

  19. Robust simultaneous detection of coronary borders in complex images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sonka, M.; Winniford, M.D.; Collins, S.M.

    1995-01-01

    Visual estimation of coronary obstruction severity from angiograms suffers from poor inter- and intraobserver reproducibility and is often inaccurate. In spite of the widely recognized limitations of visual analysis, automated methods have not found widespread clinical use, in part because they too frequently fail to accurately identify vessel borders. The authors have developed a robust method for simultaneous detection of left and right coronary borders that is suitable for analysis of complex images with poor contrast, nearby or overlapping structures, or branching vessels. The reliability of the simultaneous border detection method and that of their previously reported conventional border detection method were tested in 130 complex images, selected because conventional automated border detection might be expected to fail. Conventional analysis failed to yield acceptable borders in 65/130 or 50% of images. Simultaneous border detection was much more robust (p < .001) and failed in only 15/130 or 12% of complex images. Simultaneous border detection identified stenosis diameters that correlated significantly better with observer-derived stenosis diameters than did diameters obtained with conventional border detection (p < 0.001). Simultaneous detection of left and right coronary borders is highly robust and has substantial promise for enhancing the utility of quantitative coronary angiography in the clinical setting

  20. Tinnitus after Simultaneous and Sequential Bilateral Cochlear Implantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramakers, Geerte G J; Kraaijenga, Véronique J C; Smulders, Yvette E; van Zon, Alice; Stegeman, Inge; Stokroos, Robert J; Free, Rolien H; Frijns, Johan H M; Huinck, Wendy J; Van Zanten, Gijsbert A; Grolman, Wilko

    2017-01-01

    There is an ongoing global discussion on whether or not bilateral cochlear implantation should be standard care for bilateral deafness. Contrary to unilateral cochlear implantation, however, little is known about the effect of bilateral cochlear implantation on tinnitus. To investigate tinnitus outcomes 1 year after bilateral cochlear implantation. Secondarily, to compare tinnitus outcomes between simultaneous and sequential bilateral cochlear implantation and to investigate long-term follow-up (3 years). This study is a secondary analysis as part of a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Thirty-eight postlingually deafened adults were included in the original trial, in which the presence of tinnitus was not an inclusion criterion. All participants received cochlear implants (CIs) because of profound hearing loss. Nineteen participants received bilateral CIs simultaneously and 19 participants received bilateral CIs sequentially with an inter-implant interval of 2 years. The prevalence and severity of tinnitus before and after simultaneous and sequential bilateral cochlear implantation were measured preoperatively and each year after implantation with the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ). The prevalence of preoperative tinnitus was 42% (16/38). One year after bilateral implantation, there was a median difference of -8 (inter-quartile range (IQR): -28 to 4) in THI score and -9 (IQR: -17 to -9) in TQ score in the participants with preoperative tinnitus. Induction of tinnitus occurred in five participants, all in the simultaneous group, in the year after bilateral implantation. Although the preoperative and also the postoperative median THI and TQ scores were higher in the simultaneous group, the median difference scores were equal in both groups. In the simultaneous group, tinnitus scores fluctuated in the 3 years after implantation. In the sequential group, four patients had an additional benefit of the second CI: a total

  1. Simultaneous real-time monitoring of multiple cortical systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Disha; Jeremy Hill, N; Brunner, Peter; Gunduz, Aysegul; Ritaccio, Anthony L; Schalk, Gerwin

    2014-10-01

    Real-time monitoring of the brain is potentially valuable for performance monitoring, communication, training or rehabilitation. In natural situations, the brain performs a complex mix of various sensory, motor or cognitive functions. Thus, real-time brain monitoring would be most valuable if (a) it could decode information from multiple brain systems simultaneously, and (b) this decoding of each brain system were robust to variations in the activity of other (unrelated) brain systems. Previous studies showed that it is possible to decode some information from different brain systems in retrospect and/or in isolation. In our study, we set out to determine whether it is possible to simultaneously decode important information about a user from different brain systems in real time, and to evaluate the impact of concurrent activity in different brain systems on decoding performance. We study these questions using electrocorticographic signals recorded in humans. We first document procedures for generating stable decoding models given little training data, and then report their use for offline and for real-time decoding from 12 subjects (six for offline parameter optimization, six for online experimentation). The subjects engage in tasks that involve movement intention, movement execution and auditory functions, separately, and then simultaneously. Main Results: Our real-time results demonstrate that our system can identify intention and movement periods in single trials with an accuracy of 80.4% and 86.8%, respectively (where 50% would be expected by chance). Simultaneously, the decoding of the power envelope of an auditory stimulus resulted in an average correlation coefficient of 0.37 between the actual and decoded power envelopes. These decoders were trained separately and executed simultaneously in real time. This study yielded the first demonstration that it is possible to decode simultaneously the functional activity of multiple independent brain systems. Our

  2. Simultaneous and integrated neutron-based techniques for material analysis of a metallic ancient flute

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Festa, G; Andreani, C; Pietropaolo, A; Grazzi, F; Scherillo, A; Barzagli, E; Sutton, L F; Bognetti, L; Bini, A; Schooneveld, E

    2013-01-01

    A metallic 19th century flute was studied by means of integrated and simultaneous neutron-based techniques: neutron diffraction, neutron radiative capture analysis and neutron radiography. This experiment follows benchmark measurements devoted to assessing the effectiveness of a multitask beamline concept for neutron-based investigation on materials. The aim of this study is to show the potential application of the approach using multiple and integrated neutron-based techniques for musical instruments. Such samples, in the broad scenario of cultural heritage, represent an exciting research field. They may represent an interesting link between different disciplines such as nuclear physics, metallurgy and acoustics. (paper)

  3. Clinical introduction of simultaneous radiohyperthermotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuroda, Masahiro; Makihata, Eiichi; Asaumi, Junichi; Hiraki, Yoshio; Inamura, Keiji; Tahara, Seiji; Mimura, Seiichi; Mikami, Yasutaka; Kawasaki, Shoji.

    1992-01-01

    Simultaneous radiohyperthermotherapy (SRH) is a combined hyperthermia-radiation therapy in which radiation is given during heating. An in vitro study was performed on NIH3T3 cells using 60 Co γ-ray for irradiation and a water bath for heat treatment. The thermal enhancement ratio increased after simultaneous treatment compared to sequential treatment with heating for 90 min at 43degC and irradiation. Simultaneous treatment was more cytotoxic than sequential treatment with heating for 20 min at 45degC and irradiation of 6 Gy. A clinical trial was performed on a 57-year-old female with post-operative recurrence of rectal carcinoma. This is the first reported clinical case treated with true SRH in which external irradiation was administered during mid RF capacitive heating. Twelve SRH treatments were performed on the recurrent lesion at a frequency of twice a week for six weeks using the high energy radiotherapy system (Toshiba LMR-15A) and the 13.56MHz capacitive heating system (Omron HEH-500C). Average temperature at the time of irradiation in mid heating was 41.1degC. The patient received 60 Gy in 30 fractions over six weeks. There was a dramatic reduction in pain after treatment. The tumor marker CEA level decreased after treatment. On CT images taken after treatment, the tumor site became a low density area which indicated necrosis. There were no side effects encountered. These results suggest that further clinical study of SRH should be performed to clarify its advantages. (author)

  4. Simultaneous Bilateral Bell's palsy in a Nigerian man | Owolabi ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Bilateral Bellfs palsy occurring simultaneously is exceedingly rare. We report a case of a 27.year.old Nigerian man with bilateral Bellfs palsy, that occurred simultaneously, who had remarkable response to steroid and physiotherapy. We emphasized the importance of considering Bellfs palsy and the various differential ...

  5. Simultaneous optimization of sequential IMRT plans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Popple, Richard A.; Prellop, Perri B.; Spencer, Sharon A.; Santos, Jennifer F. de los; Duan, Jun; Fiveash, John B.; Brezovich, Ivan A.

    2005-01-01

    Radiotherapy often comprises two phases, in which irradiation of a volume at risk for microscopic disease is followed by a sequential dose escalation to a smaller volume either at a higher risk for microscopic disease or containing only gross disease. This technique is difficult to implement with intensity modulated radiotherapy, as the tolerance doses of critical structures must be respected over the sum of the two plans. Techniques that include an integrated boost have been proposed to address this problem. However, clinical experience with such techniques is limited, and many clinicians are uncomfortable prescribing nonconventional fractionation schemes. To solve this problem, we developed an optimization technique that simultaneously generates sequential initial and boost IMRT plans. We have developed an optimization tool that uses a commercial treatment planning system (TPS) and a high level programming language for technical computing. The tool uses the TPS to calculate the dose deposition coefficients (DDCs) for optimization. The DDCs were imported into external software and the treatment ports duplicated to create the boost plan. The initial, boost, and tolerance doses were specified and used to construct cost functions. The initial and boost plans were optimized simultaneously using a gradient search technique. Following optimization, the fluence maps were exported to the TPS for dose calculation. Seven patients treated using sequential techniques were selected from our clinical database. The initial and boost plans used to treat these patients were developed independently of each other by dividing the tolerance doses proportionally between the initial and boost plans and then iteratively optimizing the plans until a summation that met the treatment goals was obtained. We used the simultaneous optimization technique to generate plans that met the original planning goals. The coverage of the initial and boost target volumes in the simultaneously optimized

  6. Multipolar radiofrequency ablation using 4–6 applicators simultaneously: A study in the ex vivo bovine liver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stoffner, Rudolf; Kremser, Christian; Schullian, Peter; Haidu, Marion; Widmann, Gerlig; Bale, Reto J.

    2012-01-01

    In this study the volume and shape of coagulation zones after multipolar radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with simultaneous use of 4–6 applicators in the ex vivo bovine liver were investigated. The RF-applicators were positioned in 13 different configurations to simulate ablation of large solitary tumors and simultaneous ablation of multiple lesions with 120 kJ of applied energy/session. In total, 110 coagulation zones were induced. Standardized measurements of the volume and shape of the coagulation zones were carried out on magnetic resonance images and statistically analyzed. The coagulation zones induced with solitary applicators and with 2 applicators were imperceptibly small and incomplete, respectively. At 20 mm applicator distance, the total ablated volume was significantly larger if all applicators were arranged in a single group compared to placement in 2 distant applicator groups, each consisting of 3 applicators (p = .001). The mean total coagulated volume ranged from immeasurably small (if 6 solitary applicators were applied simultaneously) to 74.7 cc (if 6 applicators at 30 mm distance between neighboring applicators were combined to a single group). Applicator distance, number and positioning array impacted time and shape. The coagulation zones surrounding groups with 4–6 applicators were regularly shaped, homogeneous and completely fused, and the axial diameters were almost constant. In conclusion, multipolar RFA with 4–6 applicators is feasible. The multipolar simultaneous mode should be applied for large and solitary lesions only, small and multiple tumors should be ablated consecutively in standard multipolar mode with up to 3 applicators

  7. Out of Africa: Trends and Themes of Nigerian Home Videos ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Since its emergence, the Nigerian movie industry “Nollywood”1 or “Naijawood” has had a profound influence on African and world cultures – through the transmission of the distinctly Nigerian accents, idiomatic expressions, style of dress, and behavioral idiosyncrasies as images worldwide.

  8. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Kamanga, Mervis. Vol 21, No 1 (2008) - Articles Interpretation of Chichewa idioms: An optimality theoretic account. Abstract PDF · Vol 25, No 2 (2017) - Articles Factors influencing children's interpretation and acquisition of Chichewa idiomatic expressions: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach Abstract PDF.

  9. Predictive Risk Factors for Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding with Simultaneous Myocardial Injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I-Chen Wu

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The aims of this study were to: (1 evaluate the epidemiology of simultaneous upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB and myocardial injury using parameters including troponin I (TnI; and (2 investigate the predictive risk factors of this syndrome. One hundred and fifty-five patients (101 men, 54 women; mean age, 64.7 ± 10.4 years; range, 38–94 years at the emergency department (ED with the major diagnosis of UGIB were included. They underwent serial electrocardiography (ECG and cardiac enzyme follow-up. Emergent gastroendoscopy was performed within 24 hours in most patients except for those who refused or were contraindicated. Mild myocardial injury was defined as the presence of any of the following: typical ST-T change on ECG, elevated creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB > 12U/L, or TnI > 0.2ng/dL. Moderate myocardial injury was defined as the presence of any two of the previously mentioned conditions. In total, 51 (32.9% and 12 (7.74% patients developed mild and moderate myocardial injuries, respectively. Myocardial injury was more common among patients with variceal bleeding (20/25 = 80.0% than those with ulcer bleeding (23/112 = 20.5%. It could partially be attributed to a higher baseline TnI level in cirrhotic patients. After adjusting for significant risk factors revealed by the univariate analysis, UGIB patients with a history of liver cirrhosis and more than three cardiac risk factors comprised a high-risk group for simultaneously developing myocardial injury. Other factors including age, gender, the color of nasogastric tube irrigation fluid, history of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, vasopressin or terlipressin administration, vital signs, and creatinine recorded at the ED were not significant predictors. Those who developed myocardial injury had a longer hospital stay (mean duration, 8.73 ± 6.94 vs. 6.34 ± 2.66 days; p = 0.03 and required transfusion of more units of packed erythrocytes.

  10. OPTIMAL SHRINKAGE ESTIMATION OF MEAN PARAMETERS IN FAMILY OF DISTRIBUTIONS WITH QUADRATIC VARIANCE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Xianchao; Kou, S C; Brown, Lawrence

    2016-03-01

    This paper discusses the simultaneous inference of mean parameters in a family of distributions with quadratic variance function. We first introduce a class of semi-parametric/parametric shrinkage estimators and establish their asymptotic optimality properties. Two specific cases, the location-scale family and the natural exponential family with quadratic variance function, are then studied in detail. We conduct a comprehensive simulation study to compare the performance of the proposed methods with existing shrinkage estimators. We also apply the method to real data and obtain encouraging results.

  11. Simultaneous neural and movement recording in large-scale immersive virtual environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snider, Joseph; Plank, Markus; Lee, Dongpyo; Poizner, Howard

    2013-10-01

    Virtual reality (VR) allows precise control and manipulation of rich, dynamic stimuli that, when coupled with on-line motion capture and neural monitoring, can provide a powerful means both of understanding brain behavioral relations in the high dimensional world and of assessing and treating a variety of neural disorders. Here we present a system that combines state-of-the-art, fully immersive, 3D, multi-modal VR with temporally aligned electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings. The VR system is dynamic and interactive across visual, auditory, and haptic interactions, providing sight, sound, touch, and force. Crucially, it does so with simultaneous EEG recordings while subjects actively move about a 20 × 20 ft² space. The overall end-to-end latency between real movement and its simulated movement in the VR is approximately 40 ms. Spatial precision of the various devices is on the order of millimeters. The temporal alignment with the neural recordings is accurate to within approximately 1 ms. This powerful combination of systems opens up a new window into brain-behavioral relations and a new means of assessment and rehabilitation of individuals with motor and other disorders.

  12. Simultaneous fabrication of nanogap electrodes using field-emission-induced electromigration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, Mitsuki; Yagi, Mamiko; Morihara, Kohei; Shirakashi, Jun-ichi

    2015-01-01

    We present a simple technique for simultaneous control of the electrical properties of multiple Ni nanogaps. This technique is based on electromigration induced by a field emission current and is called “activation.” Simultaneous tuning of the tunnel resistance of multiple nanogaps was achieved by passing a Fowler–Nordheim (F-N) field emission current through an initial group of three Ni nanogaps connected in series. The Ni nanogaps, which had asymmetrical shapes with initial gap separations in the 80–110-nm range, were fabricated by electron-beam lithography and a lift-off process. By performing the activation procedure, the current–voltage properties of the series-connected nanogaps were varied simultaneously from “insulating” to “metallic” via “tunneling” properties by increasing the preset current of the activation procedure. We can also simultaneously control the tunnel resistances of the series-connected nanogaps, which range from a resistance of the order of 100 TΩ–100 kΩ, by increasing the preset current from 1 nA to 30 μA. This tendency is quite similar to that of individually activated nanogaps, and the tunnel resistance values of the simultaneously activated nanogaps were almost the same at each preset current. These results clearly imply that the electrical properties of the series-connected nanogaps can be controlled simultaneously via the activation procedure

  13. Simultaneous speciation neutron activation analysis for trace elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chatt, A.; Kiceniuk, J.W.; Menendez Sanchez, W.; Bottaro, C.

    2006-01-01

    Among the various forms of neutron activation technique being developed in our laboratory, much emphasis has been placed over the last ten years or so on the development of simultaneous speciation neutron activation analysis (SSNAA). This technique can now be used for the simultaneous determination of various species of a number of elements. Almost all speciation techniques consist of two steps. The first step involves the separation of species from the sample followed by the second step of element-specific detection. A number of characteristic features of NAA, which other techniques normally do not possess, can be advantageously exploited in SSNAA. For example, SSNAA can be used for: (i) multielement speciation with high specificity, (ii) speciation of chemically dissimilar elements such as Cd, Mn and Se, (iii) speciation of elements such as Cl, Br and I which are rather difficult to determine by most other techniques, etc. We have developed SSNAA methods for assaying various arsenic species, namely As(III), As(V), dimethyl arsonic acid (DMA), monomethylarsinic acid (MMA), arsenobetaine (AsB), organically bound arsenic (OBAs), and lipid-soluble arsenic (LSAs) in marine fish samples. We have extended these methods to include simultaneous determination of various species of As, Sb and Se in water. We have also developed SSNAA methods employing biochemical techniques for the simultaneous separation, preconcentration and characterization of metalloproteins and protein-bound trace element species of As, Br, Cd, Cu, Mn, Se, and Zn. We have developed methods for the simultaneous separation and characterization of organohalogen compounds in fish. An overview of the SSNAA methods being developed in our laboratory will be presented. (author)

  14. Striving for meaning-Life in supported housing for people with psychiatric disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brolin, Rosita; Brunt, David; Rask, Mikael; Syrén, Susanne; Sandgren, Anna

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to develop a grounded theory about people with psychiatric disabilities, living in supported housing. Interviews as well as observations during the interviews were analyzed together with secondary analyses of quantitative and qualitative material from previous studies. Being deprived of self-determination emerged as the main concern for residents in supported housing and striving for meaning emerged as the pattern of behavior through which this group resolves their main concern. Striving for meaning involves living in the present, striving for self-determination, strengthening self-esteem, emotional processing and resting from the present. The strategies facilitate each other and are used singly, together simultaneously, or alternately. If they are successful, a meaning in the present is perceived. If all the strategies fail repeatedly, escaping from the present is used in order to deal with being deprived of self-determination. The implications of the findings suggest prioritizing a reduction of the institutional nature of the social and physical environment, and to support the residents' self-determination.

  15. Simultaneous bilateral distal biceps tendon repair: case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thiago Medeiros Storti

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Simultaneous bilateral rupture of the distal biceps tendon is a rare clinical entity, seldom reported in the literature and with unclear therapeutic setting. The authors report the case of a 39-year-old white man who suffered a simultaneous bilateral rupture while working out. When weightlifting with elbows at 90° of flexion, he suddenly felt pain on the anterior aspect of the arms, coming for evaluation after two days. He presented bulging contour of the biceps muscle belly and ecchymosis in the antecubital fossa, extending distally to the medial aspect of the forearm, as well as a marked decrease of supination strength and pain in active elbow flexion. MRI confirmed the rupture with retraction of the distal biceps bilaterally. The authors opted for performing the tendon repairs simultaneously through the double incision technique and fixation to the bicipital tuberosity with anchors. The patient progressed quite well, with full return to labor and sports activities, being satisfied with the result after two years of surgery. In the literature search, few reports of simultaneous bilateral rupture of the distal biceps were retrieved, with only one treated in the acute phase of injury. Therefore, the authors consider this procedure to be a good option to solve this complex condition.

  16. Simultaneous bilateral distal biceps tendon repair: case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Storti, Thiago Medeiros; Paniago, Alexandre Firmino; Faria, Rafael Salomon Silva

    2017-01-01

    Simultaneous bilateral rupture of the distal biceps tendon is a rare clinical entity, seldom reported in the literature and with unclear therapeutic setting. The authors report the case of a 39-year-old white man who suffered a simultaneous bilateral rupture while working out. When weightlifting with elbows at 90° of flexion, he suddenly felt pain on the anterior aspect of the arms, coming for evaluation after two days. He presented bulging contour of the biceps muscle belly and ecchymosis in the antecubital fossa, extending distally to the medial aspect of the forearm, as well as a marked decrease of supination strength and pain in active elbow flexion. MRI confirmed the rupture with retraction of the distal biceps bilaterally. The authors opted for performing the tendon repairs simultaneously through the double incision technique and fixation to the bicipital tuberosity with anchors. The patient progressed quite well, with full return to labor and sports activities, being satisfied with the result after two years of surgery. In the literature search, few reports of simultaneous bilateral rupture of the distal biceps were retrieved, with only one treated in the acute phase of injury. Therefore, the authors consider this procedure to be a good option to solve this complex condition.

  17. Simultaneous in vivo truncation of pectic side chains

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Øbro, Jens; Borkhardt, Bernhard; Harholt, Jesper

    2009-01-01

    . These modifications often prevent gelation, which has been a major functional requirement of commercial pectins until recently. We have previously shown that modification of pectin is possible through heterologous expression of pectin degrading enzymes in planta. To test the effect of simultaneous modification......Despite the wide occurrence of pectin in nature only a few source materials have been used to produce commercial pectins. One of the reasons for this is that many plant species contain pectins with high levels of neutral sugar side chains or that are highly substituted with acetyl or other groups...... of the two main neutral pectic side chains in pectic rhamnogalacturonan I (RGI), we constitutively expressed two different enzymes in Arabidopsis thaliana that would either modify the galactan or the arabinan side chains, or both side chains simultaneously. Our analysis showed that the simultaneous...

  18. SIMULTANEOUS DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION COMPUTER

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collier, D.M.; Meeks, L.A.; Palmer, J.P.

    1960-05-10

    A description is given for an electronic simulator for a system of simultaneous differential equations, including nonlinear equations. As a specific example, a homogeneous nuclear reactor system including a reactor fluid, heat exchanger, and a steam boiler may be simulated, with the nonlinearity resulting from a consideration of temperature effects taken into account. The simulator includes three operational amplifiers, a multiplier, appropriate potential sources, and interconnecting R-C networks.

  19. Genetic parameters and simultaneous selection for root yield, adaptability and stability of cassava genotypes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Tomé de Farias Neto

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to estimate genetic parameters and to evaluate simultaneous selection for root yield and for adaptability and stability of cassava genotypes. The effects of genotypes were assumed as fixed and random, and the mixed model methodology (REML/Blup was used to estimate genetic parameters and the harmonic mean of the relative performance of genotypic values (HMRPGV, for simultaneous selection purposes. Ten genotypes were analyzed in a complete randomized block design, with four replicates. The experiment was carried out in the municipalities of Altamira, Santarém, and Santa Luzia do Pará in the state of Pará, Brazil, in the growing seasons of 2009/2010, 2010/2011, and 2011/2012. Roots were harvested 12 months after planting, in all tested locations. Root yield had low coefficients of genotypic variation (4.25% and broad-sense heritability of individual plots (0.0424, which resulted in low genetic gain. Due to the low genotypic correlation (0.15, genotype classification as to root yield varied according to the environment. Genotypes CPATU 060, CPATU 229, and CPATU 404 stood out as to their yield, adaptability, and stability.

  20. Simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of uranium and zirconium using cloud point extraction and multivariate methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghasemi, Jahan B.; Hashemi, Beshare; Shamsipur, Mojtaba

    2012-01-01

    A cloud point extraction (CPE) process using the nonionic surfactant Triton X-114 to simultaneous extraction and spectrophotometric determination of uranium and zirconium from aqueous solution using partial least squares (PLS) regression is investigated. The method is based on the complexation reaction of these cations with Alizarin Red S (ARS) and subsequent micelle-mediated extraction of products. The chemical parameters affecting the separation phase and detection process were studied and optimized. Under the optimum experimental conditions (i.e. pH 5.2, Triton X-114 = 0.20%, equilibrium time 10 min and cloud point 45 C), calibration graphs were linear in the range of 0.01-3 mg L -1 with detection limits of 2.0 and 0.80 μg L -1 for U and Zr, respectively. The experimental calibration set was composed of 16 sample solutions using an orthogonal design for two component mixtures. The root mean square error of predictions (RMSEPs) for U and Zr were 0.0907 and 0.1117, respectively. The interference effect of some anions and cations was also tested. The method was applied to the simultaneous determination of U and Zr in water samples.

  1. Taxonomy and Analysis of IP Micro-Mobility Protocols in Single and Simultaneous Movements Scenarios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. De Marco

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The micro-mobility is an important aspect in mobile communications, where the applications are anywhere and used anytime. One of the problems of micro-mobility is the hand-off latency. In this paper, we analyse two solutions for IP micro-mobility by means of a general taxonomy. The first one is based on the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP, which allows the dynamic address configuration of an association. The second one is based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP, which is the most popular protocol for multimedia communications over IP networks. We show that for the SCTP solution, there is room for further optimisations of the hand-off latency by adding slight changes to the protocol. However, as full end-to-end solution, SCTP is not able to handle simultaneous movement of hosts, whose probability in general cannot be neglected. On the other hand, the SIP can handle both single and simultaneous movements cases, although the hand-off latency can increase with respect to the SCTP solution. We show that for a correct and fast hand-off, the SIP server should be statefull.

  2. High prevalence of simultaneous rib and vertebral fractures in patients with hip fracture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Bong-Gun; Sung, Yoon-Kyoung; Kim, Dam; Choi, Yun Young; Kim, Hunchul; Kim, Yeesuk

    2017-02-01

    The purpose was to evaluate the prevalence and location of simultaneous fracture using bone scans in patients with hip fracture and to determine the risk factors associated with simultaneous fracture. One hundred eighty two patients with hip fracture were reviewed for this study. Clinical parameters and bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar vertebra and femoral neck were investigated. To identify acute simultaneous fracture, a bone scan was performed at 15.4±4.1days after hip fracture. The prevalence and location of simultaneous fracture were evaluated, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the risk factors. Simultaneous fracture was observed in 102 of 182 patients, a prevalence of 56.0%. Rib fracture was the most common type of simultaneous fracture followed by rib with vertebral fracture. The BMD of the lumbar vertebra was significantly lower in patients with simultaneous fracture (p=0.044) and was identified as an independent risk factor (odds ratio: OR 0.05, 95% confidence interval: CI 0.01-0.57). The prevalence of simultaneous fracture was relatively high among patients with hip fracture, and BMD was significantly lower in patients with simultaneous fracture than in patients without it. Surgeons should be aware of the possibility of simultaneous fracture in patients with hip fracture. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Researching the meaning of life: finding new sources of hope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alon, Shirly

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of the paper is to discuss means of assisting terminally ill patients in seeking for sources of meaning and hope, alongside the acknowledgment that their lifespan is short.Psycho-spiritual aspects make a substantial component patients suffering from incurable illness have to deal with. Evaluating and mapping the causes and expressions of psychological--spiritual suffering may assist in tailoring appropriate strategies of distress relief. Therefore, interventions should be given in accordance with their specific focus of difficulties, as well as with wishes and needs. Appropriate interventions in palliative psychotherapeutic rapport are inspired by identifying new sources for meaning in current life (sometimes, aided by past experiences or future visions). Reinforcing sources for meaning may attempt in providing patients amongst:--equilibrium, between suffering and sorrow (which sometimes take over the patient's world), and on the other hand, new experiences, sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. Individual's acknowledgment that he is not completely withdrawn from the circle of life, and yet significance and fulfillment in life still exists. For a holistic meaning ? centered intervention it is advisable to simultaneously integrate two central axes: the existential analysis, inspired by concepts driven from Frenkl's Logotherapy, such as freedom of choice, personal responsibility, inner truth, hope and transcendentalism; the operative axis, enhancing meaning and hope by assisting patient's wishes come true. Patients are aware, many times, that those wishes may be their last one, therefore perceive their fulfillment as crucial for their sense of meaning. Moreover, those wishes may elevate patient and family's spirit and reduce risk of demoralization. Whereas existential--spiritual interventions are recommended to be given by qualified professional therapists, the operation of fulfilling wishes is feasible by everyone, from family members to multi

  4. Simultaneous optimization of beam orientations and beam weights in conformal radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rowbottom, Carl Graham; Khoo, Vincent S.; Webb, Steve

    2001-01-01

    A methodology for the concurrent optimization of beam orientations and beam weights in conformal radiotherapy treatment planning has been developed and tested on a cohort of five patients. The algorithm is based on a beam-weight optimization scheme with a downhill simplex optimization engine. The use of random voxels in the dose calculation provides much of the required speed up in the optimization process, and allows the simultaneous optimization of beam orientations and beam weights in a reasonable time. In the implementation of the beam-weight optimization algorithm just 10% of the original patient voxels are used for the dose calculation and cost function evaluation. A fast simulated annealing algorithm controls the optimization of the beam arrangement. The optimization algorithm was able to produce clinically acceptable plans for the five patients in the cohort study. The algorithm equalized the dose to the optic nerves compared to the standard plans and reduced the mean dose to the brain stem by an average of 4.4% (±1.9, 1 SD), p value=0.007. The dose distribution to the PTV was not compromised by developing beam arrangements via the optimization algorithm. In conclusion, the simultaneous optimization of beam orientations and beam weights has been developed to be routinely used in a realistic time. The results of optimization in a small cohort study show that the optimization can reliably produce clinically acceptable dose distributions and may be able to improve dose distributions compared to those from a human planner

  5. Reusable Lexical Representations for Idioms

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Odijk, J.E.J.M.

    2004-01-01

    In this paper I introduce (1) a technically simple and highly theory-independent way for lexically representing flexible idiomatic expressions, and (2) a procedure to incorporate these lexical representations in a wide variety of NLP systems. The method is based on Structural EQuivalence Classes

  6. Advertisements: An Overlooked Resource in the Foreign Language Classroom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deutsch, Rena

    The use of newspaper and magazine advertisements for teaching foreign language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing as well as vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, grammar, pronunciation, and culture is encouraged and discussed. Suggested lessons and classroom activities are presented in four categories: vocabulary, grammatical rules…

  7. Simultaneous Combined Myositis, Inflammatory Polyneuropathy, and Overlap Myasthenic Syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stéphane Mathis

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Immune-mediated neuromuscular disorders include pathologies of the peripheral nervous system, neuromuscular junction, and muscles. If overlap syndromes (or the association of almost two autoimmune disorders are recognized, the simultaneous occurrence of several autoimmune neuromuscular disorders is rare. We describe two patients presenting the simultaneous occurrence of inflammatory neuropathy, myositis, and myasthenia gravis (with positive acetylcholine receptor antibodies. For each patient, we carried out a pathological analysis (nerve and muscle and an electrophysiological study (and follow-up. To our knowledge, this is the first description of such a triple immune-mediated neuromuscular syndrome. We compared our observations with a few other cases of simultaneous diagnosis of two inflammatory neuromuscular disorders.

  8. Envisioning Curriculum as Six Simultaneities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hussain, Hanin; Conner, Lindsey; Mayo, Elaine

    2014-01-01

    This paper uses the discourse of complexity thinking to envision curriculum as six partial and coupled facets that exist simultaneously: curriculum as structure, curriculum as process, curriculum as content, curriculum as teaching, curriculum as learning and curriculum as activity. Such a curriculum is emergent and self-organising. It is emergent…

  9. Tinnitus after Simultaneous and Sequential Bilateral Cochlear Implantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geerte G. J. Ramakers

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available ImportanceThere is an ongoing global discussion on whether or not bilateral cochlear implantation should be standard care for bilateral deafness. Contrary to unilateral cochlear implantation, however, little is known about the effect of bilateral cochlear implantation on tinnitus.ObjectiveTo investigate tinnitus outcomes 1 year after bilateral cochlear implantation. Secondarily, to compare tinnitus outcomes between simultaneous and sequential bilateral cochlear implantation and to investigate long-term follow-up (3 years.Study designThis study is a secondary analysis as part of a multicenter randomized controlled trial.MethodsThirty-eight postlingually deafened adults were included in the original trial, in which the presence of tinnitus was not an inclusion criterion. All participants received cochlear implants (CIs because of profound hearing loss. Nineteen participants received bilateral CIs simultaneously and 19 participants received bilateral CIs sequentially with an inter-implant interval of 2 years. The prevalence and severity of tinnitus before and after simultaneous and sequential bilateral cochlear implantation were measured preoperatively and each year after implantation with the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI and Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ.ResultsThe prevalence of preoperative tinnitus was 42% (16/38. One year after bilateral implantation, there was a median difference of −8 (inter-quartile range (IQR: −28 to 4 in THI score and −9 (IQR: −17 to −9 in TQ score in the participants with preoperative tinnitus. Induction of tinnitus occurred in five participants, all in the simultaneous group, in the year after bilateral implantation. Although the preoperative and also the postoperative median THI and TQ scores were higher in the simultaneous group, the median difference scores were equal in both groups. In the simultaneous group, tinnitus scores fluctuated in the 3 years after implantation. In the sequential group

  10. Multisensor Capacitance Probes for Simultaneously Monitoring Rice Field Soil-Water- Crop-Ambient Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brinkhoff, James; Hornbuckle, John; Dowling, Thomas

    2017-12-26

    Multisensor capacitance probes (MCPs) have traditionally been used for soil moisture monitoring and irrigation scheduling. This paper presents a new application of these probes, namely the simultaneous monitoring of ponded water level, soil moisture, and temperature profile, conditions which are particularly important for rice crops in temperate growing regions and for rice grown with prolonged periods of drying. WiFi-based loggers are used to concurrently collect the data from the MCPs and ultrasonic distance sensors (giving an independent reading of water depth). Models are fit to MCP water depth vs volumetric water content (VWC) characteristics from laboratory measurements, variability from probe-to-probe is assessed, and the methodology is verified using measurements from a rice field throughout a growing season. The root-mean-squared error of the water depth calculated from MCP VWC over the rice growing season was 6.6 mm. MCPs are used to simultaneously monitor ponded water depth, soil moisture content when ponded water is drained, and temperatures in root, water, crop and ambient zones. The insulation effect of ponded water against cold-temperature effects is demonstrated with low and high water levels. The developed approach offers advantages in gaining the full soil-plant-atmosphere continuum in a single robust sensor.

  11. On the Equivalence of Nonnegative Matrix Factorization and K-means- Spectral Clustering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ding, Chris; He, Xiaofeng; Simon, Horst D.; Jin, Rong

    2005-12-04

    We provide a systematic analysis of nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) relating to data clustering. We generalize the usual X = FG{sup T} decomposition to the symmetric W = HH{sup T} and W = HSH{sup T} decompositions. We show that (1) W = HH{sup T} is equivalent to Kernel K-means clustering and the Laplacian-based spectral clustering. (2) X = FG{sup T} is equivalent to simultaneous clustering of rows and columns of a bipartite graph. We emphasizes the importance of orthogonality in NMF and soft clustering nature of NMF. These results are verified with experiments on face images and newsgroups.

  12. THE COMBINATION METHOD FOR DEPENDENT EVIDENCE AND ITS APPLICATION FOR SIMULTANEOUS FAULTS DIAGNOSIS

    OpenAIRE

    HAI-NA JIANG; XIAO-BIN XU; CHENG-LIN WEN

    2015-01-01

    This paper provides a method based on Dezert-Smarandache Theory (DSmT) for simultaneous faults diagnosis when evidence is dependent. Firstly, according to the characteristics of simultaneous faults, a frame of discernment is given for both single fault and simultaneous faults diagnosis, the DSmT combination rule applicable to simultaneous faults diagnosis is introduced.

  13. Simultaneous Intracranial and Spinal Subdural Hematoma: Two Case Reports

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoon, Chung Dae; Song, Chang Joon; Lee, Jeong Eun; Choi, Seung Won [Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2009-02-15

    Spinal subdural hematoma is a rare disease. Simultaneous intracranial and spinal subdural hematoma is extremely rare and only 14 such cases have been reported. We report here on two cases of simultaneous intracranial and spinal subdural hematoma that occurred following a fall-down head injury and intracranial surgery, and we discuss the pathogenesis of the disease.

  14. Simultaneous beam sampling and aperture shape optimization for SPORT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zarepisheh, Masoud; Li, Ruijiang; Ye, Yinyu; Xing, Lei

    2015-02-01

    . It significantly improved the target conformality and at the same time critical structure sparing compared with conventional intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). In the head and neck case, for example, the average PTV coverage D99% for two PTVs, cord and brainstem max doses, and right parotid gland mean dose were improved, respectively, by about 7%, 37%, 12%, and 16%. The proposed method automatically determines the number of the stations required to generate a satisfactory plan and optimizes simultaneously the involved station parameters, leading to improved quality of the resultant treatment plans as compared with the conventional IMRT plans.

  15. Simultaneous beam sampling and aperture shape optimization for SPORT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zarepisheh, Masoud; Li, Ruijiang; Xing, Lei, E-mail: Lei@stanford.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 (United States); Ye, Yinyu [Department of Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 (United States)

    2015-02-15

    neck and a prostate case. It significantly improved the target conformality and at the same time critical structure sparing compared with conventional intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). In the head and neck case, for example, the average PTV coverage D99% for two PTVs, cord and brainstem max doses, and right parotid gland mean dose were improved, respectively, by about 7%, 37%, 12%, and 16%. Conclusions: The proposed method automatically determines the number of the stations required to generate a satisfactory plan and optimizes simultaneously the involved station parameters, leading to improved quality of the resultant treatment plans as compared with the conventional IMRT plans.

  16. Simultaneous beam sampling and aperture shape optimization for SPORT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zarepisheh, Masoud; Li, Ruijiang; Xing, Lei; Ye, Yinyu

    2015-01-01

    neck and a prostate case. It significantly improved the target conformality and at the same time critical structure sparing compared with conventional intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). In the head and neck case, for example, the average PTV coverage D99% for two PTVs, cord and brainstem max doses, and right parotid gland mean dose were improved, respectively, by about 7%, 37%, 12%, and 16%. Conclusions: The proposed method automatically determines the number of the stations required to generate a satisfactory plan and optimizes simultaneously the involved station parameters, leading to improved quality of the resultant treatment plans as compared with the conventional IMRT plans

  17. The meaning of pharmacological treatment for schizophrenic patients1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vedana, Kelly Graziani Giacchero; Miasso, Adriana Inocenti

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: to understand the meaning of medication therapy for schizophrenic patients and formulate a theoretical model about the study phenomenon. METHOD: a qualitative approach was employed, using Symbolic Interactionism as the theoretical and Grounded Theory as the methodological framework. The research was developed between 2008 and 2010 at three community mental health services in the interior of the State of São Paulo - Brazil. Thirty-six patients and thirty-six family members were selected through theoretical sampling. The data were mainly collected through open interviews and observation and simultaneously analyzed through open, axial and selective coding. RESULTS: the meaning of the pharmacotherapy is centered on the phenomenon "Living with a help that bothers", which expresses the patients' ambivalence towards the medication and determines their decision making. The insight, access, limitations for self-administration of the drugs and interactions with family members and the health team influenced the patient's medication-related behavior. CONCLUSION: the theory presented in this study provides a comprehensive, contextualized, motivational and dynamic understanding of the relation the patient experiences and indicates potentials and barriers to follow the medication treatment. PMID:25296152

  18. A novel electro analytical nanosensor based on graphene oxide/silver nanoparticles for simultaneous determination of quercetin and morin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yola, Mehmet Lütfi; Gupta, Vinod Kumar; Eren, Tanju; Şen, Arif Emre; Atar, Necip

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Abstract: In this report, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with the mean diameters of 10-30 nm were self-assembled onto the surfaces of 2-aminoethanethiol (2-AET) functionalized graphene oxide (AETGO) sheets. The graphene oxide (GO) and AgNPs-AETGO nanocomposites were characterized by a transmission electron microscope (TEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), reflection–absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and the x-ray diffraction (XRD). The simultaneous determination of quercetin (QR) and morin (MR) has been performed on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with AgNPs-AETGO (AgNPs-AETGO/GCE). QR presented an oxidation step at Ea of 200 mV and reduction step at Ec of 150 mV and RT presented an oxidation step at Ea of 600 mV at AgNPs-AETGO/GCE by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The linearity ranges and the detection limits of QR and MR were 1.0 × 10-8 - 5.0 × 10-6 M and 3.3 × 10-9 M, respectively. The AgNPs-AETGO/GCE was also applied to real samples for the simultaneous determination of QR and MR. Thus the developed method can be adopted as an alternative to the published chromatographic, spectrophotometric and electroanalytical methods for simultaneous determination of QR and MR

  19. Biaxially mechanical tuning of 2-D reversible and irreversible surface topologies through simultaneous and sequential wrinkling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Jie; Yagüe, Jose Luis; Boyce, Mary C; Gleason, Karen K

    2014-02-26

    Controlled buckling is a facile means of structuring surfaces. The resulting ordered wrinkling topologies provide surface properties and features desired for multifunctional applications. Here, we study the biaxially dynamic tuning of two-dimensional wrinkled micropatterns under cyclic mechanical stretching/releasing/restretching simultaneously or sequentially. A biaxially prestretched PDMS substrate is coated with a stiff polymer deposited by initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD). Applying a mechanical release/restretch cycle in two directions loaded simultaneously or sequentially to the wrinkled system results in a variety of dynamic and tunable wrinkled geometries, the evolution of which is investigated using in situ optical profilometry, numerical simulations, and theoretical modeling. Results show that restretching ordered herringbone micropatterns, created through sequential release of biaxial prestrain, leads to reversible and repeatable surface topography. The initial flat surface and the same wrinkled herringbone pattern are obtained alternatively after cyclic release/restretch processes, owing to the highly ordered structure leaving no avenue for trapping irregular topological regions during cycling as further evidenced by the uniformity of strains distributions and negligible residual strain. Conversely, restretching disordered labyrinth micropatterns created through simultaneous release shows an irreversible surface topology whether after sequential or simultaneous restretching due to creation of irregular surface topologies with regions of highly concentrated strain upon formation of the labyrinth which then lead to residual strains and trapped topologies upon cycling; furthermore, these trapped topologies depend upon the subsequent strain histories as well as the cycle. The disordered labyrinth pattern varies after each cyclic release/restretch process, presenting residual shallow patterns instead of achieving a flat state. The ability to

  20. SIMULTANEOUS MULTI-BAND DETECTION OF LOW SURFACE BRIGHTNESS GALAXIES WITH MARKOVIAN MODELING

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vollmer, B.; Bonnarel, F.; Louys, M.; Perret, B.; Petremand, M.; Lavigne, F.; Collet, Ch.; Van Driel, W.; Sabatini, S.; MacArthur, L. A.

    2013-01-01

    We present to the astronomical community an algorithm for the detection of low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies in images, called MARSIAA (MARkovian Software for Image Analysis in Astronomy), which is based on multi-scale Markovian modeling. MARSIAA can be applied simultaneously to different bands. It segments an image into a user-defined number of classes, according to their surface brightness and surroundings—typically, one or two classes contain the LSB structures. We have developed an algorithm, called DetectLSB, which allows the efficient identification of LSB galaxies from among the candidate sources selected by MARSIAA. The application of the method to two and three bands simultaneously was tested on simulated images. Based on our tests, we are confident that we can detect LSB galaxies down to a central surface brightness level of only 1.5 times the standard deviation from the mean pixel value in the image background. To assess the robustness of our method, the method was applied to a set of 18 B- and I-band images (covering 1.3 deg 2 in total) of the Virgo Cluster to which Sabatini et al. previously applied a matched-filter dwarf LSB galaxy search algorithm. We have detected all 20 objects from the Sabatini et al. catalog which we could classify by eye as bona fide LSB galaxies. Our method has also detected four additional Virgo Cluster LSB galaxy candidates undetected by Sabatini et al. To further assess the completeness of the results of our method, both MARSIAA, SExtractor, and DetectLSB were applied to search for (1) mock Virgo LSB galaxies inserted into a set of deep Next Generation Virgo Survey (NGVS) gri-band subimages and (2) Virgo LSB galaxies identified by eye in a full set of NGVS square degree gri images. MARSIAA/DetectLSB recovered ∼20% more mock LSB galaxies and ∼40% more LSB galaxies identified by eye than SExtractor/DetectLSB. With a 90% fraction of false positives from an entirely unsupervised pipeline, a completeness of 90% is

  1. Accuracy and simultaneous selection gains for N-stress tolerance and N-use efficiency in maize tropical lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leandro de Freitas Mendonça

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Maize plants can be N-use efficient or N-stress tolerant. The first have high yields in favorable environments but is drastically affected under stress conditions; whereas the second show satisfactory yields in stressful environments but only moderate ones under optimal conditions. In this context, our aim was to assess the possibility of selecting tropical maize lines that are simultaneously N-stress tolerant and N-use efficient and check for differences between simultaneous selection statistical methods. Sixty-four tropical maize lines were evaluated for Nitrogen Agronomic Efficiency (NAE and Low Nitrogen Tolerance (LNTI response indices and two per se selection indices, Low Nitrogen Agronomic Efficiency (LNAE and Harmonic Mean of Relative Performance (HMRP. We performed eight selection scenarios: LNAE; HMRP; Additive index; Mulamba-Mock index; and Independent culling levels. The last three was predicted by REML/BLUP single-trait and multi-trait using genotypic values of NAE and LNTI. The REML/BLUP multi-trait analysis was superior to the single-trait analysis due to high unfavorable correlation between NAE and LNTI. However, the accuracy and genotypic determination coefficient of NAE and LNTI were too low. Thus, neither single- nor multi-trait analysis achieved a good result for simultaneous selection nor N-use efficiency nor N-stress tolerance. LNAE obtained satisfactorily accurate values and genotypic determination coefficient, but its performance in selection gain was worse than HMRP, particularly in terms of N-use efficiency. Therefore, because of the superior performance in accuracy, genotypic determination coefficient and selection, HMRP was considered the best simultaneous selection methodology of the scenarios tested for N-use efficiency and N-stress tolerance.

  2. Development of simultaneous wire feeding mechanism for nano alloy powder synthesis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rhee, Chang Kyu [KAERI, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Kotov, Yury A.; Samatov, Oleg M.; Beketov, Igor V.; Azarkevich, Evgeny I.; Muzarkaev, Aidar M. [Institute of Electrophysics (Russian Federation)

    2002-12-01

    In accordance with the Local Lab project, it was necessary to design a mechanism for simultaneous feed of two wires to the explosion chamber and consider the possibility of developing a model for selection of wire parameters. The goal of the work is to explore the possibility of producing powdered mixtures, alloys and intermetallic compounds by a simultaneous electric explosion of two wires made of different metals. A mechanism providing a synchronous feed of two wires to the explosion chamber and their simultaneous electric explosion extends considerably the capabilities of the electric explosion method in production of nanopowders. In this work, we developed simultaneous wire feeding mechanism for alloy nano powders successfully.

  3. Development of simultaneous wire feeding mechanism for nano alloy powder synthesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rhee, Chang Kyu; Kotov, Yury A.; Samatov, Oleg M.; Beketov, Igor V.; Azarkevich, Evgeny I.; Muzarkaev, Aidar M.

    2002-12-01

    In accordance with the Local Lab project, it was necessary to design a mechanism for simultaneous feed of two wires to the explosion chamber and consider the possibility of developing a model for selection of wire parameters. The goal of the work is to explore the possibility of producing powdered mixtures, alloys and intermetallic compounds by a simultaneous electric explosion of two wires made of different metals. A mechanism providing a synchronous feed of two wires to the explosion chamber and their simultaneous electric explosion extends considerably the capabilities of the electric explosion method in production of nanopowders. In this work, we developed simultaneous wire feeding mechanism for alloy nano powders successfully

  4. Sequential-Simultaneous Processing and Reading Skills in Primary Grade Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McRae, Sandra G.

    1986-01-01

    The study examined relationships between two modes of information processing, simultaneous and sequential, and two sets of reading skills, word recognition and comprehension, among 40 second and third grade students. Results indicated there is a relationship between simultaneous processing and reading comprehension. (Author)

  5. Simultaneous total cavopulmonary connection and cardiac re-synchronisation therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakanishi, Keisuke; Kawasaki, Shiori; Amano, Atsushi

    2017-08-01

    We report the simultaneous use of cardiac re-synchronisation therapy and total cavopulmonary connection in a patient with dyssynchrony, wide QRS, and cardiac failure. To our knowledge, this simultaneous approach has not been reported previously. On follow-up, we noted that QRS width and brain natriuretic peptide levels improved. In addition, speckle tracking revealed improved synchronisation of ventricular wall motion.

  6. Simultaneous quantitative determination of paracetamol and tramadol in tablet formulation using UV spectrophotometry and chemometric methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glavanović, Siniša; Glavanović, Marija; Tomišić, Vladislav

    2016-03-01

    The UV spectrophotometric methods for simultaneous quantitative determination of paracetamol and tramadol in paracetamol-tramadol tablets were developed. The spectrophotometric data obtained were processed by means of partial least squares (PLS) and genetic algorithm coupled with PLS (GA-PLS) methods in order to determine the content of active substances in the tablets. The results gained by chemometric processing of the spectroscopic data were statistically compared with those obtained by means of validated ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic (UHPLC) method. The accuracy and precision of data obtained by the developed chemometric models were verified by analysing the synthetic mixture of drugs, and by calculating recovery as well as relative standard error (RSE). A statistically good agreement was found between the amounts of paracetamol determined using PLS and GA-PLS algorithms, and that obtained by UHPLC analysis, whereas for tramadol GA-PLS results were proven to be more reliable compared to those of PLS. The simplest and the most accurate and precise models were constructed by using the PLS method for paracetamol (mean recovery 99.5%, RSE 0.89%) and the GA-PLS method for tramadol (mean recovery 99.4%, RSE 1.69%).

  7. Disposable penis and its replenishment in a simultaneous hermaphrodite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sekizawa, Ayami; Seki, Satoko; Tokuzato, Masakazu; Shiga, Sakiko; Nakashima, Yasuhiro

    2013-01-01

    Although it is often thought that sexual selection is weaker in simultaneous hermaphrodites than in gonochorists, some simultaneous hermaphrodites exhibit bizarre mating behaviour. In the simultaneously hermaphroditic nudibranch Chromodoris reticulata, we found a peculiar mating behaviour, wherein the nudibranch autotomized its penis after each copulation and was able to copulate again within 24 h. To have sufficient length to be replenished for three copulations, the penis is compressed and spiralled internally. No other animal is known to repeatedly copulate using such ‘disposable penes’. Entangled sperm masses were observed on the outer surface of the autotomized penis, which is equipped with many backward-pointed spines. There is a possibility that the nudibranch removes sperm already stored in a mating partner's sperm storage organ(s). PMID:23407499

  8. Optimization of bioethanol production from simultaneous ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ADOWIE PERE

    fermentation of pineapple peels using Saccharomyces cerevisiae ... ABSTRACT: In this study, bioethanol production from the simultaneous ... in turn has resulted in the need to find a source of ... fruit in the world after Banana and Citrus and.

  9. Spatial-simultaneous working memory and selective interference in Down syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lanfranchi, Silvia; Mammarella, Irene C; Carretti, Barbara

    2015-01-01

    Several studies have suggested that individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have impairments in some aspects of the visuospatial domain. It has been reported that they are particularly impaired in the spatial-simultaneous working memory (WM) even in advantageous conditions such as when information is grouped to form a configuration. This study aimed to assess the performance of individuals with DS carrying out a spatial-simultaneous WM task in single and dual selective interference conditions in order to better explore the characteristics of their impairment in this area. Groups of individuals with DS and mentally age-matched typically developing (TD) children were asked to carry out a spatial-simultaneous WM task in a single- and in two dual-task conditions. In the single condition, the participants were required to recall an increasing number of positions of red squares presented simultaneously in a matrix. In the dual-task conditions, together with the spatial-simultaneous WM task, the participants were asked to carry out an articulatory suppression task or a tapping task. As has already been shown in other studies, individuals with DS were found to be impaired in carrying out a spatial-simultaneous WM task and showed a worse performance with respect to the TD group in both the conditions. These findings indicate that individuals with DS use the same coding modality as TD children of the same mental age. Just as the TD children, they performed lower in the dual- than in the single-task condition and there was no difference between the verbal and visuospatial conditions.

  10. Changes in mean plasma ACTH reflect changes in amplitude and frequency of secretory pulses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carnes, M.; Lent, S.J.; Erisman, S.; Feyzi, J.

    1988-01-01

    ACTH is secreted in an episodic manner from the anterior pituitary. Unanesthetized rats with indwelling jugular and femoral venous cannulae were continuously bled and simultaneously infused with isotonic fluid by peristaltic pump. Two-minute blood samples were collected for up to five hours in 8 male rats. ACTH was measured by radioimmunoassay. The resulting time series were analyzed for significant secretory pulses with the PULSAR program. Elevations or declines in mean plasma ACTH levels were associated with significant changes in amplitude and frequency of secretory pulses

  11. Boron erosion and carbon deposition due to simultaneous bombardment with deuterium and carbon ions in plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohya, K.; Kawata, J.; Wienhold, P.; Karduck, P.; Rubel, M.; Seggern, J. von

    1999-01-01

    Erosion of boron out of a thin film exposed to deuterium edge plasmas and the simultaneous carbon deposition have been investigated in the tokamak TEXTOR-94 and simulated by means of a dynamic Monte Carlo code. The calculated results are compared with some observations (colorimetry, spectroscopy and AES) during and after the exposures. The implantation of carbon impurities strongly changes the effective boron sputtering yield of the film, which results into a lowering of the film erosion and a formation of thick carbon deposits. A strong decrease in the observed BII line emission around a surface location far from the plasma edge can be explained by a carbon deposition on the film. The calculated carbon depth profiles in the film, depending on the distance of the exposed surface from the plasma edge, are in reasonable agreement with measurements by AES after the exposures. Although simultaneous surface erosion and carbon deposition can be simulated, the calculated erosion rate is larger, by a factor of 2, than the observations by colorimetry at the early stage of the exposure

  12. The Power of Sound in L2 Idiom Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eyckmans, June; Lindstromberg, Seth

    2017-01-01

    Corpus analyses of learners' dictionaries of English idioms have revealed that 11% to 35% of English figurative idioms show either alliteration ("miss the mark") or assonance ("get this show on the road"), depending on the type considered. Because English multiword combinations, particularly idiomatic expressions, present a…

  13. Gabriele Stein. Better Words: Evaluating EFL Dictionaries. 2002, x + ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    rbr

    previously unprinted papers, forms a cornerstone in EFL lexicography. It is a useful reference book for both EFL teachers and students alike, as well as for lexicographers. Stein shows how lexicography has evolved over a 25-year period, and how certain information (word definitions, grammar information, idiomaticity,.

  14. The target-to-foils shift in simultaneous and sequential lineups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Steven E; Davey, Sherrie L

    2005-04-01

    A theoretical cornerstone in eyewitness identification research is the proposition that witnesses, in making decisions from standard simultaneous lineups, make relative judgments. The present research considers two sources of support for this proposal. An experiment by G. L. Wells (1993) showed that if the target is removed from a lineup, witnesses shift their responses to pick foils, rather than rejecting the lineups, a result we will term a target-to-foils shift. Additional empirical support is provided by results from sequential lineups which typically show higher accuracy than simultaneous lineups, presumably because of a decrease in the use of relative judgments in making identification decisions. The combination of these two lines of research suggests that the target-to-foils shift should be reduced in sequential lineups relative to simultaneous lineups. Results of two experiments showed an overall advantage for sequential lineups, but also showed a target-to-foils shift equal in size for simultaneous and sequential lineups. Additional analyses indicated that the target-to-foils shift in sequential lineups was moderated in part by an order effect and was produced with (Experiment 2) or without (Experiment 1) a shift in decision criterion. This complex pattern of results suggests that more work is needed to understand the processes which underlie decisions in simultaneous and sequential lineups.

  15. Simultaneous separation of copper, cadmium and cobalt from sea-water by co-flotation with octadecylamine and ferric hydroxide as collectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabezon, L M; Caballero, M; Cela, R; Perez-Bustamante, J A

    1984-08-01

    A method is proposed for the simultaneous quantitative separation of traces ofCu(II), Cd(II) and Co(II) from sea-water samples by means of the co-flotation (adsorbing colloid flotation) technique with ferric hydroxide as co-precipitant and octadecylamine as collector. The experimental parameters have been studied and optimized. The drawbacks arising from the low solubility of octadecylamine and the corresponding sublates in water have been avoided by use of a 6M hydrochloric acid-MIBK-ethanol (1:2:2 v v ) mixture. The results obtained by means of the proposed method have been compared with those given by the usual ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate/MIBK extraction method.

  16. Simultaneous State and Parameter Estimation Using Maximum Relative Entropy with Nonhomogenous Differential Equation Constraints

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adom Giffin

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we continue our efforts to show how maximum relative entropy (MrE can be used as a universal updating algorithm. Here, our purpose is to tackle a joint state and parameter estimation problem where our system is nonlinear and in a non-equilibrium state, i.e., perturbed by varying external forces. Traditional parameter estimation can be performed by using filters, such as the extended Kalman filter (EKF. However, as shown with a toy example of a system with first order non-homogeneous ordinary differential equations, assumptions made by the EKF algorithm (such as the Markov assumption may not be valid. The problem can be solved with exponential smoothing, e.g., exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA. Although this has been shown to produce acceptable filtering results in real exponential systems, it still cannot simultaneously estimate both the state and its parameters and has its own assumptions that are not always valid, for example when jump discontinuities exist. We show that by applying MrE as a filter, we can not only develop the closed form solutions, but we can also infer the parameters of the differential equation simultaneously with the means. This is useful in real, physical systems, where we want to not only filter the noise from our measurements, but we also want to simultaneously infer the parameters of the dynamics of a nonlinear and non-equilibrium system. Although there were many assumptions made throughout the paper to illustrate that EKF and exponential smoothing are special cases ofMrE, we are not “constrained”, by these assumptions. In other words, MrE is completely general and can be used in broader ways.

  17. [Cross-cultural adaptation of the Quality of Life Index Spinal Cord Injury - Version III].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reis, Priscila Alencar Mendes; Carvalho, Zuila Maria de Figueiredo; Tirado Darder, Juan José; Oriá, Mônica Oliveira Batista; Studart, Rita Mônica Borges; Maniva, Samia Jardelle Costa de Freitas

    2015-06-01

    To translate and culturally adapt to Portuguese the Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index Spinal Cord Injury - Version III and characterize the sample in relation to sociodemographic and clinical aspects. A methodological study with view to cross-cultural adaptation, following the particular steps of this method: initial translation, translation synthesis, back-translation (translation back to the original language), review by a committee of judges and pretest of the final version. The pretest was carried out with 30 patients with spinal cord injury. An index of 74 items divided into two parts (satisfaction/importance) was obtained. The criteria of semantic equivalence were evaluated as very adequate translation, higher than 87%, and vocabulary and were grammar higher than 86%. Idiomatic equivalence was higher than 74%, experimental greater than 78% and conceptual was greater than 70%. After cross-cultural adaptation, the instrument proved semantic, idiomatic, experimental and conceptual adequacy, in addition to helping the evaluation of the quality of life of people with spinal cord injury.

  18. Pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer: simultaneous and sequential occurrence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denise Rossato Silva

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Lung cancer (LC is the leading cause of cancer-related death and represents a major public health problem worldwide. Another major cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in developing countries, is tuberculosis. The simultaneous or sequential occurrence of pulmonary tuberculosis and LC in the same patient has been reported in various case series and case-control studies. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of patients developing tuberculosis and LC, either simultaneously or sequentially. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study based on the review of medical charts. RESULTS: The study involved 24 patients diagnosed with tuberculosis and LC between 2009 and 2012. The diagnoses of tuberculosis and LC occurred simultaneously in 10 patients, whereas tuberculosis was diagnosed prior to LC in 14. The median time between the two diagnoses was 5 years (interquartile range: 1-30 years. Fourteen patients (58.3% were male, 20 (83.3% were White, and 22 (91.7% were smokers or former smokers. The most common histological type was adenocarcinoma, identified in 14 cases (58.3%, followed by epidermoid carcinoma, identified in 6 (25.0%. Seven patients (29.2% presented with distant metastases at diagnosis; of those 7 patients, 5 (71% were diagnosed with LC and tuberculosis simultaneously. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, most of the patients with tuberculosis and LC were smokers or former smokers, and tuberculosis was diagnosed either before or simultaneously with LC. Non-small cell lung cancer, especially adenocarcinoma, was the most common histological type.

  19. The mean field theory in EM procedures for blind Markov random field image restoration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, J

    1993-01-01

    A Markov random field (MRF) model-based EM (expectation-maximization) procedure for simultaneously estimating the degradation model and restoring the image is described. The MRF is a coupled one which provides continuity (inside regions of smooth gray tones) and discontinuity (at region boundaries) constraints for the restoration problem which is, in general, ill posed. The computational difficulty associated with the EM procedure for MRFs is resolved by using the mean field theory from statistical mechanics. An orthonormal blur decomposition is used to reduce the chances of undesirable locally optimal estimates. Experimental results on synthetic and real-world images show that this approach provides good blur estimates and restored images. The restored images are comparable to those obtained by a Wiener filter in mean-square error, but are most visually pleasing.

  20. Cost-effectiveness of simultaneous versus sequential surgery in head and neck reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Kevin K; Enepekides, Danny J; Higgins, Kevin M

    2011-02-01

    To determine whether simultaneous (ablation and reconstruction overlaps by two teams) head and neck reconstruction is cost effective compared to sequentially (ablation followed by reconstruction) performed surgery. Case-controlled study. Tertiary care hospital. Oncology patients undergoing free flap reconstruction of the head and neck. A match paired comparison study was performed with a retrospective chart review examining the total time of surgery for sequential and simultaneous surgery. Nine patients were selected for both the sequential and simultaneous groups. Sequential head and neck reconstruction patients were pair matched with patients who had undergone similar oncologic ablative or reconstructive procedures performed in a simultaneous fashion. A detailed cost analysis using the microcosting method was then undertaken looking at the direct costs of the surgeons, anesthesiologist, operating room, and nursing. On average, simultaneous surgery required 3 hours 15 minutes less operating time, leading to a cost savings of approximately $1200/case when compared to sequential surgery. This represents approximately a 15% reduction in the cost of the entire operation. Simultaneous head and neck reconstruction is more cost effective when compared to sequential surgery.

  1. The impact of eyewitness identifications from simultaneous and sequential lineups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Daniel B

    2007-10-01

    Recent guidelines in the US allow either simultaneous or sequential lineups to be used for eyewitness identification. This paper investigates how potential jurors weight the probative value of the different outcomes from both of these types of lineups. Participants (n=340) were given a description of a case that included some exonerating and some incriminating evidence. There was either a simultaneous or a sequential lineup. Depending on the condition, an eyewitness chose the suspect, chose a filler, or made no identification. The participant had to judge the guilt of the suspect and decide whether to render a guilty verdict. For both simultaneous and sequential lineups an identification had a large effect,increasing the probability of a guilty verdict. There were no reliable effects detected between making no identification and identifying a filler. The effect sizes were similar for simultaneous and sequential lineups. These findings are important for judges and other legal professionals to know for trials involving lineup identifications.

  2. A flexible framework for sparse simultaneous component based data integration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Van Deun Katrijn

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract 1 Background High throughput data are complex and methods that reveal structure underlying the data are most useful. Principal component analysis, frequently implemented as a singular value decomposition, is a popular technique in this respect. Nowadays often the challenge is to reveal structure in several sources of information (e.g., transcriptomics, proteomics that are available for the same biological entities under study. Simultaneous component methods are most promising in this respect. However, the interpretation of the principal and simultaneous components is often daunting because contributions of each of the biomolecules (transcripts, proteins have to be taken into account. 2 Results We propose a sparse simultaneous component method that makes many of the parameters redundant by shrinking them to zero. It includes principal component analysis, sparse principal component analysis, and ordinary simultaneous component analysis as special cases. Several penalties can be tuned that account in different ways for the block structure present in the integrated data. This yields known sparse approaches as the lasso, the ridge penalty, the elastic net, the group lasso, sparse group lasso, and elitist lasso. In addition, the algorithmic results can be easily transposed to the context of regression. Metabolomics data obtained with two measurement platforms for the same set of Escherichia coli samples are used to illustrate the proposed methodology and the properties of different penalties with respect to sparseness across and within data blocks. 3 Conclusion Sparse simultaneous component analysis is a useful method for data integration: First, simultaneous analyses of multiple blocks offer advantages over sequential and separate analyses and second, interpretation of the results is highly facilitated by their sparseness. The approach offered is flexible and allows to take the block structure in different ways into account. As such

  3. A flexible framework for sparse simultaneous component based data integration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Deun, Katrijn; Wilderjans, Tom F; van den Berg, Robert A; Antoniadis, Anestis; Van Mechelen, Iven

    2011-11-15

    High throughput data are complex and methods that reveal structure underlying the data are most useful. Principal component analysis, frequently implemented as a singular value decomposition, is a popular technique in this respect. Nowadays often the challenge is to reveal structure in several sources of information (e.g., transcriptomics, proteomics) that are available for the same biological entities under study. Simultaneous component methods are most promising in this respect. However, the interpretation of the principal and simultaneous components is often daunting because contributions of each of the biomolecules (transcripts, proteins) have to be taken into account. We propose a sparse simultaneous component method that makes many of the parameters redundant by shrinking them to zero. It includes principal component analysis, sparse principal component analysis, and ordinary simultaneous component analysis as special cases. Several penalties can be tuned that account in different ways for the block structure present in the integrated data. This yields known sparse approaches as the lasso, the ridge penalty, the elastic net, the group lasso, sparse group lasso, and elitist lasso. In addition, the algorithmic results can be easily transposed to the context of regression. Metabolomics data obtained with two measurement platforms for the same set of Escherichia coli samples are used to illustrate the proposed methodology and the properties of different penalties with respect to sparseness across and within data blocks. Sparse simultaneous component analysis is a useful method for data integration: First, simultaneous analyses of multiple blocks offer advantages over sequential and separate analyses and second, interpretation of the results is highly facilitated by their sparseness. The approach offered is flexible and allows to take the block structure in different ways into account. As such, structures can be found that are exclusively tied to one data platform

  4. Grasping Ideas with the Motor System: Semantic Somatotopy in Idiom Comprehension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hauk, Olaf; Pulvermüller, Friedemann

    2009-01-01

    Single words and sentences referring to bodily actions activate the motor cortex. However, this semantic grounding of concrete language does not address the critical question whether the sensory–motor system contributes to the processing of abstract meaning and thought. We examined functional magnetic resonance imaging activation to idioms and literal sentences including arm- and leg-related action words. A common left fronto-temporal network was engaged in sentence reading, with idioms yielding relatively stronger activity in (pre)frontal and middle temporal cortex. Crucially, somatotopic activation along the motor strip, in central and precentral cortex, was elicited by idiomatic and literal sentences, reflecting the body part reference of the words embedded in the sentences. Semantic somatotopy was most pronounced after sentence ending, thus reflecting sentence-level processing rather than that of single words. These results indicate that semantic representations grounded in the sensory–motor system play a role in the composition of sentence-level meaning, even in the case of idioms. PMID:19068489

  5. Esophageal contractions in type 3 achalasia esophagus: simultaneous or peristaltic?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Tae Ho; Patel, Nirali; Ledgerwood-Lee, Melissa; Mittal, Ravinder K

    2016-05-01

    Absence of peristalsis and impaired relaxation of lower esophageal sphincter are the hallmarks of achalasia esophagus. Based on the pressurization patterns, achalasia has been subdivided into three subtypes. The goal of our study was to evaluate the esophageal contraction pattern and bolus clearance in type 3 achalasia esophagus. High-resolution manometry (HRM) recordings of all patients diagnosed with achalasia esophagus in our center between the years 2011 and 2013 were reviewed. Recordings of 36 patients with type 3 achalasia were analyzed for the characteristics of swallow-induced "simultaneous esophageal contraction." The HRM impedance recordings of 14 additional patients with type 3 achalasia were analyzed for bolus clearance from the impedance recording. Finally, the HRM impedance along with intraluminal ultrasound imaging was conducted in six patients to further characterize the simultaneous esophageal contractions. Among 187 achalasia patients, 30 were type 1, 121 type 2, and 36 type 3. A total of 434 swallows evaluated in type 3 achalasia patients revealed that 95% of the swallow-induced contractions met criteria for simultaneous esophageal contraction, based on the onset of contraction. Interestingly, the peak and termination of the majority of simultaneous esophageal contractions were sequential. The HRM impedance revealed that 94% of the "simultaneous contractions" were associated with complete bolus clearance. Ultrasound image analysis revealed that baseline muscle thickness of patients in type 3 achalasia is larger than normal but the pattern of axial shortening is similar to that in normal subjects. The majority of esophageal contractions in type 3 achalasia are not true simultaneous contractions because the peak and termination of contraction are sequential and they are associated with complete bolus clearance.

  6. MEAN OF MEDIAN ABSOLUTE DERIVATION TECHNIQUE MEAN ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    eobe

    development of mean of median absolute derivation technique based on the based on the based on .... of noise mean to estimate the speckle noise variance. Noise mean property ..... Foraging Optimization,” International Journal of. Advanced ...

  7. Server-Aided Two-Party Computation with Simultaneous Corruption

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cascudo Pueyo, Ignacio; Damgård, Ivan Bjerre; Ranellucci, Samuel

    We consider secure two-party computation in the client-server model where there are two adversaries that operate separately but simultaneously, each of them corrupting one of the parties and a restricted subset of servers that they interact with. We model security via the local universal composab......We consider secure two-party computation in the client-server model where there are two adversaries that operate separately but simultaneously, each of them corrupting one of the parties and a restricted subset of servers that they interact with. We model security via the local universal...

  8. Simultaneous determination of radium and uranium in soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Takashi; Yuki, Eiji; Ishida, Tatsuo

    1977-01-01

    Radium and uranium contents in soil are the fundamental indexes for natural radioactivity. In this connection, the simultaneous determination of Ra and U has been studied. To a soil sample, 133 Ba is added and the mixture is dried. It is decomposed with sulfuric and nitric acids. Then a Ba-carrier is added, and the insoluble residue (Ra analysis sample) and the solution (U analysis sample) are obtained for simultaneous determination of Ra and U. The rates of recovery of Ra and U in soil are both over 90%. (Mori, K.)

  9. 6D Visualization of Multidimensional Data by Means of Cognitive Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vitkovskiy, V.; Gorohov, V.; Komarinskiy, S.

    2010-12-01

    On the basis of the cognitive graphics concept, we worked out the SW-system for visualization and analysis. It allows to train and to aggravate intuition of researcher, to raise his interest and motivation to the creative, scientific cognition, to realize process of dialogue with the very problems simultaneously. The Space Hedgehog system is the next step in the cognitive means of the multidimensional data analyze. The technique and technology cognitive 6D visualization of the multidimensional data is developed on the basis of the cognitive visualization research and technology development. The Space Hedgehog system allows direct dynamic visualization of 6D objects. It is developed with use of experience of the program Space Walker creation and its applications.

  10. Enhanced Access to Early Visual Processing of Perceptual Simultaneity in Autism Spectrum Disorders

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Falter, Christine M.; Braeutigam, Sven; Nathan, Roger; Carrington, Sarah; Bailey, Anthony J.

    We compared judgements of the simultaneity or asynchrony of visual stimuli in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and typically-developing controls using Magnetoencephalography (MEG). Two vertical bars were presented simultaneously or non-simultaneously with two different stimulus onset

  11. Simultaneous Balancing and Model Reduction of Switched Linear Systems

    OpenAIRE

    Monshizadeh, Nima; Trentelman, Hendrikus; Camlibel, M.K.

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, first, balanced truncation of linear systems is revisited. Then, simultaneous balancing of multiple linear systems is investigated. Necessary and sufficient conditions are introduced to identify the case where simultaneous balancing is possible. The validity of these conditions is not limited to a certain type of balancing, and they are applicable for different types of balancing corresponding to different equations, like Lyapunov or Riccati equations. The results obtained are ...

  12. Simultaneous Spectrophotometric Determination of Valsartan and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: To develop a direct, simple and extraction-free spectrophotometric method for the simultaneous estimation of valsartan and ezetimibe in pharmaceuticals. Methods: A spectrophotometric method for the determination of valsartan and ezetimibe was developed using acidic dyes, namely, bromophenol blue (BPB) ...

  13. Simultaneous Multi-Element Electrothermal Atomic Absorption ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    width of transmittance profile 120 pm, a linear CCD array attached to a PC and a tube atomizer furnished with a carbon fibre collector. In the experiments simultaneous determination of 18 elements was performed in the mixed solutions at the mg ...

  14. Design of current source for multi-frequency simultaneous electrical impedance tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Bing; Xu, Yanbin; Dong, Feng

    2017-09-01

    Multi-frequency electrical impedance tomography has been evolving from the frequency-sweep approach to the multi-frequency simultaneous measurement technique which can reduce measuring time and will be increasingly attractive for time-varying biological applications. The accuracy and stability of the current source are the key factors determining the quality of the image reconstruction. This article presents a field programmable gate array-based current source for a multi-frequency simultaneous electrical impedance tomography system. A novel current source circuit was realized by combining the classic current mirror based on the feedback amplifier AD844 with a differential topology. The optimal phase offsets of harmonic sinusoids were obtained through the crest factor analysis. The output characteristics of this current source were evaluated by simulation and actual measurement. The results include the following: (1) the output impedance was compared with one of the Howland pump circuit in simulation, showing comparable performance at low frequencies. However, the proposed current source makes lower demands for resistor tolerance but performs even better at high frequencies. (2) The output impedance in actual measurement below 200 kHz is above 1.3 MΩ and can reach 250 KΩ up to 1 MHz. (3) An experiment based on a biological RC model has been implemented. The mean error for the demodulated impedance amplitude and phase are 0.192% and 0.139°, respectively. Therefore, the proposed current source is wideband, biocompatible, and high precision, which demonstrates great potential to work as a sub-system in the multi-frequency electrical impedance tomography system.

  15. Simultaneous micronization and purification of bioactive fraction by supercritical antisolvent technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stevanus Hiendrawan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Simultaneous micronization and purification of DLBS3233 bioactive fraction, a combination of two Indonesian herbals Lagerstroemia speciosa and Cinnamomum burmannii has been successfully performed via supercritical anti-solvent (SAS technology. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of SAS technology to micronize and reduce coumarin content of DLBS3233. The effects of four SAS process parameters, i.e. pressure, temperature, concentration and solution flow rate on particle formation were investigated. In SAS process, DLBS3233 was dissolved in dimethylformamide (DMF as the liquid solvent. The solution was then pumped through a nozzle into a chamber simultaneously with supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2 which acts as the anti-solvent, resulting in DLBS3233 precipitation. Physicochemical properties of unprocessed DLBS3233 and SAS-processed DLBS3233 particles were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM and high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC. Total polyphenol content (TPC was also analyzed.Particles with mean particle size ranging from 0.107±0.028 μm to 0.298±0.138 μm were obtained by varying the process parameters. SAS-processed DLBS3233 particles showed no coumarin content in all experiments studied in this work. Results of TPC analysis revealed no significant change in SAS-processed DLBS3233 particles compared to unprocessed DLBS3233. Nano-sized DLBS3233 particles with no coumarin content have been successfully produced using SAS process. This study demonstrates the ability of SAS for processing herbal medicine in single step process.

  16. Simultaneous Detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enteritidis, and Listeria monocytogenes at a Very Low Level Using Simultaneous Enrichment Broth and Multichannel SPR Biosensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiaoguang; Tsuji, Sachiko; Kitaoka, Hayato; Kobayashi, Hiroshi; Tamai, Mitsuru; Honjoh, Ken-Ichi; Miyamoto, Takahisa

    2017-10-01

    Detection of foodborne pathogens at very low levels is still a challenge. A custom-built multichannel surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor and simultaneous enrichment broth (SEB) were used to develop a simultaneous detection method for 3 important foodborne pathogens, Escherichia coli O157:H7 (O157:H7), Salmonella enteritidis, and Listeria monocytogenes, at a very low level. These 3 foodborne pathogens at a very low level (14, 6, and 28 CFU/25 g (mL) for O157:H7, S. enteritidis, and L. monocytogenes, respectively) were inoculated in SEB and incubated at 37 ˚C for 24 h. Sample prepared from the simultaneous enrichment culture was analyzed using the multichannel SPR biosensor and sensor chip immobilized with polyclonal antibodies specific to each of the target pathogens. O157:H7, S. enteritidis, and L. monocytogenes in chicken were detected simultaneously at an inoculum dose of 14, 6, and 28 CFU/25 g, respectively. Our method using a custom-built multichannel SPR biosensor and enrichment in SEB is expected as a rapid and simultaneous detection method for low levels of O157:H7, S. enteritidis, and L. monocytogenes in food. Our method is expected as a rapid and simultaneous detection method for pathogens at very low levels. It has great potential for safety control of food and microbiological detection applications. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

  17. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Kamanga, Mervis. Vol 35, No 2 (2017) - Articles The role of linguistic context in children's interpretation and acquisition of Cicewa idiomatic expressions: A systemic functional linguistics approach. Abstract. ISSN: 1607-3614. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors ...

  18. The Real World French Cassette Program. Script Book.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sternburg, Sheldon G.; Sammarco, Anthony M., Jr.

    This dual cassette package, accompanied by a script book, is designed to give students listening practice in French, particularly for regional differences of pronunciation and for variety in idiomatic constructions. The program may be integrated with texts used in intermediate and advanced levels of instruction. The announcements, jingles, and…

  19. The Real World Spanish Cassette Program. Script Book.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sternburg, Sheldon G.

    This dual cassette program, accompanied by a script book, is designed to give students listening practice in Spanish, particularly for regional differences of pronunciation and for variety in idiomatic construction. The program may be integrated with texts used in intermediate and advanced levels of instruction. The announcements, jingles, and…

  20. Protocol for Bone Augmentation with Simultaneous Early Implant Placement: A Retrospective Multicenter Clinical Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Fairbairn

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. To present a novel protocol for alveolar bone regeneration in parallel to early implant placement. Methods. 497 patients in need of extraction and early implant placement with simultaneous bone augmentation were treated in a period of 10 years. In all patients the same specific method was followed and grafting was performed utilizing in situ hardening fully resorbable alloplastic grafting materials consisting of β-tricalcium phosphate and calcium sulfate. The protocol involved atraumatic extraction, implant placement after 4 weeks with simultaneous bone augmentation, and loading of the implant 12 weeks after placement and grafting. Follow-up periods ranged from 6 months to 10 years (mean of 4 years. Results. A total of 601 postextraction sites were rehabilitated in 497 patients utilizing the novel protocol. Three implants failed before loading and three implants failed one year after loading, leaving an overall survival rate of 99.0%. Conclusions. This standardized protocol allows successful long-term functional results regarding alveolar bone regeneration and implant rehabilitation. The concept of placing the implant 4 weeks after extraction, augmenting the bone around the implant utilizing fully resorbable, biomechanically stable, alloplastic materials, and loading the implant at 12 weeks seems to offer advantages when compared with traditional treatment modalities.

  1. Simultaneous Sampling of Flow and Odorants by Crustaceans can Aid Searches within a Turbulent Plume

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Swapnil Pravin

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Crustaceans such as crabs, lobsters and crayfish use dispersing odorant molecules to determine the location of predators, prey, potential mates and habitat. Odorant molecules diffuse in turbulent flows and are sensed by the olfactory organs of these animals, often using a flicking motion of their antennules. These antennules contain both chemosensory and mechanosensory sensilla, which enable them to detect both flow and odorants during a flick. To determine how simultaneous flow and odorant sampling can aid in search behavior, a 3-dimensional numerical model for the near-bed flow environment was created. A stream of odorant concentration was released into the flow creating a turbulent plume, and both temporally and spatially fluctuating velocity and odorant concentration were quantified. The plume characteristics show close resemblance to experimental measurements within a large laboratory flume. Results show that mean odorant concentration and it’s intermittency, computed as dc/dt, increase towards the plume source, but the temporal and spatial rate of this increase is slow and suggests that long measurement times would be necessary to be useful for chemosensory guidance. Odorant fluxes measured transverse to the mean flow direction, quantified as the product of the instantaneous fluctuation in concentration and velocity, v’c’, do show statistically distinct magnitude and directional information on either side of a plume centerline over integration times of <0.5 s. Aquatic animals typically have neural responses to odorant and velocity fields at rates between 50 and 500 ms, suggesting this simultaneous sampling of both flow and concentration in a turbulent plume can aid in source tracking on timescales relevant to aquatic animals.

  2. Simultaneous Bilateral Transient Osteoporosis of the Hip without Pregnancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yasuaki Okada

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Transient osteoporosis of the hip (TOH is a rare disorder characterized by acute severe coxalgia and temporary osteopenia in the proximal femur. Although most cases were unilateral or staged bilateral TOH, some authors reported that the pregnant patients simultaneously had TOH in their bilateral hips. However, there has been no report of simultaneous bilateral TOH in the patient without pregnancy. A 25-year-old Japanese woman without pregnancy had acute simultaneous bilateral hip pain. Plain X-ray of the bilateral hips did not show a periarticular osteopenia. However, magnetic resonance image obtained one week after the onset demonstrated increased T2-weighted signal intensity and decreased T1-weighted signal intensity in the bilateral femoral heads. She was treated conservatively, and follow-up magnetic resonance image at seven weeks after the onset returned to normal bone marrow signal intensity. Her bilateral coxalgia subsided gradually. At one year after the onset, she had no sign of symptomatic flair. Our experience with this case indicates that recognizing the possibility of simultaneous bilateral TOH is important unless the patient is pregnant, and magnetic resonance image is predictable test to make a diagnosis of TOH, even in the absence of abnormal finding on plain X-ray.

  3. Simultaneous polysubstance use among Danish 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and hallucinogen users

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Licht, Cecilie L; Christoffersen, Maria; Okholm, Mads

    2012-01-01

    To describe patterns of simultaneous polysubstance use (SPU) among Danish 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) ("Ecstasy") and hallucinogen users.......To describe patterns of simultaneous polysubstance use (SPU) among Danish 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) ("Ecstasy") and hallucinogen users....

  4. Noncontact simultaneous dual wavelength photoplethysmography: A further step toward noncontact pulse oximetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Humphreys, Kenneth; Ward, Tomas; Markham, Charles

    2007-01-01

    We present a camera-based device capable of capturing two photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals at two different wavelengths simultaneously, in a remote noncontact manner. The system comprises a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor camera and dual wavelength array of light emitting diodes (760 and 880 nm). By alternately illuminating a region of tissue with each wavelength of light, and detecting the backscattered photons with the camera at a rate of 16 frames/wavelength s, two multiplexed PPG wave forms are simultaneously captured. This process is the basis of pulse oximetry, and we describe how, with the inclusion of a calibration procedure, this system could be used as a noncontact pulse oximeter to measure arterial oxygen saturation (S p O 2 ) remotely. Results from an experiment on ten subjects, exhibiting normal S p O 2 readings, that demonstrate the instrument's ability to capture signals from a range of subjects under realistic lighting and environmental conditions are presented. We compare the signals captured by the noncontact system to a conventional PPG signal captured concurrently from a finger, and show by means of a J. Bland and D. Altman [Lancet 327, 307 (1986); Statistician 32, 307 (1983)] test, the noncontact device to be comparable to a contact device as a monitor of heart rate. We highlight some considerations that should be made when using camera-based ''integrative'' sampling methods and demonstrate through simulation, the suitability of the captured PPG signals for application of existing pulse oximetry calibration procedures

  5. Noncontact simultaneous dual wavelength photoplethysmography: A further step toward noncontact pulse oximetry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Humphreys, Kenneth; Ward, Tomas; Markham, Charles

    2007-04-01

    We present a camera-based device capable of capturing two photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals at two different wavelengths simultaneously, in a remote noncontact manner. The system comprises a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor camera and dual wavelength array of light emitting diodes (760 and 880nm). By alternately illuminating a region of tissue with each wavelength of light, and detecting the backscattered photons with the camera at a rate of 16frames/wavelengths, two multiplexed PPG wave forms are simultaneously captured. This process is the basis of pulse oximetry, and we describe how, with the inclusion of a calibration procedure, this system could be used as a noncontact pulse oximeter to measure arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) remotely. Results from an experiment on ten subjects, exhibiting normal SpO2 readings, that demonstrate the instrument's ability to capture signals from a range of subjects under realistic lighting and environmental conditions are presented. We compare the signals captured by the noncontact system to a conventional PPG signal captured concurrently from a finger, and show by means of a J. Bland and D. Altman [Lancet 327, 307 (1986); Statistician 32, 307 (1983)] test, the noncontact device to be comparable to a contact device as a monitor of heart rate. We highlight some considerations that should be made when using camera-based "integrative" sampling methods and demonstrate through simulation, the suitability of the captured PPG signals for application of existing pulse oximetry calibration procedures.

  6. A 16-channel MR coil for simultaneous PET/MR imaging in breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dregely, Isabel; Lanz, Titus; Mueller, Matthias F.; Metz, Stephan; Kuschan, Marika; Nimbalkar, Manoj; Ziegler, Sibylle I.; Nekolla, Stephan G.; Schwaiger, Markus; Bundschuh, Ralph A.; Haase, Axel

    2015-01-01

    To implement and evaluate a dedicated receiver array coil for simultaneous positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging in breast cancer. A 16-channel receiver coil design was optimized for simultaneous PET/MR imaging. To assess MR performance, the signal-to-noise ratio, parallel imaging capability and image quality was evaluated in phantoms, volunteers and patients and compared to clinical standard protocols. For PET evaluation, quantitative 18 F-FDG PET images of phantoms and seven patients (14 lesions) were compared to images without the coil. In PET image reconstruction, a CT-based template of the coil was combined with the MR-acquired attenuation correction (AC) map of the phantom/patient. MR image quality was comparable to clinical MR-only examinations. PET evaluation in phantoms showed regionally varying underestimation of the standardised uptake value (SUV; mean 22 %) due to attenuation caused by the coil. This was improved by implementing the CT-based coil template in the AC (<2 % SUV underestimation). Patient data indicated that including the coil in the AC increased the SUV values in the lesions (21 ± 9 %). Using a dedicated PET/MR breast coil, state-of-the-art MRI was possible. In PET, accurate quantification and image homogeneity could be achieved if a CT-template of this coil was included in the AC for PET image reconstruction. (orig.)

  7. Simultaneous K plus L shell ionized atoms during heavy-ion ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The fraction of simultaneous K plus L shell ionized atoms is estimated in Fe, Co and Cu elements using carbon ions at different projectile energies. The present results indicate that the fraction of simultaneous K plus L shell ionization probability decreases with increase in projectile energy as well as with increase in the ...

  8. Simultaneous radiochemotherapy in cervical cancer: recommendations for chemotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunst, J.; Haensgen, G.

    2001-01-01

    Background: Simultaneous radiochemotherapy has recently been demonstrated to be superior to radiation alone in the treatment of cervical cancer. The objective of this article is to summarize the data of major randomized trials and to derive recommendations for daily clinical practice. Materials and Methods: We have analyzed the data from seven randomized trials in the recent literature in which radiotherapy alone as standard treatment has been compared to simultaneous radiochemotherapy. Four trials used cisplatin-based chemotherapy regimens, 5-FU, mitomycin C and epirubicin were used each in one trial. Results: All trials demonstrated some improvement in survival which was significant in the studies with cisplatin-based chemotherapy regimens. The survival benefit resulted mainly from an improvement in local control whereas chemotherapy had only a small and insignificant effect on distant metastases. Thus, the main action of chemotherapy is ''radiosensitization''. Cisplatin as single drug yielded comparable results as compared to combined regimens although the cisplatin dose was lower in the studies with combination chemotherapy. For the definitive treatment of locally advanced cancers, monotherapy with cisplatin can be recommended. Mitomycin C offers an attractive alternative to cisplatin in patients with contraindications for cisplatin. For postoperative radiochemotherapy, a combination of cisplatin/5-FU should be used because data with cisplatin alone are lacking so far. Simultaneous radiochemotherapy should also be considered for the curative treatment of local recurrences. Conclusions: The addition of simultaneous chemotherapy to radiotherapy is indicated in the vast majority of patients with cervical cancers who are treated with curative intent. (orig.) [de

  9. Temporal variance reverses the impact of high mean intensity of stress in climate change experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benedetti-Cecchi, Lisandro; Bertocci, Iacopo; Vaselli, Stefano; Maggi, Elena

    2006-10-01

    Extreme climate events produce simultaneous changes to the mean and to the variance of climatic variables over ecological time scales. While several studies have investigated how ecological systems respond to changes in mean values of climate variables, the combined effects of mean and variance are poorly understood. We examined the response of low-shore assemblages of algae and invertebrates of rocky seashores in the northwest Mediterranean to factorial manipulations of mean intensity and temporal variance of aerial exposure, a type of disturbance whose intensity and temporal patterning of occurrence are predicted to change with changing climate conditions. Effects of variance were often in the opposite direction of those elicited by changes in the mean. Increasing aerial exposure at regular intervals had negative effects both on diversity of assemblages and on percent cover of filamentous and coarsely branched algae, but greater temporal variance drastically reduced these effects. The opposite was observed for the abundance of barnacles and encrusting coralline algae, where high temporal variance of aerial exposure either reversed a positive effect of mean intensity (barnacles) or caused a negative effect that did not occur under low temporal variance (encrusting algae). These results provide the first experimental evidence that changes in mean intensity and temporal variance of climatic variables affect natural assemblages of species interactively, suggesting that high temporal variance may mitigate the ecological impacts of ongoing and predicted climate changes.

  10. [Darwinism and the meaning of "meaning"].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castrodeza, Carlos

    2009-01-01

    The problem of the meaning of life is herewith contemplated from a Darwinian perspective. It is argued how factors such as existential depression, the concern about the meaning of "meaning," the problem of evil, death as the end of our personal identity, happiness as an unachievable goal, etc. may well have an adaptive dimension "controlled" neither by ourselves nor obscure third parties (conspiracy theories) but "simply" by our genes (replicators in general) so that little if anything is to be done to find a radical remedy for the human condition.

  11. Definitions of Idioms in Preadolescents, Adolescents, and Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Yen-Ling; Marinellie, Sally A.

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to expand the current literature on word definitions by focusing on definitions of idioms provided by several age groups. Preadolescents, young adolescents, older adolescents, and adults wrote definitions for 10 frequently used idioms and also rated their familiarity with the idiomatic expressions. Participants'…

  12. A Judicious Lesson: A Whole-Learning Reading Activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spooner, Patrick

    2001-01-01

    Describes a unique language learning activity using the whole language approach in a tertiary level lower advanced reading and speaking course. Following a semester long theme on crime and punishment, students were introduced to an authentic, idiomatic text dealing with a famous murder case in U.S. history. (Author/VWL)

  13. Vernacular idioms in post-independence African literature: The ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... of English as a Second Language (ESL) may allow each category of readers to appreciate or accept in the modem songs. So cleverly are the lyrical words and phrases presented by Nigerian poets that we forget about the imprecise and complex, nature of some translated idiomatic expressions in their verse writings.

  14. Variations in translating Poceza m'Madzulo radio narrative texts ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    After a general introduction to the challenges of translating dynamic literature (in any language), I summarise these five putative options: Interlinear, Literal, Idiomatic, Interpretive, and Neutral. I then exemplify each of the approaches in a translation of the same paragraph from one of Mr Chongo's broadcast tales. This leads ...

  15. Abstract This paper provides an introduction to the general mask ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Tracie1

    institution. ittle has been done on its ritualistic and religious inclinations; worse still, researches on its poetic compositions have been scanty. As an aspect of oral tradition, the mask tradition has within its fold, parts and branches that have very rich store houses of proverbial literature, unique poetry and idiomatic expressions.

  16. Simultaneous neuron- and astrocyte-specific fluorescent marking

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schulze, Wiebke [Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Hayata-Takano, Atsuko [Molecular Research Center for Children' s Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Kamo, Toshihiko [Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Nakazawa, Takanobu, E-mail: takanobunakazawa-tky@umin.ac.jp [iPS Cell-based Research Project on Brain Neuropharmacology and Toxicology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Nagayasu, Kazuki [iPS Cell-based Research Project on Brain Neuropharmacology and Toxicology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Kasai, Atsushi; Seiriki, Kaoru [Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Interdisciplinary Program for Biomedical Sciences, Institute for Academic Initiatives, Osaka University, 1-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Shintani, Norihito [Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Ago, Yukio [Laboratory of Medicinal Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Farfan, Camille [Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); and others

    2015-03-27

    Systematic and simultaneous analysis of multiple cell types in the brain is becoming important, but such tools have not yet been adequately developed. Here, we aimed to generate a method for the specific fluorescent labeling of neurons and astrocytes, two major cell types in the brain, and we have developed lentiviral vectors to express the red fluorescent protein tdTomato in neurons and the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in astrocytes. Importantly, both fluorescent proteins are fused to histone 2B protein (H2B) to confer nuclear localization to distinguish between single cells. We also constructed several expression constructs, including a tandem alignment of the neuron- and astrocyte-expression cassettes for simultaneous labeling. Introducing these vectors and constructs in vitro and in vivo resulted in cell type-specific and nuclear-localized fluorescence signals enabling easy detection and distinguishability of neurons and astrocytes. This tool is expected to be utilized for the simultaneous analysis of changes in neurons and astrocytes in healthy and diseased brains. - Highlights: • We develop a method for the specific fluorescent labeling of neurons and astrocytes. • Neuron-specific labeling is achieved using Scg10 and synapsin promoters. • Astrocyte-specific labeling is generated using the minimal GFAP promoter. • Nuclear localization of fluorescent proteins is achieved with histone 2B protein.

  17. Simultaneous neuron- and astrocyte-specific fluorescent marking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulze, Wiebke; Hayata-Takano, Atsuko; Kamo, Toshihiko; Nakazawa, Takanobu; Nagayasu, Kazuki; Kasai, Atsushi; Seiriki, Kaoru; Shintani, Norihito; Ago, Yukio; Farfan, Camille

    2015-01-01

    Systematic and simultaneous analysis of multiple cell types in the brain is becoming important, but such tools have not yet been adequately developed. Here, we aimed to generate a method for the specific fluorescent labeling of neurons and astrocytes, two major cell types in the brain, and we have developed lentiviral vectors to express the red fluorescent protein tdTomato in neurons and the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in astrocytes. Importantly, both fluorescent proteins are fused to histone 2B protein (H2B) to confer nuclear localization to distinguish between single cells. We also constructed several expression constructs, including a tandem alignment of the neuron- and astrocyte-expression cassettes for simultaneous labeling. Introducing these vectors and constructs in vitro and in vivo resulted in cell type-specific and nuclear-localized fluorescence signals enabling easy detection and distinguishability of neurons and astrocytes. This tool is expected to be utilized for the simultaneous analysis of changes in neurons and astrocytes in healthy and diseased brains. - Highlights: • We develop a method for the specific fluorescent labeling of neurons and astrocytes. • Neuron-specific labeling is achieved using Scg10 and synapsin promoters. • Astrocyte-specific labeling is generated using the minimal GFAP promoter. • Nuclear localization of fluorescent proteins is achieved with histone 2B protein

  18. Assessing the Effect of Simultaneous Exposure to Noise and Cigarette Smoke on Workers’ Blood Pressure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farzaneh Rahimpour

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Noise, as the most common pollutant in the industrial environment, can lead to hearing loss and negatively affect other organs such as the cardiovascular system. Cigarette smoking is a popular habit among some workers, and can also have a negative effect on the cardiovascular system. This study aimed to investigate the effect of simultaneous exposure to noise and cigarette smoke on the blood pressure of workers at a manufacturing factory.   Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 604 workers at a steel factory. Information relating to workers’ demography, employment, and risk factors were recorded. Based on the level of smoking per day, workers exposed to noise fell into one of the four following groups: 1 Non-smokers exposed to noise   Results: The prevalence of hypertension, cigarette smoking, and exposure to noise ≥85 DB was 11.6%, 15.3%, and 56.4%, respectively, among the workers. The mean systolic blood pressure (SBP and diastolic blood pressure (DBP were 112.3 and 73.9 mmHg, respectively.a significant difference was observed between systolic and diastolic blood pressures in four groups (P=0.001. Posthoc test showed a significant difference between groups 1 and 3(P=0.001. Regression analysis indicated no significant difference in workers who were simultaneously exposed to noise and cigarette smoke.   Conclusion: This study demonstrates that noise is an important factor in terms of hypertension, with no significant differences observed in the prevalence of hypertension between workers who were simultaneously exposed to noise and cigarette smoke. It is suggested that workers’ blood pressure should be regularly monitored in noisy environments.

  19. Speeding up Vocabulary Acquisition through Action Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ameerchund (Ashraf Maharaj

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Gaining a wider vocabulary is fundamental to language learning. It follows then that the faster students engage and learn new words, the faster will be their proficiency with the target language. Multi-Dimensional Vocabulary Acquisition (or MDVA means approaching new terms / concepts from a variety of perspectives so that the target word is thoroughly analysed, giving students access to all dimensions of the word. There are many dimensions or elements that will help elucidate and unlock meaning, but for the purposes of this chapter new words will be looked at in terms of their antonyms, synonyms and associated words, rhyming counterparts, idiomatic usage, gender considerations, diminutive implications, proverbial usage and likely confusion with other words. In this study the author employs an Action Research methodology where practical classroom exercises involving students’ writing efforts pre- and post MDVA are closely examined. Using the familiar “spiral of cycles” approach, it becomes clear that “unpacking” the target word means that the meaning of many other words associated with the target word becomes explicit. A workshop with faculty is included as part of the practical application of MDVA.

  20. SIMULTANEOUS MULTI-BAND DETECTION OF LOW SURFACE BRIGHTNESS GALAXIES WITH MARKOVIAN MODELING

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vollmer, B.; Bonnarel, F.; Louys, M. [CDS, Observatoire Astronomique, UMR 7550, 11 rue de l' universite, F-67000 Strasbourg (France); Perret, B.; Petremand, M.; Lavigne, F.; Collet, Ch. [LSIIT, Universite de Strasbourg, 7, Rue Rene Descartes, F-67084 Strasbourg (France); Van Driel, W. [GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Universite Paris Diderot, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92190 Meudon (France); Sabatini, S. [INAF/IASF-Roma, via Fosso de Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Roma (Italy); MacArthur, L. A., E-mail: Bernd.Vollmer@astro.unistra.fr [Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council of Canada, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada)

    2013-02-01

    We present to the astronomical community an algorithm for the detection of low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies in images, called MARSIAA (MARkovian Software for Image Analysis in Astronomy), which is based on multi-scale Markovian modeling. MARSIAA can be applied simultaneously to different bands. It segments an image into a user-defined number of classes, according to their surface brightness and surroundings-typically, one or two classes contain the LSB structures. We have developed an algorithm, called DetectLSB, which allows the efficient identification of LSB galaxies from among the candidate sources selected by MARSIAA. The application of the method to two and three bands simultaneously was tested on simulated images. Based on our tests, we are confident that we can detect LSB galaxies down to a central surface brightness level of only 1.5 times the standard deviation from the mean pixel value in the image background. To assess the robustness of our method, the method was applied to a set of 18 B- and I-band images (covering 1.3 deg{sup 2} in total) of the Virgo Cluster to which Sabatini et al. previously applied a matched-filter dwarf LSB galaxy search algorithm. We have detected all 20 objects from the Sabatini et al. catalog which we could classify by eye as bona fide LSB galaxies. Our method has also detected four additional Virgo Cluster LSB galaxy candidates undetected by Sabatini et al. To further assess the completeness of the results of our method, both MARSIAA, SExtractor, and DetectLSB were applied to search for (1) mock Virgo LSB galaxies inserted into a set of deep Next Generation Virgo Survey (NGVS) gri-band subimages and (2) Virgo LSB galaxies identified by eye in a full set of NGVS square degree gri images. MARSIAA/DetectLSB recovered {approx}20% more mock LSB galaxies and {approx}40% more LSB galaxies identified by eye than SExtractor/DetectLSB. With a 90% fraction of false positives from an entirely unsupervised pipeline, a completeness of

  1. Taxonomy of Strategic Games with Information Leaks and Corruption of Simultaneity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valeriu Ungureanu

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available We consider pseudo-simultaneous normal form games - strategic games with rules violated by information leaks and simultaneity corruption. We provide classification and construction of a game taxonomy based on applicable solution principles. Existence conditions are highlighted, formulated and analysed.

  2. Sequential inhibitory control processes assessed through simultaneous EEG-fMRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baumeister, Sarah; Hohmann, Sarah; Wolf, Isabella; Plichta, Michael M; Rechtsteiner, Stefanie; Zangl, Maria; Ruf, Matthias; Holz, Nathalie; Boecker, Regina; Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas; Holtmann, Martin; Laucht, Manfred; Banaschewski, Tobias; Brandeis, Daniel

    2014-07-01

    Inhibitory response control has been extensively investigated in both electrophysiological (ERP) and hemodynamic (fMRI) studies. However, very few multimodal results address the coupling of these inhibition markers. In fMRI, response inhibition has been most consistently linked to activation of the anterior insula and inferior frontal cortex (IFC), often also the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). ERP work has established increased N2 and P3 amplitudes during NoGo compared to Go conditions in most studies. Previous simultaneous EEG-fMRI imaging reported association of the N2/P3 complex with activation of areas like the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) and anterior insula. In this study we investigated inhibitory control in 23 healthy young adults (mean age=24.7, n=17 for EEG during fMRI) using a combined Flanker/NoGo task during simultaneous EEG and fMRI recording. Separate fMRI and ERP analysis yielded higher activation in the anterior insula, IFG and ACC as well as increased N2 and P3 amplitudes during NoGo trials in accordance with the literature. Combined analysis modelling sequential N2 and P3 effects through joint parametric modulation revealed correlation of higher N2 amplitude with deactivation in parts of the default mode network (DMN) and the cingulate motor area (CMA) as well as correlation of higher central P3 amplitude with activation of the left anterior insula, IFG and posterior cingulate. The EEG-fMRI results resolve the localizations of these sequential activations. They suggest a general role for allocation of attentional resources and motor inhibition for N2 and link memory recollection and internal reflection to P3 amplitude, in addition to previously described response inhibition as reflected by the anterior insula. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Knee awareness and functionality after simultaneous bilateral vs unilateral total knee arthroplasty

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Latifi, Roshan; Thomsen, Morten Grove; Kallemose, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    AIM: To investigate knee awareness and functional outcomes in patients treated with simultaneous bilateral vs unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: Through a database search, we identified 210 patients who had undergone unilateral TKA (UTKA) and 65 patients who had undergone......-surgical treatments were failed, thus preoperatively the patients had poor functionality. All patients were asked to complete Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) and Oxford Knee Score (OKS) questionnaires. The patients were matched according to age, gender, year of surgery, Kellgren-Lawrence score and pre- and postoperative...... overall knee alignment. The FJS and OKS questionnaire results of the two groups were then compared. RESULTS: A mixed-effects model was used to analyze differences between SBTKA and UTKA. OKS: The mean difference in the OKS between the patients who had undergone SBTKA and those who had undergone UTKA was 1...

  4. Measurement of the bio-availability in man of a pharmaceutic form of magnesium, by the means of stable isotopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benech, H.; Pruvost, A.; Grognet, J.M.; Morge, X.

    1994-01-01

    A method for measuring the absolute bio-availability, in man, of an oral magnesium pharmaceutic form by the means of the simultaneous utilization of two stable magnesium isotopes, 25 Mg and 26 Mg, by oral or intra-venous administrations in order to study the metabolism of magnesium in the human body, is presented. Fecal elimination and urinary excretion of magnesium are recorded. 10 refs

  5. Stability-Indicating HPLC Method for the Simultaneous ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research May 2014; 13 (5): 809-817. ISSN: 1596-5996 ... indicating method for the simultaneous estimation of valsartan and ezetimibe in combined tablet ... techniques like spectrometric methods [1-3] and.

  6. Triplanar correction of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis by asymmetrically shaped and simultaneously applied rods associated with direct vertebral rotation: clinical and radiological analysis of 36 patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faldini, Cesare; Perna, Fabrizio; Geraci, Giuseppe; Pardo, Francesco; Mazzotti, Antonio; Pilla, Federico; Ruffilli, Alberto

    2018-04-17

    Aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a new surgical corrective manoeuvre for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) by asymmetrically shaped and simultaneously applied rods and in combination with direct vertebral rotation, to control both the triplanar deformity and the kyphosis apex location. We retrospectively reviewed 36 patients who undergo surgical treatment using simultaneous translation on two differently contoured rods, in combination with direct vertebral rotation. Patients were divided into three main groups according to the scoliotic curve type. The average follow-up was 1.8 years (range 1-3 years). Mean thoracic Cobb angle decreased from 64.6° to 17.0 (p < 0.05). Mean lumbar Cobb angle decreased from 54.9 to 13°. T5-T12 kyphosis values improved from 16.2 to 22.8° (p < 0.05). Apical vertebral rotation decreased from 25.3 to 9.7°. Mean total SRS-22 score values improved from 2.3 on pre-operative to 3.8 at the last available follow-up. Two major and two minor perioperative complications were recorded. Nor deformity progression or screw pull-out or non-union was recorded at the last available follow-up. The corrective manoeuvre using two differently contoured rods simultaneously in combination with direct vertebral rotation can provide a good triplanar deformity correction and improve patient's quality of life and self-image perception in mild-to-moderate AIS. Moreover, the described technique allows the positioning of the desired kyphosis apex at a different level from the scoliosis apex. This procedure allows a better sagittal contour restoration while maintaining a comparable amount of correction on the frontal and axial plane of the already available techniques. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

  7. A joint model of word segmentation and meaning acquisition through cross-situational learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Räsänen, Okko; Rasilo, Heikki

    2015-10-01

    Human infants learn meanings for spoken words in complex interactions with other people, but the exact learning mechanisms are unknown. Among researchers, a widely studied learning mechanism is called cross-situational learning (XSL). In XSL, word meanings are learned when learners accumulate statistical information between spoken words and co-occurring objects or events, allowing the learner to overcome referential uncertainty after having sufficient experience with individually ambiguous scenarios. Existing models in this area have mainly assumed that the learner is capable of segmenting words from speech before grounding them to their referential meaning, while segmentation itself has been treated relatively independently of the meaning acquisition. In this article, we argue that XSL is not just a mechanism for word-to-meaning mapping, but that it provides strong cues for proto-lexical word segmentation. If a learner directly solves the correspondence problem between continuous speech input and the contextual referents being talked about, segmentation of the input into word-like units emerges as a by-product of the learning. We present a theoretical model for joint acquisition of proto-lexical segments and their meanings without assuming a priori knowledge of the language. We also investigate the behavior of the model using a computational implementation, making use of transition probability-based statistical learning. Results from simulations show that the model is not only capable of replicating behavioral data on word learning in artificial languages, but also shows effective learning of word segments and their meanings from continuous speech. Moreover, when augmented with a simple familiarity preference during learning, the model shows a good fit to human behavioral data in XSL tasks. These results support the idea of simultaneous segmentation and meaning acquisition and show that comprehensive models of early word segmentation should take referential word

  8. Simultaneous electron capture and excitation in ion-atom collisions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanis, J.A.; Bernstein, E.M.; Graham, W.G.; Clark, M.; Shafroth, S.M.; Johnson, B.M.; Jones, K.; Meron, M.

    1982-01-01

    A review of recent efforts to observe simultaneous electron capture-and-K-shell excitation in ion-atom collisions is presented. This process which has been referred to as resonant-transfer-and-excitation (RTE), is qualitatively analogous to dielectronic recombination (inverse Auger transition) in free-electron-ion collisions, and, hence, is expected to be resonant. Experimentally, events having the correct signature for simultaneous capture-and-excitation are isolated by detecting projectile K x rays in coincidence with ions which capture a single electron. In a recent experiment involving 70-160 MeV S 13+ ions incident on Ar, a maximum was observed in the yield of projectile K x rays associated with electron capture. This maximum is attributed to simultaneous capture - and excitation. The position (120 MeV) and width (60 MeV) of the observed maximum are in good agreement with theoretical calculations. The data indicate that RTE is an important mechanism for inner-shell vacancy production in the energy range studied

  9. Simultaneous measurement of arginine vasopressin and oxytocin in plasma and neurohypophysis by radioimmunoassay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Landgraf, R [Deutsche Hochschule fuer Koerperkultur, Leipzig (German Democratic Republic). Forschungsinstitut Koerperkultur und Sport

    1981-12-01

    Arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) were measured simultaneously in the same sample by specific and sensitive radioimmunoassays (RIAs). The antibodies used did not cross-react to a variety of analogs and related peptides. The extraction procedure using Vycor glass powder resulted in mean recoveries of 84.4% (AVP) and 64.6% (OXT). In both assays, the sensitivity was 1 to 2 pg/ml plasma. A preincubation procedure that depresses plasma levels of both AVP and OXT selectively, provided specific blank values for a given plasma sample. To confirm the validity of the RIAs, dehydration experiments were performed. In rats, the basal levels of plasma AVP and OXT (means: 2,63 pg/ml and 6.80 pg/ml, respectively) are increased significantly after 24 h, 48 h and 72 h of water deprivation. Relationships are presented between both neurohormones in the plasma and neurohypophyses of control and dehydrated animals. As shown in cows, a significant correlation exists between plasma AVP and plasma osmolality but not between plasma OXT and osmolality or plasma AVP and OXT. Basal levels as well as physiological changes in plasma and neurohypophyseal AVP and OXT can be measured by the RIAs described.

  10. A New HPLC-ELSD Method for Simultaneous Determination of N-Acetylglucosamine and N-Acetylgalactosamine in Dairy Foods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ho Jin Kim

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A rapid high performance liquid chromatographic method with evaporative light scattering detection (HPLC-ELSD, using a carbohydrate column, was developed for simultaneous determination of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc and N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc in dairy foods. Sample preparation was performed by precipitation using acetonitrile. The limits of detection were 2.097 mg/L for GlcNAc and 3.247 mg/L for GalNAc. The limits of quantification were 6.043 mg/L for GlcNAc and 9.125 mg/L for GalNAc. Accuracy ranged from 96.4 to 105.7% for GlcNAc and from 97.1 to 104.1% for GalNAc. The precision of the method was <1.7% for GlcNAc and <2.2% for GalNAc. The mean recovery of the method was measured by spiking samples with 30.0–120.0 mg/L GlcNAc or 12.5–50.0 mg/L GalNAc and was found to be 95.1–105.5% for GlcNAc and 99.5–105.9% for GalNAc. The stability test results of standard solutions stored at 4, 20, and 40°C were 96.2–104.7% for GlcNAc and 98.0–106.5% for GalNAc. This study determined GlcNAc and GalNAc in dairy foods using HPLC-ELSD method. This rapid, simultaneous quantitation method might be useful as a mean of convenient quality control of dairy foods.

  11. A correlative study of simultaneously measured He(++) fluxes in the solar wind and in the magnetosphere utilizing Imp-1 and 1971-089A satellite data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shelley, E. G.

    1975-01-01

    Simultaneously measured He(++) fluxes in the solar wind and in the magnetosphere were studied using data from the plasma spectrometer on the Imp I satellite and the energetic ion mass spectrometer on the low altitude polar orbiting satellite 1971-89A. A detailed comparison of the He(++) energy spectra measured simultaneously in the solar wind and in the low altitude dayside polar cusp on March 7, 1972 was made. The energy-per-unit-charge range of the energetic ion mass spectrometer on board the polar orbiting satellite was 700 eV to 12 keV. Within this range there was a clear maximum in the He(++) energy spectrum at approximately 1.5 keV/nucleon. There was not a clearly defined maximum in the H(+) spectrum, but the data were consistent with a peak between 0.7 and 1.0 keV/nucleon. Both spectra could be reasonably well fit with a convecting Maxwellian plus a high energy tail; however, the mean velocity for He(++) distribution was significantly greater than that for the H(+) distribution. The simultaneous solar wind measurements showed the mean velocities for both ion species to be approximately 600 km/sec. The discrepancies between the relative velocity distributions in the low altitude cusp and those in the solar wind are consistent with a potential difference of approximately 1.4 kV along their flow direction between the two points of observation.

  12. THE ASSESSMENT OF INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUNG-CHILDREN WITH A PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER BY MEANS OF BEHAVIOR SCALES WHICH ARE DERIVED FROM DIRECT OBSERVATION

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ALTHAUS, M; MINDERAA, RB; DIENSKE, H

    Data obtained by direct observation of 112 3-6-year-old normal children and 31 children with a pervasive developmental disorder aged 3-6 were used to construct behaviour scales by means of simultaneous component analysis. This is a technique for finding behaviour clusters (components) common to

  13. Wild chimpanzees can perform social grooming and social play behaviors simultaneously.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimada, Masaki

    2013-10-01

    Reliable evidence was obtained of the simultaneous performance of social grooming and social play behaviors by individuals among wild chimpanzees of the M group in Mahale Mountains National Park. I observed three cases of this performance: in an old female, a young female, and an adult male. While the agent was grooming the back of an adult bimanually, an infant or a juvenile approached the agent. The agent then started playing with the infant/juvenile using only the right hand, while simultaneously grooming the back of the adult with the left hand. In one case, an old female continued the simultaneous performance for about 1 min. Such performances probably occur at low frequency because they are not often required. The similarity in the neurobiological bases and the functions of social grooming and social play behaviors, both of which include repetitive contact with the body of another individual, may facilitate their simultaneous performance.

  14. Real-time simultaneous and proportional myoelectric control using intramuscular EMG

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Lauren H.; Kuiken, Todd A.; Hargrove, Levi J.

    2014-12-01

    Objective. Myoelectric prostheses use electromyographic (EMG) signals to control movement of prosthetic joints. Clinically available myoelectric control strategies do not allow simultaneous movement of multiple degrees of freedom (DOFs); however, the use of implantable devices that record intramuscular EMG signals could overcome this constraint. The objective of this study was to evaluate the real-time simultaneous control of three DOFs (wrist rotation, wrist flexion/extension, and hand open/close) using intramuscular EMG. Approach. We evaluated task performance of five able-bodied subjects in a virtual environment using two control strategies with fine-wire EMG: (i) parallel dual-site differential control, which enabled simultaneous control of three DOFs and (ii) pattern recognition control, which required sequential control of DOFs. Main results. Over the course of the experiment, subjects using parallel dual-site control demonstrated increased use of simultaneous control and improved performance in a Fitts’ Law test. By the end of the experiment, performance using parallel dual-site control was significantly better (up to a 25% increase in throughput) than when using sequential pattern recognition control for tasks requiring multiple DOFs. The learning trends with parallel dual-site control suggested that further improvements in performance metrics were possible. Subjects occasionally experienced difficulty in performing isolated single-DOF movements with parallel dual-site control but were able to accomplish related Fitts’ Law tasks with high levels of path efficiency. Significance. These results suggest that intramuscular EMG, used in a parallel dual-site configuration, can provide simultaneous control of a multi-DOF prosthetic wrist and hand and may outperform current methods that enforce sequential control.

  15. Evaluation of Linear Regression Simultaneous Myoelectric Control Using Intramuscular EMG.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Lauren H; Kuiken, Todd A; Hargrove, Levi J

    2016-04-01

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of linear regression models to decode patterns of muscle coactivation from intramuscular electromyogram (EMG) and provide simultaneous myoelectric control of a virtual 3-DOF wrist/hand system. Performance was compared to the simultaneous control of conventional myoelectric prosthesis methods using intramuscular EMG (parallel dual-site control)-an approach that requires users to independently modulate individual muscles in the residual limb, which can be challenging for amputees. Linear regression control was evaluated in eight able-bodied subjects during a virtual Fitts' law task and was compared to performance of eight subjects using parallel dual-site control. An offline analysis also evaluated how different types of training data affected prediction accuracy of linear regression control. The two control systems demonstrated similar overall performance; however, the linear regression method demonstrated improved performance for targets requiring use of all three DOFs, whereas parallel dual-site control demonstrated improved performance for targets that required use of only one DOF. Subjects using linear regression control could more easily activate multiple DOFs simultaneously, but often experienced unintended movements when trying to isolate individual DOFs. Offline analyses also suggested that the method used to train linear regression systems may influence controllability. Linear regression myoelectric control using intramuscular EMG provided an alternative to parallel dual-site control for 3-DOF simultaneous control at the wrist and hand. The two methods demonstrated different strengths in controllability, highlighting the tradeoff between providing simultaneous control and the ability to isolate individual DOFs when desired.

  16. Simultaneous quantification of cocaine, amphetamines, opiates and cannabinoids in vitreous humor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peres, Mariana Dadalto; Pelição, Fabrício Souza; Caleffi, Bruno; De Martinis, Bruno Spinosa

    2014-01-01

    A GC-MS method for simultaneous analysis of cocaine (COC), amphetamines (AMPs), opiates, cannabinoids and their metabolites in vitreous humor (VH) was developed and fully validated. VH samples were extracted using solid phase extraction and injected into the GC-MS, using a selected ion monitoring mode. Linearity ranged from 10 to 1000 ng/mL; the exception was anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME), for which linearity ranged from 10 to 750 ng/mL. Inter-assay imprecision lay from 1.2 to 10.0%, intra-assay imprecision was samples taken from individuals whose blood had screened positive for drugs of abuse. All the individuals screened positive for COC in the blood (seven samples) also had positive results in VH; COC concentration ranged from 30.81 to 283.97 ng/mL (mean 186.98 ng/mL) and benzoylecgonine concentration ranged from 11.47 to 460.98 ng/mL (mean 133.91 ng/mL). It was also noticed that, in five cases, cocaethylene was detected. AEME was also quantified in one case. The use of AMP detected by blood analysis was confirmed in the VH of one individual (24.31 ng/mL). However, samples taken from three individuals whose blood tested positive for carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol presented negative results. The results demonstrated that VH is a suitable alternative biological sample to determine COC, AMPs, opiates and their metabolites.

  17. A curvature-based weighted fuzzy c-means algorithm for point clouds de-noising

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Xin; Li, Shipeng; Yan, Xiutian; He, Xinhua

    2018-04-01

    In order to remove the noise of three-dimensional scattered point cloud and smooth the data without damnify the sharp geometric feature simultaneity, a novel algorithm is proposed in this paper. The feature-preserving weight is added to fuzzy c-means algorithm which invented a curvature weighted fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm. Firstly, the large-scale outliers are removed by the statistics of r radius neighboring points. Then, the algorithm estimates the curvature of the point cloud data by using conicoid parabolic fitting method and calculates the curvature feature value. Finally, the proposed clustering algorithm is adapted to calculate the weighted cluster centers. The cluster centers are regarded as the new points. The experimental results show that this approach is efficient to different scale and intensities of noise in point cloud with a high precision, and perform a feature-preserving nature at the same time. Also it is robust enough to different noise model.

  18. Multi-objective mean-variance-skewness model for generation portfolio allocation in electricity markets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pindoriya, N.M.; Singh, S.N. [Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016 (India); Singh, S.K. [Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, Lucknow 226013 (India)

    2010-10-15

    This paper proposes an approach for generation portfolio allocation based on mean-variance-skewness (MVS) model which is an extension of the classical mean-variance (MV) portfolio theory, to deal with assets whose return distribution is non-normal. The MVS model allocates portfolios optimally by considering the maximization of both the expected return and skewness of portfolio return while simultaneously minimizing the risk. Since, it is competing and conflicting non-smooth multi-objective optimization problem, this paper employed a multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) based meta-heuristic technique to provide Pareto-optimal solution in a single simulation run. Using a case study of the PJM electricity market, the performance of the MVS portfolio theory based method and the classical MV method is compared. It has been found that the MVS portfolio theory based method can provide significantly better portfolios in the situation where non-normally distributed assets exist for trading. (author)

  19. Multi-objective mean-variance-skewness model for generation portfolio allocation in electricity markets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pindoriya, N.M.; Singh, S.N.; Singh, S.K.

    2010-01-01

    This paper proposes an approach for generation portfolio allocation based on mean-variance-skewness (MVS) model which is an extension of the classical mean-variance (MV) portfolio theory, to deal with assets whose return distribution is non-normal. The MVS model allocates portfolios optimally by considering the maximization of both the expected return and skewness of portfolio return while simultaneously minimizing the risk. Since, it is competing and conflicting non-smooth multi-objective optimization problem, this paper employed a multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) based meta-heuristic technique to provide Pareto-optimal solution in a single simulation run. Using a case study of the PJM electricity market, the performance of the MVS portfolio theory based method and the classical MV method is compared. It has been found that the MVS portfolio theory based method can provide significantly better portfolios in the situation where non-normally distributed assets exist for trading. (author)

  20. Simultaneous measurement of non-commuting observables

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Allahverdyan, A.E.; Balian, R.; Nieuwenhuizen, T.M.

    2010-01-01

    A dynamical model of a quantum measurement process is introduced, where the tested system S, a spin 1/2, is simultaneously coupled with two apparatuses A and A'. Alone, A would measure the component (s) over cap (z) whereas A' alone would measure (s) over cap (x). The apparatus A simulates an Ising

  1. Sustainable, alternative farming practices as a means to simultaneously secure food production and reduce air pollution in East Asia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tai, A. P. K.; Fung, K. M.; Yong, T.; Liu, X.

    2015-12-01

    Proper agricultural land management is essential for securing food supply and minimizing damage to the environment. Among available farming practices, relay strip intercropping and fertilizer application are commonly used, but to study their wider environmental implications and possible feedbacks we require an Earth system modeling framework. In this study, the effectiveness of a maize-soybean relay strip intercropping system and fertilizer reduction is investigated using a multi-model method. The DNDC (DeNitrification-DeComposition) model is used to simulate agricultural activities and their impacts on the environment through nitrogen emissions and changes in soil chemical composition. Crop yield, soil nutrient content and nitrogen emissions to the atmosphere in major agricultural regions of China are predicted under various cultivation scenarios. The GEOS-Chem global chemical transport model is then used to estimate the effects on downwind particle and ozone air pollution. We show that relay strip intercropping and optimal fertilization not only improve crop productivity, but also retain soil nutrients, reduce ammonia emission and mitigate downwind air pollution. By cutting 25% fertilization inputs but cultivating maize and soybean together in a relay strip intercropping system used with field studies, total crop production was improved slightly by 4.4% compared to monoculture with conventional amount of fertilizers. NH3 volatilization decreases by 29%, equivalent to saving the pollution-induced health damage costs by about US$2.5 billion per year. The possible feedback effects from atmospheric nitrogen deposition onto the croplands are also investigated. We show that careful management and better quantitative understanding of alternative farming practices hold huge potential in simultaneously addressing different global change issues including the food crisis, air pollution and climate change, and calls for greater collaboration between scientists, farmers and

  2. Multivariate regression models for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of calcium and magnesium carbonates and magnesium oxide through drifts data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marder Luciano

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available In the present work multivariate regression models were developed for the quantitative analysis of ternary systems using Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS to determine the concentration in weight of calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate and magnesium oxide. Nineteen spectra of standard samples previously defined in ternary diagram by mixture design were prepared and mid-infrared diffuse reflectance spectra were recorded. The partial least squares (PLS regression method was applied to the model. The spectra set was preprocessed by either mean-centered and variance-scaled (model 2 or mean-centered only (model 1. The results based on the prediction performance of the external validation set expressed by RMSEP (root mean square error of prediction demonstrated that it is possible to develop good models to simultaneously determine calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate and magnesium oxide content in powdered samples that can be used in the study of the thermal decomposition of dolomite rocks.

  3. Age-Related Differences in Idiom Production in Adulthood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conner, Peggy S.; Hyun, Jungmoon; O'Connor Wells, Barbara; Anema, Inge; Goral, Mira; Monereau-Merry, Marie-Michelle; Rubino, Daniel; Kuckuk, Raija; Obler, Loraine K.

    2011-01-01

    To investigate whether idiom production was vulnerable to age-related difficulties, we asked 40 younger (ages 18-30) and 40 older healthy adults (ages 60-85) to produce idiomatic expressions in a story-completion task. Younger adults produced significantly more correct idiom responses (73%) than did older adults (60%). When older adults generated…

  4. Taking the Danish Speech Trainer from CALL to ICALL

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Juel Henrichsen, Peter

    2015-01-01

    Talebob (Speech Bob) is a newly developed interactive CALL-tool for training Danish speech with special regard to the pronunciation of highly idiomatic phrases. Talebob is currently being tested in primary schools in Nuuk, Hafnarfjörður and Tórshavn (where Danish is taught as a L2). The purpose...

  5. Simultaneous acquisition of physiological data and nuclear medicine images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosenthal, M.S.; Klein, H.A.; Orenstein, S.R.

    1988-01-01

    A technique has been developed that allows the simultaneous acquisition of both image and physiological data into a standard nuclear medicine computer system. The physiological data can be displayed along with the nuclear medicine images allowing temporal correlation between the two. This technique has been used to acquire images of gastroesophageal reflux simultaneously with the intraluminal esophageal pH. The resulting data are displayed either as a standard dynamic sequence with the physiological data appearing in a corner of the image or as condensed dynamic images

  6. No influence of simultaneous bone-substitute application on the success of immediately loaded dental implants: a retrospective cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kopp, Sigmar; Behrend, Detlef; Kundt, Günther; Ottl, Peter; Frerich, Bernhard; Warkentin, Mareike

    2013-06-01

    To examine the influence of bone-substitute application during implantation on the success of immediately placed and loaded dental implants. A total of 147 consecutive patients (age, 16.5-80.4 years) were provided with 696 immediately loaded implants. The mean follow-up time was 34.1 months. Of these implants, 50.4% (n=351) were immediately placed into extraction sockets. A total of 119 implants were added by simultaneous bone-substitute application (NanoBone, Artoss GmbH, Rostock Germany), whereas the other implants were placed in healed bone. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed using IBM SPSS V.20. The overall implant success rate was 96.1%. Implants with simultaneous bone replacement had a hazard ratio of 0.877 (p=0.837); 95% CI, 0.253-3.04). Factors found to be statistically significant modifiers of success on multivariate analysis (p<0.05) included type of superstructure (p<0.001), implant-abutment connection (p<0.001), membrane use (p=0.010), and jaw (p=0.026). None of the other factors investigated were significant modifiers. The present study demonstrates high success rates for immediately loaded implants and their superstructures independent of the simultaneous application of bone substitute. The declared aim of socket preservation, the prevention avoiding bone loss, is achieved in the immediate implant placement scenario under immediate-loading conditions.

  7. Simultaneous Multiple-Location Separation Control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greenblatt, David (Inventor)

    2009-01-01

    A method of controlling a shear layer for a fluid dynamic body introduces first periodic disturbances into the fluid medium at a first flow separation location. Simultaneously, second periodic disturbances are introduced into the fluid medium at a second flow separation location. A phase difference between the first and second periodic disturbances is adjusted to control flow separation of the shear layer as the fluid medium moves over the fluid dynamic body.

  8. Simultaneous abdominal surgery in patients with the metabolic syndrome and obesity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. M. Mylytsya

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to discuss the possibility and appropriateness of simultaneous operations in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS and obesity (O. Material and methods. The analysis of 50 simultaneous operations in patients with MS and O was performed. Gender, age, medical history and clinical-laboratory features were explored. Duration of operations, the number of complications, length of hospital stay were analyzed. Results and discussion. Body mass index ranged from 33 kg/m2 to 51 kg/m2. Skin and fat flaps weight ranged from 3 to 12 kg. Weight loss of patients in one week after surgery ranged from 5 to 14 kg. There were no complications in the early and late postoperative period. Analysis of carbohydrate metabolism showed no significant differences in pre- and post-operative period. Nevertheless simultaneous abdominoplasty as corrective surgery reduces weight, improves the self-perception of body image, physical and mental components of quality of life. Conclusion. The introduction of simultaneous operations will contribute: - for state: to increase and maintain the reproductive potential of the nation, to save the hospital beds, to save finances, to reduce the incidence of metabolic forms of cancer pathology; - for the patient: performing one operation instead of two ones, allowing to go through preoperative stress, anesthesia, postoperative period and the rehabilitation period once; during one operation to solve two-three issues; during surgical treatment of main disease to prevent oncological, cardio-vascular disease, diabetes, etc. Of course, the widespread adoption of the program of simultaneous gynecology, surgery requires the dissemination of knowledge and techniques refinement. simultaneous surgery; metabolic syndrome; obesity

  9. Spiritual Intimacy, Marital Intimacy, and Physical/Psychological Well-Being: Spiritual Meaning as a Mediator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holland, Karen J; Lee, Jerry W; Marshak, Helen H; Martin, Leslie R

    2016-08-01

    Intimacy is an essential part of marital relationships, spiritual relationships, and is also a factor in well-being, but there is little research simultaneously examining the links among spiritual intimacy, marital intimacy, and well-being. Structural equation modeling was used to examine associations among the latent variables-spiritual intimacy, marital intimacy, spiritual meaning, and well-being-in a cross-sectional study of 5,720 married adults aged 29-100 years ( M = 58.88, SD = 12.76, 59% female). All participants were from the Adventist Health Study-2, Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study. In the original structural model, all direct associations between the three latent variables of spiritual intimacy, marital intimacy, and well-being were significantly positive indicating that there was a significant relationship among spiritual intimacy, marital intimacy, and well-being. When spiritual meaning was added as a mediating variable, the direct connections of spiritual intimacy to marital intimacy and to well-being became weakly negative. However, the indirect associations of spiritual intimacy with marital intimacy and with well-being were then strongly positive through spiritual meaning. This indicates that the relationship among spiritual intimacy, marital intimacy, and well-being was primarily a result of the meaning that spiritual intimacy brought to one's marriage and well-being, and that without spiritual meaning greater spirituality could negatively influence one's marriage and well-being. These findings suggest the central place of spiritual meaning in understanding the relationship of spiritual intimacy to marital intimacy and to well-being.

  10. Simultaneous macula detection and optic disc boundary segmentation in retinal fundus images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Girard, Fantin; Kavalec, Conrad; Grenier, Sébastien; Ben Tahar, Houssem; Cheriet, Farida

    2016-03-01

    The optic disc (OD) and the macula are important structures in automatic diagnosis of most retinal diseases inducing vision defects such as glaucoma, diabetic or hypertensive retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. We propose a new method to detect simultaneously the macula and the OD boundary. First, the color fundus images are processed to compute several maps highlighting the different anatomical structures such as vessels, the macula and the OD. Then, macula candidates and OD candidates are found simultaneously and independently using seed detectors identified on the corresponding maps. After selecting a set of macula/OD pairs, the top candidates are sent to the OD segmentation method. The segmentation method is based on local K-means applied to color coordinates in polar space followed by a polynomial fitting regularization step. Pair scores are updated, resulting in the final best macula/OD pair. The method was evaluated on two public image databases: ONHSD and MESSIDOR. The results show an overlapping area of 0.84 on ONHSD and 0.90 on MESSIDOR, which is better than recent state of the art methods. Our segmentation method is robust to contrast and illumination problems and outputs the exact boundary of the OD, not just a circular or elliptical model. The macula detection has an accuracy of 94%, which again outperforms other macula detection methods. This shows that combining the OD and macula detections improves the overall accuracy. The computation time for the whole process is 6.4 seconds, which is faster than other methods in the literature.

  11. Simultaneous functional and fixed appliance therapy for growth modification and dental alignment prior to prosthetic habilitation in hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia: a clinical report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suri, Sunjay; Carmichael, Robert P; Tompson, Bryan D

    2004-11-01

    This clinical report describes the simultaneous use of functional and fixed appliances to modify the pattern of dentofacial development and align teeth in preparation for prosthodontic habilitation of a growing child with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia. The treatment objective was to create a more favorable starting point for the prosthodontic phase of habilitation by improving the sagittal and vertical skeletal relationships and facial esthetics. This was accomplished through growth modification with functional appliances conducted simultaneously with eruption of maxillary and mandibular molars, dental arch expansion, alignment, and space management using fixed orthodontic appliances. Orthodontic retention was accomplished by means of removable partial dentures. A second phase of orthodontics conducted closer to the age of skeletal maturation will aim at definitive tooth alignment in preparation for dental implant-supported restorations.

  12. Simultaneous determination of actinide and strontium nuclides by extraction chromatography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vajda, N.; Molnar, Zs.

    1999-01-01

    A relatively fast and simple separation procedure has been developed for the simultaneous determination of thorium, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, americium, curium and strontium radionuclides. Most of the isotopes of these elements are long-lived, pure alpha and beta emitters regarded as 'difficult to determine' ones in the literature. Our major goal was to develop a combined procedure capable for the analysis of all these nuclides in the same sample aliquot so that correlations can be revealed without the errors arising due to inhomogeneity of samples when the radionuclides are determined from different sub-samples. The combined procedure has the advantage that sample destruction becomes simpler and faster, too. The chemical procedure consists of co-precipitations for the pre-concentration of groups of chemically similar elements and extraction chromatographic separations for the purification of individual elements. By means of pre-concentration relatively big samples can be treated offering the possibility of low activity measurements that cannot be performed by analysing small sample amounts. Pre-concentration techniques were always chosen in order to improve the selectivity of the following separation steps. (authors)

  13. Simultaneous adsorption of SO2 and NO from flue gas over mesoporous alumina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xin; Tang, Xiaolong; Yi, Honghong; Li, Kai; Ning, Ping; Huang, Bin; Wang, Fang; Yuan, Qin

    2015-01-01

    Mesoporous alumina (MA) with a higher ability to simultaneously remove SO2 and NO was prepared by the evaporation-induced self-assembly process. The adsorption capacities of MA are 1.79 and 0.702 mmol/g for SO2 and NO, respectively. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method was used to characterize the adsorbent. Simultaneous adsorption of SO2 and NO from flue gas over MA in different operating conditions had been studied in a fixed bed reactor. The effects of temperature, oxygen concentration and water vapour were investigated. The experimental results showed that the optimum temperature for MA to simultaneously remove SO2 and NO was 90°C. The simultaneous adsorption capacities of SO2 and NO could be enhanced by increasing O2 when its concentration was below 5%. The changes of simultaneous adsorption capacities were not obvious when O2 concentration was above 5%. The increase in relative humidity results in an increase after dropping of SO2 adsorption capacity, whereas the adsorption capacity of NO showed an opposite trend. The results suggest that MA is a great adsorbent for simultaneous removal of SO2 and NO from flue gas.

  14. T-cell mean telomere lengths changes in treatment naïve HIV-infected patients randomized to G-CSF or placebo simultaneously with initiation of HAART

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aladdin, H; Von Essen, M; Schjerling, P

    2001-01-01

    The effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) on mean telomere restriction fragment (TRF) length of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was examined in 11 treatment naïve human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals...... with a CD4+ T-cell count CSF thrice weekly for 12 weeks (n = 6) or placebo (n = 5). An increase in the mean TRF lengths was observed in PBMC of patients on HAART after 24 weeks of treatment mainly owing to increased mean CD8+ T-cell TRF...... lengths. However, in the group of patients on HAART combined with G-CSF no changes of PBMC mean TRF length was observed during treatment or during 12 weeks of follow-up. The mean CD4+ T-cell TRF length did not change in any of the two groups. These results confirm that HAART induces mainly the lengthening...

  15. A Case Series of Patients Who Underwent Laparoscopic Extraperitoneal Radical Prostatectomy with the Simultaneous Implant of a Penile Prosthesis: Focus on Penile Length Preservation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-01

    Purpose There are many grey areas in the field of penile rehabilitation after radical prostatectomy (RP). The preservation of the full dimensions of the penis is an important consideration for improving patients' compliance for the treatment. We present the first case series of patients treated by laparoscopic extraperitoneal RP and simultaneous penile prosthesis implantation (PPI) in order to preserve the full length of the penis and to improve patients' satisfaction. Materials and Methods From June 2013 to June 2014, 10 patients underwent simultaneous PPI (with an AMS InhibiZone prosthesis) and RP. Patients were evaluated by means of urological visits, questionnaires, and objective measurements before surgery, at discharge from the hospital, on postoperative days 21 to 28, each 3 months for the first year, and each 6 months thereafter. The main outcome measures were biochemical recurrence-free rate, penile length, and quality of life. Results Ten patients (mean age of 61 years; completed the study follow-up period (median, 32.2 months). No difference was found between the time of surgery and the 2-year follow-up evaluation in terms of penile length. The pre-surgery 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) median score was 97. Patients were satisfied with their penile implants, and couples' level of sexual satisfaction was rated median 8. The median postoperative SF-36 score was 99 at 3 months follow-up. Conclusions Laparoscopic extraperitoneal RP surgery with simultaneous PPI placement seems to be an interesting possibility to propose to motivated patients for preserving the length of the penis and improving their satisfaction. PMID:29623695

  16. Simultaneous estimation of experimental and material parameters

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Jansen van Rensburg, GJ

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available to the experimental data. An inverse analysis is performed that determines material properties and boundary conditions simultaneously. This idea is investigated using virtual experimental data. The virtual experimental data is obtained by performing a finite element...

  17. Bilateral empyema thoracis treated simultaneously with video ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Keywords: bilateral empyema, children, pneumonia, simultaneous ... Department of Pediatric Surgery, J.J. Hospital and Grant Medical College, ... occurrence of an acute inflammatory reaction. ... specific organism has been associated with the patients of ... 8 Santos Jw. Community-acquired staphylococcal pneumonia.

  18. Configural and component processing in simultaneous and sequential lineup procedures

    OpenAIRE

    Flowe, HD; Smith, HMJ; Karoğlu, N; Onwuegbusi, TO; Rai, L

    2015-01-01

    Configural processing supports accurate face recognition, yet it has never been examined within the context of criminal identification lineups. We tested, using the inversion paradigm, the role of configural processing in lineups. Recent research has found that face discrimination accuracy in lineups is better in a simultaneous compared to a sequential lineup procedure. Therefore, we compared configural processing in simultaneous and sequential lineups to examine whether there are differences...

  19. High-pressure cell for simultaneous dielectric and neutron spectroscopy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sanz, Alejandro; Hansen, Henriette Wase; Jakobsen, Bo

    2018-01-01

    In this article, we report on the design, manufacture, and testing of a high-pressure cell for simultaneous dielectric and neutron spectroscopy. This cell is a unique tool for studying dynamics on different time scales, from kilo- to picoseconds, covering universal features such as the α relaxation......, a cylindrical capacitor is positioned within the bore of the high-pressure container. The capacitor consists of two concentric electrodes separated by insulating spacers. The performance of this setup has been successfully verified by collecting simultaneous dielectric and neutron spectroscopy data...

  20. Multiple simultaneous fabrication of molecular nanowires using nanoscale electrocrystallization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawa, Hiroyuki; Ueda, Rieko; Kubota, Tohru; Mashiko, Shinro

    2006-01-01

    We carried out a multiple simultaneous fabrication based on the nanoscale electrocrystallization to simultaneously construct molecular nanowires at two or more positions. This substrate-independent nanoscale electrocrystallization process enables nanowires fabrication at specific positions using AC. We also succeeded in multiple fabrications only at each gap between the electrode tips. We found that π-stack was formed along the long axis of the nanowires obtained by analyzing the selected-area electron diffraction. We believe this technique has the potential for expansion to the novel low-cost and energy-saving fabrication of high-performance nanodevices

  1. Optimized simultaneous inversion of primary and multiple reflections; Inversion linearisee simultanee des reflexions primaires et des reflexions multiples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pelle, L.

    2003-12-01

    The removal of multiple reflections remains a real problem in seismic imaging. Many preprocessing methods have been developed to attenuate multiples in seismic data but none of them is satisfactory in 3D. The objective of this thesis is to develop a new method to remove multiples, extensible in 3D. Contrary to the existing methods, our approach is not a preprocessing step: we directly include the multiple removal in the imaging process by means of a simultaneous inversion of primaries and multiples. We then propose to improve the standard linearized inversion so as to make it insensitive to the presence of multiples in the data. We exploit kinematics differences between primaries and multiples. We propose to pick in the data the kinematics of the multiples we want to remove. The wave field is decomposed into primaries and multiples. Primaries are modeled by the Ray+Born operator from perturbations of the logarithm of impedance, given the velocity field. Multiples are modeled by the Transport operator from an initial trace, given the picking. The inverse problem simultaneously fits primaries and multiples to the data. To solve this problem with two unknowns, we take advantage of the isometric nature of the Transport operator, which allows to drastically reduce the CPU time: this simultaneous inversion is this almost as fast as the standard linearized inversion. This gain of time opens the way to different applications to multiple removal and in particular, allows to foresee the straightforward 3D extension. (author)

  2. Nonlinear cloudy bag model in the meson mean-field approximation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bunatyan, G.G.

    1989-01-01

    We investigate the cloudy bag model for the nucleon, including the essentially nonlinear interaction of the quarks with the meson field. From the boundary conditions, which guarantee the stability of the bag, we obtain equations for the size R of the bag, for the momentum p of the quarks, and for the mean pion field var-phi. We obtain an expression for the total energy E of the bag nucleon. By taking the appropriate averages of all the relations the calculations reduce to the case of a spherically symmetric bag. We show that in the general nonlinear cloudy bag model in question the equations for R, p, and var-phi have a simultaneous solution which corresponds to the absolute minimum of the bag energy E and, consequently, that there exists a stable equilibrium state of the bag nucleon

  3. Greedy Algorithms for Nonnegativity-Constrained Simultaneous Sparse Recovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Daeun; Haldar, Justin P.

    2016-01-01

    This work proposes a family of greedy algorithms to jointly reconstruct a set of vectors that are (i) nonnegative and (ii) simultaneously sparse with a shared support set. The proposed algorithms generalize previous approaches that were designed to impose these constraints individually. Similar to previous greedy algorithms for sparse recovery, the proposed algorithms iteratively identify promising support indices. In contrast to previous approaches, the support index selection procedure has been adapted to prioritize indices that are consistent with both the nonnegativity and shared support constraints. Empirical results demonstrate for the first time that the combined use of simultaneous sparsity and nonnegativity constraints can substantially improve recovery performance relative to existing greedy algorithms that impose less signal structure. PMID:26973368

  4. Development of Three Methods for Simultaneous Quantitative ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Development of Three Methods for Simultaneous Quantitative Determination of Chlorpheniramine Maleate and Dexamethasone in the Presence of Parabens in ... Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research ... Results: All the proposed methods were successfully applied to the analysis of raw materials and dosage form.

  5. Simultaneous scheduling of machines and mobile robots

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dang, Vinh Quang; Nielsen, Izabela Ewa

    2013-01-01

    This paper deals with the problem of simultaneously scheduling machines and a number of autonomous mobile robots in a flexible manufacturing system (FMS). Besides capability of transporting materials between machines, the considered mobile robots are different from other material handling devices...

  6. Simultaneous adsorption and biodegradation of synthetic melanoidin

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Being an antioxidant, melanoidin removal through purely biodegradation has been inadequate. Consequently, in the current study, simultaneous adsorption and biodegradation (SAB) was employed in a stirred tank system to remove melanoidin from synthetic wastewater. Mixed microbial consortium was immobilized onto ...

  7. Simultaneous trimodal MR-PET-EEG imaging for the investigation of resting state networks in humans

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neuner, Irene [RWTH Aachen (Germany); Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine - 4, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH (Germany); Mauler, Joerg; Arrubla, Jorge; Kops, Elena Rota; Tellmann, Lutz; Scheins, Jurgen; Herzog, Hans [Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine - 4, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH (Germany); Langen, Karl Josef; Shah, Jon [RWTH Aachen (Germany)

    2015-05-18

    Glucose is the principal source of energy for the brain and its relationship to neuronal activity are poorly understood. The human brain uses 80% of its energy for ongoing neural activity that occurs in isolation from any particular stimulus. A promising tool for the investigation of glucose metabolism and its relationship to neuronal activity is simultaneous trimodal MR-PET-EEG data imaging. We here demonstrate the first in vivo human trimodal data at 3T. In one session MR, FDG-PET and EEG data were recorded simultaneously at a 3T hybrid MR-BrainPET scanner (Siemens, Germany) equipped with a 32 channel MR-compatible EEG system (Brain Products, Germany) in 11 healthy volunteers (11 males, mean age: 25.2 years SD: 1.2). MR and EEG data acquisition MP-RAGE (TR = 2250 ms, TE= 3.03 ms, 176 sagittal slices. 1 mm, GRAPPA factor 2. MR-based attenuation correction of PET data via UTE: flip angle=15. Two different echo times TE1=0.07 and TE2=2.46 ms, TR=200 ms. EPI sequence (TR: 2.2 s, TE: 30 ms, FOV: 200 mm, 165 volumes, The subjects were requested to close their eyes and relax EEG data were recorded using a 32-channel MR compatible EEG system. App. 200 MBq/μmol FDG were injected, data were acquired in list mode and iteratively reconstructed with all necessary corrections into 153 slices with 256 x 256 voxels sized 1.25 mm{sup 3}. The trimodal approach, recording PET data, MR data and EEG data simultaneously was successful. The high neuronal activity of the structures within the default mode network occurs on the basis of a high glucose consumption rate within the default node network. The activity of the default mode is not tied to a special EEG frequency band.

  8. Simultaneous trimodal MR-PET-EEG imaging for the investigation of resting state networks in humans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neuner, Irene; Mauler, Joerg; Arrubla, Jorge; Kops, Elena Rota; Tellmann, Lutz; Scheins, Jurgen; Herzog, Hans; Langen, Karl Josef; Shah, Jon

    2015-01-01

    Glucose is the principal source of energy for the brain and its relationship to neuronal activity are poorly understood. The human brain uses 80% of its energy for ongoing neural activity that occurs in isolation from any particular stimulus. A promising tool for the investigation of glucose metabolism and its relationship to neuronal activity is simultaneous trimodal MR-PET-EEG data imaging. We here demonstrate the first in vivo human trimodal data at 3T. In one session MR, FDG-PET and EEG data were recorded simultaneously at a 3T hybrid MR-BrainPET scanner (Siemens, Germany) equipped with a 32 channel MR-compatible EEG system (Brain Products, Germany) in 11 healthy volunteers (11 males, mean age: 25.2 years SD: 1.2). MR and EEG data acquisition MP-RAGE (TR = 2250 ms, TE= 3.03 ms, 176 sagittal slices. 1 mm, GRAPPA factor 2. MR-based attenuation correction of PET data via UTE: flip angle=15. Two different echo times TE1=0.07 and TE2=2.46 ms, TR=200 ms. EPI sequence (TR: 2.2 s, TE: 30 ms, FOV: 200 mm, 165 volumes, The subjects were requested to close their eyes and relax EEG data were recorded using a 32-channel MR compatible EEG system. App. 200 MBq/μmol FDG were injected, data were acquired in list mode and iteratively reconstructed with all necessary corrections into 153 slices with 256 x 256 voxels sized 1.25 mm 3 . The trimodal approach, recording PET data, MR data and EEG data simultaneously was successful. The high neuronal activity of the structures within the default mode network occurs on the basis of a high glucose consumption rate within the default node network. The activity of the default mode is not tied to a special EEG frequency band.

  9. Simultaneous use of linear and nonlinear gradients for B1+ inhomogeneity correction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ertan, Koray; Atalar, Ergin

    2017-09-01

    The simultaneous use of linear spatial encoding magnetic fields (L-SEMs) and nonlinear spatial encoding magnetic fields (N-SEMs) in B 1 + inhomogeneity problems is formulated and demonstrated with both simulations and experiments. Independent excitation k-space variables for N-SEMs are formulated for the simultaneous use of L-SEMs and N-SEMs by assuming a small tip angle. The formulation shows that, when N-SEMs are considered as an independent excitation k-space variable, numerous different k-space trajectories and frequency weightings differing in dimension, length, and energy can be designed for a given target transverse magnetization distribution. The advantage of simultaneous use of L-SEMs and N-SEMs is demonstrated by B 1 + inhomogeneity correction with spoke excitation. To fully utilize the independent k-space formulations, global optimizations are performed for 1D, 2D RF power limited, and 2D RF power unlimited simulations and experiments. Three different cases are compared: L-SEMs alone, N-SEMs alone, and both used simultaneously. In all cases, the simultaneous use of L-SEMs and N-SEMs leads to a decreased standard deviation in the ROI compared with using only L-SEMs or N-SEMs. The simultaneous use of L-SEMs and N-SEMs results in better B 1 + inhomogeneity correction than using only L-SEMs or N-SEMs due to the increased number of degrees of freedom. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  10. A spreadsheet template compatible with Microsoft Excel and iWork Numbers that returns the simultaneous confidence intervals for all pairwise differences between multiple sample means.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Angus M

    2010-04-01

    The objective of the method described in this paper is to develop a spreadsheet template for the purpose of comparing multiple sample means. An initial analysis of variance (ANOVA) test on the data returns F--the test statistic. If F is larger than the critical F value drawn from the F distribution at the appropriate degrees of freedom, convention dictates rejection of the null hypothesis and allows subsequent multiple comparison testing to determine where the inequalities between the sample means lie. A variety of multiple comparison methods are described that return the 95% confidence intervals for differences between means using an inclusive pairwise comparison of the sample means. 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. She runs, the road runs, my mind runs, bad blood runs between us: literal and figurative motion verbs: an fMRI study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romero Lauro, Leonor J; Mattavelli, Giulia; Papagno, Costanza; Tettamanti, Marco

    2013-12-01

    The role of sensory-motor components in language processing is a central topic in cognitive neuroscience. Recent studies showed that the processing of action words recruits cortical motor regions involved in the planning and execution of the described actions. However, it remains unclear to what extent the abstract versus concrete nature of the described motion modulates the activation of premotor and motor areas and how the agent affects this modulation. Here, we contribute to this line of research by investigating the comprehension of motion verbs, used in a literal versus figurative context, in an fMRI study with normal subjects in which the somatotopy of activation was investigated by presenting motion verbs that involve upper vs. lower limbs. A set of sentences including a motion verb used in a literal, fictive (only lower limb), metaphorical, or idiomatic way was studied. Cognition verbs were also included as control. We found that figurative sentences compared to literal ones produced a greater activation of a bilateral fronto-temporal network, in line with previous studies. Moreover, fictive motion activated a more posterior region, involving primary visual areas and motion sensitive visual areas, but also the left middle frontal gyrus. Crucially, the left precentral gyrus was activated in the case of the upper limb for literal and metaphorical motion sentence types, but not idiomatic sentences. For fictive motion, we found a lower limb-related somatotopic effect, also present for literal sentences, while the evidence for metaphorical and idiomatic sentences was less strong. In conclusion, our results confirm that premotor areas are activated by language understanding, but to a different degree depending on the specific literal versus figurative context in which motion verbs appear. Therefore, they support weak embodied views suggesting that the motor system enhances the comprehension of linguistically encoded actions. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights

  12. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ashipu, KBC. Vol 2, No 1 (2011) - Articles A Pragmatic Analysis of Proverbial and Idiomatic Expressions in the Nigerian Print Media Abstract. ISSN: 2141-4343. AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL... for Researchers · for Librarians · for Authors · FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners · Terms and ...

  13. Capturing Cultural Glossaries: Case-study I * | Madib | Lexikos

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article is a presentation of a brief cultural glossary of Northern Sotho cooking terms. The glossary is mainly composed of names for utensils and ingredients, and action words for the processes involved in the preparation of cultural dishes. It also contains names of dishes tied to some idiomatic expressions in a way ...

  14. Psycholinguistic norms for 320 fixed expressions (idioms and proverbs) in French.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonin, Patrick; Méot, Alain; Boucheix, Jean-Michel; Bugaiska, Aurélia

    2018-05-01

    We provide psycholinguistic norms for a new set of 160 French idiomatic expressions and 160 proverbs: knowledge, predictability, literality, compositionality, subjective and objective frequency, familiarity, age of acquisition (AoA) and length. Different analyses (reliability, descriptive statistics and correlations) performed on the norms are reported and discussed. The norms can be downloaded as Supplemental Material .

  15. Jeu de cartes or Jeu Descartes: Business Cards in a French Course for the Professions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gegerias, Mary

    This paper discusses the use of French business cards in a college-level French language and culture course for professionals. Among other assignments, students were each given a different card and asked to speak about the design of their card, the business represented, idiomatic expressions and historical allusions on the card, and the use of…

  16. Simultaneous rota-stenting and transcatheter aortic valve implantation for patients with heavily calcified coronary stenosis and aortic stenosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yung-Tsai Lee

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Given that coronary artery disease (CAD in octogenarians undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI often presents with more complex lesions and extensive calcification, rotational atherectomy (RA may be needed in some cases before stenting. However, data regarding the feasibility and safety of simultaneous RA during TAVI using the Medtronic CoreValve (MCV; Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA system are lacking. Three out of 107 (2.8% patients (2 females, average age 85.6 years, mean aortic valve area 0.5 cm2, mean left ventricular ejection fraction 39%, mean Logistic EuroScore 70%, with complex, heavily calcified coronary stenosis, and severe valvular aortic stenosis (AS were treated with TAVI and RA due to high surgical risk. After balloon valvuloplasty, all coronary lesions were successfully treated with RA and stenting, immediately followed by transfemoral TAVI with a self-expandable MCV. Our data suggested that in the very elderly patients with severe and heavily calcified CAD and AS who were turned down for cardiac surgery, RA and stenting followed by TAVI may be performed successfully in a combined, single-stage procedure.

  17. Simultaneous determination of ten compounds in two main ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Simultaneous determination of ten compounds in two main medicinal plant parts of Tibetan herb, Pterocephalus hookeri (CB Clarke) Höeck, by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array.

  18. Competitive interactions affect working memory performance for both simultaneous and sequential stimulus presentation

    OpenAIRE

    Ahmad, J; Swan, G; Bowman, H; Wyble, B; De Ozorio Nobre, AC; Shapiro, KL; McNab, F

    2017-01-01

    Competition between simultaneously presented visual stimuli lengthens reaction time and reduces both the BOLD response and neural firing. In contrast, conditions of sequential presentation have been assumed to be free from competition. Here we manipulated the spatial proximity of stimuli (Near versus Far conditions) to examine the effects of simultaneous and sequential competition on different measures of working memory (WM) for colour. With simultaneous presentation, the measure of WM precis...

  19. Simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of tungsten and molybdenum with dithiol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Navale, A.S.

    1987-01-01

    Toluene-3,4-dithiol is a very sensitive reagent for the spectrophotometric determination of tungsten and molybdenum. Since the absorption spectra of the dithiol complexes of these two elements overlap, a separation of the two elements is carried out. This leads to time consuming extraction procedures. Measuring the absorption of the mixed complexes at two wavelengths and solving a set of simultaneous equations is also not favorable because a lot of time and effort is required for solving the simultaneous equations for each sample. A faster and simpler method is described here for the simultaneous determination of the two elements. The method is based on measurement of absorbance of the mixed complexes at three pre-selected wavelengths and simple calculations involving the absorbance differences. The criteria for selecting the three wavelengths and the theory are described. Application of the method for the determination of tungsten and molybdenum in ore samples is presented. The method is applicable to any similar system consisting of two interfering components. 4 figures, 2 tables, 6 refs. (author)

  20. High-pressure cell for simultaneous dielectric and neutron spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanz, Alejandro; Hansen, Henriette Wase; Jakobsen, Bo; Pedersen, Ib H.; Capaccioli, Simone; Adrjanowicz, Karolina; Paluch, Marian; Gonthier, Julien; Frick, Bernhard; Lelièvre-Berna, Eddy; Peters, Judith; Niss, Kristine

    2018-02-01

    In this article, we report on the design, manufacture, and testing of a high-pressure cell for simultaneous dielectric and neutron spectroscopy. This cell is a unique tool for studying dynamics on different time scales, from kilo- to picoseconds, covering universal features such as the α relaxation and fast vibrations at the same time. The cell, constructed in cylindrical geometry, is made of a high-strength aluminum alloy and operates up to 500 MPa in a temperature range between roughly 2 and 320 K. In order to measure the scattered neutron intensity and the sample capacitance simultaneously, a cylindrical capacitor is positioned within the bore of the high-pressure container. The capacitor consists of two concentric electrodes separated by insulating spacers. The performance of this setup has been successfully verified by collecting simultaneous dielectric and neutron spectroscopy data on dipropylene glycol, using both backscattering and time-of-flight instruments. We have carried out the experiments at different combinations of temperature and pressure in both the supercooled liquid and glassy state.

  1. Simultaneous Monte Carlo zero-variance estimates of several correlated means

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Booth, T.E.

    1997-08-01

    Zero variance procedures have been in existence since the dawn of Monte Carlo. Previous works all treat the problem of zero variance solutions for a single tally. One often wants to get low variance solutions to more than one tally. When the sets of random walks needed for two tallies are similar, it is more efficient to do zero variance biasing for both tallies in the same Monte Carlo run, instead of two separate runs. The theory presented here correlates the random walks of particles by the similarity of their tallies. Particles with dissimilar tallies rapidly become uncorrelated whereas particles with similar tallies will stay correlated through most of their random walk. The theory herein should allow practitioners to make efficient use of zero-variance biasing procedures in practical problems

  2. Simultaneous and staged bilateral total hip arthroplasty

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindberg-Larsen, Martin; Joergensen, Christoffer Calov; Husted, Henrik

    2013-01-01

    Bilateral total hip arthroplasty (BTHA) and bilateral simultaneous total hip arthroplasty (BSTHA) are done increasingly. Previous studies evaluating outcomes after bilateral procedures have found different results. The aim of this study was to investigate length of hospital stay (LOS), 30 days...

  3. Cross-cultural adaptation of the Quality of Life Index Spinal Cord Injury - Version III

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Priscila Alencar Mendes Reis

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE To translate and culturally adapt to Portuguese the Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index Spinal Cord Injury - Version III and characterize the sample in relation to sociodemographic and clinical aspects. METHOD A methodological study with view to cross-cultural adaptation, following the particular steps of this method: initial translation, translation synthesis, back-translation (translation back to the original language, review by a committee of judges and pretest of the final version. The pretest was carried out with 30 patients with spinal cord injury. RESULTS An index of 74 items divided into two parts (satisfaction/importance was obtained. The criteria of semantic equivalence were evaluated as very adequate translation, higher than 87%, and vocabulary and were grammar higher than 86%. Idiomatic equivalence was higher than 74%, experimental greater than 78% and conceptual was greater than 70%. CONCLUSION After cross-cultural adaptation, the instrument proved semantic, idiomatic, experimental and conceptual adequacy, in addition to helping the evaluation of the quality of life of people with spinal cord injury.

  4. Numerical simulation of simultaneous acceleration of positive and negative ions in an RFQ

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oguri, Y.

    1994-01-01

    By means of a numerical method, beam dynamics was analyzed for an RFQ, where mixtures of positive and negative ions were injected into the quadrupole channel. In order to simulate simultaneous bunching of ions with opposite charges, motion of particles injected into the cavity during two RF periods were traced under consideration of 3D Coulomb forces between particles. Effects of neighbor bunches were also taken into account. In the radial matching section of the structure, beam divergence due to space charge force was completely suppressed by the charge neutralization. However, it has been found that the attractive forces between positive and negative ions prevent bunch formation in the bunching section, leading to longitudinal beam loss. Dependence of the beam transmission efficiency on the input beam intensity is reported. These results are compared with those obtained when injecting single ion species

  5. Simultaneous bilateral patellar tendon rupture ?

    OpenAIRE

    Moura, Diogo Lino; Marques, Jos? Pedro; Lucas, Francisco Manuel; Fonseca, Fernando Pereira

    2016-01-01

    Bilateral patellar tendon rupture is a rare entity, often associated with systemic diseases and patellar tendinopathy. The authors report a rare case of a 34-year-old man with simultaneous bilateral rupture of the patellar tendon caused by minor trauma. The patient is a retired basketball player with no past complaints of chronic knee pain and a history of steroid use. Surgical management consisted in primary end-to-end tendon repair protected temporarily with cerclage wiring, followed by a s...

  6. mapKITE: A NEW PARADIGM FOR SIMULTANEOUS AERIAL AND TERRESTRIAL GEODATA ACQUISITION AND MAPPING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Molina

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available We introduce a new mobile, simultaneous terrestrial and aerial, geodata collection and post-processing method: mapKITE. By combining two mapping technologies such as terrestrial mobile mapping and unmanned aircraft aerial mapping, geodata are simultaneously acquired from air and ground. More in detail, a mapKITE geodata acquisition system consists on an unmanned aircraft and a terrestrial vehicle, which hosts the ground control station. By means of a real-time navigation system on the terrestrial vehicle, real-time waypoints are sent to the aircraft from the ground. By doing so, the aircraft is linked to the terrestrial vehicle through a “virtual tether,” acting as a “mapping kite.” In the article, we entail the concept of mapKITE as well as the various technologies and techniques involved, from aircraft guidance and navigation based on IMU and GNSS, optical cameras for mapping and tracking, sensor orientation and calibration, etc. Moreover, we report of a new measurement introduced in mapKITE, that is, point-and-scale photogrammetric measurements [of image coordinates and scale] for optical targets of known size installed on the ground vehicle roof. By means of accurate posteriori trajectory determination of the terrestrial vehicle, mapKITE benefits then from kinematic ground control points which are photogrametrically observed by point-and-scale measures. Initial results for simulated configurations show that these measurements added to the usual Integrated Sensor Orientation ones reduce or even eliminate the need of conventional ground control points –therefore, lowering mission costs– and enable selfcalibration of the unmanned aircraft interior orientation parameters in corridor configurations, in contrast to the situation of traditional corridor configurations. Finally, we report about current developments of the first mapKITE prototype, developed under the European Union Research and Innovation programme Horizon 2020. The first

  7. Simultaneous test construction by zero-one programming

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boekkooi-Timminga, Ellen

    1986-01-01

    A method is described for simultaneous test construction using the Operations Research technique zero-one programming. The model for zero-one programming consists of two parts. The first contains the objective function that describes the aspect to be optimized. The second part contains the

  8. Simultaneous Determination of Mutagenicity and Toxicity of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A demonstration of cytotoxicity is required (measurement of cell number, culture confluency and inhibition of mitotic index) for in vitro cytogenetic assays. The study therefore investigated whether delayed cytotoxicity can be used to simultaneously predict mutagenicity and cytotoxicty. Chinese hamster lung cells were ...

  9. Simultaneous determination of isoniazid and pyrazinamide in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Finally, 20 µL was injected into the HPLC system. HPLC analysis ... The method was accurate, and relative error ... Keywords: HPLC, Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide, Plasma, Simultaneous analysis. Tropical ... work, we describe a new HPLC method with UV ... pooled human plasma. ..... License, which permits unrestricted use,.

  10. Simultaneous Determination of Seven Constituents in Herbal ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Simultaneous Determination of Seven Constituents in Herbal Prescription Jaeumganghwa-Tang Using HPLC-PDA. CS Seo, JH Kim, HK Shin. Abstract. A simple and accurate high-performance liquid chromatographic method was applied to the quantitative analysis of seven components of the traditional herbal prescription ...

  11. Multi-arm group sequential designs with a simultaneous stopping rule.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urach, S; Posch, M

    2016-12-30

    Multi-arm group sequential clinical trials are efficient designs to compare multiple treatments to a control. They allow one to test for treatment effects already in interim analyses and can have a lower average sample number than fixed sample designs. Their operating characteristics depend on the stopping rule: We consider simultaneous stopping, where the whole trial is stopped as soon as for any of the arms the null hypothesis of no treatment effect can be rejected, and separate stopping, where only recruitment to arms for which a significant treatment effect could be demonstrated is stopped, but the other arms are continued. For both stopping rules, the family-wise error rate can be controlled by the closed testing procedure applied to group sequential tests of intersection and elementary hypotheses. The group sequential boundaries for the separate stopping rule also control the family-wise error rate if the simultaneous stopping rule is applied. However, we show that for the simultaneous stopping rule, one can apply improved, less conservative stopping boundaries for local tests of elementary hypotheses. We derive corresponding improved Pocock and O'Brien type boundaries as well as optimized boundaries to maximize the power or average sample number and investigate the operating characteristics and small sample properties of the resulting designs. To control the power to reject at least one null hypothesis, the simultaneous stopping rule requires a lower average sample number than the separate stopping rule. This comes at the cost of a lower power to reject all null hypotheses. Some of this loss in power can be regained by applying the improved stopping boundaries for the simultaneous stopping rule. The procedures are illustrated with clinical trials in systemic sclerosis and narcolepsy. © 2016 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. © 2016 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Simultaneous determination of sulpiride and mebeverine by HPLC method using fluorescence detection: application to real human plasma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walash Mohamed I

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract A new simple, rapid and sensitive reversed-phase liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of sulpiride (SUL and mebeverine Hydrochloride (MEB in the presence of their impurities and degradation products. The separation of these compounds was achieved within 6 min on a 250 mm, 4.6 mm i.d., 5 m particle size Waters®-C18 column using isocractic mobile phase containing a mixture of acetonitrile and 0.01 M dihydrogenphosphate buffer (45:55 at pH = 4.0. The analysis was performed at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min with fluorescence-detection at excitation 300 nm and emission at 365 nm. The concentration-response relationship was linear over a concentration range of 10- 100 ng/mL for both MEB and SUL with a limit of detection 0.73 ng/mL and 0.85 ng/mL for MEB and SUL respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied for the analysis of both MEB and SUL in bulk with average recoveries of 100.22 ± 0.757% and 99.96 ± 0.625% respectively, and in commercial tablets with average recoveries of 100.04 ± 0.93% and 100.03 ± 0.376% for MEB and SUL respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of MEB metabolite (veratic acid in real plasma simultaneously with SUL. The mean% recoveries (n = 3 for both MEB metabolite (veratic acid and SUL were 100.36 ± 2.92 and 99.06 ± 2.11 for spiked human plasma respectively. For real human plasma, the mean% recoveries (n = 3 were and respectively.

  13. Effects of external and gap mean flows on sound transmission through a double-wall sandwich panel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yu; Sebastian, Alexis

    2015-05-01

    This paper studies analytically the effects of an external mean flow and an internal gap mean flow on sound transmission through a double-wall sandwich panel lined with poroelastic materials. Biot's theory is employed to describe wave propagation in poroelastic materials, and the transfer matrix method with three types of boundary conditions is applied to solve the system simultaneously. The random incidence transmission loss in a diffuse field is calculated numerically, and the limiting angle of incidence due to total internal reflection is discussed in detail. The numerical predictions suggest that the sound insulation performance of such a double-wall panel is enhanced considerably by both external and gap mean flows particularly in the high-frequency range. Similar effects on transmission loss are observed for the two mean flows. It is shown that the effect of the gap mean flow depends on flow velocity, flow direction, gap depth and fluid properties and also that the fluid properties within the gap appear to influence the transmission loss more effectively than the gap flow. Despite the implementation difficulty in practice, an internal gap flow provides more design space for tuning the sound insulation performance of a double-wall sandwich panel and has great potential for active/passive noise control.

  14. Microfiltration membranes prepared from polyethersulfone powder grafted with acrylic acid by simultaneous irradiation and their pH dependence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng Bo; Li Jingye; Hou Zhengchi; Yao Side; Shi Liuqing; Liang Guoming; Sheng Kanglong

    2008-01-01

    Polyethersulfone (PES) powder was grafted with acrylic acid (AAc) by simultaneous γ-ray irradiation. The kinetics of the radiation induced graft polymerization was studied and the grafted PES powder was characterized. Then, microfiltration (MF) membranes were prepared from PES-g-PAAc powder with different degrees of grafting (DG) under phase inversion method. The swelling behavior and the mean pore size of MF membranes were measured, and the filtration property was tested. The results showed that the pore size and the flux of MF membranes increased with the increase in DG. And, MF membranes' properties were dependent on the pH value

  15. Optimal random perturbations for stochastic approximation using a simultaneous perturbation gradient approximation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sadegh, Payman; Spall, J. C.

    1998-01-01

    simultaneous perturbation approximation to the gradient based on loss function measurements. SPSA is based on picking a simultaneous perturbation (random) vector in a Monte Carlo fashion as part of generating the approximation to the gradient. This paper derives the optimal distribution for the Monte Carlo...

  16. A metasynthesis of qualitative studies regarding opinions and perceptions about barriers and determinants of health services’ accessibility in economic migrants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agudelo-Suárez Andrés A

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Access to health services is an important health determinant. New research in health equity is required, especially amongst economic migrants from developing countries. Studies conducted on the use of health services by migrant populations highlight existing gaps in understanding which factors affect access to these services from a qualitative perspective. We aim to describe the views of the migrants regarding barriers and determinants of access to health services in the international literature (1997–2011. Methods A systematic review was conducted for Qualitative research papers (English/Spanish published in 13 electronic databases. A selection of articles that accomplished the inclusion criteria and a quality evaluation of the studies were carried out. The findings of the selected studies were synthesised by means of metasynthesis using different analysis categories according to Andersen’s conceptual framework of access and use of health services and by incorporating other emergent categories. Results We located 3,025 titles, 36 studies achieved the inclusion criteria. After quality evaluation, 28 articles were definitively synthesised. 12 studies (46.2% were carried out in the U.S and 11 studies (42.3% dealt with primary care services. The participating population varied depending mainly on type of host country. Barriers were described, such as the lack of communication between health services providers and migrants, due to idiomatic difficulties and cultural differences. Other barriers were linked to the economic system, the health service characteristics and the legislation in each country. This situation has consequences for the lack of health control by migrants and their social vulnerability. Conclusions Economic migrants faced individual and structural barriers to the health services in host countries, especially those with undocumented situation and those experimented idiomatic difficulties. Strategies to

  17. Simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) in nasopharyngeal cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Studer, Gabriela [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Univ. Hospital, Zurich (Switzerland); Peponi, Evangelia; Glanzmann, Christoph; Kunz, Guntram; Renner, Christoph; Tomuschat, Katja

    2010-03-15

    Purpose: To assess the efficacy and safety of using simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) to treat nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) in a Caucasian cohort. Outcome was analyzed with respect to dose-volume histogram (DVH) values. Patients and Methods: Between 03/2002 and 01/2008, 39 NPC patients underwent SIB-IMRT (37 Caucasians; 31 males; mean age 53 years [16-78 years]). 41% presented with WHO (World Health Organization) type 1 unfavorable histology, 85% with stage III/IV disease. 19 patients had total gross tumor volume (GTV) 16-70 cm{sup 3} (mean 36 cm{sup 3}), while 16 had GTV > 70 cm{sup 3} (73-217 cm{sup 3}; mean 115 cm{sup 3}). All patients with stage II-IV disease received concomitant cisplatin. The prescribed SIB dose delivered to the planning target volume (PTV) was 70 Gy (2.00 Gy/fraction) in 17, 69.6 Gy (2.11 Gy/fraction) in 19, and 66 Gy (2.20 Gy/fraction) in three patients. Results: 3-year local relapse-free, nodal relapse-free, distant metastases-free, disease-free rates and overall survival were 86%, 89%, 85%, 72%, and 85% (median follow-up 30 months [8-71 months]). Histology was a significant prognostic factor concerning overall survival, with worst prognosis in WHO type 1 compared to type 2/3 (75% vs. 93%; p = 0.03). There was a trend in favor of WHO type 2/3 regarding local control (74% vs. 94%; p = 0.052). The PTV DVHs showed a slight left shift compared to reported series. Three patients developed grade 3 late effects (xerostomia [n=2], dysphagia [n=1], hearing loss [n=1]). Conclusion: In comparison with predominantly Asian NPC IMRT series in the literature, chemo-IMRT in the own Caucasian cohort, characterized by less radioresponsive WHO type 1, was equally effective. Treatment tolerance was excellent. (orig.)

  18. Vision 20/20: Simultaneous CT-MRI — Next chapter of multimodality imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Ge; Xi, Yan; Gjesteby, Lars; Getzin, Matthew; Yang, Qingsong; Cong, Wenxiang; Kalra, Mannudeep; Murugan, Venkatesh; Vannier, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Multimodality imaging systems such as positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) and MRI-PET are widely available, but a simultaneous CT-MRI instrument has not been developed. Synergies between independent modalities, e.g., CT, MRI, and PET/SPECT can be realized with image registration, but such postprocessing suffers from registration errors that can be avoided with synchronized data acquisition. The clinical potential of simultaneous CT-MRI is significant, especially in cardiovascular and oncologic applications where studies of the vulnerable plaque, response to cancer therapy, and kinetic and dynamic mechanisms of targeted agents are limited by current imaging technologies. The rationale, feasibility, and realization of simultaneous CT-MRI are described in this perspective paper. The enabling technologies include interior tomography, unique gantry designs, open magnet and RF sequences, and source and detector adaptation. Based on the experience with PET-CT, PET-MRI, and MRI-LINAC instrumentation where hardware innovation and performance optimization were instrumental to construct commercial systems, the authors provide top-level concepts for simultaneous CT-MRI to meet clinical requirements and new challenges. Simultaneous CT-MRI fills a major gap of modality coupling and represents a key step toward the so-called “omnitomography” defined as the integration of all relevant imaging modalities for systems biology and precision medicine

  19. Vision 20/20: Simultaneous CT-MRI — Next chapter of multimodality imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Ge, E-mail: wangg6@rpi.edu; Xi, Yan; Gjesteby, Lars; Getzin, Matthew; Yang, Qingsong; Cong, Wenxiang [Biomedical Imaging Center/Cluster, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180 (United States); Kalra, Mannudeep; Murugan, Venkatesh [Department of Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 (United States); Vannier, Michael [Department of Radiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637 (United States)

    2015-10-15

    Multimodality imaging systems such as positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) and MRI-PET are widely available, but a simultaneous CT-MRI instrument has not been developed. Synergies between independent modalities, e.g., CT, MRI, and PET/SPECT can be realized with image registration, but such postprocessing suffers from registration errors that can be avoided with synchronized data acquisition. The clinical potential of simultaneous CT-MRI is significant, especially in cardiovascular and oncologic applications where studies of the vulnerable plaque, response to cancer therapy, and kinetic and dynamic mechanisms of targeted agents are limited by current imaging technologies. The rationale, feasibility, and realization of simultaneous CT-MRI are described in this perspective paper. The enabling technologies include interior tomography, unique gantry designs, open magnet and RF sequences, and source and detector adaptation. Based on the experience with PET-CT, PET-MRI, and MRI-LINAC instrumentation where hardware innovation and performance optimization were instrumental to construct commercial systems, the authors provide top-level concepts for simultaneous CT-MRI to meet clinical requirements and new challenges. Simultaneous CT-MRI fills a major gap of modality coupling and represents a key step toward the so-called “omnitomography” defined as the integration of all relevant imaging modalities for systems biology and precision medicine.

  20. Simultaneous determination of triacetin, acetic ether, butyl acetate and amorolfine hydrochloride in amorolfine liniment by HPLC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Yuan; Li, Li; Zhang, Jianjun; Shu, Wenjuan; Gao, Liqiong

    2012-04-01

    A simple, rapid, specific and precise reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for simultaneous estimation of triacetin, acetic ether, butyl acetate and amorolfine in marketed pharmaceutical liniment. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Shimadzu VP-ODS C(18) column using the mixture of citric acid-hydrochloric acid-sodium hydrate buffer (pH 3.0), acetonitrile and methanol (32:30:38) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min with UV-detection at 215 nm. The method separated the four components simultaneously in less than 10 min. The validation of the method was performed with respect to specificity, linearity, accuracy, and precision. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 35.1-81.9 μ/mL for triacetin, 431.1-1005.9 μ/mL for acetic ether, 167.0-389.7 μ/mL for butyl acetate and 151.0-352.3 μ/mL for amorolfine. The mean 100% spiked recovery for triacetin, acetic ether, butyl acetate and amorolfine is 99.43 ± 0.42, 101.5 ± 1.09, 101.4 ± 1.02 and 100.8 ± 0.69, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviation values were liniment.

  1. Individual differences in simultaneous color constancy are related to working memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Elizabeth C; Beilock, Sian L; Shevell, Steven K

    2012-02-01

    Few studies have investigated the possible role of higher-level cognitive mechanisms in color constancy. Following up on previous work with successive color constancy [J. Exper. Psychol. Learn. Mem. Cogn. 37, 1014 (2011)], the current study examined the relation between simultaneous color constancy and working memory-the ability to maintain a desired representation while suppressing irrelevant information. Higher working memory was associated with poorer simultaneous color constancy of a chromatically complex stimulus. Ways in which the executive attention mechanism of working memory may account for this are discussed. This finding supports a role for higher-level cognitive mechanisms in color constancy and is the first to demonstrate a relation between simultaneous color constancy and a complex cognitive ability. © 2012 Optical Society of America

  2. Histochemical applications of x-ray microanalysis: the simultaneous assessment of mitosis and cell death

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowen, I.D.; Lewis, G.H.

    1980-01-01

    The principles of x-ray microanalytical histochemistry are reviewed. The use of labelling and precipitation techniques are examined, and particular attention is paid to the localization of enzymatic activity. A new method is described for the simultaneous assessment of mitosis as represented by the incorporation of ( 3 H) thymidine, and cell death as represented by the localization of free acid phosphatase, in the same tissue section. The thymidine incorporation is demonstrated by the appearance of topographically and microanalytically detectable silver grains in an overlying emulsion and the cell lysis associated acid phosphatase activity is detected optically and microanalytically by means of a bromine-rich azo dye deposited as a result of coupling naphthol AS BI, enzymatically released from naphthyl AS BI phosphoric acid, with diazotized 2,5-dibromoaniline

  3. Mapping the Cuban Condition in Fernando Ortiz's Un catauro de cubanismos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen Fay

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Explores the idiom-identity complex in Cuba in the first three decades of the twentieth century, concentrating on an emblematic catalog of the idiomatic raw material of the Cuban language community: Fernando Ortiz's vernacular dictionary, 'Un Catauro de cubanismos' from 1923. Author considers the critical complex of history, geography, and identity within Ortiz's dictionary.

  4. Illustrative Examples in a Bilingual Decoding Dictionary: An (Un ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    not have the status of a phraseological unit in English, it cannot be in- cluded and treated in the idioms section. Therefore, we can find such word combinations mostly included as illustrative examples, and it can often be observed that their translations into Slovene are also idiomatic: tired prid. sit: sick and tired of sth do vrh ...

  5. Author Details

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ashipu, KBC. Vol 7, No 2 (2010) - Articles A Socio-Stylistic Analysis of Some Selected Bette Dirges Abstract · Vol 2, No 1 (2011) - Articles A Pragmatic Analysis of Proverbial and Idiomatic Expressions in the Nigerian Print Media Abstract · Vol 2, No 1 (2010) - Articles Aspects of Subordination in English Syntax and its Use ...

  6. A Grammar of Spoken Brazilian Portuguese.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Earl W.

    This is a first-year text of Portuguese grammar based on the Portuguese of moderately educated Brazilians from the area around Rio de Janeiro. Spoken idiomatic usage is emphasized. An important innovation is found in the presentation of verb tenses; they are presented in the order in which the native speaker learns them. The text is intended to…

  7. Focusing on Concepts by Covering Them Simultaneously

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shwartz, Pete

    2017-01-01

    "Parallel" pedagogy covers the four mechanics concepts of momentum, energy, forces, and kinematics simultaneously instead of building each concept on an understanding of the previous one. Course content is delivered through interactive videos, allowing class time for group work and student-centered activities. We start with simple…

  8. Simultaneous Estimation of Sitagliptin and Metformin in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A rapid, simple, specific and precise high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed for the simultaneous estimation of sitagliptin (STG) and metformin (MET) content in a fixed dose pharmaceutical formulation and also in bulk drug. In the developed method, aluminium backed silica gel 60 ...

  9. Simultaneous embedding: edge orderings, relative positions, cutvertices

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bläsius, T.; Karrer, A.; Rutter, I.

    A simultaneous embedding (with fixed edges) of two graphs (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) with common graph (Formula presented.) is a pair of planar drawings of (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) that coincide on G. It is an open question whether there is a polynomial-time

  10. Correspondência idiomática intra e interlínguas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huélinton Cassiano Riva

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Este artigo aborda a questão da equivalência na tradução de expressões idiomáticas para a lexicografia bilíngüe. Considera­se que a fim de se alcançar uma equivalência idiomática o significado da palavra não é fixo nem estável e que se faz necessária uma pesquisa detalhada em vários dicionários bem como junto a informantes nativos.This paper aims to deal with the matter of equivalence in idioms translation for bilingual lexicography. In order to reach an idiomatic equivalence, we consider that the meaning of a word is neither fixed nor stable and that it's necessary to make a detailed research with several dictionaries as well as with native informers.

  11. Hyperspectral imaging for simultaneous measurements of two FRET biosensors in pancreatic β-cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, Amicia D; Bedard, Noah; Ustione, Alessandro; Baird, Michelle A; Davidson, Michael W; Tkaczyk, Tomasz; Piston, David W

    2017-01-01

    Fluorescent protein (FP) biosensors based on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) are commonly used to study molecular processes in living cells. There are FP-FRET biosensors for many cellular molecules, but it remains difficult to perform simultaneous measurements of multiple biosensors. The overlapping emission spectra of the commonly used FPs, including CFP/YFP and GFP/RFP make dual FRET measurements challenging. In addition, a snapshot imaging modality is required for simultaneous imaging. The Image Mapping Spectrometer (IMS) is a snapshot hyperspectral imaging system that collects high resolution spectral data and can be used to overcome these challenges. We have previously demonstrated the IMS's capabilities for simultaneously imaging GFP and CFP/YFP-based biosensors in pancreatic β-cells. Here, we demonstrate a further capability of the IMS to image simultaneously two FRET biosensors with a single excitation band, one for cAMP and the other for Caspase-3. We use these measurements to measure simultaneously cAMP signaling and Caspase-3 activation in pancreatic β-cells during oxidative stress and hyperglycemia, which are essential components in the pathology of diabetes.

  12. Simultaneity Analysis In A Wireless Sensor Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Malović Miodrag

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available An original wireless sensor network for vibration measurements was designed. Its primary purpose is modal analysis of vibrations of large structures. A number of experiments have been performed to evaluate the system, with special emphasis on the influence of different effects on simultaneity of data acquired from remote nodes, which is essential for modal analysis. One of the issues is that quartz crystal oscillators, which provide time reading on the devices, are optimized for use in the room temperature and exhibit significant frequency variations if operated outside the 20–30°C range. Although much research was performed to optimize algorithms of synchronization in wireless networks, the subject of temperature fluctuations was not investigated and discussed in proportion to its significance. This paper describes methods used to evaluate data simultaneity and some algorithms suitable for its improvement in small to intermediate size ad-hoc wireless sensor networks exposed to varying temperatures often present in on-site civil engineering measurements.

  13. High resolution simultaneous measurements of airborne radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abe, T.; Yamaguchi, Y.; Tanaka, K.; Komura, K.

    2006-01-01

    High resolution (2-3 hrs) simultaneous measurements of airborne radionuclides, 212 Pb, 210 Pb and 7 Be, have been performed by using extremely low background Ge detectors at Ogoya Underground Laboratory. We have measured above radionuclides at three monitoring points viz, 1) Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory (LLRL) Kanazawa University, 2) Shishiku Plateau (640 m MSL) located about 8 km from LLRL to investigate vertical difference of activity levels, and 3) Hegura Island (10 m MSL) located about 50 km from Noto Peninsula in the Sea of Japan to evaluate the influences of Asian continent or mainland of Japan on the variation to the activity levels. Variations of short-lived 212 Pb concentration showed noticeable time lags between at LLRL and at Shishiku Plateau. These time lags might be caused by change of height of a planetary boundary layer. On the contrary, variations of long-lived 210 Pb and 7 Be showed simultaneity at three locations because of homogeneity of these concentrations all over the area. (author)

  14. New highly sensitive method of simultaneous instrumental neutron activation determination of 12 microelements in vine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shoniya, N.I.

    1977-01-01

    The main principles and methods of simultaneous multi-element instrumental neutron activation determination of microelements in vine seeds are presented. The methods permit to carry out quantitative evaluation for every single corn of the seeds. It is shown that the method of instrumental neutron activation analysis with the utilization of a semiconductor spectrometer of high resolution and mini electronic computer permit to carry out serial determinations of 12 microelements in the individual corns of vine seeds of different sorts. This method will permit to determine the missing or excess content of this or that biologically important microelement in soils, plants, fruit and genetic material - seeds, and so to determine the optimum conditions of growing plants by applying microelement fertilizers as extra nutrient means

  15. Mean lifetime in 55Mn, 56Fe and 59Co

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elenkov, D.V.; Lefterov, D.P.; Tumbev, G.Kh.

    1985-01-01

    For the first time the DSA method following the reaction (n,n'γ) with fast reactor neutrons and simultaneous measurement of two targets was used in measuring the lifetimes of the excited states in the nuclei in the mass region A = 50-60. An indispensable prerequisite for plotting a satisfactory structural scheme of a nucleus is the availability of a complete set of structural parameters, in patricular transition probabilities, quadrupole momenta and deformation parameters. These can be obtained from the lifetimes, provided the multipole and branching ratios are known exactly. These data on the investigated nuclei are known only in a few cases (excited states). This greatly impedes the construction of a satisfactory structural model, as there are no experimental results by means of which it can be checked. Experimental investigations of these nuclei should obviously continue in the future, especially in the excitation region above 3 MeV

  16. Multi-Attribute Decision-Making Based on Bonferroni Mean Operators under Cubic Intuitionistic Fuzzy Set Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gagandeep Kaur

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Cubic intuitionistic fuzzy (CIF set is the hybrid set which can contain much more information to express an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set and an intuitionistic fuzzy set simultaneously for handling the uncertainties in the data. Unfortunately, there has been no research on the aggregation operators on CIF sets so far. Since an aggregation operator is an important mathematical tool in decision-making problems, the present paper proposes some new Bonferroni mean and weighted Bonferroni mean averaging operators between the cubic intuitionistic fuzzy numbers for aggregating the different preferences of the decision-maker. Then, we develop a decision-making method based on the proposed operators under the cubic intuitionistic fuzzy environment and illustrated with a numerical example. Finally, a comparison analysis between the proposed and the existing approaches have been performed to illustrate the applicability and feasibility of the developed decision-making method.

  17. Self-regulated learning of important information under sequential and simultaneous encoding conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Middlebrooks, Catherine D; Castel, Alan D

    2018-05-01

    Learners make a number of decisions when attempting to study efficiently: they must choose which information to study, for how long to study it, and whether to restudy it later. The current experiments examine whether documented impairments to self-regulated learning when studying information sequentially, as opposed to simultaneously, extend to the learning of and memory for valuable information. In Experiment 1, participants studied lists of words ranging in value from 1-10 points sequentially or simultaneously at a preset presentation rate; in Experiment 2, study was self-paced and participants could choose to restudy. Although participants prioritized high-value over low-value information, irrespective of presentation, those who studied the items simultaneously demonstrated superior value-based prioritization with respect to recall, study selections, and self-pacing. The results of the present experiments support the theory that devising, maintaining, and executing efficient study agendas is inherently different under sequential formatting than simultaneous. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  18. Sequential versus simultaneous market delineation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Haldrup, Niels; Møllgaard, Peter; Kastberg Nielsen, Claus

    2005-01-01

    and geographical markets. Using a unique data setfor prices of Norwegian and Scottish salmon, we propose a methodologyfor simultaneous market delineation and we demonstrate that comparedto a sequential approach conclusions will be reversed.JEL: C3, K21, L41, Q22Keywords: Relevant market, econometric delineation......Delineation of the relevant market forms a pivotal part of most antitrustcases. The standard approach is sequential. First the product marketis delineated, then the geographical market is defined. Demand andsupply substitution in both the product dimension and the geographicaldimension...

  19. Simultaneous Versus Sequential Side-by-Side Bilateral Metal Stent Placement for Malignant Hilar Biliary Obstructions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inoue, Tadahisa; Ishii, Norimitsu; Kobayashi, Yuji; Kitano, Rena; Sakamoto, Kazumasa; Ohashi, Tomohiko; Nakade, Yukiomi; Sumida, Yoshio; Ito, Kiyoaki; Nakao, Haruhisa; Yoneda, Masashi

    2017-09-01

    Endoscopic bilateral self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) placement for malignant hilar biliary obstructions (MHBOs) is technically demanding, and a second SEMS insertion is particularly challenging. A simultaneous side-by-side (SBS) placement technique using a thinner delivery system may mitigate these issues. We aimed to examine the feasibility and efficacy of simultaneous SBS SEMS placement for treating MHBOs using a novel SEMS that has a 5.7-Fr ultra-thin delivery system. Thirty-four patients with MHBOs underwent SBS SEMS placement between 2010 and 2016. We divided the patient cohort into those who underwent sequential (conventional) SBS placement between 2010 and 2014 (sequential group) and those who underwent simultaneous SBS placement between 2015 and 2016 (simultaneous group), and compared the groups with respect to the clinical outcomes. The technical success rates were 71% (12/17) and 100% (17/17) in the sequential and simultaneous groups, respectively, a difference that was significant (P = .045). The median procedure time was significantly shorter in the simultaneous group (22 min) than in the sequential group (52 min) (P = .017). There were no significant group differences in the time to recurrent biliary obstruction (sequential group: 113 days; simultaneous group: 140 days) or other adverse event rates (sequential group: 12%; simultaneous group: 12%). Simultaneous SBS placement using the novel 5.7-Fr SEMS delivery system may be more straightforward and have a higher success rate compared to that with sequential SBS placement. This new method may be useful for bilateral stenting to treat MHBOs.

  20. A robust procedure for comparing multiple means under heteroscedasticity in unbalanced designs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esther Herberich

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Investigating differences between means of more than two groups or experimental conditions is a routine research question addressed in biology. In order to assess differences statistically, multiple comparison procedures are applied. The most prominent procedures of this type, the Dunnett and Tukey-Kramer test, control the probability of reporting at least one false positive result when the data are normally distributed and when the sample sizes and variances do not differ between groups. All three assumptions are non-realistic in biological research and any violation leads to an increased number of reported false positive results. Based on a general statistical framework for simultaneous inference and robust covariance estimators we propose a new statistical multiple comparison procedure for assessing multiple means. In contrast to the Dunnett or Tukey-Kramer tests, no assumptions regarding the distribution, sample sizes or variance homogeneity are necessary. The performance of the new procedure is assessed by means of its familywise error rate and power under different distributions. The practical merits are demonstrated by a reanalysis of fatty acid phenotypes of the bacterium Bacillus simplex from the "Evolution Canyons" I and II in Israel. The simulation results show that even under severely varying variances, the procedure controls the number of false positive findings very well. Thus, the here presented procedure works well under biologically realistic scenarios of unbalanced group sizes, non-normality and heteroscedasticity.

  1. Configural and component processing in simultaneous and sequential lineup procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flowe, Heather D; Smith, Harriet M J; Karoğlu, Nilda; Onwuegbusi, Tochukwu O; Rai, Lovedeep

    2016-01-01

    Configural processing supports accurate face recognition, yet it has never been examined within the context of criminal identification lineups. We tested, using the inversion paradigm, the role of configural processing in lineups. Recent research has found that face discrimination accuracy in lineups is better in a simultaneous compared to a sequential lineup procedure. Therefore, we compared configural processing in simultaneous and sequential lineups to examine whether there are differences. We had participants view a crime video, and then they attempted to identify the perpetrator from a simultaneous or sequential lineup. The test faces were presented either upright or inverted, as previous research has shown that inverting test faces disrupts configural processing. The size of the inversion effect for faces was the same across lineup procedures, indicating that configural processing underlies face recognition in both procedures. Discrimination accuracy was comparable across lineup procedures in both the upright and inversion condition. Theoretical implications of the results are discussed.

  2. Long-term music training modulates the recalibration of audiovisual simultaneity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jicol, Crescent; Proulx, Michael J; Pollick, Frank E; Petrini, Karin

    2018-07-01

    To overcome differences in physical transmission time and neural processing, the brain adaptively recalibrates the point of simultaneity between auditory and visual signals by adapting to audiovisual asynchronies. Here, we examine whether the prolonged recalibration process of passively sensed visual and auditory signals is affected by naturally occurring multisensory training known to enhance audiovisual perceptual accuracy. Hence, we asked a group of drummers, of non-drummer musicians and of non-musicians to judge the audiovisual simultaneity of musical and non-musical audiovisual events, before and after adaptation with two fixed audiovisual asynchronies. We found that the recalibration for the musicians and drummers was in the opposite direction (sound leading vision) to that of non-musicians (vision leading sound), and change together with both increased music training and increased perceptual accuracy (i.e. ability to detect asynchrony). Our findings demonstrate that long-term musical training reshapes the way humans adaptively recalibrate simultaneity between auditory and visual signals.

  3. Simultaneous radioassay of serum vitamin B12 and folic acid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gutcho, S.; Mansbach, L.

    1977-01-01

    The radioassays of vitamin B 12 and folic acid can be carried out in a single tube to give the simultaneous assay of both vitamins in 100 μl of serum. Release of bound vitamins from their endogenous binders and the destruction of these binders are effected by a heating step at pH 9.3. The subsequent binding reactions with hog intrinsic factor and milk binder protein proceed advantageously and simultaneously in the same tube at pH 9.3. A single set of dual reagents replaces two sets of reagents that would normally be used for separate radioassays. Complete separation of bound radioactivities, [ 57 Co] cyanocobalamin and 125 I-labeled folate derivative, is obtained in a dual-channel gamma counter with no requirement for any correction for spill-over of counting data. Analytical results are comparable to those found for previously developed individual radioassays. The simultaneous assay has decreased technical time of analysis for these interrelated vitamins by about 50%

  4. Synthesis of indium nanoparticles at ambient temperature; simultaneous phase transfer and ripening

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aghazadeh Meshgi, Mohammad; Kriechbaum, Manfred [Graz University of Technology, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry (Austria); Biswas, Subhajit; Holmes, Justin D., E-mail: j.holmes@ucc.ie [University College Cork, Materials Chemistry and Analysis Group, Department of Chemistry and the Tyndall National Institute (Ireland); Marschner, Christoph, E-mail: christoph.marschner@tugraz.at [Graz University of Technology, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry (Austria)

    2016-12-15

    The synthesis of size-monodispersed indium nanoparticles via an innovative simultaneous phase transfer and ripening method is reported. The formation of nanoparticles occurs in a one-step process instead of well-known two-step phase transfer approaches. The synthesis involves the reduction of InCl{sub 3} with LiBH{sub 4} at ambient temperature and although the reduction occurs at room temperature, fine indium nanoparticles, with a mean diameter of 6.4 ± 0.4 nm, were obtained directly in non-polar n-dodecane. The direct synthesis of indium nanoparticles in n-dodecane facilitates their fast formation and enhances their size-monodispersity. In addition, the nanoparticles were highly stable for more than 2 months. The nanoparticles were characterised by dynamic light scattering (DLS), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to determine their morphology, structure and phase purity.

  5. Simultaneous spatio-temporal focusing for tissue manipulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Squier J.

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Simultaneous spatiotemporal focusing (SSTF is applied to lens tissue and compared directly with standard femtosecond micromachining of the tissue at the same numerical aperture. Third harmonic generation imaging is used for spatio-temporal characterization of the processing conditions obtained with both a standard and SSTF focus.

  6. Sequential-Simultaneous Analysis of Japanese Children's Performance on the Japanese McCarthy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishikuma, Toshinori; And Others

    This study explored the hypothesis that Japanese children perform significantly better on simultaneous processing than on sequential processing. The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) served as the criterion of the two types of mental processing. Regression equations to predict Sequential and Simultaneous processing from McCarthy…

  7. Acquisition of Inductive Biconditional Reasoning Skills: Training of Simultaneous and Sequential Processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Seong-Soo

    1982-01-01

    Tenth-grade students (n=144) received training on one of three processing methods: coding-mapping (simultaneous), coding only, or decision tree (sequential). The induced simultaneous processing strategy worked optimally under rule learning, while the sequential strategy was difficult to induce and/or not optimal for rule-learning operations.…

  8. students' preference of method of solving simultaneous equations

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ugboduma,Samuel.O.

    substitution method irrespective of their gender for solving simultaneous equations. A recommendation ... advantage given to one method over others. Students' interest .... from two (2) single girls' schools, two (2) single boys schools and ten.

  9. A randomized trial comparing simultaneous vs. sequential field treatment of actinic keratosis with ingenol mebutate on two separate areas of the head and body.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellacani, G; Peris, K; Guillen, C; Clonier, F; Larsson, T; Venkata, R; Puig, S

    2015-11-01

    Actinic keratoses (AKs) are precursors to invasive squamous cell carcinoma and can progress if untreated. Limited data support the use of ingenol mebutate to treat AKs on more than one area of the body simultaneously. To investigate safety, efficacy and treatment satisfaction when treating separate areas simultaneously or sequentially with different concentrations of ingenol mebutate gel. In this phase IIIb study (NCT01787383), patients with clinically visible, non-hyperkeratotic AKs on two separate treatment areas (face/scalp and trunk/extremities) were randomized to simultaneous or sequential treatment with ingenol mebutate gel (0.015% and 0.05%). Endpoints included composite local skin response (LSR) score 3 days after first application, complete AK clearance and percentage reduction in AKs at week 8. There were no statistically significant differences between simultaneous (n = 101) and sequential (n = 98) groups in composite LSR score (10.4 vs. 9.7), complete clearance (52.7% vs. 46.9%) or percentage reduction in AKs (83.4% vs. 79.1%). Mean composite LSR scores on face/scalp and trunk/extremities were similar for both groups. Adverse event (AE) incidence was comparable between groups, the most common treatment-related AEs being pruritus and pain at the application site. Treating AKs with ingenol mebutate simultaneously or sequentially gave similar results in terms of tolerability (LSR score, AEs) and efficacy (complete clearance). Therefore, the physician and patient can select the most convenient treatment regimen, with confidence in achieving a similar outcome. © 2015 LEO Pharma A/S. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

  10. Towards a Methodology for the Analysis of Associative-Derivational Meaning of a Personal Name

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lyubov A. Feoktistova

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Based on appellative lexical units derived from the Russian personal name Ivan, as well as on idioms with this name, the author advances an analytical approach for the investigation into the associative-derivational meaning of a personal name. The approach suggested in this article relies on the theoretical model of the meaning of a proper name proposed by Marina Golomidova and complemented by Elena Berezovich. The model distinguishes two ranges of semantic properties. The first one, “vertical”, represents an hierarchical set of components similar to those of an appellative meaning (conceptual core, pragmatic meanings and semantic relations. The second one, “horizontal”, covers all possible semantic “spreadings” of the name determined by its capacity to participate in derivational processes. Thus, each fact of secondary (appellative or quasi-appellative use of a name can be represented as a projection of one or several constituents of its original proprial meaning. The article focuses on those elements of the proprial meaning which pertain to the semantic core: general and particular “categorial” meanings (determining the opposition of the name to an appellative and to other categories of names, individualizing semantic component (reference to a particular denotatum, but also information on the name’s use and its connotations. The semantic field formed by the derivatives from the name Ivan provides rich data for such theoretical observations. It also enables to extend and to specify the original theoretical model by adding gender and ethnic semantic components pertaining respectively to the semantic core and the pragmatic zone of the proprial meaning. The author also points out that deonyms may have multiple motivations when several semantic components of the name are actualized simultaneously or due to other systemic linguistic mechanisms (extension of an existing pattern of deonymic derivation, influence of the connotative

  11. Variation among heritage speakers: Sequential vs. simultaneous bilinguals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teresa Lee

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available This study examines the differences in the grammatical knowledge of two types of heritage speakers of Korean. Early simultaneous bilinguals are exposed to both English and the heritage language from birth, whereas early sequential bilinguals are exposed to the heritage language first and then to English upon schooling. A listening comprehension task involving relative clauses was conducted with 51 beginning-level Korean heritage speakers. The results showed that the early sequential bilinguals exhibited much more accurate knowledge than the early simultaneous bilinguals, who lacked rudimentary knowledge of Korean relative clauses. Drawing on the findings of adult and child Korean L1 data on the acquisition of relative clauses, the performance of each group is discussed with respect to attrition and incomplete acquisition of the heritage language.

  12. Development of Reverse-Phase HPLC Method for Simultaneous ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erah

    Purpose: To develop a simple, sensitive and rapid reverse phase HPLC method for the simultaneous analysis of metoprolol succinate and hydrochlorothiazide in a solid dosage form. Methods: The .... Extraction was carried out three times with.

  13. Viability Study of a Safe Method for Health to Prepare Cement Pastes with Simultaneous Nanometric Functional Additions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. A. de la Rubia

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The use of a mixing method based on a novel dry dispersion procedure that enables a proper mixing of simultaneous nanometric functional additions while avoiding the health risks derived from the exposure to nanoparticles is reported and compared with a common manual mixing in this work. Such a dry dispersion method allows a greater workability by avoiding problems associated with the dispersion of the particles. The two mixing methods have been used to prepare Portland cement CEM I 52.5R pastes with additions of nano-ZnO with bactericide properties and micro- or nanopozzolanic SiO2. The hydration process performed by both mixing methods is compared in order to determine the efficiency of using the method. The hydration analysis of these cement pastes is carried out at different ages (from one to twenty-eight days by means of differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetry (DTA-TG, X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR analyses. Regardless of composition, all the mixtures of cement pastes obtained by the novel dispersion method showed a higher retardation of cement hydration at intermediate ages which did not occur at higher ages. In agreement with the resulting hydration behaviour, the use of this new dispersion method makes it possible to prepare homogeneous cement pastes with simultaneous functional nanoparticles which are physically supported on the larger particles of cement, avoiding exposure to the nanoparticles and therefore minimizing health risks. Manual mixing of cement-based materials with simultaneous nanometric functional nanoparticles on a large scale would make it difficult to obtain a homogenous material together with the health risks derived from the handling of nanoparticles.

  14. Nanocomposite metal/plasma polymer films prepared by means of gas aggregation cluster source

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Polonskyi, O.; Solar, P.; Kylian, O.; Drabik, M.; Artemenko, A.; Kousal, J.; Hanus, J.; Pesicka, J.; Matolinova, I. [Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, V Holesovickach 2, 18000 Prague 8 (Czech Republic); Kolibalova, E. [Tescan, Libusina trida 21, 632 00 Brno (Czech Republic); Slavinska, D. [Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, V Holesovickach 2, 18000 Prague 8 (Czech Republic); Biederman, H., E-mail: bieder@kmf.troja.mff.cuni.cz [Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, V Holesovickach 2, 18000 Prague 8 (Czech Republic)

    2012-04-02

    Nanocomposite metal/plasma polymer films have been prepared by simultaneous plasma polymerization using a mixture of Ar/n-hexane and metal cluster beams. A simple compact cluster gas aggregation source is described and characterized with emphasis on the determination of the amount of charged clusters and their size distribution. It is shown that the fraction of neutral, positively and negatively charged nanoclusters leaving the gas aggregation source is largely influenced by used operational conditions. In addition, it is demonstrated that a large portion of Ag clusters is positively charged, especially when higher currents are used for their production. Deposition of nanocomposite Ag/C:H plasma polymer films is described in detail by means of cluster gas aggregation source. Basic characterization of the films is performed using transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopies. It is shown that the morphology, structure and optical properties of such prepared nanocomposites differ significantly from the ones fabricated by means of magnetron sputtering of Ag target in Ar/n-hexane mixture.

  15. MR-assisted PET motion correction in simultaneous PET/MRI studies of dementia subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Kevin T; Salcedo, Stephanie; Chonde, Daniel B; Izquierdo-Garcia, David; Levine, Michael A; Price, Julie C; Dickerson, Bradford C; Catana, Ciprian

    2018-03-08

    Subject motion in positron emission tomography (PET) studies leads to image blurring and artifacts; simultaneously acquired magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data provides a means for motion correction (MC) in integrated PET/MRI scanners. To assess the effect of realistic head motion and MR-based MC on static [ 18 F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET images in dementia patients. Observational study. Thirty dementia subjects were recruited. 3T hybrid PET/MR scanner where EPI-based and T 1 -weighted sequences were acquired simultaneously with the PET data. Head motion parameters estimated from high temporal resolution MR volumes were used for PET MC. The MR-based MC method was compared to PET frame-based MC methods in which motion parameters were estimated by coregistering 5-minute frames before and after accounting for the attenuation-emission mismatch. The relative changes in standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRs) between the PET volumes processed with the various MC methods, without MC, and the PET volumes with simulated motion were compared in relevant brain regions. The absolute value of the regional SUVR relative change was assessed with pairwise paired t-tests testing at the P = 0.05 level, comparing the values obtained through different MR-based MC processing methods as well as across different motion groups. The intraregion voxelwise variability of regional SUVRs obtained through different MR-based MC processing methods was also assessed with pairwise paired t-tests testing at the P = 0.05 level. MC had a greater impact on PET data quantification in subjects with larger amplitude motion (higher than 18% in the medial orbitofrontal cortex) and greater changes were generally observed for the MR-based MC method compared to the frame-based methods. Furthermore, a mean relative change of ∼4% was observed after MC even at the group level, suggesting the importance of routinely applying this correction. The intraregion voxelwise variability of regional SUVRs

  16. Mutiple simultaneous event model for radiation carcinogenesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baum, J.W.

    1979-01-01

    Theoretical Radiobiology and Risk Estimates includes reports on: Multiple Simultaneous Event Model for Radiation Carcinogenesis; Cancer Risk Estimates and Neutron RBE Based on Human Exposures; A Rationale for Nonlinear Dose Response Functions of Power Greater or Less Than One; and Rationale for One Double Event in Model for Radiation Carcinogenesis

  17. Column Planarity and Partially-Simultaneous Geometric Embedding

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Barba, L.; Evans, W.; Hoffmann, M.; Kusters, V.; Saumell, Maria; Speckmann, B.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 21, č. 6 (2017), s. 983-1002 ISSN 1526-1719 Grant - others:GA MŠk(CZ) LO1506; GA MŠk(CZ) EE2.3.30.0038 Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : column planarity * unlabeled level planarity * simultaneous geometric embedding Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics OBOR OECD: Pure mathematics

  18. Sequential vs simultaneous revascularization in patients undergoing liver transplantation: A meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jia-Zhong; Liu, Yang; Wang, Jin-Long; Lu, Le; Zhang, Ya-Fei; Lu, Hong-Wei; Li, Yi-Ming

    2015-06-14

    We undertook this meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between revascularization and outcomes after liver transplantation. A literature search was performed using MeSH and key words. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Jadad Score and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Heterogeneity was evaluated by the χ(2) and I (2) tests. The risk of publication bias was assessed using a funnel plot and Egger's test, and the risk of bias was assessed using a domain-based assessment tool. A sensitivity analysis was conducted by reanalyzing the data using different statistical approaches. Six studies with a total of 467 patients were included. Ischemic-type biliary lesions were significantly reduced in the simultaneous revascularization group compared with the sequential revascularization group (OR = 4.97, 95%CI: 2.45-10.07; P simultaneous revascularization group. Although warm ischemia time was prolonged in simultaneous revascularization group (MD = -25.84, 95%CI: -29.28-22.40; P sequential and simultaneous revascularization groups. Assessment of the risk of bias showed that the methods of random sequence generation and blinding might have been a source of bias. The sensitivity analysis strengthened the reliability of the results of this meta-analysis. The results of this study indicate that simultaneous revascularization in liver transplantation may reduce the incidence of ischemic-type biliary lesions and length of stay of patients in the ICU.

  19. Mean-risk efficient portfolio analysis of demand response and supply resources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng, Shi-Jie; Xu, Li

    2009-01-01

    In the restructured electric power utility industry, reducing the risk exposure of profit to the highly volatile electricity wholesale price and the fluctuating demand of end users is essential to the financial success of load-serving entities (LSEs). Demand response (DR) programs have been utilized to manage the correlated price and volumetric risks, and simultaneously improve the reliability of the power system. This paper proposes an efficient portfolio framework for LSEs to evaluate the role of DR programs in achieving a desirable tradeoff between profit and risk. The mean-risk efficient frontier formed by the optimal portfolios allows LSEs to identify the least amount of risk to bear corresponding to a given profit target. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the impact of DR programs on the composition of the optimal portfolios in achieving different levels of tradeoff between risk and reward. (author)

  20. Analysis of odorous gases with simultaneous GC-MS and sensory determination

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Orko, I.; Lehtomaeki, J.; Sandell, E.; Arnold, M. [VTT Chemical Technology, Espoo (Finland). Environmental Technology

    1995-12-31

    Industrial odorous off-gases can consist of hundreds of different compounds giving cause to odour annoyance in the vicinity of the odour-emitting plant. For the identification of the odorous components in the gas, traditional analytical methods are not always sufficient since the odour threshold values cannot often be found in literature. This report describes the development of a GC-MS sniffing port method for identifying odorous compounds in off-gases. In the method the sample is injected into a gas chromatograph and divided into two flows. The compounds in these sample flows are separated in two identical columns and detected simultaneously in a mass spectrometer and by sensory means. The olfactory detections are marked in the iongram and the odorous compounds are identified. Tenax TA adsorbent is generally used for collecting the odorous sample for analysis. The compounds are released from the adsorbent for analysis by thermal desorption. The report also describes a case study where the GC-MS sniffing port method was applied to a gaseous emission from a food factory. Over ten odorous compounds could be identified. (author)