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Sample records for mechanism rating scale

  1. Length-scale and strain rate-dependent mechanism of defect formation and fracture in carbon nanotubes under tensile loading

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Javvaji, Brahmanandam [Indian Institute of Science, Department of Aerospace Engineering (India); Raha, S. [Indian Institute of Science, Department of Computational and Data Sciences (India); Mahapatra, D. Roy, E-mail: droymahapatra@aero.iisc.ernet.in [Indian Institute of Science, Department of Aerospace Engineering (India)

    2017-02-15

    Electromagnetic and thermo-mechanical forces play a major role in nanotube-based materials and devices. Under high-energy electron transport or high current densities, carbon nanotubes fail via sequential fracture. The failure sequence is governed by certain length scale and flow of current. We report a unified phenomenological model derived from molecular dynamic simulation data, which successfully captures the important physics of the complex failure process. Length-scale and strain rate-dependent defect nucleation, growth, and fracture in single-walled carbon nanotubes with diameters in the range of 0.47 to 2.03 nm and length which is about 6.17 to 26.45 nm are simulated. Nanotubes with long length and small diameter show brittle fracture, while those with short length and large diameter show transition from ductile to brittle fracture. In short nanotubes with small diameters, we observe several structural transitions like Stone-Wales defect initiation, its propagation to larger void nucleation, formation of multiple chains of atoms, conversion to monatomic chain of atoms, and finally complete fracture of the carbon nanotube. Hybridization state of carbon-carbon bonds near the end cap evolves, leading to the formation of monatomic chain in short nanotubes with small diameter. Transition from ductile to brittle fracture is also observed when strain rate exceeds a critical value. A generalized analytical model of failure is established, which correlates the defect energy during the formation of atomic chain with aspect ratio of the nanotube and strain rate. Variation in the mechanical properties such as elastic modulus, tensile strength, and fracture strain with the size and strain rate shows important implications in mitigating force fields and ways to enhance the life of electronic devices and nanomaterial conversion via fracture in manufacturing.

  2. A potential mechanism for allometric trabecular bone scaling in terrestrial mammals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christen, Patrik; Ito, Keita; van Rietbergen, Bert

    2015-03-01

    Trabecular bone microstructural parameters, including trabecular thickness, spacing, and number, have been reported to scale with animal size with negative allometry, whereas bone volume fraction is animal size-invariant in terrestrial mammals. As for the majority of scaling patterns described in animals, its underlying mechanism is unknown. However, it has also been found that osteocyte density is inversely related to animal size, possibly adapted to metabolic rate, which shows a negative relationship as well. In addition, the signalling reach of osteocytes is limited by the extent of the lacuno-canalicular network, depending on trabecular dimensions and thus also on animal size. Here we propose animal size-dependent variations in osteocyte density and their signalling influence distance as a potential mechanism for negative allometric trabecular bone scaling in terrestrial mammals. Using an established and tested computational model of bone modelling and remodelling, we run simulations with different osteocyte densities and influence distances mimicking six terrestrial mammals covering a large range of body masses. Simulated trabecular structures revealed negative allometric scaling for trabecular thickness, spacing, and number, constant bone volume fraction, and bone turnover rates inversely related to animal size. These results are in agreement with previous observations supporting our proposal of osteocyte density and influence distance variation as a potential mechanism for negative allometric trabecular bone scaling in terrestrial mammals. The inverse relationship between bone turnover rates and animal size further indicates that trabecular bone scaling may be linked to metabolic rather than mechanical adaptations. © 2015 Anatomical Society.

  3. Outcome Rating Scale and Session Rating Scale in Psychological Practice: Clinical Utility of Ultra-Brief Measures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Alistair; Hemsley, Samantha

    2009-01-01

    The validity and reliability of the Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) and the Session Rating Scale (SRS) were evaluated against existing longer measures, including the Outcome Questionnaire-45, Working Alliance Inventory, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, Quality of Life Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and General Self-efficacy Scale. The measures…

  4. Mechanics over micro and nano scales

    CERN Document Server

    Chakraborty, Suman

    2011-01-01

    Discusses the fundaments of mechanics over micro and nano scales in a level accessible to multi-disciplinary researchers, with a balance of mathematical details and physical principles Covers life sciences and chemistry for use in emerging applications related to mechanics over small scales Demonstrates the explicit interconnection between various scale issues and the mechanics of miniaturized systems

  5. Scale dependence of rock friction at high work rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamashita, Futoshi; Fukuyama, Eiichi; Mizoguchi, Kazuo; Takizawa, Shigeru; Xu, Shiqing; Kawakata, Hironori

    2015-12-10

    Determination of the frictional properties of rocks is crucial for an understanding of earthquake mechanics, because most earthquakes are caused by frictional sliding along faults. Prior studies using rotary shear apparatus revealed a marked decrease in frictional strength, which can cause a large stress drop and strong shaking, with increasing slip rate and increasing work rate. (The mechanical work rate per unit area equals the product of the shear stress and the slip rate.) However, those important findings were obtained in experiments using rock specimens with dimensions of only several centimetres, which are much smaller than the dimensions of a natural fault (of the order of 1,000 metres). Here we use a large-scale biaxial friction apparatus with metre-sized rock specimens to investigate scale-dependent rock friction. The experiments show that rock friction in metre-sized rock specimens starts to decrease at a work rate that is one order of magnitude smaller than that in centimetre-sized rock specimens. Mechanical, visual and material observations suggest that slip-evolved stress heterogeneity on the fault accounts for the difference. On the basis of these observations, we propose that stress-concentrated areas exist in which frictional slip produces more wear materials (gouge) than in areas outside, resulting in further stress concentrations at these areas. Shear stress on the fault is primarily sustained by stress-concentrated areas that undergo a high work rate, so those areas should weaken rapidly and cause the macroscopic frictional strength to decrease abruptly. To verify this idea, we conducted numerical simulations assuming that local friction follows the frictional properties observed on centimetre-sized rock specimens. The simulations reproduced the macroscopic frictional properties observed on the metre-sized rock specimens. Given that localized stress concentrations commonly occur naturally, our results suggest that a natural fault may lose its

  6. Recombination rate plasticity: revealing mechanisms by design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sefick, Stephen; Rushton, Chase

    2017-01-01

    For over a century, scientists have known that meiotic recombination rates can vary considerably among individuals, and that environmental conditions can modify recombination rates relative to the background. A variety of external and intrinsic factors such as temperature, age, sex and starvation can elicit ‘plastic’ responses in recombination rate. The influence of recombination rate plasticity on genetic diversity of the next generation has interesting and important implications for how populations evolve. Further, many questions remain regarding the mechanisms and molecular processes that contribute to recombination rate plasticity. Here, we review 100 years of experimental work on recombination rate plasticity conducted in Drosophila melanogaster. We categorize this work into four major classes of experimental designs, which we describe via classic studies in D. melanogaster. Based on these studies, we highlight molecular mechanisms that are supported by experimental results and relate these findings to studies in other systems. We synthesize lessons learned from this model system into experimental guidelines for using recent advances in genotyping technologies, to study recombination rate plasticity in non-model organisms. Specifically, we recommend (1) using fine-scale genome-wide markers, (2) collecting time-course data, (3) including crossover distribution measurements, and (4) using mixed effects models to analyse results. To illustrate this approach, we present an application adhering to these guidelines from empirical work we conducted in Drosophila pseudoobscura. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Evolutionary causes and consequences of recombination rate variation in sexual organisms’. PMID:29109222

  7. Test Review: Autism Spectrum Rating Scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simek, Amber N.; Wahlberg, Andrea C.

    2011-01-01

    This article reviews Autism Spectrum Rating Scales (ASRS) which are designed to measure behaviors in children between the ages of 2 and 18 that are associated with disorders on the autism spectrum as rated by parents/caregivers and/or teachers. The rating scales include items related to behaviors associated with Autism, Asperger's Disorder, and…

  8. Mechanical Properties and Acoustic Emission Properties of Rocks with Different Transverse Scales

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xi Yan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Since the stability of engineering rock masses has important practical significance to projects like mining, tunneling, and petroleum engineering, it is necessary to study mechanical properties and stability prediction methods for rocks, cementing materials that are composed of minerals in all shapes and sizes. Rocks will generate acoustic emission during damage failure processes, which is deemed as an effective means of monitoring the stability of coal rocks. In the meantime, actual mining and roadway surrounding rocks tend to have transverse effects; namely, the transverse scale is larger than the length scale. Therefore, it is important to explore mechanical properties and acoustic emission properties of rocks under transverse size effects. Considering the transverse scale effects of rocks, this paper employs the microparticle flow software PFC2D to explore the influence of different aspect ratios on damage mechanics and acoustic emission properties of rocks. The results show that (1 the transverse scale affects uniaxial compression strength of rocks. As the aspect ratio increases, uniaxial compression strength of rocks decreases initially and later increases, showing a V-shape structure and (2 although it affects the maximum hit rate and the strain range of acoustic emission, it has little influence on the period of occurrence. As the transverse scale increases, both damage degree and damage rate of rocks decrease initially and later increase.

  9. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Rating Scales with a Brief Review of the "Connors Teacher Rating Scale" (1998)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cordes, Matthew, McLaughlin, T. F.

    2004-01-01

    This paper explores the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) definition of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) (ADHD). The use of rating scales to diagnose ADHD was evaluated. Rating scales have been used since the 1970s and are highly influential in the detection…

  10. Fluid mechanics as a driver of tissue-scale mechanical signaling in organogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilbert, Rachel M; Morgan, Joshua T; Marcin, Elizabeth S; Gleghorn, Jason P

    2016-12-01

    Organogenesis is the process during development by which cells self-assemble into complex, multi-scale tissues. Whereas significant focus and research effort has demonstrated the importance of solid mechanics in organogenesis, less attention has been given to the fluid forces that provide mechanical cues over tissue length scales. Fluid motion and pressure is capable of creating spatial gradients of forces acting on cells, thus eliciting distinct and localized signaling patterns essential for proper organ formation. Understanding the multi-scale nature of the mechanics is critically important to decipher how mechanical signals sculpt developing organs. This review outlines various mechanisms by which tissues generate, regulate, and sense fluid forces and highlights the impact of these forces and mechanisms in case studies of normal and pathological development.

  11. Effects of Contingency versus Constraints on the Body-Mass Scaling of Metabolic Rate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Douglas S. Glazier

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available I illustrate the effects of both contingency and constraints on the body-mass scaling of metabolic rate by analyzing the significantly different influences of ambient temperature (Ta on metabolic scaling in ectothermic versus endothermic animals. Interspecific comparisons show that increasing Ta results in decreasing metabolic scaling slopes in ectotherms, but increasing slopes in endotherms, a pattern uniquely predicted by the metabolic-level boundaries hypothesis, as amended to include effects of the scaling of thermal conductance in endotherms outside their thermoneutral zone. No other published theoretical model explicitly predicts this striking variation in metabolic scaling, which I explain in terms of contingent effects of Ta and thermoregulatory strategy in the context of physical and geometric constraints related to the scaling of surface area, volume, and heat flow across surfaces. My analysis shows that theoretical models focused on an ideal 3/4-power law, as explained by a single universally applicable mechanism, are clearly inadequate for explaining the diversity and environmental sensitivity of metabolic scaling. An important challenge is to develop a theory of metabolic scaling that recognizes the contingent effects of multiple mechanisms that are modulated by several extrinsic and intrinsic factors within specified constraints.

  12. Atomistic simulation of solid solution hardening in Mg/Al alloys: Examination of composition scaling and thermo-mechanical relationships

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yi, Peng; Cammarata, Robert C.; Falk, Michael L.

    2016-01-01

    Dislocation mobility in a solid solution was studied using atomistic simulations of an Mg/Al system. The critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) for the dislocations on the basal plane was calculated at temperatures from 0 K to 500 K with solute concentrations from 0 to 7 at%, and with four different strain rates. Solute hardening of the CRSS is decomposed into two contributions: one scales with c 2/3 , where c is the solute concentration, and the other scales with c 1 . The former was consistent with the Labusch model for local solute obstacles, and the latter was related to the athermal plateau stress due to the long range solute effect. A thermo-mechanical model was then used to analyze the temperature and strain rate dependences of the CRSS, and it yielded self-consistent and realistic results. The scaling laws were confirmed and the thermo-mechanical model was successfully parameterized using experimental measurements of the CRSS for Mg/Al alloys under quasi-static conditions. The predicted strain rate sensitivity from the experimental measurements of the CRSS is in reasonable agreement with separate mechanical tests. The concentration scaling and the thermo-mechanical relationships provide a potential tool to analytically relate the structural and thermodynamic parameters on the microscopic level with the macroscopic mechanical properties arising from dislocation mediated deformation.

  13. Development and testing of the circumvaginal muscles rating scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Worth, A M; Dougherty, M C; McKey, P L

    1986-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to develop an instrument for clinical assessment of the circumvaginal muscles (CVM), to test the reliability of the instrument, and to correlate sample characteristics with this instrument. The 9-point CVM Rating Scale is based on four components: pressure, duration, muscle ribbing, and position of the examiner's finger during examination. Reliability of the CVM Rating Scale was ascertained by use of interrater and test-retest reliability. Interrater reliability was tested on two separate occasions, N = 10, rho = 0.6, p less than .04; N = 10, rho = 0.7, p less than .05. A test-retest sequence was conducted 10 days apart, N = 10, rho = 0.9, p less than .003. Results from these tests indicated that the CVM Rating Scale is a reliable instrument for assessing CVM. A convenience sample of 30 women, aged 18-37, in good general health was tested, using the CVM Rating Scale. Women with a history of pelvic floor reconstructive surgery were excluded. A significant positive correlation between self-reported orgasm and the CVM Rating Scale total scores was found, chi 2 = 7.5, p less than .02. No significant correlations were found between age, race, parity, episiotomy, or self-reported Kegel exercises and the CVM Rating Scale total scores. The scale is a cost-effective, time-efficient, systematic assessment, accessible in clinical settings.

  14. The Koukopoulos Mixed Depression Rating Scale (KMDRS): An International Mood Network (IMN) validation study of a new mixed mood rating scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sani, Gabriele; Vöhringer, Paul A; Barroilhet, Sergio A; Koukopoulos, Alexia E; Ghaemi, S Nassir

    2018-05-01

    It has been proposed that the broad major depressive disorder (MDD) construct is heterogenous. Koukopoulos has provided diagnostic criteria for an important subtype within that construct, "mixed depression" (MxD), which encompasses clinical pictures characterized by marked psychomotor or inner excitation and rage/anger, along with severe depression. This study provides psychometric validation for the first rating scale specifically designed to assess MxD symptoms cross-sectionally, the Koukopoulos Mixed Depression Rating Scale (KMDRS). 350 patients from the international mood network (IMN) completed three rating scales: the KMDRS, Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). KMDRS' psychometric properties assessed included Cronbach's alpha, inter-rater reliability, factor analysis, predictive validity, and Receiver Operator Curve analysis. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.76; 95% CI 0.57, 0.94) and interrater reliability (kappa = 0.73) were adequate. Confirmatory factor analysis identified 2 components: anger and psychomotor excitation (80% of total variance). Good predictive validity was seen (C-statistic = 0.82 95% CI 0.68, 0.93). Severity cut-off scores identified were as follows: none (0-4), possible (5-9), mild (10-15), moderate (16-20) and severe (> 21) MxD. Non DSM-based diagnosis of MxD may pose some difficulties in the initial use and interpretation of the scoring of the scale. Moreover, the cross-sectional nature of the evaluation does not verify the long-term stability of the scale. KMDRS was a reliable and valid instrument to assess MxD symptoms. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Exercise-induced maximum metabolic rate scaled to body mass by ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Exercise-induced maximum metabolic rate scaled to body mass by the fractal ... rate scaling is that exercise-induced maximum aerobic metabolic rate (MMR) is ... muscle stress limitation, and maximized oxygen delivery and metabolic rates.

  16. Modelling of rate effects at multiple scales

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, R.R.; Simone, A.; Sluys, L. J.

    2008-01-01

    , the length scale in the meso-model and the macro-model can be coupled. In this fashion, a bridging of length scales can be established. A computational analysis of  a Split Hopkinson bar test at medium and high impact load is carried out at macro-scale and meso-scale including information from  the micro-scale.......At the macro- and meso-scales a rate dependent constitutive model is used in which visco-elasticity is coupled to visco-plasticity and damage. A viscous length scale effect is introduced to control the size of the fracture process zone. By comparison of the widths of the fracture process zone...

  17. Comparison between the Comfort and Hartwig sedation scales in pediatric patients undergoing mechanical lung ventilation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Werther Brunow de Carvalho

    1999-09-01

    Full Text Available CONTEXT: A high number of hospitalized children do not receive adequate sedation due to inadequate evaluation and use of such agents. With the increase in knowledge of sedation and analgesia in recent years, concern has also risen, such that it is now not acceptable that incorrect evaluations of the state of children's pain and anxiety are made. OBJECTIVE: A comparison between the Comfort and Hartwig sedation scales in pediatric patients undergoing mechanical lung ventilation. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: A pediatric intensive care unit with three beds at an urban teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Thirty simultaneous and independent observations were conducted by specialists on 18 patients studied. DIAGNOSTIC TEST: Comfort and Hartwig scales were applied, after 3 minutes of observation. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Agreement rate (kappa. RESULTS: On the Comfort scale, the averages for adequately sedated, insufficiently sedated, and over-sedated were 20.28 (SD 2.78, 27.5 (SD 0.70, and 15.1 (SD 1.10, respectively, whereas on the Hartwig scale, the averages for adequately sedated, insufficiently sedated, and over-sedated were 16.35 (SD 0.77, 20.85 (SD 1.57, and 13.0 (SD 0.89, respectively. The observed agreement rate was 63% (p = 0.006 and the expected agreement rate was 44% with a Kappa coefficient of 0.345238 (z = 2.49. CONCLUSIONS: In our study there was no statistically significant difference whether the more complex Comfort scale was applied (8 physiological and behavioral parameters or the less complex Hartwig scale (5 behavioral parameters was applied to assess the sedation of mechanically ventilated pediatric patients.

  18. Rating Scales for Movement Disorders With Sleep Disturbances: A Narrative Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Blázquez, Carmen; Forjaz, Maria João; Kurtis, Monica M.; Balestrino, Roberta; Martinez-Martin, Pablo

    2018-01-01

    Introduction: In recent years, a wide variety of rating scales and questionnaires for movement disorders have been developed and published, making reviews on their contents, and attributes convenient for the potential users. Sleep disorders are frequently present in movement disorders, and some movement disorders are accompanied by specific sleep difficulties. Aim: The aim of this study is to perform a narrative review of the most frequently used rating scales for movement disorders with sleep problems, with special attention to those recommended by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society. Methods: Online databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Google Scholar), related references from papers and websites and personal files were searched for information on comprehensive or global rating scales which assessed sleep disturbances in the following movement disorders: akathisia, chorea, dystonia, essential tremor, myoclonus, multiple system atrophy, Parkinson's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and tics and Tourette syndrome. For each rating scale, its objective and characteristics, as well as a summary of its psychometric properties and recommendations of use are described. Results: From 22 rating scales identified for the selected movement disorders, only 5 included specific questions on sleep problems. Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating scale (MDS-UPDRS), Non-Motor Symptoms Scale and Questionnaire (NMSS and NMSQuest), Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease (SCOPA)-Autonomic and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Rating Scale (PSPRS) were the only rating scales that included items for assessing sleep disturbances. Conclusions: Despite sleep problems are frequent in movement disorders, very few of the rating scales addresses these specific symptoms. This may contribute to an infra diagnosis and mistreatment of the sleep problems in patients with movement disorders.

  19. [Preliminary study on civil capacity rating scale for mental disabled patients].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qin-Ting; Pang, Yan-Xia; Cai, Wei-Xiong; Tang, Tao; Huang, Fu-Yin

    2010-10-01

    To create civil capacity rating scale for mentally disabled patients, and explore its feasibility during the forensic psychiatric expertise. The civil capacity-related items were determined after discussion and consultation. The civil capacity rating scale for mentally disabled patients was established and the manual was created according to the logistic sequence of the assessment. The rating scale was used during the civil assessment in four institutes. There were 14 items in civil capacity rating scale for mentally disabled patients. Two hundred and two subjects were recruited and divided into three groups according to the experts' opinion on their civil capacities: full civil capacity, partial civil capacity and no civil capacity. The mean score of the three groups were 2.32 +/- 2.45, 11.62 +/- 4.01 and 25.02 +/- 3.90, respectively, and there was statistical differences among the groups. The Cronbach alpha of the rating scale was 0.9724, and during the split-reliability test, the two-splited part of the rating scale were highly correlated (r = 0.9729, P = 0.000). The Spearman correlative coefficient between each item and the score of the rating scale was from 0.643 to 0.882 (P = 0.000). There was good correlation between the conclusion according to the rating scale and the experts' opinion (kappa = 0.841, P = 0.000). When the discriminate analysis was used, 7 items were included into the discrimination equation, and 92.6% subjects were identified as the correct groups using the equation. There is satisfied reliability and validity on civil capacity rating scale for mentally disabled patients. The rating scale can be used as effective tools to grade their civil capacity during the forensic expertise.

  20. [Psychometric assessment of defense mechanisms: correlation between questionnaire and expert rating. Initial study of validity].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reister, G; Fellhauer, R F; Franz, M; Wirth, T; Schellberg, D; Schepank, H; Tress, W

    1993-01-01

    Within the limits of an epidemiological longitudinal field survey on prevalence and course of psychogenic disorders a high-risk-population suffering from medical psychogenic impairment was investigated. The study was conducted in order to verify an etiological multi-level-model of psychogenic disorders in relation to the socialempiric variables "critical life events" and "social support" as well as the depth psychological oriented construct "personality". Besides other instruments a self rating scale based on Vallant's hierarchical model of defense, i.e. the german adaptation of the DSQ (Defense Style Questionnaire) of Bond and coworkers, was used for the accurate measurement of relevant personality parameters. Although defense processes predominantly work unconscious, manifestations of defense mechanisms could be measured indirectly by means of the rating scale. Its essential dimensions separated clinical patients from a group of healthy controls. Furthermore an immature organisation of defense was found to be related to psychogenic impairment. Concerning self- and expert-rating a significant correlation between "immature defense" and the defense mechanisms "schizoid phantasy", "projection" and "acting out" was proved.

  1. Rating scales in general practice depression

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bech, Per; Paykel, Eugene; Sireling, Lester

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Our objective was to investigate to what extent the Clinical Interview for Depression (CID) used in the general practice setting covers clinically valid subscales (depression, anxiety, and apathy) which can measure outcome of antidepressant therapy as well as identifying subsyndromes...... within major depressive disorder. The CID was compared to the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D17). METHODS: 146 patients from a previous study in general practice with the CID were investigated. The item response theory model established by Rasch was used to investigate the scalability (a scale...... (approximately 20%) had an atypical depression. LIMITATIONS: The samples were derived from a single study and were all rated by a single rater. CONCLUSION: The CID contains subscales of depression, anxiety, and apathy with an acceptable scalability for use in general practice. A subsyndrome of atypical...

  2. Validation of the Peripheral Ultrasound-guided Vascular Access Rating Scale

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Primdahl, Stine C.; Weile, Jesper; Clemmesen, Louise

    2018-01-01

    rating scale (P =.029, one-way ANOVA), and the P-UGVA rating scale scores also correlated strongly with the overall performance evaluations (rho=0.87, PPearson correlation). We calculated a pass/fail score of 29, which lead to a theoretical false positive rate of 26.5% and false negative rate of 8...

  3. Ataxia rating scales are age-dependent in healthy children

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brandsma, Rick; Spits, Anne H.; Kuiper, Marieke J.; Lunsing, Roelinka J.; Burger, Huibert; Kremer, Hubertus P.; Sival, Deborah A.

    AIM: To investigate ataxia rating scales in children for reliability and the effect of age and sex. METHOD: Three independent neuropaediatric observers cross-sectionally scored a set of paediatric ataxia rating scales in a group of 52 healthy children (26 males, 26 females) aged 4 to 16 years (mean

  4. Mechanical deformation of atomic-scale metallic contacts: Structure and mechanisms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Mads Reinholdt; Brandbyge, Mads; Jacobsen, Karsten Wedel

    1998-01-01

    We have simulated the mechanical deformation of atomic-scale metallic contacts under tensile strain using molecular dynamics and effective medium theory potentials. The evolution of the structure of the contacts and the underlying deformation mechanisms are described along with the calculated......, but vacancies can be permanently present. The transition states and energies for slip mechanisms have been determined using the nudged elastic band method, and we find a size-dependent crossover from a dislocation-mediated slip to a homogeneous slip when the contact diameter becomes less than a few nm. We show...

  5. Symptom rating scale for assessing hyperthyroidism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klein, I; Trzepacz, P T; Roberts, M; Levey, G S

    1988-02-01

    A hyperthyroid symptom scale (HSS) was designed and administered to ten subjects with untreated Graves' disease. All subjects had clinical and chemical evidence of hyperthyroidism and reproducible HSS scores of 20 or more points. During sequential treatments with propranolol hydrochloride (phase 2) followed by propylthiouracil (phase 3) there was a significant decline in the HSS scores at each phase. Accompanying the decrease in HSS scores was a decrease in heart rate, but there was no change in thyroid function test results at phase 2 and a decrease in heart rate, thyroid function test results, and goiter size at phase 3. This new scale includes ten categories of symptoms, it is sensitive to changes in both the adrenergic and metabolic components of hyperthyroidism, and it is useful in the clinical assessment and management of patients with thyrotoxicosis.

  6. Logical error rate scaling of the toric code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watson, Fern H E; Barrett, Sean D

    2014-01-01

    To date, a great deal of attention has focused on characterizing the performance of quantum error correcting codes via their thresholds, the maximum correctable physical error rate for a given noise model and decoding strategy. Practical quantum computers will necessarily operate below these thresholds meaning that other performance indicators become important. In this work we consider the scaling of the logical error rate of the toric code and demonstrate how, in turn, this may be used to calculate a key performance indicator. We use a perfect matching decoding algorithm to find the scaling of the logical error rate and find two distinct operating regimes. The first regime admits a universal scaling analysis due to a mapping to a statistical physics model. The second regime characterizes the behaviour in the limit of small physical error rate and can be understood by counting the error configurations leading to the failure of the decoder. We present a conjecture for the ranges of validity of these two regimes and use them to quantify the overhead—the total number of physical qubits required to perform error correction. (paper)

  7. Development of the Self-Esteem Rating Scale for Children (Revised).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiu, Lian-Hwang

    1987-01-01

    Developed a teacher's rating scale of self-esteem for children. Participants were 231 school children in grades K-7. Used sociometric measures, popularity ranking by teachers, and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory to estimate validity. The Self-Esteem Rating Scale for Children (SERSC) included 12 behavioral characteristics rated most…

  8. Ataxia rating scales are age-dependent in healthy children

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brandsma, Rick; Spits, Anne H.; Kuiper, Marieke J.; Lunsing, Roelinka J.; Burger, Huibert; Kremer, Hubertus P.; Sival, Deborah A.; Barisic, N.; Baxter, P.; Brankovic-Sreckovic, V.; Calabrò, G. E.; Catsman-Berrevoets, C.; de Coo, Ifm; Craiu, D.; Dan, B.; Gburek-Augustat, J.; Kammoun-Feki, F.; Kennedy, C.; Mancini, F.; Mirabelli-Badenier, M.; Nemeth, A.; Newton, R.; Poll-The, B. T.; Steinlin, M.; Synofzik, M.; Topcu, M.; Triki, C.; Valente, E. M.

    2014-01-01

    To investigate ataxia rating scales in children for reliability and the effect of age and sex. Three independent neuropaediatric observers cross-sectionally scored a set of paediatric ataxia rating scales in a group of 52 healthy children (26 males, 26 females) aged 4 to 16 years (mean age 10y 5mo

  9. Degradation mechanisms of small scale piping systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartonicek, J.; Koenig, G.; Blind, D.

    1996-01-01

    Operational experience shows that many degradation mechanisms can have an effect on small-scale piping systems. We can see from the analyses carried out that the degradation which has occurred is primarily linked with the fact that these piping systems were classified as being of low safety relevance. This is mainly due to such components being classified into low safety relevance category at the design stage, as well as to the low level of operational monitoring. Since in spite of the variety of designs and operational modes the degradation mechanisms detected may be attributed to the piping systems, we can make decisive statements on how to avoid such degradation mechanisms. Even small-scale piping systems may achieve guaranteed integrity in such cases by taking the appropriate action. (orig.) [de

  10. Decoupling local mechanics from large-scale structure in modular metamaterials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Nan; Silverberg, Jesse L.

    2017-04-01

    A defining feature of mechanical metamaterials is that their properties are determined by the organization of internal structure instead of the raw fabrication materials. This shift of attention to engineering internal degrees of freedom has coaxed relatively simple materials into exhibiting a wide range of remarkable mechanical properties. For practical applications to be realized, however, this nascent understanding of metamaterial design must be translated into a capacity for engineering large-scale structures with prescribed mechanical functionality. Thus, the challenge is to systematically map desired functionality of large-scale structures backward into a design scheme while using finite parameter domains. Such “inverse design” is often complicated by the deep coupling between large-scale structure and local mechanical function, which limits the available design space. Here, we introduce a design strategy for constructing 1D, 2D, and 3D mechanical metamaterials inspired by modular origami and kirigami. Our approach is to assemble a number of modules into a voxelized large-scale structure, where the module’s design has a greater number of mechanical design parameters than the number of constraints imposed by bulk assembly. This inequality allows each voxel in the bulk structure to be uniquely assigned mechanical properties independent from its ability to connect and deform with its neighbors. In studying specific examples of large-scale metamaterial structures we show that a decoupling of global structure from local mechanical function allows for a variety of mechanically and topologically complex designs.

  11. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MECHANICS OF FILM RATING.

    Science.gov (United States)

    HANDY, RICKI; AND OTHERS

    A TRANSCRIPTION WAS MADE OF A GROUP DISCUSSION DEALING WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF RATING SCALES AND THE TECHNIQUES OF FILM RATING AND OF USE OF THE EQUIPMENT. THE AMIDON-FLANDERS INTERACTION ANALYSIS SCALE WAS USED AS THE BASIS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FILM ANALYSIS OF INTERACTION RECORD (FAIR). DISCUSSIONS DEALT WITH SUCH PROBLEMS OF FILM RATING…

  12. Validation of the Adult ADHD Investigator Symptom Rating Scale (AISRS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spencer, Thomas J.; Adler, Lenard A.; Qiao, Meihua; Saylor, Keith E.; Brown, Thomas E.; Holdnack, James A.; Schuh, Kory J.; Trzepacz, Paula T.; Kelsey, Douglas K.

    2010-01-01

    Objective: Validation of the Adult ADHD Investigator Symptom Rating Scale (AISRS) that measures aspects of ADHD in adults. Method: Psychometric properties of the AISRS total and AISRS subscales are analyzed and compared to the Conners' Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale-Investigator Rated: Screening Version (CAARS-Inv:SV)…

  13. Oak Ridge Integrated Field-Scale Research Challenge ERKP686: Multi-scale Investigations on the Rates and Mechanisms of Targeted Immobilization and Natural Attenuation of Metal, Radionuclide and Co-Contaminants in the Subsurface (project overview)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phil Jardine; Dave Watson; Susan Hubbard; Ken Williams; J. Chen

    2007-01-01

    Historical disposal of wastes from the operation of three industrial plant sites on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) has created extensive areas of subsurface inorganic, organic, and radioactive contamination (thousands of unlined trenches, pits, ponds). These wastes have resulted in approximately 1,500 acres of contaminated groundwater on the ORR. Much of the original contamination is now present as secondary sources within the soil-rock matrix outside of the original disposal sites. The secondary source areas are extensive and encompass regions on the watershed scale (tens of km). A significant limitation in assessing remediation needs of the secondary contaminant sources is the lack of information on the rates and mechanisms of coupled hydrological, geochemical, and microbial processes that control contaminant migration. Contaminant fluxes emanating from the secondary sources are often so high as to prevent complete attenuation of the groundwater plumes. Interventions such as source actions may be a prerequisite for effective and rapid natural attenuation (source actions such as: reduction of the soluble contaminant concentration at the source or controlling the flux from the source to groundwater by decreasing recharge). The goals are to advance the understanding and predictive capability of coupled hydrological, geochemical, and microbiological processes that control in situ transport, remediation and natural attenuation of metals, radionuclides, and co-contaminants (i.e. U, Tc, NO 3 ) across multiple scales ranging from molecular to watershed levels. Provide multi-process, multi-scale predictive monitoring and modeling tools that can be used at sites throughout the DOE complex to: (1) inform and improve the technical basis for decision making, and (2) assess which sites are amenable to natural attenuation and which would benefit from source zone remedial intervention. The objectives are: (1) quantify recharge and other hydraulic drivers for groundwater flow

  14. Application of a mechanism-based rate equation to black liquor gasification rate data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Overacker, N.L.; Waag, K.J.; Frederick, W.J. [Oregon State University, OR (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Whitty, K.J.

    1995-09-01

    There is growing interest worldwide to develop alternate chemical recovery processes for paper mills which are cheaper, safer, more efficient and more environmentally sound than traditional technology. Pressurized gasification of black liquor is the basis for many proposed schemes and offers the possibility to double the amount of electricity generated per unit of dry black liquor solids. Such technology also has capital, safety and environmental advantages. One of the most important considerations regarding this emerging technology is the kinetics of the gasification reaction. This has been studied empirically at Aabo Akademi University for the pressurized gasification with carbon dioxide and steam. For the purposes of reactor modeling and scale-up, however, a thorough understanding of the mechanism behind the reaction is desirable. This report discusses the applicability of a mechanism-based rate equation to gasification of black liquor. The mechanism considered was developed for alkali-catalyzed gasification of carbon and is tested using black liquor gasification data obtained during simultaneous reaction with H{sub 2}O and CO. Equilibrium considerations and the influence of the water-gas shift reaction are also discussed. The work presented here is a cooperative effort between Aabo Akademi University and Oregon State University. The experimental work and some of the data analysis was performed at Aabo Akademi University. Development of the models and consideration of their applicability was performed primarily at Oregon State University

  15. Computer-Administered Interviews and Rating Scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garb, Howard N.

    2007-01-01

    To evaluate the value of computer-administered interviews and rating scales, the following topics are reviewed in the present article: (a) strengths and weaknesses of structured and unstructured assessment instruments, (b) advantages and disadvantages of computer administration, and (c) the validity and utility of computer-administered interviews…

  16. Gradient plasticity for thermo-mechanical processes in metals with length and time scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voyiadjis, George Z.; Faghihi, Danial

    2013-03-01

    A thermodynamically consistent framework is developed in order to characterize the mechanical and thermal behavior of metals in small volume and on the fast transient time. In this regard, an enhanced gradient plasticity theory is coupled with the application of a micromorphic approach to the temperature variable. A physically based yield function based on the concept of thermal activation energy and the dislocation interaction mechanisms including nonlinear hardening is taken into consideration in the derivation. The effect of the material microstructural interface between two materials is also incorporated in the formulation with both temperature and rate effects. In order to accurately address the strengthening and hardening mechanisms, the theory is developed based on the decomposition of the mechanical state variables into energetic and dissipative counterparts which endowed the constitutive equations to have both energetic and dissipative gradient length scales for the bulk material and the interface. Moreover, the microstructural interaction effect in the fast transient process is addressed by incorporating two time scales into the microscopic heat equation. The numerical example of thin film on elastic substrate or a single phase bicrystal under uniform tension is addressed here. The effects of individual counterparts of the framework on the thermal and mechanical responses are investigated. The model is also compared with experimental results.

  17. Development of a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale for Leadership

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-01

    Research Product 2018-06 Development of a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale for Leadership Tatiana H. Toumbeva Krista L...anchored Rating Scale for Leadership 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W5J9CQ-11-D-0004 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 62278 6...observer- based behavioral measure to help instructors more reliably and accurately evaluate the development of leadership attributes and competencies

  18. Are self-report scales as effective as clinician rating scales in measuring treatment response in routine clinical practice?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimmerman, Mark; Walsh, Emily; Friedman, Michael; Boerescu, Daniela A; Attiullah, Naureen

    2018-01-01

    Recent treatment guidelines have suggested that outcome should be measured in routine clinical practice. In the present report from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project, we compared three self-report scales of depressive symptoms and the two most widely used clinician administered scales in treatment studies in their sensitivity to change and evaluation of treatment response in depressed patients treated in routine practice. At baseline and 4-month follow-up 153 depressed outpatients with DSM-IV MDD completed the Clinically Useful Depression Outcome Scale (CUDOS), Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-report version (QIDS-SR), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The patients were rated on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). On each scale treatment response was defined as a 50% or greater reduction in scores from baseline. While there were some differences in the percentage of patients considered to be responders on the different scales, a large effect size was found for each scale, with little variability amongst the scales. The level of agreement between the three self-report scales and the clinician rating scales was approximately the same LIMITATIONS: The present study was conducted in a single clinical practice in which the majority of the patients were white, female, and had health insurance. When measuring outcome in clinical practice the magnitude of change in depressive symptoms is as great on self-report scales as on clinician rating scales. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Genome-Wide Fine-Scale Recombination Rate Variation in Drosophila melanogaster

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Yun S.

    2012-01-01

    Estimating fine-scale recombination maps of Drosophila from population genomic data is a challenging problem, in particular because of the high background recombination rate. In this paper, a new computational method is developed to address this challenge. Through an extensive simulation study, it is demonstrated that the method allows more accurate inference, and exhibits greater robustness to the effects of natural selection and noise, compared to a well-used previous method developed for studying fine-scale recombination rate variation in the human genome. As an application, a genome-wide analysis of genetic variation data is performed for two Drosophila melanogaster populations, one from North America (Raleigh, USA) and the other from Africa (Gikongoro, Rwanda). It is shown that fine-scale recombination rate variation is widespread throughout the D. melanogaster genome, across all chromosomes and in both populations. At the fine-scale, a conservative, systematic search for evidence of recombination hotspots suggests the existence of a handful of putative hotspots each with at least a tenfold increase in intensity over the background rate. A wavelet analysis is carried out to compare the estimated recombination maps in the two populations and to quantify the extent to which recombination rates are conserved. In general, similarity is observed at very broad scales, but substantial differences are seen at fine scales. The average recombination rate of the X chromosome appears to be higher than that of the autosomes in both populations, and this pattern is much more pronounced in the African population than the North American population. The correlation between various genomic features—including recombination rates, diversity, divergence, GC content, gene content, and sequence quality—is examined using the wavelet analysis, and it is shown that the most notable difference between D. melanogaster and humans is in the correlation between recombination and

  20. Psychometric properties of ADHD rating scales among children with mental retardation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Michael L; Fee, Virginia E; Jones, Christie J

    2004-01-01

    The validity of hyperactivity rating scales in children with mental retardation was evaluated. Forty-eight children with mental retardation were rated by parents, teachers and teaching assistants on rating scales measuring Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as part of a related investigation. In addition, direct observations were conducted using the Abikoff Classroom Observation Code. The concurrent validity of each scale was examined. Scales completed by both teachers and teaching assistants were found to provide valid information for the assessment of ADHD in mentally retarded children. Results provided the best support for the ABC-C in the assessment of ADHD in mentally retarded children.

  1. Micro and Nano-Scale Technologies for Cell Mechanics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mustafa Unal

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Cell mechanics is a multidisciplinary field that bridges cell biology, fundamental mechanics, and micro and nanotechnology, which synergize to help us better understand the intricacies and the complex nature of cells in their native environment. With recent advances in nanotechnology, microfabrication methods and micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS, we are now well situated to tap into the complex micro world of cells. The field that brings biology and MEMS together is known as Biological MEMS (BioMEMS. BioMEMS take advantage of systematic design and fabrication methods to create platforms that allow us to study cells like never before. These new technologies have been rapidly advancing the study of cell mechanics. This review article provides a succinct overview of cell mechanics and comprehensively surveys micro and nano-scale technologies that have been specifically developed for and are relevant to the mechanics of cells. Here we focus on micro and nano-scale technologies, and their applications in biology and medicine, including imaging, single cell analysis, cancer cell mechanics, organ-on-a-chip systems, pathogen detection, implantable devices, neuroscience and neurophysiology. We also provide a perspective on the future directions and challenges of technologies that relate to the mechanics of cells.

  2. 2010 Thin Film & Small Scale Mechanical Behavior Gordon Research Conference

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dr. Thomas Balk

    2010-07-30

    Over the past decades, it has been well established that the mechanical behavior of materials changes when they are confined geometrically at least in one dimension to small scale. It is the aim of the 2010 Gordon Conference on 'Thin Film and Small Scale Mechanical Behavior' to discuss cutting-edge research on elastic, plastic and time-dependent deformation as well as degradation mechanisms like fracture, fatigue and wear at small scales. As in the past, the conference will benefit from contributions from fundamental studies of physical mechanisms linked to material science and engineering reaching towards application in modern applications ranging from optical and microelectronic devices and nano- or micro-electrical mechanical systems to devices for energy production and storage. The conference will feature entirely new testing methodologies and in situ measurements as well as recent progress in atomistic and micromechanical modeling. Particularly, emerging topics in the area of energy conversion and storage, such as material for batteries will be highlighted. The study of small-scale mechanical phenomena in systems related to energy production, conversion or storage offer an enticing opportunity to materials scientists, who can provide new insight and investigate these phenomena with methods that have not previously been exploited.

  3. The Menopause Rating Scale (MRS scale: A methodological review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Strelow Frank

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background This paper compiles data from different sources to get a first comprehensive picture of psychometric and other methodological characteristics of the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS scale. The scale was designed and standardized as a self-administered scale to (a to assess symptoms/complaints of aging women under different conditions, (b to evaluate the severity of symptoms over time, and (c to measure changes pre- and postmenopause replacement therapy. The scale became widespread used (available in 10 languages. Method A large multinational survey (9 countries in 4 continents from 2001/ 2002 is the basis for in depth analyses on reliability and validity of the MRS. Additional small convenience samples were used to get first impressions about test-retest reliability. The data were centrally analyzed. Data from a postmarketing HRT study were used to estimate discriminative validity. Results Reliability measures (consistency and test-retest stability were found to be good across countries, although the sample size for test-retest reliability was small. Validity: The internal structure of the MRS across countries was astonishingly similar to conclude that the scale really measures the same phenomenon in symptomatic women. The sub-scores and total score correlations were high (0.7–0.9 but lower among the sub-scales (0.5–0.7. This however suggests that the subscales are not fully independent. Norm values from different populations were presented showing that a direct comparison between Europe and North America is possible, but caution recommended with comparisons of data from Latin America and Indonesia. But this will not affect intra-individual comparisons within clinical trials. The comparison with the Kupperman Index showed sufficiently good correlations, illustrating an adept criterion-oriented validity. The same is true for the comparison with the generic quality-of-life scale SF-36 where also a sufficiently close association

  4. Exploration of mechanisms underlying the strain-rate-dependent mechanical property of single chondrocytes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nguyen, Trung Dung; Gu, YuanTong, E-mail: yuantong.gu@qut.edu.au [School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland (Australia)

    2014-05-05

    Based on the characterization by Atomic Force Microscopy, we report that the mechanical property of single chondrocytes has dependency on the strain-rates. By comparing the mechanical deformation responses and the Young's moduli of living and fixed chondrocytes at four different strain-rates, we explore the deformation mechanisms underlying this dependency property. We found that the strain-rate-dependent mechanical property of living cells is governed by both of the cellular cytoskeleton and the intracellular fluid when the fixed chondrocytes are mainly governed by their intracellular fluid, which is called the consolidation-dependent deformation behavior. Finally, we report that the porohyperelastic constitutive material model which can capture the consolidation-dependent behavior of both living and fixed chondrocytes is a potential candidature to study living cell biomechanics.

  5. Mechanism of Strain Rate Effect Based on Dislocation Theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kun, Qin; Shi-Sheng, Hu; Li-Ming, Yang

    2009-01-01

    Based on dislocation theory, we investigate the mechanism of strain rate effect. Strain rate effect and dislocation motion are bridged by Orowan's relationship, and the stress dependence of dislocation velocity is considered as the dynamics relationship of dislocation motion. The mechanism of strain rate effect is then investigated qualitatively by using these two relationships although the kinematics relationship of dislocation motion is absent due to complicated styles of dislocation motion. The process of strain rate effect is interpreted and some details of strain rate effect are adequately discussed. The present analyses agree with the existing experimental results. Based on the analyses, we propose that strain rate criteria rather than stress criteria should be satisfied when a metal is fully yielded at a given strain rate. (condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties)

  6. The Development of the Cleft Aesthetic Rating Scale: A New Rating Scale for the Assessment of Nasolabial Appearance in Complete Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mosmuller, David G M; Mennes, Lisette M; Prahl, Charlotte; Kramer, Gem J C; Disse, Melissa A; van Couwelaar, Gijs M; Niessen, Frank B; Griot, J P W Don

    2017-09-01

      The development of the Cleft Aesthetic Rating Scale, a simple and reliable photographic reference scale for the assessment of nasolabial appearance in complete unilateral cleft lip and palate patients.   A blind retrospective analysis of photographs of cleft lip and palate patients was performed with this new rating scale.   VU Medical Center Amsterdam and the Academic Center for Dentistry of Amsterdam.   Complete unilateral cleft lip and palate patients at the age of 6 years.   Photographs that showed the highest interobserver agreement in earlier assessments were selected for the photographic reference scale. Rules were attached to the rating scale to provide a guideline for the assessment and improve interobserver reliability. Cropped photographs revealing only the nasolabial area were assessed by six observers using this new Cleft Aesthetic Rating Scale in two different sessions.   Photographs of 62 children (6 years of age, 44 boys and 18 girls) were assessed. The interobserver reliability for the nose and lip together was 0.62, obtained with the intraclass correlation coefficient. To measure the internal consistency, a Cronbach alpha of .91 was calculated. The estimated reliability for three observers was .84, obtained with the Spearman Brown formula.   A new, easy to use, and reliable scoring system with a photographic reference scale is presented in this study.

  7. Dysautonomia rating scales in Parkinson's disease: sialorrhea, dysphagia, and constipation--critique and recommendations by movement disorders task force on rating scales for Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evatt, Marian L; Chaudhuri, K Ray; Chou, Kelvin L; Cubo, Ester; Hinson, Vanessa; Kompoliti, Katie; Yang, Chengwu; Poewe, Werner; Rascol, Olivier; Sampaio, Cristina; Stebbins, Glenn T; Goetz, Christopher G

    2009-04-15

    Upper and lower gastrointestinal dysautonomia symptoms (GIDS)--sialorrhea, dysphagia, and constipation are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and often socially as well as physically disabling for patients. Available invasive quantitative measures for assessing these symptoms and their response to therapy are time-consuming, require specialized equipment, can cause patient discomfort and present patients with risk. The Movement Disorders Society commissioned a task force to assess available clinical rating scales, critique their clinimetric properties, and make recommendations regarding their clinical utility. Six clinical researchers and a biostatistician systematically searched the literature for scales of sialorrhea, dysphagia, and constipation, evaluated the scales' previous use, performance parameters, and quality of validation data (if available). A scale was designated "Recommended" if the scale was used in clinical studies beyond the group that developed it, has been specifically used in PD reports, and clinimetric studies have established that it is a valid, reliable, and sensitive. "Suggested" scales met at least part of the above criteria, but fell short of meeting all. Based on the systematic review, scales for individual symptoms of sialorrhea, dysphagia, and constipation were identified along with three global scales that include these symptoms in the context of assessing dysautonomia or nonmotor symptoms. Three sialorrhea scales met criteria for Suggested: Drooling Severity and Frequency Scale (DSFS), Drooling Rating Scale, and Sialorrhea Clinical Scale for PD (SCS-PD). Two dysphagia scales, the Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire (SDQ) and Dysphagia-Specific Quality of Life (SWAL-QOL), met criteria for Suggested. Although Rome III constipation module is widely accepted in the gastroenterology community, and the earlier version from the Rome II criteria has been used in a single study of PD patients, neither met criteria for Suggested or Recommended

  8. The Parenting Anxious Kids Ratings Scale-Parent Report (PAKRS-PR): Initial Scale Development and Psychometric Properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flessner, Christopher A; Murphy, Yolanda E; Brennan, Elle; D'Auria, Alexandra

    2017-08-01

    Developmental models of pediatric anxiety posit multiple, maladaptive parenting behaviors as potential risk factors. Despite this, a standardized means of assessing multiple of these practices (i.e., anxiogenic parenting) in a comprehensive and efficient manner are lacking. In Study 1531 parents of children 7-17 years old completed an online survey via Amazon Mechanical Turk. In Study 2, a separate community sample (N = 109; 9-17 years old) was recruited and completed a comprehensive assessment battery as part of a larger study. All parents (Study 1 and 2 samples) completed the Parenting Anxious Kids Ratings Scale-Parent Report (PAKRS-PR), a measurement tool designed to assess anxiogenic parenting. Factor analysis conducted as part of Study 1 revealed a 32-item scale consisting of five factors: conflict, overinvolvement, accommodation/beliefs, modeling, and emotional warmth/support. Four of these factors were significantly correlated with parent-report of anxiety severity. Within Study 2, the parents of children diagnosed with an anxiety or related disorder reported significantly higher levels of anxiogenic parenting practices as compared to the parents of healthy controls. The PAKRS-PR and respective subscales demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity in both the internet (Study 1) and community (Study 2) samples. The PAKRS-PR may be a beneficial multidimensional parenting scale for use among anxious youths.

  9. K-State Problem Identification Rating Scales for College Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, John M.; Benton, Stephen L.; Newton, Fred B.; Downey, Ronald G.; Marsh, Patricia A.; Benton, Sheryl A.; Tseng, Wen-Chih; Shin, Kang-Hyun

    2006-01-01

    The K-State Problem Identification Rating Scales, a new screening instrument for college counseling centers, gathers information about clients' presenting symptoms, functioning levels, and readiness to change. Three studies revealed 7 scales: Mood Difficulties, Learning Problems, Food Concerns, Interpersonal Conflicts, Career Uncertainties,…

  10. Psychometric Properties of ADHD Rating Scales among Children with Mental Retardation I: Reliability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Michael L.; Fee, Virginia E.; Netterville, Amanda K.

    2004-01-01

    The reliability of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) rating scales in children with mental retardation was assessed. Parents, teachers, and teaching assistants completed ADHD rating scales on 48 children aged 5-12 diagnosed with mental retardation. Measures included the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Conners Rating Scales, the…

  11. Analyzing data from a fuzzy rating scale-based questionnaire. A case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gil, María Ángeles; Lubiano, María Asunción; de la Rosa de Sáa, Sara; Sinova, Beatriz

    2015-01-01

    The fuzzy rating scale was introduced to cope with the imprecision of human thought and experience in measuring attitudes in many fields of Psychology. The flexibility and expressiveness of this scale allow us to properly describe the answers to many questions involving psychological measurement. Analyzing the responses to a fuzzy rating scale-based questionnaire is indeed a critical problem. Nevertheless, over the last years, a methodology is being developed to analyze statistically fuzzy data in such a way that the information they contain is fully exploited. In this paper, a summary review of the main procedures is given. The methods are illustrated by their application on the dataset obtained from a case study with nine-year-old children. In this study, children replied to some questions from the well-known TIMSS/PIRLS questionnaire by using a fuzzy rating scale. The form could be filled in either on the computer or by hand. The study indicates that the requirements of background and training underlying the fuzzy rating scale are not too demanding. Moreover, it is clearly shown that statistical conclusions substantially often differ depending on the responses being given in accordance with either a Likert scale or a fuzzy rating scale.

  12. Item Response Theory Analyses of the Parent and Teacher Ratings of the DSM-IV ADHD Rating Scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomez, Rapson

    2008-01-01

    The graded response model (GRM), which is based on item response theory (IRT), was used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms in an ADHD rating scale. To accomplish this, parents and teachers completed the DSM-IV ADHD Rating Scale (DARS; Gomez et al., "Journal of Child Psychology and…

  13. Effective Rating Scale Development for Speaking Tests: Performance Decision Trees

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fulcher, Glenn; Davidson, Fred; Kemp, Jenny

    2011-01-01

    Rating scale design and development for testing speaking is generally conducted using one of two approaches: the measurement-driven approach or the performance data-driven approach. The measurement-driven approach prioritizes the ordering of descriptors onto a single scale. Meaning is derived from the scaling methodology and the agreement of…

  14. Heart rate detection from an electronic weighing scale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    González-Landaeta, R; Casas, O; Pallàs-Areny, R

    2008-01-01

    We propose a novel technique for beat-to-beat heart rate detection based on the ballistocardiographic (BCG) force signal from a subject standing on a common electronic weighing scale. The detection relies on sensing force variations related to the blood acceleration in the aorta, works even if wearing footwear and does not require any sensors attached to the body because it uses the load cells in the scale. We have devised an approach to estimate the sensitivity and frequency response of three commercial weighing scales to assess their capability to detect the BCG force signal. Static sensitivities ranged from 490 nV V −1 N −1 to 1670 nV V −1 N −1 . The frequency response depended on the subject's mass but it was broad enough for heart rate estimation. We have designed an electronic pulse detection system based on off-the-shelf integrated circuits to sense heart-beat-related force variations of about 0.24 N. The signal-to-noise ratio of the main peaks of the force signal detected was higher than 30 dB. A Bland–Altman plot was used to compare the RR time intervals estimated from the ECG and BCG force signals for 17 volunteers. The error was ±21 ms, which makes the proposed technique suitable for short-term monitoring of the heart rate

  15. Nonlinear wave mechanics from classical dynamics and scale covariance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hammad, F.

    2007-01-01

    Nonlinear Schroedinger equations proposed by Kostin and by Doebner and Goldin are rederived from Nottale's prescription for obtaining quantum mechanics from classical mechanics in nondifferentiable spaces; i.e., from hydrodynamical concepts and scale covariance. Some soliton and plane wave solutions are discussed

  16. Analysis of the Professional Choice Self-Efficacy Scale Using the Rasch-Andrich Rating Scale Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ambiel, Rodolfo A. M.; Noronha, Ana Paula Porto; de Francisco Carvalho, Lucas

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this research was to analyze the psychometrics properties of the professional choice self-efficacy scale (PCSES), using the Rasch-Andrich rating scale model. The PCSES assesses four factors: self-appraisal, gathering occupational information, practical professional information search and future planning. Participants were 883 Brazilian…

  17. Multi-scale modelling of the hydro-mechanical behaviour of argillaceous rocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van den Eijnden, Bram

    2015-01-01

    Feasibility studies for deep geological radioactive waste disposal facilities have led to an increased interest in the geomechanical modelling of its host rock. In France, a potential host rock is the Callovo-Oxfordian clay-stone. The low permeability of this material is of key importance, as the principle of deep geological disposal strongly relies on the sealing capacity of the host formation. The permeability being coupled to the mechanical material state, hydro-mechanical coupled behaviour of the clay-stone becomes important when mechanical alterations are induced by gallery excavation in the so-called excavation damaged zone (EDZ). In materials with microstructure such as the Callovo-Oxfordian clay-stone, the macroscopic behaviour has its origin in the interaction of its micromechanical constituents. In addition to the coupling between hydraulic and mechanical behaviour, a coupling between the micro (material microstructure) and macro scale will be made. By means of the development of a framework of computational homogenization for hydro-mechanical coupling, a double-scale modelling approach is formulated, for which the macro-scale constitutive relations are derived from the microscale by homogenization. An existing model for the modelling of hydro-mechanical coupling based on the distinct definition of grains and intergranular pore space is adopted and modified to enable the application of first order computational homogenization for obtaining macro-scale stress and fluid transport responses. This model is used to constitute a periodic representative elementary volume (REV) that allows the representation of the local macroscopic behaviour of the clay-stone. As a response to deformation loading, the behaviour of the REV represents the numerical equivalent of a constitutive relation at the macro-scale. For the required consistent tangent operators, the framework of computational homogenization by static condensation is extended to hydro-mechanical coupling. The

  18. Thermo-mechanical efficiency of the bimetallic strip heat engine at the macro-scale and micro-scale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arnaud, A; Boughaleb, J; Monfray, S; Boeuf, F; Skotnicki, T; Cugat, O

    2015-01-01

    Bimetallic strip heat engines are energy harvesters that exploit the thermo-mechanical properties of bistable bimetallic membranes to convert heat into mechanical energy. They thus represent a solution to transform low-grade heat into electrical energy if the bimetallic membrane is coupled with an electro-mechanical transducer. The simplicity of these devices allows us to consider their miniaturization using MEMS fabrication techniques. In order to design and optimize these devices at the macro-scale and micro-scale, this article proposes an explanation of the origin of the thermal snap-through by giving the expressions of the constitutive equations of composite beams. This allows us to evaluate the capability of bimetallic strips to convert heat into mechanical energy whatever their size is, and to give the theoretical thermo-mechanical efficiencies which can be obtained with these harvesters. (paper)

  19. The scaling of maximum and basal metabolic rates of mammals and birds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbosa, Lauro A.; Garcia, Guilherme J. M.; da Silva, Jafferson K. L.

    2006-01-01

    Allometric scaling is one of the most pervasive laws in biology. Its origin, however, is still a matter of dispute. Recent studies have established that maximum metabolic rate scales with an exponent larger than that found for basal metabolism. This unpredicted result sets a challenge that can decide which of the concurrent hypotheses is the correct theory. Here, we show that both scaling laws can be deduced from a single network model. Besides the 3/4-law for basal metabolism, the model predicts that maximum metabolic rate scales as M, maximum heart rate as M, and muscular capillary density as M, in agreement with data.

  20. Not Worth the Extra Cost? Diluting the Differentiation Ability of Highly Rated Products by Altering the Meaning of Rating Scale Levels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meissner, Martin; Heinzle, Stefanie Lena; Decker, Reinhold

    2013-01-01

    Over the last decade, the use of rating scales has grown in popularity in various fields, including customer online reviews and energy labels. Rating scales convey important information on attributes of products or services that consumers evaluate in their purchase decisions. By applying...... characteristics. In addition, two choice-based conjoint studies examine whether the way consumers make their choices among products can be influenced by changing the labeling of rating scale levels. The results show that a manipulation of the meaning of rating scale levels diminishes both the importance...

  1. Scale factor measure method without turntable for angular rate gyroscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Fangyi; Han, Xuefei; Yao, Yanqing; Xiong, Yuting; Huang, Yuqiong; Wang, Hua

    2018-03-01

    In this paper, a scale factor test method without turntable is originally designed for the angular rate gyroscope. A test system which consists of test device, data acquisition circuit and data processing software based on Labview platform is designed. Taking advantage of gyroscope's sensitivity of angular rate, a gyroscope with known scale factor, serves as a standard gyroscope. The standard gyroscope is installed on the test device together with a measured gyroscope. By shaking the test device around its edge which is parallel to the input axis of gyroscope, the scale factor of the measured gyroscope can be obtained in real time by the data processing software. This test method is fast. It helps test system miniaturized, easy to carry or move. Measure quarts MEMS gyroscope's scale factor multi-times by this method, the difference is less than 0.2%. Compare with testing by turntable, the scale factor difference is less than 1%. The accuracy and repeatability of the test system seems good.

  2. Genetic and evolutionary correlates of fine-scale recombination rate variation in Drosophila persimilis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevison, Laurie S; Noor, Mohamed A F

    2010-12-01

    Recombination is fundamental to meiosis in many species and generates variation on which natural selection can act, yet fine-scale linkage maps are cumbersome to construct. We generated a fine-scale map of recombination rates across two major chromosomes in Drosophila persimilis using 181 SNP markers spanning two of five major chromosome arms. Using this map, we report significant fine-scale heterogeneity of local recombination rates. However, we also observed "recombinational neighborhoods," where adjacent intervals had similar recombination rates after excluding regions near the centromere and telomere. We further found significant positive associations of fine-scale recombination rate with repetitive element abundance and a 13-bp sequence motif known to associate with human recombination rates. We noted strong crossover interference extending 5-7 Mb from the initial crossover event. Further, we observed that fine-scale recombination rates in D. persimilis are strongly correlated with those obtained from a comparable study of its sister species, D. pseudoobscura. We documented a significant relationship between recombination rates and intron nucleotide sequence diversity within species, but no relationship between recombination rate and intron divergence between species. These results are consistent with selection models (hitchhiking and background selection) rather than mutagenic recombination models for explaining the relationship of recombination with nucleotide diversity within species. Finally, we found significant correlations between recombination rate and GC content, supporting both GC-biased gene conversion (BGC) models and selection-driven codon bias models. Overall, this genome-enabled map of fine-scale recombination rates allowed us to confirm findings of broader-scale studies and identify multiple novel features that merit further investigation.

  3. Scaling in Rate-Changeable Birth and Death Processes with Random Removals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ke Jianhong; Lin Zhenquan; Chen Xiaoshuang

    2009-01-01

    We propose a monomer birth-death model with random removals, in which an aggregate of size k can produce a new monomer at a time-dependent rate I(t)k or lose one monomer at a rate J(t)k, and with a probability P (t) an aggregate of any size is randomly removed. We then analytically investigate the kinetic evolution of the model by means of the rate equation. The results show that the scaling behavior of the aggregate size distribution is dependent crucially on the net birth rate I(t) - J(t) as well as the birth rate I(t). The aggregate size distribution can approach a standard or modified scaling form in some cases, but it may take a scale-free form in other cases. Moreover, the species can survive finally only if either I(t) - J(t) ≥ P (t) or [J(t) + P (t) - I(t)]t ≅ 0 at t >> 1; otherwise, it will become extinct.

  4. Scale relativity: from quantum mechanics to chaotic dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nottale, L.

    Scale relativity is a new approach to the problem of the origin of fundamental scales and of scaling laws in physics, which consists in generalizing Einstein's principle of relativity to the case of scale transformations of resolutions. We recall here how it leads one to the concept of fractal space-time, and to introduce a new complex time derivative operator which allows to recover the Schrödinger equation, then to generalize it. In high energy quantum physics, it leads to the introduction of a Lorentzian renormalization group, in which the Planck length is reinterpreted as a lowest, unpassable scale, invariant under dilatations. These methods are successively applied to two problems: in quantum mechanics, that of the mass spectrum of elementary particles; in chaotic dynamics, that of the distribution of planets in the Solar System.

  5. Effect of cooling rate on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Nb-microalloyed steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shanmugam, S.; Ramisetti, N.K.; Misra, R.D.K.; Mannering, T.; Panda, D.; Jansto, S.

    2007-01-01

    We describe here the effect of cooling rate on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Nb-microalloyed steels that were processed as structural beams at three different cooling rates. Nb-microalloyed steels exhibited increase in yield strength with increase in cooling rate during processing. However, the increase in the yield strength was not accompanied by loss in toughness. The microstructure at conventional cooling rate, primarily consisted of polygonal ferrite-pearlite microconstituents, while at intermediate cooling rate besides polygonal ferrite and pearlite contained significant fraction of degenerated pearlite and lath-type ferrite. At higher cooling rate, predominantly, lath-type (acicular) or bainitic ferrite was obtained. The precipitation characteristics were similar at the three cooling rates investigated with precipitation occurring at grain boundaries, on dislocations, and in the ferrite matrix. The fine scale (∼8-12 nm) precipitates in the ferrite matrix were MC type of niobium carbides. The microstructural studies suggest that the increase in toughness of Nb-microalloyed steels with increase in cooling rate is related to the change in the microstructure from predominantly ferrite-pearlite to predominantly bainitic ferrite

  6. Effect of cooling rate on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Nb-microalloyed steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shanmugam, S. [Center for Structural and Functional Materials, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504-4130 (United States); Ramisetti, N.K. [Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504-4130 (United States); Misra, R.D.K. [Center for Structural and Functional Materials, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504-4130 (United States); Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504-4130 (United States)], E-mail: dmisra@louisiana.edu; Mannering, T. [Nucor-Yamato Steel, P.O. Box 1228, 5929 East State Highway 18, Blytheville, AR 72316 (United States); Panda, D. [Nucor-Yamato Steel, P.O. Box 1228, 5929 East State Highway 18, Blytheville, AR 72316 (United States); Jansto, S. [Reference Metals, 1000 Old Pond Road, Bridgeville, PA 15017 (United States)

    2007-07-15

    We describe here the effect of cooling rate on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Nb-microalloyed steels that were processed as structural beams at three different cooling rates. Nb-microalloyed steels exhibited increase in yield strength with increase in cooling rate during processing. However, the increase in the yield strength was not accompanied by loss in toughness. The microstructure at conventional cooling rate, primarily consisted of polygonal ferrite-pearlite microconstituents, while at intermediate cooling rate besides polygonal ferrite and pearlite contained significant fraction of degenerated pearlite and lath-type ferrite. At higher cooling rate, predominantly, lath-type (acicular) or bainitic ferrite was obtained. The precipitation characteristics were similar at the three cooling rates investigated with precipitation occurring at grain boundaries, on dislocations, and in the ferrite matrix. The fine scale ({approx}8-12 nm) precipitates in the ferrite matrix were MC type of niobium carbides. The microstructural studies suggest that the increase in toughness of Nb-microalloyed steels with increase in cooling rate is related to the change in the microstructure from predominantly ferrite-pearlite to predominantly bainitic ferrite.

  7. Mechanical similarity as a generalization of scale symmetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gozzi, E; Mauro, D

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, we study the symmetry known (Landau and Lifshits 1976 Course of Theoretical Physics vol 1: Mechanics (Oxford: Pergamon)) as mechanical similarity (LMS) and present for any monomial potential. We analyse it in the framework of the Koopman-von Neumann formulation of classical mechanics and prove that in this framework the LMS can be given a canonical implementation. We also show that the LMS is a generalization of the scale symmetry which is present only for the inverse square and a few other potentials. Finally, we study the main obstructions which one encounters in implementing the LMS at the quantum-mechanical level

  8. Dysautonomia Rating Scales in Parkinson’s Disease: Sialorrhea, Dysphagia, and Constipation—Critique and Recommendations by Movement Disorders Task Force on Rating Scales for Parkinson’s Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evatt, Marian L.; Chaudhuri, K. Ray; Chou, Kelvin L.; Cubo, Ester; Hinson, Vanessa; Kompoliti, Katie; Yang, Chengwu; Poewe, Werner; Rascol, Olivier; Sampaio, Cristina; Stebbins, Glenn T.; Goetz, Christopher G.

    2015-01-01

    Upper and lower gastrointestinal dysautonomia symptoms (GIDS)—sialorrhea, dysphagia, and constipation are common in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and often socially as well as physically disabling for patients. Available invasive quantitative measures for assessing these symptoms and their response to therapy are time-consuming, require specialized equipment, can cause patient discomfort and present patients with risk. The Movement Disorders Society commissioned a task force to assess available clinical rating scales, critique their clinimetric properties, and make recommendations regarding their clinical utility. Six clinical researchers and a biostatistician systematically searched the literature for scales of sialorrhea, dysphagia, and constipation, evaluated the scales’ previous use, performance parameters, and quality of validation data (if available). A scale was designated “Recommended” if the scale was used in clinical studies beyond the group that developed it, has been specifically used in PD reports, and clinimetric studies have established that it is a valid, reliable, and sensitive. “Suggested” scales met at least part of the above criteria, but fell short of meeting all. Based on the systematic review, scales for individual symptoms of sialorrhea, dysphagia, and constipation were identified along with three global scales that include these symptoms in the context of assessing dysautonomia or nonmotor symptoms. Three sialorrhea scales met criteria for Suggested: Drooling Severity and Frequency Scale (DSFS), Drooling Rating Scale, and Sialorrhea Clinical Scale for PD (SCS-PD). Two dysphagia scales, the Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire (SDQ) and Dysphagia-Specific Quality of Life (SWAL-QOL), met criteria for Suggested. Although Rome III constipation module is widely accepted in the gastroenterology community, and the earlier version from the Rome II criteria has been used in a single study of PD patients, neither met criteria for Suggested

  9. The Effect of Rubric Rating Scale on the Evaluation of Engineering Design Projects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thompson, Mary Kathryn; Clemmensen, Line Katrine Harder; Ahn, Beung-uk

    2013-01-01

    This paper explores the impact of the rubric rating scale on the evaluation of projects from a first year engineering design course.Asmall experiment was conducted in which twenty-one experienced graders scored five technical posters using one of four rating scales. All rating scales tested...... produced excellent results in terms of inter-rater reliability and validity. However, there were significant differences in the performance of each of the scales. Based on the experiment’s results and past experience, we conclude that increasing the opportunities for raters to deduct points results...

  10. Linking soil DOC production rates and transport processes from landscapes to sub-basin scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Y. Q.; Yu, Q.; Li, J.; Ye, C.

    2014-12-01

    Recent research rejects the traditional perspective that dissolved organic carbon (DOC) component in global carbon cycle are simply trivial, and in fact evidence demonstrates that lakes likely mediate carbon dynamics on a global scale. Riverine and estuarine carbon fluxes play a critical role in transporting and recycling carbon and nutrients, not only within watersheds but in their receiving waters. However, the underlying mechanisms that drive carbon fluxes, from land to rivers, lake and oceans, remain poorly understood. This presentation will report a research result of the scale-dependent DOC production rate in coastal watersheds and DOC transport processes in estuarine regions. We conducted a series of controlled experiments and field measurements for examining biogeochemical, biological, and geospatial variables that regulate downstream processing on global-relevant carbon fluxes. Results showed that increased temperatures and raised soil moistures accelerate decomposition rates of organic matter with significant variations between vegetation types. The measurements at meso-scale ecosystem demonstrated a good correlation to bulk concentration of DOC monitored in receiving waters at the outlets of sub-basins (R2 > 0.65). These field and experimental measurements improved the model of daily carbon exports through below-ground processes as a function of the organic matter content of surface soils, forest litter supply, and temperature. The study demonstrated a potential improvement in modeling the co-variance of CDOM and DOC with the unique terrestrial sources. This improvement indicated a significant promise for monitoring riverine and estuarine carbon flux from satellite images. The technical innovations include deployments of 1) mini-ecosystem (mesocosms) with soil as replicate controlled experiments for DOC production and leaching rates, and 2) aquatic mesocosms for co-variances of DOC and CDOM endmembers, and an instrumented incubation experiment for

  11. On the distance scale of planetary nebulae and white dwarf birth rates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weidemann, V.

    1977-01-01

    Arguments are presented which favor an increase of the distance scale of planetary nebulae by 30% compared to the Seaton-Webster scale. The consequences for evolutionary tracks, PN and white dwarf relations, and birth rates are discussed. It is concluded that opposite to Smith jr. (1976) underestimated, and that the proposed change in distance scale of PN brings white dwarf and PN birth rates into almost complete agreement. (orig.) [de

  12. Linear-scaling quantum mechanical methods for excited states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yam, ChiYung; Zhang, Qing; Wang, Fan; Chen, GuanHua

    2012-05-21

    The poor scaling of many existing quantum mechanical methods with respect to the system size hinders their applications to large systems. In this tutorial review, we focus on latest research on linear-scaling or O(N) quantum mechanical methods for excited states. Based on the locality of quantum mechanical systems, O(N) quantum mechanical methods for excited states are comprised of two categories, the time-domain and frequency-domain methods. The former solves the dynamics of the electronic systems in real time while the latter involves direct evaluation of electronic response in the frequency-domain. The localized density matrix (LDM) method is the first and most mature linear-scaling quantum mechanical method for excited states. It has been implemented in time- and frequency-domains. The O(N) time-domain methods also include the approach that solves the time-dependent Kohn-Sham (TDKS) equation using the non-orthogonal localized molecular orbitals (NOLMOs). Besides the frequency-domain LDM method, other O(N) frequency-domain methods have been proposed and implemented at the first-principles level. Except one-dimensional or quasi-one-dimensional systems, the O(N) frequency-domain methods are often not applicable to resonant responses because of the convergence problem. For linear response, the most efficient O(N) first-principles method is found to be the LDM method with Chebyshev expansion for time integration. For off-resonant response (including nonlinear properties) at a specific frequency, the frequency-domain methods with iterative solvers are quite efficient and thus practical. For nonlinear response, both on-resonance and off-resonance, the time-domain methods can be used, however, as the time-domain first-principles methods are quite expensive, time-domain O(N) semi-empirical methods are often the practical choice. Compared to the O(N) frequency-domain methods, the O(N) time-domain methods for excited states are much more mature and numerically stable, and

  13. The Secret to the "Best" Ratings from Any Evaluation Scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berk, Ronald A.

    2010-01-01

    Most faculty developers have a wide variety of rating scales that fly across their desk tops as their incremental program activities unfold during the academic year. The primary issue for this column is: What is the quality of those ratings used for decisions about people and programs? When students, faculty, and administrators rate a program or…

  14. Decision Tree Rating Scales for Workload Estimation: Theme and Variations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wietwille, W. W.; Skipper, J. H.; Rieger, C. A.

    1984-01-01

    The modified Cooper-Harper (MCH) scale has been shown to be a sensitive indicator of workload in several different types of aircrew tasks. The MCH scale was examined to determine if certain variations of the scale might provide even greater sensitivity and to determine the reasons for the sensitivity of the scale. The MCH scale and five newly devised scales were studied in two different aircraft simulator experiments in which pilot loading was treated as an independent variable. Results indicate that while one of the new scales may be more sensitive in a given experiment, task dependency is a problem. The MCH scale exhibits consistent sensitivity and remains the scale recommended for general use. The results of the rating scale experiments are presented and the questionnaire results which were directed at obtaining a better understanding of the reasons for the relative sensitivity of the MCH scale and its variations are described.

  15. Modeling the effects of cohesive energy for single particle on the material removal in chemical mechanical polishing at atomic scale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yongguang; Zhao Yongwu; An Wei; Wang Jun

    2007-01-01

    This paper proposes a novel mathematical model for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) based on interface solid physical and chemical theory in addition to energy equilibrium knowledge. And the effects of oxidation concentration and particle size on the material removal in CMP are investigated. It is shown that the mechanical energy and removal cohesive energy couple with the particle size, and being a cause of the non-linear size-removal rate relation. Furthermore, it also shows a nonlinear dependence of removal rate on removal cohesive energy. The model predictions are in good qualitative agreement with the published experimental data. The current study provides an important starting point for delineating the micro-removal mechanism in the CMP process at atomic scale

  16. Effect of strain rate on the mechanical properties of magnesium alloy AMX602

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shen, J. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001 (United States); Kondoh, K. [Joining and Welding Research Institute, Osaka University, 11-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaragi, Osaka 567-0047 (Japan); Jones, T.L. [WMRD, US Army Research Laboratory, 4600 Deer Creek Loop, MD 21005-5069 (United States); Mathaudhu, S.N. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States); Kecskes, L.J. [WMRD, US Army Research Laboratory, 4600 Deer Creek Loop, MD 21005-5069 (United States); Wei, Q., E-mail: qwei@uncc.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001 (United States)

    2016-01-01

    In the present work, the effect of strain rate on the mechanical properties, particularly the plastic deformation behavior of a magnesium alloy, AMX602 (Mg–6%Al–0.5%Mn–2%Ca; all wt%), fabricated by powder metallurgy, has been investigated under both quasi-static (strain rate 1×10{sup −3} s{sup −1}) and dynamic (strain rate 4×10{sup 3} s{sup −1}) compressive loading. The alloyed powder was extruded at three different temperatures. The microstructure of the alloy was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that AMX602 exhibits an impressive mechanical behavior but with a slight anisotropy along different directions in both strength and compressive ductility (or malleability). The strength was found to be nearly independent of the extrusion temperature, particularly, under dynamic loading. Nanoindentation strain rate jump test reveals a strain rate sensitivity of ~0.018 to ~0.015, depending on the extrusion temperature. Sub-micrometer-scale particles of the intermetallic compound Al{sub 2}Ca were found with sizes ranging from ~100 nm to ~1.0 μm. These intermetallic particles are believed to have precipitated out during the extrusion process. They contribute to the formation of the ultrafine equiaxed grains which, in turn, help to improve the strength of the alloy by acting as barriers to dislocation motion. Adiabatic shear bands (ASBs) were observed in the dynamically loaded samples, the propagation of which eventually leads to final fracture of the specimens.

  17. How entorhinal grid cells may learn multiple spatial scales from a dorsoventral gradient of cell response rates in a self-organizing map.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen Grossberg

    Full Text Available Place cells in the hippocampus of higher mammals are critical for spatial navigation. Recent modeling clarifies how this may be achieved by how grid cells in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC input to place cells. Grid cells exhibit hexagonal grid firing patterns across space in multiple spatial scales along the MEC dorsoventral axis. Signals from grid cells of multiple scales combine adaptively to activate place cells that represent much larger spaces than grid cells. But how do grid cells learn to fire at multiple positions that form a hexagonal grid, and with spatial scales that increase along the dorsoventral axis? In vitro recordings of medial entorhinal layer II stellate cells have revealed subthreshold membrane potential oscillations (MPOs whose temporal periods, and time constants of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs, both increase along this axis. Slower (faster subthreshold MPOs and slower (faster EPSPs correlate with larger (smaller grid spacings and field widths. A self-organizing map neural model explains how the anatomical gradient of grid spatial scales can be learned by cells that respond more slowly along the gradient to their inputs from stripe cells of multiple scales, which perform linear velocity path integration. The model cells also exhibit MPO frequencies that covary with their response rates. The gradient in intrinsic rhythmicity is thus not compelling evidence for oscillatory interference as a mechanism of grid cell firing. A response rate gradient combined with input stripe cells that have normalized receptive fields can reproduce all known spatial and temporal properties of grid cells along the MEC dorsoventral axis. This spatial gradient mechanism is homologous to a gradient mechanism for temporal learning in the lateral entorhinal cortex and its hippocampal projections. Spatial and temporal representations may hereby arise from homologous mechanisms, thereby embodying a mechanistic "neural relativity" that

  18. Heart Rate Variability: New Perspectives on Physiological Mechanisms, Assessment of Self-regulatory Capacity, and Health risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCraty, Rollin; Shaffer, Fred

    2015-01-01

    Heart rate variability, the change in the time intervals between adjacent heartbeats, is an emergent property of interdependent regulatory systems that operates on different time scales to adapt to environmental and psychological challenges. This article briefly reviews neural regulation of the heart and offers some new perspectives on mechanisms underlying the very low frequency rhythm of heart rate variability. Interpretation of heart rate variability rhythms in the context of health risk and physiological and psychological self-regulatory capacity assessment is discussed. The cardiovascular regulatory centers in the spinal cord and medulla integrate inputs from higher brain centers with afferent cardiovascular system inputs to adjust heart rate and blood pressure via sympathetic and parasympathetic efferent pathways. We also discuss the intrinsic cardiac nervous system and the heart-brain connection pathways, through which afferent information can influence activity in the subcortical, frontocortical, and motor cortex areas. In addition, the use of real-time HRV feedback to increase self-regulatory capacity is reviewed. We conclude that the heart's rhythms are characterized by both complexity and stability over longer time scales that reflect both physiological and psychological functional status of these internal self-regulatory systems.

  19. Load rate dependence of the mechanical properties of thermal barrier coating systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zotov, Nikolay; Eggeler, Gunther [Institut fuer Werkstoffe, Ruhr Universitaet Bochum, 44780 Bochum (Germany); Bartsch, Marion [Institut fuer Werkstoff-Forschung, DLR Koeln, 51147 Koeln (Germany)

    2009-07-01

    Thermal barrier coatings (TBC), composed of yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) ceramic top coat (TC) and intermetallic NiCoCrAlY bond coat (BC) are commonly used as protective coatings of Ni-based high temperature gas engine components. Nanoindentation techniques are increasingly applied for determining the TBC mechanical properties on a nanometre scale. However, little is known about the load-rate dependence of the mechanical properties, which is important for better understanding of cyclic thermal fatigue experiments. Nanoindentations with different load rates omega were performed on polished cross-sections of TBC, deposited by EB-PVD on IN625 substrates (S), using a XP Nanoindenter (MTS) equipped with Berkovich diamond tip. The Young's modulus (E) of the TC is independent of omega, while E for the BC and the S decreases with omega. The hardness (H) of the TC and the BC increases, while H for the S decreases with omega. From the dependence of H on omega, creep power-law exponents c = 0.24(11) and c = 0.023(6) for the TC and the BC were determined. For all TBC components, a decrease with omega of the power-law exponents n and m, describing the loading and unloading nanoindentation curves, is observed.

  20. Regional scales of fire danger rating in the forest: improved technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. V. Volokitina

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Wildland fires distribute unevenly in time and over area under the influence of weather and other factors. It is unfeasible to air patrol the whole forest area daily during a fire season as well as to keep all fire suppression forces constantly alert. Daily work and preparedness of forest fire protection services is regulated by the level of fire danger according to weather conditions (Nesterov’s index. PV-1 index, fire hazard class (Melekhov’s scale, regional scales (earlier called local scales. Unfortunately, there is still no unified comparable technique of making regional scales. As a result, it is difficult to maneuver forest fire protection resources, since the techniques currently used are not approved and not tested for their performance. They give fire danger rating incomparable even for neighboring regions. The paper analyzes the state-of-the-art in Russia and abroad. It is stated the irony is that with factors of fire danger measured quantitatively, the fire danger itself as a function has no quantitative expression. Thus, selection of an absolute criteria is of high importance for improvement of daily fire danger rating. On the example of the Chunsky forest ranger station (Krasnoyarsk Krai, an improved technique is suggested of making comparable local scales of forest fire danger rating based on an absolute criterion of fire danger rating – a probable density of active fires per million ha. A method and an algorithm are described of automatized local scales of fire danger that should facilitate effective creation of similar scales for any forest ranger station or aviation regional office using a database on forest fires and weather conditions. The information system of distant monitoring by Federal Forestry Agency of Russia is analyzed for its application in making local scales. To supplement the existing weather station net it is suggested that automatic compact weather stations or, if the latter is not possible, simple

  1. Effect of deposition rate on melting point of copper film catalyst substrate at atomic scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marimpul, Rinaldo; Syuhada, Ibnu; Rosikhin, Ahmad; Winata, Toto

    2018-03-01

    Annealing process of copper film catalyst substrate was studied by molcular dynamics simulation. This copper film catalyst substrate was produced using thermal evaporation method. The annealing process was limited in nanosecond order to observe the mechanism at atomic scale. We found that deposition rate parameter affected the melting point of catalyst substrate. The change of crystalline structure of copper atoms was observed before it had been already at melting point. The optimum annealing temperature was obtained to get the highest percentage of fcc structure on copper film catalyst substrate.

  2. Ten-year review of rating scales. III: scales assessing suicidality, cognitive style, and self-esteem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winters, Nancy C; Myers, Kathleen; Proud, Laura

    2002-10-01

    This is the third article in a series of 10-year reviews of rating scales. Here, the authors review scales that are useful in tapping the affective disturbances experienced with various psychiatric disorders, including suicidality, cognitive style, and self-esteem. The authors sampled articles incorporating these constructs over the past 25 years and selected scales with established uses or new development. Those presented here have adequate psychometric properties and high utility for efficiently elucidating youths' functioning, plus either wide literature citations or a special niche. These scales were developed bimodally. Many were developed in the 1980s when internalizing disorders were elucidated, but there has been a resurgence of interest in these constructs. Scales assessing suicidality have clear constructs, whereas scales of cognitive style demonstrate deficits in developmental relevance, and scales of self-esteem suffer from lax constructs. The constructs underlying these scales tap core symptoms of internalizing disorders, mediate the expression of affective disturbances associated with various disorders, and depict the impairments resulting from these disorders. Overall, the psychometrics of these scales are adequate. These scales provide a broader representation of youths' functioning than that conveyed with diagnostic scales alone.

  3. Preliminary Validation of the Motor Skills Rating Scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cameron, Claire E.; Chen, Wei-Bing; Blodgett, Julia; Cottone, Elizabeth A.; Mashburn, Andrew J.; Brock, Laura L.; Grissmer, David

    2012-01-01

    This study examined psychometric properties of the Motor Skills Rating Scale (MSRS), a questionnaire designed for classroom teachers of children in early elementary school. Items were developed with the guidance of two occupational therapists, and factor structure was examined with an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The resulting model showed…

  4. Exploring Incomplete Rating Designs with Mokken Scale Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wind, Stefanie A.; Patil, Yogendra J.

    2018-01-01

    Recent research has explored the use of models adapted from Mokken scale analysis as a nonparametric approach to evaluating rating quality in educational performance assessments. A potential limiting factor to the widespread use of these techniques is the requirement for complete data, as practical constraints in operational assessment systems…

  5. Relationship between manual dexterity and the unified parkinson's disease rating scale-motor exam.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Sujin; Song, Chiang-Soon

    2016-12-01

    [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between manual dexterity and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-Motor Exam as a clinical tool for quantifying upper extremity function in persons with Parkinson's disease. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty-two persons with idiopathic Parkinson's disease participated in this study. This study measured two clinical outcomes, the box-and-block test and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-Motor Exam, to investigate the relationships between manual dexterity and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-Motor Exam. [Results] The box-and-block test on the more affected side was positive relationship with the box-and-block test on the less affected side. The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-motor exam score had a negative correlation with the box-and-block test results for both sides. [Conclusion] A positive association was noted between manual dexterity and motor function in patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease. The results of this study suggest that the box-and-block test and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-Motor Exam are good clinical measures that quantify upper extremity function and are necessary for the accurate evaluation of patients and to plan intervention strategies.

  6. Discriminant of validity the Wender Utah rating scale in Iranian adults.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farideh Farokhzadi

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is the normalization of the Wender Utah rating scale which is used to detect adults with Attention-Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD. Available sampling method was used to choose 400 parents of children (200 parents of children with ADHD as compared to 200 parents of normal children. Wender Utah rating scale, which has been designed to diagnose ADHD in adults, is filled out by each of the parents to most accurately diagnose of ADHD in parents. Wender Utah rating scale was divided into 6 sub scales which consist of dysthymia, oppositional defiant disorder; school work problems, conduct disorder, anxiety, and ADHD were analyzed with exploratory factor analysis method. The value of (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin KMO was 86.5% for dysthymia, 86.9% for oppositional defiant disorder, 77.5% for school related problems, 90.9% for conduct disorder, 79.6% for anxiety and 93.5% for Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, also the chi square value based on Bartlett's Test was 2242.947 for dysthymia, 2239.112 for oppositional defiant disorder, 1221.917 for school work problems, 5031.511 for conduct, 1421.1 for anxiety, and 7644.122 for ADHD. Since mentioned values were larger than the chi square critical values (P<0.05, it found that the factor correlation matrix is appropriate for factor analysis. Based on the findings, we can conclude that Wender Utah rating scale can be appropriately used for predicting dysthymia, oppositional defiant disorder, school work problems, conduct disorder, anxiety, in adults with ADHD.

  7. Discriminant of validity the Wender Utah rating scale in Iranian adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farokhzadi, Farideh; Mohammadi, Mohammad Reza; Salmanian, Maryam

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study is the normalization of the Wender Utah rating scale which is used to detect adults with Attention-Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Available sampling method was used to choose 400 parents of children (200 parents of children with ADHD as compared to 200 parents of normal children). Wender Utah rating scale, which has been designed to diagnose ADHD in adults, is filled out by each of the parents to most accurately diagnose of ADHD in parents. Wender Utah rating scale was divided into 6 sub scales which consist of dysthymia, oppositional defiant disorder; school work problems, conduct disorder, anxiety, and ADHD were analyzed with exploratory factor analysis method. The value of (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin) KMO was 86.5% for dysthymia, 86.9% for oppositional defiant disorder, 77.5% for school related problems, 90.9% for conduct disorder, 79.6% for anxiety and 93.5% for Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, also the chi square value based on Bartlett's Test was 2242.947 for dysthymia, 2239.112 for oppositional defiant disorder, 1221.917 for school work problems, 5031.511 for conduct, 1421.1 for anxiety, and 7644.122 for ADHD. Since mentioned values were larger than the chi square critical values (P<0.05), it found that the factor correlation matrix is appropriate for factor analysis. Based on the findings, we can conclude that Wender Utah rating scale can be appropriately used for predicting dysthymia, oppositional defiant disorder, school work problems, conduct disorder, anxiety, in adults with ADHD.

  8. Macro-mechanics controls quantum mechanics: mechanically controllable quantum conductance switching of an electrochemically fabricated atomic-scale point contact.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staiger, Torben; Wertz, Florian; Xie, Fangqing; Heinze, Marcel; Schmieder, Philipp; Lutzweiler, Christian; Schimmel, Thomas

    2018-01-12

    Here, we present a silver atomic-scale device fabricated and operated by a combined technique of electrochemical control (EC) and mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ). With this EC-MCBJ technique, we can perform mechanically controllable bistable quantum conductance switching of a silver quantum point contact (QPC) in an electrochemical environment at room temperature. Furthermore, the silver QPC of the device can be controlled both mechanically and electrochemically, and the operating mode can be changed from 'electrochemical' to 'mechanical', which expands the operating mode for controlling QPCs. These experimental results offer the perspective that a silver QPC may be used as a contact for a nanoelectromechanical relay.

  9. Rating scales for dystonia in cerebral palsy: reliability and validity

    OpenAIRE

    Monbaliu, Elegast; Ortibus, Els; Roelens, F; Desloovere, Kaat; Declerck, Jan; Prinzie, Peter; De Cock, Paul; Feys, Hilde

    2010-01-01

    AIM: This study investigated the reliability and validity of the Barry-Albright Dystonia Scale (BADS), the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Movement Scale (BFMMS), and the Unified Dystonia Rating Scale (UDRS) in patients with bilateral dystonic cerebral palsy (CP). METHOD: Three raters independently scored videotapes of 10 patients (five males, five females; mean age 13 y 3 mo, SD 5 y 2 mo, range 5-22 y). One patient each was classified at levels I-IV in the Gross Motor Function Classification System a...

  10. 2012 THIN FILM AND SMALL SCALE MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR GRS/GRC, JULY 21-27, 2012

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Balk, Thomas

    2012-07-27

    The mechanical behavior of materials with small dimension(s) is of both fundamental scientific interest and technological relevance. The size effects and novel properties that arise from changes in deformation mechanism have important implications for modern technologies such as thin films for microelectronics and MEMS devices, thermal and tribological coatings, materials for energy production and advanced batteries, etc. The overarching goal of the 2012 Gordon Research Conference on "Thin Film and Small Scale Mechanical Behavior" is to discuss recent studies and future opportunities regarding elastic, plastic and time-dependent deformation, as well as degradation and failure mechanisms such as fatigue, fracture and wear. Specific topics of interest include, but are not limited to: fundamental studies of physical mechanisms governing small-scale mechanical behavior; advances in test techniques for materials at small length scales, such as nanotribology and high-temperature nanoindentation; in-situ mechanical testing and characterization; nanomechanics of battery materials, such as swelling-induced phenomena and chemomechanical behavior; flexible electronics; mechanical properties of graphene and carbon-based materials; mechanical behavior of small-scale biological structures and biomimetic materials. Both experimental and computational work will be included in the oral and poster presentations at this Conference.

  11. Strain rate effect on fault slip and rupture evolution: Insight from meter-scale rock friction experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Shiqing; Fukuyama, Eiichi; Yamashita, Futoshi; Mizoguchi, Kazuo; Takizawa, Shigeru; Kawakata, Hironori

    2018-05-01

    We conduct meter-scale rock friction experiments to study strain rate effect on fault slip and rupture evolution. Two rock samples made of Indian metagabbro, with a nominal contact dimension of 1.5 m long and 0.1 m wide, are juxtaposed and loaded in a direct shear configuration to simulate the fault motion. A series of experimental tests, under constant loading rates ranging from 0.01 mm/s to 1 mm/s and under a fixed normal stress of 6.7 MPa, are performed to simulate conditions with changing strain rates. Load cells and displacement transducers are utilized to examine the macroscopic fault behavior, while high-density arrays of strain gauges close to the fault are used to investigate the local fault behavior. The observations show that the macroscopic peak strength, strength drop, and the rate of strength drop can increase with increasing loading rate. At the local scale, the observations reveal that slow loading rates favor generation of characteristic ruptures that always nucleate in the form of slow slip at about the same location. In contrast, fast loading rates can promote very abrupt rupture nucleation and along-strike scatter of hypocenter locations. At a given propagation distance, rupture speed tends to increase with increasing loading rate. We propose that a strain-rate-dependent fault fragmentation process can enhance the efficiency of fault healing during the stick period, which together with healing time controls the recovery of fault strength. In addition, a strain-rate-dependent weakening mechanism can be activated during the slip period, which together with strain energy selects the modes of fault slip and rupture propagation. The results help to understand the spectrum of fault slip and rock deformation modes in nature, and emphasize the role of heterogeneity in tuning fault behavior under different strain rates.

  12. Growth mechanisms of oxide scales on ODS alloys in the temperature range 1000-1100deg C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quadakkers, W.J.

    1990-01-01

    After a short overview of the production, microstructure and mechanical properties of nickel- and iron-based oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys, the oxidation properties of this class of materials is extensively discussed. The excellent oxidation resistance of ODS alloys is illustrated by comparing their behaviour with conventional chromia and alumina forming wrought alloys of the same base composition. ODS alloys exhibit improved scale adherence, decreased oxide growth rates, enhanced selective oxidation and decreased oxide grain size compared to corresponding non-ODS alloys. It is shown, that these experimental observations can be explained by a change in oxide growth mechanism. The presence of the oxide dispersion reduces cation diffusion in the scale, causing the oxides on the ODS alloys to grow mainly by oxygen grain boundary transport. As oxide grain size increases with time, the oxide growth kinetics obey a sub-parabolic time dependence especially in the case of the alumina forming iron-based ODS alloy. (orig.) [de

  13. Calibration of a Credit Rating Scale for Polish Companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksandra Wójcicka

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Increasing number of bankruptcy announcements means that even greater attention is being paid to the correct evaluation of the probability of default (PD and decisions made on the basis of it. Reliable estimation of the likelihood of a company's bankruptcy reduces risk, not only for the company itself but also for all co-operating companies and financial institutions. The financial crisis has led to a tightening up of the conditions for gaining finance from banks. However, it is not only the evaluation of PD itself that is so important but also the correct classification of companies according to their PD level ("good" or "bad" companies. There is very little consideration about possible adjustments of the credit risk scale, as usually the American scale is adopted with no changes which seems incorrect.This paper stresses the importance of correct calibration of the credit rating scale. It should not be assumed (as it was in the past that once a scale is defined it remains fixed and independent of the country. Therefore, the research carried out on Polish companies shows that the credit rating scale should be changed and the default point (i.e. "cut-off" point should be higher than in the past. The author uses a modified classification matrix based on the probability of default. The paper compares the classification of quoted Polish companies according to their credit risk level (PD with the actual occurrence of default when various default "cut-off" points are used. (original abstract

  14. Two scale damage model and related numerical issues for thermo-mechanical high cycle fatigue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Desmorat, R.; Kane, A.; Seyedi, M.; Sermage, J.P.

    2007-01-01

    On the idea that fatigue damage is localized at the microscopic scale, a scale smaller than the mesoscopic one of the Representative Volume Element (RVE), a three-dimensional two scale damage model has been proposed for High Cycle Fatigue applications. It is extended here to aniso-thermal cases and then to thermo-mechanical fatigue. The modeling consists in the micro-mechanics analysis of a weak micro-inclusion subjected to plasticity and damage embedded in an elastic meso-element (the RVE of continuum mechanics). The consideration of plasticity coupled with damage equations at micro-scale, altogether with Eshelby-Kroner localization law, allows to compute the value of microscopic damage up to failure for any kind of loading, 1D or 3D, cyclic or random, isothermal or aniso-thermal, mechanical, thermal or thermo-mechanical. A robust numerical scheme is proposed in order to make the computations fast. A post-processor for damage and fatigue (DAMAGE-2005) has been developed. It applies to complex thermo-mechanical loadings. Examples of the representation by the two scale damage model of physical phenomena related to High Cycle Fatigue are given such as the mean stress effect, the non-linear accumulation of damage. Examples of thermal and thermo-mechanical fatigue as well as complex applications on real size testing structure subjected to thermo-mechanical fatigue are detailed. (authors)

  15. Scaling of Metabolic Scaling within Physical Limits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Douglas S. Glazier

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Both the slope and elevation of scaling relationships between log metabolic rate and log body size vary taxonomically and in relation to physiological or developmental state, ecological lifestyle and environmental conditions. Here I discuss how the recently proposed metabolic-level boundaries hypothesis (MLBH provides a useful conceptual framework for explaining and predicting much, but not all of this variation. This hypothesis is based on three major assumptions: (1 various processes related to body volume and surface area exert state-dependent effects on the scaling slope for metabolic rate in relation to body mass; (2 the elevation and slope of metabolic scaling relationships are linked; and (3 both intrinsic (anatomical, biochemical and physiological and extrinsic (ecological factors can affect metabolic scaling. According to the MLBH, the diversity of metabolic scaling relationships occurs within physical boundary limits related to body volume and surface area. Within these limits, specific metabolic scaling slopes can be predicted from the metabolic level (or scaling elevation of a species or group of species. In essence, metabolic scaling itself scales with metabolic level, which is in turn contingent on various intrinsic and extrinsic conditions operating in physiological or evolutionary time. The MLBH represents a “meta-mechanism” or collection of multiple, specific mechanisms that have contingent, state-dependent effects. As such, the MLBH is Darwinian in approach (the theory of natural selection is also meta-mechanistic, in contrast to currently influential metabolic scaling theory that is Newtonian in approach (i.e., based on unitary deterministic laws. Furthermore, the MLBH can be viewed as part of a more general theory that includes other mechanisms that may also affect metabolic scaling.

  16. A self-rating scale to measure tridoṣas in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suchitra, S P; Nagendra, H R

    2013-10-01

    Self - rating inventories to assess the Prakṛti (constitution) and personality have been developed and validated for adults. To analyze the effect of personality development programs on Prakṛti of the children, standardized scale is not available. Hence, present study was carried out to develop and standardize Caraka Child Personality inventory (CCPI). The 77- item CCPI scale was developed on the basis of translation of Sanskrit verses describing vātaja (a), pittaja (b) and kaphaja prakṛti (c) characteristics described in Ayurveda texts and by taking the opinions of 5 Ayurveda experts and psychologists. The scale was administered on children of the age group 8-12 years in New Generation National public school, Bangalore. This inventory was named CCPI and showed excellent internal consistency. The Cronbach's alpha for A, B and C scales were 0.54, 0.64 and 0.64 respectively. The Split - Half reliability scores for A, B and C subscales were 0.64. 0.60 and 0.66 respectively. Factor validity coefficient Scores on each item was above 0.4. Scores on vātaja, pittaja and kaphaja scales were inversely correlated. Test-retest reliability scores for A,B and C scales were 0.87,0.88 and 0.89 respectively. The result of CCPI was compared with a parent rating scale Ayurveda Child Personality Inventory (ACPI). Subscales of CCPI correlated significantly highly (above 0.80) with subscales of ACPI which was done for the purpose of cross-validation with respect to ACPI. The prakṛti of the children can be measured consistently by this scale. Correlations with ACPI pointed toward concurrent validity.

  17. Construct validity of a figure rating scale for Brazilian adolescents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adami Fernando

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Figure rating scales were developed as a tool to determine body dissatisfaction in women, men, and children. However, it lacks in the literature the validation of the scale for body silhouettes previously adapted. We aimed to obtain evidence for construct validity of a figure rating scale for Brazilian adolescents. Methods The study was carried out with adolescent students attending three public schools in an urban region of the municipality of Florianopolis in the State of Santa Catarina (SC. The sample comprised 232 10-19-year-old students, 106 of whom are boys and 126 girls, from the 5th "series" (i.e. year of Primary School to the 3rd year of Secondary School. Data-gathering involved the application of an instrument containing 8 body figure drawings representing a range of children's and adolescents' body shapes, ranging from very slim (contour 1 to obese (contour 8. Weights and heights were also collected, and body mass index (BMI was calculated later. BMI was analyzed as a continuous variable, using z-scores, and as a dichotomous categorical variable, representing a diagnosis of nutritional status (normal and overweight including obesity. Results Results showed that both males and females with larger BMI z-scores chose larger body contours. Girls with higher BMI z-scores also show higher values of body image dissatisfaction. Conclusion We provided the first evidence of validity for a figure rating scale for Brazilian adolescents.

  18. Exercise-induced maximum metabolic rate scaled to body mass by ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    2016-10-27

    Oct 27, 2016 ... maximum aerobic metabolic rate (MMR) is proportional to the fractal extent ... metabolic rate with body mass can be obtained by taking body .... blood takes place. ..... MMR and BMR is that MMR is owing mainly to respiration in skeletal .... the spectra of surface area scaling strategies of cells and organisms:.

  19. Geometrical scaling and modal decay rates in periodic arrays of deeply subwavelength Terahertz resonators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Isić, Goran; Gajić, Radoš

    2014-01-01

    It is well known that due to the high conductivity of noble metals at terahertz frequencies and scalability of macroscopic Maxwell equations, a geometrical downscaling of a terahertz resonator results in the linear upscaling of its resonance frequency. However, the scaling laws of modal decay rates, important for the resonator excitation efficiency, are much less known. Here, we investigate the extent to which the scale-invariance of decay rates is violated due to the finite conductivity of the metal. We find that the resonance quality factor or the excitation efficiency may be substantially affected by scaling and show that this happens as a result of the scale-dependence of the metal absorption rate, while the radiative decay and the dielectric cavity absorption rates are approximately scale-invariant. In particular, we find that by downscaling overcoupled resonators, their excitation efficiency increases, while the opposite happens with undercoupled resonators

  20. Determinatio of Psychometrics Index of SNAP-IV Rating Scale in Parents Execution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seyyed Jalal Sadrosadat

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: SNAP-IV rating scale to diagnosis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD developed by Swanson, Nolan and Pelham. The aim of this study is determination of psychometrics specifications of this scale. Materials & Methods: This Descriptive research is a methodological, applied and validity assessment study. One thousand students at 7 to 12 age of primary school in Tehran city were selected by cluster sampling. Then the students mothers was asked to complete rating scale to consider behavior of their children.30 staff members of sample group were retest after one mounts. Diagnostic interview was administered at 36 members of sample group. Data were analyzed by using pearsonian correlation coefficient, Kolmogorof – Smirnoff and Behrens – Fisher T test. Results: Criterion validity was 48%, factor analysis was detected 3 factors that explain 56% of the total variance. Reliability coefficient was 82% . internal consistency coefficient was 90% and split –half coefficient was 76%, Cut-off point in scale and subscales was 1.57,1.47 and 1.9 respectively. Conclusion: The SNAP-IV Rating scales have fit psychometrics specifications. Therefore, it is useable in various diagnostic and therapeutic conditioning.

  1. Quantitative regional validation of the visual rating scale for posterior cortical atrophy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moeller, Christiane; Benedictus, Marije R.; Koedam, Esther L.G.M.; Scheltens, Philip; Flier, Wiesje M. van der; Versteeg, Adriaan; Wattjes, Mike P.; Barkhof, Frederik; Vrenken, Hugo

    2014-01-01

    Validate the four-point visual rating scale for posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) on magnetic resonance images (MRI) through quantitative grey matter (GM) volumetry and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to justify its use in clinical practice. Two hundred twenty-nine patients with probable Alzheimer's disease and 128 with subjective memory complaints underwent 3T MRI. PCA was rated according to the visual rating scale. GM volumes of six posterior structures and the total posterior region were extracted using IBASPM and compared among PCA groups. To determine which anatomical regions contributed most to the visual scores, we used binary logistic regression. VBM compared local GM density among groups. Patients were categorised according to their PCA scores: PCA-0 (n = 122), PCA-1 (n = 143), PCA-2 (n = 79), and PCA-3 (n = 13). All structures except the posterior cingulate differed significantly among groups. The inferior parietal gyrus volume discriminated the most between rating scale levels. VBM showed that PCA-1 had a lower GM volume than PCA-0 in the parietal region and other brain regions, whereas between PCA-1 and PCA-2/3 GM atrophy was mostly restricted to posterior regions. The visual PCA rating scale is quantitatively validated and reliably reflects GM atrophy in parietal regions, making it a valuable tool for the daily radiological assessment of dementia. (orig.)

  2. Quantitative regional validation of the visual rating scale for posterior cortical atrophy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moeller, Christiane; Benedictus, Marije R.; Koedam, Esther L.G.M.; Scheltens, Philip [VU University Medical Center, Alzheimer Center and Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, P.O. Box 7057, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Flier, Wiesje M. van der [VU University Medical Center, Alzheimer Center and Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, P.O. Box 7057, Amsterdam (Netherlands); VU University Medical Center, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, P.O. Box 7057, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Versteeg, Adriaan; Wattjes, Mike P.; Barkhof, Frederik [VU University Medical Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, P.O. Box 7057, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Vrenken, Hugo [VU University Medical Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, P.O. Box 7057, Amsterdam (Netherlands); VU University Medical Center, Department of Physics and Medical Technology, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, P.O. Box 7057, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

    2014-02-15

    Validate the four-point visual rating scale for posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) on magnetic resonance images (MRI) through quantitative grey matter (GM) volumetry and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to justify its use in clinical practice. Two hundred twenty-nine patients with probable Alzheimer's disease and 128 with subjective memory complaints underwent 3T MRI. PCA was rated according to the visual rating scale. GM volumes of six posterior structures and the total posterior region were extracted using IBASPM and compared among PCA groups. To determine which anatomical regions contributed most to the visual scores, we used binary logistic regression. VBM compared local GM density among groups. Patients were categorised according to their PCA scores: PCA-0 (n = 122), PCA-1 (n = 143), PCA-2 (n = 79), and PCA-3 (n = 13). All structures except the posterior cingulate differed significantly among groups. The inferior parietal gyrus volume discriminated the most between rating scale levels. VBM showed that PCA-1 had a lower GM volume than PCA-0 in the parietal region and other brain regions, whereas between PCA-1 and PCA-2/3 GM atrophy was mostly restricted to posterior regions. The visual PCA rating scale is quantitatively validated and reliably reflects GM atrophy in parietal regions, making it a valuable tool for the daily radiological assessment of dementia. (orig.)

  3. Preliminary evaluation of child self-rating using the Child Tourette Syndrome Impairment Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cloes, Kelly Isaacs; Barfell, Kara S Francis; Horn, Paul S; Wu, Steve W; Jacobson, Sarah E; Hart, Kathleen J; Gilbert, Donald L

    2017-03-01

    To evaluate and compare how children with Tourette syndrome and parents rate tic and non-tic behavioral related impairment in home, school, and social domains; to compare these with clinician tic ratings; and to identify factors that may predict greater impairment. In a sample of 85 Tourette syndrome and 92 healthy control families, the Child Tourette Syndrome Impairment Scale, designed for parent-report and which includes 37 items rated for tic and non-tic impairment, was administered to parents and, with the referent modified, to children ages 9 to 17 years. Tic severity was rated using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS). Analyses utilized descriptive and multivariate statistics. Tourette syndrome children's and parents' impairment ratings were higher than HC (ptic impairment ratings correlated with YGTSS (r=0.36 to 0.37; ptic and all 37 non-tic impairment items. For 29 items, children self-rated impairment higher for tics than non-tics. Diagnoses of attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder had larger effects on parent impairment ratings. The Child Tourette Syndrome Impairment Scale appears informative for child self-rating in Tourette syndrome. © 2016 Mac Keith Press.

  4. Gait in children with cerebral palsy : observer reliability of Physician Rating Scale and Edinburgh Visual Gait Analysis Interval Testing scale

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maathuis, KGB; van der Schans, CP; van Iperen, A; Rietman, HS; Geertzen, JHB

    2005-01-01

    The aim of this study was to test the inter- and intra-observer reliability of the Physician Rating Scale (PRS) and the Edinburgh Visual Gait Analysis Interval Testing (GAIT) scale for use in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Both assessment scales are quantitative observational scales, evaluating

  5. Observing relationships in Finnish adoptive families: Oulu Family Rating Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tienari, Pekka; Wynne, Lyman C; Sorri, Anneli; Lahti, Ilpo; Moring, Juha; Nieminen, Pentti; Joukamaa, Matti; Naarala, Mikko; Seitamaa, Markku; Wahlberg, Karl-Erik; Miettunen, Jouko

    2005-01-01

    Adoption studies were intended to separate genetic from environmental "causal" factors. In earlier adoption studies, psychiatric diagnostic labels for the adoptive parents were used as a proxy for the multiple dimensions of the family rearing environment. In the Finnish Adoption Study, research design provided the opportunity to study directly the adoptive family rearing environment. For this purpose 33 sub-scales were selected creating what we call Oulu Family Rating Scale (OPAS, Oulun PerheArviointiSkaala). In this paper, the manual for scoring of these sub-scales is presented.

  6. Developing strong concurrent multiphysics multiscale coupling to understand the impact of microstructural mechanisms on the structural scale

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Foulk, James W. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Alleman, Coleman N. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Mota, Alejandro [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Lim, Hojun [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Littlewood, David John [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bergel, Guy Leshem [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Popova, Evdokia [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States). Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering; Montes de Oca Zapiain, David [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States). Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering; Kalidindi, Suryanarayana Raju [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States). Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering; Ernst, Corey [Elemental Technologies, Provo, UT (United States)

    2017-09-01

    The heterogeneity in mechanical fields introduced by microstructure plays a critical role in the localization of deformation. To resolve this incipient stage of failure, it is therefore necessary to incorporate microstructure with sufficient resolution. On the other hand, computational limitations make it infeasible to represent the microstructure in the entire domain at the component scale. In this study, the authors demonstrate the use of concurrent multi- scale modeling to incorporate explicit, finely resolved microstructure in a critical region while resolving the smoother mechanical fields outside this region with a coarser discretization to limit computational cost. The microstructural physics is modeled with a high-fidelity model that incorporates anisotropic crystal elasticity and rate-dependent crystal plasticity to simulate the behavior of a stainless steel alloy. The component-scale material behavior is treated with a lower fidelity model incorporating isotropic linear elasticity and rate-independent J 2 plas- ticity. The microstructural and component scale subdomains are modeled concurrently, with coupling via the Schwarz alternating method, which solves boundary-value problems in each subdomain separately and transfers solution information between subdomains via Dirichlet boundary conditions. Beyond cases studies in concurrent multiscale, we explore progress in crystal plastic- ity through modular designs, solution methodologies, model verification, and extensions to Sierra/SM and manycore applications. Advances in conformal microstructures having both hexahedral and tetrahedral workflows in Sculpt and Cubit are highlighted. A structure-property case study in two-phase metallic composites applies the Materials Knowledge System to local metrics for void evolution. Discussion includes lessons learned, future work, and a summary of funded efforts and proposed work. Finally, an appendix illustrates the need for two-way coupling through a single degree of

  7. A simplified model for estimating population-scale energy impacts of building envelope air-tightening and mechanical ventilation retrofits

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Logue, Jennifer M. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Turner, William J. N. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Trinity College Dublin, Dublin (Ireland); Walker, Iain S. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Singer, Brett C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2015-01-19

    Changing the air exchange rate of a home (the sum of the infiltration and mechanical ventilation airflow rates) affects the annual thermal conditioning energy. Large-scale changes to air exchange rates of the housing stock can significantly alter the residential sector's energy consumption. However, the complexity of existing residential energy models is a barrier to the accurate quantification of the impact of policy changes on a state or national level. The Incremental Ventilation Energy (IVE) model developed in this study combines the output of simple air exchange models with a limited set of housing characteristics to estimate the associated change in energy demand of homes. The IVE model was designed specifically to enable modellers to use existing databases of housing characteristics to determine the impact of ventilation policy change on a population scale. The IVE model estimates of energy change when applied to US homes with limited parameterisation are shown to be comparable to the estimates of a well-validated, complex residential energy model.

  8. The effect of Web-based Braden Scale training on the reliability of Braden subscale ratings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magnan, Morris A; Maklebust, JoAnn

    2009-01-01

    The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Web-based Braden Scale training on the reliability of Braden Scale subscale ratings made by nurses working in acute care hospitals. A secondary purpose was to describe the distribution of reliable Braden subscale ratings before and after Web-based Braden Scale training. Secondary analysis of data from a recently completed quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest, interrater reliability study. A convenience sample of RNs working at 3 Michigan medical centers voluntarily participated in the study. RN participants included nurses who used the Braden Scale regularly at their place of employment ("regular users") as well as nurses who did not use the Braden Scale at their place of employment ("new users"). Using a pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design, pretest interrater reliability data were collected to identify the percentage of nurses making reliable Braden subscale assessments. Nurses then completed a Web-based Braden Scale training module after which posttest interrater reliability data were collected. The reliability of nurses' Braden subscale ratings was determined by examining the level of agreement/disagreement between ratings made by an RN and an "expert" rating the same patient. In total, 381 RN-to-expert dyads were available for analysis. During both the pretest and posttest periods, the percentage of reliable subscale ratings was highest for the activity subscale, lowest for the moisture subscale, and second lowest for the nutrition subscale. With Web-based Braden Scale training, the percentage of reliable Braden subscale ratings made by new users increased for all 6 subscales with statistically significant improvements in the percentage of reliable assessments made on 3 subscales: sensory-perception, moisture, and mobility. Training had virtually no effect on the percentage of reliable subscale ratings made by regular users of the Braden Scale. With Web-based Braden Scale training the

  9. Contribution to the study of scaling mechanisms. Application to electric anti-scaling apparatus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le Duigou, Alain

    1982-01-01

    In order to precisely study scaling mechanisms, this research thesis first aims at a deeper understanding of natural waters and their equilibriums by developing the Legrand and Poirier graphical method, and then studies the conditions for obtaining deposited products by electrolytic way on metal substrates the surface condition of which allows a better monitoring of the first stages of the phenomenon. The author also addresses the determination of an operating principle for electrical anti-scaling systems, and the development of a test method for the assessment of their efficiency. The author also identifies some rules allowing this efficiency to be improved in the case of natural waters

  10. The Time Scale of Recombination Rate Evolution in Great Apes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevison, Laurie S.; Woerner, August E.; Kidd, Jeffrey M.; Kelley, Joanna L.; Veeramah, Krishna R.; McManus, Kimberly F.; Bustamante, Carlos D.; Hammer, Michael F.; Wall, Jeffrey D.

    2016-01-01

    Abstract We present three linkage-disequilibrium (LD)-based recombination maps generated using whole-genome sequence data from 10 Nigerian chimpanzees, 13 bonobos, and 15 western gorillas, collected as part of the Great Ape Genome Project (Prado-Martinez J, et al. 2013. Great ape genetic diversity and population history. Nature 499:471–475). We also identified species-specific recombination hotspots in each group using a modified LDhot framework, which greatly improves statistical power to detect hotspots at varying strengths. We show that fewer hotspots are shared among chimpanzee subspecies than within human populations, further narrowing the time scale of complete hotspot turnover. Further, using species-specific PRDM9 sequences to predict potential binding sites (PBS), we show higher predicted PRDM9 binding in recombination hotspots as compared to matched cold spot regions in multiple great ape species, including at least one chimpanzee subspecies. We found that correlations between broad-scale recombination rates decline more rapidly than nucleotide divergence between species. We also compared the skew of recombination rates at centromeres and telomeres between species and show a skew from chromosome means extending as far as 10–15 Mb from chromosome ends. Further, we examined broad-scale recombination rate changes near a translocation in gorillas and found minimal differences as compared to other great ape species perhaps because the coordinates relative to the chromosome ends were unaffected. Finally, on the basis of multiple linear regression analysis, we found that various correlates of recombination rate persist throughout the African great apes including repeats, diversity, and divergence. Our study is the first to analyze within- and between-species genome-wide recombination rate variation in several close relatives. PMID:26671457

  11. Utility of the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale validity scales in identifying simulated attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and random responding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walls, Brittany D; Wallace, Elizabeth R; Brothers, Stacey L; Berry, David T R

    2017-12-01

    Recent concern about malingered self-report of symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in college students has resulted in an urgent need for scales that can detect feigning of this disorder. The present study provided further validation data for a recently developed validity scale for the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS), the CAARS Infrequency Index (CII), as well as for the Inconsistency Index (INC). The sample included 139 undergraduate students: 21 individuals with diagnoses of ADHD, 29 individuals responding honestly, 54 individuals responding randomly (full or half), and 35 individuals instructed to feign. Overall, the INC showed moderate sensitivity to random responding (.44-.63) and fairly high specificity to ADHD (.86-.91). The CII demonstrated modest sensitivity to feigning (.31-.46) and excellent specificity to ADHD (.91-.95). Sequential application of validity scales had correct classification rates of honest (93.1%), ADHD (81.0%), feigning (57.1%), half random (42.3%), and full random (92.9%). The present study suggests that the CII is modestly sensitive (true positive rate) to feigned ADHD symptoms, and highly specific (true negative rate) to ADHD. Additionally, this study highlights the utility of applying the CAARS validity scales in a sequential manner for identifying feigning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  12. The development and validation of the Memory Support Rating Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jason Y; Worrell, Frank C; Harvey, Allison G

    2016-06-01

    Patient memory for treatment information is poor, and worse memory for treatment information is associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Memory support techniques have been harnessed to improve patient memory for treatment. However, a measure of memory support used by treatment providers during sessions has yet to be established. The present study reports on the development and psychometric properties of the Memory Support Rating Scale (MSRS)-an observer-rated scale designed to measure memory support. Adults with major depressive disorder (MDD; N = 42) were randomized to either cognitive therapy plus memory support (CT + MS; n = 22) or cognitive therapy as-usual (CT-as-usual; n = 20). At posttreatment, patients freely recalled treatment points via the patient recall task. Sessions (n = 171) were coded for memory support using the MSRS, 65% of which were also assessed for the quality of cognitive therapy via the Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale (CTRS). A unidimensional scale composed of 8 items was developed using exploratory factor analysis, though a larger sample is needed to further assess the factor structure of MSRS scores. High interrater and test-retest reliabilities of MSRS scores were observed across 7 MSRS coders. MSRS scores were higher in the CT + MS condition compared with CT-as-usual, demonstrating group differentiation ability. MSRS scores were positively associated with patient recall task scores but not associated with CTRS scores, demonstrating convergent and discriminant validity, respectively. Results indicate that the MSRS yields reliable and valid scores for measuring treatment providers' use of memory support while delivering cognitive therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  13. A Multi-Scale Computational Study on the Mechanism of Streptococcus pneumoniae Nicotinamidase (SpNic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bogdan F. Ion

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Nicotinamidase (Nic is a key zinc-dependent enzyme in NAD metabolism that catalyzes the hydrolysis of nicotinamide to give nicotinic acid. A multi-scale computational approach has been used to investigate the catalytic mechanism, substrate binding and roles of active site residues of Nic from Streptococcus pneumoniae (SpNic. In particular, density functional theory (DFT, molecular dynamics (MD and ONIOM quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM methods have been employed. The overall mechanism occurs in two stages: (i formation of a thioester enzyme-intermediate (IC2 and (ii hydrolysis of the thioester bond to give the products. The polar protein environment has a significant effect in stabilizing reaction intermediates and in particular transition states. As a result, both stages effectively occur in one step with Stage 1, formation of IC2, being rate limiting barrier with a cost of 53.5 kJ•mol−1 with respect to the reactant complex, RC. The effects of dispersion interactions on the overall mechanism were also considered but were generally calculated to have less significant effects with the overall mechanism being unchanged. In addition, the active site lysyl (Lys103 is concluded to likely play a role in stabilizing the thiolate of Cys136 during the reaction.

  14. A multi-scale computational study on the mechanism of Streptococcus pneumoniae Nicotinamidase (SpNic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ion, Bogdan F; Kazim, Erum; Gauld, James W

    2014-09-29

    Nicotinamidase (Nic) is a key zinc-dependent enzyme in NAD metabolism that catalyzes the hydrolysis of nicotinamide to give nicotinic acid. A multi-scale computational approach has been used to investigate the catalytic mechanism, substrate binding and roles of active site residues of Nic from Streptococcus pneumoniae (SpNic). In particular, density functional theory (DFT), molecular dynamics (MD) and ONIOM quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods have been employed. The overall mechanism occurs in two stages: (i) formation of a thioester enzyme-intermediate (IC2) and (ii) hydrolysis of the thioester bond to give the products. The polar protein environment has a significant effect in stabilizing reaction intermediates and in particular transition states. As a result, both stages effectively occur in one step with Stage 1, formation of IC2, being rate limiting barrier with a cost of 53.5 kJ·mol-1 with respect to the reactant complex, RC. The effects of dispersion interactions on the overall mechanism were also considered but were generally calculated to have less significant effects with the overall mechanism being unchanged. In addition, the active site lysyl (Lys103) is concluded to likely play a role in stabilizing the thiolate of Cys136 during the reaction.

  15. Neurite, a finite difference large scale parallel program for the simulation of electrical signal propagation in neurites under mechanical loading.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julián A García-Grajales

    Full Text Available With the growing body of research on traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury, computational neuroscience has recently focused its modeling efforts on neuronal functional deficits following mechanical loading. However, in most of these efforts, cell damage is generally only characterized by purely mechanistic criteria, functions of quantities such as stress, strain or their corresponding rates. The modeling of functional deficits in neurites as a consequence of macroscopic mechanical insults has been rarely explored. In particular, a quantitative mechanically based model of electrophysiological impairment in neuronal cells, Neurite, has only very recently been proposed. In this paper, we present the implementation details of this model: a finite difference parallel program for simulating electrical signal propagation along neurites under mechanical loading. Following the application of a macroscopic strain at a given strain rate produced by a mechanical insult, Neurite is able to simulate the resulting neuronal electrical signal propagation, and thus the corresponding functional deficits. The simulation of the coupled mechanical and electrophysiological behaviors requires computational expensive calculations that increase in complexity as the network of the simulated cells grows. The solvers implemented in Neurite--explicit and implicit--were therefore parallelized using graphics processing units in order to reduce the burden of the simulation costs of large scale scenarios. Cable Theory and Hodgkin-Huxley models were implemented to account for the electrophysiological passive and active regions of a neurite, respectively, whereas a coupled mechanical model accounting for the neurite mechanical behavior within its surrounding medium was adopted as a link between electrophysiology and mechanics. This paper provides the details of the parallel implementation of Neurite, along with three different application examples: a long myelinated axon

  16. Development and Validation of a Rating Scale for Wind Jazz Improvisation Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Derek T.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to construct and validate a rating scale for collegiate wind jazz improvisation performance. The 14-item Wind Jazz Improvisation Evaluation Scale (WJIES) was constructed and refined through a facet-rational approach to scale development. Five wind jazz students and one professional jazz educator were asked to record…

  17. Macro-mechanics controls quantum mechanics: mechanically controllable quantum conductance switching of an electrochemically fabricated atomic-scale point contact

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staiger, Torben; Wertz, Florian; Xie, Fangqing; Heinze, Marcel; Schmieder, Philipp; Lutzweiler, Christian; Schimmel, Thomas

    2018-01-01

    Here, we present a silver atomic-scale device fabricated and operated by a combined technique of electrochemical control (EC) and mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ). With this EC-MCBJ technique, we can perform mechanically controllable bistable quantum conductance switching of a silver quantum point contact (QPC) in an electrochemical environment at room temperature. Furthermore, the silver QPC of the device can be controlled both mechanically and electrochemically, and the operating mode can be changed from ‘electrochemical’ to ‘mechanical’, which expands the operating mode for controlling QPCs. These experimental results offer the perspective that a silver QPC may be used as a contact for a nanoelectromechanical relay.

  18. Jamming of soft particles: geometry, mechanics, scaling and isostaticity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Hecke, M

    2010-01-01

    Amorphous materials as diverse as foams, emulsions, colloidal suspensions and granular media can jam into a rigid, disordered state where they withstand finite shear stresses before yielding. Here we review the current understanding of the transition to jamming and the nature of the jammed state for disordered packings of particles that act through repulsive contact interactions and are at zero temperature and zero shear stress. We first discuss the breakdown of affine assumptions that underlies the rich mechanics near jamming. We then extensively discuss jamming of frictionless soft spheres. At the jamming point, these systems are marginally stable (isostatic) in the sense of constraint counting, and many geometric and mechanical properties scale with distance to this jamming point. Finally, we discuss current explorations of jamming of frictional and non-spherical (ellipsoidal) particles. Both friction and asphericity tune the contact number at jamming away from the isostatic limit, but in opposite directions. This allows one to disentangle the distance to jamming and the distance to isostaticity. The picture that emerges is that most quantities are governed by the contact number and scale with the distance to isostaticity, while the contact number itself scales with the distance to jamming. (topical review)

  19. Jamming of soft particles: geometry, mechanics, scaling and isostaticity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van Hecke, M, E-mail: mvhecke@physics.leidenuniv.n [Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory, Leiden University, PO Box 9504, 2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands)

    2010-01-27

    Amorphous materials as diverse as foams, emulsions, colloidal suspensions and granular media can jam into a rigid, disordered state where they withstand finite shear stresses before yielding. Here we review the current understanding of the transition to jamming and the nature of the jammed state for disordered packings of particles that act through repulsive contact interactions and are at zero temperature and zero shear stress. We first discuss the breakdown of affine assumptions that underlies the rich mechanics near jamming. We then extensively discuss jamming of frictionless soft spheres. At the jamming point, these systems are marginally stable (isostatic) in the sense of constraint counting, and many geometric and mechanical properties scale with distance to this jamming point. Finally, we discuss current explorations of jamming of frictional and non-spherical (ellipsoidal) particles. Both friction and asphericity tune the contact number at jamming away from the isostatic limit, but in opposite directions. This allows one to disentangle the distance to jamming and the distance to isostaticity. The picture that emerges is that most quantities are governed by the contact number and scale with the distance to isostaticity, while the contact number itself scales with the distance to jamming. (topical review)

  20. Microstructure and Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical effects as an explanation for rate dependency during seismic slip

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stefanou, I.; Rattez, H.; Sulem, J.

    2017-12-01

    Rapid shear tests of granulated fault gouges show pronounced rate-dependency. For this reason rate-dependent constitutive laws are frequently used for describing fault friction.Here we propose a micromechanical, physics-based continuum approach by considering the characteristic size of the microstructure and the thermal- and pore-pressure-diffusion mechanisms that take place in the fault gouge during rapid shearing. It is shown that even for rate-independent materials, the apparent, macroscopic behavior of the system is rate-dependent. This is due to the competition of the characteristic lengths and time scales introduced indirectly by the microstructure and the thermal and hydraulic diffusivities.Both weakening and shear band thickness are rate dependent, despite the fact that the constitutive description of the material was considered rate-independent. Moreover the size of the microstructure, which here is identified with the grain size of the fault gouge (D50), plays an important role in the slope of the softening branch of the shear stress-strain response curve and consequently in the transition from aseismic to seismic slip.References Dieterich, J. H. (1979). Modeling of rock friction: 1. Experimental results and constitutive equations. Journal of Geophysical Research, 84(B5), 2161. http://doi.org/10.1029/JB084iB05p02161 Scholz, C. H. (2002). The mechanics of earthquakes and faulting (Second). Cambridge. Sulem, J., & Stefanou, I. (2016). Thermal and chemical effects in shear and compaction bands. Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 6, 4-21. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.gete.2015.12.004

  1. Diagnostic Accuracy of Rating Scales for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Ling-Yin; Wang, Mei-Yeh; Tsai, Pei-Shan

    2016-03-01

    The Child Behavior Checklist-Attention Problem (CBCL-AP) scale and Conners Rating Scale-Revised (CRS-R) are commonly used behavioral rating scales for diagnosing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. To evaluate and compare the diagnostic performance of CBCL-AP and CRS-R in diagnosing ADHD in children and adolescents. PubMed, Ovid Medline, and other relevant electronic databases were searched for articles published up to May 2015. We included studies evaluating the diagnostic performance of either CBCL-AP scale or CRS-R for diagnosing ADHD in pediatric populations in comparison with a defined reference standard. Bivariate random effects models were used for pooling and comparing diagnostic performance. We identified and evaluated 14 and 11 articles on CBCL-AP and CRS-R, respectively. The results revealed pooled sensitivities of 0.77, 0.75, 0.72, and 0.83 and pooled specificities of 0.73, 0.75, 0.84, and 0.84 for CBCL-AP, Conners Parent Rating Scale-Revised, Conners Teacher Rating Scale-Revised, and Conners Abbreviated Symptom Questionnaire (ASQ), respectively. No difference was observed in the diagnostic performance of the various scales. Study location, age of participants, and percentage of female participants explained the heterogeneity in the specificity of the CBCL-AP. CBCL-AP and CRS-R both yielded moderate sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing ADHD. According to the comparable diagnostic performance of all examined scales, ASQ may be the most effective diagnostic tool in assessing ADHD because of its brevity and high diagnostic accuracy. CBCL is recommended for more comprehensive assessments. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  2. ADHD Rating Scale-IV: Checklists, Norms, and Clinical Interpretation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pappas, Danielle

    2006-01-01

    This article reviews the "ADHD Rating Scale-IV: Checklist, norms, and clinical interpretation," is a norm-referenced checklist that measures the symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) according to the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric…

  3. Review: Design parameters of rating scales for Web sites

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Broek, Egon

    2007-01-01

    With the increasing popularity of the Internet, more and more online questionnaires are being conducted. However, little research is being done on their construction, in particular on their design. The authors of this paper have conducted such a study, within the scope of rating scales for Web

  4. Optimized reaction mechanism rate rules for ignition of normal alkanes

    KAUST Repository

    Cai, Liming

    2016-08-11

    The increasing demand for cleaner combustion and reduced greenhouse gas emissions motivates research on the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels and their surrogates. Accurate detailed chemical kinetic models are an important prerequisite for high fidelity reacting flow simulations capable of improving combustor design and operation. The development of such models for many new fuel components and/or surrogate molecules is greatly facilitated by the application of reaction classes and rate rules. Accurate and versatile rate rules are desirable to improve the predictive accuracy of kinetic models. A major contribution in the literature is the recent work by Bugler et al. (2015), which has significantly improved rate rules and thermochemical parameters used in kinetic modeling of alkanes. In the present study, it is demonstrated that rate rules can be used and consistently optimized for a set of normal alkanes including n-heptane, n-octane, n-nonane, n-decane, and n-undecane, thereby improving the predictive accuracy for all the considered fuels. A Bayesian framework is applied in the calibration of the rate rules. The optimized rate rules are subsequently applied to generate a mechanism for n-dodecane, which was not part of the training set for the optimized rate rules. The developed mechanism shows accurate predictions compared with published well-validated mechanisms for a wide range of conditions.

  5. Multi-scale Multi-mechanism Toughening of Hydrogels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Xuanhe

    Hydrogels are widely used as scaffolds for tissue engineering, vehicles for drug delivery, actuators for optics and fluidics, and model extracellular matrices for biological studies. The scope of hydrogel applications, however, is often severely limited by their mechanical properties. Inspired by the mechanics and hierarchical structures of tough biological tissues, we propose that a general principle for the design of tough hydrogels is to implement two mechanisms for dissipating mechanical energy and maintaining high elasticity in hydrogels. A particularly promising strategy for the design is to integrate multiple pairs of mechanisms across multiple length scales into a hydrogel. We develop a multiscale theoretical framework to quantitatively guide the design of tough hydrogels. On the network level, we have developed micro-physical models to characterize the evolution of polymer networks under deformation. On the continuum level, we have implemented constitutive laws formulated from the network-level models into a coupled cohesive-zone and Mullins-effect model to quantitatively predict crack propagation and fracture toughness of hydrogels. Guided by the design principle and quantitative model, we will demonstrate a set of new hydrogels, based on diverse types of polymers, yet can achieve extremely high toughness superior to their natural counterparts such as cartilages. The work was supported by NSF(No. CMMI- 1253495) and ONR (No. N00014-14-1-0528).

  6. Why small-scale cannabis growers stay small: five mechanisms that prevent small-scale growers from going large scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hammersvik, Eirik; Sandberg, Sveinung; Pedersen, Willy

    2012-11-01

    Over the past 15-20 years, domestic cultivation of cannabis has been established in a number of European countries. New techniques have made such cultivation easier; however, the bulk of growers remain small-scale. In this study, we explore the factors that prevent small-scale growers from increasing their production. The study is based on 1 year of ethnographic fieldwork and qualitative interviews conducted with 45 Norwegian cannabis growers, 10 of whom were growing on a large-scale and 35 on a small-scale. The study identifies five mechanisms that prevent small-scale indoor growers from going large-scale. First, large-scale operations involve a number of people, large sums of money, a high work-load and a high risk of detection, and thus demand a higher level of organizational skills than for small growing operations. Second, financial assets are needed to start a large 'grow-site'. Housing rent, electricity, equipment and nutrients are expensive. Third, to be able to sell large quantities of cannabis, growers need access to an illegal distribution network and knowledge of how to act according to black market norms and structures. Fourth, large-scale operations require advanced horticultural skills to maximize yield and quality, which demands greater skills and knowledge than does small-scale cultivation. Fifth, small-scale growers are often embedded in the 'cannabis culture', which emphasizes anti-commercialism, anti-violence and ecological and community values. Hence, starting up large-scale production will imply having to renegotiate or abandon these values. Going from small- to large-scale cannabis production is a demanding task-ideologically, technically, economically and personally. The many obstacles that small-scale growers face and the lack of interest and motivation for going large-scale suggest that the risk of a 'slippery slope' from small-scale to large-scale growing is limited. Possible political implications of the findings are discussed. Copyright

  7. Heart rate detection from single-foot plantar bioimpedance measurements in a weighing scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diaz, Delia H; Casas, Oscar; Pallas-Areny, Ramon

    2010-01-01

    Electronic bathroom scales are an easy-to-use, affordable mean to measure physiological parameters in addition to body weight. They have been proposed to obtain the ballistocardiogram (BCG) and derive from it the heart rate, cardiac output and systolic blood pressure. Therefore, weighing scales may suit intermittent monitoring in e-health and patient screening. Scales intended for bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) have also been proposed to estimate the heart rate by amplifying the pulsatile impedance component superimposed on the basal impedance. However, electronic weighing scales cannot easily obtain the BCG from people that have a single leg neither are bioimpedance measurements between both feet recommended for people wearing a pacemaker or other electronic implants, neither for pregnant women. We propose a method to detect the heart rate (HR) from bioimpedance measured in a single foot while standing on an bathroom weighting scale intended for BIA. The electrodes built in the weighing scale are used to apply a 50 kHz voltage between the outer electrode pair and to measure the drop in voltage across the inner electrode pair. The agreement with the HR simultaneously obtained from the ECG is excellent. We have also compared the drop in voltage across the waist and the thorax with that obtained when measuring bioimpedance between both feet to compare the possible risk of the proposed method to that of existing BIA scales.

  8. Numerical simulation of lubrication mechanisms at mesoscopic scale

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hubert, C.; Bay, Niels; Christiansen, Peter

    2011-01-01

    The mechanisms of liquid lubrication in metal forming are studied at a mesoscopic scale, adopting a 2D sequential fluid-solid weak coupling approach earlier developed in the first author's laboratory. This approach involves two computation steps. The first one is a fully coupled fluid-structure F...... of pyramidal indentations. The tests are performed with variable reduction and drawing speed under controlled front and back tension forces. Visual observations through a transparent die of the fluid entrapment and escape from the cavities using a CCD camera show the mechanisms of Micro......PlastoHydroDynamic Lubrication (MPHDL) as well as cavity shrinkage due to lubricant compression and escape and strip deformation....

  9. Neocortical dynamics at multiple scales: EEG standing waves, statistical mechanics, and physical analogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingber, Lester; Nunez, Paul L

    2011-02-01

    The dynamic behavior of scalp potentials (EEG) is apparently due to some combination of global and local processes with important top-down and bottom-up interactions across spatial scales. In treating global mechanisms, we stress the importance of myelinated axon propagation delays and periodic boundary conditions in the cortical-white matter system, which is topologically close to a spherical shell. By contrast, the proposed local mechanisms are multiscale interactions between cortical columns via short-ranged non-myelinated fibers. A mechanical model consisting of a stretched string with attached nonlinear springs demonstrates the general idea. The string produces standing waves analogous to large-scale coherent EEG observed in some brain states. The attached springs are analogous to the smaller (mesoscopic) scale columnar dynamics. Generally, we expect string displacement and EEG at all scales to result from both global and local phenomena. A statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions (SMNI) calculates oscillatory behavior consistent with typical EEG, within columns, between neighboring columns via short-ranged non-myelinated fibers, across cortical regions via myelinated fibers, and also derives a string equation consistent with the global EEG model. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Mechanical aspects of allotropic phase change at the mesoscopic scale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valance, St.

    2007-12-01

    The prediction of the mechanical state of steel structures submit to thermo-mechanical loading must take into account consequences of allotropic phase change. Indeed, phase change induce, at least for steels, a mechanism of TRansformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) leading to irreversible deformation even for loading less than elastic yield limit. Homogenized analytical models generally fail to achieve a correct prediction for complex loading. In order to overcome these difficulties, we present a model achieving a sharper description of the phenomenon. The mesoscopic working scale we adopt here is the grain scale size. Hence, we consider that the behaviour of each phase is homogenous in the sense of continuous media mechanic, whereas the front is explicitly described. We work both experimentally and numerically. Experimentally, we designed a test facility enabling thermo mechanical loading of the sample under partial vacuum. Acquisition of sample surface while martensitic transformation is happening leads, under some hypothesis and thanks to Digital Image Correlation, to the partial identification of area affected by transformation. Numerically, the eXtended Finite Element Method is applied for weakly discontinuous displacement fields. Used of this method needs to numerically track the transformation front -discontinuity support. In that goal, based on level set method, we develop FEM numerical scheme enabling recognition and propagation of discontinuity support. Finally, this work is complete by an approach of driving forces introduced through Eshelbian mechanics which are dual of front velocity. (author)

  11. Development and Validation of Chemical Kinetic Mechanism Reduction Scheme for Large-Scale Mechanisms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poon, Hiew Mun; Ng, Hoon Kiat; Gan, Suyin

    2014-01-01

    This work is an extension to a previously reported work on chemical kinetic mechanism reduction scheme for large-scale mechanisms. Here, Perfectly Stirred Reactor (PSR) was added as a criterion of data source for mechanism reduction instead of using only auto-ignition condition. As a result......) simulations were performed to study the spray combustion phenomena within a constant volume bomb. Both non-reacting and reacting conditions were applied in this study. Liquid and vapor penetration lengths were replicated for non-reacting diesel spray. For reacting diesel spray, both ignition delay and lift......-off length were simulated. The simulation results were then compared to the experimental data of Sandia National Laboratories and No. 2 Diesel Fuel (D2) was designated as the reference fuel. Both liquid and vapor penetrations for non-reacting condition were well-matched, while ignition delay was advanced...

  12. Forecasting of magnitude and duration of currency crises based on the analysis of distortions of fractal scaling in exchange rate fluctuations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uritskaya, Olga Y.

    2005-05-01

    Results of fractal stability analysis of daily exchange rate fluctuations of more than 30 floating currencies for a 10-year period are presented. It is shown for the first time that small- and large-scale dynamical instabilities of national monetary systems correlate with deviations of the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) exponent from the value 1.5 predicted by the efficient market hypothesis. The observed dependence is used for classification of long-term stability of floating exchange rates as well as for revealing various forms of distortion of stable currency dynamics prior to large-scale crises. A normal range of DFA exponents consistent with crisis-free long-term exchange rate fluctuations is determined, and several typical scenarios of unstable currency dynamics with DFA exponents fluctuating beyond the normal range are identified. It is shown that monetary crashes are usually preceded by prolonged periods of abnormal (decreased or increased) DFA exponent, with the after-crash exponent tending to the value 1.5 indicating a more reliable exchange rate dynamics. Statistically significant regression relations (R=0.99, pcurrency crises and the degree of distortion of monofractal patterns of exchange rate dynamics are found. It is demonstrated that the parameters of these relations characterizing small- and large-scale crises are nearly equal, which implies a common instability mechanism underlying these events. The obtained dependences have been used as a basic ingredient of a forecasting technique which provided correct in-sample predictions of monetary crisis magnitude and duration over various time scales. The developed technique can be recommended for real-time monitoring of dynamical stability of floating exchange rate systems and creating advanced early-warning-system models for currency crisis prevention.

  13. The un-making of a method: From rating scales to the study of psychological processes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rosenbaum, Philip J.; Valsiner, Jaan

    2011-01-01

    Rating scales are standard instruments in psychology. They force the research participant to provide a numerical estimate of an assumed “degree” of some characteristic along a linear scale. We prove that such numerical estimates are artifacts based on unknown psychological processes that are used...... in terms of the study of microgenesis of rating processes allows psychology access to the reality of the workings of the human mind....... in the making of a rating. Psychology’s current use of rating scales entails reliance upon unexplored and abbreviated introspection. It superimposes upon the rater the use of real numbers for the subjective construction of the ratings. The axiomatic superimposition of the notion of “degree” of subjective...

  14. High pressure pulsed avalanche discharges: Scaling of required preionization rate for homogeneity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brenning, N.; Axnaes, I.; Nilsson, J.O.; Eninger, J.E.

    1994-01-01

    Homogeneous high-pressure discharges can be formed by pulsed avalanche breakdown, provided that the individual avalanche heads have diffused to a large enough radius to overlap before streamer breakdown occurs. The overlap condition can be met by using an external mechanism to preionize the neutral gas, e.g., x-rays or uv radiation. There are several scenarios, (1) to preionize the gas, and then trigger the discharge by the sudden application of an electric field, (2) to apply an overvoltage over the discharge and trigger the discharge by external ionization, or (3) to have a continuous rate of external ionization and let the E field rise, with a comparatively long time constant τ, across the breakdown value (E/n) 0 . The authors here study the last of these scenarios, which gives a very efficient use of the preionization source because the avalanche startpoint can accumulate during the pre-avalanche phase. The authors have found that the required avalanche startpoint density N st.p , defined as the density of individual single, or clusters of, electrons at the time when the electric field crosses the breakdown value, scales with pressure and rise time as N st.p ∝ p 21/4 τ -3/4 . This pressure scaling disagrees with the p 3/2 scaling found by Levatter and Lin (J. Appl. Phys. 51(1), 210), while the rise time scaling agrees satisfactorily with their results. For an E field which rises slowly across the breakdown value, the pre-avalanche accumulation of electrons must be taken into account, as well as the fact that the density n e of free electrons becomes larger than the density N st.p of independent avalanche heads: when electron impact ionization closely balances attachment, individual electrons are replaced by clusters of electrons which are too close to form individual avalanche heads

  15. Mechanized scaling with ultrasonics: Perils and proactive measures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rashmi Paramashivaiah

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Mechanized scaling for plaque removal is a routine procedure in the practice of periodontics. Though it appears innocuous by itself, there are retinues of hazards associated with it on various organ systems in the body. Some of these unwanted effects and measures to avoid or ameliorate the same are elaborated here. Exposure to ultrasonic scaling is inevitable before any other treatment procedure. Aerosol contamination, vibrational hazards, thermal effects on the dental pulp, altered vascular dynamics, disruption in electromagnetic device, diminished hearing and dental unit waterline contamination are some of the probable off-shoots a patient has to bear. Uses of barrier devices, proper attention to usage of equipment, protection for ear and water treatment are few of solutions for the same. Though documented evidence for the existence of all effects is lacking, it is never the less significant for the overall safety of the patient. A conscientious clinician should therefore inculcate the available steps to overcome the hazards of ultrasonic scaling.

  16. Reliability and validity of the Wolfram Unified Rating Scale (WURS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nguyen Chau

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Wolfram syndrome (WFS is a rare, neurodegenerative disease that typically presents with childhood onset insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, followed by optic atrophy, diabetes insipidus, deafness, and neurological and psychiatric dysfunction. There is no cure for the disease, but recent advances in research have improved understanding of the disease course. Measuring disease severity and progression with reliable and validated tools is a prerequisite for clinical trials of any new intervention for neurodegenerative conditions. To this end, we developed the Wolfram Unified Rating Scale (WURS to measure the severity and individual variability of WFS symptoms. The aim of this study is to develop and test the reliability and validity of the Wolfram Unified Rating Scale (WURS. Methods A rating scale of disease severity in WFS was developed by modifying a standardized assessment for another neurodegenerative condition (Batten disease. WFS experts scored the representativeness of WURS items for the disease. The WURS was administered to 13 individuals with WFS (6-25 years of age. Motor, balance, mood and quality of life were also evaluated with standard instruments. Inter-rater reliability, internal consistency reliability, concurrent, predictive and content validity of the WURS were calculated. Results The WURS had high inter-rater reliability (ICCs>.93, moderate to high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.78-0.91 and demonstrated good concurrent and predictive validity. There were significant correlations between the WURS Physical Assessment and motor and balance tests (rs>.67, ps>.76, ps=-.86, p=.001. The WURS demonstrated acceptable content validity (Scale-Content Validity Index=0.83. Conclusions These preliminary findings demonstrate that the WURS has acceptable reliability and validity and captures individual differences in disease severity in children and young adults with WFS.

  17. Measuring Math Anxiety (in Spanish) with the Rasch Rating Scale Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prieto, Gerardo; Delgado, Ana R

    2007-01-01

    Two successive studies probed the psychometric properties of a Math Anxiety questionnaire (in Spanish) by means of the Rasch Rating Scale Model. Participants were 411 and 216 Spanish adolescents. Convergent validity was examined by correlating the scale with both the Fennema and Sherman Attitude Scale and a math achievement test. The results show that the scores are psychometrically appropriate, and replicate those reported in meta-analyses: medium-sized negative correlations with achievement and with attitudes toward mathematics, as well as moderate sex-related differences (with girls presenting higher anxiety levels than boys).

  18. Behavioural ratings of self-regulatory mechanisms and driving behaviour after an acquired brain injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rike, Per-Ola; Ulleberg, Pål; Schultheis, Maria T; Lundqvist, Anna; Schanke, Anne-Kristine

    2014-01-01

    To explore whether measurements of self-regulatory mechanisms and cognition predict driving behaviour after an acquired brain injury (ABI). Consecutive follow-up study. At baseline participants included 77 persons with stroke and 32 persons with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), all of whom completed a multidisciplinary driving assessment (MDA). A follow-up cohort of 34 persons that succeeded the MDA was included. Baseline measurements: Neuropsychological tests and measurements of self-regulatory mechanisms (BRIEF-A and UPPS Impulsive Behaviour Scale), driving behaviour (DBQ) and pre-injury driving characteristics (mileage, compensatory driving strategies and accident rates). Follow-up measurements: Post-injury driving characteristics were collected by mailed questionnaires from the participants who succeeded the MDA. A MDA, which included a medical examination, neuropsychological testing and an on-road driving test, was considered in the decision for or against granting a driver's license. Self-regulatory mechanisms and driving behaviour were examined for research purposes only. At baseline, self-regulatory mechanisms were significantly associated to aberrant driving behaviour, but not with neuropsychological data or with the outcome of the on-road driving test. Aspects of self-regulation were associated to driving behaviour at follow-up. It is recommended that self-regulatory measurements should regularly be considered in the driving assessments after ABI.

  19. Scaling options for integral experiments for molten salt fluid mechanics and heat transfer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Philippe Bardet; Per F Peterson

    2005-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: Molten fluoride salts have potentially large benefits for use in high-temperature heat transport in fission and fusion energy systems, due to their very very low vapor pressures at high temperatures. Molten salts have high volumetric heat capacity compared to high-pressure helium and liquid metals, and have desirable safety characteristics due to their chemical inertness and low pressure. Therefore molten salts have been studied extensively for use in fusion blankets, as an intermediate heat transfer fluid for thermochemical hydrogen production in the Next Generation Nuclear Plant, as a primary coolant for the Advanced High Temperature Reactor, and as a solvent for fuel in the Molten Salt Reactor. This paper presents recent progress in the design and analysis of scaled thermal hydraulics experiments for molten salt systems. We have identified a category of light mineral oils that can be used for scaled experiments. By adjusting the length, velocity, average temperature, and temperature difference scales of the experiment, we show that it is possible to simultaneously match the Reynolds (Re), Froude (Fr), Prandtl (Pr) and Rayleigh (Ra) numbers in the scaled experiments. For example, the light mineral oil Penreco Drakesol 260 AT can be used to simulate the molten salt flibe (Li 2 BeF 4 ). At 110 deg. C, the oil Pr matches 600 deg. C flibe, and at 165 deg. C, the oil Pr matches 900 deg. C flibe. Re, Fr, and Ra can then be matched at a length scale of Ls/Lp = 0.40, velocity scale of U s /U p = 0.63, and temperature difference scale of ΔT s /ΔT p = 0.29. The Weber number is then matched within a factor of two, We s /We p = 0.7. Mechanical pumping power scales as Qp s /Qp p = 0.016, while heat inputs scale as Qh s /Qh p = 0.010, showing that power inputs to scaled experiments are very small compared to the prototype system. The scaled system has accelerated time, t s /t p = 0.64. When Re, Fr, Pr and Ra are matched, geometrically scaled

  20. Statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions: A scaling paradigm applied to electroencephalography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingber, Lester

    1991-09-01

    A series of papers has developed a statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions (SMNI), deriving aggregate behavior of experimentally observed columns of neurons from statistical electrical-chemical properties of synaptic interactions. While not useful to yield insights at the single-neuron level, SMNI has demonstrated its capability in describing large-scale properties of short-term memory and electroencephalographic (EEG) systematics. The necessity of including nonlinear and stochastic structures in this development has been stressed. In this paper, a more stringent test is placed on SMNI: The algebraic and numerical algorithms previously developed in this and similar systems are brought to bear to fit large sets of EEG and evoked-potential data being collected to investigate genetic predispositions to alcoholism and to extract brain ``signatures'' of short-term memory. Using the numerical algorithm of very fast simulated reannealing, it is demonstrated that SMNI can indeed fit these data within experimentally observed ranges of its underlying neuronal-synaptic parameters, and the quantitative modeling results are used to examine physical neocortical mechanisms to discriminate high-risk and low-risk populations genetically predisposed to alcoholism. Since this study is a control to span relatively long time epochs, similar to earlier attempts to establish such correlations, this discrimination is inconclusive because of other neuronal activity which can mask such effects. However, the SMNI model is shown to be consistent with EEG data during selective attention tasks and with neocortical mechanisms describing short-term memory previously published using this approach. This paper explicitly identifies similar nonlinear stochastic mechanisms of interaction at the microscopic-neuronal, mesoscopic-columnar, and macroscopic-regional scales of neocortical interactions. These results give strong quantitative support for an accurate intuitive picture, portraying

  1. Construction and evaluation of a self rating scale for stress-induced exhaustion disorder, the Karolinska Exhaustion Disorder Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Besèr, Aniella; Sorjonen, Kimmo; Wahlberg, Kristina; Peterson, Ulla; Nygren, Ake; Asberg, Marie

    2014-02-01

    Prolonged stress (≥ six months) may cause a condition which has been named exhaustion disorder (ED) with ICD-10 code F43.8. ED is characterised by exhaustion, cognitive problems, poor sleep and reduced tolerance to further stress. ED can cause long term disability and depressive symptoms may develop. The aim was to construct and evaluate a self-rating scale, the Karolinska Exhaustion Disorder Scale (KEDS), for the assessment of ED symptoms. A second aim was to examine the relationship between self-rated symptoms of ED, depression, and anxiety using KEDS and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD). Items were selected based on their correspondence to criteria for ED as formulated by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (NBHW), with seven response alternatives in a Likert-format. Self-ratings performed by 317 clinically assessed participants were used to analyse the scale's psychometric properties. KEDS consists of nine items with a scale range of 0-54. Receiver operating characteristics analysis demonstrated that a cut-off score of 19 was accompanied by high sensitivity and specificity (each above 95%) in the discrimination between healthy subjects and patients with ED. Reliability was satisfactory and confirmatory factor analysis revealed that ED, depression and anxiety are best regarded as different phenomena. KEDS may be a useful tool in the assessment of symptoms of Exhaustion Disorder in clinical as well as research settings. There is evidence that the symptom clusters of ED, anxiety and depression, respectively, reflect three different underlying dimensions. © 2013 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology published by Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Strain Rate and Anisotropic Microstructure Dependent Mechanical Behaviors of Silkworm Cocoon Shells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Xu

    Full Text Available Silkworm cocoons are multi-layered composite structures comprised of high strength silk fiber and sericin, and their mechanical properties have been naturally selected to protect pupas during metamorphosis from various types of external attacks. The present study attempts to gain a comprehensive understanding of the mechanical properties of cocoon shell materials from wild silkworm species Antheraea pernyi under dynamic loading rates. Five dynamic strain rates from 0.00625 s-1 to 12.5 s-1 are tested to show the strain rate sensitivity of the cocoon shell material. In the meantime, the anisotropy of the cocoon shell is considered and the cocoon shell specimens are cut along 0°, 45° and 90° orientation to the short axis of cocoons. Typical mechanical properties including Young's modulus, yield strength, ultimate strength and ultimate strain are extracted and analyzed from the stress-strain curves. Furthermore, the fracture morphologies of the cocoon shell specimens are observed under scanning electron microscopy to help understand the relationship between the mechanical properties and the microstructures of the cocoon material. A discussion on the dynamic strain rate effect on the mechanical properties of cocoon shell material is followed by fitting our experimental results to two previous models, and the effect could be well explained. We also compare natural and dried cocoon materials for the dynamic strain rate effect and interestingly the dried cocoon shells show better overall mechanical properties. This study provides a different perspective on the mechanical properties of cocoon material as a composite material, and provides some insight for bio-inspired engineering materials.

  3. On scaling cosmogenic nuclide production rates for altitude and latitude using cosmic-ray measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desilets, Darin; Zreda, Marek

    2001-11-01

    The wide use of cosmogenic nuclides for dating terrestrial landforms has prompted a renewed interest in characterizing the spatial distribution of terrestrial cosmic rays. Cosmic-ray measurements from neutron monitors, nuclear emulsions and cloud chambers have played an important role in developing new models for scaling cosmic-ray neutron intensities and, indirectly, cosmogenic production rates. Unfortunately, current scaling models overlook or misinterpret many of these data. In this paper, we describe factors that must be considered when using neutron measurements to determine scaling formulations for production rates of cosmogenic nuclides. Over the past 50 years, the overwhelming majority of nucleon flux measurements have been taken with neutron monitors. However, in order to use these data for scaling spallation reactions, the following factors must be considered: (1) sensitivity of instruments to muons and to background, (2) instrumental biases in energy sensitivity, (3) solar activity, and (4) the way of ordering cosmic-ray data in the geomagnetic field. Failure to account for these factors can result in discrepancies of as much as 7% in neutron attenuation lengths measured at the same location. This magnitude of deviation can result in an error on the order of 20% in cosmogenic production rates scaled from 4300 m to sea level. The shapes of latitude curves of nucleon flux also depend on these factors to a measurable extent, thereby causing additional uncertainties in cosmogenic production rates. The corrections proposed herein significantly improve our ability to transfer scaling formulations based on neutron measurements to scaling formulations applicable to spallation reactions, and, therefore, constitute an important advance in cosmogenic dating methodology.

  4. Pharyngeal Residue Severity Rating Scales Based on Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neubauer, Paul D; Hersey, Denise P; Leder, Steven B

    2016-06-01

    Identification of pharyngeal residue severity located in the valleculae and pyriform sinuses has always been a primary goal during fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). Pharyngeal residue is a clinical sign of potential prandial aspiration making an accurate description of its severity an important but difficult challenge. A reliable, validated, and generalizable pharyngeal residue severity rating scale for FEES would be beneficial. A systematic review of the published English language literature since 1995 was conducted to determine the quality of existing pharyngeal residue severity rating scales based on FEES. Databases were searched using controlled vocabulary words and synonymous free text words for topics of interest (deglutition disorders, pharyngeal residue, endoscopy, videofluoroscopy, fiberoptic technology, aspiration, etc.) and outcomes of interest (scores, scales, grades, tests, FEES, etc.). Search strategies were adjusted for syntax appropriate for each database/platform. Data sources included MEDLINE (OvidSP 1946-April Week 3 2015), Embase (OvidSP 1974-2015 April 20), Scopus (Elsevier), and the unindexed material in PubMed (NLM/NIH) were searched for relevant articles. Supplementary efforts to identify studies included checking reference lists of articles retrieved. Scales were compared using qualitative properties (sample size, severity definitions, number of raters, and raters' experience and training) and psychometric analyses (randomization, intra- and inter-rater reliability, and construct validity). Seven articles describing pharyngeal residue severity rating scales met inclusion criteria. Six of seven scales had insufficient data to support their use as evidenced by methodological weaknesses with both qualitative properties and psychometric analyses. There is a need for qualitative and psychometrically reliable, validated, and generalizable pharyngeal residue severity rating scales that are anatomically specific, image

  5. Two-scale modelling for hydro-mechanical damage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frey, J.; Chambon, R.; Dascalu, C.

    2010-01-01

    Document available in extended abstract form only. Excavation works for underground storage create a damage zone for the rock nearby and affect its hydraulics properties. This degradation, already observed by laboratory tests, can create a leading path for fluids. The micro fracture phenomenon, which occur at a smaller scale and affect the rock permeability, must be fully understood to minimize the transfer process. Many methods can be used in order to take into account the microstructure of heterogeneous materials. Among them a method has been developed recently. Instead of using a constitutive equation obtained by phenomenological considerations or by some homogenization techniques, the representative elementary volume (R.E.V.) is modelled as a structure and the links between a prescribed kinematics and the corresponding dual forces are deduced numerically. This yields the so called Finite Element square method (FE2). In a numerical point of view, a finite element model is used at the macroscopic level, and for each Gauss point, computations on the microstructure gives the usual results of a constitutive law. This numerical approach is now classical in order to properly model some materials such as composites and the efficiency of such numerical homogenization process has been shown, and allows numerical modelling of deformation processes associated with various micro-structural changes. The aim of this work is to describe trough such a method, damage of the rock with a two scale hydro-mechanical model. The rock damage at the macroscopic scale is directly link with an analysis on the microstructure. At the macroscopic scale a two phase's problem is studied. A solid skeleton is filled up by a filtrating fluid. It is necessary to enforce two balance equation and two mass conservation equations. A classical way to deal with such a problem is to work with the balance equation of the whole mixture, and the mass fluid conservation written in a weak form, the mass

  6. Developing Tools to Test the Thermo-Mechanical Models, Examples at Crustal and Upper Mantle Scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Pourhiet, L.; Yamato, P.; Burov, E.; Gurnis, M.

    2005-12-01

    Testing geodynamical model is never an easy task. Depending on the spatio-temporal scale of the model, different testable predictions are needed and no magic reciepe exist. This contribution first presents different methods that have been used to test themo-mechanical modeling results at upper crustal, lithospheric and upper mantle scale using three geodynamical examples : the Gulf of Corinth (Greece), the Western Alps, and the Sierra Nevada. At short spatio-temporal scale (e.g. Gulf of Corinth). The resolution of the numerical models is usually sufficient to catch the timing and kinematics of the faults precisely enough to be tested by tectono-stratigraphic arguments. In active deforming area, microseismicity can be compared to the effective rheology and P and T axes of the focal mechanism can be compared with local orientation of the major component of the stress tensor. At lithospheric scale the resolution of the models doesn't permit anymore to constrain the models by direct observations (i.e. structural data from field or seismic reflection). Instead, synthetic P-T-t path may be computed and compared to natural ones in term of rate of exhumation for ancient orogens. Topography may also help but on continent it mainly depends on erosion laws that are complicated to constrain. Deeper in the mantle, the only available constrain are long wave length topographic data and tomographic "data". The major problem to overcome now at lithospheric and upper mantle scale, is that the so called "data" results actually from inverse models of the real data and that those inverse model are based on synthetic models. Post processing P and S wave velocities is not sufficient to be able to make testable prediction at upper mantle scale. Instead of that, direct wave propagations model must be computed. This allows checking if the differences between two models constitute a testable prediction or not. On longer term, we may be able to use those synthetic models to reduce the residue

  7. Psychometric Properties of the Parent and Teacher ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD-RS)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Makransky, Guido; Bilenberg, Niels

    2014-01-01

    Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence. Rating the severity of psychopathology and symptom load is essential in daily clinical practice and in research. The parent and teacher ADHD-Rating Scale (ADHD-RS) includes...

  8. Protective role of Arapaima gigas fish scales: structure and mechanical behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Wen; Sherman, Vincent R; Gludovatz, Bernd; Mackey, Mason; Zimmermann, Elizabeth A; Chang, Edwin H; Schaible, Eric; Qin, Zhao; Buehler, Markus J; Ritchie, Robert O; Meyers, Marc A

    2014-08-01

    The scales of the arapaima (Arapaima gigas), one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, can serve as inspiration for the design of flexible dermal armor. Each scale is composed of two layers: a laminate composite of parallel collagen fibrils and a hard, highly mineralized surface layer. We review the structure of the arapaima scales and examine the functions of the different layers, focusing on the mechanical behavior, including tension and penetration of the scales, with and without the highly mineralized outer layer. We show that the fracture of the mineral and the stretching, rotation and delamination of collagen fibrils dissipate a significant amount of energy prior to catastrophic failure, providing high toughness and resistance to penetration by predator teeth. We show that the arapaima's scale has evolved to minimize damage from penetration by predator teeth through a Bouligand-like arrangement of successive layers, each consisting of parallel collagen fibrils with different orientations. This inhibits crack propagation and restricts damage to an area adjoining the penetration. The flexibility of the lamellae is instrumental to the redistribution of the compressive stresses in the underlying tissue, decreasing the severity of the concentrated load produced by the action of a tooth. The experimental results, combined with small-angle X-ray scattering characterization and molecular dynamics simulations, provide a complete picture of the mechanisms of deformation, delamination and rotation of the lamellae during tensile extension of the scale. Copyright © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Creation of the physical appearance and the body image rating scale for the Czech context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lenka Šrámková

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Problem and methods: Physical appearance is one of the key components of selfperception from early childhood. An individual’s perceived physical attractiveness is largely conditioned by geographical, cultural and historical factors. Every culture develops its own criteria of attractiveness and any deviations to those are often a cause of ostracism, for example through exclusion or rejection. Still, there are certain universal principles of attractiveness (e.g. a higher waist-hip ratio, facial symmetry, sexually dimorphic features, which exist across cultures and time periods with little variation. To measure a person’s level of satisfaction with his/her physical appearance, psychologists regularly employ figure rating scales. The primary goal of our work was to develop and verify an updated visual body rating scale called the Basic Olomouc Body Rating (BOBR, making sure that it is widely usable, valid and reliable. The scale was created using the method of document analysis of academic papers according body-rating scales and a method of interview with potential probands. In the pilot data gathering phase, a group of respondents was presented with the 3 scales commonly used in the European context, i.e. FDS (Stunkard, Sorensen & Schulsinger, 1983, CDRS (Thompson & Gray, 1995 and BIAS-BD (Gardner, Jappe & Gardner, 2009. The purpose of this was to get feedback on these scales and find out if people are able to use these scales to rate themselves. New schematic figure rating scale for both men and women which would do away with the limitations of the scales used so far was developed. Results: The result is creation of a body-rating scale widely usable in further research and practical consulting. The paper briefly summarizes results of an additional study – the goal definition phase was followed by online research on the subject of body image and the self-perceived sexual attractiveness. Altogether, 5,616 respondents from the Czech Republic

  10. Centennial- to millennial-scale hard rock erosion rates deduced from luminescence-depth profiles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sohbati, Reza; Liu, Jinfeng; Jain, Mayank; Murray, Andrew; Egholm, David; Paris, Richard; Guralnik, Benny

    2018-01-01

    The measurement of erosion and weathering rates in different geomorphic settings and over diverse temporal and spatial scales is fundamental to the quantification of rates and patterns of earth surface processes. A knowledge of the rates of these surface processes helps one to decipher their

  11. Pathological mechanisms underlying single large‐scale mitochondrial DNA deletions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rocha, Mariana C.; Rosa, Hannah S.; Grady, John P.; Blakely, Emma L.; He, Langping; Romain, Nadine; Haller, Ronald G.; Newman, Jane; McFarland, Robert; Ng, Yi Shiau; Gorman, Grainne S.; Schaefer, Andrew M.; Tuppen, Helen A.; Taylor, Robert W.

    2018-01-01

    Objective Single, large‐scale deletions in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are a common cause of mitochondrial disease. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the genetic defect and molecular phenotype to improve understanding of pathogenic mechanisms associated with single, large‐scale mtDNA deletions in skeletal muscle. Methods We investigated 23 muscle biopsies taken from adult patients (6 males/17 females with a mean age of 43 years) with characterized single, large‐scale mtDNA deletions. Mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiency in skeletal muscle biopsies was quantified by immunoreactivity levels for complex I and complex IV proteins. Single muscle fibers with varying degrees of deficiency were selected from 6 patient biopsies for determination of mtDNA deletion level and copy number by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results We have defined 3 “classes” of single, large‐scale deletion with distinct patterns of mitochondrial deficiency, determined by the size and location of the deletion. Single fiber analyses showed that fibers with greater respiratory chain deficiency harbored higher levels of mtDNA deletion with an increase in total mtDNA copy number. For the first time, we have demonstrated that threshold levels for complex I and complex IV deficiency differ based on deletion class. Interpretation Combining genetic and immunofluorescent assays, we conclude that thresholds for complex I and complex IV deficiency are modulated by the deletion of complex‐specific protein‐encoding genes. Furthermore, removal of mt‐tRNA genes impacts specific complexes only at high deletion levels, when complex‐specific protein‐encoding genes remain. These novel findings provide valuable insight into the pathogenic mechanisms associated with these mutations. Ann Neurol 2018;83:115–130 PMID:29283441

  12. Scale dependence of the alignment between strain rate and rotation in turbulent shear flow

    KAUST Repository

    Fiscaletti, D.

    2016-10-24

    The scale dependence of the statistical alignment tendencies of the eigenvectors of the strain-rate tensor e(i), with the vorticity vector omega, is examined in the self-preserving region of a planar turbulent mixing layer. Data from a direct numerical simulation are filtered at various length scales and the probability density functions of the magnitude of the alignment cosines between the two unit vectors vertical bar e(i) . (omega) over cap vertical bar are examined. It is observed that the alignment tendencies are insensitive to the concurrent large-scale velocity fluctuations, but are quantitatively affected by the nature of the concurrent large-scale velocity-gradient fluctuations. It is confirmed that the small-scale (local) vorticity vector is preferentially aligned in parallel with the large-scale (background) extensive strain-rate eigenvector e(1), in contrast to the global tendency for omega to be aligned in parallelwith the intermediate strain-rate eigenvector [Hamlington et al., Phys. Fluids 20, 111703 (2008)]. When only data from regions of the flow that exhibit strong swirling are included, the so-called high-enstrophy worms, the alignment tendencies are exaggerated with respect to the global picture. These findings support the notion that the production of enstrophy, responsible for a net cascade of turbulent kinetic energy from large scales to small scales, is driven by vorticity stretching due to the preferential parallel alignment between omega and nonlocal e(1) and that the strongly swirling worms are kinematically significant to this process.

  13. Scale dependence of the alignment between strain rate and rotation in turbulent shear flow

    KAUST Repository

    Fiscaletti, D.; Elsinga, G. E.; Attili, Antonio; Bisetti, Fabrizio; Buxton, O. R. H.

    2016-01-01

    The scale dependence of the statistical alignment tendencies of the eigenvectors of the strain-rate tensor e(i), with the vorticity vector omega, is examined in the self-preserving region of a planar turbulent mixing layer. Data from a direct numerical simulation are filtered at various length scales and the probability density functions of the magnitude of the alignment cosines between the two unit vectors vertical bar e(i) . (omega) over cap vertical bar are examined. It is observed that the alignment tendencies are insensitive to the concurrent large-scale velocity fluctuations, but are quantitatively affected by the nature of the concurrent large-scale velocity-gradient fluctuations. It is confirmed that the small-scale (local) vorticity vector is preferentially aligned in parallel with the large-scale (background) extensive strain-rate eigenvector e(1), in contrast to the global tendency for omega to be aligned in parallelwith the intermediate strain-rate eigenvector [Hamlington et al., Phys. Fluids 20, 111703 (2008)]. When only data from regions of the flow that exhibit strong swirling are included, the so-called high-enstrophy worms, the alignment tendencies are exaggerated with respect to the global picture. These findings support the notion that the production of enstrophy, responsible for a net cascade of turbulent kinetic energy from large scales to small scales, is driven by vorticity stretching due to the preferential parallel alignment between omega and nonlocal e(1) and that the strongly swirling worms are kinematically significant to this process.

  14. Time Scale Analysis of Interest Rate Spreads and Output Using Wavelets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marco Gallegati

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper adds to the literature on the information content of different spreads for real activity by explicitly taking into account the time scale relationship between a variety of monetary and financial indicators (real interest rate, term and credit spreads and output growth. By means of wavelet-based exploratory data analysis we obtain richer results relative to the aggregate analysis by identifying the dominant scales of variation in the data and the scales and location at which structural breaks have occurred. Moreover, using the “double residuals” regression analysis on a scale-by-scale basis, we find that changes in the spread in several markets have different information content for output at different time frames. This is consistent with the idea that allowing for different time scales of variation in the data can provide a fruitful understanding of the complex dynamics of economic relationships between variables with non-stationary or transient components, certainly richer than those obtained using standard time domain methods.

  15. Fractal scaling behavior of heart rate variability in response to meditation techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alvarez-Ramirez, J.; Rodríguez, E.; Echeverría, J.C.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • The scaling properties of heart rate variability in premeditation and meditation states were studied. • Mindfulness meditation induces a decrement of the HRV long-range scaling correlations. • Mindfulness meditation can be regarded as a type of induced deep sleep-like dynamics. - Abstract: The rescaled range (R/S) analysis was used for analyzing the fractal scaling properties of heart rate variability (HRV) of subjects undergoing premeditation and meditation states. Eight novice subjects and four advanced practitioners were considered. The corresponding pre-meditation and meditation HRV data were obtained from the Physionet database. The results showed that mindfulness meditation induces a decrement of the HRV long-range scaling correlations as quantified with the time-variant Hurst exponent. The Hurst exponent for advanced meditation practitioners decreases up to values of 0.5, reflecting uncorrelated (e.g., white noise-like) HRV dynamics. Some parallelisms between mindfulness meditation and deep sleep (Stage 4) are discussed, suggesting that the former can be regarded as a type of induced deep sleep-like dynamics.

  16. Anomalous Scaling Behaviors in a Rice-Pile Model with Two Different Driving Mechanisms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Duanming; Sun Hongzhang; Li Zhihua; Pan Guijun; Yu Boming; Li Rui; Yin Yanping

    2005-01-01

    The moment analysis is applied to perform large scale simulations of the rice-pile model. We find that this model shows different scaling behavior depending on the driving mechanism used. With the noisy driving, the rice-pile model violates the finite-size scaling hypothesis, whereas, with fixed driving, it shows well defined avalanche exponents and displays good finite size scaling behavior for the avalanche size and time duration distributions.

  17. THE MONETARY POLICY TRANSMISSION MECHANISM THROUGH INTEREST RATE. EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS: ROMANIA

    OpenAIRE

    Gabriel Bistriceanu

    2008-01-01

    Understanding monetary policy transmission is necessary to moentary policy projection and implementation of monetary policy in a efficient manner. I consider that interest rate monetary policy mechanism is very important because the interest rate is now the main instrument used by the majority of central banks in the world in taking monetary policy decissions and by all central banks wich have inflation targeting strategy. In this paper, I analysed monetary policy transmission mechanism throu...

  18. Pore-scale mechanisms of gas flow in tight sand reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Silin, D.; Kneafsey, T.J.; Ajo-Franklin, J.B.; Nico, P.

    2010-11-30

    Tight gas sands are unconventional hydrocarbon energy resource storing large volume of natural gas. Microscopy and 3D imaging of reservoir samples at different scales and resolutions provide insights into the coaredo not significantly smaller in size than conventional sandstones, the extremely dense grain packing makes the pore space tortuous, and the porosity is small. In some cases the inter-granular void space is presented by micron-scale slits, whose geometry requires imaging at submicron resolutions. Maximal Inscribed Spheres computations simulate different scenarios of capillary-equilibrium two-phase fluid displacement. For tight sands, the simulations predict an unusually low wetting fluid saturation threshold, at which the non-wetting phase becomes disconnected. Flow simulations in combination with Maximal Inscribed Spheres computations evaluate relative permeability curves. The computations show that at the threshold saturation, when the nonwetting fluid becomes disconnected, the flow of both fluids is practically blocked. The nonwetting phase is immobile due to the disconnectedness, while the permeability to the wetting phase remains essentially equal to zero due to the pore space geometry. This observation explains the Permeability Jail, which was defined earlier by others. The gas is trapped by capillarity, and the brine is immobile due to the dynamic effects. At the same time, in drainage, simulations predict that the mobility of at least one of the fluids is greater than zero at all saturations. A pore-scale model of gas condensate dropout predicts the rate to be proportional to the scalar product of the fluid velocity and pressure gradient. The narrowest constriction in the flow path is subject to the highest rate of condensation. The pore-scale model naturally upscales to the Panfilov's Darcy-scale model, which implies that the condensate dropout rate is proportional to the pressure gradient squared. Pressure gradient is the greatest near the

  19. Effect of Cooling Rate on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties in SA508 Gr4N High Strength Low Alloy Steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Minchul; Park, Sanggyu; Choi, Kwonjae; Lee, Bongsang [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-05-15

    The microstructure of Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel is a mixture of tempered martensite and tempered lower bainite and that of Mn-Mo-Ni low alloy steel is predominantly tempered upper bainite. Higher strength and toughness steels are very attractive as an eligible RPV steel, so several researchers have studied to use the Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel for the NPP application. Because of the thickness of reactor vessel, there are large differences in austenitizing cooling rates between the surface and the center locations of thickness in RPV. Because the cooling rates after austenitization determine the microstructure, it would affect the mechanical properties in Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel, and it may lead to inhomogeneous characteristics when the commercial scale of RPV is fabricated. In order to apply the Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel to RPV, it is necessary to evaluate the changes of microstructure and mechanical properties with varying phase fractions in Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel. In this study, the effects of martensite and bainite fractions on mechanical properties in Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel were examined by controlling the cooling rate after austenitization. First of all, continuous cooling transformation(CCT) diagram was established from the dilatometric analyses. Then, the phase fractions at each cooling rate were quantitatively evaluated. Finally, the mechanical properties were correlated with the phase fraction, especially fraction of martensite in Ni-Cr-Mo low alloy steel.

  20. Soil Penetration Rates by Earthworms and Plant Roots- Mechanical and Energetic Considerations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz, Siul; Schymanski, Stan; Or, Dani

    2016-04-01

    We analyze the implications of different soil burrowing rates by earthworms and growing plant roots using mechanical models that consider soil rheological properties. We estimate the energetic requirements for soil elasto-viscoplastic displacement at different rates for similar burrows and water contents. In the core of the mechanical model is a transient cavity expansion into viscoplastic wet soil that mimic an earthworm or root tip cone-like penetration and subsequent cavity expansion due to pressurized earthworm hydrostatic skeleton or root radial growth. Soil matrix viscoplatic considerations enable separation of the respective energetic requirements for earthworms penetrating at 2 μm/s relative to plant roots growing at 0.2 μm/s . Typical mechanical and viscous parameters are obtained inversely for soils under different fixed water contents utilizing custom miniaturized cone penetrometers at different fixed penetration rates (1 to 1000 μm/s). Experimental results determine critical water contents where soil exhibits pronounced viscoplatic behavior (close to saturation), bellow which the soil strength limits earthworms activity and fracture propagation by expanding plant roots becomes the favorable mechanical mode. The soil mechanical parameters in conjunction with earthworm and plant root physiological pressure limitations (200 kPa and 2000 kPa respectively) enable delineation of the role of soil saturation in regulating biotic penetration rates for different soil types under different moisture contents. Furthermore, this study provides a quantitative framework for estimating rates of energy expenditure for soil penetration, which allowed us to determine maximum earthworm population densities considering soil mechanical properties and the energy stored in soil organic matter.

  1. Bench-scale/field-scale interpretations: Session overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cunningham, A.B.; Peyton, B.M.

    1995-04-01

    In situ bioremediation involves complex interactions between biological, chemical, and physical processes and requires integration of phenomena operating at scales ranging from that of a microbial cell (10 -6 ) to that of a remediation site (10 to 1000 m). Laboratory investigations of biodegradation are usually performed at a relatively small scale, governed by convenience, cost, and expedience. However, extending the results from a laboratory-scale experimental system to the design and operation of a field-scale system introduces (1) additional mass transport mechanisms and limitations; (2) the presence of multiple phases, contants, and competing microorganisms (3) spatial geologic heterogeneities; and (4) subsurface environmental factors that may inhibit bacterial growth such as temperature, pH, nutrient, or redox conditions. Field bioremediation rates may be limited by the availability of one of the necessary constituents for biotransformation: substrate, contaminant, electron acceptor, nutrients, or microorganisms capable of degrading the target compound. The factor that limits the rate of bioremediation may not be the same in the laboratory as it is in the field, thereby leading, to development of unsuccessful remediation strategies

  2. Evaluation of the ADHD Rating Scale in Youth with Autism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yerys, Benjamin E.; Nissley-Tsiopinis, Jenelle; de Marchena, Ashley; Watkins, Marley W.; Antezana, Ligia; Power, Thomas J.; Schultz, Robert T.

    2017-01-01

    Scientists and clinicians regularly use clinical screening tools for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to assess comorbidity without empirical evidence that these measures are valid in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We examined the prevalence of youth meeting ADHD criteria on the ADHD rating scale fourth edition…

  3. A Configurable Event-Driven Convolutional Node with Rate Saturation Mechanism for Modular ConvNet Systems Implementation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camuñas-Mesa, Luis A.; Domínguez-Cordero, Yaisel L.; Linares-Barranco, Alejandro; Serrano-Gotarredona, Teresa; Linares-Barranco, Bernabé

    2018-01-01

    Convolutional Neural Networks (ConvNets) are a particular type of neural network often used for many applications like image recognition, video analysis or natural language processing. They are inspired by the human brain, following a specific organization of the connectivity pattern between layers of neurons known as receptive field. These networks have been traditionally implemented in software, but they are becoming more computationally expensive as they scale up, having limitations for real-time processing of high-speed stimuli. On the other hand, hardware implementations show difficulties to be used for different applications, due to their reduced flexibility. In this paper, we propose a fully configurable event-driven convolutional node with rate saturation mechanism that can be used to implement arbitrary ConvNets on FPGAs. This node includes a convolutional processing unit and a routing element which allows to build large 2D arrays where any multilayer structure can be implemented. The rate saturation mechanism emulates the refractory behavior in biological neurons, guaranteeing a minimum separation in time between consecutive events. A 4-layer ConvNet with 22 convolutional nodes trained for poker card symbol recognition has been implemented in a Spartan6 FPGA. This network has been tested with a stimulus where 40 poker cards were observed by a Dynamic Vision Sensor (DVS) in 1 s time. Different slow-down factors were applied to characterize the behavior of the system for high speed processing. For slow stimulus play-back, a 96% recognition rate is obtained with a power consumption of 0.85 mW. At maximum play-back speed, a traffic control mechanism downsamples the input stimulus, obtaining a recognition rate above 63% when less than 20% of the input events are processed, demonstrating the robustness of the network. PMID:29515349

  4. A Configurable Event-Driven Convolutional Node with Rate Saturation Mechanism for Modular ConvNet Systems Implementation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis A. Camuñas-Mesa

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Convolutional Neural Networks (ConvNets are a particular type of neural network often used for many applications like image recognition, video analysis or natural language processing. They are inspired by the human brain, following a specific organization of the connectivity pattern between layers of neurons known as receptive field. These networks have been traditionally implemented in software, but they are becoming more computationally expensive as they scale up, having limitations for real-time processing of high-speed stimuli. On the other hand, hardware implementations show difficulties to be used for different applications, due to their reduced flexibility. In this paper, we propose a fully configurable event-driven convolutional node with rate saturation mechanism that can be used to implement arbitrary ConvNets on FPGAs. This node includes a convolutional processing unit and a routing element which allows to build large 2D arrays where any multilayer structure can be implemented. The rate saturation mechanism emulates the refractory behavior in biological neurons, guaranteeing a minimum separation in time between consecutive events. A 4-layer ConvNet with 22 convolutional nodes trained for poker card symbol recognition has been implemented in a Spartan6 FPGA. This network has been tested with a stimulus where 40 poker cards were observed by a Dynamic Vision Sensor (DVS in 1 s time. Different slow-down factors were applied to characterize the behavior of the system for high speed processing. For slow stimulus play-back, a 96% recognition rate is obtained with a power consumption of 0.85 mW. At maximum play-back speed, a traffic control mechanism downsamples the input stimulus, obtaining a recognition rate above 63% when less than 20% of the input events are processed, demonstrating the robustness of the network.

  5. A Configurable Event-Driven Convolutional Node with Rate Saturation Mechanism for Modular ConvNet Systems Implementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camuñas-Mesa, Luis A; Domínguez-Cordero, Yaisel L; Linares-Barranco, Alejandro; Serrano-Gotarredona, Teresa; Linares-Barranco, Bernabé

    2018-01-01

    Convolutional Neural Networks (ConvNets) are a particular type of neural network often used for many applications like image recognition, video analysis or natural language processing. They are inspired by the human brain, following a specific organization of the connectivity pattern between layers of neurons known as receptive field. These networks have been traditionally implemented in software, but they are becoming more computationally expensive as they scale up, having limitations for real-time processing of high-speed stimuli. On the other hand, hardware implementations show difficulties to be used for different applications, due to their reduced flexibility. In this paper, we propose a fully configurable event-driven convolutional node with rate saturation mechanism that can be used to implement arbitrary ConvNets on FPGAs. This node includes a convolutional processing unit and a routing element which allows to build large 2D arrays where any multilayer structure can be implemented. The rate saturation mechanism emulates the refractory behavior in biological neurons, guaranteeing a minimum separation in time between consecutive events. A 4-layer ConvNet with 22 convolutional nodes trained for poker card symbol recognition has been implemented in a Spartan6 FPGA. This network has been tested with a stimulus where 40 poker cards were observed by a Dynamic Vision Sensor (DVS) in 1 s time. Different slow-down factors were applied to characterize the behavior of the system for high speed processing. For slow stimulus play-back, a 96% recognition rate is obtained with a power consumption of 0.85 mW. At maximum play-back speed, a traffic control mechanism downsamples the input stimulus, obtaining a recognition rate above 63% when less than 20% of the input events are processed, demonstrating the robustness of the network.

  6. Psychometric properties of the communication Confidence Rating Scale for Aphasia (CCRSA): phase 1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cherney, Leora R; Babbitt, Edna M; Semik, Patrick; Heinemann, Allen W

    2011-01-01

    Confidence is a construct that has not been explored previously in aphasia research. We developed the Communication Confidence Rating Scale for Aphasia (CCRSA) to assess confidence in communicating in a variety of activities and evaluated its psychometric properties using rating scale (Rasch) analysis. The CCRSA was administered to 21 individuals with aphasia before and after participation in a computer-based language therapy study. Person reliability of the 8-item CCRSA was .77. The 5-category rating scale demonstrated monotonic increases in average measures from low to high ratings. However, one item ("I follow news, sports, stories on TV/movies") misfit the construct defined by the other items (mean square infit = 1.69, item-measure correlation = .41). Deleting this item improved reliability to .79; the 7 remaining items demonstrated excellent fit to the underlying construct, although there was a modest ceiling effect in this sample. Pre- to posttreatment changes on the 7-item CCRSA measure were statistically significant using a paired samples t test. Findings support the reliability and sensitivity of the CCRSA in assessing participants' self-report of communication confidence. Further evaluation of communication confidence is required with larger and more diverse samples.

  7. Scaled CMOS Technology Reliability Users Guide

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Mark

    2010-01-01

    The desire to assess the reliability of emerging scaled microelectronics technologies through faster reliability trials and more accurate acceleration models is the precursor for further research and experimentation in this relevant field. The effect of semiconductor scaling on microelectronics product reliability is an important aspect to the high reliability application user. From the perspective of a customer or user, who in many cases must deal with very limited, if any, manufacturer's reliability data to assess the product for a highly-reliable application, product-level testing is critical in the characterization and reliability assessment of advanced nanometer semiconductor scaling effects on microelectronics reliability. A methodology on how to accomplish this and techniques for deriving the expected product-level reliability on commercial memory products are provided.Competing mechanism theory and the multiple failure mechanism model are applied to the experimental results of scaled SDRAM products. Accelerated stress testing at multiple conditions is applied at the product level of several scaled memory products to assess the performance degradation and product reliability. Acceleration models are derived for each case. For several scaled SDRAM products, retention time degradation is studied and two distinct soft error populations are observed with each technology generation: early breakdown, characterized by randomly distributed weak bits with Weibull slope (beta)=1, and a main population breakdown with an increasing failure rate. Retention time soft error rates are calculated and a multiple failure mechanism acceleration model with parameters is derived for each technology. Defect densities are calculated and reflect a decreasing trend in the percentage of random defective bits for each successive product generation. A normalized soft error failure rate of the memory data retention time in FIT/Gb and FIT/cm2 for several scaled SDRAM generations is

  8. The seating mechanics of head-neck modular tapers in vitro: Load-displacement measurements, moisture, and rate effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ouellette, Eric S; Shenoy, Aarti A; Gilbert, Jeremy L

    2018-04-01

    The mechanically assisted crevice corrosion performance of head-neck modular tapers is a significant concern in orthopedic biomaterials. Fretting crevice corrosion processes in modular tapers are thought to be influenced by a wide array of factors including seating mechanics of the junction, hence there is a need for in vitro test methods that can assess their performance. This study presented a test method to directly measure the load-displacement seating mechanics of modular tapers and used this method to compare the seating mechanics for different tapers, moisture, seating loads and seating rates. Seating mechanics were explored whereby the instantaneous load-displacement behavior of the head seating onto the neck is captured and used to define the mechanics of seating. Two distinct taper design/material combinations were assembled wet or dry using axially applied loads (500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 N) at two loading rates of 100 and 10 4  N/s (n = 5 for each condition) using a servohydraulic test frame. The results showed that pull-off strength scaled with seating load and ranged between 43% and 68% of seating load depending on sample and wetness. Tapers seated wet had higher pull-off strengths (2,200 ± 300 N) than those seated dry (1,800 ± 200 N, p mechanics (load-displacement plots) varied due to sample type and due to wetness with differences in seating energy, seating stiffness, and seating displacement. These results show the detailed mechanics of seating during assembly and provide significant insight into the complex interplay of factors associated with even "ideal" seating (axial, quasistatic) loading. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1164-1172, 2018. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Validation of Universal Scale in Oral Surgery (USOS) for Patient’s Psycho-emotional Status Rating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinchasov, Ginnady; Gervickas, Albinas; Sakavicius, Dalius; Juodzbalys, Gintaras

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objectives There aren’t any objective methods that may help in standard evaluation of oral surgery patient’s psycho-emotional status. Without any standardized evaluation, two main problems appear: heterogeneity between studies and ineffective patient’s evaluation. Therefore, Universal Scale in Oral Surgery (USOS) for patient’s psycho-emotional status rating has previously been proposed by authors. The aim of present study is to assess the clinical effectivity and validate the Universal Scale in Oral Surgery in case of outpatient tooth extraction for adult healthy patients. Material and Methods Clinical trial to validate the USOS for patient’s psycho-emotional status rating was performed. In total 90 patients, that came for outpatient dental extraction to Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department ambulatory, were enrolled in clinical trial. Patients filled self-reported questionnaires before the procedure. Operating surgeon rated USOS for patient’s psycho-emotional status rating doctor’s part questionnaire after the procedure. 4 - 6 weeks later all patients were asked to fill USOS for patient’s psycho-emotional status rating questionnaire retrospectively. Results According to the statistical analysis, the final composition of USOS for patient’s psycho-emotional status rating that would fit to reliability coefficient should be composed from 6 patient part questions and 3 general doctor part questions. Conclusions Universal Scale in Oral Surgery for patient’s psycho-emotional status rating is a novel, doctor and patient rated scale which is suitable for clinical and scientific usage. PMID:29435204

  10. Psychometric Properties of the Teacher-Reported Motor Skills Rating Scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Helyn; Murrah, William M.; Cameron, Claire E.; Brock, Laura L.; Cottone, Elizabeth A.; Grissmer, David

    2015-01-01

    Children's early motor competence is associated with social development and academic achievement. However, few studies have examined teacher reports of children's motor skills. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Motor Skills Rating Scale (MSRS), a 19-item measure of children's teacher-reported motor skills in the classroom.…

  11. Mechanical properties and the laminate structure of Arapaima gigas scales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Y S; Wei, C T; Olevsky, E A; Meyers, Marc A

    2011-10-01

    The Arapaima gigas scales play an important role in protecting this large Amazon basin fish against predators such as the piranha. They have a laminate composite structure composed of an external mineralized layer and internal lamellae with thickness of 50-60 μm each and composed of collagen fibers with ~1 μm diameter. The alignment of collagen fibers is consistent in each individual layer but varies from layer to layer, forming a non-orthogonal plywood structure, known as Bouligand stacking. X-ray diffraction revealed that the external surface of the scale contains calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite. EDS results confirm that the percentage of calcium is higher in the external layer. The micro-indentation hardness of the external layer (550 MPa) is considerably higher than that of the internal layer (200 MPa), consistent with its higher degree of mineralization. Tensile testing of the scales carried out in the dry and wet conditions shows that the strength and stiffness are hydration dependent. As is the case of most biological materials, the elastic modulus of the scale is strain-rate dependent. The strain-rate dependence of the elastic modulus, as expressed by the Ramberg-Osgood equation, is equal to 0.26, approximately ten times higher than that of bone. This is attributed to the higher fraction of collagen in the scales and to the high degree of hydration (30% H(2)O). Deproteinization of the scale reveals the structure of the mineral component consisting of an interconnected network of platelets with a thickness of ~50 nm and diameter of ~500 nm. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Nitrogen rate strategies for reducing yield-scaled nitrous oxide emissions in maize

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Xu; Nafziger, Emerson D.; Pittelkow, Cameron M.

    2017-12-01

    Mitigating nitrogen (N) losses from agriculture without negatively impacting crop productivity is a pressing environmental and economic challenge. Reductions in N fertilizer rate are often highlighted as a solution, yet the degree to which crop yields and economic returns may be impacted at the field-level remains unclear, in part due to limited data availability. Farmers are risk averse and potential yield losses may limit the success of voluntary N loss mitigation protocols, thus understanding field-level yield tradeoffs is critical to inform policy development. Using a case study of soil N2O mitigation in the US Midwest, we conducted an ex-post assessment of two economic and two environmental N rate reduction strategies to identify promising practices for maintaining maize yields and economic returns while reducing N2O emissions per unit yield (i.e. yield-scaled emissions) compared to an assumed baseline N input level. Maize yield response data from 201 on-farm N rate experiments were combined with an empirical equation predicting N2O emissions as a function of N rate. Results indicate that the economic strategy aimed at maximizing returns to N (MRTN) led to moderate but consistent reductions in yield-scaled N2O emissions with small negative impacts on yield and slight increases in median returns. The economic optimum N rate strategy reduced yield-scaled N2O emissions in 75% of cases but increased them otherwise, challenging the assumption that this strategy will automatically reduce environmental impacts per unit production. Both environmental strategies, one designed to increase N recovery efficiency and one to balance N inputs with grain N removal, further reduced yield-scaled N2O emissions but were also associated with negative yield penalties and decreased returns. These results highlight the inherent tension between achieving agronomic and economic goals while reducing environmental impacts which is often overlooked in policy discussions. To enable the

  13. Nijmegen Observer-Rated Depression scale for detection of depression in nursing home residents.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Leontjevas, R.; Gerritsen, D.L.; Vernooij-Dassen, M.J.F.J.; Teerenstra, S.; Smalbrugge, M.; Koopmans, R.T.C.M.

    2012-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: This study aims to test the accuracy of the Nijmegen Observer-Rated Depression (NORD) scale, a new short scale for screening of depression in nursing home (NH) residents with and without dementia. METHODS: This cross-sectional study with 103 residents with dementia (N = 19 depressed) and

  14. The influence of nonbilinear system-bath coupling on quantum-mechanical activated rate processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Navrotskaya, Irina; Geva, Eitan

    2006-01-01

    The dependence of quantum-mechanical activated rate processes on the system-bath coupling strength was investigated in the case of a double-well nonbilinearly coupled to a harmonic bath, where the system-bath coupling is linear in the bath coordinates and nonlinear in the reaction coordinate. Such nonbilinear coupling is known to give rise to a classical friction kernel which is explicitly dependent on the reaction coordinate. We show that it can also lead to quantum-mechanical barrier-crossing rates, whose dependence on the system-bath coupling strength is qualitatively different from that observed in the quantum-mechanical bilinear case and classical nonbilinear case. More specifically, it is shown that the quantum-mechanical barrier-crossing rate may monotonically increase as a function of the system-bath coupling strength, in cases where the classical barrier-crossing rate goes through a turnover, and that the rate of quantum-mechanical barrier-crossing can be lower than that of classical barrier-crossing. We show that those purely quantum-mechanical effects are of a thermodynamical, rather than dynamical, nature, and that they originate from the difference in friction between the barrier top and the reactant and product wells. Our conclusions are supported by results obtained via the CMD method, which were also found to be in very good agreement with numerically exact calculations based on the QUAPI method

  15. Mechanics of arterial subfailure with increasing loading rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stemper, Brian D; Yoganandan, Narayan; Pintar, Frank A

    2007-01-01

    Arterial subfailure leads to delayed symptomatology and high morbidity and mortality rates, particularly for the thoracic aorta and carotid arteries. Although arterial injuries occur during high-velocity automotive collisions, previous studies of arterial subfailure focused on quasi-static loading. This investigation subjected aortic segments to increasing loading rates to quantify effects on elastic, subfailure, and ultimate vessel mechanics. Sixty-two specimens were axially distracted, and 92% demonstrated subfailure before ultimate failure. With increasing loading rate, stress at initial subfailure and ultimate failure significantly increased, and strain at initial subfailure and ultimate failure significantly decreased. Present results indicate increased susceptibility for arterial subfailure and/or dissection under higher-rate extension. According to the present results, automotive occupants are at greater risk of arterial injury under higher velocity impacts due to greater body segment motions in addition to decreased strain tolerance to subfailure and catastrophic failure.

  16. The brief negative symptom scale: validation of the German translation and convergent validity with self-rated anhedonia and observer-rated apathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bischof, Martin; Obermann, Caitriona; Hartmann, Matthias N; Hager, Oliver M; Kirschner, Matthias; Kluge, Agne; Strauss, Gregory P; Kaiser, Stefan

    2016-11-22

    Negative symptoms are considered core symptoms of schizophrenia. The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) was developed to measure this symptomatic dimension according to a current consensus definition. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the German version of the BNSS. To expand former findings on convergent validity, we employed the Temporal Experience Pleasure Scale (TEPS), a hedonic self-report that distinguishes between consummatory and anticipatory pleasure. Additionally, we addressed convergent validity with observer-rated assessment of apathy with the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES), which was completed by the patient's primary nurse. Data were collected from 75 in- and outpatients from the Psychiatric Hospital, University Zurich diagnosed with either schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. We assessed convergent and discriminant validity, internal consistency and inter-rater reliability. We largely replicated the findings of the original version showing good psychometric properties of the BNSS. In addition, the primary nurses evaluation correlated moderately with interview-based clinician rating. BNSS anhedonia items showed good convergent validity with the TEPS. Overall, the German BNSS shows good psychometric properties comparable to the original English version. Convergent validity extends beyond interview-based assessments of negative symptoms to self-rated anhedonia and observer-rated apathy.

  17. Assessing Communication Skills of Medical Students in Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE)--A Systematic Review of Rating Scales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cömert, Musa; Zill, Jördis Maria; Christalle, Eva; Dirmaier, Jörg; Härter, Martin; Scholl, Isabelle

    2016-01-01

    Teaching and assessment of communication skills have become essential in medical education. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been found as an appropriate means to assess communication skills within medical education. Studies have demonstrated the importance of a valid assessment of medical students' communication skills. Yet, the validity of the performance scores depends fundamentally on the quality of the rating scales used in an OSCE. Thus, this systematic review aimed at providing an overview of existing rating scales, describing their underlying definition of communication skills, determining the methodological quality of psychometric studies and the quality of psychometric properties of the identified rating scales. We conducted a systematic review to identify psychometrically tested rating scales, which have been applied in OSCE settings to assess communication skills of medical students. Our search strategy comprised three databases (EMBASE, PsycINFO, and PubMed), reference tracking and consultation of experts. We included studies that reported psychometric properties of communication skills assessment rating scales used in OSCEs by examiners only. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the COnsensus based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. The quality of psychometric properties was evaluated using the quality criteria of Terwee and colleagues. Data of twelve studies reporting on eight rating scales on communication skills assessment in OSCEs were included. Five of eight rating scales were explicitly developed based on a specific definition of communication skills. The methodological quality of studies was mainly poor. The psychometric quality of the eight rating scales was mainly intermediate. Our results reveal that future psychometric evaluation studies focusing on improving the methodological quality are needed in order to yield psychometrically

  18. Nijmegen Observer-Rated Depression scale for detection of depression in nursing home residents

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Leontjevas, R.; Gerritsen, D.L.; Vernooij-Dassen, M.J.; Teerenstra, S.; Smalbrugge, M.; Koopmans, R.T.

    2012-01-01

    Objective This study aims to test the accuracy of the Nijmegen Observer-Rated Depression (NORD) scale, a new short scale for screening of depression in nursing home (NH) residents with and without dementia. Methods This cross-sectional study with 103 residents with dementia (N = 19 depressed) and 72

  19. Should Global Items on Student Rating Scales Be Used for Summative Decisions?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berk, Ronald A.

    2013-01-01

    One of the simplest indicators of teaching or course effectiveness is student ratings on one or more global items from the entire rating scale. That approach seems intuitively sound and easy to use. Global items have even been recommended by a few researchers to get a quick-read, at-a-glance summary for summative decisions about faculty. The…

  20. Results of a pilot scale melter test to attain higher production rates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elliott, M.L.; Perez, J.M. Jr.; Chapman, C.C.

    1991-01-01

    A pilot-scale melter test was completed as part of the effort to enhance glass production rates. The experiment was designed to evaluate the effects of bulk glass temperature and feed oxide loading. The maximum glass production rate obtained, 86 kg/hr-m 2 , was over 200% better than the previous record for the melter used

  1. The Stanford Microsurgery and Resident Training (SMaRT) Scale: validation of an on-line global rating scale for technical assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satterwhite, Thomas; Son, Ji; Carey, Joseph; Echo, Anthony; Spurling, Terry; Paro, John; Gurtner, Geoffrey; Chang, James; Lee, Gordon K

    2014-05-01

    We previously reported results of our on-line microsurgery training program, showing that residents who had access to our website significantly improved their cognitive and technical skills. In this study, we report an objective means for expert evaluators to reliably rate trainees' technical skills under the microscope, with the use of our novel global rating scale. "Microsurgery Essentials" (http://smartmicrosurgery.com) is our on-line training curriculum. Residents were randomly divided into 2 groups: 1 group reviewed this online resource and the other did not. Pre- and post-tests consisted of videotaped microsurgical sessions in which the trainee performed "microsurgery" on 3 different models: latex glove, penrose drain, and the dorsal vessel of a chicken foot. The SMaRT (Stanford Microsurgery and Resident Training) scale, consisting of 9 categories graded on a 5-point Likert scale, was used to assess the trainees. Results were analyzed with ANOVA and Student t test, with P less than 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Seventeen residents participated in the study. The SMaRT scale adequately differentiated the performance of more experienced senior residents (PGY-4 to PGY-6, total average score=3.43) from less experienced junior residents (PGY-1 to PGY-3, total average score=2.10, P0.05). Additionally, junior residents who had access to our website showed a significant increase in their graded technical performance by 0.7 points when compared to residents who did not have access to the website who showed an improvement of only 0.2 points (P=0.01). Our SMaRT scale is valid and reliable in assessing the microsurgical skills of residents and other trainees. Current trainees are more likely to use self-directed on-line education because of its easy accessibility and interactive format. Our global rating scale can help ensure residents are achieving appropriate technical milestones.

  2. Strain-rate dependent plasticity in thermo-mechanical transient analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rashid, Y.R.; Sharabi, M.N.

    1980-01-01

    The thermo-mechanical transient behavior of fuel element cladding and other reactor components is generally governed by the strain-rate properties of the material. Relevant constitutive modeling requires extensive material data in the form of strain-rate response as function of true-stress, temperature, time and environmental conditions, which can then be fitted within a theoretical framework of an inelastic constitutive model. In this paper, we present a constitutive formulation that deals continuously with the entire strain-rate range and has the desirable advantage of utilizing existing material data. The derivation makes use of strain-rate sensitive stress-strain curve and strain-rate dependent yield surface. By postulating a strain-rate dependent on Mises yield function and a strain-rate dependent kinematic hardening rule, we are able to derive incremental stress-strain relations that describe the strain-rate behavior in the entire deformation range spanning high strain-rate plasticity and creep. The model is sufficiently general as to apply to any materials and loading histories for which data is available. (orig.)

  3. Two New Rating Scales for Assessment of ADHD Symptoms in Italian Preschool Children: A Comparison between Parent and Teacher Ratings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Re, Anna Maria; Cornoldi, Cesare

    2009-01-01

    Objective: Two new rating scales are presented for the assessment of ADHD symptoms in Italian preschool children, and the agreement between parents and teachers on the presence of an ADHD profile is examined. Method: The scales were administered to parents and teachers of 180 children with a mean age of 5 years and 9 months, attending final year…

  4. Work Adjustment Theory: An Empirical Test Using a Fuzzy Rating Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hesketh, Beryl; And Others

    1992-01-01

    A fuzzy graphic rating scale elicited work preferences and job perceptions of 166 (of 170) Australian bank employees. Correspondence between preferences and perceptions correlated significantly with job satisfaction. Satisfaction and performance related to tenure intentions; this relation was higher for poorer performers. (SK)

  5. A symptom self-rating scale for schizophrenia (4S): psychometric properties, reliability and validity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindström, Eva; Jedenius, Erik; Levander, Sten

    2009-01-01

    The objective of the study was to validate a self-administrated symptom rating scale for use in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders by item analysis, exploration of factor structure, and analyses of reliability and validity. Data on 151 patients, initially treated by risperidone, obtained within the framework of a naturalistic Phase IV longitudinal study, were analysed by comparing patient and clinician ratings of symptoms, side-effects and global indices of illness. The Symptom Self-rating Scale for Schizophrenia (4S) is psychometrically adequate (item analysis, internal consistency, factor structure). Side-effect ratings were reliable. Symptom ratings displayed consistent associations with clinicians' ratings of corresponding symptom dimensions, suggesting construct validity. Patients had most difficulties assessing negative symptom items. Patients were well able to assess their own symptoms and drug side-effects. The factor structure of symptom ratings differs between patients and clinicians as well as how they construe global indices of illness. Clinicians focus on psychotic, patients on affective symptoms. Use of symptom self-ratings is one way to improve communication and thereby strengthen the therapeutic alliance and increase treatment adherence.

  6. Traffic management mechanism for intranets with available-bit-rate access to the Internet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassan, Mahbub; Sirisena, Harsha R.; Atiquzzaman, Mohammed

    1997-10-01

    The design of a traffic management mechanism for intranets connected to the Internet via an available bit rate access- link is presented. Selection of control parameters for this mechanism for optimum performance is shown through analysis. An estimate for packet loss probability at the access- gateway is derived for random fluctuation of available bit rate of the access-link. Some implementation strategies of this mechanism in the standard intranet protocol stack are also suggested.

  7. Development of a work environment rating scale for kindergarten teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Yau-ho P

    2015-08-01

    Kindergarten education in Hong Kong serves children aged 32-68 months. However, there is no extant scale that measures kindergarten teachers' perceived work environment, an important influence on their well-being. To develop a new instrument, the Teachers' Perceived Work Environment (TPWE) scale, and to assess whether kindergarten teachers with higher TPWE ratings had higher scores for job satisfaction, self-esteem and mental health. A 25-item rating scale was developed and used with a sample of in-service kindergarten teachers. Their perceived work environment was represented by five factors (ergonomics, staffing, teaching space, work hours and social space). These teachers also completed three well-being inventories: the Job Satisfaction Survey, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory and the General Health Questionnaire-12. In a second stage, a new sample of in-service kindergarten teachers was used to cross-validate the findings from the earlier assessment. In the first sample of 141 teachers and the second of 125, social space, staffing and work hours were associated with job satisfaction, while ergonomics was a significant negative predictor of mental health complaints. The TPWE exhibited satisfactory reliability and validity. Some factors were differentially associated with specific types of well-being. The results may inform future studies of the working conditions of kindergarten teachers. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  8. Multi-scale mechanical characterization of scaffolds for heart valve tissue engineering

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Argento, G.; Simonet, M.; Oomens, C.W.J.; Baaijens, F.P.T.

    2012-01-01

    Electrospinning is a promising technology to produce scaffolds for cardiovascular tissue engineering. Each electrospun scaffold is characterized by a complex micro-scale structure that is responsible for its macroscopic mechanical behavior. In this study, we focus on the development and the

  9. Further Psychometric Properties of the Tourette's Disorder Scale-Parent Rated Version (TODS-PR)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Storch, Eric A.; Murphy, Tanya K.; Geffken, Gary R.; Soto, Ohel; Sajid, Muhammad; Allen, Pam; Roberti, Jonathan W.; Killiany, Erin M.; Goodman, Wayne K.

    2004-01-01

    This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Tourette's Disorder Scale-Parent Rated (TODS-PR), a 15-item parent-rated instrument that assesses a range of common symptoms seen in childhood Tourette's Disorder (TD) patients including tics, obsessions, compulsions, inattention, hyperactivity, aggression, and emotional disturbances.…

  10. Compression-rate-dependent nonlinear mechanics of normal and impaired porcine knee joints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez, Marcel Leonardo; Li, LePing

    2017-11-14

    The knee joint performs mechanical functions with various loading and unloading processes. Past studies have focused on the kinematics and elastic response of the joint with less understanding of the rate-dependent load response associated with viscoelastic and poromechanical behaviors. Forty-five fresh porcine knee joints were used in the present study to determine the loading-rate-dependent force-compression relationship, creep and relaxation of normal, dehydrated and meniscectomized joints. The mechanical tests of all normal intact joints showed similar strong compression-rate-dependent behavior: for a given compression-magnitude up to 1.2 mm, the reaction force varied 6 times over compression rates. While the static response was essentially linear, the nonlinear behavior was boosted with the increased compression rate to approach the asymptote or limit at approximately 2 mm/s. On the other hand, the joint stiffness varied approximately 3 times over different joints, when accounting for the maturity and breed of the animals. Both a loss of joint hydration and a total meniscectomy greatly compromised the load support in the joint, resulting in a reduction of load support as much as 60% from the corresponding intact joint. However, the former only weakened the transient load support, but the latter also greatly weakened the equilibrium load support. A total meniscectomy did not diminish the compression-rate-dependence of the joint though. These findings are consistent with the fluid-pressurization loading mechanism, which may have a significant implication in the joint mechanical function and cartilage mechanobiology.

  11. Contact mechanics at nanometric scale using nanoindentation technique for brittle and ductile materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roa, J J; Rayon, E; Morales, M; Segarra, M

    2012-06-01

    In the last years, Nanoindentation or Instrumented Indentation Technique has become a powerful tool to study the mechanical properties at micro/nanometric scale (commonly known as hardness, elastic modulus and the stress-strain curve). In this review, the different contact mechanisms (elastic and elasto-plastic) are discussed, the recent patents for each mechanism (elastic and elasto-plastic) are summarized in detail, and the basic equations employed to know the mechanical behaviour for brittle and ductile materials are described.

  12. Validity and Reliability of Clinical Dementia Rating Scale among the Elderly in Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nahid Sadeghi

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: The most common cause of dementia among the elderly is Alzheimer’s disease. Given the increasing population of the elderly, achieving a screening tool with high reliability and validity is an essential need for all communities. The main objective of the project was to determine the Persian version of Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (P-CDR1. Materials and Methods: Twenty subjects were randomly selected from among 150, 50-70 year old people, who were illiterate and not mentally retarded, residing in the nursing home; and they were given the Persian version of CDR scale (test. After three months, the group was given the test again. Results: The findings showed that from the specialists’ standpoint CDR scale had acceptable validity, and the test validity was achieved 0.05 at the significant level with Cronbach’s alpha and reliability coefficients 73% and 89%, respectively. Conclusion: CDR scale is a reliable instrument for evaluation of clinical dementia rating among the elderly in Iran. It can be used in screening dementia, Alzheimer, and diagnosis of the severity and stages of Alzheimer.

  13. Assessing Communication Skills of Medical Students in Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) - A Systematic Review of Rating Scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cömert, Musa; Zill, Jördis Maria; Christalle, Eva; Dirmaier, Jörg; Härter, Martin; Scholl, Isabelle

    2016-01-01

    Background Teaching and assessment of communication skills have become essential in medical education. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been found as an appropriate means to assess communication skills within medical education. Studies have demonstrated the importance of a valid assessment of medical students’ communication skills. Yet, the validity of the performance scores depends fundamentally on the quality of the rating scales used in an OSCE. Thus, this systematic review aimed at providing an overview of existing rating scales, describing their underlying definition of communication skills, determining the methodological quality of psychometric studies and the quality of psychometric properties of the identified rating scales. Methods We conducted a systematic review to identify psychometrically tested rating scales, which have been applied in OSCE settings to assess communication skills of medical students. Our search strategy comprised three databases (EMBASE, PsycINFO, and PubMed), reference tracking and consultation of experts. We included studies that reported psychometric properties of communication skills assessment rating scales used in OSCEs by examiners only. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the COnsensus based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. The quality of psychometric properties was evaluated using the quality criteria of Terwee and colleagues. Results Data of twelve studies reporting on eight rating scales on communication skills assessment in OSCEs were included. Five of eight rating scales were explicitly developed based on a specific definition of communication skills. The methodological quality of studies was mainly poor. The psychometric quality of the eight rating scales was mainly intermediate. Discussion Our results reveal that future psychometric evaluation studies focusing on improving the methodological quality are needed

  14. Children's and Teachers' Perspectives on Children's Self-Control: The Development of Two Rating Scales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Humphrey, Laura Lynn

    1982-01-01

    Compared parallel scales of children's self-control developed for teachers and children. Self-control ratings by teachers and children related to naturalistic observations and to teacher ratings of frustration tolerance and acting-out/aggressive problems. Teachers' ratings of self-control related to IQ and achievement. Supported the validity of…

  15. Whole-genome patterns of linkage disequilibrium across flycatcher populations clarify the causes and consequences of fine-scale recombination rate variation in birds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawakami, Takeshi; Mugal, Carina F; Suh, Alexander; Nater, Alexander; Burri, Reto; Smeds, Linnéa; Ellegren, Hans

    2017-08-01

    Recombination rate is heterogeneous across the genome of various species and so are genetic diversity and differentiation as a consequence of linked selection. However, we still lack a clear picture of the underlying mechanisms for regulating recombination. Here we estimated fine-scale population recombination rate based on the patterns of linkage disequilibrium across the genomes of multiple populations of two closely related flycatcher species (Ficedula albicollis and F. hypoleuca). This revealed an overall conservation of the recombination landscape between these species at the scale of 200 kb, but we also identified differences in the local rate of recombination despite their recent divergence (recombination rate in a lineage-specific manner, indicating differences in the extent of linked selection between species. We detected 400-3,085 recombination hotspots per population. Location of hotspots was conserved between species, but the intensity of hotspot activity varied between species. Recombination hotspots were primarily associated with CpG islands (CGIs), regardless of whether CGIs were at promoter regions or away from genes. Recombination hotspots were also associated with specific transposable elements (TEs), but this association appears indirect due to shared preferences of the transposition machinery and the recombination machinery for accessible open chromatin regions. Our results suggest that CGIs are a major determinant of the localization of recombination hotspots, and we propose that both the distribution of TEs and fine-scale variation in recombination rate may be associated with the evolution of the epigenetic landscape. © 2017 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Gravity waves as a probe of the Hubble expansion rate during an electroweak scale phase transition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Daniel J. H.; Zhou Peng

    2010-01-01

    Just as big bang nucleosynthesis allows us to probe the expansion rate when the temperature of the Universe was around 1 MeV, the measurement of gravity waves from electroweak scale first order phase transitions may allow us to probe the expansion rate when the temperature of the Universe was at the electroweak scale. We compute the simple transformation rule for the gravity wave spectrum under the scaling transformation of the Hubble expansion rate. We then apply this directly to the scenario of quintessence kination domination and show how gravity wave spectra would shift relative to Laser Interferometer Space Antenna and Big Bang Observer projected sensitivities.

  17. The Palin Parent Rating Scales: Parents' Perspectives of Childhood Stuttering and Its Impact

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millard, Sharon K.; Davis, Stephen

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The goal of this study is to explore the psychometric properties of the Parent Rating Scales-V1 (S. K. Millard, S. Edwards, & F. M. Cook, 2009), an assessment tool for parents of children who stutter, and to refine the measure accordingly. Method: We included 259 scales completed prior to therapy. An exploratory factor analysis…

  18. The minimum or natural rate of flow and droplet size ejected by Taylor cone–jets: physical symmetries and scaling laws

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gañán-Calvo, A M; Rebollo-Muñoz, N; Montanero, J M

    2013-01-01

    We aim to establish the scaling laws for both the minimum rate of flow attainable in the steady cone–jet mode of electrospray, and the size of the resulting droplets in that limit. Use is made of a small body of literature on Taylor cone–jets reporting precise measurements of the transported electric current and droplet size as a function of the liquid properties and flow rate. The projection of the data onto an appropriate non-dimensional parameter space maps a region bounded by the minimum rate of flow attainable in the steady state. To explain these experimental results, we propose a theoretical model based on the generalized concept of physical symmetry, stemming from the system time invariance (steadiness). A group of symmetries rising at the cone-to-jet geometrical transition determines the scaling for the minimum flow rate and related variables. If the flow rate is decreased below that minimum value, those symmetries break down, which leads to dripping. We find that the system exhibits two instability mechanisms depending on the nature of the forces arising against the flow: one dominated by viscosity and the other by the liquid polarity. In the former case, full charge relaxation is guaranteed down to the minimum flow rate, while in the latter the instability condition becomes equivalent to the symmetry breakdown by charge relaxation or separation. When cone–jets are formed without artificially imposing a flow rate, a microjet is issued quasi-steadily. The flow rate naturally ejected this way coincides with the minimum flow rate studied here. This natural flow rate determines the minimum droplet size that can be steadily produced by any electrohydrodynamic means for a given set of liquid properties. (paper)

  19. The minimum or natural rate of flow and droplet size ejected by Taylor cone-jets: physical symmetries and scaling laws

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gañán-Calvo, A. M.; Rebollo-Muñoz, N.; Montanero, J. M.

    2013-03-01

    We aim to establish the scaling laws for both the minimum rate of flow attainable in the steady cone-jet mode of electrospray, and the size of the resulting droplets in that limit. Use is made of a small body of literature on Taylor cone-jets reporting precise measurements of the transported electric current and droplet size as a function of the liquid properties and flow rate. The projection of the data onto an appropriate non-dimensional parameter space maps a region bounded by the minimum rate of flow attainable in the steady state. To explain these experimental results, we propose a theoretical model based on the generalized concept of physical symmetry, stemming from the system time invariance (steadiness). A group of symmetries rising at the cone-to-jet geometrical transition determines the scaling for the minimum flow rate and related variables. If the flow rate is decreased below that minimum value, those symmetries break down, which leads to dripping. We find that the system exhibits two instability mechanisms depending on the nature of the forces arising against the flow: one dominated by viscosity and the other by the liquid polarity. In the former case, full charge relaxation is guaranteed down to the minimum flow rate, while in the latter the instability condition becomes equivalent to the symmetry breakdown by charge relaxation or separation. When cone-jets are formed without artificially imposing a flow rate, a microjet is issued quasi-steadily. The flow rate naturally ejected this way coincides with the minimum flow rate studied here. This natural flow rate determines the minimum droplet size that can be steadily produced by any electrohydrodynamic means for a given set of liquid properties.

  20. Rebound mechanics of micrometre-scale, spherical particles in high-velocity impacts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yildirim, Baran; Yang, Hankang; Gouldstone, Andrew; Müftü, Sinan

    2017-08-01

    The impact mechanics of micrometre-scale metal particles with flat metal surfaces is investigated for high-velocity impacts ranging from 50 m s -1 to more than 1 km s -1 , where impact causes predominantly plastic deformation. A material model that includes high strain rate and temperature effects on the yield stress, heat generation due to plasticity, material damage due to excessive plastic strain and heat transfer is used in the numerical analysis. The coefficient of restitution e is predicted by the classical work using elastic-plastic deformation analysis with quasi-static impact mechanics to be proportional to [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for the low and moderate impact velocities that span the ranges of 0-10 and 10-100 m s -1 , respectively. In the elastic-plastic and fully plastic deformation regimes the particle rebound is attributed to the elastic spring-back that initiates at the particle-substrate interface. At higher impact velocities (0.1-1 km s -1 ) e is shown to be proportional to approximately [Formula: see text]. In this deeply plastic deformation regime various deformation modes that depend on plastic flow of the material including the time lag between the rebound instances of the top and bottom points of particle and the lateral spreading of the particle are identified. In this deformation regime, the elastic spring-back initiates subsurface, in the substrate.

  1. German Validation of the Conners 3® Rating Scales for Parents, Teachers, and Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christiansen, Hanna; Hirsch, Oliver; Drechsler, Renate; Wanderer, Sina; Knospe, Eva-Lotte; Günther, Thomas; Lidzba, Karen

    2016-01-01

    Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rating scales such as the Conners’ Rating Scales (CRS) are valuable adjuncts for diagnosis, since they offer parent, teacher, and self-ratings of children susceptible for ADHD. Even though the scales are widely used internationally, cross-cultural comparability has rarely been verified, and culture and language invariance have only been presumed. The Conners 3(®) rating scales are the updated version of the CRS, though hardly any studies report the psychometric properties apart from the results published in the test edition itself. To our knowledge there are no studies on the various adaptations of the Conners 3(®) in other languages. The German translations of the Conners 3(®) were completed by 745 children, 953 parents, and 741 teachers (children’s age range: 6–18 years, mean: 11.74 years of age). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on content scale items were conducted to obtain the factor structure for the German version and to replicate the factor structure of the original American models. Cronbach’s α was calculated to establish internal consistency. The exploratory analyses for the German model resulted in factor structures globally different from the American model, though confirmatory analyses revealed very good model fi ts with highly satisfying Cronbach’s αs. We were able to provide empirical evidence for the subscale Inattention which had only hypothetically been derived by Conners (2008). Even though the exploratory analyses resulted in different factor structures, the confirmatory analyses have such excellent psychometric properties that use of the German adaptation of the Conners 3(®) is justifi ed in international multicenter studies.

  2. Validation of the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS) with Supervisors' Self-Ratings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres, Elisa M; Ehrhart, Mark G; Beidas, Rinad S; Farahnak, Lauren R; Finn, Natalie K; Aarons, Gregory A

    2018-01-01

    Although often discussed, there is a lack of empirical research on the role of leadership in the management and delivery of health services. The implementation leadership scale (ILS) assesses the degree to which leaders are knowledgeable, proactive, perseverant, and supportive during evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the ILS for leaders' self-ratings using a sample of mental health clinic supervisors (N = 119). Supervisors (i.e., leaders) completed surveys including self-ratings of their implementation leadership. Confirmatory factor analysis, reliability, and validity of the ILS were evaluated. The ILS factor structure was supported in the sample of supervisors. Results demonstrated internal consistency reliability and validity. Cronbach alpha's ranged from 0.92 to 0.96 for the ILS subscales and 0.95 for the ILS overall scale. The factor structure replication and reliability of the ILS in a sample of supervisors demonstrates its applicability with employees across organizational levels.

  3. Transcultural adaption and validation of the Spanish version of the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS-S).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarró, Salvador; Madre, Mercè; Fernández-Corcuera, Paloma; Valentí, Marc; Goikolea, José M; Pomarol-Clotet, Edith; Berk, Michael; Amann, Benedikt L

    2015-02-01

    The Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS) arguably better captures symptoms in bipolar depression especially depressive mixed states than traditional unipolar depression rating scales. The psychometric properties of the Spanish adapted version, BDRS-S, are reported. The BDRS was translated into Spanish by two independent psychiatrists fluent in English and Spanish. After its back-translation into English, the BDRS-S was administered to 69 DSMI-IV bipolar I and II patients who were recruited from two Spanish psychiatric hospitals. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) were concurrently administered. 42 patients were reviewed via video by four psychiatrists blind to the psychopathological status of those patients. In order to assess the BDRS-S intra-rater or test-retest validity, 22 subjects were assessed by the same investigator performing two evaluations within five days. The BDRS-S had a good internal consistency (Cronbach׳s α=0.870). We observed strong correlations between the BDRS-S and the HDRS (r=0.874) and MADRS (r=0.854) and also between the mixed symptom cluster score of the BDRS-S and the YMRS (r=0.803). Exploratory factor analysis revealed a three factor solution: psychological depressive symptoms cluster, somatic depressive symptoms cluster and mixed symptoms cluster. A relatively small sample size for a 20-item scale. The BDRS-S provides solid psychometric performance and in particular captures depressive or mixed symptoms in Spanish bipolar patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Ultrathin, wafer-scale hexagonal boron nitride on dielectric surfaces by diffusion and segregation mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sonde, Sushant; Dolocan, Andrei; Lu, Ning; Corbet, Chris; Kim, Moon J.; Tutuc, Emanuel; Banerjee, Sanjay K.; Colombo, Luigi

    2017-06-01

    Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is at the center of numerous studies for its applications in novel electronic devices. However, a clear understanding of the growth mechanism is lacking for its wider industrial adoption on technologically relevant substrates such as SiO2. Here, we demonstrate a controllable growth method of thin, wafer scale h-BN films on arbitrary substrates. We also clarify the growth mechanism to be diffusion and surface segregation (D-SS) of boron (B) and nitrogen (N) in Ni and Co thin films on SiO2/Si substrates after exposure to diborane and ammonia precursors at high temperature. The segregation was found to be independent of the cooling rates employed in this report, and to our knowledge has not been found nor reported for 2D h-BN growth so far, and thus provides an important direction for controlled growth of h-BN. This unique segregation behavior is a result of a combined effect of high diffusivity, small film thickness and the inability to achieve extremely high cooling rates in CVD systems. The resulting D-SS h-BN films exhibit excellent electrical insulating behavior with an optical bandgap of about 5.8 eV. Moreover, graphene-on-h-BN field effect transistors using the as-grown D-SS h-BN films show a mobility of about 6000 cm2 V-1 s-1 at room temperature.

  5. Plasmonic resonances of nanoparticles from large-scale quantum mechanical simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xu; Xiang, Hongping; Zhang, Mingliang; Lu, Gang

    2017-09-01

    Plasmonic resonance of metallic nanoparticles results from coherent motion of its conduction electrons, driven by incident light. For the nanoparticles less than 10 nm in diameter, localized surface plasmonic resonances become sensitive to the quantum nature of the conduction electrons. Unfortunately, quantum mechanical simulations based on time-dependent Kohn-Sham density functional theory are computationally too expensive to tackle metal particles larger than 2 nm. Herein, we introduce the recently developed time-dependent orbital-free density functional theory (TD-OFDFT) approach which enables large-scale quantum mechanical simulations of plasmonic responses of metallic nanostructures. Using TD-OFDFT, we have performed quantum mechanical simulations to understand size-dependent plasmonic response of Na nanoparticles and plasmonic responses in Na nanoparticle dimers and trimers. An outlook of future development of the TD-OFDFT method is also presented.

  6. Scaling A Moment-Rate Function For Small To Large Magnitude Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Archuleta, Ralph; Ji, Chen

    2017-04-01

    Since the 1980's seismologists have recognized that peak ground acceleration (PGA) and peak ground velocity (PGV) scale differently with magnitude for large and moderate earthquakes. In a recent paper (Archuleta and Ji, GRL 2016) we introduced an apparent moment-rate function (aMRF) that accurately predicts the scaling with magnitude of PGA, PGV, PWA (Wood-Anderson Displacement) and the ratio PGA/2πPGV (dominant frequency) for earthquakes 3.3 ≤ M ≤ 5.3. This apparent moment-rate function is controlled by two temporal parameters, tp and td, which are related to the time for the moment-rate function to reach its peak amplitude and the total duration of the earthquake, respectively. These two temporal parameters lead to a Fourier amplitude spectrum (FAS) of displacement that has two corners in between which the spectral amplitudes decay as 1/f, f denotes frequency. At higher or lower frequencies, the FAS of the aMRF looks like a single-corner Aki-Brune omega squared spectrum. However, in the presence of attenuation the higher corner is almost certainly masked. Attempting to correct the spectrum to an Aki-Brune omega-squared spectrum will produce an "apparent" corner frequency that falls between the double corner frequency of the aMRF. We reason that the two corners of the aMRF are the reason that seismologists deduce a stress drop (e.g., Allmann and Shearer, JGR 2009) that is generally much smaller than the stress parameter used to produce ground motions from stochastic simulations (e.g., Boore, 2003 Pageoph.). The presence of two corners for the smaller magnitude earthquakes leads to several questions. Can deconvolution be successfully used to determine scaling from small to large earthquakes? Equivalently will large earthquakes have a double corner? If large earthquakes are the sum of many smaller magnitude earthquakes, what should the displacement FAS look like for a large magnitude earthquake? Can a combination of such a double-corner spectrum and random

  7. Measuring hunger and satiety in primary school children. Validation of a new picture rating scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, Carmel; Blissett, Jackie

    2014-07-01

    Measuring hunger and satiety in children is essential to many studies of childhood eating behaviour. Few validated measures currently exist that allow children to make accurate and reliable ratings of hunger/satiety. Three studies aimed to validate the use of a new categorical rating scale in the context of estimated and real eating episodes. Forty-seven 6- to 8-year-olds participated in Study 1, which used a between-participant design. Results indicated that the majority of children were able to make estimated hunger/satiety ratings for a story character using the scale. No significant differences in the ratings of hunger/satiety of children measured before and after lunch were observed and likely causes are discussed. To account for inter-individual differences in hunger/satiety perceptions Study 2 employed a within-participant design. Fifty-four 5- to 7-year-olds participated and made estimated hunger/satiety ratings for a story character and real hunger/satiety ratings before and after lunch. The results indicated that the majority of children were able to use the scale to make estimated and real hunger and satiety ratings. Children were found to be significantly hungrier before compared to after lunch. As it was not possible to establish the types and quantities of food children ate for lunch a third study was carried out in a controlled laboratory environment. Thirty-six 6- to 9-year-olds participated in Study 3 and made hunger/satiety ratings before and after ingesting an ad libitum snack of known composition and quantity. Results indicated that children felt hungrier before than after the snack and that pre-snack hunger/satiety, and changes in hunger/satiety, were associated with snack intake. Overall, the studies indicate that the scale has potential for use with primary school children. Implications of the findings are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Identifying Dental Anxiety in Children's Drawings and correlating It with Frankl's Behavior Rating Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathur, Jyoti; Diwanji, Amish; Sarvaiya, Bhumi; Sharma, Dipal

    2017-01-01

    To develop a simple method to assess the level of anxiety by using children's drawings and correlating them with Frankl's behavior rating scale. A total of 178 patients aged of 3 to 14 years were handed out two-page forms which contained three sections on coloring and drawing, along with general information, and Frankl's behavior rating scale for the visit. The three types of drawing exercises given to the patients were geometric copy drawings, coloring a nonthreatening figure, and an empty sheet for freehand drawing. Out of 178 patients, 60 showed definitely positive behavior, 73 exhibited positive behavior, 37 showed negative behavior, and 8 were definitely negative on Frankl's behavior rating scale; 133 children had none or, 1 stress marker and 45 exhibited 2 or 3 stress markers in their drawings. Chi-square (χ 2 ) analysis was done with a 2 × 2 contingency table. Observed χ 2 value was 46.166, which at 1 degree of freedom was much greater than that at 0.995 percentile. Therefore, the result was highly significant. Children requiring specialized behavioral techniques can be identified by the presence of stress markers in their drawings. This nonverbal activity by itself can have an overall positive effect on the behavior displayed in the dental clinic. Mathur J, Diwanji A, Sarvaiya B, Sharma D. Identifying Dental Anxiety in Children's Drawings and correlating It with Frankl's Behavior Rating Scale. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(1):24-28.

  9. Generic mechanism of optimal energy transfer efficiency: a scaling theory of the mean first-passage time in exciton systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jianlan; Silbey, Robert J; Cao, Jianshu

    2013-05-17

    An asymptotic scaling theory is presented using the conceptual basis of trapping-free subspace (i.e., orthogonal subspace) to establish the generic mechanism of optimal efficiency of excitation energy transfer in light-harvesting systems. A quantum state orthogonal to the trap will exhibit noise-assisted transfer, clarifying the significance of initial preparation. For such an initial state, the efficiency is enhanced in the weak damping limit (⟨t⟩ ∼ 1/Γ), and suppressed in the strong damping limit (⟨t⟩ ∼ Γ), analogous to Kramers turnover in classical rate theory. An interpolating expression ⟨t⟩ = A/Γ + B + CΓ quantitatively describes the trapping time over the entire range of the dissipation strength, and predicts the optimal efficiency at Γ(opt) ∼ J for homogenous systems. In the presence of static disorder, the scaling law of transfer time with respect to dephasing rate changes from linear to square root, suggesting a weaker dependence on the environment. The prediction of the scaling theory is verified in a symmetric dendrimer system by numerically exact quantum calculations. Though formulated in the context of excitation energy transfer, the analysis and conclusions apply in general to open quantum processes, including electron transfer, fluorescence emission, and heat conduction.

  10. EFFECTS OF PORE STRUCTURE CHANGE AND MULTI-SCALE HETEROGENEITY ON CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT AND REACTION RATE UPSCALING

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peters, Catherine A [Princeton University

    2013-05-15

    This project addressed the scaling of geochemical reactions to core and field scales, and the interrelationship between reaction rates and flow in porous media. We targeted reactive transport problems relevant to the Hanford site specifically the reaction of highly caustic, radioactive waste solutions with subsurface sediments, and the immobilization of 90Sr and 129I through mineral incorporation and passive flow blockage, respectively. We addressed the correlation of results for pore-scale fluid-soil interaction with field-scale fluid flow, with the specific goals of (i) predicting attenuation of radionuclide concentration; (ii) estimating changes in flow rates through changes of soil permeabilities; and (iii) estimating effective reaction rates. In supplemental work, we also simulated reactive transport systems relevant to geologic carbon sequestration. As a whole, this research generated a better understanding of reactive transport in porous media, and resulted in more accurate methods for reaction rate upscaling and improved prediction of permeability evolution. These scientific advancements will ultimately lead to better tools for management and remediation of DOE legacy waste problems.

  11. Stable Control of Firing Rate Mean and Variance by Dual Homeostatic Mechanisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cannon, Jonathan; Miller, Paul

    2017-12-01

    Homeostatic processes that provide negative feedback to regulate neuronal firing rates are essential for normal brain function. Indeed, multiple parameters of individual neurons, including the scale of afferent synapse strengths and the densities of specific ion channels, have been observed to change on homeostatic time scales to oppose the effects of chronic changes in synaptic input. This raises the question of whether these processes are controlled by a single slow feedback variable or multiple slow variables. A single homeostatic process providing negative feedback to a neuron's firing rate naturally maintains a stable homeostatic equilibrium with a characteristic mean firing rate; but the conditions under which multiple slow feedbacks produce a stable homeostatic equilibrium have not yet been explored. Here we study a highly general model of homeostatic firing rate control in which two slow variables provide negative feedback to drive a firing rate toward two different target rates. Using dynamical systems techniques, we show that such a control system can be used to stably maintain a neuron's characteristic firing rate mean and variance in the face of perturbations, and we derive conditions under which this happens. We also derive expressions that clarify the relationship between the homeostatic firing rate targets and the resulting stable firing rate mean and variance. We provide specific examples of neuronal systems that can be effectively regulated by dual homeostasis. One of these examples is a recurrent excitatory network, which a dual feedback system can robustly tune to serve as an integrator.

  12. [Standardization of the Greek version of Zung's Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samakouri, M; Bouhos, G; Kadoglou, M; Giantzelidou, A; Tsolaki, K; Livaditis, M

    2012-01-01

    Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), introduced by Zung, has been widely used in research and in clinical practice for the detection of anxiety. The present study aims at standardizing the Greek version of SAS. SAS consists of 20 items rated on a 1-4 likert type scale. The total SAS score may vary from 20 (no anxiety at all) to 80 (severe anxiety). Two hundred and fifty four participants (114 male and 140 female), psychiatric patients, physically ill and general population individuals, aged 45.40±11.35 years, completed the following: (a) a demographic characteristics' questionnaire, (b) the SAS Greek version, (c) the Spielberg's Modified Greek State-Trait Anxiety Scale (STAI-Gr.-X) and (d) the Zung Depression Rating Scale (ZDRS). Seventy six participants answered the SAS twice within a 12th-day median period of time. The following parameters were calculated: (a) internal consistency of the SAS in terms of Cronbach's α co-efficient, (b) its test-retest reliability in terms of the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and (c) its concurrent and convergent validities through its score's Spearman's rho correlations with both the state and trait subscales of STAI-Gr X and the ZDRS. In addition, in order to evaluate SAS' discriminant validity, the scale's scores of the three groups of participants (psychiatric patients, physically ill and general population individuals) were compared among each other, in terms of Kruskall Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests. SAS Cronbach's alpha equals 0.897 while ICC regarding its test-retest reliability equals 0.913. Spearman's rho concerning validity: (a) when SAS is compared to STAI-Gr.-X (state), equals it 0.767, (b) when SAS is compared to STAI-Gr. X (trait), it equals 0.802 and (c) when SAS is compared to ZDRS, it equals 0.835. The mentally ill scored significantly higher in SAS compared to both the healthy and the general population. In conclusion, the SAS Greek version presents very satisfactory psychometric properties regarding

  13. Handbook of damage mechanics nano to macro scale for materials and structures

    CERN Document Server

    2015-01-01

    This authoritative reference provides comprehensive coverage of the topics of damage and healing mechanics. Computational modeling of constitutive equations is provided as well as solved examples in engineering applications. A wide range of materials that engineers may encounter are covered, including metals, composites, ceramics, polymers, biomaterials, and nanomaterials. The internationally recognized team of contributors employ a consistent and systematic approach, offering readers a user-friendly reference that is ideal for frequent consultation. Handbook of Damage Mechanics: Nano to Macro Scale for Materials and Structures is ideal for graduate students and faculty, researchers, and professionals in the fields of Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, and Engineering Mechanics.

  14. Effect of chemical composition and microstructure on the mechanical behavior of fish scales from Megalops Atlanticus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gil-Duran, S; Arola, D; Ossa, E A

    2016-03-01

    This paper presents an experimental study of the composition, microstructure and mechanical behavior of scales from the Megalops Atlanticus (Atlantic tarpon). The microstructure and composition were evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and RAMAN spectroscopy, respectively. The mechanical properties were evaluated in uniaxial tension as a function of position along the length of the fish (head, mid-length and tail). Results showed that the scales are composed of collagen and hydroxyapatite, and these constituents are distributed within three well-defined layers from the bottom to the top of the scale. The proportion of these layers with respect to the total scale thickness varies radially. The collagen fibers are arranged in plies with different orientations and with preferred orientation in the longitudinal direction of the fish. Results from the tensile tests showed that scales from Megalops Atlanticus exhibit variations in the elastic modulus as a function of body position. Additional testing performed with and without the highly mineralized top layers of the scale revealed that the mechanical behavior is anisotropic and that the highest strength was exhibited along the fish length. Furthermore, removing the top mineralized layers resulted in an increase in the tensile strength of the scale. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Excellent reliability of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-21) in Indonesia after training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Istriana, Erita; Kurnia, Ade; Weijers, Annelies; Hidayat, Teddy; Pinxten, Lucas; de Jong, Cor; Schellekens, Arnt

    2013-09-01

    The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) is the most widely used depression rating scale worldwide. Reliability of HDRS has been reported mainly from Western countries. The current study tested the reliability of HDRS ratings among psychiatric residents in Indonesia, before and after HDRS training. The hypotheses were that: (i) prior to the training reliability of HDRS ratings is poor; and (ii) HDRS training can improve reliability of HDRS ratings to excellent levels. Furthermore, we explored cultural validity at item level. Videotaped HDRS interviews were rated by 30 psychiatric residents before and after 1 day of HDRS training. Based on a gold standard rating, percentage correct ratings and deviation from the standard were calculated. Correct ratings increased from 83% to 99% at item level and from 70% to 100% for the total rating. The average deviation from the gold standard rating improved from 0.07 to 0.02 at item level and from 2.97 to 0.46 for the total rating. HDRS assessment by psychiatric trainees in Indonesia without prior training is unreliable. A short, evidence-based HDRS training improves reliability to near perfect levels. The outlined training program could serve as a template for HDRS trainings. HDRS items that may be less valid for assessment of depression severity in Indonesia are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  16. Parkinson's disease-cognitive rating scale: psychometrics for mild cognitive impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández de Bobadilla, Ramón; Pagonabarraga, Javier; Martínez-Horta, Saül; Pascual-Sedano, Berta; Campolongo, Antonia; Kulisevsky, Jaime

    2013-09-01

    Lack of validated data on cutoff scores for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and sensitivity to change in predementia stages of Parkinson's disease (PD) limit the utility of instruments measuring global cognition as screening and outcome measures in therapeutic trials. Investigators who were blinded to PD-Cognitive Rating Scale (PD-CRS) scores classified a cohort of prospectively recruited, nondemented patients into a PD with normal cognition (PD-NC) group and a PD with MCI (PD-MCI) group using Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) and the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale-2 (MDRS-2). The discriminative power of the PD-CRS for PD-MCI was examined in a representative sample of 234 patients (145 in the PD-NC group; 89 in the PD-MCI group) and in a control group of 98 healthy individuals. Sensitivity to change in the PD-CRS score (the minimal clinically important difference was examined with the Clinical Global Impression of Change scale and was calculated with a combination of distribution-based and anchor-based approaches) was explored in a 6-month observational multicenter trial involving a subset of 120 patients (PD-NC, 63; PD-MCI, 57). Regression analysis demonstrated that PD-CRS total scores (P < 0.001) and age (P = 0.01) independently differentiated PD-NC from PD-MCI. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analysis (AUC, 0.85; 95% confidence interval, 0.80-0.90) indicated that a score ≤ 81 of 134 was the optimal cutoff point on the total score for the PD-CRS (sensitivity, 79%; specificity, 80%; positive predictive value, 59%; negative predictive value, 91%). A range of change from 10 to 13 points on the PD-CRS total score was indicative of clinically significant change. These findings suggest that the PD-CRS is a useful tool to identify PD-MCI and to track cognitive changes in nondemented patients with PD. © 2013 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  17. Up-Scaling Geochemical Reaction Rates for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in Deep Saline Aquifers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peters, Catherine A

    2013-02-28

    Geochemical reactions in deep subsurface environments are complicated by the consolidated nature and mineralogical complexity of sedimentary rocks. Understanding the kinetics of these reactions is critical to our ability to make long-term predictions about subsurface processes such as pH buffering, alteration in rock structure, permeability changes, and formation of secondary precipitates. In this project, we used a combination of experiments and numerical simulation to bridge the gap between our knowledge of these reactions at the lab scale and rates that are meaningful for modeling reactive transport at core scales. The focus is on acid-driven mineral dissolution, which is specifically relevant in the context of CO2-water-rock interactions in geological sequestration of carbon dioxide. The project led to major findings in three areas. First, we modeled reactive transport in pore-network systems to investigate scaling effects in geochemical reaction rates. We found significant scaling effects when CO2 concentrations are high and reaction rates are fast. These findings indicate that the increased acidity associated with geological sequestration can generate conditions for which proper scaling tools are yet to be developed. Second, we used mathematical modeling to investigate the extent to which SO2, if co-injected with CO2, would acidify formation brines. We found that there exist realistic conditions in which the impact on brine acidity will be limited due to diffusion rate-limited SO2 dissolution from the CO2 phase, and the subsequent pH shift may also be limited by the lack of availability of oxidants to produce sulfuric acid. Third, for three Viking sandstones (Alberta sedimentary basin, Canada), we employed backscattered electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to statistically characterize mineral contact with pore space. We determined that for reactive minerals in sedimentary consolidated rocks, abundance alone is not a good predictor of

  18. The mechanical properties modeling of nano-scale materials by molecular dynamics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yuan, C.; Driel, W.D. van; Poelma, R.; Zhang, G.Q.

    2012-01-01

    We propose a molecular modeling strategy which is capable of mod-eling the mechanical properties on nano-scale low-dielectric (low-k) materials. Such modeling strategy has been also validated by the bulking force of carbon nano tube (CNT). This modeling framework consists of model generation method,

  19. Rating scales for dystonia in cerebral palsy: reliability and validity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monbaliu, E; Ortibus, E; Roelens, F; Desloovere, K; Deklerck, J; Prinzie, P; de Cock, P; Feys, H

    2010-06-01

    This study investigated the reliability and validity of the Barry-Albright Dystonia Scale (BADS), the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Movement Scale (BFMMS), and the Unified Dystonia Rating Scale (UDRS) in patients with bilateral dystonic cerebral palsy (CP). Three raters independently scored videotapes of 10 patients (five males, five females; mean age 13 y 3 mo, SD 5 y 2 mo, range 5-22 y). One patient each was classified at levels I-IV in the Gross Motor Function Classification System and six patients were classified at level V. Reliability was measured by (1) intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for interrater reliability, (2) standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable difference (SDD), and (3) Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency. Validity was assessed by Pearson's correlations among the three scales used and by content analysis. Moderate to good interrater reliability was found for total scores of the three scales (ICC: BADS=0.87; BFMMS=0.86; UDRS=0.79). However, many subitems showed low reliability, in particular for the UDRS. SEM and SDD were respectively 6.36% and 17.72% for the BADS, 9.88% and 27.39% for the BFMMS, and 8.89% and 24.63% for the UDRS. High internal consistency was found. Pearson's correlations were high. Content validity showed insufficient accordance with the new CP definition and classification. Our results support the internal consistency and concurrent validity of the scales; however, taking into consideration the limitations in reliability, including the large SDD values and the content validity, further research on methods of assessment of dystonia is warranted.

  20. Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Delirium Rating Scale Revised-98 (DRS-R98).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thurber, Steven; Kishi, Yasuhiro; Trzepacz, Paula T; Franco, Jose G; Meagher, David J; Lee, Yanghyun; Kim, Jeong-Lan; Furlanetto, Leticia M; Negreiros, Daniel; Huang, Ming-Chyi; Chen, Chun-Hsin; Kean, Jacob; Leonard, Maeve

    2015-01-01

    Principal components analysis applied to the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 contributes to understanding the delirium construct. Using a multisite pooled international delirium database, the authors applied confirmatory factor analysis to Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 scores from 859 adult patients evaluated by delirium experts (delirium, N=516; nondelirium, N=343). Confirmatory factor analysis found all diagnostic features and core symptoms (cognitive, language, thought process, sleep-wake cycle, motor retardation), except motor agitation, loaded onto factor 1. Motor agitation loaded onto factor 2 with noncore symptoms (delusions, affective lability, and perceptual disturbances). Factor 1 loading supports delirium as a single construct, but when accompanied by psychosis, motor agitation's role may not be solely as a circadian activity indicator.

  1. Aging and loading rate effects on the mechanical behavior of equine bone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulin, Robb M.; Jiang, Fengchun; Vecchio, Kenneth S.

    2008-06-01

    Whether due to a sporting accident, high-speed impact, fall, or other catastrophic event, the majority of clinical bone fractures occur under dynamic loading conditions. However, although extensive research has been performed on the quasi-static fracture and mechanical behavior of bone to date, few high-quality studies on the fracture behavior of bone at high strain rates have been performed. Therefore, many questions remain regarding the material behavior, including not only the loading-rate-dependent response of bone, but also how this response varies with age. In this study, tests were performed on equine femoral bone taken post-mortem from donors 6 months to 28 years of age. Quasi-static and dynamic tests were performed to determine the fracture toughness and compressive mechanical behavior as a function of age at varying loading rates. Fracture paths were then analyzed using scanning confocal and scanning-electron microscopy techniques to assess the role of various microstructural features on toughening mechanisms.

  2. Overcoming time scale and finite size limitations to compute nucleation rates from small scale well tempered metadynamics simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salvalaglio, Matteo; Tiwary, Pratyush; Maggioni, Giovanni Maria; Mazzotti, Marco; Parrinello, Michele

    2016-12-01

    Condensation of a liquid droplet from a supersaturated vapour phase is initiated by a prototypical nucleation event. As such it is challenging to compute its rate from atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. In fact at realistic supersaturation conditions condensation occurs on time scales that far exceed what can be reached with conventional molecular dynamics methods. Another known problem in this context is the distortion of the free energy profile associated to nucleation due to the small, finite size of typical simulation boxes. In this work the problem of time scale is addressed with a recently developed enhanced sampling method while contextually correcting for finite size effects. We demonstrate our approach by studying the condensation of argon, and showing that characteristic nucleation times of the order of magnitude of hours can be reliably calculated. Nucleation rates spanning a range of 10 orders of magnitude are computed at moderate supersaturation levels, thus bridging the gap between what standard molecular dynamics simulations can do and real physical systems.

  3. Integrated mechanisms of anticipation and rate-of-change computations in cortical circuits.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriel D Puccini

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available Local neocortical circuits are characterized by stereotypical physiological and structural features that subserve generic computational operations. These basic computations of the cortical microcircuit emerge through the interplay of neuronal connectivity, cellular intrinsic properties, and synaptic plasticity dynamics. How these interacting mechanisms generate specific computational operations in the cortical circuit remains largely unknown. Here, we identify the neurophysiological basis of both the rate of change and anticipation computations on synaptic inputs in a cortical circuit. Through biophysically realistic computer simulations and neuronal recordings, we show that the rate-of-change computation is operated robustly in cortical networks through the combination of two ubiquitous brain mechanisms: short-term synaptic depression and spike-frequency adaptation. We then show how this rate-of-change circuit can be embedded in a convergently connected network to anticipate temporally incoming synaptic inputs, in quantitative agreement with experimental findings on anticipatory responses to moving stimuli in the primary visual cortex. Given the robustness of the mechanism and the widespread nature of the physiological machinery involved, we suggest that rate-of-change computation and temporal anticipation are principal, hard-wired functions of neural information processing in the cortical microcircuit.

  4. Nano Scale Mechanical Analysis of Biomaterials Using Atomic Force Microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutta, Diganta

    The atomic force microscope (AFM) is a probe-based microscope that uses nanoscale and structural imaging where high resolution is desired. AFM has also been used in mechanical, electrical, and thermal engineering applications. This unique technique provides vital local material properties like the modulus of elasticity, hardness, surface potential, Hamaker constant, and the surface charge density from force versus displacement curve. Therefore, AFM was used to measure both the diameter and mechanical properties of the collagen nanostraws in human costal cartilage. Human costal cartilage forms a bridge between the sternum and bony ribs. The chest wall of some humans is deformed due to defective costal cartilage. However, costal cartilage is less studied compared to load bearing cartilage. Results show that there is a difference between chemical fixation and non-chemical fixation treatments. Our findings imply that the patients' chest wall is mechanically weak and protein deposition is abnormal. This may impact the nanostraws' ability to facilitate fluid flow between the ribs and the sternum. At present, AFM is the only tool for imaging cells' ultra-structure at the nanometer scale because cells are not homogeneous. The first layer of the cell is called the cell membrane, and the layer under it is made of the cytoskeleton. Cancerous cells are different from normal cells in term of cell growth, mechanical properties, and ultra-structure. Here, force is measured with very high sensitivity and this is accomplished with highly sensitive probes such as a nano-probe. We performed experiments to determine ultra-structural differences that emerge when such cancerous cells are subject to treatments such as with drugs and electric pulses. Jurkat cells are cancerous cells. These cells were pulsed at different conditions. Pulsed and non-pulsed Jurkat cell ultra-structures were investigated at the nano meter scale using AFM. Jurkat cell mechanical properties were measured under

  5. Active mechanics in living oocytes reveal molecular-scale force kinetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Wylie; Fodor, Etienne; Almonacid, Maria; Bussonnier, Matthias; Verlhac, Marie-Helene; Gov, Nir; Visco, Paolo; van Wijland, Frederic; Betz, Timo

    Unlike traditional materials, living cells actively generate forces at the molecular scale that change their structure and mechanical properties. This nonequilibrium activity is essential for cellular function, and drives processes such as cell division. Single molecule studies have uncovered the detailed force kinetics of isolated motor proteins in-vitro, however their behavior in-vivo has been elusive due to the complex environment inside the cell. Here, we quantify active forces and intracellular mechanics in living oocytes using in-vivo optical trapping and laser interferometry of endogenous vesicles. We integrate an experimental and theoretical framework to connect mesoscopic measurements of nonequilibrium properties to the underlying molecular- scale force kinetics. Our results show that force generation by myosin-V drives the cytoplasmic-skeleton out-of-equilibrium (at frequencies below 300 Hz) and actively softens the environment. In vivo myosin-V activity generates a force of F ~ 0 . 4 pN, with a power-stroke of length Δx ~ 20 nm and duration τ ~ 300 μs, that drives vesicle motion at vv ~ 320 nm/s. This framework is widely applicable to characterize living cells and other soft active materials.

  6. Actometry and Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale in neuroleptic-induced akathisia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janno, Sven; Holi, Matti M; Tuisku, Katinka; Wahlbeck, Kristian

    2005-01-01

    We evaluated Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS) and standardized lower limb actometry in quantifying neuroleptic-induced akathisia (NIA) in 99 schizophrenia patients. Both instruments discriminated well between NIA and non-NIA patients and they correlated weakly but significantly. BARS was superior to actometry in screening DSM-IV diagnosed NIA patients. The results of this methodological study provide BARS with objective validation through movement measuring, that it has been suggested to need.

  7. Analyzing the effects of mechanical and osmotic loading on glycosaminoglycan synthesis rate in cartilaginous tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Xin; Zhu, Qiaoqiao; Gu, Weiyong

    2015-02-26

    The glycosaminoglycan (GAG) plays an important role in cartilaginous tissues to support and transmit mechanical loads. Many extracellular biophysical stimuli could affect GAG synthesis by cells. It has been hypothesized that the change of cell volume is a primary mechanism for cells to perceive the stimuli. Experimental studies have shown that the maximum synthesis rate of GAG is achieved at an optimal cell volume, larger or smaller than this level the GAG synthesis rate decreases. Based on the hypothesis and experimental findings in the literature, we proposed a mathematical model to quantitatively describe the cell volume dependent GAG synthesis rate in the cartilaginous tissues. Using this model, we investigated the effects of osmotic loading and mechanical loading on GAG synthesis rate. It is found our proposed mathematical model is able to well describe the change of GAG synthesis rate in isolated cells or in cartilage with variations of the osmotic loading or mechanical loading. This model is important for evaluating the GAG synthesis activity within cartilaginous tissues as well as understanding the role of mechanical loading in tissue growth or degeneration. It is also important for designing a bioreactor system with proper extracellular environment or mechanical loading for growing tissue at the maximum synthesis rate of the extracellular matrix. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Inverse methods for the mechanical characterization of materials at high strain rates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Casas-Rodriguez J.P.

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Mechanical material characterization represents a research challenge. Furthermore, special attention is directed to material characterization at high strain rates as the mechanical properties of some materials are influenced by the rate of loading. Diverse experimental techniques at high strain rates are available, such as the drop-test, the Taylor impact test or the Split Hopkinson pressure bar among others. However, the determination of the material parameters associated to a given mathematical constitutive model from the experimental data is a complex and indirect problem. This paper presents a material characterization methodology to determine the material parameters of a given material constitutive model from a given high strain rate experiment. The characterization methodology is based on an inverse technique in which an inverse problem is formulated and solved as an optimization procedure. The input of the optimization procedure is the characteristic signal from the high strain rate experiment. The output of the procedure is the optimum set of material parameters determined by fitting a numerical simulation to the high strain rate experimental signal.

  9. Basal metabolic rate scaled to body mass within species by the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Basal metabolic rate scaled to body mass within species by the fractal dimension of the vascular system and body composition. ... The postulate bd = c is shown to hold for both these species within the limits of experimental error, with the crucian carp evidence being especially convincing, since b, c and d are estimated from ...

  10. Mechanism and scaling for convection of isolated structures in nonuniformly magnetized plasmas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Garcia, O.E.; Bian, N.H.; Naulin, V.

    2005-01-01

    Large-scale radial advection of isolated structures in nonuniformly magnetized plasmas is investigated. The underlying mechanism considered is due to the nonlinear evolution of interchange motions, without any presumption of plasma sheaths. Theoretical arguments supported by numerical simulations...

  11. Scales used to rate adult patients' psycho-emotional status in tooth extraction procedures: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Astramskaitė, I; Juodžbalys, G

    2017-07-01

    The aim of this study was to review scales used to assess anxiety, stress, and pain in dental patients undergoing a tooth extraction procedure and to propose a novel psycho-emotional rating scale based on the relevant literature and our own experience. An electronic literature search was conducted of the National Library of Medicine database MEDLINE (Ovid) and EMBASE databases between January 2005 and April 2016. Sequential screening at the title/abstract and full-text levels was performed. The review included all human prospective or retrospective follow-up studies and clinical trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, and case series that demonstrated at least one scale used to measure tooth extraction anxiety, stress, or pain. The search resulted in 32 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. None of the studies were found to be suitable in evaluating patient's stress, pain, and fear at once. Also, no scales were found that included both the doctor's and the patient's rating. In a few studies, vital signs as psycho-emotional status indicators were rated. Guidelines for a suitable questionnaire that could be used for rating the psycho-emotional status of patients undergoing tooth extraction are listed in the present research. Further studies are required for verification and validation of offered scale. Copyright © 2017 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. The validity of self-rating depression scales in patients with chronic widespread pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Amris, Kirstine; Omerovic, Emina; Danneskiold-Samsøe, Bente

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Assessment of depression in chronic pain patients by self-rating questionnaires developed and validated for use in normal and/or psychiatric populations is common. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Major Depression Inventory (MDI) in a sample of ...... core of pain-related somatic symptoms. Careful consideration when interpreting questionnaire-derived scores of depression implemented in research and routine clinical care of patients with chronic pain is warranted.......BACKGROUND: Assessment of depression in chronic pain patients by self-rating questionnaires developed and validated for use in normal and/or psychiatric populations is common. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Major Depression Inventory (MDI) in a sample...... and further aspects of validity, including fit of individual scale items to a unidimensional model indicating assessment of a single construct (depression), as a prerequisite for measurement. RESULTS: The Rasch analysis revealed substantial problems with the rating scale properties of the MDI and lack...

  13. Scaling of black silicon processing time by high repetition rate femtosecond lasers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nava Giorgio

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Surface texturing of silicon substrates is performed by femtosecond laser irradiation at high repetition rates. Various fabrication parameters are optimized in order to achieve very high absorptance in the visible region from the micro-structured silicon wafer as compared to the unstructured one. A 70-fold reduction of the processing time is demonstrated by increasing the laser repetition rate from 1 kHz to 200 kHz. Further scaling up to 1 MHz can be foreseen.

  14. Network Events on Multiple Space and Time Scales in Cultured Neural Networks and in a Stochastic Rate Model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guido Gigante

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Cortical networks, in-vitro as well as in-vivo, can spontaneously generate a variety of collective dynamical events such as network spikes, UP and DOWN states, global oscillations, and avalanches. Though each of them has been variously recognized in previous works as expression of the excitability of the cortical tissue and the associated nonlinear dynamics, a unified picture of the determinant factors (dynamical and architectural is desirable and not yet available. Progress has also been partially hindered by the use of a variety of statistical measures to define the network events of interest. We propose here a common probabilistic definition of network events that, applied to the firing activity of cultured neural networks, highlights the co-occurrence of network spikes, power-law distributed avalanches, and exponentially distributed 'quasi-orbits', which offer a third type of collective behavior. A rate model, including synaptic excitation and inhibition with no imposed topology, synaptic short-term depression, and finite-size noise, accounts for all these different, coexisting phenomena. We find that their emergence is largely regulated by the proximity to an oscillatory instability of the dynamics, where the non-linear excitable behavior leads to a self-amplification of activity fluctuations over a wide range of scales in space and time. In this sense, the cultured network dynamics is compatible with an excitation-inhibition balance corresponding to a slightly sub-critical regime. Finally, we propose and test a method to infer the characteristic time of the fatigue process, from the observed time course of the network's firing rate. Unlike the model, possessing a single fatigue mechanism, the cultured network appears to show multiple time scales, signalling the possible coexistence of different fatigue mechanisms.

  15. Analysis of the applicability of fracture mechanics on the basis of large scale specimen testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brumovsky, M.; Polachova, H.; Sulc, J.; Anikovskij, V.; Dragunov, Y.; Rivkin, E.; Filatov, V.

    1988-01-01

    The verification is dealt with of fracture mechanics calculations for WWER reactor pressure vessels by large scale model testing performed on the large testing machine ZZ 8000 (maximum load of 80 MN) in the Skoda Concern. The results of testing a large set of large scale test specimens with surface crack-type defects are presented. The nominal thickness of the specimens was 150 mm with defect depths between 15 and 100 mm, the testing temperature varying between -30 and +80 degC (i.e., in the temperature interval of T ko ±50 degC). Specimens with a scale of 1:8 and 1:12 were also tested, as well as standard (CT and TPB) specimens. Comparisons of results of testing and calculations suggest some conservatism of calculations (especially for small defects) based on Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics, according to the Nuclear Reactor Pressure Vessel Codes which use the fracture mechanics values from J IC testing. On the basis of large scale tests the ''Defect Analysis Diagram'' was constructed and recommended for brittle fracture assessment of reactor pressure vessels. (author). 7 figs., 2 tabs., 3 refs

  16. Basal metabolic rate scaled to body mass between species by the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The principal reason that basal metabolic rate (BMR) and MMR scale with different power exponents to whole body mass is that MMR is due mainly to respiration in skeletal muscle during exercise and BMR to respiration in the viscera during rest. It follows, therefore, from the self-similarity of the vascular system that BMR is ...

  17. Comparative validation of proxy-based montgomery-asberg depression rating scale and cornell scale for depression in dementia in nursing home residents with dementia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Leontjevas, R.; Gerritsen, D.L.; Vernooij-Dassen, M.F.J.; Smalbrugge, M.; Koopmans, R.T.C.M.

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To 1) compare the accuracy of the Montgomery-̊Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) in nursing home residents with dementia when professional caregivers are the only available source of information and 2) explore different methods

  18. Passive Plasma Contact Mechanisms for Small-Scale Spacecraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    McTernan, Jesse K.

    Small-scale spacecraft represent a paradigm shift in how entities such as academia, industry, engineering firms, and the scientific community operate in space. However, although the paradigm shift produces unique opportunities to build satellites in unique ways for novel missions, there are also significant challenges that must be addressed. This research addresses two of the challenges associated with small-scale spacecraft: 1) the miniaturization of spacecraft and associated instrumentation and 2) the need to transport charge across the spacecraft-environment boundary. As spacecraft decrease in size, constraints on the size, weight, and power of on-board instrumentation increase--potentially limiting the instrument's functionality or ability to integrate with the spacecraft. These constraints drive research into mechanisms or techniques that use little or no power and efficiently utilize existing resources. One limited resource on small-scale spacecraft is outer surface area, which is often covered with solar panels to meet tight power budgets. This same surface area could also be needed for passive neutralization of spacecraft charging. This research explores the use of a transparent, conductive layer on the solar cell coverglass that is electrically connected to spacecraft ground potential. This dual-purpose material facilitates the use of outer surfaces for both energy harvesting of solar photons as well as passive ion collection. Mission capabilities such as in-situ plasma measurements that were previously infeasible on small-scale platforms become feasible with the use of indium tin oxide-coated solar panel coverglass. We developed test facilities that simulate the space environment in low Earth orbit to test the dual-purpose material and the various application of this approach. Particularly, this research is in support of two upcoming missions: OSIRIS-3U, by Penn State's Student Space Programs Lab, and MiTEE, by the University of Michigan. The purpose of

  19. Rating scale for the assessment of competence in ultrasound-guided peripheral vascular access - a Delphi Consensus Study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Primdahl, Stine C; Todsen, Tobias; Clemmesen, Marie Louise

    2016-01-01

    a global rating scale (RS) for assessment of UGVA competence based on opinions on the content from ultrasound experts in a modified Delphi consensus study. METHODS: We included experts from anesthesiology, emergency medicine and radiology across university hospitals in Denmark. Nine elements were drafted...... based on existing literature and recommendations from international societies. In a multi-round survey, the experts rated the elements on a five-point Likert scale according to importance, and suggested missing elements. The final Delphi round occurred when >80% of the experts rated all elements ≥4...... on the Likert scale. RESULTS: Sixteen experts consented to participate in the study, one withdrew consent prior to the first Delphi round, and 14 completed all three Delphi rounds. In the first Delphi round the experts excluded one element from the scale and changed the content of two elements. In the second...

  20. Superheater fireside corrosion mechanisms in MSWI plants: Lab-scale study and on-site results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brossard, J.M.; Chaucherie, X.; Nicol, F. [Veolia Environnement R and D, Zone Portuaire de Limay, 291 Avenue Dreyfous Ducas, Limay 78520 (France); Diop, I. [Veolia Environnement R and D, Zone Portuaire de Limay, 291 Avenue Dreyfous Ducas, Limay 78520 (France); Institut Jean Lamour, departement Chimie et physique des solides et des surfaces, UMR 7198 CNRS - Universite Henri Poincare Nancy 1, Vandoeuvre-Les-Nancy (France); Rapin, C.; Vilasi, M. [Institut Jean Lamour, departement Chimie et physique des solides et des surfaces, UMR 7198 CNRS - Universite Henri Poincare Nancy 1, Vandoeuvre-Les-Nancy (France)

    2011-06-15

    Combustion of municipal waste generates highly corrosive gases (HCl, SO{sub 2}, NaCl, KCl, and heavy metals chlorides) and ashes containing alkaline chlorides and sulfates. Currently, corrosion phenomena are particularly observed on superheater's tubes. Corrosion rates depend mainly on installation design, operating conditions i.e., gas and steam temperature and velocity of the flue gas containing ashes. This paper presents the results obtained using an innovative laboratory-scale corrosion unit, which simulates MSWI (Municipal Solid Waste Incineration) boilers conditions characterized by a temperature gradient at the metal tube in the presence of corrosive gases and ashes. The presented corrosion tests were realized on carbon steel at fixed metal temperature (400 C). The influence of the flue gas temperature, synthetic ashes composition, and flue gas flow pattern were investigated. After corrosion test, cross sections of tube samples were characterized to evaluate thickness loss and estimate corrosion rate while the elements present in corrosion layers were analyzed. Corrosion tests were carried out twice in order to validate the accuracy and reproducibility of results. First results highlight the key role of molten phase related to the ash composition and flue gas temperature as well as the deposit morphology, related to the flue gas flow pattern, on the mechanisms and corrosion rates. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  1. The importance of rating scale design in the measurement of patient-reported outcomes using questionnaires or item banks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khadka, Jyoti; McAlinden, Colm; Gothwal, Vijaya K; Lamoureux, Ecosse L; Pesudovs, Konrad

    2012-06-26

    To investigate the effect of rating scale designs (question formats and response categories) on item difficulty calibrations and assess the impact that rating scale differences have on overall vision-related activity limitation (VRAL) scores. Sixteen existing patient-reported outcome instruments (PROs) suitable for cataract assessment, with different rating scales, were self-administered by patients on a cataract surgery waiting list. A total of 226 VRAL items from these PROs in their native rating scales were included in an item bank and calibrated using Rasch analysis. Fifteen item/content areas (e.g., reading newspapers) appearing in at least three different PROs were identified. Within each content area, item calibrations were compared and their range calculated. Similarly, five PROs having at least three items in common with the Visual Function (VF-14) were compared in terms of average item measures. A total of 614 patients (mean age ± SD, 74.1 ± 9.4 years) participated. Items with the same content varied in their calibration by as much as two logits; "reading the small print" had the largest range (1.99 logits) followed by "watching TV" (1.60). Compared with the VF-14 (0.00 logits), the rating scale of the Visual Disability Assessment (1.13 logits) produced the most difficult items and the Cataract Symptom Scale (0.24 logits) produced the least difficult items. The VRAL item bank was suboptimally targeted to the ability level of the participants (2.00 logits). Rating scale designs have a significant effect on item calibrations. Therefore, constructing item banks from existing items in their native formats carries risks to face validity and transmission of problems inherent in existing instruments, such as poor targeting.

  2. When is best-worst best? A comparison of best-worst scaling, numeric estimation, and rating scales for collection of semantic norms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hollis, Geoff; Westbury, Chris

    2018-02-01

    Large-scale semantic norms have become both prevalent and influential in recent psycholinguistic research. However, little attention has been directed towards understanding the methodological best practices of such norm collection efforts. We compared the quality of semantic norms obtained through rating scales, numeric estimation, and a less commonly used judgment format called best-worst scaling. We found that best-worst scaling usually produces norms with higher predictive validities than other response formats, and does so requiring less data to be collected overall. We also found evidence that the various response formats may be producing qualitatively, rather than just quantitatively, different data. This raises the issue of potential response format bias, which has not been addressed by previous efforts to collect semantic norms, likely because of previous reliance on a single type of response format for a single type of semantic judgment. We have made available software for creating best-worst stimuli and scoring best-worst data. We also made available new norms for age of acquisition, valence, arousal, and concreteness collected using best-worst scaling. These norms include entries for 1,040 words, of which 1,034 are also contained in the ANEW norms (Bradley & Lang, Affective norms for English words (ANEW): Instruction manual and affective ratings (pp. 1-45). Technical report C-1, the center for research in psychophysiology, University of Florida, 1999).

  3. Characterizing and modelling river channel migration rates at a regional scale: Case study of south-east France.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alber, Adrien; Piégay, Hervé

    2017-11-01

    An increased awareness by river managers of the importance of river channel migration to sediment dynamics, habitat complexity and other ecosystem functions has led to an advance in the science and practice of identifying, protecting or restoring specific erodible corridors across which rivers are free to migrate. One current challenge is the application of these watershed-specific goals at the regional planning scales (e.g., the European Water Framework Directive). This study provides a GIS-based spatial analysis of the channel migration rates at the regional-scale. As a case study, 99 reaches were sampled in the French part of the Rhône Basin and nearby tributaries of the Mediterranean Sea (111,300 km 2 ). We explored the spatial correlation between the channel migration rate and a set of simple variables (e.g., watershed area, channel slope, stream power, active channel width). We found that the spatial variability of the channel migration rates was primary explained by the gross stream power (R 2  = 0.48) and more surprisingly by the active channel width scaled by the watershed area. The relationship between the absolute migration rate and the gross stream power is generally consistent with the published empirical models for freely meandering rivers, whereas it is less significant for the multi-thread reaches. The discussion focused on methodological constraints for a regional-scale modelling of the migration rates, and the interpretation of the empirical models. We hypothesize that the active channel width scaled by the watershed area is a surrogate for the sediment supply which may be a more critical factor than the bank resistance for explaining the regional-scale variability of the migration rates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Estimate of the global-scale joule heating rates in the thermosphere due to time mean currents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roble, R.G.; Matsushita, S.

    1975-01-01

    An estimate of the global-scale joule heating rates in the thermosphere is made based on derived global equivalent overhead electric current systems in the dynamo region during geomagnetically quiet and disturbed periods. The equivalent total electric field distribution is calculated from Ohm's law. The global-scale joule heating rates are calculated for various monthly average periods in 1965. The calculated joule heating rates maximize at high latitudes in the early evening and postmidnight sectors. During geomagnetically quiet times the daytime joule heating rates are considerably lower than heating by solar EUV radiation. However, during geomagnetically disturbed periods the estimated joule heating rates increase by an order of magnitude and can locally exceed the solar EUV heating rates. The results show that joule heating is an important and at times the dominant energy source at high latitudes. However, the global mean joule heating rates calculated near solar minimum are generally small compared to the global mean solar EUV heating rates. (auth)

  5. A meta-analytic comparison of the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression as measures of treatment outcome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, B C; Lambert, M J; Moran, P W; McCully, T; Smith, K C; Ellingson, A G

    1984-05-01

    Some clinicians have considered the Beck Depression Inventory, a self-rating scale, too reactive to patient halo effects and, therefore, a liberal measure of treatment outcome. On the other hand, interviewer-rating scales, like the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression have been viewed as more conservative measures of treatment gain. Studies which compared the Beck Depression Inventory to the Hamilton Rating Scale, as dependent measures, were reviewed for the purpose of determining if the scales provided comparable data for assessing treatment effects. The use of meta-analysis techniques resulted in a comparison of effect sizes which indicated that the Beck Depression Inventory was significantly less liberal than the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. The implications of these results for selecting outcome measures and the application of meta-analysis techniques for comparing dependent measures are discussed.

  6. Assessing communication skills of clinical call handlers working at an out-of-hours centre: development of the RICE rating scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Derkx, Hay P; Rethans, Jan-Joost E; Knottnerus, J André; Ram, Paul M

    2007-05-01

    Out-of-hours centres provide telephone support to patients with medical problems. In most of these centres specially-trained nurses handle incoming telephone calls. They assess patients' needs, the degree of urgency, and determine the level of care required. Assessment of the medical problem and the quality of 'care-by-phone' depend on the medical and communication skills of the call handlers. To develop a valid, reliable, and practical rating scale to evaluate the communication skills of call handlers working at an out-of-hours centre and to improve quality of communication. Qualitative study with focus groups followed by validation of the rating scale and measurement of reliability (internal consistency). Out-of-hours centres in the Netherlands. A focus group developed the rating scale. Experts with experience in training and evaluating communication skills of medical students and GPs commented on the scale to ensure content validity. The reliability of the rating scale was tested in a pilot in which ten specially-trained assessors scored six telephone calls each. The scale, known as the RICE rating scale, has 17 items divided over four different phases of the telephone consultation: Reason for calling; Information gathering; Conclusion; and Evaluation (RICE). Content validity of the scale was assessed by two experts. Reliability of the scale tested in the pilot was 0.73 (Cronbach's alpha). Establishing a rating scale to assess the communication skills of call handlers which meets common scientific demands, such as content validity and reliability, proved successful. This instrument can be used to give feedback to call handlers.

  7. The Construction and Norm-Finding of a Rating Scale for Diagnosing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zahra Hooshyari

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Evaluation and diagnosis are determinants of treatment outcome; therefore, diagnostic tools should be accurate. The purpose of the present research is construction and norm-finding of a rating scale for the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD. Method: A checklist based on behavioral symptoms of ADHD from clinical sources was constructed, based on interview with patients and the medical records. After being studied by specialists, this checklist was reduced to items and arranged in a rating scale format. The study population included Tehran's elementary school students (boys and girls from which a sample of 800 children was chosen in a random-cluster manner. Then teachers were asked to rate the students according to the scale characteristics. After two weeks, the subjects were tested and interviewed using a corrected form of the scale, the rating scale of Swanson, Nolan and Pelham (SNAP-IV and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV. After data analysis the scale was reduced to 23 items. Results: According to the results of the analysis, the scale had two factors: The first factor was hyperactivity that explained 37.41%, and the second factor was attention deficit that explained 33.78% of the total variance . Cronbach's alpha was 0.96 and the alpha of the two subscales, hyperactivity and attention deficit, was 0.94 and 0.96, respectively. Spearman-Brown Coefficient was 0.78 and scale coefficient correlation with a similar from (SNAP-IV was 0.82. Criterion validity coefficient of the scale was 0.76 and the content validity of the scale was confirmed by the experts. According to sensitivity analysis of the trait, the cutoff point of the scale was 35. Considering the above findings, we can safely use the above scale in clinical studies. Conclusion: Considering the obtained values in the psychometric indexes and the consensus among specialists on the basis of test content validity and

  8. Osteoarthritis Year in Review 2015: Mechanics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varady, Nathan H.; Grodzinsky, Alan J.

    2015-01-01

    Motivated by the conceptual framework of multi-scale biomechanics, this narrative review highlights recent major advances with a focus on gait and joint kinematics, then tissue-level mechanics, cell mechanics and mechanotransduction, matrix mechanics, and finally the nanoscale mechanics of matrix macromolecules. A literature review was conducted from January 2014 to April 2015 using PubMed to identify major developments in mechanics related to osteoarthritis (OA). Studies of knee adduction, flexion, rotation, and contact mechanics have extended our understanding of medial compartment loading. In turn, advances in measurement methodologies have shown how injuries to both the meniscus and ligaments, together, can alter joint kinematics. At the tissue scale, novel findings have emerged regarding the mechanics of the meniscus as well as cartilage superficial zone. Moving to the cell level, poroelastic and poroviscoelastic mechanisms underlying chondrocyte deformation have been reported, along with the response to osmotic stress. Further developments have emerged on the role of calcium signaling in chondrocyte mechanobiology, including exciting findings on the function of mechanically activated cation channels newly found to be expressed in chondrocytes. Finally, AFM-based nano-rheology systems have enabled studies of thin murine tissues and brush layers of matrix molecules over a wide range of loading rates including high rates corresponding to impact injury. With OA acknowledged to be a disease of the joint as an organ, understanding mechanical behavior at each length scale helps to elucidate the connections between cell biology, matrix biochemistry and tissue structure/function that may play a role in the pathomechanics of OA. PMID:26707990

  9. PENGUKURAN BEBAN KERJA MENTAL DALAM SEARCHING TASK DENGAN METODE RATING SCALE MENTAL EFFORT (RSME)

    OpenAIRE

    Ari Widyanti; Addie Johnson; Dick de Waard

    2012-01-01

    Metode pengukuran beban kerja mental meliputi metode obyektif dan subyektif. Metode pengukuran beban kerja mental secara subyektif yang banyak diaplikasikan di Indonesia adalah Subjective Workload Assessment Technique (SWAT) dan NASA TLX (NASA Task Load Index). SWAT dan NASA TLX adalah pengukuran subyektif yang bersifat multidimensional (multidimensional scaling) yang relatif membutuhkan waktu dalam aplikasinya. Sebagai alternatif SWAT dan NASA TLX, Rating Scale Mental Effort (...

  10. Rate of mass deposition of scaling compounds from seawater on the outer surface of heat exchangers in MED evaporators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Omar, W. [Department of Natural Resources and Chemical Engineering, Tafila Technical University, Tafila (Jordan); Ulrich, J. [FB Ingenieurwissenschaften, Institut fuer Verfahrenstechnik/TVT, Martin-Luther-Universitaet Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Germany)

    2006-08-15

    The scaling problem in Multi Effect Distillation (MED) evaporators is investigated by the experimental measurement of the deposition rate under different operating conditions. The measurements are conducted in a batch vessel containing artificial seawater, which is allowed to contact the outer surface of a hot pipe under controlled temperature, salinity and pH. The rate of mass deposition is higher at elevated temperature. The salinity of the seawater also influences the scaling process - an increase in salinity from 47-59 g/L leads to an increase of 75.6 % in the deposition rate. Decreasing the pH value of seawater to 2.01 results in a complete inhibition of scaling, whereas the severity of the scaling increases in neutral and basic mediums. Polyacrylic acid is tested as an antifoulant and it was found that its presence in seawater reduces the scaling process. The nature of the heat transfer surface material also plays an important role in the scaling process. It is found experimentally that the rate of scaling is higher in the case of a Cu-Ni alloy as the surface material of the tube rather than stainless steel. (Abstract Copyright [2006], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  11. Content Validity of the ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD RS-IV and Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS in Phenylketonuria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathleen W. Wyrwich PhD

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD RS-IV; parent report and Adult ADHD Self-Rating Scale (ASRS; self-report are validated instruments for measuring symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD. The objectives of this study were to elicit descriptions of phenylketonuria (PKU symptoms and assess content validity of these instruments in PKU. Parents (N = 15 of children with PKU (≥8 years old and adults with PKU (N=13 described PKU-related symptoms and commented on the scale’s clarity, comprehensiveness, and relevance to their experience with PKU. Most of the adults (84.6% and all of the children were on a phenylalanine-restricted diet, according to respondent report. The inattentiveness symptoms reported by participants mapped to the inattentive items of the questionnaires. Most participants felt the inattentive items were clear and relevant to their experience. Despite study design limitations, these results demonstrate the relevance of assessing inattentiveness in PKU, and both instruments achieved content validity for inattentive subscale items.

  12. A Multi-Scale Computational Study on the Mechanism of Streptococcus pneumoniae Nicotinamidase (SpNic)

    OpenAIRE

    Ion, Bogdan; Kazim, Erum; Gauld, James

    2014-01-01

    Nicotinamidase (Nic) is a key zinc-dependent enzyme in NAD metabolism that catalyzes the hydrolysis of nicotinamide to give nicotinic acid. A multi-scale computational approach has been used to investigate the catalytic mechanism, substrate binding and roles of active site residues of Nic from Streptococcus pneumoniae (SpNic). In particular, density functional theory (DFT), molecular dynamics (MD) and ONIOM quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods have been employed. The o...

  13. Analysis of Carbon Nanotubes on the Mechanical Properties at Atomic Scale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaowen Lei

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims at developing a mathematic model to characterize the mechanical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs. The carbon-carbon (C–C bonds between two adjacent atoms are modeled as Euler beams. According to the relationship of Tersoff-Brenner force theory and potential energy acting on C–C bonds, material constants of beam element are determined at the atomic scale. Based on the elastic deformation energy and mechanical equilibrium of a unit in graphite sheet, simply form ED equations of calculating Young's modulus of armchair and zigzag graphite sheets are derived. Following with the geometrical relationship of SWCNTs in cylindrical coordinates and the structure mechanics approach, Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of armchair and zigzag SWCNTs are also investigated. The results show that the approach to research mechanical properties of SWCNTs is a concise and valid method. We consider that it will be useful technique to progress on this type of investigation.

  14. Scaling rates of true polar wander in convecting planets and moons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rose, Ian; Buffett, Bruce

    2017-12-01

    Mass redistribution in the convecting mantle of a planet causes perturbations in its moment of inertia tensor. Conservation of angular momentum dictates that these perturbations change the direction of the rotation vector of the planet, a process known as true polar wander (TPW). Although the existence of TPW on Earth is firmly established, its rate and magnitude over geologic time scales remain controversial. Here we present scaling analyses and numerical simulations of TPW due to mantle convection over a range of parameter space relevant to planetary interiors. For simple rotating convection, we identify a set of dimensionless parameters that fully characterize true polar wander. We use these parameters to define timescales for the growth of moment of inertia perturbations due to convection and for their relaxation due to true polar wander. These timescales, as well as the relative sizes of convective anomalies, control the rate and magnitude of TPW. This analysis also clarifies the nature of so called "inertial interchange" TPW events, and relates them to a broader class of events that enable large and often rapid TPW. We expect these events to have been more frequent in Earth's past.

  15. Identification of the Scale of Changes in Personnel Motivation Techniques at Mechanical-Engineering Enterprises

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melnyk Olga G.

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The method for identification of the scale of changes in personnel motivation techniques at mechanical-engineering enterprises based on structural and logical sequence of implementation of relevant stages (identification of the mission, strategy and objectives of the enterprise; forecasting the development of the enterprise business environment; SWOT-analysis of actual motivation techniques, deciding on the scale of changes in motivation techniques, choosing providers for changing personnel motivation techniques, choosing an alternative to changing motivation techniques, implementation of changes in motivation techniques; control over changes in motivation techniques. It has been substantiated that the improved method enables providing a systematic and analytical justification for management decisionmaking in this field and choosing the best for the mechanical-engineering enterprise scale and variant of changes in motivation techniques. The method for identification of the scale of changes in motivation techniques at mechanical-engineering enterprises takes into account the previous, current and prospective character. Firstly, the approach is based on considering the past state in the motivational sphere of the mechanical-engineering enterprise; secondly, the method involves identifying the current state of personnel motivation techniques; thirdly, within the method framework the prospective, which is manifested in strategic vision of the enterprise development as well as in forecasting the development of its business environment, is taken into account. The advantage of the proposed method is that the level of its specification may vary depending on the set goals, resource constraints and necessity. Among other things, this method allows integrating various formalized and non-formalized causal relationships in the sphere of personnel motivation at machine-building enterprises and management of relevant processes. This creates preconditions for a

  16. Psychometric Properties of the Working Memory Rating Scale for Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guzman-Orth, Danielle; Grimm, Ryan; Gerber, Michael; Orosco, Michael; Swanson, H. Lee; Lussier, Cathy

    2015-01-01

    The Working Memory Rating Scale (WMRS) was designed as a behavioral rating tool to assist teachers in identifying students at risk of working memory difficulties. The instrument was originally normed on 417 monolingual English-speaking children from the United Kingdom. The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the WMRS…

  17. Validity study of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (Portuguese version by the Rasch Rating Scale model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sónia Quintão

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Our objective was to conduct a validation study of the Portuguese version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI by means of the Rasch Rating Scale Model, and then compare it with the most used scales of anxiety in Portugal. The sample consisted of 1,160 adults (427 men and 733 women, aged 18-82 years old (M=33.39; SD=11.85. Instruments were Beck Anxiety Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. It was found that Beck Anxiety Inventory's system of four categories, the data-model fit, and people reliability were adequate. The measure can be considered as unidimensional. Gender and age-related differences were not a threat to the validity. BAI correlated significantly with other anxiety measures. In conclusion, BAI shows good psychometric quality.

  18. Revalidating the Arabic Scale for Teachers' Ratings of Basic Education Gifted Students' Characteristics Using Rasch Modeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salah Eldin Farah Atallah Bakheit

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The Arabic scale for teachers' ratings of basic education gifted students' characteristics is one of the most common Arabic measures used for initial identification of gifted students in some Arabic countries. One of the shortcomings of this scale is that it is based on the classical the-ory of measurement. This study sought to reval-idate the scale in the light of Rasch modeling which rests upon the modern theory of meas-urement and to develop different criteria for in-terpreting the levels of individuals' traits. The scale was administered to 830 of Basic Educa-tion students in Khartoum (ages ranged from 7 to 12 years. Two groups of students partici-pated in the study: a calibration sample (N = 250 and a standardization sample (N = 580. The statistical treatments were performed using the PSAW 18 and RUMM 2020 programs ac-cording to Rasch's unidimentional model. Six of the scale's items were deleted for not conform-ing to Rasch Modeling. This left the scale with 31 items. Besides, new criteria for the scale were developed by obtaining the t-scores and special education scores that match the various ratings of the individuals' ability.

  19. The reliability of a severity rating scale to measure stuttering in an unfamiliar language.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffman, Laura; Wilson, Linda; Copley, Anna; Hewat, Sally; Lim, Valerie

    2014-06-01

    With increasing multiculturalism, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are likely to work with stuttering clients from linguistic backgrounds that differ from their own. No research to date has estimated SLPs' reliability when measuring severity of stuttering in an unfamiliar language. Therefore, this study was undertaken to estimate the reliability of SLPs' use of a 9-point severity rating (SR) scale, to measure severity of stuttering in a language that was different from their own. Twenty-six Australian SLPs rated 20 speech samples (10 Australian English [AE] and 10 Mandarin) of adults who stutter using a 9-point SR scale on two separate occasions. Judges showed poor agreement when using the scale to measure stuttering in Mandarin samples. Results also indicated that 50% of individual judges were unable to reliably measure the severity of stuttering in AE. The results highlight the need for (a) SLPs to develop intra- and inter-judge agreement when using the 9-point SR scale to measure severity of stuttering in their native language (in this case AE) and in unfamiliar languages; and (b) research into the development and evaluation of practice and/or training packages to assist SLPs to do so.

  20. An item response theory evaluation of the young mania rating scale and the montgomery-asberg depression rating scale in the systematic treatment enhancement program for bipolar disorder (STEP-BD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prisciandaro, James J; Tolliver, Bryan K

    2016-11-15

    The Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) are among the most widely used outcome measures for clinical trials of medications for Bipolar Disorder (BD). Nonetheless, very few studies have examined the measurement characteristics of the YMRS and MADRS in individuals with BD using modern psychometric methods. The present study evaluated the YMRS and MADRS in the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for BD (STEP-BD) study using Item Response Theory (IRT). Baseline data from 3716 STEP-BD participants were available for the present analysis. The Graded Response Model (GRM) was fit separately to YMRS and MADRS item responses. Differential item functioning (DIF) was examined by regressing a variety of clinically relevant covariates (e.g., sex, substance dependence) on all test items and on the latent symptom severity dimension, within each scale. Both scales: 1) contained several items that provided little or no psychometric information, 2) were inefficient, in that the majority of item response categories did not provide incremental psychometric information, 3) poorly measured participants outside of a narrow band of severity, 4) evidenced DIF for nearly all items, suggesting that item responses were, in part, determined by factors other than symptom severity. Limited to outpatients; DIF analysis only sensitive to certain forms of DIF. The present study provides evidence for significant measurement problems involving the YMRS and MADRS. More work is needed to refine these measures and/or develop suitable alternative measures of BD symptomatology for clinical trials research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Adaptation of the Rating Scale Mental Effort (RSME) for use in Indonesia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Widyanti, Ari; Johnson, Addie; de Waard, Dick

    The Rating Scale Mental Effort (RSME) is a unidimensional instrument used to measure subjective mental workload. The RSME consists of a line with a length of 150 mm marked with nine anchor points, each accompanied by a descriptive label indicating a degree of effort. The RSME has been widely used in

  2. Variability of sea ice deformation rates in the Arctic and their relationship with basin-scale wind forcing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Herman

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The temporal variability of the moments of probability distribution functions (pdfs of total sea ice deformation rates in the Arctic is analyzed in the context of the basin-scale wind forcing acting on the ice. The pdfs are estimated for 594 satellite-derived sea ice deformation maps from 11 winter seasons between 1996/1997 and 2007/2008, provided by the RADARSAT Geophysical Processor System. The temporal scale analyzed equals 3 days. The moments of the pdfs, calculated for a range of spatial scales (12.5–900 km, have two dominating components of variability: a seasonal cycle, with deformation rates decreasing throughout winter towards a minimum in March; and a short-term, synoptic variability, strongly correlated with the area-averaged magnitude of the wind stress over the Arctic, estimated based on the NCEP-DOE Reanalysis-2 data (correlation coefficient of 0.71 for the mean deformation rate. Due to scaling properties of the moments, logarithms of higher moments are strongly correlated with the wind stress as well. Exceptions are observed only at small spatial scales, as a result of extreme deformation events, not directly associated with large-scale wind forcing. By repeating the analysis within regions of different sizes and locations, we show that the wind–ice deformation correlation is largest at the basin scale and decreases with decreasing size of the area of study. Finally, we suggest that a positive trend in seasonally averaged correlation between sea ice deformation rates and the wind forcing, present in the analyzed data, may be related to an observed decrease in the multi-year ice area in the Arctic, indicating possibly even stronger correlations in the future.

  3. A multi-scale computational scheme for anisotropic hydro-mechanical couplings in saturated heterogeneous porous media

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mercatoris, B.C.N.; Massart, T.J.; Sluys, L.J.

    2013-01-01

    This contribution discusses a coupled two-scale framework for hydro-mechanical problems in saturated heterogeneous porous geomaterials. The heterogeneous nature of such materials can lead to an anisotropy of the hydro-mechanical couplings and non-linear effects. Based on an assumed model of the

  4. A consensus definition and rating scale for minimalist shoes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esculier, Jean-Francois; Dubois, Blaise; Dionne, Clermont E; Leblond, Jean; Roy, Jean-Sébastien

    2015-01-01

    While minimalist running shoes may have an influence on running biomechanics and on the incidence of overuse injuries, the term "minimalist" is currently used without standardisation. The objectives of this study were to reach a consensus on a standard definition of minimalist running shoes, and to develop and validate a rating scale that could be used to determine the degree of minimalism of running shoes, the Minimalist Index (MI). For this modified Delphi study, 42 experts from 11 countries completed four electronic questionnaires on an optimal definition of minimalist shoes and on elements to include within the MI. Once MI was developed following consensus, 85 participants subjectively ranked randomly assigned footwear models from the most to the least minimalist and rated their degree of minimalism using visual analog scales (VAS), before evaluating the same footwear models using MI. A subsample of thirty participants reassessed the same shoes on another occasion. Construct validity and inter- and intra-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICC]; Gwet's AC1) of MI were evaluated. The following definition of minimalist shoes was agreed upon by 95 % of participants: "Footwear providing minimal interference with the natural movement of the foot due to its high flexibility, low heel to toe drop, weight and stack height, and the absence of motion control and stability devices". Characteristics to be included in MI were weight, flexibility, heel to toe drop, stack height and motion control/stability devices, each subscale carrying equal weighing (20 %) on final score. Total MI score was highly correlated with VAS (r = 0.91). A significant rank effect (p minimalism, and may help to decrease injuries related to footwear transition.

  5. Automated Prediction of Catalytic Mechanism and Rate Law Using Graph-Based Reaction Path Sampling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habershon, Scott

    2016-04-12

    In a recent article [ J. Chem. Phys. 2015 , 143 , 094106 ], we introduced a novel graph-based sampling scheme which can be used to generate chemical reaction paths in many-atom systems in an efficient and highly automated manner. The main goal of this work is to demonstrate how this approach, when combined with direct kinetic modeling, can be used to determine the mechanism and phenomenological rate law of a complex catalytic cycle, namely cobalt-catalyzed hydroformylation of ethene. Our graph-based sampling scheme generates 31 unique chemical products and 32 unique chemical reaction pathways; these sampled structures and reaction paths enable automated construction of a kinetic network model of the catalytic system when combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations of free energies and resultant transition-state theory rate constants. Direct simulations of this kinetic network across a range of initial reactant concentrations enables determination of both the reaction mechanism and the associated rate law in an automated fashion, without the need for either presupposing a mechanism or making steady-state approximations in kinetic analysis. Most importantly, we find that the reaction mechanism which emerges from these simulations is exactly that originally proposed by Heck and Breslow; furthermore, the simulated rate law is also consistent with previous experimental and computational studies, exhibiting a complex dependence on carbon monoxide pressure. While the inherent errors of using DFT simulations to model chemical reactivity limit the quantitative accuracy of our calculated rates, this work confirms that our automated simulation strategy enables direct analysis of catalytic mechanisms from first principles.

  6. Review of low dose-rate epidemiological studies and biological mechanisms of dose-rate effects on radiation induced carcinogenesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwasaki, Toshiyasu; Otsuka, Kensuke; Yoshida, Kazuo

    2015-01-01

    Radiation protection system adopts the linear non-threshold model with using dose and dose-rate effectiveness factor (DDREF). The dose-rate range where DDREF is applied is below 100 mGy per hour, and it is regarded that there are no dose-rate effects at very low dose rate, less than of the order of 10 mGy per year, even from the biological risk evaluation model based on cellular and molecular level mechanisms for maintenance of genetic integrity. Among low dose-rate epidemiological studies, studies of residents in high natural background areas showed no increase of cancer risks at less than about 10 mGy per year. On the other hand, some studies include a study of the Techa River cohort suggested the increase of cancer risks to the similar degree of Atomic bomb survivor data. The difference of those results was supposed due to the difference of dose rate. In 2014, International Commission on Radiological Protection opened a draft report on stem cell biology for public consultations. The report proposed a hypothesis based on the new idea of stem cell competition as a tissue level quality control mechanism, and suggested that it could explain the dose-rate effects around a few milligray per year. To verify this hypothesis, it would be needed to clarify the existence and the lowest dose of radiation-induced stem cell competition, and to elucidate the rate of stem cell turnover and radiation effects on it. As for the turnover, replenishment of damaged stem cells would be the important biological process. It would be meaningful to collect the information to show the difference of dose rates where the competition and the replenishment would be the predominant processes. (author)

  7. Detecting Parental Deception Using a Behavior Rating Scale during Assessment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: An Experimental Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norfolk, Philip A.; Floyd, Randy G.

    2016-01-01

    It is often assumed that parents completing behavior rating scales during the assessment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can deliberately manipulate the outcomes of the assessment. To detect these actions, items designed to detect over-reporting or under-reporting of results are sometimes embedded in such rating scales. This…

  8. In-Flight Validation of a Pilot Rating Scale for Evaluating Failure Transients in Electronic Flight Control Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalinowski, Kevin F.; Tucker, George E.; Moralez, Ernesto, III

    2006-01-01

    Engineering development and qualification of a Research Flight Control System (RFCS) for the Rotorcraft Aircrew Systems Concepts Airborne Laboratory (RASCAL) JUH-60A has motivated the development of a pilot rating scale for evaluating failure transients in fly-by-wire flight control systems. The RASCAL RFCS includes a highly-reliable, dual-channel Servo Control Unit (SCU) to command and monitor the performance of the fly-by-wire actuators and protect against the effects of erroneous commands from the flexible, but single-thread Flight Control Computer. During the design phase of the RFCS, two piloted simulations were conducted on the Ames Research Center Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) to help define the required performance characteristics of the safety monitoring algorithms in the SCU. Simulated failures, including hard-over and slow-over commands, were injected into the command path, and the aircraft response and safety monitor performance were evaluated. A subjective Failure/Recovery Rating (F/RR) scale was developed as a means of quantifying the effects of the injected failures on the aircraft state and the degree of pilot effort required to safely recover the aircraft. A brief evaluation of the rating scale was also conducted on the Army/NASA CH-47B variable stability helicopter to confirm that the rating scale was likely to be equally applicable to in-flight evaluations. Following the initial research flight qualification of the RFCS in 2002, a flight test effort was begun to validate the performance of the safety monitors and to validate their design for the safe conduct of research flight testing. Simulated failures were injected into the SCU, and the F/RR scale was applied to assess the results. The results validate the performance of the monitors, and indicate that the Failure/Recovery Rating scale is a very useful tool for evaluating failure transients in fly-by-wire flight control systems.

  9. The Swedish Version of the Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale: Revised (RAADS-R). A Validation Study of a Rating Scale for Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersen, Lisa M. J.; Naswall, Katharina; Manouilenko, Irina; Nylander, Lena; Edgar, Johan; Ritvo, Riva Ariella; Ritvo, Edward; Bejerot, Susanne

    2011-01-01

    There is a paucity of diagnostic instruments for adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study evaluates the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R), an 80-item self-rating scale designed to assist clinicians diagnosing ASD in adults. It was administered to 75…

  10. Neocortical Dynamics at Multiple Scales: EEG Standing Waves, Statistical Mechanics, and Physical Analogs

    OpenAIRE

    Ingber, Lester; Nunez, Paul L.

    2010-01-01

    The dynamic behavior of scalp potentials (EEG) is apparently due to some combination of global and local processes with important top-down and bottom-up interactions across spatial scales. In treating global mechanisms, we stress the importance of myelinated axon propagation delays and periodic boundary conditions in the cortical-white matter system, which is topologically close to a spherical shell. By contrast, the proposed local mechanisms are multiscale interactions between cortical colum...

  11. Thermo-mechanical behaviour modelling of particle fuels using a multi-scale approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blanc, V.

    2009-12-01

    Particle fuels are made of a few thousand spheres, one millimeter diameter large, compound of uranium oxide coated by confinement layers which are embedded in a graphite matrix to form the fuel element. The aim of this study is to develop a new simulation tool for thermo-mechanical behaviour of those fuels under radiations which is able to predict finely local loadings on the particles. We choose to use the square finite element method, in which two different discretization scales are used: a macroscopic homogeneous structure whose properties in each integration point are computed on a second heterogeneous microstructure, the Representative Volume Element (RVE). First part of this works is concerned by the definition of this RVE. A morphological indicator based in the minimal distance between spheres centers permit to select random sets of microstructures. The elastic macroscopic response of RVE, computed by finite element has been compared to an analytical model. Thermal and mechanical representativeness indicators of local loadings has been built from the particle failure modes. A statistical study of those criteria on a hundred of RVE showed the significance of choose a representative microstructure. In this perspective, a empirical model binding morphological indicator to mechanical indicator has been developed. Second part of the work deals with the two transition scale method which are based on the periodic homogenization. Considering a linear thermal problem with heat source in permanent condition, one showed that the heterogeneity of the heat source involve to use a second order method to localized finely the thermal field. The mechanical non-linear problem has been treats by using the iterative Cast3M algorithm, substituting to integration of the behavior law a finite element computation on the RVE. This algorithm has been validated, and coupled with thermal resolution in order to compute a radiation loading. A computation on a complete fuel element

  12. Sedimentation of phytoplankton during a diatom bloom : Rates and mechanisms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kiørboe, Thomas; Hansen, J.L.S.; Alldredge, A.L.

    1996-01-01

    Phytoplankton blooms are uncoupled from grazing and are normally terminated by sedimentation. There are several potential mechanisms by which phytoplankton cells may settle out of the photic zone: sinking of individual cells or chains, coagulation of cells into aggregates with high settling...... velocities, settling of cells attached to marine snow aggregates formed from discarded larvacean houses or pteropod feeding webs, and packaging of cells into rapidly falling zooplankton fecal pellets. We quantified the relative significance of these different mechanisms during a diatom bloom in a temperate...... to marine snow aggregates formed from discarded larvacean houses, whereas settling of unaggregated cells was insignificant. Formation rates of phytoplankton aggregates by physical coagulation was very low, and losses by this mechanism were much less than 0.07 d(-1); phytoplankton aggregates were neither...

  13. Comparing Cultural Differences in Two Quality Measures in Chinese Kindergartens: The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised and the Kindergarten Quality Rating System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Bi Ying

    2015-01-01

    This study examined the degrees of congruence between two early childhood evaluation systems on various quality concepts: the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) and Zhejiang's Kindergarten Quality Rating System (KQRS). Analysis of variance and post hoc least significant difference tests were employed to show the extent to…

  14. Reliability of Multi-Category Rating Scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, Richard I.; Vannest, Kimberly J.; Davis, John L.

    2013-01-01

    The use of multi-category scales is increasing for the monitoring of IEP goals, classroom and school rules, and Behavior Improvement Plans (BIPs). Although they require greater inference than traditional data counting, little is known about the inter-rater reliability of these scales. This simulation study examined the performance of nine…

  15. Effects of step rate manipulation on joint mechanics during running.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heiderscheit, Bryan C; Chumanov, Elizabeth S; Michalski, Max P; Wille, Christa M; Ryan, Michael B

    2011-02-01

    the objective of this study was to characterize the biomechanical effects of step rate modification during running on the hip, knee, and ankle joints so as to evaluate a potential strategy to reduce lower extremity loading and risk for injury. three-dimensional kinematics and kinetics were recorded from 45 healthy recreational runners during treadmill running at constant speed under various step rate conditions (preferred, ± 5%, and ± 10%). We tested our primary hypothesis that a reduction in energy absorption by the lower extremity joints during the loading response would occur, primarily at the knee, when step rate was increased. less mechanical energy was absorbed at the knee (P running and may prove beneficial in the prevention and treatment of common running-related injuries.

  16. Osteoarthritis year in review 2015: mechanics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varady, N H; Grodzinsky, A J

    2016-01-01

    Motivated by the conceptual framework of multi-scale biomechanics, this narrative review highlights recent major advances with a focus on gait and joint kinematics, then tissue-level mechanics, cell mechanics and mechanotransduction, matrix mechanics, and finally the nanoscale mechanics of matrix macromolecules. A literature review was conducted from January 2014 to April 2015 using PubMed to identify major developments in mechanics related to osteoarthritis (OA). Studies of knee adduction, flexion, rotation, and contact mechanics have extended our understanding of medial compartment loading. In turn, advances in measurement methodologies have shown how injuries to both the meniscus and ligaments, together, can alter joint kinematics. At the tissue scale, novel findings have emerged regarding the mechanics of the meniscus as well as cartilage superficial zone. Moving to the cell level, poroelastic and poro-viscoelastic mechanisms underlying chondrocyte deformation have been reported, along with the response to osmotic stress. Further developments have emerged on the role of calcium signaling in chondrocyte mechanobiology, including exciting findings on the function of mechanically activated cation channels newly found to be expressed in chondrocytes. Finally, AFM-based nano-rheology systems have enabled studies of thin murine tissues and brush layers of matrix molecules over a wide range of loading rates including high rates corresponding to impact injury. With OA acknowledged to be a disease of the joint as an organ, understanding mechanical behavior at each length scale helps to elucidate the connections between cell biology, matrix biochemistry and tissue structure/function that may play a role in the pathomechanics of OA. Copyright © 2015 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Developing Ultra-small Scale Mechanical Testing Methods and Microstructural Investigation Procedures for Irradiated Materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hosemann, Peter; Kaoumi, Djamel

    2018-04-02

    -beam irradiations have been utilized for decades to foster the understanding of materials’ behavior under radiation, and significant efforts at comparing ion-beam irradiations to neutron irradiations are ongoing [1]. While extensive microstructural and chemical characterizations of neutron-irradiated and ion-irradiated materials are essential to the understanding of the underlying physics of materials’ degradation in nuclear environments, the ultimate test is the mechanical performance of a material under the anticipated condition, since it is the final criterion for a material to be accepted for use in a specific nuclear component. Again, standard, large-scale, bulk evaluations are key for the licensing of materials in a specific component, but additional, more basic scientific testing can accelerate the process by targeting specific areas of interest. Small-scale mechanical testing has been applied on nuclear materials for decades [2]. Traditionally the driving forces to use non-standard-size samples are the limited space in reactors, the availability of new alloys, and a reduction in radioactive-materials volume. Shear punch testing [3,5], sub-sized micro tensile testing [4], sub-sized compact tension and charpy testing [6,7], micro bulge testing [8], and micro hardness testing [3] have been used. Small-scale mechanical testing also allows the targeting of specific regions of interest, be they single grains to evaluate a specific deformation mechanism [9], grain boundaries, heat-affected zones in welds, or any other specific critical area of interest. With further reducing of the sample size, it also holds the promise to obtain quantitative data from ion-beam irradiations and to compare such data to the microstructural changes observed. Over the last few decades, a number of small-scale mechanical characterization techniques have been developed and utilized for irradiated materials. In addition to the above-mentioned sample test techniques at the mm and sub mm length scale

  18. Determining the Accuracy of Self-Report Versus Informant-Report Using the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexander, Lisa; Liljequist, Laura

    2016-04-01

    The present research examined the validity of self-report versus informant-report in relation to a performance-based indicator of adult ADHD. Archival data from 118 participants (52 males, 66 females) were used to compare Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale-Self-Report: Long Format (CAARS-S:L) and Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale-Observer Report: Long Format (CAARS-O:L) with discrepancy scores calculated between the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) Verbal Comprehension Index - Working Memory Index (VCI - WMI) and Perceptual-Organizational Index - Processing Speed Index (POI - PSI) scaled scores. Neither the self- nor informant-report formats of the CAARS were better predictors of discrepancies between WAIS-III Index scores. Intercorrelations between the CAARS-S:L and CAARS-O:L revealed generally higher correlations between the same scales of different formats and among scales measuring externally visible symptoms. Furthermore, regression analysis indicated that both the CAARS-S:L and CAARS-O:L clinical scales contributed a significant proportion of variance in WAIS-III VCI - WMI discrepancy scores (14.7% and 16.4%, respectively). Results did not establish greater accuracy of self-report versus informant-report of ADHD symptomatology, rather demonstrate the need for multimodal assessment of ADHD in adults. © The Author(s) 2013.

  19. A multi-scale approach of mechanical and transport properties of cementitious materials under rises of temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caratini, G.

    2012-01-01

    The modern industrial activities (storage of nuclear waste, geothermal wells, nuclear power plants,...) can submit cementitious materials to some extreme conditions, for example at temperatures above 200 C. This level of temperature will induce phenomena of dehydration in the cement paste, particularly impacting the CSH hydrates which led to the mechanical cohesion. The effects of these temperatures on the mechanical and transport properties have been the subject of this thesis.To understand these effects, we need to take into account the heterogeneous, porous, multi-scale aspects of these materials. To do this, micro-mechanics and homogenization tools based on the Eshelby problem's solution were used. Moreover, to support this multi-scale modeling, mechanical testing based on the theory of porous media were conducted. The measurements of modulus compressibility, permeability and porosity under confining pressure were used to investigate the mechanisms of degradation of these materials during thermal loads up to 400 C. (author)

  20. An investigation of the effect of pore scale flow on average geochemical reaction rates using direct numerical simulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Molins, Sergi [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Earth Sciences Division; Trebotich, David [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Computational Research Division; Steefel, Carl I. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Earth Sciences Division; Shen, Chaopeng [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Computational Research Division

    2012-03-30

    The scale-dependence of geochemical reaction rates hinders their use in continuum scale models intended for the interpretation and prediction of chemical fate and transport in subsurface environments such as those considered for geologic sequestration of CO2. Processes that take place at the pore scale, especially those involving mass transport limitations to reactive surfaces, may contribute to the discrepancy commonly observed between laboratory-determined and continuum-scale or field rates. In this study we investigate the dependence of mineral dissolution rates on the pore structure of the porous media by means of pore scale modeling of flow and multicomponent reactive transport. The pore scale model is composed of high-performance simulation tools and algorithms for incompressible flow and conservative transport combined with a general-purpose multicomponent geochemical reaction code. The model performs direct numerical simulation of reactive transport based on an operator-splitting approach to coupling transport and reactions. The approach is validated with a Poiseuille flow single-pore experiment and verified with an equivalent 1-D continuum-scale model of a capillary tube packed with calcite spheres. Using the case of calcite dissolution as an example, the high-resolution model is used to demonstrate that nonuniformity in the flow field at the pore scale has the effect of decreasing the overall reactivity of the system, even when systems with identical reactive surface area are considered. In conclusion, the effect becomes more pronounced as the heterogeneity of the reactive grain packing increases, particularly where the flow slows sufficiently such that the solution approaches equilibrium locally and the average rate becomes transport-limited.

  1. How to correct for long-term externalities of large-scale wind power development by a capacity mechanism?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cepeda, Mauricio; Finon, Dominique

    2013-01-01

    This paper deals with the practical problems related to long-term security of supply in electricity markets in the presence of large-scale wind power development. The success of recent renewable promotion schemes adds a new dimension to ensuring long-term security of supply: it necessitates designing second-best policies to prevent large-scale wind power development from distorting long-run equilibrium prices and investments in conventional generation and in particular in peaking units. We rely upon a long-term simulation model which simulates electricity market players' investment decisions in a market regime and incorporates large-scale wind power development in the presence of either subsidized or market driven development scenarios. We test the use of capacity mechanisms to compensate for long-term effects of large-scale wind power development on prices and reliability of supply. The first finding is that capacity mechanisms can help to reduce the social cost of large scale wind power development in terms of decrease of loss of load probability. The second finding is that, in a market-based wind power deployment without subsidy, wind generators are penalised for insufficient contribution to the long term system's reliability. - Highlights: • We model power market players’ investment decisions incorporating wind power. • We examine two market designs: an energy-only market and a capacity mechanism. • We test two types of wind power development paths: subsidised and market-driven. • Capacity mechanisms compensate for the externalities of wind power developments

  2. The psychometric properties of the Vanderbilt attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnostic parent rating scale in a community population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bard, David E; Wolraich, Mark L; Neas, Barbara; Doffing, Melissa; Beck, Laoma

    2013-02-01

    To examine the psychometric properties of the Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Parent Rating Scale (VADPRS) using a community-based sample of primarily elementary and middle school-aged children. Participants were initially recruited from 41 elementary schools in 5 Oklahoma school districts including urban, suburban, and rural students. Vanderbilt rating scales were obtained from all teachers (n = 601) and sampled parents (n = 587) of the participating children. Construct validity was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis of the 45 items that made up the 4 scales of inattention, hyperactivity, conduct/oppositional problems, and anxiety/depression problems. Reliability was evaluated from internal consistency, test-retest, and interrater agreement perspectives. Criterion validity was evaluated via comparisons to a structured psychiatric interview with the parents using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV. A 4-factor model (inattention, hyperactivity, conduct/oppositional problems, and anxiety/depression problems) fit the data well once discarding conduct items that were infrequently endorsed. The estimates of coefficient alpha ranged from .91 to .94 and the analogous KR20 coefficient for a binary item version of the scale ranged from .88 to .91. Test-retest reliability exceeded .80 for all summed scale scores. The VADPRS produced a sensitivity of .80, specificity of .75, positive predictive value of .19, and negative predictive value of .98 when predicting an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) case definition that combined teacher's Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Teacher Rating Scale and parent diagnostic interview responses. The confirmation of the construct and concurrent criterion validities found in this study further support the utility of the VADPRS as a diagnostic rating scale for ADHD.

  3. A pilot rating scale for evaluating failure transients in electronic flight control systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hindson, William S.; Schroeder, Jeffery A.; Eshow, Michelle M.

    1990-01-01

    A pilot rating scale was developed to describe the effects of transients in helicopter flight-control systems on safety-of-flight and on pilot recovery action. The scale was applied to the evaluation of hardovers that could potentially occur in the digital flight-control system being designed for a variable-stability UH-60A research helicopter. Tests were conducted in a large moving-base simulator and in flight. The results of the investigation were combined with existing airworthiness criteria to determine quantitative reliability design goals for the control system.

  4. Toward a Multi-scale Phase Transition Kinetics Methodology: From Non-Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics to Hydrodynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belof, Jonathan; Orlikowski, Daniel; Wu, Christine; McLaughlin, Keith

    2013-06-01

    Shock and ramp compression experiments are allowing us to probe condensed matter under extreme conditions where phase transitions and other non-equilibrium aspects can now be directly observed, but first principles simulation of kinetics remains a challenge. A multi-scale approach is presented here, with non-equilibrium statistical mechanical quantities calculated by molecular dynamics (MD) and then leveraged to inform a classical nucleation and growth kinetics model at the hydrodynamic scale. Of central interest is the free energy barrier for the formation of a critical nucleus, with direct NEMD presenting the challenge of relatively long timescales necessary to resolve nucleation. Rather than attempt to resolve the time-dependent nucleation sequence directly, the methodology derived here is built upon the non-equilibrium work theorem in order to bias the formation of a critical nucleus and thus construct the nucleation and growth rates. Having determined these kinetic terms from MD, a hydrodynamics implementation of Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (KJMA) kinetics and metastabilty is applied to the dynamic compressive freezing of water and compared with recent ramp compression experiments [Dolan et al., Nature (2007)] Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is operated by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

  5. Relationship Between the DSM-5 Anxious Distress Specifier and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale Anxiety/Somatization Factor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimmerman, Mark; Clark, Heather; McGonigal, Patrick; Harris, Lauren; Guzman Holst, Carolina; Martin, Jacob

    2018-02-01

    We examined the association between the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) approach to classifying depressed patients into anxious and nonanxious subgroups and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) anxious distress specifier subtyping. Two hundred two depressed patients were interviewed with semistructured diagnostic interviews. Patients were rated on the 17-item HAMD and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and completed the Clinically Useful Anxiety Outcome Scale. Both approaches toward identifying anxiety in depressed patients resulted in most of the patients meeting the anxiety subtype. Both subtyping methods were significantly correlated with clinician-rated and self-report measures of anxiety, and scores on the anxiety scales were higher in the patients who met the anxious subtype. However, DSM-5 anxious distress subtyping was only marginally associated with the HAMD anxiety/somatization factor subtyping approach (k = 0.21), and dimensional scores were only moderately correlated (r = 0.50). These findings indicate that the DSM-5 and HAMD approaches toward identifying an anxious subtype of depression are not interchangeable.

  6. Rating scale for psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: scale development and clinimetric testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cianci, Vittoria; Ferlazzo, Edoardo; Condino, Francesca; Mauvais, Hélène Somma; Farnarier, Guy; Labate, Angelo; Latella, Maria Adele; Gasparini, Sara; Branca, Damiano; Pucci, Franco; Vazzana, Francesco; Gambardella, Antonio; Aguglia, Umberto

    2011-06-01

    Our aim was to develop a clinimetric scale evaluating motor phenomena, associated features, and severity of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). Sixty video/EEG-recorded PNES induced by suggestion maneuvers were evaluated. We examined the relationship between results from this scale and results from the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale to validate this technique. Interrater reliabilities of the PNES scale for three raters were analyzed using the AC1 statistic, Kendall's coefficient of concordance (KCC), and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). The relationship between the CGI and PNES scales was evaluated with Spearman correlations. The AC1 statistic demonstrated good interrater reliability for each phenomenon analyzed (tremor/oscillation, tonic; clonic/jerking, hypermotor/agitation, atonic/akinetic, automatisms, associated features). KCC and the ICC showed moderate interrater agreement for phenomenology, associated phenomena, and total PNES scores. Spearman's correlation of mean CGI score with mean total PNES score was 0.69 (Pscale described here accurately evaluates the phenomenology of PNES and could be used to assess and compare subgroups of patients with PNES. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. [Acceptance and understandability of various methods of health valuations for the chronically ill: willingness to pay, visual analogue scale and rating scale].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meder, M; Farin, E

    2009-11-01

    Health valuations are one way of measuring patient preferences with respect to the results of their treatment. The study examines three different methods of health valuations--willingness to pay (WTP), visual analogue scale (VAS), and a rating question for evaluating the subjective significance. The goal is to test the understandability and acceptance of these methods for implementation in questionnaires. In various rehabilitation centres, a total of six focus groups were conducted with 5-9 patients each with a mean age of 57.1 years. The illnesses considered were chronic-ischaemic heart disease, chronic back pain, and breast cancer. Patients filled out a questionnaire that was then discussed in the group. In addition to the quantitative evaluation of the data in the questionnaire, a qualitative analysis of the contents of the group discussion protocols was made. We have results from a total of 42 patients. 14.6% of the patients had "great difficulties" understanding the WTP or rated it as "completely incomprehensible"; this value was 7.3% for VAS and 0% for the rating scale. With respect to acceptance, 31.0% of the patients indicated that they were "not really" or "not at all" willing to answer such a WTP question in a questionnaire; this was 6.6% for the VAS, and again 0% for the rating scale. The qualitative analysis provided an indication as to why some patients view the WTP question in particular in a negative light. Many difficulties in understanding it were related to the formulation of the question and the structure of the questionnaire. However, the patients' statements also made it apparent that the hypothetical nature of the WTP questionnaire was not always recognised. The most frequent reason for the lack of acceptance of the WTP was the patients' fear of negative financial consequences of their responses. With respect to understandability and acceptance, VAS questions appear to be better suited for reflecting patient preferences than WTP questions. The

  8. Atomic Scale Picture of the Ion Conduction Mechanism in Tetrahedral Network of Lanthanum Barium Gallate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jalarvo, Niina H [ORNL; Gourdon, Olivier [ORNL; Bi, Zhonghe [ORNL; Gout, Delphine J [ORNL; Ohl, Michael E [ORNL; Paranthaman, Mariappan Parans [ORNL

    2013-01-01

    Combined experimental study of impedance spectroscopy, neutron powder diffraction and quasielastic neutron scattering was performed to shed light into the atomic scale ion migration processes in proton and oxide ion conductor; La0.8Ba1.2GaO3.9 . This material consist of tetrahedral GaO4 units, which are rather flexible and rocking motion of these units promotes the ionic migration process. The oxide ion (vacancy) conduction takes place on channels along c axis, involving a single elementary step, which occurs between adjacent tetrahedron (inter-tetrahedron jump). The proton conduction mechanism consists of intra-tetrahedron and inter-tetrahedron elementary processes. The intra-tetrahedron proton transport is the rate-limiting process, with activation energy of 0.44 eV. The rocking motion of the GaO4 tetrahedron aids the inter-tetrahedral proton transport, which has the activation energy of 0.068 eV.

  9. Experimental characterization and modelling of UO2 mechanical behaviour at high temperatures and high strain rates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salvo, Maxime

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this work is to characterize and model the mechanical behavior of uranium dioxide (UO 2 ) during a Reactivity Initiated Accident (RIA). The fuel loading during a RIA is characterized by high strain rates (up to 1/s) and high temperatures (1000 C - 2500 C). Two types of UO 2 pellets (commercial and high density) were therefore tested in compression with prescribed displacement rates (0.1 to 100 mm/min corresponding to strain rates of 10 -4 - 10 -1 /s) and temperatures (1100 C - 1350 C - 1550 C et 1700 C). Experimental results (geometry, yield stress and microstructure) allowed us to define a hyperbolic sine creep law and a Drucker-Prager criterion with associated plasticity, in order to model grain boundaries fragmentation at the macroscopic scale. Finite Element Simulations of these tests and of more than 200 creep tests were used to assess the model response to a wide range of temperatures (1100 C - 1700 C) and strain rates (10 -9 /s - 10 -1 /s). Finally, a constitutive law called L3F was developed for UO 2 by adding to the previous model irradiation creep and tensile macroscopic cracking. The L3F law was then introduced in the 1.5D scheme of the fuel performance code ALCYONE-RIA to simulate the REP-Na tests performed in the experimental reactor CABRI. Simulation results are in good agreement with post tests examinations. (author) [fr

  10. Dose rates modeling of pressurized water reactor primary loop components with SCALE6.0

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matijević, Mario; Pevec, Dubravko; Trontl, Krešimir

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Shielding analysis of the typical PWR primary loop components was performed. • FW-CADIS methodology was thoroughly investigated using SCALE6.0 code package. • Versatile ability of SCALE6.0/FW-CADIS for deep penetration models was proved. • The adjoint source with focus on specific material can improve MC modeling. - Abstract: The SCALE6.0 simulation model of a typical PWR primary loop components for effective dose rates calculation based on hybrid deterministic–stochastic methodology was created. The criticality sequence CSAS6/KENO-VI of the SCALE6.0 code package, which includes KENO-VI Monte Carlo code, was used for criticality calculations, while neutron and gamma dose rates distributions were determined by MAVRIC/Monaco shielding sequence. A detailed model of a combinatorial geometry, materials and characteristics of a generic two loop PWR facility is based on best available input data. The sources of ionizing radiation in PWR primary loop components included neutrons and photons originating from critical core and photons from activated coolant in two primary loops. Detailed calculations of the reactor pressure vessel and the upper reactor head have been performed. The efficiency of particle transport for obtaining global Monte Carlo dose rates was further examined and quantified with a flexible adjoint source positioning in phase-space. It was demonstrated that generation of an accurate importance map (VR parameters) is a paramount step which enabled obtaining Monaco dose rates with fairly uniform uncertainties. Computer memory consumption by the S N part of hybrid methodology represents main obstacle when using meshes with large number of cells together with high S N /P N parameters. Detailed voxelization (homogenization) process in Denovo together with high S N /P N parameters is essential for precise VR parameters generation which will result in optimized MC distributions. Shielding calculations were also performed for the reduced PWR

  11. Assessment of competence for caesarean section with global rating scale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qureshi, R.N.; Ali, S.K.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: To establish as reliable and valid the nine-point global rating scale for assessing residents' independent performance of Caesarean Section. Methods: The validation study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aga Khan University Hospital, from April to December 2008, and comprised 15 residents during 40 Caesarean Sections over 9 months. Independently two evaluators rated each procedure and the difficulty of each case. Results: The observations per faculty ranged from 1-8 (mean 4.07+- 2.56). The Year 4 residents were observed the most i.e. 32 (40%), followed by Year 3, 30 (37.5%); Year 2; 14 (17.5%); and Year 1, 4 (5%). Mean time required for observation of the surgery was 43.81+-14.28 (range: 20-90) with a mode of 45 min. Mean aggregate rating on all items showed gradual progression with the year of residency. The assessment tool had an internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha) of 0.9097 with low inter-rater reliability. Conclusion: The evaluation tool was found to be reliable and valid for evaluating a resident's competence for performing Caesarean Section. Training of the assessors is required for a better inter-rater agreement. (author)

  12. Validity and Reliability of the Verbal Numerical Rating Scale for Children Aged 4 to 17 Years With Acute Pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsze, Daniel S; von Baeyer, Carl L; Pahalyants, Vartan; Dayan, Peter S

    2018-06-01

    The Verbal Numerical Rating Scale is the most commonly used self-report measure of pain intensity. It is unclear how the validity and reliability of the scale scores vary across children's ages. We aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the scale for children presenting to the emergency department across a comprehensive spectrum of age. This was a cross-sectional study of children aged 4 to 17 years. Children self-reported their pain intensity, using the Verbal Numerical Rating Scale and Faces Pain Scale-Revised at 2 serial assessments. We evaluated convergent validity (strong validity defined as correlation coefficient ≥0.60), agreement (difference between concurrent Verbal Numerical Rating Scale and Faces Pain Scale-Revised scores), known-groups validity (difference in score between children with painful versus nonpainful conditions), responsivity (decrease in score after analgesic administration), and reliability (test-retest at 2 serial assessments) in the total sample and subgroups based on age. We enrolled 760 children; 27 did not understand the Verbal Numerical Rating Scale and were removed. Of the remainder, Pearson correlations were strong to very strong (0.62 to 0.96) in all years of age except 4 and 5 years, and agreement was strong for children aged 8 and older. Known-groups validity and responsivity were strong in all years of age. Reliability was strong in all age subgroups, including each year of age from 4 to 7 years. Convergent validity, known-groups validity, responsivity, and reliability of the Verbal Numerical Rating Scale were strong for children aged 6 to 17 years. Convergent validity was not strong for children aged 4 and 5 years. Our findings support the use of the Verbal Numerical Rating Scale for most children aged 6 years and older, but not for those aged 4 and 5 years. Copyright © 2017 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Fungal biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles: mechanism and scale up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitching, Michael; Ramani, Meghana; Marsili, Enrico

    2015-11-01

    Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are a widespread research tool because of their oxidation resistance, biocompatibility and stability. Chemical methods for AuNP synthesis often produce toxic residues that raise environmental concern. On the other hand, the biological synthesis of AuNPs in viable microorganisms and their cell-free extracts is an environmentally friendly and low-cost process. In general, fungi tolerate higher metal concentrations than bacteria and secrete abundant extracellular redox proteins to reduce soluble metal ions to their insoluble form and eventually to nanocrystals. Fungi harbour untapped biological diversity and may provide novel metal reductases for metal detoxification and bioreduction. A thorough understanding of the biosynthetic mechanism of AuNPs in fungi is needed to reduce the time of biosynthesis and to scale up the AuNP production process. In this review, we describe the known mechanisms for AuNP biosynthesis in viable fungi and fungal protein extracts and discuss the most suitable bioreactors for industrial AuNP biosynthesis. © 2014 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

  14. Development and reliability of a structured interview guide for the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (SIGMA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Janet B W; Kobak, Kenneth A

    2008-01-01

    The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) is often used in clinical trials to select patients and to assess treatment efficacy. The scale was originally published without suggested questions for clinicians to use in gathering the information necessary to rate the items. Structured and semi-structured interview guides have been found to improve reliability with other scales. To describe the development and test-retest reliability of a structured interview guide for the MADRS (SIGMA). A total of 162 test-retest interviews were conducted by 81 rater pairs. Each patient was interviewed twice, once by each rater conducting an independent interview. The intraclass correlation for total score between raters using the SIGMA was r=0.93, Preliability. Use of the SIGMA can result in high reliability of MADRS scores in evaluating patients with depression.

  15. A Trial of Psychoeducational Group Leadership Treaining(5): Evaluation of Training Effects by Self-rating Scales.

    OpenAIRE

    古屋, 健; 音山, 若穂; 懸川, 武史

    2014-01-01

    Furuya, Kakegawa, and Otoyama(2013a)proposed a leadership training program for university students. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the program using self-rating scales. Two scales were constructed for this purpose;communication-anxiety scale that consisted of five subscales and leadership-efficacy scale that had two subscales. The score of four subscales of communication-anxiety scale decreased, and two subscales of leadership-efficacy scale improved after training. ...

  16. Biocorrosion rate and mechanism of metallic magnesium in model arterial environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowen, Patrick K.

    A new paradigm in biomedical engineering calls for biologically active implants that are absorbed by the body over time. One popular application for this concept is in the engineering of endovascular stents that are delivered concurrently with balloon angioplasty. These devices enable the injured vessels to remain patent during healing, but are not needed for more than a few months after the procedure. Early studies of iron- and magnesium-based stents have concluded that magnesium is a potentially suitable base material for such a device; alloys can achieve acceptable mechanical properties and do not seem to harm the artery during degradation. Research done up to the onset of research contained in this dissertation, for the most part, failed to define realistic physiological corrosion mechanisms, and failed to correlate degradation rates between in vitro and in vivo environments. Six previously published works form the basis of this dissertation. The topics of these papers include (1) a method by which tensile testing may be applied to evaluate biomaterial degradation; (2) a suite of approaches that can be used to screen candidate absorbable magnesium biomaterials; (3) in vivo-in vitro environmental correlations based on mechanical behavior; (4) a similar correlation on the basis of penetration rate; (5) a mid-to-late stage physiological corrosion mechanism for magnesium in an arterial environment; and (6) the identification of corrosion products in degradable magnesium using transmission electron microscopy.

  17. ITER baffle module small-scale mock-ups: first wall thermo-mechanical testing results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Severi, Y.; Giancarli, L.; Poitevin, Y.; Salavy, J.F.; Le Marois, G.; Roedig, M.; Vieider, G.

    1998-01-01

    The EU-home team is in charge of the R and D related to the ITER baffle first wall. Five small-scale mock-ups, using Be, CFC and W tiles and different armour/heat-sink material joints under development, have been fabricated and thermomechanically tested in FE200 (Le Creusot) and JUDITH (Juelich) electron beam facilities. The small-scale mock-ups have been submitted to thermo-mechanical fatigue tests (up to failure using accelerating techniques). The objective was to determine the performances of the armour material joints under high heat flux cycles. (orig.)

  18. Arrhythmia Mechanism and Scaling Effect on the Spectral Properties of Electroanatomical Maps With Manifold Harmonics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanroman-Junquera, Margarita; Mora-Jimenez, Inmaculada; Garcia-Alberola, Arcadio; Caamano, Antonio J; Trenor, Beatriz; Rojo-Alvarez, Jose L

    2018-04-01

    Spatial and temporal processing of intracardiac electrograms provides relevant information to support the arrhythmia ablation during electrophysiological studies. Current cardiac navigation systems (CNS) and electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) build detailed 3-D electroanatomical maps (EAM), which represent the spatial anatomical distribution of bioelectrical features, such as activation time or voltage. We present a principled methodology for spectral analysis of both EAM geometry and bioelectrical feature in CNS or ECGI, including their spectral representation, cutoff frequency, or spatial sampling rate (SSR). Existing manifold harmonic techniques for spectral mesh analysis are adapted to account for a fourth dimension, corresponding to the EAM bioelectrical feature. Appropriate scaling is required to address different magnitudes and units. With our approach, simulated and real EAM showed strong SSR dependence on both the arrhythmia mechanism and the cardiac anatomical shape. For instance, high frequencies increased significantly the SSR because of the "early-meets-late" in flutter EAM, compared with the sinus rhythm. Besides, higher frequency components were obtained for the left atrium (more complex anatomy) than for the right atrium in sinus rhythm. The proposed manifold harmonics methodology opens the field toward new signal processing tools for principled EAM spatiofeature analysis in CNS and ECGI, and to an improved knowledge on arrhythmia mechanisms.

  19. Combining agreement and frequency rating scales to optimize psychometrics in measuring behavioral health functioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marfeo, Elizabeth E; Ni, Pengsheng; Chan, Leighton; Rasch, Elizabeth K; Jette, Alan M

    2014-07-01

    The goal of this article was to investigate optimal functioning of using frequency vs. agreement rating scales in two subdomains of the newly developed Work Disability Functional Assessment Battery: the Mood & Emotions and Behavioral Control scales. A psychometric study comparing rating scale performance embedded in a cross-sectional survey used for developing a new instrument to measure behavioral health functioning among adults applying for disability benefits in the United States was performed. Within the sample of 1,017 respondents, the range of response category endorsement was similar for both frequency and agreement item types for both scales. There were fewer missing values in the frequency items than the agreement items. Both frequency and agreement items showed acceptable reliability. The frequency items demonstrated optimal effectiveness around the mean ± 1-2 standard deviation score range; the agreement items performed better at the extreme score ranges. Findings suggest an optimal response format requires a mix of both agreement-based and frequency-based items. Frequency items perform better in the normal range of responses, capturing specific behaviors, reactions, or situations that may elicit a specific response. Agreement items do better for those whose scores are more extreme and capture subjective content related to general attitudes, behaviors, or feelings of work-related behavioral health functioning. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Rating the methodological quality of single-subject designs and n-of-1 trials: introducing the Single-Case Experimental Design (SCED) Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tate, Robyn L; McDonald, Skye; Perdices, Michael; Togher, Leanne; Schultz, Regina; Savage, Sharon

    2008-08-01

    Rating scales that assess methodological quality of clinical trials provide a means to critically appraise the literature. Scales are currently available to rate randomised and non-randomised controlled trials, but there are none that assess single-subject designs. The Single-Case Experimental Design (SCED) Scale was developed for this purpose and evaluated for reliability. Six clinical researchers who were trained and experienced in rating methodological quality of clinical trials developed the scale and participated in reliability studies. The SCED Scale is an 11-item rating scale for single-subject designs, of which 10 items are used to assess methodological quality and use of statistical analysis. The scale was developed and refined over a 3-year period. Content validity was addressed by identifying items to reduce the main sources of bias in single-case methodology as stipulated by authorities in the field, which were empirically tested against 85 published reports. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using a random sample of 20/312 single-subject reports archived in the Psychological Database of Brain Impairment Treatment Efficacy (PsycBITE). Inter-rater reliability for the total score was excellent, both for individual raters (overall ICC = 0.84; 95% confidence interval 0.73-0.92) and for consensus ratings between pairs of raters (overall ICC = 0.88; 95% confidence interval 0.78-0.95). Item reliability was fair to excellent for consensus ratings between pairs of raters (range k = 0.48 to 1.00). The results were replicated with two independent novice raters who were trained in the use of the scale (ICC = 0.88, 95% confidence interval 0.73-0.95). The SCED Scale thus provides a brief and valid evaluation of methodological quality of single-subject designs, with the total score demonstrating excellent inter-rater reliability using both individual and consensus ratings. Items from the scale can also be used as a checklist in the design, reporting and critical

  1. Large scale model testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brumovsky, M.; Filip, R.; Polachova, H.; Stepanek, S.

    1989-01-01

    Fracture mechanics and fatigue calculations for WWER reactor pressure vessels were checked by large scale model testing performed using large testing machine ZZ 8000 (with a maximum load of 80 MN) at the SKODA WORKS. The results are described from testing the material resistance to fracture (non-ductile). The testing included the base materials and welded joints. The rated specimen thickness was 150 mm with defects of a depth between 15 and 100 mm. The results are also presented of nozzles of 850 mm inner diameter in a scale of 1:3; static, cyclic, and dynamic tests were performed without and with surface defects (15, 30 and 45 mm deep). During cyclic tests the crack growth rate in the elastic-plastic region was also determined. (author). 6 figs., 2 tabs., 5 refs

  2. Clinical Utilisation and Usefullness of the Rating Scale of Mixed States, ("Gt-Msrs"): a Multicenter Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavormina, Giuseppe; Franza, Francesco; Stranieri, Giuseppe; Juli, Luigi; Juli, Maria Rosaria

    2017-09-01

    The rating scale "G.T. MSRS" has been designed to improve the clinical effectiveness of the clinician psychiatrists, by enabling them to make an early "general" diagnosis of mixed states. The knowledge of the clinical features of the mixed states and of the symptoms of the "mixity" of mood disorders is crucial: to mis-diagnose or mis-treat patients with these symptoms may increase the suicide risk and make worse the evolution of mood disorders going to the dysphoric state. This study is the second validation study of the "G.T. MSRS" rating scale, in order to demonstrate its usefullness.

  3. On the mechanisms governing the repetition rate of mode-locked semiconductor lasers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mulet, Josep; Mørk, Jesper

    2004-01-01

    We investigate the mechanisms influencing the synchronization locking range of mode-locked lasers. We find that changes in repetition rates can be accomodated through a joint interplay of dispersion and pulse shaping effects....

  4. Assessing ADHD Symptoms in Preschool Children: Use of the ADHD Symptoms Rating Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Penny L.; Greenson, Jessica N.; Collett, Brent R.; Gimpel, Gretchen A.

    2002-01-01

    This study examined the psychometric and normative properties of the ADHD-Symptoms Rating Scale with preschool children. Results shed light on normative levels of ADHD behaviors and preschool children and suggested that preschoolers may present with a somewhat different symptom pattern than school-age children. Parents were more likely to endorse…

  5. Effect of orientation and loading rate on compression behavior of small-scale Mo pillars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schneider, A.S.; Clark, B.G.; Frick, C.P.; Gruber, P.A.; Arzt, E.

    2009-01-01

    Recently, much work has focused on the size effect in face centered cubic (fcc) structures, however few pillar studies have focused on body centered cubic (bcc) metals. This paper explores the role of bcc crystal structure on the size effect, through compression testing of [001] and [235] Molybdenum (Mo) small-scale pillars manufactured by focused ion beam (FIB). The pillar diameters ranged from 200 nm to 5 μm. Results show that the relationship between yield stress and diameter exhibits an inverse relationship (σ y ∝ d -0.22 for [001] Mo and σ y ∝ d -0.34 for [235] Mo) weaker than that observed for face centered cubic (fcc) metals (σ y ∝ d -0.6to-1.0 ). Additional tests at various loading rates revealed that small-scale Mo pillars exhibit a strain rate sensitivity similar to bulk Mo.

  6. Investigating the effects of ABC transporter-based acquired drug resistance mechanisms at the cellular and tissue scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Cong; Krishnan, J; Xu, Xiao Yun

    2013-03-01

    In this paper we systematically investigate the effects of acquired drug resistance at the cellular and tissue scale, with a specific focus on ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter-based mechanisms and contrast this with other representative intracellular resistance mechanisms. This is done by developing in silico models wherein the drug resistance mechanism is overlaid on a coarse-grained description of apoptosis; these cellular models are coupled with interstitial drug transport, allowing for a transparent examination of the effect of acquired drug resistances at the tissue level. While ABC transporter-mediated resistance mechanisms counteract drug effect at the cellular level, its tissue-level effect is more complicated, revealing unexpected trends in tissue response as drug stimuli are systematically varied. Qualitatively different behaviour is observed in other drug resistance mechanisms. Overall the paper (i) provides insight into the tissue level functioning of a particular resistance mechanism, (ii) shows that this is very different from other resistance mechanisms of an apparently similar type, and (iii) demonstrates a concrete instance of how the functioning of a negative feedback based cellular adaptive mechanism can have unexpected higher scale effects.

  7. ARCADE small-scale docking mechanism for micro-satellites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boesso, A.; Francesconi, A.

    2013-05-01

    The development of on-orbit autonomous rendezvous and docking (ARD) capabilities represents a key point for a number of appealing mission scenarios that include activities of on-orbit servicing, automated assembly of modular structures and active debris removal. As of today, especially in the field of micro-satellites ARD, many fundamental technologies are still missing or require further developments and micro-gravity testing. In this framework, the University of Padova, Centre of Studies and Activities for Space (CISAS), developed the Autonomous Rendezvous Control and Docking Experiment (ARCADE), a technology demonstrator intended to fly aboard a BEXUS stratospheric balloon. The goal was to design, build and test, in critical environment conditions, a proximity relative navigation system, a custom-made reaction wheel and a small-size docking mechanism. The ARCADE docking mechanism was designed against a comprehensive set of requirements and it can be classified as small-scale, central, gender mating and unpressurized. The large use of commercial components makes it low-cost and simple to be manufactured. Last, it features a good tolerance to off-nominal docking conditions and a by-design soft docking capability. The final design was extensively verified to be compliant with its requirements by means of numerical simulations and physical testing. In detail, the dynamic behaviour of the mechanism in both nominal and off-nominal conditions was assessed with the multibody dynamics analysis software MD ADAMS 2010 and functional tests were carried out within the fully integrated ARCADE experiment to ensure the docking system efficacy and to highlight possible issues. The most relevant results of the study will be presented and discussed in conclusion to this paper.

  8. The importance of the strain rate and creep on the stress corrosion cracking mechanisms and models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aly, Omar F.; Mattar Neto, Miguel; Schvartzman, Monica M.A.M.

    2011-01-01

    Stress corrosion cracking is a nuclear, power, petrochemical, and other industries equipment and components (like pressure vessels, nozzles, tubes, accessories) life degradation mode, involving fragile fracture. The stress corrosion cracking failures can produce serious accidents, and incidents which can put on risk the safety, reliability, and efficiency of many plants. These failures are of very complex prediction. The stress corrosion cracking mechanisms are based on three kinds of factors: microstructural, mechanical and environmental. Concerning the mechanical factors, various authors prefer to consider the crack tip strain rate rather than stress, as a decisive factor which contributes to the process: this parameter is directly influenced by the creep strain rate of the material. Based on two KAPL-Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory experimental studies in SSRT (slow strain rate test) and CL (constant load) test, for prediction of primary water stress corrosion cracking in nickel based alloys, it has done a data compilation of the film rupture mechanism parameters, for modeling PWSCC of Alloy 600 and discussed the importance of the strain rate and the creep on the stress corrosion cracking mechanisms and models. As derived from this study, a simple theoretical model is proposed, and it is showed that the crack growth rate estimated with Brazilian tests results with Alloy 600 in SSRT, are according with the KAPL ones and other published literature. (author)

  9. A multi-scale investigation of the mechanical behavior of durable sisal fiber cement composites

    OpenAIRE

    Silva, Flávio de Andrade; Toledo Filho, Romildo D.; Mobasher, Barzin; Chawla, Nikhilesh

    2010-01-01

    Durable sisal fiber cement composites reinforced with long unidirectional aligned fibers were developed and their mechanical behavior was characterized in a multi-scale level. Tensile tests were performed in individual sisal fibers. Weibull statistics were used to quantify the degree of variability in fiber strength at different gage lengths. The fiber-matrix pull-out behavior was evaluated at several curing ages and embedded lengths. The composite's mechanical response was measured under dir...

  10. Geckos as Springs: Mechanics Explain Across-Species Scaling of Adhesion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Casey A Gilman

    Full Text Available One of the central controversies regarding the evolution of adhesion concerns how adhesive force scales as animals change in size, either among or within species. A widely held view is that as animals become larger, the primary mechanism that enables them to climb is increasing pad area. However, prior studies show that much of the variation in maximum adhesive force remains unexplained, even when area is accounted for. We tested the hypothesis that maximum adhesive force among pad-bearing gecko species is not solely dictated by toepad area, but also depends on the ratio of toepad area to gecko adhesive system compliance in the loading direction, where compliance (C is the change in extension (Δ relative to a change in force (F while loading a gecko's adhesive system (C = dΔ/dF. Geckos are well-known for their ability to climb on a range of vertical and overhanging surfaces, and range in mass from several grams to over 300 grams, yet little is understood of the factors that enable adhesion to scale with body size. We examined the maximum adhesive force of six gecko species that vary in body size (~2-100 g. We also examined changes between juveniles and adults within a single species (Phelsuma grandis. We found that maximum adhesive force and toepad area increased with increasing gecko size, and that as gecko species become larger, their adhesive systems become significantly less compliant. Additionally, our hypothesis was supported, as the best predictor of maximum adhesive force was not toepad area or compliance alone, but the ratio of toepad area to compliance. We verified this result using a synthetic "model gecko" system comprised of synthetic adhesive pads attached to a glass substrate and a synthetic tendon (mechanical spring of finite stiffness. Our data indicate that increases in toepad area as geckos become larger cannot fully account for increased adhesive abilities, and decreased compliance must be included to explain the scaling of

  11. Geckos as Springs: Mechanics Explain Across-Species Scaling of Adhesion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilman, Casey A; Imburgia, Michael J; Bartlett, Michael D; King, Daniel R; Crosby, Alfred J; Irschick, Duncan J

    2015-01-01

    One of the central controversies regarding the evolution of adhesion concerns how adhesive force scales as animals change in size, either among or within species. A widely held view is that as animals become larger, the primary mechanism that enables them to climb is increasing pad area. However, prior studies show that much of the variation in maximum adhesive force remains unexplained, even when area is accounted for. We tested the hypothesis that maximum adhesive force among pad-bearing gecko species is not solely dictated by toepad area, but also depends on the ratio of toepad area to gecko adhesive system compliance in the loading direction, where compliance (C) is the change in extension (Δ) relative to a change in force (F) while loading a gecko's adhesive system (C = dΔ/dF). Geckos are well-known for their ability to climb on a range of vertical and overhanging surfaces, and range in mass from several grams to over 300 grams, yet little is understood of the factors that enable adhesion to scale with body size. We examined the maximum adhesive force of six gecko species that vary in body size (~2-100 g). We also examined changes between juveniles and adults within a single species (Phelsuma grandis). We found that maximum adhesive force and toepad area increased with increasing gecko size, and that as gecko species become larger, their adhesive systems become significantly less compliant. Additionally, our hypothesis was supported, as the best predictor of maximum adhesive force was not toepad area or compliance alone, but the ratio of toepad area to compliance. We verified this result using a synthetic "model gecko" system comprised of synthetic adhesive pads attached to a glass substrate and a synthetic tendon (mechanical spring) of finite stiffness. Our data indicate that increases in toepad area as geckos become larger cannot fully account for increased adhesive abilities, and decreased compliance must be included to explain the scaling of adhesion in

  12. Can stroke patients use visual analogue scales?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price, C I; Curless, R H; Rodgers, H

    1999-07-01

    Visual analogue scales (VAS) have been used for the subjective measurement of mood, pain, and health status after stroke. In this study we investigated how stroke-related impairments could alter the ability of subjects to answer accurately. Consent was obtained from 96 subjects with a clinical stroke (mean age, 72.5 years; 50 men) and 48 control subjects without cerebrovascular disease (mean age, 71.5 years; 29 men). Patients with reduced conscious level or severe dysphasia were excluded. Subjects were asked to rate the tightness that they could feel on the (unaffected) upper arm after 3 low-pressure inflations with a standard sphygmomanometer cuff, which followed a predetermined sequence (20 mm Hg, 40 mm Hg, 0 mm Hg). Immediately after each change, they rated the perceived tightness on 5 scales presented in a random order: 4-point rating scale (none, mild, moderate, severe), 0 to 10 numerical rating scale, mechanical VAS, horizontal VAS, and vertical VAS. Standard tests recorded deficits in language, cognition, and visuospatial awareness. Inability to complete scales with the correct pattern was associated with any stroke (P<0.001). There was a significant association between success using scales and milder clinical stroke subtype (P<0.01). Within the stroke group, logistic regression analysis identified significant associations (P<0.05) between impairments (cognitive and visuospatial) and inability to complete individual scales correctly. Many patients after a stroke are unable to successfully complete self-report measurement scales, including VAS.

  13. Satisfying giant appetites : mechanisms of small scale foraging by large African herbivores

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pretorius, Y.

    2009-01-01

    Variation in body mass allows for resource partitioning and co-existence of different species. Body mass is also seen as the main factor governing nutrient requirements in herbivores as metabolic rate and requirements have often been found to scale to ¾ power of body mass. Although the consequences

  14. Mechanism-Based Modeling of Gastric Emptying Rate and Gallbladder Emptying in Response to Caloric Intake

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Guiastrennec, B; Sonne, David Peick; Hansen, M

    2016-01-01

    Bile acids released postprandially modify the rate and extent of absorption of lipophilic compounds. The present study aimed to predict gastric emptying (GE) rate and gallbladder emptying (GBE) patterns in response to caloric intake. A mechanism-based model for GE, cholecystokinin plasma concentr......Bile acids released postprandially modify the rate and extent of absorption of lipophilic compounds. The present study aimed to predict gastric emptying (GE) rate and gallbladder emptying (GBE) patterns in response to caloric intake. A mechanism-based model for GE, cholecystokinin plasma...... concentrations, and GBE was developed on data from 33 patients with type 2 diabetes and 33 matched nondiabetic individuals who were administered various test drinks. A feedback action of the caloric content entering the proximal small intestine was identified for the rate of GE. The cholecystokinin...

  15. Regional processes in mangrove ecosystems: Spatial scaling relationships, biomass, and turnover rates following catastrophic disturbance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, G.A.; Smith, T. J.; Whelan, K.R.T.; Doyle, T.W.

    2006-01-01

    Physiological processes and local-scale structural dynamics of mangroves are relatively well studied. Regional-scale processes, however, are not as well understood. Here we provide long-term data on trends in structure and forest turnover at a large scale, following hurricane damage in mangrove ecosystems of South Florida, U.S.A. Twelve mangrove vegetation plots were monitored at periodic intervals, between October 1992 and March 2005. Mangrove forests of this region are defined by a -1.5 scaling relationship between mean stem diameter and stem density, mirroring self-thinning theory for mono-specific stands. This relationship is reflected in tree size frequency scaling exponents which, through time, have exhibited trends toward a community average that is indicative of full spatial resource utilization. These trends, together with an asymptotic standing biomass accumulation, indicate that coastal mangrove ecosystems do adhere to size-structured organizing principles as described for upland tree communities. Regenerative dynamics are different between areas inside and outside of the primary wind-path of Hurricane Andrew which occurred in 1992. Forest dynamic turnover rates, however, are steady through time. This suggests that ecological, more-so than structural factors, control forest productivity. In agreement, the relative mean rate of biomass growth exhibits an inverse relationship with the seasonal range of porewater salinities. The ecosystem average in forest scaling relationships may provide a useful investigative tool of mangrove community biomass relationships, as well as offer a robust indicator of general ecosystem health for use in mangrove forest ecosystem management and restoration. ?? Springer 2006.

  16. Assessing the Accuracy of the Modified Chinese Autism Spectrum Rating Scale and Social Responsiveness Scale for Screening Autism Spectrum Disorder in Chinese Children

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Bingrui Zhou; Hao Zhou; Lijie Wu; Xiaobing Zou; Xuerong Luo; Eric Fombonne; Yi Wang; Weili Yan; Xiu Xu

    2017-01-01

    The reported prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been increasing rapidly in many parts of the world.However,data on its prevalence in China are largely missing.Here,we assessed the suitability of the modified Chinese version of a newly-developed ASD screening tool,the Modified Chinese Autism Spectrum Rating Scales (MC-ASRS) in screening for ASD in Chinese children aged 6-12 years,through comparison with the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) that has been widely used for ASD screening.We recruited the parents/caregivers of 1588 typically-developing children and 190 children with ASD aged 6-12 years to complete the MC-ASRS and SRS,and evaluated the validity of both scales in discriminating children with ASD from those developing typically.The results showed that MC-ASRS performed as well as SRS in sensitivity,specificity,and area-under-the-curve (both >0.95) in receiver operating characteristic analysis,with a fair false-negative rate.These results suggest that MC-ASRS is a promising tool for screening for children with ASD in the general Chinese population.

  17. Multi-scale mechanics of traumatic brain injury : predicting axonal strains from head loads

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cloots, R.J.H.; Dommelen, van J.A.W.; Kleiven, S.; Geers, M.G.D.

    2013-01-01

    The length scales involved in the development of diffuse axonal injury typically range from the head level (i.e., mechanical loading) to the cellular level. The parts of the brain that are vulnerable to this type of injury are mainly the brainstem and the corpus callosum, which are regions with

  18. Coupled Large Scale Hydro-mechanical Modelling for cap-rock Failure Risk Assessment of CO2 Storage in Deep Saline Aquifers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rohmer, J.; Seyedi, D.M.

    2010-01-01

    This work presents a numerical strategy of large scale hydro-mechanical simulations to assess the risk of damage in cap-rock formations during a CO 2 injection process. The proposed methodology is based on the development of a sequential coupling between a multiphase fluid flow (TOUGH2) and a hydro-mechanical calculation code (Code-Aster) that enables us to perform coupled hydro-mechanical simulation at a regional scale. The likelihood of different cap-rock damage mechanisms can then be evaluated based on the results of the coupled simulations. A scenario based approach is proposed to take into account the effect of the uncertainty of model parameters on damage likelihood. The developed methodology is applied for the cap-rock failure analysis of deep aquifer of the Dogger formation in the context of the Paris basin multilayered geological system as a demonstration example. The simulation is carried out at a regional scale (100 km) considering an industrial mass injection rate of CO 2 of 10 Mt/y. The assessment of the stress state after 10 years of injection is conducted through the developed sequential coupling. Two failure mechanisms have been taken into account, namely the tensile fracturing and the shear slip reactivation of pre-existing fractures. To deal with the large uncertainties due to sparse data on the layer formations, a scenario based strategy is undertaken. It consists in defining a first reference modelling scenario considering the mean values of the hydro-mechanical properties for each layer. A sensitivity analysis is then carried out and shows the importance of both the initial stress state and the reservoir hydraulic properties on the cap-rock failure tendency. On this basis, a second scenario denoted 'critical' is defined so that the most influential model parameters are taken in their worst configuration. None of these failure criteria is activated for the considered conditions. At a phenomenological level, this study points out three key

  19. A Scale for Rating Fire-Prevention Contactors

    Science.gov (United States)

    M.L. Doolittle

    1979-01-01

    A scale is constructed to help fire-prevention program administrators determine if an individual contactor is effective at influencing people. The 24 items in the scale indicate the qualities that an effective contactor should have.

  20. Assessment of Heart Rate Variability during an Endurance Mountain Trail Race by Multi-Scale Entropy Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Montserrat Vallverdú

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to analyze heart rate variability (HRV response to high-intensity exercise during a 35-km mountain trail race and to ascertain whether fitness level could influence autonomic nervous system (ANS modulation. Time-domain, frequency-domain, and multi-scale entropy (MSE indexes were calculated for eleven mountain-trail runners who completed the race. Many changes were observed, mostly related to exercise load and fatigue. These changes were characterized by increased mean values and standard deviations of the normal-to-normal intervals associated with sympathetic activity, and by decreased differences between successive intervals related to parasympathetic activity. Normalized low frequency (LF power suggested that ANS modulation varied greatly during the race and between individuals. Normalized high frequency (HF power, associated with parasympathetic activity, varied considerably over the race, and tended to decrease at the final stages, whereas changes in the LF/HF ratio corresponded to intervals with varying exercise load. MSE indexes, related to system complexity, indicated the existence of many interactions between the heart and its neurological control mechanism. The time-domain, frequency-domain, and MSE indexes were also able to discriminate faster from slower runners, mainly in the more difficult and in the final stages of the race. These findings suggest the use of HRV analysis to study cardiac function mechanisms in endurance sports.

  1. Zonal Articular Cartilage Possesses Complex Mechanical Behavior Spanning Multiple Length Scales: Dependence on Chemical Heterogeneity, Anisotropy, and Microstructure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wahlquist, Joseph A.

    This work focused on characterizing the mechanical behavior of biological material in physiologically relevant conditions and at sub millimeter length scales. Elucidating the time, length scale, and directionally dependent mechanical behavior of cartilage and other biological materials is critical to adequately recapitulate native mechanosensory cues for cells, create computational models that mimic native tissue behavior, and assess disease progression. This work focused on three broad aspects of characterizing the mechanical behavior of articular cartilage. First, we sought to reveal the causes of time-dependent deformation and variation of mechanical properties with distance from the articular surface. Second, we investigated size dependence of mechanical properties. Finally, we examined material anisotropy of both the calcified and uncalcified tissues of the osteochondral interface. This research provides insight into how articular cartilage serves to support physiologic loads and simultaneously sustain chondrocyte viability.

  2. Development of a student rating scale to evaluate teachers' competencies for facilitating reflective learning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schaub-de Jong, Mirabelle A.; Schonrock-Adema, Johanna; Dekker, Hanke; Verkerk, Marian; Cohen-Schotanus, Janke

    Context Teaching students in reflection calls for specific teacher competencies. We developed and validated a rating scale focusing on Student perceptions of their Teachers' competencies to Encourage Reflective Learning in small Groups (STERLinG). Methods We applied an iterative procedure to reduce

  3. Rate controlling mechanisms during hot deformation of Mg–3Gd–1Zn magnesium alloy: Dislocation glide and climb, dynamic recrystallization, and mechanical twinning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mirzadeh, H.; Roostaei, M.; Parsa, M.H.; Mahmudi, R.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Hot deformation behavior and dynamic recrystallization of GZ31 magnesium alloy. • Deducing the operative deformation mechanisms by constitutive analysis. • Viscous glide as the rate controlling step during hot working of GZ31 alloy. • Characterization of the effect of mechanical twinning on constitutive relations. - Abstract: The flow behavior of the Mg–3Gd–1Zn (GZ31) magnesium alloy during hot working was critically analyzed and dislocation glide in the form of a viscous drag process (viscous glide) was identified as the rate controlling mechanism due to interaction of rare earth Gd atoms with the moving dislocations. Mechanical twinning was shown to significantly affect the level of flow stress at high Zener–Hollomon parameters, i.e. low forming temperatures and high strain rates. Moreover, dynamic recrystallization (DRX) was found to be another responsible phenomenon for deviation of constitutive equations from the theoretical ones, namely the deformation activation energy based on diffusivity and the pre-defined Garofalo’s type hyperbolic sine power, during high-temperature thermomechanical processing of this creep resistant light alloy

  4. Evaporation of Liquid Droplet in Nano and Micro Scales from Statistical Rate Theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duan, Fei; He, Bin; Wei, Tao

    2015-04-01

    The statistical rate theory (SRT) is applied to predict the average evaporation flux of liquid droplet after the approach is validated in the sessile droplet experiments of the water and heavy water. The steady-state experiments show a temperature discontinuity at the evaporating interface. The average evaporation flux is evaluated by individually changing the measurement at a liquid-vapor interface, including the interfacial liquid temperature, the interfacial vapor temperature, the vapor-phase pressure, and the droplet size. The parameter study shows that a higher temperature jump would reduce the average evaporation flux. The average evaporation flux can significantly be influenced by the interfacial liquid temperature and the vapor-phase pressure. The variation can switch the evaporation into condensation. The evaporation flux is found to remain relative constant if the droplet is larger than a micro scale, while the smaller diameters in nano scale can produce a much higher evaporation flux. In addition, a smaller diameter of droplets with the same liquid volume has a larger surface area. It is suggested that the evaporation rate increases dramatically as the droplet shrinks into nano size.

  5. Determination of vibration amplitudes and neutron-mechanical scale factors in the PWR nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kostic, Lj.; Heidemann, P.; Runkel, J.

    1997-01-01

    Displacements of vibrating reactor components which can not be measured by other means during normal reactor operation can be determined through the scale factors from the neutron spectra of signals measured by the standard in-core neutron instrumentation. Neutron-mechanical scale factors are determined for the vibrations of fuel assemblies and reactor pressure vessel/core barrel system using the signals of in-core neutron detectors and accelerometers. (author)

  6. Three-family left-right symmetry with low-scale seesaw mechanism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reig, Mario; Valle, José W.F.; Vaquera-Araujo, C.A. [AHEP Group, Institut de Física Corpuscular - C.S.I.C., Universitat de València,Parc Científic de Paterna, C/ Catedrático José Beltrán, 2 E-46980 Paterna (Valencia) (Spain)

    2017-05-18

    We suggest a new left-right symmetric model implementing a low-scale seesaw mechanism in which quantum consistency requires three families of fermions. The symmetry breaking route to the Standard Model determines the profile of the “next” expected new physics, characterized either by the simplest left-right gauge symmetry or by the 3-3-1 scenario. The resulting Z{sup ′} gauge bosons can be probed at the LHC and provide a production portal for the right-handed neutrinos. On the other hand, its flavor changing interactions would affect the K, D and B neutral meson systems.

  7. National Image Interpretablility Rating Scales

    OpenAIRE

    2003-01-01

    Interactive Media Element This presentation media demonstrates the NIIRS scale and resolution numbers and presents a problem statement to help the student gain an intuitive understanding of the numbers. Last modified: 5/18/2009 ME3XXX Military Applications of Unmanned Air Vehicles/Remotely Operated Aircraft (UAV/ROA)

  8. A study of energy-size relationship and wear rate in a lab-scale high pressure grinding rolls unit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rashidi Dashtbayaz, Samira

    This study is focused on two independent topics of energy-size relationship and wear-rate measurements on a lab-scale high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR). The first part of this study has been aimed to investigate the influence of the operating parameters and the feed characteristics on the particle-bed breakage using four different ore samples in a 200 mm x 100 mm lab-scale HPGR. Additionally, multistage grinding, scale-up from a lab-scale HPGR, and prediction of the particle size distributions have been studied in detail. The results obtained from energy-size relationship studies help with better understanding of the factors contributing to more energy-efficient grinding. It will be shown that the energy efficiency of the two configurations of locked-cycle and open multipass is completely dependent on the ore properties. A test procedure to produce the scale-up data is presented. The comparison of the scale-up factors between the data obtained on the University of Utah lab-scale HPGR and the industrial machine at the Newmont Boddington plant confirmed the applicability of lab-scale machines for trade-off studies. The population balance model for the simulation of product size distributions has shown to work well with the breakage function estimated through tests performed on the HPGR at high rotational speed. Selection function has been estimated by back calculation of population balance model with the help of the experimental data. This is considered to be a major step towards advancing current research on the simulation of particle size distribution by using the HPGR machine for determining the breakage function. Developing a technique/setup to measure the wear rate of the HPGR rolls' surface is the objective of the second topic of this dissertation. A mockup was initially designed to assess the application of the linear displacement sensors for measuring the rolls' weight loss. Upon the analysis of that technique and considering the corresponding sources of

  9. Dementia Rating Scale psychometric study and its applicability in long term care institutions in Brazil

    OpenAIRE

    Alessandro Ferrari Jacinto; Ana Cristina Procópio de Oliveira Aguiar; Fabio Gazelato de Melo Franco; Miriam Ikeda Ribeiro; Vanessa de Albuquerque Citero

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, andagreement of the Dementia Rating Scale with clinical diagnosis ofcognitive impairment and to compare its psychometric measureswith those from Mini Mental State Examination. Methods: Eighty-sixelders from a long-term care institution were invited to participatein a study, and fifty-eight agreed to participate. The global healthassessment protocol applied to these elders contained Mini MentalState Examination and Dementia Rating...

  10. The Visual Analogue Scale for Rating, Ranking and Paired-Comparison (VAS-RRP): A new technique for psychological measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sung, Yao-Ting; Wu, Jeng-Shin

    2018-04-17

    Traditionally, the visual analogue scale (VAS) has been proposed to overcome the limitations of ordinal measures from Likert-type scales. However, the function of VASs to overcome the limitations of response styles to Likert-type scales has not yet been addressed. Previous research using ranking and paired comparisons to compensate for the response styles of Likert-type scales has suffered from limitations, such as that the total score of ipsative measures is a constant that cannot be analyzed by means of many common statistical techniques. In this study we propose a new scale, called the Visual Analogue Scale for Rating, Ranking, and Paired-Comparison (VAS-RRP), which can be used to collect rating, ranking, and paired-comparison data simultaneously, while avoiding the limitations of each of these data collection methods. The characteristics, use, and analytic method of VAS-RRPs, as well as how they overcome the disadvantages of Likert-type scales, ranking, and VASs, are discussed. On the basis of analyses of simulated and empirical data, this study showed that VAS-RRPs improved reliability, response style bias, and parameter recovery. Finally, we have also designed a VAS-RRP Generator for researchers' construction and administration of their own VAS-RRPs.

  11. Awareness of disease in dementia: Development of a multidimensional rating scale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcia Dourado

    Full Text Available Abstract Objective: To describe the development of the Assessment Scale of Psychosocial Impact of the Diagnosis of Dementia (ASPIDD, a multidimensional scale to evaluate awareness of disease in dementia. Method: The development of this scale was conducted in four steps. In step one, questions were drawn up after a review of the literature. The second step involved the suggestions offered by a neurologist regarding the skills considered important for the scale. The third step involved the re-writing and review of the domains and questions in the scale followed by a semantic evaluation performed by two independent psychiatrists. Step four consisted of the preliminary study aimed at evaluating the applicability of the ASPIDD. Results: In the semantic evaluation only minor changes were proposed. The preliminary sample had 52 patients, comprising 23 CDR 1 (male=9; female=14 and 29 CDR2 (male=13; female=16. Mean age of patients was 69.7±5.51 (CDR1 and 73.6±9.4 (CDR2, and age at onset was 66.4±5.7 years (CDR1 and 68.3±9.3 year (CDR2. Mean schooling was 9.0±4.3 years (CDR1 and 8.8±4.4 years (CDR2. Mean MMSE was 21.0±3.3 (CDR1 and 17.6±3.5 (CDR2. Mean Cornell was 4.8±2.3 (CDR1 and 4.2±1.9 (CDR2. The patient and caregiver dyads were aware of problems, mainly of those related to social, family and affective relations. The higher rates of discrepant responses were found on the awareness of cognitive deficits and changes in ADL. Conclusion: The ASPIDD is a multidimensional instrument to assess awareness of disease among AD patients.

  12. Low dose rate radiation favors apoptosis as a mechanism of cell death

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murtha, Albert D.; Rupnow, Brent; Knox, Susan J.

    1997-01-01

    Purpose/Objective: Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) has demonstrated promising results in the treatment of chemotherapy refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The radiation associated with this therapy is emitted in a continuous fashion at low dose rates (LDR). Results from studies comparing the relative efficacy of LDR radiation and high dose rate (HDR) radiation on malignant cell killing have been variable. This variability may be due in part to the relative contribution of different mechanisms of cell killing (apoptosis or necrosis) at different dose rates. Materials and Methods: In order to test this hypothesis, the relative efficacy of LDR (16.7 cGy/hr) and HDR radiation (422 cGy/min) were compared using a human B cell lymphoma cell line (PW) and a PW clone (c26) stably transfected to overexpress the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2. The endpoints evaluated included the relative amount of cell killing, the fraction of cell killing attributable to apoptosis versus necrosis, and the impact of Bcl-2 overexpression on both overall cell killing and the fraction of killing attributable to apoptosis. Results: HDR and LDR radiation resulted in similar overall cell killing in the PW wild type cell line. In contrast, killing of clone c26 cells was dose rate dependent. One third less killing was seen following LDR irradiation of c26 cells compared with equivalent doses of HDR radiation. Analysis of the relative mechanisms of killing following LDR irradiation revealed a relative increase in the proportion of killing attributable to apoptosis. Conclusion: These findings support the hypothesis that in PW cells, LDR radiation appears to be highly dependent on apoptosis as a mechanism of cell death. These findings may have implications for the selection of patients for RIT, and for the treatment of tumors that overexpress Bcl-2. They may also help form the basis for future rational design of effective combined modality therapies utilizing RIT

  13. Education-stratified base-rate information on discrepancy scores within and between the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--Third Edition and the Wechsler Memory Scale--Third Edition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dori, Galit A; Chelune, Gordon J

    2004-06-01

    The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--Third Edition (WAIS-III; D. Wechsler, 1997a) and the Wechsler Memory Scale--Third Edition (WMS-III; D. Wechsler, 1997b) are 2 of the most frequently used measures in psychology and neuropsychology. To facilitate the diagnostic use of these measures in the clinical decision-making process, this article provides information on education-stratified, directional prevalence rates (i.e., base rates) of discrepancy scores between the major index scores for the WAIS-III, the WMS-III, and between the WAIS-III and WMS-III. To illustrate how such base-rate data can be clinically used, this article reviews the relative risk (i.e., odds ratio) of empirically defined "rare" cognitive deficits in 2 of the clinical samples presented in the WAIS-III--WMS-III Technical Manual (The Psychological Corporation, 1997). ((c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)

  14. Length-scale dependent mechanical properties of Al-Cu eutectic alloy: Molecular dynamics based model and its experimental verification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiwary, C. S.; Chakraborty, S.; Mahapatra, D. R.; Chattopadhyay, K.

    2014-05-01

    This paper attempts to gain an understanding of the effect of lamellar length scale on the mechanical properties of two-phase metal-intermetallic eutectic structure. We first develop a molecular dynamics model for the in-situ grown eutectic interface followed by a model of deformation of Al-Al2Cu lamellar eutectic. Leveraging the insights obtained from the simulation on the behaviour of dislocations at different length scales of the eutectic, we present and explain the experimental results on Al-Al2Cu eutectic with various different lamellar spacing. The physics behind the mechanism is further quantified with help of atomic level energy model for different length scale as well as different strain. An atomic level energy partitioning of the lamellae and the interface regions reveals that the energy of the lamellae core are accumulated more due to dislocations irrespective of the length-scale. Whereas the energy of the interface is accumulated more due to dislocations when the length-scale is smaller, but the trend is reversed when the length-scale is large beyond a critical size of about 80 nm.

  15. Spherical nanoindentation of proton irradiated 304 stainless steel: A comparison of small scale mechanical test techniques for measuring irradiation hardening

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, Jordan S.; Pathak, Siddhartha; Reichardt, Ashley; Vo, Hi T.; Maloy, Stuart A.; Hosemann, Peter; Mara, Nathan A.

    2017-09-01

    Experimentally quantifying the mechanical effects of radiation damage in reactor materials is necessary for the development and qualification of new materials for improved performance and safety. This can be achieved in a high-throughput fashion through a combination of ion beam irradiation and small scale mechanical testing in contrast to the high cost and laborious nature of bulk testing of reactor irradiated samples. The current work focuses on using spherical nanoindentation stress-strain curves on unirradiated and proton irradiated (10 dpa at 360 °C) 304 stainless steel to quantify the mechanical effects of radiation damage. Spherical nanoindentation stress-strain measurements show a radiation-induced increase in indentation yield strength from 1.36 GPa to 2.72 GPa and a radiation-induced increase in indentation work hardening rate of 10 GPa-30 GPa. These measurements are critically compared against Berkovich nanohardness, micropillar compression, and micro-tension measurements on the same material and similar grain orientations. The ratio of irradiated to unirradiated yield strength increases by a similar factor of 2 when measured via spherical nanoindentation or Berkovich nanohardness testing. A comparison of spherical indentation stress-strain curves to uniaxial (micropillar and micro-tension) stress-strain curves was achieved using a simple scaling relationship which shows good agreement for the unirradiated condition and poor agreement in post-yield behavior for the irradiated condition. The disagreement between spherical nanoindentation and uniaxial stress-strain curves is likely due to the plastic instability that occurs during uniaxial tests but is absent during spherical nanoindentation tests.

  16. The Credit-Risk Decision Mechanism on Fixed Loan Interest Rate with Imperfect Information

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2001-01-01

    In this paper, decision mechanism of credit-risk for banks is studied when the loan interest rate is fixed with asymmetry information in credit market. We give out the designs of rationing and non-rationing on credit risky decision mechanism when collateral value provided by an entrepreneur is not less than the minimum demands of the bank. It shows that under the action of the mechanism, banks could efficiently identify the risk size of the project. Finally, the condition of the project investigation of bank is given over again.

  17. Large-scale calculations of the beta-decay rates and r-process nucleosynthesis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Borzov, I N; Goriely, S [Inst. d` Astronomie et d` Astrophysique, Univ. Libre de Bruxelles, Campus Plaine, Bruxelles (Belgium); Pearson, J M [Inst. d` Astronomie et d` Astrophysique, Univ. Libre de Bruxelles, Campus Plaine, Bruxelles (Belgium); [Lab. de Physique Nucleaire, Univ. de Montreal, Montreal (Canada)

    1998-06-01

    An approximation to a self-consistent model of the ground state and {beta}-decay properties of neutron-rich nuclei is outlined. The structure of the {beta}-strength functions in stable and short-lived nuclei is discussed. The results of large-scale calculations of the {beta}-decay rates for spherical and slightly deformed nuclides of relevance to the r-process are analysed and compared with the results of existing global calculations and recent experimental data. (orig.)

  18. Multiscale mechanics of TRIP-assisted multiphase steels: I. Characterization and mechanical testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jacques, P.J.; Furnemont, Q.; Lani, F.; Pardoen, T.; Delannay, F.

    2007-01-01

    The mechanical behaviour of transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP)-assisted multiphase steels is addressed based on three different microstructures generated from the same steel grade. The mechanisms responsible for the work-hardening capacity and the resulting balance between strength and resistance to plastic localization are investigated at different length scales. The macroscopic mechanical response is determined by simple shear, uniaxial tension, Marciniak and equibiaxial tension supplemented by earlier tensile tests on notched and cracked specimens. It is shown that the transformation rate reaches a maximum for stress states intermediate between uniaxial tension and equibiaxial tension. At an intermediate length scale, the true in situ flow properties of the individual ferrite-bainite and retained austenite phases are determined by combining neutron diffraction and digital image correlation. This combined analysis elucidates the partitioning of stress and strain between the different constitutive phases. Based on these results, supplemented by transmission electron microscopy and electron backscattered diffraction observations, a general overview of the hardening behaviour of TRIP-assisted multiphase steels is depicted

  19. Limited usage of mechanical equipment in small-scale rice farming: a cause for concern

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gaudiose Mujawamariya

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The role of mechanization in agriculture is well documented in terms of improving productivity of farm labour and land and sustaining income status and welfare of small-scale farmers. In rice production, there is a high cost associated with labour intensive production practices especially in land preparation, weeding and harvesting, the limited adoption of mechanical equipment in these operations remains an issue of concern. The current study investigates the usage of mechanical equipment in a setting where majority of farmers are exposed to technologies but cases of non-usage/adoption are observed. The choice of usage of mechanical equipment is analysed through probit and poisson models. Mechanization generally has a positive effect on production. However, the cost associated with its usage high. The equipment should be made available and affordable to farmers especially because demand for rent is not met. Awareness is essential for adoption and ease of use of mechanization.

  20. Controlling for Response Bias in Self-Ratings of Personality: A Comparison of Impression Management Scales and the Overclaiming Technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Sascha; Moshagen, Morten

    2018-04-12

    Self-serving response distortions pose a threat to the validity of personality scales. A common approach to deal with this issue is to rely on impression management (IM) scales. More recently, the overclaiming technique (OCT) has been proposed as an alternative and arguably superior measure of such biases. In this study (N = 162), we tested these approaches in the context of self- and other-ratings using the HEXACO personality inventory. To the extent that the OCT and IM scales can be considered valid measures of response distortions, they are expected to account for inflated self-ratings in particular for those personality dimensions that are prone to socially desirable responding. However, the results show that neither the OCT nor IM account for overly favorable self-ratings. The validity of IM as a measure of response biases was further scrutinized by a substantial correlation with other-rated honesty-humility. As such, this study questions the use of both the OCT and IM to assess self-serving response distortions.

  1. Multi-scale Modeling of the Impact Response of a Strain Rate Sensitive High-Manganese Austenitic Steel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Orkun eÖnal

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available A multi-scale modeling approach was applied to predict the impact response of a strain rate sensitive high-manganese austenitic steel. The roles of texture, geometry and strain rate sensitivity were successfully taken into account all at once by coupling crystal plasticity and finite element (FE analysis. Specifically, crystal plasticity was utilized to obtain the multi-axial flow rule at different strain rates based on the experimental deformation response under uniaxial tensile loading. The equivalent stress – equivalent strain response was then incorporated into the FE model for the sake of a more representative hardening rule under impact loading. The current results demonstrate that reliable predictions can be obtained by proper coupling of crystal plasticity and FE analysis even if the experimental flow rule of the material is acquired under uniaxial loading and at moderate strain rates that are significantly slower than those attained during impact loading. Furthermore, the current findings also demonstrate the need for an experiment-based multi-scale modeling approach for the sake of reliable predictions of the impact response.

  2. Adaptation and validation of a Spanish-language version of the Frontotemporal Dementia Rating Scale (FTD-FRS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turró-Garriga, O; Hermoso Contreras, C; Olives Cladera, J; Mioshi, E; Pelegrín Valero, C; Olivera Pueyo, J; Garre-Olmo, J; Sánchez-Valle, R

    2017-06-01

    The Frontotemporal Dementia Rating Scale (FTD-FRS) is a tool designed to aid with clinical staging and assessment of the progression of frontotemporal dementia (FTD-FRS). Present a multicentre adaptation and validation study of a Spanish version of the FRS. The adapted version was created using 2 translation-back translation processes (English to Spanish, Spanish to English) and verified by the scale's original authors. We validated the adapted version in a sample of consecutive patients diagnosed with FTD. The procedure included evaluating internal consistency, testing unidimensionality with the Rasch model, analysing construct validity and discriminant validity, and calculating the degree of agreement between the Clinical Dementia Rating scale (CDR) and FTD-FRS for FTD cases. The study included 60 patients with DFT. The mean score on the FRS was 12.1 points (SD=6.5; range, 2-25) with inter-group differences (F=120.3; df=3; Pde Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  3. Mechanics of Platelet-Matrix Composites across Scales: Theory, Multiscale Modeling, and 3D Fabrication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakhavand, Navid

    Many natural and biomimetic composites - such as nacre, silk and clay-polymer - exhibit a remarkable balance of strength, toughness, and/or stiffness, which call for a universal measure to quantify this outstanding feature given the platelet-matrix structure and material characteristics of the constituents. Analogously, there is an urgent need to quantify the mechanics of emerging electronic and photonic systems such as stacked heterostructures, which are composed of strong in-plane bonding networks but weak interplanar bonding matrices. In this regard, development of a universal composition-structure-property map for natural platelet-matrix composites, and stacked heterostructures opens up new doors for designing materials with superior mechanical performance. In this dissertation, a multiscale bottom-up approach is adopted to analyze and predict the mechanical properties of platelet-matrix composites. Design guidelines are provided by developing universally valid (across different length scales) diagrams for science-based engineering of numerous natural and synthetic platelet-matrix composites and stacked heterostructures while significantly broadening the spectrum of strategies for fabricating new composites with specific and optimized mechanical properties. First, molecular dynamics simulations are utilized to unravel the fundamental underlying physics and chemistry of the binding nature at the atomic-level interface of organic-inorganic composites. Polymer-cementitious composites are considered as case studies to understand bonding mechanism at the nanoscale and open up new venues for potential mechanical enhancement at the macro-scale. Next, sophisticated mathematical derivations based on elasticity and plasticity theories are presented to describe pre-crack (intrinsic) mechanical performance of platelet-matrix composites at the microscale. These derivations lead to developing a unified framework to construct series of universal composition

  4. Biological mechanisms discriminating growth rate and adult body weight phenotypes in two Chinese indigenous chicken breeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dou, Tengfei; Zhao, Sumei; Rong, Hua; Gu, Dahai; Li, Qihua; Huang, Ying; Xu, Zhiqiang; Chu, Xiaohui; Tao, Linli; Liu, Lixian; Ge, Changrong; Te Pas, Marinus F W; Jia, Junjing

    2017-06-20

    Intensive selection has resulted in increased growth rates and muscularity in broiler chickens, in addition to adverse effects, including delayed organ development, sudden death syndrome, and altered metabolic rates. The biological mechanisms underlying selection responses remain largely unknown. Non-artificially-selected indigenous Chinese chicken breeds display a wide variety of phenotypes, including differential growth rate, body weight, and muscularity. The Wuding chicken breed is a fast growing large chicken breed, and the Daweishan mini chicken breed is a slow growing small chicken breed. Together they form an ideal model system to study the biological mechanisms underlying broiler chicken selection responses in a natural system. The objective of this study was to study the biological mechanisms underlying differential phenotypes between the two breeds in muscle and liver tissues, and relate these to the growth rate and body development phenotypes of the two breeds. The muscle tissue in the Wuding breed showed higher expression of muscle development genes than muscle tissue in the Daweishan chicken breed. This expression was accompanied by higher expression of acute inflammatory response genes in Wuding chicken than in Daweishan chicken. The muscle tissue of the Daweishan mini chicken breed showed higher expression of genes involved in several metabolic mechanisms including endoplasmic reticulum, protein and lipid metabolism, energy metabolism, as well as specific immune traits than in the Wuding chicken. The liver tissue showed fewer differences between the two breeds. Genes displaying higher expression in the Wuding breed than in the Daweishan breed were not associated with a specific gene network or biological mechanism. Genes highly expressed in the Daweishan mini chicken breed compared to the Wuding breed were enriched for protein metabolism, ABC receptors, signal transduction, and IL6-related mechanisms. We conclude that faster growth rates and larger

  5. Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of als Functional Rating Scale-Revised in Portuguese language.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guedes, Keyte; Pereira, Cecília; Pavan, Karina; Valério, Berenice Cataldo Oliveira

    2010-02-01

    The aim of this study is the cross-cultural, as well as to validate in Portuguese language the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale - Revised (ALSFRS-R). We performed a prospective study of individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) clinically defined. The scale, after obtaining the final version in Portuguese, was administered in 22 individuals and three weeks after re-applied. There were no significant differences between the application and reapplication of the scale (p=0.069). The linear regression and internal consistency measured by Pearson correlation and alpha Conbrach were significant with r=0.975 e alpha=0.934. The reliability test-retest demonstrated by intraclass correlation coefficient was strong with ICC=0.975. Therefore, this version proved to be applicable, reliable and easy to be conducted in clinical practice and research.

  6. Time-scale invariances in preseismic electromagnetic radiation, magnetization and damage evolution of rocks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Kawada

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available We investigate the time-scale invariant changes in electromagnetic and mechanical energy releases prior to a rock failure or a large earthquake. The energy release processes are caused by damage evolutions such as crack propagation, motion of charged dislocation, area-enlargement of sheared asperities and repetitive creep-rate changes. Damage mechanics can be used to represent the time-scale invariant evolutions of both brittle and plastic damages. Irreversible thermodynamics applied to the damage mechanics reveals that the damage evolution produces the variations in charge, dipole and electromagnetic signals in addition to mechanical energy release, and yields the time-scale invariant patterns of Benioff electromagnetic radiation and cumulative Benioff strain-release. The irreversible thermodynamic framework of damage mechanics is also applicable to the seismo-magnetic effect, and the time-scale invariance is recognized in the remanent magnetization change associated with damage evolution prior to a rock failure.

  7. Multi-scale mechanics of granular solids from grain-resolved X-ray measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hurley, R. C.; Hall, S. A.; Wright, J. P.

    2017-11-01

    This work discusses an experimental technique for studying the mechanics of three-dimensional (3D) granular solids. The approach combines 3D X-ray diffraction and X-ray computed tomography to measure grain-resolved strains, kinematics and contact fabric in the bulk of a granular solid, from which continuum strains, grain stresses, interparticle forces and coarse-grained elasto-plastic moduli can be determined. We demonstrate the experimental approach and analysis of selected results on a sample of 1099 stiff, frictional grains undergoing multiple uniaxial compression cycles. We investigate the inter-particle force network, elasto-plastic moduli and associated length scales, reversibility of mechanical responses during cyclic loading, the statistics of microscopic responses and microstructure-property relationships. This work serves to highlight both the fundamental insight into granular mechanics that is furnished by combined X-ray measurements and describes future directions in the field of granular materials that can be pursued with such approaches.

  8. A robust single-beam optical trap for a gram-scale mechanical oscillator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altin, P A; Nguyen, T T-H; Slagmolen, B J J; Ward, R L; Shaddock, D A; McClelland, D E

    2017-11-06

    Precise optical control of microscopic particles has been mastered over the past three decades, with atoms, molecules and nano-particles now routinely trapped and cooled with extraordinary precision, enabling rapid progress in the study of quantum phenomena. Achieving the same level of control over macroscopic objects is expected to bring further advances in precision measurement, quantum information processing and fundamental tests of quantum mechanics. However, cavity optomechanical systems dominated by radiation pressure - so-called 'optical springs' - are inherently unstable due to the delayed dynamical response of the cavity. Here we demonstrate a fully stable, single-beam optical trap for a gram-scale mechanical oscillator. The interaction of radiation pressure with thermo-optic feedback generates damping that exceeds the mechanical loss by four orders of magnitude. The stability of the resultant spring is robust to changes in laser power and detuning, and allows purely passive self-locking of the cavity. Our results open up a new way of trapping and cooling macroscopic objects for optomechanical experiments.

  9. How to correct long-term system externality of large scale wind power development by a capacity mechanism?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cepeda, Mauricio; Finon, Dominique

    2013-04-01

    This paper deals with the practical problems related to long-term security of supply in electricity markets in the presence of large-scale wind power development. The success of renewable promotion schemes adds a new dimension to ensuring long-term security of supply. It necessitates designing second-best policies to prevent large-scale wind power development from distorting long-run equilibrium prices and investments in conventional generation and in particular in peaking units. We rely upon a long-term simulation model which simulates electricity market players' investment decisions in a market regime and incorporates large-scale wind power development either in the presence of either subsidised wind production or in market-driven development. We test the use of capacity mechanisms to compensate for the long-term effects of large-scale wind power development on the system reliability. The first finding is that capacity mechanisms can help to reduce the social cost of large scale wind power development in terms of decrease of loss of load probability. The second finding is that, in a market-based wind power deployment without subsidy, wind generators are penalized for insufficient contribution to the long term system's reliability. (authors)

  10. Explaining recurring maser flares in the ISM through large-scale entangled quantum mechanical states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajabi, Fereshteh; Houde, Martin

    2017-03-01

    We apply Dicke's theory of superradiance (introduced in 1954) to the 6.7-GHz methanol and 22-GHz water spectral lines, often detected in molecular clouds as signposts for the early stages of the star formation process. We suggest that superradiance, characterized by burst-like features taking place over a wide range of time scales, may provide a natural explanation for the recent observations of periodic and seemingly alternating methanol and water maser flares in G107.298+5.639. Although these observations would be very difficult to explain within the context of maser theory, we show that these flares may result from simultaneously initiated 6.7-GHz methanol and 22-GHz water superradiant bursts operating on different time scales, thus providing a natural mechanism for their observed durations and time ordering. The evidence of superradiance in this source further suggests the existence of entangled quantum mechanical states, involving a very large number of molecules, over distances of up to a few kilometers in the interstellar medium.

  11. Kiloparsec-scale Simulations of Star Formation in Disk Galaxies. IV. Regulation of Galactic Star Formation Rates by Stellar Feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butler, Michael J.; Tan, Jonathan C.; Teyssier, Romain; Nickerson, Sarah; Rosdahl, Joakim; Van Loo, Sven

    2017-01-01

    Star formation from the interstellar medium of galactic disks is a basic process controlling the evolution of galaxies. Understanding the star formation rate (SFR) in a local patch of a disk with a given gas mass is thus an important challenge for theoretical models. Here we simulate a kiloparsec region of a disk, following the evolution of self-gravitating molecular clouds down to subparsec scales, as they form stars that then inject feedback energy by dissociating and ionizing UV photons and supernova explosions. We assess the relative importance of each feedback mechanism. We find that H 2 -dissociating feedback results in the largest absolute reduction in star formation compared to the run with no feedback. Subsequently adding photoionization feedback produces a more modest reduction. Our fiducial models that combine all three feedback mechanisms yield, without fine-tuning, SFRs that are in excellent agreement with observations, with H 2 -dissociating photons playing a crucial role. Models that only include supernova feedback—a common method in galaxy evolution simulations—settle to similar SFRs, but with very different temperatures and chemical states of the gas, and with very different spatial distributions of young stars.

  12. Kiloparsec-scale Simulations of Star Formation in Disk Galaxies. IV. Regulation of Galactic Star Formation Rates by Stellar Feedback

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Butler, Michael J. [Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Tan, Jonathan C. [Departments of Astronomy and Physics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Teyssier, Romain; Nickerson, Sarah [Institute for Computational Science, University of Zurich, 8049 Zurich (Switzerland); Rosdahl, Joakim [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands); Van Loo, Sven [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT (United Kingdom)

    2017-06-01

    Star formation from the interstellar medium of galactic disks is a basic process controlling the evolution of galaxies. Understanding the star formation rate (SFR) in a local patch of a disk with a given gas mass is thus an important challenge for theoretical models. Here we simulate a kiloparsec region of a disk, following the evolution of self-gravitating molecular clouds down to subparsec scales, as they form stars that then inject feedback energy by dissociating and ionizing UV photons and supernova explosions. We assess the relative importance of each feedback mechanism. We find that H{sub 2}-dissociating feedback results in the largest absolute reduction in star formation compared to the run with no feedback. Subsequently adding photoionization feedback produces a more modest reduction. Our fiducial models that combine all three feedback mechanisms yield, without fine-tuning, SFRs that are in excellent agreement with observations, with H{sub 2}-dissociating photons playing a crucial role. Models that only include supernova feedback—a common method in galaxy evolution simulations—settle to similar SFRs, but with very different temperatures and chemical states of the gas, and with very different spatial distributions of young stars.

  13. Reactive Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Understand Mechanical Response of Thaumasite under Temperature and Strain Rate Effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hajilar, Shahin; Shafei, Behrouz; Cheng, Tao; Jaramillo-Botero, Andres

    2017-06-22

    Understanding the structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of thaumasite is of great interest to the cement industry, mainly because it is the phase responsible for the aging and deterioration of civil infrastructures made of cementitious materials attacked by external sources of sulfate. Despite the importance, effects of temperature and strain rate on the mechanical response of thaumasite had remained unexplored prior to the current study, in which the mechanical properties of thaumasite are fully characterized using the reactive molecular dynamics (RMD) method. With employing a first-principles based reactive force field, the RMD simulations enable the description of bond dissociation and formation under realistic conditions. From the stress-strain curves of thaumasite generated in the x, y, and z directions, the tensile strength, Young's modulus, and fracture strain are determined for the three orthogonal directions. During the course of each simulation, the chemical bonds undergoing tensile deformations are monitored to reveal the bonds responsible for the mechanical strength of thaumasite. The temperature increase is found to accelerate the bond breaking rate and consequently the degradation of mechanical properties of thaumasite, while the strain rate only leads to a slight enhancement of them for the ranges considered in this study.

  14. Visual assessment of posterior atrophy development of a MRI rating scale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koedam, Esther L.G.E.; Scheltens, Philip; Pijnenburg, Yolande A.L.; Lehmann, Manja; Fox, Nick; Flier, Wiesje M. van der; Barkhof, Frederik; Wattjes, Mike P.

    2011-01-01

    To develop a visual rating scale for posterior atrophy (PA) assessment and to analyse whether this scale aids in the discrimination between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias. Magnetic resonance imaging of 118 memory clinic patients were analysed for PA (range 0-3), medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) (range 0-4) and global cortical atrophy (range 0-3) by different raters. Weighted-kappas were calculated for inter- and intra-rater agreement. Relationships between PA and MTA with the MMSE and age were estimated with linear-regression analysis. Intra-rater agreement ranged between 0.93 and 0.95 and inter-rater agreement between 0.65 and 0.84. Mean PA scores were higher in AD compared to controls (1.6 ± 0.9 and 0.6 ± 0.7, p < 0.01), and other dementias (0.8 ± 0.8, p < 0.01). PA was not associated with age compared to MTA (B = 1.1 (0.8) versus B = 3.1 (0.7), p < 0.01). PA and MTA were independently negatively associated with the MMSE (B = -1.6 (0.5), p < 0.01 versus B = -1.4 (0.5), p < 0.01). This robust and reproducible scale for PA assessment conveys independent information in a clinical setting and may be useful in the discrimination of AD from other dementias. (orig.)

  15. Visual assessment of posterior atrophy development of a MRI rating scale

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koedam, Esther L.G.E.; Scheltens, Philip; Pijnenburg, Yolande A.L. [VU University Medical Centre, Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Centre, PO Box 7057, MB, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Lehmann, Manja; Fox, Nick [UCL Institute of Neurology, Dementia Research Centre, London (United Kingdom); Flier, Wiesje M. van der [VU University Medical Centre, Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Centre, PO Box 7057, MB, Amsterdam (Netherlands); VU University Medical Centre, Department Epidemiology and Biostatistics, PO Box 7057, MB, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Barkhof, Frederik; Wattjes, Mike P. [VU University Medical Centre, Department of Radiology, PO Box 7057, MB, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

    2011-12-15

    To develop a visual rating scale for posterior atrophy (PA) assessment and to analyse whether this scale aids in the discrimination between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias. Magnetic resonance imaging of 118 memory clinic patients were analysed for PA (range 0-3), medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) (range 0-4) and global cortical atrophy (range 0-3) by different raters. Weighted-kappas were calculated for inter- and intra-rater agreement. Relationships between PA and MTA with the MMSE and age were estimated with linear-regression analysis. Intra-rater agreement ranged between 0.93 and 0.95 and inter-rater agreement between 0.65 and 0.84. Mean PA scores were higher in AD compared to controls (1.6 {+-} 0.9 and 0.6 {+-} 0.7, p < 0.01), and other dementias (0.8 {+-} 0.8, p < 0.01). PA was not associated with age compared to MTA (B = 1.1 (0.8) versus B = 3.1 (0.7), p < 0.01). PA and MTA were independently negatively associated with the MMSE (B = -1.6 (0.5), p < 0.01 versus B = -1.4 (0.5), p < 0.01). This robust and reproducible scale for PA assessment conveys independent information in a clinical setting and may be useful in the discrimination of AD from other dementias. (orig.)

  16. A Real-Time Analysis Method for Pulse Rate Variability Based on Improved Basic Scale Entropy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yongxin Chou

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Base scale entropy analysis (BSEA is a nonlinear method to analyze heart rate variability (HRV signal. However, the time consumption of BSEA is too long, and it is unknown whether the BSEA is suitable for analyzing pulse rate variability (PRV signal. Therefore, we proposed a method named sliding window iterative base scale entropy analysis (SWIBSEA by combining BSEA and sliding window iterative theory. The blood pressure signals of healthy young and old subjects are chosen from the authoritative international database MIT/PhysioNet/Fantasia to generate PRV signals as the experimental data. Then, the BSEA and the SWIBSEA are used to analyze the experimental data; the results show that the SWIBSEA reduces the time consumption and the buffer cache space while it gets the same entropy as BSEA. Meanwhile, the changes of base scale entropy (BSE for healthy young and old subjects are the same as that of HRV signal. Therefore, the SWIBSEA can be used for deriving some information from long-term and short-term PRV signals in real time, which has the potential for dynamic PRV signal analysis in some portable and wearable medical devices.

  17. Reaction mechanisms and rate constants of waste degradation in landfill bioreactor systems with enzymatic-enhancement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayasinghe, P A; Hettiaratchi, J P A; Mehrotra, A K; Kumar, S

    2014-06-01

    Augmenting leachate before recirculation with peroxidase enzymes is a novel method to increase the available carbon, and therefore the food supply to microorganisms at the declining phase of the anaerobic landfill bioreactor operation. In order to optimize the enzyme-catalyzed leachate recirculation process, it is necessary to identify the reaction mechanisms and determine rate constants. This paper presents a kinetic model developed to ascertain the reaction mechanisms and determine the rate constants for enzyme catalyzed anaerobic waste degradation. The maximum rate of reaction (Vmax) for MnP enzyme-catalyzed reactors was 0.076 g(TOC)/g(DS).day. The catalytic turnover number (k(cat)) of the MnP enzyme-catalyzed was 506.7 per day while the rate constant (k) of the un-catalyzed reaction was 0.012 per day. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Symptom assessment in early psychosis: The use of well-established rating scales in clinical high-risk and recent-onset populations

    OpenAIRE

    Fulford, Daniel; Pearson, Rahel; Stuart, Barbara K.; Fisher, Melissa; Mathalon, Daniel H.; Vinogradov, Sophia; Loewy, Rachel L.

    2014-01-01

    Symptom assessment in early psychosis research typically relies on scales validated in chronic schizophrenia samples. Our goal was to inform investigators who are selecting symptom scales for early psychosis research. We described measure characteristics, baseline scores, and scale inter-relationships in clinical high-risk (CHR) and recent-onset psychotic disorder (RO) samples using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Scale for the Assessment of Positive ...

  19. Scaling up the Fabrication of Mechanically-Robust Carbon Nanofiber Foams

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William Curtin

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available This work aimed to identify and address the main challenges associated with fabricating large samples of carbon foams composed of interwoven networks of carbon nanofibers. Solutions to two difficulties related with the process of fabricating carbon foams, maximum foam size and catalyst cost, were developed. First, a simple physical method was invented to scale-up the constrained formation of fibrous nanostructures process (CoFFiN to fabricate relatively large foams. Specifically, a gas deflector system capable of maintaining conditions supportive of carbon nanofiber foam growth throughout a relatively large mold was developed. ANSYS CFX models were used to simulate the gas flow paths with and without deflectors; the data generated proved to be a very useful tool for the deflector design. Second, a simple method for selectively leaching the Pd catalyst material trapped in the foam during growth was successfully tested. Multiple techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, surface area measurements, and mechanical testing, were employed to characterize the foams generated in this study. All results confirmed that the larger foam samples preserve the basic characteristics: their interwoven nanofiber microstructure forms a low-density tridimensional solid with viscoelastic behavior. Fiber growth mechanisms are also discussed. Larger samples of mechanically-robust carbon nanofiber foams will enable the use of these materials as strain sensors, shock absorbers, selective absorbents for environmental remediation and electrodes for energy storage devices, among other applications.

  20. Criterion Noise in Ratings-Based Recognition: Evidence from the Effects of Response Scale Length on Recognition Accuracy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benjamin, Aaron S.; Tullis, Jonathan G.; Lee, Ji Hae

    2013-01-01

    Rating scales are a standard measurement tool in psychological research. However, research has suggested that the cognitive burden involved in maintaining the criteria used to parcel subjective evidence into ratings introduces "decision noise" and affects estimates of performance in the underlying task. There has been debate over whether…

  1. Operators and scales: diagnostic and rating issues in psychiatric PET research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aagren, H.

    1992-01-01

    In psychiatric research that for various reasons has to restrict itself to a limited number of subjects, such as studies involving expensive positron emission tomography techniques, issues concerning the parsimonious description of patients gain in importance. The number of descriptive variables must be optimally small. This paper offers a conceptual back-ground for the choice of operators in operational diagnostic systems designed to delimit pathological types, and of rating scales designed to measure syndromal severity in a dimensional way. A practical suggestion in five tenets for the organization of clinical research of this kind is presented. (author)

  2. Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and applicability of the Brazilian version of the Frontotemporal Dementia Rating Scale (FTD-FRS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thais Bento Lima-Silva

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Background: Staging scales for dementia have been devised for grading Alzheimer's disease (AD but do not include the specific symptoms of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD. Objective: To translate and adapt the Frontotemporal Dementia Rating Scale (FTD-FRS to Brazilian Portuguese. Methods: The cross-cultural adaptation process consisted of the following steps: translation, back-translation (prepared by independent translators, discussion with specialists, and development of a final version after minor adjustments. A pilot application was carried out with 12 patients diagnosed with bvFTD and 11 with AD, matched for disease severity (CDR=1.0. The evaluation protocol included: Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE, Executive Interview (EXIT-25, Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI, Frontotemporal Dementia Rating Scale (FTD-FRS and Clinical Dementia Rating scale (CDR. Results: The Brazilian version of the FTD-FRS seemed appropriate for use in this country. Preliminary results revealed greater levels of disability in bvFTD than in AD patients (bvFTD: 25% mild, 50% moderate and 25% severe; AD: 36.36% mild, 63.64% moderate. It appears that the CDR underrates disease severity in bvFTD since a relevant proportion of patients rated as having mild dementia (CDR=1.0 in fact had moderate or severe levels of disability according to the FTD-FRS. Conclusion: The Brazilian version of the FTD-FRS seems suitable to aid staging and determining disease progression.

  3. Determining Role of the Chain Mechanism in the Temperature Dependence of the Gas-Phase Rate of Combustion Reactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azatyan, V. V.; Bolod'yan, I. A.; Kopylov, N. P.; Kopylov, S. N.; Prokopenko, V. M.; Shebeko, Yu. N.

    2018-05-01

    It is shown that the strong dependence of the rate of gas-phase combustion reactions on temperature is determined by the high values of the reaction rate constants of free atoms and radicals. It is established that with a branched chain mechanism, a special role in the reaction rate temperature dependence is played by positive feedback between the concentrations of active intermediate species and the rate of their change. The role of the chemical mechanism in the temperature dependence of the process rate with and without inhibitors is considered.

  4. A Reaction-Diffusion-Based Coding Rate Control Mechanism for Camera Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naoki Wakamiya

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available A wireless camera sensor network is useful for surveillance and monitoring for its visibility and easy deployment. However, it suffers from the limited capacity of wireless communication and a network is easily overflown with a considerable amount of video traffic. In this paper, we propose an autonomous video coding rate control mechanism where each camera sensor node can autonomously determine its coding rate in accordance with the location and velocity of target objects. For this purpose, we adopted a biological model, i.e., reaction-diffusion model, inspired by the similarity of biological spatial patterns and the spatial distribution of video coding rate. Through simulation and practical experiments, we verify the effectiveness of our proposal.

  5. A reaction-diffusion-based coding rate control mechanism for camera sensor networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamamoto, Hiroshi; Hyodo, Katsuya; Wakamiya, Naoki; Murata, Masayuki

    2010-01-01

    A wireless camera sensor network is useful for surveillance and monitoring for its visibility and easy deployment. However, it suffers from the limited capacity of wireless communication and a network is easily overflown with a considerable amount of video traffic. In this paper, we propose an autonomous video coding rate control mechanism where each camera sensor node can autonomously determine its coding rate in accordance with the location and velocity of target objects. For this purpose, we adopted a biological model, i.e., reaction-diffusion model, inspired by the similarity of biological spatial patterns and the spatial distribution of video coding rate. Through simulation and practical experiments, we verify the effectiveness of our proposal.

  6. Aerobic rice mechanization: techniques for crop establishment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khusairy, K. M.; Ayob, H.; Chan, C. S.; Fauzi, M. I. Mohamed; Mohamad Fakhrul, Z. O.; Shahril Shah, G. S. M.; Azlan, O.; Rasad, M. A.; Hashim, A. M.; Arshad, Z.; E, E. Ibrahim; Saifulizan, M. N.

    2015-12-01

    Rice being the staple food crops, hundreds of land races in it makes the diversity of rice crops. Aerobic rice production was introduced which requires much less water input to safeguard and sustain the rice production and conserve water due to decreasing water resources, climatic changes and competition from urban and industrial users. Mechanization system plays an important role for the success of aerobic rice cultivation. All farming activities for aerobic rice production are run on aerobic soil conditions. Row seeder mechanization system is developed to replace conventional seeding technique on the aerobic rice field. It is targeted for small and the large scale aerobic rice farmers. The aero - seeder machine is used for the small scale aerobic rice field, while the accord - seeder is used for the large scale aerobic rice field. The use of this mechanization machine can eliminate the tedious and inaccurate seeding operations reduce labour costs and increases work rate. The machine is easy to operate and it can increase crop establishment rate. It reduce missing hill, increasing planting and crop with high yield can be produce. This machine is designed for low costs maintenance and it is easy to dismantle and assemble during maintenance and it is safe to be used.

  7. Multi-scale modeling of the thermo-mechanical behavior of particle-based composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Di Paola, F.

    2010-01-01

    The aim of this work was to perform numerical simulations of the thermal and mechanical behavior of a particle-based nuclear fuel. This is a refractory composite material made of UO 2 spherical particles which are coated with two layers of pyrocarbon and embedded in a graphite matrix at a high volume fraction (45%). The objective was to develop a multi-scale modeling of this composite material which can estimate its mean behavior as well as the heterogeneity of the local mechanical variables. The first part of this work was dedicated to the modeling of the microstructure in 3D. To do this, we developed tools to generate random distributions of spheres, meshes and to characterize the morphology of the microstructure towards the finite element code Cast3M. A hundred of numerical samples of the composite were created. The second part was devoted to the characterization of the thermo-elastic behavior by the finite element modeling of the samples. We studied the influence of different modeling parameters, one of them is the boundary conditions. We proposed a method to vanish the boundary conditions effects from the computed solution by analyzing it on an internal sub-volume of the sample obtained by erosion. Then, we determined the effective properties (elastic moduli, thermal conductivity and thermal expansion) and the stress distribution within the matrix. Finally, in the third part we proposed a multi-scale modeling to determine the mean values and the variance and covariance of the local mechanical variables for any macroscopic load. This statistical approach have been used to estimate the intra-phase distribution of these variables in the composite material. (author) [fr

  8. Multi-scale modeling of the thermo-mechanical behavior of particle-based composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Di Paola, F.

    2010-11-01

    The aim of this work was to perform numerical simulations of the thermal and mechanical behavior of a particle-based nuclear fuel. This is a refractory composite material made of UO 2 spherical particles which are coated with two layers of pyrocarbon and embedded in a graphite matrix at a high volume fraction (45 %). The objective was to develop a multi-scale modeling of this composite material which can estimate its mean behavior as well as the heterogeneity of the local mechanical variables. The first part of this work was dedicated to the modeling of the microstructure in 3D. To do this, we developed tools to generate random distributions of spheres, meshes and to characterize the morphology of the microstructure towards the finite element code Cast3M. A hundred of numerical samples of the composite were created. The second part was devoted to the characterization of the thermo-elastic behavior by the finite element modeling of the samples. We studied the influence of different modeling parameters, one of them is the boundary conditions. We proposed a method to vanish the boundary conditions effects from the computed solution by analyzing it on an internal sub-volume of the sample obtained by erosion. Then, we determined the effective properties (elastic moduli, thermal conductivity and thermal expansion) and the stress distribution within the matrix. Finally, in the third part we proposed a multi-scale modeling to determine the mean values and the variance and covariance of the local mechanical variables for any macroscopic load. This statistical approach have been used to estimate the intra-phase distribution of these variables in the composite material. (author)

  9. Dynamic tensile behaviour and deformational mechanism of C5191 phosphor bronze under high strain rates deformation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hu, Dao-chun [College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016 (China); College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Taizhou Vocational & Technical College, Taizhou 318000 (China); Chen, Ming-he, E-mail: meemhchen@nuaa.edu.cn [College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016 (China); Wang, Lei; Cheng, Hu [College of Mechanical Engineering, Taizhou University, Taizhou 318000 (China)

    2016-01-01

    High speed stamping process is used to high strength and high electrical conductivity phosphor bronze with extremely high strain rates more than 10{sup 3} s{sup −1}. This study on the dynamic tensile behaviour and deformational mechanism is to optimise the high speed stamping processes and improve geometrical precision in finished products. Thus, the tensile properties and deformation behaviour of C5191 phosphor bronze under quasi-static tensile condition at a strain rate of 0.001 s{sup −1} by electronic universal testing machine, and dynamic tensile condition at strain rate of 500, 1000 and 1500 s{sup −1} by split Hopkinson tensile bar (SHTB) apparatus were studied. The effects of strain rate and the deformation mechanism were investigated by means of SEM and TEM. The results showed that the yield strength and tensile strength of C5191 phosphor bronze under high strain rates deformation increased by 32.77% and 11.07% respectively compared with quasi-static condition, the strain hardening index increases from 0.075 to 0.251, and the strength of the material strain rates sensitivity index change from 0.005 to 0.022, which presented a clear sensitive to strain rates. Therefore, it is claimed that the dominant deformation mechanism was changed by the dislocation motion under different strain rates, and the ability of plastic deformation of C5191 phosphor bronze increased due to the number of movable dislocations increased significantly, started multi-line slip, and the soft effect of adiabatic temperature rise at the strain rate ranging from 500 to 1500 s{sup −1}.

  10. Centennial-scale climate change from decadally-paced explosive volcanism: a coupled sea ice-ocean mechanism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhong, Y. [University of Colorado, INSTAAR, Boulder, CO (United States); Miller, G.H. [University of Colorado, INSTAAR, Boulder, CO (United States); University of Colorado, Department of Geological Sciences, Boulder, CO (United States); Otto-Bliesner, B.L.; Holland, M.M.; Bailey, D.A. [NCAR, Boulder, CO (United States); Schneider, D.P. [NCAR, Boulder, CO (United States); University of Colorado, CIRES, Boulder, CO (United States); Geirsdottir, A. [University of Iceland, Department of Earth Sciences and Institute of Earth Sciences, Reykjavik (Iceland)

    2011-12-15

    Northern Hemisphere summer cooling through the Holocene is largely driven by the steady decrease in summer insolation tied to the precession of the equinoxes. However, centennial-scale climate departures, such as the Little Ice Age, must be caused by other forcings, most likely explosive volcanism and changes in solar irradiance. Stratospheric volcanic aerosols have the stronger forcing, but their short residence time likely precludes a lasting climate impact from a single eruption. Decadally paced explosive volcanism may produce a greater climate impact because the long response time of ocean surface waters allows for a cumulative decrease in sea-surface temperatures that exceeds that of any single eruption. Here we use a global climate model to evaluate the potential long-term climate impacts from four decadally paced large tropical eruptions. Direct forcing results in a rapid expansion of Arctic Ocean sea ice that persists throughout the eruption period. The expanded sea ice increases the flux of sea ice exported to the northern North Atlantic long enough that it reduces the convective warming of surface waters in the subpolar North Atlantic. In two of our four simulations the cooler surface waters being advected into the Arctic Ocean reduced the rate of basal sea-ice melt in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic Ocean, allowing sea ice to remain in an expanded state for > 100 model years after volcanic aerosols were removed from the stratosphere. In these simulations the coupled sea ice-ocean mechanism maintains the strong positive feedbacks of an expanded Arctic Ocean sea ice cover, allowing the initial cooling related to the direct effect of volcanic aerosols to be perpetuated, potentially resulting in a centennial-scale or longer change of state in Arctic climate. The fact that the sea ice-ocean mechanism was not established in two of our four simulations suggests that a long-term sea ice response to volcanic forcing is sensitive to the stability of the seawater

  11. Prediction of mechanical properties of Al alloys with change of cooling rate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Quan-Zhi Dong

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The solidification process significantly affects the mechanical properties and there are lots of factors that affect the solidification process. Much progress has been made in the research on the effect of solidification on mechanical properties. Among them, the PF (Phase Field model and CA (Cellular Automata model are widely used as simulation methods which can predict nucleation and its growth, and the size and morphology of the grains during solidification. Although they can give accurate calculation results, it needs too much computational memory and calculation time. So it is difficult to apply the simulation to the real production process. In this study, a more practical simulation approach which can predict the mechanical properties of real aluminum alloys is proposed, by identifying through experiment the relationship between cooling rate and SDAS (Secondary Dendrite Arm Spacing and mechanical properties. The experimentally measured values and the values predicted by simulation have relatively small differences and the mechanical properties of a variety of Al alloys are expected to be predicted before casting through use of the simulation.

  12. Cut points on 0-10 numeric rating scales for symptoms included in the edmonton symptom assessment scale in cancer patients: A systematic review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    W.H. Oldenmenger (Wendy); P.J. de Raaf (Pleun); C. de Klerk (Cora); C.C.D. van der Rijt (Carin)

    2013-01-01

    textabstractContext: To improve the management of cancer-related symptoms, systematic screening is necessary, often performed by using 0-10 numeric rating scales. Cut points are used to determine if scores represent clinically relevant burden. Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to

  13. Comparing the use of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale and the Autism Behavior Checklist protocols to identify and characterize autistic individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santos, Thaís Helena Ferreira; Barbosa, Milene Rossi Pereira; Pimentel, Ana Gabriela Lopes; Lacerda, Camila Andrioli; Balestro, Juliana Izidro; Amato, Cibelle Albuquerque de la Higuera; Fernandes, Fernanda Dreux Miranda

    2012-01-01

    To compare the results obtained in the Autism Behavior Checklist with those obtained in the Childhood Autism Rating Scale to identify and characterize children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Participants were 28 children with psychiatric diagnosis within the autism spectrum that were enrolled in language therapy in a specialized service. These children were assessed according to the Autism Behavior Checklist and Childhood Autism Rating Scale criteria, based on information obtained with parents and therapists, respectively. Data were statistically analyzed regarding the agreement between responses. Results indicating high or moderate probability of autism in the Autism Behavior Checklist were considered concordant with the results indicating mild-to-moderate or severe autism in the Childhood Autism Rating Scale. Results indicating low probability of autism in the Autism Behavior Checklist and without autism in the Childhood Autism Rating Scale were also considered concordant. There was agreement on most of the responses. Cases in which there was disagreement between results obtained on both protocols corroborate literature data, showing that the instruments may not be sufficient, if applied alone, to define the diagnosis. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale may not effectively diagnose autistic children, while the Autism Behavior Checklist may result in over- diagnose, including within the autism spectrum children with other disorders. Therefore, the associated use of both protocols is recommended.

  14. Multi-scale porous materials: from adsorption and poro-mechanics properties to energy and environmental applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pellenq, Roland J.M.

    2012-01-01

    Document available in extended abstract form only. 'Multi-scale Porous Materials under the Nano-scope'. Setting up the stage, one can list important engineering problems such as hydrogen storage for transportation applications, electric energy storage in batteries, CO 2 sequestration in used coal mines, earthquake mechanisms, durability of nuclear fuels, stability of soils and sediment and cements and concrete cohesive properties in the context of sustainability. With the exception of health, these are basically the challenging engineering problems of the coming century that address energy, environment and natural hazards. Behind all those problems are complex multi-scale porous materials that have a confined fluid in their pore void: water in the case of clays and cement, an electrolyte in the case of batteries and super-capacitors, weakly interacting molecular fluids in the case of hydrogen storage devices, gas-shale and nuclear fuel bars. So what do we mean by 'under the nano-scope'? The nano-scope does not exist as a single experimental technique able of assessing the 3D texture of complex multi-scale material. Obviously techniques such as TEM are part of the answer but are not the 'nano-scope' in itself. In our idea, the 'nano-scope' is more than a technique producing images. It is rather a concept that links a suite of modeling techniques coupled with experiments (electron and X-rays microscopies, tomography, nano-indentation, nano-scratching...). Fig 1 gives an outline of this strategy for cement. It allows accessing material texture, their chemistry, their mechanical behavior, their adsorption/condensation behavior at all scales starting from the nano-scale upwards. The toolbox of the simulation aspect of the 'nano-scope' is akin to a statistical physics description of material texture and properties including the thermodynamics and dynamics of the fluids confined to their pore voids as a means to linking atomic scale properties to macroscopic properties

  15. Copper atomic-scale transistors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Fangqing; Kavalenka, Maryna N; Röger, Moritz; Albrecht, Daniel; Hölscher, Hendrik; Leuthold, Jürgen; Schimmel, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    We investigated copper as a working material for metallic atomic-scale transistors and confirmed that copper atomic-scale transistors can be fabricated and operated electrochemically in a copper electrolyte (CuSO 4 + H 2 SO 4 ) in bi-distilled water under ambient conditions with three microelectrodes (source, drain and gate). The electrochemical switching-on potential of the atomic-scale transistor is below 350 mV, and the switching-off potential is between 0 and -170 mV. The switching-on current is above 1 μA, which is compatible with semiconductor transistor devices. Both sign and amplitude of the voltage applied across the source and drain electrodes ( U bias ) influence the switching rate of the transistor and the copper deposition on the electrodes, and correspondingly shift the electrochemical operation potential. The copper atomic-scale transistors can be switched using a function generator without a computer-controlled feedback switching mechanism. The copper atomic-scale transistors, with only one or two atoms at the narrowest constriction, were realized to switch between 0 and 1 G 0 ( G 0 = 2e 2 /h; with e being the electron charge, and h being Planck's constant) or 2 G 0 by the function generator. The switching rate can reach up to 10 Hz. The copper atomic-scale transistor demonstrates volatile/non-volatile dual functionalities. Such an optimal merging of the logic with memory may open a perspective for processor-in-memory and logic-in-memory architectures, using copper as an alternative working material besides silver for fully metallic atomic-scale transistors.

  16. Pharmacometric Analysis of the Relationship Between Absolute Lymphocyte Count and Expanded Disability Status Scale and Relapse Rate, Efficacy End Points, in Multiple Sclerosis Trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novakovic, A M; Thorsted, A; Schindler, E; Jönsson, S; Munafo, A; Karlsson, M O

    2018-05-10

    The aim of this work was to assess the relationship between the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), and disability (as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS]) and occurrence of relapses, 2 efficacy endpoints, respectively, in patients with remitting-relasping multiple sclerosis. Data for ALC, EDSS, and relapse rate were available from 1319 patients receiving placebo and/or cladribine tablets. Pharmacodynamic models were developed to characterize the time course of the endpoints. ALC-related measures were then evaluated as predictors of the efficacy endpoints. EDSS data were best fitted by a model where the logit-linear disease progression is affected by the dynamics of ALC change from baseline. Relapse rate data were best described by the Weibull hazard function, and the ALC change from baseline was also found to be a significant predictor of time to relapse. Presented models have shown that once cladribine exposure driven ALC-derived measures are included in the model, the need for drug effect components is of less importance (EDSS) or disappears (relapse rate). This simplifies the models and theoretically makes them mechanism specific rather than drug specific. Having a reliable mechanism-specific model would allow leveraging historical data across compounds, to support decision making in drug development and possibly shorten the time to market. © 2018, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

  17. Micro-scale mechanical characterization of Inconel cermet coatings deposited by laser cladding

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang, Ch.; Verdi, D.; Garrido, M.A.; Ruiz-Hervias, J.

    2016-07-01

    In this study, an Inconel 625-Cr3C2 cermet coating was deposited on a steel alloy by laser cladding. The elastic and plastic mechanical properties of the cermet matrix were studied by the depth sensing indentation (DSI) in the micro scale. These results were compared with those obtained from an Inconel 600 bulk specimen. The values of Young's modulus and hardness of cermet matrix were higher than those of an Inconel 600 bulk specimen. Meanwhile, the indentation stress–strain curve of the cermet matrix showed a strain hardening value which was more than twice the one obtained for the Inconel 600 bulk. Additionally, the mechanical properties of unmelted Cr3C2 ceramic particles, embedded in the cermet matrix were also evaluated by DSI using a spherical indenter. (Author)

  18. Micro-scale mechanical characterization of Inconel cermet coatings deposited by laser cladding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chao Chang

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available In this study, an Inconel 625-Cr3C2 cermet coating was deposited on a steel alloy by laser cladding. The elastic and plastic mechanical properties of the cermet matrix were studied by the depth sensing indentation (DSI in the micro scale. These results were compared with those obtained from an Inconel 600 bulk specimen. The values of Young's modulus and hardness of cermet matrix were higher than those of an Inconel 600 bulk specimen. Meanwhile, the indentation stress–strain curve of the cermet matrix showed a strain hardening value which was more than twice the one obtained for the Inconel 600 bulk. Additionally, the mechanical properties of unmelted Cr3C2 ceramic particles, embedded in the cermet matrix were also evaluated by DSI using a spherical indenter.

  19. The Apraxia of Speech Rating Scale: a tool for diagnosis and description of apraxia of speech.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strand, Edythe A; Duffy, Joseph R; Clark, Heather M; Josephs, Keith

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this report is to describe an initial version of the Apraxia of Speech Rating Scale (ASRS), a scale designed to quantify the presence or absence, relative frequency, and severity of characteristics frequently associated with apraxia of speech (AOS). In this paper we report intra-judge and inter-judge reliability, as well as indices of validity, for the ASRS which was completed for 133 adult participants with a neurodegenerative speech or language disorder, 56 of whom had AOS. The overall inter-judge ICC among three clinicians was 0.94 for the total ASRS score and 0.91 for the number of AOS characteristics identified as present. Intra-judge ICC measures were high, ranging from 0.91 to 0.98. Validity was demonstrated on the basis of strong correlations with independent clinical diagnosis, as well as strong correlations of ASRS scores with independent clinical judgments of AOS severity. Results suggest that the ASRS is a potentially useful tool for documenting the presence and severity of characteristics of AOS. At this point in its development it has good potential for broader clinical use and for better subject description in AOS research. The Apraxia of Speech Rating Scale: A new tool for diagnosis and description of apraxia of speech 1. The reader will be able to explain characteristics of apraxia of speech. 2. The reader will be able to demonstrate use of a rating scale to document the presence and severity of speech characteristics. 3. The reader will be able to explain the reliability and validity of the ASRS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Karolinska Psychodynamic Profile for Sexual Disorders: KAPP-SD. A proposal for a psychodynamic rating scale for sexual disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soldati, Lorenzo; Köhl, John; Abraham, Georges; Bianchi Demicheli, Francesco; Wilczek, Alexander

    2015-01-01

    Our first objective in this paper was to review the literature on psychodynamic rating scales of sexual disorders. Our second objective, based on the findings from our review, was to develop a psychodynamic rating scale for people with sexual disorders: the KAPP-SD. We developed the KAPP-SD by modifying an existing psychodynamic rating scale, which assesses stable modes of mental functioning and character traits, the Karolinska Psychodynamic Profile (KAPP). We removed items 13 and 14 of the KAPP and replaced them with three other items-sexual fantasies, conceptions and role of gender identity, and conceptions and role of sexual orientation. These items are part of the assessment of an individual's sexuality and are used to evaluate a person with a sexual disorder psychodynamically. The KAPP-SD, a modified version of the KAPP, can be found in the Appendix. We developed the KAPP-SD in order to help sex therapists make a rigorous psychodynamic evaluation of persons with sexual disorders, which would give information on the prognosis and on the type of treatment to offer.

  1. Differences Across Levels in the Language of Agency and Ability in Rating Scales for Large-Scale Second Language Writing Assessments

    OpenAIRE

    Anderson Salena Sampson

    2017-01-01

    While large-scale language and writing assessments benefit from a wealth of literature on the reliability and validity of specific tests and rating procedures, there is comparatively less literature that explores the specific language of second language writing rubrics. This paper provides an analysis of the language of performance descriptors for the public versions of the TOEFL and IELTS writing assessment rubrics, with a focus on linguistic agency encoded by agentive verbs and language of ...

  2. Validation of the Spanish version of Mackey childbirth satisfaction rating scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caballero, Pablo; Delgado-García, Beatriz E; Orts-Cortes, Isabel; Moncho, Joaquin; Pereyra-Zamora, Pamela; Nolasco, Andreu

    2016-04-16

    The "Mackey Childbirth Satisfaction Rating Scale" (MCSRS) is a complete non-validated scale which includes the most important factors associated with maternal satisfaction. Our primary purpose was to describe the internal structure of the scale and validate the reliability and validity of concept of its Spanish version MCSRS-E. The MCSRS was translated into Spanish, back-translated and adapted to the Spanish population. It was then administered following a pilot test with women who met the study participant requirements. The scale structure was obtained by performing an exploratory factorial analysis using a sample of 304 women. The structures obtained were tested by conducting a confirmatory factorial analysis using a sample of 159 women. To test the validity of concept, the structure factors were correlated with expectations prior to childbirth experiences. McDonald's omegas were calculated for each model to establish the reliability of each factor. The study was carried out at four University Hospitals; Alicante, Elche, Torrevieja and Vinalopo Salud of Elche. The inclusion criteria were women aged 18-45 years old who had just delivered a singleton live baby at 38-42 weeks through vaginal delivery. Women who had difficulty speaking and understanding Spanish were excluded. The process generated 5 different possible internal structures in a nested model more consistent with the theory than other internal structures of the MCSRS applied hitherto. All of them had good levels of validation and reliability. This nested model to explain internal structure of MCSRS-E can accommodate different clinical practice scenarios better than the other structures applied to date, and it is a flexible tool which can be used to identify the aspects that should be changed to improve maternal satisfaction and hence maternal health.

  3. Psychometric evaluation of the altered states of consciousness rating scale (OAV.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erich Studerus

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available The OAV questionnaire has been developed to integrate research on altered states of consciousness (ASC. It measures three primary and one secondary dimensions of ASC that are hypothesized to be invariant across ASC induction methods. The OAV rating scale has been in use for more than 20 years and applied internationally in a broad range of research fields, yet its factorial structure has never been tested by structural equation modeling techniques and its psychometric properties have never been examined in large samples of experimentally induced ASC.The present study conducted a psychometric evaluation of the OAV in a sample of psilocybin (n = 327, ketamine (n = 162, and MDMA (n = 102 induced ASC that was obtained by pooling data from 43 experimental studies. The factorial structure was examined by confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory structural equation modeling, hierarchical item clustering (ICLUST, and multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC modeling. The originally proposed model did not fit the data well even if zero-constraints on non-target factor loadings and residual correlations were relaxed. Furthermore, ICLUST suggested that the "oceanic boundlessness" and "visionary restructuralization" factors could be combined on a high level of the construct hierarchy. However, because these factors were multidimensional, we extracted and examined 11 new lower order factors. MIMIC modeling indicated that these factors were highly measurement invariant across drugs, settings, questionnaire versions, and sexes. The new factors were also demonstrated to have improved homogeneities, satisfactory reliabilities, discriminant and convergent validities, and to differentiate well among the three drug groups.The original scales of the OAV were shown to be multidimensional constructs. Eleven new lower order scales were constructed and demonstrated to have desirable psychometric properties. The new lower order scales are most likely better suited to

  4. The use of global rating scales for OSCEs in veterinary medicine.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emma K Read

    Full Text Available OSCEs (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations are widely used in health professions to assess clinical skills competence. Raters use standardized binary checklists (CL or multi-dimensional global rating scales (GRS to score candidates performing specific tasks. This study assessed the reliability of CL and GRS scores in the assessment of veterinary students, and is the first study to demonstrate the reliability of GRS within veterinary medical education. Twelve raters from two different schools (6 from University of Calgary [UCVM] and 6 from Royal (Dick School of Veterinary Studies [R(DSVS] were asked to score 12 students (6 from each school. All raters assessed all students (video recordings during 4 OSCE stations (bovine haltering, gowning and gloving, equine bandaging and skin suturing. Raters scored students using a CL, followed by the GRS. Novice raters (6 R(DSVS were assessed independently of expert raters (6 UCVM. Generalizability theory (G theory, analysis of variance (ANOVA and t-tests were used to determine the reliability of rater scores, assess any between school differences (by student, by rater, and determine if there were differences between CL and GRS scores. There was no significant difference in rater performance with use of the CL or the GRS. Scores from the CL were significantly higher than scores from the GRS. The reliability of checklist scores were .42 and .76 for novice and expert raters respectively. The reliability of the global rating scale scores were .7 and .86 for novice and expert raters respectively. A decision study (D-study showed that once trained using CL, GRS could be utilized to reliably score clinical skills in veterinary medicine with both novice and experienced raters.

  5. To scale or not to scale

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svendsen, Morten Bo Søndergaard; Christensen, Emil Aputsiaq Flindt; Steffensen, John Fleng

    2017-01-01

    Conventionally, dynamic energy budget (DEB) models operate with animals that have maintenance rates scaling with their body volume, and assimilation rates scaling with body surface area. However, when applying such criteria for the individual in a population level model, the emergent behaviour...

  6. Development and pilot testing the Family Conference Rating Scale: A tool aimed to assess interprofessional patient-centred communication and collaboration competencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dojeiji, Sue; Byszewski, Anna; Wood, Tim

    2015-01-01

    There is a paucity of evidence-based literature on the essential communication and collaboration skills to guide health care teams in conducting and assessing their performance in the Family Conference (FC). The authors developed and collected validity evidence for a rating scale of team FC performance, the Family Conference Rating Scale (FCRS). In phase 1, essential FC communication and collaboration skills were identified through a review of existing communication tools and literature on team functioning; a draft 34-item scale was developed. In phase 2, the scale was narrowed to a 6-category, 9-point scale with descriptors of expected behaviours through an iterative process: testing of the scale on 10 FC transcripts by two experts, soliciting feedback from a focus group of seven health care providers, and testing by non-experts on 49 live FCs. In phase 3, scores on the revised scale were validated by 10 health care providers from different disciplines by rating three videos of FCs of variable quality. Raters were able to detect inter-video variation in FC quality. The reliability of the FCRS was 0.95 and the inter-rater reliability, 0.68. The FCRS may enhance the ability of health professions educators to teach and assess interprofessional patient-centred communication and collaboration competencies.

  7. An Assessment of Five (PANSS, SAPS, SANS, NSA-16, CGI-SCH) commonly used Symptoms Rating Scales in Schizophrenia and Comparison to Newer Scales (CAINS, BNSS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumari, Suneeta; Malik, Mansoor; Florival, Christina; Manalai, Partam; Sonje, Snezana

    2017-01-01

    Scales measuring positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia remain the primary mo Scales measuring positive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia remain the primary mode of assessing and diagnosing schizophrenia by clinicians and researchers. The scales are mainly used to monitor the severity of positive and negative symptoms and track treatment response in schizophrenics. Although these scales are widely used, quality as well as general utility of each scale varies. The quality is determined by the validity and reliability of the scales. The utility of the scale is determined by the time of administration and the settings for which the scales can be administered in research or clinical settings. There are relatively fewer articles on the utility of newer scales like CAINS (Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms) and the BNSS (Brief Negative Symptom Scale) that compare them to the older scales PANSS (Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale), SAPS (Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms) SANS (the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms), NSA-16 (Negative Symptom Assessment-16) and CGI-SCH (Clinical Global Impression Schizophrenia. The older scales were developed more than 30 years ago. Since then, our understanding of negative symptoms has evolved and currently there are newer rating scales evaluating the validity of negative symptoms. The older scales do not incorporate the latest research on negative symptoms. CAINS and BNSS are attractive for both their reliability and their concise accessible format, however, a scale that is simpler, accessible, user-friendly, that incorporates a multidimensional model of schizophrenia, addresses the psychosocial and cognitive component has yet to be developed.

  8. Symptom assessment in early psychosis: the use of well-established rating scales in clinical high-risk and recent-onset populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fulford, Daniel; Pearson, Rahel; Stuart, Barbara K; Fisher, Melissa; Mathalon, Daniel H; Vinogradov, Sophia; Loewy, Rachel L

    2014-12-30

    Symptom assessment in early psychosis research typically relies on scales validated in chronic schizophrenia samples. Our goal was to inform investigators who are selecting symptom scales for early psychosis research. We described measure characteristics, baseline scores, and scale inter-relationships in clinical-high-risk (CHR) and recent-onset psychotic disorder (RO) samples using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, and Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms; for the CHR group only, we included the Scale of Prodromal Symptoms. For investigators selecting symptom measures in intervention or longitudinal studies, we also examined the relationship of symptom scales with psychosocial functioning. In both samples, symptom subscales in the same domain, across measures, were moderately to highly intercorrelated. Within all measures, positive symptoms were not correlated with negative symptoms, but disorganized symptoms overlapped with both positive and negative symptoms. Functioning was significantly related to negative and disorganized, but not positive, symptoms in both samples on most measures. Findings suggest strong overlap in symptom severity ratings among the most common scales. In recent-onset samples, each has strengths and weaknesses. In CHR samples, they appear to add little information above and beyond the SOPS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Study of Acoustic Emission and Mechanical Characteristics of Coal Samples under Different Loading Rates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huamin Li

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available To study the effect of loading rate on mechanical properties and acoustic emission characteristics of coal samples, collected from Sanjiaohe Colliery, the uniaxial compression tests are carried out under various levels of loading rates, including 0.001 mm/s, 0.002 mm/s, and 0.005 mm/s, respectively, using AE-win E1.86 acoustic emission instrument and RMT-150C rock mechanics test system. The results indicate that the loading rate has a strong impact on peak stress and peak strain of coal samples, but the effect of loading rate on elasticity modulus of coal samples is relatively small. When the loading rate increases from 0.001 mm/s to 0.002 mm/s, the peak stress increases from 22.67 MPa to 24.99 MPa, the incremental percentage is 10.23%, and under the same condition the peak strain increases from 0.006191 to 0.007411 and the incremental percentage is 19.71%. Similarly, when the loading rate increases from 0.002 mm/s to 0.005 mm/s, the peak stress increases from 24.99 MPa to 28.01 MPa, the incremental percentage is 12.08%, the peak strain increases from 0.007411 to 0.008203, and the incremental percentage is 10.69%. The relationship between acoustic emission and loading rate presents a positive correlation, and the negative correlation relation has been determined between acoustic emission cumulative counts and loading rate during the rupture process of coal samples.

  10. Glutamate transporter type 3 knockout leads to decreased heart rate possibly via parasympathetic mechanism

    OpenAIRE

    Deng, Jiao; Li, Jiejie; Li, Liaoliao; Feng, Chenzhuo; Xiong, Lize; Zuo, Zhiyi

    2013-01-01

    Parasympathetic tone is a dominant neural regulator for basal heart rate. Glutamate transporters (EAAT) via their glutamate uptake functions regulate glutamate neurotransmission in the central nervous system. We showed that EAAT type 3 (EAAT3) knockout mice had a slower heart rate than wild-type mice when they were anesthetized. We design this study to determine whether non-anesthetized EAAT3 knockout mice have a slower heart rate and, if so, what may be the mechanism for this effect. Young a...

  11. Factors Affecting the Rate of Penetration of Large-Scale Electricity Technologies: The Case of Carbon Sequestration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    James R. McFarland; Howard J. Herzog

    2007-05-14

    This project falls under the Technology Innovation and Diffusion topic of the Integrated Assessment of Climate Change Research Program. The objective was to better understand the critical variables that affect the rate of penetration of large-scale electricity technologies in order to improve their representation in integrated assessment models. We conducted this research in six integrated tasks. In our first two tasks, we identified potential factors that affect penetration rates through discussions with modeling groups and through case studies of historical precedent. In the next three tasks, we investigated in detail three potential sets of critical factors: industrial conditions, resource conditions, and regulatory/environmental considerations. Research to assess the significance and relative importance of these factors involved the development of a microeconomic, system dynamics model of the US electric power sector. Finally, we implemented the penetration rate models in an integrated assessment model. While the focus of this effort is on carbon capture and sequestration technologies, much of the work will be applicable to other large-scale energy conversion technologies.

  12. Psychometric properties of the Numeric Pain Rating Scale and Neck Disability Index in patients with cervicogenic headache.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Ian A; Dunning, James; Butts, Raymond; Cleland, Joshua A; Fernández-de-Las-Peñas, César

    2018-01-01

    Background Self-reported disability and pain intensity are commonly used outcomes in patients with cervicogenic headaches. However, there is a paucity of psychometric evidence to support the use of these self-report outcomes for individuals treated with cervicogenic headaches. Therefore, it is unknown if these measures are reliable, responsive, or result in meaningful clinically important changes in this patient population. Methods A secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial (n = 110) examining the effects of spinal manipulative therapy with and without exercise in patients with cervicogenic headaches. Reliability, construct validity, responsiveness and thresholds for minimal detectable change and clinically important difference values were calculated for the Neck Disability Index and Numeric Pain Rating Scale. Results The Neck Disability Index exhibited excellent reliability (ICC = 0.92; [95 % CI: 0.46-0.97]), while the Numeric Pain Rating Scale exhibited moderate reliability (ICC = 0.72; [95 % CI: 0.08-0.90]) in the short term. Both instruments also exhibited adequate responsiveness (area under the curve; range = 0.78-0.93) and construct validity ( p numeric pain rating scale and a 5.5-point reduction on the neck disability index after 4 weeks of intervention to be considered clinically meaningful.

  13. Influence of Sintering Temperature on Mechanical and Physical properties of Mill Scale based Bipolar Plates for PEMFC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khaerudini, Deni S.; Berliana, Rina; Prakoso, Gatra B.; Insiyanda, Dita R.; Alva, Sagir

    2018-03-01

    This work concerns the utilization of mill scale, a by-product of iron and steel formed during the hot rolling of steel, as a potential material for use as bipolar plates in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). On the other hand, mill scale is considered a very rich in iron source having characteristic required such as for current collector in bipolar plate and would significantly contribute to lower the overall cost of PEMFC based fuel cell systems. In this study, the iron reach source of mill scale powder, after sieving of 150 mesh, was mechanically alloyed with the aluminium source containing 30 wt.% using a shaker mill for 3 h. The mixed powders were then pressed at 300 MPa and sintered at various temperatures of 400, 450 and 500 °C for 1 h under inert gas atmosphere. The structural changes of powder particles during mechanical alloying and after sintering were studied by x-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), microhardness measurement, and density - porosity analysis. The details of the performance variation of three different sintering conditions can be preliminary explained by the metallographic and crystallographic structure and phase analysis as well as sufficient mechanical strength of the sintered materials was presented in this report.

  14. Remediation mechanisms for Cd-contaminated soil using natural sepiolite at the field scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Xiuling; Xu, Yingming; Huang, Rong; Huang, Qingqing; Xie, Zhonglei; Cai, Yanming; Liang, Xuefeng

    2017-12-13

    Remediation of heavy metal polluted agricultural soil is essential for human health and ecological safety and remediation mechanisms at the microscopic level are vital for their large-scale utilization. In this study, natural sepiolite was employed as an immobilization agent for in situ field-scale remediation of Cd-contaminated paddy soil and the remediation mechanisms were investigated in terms of soil chemistry and plant physiology. Natural sepiolite had a significant immobilization effect for bioavailable Cd contents in paddy soil, and consequently could lower the Cd concentrations of brown rice, husk, straw, and roots of rice plants by 54.7-73.7%, 44.0-62.5%, 26.5-67.2%, and 36.7-46.7%, respectively. Regarding soil chemistry, natural sepiolite increased the soil pH values and shifted the zeta potentials of soil particles to be more negative, enhancing the fixation or sorption of Cd on soil particles, and resulted in the reduction of HCl and DTPA extractable Cd concentrations in paddy soil. Natural sepiolite neither enhanced nor inhibited iron plaques on the rice root surface, but did change the chemical environments of Fe and S in rice root. Natural sepiolite improved the activities of antioxidant enzymes and enhanced the total antioxidant capacity to alleviate the stress of Cd. It also promotes the synthesis of GSH and NPT to complete the detoxification. In general, the remediation mechanisms of natural sepiolite for the Cd pollutant in paddy soil could be summarized as the collective effects of soil chemistry and plant physiology.

  15. Statistical analysis of error rate of large-scale single flux quantum logic circuit by considering fluctuation of timing parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamanashi, Yuki; Masubuchi, Kota; Yoshikawa, Nobuyuki

    2016-01-01

    The relationship between the timing margin and the error rate of the large-scale single flux quantum logic circuits is quantitatively investigated to establish a timing design guideline. We observed that the fluctuation in the set-up/hold time of single flux quantum logic gates caused by thermal noises is the most probable origin of the logical error of the large-scale single flux quantum circuit. The appropriate timing margin for stable operation of the large-scale logic circuit is discussed by taking the fluctuation of setup/hold time and the timing jitter in the single flux quantum circuits. As a case study, the dependence of the error rate of the 1-million-bit single flux quantum shift register on the timing margin is statistically analyzed. The result indicates that adjustment of timing margin and the bias voltage is important for stable operation of a large-scale SFQ logic circuit.

  16. Statistical analysis of error rate of large-scale single flux quantum logic circuit by considering fluctuation of timing parameters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamanashi, Yuki, E-mail: yamanasi@ynu.ac.jp [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Yokohama National University, Tokiwadai 79-5, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501 (Japan); Masubuchi, Kota; Yoshikawa, Nobuyuki [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Yokohama National University, Tokiwadai 79-5, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240-8501 (Japan)

    2016-11-15

    The relationship between the timing margin and the error rate of the large-scale single flux quantum logic circuits is quantitatively investigated to establish a timing design guideline. We observed that the fluctuation in the set-up/hold time of single flux quantum logic gates caused by thermal noises is the most probable origin of the logical error of the large-scale single flux quantum circuit. The appropriate timing margin for stable operation of the large-scale logic circuit is discussed by taking the fluctuation of setup/hold time and the timing jitter in the single flux quantum circuits. As a case study, the dependence of the error rate of the 1-million-bit single flux quantum shift register on the timing margin is statistically analyzed. The result indicates that adjustment of timing margin and the bias voltage is important for stable operation of a large-scale SFQ logic circuit.

  17. Maximising electro-mechanical response by minimising grain-scale strain heterogeneity in phase-change actuator ceramics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Oddershede, Jette; Hossain, Mohammad Jahangir; Daniels, John E.

    2016-01-01

    Phase-change actuator ceramics directly couple electrical and mechanical energies through an electric-field-induced phase transformation. These materials are promising for the replacement of the most common electro-mechanical ceramic, lead zirconate titanate, which has environmental concerns. Here......, we show that by compositional modification, we reduce the grain-scale heterogeneity of the electro-mechanical response by 40%. In the materials investigated, this leads to an increase in the achievable electric-field-induced strain of the bulk ceramic of 45%. Compositions of (100-x)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-(x...... heterogeneity can be achieved by precise control of the lattice distortions and orientation distributions of the induced phases. The current results can be used to guide the design of next generation high-strain electro-mechanical ceramic actuator materials....

  18. Mechanical Pretreatment to Increase the Bioenergy Yield for Full-scale Biogas Plants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tsapekos, Panagiotis; Kougias, Panagiotis; Angelidaki, Irini

    % compared to the untreated one. The digestion of meadow grass as an alternative co-substrate had positive impact on the energy yield of full-scale biogas reactors operating with cattle manure, pig manure or mixture of both. A preliminary analysis showed that the addition of meadow grass in a manure based...... biogas reactor was possible with biomass share of 10%, leading to energy production of 280 GJ/day. The digestion of pretreated meadow grass as alternative co-substrate had clearly positive impact in all the examined scenarios, leading to increased biogas production in the range of 10%-20%.......This study investigated the efficiency of commercially available harvesting machines for mechanical pretreatment of meadow grass, in order to enhance the energy yield per hectare. Excoriator was shown to be the most efficient mechanical pretreatment increasing the biogas yield of grass by 16...

  19. Experimental Study of a Small Scale Hydraulic System for Mechanical Wind Energy Conversion into Heat

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tadas Zdankus

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Significant potential for reducing thermal energy consumption in buildings of moderate and cold climate countries lies within wind energy utilisation. Unlike solar irradiation, character of wind speeds in Central and Northern Europe correspond to the actual thermal energy demand in buildings. However, mechanical wind energy undergoes transformation into electrical energy before being actually used as thermal energy in most wind energy applications. The study presented in this paper deals with hydraulic systems, designed for small-scale applications to eliminate the intermediate energy transformation as it converts mechanical wind energy into heat directly. The prototype unit containing a pump, flow control valve, oil tank and piping was developed and tested under laboratory conditions. Results of the experiments showed that the prototype system is highly efficient and adjustable to a broad wind velocity range by modifying the definite hydraulic system resistance. Development of such small-scale replicable units has the potential to promote “bottom-up” solutions for the transition to a zero carbon society.

  20. Hyporheic exchange in mountain rivers II: Effects of channel morphology on mechanics, scales, and rates of exchange

    Science.gov (United States)

    John M. Buffington; Daniele Tonina

    2009-01-01

    We propose that the mechanisms driving hyporheic exchange vary systematically with different channel morphologies and associated fluvial processes that occur in mountain basins, providing a framework for examining physical controls on hyporheic environments and their spatial variation across the landscape. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of hyporheic environments...

  1. Micro-scale mechanical characterization of Inconel cermet coatings deposited by laser cladding

    OpenAIRE

    Chao Chang; Davide Verdi; Miguel Angel Garrido; Jesus Ruiz-Hervias

    2016-01-01

    In this study, an Inconel 625-Cr3C2 cermet coating was deposited on a steel alloy by laser cladding. The elastic and plastic mechanical properties of the cermet matrix were studied by the depth sensing indentation (DSI) in the micro scale. These results were compared with those obtained from an Inconel 600 bulk specimen. The values of Young's modulus and hardness of cermet matrix were higher than those of an Inconel 600 bulk specimen. Meanwhile, the indentation stress–strain curve of the cerm...

  2. Evaluation of Neuropsychiatric Function in Phenylketonuria: Psychometric Properties of the ADHD Rating Scale-IV and Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale Inattention Subscale in Phenylketonuria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wyrwich, Kathleen W; Auguste, Priscilla; Yu, Ren; Zhang, Charlie; Dewees, Benjamin; Winslow, Barbara; Yu, Shui; Merilainen, Markus; Prasad, Suyash

    2015-06-01

    Previous qualitative research among adults and parents of children with phenylketonuria (PKU) has identified inattention as an important psychiatric aspect of this condition. The parent-reported ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD RS-IV) and the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) have been validated for measuring inattention symptoms in persons with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); however, their psychometric attributes for measuring PKU-related inattention have not been established. The primary objective of this investigation was to demonstrate the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the ADHD RS-IV and ASRS inattention symptoms subscales in a randomized controlled trial of patients with PKU aged 8 years or older. A post hoc analysis investigated the psychometric properties (Rasch model fit, reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness) of the ADHD RS-IV and ASRS inattention subscales using data from a phase 3b, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in those with PKU aged 8 years or older. The Rasch results revealed good model fit, and reliability analyses revealed strong internal consistency reliability (α ≥ 0.87) and reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient ≥ 0.87) for both measures. Both inattention measures demonstrated the ability to discriminate between known groups (P < 0.001) created by the Clinical Global Impression-Severity scale. Correlations between the ADHD RS-IV and the ASRS with the Clinical Global Impression-Severity scale and the age-appropriate Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function Working Memory subscale were consistently moderate to strong (r ≥ 0.56). Similarly, results of the change score correlations were of moderate magnitude (r ≥ 0.43) for both measures when compared with changes over time in Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function Working Memory subscales. These findings of reliability, validity, and responsiveness of both the ADHD RS-IV and the ASRS inattention scales

  3. Stellar feedback in galaxies and the origin of galaxy-scale winds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopkins, Philip F.; Quataert, Eliot; Murray, Norman

    2012-04-01

    Feedback from massive stars is believed to play a critical role in driving galactic super-winds that enrich the intergalactic medium and shape the galaxy mass function, mass-metallicity relation and other global galaxy properties. In previous papers, we have introduced new numerical methods for implementing stellar feedback on sub-giant molecular cloud (sub-GMC) through galactic scales in numerical simulations of galaxies; the key physical processes include radiation pressure in the ultraviolet through infrared, supernovae (Type I and Type II), stellar winds ('fast' O star through 'slow' asymptotic giant branch winds), and H II photoionization. Here, we show that these feedback mechanisms drive galactic winds with outflow rates as high as ˜10-20 times the galaxy star formation rate. The mass-loading efficiency (wind mass-loss rate divided by the star formation rate) scales roughly as ? (where Vc is the galaxy circular velocity), consistent with simple momentum-conservation expectations. We use our suite of simulations to study the relative contribution of each feedback mechanism to the generation of galactic winds in a range of galaxy models, from Small Magellanic Cloud like dwarfs and Milky Way (MW) analogues to z˜ 2 clumpy discs. In massive, gas-rich systems (local starbursts and high-z galaxies), radiation pressure dominates the wind generation. By contrast, for MW-like spirals and dwarf galaxies the gas densities are much lower and sources of shock-heated gas such as supernovae and stellar winds dominate the production of large-scale outflows. In all of our models, however, the winds have a complex multiphase structure that depends on the interaction between multiple feedback mechanisms operating on different spatial scales and time-scales: any single feedback mechanism fails to reproduce the winds observed. We use our simulations to provide fitting functions to the wind mass loading and velocities as a function of galaxy properties, for use in cosmological

  4. The self-breaking mechanism of atomic scale Au nanocontacts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakazumi, Tomoka; Kiguchi, Manabu; Wada, Yasuo

    2012-01-01

    We have investigated the self-breaking mechanism of atomic scale Au nanocontacts at room temperature in air. In the conductance traces, we frequently observed traces showing both a 1G 0 (2e 2 /h) and 3G 0 plateaux, or only a 2G 0 plateau in the conductance regime below 3G 0 . The statistical analysis showed a negative correlation between the appearance of 1G 0 and 2G 0 peaks, and a positive correlation between 1G 0 and 3G 0 peaks. This conductance behavior suggested that the symmetric triple atomic rows changed into a symmetric single row, while the asymmetric double rows broke without changing into a symmetric single row. The regular self-breaking process can be explained by the breaking of the thermodynamically stable Au nanocontacts which were formed during the self-breaking of the contacts. (paper)

  5. (99)Tc(VII) Retardation, Reduction, and Redox Rate Scaling in Naturally Reduced Sediments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yuanyuan; Liu, Chongxuan; Kukkadapu, Ravi K; McKinley, James P; Zachara, John; Plymale, Andrew E; Miller, Micah D; Varga, Tamas; Resch, Charles T

    2015-11-17

    An experimental and modeling study was conducted to investigate pertechnetate (Tc(VII)O4(-)) retardation, reduction, and rate scaling in three sediments from Ringold formation at U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford site, where (99)Tc is a major contaminant in groundwater. Tc(VII) was reduced in all the sediments in both batch reactors and diffusion columns, with a faster rate in a sediment containing a higher concentration of HCl-extractable Fe(II). Tc(VII) migration in the diffusion columns was reductively retarded with retardation degrees correlated with Tc(VII) reduction rates. The reduction rates were faster in the diffusion columns than those in the batch reactors, apparently influenced by the spatial distribution of redox-reactive minerals along transport paths that supplied Tc(VII). X-ray computed tomography and autoradiography were performed to identify the spatial locations of Tc(VII) reduction and transport paths in the sediments, and results generally confirmed the newly found behavior of reaction rate changes from batch to column. The results from this study implied that Tc(VII) migration can be reductively retarded at Hanford site with a retardation degree dependent on reactive Fe(II) content and its distribution in sediments. This study also demonstrated that an effective reaction rate may be faster in transport systems than that in well-mixed reactors.

  6. Scaling in situ cosmogenic nuclide production rates using analytical approximations to atmospheric cosmic-ray fluxes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lifton, Nathaniel; Sato, Tatsuhiko; Dunai, Tibor J.

    2014-01-01

    Several models have been proposed for scaling in situ cosmogenic nuclide production rates from the relatively few sites where they have been measured to other sites of interest. Two main types of models are recognized: (1) those based on data from nuclear disintegrations in photographic emulsions combined with various neutron detectors, and (2) those based largely on neutron monitor data. However, stubborn discrepancies between these model types have led to frequent confusion when calculating surface exposure ages from production rates derived from the models. To help resolve these discrepancies and identify the sources of potential biases in each model, we have developed a new scaling model based on analytical approximations to modeled fluxes of the main atmospheric cosmic-ray particles responsible for in situ cosmogenic nuclide production. Both the analytical formulations and the Monte Carlo model fluxes on which they are based agree well with measured atmospheric fluxes of neutrons, protons, and muons, indicating they can serve as a robust estimate of the atmospheric cosmic-ray flux based on first principles. We are also using updated records for quantifying temporal and spatial variability in geomagnetic and solar modulation effects on the fluxes. A key advantage of this new model (herein termed LSD) over previous Monte Carlo models of cosmogenic nuclide production is that it allows for faster estimation of scaling factors based on time-varying geomagnetic and solar inputs. Comparing scaling predictions derived from the LSD model with those of previously published models suggest potential sources of bias in the latter can be largely attributed to two factors: different energy responses of the secondary neutron detectors used in developing the models, and different geomagnetic parameterizations. Given that the LSD model generates flux spectra for each cosmic-ray particle of interest, it is also relatively straightforward to generate nuclide-specific scaling

  7. The role of fragmentation mechanism in large-scale vapor explosions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Jie

    2003-01-01

    A non-equilibrium, multi-phase, multi-component code PROVER-I is developed for propagation phase of vapor explosion. Two fragmentation models are used. The hydrodynamic fragmentation model is the same as Fletcher's one. A new thermal fragmentation model is proposed with three kinds of time scale for modeling instant fragmentation, spontaneous nucleation fragmentation and normal boiling fragmentation. The role of fragmentation mechanisms is investigated by the simulations of the pressure wave propagation and energy conversion ratio of ex-vessel vapor explosion. The spontaneous nucleation fragmentation results in a much higher pressure peak and a larger energy conversion ratio than hydrodynamic fragmentation. The instant fragmentation gives a slightly larger energy conversion ratio than spontaneous nucleation fragmentation, and the normal boiling fragmentation results in a smaller energy conversion ratio. The detailed analysis of the structure of pressure wave makes it clear that thermal detonation exists only under the thermal fragmentation circumstance. The high energy conversion ratio is obtained in a small vapor volume fraction. However, in larger vapor volume fraction conditions, the vapor explosion is weak. In a large-scale vapor explosion, the hydrodynamic fragmentation is essential when the pressure wave becomes strong, so a small energy conversion ratio is expected. (author)

  8. Multi-scale modeling of the thermo-hydro- mechanical behaviour of heterogeneous materials. Application to cement-based materials under severe loads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grondin, Frederic Alain

    2005-01-01

    The work of modeling presented here relates to the study of the thermo-hydro- mechanical behaviour of porous materials based on hydraulic binder such as concrete, High Performance Concrete or more generally cement-based materials. This work is based on the exploitation of the Digital Concrete model, of the finite element code Symphonie developed in the Scientific and Technical Centre for Building (CSTB), in coupling with the homogenization methods to obtain macroscopic behaviour laws drawn from the Micro-Macro relations. Scales of investigation, macroscopic and microscopic, has been exploited by simulation in order to allow the comprehension fine of the behaviour of cement-based materials according to thermal, hydrous and mechanical loads. It appears necessary to take into account various scales of modeling. In order to study the behaviour of the structure, we are brought to reduce the scale of investigation to study the material more particularly. The research tasks presented suggest a new approach for the identification of the multi-physic behaviour of materials by simulation. In complement of the purely experimental approach, based on observations on the sample with measurements of the apparent parameters on the macroscopic scale, this new approach allows to obtain the fine analysis of elementary mechanisms in acting within the material. These elementary mechanisms are at the origin of the evolution of the macroscopic parameters measured in experimental tests. In this work, coefficients of the thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour law of porous materials and the equivalent hydraulic conductivity were obtained by a multi-scales approach. Applications has been carried out on the study of the damaged behaviour of cement-based materials, in the objective to determine the elasticity tensor and the permeability tensor of a High Performance Concrete at high temperatures under a mechanical load. Also, the study of the strain evolution of cement-based materials at low

  9. Factor analysis of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale in Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broen, M P G; Moonen, A J H; Kuijf, M L; Dujardin, K; Marsh, L; Richard, I H; Starkstein, S E; Martinez-Martin, P; Leentjens, A F G

    2015-02-01

    Several studies have validated the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), and reported adequate reliability and construct validity. However, the factorial validity of the HAMD has not yet been investigated. The aim of our analysis was to explore the factor structure of the HAMD in a large sample of PD patients. A principal component analysis of the 17-item HAMD was performed on data of 341 PD patients, available from a previous cross sectional study on anxiety. An eigenvalue ≥1 was used to determine the number of factors. Factor loadings ≥0.4 in combination with oblique rotations were used to identify which variables made up the factors. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure (KMO), Cronbach's alpha, Bartlett's test, communality, percentage of non-redundant residuals and the component correlation matrix were computed to assess factor validity. KMO verified the sample's adequacy for factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha indicated a good internal consistency of the total scale. Six factors had eigenvalues ≥1 and together explained 59.19% of the variance. The number of items per factor varied from 1 to 6. Inter-item correlations within each component were low. There was a high percentage of non-redundant residuals and low communality. This analysis demonstrates that the factorial validity of the HAMD in PD is unsatisfactory. This implies that the scale is not appropriate for studying specific symptom domains of depression based on factorial structure in a PD population. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Multi-scale modelling of the physicochemical-mechanical coupling of fuel behaviour at high temperature in pressurized water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Julien, Jerome

    2008-01-01

    Within the frame of the problematic of pellet-sheath interaction in a nuclear fuel rod, a good description of the fuel thermo-mechanical behaviour is required. This research thesis reports the coupling of physics-chemistry (simulation of gas transfers between different cavities) and mechanics (assessment of fuel viscoplastic strains). A new micromechanical model is developed which uses a multi-scale approach to describe the evolution of the double population of cavities (cavities with two different scales) while taking internal pressures as well as the fuel macroscopic viscoplastic behaviour into account. The author finally describes how to couple this micromechanical mode to physics-chemistry models [fr

  11. The seesaw mechanism at TeV scale in the 3-3-1 model with right-handed neutrinos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cogollo, D.; Diniz, H.; Pires, C.A. de S.; Silva, P.S.R. da

    2008-01-01

    We implement the seesaw mechanism in the 3-3-1 model with right-handed neutrinos. This will be accomplished by the introduction of a scalar sextet into the model and the spontaneous violation of lepton number. The main result of this work is that the seesaw mechanism can work already at the TeV scale with the consequence that the right-handed neutrino masses lie in the electroweak scale, in the range from MeV to tens of GeV. This window provides a great opportunity to test their appearance at current detectors, though when we contrast our results with some previous analyses concerning the detection sensitivity at LHC, we conclude that further work is needed in order to validate this search. (orig.)

  12. Intensity modulation of cutaneous electrical stimulation: : EPs and subjective ratings

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Heide, E.M.; Buitenweg, Jan R.; Marani, Enrico; Rutten, Wim

    2006-01-01

    Chronic pain research is increasingly focused on the neuroplastic mechanisms underlying subjective pain experience. The latter is often measured using reported pain intensity, e.g. using a numeric rating scale (NRS). Evoked Potentials (EPs) reflect the cortical representation of applied stimuli and

  13. Differences Between the Childhood Autism Rating Scale and the Social Responsiveness Scale in Assessing Symptoms of Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Kuan-Lin; Lin, Chien-Ho; Yu, Tzu-Ying; Huang, Chien-Yu; Chen, Ying-Dar

    2018-04-25

    This study aimed to compare symptoms of autism spectrum disorder using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS™-2) and to investigate their influencing factors. The diagnostic agreement was 92.7%, but with a fair Kappa value (0.247). Children's verbal comprehension was related to the CARS scores, and no variables were related to the SRS™-2 scores. Generally, significant small correlations were found between the two measures in children with normal or borderline to below average verbal comprehension (rs = 0.32 ~ 0.49, p < .005), but not in those with impaired verbal comprehension. The CARS and the SRS™-2 may contain different explicit behaviors and collect different perspectives (i.e., those of caregivers and professionals). Therefore, they appear to complement each other.

  14. The impact of MRI combined with visual rating scales on the clinical diagnosis of dementia: a prospective study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Verhagen, Martijn V.; Guit, Gerard L. [Spaarne Gasthuis, Department of Radiology, Haarlem (Netherlands); Hafkamp, Gerrit Jan; Kalisvaart, Kees [Spaarne Gasthuis, Department of Geriatrics, Haarlem (Netherlands)

    2016-06-15

    Dementia is foremost a clinical diagnosis. However, in diagnosing dementia, it is advocated to perform at least one neuroimaging study. This has two purposes: to rule out potential reversible dementia (PRD), and to help determine the dementia subtype. Our first goal was to establish if MRI combined with visual rating scales changes the clinical diagnosis. The second goal was to demonstrate if MRI contributes to a geriatrician's confidence in the diagnosis. The dementia subtype was determined prior to and after MRI. Scoring scales used were: global cortical atrophy (GCA), medial temporal atrophy (MTA), and white matter hyperintensity measured according to the Fazekas scale. The confidence level of the geriatrician was determined using a visual analogue scale. One hundred and thirty-five patients were included. After MRI, the diagnosis changed in 23.7 % (CI 17.0 %-31.1 %) of patients. Change was due to vascular aetiology in 13.3 % of patients. PRD was found in 2.2 % of all patients. The confidence level in the diagnosis increased significantly after MRI (p = 0.001). MRI, combined with visual rating scales, has a significant impact on dementia subtype diagnosis and on a geriatrician's confidence in the final diagnosis. (orig.)

  15. The impact of MRI combined with visual rating scales on the clinical diagnosis of dementia: a prospective study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verhagen, Martijn V.; Guit, Gerard L.; Hafkamp, Gerrit Jan; Kalisvaart, Kees

    2016-01-01

    Dementia is foremost a clinical diagnosis. However, in diagnosing dementia, it is advocated to perform at least one neuroimaging study. This has two purposes: to rule out potential reversible dementia (PRD), and to help determine the dementia subtype. Our first goal was to establish if MRI combined with visual rating scales changes the clinical diagnosis. The second goal was to demonstrate if MRI contributes to a geriatrician's confidence in the diagnosis. The dementia subtype was determined prior to and after MRI. Scoring scales used were: global cortical atrophy (GCA), medial temporal atrophy (MTA), and white matter hyperintensity measured according to the Fazekas scale. The confidence level of the geriatrician was determined using a visual analogue scale. One hundred and thirty-five patients were included. After MRI, the diagnosis changed in 23.7 % (CI 17.0 %-31.1 %) of patients. Change was due to vascular aetiology in 13.3 % of patients. PRD was found in 2.2 % of all patients. The confidence level in the diagnosis increased significantly after MRI (p = 0.001). MRI, combined with visual rating scales, has a significant impact on dementia subtype diagnosis and on a geriatrician's confidence in the final diagnosis. (orig.)

  16. Mechanical pumping at low temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perin, J.P.; Claudet, G.; Disdier, F.

    1995-01-01

    This novel concept consist of a mechanical pump able to run at low temperature (25K). Since gas density varies inversely with temperature, this pump would deliver much higher mass flow rate than at room temperature for a given size. Advantages of this concept are order of magnitude reduction in size, weight, when compared to a conventional pump scaled to perform the same mass flow rate at room temperature. This pump would be a solution to allow continuously tritium extraction and minimize the mass inventory. (orig.)

  17. CHARACTERIZATION AND PROCESSING OF SCALES FROM THE MECHANICAL DESCALING OF CARBON STEELS FOR RECYCLING AS COATING PIGMENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anderson de Oliveira Fraga

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The large volume of solid wastes generated as scales in Steel Mills accounts to circa 1% to 2% of the total steel production and has led to studies aiming the recycling of scales, usually resulting in products of low added value. In this study, scales from the mechanical descaling of SAE 1045 steel were characterized by SEM and by quantitative X-Ray diffraction (Rietveld method, as well as by differential thermal analysis, aiming to develop its pretreatment for the further use as lamellar pigments in anticorrosive coatings of high added value. Aspect ratios between 1:50 and 1:100 were obtained by the processing of scales, which allows the replacement of other micaceous iron oxides.

  18. Depression and anxiety in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: prevalence rates based on a comparison of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) and the hospital, Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)

    OpenAIRE

    Covic Tanya; Cumming Steven R; Pallant Julie F; Manolios Nick; Emery Paul; Conaghan Philip G; Tennant Alan

    2012-01-01

    Abstract Background While it is recognised that depression is prevalent in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), recent studies have also highlighted significant levels of anxiety in RA patients. This study compared two commonly used scales, the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), in relation to their measurement range and cut points to consider the relative prevalence of both constructs, and if prevalence rates may be due to scale-specific ca...

  19. Validation of a Spanish Version of the Lille Apathy Rating Scale for Parkinson’s Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rocio García-Ramos

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. To date, no rating scales for detecting apathy in Parkinson’s disease (PD patients have been validated in Spanish. For this reason, the aim of this study was to validate a Spanish version of Lille apathy rating scale (LARS in a cohort of PD patients from Spain. Participants and Methods. 130 PD patients and 70 healthy controls were recruited to participate in the study. Apathy was measured using the Spanish version of LARS and the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI. Reliability (internal consistency, test-retest, and interrater reliability and validity (construct, content, and criterion validity were measured. Results. Interrater reliability was 0.93. Cronbach’s α for LARS was 0.81. The test-retest correlation coefficient was 0.97. The correlation between LARS and NPI scores was 0.61. The optimal cutoff point under the ROC curve was -14, whereas the value derived from healthy controls was -11. The prevalence of apathy in our population tested by LARS was 42%. Conclusions. The Spanish version of LARS is a reliable and useful tool for diagnosing apathy in PD patients. Total LARS score is influenced by the presence of depression and cognitive impairment. However, both disorders are independent identities with respect to apathy. The satisfactory reliability and validity of the scale make it an appropriate instrument for screening and diagnosing apathy in clinical practice or for research purposes.

  20. Nanoindentation study of size effect and loading rate effect on mechanical properties of a thin film metallic glass Cu49.3Zr50.7

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pang Jianjun; Tan Mingjen; Liew, K.M.; Shearwood, Christopher

    2012-01-01

    A binary metallic glass (MG) Cu 49.3 Zr 50.7 in the form of thin film was successfully grown on a Si (1 0 0) substrate by magnetron sputtering. The mechanical properties, specifically, hardness and modulus at various peak loads and loading rates were characterized through instrumented nanoindentation. Unlike other metallic glasses showing an indentation size effect (ISE), the composition of this study does not have an ISE, which is phenomenologically the result of the negligible length scale according to the strain gradient plasticity model. The proportional specimen resistance model is applicable to the load-displacement behaviors and suggests that the frictional effect is too small to contribute to the ISE. The occurrence of plasticity depends on loading rates and can be delayed so that the displacement during the load holding segment increases logarithmically. In addition, the hardness and modulus are both dependent on the loading rates as well, i.e., they increase as the loading rate increases up to 0.1 mN/s and then hold constant, which is independent of creep time (≤100 s). These loading-rate-dependent behaviors are interpreted as the result of viscoelastic effect rather than free volume kinetics.

  1. Pengukuran Beban Kerja Mental Dalam Searching Task Dengan Metode Rating Scale Mental Effort (Rsme)

    OpenAIRE

    Widyanti, Ari; Johnson, Addie; de Waard, Dick

    2010-01-01

    Metode pengukuran beban kerja mental meliputi metode obyektif dan subyektif. Metodepengukuran beban kerja mental secara subyektif yang banyak diaplikasikan di Indonesia adalahSubjective Workload Assessment Technique (SWAT) dan NASA TLX (NASA Task Load Index).SWAT dan NASA TLX adalah pengukuran subyektif yang bersifat multidimensional (multidimensionalscaling) yang relatif membutuhkan waktu dalam aplikasinya. Sebagai alternatif SWAT dan NASA TLX,Rating Scale Mental Effort (RSME) adalah satu me...

  2. A comparison of a patient-rated visual analogue scale with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for social anxiety disorder: A cross-sectional study

    OpenAIRE

    興津, 裕美

    2014-01-01

    博士(医学) 乙第2814号, 著者名:Hiromi Okitsu・Jitsuki Sawamura・Katsuji Nishimura・Yasuto Sato・Jun Ishigooka,タイトル:A comparison of a patient-rated visual analogue scale with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for social anxiety disorder: A cross-sectional study,掲載誌:Open Journal of Psychiatry (2161-7325),巻・頁・年:4巻1号 p.68~74 (2014),著作権関連情報:Copyright © 2014 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.,DOI:10.4236/ojpsych.2014.41010...

  3. Effect of additives for higher removal rate in lithium niobate chemical mechanical planarization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Sukhoon; Lee, Hyunseop; Cho, Hanchul; Lee, Sangjik; Kim, Hyoungjae; Kim, Sungryul; Park, Jaehong; Jeong, Haedo

    2010-01-01

    High roughness and a greater number of defects were created by lithium niobate (LN; LiNbO 3 ) processes such as traditional grinding and mechanical polishing (MP), should be decreased for manufacturing LN device. Therefore, an alternative process for gaining defect-free and smooth surface is needed. Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) is suitable method in the LN process because it uses a combination approach consisting of chemical and mechanical effects. First of all, we investigated the LN CMP process using commercial slurry by changing various process conditions such as down pressure and relative velocity. However, the LN CMP process time using commercial slurry was long to gain a smooth surface because of lower material removal rate (MRR). So, to improve the material removal rate (MRR), the effects of additives such as oxidizer (hydrogen peroxide; H 2 O 2 ) and complexing agent (citric acid; C 6 H 8 O 7 ) in a potassium hydroxide (KOH) based slurry, were investigated. The manufactured slurry consisting of H 2 O 2 -citric acid in the KOH based slurry shows that the MRR of the H 2 O 2 at 2 wt% and the citric acid at 0.06 M was higher than the MRR for other conditions.

  4. Determination and Interpretation of the Norm Values of Preschool Social Skills Rating Scale Teacher Form

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omeroglu, Esra; Buyukozturk, Sener; Aydogan, Yasemin; Cakan, Mehtap; Cakmak, Ebru Kilic; Ozyurek, Arzu; Akduman, Gulumser Gultekin; Gunindi, Yunus; Kutlu, Omer; Coban, Aysel; Yurt, Ozlem; Kogar, Hakan; Karayol, Seda

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed to determine and interpret norms of the Preschool Social Skills Rating Scale (PSSRS) teacher form. The sample included 224 independent preschools and 169 primary schools. The schools are distributed among 48 provinces and 3324 children were included. Data were obtained from the PSSRS teacher form. The validity and reliability…

  5. Quality of Child Care Using the Environment Rating Scales: A Meta-Analysis of International Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vermeer, Harriet J.; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H.; Cárcamo, Rodrigo A.; Harrison, Linda J.

    2016-01-01

    The current study provides a systematic examination of child care quality around the globe, using the Environment Rating Scales (ERS). Additional goals of this study are to examine associations between ERS process quality and structural features (group size, caregiver-child ratio) that underpin quality and between ERS and more proximal aspects of…

  6. Multi-rate sensor fusion-based adaptive discrete finite-time synergetic control for flexible-joint mechanical systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue Guang-Yue; Ren Xue-Mei; Xia Yuan-Qing

    2013-01-01

    This paper proposes an adaptive discrete finite-time synergetic control (ADFTSC) scheme based on a multi-rate sensor fusion estimator for flexible-joint mechanical systems in the presence of unmeasured states and dynamic uncertainties. Multi-rate sensors are employed to observe the system states which cannot be directly obtained by encoders due to the existence of joint flexibilities. By using an extended Kalman filter (EKF), the finite-time synergetic controller is designed based on a sensor fusion estimator which estimates states and parameters of the mechanical system with multi-rate measurements. The proposed controller can guarantee the finite-time convergence of tracking errors by the theoretical derivation. Simulation and experimental studies are included to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. (general)

  7. Mechanical characterization of alloys in extreme conditions of high strain rates and high temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cadoni, Ezio

    2018-03-01

    The aim of this paper is the description of the mechanical characterization of alloys under extreme conditions of temperature and loading. In fact, in the frame of the Cost Action CA15102 “Solutions for Critical Raw Materials Under Extreme Conditions (CRM-EXTREME)” this aspect is crucial and many industrial applications have to consider the dynamic response of materials. Indeed, for a reduction and substitution of CRMs in alloys is necessary to design the materials and understand if the new materials behave better or if the substitution or reduction badly affect their performance. For this reason, a deep knowledge of the mechanical behaviour at high strain-rates of considered materials is required. In general, machinery manufacturing industry or transport industry as well as energy industry have important dynamic phenomena that are simultaneously affected by extended strain, high strain-rate, damage and pressure, as well as conspicuous temperature gradients. The experimental results in extreme conditions of high strain rate and high temperature of an austenitic stainless steel as well as a high-chromium tempered martensitic reduced activation steel Eurofer97 are presented.

  8. Multi-scale approach to the mechanical behavior of SiC/SiC composites: the concept of mini-composite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamon, J.

    2007-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: The concept of composite materials is very powerful, since one can tailor the properties with respect to end use applications, through a sound combination of constituents, including fibre, matrix and inter-phases. Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) are at the forefront of advanced materials technology because of their light weight, high strength and toughness, high temperature capabilities and graceful failure under loading. This key behaviour is achieved by proper design of the fiber/matrix interface which helps in arresting and deflecting the cracks formed in the brittle matrix under load and preventing the early failure of the fiber arrangement. Ceramic matrix composites are considered as enabling technology for advanced aero-propulsion, space power, aerospace vehicles, space structures, ground transportation, as well as nuclear and chemical industries. During the last 30 years, tremendous progress has been made in the development of CMCs. Much research work has been conducted by LCTS on those SiC/SiC composites made via Chemical Vapor Infiltration. A multi-scale approach to mechanical behaviour has been developed. This multi-scale approach is aimed at relating the mechanical behaviour at macroscopic scale to constituent properties. It involves experiments and modelling. It allows chemical effects to be introduced in the models of mechanical behaviour. The present paper discusses the main features of the mechanical behaviour of textile SiC/SiC composites. These features are related to composite microstructure, properties of constituents (fibers, matrix and interphase) and fiber arrangement. Relationships between properties at different scales are established. Then the mini-composite concept is addressed. This concept is very powerful for composite design and investigation. Mini-composites consist of unidirectional composites reinforced by multi-filament tows. Mini-composites represent the mesoscale of textile composites. In

  9. Effect of the heating rate on residual thermo-hydro-mechanical properties of a high-strength concrete in the context of nuclear waste storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galle, C.; Pin, M.; Ranc, G.; Rodrigues, S.

    2003-01-01

    Concrete is likely to be used in massive structures for nuclear waste long-term storage facilities in France. In the framework of vitrified waste and spent fuel management, these structures could be submitted to high temperatures. In standard conditions, ambient temperature should not exceed 60 degC but in case of failure of a cooling system, concretes could be temporarily exposed to temperatures up to 250 degC. Depending on the temperature rise kinetics, concretes could be damaged to a greater or lesser extent. In this context, an experimental study on the effect of heating rate on concrete thermo-hydro-mechanical properties exposed to high temperatures (110 - 250 degC) was carried out at the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). Data analysis and interpretation provided enough arguments to conclude that, at local scale, the impact of heating rate on residual properties was real though relatively limited. (author)

  10. The Relationship between the "Childhood Autism Rating Scale: Second Edition" and Clinical Diagnosis Utilizing the DSM-IV-TR and the DSM-5

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dawkins, Tamara; Meyer, Allison T.; Van Bourgondien, Mary E.

    2016-01-01

    "The Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition" (CARS2; 2010) includes two rating scales; the CARS2-Standard Version (CARS2-ST) and the newly developed CARS2-High Functioning Version (CARS2-HF). To assess the diagnostic agreement between the CARS2 and DSM-IV-TR versus DSM-5 criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), clinicians at…

  11. A rate-dependent multi-scale crack model for concrete

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Karamnejad, A.; Nguyen, V.P.; Sluys, L.J.

    2013-01-01

    A multi-scale numerical approach for modeling cracking in heterogeneous quasi-brittle materials under dynamic loading is presented. In the model, a discontinuous crack model is used at macro-scale to simulate fracture and a gradient-enhanced damage model has been used at meso-scale to simulate

  12. Replication of engine block cylinder bridge microstructure and mechanical properties with lab scale 319 Al alloy billet castings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lombardi, A.; D'Elia, F.; Ravindran, C.; MacKay, R.

    2014-01-01

    In recent years, aluminum alloy gasoline engine blocks have in large part successfully replaced nodular cast iron engine blocks, resulting in improved vehicle fuel efficiency. However, because of the inadequate wear resistance properties of hypoeutectic Al–Si alloys, gray iron cylinder liners are required. These liners cause the development of large tensile residual stress along the cylinder bores and necessitate the maximization of mechanical properties in this region to prevent premature engine failure. The aim of this study was to replicate the engine cylinder bridge microstructure and mechanical properties following TSR treatment (which removes the sand binder to enable easy casting retrieval) using lab scale billet castings of the same alloy composition with varying cooling rates. Comparisons in microstructure between the engine block and the billet castings were carried out using optical and scanning electron microscopy, while mechanical properties were assessed using tensile testing. The results suggest that the microstructure at the top and middle of the engine block cylinder bridge was successfully replicated by the billet castings. However, the microstructure at the bottom of the cylinder was not completely replicated due to variations in secondary phase morphology and distribution. The successful replication of engine block microstructure will enable the future optimization of heat treatment parameters. - Highlights: • A method to replicate engine block microstructure was developed. • Billet castings will allow cost effective optimization of heat treatment process. • The replication of microstructure in the cylinder region was mostly successful. • Porosity was more clustered in the billet castings compared to the engine block. • Mechanical properties were lower in billet castings due to porosity and inclusions

  13. Replication of engine block cylinder bridge microstructure and mechanical properties with lab scale 319 Al alloy billet castings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lombardi, A., E-mail: a2lombar@ryerson.ca [Centre for Near-net-shape Processing of Materials, Ryerson University, 101 Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Ontario M5B2K3 (Canada); D' Elia, F.; Ravindran, C. [Centre for Near-net-shape Processing of Materials, Ryerson University, 101 Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Ontario M5B2K3 (Canada); MacKay, R. [Nemak of Canada Corporation, 4600 G.N. Booth Drive, Windsor, Ontario N9C4G8 (Canada)

    2014-01-15

    In recent years, aluminum alloy gasoline engine blocks have in large part successfully replaced nodular cast iron engine blocks, resulting in improved vehicle fuel efficiency. However, because of the inadequate wear resistance properties of hypoeutectic Al–Si alloys, gray iron cylinder liners are required. These liners cause the development of large tensile residual stress along the cylinder bores and necessitate the maximization of mechanical properties in this region to prevent premature engine failure. The aim of this study was to replicate the engine cylinder bridge microstructure and mechanical properties following TSR treatment (which removes the sand binder to enable easy casting retrieval) using lab scale billet castings of the same alloy composition with varying cooling rates. Comparisons in microstructure between the engine block and the billet castings were carried out using optical and scanning electron microscopy, while mechanical properties were assessed using tensile testing. The results suggest that the microstructure at the top and middle of the engine block cylinder bridge was successfully replicated by the billet castings. However, the microstructure at the bottom of the cylinder was not completely replicated due to variations in secondary phase morphology and distribution. The successful replication of engine block microstructure will enable the future optimization of heat treatment parameters. - Highlights: • A method to replicate engine block microstructure was developed. • Billet castings will allow cost effective optimization of heat treatment process. • The replication of microstructure in the cylinder region was mostly successful. • Porosity was more clustered in the billet castings compared to the engine block. • Mechanical properties were lower in billet castings due to porosity and inclusions.

  14. Multi-scale modelling and simulation of the thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior of concrete with explicit representation of cracking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tognevi, Amen

    2012-01-01

    The concrete structures of nuclear power plants can be subjected to moderate thermo-hydric loadings characterized by temperatures of the order of hundred of degrees in service conditions as well as in accidental ones. These loadings can be at the origin of important disorders, in particular cracking which accelerate hydric transfers in the structure. In the framework of the study of durability of these structures, a coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model denoted THMs has been developed at Laboratoire d'Etude du Comportement des Betons et des Argiles (LECBA) of CEA Saclay in order to perform simulations of the concrete behavior submitted to such loadings. In this work, we focus on the improvement in the model THMs in one hand of the assessment of the mechanical and hydro-mechanical parameters of the unsaturated micro-cracked material and in the other hand of the description of cracking in terms of opening and propagation. The first part is devoted to the development of a model based on a multi-scale description of cement-based materials starting from the scale of the main hydrated products (portlandite, ettringite, C-S-H etc.) to the macroscopic scale of the cracked material. The investigated parameters are obtained at each scale of the description by applying analytical homogenization techniques. The second part concerns a fine numerical description of cracking. To this end, we choose to use combined finite element and discrete element methods. This procedure is presented and illustrated through a series of mechanical tests in order to show the feasibility of the method and to proceed to its validation. Finally, we apply the procedure to a heated wall and the proposed method for estimating the permeability shows the interest to take into account an anisotropic permeability tensor when dealing with mass transfers in cracked concrete structures. (author) [fr

  15. Shifts in mass-scaling of respiration, feeding, and growth rates across life-form transitions in marine pelagic organisms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kiørboe, Thomas; Hirst, Andrew G.

    2014-01-01

    The metabolic rate of organisms may be viewed as a basic property from which other vital rates and many ecological patterns emerge and that follows a universal allometric mass scaling law, or it may be considered a property of the organism that emerges as a result of the adaptation to the environ...... and be the result of the optimization of trade-offs that allow sufficient feeding and growth rates to balance mortality...

  16. Impact of Rating Scale Categories on Reliability and Fit Statistics of the Malay Spiritual Well-Being Scale using Rasch Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daher, Aqil Mohammad; Ahmad, Syed Hassan; Winn, Than; Selamat, Mohd Ikhsan

    2015-01-01

    Few studies have employed the item response theory in examining reliability. We conducted this study to examine the effect of Rating Scale Categories (RSCs) on the reliability and fit statistics of the Malay Spiritual Well-Being Scale, employing the Rasch model. The Malay Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) with the original six; three and four newly structured RSCs was distributed randomly among three different samples of 50 participants each. The mean age of respondents in the three samples ranged between 36 and 39 years old. The majority was female in all samples, and Islam was the most prevalent religion among the respondents. The predominating race was Malay, followed by Chinese and Indian. The original six RSCs indicated better targeting of 0.99 and smallest model error of 0.24. The Infit Mnsq (mean square) and Zstd (Z standard) of the six RSCs were "1.1"and "-0.1"respectively. The six RSCs achieved the highest person and item reliabilities of 0.86 and 0.85 respectively. These reliabilities yielded the highest person (2.46) and item (2.38) separation indices compared to other the RSCs. The person and item reliability and, to a lesser extent, the fit statistics, were better with the six RSCs compared to the four and three RSCs.

  17. Deformation mechanisms and irradiation effects in zirconium alloys. A multi-scale study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Onimus, Fabien

    2015-01-01

    Zirconium alloys have been used for more than 30 years in the nuclear industry as structural materials for the fuel assemblies of pressurized water reactors. In particular, the cladding tube, made of zirconium alloys, constitutes the first barrier against the dissemination of radioactive elements. It is therefore essential to have a good understanding and prediction of the mechanical behavior of these materials in various conditions. The work presented in this dissertation deals with an experimental study and numerical simulations, at several length scales, of the deformation mechanisms and the mechanical behavior of zirconium alloys before irradiation, but also after irradiation and under irradiation. The mechanical behavior of zirconium single crystal has been determined, during an original study, using tensile test specimens containing large grains. Based on this study, crystal plasticity constitutive laws have been proposed. A polycrystalline model has also been developed to simulate the behavior of unirradiated zirconium alloys. A thorough Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) study has been able to clarify the deformation mechanisms of zirconium alloys occurring after irradiation. The clearing of loops by gliding dislocations leading to the dislocation channeling mechanism has been studied in details. This phenomenon has also been simulated using a dislocation dynamics code. The macroscopic consequences of this process have also been analyzed. A polycrystalline model taking into account the specificity of this mechanism has eventually been proposed. This approach has then been extended to the post-irradiation creep behavior. The recovery of radiation defects during creep tests has been characterized by TEM and modeled using cluster dynamics method. Deformation modes during creep have also been studied and a simple model for the creep behavior has eventually been proposed. Finally, the mechanism responsible for the acceleration of irradiation growth that

  18. Scaling of volume to surface ratio and doubling time in growing unicellular organisms: Do cells appear quantum-mechanical systems?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atanasov, Atanas Todorov

    2014-10-01

    The scaling of physical and biological characteristics of the living organisms is a basic method for searching of new biophysical laws. In series of previous studies the author showed that in Poikilotherms, Mammals and Aves, the volume to surface ratio V×S-1 (m) of organisms is proportional to their generation time Tgt(s) via growth rate v (m s-1): V×S-1 = vgr×Tr. The power and the correlation coefficients are near to 1.0. Aim of this study is: i) to prove with experimental data the validity of the above equation for Unicellular organisms and ii) to show that perhaps, the cells are quantum-mechanical systems. The data for body mass M (kg), density ρ (kg/m3), minimum and maximum doubling time Tdt (s) for 50 unicellular organisms are assembled from scientific sources, and the computer program `Statistics' is used for calculations. In result i) the analytical relationship from type: V×S-1 = 4.46ṡ10-11×Tdt was found, where vgr = 4.46×10-11 m/s and ii) it is shown that the products between cell mass M, cell length expressed by V/S ratio and growth rate vgr satisfied the Heisenberg uncertainty principle i.e. the inequalities V/S×M×vgr>h/2π and Tdt×M×vgr2>h/2π are valid, where h= 6.626×10-34 Jṡs is the Planck constant. This rise the question: do cells appear quantum-mechanical systems?

  19. Poly(amido-amine)-based hydrogels with tailored mechanical properties and degradation rates for tissue engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martello, Federico; Tocchio, Alessandro; Tamplenizza, Margherita; Gerges, Irini; Pistis, Valentina; Recenti, Rossella; Bortolin, Monica; Del Fabbro, Massimo; Argentiere, Simona; Milani, Paolo; Lenardi, Cristina

    2014-03-01

    Poly(amido-amine) (PAA) hydrogels containing the 2,2-bisacrylamidoacetic acid-4-amminobutyl guanidine monomeric unit have a known ability to enhance cellular adhesion by interacting with the arginin-glycin-aspartic acid (RGD)-binding αVβ3 integrin, expressed by a wide number of cell types. Scientific interest in this class of materials has traditionally been hampered by their poor mechanical properties and restricted range of degradation rate. Here we present the design of novel biocompatible, RGD-mimic PAA-based hydrogels with wide and tunable degradation rates as well as improved mechanical and biological properties for biomedical applications. This is achieved by radical polymerization of acrylamide-terminated PAA oligomers in both the presence and absence of 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate. The degradation rate is found to be precisely tunable by adjusting the PAA oligomer molecular weight and acrylic co-monomer concentration in the starting reaction mixture. Cell adhesion and proliferation tests on Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells show that PAA-based hydrogels have the capacity to promote cell adhesion up to 200% compared to the control. Mechanical tests show higher compressive strength of acrylic chain containing hydrogels compared to traditional PAA hydrogels. Copyright © 2013 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Validation of Montgomery-Åsberg Rating Scale and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia in Brazilian elderly patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Portugal, Maria da Glória; Coutinho, Evandro Silva Freire; Almeida, Cloyra; Barca, Maria Lage; Knapskog, Anne-Brita; Engedal, Knut; Laks, Jerson

    2012-08-01

    There are few studies on validation of depression scales in the elderly in Latin America. This study aimed to assess the validity of Montgomery-Åsberg. Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) in Brazilian elderly outpatients. A convenience sample of 95 outpatients was diagnosed for dementia and depression according to DSM-IV-TR, ICD-10, and PDC-dAD criteria. Receiver Operating Curves (ROC) were used to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) and to assess MADRS and CSDD cut-offs for each diagnostic criterion. Dementia was diagnosed in 71 of 95 patients. Depression was diagnosed in 35, 30, and 51 patients by ICD-10, DSM-IV, and PDC-dAD, respectively. MADRS cut-off score of 10 correctly diagnosed 67.4% and 66.3% patients as depressed according to DSM-IV and ICD-10. A cut-off of 9 correctly identified 74.7% by PDC-dAD criteria; a CSDD cut-off score of 13 best recognized depression according to DSM-IV and ICD-10. A score of 11 diagnosed depression according to PDC-dAD, while MADRS = 9 recognized depression in dementia. CSDD was more efficient in showing depression in mild than in moderate/severe dementia according to DSM-IV/ICD-10. PDC-dAD behaved nicely for any severity stage. MADRS and CSDD cut-offs of 10 and 13 were the optimal ones to diagnose depression in elderly, respectively. CSDD cut-offs are higher than those found in other countries. Other Latin American studies are needed to compare results with our study.

  1. Resurgent Toba – field, chronologic, and model constraints on time scales and mechanisms of resurgence at large calderas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shanaka L De Silva

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available New data reveal details of the post-caldera history at the Earth’s youngest resurgent supervolcano, Toba caldera in Sumatra. Resurgence after the caldera-forming ~74 ka Youngest Toba Tuff eruption uplifted the caldera floor as a resurgent dome, Samosir Island, capped with 100m of lake sediments. 14C age data from the uppermost datable sediments reveal that Samosir Island was submerged beneath lake level (~900m a.s.l ~33.7 ky. Since then, Samosir experienced 700m of uplift as a tilted block dipping to the west. Using 14C ages and elevations of sediment along a transect of Samosir reveal that minimum uplift rates were ~4.9 cm/yr from ~33.7 to 22.5 ka, but diminished to ~0.7 cm/yr after 22.5ka. Thermo-mechanical models informed by these rates reveal that detumescence does not produce the uplift nor the uplift rates estimated for Samosir. However, models calculating the effect of volume change of the magma reservoir within a temperature-dependent viscoelastic host rock reveal that a single pulse of ~475 km3 of magma produces a better fit to the uplift data than a constant flux. Reproducing the uplift rates require more sophisticated models. Motivation for resurgent uplift of the caldera floor is rebound of remnant magma as the system re-established magmastatic and isostatic equilibrium after the caldera collapse. Previous assertions that the caldera floor was apparently at 400m a.s.l or lower requires that uplift must have initiated between sometime between 33.7 ka and 74 ka at a minimum average uplift rate of ~1.1 cm/ year. The change in uplift rate from pre-33.7 ka to immediately post-33.7 ka suggests a role for deep recharge augmenting rebound. Average minimum rates of resurgent uplift at Toba are at least an order of magnitude slower than net rates of restlessness at currently active calderas. This connotes a distinction between resurgence and restlessness controlled by different processes, scales of process, and controlling variables.

  2. Muscle-tendon mechanics explain unexpected effects of exoskeleton assistance on metabolic rate during walking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Rachel W; Dembia, Christopher L; Delp, Scott L; Collins, Steven H

    2017-06-01

    The goal of this study was to gain insight into how ankle exoskeletons affect the behavior of the plantarflexor muscles during walking. Using data from previous experiments, we performed electromyography-driven simulations of musculoskeletal dynamics to explore how changes in exoskeleton assistance affected plantarflexor muscle-tendon mechanics, particularly for the soleus. We used a model of muscle energy consumption to estimate individual muscle metabolic rate. As average exoskeleton torque was increased, while no net exoskeleton work was provided, a reduction in tendon recoil led to an increase in positive mechanical work performed by the soleus muscle fibers. As net exoskeleton work was increased, both soleus muscle fiber force and positive mechanical work decreased. Trends in the sum of the metabolic rates of the simulated muscles correlated well with trends in experimentally observed whole-body metabolic rate ( R 2 =0.9), providing confidence in our model estimates. Our simulation results suggest that different exoskeleton behaviors can alter the functioning of the muscles and tendons acting at the assisted joint. Furthermore, our results support the idea that the series tendon helps reduce positive work done by the muscle fibers by storing and returning energy elastically. We expect the results from this study to promote the use of electromyography-driven simulations to gain insight into the operation of muscle-tendon units and to guide the design and control of assistive devices. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  3. Effect of strain rate on the mechanical properties of a gum metal with various microstructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Silu; Pan, Z.L.; Zhao, Y.H.; Topping, T.; Valiev, R.Z.; Liao, X.Z.; Lavernia, E.J.; Zhu, Y.T.; Wei, Q.

    2017-01-01

    In this work, a bulk gum metal (GM) was fabricated via arc melting from high purity powders. The ingots were first extruded using a conventional route followed by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). The mechanical behavior of the extruded GM and ECAP-processed GM was studied under both quasi-static and high strain rate compression conditions to evaluate the influence of strain rate. In addition, the associated mechanical anisotropy, or the lack thereof, was investigated through loading in different orientations with respect to the extrusion or ECAP direction. Precipitous stress drops were observed under dynamic compression of both extruded and ECAP-processed GM specimens when loading perpendicular to the extrusion direction. Adiabatic shear banding (ASB) was found to be associated with the precipitous stress drops on the dynamic stress-strain curves. The details of the ASBs were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy, with emphasis on electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). The mechanisms responsible for the formation of ASB were examined both from thermal softening and geometrical softening perspectives. Significant microstructure refinement within ASBs was established, and a possible grain refinement mechanism was proposed.

  4. The multiple sclerosis rating scale, revised (MSRS-R: Development, refinement, and psychometric validation using an online community

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wicks Paul

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In developing the PatientsLikeMe online platform for patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS, we required a patient-reported assessment of functional status that was easy to complete and identified disability in domains other than walking. Existing measures of functional status were inadequate, clinician-reported, focused on walking, and burdensome to complete. In response, we developed the Multiple Sclerosis Rating Scale (MSRS. Methods We adapted a clinician-rated measure, the Guy’s Neurological Disability Scale, to a self-report scale and deployed it to an online community. As part of our validation process we reviewed discussions between patients, conducted patient cognitive debriefing, and made minor improvements to form a revised scale (MSRS-R before deploying a cross-sectional survey to patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS on the PatientsLikeMe platform. The survey included MSRS-R and comparator measures: MSIS-29, PDDS, NARCOMS Performance Scales, PRIMUS, and MSWS-12. Results In total, 816 RRMS patients responded (19% response rate. The MSRS-R exhibited high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = .86. The MSRS-R walking item was highly correlated with alternative walking measures (PDDS, ρ = .84; MSWS-12, ρ = .83; NARCOMS mobility question, ρ = .86. MSRS-R correlated well with comparison instruments and differentiated between known groups by PDDS disease stage and relapse burden in the past two years. Factor analysis suggested a single factor accounting for 51.5% of variance. Conclusions The MSRS-R is a concise measure of MS-related functional disability, and may have advantages for disease measurement over longer and more burdensome instruments that are restricted to a smaller number of domains or measure quality of life. Studies are underway describing the use of the instrument in contexts outside our online platform such as clinical practice or trials. The MSRS-R is released for use under

  5. Dependability and Treatment Sensitivity of Multi-Item Direct Behavior Rating Scales for Interpersonal Peer Conflict

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniels, Brian; Volpe, Robert J.; Briesch, Amy M.; Gadow, Kenneth D.

    2017-01-01

    Direct behavior rating (DBR) represents a feasible method for monitoring student behavior in the classroom; however, limited work to date has focused on the use of multi-item scales. The purposes of the study were to examine the (a) dependability of data obtained from a multi-item DBR designed to assess peer conflict and (b) treatment sensitivity…

  6. Multi-scales modeling of reactive transport mechanisms. Impact on petrophysical properties during CO2 storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varloteaux, C.

    2012-01-01

    The geo-sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is an attractive option to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Within carbonate reservoirs, acidification of brine in place can occur during CO 2 injection. This acidification leads to mineral dissolution which can modify the transport properties of a solute in porous media. The aim of this study is to quantify the impact of reactive transport on a solute distribution and on the structural modification induced by the reaction from the pore to the reservoir scale. This study is focused on reactive transport problem in the case of single phase flow in the limit of long time. To do so, we used a multi-scale up-scaling method that takes into account (i) the local scale, where flow, reaction and transport are known; (ii) the pore scale, where the reactive transport is addressed by using averaged formulation of the local equations; (iii) the Darcy scale (also called core scale), where the structure of the rock is taken into account by using a three-dimensions network of pore-bodies connected by pore-throats; and (iv) the reservoir scale, where physical phenomenon, within each cell of the reservoir model, are taken into account by introducing macroscopic coefficients deduced from the study of these phenomenon at the Darcy scale, such as the permeability, the apparent reaction rate, the solute apparent velocity and dispersion. (author)

  7. Investigating self-esteem in individuals with schizophrenia: relevance of the Self-Esteem Rating Scale-Short Form.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lecomte, Tania; Corbière, Marc; Laisné, François

    2006-06-30

    Studies investigating self-esteem in individuals with severe mental illness, either as a treatment goal, outcome or correlate to other variables, have increased over the past few years. One of the main difficulties in assessing self-esteem is the assessment itself, often measuring global and stable self-esteem as in the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, or requiring extensive training and long interviews. The present article aims at demonstrating the relevance of the French and English versions of the Self-Esteem Rating Scale-Short Form with individuals with severe mental illness. The instrument's reliability and validity were investigated in a sample of 250 French Canadian college students, 247 British college students and three samples of English- or French-speaking individuals with severe mental illness (N=254, N=150 and N=171). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a shorter version of the instrument (20 items), with a positive and a negative self-esteem factor, had a great validity for all the samples studied. The Self-Esteem Rating Scale-Short Form, with its positive and negative self-esteem subscales, appears to be a valid and reliable self-esteem measure for individuals with mental health problems. Limitations of this study and future directions are discussed.

  8. Scaling of Polymer Degradation Rate within a High-Reynolds-Number Turbulent Boundary Layer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elbing, Brian; Solomon, Michael; Perlin, Marc; Dowling, David; Ceccio, Steven

    2009-11-01

    An experiment conducted at the U.S. Navy's Large Cavitation Channel on a 12.9 m long flat-plate test model produced the first quantitative measurements of polymer molecular weight within a turbulent boundary layer. Testing was conducted at speeds to 20 m/s and downstream distance based Reynolds numbers to 220 million. These results showed that the rate of polymer degradation by scission of the polymer chains increases with increased speed, downstream distance and surface roughness. With the surface fully rough at 20 m/s there was no measureable level of drag reduction at the first measurement location (0.56 m downstream of injection). These results are scaled with the assumption that the rate of degradation is dependent on the polymer residence time in the flow and the local shear rate. A successful collapse of the data within the measurement uncertainty was achieved over a range of flow speed (6.6 to 20 m/s), surface roughness (smooth and fully rough) and downstream distance from injection (0.56 to 9.28 m).

  9. Experiment using laboratory scale extruder. Fluid behavior in twin-screw extruder

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Hiroshi; Miura, Akihiko

    1999-09-01

    All evidences and chemical data suggest non-chemical heating mechanism raised the filling temperature of the bituminized product. But they indicate the filling temperature was higher than before at the incident. We estimated the physical heat mechanism in the extruder. It is well known that the viscous-heating occurs in mixing process in extruders. In order to confirm the behavior of the torque and temperature, some experiment using laboratory scale extruder were performed. The result of the experiment using laboratory scale extruder showed that the phenomena of salt enrichment and salt accumulation were observed and they raised mixture temperature at the decreased feed rate. These phenomena depend on the feed rate. It is considered that they have large contribution to heat transportation and operational torque due to the friction between screw and mixture. In this report, all experiment result are explained. (author)

  10. Factor structure of Bech's version of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale in Brazilian patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.A.S. Crippa

    2002-10-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the present study was to evaluate the factor structure of Bech's version of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS, translated into Portuguese. The BPRS was administered to a heterogeneous group of psychiatric inpatients (N = 98 and outpatients (N = 62 in a University Hospital. Each patient was evaluated from one to eight times. The interval between consecutive interviews was one week for the inpatients and one month for the outpatients. The results were submitted to factorial analysis. The internal consistency of the total scale and of each factor was also estimated. Factorial analysis followed by normalized orthogonal rotation (Varimax yielded four factors: Withdrawal-Retardation, Thinking Disorder, Anxious-Depression and Activation. Internal consistency measured by Cronbach's alpha coefficient ranged from 0.766 to 0.879. The data show that the factor structure of the present instrument is similar to that of the American version of the BPRS which contains 18 items, except for the absence of the fifth factor of the latter scale, Hostile-Suspiciousness.

  11. Structural and mechanical multi-scale characterization of white New-Zealand rabbit Achilles tendon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahn, Cyril J F; Dumas, Dominique; Arab-Tehrany, Elmira; Marie, Vanessa; Tran, Nguyen; Wang, Xiong; Cleymand, Franck

    2013-10-01

    Multi-scale characterization of structures and mechanical behavior of biological tissues are of huge importance in order to evaluate the quality of a biological tissue and/or to provide bio-inspired scaffold for functional tissue engineering. Indeed, the more information on main biological tissue structures we get, the more relevant we will be to design new functional prostheses for regenerative medicine or to accurately evaluate tissues. From this perspective, we have investigated the structures and their mechanical properties from nanoscopic to macroscopic scale of fresh ex-vivo white New-Zealand rabbit Achilles tendon using second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and tensile tests to provide a "simple" model whose parameters are relevant of its micro or nano structure. Thus, collagen fiber's crimping was identified then measured from SHG images as a plane sine wave with 28.4 ± 5.8 μm of amplitude and 141 ± 41 μm of wavelength. Young's moduli of fibrils (3.0 GPa) and amorphous phases (223 MPa) were obtained using TH-AFM. From these investigations, a non-linear Zener model linking a statistical Weibull's distribution of taut fibers under traction to crimp fibers were developed. This model showed that for small strain (tendon observations under static or dynamic solicitations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Reliability, validity and treatment sensitivity of the Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keefe, Richard S E; Davis, Vicki G; Spagnola, Nathan B; Hilt, Dana; Dgetluck, Nancy; Ruse, Stacy; Patterson, Thomas D; Narasimhan, Meera; Harvey, Philip D

    2015-02-01

    Cognitive functioning can be assessed with performance-based assessments such as neuropsychological tests and with interview-based assessments. Both assessment methods have the potential to assess whether treatments for schizophrenia improve clinically relevant aspects of cognitive impairment. However, little is known about the reliability, validity and treatment responsiveness of interview-based measures, especially in the context of clinical trials. Data from two studies were utilized to assess these features of the Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (SCoRS). One of the studies was a validation study involving 79 patients with schizophrenia assessed at 3 academic research centers in the US. The other study was a 32-site clinical trial conducted in the US and Europe comparing the effects of encenicline, an alpha-7 nicotine agonist, to placebo in 319 patients with schizophrenia. The SCoRS interviewer ratings demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability in several different circumstances, including those that did not involve treatment (ICC> 0.90), and during treatment (ICC>0.80). SCoRS interviewer ratings were related to cognitive performance as measured by the MCCB (r=-0.35), and demonstrated significant sensitivity to treatment with encenicline compared to placebo (Pcognition in schizophrenia, and may be useful for clinical practice. The weaknesses of the SCoRS include its reliance on informant information, which is not available for some patients, and reduced validity when patient's self-report is the sole information source. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

  13. Effect of heating rate on the mechanical properties and microstructure of Ti(C,N)-based cermets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Qingzhong; Ai, Xing, E-mail: aixingsdu@163.com; Zhao, Jun; Zhang, Hongshan; Qin, Wenzhen; Gong, Feng

    2015-03-25

    An appropriate heating rate in the sintering process is crucial to obtain the Ti(C,N)-based cermets with superior properties. In this paper, Ti(C,N)-based cermets were sintered to investigate the influence of heating rate on the mechanical properties and microstructure of the cermet materials. The transverse rupture strength (TRS), Vickers hardness (HV) and fracture toughness (K{sub IC}) were tested. The microstructure, indention crack, fracture morphology and phase composition of the cermets were also studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results reveal that the heating rate has a great influence on the mechanical properties and microstructure of Ti(C,N)-based cermets. The cermets sintered at the heating rate of 3 °C/min between 1300 °C and 1430 °C have the optimum comprehensive mechanical properties with a transverse rupture strength of 1605±107 MPa, a hardness of 12.02±0.25 GPa and a fracture toughness of 10.73±0.40 MPa m{sup 1/2}. The heating rate can affect the reaction among the constituents of Ti(C,N)-based cermets and then influence the elements distribution in the core–rim microstructures and the lattice parameter of Ti(C,N) phase. When the heating rate is between 2 °C/min and 5 °C/min, the lower the heating rate is, the coarser the Ti(C,N) grains become. A higher heating rate is detrimental to the formation of core–rim microstructures, and a lower heating rate can result in grain coarsening and inhomogeneous microstructure. The observation of indention cracks and fracture surfaces show that the intergranular cracks and intergranular fractures mainly occur in the cermets with larger binder mean free path and medium grains. While the cleavage fractures appear more in the cermets with grain coarsening, and the transgranular fractures exist more in the cermets with non-fully developed fine grains.

  14. Evidence Based Clinical Assessment of Child and Adolescent Social Phobia: A Critical Review of Rating Scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tulbure, Bogdan T.; Szentagotai, Aurora; Dobrean, Anca; David, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    Investigating the empirical support of various assessment instruments, the evidence based assessment approach expands the scientific basis of psychotherapy. Starting from Hunsley and Mash's evaluative framework, we critically reviewed the rating scales designed to measure social anxiety or phobia in youth. Thirteen of the most researched social…

  15. Catestatin, vasostatin, cortisol, temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, scores of the short form of the Glasgow composite measure pain scale and visual analog scale for stress and pain behavior in dogs before and after ovariohysterectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srithunyarat, Thanikul; Höglund, Odd V; Hagman, Ragnvi; Olsson, Ulf; Stridsberg, Mats; Lagerstedt, Anne-Sofie; Pettersson, Ann

    2016-08-02

    The stress reaction induced by surgery and associated pain may be detrimental for patient recovery and should be minimized. The neuropeptide chromogranin A (CGA) has shown promise as a sensitive biomarker for stress in humans. Little is known about CGA and its derived peptides, catestatin (CST) and vasostatin (VS), in dogs undergoing surgery. The objectives of this study were to investigate and compare concentrations of CGA epitopes CST and VS, cortisol, body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, scores of the short form of the Glasgow composite measure pain scale (CMPS-SF) and visual analog scales (VAS) for stress and pain behavior in dogs before and after ovariohysterectomy. Thirty healthy privately owned female dogs admitted for elective ovariohysterectomy were included. Physical examination, CMPS-SF, pain behavior VAS, and stress behavior VAS were recorded and saliva and blood samples were collected before surgery, 3 h after extubation, and once at recall 7-15 days after surgery. Dogs were premedicated with morphine and received carprofen as analgesia for 7 days during the postoperative period. At 3 h after extubation, CMPS-SF and pain behavior VAS scores had increased (p stress behavior VAS scores, temperature, respiratory rate (p stress and pain changed in dogs subjected to ovariohysterectomy. To further evaluate CST and VS usefulness as pain biomarkers, studies on dogs in acute painful situations are warranted.

  16. A Chinese version of the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales: psychometric properties in recent-onset and chronic psychosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chien, Wai-Tong; Lee, Isabella Yuet-Ming; Wang, Li-Qun

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to test the reliability, validity, and factor structure of a Chinese version of the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale (PSYRATS) in 198 and 202 adult patients with recent-onset and chronic psychosis, respectively. The PSYRATS has been translated into different language versions and has been validated for clinical and research use mainly in chronic psychotic patients but not in recent-onset psychosis patients or in Chinese populations. The psychometric analysis of the translated Chinese version included assessment of its content validity, semantic equivalence, interrater and test-retest reliability, reproducibility, sensitivity to changes in psychotic symptoms, internal consistency, concurrent validity (compared to a valid psychotic symptom scale), and factor structure. The Chinese version demonstrated very satisfactory content validity as rated by an expert panel, good semantic equivalence with the original version, and high interrater and test-retest (at 2-week interval) reliability. It also indicated very good reproducibility of and sensitivity to changes in psychotic symptoms in line with the symptom severity measured with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The scale consisted of four factors for the hallucination subscale and two factors for the delusion subscale, explaining about 80% of the total variance of the construct, indicating satisfactory correlations between the hallucination and delusion factors themselves, between items, factors, subscales, and overall scale, and between factors and relevant item and subscale scores of the PANSS. The Chinese version of the PSYRATS is a reliable and valid instrument to measure symptom severity in Chinese psychotic patients complementary to other existing measures mainly in English language.

  17. New Insight in Understanding the mechanical responses of polymer glasses using molecular dynamic simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Yexin; Wang, Shi-Qing; Tsige, Mesfin

    The Kremer-Grest bead-spring model has been the standard model in molecular dynamics simulation of polymer glasses. However, due to current computational limitations in accessing relevant time scales in polymer glasses in a reasonable amount of CPU time, simulation of mechanical response of polymer glasses in molecular dynamic simulations requires a much higher quenching rate and deformation rate than used in experiments. Despite several orders of magnitude difference in time scale between simulation and experiment, previous studies have shown that simulations can produce meaningful results that can be directly compared with experimental results. In this work we show that by tuning the quenching rate and deformation rate relative to the segmental relaxation times, a reasonable mechanical response shows up in the glassy state. Specifically, we show a younger glass prepared with a faster quenching rate shows glassy responses only when the imposed deformation rate is proportionally higher. the National Science Foundation (DMR-1444859 and DMR-1609977).

  18. Utility of a Validated Rating Scale for Self-Assessment in Microsurgical Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grant, Aaron L; Temple-Oberle, Claire

    The purpose of this study is to determine the utility of self-assessment in microsurgical training using a previously validated rating scale. A prospective study of surgical residents taking a hands-on 5-day microsurgical training course. Learners completed multiple self-assessments of their technical skills using the University of Western Ontario Microsurgical Acquisition/Assessment instrument. Simultaneously, preceptors assessed the learners using the same scale. Self-assessment and preceptor scores were compared using the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC). There was a significant agreement noted between the 32 preceptor assessments and 36 self-assessments that were completed. Correlation between scores for the knot-tying (PCC = 0.62) and anastomosis modules (PCC = 0.77) was good and excellent, respectively. Preceptor scores and self-scores improved over the duration of the course: for preceptors, knot-tying scores increased from 58% on day 1 to 78% on day 5 (p = 0.02) and anastomosis scores improved from 56% to 82% (p = 0.004); for self-scores, knot-tying scores increased from 44% to 81% (p = 0.001) and anastomosis scores from 49% to 84% (p = 0.001). Learners with greater experience (higher postgraduate year level) tended to have higher self as well as preceptor ratings, albeit not statistically significant. Self-assessment using the University of Western Ontario Microsurgical Acquisition/Assessment instrument has good to excellent agreement with preceptor-assessment scores suggesting good interrater reliability. Self-assessment using such tools may, therefore, be used along with preceptor supervision and assessment to potentially improve self-directed learning during these courses. Copyright © 2017 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Strain rate effects on the mechanical properties and fracture mode of skeletal muscle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shapiro, Michael; Tovar, Nick; Yoo, Daniel [Biomaterials and Biomimetics, New York University College of Dentistry (United States); Sobieraj, Micheal [Orthopedic Surgery, Hospital for Joint Diseases (United States); Gupta, Nikhil [Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NYU-Poly (United States); Branski, Ryan C. [Dept of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine (United States); Coelho, Paulo G., E-mail: pc92@nyu.edu [Biomaterials and Biomimetics, New York University College of Dentistry (United States)

    2014-06-01

    The present study aimed to characterize the mechanical response of beagle sartorius muscle fibers under strain rates that increase logarithmically (0.1 mm/min, 1 mm/min and 10 mm/min), and provide an analysis of the fracture patterns of these tissues via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Muscle tissue from dogs' sartorius was excised and test specimens were sectioned with a lancet into sections with nominal length, width, and thickness of 7, 2.5 and 0.6 mm, respectively. Trimming of the tissue was done so that the loading would be parallel to the direction of the muscle fiber. Samples were immediately tested following excision and failures were observed under the SEM. No statistically significant difference was observed in strength between the 0.1 mm/min (2.560 ± 0.37 MPa) and the 1 mm/min (2.702 ± 0.55 MPa) groups. However, the 10 mm/min group (1.545 ± 0.50 MPa) had a statistically significant lower strength than both the 1 mm/min group and the 0.1 mm/min group with p < 0.01 in both cases. At the 0.1 mm/min rate the primary fracture mechanism was that of a shear mode failure of the endomysium with a significant relative motion between fibers. At 1 mm/min this continues to be the predominant failure mode. At the 10 mm/min strain rate there is a significant change in the fracture pattern relative to other strain rates, where little to no evidence of endomysial shear failure nor of significant motion between fibers was detected.

  20. Challenges in large scale quantum mechanical calculations: Challenges in large scale quantum mechanical calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ratcliff, Laura E. [Argonne Leadership Computing Facility, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemon IL USA; Mohr, Stephan [Department of Computer Applications in Science and Engineering, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), Barcelona Spain; Huhs, Georg [Department of Computer Applications in Science and Engineering, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), Barcelona Spain; Deutsch, Thierry [University Grenoble Alpes, INAC-MEM, Grenoble France; CEA, INAC-MEM, Grenoble France; Masella, Michel [Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale et Radiologie, Service de Bioénergétique, Biologie Structurale et Mécanisme, Institut de Biologie et de Technologie de Saclay, CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex France; Genovese, Luigi [University Grenoble Alpes, INAC-MEM, Grenoble France; CEA, INAC-MEM, Grenoble France

    2016-11-07

    During the past decades, quantum mechanical methods have undergone an amazing transition from pioneering investigations of experts into a wide range of practical applications, made by a vast community of researchers. First principles calculations of systems containing up to a few hundred atoms have become a standard in many branches of science. The sizes of the systems which can be simulated have increased even further during recent years, and quantum-mechanical calculations of systems up to many thousands of atoms are nowadays possible. This opens up new appealing possibilities, in particular for interdisciplinary work, bridging together communities of different needs and sensibilities. In this review we will present the current status of this topic, and will also give an outlook on the vast multitude of applications, challenges and opportunities stimulated by electronic structure calculations, making this field an important working tool and bringing together researchers of many different domains.

  1. Validity Evidence for the Interpretation and Use of Essential Elements of Communication Global Rating Scale Scores

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Nancy Rhoda

    2015-01-01

    Purpose. Clinical communication influences health outcomes, so medical schools are charged to prepare future physicians with the skills they need to interact effectively with patients. Communication leaders at The University of New Mexico School of Medicine (UNMSOM) developed The Essential Elements of Communication-Global Rating Scale (EEC-GRS) to…

  2. Microstructure and strain rate effects on the mechanical behavior of particle reinforced epoxy-based reactive materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Bradley William

    The effects of reactive metal particles on the microstructure and mechanical properties of epoxy-based composites is investigated in this work. Particle reinforced polymer composites show promise as structural energetic materials that can provide structural strength while simultaneously being capable of releasing large amounts of chemical energy through highly exothermic reactions occurring between the particles and with the matrix. This advanced class of materials is advantageous due to the decreased amount of high density inert casings needed for typical energetic materials and for their ability to increase payload expectancy and decrease collateral damage. Structural energetic materials can be comprised of reactive particles that undergo thermite or intermetallic reactions. In this work nickel (Ni) and aluminum (Al) particles were chosen as reinforcing constituents due to their well characterized mechanical and energetic properties. Although, the reactivity of nickel and aluminum is well characterized, the effects of their particle size, volume fractions, and spatial distribution on the mechanical behavior of the epoxy matrix and composite, across a large range of strain rates, are not well understood. To examine these effects castings of epoxy reinforced with 20--40 vol.% Al and 0--10 vol.% Ni were prepared, while varying the aluminum nominal particle size from 5 to 50 mum and holding the nickel nominal particle size constant at 50 mum. Through these variations eight composite materials were produced, possessing unique microstructures exhibiting different particle spatial distributions and constituent makeup. In order to correlate the microstructure to the constitutive response of the composites, techniques such as nearest-neighbor distances, and multiscale analysis of area fractions (MSAAF) were used to quantitatively characterize the microstructures. The composites were investigated under quasi-static and dynamic compressive loading conditions to characterize

  3. Vercors: a 1/3 scaled mockup and an ambitious research program to better understand the different mechanisms of leakage and aging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masson, B.; Galenne, E.; Oukhemanou, E.; Aubry, C.; Laou-Sio-Hoi, G.

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents the new EDF research program on a NPP containment building. It is based on a very large mockup at scale 1/3 of a PWR reactor containment. The conception choices have been guided by the mockup objectives: representativeness (the mock-up has to be as close as possible to the real containment building in order to facilitate the transfer of the results from the test case to the NPP cases) and accelerated aging (the proposed solution is to construct the mock-up at a reduced scale (scale 1:3): the drying of the structure will be then faster, as the wall thickness will be reduced. This will result in a faster drying creep, which is supposed to be the main phenomena explaining the leak rate evolution. In addition, in order to enable visual inspections and monitoring, a metallic structure supporting various annular floors is erected inside the containment, and another one is anchored in the external wall. Materials of the model have been selected to be as much as possible similar than the ones used for the construction of full scale containments, in terms of mechanical and thermal behavior as well. Concrete class is 34/37 MPa. Nevertheless, the concrete mix microstructure cannot be perfectly scaled due to aggregates size. The prestressing tendons layout is exactly scaled, including any deviations around penetrations: tendons spacing is divided by 3, and the ducts diameter is scaled as much as reasonably possible for the contractor (50 mm). The mock-up will be finely instrumented so that its behavior is monitored from the beginning of the construction. More than 500 sensors and 2 km of fiber optic cables are to be positioned in the concrete, both on the rebars and on the prestressing cables. Lots of results can be of interest for the civil engineering community: scale effects on shrinkage, drying and creep, apparition and evolution of cracks, influence of the temperature on the creep velocity, on-field validation of new inspections techniques

  4. Simple scaling laws for the evaporation of droplets pinned on pillars: Transfer-rate- and diffusion-limited regimes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez-Perez, Ruth; García-Cordero, José L; Escobar, Juan V

    2017-12-01

    The evaporation of droplets can give rise to a wide range of interesting phenomena in which the dynamics of the evaporation are crucial. In this work, we find simple scaling laws for the evaporation dynamics of axisymmetric droplets pinned on millimeter-sized pillars. Different laws are found depending on whether evaporation is limited by the diffusion of vapor molecules or by the transfer rate across the liquid-vapor interface. For the diffusion-limited regime, we find that a mass-loss rate equal to 3/7 of that of a free-standing evaporating droplet brings a good balance between simplicity and physical correctness. We also find a scaling law for the evaporation of multicomponent solutions. The scaling laws found are validated against experiments of the evaporation of droplets of (1) water, (2) blood plasma, and (3) a mixture of water and polyethylene glycol, pinned on acrylic pillars of different diameters. These results shed light on the macroscopic dynamics of evaporation on pillars as a first step towards the understanding of other complex phenomena that may be taking place during the evaporation process, such as particle transport and chemical reactions.

  5. Simple scaling laws for the evaporation of droplets pinned on pillars: Transfer-rate- and diffusion-limited regimes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez-Perez, Ruth; García-Cordero, José L.; Escobar, Juan V.

    2017-12-01

    The evaporation of droplets can give rise to a wide range of interesting phenomena in which the dynamics of the evaporation are crucial. In this work, we find simple scaling laws for the evaporation dynamics of axisymmetric droplets pinned on millimeter-sized pillars. Different laws are found depending on whether evaporation is limited by the diffusion of vapor molecules or by the transfer rate across the liquid-vapor interface. For the diffusion-limited regime, we find that a mass-loss rate equal to 3/7 of that of a free-standing evaporating droplet brings a good balance between simplicity and physical correctness. We also find a scaling law for the evaporation of multicomponent solutions. The scaling laws found are validated against experiments of the evaporation of droplets of (1) water, (2) blood plasma, and (3) a mixture of water and polyethylene glycol, pinned on acrylic pillars of different diameters. These results shed light on the macroscopic dynamics of evaporation on pillars as a first step towards the understanding of other complex phenomena that may be taking place during the evaporation process, such as particle transport and chemical reactions.

  6. Clinical utilisation of the "G.T. MSRS", the rating scale for mixed states: 35 cases report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavormina, Giuseppe

    2015-09-01

    The knowledge of the clinical features of the mixed states and of the symptoms of the "mixity" of mood disorders is crucial: to mis-diagnose or mis-treat patients with these symptoms may increase the suicide risk and make worse the evolution of mood disorders. The rating scale "G.T. MSRS" has been designed to improve the clinical effectiveness of both psychiatrists and GPs by enabling them to make an early "general" diagnosis of mixed states. This study presents some cases in which the "G.T. MSRS" scale has been used, in order to demonstrate its usefullness.

  7. Evidence that BDNF regulates heart rate by a mechanism involving increased brainstem parasympathetic neuron excitability

    OpenAIRE

    Wan, Ruiqian; Weigand, Letitia A.; Bateman, Ryan; Griffioen, Kathleen; Mendelowitz, David; Mattson, Mark P.

    2014-01-01

    Autonomic control of heart rate is mediated by cardioinhibitory parasympathetic cholinergic neurons located in the brainstem and stimulatory sympathetic noradrenergic neurons. During embryonic development the survival and cholinergic phenotype of brainstem autonomic neurons is promoted by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We now provide evidence that BDNF regulates heart rate by a mechanism involving increased brainstem cardioinhibitory parasympathetic activity. Mice with a BDNF haplo...

  8. Bioresorbable scaffolds for bone tissue engineering: optimal design, fabrication, mechanical testing and scale-size effects analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coelho, Pedro G; Hollister, Scott J; Flanagan, Colleen L; Fernandes, Paulo R

    2015-03-01

    Bone scaffolds for tissue regeneration require an optimal trade-off between biological and mechanical criteria. Optimal designs may be obtained using topology optimization (homogenization approach) and prototypes produced using additive manufacturing techniques. However, the process from design to manufacture remains a research challenge and will be a requirement of FDA design controls to engineering scaffolds. This work investigates how the design to manufacture chain affects the reproducibility of complex optimized design characteristics in the manufactured product. The design and prototypes are analyzed taking into account the computational assumptions and the final mechanical properties determined through mechanical tests. The scaffold is an assembly of unit-cells, and thus scale size effects on the mechanical response considering finite periodicity are investigated and compared with the predictions from the homogenization method which assumes in the limit infinitely repeated unit cells. Results show that a limited number of unit-cells (3-5 repeated on a side) introduce some scale-effects but the discrepancies are below 10%. Higher discrepancies are found when comparing the experimental data to numerical simulations due to differences between the manufactured and designed scaffold feature shapes and sizes as well as micro-porosities introduced by the manufacturing process. However good regression correlations (R(2) > 0.85) were found between numerical and experimental values, with slopes close to 1 for 2 out of 3 designs. Copyright © 2015 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Status of rates and rate equations for thermal leptogenesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biondini, S.; Bödeker, D.; Brambilla, N.; Garny, M.; Ghiglieri, J.; Hohenegger, A.; Laine, M.; Mendizabal, S.; Millington, P.; Salvio, A.; Vairo, A.

    2018-02-01

    In many realizations of leptogenesis, heavy right-handed neutrinos play the main role in the generation of an imbalance between matter and antimatter in the early Universe. Hence, it is relevant to address quantitatively their dynamics in a hot and dense environment by taking into account the various thermal aspects of the problem at hand. The strong washout regime offers an interesting framework to carry out calculations systematically and reduce theoretical uncertainties. Indeed, any matter-antimatter asymmetry generated when the temperature of the hot plasma T exceeds the right-handed neutrino mass scale M is efficiently erased, and one can focus on the temperature window T ≪ M. We review recent progress in the thermal field theoretic derivation of the key ingredients for the leptogenesis mechanism: the right-handed neutrino production rate, the CP asymmetry in the heavy-neutrino decays and the washout rates. The derivation of evolution equations for the heavy-neutrino and lepton-asymmetry number densities, their rigorous formulation and applicability are also discussed.

  10. A Globally Stable Lyapunov Pointing and Rate Controller for the Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission (MMS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Neerav

    2011-01-01

    The Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission (MMS) is scheduled to launch in late 2014. Its primary goal is to discover the fundamental plasma physics processes of reconnection in the Earth's magnetosphere. Each of the four MMS spacecraft is spin-stabilized at a nominal rate of 3 RPM. Traditional spin-stabilized spacecraft have used a number of separate modes to control nutation, spin rate, and precession. To reduce the number of modes and simplify operations, the Delta-H control mode is designed to accomplish nutation control, spin rate control, and precession control simultaneously. A nonlinear design technique, Lyapunov's method, is used to design the Delta-H control mode. A global spin rate controller selected as the baseline controller for MMS, proved to be insufficient due to an ambiguity in the attitude. Lyapunov's design method was used to solve this ambiguity, resulting in a controller that meets the design goals. Simulation results show the advantage of the pointing and rate controller for maneuvers larger than 90 deg and provide insight into the performance of this controller.

  11. An atomistic methodology of energy release rate for graphene at nanoscale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Zhen; Lee, James D.; Wang, Xianqiao

    2014-01-01

    Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms packed into a honeycomb architecture, serving as a fundamental building block for electric devices. Understanding the fracture mechanism of graphene under various conditions is crucial for tailoring the electrical and mechanical properties of graphene-based devices at atomic scale. Although most of the fracture mechanics concepts, such as stress intensity factors, are not applicable in molecular dynamics simulation, energy release rate still remains to be a feasible and crucial physical quantity to characterize the fracture mechanical property of materials at nanoscale. This work introduces an atomistic simulation methodology, based on the energy release rate, as a tool to unveil the fracture mechanism of graphene at nanoscale. This methodology can be easily extended to any atomistic material system. We have investigated both opening mode and mixed mode at different temperatures. Simulation results show that the critical energy release rate of graphene is independent of initial crack length at low temperature. Graphene with inclined pre-crack possesses higher fracture strength and fracture deformation but smaller critical energy release rate compared with the graphene with vertical pre-crack. Owing to its anisotropy, graphene with armchair chirality always has greater critical energy release rate than graphene with zigzag chirality. The increase of temperature leads to the reduction of fracture strength, fracture deformation, and the critical energy release rate of graphene. Also, higher temperature brings higher randomness of energy release rate of graphene under a variety of predefined crack lengths. The energy release rate is independent of the strain rate as long as the strain rate is small enough

  12. Asynchronous Rate Chaos in Spiking Neuronal Circuits.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omri Harish

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The brain exhibits temporally complex patterns of activity with features similar to those of chaotic systems. Theoretical studies over the last twenty years have described various computational advantages for such regimes in neuronal systems. Nevertheless, it still remains unclear whether chaos requires specific cellular properties or network architectures, or whether it is a generic property of neuronal circuits. We investigate the dynamics of networks of excitatory-inhibitory (EI spiking neurons with random sparse connectivity operating in the regime of balance of excitation and inhibition. Combining Dynamical Mean-Field Theory with numerical simulations, we show that chaotic, asynchronous firing rate fluctuations emerge generically for sufficiently strong synapses. Two different mechanisms can lead to these chaotic fluctuations. One mechanism relies on slow I-I inhibition which gives rise to slow subthreshold voltage and rate fluctuations. The decorrelation time of these fluctuations is proportional to the time constant of the inhibition. The second mechanism relies on the recurrent E-I-E feedback loop. It requires slow excitation but the inhibition can be fast. In the corresponding dynamical regime all neurons exhibit rate fluctuations on the time scale of the excitation. Another feature of this regime is that the population-averaged firing rate is substantially smaller in the excitatory population than in the inhibitory population. This is not necessarily the case in the I-I mechanism. Finally, we discuss the neurophysiological and computational significance of our results.

  13. Asynchronous Rate Chaos in Spiking Neuronal Circuits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harish, Omri; Hansel, David

    2015-01-01

    The brain exhibits temporally complex patterns of activity with features similar to those of chaotic systems. Theoretical studies over the last twenty years have described various computational advantages for such regimes in neuronal systems. Nevertheless, it still remains unclear whether chaos requires specific cellular properties or network architectures, or whether it is a generic property of neuronal circuits. We investigate the dynamics of networks of excitatory-inhibitory (EI) spiking neurons with random sparse connectivity operating in the regime of balance of excitation and inhibition. Combining Dynamical Mean-Field Theory with numerical simulations, we show that chaotic, asynchronous firing rate fluctuations emerge generically for sufficiently strong synapses. Two different mechanisms can lead to these chaotic fluctuations. One mechanism relies on slow I-I inhibition which gives rise to slow subthreshold voltage and rate fluctuations. The decorrelation time of these fluctuations is proportional to the time constant of the inhibition. The second mechanism relies on the recurrent E-I-E feedback loop. It requires slow excitation but the inhibition can be fast. In the corresponding dynamical regime all neurons exhibit rate fluctuations on the time scale of the excitation. Another feature of this regime is that the population-averaged firing rate is substantially smaller in the excitatory population than in the inhibitory population. This is not necessarily the case in the I-I mechanism. Finally, we discuss the neurophysiological and computational significance of our results. PMID:26230679

  14. Granular deformation mechanisms in semi-solid alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gourlay, C.M.; Dahle, A.K.; Nagira, T.; Nakatsuka, N.; Nogita, K.; Uesugi, K.; Yasuda, H.

    2011-01-01

    Deformation mechanisms in equiaxed, partially solid Al-15 wt.% Cu are studied in situ by coupling shear-cell experiments with synchrotron X-ray radiography. Direct evidence is presented for granular deformation mechanisms in both globular and equiaxed-dendritic samples at solid fractions shortly after crystal impingement. It is demonstrated that dilatancy, arching and jamming occur at the crystal scale, and that these can cause stick-slip flow due to periodic dilation and compaction at low displacement rate. Granular deformation is found to be similar in globular and equiaxed-dendritic samples if length is scaled by the crystal size and packing is considered to occur among crystal envelopes. Rheological differences between the morphologies are discussed in terms of the competition between crystal rearrangement and crystal deformation.

  15. Social Skills Intervention Planning for Preschoolers: Using the SSiS-Rating Scales to Identify Target Behaviors Valued by Parents and Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frey, Jennifer R.; Elliott, Stephen N.; Kaiser, Ann P.

    2014-01-01

    Teachers' and parents' importance ratings of social behaviors for 95 preschoolers were examined using the "Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales" (Gresham & Elliott, 2008). Multivariate analyses were used to examine parents' and teachers' importance ratings at the item and subscale levels. Overall,…

  16. Correlation between Mechanical Properties with Specific Wear Rate and the Coefficient of Friction of Graphite/Epoxy Composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahdi Alajmi

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The correlation between the mechanical properties of Fillers/Epoxy composites and their tribological behavior was investigated. Tensile, hardness, wear, and friction tests were conducted for Neat Epoxy (NE, Graphite/Epoxy composites (GE, and Data Palm Fiber/Epoxy with or without Graphite composites (GFE and FE. The correlation was made between the tensile strength, the modulus of elasticity, elongation at the break, and the hardness, as an individual or a combined factor, with the specific wear rate (SWR and coefficient of friction (COF of composites. In general, graphite as an additive to polymeric composite has had an eclectic effect on mechanical properties, whereas it has led to a positive effect on tribological properties, whilst date palm fibers (DPFs, as reinforcement for polymeric composite, promoted a mechanical performance with a slight improvement to the tribological performance. Statistically, this study reveals that there is no strong confirmation of any marked correlation between the mechanical and the specific wear rate of filler/Epoxy composites. There is, however, a remarkable correlation between the mechanical properties and the friction coefficient of filler/Epoxy composites.

  17. Correlation between Mechanical Properties with Specific Wear Rate and the Coefficient of Friction of Graphite/Epoxy Composites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alajmi, Mahdi; Shalwan, Abdullah

    2015-07-08

    The correlation between the mechanical properties of Fillers/Epoxy composites and their tribological behavior was investigated. Tensile, hardness, wear, and friction tests were conducted for Neat Epoxy (NE), Graphite/Epoxy composites (GE), and Data Palm Fiber/Epoxy with or without Graphite composites (GFE and FE). The correlation was made between the tensile strength, the modulus of elasticity, elongation at the break, and the hardness, as an individual or a combined factor, with the specific wear rate (SWR) and coefficient of friction (COF) of composites. In general, graphite as an additive to polymeric composite has had an eclectic effect on mechanical properties, whereas it has led to a positive effect on tribological properties, whilst date palm fibers (DPFs), as reinforcement for polymeric composite, promoted a mechanical performance with a slight improvement to the tribological performance. Statistically, this study reveals that there is no strong confirmation of any marked correlation between the mechanical and the specific wear rate of filler/Epoxy composites. There is, however, a remarkable correlation between the mechanical properties and the friction coefficient of filler/Epoxy composites.

  18. Understanding the Atomic Scale Mechanisms that Control the Attainment of Ultralow Friction and Wear in Carbon-Based Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-01-16

    materials to applications such as vibrating joints1,2, contacting and sliding surfaces in micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems for sensors and...Friction and Wear. R.W. Carpick, Midwest Mechanics 2014/2015 Invited Speaker , Iowa State University, Feb. 2015. 4. Invited. Atomic-Scale Processes...in Single Asperity Friction and Wear. R.W. Carpick, Midwest Mechanics 2014/2015 Invited Speaker , University of Minnesota, Feb. 2015. 5. Invited

  19. Fundamental Research on Percussion Drilling: Improved rock mechanics analysis, advanced simulation technology, and full-scale laboratory investigations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Michael S. Bruno

    2005-12-31

    This report summarizes the research efforts on the DOE supported research project Percussion Drilling (DE-FC26-03NT41999), which is to significantly advance the fundamental understandings of the physical mechanisms involved in combined percussion and rotary drilling, and thereby facilitate more efficient and lower cost drilling and exploration of hard-rock reservoirs. The project has been divided into multiple tasks: literature reviews, analytical and numerical modeling, full scale laboratory testing and model validation, and final report delivery. Literature reviews document the history, pros and cons, and rock failure physics of percussion drilling in oil and gas industries. Based on the current understandings, a conceptual drilling model is proposed for modeling efforts. Both analytical and numerical approaches are deployed to investigate drilling processes such as drillbit penetration with compression, rotation and percussion, rock response with stress propagation, damage accumulation and failure, and debris transportation inside the annulus after disintegrated from rock. For rock mechanics modeling, a dynamic numerical tool has been developed to describe rock damage and failure, including rock crushing by compressive bit load, rock fracturing by both shearing and tensile forces, and rock weakening by repetitive compression-tension loading. Besides multiple failure criteria, the tool also includes a damping algorithm to dissipate oscillation energy and a fatigue/damage algorithm to update rock properties during each impact. From the model, Rate of Penetration (ROP) and rock failure history can be estimated. For cuttings transport in annulus, a 3D numerical particle flowing model has been developed with aid of analytical approaches. The tool can simulate cuttings movement at particle scale under laminar or turbulent fluid flow conditions and evaluate the efficiency of cutting removal. To calibrate the modeling efforts, a series of full-scale fluid hammer

  20. The effect on reliability and sensitivity to level of training of combining analytic and holistic rating scales for assessing communication skills in an internal medicine resident OSCE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniels, Vijay John; Harley, Dwight

    2017-07-01

    Although previous research has compared checklists to rating scales for assessing communication, the purpose of this study was to compare the effect on reliability and sensitivity to level of training of an analytic, a holistic, and a combined analytic-holistic rating scale in assessing communication skills. The University of Alberta Internal Medicine Residency runs OSCEs for postgraduate year (PGY) 1 and 2 residents and another for PGY-4 residents. Communication stations were scored with an analytic scale (empathy, non-verbal skills, verbal skills, and coherence subscales) and a holistic scale. Authors analyzed reliability of individual and combined scales using generalizability theory and evaluated each scale's sensitivity to level of training. For analytic, holistic, and combined scales, 12, 12, and 11 stations respectively yielded a Phi of 0.8 for the PGY-1,2 cohort, and 16, 16, and 14 stations yielded a Phi of 0.8 for the PGY-4 cohort. PGY-4 residents scored higher on the combined scale, the analytic rating scale, and the non-verbal and coherence subscales. A combined analytic-holistic rating scale increased score reliability and was sensitive to level of training. Given increased validity evidence, OSCE developers should consider combining analytic and holistic scales when assessing communication skills. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Multiple mechanisms generate a universal scaling with dissipation for the air-water gas transfer velocity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katul, Gabriel; Liu, Heping

    2017-02-01

    A large corpus of field and laboratory experiments support the finding that the water side transfer velocity kL of sparingly soluble gases near air-water interfaces scales as kL˜(νɛ)1/4, where ν is the kinematic water viscosity and ɛ is the mean turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate. Originally predicted from surface renewal theory, this scaling appears to hold for marine and coastal systems and across many environmental conditions. It is shown that multiple approaches to representing the effects of turbulence on kL lead to this expression when the Kolmogorov microscale is assumed to be the most efficient transporting eddy near the interface. The approaches considered range from simplified surface renewal schemes with distinct models for renewal durations, scaling and dimensional considerations, and a new structure function approach derived using analogies between scalar and momentum transfer. The work offers a new perspective as to why the aforementioned 1/4 scaling is robust.

  2. [Interpreting change scores of the Behavioural Rating Scale for Geriatric Inpatients (GIP)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diesfeldt, H F A

    2013-09-01

    The Behavioural Rating Scale for Geriatric Inpatients (GIP) consists of fourteen, Rasch modelled subscales, each measuring different aspects of behavioural, cognitive and affective disturbances in elderly patients. Four additional measures are derived from the GIP: care dependency, apathy, cognition and affect. The objective of the study was to determine the reproducibility of the 18 measures. A convenience sample of 56 patients in psychogeriatric day care was assessed twice by the same observer (a professional caregiver). The median time interval between rating occasions was 45 days (interquartile range 34-58 days). Reproducibility was determined by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC agreement) for test-retest reliability. The minimal detectable difference (MDD) was calculated based on the standard error of measurement (SEM agreement). Test-retest reliability expressed by the ICCs varied from 0.57 (incoherent behaviour) to 0.93 (anxious behaviour). Standard errors of measurement varied from 0.28 (anxious behaviour) to 1.63 (care dependency). The results show how the GIP can be applied when interpreting individual change in psychogeriatric day care participants.

  3. CaSO4 Scale Formation on Vibrated Piping System in the Presence Citric Acid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mangestiyono, W.; Jamari, J.; Muryanto, S.; Bayuseno, A. P.

    2018-02-01

    Vibration in many industries commonly generated by the operation mechanical equipment such as extruder, mixer, blower, compressor, turbine, generator etc. Vibration propagates into the floor and attacks the pipe around those mechanical equipment. In this paper, the influence of vibration in a pipe on the CaSO4 scale formation was investigated to understand the effect of vibration on the kinetics, mass of scale, crystal phases and crystal polymorph. To generate vibration force, mechanical equipment was prepared consisted of electrical motor, crankshaft, connecting rod and a vibration table at where test pipe section mounted. Deposition rate increased significantly when the vibration affected to the system i.e. 0.5997 and 1.6705 gr/hr for vibration frequency 4.00 and 8.00 Hz. The addition 10.00 ppm of citric acid declined the deposition rate of 8 Hz experiment from 3.4599 gr/hr to 2.2865 gr/hr.

  4. Biofilm Formation Mechanisms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Predicted via Genome-Scale Kinetic Models of Bacterial Metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-03-15

    RESEARCH ARTICLE Biofilm Formation Mechanisms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Predicted via Genome-Scale Kinetic Models of Bacterial Metabolism Francisco G...jaques.reifman.civ@mail.mil Abstract A hallmark of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is its ability to establish biofilm -based infections that are difficult to...eradicate. Biofilms are less susceptible to host inflammatory and immune responses and have higher antibiotic tolerance than free-living planktonic

  5. Revisiting the generalized scaling law for adhesion: role of compliance and extension to progressive failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mojdehi, Ahmad R; Holmes, Douglas P; Dillard, David A

    2017-10-25

    A generalized scaling law, based on the classical fracture mechanics approach, is developed to predict the bond strength of adhesive systems. The proposed scaling relationship depends on the rate of change of debond area with compliance, rather than the ratio of area to compliance. This distinction can have a profound impact on the expected bond strength of systems, particularly when the failure mechanism changes or the compliance of the load train increases. Based on the classical fracture mechanics approach for rate-independent materials, the load train compliance should not affect the force capacity of the adhesive system, whereas when the area to compliance ratio is used as the scaling parameter, it directly influences the bond strength, making it necessary to distinguish compliance contributions. To verify the scaling relationship, single lap shear tests were performed for a given pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) tape specimens with different bond areas, number of backing layers, and load train compliance. The shear lag model was used to derive closed-form relationships for the system compliance and its derivative with respect to the debond area. Digital image correlation (DIC) is implemented to verify the non-uniform shear stress distribution obtained from the shear lag model in a lap shear geometry. The results obtained from this approach could lead to a better understanding of the relationship between bond strength and the geometry and mechanical properties of adhesive systems.

  6. On unravelling mechanism of interplay between cloud and large scale circulation: a grey area in climate science

    Science.gov (United States)

    De, S.; Agarwal, N. K.; Hazra, Anupam; Chaudhari, Hemantkumar S.; Sahai, A. K.

    2018-04-01

    The interaction between cloud and large scale circulation is much less explored area in climate science. Unfolding the mechanism of coupling between these two parameters is imperative for improved simulation of Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and to reduce imprecision in climate sensitivity of global climate model. This work has made an effort to explore this mechanism with CFSv2 climate model experiments whose cloud has been modified by changing the critical relative humidity (CRH) profile of model during ISM. Study reveals that the variable CRH in CFSv2 has improved the nonlinear interactions between high and low frequency oscillations in wind field (revealed as internal dynamics of monsoon) and modulates realistically the spatial distribution of interactions over Indian landmass during the contrasting monsoon season compared to the existing CRH profile of CFSv2. The lower tropospheric wind error energy in the variable CRH simulation of CFSv2 appears to be minimum due to the reduced nonlinear convergence of error to the planetary scale range from long and synoptic scales (another facet of internal dynamics) compared to as observed from other CRH experiments in normal and deficient monsoons. Hence, the interplay between cloud and large scale circulation through CRH may be manifested as a change in internal dynamics of ISM revealed from scale interactive quasi-linear and nonlinear kinetic energy exchanges in frequency as well as in wavenumber domain during the monsoon period that eventually modify the internal variance of CFSv2 model. Conversely, the reduced wind bias and proper modulation of spatial distribution of scale interaction between the synoptic and low frequency oscillations improve the eastward and northward extent of water vapour flux over Indian landmass that in turn give feedback to the realistic simulation of cloud condensates attributing improved ISM rainfall in CFSv2.

  7. Improvement of psychometric properties of a scale measuring inpatient satisfaction with care: a better response rate and a reduction of the ceiling effect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lombrail Pierre

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The objective was to solve two problems of an already validated scale measuring inpatient opinion on care: 1 a high non-response rate for some items due to the "not applicable" response option and 2 a skewed score distribution with high ceiling effect. Methods The EQS-H scale ("échelle de qualité des soins en hospitalisation" comprised 26 items and 2 sub-scales of 13 items each, 'quality of medical information' (MI and 'relationships with staff and daily routine' (RS. Three studies were conducted: a first mono-centre study (n = 552, response rate = 83.4%, self-completion of the scale the day before discharge to construct a shorter version of the scale without the items with high non-response rate and maintaining those useful to ensure good internal validity (construct, convergent and divergent and reliability; a second mono-centre study (n = 1246, response rate = 77.9%, self-completion of the scale before discharge to confirm psychometric properties of the new version; a third multi-centre national study (n = 886, response rate 41.7%, self-completion at home 15 days after discharge to test a new response pattern in order to reduce ceiling effect. Results Six items having a non-response rate >20% were deleted, increasing rates of exhaustive response to all items from 15% to 48%. Factorial analysis supported the evidence for removing 4 more items to ensure good internal validity and reliability of the new version. These good results (initial variance explained: 43%; Cronbach's α: 0.80 (MI and 0.81 (RS were confirmed by the second study. The new response format produced a normalisation of the 2 scores with a large decrease in ceiling effect (25% to 4% for MI subscale and 61% to 8% for RS. Psychometric properties of the final version were excellent: the 2 subscales (8 items each explained 66% of the variance in principal component analysis, Cronbach's α were respectively 0.92 (MI and 0.93 (RS. Conclusion The new version of

  8. Interest rate transmission mechanism of monetary policy in the selected EMU candidate countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirdala Rajmund

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The stable macroeconomic environment, as one of the primary objectives of the Visegrad countries in the 1990s, was partially supported by the exchange rate policy. Fixed exchange rate systems within gradually widen bands (Czech Republic, Slovak Republic and crawling peg system (Hungary, Poland were replaced by the managed floating in the Czech Republic (May 1997, Poland (April 2000, Slovak Republic (October 1998 and fixed exchange rate to euro in Hungary (January 2000 with broad band (October 2001. Higher macroeconomic and banking sector stability allowed countries from the Visegrad group to implement the monetary policy strategy based on the interest rate transmission mechanism. Continuous harmonization of the monetary policy framework (with the monetary policy of the ECB and the increasing sensitivity of the economy agents to the interest rates changes allowed the central banks from the Visegrad countries to implement monetary policy strategy based on the key interest rates determination. In the paper we analyze the impact of the central banks' monetary policy in the Visegrad countries on the selected macroeconomic variables in the period 1999-2008 implementing SVAR (structural vector autoregression approach. We expect that higher sensitivity of domestic variables to interest rates shocks can be interpreted as a convergence of monetary policies in candidate countries towards the ECB's monetary policy.

  9. Explanation of enhanced mechanical degradation rate for radiation- aged polyolefins as the aging temperature is decreased

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gillen, K.T.; Clough, R.L.; Wise, J.; Malone, M.G.

    1994-01-01

    Degradation rates are normally increased by increasing the responsible environmental stresses. We describe results for a semi-crystalline, crosslinked polyolefin material that contradicts this assumption. In particular, under combined radiation plus thermal environments, this material mechanically degrades much faster at room temperature than it does at elevated temperatures. The probable explanation for this phenomenon relates to the importance on mechanical properties of the tie molecules connecting crystalline and amorphous regions. Partial melting and reforming/ reorganization of crystallites occurs throughout the crystalline melting region (at least room temperature up to 126 C), with the rate of such processes increasing with an increase in temperature. At low temperatures, this process is sufficiently slow such that a large percentage of the radiation-damaged tie molecules will still connect the amorphous and crystalline regions at the end of aging, leading to rapid reductions in tensile properties. At higher temperatures, the enhanced annealing rate will lead, during the aging, to the establishment of new, undamaged tie molecules connecting crystalline and amorphous regions. This healing process will reduce the degradation rate. Evidence in support of this model is presented

  10. Identifying Gifted Students in Puerto Rico: Validation of a Spanish Translation of the Gifted Rating Scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosado, Javier I.; Pfeiffer, Steven; Petscher, Yaacov

    2015-01-01

    The challenge of correctly identifying gifted students is a critical issue. Gifted education in Puerto Rico is marked by insufficient support and a lack of appropriate identification methods. This study examined the reliability and validity of a Spanish translation of the "Gifted Rating Scales-School Form" (GRS) with a sample of 618…

  11. Mechanical Revascularization for Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Single-Center, Retrospective Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeromel, Miran; Milosevic, Z. V.; Kocijancic, I. J.; Lovric, D.; Svigelj, V.; Zvan, B.

    2013-01-01

    BackgroundEndovascular mechanical revascularization (thrombectomy) is an increasingly used method for intracranial large vessel recanalization in acute stroke. The purpose of the study was to analyze the recanalization rate, clinical outcome, and complication rate in our stroke patients treated with mechanical revascularization. A total of 57 patients with large vessel stroke (within 3 h for anterior and 12 h for posterior circulation) were treated with mechanical revascularization at a single center during 24 months. The primary goal of endovascular treatment using different mechanical devices was recanalization of the occluded vessel. Recanalization rate (reported as thrombolysis in cerebral infarction [TICI] score), clinical outcome (reported as National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score and modified Rankin scale [mRS] score), as well as periprocedural complications were analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 63.1 ± 12.9 years, with baseline median NIHSS score of 14 (interquartile range, 9.5–19). Successful recanalization (TICI 2b or 3) was achieved in 41 (72 %) patients. Twenty patients (35 %) presented with favorable outcome (mRS ≤2) 30 days after stroke. Overall, significant neurological improvement (≥4 NIHSS point reduction) occurred in 36 (63 %) patients. A clinically significant procedure-related adverse events (vessel disruption, peri/postprocedural intracranial bleeding) defined with decline in NIHSS of ≥4 or death occurred in three (5 %) patients. The study showed a high recanalization rate with improved clinical outcome and a low rate of periprocedural complications in our stroke patients treated with mechanical revascularization. Therefore, we could conclude that endovascular revascularization (primary or in combination with a bridging thrombolysis) was an effective and safe procedure for intracranial large vessel recanalization in acute stroke.

  12. Performance of automatic generation control mechanisms with large-scale wind power

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ummels, B.C.; Gibescu, M.; Paap, G.C. [Delft Univ. of Technology (Netherlands); Kling, W.L. [Transmission Operations Department of TenneT bv (Netherlands)

    2007-11-15

    The unpredictability and variability of wind power increasingly challenges real-time balancing of supply and demand in electric power systems. In liberalised markets, balancing is a responsibility jointly held by the TSO (real-time power balancing) and PRPs (energy programs). In this paper, a procedure is developed for the simulation of power system balancing and the assessment of AGC performance in the presence of large-scale wind power, using the Dutch control zone as a case study. The simulation results show that the performance of existing AGC-mechanisms is adequate for keeping ACE within acceptable bounds. At higher wind power penetrations, however, the capabilities of the generation mix are increasingly challenged and additional reserves are required at the same level. (au)

  13. Mechanisms Causing Hypoxia in the Baltic Sea at Different Spatial and Temporal Scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conley, D. J.; Carstensen, J.; Gustafsson, B.; Slomp, C. P.

    2016-02-01

    A number of synthesis efforts have documented the world-wide increase in hypoxia, which is primarily driven by nutrient inputs with consequent organic matter enrichment. Physical factors including freshwater or saltwater inputs, stratification and temperature also play an important role in causing and sustaining hypoxia. The Baltic Sea provides an interesting case study to examine changes in oxygen dynamics over time because of the diversity of the types of hypoxia that occur, which ranges from episodic to seasonal hypoxia to perennial hypoxia. Hypoxia varies spatially across the basin with differences between open water bottoms and coastal systems. In addition, the extent and intensity of hypoxia has also varied greatly over the history of the basin, e.g. the last 8000 years. We will examine the mechanisms causing hypoxia at different spatial and temporal scales. The hydrodynamical setting is an important governing factor controlling possible time scales of hypoxia, but enhanced nutrient fluxes and global warming amplify oxygen depletion when oxygen supply by physical processes cannot meet oxygen demands from respiration. Our results indicate that climate change is counteracting management efforts to reduce hypoxia. We will address how hypoxia in the Baltic Sea is terminated at different scales. More importantly, we will explore the prospects of getting rid of hypoxia with the nutrient reductions that have been agreed upon by the countries in the Baltic Sea basin and discuss the time scales of improvement in bottom water oxygen conditions.

  14. Real-Time Observation of Apathy in Long-Term Care Residents With Dementia: Reliability of the Person-Environment Apathy Rating Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jao, Ying-Ling; Mogle, Jacqueline; Williams, Kristine; McDermott, Caroline; Behrens, Liza

    2018-04-01

    Apathy is prevalent in individuals with dementia. Lack of responsiveness to environmental stimulation is a key characteristic of apathy. The Person-Environment Apathy Rating (PEAR) scale consists of environment and apathy subscales, which allow for examination of environmental impact on apathy. The interrater reliability of the PEAR scale was examined via real-time observation. The current study included 45 observations of 15 long-term care residents with dementia. Each participant was observed at three time points for 10 minutes each. Two raters observed the participant and surrounding environment and independently rated the participant's apathy and environmental stimulation using the PEAR scale. Weighted Kappa was 0.5 to 0.82 for the PEAR-Environment subscale and 0.5 to 0.8 for the PEAR-Apathy subscale. Overall, with the exception of three items with relatively weak reliability (0.50 to 0.56), the PEAR scale showed moderate to strong interrater reliability (0.63 to 0.82). The results support the use of the PEAR scale to measure environmental stimulation and apathy via real-time observation in long-term care residents with dementia. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 44(4), 23-28.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

  15. The relation of putamen nucleus 6-[18F]fluoro-L-m-tyrosine uptake to total Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buchy, R.

    2002-01-01

    The contribution of dopaminergic deficiency in the striatum to the severity of locomotor disability in Parkinson's disease has been consistently shown with 6-[ 18 F]fluoro-L-DOPA in positron emission tomography. Recently, 6-[ 18 F]fluoro-L-m-tyrosine, an alternative tracer with similar distribution kinetics has been used to facilitate data analysis. Locomotor disability in Parkinson's disease can be measured using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale was used in conjunction with 6-[ 18 F]fluoro-L-m-tyrosine -PET to clinically examine a group of five Parkinson's disease patients. An inverse relation similar to that previously demonstrated with 6-[ 18 F]fluoro-L-DOPA was found between the putamen nucleus 6-[ 18 F]fluoro-L-m-tyrosine influx constant and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale score. This finding suggests that like 6-[ 18 F]fluoro-L-m-tyrosine can be used to accurately measure the degree of locomotor disability caused by Parkinson's disease. (author)

  16. Proceedings of the Joint IAEA/CSNI Specialists' Meeting on Fracture Mechanics Verification by Large-Scale Testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-10-01

    This report provides the proceedings of a Specialists' Meeting on Fracture Mechanics Verification by Large-Scale Testing that was held in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on October 23-25, 1992. The meeting was jointly sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In particular, the International Working Group (IWG) on Life Management of Nuclear Power Plants (LMNPP) was the IAEA sponsor, and the Principal Working Group 3 (PWG-3) (Primary System Component Integrity) of the Committee for the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) was the NEA's sponsor. This meeting was preceded by two prior international activities that were designed to examine the state-of-the-art in fracture analysis capabilities and emphasized applications to the safety evaluation of nuclear power facilities. The first of those two activities was an IAEA Specialists' Meeting on Fracture Mechanics Verification by Large-Scale Testing that was held at the Staatliche Materialprufungsanstalt (MPA) in Stuttgart, Germany, on May 25-27, 1988; the proceedings of that meeting were published 1991.1 The second activity was the CSNI/PWG-3's Fracture Assessment Group's Project FALSIRE (Fracture Analyses of Large-Scale International Reference Experiments). The proceedings of the FALSIRE workshop that was held in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., on May 8-10, 1990, was recently published by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Those previous activities identified capabilities and shortcomings of various fracture analysis methods based on analyses of six available large-scale experiments. Different modes of fracture behavior, which ranged from brittle to ductile, were considered. In addition, geometry, size, constraint and multiaxial effects were considered. While generally good predictive capabilities were demonstrated for brittle fracture, issues were identified relative to predicting fracture behavior at higher

  17. Multi-scale approach of plasticity mechanisms in irradiated austenitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nogaret, Th.

    2007-12-01

    The plasticity in irradiated metals is characterized by the localization of the deformation in clear bands, defect free, formed by the dislocation passage. We investigated the clear band formation thanks to a multi-scale approach. Molecular dynamics simulations show that screw dislocations mainly un-fault and absorb the defects as helical turns, are strongly pinned by the helical turns and are remitted in new glide planes when they unpin whereas edge dislocations mainly shear the defects for moderate stresses and can drag the helical turns. The interaction mechanisms were implemented into the discrete dislocation dynamics code in order to study the clear band formation at the micron scale. As dislocations are issued from grain boundaries, we consider a dislocation source located on a box border that emits dislocations when the dislocation nucleation stress is reached. The hardening was seen mainly due to the screw dislocations that are strongly pinned by helical turns. Edge dislocations are less pinned and glide on long distances, letting long screw dislocation segments. As more dislocations are emitted, screw dislocation pile-ups form and this permits the unpinning of screw dislocations. They unpin by activating dislocation segments in new glide planes, which broadens the clear band. When the segments activate, they create edge parts that sweep the screw dislocation lines by dragging away the super-jogs towards the box borders where they accumulate, which clears the band. (author)

  18. Effects of Cooling Rates on Hydride Reorientation and Mechanical Properties of Zirconium Alloy Claddings under Interim Dry Storage Conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Min, Su-Jeong; Kim, Myeong-Su; Won, Chu-chin; Kim, Kyu-Tae

    2013-01-01

    As-received Zr-Nb cladding tubes and 600 ppm hydrogen-charged tubes were employed to evaluate the effects of cladding cooling rates on the extent of hydride reorientation from circumferential hydrides to radial ones and mechanical property degradations with the use of cooling rates of 2, 4 and 15 °C/min from 400 °C to room temperature simulating cladding cooling under interim dry storage conditions. The as-received cladding tubes generated nearly the same ultimate tensile strengths and plastic elongations, regardless of the cooling rates, because of a negligible hydrogen content in the cladding. The 600 ppm-H cladding tubes indicate that the slower cooling rate generated the larger radial hydride fraction and the longer radial hydrides, which resulted in greater mechanical performance degradations. The cooling rate of 2 °C/min generates an ultimate tensile strength of 758 MPa and a plastic elongation of 1.0%, whereas the cooling rate of 15 °C/min generates an ultimate tensile strength of 825 MPa and a plastic elongation of 15.0%. These remarkable mechanical property degradations of the 600 ppm-H cladding tubes with the slowest cooling rate may be characterized by cleavage fracture surface appearance enhanced by longer radial hydrides and their higher fraction that have been precipitated through a relatively larger nucleation and growth rate.

  19. Scaling of volume to surface ratio and doubling time in growing unicellular organisms: Do cells appear quantum-mechanical systems?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atanasov, Atanas Todorov

    2014-01-01

    The scaling of physical and biological characteristics of the living organisms is a basic method for searching of new biophysical laws. In series of previous studies the author showed that in Poikilotherms, Mammals and Aves, the volume to surface ratio V×S −1 (m) of organisms is proportional to their generation time T gt (s) via growth rate v (m s −1 ): V×S −1  = v gr ×T r . The power and the correlation coefficients are near to 1.0. Aim of this study is: i) to prove with experimental data the validity of the above equation for Unicellular organisms and ii) to show that perhaps, the cells are quantum-mechanical systems. The data for body mass M (kg), density ρ (kg/m 3 ), minimum and maximum doubling time T dt (s) for 50 unicellular organisms are assembled from scientific sources, and the computer program ‘Statistics’ is used for calculations. In result i) the analytical relationship from type: V×S −1  = 4.46⋅10 −11 ×T dt was found, where v gr  = 4.46×10 −11 m/s and ii) it is shown that the products between cell mass M, cell length expressed by V/S ratio and growth rate v gr satisfied the Heisenberg uncertainty principle i.e. the inequalities V/S×M×v gr >h/2π and T dt ×M×v gr 2 >h/2π are valid, where h= 6.626×10 −34 J⋅s is the Planck constant. This rise the question: do cells appear quantum-mechanical systems?

  20. Physical heterogeneity control on effective mineral dissolution rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Heewon; Navarre-Sitchler, Alexis

    2018-04-01

    Hydrologic heterogeneity may be an important factor contributing to the discrepancy in laboratory and field measured dissolution rates, but the governing factors influencing mineral dissolution rates among various representations of physical heterogeneity remain poorly understood. Here, we present multiple reactive transport simulations of anorthite dissolution in 2D latticed random permeability fields and link the information from local grid scale (1 cm or 4 m) dissolution rates to domain-scale (1m or 400 m) effective dissolution rates measured by the flux-weighted average of an ensemble of flow paths. We compare results of homogeneous models to heterogeneous models with different structure and layered permeability distributions within the model domain. Chemistry is simplified to a single dissolving primary mineral (anorthite) distributed homogeneously throughout the domain and a single secondary mineral (kaolinite) that is allowed to dissolve or precipitate. Results show that increasing size in correlation structure (i.e. long integral scales) and high variance in permeability distribution are two important factors inducing a reduction in effective mineral dissolution rates compared to homogeneous permeability domains. Larger correlation structures produce larger zones of low permeability where diffusion is an important transport mechanism. Due to the increased residence time under slow diffusive transport, the saturation state of a solute with respect to a reacting mineral approaches equilibrium and reduces the reaction rate. High variance in permeability distribution favorably develops large low permeability zones that intensifies the reduction in mixing and effective dissolution rate. However, the degree of reduction in effective dissolution rate observed in 1 m × 1 m domains is too small (equilibrium conditions reduce the effective dissolution rate by increasing the saturation state. However, in large domains where less- or non-reactive zones develop, higher