WorldWideScience

Sample records for minisum circle location

  1. General minisum circle location

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Körner, Mark; Brimberg, Jack; Juel, Henrik

    2009-01-01

    In our paper we approximate a set of given points by a general circle. More precisely, we consider the problem of locating and scaling the unit ball of some given norm k1 with respect to xed points on the plane such that the sum of weighted distances between the circle and the xed points is minim......In our paper we approximate a set of given points by a general circle. More precisely, we consider the problem of locating and scaling the unit ball of some given norm k1 with respect to xed points on the plane such that the sum of weighted distances between the circle and the xed points...

  2. Locating a minisum circle in the plane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brimberg, Jack; Juel, Henrik; Schöbel, Anita

    2009-01-01

    We consider the problem of locating a circle with respect to existing facilities in the plane such that the sum of weighted distances between the circle and the facilities is minimized, i.e., we approximate a set of given points by a circle regarding the sum of weighted distances. If the radius...

  3. Locating a general minisum 'circle' on a plane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brimberg, Jack; Juel, Henrik; Körner, Mark-Christoph

    2011-01-01

    We approximate a set of given points in the plane by the boundary of a convex and symmetric set which is the unit circle of some norm. This generalizes previous work on the subject which considers Euclidean circles only. More precisely, we examine the problem of locating and scaling the unit circle...... of some given norm k with respect to given points on the plane such that the sum of weighted distances (as measured by the same norm k) between the circumference of the circle and the points is minimized. We present general results and are able to identify a finite dominating set in the case that k...

  4. A minisum model with forbidden regions for locating a semi-desirable facility in the plane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brimberg, Jack; Juel, Henrik

    -desirable facility which accounts for the service costs by a standard minisum objective with arbitrary travel distance function. The social costs are imputed by specifying around each demand point or population center a convex forbidden region, also defined by an arbitrary distance metric, in which the new facility...... may not be located. A general solution algorithm is suggested, and the methodology applied to circular forbidden regions and special travel distance functions....

  5. A minisum model with forbidden regions for locating a semi-desirable facility in the plane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Juel, Henrik; Brimberg, Jack

    1998-01-01

    -desirable facility that accounts for the service costs by a standard minisum objective with arbitrary travel distance function. The social costs are imputed by specifying around each demand point or population center a convex forbidden region, also defined by an arbitrary distance metric, in which the new facility...... may not be located. A general solution algorithm is suggested, and the methodology is applied to circular forbidden regions and special travel distance functions....

  6. Locating a circle on a sphere

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brimberg, Jack; Juel, Henrik; Schöbel, Anita

    2003-01-01

    We consider the problem of locating a spherical circle with respect to existing facilities on a sphere, such that the sum of weighted distances between the circle and the facilities is minimized, or such that the maximum weighted distance is minimized. The problem properties are analyzed, and we...... give solution procedures. When the circle to be located is restricted to be a great circle, some simplifications are possible....

  7. Locating a circle on a sphere

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brimberg, Jack; Juel, Henrik; Schöbel, Anita

    2007-01-01

    We consider the problem of locating a spherical circle with respect to existing facilities on a sphere, such that the sum of distances between the circle and the facilities is minimized or such that the maximum distance is minimized. The problem properties are analyzed, and we give solution...... procedures. When the circle to be located is restricted to be a great circle, some simplifications are possible. The models may be used in preliminary studies on the location of large linear facilities on the earth's surface, such as superhighways, pipelines, and transmission lines, or in totally different...

  8. The solution of location problems with certain existing facility structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Juel, Henrik; Love, Robert F.

    1983-01-01

    It is known that in the Euclidean distance case, the optimal minisum location of a new facility in relation to four existing facilities is at the intersection of the two lines joining two pairs of the facilities. The authors extend this concept to minisum problems having any even number of existing...... facilities and characterized by generalized distance norms...

  9. Locating a circle on the plane using the minimax criterion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brimberg, Jack; Juel, Henrik; Schoebel, Anita

    2006-01-01

    We consider the problem of locating a circle with respect to existing facilities on the plane, such that the largest weighted distance between the circle and the facilities is minimized. The problem properties are analyzed, and a solution procedure proposed.......We consider the problem of locating a circle with respect to existing facilities on the plane, such that the largest weighted distance between the circle and the facilities is minimized. The problem properties are analyzed, and a solution procedure proposed....

  10. Locating a circle on the plane using the minimax criterion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brimberg, Jack; Juel, Henrik; Schöbel, Anita

    2009-01-01

    We consider the problem of locating a circle with respect to existing facilities on the plane, such that the largest weighted distance between the circumference of the circle and the facilities is minimized. The problem properties are analyzed, and a solution procedure proposed......We consider the problem of locating a circle with respect to existing facilities on the plane, such that the largest weighted distance between the circumference of the circle and the facilities is minimized. The problem properties are analyzed, and a solution procedure proposed...

  11. A bicriteria model for locating a semi-desirable facility in

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Juel, Henrik; Brimberg, Jack

    1998-01-01

    -known minisum criterion; in the other we want to minimize the weighted sum of Euclidean distances raised to a negative power. The second criterion is analyzed in some detail, and we state some properties of this part of the model. In the bicriteria model we minimize the weighted sum of the two criteria...

  12. Growing a Circle of Courage Culture: One School's Journey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Espiner, Deborah; Guild, Diane

    2010-01-01

    Mt. Richmond Special School is the first Circle of Courage school in New Zealand. The school reflects the richness of the cultural and learning diversity found in many New Zealand schools. Located in the heart of South Auckland, the school's 130 students represent a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. The universal values in the Circle of Courage…

  13. A localization algorithm of adaptively determining the ROI of the reference circle in image

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Zeen; Zhang, Jun; Zhang, Daimeng; Liu, Xiaomao; Tian, Jinwen

    2018-03-01

    Aiming at solving the problem of accurately positioning the detection probes underwater, this paper proposed a method based on computer vision which can effectively solve this problem. The theory of this method is that: First, because the shape information of the heat tube is similar to a circle in the image, we can find a circle which physical location is well known in the image, we set this circle as the reference circle. Second, we calculate the pixel offset between the reference circle and the probes in the picture, and adjust the steering gear through the offset. As a result, we can accurately measure the physical distance between the probes and the under test heat tubes, then we can know the precise location of the probes underwater. However, how to choose reference circle in image is a difficult problem. In this paper, we propose an algorithm that can adaptively confirm the area of reference circle. In this area, there will be only one circle, and the circle is the reference circle. The test results show that the accuracy of the algorithm of extracting the reference circle in the whole picture without using ROI (region of interest) of the reference circle is only 58.76% and the proposed algorithm is 95.88%. The experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm can effectively improve the efficiency of the tubes detection.

  14. On the minimal travel time needed to collect n items on a circle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Litvak, Nelly; van Zwet, Willem R.

    2004-01-01

    Consider n items located randomly on a circle of length 1. The locations of the items are assumed to be independent and uniformly distributed on [0,1). A picker starts at point 0 and has to collect all n items by moving along the circle at unit speed in either direction. In this paper we study the

  15. On the minimal travel time needed to collect $n$ items on a circle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Litvak, Nelli; van Zwet, Willem R.; van der Geer, Sarah; Wegkamp, Marten

    2012-01-01

    Consider $n$ items located randomly on a circle of length 1. The locations of the items are assumed to be independent and uniformly distributed on $[0,1)$. A picker starts at point 0 and has to collect all n items by moving along the circle at unit speed in either direction. In this paper we study

  16. On the minimal travel time needed to collect n items on a circle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Litvak, Nelli; van Zwet, W.R.

    2002-01-01

    Consider n items located randomly on a circle of length 1. The locations of the items are assumed to be independent and uniformly distributed on [0, 1). A picker starts at point 0, and he has to collect all n items by moving along the circle at unit speed in either direction. In this paper we study

  17. Geometric fit of a point set by generalized circles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Körner, Mark-Christopher; Brimberg, Jack; Juel, Henrik

    2010-01-01

    In our paper we approximate a set of given points by a general circle. More precisely, given two norms k 1 and k 2 and a set of points in the plane, we consider the problem of locating and scaling the unit circle of norm k 1 such that the sum of weighted distances between the circumference...... of the circle and the given points is minimized, where the distance is measured by a norm k 2. We present results for the general case. In the case that k 1 and k 2 are both polyhedral norms, we are able to solve the problem by investigating a finite candidate set....

  18. A game magically circling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ejsing-Duun, Stine

    2011-01-01

    This chapter analyses the relationship between players, the game world, and the ordinary world in alternative reality games (ARGs) and location-based games (LBGs). These games use technology to create a game world in the everyday scene. The topic of this chapter is the concept of the 'magic circle......', which defines the relationship between play and the ordinary world, and how this concept relates to a new kind of game....

  19. Circle diffeomorphisms forced by expanding circle maps

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Homburg, A.J.

    2012-01-01

    We discuss the dynamics of skew product maps defined by circle diffeomorphisms forced by expanding circle maps. We construct an open class of such systems that are robustly topologically mixing and for which almost all points in the same fiber converge under iteration. This property follows from the

  20. Are Namibian "fairy circles" the consequence of self-organizing spatial vegetation patterning?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael D Cramer

    Full Text Available Causes of over-dispersed barren "fairy circles" that are often surrounded by ca. 0.5 m tall peripheral grasses in a matrix of shorter (ca. 0.2 m tall grasses in Namibian grasslands remain mysterious. It was hypothesized that the fairy circles are the consequence of self-organizing spatial vegetation patterning arising from resource competition and facilitation. We examined the edaphic properties of fairy circles and variation in fairy circle size, density and landscape occupancy (% land surface with edaphic properties and water availability at a local scale (<50 km and with climate and vegetation characteristics at a regional scale. Soil moisture in the barren fairy circles declines from the center towards the periphery and is inversely correlated with soil organic carbon, possibly indicating that the peripheral grass roots access soil moisture that persists into the dry season within fairy circles. Fairy circle landscape occupancy is negatively correlated with precipitation and soil [N], consistent with fairy circles being the product of resource-competition. Regional fairy circle presence/absence is highly predictable using an empirical model that includes narrow ranges of vegetation biomass, precipitation and temperature seasonality as predictor variables, indicating that fairy circles are likely a climate-dependent emergent phenomenon. This dependence of fairy circle occurrence on climate explains why fairy circles in some locations may appear and disappear over time. Fairy circles are only over-dispersed at high landscape occupancies, indicating that inter-circle competition may determine their spacing. We conclude that fairy circles are likely to be an emergent arid-grassland phenomenon that forms as a consequence of peripheral grass resource-competition and that the consequent barren circle may provide a resource-reservoir essential for the survival of the larger peripheral grasses and provides a habitat for fossicking fauna.

  1. Residential Location, Job Location, and Wages: Theory and Empirics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vejlin, Rune Majlund

    -to-job transition without changing workplace location. However, workers making a job-to-job transition which makes the workplace location closer to the residence experiences a wage drop. Furthermore, low wage workers and workers with high transportation costs are more likely to make job-to-job transitions, but also......I develop a stylized partial on-the-job equilibrium search model which incorporate a spatial dimension. Workers reside on a circle and can move at a cost. Each point on the circle has a wage distribution. Implications about wages and job mobility are drawn from the model and tested on Danish...... matched employer-employee data. The model predictions hold true. I find that workers working farther away from their residence earn higher wages. When a worker is making a job-to-job transition where he changes workplace location he experiences a higher wage change than a worker making a job...

  2. Heritability of circle of Willis variations in families with intracranial aneurysms.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mayte Sánchez van Kammen

    Full Text Available Intracranial aneurysms more often occur in the same arterial territory within families. Several aneurysm locations are associated with specific circle of Willis variations. We investigated whether the same circle of Willis variations are more likely to occur in first-degree relatives than in unrelated individuals.We assessed four circle of Willis variations (classical, A1-asymmetry, incomplete posterior communicating artery and fetal circulation in two independent groups of families with familial aneurysms and ≥2 first-degree relatives with circle of Willis imaging on MRA/CTA. In each (index family we determined the proportion of first-degree relatives with the same circle of Willis variation as the proband and compared it to the proportion of first-degree relatives of a randomly selected unrelated (comparison family who had the same circle of Willis variation as the index family's proband. Concordance in index families and comparison families was compared with a conditional logistic events/trials model. The analysis was simulated 1001 times; we report the median concordances, odds ratios (ORs, and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI. The groups were analysed separately and together by meta-analysis.We found a higher overall concordance in circle of Willis configuration in index families than in comparison families (meta-analysis, 244 families: OR 2.2, 95%CI 1.6-3.0 mostly attributable to a higher concordance in incomplete posterior communicating artery (meta-analysis: OR 2.8, 95%CI 1.8-4.3. No association was found for the other three circle of Willis variations.In two independent groups of families with familial aneurysms, the incomplete PcomA variation occurred more often within than between families suggesting heritability of this circle of Willis variation. Further studies should investigate genetic variants associated with circle of Willis formation.

  3. The Archaeoastronomy of Tomnaverie Recumbent Stone Circle: A Comparison of Methodologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liz Henty

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The way we view the past is constantly modified by new evidence and methodological advances. Archaeological data is gleaned from the ground and archaeoastronomical evidence considers the use of the sky in relation to the archaeological record. Since the beginning of the 20th  century the two disciplines of archaeology and archaeoastronomy have flirted with one another but there has never been a satisfactory marriage. This paper looks at the Recumbent Stone Circles (RSCs of north-east Scotland to examine the methodologies, and compare the results, of both disciplines. The RSCs are a distinctive type of stone circle characterised by a large recumbent stone which is flanked on either side by a tall pillar. This recumbent arrangement is almost invariably located in the south-west of the circle. RSCs are generally located near the summits of low hills and enjoy clear horizon views. Over the years they have been the subject of extensive research. This research will be reviewed and Tomnaverie RSC will be singled out as a special case study to examine whether there still needs to be a divide between the disciplines.

  4. Research circles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nordentoft, Helle Merete; Thomsen, Rie; Möller, Jonas

    lifelong guidance policies. This paper presents `research circles´ as a way to develop guidance practices through long-term research relationships between practice and research. Research circles support a bottom up approach to policy development just like ELGPN considers to be necessary and required...... of their habitual pedagogical role and enables them to observe and analyze their own practice. In conclusion, this methodological approach to the development of guidance practices introduces a combination between theory and practice that meets current needs of practice, policy and research....

  5. Activity know-how and doctrine of QC circle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1976-09-15

    This books introduces activity know-how of QC circle giving descriptions of basic of QC circle activities, introduction operation and development and mind of QC circle activities, method for beginning of QC circle activity like, way order, motivation of introduction of QC circle activity, propel method of QC circle activities, such as leadership, brain storming, and rule of QC circle activity, management and propel method for improvement, development of QC circle activities. It also deals with doctrine of basic of QC circle, purpose, self improvement and group activity.

  6. Activity know-how and doctrine of QC circle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1976-09-01

    This books introduces activity know-how of QC circle giving descriptions of basic of QC circle activities, introduction operation and development and mind of QC circle activities, method for beginning of QC circle activity like, way order, motivation of introduction of QC circle activity, propel method of QC circle activities, such as leadership, brain storming, and rule of QC circle activity, management and propel method for improvement, development of QC circle activities. It also deals with doctrine of basic of QC circle, purpose, self improvement and group activity.

  7. Domain Discretization and Circle Packings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dias, Kealey

    A circle packing is a configuration of circles which are tangent with one another in a prescribed pattern determined by a combinatorial triangulation, where the configuration fills a planar domain or a two-dimensional surface. The vertices in the triangulation correspond to centers of circles...... to domain discretization problems such as triangulation and unstructured mesh generation techniques. We wish to ask ourselves the question: given a cloud of points in the plane (we restrict ourselves to planar domains), is it possible to construct a circle packing preserving the positions of the vertices...... and constrained meshes having predefined vertices as constraints. A standard method of two-dimensional mesh generation involves conformal mapping of the surface or domain to standardized shapes, such as a disk. Since circle packing is a new technique for constructing discrete conformal mappings, it is possible...

  8. CIRCLE Enhancement After Myopic SMILE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siedlecki, Jakob; Luft, Nikolaus; Mayer, Wolfgang J; Siedlecki, Martin; Kook, Daniel; Meyer, Bertram; Bechmann, Martin; Wiltfang, Rainer; Priglinger, Siegfried G; Dirisamer, Martin

    2018-05-01

    To report the outcomes of enhancement after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) using the VisuMax CIRCLE option (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena, Germany), which converts the SMILE cap into a femtosecond LASIK flap for secondary excimer laser application. Of 2,065 SMILE procedures, 22 eyes (1.1%) re-treated with CIRCLE with a follow-up of 3 months were included in the analysis. SMILE was performed in the usual manner. For re-treatment, the CIRCLE procedure was performed with pattern D flap creation on the VisuMax system and subsequent excimer laser ablation with a Zeiss MEL 90 laser (Carl Zeiss Meditec) with plano target in all cases. Spherical equivalent was -5.56 ± 2.22 diopters (D) before SMILE and -0.51 ± 1.08 D before CIRCLE. CIRCLE enhancement was performed after a mean of 10.0 ± 7.9 months, allowed for safe flap lifting in all eyes, and resulted in a final manifest refraction spherical equivalent of 0.18 ± 0.31 D at 3 months (P line of UDVA. Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) remained unchanged at all time points (before vs after CIRCLE, P = .40). Two eyes (9.1 %) lost one line of CDVA; no eye lost two or more lines. The safety and efficacy indices were 1.03 and 0.97 at 3 months. The CIRCLE procedure represents an effective re-treatment option after SMILE. Compared to surface ablation re-treatment after SMILE, CIRCLE seems to offer advantages in respect to speed of visual recovery, safety, and predictability, but at the price of flap creation. [J Refract Surg. 2018;34(5):304-309.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

  9. On a conjecture concerning helly circle graphs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Durán Guillermo

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available We say that G is an e-circle graph if there is a bijection between its vertices and straight lines on the cartesian plane such that two vertices are adjacent in G if and only if the corresponding lines intersect inside the circle of radius one. This definition suggests a method for deciding whether a given graph G is an e-circle graph, by constructing a convenient system S of equations and inequations which represents the structure of G, in such a way that G is an e-circle graph if and only if S has a solution. In fact, e-circle graphs are exactly the circle graphs (intersection graphs of chords in a circle, and thus this method provides an analytic way for recognizing circle graphs. A graph G is a Helly circle graph if G is a circle graph and there exists a model of G by chords such that every three pairwise intersecting chords intersect at the same point. A conjecture by Durán (2000 states that G is a Helly circle graph if and only if G is a circle graph and contains no induced diamonds (a diamond is a graph formed by four vertices and five edges. Many unsuccessful efforts - mainly based on combinatorial and geometrical approaches - have been done in order to validate this conjecture. In this work, we utilize the ideas behind the definition of e-circle graphs and restate this conjecture in terms of an equivalence between two systems of equations and inequations, providing a new, analytic tool to deal with it.

  10. Vicious Circles in Organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masuch, Michael

    1985-01-01

    After examining some elementary notions of action theory and cybernetics, this article analyzes the dynamics, clustering, and survival chances of vicious circles. It argues that the action perspective implies that many structural suboptimalities of organizations are caused by vicious circles. Eleven figures and 105 references are provided. (DCS)

  11. Information flow through the disaster circle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egedorf, Maren Marie; Villanueva Holm-Nielsen, Pablo

    The traditional view of the disaster circle is phase based. Disaster and development professionals recognize that the actions carried out in the various phases of the disaster management cycle are overlapping and build upon each other, having resilience as the overall goal. However information does...... not necessarily flow across the phases of the circle in an effective manner. This is particularly true for the information that crosses the disaster point of the circle. Organisations carry out assessments, surveys and baselines for various purposes, at various points of time in the disaster circle. Output...

  12. Circle activity of quality assurance in construction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-05-01

    This book explains purpose, introduction 10 things to keep in mind, management and role of QC activity, TQC and QC circle activity in construction, introduction of the case of QC circle activity in a company like QC circle activity as TQC activity and QC circle for the bright future, case of experience of QC circle activity such as decreasing concrete loss, improvement of sleeve sticking on the ps wooden floor, overcoming handicap in field where one person works and point of QC 7 tools and order of improvement and management.

  13. Polygons and Their Circles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephenson, Paul

    2009-01-01

    In order to find its circumference, Archimedes famously boxed the circle between two polygons. Ending the first of a series of articles (MT179) with an aside, Francis Lopez-Real reverses the situation to ask: Which polygons can be boxed between two circles? (The official term for such polygons is "bicentric".) The sides of these polygons are…

  14. The newest miracle drug: quality circles in hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKinney, M M

    1984-01-01

    In recent years, a number of hospitals throughout the United States have been exploring the use of Japanese-style quality circles to reduce their operating expenses, improve productivity, and enhance the quality of work life for hospital employees. This article examines the organizational climate necessary for quality circles, methods used to implement quality circles, and management's role in guiding and responding to circle activities. Ideas for building and maintaining staff support are presented along with a cost/benefit analysis of quality circle programs. The author concludes that quality circles are most successful in hospitals where they are part of a larger organizational development effort. When administrators believe in their employees' ability to contribute to the institution and are willing to invest necessary time and resources in employee education and the measurement of quality circle achievements, quality circles can produce creative solutions to perplexing institutional problems.

  15. Fairy circle landscapes under the sea

    KAUST Repository

    Ruiz-Reynés, Daniel

    2017-08-03

    Short-scale interactions yield large-scale vegetation patterns that, in turn, shape ecosystem function across landscapes. Fairy circles, which are circular patches bare of vegetation within otherwise continuous landscapes, are characteristic features of semiarid grasslands. We report the occurrence of submarine fairy circle seascapes in seagrass meadows and propose a simple model that reproduces the diversity of seascapes observed in these ecosystems as emerging from plant interactions within the meadow. These seascapes include two extreme cases, a continuous meadow and a bare landscape, along with intermediate states that range from the occurrence of persistent but isolated fairy circles, or solitons, to seascapes with multiple fairy circles, banded vegetation, and

  16. Fairy circle landscapes under the sea

    KAUST Repository

    Ruiz-Reyné s, Daniel; Gomila, Damià ; Sintes, Tomà s; Herná ndez-Garcí a, Emilio; Marbà , Nú ria; Duarte, Carlos M.

    2017-01-01

    Short-scale interactions yield large-scale vegetation patterns that, in turn, shape ecosystem function across landscapes. Fairy circles, which are circular patches bare of vegetation within otherwise continuous landscapes, are characteristic features of semiarid grasslands. We report the occurrence of submarine fairy circle seascapes in seagrass meadows and propose a simple model that reproduces the diversity of seascapes observed in these ecosystems as emerging from plant interactions within the meadow. These seascapes include two extreme cases, a continuous meadow and a bare landscape, along with intermediate states that range from the occurrence of persistent but isolated fairy circles, or solitons, to seascapes with multiple fairy circles, banded vegetation, and

  17. Yoctomole electrochemical genosensing of Ebola virus cDNA by rolling circle and circle to circle amplification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carinelli, S; Kühnemund, M; Nilsson, M; Pividori, M I

    2017-07-15

    This work addresses the design of an Ebola diagnostic test involving a simple, rapid, specific and highly sensitive procedure based on isothermal amplification on magnetic particles with electrochemical readout. Ebola padlock probes were designed to detect a specific L-gene sequence present in the five most common Ebola species. Ebola cDNA was amplified by rolling circle amplification (RCA) on magnetic particles. Further re-amplification was performed by circle-to-circle amplification (C2CA) and the products were detected in a double-tagging approach using a biotinylated capture probe for immobilization on magnetic particles and a readout probe for electrochemical detection by square-wave voltammetry on commercial screen-printed electrodes. The electrochemical genosensor was able to detect as low as 200 ymol, corresponding to 120 cDNA molecules of L-gene Ebola virus with a limit of detection of 33 cDNA molecules. The isothermal double-amplification procedure by C2CA combined with the electrochemical readout and the magnetic actuation enables the high sensitivity, resulting in a rapid, inexpensive, robust and user-friendly sensing strategy that offers a promising approach for the primary care in low resource settings, especially in less developed countries. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. "Take Me to the Mathematical Circle!"

    OpenAIRE

    Veilande, Ingrida

    2012-01-01

    Preparing the students for various mathematical contests are the key goals of mathematical circles in Latvian schools. The reason why mathematical circles for students of primary schools are organised rather seldom is that problem sets of Olympiads are mainly created for students of 5th to 12th grades. The young participants of circles have to be introduced with the basic principles of Olimpiads mathematics too.

  19. Circle of willis and its variations; morphometric study in adult human cadavers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raghavendra, Shirol VS, Daksha Dixit, Anil Kumar Reddy Y, Desai SP

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Circle of Willis plays a vital role in collateral circulation and redistribution of blood to all areas of the brain. Variation in circle of Willis is known to cause grave disorders like cerebrovascular disorders, subarachnoid haemorrhage, cerebral aneurysm and schizophrenia. The objectives of the present study are to study the formation and branching pattern of circle of Willis and also to study the distribution of variations. MATERIALS & Methods: The study was conducted on 50 adult brain specimens. Each brain was removed in one piece by dissection and the circle of Willis was observed for its formation, pattern and variations. Results: Among the 50 specimens studied, 28 cases (56% had a normal pattern of circle of Willis and variations were observed in the remaining 22 cases (44%. More number of variations was observed on the right side than on the left side. The most common variation observed was hypoplastic posterior communicating artery (7 cases, 31.8%. Posterior communicating artery was found to be the most variable vessel while middle cerebral artery was the least variable vessel. Interpretation and Conclusion: The results with respect to the circle of Willis and all its component arteries were consistent with the results in the available literature. The only exception was the increased incidence of absence of both the anterior and posterior communicating arteries. This finding is of clinical significance to neurologists and neurosurgeons in this geographical location of north Karnataka. A higher incidence of variations in the communicating arteries is likely to manifest as a higher incidence in disorders like migraine, schizophrenia and cerebrovascular disorders due to compromised collateral circulation and poor redistribution of blood.

  20. Introducing Nine-Point Circle to Junior High School Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiangga, S.; Azizah, M. A. N.; Rini, R. N. K.; Hidayanti, A. N.

    2018-01-01

    The concept of circles is an ancient concept that has appeared since Ancient Egypt from which this concept gives many significant contributions in mathematics’ development until now. Nevertheless, the concept of circles hides many uncover mysterious features that are of applications in mathematics. One of the mysterious features is the Nine-Point Circle. This Nine-point circle is also known as Euler’s circle, six-point circle, Feuerbach’s circle, the twelve-point circle, and many others. Because of these different names, there have been misunderstand among mathematicians about the Nine-Point Circle’s history. Besides, the discussion of Nine-Point Circle can be used to be an initial material to explain elementary geometry topic in junior high school’s level curriculum of 2013. Therefore, this concept needs to be delivered to the students as a geometry introduction. A possible form of the integration historical aspect of Nine-point circle is suggested in this paper as well as its importance in the curriculum of 2013.

  1. Darboux cyclides and webs from circles

    KAUST Repository

    Pottmann, Helmut

    2012-01-01

    Motivated by potential applications in architecture, we study Darboux cyclides. These algebraic surfaces of order ≤4 are a superset of Dupin cyclides and quadrics, and they carry up to six real families of circles. Revisiting the classical approach to these surfaces based on the spherical model of 3D Möbius geometry, we provide computational tools for the identification of circle families on a given cyclide and for the direct design of those. In particular, we show that certain triples of circle families may be arranged as so-called hexagonal webs, and we provide a complete classification of all possible hexagonal webs of circles on Darboux cyclides. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Robust Circle Detection Using Harmony Search

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaco Fourie

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Automatic circle detection is an important element of many image processing algorithms. Traditionally the Hough transform has been used to find circular objects in images but more modern approaches that make use of heuristic optimisation techniques have been developed. These are often used in large complex images where the presence of noise or limited computational resources make the Hough transform impractical. Previous research on the use of the Harmony Search (HS in circle detection showed that HS is an attractive alternative to many of the modern circle detectors based on heuristic optimisers like genetic algorithms and simulated annealing. We propose improvements to this work that enables our algorithm to robustly find multiple circles in larger data sets and still work on realistic images that are heavily corrupted by noisy edges.

  3. Quality Circles: Determination of Significant Factors for Success an a General Model for Implementing a Quality Circle Process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1981-06-01

    receive for contributions to quality and productivity /4:Apdx-47. The initiative for the Quality Circle concept came from Dr Kaoru Ishikawa , a...eloquently summarized by the "Father of Quality Circles", Dr Kaoru Ishikawa . He sees that, although Japan started with the worst quality reputation among...Perceptions of Influence, Academy of Management Journal. December 1974, pp 649-bz. 49. Ishikawa , Kaoru . S.C. Circle Activities. Union of Japanese Scientists and

  4. Darboux cyclides and webs from circles

    KAUST Repository

    Pottmann, Helmut; Shi, Ling; Skopenkov, Mikhail

    2012-01-01

    to these surfaces based on the spherical model of 3D Möbius geometry, we provide computational tools for the identification of circle families on a given cyclide and for the direct design of those. In particular, we show that certain triples of circle families may

  5. The "Us" in Discuss: Grouping in Literature Circles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Batchelor, Katherine

    2012-01-01

    This article describes one middle school teacher's use of literature circles using heterogeneous grouping. It begins with a brief rationale for using literature circles in the language arts classroom. Next, it describes techniques to form literature circles. Then, it shares how to build and establish a supportive environment within each group. It…

  6. Circles of quality in radiological safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzalez F, J.A.

    1991-01-01

    The concept of Circles of quality arose in Japan like an option to capitalize the enormous potential that the workers had developed as a result of its training in the statistical tools of quality. There are presented a series of steps that could be given with the purpose of implementing a program of ALARA circles. The radiological safety is in it finishes instance responsibility of each hard-working one and there won't be a protection program that can work among apathetic people, it is in this sense where the ALARA circles can provide its maximum contribution creating a conscience of responsibility and participation

  7. Quality Circles and nuclear energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiesendanger, J.; Raveleau, G.

    1983-01-01

    A Circle of Quality is a small group of workers or employees made up of from five to ten volunteers from a given shop, office, or factory team, or sharing identical concerns. For every problem that is taken under advisement, these groups draft a solution, test its validity and propose its application, eventually monitoring its implementation and assessing the results achieved. The problems dealt with and the improvements introduced frequently concern details of the personnel's work routines, product quality, tool reliability. But these improvements become so numerous that, eventually, it is the efficiency of an entire office, shop, department or plant, and hence that of the company itself, that is enhanced thereby. Some of the features of a circle of quality are given. A Circle of quality is a contribution to the reliability of the individual, as also to innovation [fr

  8. Beyond Quality Circles: Self-Managing Teams.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sims, Henry P., Jr.; Dean, James W., Jr.

    1985-01-01

    This article reviews the quality circle concept, shows why its characteristics appeal to American executives, and examines some of its limitations. It looks at self-managing teams and discusses the reasons that adoptions have been relatively few. It then shows what organizational conditions are necessary for quality circles to evolve into teams.…

  9. Developing Soft Skills Using "Literature Circles"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azmi, Mohd Nazri Bin Latiff

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates the impact of the implementation of "Literature Circles" in an Active Learning classroom in relations to developing soft skills among university students. The use of Literature Circles is a well-known strategy in teaching the students to be more creative, independent, and think out of the box. A group of…

  10. Stereoscopic Machine-Vision System Using Projected Circles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackey, Jeffrey R.

    2010-01-01

    template in processing terrain images. During operation on terrain, the images acquired by the left and right cameras are analyzed. The analysis includes (1) computation of the horizontal and vertical dimensions and the aspect ratios of rectangles that bound the circle images and (2) comparison of these aspect ratios with those of the template. Coordinates of distortions of the circles are used to identify and locate objects. If the analysis leads to identification of an object of significant size, then stereoscopicvision algorithms are used to estimate the distance to the object. The time taken in performing this analysis on a single pair of images acquired by the left and right cameras in this system is a fraction of the time taken in processing the many pairs of images acquired in a sweep of the laser stripe across the field of view in the prior system. The results of the analysis include data on sizes and shapes of, and distances and directions to, objects. Coordinates of objects are updated as the vehicle moves so that intelligent decisions regarding speed and direction can be made. The results of the analysis are utilized in a computational decision-making process that generates obstacle-avoidance data and feeds those data to the control system of the robotic vehicle.

  11. Packing circles and spheres on surfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Schiftner, Alexander; Hö binger, Mathias; Wallner, Johannes; Pottmann, Helmut

    2009-01-01

    Inspired by freeform designs in architecture which involve circles and spheres, we introduce a new kind of triangle mesh whose faces' incircles form a packing. As it turns out, such meshes have a rich geometry and allow us to cover surfaces with circle patterns, sphere packings, approximate circle packings, hexagonal meshes which carry a torsion-free support structure, hybrid tri-hex meshes, and others. We show how triangle meshes can be optimized so as to have the incircle packing property. We explain their relation to conformal geometry and implications on solvability of optimization. The examples we give confirm that this kind of meshes is a rich source of geometric structures relevant to architectural geometry. © 2009 ACM.

  12. Packing circles and spheres on surfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Schiftner, Alexander

    2009-12-01

    Inspired by freeform designs in architecture which involve circles and spheres, we introduce a new kind of triangle mesh whose faces\\' incircles form a packing. As it turns out, such meshes have a rich geometry and allow us to cover surfaces with circle patterns, sphere packings, approximate circle packings, hexagonal meshes which carry a torsion-free support structure, hybrid tri-hex meshes, and others. We show how triangle meshes can be optimized so as to have the incircle packing property. We explain their relation to conformal geometry and implications on solvability of optimization. The examples we give confirm that this kind of meshes is a rich source of geometric structures relevant to architectural geometry.

  13. Packing circles and spheres on surfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Schiftner, Alexander

    2009-01-01

    Inspired by freeform designs in architecture which involve circles and spheres, we introduce a new kind of triangle mesh whose faces\\' incircles form a packing. As it turns out, such meshes have a rich geometry and allow us to cover surfaces with circle patterns, sphere packings, approximate circle packings, hexagonal meshes which carry a torsion-free support structure, hybrid tri-hex meshes, and others. We show how triangle meshes can be optimized so as to have the incircle packing property. We explain their relation to conformal geometry and implications on solvability of optimization. The examples we give confirm that this kind of meshes is a rich source of geometric structures relevant to architectural geometry. © 2009 ACM.

  14. Packing circles and spheres on surfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Schiftner, Alexander; Hö binger, Mathias; Wallner, Johannes; Pottmann, Helmut

    2009-01-01

    Inspired by freeform designs in architecture which involve circles and spheres, we introduce a new kind of triangle mesh whose faces' incircles form a packing. As it turns out, such meshes have a rich geometry and allow us to cover surfaces with circle patterns, sphere packings, approximate circle packings, hexagonal meshes which carry a torsion-free support structure, hybrid tri-hex meshes, and others. We show how triangle meshes can be optimized so as to have the incircle packing property. We explain their relation to conformal geometry and implications on solvability of optimization. The examples we give confirm that this kind of meshes is a rich source of geometric structures relevant to architectural geometry.

  15. The circle equation over finite fields

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aabrandt, Andreas; Hansen, Vagn Lundsgaard

    2017-01-01

    Interesting patterns in the geometry of a plane algebraic curve C can be observed when the defining polynomial equation is solved over the family of finite fields. In this paper, we examine the case of C the classical unit circle defined by the circle equation x2 + y2 = 1. As a main result, we es...

  16. Three-charge black holes on a circle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harmark, Troels; Obers, Niels A.; Roenne, Peter B.; Kristjansson, Kristjan R.

    2007-01-01

    We study phases of five-dimensional three-charge black holes with a circle in their transverse space. In particular, when the black hole is localized on the circle we compute the corrections to the metric and corresponding thermodynamics in the limit of small mass. When taking the near-extremal limit, this gives the corrections to the finite entropy of the extremal three-charge black hole as a function of the energy above extremality. For the partial extremal limit with two charges sent to infinity and one finite we show that the first correction to the entropy is in agreement with the microscopic entropy by taking into account that the number of branes shift as a consequence of the interactions across the transverse circle. Beyond these analytical results, we also numerically obtain the entire phase of non- and near-extremal three- and two-charge black holes localized on a circle. More generally, we find in this paper a rich phase structure, including a new phase of three-charge black holes that are non-uniformly distributed on the circle. All these three-charge black hole phases are found via a map that relates them to the phases of five-dimensional neutral Kaluza-Klein black holes

  17. Circles South East: the first 10 years 2002-2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bates, Andrew; Williams, Dominic; Wilson, Chris; Wilson, Robin J

    2014-07-01

    This article describes the first 10 years of the implementation of Circles of Support and Accountability (Circles) in the management of sexual offenders in South-East England by Circles South East (CSE). The Circles of 71 core members are reviewed in detail, with reference to demographic data, offense and sentencing histories, risk assessment data, and considerations regarding Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements. A group of 71 comparison subjects who were referred to CSE and deemed suitable for but did not receive the service was identified. Follow-up behaviors of both groups are examined (including all forms of reconviction, breach of orders, and prison recall). Over a comparable follow-up period of 55 months, the incidence of violent and contact sexual reconviction in the comparison group was significantly higher than for the Circles cohort. Comparisons are made between expected and actual levels of sexual reconviction, with the Circles cohort showing lower than expected rate of sexual reconviction but not to a statistically significant degree. © The Author(s) 2013.

  18. Exploring Factors That Influence Quality Literature Circles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Chase; Mohr, Kathleen A. J.

    2018-01-01

    Research indicates that literature circles are an authentic means for literacy development that students typically enjoy. To better understand the potential value and to add to the research base regarding literature circles, this study, involving 17 fourth graders, explores factors that may influence the quality of literature discussions,…

  19. Circles of Support and Personalization: Exploring the Economic Case

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wistow, Gerald; Perkins, Margaret; Knapp, Martin; Bauer, Annette; Bonin, Eva-Maria

    2016-01-01

    Circles of Support aim to enable people with learning disabilities (and others) to live full lives as part of their communities. As part of a wider study of the economic case for community capacity building conducted from 2012 to 2014, we conducted a mixed methods study of five Circles in North West England. Members of these Circles were…

  20. Walt Disney World`s utility efficiency awards and environmental circles of excellence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Allen, P.J.; Kivler, W.B.

    1996-05-01

    This paper describes an innovative approach to energy conservation that has been started at WALT DISNEY WORLD. The program that was established was designed to heighten the awareness of energy usage in our Management and Cast Members, establish a method for recognizing and rewarding positive energy conservation efforts and, most importantly, keeping the effort simple and fun. Two programs work together to meet this goal: Utility Efficiency Awards and the Environmental Circles of Excellence. The Utility Efficiency Awards are given to the top areas that have demonstrated a reduction in utility consumption relative to the same period in prior years. More importantly, a report is generated that shows a best-to-worst ranking. Relying on the idea that {open_quotes}nobody wants to be on the bottom of the list{close_quotes}, conservation is enhanced by focusing attention on improving efficiency. To encourage direct cast member involvement in our environmental program, the Environmental Circles of Excellence were created. These groups, made up of hourly and salaried cast members, discuss their location`s environmental commitments, set goals and implement programs. This paper describes these initiatives in detail and presents some initial results that have heightened the awareness of energy conservation at WALT DISNEY WORLD.

  1. Three Concentric Circles: Young Chinese English Learners' Perceptions of Purposeful Audiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jack Jinghui

    2015-01-01

    English learners have more access to communicate with different purposeful audiences across the Three Concentric Circles of English (Kachu, 1985): the Inner Circle, the Outer Circle and the Expanding Circle. However, young language learners' purposeful audience as a focus of communication has not been emphasized as much as other linguistic…

  2. Research Circles - a method for developing guidance practices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2012-01-01

    This video reports on our work with using research circles to improve our understanding of how to provide guidance and counseling to help young people in danger of dropping out of school. The video is based on the paper: Research Circles -- a method for developing guidance practices, and was pres......This video reports on our work with using research circles to improve our understanding of how to provide guidance and counseling to help young people in danger of dropping out of school. The video is based on the paper: Research Circles -- a method for developing guidance practices......, and was presented at the Conference for Social Justice, Prosperity and Sustainable Employment 2012 by assistant professor Helle Merete Nordentoft from DPU (http://edu.au.dk/). The film communicating the research paper was created by Mie Nørgaard...

  3. D'Nealian Handwriting versus Circle-Stick Print.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thurber, Donald N.

    This paper argues against teaching children to make letters using circle-stick writing. It contends that the circle-stick method requires continued pen/pencil lifts hindering rhythm or flow in the writing process and that there is little carry-over value into cursive writing as the two scripts are totally different. D'Nealian print, one type of…

  4. Forming Circle Formations of Anonymous Mobile Agents With Order Preservation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wang, Chen; Xie, Guangming; Cao, Ming

    2013-01-01

    We propose distributed control laws for a group of anonymous mobile agents to form desired circle formations when the agents move in the one-dimensional space of a circle. The agents are modeled by kinematic points. They share the common knowledge of the orientation of the circle, but are oblivious

  5. ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION AND THE ECONOMY VICIOUS CIRCLES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MEDAR LUCIAN ION

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Education for sustainable development, involves training honest, active, social and creative persons for ensuring the link between environment, society, economy and politics. Trained entrepreneurs in sustainable development, are the engine system which can bring an economic prosperity. Lack of entrepreneurial education in the last 25 years has led accentuated conditions to avoiding economic development in all reference fields where added value can be achieved. Running away from excessive taxation led to the establishment of vicious circles in the economy. Vicious circles of the economy can be found in saving, tax policy, productive investment and the informal economy. Through this study will present the importance of entrepreneurship education in the real economy and some specifications to exit entrepreneurs from vicious circles of the economy.

  6. Students’ Scientific Circle of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivan Polishchuk

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The students’ scientific circle is the kind of teaching obstetrics and gynaecology in a higher medical institution. The circle is an elective form of learning that allows the students to get deeper knowledge of a subject and to perfect themselves in the issues of diagnostics in obstetrics and gynaecology as well as to acquaint themselves with basic medical techniques. It helps identify students who are capable of scientific research and allows the students to improve their ability to analytical perception of professional information, the ability to present it to the audience, ask and answer the questions publicly. The article presents the results of practical and research activities of obstetric and gynaecologic section of the students’ scientific circle of Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University.

  7. The Acoustic Reality of the Kachruvian Circles: A Rhythmic Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Low, Ee Ling

    2010-01-01

    This paper investigates whether the rhythmic properties of varieties of English found in each of the concentric circles of Kachru's model can, in any way, be elucidated by the "Three Circles" model. A measurement and comparison of the rhythm of three varieties of English: British English (from the Inner Circle), Singapore English (from…

  8. The rolling circle amplification and next generation sequencing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Rolling circle amplification is a simple approach of enriching populations of single-stranded DNA plant begomovirus genomes (genus, Begomovirus; family, Geminiviridae). This is an innovative approach that utilizes the robustness of the bacteriophage phi29 DNA polymerase used in circle amplification, together with deep ...

  9. [A design of refractometer based on blur circle].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yikui; Huang, Shenghai; Ye, Huifang; Zou, Ruitao; Tong, Gengmin; Zhuo, Ran

    2011-03-01

    Design a convenient and stable eye refractometer based on the theory of blur circle. Analyze the retinal blur circle in both Emsly reduced eye model and Liou & Brennan 1997 eye model by ZEMAX. Design the coefficients including PD (pupil diameter) and NO' (length between node point and fovea) with the purpose of improving the accuracy. At last, compare the clinical optometry data from this refractor with the data obtained from optometry hospital in Wenzhou. The blur circle diameters are nearly the same in both reduced eye model and the Liou & Brennan 1997 eye model. With the PD = 4 mm and NO' = 20 mm, the refractor shows a fine accuracy in optometry. The paired t test shows that the myopia group and the astigmatism axial direction group have no statistical difference between the data from the blur circle refractor and the hospital (P > 0.05), while the astigmatism degree group has the result of P = 0.41 which may be caused by the poor cooperation of pediatric patients. 80% of the astigmatism degree data differ from the data from the hospital in less than 0.75D. The blur circle refractor, with the features of convenience and fine accuracy, is promised to be a new style of refractometer in the future.

  10. Inside Larry's Circle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Alice

    2009-01-01

    Last spring, students from several North Carolina middle schools were invited to participate in the annual Celebrate the Arts festival in Columbus Country. Larry Hewett, a local art teacher, had been selected to instruct the middle-school students. Larry's River Rock Circles project was made as the starting point for the Celebrate the Arts…

  11. Membandingkan Bilangan Pecahan Menggunakan Fraction Circle terhadap Pemahaman Konsep Siswa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renny Sendra Wahyuni

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Penelitian bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan lintasan belajar siswa dalam memahami konsep pembelajaran membandingkan bilangan pecahan dengan menggunakan fraction circle melalui pendekatan PMRI. Penelitian dilaksanakan di SD Negeri 146 Palembang. Metode yang digunakan adalah design research melalui tahap-tahap preparing for the experiment, teaching experiment, dan retrospective analysis. Penelitian ini menunjukkan peranan fraction circle sebagai model yang mendorong peserta didik menemukan pemahaman konsep membandingkan bilangan pecahan dengan menggunakan pendekatan PMRI. Kata Kunci: pecahan, fraction circle, design research, PMRI This study aims to design a learning trajectory to help students understand the concept of rational numbers through fashion context. The study aims to describe students learning trajectory in understanding the concept of comparing fractions through fraction circle with PMRI approach. The research was conducted in SD Negeri 146 Palembang. The method used in this research is design research which consists of three stages: preparing for the experiment, teaching experiment, and retrospective analysis. The result shows the role fraction circle as a model to encourage students to understand the concept of comparing fractions using PMRI approach. Keywords: fractions, fraction circle, design research, PMRI

  12. Quasi-human seniority-order algorithm for unequal circles packing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Dingju

    2016-01-01

    In the existing methods for solving unequal circles packing problems, the initial configuration is given arbitrarily or randomly, but the impact of different initial configurations for existing packing algorithm to the speed of existing packing algorithm solving unequal circles packing problems is very large. The quasi-human seniority-order algorithm proposed in this paper can generate a better initial configuration for existing packing algorithm to accelerate the speed of existing packing algorithm solving unequal circles packing problems. In experiments, the quasi-human seniority-order algorithm is applied to generate better initial configurations for quasi-physical elasticity methods to solve the unequal circles packing problems, and the experimental results show that the proposed quasi-human seniority-order algorithm can greatly improve the speed of solving the problem.

  13. The three circle method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garncarek, Z.

    1989-01-01

    The three circle method in its general form is presented. The method is especially useful for investigation of shapes of agglomerations of objects. An example of its applications to investigation of galaxies distribution is given. 17 refs. (author)

  14. Literature Circles in 18. Century; As a Cultural Centers of Istanbul: The Role of "Literature Circles" in the Transmission of The Cultural Heritage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zehra ÖKSÜZ

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to explore the particular examples of literature circles which were seen as wisdom centre and were influential in 18th century Ottoman social and cultural life. This study foc uses on the literature circles in the capital of Ottomans and examines their roles in the transmission of cultural heritage. Mahfil, which means the meeting place, became the centre of literature activities which are performed in a particular place. This li terature circles gained the status of being a prestigious literature and art centre which witnessed the creation of significant works in 18th. They functioned as a transmitter of culture in terms of the works studied and role model literary figures. Patron age tradition promoted the progress of literary activities in the circles. With regard to their significant contribution to the Ottoman culture and civilization, literature circles emerged at the patronage of Sultan III. Ahmed, Sultan III. Selim, Sadrazam Nevşehirli Damad İbrahim Paşa, Sadrazam Koca Râgıb Paşa, Hoca Neş’et Efendi, Şeyh Gâlib, Hoca Süleyman Vahyî. Therefore, it is essential to study these circles in terms of its importance as being home to important literary figures with a sophisticated sen se of art.

  15. Models to support students’ understanding of measuring area of circles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rejeki, S.; Putri, R. I. I.

    2018-01-01

    Many studies showed that enormous students got confused about the concepts of measuring area of circles. The main reason is because mathematics classroom practices emphasized on memorizing formulas rather than understanding concepts. Therefore, in this study, a set of learning activities were designed as an innovation in learning area measurement of circles. The activities involved two models namely grid paper and reshaping which are respectively as a means and a strategy to support students’ learning of area measurement of circles. Design research was used as the research approach to achieve the aim. Thirty-eight of 8th graders in Indonesia were involved in this study. In this study, together with the contextual problems, the grid paper and reshaping sectors, which used as the models in this learning, helped the students to gradually develop their understanding of the area measurement of circles. The grid papers plays important role in comparing and estimating areas. Whereas, the reshaping sectors might support students’ understanding of the circumference and the area measurement of circles. Those two models could be the tool for promoting the informal theory of area measurement. Besides, the whole activities gave important role on distinguishing the area and perimeter of circles.

  16. Dynamics on the Circle

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 8; Issue 11. Dynamics on the Circle - Interval Dynamics and Rotation Number. Siddhartha Gadgil. General Article Volume 8 Issue 11 November 2003 pp 25-36. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link:

  17. Pre-big-bang cosmology and circles in the cosmic microwave background

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, William; Wilson-Ewing, Edward

    2011-01-01

    We examine the possibility that circles in the cosmic microwave background could be formed by the interaction of a gravitational wave pulse emitted in some pre-big-bang phase of the universe with the last scattering surface. We derive the expected size distribution of such circles, as well as their typical ring width and (for concentric circles) angular separation. We apply these results, in particular, to conformal cyclic cosmology, ekpyrotic cosmology as well as loop quantum cosmology with and without inflation in order to determine how the predicted geometric properties of these circles would vary from one model to the other, and thus, if detected, could allow us to differentiate between various pre-big-bang cosmological models. We also obtain a relation between the angular ring width and the angular radius of such circles that can be used in order to determine whether or not circles observed in the cosmic microwave background are due to energetic pre-big-bang events.

  18. Empirical Evaluation of Different Feature Representations for Social Circles Detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-06-16

    study and compare the performance on the available labelled Facebook data from the Kaggle competition on learning social circles in networks . We...Kaggle competition on learning social circles in networks [5]. The data consist of hand- labelled friendship egonets from Facebook and a set of 57...16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: Social circles detection is a special case of community detection in social network that is currently attracting a

  19. The Value of the Math Circle for Gifted Middle School Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burns, Barbara; Henry, Julie; McCarthy, Dianne; Tripp, Jennifer

    2017-01-01

    Math Circles are designed to allow students to explore mathematics using a problem-solving/inquiry approach. Many of the students attending our Math Circle are mathematically talented and curious. This study examines the perspectives of the students and their families in determining why students attend Math Circle, what they enjoy about Math…

  20. Shock circle model for ejector performance evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Yinhai; Cai, Wenjian; Wen, Changyun; Li, Yanzhong

    2007-01-01

    In this paper, a novel shock circle model for the prediction of ejector performance at the critical mode operation is proposed. By introducing the 'shock circle' at the entrance of the constant area chamber, a 2D exponential expression for velocity distribution is adopted to approximate the viscosity flow near the ejector inner wall. The advantage of the 'shock circle' analysis is that the calculation of ejector performance is independent of the flows in the constant area chamber and diffuser. Consequently, the calculation is even simpler than many 1D modeling methods and can predict the performance of critical mode operation ejectors much more accurately. The effectiveness of the method is validated by two experimental results reported earlier. The proposed modeling method using two coefficients is shown to produce entrainment ratio, efficiency and coefficient of performance (COP) accurately and much closer to experimental results than those of 1D analysis methods

  1. Quality circles: the nurse executive as mentor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flarey, D L

    1991-12-01

    Changes within and around the health care environment are forcing health care executives to reexamine their managerial and leadership styles to confront the resulting turbulence. The nurse executive is charged with the profound responsibility of directing the delivery of nursing care throughout the organization. Care delivered today must be of high quality. Declining financial resources as well as personnel shortages cause the executive to be an effective innovator in meeting the increasing demands. Quality circles offer the nurse executive an avenue of recourse. Circles have been effectively implemented in the health care setting, as has been consistently documented over time. By way of a participative management approach, quality circles may lead to increased employee morale and productivity, cost savings, and decreased employee turnover rates, as well as realization of socialization and self-actualization needs. A most effective approach to their introduction would be implementation at the first-line manager level. This promotes an acceptance of the concept at the management level as well as a training course for managers to implement the process at the unit level. The nurse executive facilitates the process at the first-line manager level. This facilitation will cause a positive outcome to diffuse throughout the entire organization. Quality circles offer the nurse executive the opportunity to challenge the existing environmental turmoil and effect a positive and lasting change.

  2. The Inner Circle Revisited

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grau Larsen, Anton; Ellersgaard, Christoph

    2018-01-01

    in social networks, we identify a cohesive core group of 171 individuals within a corporate elite of 6154 board members of the top 1037 Danish corporations. A high degree of social homogeneity in gender, social background, education and career position underlines the cohesion of the inner circle. By mapping...

  3. Guided Discovery of the Nine-Point Circle Theorem and Its Proof

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buchbinder, Orly

    2018-01-01

    The nine-point circle theorem is one of the most beautiful and surprising theorems in Euclidean geometry. It establishes an existence of a circle passing through nine points, all of which are related to a single triangle. This paper describes a set of instructional activities that can help students discover the nine-point circle theorem through…

  4. The magic circle and the puzzle piece

    OpenAIRE

    Juul, Jesper

    2008-01-01

    In a common description, to play a game is to step inside a concrete or metaphorical magic circle where special rules apply. In video game studies, this description has received an inordinate amount of criticism which the paper argues has two primary sources: 1. a misreading of the basic concept of the magic circle and 2. a somewhat rushed application of traditional theoretical concerns onto games. The paper argues that games studies must move beyond conventional criticisms of binary distinct...

  5. Talking Circles for Adolescent Girls in an Urban High School

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ann Schumacher

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Restorative Practices (RP in schools is a new and emerging field. Meeting in Circles to build friendships, develop emotional literacy skills, resolve conflict, or learn interactively are some of the core components of these programs. This article describes a 2-year study of 12 weekly Talking Circles organized under the auspices of a RP program in an urban high school with 60 adolescent girls. Primary data sources included 257 hr of participant observations in Talking Circles and individual, semi-structured interviews with 31 students. The Relational Cultural model, rooted in the work of Jean Baker Miller, served as the conceptual framework for understanding teens’ interactions within the Circle’s unique set of social conditions in a school environment. Findings demonstrated that Talking Circles provided a safe space for peers helping peers, and that the girls improved their listening, anger management, and empathic skills, which led to greater self-efficacy. It appears that Talking Circles could provide another venue for developing social-emotional literacy skills and growth-fostering relationships in schools.

  6. Quality Circles in Higher Education: Quality, Satisfaction, and Climate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kay, Carol; Healy, Margaret

    The effect of quality circles at Iowa State University on absenteeism, performance evaluation, perceptions of the organization climate, job satisfaction, and perceived opportunities for professional and personal growth was measured in this study. The process of quality circles is designed to promote job fulfillment and organizational productivity…

  7. Parhelic-like circle from light scattering in Plateau borders

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tufaile, A., E-mail: tufaile@usp.br; Tufaile, A.P.B.

    2015-03-06

    We are reporting a new simple optical element to generate halos. We have observed interesting patterns of light scattering in Plateau borders in foams. In analogy to the atmospheric phenomena known as parhelic circle, sun dogs, and sun pillars, we have named the features of the patterns observed as parlaseric circle, laser dogs, and laser pillars. The triangular symmetry of the Plateau borders is analogous to the hexagonal symmetry of ice crystals which produce these atmospheric phenomena. Working with one Plateau border at a time, we have observed wave optics phenomena that are not perceived in the atmospheric phenomena, such as diffraction and interference. - Highlights: • We obtained halo formation from light scattering in a Plateau border using an experiment. • We explained halo formation using geometrical theory of diffraction. • An optical element based on a Plateau border is proposed. • We compared some aspects of the parhelic circle with the parlaseric circle.

  8. Stone circles: form and soil kinematics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hallet, Bernard

    2013-01-01

    Distinct surface patterns are ubiquitous and diverse in soils of polar and alpine regions, where the ground temperature oscillates about 0°C. They constitute some of the most striking examples of clearly visible, abiotic self-organization in nature. This paper outlines the interplay of frost-related physical processes that produce these patterns spontaneously and presents unique data documenting subsurface soil rotational motion and surface displacement spanning 20 years in well-developed circles of soil outlined by gravel ridges. These sorted circles are particularly attractive research targets for a number of reasons that provide focus for this paper: (i) their exceptional geometric regularity captures the attention of any observer; (ii) they are currently forming and evolving, hence the underlying processes can be monitored readily, especially because they are localized near the ground surface on a scale of metres, which facilitates comprehensive characterization; and (iii) a recent, highly successful numerical model of sorted circle development helps to draw attention to particular field observations that can be used to assess the model, its assumptions and parameter choices, and to the considerable potential for synergetic field and modelling studies.

  9. Voice of the voiceless: The legacy of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hazel O. Ayanga

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (the Circle formally came into existence in 1989 in Accra, Ghana. Under the charismatic leadership of Mercy Amba Oduyoye, the Circle sought to be the voice of African Christian women at the grass roots level. To this end research and publication was and still is one of the major pillars and activities of the Circle. The main objective of the Circle is �to write and publish theological literature written by African women from their own experience of religion and culture on this continent�. In this regard the Circle has been and continues to be the voice for and on behalf of the African woman in religion, culture and theology. However, 25 years down the line there is need for an evaluation of the legacy of the Circle. How has the Circle been a voice for the voiceless, a mentoring instrument for women venturing into the academia? This article seeks to do this evaluation by examining the activities of the Circle including research publication.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article seeks to evaluate the achievements of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians in relation to the Circle�s stated objectives. The article picks up the notion of the Circle theologians as the voice of the voiceless women of Africa. The general approach of the article brings together discussions on social issues like gender, poverty and marginalisation as well as language. Theological and religious perspectives on these issues are understood from a Circle point of view.Keywords: women; voice; voicelessness; poverty; gender; The Circle; theology

  10. An Effective Time and Management Strategy in Quality Circles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halverson, Don E.

    Contending that participation in quality circles enhances effective time management by school administrators and teachers, this guide provides both a theoretical briefing and practical recommendations for better time management. A pre- posttest prefaces a review of basic concepts of quality circles with reference to the work of Abraham Maslow,…

  11. Experimental study of circle grid fractal pattern on turbulent intensity in pipe flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manshoor, B; Zaman, I; Othman, M F; Khalid, Amir

    2013-01-01

    Fractal turbulence is deemed much more efficient than grid turbulence in terms of a turbulence generation. In this paper, the hotwire experimental results for the circle grids fractal pattern as a turbulent generator will be presented. The self-similar edge characteristic of the circle grid fractal pattern is thought to play a vital role in the enhancement of turbulent intensity. Three different beta ratios of perforated plates based on circle grids fractal pattern were used in the experimental work and each paired with standard circle grids with similar porosity. The objectives were to study the fractal scaling influence on the flow and also to explore the potential of the circle grids fractal pattern in enhancing the turbulent intensity. The results provided an excellent insight of the fractal generated turbulence and the fractal flow physics. Across the circle grids fractal pattern, the pressure drop was lower but the turbulent intensity was higher than those across the paired standard circle grids

  12. Ghost circles in lattice Aubry-Mather theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mramor, Blaz; Rink, Bob

    Monotone lattice recurrence relations such as the Frenkel-Kontorova lattice, arise in Hamiltonian lattice mechanics, as models for ferromagnetism and as discretization of elliptic PDEs. Mathematically, they are a multi-dimensional counterpart of monotone twist maps. Such recurrence relations often admit a variational structure, so that the solutions x:Z→R are the stationary points of a formal action function W(x). Given any rotation vector ω∈R, classical Aubry-Mather theory establishes the existence of a large collection of solutions of ∇W(x)=0 of rotation vector ω. For irrational ω, this is the well-known Aubry-Mather set. It consists of global minimizers and it may have gaps. In this paper, we study the parabolic gradient flow {dx}/{dt}=-∇W(x) and we will prove that every Aubry-Mather set can be interpolated by a continuous gradient-flow invariant family, the so-called 'ghost circle'. The existence of these ghost circles is known in dimension d=1, for rational rotation vectors and Morse action functions. The main technical result of this paper is therefore a compactness theorem for lattice ghost circles, based on a parabolic Harnack inequality for the gradient flow. This implies the existence of lattice ghost circles of arbitrary rotation vectors and for arbitrary actions. As a consequence, we can give a simple proof of the fact that when an Aubry-Mather set has a gap, then this gap must be filled with minimizers, or contain a non-minimizing solution.

  13. Quantum localisation on the circle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fresneda, Rodrigo; Gazeau, Jean Pierre; Noguera, Diego

    2018-05-01

    Covariant integral quantisation using coherent states for semi-direct product groups is implemented for the motion of a particle on the circle. In this case, the phase space is the cylinder, which is viewed as a left coset of the Euclidean group E(2). Coherent states issued from fiducial vectors are labeled by points in the cylinder and depend also on extra parameters. We carry out the corresponding quantisations of the basic classical observables, particularly the angular momentum and the 2π-periodic discontinuous angle function. We compute their corresponding lower symbols. The quantum localisation on the circle is examined through the properties of the angle operator yielded by our procedure, its spectrum and lower symbol, its commutator with the quantum angular momentum, and the resulting Heisenberg inequality. Comparison with other approaches to the long-standing question of the quantum angle is discussed.

  14. Circles, Materiality and Movement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chorney, Sean

    2017-01-01

    This paper approaches the concept of the circle through the framework of mathematics-as-becoming. This paper focuses specifically on how a concept can be thought of as a process, and on the implications that this might have for mathematics learning. Contrary to long-standing assumptions about mathematical concepts as ideal, inert, Platonic forms,…

  15. Circling motion and screen edges as an alternative input method for on-screen target manipulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ka, Hyun W; Simpson, Richard C

    2017-04-01

    To investigate a new alternative interaction method, called circling interface, for manipulating on-screen objects. To specify a target, the user makes a circling motion around the target. To specify a desired pointing command with the circling interface, each edge of the screen is used. The user selects a command before circling the target. To evaluate the circling interface, we conducted an experiment with 16 participants, comparing the performance on pointing tasks with different combinations of selection method (circling interface, physical mouse and dwelling interface) and input device (normal computer mouse, head pointer and joystick mouse emulator). A circling interface is compatible with many types of pointing devices, not requiring physical activation of mouse buttons, and is more efficient than dwell-clicking. Across all common pointing operations, the circling interface had a tendency to produce faster performance with a head-mounted mouse emulator than with a joystick mouse. The performance accuracy of the circling interface outperformed the dwelling interface. It was demonstrated that the circling interface has the potential as another alternative pointing method for selecting and manipulating objects in a graphical user interface. Implications for Rehabilitation A circling interface will improve clinical practice by providing an alternative pointing method that does not require physically activating mouse buttons and is more efficient than dwell-clicking. The Circling interface can also work with AAC devices.

  16. The Chicken and the Egg: Inviting Response and Talk through Socratic Circles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Styslinger, Mary E.; Pollock, Timothy

    2010-01-01

    This collaborative inquiry answers the following questions: 1) What is the nature of talk during Socratic Circles? 2) What is student response to talk? 3) How might knowing more about student response to talk and the nature of talk improve teaching during Socratic Circles? The article first describes the process of implementing Socratic Circles,…

  17. Building quality into academic programmes using quality circles | Ivy ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The use of teams or quality circles is a relatively new approach to quality improvement in higher education in South Africa. This article describes some of the advantages in using the approach and some of the pitfalls that need to be considered. The debate of the "quality circle life cycle", which culminates in the demise of the ...

  18. On a Family of Circles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feeman, Timothy G.

    2011-01-01

    We generalize a standard example from precalculus and calculus texts to give a simple description in polar coordinates of any circle that passes through the origin. We discuss an occurrence of this formula in the context of medical imaging. (Contains 1 figure.)

  19. Edges and vertices in a unique signed circle in a signed graph

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard Behr

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available We examine the conditions under which a signed graph contains an edge or a vertex that is contained in a unique negative circle or a unique positive circle. For an edge in a unique signed circle, the positive and negative case require the same structure on the underlying graph, but the requirements on the signature are different. We characterize the structure of the underlying graph necessary to support such an edge in terms of bridges of a circle. We then use the results from the edge version of the problem to help solve the vertex version.

  20. The role of Circle women in curbing violence against women and girls in Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sylvia Owusu-Ansah

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The article looks at the role Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (the Circle have played in the struggle to end or reduce the rate at which violence against women and girls occurs in West Africa by highlighting the contributions of older Circle women, especially the initiator of the Circle, Mercy Amba Oduyoye. The initiator of the Circle and other older Circle women have left a remarkable legacy that needs to continue by the current and future generations of the Circle. The background information examines the leadership and mentorship of Mercy Amba Oduyoye and the impact she has made in the lives of African women. The essay then looks at the types of violence that women face in West Africa with the specific contributions of Circle women in the struggle to end violence against women and girls. It then argues that Circle women have played very significant roles both in setting the pace and giving the platform for women activities to minimise gender-based violence against women and girls. Circle women have written and presented papers that have addressed many challenges including HIV and/or AIDS, Girl Child trafficking, Marriage of Minors, and almost all kinds of violence against women and girls. Currently, religious violence threatens the fabric of African nations causing insecurity and panic, women and girls being the most vulnerable. The challenge to the present and future Circle members is to contribute in significant ways towards religious harmony in Africa and beyond. The Circle acknowledges the leadership role of women and encourages them to spearhead the liberation of women as well as empower them to be able to aspire to get to the top or become independent. No one understands what someone else feels better than the person experiencing the ordeal. Women can better understand what they go through and also have the passion to strive towards liberation.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: In this article, the

  1. Content-aware photo collage using circle packing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Zongqiao; Lu, Lin; Guo, Yanwen; Fan, Rongfei; Liu, Mingming; Wang, Wenping

    2014-02-01

    In this paper, we present a novel approach for automatically creating the photo collage that assembles the interest regions of a given group of images naturally. Previous methods on photo collage are generally built upon a well-defined optimization framework, which computes all the geometric parameters and layer indices for input photos on the given canvas by optimizing a unified objective function. The complex nonlinear form of optimization function limits their scalability and efficiency. From the geometric point of view, we recast the generation of collage as a region partition problem such that each image is displayed in its corresponding region partitioned from the canvas. The core of this is an efficient power-diagram-based circle packing algorithm that arranges a series of circles assigned to input photos compactly in the given canvas. To favor important photos, the circles are associated with image importances determined by an image ranking process. A heuristic search process is developed to ensure that salient information of each photo is displayed in the polygonal area resulting from circle packing. With our new formulation, each factor influencing the state of a photo is optimized in an independent stage, and computation of the optimal states for neighboring photos are completely decoupled. This improves the scalability of collage results and ensures their diversity. We also devise a saliency-based image fusion scheme to generate seamless compositive collage. Our approach can generate the collages on nonrectangular canvases and supports interactive collage that allows the user to refine collage results according to his/her personal preferences. We conduct extensive experiments and show the superiority of our algorithm by comparing against previous methods.

  2. Age and personal values: Similar value circles with shifting priorities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borg, Ingwer; Hertel, Guido; Hermann, Dieter

    2017-11-01

    This study examined the relationship of personal values to age using data from two representative surveys. We hypothesized that individuals organize personal values, regardless of their age, as a circle with the same order of values on this circle but that older persons are closer to conservation and more remote from openness to change and closer to self-transcendence and more distant from self-enhancement. The structural stability of the value circle over age was largely confirmed across and within individuals. Different age groups exhibited a tendency to more strongly cluster those values that they rated as relatively important. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  3. Presence of anatomical variations of the circle of Willis in patients undergoing surgical treatment for ruptured intracranial aneurysms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stojanović Nebojša

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aim. The presence of aneurysmal changes on the brain blood vessels has been subject to numerous research. This study investigated the relation between ruptured aneurysms and anatomical configuration of the Circle of Willis, with the purpose to obtain an insight into their mutual connection. Methods. The analysis included 114 patients suffering from ruptured intracranial aneurysms. Preoperative cerebral angiography was performed and compared with the intraoperative findings in order to attain a precise insight into morphological changes occurring on the circle of Willis. Results. The prevalence of asymmetrical Willis in the whole group of patients was 64%. Within the group of patients suffering from multiple aneurysms, the presence of asymmetrical Willis' circle was 75.7%. The highest incidence of the asymmetrical Circle of Willis was found among patients with aneurysmal rupture detected at the anterior comunicative artery (ACoA site (72.7% among cases with solitary and 100% among those with multiple aneurysms. Morphological changes on the A1 segment of ACoA were observed in 50 (44% cases, with higher incidence found on the right side (60%. When comparing location of ruptured aneurysms between genders, a statistically significant prevalence of the ruptured aneurisms on ACoA was present in men, whereas women showed higher incidence of ruptured aneurysms on interior cartid artery (ICA site (p < 0.01. The linkage between aneurysms with hypoplasia of the A1 segment of ACA and decreasing of the angle at which segments A1 and A2 join suggests the relationship between their onset, corresponding configuration type of Willis and subsequent hemodynamic changes. Conclusion. High incidence of asymmetry of Willis circle in the group of patients with ruptured aneurysms imply association of asymmetrical configuration and disorder in haemodynamic relations with forming and rupture of intracranial aneurysms.

  4. Queuing systems on a circle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kroese, Dirk; Schmidt, Volker

    1993-01-01

    Consider a ring on which customers arrive according to a Poisson process. Arriving customers drop somewhere on the circle and wait there for a server who travels on the ring. Whenever this server encounters a customer, he stops and serves the customer according to an arbitrary service time

  5. Effect of stern hull shape on turning circle of ships

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaswar, Maimun, A.; Wahid, M. A.; Priyanto, A.; Zamani, Pauzi, Saman

    2012-06-01

    Many factors such as: stern hull shape, length, draught, trim, propulsion system and external forces affecting the drift angle influence rate of turn and size of turning circle of ships. This paper discusses turning circle characteristics of U and V stern hull shape of Very Large Crude Oil Carrier (VLCC) ships. The ships have same principal dimension such as length, beam, and draught. The turning circle characteristics of the VLCC ships are simulated at 35 degree of rudder angle. In the analysis, firstly, turning circle performance of U-type VLCC ship is simulated. In the simulation, initial ship speed is determined using given power and rpm. Hydrodynamic derivatives coefficients are determined by including effect of fullness of aft run. Using the obtained, speed and hydrodynamic coefficients, force and moment acting on hull, force and moment induced by propeller, force and moment induced by rudder are determined. Finally, ship trajectory, ratio of speed, yaw angle and drift angle are determined. Results of simulation results of the VLCC ship are compared with the experimental one as validation. Using the same method, V-type VLCC is simulated and the simulation results are compared with U-type VLCC ship. Results shows the turning circle of U-type is larger than V-type due to effect stern hul results of simulation are.

  6. Anatomical variations of the circle of Willis and cerebrovascular accidents in transitional Albania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edlira Harizi (Shemsi

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The purpose of this study was twofold: i in a case-control design, to determine the relationship between anatomical variations of the circle of Willis and cerebrovascular accidents; ii to assess the association between anatomical variations of the circle of Willis and aneurisms among patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Albania in 2013-2014, including 100 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and 100 controls (individuals without cerebrovascular accidents. Patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage underwent a CT angiography procedure, whereas individuals in the control group underwent a magnetic resonance angiography procedure. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association between cerebrovascular accidents and the anatomical variations of the circle of Willis. Conversely, Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the prevalence of aneurisms between subarachnoid hemorrhage patients with and without anatomical variations of the circle of Willis. Results: Among patients, there were 22 (22% cases with anatomical variations of the circle of Willis compared with 10 (10% individuals in the control group (P=0.033. There was no evidence of a statistically significant difference in the types of the anatomical variations of the circle of Willis between patients and controls (P=0.402. In age- and-sex adjusted logistic regression models, there was evidence of a significant positive association between cerebrovascular accidents and the anatomical variations of the circle of Willis (OR=1.87, 95%CI=1.03-4.68, P=0.048. Within the patients’ group, of the 52 cases with aneurisms, there were 22 (42.3% individuals with anatomical variations of the circle of Willis compared with no individuals with anatomical variations among the 48 patients without aneurisms (P<0.001. Conclusion: This study provides useful evidence on the association between anatomical variations of the circle of Willis and

  7. Violence in the eye of adolescents: education intervention with Culture Circles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandão Neto, Waldemar; Silva, Marta Angélica Iossi; de Aquino, Jael Maria; de Lima, Luciane Soares; Monteiro, Estela Maria Leite Meirelles

    2015-01-01

    to apply the methodology of Culture Circles on adolescents as a strategy for health education of nurses in the construction of the collective knowledge of the thematic violence. action research type and qualitative study. Participants were 11 adolescents from a public school in Recife, PE, Brazil. Data production in Culture Circles included the participant observation with field diary, photographic recording and filming, as well as the photovoice technique. The analysis was performed by triangulating data in dialogue with the literature. it was shown that the problematizing action provided by the Culture Circle made possible to create situations in which adolescents felt invited to critically refl ect on the phenomenon of violence in all its complexity. the health education intervention, performed by Culture Circles, added learning and mutual growth subsidizing nursing care actions that excel at leadership and autonomy of adolescents.

  8. Recumbent Stone Circles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruggles, Clive L. N.

    During the 1970s and early 1980s, British archaeoastronomers were striving to bridge the interpretative gulf between the "megalithic observatories" of Alexander Thom and an archaeological mainstream that, generally speaking, was hostile to any mention of astronomy in relation to the megalithic monuments of Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Britain. The Scottish recumbent stone circles (RSCs) came to represent an example where sounder methodology could overcome many of the data selection issues that had beset earlier studies and, with due restraint, produce credible interpretations. Systematic studies of their orientations consistently concluded that the RSCs had a strong lunar connection, and it was widely envisaged that they were the setting for ceremonies associated with the appearance of the moon over the recumbent stone. Other evidence such as the presence of white quartz and the spatial distribution of cupmarks appeared to back up this conclusion. New archaeological investigations since 1999 have challenged and modified these conclusions, confirming in particular that the circles were built to enclose cairns rather than to demarcate open spaces. Yet the restricted pattern of orientations of these structures could only have been achieved by reference to the basic diurnal motions of the skies, and orientation in relation to simple observations of the midsummer moon remains the most likely reading of the alignment evidence taken as a whole. On the other hand, a consideration of the broader context, which includes the nearby Clava cairns, highlights instead the symbolic importance of the sun.

  9. Circle of willis and its variations; morphometric study in adult human cadavers

    OpenAIRE

    Raghavendra, Shirol VS, Daksha Dixit, Anil Kumar Reddy Y, Desai SP

    2014-01-01

    Background and Objectives: Circle of Willis plays a vital role in collateral circulation and redistribution of blood to all areas of the brain. Variation in circle of Willis is known to cause grave disorders like cerebrovascular disorders, subarachnoid haemorrhage, cerebral aneurysm and schizophrenia. The objectives of the present study are to study the formation and branching pattern of circle of Willis and also to study the distribution of variations. MATERIALS & Methods: The study was cond...

  10. CP violation in Z circle → τ+τ-

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez, J.M.

    1998-01-01

    Test of CP invariance in the reaction Z circle → τ + τ - on the Z circle peak is performed using the data sample recorded by the four Collaboration at LEP and SLD. From the non-observation of CP violation upper limits on the real (vertical stroke Re(d r W ) vertical stroke) and imaginary (vertical stroke Im(d r W ) vertical stroke) parts of the weak dipole moment of the τ lepton at 95% C.L. are derived. Results on measurements on weak magnetic moment is also reported. (orig.)

  11. Circles Disturbed The Interplay of Mathematics and Narrative

    CERN Document Server

    Doxiadis, Apostolos

    2012-01-01

    Circles Disturbed brings together important thinkers in mathematics, history, and philosophy to explore the relationship between mathematics and narrative. The book's title recalls the last words of the great Greek mathematician Archimedes before he was slain by a Roman soldier--"Don't disturb my circles"--words that seem to refer to two radically different concerns: that of the practical person living in the concrete world of reality, and that of the theoretician lost in a world of abstraction. Stories and theorems are, in a sense, the natural languages of these two worlds--stories represent

  12. Study Circles as a Method of Informing the Adult Population on Radioactivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kralj, M.

    2002-01-01

    Public acceptance of the radioactive waste disposal facilities is difficult to achieve. Analysis of the reasons that underlie public rejection of radioactive waste disposal facilities shows that people are not adequately informed about the proposal. They also have a lot of prejudices due to the lack of knowledge and understanding about basic facts on radioactivity and environmental processes. ARAO has proposed that the topic of radioactivity and radioactive waste be included in the program of study circles in order to promote knowledge and understanding of these issues among the adult population in several Slovenian communities. Study circles are self-organized adult learning groups in the local community environment. Two study circles were initially proposed: one in Krsko, the community with a nuclear facility, and one in Radovljica, a community without a nuclear facility. Because of troubles with the unexpected politicization of nuclear issues, the study circle in Krsko was postponed to the later term, so that only the study circle in the community without the nuclear installation was active. The members were found by personal invitations. They worked on different issues dealing with radiation, mainly with the application of radiation and radioactive substances in medicine. Through the study circle activities the interest in radiation issues increased. The members reported that they disseminated their interest and acquired knowledge to their family members and friends. Our experience shows that self-learning in small groups, promoting discussions and the confrontation of different opinions, results in an increase in objective knowledge. Therefore, study circles can provide a good basis for confidence building in the nuclear technology.(author)

  13. 77 FR 55691 - Establishment of Class E Airspace; Circle Town, MT

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-11

    ... (RNAV) Global Positioning System (GPS) standard instrument approach procedures at Circle Town County..., at Circle Town County Airport, to accommodate IFR aircraft executing new RNAV (GPS) standard..., Washington on August 30, 2012. Steven L. Vale, Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service...

  14. Finding the Maximal Area of Bounded Polygons in a Circle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rokach, Arie

    2005-01-01

    The article deals with the area of polygons that are inscribed in a given circle. Naturally, the following question arises: Among all n-polygons that are inscribed in a given circle, which one has the biggest area? Intuitively, it may be guessed that is suitable for secondary students, and without any use id calculus, but only using very…

  15. A Proposal to Localize Fermi GBM GRBs Through Coordinated Scanning of the GBM Error Circle via Optical Telescopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ukwatta, T. N.; Linnemann, J. T.; Tollefson, K.; Abeysekara, A. U.; Bhat, P. N.; Sonbas, E.; Gehrels, N.

    2011-01-01

    We investigate the feasibility of implementing a system that will coordinate ground-based optical telescopes to cover the Fermi GBM Error Circle (EC). The aim of the system is to localize GBM detected GRBs and facilitate multi-wavelength follow-up from space and ground. This system will optimize the observing locations in the GBM EC based on individual telescope location, Field of View (FoV) and sensitivity. The proposed system will coordinate GBM EC scanning by professional as well as amateur astronomers around the world. The results of a Monte Carlo simulation to investigate the feasibility of the project are presented.

  16. Migraine without aura is not associated with incomplete circle of Willis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ezzatian-Ahar, Shabnam; Amin, Faisal Mohammad; Obaid, Hayder Ghani

    2014-01-01

    the prevalence of incomplete circle of Willis in migraineurs and controls. In the present study we compared the prevalence of incomplete circle of Willis in female migraine patients without aura to female healthy non-migraine controls.Using 3-Tesla magnetic resonance angiography we recorded three...

  17. The Prague Linguistic Circle and Dialectics

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Sládek, Ondřej

    -, č. 19 (2017), s. 352-357 E-ISSN 2037-2426 Institutional support: RVO:68378068 Keywords : The Prague Linguistic Circle * Jan Mukařovský * Structuralism * Structural Poetics * Dialectics Subject RIV: AJ - Letters, Mass-media, Audiovision OBOR OECD: Specific literatures

  18. Promoting retention, enabling success: Discovering the potential of student support circles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bass, Janice; Walters, Caroline; Toohill, Jocelyn; Sidebotham, Mary

    2016-09-01

    Retention of students is critical to education programs and future workforce. A mixed methods study evaluated student engagement within a Bachelor of Midwifery program and connection with career choice through participation in student support circles. Centred on the Five Senses of Success Framework (sense of capability, purpose, identity, resourcefulness and connectedness) and including four stages of engagement (creating space, preparing self, sharing stories, focused conversations), the circles support and develop student and professional identity. Of 80 students 43 (54%) provided responses to a two item survey assessed against a five point Likert scale to determine utility. Using a nominal group technique, student's voices gave rich insight into the personal and professional growth that participation in the student support circles provided. Evaluated as helpful to first year students in orientating to university study and early socialisation into the profession, the circles appear to influence the development of a strong sense of professional identity and personal midwifery philosophy based on the relational nature of the midwife being with woman rather than doing midwifery. This suggests that student support circles positively influence perceptions and expectations, contributing to a shared sense of purpose and discipline connection, for enhancing student retention and future workforce participation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. 2. A Circle of ideas

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 1; Issue 2. Geometry A Circle of Ideas. Kapil H Paranjape. Series Article Volume 1 Issue 2 February 1996 pp 26-31. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link: https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/reso/001/02/0026-0031. Author Affiliations.

  20. Circles of Support and Accountability for Sex Offenders: A Systematic Review of Outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, Martin; Brown, Susan; Völlm, Birgit

    2017-08-01

    We conducted a systematic review of studies reporting on the effectiveness of Circles of Support and Accountability (Circles). Circles use volunteers to provide support for sex offenders living in the community. We searched 10 databases up to the end of 2013 and identified 3 relevant outcome studies. An additional 12 papers or reports were identified by searching reference lists, Google, and contacting key authors and Circles providers to obtain unpublished data. These 15 studies comprised one randomized controlled trial, three retrospective cohorts with matched controls, and 11 case series. The majority reported measures of recidivism, particularly reconviction. The 4 studies with controls generally reported that participation in Circles was associated with lower recidivism although there were few statistically significant differences. Few studies examined changes in risk or psychosocial outcomes. A number of methodological issues are discussed. Longer term, prospective follow-up studies with control groups are required to address these issues.

  1. Absent collateral function of the circle of Willis as risk factor for ischemic stroke

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoksbergen, A. W. J.; Legemate, D. A.; Csiba, L.; Csáti, G.; Síró, P.; Fülesdi, B.

    2003-01-01

    Background. Autopsy studies show a higher prevalence of circle of Willis anomalies in brains with signs of ischemic infarction. Our goal was to examine the collateral function of the circle of Willis in ischemic stroke patients and to assess in a case-control study if a collateral deficient circle

  2. The Arithmetic of Elliptic Fibrations in Gauge Theories on a Circle

    CERN Document Server

    Grimm, Thomas W.; Klevers, Denis

    2016-01-01

    The geometry of elliptic fibrations translates to the physics of gauge theories in F-theory. We systematically develop the dictionary between arithmetic structures on elliptic curves as well as desingularized elliptic fibrations and symmetries of gauge theories on a circle. We show that the Mordell-Weil group law matches integral large gauge transformations around the circle in Abelian gauge theories and explain the significance of Mordell-Weil torsion in this context. We also use Higgs transitions and circle large gauge transformations to introduce a group law for genus-one fibrations with multi-sections. Finally, we introduce a novel arithmetic structure on elliptic fibrations with non-Abelian gauge groups in F-theory. It is defined on the set of exceptional divisors resolving the singularities and divisor classes of sections of the fibration. This group structure can be matched with certain integral non-Abelian large gauge transformations around the circle when studying the theory on the lower-dimensional ...

  3. Exploring Writing Circles as Innovative, Collaborative Writing Structures with Teacher Candidates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Sherron Killingsworth; Blanch, Norine; Gurjar, Nandita

    2017-01-01

    Writing circles are "small groups... meeting regularly to share drafts, choose common writing topics, practice positive response, and in general, help each other become better writers" (Vopat, 2009, p. 6). In this exploratory study, writing circles were employed with elementary teacher candidates in hopes of enhancing their perceptions…

  4. Multimodal determination of Rayleigh dispersion and attenuation curves using the circle fit method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verachtert, R.; Lombaert, G.; Degrande, G.

    2018-03-01

    This paper introduces the circle fit method for the determination of multi-modal Rayleigh dispersion and attenuation curves as part of a Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) experiment. The wave field is transformed to the frequency-wavenumber (fk) domain using a discretized Hankel transform. In a Nyquist plot of the fk-spectrum, displaying the imaginary part against the real part, the Rayleigh wave modes correspond to circles. The experimental Rayleigh dispersion and attenuation curves are derived from the angular sweep of the central angle of these circles. The method can also be applied to the analytical fk-spectrum of the Green's function of a layered half-space in order to compute dispersion and attenuation curves, as an alternative to solving an eigenvalue problem. A MASW experiment is subsequently simulated for a site with a regular velocity profile and a site with a soft layer trapped between two stiffer layers. The performance of the circle fit method to determine the dispersion and attenuation curves is compared with the peak picking method and the half-power bandwidth method. The circle fit method is found to be the most accurate and robust method for the determination of the dispersion curves. When determining attenuation curves, the circle fit method and half-power bandwidth method are accurate if the mode exhibits a sharp peak in the fk-spectrum. Furthermore, simulated and theoretical attenuation curves determined with the circle fit method agree very well. A similar correspondence is not obtained when using the half-power bandwidth method. Finally, the circle fit method is applied to measurement data obtained for a MASW experiment at a site in Heverlee, Belgium. In order to validate the soil profile obtained from the inversion procedure, force-velocity transfer functions were computed and found in good correspondence with the experimental transfer functions, especially in the frequency range between 5 and 80 Hz.

  5. Area of Common Overlap of Three Circles

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Fewell, M. P

    2006-01-01

    .... The results presented here have general significance in the corpus of menstruation formulae, and could be of specific use in any quantitative application of the three-circle Venn diagram such as for...

  6. Environmental Assessment: Disposition of Chiefs’ Circle Residential Structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-27

    five structures ranged from Page 4 of 5  $200,000 (with bricks removed) to $500,000 (with bricks intact). Mike Ford, CEO of NewTown Macon, echoed Mr...feasibility 25-Jul-08 and practicality of moving the Chief’s Circle duplexes Mike Ford NewTown Macon 23-Jul-08 478-722-9909 President of NewTown Macon...Daniel.Chavira@ Gave a tour of Chiefs’ Circle huntcompanies.com Not interested in using the houses Bob Sharples RAFB 26-Oct-10 robert.sharples

  7. Aircraft Detection from VHR Images Based on Circle-Frequency Filter and Multilevel Features

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng Gao

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Aircraft automatic detection from very high-resolution (VHR images plays an important role in a wide variety of applications. This paper proposes a novel detector for aircraft detection from very high-resolution (VHR remote sensing images. To accurately distinguish aircrafts from background, a circle-frequency filter (CF-filter is used to extract the candidate locations of aircrafts from a large size image. A multi-level feature model is then employed to represent both local appearance and spatial layout of aircrafts by means of Robust Hue Descriptor and Histogram of Oriented Gradients. The experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method.

  8. Interference of guiding modes in 'traffic' circle waveguides composed of dielectric spherical particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Polishchuk, I.Ya.; Gozman, M.I.; Samoylova, O.M.; Burin, A.L.

    2009-01-01

    The interference of guiding polariton modes propagating through the waveguide composed of dielectric spherical particles forming a 'traffic' circle docked by two linear entrance and exit chains is investigated. The dependence of intensity of the polariton wave on the position of the particle on the circle was studied using the multisphere Mie scattering formalism. We show that, if the frequency of light belongs to the pass-band of the circular part of this waveguide, the electromagnetic waves may be considered as two optical beams running along the circle in opposite directions and interfering with each other. Indeed, the obtained intensity behavior can be represented as a simple superposition of two waves propagating along the circle in opposite directions. The applications of this interference are discussed

  9. The core of C*-algebras associated with circle maps

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johannesen, Benjamin Randeris

    2017-01-01

    The relationship between dynamical systems and operator algebras is one that has been fruitful and mutually beneficial and is by now both well-established, -aged and -matured. This thesis contribute in developing the relationship between dynamical systems, groupoids and operator algebra for circle...... dynamics. Another aspect of this thesis are the results solely about dynamics on the unit circle. The reader is supposed to be well versed in C*-algebras and K-theory (and classification). The reader is not assumed to be familiar with dynamical system theory nor with groupoids....

  10. A simple algorithm for computing the smallest enclosing circle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skyum, Sven

    1991-01-01

    Presented is a simple O(n log n) algorithm for computing the smallest enclosing circle of a convex polygon. It can be easily extended to algorithms that compute the farthest-and the closest-point Voronoi diagram of a convex polygon within the same time bound.......Presented is a simple O(n log n) algorithm for computing the smallest enclosing circle of a convex polygon. It can be easily extended to algorithms that compute the farthest-and the closest-point Voronoi diagram of a convex polygon within the same time bound....

  11. Normal Isocurvature Surfaces and Special Isocurvature Circles (SIC)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manoussakis, Gerassimos; Delikaraoglou, Demitris

    2010-05-01

    An isocurvature surface of a gravity field is a surface on which the value of the plumblines' curvature is constant. Here we are going to study the isocurvature surfaces of the Earth's normal gravity field. The normal gravity field is a symmetric gravity field therefore the isocurvature surfaces are surfaces of revolution. But even in this case the necessary relations for their study are not simple at all. Therefore to study an isocurvature surface we make special assumptions to form a vector equation which will hold only for a small coordinate patch of the isocurvature surface. Yet from the definition of the isocurvature surface and the properties of the normal gravity field is possible to express very interesting global geometrical properties of these surfaces without mixing surface differential calculus. The gradient of the plumblines' curvature function is vertical to an isocurvature surface. If P is a point of an isocurvature surface and "Φ" is the angle of the gradient of the plumblines' curvature with the equatorial plane then this direction points to the direction along which the curvature of the plumbline decreases / increases the most, and therefore is related to the strength of the normal gravity field. We will show that this direction is constant along a line of curvature of the isocurvature surface and this line is an isocurvature circle. In addition we will show that at each isocurvature surface there is at least one isocurvature circle along which the direction of the maximum variation of the plumblines' curvature function is parallel to the equatorial plane of the ellipsoid of revolution. This circle is defined as a Special Isocurvature Circle (SIC). Finally we shall prove that all these SIC lye on a special surface of revolution, the so - called SIC surface. That is to say, a SIC is not an isolated curve in the three dimensional space.

  12. On circle map coupled map lattice

    CERN Document Server

    Ahmed, E

    2002-01-01

    Circle map in one and two dimensions is studied. Both its stability, synchronization using bounded control and persistence is discussed. This work is expected to be applicable in ecology where spatial effects are known to be important. Also it will be relevant to systems where delay effects are not negligible.

  13. Waring's Problem and the Circle Method

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    other interests include classical music and mountaineering. the problems they worked on. Their proof of a slightly. Keywords weaker form of Ramanujan's original formula was pub-. Waring's problem, circle method, ... arc is fairly simple while it is the minor arc estimation that accounts for the 'major' amount of work involved!

  14. [Data supporting quality circle management of inpatient depression treatment].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brand, S; Härter, M; Sitta, P; van Calker, D; Menke, R; Heindl, A; Herold, K; Kudling, R; Luckhaus, C; Rupprecht, U; Sanner, Dirk; Schmitz, D; Schramm, E; Berger, M; Gaebel, W; Schneider, F

    2005-07-01

    Several quality assurance initiatives in health care have been undertaken during the past years. The next step consists of systematically combining single initiatives in order to built up a strategic quality management. In a German multicenter study, the quality of inpatient depression treatment was measured in ten psychiatric hospitals. Half of the hospitals received comparative feedback on their individual results in comparison to the other hospitals (bench marking). Those bench markings were used by each hospital as a statistic basis for in-house quality work, to improve the quality of depression treatment. According to hospital differences concerning procedure and outcome, different goals were chosen. There were also differences with respect to structural characteristics, strategies, and outcome. The feedback from participants about data-based quality circles in general and the availability of bench-marking data was positive. The necessity of carefully choosing quality circle members and professional moderation became obvious. Data-based quality circles including bench-marking have proven to be useful for quality management in inpatient depression care.

  15. Small circles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ling, Richard; Bjelland, Johannes; Sundsøy, Pål

    2014-01-01

    and spatial movement is highly predictable and that the majority of calls and text messages are sent to only four to six different persons. This article extends this research by examining both tie strength and the distance between the interlocutors in urban and rural settings. The findings show that even......This article examines how we use mobile telephony to maintain our physically and socially closest social circle. The analysis is based on traffic data gathered from Norway using approximately 24 million calls and texts made by private individuals. Previous research has shown that our temporal...... as information and communication technologies (ICTs) potentially put the world at our fingertips, the mobile phone is an instrument of a more limited geographical and social sphere. Approximately two-thirds of our calls/texts go to strong ties that are within a 25-km radius....

  16. The arithmetic of elliptic fibrations in gauge theories on a circle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grimm, Thomas W. [Max-Planck-Institut für Physik,Föhringer Ring 6, 80805 Munich (Germany); Institute for Theoretical Physics,Utrecht University, Leuvenlaan 4, 3584 CE Utrecht (Netherlands); Center for Extreme Matter and Emergent Phenomena,Utrecht University, Leuvenlaan 4, 3584 CE Utrecht (Netherlands); Kapfer, Andreas [Max-Planck-Institut für Physik,Föhringer Ring 6, 80805 Munich (Germany); Klevers, Denis [Theory Group, Physics Department, CERN,CH-1211, Geneva 23 (Switzerland)

    2016-06-20

    The geometry of elliptic fibrations translates to the physics of gauge theories in F-theory. We systematically develop the dictionary between arithmetic structures on elliptic curves as well as desingularized elliptic fibrations and symmetries of gauge theories on a circle. We show that the Mordell-Weil group law matches integral large gauge transformations around the circle in Abelian gauge theories and explain the significance of Mordell-Weil torsion in this context. We also use Higgs transitions and circle large gauge transformations to introduce a group law for genus-one fibrations with multi-sections. Finally, we introduce a novel arithmetic structure on elliptic fibrations with non-Abelian gauge groups in F-theory. It is defined on the set of exceptional divisors resolving the singularities and divisor classes of sections of the fibration. This group structure can be matched with certain integral non-Abelian large gauge transformations around the circle when studying the theory on the lower-dimensional Coulomb branch. Its existence is required by consistency with Higgs transitions from the non-Abelian theory to its Abelian phases in which it becomes the Mordell-Weil group. This hints towards the existence of a new underlying geometric symmetry.

  17. The arithmetic of elliptic fibrations in gauge theories on a circle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimm, Thomas W.; Kapfer, Andreas; Klevers, Denis

    2016-06-01

    The geometry of elliptic fibrations translates to the physics of gauge theories in F-theory. We systematically develop the dictionary between arithmetic structures on elliptic curves as well as desingularized elliptic fibrations and symmetries of gauge theories on a circle. We show that the Mordell-Weil group law matches integral large gauge transformations around the circle in Abelian gauge theories and explain the significance of Mordell-Weil torsion in this context. We also use Higgs transitions and circle large gauge transformations to introduce a group law for genus-one fibrations with multi-sections. Finally, we introduce a novel arithmetic structure on elliptic fibrations with non-Abelian gauge groups in F-theory. It is defined on the set of exceptional divisors resolving the singularities and divisor classes of sections of the fibration. This group structure can be matched with certain integral non-Abelian large gauge transformations around the circle when studying the theory on the lower-dimensional Coulomb branch. Its existence is required by consistency with Higgs transitions from the non-Abelian theory to its Abelian phases in which it becomes the Mordell-Weil group. This hints towards the existence of a new underlying geometric symmetry.

  18. The arithmetic of elliptic fibrations in gauge theories on a circle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grimm, Thomas W.; Kapfer, Andreas; Klevers, Denis

    2016-01-01

    The geometry of elliptic fibrations translates to the physics of gauge theories in F-theory. We systematically develop the dictionary between arithmetic structures on elliptic curves as well as desingularized elliptic fibrations and symmetries of gauge theories on a circle. We show that the Mordell-Weil group law matches integral large gauge transformations around the circle in Abelian gauge theories and explain the significance of Mordell-Weil torsion in this context. We also use Higgs transitions and circle large gauge transformations to introduce a group law for genus-one fibrations with multi-sections. Finally, we introduce a novel arithmetic structure on elliptic fibrations with non-Abelian gauge groups in F-theory. It is defined on the set of exceptional divisors resolving the singularities and divisor classes of sections of the fibration. This group structure can be matched with certain integral non-Abelian large gauge transformations around the circle when studying the theory on the lower-dimensional Coulomb branch. Its existence is required by consistency with Higgs transitions from the non-Abelian theory to its Abelian phases in which it becomes the Mordell-Weil group. This hints towards the existence of a new underlying geometric symmetry.

  19. Migraine with aura is associated with an incomplete circle of willis: results of a prospective observational study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brett Cucchiara

    Full Text Available To compare the prevalence of an incomplete circle of Willis in patients with migraine with aura, migraine without aura, and control subjects, and correlate circle of Willis variations with alterations in cerebral perfusion.Migraine with aura, migraine without aura, and control subjects were prospectively enrolled in a 1∶1∶1 ratio. Magnetic resonance angiography was performed to examine circle of Willis anatomy and arterial spin labeled perfusion magnetic resonance imaging to measure cerebral blood flow. A standardized template rating system was used to categorize circle of Willis variants. The primary pre-specified outcome measure was the frequency of an incomplete circle of Willis. The association between circle of Willis variations and cerebral blood flow was also analyzed.170 subjects were enrolled (56 migraine with aura, 61 migraine without aura, 53 controls. An incomplete circle of Willis was significantly more common in the migraine with aura compared to control group (73% vs. 51%, p = 0.02, with a similar trend for the migraine without aura group (67% vs. 51%, p = 0.08. Using a quantitative score of the burden of circle of Willis variants, migraine with aura subjects had a higher burden of variants than controls (p = 0.02. Compared to those with a complete circle, subjects with an incomplete circle had greater asymmetry in hemispheric cerebral blood flow (p = 0.05. Specific posterior cerebral artery variants were associated with greater asymmetries of blood flow in the posterior cerebral artery territory.An incomplete circle of Willis is more common in migraine with aura subjects than controls, and is associated with alterations in cerebral blood flow.

  20. CircleBoard-Pro: Concrete manipulative-based learning cycle unit for learning geometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jamhari, Wongkia, Wararat

    2018-01-01

    Currently, a manipulative is commonly used in mathematics education as a supported tool for teaching and learning. With engaging natural interaction of a concrete manipulative and advantages of a learning cycle approach, we proposed the concrete manipulative-based learning cycle unit to promote mathematics learning. Our main objectives are to observe possibilities on the use of a concrete manipulative in learning geometry, and to assess students' understanding of a specific topic, angle properties in a circle, of secondary level students. To meet the first objective, the concrete manipulative, called CricleBoard-Pro, was designed. CircleBoard-Pro is built for easy to writing on or deleting from, accurate angle measurement, and flexible movement. Besides, learning activities and worksheets were created for helping students to learn angle properties in a circle. Twenty eighth graders on a lower secondary school in Indonesia were voluntarily involved to learn mathematics using CircleBoard-Pro with the designed learning activities and worksheets. We informally observed students' performance by focusing on criteria of using manipulative tools in learning mathematics while the learning activities were also observed in terms of whether they work and which step of activities need to be improved. The results of this part showed that CircleBoard-Pro complied the criteria of the use of the manipulative in learning mathematics. Nevertheless, parts of learning activities and worksheets need to be improved. Based on the results of the observation, CircleBoard-Pro, learning activities, and worksheets were merged together and became the CircleBoardPro embedded on 5E (Engage - Explore - Explain - Elaborate - Evaluate) learning cycle unit. Then, students understanding were assessed to reach the second objective. Six ninth graders from an Indonesian school in Thailand were recruited to participate in this study. Conceptual tests for both pre-and post-test, and semi

  1. Comparing Interactions in Literature Circles in Both Online and in Class Discussions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skeen, Christel Ghrist

    2014-01-01

    Discourse analysis of literature circles can lead educators to understand the different types of interactions taking place as students talk about text. Social and academic interactions exist in both face-to-face and online discussions of reading material. This study examines two different settings of literature circles and compares interactions of…

  2. In the vicious circle of fear

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zischka, A.

    1980-01-01

    Fear is the great driving force, the basic effect, without which there would be no adaption to new living conditions, and no provision for the future. But fear has a positive influence only as long as it does not gain the upper hand, for then it makes human beings blind and stifles activity. What is important, and will remain so, is the equilibrium between fear and courage, caution and the desire for action, optimism und pessimism. This equilibrium has now been disturbed in the western countries - and only here. Our present fears give rise to hardly any positive measures, but prevent provision for the future. We are threatened with failure due to the manipulated conversion of fear from the maintenance of life to an effect which destroys life. In this way we got into a vicious circle of fear: we must try to weaken the imagined dangers by emphasising the true conditions. The author discusses how the viscious circle can be broken. (orig.) 891 UA/orig. 892 MKO [de

  3. Everything within a Circle Is One Thing

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2017-12-19

    Byron Breedlove, EID managing editor, discuses and reads his December 2017 cover essay, Everything within a Circle is One Thing.  Created: 12/19/2017 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 12/19/2017.

  4. Dynamics and bifurcations of random circle diffeomorphisms

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zmarrou, H.; Homburg, A.J.

    2008-01-01

    We discuss iterates of random circle diffeomorphisms with identically distributed noise, where the noise is bounded and absolutely continuous. Using arguments of B. Deroin, V.A. Kleptsyn and A. Navas, we provide precise conditions under which random attracting fixed points or random attracting

  5. 3-D Reservoir and Stochastic Fracture Network Modeling for Enhanced Oil Recovery, Circle Ridge Phosphoria/Tensleep Reservoir, and River Reservation, Arapaho and Shoshone Tribes, Wyoming

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    La Pointe, Paul R.; Hermanson, Jan

    2002-09-09

    The goal of this project is to improve the recovery of oil from the Circle Ridge Oilfield, located on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, through an innovative integration of matrix characterization, structural reconstruction, and the characterization of the fracturing in the reservoir through the use of discrete fracture network models.

  6. Quality Circles: How Effective Are They in Improving Employee Performance and Attitudes?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buch, Kimberly; Raban, Amiram

    1990-01-01

    Used a quasi-experimental design to assess the effect of a quality circle intervention on behavior and attitudes of 88 employees at a large Midwestern organization. Results provide mixed support for the purported ability of circles to improve work behavior with no change for absenteeism and productivity but positive change for quality of work.…

  7. Role of quality circles in dose control programs at Kaiga generating station

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varadhan, R.S.; Sukumar, T.S.; Ramamurthy, K.; Nageswara Rao, G.

    2003-01-01

    To operate the nuclear power station with maximum capacity factors and lowest collective dose it is imperative that a sense of belongingness among the employees is essential. Quality Circles provide an opportunity to the plant personnel irrespective of their grade or discipline to come together to solve the work related problems in a scientific manner to enhance the productivity and safety in the work environment. The concept of Quality Circles came to Kaiga during July 1998. The thought revolution grew slowly and steadily and brought big gains to the station. The organized thoughts and concerted actions in field resulted in development of good work culture among the employees, an important input to achieve super excellence in power generation in the most cost effective manner. This also is a means to set challenging targets and make and break the records among the NPCIL units. The genesis of Quality Circles, the methodology of QC working, promotional activities, the progress and programs of Quality Circles are discussed in this presentation. (author)

  8. Reactivation of chromosomally integrated human herpesvirus-6 by telomeric circle formation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bhupesh K Prusty

    Full Text Available More than 95% of the human population is infected with human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6 during early childhood and maintains latent HHV-6 genomes either in an extra-chromosomal form or as a chromosomally integrated HHV-6 (ciHHV-6. In addition, approximately 1% of humans are born with an inheritable form of ciHHV-6 integrated into the telomeres of chromosomes. Immunosuppression and stress conditions can reactivate latent HHV-6 replication, which is associated with clinical complications and even death. We have previously shown that Chlamydia trachomatis infection reactivates ciHHV-6 and induces the formation of extra-chromosomal viral DNA in ciHHV-6 cells. Here, we propose a model and provide experimental evidence for the mechanism of ciHHV-6 reactivation. Infection with Chlamydia induced a transient shortening of telomeric ends, which subsequently led to increased telomeric circle (t-circle formation and incomplete reconstitution of circular viral genomes containing single viral direct repeat (DR. Correspondingly, short t-circles containing parts of the HHV-6 DR were detected in cells from individuals with genetically inherited ciHHV-6. Furthermore, telomere shortening induced in the absence of Chlamydia infection also caused circularization of ciHHV-6, supporting a t-circle based mechanism for ciHHV-6 reactivation.

  9. Discriminants and functional equations for polynomials orthogonal on the unit circle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ismail, M.E.H.; Witte, N.S.

    2000-01-01

    We derive raising and lowering operators for orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle and find second order differential and q-difference equations for these polynomials. A general functional equation is found which allows one to relate the zeros of the orthogonal polynomials to the stationary values of an explicit quasi-energy and implies recurrences on the orthogonal polynomial coefficients. We also evaluate the discriminants and quantized discriminants of polynomials orthogonal on the unit circle

  10. The Existence and Structure of Rotational Systems in the Circle

    OpenAIRE

    Ramanathan, Jayakumar

    2018-01-01

    By a rotational system, we mean a closed subset X of the circle, T=R/Z, together with a continuous transformation f:X→X with the requirements that the dynamical system (X,f) be minimal and that f respect the standard orientation of T. We show that infinite rotational systems (X,f), with the property that map f has finite preimages, are extensions of irrational rotations of the circle. Such systems have been studied when they arise as invariant subsets of certain specific mappings, F:T→T. Beca...

  11. Co-Constructing Knowledge through NGO-Driven Circle Work

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Agerbæk, Jonas

    This presentation revolves around the question of what degree of control, if any, the users participating in NGO-driven development programs may have over their own development. Based on a multi-sited ethnography of NGO organizing and communication that I conducted in the period of 2010 to 2015......, and with a special analytical focus on the facilitating role of frontline NGO workers in rural East Africa, this presentation discusses enabling and constraining aspects of using circle work to co-produce knowledge in international development. More particularly I am focusing an approach to circle work called......, then participatory approaches such as REFLECT can be used not only to drive changes locally but also bolster the global participatory agenda of defining development practices and politics from the bottom and up...

  12. CHARACTERISTICS OF HYDROCARBON EXPLOITATION IN ARCTIC CIRCLE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vanja Lež

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The existence of large quantities of hydrocarbons is supposed within the Arctic Circle. Assumed quantities are 25% of the total undiscovered hydrocarbon reserves on Earth, mostly natural gas. Over 500 major and minor gas accumulations within the Arctic Circle were discovered so far, but apart from Snøhvit gas field, there is no commercial exploitation of natural gas from these fields. Arctic gas projects are complicated, technically hard to accomplish, and pose a great threat to the return of investment, safety of people and equipment and for the ecosystem. Russia is a country that is closest to the realization of the Arctic gas projects that are based on the giant gas fields. The most extreme weather conditions in the seas around Greenland are the reason why this Arctic region is the least explored and furthest from the realization of any gas project (the paper is published in Croatian .

  13. Collateral Circles in Carotid Artery Occlusion. A Comparative Study between CW Doppler and contrast angiography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Giraldi, C; Marconi, F; Parenti, G; Lenzi, B; Canapicchi, R; Padolecchia, R

    1986-01-01

    In order to evaluate the presence and efficacy of the different collateral circles, 98 patients with occlusion of the internal carotid artery between its origin and the origin of the ophtalmic artery, has been examined. Before contrast angiography, each patients was submitted to a Doppler examination with test of compression on the exsternal and common carotid arteries. The information on the collateral circles (Willis and pre-Willis) deriving from the Doppler examination seems to be interesting and more accurate. On the contrary, angiography allows a better visualisation of the extention of intercranial circles. These data show that the Doppler and angiographic techniques are complementary one to the other in the study of the collateral circles.

  14. Linearly Recurrent Circle Map Subshifts and an Application to Schrödinger Operators

    CERN Document Server

    Adamczewski, B

    2001-01-01

    We discuss circle map sequences and subshifts generated by them. We give a characterization of those sequences among them which are linearly recurrent. As an application we deduce zero-measure spectrum for a class of discrete one-dimensional Schrödinger operators with potentials generated by circle maps.

  15. Squaring the Circle: Attempting Peace in Northern Ireland

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Marchi, Gina

    1997-01-01

    Finding a political framework for self-government in Northern Ireland that will be supported by both nationalists and unionists is referred to as a modern day attempt to do the impossible-to 'square the circle...

  16. Artificial Neural Network for Location Estimation in Wireless Communication Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chien-Sheng Chen

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available In a wireless communication system, wireless location is the technique used to estimate the location of a mobile station (MS. To enhance the accuracy of MS location prediction, we propose a novel algorithm that utilizes time of arrival (TOA measurements and the angle of arrival (AOA information to locate MS when three base stations (BSs are available. Artificial neural networks (ANN are widely used techniques in various areas to overcome the problem of exclusive and nonlinear relationships. When the MS is heard by only three BSs, the proposed algorithm utilizes the intersections of three TOA circles (and the AOA line, based on various neural networks, to estimate the MS location in non-line-of-sight (NLOS environments. Simulations were conducted to evaluate the performance of the algorithm for different NLOS error distributions. The numerical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed algorithms can obtain more precise location estimation under different NLOS environments.

  17. Artificial neural network for location estimation in wireless communication systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chien-Sheng

    2012-01-01

    In a wireless communication system, wireless location is the technique used to estimate the location of a mobile station (MS). To enhance the accuracy of MS location prediction, we propose a novel algorithm that utilizes time of arrival (TOA) measurements and the angle of arrival (AOA) information to locate MS when three base stations (BSs) are available. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are widely used techniques in various areas to overcome the problem of exclusive and nonlinear relationships. When the MS is heard by only three BSs, the proposed algorithm utilizes the intersections of three TOA circles (and the AOA line), based on various neural networks, to estimate the MS location in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environments. Simulations were conducted to evaluate the performance of the algorithm for different NLOS error distributions. The numerical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed algorithms can obtain more precise location estimation under different NLOS environments.

  18. Sphalerons of O(3) nonlinear sigma model on a circle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Funakubo, Koichi; Otsuki, Shoichiro; Toyoda, Fumihiko.

    1989-09-01

    A series of saddle point solutions of O(3) nonlinear sigma model with symmetry breaking term in 1 + 1 dimensions are obtained by imposing boundary condition either periodic or partially antiperiodic (O(3) sphalerons on a circle). Under the periodic boundary condition, classical features of the O(3) sphalerons are similar to scalar sphalerons of φ 4 model on a circle by Manton and Samols. Under the partially antiperiodic boundary condition, the lowest of the O(3) sphalerons coincides in the limit of infinite spatial domain with the O(3) sphaleron by Mottola and Wipf. In particular, zero and negative modes of them are examined in detail. An estimate of transition rate over the lowest O(3) sphaleron at finite temperature is made, and some remarks on simulating the transition on a lattice are given. One to one correspondence between these O(3) sphalerons on a circle and a series of (possible) classical solutions of SU(2) gauge-Higgs model, to which the electroweak sphaleron S and new sphaleron S* belong, is discussed. (author)

  19. Josephson junctions and circle maps

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bak, P; Bohr, T; Jensen, M H; Christiansen, P V

    1984-01-01

    The return map of a differential equation for the current driven Josephson junction, or the damped driven pendulum, is shown numerically to be a circle map. Phase locking, noise and hysteresis, can thus be understood in a simple and coherent way. The transition to chaos is related to the development of a cubic inflection point. Recent theoretical results on universal behavior at the transition to chaos can readily be checked experimentally by studying I-V characteristics. 17 references, 1 figure.

  20. Rolling circle amplification of metazoan mitochondrialgenomes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simison, W. Brian; Lindberg, D.R.; Boore, J.L.

    2005-07-31

    Here we report the successful use of rolling circle amplification (RCA) for the amplification of complete metazoan mt genomes to make a product that is amenable to high-throughput genome sequencing techniques. The benefits of RCA over PCR are many and with further development and refinement of RCA, the sequencing of organellar genomics will require far less time and effort than current long PCR approaches.

  1. Great circle solution to polarization-based quantum communication (QC) in optical fiber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nordholt, Jane Elizabeth; Peterson, Charles Glen; Newell, Raymond Thorson; Hughes, Richard John

    2016-03-15

    Birefringence in optical fibers is compensated by applying polarization modulation at a receiver. Polarization modulation is applied so that a transmitted optical signal has states of polarization (SOPs) that are equally spaced on the Poincare sphere. Fiber birefringence encountered in propagation between a transmitter and a receiver rotates the great circle on the Poincare sphere that represents the polarization bases used for modulation. By adjusting received polarizations, polarization components of the received optical signal can be directed to corresponding detectors for decoding, regardless of the magnitude and orientation of the fiber birefringence. A transmitter can be configured to transmit in conjugate polarization bases whose SOPs can be represented as equidistant points on a great circle so that the received SOPs are mapped to equidistant points on a great circle and routed to corresponding detectors.

  2. The Effect of Quality Circles on Nurses Job Satisfaction Working Emergency Medical Service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reza Hossein abadi

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Quality circle are considered an important approach to improving behavior, increasing motivation, and reducing stress. The aim of this study was to determining the effect of training and applying quality control circles on the nurses’ level of occupation satisfaction.Material and Methods: This research is a two-group quasi-experimental study that after selection of two EMS stations, by simple randomization method 25 nurses worked in central station of Hamden emergency medical service were chosen as the quality circle group and 16 nurses of central station of Malayer emergency medical service formed the control group. The tools was used in this research was the occupation satisfaction questionnaire that was made on Herzburg Two factor theory. After training and performing of quality circle in trial group the occupation satisfaction test was carried out on both groups to get the change taken place in their level of job satisfactions. Then statistical analysis was performed using SPSS.Results: The analysis of data showed that before and after intervention there was significant differences in scores of health (P<0.001 and motivation factors (P<0.001 and also in global scores of occupation satisfaction in quality circle group (P<0.001, but there was no significant differences before and after intervention in scores of health (P=0.069 and motivation factors (P=0.094 and also in global scores of occupation satisfaction in control group (P=0.495. After intervention, the analysis of data showed significant differences in scores motivation factors (P=0.001 and global scores of occupation satisfaction (P=0.003 whereas there was no significant differences in scores of health factors between two groups (P=0.089.Conclusion: This study confirmed the effectiveness of training and applying quality circle in improving EMS nurses job satisfaction and offered as management method for use by EMS managers.

  3. Circles-in-the-sky searches and observable cosmic topology in a flat universe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mota, B.; Reboucas, M. J.; Tavakol, R.

    2010-01-01

    In a universe with a detectable nontrivial spatial topology, the last scattering surface contains pairs of matching circles with the same distribution of temperature fluctuations--the so-called circles-in-the-sky. Searches for nearly antipodal circles-in-the-sky in maps of cosmic microwave background radiation have so far been unsuccessful. This negative outcome, along with recent theoretical results concerning the detectability of nearly flat compact topologies, is sufficient to exclude a detectable nontrivial topology for most observers in very nearly flat positively and negatively curved universes, whose total matter-energy density satisfies 0 tot -1| -5 . Here, we investigate the consequences of these searches for observable nontrivial topologies if the Universe turns out to be exactly flat (Ω tot =1). We demonstrate that in this case, the conclusions deduced from such searches can be radically different. We show that, although there is no characteristic topological scale in the flat manifolds, for all multiply-connected orientable flat manifolds, it is possible to directly study the action of the holonomies in order to obtain a general upper bound on the angle that characterizes the deviation from antipodicity of pairs of matching circles associated with the shortest closed geodesic. This bound is valid for all observers and all possible values of the compactification length parameters. We also show that in a flat universe, there are observers for whom the circles-in-the-sky searches already undertaken are insufficient to exclude the possibility of a detectable nontrivial spatial topology. It is remarkable how such small variations in the spatial curvature of the Universe, which are effectively indistinguishable geometrically, can have such a drastic effect on the detectability of cosmic topology. Another important outcome of our results is that they offer a framework with which to make statistical inferences from future circles-in-the-sky searches on whether

  4. Providing a Full Circle of Support to Teachers in an Inclusive Elementary School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waldron, Nancy L.; Redd, Lacy

    2011-01-01

    Providing a full circle of support to teachers in an inclusive elementary school, the Newberry Elementary School (NES) principal and staff have worked for 5 years to ensure the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms. The authors would like to share their perceptions of how this full circle (the multiple systems) of…

  5. CircleRides: developing an older adult transportation application and evaluating feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heinz, Melinda; Kelly, Norene

    2015-05-01

    The purpose of the current study was to assess perceptions of CircleRides, a paper prototype of a service website designed to meet older adult transportation needs. Researchers used purposive sampling to conduct two focus groups comprised of older adults to obtain feedback on the CircleRides prototype at the beginning of its iterative design process. One focus group was conducted in a continuing care retirement community (n = 13) and the other in an independent living community for older adults (n = 11). The study assessed perceptions of the CircleRides prototype as well as self-reported older adult transportation preferences and needs. Three themes emerged from the data: (a) trust and concern, (b) socialization, and (c) flexibility and options. Researchers found that participants are interested in transportation options; however, concern exists about trusting a new system or prototype that has not established a reputation. Findings from the current study offer lessons learned for future iterations and for creating transportation prototypes for older adults. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

  6. Linear Determination of a Camera's Intrinsic Parameters Using Two Intersecting Circles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu Chen

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available An approach using two intersecting circles is proposed as a linear approach for determining a camera's intrinsic parameters. The two intersecting coplanar circles have four intersection points in the projective plane: two real points and two circular points. In the image plane, the diagonal triangle - on which the image of the four intersection points composes a complete quadrangle - is a self-polar triangle for the projection curves of the circles. The vertex of the self-polar triangle is the null space of the degenerate conic formed by the image of the four intersection points. By solving the three vertices of the self-polar triangle using the image coordinates of the two real intersection points, the degenerate conic can be obtained. The image of the two circular points is then computed from the intersection points of the degenerate conic. Using the image of the circular points from the three images of the same planar pattern with different directions, the intrinsic parameters can be linearly determined.

  7. Innovation and Organizational Communication in Corporate America: The Rhetorical Visions of Managers, Facilitators, and Employees on Quality Circles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eyo, Bassey A.

    1992-01-01

    Examines the dynamics of organizational communication following corporate implementation of quality circles. Describes the rhetorical visions of people at three organizational levels closely associated with quality circles: (1) managers; (2) facilitators who organize the quality circles; and (3) employees. (SR)

  8. Univocally determining the cosmic topology from the detection of circles in the sky

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mota, Bruno; Tavakol, Reza

    2011-01-01

    Full text: While the topology of the spatial sections of the Universe is at present not specified by any known fundamental theory, it may in principle be determined through observations. In particular, a detectable non-trivial topology will generate pairs of matching circles of temperature fluctuations in maps of the cosmic microwave background, the so-called circles-in-the-sky. Each matching circle pair corresponds to an element of the holonomy group that determines the topology. However, generically, a complete set of generators for the holonomy group will not be detected, so it is not clear that the topology can be uniquely determined from such an observation. With that in mind, in the present work we seek to determine I) If, and how, the angular parameters of a correlated circle pair in a CMB map determines univocally the element in the holonomy group generating such correlation, irrespective of the observer's position in the manifold II) If, or to what extent, the detection of one or more elements of the spatial section's holonomy group univocally specifies the topology of the 3-manifold describing spatial sections of the Universe, and determines out position in it. III) If, or to what extent, the detection of one or more elements of the spatial section's holonomy group univocally specifies the geometry (namely, the sign of the curvature) of the 3-manifold describing spatial sections of the Universe IV) How the (possibly partial) determination of the topology of the 3-manifold describing spatial sections of the Universe from the detection of correlated circle pairs, combined with some other measure of its compactification lengths, constrains the cosmological density parameters. We show explicitly that, for many cases of flat manifolds, the full holonomy group, and by extension the full topology, can be completely determined, or severely constrained, by the determination of the geometrical parameters of a single matching circles pair associated with a non

  9. Automatic Detection and Quantification of WBCs and RBCs Using Iterative Structured Circle Detection Algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yazan M. Alomari

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Segmentation and counting of blood cells are considered as an important step that helps to extract features to diagnose some specific diseases like malaria or leukemia. The manual counting of white blood cells (WBCs and red blood cells (RBCs in microscopic images is an extremely tedious, time consuming, and inaccurate process. Automatic analysis will allow hematologist experts to perform faster and more accurately. The proposed method uses an iterative structured circle detection algorithm for the segmentation and counting of WBCs and RBCs. The separation of WBCs from RBCs was achieved by thresholding, and specific preprocessing steps were developed for each cell type. Counting was performed for each image using the proposed method based on modified circle detection, which automatically counted the cells. Several modifications were made to the basic (RCD algorithm to solve the initialization problem, detecting irregular circles (cells, selecting the optimal circle from the candidate circles, determining the number of iterations in a fully dynamic way to enhance algorithm detection, and running time. The validation method used to determine segmentation accuracy was a quantitative analysis that included Precision, Recall, and F-measurement tests. The average accuracy of the proposed method was 95.3% for RBCs and 98.4% for WBCs.

  10. A surface containing a line and a circle through each point is a quadric

    KAUST Repository

    Nilov, Fedor K.; Skopenkov, Mikhail

    2012-01-01

    We prove that a surface in 3-dimensional Euclidean space containing a line and a circle through each point is a quadric. We also give some particular results on the classification of surfaces containing several circles through each point. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

  11. A surface containing a line and a circle through each point is a quadric

    KAUST Repository

    Nilov, Fedor K.

    2012-06-20

    We prove that a surface in 3-dimensional Euclidean space containing a line and a circle through each point is a quadric. We also give some particular results on the classification of surfaces containing several circles through each point. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

  12. Citizenship as individual responsibility through personal investment - an ethnographic study in a study circle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annika Pastuhov

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this article is to shed light on how the democratic ideal of institutionalised Nordic popular education is realised through an ethnographic field study in an English as a foreign language study circle. The study focuses on how participants express their citizenship when taking part in the study circle. Citizenship is viewed as a dynamic concept comprising the aspects of 'being' and 'acting' and constructed in and through social interaction. The study circle is arranged as a classroom practice: The study circle leader organises the activities, while the participants engage in exercises and attempt to learn correct usage. Through their participation, the participants take individual responsibility for what they see as their lack of sufficient knowledge of English. The participants describe their participation as a personal and voluntary investment in themselves. In light of the study, the individual stance is discussed as limiting possibilities for responsibility and thus expressions of citizenship.

  13. Veterans Affairs facility performance on Washington Circle indicators and casemix-adjusted effectiveness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Alex H S; Humphreys, Keith; Finney, John W

    2007-12-01

    Self-administered Addiction Severity Index (ASI) data were collected on 5,723 patients who received substance abuse treatment in 1 of 110 programs located at 73 Veterans Affairs facilities. The associations between each of three Washington Circle (WC) performance indicator scores (identification, initiation, and engagement) and their casemix-adjusted facility-level improvement in ASI drug and alcohol composites 7 months after intake were estimated. Higher initiation rates were not associated with facility-level improvement in ASI alcohol composite scores but were modestly associated with greater improvements in ASI drug composite scores. Identification and engagement rates were unrelated to 7-month outcomes. WC indicators focused on the early stages of treatment may tap necessary but insufficient processes for patients with substance use disorder to achieve good posttreatment outcomes. Ideally, the WC indicators would be supplemented with other measures of treatment quality.

  14. Accurate episomal HIV 2-LTR circles quantification using optimized DNA isolation and droplet digital PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malatinkova, Eva; Kiselinova, Maja; Bonczkowski, Pawel; Trypsteen, Wim; Messiaen, Peter; Vermeire, Jolien; Verhasselt, Bruno; Vervisch, Karen; Vandekerckhove, Linos; De Spiegelaere, Ward

    2014-01-01

    In HIV-infected patients on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), the detection of episomal HIV 2-LTR circles is a potential marker for ongoing viral replication. Quantification of 2-LTR circles is based on quantitative PCR or more recently on digital PCR assessment, but is hampered due to its low abundance. Sample pre-PCR processing is a critical step for 2-LTR circles quantification, which has not yet been sufficiently evaluated in patient derived samples. We compared two sample processing procedures to more accurately quantify 2-LTR circles using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Episomal HIV 2-LTR circles were either isolated by genomic DNA isolation or by a modified plasmid DNA isolation, to separate the small episomal circular DNA from chromosomal DNA. This was performed in a dilution series of HIV-infected cells and HIV-1 infected patient derived samples (n=59). Samples for the plasmid DNA isolation method were spiked with an internal control plasmid. Genomic DNA isolation enables robust 2-LTR circles quantification. However, in the lower ranges of detection, PCR inhibition caused by high genomic DNA load substantially limits the amount of sample input and this impacts sensitivity and accuracy. Moreover, total genomic DNA isolation resulted in a lower recovery of 2-LTR templates per isolate, further reducing its sensitivity. The modified plasmid DNA isolation with a spiked reference for normalization was more accurate in these low ranges compared to genomic DNA isolation. A linear correlation of both methods was observed in the dilution series (R2=0.974) and in the patient derived samples with 2-LTR numbers above 10 copies per million peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), (R2=0.671). Furthermore, Bland-Altman analysis revealed an average agreement between the methods within the 27 samples in which 2-LTR circles were detectable with both methods (bias: 0.3875±1.2657 log10). 2-LTR circles quantification in HIV-infected patients proved to be more

  15. Circle Maps and C*-algebras

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schmidt, Thomas Lundsgaard; Thomsen, Klaus

    2015-01-01

    We consider a construction of $C^*$-algebras from continuous piecewise monotone maps on the circle which generalizes the crossed product construction for homeomorphisms and more generally the construction of Renault, Deaconu and Anantharaman-Delaroche for local homeomorphisms. Assuming that the map...... is surjective and not locally injective we give necessary and sufficient conditions for the simplicity of the $C^*$-algebra and show that it is then a Kirchberg algebra. We provide tools for the calculation of the K-theory groups and turn them into an algorithmic method for Markov maps....

  16. Experimental research on energy circled fraction of continuous phase plates in focal spot

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Yuanhang; Yang Chunlin; Wen Shenglin; Shi Qikai; Wang Jian

    2013-01-01

    In inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research process, the form of focal spot is extremely crucial. Especially in the indirect driven implosion, energy circled fraction is higher than 95% in focal spot. Based on the offline test platform, the focusing spot of continuous phase plates with different application error is clearly imaged on CCD. By experimental analysis, it is found that the beam rotation error, caliber error, translational error and inclination error have a high tolerance in affecting focal plane of CPP. Energy circled fraction is higher than 95%, the range is less than 0.5%. Nevertheless, the waterfront aberration seriously affects the shaping ability of the CPP. Clearly, the main factor of reducing energy circled fraction to less than 90% is waterfront aberration. (authors)

  17. Come together – research circles as learning arenas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skovhus, Randi Boelskifte

    A presentation of an example of training through research circles. A training project that include teachers in compulsory school and researchers from Aarhus University and VIA University College. The presentation is based on a practice development project. First a short presentation of the projec...

  18. pySCu: A new python code for analyzing remagnetizations directions by means of small circle utilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvín, Pablo; Villalaín, Juan J.; Casas-Sainz, Antonio M.; Tauxe, Lisa; Torres-López, Sara

    2017-12-01

    The Small Circle (SC) methods are founded upon two main starting hypotheses: (i) the analyzed sites were remagnetized contemporarily, acquiring the same paleomagnetic direction. (ii) The deviation of the acquired paleomagnetic signal from its original direction is only due to tilting around the bedding strike and therefore the remagnetization direction must be located on a small circle (SC) whose axis is the strike of bedding and contains the in situ paleomagnetic direction. Therefore, if we analyze several sites (with different bedding strikes) their SCs will intersect in the remagnetization direction. The SC methods have two applications: (1) the Small Circle Intersection (SCI) method is capable of providing adequate approximations to the expected paleomagnetic direction when dealing with synfolding remagnetizations. By comparing the SCI direction with that predicted from an apparent polar wander path, the (re)magnetization can be dated. (2) Once the remagnetization direction is known, the attitude of the beds (at each site) can be restored to the moment of the acquisition of the remagnetization, showing a palinspastic reconstructuion of the structure. Some caveats are necessary under more complex tectonic scenarios, in which SC-based methods can lead to erroneous interpretations. However, the graphical output of the methods tries to avoid 'black-box' effects and can minimize misleading interpretations or even help, for example, to identify local or regional vertical axis rotations. In any case, the methods must be used with caution and always considering the knowledge of the tectonic frame. In this paper, some utilities for SCs analysis are automatized by means of a new Python code and a new technique for defining the uncertainty of the solution is proposed. With pySCu the SCs methods can be easily and quickly applied, obtaining firstly a set of text files containing all calculated information and subsequently generating a graphical output on the fly.

  19. Cerebral cross-perfusion and the Circle of Willis: does physiology trump anatomy?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Musicki K

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Korana Musicki,1 Katherine Victoria Hurst,1,2 Zoltán Molnár,3 Elizabeth Hardy,4 Ashok Handa,1,2 1Department of Vascular Surgery, John Radcliffe Hospital, 2Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, 3Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, 4Vascular Studies Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK Introduction: Cerebral cross-perfusion is essential for ipsilateral brain viability during unilateral insult. Aortic arch and great vessel procedures depend on its function for safe practice, unless adjuncts like shunts are used. This paper assesses the contribution of cerebrovascular anatomy against physiology in determining requisite hemispheric perfusion during carotid endarterectomy (CEA.Materials and methods: A review of shunting requirements for CEAs under locoregional anesthesia (LA at the John Radcliffe Hospital during 1999–2013 was performed. A PubMed search for “Circle of Willis” was screened for all original articles defining cerebrovascular anatomy by postmortem or angiography.Results: Over 14 years, 1137 CEAs were performed under cervical plexus block; during this period, the departmental standard of practice evolved from exclusively general anesthesia to predominantly LA. CEAs performed under LA during the early phase (1999–2003 had a shunt rate of 15.1%, compared to 20% as predicted by stump pressures alone. However, shunting decreased as higher perioperative systolic pressures were routinely practiced; shunt rates were 8.0% during the intermediate (2004–2007 and 6.4% during the later (2008–2013 phase. By comparison, 25 articles characterizing 6414 brains report an intact circle of Willis in 33–35% of people, with a complete hemi-circle anteriorly (77% seen more commonly than posteriorly (42%, and 11–16% deficient in both hemi-circles with no cross-flow.Conclusion: Cerebral cross-perfusion is fundamental for safe CEA. Anatomy of the circle of Willis alone does not itself determine adequacy

  20. Looking under Kachru's (1982, 1985 three circles model of World Englishes: the hidden reality and current challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Robert Schmitz

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the pioneering model of World Englishes formulated by Kachru in the early 1980s that allocates the presence of English into three concentric circles: first of all, the inner circle (Great Britain, the USA where the language functions as an L1 (or native language; secondly, the outer circle (India, Nigeria where the language was forced upon the subjugated people by Britain; thirdly, the expanding circle (China, Brazil where English is studied as a foreign language. Researchers in the area of language studies tend to put too much store in Kachru's model expecting it to expose the different circles: (i the proficiency level of the speakers, (ii the variation that exists in the different dialects of the language, and (iii how the many users appropriate the language to perform their daily routine. Pung (2009 suggests "going beyond" the three circle model with his proposal of a Conical Model of English (CME, while Park and Wee (2009, p.402 state that models have no "magical efficacy in challenging dominant ideologies of English" and that change in the world is not brought about by models but my people. Based on Park and Lee's caution with regard to models, and in lieu of Pung's "going beyond" the well-known Kachruvian model, the thrust of this article is to look specifically under the inner circle, that is, the supposed "native speaker domain". It will be argued in this paper that the circles function as a palimpsest erasing and ignoring what happened in the past linguistically, historically and culturally before the appearance of English in the spaces that the language occupies at the present time in the inner, outer, and expanding circles. An examination of days gone-by, with a focus on Kachru's inner circle, can present a mirror to examine: (i bilingual (multilingual biases, (ii migration of peoples and treatment of immigrants, (iii respect (or lack of for the linguistic and cultural rights of minorities, and (iv the hegemony of

  1. Handwriting: three-dimensional kinetic synergies in circle drawing movements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hooke, Alexander W; Karol, Sohit; Park, Jaebum; Kim, Yoon Hyuk; Shim, Jae Kun

    2012-07-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate central nervous system (CNS) strategies for controlling multifinger forces during a circle-drawing task. Subjects drew 30 concentric, discontinuous clockwise and counter clockwise circles, at self and experimenter-set paces. The three-dimensional trajectory of the pen's center of mass and the three-dimensional forces and moments of force at each contact between the hand and the pen were recorded. Uncontrolled Manifold Analysis was used to quantify the synergies between pen-hand contact forces in radial, tangential and vertical directions. Results showed that synergies in the radial and tangential components were significantly stronger than in the vertical component. Synergies in the clockwise direction were significantly stronger than the counterclockwise direction in the radial and vertical components. Pace was found to be insignificant under any condition.

  2. The Obstruction criterion for non existence of Invariant Circles and Renormalization.

    CERN Document Server

    De la Llave, R

    2003-01-01

    We formulate a conjecture which supplements the standard renormalization scenario for the breakdown of golden circle in twist maps. We show rigorously that if the conjecture was true then: a) The stable manifold of the non-trivial fixed point would indeed be a boundary between the existence of smooth invariant tori and hyperbolic orbits with golden mean rotation number. In particular, the boundary of the set of twist maps with a torus with a golden mean rotation number would include a smooth submanifold in the space of analytic mappings. b) The obstruction criterion of [Olvera-Simo] would be sharp in the universality class of the renormalization group. c) The criterion of [Greene-79] for existence of invariant circles if and only if there the residues of approximating orbits are finite would be valid for maps in the universality class. d) If there is no invariant circle, there are hyperbolic sets with golden mean rotation number. We also provide numerical evidence which suggests that the conjecture is true an...

  3. Quality Productivity Circle in Manufacture | Achi | Nigerian Journal of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A brief history of quality control and productivity is hereby traced. ... Circle management technique are discussed in its relationship with productivity. ... so should be made sound in body (and spirit) through appropriate training and motivation.

  4. Mode-locking in an infinite set of coupled circle maps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alstroem, P.; Ritala, R.K.

    1986-06-01

    We show that the mode-locking in coupled circle maps with random phases is very different from that in a single circle map. A finite nonlinearity K c is needed for a step to appear. The width of the step behaves as (K-K c ) 2 . The complete mode-locking (at K=1 for uncoupled maps) behaves singularly as the coupling is turned on. We argue that our model describes the mode-locking in charge-density-wave materials. Our results are in qualitative agreement with experimental observations by Sherwin and Zettl that only few true steps exist in I-V characteristics and that in addition to these there are some 'incomplete' steps. (orig.)

  5. Complex motion of elevators in piecewise map model combined with circle map

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagatani, Takashi

    2013-11-01

    We study the dynamic behavior in the elevator traffic controlled by capacity when the inflow rate of passengers into elevators varies periodically with time. The dynamics of elevators is described by the piecewise map model combined with the circle map. The motion of the elevators depends on the inflow rate, its period, and the number of elevators. The motion in the piecewise map model combined with the circle map shows a complex behavior different from the motion in the piecewise map model.

  6. Scaling laws for mode lockings in circle maps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cvitanovic, P.; Shraiman, B.; Soederberg, B.

    1985-06-01

    The self-similar structure of mode lockings for circle maps is studied by means of the associated Farey trees. We investigate numerically several classes of scaling relations implicit in the Farey organization of mode lockings and discuss the extent to which they lead to universal scaling laws. (orig.)

  7. Optimal weights for circle fitting with discrete granular data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chernov, N.; Kolganova, E.; Ososkov, G.

    1995-01-01

    The problem of the data approximation measured along a circle by modern detectors in high energy physics, as for example, RICH (Ring Imaging Cherenkov) is considered. Such detectors having the discrete cell structure register the energy dissipation produced by a passing elementary particle not in a single point, but in several adjacent cells where all this energy is distributed. The presence of background hits makes inapplicable circle fitting methods based on the least square fit due to their noise sensitivity. In this paper it's shown that the efficient way to overcome these problems of the curve fitting is the robust fitting technique based on a reweighted least square method with optimally chosen weights, obtained by the use of maximum likelihood estimates. Results of numerical experiments are given proving the high efficiency of the suggested method. 9 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

  8. Inclusive Teaching Circles: Mechanisms for Creating Welcoming Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Sharon; Wallace, Sherri L.; Schack, Gina; Thomas, M. Shelley; Lewis, Linda; Wilson, Linda; Miller, Shawnise; D'Antoni, Joan

    2010-01-01

    This essay examines the Inclusive Teaching Circle (ITC) as a mechanism for faculty development in creating instructional tools that embrace an inclusive pedagogy reflecting diversity, cultural competence and social justice. We describe one group's year-long participation in an ITC at a large, metropolitan research university in the south. Next, we…

  9. Is Russell's vicious circle principle false or meaningless?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fleischhacker, L.E.

    1979-01-01

    P. Vardy asserts the thesis that the vicious circle principle has the same structure as Russell's paradox. But structure is not the thing itself. It is the thing objectivated from the wiewpoint of a mathematician. So this structure can be expressed in a mathematical formalism, e. g. the Λ-calculus.

  10. Sensitive Blu-ray detection of clustered rolling circle products for molecular Diagnostics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahlford, Annika; Donolato, Marco; Antunes, Paula Soares Martins

    2014-01-01

    In this paper we present a method for low cost and rapid sensing of nucleic acids (NA) for infectious diagnostics, where isothermal rolling circle amplification (RCA) products, specifically generated by the presence of the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), are bound to magnetic nanopart......In this paper we present a method for low cost and rapid sensing of nucleic acids (NA) for infectious diagnostics, where isothermal rolling circle amplification (RCA) products, specifically generated by the presence of the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), are bound to magnetic...

  11. Pengaruh Penerapan Metode Socratic Circles Disertai Media Gambar Terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir Kreatif Siswa

    OpenAIRE

    Afidah, Ihda Nuria; Santosa, Slamet; Indrowati, Meti

    2012-01-01

    - This research aims to ascertain whether or not the application Socratic Circles method with images media affects the student's creative thinking skill.This research is considered quasi-experiment research. The research was designed using Posttest-Only Control Group Design by applying Socratic Circles method with images media in experimental group and lectures methods, discussions, and presentations in control group. The population of this research were all strudents in X grade of SMA Nege...

  12. The Quality Control Circle: Is It for Education?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Land, Arthur J.

    From its start in Japan after World War II, the Quality Control Circle (Q.C.) approach to management and organizational operation evolved into what it is today: people doing similar work meeting regularly to identify, objectively analyze, and develop solutions to problems. The Q.C. approach meets Maslow's theory of motivation by inviting…

  13. White Blood Cell Segmentation by Circle Detection Using Electromagnetism-Like Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erik Cuevas

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Medical imaging is a relevant field of application of image processing algorithms. In particular, the analysis of white blood cell (WBC images has engaged researchers from fields of medicine and computer vision alike. Since WBCs can be approximated by a quasicircular form, a circular detector algorithm may be successfully applied. This paper presents an algorithm for the automatic detection of white blood cells embedded into complicated and cluttered smear images that considers the complete process as a circle detection problem. The approach is based on a nature-inspired technique called the electromagnetism-like optimization (EMO algorithm which is a heuristic method that follows electromagnetism principles for solving complex optimization problems. The proposed approach uses an objective function which measures the resemblance of a candidate circle to an actual WBC. Guided by the values of such objective function, the set of encoded candidate circles are evolved by using EMO, so that they can fit into the actual blood cells contained in the edge map of the image. Experimental results from blood cell images with a varying range of complexity are included to validate the efficiency of the proposed technique regarding detection, robustness, and stability.

  14. White Blood Cell Segmentation by Circle Detection Using Electromagnetism-Like Optimization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliva, Diego; Díaz, Margarita; Zaldivar, Daniel; Pérez-Cisneros, Marco; Pajares, Gonzalo

    2013-01-01

    Medical imaging is a relevant field of application of image processing algorithms. In particular, the analysis of white blood cell (WBC) images has engaged researchers from fields of medicine and computer vision alike. Since WBCs can be approximated by a quasicircular form, a circular detector algorithm may be successfully applied. This paper presents an algorithm for the automatic detection of white blood cells embedded into complicated and cluttered smear images that considers the complete process as a circle detection problem. The approach is based on a nature-inspired technique called the electromagnetism-like optimization (EMO) algorithm which is a heuristic method that follows electromagnetism principles for solving complex optimization problems. The proposed approach uses an objective function which measures the resemblance of a candidate circle to an actual WBC. Guided by the values of such objective function, the set of encoded candidate circles are evolved by using EMO, so that they can fit into the actual blood cells contained in the edge map of the image. Experimental results from blood cell images with a varying range of complexity are included to validate the efficiency of the proposed technique regarding detection, robustness, and stability. PMID:23476713

  15. Influence of a Mathematics Teachers' Circle on Elementary Teachers' Use of Problem Solving

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garner, Mary L.; Watson, Virginia; Rogers, Beth; Head, Catherine

    2017-01-01

    Math teachers' circles are a form of professional development that is recommended by the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences in their publication Mathematical Education of Teachers II (2012). However, little research has been published on how effective math teachers' circles are in advancing the mathematical knowledge of teachers and…

  16. Uncertainty budget for optical coordinate measurements of circle diameter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Morace, Renate Erica; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; De Chiffre, Leonardo

    2004-01-01

    An uncertainty analysis for circle diameter measurements using a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) equipped with an optical probe is presented in this paper. A mathematical model for data evaluation and uncertainty assessment was formulated in accordance with Guide to the Expression of Uncertain...

  17. Visual Thinking, Algebraic Thinking, and a Full Unit-Circle Diagram.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shear, Jonathan

    1985-01-01

    The study of trigonometric functions in terms of the unit circle offer an example of how students can learn algebraic relations and operations while using visually oriented thinking. Illustrations are included. (MNS)

  18. A vicious circle in chronic lymphoedema pathophysiology?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cucchi, F; Rossmeislova, L; Simonsen, L

    2017-01-01

    Chronic lymphoedema is a disease caused by a congenital or acquired damage to the lymphatic system and characterized by complex chains of pathophysiologic events such as lymphatic fluid stasis, chronic inflammation, lymphatic vessels impairment, adipose tissue deposition and fibrosis. These event....... Together, these observations indicate strong reciprocal relationship between lymphatics and adipose tissue and suggest a possible key role of the adipocyte in the pathophysiology of chronic lymphoedema's vicious circle....

  19. [Results of residual ametropia correction using CIRCLE technology after femtosecond laser SMILE surgery].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kostin, O A; Rebrikov, S V; Ovchinnikov, A I; Stepanov, A A; Takhchidi, Kh P

    to evaluate functional results of reoperation performed according to the CIRCLE technology and using the VisuMax femtosecond laser and MEL-80 excimer laser in cases of regression of the refractive effect after SMILE surgery. We studied a group of post-SMILE patients. In those, who showed regression of the refractive effect at 1 year, reoperation was performed according to the CIRCLE technology and using the VisuMax femtosecond laser. The corneal flap was separated from the stromal bed and turned aside. Excimer laser ablation of the stromal bed was performed with the MEL 80 machine. The corneal flap was then placed back and rinsed from both sides. Uncorrected (UCVA) and corrected (BCVA) visual acuity as well as spherical equivalent (SE) were estimated before reoperation, on day 1, and at 1 month. After reoperation, BCVA and UCVA improved. Patient refraction became close to emmetropia. Specifically, UCVA was 0.23±0.18 at baseline (i.e. 1 year after SMILE) and 0.93±0.11 after the CIRCLE procedure (pstatistically significant - from 0.95±0.1 to 0.93±0.11 (p>0.05). Reoperation performed according to the CIRCLE technology and using the VisuMax femtosecond laser and MEL-80 excimer laser provides an increase in visual acuity in case of post-SMILE regression of the refractive effect.

  20. Self-calibration of divided circles on the basis of a prime factor algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Probst, R

    2008-01-01

    A new method for the self-calibration of divided circles is presented which is based on a known prime factor algorithm for the discrete Fourier transform (DFT). The method, called prime factor division (PFD) calibration, is of interest in angle metrology specially for self-calibrating angle encoders, and generally for a significant shortening of the cross-calibration between two divided circles. It requires that the circular division number N can be expressed as a product N = R × S, whereby the factors R and S are relatively prime integer numbers. For the self-calibration of a divided circle, N difference measurements between R angle positions in a regular distribution and one reference angle position determined by S are evaluated by a two-dimensional DFT, yielding the N absolute division errors. The factor R is preferably chosen small, down to a minimum of R = 2, whereas the factor S may be as large as appropriate for the division number N of interest. In the case of a cross-calibration between two divided circles, the PFD method reduces the number of measurements necessary from N 2 to (R + 1) × N. Experimental results are demonstrated for the calibrations of an optical polygon with 24 faces (prime factor product 3 × 8) and a gearwheel with 44 teeth (prime factor product 4 × 11)

  1. Defining Leadership: Collegiate Women's Learning Circles: A Qualitative Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Preston-Cunningham, Tammie; Elbert, Chanda D.; Dooley, Kim E.

    2017-01-01

    The researchers employed qualitative methods to evaluate first-year female students' definition of "leadership" through involvement in the Women's Learning Circle. The findings revealed that students defined leadership in two dimensions: traits and behaviors. The qualitative findings explore a multidimensional approach to the voices of…

  2. The Revival of Research Circles: Meeting the Needs of Modern Aging and the Third Age

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ostlund, Britt

    2008-01-01

    This article provides evidence that it is worthwhile to reconsider the traditional research circle method as a means of involving people in the third age in fulfilling their needs to participate in learning activities and make their voices heard. The findings are based on three cases of research circles consistently driven by the interests of the…

  3. From Death to Life – The Hydrological Circle of Cosmos and Copulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Terje Oestigaard

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available When a person dies, how is the soul transferred from the dead body to an infant in a mother's womb? In Hinduism this process in understood and explained metaphorically by the hydrological circle and the interrelatedness of fire and water. The cosmological circle of reincarnation is a life-giving process which includes the life-giving waters; the essence of life. Based on mythology and the sacred scriptures, this process is investigated.Key Words: Hindu Mythology, eroticism, funeral practice, sexualityDOI = 10.3126/dsaj.v2i0.1360Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol.2 pp.121-144

  4. Vicious circles of punishment: a reading of Melanie Klein's Envy and gratitude.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Henry F

    2008-01-01

    Staged as a moral drama, Melanie Klein's Envy and Gratitude (1957) straddles two eras: one reflecting a simpler more concrete, historical method, and the other an approach of greater complexity, focused on the transferential moment. Embedded within the transference are the vicious circles of envy and punishment that are the hallmark of Klein's text. Punishment itself which is always punishment of both self and other, creates its own vicious circle, set in motion by a single act. In the sadomasochistic enactments that result, the moral force of Klein's categories fuels the countertransference. A detailed clinical hour is presented.

  5. Truncated Calogero-Sutherland models on a circle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tummuru, Tarun R.; Jain, Sudhir R.; Khare, Avinash

    2017-12-01

    We investigate a quantum many-body system with particles moving in a circle and subject to two-body and three-body potentials. This class of models, in which the range of interaction r can be set to a certain number of neighbors, extrapolates from a system with interactions up to next-to-nearest neighbors and the celebrated Calogero-Sutherland model. The exact ground state energy and a part of the excitation spectrum have been obtained.

  6. Drawing Euler Diagrams with Circles: The Theory of Piercings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stapleton, Gem; Leishi Zhang; Howse, John; Rodgers, Peter

    2011-07-01

    Euler diagrams are effective tools for visualizing set intersections. They have a large number of application areas ranging from statistical data analysis to software engineering. However, the automated generation of Euler diagrams has never been easy: given an abstract description of a required Euler diagram, it is computationally expensive to generate the diagram. Moreover, the generated diagrams represent sets by polygons, sometimes with quite irregular shapes that make the diagrams less comprehensible. In this paper, we address these two issues by developing the theory of piercings, where we define single piercing curves and double piercing curves. We prove that if a diagram can be built inductively by successively adding piercing curves under certain constraints, then it can be drawn with circles, which are more esthetically pleasing than arbitrary polygons. The theory of piercings is developed at the abstract level. In addition, we present a Java implementation that, given an inductively pierced abstract description, generates an Euler diagram consisting only of circles within polynomial time.

  7. Pronunciation Issues and Varieties of English from an EIL Perspective: A Survey of Outer and Expanding Circle Learners’ Beliefs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abbas Monfared

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available In a globalized era where English keeps the position of an international language, learnt and spoken by lots of people from diverse linguistic, cultural and national backgrounds, there is a need for a new perspective towards English as an international language which can bridge notions and cultures. The appearance of varieties of English is the consequence of the global dissemination of English. Based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative data using a semi-structured questionnaire (see Appendix A administered to 60 Iranian learners from expanding circle and 60 Indian learners from outer circle, this study surveyed the developing picture of EIL pronunciation and evaluation of different varieties of English from the perspective of learners from two circles which include the most users of English in the globalized world. The results of the questionnaires supplemented by interviews with leaners from expanding and outer circles revealed that expanding-circle learners like more to have a native-like identity with their preference towards nativism. The implications on the findings on the spread of native speaker norms and the status of ELF and its reflections in learning and teaching in expanding and outer circle countries are discussed.

  8. Increased alpha-band power during the retention of shapes and shape-location associations in visual short-term memory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeffrey S. Johnson

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Studies exploring the role of neural oscillations in cognition have revealed sustained increases in alpha-band (~8-14 Hz power during the delay period of delayed-recognition short-term memory tasks. These increases have been proposed to reflect the inhibition, for example, of cortical areas representing task-irrelevant information, or of potentially interfering representations from previous trials. Another possibility, however, is that elevated delay-period alpha-band power reflects the selection and maintenance of information, rather than, or in addition to, the inhibition of task-irrelevant information. In the present study, we explored these possibilities using a delayed-recognition paradigm in which the presence and task-relevance of shape information was systematically manipulated across trial blocks and EEG was used to measure alpha-band power. In the first trial block, participants remembered locations marked by identical black circles. The second block featured the same instructions, but locations were marked by unique shapes. The third block featured the same stimulus presentation as the second, but with pretrial instructions indicating, on a trial-by-trial basis, whether memory for shape or location was required, the other dimension being irrelevant. In the final block, participants remembered the unique pairing of shape and location for each stimulus. Results revealed minimal delay-period alpha-band power in each of the location-memory conditions, whether locations were marked with identical circles or with unique task-irrelevant shapes. In contrast, alpha-band power increases were observed in both the shape-memory condition, in which location was task irrelevant, and in the critical final condition, in which both shape and location were task relevant. These results provide support for the proposal that alpha-band oscillations reflect the retention of shape information and/or shape-location associations in short-term memory.

  9. The ability to form full-length intron RNA circles is a general property of nuclear group I introns

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Henrik; Fiskaa, Tonje; Birgisdottir, Asa Birna

    2003-01-01

    at the expense of the host. The circularization pathway has distinct structural requirements that differ from those of splicing and appears to be specifically suppressed in vivo. The ability to form full-length circles is found in all types of nuclear group I introns, including those from the Tetrahymena...... ribosomal DNA. The biological function of the full-length circles is not known, but the fact that the circles contain the entire genetic information of the intron suggests a role in intron mobility....

  10. The quantum harmonic oscillator on a circle and a deformed quantum field theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rego-Monteiro, M.A.

    2001-05-01

    We construct a deformed free quantum field theory with an standard Hilbert space based on a deformed Heisenberg algebra. This deformed algebra is a Heisenberg-type algebra describing the first levels of the quantum harmonic oscillator on a circle of large length L. The successive energy levels of this quantum harmonic oscillator on a circle of large length L are interpreted, similarly to the standard quantum one-dimensional harmonic oscillator on an infinite line, as being obtained by the creation of a quantum particle of frequency w at very high energies. (author)

  11. Random walks of a quantum particle on a circle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fjeldsoe, N.; Midtdal, J.; Ravndal, F.

    1987-07-01

    When the quantum planar rotor is put on a lattice, its dynamics can be approximated by random walks on a circle. This allows for fast and accurate Monto Carlo simulations to determine the topological charge of different configurations of the system and thereby the Θ-dependency of the lowest energy levels

  12. The Milky Way and the Local Group: playing with great circles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fusi Pecci, F.; Bellazzini, M.; Ferraro, F. R.

    The small group of recently discovered galactic globular clusters (Pal 12, Ter 7, Rup 106, Arp 2) significantly younger than the average cluster population of the Galaxy are shown to lie near great circles passing in the proximity of most satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. Assuming that these great circles are in some way preferential planes of interaction between the Galaxy and its companions, the authors identified along one of them another candidate "young" globular cluster, IC 4499. Within this observational framework, the possibility that the sample of young globulars found in the halo of the Galaxy could have been captured from a satellite galaxy or formed during a close interaction between the Milky Way and one of its companions is briefly discussed.

  13. Quality Control Circles: A Vehicle for Just-in-Time Implementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sepehri, Mehran

    1985-01-01

    Explains just-in-time (JIT) material flow and production, a method of production designed to eliminate waste. Discusses why quality control circles work so well with a JIT system, and describes how several companies have made JIT work for them. (CT)

  14. Collective motions of globally coupled oscillators and some probability distributions on circle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jaćimović, Vladimir [Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Montenegro, Cetinjski put, bb., 81000 Podgorica (Montenegro); Crnkić, Aladin, E-mail: aladin.crnkic@hotmail.com [Faculty of Technical Engineering, University of Bihać, Ljubijankićeva, bb., 77000 Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

    2017-06-28

    In 2010 Kato and Jones described a new family of probability distributions on circle, obtained as Möbius transformation of von Mises distribution. We present the model demonstrating that these distributions appear naturally in study of populations of coupled oscillators. We use this opportunity to point out certain relations between Directional Statistics and collective motion of coupled oscillators. - Highlights: • We specify probability distributions on circle that arise in Kuramoto model. • We study how the mean-field coupling affects the shape of distribution of phases. • We discuss potential applications in some experiments on cell cycle. • We apply Directional Statistics to study collective dynamics of coupled oscillators.

  15. Circle of Willis variation in a complex stroke presentation: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young Carolyn A

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The impact of circle of Willis anatomical variation upon the presentation of stroke is probably underrecognised. Case presentation A 63-year-old right-handed woman developed a left hemiparesis and right leg weakness sequentially following a road traffic accident (RTA. Despite initial concern about the possibility of cervical spinal cord injury, the final diagnosis was bilateral artery-to-artery embolic cerebral infarction with dominant right internal carotid artery. Conclusion The case illustrates the complex presentation of stroke as a pseudo-cervical cord lesion and the impact of circle of Willis anatomical variation upon the expression of large vessel cerebrovascular disease.

  16. "Socratic Circles are a Luxury": Exploring the Conceptualization of a Dialogic Tool in Three Science Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Copelin, Michelle Renee

    Research has shown that dialogic instruction promotes learning in students. Secondary science has traditionally been taught from an authoritative stance, reinforced in recent years by testing policies requiring coverage. Socratic Circles are a framework for student-led dialogic discourse, which have been successfully used in English language arts and social studies classrooms. The purpose of this research was to explore the implementation process of Socratic Circles in secondary science classes where they have been perceived to be more difficult. Focusing on two physical science classes and one chemistry class, this study described the nature and characteristics of Socratic Circles, teachers' dispositions toward dialogic instruction, the nature and characteristics of student discussion, and student motivation. Socratic Circles were found to be a dialogic support that influenced classroom climate, social skills, content connections, and student participation. Teachers experienced conflict between using traditional test driven scripted teaching, and exploring innovation through dialogic instruction. Students experienced opportunities for peer interaction, participation, and deeper discussions in a framework designed to improve dialogic skills. Students in two of the classrooms showed evidence of motivation for engaging in peer-led discussion, and students in one class did not. The class that did not show evidence of motivation had not been given the same scaffolding as the other two classes. Two physical science teachers and one chemistry teacher found that Socratic Circles required more scaffolding than was indicated by their peers in other disciplines such as English and social studies. The teachers felt that student's general lack of background knowledge for any given topic in physical science or chemistry necessitated the building of a knowledge platform before work on a discussion could begin. All three of the teachers indicated that Socratic Circles were a

  17. The legacy of Circle women�s engagement with the Bible: Reflections from an African male biblical scholar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lovemore Togarasei

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The entry of women into religious and theological studies has revolutionised the modus operandi of these disciplines. Especially with the formation of the Circle of Concerned Women Theologians, the study of these disciplines has never been the same. In this article, an attempt is made to consider the legacy of women theologians in the area of biblical interpretation. Specifically, the article looks at how members of the Circle have interpreted the Bible in their quest for a theology that responds to African women�s experiences. The article discusses Circle biblical scholars� methods of interpreting the Bible, what they have managed to achieve, as well as pointing out areas that still call for attention. It concludes that Circle biblical scholars, like all African Biblical Interpretation, are engaged scholars who serve both the need for intellectual growth as well as solving the pressing needs of their societies.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article primarily focuses on how members of the Circle of Concerned Women Theologians have interpreted the Bible in their quest for justice. It therefore engages several disciplines: biblical interpretation, theology, gender, politics, health, and so on.Keywords: African Biblical interpretation; Women theologians; Bible; legacy;engaged Biblical Scholarship

  18. Encoding into working memory of spatial location, color, and shape: electrophysiological investigations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martín-Loeches, M; Rubia, F J

    1997-10-01

    Event-related potentials (ERP) were recorded while subjects memorized either the location, the color or the shape of stimuli which could be located in 1 of 4 positions relative to a central fixation point (top, bottom, left or right), be of 1 of 4 positions relative to a central fixation point (top, bottom, left or right), be of 1 of 4 colors (white, green, red or blue), and present 1 of 4 shapes (triangle, cross, circle or square). These ERP were compared to ERP recorded while subjects looked at the same stimuli but performed other control, nonmemory tasks. Only ERP corresponding to the memorization of spatial location showed a differential pattern which could be specifically attributed to memory encoding processes. This reveals an important difference in ERP modulation between a working memory subsystem for spatial location and other subsystem (or subsystems) for color or shape, which would provide evidence supporting the existence of different working memory subsystems for visual information in the brain.

  19. Intrinsic Stability of Episomal Circles Formed during Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Replication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierson, TheodoreC.; Kieffer, Tara L.; Ruff, Christian T.; Buck, Christopher; Gange, Stephen J.; Siliciano, Robert F.

    2002-01-01

    The development of surrogate markers capable of detecting residual ongoing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication in patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy is an important step in understanding viral dynamics and in developing new treatment strategies. In this study, we evaluated the utility of circular forms of the viral genome for the detection of recent infection of cells by HIV-1. We measured the fate of both one-long terminal repeat (1-LTR) and 2-LTR circles following in vitro infection of logarithmically growing CD4+ T cells under conditions in which cell death was not a significant contributing factor. Circular forms of the viral genome were found to be highly stable and to decrease in concentration only as a function of dilution resulting from cell division. We conclude that these DNA circles are not intrinsically unstable in all cell types and suggest that the utility of 2-LTR circle assays in measuring recent HIV-1 infection of susceptible cells in vivo needs to be reevaluated. PMID:11907256

  20. Quantum quincunx for walk on circles in phase space with indirect coin flip

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue Peng; Sanders, Barry C

    2008-01-01

    The quincunx, or Galton board, has a long history as a tool for demonstrating and investigating random walk processes, but a quantum quincunx (QQ) for demonstrating a coined quantum walk (QW) is yet to be realized experimentally. We propose a variant of the QQ in cavity quantum electrodynamics, designed to eliminate the onerous requirement of directly flipping the coin. Instead, we propose driving the cavity in such a way that cavity field displacements are minimized and the coin is effectively flipped via this indirect process. An effect of this indirect flipping is that the walker's location is no longer confined to a single circle in the planar phase space, but we show that the phase distribution nonetheless shows quadratic enhancement of phase diffusion for the quantum versus classical walk despite this small complication. Thus our scheme leads to coined QW behaviour in cavity quantum electrodynamics without the need to flip the coin directly

  1. "I am a different man now” Sex offenders in Circles of Support and Accountability : A prospective study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Höing, M.A.; Vogelvang, B.; Bogaerts, S.

    2017-01-01

    In Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA), a group of trained and supervised volunteers support a sex offender (core member in a circle), with the aim of supporting the core member’s transitions toward full desistance. A prospective, multi-method design was used to explore psychological and

  2. Flat panel detector-based cone beam computed tomography with a circle-plus-two-arcs data acquisition orbit: Preliminary phantom study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ning Ruola; Tang Xiangyang; Conover, David; Yu Rongfeng

    2003-01-01

    Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) has been investigated in the past two decades due to its potential advantages over a fan beam CT. These advantages include (a) great improvement in data acquisition efficiency, spatial resolution, and spatial resolution uniformity, (b) substantially better utilization of x-ray photons generated by the x-ray tube compared to a fan beam CT, and (c) significant advancement in clinical three-dimensional (3D) CT applications. However, most studies of CBCT in the past are focused on cone beam data acquisition theories and reconstruction algorithms. The recent development of x-ray flat panel detectors (FPD) has made CBCT imaging feasible and practical. This paper reports a newly built flat panel detector-based CBCT prototype scanner and presents the results of the preliminary evaluation of the prototype through a phantom study. The prototype consisted of an x-ray tube, a flat panel detector, a GE 8800 CT gantry, a patient table and a computer system. The prototype was constructed by modifying a GE 8800 CT gantry such that both a single-circle cone beam acquisition orbit and a circle-plus-two-arcs orbit can be achieved. With a circle-plus-two-arcs orbit, a complete set of cone beam projection data can be obtained, consisting of a set of circle projections and a set of arc projections. Using the prototype scanner, the set of circle projections were acquired by rotating the x-ray tube and the FPD together on the gantry, and the set of arc projections were obtained by tilting the gantry while the x-ray tube and detector were at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions, respectively. A filtered backprojection exact cone beam reconstruction algorithm based on a circle-plus-two-arcs orbit was used for cone beam reconstruction from both the circle and arc projections. The system was first characterized in terms of the linearity and dynamic range of the detector. Then the uniformity, spatial resolution and low contrast resolution were assessed using

  3. The application of quality control circle in neurosurgery ICU nurses in raising compliance of the head of a bed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Na LI

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To explore the application of quality control circle in raising compliance of the head of a bed in neurosurgery ICU nurses. Methods: The quality control circle was made up of 4 ICU nurses, determine the subject in order to improve the neurosurgery ICU nurses in raising compliance of the head of a bed, according to the QCC activity steps to formulate plans, including grasp the current situation, goal setting, through analysis, circle members develop strategy and plan implementation and review, finally compared the situation before and after neurosurgery ICU nurses raised bed activities compliance. Results: After implementation of QCC, neurosurgery ICU nurses raised bed to 30 ~ 45 degrees. After activities, circle members in the team cooperation ability, cohesion, to accept new things ability, and innovative thinking ability and to raise the understanding of the relevant knowledge of the head of a bed has improved significantly. Conclusion: The application of quality management circle activity improves the neurosurgery ICU nurses effectively raise the compliance of the head of a bed, improve the comprehensive quality of the clinical nurses.

  4. Protruding Features of Viral Capsids Are Clustered on Icosahedral Great Circles.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David P Wilson

    Full Text Available Spherical viruses are remarkably well characterized by the Triangulation (T number developed by Casper and Klug. The T-number specifies how many viral capsid proteins are required to cover the virus, as well as how they are further subdivided into pentamer and hexamer subunits. The T-number however does not constrain the orientations of these proteins within the subunits or dictate where the proteins should place their protruding features. These protrusions often take the form of loops, spires and helices, and are significant because they aid in stability of the capsid as well as recognition by the host organism. Until now there has be no overall understanding of the placement of protrusions for spherical viruses, other than they have icosahedral symmetry. We constructed a set of gauge points based upon the work affine extensions of Keef and Twarock, which have fixed relative angular locations with which to measure the locations of these features. This work adds a new element to our understanding of the geometric arrangement of spherical viral capsid proteins; chiefly that the locations of protruding features are not found stochastically distributed in an icosahedral manner across the viral surface, but instead these features are found only in specific locations along the 15 icosahedral great circles. We have found that this result holds true as the T number and viral capsids size increases, suggesting an underlying geometric constraint on their locations. This is in spite of the fact that the constraints on the pentamers and hexamer orientations change as a function of T-number, as you need to accommodate more hexamers in the same solid angle between pentamers. The existence of this angular constraint of viral capsids suggests that there is a fitness or energetic benefit to the virus placing its protrusions in this manner. This discovery may have profound impacts on identifying and eliminating viral pathogens, understanding evolutionary

  5. BANQUET SPEECH Full Circle: Star Ferry to Stardust

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matthews, Clifford N.

    2008-10-01

    Good evening. I'd like to invite you to join me on a journey that could be entitled “Full Circle: Star Ferry to Stardust”. “Star Ferry” represents Hong Kong, my home town, and especially its university - Hong Kong University - as I knew it during the years of World War II. “Stardust” refers to our gathering here to report on our research on possible organic chemistry in space.

  6. Circle Solutions, a philosophy and pedagogy for learning positive relationships: What promotes and inhibits sustainable outcomes?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florence McCarthy

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Educators are increasingly aware that the efficacy of social and emotional learning (SEL is dependent on implementation factors, not just program content. These include the philosophy underpinning an intervention, the beliefs as well as the skills of facilitators, and the classroom/whole school context in which the intervention takes place. This article outlines the philosophy and pedagogy of Circle Solutions and presents findings from research where 18 undergraduate students supported and developed ‘Circle Time’ in 8 Greater Western Sydney primary schools for a university module on community service. The study indicates that when there is full teacher participation within the principles of the Circle philosophy, together with activeschool support that promotes relational values, the learning outcomes for positive relationship building are more sustainable.

  7. Rich services in interoperable Learning Designs: can the circle be squared?

    OpenAIRE

    Griffiths, David

    2009-01-01

    Griffiths, D. (2009). Rich services in interoperable Learning Designs: Can the circle be squared?. Presented at Opening Up Learning Design, European LAMS and Learning Design Conference 2009. July, 6-9, 2009, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.

  8. Revisiting Cyberbullying in Schools Using the Quality Circle Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, Simone; Smith, Peter K.; Blumberg, Herbert H.

    2012-01-01

    An earlier study reported the use of Quality Circles (QC) in a UK school in the context of understanding and reducing bullying and cyberbullying. Here, we report further work in the same school setting. The QC approach allows explorative analysis of problems in school settings, whereby students embark on a problem-solving exercise over a period of…

  9. Simple methods of aligning four-circle diffractometers with crystal reflections

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mitsui, Y [Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

    1979-08-01

    Simple methods of aligning four-circle diffractometers with crystal reflections are devised. They provide the methods to check (1) perpendicularity of chi plane to the incident beam, (2) zero point of 2theta and linearity of focus-chi center-receiving aperture and (3) zero point of chi.

  10. Real-time single-molecule observation of rolling-circle DNA replication

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tanner, Nathan A.; Loparo, Joseph J.; Hamdan, Samir M.; Jergic, Slobodan; Dixon, Nicholas E.; Oijen, Antoine M. van

    2009-01-01

    We present a simple technique for visualizing replication of individual DNA molecules in real time. By attaching a rolling-circle substrate to a TIRF microscope-mounted flow chamber, we are able to monitor the progression of single-DNA synthesis events and accurately measure rates and processivities

  11. (In-)Secure messaging with the Silent Circle instant messaging protocol

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verschoor, S.R.; Lange, T.

    2016-01-01

    Silent Text, the instant messaging application by the company Silent Circle, provides its users with end-to-end encrypted communication on the Blackphone and other smartphones. The underlying protocol, SCimp, has received many extensions during the update to version 2, but has not been subjected to

  12. Practical Environmental Education and Local Contribution in the Environmental Science Laboratory Circle in the College of Science and Technology in Nihon University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taniai, Tetsuyuki; Ito, Ken-Ichi; Sakamaki, Hiroshi

    In this paper, we presented a method and knowledge about a practical and project management education and local contribution obtained through the student activities of “Environmental science laboratory circle in the College of Science and technology in Nihon University” from 1991 to 2001. In this circle, four major projects were acted such as research, protection, clean up and enlightenment projects. Due to some problems from inside or outside of this circle, this circle projects have been stopped. The diffusion and popularization of the internet technology will help to resolve some of these problems.

  13. Combined modal split and assignment model for the multimodal transportation network of the economic circle in China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sh. Li

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Economic circles have been formed and developing in China. An economic circle consists of more than one closely adjoining central cities and their influence zones. It is always the major engine for the development of one country’s economy and even for the world economy. A combined modal split and assignment model with deterministic travel demand is proposed for modelling passengers’ choices of intercity bus and train which are two main competing modes in the multimodal transportation network of the economic circle. The generalized travel cost model of highway and railway are used incorporating travel time, ticket fare and passenger’s discomfort. On the highway network, the interactions of private vehicles and intercity buses are asymmetric. Thus, a variational inequality formulation is proposed to describe the combined model. The streamlined diagonalization algorithm is presented to solve the combined model. The multimodal transportation network based on Yangtze River Delta economic circle is presented to illustrate the proposed method. The results show the efficiency of the proposed model.

  14. An anatomical study of normal variations of circle of Willis in 132 fetus, newborn and adult

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bateni F

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available "n Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Background: Several studies have investigated the variations in the anatomy of each segment of circle of Willis whereas a few have addressed the variations of this arterial circle as a whole. In this study the entire circle of Willis and its variations were studied in a cohort of Iranian people and compared with previous reports."n"nMethods: Anatomical variations of the circle of Willis in 132 brains of Iranian cadavers (102 male adults and 30 fetuses and infants were studied. The dissection process was digitally filmed for further studies. Using computer software the external diameters of the vessels were measured and the circle variations were classified. The variations of the circle as a whole and segmental variations were compared with previous studies. "n"nResults: Uni-and bilateral hypoplasia of posterior communicating arteries (PcoAs constituted the most common variation in our study which was similar to previous works. Aplasia of the anterior cerebral artery (A1 and the posterior cerebral artery (P1 were not observed. In 3.3% of fetuses and infants and 3% of adult instances both right and left posterior communicating arteries were absent. There was one case of anterior communicating artery (AcoA aplasia in

  15. Centripetal and centrifugal forces in the moral circle: Competing constraints on moral learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graham, Jesse; Waytz, Adam; Meindl, Peter; Iyer, Ravi; Young, Liane

    2017-10-01

    The idea of the moral circle pictures the self in the center, surrounded by concentric circles encompassing increasingly distant possible targets of moral concern, including family, local community, nation, all humans, all mammals, all living things including plants, and all things including inanimate objects. The authors develop the idea of two opposing forces in people's moral circles, with centripetal forces pulling inward, urging greater concern for close others than for distant others, and centrifugal forces pushing outward, resisting "drawing the line" anywhere as a form of prejudice and urging egalitarian concern for all regardless of social distance. Review of the developmental literature shows very early emergence of both moral forces, suggesting at least partly intuitive bases for each. Moral education approaches favoring one force over the other are compared, to show how these forces can provide constraints on moral learning. Finally, the centripetal/centrifugal forces view is applied to current moral debates about empathy and about politics. The authors argue that this view helps us see how intercultural and interpersonal disagreements about morality are based in intrapersonal conflicts shared by all people. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. A SEARCH FOR CONCENTRIC CIRCLES IN THE 7 YEAR WILKINSON MICROWAVE ANISOTROPY PROBE TEMPERATURE SKY MAPS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wehus, I. K.; Eriksen, H. K.

    2011-01-01

    In this Letter, we search for concentric circles with low variance in cosmic microwave background sky maps. The detection of such circles would hint at new physics beyond the current cosmological concordance model, which states that the universe is isotropic and homogeneous, and filled with Gaussian fluctuations. We first describe a set of methods designed to detect such circles, based on matched filters and χ 2 statistics, and then apply these methods to the best current publicly available data, the 7 year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) temperature sky maps. We compare the observations with an ensemble of 1000 Gaussian ΛCDM simulations. Based on these tests, we conclude that the WMAP sky maps are fully compatible with the Gaussian and isotropic hypothesis as measured by low-variance ring statistics.

  17. Pythagorean hodograph spline spirals that match G3 Hermite data from circles

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Zhong; Ait-Haddou, Rachid; Biard, Luc

    2015-01-01

    A construction is given for a G3 piecewise rational Pythagorean hodograph convex spiral which interpolates two G3 Hermite data associated with two non-concentric circles, one being inside the other. The spiral solution is of degree 7 and is the involute of a G2 convex curve, referred to as the evolute solution, with prescribed length, and composed of two PH quartic curves. Conditions for G3 continuous contact with circles are then studied and it turns out that an ordinary cusp at each end of the evolute solution is required. Thus, geometric properties of a family of PH polynomial quartics, allowing to generate such an ordinary cusp at one end, are studied. Finally, a constructive algorithm is described with illustrative examples.

  18. Pythagorean hodograph spline spirals that match G3 Hermite data from circles

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Zhong

    2015-04-01

    A construction is given for a G3 piecewise rational Pythagorean hodograph convex spiral which interpolates two G3 Hermite data associated with two non-concentric circles, one being inside the other. The spiral solution is of degree 7 and is the involute of a G2 convex curve, referred to as the evolute solution, with prescribed length, and composed of two PH quartic curves. Conditions for G3 continuous contact with circles are then studied and it turns out that an ordinary cusp at each end of the evolute solution is required. Thus, geometric properties of a family of PH polynomial quartics, allowing to generate such an ordinary cusp at one end, are studied. Finally, a constructive algorithm is described with illustrative examples.

  19. The SDM 3 Circle Model: A Literature Synthesis and Adaptation for Shared Decision Making in the Hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rennke, Stephanie; Yuan, Patrick; Monash, Brad; Blankenburg, Rebecca; Chua, Ian; Harman, Stephanie; Sakai, Debbie S; Khan, Adeena; Hilton, Joan F; Shieh, Lisa; Satterfield, Jason

    2017-12-01

    Patient engagement through shared decision-making (SDM) is increasingly seen as a key component for patient safety, patient satisfaction, and quality of care. Current SDM models do not adequately account for medical and environmental contexts, which may influence medical decisions in the hospital. We identified leading SDM models and reviews to inductively construct a novel SDM model appropriate for the inpatient setting. A team of medicine and pediatric hospitalists reviewed the literature to integrate core SDM concepts and processes and iteratively constructed a synthesized draft model. We then solicited broad SDM expert feedback on the draft model for validation and further refinement. The SDM 3 Circle Model identifies 3 core categories of variables that dynamically interact within an "environmental frame." The resulting Venn diagram includes overlapping circles for (1) patient/family, (2) provider/team, and (3) medical context. The environmental frame includes all external, contextual factors that may influence any of the 3 circles. Existing multistep SDM process models were then rearticulated and contextualized to illustrate how a shared decision might be made. The SDM 3 Circle Model accounts for important environmental and contextual characteristics that vary across settings. The visual emphasis generated by each "circle" and by the environmental frame direct attention to often overlooked interactive forces and has the potential to more precisely define, promote, and improve SDM. This model provides a framework to develop interventions to improve quality and patient safety through SDM and patient engagement for hospitalists. © 2017 Society of Hospital Medicine.

  20. Circle Maps and the Devil's Staircase in a Chemical Oscillator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brøns, Morten; Gross, P.; Bar-Eli, K.

    1996-01-01

    We explain numerical results on a periodically perturbed Oregonator by Markman and Bar-Eli (J. Phys. Chem. 98 12248 (1994)). If the dynamics of the system is governed by a family of diffeomorphisms of a circle with a Devil's staircase one will expect the observed behavior, i.e. (1) Only periodic...

  1. Quantum mechanics on the circle and W1+∞

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Floreanini, R.; Percacci, R.; Sezgin, E.

    1991-08-01

    The algebra W 1+∞ , with central charge c = 0, can be identified with the algebra of quantum observables of a particle moving on a circle. Mathematically, it is the universal enveloping algebra of the Euclidean algebra in two dimensions. Similarly, the super-W ∞ algebra is found to be the universal enveloping algebra of the super-Euclidean algebra in two dimensions. (author). 14 refs

  2. Shielded transient self-interaction of a bunch entering a circle from a straight path

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, R.; Bohn, C.L.; Bisognano, J.J.

    1997-01-01

    When a short (mm-length) bunch with high (nC-regime) charge is transported through a magnetic bending system, self-interaction via coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) and space charge may alter the bunch dynamics significantly. The authors consider a Gaussian rigid-line-charge bunch following a straight-path trajectory into a circle, with the trajectory centered between two infinite, parallel, perfectly conducting plates. Transients associated with CSR and space charge generated from source particles both on the straight path and the circle are calculated, and their net effect on the radiated power is contrasted with that of shielded steady-state CSR

  3. Circles of Health: towards an advanced social network about disabilities of neurological origin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subirats, Laia; Ceccaroni, Luigi; Lopez-Blazquez, Raquel; Miralles, Felip; García-Rudolph, Alejandro; Tormos, Jose M

    2013-12-01

    This research is concerned with the study of a new social-network platform, which (1) provides people with disabilities of neurological origin, their relatives, health professionals, therapists, carers and institutions with an interoperable platform that supports standard indicators, (2) promotes knowledge democratization and user empowerment, and (3) allows making decisions with a more informed opinion. A new social network, Circles of Health, has been designed, developed and tested by end-users. To allow monitoring the evolution of people's health status and comparing it with other users and with their cohort, anonymized data of 2675 people from comprehensive and multidimensional medical evaluations, carried out yearly from 2006 to 2010, have been standardized to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, integrated into the corresponding medical health records and then used to automatically generate and graphically represent multidimensional indicators. These indicators have been integrated into Circles of Health's social environment, which has been then evaluated via expert and user-experience analyses. Patients used Circles of Health to exchange bio-psycho-social information (medical and otherwise) about their everyday lives. Health professionals remarked that the use of color-coding in graphical representations is useful to quickly diagnose deficiencies, difficulties or barriers in rehabilitation. Most people with disabilities complained about the excessive amount of information and the difficulty in interpreting graphical representations. Health professionals found Circles of Health useful to generate a more integrative understanding of health based on a comprehensive profile of individuals instead of being focused on patient's diseases and injuries. People with disabilities found enriching personal knowledge with the experiences of other users helpful. The number of descriptors used at the same time in the graphical interface

  4. From the Weyl quantization of a particle on the circle to number–phase Wigner functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Przanowski, Maciej; Brzykcy, Przemysław; Tosiek, Jaromir

    2014-01-01

    A generalized Weyl quantization formalism for a particle on the circle is shown to supply an effective method for defining the number–phase Wigner function in quantum optics. A Wigner function for the state ϱ ^ and the kernel K for a particle on the circle is defined and its properties are analysed. Then it is shown how this Wigner function can be easily modified to give the number–phase Wigner function in quantum optics. Some examples of such number–phase Wigner functions are considered

  5. Analysis of the symmetric configuration of the circle of Willis in a series of autopsied corpses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stojanović, Nebojga; Stefanović, Ivica; Kostić, Aleksandar; Radisavejević, Misa; Stojanov, Dragan; Petrović, Sladjana

    2015-04-01

    The forming of the blood vessels network configuration at the base of the brain and interconnecting of blood vessels during the embryogenesis is directly related to the phylogenetic development of the brain and brain structures. A blood vessel configuration at the brain base, in the form of a ring or a hexagon, stands in direct relation to the perfusion needs of certain parts of the brain during its primary differentiation. The aim of this paper was to determine the incidence of certain blood vessel configurations at the base of the brain and understanding their symmetry or asymmetry. Analysis of the blood vessels at the base of the brain was performed on the autopsied subjects. The object of observation was the anterior segment of the circle of Willis consisting of C1- a. carotis interna (ICA), above a. communicaus posterior (PcoA), the segment A1 a. cerebri anterior (ACA) from a. carotis interna bifurcation to the a. communicans anterior (AcoA) and a communicans anterior itself, as well as the posterior segment consisting of PcoA and the segment P1--a. cerebri posterior (PCA) from the a. basilaris bifurcation to the PcoA. For the purpose of grouping the findings, the four basic configuration types of the circle of Willis were identified based on its symmetry or asymmetry. Type-A (symmetric circle of Willis), type-B (asymmetric circle of Willis' due to the unilateral hypoplastic A1-ACA); type-C (symmetric circle of Willis with bilateral symmetric changes on PcoA) and type-D (asymmetric circle of Willis due to the asymmetric changes on PcoA). Autosy was performed on 56 corpses. A total of 41 (73.2%) subjects were recorded with a symmetric configuration of the circle of Willis', of which 27 (48.2%) subjects had type A and 14 (25%) type C. The asymmetric configuration was present in 15 (26.8%) subjects, of whom 9 (16%) had type B and 6 (10.8%) subjects, of whom 9 (16%) had type B and 6 (10.8%) type D. The symmetric Willis group (73.2%) did not have a homogeneous

  6. Analysis of the symmetric configuration of the circle of Willis in a series of autopsied corpses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stojanović Nebojša

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. The forming of the blood vessels network configuration at the base of the brain and interconnecting of blood vessels during the embryogenesis is directly related to the phylogenetic development of the brain and brain structures. A blood vessel configuration at the brain base, in the form of a ring or a hexagon, stands in direct relation to the perfusion needs of certain parts of the brain during its primary differentiation. The aim of this paper was to determine the incidence of certain blood vessel configurations at the base of the brain and understanding their symmetry or asymmetry. Methods. Analysis of the blood vessels at the base of the brain was performed on the autopsied subjects. The object of observation was the anterior segment of the circle of Willis consisting of C1- a. carotis interna (ICA, above a. communicaus posterior (PcoA, the segment A1 a. cerebri anterior (ACA from a. carotis interna bifurcation to the a. communicans anterior (AcoA and a. communicans anterior itself, as well as the posterior segment consisting of PcoA and the segment P1 - a. cerebri posterior (PCA from the a. basilaris bifurcation to the PcoA. For the purpose of grouping the findings, the four basic configuration types of the circle of Willis were identified based on its symmetry or asymmetry. Type-A (symmetric circle of Willis, type-B (asymmetric circle of Willis' due to the unilateral hypoplastic A1-ACA; type-C (symmetric circle of Willis with bilateral symmetric changes on PcoA and type-D (asymmetric circle of Willis due to the asymmetric changes on PcoA. Results. Autopsy was performed on 56 corpses. A total of 41 (73.2% subjects were recorded with a symmetric configuration of the circle of Willis', of which 27 (48.2% subjects had type A and 14 (25% type C. The asymmetric configuration was present in 15 (26.8% subjects, of whom 9 (16% had type B and 6 (10.8% type D. The symmetric Willis group (73.2% did not have a homogeneous finding that

  7. A comment on compactification of M-theory on an (almost) light-like circle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bilal, A.

    1998-01-01

    In perturbative quantum field theory the limit of compactification on an almost light-like circle has recently been shown to be plagued by divergences. We argue that the light-like limit for M-theory probably is free of such divergences due to, among others, the existence of the wrapping modes of the membranes. To illustrate this, we consider superstring theory compactified on an almost light-like circle. Specifically, we compute a one-loop four-point amplitude in type II theory. As is well known, if the external states have vanishing momenta in the compact dimension, the divergence in the light-like limit is even stronger than in field theory. However, in the case of present interest, where these external momenta are non-vanishing, there is a subtle compensation and the resulting amplitude has a well defined and finite light-like limit. The net effect of taking the light-like limit is to replace the integration over one of the moduli of the four-punctured torus by a sum over a discrete modulus taking values in a finite lattice on the torus. The same result can also be obtained from a suitably ''Wick rotated'' amplitude computed directly with a compact light-like circle. (orig.)

  8. A U.K. cost-benefit analysis of circles of support and accountability interventions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, Ian A; Beech, Anthony R

    2013-06-01

    Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) aim to augment sex offender risk management at the point of community reentry by facilitating "Circles" of volunteers who provide support, guidance, and advice, while ensuring that the offender remains accountable for their actions. In this study, the authors provide (a) a rapid evidence assessment of the effectiveness of CoSA in reducing reoffending, and (b) a U.K. cost-benefit analysis for CoSA when compared to the criminal justice costs of reoffending. From the study analysis, the average cost of a "Circle" was estimated to be £11,303 per annum and appears to produce a 50% reduction in reoffending (sexual and nonsexual), as the estimated cost of reoffending was estimated to be £147,161 per offender, per annum. Based on a hypothetical cohort of 100 offenders--50 of whom receive CoSA and 50 of whom do not--investment in CoSA appears to provide a cost saving of £23,494 and a benefit-cost ratio of 1.04. Accounting for estimates that the full extent of the cost to society may be 5 to 10 times the tangible costs substantially increases estimated cost savings related to CoSA.

  9. Random covering of the circle: the configuration-space of the free deposition process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huillet, Thierry [Laboratoire de Physique Theorique et Modelisation, CNRS-UMR 8089 et Universite de Cergy-Pontoise, 5 mail Gay-Lussac, 95031, Neuville sur Oise (France)

    2003-12-12

    Consider a circle of circumference 1. Throw at random n points, sequentially, on this circle and append clockwise an arc (or rod) of length s to each such point. The resulting random set (the free gas of rods) is a collection of a random number of clusters with random sizes. It models a free deposition process on a 1D substrate. For such processes, we shall consider the occurrence times (number of rods) and probabilities, as n grows, of the following configurations: those avoiding rod overlap (the hard-rod gas), those for which the largest gap is smaller than rod length s (the packing gas), those (parking configurations) for which hard rod and packing constraints are both fulfilled and covering configurations. Special attention is paid to the statistical properties of each such (rare) configuration in the asymptotic density domain when ns = {rho}, for some finite density {rho} of points. Using results from spacings in the random division of the circle, explicit large deviation rate functions can be computed in each case from state equations. Lastly, a process consisting in selecting at random one of these specific equilibrium configurations (called the observable) can be modelled. When particularized to the parking model, this system produces parking configurations differently from Renyi's random sequential adsorption model.

  10. Full circle? Renato Amato's literary antipodes 1 | Hill | Italian Studies ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Il titolo stesso dell'opera di Amato The Full Circle of the Travelling Cuckoo (1967) rivela il senso di dislocazione dello scrittore migrante ma, al contempo, ne indica la capacità di riconciliarsi con il proprio difficile passato e di adattarsi alla sua patria adottiva, la Nuova Zelanda. Amato (1928-1964) ha dato un contribuito ...

  11. Quasi-symmetric Conjugacy of Blaschke Products on the unit Circle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Carsten Lunde

    2007-01-01

    Let B be a Blaschke product for which the restriction to the unit circle 1 is a degree d > 1 covering. We prove that B is quasi-symmetrically conjugate to z zd on 1, if all its periodic points in 1 are repelling and if 1 does not intersect the -limit set of any recurrent critical point for B....

  12. Social Circles Detection from Ego Network and Profile Information

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-12-19

    way of organizing contacts in personal networks . They are therefore currently implemented in the major social net- working systems, such as Facebook ...0704-0188 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) - UU UU UU UU Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Social Circles Detection from Ego Network ...structural network information but also the contents of social interactions, with the aim to detect copying communities. The views, opinions and/or findings

  13. Microsurgery for Aneurysms on the Circle of Willis | de Klerk | South ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A description of a microsurgical approach for aneurysms on the anterior part of the circle of Willis is given. Certain practical points are stressed. The operative results obtained in 37 consecutive aneurysms operated on in 30 patients are discussed. S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 825 (1974).

  14. The rolling-circle melting-pot model for porcine circovirus DNA replication

    Science.gov (United States)

    A stem-loop structure, formed by a pair of inverted repeats during DNA replication, is a conserved feature at the origin of DNA replication (Ori) among plant and animal viruses, bacteriophages and plasmids that replicate their genomes via the rolling-circle replication (RCR) mechanism. Porcine circo...

  15. Meromorphic Vector Fields and Circle Packings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dias, Kealey

    The objective of the Ph.D. project is to initiate a classification of bifurcations of meromorphic vector fields and to clarify their relation to circle packings. Technological applications are to image analysis and to effective grid generation using discrete conformal mappings. The two branches...... of dynamical systems, continuous and discrete, correspond to the study of differential equations (vector fields) and iteration of mappings respectively. In holomorphic dynamics, the systems studied are restricted to those described by holomorphic (complex analytic) functions or meromorphic (allowing poles...... as singularities) functions. There already exists a well-developed theory for iterative holomorphic dynamical systems, and successful relations found between iteration theory and flows of vector fields have been one of the main motivations for the recent interest in holomorphic vector fields. Restricting...

  16. The cerebral arterial circle (circulus arteriosus cerebri): an anatomical study in fetus and infant samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ardakani, Shahab Kamali; Dadmehr, Majid; Nejat, Farideh; Ansari, Saeed; Eftekhar, Behzad; Tajik, Parvin; El Khashab, Mostafa; Yazdani, Shahrooz; Ghodsi, Mohammad; Mahjoub, Fatemeh; Monajemzadeh, Maryam; Nazparvar, Bashir; Abdi-Rad, Afshin

    2008-01-01

    Many studies have investigated the variations in the anatomy of each segment of the cerebral arterial circle while a few have addressed the variations of the cerebral arterial circle as a whole. Thirty brains of recently deceased Iranian infants and fetuses were dissected. The dissection process was filmed and digitized so as to be readily available for further studies. The variations of the circle as a whole and segmental variations were evaluated. Variants with uni- and bilateral hypoplasia of posterior communicating arteries (PcoAs) were the most common in our study, similar to previous works. No aplasia of the precommunicating part of the anterior cerebral artery (A1), the precommunicating part of the posterior cerebral artery (P1) and anterior communicating artery was seen. Hypoplasia of the right and left PcoA was observed in 8 and 5 cases, respectively. Aplasia of the right PcoA was found in 16.6% and of the left PcoA in 3.3%. In this study, we confirmed the previously described finding that the symmetrical, circular configuration of the circulus arteriosus cerebri is present in only about 42.1%. The main differences between the fetal and adult disposition are the diameter of the PcoA and the circular part of the posterior cerebral artery. According to previous studies, the fetal brain older than 4 months has anatomical characteristics very similar to the adult's circle; our finding was mostly similar to adult samples as most samples were from infants, not fetuses. (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  17. Studies of G-quadruplexes formed within self-assembled DNA mini-circles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klejevskaja, Beata; Pyne, Alice L B; Reynolds, Matthew; Shivalingam, Arun; Thorogate, Richard; Hoogenboom, Bart W; Ying, Liming; Vilar, Ramon

    2016-10-13

    We have developed self-assembled DNA mini-circles that contain a G-quadruplex-forming sequence from the c-Myc oncogene promoter and demonstrate by FRET that the G-quadruplex unfolding kinetics are 10-fold slower than for the simpler 24-mer G-quadruplex that is commonly used for FRET experiments.

  18. Squaring the circle of healthcare supplies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Böhme, Tillmann; Williams, Sharon; Childerhouse, Paul; Deakins, Eric; Towill, Denis

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to use a systems lens to assess the comparative performance of healthcare supply chains and provide guidance for their improvement. A well-established and rigorous multi-method audit methodology, based on the uncertainty circle model, yields an objective assessment of value stream performance in eight Australasian public sector hospitals. Cause-effect analysis identifies the major barriers to achieving smooth, seamless flows. Potentially high-leverage remedial actions identified using systems thinking are examined with the aid of an exemplar case. The majority of the healthcare value streams studied are underperforming compared with those in the European automotive industry. Every public hospital appears to be caught in the grip of vicious circles of system uncertainty, in large part being caused by problems of their own making. The single exception is making good progress towards seamless functional integration, which has been achieved by elevating supply chain management to a core competence; having a clearly articulated supply chain vision; adopting a systems approach; and, managing supplies with accurate information. The small number of cases limits the generalisability of the findings at this time. Hospital supply chain managers endeavouring to achieve smooth and seamless supply flows should attempt to elevate the status of supplies management within their organisation to that of a core competence, and should use accurate information to manage their value streams holistically as a set of interwoven processes. A four-level prism model is proposed as a useful framework for thus improving healthcare supply delivery systems. Material flow concepts originally developed to provide objective assessments of value stream performance in commercial settings are adapted for use in a healthcare setting. The ability to identify exemplar organisations via a context-free uncertainty measure, and to use systems thinking to identify high

  19. Circular parameters of polynomials orthogonal on several arcs of the unit circle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lukashov, A L

    2004-01-01

    The asymptotic behaviour of the circular parameters (a n ) of the polynomials orthogonal on the unit circle with respect to Geronimus measures is analysed. It is shown that only when the harmonic measures of the arcs making up the support of the orthogonality measure are rational do the corresponding parameters form a pseudoperiodic sequence starting from some index (that is, after a suitable rotation of the circle and the corresponding modification of the orthogonality measures they form a periodic sequence). In addition it is demonstrated that if the harmonic measures of these arcs are linearly independent over the field of rational numbers, then the sets of limit points of the sequences of absolute values of the circular parameters |a n | and of their ratios (a n+k /a n ) n=1 ∞ are a closed interval on the real line and a continuum in the complex plane, respectively.

  20. Non-Abelian sigma models from Yang-Mills theory compactified on a circle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivanova, Tatiana A.; Lechtenfeld, Olaf; Popov, Alexander D.

    2018-06-01

    We consider SU(N) Yang-Mills theory on R 2 , 1 ×S1, where S1 is a spatial circle. In the infrared limit of a small-circle radius the Yang-Mills action reduces to the action of a sigma model on R 2 , 1 whose target space is a 2 (N - 1)-dimensional torus modulo the Weyl-group action. We argue that there is freedom in the choice of the framing of the gauge bundles, which leads to more general options. In particular, we show that this low-energy limit can give rise to a target space SU (N) ×SU (N) /ZN. The latter is the direct product of SU(N) and its Langlands dual SU (N) /ZN, and it contains the above-mentioned torus as its maximal Abelian subgroup. An analogous result is obtained for any non-Abelian gauge group.

  1. Strategic Framing Study Circles: Toward a Gold Standard of Framing Pedagogy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feinberg, Jane

    2009-01-01

    This article explains how communities of practice have been developed as part of FrameWorks' field-building efforts. Strategic Framing Study Circles, as they are known, have been conducted with four statewide coalitions, one group of national organizations, and an emerging regional coalition. The goal of each community of practice is to build…

  2. Diversity Study Circles in Teacher Education Practice: An Experiential Learning Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moss, Glenda

    2008-01-01

    This paper addresses the dilemma of trying to prepare primarily white preservice teachers for educational arenas in which they will interface with students of colour and many who are socially disadvantaged. This paper describes how diversity study circles can be integrated as integral to education that is multicultural in the development of…

  3. Microstructural asymmetry of the corticospinal tracts predicts right-left differences in circle drawing skill in right-handed adolescents

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Angstmann, Steffen; Madsen, Kathrine Skak; Skimminge, Arnold

    2016-01-01

    Most humans show a strong preference to use their right hand, but strong preference for the right hand does not necessarily imply a strong right-left asymmetry in manual proficiency (i.e., dexterity). Here we tested the hypothesis that intra-individual asymmetry of manual proficiency would...... be reflected in microstructural differences between the right and left corticospinal tract (CST) in a cohort of 52 right-handed typically-developing adolescents (11-16 years). Participants were asked to fluently draw superimposed circles with their right dominant and left non-dominant hand. Temporal regularity...... of circle drawing movements was assessed for each hand using a digitizing tablet. Although all participants were right-handed, there was substantial inter-individual variation regarding the relative right-hand advantage for fluent circle drawing. All subjects underwent whole-brain diffusion tensor imaging...

  4. Lessons Learned from Native C.I.R.C.L.E., a Culturally Specific Resource.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Andrea; Baethke, Lisa; Kaur, Judith S

    2017-12-01

    Cancer is now the second leading cause of death among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN), and trends in cancer-related mortality over the past 2 decades show inferior control in AIAN compared to non-Hispanic Whites. The American Indian/Alaska Native Cancer Information Resource Center and Learning Exchange (Native C.I.R.C.L.E.) was developed in the year 2000 as part of a comprehensive network of partnerships to develop, maintain, and disseminate culturally appropriate cancer and other health information materials for AIAN educators and providers. Now, in its 15th year of existence, enough data has been accumulated by Native C.I.R.C.L.E. to analyze trends in the distribution of culturally relevant cancer information materials and compare access to both printed (hard copy) and online materials. The amount of culturally appropriate materials available since its creation has increased more than 10-fold. Print materials are now distributed throughout the world, and the number of materials requested from print and downloads combined are in the thousands on a monthly basis. Native C.I.R.C.L.E. is in the process of expanding its access and capabilities to target more of the lay AIAN public in order to address the digital divide.

  5. Evaluating Quality Circles in U.S. Industry: A Feasibility Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1982-06-30

    are the following: whether the ,.-~. .- "i. 24 circle is cost-effective, whether it deals with long-range rather than crisis problems, whether the...Chapter 4. The evolution of the Japanese instruments took into consideration the nature of the Japanese work setting. To assist in the transculturation ...crises rather than implementing long-term change? Name____________________ Short-term, Long-Term, Title______________________ crisis on-going oriented

  6. Penerapan Model Beyond Centers and Circle Tme SD Kelas Satu

    OpenAIRE

    FITRIA, EVY

    2014-01-01

    Penelitian bertujuan mengkaji pelaksanaan penerapan model pembelajaran Sentra Model pembelajaran sentra (Beyond Centers and Circle Time) dilaksanakan pada siswa kelas satu SD Islam Jayawinata Kota Tangerang 2013. Penelitian menggunakan metode kualitatitf dengan analisis model Miles and Huberman. Hasil penelitian mengungkapkan bahwa kegiatan SD kelas satu menggunakan model pembelajaran sentra atau BCCT pada tahun ajaran baru sehingga guru memiliki panduan ketika membuat rencana pembelajaran; p...

  7. Understanding Girls' Circle as an Intervention on Perceived Social Support, Body Image, Self-Efficacy, Locus of Control, and Self-Esteem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steese, Stephanie; Dollette, Maya; Phillips, William; Hossfeld, Elizabeth; Matthews, Gail; Taormina, Giovanna

    2006-01-01

    The Girls' Circle is a support group for adolescent girls developed by Beth Hossfeld and Giovanna Taormina as a unique program that addresses the needs of girls by focusing on increasing connections, building empathic skills, and developing resiliency. The present study evaluates the effectiveness of the Girls' Circle intervention on improving…

  8. 3-D RESERVOIR AND STOCHASTIC FRACTURE NETWORK MODELING FOR ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY, CIRCLE RIDGE PHOSPHORIA/TENSLEEP RESERVOIR, WIND RIVER RESERVATION, ARAPAHO AND SHOSHONE TRIBES, WYOMING

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paul La Pointe; Jan Hermanson; Robert Parney; Thorsten Eiben; Mike Dunleavy; Ken Steele; John Whitney; Darrell Eubanks; Roger Straub

    2002-11-18

    This report describes the results made in fulfillment of contract DE-FG26-00BC15190, ''3-D Reservoir and Stochastic Fracture Network Modeling for Enhanced Oil Recovery, Circle Ridge Phosphoria/Tensleep Reservoir, Wind River Reservation, Arapaho and Shoshone Tribes, Wyoming''. The goal of this project is to improve the recovery of oil from the Tensleep and Phosphoria Formations in Circle Ridge Oilfield, located on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, through an innovative integration of matrix characterization, structural reconstruction, and the characterization of the fracturing in the reservoir through the use of discrete fracture network models. Fields in which natural fractures dominate reservoir permeability, such as the Circle Ridge Field, often experience sub-optimal recovery when recovery processes are designed and implemented that do not take advantage of the fracture systems. For example, a conventional waterflood in a main structural block of the Field was implemented and later suspended due to unattractive results. It is estimated that somewhere less than 20% of the OOIP in the Circle Ridge Field have been recovered after more than 50 years' production. Marathon Oil Company identified the Circle Ridge Field as an attractive candidate for several advanced IOR processes that explicitly take advantage of the natural fracture system. These processes require knowledge of the distribution of matrix porosity, permeability and oil saturations; and understanding of where fracturing is likely to be well-developed or poorly developed; how the fracturing may compartmentalize the reservoir; and how smaller, relatively untested subthrust fault blocks may be connected to the main overthrust block. For this reason, the project focused on improving knowledge of the matrix properties, the fault block architecture and to develop a model that could be used to predict fracture intensity, orientation and fluid flow/connectivity properties. Knowledge

  9. An Improved Path-Generating Regulator for Two-Wheeled Robots to Track the Circle/Arc Passage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Dai

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The improved path-generating regulator (PGR is proposed to path track the circle/arc passage for two-wheeled robots. The PGR, which is a control method for robots so as to orient its heading toward the tangential direction of one of the curves belonging to the family of path functions, is applied to navigation problem originally. Driving environments for robots are usually roads, streets, paths, passages, and ridges. These tracks can be seen as they consist of straight lines and arcs. In the case of small interval, arc can be regarded as straight line approximately; therefore we extended the PGR to drive the robot move along circle/arc passage based on the theory that PGR to track the straight passage. In addition, the adjustable look-ahead method is proposed to improve the robot trajectory convergence property to the target circle/arc. The effectiveness is proved through MATLAB simulations on both the comparisons with the PGR and the improved PGR with adjustable look-ahead method. The results of numerical simulations show that the adjustable look-ahead method has better convergence property and stronger capacity of resisting disturbance.

  10. Influence of Gender and Age on Average Dimensions of Arteries Forming the Circle of Willis Study by Magnetic Resonance Angiography on Kosovo's Population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shatri, Jeton; Bexheti, Dorentina; Bexheti, Sadi; Kabashi, Serbeze; Krasniqi, Shaip; Ahmetgjekaj, Ilir; Zhjeqi, Valbona

    2017-10-15

    Circulus arteriosus cerebri is the main source of blood supply to the brain; it connects the left and right hemispheres with anterior and posterior parts. Located at the interpenducular fossa at the base of the brain the circle of Willis is the most important source of collateral circulation in the presence of the disease in the carotid or vertebral artery. The purpose of the research is to study the diameter and length of arteries and provide an important source of reference on Kosovo's population. This is an observative descriptive study performed at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo. A randomised sample of 133 angiographic examinations in adult patients of both sexes who were instructed to exploration is included. The diameters and lengths measured in our study were comparable with other brain-cadaver studies especially those performed by MRA. All dimensions of the arteries are larger in male than female, except the diameter of PCoA that is larger in female (p < 0.05) and length of the ACoA (p < 0.05). Significant differences were found in diameters of arteries between the younger and the older age groups. Knowing the dimensions of the arteries of the circle of Willis has a great importance in interventional radiology as well as during anatomy lessons.

  11. Microstructural asymmetry of the corticospinal tracts predicts right-left differences in circle drawing skill in right-handed adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angstmann, Steffen; Madsen, Kathrine Skak; Skimminge, Arnold; Jernigan, Terry L; Baaré, William F C; Siebner, Hartwig Roman

    2016-12-01

    Most humans show a strong preference to use their right hand, but strong preference for the right hand does not necessarily imply a strong right-left asymmetry in manual proficiency (i.e., dexterity). Here we tested the hypothesis that intra-individual asymmetry of manual proficiency would be reflected in microstructural differences between the right and left corticospinal tract (CST) in a cohort of 52 right-handed typically-developing adolescents (11-16 years). Participants were asked to fluently draw superimposed circles with their right dominant and left non-dominant hand. Temporal regularity of circle drawing movements was assessed for each hand using a digitizing tablet. Although all participants were right-handed, there was substantial inter-individual variation regarding the relative right-hand advantage for fluent circle drawing. All subjects underwent whole-brain diffusion tensor imaging at 3 Tesla. The right and left CST were defined as regions-of-interest and mean fractional anisotropy (FA) and diffusivity values were calculated for right and left CST. On average, mean FA values were higher in the left CST relative to right CST. The degree of right-left FA asymmetry showed a linear relationship with right-left asymmetry in fluent circle drawing after correction for age and gender. The higher the mean FA values were in the left dominant CST relative to the right non-dominant CST, the stronger was the relative right-hand advantage for regular circle drawing. These findings show that right-left differences in manual proficiency are highly variable in right-handed adolescents and that this variation is associated with a right-left microstructural asymmetry of the CST.

  12. Circle Justice: A Creative Arts Approach to Conflict Resolution in the Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibbons, Karen

    2010-01-01

    This brief report describes a cooperative classroom art therapy intervention in a public elementary school that provided conflict resolution education, social learning, and group cohesion among sixth-grade students. The organizing framework of a "circle justice" group explored the roles of fictional characters in conflict, including…

  13. Effect of climate on morphology and development of sorted circles and polygons

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Uxa, Tomáš; Mida, P.; Křížek, M.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 28, č. 4 (2017), s. 663-674 ISSN 1045-6740 Institutional support: RVO:67985530 Keywords : patterned ground * sorted circles and polygons * morphology * active layer * Svalbard * high Arctic Subject RIV: DE - Earth Magnetism, Geodesy, Geography OBOR OECD: Physical geography Impact factor: 2.815, year: 2016

  14. 77 FR 39651 - Proposed Establishment of Class E Airspace; Circle Town, MT

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-05

    ... origin. Issued in Seattle, Washington, on June 25, 2012. John Warner, Manager, Operations Support Group... action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at Circle Town County Airport. DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 20, 2012. ADDRESSES: Send comments...

  15. CS Circles: An In-Browser Python Course for Beginners

    OpenAIRE

    Pritchard, David; Vasiga, Troy

    2012-01-01

    Computer Science Circles is a free programming website for beginners that is designed to be fun, easy to use, and accessible to the broadest possible audience. We teach Python since it is simple yet powerful, and the course content is well-structured but written in plain language. The website has over one hundred exercises in thirty lesson pages, plus special features to help teachers support their students. It is available in both English and French. We discuss the philosophy behind the cour...

  16. Peer Evaluation of Master Programs: Closing the Quality Circle of the CDIO Approach?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hussmann, Peter Munkebo; Bisi, Anita; Malmqvist, Johan

    2012-01-01

    programs within their field at another N5T institution. The article describes the quality enhancement tool in detail, its contribution to the development of the involved programs, and how international peer evaluation can contribute to closing the quality circle. Finally, it assesses the value......A quality assurance project was conducted within the framework of the Nordic Five Tech Alliance (N5T), a strategic alliance of the five leading technical universities in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The project concerned the development of a common quality enhancement tool for conducting...... peer evaluations of educational programs to enable their further development and close the quality circle. In addition, the project will contribute to the consolidation of the N5T alliance by facilitating contacts between faculty members and providing them with an in-depth knowledge of the study...

  17. College geometry an introduction to the modern geometry of the triangle and the circle

    CERN Document Server

    Altshiller-Court, Nathan

    2007-01-01

    The standard university-level text for decades, this volume offers exercises in construction problems, harmonic division, circle and triangle geometry, and other areas. 1952 edition, revised and enlarged by the author.

  18. Wave Reflection and Loss Characteristics of an Emerged Quarter Circle Breakwater with Varying Seaside Perforations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Binumol, S.; Rao, Subba; Hegde, Arkal Vittal

    2017-09-01

    Breakwaters are one of the most important harbour structures constructed to withstand and dissipate the dynamic energy due to the action of the waves. Due to fast growing need of the universe and advances in technology different types of breakwaters are being developed. Quarter circle breakwater is a new type of breakwater emerged from semi circular breakwater and the first model was developed in Peoples Republic of China (2006). Quarter circle breakwater with perforations posses merits of caisson as well as perforated breakwaters such as low weight, requires less materials, suited for poor soil conditions, easily transported, handled and placed at the site, aesthetically pleasing, cost effective, eco-friendly and stable. Therefore it is necessary to carry out detailed studies on hydrodynamic characteristics to investigate the suitability and applicability of various types of quarter circle breakwaters. The present study investigates the wave reflection and loss characteristics of an emerged seaside perforated quarter circle breakwater of radius 55 cm and with varying ratios of spacing to diameter of perforations, for different water depths and wave conditions. The tests were conducted in the two-dimensional monochromatic wave flume available in Marine Structures laboratory of Department of Applied Mechanics and Hydraulics of National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, Karnataka, India. The results were plotted as non-dimensional graphs and it was observed that the reflection coefficient increases with increase in wave steepness for all values of ratio of height of breakwater structure to water depth. For a constant water depth, wave reflection increases with increase in ratio of spacing to diameter of perforations. It was also found that the loss coefficient decreases with increase in wave steepness for all values of ratio of height of breakwater structure to water depth, and ratio of spacing to diameter of perforations.

  19. PERANGKAT PEMBELAJARAN PERISTIWA ALAM DENGAN MODEL COOPERATIVE LEARNING TIPE INSIDE OUTSIDE CIRCLE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diah Sunarsih

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Tujuan penelitian ini menghasilkan perangkat pembelajaran IPA dengan model pembelajaran cooperative learning tipe inside outside circle untuk dapat meningkatkan kemampuan berpikir kognitif dan menumbuhkan kemampuan komunikasi ilmiah siswa yang valid materi peristiwa alam. Uji coba skala terbatas dilakukan di SDN 02 Ambowetan. Uji coba skala luas kelas eksperimen SDN 01 Ambowetan VA, sedangkan kelas kontrol SDN 01 Ambowetan VB. Desain uji coba penelitian ini nonequivalent control group design. Prosedur pengembangan dan penelitian dikembangkan mengacu model pengembangan Dick dan Carry terdiri 4 tahap yaitu define, design, develop, dan disseminate. Hasil penelitian diperoleh pengembangan perangkat pembelajaran menerapkan model pembelajaran cooperative learning tipe inside outside circle berupa silabus, RPP, bahan ajar, lembar tes formatif, lembar observasi kemampuan komunikasi ilmiah, dan angket respon siswa valid, efektif, dan praktis diterapkan dalam pembelajaran IPA kelas V sekolah dasar materi peristiwa alam. Perangkat pembelajaran valid dengan nilai skor validitas akhir 3,43. Perangkat pembelajaran efektif terlihat peningkatan hasil uji N-gain menunjukkan hasil 0,50 pada klasifikasi tingkat sedang dan prosentase kemampuan ilmiah kelas eksperimen hasil sebesar 82%. Kriteria praktis dari nilai angket menunjukkan respon siswa kelas eksperimen lebih tinggi dibandingkan kelas kontrol (73% > 67 %.Purpose of this study is produce device the learning cooperative learning type inside outside circle to improve cognitive ability students and foster communication skills scientific a valid on material natural events. Trials limited scale in the SDN 02 Ambowetan. Trials wide scale for experimental class in the SDN 01 Ambowetan 5A, while the control class SDN 01 Ambowetan 5B. Design wide scale nonequivalent control group design. Procedures the development and developed research Dick and Carry consisting of 4 stage define, design, develop, and disseminate

  20. Nuclear matter saturation in a U(1) circle-times chiral model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Wei

    1989-01-01

    The mean-field approximation in the U(1) circle-times chiral model for nuclear matter maturation is reviewed. Results show that it cannot be the correct saturation mechanism. It is argued that in this chiral model, other than the fact the ω mass can depend on the density of nuclear matter, saturation is still quite like the Walecka picture. 16 refs., 3 figs

  1. (j,0)circle-plus(0,j) representation space: Dirac-like construct

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahluwalia, D.V.; Johnson, M.B.; Goldman, T.

    1993-01-01

    This is first of the two invited lectures presented at the ''XVII International School of Theoretical Physics: Standard Model and Beyond 1993.'' The text is essentially based on a recent publication by the present authors. Here we show that the Dirac-like construct in the (j,0)circle-plus(0,j) representation space support a Bargmann-Wightman-Wigner type quantum field theory

  2. (j,0){circle_plus}(0,j) representation space: Dirac-like construct

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahluwalia, D.V.; Johnson, M.B.; Goldman, T.

    1993-12-31

    This is first of the two invited lectures presented at the ``XVII International School of Theoretical Physics: Standard Model and Beyond 1993.`` The text is essentially based on a recent publication by the present authors. Here we show that the Dirac-like construct in the (j,0){circle_plus}(0,j) representation space support a Bargmann-Wightman-Wigner type quantum field theory.

  3. Always Searching for Strengths: Interviewing and Counseling with the Circle of Courage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frankowski, Barbara; Duncan, Paula

    2013-01-01

    Several excellent frameworks exist that define components of positive youth development and demonstrate an inverse relationship with adolescent risks (Ginsburg, 2007). The authors have found that many of their colleagues have been drawn to the Circle of Courage for its clarity and spirit (Brendtro, Brokenleg, & Van Bockern, 2002). This model is…

  4. Using Social Networks and ICTs to Enhance Literature Circles: A Practical Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Andrea

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe and demonstrate how social networks such as "Facebook" and "Goodreads", and information and communication technologies (ICTs) tools like laptops and iPods can support and enhance literature circles. The innovation described is implemented by the library and aims to promote reading for…

  5. Thermodynamic formalism and circle homeophormisms with a break-type singularity

    CERN Document Server

    Dzhalilov, A A

    2002-01-01

    A renormalization group (RG) transformation on the space of circle homeomorphisms with break-type singularity point and with the rotation number $\\rho =\\genfrac{\\sqrt{5}-1}{2}$ (``golden mean'') has a unique periodic trajectory $\\{T_{1},T_{2}\\}$ with period two. For homeomorphisms $T$ which are $C^{1}-$conjugate to $T_{1}$ $($ or $T_{2})$ the behavior of Holder's exponents of singular invariant measure are studied. Limit distributions of entrance times are also studied.

  6. Discovering Social Circles in Ego Networks (Author’s Manuscript)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-10

    refer to as social cir- cles. Practically all major social networks provide such functionality, for example, ‘circles’ on Google+, and ‘lists’ on Facebook ...Discovering Social Circles in Ego Networks Julian McAuley and Jure Leskovec Stanford jmcauley@cs.stanford.edu, jure@cs.stanford.edu January 11, 2013...Abstract People’s personal social networks are big and cluttered, and currently there is no good way to automatically organize them. Social networking

  7. High accurate time system of the Low Latitude Meridian Circle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jing; Wang, Feng; Li, Zhiming

    In order to obtain the high accurate time signal for the Low Latitude Meridian Circle (LLMC), a new GPS accurate time system is developed which include GPS, 1 MC frequency source and self-made clock system. The second signal of GPS is synchronously used in the clock system and information can be collected by a computer automatically. The difficulty of the cancellation of the time keeper can be overcomed by using this system.

  8. Pied de pulse: packing embroidered circles and coil actuators in pied de poule (houndstooth)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Feijs, L.M.G.; Toeters, M.J.; Torrence, E.; Torrence, B.; Sequin, C.; McKenna, D.; Fenyvesi, K.; Sarhangi, R.

    2016-01-01

    We report on the integration of fractal-like structures inspired by Appolonian circles with pied de poule (houndstooth) fabric patterns, and on the use of electric actuators in garments made with digital embroidery techniques.

  9. Distribution and kinematics of atomic and molecular gas inside the solar circle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Marasco, A.; Fraternali, F.; van der Hulst, J. M.; Oosterloo, T.

    2017-01-01

    The detailed distribution and kinematics of the atomic and the CO-bright molecular hydrogen in the disc of the Milky Way inside the solar circle are derived under the assumptions of axisymmetry and pure circular motions. We divide the Galactic disc into a series of rings, and assume that the gas in

  10. Evaluating Quality Circles in a College of Further Education. Manchester Monographs 31.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atkinson, Tim

    Quality circles (QCs) are small volunteer groups of workers who meet weekly with a trained leader operating to a strict code of conduct. They use techniques of brainstorming, cause and effect classification, pareto analysis, and presentation to consider work-related problems and recommend solutions to management. QCs have been tried in educational…

  11. Impact of a learning circle intervention across academic and service contexts on developing a learning culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Rachel; Henderson, Amanda; Cooke, Marie; Creedy, Debra

    2011-05-01

    Partnerships between university schools of nursing and health services lead to successful learning experiences for students and staff. A purposive sample of academics and students from a university school of nursing and clinicians from three health institutions involved in clinical learning (n=73) actively participated in a learning circles intervention conducted over 5 months in south east Queensland. Learning circle discussions resulted in enhanced communication and shared understanding regarding: (1) staff attitudes towards students, expectations and student assessment; (2) strategies enhancing preparation of students, mechanisms for greater support of and recognition of clinicians; (3) challenges faced by staff in the complex processes of leadership in clinical nursing education; (4) construction of learning, ideas for improving communication, networking and sharing; and (5) questioning routine practices that may not enhance student learning. Pre-post surveys of hospital staff (n=310) revealed significant differences across three sub-scales of 'accomplishment' (t=-3.98, pLearning circles can positively enhance organisational learning culture. The intervention enabled participants to recognise mutual goals. Further investigation around staff perception of their influence on their workplace is required. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Social Circles: A 3D User Interface for Facebook

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodrigues, Diego; Oakley, Ian

    Online social network services are increasingly popular web applications which display large amounts of rich multimedia content: contacts, status updates, photos and event information. Arguing that this quantity of information overwhelms conventional user interfaces, this paper presents Social Circles, a rich interactive visualization designed to support real world users of social network services in everyday tasks such as keeping up with friends and organizing their network. It achieves this by using 3D UIs, fluid animations and a spatial metaphor to enable direct manipulation of a social network.

  13. A grounded theory of female adolescents' dating experiences and factors influencing safety: the dynamics of the Circle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toscano, Sharyl E

    2007-09-20

    This paper describes the nature and characteristics of the dating relationships of adolescent females, including any of their experiences of abuse. A grounded theory approach was used with 22 theoretically sampled female adolescents ages 15-18. Several important themes emerged: Seven stages of dating consistently described the relationships of female adolescents. A circle consisting of two interacting same sex peer groups provided structure for each teen as they navigated the dating course. The circle was the central factor affecting a female adolescent's potential for risk or harm in dating relationships. Teens defined abuse as an act where the intention is to hurt. Having once succumbed to sexual pressure, teens felt unable to refuse sex in subsequent situations. An awareness of both the stages of dating and the dynamics of the circle will assist health care providers to plan and implement interventions in the female adolescent population. Study findings on factors and influences that support non-abusive versus abusive relationship might help identify female teens at risk and/or support interventions aimed at preventing dating violence.

  14. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the circle of Willis: a prospective comparison with conventional angiography in 54 subjects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patrux, B.; Laissy, J.P.; Jouini, S.; Kawiecki, W.; Coty, P.; Thiebot, J.

    1994-01-01

    We prospectively correlated the findings of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) with those of transfemoral four-vessel angiography in 54 patients to investigate the direction of flow within the circle of Willis. Our primary goal was to assess the direction of flow using the size of the vessel and signal intensity, without saturation techniques. Analysis of the circle of Willis, especially the communicating arteries, was performed double-blind by two groups of two radiologists. Three types of arteries were identified: high flow or cross-cerebral circulation, patent and nonvisualised arteries. Cerebral angiography was the standard for comparison between the two methods. MRA did not reveal any arteries invisible on angiography, thus providing a specificity of 100%. The sensitivity of MRA was 89.2% for the anterior and 81.3% for the posterior communicating arteries, and 100% for the anterior, middle and posterior cerebral arteries. MRA was shown to be a useful technique for the assessment of patency of the circle of Willis. (orig.)

  15. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the circle of Willis: a prospective comparison with conventional angiography in 54 subjects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Patrux, B. (Neuroradiology, CHU Charles Nicolle, Rouen (France)); Laissy, J.P. (Neuroradiology, CHU Charles Nicolle, Rouen (France) Dept. of Radiology, CHU Bichat, Paris (France)); Jouini, S. (Neuroradiology, CHU Charles Nicolle, Rouen (France)); Kawiecki, W. (Siemens Medical Systems, Saint-Denis (France)); Coty, P. (Neuroradiology, CHU Charles Nicolle, Rouen (France)); Thiebot, J. (Neuroradiology, CHU Charles Nicolle, Rouen (France))

    1994-04-01

    We prospectively correlated the findings of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) with those of transfemoral four-vessel angiography in 54 patients to investigate the direction of flow within the circle of Willis. Our primary goal was to assess the direction of flow using the size of the vessel and signal intensity, without saturation techniques. Analysis of the circle of Willis, especially the communicating arteries, was performed double-blind by two groups of two radiologists. Three types of arteries were identified: high flow or cross-cerebral circulation, patent and nonvisualised arteries. Cerebral angiography was the standard for comparison between the two methods. MRA did not reveal any arteries invisible on angiography, thus providing a specificity of 100%. The sensitivity of MRA was 89.2% for the anterior and 81.3% for the posterior communicating arteries, and 100% for the anterior, middle and posterior cerebral arteries. MRA was shown to be a useful technique for the assessment of patency of the circle of Willis. (orig.)

  16. Creativity and Innovation in the Context of Team-work: an Evaluation in the Self-management Cells and Quality Control Circles of Ambev S.C. Branch

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valeska Nahas Guimarães

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper is about changes in the business world. The main goal is to study the implications related to people’s creativity expression owing to work organization in small groups in the Ambev S.C. branch. This is a qualitative study based on a case study. 21 self-management circles and 18 quality control circles in the organization were found. The self management circles are responsible for achieving the organizational main goals and the quality control circles to bring best practices and new ideas. The result shows that quality control circles are more powerful than the self management circles as a space to develop people creativity and organizational innovation. It is relevant to stress that in the CCQs there are more multidisciplinary and common purpose guided to a collective objective desired by all the members of the team. On the other hand, in the CGA´s there are more discipline to accept the common tactics to people reach the objectives of the group and the corporative aims. The conclusion is that the changes in the business environment make the small work group very important to a company’s creativity and a fundamental strategy differentiation in the process of work organization in the context of the business world.

  17. Accuracy of locating circular features using machine vision

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sklair, Cheryl W.; Hoff, William A.; Gatrell, Lance B.

    1992-03-01

    The ability to automatically locate objects using vision is a key technology for flexible, intelligent robotic operations. The vision task is facilitated by placing optical targets or markings in advance on the objects to be located. A number of researchers have advocated the use of circular target features as the features that can be most accurately located. This paper describes extensive analysis on circle centroid accuracy using both simulations and laboratory measurements. The work was part of an effort to design a video positioning sensor for NASA's Flight Telerobotic Servicer that would meet accuracy requirements. We have analyzed the main contributors to centroid error and have classified them into the following: (1) spatial quantization errors, (2) errors due to signal noise and random timing errors, (3) surface tilt errors, and (4) errors in modeling camera geometry. It is possible to compensate for the errors in (3) given an estimate of the tilt angle, and the errors from (4) by calibrating the intrinsic camera attributes. The errors in (1) and (2) cannot be compensated for, but they can be measured and their effects reduced somewhat. To characterize these error sources, we measured centroid repeatability under various conditions, including synchronization method, signal-to-noise ratio, and frequency attenuation. Although these results are specific to our video system and equipment, they provide a reference point that should be a characteristic of typical CCD cameras and digitization equipment.

  18. A novel function for spumaretrovirus integrase: an early requirement for integrase-mediated cleavage of 2 LTR circles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mouscadet Jean-François

    2005-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Retroviral integration is central to viral persistence and pathogenesis, cancer as well as host genome evolution. However, it is unclear why integration appears essential for retrovirus production, especially given the abundance and transcriptional potential of non-integrated viral genomes. The involvement of retroviral endonuclease, also called integrase (IN, in replication steps apart from integration has been proposed, but is usually considered to be accessory. We observe here that integration of a retrovirus from the spumavirus family depends mainly on the quantity of viral DNA produced. Moreover, we found that IN directly participates to linear DNA production from 2-LTR circles by specifically cleaving the conserved palindromic sequence found at LTR-LTR junctions. These results challenge the prevailing view that integrase essential function is to catalyze retroviral DNA integration. Integrase activity upstream of this step, by controlling linear DNA production, is sufficient to explain the absolute requirement for this enzyme. The novel role of IN over 2-LTR circle junctions accounts for the pleiotropic effects observed in cells infected with IN mutants. It may explain why 1 2-LTR circles accumulate in vivo in mutants carrying a defective IN while their linear and integrated DNA pools decrease; 2 why both LTRs are processed in a concerted manner. It also resolves the original puzzle concerning the integration of spumaretroviruses. More generally, it suggests to reassess 2-LTR circles as functional intermediates in the retrovirus cycle and to reconsider the idea that formation of the integrated provirus is an essential step of retrovirus production.

  19. Locating An IRIS From Image Using Canny And Hough Transform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Poorvi Bhatt

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Iris recognition a relatively new biometric technology has great advantages such as variability stability and security thus it is the most promising for high security environments. The proposed system here is a simple system design and implemented to find the iris from the image using Hough Transform Algorithm. Canny Edge detector has been used to get edge image to use it as an input to the Hough Transform. To get the general idea of Hough Transform the Hough Transform for circle is also implemented. RGB value of 3-D accumulator array of peaks of inner circle and outer circle has been performed. And at the end some suggestions are made to improve the system and performance gets discussed.

  20. The Establishment of a Quality Circles Program and Its Effect on Employee Attitudes, Morale, and Performance at an Army Medical Treatment Facility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1984-08-01

    more times. Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa , a professor at the University of Tokyo and a board member of JUSE, used the efforts of Dr. Juran as the background for...his later work with quality circles. Dr. Ishikawa and the JUSE are generally credited with formalizing the modern Japanese quality circle technique in

  1. At the southern edge of the EU: Identity challenges affecting the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Castan Pinos, Jaume

    2009-01-01

    Europe. Thus, the anomalous geographical location of both Spanish cities exposes them to border and identity challenges as well as to a complex situation of interdependent concentric circles which involves the enclaves (first circle), Spain, Morocco (second circle) and the EU (third circle). The aim...... of fortress Europe. Thus, the anomalous geographical location of both Spanish cities exposes them to border and identity challenges as well as to a complex situation of interdependent concentric circles which involves the enclaves (first circle), Spain, Morocco (second circle) and the EU (third circle...

  2. Talking Circles for Adolescent Girls in an Urban High School: A Restorative Practices Program for Building Friendships and Developing Emotional Literacy Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schumacher, Martha Ann

    2012-01-01

    Restorative Practices and Restorative Justice programs in schools are a new and emerging field. Meeting in Circles to build community, resolve conflict, and learn interactively are core components of these programs. This ethnographic study, which took place February 2010 to December 2011, evaluates 12 small, out-of-classroom Talking Circles for 60…

  3. Studying the Ability of 7th Grade Students to Define the Circle and Its Elements in the Context of Mathematical Language

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akarsu, Esra; Yilmaz, Süha

    2015-01-01

    In this study, it was aimed to study the mathematical language skills that the 7th grade students use in defining the circle and its elements. In the study, the mathematical language skills of students that they use in defining the circle and its elements in a scenario were compared to the mathematical language skills they use in defining them…

  4. Precision multiloop (PM Design) with space closing circles for lingual orthodontics

    OpenAIRE

    Mugdha P Mankar; Achint Chachada; Harish Atram; Avanti Kulkarni

    2016-01-01

    The proficiency of ancient orthodontics has been benefitted colossally and is being continually promoted over the present, by use of multiple loop wires designed for correction of dentoalveolar malocclusions. The presented discussion provides an insight into a simple, frictionless biomechanical concept of anterior space closure in lingual orthodontics by means of precision multiloop design with incorporated space closing circles. A multiple loop wire design has been demonstrated where the ent...

  5. Geršgorin and his circles

    CERN Document Server

    Varga, Richard S

    2004-01-01

    TheGer? sgorin CircleTheorem, averywell-known resultin linear algebra today, stems from the paper of S. Ger? sgorin in 1931 (which is reproduced in AppendixD)where,givenanarbitraryn×ncomplexmatrix,easyarithmetic operationsontheentriesofthematrixproducendisks,inthecomplexplane, whose union contains all eigenvalues of the given matrix. The beauty and simplicity of Ger? sgorin’s Theorem has undoubtedly inspired further research in this area, resulting in hundreds of papers in which the name “Ger? sgorin” appears. The goal of this book is to give a careful and up-to-date treatment of various aspects of this topic. The author ?rst learned of Ger? sgorin’s results from friendly conversations with Olga Taussky-Todd and John Todd, which inspired me to work in this area.Olgawasclearlypassionateaboutlinearalgebraandmatrixtheory,and her path-?nding results in these areas were like a magnet to many, including this author! It is the author’s hope that the results, presented here on topics related to Ger? sgorin...

  6. Androgen circle of polycystic ovary syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Homburg, Roy

    2009-07-01

    Although the aetiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is still not known and the search for causative genes is proving elusive, it is generally agreed that hyperandrogenism is at the heart of the syndrome. Here, it is proposed that excess androgens are the root cause of PCOS starting from their influence on the female fetus in programming gene expression, producing the characteristic signs and symptoms which are then exacerbated by a propagation of excess ovarian androgen production from multiple small follicles, anovulation and insulin resistance in the reproductive life-span, thus setting up a vicious perpetual circle of androgen excess. This opinion paper, rather than being a full-scale review, is intentionally biased in support of this hypothesis that androgen excess is the 'root of all evil' in PCOS; in the hope that its acceptance could lead to more direct treatment of the syndrome in all its facets rather than the symptomatic treatment of side effects of androgen excess that we are addressing today.

  7. A connection between the Uncertainty Principles on the real line and on the circle

    OpenAIRE

    Andersen, Nils Byrial

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this short note is to exhibit a new connection between the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle on the line and the Breitenberger Uncertainty Principle on the circle, by considering the commutator of the multiplication and difference operators on Bernstein functions

  8. Strategic Sustainability Management for Enhancing Corporate Value: in the context of Korean Business Circles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Y-G. Ahn

    2007-01-01

    textabstractIn line with the growing importance of Corporate Sustainability Management (CSM) in business circles, the linkages between CSM, corporate values and performance is becoming increasingly higher on the agenda both for internal corporate management purposes and for external relations for

  9. Differences in daily disposable circle lens performance characteristics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schafer JM

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Jeffery M Schafer, William T Reindel, Marjorie J Rah, Osbert Chan, Lening Zhang Bausch & Lomb Incorporated, Rochester, NY, USA Purpose: The purpose of this evaluation was to compare the performance characteristics of two cosmetically tinted contact lenses in the circle lens category that differ in lens design, lens material, and pigment print pattern: etafilcon A (1-Day Acuvue Define; Johnson & Johnson Vision Care and hilafilcon B (Naturelle; Bausch & Lomb Incorporated. Methods: Two hundred Asian subjects (400 eyes were enrolled in this 1-month parallel, bilateral, randomized study at ten investigative sites. Study lenses were dispensed at a screening/dispensing visit, and follow-up visits occurred at 2 weeks and 1 month. Lenses were worn on a daily disposable basis. Fit characteristics were evaluated at each visit, and slit-lamp evaluations were completed at each follow-up visit. Results: Of the 200 patients enrolled, 172 (344 eyes completed the study. The proportion of eyes with fully centered lenses was statistically significantly higher for the hilafilcon B group at the 2-week and 1-month visits, P<0.05. Over all visits, 0.6% of hilafilcon B eyes demonstrated incomplete corneal coverage, whereas for the etafilcon A group, 8.5% of eyes demonstrated incomplete corneal coverage and/or edge lift. The proportion of eyes with adequate lens movement was statistically significantly higher for the hilafilcon B group, P<0.05. Over all visits, none of the hilafilcon B eyes was reported to have excessive movement, whereas for etafilcon A lenses, 10.2% of eyes were reported to have excessive movement. Conclusions: Etafilcon A lenses were significantly less likely to be fully centered and significantly more likely to have incomplete corneal coverage and/or edge lift compared with the hilafilcon B lenses. Keywords: cosmetic contact lens, circle contact lens

  10. The effect of quality circles on job satisfaction and quality of work-life of staff in emergency medical services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosseinabadi, Reza; Karampourian, Arezou; Beiranvand, Shoorangiz; Pournia, Yadollah

    2013-10-01

    Quality circles, as a participatory management technique, offer one alternative for dealing with frustration and discontent of today's workers. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of implementation of quality circles on nurses' quality of work-life and job satisfaction. In this study, two emergency medical services (EMS) of Hamedan province were selected and randomly assigned as the experimental and control groups. After the experimental group was trained and quality circles were established in this group, the levels of quality of work-life and job satisfaction were measured in the two groups. Then, the statistical analyses were performed using t-test. After the intervention, the results showed significant differences between the scores of motivational factors (p=0.001), the total scores of job satisfaction (p=0.003), and the scores of some quality of work life (QWL) conceptual categories including the use and development of capacities (p=0.008), the total space of life (p=0.003), and the total scores of QWL (p=0.031) in the experimental group compared to those in the control group. This study confirms the effectiveness of quality circles in improving quality of work-life and job satisfaction of nurses working in EMS, and offers their application as a management method that can be used by EMS managers. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. The Function of Love in Solzhenitsyn's The First Circle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Schillinger

    1977-01-01

    Full Text Available Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, like Boris Pasternak before him, insists upon the primacy of life over any socio-political system. To lead truly meaningful lives, his characters must comprehend that they are responsible for their own actions; that they are engaged in an existential struggle which pits individual freedom against the will of authority. In The First Circle , this struggle is clearly reflected in the theme of love which, when analyzed in terms of the suppression or triumph of its four basic elements ( sex, eros, philia, and agape , offers a convincing allegory of man's existential self-definition by free choice.

  12. Circle Time Revisited: How Do Preschool Classrooms Use This Part of the Day?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bustamante, Andres S.; Hindman, Annemarie H.; Champagne, Carly R.; Wasik, Barbara A.

    2018-01-01

    Circle time is a near universally used preschool activity; however, little research has explored its nature, content, and quality. This study examined activity types, teacher and child talk, child engagement, and classroom quality in a sample of public preschool classrooms in an urban, high-poverty school district. Results demonstrated that…

  13. High-throughput genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphisms with rolling circle amplification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sun Zhenyu

    2001-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs are the foundation of powerful complex trait and pharmacogenomic analyses. The availability of large SNP databases, however, has emphasized a need for inexpensive SNP genotyping methods of commensurate simplicity, robustness, and scalability. We describe a solution-based, microtiter plate method for SNP genotyping of human genomic DNA. The method is based upon allele discrimination by ligation of open circle probes followed by rolling circle amplification of the signal using fluorescent primers. Only the probe with a 3' base complementary to the SNP is circularized by ligation. Results SNP scoring by ligation was optimized to a 100,000 fold discrimination against probe mismatched to the SNP. The assay was used to genotype 10 SNPs from a set of 192 genomic DNA samples in a high-throughput format. Assay directly from genomic DNA eliminates the need to preamplify the target as done for many other genotyping methods. The sensitivity of the assay was demonstrated by genotyping from 1 ng of genomic DNA. We demonstrate that the assay can detect a single molecule of the circularized probe. Conclusions Compatibility with homogeneous formats and the ability to assay small amounts of genomic DNA meets the exacting requirements of automated, high-throughput SNP scoring.

  14. A grounded theory of female adolescents' dating experiences and factors influencing safety: the dynamics of the Circle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toscano Sharyl E

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background This paper describes the nature and characteristics of the dating relationships of adolescent females, including any of their experiences of abuse. Methods A grounded theory approach was used with 22 theoretically sampled female adolescents ages 15–18. Results Several important themes emerged: Seven stages of dating consistently described the relationships of female adolescents. A circle consisting of two interacting same sex peer groups provided structure for each teen as they navigated the dating course. The circle was the central factor affecting a female adolescent's potential for risk or harm in dating relationships. Teens defined abuse as an act where the intention is to hurt. Having once succumbed to sexual pressure, teens felt unable to refuse sex in subsequent situations. Conclusion An awareness of both the stages of dating and the dynamics of the circle will assist health care providers to plan and implement interventions in the female adolescent population. Study findings on factors and influences that support non-abusive versus abusive relationship might help identify female teens at risk and/or support interventions aimed at preventing dating violence.

  15. Influence of Gender and Age on Average Dimensions of Arteries Forming the Circle of Willis Study by Magnetic Resonance Angiography on Kosovo’s Population

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shatri, Jeton; Bexheti, Dorentina; Bexheti, Sadi; Kabashi, Serbeze; Krasniqi, Shaip; Ahmetgjekaj, Ilir; Zhjeqi, Valbona

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Circulus arteriosus cerebri is the main source of blood supply to the brain; it connects the left and right hemispheres with anterior and posterior parts. Located at the interpenducular fossa at the base of the brain the circle of Willis is the most important source of collateral circulation in the presence of the disease in the carotid or vertebral artery. AIM: The purpose of the research is to study the diameter and length of arteries and provide an important source of reference on Kosovo’s population. METHODS: This is an observative descriptive study performed at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo. A randomised sample of 133 angiographic examinations in adult patients of both sexes who were instructed to exploration is included. RESULTS: The diameters and lengths measured in our study were comparable with other brain-cadaver studies especially those performed by MRA. All dimensions of the arteries are larger in male than female, except the diameter of PCoA that is larger in female (p < 0.05) and length of the ACoA (p < 0.05). Significant differences were found in diameters of arteries between the younger and the older age groups. CONCLUSION: Knowing the dimensions of the arteries of the circle of Willis has a great importance in interventional radiology as well as during anatomy lessons. PMID:29104678

  16. The impact of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians: French zone on church and African theology issues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anastasie M. Maponda

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available We can understand that the Circle must work on two dimensions to provide a future for new woman theology in Africa. The first dimension is based on the intuitive fundamental and innovative sense of a woman from Ghana, Mercy Amba Oduyoye, that leads to the creation of the Circle: she impulsed the idea that women should make their own theology from their dailylife experiences and their subjectivity as women, in order to think on faith and Gospel in a different way. It is necessary to question that intuitive sense. The second dimension aims to revisit the great personalities of African woman theologians of the Circle. What are the essential points of their research? How has the research changed African theology? I particularly think of Musimbi Kanyoro, Nyambura Njoroge and Musa Dub� in the Africa English zone and Helene Yinda, Liz Vuadi, Kasa Dovi and Bernadette Mbuyi Beya in Africa French zone. The essence of their thinking is still actual and that is why they are good enough to project in to the future.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article presents the history of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians from creation to now. Issues related to traditional culture, gender and sexual-based violence, gender-based injustice, and HIV and AIDS are discussed under different approaches such as the biblical approach, hermeneutical approach, ethical approach, historical approach and practical approach. The impact of African Women Theologians speaking French will be particularly highlighted.Keywords: theology; women theologians; women empowerment; HIV/AIDS; gender

  17. Critical location identification and vulnerability analysis of interdependent infrastructure systems under spatially localized attacks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ouyang, Min

    2016-01-01

    Infrastructure systems are usually spatially distributed in a wide area and are subject to many types of hazards. For each type of hazards, modeling their direct impact on infrastructure components and analyzing their induced system-level vulnerability are important for identifying mitigation strategies. This paper mainly studies spatially localized attacks that a set of infrastructure components located within or crossing a circle shaped spatially localized area is subject to damage while other components do not directly fail. For this type of attacks, taking interdependent power and gas systems in Harris County, Texas, USA as an example, this paper proposes an approach to exactly identify critical locations in interdependent infrastructure systems and make pertinent vulnerability analysis. Results show that (a) infrastructure interdependencies and attack radius largely affect the position of critical locations; (b) spatially localized attacks cause less vulnerability than equivalent random failures; (c) in most values of attack radius critical locations identified by considering only node failures do not change when considering both node and edge failures in the attack area; (d) for many values of attack radius critical locations identified by topology-based model are also critical from the flow-based perspective. - Highlights: • We propose a method to identify critical locations in interdependent infrastructures. • Geographical interdependencies and attack radius largely affect critical locations. • Localized attacks cause less vulnerability than equivalent random failures. • Whether considering both node and edge failures affects critical locations. • Topology-based critical locations are also critical from flow-based perspective.

  18. Interrogating History: Promoting Student Activism Using Children's Literature and the Full Circling Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Trisha Wies

    2017-01-01

    Adolescents are often disengaged in the learning process, being more focused on social media and self-interest than classroom content. Full circling is a process that can be used to help students collaboratively engage in learning and actively reflect on historical events--especially those that are under reported in history books. In the present…

  19. Fermi Coordinates of an Observer Moving in a Circle in Minkowski Space: Apparent Behavior of Clocks

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Bahder, Thomas

    2000-01-01

    Space-time coordinate transformations valid for arbitrarily long coordinate time are derived from global Minkowski coordinates to the Fermi coordinates of an observer moving in a circle in three-dimensional space...

  20. Effect of Pilates method and conversation circles on the health of older adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Davi da Silva Duarte

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction: Health education practices associated with oriented exercises have potential beneficial effect on health promotion and prevention of chronic diseases. Objective: This study aimed to verify the effect of an intervention protocol using Pilates and conversation circles on the functional autonomy and quality of life of older adults in the context of the primary health care of Taió, SC, Brazil. Methods: This study applied a single case experimental design (ABAB, with 24 participants aged 60 years or older who changed phases with and without interventions performed with Pilates sessions and conversation circles. At the end of each phase, anamnesis interview applied with the WHOQOL-OLD inventory and the GDLAM protocol were individually performed. Results: Interventions were associated with increased functional parameters and quality of life as well as to reduced body mass index. Participants also reported improvement in emotional conditions, body harmony and global mobility. Conclusion: The Pilates Method assured increased functionality of the volunteers, and further studies should be carried out to evaluate the subjective indicators.

  1. How do Purple Sandpipers Calidris maritima survive the winter north of the Arctic circle?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Summers, R.W.; Piersma, T.; Strann, K.B.; Wiersma, P.

    1998-01-01

    Winter north of the Arctic circle in northern Norway is colder, windier and there is less solar radiation than in eastern Scotland, at a latitude 13 degrees further south. We predicted from equations derived from heated taxidermic mounts that the maintenance metabolism (Basal Metabolic Rate plus

  2. Runaway Climate Change as Challenge to the "Closing Circle" of Education for Sustainable Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selby, David; Kagawa, Fumiyo

    2010-01-01

    Education for sustainable development (ESD) is the latest and thickest manifestation of the "closing circle" of policy-driven environmental education. Characterised by definitional haziness, a tendency to blur rather than lay bare inconsistencies and incompatibilities, and a cozy but ill-considered association with the globalisation agenda, the…

  3. Cultural Safety Circles and Indigenous Peoples' Perspectives: Inclusive Practices for Participation in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aseron, Johnnie; Greymorning, S. Neyooxet; Miller, Adrian; Wilde, Simon

    2013-01-01

    Indigenous experiences, as found within traditional ways and cultural practices, are an acknowledgement of traditional methods for sharing, learning, and collective knowledge development and maintenance. The application of Cultural Safety Circles can help provide a collective space where definitions for cultural and educational exchange can take…

  4. Orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle part 2 spectral theory

    CERN Document Server

    Simon, Barry

    2013-01-01

    This two-part book is a comprehensive overview of the theory of probability measures on the unit circle, viewed especially in terms of the orthogonal polynomials defined by those measures. A major theme involves the connections between the Verblunsky coefficients (the coefficients of the recurrence equation for the orthogonal polynomials) and the measures, an analog of the spectral theory of one-dimensional Schrödinger operators. Among the topics discussed along the way are the asymptotics of Toeplitz determinants (Szegő's theorems), limit theorems for the density of the zeros of orthogonal po

  5. Orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle part 1 classical theory

    CERN Document Server

    2009-01-01

    This two-part book is a comprehensive overview of the theory of probability measures on the unit circle, viewed especially in terms of the orthogonal polynomials defined by those measures. A major theme involves the connections between the Verblunsky coefficients (the coefficients of the recurrence equation for the orthogonal polynomials) and the measures, an analog of the spectral theory of one-dimensional Schrodinger operators. Among the topics discussed along the way are the asymptotics of Toeplitz determinants (Szegő's theorems), limit theorems for the density of the zeros of orthogonal po

  6. Multi-target consensus circle pursuit for multi-agent systems via a distributed multi-flocking method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pei, Huiqin; Chen, Shiming; Lai, Qiang

    2016-12-01

    This paper studies the multi-target consensus pursuit problem of multi-agent systems. For solving the problem, a distributed multi-flocking method is designed based on the partial information exchange, which is employed to realise the pursuit of multi-target and the uniform distribution of the number of pursuing agents with the dynamic target. Combining with the proposed circle formation control strategy, agents can adaptively choose the target to form the different circle formation groups accomplishing a multi-target pursuit. The speed state of pursuing agents in each group converges to the same value. A Lyapunov approach is utilised to analyse the stability of multi-agent systems. In addition, a sufficient condition is given for achieving the dynamic target consensus pursuit, and which is then analysed. Finally, simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.

  7. The Children, Intimate Relationships, and Conflictual Life Events (CIRCLE) interview for simultaneous measurement of intimate partner and parent to child aggression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marshall, Amy D; Feinberg, Mark E; Jones, Damon E; Chote, Daniel R

    2017-08-01

    Despite substantial rates of parent to child aggression (PCA) and intimate partner aggression (IPA) co-occurrence within families, the co-occurrence of PCA and IPA within incidents of aggression has not previously been examined. To do so, we developed the Children, Intimate Relationships, and Conflictual Life Events (CIRCLE) interview to simultaneously measure incidents of psychological and physical PCA and IPA. The CIRCLE interview was administered quarterly for approximately 1 year to 109 women and 94 men from 111 couples with a first born child approximately 32 months of age at study initiation. Demonstrating the CIRCLE interview's ability to yield new knowledge about the nature of family aggression, we describe the frequency of aggressive incidents, the average number of aggressive behaviors within incidents, the daily occurrence of multiple aggressive incidents, and rates of within-incident PCA and IPA co-occurrence. With the exception of men's physical IPA, aggression scores derived from the CIRCLE interview exhibited a relatively high degree of interpartner reporting concordance, as well as structural validity and convergent validity with common aggression measures. Aggression reports via repeated testing were not influenced by social desirability or attempts to avoid aggression. Participants who perceived enhanced memory for aggression as a function of study participation reported increasing PCA and IPA frequencies over time. In the prediction of child conduct and emotional problems, the CIRCLE interview demonstrated predictive validity and incremental validity over traditional aggression measures. For the first time, within-incident co-occurrence of PCA and IPA was documented and shown to uniquely impact child outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  8. Review of Barrow Hill: Curse of the Ancient Circle PC Game

    OpenAIRE

    Michael Charno

    2007-01-01

    Archaeological video games are few and far between. Internet Archaeology has reviewed a number of archaeologically-based computer applications, but none that in my opinion would fall under the video game category. Barrow Hill: Curse of the ancient circle from Shadow Tor Studios, is a video game…with archaeology in it. It would be a stretch to claim that Barrow Hill is actually an archaeological video game, but it does have an occasionally solid archaeological foundation and back story.

  9. "Really," "Not Possible," "I Can't Believe It": Exploring Informational Text in Literature Circles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barone, Diane; Barone, Rebecca

    2016-01-01

    Fifth graders' interpretations of nonfiction or informational text were explored. Each literature circle group read and responded to informational text. Discoveries included that students' conversations and written responses were closely connected to text and that students created multimodal responses.

  10. CHARACTERIZATION OF SINGLE-STRAND ORIGINS OF CRYPTIC ROLLING-CIRCLE PLASMIDS FROM BACILLUS-SUBTILIS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    MEIJER, WJJ; VENEMA, G; BRON, S

    1995-01-01

    In this paper we describe the isolation and characterization of single strand origins (SSOs) of several cryptic Bacillus subtilis plasmids which use the rolling-circle mechanism of replication, The plasmids used in this study involved pTA1015, pTA1020, pTA1030, pTA1040, pTA1050 and pTA1060, The SSO

  11. Circle of Security in Child Care: Putting Attachment Theory into Practice in Preschool Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Glen; Hoffman, Kent; Powell, Bert

    2017-01-01

    This article describes the Circle of Security-Classroom (COS-C) approach to applying attachment theory in preschool settings. Early childhood is an incubator for a wide range of development including the underpinnings of school readiness. Secure teacher-child relationships support this process. However, most preschool staff members lack guidance…

  12. The Prague Linguistic Circle and Dialectics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ondřej Sládek

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The study deals with dialectics in the context of the Prague Linguistic Circle, particularly in the context of Jan Mukařovský’s thinking. The essay presents 1 main sources of Mukařovský’s dialectics, and outlines 2 Mukařovský’s dialectical method. The notion of dialectics appears in Mukařovský’s scholarly work in a set of connections. He applied dialectics as a method, manner or form of rationality. It served as a means of gaining knowledge about the world, specific phenomena and objects, their essence, interconnectedness as well as development. Mukařovský also used it as a procedure for resolving contradictions (antinomies that he encountered in his scientific explorations and in ordinary practical activities. He understood dialectical thinking as dynamic, open, and pluralist thinking striving to reflect reality as a constant process. Gradual coming together of dialectics and materialism, evident in Mukařovský’s scholarly works from the mid-1930s, resulted, ten years later, in a public adoption of dialectical materialism.

  13. Review of Barrow Hill: Curse of the Ancient Circle PC Game

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Charno

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Archaeological video games are few and far between. Internet Archaeology has reviewed a number of archaeologically-based computer applications, but none that in my opinion would fall under the video game category. Barrow Hill: Curse of the ancient circle from Shadow Tor Studios, is a video game…with archaeology in it. It would be a stretch to claim that Barrow Hill is actually an archaeological video game, but it does have an occasionally solid archaeological foundation and back story.

  14. Precision multiloop (PM Design with space closing circles for lingual orthodontics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mugdha P Mankar

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The proficiency of ancient orthodontics has been benefitted colossally and is being continually promoted over the present, by use of multiple loop wires designed for correction of dentoalveolar malocclusions. The presented discussion provides an insight into a simple, frictionless biomechanical concept of anterior space closure in lingual orthodontics by means of precision multiloop design with incorporated space closing circles. A multiple loop wire design has been demonstrated where the entire interbracket distance is used as loop area.

  15. An Investigation of Seventh Grade Students’ Performances on Conceptual, Procedural and Graphical Problems Regarding Circles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lütfi İncikabı

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to determine seventh grade students’ preferences among the procedural, conceptual and graphical questions in the subject of circles, to define their success levels in their preferences, and to compare students’ success levels in one question type with their performances in other question types. The methodology adopted during this research was case study. Based on criterion-based purposive sampling strategy, 98 middle school students were selected as the participants. Data were collected through an achievement test consisting of nine questions (three per question type. The results obtained from the study indicated that students mostly preferred graphical question types. Moreover, majority of students could not succeeded high levels in their preferred question types. In addition, the students performed better in graphical question types; however, the failure in procedural question types was remarkable. Keywords: Multiple representations, middle school students, mathematics education, circles

  16. [Does implementation of benchmarking in quality circles improve the quality of care of patients with asthma and reduce drug interaction?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaufmann-Kolle, Petra; Szecsenyi, Joachim; Broge, Björn; Haefeli, Walter Emil; Schneider, Antonius

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this cluster-randomised controlled trial was to evaluate the efficacy of quality circles (QCs) working either with general data-based feedback or with an open benchmark within the field of asthma care and drug-drug interactions. Twelve QCs, involving 96 general practitioners from 85 practices, were randomised. Six QCs worked with traditional anonymous feedback and six with an open benchmark. Two QC meetings supported with feedback reports were held covering the topics "drug-drug interactions" and "asthma"; in both cases discussions were guided by a trained moderator. Outcome measures included health-related quality of life and patient satisfaction with treatment, asthma severity and number of potentially inappropriate drug combinations as well as the general practitioners' satisfaction in relation to the performance of the QC. A significant improvement in the treatment of asthma was observed in both trial arms. However, there was only a slight improvement regarding inappropriate drug combinations. There were no relevant differences between the group with open benchmark (B-QC) and traditional quality circles (T-QC). The physicians' satisfaction with the QC performance was significantly higher in the T-QCs. General practitioners seem to take a critical perspective about open benchmarking in quality circles. Caution should be used when implementing benchmarking in a quality circle as it did not improve healthcare when compared to the traditional procedure with anonymised comparisons. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  17. Branch structures at the steps of the devil's staircase of the sine circle map

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wen, H.C.; Duong-van, M.

    1992-01-01

    We have discovered substructures consisting of branches at each step of the devil's staircase of the sine circle map. These substructures are found to follow the hierarchy of the Farey tree. We develop a formalism to relate the rational winding number W=p/q to the number of branches in these substructures

  18. Geomorphic domains and linear features on Landsat images, Circle Quadrangle, Alaska

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simpson, S.L.

    1984-01-01

    A remote sensing study using Landsat images was undertaken as part of the Alaska Mineral Resource Assessment Program (AMRAP). Geomorphic domains A and B, identified on enhanced Landsat images, divide Circle quadrangle south of Tintina fault zone into two regional areas having major differences in surface characteristics. Domain A is a roughly rectangular, northeast-trending area of relatively low relief and simple, widely spaced drainages, except where igneous rocks are exposed. In contrast, domain B, which bounds two sides of domain A, is more intricately dissected showing abrupt changes in slope and relatively high relief. The northwestern part of geomorphic domain A includes a previously mapped tectonostratigraphic terrane. The southeastern boundary of domain A occurs entirely within the adjoining tectonostratigraphic terrane. The sharp geomorphic contrast along the southeastern boundary of domain A and the existence of known faults along this boundary suggest that the southeastern part of domain A may be a subdivision of the adjoining terrane. Detailed field studies would be necessary to determine the characteristics of the subdivision. Domain B appears to be divisible into large areas of different geomorphic terrains by east-northeast-trending curvilinear lines drawn on Landsat images. Segments of two of these lines correlate with parts of boundaries of mapped tectonostratigraphic terranes. On Landsat images prominent north-trending lineaments together with the curvilinear lines form a large-scale regional pattern that is transected by mapped north-northeast-trending high-angle faults. The lineaments indicate possible lithlogic variations and/or structural boundaries. A statistical strike-frequency analysis of the linear features data for Circle quadrangle shows that northeast-trending linear features predominate throughout, and that most northwest-trending linear features are found south of Tintina fault zone. A major trend interval of N.64-72E. in the linear

  19. Asymptotically stable phase synchronization revealed by autoregressive circle maps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drepper, F. R.

    2000-11-01

    A specially designed of nonlinear time series analysis is introduced based on phases, which are defined as polar angles in spaces spanned by a finite number of delayed coordinates. A canonical choice of the polar axis and a related implicit estimation scheme for the potentially underlying autoregressive circle map (next phase map) guarantee the invertibility of reconstructed phase space trajectories to the original coordinates. The resulting Fourier approximated, invertibility enforcing phase space map allows us to detect conditional asymptotic stability of coupled phases. This comparatively general synchronization criterion unites two existing generalizations of the old concept and can successfully be applied, e.g., to phases obtained from electrocardiogram and airflow recordings characterizing cardiorespiratory interaction.

  20. Circle maps and the Devil's staircase in a periodically perturbed Oregonator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brøns, Morten; Gross, Peter; Bar-Eli, Kedma

    1997-01-01

    Markman and Bar-Eli has studied a periodically forced Oregonator numerically and found a parameter range with the following properties: (1) Only periodic solutions are found in frequency-locked steps, each with a certain pattern of large and small oscillations (2) Between any two steps there is a....... Using invariant manifold theory we argue that an invariant circle must indeed exist when, as in the present case, the unforced system is close to a saddle-loop bifurcation. Generalisations of the results are briefly discussed....

  1. Controlled Microwave Heating Accelerates Rolling Circle Amplification.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takeo Yoshimura

    Full Text Available Rolling circle amplification (RCA generates single-stranded DNAs or RNA, and the diverse applications of this isothermal technique range from the sensitive detection of nucleic acids to analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms. Microwave chemistry is widely applied to increase reaction rate as well as product yield and purity. The objectives of the present research were to apply microwave heating to RCA and indicate factors that contribute to the microwave selective heating effect. The microwave reaction temperature was strictly controlled using a microwave applicator optimized for enzymatic-scale reactions. Here, we showed that microwave-assisted RCA reactions catalyzed by either of the four thermostable DNA polymerases were accelerated over 4-folds compared with conventional RCA. Furthermore, the temperatures of the individual buffer components were specifically influenced by microwave heating. We concluded that microwave heating accelerated isothermal RCA of DNA because of the differential heating mechanisms of microwaves on the temperatures of reaction components, although the overall reaction temperatures were the same.

  2. Controlled Microwave Heating Accelerates Rolling Circle Amplification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshimura, Takeo; Suzuki, Takamasa; Mineki, Shigeru; Ohuchi, Shokichi

    2015-01-01

    Rolling circle amplification (RCA) generates single-stranded DNAs or RNA, and the diverse applications of this isothermal technique range from the sensitive detection of nucleic acids to analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms. Microwave chemistry is widely applied to increase reaction rate as well as product yield and purity. The objectives of the present research were to apply microwave heating to RCA and indicate factors that contribute to the microwave selective heating effect. The microwave reaction temperature was strictly controlled using a microwave applicator optimized for enzymatic-scale reactions. Here, we showed that microwave-assisted RCA reactions catalyzed by either of the four thermostable DNA polymerases were accelerated over 4-folds compared with conventional RCA. Furthermore, the temperatures of the individual buffer components were specifically influenced by microwave heating. We concluded that microwave heating accelerated isothermal RCA of DNA because of the differential heating mechanisms of microwaves on the temperatures of reaction components, although the overall reaction temperatures were the same.

  3. Variation in form on the circle of Willis as studied by 3D-TOF MR angiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoshino, Haruhiko; Takagi, Makoto; Inafuku, Tetsuya; Adachi, Tomohide; Segawa, Hiroshi

    1996-01-01

    The circles of Willis in 2011 patients were examined by 3-dimensional time-of-flight MR angiography in order to evaluate the variations. The A1 segment of the anterior cerebral artery was not found in 4.8% on the right side and in 3.4% on the left side. In the older patients, MRA failed to demonstrate either the right or left A1 segment. A fetal configuration, whereby P1 segments had a smaller diameter than the posterior communicating artery and the posterior cerebral artery derived predominantly from the carotid artery, occurred in 19.8% on the right side and in 16.7% on the left side. MRA did not reveal the posterior communicating artery to be more common in the elderly. The circulatory states in the circle of Willis may alter with aging. (author)

  4. “Wafts of what conspired”: Seamus Heaney’s District and Circle and the Holocaust

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kosters, O.R.

    2014-01-01

    In this article, I read Seamus Heaney’s 2006 collection District and Circle in terms of motifs that connect many of its poems to themes of war and violence. Offering a detailed analysis of Heaney’s use of stock Holocaust imagery, or “topoi,” first introduced as such by Alain Resnais’ film essay Nuit

  5. An Examination of Children's Oral Storytelling in a First Grade Storytelling Circle

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, Jean Ann

    2012-01-01

    The purposes of this naturalistic, descriptive study were to examine the stories that children in one first grade classroom told in a storytelling circle, how the children's knowledge, in-school experiences, and out-of-school experiences were reflected in their stories, and how the children used their knowledge and experiences as tools to…

  6. New holographic limit of AdS5(multiply-in-circle sign)S5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hatsuda, Machiko; Siegel, Warren

    2003-01-01

    We reexamine the projective light cone limit of the gauge-invariant Green-Schwarz action on five-dimensional anti-de Sitter (multiply-in-circle sign) the five-sphere. It implies the usual holography for AdS 5 , but also (a complex) one for S 5 . The result is N=4 projective superspace, which unlike N=4 harmonic superspace can describe N=4 super Yang-Mills theory off shell

  7. The Dual Role of Cerebral Autoregulation and Collateral Flow in the Circle of Willis After Major Vessel Occlusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kennedy McConnell, Flora; Payne, Stephen

    2017-08-01

    Ischaemic stroke is a leading cause of death and disability. Autoregulation and collateral blood flow through the circle of Willis both play a role in preventing tissue infarction. To investigate the interaction of these mechanisms a one-dimensional steady-state model of the cerebral arterial network was created. Structural variants of the circle of Willis that present particular risk of stroke were recreated by using a network model coupled with: 1) a steady-state physiological model of cerebral autoregulation; and 2) one wherein the cerebral vascular bed was modeled as a passive resistance. Simulations were performed in various conditions of internal carotid and vertebral artery occlusion. Collateral flow alone is unable to ensure adequate blood flow ([Formula: see text] normal flow) to the cerebral arteries in several common variants during internal carotid artery occlusion. However, compared to a passive model, cerebral autoregulation is better able to exploit available collateral flow and maintain flows within [Formula: see text] of baseline. This is true for nearly all configurations. Hence, autoregulation is a crucial facilitator of collateral flow through the circle of Willis. Impairment of this response during ischemia will severely impact cerebral blood flows and tissue survival, and hence, autoregulation should be monitored in this situation.

  8. Response to period shifts in tapping and circle drawing: a window into event and emergent components of continuous movement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Studenka, Breanna E

    2015-05-01

    Synchronization of movement to a metronome is a well-studied task for both discretely and smoothly produced rhythmic movement. In particular, behavioral responses to unexpected changes in a regular metronome can reveal both the strength and the completeness of error correction mechanisms and temporal control. Clock-like control is exhibited by discretely produced movement and movement with discrete perceptual information, whereas smoothly produced movement does not rely on internal clock mechanisms. Documented differences in error correction between discretely and smoothly produced movements have been attributed to this different underlying control. In this study, error correction mechanisms were examined by inducing changes in the pace of rhythmic movement. An overshoot response following the pace change for both tapping and circle drawing is documented, and suggests the presence of phase and period correction in both tasks. The presence of phase correction in circle drawing also suggests that clock and non-clock timing may co-exist within the same movement. Furthermore, a sub-group of participants emerged who appropriately changed pace, but were not able to correct the phasing of their movement while performing the circle drawing task, supporting that phase and period maintenance in timing are independently controlled processes.

  9. ECO TECH LINK: PT3 Grant Builds Technology Circles in the K-18 Community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klinger, Katie; Duckett, Jane; Medrano, Maria; Crow, Nedra; Stowers, Gwen

    Through the vehicle of the PT3 grant program, ECO TECH LINK has built a strong consortium to support technology circles of government, education and business in order to raise student achievement scores, shorten the time it takes to earn a teaching credential, and enhance the quality of teacher credential courses. The ECO TECH LINK grant enables…

  10. 17th century arguments for the impossibility of the indefinite and the definite circle quadrature

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lützen, Jesper

    2014-01-01

    The classical problem of the quadrature (or equivalently the rectification) of the circle enjoyed a renaissance in the second half of the 17th century. The new analytic methods provided the means for the discovery of infinite expressions of and for the first attempts to prove impossibility statem...

  11. On Linear Combinations of Two Orthogonal Polynomial Sequences on the Unit Circle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suárez C

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Let be a monic orthogonal polynomial sequence on the unit circle. We define recursively a new sequence of polynomials by the following linear combination: , , . In this paper, we give necessary and sufficient conditions in order to make be an orthogonal polynomial sequence too. Moreover, we obtain an explicit representation for the Verblunsky coefficients and in terms of and . Finally, we show the relation between their corresponding Carathéodory functions and their associated linear functionals.

  12. Renormalization and 3-manifolds which fiber over the circle (AM-142)

    CERN Document Server

    McMullen, Curtis T

    2014-01-01

    Many parallels between complex dynamics and hyperbolic geometry have emerged in the past decade. Building on work of Sullivan and Thurston, this book gives a unified treatment of the construction of fixed-points for renormalization and the construction of hyperbolic 3- manifolds fibering over the circle. Both subjects are studied via geometric limits and rigidity. This approach shows open hyperbolic manifolds are inflexible, and yields quantitative counterparts to Mostow rigidity. In complex dynamics, it motivates the construction of towers of quadratic-like maps, and leads to a quantitativ

  13. Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-12-15

    FY13+ Phase I Buy Contractor: United Launch Services, LLC Contractor Location: 9501 East Panorama Circle Centennial , CO 80112 Contract Number...Contract Name: FY13+ Phase I Buy Contractor: United Launch Services, LLC Contractor Location: 9501 East Panorama Circle Centennial , CO 80112 Contract...FY12 EELV Launch Services (ELS5) Contractor: United Launch Services, LLC. Contractor Location: 9501 East Panorama Circle Centennial , CO 80112

  14. Types of the cerebral arterial circle (circle of Willis in a Sri Lankan Population

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gunasekera WSL

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The variations of the circle of Willis (CW are clinically important as patients with effective collateral circulations have a lower risk of transient ischemic attack and stroke than those with ineffective collaterals. The aim of the present cadaveric study was to investigate the anatomical variations of the CW and to compare the frequency of prevalence of the different variations with previous autopsy studies as variations in the anatomy of the CW as a whole have not been studied in the Indian subcontinent. Methods The external diameter of all the arteries forming the CW in 225 normal Sri Lankan adult cadaver brains was measured using a calibrated grid to determine the prevalence in the variation in CW. Chisquared tests and a correspondence analysis were performed to compare the relative frequencies of prevalence of anatomical variations in the CW across 6 studies of diverse ethnic populations. Results We report 15 types of variations of CW out of 22 types previously described and one additional type: hypoplastic precommunicating part of the anterior cerebral arteries (A1 and contralateral posterior communicating arteries (PcoA 5(2%. Statistically significant differences (p Conclusion The present study reveals that there are significant variations in the CW among intra and inter ethnic groups (Caucasian, African and Asian: Iran and Sri Lanka dominant populations, and warrants further studies keeping the methods of measurements, data assessment, and the definitions of hypoplasia the same.

  15. The Virtuous Circles of Clinical Information Systems: a Modern Utopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Degoulet, P

    2016-11-10

    Clinical information systems (CIS) are developed with the aim of improving both the efficiency and the quality of care. This position paper is based on the hypothesis that such vision is partly a utopian view of the emerging eSociety. Examples are drawn from 15 years of experience with the fully integrated Georges Pompidou University Hospital (HEGP) CIS and temporal data series extracted from the data warehouses of Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) acute care hospitals which share the same administrative organization as HEGP. Three main virtuous circles are considered: user satisfaction vs. system use, system use vs. cost efficiency, and system use vs quality of care. In structural equation models (SEM), the positive bidirectional relationship between user satisfaction and use was only observed in the early HEGP CIS deployment phase (first four years) but disappeared in late post-adoption (≥8 years). From 2009 to 2013, financial efficiency of 20 AP-HP hospitals evaluated with stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) models diminished by 0.5% per year. The lower decrease of efficiency observed between the three hospitals equipped with a more mature CIS and the 17 other hospitals was of the same order of magnitude than the difference observed between pediatric and non-pediatric hospitals. Outcome quality benefits that would bring evidence to the system use vs. quality loop are unlikely to be obtained in a near future since they require integration with population-based outcome measures including mortality, morbidity, and quality of life that may not be easily available. Barriers to making the transformation of the utopian part of the CIS virtuous circles happen should be overcome to actually benefit the emerging eSociety.

  16. On-chip Detection of Rolling Circle Amplified DNA Molecules from Bacillus Globigii spores and Vibrio Cholerae

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østerberg, Frederik Westergaard; Rizzi, Giovanni; Donolato, Marco

    2014-01-01

    For the first time DNA coils formed by rolling circle amplification are quantified on-chip by Brownian relaxation measurements on magnetic nanobeads using a magnetoresistive sensor. No external magnetic fields are required besides the magnetic field arising from the current through the sensor...

  17. G2 cubic transition between two circles with shape control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habib, Zulfiqar; Sakai, Manabu

    2009-01-01

    This paper describes a method for joining two circles with an S-shaped or with a broken back C-shaped transition curve, composed of at most two spiral segments. In highway and railway route design or car-like robot path planning, it is often desirable to have such a transition. It is shown that a single cubic curve can be used for blending or for a transition curve preserving G2 continuity with local shape control parameter and more flexible constraints. Provision of the shape parameter and flexibility provide freedom to modify the shape in a stable manner which is an advantage over previous work by Meek, Walton, Sakai and Habib.

  18. Temporal properties of coherent synchrotron radiation produced by an electron bunch moving along an arc of a circle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geloni, G.; Saldin, E.L.; Schneidmiller, E.A.; Yurkov, M.V.

    2004-01-01

    In the limit for a large distance between bunch and detector and under the assumption that the entire process, i.e. radiation and detection, happens in vacuum, one can use the well-known Schwinger formulas in order to describe the single-particle radiation in the case of circular motion. Nevertheless, these formulas cannot be applied for particles moving in an arc of a circle. In this paper, we present a characterization of coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) pulses in the time-domain as they are emitted by an electron bunch moving in an arc of a circle. This can be used in order to give a quantitative estimation of the effects of a finite bending magnet extension on the characteristics of the CSR pulse

  19. Scale Marking Method on the Circumference of Circle Elements for Astronomical Instruments in the Early Joseon Dynasty

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mihn, Byeong-Hee; Lee, Ki-Won; Ahn, Young Sook; Lee, Yong Sam

    2015-03-01

    During the reign of King Sejong (世宗, 1418-1450) in the Joseon Dynasty, there were lots of astronomical instruments, including miniaturized ones. Those instruments utilized the technical know-how acquired through building contemporary astronomical instruments previously developed in the Song(宋), Jin(金), and Yuan(元) dynasties of China. In those days, many astronomical instruments had circles, rings, and spheres carved with a scale of 365.25, 100, and 24 parts, respectively, on their circumference. These were called the celestial-circumference degree, hundred-interval (Baekgak), and 24 direction, respectively. These scales are marked by the angular distance, not by the angle. Therefore, these circles, rings, and spheres had to be optimized in size to accomodate proper scales. Assuming that the scale system is composed of integer multiples of unit length, we studied the sizes of circles by referring to old articles and investigating existing artifacts. We discovered that the star chart of Cheonsang yeolcha bunyajido was drawn with a royal standard ruler (周尺) based on the unit length of 207 mm. Interestingly, its circumference was marked by the unit scale of 3 puns per 1 du (or degree) like Honsang (a celestial globe). We also found that Hyeonju ilgu (a equatorial sundial) has a Baekgak disk on a scale of 1 pun per 1 gak (that is an interval of time similar to a quarter). This study contributes to the analysis of specifications of numerous circular elements from old Korean astronomical instruments.

  20. Determination of the synthetic hydroxyapatite life circle used in dental practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teodorović Nevenka

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Dental materials are specific materials that were developed as a general materials for specific aplication in oral environment. To determinate the functional properties of this materials, we are obligated to use nonstandard approach and specific methods. In this study, two methodologies of material testing-artificial agging and quantification of visual informations for life circle assessment of hydroxyapatite (Hap based materials, were used. Hap was chemically synthetized which produced the material with high purity and crystallinity. Artificially produced Hap is used in stomatology for repair of bone tissue, as a filling for periodontal defects, and as a preservative augmentation for alveolar ridges. In the mean time those materials are used for definitive root canal obturation in endodontic therapy procedure as an apical plug or as complete filling material. This research was focused on the analysis of the bonding properties of the Hap based materials to the root canal walls. The methodology of artificial agging was used together with the quantification of visual informations in purpose to quantify the Hap bonding properties and bonding quality. Experiments were done in-vitro, with the artificia saliva as the agressive agent. The experimental tooths were analyzed by the high resolution optical microscope for the morphological characterisation of the bonding layer. The model for the bond life circle assessment was developed. Hap based materials proved that has favorable properties for the dental use. The presented results proved that the combination of two methodologies (artificial agging and quantification of visual informations could be used as the tool for analyzing the material-dentine interaction.

  1. Sequence analysis and characterization of rolling-circle replicating plasmid pVCM01 from Salmonella enterica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Penido, A. F. B.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Aims: Characterization of cryptic plasmid pVCM01 (accession number JX133088 isolated from Salmonella enterica Enteritidis. Methodology and results: The complete sequence of pVCM01 was obtained. This plasmid possesses 1981 bp, with G+C content of 57% in agreement of the range of Salmonella genomic DNA. pVCM01 has a high degree of similarity to pB and pJ plasmids. It possesses six main open reading frames, only one have a very high degree of amino acid identity with protein involved in the rolling-circle-like replication (RCR. Based on the sequence similarities, pVCM01 plasmid belonged to the pC194/pUB110 rolling-circle replicating plasmid family. The Rep pVCM01 possesses the motifs: FLTLTVRN, HPHFHTL, SGDGYVKHERW, which were present in all Rep proteins. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: The small size of pVCM01 plasmid and its stability in E. coli cells, make it an attractive candidate to develop new vectors, such as cloning and/or expression vector.

  2. RESEARCH PROBLEM DESCRIPTION AND DEFINITION: FROM MENTAL MAP TO CONNECTION CIRCLE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mildeová, Stanislava

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper examines the research problem (question as one of the first methodological steps that has to be accurately and clearly defined. The necessity of modern scientific work is to understand and analyse problems holistically, to see it as a network of interconnected parts. In this sense we show that combination of mental mapping and connection circle may be a way that will be beneficial defining the research problem. There is some evidence from interviews held with PhD students, who were participated in the course Research Methods for Managers at the University of Economics in Prague from 2012-2013.

  3. Questioning Appropriation: Agency and Complicity in a Transnational Feminist Location Politics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joe Parker

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available In feminist circles agency is often opposed to complicity and associated with resistance to sexism and patriarchy, yet such binary oppositions make the political stakes of their presumed boundaries difficult to interrogate. By bringing location politics into dialogue with agency theory, boundaries of same/Other and location categories may move from a naturalized ground for political work to the contested center of a politics of resistance. I follow a Foucauldian interpretation of agency to reconsider the ethico-politics of established divisions of self and Other both individually and in terms of social movements. By following Gayatri Spivak, Meyda Yeğenoğlu, and Chandra Mohanty's transnational feminist politics, I argue for the refusal of totalizing binaries and for careful attention to unavoidable complicities. This makes possible practices of agency that can critique the political and ethical limits and effects of its epistemology and take as its central project the intervention into appropriations of the Others into modern notions of the "real." The resulting reconstitution of self-Other relations in their work opens up important new avenues for building social movements that acknowledge difference within the subject or the movement rather than deny and expel their Others.

  4. An Adaptive Sweep-Circle Spatial Clustering Algorithm Based on Gestalt

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qingming Zhan

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available An adaptive spatial clustering (ASC algorithm is proposed in this present study, which employs sweep-circle techniques and a dynamic threshold setting based on the Gestalt theory to detect spatial clusters. The proposed algorithm can automatically discover clusters in one pass, rather than through the modification of the initial model (for example, a minimal spanning tree, Delaunay triangulation, or Voronoi diagram. It can quickly identify arbitrarily-shaped clusters while adapting efficiently to non-homogeneous density characteristics of spatial data, without the need for prior knowledge or parameters. The proposed algorithm is also ideal for use in data streaming technology with dynamic characteristics flowing in the form of spatial clustering in large data sets.

  5. Quality circles--new wave or fad?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herkimer, A G

    1984-07-01

    The American healthcare industry must avoid the dangers of commitment to bureaucratic organizational thinking and be willing to experiment with Theory Z and quality circles. Productivity depends on trust, subtlety and intimacy. The industry must acknowledge that management style and organizational form are nothing more than facets of the larger organization of society. The ultimate goal should be to understand how the structure of society and the management of healthcare organizations can be coordinated. The common thread in Japanese life is intimacy. The caring, support, and disciplined unselfishness which makes life possible come through close social relationships. Accordingly, there is (or at least, there should be) a common thread in this nation's healthcare industry--the desire to render quality health care in an effective and efficient manner. The underlying messages are many, but they are not overwhelming. Perhaps the first message to healthcare managers is that a healthcare delivery system can realize the full potential of its employees only if it invests in their training and then shares with them the power to influence decisions. Without training, the invitation to participate in decision making will lead only to frustration and conflict. Without a sharing of decision-making power, an investment in training will be both frustrating and wasteful.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  6. Some Comments On: A Historical Note on the Proof of the Area of a Circle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naidu, Jaideep T.; Sanford, John F.

    2011-01-01

    In a recent paper by Wilamowsky et al. [6], an intuitive proof of the area of the circle dating back to the twelfth century was presented. They discuss challenges made to this proof and offer simple rebuttals to these challenges. The alternative solution presented by them is simple and elegant and can be explained rather easily to non-mathematics…

  7. The Schur algorithm for generalized Schur functions III : J-unitary matrix polynomials on the circle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Alpay, Daniel; Azizov, Tomas; Dijksma, Aad; Langer, Heinz

    2003-01-01

    The main result is that for J = ((1)(0) (0)(-1)) every J-unitary 2 x 2-matrix polynomial on the unit circle is an essentially unique product of elementary J-unitary 2 x 2-matrix polynomials which are either of degree 1 or 2k. This is shown by means of the generalized Schur transformation introduced

  8. A Study of Traditional Circle Games Played in Public School Kindergartens across the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rothlein, Liz; And Others

    1988-01-01

    Investigates traditional circle games played in 203 public school kindergartens in 35 states. Results indicate that music/movement and racing games were the major game categories; the most common frequency and duration was three times per week for 20 minutes; and the purposes of the games were to have fun, and to foster social, physical motor, and…

  9. Collateral configuration of the circle of Willis: transcranial color-coded duplex ultrasonography and comparison with postmortem anatomy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoksbergen, A. W.; Fülesdi, B.; Legemate, D. A.; Csiba, L.

    2000-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The anterior communicating artery (AcoA) and posterior communicating arteries (PcoA) of the circle of Willis provide the main route for collateral blood flow in cases of carotid artery obstruction. Transcranial color-coded duplex ultrasonography (TCCD) allows real-time

  10. The Class of (p,q-spherical Distributions with an Extension of the Sector and Circle Number Functions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wolf-Dieter Richter

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available For evaluating the probabilities of arbitrary random events with respect to a given multivariate probability distribution, specific techniques are of great interest. An important two-dimensional high risk limit law is the Gauss-exponential distribution whose probabilities can be dealt with based on the Gauss–Laplace law. The latter will be considered here as an element of the newly-introduced family of ( p , q -spherical distributions. Based on a suitably-defined non-Euclidean arc-length measure on ( p , q -circles, we prove geometric and stochastic representations of these distributions and correspondingly distributed random vectors, respectively. These representations allow dealing with the new probability measures similarly to with elliptically-contoured distributions and more general homogeneous star-shaped ones. This is demonstrated by the generalization of the Box–Muller simulation method. In passing, we prove an extension of the sector and circle number functions.

  11. Differential involvement of dopamine D-1 and D-2 receptors in the circling behaviour induced by apomorphine, SK & F 38393, pergolide and LY 171555 in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnt, J; Hyttel, J

    1985-01-01

    The antagonistic effect of dopamine (DA) D-1 and D-2 antagonists against circling behaviour induced by various DA agonists in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats has been investigated. DA D-1/D-2 selectivity of agonists in vitro was measured by the stimulatory effect on DA-sensitive adenylate cyclase in rat striatal homogenates (D-1), the inhibitory effect on electrically-induced release of 3H-DA in rabbit striatal slices (D-2) and the affinity to 3H-piflutixol (D-1) and 3H-spiroperidol (D-2) binding sites in rat striatal membranes. The contralateral circling behaviour induced by the DA D-1 agonist SK & F 38393 was blocked by the DA D-1 antagonist, SCH 23390, and by the mixed DA D-1/D-2 antagonist cis(Z)-flupentixol, but was not influenced by the DA D-2 antagonists spiroperidol and clebopride. In contrast, circling behaviour induced by the preferential DA D-2 agonists pergolide and LY 171555 was blocked by clebopride, spiroperidol, and cis(Z)-flupentixol, but weakly or not influenced by SCH 23390. Apomorphine-induced circling behaviour was blocked by cis(Z)-flupentixol, partially antagonized by SCH 23390 and clebopride but not inhibited by spiroperidol, although the time-course of circling was changed. Combinations of SCH 23390 with spiroperidol or clebopride in low doses completely blocked the effect of apomorphine. These results indicate that DA D-1 and D-2 receptors mediate circling behaviour through separate mechanisms which can be independently manipulated with respective agonists and antagonists.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  12. Scale Marking Method on the Circumference of Circle Elements for Astronomical Instruments in the Early Joseon Dynasty

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Byeong-Hee Mihn

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available During the reign of King Sejong (世宗, 1418-1450 in the Joseon Dynasty, there were lots of astronomical instruments, including miniaturized ones. Those instruments utilized the technical know-how acquired through building contemporary astronomical instruments previously developed in the Song(宋, Jin(金, and Yuan(元 dynasties of China. In those days, many astronomical instruments had circles, rings, and spheres carved with a scale of 365.25, 100, and 24 parts, respectively, on their circumference. These were called the celestial-circumference degree, hundred-interval (Baekgak, and 24 direction, respectively. These scales are marked by the angular distance, not by the angle. Therefore, these circles, rings, and spheres had to be optimized in size to accomodate proper scales. Assuming that the scale system is composed of integer multiples of unit length, we studied the sizes of circles by referring to old articles and investigating existing artifacts. We discovered that the star chart of Cheonsang yeolcha bunyajido was drawn with a royal standard ruler (周尺 based on the unit length of 207 mm. Interestingly, its circumference was marked by the unit scale of 3 puns per 1 du (or degree like Honsang (a celestial globe. We also found that Hyeonju ilgu (a equatorial sundial has a Baekgak disk on a scale of 1 pun per 1 gak (that is an interval of time similar to a quarter. This study contributes to the analysis of specifications of numerous circular elements from old Korean astronomical instruments.

  13. Rouleaux red blood cells splitting in microscopic thin blood smear images via local maxima, circles drawing, and mapping with original RBCs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rehman, Amjad; Abbas, Naveed; Saba, Tanzila; Mahmood, Toqeer; Kolivand, Hoshang

    2018-04-10

    Splitting the rouleaux RBCs from single RBCs and its further subdivision is a challenging area in computer-assisted diagnosis of blood. This phenomenon is applied in complete blood count, anemia, leukemia, and malaria tests. Several automated techniques are reported in the state of art for this task but face either under or over splitting problems. The current research presents a novel approach to split Rouleaux red blood cells (chains of RBCs) precisely, which are frequently observed in the thin blood smear images. Accordingly, this research address the rouleaux splitting problem in a realistic, efficient and automated way by considering the distance transform and local maxima of the rouleaux RBCs. Rouleaux RBCs are splitted by taking their local maxima as the centres to draw circles by mid-point circle algorithm. The resulting circles are further mapped with single RBC in Rouleaux to preserve its original shape. The results of the proposed approach on standard data set are presented and analyzed statistically by achieving an average recall of 0.059, an average precision of 0.067 and F-measure 0.063 are achieved through ground truth with visual inspection. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Location, location, location: Extracting location value from house prices

    OpenAIRE

    Kolbe, Jens; Schulz, Rainer; Wersing, Martin; Werwatz, Axel

    2012-01-01

    The price for a single-family house depends both on the characteristics of the building and on its location. We propose a novel semiparametric method to extract location values from house prices. After splitting house prices into building and land components, location values are estimated with adaptive weight smoothing. The adaptive estimator requires neither strong smoothness assumptions nor local symmetry. We apply the method to house transactions from Berlin, Germany. The estimated surface...

  15. Detection of short repeated genomic sequences on metaphase chromosomes using padlock probes and target primed rolling circle DNA synthesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stougaard Magnus

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In situ detection of short sequence elements in genomic DNA requires short probes with high molecular resolution and powerful specific signal amplification. Padlock probes can differentiate single base variations. Ligated padlock probes can be amplified in situ by rolling circle DNA synthesis and detected by fluorescence microscopy, thus enhancing PRINS type reactions, where localized DNA synthesis reports on the position of hybridization targets, to potentially reveal the binding of single oligonucleotide-size probe molecules. Such a system has been presented for the detection of mitochondrial DNA in fixed cells, whereas attempts to apply rolling circle detection to metaphase chromosomes have previously failed, according to the literature. Methods Synchronized cultured cells were fixed with methanol/acetic acid to prepare chromosome spreads in teflon-coated diagnostic well-slides. Apart from the slide format and the chromosome spreading everything was done essentially according to standard protocols. Hybridization targets were detected in situ with padlock probes, which were ligated and amplified using target primed rolling circle DNA synthesis, and detected by fluorescence labeling. Results An optimized protocol for the spreading of condensed metaphase chromosomes in teflon-coated diagnostic well-slides was developed. Applying this protocol we generated specimens for target primed rolling circle DNA synthesis of padlock probes recognizing a 40 nucleotide sequence in the male specific repetitive satellite I sequence (DYZ1 on the Y-chromosome and a 32 nucleotide sequence in the repetitive kringle IV domain in the apolipoprotein(a gene positioned on the long arm of chromosome 6. These targets were detected with good efficiency, but the efficiency on other target sites was unsatisfactory. Conclusion Our aim was to test the applicability of the method used on mitochondrial DNA to the analysis of nuclear genomes, in particular as

  16. VizieR Online Data Catalog: W1J00 and W2J00 Transit Circle Catalogs (Rafferty+, 2016)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rafferty, T. J.; Holdenried, E. R.; Urban, S. E.

    2016-06-01

    The W1J00, named because it was the first (of two) Washington transit circle catalog to be referred to the Equinox of J2000.0, is the result of observations made with the Six-inch Transit Circle in Washington, D.C., between September 1977 and July 1982. The observing program was structured to be absolute, in the sense that the positions were not explicitly relying on any previous observations. The absolute positions were defined with respect to an internally consistent frame that was unique to the particular instrument. Following the reductions, comparisons with stars from the Hipparcos Catalogue (European Space Agency 1997) revealed unaccounted for systematic differences on the level of 100-200mas. It was decided, therefore, to include data on both the absolute positions reduced in way common to many past Washington transit circle catalogs, as well as the positions differentially adjusted to the system of the Hipparcos Catalog. The W1J00 contains mean positions of 7267 stars and 4383 observations of solar system objects. The majority of the stars fall into two categories; those from the Fifth Fundamental Catalog (FK5; Fricke et al 1988), and those from the Catalog Of 3539 Zodiacal Stars For The Equinox 1950.0 (Robertson 1940). The solar system objects include the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, eight minor planets (Eunomia, Flora, Hebe, Iris, Juno, Metis, Pallas, and Vesta), and the dwarf planet Ceres. Characteristics of the W1J00 catalog: Category Range Average ------------------------------------------------------------- Magnitudes -1.6 to 10.4 7.18 RA standard errors of the mean 15 to 460 mas 98 mas Dec standard errors of the mean 10 to 400 mas 107 mas RA Number of observations / star 3 to 187 10 Dec Number of observations / star 2 to 179 10 Declination coverage -39 to +90 degrees ------------------------------------------------------------- Details of the W1J00 can be found in Rafferty, Holdenried, and Urban (2016, Publ. USNO, 2nd

  17. Control program of the neutron four-circle-diffractometer P32 at the SILOE reactor/CEN Grenoble

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guth, H.; Paulus, H.; Reimers, W.; Heger, G.

    1983-09-01

    The four-circle diffractometer P32 for elastic neutron scattering on single crystals was installed at the SILOE reactor/CEN Grenoble in 1981. The control program, presented here, is a new update of the former program versions used at the FR2 reactor/Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe. Important improvements concerning reliability and handling of the diffractometer are added. (orig.) [de

  18. Control program of the neutron four-circle-diffractometer P110 at the ORPHEE reactor/CEN Saclay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guth, H.; Paulus, H.; Reimers, W.; Heger, G.

    1984-05-01

    The four-circle diffractometer P110 for elastic neutron scattering on single crystals was installed at the ORPHEE reactor/CEN Saclay in 1982. The control progam, presented here, is a new update of the former program versions used at the FR2 reactor. Important improvements concerning reliability and handling of the diffractometer are added. (orig./HP) [de

  19. “Journeys of the mind” in the Russian Cultural Society of the 1760-s. Educational and Publishing activity of Kheraskov Literary Circle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalia D. Bludilina

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This article examines one of the pages of the history of Russian Freemasonry as a philosophical and ideological trend within the circles of reflective minds of the Russian society and its influence on the literary process; in particular, it explores a connection of Freemasonry rationalist philosophy with the “journeys of the mind” in the works of M.M.Kheraskov and his Moscow literary circle (A.P.Sumarokov, A. A.Nartov, A. A.Rzhevsky, Alex and Simon Naryshkin, D. Anichkov, J. I. Bulgakov, V. I.Maikov, and I.F. Bogdanovich that to a certain extent reflected complex processes of the development of spiritual culture in the eighteenth century Russia. For the members of Moscow literary circle, a journal was not only the most efficient way to establish and maintain contacts with the readers but also the means of enlightening contemporaries introducing them to literature. These literati, for the first time in history, developed a group with its own philosophical, political, and literary position: they claimed that enlightened mind creates and perfects a soul that is open to kindness and love and that moral life is based on the awareness of the moral imperative. The essay analyzes didactic essays by the above mentioned authors and their translations (from Montaigne, Fontenelle, Voltaire, Dodsli, and Gellert — a circle of spiritual reading they promoted in chronological order of their publication in the magazines issued in the 1760 ‘s: “Useful Jollification,” “Free Hours,” “Monthly Essays Serving to Instruct and Entertain,” “Idle Time,” and “Hardworking Bee.” As the analysis reveals, they understood enlightenment mainly as self-knowledge and self-improvement of a single individual; intellectual connection was reduced to the narrow circle of single-minded and educated persons. To understand the “laws of the mind” and to build a life of body and soul on their basis was the goal that Russian Freemason authors pursued as they

  20. Modeling the Variable Heliopause Location

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hensley, Kerry

    2018-03-01

    1 crossed the heliopause. The current location of Voyager 2 is marked with a red circle. [Washimi et al. 2017]A Time-Varying BarrierThe authorsconsider the impact that solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and other disturbances in the solar outflow have on the heliopause distance. These solar disturbances intermingle as they travel outward to form what the authors call global merged interaction regions.Using their hydrodynamical simulations, Washimi and collaborators capture the complex behavior of the global merged interaction regions as they propagate through the termination shock and collide with the heliopause. Part of the shock is transmitted into the local interstellar medium, while part of it is reflected back toward and collides with the termination shock, which is pushed toward the Sun. This complex interplay of transmitted and reflected shocks combined with the nonuniformity of the local interstellar medium causes the heliopause location to vary dramatically in time as well as space.What Does this Mean for Voyager 2?Washimi and collaborators find that the location of the heliopause along the trajectories of Voyagers 1 and 2 has changed considerably over the past decade. In particular, they find that the heliopause has been pushed outward over the past few years due to an increase in the solar wind ram pressure. According to their simulations, Voyager 2 is currently traveling outward faster than the heliopause is advancing, which means that the spacecraft should soon cross the boundary perhaps even thisyear to become Earths second interstellar messenger.CitationHaruichi Washimi et al 2017 ApJL 846 L9. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa8556

  1. Host location behavior of Cotesia plutellae Kurdjumov (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in ambient and moderately elevated ozone in field conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pinto, D.M.; Himanen, S.J.; Nissinen, A.; Nerg, A.-M.; Holopainen, J.K.

    2008-01-01

    In field O 3 -enrichment experiments increased herbivore densities have been reported, which could be due to negatively affected host location behavior of natural enemies. We addressed the impact of doubling background O 3 on the host location of the parasitoid Cotesia plutellae by conducting 24-h trials in an open-air O 3 -fumigation system during two consecutive years. Two circles (radii 1.40 and 4.00 m) of Plutella xylostella-infested potted cabbage plants were placed in the O 3 and ambient plots. Female wasps were released into each plot from the center, and observed 5 times over a 24-h period to assess their host location capability. Thereafter, plants were kept in laboratory conditions until larvae pupation to determine parasitism rates. No significant differences were detected between ambient and O 3 -enriched environments either in the number of wasps found in the field, or in the percentages of parasitized larvae. This suggests that moderately elevated O 3 will not affect the behavior of this parasitoid. - Atmospheric ozone increases do not directly affect the biological control of the cabbage pest, Plutella xylostella

  2. Host location behavior of Cotesia plutellae Kurdjumov (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in ambient and moderately elevated ozone in field conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pinto, D.M. [Department of Environmental Science, University of Kuopio, PO Box 1627, FIN-70211 Kuopio (Finland)], E-mail: delia.pinto@uku.fi; Himanen, S.J. [Department of Environmental Science, University of Kuopio, PO Box 1627, FIN-70211 Kuopio (Finland); Nissinen, A. [Department of Environmental Science, University of Kuopio, PO Box 1627, FIN-70211 Kuopio (Finland); Agrifood Research Finland, Plant Protection, FIN-31600 Jokioinen (Finland); Nerg, A.-M.; Holopainen, J.K. [Department of Environmental Science, University of Kuopio, PO Box 1627, FIN-70211 Kuopio (Finland)

    2008-11-15

    In field O{sub 3}-enrichment experiments increased herbivore densities have been reported, which could be due to negatively affected host location behavior of natural enemies. We addressed the impact of doubling background O{sub 3} on the host location of the parasitoid Cotesia plutellae by conducting 24-h trials in an open-air O{sub 3}-fumigation system during two consecutive years. Two circles (radii 1.40 and 4.00 m) of Plutella xylostella-infested potted cabbage plants were placed in the O{sub 3} and ambient plots. Female wasps were released into each plot from the center, and observed 5 times over a 24-h period to assess their host location capability. Thereafter, plants were kept in laboratory conditions until larvae pupation to determine parasitism rates. No significant differences were detected between ambient and O{sub 3}-enriched environments either in the number of wasps found in the field, or in the percentages of parasitized larvae. This suggests that moderately elevated O{sub 3} will not affect the behavior of this parasitoid. - Atmospheric ozone increases do not directly affect the biological control of the cabbage pest, Plutella xylostella.

  3. Collateral variations in circle of willis in atherosclerotic population assessed by means of transcranial color-coded duplex ultrasonography

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoksbergen, A. W.; Legemate, D. A.; Ubbink, D. T.; Jacobs, M. J.

    2000-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Transcranial color-coded duplex ultrasonography combined with common carotid artery (CCA) compression can be used to assess the collateral function of the circle of Willis. The aim of this study was to assess the unknown fraction of hemodynamic functional anterior and

  4. Circle Hough transform implementation for dots recognition in braille cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacinto Gómez, Edwar; Montiel Ariza, Holman; Martínez Sarmiento, Fredy Hernán.

    2017-02-01

    This paper shows a technique based on CHT (Circle Hough Transform) to achieve the optical Braille recognition (OBR). Unlike other papers developed around the same topic, this one is made by using Hough Transform to process the recognition and transcription of Braille cells, proving CHT to be an appropriate technique to go over different non-systematics factors who can affect the process, as the paper type where the text to traduce is placed, some lightning factors, input image resolution and some flaws derived from the capture process, which is realized using a scanner. Tests are performed with a local database using text generated by visual nondisabled people and some transcripts by sightless people; all of this with the support of National Institute for Blind People (INCI for their Spanish acronym) placed in Colombia.

  5. Rapid screening for human-pathogenic Mucorales using rolling circle amplification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dolatabadi, S; Najafzadeh, M J; de Hoog, G S

    2014-12-01

    Mucormycosis has emerged as a relatively common severe mycosis in patients with haematological and allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Source of transmission is from unidentified sources in the environment. Early diagnosis of infection and its source of contamination are paramount for rapid and appropriate therapy. In this study, rolling circle amplification (RCA) is introduced as a sensitive, specific and reproducible isothermal DNA amplification technique for rapid molecular identification of six of the most virulent species (Rhizopus microsporus, R. arrhizus var. arrhizus, R. arrhizus var. delemar, Mucor irregularis, Mucor circinelloides, Lichtheimia ramosa, Lichtheimia corymbifera). DNAs of target species were successfully amplified, with no cross reactivity between species. RCA can be considered as a rapid detection method with high specificity and sensitivity, suitable for large screening. © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  6. End of the line to build a circle

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    The installation of the cryogenic distribution line in the LHC tunnel is finally finished! All the sectors have undergone pressure and helium leak tests at room temperature, and one complete sector was cold tested in cryogenic conditions. Some of the QRL team in UJ22 of the LHC tunnel, where the last sector of the cryogenic distribution line was installed.It must have been a joyous moment in UJ22 of the LHC tunnel (near Point 2, Saint Genis Pouilly) on 19 October. This was where the last external weld of the cryogenic distribution line, also known as QRL, was made, thus completing the full distribution ring. The QRL is a circle built in 8 sectors, each approximately 3 km in length. It will circulate helium in liquid and gas phases, at different temperatures and pressures, to provide the cryogenic conditions for the superconducting magnets in the LHC tunnel. The last sector installed (sector 1-2) passed the pressure and helium leak tests at room temperature on 28 October. As part of the warm test, each sector...

  7. Mobility CLM and the Facebook – Are Circle Marketers in India missing a Trick or Two?

    OpenAIRE

    Ghosh, Pramit

    2018-01-01

    The game is all about revenue. Or so, the honchos at the top would have us believe. And yet, come the last two weeks of every month, the conversations revolve around GROSS acquisitions. How many customers did you get in? The acquisition, more than anything else, dominates circle discourse, ignoring innovation in Customer Lifecycle Management (CLM) that can enhance revenue.

  8. Peer support of a faculty "writers' circle" increases confidence and productivity in generating scholarship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandon, Catherine; Jamadar, David; Girish, Gandikota; Dong, Qian; Morag, Yoav; Mullan, Patricia

    2015-04-01

    Publishing is critical for academic medicine career advancement. Rejection of manuscripts can be demoralizing. Obstacles faced by clinical faculty may include lack of time, confidence, and optimal writing practices. This study describes the development and evaluation of a peer-writing group, informed by theory and research on faculty development and writing. Five clinical-track radiology faculty members formed a "Writers' Circle" to promote scholarly productivity and reflection on writing practices. Members decided to work with previously rejected manuscripts. After members' initial meeting, interactions were informal, face to face during clinical work, and online. After the first 6 months, an anonymous survey asked members about the status of articles and evaluations of the writing group. Ten previously rejected articles, at least one from each member, were submitted to the Circle. In 6 months, four manuscripts were accepted for publication, five were in active revision, and one was withdrawn. All participants (100%) characterized the program as worth their time, increasing their motivation to write, their opportunities to support scholarly productivity of colleagues, and their confidence in generating scholarship. Peer-support writing groups can facilitate the pooling of expertise and the exchange of recommended writing practices. Our peer-support group increased scholarly productivity and provided a collegial approach to academic writing. Copyright © 2015 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Comparison of two different methods for the uncertainty estimation of circle diameter measurements using an optical coordinate measuring machine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Morace, Renata Erica; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard; De Chiffre, Leonardo

    2005-01-01

    This paper deals with the uncertainty estimation of measurements performed on optical coordinate measuring machines (CMMs). Two different methods were used to assess the uncertainty of circle diameter measurements using an optical CMM: the sensitivity analysis developing an uncertainty budget...

  10. Target locations in visual field and character recognition by students of Chinese.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yuan-Ho; Hsu, Sheng-Hsiung

    2003-02-01

    The potential influence of target location in a visual field on search should be considered in layouts of control panels and advertisements. This investigation was done to verify the assumption that the upper-left portion of a page or its equivalent naturally attracts the attention of the viewer. Exp. 1 used a tachistoscope to test which of eight Chinese characters first attracted the attention of viewers. The eight Chinese characters are arranged in a square and a circular configuration. In the square layout, a large square (18 cm x 18 cm) was first conceptually subdivided into nine equal parts (6 cm x 6 cm). Then, the eight Chinese characters were put in the center of each part, leaving the central part blank. In the circular layout, the same Chinese characters were symmetrically placed on the conceptual circumference (r = 6 cm) of a circle within a large square. Exp. 2 was a paper-and-pencil test. An embedded-fault-character-search was used to examine the location of the first faulty character discovered by the subjects. 60 college students and 36 schoolchildren were selected as subjects for the tachistoscopic experiment and paper-and-pencil test. Finally, five graduate students participated in Exp. 3 in which an eye camera registered subjects' eye movements to measured distribution of durations of looking over eight locations. The measurements indicated a slight predominance of the upper-left portion for college students and graduate students, and a slight predominance of the upper-right portion for schoolchildren.

  11. Population dynamics of weeds in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) circle weeding area affected by herbicide application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sidik, S.; Purba, E.; Yakub, E. N.

    2018-02-01

    Weed problems in oil palm field were mainly overcomed by herbicide application. The application certain herbicides may lead to rapid population dynamic of certain species due to their different response to herbicides. Some species may less susceptible to certain herbicide whereas other species more susceptible. The objective of this study was to determine the population dynamic of weed species in circle weeding of oil palm in Serdang Bedagai, North Sumatra. Six treatments using glyphosate singly and mixture compared with manual weeding were evaluated for weed control. The treatments were arranged in a randomized block design with four replicates. Each treatment consisted of four circle weedings. The results showed that glyphosate 720 g a.i/ha + indaziflam 50 g a.i/hareduced seedbank and regrowth of weeds. Up to 12 weeks after application glyphosate 720 g a.i/ha + indaziflam 50 g a.i/ha is 29.46% total weeds dry weight compared to manual weeding. The effect of herbicide application on changes on the weed composition and weed seedbank are affected by the characteristic of herbicides and weed response to herbicide application.

  12. 77 FR 7620 - In the Matter of Gravity Capital Partners, LLC, 6400 S. Fiddlers Green Circle, Suite 1900...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-13

    ... the Matter of Gravity Capital Partners, LLC, 6400 S. Fiddlers Green Circle, Suite 1900, Greenwood... existence, is not engaged in business as an investment adviser, or is prohibited from registering as an... principal office and place of business and has assets under management between $25 million and $100 million...

  13. Three-dimensional orientation and location-dependent varying rules of radiographic angles of the acetabular cup.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jing-Xin; Su, Xiu-Yun; Zhao, Zhe; Xiao, Ruo-Xiu; Zhang, Li-Cheng; Tang, Pei-Fu

    2018-02-17

    The aim of this study is to demonstrate the varying rules of radiographic angles following varying three-dimensional (3D) orientations and locations of cup using an accurate mathematical model. A cone model is established to address the quantitative relationship between the opening circle of cup and its ellipse projection on radiograph. The varying rules of two-dimensional (2D) radiographic anteversion (RA) and inclination (RI) angles can be analyzed. When the centre of cup is located above X-ray source, with proper 3D RI/RA angles, 2D RA angle can be equal to its 3D counterpart, and 2D RI angle is usually greater than its 3D counterpart. Except for the original point on hip-centered anterior-posterior radiograph, there is no area on radiograph where both 2D RA and RI angles are equal to their 3D counterparts simultaneously. This study proposes an innovative model for accurately explaining how 2D RA/RI angles of cup are varying following different 3D RA/RI angles and location of cup. The analysis results provide clinicians an intuitive grasp of knowledge about 2D RA/RI angles greater or smaller than their 3D counterparts post-operatively. The established model may allow determining the effects of pelvic rotations on 2D radiographic angles of cup.

  14. Specific functions of the Rep and Rep' proteins of porcine circovirus during copy-release and rolling-circle DNA replication

    Science.gov (United States)

    The roles of two porcine circovirus replication initiator proteins, Rep and Rep', in generating copy-release and rolling-circle DNA replication intermediates were determined. Rep uses the supercoiled closed-circular genome (ccc) to initiate leading-strand synthesis (identical to copy-release replica...

  15. The Students’ Scientific Circle in Pediatric Dentistry as a Form of Students’ Research Work at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry of Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University

    OpenAIRE

    Kostiuk, I. R.

    2014-01-01

    Participation in the activity of scientific circle is one of the forms of students’ research work. The leader should  not only interpret the science and serve as a data carrier, but he should be able to organize systemic individual activity of the future scientists. Constant active search for opportunities to improve the quality of educational process in order to train highly qualified dental specialists is conducted according to the credit-module system. As scientific circle is one of the mo...

  16. Variations and Anomalies of the circle of Willis in Korean: Cerebral digital subtraction angiogram studies in 200 case

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Ouk; Chung, Gyoo Sik; Kim, So Sun; Huh, Jin Do; Kim, Ho Joon; Joh, Young Duk

    1989-01-01

    In order to evaluate the variations of the circle of Willis in Korean population, digital subtraction angiograms in 200 cases were retrospectively analyzed. There was non-visualization of the anterior communicating artery and the posterior communicating artery in 41 cases and this was the most common type 4 vessel cerebral angiogram (20.5%). Unilateral or bilateral non-visualization of the posterior communicating artery was noted in 40 case (20%). The fetal origin of the posterior cerebral artery from the internal carotid artery was seen in 22 cases (11%). In 20 out of 22 cases, there were non-visualization of either the anterior communicating or posterior communicating artery. Visualization of the anterior communicating artery was noted in 102 cases (51%) and of the posterior communicating artery in 87 cases (43.5%). Hypoplasia of the anterior cerebral artery was noted in 24 cases (12%). Non- visualization of the anterior communicating artery or unilateral posterior communicating artery is noted in 16 cases (8%). Non- visualization of the anterior communicating artery was seen in 14 cases (7%). The most common type in appearance of the basilar artery variation was straight type (Type 1: 51%) and the bifurcation of the basilar artery was most commonly located above the posterior clinoid process of the dorsum sellae (58%) on vertebral angiogram

  17. Feasibility studies of the anti pp→π circle e+e- electromagnetic channel at anti PANDA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boucher, Jerome

    2011-01-01

    Among all possible realizations of quark and antiquark assembly, the nucleon (the proton and the neutron) is the most stable of all hadrons and consequently has been the subject of intensive studies. Mass, shape, radius and more complex representations of its internal structure are measured since several decades using different probes. The proton (spin 1/2) is described by the electric G E and magnetic G M form factors which characterise its internal structure. The simplest way to measure the proton form factors consists in measuring the angular distribution of the electron-proton elastic scattering accessing the so-called Space-Like region where q 2 ≤0. Using the crossed channel anti pp e + e - , one accesses another kinematical region, the so-called Time-Like region where q 2 >0. However, due to the anti pp e + e - threshold q 2 th , only the kinematical domain q 2 >q 2 th > 0 is available. To access the unphysical region, one may use the anti pp→π circle e + e - reaction where the π circle takes away a part of the system energy allowing q 2 to be varied between q 2 th and almost 0. This thesis aims to show the feasibility of such measurements with the anti PANDA detector which will be installed on the new high intensity antiproton ring at the FAIR facility at Darmstadt. To describe the anti pp → π circle e + e - reaction, a Lagrangian based approach is developed. The 5-fold differential cross section is determined and related to linear combinations of hadronic tensors. Under the assumption of one nucleon exchange, the hadronic tensors are expressed in terms of the 2 complex proton electromagnetic form factors. An extraction method which provides an access to the proton electromagnetic form factor ratio R= vertical stroke G E vertical stroke / vertical stroke G M vertical stroke and for the first time in an unpolarized experiment to the cosine of the phase difference is developed. Such measurements have never been performed in the unphysical region up to

  18. The Classroom-Kitchen Table Connection: The Effects of Political Discussion on Youth Knowledge and Efficacy. CIRCLE Working Paper #72

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vercellotti, Tim; Matto, Elizabeth C.

    2010-01-01

    CIRCLE Working Paper #72 addresses whether efforts to systematically incorporate media into school curricula increases several elements of civic engagement, including students' media use, political knowledge or their sense of being able to understand and influence politics (internal political efficacy). In "The Classroom-Kitchen Table…

  19. CLASSIFICATION AND COMPUTER SIMULATION OF CONSTRUCTIVE PROBLEM IN THE PLANE GEOMETRY: METHOD OF CIRCLES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivan H. Lenchuk

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Presented article concerns construction problems in plane geometry. Solved the problem of the formation of students' stereotypes efficient, economical in time visual representation of algorithms for solving problems on the modern computer screens. Used universal author’s method of fragmented typing tasks on the method of circles. Allocated rod-type problem with its subsequent filling with ingredients. Previously developed educational software (partially, GeoGebra ensure optimal realization of the construction. Their dynamic characteristics and constructive capabilities - quality visual- shaped stages of "evidence" and "research".

  20. Experiences in reconciling risk management and restorative justice: how circles of support and accountability work restoratively in the risk society.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hannem, Stacey

    2013-03-01

    Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) is a restorative justice-based model that originated in Canada in the mid-1990s for the postincarceration reintegration of those who have offended sexually. Although the roots of COSA are in restorative justice philosophy, the program has also found favour, to some degree, with organisations such as police services and corrections that are traditionally concerned more with protecting community safety than with the ideals of restorative justice. Informed by the author's research and personal experience as a COSA volunteer, and analysis of recent and historical representations of COSA, this article explores theoretically how the development of the COSA initiative has been influenced by the seemingly disparate concerns of both the restorative justice and community protection movements, and examines the importance of balancing these paradigms in the everyday practices of circles.

  1. Diurnal and annual variations of meteor rates at the arctic circle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Singer

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Meteors are an important source for (a the metal atoms of the upper atmosphere metal layers and (b for condensation nuclei, the existence of which are a prerequisite for the formation of noctilucent cloud particles in the polar mesopause region. For a better understanding of these phenomena, it would be helpful to know accurately the annual and diurnal variations of meteor rates. So far, these rates have been little studied at polar latitudes. Therefore we have used the 33 MHz meteor radar of the ALOMAR observatory at 69° N to measure the meteor rates at this location for two full annual cycles. This site, being within 3° of the Arctic circle, offers in addition an interesting capability: The axis of its antenna field points (almost towards the North ecliptic pole once each day of the year. In this particular viewing direction, the radar monitors the meteoroid influx from (almost the entire ecliptic Northern hemisphere. We report on the observed diurnal variations (averaged over one month of meteor rates and their significant alterations throughout the year. The ratio of maximum over minimum meteor rates throughout one diurnal cycle is in January and February about 5, from April through December 2.3±0.3. If compared with similar measurements at mid-latitudes, our expectation, that the amplitude of the diurnal variation is to decrease towards the North pole, is not really borne out. Observations with the antenna axis pointing towards the North ecliptic pole showed that the rate of deposition of meteoric dust is substantially larger during the Arctic NLC season than the annual mean deposition rate. The daylight meteor showers of the Arietids, Zeta Perseids, and Beta Taurids supposedly contribute considerably to the June maximum of meteor rates. We note, though, that with the radar antenna pointing as described above, all three meteor radiants are close to the local horizon but all three radiants were detected.

  2. Factorizable S-matrix for SO(D)/SO(2) circle times SO(D - 2) non-linear σ models with fermions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdalla, E.; Lima-Santos, A.

    1988-01-01

    The authors compute the exact S matrix for the non-linear sigma model with symmetry SO(D)/SO(2) circle times SO(D-2) coupled to fermions in a minimal or supersymmetric way. The model has some relevance in string theory with non-zero external curvature

  3. From Fragments to a museum display: restoration of a Gautier meridian circle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granato, Marcus

    2009-07-01

    The Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins (MAST), which opened to the public in 1985, is a research institute of the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology. One of its main activities is to preserve its collections, especially the most important one, its collection of scientific instruments, which grants MAST its identity as a museum of science and technology. Among the 2,000 objects in the collection there is a Gautier meridian circle that has a 190-mm diameter objective lens and a focal distance of 2,400 mm, with its axis aligned east-west. It should be noted that this instrument was at great risk of being lost to the collection, as it had been left dismantled since the 1960s, and the top part of the dome that sheltered it had been demolished in the 1980s, leaving just a vestibule and the base of the dome, which was in danger of completely collapsing. The intervention philosophy applied was not to put the instrument back in working order, but to allow it to be viewed and understood by the public within a coherent display space. As for the dome, a shelter was built for the instrument using a metal cover of a similar volume and appearance to the original, but with a different function, i.e. it is no longer designed to permit astronomical investigations, but rather to protect the exhibition space and merge harmoniously with the rest of the listed architectural complex. This paper presents information about the history of this meridian circle and its restoration, as well as about the Imperial Observatório do Rio de Janeiro/Observatório Nacional where this instrument was originally used.

  4. The "Dot in Circle" Sign on MRI in Maduramycosis: A Characteristic Finding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vikash Jain

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Mycetoma or Maduramycosis is a localized chronic suppurative infection characterized by exuberant granulation tissue, discharging sinuses, and bone involvement later in the course of the disease. Early clinical diagnosis before the appearance of sinuses and grains (aggregates of organism surrounded by granulation tissue, which are discharged from the draining sinuses is difficult. Delay in diagnosis may lead to amputation of the affected part. Definitive diagnosis is through biopsy and microbiological examination. However, at times diagnosis may still be difficult. The recently described "dot in circle" sign on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI is easy to recognize and highly specific. We present a case of mycetoma foot with characteristic MRI features.

  5. On the N=1{sup ∗} gauge theory on a circle and elliptic integrable systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bourget, Antoine; Troost, Jan [Laboratoire de Physique Théorique, Ecole Normale Supérieure,24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris (France)

    2016-01-18

    We continue our study of the N=1{sup ∗} supersymmetric gauge theory on ℝ{sup 2,1}×S{sup 1} and its relation to elliptic integrable systems. Upon compactification on a circle, we show that the semi-classical analysis of the massless and massive vacua depends on the classification of nilpotent orbits, as well as on the conjugacy classes of the component group of their centralizer. We demonstrate that semi-classically massless vacua can be lifted by Wilson lines in unbroken discrete gauge groups. The pseudo-Levi subalgebras that play a classifying role in the nilpotent orbit theory are also key in defining generalized Inozemtsev limits of (twisted) elliptic integrable systems. We illustrate our analysis in the N=1{sup ∗} theories with gauge algebras su(3), su(4), so(5) and for the exceptional gauge algebra G{sub 2}. We map out modular duality diagrams of the massive and massless vacua. Moreover, we provide an analytic description of the branches of massless vacua in the case of the su(3) and the so(5) theory. The description of these branches in terms of the complexified Wilson lines on the circle invokes the Eichler-Zagier technique for inverting the elliptic Weierstrass function. After fine-tuning the coupling to elliptic points of order three, we identify the Argyres-Douglas singularities of the su(3)N=1{sup ∗} theory.

  6. Mutation of Rubie, a novel long non-coding RNA located upstream of Bmp4, causes vestibular malformation in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristina A Roberts

    Full Text Available The vestibular apparatus of the vertebrate inner ear uses three fluid-filled semicircular canals to sense angular acceleration of the head. Malformation of these canals disrupts the sense of balance and frequently causes circling behavior in mice. The Epistatic circler (Ecl is a complex mutant derived from wildtype SWR/J and C57L/J mice. Ecl circling has been shown to result from the epistatic interaction of an SWR-derived locus on chromosome 14 and a C57L-derived locus on chromosome 4, but the causative genes have not been previously identified.We developed a mouse chromosome substitution strain (CSS-14 that carries an SWR/J chromosome 14 on a C57BL/10J genetic background and, like Ecl, exhibits circling behavior due to lateral semicircular canal malformation. We utilized CSS-14 to identify the chromosome 14 Ecl gene by positional cloning. Our candidate interval is located upstream of bone morphogenetic protein 4 (Bmp4 and contains an inner ear-specific, long non-coding RNA that we have designated Rubie (RNA upstream of Bmp4 expressed in inner ear. Rubie is spliced and polyadenylated, and is expressed in developing semicircular canals. However, we discovered that the SWR/J allele of Rubie is disrupted by an intronic endogenous retrovirus that causes aberrant splicing and premature polyadenylation of the transcript. Rubie lies in the conserved gene desert upstream of Bmp4, within a region previously shown to be important for inner ear expression of Bmp4. We found that the expression patterns of Bmp4 and Rubie are nearly identical in developing inner ears.Based on these results and previous studies showing that Bmp4 is essential for proper vestibular development, we propose that Rubie is the gene mutated in Ecl mice, that it is involved in regulating inner ear expression of Bmp4, and that aberrant Bmp4 expression contributes to the Ecl phenotype.

  7. A Novel Volume CT With X-Ray on a Trough-Like Surface and Point Detectors on Circle-Plus-Arc Curve

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Xu, H

    2001-01-01

    A novel imaging mode of cone-beam volume CT is proposed in this paper. It adopts a raster scanning x-ray source on a trough-like surface, and a group of point detectors distributing on a large circle plus an orthogonal arc...

  8. Safety, dose optimisation and security: the quadrature of the circle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hardeman, Frank; Vermeersch, Fernand [Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK.CEN), Boeretang 200, BE-2400 Mol (Belgium)

    2010-07-01

    The growing concern for potential terrorist acts has lead to a number of new ideas about storing radiological and nuclear materials that are not always compatible with existing practices or infrastructures. This is valid in routine circumstances, but especially poses problems in case of accidents. As such, the management of nuclear safety, radiological protection and security within an evolving world such as a nuclear research centre sometimes looks like implementing the quadrature of the circle. International guidance exists, but is not always easily converted into an adequate policy comprehensible to all levels in a plant, from management to the work floor. Some examples. 1. infrastructure related problems: from a security point of view, fuels are better stored in the heart of a protected zone, while in case of criticality, fire... a more peripheral location is appropriate. 2. Safety related problems: Protection infrastructure may lead to difficulties of evacuation in case of emergencies; access limitations may be a burden in the management of safety interventions, maintenance... 3. Administrative contradictions: inventories of fuel storages and high active sealed sources are a cornerstone of inspections and verifications; yet, this information is a treasure for terrorists aiming at actions to obtain special materials. 4. Dose management: measures taken to secure sources may lead to a dose increase (e.g. labelling of old sources). However, the main difficulty is related to the 'cultural' aspect. There are synergies between safety culture, 'ALARA' culture and security culture. An individual aspect of desirable behaviour (e.g. questioning attitude), complemented with an organisational dimension (e.g. training, raising awareness) are obviously common. The objective is also in line: to avoid reduction of well-being of people, to protect the environment, to prevent damage to facilities. The main difficulties arise however because of the fundamental

  9. Safety, dose optimisation and security: the quadrature of the circle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hardeman, Frank; Vermeersch, Fernand

    2010-01-01

    The growing concern for potential terrorist acts has lead to a number of new ideas about storing radiological and nuclear materials that are not always compatible with existing practices or infrastructures. This is valid in routine circumstances, but especially poses problems in case of accidents. As such, the management of nuclear safety, radiological protection and security within an evolving world such as a nuclear research centre sometimes looks like implementing the quadrature of the circle. International guidance exists, but is not always easily converted into an adequate policy comprehensible to all levels in a plant, from management to the work floor. Some examples. 1. infrastructure related problems: from a security point of view, fuels are better stored in the heart of a protected zone, while in case of criticality, fire... a more peripheral location is appropriate. 2. Safety related problems: Protection infrastructure may lead to difficulties of evacuation in case of emergencies; access limitations may be a burden in the management of safety interventions, maintenance... 3. Administrative contradictions: inventories of fuel storages and high active sealed sources are a cornerstone of inspections and verifications; yet, this information is a treasure for terrorists aiming at actions to obtain special materials. 4. Dose management: measures taken to secure sources may lead to a dose increase (e.g. labelling of old sources). However, the main difficulty is related to the 'cultural' aspect. There are synergies between safety culture, 'ALARA' culture and security culture. An individual aspect of desirable behaviour (e.g. questioning attitude), complemented with an organisational dimension (e.g. training, raising awareness) are obviously common. The objective is also in line: to avoid reduction of well-being of people, to protect the environment, to prevent damage to facilities. The main difficulties arise however because of the fundamental differences being

  10. The fascination for the circle. Commentary on the paragraphs 13, 14 and 15 of The birth of tragedy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julián Santos Guerrero

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The article tries to fix the attention on the functioning of the figure of the circle inside the thought of the young Nietzsche of The birth of tragedy.  At the same time, in it there is a thesis about the origin of the fascination that the above mentioned figure exercises in the Nietzschean text

  11. Hidden Curriculum: An Analysis of Cultural Content of the ELT Textbooks in Inner, Outer, and Expanding Circle Countries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rashidi, Naser; Meihami, Hussein

    2016-01-01

    Despite the great body of work examining the cultural content of the international and local ELT textbooks, the cultural content and elements of the ELT textbooks in the inner, outer, and expanding circle countries have seldom been reported. That said, the purpose of this study was twofold: first, it was aimed to investigate the cultural content…

  12. A novel electrochemical sensing strategy for rapid and ultrasensitive detection of Salmonella by rolling circle amplification and DNA–AuNPs probe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhu, Dan; Yan, Yurong; Lei, Pinhua; Shen, Bo [Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); Cheng, Wei [Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); The Center for Clinical Molecular Medical detection, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); Ju, Huangxian [Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China); State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Department of Chemistry, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Ding, Shijia, E-mail: dingshijia@163.com [Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016 (China)

    2014-10-10

    A novel electrochemical sensing strategy was developed for ultrasensitive and rapid detection of Salmonella by combining the rolling circle amplification with DNA–AuNPs probe. - Highlights: • This paper presented a novel sensing strategy for the rapid and ultrasensitive detection for Salmonella. • Combination of rolling circle amplification and DNA–AuNPs probe is the first time for Salmonella electrochemical detection. • The method displayed excellent sensitivity and specificity for detection of Salmonella. • The fabricated biosensor was successfully applied to detect Salmonella in milk samples. - Abstract: A novel electrochemical sensing strategy was developed for ultrasensitive and rapid detection of Salmonella by combining the rolling circle amplification with DNA–AuNPs probe. The target DNA could be specifically captured by probe 1 on the sensing interface. Then the circularization mixture was added to form a typical sandwich structure. In the presence of dNTPs and phi29 DNA polymerase, the RCA was initiated to produce micrometer-long single-strand DNA. Finally, the detection probe (DNA–AuNPs) could recognize RCA product to produce enzymatic electrochemical signal. Under optimal conditions, the calibration curve of synthetic target DNA had good linearity from 10 aM to 10 pM with a detection limit of 6.76 aM (S/N = 3). The developed method had been successfully applied to detect Salmonella as low as 6 CFU mL{sup −1} in real milk sample. This proposed strategy showed great potential for clinical diagnosis, food safety and environmental monitoring.

  13. A novel electrochemical sensing strategy for rapid and ultrasensitive detection of Salmonella by rolling circle amplification and DNA–AuNPs probe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Dan; Yan, Yurong; Lei, Pinhua; Shen, Bo; Cheng, Wei; Ju, Huangxian; Ding, Shijia

    2014-01-01

    A novel electrochemical sensing strategy was developed for ultrasensitive and rapid detection of Salmonella by combining the rolling circle amplification with DNA–AuNPs probe. - Highlights: • This paper presented a novel sensing strategy for the rapid and ultrasensitive detection for Salmonella. • Combination of rolling circle amplification and DNA–AuNPs probe is the first time for Salmonella electrochemical detection. • The method displayed excellent sensitivity and specificity for detection of Salmonella. • The fabricated biosensor was successfully applied to detect Salmonella in milk samples. - Abstract: A novel electrochemical sensing strategy was developed for ultrasensitive and rapid detection of Salmonella by combining the rolling circle amplification with DNA–AuNPs probe. The target DNA could be specifically captured by probe 1 on the sensing interface. Then the circularization mixture was added to form a typical sandwich structure. In the presence of dNTPs and phi29 DNA polymerase, the RCA was initiated to produce micrometer-long single-strand DNA. Finally, the detection probe (DNA–AuNPs) could recognize RCA product to produce enzymatic electrochemical signal. Under optimal conditions, the calibration curve of synthetic target DNA had good linearity from 10 aM to 10 pM with a detection limit of 6.76 aM (S/N = 3). The developed method had been successfully applied to detect Salmonella as low as 6 CFU mL −1 in real milk sample. This proposed strategy showed great potential for clinical diagnosis, food safety and environmental monitoring

  14. The arterial circle of Willis of the mouse helps to decipher secrets of cerebral vascular accidents in the human.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okuyama, Shinichi; Okuyama, Jun; Okuyama, Junko; Tamatsu, Yuichi; Shimada, Kazuyuki; Hoshi, Hajime; Iwai, Junichi

    2004-01-01

    The human brain represents an elaborate product of hominizing evolution. Likewise, its supporting vasculature may also embody evolutionary consequences. Thus, it is conceivable that the human tendency to develop cerebral vascular accidents (CVAs) might represent a disease of hominization. In a search for hominizing changes on the arterial circle of Willis (hWAC), we attempted an anatomical comparison of the hWAC with that of the mouse (mWAC) by injecting aliquots of resin into the vasculature of the mouse and then creating vascular endocasts of the mWAC. The internal carotid artery of the mouse (mICA) unites with the mWAC midway between the middle cerebral artery (mMCA) and posterior cerebral artery (mPCA). The mWAC does not complete a circle: the mWAC nourishes the anterior portion of the circle which branches out to the olfactory artery (OlfA) and mPCA, along with the mMCA, and the basilar artery (mBA) does not connect to the mPCA. The OlfA is thicker than the mMCA. The relative brain weight of the mouse was 74 g on average for a 60 kg male and 86 g for a 60 kg female, respectively, as compared with 1424 g for a 60 kg man. These findings are consistent with the mouse being a nocturnal carnivore that lives on olfactory information in contrast to the human that lives diurnally and depends on visual and auditory information. In man, the human ICA (hICA) unites with the hWAC at a point where the human middle cerebral artery (hMCA) branches out, and thus, blood from the hICA does not flow through the hWAC but drains into the hMCA directly. The hMCA is thicker than the anterior cerebral artery. The hPCA receives blood from the hBA rather than from the hICA, and thus, the entire hWAC forms a closed circuit. Since the hICA drains directly into the hMCA without flowing a distance through the hWAC, the capacitor and equalizer functions of the WAC will be mitigated so much that the resultant hemodynamic changes would render the hMCA more likely to contribute to CVAs. Thus

  15. Robust optic alignment in a tilt-free implementation of the Rowland circle spectrometer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mortensen, Devon R., E-mail: devon@easyxafs.com [Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1560 (United States); easyXAFS, LLC, Seattle, WA 98122 (United States); Seidler, Gerald T., E-mail: seidler@uw.edu [Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1560 (United States)

    2017-02-15

    Highlights: • A Rowland circle spectrometer using spherically-bend crystal analyzers can be constructed and operated without the use of a two-axis tilt for analyzer alignment. • The resulting instrument allows immediate exchange of fully-tuned optics after a single, initial alignment. • This improvement will help enable the expansion of high-resolution x-ray expansion spectroscopy outside of synchrotron light sources. - Abstract: High-resolution x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) has recently been demonstrated in the laboratory setting, achieving nearly synchrotron-level count rates despite the use of only conventional x-ray tube sources. This development holds high potential for expanding the reach of x-ray spectroscopies beyond the specialist community of synchrotron users, but comes with its own unique technical challenges for instrument performance and also, just as importantly, for ease of use by non-experts in x-ray science. Here, we address spectrometer design and operations in the context of the imperfect parallelness between the desired crystal plane and the wafer surface in spherically bent crystal analyser (SBCAs), an effect usually called “wafer miscut”. This introduces an ambiguous re-focusing error that typically requires a motorized two-axis tilt stage for fine alignment of the SBCA optic onto the ideal Rowland circle configuration. We instead demonstrate an asymmetric Rowland geometry that eliminates all need for motorized fine-tilt adjustment. We find rapid, extremely reproducible re-insertion of any aligned SBCA, i.e., without the need for any subsequent reoptimization. These improvements strongly benefit the ease of use of laboratory based spectrometers, taking them an important step closer to the level of turnkey operations needed for wide adoption outside of the existing specialist community.

  16. Training of students’ special endurance in ping pong sport circles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V.M. Grinko

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Urpose: to test experimentally influence of aerobic trainings (cross country training and basic aerobic on students’ special endurance in sport oriented groups (sport circles, ping pong. Material: 106 first year students (n=53 - control group and n=53 - experimental participated in experiment. For determination of temporal series’ trends R-S analysis was used. Prognostication of mistakes’ quantity per one set was fulfilled with the help of exponential smoothing method. Results: it was shown that exponential smoothing method permits to prognosticate by one set ahead with rather high accuracy. As initial predictor we found mean quantity of mistakes in all sets. It permits to average all internal and external factors, which influence on the next predicting indicators. Such approach increases confidence of mistakes’ calculation in prognostication. Criteria of prognostication methodic for possible indicators’ values were also determined. Conclusions: the recommended time distribution in program is as follows: ping pong - 75%; cross country training and basic aerobic - 25%.

  17. Analytically Sensitive Protein Detection in Microtiter Plates by Proximity Ligation with Rolling Circle Amplification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebai, Tonge; Souza de Oliveira, Felipe Marques; Löf, Liza; Wik, Lotta; Schweiger, Caroline; Larsson, Anders; Keilholtz, Ulrich; Haybaeck, Johannes; Landegren, Ulf; Kamali-Moghaddam, Masood

    2017-09-01

    Detecting proteins at low concentrations in plasma is crucial for early diagnosis. Current techniques in clinical routine, such as sandwich ELISA, provide sensitive protein detection because of a dependence on target recognition by pairs of antibodies, but detection of still lower protein concentrations is often called for. Proximity ligation assay with rolling circle amplification (PLARCA) is a modified proximity ligation assay (PLA) for analytically specific and sensitive protein detection via binding of target proteins by 3 antibodies, and signal amplification via rolling circle amplification (RCA) in microtiter wells, easily adapted to instrumentation in use in hospitals. Proteins captured by immobilized antibodies were detected using a pair of oligonucleotide-conjugated antibodies. Upon target recognition these PLA probes guided oligonucleotide ligation, followed by amplification via RCA of circular DNA strands that formed in the reaction. The RCA products were detected by horseradish peroxidase-labeled oligonucleotides to generate colorimetric reaction products with readout in an absorbance microplate reader. We compared detection of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-8, p53, and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) by PLARCA and conventional sandwich ELISA or immuno-RCA. PLARCA detected lower concentrations of proteins and exhibited a broader dynamic range compared to ELISA and iRCA using the same antibodies. IL-4 and IL-6 were detected in clinical samples at femtomolar concentrations, considerably lower than for ELISA. PLARCA offers detection of lower protein levels and increased dynamic ranges compared to ELISA. The PLARCA procedure may be adapted to routine instrumentation available in hospitals and research laboratories. © 2017 American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

  18. A rolling circle replication mechanism produces multimeric lariats of mitochondrial DNA in Caenorhabditis elegans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samantha C Lewis

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA encodes respiratory complex subunits essential to almost all eukaryotes; hence respiratory competence requires faithful duplication of this molecule. However, the mechanism(s of its synthesis remain hotly debated. Here we have developed Caenorhabditis elegans as a convenient animal model for the study of metazoan mtDNA synthesis. We demonstrate that C. elegans mtDNA replicates exclusively by a phage-like mechanism, in which multimeric molecules are synthesized from a circular template. In contrast to previous mammalian studies, we found that mtDNA synthesis in the C. elegans gonad produces branched-circular lariat structures with multimeric DNA tails; we were able to detect multimers up to four mtDNA genome unit lengths. Further, we did not detect elongation from a displacement-loop or analogue of 7S DNA, suggesting a clear difference from human mtDNA in regard to the site(s of replication initiation. We also identified cruciform mtDNA species that are sensitive to cleavage by the resolvase RusA; we suggest these four-way junctions may have a role in concatemer-to-monomer resolution. Overall these results indicate that mtDNA synthesis in C. elegans does not conform to any previously documented metazoan mtDNA replication mechanism, but instead are strongly suggestive of rolling circle replication, as employed by bacteriophages. As several components of the metazoan mitochondrial DNA replisome are likely phage-derived, these findings raise the possibility that the rolling circle mtDNA replication mechanism may be ancestral among metazoans.

  19. Developing a medication communication framework across continuums of care using the Circle of Care Modeling approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background Medication errors are a common type of preventable errors in health care causing unnecessary patient harm, hospitalization, and even fatality. Improving communication between providers and between providers and patients is a key aspect of decreasing medication errors and improving patient safety. Medication management requires extensive collaboration and communication across roles and care settings, which can reduce (or contribute to) medication-related errors. Medication management involves key recurrent activities (determine need, prescribe, dispense, administer, and monitor/evaluate) with information communicated within and between each. Despite its importance, there is a lack of conceptual models that explore medication communication specifically across roles and settings. This research seeks to address that gap. Methods The Circle of Care Modeling (CCM) approach was used to build a model of medication communication activities across the circle of care. CCM positions the patient in the centre of his or her own healthcare system; providers and other roles are then modeled around the patient as a web of relationships. Recurrent medication communication activities were mapped to the medication management framework. The research occurred in three iterations, to test and revise the model: Iteration 1 consisted of a literature review and internal team discussion, Iteration 2 consisted of interviews, observation, and a discussion group at a Community Health Centre, and Iteration 3 consisted of interviews and a discussion group in the larger community. Results Each iteration provided further detail to the Circle of Care medication communication model. Specific medication communication activities were mapped along each communication pathway between roles and to the medication management framework. We could not map all medication communication activities to the medication management framework; we added Coordinate as a separate and distinct recurrent activity

  20. Developing a medication communication framework across continuums of care using the Circle of Care Modeling approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitson, Nicole A; Price, Morgan; Lau, Francis Y; Showler, Grey

    2013-10-17

    Medication errors are a common type of preventable errors in health care causing unnecessary patient harm, hospitalization, and even fatality. Improving communication between providers and between providers and patients is a key aspect of decreasing medication errors and improving patient safety. Medication management requires extensive collaboration and communication across roles and care settings, which can reduce (or contribute to) medication-related errors. Medication management involves key recurrent activities (determine need, prescribe, dispense, administer, and monitor/evaluate) with information communicated within and between each. Despite its importance, there is a lack of conceptual models that explore medication communication specifically across roles and settings. This research seeks to address that gap. The Circle of Care Modeling (CCM) approach was used to build a model of medication communication activities across the circle of care. CCM positions the patient in the centre of his or her own healthcare system; providers and other roles are then modeled around the patient as a web of relationships. Recurrent medication communication activities were mapped to the medication management framework. The research occurred in three iterations, to test and revise the model: Iteration 1 consisted of a literature review and internal team discussion, Iteration 2 consisted of interviews, observation, and a discussion group at a Community Health Centre, and Iteration 3 consisted of interviews and a discussion group in the larger community. Each iteration provided further detail to the Circle of Care medication communication model. Specific medication communication activities were mapped along each communication pathway between roles and to the medication management framework. We could not map all medication communication activities to the medication management framework; we added Coordinate as a separate and distinct recurrent activity. We saw many examples of

  1. Iris unwrapping using the Bresenham circle algorithm for real-time iris recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carothers, Matthew T.; Ngo, Hau T.; Rakvic, Ryan N.; Broussard, Randy P.

    2015-02-01

    An efficient parallel architecture design for the iris unwrapping process in a real-time iris recognition system using the Bresenham Circle Algorithm is presented in this paper. Based on the characteristics of the model parameters this algorithm was chosen over the widely used polar conversion technique as the iris unwrapping model. The architecture design is parallelized to increase the throughput of the system and is suitable for processing an inputted image size of 320 × 240 pixels in real-time using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology. Quartus software is used to implement, verify, and analyze the design's performance using the VHSIC Hardware Description Language. The system's predicted processing time is faster than the modern iris unwrapping technique used today∗.

  2. Location, location, location

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Anderson, S.P.; Goeree, J.K.; Ramer, R.

    1997-01-01

    We analyze the canonical location-then-price duopoly game with general log- concave consumer densities. A unique pure-strategy equilibrium to the two-stage game exists if the density is not "too asymmetric" and not "too concave." These criteria are satisfied by many commonly used densities.

  3. Modeling the Circle of Willis Using Electrical Analogy Method under both Normal and Pathological Circumstances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdi, Mohsen; Karimi, Alireza; Navidbakhsh, Mahdi; Rahmati, Mohammadali; Hassani, Kamran; Razmkon, Ali

    2013-01-01

    Background and objective: The circle of Willis (COW) supports adequate blood supply to the brain. The cardiovascular system, in the current study, is modeled using an equivalent electronic system focusing on the COW. Methods: In our previous study we used 42 compartments to model whole cardiovascular system. In the current study, nevertheless, we extended our model by using 63 compartments to model whole CS. Each cardiovascular artery is modeled using electrical elements, including resistor, capacitor, and inductor. The MATLAB Simulink software is used to obtain the left and right ventricles pressure as well as pressure distribution at efferent arteries of the circle of Willis. Firstly, the normal operation of the system is shown and then the stenosis of cerebral arteries is induced in the circuit and, consequently, the effects are studied. Results: In the normal condition, the difference between pressure distribution of right and left efferent arteries (left and right ACA–A2, left and right MCA, left and right PCA–P2) is calculated to indicate the effect of anatomical difference between left and right sides of supplying arteries of the COW. In stenosis cases, the effect of internal carotid artery occlusion on efferent arteries pressure is investigated. The modeling results are verified by comparing to the clinical observation reported in the literature. Conclusion: We believe the presented model is a useful tool for representing the normal operation of the cardiovascular system and study of the pathologies. PMID:25505747

  4. A Peculiarly Cerebroid Convex Zygo-Dodecahedron is an Axiomatically Balanced “House of Blues”: The Circle of Fifths to the Circle of Willis to Cadherin Cadenzas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David A. Becker

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available A bilaterally symmetrical convex dodecahedron consisting of twelve quadrilateral faces is derived from the icosahedron via a process akin to Fuller’s Jitterbug Transformation. The unusual zygomorphic dodecahedron so obtained is shown to harbor a bilaterally symmetrical jazz/blues harmonic code on its twelve faces that is related to such fundamental music theoretical constructs as the Circle of Fifths and Euler’s tonnetz. Curiously, the patterning within the aforementioned zygo-dodecahedron is discernibly similar to that observed in a ventral view of the human brain. Moreover, this same pattern is arguably evident during development of the embryonic pharynx. A possible role for the featured zygo-dodecahedron in cephalogenesis is considered. Recent studies concerning type II cadherins, an important class of proteins that promote cell adhesion, have generated data that is demonstrated to conform to this zygo-dodecahedral brain model in a substantially congruous manner.

  5. [Child protection network and the intersector implementation of the circle of security as alternatives to medication].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becker, Ana Laura Martins M M; de Souza, Paulo Haddad; de Oliveira, Mônica Martins; Paraguay, Nestor Luiz Bruzzi B

    2014-09-01

    To describe the clinical history of a child with aggressive behavior and recurring death-theme speech, and report the experience of the team of authors, who proposed an alternative to medication through the establishment of a protection network and the inter-sector implementation of the circle of security concept. A 5-year-old child has a violent and aggressive behavior at the day-care. The child was diagnosed by the healthcare center with depressive disorder and behavioral disorder, and was medicated with sertraline and risperidone. Side effects were observed, and the medications were discontinued. Despite several actions, such as talks, teamwork, psychological and psychiatric follow-up, the child's behavior remained unchanged. A unique therapeutic project was developed by Universidade Estadual de Campinas' Medical School students in order to establish a connection between the entities responsible for the child's care (daycare center, healthcare center, and family). Thus, the team was able to develop a basic care protection network. The implementation of the inter-sector circle of security, as well as the communication and cooperation among the teams, produced very favorable results in this case. This initiative was shown to be a feasible and effective alternative to the use of medication for this child. Copyright © 2014 Sociedade de Pediatria de São Paulo. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  6. The Heidelberg circle: German inflections on the professionalization of Russian chemistry in the 1860s.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordin, Michael D

    2008-01-01

    The success of the "second importation" of science to Russia during the Great Reforms of the 1860s is illustrated by examining the extended postdoctoral study of chemists in Heidelberg. While there, they adapted the Russian intelligentsia institution of the "circle," or kruzhok, to cope with their alienation from the German culture they were confronting. Upon their return to Russia, they felt the lack of the communicative network they had established while abroad and reimported the kruzhok to serve as a central model for the formation of the Russian Chemical Society in 1868.

  7. Comparison of WATCH and IPN Locations of Gamma-Ray Bursts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hurley, K.; Lund, Niels; Brandt, Søren

    1994-01-01

    The WATCH all sky monitors aboard the Granat and EURECA spacecraft have the capability of independently localizing gamma‐ray bursts to error circles whose 3 sigma radii are 1 degree or less. These are the most accurate single‐experiment localizations currently achievable. In those cases where bot...

  8. Using Quality Circles to Enhance Student Involvement and Course Quality in a Large Undergraduate Food Science and Human Nutrition Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, S. J.; Parmer, M. S.; Bohn, D. M.

    2005-01-01

    Large undergraduate classes are a challenge to manage, to engage, and to assess, yet such formidable classes can flourish when student participation is facilitated. One method of generating authentic student involvement is implementation of quality circles by means of a Student Feedback Committee (SFC), which is a volunteer problem-solving and…

  9. Radio-location of mobile stations in third generation networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milan Manojle Šunjevarić

    2013-06-01

    direction, if specified by a direction on an object, (b circle, if determined by measuring the distance of an object, or (c a hyperbola, if the difference is determined by measuring the distance between two objects. In cellular networks, the location of mobile stations can be estimated roughly by proximity sensing methods and methods based on an evaluation of the characteristics of base stations (fingerprinting. Basic characteristics of the UMTS standard The radio network controller (RNC has three different roles and is therefore known as: Controlling RNC (CRNC, Serving RNC (SRNC and Drifting RNC (DRNC. The Local Measurement Unit (LMU performs radio measurements (measuring the delay of signals from base stations to the LMU and forwards the data to the CRNC. The main location functions are performed within the Serving RNC which can operate in two modes: RNC central and central SAS (Standalone SMLC. The RNC in the RNC central mode controls the flow of requirements for the localization, chooses the method of localization, provides information as necessary and, finally, estimates the location of the user. The SAS mode performs the procedures based on the requirements of the service radio network controller (SRNC. The SAS executes the global location (Global Navigation Satellite System and location on the uplink, based on measuring the time difference U-TDoA (Uplink - Time Difference of Arrival. Methods of locating the MS in a UMTS network In the UMTS network, depending on the used network infrastructure,  both the station and network-based method can be used, i.e. determining the MS location can be performed on the MS or on the network side. In UMTS networks, the following methods can be used: methods based on measurements in the time domain (time-based, methods based on measurements of a received power level (Received Signal Strength - RSS, methods based on measuring the angle under which the signal arrives to the receiving antenna and methods based on the global location

  10. Uranium hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance of the Circle NTMS quadrangle, Alaska. National Uranium Resource Evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'Andrea, R.F. Jr.; Zinkl, R.J.; Hardy, L.C.

    1982-08-01

    This report presents results of a Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) of the Circle NTMS quadrangle, Alaska. In addition to this abbreviated data release, more complete data are available to the public in machine-readable form. These machine-readable data, as well as quarterly or semiannual program progress reports containing further information on the HSSR program in general, or on the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) portion of the program in particular are available from DOE's Technical Library at its Grand Junction Area Office. Presented in this data release are location data, field analyses, and laboratory analyses of several different sample media. For the sake of brevity, many field site observations have not been included in this volume; these data are, however, available on the magnetic tape. Appendices A and B describe the sample media and summarize the analytical results for each medium. The data have been subdivided by one of the Los Alamos National Laboratory sorting programs of Zinkl and others (1981a) into groups of stream-sediment and lake-sediment samples. For each group which contains a sufficient number of observations, statistical tables, tables of raw data, and 1:1,000,000 scale maps of pertinent elements have been included in this report. Also included are maps showing results of multivariate statistical analyses. Information on the field and analytical procedures used by the Los Alamos National Laboratory during sample collection and analysis may be found in any HSSR data release prepared by the Laboratory and will not be included in this report

  11. Kastor-Traschen black holes, null geodesics and conformal circles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Casey, Stephen

    2012-01-01

    The Kastor-Traschen metric is a time-dependent solution of the Einstein-Maxwell equations with positive cosmological constant Λ which can be used to describe an arbitrary number of charged dynamical black holes. In this paper, we consider the null geodesic structure of this solution, in particular, focusing on the projection to the space of orbits of the timelike conformal retraction. It is found that these projected light rays arise as integral curves of a system of third-order ordinary differential equations. This system is not uniquely defined, however, and we use the inherent freedom to construct a new system whose integral curves coincide with the projection of distinguished null curves of Kastor-Traschen arising from a magnetic flow. We discuss our results in the one-centre case and demonstrate a link to conformal circles in the limit Λ → 0. We also show how to construct analytic expressions for the projected null geodesics of this metric by exploiting a well-known diffeomorphism between the K-T metric and extremal Reissner-Nordstrom-de Sitter. We make some remarks about the two-centre solution and demonstrate a link with the one-centre case. (paper)

  12. The stochastic dance of circling sperm cells: sperm chemotaxis in the plane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Friedrich, B M; Juelicher, F [Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Noethnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden (Germany)], E-mail: ben@pks.mpg.de, E-mail: julicher@pks.mpg.de

    2008-12-15

    Biological systems such as single cells must function in the presence of fluctuations. It has been shown in a two-dimensional experimental setup that sea urchin sperm cells move toward a source of chemoattractant along planar trochoidal swimming paths, i.e. drifting circles. In these experiments, a pronounced variability of the swimming paths is observed. We present a theoretical description of sperm chemotaxis in two dimensions which takes fluctuations into account. We derive a coarse-grained theory of stochastic sperm swimming paths in a concentration field of chemoattractant. Fluctuations enter as multiplicative noise in the equations for the sperm swimming path. We discuss the stochastic properties of sperm swimming and predict a concentration-dependence of the effective diffusion constant of sperm swimming which could be tested in experiments.

  13. The stochastic dance of circling sperm cells: sperm chemotaxis in the plane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friedrich, B M; Juelicher, F

    2008-01-01

    Biological systems such as single cells must function in the presence of fluctuations. It has been shown in a two-dimensional experimental setup that sea urchin sperm cells move toward a source of chemoattractant along planar trochoidal swimming paths, i.e. drifting circles. In these experiments, a pronounced variability of the swimming paths is observed. We present a theoretical description of sperm chemotaxis in two dimensions which takes fluctuations into account. We derive a coarse-grained theory of stochastic sperm swimming paths in a concentration field of chemoattractant. Fluctuations enter as multiplicative noise in the equations for the sperm swimming path. We discuss the stochastic properties of sperm swimming and predict a concentration-dependence of the effective diffusion constant of sperm swimming which could be tested in experiments.

  14. Measurement of the neutron intensity data using the HANARO four circle diffractometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jin Ho; Lee, Chang Hee; Seong, Baek Seok; Lee, Jeong Soo; Shim, Hae Seop; Hong, Kwang Pyo; Song, Su Ho; Suh, Il Hwan

    1999-04-01

    As the four circle diffractometer(FCD) has been set up in HANARO, it has become possible to study single crystal structures by means of the neutron diffraction. By introducing the constitution and characteristics of FCD, it has been shown that the feature of neutron diffraction experiment are different from that of X-ray or electronic beam. Besides we have explained the processes of determining experimental information in order to acquire intensity data and constructed the experimental system based on geometry of the FCD. As the computer programme performing all experimental processes automatically has been installed and the accuracy of experimental processes were confirmed by KCl single crystal experiment, the original experimental system for single crystal experiments and analyses by the neutron diffraction method using FCD has been established. (Author). 12 refs., 2 tabs., 11 figs

  15. The nine-year sustained cost-containment impact of swiss pilot physicians-pharmacists quality circles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niquille, Anne; Ruggli, Martine; Buchmann, Michel; Jordan, Dominique; Bugnon, Olivier

    2010-04-01

    Six pioneer physicians-pharmacists quality circles (PPQCs) located in the Swiss canton of Fribourg (administratively corresponding to a state in the US) were under the responsibility of 6 trained community pharmacists moderating the prescribing process of 24 general practitioners (GPs). PPQCs are based on a multifaceted collaborative process mediated by community pharmacists for improving compliance with clinical guidelines within GPs' prescribing practices. To assess, over a 9-year period (1999-2007), the cost-containment impact of the PPQCs. The key elements of PPQCs are a structured continuous quality improvement and education process; local networking; feedback of comparative and detailed data regarding costs, drug choice, and frequency of prescribed drugs; and structured independent literature review for interdisciplinary continuing education. The data are issued from the community pharmacy invoices to the health insurance companies. The study analyzed the cost-containment impact of the PPQCs in comparison with GPs working in similar conditions of care without particular collaboration with pharmacists, the percentage of generic prescriptions for specific cardiovascular drug classes, and the percentage of drug costs or units prescribed for specific cardiovascular drugs. For the 9-year period, there was a 42% decrease in the drug costs in the PPQC group as compared to the control group, representing a $225,000 (USD) savings per GP only in 2007. These results are explained by better compliance with clinical and pharmacovigilance guidelines, larger distribution of generic drugs, a more balanced attitude toward marketing strategies, and interdisciplinary continuing education on the rational use of drugs. The PPQC work process has yielded sustainable results, such as significant cost savings, higher penetration of generics and reflection on patient safety, and the place of "new" drugs in therapy. The PPQCs may also constitute a solid basis for implementing more

  16. The vicious circle of patient-physician mistrust in China: health professionals' perspectives, institutional conflict of interest, and building trust through medical professionalism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nie, Jing-Bao; Cheng, Yu; Zou, Xiang; Gong, Ni; Tucker, Joseph D; Wong, Bonnie; Kleinman, Arthur

    2018-03-01

    To investigate the phenomenon of patient-physician mistrust in China, a qualitative study involving 107 physicians, nurses and health officials in Guangdong Province, southern China, was conducted through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. In this paper we report the key findings of the empirical study and argue for the essential role of medical professionalism in rebuilding patient-physician trust. Health professionals are trapped in a vicious circle of mistrust. Mistrust (particularly physicians' distrust of patients and their relatives) leads to increased levels of fear and self-protection by doctors which exacerbate difficulties in communication; in turn, this increases physician workloads, adding to a strong sense of injustice and victimization. These factors produce poorer healthcare outcomes and increasingly discontented and angry patients, escalate conflicts and disputes, and result in negative media coverage, all these ultimately contributing to even greater levels of mistrust. The vicious circle indicates not only the crisis of patient-physician relationship but the crisis of medicine as a profession and institution. Underlying the circle is the inherent conflict of interest in the healthcare system by which health professionals and hospitals have become profit-driven. This institutional conflict of interest seriously compromises the fundamental principle of medical professionalism-the primacy of patient welfare-as well as the traditional Chinese ideal of "medicine as the art of humanity". Patient trust can be restored through rectifying this institutional conflict of interest and promoting medical professionalism via a series of recommended practical measures. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. An experimental investigation of the hemodynamic variations due to aplastic vessels within three-dimensional phantom models of the Circle of Willis.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Fahy, Paul

    2013-09-10

    A complete circle of Willis (CoW) is found in approximately 30-50% of the population. Anatomical variations, such as absent or surgically clamped vessels, can result in undesirable flow patterns. These can affect the brain\\'s ability to maintain cerebral perfusion and the formation of cerebral aneurysms. An experimental test system was developed to simulate cerebral physiological conditions through three flexible 3D patient-specific models of complete and incomplete CoW geometries. Flow visualizations were performed with isobaric dyes and the mapped dye streamlines were tracked throughout the models. Three to seven flow impact locations were observed for all configurations, corresponding to known sites for aneurysmal formation. Uni and bi-directional cross-flows occurred along the communicating arteries. The greatest shunting of flow occurred for a missing pre-communicating anterior (A1) and posterior (P1) cerebral arteries. The anterior cerebral arteries had the greatest reduction (15-37%) in efferent flow rates for missing either a unilateral A1 or bilateral P1 segments. The bi-directional cross-flows, with multiple afferent flow mixing, observed along the communicating arteries may explain the propensity of aneurysm formation at these sites. Reductions in efferent flow rates due to aplastic vessel configurations may affect normal brain function.

  18. Anomaly cancelation in field theory and F-theory on a circle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grimm, Thomas W.; Kapfer, Andreas

    2016-01-01

    We study the manifestation of local gauge anomalies of four- and six-dimensional field theories in the lower-dimensional Kaluza-Klein theory obtained after circle compactification. We identify a convenient set of transformations acting on the whole tower of massless and massive states and investigate their action on the low-energy effective theories in the Coulomb branch. The maps employ higher-dimensional large gauge transformations and precisely yield the anomaly cancelation conditions when acting on the one-loop induced Chern-Simons terms in the three- and five-dimensional effective theory. The arising symmetries are argued to play a key role in the study of the M-theory to F-theory limit on Calabi-Yau manifolds. For example, using the fact that all fully resolved F-theory geometries inducing multiple Abelian gauge groups or non-Abelian groups admit a certain set of symmetries, we are able to generally show the cancelation of pure Abelian or pure non-Abelian anomalies in these models.

  19. Circle-16QAM for a zero-guard-interval CO-OFDM system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Lingyu; Yang, Aiying; Guo, Peng; Lu, Yueming; Qiao, Yaojun

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we introduce circle 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (C-16QAM) modulation format in a high spectral efficiency zero-guard-interval (ZGI) coherent optical (CO) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system. At transmitter, the C-16QAM has advantages over the conventional square 16QAM in terms of transmission distance and tolerance to laser linewidth and fiber nonlinearities. ZGI CO-OFDM enables to take away the cyclic prefix (CP), so it has the benefit of higher spectral efficiency compared with the conventional CO-OFDM system. At receiver, in order to compensate chromatic dispersion (CD) and phase noise in a single channel ZGI CO-OFDM system, we studied the overlapped frequency domain equalizer (OFDE) and two carrier phase recovery (CPR) algorithms. We simulate the above systems and the results demonstrate that with the C-16QAM, a 28GBaud ZGI CO-OFDM system can have the longer transmission distance, the higher tolerance to laser linewidth and fiber nonlinearities with contrast to the conventional square 16QAM.

  20. Stand up, sit down, keep moving: turning circles in physical activity research?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, W J; Bauman, A E; Owen, N

    2009-02-01

    This review tracks the evidence and associated recommendations and guidelines for optimal levels of physical activity for health benefit. In the 1950s, early epidemiological studies focused on the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality associated with sitting at work. The period from the mid-seventies to the turn of the century saw an initial focus on the health benefits of vigorous exercise give way to mounting evidence for the benefits of moderate-intensity physical activity. As daily energy expenditure in most domains of human activity (travel, domestic and occupational work, and leisure) continues to decline, early 21st century researchers are starting to turn full circle, with a rekindling of interest in the health effects of sedentary behaviour at work, and indeed in the balance between activity and sedentariness in all aspects of daily life.

  1. Uzņēmumu "Circle K", "Neste" un "Virši-A" lojalitātes programmas un to novērtējums

    OpenAIRE

    Stabrovska, Viktorija

    2017-01-01

    Bakalaura darba tēma ir „Uzņēmumu "Circle K", "Neste" un "Virši-A" lojalitātes programmas un to novērtējums”. Darba mēr is ir veikt uzņēmuma «Circle K», “Neste” un «Virši-A» komunikācijas analīzi par lojalitātes programmām un klientu vērtējumu par uzņēmumu veiktajām klientu lojalitātes veicināšanas aktivitātēm. Darbs sastāv no trīs da ām: teorētiskās, metodolo iskās un empīriskās da as. Darba teorētiskājā da ā izmantota literatūra par zīmolu, mārketingu, mārketinga kompleksu, mārketinga komun...

  2. Primer Extension Mutagenesis Powered by Selective Rolling Circle Amplification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huovinen, Tuomas; Brockmann, Eeva-Christine; Akter, Sultana; Perez-Gamarra, Susan; Ylä-Pelto, Jani; Liu, Yuan; Lamminmäki, Urpo

    2012-01-01

    Primer extension mutagenesis is a popular tool to create libraries for in vitro evolution experiments. Here we describe a further improvement of the method described by T.A. Kunkel using uracil-containing single-stranded DNA as the template for the primer extension by additional uracil-DNA glycosylase treatment and rolling circle amplification (RCA) steps. It is shown that removal of uracil bases from the template leads to selective amplification of the nascently synthesized circular DNA strand carrying the desired mutations by phi29 DNA polymerase. Selective RCA (sRCA) of the DNA heteroduplex formed in Kunkel's mutagenesis increases the mutagenesis efficiency from 50% close to 100% and the number of transformants 300-fold without notable diversity bias. We also observed that both the mutated and the wild-type DNA were present in at least one third of the cells transformed directly with Kunkel's heteroduplex. In contrast, the cells transformed with sRCA product contained only mutated DNA. In sRCA, the complex cell-based selection for the mutant strand is replaced with the more controllable enzyme-based selection and less DNA is needed for library creation. Construction of a gene library of ten billion members is demonstrated with the described method with 240 nanograms of DNA as starting material. PMID:22355397

  3. The Wigner semi-circle law in quantum electro dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Accardi, L.; Nagoya Univ.; Lu, Y.G.; Nagoya Univ.

    1996-01-01

    In the present paper, the basic ideas of the stochastic limit of quantum theory are applied to quantum electro-dynamics. This naturally leads to the study of a new type of quantum stochastic calculus on a Hilbert module. Our main result is that in the weak coupling limit of a system composed of a free particle (electron, atom,..) interacting, via the minimal coupling, with the quantum electromagnetic field, a new type of quantum noise arises, living on a Hilbert module rather than a Hilbert space. Moreover we prove that the vacuum distribution of the limiting field operator is not Gaussian, as usual, but a nonlinear deformation of the Wigner semi-circle law. A third new object arising from the present theory, is the so-called interacting Fock space. A kind of Fock space in which the n quanta, in the n-particle space, are not independent, but interact. The origin of all these new features is that we do not introduce the dipole approximation, but we keep the exponential response term, coupling the electron to the quantum electromagnetic field. This produces a nonlinear interaction among all the modes of the limit master field (quantum noise) whose explicit expression, that we find, can be considered as a nonlinear generalization of the Fermi golden rule. (orig.)

  4. Circles of Tobacco Wisdom: learning about traditional and commercial tobacco with Native elders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nadeau, Melanie; Blake, Norby; Poupart, John; Rhodes, Kristine; Forster, Jean L

    2012-11-01

    Circles of Tobacco Wisdom (CTW) was an elder-led, community-based project that aimed to enhance tobacco control in the American Indian community. Its goal was to provide elders with the knowledge, opportunities, and support to enable them to assume leadership of a tobacco control movement that was grounded in the ceremonial traditions of tobacco use. The purpose of this study was to test the effects of the pilot intervention on participants. The design of this pilot study intervention was a single group, pre-post comparison, with a pre-post survey, monthly check-ins, and a post-1-year focus group. Twelve elders were included in the pre- and post-analyses. All twelve elders were women who self-identified as American Indian (mean age = 64). The CTW elders participated in monthly talking circles, quarterly learning sessions, and a post-1-year focus group, and took part in other learning, support, and community action opportunities. Data were collected from December 2008 through November 2009 and analyzed throughout the process. American Indian Elders' tobacco-related knowledge, perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors were measured while participating in the CTW project. Knowledge, perceptions, beliefs, and behavior changes were seen with cigarette smoking, secondhand smoke, and ceremonial tobacco use and risk perception. After 6 months, the number of people the elders had talked with about tobacco increased, elders were more likely to have a discussion on tobacco at a community event, and their comfort level talking about commercial and traditional tobacco also increased. A number of themes also were identified in the focus group: feeling more comfortable talking about tobacco issues, learning a lot about traditional and commercial tobacco, and realizing the dangers of smoking. Elders increased their knowledge about commercial and traditional tobacco and changed related attitudes as a result of CTW. Further, American Indian Elders perceived that CTW was effective

  5. Squaring the Circle of the Karenin Family: On the Associative Potential of the Main Character’s Two Names in the Novel by Leo Tolstoy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anatoly A. Fomin

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The article analyzes the associative potential of the family names Karenina (Каренина and Oblonskaya (Облонская both belonging to the main character of the famous novel. In the text, the two co-referential names form some correlated series of associations (Karenina – carré – square; Oblonskaya – облый – round, each name being a sign for a group of meanings symbolically linked with a square or a circle and reinforcing the semantic potential of each other. The author shows that the juxtapositions and the oppositions of the abovementioned meanings relying on the traditional opposition of squares and circles in culture are used by Tolstoy as an important means to deepen the imaginative and conceptual aspects of the novel.

  6. Location, Location, Location: Does Place Provide the Opportunity for Differentiation for Universities?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winter, Emma; Thompson-Whiteside, Helen

    2017-01-01

    The fiercely competitive HE market has led HEIs to invest significant resources in building a distinct identity. An HEI's location forms an inherent part of its identity and the uniqueness of location offers an opportunity to differentiate. However there has been limited examination of how location is used by HEIs and little consideration of how…

  7. Matrix biorthogonal polynomials on the unit circle and non-Abelian Ablowitz-Ladik hierarchy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cafasso, Mattia

    2009-01-01

    Adler and van Moerbeke (2001 Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 54 153-205) described a reduction of the 2D-Toda hierarchy called the Toeplitz lattice. This hierarchy turns out to be equivalent to the one originally described by Ablowitz and Ladik (1975 J. Math. Phys. 16 598-603) using semidiscrete zero- curvature equations. In this paper, we obtain the original semidiscrete zero-curvature equations starting directly from the Toeplitz lattice and we generalize these computations to the matrix case. This generalization leads us to the semidiscrete zero-curvature equations for the non-Abelian (or multicomponent) version of the Ablowitz-Ladik equations (Gerdzhikov and Ivanov 1982 Theor. Math. Phys. 52 676-85). In this way, we extend the link between biorthogonal polynomials on the unit circle and the Ablowitz-Ladik hierarchy to the matrix case.

  8. The National Shipbuilding Research Program. Proceedings of the IREAPS Technical Symposium. Paper No. 20: The Utility of Quality Circles and Productivity Teams in U.S. Shipbuilding

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Harper, Stephen E

    1982-01-01

    .... The average return on investment for quality circles is 6 to 1. QC's are a simple, but effective, technique for problem solving which involves employees and increases motivation, communication, and productivity...

  9. Estimation and tracking of AP-diameter of the inferior vena cava in ultrasound images using a novel active circle algorithm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karami, Ebrahim; Shehata, Mohamed S; Smith, Andrew

    2018-05-04

    Medical research suggests that the anterior-posterior (AP)-diameter of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and its associated temporal variation as imaged by bedside ultrasound is useful in guiding fluid resuscitation of the critically-ill patient. Unfortunately, indistinct edges and gaps in vessel walls are frequently present which impede accurate estimation of the IVC AP-diameter for both human operators and segmentation algorithms. The majority of research involving use of the IVC to guide fluid resuscitation involves manual measurement of the maximum and minimum AP-diameter as it varies over time. This effort proposes using a time-varying circle fitted inside the typically ellipsoid IVC as an efficient, consistent and novel approach to tracking and approximating the AP-diameter even in the context of poor image quality. In this active-circle algorithm, a novel evolution functional is proposed and shown to be a useful tool for ultrasound image processing. The proposed algorithm is compared with an expert manual measurement, and state-of-the-art relevant algorithms. It is shown that the algorithm outperforms other techniques and performs very close to manual measurement. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Defective balancing ability and hyperactivity in the CLX (circling behavior linked to the X-chromosome) mutant rat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuji, Jun-ichiro; Tanabe, Hiroyuki; Fukuda, Ryo; Ooshima, Yojiro

    2003-12-01

    We have reported that the recently described circling behavior rat (CLX) is a hereditary mutant controlled by a single sex-linked recessive gene (gene symbol: clx). This mutant shows intermittent circle walking and/or running and head tossing with the neck twisted. The abnormal behavior begins to appear around weaning and continues throughout life. In the present study, behavioral tests were performed during the suckling and post-weaning periods and when the rats reached maturity, and the following peculiar abnormalities were revealed: (1) in the righting reflex test, the CLX young show a tendency to take a longer time to revert to normal posture; (2) in the negative geotaxis test, they had difficulty moving upward at 12 days of age; (3) in the air righting reflex test, they frequently fell on their backs or shoulders even after weaning; (4) almost none of the CLX rats showed nystagmus, which is invariably observed in normal rats after rotating stimulation, at 20 weeks of age; and (5) they showed hyperactivity in the open field test at the age of 5 or 6 weeks and a higher degree of locomotor activity in the home cage at the age of 7 and 15 weeks. These results suggest that CLX mutant rats may have some defect in vestibular function (balance sense) or abnormalities in an area of the central nervous system responsible for posture control, e.g., in the dopaminergic or GABAergic neurons.

  11. The Heisenberg-Weyl algebra on the circle and a related quantum mechanical model for hindered rotation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kouri, Donald J; Markovich, Thomas; Maxwell, Nicholas; Bodmann, Bernhard G

    2009-07-02

    We discuss a periodic variant of the Heisenberg-Weyl algebra, associated with the group of translations and modulations on the circle. Our study of uncertainty minimizers leads to a periodic version of canonical coherent states. Unlike the canonical, Cartesian case, there are states for which the uncertainty product associated with the generators of the algebra vanishes. Next, we explore the supersymmetric (SUSY) quantum mechanical setting for the uncertainty-minimizing states and interpret them as leading to a family of "hindered rotors". Finally, we present a standard quantum mechanical treatment of one of these hindered rotor systems, including numerically generated eigenstates and energies.

  12. Usefulness of 2D PC MRA of the circle of willis in the evaluation of acute cerebral infarction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, Oh Han; Lee, Jae Hee; Kim, Ki Ju; Lee, Sung Yong [Our Lady of Mercy Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Kyu Ho [The Catholic Univ. of Korea, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1999-11-01

    To evaluate the usefulness of axial 2-D PC MRA of the circle of Willis in the evaluation of acute cerebral infarction We evaluated 42 patients with acute cerebral infarction who had undergone T2-weighted and diffusion weighted MR imaging (T2WI, DWI) and 2-D PC MRA of the circle of Willis within 72 hours of the onset of symptoms. In conjunction with high-signal lesions on DWI, the findings of 2-D PC MRA were classified as normal, stenotic, or indicative of arterial occlusion;negative 2-D PC MRA was not considered useful. In addition, the signal intensity of T2WI and DWI was compared. (The findings of 2-D PC MRA showed that 15 cases(35.7%) were normal, 13(31%) were stenotic, and that in 14 (33.3%), occlusion was present). Thus, 2-D PC MRA detected vascular abnormality in 27 cases(64.3%). On T2WI, six cases (14.3%) showed no signal change and 36(85.7%) showed high signal change. In six cases without signal change, MR images were obtained within 12 hours of ictus;in one of these patients MRA findings were normal, one had stenosis, and in four, occlusion was noted. 2-D PC MRA is a useful modality for the detection of vascular abnormality in patients with acute cerebral infarct.

  13. "Let the Circle be Unbroken" helps African-Americans prevent teen pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okwumabua, T M; Okwumabua, J O; Elliott, V

    1998-01-01

    Strategies must be developed to address the high rate of adolescent pregnancy among Blacks in the US and the adverse consequences of premature parenting. A number of programs and strategies have been developed and are being implemented in various sites across the US. The "Let the Circle Be Unbroken: Rites of Passage" program is an effort to incorporate an Afrocentric conceptual model into a prevention program. It involves adapting socialization processes often observed in African cultures, which openly acknowledge the need to formally help adolescents during their transition from childhood to adulthood. That socialization process tends to be a cultural experience which requires that ideology, education, training, and culture be taught before an activity or celebration marking the successful transition from one stage of development to another. The "Rites of Passage" approach follows these basic premises to teach adolescents the knowledge and skills needed to become responsible community members and spiritually mature adults. It is specifically designed to help young people build self-esteem; enhance self-image; develop leadership skills, cultural awareness, and appreciation; and make healthy, productive, and self-affirming life choices.

  14. Bounds on the distribution of the number of gaps when circles and lines are covered by fragments: Theory and practical application to genomic and metagenomic projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marchesi Julian R

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The question of how a circle or line segment becomes covered when random arcs are marked off has arisen repeatedly in bioinformatics. The number of uncovered gaps is of particular interest. Approximate distributions for the number of gaps have been given in the literature, one motivation being ease of computation. Error bounds for these approximate distributions have not been given. Results We give bounds on the probability distribution of the number of gaps when a circle is covered by fragments of fixed size. The absolute error in the approximation is typically on the order of 0.1% at 10× coverage depth. The method can be applied to coverage problems on the interval, including edge effects, and applications are given to metagenomic libraries and shotgun sequencing.

  15. Effects of computing parameters and measurement locations on the estimation of 3D NPS in non-stationary MDCT images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miéville, Frédéric A; Bolard, Gregory; Bulling, Shelley; Gudinchet, François; Bochud, François O; Verdun, François R

    2013-11-01

    The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of computing parameters and the location of volumes of interest (VOI) on the calculation of 3D noise power spectrum (NPS) in order to determine an optimal set of computing parameters and propose a robust method for evaluating the noise properties of imaging systems. Noise stationarity in noise volumes acquired with a water phantom on a 128-MDCT and a 320-MDCT scanner were analyzed in the spatial domain in order to define locally stationary VOIs. The influence of the computing parameters in the 3D NPS measurement: the sampling distances bx,y,z and the VOI lengths Lx,y,z, the number of VOIs NVOI and the structured noise were investigated to minimize measurement errors. The effect of the VOI locations on the NPS was also investigated. Results showed that the noise (standard deviation) varies more in the r-direction (phantom radius) than z-direction plane. A 25 × 25 × 40 mm(3) VOI associated with DFOV = 200 mm (Lx,y,z = 64, bx,y = 0.391 mm with 512 × 512 matrix) and a first-order detrending method to reduce structured noise led to an accurate NPS estimation. NPS estimated from off centered small VOIs had a directional dependency contrary to NPS obtained from large VOIs located in the center of the volume or from small VOIs located on a concentric circle. This showed that the VOI size and location play a major role in the determination of NPS when images are not stationary. This study emphasizes the need for consistent measurement methods to assess and compare image quality in CT. Copyright © 2012 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Low prevalence of collateral cerebral circulation in the circle of Willis in patients with severe carotid artery stenosis and recent ischemic stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badacz, Rafał; Przewłocki, Tadeusz; Karch, Izabela; Pieniążek, Piotr; Rosławiecka, Agnieszka; Mleczko, Szymon; Brzychczy, Andrzej; Trystuła, Mariusz; Żmudka, Krzysztof; Kabłak-Ziembicka, Anna

    2015-01-01

    The circle of Willis is thought to play a key role in development of collateral flow in patients with internal carotid artery stenosis (ICAS). To assess flow in the circle of Willis in patients with recent ischemic stroke (IS). The study included 371 patients, 102 symptomatic with severe ICAS and recent IS (within the last 3 months) (group I) and 269 asymptomatic with severe ICAS (group II). Flow in the middle (MCA), anterior (ACA) and posterior (PCA) cerebral arteries and pattern of the cross-flow through anterior (ACoA) and posterior (PCoA) communicating arteries were assessed with transcranial color-coded Doppler ultrasonography (TCCD). The ACoA or PCoA was less prevalent in group I than in group II (54% vs. 78%, p PCoA and higher PSV in the MCA and ACA were associated with significant risk reduction of IS (RR = 0.28 (95% CI = 0.16-0.49, p PCoA seem to play a key role in the evaluation of IS risk in subjects with severe ICAS.

  17. DNA Hydrogel with Tunable pH-Responsive Properties Produced by Rolling Circle Amplification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Wanlin; Huang, Yishun; Zhao, Haoran; Li, Pan; Liu, Guoyuan; Li, Jing; Zhu, Chengshen; Tian, Leilei

    2017-12-22

    Recently, smart DNA hydrogels, which are generally formed by the self-assembly of oligonucleotides or through the cross-linking of oligonucleotide-polymer hybrids, have attracted tremendous attention. However, the difficulties of fabricating DNA hydrogels limit their practical applications. We report herein a novel method for producing pH-responsive hydrogels by rolling circle amplification (RCA). In this method, pH-sensitive cross-linking sites were introduced into the polymeric DNA chains during DNA synthesis. As the DNA sequence can be precisely defined by its template, the properties of such hydrogels can be finely tuned in a very facile way through template design. We have investigated the process of hydrogel formation and pH-responsiveness to provide rationales for functional hydrogel design based on the RCA reaction. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Variation with age of anisotropy under oceans, from great circle surface waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Journet, B.; Jobert, N.

    1982-01-01

    Global great circle measurements of regionalized mantle Love wave phase velocities are interpreted in terms of regional models. The same study had been made by J. J. Leveque (1980) for Rayleigh waves, and the resulting models for the two oceanic regions of different ages are used as a basis for comparison: the observed Love wave dispersion cannot be explained with these models if isotropic. The models obtained by inversion of Love wave data are compared with the models mentioned; the discrepancy appearing in the 250 km depth range between the velocities β/sub H/ and β/sub V/ of respectively SH and SV waves is indicative of polarization anisotropy. Moreover, we put forward a significant variation from young to old oceans: the difference between β/sub H/, and β/sub V/ is of the order of 1% for the former, compared to 3% for the latter. This variation can bring information about the behaviour of upper mantle materials in connection with the motion of oceanic plates

  19. Constraints on the topology of the universe. Extension to general geometries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vaudrevange, Pascal M. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (United States). CERCA and Dept. of Physics; Starkman, Glenn D. [Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (United States). CERCA, ISO and Dept. of Physics; Cornish, Neil J. [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States). Dept. of Physics; Spergel, David N. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States). Dept. of Astrophysical Sciences

    2012-06-15

    We present an update to the search for a non-trivial topology of the universe by searching for matching circle pairs in the cosmic microwave background using the WMAP 7 year data release. We extend the existing bounds to encompass a wider range of possible topologies by searching for matching circle pairs with opening angles 10 {<=}{alpha}{<=}90 and separation angles 11 {<=}{theta}{<=}180 . The extended search reveal two small anomalous regions in the CMB sky. Numerous pairs of well-matched circles are found where both circles pass through one or the other of those regions. As this is not the signature of any known manifold, but is a likely consequence of contamination in those sky regions, we repeat the search excluding circle pairs where both pass through either of the two regions. We then find no statistically significant pairs of matched circles, and so no hints of a non-trivial topology. The absence of matched circles increases the lower limit on the length of the shortest closed null geodesic that self-intersects at our location in the universe (equivalently the injectivity radius at our location) to 98.5% of the diameter of the last scattering surface or approximately 26 Gpc. It extends the limit to any manifolds in which the intersecting arcs of said geodesic form an angle greater than 10 .

  20. Envisioning New Technologies in Teacher Practice: Moving Forward, Circling Back Using a Teacher Action Research Approach. New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies. Volume 47

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strong-Wilson, Teresa, Ed.

    2012-01-01

    How do classroom teachers envision new technologies within their practice? In the conversation on incorporating new technologies into classrooms, teachers are often sidelined. "Envisioning New Technologies in Teacher Practice" looks at the complex ways in which teachers move forward to embrace change as well as how they circle back, continually…

  1. [Capoeira circle or sports academy? The emergence of modern styles of capoeira and their global context].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Assunção, Matthias Röhrig

    2014-01-01

    The emergence of the modern styles of capoeira should be considered in the global context of the modernization of martial arts currently in progress in Europe and Asia on the one hand, and the new phase of Afro-descendant modernity on the other. The confrontation between the capoeira, jiu-jitsu and other martial arts circles led mestre Bimba to develop his regional Bahian fighting style. The revival of traditional capoeira as Angolan capoeira led by mestre Pastinha is part of the broader movement of affirmation of Afro-Bahian culture in Salvador and the growing visibility of the Afro-descendant body in the Atlantic world.

  2. THE ESTIMATION OF THE CIRCLED FORM OF PERFORMANCE INFLUENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SPEED IN THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Drago Milošević

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available On the sample of 108 students from the 1st and 2nd secondary school classrooms in Kolashin, which is divided for this research into two subsamples ( 54 of the tested students make experimental and 54 tested students make control group , was applied the circled form of performance, in the basic part of the lesson for the experimental group, in order to establish the level of contribution of this type of the teaching method on the development of the speed. The control group had made by the teaching program the determined instruction of physical education. The initial and the final measurements of the tests were made. For estimation of the latent speed ability for both subsamples 6 tests were applied. The influence of the circled work method on the development of the examined mobility ability, in the experiment lasted 4 teaching months, was established by the discriminative analyses. The obtained coefficients of the discriminative analyses have shown that the tested students from the experimental group, in the statistical sense, importantly improved their speed level at the final than at the initial measurement. The experiment also showed that the obtained results on the final measurement, in the statistical sense, are much bigger within the experimental than within the control group.

  3. A Location Privacy Aware Friend Locator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Siksnys, Laurynas; Thomsen, Jeppe Rishede; Saltenis, Simonas

    2009-01-01

    to trade their location privacy for quality of service, limiting the attractiveness of the services. The challenge is to develop a communication-efficient solution such that (i) it detects proximity between a user and the user’s friends, (ii) any other party is not allowed to infer the location of the user...

  4. Repeated administration of the monoamine reuptake inhibitor BTS 74 398 induces ipsilateral circling in the 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rat without sensitizing motor behaviours.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lane, E L; Cheetham, S C; Jenner, P

    2005-01-01

    BTS 74 398 (1-[1-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)cyclobutyl]-2-(3-diaminethylaminopropylthio)ethanone monocitrate) is a monoamine reuptake inhibitor that reverses motor deficits in MPTP-treated (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) common marmosets without provoking established dyskinesia. However, it is not known whether BTS 74 398 primes the basal ganglia for dyskinesia induction. In this study, the ability of BTS 74 398 to sensitize 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rats for the production of abnormal motor behaviours and the induction of striatal DeltaFosB were determined in comparison with l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine methyl ester (L-dopa). Acute administration of BTS 74 398 induced a dose-dependent ipsilateral circling response in unilaterally 6-OHDA-lesioned rats whereas L-dopa produced dose-dependent contraversive rotation. The ipsilateral circling response to BTS 74 398 did not alter during 21 days of administration. In contrast, L-dopa treatment for 21 days caused a marked increase in rotational response. Repeated administration of both L-dopa and BTS 74 398 increased general motor activity and stereotypic behaviour. In L-dopa-treated rats, orolingual, locomotive, forelimb and axial abnormal movements developed whereas BTS 74 398 produced only locomotion with a side bias but no other abnormal movements. Sensitization of circling responses and the development of abnormal movements in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats have been associated with the potential of dopaminergic drugs to induce dyskinesia. Furthermore, striatal DeltaFosB immunoreactivity, shown to correlate with dyskinesia induction, was increased by L-dopa but was unaffected by repeated BTS 74 398 administration. The lack of such changes following repeated BTS 74 398 treatment suggests that it may be an effective antiparkinsonian therapy that is unlikely to produce involuntary movements.

  5. Feasibility studies of the anti pp{yields}{pi} {sup circle} e{sup +}e{sup -} electromagnetic channel at anti PANDA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boucher, Jerome

    2011-07-01

    Among all possible realizations of quark and antiquark assembly, the nucleon (the proton and the neutron) is the most stable of all hadrons and consequently has been the subject of intensive studies. Mass, shape, radius and more complex representations of its internal structure are measured since several decades using different probes. The proton (spin 1/2) is described by the electric G{sub E} and magnetic G{sub M} form factors which characterise its internal structure. The simplest way to measure the proton form factors consists in measuring the angular distribution of the electron-proton elastic scattering accessing the so-called Space-Like region where q{sup 2}{<=}0. Using the crossed channel anti pp<->e{sup +}e{sup -}, one accesses another kinematical region, the so-called Time-Like region where q{sup 2}>0. However, due to the anti pp <->e{sup +}e{sup -} threshold q{sup 2}{sub th}, only the kinematical domain q{sup 2}>q{sup 2}{sub th}> 0 is available. To access the unphysical region, one may use the anti pp{yields}{pi} {sup circle} e{sup +}e{sup -} reaction where the {pi} {sup circle} takes away a part of the system energy allowing q{sup 2} to be varied between q{sup 2}{sub th} and almost 0. This thesis aims to show the feasibility of such measurements with the anti PANDA detector which will be installed on the new high intensity antiproton ring at the FAIR facility at Darmstadt. To describe the anti pp {yields} {pi} {sup circle} e{sup +}e{sup -} reaction, a Lagrangian based approach is developed. The 5-fold differential cross section is determined and related to linear combinations of hadronic tensors. Under the assumption of one nucleon exchange, the hadronic tensors are expressed in terms of the 2 complex proton electromagnetic form factors. An extraction method which provides an access to the proton electromagnetic form factor ratio R= vertical stroke G{sub E} vertical stroke / vertical stroke G{sub M} vertical stroke and for the first time in an

  6. Treatment of periorbital dark circles: Comparative study of chemical peeling with a combination of trichloroacetic acid and lactic acid versus carboxytherapy

    OpenAIRE

    Arwa Mohammad Hassan; Ghada Fawzy Hassan; Hedaya Yousef Aldalies; Gamal Mohammad El Maghraby

    2016-01-01

    Periorbital dark circles (PODC) are a common worldwide cosmetic problem. It is difficult to treat due to complications in its pathogenesis and aetiology. Available lines of treatment for PODC include whitening creams, topical retinoid acid, chemical peeling, laser therapy, carboxytherapy, autologous fat transplantation, injectable fillers and surgery (blepharoplasty).The aim of this study isto evaluate and compare the efficacy of chemical peels using trichloroacetic acid (3.75%) and lactic ac...

  7. An unusually rich scuttle fly fauna (Diptera, Phoridae) from north of the Arctic Circle in the Kola Peninsula, N. W. Russia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Disney, R H L

    2013-01-01

    64 species of Phoridae, in 6 genera, are reported from the Kola Peninsula, north of the Arctic Circle. The new species Megaselia elenae and Megaselia kozlovi are described. 33 species of Megaselia, only known from females, are given code numbers. Keys to the species of all the females of Megaselia and Phora are provided; and also a key to the males European Megaselia species with a notopleural cleft.

  8. Locative media

    CERN Document Server

    Wilken, Rowan

    2014-01-01

    Not only is locative media one of the fastest growing areas in digital technology, but questions of location and location-awareness are increasingly central to our contemporary engagements with online and mobile media, and indeed media and culture generally. This volume is a comprehensive account of the various location-based technologies, services, applications, and cultures, as media, with an aim to identify, inventory, explore, and critique their cultural, economic, political, social, and policy dimensions internationally. In particular, the collection is organized around the perception that the growth of locative media gives rise to a number of crucial questions concerning the areas of culture, economy, and policy.

  9. Increased cell division but not thymic dysfunction rapidly affects the T-cell receptor excision circle content of the naive T cell population in HIV-1 infection

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hazenberg, Mette D.; Borleffs, J.C.C.; Otto, S.A.; Cohen Stuart, J.W.T. (James Willem Theodoor); Verschuren, M.C.M. (Martie); Boucher, C.A.B.; Coutinho, R.A.; Lange, Joep M.A.; Rinke de Wit, T.F. (Tobias); Tsegaye, A. (Aster); Dongen, J.J.M. (Jaques) van; Hamann, D. (Dörte); Boer, R.J. de; Miedema, F.

    2000-01-01

    Recent thymic emigrants can be identified by T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) formed during T-cell receptor rearrangement. Decreasing numbers of TRECs have been observed with aging and in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infected individuals, suggesting for thymic impairment. Here,

  10. Social constructions of the male contraception pill: When are we going to break the vicious circle?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dismore, Lorelle; Van Wersch, Anna; Swainston, Katherine

    2016-05-01

    Social constructions of men towards the availability of a male hormonal contraceptive, the 'male pill', were explored. A qualitative approach applying semi-structured interviews and scenarios with 22 men (mean age 35 years) from the North East of England revealed two core constructs and six sub-constructs using a Thematic-Construct Analysis in line with the method of Toerien and Wilkinson and Clarke and Kitzinger. Verbal accounts were inductively used to balance the deductively created two core constructs 'Constructing the male pill norm: dominant system of sensemaking' and 'Living by the male pill norm' to represent a normative framework within a changing ideology of shared responsibility in contraceptive choice. Constructing the male pill norm was divided into two sub-constructs: 'Male pill: we are going to join the women and become responsible - too!' and 'Male pill: you look so girly - what are they going to think of me?' The 'Living by the male pill norm' was further divided into four sub-constructs 'Male pill - thank you for giving me promises not to have to become a dad as yet!'; 'Male pill: thank you for the idea of fun - sorry about my morals!'; 'Male pill: in stable relations - yes, I would have you now - sorry, I am too late!' and 'Male pill, we love you - but we are too anxious - we are not ready as yet!' From this male discourse, it is clear that discussions over the male pill follow the line of a vicious circle. In order to establish long-term side effects, Phase IV studies are necessary, and these cannot commence without the male hormonal contraception being a marketable product. So, unless this circle gets broken by some brave men, the male pill will remain a virtual rotating idea for a long time. © The Author(s) 2014.

  11. Enhancing student schematic knowledge of culture through literature circles in a foreign language classroom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Graham-Marr Alastair

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Improving student understanding of a foreign language culture is anything but a peripheral issue in the teaching of a foreign language. This pilot study reports on a second year required English course in a university in Japan that took a Literature Circles approach, where students were asked to read short stories out of class and then discuss these stories in class. Although students reported that they did not gain any special insights into the target language culture presented, they did report that reading fiction as source material for classroom activity helps with the acquisition of a vocabulary set that is more closely associated with lifestyle and culture. The results suggest that further study is warranted. Procedures of this pilot study are described and interpreted in the context of the English education system in Japan.

  12. Literature Reviews and the Hermeneutic Circle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boell, Sebastian K.; Cecez-Kecmanovic, Dubravka

    2010-01-01

    Conducting a literature review is a vital part of any research. Library and information science (LIS) professionals often play a central role in supporting academics in their efforts to locate relevant publications and in teaching novice researchers skills associated with literature reviews. This paper examines literature review processes with the…

  13. Relationship between white matter hyperintensities volume and the circle of Willis configurations in patients with carotid artery pathology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saba, Luca; Sanfilippo, Roberto; Porcu, Michele; Lucatelli, Pierleone; Montisci, Roberto; Zaccagna, Fulvio; Suri, Jasjit S; Anzidei, Michele; Wintermark, Max

    2017-04-01

    We aimed to assess if there is a difference of distribution and volume of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in the brain according to the Circle of Willis (CoW) configuration in patients with carotid artery pathology. One-hundred consecutive patients (79 males, 21 females; mean age 70 years; age range 46-84 years) that underwent brain MRI before carotid endarterectomy (CEA) were included. FLAIR-WMH lesion volume was performed using a semi-automated segmentation technique and the status of the circle of Willis was assessed by two neuroradiologists in consensus. We found a prevalence of 55% of variants in the CoW configuration; 22 cases had one variants (40%); 25 cases had two variants (45.45%) and 8 cases showed 3 variants (14.55%). The configuration that was associated with the biggest WMH volume and number of lesions was the A1+PcoA+PcoA. The PcoA variants were the most prevalent and there was no statistically significant difference in number of lesions and WMH for each vascular territory assessed and the same results were found for AcoA and A1 variants. Results of our study suggest that the more common CoW variants are not associated with the presence of an increased WMH or number of lesions whereas uncommon configurations, in particular when 2 or more segment are missing increase the WMH volume and number of lesions. The WHM volume of the MCA territory seems to be more affected by the CoW configuration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Relationship between white matter hyperintensities volume and the circle of Willis configurations in patients with carotid artery pathology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saba, Luca; Sanfilippo, Roberto; Porcu, Michele; Lucatelli, Pierleone; Montisci, Roberto; Zaccagna, Fulvio; Suri, Jasjit S.; Anzidei, Michele; Wintermark, Max

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: We aimed to assess if there is a difference of distribution and volume of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in the brain according to the Circle of Willis (CoW) configuration in patients with carotid artery pathology. Material and methods: One-hundred consecutive patients (79 males, 21 females; mean age 70 years; age range 46–84 years) that underwent brain MRI before carotid endarterectomy (CEA) were included. FLAIR-WMH lesion volume was performed using a semi-automated segmentation technique and the status of the circle of Willis was assessed by two neuroradiologists in consensus. Results: We found a prevalence of 55% of variants in the CoW configuration; 22 cases had one variants (40%); 25 cases had two variants (45.45%) and 8 cases showed 3 variants (14.55%). The configuration that was associated with the biggest WMH volume and number of lesions was the A1 + PcoA + PcoA. The PcoA variants were the most prevalent and there was no statistically significant difference in number of lesions and WMH for each vascular territory assessed and the same results were found for AcoA and A1 variants. Conclusion: Results of our study suggest that the more common CoW variants are not associated with the presence of an increased WMH or number of lesions whereas uncommon configurations, in particular when 2 or more segment are missing increase the WMH volume and number of lesions. The WHM volume of the MCA territory seems to be more affected by the CoW configuration.

  15. Relationship between white matter hyperintensities volume and the circle of Willis configurations in patients with carotid artery pathology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saba, Luca, E-mail: lucasaba@tiscali.it [Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari – Polo di Monserrato, s.s. 554 Monserrato, Cagliari 09045 (Italy); Sanfilippo, Roberto [Department of Vascular Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari – Polo di Monserrato, s.s. 554 Monserrato, Cagliari 09045 (Italy); Porcu, Michele [Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari – Polo di Monserrato, s.s. 554 Monserrato, Cagliari 09045 (Italy); Lucatelli, Pierleone [Department of Radiology, University la Sapienza, Rome (Italy); Montisci, Roberto [Department of Vascular Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari – Polo di Monserrato, s.s. 554 Monserrato, Cagliari 09045 (Italy); Zaccagna, Fulvio [Department of Radiology, University la Sapienza, Rome (Italy); Suri, Jasjit S. [Monitoring and Diagnostic Division, AtheroPoint, Roseville, CA (United States); Point-of-Care Devices, Global Biomedical Technologies, Inc., Roseville, CA (United States); Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Idaho (Affl.), ID (United States); Anzidei, Michele [Department of Radiology, University la Sapienza, Rome (Italy); Wintermark, Max [Department of Radiology, Stanford University (United States)

    2017-04-15

    Purpose: We aimed to assess if there is a difference of distribution and volume of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in the brain according to the Circle of Willis (CoW) configuration in patients with carotid artery pathology. Material and methods: One-hundred consecutive patients (79 males, 21 females; mean age 70 years; age range 46–84 years) that underwent brain MRI before carotid endarterectomy (CEA) were included. FLAIR-WMH lesion volume was performed using a semi-automated segmentation technique and the status of the circle of Willis was assessed by two neuroradiologists in consensus. Results: We found a prevalence of 55% of variants in the CoW configuration; 22 cases had one variants (40%); 25 cases had two variants (45.45%) and 8 cases showed 3 variants (14.55%). The configuration that was associated with the biggest WMH volume and number of lesions was the A1 + PcoA + PcoA. The PcoA variants were the most prevalent and there was no statistically significant difference in number of lesions and WMH for each vascular territory assessed and the same results were found for AcoA and A1 variants. Conclusion: Results of our study suggest that the more common CoW variants are not associated with the presence of an increased WMH or number of lesions whereas uncommon configurations, in particular when 2 or more segment are missing increase the WMH volume and number of lesions. The WHM volume of the MCA territory seems to be more affected by the CoW configuration.

  16. Location of Urban Logistic Terminals as Hub Location Problem

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jasmina Pašagić Škrinjar

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available In this paper the problems of locating urban logistic terminals are studied as hub location problems that due to a large number of potential nodes in big cities belong to hard non-polynomial problems, the so-called NP-problems. The hub location problems have found wide application in physical planning of transport and telecommunication systems, especially systems of fast delivery, networks of logistic and distribution centres and cargo traffic terminals of the big cities, etc. The paper defines single and multiple allocations and studies the numerical examples. The capacitated single allocation hub location problems have been studied, with the provision of a mathematical model of selecting the location for the hubs on the network. The paper also presents the differences in the possibilities of implementing the exact and heuristic methods to solve the actual location problems of big dimensions i.e. hub problems of the big cities.

  17. Bi-Hamiltonian systems on the dual of the Lie algebra of vector fields of the circle and periodic shallow water equations

    OpenAIRE

    Kolev, Boris

    2006-01-01

    23 pages; International audience; This paper is a survey article on bi-Hamiltonian systems on the dual of the Lie algebra of vector fields on the circle. We investigate the special case where one of the structures is the canonical Lie-Poisson structure and the second one is constant. These structures called affine or modified Lie-Poisson structures are involved in the integrability of certain Euler equations that arise as models of shallow water waves.

  18. What now of the Vashti character in the Hebrew Bible? Ruminating on the future of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians among emerging scholars in Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marthe M. Kondemo

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Concerned about the relative absence of activities (including the writings by members of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians within the Democratic Republic of the Congo Circle, Francophone context in general and her Mongolese context in particular, the author uses the marginalised character of Vashti in the Hebrew Bible to see which light the character might shed within the preceding contexts. Can Vashti�s identity in terms of boldness, courage and independence serve as a model for Congolese women in their efforts to make a positive impact on their contexts which remain glaringly patriarchal even today after many years of political independence? In this article, it is argued that the character of Vashti, especially her sense of independence and courage, can serve as a motivation for Congolese female theologians in their search for new identities.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: In this article, the disciplines of African studies, political science, gender studies and biblical studies are made to interact with each other in the author�s quest to see how a biblical character such as Vashti can contribute positively to the theory and praxis of theology among emerging Francophone female scholars.Keywords: Circle; Francophone; Vashti; Hebrew Bible; patriarchy

  19. Location, location, location: does early cancer in Barrett's esophagus have a preference?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enestvedt, Brintha K; Lugo, Ricardo; Guarner-Argente, Carlos; Shah, Pari; Falk, Gary W; Furth, Emma; Ginsberg, Gregory G

    2013-09-01

    Early cancer (high-grade dysplasia [HGD] and intramucosal carcinoma [ImCa]) associated with Barrett's esophagus (BE) may have a circumferential spatial predilection. To describe the esophageal circumferential location of early cancer in BE. Retrospective study, single tertiary referral center. One hundred nineteen patients were referred for endoscopic eradication therapy for early cancer associated with BE. Endoscopic images and reports and pathology were reviewed. Circumferential location designation of early cancer in BE by using a clock-face orientation. One hundred nineteen of 131 patients referred for endoscopic eradication therapy had a location designation for their advanced histology (91.9%). There were a total of 57 patients (47.9%) with HGD and 62 patients (52.1%) with ImCa. There was a significantly higher rate of early cancer (HGD or ImCa) in the right hemisphere (12 to 6 o'clock location) compared with the left hemisphere (84.9% vs 15.1%, P cancer was found in the 12 to 3 o'clock quadrant (64.7%); 71.9% of HGD and 58.1% of ImCa lesions were located in the 12 to 3 o'clock quadrant. Retrospective design, single center. Early cancer associated with BE is far more commonly found in the right hemisphere of the esophagus (12 to 6 o'clock) with the highest rate in the 12 to 3 o'clock quadrant. These findings support enhanced scrutiny of the right hemisphere of the esophagus during surveillance and endoscopic treatment of patients with BE. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Determination of the Minimal Fresh Gas Flow to Maintain a Therapeutic Inspired Oxygen Concentration in a Semi-Closed Anesthesia Circle System Using an Oxygen Concentrator as the Oxygen Source

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Grano, Joan

    2001-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of oxygen dilution, resulting from argon accumulation, using 3 low fresh gas flow rates using an oxygen concentrator in a semi-closed anesthesia circle system...

  1. The Circle of Prosperity: Tribal Colleges, Tradition, and Technology -- Building Synergistic Cross-Community Collaborations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Billy, C. L.

    2003-12-01

    For more than three decades, American Indian Tribal Colleges and Universities have been working to sustain what is ours: our land, our language, our communities, and our culture. Tribal Colleges have achieved success by helping our communities, located in some of the poorest and most geographically remote areas of the country, develop systems for higher education, research, and economic development that are accessible, culturally responsive, and place-based. American Indian higher education is holistic, focused on the mind, body, spirit, and family. Research is respectful of culture, mindful of community values, and essential to community well-being. Economic development strategies are based on national and international trends, but focused on relationships between local people and their land. In this environment, applied research flourishes and new knowledge, integrating traditional ways of knowing with western science, is created and used. In the 1990s, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, which is composed of 35 Tribal Colleges and Universities in the U.S. and Canada, launched a major initiative to expand and enhance this capacity through new collaborations and state-of-the-art information and communications technologies. Through a multi-phase effort, the Tribal Colleges developed and are currently implementing a dynamic and broad-based strategic plan. The goal: to reach a "Circle of Prosperity," a place where tribal traditions and new technologies are woven together to build stronger and more sustainable communities through enhanced STEM education and research programs. Our plan, the "Tribal College Framework for Community Technology," is a framework of strategic partnerships, resources, and tools that is helping us create locally based economic and social opportunities through information and communications technology and use of the Internet. During this presentation, we will: (a) discuss the innovative collaborative process we are using to build

  2. The 'Parent Circle' Peace Education Program: Does it Make Any Change?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braun-Lewensohn, Orna; Kitain, Boaz

    2016-02-01

    This study evaluated a peace education program facilitated by the 'parents circle family forum.' The program aims to expose Jewish and Palestinian-Arab adolescents to personal stories of bereavement as a result of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One hundred and sixty-four Jewish twelfth-grade adolescents from schools throughout Israel filled out questionnaires before the start of the educational program, and 135 Jewish adolescents filled out the same questionnaire up to a week after it ended. Questionnaires included empathy, anger, and legitimacy toward 'self' and 'others' narratives. Results indicate that, overall, there were not any significant differences before and after the educational program with regard to adolescents' attitudes toward 'self' and 'others' narratives. However, when examining differences between subgroups in Israeli society, significant differences between 'secular' and 'traditional' adolescents emerged. The attitudes of secular adolescents favored narratives of the 'others,' while the attitudes of the traditional adolescents favored the 'self' narratives. After the program, these differences diminished, meaning that the program had a different impact on each subgroup. The traditional adolescents became more favorable to the 'others' narratives, while the secular adolescents became more favorable to their own narratives. Results are discussed on the basis of the theoretical foundation of psychological impacts of intractable conflicts.

  3. Circles of Consensus: The Preservation of Cultural Diversity through Political Processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jordi Jaria i Manzano

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Western modern culture has expanded at the universal level and has thereby become a threat to other cultures, particularly those of chthonic communities. But these cultures have progressively recognized its worth as a source of richness, which can be very useful in facing future challenges to humanity. Moreover, in terms of human dignity and the equality of all human beings, Western modern culture has to be recognized as having an intrinsic value as well. Given these facts, we must find a way to protect this cultural diversity in an effective manner. It is obvious that assimilationist or isolationist models are not satisfactory. So I propose a third way. I call it an integrationist or a deep approach. It consists of giving political density to cultural diversity through the design of federalist strategies that have, as a result, the definition of different levels of decision (circles of consensus. After having exposed my model, I will pay attention to the recent constitutional experiences in Ecuador and Bolivia, where some new developments in this sense are intended. I compare these models with my proposal and, finally, I analyze the main problems that a deep approach to preserving cultural diversity has to face up to.

  4. Modelling the vicious circle between obesity and physical activity in children and adolescents using a bivariate probit model with endogenous regressors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeh, C-Y; Chen, L-J; Ku, P-W; Chen, C-M

    2015-01-01

    The increasing prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents has become one of the most important public health issues around the world. Lack of physical activity is a risk factor for obesity, while being obese could reduce the likelihood of participating in physical activity. Failing to account for the endogeneity between obesity and physical activity would result in biased estimation. This study investigates the relationship between overweight and physical activity by taking endogeneity into consideration. It develops an endogenous bivariate probit model estimated by the maximum likelihood method. The data included 4008 boys and 4197 girls in the 5th-9th grades in Taiwan in 2007-2008. The relationship between overweight and physical activity is significantly negative in the endogenous model, but insignificant in the comparative exogenous model. This endogenous relationship presents a vicious circle in which lower levels of physical activity lead to overweight, while those who are already overweight engage in less physical activity. The results not only reveal the importance of endogenous treatment, but also demonstrate the robust negative relationship between these two factors. An emphasis should be put on overweight and obese children and adolescents in order to break the vicious circle. Promotion of physical activity by appropriate counselling programmes and peer support could be effective in reducing the prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents.

  5. Leo Tolstoy, Mikhail Artsybashev, and Richard Wagner: About One Case of Polemics in Tolstoy’s The Circle of Reading

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anastasia A. Tulyakova

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with a case from the creative history of Leo Tolstoy’s The Circle of Reading (1908, when Tolstoy included the revised story of Guy de Maupassant’s Le Port under the title “Sisters” in the second edition of the book. The author proves that the reason for Tolstoy’s decision was his polemic with “saninstvo” as one of the most fashionable ethical trends of the first decade of the 1900s. The key component of Sanin’s behavior and hedonistic philosophy in Mikhail Artsybashev’s novel was incest. Maupassant’s novella is based on the same plot. On the basis of Tolstoy’s nonfictional texts of the 1890s, including the treatise What Is Art? (1898, the article reconstructs the writer’s view on the forms and boundaries of the representation of incest in Richard Wagner’s operas and in Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophy, with which Tolstoy also polemicized and in connection with which he stated the ethical potential of art and its permissiveness. From this perspective, Tolstoy’s reaction to Artsybashev’s novel, combining the motives of incest and extreme individualism, turns out to be a new phase of the old dispute. Tolstoy included the story “Sisters” in the second edition of The Circle of Reading as a response to the philosophy of “saninstvo.” Thus, Tolstoy’s collection of wise thoughts can be considered not only as didactic, but also as a polemical text, and deeply rooted in the ideological context of the 1890s‒1900s.

  6. Digital quantification of rolling circle amplified single DNA molecules in a resistive pulse sensing nanopore.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kühnemund, M; Nilsson, M

    2015-05-15

    Novel portable, sensitive and selective DNA sensor methods for bio-sensing applications are required that can rival conventionally used non-portable and expensive fluorescence-based sensors. In this paper, rolling circle amplification (RCA) products are detected in solution and on magnetic particles using a resistive pulse sensing (RPS) nanopore. Low amounts of DNA molecules are detected by padlock probes which are circularized in a strictly target dependent ligation reaction. The DNA-padlock probe-complex is captured on magnetic particles by sequence specific capture oligonucleotides and amplified by a short RCA. Subsequent RPS analysis is used to identify individual particles with single attached RCA products from blank particles. This proof of concept opens up for a novel non-fluorescent digital DNA quantification method that can have many applications in bio-sensing and diagnostic approaches. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Quality control circles: will they work at Sandia. Findings from a review of 66 sources

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeys, G.H.

    1982-01-01

    Quality Control Circles (QCC's) meet regularly to solve limited, but important, problems related directly to their work. The QCC is organized so that the worker becomes involved in problem solving and quality awareness in meaningful and creative ways. Participation is voluntary. This concept has been successfully used in Japan for two decades. QCC's are now being implemented at an accelerating rate world-wide. There are questions as to QCC's applicability in the United States and in particular with respect to an R and D facility such as Sandia. This paper summarizes information about the QCC concept with respect to its implementation and applicability to Sandia. Information was extracted from 66 sources as noted in an Annotated Bibliography. Analysis techniques used by QCC's were utilized in the construction of this paper, especially with the Annotated Bibliography.

  8. Evaluating How Circle of Willis Topology Affects Embolus Distribution in the Brain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jani, Neel; Mukherjee, Debanjan; Shadden, Shawn

    2016-11-01

    Embolic stroke occurs when fragmented cellular or acellular material (emboli) travels to the brain to occlude an artery. Understanding the transport of emboli across unsteady, pulsatile flow in complex arterial geometries is challenging and influenced by a range of factors, including patient anatomy. The work herein develops the modeling and mechanistic understanding of how embolus transport is affected by the arterial connections at the base of the brain known as the Circle of Willis (CoW). A majority of the human population has an incomplete CoW anatomy, with connections either missing or ill-developed. We employ numerical simulations combining image-based modeling, computational fluid dynamics, discrete particle dynamics, and a sampling based analysis to compare collateral flow through the most prevalent CoW topologies, to determine embolus distribution fractions among vessels in the CoW, and to investigate the role of inertial effects in causing differences in flow and embolus distribution. The computational framework developed enables characterization of the complex interplay of anatomy, hemodynamics, and embolus properties in the context of embolic stroke as well as statistical analysis of embolism risks across common CoW variations.

  9. Evaluating Restorative Justice Circles of Support and Accountability: Can Social Support Overcome Structural Barriers?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bohmert, Miriam Northcutt; Duwe, Grant; Hipple, Natalie Kroovand

    2018-02-01

    In a climate in which stigmatic shaming is increasing for sex offenders as they leave prison, restorative justice practices have emerged as a promising approach to sex offender reentry success and have been shown to reduce recidivism. Criminologists and restorative justice advocates believe that providing ex-offenders with social support that they may not otherwise have is crucial to reducing recidivism. This case study describes the expressive and instrumental social support required and received, and its relationship to key outcomes, by sex offenders who participated in Circles of Support and Accountability (COSAs), a restorative justice, reentry program in Minnesota. In-depth interviews with re-entering sex offenders and program volunteers revealed that 75% of offenders reported weak to moderate levels of social support leaving prison, 70% reported receiving instrumental support in COSAs, and 100% reported receiving expressive support. Findings inform work on social support, structural barriers, and restorative justice programming during sex offender reentry.

  10. How to deal with financial risk under the life circles of nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Shilong

    2010-01-01

    Nuclear power plants don't necessarily form enterprise boundary, in the background of nuclear power booming, what characteristics of financial risk exist in nuclear power plant, how to deal with such financial risk and how to sustain a stable development of nuclear power ? Based on the enterprise boundary theory of transaction fees, the separate of the nuclear power plant owner, engineering company and operating company comply with the cost-efficient principle. The financial risk of the plant owner come from the cash flow characteristics under different life circles of its nuclear power plants, due to the passivation of the asset structure in the construction and early operation periods, considering the effects of asset structure on financial risk is meaningless. Based on the owners with single reactor or constructing reactors, big-scale investment holding company is needed to conduct professional asset management, and to diversify the financial risk, on the other hand, professional engineering and operation companies can realize the scale and the multi-reactor advantages. (author)

  11. Volunteers in Circles of Support and Accountability Job Demands, Job Resources, and Outcome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Höing, Mechtild; Bogaerts, Stefan; Vogelvang, Bas

    2017-09-01

    In Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA), volunteers support a medium- to high-risk sex offender in his process toward desistance by developing a long-term empathic relationship. More knowledge is needed about the impact of this work on volunteers themselves. In a sample of 40 Dutch CoSA volunteers-at the time constituting 37% of the national population of 108 then active CoSA volunteers-we measured outcome in terms of volunteer satisfaction, determination to continue, compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary stress, vicarious growth, civic capacities, and professional skills. We explored theoretically derived predictors of positive and negative outcome, and conceptualized them within the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R). Volunteers reported mainly positive effects, especially high levels of volunteer satisfaction, compassion satisfaction, and determination to continue. Results indicated that job demands and most of the internal job resources were of minor importance. External job resources, especially social support and connectedness, were associated with positive outcome. Connectedness mediated the effect of social support on compassion satisfaction.

  12. The importance of implementation details and parameter settings in black-box optimization: a case study on Gaussian estimation-of-distribution algorithms and circles-in-a-square packing problems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    P.A.N. Bosman (Peter); Gallagher, M. (Marcus)

    2016-01-01

    textabstractWe consider a scalable problem that has strong ties with real-world problems, can be compactly formulated and efficiently evaluated, yet is not trivial to solve and has interesting characteristics that differ from most commonly used benchmark problems: packing n circles in a square

  13. Tall shrub expansion facilitated by patterned ground in the northwest Siberian Low Arctic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frost, G. V.; Epstein, H. E.; Walker, D. A.; Matyshak, G.; Ermokhina, K.

    2011-12-01

    We integrated field observations with a time-series of satellite imagery to identify key biophysical attributes associated with tall shrub expansion and increased vegetation productivity within a forest-tundra ecotone near Kharp, northwest Siberia. Comparison of high-resolution Corona and QuickBird satellite photography indicates that alder (Alnus fruticosa) cover increased by ~10% since 1968. Additionally, areas of sharply increasing productivity detected using a Landsat TM/ETM+ time-series for 1985-2009 are consistently co-located with expanding shrub stands. Field observations made in 2011 revealed that most of the shrub expansion has occurred in areas of patterned ground in which abundant mineral-dominated microsites ("circles") have been maintained by cryogenic disturbance. In order to test whether shrub expansion was facilitated by circles, we established a series of transects according to categories of alder stand age and circle density. Along the transects, we mapped the location of alders and circles, measured soil organic depth and leaf area index (LAI), and characterized plant communities. In recent expansion areas, young alders occur almost exclusively on silt-rich circles that lack vegetation and surface organic matter. Alder abundance and LAI increased with the total area occupied by exposed circles. Analyses using spatial statistics indicate that young alders tend to occur in evenly-spaced groups that mirror the spacing of circles. This distribution pattern persists in older alder stands, especially where circles are large and widely-spaced. Stands on closely-spaced circles quickly develop dense canopies and low species-diversity. Based on ground- and satellite-based observations, we conclude that the abundance of mineral-dominated circles at Kharp has facilitated rapid alder expansion and associated alterations in plant community structure, composition, and productivity. Physical processes in areas of patterned ground promote continuous, rather than

  14. Landsat's international partners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrnes, Raymond A.

    2012-01-01

    Since the launch of the first Landsat satellite 40 years ago, International Cooperators (ICs) have formed a key strategic alliance with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to not only engage in Landsat data downlink services but also to enable a foundation for scientific and technical collaboration. The map below shows the locations of all ground stations operated by the United States and IC ground station network for the direct downlink and distribution of Landsat 5 (L5) and Landsat 7 (L7) image data. The circles show the approximate area over which each station has the capability for direct reception of Landsat data. The red circles show the components of the L5 ground station network, the green circles show components of the L7 station network, and the dashed circles show stations with dual (L5 and L7) status. The yellow circles show L5 short-term ("campaign") stations that contribute to the USGS Landsat archive. Ground stations in South Dakota and Australia currently serve as the primary data capture facilities for the USGS Landsat Ground Network (LGN). The Landsat Ground Station (LGS) is located at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Alice Springs (ASN) ground station is located at the Geoscience Australia facility in Alice Springs, Australia. These sites receive the image data, via X-band Radio Frequency (RF) link, and the spacecraft housekeeping data, via S-band RF link. LGS also provides tracking services and a command link to the spacecrafts.

  15. A Novel Pairwise Comparison-Based Method to Determine Radiation Dose Reduction Potentials of Iterative Reconstruction Algorithms, Exemplified Through Circle of Willis Computed Tomography Angiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellmann, Stephan; Kammerer, Ferdinand; Brand, Michael; Allmendinger, Thomas; May, Matthias S; Uder, Michael; Lell, Michael M; Kramer, Manuel

    2016-05-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the dose reduction potential of iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms in computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the circle of Willis using a novel method of evaluating the quality of radiation dose-reduced images. This study relied on ReconCT, a proprietary reconstruction software that allows simulating CT scans acquired with reduced radiation dose based on the raw data of true scans. To evaluate the performance of ReconCT in this regard, a phantom study was performed to compare the image noise of true and simulated scans within simulated vessels of a head phantom. That followed, 10 patients scheduled for CTA of the circle of Willis were scanned according to our institute's standard protocol (100 kV, 145 reference mAs). Subsequently, CTA images of these patients were reconstructed as either a full-dose weighted filtered back projection or with radiation dose reductions down to 10% of the full-dose level and Sinogram-Affirmed Iterative Reconstruction (SAFIRE) with either strength 3 or 5. Images were marked with arrows pointing on vessels of different sizes, and image pairs were presented to observers. Five readers assessed image quality with 2-alternative forced choice comparisons. In the phantom study, no significant differences were observed between the noise levels of simulated and true scans in filtered back projection, SAFIRE 3, and SAFIRE 5 reconstructions.The dose reduction potential for patient scans showed a strong dependence on IR strength as well as on the size of the vessel of interest. Thus, the potential radiation dose reductions ranged from 84.4% for the evaluation of great vessels reconstructed with SAFIRE 5 to 40.9% for the evaluation of small vessels reconstructed with SAFIRE 3. This study provides a novel image quality evaluation method based on 2-alternative forced choice comparisons. In CTA of the circle of Willis, higher IR strengths and greater vessel sizes allowed higher degrees of radiation dose

  16. Lost in Location

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Lone Koefoed

    2009-01-01

    traversed. While becoming destination aware, the individual loses her location awareness. The article proposes that the reason people get lost when using sat-nav is due to a wrong location-performative paradigm. As an alternative, the article introduces and analyzes two performance-related examples...... that illustrate an alternative location-performative paradigm: Meredith Warner's Lost/Found knitting series and Etter and Schecht's Melodious Walkabout. In both examples, the artist's hand becomes the intermediary between alien and location. Thus, by exploring how wayfinding can be a poetically situated...... performance, the article examines how the growing locative media industry can learn from the location-aware performative strategies employed by artists who create situated and urban performances for the curious participant. The academic frames employed in the analysis draw on psychogeography, site...

  17. Protein (multi-)location prediction: using location inter-dependencies in a probabilistic framework

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Motivation Knowing the location of a protein within the cell is important for understanding its function, role in biological processes, and potential use as a drug target. Much progress has been made in developing computational methods that predict single locations for proteins. Most such methods are based on the over-simplifying assumption that proteins localize to a single location. However, it has been shown that proteins localize to multiple locations. While a few recent systems attempt to predict multiple locations of proteins, their performance leaves much room for improvement. Moreover, they typically treat locations as independent and do not attempt to utilize possible inter-dependencies among locations. Our hypothesis is that directly incorporating inter-dependencies among locations into both the classifier-learning and the prediction process can improve location prediction performance. Results We present a new method and a preliminary system we have developed that directly incorporates inter-dependencies among locations into the location-prediction process of multiply-localized proteins. Our method is based on a collection of Bayesian network classifiers, where each classifier is used to predict a single location. Learning the structure of each Bayesian network classifier takes into account inter-dependencies among locations, and the prediction process uses estimates involving multiple locations. We evaluate our system on a dataset of single- and multi-localized proteins (the most comprehensive protein multi-localization dataset currently available, derived from the DBMLoc dataset). Our results, obtained by incorporating inter-dependencies, are significantly higher than those obtained by classifiers that do not use inter-dependencies. The performance of our system on multi-localized proteins is comparable to a top performing system (YLoc+), without being restricted only to location-combinations present in the training set. PMID:24646119

  18. Protein (multi-)location prediction: using location inter-dependencies in a probabilistic framework.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simha, Ramanuja; Shatkay, Hagit

    2014-03-19

    Knowing the location of a protein within the cell is important for understanding its function, role in biological processes, and potential use as a drug target. Much progress has been made in developing computational methods that predict single locations for proteins. Most such methods are based on the over-simplifying assumption that proteins localize to a single location. However, it has been shown that proteins localize to multiple locations. While a few recent systems attempt to predict multiple locations of proteins, their performance leaves much room for improvement. Moreover, they typically treat locations as independent and do not attempt to utilize possible inter-dependencies among locations. Our hypothesis is that directly incorporating inter-dependencies among locations into both the classifier-learning and the prediction process can improve location prediction performance. We present a new method and a preliminary system we have developed that directly incorporates inter-dependencies among locations into the location-prediction process of multiply-localized proteins. Our method is based on a collection of Bayesian network classifiers, where each classifier is used to predict a single location. Learning the structure of each Bayesian network classifier takes into account inter-dependencies among locations, and the prediction process uses estimates involving multiple locations. We evaluate our system on a dataset of single- and multi-localized proteins (the most comprehensive protein multi-localization dataset currently available, derived from the DBMLoc dataset). Our results, obtained by incorporating inter-dependencies, are significantly higher than those obtained by classifiers that do not use inter-dependencies. The performance of our system on multi-localized proteins is comparable to a top performing system (YLoc+), without being restricted only to location-combinations present in the training set.

  19. Rolling circle amplification-based analysis of Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus isolates from Tamil Nadu, India, suggests a low level of genetic variability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kushawaha, Akhilesh Kumar; Rabindran, Ramalingam; Dasgupta, Indranil

    2018-03-01

    Cassava mosaic disease is a widespread disease of cassava in south Asia and the African continent. In India, CMD is known to be caused by two single-stranded DNA viruses (geminiviruses), Indian cassava mosaic virus (ICMV) and Sri Lankan cassava mosdaic virus (SLCMV). Previously, the diversity of ICMV and SLCMV in India has been studied using PCR, a sequence-dependent method. To have a more in-depth study of the variability of the above viruses and to detect any novel geminiviruses associated with CMD, sequence-independent amplification using rolling circle amplification (RCA)-based methods were used. CMD affected cassava plants were sampled across eighty locations in nine districts of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Twelve complete sequence of coat protein genes of the resident geminiviruses, comprising 256 amino acid residues were generated from the above samples, which indicated changes at only six positions. RCA followed by RFLP of the 80 samples indicated that most samples (47) contained only SLCMV, followed by 8, which were infected jointly with ICMV and SLCMV. In 11 samples, the pattern did not match the expected patterns from either of the two viruses and hence, were variants. Sequence analysis of an average of 700 nucleotides from 31 RCA-generated fragments of the variants indicated identities of 97-99% with the sequence of a previously reported infectious clone of SLCMV. The evidence suggests low levels of genetic variability in the begomoviruses infecting cassava, mainly in the form of scattered single nucleotide changes.

  20. Quarter Dates Location(s) Purpose Transportation and Travel ...

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

    IDRC CRDI

    Dates. Location(s). Purpose. Transportation and Travel. Accommodation,. Meals and Other. Hospitality. Total. Expenses. Quarter 1. May 15. Ottawa, ON. Meetings. May 20 to 21. Washington DC. Conference. 11,364.93. 3,274.71. 53.50. 14,693.14. May 5 to June 5. Kenya and England. Meetings. June 18 to 21. Winnipeg, MB.