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Sample records for ratio test glrt

  1. Cancelable ECG biometrics using GLRT and performance improvement using guided filter with irreversible guide signal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hanvit; Minh Phuong Nguyen; Se Young Chun

    2017-07-01

    Biometrics such as ECG provides a convenient and powerful security tool to verify or identify an individual. However, one important drawback of biometrics is that it is irrevocable. In other words, biometrics cannot be re-used practically once it is compromised. Cancelable biometrics has been investigated to overcome this drawback. In this paper, we propose a cancelable ECG biometrics by deriving a generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) detector from a composite hypothesis testing in randomly projected domain. Since it is common to observe performance degradation for cancelable biometrics, we also propose a guided filtering (GF) with irreversible guide signal that is a non-invertibly transformed signal of ECG authentication template. We evaluated our proposed method using ECG-ID database with 89 subjects. Conventional Euclidean detector with original ECG template yielded 93.9% PD1 (detection probability at 1% FAR) while Euclidean detector with 10% compressed ECG (1/10 of the original data size) yielded 90.8% PD1. Our proposed GLRT detector with 10% compressed ECG yielded 91.4%, which is better than Euclidean with the same compressed ECG. GF with our proposed irreversible ECG template further improved the performance of our GLRT with 10% compressed ECG up to 94.3%, which is higher than Euclidean detector with original ECG. Lastly, we showed that our proposed cancelable ECG biometrics practically met cancelable biometrics criteria such as efficiency, re-usability, diversity and non-invertibility.

  2. Compressive Detection Using Sub-Nyquist Radars for Sparse Signals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying Sun

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the compression detection problem using sub-Nyquist radars, which is well suited to the scenario of high bandwidths in real-time processing because it would significantly reduce the computational burden and save power consumption and computation time. A compressive generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT detector for sparse signals is proposed for sub-Nyquist radars without ever reconstructing the signal involved. The performance of the compressive GLRT detector is analyzed and the theoretical bounds are presented. The compressive GLRT detection performance of sub-Nyquist radars is also compared to the traditional GLRT detection performance of conventional radars, which employ traditional analog-to-digital conversion (ADC at Nyquist sampling rates. Simulation results demonstrate that the former can perform almost as well as the latter with a very small fraction of the number of measurements required by traditional detection in relatively high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR cases.

  3. Improved Statistical Fault Detection Technique and Application to Biological Phenomena Modeled by S-Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansouri, Majdi; Nounou, Mohamed N; Nounou, Hazem N

    2017-09-01

    In our previous work, we have demonstrated the effectiveness of the linear multiscale principal component analysis (PCA)-based moving window (MW)-generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) technique over the classical PCA and multiscale principal component analysis (MSPCA)-based GLRT methods. The developed fault detection algorithm provided optimal properties by maximizing the detection probability for a particular false alarm rate (FAR) with different values of windows, and however, most real systems are nonlinear, which make the linear PCA method not able to tackle the issue of non-linearity to a great extent. Thus, in this paper, first, we apply a nonlinear PCA to obtain an accurate principal component of a set of data and handle a wide range of nonlinearities using the kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) model. The KPCA is among the most popular nonlinear statistical methods. Second, we extend the MW-GLRT technique to one that utilizes exponential weights to residuals in the moving window (instead of equal weightage) as it might be able to further improve fault detection performance by reducing the FAR using exponentially weighed moving average (EWMA). The developed detection method, which is called EWMA-GLRT, provides improved properties, such as smaller missed detection and FARs and smaller average run length. The idea behind the developed EWMA-GLRT is to compute a new GLRT statistic that integrates current and previous data information in a decreasing exponential fashion giving more weight to the more recent data. This provides a more accurate estimation of the GLRT statistic and provides a stronger memory that will enable better decision making with respect to fault detection. Therefore, in this paper, a KPCA-based EWMA-GLRT method is developed and utilized in practice to improve fault detection in biological phenomena modeled by S-systems and to enhance monitoring process mean. The idea behind a KPCA-based EWMA-GLRT fault detection algorithm is to

  4. Efficient optimal joint channel estimation and data detection for massive MIMO systems

    KAUST Repository

    Alshamary, Haider Ali Jasim

    2016-08-15

    In this paper, we propose an efficient optimal joint channel estimation and data detection algorithm for massive MIMO wireless systems. Our algorithm is optimal in terms of the generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT). For massive MIMO systems, we show that the expected complexity of our algorithm grows polynomially in the channel coherence time. Simulation results demonstrate significant performance gains of our algorithm compared with suboptimal non-coherent detection algorithms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first algorithm which efficiently achieves GLRT-optimal non-coherent detections for massive MIMO systems with general constellations.

  5. Covert, Intelligent, and Spectrally-Efficient MIMO-Based Noise Radar Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-31

    differentiate signals from various transmitters. Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT) and Tapped Delay Line (TDL) beamforming were integrated. 2. RF tag...signjH From Tx 1 XCORR otfeljtion’ • y b«jmfotftiiri9 exx Eft . i igriji2 Ftorn T*2 (b) Fig. 8: MIMO radar using orthogonal sequences: (a...water-filling approach further. Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test and Tapped Delay Line Beamforming: Multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) radar

  6. Parametric Roll Resonance Detection using Phase Correlation and Log-likelihood Testing Techniques

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Galeazzi, Roberto; Blanke, Mogens; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad

    2009-01-01

    generation warning system the purpose of which is to provide the master with an onboard system able to trigger an alarm when parametric roll is likely to happen within the immediate future. A detection scheme is introduced, which is able to issue a warning within five roll periods after a resonant motion......Real-time detection of parametric roll is still an open issue that is gathering an increasing attention. A first generation warning systems, based on guidelines and polar diagrams, showed their potential to face issues like long-term prediction and risk assessment. This paper presents a second...... started. After having determined statistical properties of the signals at hand, a detector based on the generalised log-likelihood ratio test (GLRT) is designed to look for variation in signal power. The ability of the detector to trigger alarms when parametric roll is going to onset is evaluated on two...

  7. Fault diagnosis of active magnetic bearings based on Gaussian GLRT detector

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nagel, Leon; Galeazzi, Roberto; Voigt, Andreas Jauernik

    2016-01-01

    generalized likelihood ratio test is proposed for detecting faults striking the electromagnet. The detector is capable of detecting and isolating the occurrence of faults in e.g. the windings of bearing by tracking changes in the mean value of a Gaussian distribution. The statistical distribution...

  8. The behavior of the likelihood ratio test for testing missingness

    OpenAIRE

    Hens, Niel; Aerts, Marc; Molenberghs, Geert; Thijs, Herbert

    2003-01-01

    To asses the sensitivity of conclusions to model choices in the context of selection models for non-random dropout, one can oppose the different missing mechanisms to each other; e.g. by the likelihood ratio tests. The finite sample behavior of the null distribution and the power of the likelihood ratio test is studied under a variety of missingness mechanisms. missing data; sensitivity analysis; likelihood ratio test; missing mechanisms

  9. Parametric Adaptive Radar Detector with Enhanced Mismatched Signals Rejection Capabilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Bin

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available We consider the problem of adaptive signal detection in the presence of Gaussian noise with unknown covariance matrix. We propose a parametric radar detector by introducing a design parameter to trade off the target sensitivity with sidelobes energy rejection. The resulting detector merges the statistics of Kelly's GLRT and of the Rao test and so covers Kelly's GLRT and the Rao test as special cases. Both invariance properties and constant false alarm rate (CFAR behavior for this detector are studied. At the analysis stage, the performance of the new receiver is assessed and compared with several traditional adaptive detectors. The results highlight better rejection capabilities of this proposed detector for mismatched signals. Further, we develop two two-stage detectors, one of which consists of an adaptive matched filter (AMF followed by the aforementioned detector, and the other is obtained by cascading a GLRT-based Subspace Detector (SD and the proposed adaptive detector. We show that the former two-stage detector outperforms traditional two-stage detectors in terms of selectivity, and the latter yields more robustness.

  10. Enhanced data validation strategy of air quality monitoring network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harkat, Mohamed-Faouzi; Mansouri, Majdi; Nounou, Mohamed; Nounou, Hazem

    2018-01-01

    Quick validation and detection of faults in measured air quality data is a crucial step towards achieving the objectives of air quality networks. Therefore, the objectives of this paper are threefold: (i) to develop a modeling technique that can be used to predict the normal behavior of air quality variables and help provide accurate reference for monitoring purposes; (ii) to develop fault detection method that can effectively and quickly detect any anomalies in measured air quality data. For this purpose, a new fault detection method that is based on the combination of generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) and exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) will be developed. GLRT is a well-known statistical fault detection method that relies on maximizing the detection probability for a given false alarm rate. In this paper, we propose to develop GLRT-based EWMA fault detection method that will be able to detect the changes in the values of certain air quality variables; (iii) to develop fault isolation and identification method that allows defining the fault source(s) in order to properly apply appropriate corrective actions. In this paper, reconstruction approach that is based on Midpoint-Radii Principal Component Analysis (MRPCA) model will be developed to handle the types of data and models associated with air quality monitoring networks. All air quality modeling, fault detection, fault isolation and reconstruction methods developed in this paper will be validated using real air quality data (such as particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen and carbon oxides measurement). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. The Laplace Likelihood Ratio Test for Heteroscedasticity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Martin van Zyl

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available It is shown that the likelihood ratio test for heteroscedasticity, assuming the Laplace distribution, gives good results for Gaussian and fat-tailed data. The likelihood ratio test, assuming normality, is very sensitive to any deviation from normality, especially when the observations are from a distribution with fat tails. Such a likelihood test can also be used as a robust test for a constant variance in residuals or a time series if the data is partitioned into groups.

  12. Jet-Surface Interaction - High Aspect Ratio Nozzle Test: Test Summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Clifford A.

    2016-01-01

    The Jet-Surface Interaction High Aspect Ratio Nozzle Test was conducted in the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory at the NASA Glenn Research Center in the fall of 2015. There were four primary goals specified for this test: (1) extend the current noise database for rectangular nozzles to higher aspect ratios, (2) verify data previously acquired at small-scale with data from a larger model, (3) acquired jet-surface interaction noise data suitable for creating verifying empirical noise models and (4) investigate the effect of nozzle septa on the jet-mixing and jet-surface interaction noise. These slides give a summary of the test with representative results for each goal.

  13. A simplification of the likelihood ratio test statistic for testing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The traditional likelihood ratio test statistic for testing hypothesis about goodness of fit of multinomial probabilities in one, two and multi – dimensional contingency table was simplified. Advantageously, using the simplified version of the statistic to test the null hypothesis is easier and faster because calculating the expected ...

  14. Nearly Efficient Likelihood Ratio Tests for Seasonal Unit Roots

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jansson, Michael; Nielsen, Morten Ørregaard

    In an important generalization of zero frequency autore- gressive unit root tests, Hylleberg, Engle, Granger, and Yoo (1990) developed regression-based tests for unit roots at the seasonal frequencies in quarterly time series. We develop likelihood ratio tests for seasonal unit roots and show...... that these tests are "nearly efficient" in the sense of Elliott, Rothenberg, and Stock (1996), i.e. that their local asymptotic power functions are indistinguishable from the Gaussian power envelope. Currently available nearly efficient testing procedures for seasonal unit roots are regression-based and require...... the choice of a GLS detrending parameter, which our likelihood ratio tests do not....

  15. 21 CFR 862.1455 - Lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio in amniotic fluid test system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio in amniotic fluid... Clinical Chemistry Test Systems § 862.1455 Lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio in amniotic fluid test system. (a) Identification. A lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio in amniotic fluid test system is a device intended to measure the...

  16. Nearly Efficient Likelihood Ratio Tests of the Unit Root Hypothesis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jansson, Michael; Nielsen, Morten Ørregaard

    Seemingly absent from the arsenal of currently available "nearly efficient" testing procedures for the unit root hypothesis, i.e. tests whose local asymptotic power functions are indistinguishable from the Gaussian power envelope, is a test admitting a (quasi-)likelihood ratio interpretation. We...... show that the likelihood ratio unit root test derived in a Gaussian AR(1) model with standard normal innovations is nearly efficient in that model. Moreover, these desirable properties carry over to more complicated models allowing for serially correlated and/or non-Gaussian innovations....

  17. Alvar engine. An engine with variable compression ratio. Experiments and tests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Erlandsson, Olof

    1998-09-01

    This report is focused on tests with Variable Compression Ratio (VCR) engines, according to the Alvar engine principle. Variable compression ratio means an engine design where it is possible to change the nominal compression ratio. The purpose is to increase the fuel efficiency at part load by increasing the compression ratio. At maximum load, and maybe supercharging with for example turbocharger, it is not possible to keep a high compression ratio because of the knock phenomena. Knock is a shock wave caused by self-ignition of the fuel-air mix. If knock occurs, the engine will be exposed to a destructive load. Because of the reasons mentioned it would be an advantage if it would be possible to change the compression ratio continuously when the load changes. The Alvar engine provides a solution for variable compression ratio based on well-known engine components. This paper provides information about efficiency and emission characteristics from tests with two Alvar engines. Results from tests with a phase shift mechanism (for automatic compression ratio control) for the Alvar engine are also reviewed Examination paper. 5 refs, 23 figs, 2 tabs, 5 appendices

  18. The efficiency of the crude oil markets: Evidence from variance ratio tests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Charles, Amelie, E-mail: acharles@audencia.co [Audencia Nantes, School of Management, 8 route de la Joneliere, 44312 Nantes (France); Darne, Olivier, E-mail: olivier.darne@univ-nantes.f [LEMNA, University of Nantes, IEMN-IAE, Chemin de la Censive du Tertre, 44322 Nantes (France)

    2009-11-15

    This study examines the random walk hypothesis for the crude oil markets, using daily data over the period 1982-2008. The weak-form efficient market hypothesis for two crude oil markets (UK Brent and US West Texas Intermediate) is tested with non-parametric variance ratio tests developed by [Wright J.H., 2000. Alternative variance-ratio tests using ranks and signs. Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, 18, 1-9] and [Belaire-Franch J. and Contreras D., 2004. Ranks and signs-based multiple variance ratio tests. Working paper, Department of Economic Analysis, University of Valencia] as well as the wild-bootstrap variance ratio tests suggested by [Kim, J.H., 2006. Wild bootstrapping variance ratio tests. Economics Letters, 92, 38-43]. We find that the Brent crude oil market is weak-form efficiency while the WTI crude oil market seems to be inefficiency on the 1994-2008 sub-period, suggesting that the deregulation have not improved the efficiency on the WTI crude oil market in the sense of making returns less predictable.

  19. The efficiency of the crude oil markets. Evidence from variance ratio tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charles, Amelie; Darne, Olivier

    2009-01-01

    This study examines the random walk hypothesis for the crude oil markets, using daily data over the period 1982-2008. The weak-form efficient market hypothesis for two crude oil markets (UK Brent and US West Texas Intermediate) is tested with non-parametric variance ratio tests developed by [Wright J.H., 2000. Alternative variance-ratio tests using ranks and signs. Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, 18, 1-9] and [Belaire-Franch J. and Contreras D., 2004. Ranks and signs-based multiple variance ratio tests. Working paper, Department of Economic Analysis, University of Valencia] as well as the wild-bootstrap variance ratio tests suggested by [Kim, J.H., 2006. Wild bootstrapping variance ratio tests. Economics Letters, 92, 38-43]. We find that the Brent crude oil market is weak-form efficiency while the WTI crude oil market seems to be inefficiency on the 1994-2008 sub-period, suggesting that the deregulation have not improved the efficiency on the WTI crude oil market in the sense of making returns less predictable. (author)

  20. The efficiency of the crude oil markets. Evidence from variance ratio tests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Charles, Amelie [Audencia Nantes, School of Management, 8 route de la Joneliere, 44312 Nantes (France); Darne, Olivier [LEMNA, University of Nantes, IEMN-IAE, Chemin de la Censive du Tertre, 44322 Nantes (France)

    2009-11-15

    This study examines the random walk hypothesis for the crude oil markets, using daily data over the period 1982-2008. The weak-form efficient market hypothesis for two crude oil markets (UK Brent and US West Texas Intermediate) is tested with non-parametric variance ratio tests developed by [Wright J.H., 2000. Alternative variance-ratio tests using ranks and signs. Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, 18, 1-9] and [Belaire-Franch J. and Contreras D., 2004. Ranks and signs-based multiple variance ratio tests. Working paper, Department of Economic Analysis, University of Valencia] as well as the wild-bootstrap variance ratio tests suggested by [Kim, J.H., 2006. Wild bootstrapping variance ratio tests. Economics Letters, 92, 38-43]. We find that the Brent crude oil market is weak-form efficiency while the WTI crude oil market seems to be inefficiency on the 1994-2008 sub-period, suggesting that the deregulation have not improved the efficiency on the WTI crude oil market in the sense of making returns less predictable. (author)

  1. Wald Sequential Probability Ratio Test for Space Object Conjunction Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpenter, James R.; Markley, F Landis

    2014-01-01

    This paper shows how satellite owner/operators may use sequential estimates of collision probability, along with a prior assessment of the base risk of collision, in a compound hypothesis ratio test to inform decisions concerning collision risk mitigation maneuvers. The compound hypothesis test reduces to a simple probability ratio test, which appears to be a novel result. The test satisfies tolerances related to targeted false alarm and missed detection rates. This result is independent of the method one uses to compute the probability density that one integrates to compute collision probability. A well-established test case from the literature shows that this test yields acceptable results within the constraints of a typical operational conjunction assessment decision timeline. Another example illustrates the use of the test in a practical conjunction assessment scenario based on operations of the International Space Station.

  2. Comments on the sequential probability ratio testing methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Racz, A. [Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest (Hungary). Central Research Inst. for Physics

    1996-07-01

    In this paper the classical sequential probability ratio testing method (SPRT) is reconsidered. Every individual boundary crossing event of the SPRT is regarded as a new piece of evidence about the problem under hypothesis testing. The Bayes method is applied for belief updating, i.e. integrating these individual decisions. The procedure is recommended to use when the user (1) would like to be informed about the tested hypothesis continuously and (2) would like to achieve his final conclusion with high confidence level. (Author).

  3. A more powerful test based on ratio distribution for retention noninferiority hypothesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Ling; Chen, Gang

    2013-03-11

    Rothmann et al. ( 2003 ) proposed a method for the statistical inference of fraction retention noninferiority (NI) hypothesis. A fraction retention hypothesis is defined as a ratio of the new treatment effect verse the control effect in the context of a time to event endpoint. One of the major concerns using this method in the design of an NI trial is that with a limited sample size, the power of the study is usually very low. This makes an NI trial not applicable particularly when using time to event endpoint. To improve power, Wang et al. ( 2006 ) proposed a ratio test based on asymptotic normality theory. Under a strong assumption (equal variance of the NI test statistic under null and alternative hypotheses), the sample size using Wang's test was much smaller than that using Rothmann's test. However, in practice, the assumption of equal variance is generally questionable for an NI trial design. This assumption is removed in the ratio test proposed in this article, which is derived directly from a Cauchy-like ratio distribution. In addition, using this method, the fundamental assumption used in Rothmann's test, that the observed control effect is always positive, that is, the observed hazard ratio for placebo over the control is greater than 1, is no longer necessary. Without assuming equal variance under null and alternative hypotheses, the sample size required for an NI trial can be significantly reduced if using the proposed ratio test for a fraction retention NI hypothesis.

  4. GLRT Based Anomaly Detection for Sensor Network Monitoring

    KAUST Repository

    Harrou, Fouzi

    2015-12-07

    Proper operation of antenna arrays requires continuously monitoring their performances. When a fault occurs in an antenna array, the radiation pattern changes and can significantly deviate from the desired design performance specifications. In this paper, the problem of fault detection in linear antenna arrays is addressed within a statistical framework. Specifically, a statistical fault detection method based on the generalized likelihood ratio (GLR) principle is utilized for detecting potential faults in linear antenna arrays. The proposed method relies on detecting deviations in the radiation pattern of the monitored array with respect to a reference (fault-free) one. To assess the abilities of the GLR based fault detection method, three case studies involving different types of faults have been performed. The simulation results clearly illustrate the effectiveness of the GLR-based fault detection method in monitoring the performance of linear antenna arrays.

  5. GLRT Based Anomaly Detection for Sensor Network Monitoring

    KAUST Repository

    Harrou, Fouzi; Sun, Ying

    2015-01-01

    Proper operation of antenna arrays requires continuously monitoring their performances. When a fault occurs in an antenna array, the radiation pattern changes and can significantly deviate from the desired design performance specifications. In this paper, the problem of fault detection in linear antenna arrays is addressed within a statistical framework. Specifically, a statistical fault detection method based on the generalized likelihood ratio (GLR) principle is utilized for detecting potential faults in linear antenna arrays. The proposed method relies on detecting deviations in the radiation pattern of the monitored array with respect to a reference (fault-free) one. To assess the abilities of the GLR based fault detection method, three case studies involving different types of faults have been performed. The simulation results clearly illustrate the effectiveness of the GLR-based fault detection method in monitoring the performance of linear antenna arrays.

  6. Multiple Improvements of Multiple Imputation Likelihood Ratio Tests

    OpenAIRE

    Chan, Kin Wai; Meng, Xiao-Li

    2017-01-01

    Multiple imputation (MI) inference handles missing data by first properly imputing the missing values $m$ times, and then combining the $m$ analysis results from applying a complete-data procedure to each of the completed datasets. However, the existing method for combining likelihood ratio tests has multiple defects: (i) the combined test statistic can be negative in practice when the reference null distribution is a standard $F$ distribution; (ii) it is not invariant to re-parametrization; ...

  7. Sex ratios in the two Germanies: a test of the economic stress hypothesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catalano, Ralph A

    2003-09-01

    Literature describing temporal variation in the secondary sex ratio among humans reports an association between population stressors and declines in the odds of male birth. Explanations of this phenomenon draw on reports that stressed females spontaneously abort male more than female fetuses, and that stressed males exhibit reduced sperm motility. This work has led to the argument that population stress induced by a declining economy reduces the human sex ratio. No direct test of this hypothesis appears in the literature. Here, a test is offered based on a comparison of the sex ratio in East and West Germany for the years 1946 to 1999. The theory suggests that the East German sex ratio should be lower in 1991, when East Germany's economy collapsed, than expected from its own history and from the sex ratio in West Germany. The hypothesis is tested using time-series modelling methods. The data support the hypothesis. The sex ratio in East Germany was at its lowest in 1991. This first direct test supports the hypothesis that economic decline reduces the human sex ratio.

  8. Zero-inflated Poisson model based likelihood ratio test for drug safety signal detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Lan; Zheng, Dan; Zalkikar, Jyoti; Tiwari, Ram

    2017-02-01

    In recent decades, numerous methods have been developed for data mining of large drug safety databases, such as Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Adverse Event Reporting System, where data matrices are formed by drugs such as columns and adverse events as rows. Often, a large number of cells in these data matrices have zero cell counts and some of them are "true zeros" indicating that the drug-adverse event pairs cannot occur, and these zero counts are distinguished from the other zero counts that are modeled zero counts and simply indicate that the drug-adverse event pairs have not occurred yet or have not been reported yet. In this paper, a zero-inflated Poisson model based likelihood ratio test method is proposed to identify drug-adverse event pairs that have disproportionately high reporting rates, which are also called signals. The maximum likelihood estimates of the model parameters of zero-inflated Poisson model based likelihood ratio test are obtained using the expectation and maximization algorithm. The zero-inflated Poisson model based likelihood ratio test is also modified to handle the stratified analyses for binary and categorical covariates (e.g. gender and age) in the data. The proposed zero-inflated Poisson model based likelihood ratio test method is shown to asymptotically control the type I error and false discovery rate, and its finite sample performance for signal detection is evaluated through a simulation study. The simulation results show that the zero-inflated Poisson model based likelihood ratio test method performs similar to Poisson model based likelihood ratio test method when the estimated percentage of true zeros in the database is small. Both the zero-inflated Poisson model based likelihood ratio test and likelihood ratio test methods are applied to six selected drugs, from the 2006 to 2011 Adverse Event Reporting System database, with varying percentages of observed zero-count cells.

  9. Understanding the properties of diagnostic tests - Part 2: Likelihood ratios.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranganathan, Priya; Aggarwal, Rakesh

    2018-01-01

    Diagnostic tests are used to identify subjects with and without disease. In a previous article in this series, we examined some attributes of diagnostic tests - sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values. In this second article, we look at likelihood ratios, which are useful for the interpretation of diagnostic test results in everyday clinical practice.

  10. Similar tests and the standardized log likelihood ratio statistic

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jens Ledet

    1986-01-01

    When testing an affine hypothesis in an exponential family the 'ideal' procedure is to calculate the exact similar test, or an approximation to this, based on the conditional distribution given the minimal sufficient statistic under the null hypothesis. By contrast to this there is a 'primitive......' approach in which the marginal distribution of a test statistic considered and any nuisance parameter appearing in the test statistic is replaced by an estimate. We show here that when using standardized likelihood ratio statistics the 'primitive' procedure is in fact an 'ideal' procedure to order O(n -3...

  11. An Intersection–Union Test for the Sharpe Ratio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriel Frahm

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available An intersection–union test for supporting the hypothesis that a given investment strategy is optimal among a set of alternatives is presented. It compares the Sharpe ratio of the benchmark with that of each other strategy. The intersection–union test takes serial dependence into account and does not presume that asset returns are multivariate normally distributed. An empirical study based on the G–7 countries demonstrates that it is hard to find significant results due to the lack of data, which confirms a general observation in empirical finance.

  12. Further comments on the sequential probability ratio testing methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kulacsy, K. [Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest (Hungary). Central Research Inst. for Physics

    1997-05-23

    The Bayesian method for belief updating proposed in Racz (1996) is examined. The interpretation of the belief function introduced therein is found, and the method is compared to the classical binary Sequential Probability Ratio Testing method (SPRT). (author).

  13. Evidence Based Medicine; Positive and Negative Likelihood Ratios of Diagnostic Tests

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alireza Baratloo

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available In the previous two parts of educational manuscript series in Emergency, we explained some screening characteristics of diagnostic tests including accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values. In the 3rd  part we aimed to explain positive and negative likelihood ratio (LR as one of the most reliable performance measures of a diagnostic test. To better understand this characteristic of a test, it is first necessary to fully understand the concept of sensitivity and specificity. So we strongly advise you to review the 1st part of this series again. In short, the likelihood ratios are about the percentage of people with and without a disease but having the same test result. The prevalence of a disease can directly influence screening characteristics of a diagnostic test, especially its sensitivity and specificity. Trying to eliminate this effect, LR was developed. Pre-test probability of a disease multiplied by positive or negative LR can estimate post-test probability. Therefore, LR is the most important characteristic of a test to rule out or rule in a diagnosis. A positive likelihood ratio > 1 means higher probability of the disease to be present in a patient with a positive test. The further from 1, either higher or lower, the stronger the evidence to rule in or rule out the disease, respectively. It is obvious that tests with LR close to one are less practical. On the other hand, LR further from one will have more value for application in medicine. Usually tests with 0.1 < LR > 10 are considered suitable for implication in routine practice.

  14. Safeguarding a Lunar Rover with Wald's Sequential Probability Ratio Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furlong, Michael; Dille, Michael; Wong, Uland; Nefian, Ara

    2016-01-01

    The virtual bumper is a safeguarding mechanism for autonomous and remotely operated robots. In this paper we take a new approach to the virtual bumper system by using an old statistical test. By using a modified version of Wald's sequential probability ratio test we demonstrate that we can reduce the number of false positive reported by the virtual bumper, thereby saving valuable mission time. We use the concept of sequential probability ratio to control vehicle speed in the presence of possible obstacles in order to increase certainty about whether or not obstacles are present. Our new algorithm reduces the chances of collision by approximately 98 relative to traditional virtual bumper safeguarding without speed control.

  15. Wald Sequential Probability Ratio Test for Analysis of Orbital Conjunction Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpenter, J. Russell; Markley, F. Landis; Gold, Dara

    2013-01-01

    We propose a Wald Sequential Probability Ratio Test for analysis of commonly available predictions associated with spacecraft conjunctions. Such predictions generally consist of a relative state and relative state error covariance at the time of closest approach, under the assumption that prediction errors are Gaussian. We show that under these circumstances, the likelihood ratio of the Wald test reduces to an especially simple form, involving the current best estimate of collision probability, and a similar estimate of collision probability that is based on prior assumptions about the likelihood of collision.

  16. COHERENT NETWORK ANALYSIS FOR CONTINUOUS GRAVITATIONAL WAVE SIGNALS IN A PULSAR TIMING ARRAY: PULSAR PHASES AS EXTRINSIC PARAMETERS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Yan [MOE Key Laboratory of Fundamental Physical Quantities Measurements, School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430074 (China); Mohanty, Soumya D.; Jenet, Fredrick A., E-mail: ywang12@hust.edu.cn [Department of Physics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 1 West University Boulevard, Brownsville, TX 78520 (United States)

    2015-12-20

    Supermassive black hole binaries are one of the primary targets of gravitational wave (GW) searches using pulsar timing arrays (PTAs). GW signals from such systems are well represented by parameterized models, allowing the standard Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT) to be used for their detection and estimation. However, there is a dichotomy in how the GLRT can be implemented for PTAs: there are two possible ways in which one can split the set of signal parameters for semi-analytical and numerical extremization. The straightforward extension of the method used for continuous signals in ground-based GW searches, where the so-called pulsar phase parameters are maximized numerically, was addressed in an earlier paper. In this paper, we report the first study of the performance of the second approach where the pulsar phases are maximized semi-analytically. This approach is scalable since the number of parameters left over for numerical optimization does not depend on the size of the PTA. Our results show that for the same array size (9 pulsars), the new method performs somewhat worse in parameter estimation, but not in detection, than the previous method where the pulsar phases were maximized numerically. The origin of the performance discrepancy is likely to be in the ill-posedness that is intrinsic to any network analysis method. However, the scalability of the new method allows the ill-posedness to be mitigated by simply adding more pulsars to the array. This is shown explicitly by taking a larger array of pulsars.

  17. Jet-Surface Interaction: High Aspect Ratio Nozzle Test, Nozzle Design and Preliminary Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Clifford; Dippold, Vance

    2015-01-01

    The Jet-Surface Interaction High Aspect Ratio (JSI-HAR) nozzle test is part of an ongoing effort to measure and predict the noise created when an aircraft engine exhausts close to an airframe surface. The JSI-HAR test is focused on parameters derived from the Turbo-electric Distributed Propulsion (TeDP) concept aircraft which include a high-aspect ratio mailslot exhaust nozzle, internal septa, and an aft deck. The size and mass flow rate limits of the test rig also limited the test nozzle to a 16:1 aspect ratio, half the approximately 32:1 on the TeDP concept. Also, unlike the aircraft, the test nozzle must transition from a single round duct on the High Flow Jet Exit Rig, located in the AeroAcoustic Propulsion Laboratory at the NASA Glenn Research Center, to the rectangular shape at the nozzle exit. A parametric nozzle design method was developed to design three low noise round-to-rectangular transitions, with 8:1, 12:1, and 16: aspect ratios, that minimizes flow separations and shocks while providing a flat flow profile at the nozzle exit. These designs validated using the WIND-US CFD code. A preliminary analysis of the test data shows that the actual flow profile is close to that predicted and that the noise results appear consistent with data from previous, smaller scale, tests. The JSI-HAR test is ongoing through October 2015. The results shown in the presentation are intended to provide an overview of the test and a first look at the preliminary results.

  18. An evaluation of damping ratios for HVAC duct systems using vibration test data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gunyasu, K.; Horimizu, Y.; Kawakami, A.; Iokibe, H.; Yamazaki, T.

    1988-01-01

    The function of Heating Ventilating Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems must be maintained including HVAC duct systems to keep the operation of safety-related equipment in nuclear power plants during earthquake excitations. Therefore, it is important to carry out seismic design for HVAC duct systems. In the previous aseismic design for HVAC duct systems, the 0.5% damping ratio has been used in Japan. In recent years, vibration tests, held on actual duct systems in nuclear power plants and mockup duct systems were performed in order to investigate damping ratios for HVAC duct systems. Based on the results, it was confirmed that the damping ratio for HVAC duct systems, evaluated from these tests, were much greater than the 0.5% damping ratio used in the previous aseismic design of Japan. The new damping ratio in aseismic design was proposed to be 2.5%. The present paper describes the results of the above mentioned investigation

  19. Diagonal Likelihood Ratio Test for Equality of Mean Vectors in High-Dimensional Data

    KAUST Repository

    Hu, Zongliang

    2017-10-27

    We propose a likelihood ratio test framework for testing normal mean vectors in high-dimensional data under two common scenarios: the one-sample test and the two-sample test with equal covariance matrices. We derive the test statistics under the assumption that the covariance matrices follow a diagonal matrix structure. In comparison with the diagonal Hotelling\\'s tests, our proposed test statistics display some interesting characteristics. In particular, they are a summation of the log-transformed squared t-statistics rather than a direct summation of those components. More importantly, to derive the asymptotic normality of our test statistics under the null and local alternative hypotheses, we do not require the assumption that the covariance matrix follows a diagonal matrix structure. As a consequence, our proposed test methods are very flexible and can be widely applied in practice. Finally, simulation studies and a real data analysis are also conducted to demonstrate the advantages of our likelihood ratio test method.

  20. Diagonal Likelihood Ratio Test for Equality of Mean Vectors in High-Dimensional Data

    KAUST Repository

    Hu, Zongliang; Tong, Tiejun; Genton, Marc G.

    2017-01-01

    We propose a likelihood ratio test framework for testing normal mean vectors in high-dimensional data under two common scenarios: the one-sample test and the two-sample test with equal covariance matrices. We derive the test statistics under the assumption that the covariance matrices follow a diagonal matrix structure. In comparison with the diagonal Hotelling's tests, our proposed test statistics display some interesting characteristics. In particular, they are a summation of the log-transformed squared t-statistics rather than a direct summation of those components. More importantly, to derive the asymptotic normality of our test statistics under the null and local alternative hypotheses, we do not require the assumption that the covariance matrix follows a diagonal matrix structure. As a consequence, our proposed test methods are very flexible and can be widely applied in practice. Finally, simulation studies and a real data analysis are also conducted to demonstrate the advantages of our likelihood ratio test method.

  1. Statistical Change Detection for Diagnosis of Buoyancy Element Defects on Moored Floating Vessels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blanke, Mogens; Fang, Shaoji; Galeazzi, Roberto

    2012-01-01

    . After residual generation, statistical change detection scheme is derived from mathematical models supported by experimental data. To experimentally verify loss of an underwater buoyancy element, an underwater line breaker is designed to create realistic replication of abrupt faults. The paper analyses...... the properties of residuals and suggests a dedicated GLRT change detector based on a vector residual. Special attention is paid to threshold selection for non ideal (non-IID) test statistics....

  2. Scale invariant for one-sided multivariate likelihood ratio tests

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samruam Chongcharoen

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Suppose 1 2 , ,..., n X X X is a random sample from Np ( ,V distribution. Consider 0 1 2 : ... 0 p H      and1 : 0 for 1, 2,..., i H   i  p , let 1 0 H  H denote the hypothesis that 1 H holds but 0 H does not, and let ~ 0 H denote thehypothesis that 0 H does not hold. Because the likelihood ratio test (LRT of 0 H versus 1 0 H  H is complicated, severalad hoc tests have been proposed. Tang, Gnecco and Geller (1989 proposed an approximate LRT, Follmann (1996 suggestedrejecting 0 H if the usual test of 0 H versus ~ 0 H rejects 0 H with significance level 2 and a weighted sum of the samplemeans is positive, and Chongcharoen, Singh and Wright (2002 modified Follmann’s test to include information about thecorrelation structure in the sum of the sample means. Chongcharoen and Wright (2007, 2006 give versions of the Tang-Gnecco-Geller tests and Follmann-type tests, respectively, with invariance properties. With LRT’s scale invariant desiredproperty, we investigate its powers by using Monte Carlo techniques and compare them with the tests which we recommendin Chongcharoen and Wright (2007, 2006.

  3. Cancer cell detection and classification using transformation invariant template learning methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Talware, Rajendra; Abhyankar, Aditya

    2011-01-01

    In traditional cancer cell detection, pathologists examine biopsies to make diagnostic assessments, largely based on cell morphology and tissue distribution. The process of image acquisition is very much subjective and the pattern undergoes unknown or random transformations during data acquisition (e.g. variation in illumination, orientation, translation and perspective) results in high degree of variability. Transformed Component Analysis (TCA) incorporates a discrete, hidden variable that accounts for transformations and uses the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm to jointly extract components and normalize for transformations. Further the TEMPLAR framework developed takes advantage of hierarchical pattern models and adds probabilistic modeling for local transformations. Pattern classification is based on Expectation Maximization algorithm and General Likelihood Ratio Tests (GLRT). Performance of TEMPLAR is certainly improved by defining area of interest on slide a priori. Performance can be further enhanced by making the kernel function adaptive during learning. (author)

  4. Effect of home testing of international normalized ratio on clinical events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matchar, David B; Jacobson, Alan; Dolor, Rowena; Edson, Robert; Uyeda, Lauren; Phibbs, Ciaran S; Vertrees, Julia E; Shih, Mei-Chiung; Holodniy, Mark; Lavori, Philip

    2010-10-21

    Warfarin anticoagulation reduces thromboembolic complications in patients with atrial fibrillation or mechanical heart valves, but effective management is complex, and the international normalized ratio (INR) is often outside the target range. As compared with venous plasma testing, point-of-care INR measuring devices allow greater testing frequency and patient involvement and may improve clinical outcomes. We randomly assigned 2922 patients who were taking warfarin because of mechanical heart valves or atrial fibrillation and who were competent in the use of point-of-care INR devices to either weekly self-testing at home or monthly high-quality testing in a clinic. The primary end point was the time to a first major event (stroke, major bleeding episode, or death). The patients were followed for 2.0 to 4.75 years, for a total of 8730 patient-years of follow-up. The time to the first primary event was not significantly longer in the self-testing group than in the clinic-testing group (hazard ratio, 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.75 to 1.04; P=0.14). The two groups had similar rates of clinical outcomes except that the self-testing group reported more minor bleeding episodes. Over the entire follow-up period, the self-testing group had a small but significant improvement in the percentage of time during which the INR was within the target range (absolute difference between groups, 3.8 percentage points; P<0.001). At 2 years of follow-up, the self-testing group also had a small but significant improvement in patient satisfaction with anticoagulation therapy (P=0.002) and quality of life (P<0.001). As compared with monthly high-quality clinic testing, weekly self-testing did not delay the time to a first stroke, major bleeding episode, or death to the extent suggested by prior studies. These results do not support the superiority of self-testing over clinic testing in reducing the risk of stroke, major bleeding episode, and death among patients taking warfarin

  5. Improved ASTM G72 Test Method for Ensuring Adequate Fuel-to-Oxidizer Ratios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juarez, Alfredo; Harper, Susana Tapia

    2016-01-01

    The ASTM G72/G72M-15 Standard Test Method for Autogenous Ignition Temperature of Liquids and Solids in a High-Pressure Oxygen-Enriched Environment is currently used to evaluate materials for the ignition susceptibility driven by exposure to external heat in an enriched oxygen environment. Testing performed on highly volatile liquids such as cleaning solvents has proven problematic due to inconsistent test results (non-ignitions). Non-ignition results can be misinterpreted as favorable oxygen compatibility, although they are more likely associated with inadequate fuel-to-oxidizer ratios. Forced evaporation during purging and inadequate sample size were identified as two potential causes for inadequate available sample material during testing. In an effort to maintain adequate fuel-to-oxidizer ratios within the reaction vessel during test, several parameters were considered, including sample size, pretest sample chilling, pretest purging, and test pressure. Tests on a variety of solvents exhibiting a range of volatilities are presented in this paper. A proposed improvement to the standard test protocol as a result of this evaluation is also presented. Execution of the final proposed improved test protocol outlines an incremental step method of determining optimal conditions using increased sample sizes while considering test system safety limits. The proposed improved test method increases confidence in results obtained by utilizing the ASTM G72 autogenous ignition temperature test method and can aid in the oxygen compatibility assessment of highly volatile liquids and other conditions that may lead to false non-ignition results.

  6. A likelihood ratio test for species membership based on DNA sequence data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Matz, Mikhail V.; Nielsen, Rasmus

    2005-01-01

    DNA barcoding as an approach for species identification is rapidly increasing in popularity. However, it remains unclear which statistical procedures should accompany the technique to provide a measure of uncertainty. Here we describe a likelihood ratio test which can be used to test if a sampled...... sequence is a member of an a priori specified species. We investigate the performance of the test using coalescence simulations, as well as using the real data from butterflies and frogs representing two kinds of challenge for DNA barcoding: extremely low and extremely high levels of sequence variability....

  7. The effects of multiple features of alternatively spliced exons on the KA/KS ratio test

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen Feng-Chi

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The evolution of alternatively spliced exons (ASEs is of primary interest because these exons are suggested to be a major source of functional diversity of proteins. Many exon features have been suggested to affect the evolution of ASEs. However, previous studies have relied on the KA/KS ratio test without taking into consideration information sufficiency (i.e., exon length > 75 bp, cross-species divergence > 5% of the studied exons, leading to potentially biased interpretations. Furthermore, which exon feature dominates the results of the KA/KS ratio test and whether multiple exon features have additive effects have remained unexplored. Results In this study, we collect two different datasets for analysis – the ASE dataset (which includes lineage-specific ASEs and conserved ASEs and the ACE dataset (which includes only conserved ASEs. We first show that information sufficiency can significantly affect the interpretation of relationship between exons features and the KA/KS ratio test results. After discarding exons with insufficient information, we use a Boolean method to analyze the relationship between test results and four exon features (namely length, protein domain overlapping, inclusion level, and exonic splicing enhancer (ESE frequency for the ASE dataset. We demonstrate that length and protein domain overlapping are dominant factors, and they have similar impacts on test results of ASEs. In addition, despite the weak impacts of inclusion level and ESE motif frequency when considered individually, combination of these two factors still have minor additive effects on test results. However, the ACE dataset shows a slightly different result in that inclusion level has a marginally significant effect on test results. Lineage-specific ASEs may have contributed to the difference. Overall, in both ASEs and ACEs, protein domain overlapping is the most dominant exon feature while ESE frequency is the weakest one in affecting

  8. Persymmetric Adaptive Detectors of Subspace Signals in Homogeneous and Partially Homogeneous Clutter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ding Hao

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available In the field of adaptive radar detection, an effective strategy to improve the detection performance is to exploit the structural information of the covariance matrix, especially in the case of insufficient reference cells. Thus, in this study, the problem of detecting multidimensional subspace signals is discussed by considering the persymmetric structure of the clutter covariance matrix, which implies that the covariance matrix is persymmetric about its cross diagonal. Persymmetric adaptive detectors are derived on the basis of the one-step principle as well as the two-step Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT in homogeneous and partially homogeneous clutter. The proposed detectors consider the structural information of the covariance matrix at the design stage. Simulation results suggest performance improvement compared with existing detectors when reference cells are insufficient. Moreover, the detection performance is assessed with respect to the effects of the covariance matrix, signal subspace dimension, and mismatched performance of signal subspace as well as signal fluctuations.

  9. The patients' perspective of international normalized ratio self-testing, remote communication of test results and confidence to move to self-management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grogan, Anne; Coughlan, Michael; Prizeman, Geraldine; O'Connell, Niamh; O'Mahony, Nora; Quinn, Katherine; McKee, Gabrielle

    2017-12-01

    To elicit the perceptions of patients, who self-tested their international normalized ratio and communicated their results via a text or phone messaging system, to determine their satisfaction with the education and support that they received and to establish their confidence to move to self-management. Self-testing of international normalized ratio has been shown to be reliable and is fast becoming common practice. As innovations are introduced to point of care testing, more research is needed to elicit patients' perceptions of the self-testing process. This three site study used a cross-sectional prospective descriptive survey. Three hundred and thirty patients who were prescribed warfarin and using international normalized ratio self-testing were invited to take part in the study. The anonymous survey examined patient profile, patients' usage, issues, perceptions, confidence and satisfaction with using the self-testing system and their preparedness for self-management of warfarin dosage. The response rate was 57% (n = 178). Patients' confidence in self-testing was high (90%). Patients expressed a high level of satisfaction with the support received, but expressed the need for more information on support groups, side effects of warfarin, dietary information and how to dispose of needles. When asked if they felt confident to adjust their own warfarin levels 73% agreed. Chi-squared tests for independence revealed that none of the patient profile factors examined influenced this confidence. The patients cited the greatest advantages of the service were reduced burden, more autonomy, convenience and ease of use. The main disadvantages cited were cost and communication issues. Patients were satisfied with self-testing. The majority felt they were ready to move to self-management. The introduction of innovations to remote point of care testing, such as warfarin self-testing, needs to have support at least equal to that provided in a hospital setting. © 2017 John

  10. Spent fuel sabotage aerosol ratio program : FY 2004 test and data summary.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brucher, Wenzel (Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, Germany); Koch, Wolfgang (Fraunhofer Institut fur Toxikologie und Experimentelle Medizin, Germany); Pretzsch, Gunter Guido (Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, Germany); Loiseau, Olivier (Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, France); Mo, Tin (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC); Billone, Michael C. (Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL); Autrusson, Bruno A. (Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, France); Young, F. I. (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC); Coats, Richard Lee; Burtseva, Tatiana (Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL); Luna, Robert Earl; Dickey, Roy R.; Sorenson, Ken Bryce; Nolte, Oliver (Fraunhofer Institut fur Toxikologie und Experimentelle Medizin, Germany); Thompson, Nancy Slater (U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC); Hibbs, Russell S. (U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC); Gregson, Michael Warren; Lange, Florentin (Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, Germany); Molecke, Martin Alan; Tsai, Han-Chung (Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL)

    2005-07-01

    This multinational, multi-phase spent fuel sabotage test program is quantifying the aerosol particles produced when the products of a high energy density device (HEDD) interact with and explosively particulate test rodlets that contain pellets of either surrogate materials or actual spent fuel. This program has been underway for several years. This program provides data that are relevant to some sabotage scenarios in relation to spent fuel transport and storage casks, and associated risk assessments. The program also provides significant technical and political benefits in international cooperation. We are quantifying the Spent Fuel Ratio (SFR), the ratio of the aerosol particles released from HEDD-impacted actual spent fuel to the aerosol particles produced from surrogate materials, measured under closely matched test conditions, in a contained test chamber. In addition, we are measuring the amounts, nuclide content, size distribution of the released aerosol materials, and enhanced sorption of volatile fission product nuclides onto specific aerosol particle size fractions. These data are the input for follow-on modeling studies to quantify respirable hazards, associated radiological risk assessments, vulnerability assessments, and potential cask physical protection design modifications. This document includes an updated description of the test program and test components for all work and plans made, or revised, during FY 2004. It also serves as a program status report as of the end of FY 2004. All available test results, observations, and aerosol analyses plus interpretations--primarily for surrogate material Phase 2 tests, series 2/5A through 2/9B, using cerium oxide sintered ceramic pellets are included. Advanced plans and progress are described for upcoming tests with unirradiated, depleted uranium oxide and actual spent fuel test rodlets. This spent fuel sabotage--aerosol test program is coordinated with the international Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of

  11. Spent fuel sabotage aerosol ratio program : FY 2004 test and data summary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brucher, Wenzel; Koch, Wolfgang; Pretzsch, Gunter Guido; Loiseau, Olivier; Mo, Tin; Billone, Michael C.; Autrusson, Bruno A.; Young, F. I.; Coats, Richard Lee; Burtseva, Tatiana; Luna, Robert Earl; Dickey, Roy R.; Sorenson, Ken Bryce; Nolte, Oliver; Thompson, Nancy Slater; Hibbs, Russell S.; Gregson, Michael Warren; Lange, Florentin; Molecke, Martin Alan; Tsai, Han-Chung

    2005-01-01

    This multinational, multi-phase spent fuel sabotage test program is quantifying the aerosol particles produced when the products of a high energy density device (HEDD) interact with and explosively particulate test rodlets that contain pellets of either surrogate materials or actual spent fuel. This program has been underway for several years. This program provides data that are relevant to some sabotage scenarios in relation to spent fuel transport and storage casks, and associated risk assessments. The program also provides significant technical and political benefits in international cooperation. We are quantifying the Spent Fuel Ratio (SFR), the ratio of the aerosol particles released from HEDD-impacted actual spent fuel to the aerosol particles produced from surrogate materials, measured under closely matched test conditions, in a contained test chamber. In addition, we are measuring the amounts, nuclide content, size distribution of the released aerosol materials, and enhanced sorption of volatile fission product nuclides onto specific aerosol particle size fractions. These data are the input for follow-on modeling studies to quantify respirable hazards, associated radiological risk assessments, vulnerability assessments, and potential cask physical protection design modifications. This document includes an updated description of the test program and test components for all work and plans made, or revised, during FY 2004. It also serves as a program status report as of the end of FY 2004. All available test results, observations, and aerosol analyses plus interpretations--primarily for surrogate material Phase 2 tests, series 2/5A through 2/9B, using cerium oxide sintered ceramic pellets are included. Advanced plans and progress are described for upcoming tests with unirradiated, depleted uranium oxide and actual spent fuel test rodlets. This spent fuel sabotage--aerosol test program is coordinated with the international Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of

  12. International normalized ratio self-testing and self-management: improving patient outcomes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pozzi M

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Matteo Pozzi,1 Julia Mitchell,2 Anna Maria Henaine,3 Najib Hanna,4 Ola Safi,4 Roland Henaine2 1Department of Adult Cardiac Surgery, “Louis Pradel” Cardiologic Hospital, Lyon, France; 2Department of Congenital Cardiac Surgery, “Louis Pradel” Cardiologic Hospital, Lyon, France; 3Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon; 4Pediatric Unit, “Hotel Dieu de France” Hospital, Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon Abstract: Long term oral anti-coagulation with vitamin K antagonists is a risk factor of hemorrhagic or thromebomlic complications. Periodic laboratory testing of international normalized ratio (INR and a subsequent dose adjustment are therefore mandatory. The use of home testing devices to measure INR has been suggested as a potential way to improve the comfort and compliance of the patients and their families, the frequency of monitoring and, finally, the management and safety of long-term oral anticoagulation. In pediatric patients, increased doses to obtain and maintain the therapeutic target INR, more frequent adjustments and INR testing, multiple medication, inconstant nutritional intake, difficult venepunctures, and the need to go to the laboratory for testing (interruption of school and parents’ work attendance highlight those difficulties. After reviewing the most relevant published studies of self-testing and self-management of INR for adult patients and children on oral anticoagulation, it seems that these are valuable and effective strategies of INR control. Despite an unclear relationship between INR control and clinical effects, these self-strategies provide a better control of the anticoagulant effect, improve patients and their family quality of life, and are an appealing solution in term of cost-effectiveness. Structured education and knowledge evaluation by trained health care professionals is required for children, to be able to adjust their dose treatment safely and accurately. However

  13. The TL,NO/TL,CO ratio in pulmonary function test interpretation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, J Michael B; van der Lee, Ivo

    2013-02-01

    The transfer factor of the lung for nitric oxide (T(L,NO)) is a new test for pulmonary gas exchange. The procedure is similar to the already well-established transfer factor of the lung for carbon monoxide (T(L,CO)). Physiologically, T(L,NO) predominantly measures the diffusion pathway from the alveoli to capillary plasma. In the Roughton-Forster equation, T(L,NO) acts as a surrogate for the membrane diffusing capacity (D(M)). The red blood cell resistance to carbon monoxide uptake accounts for ~50% of the total resistance from gas to blood, but it is much less for nitric oxide. T(L,NO) and T(L,CO) can be measured simultaneously with the single breath technique, and D(M) and pulmonary capillary blood volume (V(c)) can be estimated. T(L,NO), unlike T(L,CO), is independent of oxygen tension and haematocrit. The T(L,NO)/T(L,CO) ratio is weighted towards the D(M)/V(c) ratio and to α; where α is the ratio of physical diffusivities of NO to CO (α=1.97). The T(L,NO)/T(L,CO) ratio is increased in heavy smokers, with and without computed tomography evidence of emphysema, and reduced in the voluntary restriction of lung expansion; it is expected to be reduced in chronic heart failure. The T(L,NO)/T(L,CO) ratio is a new index of gas exchange that may, more than derivations from them of D(M) and V(c) with their in-built assumptions, give additional insights into pulmonary pathology.

  14. Do exchange rates follow random walks? A variance ratio test of the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The random-walk hypothesis in foreign-exchange rates market is one of the most researched areas, particularly in developed economies. However, emerging markets in sub-Saharan Africa have received little attention in this regard. This study applies Lo and MacKinlay's (1988) conventional variance ratio test and Wright's ...

  15. Comparison of IRT Likelihood Ratio Test and Logistic Regression DIF Detection Procedures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atar, Burcu; Kamata, Akihito

    2011-01-01

    The Type I error rates and the power of IRT likelihood ratio test and cumulative logit ordinal logistic regression procedures in detecting differential item functioning (DIF) for polytomously scored items were investigated in this Monte Carlo simulation study. For this purpose, 54 simulation conditions (combinations of 3 sample sizes, 2 sample…

  16. Statistical Angular Resolution Limit for Ultrawideband MIMO Noise Radar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoli Zhou

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The two-dimensional angular resolution limit (ARL of elevation and azimuth for MIMO radar with ultrawideband (UWB noise waveforms is investigated using statistical resolution theory. First, the signal model of monostatic UWB MIMO noise radar is established in a 3D reference frame. Then, the statistical angular resolution limits (SARLs of two closely spaced targets are derived using the detection-theoretic and estimation-theoretic approaches, respectively. The detection-theoretic approach is based on the generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT with given probabilities of false alarm and detection, while the estimation-theoretic approach is based on Smith’s criterion which involves the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB. Furthermore, the relationship between the two approaches is presented, and the factors affecting the SARL, that is, detection parameters, transmit waveforms, array geometry, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR, and parameters of target (i.e., radar cross section (RCS and direction, are analyzed. Compared with the conventional radar resolution theory defined by the ambiguity function, the SARL reflects the practical resolution ability of radar and can provide an optimization criterion for radar system design.

  17. Performance Enhancement of Multi-Cyclic Detector for Cognitive Radios with an OFDM Primary System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Minseok; Po, Kimtho; Takada, Jun-Ichi

    Spectrum sensing, a key technical challenge in cognitive radios (CR) technology, is a technique that enables the spectrum of licensed systems to be accessed without causing undue interference. It is well known that cyclostationarity detectors have great advantages over energy detectors in terms of the robustness to noise uncertainty that significantly degrades the performance as well as the capability to distinguish the signal of interest from the other interferences and noise. The generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) is a recognized sensing technique that utilizes the inherent cyclostationarity of the signal and has been intensively studied. However, no comprehensive evaluation on its performance enhancement has been published to date. Moreover high computational complexity is still a significant problem for its realization. This paper proposes a maximum ratio combining multi-cyclic detector which uses multiple cyclic frequencies for performance enhancement with reduced computational complexity. An orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signal based on the ISDB-T (integrated services digital broadcasting terrestrial), a Japanese digital television broadcasting standard, was used in the evaluation assuming this as a primary system in WRAN (wireless regional area network) applications like IEEE 802.22.

  18. The Likelihood Ratio Test of Common Factors under Non-Ideal Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana M. Angulo

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available El modelo espacial de Durbin ocupa una posición interesante en econometría espacial. Es la forma reducida de un modelo de corte transversal con dependencia en los errores y puede ser utilizado como ecuación de anidación en un enfoque más general de selección de modelos. En concreto, a partir de esta ecuación puede obtenerse el Ratio de Verosimilitudes conocido como test de Factores Comunes (LRCOM. Como se muestra en Mur y Angulo (2006, este test tiene buenas propiedades si el modelo está correctamente especificado. Sin embargo, por lo que sabemos, no hay referencias en la literatura sobre el comportamiento de este test bajo condiciones no ideales. En concreto, estudiamos el comportamiento del test en los casos de heterocedasticidad, no normalidad, endogeneidad, matrices de contactos densas y no-linealidad. Nuestros resultados ofrecen una visión positiva del test de Factores Comunes que parece una técnica útil en el instrumental propio de la econometría espacial contemporánea.

  19. Sequential Probability Ratio Test for Spacecraft Collision Avoidance Maneuver Decisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpenter, J. Russell; Markley, F. Landis

    2013-01-01

    A document discusses sequential probability ratio tests that explicitly allow decision-makers to incorporate false alarm and missed detection risks, and are potentially less sensitive to modeling errors than a procedure that relies solely on a probability of collision threshold. Recent work on constrained Kalman filtering has suggested an approach to formulating such a test for collision avoidance maneuver decisions: a filter bank with two norm-inequality-constrained epoch-state extended Kalman filters. One filter models the null hypotheses that the miss distance is inside the combined hard body radius at the predicted time of closest approach, and one filter models the alternative hypothesis. The epoch-state filter developed for this method explicitly accounts for any process noise present in the system. The method appears to work well using a realistic example based on an upcoming, highly elliptical orbit formation flying mission.

  20. Statistical theory a concise introduction

    CERN Document Server

    Abramovich, Felix

    2013-01-01

    Introduction Preamble Likelihood Sufficiency Minimal sufficiency Completeness Exponential family of distributionsPoint Estimation Introduction Maximum likelihood estimation Method of moments Method of least squares Goodness-of-estimation. Mean squared error. Unbiased estimationConfidence Intervals, Bounds, and Regions Introduction Quoting the estimation error Confidence intervalsConfidence bounds Confidence regionsHypothesis Testing Introduction Simple hypothesesComposite hypothesesHypothesis testing and confidence intervals Sequential testingAsymptotic Analysis Introduction Convergence and consistency in MSE Convergence and consistency in probability Convergence in distribution The central limit theorem Asymptotically normal consistency Asymptotic confidence intervals Asymptotic normality of the MLE Multiparameter case Asymptotic distribution of the GLRT. Wilks' theorem.Bayesian Inference Introduction Choice of priors Point estimation Interval estimation. Credible sets. Hypothesis testingElements of Statisti...

  1. Sex Ratios, Economic Power, and Women's Roles: A Theoretical Extension and Empirical Test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    South, Scott J.

    1988-01-01

    Tested hypotheses concerning sex ratios, women's roles, and economic power with data from 111 countries. Found undersupply of women positively associated with proportion of women who marry and fertility rate; inversely associated with women's average age at marriage, literacy rate, and divorce rate. Suggests women's economic power may counteract…

  2. A numerical test method of California bearing ratio on graded crushed rocks using particle flow modeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yingjun Jiang

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available In order to better understand the mechanical properties of graded crushed rocks (GCRs and to optimize the relevant design, a numerical test method based on the particle flow modeling technique PFC2D is developed for the California bearing ratio (CBR test on GCRs. The effects of different testing conditions and micro-mechanical parameters used in the model on the CBR numerical results have been systematically studied. The reliability of the numerical technique is verified. The numerical results suggest that the influences of the loading rate and Poisson's ratio on the CBR numerical test results are not significant. As such, a loading rate of 1.0–3.0 mm/min, a piston diameter of 5 cm, a specimen height of 15 cm and a specimen diameter of 15 cm are adopted for the CBR numerical test. The numerical results reveal that the CBR values increase with the friction coefficient at the contact and shear modulus of the rocks, while the influence of Poisson's ratio on the CBR values is insignificant. The close agreement between the CBR numerical results and experimental results suggests that the numerical simulation of the CBR values is promising to help assess the mechanical properties of GCRs and to optimize the grading design. Besides, the numerical study can provide useful insights on the mesoscopic mechanism.

  3. Design, manufacture and spin test of high contact ratio helicopter transmission utilizing Self-Aligning Bearingless Planetary (SABP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Folenta, Dezi; Lebo, William

    1988-01-01

    A 450 hp high ratio Self-Aligning Bearingless Planetary (SABP) for a helicopter application was designed, manufactured, and spin tested under NASA contract NAS3-24539. The objective of the program was to conduct research and development work on a high contact ratio helical gear SABP to reduce weight and noise and to improve efficiency. The results accomplished include the design, manufacturing, and no-load spin testing of two prototype helicopter transmissions, rated at 450 hp with an input speed of 35,000 rpm and an output speed of 350 rpm. The weight power density ratio of these gear units is 0.33 lb hp. The measured airborne noise at 35,000 rpm input speed and light load is 94 dB at 5 ft. The high speed, high contact ratio SABP transmission appears to be significantly lighter and quieter than comtemporary helicopter transmissions. The concept of the SABP is applicable not only to high ratio helicopter type transmissions but also to other rotorcraft and aircraft propulsion systems.

  4. Tests and Confidence Intervals for an Extended Variance Component Using the Modified Likelihood Ratio Statistic

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Ole Fredslund; Frydenberg, Morten; Jensen, Jens Ledet

    2005-01-01

    The large deviation modified likelihood ratio statistic is studied for testing a variance component equal to a specified value. Formulas are presented in the general balanced case, whereas in the unbalanced case only the one-way random effects model is studied. Simulation studies are presented......, showing that the normal approximation to the large deviation modified likelihood ratio statistic gives confidence intervals for variance components with coverage probabilities very close to the nominal confidence coefficient....

  5. A comparison of between hyomental distance ratios, ratio of height to thyromental, modified Mallamapati classification test and upper lip bite test in predicting difficult laryngoscopy of patients undergoing general anesthesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azim Honarmand

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Failed intubation is imperative source of anesthetic interrelated patient′s mortality. The aim of this present study was to compare the ability to predict difficult visualization of the larynx from the following pre-operative airway predictive indices, in isolation and combination: Modified Mallampati test (MMT, the ratio of height to thyromental distance (RHTMD, hyomental distance ratios (HMDR, and the upper-lip-bite test (ULBT. Materials and Methods: We collected data on 525 consecutive patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia requiring endotracheal intubation and then evaluated all four factors before surgery. A skilled anesthesiologist, not imparted of the noted pre-operative airway assessment, did the laryngoscopy and rating (as per Cormack and Lehane′s classification. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value for every airway predictor in isolation and in combination were established. Results: The most sensitive of the single tests was ULBT with a sensitivity of 90.2%. The hyomental distance extreme of head extension was the least sensitive of the single tests with a sensitivity of 56.9. The HMDR had sensitivity 86.3%. The ULBT had the highest negative predictive value: And the area under a receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC of ROC curve among single predictors. The AUC of ROC curve for ULBT, HMDR and RHTMD was significantly more than for MMT (P 0.05. Conclusion: The HMDR is comparable with RHTMD and ULBT for prediction of difficult laryngoscopy in the general population, but was significantly more than for MMT.

  6. An imbalance fault detection method based on data normalization and EMD for marine current turbines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Milu; Wang, Tianzhen; Tang, Tianhao; Benbouzid, Mohamed; Diallo, Demba

    2017-05-01

    This paper proposes an imbalance fault detection method based on data normalization and Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) for variable speed direct-drive Marine Current Turbine (MCT) system. The method is based on the MCT stator current under the condition of wave and turbulence. The goal of this method is to extract blade imbalance fault feature, which is concealed by the supply frequency and the environment noise. First, a Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT) detector is developed and the monitoring variable is selected by analyzing the relationship between the variables. Then, the selected monitoring variable is converted into a time series through data normalization, which makes the imbalance fault characteristic frequency into a constant. At the end, the monitoring variable is filtered out by EMD method to eliminate the effect of turbulence. The experiments show that the proposed method is robust against turbulence through comparing the different fault severities and the different turbulence intensities. Comparison with other methods, the experimental results indicate the feasibility and efficacy of the proposed method. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Orthogonal series generalized likelihood ratio test for failure detection and isolation. [for aircraft control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Steven R.; Walker, Bruce K.

    1990-01-01

    A new failure detection and isolation algorithm for linear dynamic systems is presented. This algorithm, the Orthogonal Series Generalized Likelihood Ratio (OSGLR) test, is based on the assumption that the failure modes of interest can be represented by truncated series expansions. This assumption leads to a failure detection algorithm with several desirable properties. Computer simulation results are presented for the detection of the failures of actuators and sensors of a C-130 aircraft. The results show that the OSGLR test generally performs as well as the GLR test in terms of time to detect a failure and is more robust to failure mode uncertainty. However, the OSGLR test is also somewhat more sensitive to modeling errors than the GLR test.

  8. Near-exact distributions for the block equicorrelation and equivariance likelihood ratio test statistic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coelho, Carlos A.; Marques, Filipe J.

    2013-09-01

    In this paper the authors combine the equicorrelation and equivariance test introduced by Wilks [13] with the likelihood ratio test (l.r.t.) for independence of groups of variables to obtain the l.r.t. of block equicorrelation and equivariance. This test or its single block version may find applications in many areas as in psychology, education, medicine, genetics and they are important "in many tests of multivariate analysis, e.g. in MANOVA, Profile Analysis, Growth Curve analysis, etc" [12, 9]. By decomposing the overall hypothesis into the hypotheses of independence of groups of variables and the hypothesis of equicorrelation and equivariance we are able to obtain the expressions for the overall l.r.t. statistic and its moments. From these we obtain a suitable factorization of the characteristic function (c.f.) of the logarithm of the l.r.t. statistic, which enables us to develop highly manageable and precise near-exact distributions for the test statistic.

  9. Monte Carlo simulation of the sequential probability ratio test for radiation monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coop, K.L.

    1984-01-01

    A computer program simulates the Sequential Probability Ratio Test (SPRT) using Monte Carlo techniques. The program, SEQTEST, performs random-number sampling of either a Poisson or normal distribution to simulate radiation monitoring data. The results are in terms of the detection probabilities and the average time required for a trial. The computed SPRT results can be compared with tabulated single interval test (SIT) values to determine the better statistical test for particular monitoring applications. Use of the SPRT in a hand-and-foot alpha monitor shows that the SPRT provides better detection probabilities while generally requiring less counting time. Calculations are also performed for a monitor where the SPRT is not permitted to the take longer than the single interval test. Although the performance of the SPRT is degraded by this restriction, the detection probabilities are still similar to the SIT values, and average counting times are always less than 75% of the SIT time. Some optimal conditions for use of the SPRT are described. The SPRT should be the test of choice in many radiation monitoring situations. 6 references, 8 figures, 1 table

  10. Graphite Isotope Ratio Method Development Report: Irradiation Test Demonstration of Uranium as a Low Fluence Indicator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reid, B.D.; Gerlach, D.C.; Love, E.F.; McNeece, J.P.; Livingston, J.V.; Greenwood, L.R.; Petersen, S.L.; Morgan, W.C.

    1999-01-01

    This report describes an irradiation test designed to investigate the suitability of uranium as a graphite isotope ratio method (GIRM) low fluence indicator. GIRM is a demonstrated concept that gives a graphite-moderated reactor's lifetime production based on measuring changes in the isotopic ratio of elements known to exist in trace quantities within reactor-grade graphite. Appendix I of this report provides a tutorial on the GIRM concept

  11. Improved anomaly detection using multi-scale PLS and generalized likelihood ratio test

    KAUST Repository

    Madakyaru, Muddu

    2017-02-16

    Process monitoring has a central role in the process industry to enhance productivity, efficiency, and safety, and to avoid expensive maintenance. In this paper, a statistical approach that exploit the advantages of multiscale PLS models (MSPLS) and those of a generalized likelihood ratio (GLR) test to better detect anomalies is proposed. Specifically, to consider the multivariate and multi-scale nature of process dynamics, a MSPLS algorithm combining PLS and wavelet analysis is used as modeling framework. Then, GLR hypothesis testing is applied using the uncorrelated residuals obtained from MSPLS model to improve the anomaly detection abilities of these latent variable based fault detection methods even further. Applications to a simulated distillation column data are used to evaluate the proposed MSPLS-GLR algorithm.

  12. Improved anomaly detection using multi-scale PLS and generalized likelihood ratio test

    KAUST Repository

    Madakyaru, Muddu; Harrou, Fouzi; Sun, Ying

    2017-01-01

    Process monitoring has a central role in the process industry to enhance productivity, efficiency, and safety, and to avoid expensive maintenance. In this paper, a statistical approach that exploit the advantages of multiscale PLS models (MSPLS) and those of a generalized likelihood ratio (GLR) test to better detect anomalies is proposed. Specifically, to consider the multivariate and multi-scale nature of process dynamics, a MSPLS algorithm combining PLS and wavelet analysis is used as modeling framework. Then, GLR hypothesis testing is applied using the uncorrelated residuals obtained from MSPLS model to improve the anomaly detection abilities of these latent variable based fault detection methods even further. Applications to a simulated distillation column data are used to evaluate the proposed MSPLS-GLR algorithm.

  13. An empirical likelihood ratio test robust to individual heterogeneity for differential expression analysis of RNA-seq.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Maoqi; Chen, Liang

    2018-01-01

    The individual sample heterogeneity is one of the biggest obstacles in biomarker identification for complex diseases such as cancers. Current statistical models to identify differentially expressed genes between disease and control groups often overlook the substantial human sample heterogeneity. Meanwhile, traditional nonparametric tests lose detailed data information and sacrifice the analysis power, although they are distribution free and robust to heterogeneity. Here, we propose an empirical likelihood ratio test with a mean-variance relationship constraint (ELTSeq) for the differential expression analysis of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). As a distribution-free nonparametric model, ELTSeq handles individual heterogeneity by estimating an empirical probability for each observation without making any assumption about read-count distribution. It also incorporates a constraint for the read-count overdispersion, which is widely observed in RNA-seq data. ELTSeq demonstrates a significant improvement over existing methods such as edgeR, DESeq, t-tests, Wilcoxon tests and the classic empirical likelihood-ratio test when handling heterogeneous groups. It will significantly advance the transcriptomics studies of cancers and other complex disease. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Measures of effect size for chi-squared and likelihood-ratio goodness-of-fit tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, Janis E; Berry, Kenneth J; Mielke, Paul W

    2006-10-01

    A fundamental shift in editorial policy for psychological journals was initiated when the fourth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (1994) placed emphasis on reporting measures of effect size. This paper presents measures of effect size for the chi-squared and the likelihood-ratio goodness-of-fit statistic tests.

  15. Chloride accelerated test: influence of silica fume, water/binder ratio and concrete cover thickness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Pereira

    Full Text Available In developed countries like the UK, France, Italy and Germany, it is estimated that spending on maintenance and repair is practically the same as investment in new constructions. Therefore, this paper aims to study different ways of interfering in the corrosion kinetic using an accelerated corrosion test - CAIM, that simulates the chloride attack. The three variables are: concrete cover thickness, use of silica fume and the water/binder ratio. It was found, by analysis of variance of the weight loss of the steel bars and chloride content in the concrete cover thickness, there is significant influence of the three variables. Also, the results indicate that the addition of silica fume is the path to improve the corrosion protection of low water/binder ratio concretes (like 0.4 and elevation of the concrete cover thickness is the most effective solution to increase protection of high water/binder ratio concrete (above 0.5.

  16. Experimental tests of the effect of rotor diameter ratio and blade number to the cross-flow wind turbine performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Susanto, Sandi; Tjahjana, Dominicus Danardono Dwi Prija; Santoso, Budi

    2018-02-01

    Cross-flow wind turbine is one of the alternative energy harvester for low wind speeds area. Several factors that influence the power coefficient of cross-flow wind turbine are the diameter ratio of blades and the number of blades. The aim of this study is to find out the influence of the number of blades and the diameter ratio on the performance of cross-flow wind turbine and to find out the best configuration between number of blades and diameter ratio of the turbine. The experimental test were conducted under several variation including diameter ratio between outer and inner diameter of the turbine and number of blades. The variation of turbine diameter ratio between inner and outer diameter consisted of 0.58, 0.63, 0.68 and 0.73 while the variations of the number of blades used was 16, 20 and 24. The experimental test were conducted under certain wind speed which are 3m/s until 4 m/s. The result showed that the configurations between 0.68 diameter ratio and 20 blade numbers is the best configurations that has power coefficient of 0.049 and moment coefficient of 0.185.

  17. A Space Object Detection Algorithm using Fourier Domain Likelihood Ratio Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becker, D.; Cain, S.

    Space object detection is of great importance in the highly dependent yet competitive and congested space domain. Detection algorithms employed play a crucial role in fulfilling the detection component in the situational awareness mission to detect, track, characterize and catalog unknown space objects. Many current space detection algorithms use a matched filter or a spatial correlator to make a detection decision at a single pixel point of a spatial image based on the assumption that the data follows a Gaussian distribution. This paper explores the potential for detection performance advantages when operating in the Fourier domain of long exposure images of small and/or dim space objects from ground based telescopes. A binary hypothesis test is developed based on the joint probability distribution function of the image under the hypothesis that an object is present and under the hypothesis that the image only contains background noise. The detection algorithm tests each pixel point of the Fourier transformed images to make the determination if an object is present based on the criteria threshold found in the likelihood ratio test. Using simulated data, the performance of the Fourier domain detection algorithm is compared to the current algorithm used in space situational awareness applications to evaluate its value.

  18. A test procedure for determining the influence of stress ratio on fatigue crack growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitzgerald, J. H.; Wei, R. P.

    1974-01-01

    A test procedure is outlined by which the rate of fatigue crack growth over a range of stress ratios and stress intensities can be determined expeditiously using a small number of specimens. This procedure was developed to avoid or circumvent the effects of load interactions on fatigue crack growth, and was used to develop data on a mill annealed Ti-6Al-4V alloy plate. Experimental data suggest that the rates of fatigue crack growth among the various stress ratios may be correlated in terms of an effective stress intensity range at given values of K max. This procedure is not to be used, however, for determining the corrosion fatigue crack growth characteristics of alloys when nonsteady-state effects are significant.

  19. PENGARUH PERUBAHAN RETURN ON ASSETS, PERUBAHAN DEBT TO EQUITY RATIO DAN PERUBAHAN CASH RATIO TERHADAP PERUBAHAN DIVIDEND PAYOUT RATIO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuli Soesetio

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Dividend Payout Ratio used to calculate all of revenue that will be accepted by stockholders as cash dividend, usually explained as percentage. This research was conducted to know several factors that affected change of Dividend Payout Ratio and to know the significance level and the correlation between dependent and independent variable. Analysis instrument used was parametric statistic. Based on the result of statistic test,  The Change of Return on Asset (X1, The Change of Debt to Equity Ratio (X2,  were able to explain dependent variable of the change Dividend Payout Ratio, and The Change of CashRatio can’t explain dependent variable of the change Dividend Payout Ratio

  20. The role of the epoxy resin: Curing agent ratio in composite interfacial strength by single fibre microbond test

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Minty, Ross; Thomason, James L.; Petersen, Helga Nørgaard

    2015-01-01

    This paper focuses on an investigation into the role of the epoxy resin: curing agent ratio in composite interfacial shear strength of glass fibre composites. The procedure involved changing the percentage of curing agent (Triethylenetetramine [TETA]) used in the mixture with several different...... percentages used, ranging from 4% up to 30%, including the stoichiometric ratio. It was found by using the microbond test, that there may exist a relationship between the epoxy resin to curing agent ratio and the level of adhesion between the reinforcing fibre and the polymer matrix of the composite....

  1. A comparison of likelihood ratio tests and Rao's score test for three separable covariance matrix structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filipiak, Katarzyna; Klein, Daniel; Roy, Anuradha

    2017-01-01

    The problem of testing the separability of a covariance matrix against an unstructured variance-covariance matrix is studied in the context of multivariate repeated measures data using Rao's score test (RST). The RST statistic is developed with the first component of the separable structure as a first-order autoregressive (AR(1)) correlation matrix or an unstructured (UN) covariance matrix under the assumption of multivariate normality. It is shown that the distribution of the RST statistic under the null hypothesis of any separability does not depend on the true values of the mean or the unstructured components of the separable structure. A significant advantage of the RST is that it can be performed for small samples, even smaller than the dimension of the data, where the likelihood ratio test (LRT) cannot be used, and it outperforms the standard LRT in a number of contexts. Monte Carlo simulations are then used to study the comparative behavior of the null distribution of the RST statistic, as well as that of the LRT statistic, in terms of sample size considerations, and for the estimation of the empirical percentiles. Our findings are compared with existing results where the first component of the separable structure is a compound symmetry (CS) correlation matrix. It is also shown by simulations that the empirical null distribution of the RST statistic converges faster than the empirical null distribution of the LRT statistic to the limiting χ 2 distribution. The tests are implemented on a real dataset from medical studies. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. The Sequential Probability Ratio Test: An efficient alternative to exact binomial testing for Clean Water Act 303(d) evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Connie; Gribble, Matthew O; Bartroff, Jay; Bay, Steven M; Goldstein, Larry

    2017-05-01

    The United States's Clean Water Act stipulates in section 303(d) that states must identify impaired water bodies for which total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) of pollution inputs into water bodies are developed. Decision-making procedures about how to list, or delist, water bodies as impaired, or not, per Clean Water Act 303(d) differ across states. In states such as California, whether or not a particular monitoring sample suggests that water quality is impaired can be regarded as a binary outcome variable, and California's current regulatory framework invokes a version of the exact binomial test to consolidate evidence across samples and assess whether the overall water body complies with the Clean Water Act. Here, we contrast the performance of California's exact binomial test with one potential alternative, the Sequential Probability Ratio Test (SPRT). The SPRT uses a sequential testing framework, testing samples as they become available and evaluating evidence as it emerges, rather than measuring all the samples and calculating a test statistic at the end of the data collection process. Through simulations and theoretical derivations, we demonstrate that the SPRT on average requires fewer samples to be measured to have comparable Type I and Type II error rates as the current fixed-sample binomial test. Policymakers might consider efficient alternatives such as SPRT to current procedure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Receiver-operating characteristic curves and likelihood ratios: improvements over traditional methods for the evaluation and application of veterinary clinical pathology tests

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gardner, Ian A.; Greiner, Matthias

    2006-01-01

    Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves provide a cutoff-independent method for the evaluation of continuous or ordinal tests used in clinical pathology laboratories. The area under the curve is a useful overall measure of test accuracy and can be used to compare different tests (or...... different equipment) used by the same tester, as well as the accuracy of different diagnosticians that use the same test material. To date, ROC analysis has not been widely used in veterinary clinical pathology studies, although it should be considered a useful complement to estimates of sensitivity...... and specificity in test evaluation studies. In addition, calculation of likelihood ratios can potentially improve the clinical utility of such studies because likelihood ratios provide an indication of how the post-test probability changes as a function of the magnitude of the test results. For ordinal test...

  4. Arcjet nozzle area ratio effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curran, Francis M.; Sarmiento, Charles J.; Birkner, Bjorn W.; Kwasny, James

    1990-01-01

    An experimental investigation was conducted to determine the effect of nozzle area ratio on the operating characteristics and performance of a low power dc arcjet thruster. Conical thoriated tungsten nozzle inserts were tested in a modular laboratory arcjet thruster run on hydrogen/nitrogen mixtures simulating the decomposition products of hydrazine. The converging and diverging sides of the inserts had half angles of 30 and 20 degrees, respectively, similar to a flight type unit currently under development. The length of the diverging side was varied to change the area ratio. The nozzle inserts were run over a wide range of specific power. Current, voltage, mass flow rate, and thrust were monitored to provide accurate comparisons between tests. While small differences in performance were observed between the two nozzle inserts, it was determined that for each nozzle insert, arcjet performance improved with increasing nozzle area ratio to the highest area ratio tested and that the losses become very pronounced for area ratios below 50. These trends are somewhat different than those obtained in previous experimental and analytical studies of low Re number nozzles. It appears that arcjet performance can be enhanced via area ratio optimization.

  5. Arcjet Nozzle Area Ratio Effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curran, Francis M.; Sarmiento, Charles J.; Birkner, Bjorn W.; Kwasny, James

    1990-01-01

    An experimental investigation was conducted to determine the effect of nozzle area ratio on the operating characteristics and performance of a low power dc arcjet thruster. Conical thoriated tungsten nozzle inserts were tested in a modular laboratory arcjet thruster run on hydrogen/nitrogen mixtures simulating the decomposition products of hydrazine. The converging and diverging sides of the inserts had half angles of 30 and 20 degrees, respectively, similar to a flight type unit currently under development. The length of the diverging side was varied to change the area ratio. The nozzle inserts were run over a wide range of specific power. Current, voltage, mass flow rate, and thrust were monitored to provide accurate comparisons between tests. While small differences in performance were observed between the two nozzle inserts, it was determined that for each nozzle insert, arcjet performance improved with increasing nozzle area ratio to the highest area ratio tested and that the losses become very pronounced for area ratios below 50. These trends are somewhat different than those obtained in previous experimental and analytical studies of low Re number nozzles. It appears that arcjet performance can be enhanced via area ratio optimization.

  6. A Hybrid Joint Moment Ratio Test for Financial Time Series

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Groenendijk, Patrick A.; Lucas, André; Vries, de Casper G.

    1998-01-01

    We advocate the use of absolute moment ratio statistics in conjunctionwith standard variance ratio statistics in order to disentangle lineardependence, non-linear dependence, and leptokurtosis in financial timeseries. Both statistics are computed for multiple return horizonssimultaneously, and the

  7. A Hybrid Joint Moment Ratio Test for Financial Time Series

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    P.A. Groenendijk (Patrick); A. Lucas (André); C.G. de Vries (Casper)

    1998-01-01

    textabstractWe advocate the use of absolute moment ratio statistics in conjunction with standard variance ratio statistics in order to disentangle linear dependence, non-linear dependence, and leptokurtosis in financial time series. Both statistics are computed for multiple return horizons

  8. Tests of Full-Scale Helicopter Rotors at High Advancing Tip Mach Numbers and Advance Ratios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biggers, James C.; McCloud, John L., III; Stroub, Robert H.

    2015-01-01

    As a continuation of the studies of reference 1, three full-scale helicopter rotors have been tested in the Ames Research Center 40- by SO-foot wind tunnel. All three of them were two-bladed, teetering rotors. One of the rotors incorporated the NACA 0012 airfoil section over the entire length of the blade. This rotor was tested at advance ratios up to 1.05. Both of the other rotors were tapered in thickness and incorporated leading-edge camber over the outer 20 percent of the blade radius. The larger of these rotors was tested at advancing tip Mach numbers up to 1.02. Data were obtained for a wide range of lift and propulsive force, and are presented without discussion.

  9. Review of titanium dioxide nanoparticle phototoxicity: Developing a phototoxicity ratio to correct the endpoint values of toxicity tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Titanium dioxide nanoparticles are photoactive and produce reactive oxygen species under natural sunlight. Reactive oxygen species can be detrimental to many organisms, causing oxidative damage, cell injury, and death. Most studies investigating TiO2 nanoparticle toxicity did not consider photoactivation and performed tests either in dark conditions or under artificial lighting that did not simulate natural irradiation. The present study summarizes the literature and derives a phototoxicity ratio between the results of nano‐titanium dioxide (nano‐TiO2) experiments conducted in the absence of sunlight and those conducted under solar or simulated solar radiation (SSR) for aquatic species. Therefore, the phototoxicity ratio can be used to correct endpoints of the toxicity tests with nano‐TiO2 that were performed in absence of sunlight. Such corrections also may be important for regulators and risk assessors when reviewing previously published data. A significant difference was observed between the phototoxicity ratios of 2 distinct groups: aquatic species belonging to order Cladocera, and all other aquatic species. Order Cladocera appeared very sensitive and prone to nano‐TiO2 phototoxicity. On average nano‐TiO2 was 20 times more toxic to non‐Cladocera and 1867 times more toxic to Cladocera (median values 3.3 and 24.7, respectively) after illumination. Both median value and 75% quartile of the phototoxicity ratio are chosen as the most practical values for the correction of endpoints of nano‐TiO2 toxicity tests that were performed in dark conditions, or in the absence of sunlight. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:1070–1077. © 2015 The Author. Published by SETAC. PMID:25640001

  10. Testing and Performance Verification of a High Bypass Ratio Turbofan Rotor in an Internal Flow Component Test Facility

    Science.gov (United States)

    VanZante, Dale E.; Podboy, Gary G.; Miller, Christopher J.; Thorp, Scott A.

    2009-01-01

    A 1/5 scale model rotor representative of a current technology, high bypass ratio, turbofan engine was installed and tested in the W8 single-stage, high-speed, compressor test facility at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). The same fan rotor was tested previously in the GRC 9x15 Low Speed Wind Tunnel as a fan module consisting of the rotor and outlet guide vanes mounted in a flight-like nacelle. The W8 test verified that the aerodynamic performance and detailed flow field of the rotor as installed in W8 were representative of the wind tunnel fan module installation. Modifications to W8 were necessary to ensure that this internal flow facility would have a flow field at the test package that is representative of flow conditions in the wind tunnel installation. Inlet flow conditioning was designed and installed in W8 to lower the fan face turbulence intensity to less than 1.0 percent in order to better match the wind tunnel operating environment. Also, inlet bleed was added to thin the casing boundary layer to be more representative of a flight nacelle boundary layer. On the 100 percent speed operating line the fan pressure rise and mass flow rate agreed with the wind tunnel data to within 1 percent. Detailed hot film surveys of the inlet flow, inlet boundary layer and fan exit flow were compared to results from the wind tunnel. The effect of inlet casing boundary layer thickness on fan performance was quantified. Challenges and lessons learned from testing this high flow, low static pressure rise fan in an internal flow facility are discussed.

  11. On the hypothesis-free testing of metabolite ratios in genome-wide and metabolome-wide association studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petersen Ann-Kristin

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Genome-wide association studies (GWAS with metabolic traits and metabolome-wide association studies (MWAS with traits of biomedical relevance are powerful tools to identify the contribution of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors to the etiology of complex diseases. Hypothesis-free testing of ratios between all possible metabolite pairs in GWAS and MWAS has proven to be an innovative approach in the discovery of new biologically meaningful associations. The p-gain statistic was introduced as an ad-hoc measure to determine whether a ratio between two metabolite concentrations carries more information than the two corresponding metabolite concentrations alone. So far, only a rule of thumb was applied to determine the significance of the p-gain. Results Here we explore the statistical properties of the p-gain through simulation of its density and by sampling of experimental data. We derive critical values of the p-gain for different levels of correlation between metabolite pairs and show that B/(2*α is a conservative critical value for the p-gain, where α is the level of significance and B the number of tested metabolite pairs. Conclusions We show that the p-gain is a well defined measure that can be used to identify statistically significant metabolite ratios in association studies and provide a conservative significance cut-off for the p-gain for use in future association studies with metabolic traits.

  12. Nonlinear relationship between the Product Consistency Test (PCT) response and the Al/B ratio in a soda-lime aluminoborosilicate glass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farooqi, Rahmat Ullah, E-mail: rufarooqi@postech.ac.kr [Division of Advanced Nuclear Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-Ro, Nam-Gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Hrma, Pavel [Division of Advanced Nuclear Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, 77 Cheongam-Ro, Nam-Gu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA (United States)

    2016-06-15

    We have investigated the effect of Al/B ratio on the Product Consistency Test (PCT) response. In an aluminoborosilicate soda-lime glass based on a modified International Simple Glass, ISG-3, the Al/B ratio varied from 0 to 0.55 (in mole fractions). In agreement with various models of the PCT response as a function of glass composition, we observed a monotonic increase of B and Na releases with decreasing Al/B mole ratio, but only when the ratio was higher than 0.05. Below this value (Al/B < 0.05), we observed a sharp decrease that we attribute to B in tetrahedral coordination.

  13. Laboratory test on maximum and minimum void ratio of tropical sand matrix soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Othman, B. A.; Marto, A.

    2018-04-01

    Sand is generally known as loose granular material which has a grain size finer than gravel and coarser than silt and can be very angular to well-rounded in shape. The present of various amount of fines which also influence the loosest and densest state of sand in natural condition have been well known to contribute to the deformation and loss of shear strength of soil. This paper presents the effect of various range of fines content on minimum void ratio e min and maximum void ratio e max of sand matrix soils. Laboratory tests to determine e min and e max of sand matrix soil were conducted using non-standard method introduced by previous researcher. Clean sand was obtained from natural mining site at Johor, Malaysia. A set of 3 different sizes of sand (fine sand, medium sand, and coarse sand) were mixed with 0% to 40% by weight of low plasticity fine (kaolin). Results showed that generally e min and e max decreased with the increase of fines content up to a minimal value of 0% to 30%, and then increased back thereafter.

  14. Initiation of depleted uranium oxide and spent fuel testing for the spent fuel sabotage aerosol ratio program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Molecke, M.A.; Gregson, M.W.; Sorenson, K.B. [Sandia National Labs. (United States); Billone, M.C.; Tsai, H. [Argonne National Lab. (United States); Koch, W.; Nolte, O. [Fraunhofer Inst. fuer Toxikologie und Experimentelle Medizin (Germany); Pretzsch, G.; Lange, F. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (Germany); Autrusson, B.; Loiseau, O. [Inst. de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (France); Thompson, N.S.; Hibbs, R.S. [U.S. Dept. of Energy (United States); Young, F.I.; Mo, T. [U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (United States)

    2004-07-01

    We provide a detailed overview of an ongoing, multinational test program that is developing aerosol data for some spent fuel sabotage scenarios on spent fuel transport and storage casks. Experiments are being performed to quantify the aerosolized materials plus volatilized fission products generated from actual spent fuel and surrogate material test rods, due to impact by a high energy density device, HEDD. The program participants in the U.S. plus Germany, France, and the U.K., part of the international Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of Transport and Storage Casks, WGSTSC have strongly supported and coordinated this research program. Sandia National Laboratories, SNL, has the lead role for conducting this research program; test program support is provided by both the U.S. Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission. WGSTSC partners need this research to better understand potential radiological impacts from sabotage of nuclear material shipments and storage casks, and to support subsequent risk assessments, modeling, and preventative measures. We provide a summary of the overall, multi-phase test design and a description of all explosive containment and aerosol collection test components used. We focus on the recently initiated tests on ''surrogate'' spent fuel, unirradiated depleted uranium oxide, and forthcoming actual spent fuel tests. The depleted uranium oxide test rodlets were prepared by the Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, in France. These surrogate test rodlets closely match the diameter of the test rodlets of actual spent fuel from the H.B. Robinson reactor (high burnup PWR fuel) and the Surry reactor (lower, medium burnup PWR fuel), generated from U.S. reactors. The characterization of the spent fuels and fabrication into short, pressurized rodlets has been performed by Argonne National Laboratory, for testing at SNL. The ratio of the aerosol and respirable particles released from HEDD-impacted spent

  15. The fast ratio: A rapid measure for testing the dominance of the fast component in the initial OSL signal from quartz

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Durcan, Julie A.; Duller, Geoff A.T.

    2011-01-01

    The signal from the fast component is usually considered preferable for quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, however its presence in a continuous wave (CW) OSL signal is often assumed, rather than verified. This paper presents an objective measure (termed the fast ratio) for testing the dominance of the fast component in the initial part of a quartz OSL signal. The ratio is based upon the photo ionisation cross-sections of the fast and medium components and the power of the measurement equipment used to record the OSL signal, and it compares parts of the OSL signal selected to represent the fast and medium components. The ability of the fast ratio to distinguish between samples whose CW-OSL signal is dominated by the fast and non-fast components is demonstrated by comparing the fast ratio with the contribution of the fast component calculated from curve deconvolution of measured OSL signals and from simulated data. The ratio offers a rapid method for screening a large number of OSL signals obtained for individual equivalent dose estimates, it can be calculated and applied as easily as other routine screening methods, and is transferrable between different aliquots, samples and measurement equipment. - Highlights: → Fast ratio is a measure which tests dominance of fast component in quartz OSL signals. → A fast ratio above 20 implies a CW-OSL signal is dominated by fast component. → Fast ratio can be easily and rapidly applied to a large number of OSL signals. → Uses include signal comparison, data screening, identify need for further analysis.

  16. A MULTIPLE TESTING OF THE ABC METHOD AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SECOND-GENERATION MODEL. PART II, TEST RESULTS AND AN ANALYSIS OF RECALL RATIO.

    Science.gov (United States)

    ALTMANN, BERTHOLD

    AFTER A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE TEST PROGRAM (DESCRIBED MORE FULLY IN LI 000 318), THE STATISTICAL RESULTS TABULATED AS OVERALL "ABC (APPROACH BY CONCEPT)-RELEVANCE RATIOS" AND "ABC-RECALL FIGURES" ARE PRESENTED AND REVIEWED. AN ABSTRACT MODEL DEVELOPED IN ACCORDANCE WITH MAX WEBER'S "IDEALTYPUS" ("DIE OBJEKTIVITAET…

  17. Comparison of Urine Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio (ACR) Between ACR Strip Test and Quantitative Test in Prediabetes and Diabetes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Seon; Kim, Suyoung; Cho, Han-Ik

    2017-01-01

    Background Albuminuria is generally known as a sensitive marker of renal and cardiovascular dysfunction. It can be used to help predict the occurrence of nephropathy and cardiovascular disorders in diabetes. Individuals with prediabetes have a tendency to develop macrovascular and microvascular pathology, resulting in an increased risk of retinopathy, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic renal diseases. We evaluated the clinical value of a strip test for measuring the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) in prediabetes and diabetes. Methods Spot urine samples were obtained from 226 prediabetic and 275 diabetic subjects during regular health checkups. Urinary ACR was measured by using strip and laboratory quantitative tests. Results The positive rates of albuminuria measured by using the ACR strip test were 15.5% (microalbuminuria, 14.6%; macroalbuminuria, 0.9%) and 30.5% (microalbuminuria, 25.1%; macroalbuminuria, 5.5%) in prediabetes and diabetes, respectively. In the prediabetic population, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and overall accuracy of the ACR strip method were 92.0%, 94.0%, 65.7%, 99.0%, and 93.8%, respectively; the corresponding values in the diabetic population were 80.0%, 91.6%, 81.0%, 91.1%, and 88.0%, respectively. The median [interquartile range] ACR values in the strip tests for measurement ranges of 300 mg/g were 9.4 [6.3-15.4], 46.9 [26.5-87.7], and 368.8 [296.2-575.2] mg/g, respectively, using the laboratory method. Conclusions The ACR strip test showed high sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value, suggesting that the test can be used to screen for albuminuria in cases of prediabetes and diabetes. PMID:27834062

  18. Impact of controlling the sum of error probability in the sequential probability ratio test

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bijoy Kumarr Pradhan

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available A generalized modified method is proposed to control the sum of error probabilities in sequential probability ratio test to minimize the weighted average of the two average sample numbers under a simple null hypothesis and a simple alternative hypothesis with the restriction that the sum of error probabilities is a pre-assigned constant to find the optimal sample size and finally a comparison is done with the optimal sample size found from fixed sample size procedure. The results are applied to the cases when the random variate follows a normal law as well as Bernoullian law.

  19. Total Protein and Albumin/Globulin Ratio Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Plasma Free Metanephrines Platelet Count Platelet Function Tests Pleural Fluid Analysis PML-RARA Porphyrin Tests Potassium Prealbumin ... of the various types of proteins in the liquid ( serum or plasma ) portion of the blood. Two ...

  20. Glass-surface area to solution-volume ratio and its implications to accelerated leach testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pederson, L.R.; Buckwalter, C.Q.; McVay, G.L.; Riddle, B.L.

    1982-10-01

    The value of glass surface area to solution volume ratio (SA/V) can strongly influence the leaching rate of PNL 76-68 glass. The leaching rate is largely governed by silicon solubility constraints. Silicic acid in solution reduced the elemental release of all glass components. No components are leached to depths greater than that of silicon. The presence of the reaction layer had no measurable effect on the rate of leaching. Accelerated leach testing is possible since PNL 76-68 glass leaching is solubility-controlled (except at very low SA/V values). A series of glasses leached with SA/V x time = constant will yield identical elemental release

  1. Good quality of oral anticoagulation treatment in general practice using international normalised ratio point of care testing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Løkkegaard, Thomas; Pedersen, Tina Heidi; Lind, Bent

    2015-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Oral anticoagulation treatment (OACT) with warfarin is common in general practice. Increasingly, international normalised ratio (INR) point of care testing (POCT) is being used to manage patients. The aim of this study was to describe and analyse the quality of OACT with warfarin...... practices using INR POCT in the management of patients in warfarin treatment provided good quality of care. Sampling interval and diagnostic coding were significantly correlated with treatment quality....

  2. Pearce element ratios: A paradigm for testing hypotheses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russell, J. K.; Nicholls, Jim; Stanley, Clifford R.; Pearce, T. H.

    Science moves forward with the development of new ideas that are encapsulated by hypotheses whose aim is to explain the structure of data sets or to expand existing theory. These hypotheses remain conjecture until they have been tested. In fact, Karl Popper advocated that a scientist's job does not finish with the creation of an idea but, rather, begins with the testing of the related hypotheses. In Popper's [1959] advocation it is implicit that there be tools with which we can test our hypotheses. Consequently, the development of rigorous tests for conceptual models plays a major role in maintaining the integrity of scientific endeavor [e.g., Greenwood, 1989].

  3. Aircraft control surface failure detection and isolation using the OSGLR test. [orthogonal series generalized likelihood ratio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonnice, W. F.; Motyka, P.; Wagner, E.; Hall, S. R.

    1986-01-01

    The performance of the orthogonal series generalized likelihood ratio (OSGLR) test in detecting and isolating commercial aircraft control surface and actuator failures is evaluated. A modification to incorporate age-weighting which significantly reduces the sensitivity of the algorithm to modeling errors is presented. The steady-state implementation of the algorithm based on a single linear model valid for a cruise flight condition is tested using a nonlinear aircraft simulation. A number of off-nominal no-failure flight conditions including maneuvers, nonzero flap deflections, different turbulence levels and steady winds were tested. Based on the no-failure decision functions produced by off-nominal flight conditions, the failure detection and isolation performance at the nominal flight condition was determined. The extension of the algorithm to a wider flight envelope by scheduling on dynamic pressure and flap deflection is examined. Based on this testing, the OSGLR algorithm should be capable of detecting control surface failures that would affect the safe operation of a commercial aircraft. Isolation may be difficult if there are several surfaces which produce similar effects on the aircraft. Extending the algorithm over the entire operating envelope of a commercial aircraft appears feasible.

  4. Experimental study on the natural gas dual fuel engine test and the higher the mixture ratio of hydrogen to natural gas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, B.S.; Lee, Y.S.; Park, C.K. [Cheonnam University, Kwangju (Korea); Masahiro, S. [Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan)

    1999-05-28

    One of the unsolved problems of the natural gas dual fuel engine is that there is too much exhaust of Total Hydrogen Carbon(THC) at a low equivalent mixture ratio. To fix it, a natural gas mixed with hydrogen was applied to engine test. The results showed that the higher the mixture ratio of hydrogen to natural gas, the higher the combustion efficiency. And when the amount of the intake air is reached to 90% of WOT, the combustion efficiency was promoted. But, like a case making the injection timing earlier, the equivalent mixture ratio for the nocking limit decreases and the produce of NOx increases. 5 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.

  5. AXIAL RATIO OF EDGE-ON SPIRAL GALAXIES AS A TEST FOR BRIGHT RADIO HALOS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singal, J.; Jones, E.; Dunlap, H.; Kogut, A.

    2015-01-01

    We use surface brightness contour maps of nearby edge-on spiral galaxies to determine whether extended bright radio halos are common. In particular, we test a recent model of the spatial structure of the diffuse radio continuum by Subrahmanyan and Cowsik which posits that a substantial fraction of the observed high-latitude surface brightness originates from an extended Galactic halo of uniform emissivity. Measurements of the axial ratio of emission contours within a sample of normal spiral galaxies at 1500 MHz and below show no evidence for such a bright, extended radio halo. Either the Galaxy is atypical compared to nearby quiescent spirals or the bulk of the observed high-latitude emission does not originate from this type of extended halo. (letters)

  6. Pengaruh Debt to Equty Ratio, Current Ratio , Net Profit Margin Terhadap Harga Saham dengan Price Earning Ratio Sebagai Variabel Pemoderasi pada Perusahaan Manufaktur yang Terdaftar di BEI Periode 2012-2014

    OpenAIRE

    Theresia, Paskah Lia

    2017-01-01

    This study conducted to analyze the effect of variable Debt to Equity Ratio (DER), Current Ratio (CR), Net Profit Margin (NPM) andPrice Earnings Ratio (PER) to the Stock Prices with Price Earnings Ratio (PER) as an moderating variable on companies listed on Indonesian Stock Exchange from 2012 - 2014.The samplingtechnique used is purposive sampling and number of samples used by 23 companies. The analysis technique used are Descriptive Statistic Analysis, Classical Assumption Test, Hypothesis T...

  7. Nuclear Power Plant Thermocouple Sensor-Fault Detection and Classification Using Deep Learning and Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandal, Shyamapada; Santhi, B.; Sridhar, S.; Vinolia, K.; Swaminathan, P.

    2017-06-01

    In this paper, an online fault detection and classification method is proposed for thermocouples used in nuclear power plants. In the proposed method, the fault data are detected by the classification method, which classifies the fault data from the normal data. Deep belief network (DBN), a technique for deep learning, is applied to classify the fault data. The DBN has a multilayer feature extraction scheme, which is highly sensitive to a small variation of data. Since the classification method is unable to detect the faulty sensor; therefore, a technique is proposed to identify the faulty sensor from the fault data. Finally, the composite statistical hypothesis test, namely generalized likelihood ratio test, is applied to compute the fault pattern of the faulty sensor signal based on the magnitude of the fault. The performance of the proposed method is validated by field data obtained from thermocouple sensors of the fast breeder test reactor.

  8. Testing effective quantum gravity with gravitational waves from extreme mass ratio inspirals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yunes, N; Sopuerta, C F

    2010-01-01

    Testing deviation of GR is one of the main goals of the proposed Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. For the first time, we consistently compute the generation of gravitational waves from extreme-mass ratio inspirals (stellar compact objects into supermassive black holes) in a well-motivated alternative theory of gravity, that to date remains weakly constrained by double binary pulsar observations. The theory we concentrate on is Chern-Simons (CS) modified gravity, a 4-D, effective theory that is motivated both from string theory and loop-quantum gravity, and which enhances the Einstein-Hilbert action through the addition of a dynamical scalar field and the parity-violating Pontryagin density. We show that although point particles continue to follow geodesics in the modified theory, the background about which they inspiral is a modification to the Kerr metric, which imprints a CS correction on the gravitational waves emitted. CS modified gravitational waves are sufficiently different from the General Relativistic expectation that they lead to significant dephasing after 3 weeks of evolution, but such dephasing will probably not prevent detection of these signals, but instead lead to a systematic error in the determination of parameters. We end with a study of radiation-reaction in the modified theory and show that, to leading-order, energy-momentum emission is not CS modified, except possibly for the subdominant effect of scalar-field emission. The inclusion of radiation-reaction will allow for tests of CS modified gravity with space-borne detectors that might be two orders of magnitude larger than current binary pulsar bounds.

  9. Testing of January Anomaly at ISE-100 Index with Power Ratio Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Şule Yüksel Yiğiter

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available AbstractNone of investors that can access all informations in the same ratio is not possible to earn higher returns according to Efficient Market Hypothesis. However, it has been set forth effect of time on returns in several studies and reached conflicting conclusions with hypothesis. In this context, one of the most important existing anomalies is also January month anomaly. In this study, it has been researched that if there is  January effect in BIST-100 index covering 2008-2014 period by using power ratio method. The presence of January month anomaly in BIST-100 index within specified period determined by analysis results.Keywords: Efficient Markets Hypothesis, January Month Anomaly, Power Ratio MethodJEL Classification Codes: G1,C22

  10. Good quality of oral anticoagulation treatment in general practice using international normalised ratio point of care testing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Løkkegaard, Thomas; Pedersen, Tina Heidi; Lind, Bent

    2015-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Oral anticoagulation treatment (OACT)with warfarin is common in general practice. Increasingly,international normalised ratio (INR) point of care testing(POCT) is being used to manage patients. The aim of thisstudy was to describe and analyse the quality of OACT withwarfarin...... in the management of patients in warfarintreatment provided good quality of care. Sampling intervaland diagnostic coding were significantly correlated withtreatment quality. FUNDING: The study received financial support from theSarah Krabbe Foundation, the General Practitioners’ Educationand Development Foundation...

  11. Holes at High Blowing Ratios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Phillip M. Ligrani

    1996-01-01

    Full Text Available Experimental results are presented which describe the development and structure of flow downstream of a single row of holes with compound angle orientations producing film cooling at high blowing ratios. This film cooling configuration is important because similar arrangements are frequently employed on the first stage of rotating blades of operating gas turbine engines. With this configuration, holes are spaced 6d apart in the spanwise direction, with inclination angles of 24 degrees, and angles of orientation of 50.5 degrees. Blowing ratios range from 1.5 to 4.0 and the ratio of injectant to freestream density is near 1.0. Results show that spanwise averaged adiabatic effectiveness, spanwise-averaged iso-energetic Stanton number ratios, surveys of streamwise mean velocity, and surveys of injectant distributions change by important amounts as the blowing ratio increases. This is due to injectant lift-off from the test surface just downstream of the holes.

  12. The distinct element analysis for swelling pressure test of bentonite. Discussion on the effects of wall friction force and aspect ratio of specimen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimizu, Hiroyuki; Kikuchi, Hirohito; Fujita, Tomoo; Tanai, Kenji

    2011-10-01

    For geological isolation systems for radioactive waste, bentonite based material is assumed to be used as a buffer material. The swelling characteristics of the bentonite based material are expected to fill up the void space around the radioactive wastes by swelling. In general, swelling characteristics and properties of bentonite are evaluated by the laboratory tests. However, due to the lack of standardization of testing method for bentonite, the accuracy and reproducibility of the testing results are not sufficiently proved. In this study, bentonite swelling pressure test were simulated by newly developed Distinct Element Method (DEM) code, and the effects of wall friction force and aspect ratio of bentonite specimen were discussed. As a result, the followings were found. In the beginning of the swelling pressure test, since swelling occurs only around the fluid injection side of the specimen, wall friction force acts only in the swelling area and the specimen moves to opposite side from fluid injection side. However, when the entire specimen started swelling, displacement of the specimen prevented by the wall friction force, and the specimen is pressed against the pressure measurement side. Then, the swelling pressure measured on the pressure measurement side increases. Such displacement in the specimen is significantly affected by the decreasing of mechanical properties and the difference of saturation in the bentonite specimen during the fluid infiltration. Moreover, when the aspect ratio of the specimen is large, the displacement of the particle in the specimen becomes large and the area on which the wall frictional force acts is also large. Therefore, measured swelling pressure increases more greatly as the aspect ratio of the specimen increases. To contributes to the standardization of laboratory test methods for bentonite, these effects of wall friction force revealed by the DEM simulation should be verified through laboratory experiments. (author)

  13. The reaction index and positivity ratio revisited

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Klaus Ejner; Andersen, Flemming

    2008-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Assessing the quality of patch test preparations continues to be a challenge. 2 parameters, the reaction index (RI) and positivity ratio (PR), have been proposed as quality indicators by the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK). The value of these st......BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Assessing the quality of patch test preparations continues to be a challenge. 2 parameters, the reaction index (RI) and positivity ratio (PR), have been proposed as quality indicators by the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK). The value...

  14. Good quality of oral anticoagulation treatment in general practice using international normalised ratio point of care testing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Løkkegaard, Thomas; Pedersen, Tina Heidi; Lind, Bent

    2015-01-01

    collected retrospectively for a period of six months. For each patient, time in therapeutic range (TTR) was calculated and correlated with practice and patient characteristics using multilevel linear regression models. RESULTS: We identified 447 patients in warfarin treatment in the 20 practices using POCT......INTRODUCTION: Oral anticoagulation treatment (OACT) with warfarin is common in general practice. Increasingly, international normalised ratio (INR) point of care testing (POCT) is being used to manage patients. The aim of this study was to describe and analyse the quality of OACT with warfarin...

  15. Experimental characterization of the concrete behaviour under high confinement: influence of the saturation ratio and of the water/cement ratio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vu, X.H.

    2007-08-01

    The objective of this thesis is to experimentally characterize the influence of the saturation ratio and of the water/cement ratio of concrete on its behaviour under high confinement. This thesis lies within a more general scope of the understanding of concrete behaviour under severe loading situations (near field detonation or ballistic impacts). A near field detonation or an impact on a concrete structure generate very high levels of stress associated with complex loading paths in the concrete material. To validate concrete behaviour models, experimental results are required. The work presented in this thesis concerns tests conducted using a static triaxial press that allows to obtain stress levels of the order of the giga Pascal. The porous character of concrete and the high confinement required on the one hand, a development of a specimen protection device, and on the other hand, a development of an instrumentation with strain gauges, which is unprecedented for such high confinements. Hydrostatic and triaxial tests, conducted on the one hand on model materials and on the other hand on concrete, allowed to validate the developed experimental procedures as well as the technique of strain and stress measurements. The studies concerning the influence of the saturation ratio and of the water/cement ratio of concrete on its behaviour required the formulation of a plain baseline concrete and of two modified concretes with different water/cement ratios. The analysis of triaxial tests performed on the baseline concrete shows that the saturation ratio of concrete has a major influence on its static behaviour under high confinement. This influence is particularly marked for the concrete loading capacity and for the shape of limit state curves for saturation ratios greater than 50%. The concrete loading capacity increases with the confinement pressure for tests on dry concrete whereas beyond a given confinement pressure, it remains limited for wet or saturated concrete

  16. Aspect ratio has no effect on genotoxicity of multi-wall carbon nanotubes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jin Sik; Lee, Kyu; Lee, Young Hee; Cho, Hyun Sun; Kim, Ki Heon; Choi, Kyung Hee; Lee, Sang Hee; Song, Kyung Seuk; Kang, Chang Soo; Yu, Il Je

    2011-07-01

    Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have specific physico-chemical and electrical properties that are useful for telecommunications, medicine, materials, manufacturing processes and the environmental and energy sectors. Yet, despite their many advantages, it is also important to determine whether CNTs may represent a hazard to the environment and human health. Like asbestos, the aspect ratio (length:diameter) and metal components of CNTs are known to have an effect on the toxicity of carbon nanotubes. Thus, to evaluate the toxic potential of CNTs in relation to their aspect ratio and metal contamination, in vivo and in vitro genotoxicity tests were conducted using high-aspect-ratio (diameter: 10-15 nm, length: ~10 μm) and low-aspect-ratio multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs, diameter: 10-15 nm, length: ~150 nm) according to OECD test guidelines 471 (bacterial reverse mutation test), 473 (in vitro chromosome aberration test), and 474 (in vivo micronuclei test) with a good laboratory practice system. To determine the treatment concentration for all the tests, a solubility and dispersive test was performed, and a 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) solution found to be more suitable than distilled water. Neither the high- nor the low-aspect-ratio MWCNTs induced any genotoxicity in a bacterial reverse mutation test (~1,000 μg/plate), in vitro chromosome aberration test (without S9: ~6.25 μg/ml, with S9: ~50 μg/ml), or in vivo micronuclei test (~50 mg/kg). However, the high-aspect-ratio MWCNTs were found to be more toxic than the low-aspect-ratio MWCNTs. Thus, while high-aspect-ratio MWCNTs do not induce direct genotoxicity or metabolic activation-mediated genotoxicity, genotoxicity could still be induced indirectly through oxidative stress or inflammation.

  17. (Re)evaluating the Implications of the Autoregressive Latent Trajectory Model Through Likelihood Ratio Tests of Its Initial Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ou, Lu; Chow, Sy-Miin; Ji, Linying; Molenaar, Peter C M

    2017-01-01

    The autoregressive latent trajectory (ALT) model synthesizes the autoregressive model and the latent growth curve model. The ALT model is flexible enough to produce a variety of discrepant model-implied change trajectories. While some researchers consider this a virtue, others have cautioned that this may confound interpretations of the model's parameters. In this article, we show that some-but not all-of these interpretational difficulties may be clarified mathematically and tested explicitly via likelihood ratio tests (LRTs) imposed on the initial conditions of the model. We show analytically the nested relations among three variants of the ALT model and the constraints needed to establish equivalences. A Monte Carlo simulation study indicated that LRTs, particularly when used in combination with information criterion measures, can allow researchers to test targeted hypotheses about the functional forms of the change process under study. We further demonstrate when and how such tests may justifiably be used to facilitate our understanding of the underlying process of change using a subsample (N = 3,995) of longitudinal family income data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth.

  18. Development of acoustically lined ejector technology for multitube jet noise suppressor nozzles by model and engine tests over a wide range of jet pressure ratios and temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atvars, J.; Paynter, G. C.; Walker, D. Q.; Wintermeyer, C. F.

    1974-01-01

    An experimental program comprising model nozzle and full-scale engine tests was undertaken to acquire parametric data for acoustically lined ejectors applied to primary jet noise suppression. Ejector lining design technology and acoustical scaling of lined ejector configurations were the major objectives. Ground static tests were run with a J-75 turbojet engine fitted with a 37-tube, area ratio 3.3 suppressor nozzle and two lengths of ejector shroud (L/D = 1 and 2). Seven ejector lining configurations were tested over the engine pressure ratio range of 1.40 to 2.40 with corresponding jet velocities between 305 and 610 M/sec. One-fourth scale model nozzles were tested over a pressure ratio range of 1.40 to 4.0 with jet total temperatures between ambient and 1088 K. Scaling of multielement nozzle ejector configurations was also studied using a single element of the nozzle array with identical ejector lengths and lining materials. Acoustic far field and near field data together with nozzle thrust performance and jet aerodynamic flow profiles are presented.

  19. Application of the modified chi-square ratio statistic in a stepwise procedure for cascade impactor equivalence testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Benjamin; Lee, Sau L; Delvadia, Renishkumar; Lionberger, Robert; Li, Bing V; Tsong, Yi; Hochhaus, Guenther

    2015-03-01

    Equivalence testing of aerodynamic particle size distribution (APSD) through multi-stage cascade impactors (CIs) is important for establishing bioequivalence of orally inhaled drug products. Recent work demonstrated that the median of the modified chi-square ratio statistic (MmCSRS) is a promising metric for APSD equivalence testing of test (T) and reference (R) products as it can be applied to a reduced number of CI sites that are more relevant for lung deposition. This metric is also less sensitive to the increased variability often observed for low-deposition sites. A method to establish critical values for the MmCSRS is described here. This method considers the variability of the R product by employing a reference variance scaling approach that allows definition of critical values as a function of the observed variability of the R product. A stepwise CI equivalence test is proposed that integrates the MmCSRS as a method for comparing the relative shapes of CI profiles and incorporates statistical tests for assessing equivalence of single actuation content and impactor sized mass. This stepwise CI equivalence test was applied to 55 published CI profile scenarios, which were classified as equivalent or inequivalent by members of the Product Quality Research Institute working group (PQRI WG). The results of the stepwise CI equivalence test using a 25% difference in MmCSRS as an acceptance criterion provided the best matching with those of the PQRI WG as decisions of both methods agreed in 75% of the 55 CI profile scenarios.

  20. Novel bacterial ratio for predicting fecal age

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nieman, J.; Brion, G.M. [Univ. of Kentucky, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Lexington, Kentucky (United States)]. E-mail: gbrion@engr.uky.edu

    2002-06-15

    This study presents an extension of ongoing research into the utility of the ratio of bacterial colonies isolated on membrane filters during the total coliform test using m-Endo broth media for the prediction of fecal age. Analysis of the relative shifts in concentrations of indicator bacterial populations in Kentucky River water quality data collected from the inlet of a local water treatment plant showed a correlation between raw concentrations of atypical colonies (AC) and total coliform colonies (TC) formed on m-Endo membrane filter tests, and fecal age. Visual analysis of plant treatment records showed that low values of the AC/TC ratio were related to periods of high flow, when runoff added fresh fecal material to the river. A more detailed analysis of 2 years of Kentucky River water quality data showed the average AC/TC ratio during months with high river flow (rain) to be 3.4, rising to an average of 27.6 during months with low flow. The average AC/TC ratio during high flow months compared to that found in other studies for raw human sewage (3.9) and the ratio increased to values associated with animal impacted urban runoff (18.9) during low flow months. (author)

  1. Novel bacterial ratio for predicting fecal age

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nieman, J.; Brion, G.M.

    2002-01-01

    This study presents an extension of ongoing research into the utility of the ratio of bacterial colonies isolated on membrane filters during the total coliform test using m-Endo broth media for the prediction of fecal age. Analysis of the relative shifts in concentrations of indicator bacterial populations in Kentucky River water quality data collected from the inlet of a local water treatment plant showed a correlation between raw concentrations of atypical colonies (AC) and total coliform colonies (TC) formed on m-Endo membrane filter tests, and fecal age. Visual analysis of plant treatment records showed that low values of the AC/TC ratio were related to periods of high flow, when runoff added fresh fecal material to the river. A more detailed analysis of 2 years of Kentucky River water quality data showed the average AC/TC ratio during months with high river flow (rain) to be 3.4, rising to an average of 27.6 during months with low flow. The average AC/TC ratio during high flow months compared to that found in other studies for raw human sewage (3.9) and the ratio increased to values associated with animal impacted urban runoff (18.9) during low flow months. (author)

  2. Combined slope ratio analysis and linear-subtraction: An extension of the Pearce ratio method

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Waal, Sybrand A.

    1996-07-01

    A new technique, called combined slope ratio analysis, has been developed by extending the Pearce element ratio or conserved-denominator method (Pearce, 1968) to its logical conclusions. If two stoichiometric substances are mixed and certain chemical components are uniquely contained in either one of the two mixing substances, then by treating these unique components as conserved, the composition of the substance not containing the relevant component can be accurately calculated within the limits allowed by analytical and geological error. The calculated composition can then be subjected to rigorous statistical testing using the linear-subtraction method recently advanced by Woronow (1994). Application of combined slope ratio analysis to the rocks of the Uwekahuna Laccolith, Hawaii, USA, and the lavas of the 1959-summit eruption of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, USA, yields results that are consistent with field observations.

  3. A hypothesis-testing framework for studies investigating ontogenetic niche shifts using stable isotope ratios.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline M Hammerschlag-Peyer

    Full Text Available Ontogenetic niche shifts occur across diverse taxonomic groups, and can have critical implications for population dynamics, community structure, and ecosystem function. In this study, we provide a hypothesis-testing framework combining univariate and multivariate analyses to examine ontogenetic niche shifts using stable isotope ratios. This framework is based on three distinct ontogenetic niche shift scenarios, i.e., (1 no niche shift, (2 niche expansion/reduction, and (3 discrete niche shift between size classes. We developed criteria for identifying each scenario, as based on three important resource use characteristics, i.e., niche width, niche position, and niche overlap. We provide an empirical example for each ontogenetic niche shift scenario, illustrating differences in resource use characteristics among different organisms. The present framework provides a foundation for future studies on ontogenetic niche shifts, and also can be applied to examine resource variability among other population sub-groupings (e.g., by sex or phenotype.

  4. Urine Albumin and Albumin/ Creatinine Ratio

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... it used? The urine albumin test or albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) is used to screen people with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure ( hypertension ) that put them at an ...

  5. Performance of a high-work, low-aspect-ratio turbine stator tested with a realistic inlet radial temperature gradient

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stabe, Roy G.; Schwab, John R.

    1991-01-01

    A 0.767-scale model of a turbine stator designed for the core of a high-bypass-ratio aircraft engine was tested with uniform inlet conditions and with an inlet radial temperature profile simulating engine conditions. The principal measurements were radial and circumferential surveys of stator-exit total temperature, total pressure, and flow angle. The stator-exit flow field was also computed by using a three-dimensional Navier-Stokes solver. Other than temperature, there were no apparent differences in performance due to the inlet conditions. The computed results compared quite well with the experimental results.

  6. Financial Ratios and Perceived Household Financial Satisfaction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott Garrett

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper tests the relative strength of three objective measures of financial health (using the solvency, liquidity, and investment asset ratio in predicting a household’s subjective feeling of current financial satisfaction. Using a sample of 6,923 respondents in the 2008 Health and Retirement Study this paper presents evidence of two main findings: 1 the solvency ratio is most strongly associated with financial satisfaction levels based on a cross-sectional design and 2 changes in the investment asset ratio are most strongly associated with changes in financial satisfaction over time.

  7. Financial Ratio and Its Influence to Profitability in Islamic Banks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erika Amelia

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to analyze the influence of the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR, Non Performing Financing (NPF, Financing to Deposit Ratio (FDR and Biaya Operasional Pendapatan Operasional (BOPO to Return on Asset (ROA in Bank Muamalat Indonesia and Bank Syariah Mega. The data analysis method used in this research is multiple regression analysis. From the test results show that the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR, Non Performing Financing (NPF, Financing to Deposit Ratio (FDR and Biaya Operasional Pendapatan Operasional (BOPO simultaneously effect to Return on Asset (ROA. Based on the test results of the t statistic was concluded that the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR, Non Performing Financing (NPF and the Financing to Deposit Ratio (FDR partially no significant effect to Return on Asset (ROA, while Biaya Operasional Pendapatan Operasional (BOPO partially significant effect to Return on Asset (ROADOI: 10.15408/aiq.v7i2.1700

  8. Searching for degenerate Higgs bosons a profile likelihood ratio method to test for mass-degenerate states in the presence of censored data and uncertainties

    CERN Document Server

    David, André; Petrucciani, Giovanni

    2015-01-01

    Using the likelihood ratio test statistic, we present a method which can be employed to test the hypothesis of a single Higgs boson using the matrix of measured signal strengths. This method can be applied in the presence of censored data and takes into account uncertainties on the measurements. The p-value against the hypothesis of a single Higgs boson is defined from the expected distribution of the test statistic, generated using pseudo-experiments. The applicability of the likelihood-based test is demonstrated using numerical examples with uncertainties and missing matrix elements.

  9. Gust load alleviation wind tunnel tests of a large-aspect-ratio flexible wing with piezoelectric control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying Bi

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available An active control technique utilizing piezoelectric actuators to alleviate gust-response loads of a large-aspect-ratio flexible wing is investigated. Piezoelectric materials have been extensively used for active vibration control of engineering structures. In this paper, piezoelectric materials further attempt to suppress the vibration of the aeroelastic wing caused by gust. The motion equation of the flexible wing with piezoelectric patches is obtained by Hamilton’s principle with the modal approach, and then numerical gust responses are analyzed, based on which a gust load alleviation (GLA control system is proposed. The gust load alleviation system employs classic proportional-integral-derivative (PID controllers which treat piezoelectric patches as control actuators and acceleration as the feedback signal. By a numerical method, the control mechanism that piezoelectric actuators can be used to alleviate gust-response loads is also analyzed qualitatively. Furthermore, through low-speed wind tunnel tests, the effectiveness of the gust load alleviation active control technology is validated. The test results agree well with the numerical results. Test results show that at a certain frequency range, the control scheme can effectively alleviate the z and x wingtip accelerations and the root bending moment of the wing to a certain extent. The control system gives satisfying gust load alleviation efficacy with the reduction rate being generally over 20%.

  10. Budget impact analysis of sFlt-1/PlGF ratio as prediction test in Italian women with suspected preeclampsia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frusca, Tiziana; Gervasi, Maria-Teresa; Paolini, Davide; Dionisi, Matteo; Ferre, Francesca; Cetin, Irene

    2017-09-01

    Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy disease which represents a leading cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. Accurate prediction of PE risk could provide an increase in health benefits and better patient management. To estimate the economic impact of introducing Elecsys sFlt-1/PlGF ratio test, in addition to standard practice, for the prediction of PE in women with suspected PE in the Italian National Health Service (INHS). A decision tree model has been developed to simulate the progression of a cohort of pregnant women from the first presentation of clinical suspicion of PE in the second and third trimesters until delivery. The model provides an estimation of the financial impact of introducing sFlt-1/PlGF versus standard practice. Clinical inputs have been derived from PROGNOSIS study and from literature review, and validated by National Clinical Experts. Resources and unit costs have been obtained from Italian-specific sources. Healthcare costs associated with the management of a pregnant woman with clinical suspicion of PE equal €2384 when following standard practice versus €1714 using sFlt-1/PlGF ratio test. Introduction of sFlt-1/PlGF into hospital practice is cost-saving. Savings are generated primarily through improvement in diagnostic accuracy and reduction in unnecessary hospitalization for women before PE's onset.

  11. A note on imperfect hedging: a method for testing stability of the hedge ratio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michal Černý

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Companies producing, processing and consuming commodities in the production process often hedge their commodity expositions using derivative strategies based on different, highly correlated underlying commodities. Once the open position in a commodity is hedged using a derivative position with another underlying commodity, the appropriate hedge ratio must be determined in order the hedge relationship be as effective as possible. However, it is questionable whether the hedge ratio determined at the inception of the risk management strategy remains stable over the whole period for which the hedging strategy exists. Usually it is assumed that in the short run, the relationship (say, correlation between the two commodities remains stable, while in the long run it may vary. We propose a method, based on statistical theory of stability, for on-line detection whether market movements of prices of the commodities involved in the hedge relationship indicate that the hedge ratio may have been subject to a recent change. The change in the hedge ratio decreases the effectiveness of the original hedge relationship and creates a new open position. The method proposed should inform the risk manager that it could be reasonable to adjust the derivative strategy in a way reflecting the market conditions after the change in the hedge ratio.

  12. Inference for the Sharpe Ratio Using a Likelihood-Based Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying Liu

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The Sharpe ratio is the prominent risk-adjusted performance measure used by practitioners. Statistical testing of this ratio using its asymptotic distribution has lagged behind its use. In this paper, highly accurate likelihood analysis is applied for inference on the Sharpe ratio. Both the one- and two-sample problems are considered. The methodology has O(n−3/2 distributional accuracy and can be implemented using any parametric return distribution structure. Simulations are provided to demonstrate the method's superior accuracy over existing methods used for testing in the literature.

  13. Pengaruh Likuiditas, Profitabilitas, Leverage, dan Market Ratio terhadap Dividend Payout Ratio pada Perusahaan Manufaktur

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erna Puspita

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Dividend policy is concerned with financial policies regarding what amount cash dividend paid to shareholders and re-invested as retained earnings. The recent research aimed to test empirically various factors is considered to affect dividend policy. The independent variables in his research included Current Ratio (CR, Return on Equity (ROE, Debt to Equity Ratio (DER, and Earning Per Share (EPS. Meanwhile, the dependent variable was Dividend Payout Ratio (DPR. Quantitative research was used as the research design and the data was secondary data. Furthermore, purposive sampling was selected to get the sample. The result was 14 companies that pay dividend continuously during this research conducted on 2012 - 2014 were selected as the sample of this research. Multiple linier regression was used to analyze the data. The results showed that ROE and EPS has a contribution to the DPR, and then CR and DER has no contribution to the DPR.

  14. Sequential probability ratio controllers for safeguards radiation monitors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fehlau, P.E.; Coop, K.L.; Nixon, K.V.

    1984-01-01

    Sequential hypothesis tests applied to nuclear safeguards accounting methods make the methods more sensitive to detecting diversion. The sequential tests also improve transient signal detection in safeguards radiation monitors. This paper describes three microprocessor control units with sequential probability-ratio tests for detecting transient increases in radiation intensity. The control units are designed for three specific applications: low-intensity monitoring with Poisson probability ratios, higher intensity gamma-ray monitoring where fixed counting intervals are shortened by sequential testing, and monitoring moving traffic where the sequential technique responds to variable-duration signals. The fixed-interval controller shortens a customary 50-s monitoring time to an average of 18 s, making the monitoring delay less bothersome. The controller for monitoring moving vehicles benefits from the sequential technique by maintaining more than half its sensitivity when the normal passage speed doubles

  15. Meiotic sex ratio variation in natural populations of Ceratodon purpureus (Ditrichaceae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norrell, Tatum E; Jones, Kelly S; Payton, Adam C; McDaniel, Stuart F

    2014-09-01

    • Sex ratio variation is a common but often unexplained phenomenon in species across the tree of life. Here we evaluate the hypothesis that meiotic sex ratio variation can contribute to the biased sex ratios found in natural populations of the moss Ceratodon purpureus.• We obtained sporophytes from several populations of C. purpureus from eastern North America. From each sporophyte, we estimated the mean spore viability by germinating replicate samples on agar plates. We estimated the meiotic sex ratio of each sporophyte by inferring the sex of a random sample of germinated spores (mean = 77) using a PCR-RFLP test. We tested for among-sporophyte variation in viability using an ANOVA and for deviations from 1:1 sex ratio using a χ(2)-test and evaluated the relationship between these quantities using a linear regression.• We found among-sporophyte variation in spore viability and meiotic sex ratio, suggesting that genetic variants that contribute to variation in both of these traits segregate within populations of this species. However, we found no relationship between these quantities, suggesting that factors other than sex ratio distorters contribute to variation in spore viability within populations.• These results demonstrate that sex ratio distortion may partially explain the population sex ratio variation seen in C. purpureus, but more generally that genetic conflict over meiotic segregation may contribute to fitness variation in this species. Overall, this study lays the groundwork for future studies on the genetic basis of meiotic sex ratio variation. © 2014 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

  16. Fatigue crack closure behavior at high stress ratios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, C. Christopher; Carman, C. Davis; Hillberry, Ben M.

    1988-01-01

    Fatigue crack delay behavior at high stress ratio caused by single peak overloads was investigated in two thicknesses of 7475-T731 aluminum alloy. Closure measurements indicated no closure occurred before or throughout the overload plastic zones following the overload. This was further substantiated by comparing the specimen compliance following the overload with the compliance of a low R ratio test when the crack was fully open. Scanning electron microscope studies revealed that crack tunneling and possibly reinitiation of the crack occurred, most likely a result of crack-tip blunting. The number of delay cycles was greater for the thinner mixed mode stress state specimen than for the thicker plane strain stress state specimen, which is similar to low R ratio test results and may be due to a larger plastic zone for the mixed mode cased.

  17. Impact of Inflation Accounting Application on Key Financial Ratios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aydın KARAPINAR

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the impact of inflation accounting on key financal ratios. To this end, the financial statements of 132 companies listed in the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE are studied. An analyis of paired samples t test has been conducted on the financial ratios of the companies. The results show that a significant difference between adjusted cost based financial ratios and historical cost based financial ratios occurs only for current, ratios, equity ratios and noncurrent turnover ratios. The study does not cover companies operating in the financial sector. The companies reporting in accordance with IFRS for the studied periods that spans 2001-2004 are not included in the study either. The study offers valuable information as to analysing companies operating in hiper inflation economies.

  18. Gyromagnetic ratio of charged Kerr-anti-de Sitter black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aliev, Alikram N

    2007-01-01

    We examine the gyromagnetic ratios of rotating and charged AdS black holes in four and higher spacetime dimensions. We compute the gyromagnetic ratio for Kerr-AdS black holes with an arbitrary electric charge in four dimensions and show that it corresponds to g = 2 irrespective of the AdS nature of the spacetime. We also compute the gyromagnetic ratio for Kerr-AdS black holes with a single angular momentum and with a test electric charge in all higher dimensions. The gyromagnetic ratio crucially depends on the dimensionless ratio of the rotation parameter to the curvature radius of the AdS background. At the critical limit, when the boundary Einstein universe is rotating at the speed of light, it exhibits a striking feature leading to g 2 regardless of the spacetime dimension. Next, we extend our consideration to include the exact metric for five-dimensional rotating charged black holes in minimal gauged supergravity. We show that the value of the gyromagnetic ratio found in the 'test-charge' approach remains unchanged for these black holes

  19. Discrimination of DPRK M5.1 February 12th, 2013 Earthquake as Nuclear Test Using Analysis of Magnitude, Rupture Duration and Ratio of Seismic Energy and Moment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salomo Sianipar, Dimas; Subakti, Hendri; Pribadi, Sugeng

    2015-04-01

    On February 12th, 2013 morning at 02:57 UTC, there had been an earthquake with its epicenter in the region of North Korea precisely around Sungjibaegam Mountains. Monitoring stations of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) and some other seismic network detected this shallow seismic event. Analyzing seismograms recorded after this event can discriminate between a natural earthquake or an explosion. Zhao et. al. (2014) have been successfully discriminate this seismic event of North Korea nuclear test 2013 from ordinary earthquakes based on network P/S spectral ratios using broadband regional seismic data recorded in China, South Korea and Japan. The P/S-type spectral ratios were powerful discriminants to separate explosions from earthquake (Zhao et. al., 2014). Pribadi et. al. (2014) have characterized 27 earthquake-generated tsunamis (tsunamigenic earthquake or tsunami earthquake) from 1991 to 2012 in Indonesia using W-phase inversion analysis, the ratio between the seismic energy (E) and the seismic moment (Mo), the moment magnitude (Mw), the rupture duration (To) and the distance of the hypocenter to the trench. Some of this method was also used by us to characterize the nuclear test earthquake. We discriminate this DPRK M5.1 February 12th, 2013 earthquake from a natural earthquake using analysis magnitude mb, ms and mw, ratio of seismic energy and moment and rupture duration. We used the waveform data of the seismicity on the scope region in radius 5 degrees from the DPRK M5.1 February 12th, 2013 epicenter 41.29, 129.07 (Zhang and Wen, 2013) from 2006 to 2014 with magnitude M ≥ 4.0. We conclude that this earthquake was a shallow seismic event with explosion characteristics and can be discriminate from a natural or tectonic earthquake. Keywords: North Korean nuclear test, magnitude mb, ms, mw, ratio between seismic energy and moment, ruptures duration

  20. The ATP/DNA Ratio Is a Better Indicator of Islet Cell Viability Than the ADP/ATP Ratio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suszynski, T.M.; Wildey, G.M.; Falde, E.J.; Cline, G.W.; Maynard, K. Stewart; Ko, N.; Sotiris, J.; Naji, A.; Hering, B.J.; Papas, K.K.

    2009-01-01

    Real-time, accurate assessment of islet viability is critical for avoiding transplantation of nontherapeutic preparations. Measurements of the intracellular ADP/ATP ratio have been recently proposed as useful prospective estimates of islet cell viability and potency. However, dead cells may be rapidly depleted of both ATP and ADP, which would render the ratio incapable of accounting for dead cells. Since the DNA of dead cells is expected to remain stable over prolonged periods of time (days), we hypothesized that use of the ATP/DNA ratio would take into account dead cells and may be a better indicator of islet cell viability than the ADP/ATP ratio. We tested this hypothesis using mixtures of healthy and lethally heat-treated (HT) rat insulinoma cells and human islets. Measurements of ATP/DNA and ADP/ATP from the known mixtures of healthy and HT cells and islets were used to evaluate how well these parameters correlated with viability. The results indicated that ATP and ADP were rapidly (within 1 hour) depleted in HT cells. The fraction of HT cells in a mixture correlated linearly with the ATP/DNA ratio, whereas the ADP/ADP ratio was highly scattered, remaining effectively unchanged. Despite similar limitations in both ADP/ADP and ATP/DNA ratios, in that ATP levels may fluctuate significantly and reversibly with metabolic stress, the results indicated that ATP/DNA was a better measure of islet viability than the ADP/ATP ratio. PMID:18374063

  1. Person fit for test speededness: normal curvatures, likelihood ratio tests and empirical Bayes estimates

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Goegebeur, Y.; de Boeck, P.; Molenberghs, G.

    2010-01-01

    The local influence diagnostics, proposed by Cook (1986), provide a flexible way to assess the impact of minor model perturbations on key model parameters’ estimates. In this paper, we apply the local influence idea to the detection of test speededness in a model describing nonresponse in test data,

  2. MARKETING MIX BY BED OCCUPANCY RATIO (BOR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdul Muhith

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Bed Occupancy Ratio (BOR in RSI Arafah Mojosari during the last three years are at under ideal rate and the lowest of the three existing hospitals in the area of Mojosari. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship marketing mix with Bed Occupancy Ratio in RSI Arafah Mojosari. Methods: This research uses analytic methods with crossectional approach. Variables in the study is marketing mix and Bed Occupancy Ratio (BOR. The population in this study were all patients hospitalized in the RSI Arafah Mojosari. Samples amounted 44 respondents taken by the Stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using the questionnaire and analyzed using Fisher's Exact test. Result: The results obtained more than 50% of respondents (59.1% rate well against the marketing mix is developed by the hospital management and the majority of respondents (79.5% are in the treatment room that has a number BOR is not ideal. Fisher Exact test test results obtained probabililty value=0.02<0.05 so that H0 is rejected, which means there is a relationship marketing mix with the Bed Occupancy Ratio in RSI Arafah Mojosari. Discussion: Hospitals which able to develop the marketing mix very well, can attract consumers to use inpatient services at the hospital, with that BOR value will increase as the increased use of inpatient services. Hospital management must be able to formulate a good marketing mix strategy that hospital marketing objectives can be achieved. Conformity between service quality and service rates must be addressed, otherwise it extent of media promotions can attract patients to inpatient services.

  3. Internal jugular vein: Peripheral vein adrenocorticotropic hormone ratio in patients with adrenocorticotropic hormone-dependent Cushing′s syndrome: Ratio calculated from one adrenocorticotropic hormone sample each from right and left internal jugular vein during corticotrophin releasing hormone stimulation test

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sachin Chittawar

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Demonstration of central: Peripheral adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH gradient is important for diagnosis of Cushing′s disease. Aim: The aim was to assess the utility of internal jugular vein (IJV: Peripheral vein ACTH ratio for diagnosis of Cushing′s disease. Materials and Methods: Patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing′s syndrome (CS patients were the subjects for this study. One blood sample each was collected from right and left IJV following intravenous hCRH at 3 and 5 min, respectively. A simultaneous peripheral vein sample was also collected with each IJV sample for calculation of IJV: Peripheral vein ACTH ratio. IJV sample collection was done under ultrasound guidance. ACTH was assayed using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA. Results: Thirty-two patients participated in this study. The IJV: Peripheral vein ACTH ratio ranged from 1.07 to 6.99 ( n = 32. It was more than 1.6 in 23 patients. Cushing′s disease could be confirmed in 20 of the 23 cases with IJV: Peripheral vein ratio more than 1.6. Four patients with Cushing′s disease and 2 patients with ectopic ACTH syndrome had IJV: Peripheral vein ACTH ratio less than 1.6. Six cases with unknown ACTH source were excluded for calculation of sensitivity and specificity of the test. Conclusion: IJV: Peripheral vein ACTH ratio calculated from a single sample from each IJV obtained after hCRH had 83% sensitivity and 100% specificity for diagnosis of CD.

  4. Urine Test: Microalbumin-to-Creatinine Ratio (For Parents)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... could interfere with test results. Be sure to review all your child's medications with your doctor. The Procedure Your child will be asked to urinate (pee) into a clean sample cup in the doctor's office or at home. Collecting the specimen should only take a few minutes. If your child isn' ...

  5. Performance of a high-work low aspect ratio turbine tested with a realistic inlet radial temperature profile

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stabe, R. G.; Whitney, W. J.; Moffitt, T. P.

    1984-01-01

    Experimental results are presented for a 0.767 scale model of the first stage of a two-stage turbine designed for a high by-pass ratio engine. The turbine was tested with both uniform inlet conditions and with an inlet radial temperature profile simulating engine conditions. The inlet temperature profile was essentially mixed-out in the rotor. There was also substantial underturning of the exit flow at the mean diameter. Both of these effects were attributed to strong secondary flows in the rotor blading. There were no significant differences in the stage performance with either inlet condition when differences in tip clearance were considered. Performance was very close to design intent in both cases. Previously announced in STAR as N84-24589

  6. Planned Enhanced Wakefield Transformer Ratio Experiment at Argonne Wakefield Accelerator

    CERN Document Server

    Kanareykin, Alex; Gai, Wei; Jing, Chunguang; Konecny, Richard; Power, John G

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, we present a preliminary experimental study of a wakefield accelerating scheme that uses a carefully spaced and current ramped electron pulse train to produce wakefields that increases the transformer ratio much higher than 2. A dielectric structure was designed and fabricated to operate at 13.625 GHz with dielectric constant of 15.7. The structure will be initially excited by two beams with first and second beam charge ratio of 1:3. The expected transformer ratio is 3 and the setup can be easily extend to 4 pulses which leads to a transformer ratio of more than 6. The dielectric structure cold test results show the tube is within the specification. A set of laser splitters was also tested to produce ramped bunch train of 2 - 4 pulses. Overall design of the experiment and initial results will be presented.

  7. Joint sparsity based heterogeneous data-level fusion for target detection and estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Ruixin; Zulch, Peter; Distasio, Marcello; Blasch, Erik; Shen, Dan; Chen, Genshe

    2017-05-01

    Typical surveillance systems employ decision- or feature-level fusion approaches to integrate heterogeneous sensor data, which are sub-optimal and incur information loss. In this paper, we investigate data-level heterogeneous sensor fusion. Since the sensors monitor the common targets of interest, whose states can be determined by only a few parameters, it is reasonable to assume that the measurement domain has a low intrinsic dimensionality. For heterogeneous sensor data, we develop a joint-sparse data-level fusion (JSDLF) approach based on the emerging joint sparse signal recovery techniques by discretizing the target state space. This approach is applied to fuse signals from multiple distributed radio frequency (RF) signal sensors and a video camera for joint target detection and state estimation. The JSDLF approach is data-driven and requires minimum prior information, since there is no need to know the time-varying RF signal amplitudes, or the image intensity of the targets. It can handle non-linearity in the sensor data due to state space discretization and the use of frequency/pixel selection matrices. Furthermore, for a multi-target case with J targets, the JSDLF approach only requires discretization in a single-target state space, instead of discretization in a J-target state space, as in the case of the generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) or the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE). Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate that the proposed JSDLF approach achieves excellent performance with near real-time accurate target position and velocity estimates.

  8. Using non-performing loan ratios as default rates in the estimation of credit losses and macroeconomic credit risk stress testing: A case from Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guray Kucukkocaoglu

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available In this study, inspired by the Credit Portfolio View approach, we intend to develop an econometric credit risk model to estimate credit loss distributions of Turkish Banking System under baseline and stress macro scenarios, by substituting default rates with non-performing loan (NPL ratios. Since customer number based historical default rates are not available for the whole Turkish banking system’s credit portfolio, we used NPL ratios as dependent variable instead of default rates, a common practice for many countries where historical default rates are not available. Although, there are many problems in using NPL ratios as default rates such as underestimating portfolio losses as a result of totally non-homogeneous total credit portfolios and transferring non-performing loans to asset management companies from banks’ balance sheets, our aim is to underline and limit some ignored problems using accounting based NPL ratios as default rates in macroeconomic credit risk modeling. Developed models confirm the strong statistical relationship between systematic component of credit risk and macroeconomic variables in Turkey. Stress test results also are compatible with the past experiences

  9. A test of the mean density approximation for Lennard-Jones mixtures with large size ratios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ely, J.F.

    1986-01-01

    The mean density approximation for mixture radial distribution functions plays a central role in modern corresponding-states theories. This approximation is reasonably accurate for systems that do not differ widely in size and energy ratios and which are nearly equimolar. As the size ratio increases, however, or if one approaches an infinite dilution of one of the components, the approximation becomes progressively worse, especially for the small molecule pair. In an attempt to better understand and improve this approximation, isothermal molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on a series of Lennard-Jones mixtures. Thermodynamic properties, including the mixture radial distribution functions, have been obtained at seven compositions ranging from 5 to 95 mol%. In all cases the size ratio was fixed at two and three energy ratios were investigated, 22 / 11 =0.5, 1.0, and 1.5. The results of the simulations are compared with the mean density approximation and a modification to integrals evaluated with the mean density approximation is proposed

  10. Dynamic moduli and damping ratios of soil evaluated from pressuremeter test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Yasuo; Ezashi, Yasuyuki; Kokusho, Takaji; Nishi, Yoshikazu

    1984-01-01

    Dynamic and static properties of soils are investigated using the newly developed equipment of in-situ test, which imposes dynamic repeated pressure on borehole wall at any depth covering a wide range of strain amplitude. This paper describes mainly the shear modulus and damping characteristics of soils obtained by using the equipment in several sites covering wide variety of soils. The test results are compared and with those obtained by other test methods such as the dynamic triaxial test, the simple shear test and the shear wave velocity test, and discussions are made with regard to their relation ships to each other, which demonstrates the efficiency of this in-situ test. (author)

  11. RATIO_TOOL - SOFTWARE FOR COMPUTING IMAGE RATIOS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yates, G. L.

    1994-01-01

    Geological studies analyze spectral data in order to gain information on surface materials. RATIO_TOOL is an interactive program for viewing and analyzing large multispectral image data sets that have been created by an imaging spectrometer. While the standard approach to classification of multispectral data is to match the spectrum for each input pixel against a library of known mineral spectra, RATIO_TOOL uses ratios of spectral bands in order to spot significant areas of interest within a multispectral image. Each image band can be viewed iteratively, or a selected image band of the data set can be requested and displayed. When the image ratios are computed, the result is displayed as a gray scale image. At this point a histogram option helps in viewing the distribution of values. A thresholding option can then be used to segment the ratio image result into two to four classes. The segmented image is then color coded to indicate threshold classes and displayed alongside the gray scale image. RATIO_TOOL is written in C language for Sun series computers running SunOS 4.0 and later. It requires the XView toolkit and the OpenWindows window manager (version 2.0 or 3.0). The XView toolkit is distributed with Open Windows. A color monitor is also required. The standard distribution medium for RATIO_TOOL is a .25 inch streaming magnetic tape cartridge in UNIX tar format. An electronic copy of the documentation is included on the program media. RATIO_TOOL was developed in 1992 and is a copyrighted work with all copyright vested in NASA. Sun, SunOS, and OpenWindows are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T Bell Laboratories.

  12. Transformer ratio enhancement experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gai, W.; Power, J. G.; Kanareykin, A.; Neasheva, E.; Altmark, A.

    2004-01-01

    Recently, a multibunch scheme for efficient acceleration based on dielectric wakefield accelerator technology was outlined in J.G. Power, W. Gai, A. Kanareykin, X. Sun. PAC 2001 Proceedings, pp. 114-116, 2002. In this paper we present an experimental program for the design, development and demonstration of an Enhanced Transformer Ratio Dielectric Wakefield Accelerator (ETR-DWA). The principal goal is to increase the transformer ratio R, the parameter that characterizes the energy transfer efficiency from the accelerating structure to the accelerated electron beam. We present here an experimental design of a 13.625 GHz dielectric loaded accelerating structure, a laser multisplitter producing a ramped bunch train, and simulations of the bunch train parameters required. Experimental results of the accelerating structure bench testing and ramped pulsed train generation with the laser multisplitter are shown as well. Using beam dynamic simulations, we also obtain the focusing FODO lattice parameters

  13. The Relationship Between 14C Urea Breath Test Results and Neutrophil/Lymphocyte and Platelet/Lymphocyte Ratios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ertan Şahin

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Aim: Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR are used as inflammatory markers in several diseases. However, there are little data regarding the diagnostic ability of NLR and PLR in Helicobacter pylori. We aimed to assess the association between the 14C urea breath test (14C-UBT results and NLR and PLR in H. pylori diagnosis. Methods: Results of 89 patients were retrospectively analysed in this study. According to the 14C-UBT results, patients were divided into two groups: H. pylori (+ and H. pylori (- (control group. Haematological parameters, including hemoglobine, white blood cell (WBC count, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, NLR, platelet count, and PLR were compared between the two groups. Results: The mean total WBC count, neutrophil count, NLR and PLR in H. pylori (+ patients were significantly higher than in the control group (p<0.001 for all these parameters. In the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the cut-off value for NLR and PLR for the presence of H. pylori was calculated as ≥2.39 [sensitivity: 67.3%, specificity: 79.4%, area under the curve (AUC: 0.747 (0.637-0.856, p<0.0001] and ≥133.3 [sensitivity: 61.8%, specificity: 55.9%, AUC: 0.572 (0.447-0.697, p<0.05], respectively. Conclusion: The present study shows that NLR and PLR are associated with H. pylori positivity based on 14C-UBT, and they can be used as an additional biomarker for supporting the 14C-UBT results.

  14. Could changes in reported sex ratios at birth during China's 1958-1961 famine support the adaptive sex ratio adjustment hypothesis?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Reimondos

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: The adaptive sex ratio adjustment hypothesis suggests that when mothers are in poor conditions the sex ratio of their offspring will be biased towards females. Major famines provide opportunities for testing this hypothesis because they lead to the widespread deterioration of living conditions in the affected population. Objective: This study examines changes in sex ratio at birth before, during, and after China's 1958-1961 famine, to see whether they provide any support for the adaptive sex ratio adjustment hypothesis. Methods: We use descriptive statistics to analyse data collected by both China's 1982 and 1988 fertility sample surveys and examine changes in sex ratio at birth in recent history. In addition, we examine the effectiveness of using different methods to model changes in sex ratio at birth and compare their differences. Results: During China's 1958-1961 famine, reported sex ratio at birth remained notably higher than that observed in most countries in the world. The timing of the decline in sex ratio at birth did not coincide with the timing of the famine. After the famine, although living conditions were considerably improved, the sex ratio at birth was not higher but lower than that recorded during the famine. Conclusions: The analysis of the data collected by the two fertility surveys has found no evidence that changes in sex ratio at birth during China's 1958-1961 famine and the post-famine period supported the adaptive sex ratio adjustment hypothesis.

  15. PROFITABILITY RATIO AS A TOOL FOR BANKRUPTCY PREDICTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel BRÎNDESCU – OLARIU

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The current study evaluates the potential of the profitability ratio in predicting corporate bankruptcy. The research is focused on Romanian companies, with the targeted event being represented by the manifestation of bankruptcy 2 years after the date of the financial statements of reference. All tests were conducted over 2 paired samples of 1176 Romanian companies. The methodology employed in evaluating the potential of the profitability ratio was based on the Area Under the ROC Curve (0.663 and the general accuracy ensured by the ratio (62.6% out-of-sample accuracy. The results confirm the practical utility of the profitability ratio in the prediction of bankruptcy and thus validate the need for further research focused on developing a methodology of analysis.

  16. Estimating negative likelihood ratio confidence when test sensitivity is 100%: A bootstrapping approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marill, Keith A; Chang, Yuchiao; Wong, Kim F; Friedman, Ari B

    2017-08-01

    Objectives Assessing high-sensitivity tests for mortal illness is crucial in emergency and critical care medicine. Estimating the 95% confidence interval (CI) of the likelihood ratio (LR) can be challenging when sample sensitivity is 100%. We aimed to develop, compare, and automate a bootstrapping method to estimate the negative LR CI when sample sensitivity is 100%. Methods The lowest population sensitivity that is most likely to yield sample sensitivity 100% is located using the binomial distribution. Random binomial samples generated using this population sensitivity are then used in the LR bootstrap. A free R program, "bootLR," automates the process. Extensive simulations were performed to determine how often the LR bootstrap and comparator method 95% CIs cover the true population negative LR value. Finally, the 95% CI was compared for theoretical sample sizes and sensitivities approaching and including 100% using: (1) a technique of individual extremes, (2) SAS software based on the technique of Gart and Nam, (3) the Score CI (as implemented in the StatXact, SAS, and R PropCI package), and (4) the bootstrapping technique. Results The bootstrapping approach demonstrates appropriate coverage of the nominal 95% CI over a spectrum of populations and sample sizes. Considering a study of sample size 200 with 100 patients with disease, and specificity 60%, the lowest population sensitivity with median sample sensitivity 100% is 99.31%. When all 100 patients with disease test positive, the negative LR 95% CIs are: individual extremes technique (0,0.073), StatXact (0,0.064), SAS Score method (0,0.057), R PropCI (0,0.062), and bootstrap (0,0.048). Similar trends were observed for other sample sizes. Conclusions When study samples demonstrate 100% sensitivity, available methods may yield inappropriately wide negative LR CIs. An alternative bootstrapping approach and accompanying free open-source R package were developed to yield realistic estimates easily. This

  17. La Dinámica Cross-Section de los Ratios Financieros: ¿Tienden los Ratios a Converger hacia la Media Sectorial?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuel Illueca Muñoz

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available El objetivo fundamental de este artículo consiste en contrastar si los ratios financieros describen un proceso de ajuste / convergencia hacia la media sectorial. Utilizando un enfoque no paramétrico, se ha modelizado explícitamente la dinámica de las distribuciones de seis ratios, calculados a partir de una muestra de empresas del sector español de pavimentos y revestimientos cerámicos. Los resultados no permiten afirmar que las empresas de la muestra converjan hacia la media del sector, al contrario, las distribuciones de probabilidad de los ratios analizados presentan a largo plazo una dispersión similar a la del periodo muestral.The main objective of this paper is to test whether financial ratios follow a convergent path towards the industry mean. A non parametric approach is used to model the cross-section dynamics of six financial ratios, computed on a sample of Spanish tile firms. Our findings do not support the hipothesis of convergence. The dispersion of the ratios does not shrink in the long term.

  18. Home urine C-peptide creatinine ratio (UCPCR) testing can identify type 2 and MODY in pediatric diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Besser, Rachel E J; Shields, Beverley M; Hammersley, Suzanne E; Colclough, Kevin; McDonald, Timothy J; Gray, Zoe; Heywood, James J N; Barrett, Timothy G; Hattersley, Andrew T

    2013-05-01

    Making the correct diabetes diagnosis in children is crucial for lifelong management. Type 2 diabetes and maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) are seen in the pediatric setting, and can be difficult to discriminate from type 1 diabetes. Postprandial urinary C-peptide creatinine ratio (UCPCR) is a non-invasive measure of endogenous insulin secretion that has not been tested as a diagnostic tool in children or in patients with diabetes duration MODY and type 2 in pediatric diabetes. Two-hour postprandial UCPCR was measured in 264 patients aged MODY, n = 63). Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to identify the optimal UCPCR cutoff for discriminating diabetes subtypes. UCPCR was lower in type 1 diabetes [0.05 (MODY [3.51 (2.37-5.32) nmol/mmol, p MODY (p = 0.25), so patients were combined for subsequent analyses. After 2-yr duration, UCPCR ≥ 0.7 nmol/mmol has 100% sensitivity [95% confidence interval (CI): 92-100] and 97% specificity (95% CI: 91-99) for identifying non-type 1 (MODY + type 2 diabetes) from type 1 diabetes [area under the curve (AUC) 0.997]. UCPCR was poor at discriminating MODY from type 2 diabetes (AUC 0.57). UCPCR testing can be used in diabetes duration greater than 2 yr to identify pediatric patients with non-type 1 diabetes. UCPCR testing is a practical non-invasive method for use in the pediatric outpatient setting. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  19. SOLVENCY RATIO AS A TOOL FOR BANKRUPTCY PREDICTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel BRÎNDESCU–OLARIU

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The current study evaluates the potential of the solvency ratio in predicting corporate bankruptcy. The research is focused on Romania and, in particular, on Timis County. The interest for the solvency ratio was based on the recommendations of the scientific literature, as well as on the availability of information concerning its values to all stakeholders. The event on which the research was focused was represented by the manifestation of bankruptcy 2 years after the date of the financial statements of reference. All tests were performed over 2 paired samples of 1176 companies in total. The methodology employed in evaluating the potential of the solvency ratio was based on the Area Under the ROC Curve (0.646 and the general accuracy ensured by the ratio (64.5% out-of-sample accuracy. The results confirm the practical utility of the solvency ratio in the prediction of bankruptcy.

  20. Sequential Probability Ratio Test for Collision Avoidance Maneuver Decisions Based on a Bank of Norm-Inequality-Constrained Epoch-State Filters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpenter, J. R.; Markley, F. L.; Alfriend, K. T.; Wright, C.; Arcido, J.

    2011-01-01

    Sequential probability ratio tests explicitly allow decision makers to incorporate false alarm and missed detection risks, and are potentially less sensitive to modeling errors than a procedure that relies solely on a probability of collision threshold. Recent work on constrained Kalman filtering has suggested an approach to formulating such a test for collision avoidance maneuver decisions: a filter bank with two norm-inequality-constrained epoch-state extended Kalman filters. One filter models 1he null hypothesis 1ha1 the miss distance is inside the combined hard body radius at the predicted time of closest approach, and one filter models the alternative hypothesis. The epoch-state filter developed for this method explicitly accounts for any process noise present in the system. The method appears to work well using a realistic example based on an upcoming highly-elliptical orbit formation flying mission.

  1. Sequential Probability Ratio Testing with Power Projective Base Method Improves Decision-Making for BCI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Rong

    2017-01-01

    Obtaining a fast and reliable decision is an important issue in brain-computer interfaces (BCI), particularly in practical real-time applications such as wheelchair or neuroprosthetic control. In this study, the EEG signals were firstly analyzed with a power projective base method. Then we were applied a decision-making model, the sequential probability ratio testing (SPRT), for single-trial classification of motor imagery movement events. The unique strength of this proposed classification method lies in its accumulative process, which increases the discriminative power as more and more evidence is observed over time. The properties of the method were illustrated on thirteen subjects' recordings from three datasets. Results showed that our proposed power projective method outperformed two benchmark methods for every subject. Moreover, with sequential classifier, the accuracies across subjects were significantly higher than that with nonsequential ones. The average maximum accuracy of the SPRT method was 84.1%, as compared with 82.3% accuracy for the sequential Bayesian (SB) method. The proposed SPRT method provides an explicit relationship between stopping time, thresholds, and error, which is important for balancing the time-accuracy trade-off. These results suggest SPRT would be useful in speeding up decision-making while trading off errors in BCI. PMID:29348781

  2. A note on Youden's J and its cost ratio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Smits Niels

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The Youden index, the sum of sensitivity and specificity minus one, is an index used for setting optimal thresholds on medical tests. Discussion When using this index, one implicitly uses decision theory with a ratio of misclassification costs which is equal to one minus the prevalence proportion of the disease. It is doubtful whether this cost ratio truly represents the decision maker's preferences. Moreover, in populations with a different prevalence, a selected threshold is optimal with reference to a different cost ratio. Summary The Youden index is not a truly optimal decision rule for setting thresholds because its cost ratio varies with prevalence. Researchers should look into their cost ratio and employ it in a decision theoretic framework to obtain genuinely optimal thresholds.

  3. Pengaruh Current Ratio, Asset Size, dan Earnings Variability terhadap Beta Pasar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahim Abdurahim

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The research objective was to determine the effect of variable accounting ie :, current ratio, asset size and earnings variability of the market beta. This study used 72 samples. Analyzer used to test the hypothesis that regression. Previous methods of Fowler and Rorke (1983 to adjust the market beta, and BLUE test is used to test classic assumptions of the independent variables are multikolinearitas, heteroskedasitas with Breushch-Pagan-Godfrey test, and autocorrelation with BG (The Breussh-Godfrey. The results found that the hypothesis H1a, H1b, H1c, and H2a powered means no influence current ratio, asset size and earnings variability of the market beta, both individually and simultaneously.

  4. PROFITABILITY RATIO AS A TOOL FOR BANKRUPTCY PREDICTION

    OpenAIRE

    Daniel BRÎNDESCU – OLARIU

    2016-01-01

    The current study evaluates the potential of the profitability ratio in predicting corporate bankruptcy. The research is focused on Romanian companies, with the targeted event being represented by the manifestation of bankruptcy 2 years after the date of the financial statements of reference. All tests were conducted over 2 paired samples of 1176 Romanian companies. The methodology employed in evaluating the potential of the profitability ratio was based on the Area Under the ROC Curve (0.663...

  5. The labor/land ratio and India's caste system

    OpenAIRE

    Duleep, Harriet

    2012-01-01

    This paper proposes that India’s caste system and involuntary labor were joint responses by a nonworking landowning class to a low labor/land ratio in which the rules of the caste system supported the institution of involuntary labor. The hypothesis is tested in two ways: longitudinally, with data from ancient religious texts, and cross-sectionally, with twentieth-century statistics on regional population/land ratios linked to anthropological measures of caste-system rigidity. Both the longit...

  6. A study on the effect of free cash flow and profitability current ratio on dividend payout ratio: Evidence from Tehran Stock Exchange

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hosein Parsian

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Decision making about dividend payout is one of the most important decision that companies should encounter. Identifying factors that influence dividends can help managers in making an appropriate dividend policy. In the other side, companies’ dividend payouts over time and with a stable manner may influence on stock price, future earnings growth and finally investor's evaluation about owners' equity. Hence, investigating the factors influencing dividend payout ratio is of high importance. In this research, we investigate the effects of various factors on dividend payout ratio of Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE listed companies. We use time series regression (panel data in order to test the hypothesis of this study. This study provides empirical evidences by choosing a sample of 102 companies over the time span of 2005-2010. The result shows that independent variables of free cash flow and profitability current ratio have negative and significant impact on dividend payout ratio; whereas, the independent variable of leverage ratio has a positive and significant impact on dividend payout ratio. The other independent ratio such as size of the company, growth opportunities and systematic risk do not have any significant influence on dividend payout ratio.

  7. Sex ratio and Wolbachia infection in the ant Formica exsecta.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keller, L; Liautard, C; Reuter, M; Brown, W D; Sundström, L; Chapuisat, M

    2001-08-01

    Sex allocation data in social Hymenoptera provide some of the best tests of kin selection, parent-offspring conflict and sex ratio theories. However, these studies critically depend on controlling for confounding ecological factors and on identifying all parties that potentially manipulate colony sex ratio. It has been suggested that maternally inherited parasites may influence sex allocation in social Hymenoptera. If the parasites can influence sex allocation, infected colonies are predicted to invest more resources in females than non-infected colonies, because the parasites are transmitted through females but not males. Prime candidates for such sex ratio manipulation are Wolbachia, because these cytoplasmically transmitted bacteria have been shown to affect the sex ratio of host arthropods by cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis, male-killing and feminization. In this study, we tested whether Wolbachia infection is associated with colony sex ratio in two populations of the ant Formica exsecta that have been the subject of extensive sex ratio studies. In these populations colonies specialize in the production of one sex or the other. We found that almost all F. exsecta colonies in both populations are infected with Wolbachia. However, in neither population did we find a significant association in the predicted direction between the prevalence of Wolbachia and colony sex ratio. In particular, colonies with a higher proportion of infected workers did not produce more females. Hence, we conclude that Wolbachia does not seem to alter the sex ratio of its hosts as a means to increase transmission rate in these two populations of ants.

  8. Robust Confidence Interval for a Ratio of Standard Deviations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonett, Douglas G.

    2006-01-01

    Comparing variability of test scores across alternate forms, test conditions, or subpopulations is a fundamental problem in psychometrics. A confidence interval for a ratio of standard deviations is proposed that performs as well as the classic method with normal distributions and performs dramatically better with nonnormal distributions. A simple…

  9. Design studies of low-aspect ratio quasi-omnigenous stellarators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spong, D.A.; Hirshman, S.; Whitson, J.C.

    2001-01-01

    Significant progress has been made in the development of new modest-size compact stellarator devices that could test optimization principles for the design of a more attractive reactor. These are 3 and 4 field period low-aspect-ratio quasi-omnigenous (QO) stellarators based on an optimization method that targets improved confinement, stability, ease of coil design, low-aspect-ratio, and low bootstrap current. (author)

  10. Testing Measurement Invariance Using MIMIC: Likelihood Ratio Test with a Critical Value Adjustment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Eun Sook; Yoon, Myeongsun; Lee, Taehun

    2012-01-01

    Multiple-indicators multiple-causes (MIMIC) modeling is often used to test a latent group mean difference while assuming the equivalence of factor loadings and intercepts over groups. However, this study demonstrated that MIMIC was insensitive to the presence of factor loading noninvariance, which implies that factor loading invariance should be…

  11. Ratios of charmed and bottom meson decay constants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oakes, R.J.

    1994-01-01

    It is shown that general features of the standard theory require the double ratio (f Bs /f Bd )/(f Ds /f Dd ) to be very nearly unity with only very small corrections. The ratios f Bs /f Bd and f Ds /f Dd are both also near unity, within small corrections which partially cancel in the double ratio. A precise measurement of f Ds /f Dd therefore provides a sensitive test of some generally accepted features of the standard Lagrangian, as well as determines the value of f Bs /f Bd , which is important for calculating the relative strengths of B s- bar B s and B d- bar B d mixing

  12. Psychological distress during early gestation and offspring sex ratio

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Obel, C; Henriksen, TB; Secher, Niels Jørgen

    2007-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Exposure to severe stress in early pregnancy is associated with a lower male to female ratio (sex ratio), but whether more moderate levels of psychological discomfort have the same kind of effect is unknown. In a population based follow-up study, we aimed to test whether psychological...... suggest that not only severe stress, but also more moderate and common levels of psychological distress, may decrease the sex ratio in the offspring. Stress during pregnancy is a likely candidate involved in the decreasing sex ratio observed in many countries....... distress was associated with the sex ratio in the offspring. METHODS: From 1989 to 1992, a cohort of 8,719 Danish-speaking pregnant women were followed until delivery. Questionnaires were administered to the women in early pregnancy and 6,629 (76%) completed the 30-item version of the General Health...

  13. Psychological distress during early gestation and offspring sex ratio

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Obel, Carsten; Henriksen, Tine Brink; Secher, Niels Jørgen

    2007-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Exposure to severe stress in early pregnancy is associated with a lower male to female ratio (sex ratio), but whether more moderate levels of psychological discomfort have the same kind of effect is unknown. In a population based follow-up study, we aimed to test whether psychological...... suggest that not only severe stress, but also more moderate and common levels of psychological distress, may decrease the sex ratio in the offspring. Stress during pregnancy is a likely candidate involved in the decreasing sex ratio observed in many countries. Udgivelsesdato: 2007-Nov...... distress was associated with the sex ratio in the offspring. METHODS: From 1989 to 1992, a cohort of 8,719 Danish-speaking pregnant women were followed until delivery. Questionnaires were administered to the women in early pregnancy and 6,629 (76%) completed the 30-item version of the General Health...

  14. Computing power and sample size for case-control association studies with copy number polymorphism: application of mixture-based likelihood ratio test.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wonkuk Kim

    Full Text Available Recent studies suggest that copy number polymorphisms (CNPs may play an important role in disease susceptibility and onset. Currently, the detection of CNPs mainly depends on microarray technology. For case-control studies, conventionally, subjects are assigned to a specific CNP category based on the continuous quantitative measure produced by microarray experiments, and cases and controls are then compared using a chi-square test of independence. The purpose of this work is to specify the likelihood ratio test statistic (LRTS for case-control sampling design based on the underlying continuous quantitative measurement, and to assess its power and relative efficiency (as compared to the chi-square test of independence on CNP counts. The sample size and power formulas of both methods are given. For the latter, the CNPs are classified using the Bayesian classification rule. The LRTS is more powerful than this chi-square test for the alternatives considered, especially alternatives in which the at-risk CNP categories have low frequencies. An example of the application of the LRTS is given for a comparison of CNP distributions in individuals of Caucasian or Taiwanese ethnicity, where the LRTS appears to be more powerful than the chi-square test, possibly due to misclassification of the most common CNP category into a less common category.

  15. The Liquidity Coverage Ratio: the need for further complementary ratios?

    OpenAIRE

    Ojo, Marianne

    2013-01-01

    This paper considers components of the Liquidity Coverage Ratio – as well as certain prevailing gaps which may necessitate the introduction of a complementary liquidity ratio. The definitions and objectives accorded to the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) and Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) highlight the focus which is accorded to time horizons for funding bank operations. A ratio which would focus on the rate of liquidity transformations and which could also serve as a complementary metric gi...

  16. Golden Ratio

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Keywords. Fibonacci numbers, golden ratio, Sanskrit prosody, solar panel. Abstract. Our attraction to another body increases if the body is symmetricaland in proportion. If a face or a structure is in proportion,we are more likely to notice it and find it beautiful.The universal ratio of beauty is the 'Golden Ratio', found inmany ...

  17. Determination of Optimum Compression Ratio: A Tribological Aspect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Yüksek

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Internal combustion engines are the primary energy conversion machines both in industry and transportation. Modern technologies are being implemented to engines to fulfill today's low fuel consumption demand. Friction energy consumed by the rubbing parts of the engines are becoming an important parameter for higher fuel efficiency. Rate of friction loss is primarily affected by sliding speed and the load acting upon rubbing surfaces. Compression ratio is the main parameter that increases the peak cylinder pressure and hence normal load on components. Aim of this study is to investigate the effect of compression ratio on total friction loss of a diesel engine. A variable compression ratio diesel engine was operated at four different compression ratios which were "12.96", "15:59", "18:03", "20:17". Brake power and speed was kept constant at predefined value while measuring the in- cylinder pressure. Friction mean effective pressure ( FMEP data were obtained from the in cylinder pressure curves for each compression ratio. Ratio of friction power to indicated power of the engine was increased from 22.83% to 37.06% with varying compression ratio from 12.96 to 20:17. Considering the thermal efficiency , FMEP and maximum in- cylinder pressure optimum compression ratio interval of the test engine was determined as 18.8 ÷ 19.6.

  18. Golden Ratio

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Our attraction to another body increases if the body is symmetricaland in proportion. If a face or a structure is in proportion,we are more likely to notice it and find it beautiful.The universal ratio of beauty is the 'Golden Ratio', found inmany structures. This ratio comes from Fibonacci numbers.In this article, we explore this ...

  19. Tau hadronic branching ratios

    CERN Document Server

    Buskulic, Damir; De Bonis, I; Décamp, D; Ghez, P; Goy, C; Lees, J P; Lucotte, A; Minard, M N; Odier, P; Pietrzyk, B; Ariztizabal, F; Chmeissani, M; Crespo, J M; Efthymiopoulos, I; Fernández, E; Fernández-Bosman, M; Gaitan, V; Martínez, M; Orteu, S; Pacheco, A; Padilla, C; Palla, Fabrizio; Pascual, A; Perlas, J A; Sánchez, F; Teubert, F; Colaleo, A; Creanza, D; De Palma, M; Farilla, A; Gelao, G; Girone, M; Iaselli, Giuseppe; Maggi, G; Maggi, M; Marinelli, N; Natali, S; Nuzzo, S; Ranieri, A; Raso, G; Romano, F; Ruggieri, F; Selvaggi, G; Silvestris, L; Tempesta, P; Zito, G; Huang, X; Lin, J; Ouyang, Q; Wang, T; Xie, Y; Xu, R; Xue, S; Zhang, J; Zhang, L; Zhao, W; Bonvicini, G; Cattaneo, M; Comas, P; Coyle, P; Drevermann, H; Engelhardt, A; Forty, Roger W; Frank, M; Hagelberg, R; Harvey, J; Jacobsen, R; Janot, P; Jost, B; Kneringer, E; Knobloch, J; Lehraus, Ivan; Markou, C; Martin, E B; Mato, P; Minten, Adolf G; Miquel, R; Oest, T; Palazzi, P; Pater, J R; Pusztaszeri, J F; Ranjard, F; Rensing, P E; Rolandi, Luigi; Schlatter, W D; Schmelling, M; Schneider, O; Tejessy, W; Tomalin, I R; Venturi, A; Wachsmuth, H W; Wiedenmann, W; Wildish, T; Witzeling, W; Wotschack, J; Ajaltouni, Ziad J; Bardadin-Otwinowska, Maria; Barrès, A; Boyer, C; Falvard, A; Gay, P; Guicheney, C; Henrard, P; Jousset, J; Michel, B; Monteil, S; Pallin, D; Perret, P; Podlyski, F; Proriol, J; Rossignol, J M; Saadi, F; Fearnley, Tom; Hansen, J B; Hansen, J D; Hansen, J R; Hansen, P H; Nilsson, B S; Kyriakis, A; Simopoulou, Errietta; Siotis, I; Vayaki, Anna; Zachariadou, K; Blondel, A; Bonneaud, G R; Brient, J C; Bourdon, P; Passalacqua, L; Rougé, A; Rumpf, M; Tanaka, R; Valassi, Andrea; Verderi, M; Videau, H L; Candlin, D J; Parsons, M I; Focardi, E; Parrini, G; Corden, M; Delfino, M C; Georgiopoulos, C H; Jaffe, D E; Antonelli, A; Bencivenni, G; Bologna, G; Bossi, F; Campana, P; Capon, G; Chiarella, V; Felici, G; Laurelli, P; Mannocchi, G; Murtas, F; Murtas, G P; Pepé-Altarelli, M; Dorris, S J; Halley, A W; ten Have, I; Knowles, I G; Lynch, J G; Morton, W T; O'Shea, V; Raine, C; Reeves, P; Scarr, J M; Smith, K; Smith, M G; Thompson, A S; Thomson, F; Thorn, S; Turnbull, R M; Becker, U; Braun, O; Geweniger, C; Graefe, G; Hanke, P; Hepp, V; Kluge, E E; Putzer, A; Rensch, B; Schmidt, M; Sommer, J; Stenzel, H; Tittel, K; Werner, S; Wunsch, M; Beuselinck, R; Binnie, David M; Cameron, W; Colling, D J; Dornan, Peter J; Konstantinidis, N P; Moneta, L; Moutoussi, A; Nash, J; San Martin, G; Sedgbeer, J K; Stacey, A M; Dissertori, G; Girtler, P; Kuhn, D; Rudolph, G; Bowdery, C K; Brodbeck, T J; Colrain, P; Crawford, G; Finch, A J; Foster, F; Hughes, G; Sloan, Terence; Whelan, E P; Williams, M I; Galla, A; Greene, A M; Kleinknecht, K; Quast, G; Raab, J; Renk, B; Sander, H G; Wanke, R; Van Gemmeren, P; Zeitnitz, C; Aubert, Jean-Jacques; Bencheikh, A M; Benchouk, C; Bonissent, A; Bujosa, G; Calvet, D; Carr, J; Diaconu, C A; Etienne, F; Thulasidas, M; Nicod, D; Payre, P; Rousseau, D; Talby, M; Abt, I; Assmann, R W; Bauer, C; Blum, Walter; Brown, D; Dietl, H; Dydak, Friedrich; Ganis, G; Gotzhein, C; Jakobs, K; Kroha, H; Lütjens, G; Lutz, Gerhard; Männer, W; Moser, H G; Richter, R H; Rosado-Schlosser, A; Schael, S; Settles, Ronald; Seywerd, H C J; Saint-Denis, R; Wolf, G; Alemany, R; Boucrot, J; Callot, O; Cordier, A; Courault, F; Davier, M; Duflot, L; Grivaz, J F; Heusse, P; Jacquet, M; Kim, D W; Le Diberder, F R; Lefrançois, J; Lutz, A M; Musolino, G; Nikolic, I A; Park, H J; Park, I C; Schune, M H; Simion, S; Veillet, J J; Videau, I; Abbaneo, D; Azzurri, P; Bagliesi, G; Batignani, G; Bettarini, S; Bozzi, C; Calderini, G; Carpinelli, M; Ciocci, M A; Ciulli, V; Dell'Orso, R; Fantechi, R; Ferrante, I; Foà, L; Forti, F; Giassi, A; Giorgi, M A; Gregorio, A; Ligabue, F; Lusiani, A; Marrocchesi, P S; Messineo, A; Rizzo, G; Sanguinetti, G; Sciabà, A; Spagnolo, P; Steinberger, Jack; Tenchini, Roberto; Tonelli, G; Triggiani, G; Vannini, C; Verdini, P G; Walsh, J; Betteridge, A P; Blair, G A; Bryant, L M; Cerutti, F; Gao, Y; Green, M G; Johnson, D L; Medcalf, T; Mir, L M; Perrodo, P; Strong, J A; Bertin, V; Botterill, David R; Clifft, R W; Edgecock, T R; Haywood, S; Edwards, M; Maley, P; Norton, P R; Thompson, J C; Bloch-Devaux, B; Colas, P; Emery, S; Kozanecki, Witold; Lançon, E; Lemaire, M C; Locci, E; Marx, B; Pérez, P; Rander, J; Renardy, J F; Roussarie, A; Schuller, J P; Schwindling, J; Trabelsi, A; Vallage, B; Johnson, R P; Kim, H Y; Litke, A M; McNeil, M A; Taylor, G; Beddall, A; Booth, C N; Boswell, R; Cartwright, S L; Combley, F; Dawson, I; Köksal, A; Letho, M; Newton, W M; Rankin, C; Thompson, L F; Böhrer, A; Brandt, S; Cowan, G D; Feigl, E; Grupen, Claus; Lutters, G; Minguet-Rodríguez, J A; Rivera, F; Saraiva, P; Smolik, L; Stephan, F; Apollonio, M; Bosisio, L; Della Marina, R; Giannini, G; Gobbo, B; Ragusa, F; Rothberg, J E; Wasserbaech, S R; Armstrong, S R; Bellantoni, L; Elmer, P; Feng, Z; Ferguson, D P S; Gao, Y S; González, S; Grahl, J; Harton, J L; Hayes, O J; Hu, H; McNamara, P A; Nachtman, J M; Orejudos, W; Pan, Y B; Saadi, Y; Schmitt, M; Scott, I J; Sharma, V; Turk, J; Walsh, A M; Wu Sau Lan; Wu, X; Yamartino, J M; Zheng, M; Zobernig, G

    1996-01-01

    From 64492 selected \\tau-pair events, produced at the Z^0 resonance, the measurement of the tau decays into hadrons from a global analysis using 1991, 1992 and 1993 ALEPH data is presented. Special emphasis is given to the reconstruction of photons and \\pi^0's, and the removal of fake photons. A detailed study of the systematics entering the \\pi^0 reconstruction is also given. A complete and consistent set of tau hadronic branching ratios is presented for 18 exclusive modes. Most measurements are more precise than the present world average. The new level of precision reached allows a stringent test of \\tau-\\mu universality in hadronic decays, g_\\tau/g_\\mu \\ = \\ 1.0013 \\ \\pm \\ 0.0095, and the first measurement of the vector and axial-vector contributions to the non-strange hadronic \\tau decay width: R_{\\tau ,V} \\ = \\ 1.788 \\ \\pm \\ 0.025 and R_{\\tau ,A} \\ = \\ 1.694 \\ \\pm \\ 0.027. The ratio (R_{\\tau ,V} - R_{\\tau ,A}) / (R_{\\tau ,V} + R_{\\tau ,A}), equal to (2.7 \\pm 1.3) \\ \\%, is a measure of the importance of Q...

  20. Zero crossing and ratio spectra derivative spectrophotometry for the dissolution tests of amlodipine and perindopril in their fixed dose formulations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maczka Paulina

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Dissolution tests of amlodipine and perindopril from their fixed dose formulations were performed in 900 mL of phosphate buffer of pH 5.5 at 37°C using the paddle apparatus. Then, two simple and rapid derivative spectrophotometric methods were used for the quantitative measurements of amlodipine and perindopril. The first method was zero crossing first derivative spectrophotometry in which measuring of amplitudes at 253 nm for amlodipine and 229 nm for perindopril were used. The second method was ratio derivative spectrophotometry in which spectra of amlodipine over the linearity range were divided by one selected standard spectrum of perindopril and then amplitudes at 242 nm were measured. Similarly, spectra of perindopril were divided by one selected standard spectrum of amlodipine and then amplitudes at 298 nm were measured. Both of the methods were validated to meet official requirements and were demonstrated to be selective, precise and accurate. Since there is no official monograph for these drugs in binary formulations, the dissolution tests and quantification procedure presented here can be used as a quality control test for amlodipine and perindopril in respective dosage forms.

  1. Test and evaluation about damping characteristics of hanger supports for nuclear power plant piping systems (Seismic Damping Ratio Evaluation Program)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shibata, H.; Ito, A.; Tanaka, K.; Niino, T.; Gotoh, N.

    1981-01-01

    Generally, damping phenomena of structures and equipments is caused by very complex energy dissipation. Especially, as piping systems are composed of many components, it is very difficult to evaluate damping characteristics of its system theoretically. On the other hand, the damping value for aseismic design of nuclear power plants is very important design factor to decide seismic response loads of structures, equipments and piping systems. The very extensive studies titled SDREP (Seismic Damping Ratio Evaluation Program) were performed to establish proper damping values for seismic design of piping as a joint work among a university, electric companies and plant makers. In SDREP, various systematic vibration tests were conducted to investigate factors which may contribute to damping characteristics of piping systems and to supplement the data of the pre-operating tests. This study is related to the component damping characteristics tests of that program. The object of this study is to clarify damping characteristics and mechanism of hanger supports used in piping systems, and to establish the evaluation technique of dispersing energy at hanger support points and its effect to the total damping ability of piping system. (orig./WL)

  2. Obtaining reliable Likelihood Ratio tests from simulated likelihood functions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Laura Mørch

    It is standard practice by researchers and the default option in many statistical programs to base test statistics for mixed models on simulations using asymmetric draws (e.g. Halton draws). This paper shows that when the estimated likelihood functions depend on standard deviations of mixed param...

  3. Golden Ratio

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Our attraction to another body increases if the body is sym- metrical and in proportion. If a face or a structure is in pro- portion, we are more likely to notice it and find it beautiful. The universal ratio of beauty is the 'Golden Ratio', found in many structures. This ratio comes from Fibonacci numbers. In this article, we explore this ...

  4. Larval development ratio test with the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa as a new bioassay to assess marine sediment quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buttino, Isabella; Vitiello, Valentina; Macchia, Simona; Scuderi, Alice; Pellegrini, David

    2018-03-01

    The copepod Acartia tonsa was used as a model species to assess marine sediment quality. Acute and chronic bioassays, such as larval development ratio (LDR) and different end-points were evaluated. As a pelagic species, A. tonsa is mainly exposed to water-soluble toxicants and bioassays are commonly performed in seawater. However, an interaction among A. tonsa eggs and the first larval stages with marine sediments might occur in shallow water environments. Here we tested two different LDR protocols by incubating A. tonsa eggs in elutriates and sediments coming from two areas located in Tuscany Region (Central Italy): Livorno harbour and Viareggio coast. The end-points analyzed were larval mortality (LM) and development inhibition (DI) expressed as the percentage of copepods that completed the metamorphosis from nauplius to copepodite. Aims of this study were: i) to verify the suitability of A. tonsa copepod for the bioassay with sediment and ii) to compare the sensitivity of A. tonsa exposed to different matrices, such as water and sediment. A preliminary acute test was also performed. Acute tests showed the highest toxicity of Livorno's samples (two out of three) compared to Viareggio samples, for which no effect was observed. On the contrary, LDR tests with sediments and elutriates revealed some toxic effects also for Viareggio's samples. Results were discussed with regards to the chemical characterization of the samples. Our results indicated that different end-points were affected in A. tonsa, depending on the matrices to which the copepods were exposed and on the test used. Bioassays with elutriates and sediments are suggested and LDR test could help decision-makers to identify a more appropriate management of dredging materials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Testing for adaptive evolution of the female reproductive protein ZPC in mammals, birds and fishes reveals problems with the M7-M8 likelihood ratio test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berlin, Sofia; Smith, Nick G C

    2005-11-10

    Adaptive evolution appears to be a common feature of reproductive proteins across a very wide range of organisms. A promising way of addressing the evolutionary forces responsible for this general phenomenon is to test for adaptive evolution in the same gene but among groups of species, which differ in their reproductive biology. One can then test evolutionary hypotheses by asking whether the variation in adaptive evolution is consistent with the variation in reproductive biology. We have attempted to apply this approach to the study of a female reproductive protein, zona pellucida C (ZPC), which has been previously shown by the use of likelihood ratio tests (LRTs) to be under positive selection in mammals. We tested for evidence of adaptive evolution of ZPC in 15 mammalian species, in 11 avian species and in six fish species using three different LRTs (M1a-M2a, M7-M8, and M8a-M8). The only significant findings of adaptive evolution came from the M7-M8 test in mammals and fishes. Since LRTs of adaptive evolution may yield false positives in some situations, we examined the properties of the LRTs by several different simulation methods. When we simulated data to test the robustness of the LRTs, we found that the pattern of evolution in ZPC generates an excess of false positives for the M7-M8 LRT but not for the M1a-M2a or M8a-M8 LRTs. This bias is strong enough to have generated the significant M7-M8 results for mammals and fishes. We conclude that there is no strong evidence for adaptive evolution of ZPC in any of the vertebrate groups we studied, and that the M7-M8 LRT can be biased towards false inference of adaptive evolution by certain patterns of non-adaptive evolution.

  6. Sex ratios

    OpenAIRE

    West, Stuart A; Reece, S E; Sheldon, Ben C

    2002-01-01

    Sex ratio theory attempts to explain variation at all levels (species, population, individual, brood) in the proportion of offspring that are male (the sex ratio). In many cases this work has been extremely successful, providing qualitative and even quantitative explanations of sex ratio variation. However, this is not always the situation, and one of the greatest remaining problems is explaining broad taxonomic patterns. Specifically, why do different organisms show so ...

  7. Model test on the relationship feed energy and protein ratio to the production and quality of milk protein

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartanto, R.; Jantra, M. A. C.; Santosa, S. A. B.; Purnomoadi, A.

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to find an appropriate relationship model between the feed energy and protein ratio with the amount of production and quality of milk proteins. This research was conducted at Getasan Sub-district, Semarang Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia using 40 samples (Holstein Friesian cattle, lactation period II-III and lactation month 3-4). Data were analyzed using linear and quadratic regressions, to predict the production and quality of milk protein from feed energy and protein ratio that describe the diet. The significance of model was tested using analysis of variance. Coefficient of determination (R2), residual variance (RV) and root mean square prediction error (RMSPE) were reported for the developed equations as an indicator of the goodness of model fit. The results showed no relationship in milk protein (kg), milk casein (%), milk casein (kg) and milk urea N (mg/dl) as function of CP/TDN. The significant relationship was observed in milk production (L or kg) and milk protein (%) as function of CP/TDN, both in linear and quadratic models. In addition, a quadratic change in milk production (L) (P = 0.003), milk production (kg) (P = 0.003) and milk protein concentration (%) (P = 0.026) were observed with increase of CP/TDN. It can be concluded that quadratic equation was the good fitting model for this research, because quadratic equation has larger R2, smaller RV and smaller RMSPE than those of linear equation.

  8. Correlation Between Cometary Gas/Dust Ratios and Heliocentric Distance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrington, Olga; Womack, Maria; Lastra, Nathan

    2017-10-01

    We compiled CO-based gas/dust ratios for several comets out to heliocentric distances, rh, of 8 au to probe whether there is a noticeable change in comet behavior over the range that water-ice sublimation starts. Previously, gas/dust ratios were calculated for an ensemble of comets using Q(CO2)/efp values derived from infrared measurements, which showed that the gas/dust ratio follows a rh-2 within 4 AU, but is flat at greater distances (Bauer et al. 2015). Our project focuses on gas/dust ratios for which CO is assumed to be the dominant gas, in order to test whether similar breaks in slope occur for CO. The gas/dust ratios were calculated from measurements of CO production rates (mostly from millimeter-wavelength spectroscopy) and reflected sunlight of comets (mostly via reported visual magnitudes of dusty comets). We present our new CO-based gas/dust ratios at different heliocentric distances, compare them to existing CO2-based gas/dust ratios, and discuss implications for CO-driven and CO2-driven activity. We discuss O.H. acknowledges support from the Hartmann Student Travel Grant program. M.W. acknowledges support from NSF grant AST-1615917.

  9. Sex Ratio Elasticity Influences the Selection of Sex Ratio Strategy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yaqiang; Wang, Ruiwu; Li, Yaotang; (Sam) Ma, Zhanshan

    2016-12-01

    There are three sex ratio strategies (SRS) in nature—male-biased sex ratio, female-biased sex ratio and, equal sex ratio. It was R. A. Fisher who first explained why most species in nature display a sex ratio of ½. Consequent SRS theories such as Hamilton’s local mate competition (LMC) and Clark’s local resource competition (LRC) separately explained the observed deviations from the seemingly universal 1:1 ratio. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is not yet a unified theory that accounts for the mechanisms of the three SRS. Here, we introduce the price elasticity theory in economics to define sex ratio elasticity (SRE), and present an analytical model that derives three SRSs based on the following assumption: simultaneously existing competitions for both resources A and resources B influence the level of SRE in both sexes differently. Consequently, it is the difference (between two sexes) in the level of their sex ratio elasticity that leads to three different SRS. Our analytical results demonstrate that the elasticity-based model not only reveals a highly plausible mechanism that explains the evolution of SRS in nature, but also offers a novel framework for unifying two major classical theories (i.e., LMC & LRC) in the field of SRS research.

  10. Effect of Alkaline Activator to Fly Ash Ratio for Geopolymer Stabilized Soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdullah Muhammad Sofian

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Geopolymer technology have been developed and explored especially in the construction material field. However, lack of research related to geopolymer stabilized soil. In this research, the utilization of geopolymer has been investigated to stabilize the soil including the factors that affecting the geopolymerization process. Unconfined compressive test (UCT used as indicator to the strength development and hence evaluating the performance of geopolymer stabilized soil. This paper focusing on the effect of fly ash/alkaline activator ratio, Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio and curing time on geopolymer stabilized soil. A various mix design at different fly ash/alkaline activator ratio, Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio were prepared and cured for 7 and 28 days. Molarity and the percentage of geopolymer to soil were fixed at 10 molar and 8 percent respectively. Then, the UCT tests were carried out on 38mm diameter x 76mm height specimens. The highest strength obtained at the fly ash/alkaline activator ratio 2.5 and Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio 2.0 at 28 days curing time.

  11. Electromagnetic brain imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sekihara, Kensuke

    2008-01-01

    Present imaging methods of cerebral neuro-activity like brain functional MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) secondarily measure only average activities within a time of the second-order (low time-resolution). In contrast, the electromagnetic brain imaging (EMBI) directly measures the faint magnetic field (10 -12 -10 -13 T) yielded by the cerebral activity with use of multiple arrayed sensors equipped on the head surface within a time of sub-millisecond order (high time-resolution). The sensor array technology to find the signal source from the measured data is common in wide areas like signal procession for radar, sonar, and epicenter detection by seismic wave. For estimating and reconstructing the active region in the brain in EMBI, the efficient method must be developed and this paper describes the direct and inverse problems concerned in signal and image processions of EMBI. The direct problem involves the cerebral magnetic field/lead field matrix and inverse problem for reconstruction of signal source, the MUSIC (multiple signal classification) algorithm, GLRT (generalized likelihood ratio test) scan, and adaptive beamformer. As an example, given are results of magnetic intensity changes (unit, fT) in the somatosensory cortex vs time (msec) measured by 160 sensors and of images reconstructed from EMBI and MRI during electric muscle afferent input from the hand. The real-time imaging is thus possible with EMBI and extremely, the EMBI image, the real-time cerebral signals, can inversely operate a machine, of which application directs toward the brain/machine interface development. (R.T.)

  12. Validation of software for calculating the likelihood ratio for parentage and kinship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drábek, J

    2009-03-01

    Although the likelihood ratio is a well-known statistical technique, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software products for its calculation are not sufficiently validated to suit general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories (EN/ISO/IEC 17025:2005 norm) per se. The software in question can be considered critical as it directly weighs the forensic evidence allowing judges to decide on guilt or innocence or to identify person or kin (i.e.: in mass fatalities). For these reasons, accredited laboratories shall validate likelihood ratio software in accordance with the above norm. To validate software for calculating the likelihood ratio in parentage/kinship scenarios I assessed available vendors, chose two programs (Paternity Index and familias) for testing, and finally validated them using tests derived from elaboration of the available guidelines for the field of forensics, biomedicine, and software engineering. MS Excel calculation using known likelihood ratio formulas or peer-reviewed results of difficult paternity cases were used as a reference. Using seven testing cases, it was found that both programs satisfied the requirements for basic paternity cases. However, only a combination of two software programs fulfills the criteria needed for our purpose in the whole spectrum of functions under validation with the exceptions of providing algebraic formulas in cases of mutation and/or silent allele.

  13. Systems Biology and Ratio-Based, Real-Time Disease Surveillance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fair, J M; Rivas, A L

    2015-08-01

    Most infectious disease surveillance methods are not well fit for early detection. To address such limitation, here we evaluated a ratio- and Systems Biology-based method that does not require prior knowledge on the identity of an infective agent. Using a reference group of birds experimentally infected with West Nile virus (WNV) and a problem group of unknown health status (except that they were WNV-negative and displayed inflammation), both groups were followed over 22 days and tested with a system that analyses blood leucocyte ratios. To test the ability of the method to discriminate small data sets, both the reference group (n = 5) and the problem group (n = 4) were small. The questions of interest were as follows: (i) whether individuals presenting inflammation (disease-positive or D+) can be distinguished from non-inflamed (disease-negative or D-) birds, (ii) whether two or more D+ stages can be detected and (iii) whether sample size influences detection. Within the problem group, the ratio-based method distinguished the following: (i) three (one D- and two D+) data classes; (ii) two (early and late) inflammatory stages; (iii) fast versus regular or slow responders; and (iv) individuals that recovered from those that remained inflamed. Because ratios differed in larger magnitudes (up to 48 times larger) than percentages, it is suggested that data patterns are likely to be recognized when disease surveillance methods are designed to measure inflammation and utilize ratios. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  14. Sequential boundaries approach in clinical trials with unequal allocation ratios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayatollahi Seyyed

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In clinical trials, both unequal randomization design and sequential analyses have ethical and economic advantages. In the single-stage-design (SSD, however, if the sample size is not adjusted based on unequal randomization, the power of the trial will decrease, whereas with sequential analysis the power will always remain constant. Our aim was to compare sequential boundaries approach with the SSD when the allocation ratio (R was not equal. Methods We evaluated the influence of R, the ratio of the patients in experimental group to the standard group, on the statistical properties of two-sided tests, including the two-sided single triangular test (TT, double triangular test (DTT and SSD by multiple simulations. The average sample size numbers (ASNs and power (1-β were evaluated for all tests. Results Our simulation study showed that choosing R = 2 instead of R = 1 increases the sample size of SSD by 12% and the ASN of the TT and DTT by the same proportion. Moreover, when R = 2, compared to the adjusted SSD, using the TT or DTT allows to retrieve the well known reductions of ASN observed when R = 1, compared to SSD. In addition, when R = 2, compared to SSD, using the TT and DTT allows to obtain smaller reductions of ASN than when R = 1, but maintains the power of the test to its planned value. Conclusion This study indicates that when the allocation ratio is not equal among the treatment groups, sequential analysis could indeed serve as a compromise between ethicists, economists and statisticians.

  15. The effect of starch-garlic powder ratio on degradation rate of Gadung starch bioplastic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mairiza, L.; Mariana; Ramadhany, M.; Feviyussa, C. A.

    2018-03-01

    Bioplastic is one of the solutions for environmental problems caused by plastics waste. Utilization of toxic gadung starch in the manufacturing of bioplastic would be as an alternative, due to gadung bulb has high starch content, and it is still not used optimally. This research aimed to learn about the using of gadung starch-mixed with garlic powder of making biodegradable plastic packaging. Also, to observe the duration of degradation, as a level of biodegradability of plastic film produced. The method used making this bioplastic was casting method. The variables used in this study were the ratios of starch and powdered garlic, were 10:0; 8:2; 6:4, and the concentration of garlic powder were 2%; 4%; 6%; and 8 %. The degradation test was done by soil burial test. The results of the soil burial test shown that the film was more rapidly degraded at ratio of 6: 4 compared to the ratio of 8: 2 and 10: 0. The results shown that bioplastic at the starch-garlic powder ratio of 10: 0 was decomposed in 21 days, at the the ratio of 8:2 was 15 days, while at the ratio of 6:4, the plastic film was degraded in the 11 days.

  16. Analisis Faktor-Faktor yang Memengaruhi Dividend Payout Ratio pada Perusahaan Sektor Industri yang Terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunaryo Sunaryo

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The primary objective of this research is to learn the effect among return on assets (ROA, current ratio (CR, debt to equity ratio (DER, debt to total assets (DTA, and net income after tax (NIAT with dividend payout ratio (DPR, either partially or simultaneously. Research used qualitative method with secondary data collected by purposive sampling from industrial companies sector listed in IDX and preceding journals of scientific articles. Research used simple regression to test the hypothesis simultaneously with F test and t test for testing the partial hypothesis. Results of this research describe that return on assets (ROA and net income aftar tax (NIAT have significant effects to dividend payout ratio, but current ratio (CR, debt to equity ratio (DER, and debt to total assets do not have significant effects to dividend payout ratio. It is recommended to further research that the topic of this reseach can be continued using merchandising and distribution company groups, or service company groups either general or special, like: hotels, insurances, hospitals, and banks.

  17. MIR hollow waveguide (HWG) isotope ratio analyzer for environmental applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhenyou; Zhuang, Yan; Deev, Andrei; Wu, Sheng

    2017-05-01

    An advanced commercial Mid-InfraRed Isotope Ratio (IR2) analyzer was developed in Arrow Grand Technologies based on hollow waveguide (HWG) as the sample tube. The stable carbon isotope ratio, i.e. δ13C, was obtained by measuring the selected CO2 absorption peaks in the MIR. Combined with a GC and a combustor, it has been successfully employed to measure compound specific δ13C isotope ratios in the field. By using both the 1- pass HWG and 5-path HWG, we are able to measure δ13C isotope ratio at a broad CO2 concentration of 300 ppm-37,500 ppm. Here, we demonstrate its applications in environmental studies. The δ13C isotope ratio and concentration of CO2 exhaled by soil samples was measured in real time with the isotope analyzer. The concentration was found to change with the time. We also convert the Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) into CO2, and then measure the δ13C isotope ratio with an accuracy of better than 0.3 ‰ (1 σ) with a 6 min test time and 1 ml sample usage. Tap water, NaHCO3 solvent, coca, and even beer were tested. Lastly, the 13C isotope ratio of CO2 exhaled by human beings was obtained <10 seconds after simply blowing the exhaled CO2 into a tube with an accuracy of 0.5‰ (1 σ) without sample preconditioning. In summary, a commercial HWG isotope analyzer was demonstrated to be able to perform environmental and health studies with a high accuracy ( 0.3 ‰/Hz1/2 1 σ), fast sampling rate (up to 10 Hz), low sample consumption ( 1 ml), and broad CO2 concentration range (300 ppm-37,500 ppm).

  18. The effects of the glass surface area/solution volume ratio on glass corrosion: A critical review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ebert, W.L.

    1995-03-01

    This report reviews and summarizes the present state of knowledge regarding the effects of the glass surface area/solution volume (SA/V) ratio on the corrosion behavior of borosilicate waste glasses. The SA/V ratio affects the rate of glass corrosion through the extent of dilution of corrosion products released from the glass into the leachate solution: glass corrosion products are diluted more in tests conducted at low SA/V ratios than they are in tests conducted at high SA/V ratios. Differences in the solution chemistries generated in tests conducted at different SA/V ratios then affect the observed glass corrosion behavior. Therefore, any testing parameter that affects the solution chemistry will also affect the glass corrosion rate. The results of static leach tests conducted to assess the effects of the SA/V are discussed with regard to the effects of SA/V on the solution chemistry. Test results show several remaining issues with regard to the long-term glass corrosion behavior: can the SA/V ratio be used as an accelerating parameter to characterize the advanced stages of glass corrosion relevant to long disposal times; is the alteration of the glass surface the same in tests conducted at different SA/V, and in tests conducted with monolithic and crushed glass samples; what are the effects of the SA/V and the extent of glass corrosion on the disposition of released radionuclides? These issues will bear on the prediction of the long-term performance of waste glasses during storage. The results of an experimental program conducted at ANL to address these and other remaining issues regarding the effects of SA/V on glass corrosion are described. 288 refs., 59 figs., 16 tabs

  19. The effects of the glass surface area/solution volume ratio on glass corrosion: A critical review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ebert, W.L. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Chemical Technology Div.

    1995-03-01

    This report reviews and summarizes the present state of knowledge regarding the effects of the glass surface area/solution volume (SA/V) ratio on the corrosion behavior of borosilicate waste glasses. The SA/V ratio affects the rate of glass corrosion through the extent of dilution of corrosion products released from the glass into the leachate solution: glass corrosion products are diluted more in tests conducted at low SA/V ratios than they are in tests conducted at high SA/V ratios. Differences in the solution chemistries generated in tests conducted at different SA/V ratios then affect the observed glass corrosion behavior. Therefore, any testing parameter that affects the solution chemistry will also affect the glass corrosion rate. The results of static leach tests conducted to assess the effects of the SA/V are discussed with regard to the effects of SA/V on the solution chemistry. Test results show several remaining issues with regard to the long-term glass corrosion behavior: can the SA/V ratio be used as an accelerating parameter to characterize the advanced stages of glass corrosion relevant to long disposal times; is the alteration of the glass surface the same in tests conducted at different SA/V, and in tests conducted with monolithic and crushed glass samples; what are the effects of the SA/V and the extent of glass corrosion on the disposition of released radionuclides? These issues will bear on the prediction of the long-term performance of waste glasses during storage. The results of an experimental program conducted at ANL to address these and other remaining issues regarding the effects of SA/V on glass corrosion are described. 288 refs., 59 figs., 16 tabs.

  20. Detecting microalbuminuria by urinary albumin/creatinine concentration ratio

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, J S; Clausen, P; Borch-Johnsen, K

    1997-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Microalbuminuria, i.e. a subclinical increase of the albumin excretion rate in urine, may be a novel atherosclerotic risk factor. This study aimed to test whether microalbuminuria can be identified by measurement of urinary albumin concentration or urinary albumin/creatinine concentra......BACKGROUND: Microalbuminuria, i.e. a subclinical increase of the albumin excretion rate in urine, may be a novel atherosclerotic risk factor. This study aimed to test whether microalbuminuria can be identified by measurement of urinary albumin concentration or urinary albumin/creatinine...... not included. Urinary albumin (Ualb) and creatinine (Ucreat) concentrations were measured in an overnight collected sample by enzyme-linked immunosorbent and colorimetric assays, respectively. Urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) and urinary albumin/creatinine concentration ratio (Ualb/Ucreat) were calculated......, and 73%, 97%, and 73% for Ualb/Ucreat, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that measurement of the albumin/creatinine concentration ratio is a specific and quite sensitive alternative to measurement of the urinary albumin excretion rate in timed collections, when screening for microalbuminuria....

  1. QUASARS ARE NOT LIGHT BULBS: TESTING MODELS OF QUASAR LIFETIMES WITH THE OBSERVED EDDINGTON RATIO DISTRIBUTION

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hopkins, Philip F.; Hernquist, Lars

    2009-01-01

    We use the observed distribution of Eddington ratios as a function of supermassive black hole (BH) mass to constrain models of quasar/active galactic nucleus (AGN) lifetimes and light curves. Given the observed (well constrained) AGN luminosity function, a particular model for AGN light curves L(t) or, equivalently, the distribution of AGN lifetimes (time above a given luminosity t(>L)) translates directly and uniquely (without further assumptions) to a predicted distribution of Eddington ratios at each BH mass. Models for self-regulated BH growth, in which feedback produces a self-regulating 'decay' or 'blowout' phase after the AGN reaches some peak luminosity/BH mass and begins to expel gas and shut down accretion, make specific predictions for the light curves/lifetimes, distinct from, e.g., the expected distribution if AGN simply shut down by gas starvation (without feedback) and very different from the prediction of simple phenomenological 'light bulb' scenarios. We show that the present observations of the Eddington ratio distribution, spanning nearly 5 orders of magnitude in Eddington ratio, 3 orders of magnitude in BH mass, and redshifts z = 0-1, agree well with the predictions of self-regulated models, and rule out phenomenological 'light bulb' or pure exponential models, as well as gas starvation models, at high significance (∼5σ). We also compare with observations of the distribution of Eddington ratios at a given AGN luminosity, and find similar good agreement (but show that these observations are much less constraining). We fit the functional form of the quasar lifetime distribution and provide these fits for use, and show how the Eddington ratio distributions place precise, tight limits on the AGN lifetimes at various luminosities, in agreement with model predictions. We compare with independent estimates of episodic lifetimes and use this to constrain the shape of the typical AGN light curve, and provide simple analytic fits to these for use in

  2. Determination of 240Pu/239Pu isotopic ratios in human tissues collected from areas around the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site by sector-field high resolution ICP-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamamoto, M; Oikawa, S; Sakaguchi, A; Tomita, J; Hoshi, M; Apsalikov, K N

    2008-09-01

    Information on the 240Pu/239Pu isotope ratios in human tissues for people living around the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) was deduced from 9 sets of soft tissues and bones, and 23 other bone samples obtained by autopsy. Plutonium was radiochemically separated and purified, and plutonium isotopes (239Pu and 240Pu) were determined by sector-field high resolution inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. For most of the tissue samples from the former nine subjects, low 240Pu/239Pu isotope ratios were determined: bone, 0.125 +/- 0.018 (0.113-0.145, n = 4); lungs, 0.063 +/- 0.010 (0.051-0.078, n = 5); and liver, 0.148 +/- 0.026 (0.104-0.189, n = 9). Only 239Pu was detected in the kidney samples; the amount of 240Pu was too small to be measured, probably due to the small size of samples analyzed. The mean 240Pu/239Pu isotope ratio for bone samples from the latter 23 subjects was 0.152 +/- 0.034, ranging from 0.088 to 0.207. A significant difference (a two-tailed Student's t test; 95% significant level, alpha = 0.05) between mean 240Pu/239Pu isotope ratios for the tissue samples and for the global fallout value (0.178 +/- 0.014) indicated that weapons-grade plutonium from the atomic bombs has been incorporated into the human tissues, especially lungs, in the residents living around the SNTS. The present 239,240Pu concentrations in bone, lung, and liver samples were, however, not much different from ranges found for human tissues from other countries that were due solely to global fallout during the 1970's-1980's.

  3. The Rejuvenating Effect in Hot Asphalt Recycling by Mortar Transfer Ratio and Image Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Fusong; Wang, Zipeng; Li, Chao; Xiao, Yue; Wu, Shaopeng; Pan, Pan

    2017-05-24

    Using a rejuvenator to improve the performance of asphalt pavement is an effective and economic way of hot asphalt recycling. This research analyzes the rejuvenating effect on aged asphalt by means of a Mortar Transfer Ratio (MTR) test, which concerns the ratio of asphalt mortar that moves from recycled aggregates (RAP aggregates) to fresh added aggregates when aged asphalt is treated with a regenerating agent and comes into contact with fresh aggregates. The proposed MTR test analyzes the regeneration in terms of the softening degree on aged asphalt when the rejuvenator is applied. The covered area ratio is studied with an image analyzing tool to understand the possibility of mortar transferring from RAP aggregates to fresh aggregates. Additionally, a micro-crack closure test is conducted and observed through a microscope. The repairing ability and diffusion characteristics of micro-cracks can therefore be analyzed. The test results demonstrate that the proposed mortar transfer ratio is a feasible way to evaluate rejuvenator diffusion during hot recycling. The mortar transfer ratio and uncovered area ratio on fresh aggregates are compatible, and can be used to quantify the contribution of the rejuvenator. Within a certain temperature range, the diffusing effect of the rejuvenator is better when the diffusing temperature is higher. The diffusion time of the rejuvenator is optimum when diffusion occurs for 4-8 h. When the rejuvenator is properly applied, the rough and cracking surface can be repaired, resulting in better covered aggregates. The micro-closure analysis visually indicates that rejuvenators can be used to repair the RAP aggregates during hot recycling.

  4. Can persistence hunting signal male quality? A test considering digit ratio in endurance athletes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Longman

    Full Text Available Various theories have been posed to explain the fitness payoffs of hunting success among hunter-gatherers. 'Having' theories refer to the acquisition of resources, and include the direct provisioning hypothesis. In contrast, 'getting' theories concern the signalling of male resourcefulness and other desirable traits, such as athleticism and intelligence, via hunting prowess. We investigated the association between androgenisation and endurance running ability as a potential signalling mechanism, whereby running prowess, vital for persistence hunting, might be used as a reliable signal of male reproductive fitness by females. Digit ratio (2D:4D was used as a proxy for prenatal androgenisation in 439 males and 103 females, while a half marathon race (21km, representing a distance/duration comparable with that of persistence hunting, was used to assess running ability. Digit ratio was significantly and positively correlated with half-marathon time in males (right hand: r = 0.45, p<0.001; left hand: r = 0.42, p<0.001 and females (right hand: r = 0.26, p<0.01; left hand: r = 0.23, p = 0.02. Sex-interaction analysis showed that this correlation was significantly stronger in males than females, suggesting that androgenisation may have experienced stronger selective pressure from endurance running in males. As digit ratio has previously been shown to predict reproductive success, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that endurance running ability may signal reproductive potential in males, through its association with prenatal androgen exposure. However, further work is required to establish whether and how females respond to this signalling for fitness.

  5. PENGARUH PROFITABILITAS TERHADAP DIVIDEND PAYOUT RATIO PADA PERUSAHAAN MANUFAKTUR DI INDONESIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rini Dwiyani Hadiwidjaja

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Manufacture industries decline in 2006 was caused by 3 big obstructions, its instability in macroeconomics, uncertainty policy and corruptions. This condition caused the payment of dividend manufactures companies decline year to year and some companies didnt paid the dividend for 3 years respectively. The objective of this research is to find out and analyzes the influence of Cash Ratio, Net Profit Margin (NPM, dan Return on Investment (ROI to dividend payout ratio at manufactured industry in Indonesia and which factor will be the most dominant to Dividend Payout Ratio (DPR. The data used in this research is from the yearly financial report of the thirty one manufactured industries listed at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX at 2001 to 2006. The types of research are descriptive and quantitative with the explanatory research method. The analysis of method used in this research is the multiple linear regressions method. The hypothesize test used the statistical of F-test and the statistical of t-test with confident interval 95% and level of significant 5%. The statistical of F-test shows that all independent variables simultaneously influence DPR at the determinant coefficient (R2 62,1% its shows that research independent variables able to explain 37,9% to DPR while the remaining of 56,7% explained by independent variables that were un-research. The statistical of t-test shows that only ROI partially influence DPR. Return on Investment is the most variable that influence DPR.

  6. THE USEFULNESS OF THE AUTONOMY RATIO IN THE PREDICTION OF BANKRUPTCY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel BRÎNDESCU-OLARIU

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the current study was to test the potential of the autonomy ratio in the prediction of bankruptcy. The target population included all the active companies from the Timis County with annual sales of over 10,000 lei. The event the research was focused on is represented by the occurence of bankruptcy 2 years after the date of the financial statements of reference. The bankruptcy was defined in accordance with the Romanian law applicable over the period targeted by the study. The tests were performed over a paired-sample that included all the companies from the target population that went bankrupt during the period 2011-2012. The discrimination power of the autonomy ratio was evaluated for different cut-off values recommended by the existing literature. The research proves the utility of the autonomy ratio in the prediction of bankruptcy two years before its occurence.

  7. Enhancement of 67Ga tumor-to-blood ratios by chelating agent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saji, Hideo; Yokoyama, Akira; Hata, Naotaka; Misaki, Atsushi; Tanaka, Hisashi.

    1980-01-01

    Chelating agent, such as, CaEDTA, CaDTPA, D-penicillamine, DMSA, desferoxamine, NTA, cysteine ethyl ester, BAL, α-MPG, phthalein complexone, were tested as a possible contrast enhancing agent for tumor imaging with 67 Ga-citrate. The intravenous administration of a chelating agent to Ehrlich's tumor bearing mice, one hour after the injection of 67 Ga-citrate, accelerated the blood clearance with only a very slight change of activity in the target, increasing the tumor-to-blood ratio, and consequently achieving a better visualization. Among the tested chelating agents, D-penicillamine showed the highest target-to-nontarget ratio at a shorter time: a good tumor-to-blood ratio, performed after 24 hr with non-treated animals, was achieved in only 1-3 hr with post-treated animals. Thus, D-penicillamine hold a considerable promise as a contrast enhancing agent for future clinical use. (author)

  8. The potential pitfalls of studying adult sex ratios at aggregate levels in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pollet, Thomas V; Stoevenbelt, Andrea H; Kuppens, Toon

    2017-09-19

    Human adult sex ratios have been studied extensively across the biological and social sciences. While several studies have examined adult sex ratio effects in a multilevel perspective, many studies have focused on effects at an aggregated level only. In this paper, we review some key issues relating to such analyses. We address not only nation-level analyses, but also aggregation at lower levels, to investigate whether these issues extend to lower levels of aggregation. We illustrate these issues with novel databases covering a broad range of variables. Specifically, we discuss distributional issues with aggregated measures of adult sex ratio, significance testing, and statistical non-independence when using aggregate data. Firstly, we show that there are severe distributional issues with national adult sex ratio, such as extreme cases. Secondly, we demonstrate that many 'meaningless' variables are significantly correlated with adult sex ratio (e.g. the max. elevation level correlates with sex ratio at US state level). Finally, we re-examine associations between adult sex ratios and teenage fertility and find no robust evidence for an association at the aggregate level. Our review highlights the potential issues of using aggregate data on adult sex ratios to test hypotheses from an evolutionary perspective in humans.This article is part of the themed issue 'Adult sex ratios and reproductive decisions: a critical re-examination of sex differences in human and animal societies'. © 2017 The Author(s).

  9. Sex ratio and time to pregnancy: analysis of four large European population surveys

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Joffe, Mike; Bennett, James; Best, Nicky

    2007-01-01

    To test whether the secondary sex ratio (proportion of male births) is associated with time to pregnancy, a marker of fertility. Design Analysis of four large population surveys. Setting Denmark and the United Kingdom. Participants 49 506 pregnancies.......To test whether the secondary sex ratio (proportion of male births) is associated with time to pregnancy, a marker of fertility. Design Analysis of four large population surveys. Setting Denmark and the United Kingdom. Participants 49 506 pregnancies....

  10. Sharpening Sharpe Ratios

    OpenAIRE

    William N. Goetzmann; Jonathan E. Ingersoll Jr.; Matthew I. Spiegel; Ivo Welch

    2002-01-01

    It is now well known that the Sharpe ratio and other related reward-to-risk measures may be manipulated with option-like strategies. In this paper we derive the general conditions for achieving the maximum expected Sharpe ratio. We derive static rules for achieving the maximum Sharpe ratio with two or more options, as well as a continuum of derivative contracts. The optimal strategy has a truncated right tail and a fat left tail. We also derive dynamic rules for increasing the Sharpe ratio. O...

  11. Measurement of the super-allowed branching ratio of $^{22}$Mg

    CERN Multimedia

    We propose to measure the super-allowed branching ratio and the half-life of $^{22}$Mg, one of the least-well-measured $0^{+} \\rightarrow 0^{+}$ transitions of the 14 nuclei used to determine V$_{ud}$ and to test the unitarity of the CKM matrix. We propose measurements which should allow to significantly improve the precision on the super-allowed branching ratio employing a precisely efficiency calibrated germanium detector and on the half-life. As no method exists to greatly improve (e.g. an order of magnitude) on previous results, the branching ratio and the half-life have to be measured several times with independent methods and in independent experiments.

  12. Prediction of Microcystis Blooms Based on TN:TP Ratio and Lake Origin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoshimasa Amano

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available We evaluated the relationship between TN:TP ratio and Microcystis growth via a database that includes worldwide lakes based on four types of lake origin (dammed, tectonic, coastal, and volcanic lakes. We used microcosm and mesocosm for the nutrient elution tests with lake water and four kinds of sediment (nontreated, MgO sprinkling treated, dissolved air flotation [DAF] treated, and combined treated sediment in order to control TN:TP ratio and to suppress Microcystis growth. Microcystis growth was related to TN:TP ratio, with the maximum value at an optimum TN:TP ratio and the minimum values when the TN:TP ratios reached to 0 or ∞. The kurtosis of the distribution curve varied with the type of lake origin; the lowest kurtosis was found in dammed lakes, while the highest was found in volcanic lakes. The lake trophic state could affect the change in the kurtosis, providing much lower kurtosis at eutrophic lakes (dammed lakes than that at oligotrophic lakes (volcanic lakes. The relationship between TN:TP ratio and Microcystis growth could be explained by the nutrient elution tests under controlled TN:TP ratios through the various sediment treatments. A significant suppression of Microcystis growth of 70% could be achieved when the TN:TP ratios exceeded 21. Lake origin could be regarded as an index including morphological and geographical factors, and controlling the trophic state in lakes. The origin rather than trophic state for lakes could be considered as an important factor of TN:TP influences on Microcystis growth.

  13. Mean centering of ratio spectra and successive derivative ratio spectrophotometric methods for determination of isopropamide iodide, trifluoperazine hydrochloride and trifluoperazine oxidative degradate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maha M. Abdelrahman

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Two sensitive, selective and precise stability indicating methods for the determination of isopropamide iodide (ISO, trifluoperazine hydrochloride (TPZ and trifluoperazine oxidative degradate (DEG were developed and validated. Method A is a successive derivative ratio spectrophotometric one, which depends on the successive derivative of ratio spectra in two steps using 0.1 N HCl as a solvent and measuring TPZ at 250.4 and 257.2 nm, ISO at 223 and 228 nm and DEG at 210.6, 213 and 270.2 nm. Method B is mean centering of ratio spectra which depends on using the mean centered ratio spectra in two successive steps and measuring the mean centered values of the second ratio spectra at 322, 355 and 339 nm for TPZ, ISO and DEG, respectively. Factors affecting the developed methods were studied and optimized, moreover, they have been validated as per ICH guidelines and the results demonstrated that the suggested methods are reliable, reproducible and suitable for routine use with short analysis time. Statistical analysis of the two developed methods with the reported one using F- and Student’s t-test showed no significant difference regarding accuracy and precision.

  14. Forensic Applications of Light-Element Stable Isotope Ratios of Ricinus communis Seeds and Ricin Preparations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kreuzer, Helen W.; West, Jason B.; Ehleringer, James

    2013-01-01

    Seeds of the castor plant Ricinus communis, also known as castor beans, are of forensic interest because they are the source of the poison ricin. We have tested whether stable isotope ratios of castor seeds and ricin prepared by various methods can be used as a forensic signature. We collected over 300 castor seed samples from locations around the world and measured the C, N, O, and H stable isotope ratios of the whole seeds, oil, and three types of ricin preparations. Our results demonstrate that N isotope ratios can be used to correlate ricin prepared by any of these methods to source seeds. Further, stable isotope ratios distinguished >99% of crude and purified ricin protein samples in pair-wise comparison tests. Stable isotope ratios therefore constitute a valuable forensic signature for ricin preparations.

  15. Patterns of Family Formation in Response to Sex Ratio Variation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schacht, Ryan; Kramer, Karen L

    2016-01-01

    The impact that unbalanced sex ratios have on health and societal outcomes is of mounting contemporary concern. However, it is increasingly unclear whether it is male- or female-biased sex ratios that are associated with family and social instability. From a socio-demographic perspective, male-biased sex ratios leave many men unable to find a mate, elevating competition among males, disrupting family formation and negatively affecting social stability. In contrast, from a mating-market perspective, males are expected to be less willing to marry and commit to a family when the sex ratio is female-biased and males are rare. Here we use U.S. data to evaluate predictions from these competing frameworks by testing the relationship between the adult sex ratio and measures of family formation. We find that when women are rare men are more likely to marry, be part of a family and be sexually committed to a single partner. Our results do not support claims that male-biased sex ratios lead to negative family outcomes due to a surplus of unmarried men. Rather, our results highlight the need to pay increased attention to female-biased sex ratios.

  16. The relationship between size, book-to-market equity ratio, earnings–price ratio, and return for the Tehran stock Exchange

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Ali Sadeghi Lafmejani

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an empirical investigation to determine whether or there is any difference between the returns of two value and growth portfolios, sorted by price-to-earnings (P/E and price-to-book value (P/BV, in terms of the ratios of market sensitivity to index (β, firm size and market liquidity in listed firms in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE over the period 2001-2008. The selected firms were collected from those with existing two-consecutive positive P/E and P/BV ratios and by excluding financial and holding firms. There were five independent variables for the proposed study of this paper including P/E, P/B, market size, market sensitivity beta (β and market liquidity. In each year, we first sort firms in non-decreasing order and setup four set of portfolios with equal firms. Therefore, the first portfolio with the lowest P/E ratio is called value portfolio and the last one with the highest P/E ratio is called growth portfolio. This process was repeated based on P/BV ratio to determine value and growth portfolios, accordingly. The study investigated the characteristics of two portfolios based on firm size, β and liquidity. The study has implemented t-student and Levin’s test to examine different hypotheses and the results have indicated mix effects of market sensitivity, firm size and market liquidity on returns of the firms in various periods.

  17. Combination of the ionic-to-atomic line intensity ratios from two test elements for the diagnostic of plasma temperature and electron number density in Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tognoni, E. [Istituto per i Processi Chimico-Fisici, Area della Ricerca del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa (Italy)], E-mail: tognoni@ipcf.cnr.it; Hidalgo, M.; Canals, A. [Departamento de Quimica Analitica, Nutricion y Bromatologia. Universidad de Alicante. Apdo. 99, 03080, Alicante (Spain); Cristoforetti, G.; Legnaioli, S.; Salvetti, A.; Palleschi, V. [Istituto per i Processi Chimico-Fisici, Area della Ricerca del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa (Italy)

    2007-05-15

    In Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) spectrochemical analysis, the MgII(280.270 nm)/MgI(285.213 nm) ionic to atomic line intensity ratio is commonly used as a monitor of the robustness of operating conditions. This approach is based on the univocal relationship existing between intensity ratio and plasma temperature, for a pure argon atmospheric ICP in thermodynamic equilibrium. In a multi-elemental plasma in the lower temperature range, the measurement of the intensity ratio may not be sufficient to characterize temperature and electron density. In such a range, the correct relationship between intensity ratio and plasma temperature can be calculated only when the complete plasma composition is known. We propose the combination of the line intensity ratios of two test elements (double ratio) as an effective diagnostic tool for a multi-elemental low temperature LTE plasma of unknown composition. In particular, the variation of the double ratio allows us discriminating changes in the plasma temperature from changes in the electron density. Thus, the effects on plasma excitation and ionization possibly caused by introduction of different samples and matrices in non-robust conditions can be more accurately interpreted. The method is illustrated by the measurement of plasma temperature and electron density in a specific analytic case.

  18. Prognostic roles of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet to lymphocyte ratio in ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis of retrospective studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Zhe; Zhao, Xinrui; Lu, Jingjing; Xue, Jing; Liu, Peishu; Mao, Hongluan

    2018-04-01

    The systemic inflammatory response markers have been reported to be associated with the prognosis of various cancers. We conducted this meta-analysis of retrospective studies to evaluate and identify the prognostic impact of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) on ovarian cancer. PubMed, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were included to search for eligible studies. The following terms were used: "neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio", "NLR", "platelet to lymphocyte ratio", "PLR", "ovarian cancer", "ovary cancer", "ovarian carcinoma", "ovary carcinoma", "ovarian neoplasm", "ovary neoplasm", "ovarian tumor", and "ovary tumor". The random-effects model was chosen to estimate the pooled HR with 95% CI. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed by Higgins I 2 value. The stability and heterogeneity of studies were analyzed by sensitivity analysis. Publication bias was examined by Egger's test and Begg's test with the funnel plots. 13 studies consisting of 3467 patients were considered for meta-analysis. We found that the high NLR had a poor prognostic impact on OS and PFS in ovarian cancer, with a pooled HR 1.70, 95% CI 1.35-2.15 and HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.48-2.12, respectively. Similarly, the results showed the high PLR adversely affected OS and PFS in ovarian cancer, with a pooled HR 2.05, 95% CI 1.70-2.48 and HR 1.85, 95% CI 1.53-2.25, respectively. In conclusion, we found that both NLR and PLR had an unfavorable impact on PFS and OS of patients with ovarian cancer. Our meta-analysis supported that NLR/PLR could be effective prognostic predictors of ovarian cancer.

  19. The diagnostic odds ratio: a single indicator of test performance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Glas, Afina S.; Lijmer, Jeroen G.; Prins, Martin H.; Bonsel, Gouke J.; Bossuyt, Patrick M. M.

    2003-01-01

    Diagnostic testing can be used to discriminate subjects with a target disorder from subjects without it. Several indicators of diagnostic performance have been proposed, such as sensitivity and specificity. Using paired indicators can be a disadvantage in comparing the performance of competing

  20. Effect of calcium/silicon ratio on retention of uranium (VI) in portland cement materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tan Hongbin; Li Yuxiang

    2005-01-01

    Calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) materials of varied calcium to silicon (Ca/Si) ratios were prepared by hydrothermal synthesis at 80 degree C, with calcium oxide and micro-silicon employed. These products were determined to be of gel phase by XRD. Leaching tests with 1% hydrochloric acid indicated that more Uranium (VI) was detained by CSH with lower Ca/Si ratios. Alkali-activated slag cement (with a lower Ca/Si ratio) was found to have a stronger retention capacity than Portland cement (with a higher Ca/Si ratio), at 25 degree C in 102-days leaching tests with simulated solidified forms containing Uranium (VI). The accumulative leaching fraction of Uranium (VI) for Alkali-activated slag cement solidified forms is 17.6% lower than that for Portland cement. The corresponding difference of diffusion coefficients is 40.6%. This could be correlated with the difference of Ca/Si ratios between cements of two kinds. (authors)

  1. Measurement of the atmospheric muon charge ratio with the OPERA detector

    CERN Document Server

    Agafonova, N.; Aoki, S.; Ariga, A.; Ariga, T.; Autiero, D.; Badertscher, A.; Bagulya, A.; Bertolin, A.; Besnier, M.; Bick, D.; Boyarkin, V.; Bozza, C.; Brugiere, T.; Brugnera, R.; Brunetti, G.; Buontempo, S.; Cazes, A.; Chaussard, L.; Chernyavsky, M.; Chiarella, V.; Chon-Sen, N.; Chukanov, A.; Cozzi, M.; D'Amato, G.; Dal Corso, F.; D'Ambrosio, N.; De Lellis, G.; Declais, Y.; De Serio, M.; Di Capua, F.; Di Ferdinando, D.; Di Giovanni, A.; Di Marco, N.; Dmitrievski, S.; Dracos, M.; Duchesneau, D.; Dusini, S.; Ebert, J.; Egorov, O.; Enikeev, R.; Ereditato, A.; Esposito, L.S.; Favier, J.; Felici, G.; Ferber, T.; Fini, R.; Frekers, D.; Fukuda, T.; Fukushima, C.; Galkin, V.I.; Garfagnini, A.; Giacomelli, G.; Giorgini, M.; Goellnitz, C.; Goldberg, J.; Golubkov, D.; Goncharova, L.; Gornushkin, Y.; Grella, G.; Grianti, F.; Guler, M.; Gustavino, C.; Hagner, C.; Hamada, K.; Hara, T.; Hierholzer, M.; Hoshino, K.; Ieva, M.; Jakovcic, K.; Jollet, C.; Juget, F.; Kazuyama, M.; Kim, S.H.; Kimura, M.; Klicek, B.; Knuesel, J.; Kodama, K.; Komatsu, M.; Kose, U.; Kreslo, I.; Kubota, H.; Lazzaro, C.; Lenkeit, J.; Ljubicic, A.; Longhin, A.; Lutter, G.; Malgin, A.; Mandrioli, G.; Marotta, A.; Marteau, J.; Matsuo, T.; Matveev, V.; Mauri, N.; Medinaceli, E.; Meisel, F.; Meregaglia, A.; Migliozzi, P.; Mikado, S.; Miyamoto, S.; Monacelli, P.; Morishima, K.; Moser, U.; Muciaccia, M.T.; Naganawa, N.; Naka, T.; Nakamura, M.; Nakano, T.; Naumov, D.; Nikitina, V.; Niwa, K.; Nonoyama, Y.; Ogawa, S.; Olchevski, A.; Oldorf, C.; Orlova, G.; Osedlo, V.; Paniccia, M.; Paoloni, A.; Park, B.D.; Park, I.G.; Pastore, A.; Patrizii, L.; Pennacchio, E.; Pessard, H.; Pilipenko, V.; Pistillo, C.; Policastro, G.; Polukhina, N.; Pozzato, M.; Pretzl, K.; Publichenko, P.; Pupilli, F.; Rescigno, R.; Roganova, T.; Rokujo, H.; Romano, G.; Rosa, G.; Rostovtseva, I.; Rubbia, A.; Russo, A.; Ryasny, V.; Ryazhskaya, O.; Sato, O.; Sato, Y.; Schembri, A.; Schmidt Parzefall, W.; Schroeder, H.; Scotto Lavina, L.; Sheshukov, A.; Shibuya, H.; Simone, S.; Sioli, M.; Sirignano, C.; Sirri, G.; Song, J.S.; Spinetti, M.; Stanco, L.; Starkov, N.; Stipcevic, M.; Strauss, T.; Strolin, P.; Takahashi, S.; Tenti, M.; Terranova, F.; Tezuka, I.; Tioukov, V.; Tolun, P.; Tran, T.; Tufanli, S.; Vilain, P.; Vladimirov, M.; Votano, L.; Vuilleumier, J.L.; Wilquet, G.; Wonsak, B.; Yakushev, V.; Yoon, C.S.; Yoshioka, T.; Yoshida, J.; Zaitsev, Y.; Zemskova, S.; Zghiche, A.; Zimmermann, R.

    2010-01-01

    The OPERA detector at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory (LNGS) was used to measure the atmospheric muon charge ratio in the TeV energy region. We analyzed 403069 atmospheric muons corresponding to 113.4 days of livetime during the 2008 CNGS run. We computed separately the muon charge ratio for single and for multiple muon events in order to select different energy regions of the primary cosmic ray spectrum and to test the charge ratio dependence on the primary composition. The measured charge ratio values were corrected taking into account the charge-misidentification errors. Data have also been grouped in five bins of the "vertical surface energy". A fit to a simplified model of muon production in the atmosphere allowed the determination of the pion and kaon charge ratios weighted by the cosmic ray energy spectrum.

  2. Pengaruh Return on Assets dan Debt to Equity Ratio terhadap Harga Saham pada Institusi Finansial di Bursa Efek Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rani Ramdhani

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to determine the effect of Return on Assets and Debt to Equity Ratio of Stock Price on Financial Institutions in Indonesia Stock Exchange. This study used secondary data, with samples 2 financial companies in Indonesia Stock Exchange during the study period 2004-2010. Independent variables in this study are Return on Assets and Debt to Equity Ratio. This study used purposive sampling technique. The method of data analysis used classical assumption test, hypothesis test, multiple regression analysis, the F test and t test. Based on results of the study, Return on Assets and Debt to Equity Ratio have no significant effect on stock price. Meanwhile, the F test result shows that Return on Assets and Debt to Equity Ratio jointly have no effect on stock price.

  3. Second-to-fourth digit ratio and impulsivity: a comparison between offenders and nonoffenders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanoch, Yaniv; Gummerum, Michaela; Rolison, Jonathan

    2012-01-01

    Personality characteristics, particularly impulsive tendencies, have long been conceived as the primary culprit in delinquent behavior. One crucial question to emerge from this line of work is whether impulsivity has a biological basis. To test this possibility, 44 male offenders and 46 nonoffenders completed the Eysenck Impulsivity Questionnaire, and had their 2D∶4D ratio measured. Offenders exhibited smaller right hand digit ratio measurements compared to non-offenders, but higher impulsivity scores. Both impulsivity and 2D∶4D ratio measurements significantly predicted criminality (offenders vs. nonoffenders). Controlling for education level, the 2D∶4D ratio measurements had remained a significant predictor of criminality, while impulsivity scores no longer predicted criminality significantly. Our data, thus, indicates that impulsivity but not 2D∶4D ratio measurements relate to educational attainment. As offenders varied in their number of previous convictions and the nature of their individual crimes, we also tested for differences in 2D∶4D ratio and impulsivity among offenders. Number of previous convictions did not correlate significantly with the 2D∶4D ratio measurements or impulsivity scores. Our study established a link between a biological marker and impulsivity among offenders (and lack thereof among non-offenders), which emphasise the importance of studying the relationship between biological markers, impulsivity and criminal behavior.

  4. Uncertainty importance analysis using parametric moment ratio functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Pengfei; Lu, Zhenzhou; Song, Jingwen

    2014-02-01

    This article presents a new importance analysis framework, called parametric moment ratio function, for measuring the reduction of model output uncertainty when the distribution parameters of inputs are changed, and the emphasis is put on the mean and variance ratio functions with respect to the variances of model inputs. The proposed concepts efficiently guide the analyst to achieve a targeted reduction on the model output mean and variance by operating on the variances of model inputs. The unbiased and progressive unbiased Monte Carlo estimators are also derived for the parametric mean and variance ratio functions, respectively. Only a set of samples is needed for implementing the proposed importance analysis by the proposed estimators, thus the computational cost is free of input dimensionality. An analytical test example with highly nonlinear behavior is introduced for illustrating the engineering significance of the proposed importance analysis technique and verifying the efficiency and convergence of the derived Monte Carlo estimators. Finally, the moment ratio function is applied to a planar 10-bar structure for achieving a targeted 50% reduction of the model output variance. © 2013 Society for Risk Analysis.

  5. Tests of variable-band multilayers designed for investigating optimal signal-to-noise vs artifact signal ratios in Dual-Energy Digital Subtraction Angiography (DDSA) imaging systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boyers, D.; Ho, A.; Li, Q.; Piestrup, M.; Rice, M.; Tatchyn, R.

    1993-08-01

    In recent work, various design techniques were applied to investigate the feasibility of controlling the bandwidth and bandshape profiles of tungsten/boron-carbon (W/B 4 C) and tungsten/silicon (W/Si) multilayers for optimizing their performance in synchrotron radiation based angiographical imaging systems at 33 keV. Varied parameters included alternative spacing geometries, material thickness ratios, and numbers of layer pairs. Planar optics with nominal design reflectivities of 30%--94% and bandwidths ranging from 0.6%--10% were designed at the Stanford Radiation Laboratory, fabricated by the Ovonic Synthetic Materials Company, and characterized on Beam Line 4-3 at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, in this paper we report selected results of these tests and review the possible use of the multilayers for determining optimal signal to noise vs. artifact signal ratios in practical Dual-Energy Digital Subtraction Angiography systems

  6. Determining the clay/organic carbon ratio by visible near infrared spectroscopy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knadel, Maria; Peng, Yi; Hermansen, Cecilie

    /OC ratio directly would be valuable. Visible near infrared spectroscopy (vis-NIRS) is a cost-effective method for soil analysis and was tested here for the prediction of clay/OC ratio. Soil samples from two agricultural fields in Denmark (N=115) were analyzed. Partial Least Squares regression (full cross......The recently presented Dexter et al. (2008) threshold (ratio of clay to organic carbon (OC) of 10 kg/kg-1) is a good indicator for soil functional properties. However, the conventional analysis of OC and clay are costly and time consuming, thus an alternative method to quantify OC, clay or clay...

  7. Optimal control of lift/drag ratios on a rotating cylinder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ou, Yuh-Roung; Burns, John A.

    1992-01-01

    We present the numerical solution to a problem of maximizing the lift to drag ratio by rotating a circular cylinder in a two-dimensional viscous incompressible flow. This problem is viewed as a test case for the newly developing theoretical and computational methods for control of fluid dynamic systems. We show that the time averaged lift to drag ratio for a fixed finite-time interval achieves its maximum value at an optimal rotation rate that depends on the time interval.

  8. The utility of preoperative acth/cortisol ratio for the diagnosis and prognosis of cushing's disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alev Selek

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Cushing's syndrome (CS is a rare disease having diagnostic difficulties. Many diagnostic tests have been defined but none of these are diagnostic alone. Determination of the cause is another problem which sometimes requires more sophisticated and invasive procedures. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the utility of pretreatment plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH/cortisol ratios in patients with confirmed endogenous CS for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of CS. Materials and Methods: This retrospective evaluation included 145 patients with the diagnosis of CS, 119 patients with Cushing's disease (CD, and 26 patients with ACTH-independent CS (AICS, in a university hospital. Furthermore, 114 individuals in whom CS diagnosis was excluded with at least one negative screening test were enrolled to the study as control group. The clinical, laboratory, imaging, postsurgical pathologic records and also clinical follow-up data of all patients were evaluated. Results: The median basal ACTH/cortisol ratio of the patients with CD was significantly higher than AICS and controls. A cutoff ACTH/cortisol ratio >2.5 was found to be diagnostic for CD with 82% specificity and 63% sensitivity. Among CD group, patients with recurrent disease had higher preoperative ACTH levels and ACTH/cortisol ratio than patients with sustained remission. Furthermore, these patients had more invasive, atypical, and larger tumors. Conclusion: An ACTH/cortisol ratio >2.5 would be beneficial to diagnose CD together with other diagnostic tests. It is a simple test with no additional cost. Higher ratios might be related with larger, invasive, and atypical adenoma and also might be helpful to predict recurrence.

  9. FULLPROF as a new tool for flipping ratio analysis: further improvements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frontera, C.; Rodriguez-Carvajal, J.

    2004-01-01

    In the international workshop on polarized neutron for condensed matter investigation (Juelich, September 2002), we presented the implementations done in FULLPROF in order to introduce the ability of performing flipping ratio analysis. During this year we have modified the program in order to extend the initial features. We have tested these new implementations by re-analyzing flipping ratio data on Metrz-Nit (C 10 H 16 N 5 O 2 ) compound

  10. Upper body push and pull strength ratio in recreationally active adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Negrete, Rodney J; Hanney, William J; Pabian, Patrick; Kolber, Morey J

    2013-04-01

    Agonist to antagonist strength data is commonly analyzed due to its association with injury and performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the agonist to antagonist ratio of upper body strength using two simple field tests (timed push up/timed modified pull up) in recreationally active adults and to establish the basis for reference standards. One hundred eighty (180) healthy recreationally active adults (111 females and 69 males, aged 18-45 years) performed two tests of upper body strength in random order: 1. Push-ups completed during 3 sets of 15 seconds with a 45 second rest period between each set and 2. Modified pull-ups completed during 3 sets of 15 seconds with a 45 second rest period between each set. The push-up to modified pull-up ratio for the males was 1.57:1, whereas females demonstrated a ratio of 2.72:1. The results suggest that for our group of healthy recreationally active subjects, the upper body "pushing" musculature is approximately 1.5-2.7 times stronger than the musculature involved for pulling. In this study, these recreationally active adults displayed greater strength during the timed push-ups than the modified pull-ups. The relationship of these imbalances to one's performance and or injury risk requires further investigation. The reference values, however, may serve the basis for future comparison and prospective investigations. The field tests in this study can be easily implemented by clinicians and an agonist/antagonist ratio can be determined and compared to our findings. 2b.

  11. Evaluation of atmospheric particulate concentrations derived from analysis of ratio Thematic Mapper data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carnahan, W. H.; Mausel, P. W.; Zhou, G. P.

    1984-01-01

    An approach for atmospheric particulate concentration evaluation above urban areas using ratio Thematic Mapper (TM) data is discussed. October 25, 1982 TM data over Chicago, IL are analyzed using TM band ratios of 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, and 1/6 and particulate concentration estimates derived from TM ratios are tested over low reflective turbid water sites and highly reflective concrete highways. From analysis of the data it is evident that for water, the pattern of increasing particulate concentration is associated with decreasing ratio values in all band combinations used. Over concrete features, the TM band 1/4 ratio values follow the predicted pattern, while the TM band 1/6 has ratios which are reversed from anticipated values.

  12. Overview of a benefit/risk ratio optimized for a radiation emitting device used in non-destructive testing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maharaj, H.P., E-mail: H_P_Maharaj@hc-sc.gc.ca [Health Canada, Dept. of Health, Consumer and Clinical Radiaton Protection Bureau, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)

    2016-03-15

    This paper aims to provide an overview of an optimized benefit/risk ratio for a radiation emitting device. The device, which is portable, hand-held, and open-beam x-ray tube based, is utilized by a wide variety of industries for purposes of determining elemental or chemical analyses of materials in-situ based on fluorescent x-rays. These analyses do not cause damage or permanent alteration of the test materials and are considered a non-destructive test (NDT). Briefly, the key characteristics, principles of use and radiation hazards associated with the Hay device are presented and discussed. In view of the potential radiation risks, a long term strategy that incorporates risk factors and guiding principles intended to mitigate the radiation risks to the end user was considered and applied. Consequently, an operator certification program was developed on the basis of an International Standards Organization (ISO) standard (ISO 20807:2004) and in collaboration with various stake holders and was implemented by a federal national NDT certification body several years ago. It comprises a written radiation safety examination and hands-on training with the x-ray device. The operator certification program was recently revised and the changes appear beneficial. There is a fivefold increase in operator certification (Levels 1 a nd 2) to date compared with earlier years. Results are favorable and promising. An operational guidance document is available to help mitigate radiation risks. Operator certification in conjunction with the use of the operational guidance document is prudent, and is recommended for end users of the x-ray device. Manufacturers and owners of the x-ray devices will also benefit from the operational guidance document. (author)

  13. Overview of a benefit/risk ratio optimized for a radiation emitting device used in non-destructive testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maharaj, H.P.

    2016-01-01

    This paper aims to provide an overview of an optimized benefit/risk ratio for a radiation emitting device. The device, which is portable, hand-held, and open-beam x-ray tube based, is utilized by a wide variety of industries for purposes of determining elemental or chemical analyses of materials in-situ based on fluorescent x-rays. These analyses do not cause damage or permanent alteration of the test materials and are considered a non-destructive test (NDT). Briefly, the key characteristics, principles of use and radiation hazards associated with the Hay device are presented and discussed. In view of the potential radiation risks, a long term strategy that incorporates risk factors and guiding principles intended to mitigate the radiation risks to the end user was considered and applied. Consequently, an operator certification program was developed on the basis of an International Standards Organization (ISO) standard (ISO 20807:2004) and in collaboration with various stake holders and was implemented by a federal national NDT certification body several years ago. It comprises a written radiation safety examination and hands-on training with the x-ray device. The operator certification program was recently revised and the changes appear beneficial. There is a fivefold increase in operator certification (Levels 1 a nd 2) to date compared with earlier years. Results are favorable and promising. An operational guidance document is available to help mitigate radiation risks. Operator certification in conjunction with the use of the operational guidance document is prudent, and is recommended for end users of the x-ray device. Manufacturers and owners of the x-ray devices will also benefit from the operational guidance document. (author)

  14. Kin discrimination and sex ratios in a parasitoid wasp

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reece, S.E.; Shuker, D.M.; Pen, I.R.; Duncan, A.B.; Choudhary, A.; Batchelor, C.M.; West, S.A.

    Sex ratio theory provides a clear and simple way to test if nonsocial haplodiploid wasps can discriminate between kin and nonkin. Specifically, if females can discriminate siblings from nonrelatives, then they are expected to produce a higher proportion of daughters if they mate with a sibling. This

  15. Analysis of the width ratio and wear rate of maxillary anterior teeth in the Korean population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Yeon-Ah; Yang, Hong-So; Park, Sang-Won; Lim, Hyun-Pil; Yun, Kwi-Dug; Park, Chan

    2017-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the width ratio of maxillary anterior teeth according to age in the Korean population and to evaluate the maxillary central incisor width-to-length (W/L) ratio, given differences in age and gender. Ninety-three Korean adults were divided into 3 groups (n = 31) by age. Group I was 20 - 39 years old, Group II was 40 - 59 years old, and Group III was over 60 years of age. After taking an impression and a cast model of the maxillary arch, the anterior teeth width ratio and central incisor W/L ratio were calculated from standard digital images of the cast models using a graph paper with a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera. The calculated ratios were compared among all groups and central incisor W/L ratio were analyzed according to age and gender. All comparative data were statistically analyzed with one-sample t-tests, one-way ANOVAs with Tukey tests, and independent t-tests. No significant differences in maxillary anterior teeth ratios were found among the age groups. The maxillary central incisor W/L ratios in Group III were the greatest and were significantly higher than those in the other groups. The central incisor W/L ratio of men was higher than that of women in Group II. Maxillary anterior teeth width ratios were similar in all age groups in the Korean population. The maxillary central incisor was observed as worn teeth in the group over 60 years of age, and a significant difference between genders was found in 40 to 50 year olds.

  16. Refactoring test code

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A. van Deursen (Arie); L.M.F. Moonen (Leon); A. van den Bergh; G. Kok

    2001-01-01

    textabstractTwo key aspects of extreme programming (XP) are unit testing and merciless refactoring. Given the fact that the ideal test code / production code ratio approaches 1:1, it is not surprising that unit tests are being refactored. We found that refactoring test code is different from

  17. The effect of financial ratios on systematic risk index

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Faez

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the relationship between financial ratios and indicator of systemic risk in the Tehran Stock Exchange. The study selects 73 manufacturing companies of the Tehran Stock Exchange market over the period 2003-2010. The study first calculates the independent variables in the form of financial ratios and then the ratios affecting the systematic risk index are extracted using entropy method. The output of this stage is the introduction of five influential financial indicators as the independent variables of the study. Using t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient the rate of independent variables effect on the systematic risk index is evaluated and finally, using stepwise regression method, the effect of independent variables on the dependent variable is examined. According to results of our survey, the correlation coefficient of such indices as “the ratio of stock price to the profit of each share”, “Current ratio”, “each share profit ratio” and “the stockholders rights return ratio” have respectively the highest correlation with the systematic risk index.

  18. Development and evaluation of a regression-based model to predict cesium concentration ratios for freshwater fish

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pinder, John E.; Rowan, David J.; Rasmussen, Joseph B.; Smith, Jim T.; Hinton, Thomas G.; Whicker, F.W.

    2014-01-01

    Data from published studies and World Wide Web sources were combined to produce and test a regression model to predict Cs concentration ratios for freshwater fish species. The accuracies of predicted concentration ratios, which were computed using 1) species trophic levels obtained from random resampling of known food items and 2) K concentrations in the water for 207 fish from 44 species and 43 locations, were tested against independent observations of ratios for 57 fish from 17 species from 25 locations. Accuracy was assessed as the percent of observed to predicted ratios within factors of 2 or 3. Conservatism, expressed as the lack of under prediction, was assessed as the percent of observed to predicted ratios that were less than 2 or less than 3. The model's median observed to predicted ratio was 1.26, which was not significantly different from 1, and 50% of the ratios were between 0.73 and 1.85. The percentages of ratios within factors of 2 or 3 were 67 and 82%, respectively. The percentages of ratios that were <2 or <3 were 79 and 88%, respectively. An example for Perca fluviatilis demonstrated that increased prediction accuracy could be obtained when more detailed knowledge of diet was available to estimate trophic level. - Highlights: • We developed a model to predict Cs concentration ratios for freshwater fish species. • The model uses only two variables to predict a species CR for any location. • One variable is the K concentration in the freshwater. • The other is a species mean trophic level measure easily obtained from (fishbase.org). • The median observed to predicted ratio for 57 independent test cases was 1.26

  19. Assessment of the golden ratio in pleasing smiles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikgoo, Arash; Alavi, Kamiar; Alavi, Kavah; Mirfazaelian, Ali

    2009-01-01

    The golden ratio is a guideline to help harmoniously restore or replace missing teeth. However, this concept is controversial. This study assesses the validity of the golden ratio between the widths of the maxillary anterior teeth in individuals presenting with an attractive/nonattractive smile. A double-stage random cluster sample cross-sectional study included 903 students whose ages ranged from 18 to 30 years and met the inclusion criteria. Image-measurement software was used to assess the perceived mesiodistal widths of the maxillary anterior teeth on scanned photographs. A jury of two dental professionals, a portrait photographer, and a painter, along with the respective subject as the fifth judge, determined the attractiveness of each smile on a visual analog scale. The mean value determined whether an individual was allocated to the attractive or nonattractive smile group. Finally, the prevalence of the golden ratio was investigated in these two groups. Intraobserver correlation coefficient was 0.966. Cochran's chi-square test was used for data analysis. According to the jury, 143 individuals had an attractive smile and 289 had a nonattractive smile. Maxillary central to lateral incisor ratio showed the golden proportion in 50.3% of the students with an attractive smile as compared to 38.1% in the nonattractive smile group (P =.014). However, the golden ratio between the maxillary lateral incisors and the canines existed in only 16.8% of the individuals with an attractive smile as compared to 12.1% in the nonattractive smile group (P =.223). The golden ratio can be useful to achieve esthetic restorations of the maxillary central and lateral incisors. However, the golden ratio between the perceived widths of the maxillary lateral incisors to the canines does not seem to be decisive for an attractive smile and other factors should be considered. © 2009 BY QUINTESSENCE PUBLISHING CO, INC.

  20. Ultrasonic detection of solid phase mass flow ratio of pneumatic conveying fly ash

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duan, Guang Bin; Pan, Hong Li; Wang, Yong; Liu, Zong Ming

    2014-04-01

    In this paper, ultrasonic attenuation detection and weight balance are adopted to evaluate the solid mass ratio in this paper. Fly ash is transported on the up extraction fluidization pneumatic conveying workbench. In the ultrasonic test. McClements model and Bouguer-Lambert-Beer law model were applied to formulate the ultrasonic attenuation properties of gas-solid flow, which can give the solid mass ratio. While in the method of weigh balance, the averaged mass addition per second can reveal the solids mass flow ratio. By contrast these two solid phase mass ratio detection methods, we can know, the relative error is less.

  1. Termination Criteria for Computerized Classification Testing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nathan A. Thompson

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Computerized classification testing (CCT is an approach to designing tests with intelligent algorithms, similar to adaptive testing, but specifically designed for the purpose of classifying examinees into categories such as - pass- and - fail.- Like adaptive testing for point estimation of ability, the key component is the termination criterion, namely the algorithm that decides whether to classify the examinee and end the test or to continue and administer another item. This paper applies a newly suggested termination criterion, the generalized likelihood ratio (GLR, to CCT. It also explores the role of the indifference region in the specification of likelihood-ratio based termination criteria, comparing the GLR to the sequential probability ratio test. Results from simulation studies suggest that the GLR is always at least as efficient as existing methods.

  2. The four-loop six-gluon NMHV ratio function

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dixon, Lance J. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Stanford, CA (United States); California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States); von Hippel, Matt [Perimeter Inst. for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, ON (Canada); McLeod, Andrew J. [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Stanford, CA (United States)

    2016-01-11

    We use the hexagon function bootstrap to compute the ratio function which characterizes the next-to-maximally-helicity-violating (NMHV) six-point amplitude in planar N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory at four loops. A powerful constraint comes from dual superconformal invariance, in the form of a Q- differential equation, which heavily constrains the first derivatives of the transcendental functions entering the ratio function. At four loops, it leaves only a 34-parameter space of functions. Constraints from the collinear limits, and from the multi-Regge limit at the leading-logarithmic (LL) and next-to-leading-logarithmic (NLL) order, suffice to fix these parameters and obtain a unique result. We test the result against multi- Regge predictions at NNLL and N3LL, and against predictions from the operator product expansion involving one and two flux-tube excitations; all cross-checks are satisfied. We also study the analytical and numerical behavior of the parity-even and parity-odd parts on various lines and surfaces traversing the three-dimensional space of cross ratios. As part of this program, we characterize all irreducible hexagon functions through weight eight in terms of their coproduct. Furthermore, we provide representations of the ratio function in particular kinematic regions in terms of multiple polylogarithms.

  3. The four-loop six-gluon NMHV ratio function

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dixon, Lance J. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University,Stanford, CA 94309 (United States); Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics, California Institute of Technology,Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Hippel, Matt von [Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics,Waterloo, Ontario N2L 2Y5 (Canada); McLeod, Andrew J. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University,Stanford, CA 94309 (United States)

    2016-01-11

    We use the hexagon function bootstrap to compute the ratio function which characterizes the next-to-maximally-helicity-violating (NMHV) six-point amplitude in planar N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory at four loops. A powerful constraint comes from dual superconformal invariance, in the form of a Q̄ differential equation, which heavily constrains the first derivatives of the transcendental functions entering the ratio function. At four loops, it leaves only a 34-parameter space of functions. Constraints from the collinear limits, and from the multi-Regge limit at the leading-logarithmic (LL) and next-to-leading-logarithmic (NLL) order, suffice to fix these parameters and obtain a unique result. We test the result against multi-Regge predictions at NNLL and N{sup 3}LL, and against predictions from the operator product expansion involving one and two flux-tube excitations; all cross-checks are satisfied. We study the analytical and numerical behavior of the parity-even and parity-odd parts on various lines and surfaces traversing the three-dimensional space of cross ratios. As part of this program, we characterize all irreducible hexagon functions through weight eight in terms of their coproduct. We also provide representations of the ratio function in particular kinematic regions in terms of multiple polylogarithms.

  4. Quantitative EEG analysis using error reduction ratio-causality test; validation on simulated and real EEG data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarrigiannis, Ptolemaios G; Zhao, Yifan; Wei, Hua-Liang; Billings, Stephen A; Fotheringham, Jayne; Hadjivassiliou, Marios

    2014-01-01

    To introduce a new method of quantitative EEG analysis in the time domain, the error reduction ratio (ERR)-causality test. To compare performance against cross-correlation and coherence with phase measures. A simulation example was used as a gold standard to assess the performance of ERR-causality, against cross-correlation and coherence. The methods were then applied to real EEG data. Analysis of both simulated and real EEG data demonstrates that ERR-causality successfully detects dynamically evolving changes between two signals, with very high time resolution, dependent on the sampling rate of the data. Our method can properly detect both linear and non-linear effects, encountered during analysis of focal and generalised seizures. We introduce a new quantitative EEG method of analysis. It detects real time levels of synchronisation in the linear and non-linear domains. It computes directionality of information flow with corresponding time lags. This novel dynamic real time EEG signal analysis unveils hidden neural network interactions with a very high time resolution. These interactions cannot be adequately resolved by the traditional methods of coherence and cross-correlation, which provide limited results in the presence of non-linear effects and lack fidelity for changes appearing over small periods of time. Copyright © 2013 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Blind deblurring of spiral CT images - comparative studies on edge-to-noise ratios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang Ming; Wan Ge; Skinner, Margaret W.; Rubinstein, Jay T.; Vannier, Michael W.

    2002-01-01

    A recently developed blind deblurring algorithm based on the edge-to-noise ratio has been applied to improve the quality of spiral CT images. Since the discrepancy measure used to quantify the edge and noise effects is not symmetric, there are several ways to formulate the edge-to-noise ratio. This article is to investigate the performance of those ratios with phantom and patient data. In the phantom study, it is shown that all the ratios share similar properties, validating the blind deblurring algorithm. The image fidelity improvement varies from 29% to 33% for different ratios, according to the root mean square error (RMSE) criterion; the optimal iteration number determined for each ratio varies from 25 to 35. Those ratios that are associated with most satisfactory performance are singled out for the image fidelity improvement of about 33% in the numerical simulation. After automatic blind deblurring with the selected ratios, the spatial resolution of CT is substantially refined in all the cases tested

  6. Non-linearity of the response accommodative convergence to accommodation ratio.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, Miriam S; Firth, Alison Y

    2013-09-01

    Previous studies have reported variation in stimulus accommodative convergence to accommodation (AC/A) ratio across differing accommodative stimuli. Response AC/A ratio was assessed across 4 accommodative demands to determine if these differences could be due to accommodative inaccuracies to stimuli. Twenty-three student participants aged 18 to 26 years (mean age 20.3 ± 1.7 years) successfully completed all testing conditions. The modified Thorington technique was used at 4 m to measure heterophoria. The Shin Nippon SRW 5000 infrared autorefractor was used to determine accommodative change to -1.50, -3.00, -4.50, and -6.00D lens stimuli. Significant differences were found in response AC/A ratio between different minus lens stimulated accommodative demands (p accommodative stimuli, but tended to increase with accommodative demand. Significant variability in response AC/A ratio was found, both within individuals to different accommodative demands, and between individuals across the data set.

  7. Predictive contribution of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio in diagnosis of brucellosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olt, Serdar; Ergenç, Hasan; Açıkgöz, Seyyid Bilal

    2015-01-01

    Here we wanted to investigate predictive value of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in the diagnosis of brucellosis. Thirty-two brucellosis patients diagnosed with positive serum agglutination test and thirty-two randomized healthy subjects were enrolled in this study retrospectively. Result with ROC analyzes the baseline NLR and hemoglobin values were found to be significantly associated with brucellosis (P = 0.01, P = 0.01, resp.). Herein we demonstrated for the first time that NLR values were significantly associated with brucellosis. This situation can help clinicians during diagnosis of brucellosis.

  8. The e/h ratio of the ATLAS hadronic tile calorimeter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Budagov, Yu.A.; Vinogradov, V.B.; Kul'chitskij, Yu.A.; Kuz'min, M.V.

    2002-01-01

    We have determined the e/h ratios of the Module-0 of the ATLAS iron-scintillator barrel hadron tile calorimeter for five values of pseudorapidity η in the range of -0.55 ≤ η ≤ -0.15 for the beam energy range from 10 to 300 GeV on the basis of the July 1999 test beam data. These e/h ratios demonstrate independence from |η| value. The mean value is e/h = 1.362 + 0.006. The results are compared with the existing experimental data and with some Monte Carlo calculations

  9. Design, Fabrication, and Performance Test of a 100-W Helical-Blade Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine at Low Tip-Speed Ratio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dowon Han

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available A 100-W helical-blade vertical-axis wind turbine was designed, manufactured, and tested in a wind tunnel. A relatively low tip-speed ratio of 1.1 was targeted for usage in an urban environment at a rated wind speed of 9 m/s and a rotational speed of 170 rpm. The basic dimensions were determined through a momentum-based design method according to the IEC 61400-2 protocol. The power output was estimated by a mathematical model that takes into account the aerodynamic performance of the NACA0018 blade shape. The lift and drag of the blade with respect to the angle of attack during rotation were calculated using 2D computational fluid dynamics (CFD simulation to take into account stall region. The average power output calculated by the model was 108.34 W, which satisfies the target output of 100 W. The manufactured wind turbine was tested in a large closed-circuit wind tunnel, and the power outputs were measured for given wind speeds. At the design condition, the measured power output was 114.7 W, which is 5.9% higher than that of the mathematical model. This result validates the proposed design method and power estimation by the mathematical model.

  10. Parametric analysis of diffuser requirements for high expansion ratio space engine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wojciechowski, C. J.; Anderson, P. G.

    1981-01-01

    A supersonic diffuser ejector design computer program was developed. Using empirically modified one dimensional flow methods the diffuser ejector geometry is specified by the code. The design code results for calculations up to the end of the diffuser second throat were verified. Diffuser requirements for sea level testing of high expansion ratio space engines were defined. The feasibility of an ejector system using two commonly available turbojet engines feeding two variable area ratio ejectors was demonstrated.

  11. The Measurement of Fuel-Air Ratio by Analysis for the Oxidized Exhaust Gas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerrish, Harold C.; Meem, J. Lawrence, Jr.

    1943-01-01

    An investigation was made to determine a method of measuring fuel-air ratio that could be used for test purposes in flight and for checking conventional equipment in the laboratory. Two single-cylinder test engines equipped with typical commercial engine cylinders were used. The fuel-air ratio of the mixture delivered to the engines was determined by direct measurement of the quantity of air and of fuel supplied and also by analysis of the oxidized exhaust gas and of the normal exhaust gas. Five fuels were used: gasoline that complied with Army-Navy fuel Specification No. AN-VV-F-781 and four mixtures of this gasoline with toluene, benzene, and xylene. The method of determining the fuel-air ratio described in this report involves the measurement of the carbon-dioxide content of the oxidized exhaust gas and the use of graphs for the presented equation. This method is considered useful in aircraft, in the field, or in the laboratory for a range of fuel-air ratios from 0.047 to 0.124.

  12. The Measurement of Fuel-air Ratio by Analysis of the Oxidized Exhaust Gas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Memm, J. Lawrence, Jr.

    1943-01-01

    An investigation was made to determine a method of measuring fuel-air ratio that could be used for test purposes in flight and for checking conventional equipment in the laboratory. Two single-cylinder test engines equipped with typical commercial engine cylinders were used. The fuel-air ratio of the mixture delivered to the engines was determined by direct measurement of the quantity of air and of fuel supplied and also by analysis of the oxidized exhaust gas and of the normal exhaust gas. Five fuels were used: gasoline that complied with Army-Navy Fuel Specification, No. AN-VV-F-781 and four mixtures of this gasoline with toluene, benzene, and xylene. The method of determining the fuel-air ratio described in this report involves the measurement of the carbon-dioxide content of the oxidized exhaust gas and the use of graphs or the presented equation. This method is considered useful in aircraft, in the field, or in the laboratory for a range of fuel-air ratios from 0.047 to 0.124

  13. Stochastic properties of the consumption-income ratios in central and eastern European countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giray Gozgor

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to investigate stochastic properties of the consumption-income ratios in eleven central and eastern European (CEE countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The heterogeneous panel unit root tests are used to account for cross-sectional dependence and the Modified Augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root test over the period March 1997-September 2012. The half-lives are also calculated as to find the strong mean-reversion in the consumption income ratio for nine of eleven CEE economies; and the exceptions are Croatia and Slovenia. In other words, empirical findings provide significant support for the existence of hypothesis that the consumption-income ratio is a mean reversion. Accordingly, the policy implications have permanent effects on the consumption of households only in Croatia and Slovenia.

  14. Standard test method for the determination of uranium by ignition and the oxygen to uranium (O/U) atomic ratio of nuclear grade uranium dioxide powders and pellets

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2000-01-01

    1.1 This test method covers the determination of uranium and the oxygen to uranium atomic ratio in nuclear grade uranium dioxide powder and pellets. 1.2 This test method does not include provisions for preventing criticality accidents or requirements for health and safety. Observance of this test method does not relieve the user of the obligation to be aware of and conform to all international, national, or federal, state and local regulations pertaining to possessing, shipping, processing, or using source or special nuclear material. 1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. 1.4 This test method also is applicable to UO3 and U3O8 powder.

  15. Benthic foraminiferal Mn / Ca ratios reflect microhabitat preferences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koho, Karoliina A.; de Nooijer, Lennart J.; Fontanier, Christophe; Toyofuku, Takashi; Oguri, Kazumasa; Kitazato, Hiroshi; Reichart, Gert-Jan

    2017-06-01

    The Mn / Ca of calcium carbonate tests of living (rose-Bengal-stained) benthic foraminifera (Elphidium batialis, Uvigerina spp., Bolivina spissa, Nonionellina labradorica and Chilostomellina fimbriata) were determined in relation to pore water manganese (Mn) concentrations for the first time along a bottom water oxygen gradient across the continental slope along the NE Japan margin (western Pacific). The local bottom water oxygen (BWO) gradient differs from previous field study sites focusing on foraminiferal Mn / Ca and redox chemistry, therefore allowing further resolution of previously observed trends. The Mn / Ca ratios were analysed using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS), allowing single-chamber determination of Mn / Ca. The incorporation of Mn into the carbonate tests reflects environmental conditions and is not influenced by ontogeny. The inter-species variability in Mn / Ca reflected foraminiferal in-sediment habitat preferences and associated pore water chemistry but also showed large interspecific differences in Mn partitioning. At each station, Mn / Ca ratios were always lower in the shallow infaunal E. batialis, occupying relatively oxygenated sediments, compared to intermediate infaunal species, Uvigerina spp. and B. spissa, which were typically found at greater depth, under more reducing conditions. The highest Mn / Ca was always recorded by the deep infaunal species N. labradorica and C. fimbriata. Our results suggest that although partitioning differs, Mn / Ca ratios in the intermediate infaunal taxa are promising tools for palaeoceanographic reconstructions as their microhabitat exposes them to higher variability in pore water Mn, thereby making them relatively sensitive recorders of redox conditions and/or bottom water oxygenation.

  16. Investigating the Partial Relationships Between Testability and the Dynamic Range-to-Domain Ratio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zuhoor Al-Khanjari

    2003-11-01

    Full Text Available The word ‘testability’ has been used variously in the software community to represent a number of different concepts such as how easy it is to test a program or how easy it is to achieve execution coverage of certain program components. Voas and colleagues have used the word to capture a slightly different notion, namely the ease with which faults, if present in a program, can be revealed by the testing process. The significance of this concept is twofold. First, if it is possible to measure or estimate testability, it can guide the tester in deciding where to focus the testing effort. Secondly, knowledge about what makes some programs more testable than others can guide the developer so that design-for-test features are built in to the software. The propagation, infection and execution (PIE analysis technique has been proposed as a way of estimating the Voas notion of testability. Unfortunately, estimating testability via the PIE technique is a difficult and costly process. However, Voas has suggested a link with the metric, domain-to-range ratio (DRR. This paper reviews the various testability concepts and summarises the PIE technique. A prototype tool developed by the authors to automate part of the PIE analysis is described and a method is proposed for dynamically determining the inverse of the domain-to-range ratio. This inverse ratio can be considered more natural in some sense and the idea of calculating its value from program execution leads to the possibility of automating its determination. Some experiments have been performed to investigate empirically whether there is a partial link between testability and this dynamic range-to-domain ratio (DRDR. Statistical tests have shown that for some programs and computational functions there is a strong relationship, but for others the relationship is weak.

  17. Pengaruh Profitabilitas Dan Likuiditas Terhadap Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) Pada Bank Rakyat Indonesia (PERSERO) Tbk

    OpenAIRE

    Situmorang, Patar Sardo

    2011-01-01

    There are several factor that influent in banking performance such as liquidity and profitability. There could be represented with its financial ratios which can predict banking performance on capital matter (Capital Adequacy Ratio). The purpose of this research is to test influence of the variabel Interest Margin Loan (IML), Return on Equity (ROE), Loan To Deposit Ratio (LDR), and Reserve Requirement (GWM) toward Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR). Data was used in this research based on public...

  18. Further Evaluation of Covariate Analysis using Empirical Bayes Estimates in Population Pharmacokinetics: the Perception of Shrinkage and Likelihood Ratio Test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Xu Steven; Yuan, Min; Yang, Haitao; Feng, Yan; Xu, Jinfeng; Pinheiro, Jose

    2017-01-01

    Covariate analysis based on population pharmacokinetics (PPK) is used to identify clinically relevant factors. The likelihood ratio test (LRT) based on nonlinear mixed effect model fits is currently recommended for covariate identification, whereas individual empirical Bayesian estimates (EBEs) are considered unreliable due to the presence of shrinkage. The objectives of this research were to investigate the type I error for LRT and EBE approaches, to confirm the similarity of power between the LRT and EBE approaches from a previous report and to explore the influence of shrinkage on LRT and EBE inferences. Using an oral one-compartment PK model with a single covariate impacting on clearance, we conducted a wide range of simulations according to a two-way factorial design. The results revealed that the EBE-based regression not only provided almost identical power for detecting a covariate effect, but also controlled the false positive rate better than the LRT approach. Shrinkage of EBEs is likely not the root cause for decrease in power or inflated false positive rate although the size of the covariate effect tends to be underestimated at high shrinkage. In summary, contrary to the current recommendations, EBEs may be a better choice for statistical tests in PPK covariate analysis compared to LRT. We proposed a three-step covariate modeling approach for population PK analysis to utilize the advantages of EBEs while overcoming their shortcomings, which allows not only markedly reducing the run time for population PK analysis, but also providing more accurate covariate tests.

  19. The spleen-to-liver ratios in hepatic diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vorne, M.; Jurvelin, J.; Vaehaetalo, S.; Himanka, E.

    1984-01-01

    We compared light pen (LPEN) and Region of Interest (ROI) computer methods in determining spleen-to-liver (S/L) ratios both in anterior and posterior images in various liver diseases. The S/L ratio was independent of age or type of colloid used (equal particle size provided). Results with corresponding LPEN and ROI programs did not differ significantly from each other. The sensitivity and specificity were tested and the anterior view yielded somewhat better results than the posterior view but the best results were obtained when both projections were used. The sensitivity for all liver diseases was 60% and the corresponding specificity 93%. In hepatocellular diseases the sensitivity was 80-100%, but the S/L ratio had only 37% sensitivity for hepatic metastases. Hepatomegaly in the anterior view was found in 67% of fatty liver cases, in 25% of cirrhosis cases, in 20% of hepatitis and in 25% of metastatic livers. Splenomegaly was noted in 39-54% of patients with hepatocellular diseases but only in 4-10% of metastatic diseases. (orig.) [de

  20. Platinum stable isotope ratio measurements by double-spike multiple collector ICPMS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Creech, John; Baker, Joel; Handler, Monica

    2013-01-01

    We present a new technique for the precise determination of platinum (Pt) stable isotope ratios by multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) using two different Pt double-spikes ( Pt-Pt and Pt-Pt). Results are expressed relative to the IRMM-010 Pt isotope standard......) can be obtained on Pt stable isotope ratios with either double-spike. Elemental doping tests reveal that double-spike corrected Pt stable isotope ratios are insensitive to the presence of relatively high (up to 10%) levels of matrix elements, although the Pt-Pt double-spike is affected by an isobaric...... = 7.308%) results in a redefined Pt atomic weight of 195.08395 ± 0.00068. Using our technique we have measured small, reproducible and statistically significant offsets in Pt stable isotope ratios between different Pt element standards and the IRMM-010 standard, which potentially indicates...

  1. Second to fourth digit ratio: a predictor of adult lung function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I-Nae Park

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Sex and sex hormones play a major role in lung physiology. It has been proposed that the ratio of the second to fourth digits (digit ratio is correlated with fetal sex hormones. We therefore hypothesized that digit ratio might help predict lung function. We investigated the relationship between digit ratio and pulmonary function test (PFT fi ndings. A total of 245 South Korean patients (162 male, 83 female aged from 34 to 90 years who were hospitalized for urological surgery were prospectively enrolled. Before administering the PFTs, the lengths of the second and fourth digits of the right hand were measured by a single investigator using a digital Vernier caliper. In males (n = 162, univariate and multivariate analysis using linear regression models showed that digit ratio was a signifi cant predictive factor of forced vital capacity (FVC and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1 (FVC: r = 0.156, P = 0.047; FEV1: r = 0.160, P = 0.042. In male ever-smokers (n = 69, lung functions (FVC and FEV1 were correlated with smoking exposure rather than digit ratio. In female never-smokers (n = 83, lung functions (FEV1 and FEV1/FVC ratio were positively correlated with digit ratio on univariate analysis (FEV1: r = 0.242, P = 0.027; FEV1/FVC ratio: r = 0.245, P = 0.026. Patients with lower digit ratios tend to have decreased lung function. These results suggest that digit ratio is a predictor of airway function.

  2. Sex ratios, mating frequencies and relative abundance of sympatric millipedes in the genus Chersastus (Diplopoda: Pachybolidae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark Ian Cooper

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Three hypotheses exist for explaining climbing behavior in millipedes: 1 waterlogging, 2 detritus limiting, and 3 mate avoidance. Data of sex ratios, mating frequency and relative abundance are provided to suggest an alternative explanation for the pattern in sympatric forest millipedes. Sex ratio differences - from equality - were tested using a G-test comparing millipedes on and above ground. Mating frequencies were calculated based on the percentage of paired individuals. Relative abundance may correlate with male-biases in the sex ratios. All three factors suggest Chersastus inscriptus has a higher reproductive potential than C. anulatus. This is evidence for mating hotspots.

  3. Comparison of hamstring/quadriceps ratio between isoinertial and isokinetic measurements

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Da Silva, Bruna G C; Bottaro, Martim; Weber, Fernanda S.; Radaelli, Regis; Gaya, Anelise R.; Cardoso, Marcelo S.; Brown, Lee E.; Carregaro, Rodrigo; Pinto, Ronei S.

    2013-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To determine the applicability and predictive accuracy of an isoinertial resistance machine for the assessment of hamstring/quadriceps conventional (concentric) ratio (CR). METHOD: Thirty-two resistance trained young men (23.53 ± 3.2 yrs) were tested using dedicated instruments to obtain

  4. The Benefits of Financial Ratios' as the Indocators of Future Bankruptcy on the Economic Crisis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Setia Mulyawan

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available It is proved that financial ratios can predict future bankruptcy even on high uncertainty conditions such as an economic crisis. The research indicates that the accuracy of prediction is more increasing in line with a coming bankruptcy.The result of the research shows that four years before a corporate becomes bankrupt there have been significant differences of financial ratios between bankrupt company and sustained one. The ratios of liquidity, profitability, activity, and return on investment of sustained company are higher; while the leverage ratio is lower.The dominant influencing financial ratios toward a bankruptcy are liquidity and leverage ratios. The research finds that from ten tested ratios, Current Asset to current liabilities and total liabilities to total asset are the dominant financial ratios

  5. Effects of free-stream turbulence intensity and blowing ratio on film cooling of turbine blade leading edge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, S. M.; Kim, Youn J.; Cho, H. H.

    2001-01-01

    We used a cylindrical model which simulates turbine blade leading edge to investigate the effects of free-stream turbulence intensity and blowing ratio on film cooling of turbine blade leading edge. Tests are carried out in a low-speed wind tunnel on a cylindrical model with three rows of injection holes. Mainstream Reynolds number based on the cylinder diameter was 7.1x10 4 . Two types of turbulence grid are used to increase a free-stream turbulence intensity. The effect of coolant blowing ratio was studied for various blowing ratios. For each blowing ratios, wall temperatures around the surface of the test model are measured by thermocouples installed inside the model. Results show that blowing ratios have small effect on spanwise-averaged film effectiveness at high free-stream turbulence intensity. However, an increase in free-stream turbulence intensity enhances significantly spanwise-averaged film effectiveness at low blowing ratio

  6. Financial Key Ratios

    OpenAIRE

    Tănase Alin-Eliodor

    2014-01-01

    This article focuses on computing techniques starting from trial balance data regarding financial key ratios. There are presented activity, liquidity, solvency and profitability financial key ratios. It is presented a computing methodology in three steps based on a trial balance.

  7. Modelling the liquidity ratio as macroprudential instrument

    OpenAIRE

    Jan Willem van den End; Mark Kruidhof

    2012-01-01

    The Basel III Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) is a microprudential instrument to strengthen the liquidity position of banks. However, if in extreme scenarios the LCR becomes a binding constraint, the interaction of bank behaviour with the regulatory rule can have negative externalities. We simulate the systemic implications of the LCR by a liquidity stress-testing model, which takes into account the impact of bank reactions on second round feedback effects. We show that a flexible approach of ...

  8. concentrate ratio and rumen ammonia concentration on in situ

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The aim of this experiment was to distinguish between the effects of dietary roughage: concentrate ratio and rumen ammonia ... several factors which include the potential rate and extent of degradation of the test feedstuff and the prevailing rate of ... diet effects have be,en designed to examine either the influence of dietary ...

  9. The dividend-price ratio does predict dividend growth: International evidence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Engsted, Tom; Pedersen, Thomas Quistgaard

    Unpredictable dividend growth by the dividend-price ratio is considered a 'stylized fact' in post war US data. Using long-term data, covering more than 80 years from the US and three European countries, we revisit this stylized fact, and we also report results on return predictability. We find...... similar to those for the US. For Sweden and Denmark we find no evidence of return predictability, but strong evidence of predictable dividend growth in the 'right' direction on both short and long horizons and over both the full sample periods and the post war period. We also document that implied long......-horizon coefficients from VAR's often differ substantially from direct estimates in multi-year regres- sions. Throughout, we report both standard asymptotic tests and simulated small- sample tests and, following Cochrane (2008), we investigate the joint distribution of dividend-price ratio coefficients in return...

  10. The ξ/ξ2nd ratio as a test for Effective Polyakov Loop Actions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caselle, Michele; Nada, Alessandro

    2018-03-01

    Effective Polyakov line actions are a powerful tool to study the finite temperature behaviour of lattice gauge theories. They are much simpler to simulate than the original (3+1) dimensional LGTs and are affected by a milder sign problem. However it is not clear to which extent they really capture the rich spectrum of the original theories, a feature which is instead of great importance if one aims to address the sign problem. We propose here a simple way to address this issue based on the so called second moment correlation length ξ2nd. The ratio ξ/ξ2nd between the exponential correlation length and the second moment one is equal to 1 if only a single mass is present in the spectrum, and becomes larger and larger as the complexity of the spectrum increases. Since both ξexp and ξ2nd are easy to measure on the lattice, this is an economic and effective way to keep track of the spectrum of the theory. In this respect we show using both numerical simulation and effective string calculations that this ratio increases dramatically as the temperature decreases. This non-trivial behaviour should be reproduced by the Polyakov loop effective action.

  11. Lactate: creatinine ratio in babies with thin meconium staining of amniotic fluid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ojha, Rishi Kant; Singh, Saroj K; Batra, Sanjay; Sreenivas, V; Puliyel, Jacob M

    2006-01-01

    Background ACOG states meconium stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) as one of the historical indicators of perinatal asphyxia. Thick meconium along with other indicators is used to identify babies with severe intrapartum asphyxia. Lactate creatinine ratio (L: C ratio) of 0.64 or higher in first passed urine of babies suffering severe intrapartum asphyxia has been shown to predict Hypoxic Ischaemic Encephalopathy (HIE). Literature review shows that meconium is passed in distress and thin meconium results from mixing and dilution over time, which may be hours to days. Thin meconium may thus be used as an indicator of antepartum asphyxia. We tested L: C ratios in a group of babies born through thin and thick meconium, and for comparison, in a group of babies without meconium at birth. Methods 86 consecutive newborns, 36 to 42 weeks of gestation, with meconium staining of liquor, were recruited for the study. 52 voided urine within 6 hours of birth; of these 27 had thick meconium and 25 had thin meconium at birth. 42 others, who did not have meconium or any other signs of asphyxia at birth provided controls. Lactate and creatinine levels in urine were tested by standard enzymatic methods in the three groups. Results Lactate values are highest in the thin MSAF group followed by the thick MSAF and controls. Creatinine was lowest in the thin MSAF, followed by thick MSAF and controls. Normal babies had an average L: C ratio of 0.13 (± 0.09). L: C ratio was more among thin MSAF babies (4.3 ± 11.94) than thick MSAF babies (0.35 ± 0.35). Median L: C ratio was also higher in the thin MSAF group. Variation in the values of these parameters is observed to be high in the thin MSAF group as compared to other groups. L: C ratio was above the cutoff of 0.64 of Huang et al in 40% of those with thin meconium. 2 of these developed signs of HIE with convulsions (HIE Sarnat and Sarnat Stage II) during hospital stay. One had L: C Ratio of 93 and the other of 58.6. A smaller proportion (20

  12. Online stable carbon isotope ratio measurement in formic acid, acetic acid, methanol and ethanol in water by high performance liquid chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tagami, Keiko; Uchida, Shigeo

    2008-01-01

    A suitable analysis condition was determined for high performance liquid chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (HPLC-IRMS) while making sequential measurements of stable carbon isotope ratios of δ 13 C in formic acid, acetic acid, methanol and ethanol dissolved in water. For this online column separation method, organic reagents are not applicable due to carbon contamination; thus, water and KH 2 PO 4 at low concentrations were tested as mobile phase in combination with a HyPURITY AQUASTAR TM column. Formic acid, acetic acid, methanol and ethanol were separated when 2 mM KH 2 PO 4 aqueous solution was used. Under the determined analysis condition for HPLC-IRMS, carbon concentrations could be measured quantitatively as well as carbon isotope ratio when carbon concentration was higher than 0.4 mM L for each chemical

  13. Nondestructive measurement of the grid ratio using a single image

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pasciak, A. S.; Jones, A. Kyle

    2009-01-01

    The antiscatter grid is an essential part of modern radiographic systems. Since the introduction of the antiscatter grid, however, there have been few methods proposed for acceptance testing and verification of manufacturer-supplied grid specifications. The grid ratio (r) is an important parameter describing the antiscatter grid because it affects many other grid quality metrics, such as the contrast improvement ratio (K), primary transmission (T p ), and scatter transmission (T s ). Also, the grid ratio in large part determines the primary clinical use of the grid. To this end, the authors present a technique for the nondestructive measurement of the grid ratio of antiscatter grids. They derived an equation that can be used to calculate the grid ratio from a single off-focus flat field image by exploiting the relationship between grid cutoff and off-focus distance. The calculation can be performed by hand or with included analysis software. They calculated the grid ratios of several different grids throughout the institution, and afterward they destructively measured the grid ratio of a nominal r8 grid previously evaluated with the method. They also studied the sensitivity of the method to technical factors and choice of parameters. With one exception, the results for the grids found in the institution were in agreement with the manufacturer's specifications and international standards. The nondestructive evaluation of the r8 grid indicated a ratio of 7.3, while the destructive measurement indicated a ratio of 7.53±0.28. Repeated evaluations of the same grid yielded consistent results. The technique provides the medical physicist with a new tool for quantitative evaluation of the grid ratio, an important grid performance criterion. The method is robust and repeatable when appropriate choices of technical factors and other parameters are made.

  14. New decision criteria for selecting delta check methods based on the ratio of the delta difference to the width of the reference range can be generally applicable for each clinical chemistry test item.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Sang Hyuk; Kim, So-Young; Lee, Woochang; Chun, Sail; Min, Won-Ki

    2012-09-01

    Many laboratories use 4 delta check methods: delta difference, delta percent change, rate difference, and rate percent change. However, guidelines regarding decision criteria for selecting delta check methods have not yet been provided. We present new decision criteria for selecting delta check methods for each clinical chemistry test item. We collected 811,920 and 669,750 paired (present and previous) test results for 27 clinical chemistry test items from inpatients and outpatients, respectively. We devised new decision criteria for the selection of delta check methods based on the ratio of the delta difference to the width of the reference range (DD/RR). Delta check methods based on these criteria were compared with those based on the CV% of the absolute delta difference (ADD) as well as those reported in 2 previous studies. The delta check methods suggested by new decision criteria based on the DD/RR ratio corresponded well with those based on the CV% of the ADD except for only 2 items each in inpatients and outpatients. Delta check methods based on the DD/RR ratio also corresponded with those suggested in the 2 previous studies, except for 1 and 7 items in inpatients and outpatients, respectively. The DD/RR method appears to yield more feasible and intuitive selection criteria and can easily explain changes in the results by reflecting both the biological variation of the test item and the clinical characteristics of patients in each laboratory. We suggest this as a measure to determine delta check methods.

  15. 40 CFR Appendix C to Part 300 - Swirling Flask Dispersant Effectiveness Test, Revised Standard Dispersant Toxicity Test, and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... the test oil (i.e., a dispersant-to-oil ratio of 1:10). This ratio is used in the test tank with... minutes for oil droplet “settling.” 7. At the conclusion of the 10-minute settling period, carefully...

  16. Elliptic nozzle aspect ratio effect on controlled jet propagation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, S M Aravindh; Rathakrishnan, Ethirajan, E-mail: aravinds@iitk.ac.in, E-mail: erath@iitk.ac.in [Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (India)

    2017-04-15

    The present study deals with the control of a Mach 2 elliptic jet from a convergent–divergent elliptic nozzle of aspect ratio 4 using tabs at the nozzle exit. The experiments were carried out for rectangular and triangular tabs of the same blockage, placed along the major and minor axes of the nozzle exit, at different levels of nozzle expansion. The triangular tabs along the minor axis promoted superior mixing compared to the other controlled jets and caused substantial core length reduction at all the nozzle pressure ratios studied. The rectangular tabs along the minor axis caused core length reduction at all pressure ratios, but the values were minimal compared to that of triangular tabs along the minor axis. For all the test conditions, the mixing promotion caused by tabs along the major axis was inferior to that of tabs along the minor axis. The waves present in the core of controlled jets were visualized using a shadowgraph. Comparison of the present results with the results of a controlled Mach 2 elliptic jet of aspect ratio 2 (Aravindh Kumar and Sathakrishnan 2016 J. Propulsion Power 32 121–33, Aravindh Kumar and Rathakrishnan 2016 J. Aerospace Eng. at press (doi:10.1177/0954410016652921)) show that for all levels of expansion, the mixing effectiveness of triangular tabs along the minor axis of an aspect ratio 4 nozzle is better than rectangular or triangular tabs along the minor axis of an aspect ratio 2 nozzle. (paper)

  17. Elliptic nozzle aspect ratio effect on controlled jet propagation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, S M Aravindh; Rathakrishnan, Ethirajan

    2017-01-01

    The present study deals with the control of a Mach 2 elliptic jet from a convergent–divergent elliptic nozzle of aspect ratio 4 using tabs at the nozzle exit. The experiments were carried out for rectangular and triangular tabs of the same blockage, placed along the major and minor axes of the nozzle exit, at different levels of nozzle expansion. The triangular tabs along the minor axis promoted superior mixing compared to the other controlled jets and caused substantial core length reduction at all the nozzle pressure ratios studied. The rectangular tabs along the minor axis caused core length reduction at all pressure ratios, but the values were minimal compared to that of triangular tabs along the minor axis. For all the test conditions, the mixing promotion caused by tabs along the major axis was inferior to that of tabs along the minor axis. The waves present in the core of controlled jets were visualized using a shadowgraph. Comparison of the present results with the results of a controlled Mach 2 elliptic jet of aspect ratio 2 (Aravindh Kumar and Sathakrishnan 2016 J. Propulsion Power 32 121–33, Aravindh Kumar and Rathakrishnan 2016 J. Aerospace Eng. at press (doi:10.1177/0954410016652921)) show that for all levels of expansion, the mixing effectiveness of triangular tabs along the minor axis of an aspect ratio 4 nozzle is better than rectangular or triangular tabs along the minor axis of an aspect ratio 2 nozzle. (paper)

  18. A generalization of Bertrand's test

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amirali Tabatabai Adnani

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available One of the most practical routine tests for convergence of a positive series makes use of the ratio test. If this test fails, we can use Rabbe's test. When Rabbe's test fails the next sharper criteria which may sometimes be used is the Bertrand's test. If this test fails,we can use a generalization of Bertrand's test and such tests can be continued in nitely. For simplicity, we call ratio test, Rabbe's test, Bertrand's test as the Bertrand's test of order 0, 1 and 2, respectively. In this paper, we generalize Bertrand's test in order k for natural k > 2. It is also shown that for any k, there exists a series such that the Bertrand's test of order fails, but such test of order k + 1 is useful, furthermore we show that there exists a series such that for any k, Bertrand's test of order k fails. The only prerequisite for reading this article is a standard knowledge of advanced calculus.

  19. First measurements of (236)U concentrations and (236)U/(239)Pu isotopic ratios in a Southern Hemisphere soil far from nuclear test or reactor sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srncik, M; Tims, S G; De Cesare, M; Fifield, L K

    2014-06-01

    The variation of the (236)U and (239)Pu concentrations as a function of depth has been studied in a soil profile at a site in the Southern Hemisphere well removed from nuclear weapon test sites. Total inventories of (236)U and (239)Pu as well as the (236)U/(239)Pu isotopic ratio were derived. For this investigation a soil core from an undisturbed forest area in the Herbert River catchment (17°30' - 19°S) which is located in north-eastern Queensland (Australia) was chosen. The chemical separation of U and Pu was carried out with a double column which has the advantage of the extraction of both elements from a relatively large soil sample (∼20 g) within a day. The samples were measured by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry using the 14UD pelletron accelerator at the Australian National University. The highest atom concentrations of both (236)U and (239)Pu were found at a depth of 2-3 cm. The (236)U/(239)Pu isotopic ratio in fallout at this site, as deduced from the ratio of the (236)U and (239)Pu inventories, is 0.085 ± 0.003 which is clearly lower than the Northern Hemisphere value of ∼0.2. The (236)U inventory of (8.4 ± 0.3) × 10(11) at/m(2) was more than an order of magnitude lower than values reported for the Northern Hemisphere. The (239)Pu activity concentrations are in excellent agreement with a previous study and the (239+240)Pu inventory was (13.85 ± 0.29) Bq/m(2). The weighted mean (240)Pu/(239)Pu isotopic ratio of 0.142 ± 0.005 is slightly lower than the value for global fallout, but our results are consistent with the average ratio of 0.173 ± 0.027 for the southern equatorial region (0-30°S). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. A Time-Measurement System Based on Isotopic Ratios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vo, Duc T.; Karpius, P.J.; MacArthur, D.W.; Thron, J.L.

    2007-01-01

    A time-measurement system can be built based on the ratio of gamma-ray peak intensities from two radioactive isotopes. The ideal system would use a parent isotope with a short half-life decaying to a long half-life daughter. The activities of the parent-daughter isotopes would be measured using a gamma-ray detector system. The time can then be determined from the ratio of the activities. The best-known candidate for such a system is the 241 Pu- 241 Am parent-daughter pair. However, this 241 Pu- 241 Am system would require a high-purity germanium detector system and sophisticated software to separate and distinguish between the many gamma-ray peaks produced by the decays of the two isotopes. An alternate system would use two different isotopes, again one with a short half-life and one with a half-life that is long relative to the other. The pair of isotopes 210 Pb and 241 Am (with half-lives of 22 and 432 years, respectively) appears suitable for such a system. This time-measurement system operates by measuring the change in the ratio of the 47-keV peak of 210 Pb to the 60-keV peak of 241 Am. For the system to work reasonably well, the resolution of the detector would need to be such that the two gamma-ray peaks are well separated so that their peak areas can be accurately determined using a simple region-of-interest (ROI) method. A variety of detectors were tested to find a suitable system for this application. The results of these tests are presented here.

  1. Performances of the likelihood-ratio classifier based on different data modelings

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chen, C.; Veldhuis, Raymond N.J.

    2008-01-01

    The classical likelihood ratio classifier easily collapses in many biometric applications especially with independent training-test subjects. The reason lies in the inaccurate estimation of the underlying user-specific feature density. Firstly, the feature density estimation suffers from

  2. Fluid-Elastic Instability Tests on Parallel Triangular Tube Bundles with Different Mass Ratio Values under Increasing and Decreasing Flow Velocities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu Zhang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available To study the effects of increasing and decreasing flow velocities on the fluid-elastic instability of tube bundles, the responses of an elastically mounted tube in a rigid parallel triangular tube bundle with a pitch-to-diameter ratio of 1.67 were tested in a water tunnel subjected to crossflow. Aluminum and stainless steel tubes were tested, respectively. In the in-line and transverse directions, the amplitudes, power spectrum density functions, response frequencies, added mass coefficients, and other results were obtained and compared. Results show that the nonlinear hysteresis phenomenon occurred in both tube bundle vibrations. When the flow velocity is decreasing, the tubes which have been in the state of fluid-elastic instability can keep on this state for a certain flow velocity range. During this process, the response frequencies of the tubes will decrease. Furthermore, the response frequencies of the aluminum tube can decrease much more than those of the stainless steel tube. The fluid-elastic instability constants fitted for these experiments were obtained from experimental data. A deeper insight into the fluid-elastic instability of tube bundles was also obtained by synthesizing the results. This study is beneficial for designing and operating equipment with tube bundles inside, as well as for further research on the fluid-elastic instability of tube bundles.

  3. Assessment of the Speech Intelligibility Performance of Post Lingual Cochlear Implant Users at Different Signal-to-Noise Ratios Using the Turkish Matrix Test

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zahra Polat

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Spoken word recognition and speech perception tests in quiet are being used as a routine in assessment of the benefit which children and adult cochlear implant users receive from their devices. Cochlear implant users generally demonstrate high level performances in these test materials as they are able to achieve high level speech perception ability in quiet situations. Although these test materials provide valuable information regarding Cochlear Implant (CI users’ performances in optimal listening conditions, they do not give realistic information regarding performances in adverse listening conditions, which is the case in the everyday environment. Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the speech intelligibility performance of post lingual CI users in the presence of noise at different signal-to-noise ratio with the Matrix Test developed for Turkish language. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The thirty post lingual implant user adult subjects, who had been using implants for a minimum of one year, were evaluated with Turkish Matrix test. Subjects’ speech intelligibility was measured using the adaptive and non-adaptive Matrix Test in quiet and noisy environments. Results: The results of the study show a correlation between Pure Tone Average (PTA values of the subjects and Matrix test Speech Reception Threshold (SRT values in the quiet. Hence, it is possible to asses PTA values of CI users using the Matrix Test also. However, no correlations were found between Matrix SRT values in the quiet and Matrix SRT values in noise. Similarly, the correlation between PTA values and intelligibility scores in noise was also not significant. Therefore, it may not be possible to assess the intelligibility performance of CI users using test batteries performed in quiet conditions. Conclusion: The Matrix Test can be used to assess the benefit of CI users from their systems in everyday life, since it is possible to perform

  4. The microstructure and mechanical properties of multilayer diamond-like carbon films with different modulation ratios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Zhaoying; Zheng, Y.J.; Jiang, F.; Leng, Y.X.; Sun Hong; Huang Nan

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► The multilayer DLC films with different modulation ratios have been fabricated by FCVA. ► The multilayer DLC films can effectively decrease the residual stress of the DLC films. ► The multilayer DLC film with modulation ratio of 1:1 shows the best wear resistance. - Abstract: The multilayer DLC films consisting of sp 2 -rich DLC layers (soft DLC) and sp 3 -rich DLC layers (hard DLC) with different modulation ratios (thickness ratio of the hard DLC to soft DLC) ranging from 2:1, 1:1 to 1:2 had been deposited on Si (1 0 0) wafer and Ti–6Al–4V alloy substrates by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition. The effect of modulation ratio on the microstructure and properties of the multilayer DLC films including sp 3 content, residual stress, mechanical properties, adhesion strength and wear resistance were studied by Raman spectroscopy, profilometry technique, nanoindenter, Vickers indentation test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ball-on-disc reciprocating friction test. The results showed that the sp 3 content and the hardness of the multilayer DLC films decreased with modulation ratios decreasing. The stress of the multilayer DLC films could be effectively reduced and the stress decreased with the modulation ratio decreasing. The multilayer DLC film with modulation ratio of 1:1 had the best wear resistance due to a balance between hardness and residual stress.

  5. Analysis of an employment of a gear ratio rate in CVT control system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grzegożek, W.; Szczepka, M.

    2016-09-01

    Continuously variable transmissions(CVTs) potentially ensure the selection of such a gear ratio that scooter fuel consumption can reach minimum value. Traditionally these CVT gearboxes are mechanically controlled, causing a gear ratio to be an engine revs function. This solution does not ensure optimum gear ratio. In this paper the solution for fuel optimal control problem is presented. The results obtained during brake stand research of scooter powertrains show the significant values of brake specific fuel consumption for the velocity that is maximum for a scooter according to highway code. With the introduction of CVT gearbox in which the selection of gear ratio can be controlled according to the worked out strategy the solution for fuel consumption problem is possible. Electromechanical actuators ensure the selection of a gear ratio independently of engine revs. Such type of construction solution makes working out the suitable control strategy that ensures decreasing of scooter fuel consumption possible. Presented strategies do not use precise optimization techniques. The CVT efficiency has a strong influence on transient operation. In the paper the control strategy owing to which fuel consumption decreases by over 40% is presented. The strategy was worked out on the basis of fuel consumption map for a defined scooter exploitation model. The possibilities of realization of the worked out strategy were tested on the brake test stand.

  6. Colorimetric determination of Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio in radioactive glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coleman, C.J.; Baumann, E.W.; Bibler, N.E.

    1992-01-01

    In the vitrification of nuclear wastes, the Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ ratio in the glass is a measure of the redox properties of the glass melt. It is necessary to measure this ratio to ensure that the melt redox properties are suitable for the glass melter. A colorimetric method for measuring the Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ ratio in highly radioactive glasses was developed and tested remotely in a shielded cell. The tests were performed on glasses similar in composition and radioactivity to those that will be produced in the Savannah River Site Defense Waste Processing Facility. The first step of the method is dissolution of finely crushed glass with a hydrofluoric/sulfuric acid mixture with ammonium vanadate added to preserve the Fe 2+ content of the glass during the dissolution. Boric acid is then added to complex fluoride and to destroy iron-fluoride complexes. After adjusting the solution to pH 5, FerroZine TM (trademark of the Hach Company, Loveland, CO) reagent is added to form a magenta-colored complex with Fe 2+ . The absorbance at 562 nm is measured by using a fiber optic-coupled photodiode array spectrophotometer. Ascorbic acid is then used to reduce all the iron in solution to Fe 2+ and the absorbance is again measured. The difference in absorbance measurements corresponds to the Fe 3+ in the sample and the Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ ratio can be calculated

  7. Evaluation and comparison of contrast to noise ratio and signal to noise ratio according to change of reconstruction on breast PET/CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Young Jae [Dept. of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Eul Kyu [Dept. of Radiology, Inje Paik University Hospital Jeo-dong, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ki Won [Dept. of Radiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gang-dong, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, Hoi Woun [Dept. of Radiological Technology, The Baekseok Culture University, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of); Lyu, Kwang Yeul; Park, Hoon Hee; Son, Jin Hyun; Min, Jung Whan [Dept. of Radiological Technology, The Shingu University, Sungnam (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-03-15

    The purpose of this study was to measure contrast to noise ratio (CNR) and signal to noise ratio (SNR) according to change of reconstruction from region of interest (ROI) in breast positron emission tomography- computed tomography (PET-CT), and to analyze the CNR and SNR statically. We examined images of breast PET-CT of 100 patients in a University-affiliated hospital, Seoul, Korea. Each patient's image of breast PET-CT were calculated by using Image J. Differences of CNR and SNR among four reconstruction algorithms were tested by SPSS Statistics21 ANOVA test for there was statistical significance (p<0.05). We have analysis socio-demographical variables, CNR and SNR according to reconstruction images, 95% confidence according to CNR and SNR of reconstruction and difference in a mean of CNR and SNR. SNR results, with the quality of distributions in the order of PSF{sub T}OF, Iterative and Iterative-TOF, FBP-TOF. CNR, with the quality of distributions in the order of PSF{sub T}OF, Iterative and Iterative-TOF, FBP-TOF. CNR and SNR of PET-CT reconstruction methods of the breast would be useful to evaluate breast diseases.

  8. Eccentric utilization ratio: effect of sport and phase of training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGuigan, Michael R; Doyle, Timothy L A; Newton, Michael; Edwards, Dylan J; Nimphius, Sophia; Newton, Robert U

    2006-11-01

    The eccentric utilization ratio (EUR), which is the ratio of countermovement jump (CMJ) to static jump (SJ) performance, has been suggested as a useful indicator of power performance in athletes. The purpose of the study was to compare the EUR of athletes from a variety of different sports and during different phases of training. A total of 142 athletes from rugby union, Australian Rules Football, soccer, softball, and field hockey were tested. Subjects performed both CMJ and SJ on a force plate integrated with a position transducer. The EUR was measured as the ratio of CMJ to SJ for jump height and peak power. The rugby union, Australian Rules Football, and hockey athletes were tested during off-season and preseason to provide EUR data during different phases of training. For men, EUR for soccer, Australian Rules Football, and rugby was greater than softball (effect size range, 0.83-0.92). For women, EUR for soccer was greater than field hockey and softball (0.86- 1.0). There was a significant difference between the jump height and peak power method for the Australian Rules Football, rugby, and field hockey tests conducted preseason (p sports such as soccer, rugby union, and Australian Rules Football appear to have higher EUR values, which reflects the greater reliance on stretch shortening activities in these sports. It does appear that EUR can be used to track changes in training with the values significantly increasing from off-season to preseason. The EUR provides the practitioner with information about the performance of athletes and appears to be sensitive to changes in the type of training being undertaken.

  9. Sex ratio in two species of Pegoscapus wasps (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae) that develop in figs: can wasps do mathematics, or play sex ratio games?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramírez-Benavides, William; Monge-Nájera, Julián; Chavarría, Juan B

    2009-09-01

    The fig pollinating wasps (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae) have obligate arrhenotoky and a breeding structure that fits local mate competition (LMC). It has been traditionally assumed that LMC organisms adjust the sex ratio by laying a greater proportion of male eggs when there is superparasitism (several foundresses in a host). We tested the assumption with two wasp species, Pegoscapus silvestrii, pollinator of Ficus pertusa and Pegoscapus tonduzi, pollinator of Ficus eximia (= F citrifolia), in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. Total number of wasps and seeds were recorded in individual isolated naturally colonized syconia. There was a constant additive effect between the number of foundresses and the number of males produced in the brood of a syconium, while the number of females decreased. Both wasp species seem to have precise sex ratios and probably lay the male eggs first in the sequence, independently of superparasitism and clutch size: consequently, they have a non-random sex allocation. Each syconium of Ficus pertusa and of F. eximia colonized by one foundress had similar mean numbers of females, males, and seeds. The two species of wasps studied do not seem to adjust the sex ratio when there is superparasitism. Pollinating fig wasp behavior is better explained by those models not assuming that females do mathematical calculations according to other females' sex ratios, size, number of foundresses, genetic constitution, clutch size or environmental conditions inside the syconium. Our results are in agreement with the constant male number hypothesis, not with sex ratio games.

  10. Evaluation of serum sialic acid, fucose levels and their ratio in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chinnannavar, Sangamesh Ningappa; Ashok, Lingappa; Vidya, Kodige Chandrashekhar; Setty, Sunil Mysore Kantharaja; Narasimha, Guru Eraiah; Garg, Ranjana

    2015-01-01

    Detection of cancer at the early stage is of utmost importance to decrease the morbidity and mortality of the disease. Apart from the conventional biopsy, minimally invasive methods like serum evaluation are used for screening large populations. Thus, this study aimed to estimate serum levels of sialic acid and fucose and their ratio in oral cancer patients and in healthy control group to evaluate their role in diagnosis. Serum samples were collected from 52 healthy controls (group I) and 52 squamous cell carcinoma patients (group II). Estimation of serum levels of sialic acid and fucose and their ratio was performed. This was correlated histopathologically with the grades of carcinoma. Statistical analysis was done by using analysis of variance (ANOVA) test and unpaired "t" test. Results showed that serum levels of sialic acid and fucose were significantly higher in oral cancer patients compared to normal healthy controls (P ratio was significantly lower in cancer patients than in normal controls (P ratio showed decreasing trend from controls to malignant group. The ratio of sialic acid to fucose can be a useful diagnostic aid for oral cancer patients.

  11. Invited review: sex ratio and rheumatic disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lockshin, M D

    2001-11-01

    Human illnesses affect men and women differently. In some cases (diseases of sex organs, diseases resulting from X or Y chromosome mutations), reasons for sex discrepancy are obvious, but in other cases no reason is apparent. Explanations for sex discrepancy of illness occur at different biological levels: molecular (e.g., imprinting, X-inactivation), cellular (sex-specific receptor activity), organ (endocrine influences), whole organism (size, age), and environmental-behavioral, including intrauterine influences. Autoimmunity represents a prototypical class of illness that has high female-to-male (F/M) ratios. Although the F/M ratios in autoimmune diseases are usually attributed to the influence of estrogenic hormones, evidence demonstrates that the attributed ratios are imprecise and that definitions and classifications of autoimmune diseases vary, rendering at least part of the counting imprecise. In addition, many studies on sex discrepancy of human disease fail to distinguish between disease incidence and disease severity. In April 2001, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences published Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health: Does Sex Matter? (Wizemann T and Pardue M-L, editors). This minireview summarizes the section of that report that concerns autoimmune and infectious disease. Some thyroid, rheumatic, and hepatic autoimmune diseases have high F/M ratios, whereas others have low. Those that have high ratios occur primarily in young adulthood. Gonadal hormones, if they play a role, likely do so through a threshold or permissive mechanism. Examples of sex differences that could be caused by environmental exposure, X inactivation, imprinting, X or Y chromosome genetic modulators, and intrauterine influences are presented as alternate, theoretical, and largely unexplored explanations for sex differences of incidence. The epidemiology of autoimmune diseases (young, female) suggests that an explanation for sex discrepancy of

  12. Multimodal Personal Verification Using Likelihood Ratio for the Match Score Fusion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Long Binh Tran

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the authors present a novel personal verification system based on the likelihood ratio test for fusion of match scores from multiple biometric matchers (face, fingerprint, hand shape, and palm print. In the proposed system, multimodal features are extracted by Zernike Moment (ZM. After matching, the match scores from multiple biometric matchers are fused based on the likelihood ratio test. A finite Gaussian mixture model (GMM is used for estimating the genuine and impostor densities of match scores for personal verification. Our approach is also compared to some different famous approaches such as the support vector machine and the sum rule with min-max. The experimental results have confirmed that the proposed system can achieve excellent identification performance for its higher level in accuracy than different famous approaches and thus can be utilized for more application related to person verification.

  13. Increased sex ratio in Russia and Cuba after Chernobyl: a radiological hypothesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background The ratio of male to female offspring at birth may be a simple and non-invasive way to monitor the reproductive health of a population. Except in societies where selective abortion skews the sex ratio, approximately 105 boys are born for every 100 girls. Generally, the human sex ratio at birth is remarkably constant in large populations. After the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in April 1986, a long lasting significant elevation in the sex ratio has been found in Russia, i.e. more boys or fewer girls compared to expectation were born. Recently, also for Cuba an escalated sex ratio from 1987 onward has been documented and discussed in the scientific literature. Presentation of the hypothesis By the end of the eighties of the last century in Cuba as much as about 60% of the food imports were provided by the former Soviet Union. Due to its difficult economic situation, Cuba had neither the necessary insight nor the political strength to circumvent the detrimental genetic effects of imported radioactively contaminated foodstuffs after Chernobyl. We propose that the long term stable sex ratio increase in Cuba is essentially due to ionizing radiation. Testing of the hypothesis A synoptic trend analysis of Russian and Cuban annual sex ratios discloses upward jumps in 1987. The estimated jump height from 1986 to 1987 in Russia measures 0.51% with a 95% confidence interval (0.28, 0.75), p value < 0.0001. In Cuba the estimated jump height measures 2.99% (2.39, 3.60), p value < 0.0001. The hypothesis may be tested by reconstruction of imports from the world markets to Cuba and by radiological analyses of remains in Cuba for Cs-137 and Sr-90. Implications of the hypothesis If the evidence for the hypothesis is strengthened, there is potential to learn about genetic radiation risks and to prevent similar effects in present and future exposure situations. PMID:23947741

  14. A statistical strategy to assess cleaning level of surfaces using fluorescence spectroscopy and Wilks’ ratio

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stoica, Iuliana-Madalina; Babamoradi, Hamid; van den Berg, Frans

    2017-01-01

    •A statistical strategy combining fluorescence spectroscopy, multivariate analysis and Wilks’ ratio is proposed.•The method was tested both off-line and on-line having riboflavin as a (controlled) contaminant.•Wilks’ ratio signals unusual recordings based on shifts in variance and covariance...... structure described in in-control data....

  15. Platelet indices and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in adults with ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: A study was performed in adults with acute appendicitis and matched controls to assess the utility of the platelet indices and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, as a diagnostic adjunct. Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from a complete blood count test of 155 adult patients (72 men and 83 women) with ...

  16. Dynamics of compressible gas-liquid flows with a stiff density ratio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cortes, Julien

    1999-01-01

    This work is devoted to the study of transient two-phase flows when the ratio of the two densities is stiff. At first, we review briefly some of the basic principles about two-phase flow, hyperbolicity and the finite volume method. Then we develop a perturbation method, based on the stiffness of the density ratio, to examine the Eigen-structure of two-fluid models. Indeed, in such models, complex phasic interactions yield a complex Eigen-structure which may raise numerous problems in simulations. We show that our approach provides a convenient frame to study the hyperbolicity of such models. At this stage, advanced numerical tests are computed showing the efficiency of our approach in the context of unstructured multidimensional meshes. Our tests are validated for non-equilibrium flows using experimental data or through mesh refinements. At last, we use the scaling of the densities to analyse how momentum is transferred between phases in the context of bubbly flows. We study the relevance of a stiff relaxation term related to the ratio of the densities using linear stability properties and Chapman-Enskog expansions. Our results and some numerical computations tends to show that such a system is apparently well-posed despite being 'weakly' hyperbolic. (author) [fr

  17. Effect of shoulder to pin ratio on magnesium alloy Friction Stir Welding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Othman, N. H.; Ishak, M.; Shah, L. H.

    2017-09-01

    This study focuses on the effect of shoulder to pin diameter ratio on friction stir welding of magnesium alloy AZ31. Two pieces of AZ31 alloy with thickness of 2 mm were friction stir welded by using conventional milling machine. The shoulder to pin diameter ratio used in this experiment are 2.25, 2.5, 2.75, 3, 3.33, 3.66, 4.5, 5 and 5.5. The rotational speed and welding speed used in this study are 1000 rpm and 100 mm/min, respectively. Microstructure observation of welded area was studied by using optical microscope. Equiaxed grains were observed at the TMAZ and stir zone indicating fully plastic deformation. The grain size of stir zone increased with decreasing shoulder to pin ratio from ratio 3.33 to 5.5 due to higher heat input. It is observed that, surface galling and faying surface defect is produced when excessive heat input is applied. To evaluate the mechanical properties of this specimen, tensile test was used in this study. Shoulder to pin ratio 5.5 shows lowest tensile strength while shoulder to pin diameter ratio 3.33 shows highest tensile strength with weld efficiency 91 % from based metal.

  18. Recent advances in ratio primary reference measurement procedures (definitive methods) and their use in certification of reference materials and controlling assigned values in proficiency testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dybczynski, R.S.; Polkowska-Motrenko, H.; Chajduk, E.; Danko, B.; Pyszynska, M.

    2014-01-01

    Three very accurate (definitive) methods by RNAA for the determination of Se, As and Fe respectively, which were recently elaborated in our laboratory, are reviewed and their use in certification of reference materials and in checking the assigned values in proficiency tests is demonstrated on several examples. According to VIM 3 nomenclature these methods may be called: ratio primary reference measurement procedures (RPRMPs). RPRMPs with their expanded uncertainties of 2.7-3.6 % are comparable to ID-MS methods and are the only methods of such high metrological quality which can be used for the determination of trace amounts of monoisotopic elements. (author)

  19. Pathways to Adolescents' Flourishing: Linking Self-Control Skills and Positivity Ratio through Social Support

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orkibi, Hod; Hamama, Liat; Gavriel-Fried, Belle; Ronen, Tammie

    2018-01-01

    This study focused on the ability to experience a high ratio of positive to negative emotions in 807 Israeli adolescents aged 12 to 15 years (50% girls). While considering possible gender differences, we tested a model positing that adolescents' self-control skills would link to their positivity ratio and indirectly through perceived social…

  20. The influence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae enzyme ratio on preparation virgin coconut oil for candidate in-house reference materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rohyami, Yuli; Anjani, Rafika Debby; Purwanti, Napthalina Putri

    2017-03-01

    Virgin coconut oil is an excellent product which has result of oil processing business opportunities in the international market. Standardization of virgin coconut oil necessary to satisfy the requirements industry needs. This research is expected as procedure preparation of reference materials. Preparation of virgin coconut oil by Sacharomycescerevisiaeenzyme. Based on the results of this study concluded that the ratio of Saccharomyces cerevisiae can affect the yield of virgin coconut oil produced. The preparation of virgin coconut oil enzymatically using a variety of mass ratio of 0.001 to 0.006% is obtained yield average of 12.40%. The optimum separation of virgin coconut oil on the use of enzymes with a mass ratio of 0.002%. The average water content at a ratio of 0.002% is 0.04 % with a value of uncertainty is 0.005%. The average iodine number in virgin coconut oil produced is 2.4403 ± 0,1974 grams of iodine per 100 grams of oil and optimum iodine number is obtained from the manufacturing process virgin coconut oil with a ratio of 0.006% Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sacharomycescerevisiae with a ratio of 0.002% results virgin coconut oil with acid number 0.3068 ± 0.1098%. The peroxide value of virgin coconut oil between 0.0108 ± 0.009 to 0.0114 ± 0015milli-equivalent per kilograms. Organoleptic test results and test chemical parameters can be used as the test data that can be developed in prototype preparation of candidate in-house reference material in the testing standards of quality virgin coconut oil.

  1. Establishing a sample-to cut-off ratio for lab-diagnosis of hepatitis C virus in Indian context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiwari, Aseem K; Pandey, Prashant K; Negi, Avinash; Bagga, Ruchika; Shanker, Ajay; Baveja, Usha; Vimarsh, Raina; Bhargava, Richa; Dara, Ravi C; Rawat, Ganesh

    2015-01-01

    Lab-diagnosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is based on detecting specific antibodies by enzyme immuno-assay (EIA) or chemiluminescence immuno-assay (CIA). Center for Disease Control reported that signal-to-cut-off (s/co) ratios in anti-HCV antibody tests like EIA/CIA can be used to predict the probable result of supplemental test; above a certain s/co value it is most likely to be true-HCV positive result and below that certain s/co it is most likely to be false-positive result. A prospective study was undertaken in patients in tertiary care setting for establishing this "certain" s/co value. The study was carried out in consecutive patients requiring HCV testing for screening/diagnosis and medical management. These samples were tested for anti-HCV on CIA (VITROS(®) Anti-HCV assay, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, New Jersey) for calculating s/co value. The supplemental nucleic acid test used was polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (Abbott). PCR test results were used to define true negatives, false negatives, true positives, and false positives. Performance of different putative s/co ratios versus PCR was measured using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value and most appropriate s/co was considered on basis of highest specificity at sensitivity of at least 95%. An s/co ratio of ≥6 worked out to be over 95% sensitive and almost 92% specific in 438 consecutive patient samples tested. The s/co ratio of six can be used for lab-diagnosis of HCV infection; those with s/co higher than six can be diagnosed to have HCV infection without any need for supplemental assays.

  2. Measurement of Poisson's ratio of nonmetallic materials by laser holographic interferometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Jian T.

    1991-12-01

    By means of the off-axis collimated plane wave coherent light arrangement and a loading device by pure bending, Poisson's ratio values of CFRP (carbon fiber-reinforced plactics plates, lay-up 0 degree(s), 90 degree(s)), GFRP (glass fiber-reinforced plactics plates, radial direction) and PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate, x, y direction) have been measured. In virtue of this study, the ministry standard for the Ministry of Aeronautical Industry (Testing method for the measurement of Poisson's ratio of non-metallic by laser holographic interferometry) has been published. The measurement process is fast and simple. The measuring results are reliable and accurate.

  3. VVER-1000 dominance ratio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorodkov, S.

    2009-01-01

    Dominance ratio, or more precisely, its closeness to unity, is important characteristic of large reactor. It allows evaluate beforehand the number of source iterations required in deterministic calculations of power spatial distribution. Or the minimal number of histories to be modeled for achievement of statistical error level desired in large core Monte Carlo calculations. In this work relatively simple approach for dominance ratio evaluation is proposed. It essentially uses core symmetry. Dependence of dominance ratio on neutron flux spatial distribution is demonstrated. (author)

  4. WWER-1000 dominance ratio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorodkov, S.S.

    2009-01-01

    Dominance ratio, or more precisely, its closeness to unity, is important characteristic of large reactor. It allows evaluate beforehand the number of source iterations required in deterministic calculations of power spatial distribution. Or the minimal number of histories to be modeled for achievement of statistical error level desired in large core Monte Carlo calculations. In this work relatively simple approach for dominance ratio evaluation is proposed. It essentially uses core symmetry. Dependence of dominance ratio on neutron flux spatial distribution is demonstrated. (Authors)

  5. Test-day somatic cell score, fat-to-protein ratio and milk yield as indicator traits for sub-clinical mastitis in dairy cattle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jamrozik, J; Schaeffer, L R

    2012-02-01

    Test-day (TD) records of milk, fat-to-protein ratio (F:P) and somatic cell score (SCS) of first-lactation Canadian Holstein cows were analysed by a three-trait finite mixture random regression model, with the purpose of revealing hidden structures in the data owing to putative, sub-clinical mastitis. Different distributions of the data were allowed in 30 intervals of days in milk (DIM), covering the lactation from 5 to 305 days. Bayesian analysis with Gibbs sampling was used for model inferences. Estimated proportion of TD records originated from cows infected with mastitis was 0.66 in DIM from 5 to 15 and averaged 0.2 in the remaining part of lactation. Data from healthy and mastitic cows exhibited markedly different distributions, with respect to both average value and the variance, across all parts of lactation. Heterogeneity of distributions for infected cows was also apparent in different DIM intervals. Cows with mastitis were characterized by smaller milk yield (down to -5 kg) and larger F:P (up to 0.13) and SCS (up to 1.3) compared with healthy contemporaries. Differences in averages between healthy and infected cows for F:P were the most profound at the beginning of lactation, when a dairy cow suffers the strongest energy deficit and is therefore more prone to mammary infection. Residual variances for data from infected cows were substantially larger than for the other mixture components. Fat-to-protein ratio had a significant genetic component, with estimates of heritability that were larger or comparable with milk yield, and was not strongly correlated with milk and SCS on both genetic and environmental scales. Daily milk, F:P and SCS are easily available from milk-recording data for most breeding schemes in dairy cattle. Fat-to-protein ratio can potentially be a valuable addition to SCS and milk yield as an indicator trait for selection against mastitis. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  6. Goodness of Fit Test and Test of Independence by Entropy

    OpenAIRE

    M. Sharifdoost; N. Nematollahi; E. Pasha

    2009-01-01

    To test whether a set of data has a specific distribution or not, we can use the goodness of fit test. This test can be done by one of Pearson X 2 -statistic or the likelihood ratio statistic G 2 , which are asymptotically equal, and also by using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic in continuous distributions. In this paper, we introduce a new test statistic for goodness of fit test which is based on entropy distance, and which can be applied for large sample sizes...

  7. INFLUENCE OF SCALE RATIO, ASPECT RATIO, AND PLANFORM ON THE PERFORMANCE OF SUPERCAVITATING HYDROFOILS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    performance of supercavitating hydrofoils. No appreciable scale effect was found for scale ratios up to 3 in the fully-cavitating flow region. The...overall performance of the hydrofoil by increasing the aspect ratio above 3, and (2) moderate taper ratio seems to be advantageous in view of the overall performance of supercavitating hydrofoils. (Author)

  8. Increased Th17/Treg Ratio in Poststroke Fatigue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xinjing Liu

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Fatigue is a major debilitating symptom after stroke. The biological mechanisms underlying poststroke fatigue (PFS are unknown. We hypothesized that PSF is associated with an alteration in the balance between Th17 and Treg cells. To test this hypothesis we assessed fatigue in 30 stroke survivors using the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions (FSMC. Peripheral blood was collected for assessment of Th17 and Treg cell populations and measurement of interleukin-10 (IL-10. Participants were dichotomized into severe fatigue n=14 and low-moderate fatigue n=16 groups by K-mean cluster analysis of FSMC scores. There were no group differences in age, gender, stroke type, stroke severity, or time since stroke. Stroke survivors in the severe fatigue group reported greater anxiety p=0.004 and depression p=0.001 than in the low-moderate fatigue group. The ratio of Th17 to Treg cells was significantly increased in the severe fatigue group relative to the mild-moderate fatigue group p=0.035. Serum levels of IL-10 negatively correlated withTh17/Treg ratio (r=-0.408,  p=0.025. Our preliminary findings suggest that an imbalance in the Th17/Treg ratio is associated with the severity of PSF.

  9. Evaluation of buckling characteristics with respect to slenderness ratio for thin cylinderical structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, D. H.; Ko, K. H.; Lee, J. H.

    2002-01-01

    This work was done as one of the pre-research of buckling behavior for LMR reactor vessel. For the reduced scale buckling test, the three types of test specimen(slenderness ratio 1.0, 2.0, 4.8) was selected. Using the buckling formulae by Okada and the elastic-plastic finite element method, the buckling characteristics are investigated. From the results of buckling load evaluations, as the slenderness ratio decreases, the buckling load increases and a deflection shape approaches shear buckling mode. As the slenderness increases, the deflection approaches bending buckling mode. In comparison of buckling loads, the calculated buckling loads by the elastic-plastic finite element method are in good agreement with those of the evaluation formulae considering with plastic effect

  10. Optimized Matching Lift Unit Transmission Ratio of Engine Driven Ducted Fan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiao Senlin

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available As a kind of VTOL technology, ducted fan is not only used by many kinds of aircrafts, but also one of the trends of the future aircraft lift system, and attracts more and more attention. For an engine driven ducted fan lift unit, involving the engine and ducted fan matching problem, the form of transmission and transmission ratio are the key design parameters. In order to design and develop a ducted fan aircraft reasonably, a thrust test platform was set up to connect the engine with the ducted fan through the belt driving. The matching relationship between the engine and the transmission system was experimentally studied and the optimal transmission ratio was determined. The results showed that the optimal transmission ratio for the engine 1 is 2.2:1, and for the engine 2, the optimal transmission ratio should be 2.95:1 based on the current ducted and movable blade aerofoil design. At this time, the lift will exceed 130 kg•f, meeting the aircraft's original design requirements.

  11. Measurement of stable isotope ratio of organic carbon in water samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujii, Toshihiro; Otsuki, Akira

    1977-01-01

    A new method for the measurement of stable isotope ratios was investigated and applied to organic carbon's isotope ratio measurements in water samples. A few river water samples from Tsuchiura city were tested. After the wet oxidation of organic carbons to carbon dioxide in a sealed ampoule, the isotope ratios were determined with the gas chromatograph-quadrupole mass spectrometer combined with a total organic carbon analyser, under the dynamic conditions. The GC-MS had been equipped with the multiple ion detector-digital integrator system. The ion intensities at m/e 44 and 45 were simultaneously measured at a switching rate of 1 ms. The measurements with carbon dioxide acquired from sodium carbonate (53 μg) gave the isotope ratios with the variation coefficient of 0.62%. However, the variation coefficients obtained from organic carbons in natural water samples were 2 to 3 times as high as that from sodium carbonate. This method is simple and rapid and may be applied to various fields especially in biology and medicine. (auth.)

  12. An appraisal of subcooled boiling and slip ratio from measurements made in Lingen BWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nash, G.

    1977-08-01

    Measurements of steam bubble velocities and voidage have been made in the relatively small Core B of Lingen BWR. The results of axial scanning in one radial position have produced experimental values of slip ratio, power (from a travelling incore probe), voidage and coolant mean density over the core height for this position. This one set of distributions has enabled us to test current UKAEA models of subcooled boiling and slip ratio against experiment. From the comparisons, it appears that we can predict the onset of voiding well, but the assumption that a constant fraction of the heat flux forms steam in the subcooled region needs modifying. Of four slip options tested, the current one used by HAMBO and JOSHUA III (Bankoff-Jones) predicts too high a slip ratio. A closer fit to experiment comes from the new Bryce flow-dependent slip option. Any changes in the modelling must be checked, however, with coupled thermal hydraulics-neutronics computations. (author)

  13. A Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System Combining Wavelet Denoising, Principal Component Analysis, and Sequential Probability Ratio Test for Sensor Monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Na, Man Gyun; Oh, Seungrohk

    2002-01-01

    A neuro-fuzzy inference system combined with the wavelet denoising, principal component analysis (PCA), and sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) methods has been developed to monitor the relevant sensor using the information of other sensors. The parameters of the neuro-fuzzy inference system that estimates the relevant sensor signal are optimized by a genetic algorithm and a least-squares algorithm. The wavelet denoising technique was applied to remove noise components in input signals into the neuro-fuzzy system. By reducing the dimension of an input space into the neuro-fuzzy system without losing a significant amount of information, the PCA was used to reduce the time necessary to train the neuro-fuzzy system, simplify the structure of the neuro-fuzzy inference system, and also, make easy the selection of the input signals into the neuro-fuzzy system. By using the residual signals between the estimated signals and the measured signals, the SPRT is applied to detect whether the sensors are degraded or not. The proposed sensor-monitoring algorithm was verified through applications to the pressurizer water level, the pressurizer pressure, and the hot-leg temperature sensors in pressurized water reactors

  14. Sex ratio in two species of Pegoscapus wasps (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae that develop in figs: can wasps do mathematics, or play sex ratio games?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William Ramírez-Benavides

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available The fig pollinating wasps (Hymenoptera: Agaonidae have obligate arrhenotoky and a breeding structure that fits local mate competition (LMC. It has been traditionally assumed that LMC organisms adjust the sex ratio by laying a greater proportion of male eggs when there is superparasitism (several foundresses in a host. We tested the assumption with two wasp species, Pegoscapus silvestrii, pollinator of Ficus pertusa and Pegoscapus tonduzi, pollinator of Ficus eximia (= F. citrifolia, in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. Total number of wasps and seeds were recorded in individual isolated naturally colonized syconia. There was a constant additive effect between the number of foundresses and the number of males produced in the brood of a syconium, while the number of females decreased. Both wasp species seem to have precise sex ratios and probably lay the male eggs first in the sequence, independently of superparasitism and clutch size: consequently, they have a non-random sex allocation. Each syconium of Ficus pertusa and of F. eximia colonized by one foundress had similar mean numbers of females, males, and seeds. The two species of wasps studied do not seem to adjust the sex ratio when there is superparasitism. Pollinating fig wasp behavior is better explained by those models not assuming that females do mathematical calculations according to other females’ sex ratios, size, number of foundresses, genetic constitution, clutch size or environmental conditions inside the syconium. Our results are in agreement with the constant male number hypothesis, not with sex ratio games. Rev. Biol. Trop. 57 (3: 605-621. Epub 2009 September 30.

  15. Correlation between Aminotransferase Ratio (AST/ALT and Other Biochemical Parameters in Chronic Liver Disease of Viral Origin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shah Md Fazlul Karim

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: In recent years the ratio of aspartate aminotransferase (AST to alanine aminotransferase (ALT in patients of chronic liver disease (CLD of various origins has gained much attention. This variable is readily available, easy to interpret, and inexpensive and the clinical utility of the AST/ALT ratio in the diagnostic workup of patients with CLD is quite promising. Objective: The present study was designed to find out the link between aminotransferase (AST/ALT ratio with commonly measured biochemical parameters of liver function tests in CLD of viral origin. Materials and method: This cross sectional study was carried out in the department of Biochemistry, Sir Salimullah Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Forty four biopsy proven diagnosed subjects of chronic viral hepatitis without cirrhosis of both sex were selected purposively. With aseptic precaution 5 mL venous blood was collected from each subject and common liver function tests (serum AST, ALT, AST/ALT ratio, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, serum total protein, serum albumin, serum globulin, serum albumin/globulin ratio, prothrombin time and viral serology (HBsAg, Anti HDV antibody, Anti HCV antibody were performed. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 19 for Windows. Pearson’s correlation test was done to determine association between AST/ALT with other biochemical parameters. Results: Mean(±SD age of the study subjects was 32.55±10.55 years (range 20-50 years with 48 (77.7% male and 14 (22.6% female subjects. Pearson’s correlation test was done between AST to ALT ratio with other biochemical parameters and prothrombin time showed significant positive correlation (p <0.01. Conclusion: In our study we found significant positive correlation between AST/ALT with prothrombin time in CLD subjects without cirrhosis.

  16. Large Aspect Ratio Tokamak Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reid, R.L.; Holmes, J.A.; Houlberg, W.A.; Peng, Y.K.M.; Strickler, D.J.; Brown, T.G.; Wiseman, G.W.

    1980-06-01

    The Large Aspect Ratio Tokamak Study (LARTS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) investigated the potential for producing a viable longburn tokamak reactor by enhancing the volt-second capability of the ohmic heating transformer through the use of high aspect ratio designs. The plasma physics, engineering, and economic implications of high aspect ratio tokamaks were assessed in the context of extended burn operation. Using a one-dimensional transport code plasma startup and burn parameters were addressed. The pulsed electrical power requirements for the poloidal field system, which have a major impact on reactor economics, were minimized by optimizing the startup and shutdown portions of the tokamak cycle. A representative large aspect ratio tokamak with an aspect ratio of 8 was found to achieve a burn time of 3.5 h at capital cost only approx. 25% greater than that of a moderate aspect ratio design tokamak

  17. Strain ratio effects on low-cycle fatigue behavior and deformation microstructure of 2124-T851 aluminum alloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hao, Hong, E-mail: 10928008@zju.edu.cn [Institute for Process Equipment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); School of Environment and Safety, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Ye, Duyi, E-mail: duyi_ye@zju.edu.cn [Institute for Process Equipment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Chen, Chuanyong [Institute for Process Equipment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China)

    2014-05-01

    The low-cycle fatigue tests of 2124-T851 aluminum alloy with strain ratios of −1, −0.06, 0.06 and 0.5 were conducted under constant amplitude at room temperature. Microstructural and fractographic examinations of the material after fatigue tests were performed by optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Firstly, the results showed that the material exhibited cyclic softening characteristic as a whole. The degree of softening decreased linearly with the increasing strain amplitude and the decreasing strain ratio. The lower fatigue life and ductility of the material corresponded to the larger strain ratios. Secondly, microstructure observations revealed that the density and length of slip bands increased with the increasing strain ratio at the given strain amplitude, and so did the volume fraction and size of coarse constituents, which were responsible for the reduction of fatigue life and ductility of the material. Finally, the SEM micrographs revealed that multiple crack initiation sites took place on the fracture surfaces at different strain ratios. The reduction of stable crack growth area with the increasing strain ratio was observed. Unstable crack growth region was only observed under R≠−1.

  18. White Matter Fiber-based Analysis of T1w/T2w Ratio Map.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Haiwei; Budin, Francois; Noel, Jean; Prieto, Juan Carlos; Gilmore, John; Rasmussen, Jerod; Wadhwa, Pathik D; Entringer, Sonja; Buss, Claudia; Styner, Martin

    2017-02-01

    To develop, test, evaluate and apply a novel tool for the white matter fiber-based analysis of T1w/T2w ratio maps quantifying myelin content. The cerebral white matter in the human brain develops from a mostly non-myelinated state to a nearly fully mature white matter myelination within the first few years of life. High resolution T1w/T2w ratio maps are believed to be effective in quantitatively estimating myelin content on a voxel-wise basis. We propose the use of a fiber-tract-based analysis of such T1w/T2w ratio data, as it allows us to separate fiber bundles that a common regional analysis imprecisely groups together, and to associate effects to specific tracts rather than large, broad regions. We developed an intuitive, open source tool to facilitate such fiber-based studies of T1w/T2w ratio maps. Via its Graphical User Interface (GUI) the tool is accessible to non-technical users. The framework uses calibrated T1w/T2w ratio maps and a prior fiber atlas as an input to generate profiles of T1w/T2w values. The resulting fiber profiles are used in a statistical analysis that performs along-tract functional statistical analysis. We applied this approach to a preliminary study of early brain development in neonates. We developed an open-source tool for the fiber based analysis of T1w/T2w ratio maps and tested it in a study of brain development.

  19. White matter fiber-based analysis of T1w/T2w ratio map

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Haiwei; Budin, Francois; Noel, Jean; Prieto, Juan Carlos; Gilmore, John; Rasmussen, Jerod; Wadhwa, Pathik D.; Entringer, Sonja; Buss, Claudia; Styner, Martin

    2017-02-01

    Purpose: To develop, test, evaluate and apply a novel tool for the white matter fiber-based analysis of T1w/T2w ratio maps quantifying myelin content. Background: The cerebral white matter in the human brain develops from a mostly non-myelinated state to a nearly fully mature white matter myelination within the first few years of life. High resolution T1w/T2w ratio maps are believed to be effective in quantitatively estimating myelin content on a voxel-wise basis. We propose the use of a fiber-tract-based analysis of such T1w/T2w ratio data, as it allows us to separate fiber bundles that a common regional analysis imprecisely groups together, and to associate effects to specific tracts rather than large, broad regions. Methods: We developed an intuitive, open source tool to facilitate such fiber-based studies of T1w/T2w ratio maps. Via its Graphical User Interface (GUI) the tool is accessible to non-technical users. The framework uses calibrated T1w/T2w ratio maps and a prior fiber atlas as an input to generate profiles of T1w/T2w values. The resulting fiber profiles are used in a statistical analysis that performs along-tract functional statistical analysis. We applied this approach to a preliminary study of early brain development in neonates. Results: We developed an open-source tool for the fiber based analysis of T1w/T2w ratio maps and tested it in a study of brain development.

  20. The use of interval ratios in consonance perception by rats (Rattus norvegicus) and humans (Homo sapiens).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crespo-Bojorque, Paola; Toro, Juan M

    2015-02-01

    Traditionally, physical features in musical chords have been proposed to be at the root of consonance perception. Alternatively, recent studies suggest that different types of experience modulate some perceptual foundations for musical sounds. The present study tested whether the mechanisms involved in the perception of consonance are present in an animal with no extensive experience with harmonic stimuli and a relatively limited vocal repertoire. In Experiment 1, rats were trained to discriminate consonant from dissonant chords and tested to explore whether they could generalize such discrimination to novel chords. In Experiment 2, we tested if rats could discriminate between chords differing only in their interval ratios and generalize them to different octaves. To contrast the observed pattern of results, human adults were tested with the same stimuli in Experiment 3. Rats successfully discriminated across chords in both experiments, but they did not generalize to novel items in either Experiment 1 or Experiment 2. On the contrary, humans not only discriminated among both consonance-dissonance categories, and among sets of interval ratios, they also generalized their responses to novel items. These results suggest that experience with harmonic sounds may be required for the construction of categories among stimuli varying in frequency ratios. However, the discriminative capacity observed in rats suggests that at least some components of auditory processing needed to distinguish chords based on their interval ratios are shared across species. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

  1. Isometric and isokinetic hip strength and agonist/antagonist ratios in symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diamond, Laura E; Wrigley, Tim V; Hinman, Rana S; Hodges, Paul W; O'Donnell, John; Takla, Amir; Bennell, Kim L

    2016-09-01

    This study investigated isometric and isokinetic hip strength in individuals with and without symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). The specific aims were to: (i) determine whether differences exist in isometric and isokinetic hip strength measures between groups; (ii) compare hip strength agonist/antagonist ratios between groups; and (iii) examine relationships between hip strength and self-reported measures of either hip pain or function in those with FAI. Cross-sectional. Fifteen individuals (11 males; 25±5 years) with symptomatic FAI (clinical examination and imaging (alpha angle >55° (cam FAI), and lateral centre edge angle >39° and/or positive crossover sign (combined FAI))) and 14 age- and sex-matched disease-free controls (no morphological FAI on magnetic resonance imaging) underwent strength testing. Maximal voluntary isometric contraction strength of hip muscle groups and isokinetic hip internal (IR) and external rotation (ER) strength (20°/s) were measured. Groups were compared with independent t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests. Participants with FAI had 20% lower isometric abduction strength than controls (p=0.04). There were no significant differences in isometric strength for other muscle groups or peak isokinetic ER or IR strength. The ratio of isometric, but not isokinetic, ER/IR strength was significantly higher in the FAI group (p=0.01). There were no differences in ratios for other muscle groups. Angle of peak IR torque was the only feature correlated with symptoms. Individuals with symptomatic FAI demonstrate isometric hip abductor muscle weakness and strength imbalance in the hip rotators. Strength measurement, including agonist/antagonist ratios, may be relevant for clinical management of FAI. Copyright © 2015 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Effect of Gynosaponin on Rumen Methanogenesis under Different Forage-Concentrate Ratios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bakhetgul Manatbay

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The study aimed to investigate the effects of gynosaponin on in vitro methanogenesis under different forage-concentrate ratios (F:C ratios. Experiment was conducted with two kinds of F:C ratios (F:C = 7:3 and F:C = 3:7 and gynosaponin addition (0 mg and 16 mg in a 2×2 double factorial design. In the presence of gynosaponin, methane production and acetate concentration were significantly decreased, whereas concentration of propionate tended to be increased resulting in a significant reduction (p<0.05 of acetate:propionate ratio (A:P ratio, in high-forage substrate. Gynosaponin treatment increased (p<0.05 the butyrate concentration in both F:C ratios. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE analysis showed there was no apparent shift in the composition of total bacteria, protozoa and methanogens after treated by gynosaponin under both F:C ratios. The real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR analysis indicated that variable F:C ratios significantly affected the abundances of Fibrobacter succinogenes, Rumninococcus flavefaciens, total fungi and counts of protozoa (p<0.05, but did not affect the mcrA gene copies of methanogens and abundance of total bacteria. Counts of protozoa and abundance of F.succinogenes were decreased significantly (p<0.05, whereas mcrA gene copies of methanogens were decreased slightly (p<0.10 in high-forage substrate after treated by gynosaponin. However, gynosaponin treatment under high-concentrate level did not affect the methanogenesis, fermentation characteristics and tested microbes. Accordingly, overall results suggested that gynosaponin supplementation reduced the in vitro methanogenesis and improved rumen fermentation under high-forage condition by changing the abundances of related rumen microbes.

  3. Evaluation of compression ratio using JPEG 2000 on diagnostic images in dentistry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Gi Hun; Han, Won Jeong; Yoo, Dong Soo; Kim, Eun Kyung; Choi, Soon Chul

    2005-01-01

    To find out the proper compression ratios without degrading image quality and affecting lesion detectability on diagnostic images used in dentistry compressed with JPEG 2000 algorithm. Sixty Digora peri apical images, sixty panoramic computed radiographic (CR) images, sixty computed tomography (CT) images, and sixty magnetic resonance (MR) images were compressed into JPEG 2000 with ratios of 10 levels from 5:1 to 50:1. To evaluate the lesion detectability, the images were graded with 5 levels (1 : definitely absent ; 2 : probably absent ; 3 : equivocal ; 4 : probably present ; 5 : definitely present), and then receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed using the original image as a gold standard. Also to evaluate subjectively the image quality, the images were graded with 5 levels (1 : definitely unacceptable ; 2 : probably unacceptable ; 3 : equivocal ; 4 : probably acceptable ; 5 : definitely acceptable), and then paired t-test was performed. In Digora, CR panoramic and CT images, compressed images up to ratios of 15:1 showed nearly the same lesion detectability as original images, and in MR images, compressed images did up to ratios of 25:1. In Digora and CR panoramic images, compressed images up to ratios of 5:1 showed little difference between the original and reconstructed images in subjective assessment of image quality. In CT images, compressed images did up to ratios of 10:1 and in MR images up to ratios of 15:1. We considered compression ratios up to 5:1 in Digora and CR panoramic images, up to 10:1 in CT images, up to 15:1 in MR images as clinically applicable compression ratios.

  4. Joint test rig for tests and calibration of different methods of two-phase mass flow measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    John, H.; Erbacher, F.; Wanner, E.

    1975-01-01

    On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology, the Institute of Reactor Components (IRB) has begun building a test rig which will be used for testing and calibrating the methods of measuring non-steady state two-phase mass flows developed by various research agencies. The test rig is designed for the generation of steam-water mixtures of any mixing ratio and a maximum pressure of 160 data. Depending on the mixing ratio, the mass flow will reach a maximum level of 10 to 20 t/h. The conceptual design phase of the test rig has largely been finished, the component ordering phase has begun. (orig.) [de

  5. Benthic foraminiferal Mn / Ca ratios reflect microhabitat preferences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. A. Koho

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The Mn / Ca of calcium carbonate tests of living (rose-Bengal-stained benthic foraminifera (Elphidium batialis, Uvigerina spp., Bolivina spissa, Nonionellina labradorica and Chilostomellina fimbriata were determined in relation to pore water manganese (Mn concentrations for the first time along a bottom water oxygen gradient across the continental slope along the NE Japan margin (western Pacific. The local bottom water oxygen (BWO gradient differs from previous field study sites focusing on foraminiferal Mn / Ca and redox chemistry, therefore allowing further resolution of previously observed trends. The Mn / Ca ratios were analysed using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS, allowing single-chamber determination of Mn / Ca. The incorporation of Mn into the carbonate tests reflects environmental conditions and is not influenced by ontogeny. The inter-species variability in Mn / Ca reflected foraminiferal in-sediment habitat preferences and associated pore water chemistry but also showed large interspecific differences in Mn partitioning. At each station, Mn / Ca ratios were always lower in the shallow infaunal E. batialis, occupying relatively oxygenated sediments, compared to intermediate infaunal species, Uvigerina spp. and B. spissa, which were typically found at greater depth, under more reducing conditions. The highest Mn / Ca was always recorded by the deep infaunal species N. labradorica and C. fimbriata. Our results suggest that although partitioning differs, Mn / Ca ratios in the intermediate infaunal taxa are promising tools for palaeoceanographic reconstructions as their microhabitat exposes them to higher variability in pore water Mn, thereby making them relatively sensitive recorders of redox conditions and/or bottom water oxygenation.

  6. Accelerated Solar-UV Test Chamber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, A.; Laue, E. G.

    1984-01-01

    Medium-pressure mercury-vapor lamps provide high ratio of ultraviolet to total power. Chamber for evaluating solar-ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage permits accelerated testing without overheating test specimens.

  7. AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP AMONG P/E RATIO, STOCK RETURN AND DIVIDEND YIELS FOR ISTANBUL STOCK EXCHANGE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Funda H. SEZGIN

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The price to earnings ratio (P/E is widely used, particularly by practitioners, as a measure of relative stock valuation. Price to earnings is an indicator which indicates current mood of investors how much they are willing to pay per unit of company earnings. Traditionally, the P/E ratio has been assumed to be an indicator of the quality of an investment; a relatively low P/E ratio implies a good investment, whereas a relatively high P/E ratio indicates a “poor” investment prospect. The aim of this study is to identify relationship among market stock return, dividend yields and price to earnings ratio affect in the period 2000.01-2009.12. Therefore, to determine long-run and short-run relationship, Johansen cointegration tests, error-correction models and Granger causality tests are used.

  8. Relations between Air-Fuel Ratio and Dynamic Performance of Small Race Cars

    OpenAIRE

    位田, 晴良; Ida, Haruyoshi; 漁, 佑一郎; Sunadori, Yuichiro; 牧田, 俊太郎; Makita, Syuntaro; 宮﨑, 真央; Miyazaki, Manaka; 磯松, 弥司; Isomatsu, Yatsuka

    2017-01-01

    'It goes without saying that engine output power characteristics greatly affect the dynamic performance of the race car. One of the methods of changing the output power of the engine is to adjust the set amount of fuel supply. This method changes the air-fuel ratio of the air fuel mixture supplied to the engine. In this study, a slalom test run of a small race car was used to examine dynamic performance with attention to the air-fuel ratio changed by adjusting the set amount of fuel supply. T...

  9. Measurement of the cosmic ray muon charge ratio with the OPERA detector

    OpenAIRE

    Mauri, N; Siol, M

    2010-01-01

    The OPERA detector at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory (LNGS) was used to measure the cosmic ray muon charge ratio Rμ = Nμ+/Nμ− in the TeV energy region. We analyzed 403069 cosmic ray muons corresponding to 113.4 days of livetime during the 2008 CNGS run. We computed separately the muon charge ratio for single and for multiple muon events in order to select different energy regions of the primary cosmic ray spectrum and to test the Rμ dependence on the primary composition. Rμ is also sho...

  10. Rotating spacetimes with asymptotic nonflat structure and the gyromagnetic ratio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aliev, Alikram N.

    2008-01-01

    In general relativity, the gyromagnetic ratio for all stationary, axisymmetric, and asymptotically flat Einstein-Maxwell fields is known to be g=2. In this paper, we continue our previous works of examination of this result for rotating charged spacetimes with asymptotic nonflat structure. We first consider two instructive examples of these spacetimes: The spacetime of a Kerr-Newman black hole with a straight cosmic string on its axis of symmetry and the Kerr-Newman Taub-NUT (Newman-Unti-Tamburino) spacetime. We show that for both spacetimes the gyromagnetic ratio g=2 independent of their asymptotic structure. We also extend this result to a general class of metrics which admit separation of variables for the Hamilton-Jacobi and wave equations. We proceed with the study of the gyromagnetic ratio in higher dimensions by considering the general solution for rotating charged black holes in minimal five-dimensional gauged supergravity. We obtain the analytic expressions for two distinct gyromagnetic ratios of these black holes that are associated with their two independent rotation parameters. These expressions reveal the dependence of the gyromagnetic ratio on both the curvature radius of the AdS background and the parameters of the black holes: The mass, electric charge, and two rotation parameters. We explore some special cases of interest and show that when the two rotation parameters are equal to each other and the rotation occurs at the maximum angular velocity, the gyromagnetic ratio g=4 regardless of the value of the electric charge. This agrees precisely with our earlier result obtained for general Kerr-AdS black holes with a test electric charge. We also show that in the Bogomol'nyi-Prasad-Sommerfield (BPS) limit the gyromagnetic ratio for a supersymmetric black hole with equal rotation parameters ranges between 2 and 4

  11. Word Class Ratios and Genres in Written Japanese: Revisiting the Modifier Verb Ratio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bor HODOŠČEK

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores the variability of genres in the Balanced Corpus of Contemporary Written Japanese using the modifier-verb ratio proposed by Kabashima and Jukaku (1965. Using bagplots to quantifying the relation between noun and modifier-verb ratios, as well as some summary statistics obtain from them, we attempt to classify genres according to Kabashima and Jugaku (1965. Our initial analysis confirms previous research results, while at the same time uncovering some contradictions in the ratios of the genre of magazines.

  12. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in children with atopic dermatitis: a case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dogru, M; Citli, R

    2017-01-01

    Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio(NLR) is a novel marker for the evaluation of inflammation and has not been evaluated previously in patients with AD. To investigate the relationship between NLR and the clinical findings of AD. Sixty-six children with AD were included in the study.The control group was included 66 children who have no allergic and chronic diseases.The immunoglobulin(Ig)E levels and complete blood count were measured. Skin prick tests were performed using the same antigens for all patients. NLR was not significant between the patient and control groups (p>0.05).The patients with AD were divided into 3 groups according to their SCORAD score as mild, moderate and severe AD.No statistically significant difference was present between groups in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics,eosinohil-lymphocyte ratio,eosinophil-neutrophil ratio,the percentage of eosinophil, IgE,the sensitivity of skin tests(p>0.05). However,NLR and sensitivity to house dust mite were significantly different among groups(respectively,p=0.037,p:0.043).SCORAD scores were weak positively correlated with NLR levels,eosinophil-lymphocyte ratio and the sensitivity of house dust mite (respectively,r:0.329;p:0.007,r:0.264;p:00035,r:0.325;p:0.008). We didn't found significant difference in term of mean NLR betweeen patients with AD and control group. NLR was found significantly higher in severe AD patients than mild AD patients.The house dust mite sensitivity, eosinohil-lymphocyte ratio and NLR were correlated with AD severity.

  13. Basic Blood Tests (For Parents)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Other medical conditions and some medicines also can cause high blood glucose. Reviewed by: Rupal Christine Gupta, ... (CMP) Urine Test: Creatinine Urine Test: Microalbumin-to-Creatinine Ratio Getting a ...

  14. Establishing a sample-to cut-off ratio for lab-diagnosis of hepatitis C virus in Indian context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aseem K Tiwari

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Lab-diagnosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV is based on detecting specific antibodies by enzyme immuno-assay (EIA or chemiluminescence immuno-assay (CIA. Center for Disease Control reported that signal-to-cut-off (s/co ratios in anti-HCV antibody tests like EIA/CIA can be used to predict the probable result of supplemental test; above a certain s/co value it is most likely to be true-HCV positive result and below that certain s/co it is most likely to be false-positive result. A prospective study was undertaken in patients in tertiary care setting for establishing this "certain" s/co value. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in consecutive patients requiring HCV testing for screening/diagnosis and medical management. These samples were tested for anti-HCV on CIA (VITROS ® Anti-HCV assay, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, New Jersey for calculating s/co value. The supplemental nucleic acid test used was polymerase chain reaction (PCR (Abbott. PCR test results were used to define true negatives, false negatives, true positives, and false positives. Performance of different putative s/co ratios versus PCR was measured using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value and most appropriate s/co was considered on basis of highest specificity at sensitivity of at least 95%. Results: An s/co ratio of ≥6 worked out to be over 95% sensitive and almost 92% specific in 438 consecutive patient samples tested. Conclusion: The s/co ratio of six can be used for lab-diagnosis of HCV infection; those with s/co higher than six can be diagnosed to have HCV infection without any need for supplemental assays.

  15. Testosterone Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Testing Triglycerides Troponin Tryptase Tumor Markers Uric Acid Urinalysis Urine Albumin and Albumin/Creatinine Ratio Urine Culture ... 2010) 2536–259. Centers for Disease Control Hormone Standardization website(HoST). Available online at http://www.cdc. ...

  16. Simultaneous estimation of Poisson's ratio and Young's modulus using a single indentation: a finite element study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, Y P; Choi, A P C; Ling, H Y; Huang, Y P

    2009-01-01

    Indentation is commonly used to determine the mechanical properties of different kinds of biological tissues and engineering materials. With the force–deformation data obtained from an indentation test, Young's modulus of the tissue can be calculated using a linear elastic indentation model with a known Poisson's ratio. A novel method for simultaneous estimation of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of the tissue using a single indentation was proposed in this study. Finite element (FE) analysis using 3D models was first used to establish the relationship between Poisson's ratio and the deformation-dependent indentation stiffness for different aspect ratios (indentor radius/tissue original thickness) in the indentation test. From the FE results, it was found that the deformation-dependent indentation stiffness linearly increased with the deformation. Poisson's ratio could be extracted based on the deformation-dependent indentation stiffness obtained from the force–deformation data. Young's modulus was then further calculated with the estimated Poisson's ratio. The feasibility of this method was demonstrated in virtue of using the indentation models with different material properties in the FE analysis. The numerical results showed that the percentage errors of the estimated Poisson's ratios and the corresponding Young's moduli ranged from −1.7% to −3.2% and 3.0% to 7.2%, respectively, with the aspect ratio (indentor radius/tissue thickness) larger than 1. It is expected that this novel method can be potentially used for quantitative assessment of various kinds of engineering materials and biological tissues, such as articular cartilage

  17. Parameter estimation in astronomy through application of the likelihood ratio. [satellite data analysis techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cash, W.

    1979-01-01

    Many problems in the experimental estimation of parameters for models can be solved through use of the likelihood ratio test. Applications of the likelihood ratio, with particular attention to photon counting experiments, are discussed. The procedures presented solve a greater range of problems than those currently in use, yet are no more difficult to apply. The procedures are proved analytically, and examples from current problems in astronomy are discussed.

  18. Identifying Malignant Pleural Effusion by A Cancer Ratio (Serum LDH: Pleural Fluid ADA Ratio).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, Akash; Abisheganaden, John; Light, R W

    2016-02-01

    We studied the diagnostic potential of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in malignant pleural effusion. Retrospective analysis of patients hospitalized with exudative pleural effusion in 2013. Serum LDH and serum LDH: pleural fluid ADA ratio was significantly higher in cancer patients presenting with exudative pleural effusion. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, pleural fluid ADA was negatively correlated 0.62 (0.45-0.85, p = 0.003) with malignancy, whereas serum LDH 1.02 (1.0-1.03, p = 0.004) and serum LDH: pleural fluid ADA ratio 0.94 (0.99-1.0, p = 0.04) was correlated positively with malignant pleural effusion. For serum LDH: pleural fluid ADA ratio, a cut-off level of >20 showed sensitivity, specificity of 0.98 (95 % CI 0.92-0.99) and 0.94 (95 % CI 0.83-0.98), respectively. The positive likelihood ratio was 32.6 (95 % CI 10.7-99.6), while the negative likelihood ratio at this cut-off was 0.03 (95 % CI 0.01-0.15). Higher serum LDH and serum LDH: pleural fluid ADA ratio in patients presenting with exudative pleural effusion can distinguish between malignant and non-malignant effusion on the first day of hospitalization. The cut-off level for serum LDH: pleural fluid ADA ratio of >20 is highly predictive of malignancy in patients with exudative pleural effusion (whether lymphocytic or neutrophilic) with high sensitivity and specificity.

  19. Investigation of the influence of the neutron spectrum in determinations of integral cross-section ratios

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smith, D.L.

    1987-11-01

    Ratio measurements are routinely employed in studies of neutron interaction processes in order to generate new differential cross-section data or to test existing differential cross-section information through examination of the corresponding response in integral neutron spectra. Interpretation of such data requires that careful attention be given to details of the neutron spectra involved in these measurements. Two specific tasks are undertaken in the present investigation: (1) Using perturbation theory, a formula is derived which permits one to relate the ratio measured in a realistic quasimonoenergetic spectrum to the desired pure monoenergetic ratio. This expression involves only the lowest-order moments of the neutron energy distribution and corresponding parameters which serve to characterize the energy dependence of the differential cross sections, quantities which can generally be estimated with reasonable precision from the uncorrected data or from auxiliary information. (2) Using covariance methods, a general formalism is developed for calculating the uncertainty of a measured integral cross-section ratio which involves an arbitrary neutron spectrum. This formalism is employed to further examine the conditions which influence the sensitivity of such measured ratios to details of the neutron spectra and to their uncertainties. Several numerical examples are presented in this report in order to illustrate these principles, and some general conclusion are drawn concerning the development and testing of neutron cross-section data by means of ratio experiments. 16 refs., 1 fig., 4 tabs.

  20. Investigation of the influence of the neutron spectrum in determinations of integral cross-section ratios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, D.L.

    1987-11-01

    Ratio measurements are routinely employed in studies of neutron interaction processes in order to generate new differential cross-section data or to test existing differential cross-section information through examination of the corresponding response in integral neutron spectra. Interpretation of such data requires that careful attention be given to details of the neutron spectra involved in these measurements. Two specific tasks are undertaken in the present investigation: (1) Using perturbation theory, a formula is derived which permits one to relate the ratio measured in a realistic quasimonoenergetic spectrum to the desired pure monoenergetic ratio. This expression involves only the lowest-order moments of the neutron energy distribution and corresponding parameters which serve to characterize the energy dependence of the differential cross sections, quantities which can generally be estimated with reasonable precision from the uncorrected data or from auxiliary information. (2) Using covariance methods, a general formalism is developed for calculating the uncertainty of a measured integral cross-section ratio which involves an arbitrary neutron spectrum. This formalism is employed to further examine the conditions which influence the sensitivity of such measured ratios to details of the neutron spectra and to their uncertainties. Several numerical examples are presented in this report in order to illustrate these principles, and some general conclusion are drawn concerning the development and testing of neutron cross-section data by means of ratio experiments. 16 refs., 1 fig., 4 tabs

  1. From neural oscillations to reasoning ability: Simulating the effect of the theta-to-gamma cycle length ratio on individual scores in a figural analogy test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chuderski, Adam; Andrelczyk, Krzysztof

    2015-02-01

    Several existing computational models of working memory (WM) have predicted a positive relationship (later confirmed empirically) between WM capacity and the individual ratio of theta to gamma oscillatory band lengths. These models assume that each gamma cycle represents one WM object (e.g., a binding of its features), whereas the theta cycle integrates such objects into the maintained list. As WM capacity strongly predicts reasoning, it might be expected that this ratio also predicts performance in reasoning tasks. However, no computational model has yet explained how the differences in the theta-to-gamma ratio found among adult individuals might contribute to their scores on a reasoning test. Here, we propose a novel model of how WM capacity constraints figural analogical reasoning, aimed at explaining inter-individual differences in reasoning scores in terms of the characteristics of oscillatory patterns in the brain. In the model, the gamma cycle encodes the bindings between objects/features and the roles they play in the relations processed. Asynchrony between consecutive gamma cycles results from lateral inhibition between oscillating bindings. Computer simulations showed that achieving the highest WM capacity required reaching the optimal level of inhibition. When too strong, this inhibition eliminated some bindings from WM, whereas, when inhibition was too weak, the bindings became unstable and fell apart or became improperly grouped. The model aptly replicated several empirical effects and the distribution of individual scores, as well as the patterns of correlations found in the 100-people sample attempting the same reasoning task. Most importantly, the model's reasoning performance strongly depended on its theta-to-gamma ratio in same way as the performance of human participants depended on their WM capacity. The data suggest that proper regulation of oscillations in the theta and gamma bands may be crucial for both high WM capacity and effective complex

  2. The ratio of change in muscle thickness between superficial and deep cervical flexor muscles during the craniocervical flexion test and a suggestion regarding clinical treatment of patients with musculoskeletal neck pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goo, Miran; Kim, Seong-Gil; Jun, Deokhoon

    2015-08-01

    [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to identify the imbalance of muscle recruitment in cervical flexor muscles during the craniocervical flexion test by using ultrasonography and to propose the optimal level of pressure in clinical craniocervical flexion exercise for people with neck pain. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 18 students (9 males and 9 females) with neck pain at D University in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, participated in this study. The change in muscle thickness in superficial and deep cervical flexor muscles during the craniocervical flexion test was measured using ultrasonography. The ratio of muscle thickness changes between superficial and deep muscles during the test were obtained to interpret the imbalance of muscle recruitment in cervical flexor muscles. [Results] The muscle thickness ratio of the sternocleidomastoid muscle/deep cervical flexor muscles according to the incremental pressure showed significant differences between 22 mmHg and 24 mmHg, between 24 mmHg and 28 mmHg, between 24 mmHg and 30 mmHg, and between 26 mmHg and 28 mmHg. [Conclusion] Ultrasonography can be applied for examination of cervical flexor muscles in clinical environment, and practical suggestion for intervention exercise of craniocervical flexors can be expected on the pressure level between 24 mmHg and 26 mmHg enabling the smallest activation of the sternocleidomastoid muscle.

  3. Discrimination of periodontal diseases using diffuse reflectance spectral intensity ratios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandra Sekhar, Prasanth; Betsy, Joseph; Presanthila, Janam; Subhash, Narayanan

    2012-02-01

    This clinical study was to demonstrate the applicability of diffuse reflectance (DR) intensity ratio R620/R575 in the quantification and discrimination of periodontitis and gingivitis from healthy gingiva. DR spectral measurements were carried out with white-light illumination from 70 healthy sites in 30 healthy volunteers, and 63 gingivitis- and 58 periodontitis-infected sites in 60 patients. Clinical parameters such as probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and gingival index were recorded in patient population. Diagnostic accuracies for discrimination of gingivitis and periodontitis from healthy gingiva were determined by comparison of spectral signatures with clinical parameters. Divergence of average DR spectral intensity ratio between control and test groups was studied using analysis of variance. The mean DR spectrum on normalization at 620 nm showed marked differences between healthy tissue, gingivitis, and periodontitis. Hemoglobin concentration and apparent SO2 (oxygen saturation) were also calculated for healthy, gingivitis, and periodontitis sites. DR spectral intensities at 545 and 575 nm showed a decreasing trend with progression of disease. Among the various DR intensity ratios studied, the R620/R575 ratio provided a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 94% for discrimination of healthy tissues from gingivitis and a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 100% for discrimination of gingivitis from periodontitis.

  4. Measurement of the atmospheric muon charge ratio with the OPERA detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agafonova, N.; Boyarkin, V.; Enikeev, R.; Malgin, A.; Matveev, V.; Ryasny, V.; Ryazhskaya, O.; Yakushev, V.; Anokhina, A.; Galkin, V.I.; Nikitina, V.; Osedlo, V.; Publichenko, P.; Roganova, T.; Aoki, S.; Hara, T.; Rokujo, H.; Ariga, A.; Ariga, T.; Ereditato, A.; Juget, F.; Knuesel, J.; Kreslo, I.; Lutter, G.; Meisel, F.; Moser, U.; Pistillo, C.; Pretzl, K.; Vuilleumier, J.L.; Autiero, D.; Brugiere, T.; Cazes, A.; Chaussard, L.; Declais, Y.; Marteau, J.; Pennacchio, E.; Tran, T.; Badertscher, A.; Lazzaro, C.; Rubbia, A.; Strauss, T.; Bagulya, A.; Chernyavsky, M.; Goncharova, L.; Orlova, G.; Polukhina, N.; Starkov, N.; Vladimirov, M.; Bertolin, A.; Dal Corso, F.; Dusini, S.; Besnier, M.; Duchesneau, D.; Favier, J.; Pessard, H.; Zghiche, A.; Bick, D.; Ebert, J.; Ferber, T.; Goellnitz, C.; Hagner, C.; Lenkeit, J.; Oldorf, C.; Schmidt Parzefall, W.; Wonsak, B.; Zimmermann, R.; Bozza, C.; D'Amato, G.; Grella, G.; Policastro, G.; Rescigno, R.; Romano, G.; Sirignano, C.; Brugnera, R.; Garfagnini, A.; Kose, U.; Brunetti, G.; Giacomelli, G.; Giorgini, M.; Mauri, N.; Pozzato, M.; Sioli, M.; Tenti, M.; Buontempo, S.; Chukanov, A.; Di Capua, F.; Marotta, A.; Migliozzi, P.; Scotto Lavina, L.; Tioukov, V.; Chiarella, V.; Felici, G.; Grianti, F.; Paniccia, M.; Paoloni, A.; Spinetti, M.; Terranova, F.; Votano, L.; Chon-Sen, N.; Dracos, M.; Jollet, C.; Meregaglia, A.; Cozzi, M.; D'Ambrosio, N.; Di Giovanni, A.; Esposito, L.S.; Gustavino, C.; De Lellis, G.; Russo, A.; Strolin, P.; De Serio, M.; Fini, R.; Ieva, M.; Di Ferdinando, D.; Mandrioli, G.; Medinaceli, E.; Patrizii, L.; Sirri, G.; Di Marco, N.; Monacelli, P.; Park, B.D.; Park, I.G.; Pupilli, F.; Dmitrievski, S.; Gornushkin, Y.; Naumov, D.; Olchevski, A.; Sheshukov, A.; Zemskova, S.; Egorov, O.; Golubkov, D.; Rostovtseva, I.; Zaitsev, Y.; Frekers, D.; Pilipenko, V.; Fukuda, T.; Hamada, K.; Hoshino, K.; Kazuyama, M.; Komatsu, M.; Kubota, H.; Miyamoto, S.; Morishima, K.; Naganawa, N.; Naka, T.; Nakamura, M.; Nakano, T.; Niwa, K.; Nonoyama, Y.; Sato, O.; Takahashi, S.; Yoshioka, T.; Yoshida, J.; Fukushima, C.; Kimura, M.; Matsuo, T.; Mikado, S.; Ogawa, S.; Shibuya, H.; Goldberg, J.; Guler, M.; Tolun, P.; Tufanli, S.; Hierholzer, M.; Jakovcic, K.; Klicek, B.; Ljubicic, A.; Stipcevic, M.; Kim, S.H.; Song, J.S.; Yoon, C.S.; Kodama, K.; Longhin, A.; Stanco, L.; Muciaccia, M.T.; Pastore, A.; Simone, S.; Rosa, G.; Schembri, A.; Sato, Y.; Tezuka, I.; Schroeder, H.; Vilain, P.; Wilquet, G.

    2010-01-01

    The OPERA detector at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory (LNGS) was used to measure the atmospheric muon charge ratio R μ =N μ + /N μ - in the TeV energy region. We analyzed 403069 atmospheric muons corresponding to 113.4 days of lifetime during the 2008 CNGS run. We computed separately the muon charge ratio for single and for multiple muon events in order to select different energy regions of the primary cosmic ray spectrum and to test the R μ dependence on the primary composition. The measured R μ values were corrected taking into account the charge-misidentification errors. Data have also been grouped in five bins of the ''vertical surface energy'' E μ cos θ. A fit to a simplified model of muon production in the atmosphere allowed the determination of the pion and kaon charge ratios weighted by the cosmic ray energy spectrum. (orig.)

  5. Precision Gamma-Ray Branching Ratios for Long-Lived Radioactive Nuclei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tonchev, Anton [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2017-10-19

    Many properties of the high-energy-density environments in nuclear weapons tests, advanced laser-fusion experiments, the interior of stars, and other astrophysical bodies must be inferred from the resulting long-lived radioactive nuclei that are produced. These radioactive nuclei are most easily and sensitively identified by studying the characteristic gamma rays emitted during decay. Measuring a number of decays via detection of the characteristic gamma-rays emitted during the gamma-decay (the gamma-ray branching ratio) of the long-lived fission products is one of the most straightforward and reliable ways to determine the number of fissions that occurred in a nuclear weapon test. The fission products 147Nd, 144Ce, 156Eu, and certain other long-lived isotopes play a crucial role in science-based stockpile stewardship, however, the large uncertainties (about 8%) on the branching ratios measured for these isotopes are currently limiting the usefulness of the existing data [1,2]. We performed highly accurate gamma-ray branching-ratio measurements for a group of high-atomic-number rare earth isotopes to greatly improve the precision and reliability with which the fission yield and reaction products in high-energy-density environments can be determined. We have developed techniques that take advantage of new radioactive-beam facilities, such as DOE's CARIBU located at Argonne National Laboratory, to produce radioactive samples and perform decay spectroscopy measurements. The absolute gamma-ray branching ratios for 147Nd and 144Ce are reduced <2% precision. In addition, high-energy monoenergetic neutron beams from the FN Tandem accelerator in TUNL at Duke University was used to produce 167Tm using the 169Tm(n,3n) reaction. Fourtime improved branching ratio of 167Tm is used now to measure reaction-in-flight (RIF) neutrons from a burning DT capsule at NIF [10]. This represents the

  6. Vehicle Armor Structure and Testing for Future Combat System

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-03

    D6641 measures the in-plane compressive strength, compressive modulus and in-plane Poisson ratio of fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite...compressive strength, compressive modulus, and in-plane Poisson ratio of fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite materials. In this test, one...compressive modulus and in-plane Poisson ratio of fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite materials. In this test, one fiber orientation is vertical

  7. EVALUATION OF QUANTITATIVE THYROID SCINTIGRAPHY FOR DIAGNOSIS AND STAGING OF DISEASE SEVERITY IN CATS WITH HYPERTHYROIDISM: COMPARISON OF THE PERCENT THYROIDAL UPTAKE OF PERTECHNETATE TO THYROID-TO-SALIVARY RATIO AND THYROID-TO-BACKGROUND RATIOS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Mark E; Guterl, Jade N; Rishniw, Mark; Broome, Michael R

    2016-07-01

    Thyroid scintigraphy is commonly used for evaluation of cats with hyperthyroidism, with the thyroid-to-salivary ratio (T/S) being the most common method to quantify the degree of thyroid activity and disease. Calculation of thyroid-to-background ratios (T/B) or percent thyroidal uptake of (99m) TcO(-) 4 (TcTU) has only been reported in a few studies. The purpose of this prospective, cross-sectional study was to evaluate a number of quantitative scintigraphic indices as diagnostic tests for hyperthyroidism, including the T/S, three different T/B, TcTU, and estimated thyroid volume. Of 524 cats referred to our clinic for evaluation of suspected hyperthyroidism, the diagnosis was confirmed (n = 504) or excluded (n = 20) based on results of a serum thyroid panel consisting of thyroxine (T4 ), triiodothyronine (T3 ), free T4 (fT4 ), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations. In the hyperthyroid cats, median values for TcTU, T/S, and three T/B ratios were all significantly higher (P hyperthyroidism, but the T/S ratio had the highest test accuracy. The T/S ratio correlated strongly with the TcTU (r = 0.85). However, the TcTU had a higher and more significant correlation (P metabolic activity of the feline adenomatous thyroid gland. © 2016 American College of Veterinary Radiology.

  8. First measurement of the Omega /sup -/ decay branching ratios

    CERN Document Server

    Bourquin, M; Chatelus, Y; Chollet, J C; Degré, A; Froidevaux, D; Fyfe, A R; Gaillard, J M; Gee, C N P; Gibson, W M; Igo-Kemenes, P; Jeffreys, P W; Merkel, B; Morand, R; Plothow, H; Repellin, J P; Saunders, B J; Sauvage, G; Schiby, B; Siebert, H W; Smith, V J; Streit, K P; Strub, R; Thresher, J J; Tovey, Stuart N

    1979-01-01

    In an experiment in the CERN-SPS charged-hyperon beam, the main Omega /sup -/ decay branching ratios have been measured to be Gamma ( Omega /sup -/ to Lambda K/sup -/)/ Gamma (all)=0.686+or-0.013, Gamma ( Omega /sup -/ to Xi /sup 0/ pi /sup -/)/ Gamma (all) =0.234+or-0.013, Gamma ( Omega /sup -/ to Xi /sup -/ pi /sup 0/)/ Gamma (all)=0.080+or-0.008. The relative branching ratio of the two Xi pi modes provides a test of the Delta I=1/2 rule in decuplet-octet transitions. A search has also been made for the rare decay modes Omega /sup -/ to Lambda pi /sup -/, Omega /sup -/ to Xi /sup -/ gamma , Omega /sup -/ to Xi /sup -/ pi /sup +/ pi /sup -/ and Omega /sup -/ to Xi /sup 0/e/sup -/ nu . (6 refs).

  9. Measurement of the cosmic ray muon charge ratio with the OPERA detector

    CERN Document Server

    Mauri, N

    2010-01-01

    The OPERA detector at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory (LNGS) was used to measure the cosmic ray muon charge ratio Rμ = Nμ+/Nμ− in the TeV energy region. We analyzed 403069 cosmic ray muons corresponding to 113.4 days of livetime during the 2008 CNGS run. We computed separately the muon charge ratio for single and for multiple muon events in order to select different energy regions of the primary cosmic ray spectrum and to test the Rμ dependence on the primary composition. Rμ is also shown as a function of the Òvertical surface energyÓ Eμ cos !. A Þt to a simpliÞed model of muon pro- duction in atmosphere allowed the determination of the pion and kaon charge ratios weighted by the cosmic ray energy spectrum.

  10. Plutonium isotopes/137Cs activity ratios for soil in Montenegro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antovic, N. M.; Vukotic, P.; Svrkota, N.; Andrukhovich, S.K.

    2011-01-01

    Plutonium isotopes/ 137 Cs activity ratios were determined for six soil samples from Montenegro, using the results of alpha-spectrometric measurements of 239+240 Pu and 238 Pu, as well as gamma-spectrometric cesium measurements. An average 239+240 Pu/ 137 Cs activity ratio is found to be 0.02, as the 238 Pu/ 137 Cs and 238 Pu/ 239+240 Pu one - 0.0006 and 0.03, respectively. It follows from the results that the source of plutonium in Montenegro soil is nuclear weapon testing during the fifties and sixties of the twentieth century. On the other hand, there is a contribution of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to the soil contamination with 137 Cs isotope. [sr

  11. [Comparison study on subjective and objective measurements of the accommodative convergence to accommodation ratio].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Jing-jing; Xu, Dan; Huang, Tao; Jiang, Jian; Lü, Fan

    2012-05-01

    To detect the accommodative convergence to accommodation (AC/A) ratios measured respectively by objective and subjective methods. The differences and its relative factors were explored. Forty young volunteers were measured by eye tracker to get the amount of convergence when fixating at the target at 100 cm, 50 cm, 33 cm and 25 cm and were measured by infrared auto-refractor to get corresponding accommodative responses. AC/A ratio based on these two measurements were compared with the calculated and the gradient AC/A ratio from Von Graefe tests. Mean value of stimulated AC/A ratio measured by eye tracker was higher than the calculated and gradient AC/A ratio by Von Graefe method (P = 0.003, 0.001). There are statistic correlation (r = 0.871, P = 0.000) and difference (P = 0.000) between stimulated AC/A ratio and response AC/A ratios both measured by eye tracker, and the difference trends to be greater with the higher AC/A ratio. The objective AC/A ratio is usually higher than the clinical subjective measurement because of more proximal effect. The response AC/A ratio measured objectively may reveal realistically the mutual effect and relationship between accommodation and convergence and it seems to be more credible to be the monitor parameter on progression of myopia in clinics.

  12. Temperature and air-fuel ratio dependent specific heat ratio functions for lean burned and unburned mixture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ceviz, M.A.; Kaymaz, I.

    2005-01-01

    The most important thermodynamic property used in heat release calculations for engines is the specific heat ratio. The functions proposed in the literature for the specific heat ratio are temperature dependent and apply at or near stoichiometric air-fuel ratios. However, the specific heat ratio is also influenced by the gas composition in the engine cylinder and especially becomes important for lean combustion engines. In this study, temperature and air-fuel ratio dependent specific heat ratio functions were derived to minimize the error by using an equilibrium combustion model for burned and unburned mixtures separately. After the error analysis between the equilibrium combustion model and the derived functions is presented, the results of the global specific heat ratio function, as varying with mass fraction burned, were compared with the proposed functions in the literature. The results of the study showed that the derived functions are more feasible at lean operating conditions of a spark ignition engine

  13. Likelihood ratio sequential sampling models of recognition memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osth, Adam F; Dennis, Simon; Heathcote, Andrew

    2017-02-01

    The mirror effect - a phenomenon whereby a manipulation produces opposite effects on hit and false alarm rates - is benchmark regularity of recognition memory. A likelihood ratio decision process, basing recognition on the relative likelihood that a stimulus is a target or a lure, naturally predicts the mirror effect, and so has been widely adopted in quantitative models of recognition memory. Glanzer, Hilford, and Maloney (2009) demonstrated that likelihood ratio models, assuming Gaussian memory strength, are also capable of explaining regularities observed in receiver-operating characteristics (ROCs), such as greater target than lure variance. Despite its central place in theorising about recognition memory, however, this class of models has not been tested using response time (RT) distributions. In this article, we develop a linear approximation to the likelihood ratio transformation, which we show predicts the same regularities as the exact transformation. This development enabled us to develop a tractable model of recognition-memory RT based on the diffusion decision model (DDM), with inputs (drift rates) provided by an approximate likelihood ratio transformation. We compared this "LR-DDM" to a standard DDM where all targets and lures receive their own drift rate parameters. Both were implemented as hierarchical Bayesian models and applied to four datasets. Model selection taking into account parsimony favored the LR-DDM, which requires fewer parameters than the standard DDM but still fits the data well. These results support log-likelihood based models as providing an elegant explanation of the regularities of recognition memory, not only in terms of choices made but also in terms of the times it takes to make them. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. An improved single sensor parity space algorithm for sequential probability ratio test

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Racz, A. [Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest (Hungary). Atomic Energy Research Inst.

    1995-12-01

    In our paper we propose a modification of the single sensor parity algorithm in order to make the statistical properties of the generated residual determinable in advance. The algorithm is tested via computer simulated ramp failure at the temperature readings of the pressurizer. (author).

  15. Testing Significance Testing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joachim I. Krueger

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The practice of Significance Testing (ST remains widespread in psychological science despite continual criticism of its flaws and abuses. Using simulation experiments, we address four concerns about ST and for two of these we compare ST’s performance with prominent alternatives. We find the following: First, the 'p' values delivered by ST predict the posterior probability of the tested hypothesis well under many research conditions. Second, low 'p' values support inductive inferences because they are most likely to occur when the tested hypothesis is false. Third, 'p' values track likelihood ratios without raising the uncertainties of relative inference. Fourth, 'p' values predict the replicability of research findings better than confidence intervals do. Given these results, we conclude that 'p' values may be used judiciously as a heuristic tool for inductive inference. Yet, 'p' values cannot bear the full burden of inference. We encourage researchers to be flexible in their selection and use of statistical methods.

  16. Poisson's ratio of fiber-reinforced composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christiansson, Henrik; Helsing, Johan

    1996-05-01

    Poisson's ratio flow diagrams, that is, the Poisson's ratio versus the fiber fraction, are obtained numerically for hexagonal arrays of elastic circular fibers in an elastic matrix. High numerical accuracy is achieved through the use of an interface integral equation method. Questions concerning fixed point theorems and the validity of existing asymptotic relations are investigated and partially resolved. Our findings for the transverse effective Poisson's ratio, together with earlier results for random systems by other authors, make it possible to formulate a general statement for Poisson's ratio flow diagrams: For composites with circular fibers and where the phase Poisson's ratios are equal to 1/3, the system with the lowest stiffness ratio has the highest Poisson's ratio. For other choices of the elastic moduli for the phases, no simple statement can be made.

  17. On a radioimmunoassay ratio making the diagnosis of dysthyroidism easier

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bresson, Y.; Marty, D.; Moullart, V.

    1982-01-01

    The offered ratio is a dimensionless number, independant of kits, or units and usually fluctuates around one. We obtain it by [TBGsub(m)/Tsub(4m)].[T 4 ]/[TBG] and, divided by a constant, it represents the first term of the development in series of the free thyroxin index mathematical expression from which it gives a nearly perfect value. Using this ratio the discrimination between eu- and hyperthyroidism is very apparent as well as the distinction between hypo and euthyroidism. The children from two to fifteen years of age and the women under hormonal contraception treatment show normal value. These results have been confirmed by a statistical investigation including 184 normal subjects, 76 hyperthyroid subjects without treatment, 18 euthyroid women under hormonal contraception treatment and 32 children from birth to fifteen years of age. It is conclued from this statistical investigation that the offered ratio is more accurate and more reliable as a mean of diagnosis than the free thyroxin index when calculated from the T3 uptake test [fr

  18. A comparison of discriminant logistic regression and Item Response Theory Likelihood-Ratio Tests for Differential Item Functioning (IRTLRDIF) in polytomous short tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hidalgo, María D; López-Martínez, María D; Gómez-Benito, Juana; Guilera, Georgina

    2016-01-01

    Short scales are typically used in the social, behavioural and health sciences. This is relevant since test length can influence whether items showing DIF are correctly flagged. This paper compares the relative effectiveness of discriminant logistic regression (DLR) and IRTLRDIF for detecting DIF in polytomous short tests. A simulation study was designed. Test length, sample size, DIF amount and item response categories number were manipulated. Type I error and power were evaluated. IRTLRDIF and DLR yielded Type I error rates close to nominal level in no-DIF conditions. Under DIF conditions, Type I error rates were affected by test length DIF amount, degree of test contamination, sample size and number of item response categories. DLR showed a higher Type I error rate than did IRTLRDIF. Power rates were affected by DIF amount and sample size, but not by test length. DLR achieved higher power rates than did IRTLRDIF in very short tests, although the high Type I error rate involved means that this result cannot be taken into account. Test length had an important impact on the Type I error rate. IRTLRDIF and DLR showed a low power rate in short tests and with small sample sizes.

  19. Detecting isotopic ratio outliers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bayne, C. K.; Smith, D. H.

    An alternative method is proposed for improving isotopic ratio estimates. This method mathematically models pulse-count data and uses iterative reweighted Poisson regression to estimate model parameters to calculate the isotopic ratios. This computer-oriented approach provides theoretically better methods than conventional techniques to establish error limits and to identify outliers.

  20. Detecting isotopic ratio outliers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bayne, C.K.; Smith, D.H.

    1986-01-01

    An alternative method is proposed for improving isotopic ratio estimates. This method mathematically models pulse-count data and uses iterative reweighted Poisson regression to estimate model parameters to calculate the isotopic ratios. This computer-oriented approach provides theoretically better methods than conventional techniques to establish error limits and to identify outliers

  1. Methodology of diagnostic tests in hepatology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Erik

    2009-01-01

    The performance of diagnostic tests can be assessed by a number of methods. These include sensitivity, specificity,positive and negative predictive values, likelihood ratios and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. This paper describes the methods and explains which information...... they provide. Sensitivity and specificity provides measures of the diagnostic accuracy of a test in diagnosing the condition. The positive and negative predictive values estimate the probability of the condition from the test-outcome and the condition's prevalence. The likelihood ratios bring together......' and plotting sensitivity as a function of 1-specificity. The ROC-curve can be used to define optimal cut-off values for a test, to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the test, and to compare the usefulness of different tests in the same patients. Under certain conditions it may be possible to utilize a test...

  2. Impact of influent COD/N ratio on disintegration of aerobic granular sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Jinghai; Hao, Tianwei; Wei, Li; Mackey, Hamish R; Lin, Ziqiao; Chen, Guang-Hao

    2014-10-01

    Disintegration of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) is a challenging issue in the long-term operation of an AGS system. Chemical oxygen demand (COD)-to-nitrogen (N) ratio (COD/N), often variable in industrial wastewaters, could be a destabilizing factor causing granule disintegration. This study investigates the impact of this ratio on AGS disintegration and identifies the key causes, through close monitoring of AGS changes in its physical and chemical characteristics, microbial community and treatment performance. For specific comparison, two lab-scale air-lift type sequencing batch reactors, one for aerobic granular and the other for flocculent sludge, were operated in parallel with three COD/N ratios (4, 2, 1) applied in the influent of each reactor. The decreased COD/N ratios of 2 and 1 strongly influenced the stability of AGS with regard to physical properties and nitrification efficiency, leading to AGS disintegration when the ratio was decreased to 1. Comparatively the flocculent sludge maintained relatively stable structure and nitrification efficiency under all tested COD/N ratios. The lowest COD/N ratio resulted in a large microbial community shift and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) reduction in both flocculent and granular sludges. The disintegration of AGS was associated with two possible causes: 1) reduction in net tyrosine production in the EPS and 2) a major microbial community shift including reduction in filamentous bacteria leading to the collapse of granule structure. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. A heuristic application of critical power ratio to pressurized water reactor core design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Seung Hoon; Jeun, Gyoo Dong

    2002-01-01

    The approach for evaluating the critical heat flux (CHF) margin using the departure from nucleate boiling ratio (DNBR) concept has been widely applied to PWR core design, while DNBR in this approach does not indicate appropriately the CHF margin in terms of the attainable power margin-to-CHF against a reactor core condition. The CHF power margin must be calculated by increasing power until the minimum DNBR reaches a DNBR limit. The Critical Power Ratio (CPR), defined as the ratio of the predicted CHF power to the operating power, is considered more reasonable for indicating the CHF margin and can be calculated by a CPR correlation based on the heat balance of a test bundle. This approach yields directly the CHF power margin, but the calculated CPR must be corrected to compensate for many local effects of the actual core, which are not considered in the CHF test and analysis. In this paper, correction of the calculated CPR is made so that it may become equal to the DNB overpower margin. Exemplary calculations showed that the correction tends to be increased as power distribution is more distorted, but are not unduly large

  4. Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Flying-Boat Hull Having a Length-Beam Ratio of 15, TED No. NACA 2206

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riebe, John M.; Naeseth, Rodger L.

    1951-01-01

    An investigation was made in the Langley 300 MPH 7- by 10-foot tunnel to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of a flying-boat hull of a length-beam ratio of 15 in the presence of a wing. The investigation was an extension of previous tests made on hulls of length-beam ratios of 6, 9, and 12; these hulls were designed to have approximately the same hydrodynamic performance with respect to spray and resistance characteristics. Comparison with the previous investigation at lower length-beam ratios indicated a reduction in minimum drag coefficients of 0.0006 (10 peroent)with fixed transition when the length-beam ratio was extended from 12 to 15. As with the hulls of lower length-beam ratio, the drag reduction with a length-beam ratio of 15 occurred throughout the range of angle of attack tested and the angle of attack for minimum drag was in the range from 2deg to 3deg. Increasing the length-beam ratio from 12 to 15 reduced the hull longitudinal instability by an mount corresponding to an aerodynamic-center shift of about 1/2 percent of the mean aerodynamic chord of the hypothetical flying boat. At an angle of attack of 2deg, the value of the variation of yawing-moment coefficient with angle of yaw for a length-beam ratio of 15 was 0.00144, which was 0.00007 larger than the value for a length-beam ratio of 12.

  5. Influence of Coke Ratio on the Sintering Behavior of High-Chromium Vanadium-Titanium Magnetite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Songtao Yang

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available High-chromium vanadium and titanium magnetite (HCVTM sinter has poor properties. The coke ratio has an important effect on the behavior of HCVTM sintering as it affects the mineral phases in the high-chromium vanadium and titanium sinter (HCVTS via changing the sintering temperature and atmosphere. In this work, the sintering behavior of HCVTM mixed with varying coke ratios was investigated through sintering pot tests, X-ray diffraction (XRD, gas chromatographic analysis, and mineral phase analysis. The results show that, with the increase of the coke ratio from 4.0% to 6.0%, leading to the increase of the combustion ratio of the flue gas, the vertical sintering rate and sinter productivity decrease. Meanwhile, with the change of the coke ratio, the content of magnetite, silicate, and perovskite increase, while the hematite and calcium ferrite decrease. In addition, the tumble strength and reduction ability of HCVTS decrease, and its degradation strength increase. It was found that the appropriate coke ratio for the sintering process was 5.0 wt %.

  6. The relationship of normal body temperature, end-expired breath temperature, and BAC/BrAC ratio in 98 physically fit human test subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowan, J Mack; Burris, James M; Hughes, James R; Cunningham, Margaret P

    2010-06-01

    The relationship between normal body temperature, end-expired breath temperature, and blood alcohol concentration (BAC)/breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) ratio was studied in 98 subjects (84 men, 14 women). Subjects consumed alcohol sufficient to produce a BrAC of at least 0.06 g/210 L 45-75 min after drinking. Breath samples were analyzed using an Intoxilyzer 8000 specially equipped to measure breath temperature. Venous blood samples and body temperatures were then taken. The mean body temperature of the men (36.6 degrees C) was lower than the women (37.0 degrees C); however, their mean breath temperatures were virtually identical (men: 34.5 degrees C; women: 34.6 degrees C). The BAC exceeded the BrAC for every subject. BAC/BrAC ratios were calculated from the BAC and BrAC analytical results. There was no difference in the BAC/BrAC ratios for men (1:2379) and women (1:2385). The correlation between BAC and BrAC was high (r = 0.938, p body temperature and end-expired breath temperature, body temperature and BAC/BrAC ratio, and breath temperature and BAC/BrAC ratio were much lower. Neither normal body temperature nor end-expired breath temperature was strongly associated with BAC/BrAC ratio.

  7. The Dividend-Price Ratio and Expectations of Future Dividends and Discount Factors

    OpenAIRE

    John Y. Campbell; Robert J. Shiller

    1986-01-01

    A linearization of a rational expectations present value model for corporate stock prices produces a simple relation between the log dividend-price ratio and mathematical expectations of future log real dividend changes and future real discount rates. This relation can be tested using vector autoregressive methods. Three versions of the linearized model, differing in the measure of discount rates, are tested for U. S. time series 1871-1986: versions using real interest rate data, aggregate re...

  8. A new modified wetting test and an alternative disintegration test for orally disintegrating tablets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hooper, Patrick; Lasher, Jason; Alexander, Kenneth S; Baki, Gabriella

    2016-02-20

    Industrial manufacturing of solid oral dosage forms require quality tests, such as friability, hardness, and disintegration. The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) disintegration test uses 900mL of water. However, recent studies of orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) have shown that this volume does not accurately portray the oral environment. In our study, various tests were conducted with a more moderate amount of water that accurately resembles the oral environment. A simulated wetting test was performed to calculate the water absorption ratio. Results showed that wetting was comparable to disintegration. Although the wetting test worked for most types of ODTs, it had limitations that produced inaccurate results. This led to the use of a modified shaking water bath test. This test was found to work for all types of ODT products and was not subject to the limitations of the wetting test. The shake test could provide disintegration times rather than water permeation times; however, it could not be used to calculate the water absorption ratio. A strong correlation was observed between the standardized shake test and the USP disintegration times for the tablets. This shake test could be used during the development stages and quality tests for ODTs with relative ease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Tissue-phantom dose ratio R(t, F) in irradiation planning. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hegewald, H.

    1986-01-01

    The principles for measuring doses are represented to complete the developed tissue-phantom dose ratio R(t, F). The functional dependence of the tissue-phantom dose ratio on the field size results from the different spectral energy distribution in the buildup range compared to greater depths. This once more illustrates the demand, to move the calibration and reference depths into greater depths than the dose maximum depth on account of a high precision. The scattering factors and their dependence on the type of collimator are represented and tables are made up for practical use. In a supplement the derivations of the equation systems are given, to find out the tissue-phantom dose ratio by computation and the correspondence is tested. The measurements are more relevant in the megavolt range since dose values typically for the equipment are measured in the buildup range and depth dose tables are not available in the required completeness. (author)

  10. Screening Test for Shed Skin Cells by Measuring the Ratio of Human DNA to Staphylococcus epidermidis DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakanishi, Hiroaki; Ohmori, Takeshi; Hara, Masaaki; Takahashi, Shirushi; Kurosu, Akira; Takada, Aya; Saito, Kazuyuki

    2016-05-01

    A novel screening method for shed skin cells by detecting Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis), which is a resident bacterium on skin, was developed. Staphylococcus epidermidis was detected using real-time PCR. Staphylococcus epidermidis was detected in all 20 human skin surface samples. Although not present in blood and urine samples, S. epidermidis was detected in 6 of 20 saliva samples, and 5 of 18 semen samples. The ratio of human DNA to S. epidermidisDNA was significantly smaller in human skin surface samples than in saliva and semen samples in which S. epidermidis was detected. Therefore, although skin cells could not be identified by detecting only S. epidermidis, they could be distinguished by measuring the S. epidermidis to human DNA ratio. This method could be applied to casework touch samples, which suggests that it is useful for screening whether skin cells and human DNA are present on potential evidentiary touch samples. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  11. Kaner biodiesel production through hybrid reactor and its performance testing on a CI engine at different compression ratios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashok Kumar Yadav

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The present study deals with development of a hybrid reactor for biodiesel production based on the combined hydrodynamic cavitation and mechanical stirring processes. Biodiesel were produced using Kaner Seed Oil (KSO. The experimental results show that hybrid reactor produces 95% biodiesel yield within 45 min for 0.75% of catalyst and 6:1 M ratio which is significantly higher as compared to mechanical stirring or hydrodynamic cavitation alone. Thus biodiesel production process in hybrid reactor is cheap (high yield, efficient (time saving and environmentally friendly (lower% of catalyst. Performance study on engine shows that an increase in compression ratios (from 16 to 18 improves the engine performance using biodiesel blends as compared to petroleum diesel.

  12. Measuring liquidity on stock market: impact on liquidity ratio

    OpenAIRE

    Siniša Bogdan; Suzana Bareša; Saša Ivanović

    2012-01-01

    The purpose – It is important to emphasize that liquidity on Croatian stock market is low, the purpose of this paper is to test empirically and find out which variables make crucial role in decision making process of investing in stocks. Design – This paper explores the impact of various liquidity variables on liquidity ratio since it is still insufficiently researched topic. Methodology –This research uses secondary and primary data available from Croatian stock market. Considering pri...

  13. Deriving aerosol scattering ratio using range-resolved lidar ratio

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2014-02-13

    Feb 13, 2014 ... ratio (LDR) are used to suggest the type of aerosols. The altitude-dependent ... to the station and the experimentally measured lidar data. The 'model ... The integrated aerosol extinction profile with altitude-dependent S and k.

  14. Effects of substrate to inoculum ratio on the biochemical methane potential of piggery slaughterhouse wastes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Young-Man; Kim, Seung-Hwan; Shin, Kook-Sik; Kim, Chang-Hyun

    2014-04-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the effect of substrate to inoculum ratio (S/I ratio) on the biochemical methane potential (BMP) and anaerobic biodegradability (Ddeg) of different piggery slaughterhouse wastes, such as piggery blood, intestine residue, and digestive tract content. These wastes were sampled from a piggery slaughterhouse located in Kimje, South Korea. Cumulative methane production curves for the wastes were obtained from the anaerobic batch fermentation having different S/I ratios of 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5. BMP and anaerobic biodegradabilities (Ddeg) of the wastes were calculated from cumulative methane production data for the tested conditions. At the lowest S/I ration of 0.1, BMPs of piggery blood, intestine residue, and digestive tract content were determined to be 0.799, 0.848, and 1.076 Nm(3) kg(-1)-VSadded, respectively, which were above the theoretical methane potentials of 0.539, 0.644, and 0.517 Nm(3) kg(-1)-VSadded for blood, intestine residue, and digestive tract content, respectively. However, BMPs obtained from the higher S/I ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 were within the theoretical range for all three types of waste and were not significantly different for the different S/I ratios tested. Anaerobic biodegradabilities calculated from BMP data showed a similar tendency. These results imply that, for BMP assay in an anaerobic reactor, the S/I ratio of anaerobic reactor should be above 0.1 and the inoculum should be sufficiently stabilized to avoid further degradation during the assay.

  15. Effects of Substrate to Inoculum Ratio on the Biochemical Methane Potential of Piggery Slaughterhouse Wastes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young-Man Yoon

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to assess the effect of substrate to inoculum ratio (S/I ratio on the biochemical methane potential (BMP and anaerobic biodegradability (Ddeg of different piggery slaughterhouse wastes, such as piggery blood, intestine residue, and digestive tract content. These wastes were sampled from a piggery slaughterhouse located in Kimje, South Korea. Cumulative methane production curves for the wastes were obtained from the anaerobic batch fermentation having different S/I ratios of 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5. BMP and anaerobic biodegradabilities (Ddeg of the wastes were calculated from cumulative methane production data for the tested conditions. At the lowest S/I ration of 0.1, BMPs of piggery blood, intestine residue, and digestive tract content were determined to be 0.799, 0.848, and 1.076 Nm3 kg−1-VSadded, respectively, which were above the theoretical methane potentials of 0.539, 0.644, and 0.517 Nm3 kg−1-VSadded for blood, intestine residue, and digestive tract content, respectively. However, BMPs obtained from the higher S/I ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 were within the theoretical range for all three types of waste and were not significantly different for the different S/I ratios tested. Anaerobic biodegradabilities calculated from BMP data showed a similar tendency. These results imply that, for BMP assay in an anaerobic reactor, the S/I ratio of anaerobic reactor should be above 0.1 and the inoculum should be sufficiently stabilized to avoid further degradation during the assay.

  16. Acute effects of static stretching on peak and end-range hamstring-to-quadriceps functional ratios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sekir, Ufuk; Arabaci, Ramiz; Akova, Bedrettin

    2015-01-01

    AIM: To evaluate if static stretching influences peak and end-range functional hamstring-to-quadriceps (H/Q) strength ratios in elite women athletes. METHODS: Eleven healthy female athletes in an elite competitive level participated to the study. All the participants fulfilled the static stretching or non-stretching (control) intervention protocol in a randomized design on different days. Two static unassisted stretching exercises, one in standing and one in sitting position, were used to stretch both the hamstring and quadriceps muscles during these protocols. The total time for the static stretching was 6 ± 1 min. The isokinetic peak torque measurements for the hamstring and quadriceps muscles in eccentric and concentric modes and the calculations for the functional H/Q strength ratios at angular velocities of 60°/s and 180°/s were made before (pre) and after (post) the control or stretching intervention. The strength measurements and functional strength ratio calculations were based during the entire- and end-range of knee extension. RESULTS: The pre-test scores for quadriceps and hamstring peak torque and end range values were not significantly different between the groups (P > 0.05). Subsequently, although the control group did not exhibit significant changes in quadriceps and hamstring muscle strength (P > 0.05), static stretching decreased eccentric and concentric quadriceps muscle strength at both the 60°/s and 180°/s test speeds (P hamstring muscle strength at both the 60°/s and 180°/s test speeds (P 0.05). Furthermore, the functional H/Q strength ratios exhibited no significant alterations during the entire and end ranges of knee extension both in the static stretching or the control intervention (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: According to our results, static stretching routine does not influence functional H/Q ratio. Athletes can confidently perform static stretching during their warm-up routines. PMID:26495249

  17. Effects of applied stress ratio on the fatigue behavior of additively manufactured porous biomaterials under compressive loading.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Krijger, Joep; Rans, Calvin; Van Hooreweder, Brecht; Lietaert, Karel; Pouran, Behdad; Zadpoor, Amir A

    2017-06-01

    Additively manufactured (AM) porous metallic biomaterials are considered promising candidates for bone substitution. In particular, AM porous titanium can be designed to exhibit mechanical properties similar to bone. There is some experimental data available in the literature regarding the fatigue behavior of AM porous titanium, but the effect of stress ratio on the fatigue behavior of those materials has not been studied before. In this paper, we study the effect of applied stress ratio on the compression-compression fatigue behavior of selective laser melted porous titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) based on the diamond unit cell. The porous titanium biomaterial is treated as a meta-material in the context of this work, meaning that R-ratios are calculated based on the applied stresses acting on a homogenized volume. After morphological characterization using micro computed tomography and quasi-static mechanical testing, the porous structures were tested under cyclic loading using five different stress ratios, i.e. R = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 and 0.8, to determine their S-N curves. Feature tracking algorithms were used for full-field deformation measurements during the fatigue tests. It was observed that the S-N curves of the porous structures shift upwards as the stress ratio increases. The stress amplitude was the most important factor determining the fatigue life. Constant fatigue life diagrams were constructed and compared with similar diagrams for bulk Ti-6Al-4V. Contrary to the bulk material, there was limited dependency of the constant life diagrams to mean stress. The notches present in the AM biomaterials were the sites of crack initiation. This observation and other evidence suggest that the notches created by the AM process cause the insensitivity of the fatigue life diagrams to mean stress. Feature tracking algorithms visualized the deformation during fatigue tests and demonstrated the root cause of inclined (45°) planes of specimen failure. In conclusion, the R-ratio

  18. Recent advances in ratio primary reference measurement procedures (definitive methods) and their use in certification of reference materials and controlling assigned values in proficiency testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dybczyñski, R.S.; Polkowska-Motrenko, H.; Chajduk, E.; Danko, B.; Pyszynska, M.

    2014-01-01

    The idea of definitive methods based on radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA), consists in combination of neutron activation with the highly selective and quantitative post-irradiation isolation of the desired radionuclide by column chromatography followed by γ-ray spectrometric measurement. The principles of construction of such methods, which were devised in the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, are reminded and the significance of these methods for analytical quality assurance is emphasized. According to VIM 3 nomenclature these methods may be called: ratio primary reference measurement procedures (RPRMPs). RPRMP for the determination of Se is briefly presented and its use for checking the accuracy of 'assigned values' established by expert laboratories in some proficiency tests, is demonstrated

  19. Bioactivity tests of calcium phosphates with variant molar ratios of main components.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pluta, Klaudia; Sobczak-Kupiec, Agnieszka; Półtorak, Olga; Malina, Dagmara; Tyliszczak, Bożena

    2018-03-09

    Calcium phosphates constitute attractive materials of biomedical applications. Among them particular attention is devoted to bioactive hydroxyapatite (HAp) and bioresorbable tricalcium phosphate (TCP) that possess ability to bind to living bones and can be used clinically as important bone substitutes. Notably, in vivo bone bioactivity can be predicted from apatite formation of bone immersed in SBF fluids. Thus, analyses of behavior of calcium phosphates immersed in various bio fluids are of great importance. Recently, stoichiometric HAp and TCP structures have been widely studied, whereas only limited number of publications have been devoted to analyses of nonstoichiometric calcium phosphates. Here, we report physicochemical analysis of natural and synthetic phosphates with variable Ca/P molar ratios. Subsequently attained structures were subjected to incubation in either artificial saliva or Ringer's fluids. Both pH and conductivity of such fluids were determined before and after incubation. Furthermore, the influence of the Ca/P values on such parameters was exemplified. Physicochemical analysis of received materials was performed by XRD and FT-IR characterization techniques. Their potential antibacterial activity and behavior in the presence of infectious microorganisms as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was also evaluated. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Detecting isotopic ratio outliers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bayne, C.K.; Smith, D.H.

    1985-01-01

    An alternative method is proposed for improving isotopic ratio estimates. This method mathematically models pulse-count data and uses iterative reweighted Poisson regression to estimate model parameters to calculate the isotopic ratios. This computer-oriented approach provides theoretically better methods than conventional techniques to establish error limits and to identify outliers. 6 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs

  1. Weight-to-height ratio and aerobic capacity in 15-year-old male taekwondo martial artists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poliszczuk, Tatiana; Jankowska, Ewa; Poliszczuk, Dmytro

    2013-01-01

    Martial arts are growing in popularity throughout the whole world. Their beneficial influence on physical development and fitness is noteworthy. Martial arts are an attractive form of physical recreation, constitute a perfect means for combating stress, and have a positive effect on general health, including during rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to assess physical development and aerobic capacity in boys who practice taekwondo and to determine the relationships between results of a fitness test and particular parameters of physical development. Study participants comparised 51 boys aged 15 years who practiced taekwondo (with training experience ranging from 1 to 6 years). Volkov´s modification of the Harvard Step Test was used to assess body height and body mass. BMI was also calculated. Centile charts were used to assess weight-to-height ratio and the level of measured parameters. BMI was analyzed according to the Cole classification system. Dispersion was calculated using a coefficient of variation. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient between selected parameters was also calculated. Most study participants had normal BMI, but 30% showed overweight and 13% showed underweight or emaciation. Weight-to-height ratio differed significantly from the norm in 33% of the boys when compared to centile charts. All participants had average aerobic capacity. However, when weight-to-height ratio was compared to the results of the Harvard Step Test, boys with normal body proportions performed much better in the test than boys with abnormal body mass (p<0.05). Study participants showed abnormal weight-to-height ratio mainly in terms of overweight. The boys had greater body height and body mass compared to the general Polish population. Aerobic capacity differed considerably between participants.

  2. PENGARUH FREE CASH FLOW DAN STRUKTUR KEMPEMILIKAN TERHADAP DIVIDEND PAYOUT RATIO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jurica Lucyanda

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Penelitian ini bertujuan menguji bagaimana free cash flow dan struktur kepemilikan berpengaruh terhadap dividend payout ratio pada perusahaan nonkeuangan yang terdaftar pada Bursa Efek Indonesia. Metode analisis yang digunakan adalah regresi berganda. Penelitian ini menggunakan data empiris dari Bursa Efek Indonesia dengan sampel sebanyak 70 perusahaan per tahun untuk tiga periode (2007-2009. Berdasarkan hasil pengujian, ditemukan bahwa variabel yang mempunyai pengaruh yang signifikan terhadap pembagian dividen adalah free cash flow, kepemilikan institusional, dan ukuran perusahaan. Jumlah free cash flow perusahaan yang tinggi, persentase kepemilikan institusional yang rendah, dan ukuran perusahaan yang besar akan menghasilkan dividend payout ratio yang tinggi. Variabel kepemilikan keluarga, kepemilikan asing, kebijakan utang, dan kesempatan investasi tidak terbukti mempunyai pengaruh yang signifikan terhadap Dividend Payout Ratio perusahaan.This study aims at testing the effect of free cash flow and ownership structure on the dividend payout ratio of non-financial companies, listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. Multiple regression was employed to analyze data. The study collected empirical data from the Indonesia Stock Exchange consisting of 70 companies. The data were collected from financial report from three consecutive years (2007-2009. The finding indicates that the variables which have a significant effect on the dividend payout ratio are free cash flow, institutional ownership, and firm size. The high free cash flow,  the low percentage of institutional ownership, and the large size companies will produce high dividends. The variable of family ownership, foreign ownership, debt policy, and investment opportunities do not significantly effect corporate dividend payout ratio.

  3. Decision Making and Ratio Processing in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pertl, Marie-Theres; Benke, Thomas; Zamarian, Laura; Delazer, Margarete

    2015-01-01

    Making advantageous decisions is important in everyday life. This study aimed at assessing how patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) make decisions under risk. Additionally, it investigated the relationship between decision making, ratio processing, basic numerical abilities, and executive functions. Patients with MCI (n = 22) were compared with healthy controls (n = 29) on a complex task of decision making under risk (Game of Dice Task-Double, GDT-D), on two tasks evaluating basic decision making under risk, on a task of ratio processing, and on several neuropsychological background tests. Patients performed significantly lower than controls on the GDT-D and on ratio processing, whereas groups performed comparably on basic decision tasks. Specifically, in the GDT-D, patients obtained lower net scores and lower mean expected values, which indicate a less advantageous performance relative to that of controls. Performance on the GDT-D correlated significantly with performance in basic decision tasks, ratio processing, and executive-function measures when the analysis was performed on the whole sample. Patients with MCI make sub-optimal decisions in complex risk situations, whereas they perform at the same level as healthy adults in simple decision situations. Ratio processing and executive functions have an impact on the decision-making performance of both patients and healthy older adults. In order to facilitate advantageous decisions in complex everyday situations, information should be presented in an easily comprehensible form and cognitive training programs for patients with MCI should focus--among other abilities--on executive functions and ratio processing.

  4. Regulation of the Docosapentaenoic Acid/Docosahexaenoic Acid Ratio (DPA/DHA Ratio) in Schizochytrium limacinum B4D1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ke; Li, Huidong; Chen, Wuxi; Zhao, Minli; Cui, Haiyang; Min, Qingsong; Wang, Haijun; Chen, Shulin; Li, Demao

    2017-05-01

    Docosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid ratio (DPA/DHA ratio) in Schizochytrium was relatively stable. But ideally the ratio of DPA/DHA will vary according to the desired end use. This study reports several ways of modulating the DPA/DHA ratio. Incubation times changed the DPA/DHA ratio, and changes in this ratio were associated with the variations in the saturated fatty acid (SFAs) content. Propionic acid sharply increased the SFAs content in lipids, dramatically decreased the even-chain SFAs content, and reduced the DPA/DHA ratio. Pentanoic acid (C5:0) and heptanoic acid (C7:0) had similar effects as propionic acid, whereas butyric acid (C4:0), hexanoic acid (C6:0), and octanoic acid (C8:0) did not change the fatty acid profile and the DPA/DHA ratio. Transcription analyses show that β-oxidation might be responsible for this phenomenon. Iodoacetamide upregulated polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) synthase genes, reduced the DHA content, and improved the DPA content, causing the DPA/DHA ratio to increase. These results present new insights into the regulation of the DPA/DHA ratio.

  5. Large aspect ratio tokamak study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reid, R.L.; Holmes, J.A.; Houlberg, W.A.; Peng, Y.K.M.; Strickler, D.J.; Brown, T.G.; Sardella, C.; Wiseman, G.W.

    1979-01-01

    The Large Aspect Ratio Tokamak Study (LARTS) investigated the potential for producing a viable long burn tokamak reactor through enhanced volt-second capability of the ohmic heating transformer by employing high aspect ratio designs. The plasma physics, engineering, and economic implications of high aspect ratio tokamaks were accessed in the context of extended burn operation. Plasma startup and burn parameters were addressed using a one-dimensional transport code. The pulsed electrical power requirements for the poloidal field system, which have a major impact on reactor economics, were minimized by optimizing the field in the ohmic heating coil and the wave shape of the ohmic heating discharge. A high aspect ratio reference reactor was chosen and configured

  6. Effects of Capacity Ratios between Anode and Cathode on Electrochemical Properties for Lithium Polymer Batteries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Cheon-Soo; Jeong, Kyung Min; Kim, Keon; Yi, Cheol-Woo

    2015-01-01

    The areal capacity ratio of negative to positive electrodes (N/P ratio) is the most important factor to design the lithium ion batteries with high performance in the consideration of balanced electrochemical reactions. In this study, the effect of N/P ratio (1.10, 1.20, and 1.30) on electrochemical properties has been investigated with a lithium polymer battery with PVdF-coated separator and 1.40 Ah of capacity. The N/P ratio is controlled by adjusting the anode thickness with a fixed anode density. The cell with an N/P ratio higher than 1.10 effectively suppresses the lithium plating at the 0.85C-rate charging at 25 °C and the cell with 1.20 of N/P ratio shows the enhanced cycle performance in comparison with other cells. Among the cells with differently designed N/P ratios, significant difference was not observed in the aging test with fully charged batteries at 25 and 45 °C. The effect of N/P ratio on electrochemical properties of lithium batteries can help to design the safe full cell without lithium plating

  7. Toxicity ratios: Their use and abuse in predicting the risk from induced cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mays, C.W.; Taylor, G.N.; Lloyd, R.D.

    1986-01-01

    The toxicity ratio concept assumes the validity of certain relationships. In some examples for bone sarcoma induction, the approximate toxicity of 239 Pu in man can be calculated algebraically from the observed toxicity in the radium-dial painters and the ratio of 239 Pu/ 226 Ra toxicities in suitable laboratory mammals. In a species highly susceptible to bone sarcoma induction, the risk coefficients for both 239 Pu and 226 Ra are elevated, but the toxicity ratio of 239 Pu to 226 Ra tends to be similar to the ratio in resistant species. Among the tested species the toxicity ratio of 239 Pu to 226 Ra ranged from 6 to 22 (a fourfold range), whereas their relative sensitivities to 239 Pu varied by a factor of 150. The toxicity ratio approach can also be used to estimate the actinide risk to man from liver cancer, by comparing to the Thorotrast patients; from lung cancer, by comparing to the uranium miners and the atomic-bomb survivors; and from neutron-induced cancers, by comparing to cancers induced by gamma rays. The toxicity ratio can be used to predict the risk to man from a specific type of cancer that has been reliably induced by a reference radiation in humans and that can be induced by both the reference and the investigated radiation in suitable laboratory animals. 26 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

  8. Risk Preferences and Predictions about Others: No Association with 2D:4D Ratio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katharina Lima de Miranda

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Prenatal androgen exposure affects the brain development of the fetus which may facilitate certain behaviors and decision patterns in the later life. The ratio between the lengths of second and the fourth fingers (2D:4D is a negative biomarker of the ratio between prenatal androgen and estrogen exposure and men typically have lower ratios than women. In line with the typical findings suggesting that women are more risk averse than men, several studies have also shown negative relationships between 2D:4D and risk taking although the evidence is not conclusive. Previous studies have also reported that both men and women believe women are more risk averse than men. In the current study, we re-test the relationship between 2D:4D and risk preferences in a German student sample and also investigate whether the 2D:4D ratio is associated with people’s perceptions about others’ risk preferences. Following an incentivized risk elicitation task, we asked all participants their predictions about (i others’ responses (without sex specification, (ii men’s responses, and (iii women’s responses; then measured their 2D:4D ratios. In line with the previous findings, female participants in our sample were more risk averse. While both men and women underestimated other participants’ (non sex-specific and women’s risky decisions on average, their predictions about men were accurate. We also found evidence for the false consensus effect, as risky choices are positively correlated with predictions about other participants’ risky choices. The 2D:4D ratio was not directly associated either with risk preferences or the predictions of other participants’ choices. An unexpected finding was that women with mid-range levels of 2D:4D estimated significantly larger sex differences in participants’ decisions. This finding needs further testing in future studies.

  9. Risk Preferences and Predictions about Others: No Association with 2D:4D Ratio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lima de Miranda, Katharina; Neyse, Levent; Schmidt, Ulrich

    2018-01-01

    Prenatal androgen exposure affects the brain development of the fetus which may facilitate certain behaviors and decision patterns in the later life. The ratio between the lengths of second and the fourth fingers (2D:4D) is a negative biomarker of the ratio between prenatal androgen and estrogen exposure and men typically have lower ratios than women. In line with the typical findings suggesting that women are more risk averse than men, several studies have also shown negative relationships between 2D:4D and risk taking although the evidence is not conclusive. Previous studies have also reported that both men and women believe women are more risk averse than men. In the current study, we re-test the relationship between 2D:4D and risk preferences in a German student sample and also investigate whether the 2D:4D ratio is associated with people’s perceptions about others’ risk preferences. Following an incentivized risk elicitation task, we asked all participants their predictions about (i) others’ responses (without sex specification), (ii) men’s responses, and (iii) women’s responses; then measured their 2D:4D ratios. In line with the previous findings, female participants in our sample were more risk averse. While both men and women underestimated other participants’ (non sex-specific) and women’s risky decisions on average, their predictions about men were accurate. We also found evidence for the false consensus effect, as risky choices are positively correlated with predictions about other participants’ risky choices. The 2D:4D ratio was not directly associated either with risk preferences or the predictions of other participants’ choices. An unexpected finding was that women with mid-range levels of 2D:4D estimated significantly larger sex differences in participants’ decisions. This finding needs further testing in future studies. PMID:29472846

  10. Effect of ceramic calcium-phosphorus ratio on chondrocyte-mediated biosynthesis and mineralization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boushell, Margaret K; Khanarian, Nora T; LeGeros, Raquel Z; Lu, Helen H

    2017-10-01

    The osteochondral interface functions as a structural barrier between cartilage and bone, maintaining tissue integrity postinjury and during homeostasis. Regeneration of this calcified cartilage region is thus essential for integrative cartilage healing, and hydrogel-ceramic composite scaffolds have been explored for calcified cartilage formation. The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that Ca/P ratio of the ceramic phase of the composite scaffold regulates chondrocyte biosynthesis and mineralization potential. Specifically, the response of deep zone chondrocytes to two bioactive ceramics with different calcium-phosphorus ratios (1.35 ± 0.01 and 1.41 ± 0.02) was evaluated in agarose hydrogel scaffolds over two weeks in vitro. It was observed that the ceramic with higher calcium-phosphorus ratio enhanced chondrocyte proliferation, glycosaminoglycan production, and induced an early onset of alkaline phosphorus activity, while the ceramic with lower calcium-phosphorus ratio performed similarly to the ceramic-free control. These results underscore the importance of ceramic bioactivity in directing chondrocyte response, and demonstrate that Ca/P ratio is a key parameter to be considered in osteochondral scaffold design. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2694-2702, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Geometrical optics modeling of the grating-slit test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Chao-Wen; Sasian, Jose

    2007-02-19

    A novel optical testing method termed the grating-slit test is discussed. This test uses a grating and a slit, as in the Ronchi test, but the grating-slit test is different in that the grating is used as the incoherent illuminating object instead of the spatial filter. The slit is located at the plane of the image of a sinusoidal intensity grating. An insightful geometrical-optics model for the grating-slit test is presented and the fringe contrast ratio with respect to the slit width and object-grating period is obtained. The concept of spatial bucket integration is used to obtain the fringe contrast ratio.

  12. Using Ratio Analysis to Evaluate Financial Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minter, John; And Others

    1982-01-01

    The ways in which ratio analysis can help in long-range planning, budgeting, and asset management to strengthen financial performance and help avoid financial difficulties are explained. Types of ratios considered include balance sheet ratios, net operating ratios, and contribution and demand ratios. (MSE)

  13. Evaluation of the aspartate aminotransferase/platelet ratio index and enhanced liver fibrosis tests to detect significant fibrosis due to chronic hepatitis C.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petersen, John R; Stevenson, Heather L; Kasturi, Krishna S; Naniwadekar, Ashutosh; Parkes, Julie; Cross, Richard; Rosenberg, William M; Xiao, Shu-Yuan; Snyder, Ned

    2014-04-01

    The assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C patients is important for prognosis and making decisions regarding antiviral treatment. Although liver biopsy is considered the reference standard for assessing hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C, it is invasive and associated with sampling and interobserver variability. Serum fibrosis markers have been utilized as surrogates for a liver biopsy. We completed a prospective study of 191 patients in which blood draws and liver biopsies were performed on the same visit. Using liver biopsies the sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values for both aspartate aminotransferase/platelet ratio index (APRI) and enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) were determined. The patients were divided into training and validation patient sets to develop and validate a clinically useful algorithm for differentiating mild and significant fibrosis. The area under the ROC curve for the APRI and ELF tests for the training set was 0.865 and 0.880, respectively. The clinical sensitivity in separating mild (F0-F1) from significant fibrosis (F2-F4) was 80% and 86.0% with a clinical specificity of 86.7% and 77.8%, respectively. For the validation sets the area under the ROC curve for the APRI and ELF tests was, 0.855 and 0.780, respectively. The clinical sensitivity of the APRI and ELF tests in separating mild (F0-F1) from significant (F2-F4) fibrosis for the validation set was 90.0% and 70.0% with a clinical specificity of 73.3% and 86.7%, respectively. There were no differences between the APRI and ELF tests in distinguishing mild from significant fibrosis for either the training or validation sets (P=0.61 and 0.20, respectively). Using APRI as the primary test followed by ELF for patients in the intermediate zone, would have decreased the number of liver biopsies needed by 40% for the validation set. Overall, use of our algorithm would have decreased the number of patients who needed a liver biopsy

  14. Applications of Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry in Sports Drug Testing Accounting for Isotope Fractionation in Analysis of Biological Samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piper, Thomas; Thevis, Mario

    2017-01-01

    The misuse of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) in sports aiming at enhancing athletic performance has been a challenging matter for doping control laboratories for decades. While the presence of a xenobiotic AAS or its metabolite(s) in human urine immediately represents an antidoping rule violation, the detection of the misuse of endogenous steroids such as testosterone necessitates comparably complex procedures. Concentration thresholds and diagnostic analyte ratios computed from urinary steroid concentrations of, e.g., testosterone and epitestosterone have aided identifying suspicious doping control samples in the past. These ratios can however also be affected by confounding factors and are therefore not sufficient to prove illicit steroid administrations. Here, carbon and, in rare cases, hydrogen isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) has become an indispensable tool. Importantly, the isotopic signatures of pharmaceutical steroid preparations commonly differ slightly but significantly from those found with endogenously produced steroids. By comparing the isotope ratios of endogenous reference compounds like pregnanediol to that of testosterone and its metabolites, the unambiguous identification of the urinary steroids' origin is accomplished. Due to the complex urinary matrix, several steps in sample preparation are inevitable as pure analyte peaks are a prerequisite for valid IRMS determinations. The sample cleanup encompasses steps such as solid phase or liquid-liquid extraction that are presumably not accompanied by isotopic fractionation processes, as well as more critical steps like enzymatic hydrolysis, high-performance liquid chromatography fractionation, and derivatization of analytes. In order to exclude any bias of the analytical results, each step of the analytical procedure is optimized and validated to exclude, or at least result in constant, isotopic fractionation. These efforts are explained in detail. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. DESIGN RESEARCH ON RATIO AND PROPORTION LEARNING BY USING RATIO TABLE AND GRAPH WITH OKU TIMUR CONTEXT AT 7th GRADE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haniful Muttaqin

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This research was motivated by several studies which show that students have difficulties in understanding the material ratio, wherein one contributing factor is the lack of ability in proportional reasoning. The purpose of this study is to produce a trajectory of learning to help students develop abilities in comparison reasoning. Solution strategies in this study were the ratio tables and graphs using PMRI approach (Indonesian Realistic Mathematics Education with OKU Timur context. This research was conducted in MTs Subulussalam 2 Sriwangi Ulu OKU Timur. The method used was design research with three stages, those are the preliminary experiment, design experiment, and retrospective analysis. At the preliminary experiment, researchers designed the Hypothetical Learning Trajectory (HLT. At the design experiment, HLT tested on students to develop informal knowledge into a formal knowledge of mathematics through activities. The trial results were analyzed in a retrospective analysis phase so that the trajectory of learning or Learning Trajectory (LT resulted.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22342/jme.8.2.3969.211-222

  16. Shaking table test and verification of development of an ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    A full-scale multiple degrees of freedom shaking table is tested toverify the energy dissipation of this proposed AIC, including test building without control, with passive control added involving various stiffness ratios and also with synchronic control added involving various stiffness ratios. Shock absorption of displacement ...

  17. Estimating 24-h urinary sodium/potassium ratio from casual ('spot') urinary sodium/potassium ratio: the INTERSALT Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwahori, Toshiyuki; Miura, Katsuyuki; Ueshima, Hirotsugu; Chan, Queenie; Dyer, Alan R; Elliott, Paul; Stamler, Jeremiah

    2017-10-01

    Association between casual and 24-h urinary sodium-to-potassium (Na/K) ratio is well recognized, although it has not been validated in diverse demographic groups. Our aim was to assess utility across and within populations of casual urine to estimate 24-h urinary Na/K ratio using data from the INTERSALT Study. The INTERSALT Study collected cross-sectional standardized data on casual urinary sodium and potassium and also on timed 24-h urinary sodium and potassium for 10 065 individuals from 52 population samples in 32 countries (1985-87). Pearson correlation coefficients and agreement were computed for Na/K ratio of casual urine against 24-h urinary Na/K ratio both at population and individual levels. Pearson correlation coefficients relating means of 24-h urine and casual urine Na/K ratio were r = 0.96 and r = 0.69 in analyses across populations and individuals, respectively. Correlations of casual urine Na/creatinine and K/creatinine ratios with 24-h urinary Na and K excretion, respectively, were lower than correlation of casual and 24-h urinary Na/K ratio in analyses across populations and individuals. The bias estimate with the Bland-Altman method, defined as the difference between Na/K ratio of 24-h urine and casual urine, was approximately 0.4 across both populations and individuals. Spread around, the mean bias was higher for individuals than populations. With appropriate bias correction, casual urine Na/K ratio may be a useful, low-burden alternative method to 24-h urine for estimation of population urinary Na/K ratio. It may also be applicable for assessment of the urinary Na/K ratio of individuals, with use of repeated measurements to reduce measurement error and increase precision. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association

  18. Automated detection and classification of major retinal vessels for determination of diameter ratio of arteries and veins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muramatsu, Chisako; Hatanaka, Yuji; Iwase, Tatsuhiko; Hara, Takeshi; Fujita, Hiroshi

    2010-03-01

    Abnormalities of retinal vasculatures can indicate health conditions in the body, such as the high blood pressure and diabetes. Providing automatically determined width ratio of arteries and veins (A/V ratio) on retinal fundus images may help physicians in the diagnosis of hypertensive retinopathy, which may cause blindness. The purpose of this study was to detect major retinal vessels and classify them into arteries and veins for the determination of A/V ratio. Images used in this study were obtained from DRIVE database, which consists of 20 cases each for training and testing vessel detection algorithms. Starting with the reference standard of vasculature segmentation provided in the database, major arteries and veins each in the upper and lower temporal regions were manually selected for establishing the gold standard. We applied the black top-hat transformation and double-ring filter to detect retinal blood vessels. From the extracted vessels, large vessels extending from the optic disc to temporal regions were selected as target vessels for calculation of A/V ratio. Image features were extracted from the vessel segments from quarter-disc to one disc diameter from the edge of optic discs. The target segments in the training cases were classified into arteries and veins by using the linear discriminant analysis, and the selected parameters were applied to those in the test cases. Out of 40 pairs, 30 pairs (75%) of arteries and veins in the 20 test cases were correctly classified. The result can be used for the automated calculation of A/V ratio.

  19. Systematic design of 3D auxetic lattice materials with programmable Poisson's ratio for finite strains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Fengwen

    2018-05-01

    This paper presents a systematic approach for designing 3D auxetic lattice materials, which exhibit constant negative Poisson's ratios over large strain intervals. A unit cell model mimicking tensile tests is established and based on the proposed model, the secant Poisson's ratio is defined as the negative ratio between the lateral and the longitudinal engineering strains. The optimization problem for designing a material unit cell with a target Poisson's ratio is formulated to minimize the average lateral engineering stresses under the prescribed deformations. Numerical results demonstrate that 3D auxetic lattice materials with constant Poisson's ratios can be achieved by the proposed optimization formulation and that two sets of material architectures are obtained by imposing different symmetry on the unit cell. Moreover, inspired by the topology-optimized material architecture, a subsequent shape optimization is proposed by parametrizing material architectures using super-ellipsoids. By designing two geometrical parameters, simple optimized material microstructures with different target Poisson's ratios are obtained. By interpolating these two parameters as polynomial functions of Poisson's ratios, material architectures for any Poisson's ratio in the interval of ν ∈ [ - 0.78 , 0.00 ] are explicitly presented. Numerical evaluations show that interpolated auxetic lattice materials exhibit constant Poisson's ratios in the target strain interval of [0.00, 0.20] and that 3D auxetic lattice material architectures with programmable Poisson's ratio are achievable.

  20. Comparison of Potentiometric and Gravimetric Methods for Determination of O/U Ratio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farida; Windaryati, L; Putro Kasino, P

    1998-01-01

    Comparison of determination O/U ratio by using potentiometric and gravimetric methods has been done. Those methods are simple, economical and having high precision and accuracy. Determination O/U ratio for UO 2 powder using potentiometric is carried out by adopting the davies-gray method. This technique is based on the redox reaction of uranium species such as U(IV) and U(VI). In gravimetric method,the UO 2 power as a sample is calcined at temperature of 900 C, and the weight of the sample is measured after calcination process. The t-student test show that there are no different result significantly between those methods. However, for low concentration in the sample the potentiometric method has a highed precision and accuracy compare to the gravimetric method. O/U ratio obtained is 2.00768 ± 0,00170 for potentiometric method 2.01089 ± 0,02395 for gravimetric method

  1. Blade tip, finite aspect ratio, and dynamic stall effects on the Darrieus rotor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paraschivoiu, I.; Desy, P.; Masson, C.

    1988-02-01

    The objective of the work described in this paper was to apply the Boeing-Vertol dynamic stall model in an asymmetric manner to account for the asymmetry of the flow between the left and right sides of the rotor. This phenomenon has been observed by the flow visualization of a two-straight-bladed Darrieus rotor in the IMST water tunnel. Also introduced into the aerodynamic model are the effects of the blade tip and finite aspect ratio on the aerodynamic performance of the Darrieus wind turbine. These improvements are compatible with the double-multiple-streamtube model and have been included in the CARDAAV computer code for predicting the aerodynamic performance. Very good agreement has been observed between the test data (Sandia 17 m) and theoretical predictions; a significant improvement over the previous dynamic stall model was obtained for the rotor power at low tip speed ratios, while the inclusion of the finite aspect ratio effects enhances the prediction of the rotor power for high tip speed ratios. The tip losses and finite aspect ratio effects were also calculated for a small-scale vertical-axis wind turbine, with a two-straight-bladed (NACA 0015) rotor.

  2. Adult sex ratio variation: implications for breeding system evolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Székely, T; Weissing, F J; Komdeur, J

    2014-08-01

    Adult sex ratio (ASR) exhibits immense variation in nature, although neither the causes nor the implications of this variation are fully understood. According to theory, the ASR is expected to influence sex roles and breeding systems, as the rarer sex in the population has more potential partners to mate with than the more common sex. Changes in mate choice, mating systems and parental care suggest that the ASR does influence breeding behaviour, although there is a need for more tests, especially experimental ones. In the context of breeding system evolution, the focus is currently on operational sex ratios (OSRs). We argue that the ASR plays a role of similar importance and urge researchers to study the ASR and the OSR side by side. Finally, we plead for a dynamic view of breeding system evolution with feedbacks between mating, parenting, OSR and ASR on both ecological and evolutionary time scales. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2014 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

  3. Measurement of signal-to-noise ratio performance of TV fluoroscopy systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geluk, R.J.

    1985-01-01

    A method has been developed for direct measurement of Signal-to-Noise ratio performance on X-ray TV systems. To this end the TV signal resulting from a calibrated test object, is compared with the noise level in the image. The method is objective and produces instantaneous readout, which makes it very suitable for system evaluation under dynamic conditions. (author)

  4. Analysis of the golden proportion and width/height ratios of maxillary anterior teeth in Arab and Kurdish populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Kaisy, Neda; Garib, Balkees Taha

    2017-11-15

    Dentists providing anterior restorations are guided by the principles of anatomic tooth dimension. Dental biometrics should consider ethnicity to produce a more comprehensive evaluation. The purpose of this clinical study was to analyze the anatomic crowns of maxillary central incisors (CI), lateral incisors (LI), and canines (C) with respect to the golden proportion (GP) and width/height (W/H) ratio in Kurdish and Arab populations. Maxillary gypsum casts were obtained from 100 participants (50 from a Kurdish and 50 from an Arab population). Standardized digital photographs of each cast were recorded. The apparent and actual anterior tooth dimensions were determined by ImageJ software for the calculation of the GP and W/H ratio. Data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA to investigate ethnic, sex, and arch side differences. The chi-square test was used to explore the GP, and the 1-sample t test was used to test the ideal W/H ratio (α=.05). The GP was found in both the Kurdish and Arab groups in the LI/CI mean (0.62, 0.63), but not in the C/LI mean (0.69, 0.73). No difference due to sex was detected in the LI/CI in either ethnic group, but Kurdish men had significantly larger C/LI than women (0.73, 0.66, P=.006) and larger right-side LI/CI than left (0.63, 0.60, P=.049). The W/H ratio was higher than the predicted ideal ratio of 80% (range, 88% to 90%). The LI W/H ratio in Arabs was significantly larger than in Kurds (90.3% versus 82.7%, respectively; P<.001). The GP was found to exist between the apparent widths of maxillary anterior teeth LI/CI for the both populations in both men and women but not for C/LI. No ideal ratio was detected for the W/H ratios. Specific population characteristics must be taken into consideration, especially when applying the proportions to Kurdish individuals. Copyright © 2017 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. The frontal ventriculocerebral ratio no normal computed tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Jeong Yeon; Kim, Yeon Jung; Hah, Hae Koo [College of Medicine, Han Yang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1980-12-15

    From the Hanyng University hospital's computer memory bank containing the CT scans of over 3000 patients, 400 normal patients between age of 1 to 69 years were selected at random. These scans were performed as a screening test in patient with minimal, vague neurologic manifestations such as headache, dizziness, convulsion and depression or suffering the traffic accident. Determination of ventridulocerebral ratio between the width of brain and dimension representing the distance between the outer border of the lateral ventricle was made at the two sites, using the image 4 or 5 at the demonstrating the level of Monro's formen.

  6. Energy ratios in Finnish agricultural production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. J. MIKKOLA

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to assess energy ratios and net energy in plant production and energy ratios in animal production in Finland. Energy ratios and net energy were determined on the basis of plant- and animal-specific energy analyses. In plant production, energy ratios and net energy were assessed as a function of nitrogen fertilization, because indirect energy input in the form of agrochemicals was 54—73% from the total energy input and nitrogen was responsible for the major part of this. The highest energy ratio was 18.6 for reed canary grass. As a whole reed canary grass was superior to the other crops, which were barley, spring wheat, spring turnip rape, ley for silage, potato and sugar beet. Reed canary grass and sugar beet gained the highest net energy yields of 111–115 GJ ha-1. The optimum energy ratio was gained in general with less nitrogen fertilization intensity than farmers use. The energy ratios in pork production varied between 0.14–1.28 depending on what was included or excluded in the analysis and for milk production between 0.15–1.85. Ratios of 1.28 in pork production and 1.85 in milk production are unrealistic as they do not give any shelter to the animals, although they can be approached in very low-input production systems. If the ratio is calculated with feed energy content then the ratio is low, 0.14–0.22 for pork and 0.15 for milk. This shows that animals can convert 14–22 percent of the input energy to usable products. In pork production, the largest portion of the energy input was the ventilation of the building. In milk production milking and cooling consumes a lot of energy and for this reason the electricity consumption is high.;

  7. Broadband non-polarizing terahertz beam splitters with variable split ratio

    KAUST Repository

    Wei, Minggui

    2017-08-15

    Seeking effective terahertz functional devices has always aroused extensive attention. Of particular interest is the terahertz beam splitter. Here, we have proposed, designed, manufactured, and tested a broadband non-polarizing terahertz beam splitter with a variable split ratio based on an all-dielectric metasurface. The metasurface was created by patterning a dielectric surface of the N-step phase gradient and etching to a few hundred micrometers. The conversion efficiency as high as 81% under the normal incidence at 0.7 THz was achieved. Meanwhile, such a splitter works well over a broad frequency range. The split ratio of the proposed design can be continuously tuned by simply shifting the metasurface, and the angle of emergences can also be easily adjusted by choosing the step of phase gradients. The proposed design is non-polarizing, and its performance is kept under different polarizations.

  8. Broadband non-polarizing terahertz beam splitters with variable split ratio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Minggui; Xu, Quan; Wang, Qiu; Zhang, Xueqian; Li, Yanfeng; Gu, Jianqiang; Tian, Zhen; Zhang, Xixiang; Han, Jiaguang; Zhang, Weili

    2017-08-01

    Seeking effective terahertz functional devices has always aroused extensive attention. Of particular interest is the terahertz beam splitter. Here, we have proposed, designed, manufactured, and tested a broadband non-polarizing terahertz beam splitter with a variable split ratio based on an all-dielectric metasurface. The metasurface was created by patterning a dielectric surface of the N-step phase gradient and etching to a few hundred micrometers. The conversion efficiency as high as 81% under the normal incidence at 0.7 THz was achieved. Meanwhile, such a splitter works well over a broad frequency range. The split ratio of the proposed design can be continuously tuned by simply shifting the metasurface, and the angle of emergences can also be easily adjusted by choosing the step of phase gradients. The proposed design is non-polarizing, and its performance is kept under different polarizations.

  9. Broadband non-polarizing terahertz beam splitters with variable split ratio

    KAUST Repository

    Wei, Minggui; Xu, Quan; Wang, Qiu; Zhang, Xueqian; Li, Yanfeng; Gu, Jianqiang; Tian, Zhen; Zhang, Xixiang; Han, Jiaguang; Zhang, Weili

    2017-01-01

    Seeking effective terahertz functional devices has always aroused extensive attention. Of particular interest is the terahertz beam splitter. Here, we have proposed, designed, manufactured, and tested a broadband non-polarizing terahertz beam splitter with a variable split ratio based on an all-dielectric metasurface. The metasurface was created by patterning a dielectric surface of the N-step phase gradient and etching to a few hundred micrometers. The conversion efficiency as high as 81% under the normal incidence at 0.7 THz was achieved. Meanwhile, such a splitter works well over a broad frequency range. The split ratio of the proposed design can be continuously tuned by simply shifting the metasurface, and the angle of emergences can also be easily adjusted by choosing the step of phase gradients. The proposed design is non-polarizing, and its performance is kept under different polarizations.

  10. Ratio dependence in small number discrimination is affected by the experimental procedure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian eAgrillo

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Adults, infants and some non-human animals share an approximate number system (ANS to estimate numerical quantities, and are supposed to share a second, ‘object-tracking’, system (OTS that supports the precise representation of a small number of items (up to 3 or 4. In relative numerosity judgments, accuracy depends on the ratio of the two numerosities (Weber’s Law, for numerosities > 4 (the typical ANS range, while for numerosities ≤ 4 (OTS range there is usually no ratio effect. However, recent studies have found evidence for ratio effects for small numerosities, challenging the idea that the OTS might be involved for small number discrimination. Here we tested the hypothesis that the lack of ratio effect in the numbers 1-4 is largely dependent on the type of stimulus presentation.We investigated relative numerosity judgments in college students using three different procedures: a simultaneous presentation of intermingled and separate groups of dots in separate experiments, and a further experiment with sequential presentation. As predicted, in the large number range, ratio dependence was observed in all tasks. By contrast, in the small number range, ratio insensitivity was found in one task (sequential presentation. In a fourth experiment, we showed that the presence of intermingled distractors elicited a ratio effect, while easily distinguishable distractors did not. As the different ratio sensitivity for small and large numbers has been often interpreted in terms of the activation of the OTS and ANS, our results suggest that numbers 1-4 may be represented by both numerical systems and that the experimental context, such as the presence/absence of task-irrelevant items in the visual field, would determine which system is activated.

  11. Offspring sex ratio is related to paternal train elaboration and yolk corticosterone in peafowl.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pike, Thomas W; Petrie, Marion

    2005-06-22

    Several recent experimental studies have provided strong evidence for the ability of birds to manipulate the sex ratio of their offspring prior to laying. Using a captive population of peafowl (Pavo cristatus), we tested experimentally the effects of paternal attractiveness on offspring sex ratio, and related sex ratio deviations to egg-yolk concentrations of testosterone, 17beta-estradiol and corticosterone. When females were mated to males whose attractiveness had been experimentally reduced by removing prominent eyespot feathers from their trains, they produced significantly more female offspring, had significantly higher yolk corticosterone concentrations and tended to have lower levels of yolk testosterone than when mated to the same males with their full complement of feathers. Concentrations of 17beta-estradiol did not vary consistently with sex ratio biases. These findings add to the small number of studies providing experimental evidence that female birds can control the primary sex ratio of their offspring in response to paternal attractiveness, and highlight the possibility that corticosterone and perhaps testosterone are involved in the sex manipulation process in birds.

  12. The male handicap: male-biased mortality explains skewed sex ratios in brown trout embryos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morán, P; Labbé, L; Garcia de Leaniz, C

    2016-12-01

    Juvenile sex ratios are often assumed to be equal for many species with genetic sex determination, but this has rarely been tested in fish embryos due to their small size and absence of sex-specific markers. We artificially crossed three populations of brown trout and used a recently developed genetic marker for sexing the offspring of both pure and hybrid crosses. Sex ratios (SR = proportion of males) varied widely one month after hatching ranging from 0.15 to 0.90 (mean = 0.39 ± 0.03). Families with high survival tended to produce balanced or male-biased sex ratios, but SR was significantly female-biased when survival was low, suggesting that males sustain higher mortality during development. No difference in SR was found between pure and hybrid families, but the existence of sire × dam interactions suggests that genetic incompatibility may play a role in determining sex ratios. Our findings have implications for animal breeding and conservation because skewed sex ratios will tend to reduce effective population size and bias selection estimates. © 2016 The Authors.

  13. Impact of Changes in Accounting Standards in Debt Ratios of Firms: Evidence in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    André Aroldo Freitas de Moura

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT This research investigates the impact of changes in debt ratios of Brazilian firms due to the IFRS adoption. We make a comparison between the forecast of the time-series of debt ratios accounted until 2007 for the span from 2008 to the first quarter of 2015 with those effectively accounted from 2008 to the first quarter of 2015 derived from the new accounting standard. The research utilizes SARIMAX model and Chow’s (1960 structural break forecast test, controlling for changes originating from the macroeconomic environment as well. We find evidence of significant changes in the debt ratio towards both higher and lower debt with predominance of greater ratios. This result is consistent with past literature in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Nevertheless, we do not find evidence of a structural break in the Financial Dependency ratio. Moreover, there is no evidence of any distinct effects across different industries. The research provides new evidence confirming the informational effects of IFRS by utilizing a robust time-series model with macroeconomic controls in an innovative approach towards the accounting environment.

  14. Preoperative Serum Thyrotropin to Thyroglobulin Ratio Is Effective for Thyroid Nodule Evaluation in Euthyroid Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lina; Li, Hao; Yang, Zhongyuan; Guo, Zhuming; Zhang, Quan

    2015-07-01

    This study was designed to assess the efficiency of the serum thyrotropin to thyroglobulin ratio for thyroid nodule evaluation in euthyroid patients. Cross-sectional study. Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China. Retrospective analysis was performed for 400 previously untreated cases presenting with thyroid nodules. Thyroid function was tested with commercially available radioimmunoassays. The receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to determine cutoff values. The efficacy of the thyrotropin:thyroglobulin ratio and thyroid-stimulating hormone for thyroid nodule evaluation was evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and odds ratio. In receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the area under the curve was 0.746 for the thyrotropin:thyroglobulin ratio and 0.659 for thyroid-stimulating hormone. With a cutoff point value of 24.97 IU/g for the thyrotropin:thyroglobulin ratio, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio were 78.9%, 60.8%, 75.5%, 2.01, and 0.35, respectively. The odds ratio for the thyrotropin:thyroglobulin ratio indicating malignancy was 5.80. With a cutoff point value of 1.525 µIU/mL for thyroid-stimulating hormone, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio were 74.0%, 53.2%, 70.8%, 1.58, and 0.49, respectively. The odds ratio indicating malignancy for thyroid-stimulating hormone was 3.23. Increasing preoperative serum thyrotropin:thyroglobulin ratio is a risk factor for thyroid carcinoma, and the correlation of the thyrotropin:thyroglobulin ratio to malignancy is higher than that for serum thyroid-stimulating hormone. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2015.

  15. Decrease in N-acetylaspartate/creatine ratio in the motor area and the frontal lobe in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abe, K.; Takanashi, M.; Yanagihara, T.; Watanabe, Y.; Tanaka, H.; Fujita, N.; Hirabuki, N.

    2001-01-01

    We studied whether N-acetylaspartate (NAA), a neuronal marker, is reduced in the brain of 14 patients with clinically definite amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and whether NAA levels in the motor area and frontal lobe correlate with the clinical features, including frontal lobe function. We also studied 14 normal controls were evaluated. We obtained peak integrals in 1 H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for NAA, creatine (Cr), and choline-containing compounds (Cho). Severity of the disease was determined using the manual muscle strength test, and the Norris limb and bulbar scales. In the patients, the NAA/Cr ratio was reduced in the motor area and frontal lobe, while the Cho/Cr ratio was normal throughout the brain. There were significant correlations between the NAA/Cr ratio in the motor area and the Norris limb scale (r = 0.50; P < 0.01) and between the NAA/Cr ratio in the frontal lobe and the number of categories achieved in the Wisconsin Card Sorting test (r = 0.71; P < 0.05), implying frontal lobe dysfunction. These correlations suggest that a reduced NAA/Cr ratio is a marker of cortical neuronal loss and dysfunction in ALS. (orig.)

  16. Decrease in N-acetylaspartate/creatine ratio in the motor area and the frontal lobe in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abe, K.; Takanashi, M.; Yanagihara, T. [Dept. of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine (Japan); Watanabe, Y.; Tanaka, H.; Fujita, N.; Hirabuki, N. [Dept. of Radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine (Japan)

    2001-07-01

    We studied whether N-acetylaspartate (NAA), a neuronal marker, is reduced in the brain of 14 patients with clinically definite amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and whether NAA levels in the motor area and frontal lobe correlate with the clinical features, including frontal lobe function. We also studied 14 normal controls were evaluated. We obtained peak integrals in {sup 1}H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) for NAA, creatine (Cr), and choline-containing compounds (Cho). Severity of the disease was determined using the manual muscle strength test, and the Norris limb and bulbar scales. In the patients, the NAA/Cr ratio was reduced in the motor area and frontal lobe, while the Cho/Cr ratio was normal throughout the brain. There were significant correlations between the NAA/Cr ratio in the motor area and the Norris limb scale (r = 0.50; P < 0.01) and between the NAA/Cr ratio in the frontal lobe and the number of categories achieved in the Wisconsin Card Sorting test (r = 0.71; P < 0.05), implying frontal lobe dysfunction. These correlations suggest that a reduced NAA/Cr ratio is a marker of cortical neuronal loss and dysfunction in ALS. (orig.)

  17. Effects of ionizing radiation on various core/clad ratio step index pure silica fibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greenwell, R.A.; Barnes, C.E.; Nelson, G.W.

    1988-01-01

    Radiation testing was performed on polyimide-coated pure-silica-core step-index fibers fabricated from different preform core/clad ratios. Preliminary results indicate that the smaller the core/clad ratio, the better the radiation response of the fiber. These results are fortuitous for space applications, since the polyimide coating is also a low-outgassing wide-temperature-range small-size fiber coating material. The variations in radiation response may be due to a postdrawing anneal occurring during coating cure, which minimizes drawing-induced defects. 8 references

  18. Influence of feedstock-to-inoculum ratio on performance and microbial community succession during solid-state thermophilic anaerobic co-digestion of pig urine and rice straw.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Lingyu; Xie, Li; Kinh, Co Thi; Suenaga, Toshikazu; Hori, Tomoyuki; Riya, Shohei; Terada, Akihiko; Hosomi, Masaaki

    2018-03-01

    This study investigated the effect of the feedstock-to-inoculum (F/I) ratio on performance of the solid-state anaerobic co-digestion of pig urine and rice straw inoculated with a solid digestate, and clarified the microbial community succession. A 44-day biochemical methane potential test at F/I ratios of 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 at 55 °C and a 35-day large-scale batch test at F/I ratios of 0.5 and 3 at 55 °C were conducted to investigate the effects of F/I ratio on anaerobic digestibility and analyze microbial community succession, respectively. The highest cumulative methane yield was 353.7 m 3 /t VS in the large-scale batch test. Volatile fatty acids did not accumulate at any F/I ratios. The volatile solids reduction rate was highest at a F/I ratio of 0.5. Microbial community structures were similar between F/I ratios of 3 and 0.5, despite differences in digestion performance, suggesting that stable operation can be achieved at these ratios. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Sand characterization by combined centrifuge and laboratory tests

    OpenAIRE

    GAUDIN, C; SCHNAID, F; GARNIER, J

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to evaluate new methods of interpretation of in situ tests in sand from correlations established from centrifuge and laboratory data. Emphasis is given to methods that are based on the combination of measurements from independent tests, such as the ratio of the elastic stiffness to ultimate strenght and the ratio of cone resistance and limit pressure. For that purpose, a series of centrifuge tests using a cone penetrometer and a cone pressuremeter was carried out ...

  20. The Wedge Splitting Test: Influence of Aggregate Size and Water-to-Cement Ratio

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pease, Bradley Justin; Skocek, Jan; Geiker, Mette Rica

    2007-01-01

    Since the development of the wedge splitting test (WST), techniques have been used to extract material properties that can describe the fracture behavior of the tested materials. Inverse analysis approaches are commonly used to estimate the stress-crack width relationship; which is described...... by the elastic modulus, tensile strength, fracture energy, and the assumed softening behavior. The stress-crack width relation can be implemented in finite element models for computing the cracking behavior of cementitious systems. While inverse analysis provides information about the material properties...... of various concrete mixtures there are limitations to the current analysis techniques. To date these techniques analyze the result of one WST specimen, thereby providing an estimate of material properties from single result. This paper utilizes a recent improvement to the inverse analysis technique, which...

  1. Output factors and scatter ratios

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shrivastava, P N; Summers, R E; Samulski, T V; Baird, L C [Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA (USA); Ahuja, A S; Dubuque, G L; Hendee, W R; Chhabra, A S

    1979-07-01

    Reference is made to a previous publication on output factors and scatter ratios for radiotherapy units in which it was suggested that the output factor should be included in the definitions of scatter-air ratio and tissue-maximum ratio. In the present correspondence from other authors and from the authors of the previous publication, the original definitions and the proposed changes are discussed. Radiation scatter from source and collimator degradation of beam energy and calculation of dose in tissue are considered in relation to the objective of accurate dosimetry.

  2. Influence of La/W ratio on electrical conductivity of lanthanum tungstate with high La/W ratio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kojo, Gen; Shono, Yohei; Ushiyama, Hiroshi; Oshima, Yoshito; Otomo, Junichiro

    2017-01-01

    The proton-conducting properties of lanthanum tungstates (LWOs) with high La/W ratios were investigated using electrochemical measurements and quantum chemical calculations. Single phases of LWOs with high La/W ratios (6.3≤La/W≤6.7) were synthesized by high-temperature sintering at around 1700 °C. The electrical conductivity of LWO increased with increasing La/W ratio in the single-phase region. The LWO synthesized at the optimum sintering temperature and time, and with the optimum La/W ratio gave the maximum conductivity, i.e., 2.7×10 −3 S cm −1 with La/W=6.7 at 500 °C. Density functional theory calculations, using the nudged elastic band method, were performed to investigate the proton diffusion barrier. The results suggest that the proton diffusion paths around La sites have the lowest proton diffusion barrier. These findings improve our understanding of LWO synthesis and the proton-conducting mechanism and provide a strategy for improving proton conduction in LWOs. - Graphical abstract: The LWOs with high La/W ratios were synthesized for the first time. The optimum La/W ratio gave the maximum conductivity with La/W=6.7 at 500 °C. The proton diffusion paths were also considered with density functional theory calculations. - Highlights: • The proton-conducting properties of lanthanum tungstates (LWOs) were investigated. • Single phase LWOs with high La/W ratios (6.3≤La/W≤6.7) were synthesized successfully. • LWOs with the high La/W ratios showed high proton conductivity. • The DFT calculation suggested the lowest proton diffusion barrier in the path around La sites.

  3. ANALISIS PENGARUH LDR, NPL DAN OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY RATIO TERHADAP RETURN ON ASSETS PADA BANK DEVISA DI INDONESIA PERIODE 2010-2012

    OpenAIRE

    Hamidah Hamidah; Goldan Merion Siallagan; Umi Mardiyati

    2014-01-01

    This research is performed on order to test analysis the influence of the Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR), Non Performing Loan (NPL) and Operational Efficiency Ratio (OER) toward Return On Asset (ROA) On Foreign Exchange Banks In Indonesia Period 2010-2012. Methodology research as the sample used purposive sampling, samplewas accured fromforeign banks in Indonesia. Data analysis with multi liniearregression of ordinary least square and hypotheses test used t-statistic and Fstatistic, a classic as...

  4. Computerized Classification Testing with the Rasch Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eggen, Theo J. H. M.

    2011-01-01

    If classification in a limited number of categories is the purpose of testing, computerized adaptive tests (CATs) with algorithms based on sequential statistical testing perform better than estimation-based CATs (e.g., Eggen & Straetmans, 2000). In these computerized classification tests (CCTs), the Sequential Probability Ratio Test (SPRT) (Wald,…

  5. Specificity of the Acute Tryptophan and Tyrosine Plus Phenylalanine Depletion and Loading Tests Part II: Normalisation of the Tryptophan and the Tyrosine Plus Phenylalanine to Competing Amino Acid Ratios in a New Control Formulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdulla A.-B. Badawy

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Current formulations for acute tryptophan (Trp or tyrosine (Tyr plus phenylalanine (Phe depletion and loading cause undesirable decreases in ratios of Trp or Tyr + Phe to competing amino acids (CAA, thus undermining the specificities of these tests. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA cause these unintended decreases, and lowering their content in a new balanced control formulation in the present study led to normalization of all ratios. Four groups (n = 12 each of adults each received one of four 50 g control formulations, with 0% (traditional, 20%, 30%, or 40% less of the BCAA. The free and total [Trp]/[CAA] and [Phe + Tyr]/[BCAA + Trp] ratios all decreased significantly during the first 5 h following the traditional formulation, but were fully normalized by the formulation containing 40% less of the BCAA. We recommend the latter as a balanced control formulation and propose adjustments in the depletion and loading formulations to enhance their specificities for 5-HT and the catecholamines.

  6. Toroidal simulation magnet tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walstrom, P.L.; Domm, T.C.

    1975-01-01

    A number of different schemes for testing superconducting coils in a simulated tokamak environment are analyzed for their merits relative to a set of test criteria. Two of the concepts are examined in more detail: the so-called cluster test scheme, which employs two large background field coils, one on either side of the test coil, and the compact torus, a low-aspect ratio toroidal array of a small number of coils in which all of the coils are essentially test coils. Simulation of the pulsed fields of the tokamak is discussed briefly

  7. Liquidity Analysis Using Cash Flow Ratios as Compared to Traditional Ratios in the Pharmaceutical Sector in Jordan

    OpenAIRE

    Sulayman H. Atieh

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the liquidity position of the Jordanian pharmaceutical sector using the traditional ratios as compared to the more recently developed cash flow ratios. The research involved the comparison between traditional ratios and cash flow ratios of the big seven companies of the pharmaceutical industry in Jordan over six years period (2007¨C2012). The companies were all from the same sector, and the data was obtained from the annual reports of these companies. T...

  8. Isotopic ratios of actinides used in British nuclear trials at Maralinga and Emu

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnston, P.N.; Burns, P.A.; Cooper, M.B.; Williams, G.A.

    1988-10-01

    Studies are underway to investigate the rehabilitation of the former nuclear weapons test sites at Maralinga and Emu in South Australia. Many of these studies are based on measurements of Am-241 which is a contaminant in the plutonium dispersed at these sites. Measurements of the ratio of activities of Pu-239 and Am-241 are presented for sites where suitable samples could be collected. Where possible, measurements were also made of Pu-240 and U-235 activities. Recommended values, current for mid 1988, for the Pu-239/Am-241 activity ratio for the major trial sites range between 20 and 40. At Taranaki values of 6 to 22 were reported, while for the minor sites, current values of the Pu-240/Am-241 activity ratio vary between 1 and 2. 6 refs., 6 tabs., 3 figs

  9. New Predictive Parameters of Bell"s Palsy: Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet to Lymphocyte Ratio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Doğan Atan

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: Bell’s palsy is the most frequent cause of unilateral facial paralysis. Inflammation is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of Bell’s palsy. Aims: Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR are simple and inexpensive tests which are indicative of inflammation and can be calculated by all physicians. The aim of this study was to reveal correlations of Bell’s palsy and degree of paralysis with NLR and PLR. Study Design: Case-control study. Methods: The retrospective study was performed January 2010 and December 2013. Ninety-nine patients diagnosed as Bell’s palsy were included in the Bell’s palsy group and ninety-nine healthy individuals with the same demographic characteristics as the Bell’s palsy group were included in the control group. As a result of analyses, NLR and PLR were calculated. Results: The mean NLR was 4.37 in the Bell’s palsy group and 1.89 in the control group with a statistically significant difference (p<0.001. The mean PLR was 137.5 in the Bell’s palsy group and 113.75 in the control group with a statistically significant difference (p=0.008. No statistically significant relation was detected between the degree of facial paralysis and NLR and PLR. Conclusion: The NLR and the PLR were significantly higher in patients with Bell’s palsy. This is the first study to reveal a relation between Bell’s palsy and PLR. NLR and PLR can be used as auxiliary parameters in the diagnosis of Bell’s palsy.

  10. A Study on the Effects of Compression Ratio, Engine Speed and Equivalence Ratio on HCCI Combustion of DME

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Troels Dyhr; Schramm, Jesper

    2007-01-01

    An experimental study has been carried out on the homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion of Dimethyl Ether (DME). The study was performed as a parameter variation of engine speed and compression ratio on excess air ratios of approximately 2.5, 3 and 4. The compression ratio...... was adjusted in steps to find suitable regions of operation, and the effect of engine speed was studied at 1000, 2000 and 3000 RPM. It was found that leaner excess air ratios require higher compression ratios to achieve satisfactory combustion. Engine speed also affects operation significantly....

  11. Difference and ratio plots

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svendsen, Anders Jørgen; Holmskov, U; Bro, Peter

    1995-01-01

    and systemic lupus erythematosus from another previously published study (Macanovic, M. and Lachmann, P.J. (1979) Clin. Exp. Immunol. 38, 274) are also represented using ratio plots. Our observations indicate that analysis by regression analysis may often be misleading....... hitherto unnoted differences between controls and patients with either rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus. For this we use simple, but unconventional, graphic representations of the data, based on difference plots and ratio plots. Differences between patients with Burkitt's lymphoma...

  12. An Accurate Method for Inferring Relatedness in Large Datasets of Unphased Genotypes via an Embedded Likelihood-Ratio Test

    KAUST Repository

    Rodriguez, Jesse M.

    2013-01-01

    Studies that map disease genes rely on accurate annotations that indicate whether individuals in the studied cohorts are related to each other or not. For example, in genome-wide association studies, the cohort members are assumed to be unrelated to one another. Investigators can correct for individuals in a cohort with previously-unknown shared familial descent by detecting genomic segments that are shared between them, which are considered to be identical by descent (IBD). Alternatively, elevated frequencies of IBD segments near a particular locus among affected individuals can be indicative of a disease-associated gene. As genotyping studies grow to use increasingly large sample sizes and meta-analyses begin to include many data sets, accurate and efficient detection of hidden relatedness becomes a challenge. To enable disease-mapping studies of increasingly large cohorts, a fast and accurate method to detect IBD segments is required. We present PARENTE, a novel method for detecting related pairs of individuals and shared haplotypic segments within these pairs. PARENTE is a computationally-efficient method based on an embedded likelihood ratio test. As demonstrated by the results of our simulations, our method exhibits better accuracy than the current state of the art, and can be used for the analysis of large genotyped cohorts. PARENTE\\'s higher accuracy becomes even more significant in more challenging scenarios, such as detecting shorter IBD segments or when an extremely low false-positive rate is required. PARENTE is publicly and freely available at http://parente.stanford.edu/. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.

  13. Changes in stimulus and response AC/A ratio with vision therapy in Convergence Insufficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Neeraj Kumar; Mani, Revathy; Hussaindeen, Jameel Rizwana

    To evaluate the changes in the stimulus and response Accommodative Convergence to Accommodation (AC/A) ratio following vision therapy (VT) in Convergence Insufficiency (CI). Stimulus and response AC/A ratio were measured on twenty five CI participants, pre and post 10 sessions of VT. Stimulus AC/A ratio was measured using the gradient method and response AC/A ratio was calculated using modified Thorington technique with accommodative responses measured using WAM-5500 open-field autorefractor. The gradient stimulus and response AC/A cross-link ratios were compared with thirty age matched controls. Mean age of the CI and control participants were 23.3±5.2 years and 22.7±4.2 years, respectively. The mean stimulus and response AC/A ratio for CI pre therapy was 2.2±0.72 and 6.3±2.0 PD/D that changed to 4.2±0.9 and 8.28±3.31 PD/D respectively post vision therapy and these changes were statistically significant (paired t-test; paccommodation parameters in subjects with convergence insufficiency. This represents the plasticity of the AC/A crosslink ratios that could be achieved with vision therapy in CI. Copyright © 2016 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  14. Effects of Stress Ratio and Microstructure on Fatigue Failure Behavior of Polycrystalline Nickel Superalloy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, H.; Guan, Z. W.; Wang, Q. Y.; Liu, Y. J.; Li, J. K.

    2018-05-01

    The effects of microstructure and stress ratio on high cycle fatigue of nickel superalloy Nimonic 80A were investigated. The stress ratios of 0.1, 0.5 and 0.8 were chosen to perform fatigue tests in a frequency of 110 Hz. Cleavage failure was observed, and three competing failure crack initiation modes were discovered by a scanning electron microscope, which were classified as surface without facets, surface with facets and subsurface with facets. With increasing the stress ratio from 0.1 to 0.8, the occurrence probability of surface and subsurface with facets also increased and reached the maximum value at R = 0.5, meanwhile the probability of surface initiation without facets decreased. The effect of microstructure on the fatigue fracture behavior at different stress ratios was also observed and discussed. Based on the Goodman diagram, it was concluded that the fatigue strength of 50% probability of failure at R = 0.1, 0.5 and 0.8 is lower than the modified Goodman line.

  15. Optimal Design for Hybrid Ratio of Carbon/Basalt Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Resin Matrix Composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    XU Hong

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The optimum hybrid ratio range of carbon/basalt hybrid fiber reinforced resin composites was studied. Hybrid fiber composites with nine different hybrid ratios were prepared before tensile test.According to the structural features of plain weave, the unit cell's performance parameters were calculated. Finite element model was established by using SHELL181 in ANSYS. The simulated values of the sample stiffness in the model were approximately similar to the experimental ones. The stress nephogram shows that there is a critical hybrid ratio which divides the failure mechanism of HFRP into single failure state and multiple failure state. The tensile modulus, strength and limit tensile strain of HFRP with 45% resin are simulated by finite element method. The result shows that the tensile modulus of HFRP with 60% hybrid ratio increases by 93.4% compared with basalt fiber composites (BFRP, and the limit tensile strain increases by 11.3% compared with carbon fiber composites(CFRP.

  16. Influence of ceramic dental crown coating substrate thickness ratio on strain energy release rate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khasnulhadi, K.; Daud, R.; Mat, F.; Noor, S. N. F. M.; Basaruddin, K. S.; Sulaiman, M. H.

    2017-10-01

    This paper presents the analysis of coating substrate thickness ratio effect on the crown coating fracture behaviour. The bi-layer material is examined under four point bending with pre-crack at the bottom of the core material by using finite element. Three different coating thickness of core/substrate was tested which is 1:1, 1:2 and 2:1. The fracture parameters are analysed based on bilayer and homogenous elastic interaction. The result shows that the ratio thickness of core/veneer provided a significant effect on energy release rate.

  17. High ratio recirculating gas compressor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinbrecht, J.F.

    1989-08-22

    A high ratio positive displacement recirculating rotary compressor is disclosed. The compressor includes an integral heat exchanger and recirculation conduits for returning cooled, high pressure discharge gas to the compressor housing to reducing heating of the compressor and enable higher pressure ratios to be sustained. The compressor features a recirculation system which results in continuous and uninterrupted flow of recirculation gas to the compressor with no direct leakage to either the discharge port or the intake port of the compressor, resulting in a capability of higher sustained pressure ratios without overheating of the compressor. 10 figs.

  18. An alternative test of the trade-off theory of capital structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giorgio Canarella

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to investigate the stochastic behavior of corporate debt ratios utilizing a balanced panel of 2,556 publicly traded U.S. firms during the period 1997-2010. We partition the panel into ten economic sectors and perform panel unit root tests on each sector employing book value and market value measures of debt ratio. First-generation panel unit root tests provide consistent evidence that debt ratios are mean reverting, which supports the trade-off theory. However, these tests rely on the assumption that the debt ratios are cross-sectionally independent, but tests of cross-sectional independence fail to uphold this assumption. Thus, utilizing a second-generation panel unit root test that controls for cross-sectional dependence, we uncover evidence showing that debt ratios are not mean reverting, which contradicts the trade-off hypothesis. We find that the recent macroeconomic developments triggered by the financial crisis and the Great Recession have considerable explanatory power over the dynamics of the debt ratios. In fact, when we exclude the years of the recent global financial crisis, the unit root hypothesis is rejected in one half of the sectors. We interpret these results as indicative that the recent global events may have produced in these sectors a structural change in the underlying data generation process (DGP. Overall, then, we find mixed evidence on the stationarity of debt ratios.

  19. Agreement between clinicians' and care givers' assessment of intelligence in Nigerian children with intellectual disability: 'ratio IQ' as a viable option in the absence of standardized 'deviance IQ' tests in sub-Saharan Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakare, Muideen O; Ubochi, Vincent N; Okoroikpa, Ifeoma N; Aguocha, Chinyere M; Ebigbo, Peter O

    2009-09-15

    ' assessed IQ scores and 'ratio IQ' scores (r = 0.75, df = 41, p = 0.000). Agreement between clinicians' assessed IQ scores and 'ratio IQ' scores was good. 'Ratio IQ' test would provide a viable option of assessing IQ scores in sub-Saharan African children with intellectual disability in the absence of culture-appropriate standardized intelligence scales, which is often the case because of great diversity in socio-cultural structures of sub-Saharan Africa.

  20. A behavior of O/M ratio and its effect for Material Accounting in feed preparation process of MOX fabrication line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuba, Meiji; Kashimura, Motoaki; Suzuki, Toru; Yamaguchi, Toshihiro; Deguchi, Morimoto; Otani, Tetsuo

    1997-01-01

    An evaluation test to investigate the behavior of the Oxygen to Metal ratio (O/M ratio) drift and its effect to material accounting in Feed preparation process was carried out in operational MOX fuel fabrication process, Plutonium Fuel Production Facility (PFPF) of Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC). The test results clearly show the transition of O/M ratio along the Feed preparation process flow and it was increased gradually according to the progress of process steps. It leveled off after Feed lot blending operation and then it remained stable around 2.25. Analytical result of plutonium concentration after the correction with the changes of moisture concentration on the same sample as O/M ratio analysis has strong correlation with O/M ratio result as the theory. Therefore, it was confirmed that the plutonium concentration of the MOX should be corrected on the basis of the changes in O/M ratio and moisture concentration. Sample taking after blending operation was carried out at Cross Blending process step. An analysis of variance for plutonium concentration using two-way layout, whose factors are feed blending batch (factor A) and container (factor B), is carried out. Since no significant difference was observed in factor A nor B, the test concludes that a sample taken after blending operation can be considered as representative for the whole material blended by cross blending operation. Now the software of 'Material Accounting System' is being modified to improved one, that is, the plutonium concentration after the intermediate storage and after treatment in a process glove box is corrected with the change of O/M ratio and moisture concentration. (J.P.N.)

  1. Classroom Issues with Series Tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadek, Jawad; Euler, Russell

    2005-01-01

    We find infinite series in calculus to be one of the most confusing topics our students encounter. In this note, we look at some issues that our students find difficult or ambiguous involving the Ratio Test, the Root Test, and also the Alternating Series Test. We offer some suggestions and some examples, which could be a supplement to the set of…

  2. CSF/serum albumin ratio in dementias: a cross-sectional study on 1861 patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skillbäck, Tobias; Delsing, Louise; Synnergren, Jane; Mattsson, Niklas; Janelidze, Shorena; Nägga, Katarina; Kilander, Lena; Hicks, Ryan; Wimo, Anders; Winblad, Bengt; Hansson, Oskar; Blennow, Kaj; Eriksdotter, Maria; Zetterberg, Henrik

    2017-11-01

    A connection between dementias and blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction has been suggested, but previous studies have yielded conflicting results. We examined cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)/serum albumin ratio in a large cohort of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD, early onset [EAD, n = 130], late onset AD [LAD, n = 666]), vascular dementia (VaD, n = 255), mixed AD and VaD (MIX, n = 362), Lewy body dementia (DLB, n = 50), frontotemporal dementia (FTD, n = 56), Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD, n = 23), other dementias (other, n = 48), and dementia not otherwise specified (NOS, n = 271). We compared CSF/serum albumin ratio to 2 healthy control groups (n = 292, n = 20), between dementia diagnoses, and tested biomarker associations. Patients in DLB, LAD, VaD, MIX, other, and NOS groups had higher CSF/serum albumin ratio than controls. CSF/serum albumin ratio correlated with CSF neurofilament light in LAD, MIX, VaD, and other groups but not with AD biomarkers. Our data show that BBB leakage is common in dementias. The lack of association between CSF/serum albumin ratio and AD biomarkers suggests that BBB dysfunction is not inherent to AD but might represent concomitant cerebrovascular pathology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Brain perfusion ratios by 99mTc HMPAO SPECT utilizing a mean value of the visual cortex to the cerebellum ratio derived from normal subjects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez Catasus, C.; Rodriguez, R.; Cisnero, M.; Palmero, R.; Diaz, O.; Aguila, A.

    2002-01-01

    Aim: Previous results shows that the cerebellum (CER) is the best reference to calculate relative indexes of perfusion (IP) by brain SPECT. However, it can not be used on patients with bilateral cerebellar hypoperfusion. In such cases visual cortex (VC) or an average of the whole brain activity is recommended (WB). VC and WB are less reliable than CER, making it difficult to compare SPECT scans that have been normalized with different values. Materials and Methods: To overcome this difficulty, we developed a method to calculate IP utilizing a reference value defined as (VC / ), where is the mean value of the VC/CER ratio derived from a normal database which was assumed to be constant. We called the value VC/ the 'Pseudocerebellum' (PCER). For clinical validation, we first tested statistically the VC/CER ratio on a group of 60 [ 99m Tc]-HMPAO SPECT scans of 20 normal subjects and 40 neurological patients with positive SPECT but without involvement of VC and CER. To demonstrate that IP PCER approx. IP CER , we calculated the mean value of the absolute differences CER - IP PCER vertical bar> on two groups of scans from subjects without involvement of VC and CER: 10 normal subjects (GI); and 40 patients (GII). Finally, using an indirect procedure the method was tested on a third group of SPECT scans of 30 patients with bilateral cerebellar hypoperfusion (G III). Results: The VC/CER ratio was approximately constant with gender and age at a 95% confidence level; CER - IP PCER vertical bar> was 1.22%±0.35 and 1.20%±0.42 for GI and GII, respectively. This is less than the within-subject replicability of the HMPAO SPECT studies; and thus demonstrated by an indirect approach that IP PCER is a valid procedure by which to evaluate relative perfusion on patients with bilateral cerebellar hypoperfusion and quantitatively comparable to using CER as reference region. Conclusion: The VC/CER ratio has very little inter-subject variability in individuals where these regions are not

  4. An identification method for damping ratio in rotor systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Weimin; Li, Qihang; Gao, Jinji; Yao, Jianfei; Allaire, Paul

    2016-02-01

    Centrifugal compressor testing with magnetic bearing excitations is the last step to assure the compressor rotordynamic stability in the designed operating conditions. To meet the challenges of stability evaluation, a new method combining the rational polynomials method (RPM) with the weighted instrumental variables (WIV) estimator to fit the directional frequency response function (dFRF) is presented. Numerical simulation results show that the method suggested in this paper can identify the damping ratio of the first forward and backward modes with high accuracy, even in a severe noise environment. Experimental tests were conducted to study the effect of different bearing configurations on the stability of rotor. Furthermore, two example centrifugal compressors (a nine-stage straight-through and a six-stage back-to-back) were employed to verify the feasibility of identification method in industrial configurations as well.

  5. Application of Performance Ratios in Portfolio Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleš Kresta

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The cornerstone of modern portfolio theory was established by pioneer work of Harry Markowitz. Based on his mean-variance framework, Sharpe formulated his well-known Sharpe ratio aiming to measure the performance of mutual funds. The contemporary development in computer’s computational power allowed to apply more complex performance ratios, which take into account also higher moments of return probability distribution. Although these ratios were proposed to help the investors to improve the results of portfolio optimization, we empirically demonstrated in our paper that this may not necessarily be true. On the historical dataset of DJIA components we empirically showed that both Sharpe ratio and MAD ratio outperformed Rachev ratio. However, for Rachev ratio we assumed only one level of parameters value. Different set-ups of parameters may provide different results and thus further analysis is certainly required.

  6. Evaluation strategies for isotope ratio measurements of single particles by LA-MC-ICPMS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kappel, S; Boulyga, S F; Dorta, L; Günther, D; Hattendorf, B; Koffler, D; Laaha, G; Leisch, F; Prohaska, T

    2013-03-01

    Data evaluation is a crucial step when it comes to the determination of accurate and precise isotope ratios computed from transient signals measured by multi-collector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) coupled to, for example, laser ablation (LA). In the present study, the applicability of different data evaluation strategies (i.e. 'point-by-point', 'integration' and 'linear regression slope' method) for the computation of (235)U/(238)U isotope ratios measured in single particles by LA-MC-ICPMS was investigated. The analyzed uranium oxide particles (i.e. 9073-01-B, CRM U010 and NUSIMEP-7 test samples), having sizes down to the sub-micrometre range, are certified with respect to their (235)U/(238)U isotopic signature, which enabled evaluation of the applied strategies with respect to precision and accuracy. The different strategies were also compared with respect to their expanded uncertainties. Even though the 'point-by-point' method proved to be superior, the other methods are advantageous, as they take weighted signal intensities into account. For the first time, the use of a 'finite mixture model' is presented for the determination of an unknown number of different U isotopic compositions of single particles present on the same planchet. The model uses an algorithm that determines the number of isotopic signatures by attributing individual data points to computed clusters. The (235)U/(238)U isotope ratios are then determined by means of the slopes of linear regressions estimated for each cluster. The model was successfully applied for the accurate determination of different (235)U/(238)U isotope ratios of particles deposited on the NUSIMEP-7 test samples.

  7. The Effect Of Fine Particle Migration On Void Ratio Of Gap Graded Soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mayssa Salem Flayh

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Soil is exposed to the migration of fine particles in some cases because of some conditions including excavation and the presence of a level of groundwater which is equal to the level of soil in this case and because of the existence of this water leakage which would work on the migration of fine particles in the soil. This migration of fine particles will change the structure of the soil and change its properties. In this study we will know the change in the properties of the fouling soil due to the migration of fine particles and four types of soil. The first type does not contain fine particles and the second type the third and the fourth contains 10 20 30 granules respectively and tests were carried out for these soils Atterberg limits sieve analysis specific gravity shear resistance permeability modified Procter consolidation. A model was created to simulate the reality of soil exposed to excavations. Three levels were selected in the model to compare the results of each of the four soils under study. The total number of models 24 model through laboratory work obtained the initial and final voids ratio before and after aft the initial and final voids ratio er the particles migration. After these tests it was found that the migration of granules clearly affects the increase in the voids ratio.

  8. Distal Ureteral Diameter Ratio is Predictive of Breakthrough Febrile Urinary Tract Infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arlen, Angela M; Leong, Traci; Guidos, P Joseph; Alexander, Siobhan E; Cooper, Christopher S

    2017-12-01

    Distal ureteral diameter ratio is an objective measure that is prognostic of spontaneous resolution of vesicoureteral reflux. Along with likelihood of resolution, improved identification of children at risk for recurrent febrile urinary tract infections may impact management decisions. We evaluated the usefulness of ureteral diameter ratio as a predictive factor for breakthrough febrile urinary tract infections. Children with primary vesicoureteral reflux and detailed voiding cystourethrogram were identified. Ureteral diameter ratio was computed by measuring largest ureteral diameter within the pelvis and dividing by the distance between L1 and L3 vertebral bodies. Demographics, vesicoureteral reflux grade, laterality, presence/absence of bladder-bowel dysfunction, and ureteral diameter ratio were tested in univariate and multivariable analyses. Primary outcome was breakthrough febrile urinary tract infections. We analyzed 112 girls and 28 boys with a mean ± SD age of 2.5 ± 2.3 years at diagnosis. Vesicoureteral reflux was grade 1 to 2 in 64 patients (45.7%), grade 3 in 50 (35.7%), grade 4 in 16 (11.4%) and grade 5 in 10 (7.2%). Mean ± SD followup was 3.2 ± 2.7 years. A total of 40 children (28.6%) experienced breakthrough febrile urinary tract infections. Ureteral diameter ratio was significantly greater in children with (0.36) vs without (0.25) breakthrough febrile infections (p = 0.004). Controlling for vesicoureteral reflux grade, every 0.1 U increase in ureteral diameter ratio resulted in 1.7 times increased odds of breakthrough infection (95% CI 1.24 to 2.26, p urinary tract infections independent of reflux grade. Ureteral diameter ratio provides valuable prognostic information about risk of recurrent pyelonephritis and may assist with clinical decision-making. Copyright © 2017 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Clinical trials: odds ratios and multiple regression models--why and how to assess them

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sobh, Mohamad; Cleophas, Ton J.; Hadj-Chaib, Amel; Zwinderman, Aeilko H.

    2008-01-01

    Odds ratios (ORs), unlike chi2 tests, provide direct insight into the strength of the relationship between treatment modalities and treatment effects. Multiple regression models can reduce the data spread due to certain patient characteristics and thus improve the precision of the treatment

  10. Comparing diagnostic tests on benefit-risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pennello, Gene; Pantoja-Galicia, Norberto; Evans, Scott

    2016-01-01

    Comparing diagnostic tests on accuracy alone can be inconclusive. For example, a test may have better sensitivity than another test yet worse specificity. Comparing tests on benefit risk may be more conclusive because clinical consequences of diagnostic error are considered. For benefit-risk evaluation, we propose diagnostic yield, the expected distribution of subjects with true positive, false positive, true negative, and false negative test results in a hypothetical population. We construct a table of diagnostic yield that includes the number of false positive subjects experiencing adverse consequences from unnecessary work-up. We then develop a decision theory for evaluating tests. The theory provides additional interpretation to quantities in the diagnostic yield table. It also indicates that the expected utility of a test relative to a perfect test is a weighted accuracy measure, the average of sensitivity and specificity weighted for prevalence and relative importance of false positive and false negative testing errors, also interpretable as the cost-benefit ratio of treating non-diseased and diseased subjects. We propose plots of diagnostic yield, weighted accuracy, and relative net benefit of tests as functions of prevalence or cost-benefit ratio. Concepts are illustrated with hypothetical screening tests for colorectal cancer with test positive subjects being referred to colonoscopy.

  11. On-line validation of linear process models using generalized likelihood ratios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tylee, J.L.

    1981-12-01

    A real-time method for testing the validity of linear models of nonlinear processes is described and evaluated. Using generalized likelihood ratios, the model dynamics are continually monitored to see if the process has moved far enough away from the nominal linear model operating point to justify generation of a new linear model. The method is demonstrated using a seventh-order model of a natural circulation steam generator

  12. A note on trader Sharpe Ratios.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coates, John M; Page, Lionel

    2009-11-25

    Traders in the financial world are assessed by the amount of money they make and, increasingly, by the amount of money they make per unit of risk taken, a measure known as the Sharpe Ratio. Little is known about the average Sharpe Ratio among traders, but the Efficient Market Hypothesis suggests that traders, like asset managers, should not outperform the broad market. Here we report the findings of a study conducted in the City of London which shows that a population of experienced traders attain Sharpe Ratios significantly higher than the broad market. To explain this anomaly we examine a surrogate marker of prenatal androgen exposure, the second-to-fourth finger length ratio (2D:4D), which has previously been identified as predicting a trader's long term profitability. We find that it predicts the amount of risk taken by traders but not their Sharpe Ratios. We do, however, find that the traders' Sharpe Ratios increase markedly with the number of years they have traded, a result suggesting that learning plays a role in increasing the returns of traders. Our findings present anomalous data for the Efficient Markets Hypothesis.

  13. A note on trader Sharpe Ratios.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John M Coates

    Full Text Available Traders in the financial world are assessed by the amount of money they make and, increasingly, by the amount of money they make per unit of risk taken, a measure known as the Sharpe Ratio. Little is known about the average Sharpe Ratio among traders, but the Efficient Market Hypothesis suggests that traders, like asset managers, should not outperform the broad market. Here we report the findings of a study conducted in the City of London which shows that a population of experienced traders attain Sharpe Ratios significantly higher than the broad market. To explain this anomaly we examine a surrogate marker of prenatal androgen exposure, the second-to-fourth finger length ratio (2D:4D, which has previously been identified as predicting a trader's long term profitability. We find that it predicts the amount of risk taken by traders but not their Sharpe Ratios. We do, however, find that the traders' Sharpe Ratios increase markedly with the number of years they have traded, a result suggesting that learning plays a role in increasing the returns of traders. Our findings present anomalous data for the Efficient Markets Hypothesis.

  14. Isokinetic Hamstrings: Quadriceps Ratios in Intercollegiate Athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosene, John M.; Fogarty, Tracey D.; Mahaffey, Brian L.

    2001-01-01

    Compared the differences in the concentric hamstrings to quadriceps (H:Q) ratio among athletes in different sports at three velocities. Measurement of H:Q ratio of both knees among male and female college athletes indicated that the H:Q ratio increased as velocity increased. No differences existed for the H:Q ratio for sport or side of body. (SM)

  15. Acceptance Testing of Thermoluminescent Dosimeter Holders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romanyukha, Alexander; Grypp, Matthew D; Sharp, Thad J; DiRito, John N; Nelson, Martin E; Mavrogianis, Stanley T; Torres, Jeancarlo; Benevides, Luis A

    2018-05-01

    The U.S. Navy uses the Harshaw 8840/8841 dosimetric (DT-702/PD) system, which employs LiF:Mg,Cu,P thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs), developed and produced by Thermo Fisher Scientific (TFS). The dosimeter consists of four LiF:Mg,Cu,P elements, mounted in Teflon® on an aluminum card and placed in a plastic holder. The holder contains a unique filter for each chip made of copper, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Mylar®, and tin. For accredited dosimetry labs, the ISO/IEC 17025:2005(E) requires an acceptance procedure for all new equipment. The Naval Dosimetry Center (NDC) has developed and tested a new non-destructive procedure, which enables the verification and the evaluation of embedded filters in the holders. Testing is based on attenuation measurements of low-energy radiation transmitted through each filter in a representative sample group of holders to verify that the correct filter type and thickness are present. The measured response ratios are then compared with the expected response ratios. In addition, each element's measured response is compared to the mean response of the group. The test was designed and tested to identify significant nonconformities, such as missing copper or tin filters, double copper or double tin filters, or other nonconformities that may impact TLD response ratios. During the implementation of the developed procedure, testing revealed a holder with a double copper filter. To complete the evaluation, the impact of the nonconformities on proficiency testing was examined. The evaluation revealed failures in proficiency testing categories III and IV when these dosimeters were irradiated to high-energy betas.

  16. Dynamic response of low aspect ratio piezoelectric microcantilevers actuated in different liquid environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vázquez, J; Rivera, M A; Hernando, J; Sánchez-Rojas, J L

    2009-01-01

    The response of commercial piezoelectric AFM probes for potential applications in the field of chemical or biological sensors operating in liquids is investigated using laser Doppler vibrometry. The present work investigates the roles played in the frequency response by the density and the viscosity of different water–glycerol mixtures, in a frequency range of up to 1 MHz in air. Since the width of the tested probes is relatively large (and hence the aspect ratio remains small), inertial loading effects dominate viscous effects, unlike in cantilevers characterized by larger aspect ratios. Measurements are compared with results provided by a simplified computer model of a probe immersed in an inviscid surrounding fluid

  17. Effects of cathodic protection potential and stress ratio on fatigue thresholds of structured steels in sea water

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dolphin, A.S.; Tice, D.R.

    1987-09-01

    The results reported here suggest that the very high thresholds found under reducing {Delta}K conditions may be inapplicable under the increasing {Delta}K conditions likely to be more relevant to real structures. This conclusion is based on just two tests at - 0.85V SCE, and so requires confirmation over a range of R ratios and at free corrosion and overprotection potentials. Crack growth thresholds appear to be higher under cathodic over-protection conditions (-1.05V SCE) than at more positive potentials, due to calcareous scale formation. Tests at negative R ratios are required to ensure this calcareous scale would remain intact under compressive loading. Due to the large observed influence of calcareous scale on crack growth, and particularly on the arrest of growing cracks, more detailed microstructural examination is recommended on the specimens tested in this programme. (author).

  18. The likelihood ratio as a random variable for linked markers in kinship analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egeland, Thore; Slooten, Klaas

    2016-11-01

    The likelihood ratio is the fundamental quantity that summarizes the evidence in forensic cases. Therefore, it is important to understand the theoretical properties of this statistic. This paper is the last in a series of three, and the first to study linked markers. We show that for all non-inbred pairwise kinship comparisons, the expected likelihood ratio in favor of a type of relatedness depends on the allele frequencies only via the number of alleles, also for linked markers, and also if the true relationship is another one than is tested for by the likelihood ratio. Exact expressions for the expectation and variance are derived for all these cases. Furthermore, we show that the expected likelihood ratio is a non-increasing function if the recombination rate increases between 0 and 0.5 when the actual relationship is the one investigated by the LR. Besides being of theoretical interest, exact expressions such as obtained here can be used for software validation as they allow to verify the correctness up to arbitrary precision. The paper also presents results and advice of practical importance. For example, we argue that the logarithm of the likelihood ratio behaves in a fundamentally different way than the likelihood ratio itself in terms of expectation and variance, in agreement with its interpretation as weight of evidence. Equipped with the results presented and freely available software, one may check calculations and software and also do power calculations.

  19. Fast fission ratio and relative conversion ratio measurements in gadolinium poisoned water moderated UO2 lattices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murphy, M.F.

    1984-01-01

    A programme of criticality experiments has been carried out for BNFL by the Battelle reactor facility at Pacific Northwest Laboratories in Washington State, USA. A series of water moderated lattices of 4.3% enriched, 12.7 mm diameter, UO 2 fuel rods was studied, the fuel pitch was varied and the effects of gadolinium poison were measured. This report deals with the measurement of Fast Fission Ratios and Relative Conversion Ratios at the centre of five of the critical lattices. The Fast Fission Ratio (FFR) is defined here as the ratio of the fission rate per atom of U238, to the fission rate per atom of U235. The Relative Conversion Ratio (RCR) is defined as the ratio of the capture rate per ,atom of U238, to the fission rate per atom of U235, in the reactor fuel, relative to the corresponding ratio in a well thermalised neutron spectrum. A major aspect of these measurements was that the packs of foils were prepared at AEEW Winfrith, despatched to the USA for irradiation and returned to Winfrith for counting. This resulted in a considerable logistics problem but by good planning and the co-operation and diligence of all concerned this problem was overcome. However, the long distance involved inevitably meant that samples were not available for measurement until about 28 hours after the irradiation. It was therefore necessary to modify the techniques that are normally used in the Reactor Physics Division Counting Laboratory, where samples are normally available about two hours after shut-down. The techniques used and the results obtained are given below

  20. Goodness of Fit Test and Test of Independence by Entropy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Sharifdoost

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available To test whether a set of data has a specific distribution or not, we can use the goodness of fit test. This test can be done by one of Pearson X 2 -statistic or the likelihood ratio statistic G 2 , which are asymptotically equal, and also by using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic in continuous distributions. In this paper, we introduce a new test statistic for goodness of fit test which is based on entropy distance, and which can be applied for large sample sizes. We compare this new statistic with the classical test statistics X 2 , G 2 , and Tn by some simulation studies. We conclude that the new statistic is more sensitive than the usual statistics to the rejection of distributions which are almost closed to the desired distribution. Also for testing independence, a new test statistic based on mutual information is introduced

  1. Similarity regularized sparse group lasso for cup to disc ratio computation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Jun; Zhang, Zhuo; Tao, Dacheng; Wong, Damon Wing Kee; Liu, Jiang; Baskaran, Mani; Aung, Tin; Wong, Tien Yin

    2017-08-01

    Automatic cup to disc ratio (CDR) computation from color fundus images has shown to be promising for glaucoma detection. Over the past decade, many algorithms have been proposed. In this paper, we first review the recent work in the area and then present a novel similarity-regularized sparse group lasso method for automated CDR estimation. The proposed method reconstructs the testing disc image based on a set of reference disc images by integrating the similarity between testing and the reference disc images with the sparse group lasso constraints. The reconstruction coefficients are then used to estimate the CDR of the testing image. The proposed method has been validated using 650 images with manually annotated CDRs. Experimental results show an average CDR error of 0.0616 and a correlation coefficient of 0.7, outperforming other methods. The areas under curve in the diagnostic test reach 0.843 and 0.837 when manual and automatically segmented discs are used respectively, better than other methods as well.

  2. ANALISIS PENGARUH LDR, NPL DAN OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY RATIO TERHADAP RETURN ON ASSETS PADA BANK DEVISA DI INDONESIA PERIODE 2010-2012

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamidah Hamidah

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available This research is performed on order to test analysis the influence of the Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR, Non Performing Loan (NPL and Operational Efficiency Ratio (OER toward Return On Asset (ROA On Foreign Exchange Banks In Indonesia Period 2010-2012. Methodology research as the sample used purposive sampling, sample was accrued from foreign banks in Indonesia. Data analysis with multi linear regression of ordinary least square and hypotheses test used t-statistic and F statistic, a classic assumption examination to test the hypotheses.Based on normality test, multicolinearity test, heterosskedasticity test and auto correlation test were not found variables that deviate from the classical assumptions, this indicate that the available data has fulfill the condition to use multi linear regression model. This result of research show that variable LDR and NPL partially have positive influence but not significant toward ROA. Variable OERpartially have negative significant influence toward ROA. Variable LDR, NPL and OER simultaneously have significant influence toward ROA.

  3. effect of effect of blend ratio on blend ratio on characteristics

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    User

    properties, cassava-soybean composite, wheat, bread, blend ratio ... dily growing population, an in eating and ... thermodynamic variables can produce an effect on .... these conditions. ..... Ragaee, S. et al., Pasting properties of starch and.

  4. Validation of DNA-based identification software by computation of pedigree likelihood ratios.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slooten, K

    2011-08-01

    Disaster victim identification (DVI) can be aided by DNA-evidence, by comparing the DNA-profiles of unidentified individuals with those of surviving relatives. The DNA-evidence is used optimally when such a comparison is done by calculating the appropriate likelihood ratios. Though conceptually simple, the calculations can be quite involved, especially with large pedigrees, precise mutation models etc. In this article we describe a series of test cases designed to check if software designed to calculate such likelihood ratios computes them correctly. The cases include both simple and more complicated pedigrees, among which inbred ones. We show how to calculate the likelihood ratio numerically and algebraically, including a general mutation model and possibility of allelic dropout. In Appendix A we show how to derive such algebraic expressions mathematically. We have set up these cases to validate new software, called Bonaparte, which performs pedigree likelihood ratio calculations in a DVI context. Bonaparte has been developed by SNN Nijmegen (The Netherlands) for the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI). It is available free of charge for non-commercial purposes (see www.dnadvi.nl for details). Commercial licenses can also be obtained. The software uses Bayesian networks and the junction tree algorithm to perform its calculations. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Statistical analysis of COMPTEL maximum likelihood-ratio distributions: evidence for a signal from previously undetected AGN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, O. R.; Bennett, K.; Much, R.; Schoenfelder, V.; Blom, J. J.; Ryan, J.

    1997-01-01

    The maximum likelihood-ratio method is frequently used in COMPTEL analysis to determine the significance of a point source at a given location. In this paper we do not consider whether the likelihood-ratio at a particular location indicates a detection, but rather whether distributions of likelihood-ratios derived from many locations depart from that expected for source free data. We have constructed distributions of likelihood-ratios by reading values from standard COMPTEL maximum-likelihood ratio maps at positions corresponding to the locations of different categories of AGN. Distributions derived from the locations of Seyfert galaxies are indistinguishable, according to a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, from those obtained from ''random'' locations, but differ slightly from those obtained from the locations of flat spectrum radio loud quasars, OVVs, and BL Lac objects. This difference is not due to known COMPTEL sources, since regions near these sources are excluded from the analysis. We suggest that it might arise from a number of sources with fluxes below the COMPTEL detection threshold

  6. Controlled environmental radioiodine tests at the national reactor testing station. 1965 progress report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adams, D.R.; Bunch, D.F.; Gammill, W.P.; Hawley, C.A. Jr.; Markee, E.H.; Tiernan, M.W.

    1966-02-01

    The CERT project consists of a series of planned releases of radioiodine over different vegetation and during various meteorological conditions, with the prime objective being to measure the relationships involved in the passage of radioiodine through the air-vegetation-cow-milk-human chain. The results of the first five tests in the series, which started in the spring of 1963 and is continuing, are reported. Each test was conducted under measured meteorological conditions and over prepared sampling and grazing courses. Two tests were made over open-range type vegetation, two over irrigated pastures, and one over snow-covered ground. Two tests were conducted under lapse conditions, two under inversion conditions, and one under neutral conditions. In each case, known quantities of elemental /sup 131/I/sub 2/ were released. Relationships determined included air-grass ratios (deposition velocities) which ranged from 0.1 to 1.0 cm/sec; effective half life of /sup 131/I on grass of 3.5 days and 5.5 days; the time of peak activity in milk at two days following a release; milk-grass ratio (C/1:C/g); total /sup 131/I secreted in milk by cows to that ingested by cows; adult human thyroid uptake fraction (inhalation); and based on a breathing rate of 20 m/sup 3//24 hours, the ratio between infinity mills ingestion dose and infinity inhalation dose for a single release was calculated. Data, descriptions of methods, and calculations are reported. Discussions of resuspension factors and particle sizes and behavior are also included.

  7. Equity Theory Ratios as Causal Schemas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexios Arvanitis

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Equity theory approaches justice evaluations based on ratios of exchange inputs to exchange outcomes. Situations are evaluated as just if ratios are equal and unjust if unequal. We suggest that equity ratios serve a more fundamental cognitive function than the evaluation of justice. More particularly, we propose that they serve as causal schemas for exchange outcomes, that is, they assist in determining whether certain outcomes are caused by inputs of other people in the context of an exchange process. Equality or inequality of ratios in this sense points to an exchange process. Indeed, Study 1 shows that different exchange situations, such as disproportional or balanced proportional situations, create perceptions of give-and-take on the basis of equity ratios. Study 2 shows that perceptions of justice are based more on communicatively accepted rules of interaction than equity-based evaluations, thereby offering a distinction between an attribution and an evaluation cognitive process for exchange outcomes.

  8. Equity Theory Ratios as Causal Schemas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arvanitis, Alexios; Hantzi, Alexandra

    2016-01-01

    Equity theory approaches justice evaluations based on ratios of exchange inputs to exchange outcomes. Situations are evaluated as just if ratios are equal and unjust if unequal. We suggest that equity ratios serve a more fundamental cognitive function than the evaluation of justice. More particularly, we propose that they serve as causal schemas for exchange outcomes, that is, they assist in determining whether certain outcomes are caused by inputs of other people in the context of an exchange process. Equality or inequality of ratios in this sense points to an exchange process. Indeed, Study 1 shows that different exchange situations, such as disproportional or balanced proportional situations, create perceptions of give-and-take on the basis of equity ratios. Study 2 shows that perceptions of justice are based more on communicatively accepted rules of interaction than equity-based evaluations, thereby offering a distinction between an attribution and an evaluation cognitive process for exchange outcomes.

  9. Three-dimensional stereo by photometric ratios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolff, L.B.; Angelopoulou, E.

    1994-01-01

    We present a methodology for corresponding a dense set of points on an object surface from photometric values for three-dimensional stereo computation of depth. The methodology utilizes multiple stereo pairs of images, with each stereo pair being taken of the identical scene but under different illumination. With just two stereo pairs of images taken under two different illumination conditions, a stereo pair of ratio images can be produced, one for the ratio of left-hand images and one for the ratio of right-hand images. We demonstrate how the photometric ratios composing these images can be used for accurate correspondence of object points. Object points having the same photometric ratio with respect to two different illumination conditions constitute a well-defined equivalence class of physical constraints defined by local surface orientation relative to illumination conditions. We formally show that for diffuse reflection the photometric ratio is invariant to varying camera characteristics, surface albedo, and viewpoint and that therefore the same photometric ratio in both images of a stereo pair implies the same equivalence class of physical constraints. The correspondence of photometric ratios along epipolar lines in a stereo pair of images under different illumination conditions is a correspondence of equivalent physical constraints, and the determination of depth from stereo can be performed. Whereas illumination planning is required, our photometric-based stereo methodology does not require knowledge of illumination conditions in the actual computation of three-dimensional depth and is applicable to perspective views. This technique extends the stereo determination of three-dimensional depth to smooth featureless surfaces without the use of precisely calibrated lighting. We demonstrate experimental depth maps from a dense set of points on smooth objects of known ground-truth shape, determined to within 1% depth accuracy

  10. A1C Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Testing Triglycerides Troponin Tryptase Tumor Markers Uric Acid Urinalysis Urine Albumin and Albumin/Creatinine Ratio Urine Culture ... referenced to an accepted laboratory method (National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program certified) should be used for diagnostic or ...

  11. A father effect explains sex-ratio bias.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malo, Aurelio F; Martinez-Pastor, Felipe; Garcia-Gonzalez, Francisco; Garde, Julián; Ballou, Jonathan D; Lacy, Robert C

    2017-08-30

    Sex ratio allocation has important fitness consequences, and theory predicts that parents should adjust offspring sex ratio in cases where the fitness returns of producing male and female offspring vary. The ability of fathers to bias offspring sex ratios has traditionally been dismissed given the expectation of an equal proportion of X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm (CBS) in ejaculates due to segregation of sex chromosomes at meiosis. This expectation has been recently refuted. Here we used Peromyscus leucopus to demonstrate that sex ratio is explained by an exclusive effect of the father, and suggest a likely mechanism by which male-driven sex-ratio bias is attained. We identified a male sperm morphological marker that is associated with the mechanism leading to sex ratio bias; differences among males in the sperm nucleus area (a proxy for the sex chromosome that the sperm contains) explain 22% variation in litter sex ratio. We further show the role played by the sperm nucleus area as a mediator in the relationship between individual genetic variation and sex-ratio bias. Fathers with high levels of genetic variation had ejaculates with a higher proportion of sperm with small nuclei area. This, in turn, led to siring a higher proportion of sons (25% increase in sons per 0.1 decrease in the inbreeding coefficient). Our results reveal a plausible mechanism underlying unexplored male-driven sex-ratio biases. We also discuss why this pattern of paternal bias can be adaptive. This research puts to rest the idea that father contribution to sex ratio variation should be disregarded in vertebrates, and will stimulate research on evolutionary constraints to sex ratios-for example, whether fathers and mothers have divergent, coinciding, or neutral sex allocation interests. Finally, these results offer a potential explanation for those intriguing cases in which there are sex ratio biases, such as in humans. © 2017 The Author(s).

  12. Reproducibility over a 1-month period of 1H-MR spectroscopic imaging NAA/Cr ratios in clinically stable multiple sclerosis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mostert, J P; Blaauw, Y; Koch, M W; Kuiper, A J; Hoogduin, J M; De Keyser, J

    2008-08-01

    N-acetylaspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr) ratios, assessed with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, are increasingly used as a surrogate marker for axonal dysfunction and degeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS). The purpose of this study was to test short-time reproducibility of NAA/Cr ratios in patients with clinically stable MS. In 35 MS patients we analysed NAA/Cr ratios obtained with (1)H-MR spectroscopic imaging at the centrum semiovale either with lateral ventricles partially included (group 1; n=15) or more cranially with no ventricles included (group 2; n=20). To test short-term reproducibility of the NAA/Cr measurements, patients were scanned twice 4 weeks apart. We determined mean NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios of 12 grey matter and 24 white matter voxels. Mean NAA/Cr ratios of both the white and grey matter did not change after 4 weeks. Overall 4-week reproducibility of the NAA/Cr ratio, expressed as coefficient of variation, was 4.8% for grey matter and 3.5% for white matter. Reproducibility of cranial scanning of the ventricles was slightly better than with cerebrospinal fluid included. Our study shows good short-term reproducibility of NAA/Cr ratio measurements in the centrum semiovale, which supports the reliability of this technique for longitudinal studies.

  13. Thermal property testing technique on micro specimen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baba, Tetsuya; Kishimoto, Isao; Taketoshi, Naoyuki

    2000-01-01

    This study aims at establishment of further development on some testing techniques on the nuclear advanced basic research accumulated by the National Research Laboratory of Metrology for ten years. For this purpose, a technology to test heat diffusion ratio and specific heat capacity of less than 3 mm in diameter and 1 mm in thickness of micro specimen and technology to test heat diffusion ratio at micro area of less than 1 mm in area along cross section of less than 10 mm in diameter of column specimen were developed to contribute to common basic technology supporting the nuclear power field. As a result, as an element technology to test heat diffusion ratio and specific heat capacity of the micro specimen, a specimen holding technique stably to hold a micro specimen with 3 mm in diameter could be developed. And, for testing the specific heat capacity by using the laser flush differential calorimetry, a technique to hold two specimen of 5 mm in diameter at their proximities was also developed. In addition, by promoting development of thermal property data base capable of storing thermal property data obtained in this study and with excellent workability in this 1998 fiscal year a data in/out-put program with graphical user interface could be prepared. (G.K.)

  14. IMPACT OF A USED STABILISER ON THE CALIFORNIA BEARING RATIO OF THE CLAYEY-SANDY SILT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katarzyna Kamińska

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper aimed at the determination of the California Bearing Ratio of a stabilised and unstabilised fine-grained mineral soil. A clayey-sandy silt with the addition of 3, 6 and 10% of road stabilisers Solidex and Solidex A was used for the tests. The tests were carried out in the press Tritech 50 at the loading of 22 and 44 N. The stabilised samples were subjected to 7-days treatment, whereas unstabilised 4-days treatment. Stabilization with the applied road binders brought positive effects, there occurred a significant improvement in the mechanical properties of the clayey-sandy silt. The better binder, which significantly increased the value of the CBR ratio, was Solidex A. The use of hydraulic binders is of a great importance in road building, because their addition improves the mechanical properties of weaker mineral soils.

  15. A Study on the Effects of Compression Ratio, Engine Speed and Equivalence Ratio on HCCI Combustion of DME

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Troels Dyhr; Schramm, Jesper

    2007-01-01

    An experimental study has been carried out on the homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion of Dimethyl Ether (DME). The study was performed as a parameter variation of engine speed and compression ratio on excess air ratios of approximately 2.5, 3 and 4. The compression ratio was...

  16. Horns Rev II, 2-D Model Tests

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Thomas Lykke; Frigaard, Peter

    This report present the results of 2D physical model tests carried out in the shallow wave flume at Dept. of Civil Engineering, Aalborg University (AAU), on behalf of Energy E2 A/S part of DONG Energy A/S, Denmark. The objective of the tests was: to investigate the combined influence of the pile...... diameter to water depth ratio and the wave hight to water depth ratio on wave run-up of piles. The measurements should be used to design access platforms on piles....

  17. Lunar cycles at mating do not influence sex ratio at birth in horses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguilar, J J; Cuervo-Arango, J; Santa Juliana, L

    2015-02-01

    It is scientifically demonstrated that lunar cycles have important effects on several biological events. Controversy exists about the lunar influence on human and animal parturition. In addition, in the horse industry, especially in Polo Horse breeders of Argentina and around the world there is a higher demand for female offspring than for males. The objective of this study was to determine whether there is a significant association between the lunar phase at the time of mating and the sex ratio at birth in horses. The Argentinean Stud Book provided information related to all matings registered for Thoroughbred and Arab horses between 2003 and 2011. Statistical associations were tested between dates of matings at different lunar phases or days and sex ratio at birth. A total of 65.535 gestations were studied. Overall, sex ratio at birth resulted in 33.396 fillies (50.96%) and 32.139 colts (49.04%). The percentages of males and females at birth were not statistically different amongst the different lunar phases or days. We can strongly conclude that managing the breeding dates in relation to lunar cycles in order to manipulate the sex ratio of the offspring is not a viable option in horses.

  18. Eccentric crank variable compression ratio mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawrence, Keith Edward [Kobe, JP; Moser, William Elliott [Peoria, IL; Roozenboom, Stephan Donald [Washington, IL; Knox, Kevin Jay [Peoria, IL

    2008-05-13

    A variable compression ratio mechanism for an internal combustion engine that has an engine block and a crankshaft is disclosed. The variable compression ratio mechanism has a plurality of eccentric disks configured to support the crankshaft. Each of the plurality of eccentric disks has at least one cylindrical portion annularly surrounded by the engine block. The variable compression ratio mechanism also has at least one actuator configured to rotate the plurality of eccentric disks.

  19. Effect of Thickness-to-Chord Ratio on Flow Structure of Low Swept Delta Wing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gulsacan, Burak; Sencan, Gizem; Yavuz, Mehmet Metin

    2017-11-01

    The effect of thickness-to-chord (t/C) ratio on flow structure of a delta wing with sweep angle of 35 degree is characterized in a low speed wind tunnel using laser illuminated smoke visualization, particle image velocimetry, and surface pressure measurements. Four different t/C ratio varying from 4.75% to 19% are tested at angles of attack 4, 6, 8, and 10 degrees for Reynolds numbers Re =10,000 and 35,000. The results indicate that the effect of thickness-to-chord ratio on flow structure is quite substantial, such that, as the wing thickness increases, the flow structure transforms from leading edge vortex to three-dimensional separated flow regime. The wing with low t/C ratio of 4.75% experiences pronounced surface separation at significantly higher angle of attack compared to the wing with high t/C ratio. The results might explain some of the discrepancies reported in previously conducted studies related to delta wings. In addition, it is observed that the thickness of the shear layer separated from windward side of the wing is directly correlated with the thickness of the wing. To conclude, the flow structure on low swept delta wing is highly affected by t/C ratio, which in turn might indicate the potential usage of wing thickness as an effective flow control parameter.

  20. Forecasting the Allocation Ratio of Carbon Emission Allowance Currency for 2020 and 2030 in China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shihong Zeng

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Many countries and scholars have used various strategies to improve and optimize the allocation ratios for carbon emission allowances. This issue is more urgent for China due to the uneven development across the country. This paper proposes a new method that divides low-carbon economy development processes into two separate periods: from 2020 to 2029 and from 2030 to 2050. These two periods have unique requirements and emissions reduction potential; therefore, they must involve different allocation methods, so that reduction behaviors do not stall the development of regional low-carbon economies. During the first period, a more deterministic economic development approach for the carbon emission allowance allocation ratio should be used. During the second period, more adaptive and optimized policy guidance should be employed. We developed a low-carbon economy index evaluation system using the entropy weight method to measure information filtering levels. We conducted vector autoregressive correlation tests, consulted 60 experts for the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, and we conducted max-min standardized data processing tests. This article presents first- and second-period carbon emission allowance models in combination with a low-carbon economy index evaluation system. Finally, we forecast reasonable carbon emission allowance allocation ratios for China for the periods starting in 2020 and 2030. A good allocation ratio for the carbon emission allowance can help boost China’s economic development and help the country reach its energy conservation and emissions reduction goals.

  1. Predictive value of IgE/IgG4 antibody ratio in children with egg allergy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Okamoto Shindou

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of this study was to investigate the role of specific IgG4 antibodies to hen’s egg white and determine their utility as a marker for the outcome of oral challenge test in children sensitized to hen’s egg Methods The hen’s egg oral food challenge test was performed in 105 sensitized children without atopic dermatitis, and the titers of egg white-specific immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4 and immunoglobulin E (IgE antibodies were measured. To set the cut-off values of IgG4, IgE, and the IgE/IgG4 ratio for predicting positive results in oral challenges, receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted and the area under the curves (AUC were calculated. Results Sixty-four of 105 oral challenges with whole eggs were assessed as positive. The AUC for IgE, IgG4, and IgE/IgG4 for the prediction of positive results were 0.609, 0.724, and 0.847, respectively. Thus, the IgE/IgG4 ratio generated significantly higher specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value (%, and negative predictive value (% than the individual IgE and IgG4. The negative predictive value of the IgE/IgG4 ratio was 90% at a value of 1. Conclusions We have demonstrated that the egg white-specific serum IgE/IgG4 ratio is important for predicting reactivity to egg during food challenges.

  2. The caffeine breath test and caffeine urinary metabolite ratios in the Michigan cohort exposed to polybrominated biphenyls: A preliminary study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lambert, G.H.; Schoeller, D.A.; Kotake, A.N.; Lietz, H. (Univ. of Chicago, IL (USA)); Humphrey, H.E.B.; Budd, M. (Michigan Dept. of Public Health, Lansing (USA)); Campbell, M.; Kalow, W.; Spielberg, P. (Univ. of Toronto, Ontario (Canada))

    1990-11-01

    A field biochemical epidemiology study was conducted using the Michigan cohort consisting of 51 rural residents exposed to polybrominated biphenyls (PBB). The study had three major objectives: (a) to determine the serum half-life of the major PBB congener, hexabromobiphenyl (HBB), in the human, (b) to determine if the PBB-exposed subjects had elevated cytochrome P-450I function as determined by the caffeine breath test (CBT) and the caffeine urinary metabolite ratio (CMR), and (c) to determine the applicability of the CBT and CMR in field studies. PBB serum levels were detected in 36 of the 51 PBB-exposed subjects. The serum half-life of HBB was determined by comparing the current serum HBB values to the subject's previous serum values obtained 5 to 8 years earlier. The median HBB half-life was 12 years (range 4-97 years). The CBT and CMR were elevated in the subjects exposed to PBBs as compared to the values obtained from urban nonsmokers and were similar to those found in adults who smoke. A gender effect was seen in the PBB-exposed subjects. There was a correlation between the CBT and the HBB serum values but not between CMR and HBB serum values. The CBT and CMR were easily conducted in the field and appear to be useful metabolic probes of cytochrome P-450I activity in human environmental toxicology.

  3. Diagnostisk værdi af humant choriongonadotropin-ratio versus enkelte S-humant choriongonadotropin-målinger ved graviditet med ukendt lokalisation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Majeed, Huda Galib; Lyngsø, Julie; Bor, Pinar

    2014-01-01

    The diagnostic value of human chorionic gonadotrophin ratio compared to single measurements of S-human chorionic gonadotrophin on the outcome of pregnancy of unknown location Pregnancy of unknown location is defined by a positive pregnancy test, without visualizing of the intrauterine or extraute...... or extrauterine pregnancy by transvaginal sonography. We present the advantages of using human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) ratio instead of single measurements of S-hCG for predicting the outcomes of pregnancies of unknown location.......The diagnostic value of human chorionic gonadotrophin ratio compared to single measurements of S-human chorionic gonadotrophin on the outcome of pregnancy of unknown location Pregnancy of unknown location is defined by a positive pregnancy test, without visualizing of the intrauterine...

  4. The effect of water to cement ratio on fracture parameters and brittleness of self-compacting concrete

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beygi, Morteza H.A.; Kazemi, Mohammad T.; Nikbin, Iman M.; Amiri, Javad. Vaseghi

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Fracture properties of SCC were obtained using two different methods. ► Results showed with decrease of w/c ratio the fracture toughness increases. ► Size effect method can predict the peak load with a good precision for SCC beams. ► The size effect curve showed SCC ductility increases with increase of w/c ratio. - Abstract: The paper describes an experimental research on fracture characteristics of self-compacting concrete (SCC). Three point bending tests conducted on 154 notched beams with different water to cement (w/c) ratios. The specimens were made from mixes with various w/c ratios from 0.7 to 0.35. For all mixes, common fracture parameters were determined using two different methods, the work-of-fracture method (WFM) and the size effect method (SEM). Test results showed that with decrease of w/c ratio from 0.7 to 0.35 in SCC: (a) the fracture toughness increases linearly: (b) the brittleness number is approximately doubled: (c) the effective size of the process zone c f in SEM and the characteristic length (l ch ) in WFM decrease which may be explained by the change in structural porosity of the aggregate–paste transition zone; and (d) the fracture surface of concrete is roughly smoother, which can be attributed to the improved bond strength between the aggregates and the paste. Also, the results showed that there is a correlation between the fracture energy measured by WFM (G F ) and the value measured through SEM (G f ) (G F ≅ 2.92G f )

  5. Post-test analysis for the MIDAS DVI tests using MARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bae, K. H.; Lee, Y. J.; Kwon, T. S.; Lee, W. J.; Kim, H. C.

    2002-01-01

    Various DVI tests have been performed at MIDAS test facility which is a scaled facility of APR1400 applying a modified linear scale ratio. The evaluation results for the various void height tests and direct bypass tests using a multi-dimensional best-estimate analysis code MARS, show that; (a) MARS code has an advanced modeling capability of well predicting major multi-dimensional thermal-hydraulic phenomena occurring in the downcomer, (b) MARS code under-predicts the steam condensation rates, which in turn causes to over-predict the ECC bypass rates. However, the trend of decrease in steam condensation rate and increase in ECC bypass rate in accordance with the increase in steam flow rate, and the calculation results of the ECC bypass rates under the EM analysis conditions generally agree with the test data

  6. Internal γ Decay and the Superallowed Branching Ratio for the β+ Emitter Km38

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leach, K. G.; Svensson, C. E.; Ball, G. C.; Leslie, J. R.; Austin, R. A. E.; Bandyopadhyay, D.; Barton, C.; Bassiachvilli, E.; Ettenauer, S.; Finlay, P.; Garrett, P. E.; Grinyer, G. F.; Hackman, G.; Melconian, D.; Morton, A. C.; Mythili, S.; Newman, O.; Pearson, C. J.; Pearson, M. R.; Phillips, A. A.; Savajols, H.; Schumaker, M. A.; Wong, J.

    2008-05-01

    The branching ratio for the superallowed β+ decay of Km38 was measured at TRIUMF’s ISAC radioactive ion beam facility. The M3 internal transition between the isomer and the ground state of Km38 was observed with a branching ratio of 330(43) ppm. A search for the nonanalogue β-decay branch to the first excited 0+ state in Ar38 was also performed and yielded an upper limit of ≤12ppm at 90% C.L. These measurements lead to a revised superallowed branching ratio for Km38 of 99.967(4)%, and increase the Km38 ft value by its entire quoted uncertainty to ft=3052.1(10)s. Implications for tests of the nuclear-structure dependent corrections in superallowed β decays and the extraction of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element Vud are discussed.

  7. Oxygen enhancement ratio for negative pi mesons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hall, E.J.; Astor, M.

    1979-01-01

    Experiments were performed at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) to determine the oxygen enhancement ratio (OER) for the clinically used beam of negative pi mesons. V79 Chinese hamster cells, cultured in vitro, were used as the biological test system; hypoxia was produced by metabolic depletion as a result of sealing 2 million cells in 1 ml glass ampules. The Bragg peak of the pion depth dose curve was spread out to cover 10 cm by using a dynamic range shifter. Cells were irradiated at the center of the spead out Bragg peak, where the dose/rate was 0.1 Gy/min over a 6 x 6 cm field. The OER obtained was 2.2, compared with 3.8 obtained for γ rays under the same conditions

  8. 236U and 239,240Pu ratios from soils around an Australian nuclear weapons test site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tims, S.G.; Froehlich, M.B.; Fifield, L.K.; Wallner, A.; De Cesare, M.

    2016-01-01

    The isotopes 236 U, 239 Pu and 240 Pu are present in surface soils as a result of global fallout from nuclear weapons tests carried out in the 1950's and 1960's. These isotopes potentially constitute artificial tracers of recent soil erosion and sediment movement. Only Accelerator Mass Spectrometry has the requisite sensitivity to measure all three isotopes at these environmental levels. Coupled with its relatively high throughput capabilities, this makes it feasible to conduct studies of erosion across the geographical extent of the Australian continent. In the Australian context, however, global fallout is not the only source of these isotopes. As part of its weapons development program the United Kingdom carried out a series of atmospheric and surface nuclear weapons tests at Maralinga, South Australia in 1956 and 1957. The tests have made a significant contribution to the Pu isotopic abundances present in the region around Maralinga and out to distances ∼1000 km, and impact on the assessment techniques used in the soil and sediment tracer studies. Quantification of the relative fallout contribution derived from detonations at Maralinga is complicated owing to significant contamination around the test site from numerous nuclear weapons safety trials that were also carried out around the site. We show that 236 U can provide new information on the component of the fallout that is derived from the local nuclear weapons tests, and highlight the potential of 236 U as a new fallout tracer. - Highlights: • Measured 236 U inventories around the Maralinga Test Nuclear weapons test site. • Comparison of 236 U and 239 Pu soil depth profiles at Maralinga. • Differences in 236 U and 239 Pu inventories indicate most Pu fallout is from the safety trials, rather than the weapons tests.

  9. Three different spectrophotometric methods manipulating ratio spectra for determination of binary mixture of Amlodipine and Atorvastatin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darwish, Hany W.; Hassan, Said A.; Salem, Maissa Y.; El-Zeiny, Badr A.

    2011-12-01

    Three simple, specific, accurate and precise spectrophotometric methods manipulating ratio spectra are developed for the simultaneous determination of Amlodipine besylate (AM) and Atorvastatin calcium (AT) in tablet dosage forms. The first method is first derivative of the ratio spectra ( 1DD), the second is ratio subtraction and the third is the method of mean centering of ratio spectra. The calibration curve is linear over the concentration range of 3-40 and 8-32 μg/ml for AM and AT, respectively. These methods are tested by analyzing synthetic mixtures of the above drugs and they are applied to commercial pharmaceutical preparation of the subjected drugs. Standard deviation is <1.5 in the assay of raw materials and tablets. Methods are validated as per ICH guidelines and accuracy, precision, repeatability and robustness are found to be within the acceptable limit.

  10. Comparing computing formulas for estimating concentration ratios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilbert, R.O.; Simpson, J.C.

    1984-03-01

    This paper provides guidance on the choice of computing formulas (estimators) for estimating concentration ratios and other ratio-type measures of radionuclides and other environmental contaminant transfers between ecosystem components. Mathematical expressions for the expected value of three commonly used estimators (arithmetic mean of ratios, geometric mean of ratios, and the ratio of means) are obtained when the multivariate lognormal distribution is assumed. These expressions are used to explain why these estimators will not in general give the same estimate of the average concentration ratio. They illustrate that the magnitude of the discrepancies depends on the magnitude of measurement biases, and on the variances and correlations associated with spatial heterogeneity and measurement errors. This paper also reports on a computer simulation study that compares the accuracy of eight computing formulas for estimating a ratio relationship that is constant over time and/or space. Statistical models appropriate for both controlled spiking experiments and observational field studies for either normal or lognormal distributions are considered. 24 references, 15 figures, 7 tables

  11. Hubungan Analisis Ratio Keuangan dengan Kesehatan Perusahaan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soekarso Soekarso

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available In the business world, companies develop a vision and mission to improve welfare in the future. The work program the company is to achieve productivity and profitability. Finance in the company is one of the strategic functions that includes wealth management and transformation of added value (added value and also the control of corporate health. The financial statements such as balance sheet (balance sheet, profit and loss statement (income statement, and financial ratio (financial ratios, reflects the company's performance and health. Financial ratio analysis relates to the health of the company through a ratio of effectiveness, efficiency, productivity, profitability, liquidity, and solvability. Analysis shows that whenever actual value of financial ratios is above standard it means the company is healthy, and when the actual value of financial ratios is below the standard, it reversely means that companies are not healthy.

  12. Initiation of depleted uranium oxide and spent fuel testing for the spent fuel sabotage aerosol ratio programme

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Molecke, M.A.; Gregson, M.W.; Sorenson, K.B.

    2004-01-01

    We provide a detailed overview of an on-going, multinational test programme that is developing aerosol data for some spent fuel sabotage scenarios on spent fuel transport and storage casks. Experiments are being performed to quantify the aerosolised materials plus volatilised fission products generated from actual spent fuel and surrogate material test rods, due to impact by a high-energy/density device. The programme participants in the United States plus Germany, France and the United Kingdom, part of the international Working Group for Sabotage Concerns of Transport and Storage Casks (WGSTSC) have strongly supported and coordinated this research programme. Sandia National Laboratories has the lead role for conducting this research programme; test programme support is provided by both the US Department of Energy and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. We provide a summary of the overall, multiphase test design and a description of all explosive containment and aerosol collection test components used. We focus on the recently initiated tests on 'surrogate' spent fuel, unirradiated depleted uranium oxide and forthcoming actual spent fuel tests. We briefly summarise similar results from completed surrogate tests that used non-radioactive, sintered cerium oxide ceramic pellets in test rods. (author)

  13. Ratio of progesterone-to-number of follicles as a prognostic tool for in vitro fertilization cycles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roque, Matheus; Valle, Marcello; Sampaio, Marcos; Geber, Selmo; Checa, Miguel Angel

    2015-06-01

    To establish a ratio of the P level to the number of follicles (P/F ratio) on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration and to evaluate whether this ratio is associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome. This study was conducted between January 2012 and June 2013. A total of 337 patients with cleavage-stage day-3 fresh embryo transfer with P levels ≤1.5 ng/mL on the day of hCG administration were included in the study. The main outcome was ongoing pregnancy rate. The P/F ratio was calculated according to the equation (P[ng/mL]/number of follicles) on the day of final oocyte maturation. Using ROC, we established a cut-off level of 0.075 for the P/F ratio. The area under the curve (AUC) (0.756; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.704-0.807) indicated that it was a good prognostic test. In group 1 (patients under 36 years old), the ongoing pregnancy rates were 57 and 30 % for patients with P/F ratios ≤ .075 and > .075, respectively, (p = 0.003). In group 2 (patients between 36 and 39 years old), the ongoing pregnancy rates were 58 % and 17 % (p = 0.001) for patients with P/F ratios ≤ .075 and > .075, respectively. In group 3 (patients ≥ 40 years old), the ongoing pregnancy rates were 41.7 and 10.9 % (p = 0.001) for patients with P/F ratios ≤ .075 and > .075, respectively. The P/F ratio is a good prognostic test for predicting IVF outcome that can correlate the P level with ovarian response.

  14. The effect of ratio and interval training on Pavlovian-instrumental transfer in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brian J Wiltgen

    Full Text Available Conditional stimuli (CS that are paired with reward can be used to motivate instrumental responses. This process is called Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (PIT. A recent study in rats suggested that habitual responses are particularly sensitive to the motivational effects of reward cues. The current experiments examined this idea using ratio and interval training in mice. Two groups of animals were trained to lever press for food pellets that were delivered on random ratio or random interval schedules. Devaluation tests revealed that interval training led to habitual responding while ratio training produced goal-directed actions. The presentation of CSs paired with reward led to positive transfer in both groups, however, the size of this effect was much larger in mice that were trained on interval schedules. This result suggests that habitual responses are more sensitive to the motivational influence of reward cues than goal-directed actions. The implications for neurobiological models of motivation and drug seeking behaviors are discussed.

  15. Diagnosing dementia and normal aging: clinical relevance of brain ratios and cognitive performance in a Brazilian sample

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chaves M.L.F.

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic value (clinical application of brain measures and cognitive function. Alzheimer and multiinfarct patients (N = 30 and normal subjects over the age of 50 (N = 40 were submitted to a medical, neurological and cognitive investigation. The cognitive tests applied were Mini-Mental, word span, digit span, logical memory, spatial recognition span, Boston naming test, praxis, and calculation tests. The brain ratios calculated were the ventricle-brain, bifrontal, bicaudate, third ventricle, and suprasellar cistern measures. These data were obtained from a brain computer tomography scan, and the cutoff values from receiver operating characteristic curves. We analyzed the diagnostic parameters provided by these ratios and compared them to those obtained by cognitive evaluation. The sensitivity and specificity of cognitive tests were higher than brain measures, although dementia patients presented higher ratios, showing poorer cognitive performances than normal individuals. Normal controls over the age of 70 presented higher measures than younger groups, but similar cognitive performance. We found diffuse losses of tissue from the central nervous system related to distribution of cerebrospinal fluid in dementia patients. The likelihood of case identification by functional impairment was higher than when changes of the structure of the central nervous system were used. Cognitive evaluation still seems to be the best method to screen individuals from the community, especially for developing countries, where the cost of brain imaging precludes its use for screening and initial assessment of dementia.

  16. Agreement between clinicians' and care givers' assessment of intelligence in Nigerian children with intellectual disability: 'ratio IQ' as a viable option in the absence of standardized 'deviance IQ' tests in sub-Saharan Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aguocha Chinyere M

    2009-09-01

    showed higher correlation score between clinicians' assessed IQ scores and 'ratio IQ' scores (r = 0.75, df = 41, p = 0.000. Conclusion Agreement between clinicians' assessed IQ scores and 'ratio IQ' scores was good. 'Ratio IQ' test would provide a viable option of assessing IQ scores in sub-Saharan African children with intellectual disability in the absence of culture-appropriate standardized intelligence scales, which is often the case because of great diversity in socio-cultural structures of sub-Saharan Africa.

  17. Microscopic silicon-based lateral high-aspect-ratio structures for thin film conformality analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Feng; Arpiainen, Sanna; Puurunen, Riikka L.

    2015-01-01

    Film conformality is one of the major drivers for the interest in atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. This work presents new silicon-based microscopic lateral high-aspect-ratio (LHAR) test structures for the analysis of the conformality of thin films deposited by ALD and by other chemical vapor deposition means. The microscopic LHAR structures consist of a lateral cavity inside silicon with a roof supported by pillars. The cavity length (e.g., 20–5000 μm) and cavity height (e.g., 200–1000 nm) can be varied, giving aspect ratios of, e.g., 20:1 to 25 000:1. Film conformality can be analyzed with the microscopic LHAR by several means, as demonstrated for the ALD Al 2 O 3 and TiO 2 processes from Me 3 Al/H 2 O and TiCl 4 /H 2 O. The microscopic LHAR test structures introduced in this work expose a new parameter space for thin film conformality investigations expected to prove useful in the development, tuning and modeling of ALD and other chemical vapor deposition processes

  18. Basic study of water-cement ratio evaluation for fresh mortar using an ultrasonic measurement technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamza Haffies Ismail; Murata, Yorinobu

    2009-01-01

    The objective of this research is for the basic study of ultrasonic evaluation method for the determination of the water-cement-ratio (W/C) in fresh concrete at the early age of hardening. Water-cement ratio is a important parameter to evaluate the strength of concrete for concrete construction. Using an ultrasonic pulse measurement technique, wave velocity and frequency variations depend on the age of concrete during hardening process could be evaluated. As a sample test, fresh mortar of water-cement ratio of 40 %, 50% and 60 % was poured into cylindrical plastic mould form (φ100 mm x 50 mm). For an ultrasonic pulse wave transmission technique, two wide band ultrasonic transducers were set on the top and bottom surface of mortar, and start measuring from 10 minutes after pouring water until 60 minutes of 5 minutes of intervals. As a result, it was confirmed that wave velocity and center frequency were changed with the age of mortar depends on the water-cement ratio. (author)

  19. Pengaruh Profitabilitas, Resiko Keuangan, Nilai Perusahaan, Struktur Kepemilikan dan Dividend Payout Ratio terhadap Perataan Laba

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dika Fajar Pratama

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to test empirically the effect of profitability, financial risk, firm value, ownership structure and dividend payout ratio to income smoothing. The sample in this research are 33 manufacture companies that have been listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in period of 2006 to 2009. Sample was obtained by purposive sampling method. Analysis tool uses regression analysis with logistic regression method.  The results of analysis indicate that profitability, financial risk, firm value, public ownership and dividend payout ratio do not influence income smoothing in manufacture companies except managerial ownership.

  20. High Load Ratio Fatigue Strength and Mean Stress Evolution of Quenched and Tempered 42CrMo4 Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertini, Leonardo; Le Bone, Luca; Santus, Ciro; Chiesi, Francesco; Tognarelli, Leonardo

    2017-08-01

    The fatigue strength at a high number of cycles with initial elastic-plastic behavior was experimentally investigated on quenched and tempered 42CrMo4 steel. Fatigue tests on unnotched specimens were performed both under load and strain controls, by imposing various levels of amplitude and with several high load ratios. Different ratcheting and relaxation trends, with significant effects on fatigue, are observed and discussed, and then reported in the Haigh diagram, highlighting a clear correlation with the Smith-Watson-Topper model. High load ratio tests were also conducted on notched specimens with C (blunt) and V (sharp) geometries. A Chaboche model with three parameter couples was proposed by fitting plain specimen cyclic and relaxation tests, and then finite element analyses were performed to simulate the notched specimen test results. A significant stress relaxation at the notch root became clearly evident by reporting the numerical results in the Haigh diagram, thus explaining the low mean stress sensitivity of the notched specimens.