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Sample records for shift values show

  1. Polarization encoded all-optical multi-valued shift operators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Jitendra Nath; Bhowmik, Panchatapa

    2014-08-01

    Polarization encoded multi-valued (both ternary and quaternary logic) shift operators have been designed using linear optical devices only. There are six ternary and 24 quaternary shift operators in multi-valued system. These are also known as reversible literals. This circuit will be useful in future all-optical multi-valued logic based information processing system. Different states of polarization of light are taken as different logic states.

  2. Midline Shift Threshold Value for Hemiparesis in Chronic Subdural Hematoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juković, Mirela F; Stojanović, Dejan B

    2015-01-01

    Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) has a variety of clinical presentations, with numerous neurological symptoms and signs. Hemiparesis is one of the leading signs that potentially indicates CSDH. Purpose of this study was to determine the threshold (cut-off) value of midsagittal line (MSL) shift after which hemiparesis is likely to appear. The study evaluated 83 patients with 53 unilateral and 30 bilateral CSDHs in period of three years. Evaluated computed tomography (CT) findings in patients with CSDH were diameter of the hematoma and midsagittal line shift, measured on non-contrast CT scan in relation with occurrence of hemiparesis. Threshold values of MSL shift for both types of CSDHs were obtained as maximal (equal) sensitivity and specificity (intersection of the curves). MSL is a good predictor for hemiparesis occurrence (total sample, AUROC 0.75, p=0.0001). Unilateral and bilateral CSDHs had different threshold values of the MSL for hemiparesis development. Results suggested that in unilateral CSDH the threshold values of MSL could be at 10 mm (AUROC=0.65; p=0.07). For bilateral CSDH the threshold level of MSL shift was 4.5 mm (AUROC=0.77; p=0.01). Our study pointed on the phenomenon that midsagittal line shift can predict hemiparesis occurrence. Hemiparesis in patients with bilateral CSDH was more related to midsagittal line shift compared with unilateral CSDH. When value of midsagittal line shift exceed the threshold level, hemiparesis occurs with certain probability.

  3. Implications of human value shift and persistence for biodiversity conservation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manfredo, Michael J; Teel, Tara L; Dietsch, Alia M

    2016-04-01

    Large-scale change in human values and associated behavior change is believed by some to be the ultimate solution to achieve global biodiversity conservation. Yet little is known about the dynamics of values. We contribute to this area of inquiry by examining the trajectory of values affecting views of wildlife in North America. Using data from a 19-state study in the United States and global data from the Schwartz Value Survey, we explored questions of value persistence and change and the nature of attitudinal responses regarding wildlife conservation issues. We found support, based on subjects' ancestry, for the supposition that domination is a prevalent American value orientation toward wildlife that has origins in European Judeo-Christian traditions. Independent of that effect, we also found indications of change. Modernization is contributing to a shift from domination to mutualism value orientations, which is fostering attitudes less centered on human interests and seemingly more consistent with a biocentric philosophy. Our findings suggest that if value shift could be achieved in a purposeful way, then significant and widespread behavior change believed necessary for long-term conservation success may indeed be possible. In particular, greater emphasis on mutualism values may help provide the context for more collaborative approaches to support future conservation efforts. However, given the societal forces at play, it is not at all clear that human-engineered value shift is tenable. Instead of developing strategies aimed at altering values, it may be more productive to create strategies that recognize and work within the boundaries of existing values. Whereas values appear to be in a period of flux, it will be difficult to predict future trends without a better understanding of value formation and shift, particularly under conditions of rapid social-ecological change. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

  4. Singular-value demodulation of phase-shifted holograms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopes, Fernando; Atlan, Michael

    2015-06-01

    We report on phase-shifted holographic interferogram demodulation by singular-value decomposition. Numerical processing of optically acquired interferograms over several modulation periods was performed in two steps: (1) rendering of off-axis complex-valued holograms by Fresnel transformation of the interferograms; and (2) eigenvalue spectrum assessment of the lag-covariance matrix of hologram pixels. Experimental results in low-light recording conditions were compared with demodulation by Fourier analysis, in the presence of random phase drifts.

  5. Covert shift of attention modulates the value encoding in the orbitofrontal cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Yang; Nie, Chechang; Yang, Tianming

    2018-03-13

    During value-based decision making, we often evaluate the value of each option sequentially by shifting our attention, even when the options are presented simultaneously. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) has been suggested to encode value during value-based decision making. Yet it is not known how its activity is modulated by attention shifts. We investigated this question by employing a passive viewing task that allowed us to disentangle effects of attention, value, choice and eye movement. We found that the attention modulated OFC activity through a winner-take-all mechanism. When we attracted the monkeys' attention covertly, the OFC neuronal activity reflected the reward value of the newly attended cue. The shift of attention could be explained by a normalization model. Our results strongly argue for the hypothesis that the OFC neuronal activity represents the value of the attended item. They provide important insights toward understanding the OFC's role in value-based decision making. © 2018, Xie et al.

  6. Shifting to triple value healthcare: Reflections from England.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jani, Anant; Jungmann, Sven; Gray, Muir

    2018-02-01

    Increasing need and demand because of growing and aging populations combined with stagnant or decreasing resources being invested into healthcare globally mean that a radical shift is needed to ensure that healthcare systems can meet current and future challenges. Quality-, safety- and efficiency-improvement approaches have been used as means to address many problems in healthcare and while they are essential and necessary, they are not sufficient to meet our current challenges. To build resilient and sustainable healthcare systems, we need a shift to focus on triple value healthcare, which will help healthcare professionals improve outcomes at the process, patient and population levels while also optimising resource utilisation. Here we present a brief history of the Quality and Evidence-based Healthcare model and then describe how value emerged as a predominant theme in England. We then highlight the four solutions that we, as part of the RightCare programme, designed and refined in the English NHS to turn theory into practice: We end with a description of how triple value is being introduced into Germany and steps that can be taken to facilitate its adoption. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  7. Evolving protected-area impacts in Panama: impact shifts show that plans require anticipation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haruna, Akiko; Pfaff, Alexander; Van den Ende, Sander; Joppa, Lucas

    2014-01-01

    Protected areas (PAs) are the leading forest conservation policy, so accurate evaluation of future PA impact is critical in conservation planning. Yet by necessity impact evaluations use past data. Here we argue that forward-looking plans should blend such evaluations with anticipation of shifts in threats. Applying improved methods to evaluate past impact, we provide rigorous support for that conceptual approach by showing that PAs’ impacts on deforestation shifted with land use. We study the Republic of Panama, where species-dense tropical forest faces real pressure. Facing variation in deforestation pressure, the PAs’ impacts varied across space and time. Thus, if shifts in pressure levels and patterns could be anticipated, that could raise impact. (paper)

  8. Showing Value (Editorial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denise Koufogiannakis

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available When Su Cleyle and I first decided to start Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, one of the things we agreed upon immediately was that the journal be open access. We knew that a major obstacle to librarians using the research literature was that they did not have access to the research literature. Although Su and I are both academic librarians who can access a wide variety of library and information literature from our institutions, we belong to a profession where not everyone has equal access to the research in our field. Without such access to our own body of literature, how can we ever hope for practitioners to use research evidence in their decision making? It would have been contradictory to the principles of evidence based library and information practice to do otherwise.One of the specific groups we thought could use such an open access venue for discovering research literature was school librarians. School librarians are often isolated and lacking access to the research literature that may help them prove to stakeholders the importance of their libraries and their role within schools. Certainly, school libraries have been in decline and the use of evidence to show value is needed. As Ken Haycock noted in his 2003 report, The Crisis in Canada’s School Libraries: The Case for Reform and Reinvestment, “Across the country, teacher-librarians are losing their jobs or being reassigned. Collections are becoming depleted owing to budget cuts. Some principals believe that in the age of the Internet and the classroom workstation, the school library is an artifact” (9. Within this context, school librarians are looking to our research literature for evidence of the impact that school library programs have on learning outcomes and student success. They are integrating that evidence into their practice, and reflecting upon what can be improved locally. They are focusing on students and showing the impact of school libraries and

  9. New values for some 4He I 1snl energy levels, ionization energies, and Lamb shifts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, W.C.

    1984-01-01

    Recent experimental determinations of energy separations within the 1snl term system (n = 2--6) have been used to reevaluate 35 levels. Most of the levels have estimated errors less than 0.001 cm -1 relative to the 2 3 P levels. Addition of accurate theoretical term values (ionization energies) available for several 1snl levels to the corresponding experimental level values gives generally consistent values for the principal ionization energy (E/sub I/). The theoretical energies are further confirmed by the agreement of the weighted average of seven of these E/sub I/ values with a value obtained by fitting Ritz formulas to three accurately determined 1snl series; the suggested new E/sub I/ is 198 310.7745(40) cm -1 on an energy scale fixed by the value 171 135.0000 cm -1 for 2 1 P. Lamb shifts are derived for the 2, 3, 4 3 S 1 , 2 1 S 0 , 2 3 P 1 , and 2 1 P 1 levels as differences between experimental term values obtained with the new E/sub I/ and corresponding calculated term values not including Lamb shifts. The experimental and calculated values for the 1s 2 1 S 0 ground level relative to the present 1snl excited-level system are 0.00 +- 0.15 and 0.073 +- 0.009 cm -1 , respectively, so that a approx.20-fold increase in the experimental accuracy would be required to test the calculated ground-level Lamb shift

  10. Blue and red shifted temperature dependence of implicit phonon shifts in graphene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mann, Sarita; Jindal, V. K.

    2017-07-01

    We have calculated the implicit shift for various modes of frequency in a pure graphene sheet. Thermal expansion and Grüneisen parameter which are required for implicit shift calculation have already been studied and reported. For this calculation, phonon frequencies are obtained using force constants derived from dynamical matrix calculated using VASP code where the density functional perturbation theory (DFPT) is used in interface with phonopy software. The implicit phonon shift shows an unusual behavior as compared to the bulk materials. The frequency shift is large negative (red shift) for ZA and ZO modes and the value of negative shift increases with increase in temperature. On the other hand, blue shift arises for all other longitudinal and transverse modes with a similar trend of increase with increase in temperature. The q dependence of phonon shifts has also been studied. Such simultaneous red and blue shifts in transverse or out plane modes and surface modes, respectively leads to speculation of surface softening in out of plane direction in preference to surface melting.

  11. The value of load shifting. An estimate for Norway using the EMPS model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doorman, Gerard; Wolfgang, Ove

    2006-05-01

    An attempt is made to estimate the value of Load Shifting (LS) in the Norwegian system, using the EMPS model. A thorough update of the demand side model and cost estimates used in the model was done as a preparation for the project, and the report gives a comprehensive description of the demand models used. The LS measure that is analyzed is moving 600 MW demand in Norway from peak to lower demand hours during the day. The value of this was estimated both in a simplified manner (based on simulated price differences between these periods), and by simulations with the EMPS model and a subsequent calculation of the socio-economic surplus. Neither approaches showed any significant value. The results do not necessarily mean that the value in reality is zero - there are a number of limitations in the model which make it difficult to estimate the real value, like the representation of wind generation, demand variability, outages, exchange prices with continental Europe, flexibility of hydro and thermal generation, reserves and elasticity of demand in the short run. It was verified through sensitivity calculations that especially increasing reserve requirements and increasing the variability of wind generation increased price differences and therefore the value of LS. A number of improvements in the EMPS model and data are proposed to obtain a more suitable simulation model for this kind of analyses: 1) modeling of reserves, 2) representation of wind variability, 3) thermal generation models, 4) differentiation between long and short term price elasticity, 5) review of interconnection capacities, 6) use of quadratic losses and the 7) representation of more stochastic factors like e.g. outages in the simulations. Although the model at present clearly has its limitations with respect to estimating the value of LS, it appears that price differences between spot prices in the actual hours in reality are small. Comparison with Nord Pool spot prices for the years 2003

  12. Cognitive regulation during decision making shifts behavioral control between ventromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal value systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hutcherson, Cendri A; Plassmann, Hilke; Gross, James J; Rangel, Antonio

    2012-09-26

    Cognitive regulation is often used to influence behavioral outcomes. However, the computational and neurobiological mechanisms by which it affects behavior remain unknown. We studied this issue using an fMRI task in which human participants used cognitive regulation to upregulate and downregulate their cravings for foods at the time of choice. We found that activity in both ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) correlated with value. We also found evidence that two distinct regulatory mechanisms were at work: value modulation, which operates by changing the values assigned to foods in vmPFC and dlPFC at the time of choice, and behavioral control modulation, which operates by changing the relative influence of the vmPFC and dlPFC value signals on the action selection process used to make choices. In particular, during downregulation, activation decreased in the value-sensitive region of dlPFC (indicating value modulation) but not in vmPFC, and the relative contribution of the two value signals to behavior shifted toward the dlPFC (indicating behavioral control modulation). The opposite pattern was observed during upregulation: activation increased in vmPFC but not dlPFC, and the relative contribution to behavior shifted toward the vmPFC. Finally, ventrolateral PFC and posterior parietal cortex were more active during both upregulation and downregulation, and were functionally connected with vmPFC and dlPFC during cognitive regulation, which suggests that they help to implement the changes to the decision-making circuitry generated by cognitive regulation.

  13. Renormalization of the scalar field theory with spontaneously broken discrete symmetry without shifting the field vacuum expectation value

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solin, J.

    1988-01-01

    The one-loop renormalization of the λφ 4 theory with a spontaneous breaking of its discrete (reflection) symmetry is analyzed. It is explicitly shown that it is not necessary to forcefully eliminate the linear counterterm in the shifted field (accomplished usually by shifting the vacuum expectation value of the field) in order to have the renormalized Lagrangian still formally invariant under the original discrete symmetry. It is further shown, using the normal-ordering procedure, that the renormalization carried out in the customary form completely wipes out the tadpole diagram contributions from the original Lagrangian. As a consequence, the same renormalized Lagrangian can be also obtained from the original bare Lagrangian which, however, has been normal-ordered and as such cannot cause the linear counterterm in the shifted field since now the tadpole diagrams are absent altogether. These analyses should support the view that the vacuum expectation value of the field is of a group-theoretical origin rather than a field-theoretical origin, and as such should not change independently of the shifted field in the course of renormalization

  14. Value Distribution and Uniqueness Results of Zero-Order Meromorphic Functions to Their q-Shift

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haiwa Guan

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available We investigate value distribution and uniqueness problems of meromorphic functions with their q-shift. We obtain that if f is a transcendental meromorphic (or entire function of zero order, and Q(z is a polynomial, then afn(qz+f(z−Q(z has infinitely many zeros, where q∈ℂ∖{0}, a is nonzero constant, and n≥5 (or n≥3. We also obtain that zero-order meromorphic function share is three distinct values IM with its q-difference polynomial P(f, and if limsup r→∞(N(r,f/T(r,f<1, then f≡P(f.

  15. Phase shifts in the Fourier spectra of phase gratings and phase grids: an application for one-shot phase-shifting interferometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toto-Arellano, Noel-Ivan; Rodriguez-Zurita, Gustavo; Meneses-Fabian, Cruz; Vazquez-Castillo, Jose F

    2008-11-10

    Among several techniques, phase shifting interferometry can be implemented with a grating used as a beam divider to attain several interference patterns around each diffraction order. Because each pattern has to show a different phase-shift, a suitable shifting technique must be employed. Phase gratings are attractive to perform the former task due to their higher diffraction efficiencies. But as is very well known, the Fourier coefficients of only-phase gratings are integer order Bessel functions of the first kind. The values of these real-valued functions oscillate around zero, so they can adopt negative values, thereby introducing phase shifts of pi at certain diffraction orders. Because this almost trivial fact seems to have been overlooked in the literature regarding its practical implications, in this communication such phase shifts are stressed in the description of interference patterns obtained with grating interferometers. These patterns are obtained by placing two windows in the object plane of a 4f system with a sinusoidal grating/grid in the Fourier plane. It is shown that the corresponding experimental observations of the fringe modulation, as well as the corresponding phase measurements, are all in agreement with the proposed description. A one-shot phase shifting interferometer is finally proposed taking into account these properties after proper incorporation of modulation of polarization.

  16. Shifts in Ross Sea food web structure as indicated by δ15N and δ13C values of fossil Antarctic seals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leopold, A.; Brault, E.; McMahon, K.

    2013-12-01

    As climate change continues to mount, there is a growing need for understanding its effects on biological-physical interactions of marine ecosystems. Assessing the effects of anthropogenic activities on the coastal marine ecosystem involves understanding the underlying mechanisms driving these changes as well as establishing baselines of the natural system. Preliminary findings have indicated shifts in bulk carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotopic values of southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) samples, collected in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica in the Ross Sea region, over approximately the last 7,000 years. These shifts could result from 1) seals changing their foraging location and/or diet over this time, 2) climate change-induced shifts in the biogeochemistry at the base of the food web, or 3) some combination of both processes. We explored the patterns of long-term change in Ross Sea food web structure by examining the stable isotope values of three top predators in this system, Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii), leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx), and crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophagus). Fossil seal samples were collected in the Dry Valleys during the austral summer of 2012/13 and then analyzed for bulk C and N isotopes via an elemental analyzer/isotope-ratio mass spectrometer (EA/IRMS). Our initial findings indicate that C isotopic values of fossil seal samples from Weddell, leopard, and crabeater seals were more enriched than isotopic values of modern seals of the same species (e.g., δ13C = -22.79 × 0.92 ‰ and -26.71 × 0.50 ‰ for fossil and modern crabeater seals, respectively). Given the relatively consistent diet of crabeater seals, these findings suggest a shift in baseline food web structure occurred over the last 10,000 years, either through changes in foraging location or local shifts in biogeochemistry. For all species, N isotopic values are widely variable (e.g., 7.28 to 16.0 δ15N ‰ for the Weddell seal), which may be a result of

  17. Lamb shift of energy levels in quantum rings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kryuchkyan, G Yu; Kyriienko, O; Shelykh, I A

    2015-01-01

    We study the vacuum radiative corrections to energy levels of a confined electron in quantum rings. The calculations are provided for the Lamb shift of energy levels in a low-momentum region of virtual photons and for both one-dimensional and two-dimensional quantum rings. We show that contrary to the well known case of a hydrogen atom the value of the Lamb shift increases with the magnetic momentum quantum number m. We also investigate the dependence of the Lamb shift on magnetic flux piercing the ring and demonstrate a presence of magnetic-flux-dependent oscillations. For a one-dimensional ring the value of the shift strongly depends on the radius of the ring. It is small for semiconductor rings but can attain measurable quantities in natural organic ring-shape molecules, such as benzene, cycloalcanes and porphyrins. (paper)

  18. Diagnostic value of chemical shift artifact in distinguishing benign lymphadenopathy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farshchian, Nazanin, E-mail: farshchian.n@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Tamari, Saghar; Farshchian, Negin [Department of Radiology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Madani, Hamid [Department of Pathology, Imam-Reza Hospital, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Rezaie, Mansour [Department of Biostatistics, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mohammadi-Motlagh, Hamid-Reza, E-mail: mohammadimotlagh@gmail.com [Medical Biology Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2011-11-15

    Purpose: Today, distinguishing metastatic lymph nodes from secondary benign inflammatory ones via using non-invasive methods is increasingly favorable. In this study, the diagnostic value of chemical shift artifact (CSA) in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was evaluated to distinguish benign lymphadenopathy. Subjects and methods: A prospective intraindividual internal review board-approved study was carried out on 15 men and 15 women having lymphadenopathic lesions in different locations of the body who underwent contrast-enhanced dynamic MR imaging at 1.5 T. Then, the imaging findings were compared with pathology reports, using the statistics analyses. Results: Due to the findings of the CSA existence in MRI, a total of 56.7% of the studied lesions (17 of 30) were identified as benign lesions and the rest were malignant, whereas the pathology reports distinguished twelve malignant and eighteen benign cases. Furthermore, the CSA findings comparing the pathology reports indicated that CSA, with confidence of 79.5%, has a significant diagnostic value to differentiate benign lesions from malignant ones. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that CSA in MR imaging has a suitable diagnostic potential nearing readiness for clinical trials. Furthermore, CSA seems to be a feasible tool to differentiate benign lymph nodes from malignant ones; however, further studies including larger numbers of patients are required to confirm our results.

  19. Are Categorical Spatial Relations Encoded by Shifting Visual Attention between Objects?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uttal, David; Franconeri, Steven

    2016-01-01

    Perceiving not just values, but relations between values, is critical to human cognition. We tested the predictions of a proposed mechanism for processing categorical spatial relations between two objects—the shift account of relation processing—which states that relations such as ‘above’ or ‘below’ are extracted by shifting visual attention upward or downward in space. If so, then shifts of attention should improve the representation of spatial relations, compared to a control condition of identity memory. Participants viewed a pair of briefly flashed objects and were then tested on either the relative spatial relation or identity of one of those objects. Using eye tracking to reveal participants’ voluntary shifts of attention over time, we found that when initial fixation was on neither object, relational memory showed an absolute advantage for the object following an attention shift, while identity memory showed no advantage for either object. This result is consistent with the shift account of relation processing. When initial fixation began on one of the objects, identity memory strongly benefited this fixated object, while relational memory only showed a relative benefit for objects following an attention shift. This result is also consistent, although not as uniquely, with the shift account of relation processing. Taken together, we suggest that the attention shift account provides a mechanistic explanation for the overall results. This account can potentially serve as the common mechanism underlying both linguistic and perceptual representations of spatial relations. PMID:27695104

  20. Tilt shift determinations with spatial-carrier phase-shift method in temporal phase-shift interferometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Qian; Wang, Yang; He, Jianguo; Ji, Fang; Wang, Baorui

    2014-01-01

    An algorithm is proposed to deal with tilt-shift errors in temporal phase-shift interferometry (PSI). In the algorithm, the tilt shifts are detected with the spatial-carrier phase-shift (SCPS) method and then the tilt shifts are applied as priori information to the least-squares fittings of phase retrieval. The algorithm combines the best features of the SCPS and the temporal PSI. The algorithm could be applied to interferograms of arbitrary aperture without data extrapolation for the Fourier transform is not involved. Simulations and experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm. The statistics of simulation results show a satisfied accuracy in detecting tilt-shift errors. Comparisons of the measurements with and without environmental vibration show that the proposed algorithm could compensate tilt-shift errors and retrieve wavefront phase accurately. The algorithm provides an approach to retrieve wavefront phase for the temporal PSI in vibrating environment. (paper)

  1. Aversive properties of negative incentive shifts in Fischer 344 and Lewis rats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brewer, Adam; Johnson, Patrick; Stein, Jeff; Schlund, Michael; Williams, Dean C.

    2018-01-01

    Research on incentive contrast highlights that reward value is not absolute but rather is based upon comparisons we make to rewards we have received and expect to receive. Both human and nonhuman studies on incentive contrast show that shifting from a larger more-valued reward to a smaller less-valued reward is associated with long periods of nonresponding—a negative contrast effect. In this investigation, we used two different genetic rat strains, Fischer 344 and Lewis rats that putatively differ in their sensitivity to aversive stimulation, to assess the aversive properties of large-to-small reward shifts (negative incentive shifts). Additionally, we examined the extent to which increasing cost (fixed-ratio requirements) modulates negative contrast effects. In the presence of a cue that signaled the upcoming reward magnitude, lever pressing was reinforced with one of two different magnitudes of food (large or small). This design created two contrast shifts (small-to-large, large-to-small) and two shifts used as control conditions (small-to-small, large-to-large). Results showed a significant interaction between rat strain and cost requirements only during the negative incentive shift with the emotionally reactive Fischer 344 rats exhibiting significantly longer response latencies with increasing cost, highlighting greater negative contrast. These findings are more consistent with emotionality accounts of negative contrast and results of neurophysiological research that suggests shifting from a large to a small reward is aversive. Findings also highlight how subjective reward value and motivation is a product of gene-environment interactions. PMID:27864048

  2. Validation of archived chemical shifts through atomic coordinates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rieping, Wolfgang; Vranken, Wim F

    2010-01-01

    The public archives containing protein information in the form of NMR chemical shift data at the BioMagResBank (BMRB) and of 3D structure coordinates at the Protein Data Bank are continuously expanding. The quality of the data contained in these archives, however, varies. The main issue for chemical shift values is that they are determined relative to a reference frequency. When this reference frequency is set incorrectly, all related chemical shift values are systematically offset. Such wrongly referenced chemical shift values, as well as other problems such as chemical shift values that are assigned to the wrong atom, are not easily distinguished from correct values and effectively reduce the usefulness of the archive. We describe a new method to correct and validate protein chemical shift values in relation to their 3D structure coordinates. This method classifies atoms using two parameters: the per-atom solvent accessible surface area (as calculated from the coordinates) and the secondary structure of the parent amino acid. Through the use of Gaussian statistics based on a large database of 3220 BMRB entries, we obtain per-entry chemical shift corrections as well as Z scores for the individual chemical shift values. In addition, information on the error of the correction value itself is available, and the method can retain only dependable correction values. We provide an online resource with chemical shift, atom exposure, and secondary structure information for all relevant BMRB entries (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/pdbe/nmr/vasco) and hope this data will aid the development of new chemical shift-based methods in NMR. Proteins 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. PMID:20602353

  3. The P Value Problem in Otolaryngology: Shifting to Effect Sizes and Confidence Intervals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vila, Peter M; Townsend, Melanie Elizabeth; Bhatt, Neel K; Kao, W Katherine; Sinha, Parul; Neely, J Gail

    2017-06-01

    There is a lack of reporting effect sizes and confidence intervals in the current biomedical literature. The objective of this article is to present a discussion of the recent paradigm shift encouraging the use of reporting effect sizes and confidence intervals. Although P values help to inform us about whether an effect exists due to chance, effect sizes inform us about the magnitude of the effect (clinical significance), and confidence intervals inform us about the range of plausible estimates for the general population mean (precision). Reporting effect sizes and confidence intervals is a necessary addition to the biomedical literature, and these concepts are reviewed in this article.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borg, Ingwer; Hertel, Guido; Hermann, Dieter

    2017-11-01

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

  5. Shifts of integration variable within four- and N-dimensional Feynman integrals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elias, V.; McKeon, G.; Mann, R.B.

    1983-01-01

    We resolve inconsistencies between integration in four dimensions, where shifts of integration variable may lead to surface terms, and dimensional regularization, where no surface terms accompany such shifts, by showing that surface terms arise only for discrete values of the dimension parameter. General formulas for variable-of-integration shifts within N-dimensional Feynman integrals are presented, and the VVA triangle anomaly is interpreted as a manifestation of surface terms occurring in exactly four dimensions

  6. Heart rate variability changes in business process outsourcing employees working in shifts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kunikullaya, Kirthana U; Kirthi, Suresh K; Venkatesh, D; Goturu, Jaisri

    2010-10-31

    Irregular and poor quality sleep is common in business process outsourcing (BPO) employees due to continuous shift working. The influence of this on the cardiac autonomic activity was investigated by the spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). 36 night shift BPO employees (working from 22:00 to 06:00h) and 36 age and sex matched day shift BPO employees (working from 08:00 to 16:00h) were recruited for the study. Five minute electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded in all the subjects. Heart rate variability was analyzed by fast Fourier transformation using RMS Vagus HRV software. The results were analyzed using Mann Whitney U test, Student t-test, Wilcoxon signed rank test and were expressed as mean ± SD. Sleepiness was significantly higher among night shift workers as measured by Epworth Sleepiness Scale (p<0.001). Night shift BPO employees were found to have a trend towards lower values of vagal parameters - HF power (ms(2)), and higher values of sympathovagal parameters like LF Power (ms(2)) and the LF/HF power (%) suggesting decreased vagal activity and sympathetic over activity, when compared to day shift employees. However, HRV parameters did not vary significantly between the day shift employees and night shift workers baseline values, and also within the night shift group. Night shift working increased the heart rate and shifted the sympathovagal balance towards sympathetic dominance and decreased vagal parameters of HRV. This is an indicator of unfavorable change in the myocardial system, and thus shows increased risk of cardiovascular disease among the night shift employees.

  7. Shifted-modified Chebyshev filters

    OpenAIRE

    ŞENGÜL, Metin

    2013-01-01

    This paper introduces a new type of filter approximation method that utilizes shifted-modified Chebyshev filters. Construction of the new filters involves the use of shifted-modified Chebyshev polynomials that are formed using the roots of conventional Chebyshev polynomials. The study also includes 2 tables containing the shifted-modified Chebyshev polynomials and the normalized element values for the low-pass prototype filters up to degree 6. The transducer power gain, group dela...

  8. Behavioural and neural modulation of win-stay but not lose-shift strategies as a function of outcome value in Rock, Paper, Scissors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forder, Lewis; Dyson, Benjamin James

    2016-09-23

    Competitive environments in which individuals compete for mutually-exclusive outcomes require rational decision making in order to maximize gains but often result in poor quality heuristics. Reasons for the greater reliance on lose-shift relative to win-stay behaviour shown in previous studies were explored using the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors and by manipulating the value of winning and losing. Decision-making following a loss was characterized as relatively fast and relatively inflexible both in terms of the failure to modulate the magnitude of lose-shift strategy and the lack of significant neural modulation. In contrast, decision-making following a win was characterized as relatively slow and relatively flexible both in terms of a behavioural increase in the magnitude of win-stay strategy and a neural modulation of feedback-related negativity (FRN) and stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) following outcome value modulation. The win-stay/lose-shift heuristic appears not to be a unified mechanism, with the former relying on System 2 processes and the latter relying on System 1 processes. Our ability to play rationally appears more likely when the outcome is positive and when the value of wins are low, highlighting how vulnerable we can be when trying to succeed during competition.

  9. Determination of the two-loop Lamb shift in lithiumlike bismuth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sapirstein, J.; Cheng, K. T.

    2001-01-01

    The energy levels of lithiumlike bismuth are shown to be accurately described in a representation-independent manner when all diagrams involving one and two photons, with the exception of the two-loop Lamb shift, are evaluated. Comparison with the experimental value of the 2p 3/2 -2s 1/2 splitting then shows that, assuming three-photon effects are negligible, the contribution of the two-loop Lamb shift is 0.175(39) eV

  10. Laparoscopic skills and cognitive function are not affected in surgeons during a night shift

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Amirian, Ilda; Andersen, Lærke; Rosenberg, Jacob

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To monitor surgeons' performance and cognition during night shifts. DESIGN: Surgeons were monitored before call and on call (17-hour shift). Psychomotor performance was assessed by laparoscopic simulation and cognition by the d2 test of attention. The surgeons performed the laparoscopi...... compared with on-call values. The d2 test of attention showed significantly improved values on call compared with before call. CONCLUSION: Sleep deprivation during a 17-hour night shift did not impair surgeons' psychomotor or cognitive performance....... included and completed the study. One participant was subsequently excluded owing to myxedema. RESULTS: The surgeons slept significantly less on call than before call. There was increasing sleepiness on call; however, no significant differences were found in the precall laparoscopic simulation values...

  11. Added value measures in education show genetic as well as environmental influence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haworth, Claire M A; Asbury, Kathryn; Dale, Philip S; Plomin, Robert

    2011-02-02

    Does achievement independent of ability or previous attainment provide a purer measure of the added value of school? In a study of 4000 pairs of 12-year-old twins in the UK, we measured achievement with year-long teacher assessments as well as tests. Raw achievement shows moderate heritability (about 50%) and modest shared environmental influences (25%). Unexpectedly, we show that for indices of the added value of school, genetic influences remain moderate (around 50%), and the shared (school) environment is less important (about 12%). The pervasiveness of genetic influence in how and how much children learn is compatible with an active view of learning in which children create their own educational experiences in part on the basis of their genetic propensities.

  12. Fossil mice and rats show isotopic evidence of niche partitioning and change in dental ecomorphology related to dietary shift in Late Miocene of Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimura, Yuri; Jacobs, Louis L; Cerling, Thure E; Uno, Kevin T; Ferguson, Kurt M; Flynn, Lawrence J; Patnaik, Rajeev

    2013-01-01

    Stable carbon isotope analysis in tooth enamel is a well-established approach to infer C3 and C4 dietary composition in fossil mammals. The bulk of past work has been conducted on large herbivorous mammals. One important finding is that their dietary habits of fossil large mammals track the late Miocene ecological shift from C3 forest and woodland to C4 savannah. However, few studies on carbon isotopes of fossil small mammals exist due to limitations imposed by the size of rodent teeth, and the isotopic ecological and dietary behaviors of small mammals to climate change remain unknown. Here we evaluate the impact of ecological change on small mammals by fine-scale comparisons of carbon isotope ratios (δ(13)C) with dental morphology of murine rodents, spanning 13.8 to ∼2.0 Ma, across the C3 to C4 vegetation shift in the Miocene Siwalik sequence of Pakistan. We applied in-situ laser ablation GC-IRMS to lower first molars and measured two grazing indices on upper first molars. Murine rodents yield a distinct, but related, record of past ecological conditions from large herbivorous mammals, reflecting available foods in their much smaller home ranges. In general, larger murine species show more positive δ(13)C values and have higher grazing indices than smaller species inhabiting the same area at any given age. Two clades of murine rodents experienced different rates of morphological change. In the faster-evolving clade, the timing and trend of morphological innovations are closely tied to consumption of C4 diet during the vegetation shift. This study provides quantitative evidence of linkages among diet, niche partitioning, and dental morphology at a more detailed level than previously possible.

  13. Fossil Mice and Rats Show Isotopic Evidence of Niche Partitioning and Change in Dental Ecomorphology Related to Dietary Shift in Late Miocene of Pakistan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimura, Yuri; Jacobs, Louis L.; Cerling, Thure E.; Uno, Kevin T.; Ferguson, Kurt M.; Flynn, Lawrence J.; Patnaik, Rajeev

    2013-01-01

    Stable carbon isotope analysis in tooth enamel is a well-established approach to infer C3 and C4 dietary composition in fossil mammals. The bulk of past work has been conducted on large herbivorous mammals. One important finding is that their dietary habits of fossil large mammals track the late Miocene ecological shift from C3 forest and woodland to C4 savannah. However, few studies on carbon isotopes of fossil small mammals exist due to limitations imposed by the size of rodent teeth, and the isotopic ecological and dietary behaviors of small mammals to climate change remain unknown. Here we evaluate the impact of ecological change on small mammals by fine-scale comparisons of carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) with dental morphology of murine rodents, spanning 13.8 to ∼2.0 Ma, across the C3 to C4 vegetation shift in the Miocene Siwalik sequence of Pakistan. We applied in-situ laser ablation GC-IRMS to lower first molars and measured two grazing indices on upper first molars. Murine rodents yield a distinct, but related, record of past ecological conditions from large herbivorous mammals, reflecting available foods in their much smaller home ranges. In general, larger murine species show more positive δ13C values and have higher grazing indices than smaller species inhabiting the same area at any given age. Two clades of murine rodents experienced different rates of morphological change. In the faster-evolving clade, the timing and trend of morphological innovations are closely tied to consumption of C4 diet during the vegetation shift. This study provides quantitative evidence of linkages among diet, niche partitioning, and dental morphology at a more detailed level than previously possible. PMID:23936324

  14. Fossil mice and rats show isotopic evidence of niche partitioning and change in dental ecomorphology related to dietary shift in Late Miocene of Pakistan.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuri Kimura

    Full Text Available Stable carbon isotope analysis in tooth enamel is a well-established approach to infer C3 and C4 dietary composition in fossil mammals. The bulk of past work has been conducted on large herbivorous mammals. One important finding is that their dietary habits of fossil large mammals track the late Miocene ecological shift from C3 forest and woodland to C4 savannah. However, few studies on carbon isotopes of fossil small mammals exist due to limitations imposed by the size of rodent teeth, and the isotopic ecological and dietary behaviors of small mammals to climate change remain unknown. Here we evaluate the impact of ecological change on small mammals by fine-scale comparisons of carbon isotope ratios (δ(13C with dental morphology of murine rodents, spanning 13.8 to ∼2.0 Ma, across the C3 to C4 vegetation shift in the Miocene Siwalik sequence of Pakistan. We applied in-situ laser ablation GC-IRMS to lower first molars and measured two grazing indices on upper first molars. Murine rodents yield a distinct, but related, record of past ecological conditions from large herbivorous mammals, reflecting available foods in their much smaller home ranges. In general, larger murine species show more positive δ(13C values and have higher grazing indices than smaller species inhabiting the same area at any given age. Two clades of murine rodents experienced different rates of morphological change. In the faster-evolving clade, the timing and trend of morphological innovations are closely tied to consumption of C4 diet during the vegetation shift. This study provides quantitative evidence of linkages among diet, niche partitioning, and dental morphology at a more detailed level than previously possible.

  15. 3D measurement using combined Gray code and dual-frequency phase-shifting approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Shuang; Zhang, Jing; Yu, Xiaoyang; Sun, Xiaoming; Wu, Haibin; Liu, Xin

    2018-04-01

    The combined Gray code and phase-shifting approach is a commonly used 3D measurement technique. In this technique, an error that equals integer multiples of the phase-shifted fringe period, i.e. period jump error, often exists in the absolute analog code, which can lead to gross measurement errors. To overcome this problem, the present paper proposes 3D measurement using a combined Gray code and dual-frequency phase-shifting approach. Based on 3D measurement using the combined Gray code and phase-shifting approach, one set of low-frequency phase-shifted fringe patterns with an odd-numbered multiple of the original phase-shifted fringe period is added. Thus, the absolute analog code measured value can be obtained by the combined Gray code and phase-shifting approach, and the low-frequency absolute analog code measured value can also be obtained by adding low-frequency phase-shifted fringe patterns. Then, the corrected absolute analog code measured value can be obtained by correcting the former by the latter, and the period jump errors can be eliminated, resulting in reliable analog code unwrapping. For the proposed approach, we established its measurement model, analyzed its measurement principle, expounded the mechanism of eliminating period jump errors by error analysis, and determined its applicable conditions. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the proposed approach can effectively eliminate period jump errors, reliably perform analog code unwrapping, and improve the measurement accuracy.

  16. Estimation of ΔR/R values by benchmark study of the Mössbauer Isomer shifts for Ru, Os complexes using relativistic DFT calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaneko, Masashi [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Nuclear Science and Engineering Center (Japan); Yasuhara, Hiroki; Miyashita, Sunao; Nakashima, Satoru, E-mail: snaka@hiroshima-u.ac.jp [Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Science (Japan)

    2017-11-15

    The present study applies all-electron relativistic DFT calculation with Douglas-Kroll-Hess (DKH) Hamiltonian to each ten sets of Ru and Os compounds. We perform the benchmark investigation of three density functionals (BP86, B3LYP and B2PLYP) using segmented all-electron relativistically contracted (SARC) basis set with the experimental Mössbauer isomer shifts for {sup 99}Ru and {sup 189}Os nuclides. Geometry optimizations at BP86 theory of level locate the structure in a local minimum. We calculate the contact density to the wavefunction obtained by a single point calculation. All functionals show the good linear correlation with experimental isomer shifts for both {sup 99}Ru and {sup 189}Os. Especially, B3LYP functional gives a stronger correlation compared to BP86 and B2PLYP functionals. The comparison of contact density between SARC and well-tempered basis set (WTBS) indicated that the numerical convergence of contact density cannot be obtained, but the reproducibility is less sensitive to the choice of basis set. We also estimate the values of ΔR/R, which is an important nuclear constant, for {sup 99}Ru and {sup 189}Os nuclides by using the benchmark results. The sign of the calculated ΔR/R values is consistent with the predicted data for {sup 99}Ru and {sup 189}Os. We obtain computationally the ΔR/R values of {sup 99}Ru and {sup 189}Os (36.2 keV) as 2.35×10{sup −4} and −0.20×10{sup −4}, respectively, at B3LYP level for SARC basis set.

  17. Sequencing ancient calcified dental plaque shows changes in oral microbiota with dietary shifts of the Neolithic and Industrial revolutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adler, Christina J; Dobney, Keith; Weyrich, Laura S; Kaidonis, John; Walker, Alan W; Haak, Wolfgang; Bradshaw, Corey J A; Townsend, Grant; Sołtysiak, Arkadiusz; Alt, Kurt W; Parkhill, Julian; Cooper, Alan

    2013-04-01

    The importance of commensal microbes for human health is increasingly recognized, yet the impacts of evolutionary changes in human diet and culture on commensal microbiota remain almost unknown. Two of the greatest dietary shifts in human evolution involved the adoption of carbohydrate-rich Neolithic (farming) diets (beginning ∼10,000 years before the present) and the more recent advent of industrially processed flour and sugar (in ∼1850). Here, we show that calcified dental plaque (dental calculus) on ancient teeth preserves a detailed genetic record throughout this period. Data from 34 early European skeletons indicate that the transition from hunter-gatherer to farming shifted the oral microbial community to a disease-associated configuration. The composition of oral microbiota remained unexpectedly constant between Neolithic and medieval times, after which (the now ubiquitous) cariogenic bacteria became dominant, apparently during the Industrial Revolution. Modern oral microbiotic ecosystems are markedly less diverse than historic populations, which might be contributing to chronic oral (and other) disease in postindustrial lifestyles.

  18. Exploring replay value: Shifts and continuities in user experiences between first and second exposure to an interactive story

    OpenAIRE

    Roth, C.; Vermeulen, I.E.; Vorderer, P.A.; Klimmt, C.

    2012-01-01

    While replay value is a common term in interactive entertainment, psychological research on its meaning in terms of user experiences is sparse. An exploratory experiment using the interactive drama "Façade" was conducted (n=50) to examine shifts and continuities in entertainment-related user experiences between first and second exposure to the same system. A questionnaire with brief scales measuring various user-experience dimensions (interaction-related facets such as usability, flow, and pr...

  19. Quantized beam shifts in graphene

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    de Melo Kort-Kamp, Wilton Junior [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Sinitsyn, Nikolai [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Dalvit, Diego Alejandro Roberto [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2015-10-08

    We predict the existence of quantized Imbert-Fedorov, Goos-Hanchen, and photonic spin Hall shifts for light beams impinging on a graphene-on-substrate system in an external magnetic field. In the quantum Hall regime the Imbert-Fedorov and photonic spin Hall shifts are quantized in integer multiples of the fine structure constant α, while the Goos-Hanchen ones in multiples of α2. We investigate the influence on these shifts of magnetic field, temperature, and material dispersion and dissipation. An experimental demonstration of quantized beam shifts could be achieved at terahertz frequencies for moderate values of the magnetic field.

  20. Lamb shift in helium-like uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munger, C.T. Jr.

    1987-01-01

    The author reports an experimental value of 70.4 (8.3) ev for the one-electron Lamb shift in uranium, in agreement with the theoretical value of 75.3 (0.4) ev. He extracts the Lamb shift from a beam-foil time-of-flight measurement of the 54.4 (3.4) ps lifetime of the 1s2p/sub 1/2/ 3 P 0 state of helium-like (two electron) uranium

  1. Sequencing ancient calcified dental plaque shows changes in oral microbiota with dietary shifts of the Neolithic and Industrial revolutions

    OpenAIRE

    Adler, Christina J; Dobney, Keith; Weyrich, Laura S; Kaidonis, John; Walker, Alan W; Haak, Wolfgang; Bradshaw, Corey JA; Townsend, Grant; Sołtysiak, Arkadiusz; Alt, Kurt W; Parkhill, Julian; Cooper, Alan

    2013-01-01

    The importance of commensal microbes for human health is increasingly recognized1-5, yet the impacts of evolutionary changes in human diet and culture on commensal microbiota remain almost unknown. Two of the greatest dietary shifts in human evolution involved the adoption of carbohydrate-rich Neolithic (farming) diets6,7 (beginning ~10,000 years BP6,8), and the more recent advent of industrially processed flour and sugar (~1850)9. Here, we show that calcified dental plaque (dental calculus) ...

  2. Shifting to Value-Based Principles in Sickness Insurance: Challenges in Changing Roles and Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ståhl, Christian; Andersson, Frieda

    2018-02-12

    Purpose Management principles in insurance agencies influence how benefits are administered, and how return to work processes for clients are managed and supported. This study analyses a change in managerial principles within the Swedish Sickness Insurance Agency, and how this has influenced the role of insurance officials in relation to discretion and accountability, and their relationship to clients. Methods The study is based on a qualitative approach comprising 57 interviews with officials and managers in four insurance offices. Results The reforms have led to a change in how public and professional accountability is defined, where the focus is shifted from routines and performance measurements toward professional discretion and the quality of encounters. However, the results show how these changes are interpreted differently across different layers of the organization, where New Public Management principles prevail in how line managers give feedback on and reward the work of officials. Conclusions The study illustrates how the introduction of new principles to promote officials' discretion does not easily bypass longstanding management strategies, in this case managing accountability through top-down performance measures. The study points out the importance for public organizations to reconcile new organizational principles with the current organizational culture and how this is manifested through managerial styles, which may be resistant to change. Promoting client-oriented and value-driven approaches in client work hence needs to acknowledge the importance of organizational culture, and to secure that changes are reflected in organizational procedures and routines.

  3. Nutrition and health in hotel staff on different shift patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seibt, R; Süße, T; Spitzer, S; Hunger, B; Rudolf, M

    2015-08-01

    Limited research is available that examines the nutritional behaviour and health of hotel staff working alternating and regular shifts. To analyse the nutritional behaviour and health of employees working in alternating and regular shifts. The study used an ex post facto cross-sectional analysis to compare the nutritional behaviour and health parameters of workers with alternating shifts and regular shift workers. Nutritional behaviour was assessed with the Food Frequency Questionnaire. Body dimensions (body mass index, waist hip ratio, fat mass and active cell mass), metabolic values (glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol and low- and high-density lipoprotein), diseases and health complaints were included as health parameters. Participants worked in alternating (n = 53) and regular shifts (n = 97). The average age of subjects was 35 ± 10 years. There was no significant difference in nutritional behaviour, most surveyed body dimensions or metabolic values between the two groups. However, alternating shift workers had significantly lower fat mass and higher active cell mass but nevertheless reported more pronounced health complaints. Sex and age were also confirmed as influencing the surveyed parameters. Shift-dependent nutritional problems were not conspicuously apparent in this sample of hotel industry workers. Health parameters did not show significantly negative attributes for alternating shift workers. Conceivably, both groups could have the same level of knowledge on the health effects of nutrition and comparable opportunities to apply this. Further studies on nutritional and health behaviour in the hotel industry are necessary in order to create validated screening programmes. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  4. Demographical history and palaeodistribution modelling show range shift towards Amazon Basin for a Neotropical tree species in the LGM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vitorino, Luciana Cristina; Lima-Ribeiro, Matheus S; Terribile, Levi Carina; Collevatti, Rosane G

    2016-10-13

    We studied the phylogeography and demographical history of Tabebuia serratifolia (Bignoniaceae) to understand the disjunct geographical distribution of South American seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs). We specifically tested if the multiple and isolated patches of SDTFs are current climatic relicts of a widespread and continuously distributed dry forest during the last glacial maximum (LGM), the so called South American dry forest refugia hypothesis, using ecological niche modelling (ENM) and statistical phylogeography. We sampled 235 individuals of T. serratifolia in 17 populations in Brazil and analysed the polymorphisms at three intergenic chloroplast regions and ITS nuclear ribosomal DNA. Coalescent analyses showed a demographical expansion at the last c. 130 ka (thousand years before present). Simulations and ENM also showed that the current spatial pattern of genetic diversity is most likely due to a scenario of range expansion and range shift towards the Amazon Basin during the colder and arid climatic conditions associated with the LGM, matching the expected for the South American dry forest refugia hypothesis, although contrasting to the Pleistocene Arc hypothesis. Populations in more stable areas or with higher suitability through time showed higher genetic diversity. Postglacial range shift towards the Southeast and Atlantic coast may have led to spatial genome assortment due to leading edge colonization as the species tracks suitable environments, leading to lower genetic diversity in populations at higher distance from the distribution centroid at 21 ka. Haplotype sharing or common ancestry among populations from Caatinga in Northeast Brazil, Atlantic Forest in Southeast and Cerrado biome and ENM evince the past connection among these biomes.

  5. Accessible surface area from NMR chemical shifts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hafsa, Noor E.; Arndt, David; Wishart, David S., E-mail: david.wishart@ualberta.ca [University of Alberta, Department of Computing Science (Canada)

    2015-07-15

    Accessible surface area (ASA) is the surface area of an atom, amino acid or biomolecule that is exposed to solvent. The calculation of a molecule’s ASA requires three-dimensional coordinate data and the use of a “rolling ball” algorithm to both define and calculate the ASA. For polymers such as proteins, the ASA for individual amino acids is closely related to the hydrophobicity of the amino acid as well as its local secondary and tertiary structure. For proteins, ASA is a structural descriptor that can often be as informative as secondary structure. Consequently there has been considerable effort over the past two decades to try to predict ASA from protein sequence data and to use ASA information (derived from chemical modification studies) as a structure constraint. Recently it has become evident that protein chemical shifts are also sensitive to ASA. Given the potential utility of ASA estimates as structural constraints for NMR we decided to explore this relationship further. Using machine learning techniques (specifically a boosted tree regression model) we developed an algorithm called “ShiftASA” that combines chemical-shift and sequence derived features to accurately estimate per-residue fractional ASA values of water-soluble proteins. This method showed a correlation coefficient between predicted and experimental values of 0.79 when evaluated on a set of 65 independent test proteins, which was an 8.2 % improvement over the next best performing (sequence-only) method. On a separate test set of 92 proteins, ShiftASA reported a mean correlation coefficient of 0.82, which was 12.3 % better than the next best performing method. ShiftASA is available as a web server ( http://shiftasa.wishartlab.com http://shiftasa.wishartlab.com ) for submitting input queries for fractional ASA calculation.

  6. Shift Work Disorder and Mental and Physical Effects of Shift Work

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pinar Guzel Ozdemir

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available With the growing prevalence of shift work all over the the world, the relationship between the daily lives of irregular lifestyles and rhythms is being investigated for those working as shift workers and their families. The effect of shift work on physical and mental health is a very important field of research in recent years. The onset and persistence of medical complications in shift workers includes impaired synchronization between work schedule rhythms and circadian clock. In this context, studies have been carried out showing the increased risk of sleep-wake disorders, gastrointestinal problems, and cardiovascular diseases. There is little information about the actual frequency, effect on health and treatment of shift work disorder, known as circadian rhythm sleep disorder. Shift work disorder includes insomnia and/or excessive sleepiness related with the work schedule. The aim of this rewiev, mentioning about the physical and mental effects of shift work, and to provide information about the diagnosis, clinic and treatment methods of shift-work disorder.

  7. Linking Social Change and Developmental Change: Shifting Pathways of Human Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greenfield, Patricia M.

    2009-01-01

    P. M. Greenfield's new theory of social change and human development aims to show how changing sociodemographic ecologies alter cultural values and learning environments and thereby shift developmental pathways. Worldwide sociodemographic trends include movement from rural residence, informal education at home, subsistence economy, and…

  8. Shift versus no-shift in local regularization of Chern-Simons theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giavarini, G.; Parma Univ.; Martin, C.P.; Ruiz Ruiz, F.

    1994-01-01

    We consider a family of local BRS-invariant higher covariant derivative regularizations of SU(N) Chern-Simons theory that do not shift the value of the Chern-Simons parameter k to k + sign(k) c v at one loop. (orig.)

  9. Laparoscopic Skills and Cognitive Function are not Affected in Surgeons During a Night Shift

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Amirian, Ilda; Andersen, Lærke T; Rosenberg, Jacob

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To monitor surgeons' performance and cognition during night shifts. DESIGN: Surgeons were monitored before call and on call (17-hour shift). Psychomotor performance was assessed by laparoscopic simulation and cognition by the d2 test of attention. The surgeons performed the laparoscopi...... compared with on-call values. The d2 test of attention showed significantly improved values on call compared with before call. CONCLUSION: Sleep deprivation during a 17-hour night shift did not impair surgeons' psychomotor or cognitive performance....... simulation and the d2 test of attention at 8 a.m. before call and at 4 a.m. on call. Sleep was measured by wrist actigraphy and sleepiness by the Karolinska sleepiness scale. SETTING: Department of Surgery at Herlev Hospital, Denmark. PARTICIPANTS: Overall, 30 interns, residents, and attending surgeons were...

  10. Differentiation of osteoporotic and neoplastic vertebral fractures by chemical shift {in-phase and out-of phase} MR imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ragab, Yasser; Emad, Yasser; Gheita, Tamer; Mansour, Maged; Abou-Zeid, A.; Ferrari, Serge; Rasker, Johannes J.

    2009-01-01

    Objective: The objective of this study was to establish the cut-off value of the signal intensity drop on chemical shift magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with appropriate sensitivity and specificity to differentiate osteoporotic from neoplastic wedging of the spine. Patients and methods: All patients with wedging of vertebral bodies were included consecutively between February 2006 and January 2007. A chemical shift MRI was performed and signal intensity after (in-phase and out-phase) images were obtained. A DXA was performed in all. Results: A total of 40 patients were included, 20 with osteoporotic wedging (group 1) and 20 neoplastic (group 2). They were 21 males and 19 females. Acute vertebral collapse was observed in 15 patients in group 1 and subacute collapse in another 5 patients, while in group 2, 11 patients showed acute collapse and 9 patients (45%) showed subacute vertebral collapse. On the chemical shift MRI a substantial reduction in signal intensity was found in all lesions in both groups. The proportional changes observed in signal intensity of bone marrow lesions on in-phase compared with out-of-phase images showed significant differences in both groups (P < 0.05). At a cut-off value of 35%, the observed sensitivity of out-of-phase images was 95%, specificity was 100%, positive predictive value was 100% and negative predictive value was 95.2%. Conclusion: A chemical shift MRI is useful in order to differentiate patients with vertebral collapse due to underlying osteoporosis or neoplastic process.

  11. California forests show early indications of both range shifts and local persistence under climate change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Josep M. Serra-Diaz; Janet Franklin; Whalen W. Dillon; Alexandra D. Syphard; Frank W. Davis; Ross K. Meentemeyer

    2015-01-01

    Aim Forest regeneration data provide an early signal of the persistence and migration of tree species, so we investigated whether species shifts due to climate change exhibit a common signal of response or whether changes vary by species. Location California Floristic Province, United...

  12. Albedo and land surface temperature shift in hydrocarbon seepage potential area, case study in Miri Sarawak Malaysia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suherman, A; Rahman, M Z A; Busu, I

    2014-01-01

    The presence of hydrocarbon seepage is generally associated with rock or mineral alteration product exposures, and changes of soil properties which manifest with bare development and stress vegetation. This alters the surface thermodynamic properties, changes the energy balance related to the surface reflection, absorption and emission, and leads to shift in albedo and LST. Those phenomena may provide a guide for seepage detection which can be recognized inexpensively by remote sensing method. District of Miri is used for study area. Available topographic maps of Miri and LANDSAT ETM+ were used for boundary construction and determination albedo and LST. Three land use classification methods, namely fixed, supervised and NDVI base classifications were employed for this study. By the intensive land use classification and corresponding statistical comparison was found a clearly shift on albedo and land surface temperature between internal and external seepage potential area. The shift shows a regular pattern related to vegetation density or NDVI value. In the low vegetation density or low NDVI value, albedo of internal area turned to lower value than external area. Conversely in the high vegetation density or high NDVI value, albedo of internal area turned to higher value than external area. Land surface temperature of internal seepage potential was generally shifted to higher value than external area in all of land use classes. In dense vegetation area tend to shift the temperature more than poor vegetation area

  13. Albedo and land surface temperature shift in hydrocarbon seepage potential area, case study in Miri Sarawak Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suherman, A.; Rahman, M. Z. A.; Busu, I.

    2014-02-01

    The presence of hydrocarbon seepage is generally associated with rock or mineral alteration product exposures, and changes of soil properties which manifest with bare development and stress vegetation. This alters the surface thermodynamic properties, changes the energy balance related to the surface reflection, absorption and emission, and leads to shift in albedo and LST. Those phenomena may provide a guide for seepage detection which can be recognized inexpensively by remote sensing method. District of Miri is used for study area. Available topographic maps of Miri and LANDSAT ETM+ were used for boundary construction and determination albedo and LST. Three land use classification methods, namely fixed, supervised and NDVI base classifications were employed for this study. By the intensive land use classification and corresponding statistical comparison was found a clearly shift on albedo and land surface temperature between internal and external seepage potential area. The shift shows a regular pattern related to vegetation density or NDVI value. In the low vegetation density or low NDVI value, albedo of internal area turned to lower value than external area. Conversely in the high vegetation density or high NDVI value, albedo of internal area turned to higher value than external area. Land surface temperature of internal seepage potential was generally shifted to higher value than external area in all of land use classes. In dense vegetation area tend to shift the temperature more than poor vegetation area.

  14. Magnetic phase shift reconstruction for uniformly magnetized nanowires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akhtari-Zavareh, Azadeh [Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia (Canada); De Graef, Marc [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Kavanagh, Karen L. [Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia (Canada)

    2017-01-15

    A new analytical model is developed for the magnetic phase shift of uniformly magnetized nanowires with ideal cylindrical geometry. The model is applied to experimental data from off-axis electron holography measurements of the phase shift of CoFeB nanowires, and the saturation induction of a selected wire, as well as its radius, aspect ratio, position and orientation, is determined by fitting the model parameters. The saturation induction value of 1.7 T of the CoFeB nanowire is found to be similar, to be within the measurement error, to values reported in the literature. - Highlights: • We describe a mathematical model for the magnetic phase shift of a cylindrical nanowire. • We discuss electron holography experiments on magnetic nanowires. • We obtain an accurate fit of the measured magnetic phase shift profile. • We extract the magnetic induction of the nanowire from the phase shift model. • The magnetic induction of 1.7 T agrees well with literature results.

  15. Methodology to reduce 6D patient positional shifts into a 3D linear shift and its verification in frameless stereotactic radiotherapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarkar, Biplab; Ray, Jyotirmoy; Ganesh, Tharmarnadar; Manikandan, Arjunan; Munshi, Anusheel; Rathinamuthu, Sasikumar; Kaur, Harpreet; Anbazhagan, Satheeshkumar; Giri, Upendra K.; Roy, Soumya; Jassal, Kanan; Kalyan Mohanti, Bidhu

    2018-04-01

    The aim of this article is to derive and verify a mathematical formulation for the reduction of the six-dimensional (6D) positional inaccuracies of patients (lateral, longitudinal, vertical, pitch, roll and yaw) to three-dimensional (3D) linear shifts. The formulation was mathematically and experimentally tested and verified for 169 stereotactic radiotherapy patients. The mathematical verification involves the comparison of any (one) of the calculated rotational coordinates with the corresponding value from the 6D shifts obtained by cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). The experimental verification involves three sets of measurements using an ArcCHECK phantom, when (i) the phantom was not moved (neutral position: 0MES), (ii) the position of the phantom shifted by 6D shifts obtained from CBCT (6DMES) from neutral position and (iii) the phantom shifted from its neutral position by 3D shifts reduced from 6D shifts (3DMES). Dose volume histogram and statistical comparisons were made between ≤ft and ≤ft . The mathematical verification was performed by a comparison of the calculated and measured yaw (γ°) rotation values, which gave a straight line, Y  =  1X with a goodness of fit as R 2  =  0.9982. The verification, based on measurements, gave a planning target volume receiving 100% of the dose (V100%) as 99.1  ±  1.9%, 96.3  ±  1.8%, 74.3  ±  1.9% and 72.6  ±  2.8% for the calculated treatment planning system values TPSCAL, 0MES, 3DMES and 6DMES, respectively. The statistical significance (p-values: paired sample t-test) of V100% were found to be 0.03 for the paired sample ≤ft and 0.01 for ≤ft . In this paper, a mathematical method to reduce 6D shifts to 3D shifts is presented. The mathematical method is verified by using well-matched values between the measured and calculated γ°. Measurements done on the ArcCHECK phantom also proved that the proposed methodology is correct. The post-correction of the

  16. Giant Lamb shift in photonic crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Xuehua; Kivshar, Yuri S.; Gu Benyuan

    2004-01-01

    We obtain a general result for the Lamb shift of excited states of multilevel atoms in inhomogeneous electromagnetic structures and apply it to study atomic hydrogen in inverse-opal photonic crystals. We find that the photonic-crystal environment can lead to very large values of the Lamb shift, as compared to the case of vacuum. We also suggest that the position-dependent Lamb shift should extend from a single level to a miniband for an assembly of atoms with random distribution in space, similar to the velocity-dependent Doppler effect in atomic/molecular gases

  17. Iterative correction method for shift-variant blurring caused by collimator aperture in SPECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ogawa, Koichi; Katsu, Haruto

    1996-01-01

    A collimation system in single photon computed tomography (SPECT) induces blurring on reconstructed images. The blurring varies with the collimator aperture which is determined by the shape of the hole (its diameter and length), and with the distance between the collimator surface and the object. The blurring has shift-variant properties. This paper presents a new iterative method for correcting the shift-variant blurring. The method estimates the ratio of 'ideal projection value' to 'measured projection value' at each sample point. The term 'ideal projection value' means the number of photons which enter the hole perpendicular to the collimator surface, and the term 'measured projection value' means the number of photons which enter the hole at acute angles to the collimator aperture axis. If the estimation is accurate, ideal projection value can be obtained as the product of the measured projection value and the estimated ratio. The accuracy of the estimation is improved iteratively by comparing the measured projection value with a weighted summation of several estimated projection value. The simulation results showed that spatial resolution was improved without amplification of artifacts due to statistical noise. (author)

  18. The Lamb shift in heliumlike uranium (U90+)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munger, C.T. Jr.

    1987-01-01

    An experimental value of 70.4 (8.3) eV for the one-electron Lamb shift in uranium is reported, in agreement with the theoretical value of 75.3 (0.4) eV. The Lamb shift is extracted from a beam-foil time-of-flight measurement of the 54.4 (3.4) ps lifetime of the 1s 2p/sub 1/2/ 3 P 0 state of heliumlike (two-electron) uranium. 18 figs

  19. Shift working in the Chilean Andes (> 3,600 m) and its influence on erythropoietin and the low-pressure system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunga, H C; Röcker, L; Behn, C; Hildebrandt, W; Koralewski, E; Rich, I; Schobersberger, W; Kirsch, K

    1996-08-01

    It was hypothesized that, in shift workers with a history of intermittent hypoxic stress (working 10 days at > 3,600 m, then resting for 4 days at sea level) for > 5 yr, the initial erythropoietin (EPO) response and the changes in central venous pressure (CVP) are different from those in Caucasian lowlanders. We studied the kitchen personnel (n = 11) of a mine (3,600 m) and a group of Caucasian lowlanders (n = 5). Blood samples were taken, and CVP was determined several times before, during, and after a typical shift. At baseline data collection (BDC) before transition, the shift workers had EPO concentrations of 5.2 +/- 2.4 mU/ml, which increased at altitude (P < 0.01) and returned to BDC values on the recovery (day 16). The Caucasians showed the same time course. Serum transferrin receptor concentrations did not change in either group. CVP values were generally higher in the shift workers than in the Caucasians. In conclusion, the hypothesis that the initial EPO response to a hypoxic stimulus is altered in these shift workers has to be refuted. Higher hemoglobin concentrations and/or CVP values in shift workers might be responsible for the rather low EPO concentrations in shift workers at BDC.

  20. Stochastic dynamical models for ecological regime shifts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller, Jan Kloppenborg; Carstensen, Jacob; Madsen, Henrik

    the physical and biological knowledge of the system, and nonlinearities introduced here can generate regime shifts or enhance the probability of regime shifts in the case of stochastic models, typically characterized by a threshold value for the known driver. A simple model for light competition between...... definition and stability of regimes become less subtle. Ecological regime shifts and their modeling must be viewed in a probabilistic manner, particularly if such model results are to be used in ecosystem management....

  1. The Effect of Lifestyle Habits and Nutrient Intake Conditions of Female Shift Workers at General Hospitals on Bone Mineral Density Values

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Young Ran; Lee, Tae Young; Park, Young Sun; Cheon, Hae Kyung

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to provide preliminary data for bone disease prevention by examining the correlation between bone mineral density, and lifestyle and nutritional status of female shift workers, at general hospitals with an irregular life cycle. The subjects for this study were 232 female shift workers, over 30 years old, who worked at a general hospital more than 5 years. From the subjects, who understood the purpose of this study and decided to be participated, we measured serum albumin, total protein, total cholesterol, hematocrit, hemoglobin, calcium, phosphorus from blood test, and obtained bone mineral density. To analyze the effectiveness of the variables for explanation power, we established the studied values as independent variables, bone mineral density as a dependent variable. Exercise, the number of drinking, calcium, and phosphorus were selected as significant variables and the explanation power was 10.2%. The bone mineral density were significantly higher at the subjects who had exercise, higher calcium and phosphorus possession, and drank alcohol than the opposite cases. Regular exercise, and 1:1 intake of calcium and phosphorous were important to prevent osteoporosis for the subjects who were working three shifts which cause irregular lifestyle.

  2. The Effect of Lifestyle Habits and Nutrient Intake Conditions of Female Shift Workers at General Hospitals on Bone Mineral Density Values

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Young Ran; Lee, Tae Young [Dept. of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Park, Young Sun [Dept. of Radiology, Daejeon Health ScienceUniversity, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Cheon, Hae Kyung [Dept. of Radiology, Baekseok Cuture University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-03-15

    The purpose of this study is to provide preliminary data for bone disease prevention by examining the correlation between bone mineral density, and lifestyle and nutritional status of female shift workers, at general hospitals with an irregular life cycle. The subjects for this study were 232 female shift workers, over 30 years old, who worked at a general hospital more than 5 years. From the subjects, who understood the purpose of this study and decided to be participated, we measured serum albumin, total protein, total cholesterol, hematocrit, hemoglobin, calcium, phosphorus from blood test, and obtained bone mineral density. To analyze the effectiveness of the variables for explanation power, we established the studied values as independent variables, bone mineral density as a dependent variable. Exercise, the number of drinking, calcium, and phosphorus were selected as significant variables and the explanation power was 10.2%. The bone mineral density were significantly higher at the subjects who had exercise, higher calcium and phosphorus possession, and drank alcohol than the opposite cases. Regular exercise, and 1:1 intake of calcium and phosphorous were important to prevent osteoporosis for the subjects who were working three shifts which cause irregular lifestyle.

  3. Lamb shift of Rydberg atoms in a resonator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belov, A.A.; Lozovik, Yu.E.; Pokrovsky, V.L.

    1988-08-01

    The Lamb shift of a Rydberg atom in a cavity is shown to be enhanced with the resonance interaction of a virtual atomic transition and cavity modes. The dependence of the Lamb shift on quantum numbers and atomic number changes drastically. Shifting cavity walls and scanning the atomic beam one can vary the Lamb shift. The value of the Lamb shift in a cavity may exceed a typical magnitude of the fine structure energy. For a rough resonance tuning the Coulumb multiplet occurs to be strongly mixed and a novel classification is necessary. (author). 8 refs, 2 figs

  4. Reduced Tolerance to Night Shift in Chronic Shift Workers: Insight From Fractal Regulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Peng; Morris, Christopher J; Patxot, Melissa; Yugay, Tatiana; Mistretta, Joseph; Purvis, Taylor E; Scheer, Frank A J L; Hu, Kun

    2017-07-01

    Healthy physiology is characterized by fractal regulation (FR) that generates similar structures in the fluctuations of physiological outputs at different time scales. Perturbed FR is associated with aging and age-related pathological conditions. Shift work, involving repeated and chronic exposure to misaligned environmental and behavioral cycles, disrupts circadian coordination. We tested whether night shifts perturb FR in motor activity and whether night shifts affect FR in chronic shift workers and non-shift workers differently. We studied 13 chronic shift workers and 14 non-shift workers as controls using both field and in-laboratory experiments. In the in-laboratory study, simulated night shifts were used to induce a misalignment between the endogenous circadian pacemaker and the sleep-wake cycles (ie, circadian misalignment) while environmental conditions and food intake were controlled. In the field study, we found that FR was robust in controls but broke down in shift workers during night shifts, leading to more random activity fluctuations as observed in patients with dementia. The night shift effect was present even 2 days after ending night shifts. The in-laboratory study confirmed that night shifts perturbed FR in chronic shift workers and showed that FR in controls was more resilience to the circadian misalignment. Moreover, FR during real and simulated night shifts was more perturbed in those who started shift work at older ages. Chronic shift work causes night shift intolerance, which is probably linked to the degraded plasticity of the circadian control system. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. Energy shifts in the binary encounter peak of 0.5 MeV/amu Cuq+ +H2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hidmi, H.I.; Richard, P.; Sanders, J.M.; Zouros, T.J.M.

    1993-01-01

    The energy shifts from the classical prediction in the binary encounter peak of Cu q+ as a function of the charge state q has been experimentally measured. The data showed that this shift increases by increasing the charge state of the projectile. We fitted the energy shift to an equation of the form ΔE=aq n and obtained a value for the exponent n. The data is also compared to the Bohr-Lindhard calculation which predicts an exponent n=0.5. Good agreement was found between our data and the Bohr-Lindhard model

  6. $J/\\Psi$ mass shift in nuclear matter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gastao Krein, Anthony Thomas, Kazuo Tsushima

    2011-02-01

    The $J/\\Psi$ mass shift in cold nuclear matter is computed using an effective Lagrangian approach. The mass shift is computed by evaluating $D$ and $D^*$ meson loop contributions to the $J/\\Psi$ self-energy employing medium-modified meson masses. The modification of the $D$ and $D^*$ masses in nuclear matter is obtained using the quark-meson coupling model. The loop integrals are regularized with dipole form factors and the sensitivity of the results to the values of form-factor cutoff masses is investigated. The $J/\\Psi$ mass shift arising from the modification of the $D$ and $D^*$ loops at normal nuclear matter density is found to range from $-16$~MeV to $-24$~MeV under a wide variation of values of the cutoff masses. Experimental perspectives for the formation of a bound state of $J/\\Psi$ to a nucleus are investigated.

  7. Change from an 8-hour shift to a 12-hour shift, attitudes, sleep, sleepiness and performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowden, A; Kecklund, G; Axelsson, J; Akerstedt, T

    1998-01-01

    The present study sought to evaluate the effect of a change from a rotating 3-shift (8-hour) to a 2-shift shift (12 hour) schedule on sleep, sleepiness, performance, perceived health, and well-being. Thirty-two shift workers at a chemical plant (control room operators) responded to a questionnaire a few months before a change was made in their shift schedule and 10 months after the change. Fourteen workers also filled out a diary, carried activity loggers, and carried out reaction-time tests (beginning and end of shift). Fourteen day workers served as a reference group for the questionnaires and 9 were intensively studied during a week with workdays and a free weekend. The questionnaire data showed that the shift change increased satisfaction with workhours, sleep, and time for social activities. Health, perceived accident risk, and reaction-time performance were not negatively affected. Alertness improved and subjective recovery time after night work decreased. The quick changes in the 8-hour schedule greatly increased sleep problems and fatigue. Sleepiness integrated across the entire shift cycle showed that the shift workers were less alert than the day workers, across workdays and days off (although alertness increased with the 12-hour shift). The change from 8-hour to 12-hour shifts was positive in most respects, possibly due to the shorter sequences of the workdays, the longer sequences of consecutive days off, the fewer types of shifts (easier planning), and the elimination of quick changes. The results may differ in groups with a higher work load.

  8. Stereospecific assignment of the asparagine and glutamine sidechain amide protons in proteins from chemical shift analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harsch, Tobias; Schneider, Philipp; Kieninger, Bärbel; Donaubauer, Harald; Kalbitzer, Hans Robert, E-mail: hans-robert.kalbitzer@biologie.uni-regensburg.de [University of Regensburg, Institute of Biophysics and Physical Biochemistry and Centre of Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry and Biomedicine (Germany)

    2017-02-15

    Side chain amide protons of asparagine and glutamine residues in random-coil peptides are characterized by large chemical shift differences and can be stereospecifically assigned on the basis of their chemical shift values only. The bimodal chemical shift distributions stored in the biological magnetic resonance data bank (BMRB) do not allow such an assignment. However, an analysis of the BMRB shows, that a substantial part of all stored stereospecific assignments is not correct. We show here that in most cases stereospecific assignment can also be done for folded proteins using an unbiased artificial chemical shift data base (UACSB). For a separation of the chemical shifts of the two amide resonance lines with differences ≥0.40 ppm for asparagine and differences ≥0.42 ppm for glutamine, the downfield shifted resonance lines can be assigned to H{sup δ21} and H{sup ε21}, respectively, at a confidence level >95%. A classifier derived from UASCB can also be used to correct the BMRB data. The program tool AssignmentChecker implemented in AUREMOL calculates the Bayesian probability for a given stereospecific assignment and automatically corrects the assignments for a given list of chemical shifts.

  9. Three-Dimensional Service Value Creation Model Based on Multidisciplinary Framework: Service Value Transition in Flower Tourism and Robotized Music Appreciation Services

    OpenAIRE

    Nakamura, Kotaro; Imahori, Takahiro; Ikawa, Yasuo

    2010-01-01

    This paper is focused on the process of value creation in the service business and on the shift of service value created in actual service businesses. The analysis is used to demonstrate proposed models for explaining this shift. Service value is successfully created when customers enjoy the benefits of services proposed through a system of service businesses. The model visualizes the shift of service value, focusing on the three axes of width (of the place for service providing/usage in the ...

  10. VALUE ANALYSIS FROM A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BAKİ RIZA BALCI

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Actually, every product has its own value stream during its manufacturing process. It begins with “designing a new product” and ends with “after-sale supports”. Encountering waste along value stream is not easy task. Overproduction, inventory, motion, waiting, transportations, over-processing and defects will affect the analysis about value along value streams. Important point is to determine waste systematic in order to get a perfect stable value which suits customer expectations. New manufacturing philosophies change the business nature and seek waste with bigger lens, because of that, Accounting shifted its paradigm and can help to determine waste in a value stream. This article compiles and analyzes the literature to show how accounting helps to find waste, which affects the entire value stream and analysis about it.

  11. How Does Awareness Modulate Goal-Directed and Stimulus-Driven Shifts of Attention Triggered by Value Learning?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexia Bourgeois

    Full Text Available In order to behave adaptively, attention can be directed in space either voluntarily (i.e., endogenously according to strategic goals, or involuntarily (i.e., exogenously through reflexive capture by salient or novel events. The emotional or motivational value of stimuli can also strongly influence attentional orienting. However, little is known about how reward-related effects compete or interact with endogenous and exogenous attention mechanisms, particularly outside of awareness. Here we developed a visual search paradigm to study subliminal value-based attentional orienting. We systematically manipulated goal-directed or stimulus-driven attentional orienting and examined whether an irrelevant, but previously rewarded stimulus could compete with both types of spatial attention during search. Critically, reward was learned without conscious awareness in a preceding phase where one among several visual symbols was consistently paired with a subliminal monetary reinforcement cue. Our results demonstrated that symbols previously associated with a monetary reward received higher attentional priority in the subsequent visual search task, even though these stimuli and reward were no longer task-relevant, and despite reward being unconsciously acquired. Thus, motivational processes operating independent of conscious awareness may provide powerful influences on mechanisms of attentional selection, which could mitigate both stimulus-driven and goal-directed shifts of attention.

  12. How Does Awareness Modulate Goal-Directed and Stimulus-Driven Shifts of Attention Triggered by Value Learning?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bourgeois, Alexia; Neveu, Rémi; Vuilleumier, Patrik

    2016-01-01

    In order to behave adaptively, attention can be directed in space either voluntarily (i.e., endogenously) according to strategic goals, or involuntarily (i.e., exogenously) through reflexive capture by salient or novel events. The emotional or motivational value of stimuli can also strongly influence attentional orienting. However, little is known about how reward-related effects compete or interact with endogenous and exogenous attention mechanisms, particularly outside of awareness. Here we developed a visual search paradigm to study subliminal value-based attentional orienting. We systematically manipulated goal-directed or stimulus-driven attentional orienting and examined whether an irrelevant, but previously rewarded stimulus could compete with both types of spatial attention during search. Critically, reward was learned without conscious awareness in a preceding phase where one among several visual symbols was consistently paired with a subliminal monetary reinforcement cue. Our results demonstrated that symbols previously associated with a monetary reward received higher attentional priority in the subsequent visual search task, even though these stimuli and reward were no longer task-relevant, and despite reward being unconsciously acquired. Thus, motivational processes operating independent of conscious awareness may provide powerful influences on mechanisms of attentional selection, which could mitigate both stimulus-driven and goal-directed shifts of attention.

  13. Modelling a Nurse Shift Schedule with Multiple Preference Ranks for Shifts and Days-Off

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chun-Cheng Lin

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available When it comes to nurse shift schedules, it is found that the nursing staff have diverse preferences about shift rotations and days-off. The previous studies only focused on the most preferred work shift and the number of satisfactory days-off of the schedule at the current schedule period but had few discussions on the previous schedule periods and other preference levels for shifts and days-off, which may affect fairness of shift schedules. As a result, this paper proposes a nurse scheduling model based upon integer programming that takes into account constraints of the schedule, different preference ranks towards each shift, and the historical data of previous schedule periods to maximize the satisfaction of all the nursing staff's preferences about the shift schedule. The main contribution of the proposed model is that we consider that the nursing staff’s satisfaction level is affected by multiple preference ranks and their priority ordering to be scheduled, so that the quality of the generated shift schedule is more reasonable. Numerical results show that the planned shifts and days-off are fair and successfully meet the preferences of all the nursing staff.

  14. Differentiation of osteoporotic and neoplastic vertebral fractures by chemical shift {l_brace}in-phase and out-of phase{r_brace} MR imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ragab, Yasser [Radiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University (Egypt); Radiology Department, Dr Erfan and Bagedo General Hospital (Saudi Arabia)], E-mail: yragab61@hotmail.com; Emad, Yasser [Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University (Egypt); Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Department, Dr Erfan and Bagedo General Hospital (Saudi Arabia)], E-mail: yasseremad68@yahoo.com; Gheita, Tamer [Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University (Egypt)], E-mail: gheitamer@yahoo.com; Mansour, Maged [Oncology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University (Egypt); Oncology Department, Dr Erfan and Bagedo General Hospital (Saudi Arabia)], E-mail: magedmansour@yahoo.com; Abou-Zeid, A. [Public Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo (Egypt)], E-mail: alaabouzeid@yahoo.com; Ferrari, Serge [Division of Bone Diseases, Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, and WHO, Collaborating Center for Osteoporosis Prevention, Geneva University Hospital (Switzerland)], E-mail: serge.ferrari@medecine.unige.ch; Rasker, Johannes J. [Rheumatologist University of Twente, Enschede (Netherlands)], E-mail: j.j.rasker@utwente.nl

    2009-10-15

    Objective: The objective of this study was to establish the cut-off value of the signal intensity drop on chemical shift magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with appropriate sensitivity and specificity to differentiate osteoporotic from neoplastic wedging of the spine. Patients and methods: All patients with wedging of vertebral bodies were included consecutively between February 2006 and January 2007. A chemical shift MRI was performed and signal intensity after (in-phase and out-phase) images were obtained. A DXA was performed in all. Results: A total of 40 patients were included, 20 with osteoporotic wedging (group 1) and 20 neoplastic (group 2). They were 21 males and 19 females. Acute vertebral collapse was observed in 15 patients in group 1 and subacute collapse in another 5 patients, while in group 2, 11 patients showed acute collapse and 9 patients (45%) showed subacute vertebral collapse. On the chemical shift MRI a substantial reduction in signal intensity was found in all lesions in both groups. The proportional changes observed in signal intensity of bone marrow lesions on in-phase compared with out-of-phase images showed significant differences in both groups (P < 0.05). At a cut-off value of 35%, the observed sensitivity of out-of-phase images was 95%, specificity was 100%, positive predictive value was 100% and negative predictive value was 95.2%. Conclusion: A chemical shift MRI is useful in order to differentiate patients with vertebral collapse due to underlying osteoporosis or neoplastic process.

  15. Evaluating amber force fields using computed NMR chemical shifts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koes, David R; Vries, John K

    2017-10-01

    NMR chemical shifts can be computed from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using a template matching approach and a library of conformers containing chemical shifts generated from ab initio quantum calculations. This approach has potential utility for evaluating the force fields that underlie these simulations. Imperfections in force fields generate flawed atomic coordinates. Chemical shifts obtained from flawed coordinates have errors that can be traced back to these imperfections. We use this approach to evaluate a series of AMBER force fields that have been refined over the course of two decades (ff94, ff96, ff99SB, ff14SB, ff14ipq, and ff15ipq). For each force field a series of MD simulations are carried out for eight model proteins. The calculated chemical shifts for the 1 H, 15 N, and 13 C a atoms are compared with experimental values. Initial evaluations are based on root mean squared (RMS) errors at the protein level. These results are further refined based on secondary structure and the types of atoms involved in nonbonded interactions. The best chemical shift for identifying force field differences is the shift associated with peptide protons. Examination of the model proteins on a residue by residue basis reveals that force field performance is highly dependent on residue position. Examination of the time course of nonbonded interactions at these sites provides explanations for chemical shift differences at the atomic coordinate level. Results show that the newer ff14ipq and ff15ipq force fields developed with the implicitly polarized charge method perform better than the older force fields. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. A new approach for white organic light-emitting diodes of single emitting layer using large stokes shift.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Beomjin; Park, Youngil; Kim, Seungho; Lee, Younggu; Park, Jongwook

    2014-08-01

    DPPZ showed UV-Vis. and PL maximum values of 412 and 638 nm, meaning the large stokes shift. Blue host compound, TAT was synthesized and used for co-mixed white emission. TAT exhibited UV-Vis. and PL maximum values of 403 nm and 445 nm in film state. Thus, when two compounds are used as co-mixed emitter in OLED device, there is no energy transfer from blue emission of TAT to DPPZ due to large stokes shift of DPPZ. Based on the PL result, it is available to realize two-colored white in PL and EL spectra. As a result of this, two-mixed compounds showed vivid their own PL emission peaks of 449 and 631 nm in film state. Also, white OLED device using two-mixed compounds system was fabricated. EL spectrum shows 457 and 634 nm peaks and two separate EL peaks, respectively. As the operation voltage is increased from 7 to 11 V, EL spectrum does not change the peak shape and maximum wavelength values. EL performance of white device showed 0.29 cd/A, 0.14 lm/W, and CIE (0.325, 0.195) at 7 V.

  17. Phenological shifts conserve thermal niches in North American birds and reshape expectations for climate-driven range shifts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Socolar, Jacob B; Epanchin, Peter N; Beissinger, Steven R; Tingley, Morgan W

    2017-12-05

    Species respond to climate change in two dominant ways: range shifts in latitude or elevation and phenological shifts of life-history events. Range shifts are widely viewed as the principal mechanism for thermal niche tracking, and phenological shifts in birds and other consumers are widely understood as the principal mechanism for tracking temporal peaks in biotic resources. However, phenological and range shifts each present simultaneous opportunities for temperature and resource tracking, although the possible role for phenological shifts in thermal niche tracking has been widely overlooked. Using a canonical dataset of Californian bird surveys and a detectability-based approach for quantifying phenological signal, we show that Californian bird communities advanced their breeding phenology by 5-12 d over the last century. This phenological shift might track shifting resource peaks, but it also reduces average temperatures during nesting by over 1 °C, approximately the same magnitude that average temperatures have warmed over the same period. We further show that early-summer temperature anomalies are correlated with nest success in a continental-scale database of bird nests, suggesting avian thermal niches might be broadly limited by temperatures during nesting. These findings outline an adaptation surface where geographic range and breeding phenology respond jointly to constraints imposed by temperature and resource phenology. By stabilizing temperatures during nesting, phenological shifts might mitigate the need for range shifts. Global change ecology will benefit from further exploring phenological adjustment as a potential mechanism for thermal niche tracking and vice versa.

  18. Effect of Shift Work on the Frequency of Depression in Nursing Staff of Yazd University of Medical Sciences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gholam Hossein Halvani

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Depression as a disorder is relatively common in all societies; several factors are involved in depression development, that shift work is one of these factors. This study compared the frequency of depression in different shifts of nurses in hospitals of Yazd University of medical sciences. Materials & Methods: This study is a descriptive analytical study. Based on statistical methods, 150 nurses participated in this study. The research tool was a questionnaire that included 15 personal questions and 21 questions related to Beck test. The results were analysed by SPSS software. Results: 13.3% of all subjects were males and 86.7% were females. Results showed that, there is no significant relationship between gender, education, type of job, employment status and satisfaction levels of income with depression. Marital status (P-Value = 0.009 and F = 6.93, shift work (day working and shift work (P-Value = 0.032 and F = 1.11, job satisfaction (P-Value = 0.000 and F = 7.641 and the satisfaction of the employer (P-Value = 0.001 and F = 5.414 were significantly associated with depression. 3.49% of the nurses were in normal status, 7.26% had mild depression, 3.9% required consultation with the psychiatrist,% 7.8% suffered from moderate depression, 75.4% from severe depression and 3.1% from very severe depression. Conclusion: It seems that shift work can not cause depression alone, but depression is the result of the interaction of several factors.

  19. On the energy shift the ECC cusp. Does the shift really exist?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarkadi, L.; Barrachina, R.O.

    2004-01-01

    The cusplike 'electron capture to the continuum' (ECC) peak appearing in the spectrum of the forward emitted electrons in ion-atom collisions are generally thought to be a divergence. Recently Shah et al., however, claimed that 'the ECC cusp is indeed a cusp, and not a divergence smoothed by the experiment'. These authors measured the ECC cusp for collisions of 10- and 20-keV protons with H 2 and He, and found that the peak was shifted to lower velocity than its expected position. We also carried out CTMC calculations (for the case of 20-keV protons on He) by which we demonstrated that the shift really exists but its value depends on the angular window of the electron detection. (K.A.)

  20. Combined chemical shift changes and amino acid specific chemical shift mapping of protein-protein interactions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schumann, Frank H.; Riepl, Hubert [University of Regensburg, Institute of Biophysics and Physical Biochemistry (Germany); Maurer, Till [Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH and Co. KG, Analytical Sciences Department (Germany); Gronwald, Wolfram [University of Regensburg, Institute of Biophysics and Physical Biochemistry (Germany); Neidig, Klaus-Peter [Bruker BioSpin GmbH, Software Department (Germany); Kalbitzer, Hans Robert [University of Regensburg, Institute of Biophysics and Physical Biochemistry (Germany)], E-mail: hans-robert.kalbitzer@biologie.uni-regensburg.de

    2007-12-15

    Protein-protein interactions are often studied by chemical shift mapping using solution NMR spectroscopy. When heteronuclear data are available the interaction interface is usually predicted by combining the chemical shift changes of different nuclei to a single quantity, the combined chemical shift perturbation {delta}{delta}{sub comb}. In this paper different procedures (published and non-published) to calculate {delta}{delta}{sub comb} are examined that include a variety of different functional forms and weighting factors for each nucleus. The predictive power of all shift mapping methods depends on the magnitude of the overlap of the chemical shift distributions of interacting and non-interacting residues and the cut-off criterion used. In general, the quality of the prediction on the basis of chemical shift changes alone is rather unsatisfactory but the combination of chemical shift changes on the basis of the Hamming or the Euclidian distance can improve the result. The corrected standard deviation to zero of the combined chemical shift changes can provide a reasonable cut-off criterion. As we show combined chemical shifts can also be applied for a more reliable quantitative evaluation of titration data.

  1. THE VALUE-BASED MANAGEMENT APPROACH: FROM THE SHAREHOLDER VALUE TO THE STAKEHOLDER VALUE

    OpenAIRE

    VALENTIN MUNTEANU; DOINA DANAIATA; LUMINITA HURBEAN; ALICE BERGLER

    2012-01-01

    The ongoing discussion about the adequate management form and the purpose of organizations in the contemporary postmodern society have once again gained in importance and interest after the financial crises of 2008. Different management concepts have been developed throughout the time, which propose objectives for organizations and thus managerial goals, activities and decision making. Considering the value based management approach and the stakeholder theory, we propose a shift in the value ...

  2. Accurate conjugate gradient methods for families of shifted systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eshof, J. van den; Sleijpen, G.L.G.

    2003-01-01

    We consider the solution of the linear system (ATA + σI)xσ = ATb, for various real values of σ. This family of shifted systems arises, for example, in Tikhonov regularization and computations in lattice quantum chromodynamics. For each single shift σ this system can be solved using the conjugate

  3. Effect of Shift Work on Nocturia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jin Wook

    2016-01-01

    To identify the circadian sensitive component of nocturia by comparing nocturia in patients who voluntarily choose a disrupted circadian rhythm, that is, shift workers, with those who maintain normal day-night cycles. Between 2011 and 2013, a total of 1741 untreated patients, 1376 nonshift workers and 365 shift workers, were compared for nocturia indices based on frequency volume charts (FVCs). General linear model of 8-hour interval urine production and frequency were compared between FVCs of nonshift workers, FVCs of night-shift workers, and FVCs of day-shift workers. Nocturia frequency was increased in the night-shift workers (2.38 ± 1.44) compared with nonshift workers (2.18 ± 1.04) (P night-shift workers, 0.34 ± 0.13 for nonshift workers, P = .24), nocturnal bladder capacity index increased significantly (1.41 ± 1.06 for night-shift workers, 1.26 ± 0.92 for nonshift workers, P shift (P shift changes (P = .35). Patients in alternating work shifts showed increased nocturia, especially during their night shift. These changes tended to be more associated with decreased nocturnal bladder capacity than increased nocturnal polyuria. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Fair value: actuarial accounting for the markets... or for the accountants?

    OpenAIRE

    Jerman, Lambert

    2013-01-01

    Fair value accounting under IAS-IFRSs is often presented as market accounting that results from expression of the financial requirements of business management and accounting practice. By showing that fair value has the features of actuarial accounting, and is the product of a conceptual shift made necessary by the contemporary context and thus in dissonance with certain aspects of current accounting practice, this article demonstrates that fair value accounting in fact represents an opportun...

  5. Cα chemical shift tensors in helical peptides by dipolar-modulated chemical shift recoupling NMR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yao Xiaolan; Yamaguchi, Satoru; Hong Mei

    2002-01-01

    The Cα chemical shift tensors of proteins contain information on the backbone conformation. We have determined the magnitude and orientation of the Cα chemical shift tensors of two peptides with α-helical torsion angles: the Ala residue in G*AL (φ=-65.7 deg., ψ=-40 deg.), and the Val residue in GG*V (φ=-81.5 deg., ψ=-50.7 deg.). The magnitude of the tensors was determined from quasi-static powder patterns recoupled under magic-angle spinning, while the orientation of the tensors was extracted from Cα-Hα and Cα-N dipolar modulated powder patterns. The helical Ala Cα chemical shift tensor has a span of 36 ppm and an asymmetry parameter of 0.89. Its σ 11 axis is 116 deg. ± 5 deg. from the Cα-Hα bond while the σ 22 axis is 40 deg. ± 5 deg. from the Cα-N bond. The Val tensor has an anisotropic span of 25 ppm and an asymmetry parameter of 0.33, both much smaller than the values for β-sheet Val found recently (Yao and Hong, 2002). The Val σ 33 axis is tilted by 115 deg. ± 5 deg. from the Cα-Hα bond and 98 deg. ± 5 deg. from the Cα-N bond. These represent the first completely experimentally determined Cα chemical shift tensors of helical peptides. Using an icosahedral representation, we compared the experimental chemical shift tensors with quantum chemical calculations and found overall good agreement. These solid-state chemical shift tensors confirm the observation from cross-correlated relaxation experiments that the projection of the Cα chemical shift tensor onto the Cα-Hα bond is much smaller in α-helices than in β-sheets

  6. Adaptive Watermarking Scheme Using Biased Shift of Quantization Index

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young-Ho Seo

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available We propose a watermark embedding and extracting method for blind watermarking. It uses the characteristics of a scalar quantizer to comply with the recommendation in JPEG, MPEG series, or JPEG2000. Our method performs embedding of a watermark bit by shifting the corresponding frequency transform coefficient (the watermark position to a quantization index according to the value of the watermark bit, which prevents from losing the watermark information during the data compression process. The watermark can be embedded simultaneously to the quantization process without an additional process for watermarking, which means it can be performed at the same speed to the compression process. In the embedding process, a Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR is used to hide the watermark informations and the watermark positions. The experimental results showed that the proposed method satisfies enough robustness and imperceptibility that are the major requirements for watermarking.

  7. Comparison of Mental Health and Quality of Life between Shift and Non-shift Employees of Service Industries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nahal Salimi

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This study examined the relationship between the employment practices and employees' mental health and quality of life in Iran. In particular, the study compared the mental health and quality of life of shift and non-shift workers in sensitive employment settings. Using a cross-sectional survey design, 120 individuals employed in two airline companies as either shift or non-shift employees completed the survey for the study. Data was collected using General Health Question (GHQ28 for mental health, the Short Form (36 Health Survey (SF-36 for Quality of Life and a demographic questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA was used to analyze the collected data. The results showed that (1 type of work (shift or non-shift has an effect on mental health and quality of life; and (2 there are significant differences in dimensions of quality of life and mental health between shift and non-shift staff.

  8. SimShiftDB; local conformational restraints derived from chemical shift similarity searches on a large synthetic database

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ginzinger, Simon W. [Center of Applied Molecular Engineering, University of Salzburg, Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Bioinformatics (Austria)], E-mail: simon@came.sbg.ac.at; Coles, Murray [Max-Planck-Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Protein Evolution (Germany)], E-mail: Murray.Coles@tuebingen.mpg.de

    2009-03-15

    We present SimShiftDB, a new program to extract conformational data from protein chemical shifts using structural alignments. The alignments are obtained in searches of a large database containing 13,000 structures and corresponding back-calculated chemical shifts. SimShiftDB makes use of chemical shift data to provide accurate results even in the case of low sequence similarity, and with even coverage of the conformational search space. We compare SimShiftDB to HHSearch, a state-of-the-art sequence-based search tool, and to TALOS, the current standard tool for the task. We show that for a significant fraction of the predicted similarities, SimShiftDB outperforms the other two methods. Particularly, the high coverage afforded by the larger database often allows predictions to be made for residues not involved in canonical secondary structure, where TALOS predictions are both less frequent and more error prone. Thus SimShiftDB can be seen as a complement to currently available methods.

  9. SimShiftDB; local conformational restraints derived from chemical shift similarity searches on a large synthetic database

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ginzinger, Simon W.; Coles, Murray

    2009-01-01

    We present SimShiftDB, a new program to extract conformational data from protein chemical shifts using structural alignments. The alignments are obtained in searches of a large database containing 13,000 structures and corresponding back-calculated chemical shifts. SimShiftDB makes use of chemical shift data to provide accurate results even in the case of low sequence similarity, and with even coverage of the conformational search space. We compare SimShiftDB to HHSearch, a state-of-the-art sequence-based search tool, and to TALOS, the current standard tool for the task. We show that for a significant fraction of the predicted similarities, SimShiftDB outperforms the other two methods. Particularly, the high coverage afforded by the larger database often allows predictions to be made for residues not involved in canonical secondary structure, where TALOS predictions are both less frequent and more error prone. Thus SimShiftDB can be seen as a complement to currently available methods

  10. Method for the manufacture of phase shifting masks for EUV lithography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stearns, Daniel G.; Sweeney, Donald W.; Mirkarimi, Paul B.; Barty, Anton

    2006-04-04

    A method for fabricating an EUV phase shift mask is provided that includes a substrate upon which is deposited a thin film multilayer coating that has a complex-valued reflectance. An absorber layer or a buffer layer is attached onto the thin film multilayer, and the thickness of the thin film multilayer coating is altered to introduce a direct modulation in the complex-valued reflectance to produce phase shifting features.

  11. Lung function studies before and after a work shift

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Love, R G

    1983-05-01

    The lung function of 23 underground coal workers and eight surface workers at a Scottish colliery was measured immediately before and after a work shift. Changes in lung function were assessed in relation to the measured respirable dust exposure and the time of day in which the shift was worked. Large, and statistically significant, decrements of lung function during the shift were found in night-shift workers compared with workers on other shifts. Measurements derived from the forced expiratory manoeuvre, particularly FEV1, Vmax50, and Vmax25, after three vital capacity breaths of an 80% He/20% O2 mixture, showed large reductions in night-shift men, smaller reductions in afternoon-shift men, and small increases or decreases in morning-shift underground and surface workers. Within-shift changes for other tests, such as closing volume, N2 index, and volume of isoflow, did not differ significantly between shifts. No significant relationship was found between dust exposure and functional changes during a shift for any test. Lung function changes in a control group of 25 female workers not exposed to dust (hospital nurses) did not show the same large variations between day and night shifts. Examination of a further control group of 16 office workers did not show any difference in diurnal changes between smokers and non-smokers. It is concluded that these coal miners, even on permanent shift patterns, had widely different changes in their lung function cycle depending on which shift they were working. These changes did not appear to be related to dust exposure or cigarette smoking and were not consistent with other biological adaptations known to result from regular night-shift working.

  12. Metrology of the hydrogen and deuterium atoms: determination of the Rydberg constant and Lamb shifts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beauvoir, B. de; Schwob, C.; Jozefowski, L.; Hilico, L.; Nez, F.; Julien, L.; Biraben, F.

    2000-01-01

    We present a detailed description of several experiments which have been previously reported in several letters: the determination of the 1S Lamb shift in hydrogen by a comparison of the frequencies of the 1S-3S and 2S-6S or 2S-6D two-photon transitions, and the measurement of the 2S-8S/D and 2S-12D optical frequencies. Following a complete study of the lineshape of the two-photon transitions, we provide the updated values of these frequencies which have been used in the 1998 adjustment of the fundamental constants. From an analysis taking into account these results and several other precise measurements by other authors, we show that the optical frequency measurements have superseded the microwave determination of the 2S Lamb shift and we deduce optimized values for the Rydberg constant, R ∞ =109737.31568550(84) cm -1 (relative uncertainty of 7.7 x 10 -12 ) and for the 1S and 2S Lamb shifts L(1S)=8172.840(22) MHz and L(2S-2P)=1 057.8450(29) MHz (respectively, 8183.970(22) MHz and 1059.2341(29) MHz for deuterium). These are now the most accurate values available. (orig.)

  13. Validity of self-reported exposure to shift work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Härmä, Mikko; Koskinen, Aki; Ropponen, Annina; Puttonen, Sampsa; Karhula, Kati; Vahtera, Jussi; Kivimäki, Mika

    2017-03-01

    To evaluate the validity of widely used questionnaire items on work schedule using objective registry data as reference. A cohort study of hospital employees who responded to a self-administered questionnaire on work schedule in 2008, 2012 and 2014 and were linked to individual-level pay-roll-based records on work shifts. For predictive validity, leisure-time fatigue was assessed. According to the survey data in 2014 (n=8896), 55% of the day workers had at least 1 year of earlier shift work experience. 8% of the night shift workers changed to day work during the follow-up. Using pay-roll data as reference, questions on 'shift work with night shifts' and 'permanent night work' showed high sensitivity (96% and 90%) and specificity (92% and 97%). Self-reported 'regular day work' showed moderate sensitivity (73%), but high specificity (99%) and 'shift work without night shifts' showed low sensitivity (62%) and moderate specificity (87%). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the age-adjusted, sex-adjusted and baseline fatigue-adjusted association between 'shift work without night shifts' and leisure-time fatigue was lower for self-reported compared with objective assessment (1.30, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.82, n=1707 vs 1.89, 95% CI 1.06 to 3.39, n=1627). In contrast, shift work with night shifts, compared with permanent day work, was similarly associated with fatigue in the two assessments (2.04, 95% CI 1.62 to 2.57, n=2311 vs 1.82, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.58, n=1804). The validity of self-reported assessment of shift work varies between work schedules. Exposure misclassification in self-reported data may contribute to bias towards the null in shift work without night shifts. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  14. Nucleic acid helix structure determination from NMR proton chemical shifts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Werf, Ramon M. van der; Tessari, Marco; Wijmenga, Sybren S., E-mail: S.Wijmenga@science.ru.nl [Radboud University Nijmegen, Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Institute of Molecules and Materials (Netherlands)

    2013-06-15

    We present a method for de novo derivation of the three-dimensional helix structure of nucleic acids using non-exchangeable proton chemical shifts as sole source of experimental restraints. The method is called chemical shift de novo structure derivation protocol employing singular value decomposition (CHEOPS) and uses iterative singular value decomposition to optimize the structure in helix parameter space. The correct performance of CHEOPS and its range of application are established via an extensive set of structure derivations using either simulated or experimental chemical shifts as input. The simulated input data are used to assess in a defined manner the effect of errors or limitations in the input data on the derived structures. We find that the RNA helix parameters can be determined with high accuracy. We finally demonstrate via three deposited RNA structures that experimental proton chemical shifts suffice to derive RNA helix structures with high precision and accuracy. CHEOPS provides, subject to further development, new directions for high-resolution NMR structure determination of nucleic acids.

  15. Shift of the eutectoid point in the Fe-C binary system by a high magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Y D; Esling, C; Calcagnotto, M; Gong, M L; Zhao, X; Zuo, L

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to investigate experimentally the shift of the eutectoid point in the Fe-C binary system when applying a high magnetic field. The eutectoid carbon content is observed to shift from 0.77 wt% to 0.83 wt% under a 12 T magnetic field. A practical and complete calculation method is proposed-on the basis of the statistical thermodynamic model-to calculate the Gibbs free energy of the related phases and predict the shift of the eutectoid point due to a magnetic field in both composition and temperature coordinates. The composition values are seen to be in fair agreement with the experimental data. The calculation of both shifts shows that the rise in eutectoid temperature because of the 12 T field is 28.97 deg. C. The impact of the magnetic field on both eutectoid carbon content and eutectoid temperature is not linear. The rate of the shift of both carbon content and temperature decreases as the magnetic field rises

  16. White matter tracts associated with set-shifting in healthy aging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, Michele E; McDonald, Carrie R; Hagler, Donald J; Gharapetian, Lusineh; Kuperman, Joshua M; Koyama, Alain K; Dale, Anders M; McEvoy, Linda K

    2009-11-01

    Attentional set-shifting ability, commonly assessed with the Trail Making Test (TMT), decreases with increasing age in adults. Since set-shifting performance relies on activity in widespread brain regions, deterioration of the white matter tracts that connect these regions may underlie the age-related decrease in performance. We used an automated fiber tracking method to investigate the relationship between white matter integrity in several cortical association tracts and TMT performance in a sample of 24 healthy adults, 21-80 years. Diffusion tensor images were used to compute average fractional anisotropy (FA) for five cortical association tracts, the corpus callosum (CC), and the corticospinal tract (CST), which served as a control. Results showed that advancing age was associated with declines in set-shifting performance and with decreased FA in the CC and in association tracts that connect frontal cortex to more posterior brain regions, including the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), uncinate fasciculus (UF), and superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). Declines in average FA in these tracts, and in average FA of the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), were associated with increased time to completion on the set-shifting subtask of the TMT but not with the simple sequencing subtask. FA values in these tracts were strong mediators of the effect of age on set-shifting performance. Automated tractography methods can enhance our understanding of the fiber systems involved in performance of specific cognitive tasks and of the functional consequences of age-related changes in those systems.

  17. Shift Colors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Publications & News Shift Colors Pages default Sign In NPC Logo Banner : Shift Colors Search Navy Personnel Command > Reference Library > Publications & News > Shift Colors Top Link Bar Navy Personnel Library Expand Reference Library Quick Launch Shift Colors Shift Colors Archives Mailing Address How to

  18. A two-shift optimisation of the 'no action level' setup correction protocol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fox, C.; Fisher, R.

    2004-01-01

    Full text: As electronic portal imaging equipment becomes more common, many radiotherapy centres now have the ability to collect patient treatment position deviation values. One commonly used off-line set-up correction protocol for calculating patient setup corrections is the 'no action level' (NAL) protocol. This paper proposes a two-shift approach and calculates the number of images required for minimum systematic error. Patient data is used in a simulation to confirm this approach. Patient treatment position deviations were available for all treatment sessions for a large group of patients undergoing radiation therapy for prostate. Thirty of these patients were selected. The patient position at treatment and all isocentre shifts made were recorded in the treatment notes. These were used to simulate the effect of the NAL protocol using a range of image numbers as the basis of the set-up correction. As Bortfeld et al noted, there is an error minimum that can be observed beyond which the mean radial systematic set-up error increases slowly with an increase in the number of images used. An enhancement to the NAL was proposed in which the patient's position is corrected on two occasions; once early in the treatment schedule, and again after more images have been collected. The expectation value of the set-up error for this two-shift NAL was found and minimised. The optimum staging for the two-shift NAL for the prostate patients was to image for a total of 9 sessions and to shift the patient after 3 sessions and 9 sessions. The thirty patients showed an uncorrected mean radial setup error of 0.65cm. In this simulation this was corrected to 0.26cm by application of the NAL using 5 images and to 0.17 cm using the two shift NAL with shifts after three and nine images. In situations where staff can manage the workload of collecting and analysing portal images for nine sessions for each patient, the two-shift NAL will result in a high level of set-up accuracy. Copyright

  19. Negotiating Academic Teacher Identity Shifts during Higher Education Contextual Change

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNaughton, Susan Maree; Billot, Jennie

    2016-01-01

    Higher education teachers' roles and identities are constantly shifting in response to contextual change. Pedagogy, values, and professional and personal narratives of self are all affected, particularly by technological change. This paper explores the role and identity shifts of academics during the introduction of large-class videoconferencing.…

  20. Inverse effects of flowing phase-shift nanodroplets and lipid-shelled microbubbles on subsequent cavitation during focused ultrasound exposures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Siyuan; Cui, Zhiwei; Xu, Tianqi; Liu, Pan; Li, Dapeng; Shang, Shaoqiang; Xu, Ranxiang; Zong, Yujin; Niu, Gang; Wang, Supin; He, Xijing; Wan, Mingxi

    2017-01-01

    This paper compared the effects of flowing phase-shift nanodroplets (NDs) and lipid-shelled microbubbles (MBs) on subsequent cavitation during focused ultrasound (FUS) exposures. The cavitation activity was monitored using a passive cavitation detection method as solutions of either phase-shift NDs or lipid-shelled MBs flowed at varying velocities through a 5-mm diameter wall-less vessel in a transparent tissue-mimicking phantom when exposed to FUS. The intensity of cavitation for the phase-shift NDs showed an upward trend with time and cavitation for the lipid-shelled MBs grew to a maximum at the outset of the FUS exposure followed by a trend of decreases when they were static in the vessel. Meanwhile, the increase of cavitation for the phase-shift NDs and decrease of cavitation for the lipid-shelled MBs had slowed down when they flowed through the vessel. During two discrete identical FUS exposures, while the normalized inertial cavitation dose (ICD) value for the lipid-shelled MB solution was higher than that for the saline in the first exposure (p-value 0.95). Meanwhile, the normalized ICD value for the phase-shift NDs was 0.182 at a flow velocity of 5cm/s and increased to 0.188 at a flow velocity of 15cm/s. As the flow velocity increased to 20cm/s, the normalized ICD was 0.185 and decreased to 0.178 at a flow velocity of 30cm/s. At high acoustic power, the normalized ICD values for both the lipid-shelled MBs and the phase-shift NDs increased with increasing flow velocities from 5 to 30cm/s (r>0.95). The effects of the flowing phase-shift NDs vaporized into gas bubbles as cavitation nuclei on the subsequent cavitation were inverse to those of the flowing lipid-shelled MBs destroyed after focused ultrasound exposures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Josephson shift register design and layout

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Przybysz, J.X.; Buttyan, J.; Blaugher, R.D.

    1989-01-01

    Integrated circuit chips were designed and fabricated, based on Josephson shift register circuit that simulated operation at 25 GHz using the SPICE program. The 6.25 mm square chip featured a twelve-gate, four-stage shift register fabricated with Nb/AlO/sub x//Nb Josephson junctions with a design value of 2000 A/cm/sup 2/ critical current density. SUPERCOMPACT, a general program for the design of monolithic microwave integrated circuits, was used to model the effects of layout geometry on the uniformity and phase coherence of logic gate bias currents. Gate bias resistors were treated as resistive transmission lines. A layout geometry for the superconductive transmission lines and thin film bias resistors was developed. The original SPICE-designed circuit was modified as a result of these calculations. Modeling indicated that bias current variations could be limited to 3% for all possible logic states of the shift register, and phase coherence of the gates could be maintained to within 2 degrees of 10 Ghz. The fundamental soundness of the circuit design was demonstrated by the proper operation of fabricated shift registers

  2. Lanthanide shift reagents, binding, shift mechanisms and exchange

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boer, J.W.M. de

    1977-01-01

    Paramagnetic lanthanide shift reagents, when added to a solution of a substrate, induce shifts in the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum of the substrate molecules. The induced shifts contain information about the structure of the shift reagent substrate complex. The structural information, however, may be difficult to extract because of the following effects: (1) different complexes between shift reagent and substrate may be present in solution, e.g. 1:1 and 1:2 complexes, and the shift observed is a weighed average of the shifts of the substrate nuclei in the different complexes; (2) the Fermi contact interaction, arising from the spin density at the nucleus, contributes to the induced shift; (3) chemical exchange effects may complicate the NMR spectrum. In this thesis, the results of an investigation into the influence of these effects on the NMR spectra of solutions containing a substrate and LSR are presented. The equations describing the pseudo contact and the Fermi contact shift are derived. In addition, it is shown how the modified Bloch equations describing the effect of the chemical exchange processes occurring in the systems studied can be reduced to the familiar equations for a two-site exchange case. The binding of mono- and bifunctional ethers to the shift reagent are reported. An analysis of the induced shifts is given. Finally, the results of the experiments performed to study the exchange behavior of dimethoxyethane and heptafluorodimethyloctanedionato ligands are presented

  3. 29Si NMR Chemical Shift Calculation for Silicate Species by Gaussian Software

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azizi, S. N.; Rostami, A. A.; Godarzian, A.

    2005-05-01

    Hartree-Fock self-consistent-field (HF-SCF) theory and the Gauge-including atomic orbital (GIAO) methods are used in the calculation of 29Si NMR chemical shifts for ABOUT 90 units of 19 compounds of various silicate species of precursors for zeolites. Calculations have been performed at geometries optimized at the AM1 semi-empirical method. The GIAO-HF-SCF calculations were carried out with using three different basis sets: 6-31G*, 6-31+G** and 6-311+G(2d,p). To demonstrate the quality of the calculations the calculated chemical shifts, δ, were compared with the corresponding experimental values for the compounds in study. The results, especially with 6-31+g** are in excellent agreement with experimental values. The calculated chemical shifts, in practical point of view, appear to be accurate enough to aid in experimental peak assignments. The difference between the experimental and calculated 29Si chemical shift values not only depends on the Qn units but also it seems that basis set effects and the level of theory is more important. For the series of molecules studied here, the standard deviations and mean absolute errors for 29Si chemical shifts relative to TMS determined using Hartree--Fock 6-31+G** basis is nearly in all cases smaller than the errors for shifts determined using HF/6-311+G(2d,p).

  4. Cultural War of Values

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hervik, Peter

    2014-01-01

    Cultural War of Values: The Proliferation of Moral Identities In the Danish Public Sphere Peter Hervik (Aalborg University) This chapter looks at the drastic shift in the construction of minority others that came with the emergence of neo-nationalism, neo-racism and radical right populism...... in the post-1989 world. Through an analysis of a political philosophy launched in Denmark in the 1990s called the “Cultural War of Values”, I show that the moral identities proliferating in the Danish public sphere are fundamentally anti-political correct, anti-multiculturalist, and anti......-Marxist as confrontation is also directed at political adversaries. Thus, the chapter’s key argument is that the social construction of thick minority identities can only be understood in relation to the cultural war of value strategy aimed at domestic political opponents....

  5. Parametric oscillators from factorizations employing a constant-shifted Riccati solution of the classical harmonic oscillator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosu, H.C., E-mail: hcr@ipicyt.edu.mx [IPICyT, Instituto Potosino de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica, Apdo Postal 3-74 Tangamanga, 78231 San Luis Potosi, S.L.P. (Mexico); Khmelnytskaya, K.V. [Universidad Autonoma de Queretaro, Centro Universitario, Cerro de las Campanas s/n, C.P. 76010 Santiago de Queretaro, Qro. (Mexico)

    2011-09-19

    We determine the kind of parametric oscillators that are generated in the usual factorization procedure of second-order linear differential equations when one introduces a constant shift of the Riccati solution of the classical harmonic oscillator. The mathematical results show that some of these oscillators could be of physical nature. We give the solutions of the obtained second-order differential equations and the values of the shift parameter providing strictly periodic and antiperiodic solutions. We also notice that this simple problem presents parity-time (PT) symmetry. Possible applications are mentioned. -- Highlights: → A particular Riccati solution of the classical harmonic oscillator is shifted by a constant. → Such a solution is used in the factorization brackets to get different equations of motion. → The properties of the parametric oscillators obtained in this way are examined.

  6. Adaptation to shift work: physiologically based modeling of the effects of lighting and shifts' start time.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Svetlana Postnova

    Full Text Available Shift work has become an integral part of our life with almost 20% of the population being involved in different shift schedules in developed countries. However, the atypical work times, especially the night shifts, are associated with reduced quality and quantity of sleep that leads to increase of sleepiness often culminating in accidents. It has been demonstrated that shift workers' sleepiness can be improved by a proper scheduling of light exposure and optimizing shifts timing. Here, an integrated physiologically-based model of sleep-wake cycles is used to predict adaptation to shift work in different light conditions and for different shift start times for a schedule of four consecutive days of work. The integrated model combines a model of the ascending arousal system in the brain that controls the sleep-wake switch and a human circadian pacemaker model. To validate the application of the integrated model and demonstrate its utility, its dynamics are adjusted to achieve a fit to published experimental results showing adaptation of night shift workers (n = 8 in conditions of either bright or regular lighting. Further, the model is used to predict the shift workers' adaptation to the same shift schedule, but for conditions not considered in the experiment. The model demonstrates that the intensity of shift light can be reduced fourfold from that used in the experiment and still produce good adaptation to night work. The model predicts that sleepiness of the workers during night shifts on a protocol with either bright or regular lighting can be significantly improved by starting the shift earlier in the night, e.g.; at 21:00 instead of 00:00. Finally, the study predicts that people of the same chronotype, i.e. with identical sleep times in normal conditions, can have drastically different responses to shift work depending on their intrinsic circadian and homeostatic parameters.

  7. Adaptation to shift work: physiologically based modeling of the effects of lighting and shifts' start time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Postnova, Svetlana; Robinson, Peter A; Postnov, Dmitry D

    2013-01-01

    Shift work has become an integral part of our life with almost 20% of the population being involved in different shift schedules in developed countries. However, the atypical work times, especially the night shifts, are associated with reduced quality and quantity of sleep that leads to increase of sleepiness often culminating in accidents. It has been demonstrated that shift workers' sleepiness can be improved by a proper scheduling of light exposure and optimizing shifts timing. Here, an integrated physiologically-based model of sleep-wake cycles is used to predict adaptation to shift work in different light conditions and for different shift start times for a schedule of four consecutive days of work. The integrated model combines a model of the ascending arousal system in the brain that controls the sleep-wake switch and a human circadian pacemaker model. To validate the application of the integrated model and demonstrate its utility, its dynamics are adjusted to achieve a fit to published experimental results showing adaptation of night shift workers (n = 8) in conditions of either bright or regular lighting. Further, the model is used to predict the shift workers' adaptation to the same shift schedule, but for conditions not considered in the experiment. The model demonstrates that the intensity of shift light can be reduced fourfold from that used in the experiment and still produce good adaptation to night work. The model predicts that sleepiness of the workers during night shifts on a protocol with either bright or regular lighting can be significantly improved by starting the shift earlier in the night, e.g.; at 21:00 instead of 00:00. Finally, the study predicts that people of the same chronotype, i.e. with identical sleep times in normal conditions, can have drastically different responses to shift work depending on their intrinsic circadian and homeostatic parameters.

  8. Deuterium isotope shifts for backbone {sup 1}H, {sup 15}N and {sup 13}C nuclei in intrinsically disordered protein {alpha}-synuclein

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maltsev, Alexander S.; Ying Jinfa; Bax, Ad, E-mail: bax@nih.gov [National Institutes of Health, Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (United States)

    2012-10-15

    Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are abundant in nature and characterization of their potential structural propensities remains a widely pursued but challenging task. Analysis of NMR secondary chemical shifts plays an important role in such studies, but the output of such analyses depends on the accuracy of reference random coil chemical shifts. Although uniform perdeuteration of IDPs can dramatically increase spectral resolution, a feature particularly important for the poorly dispersed IDP spectra, the impact of deuterium isotope shifts on random coil values has not yet been fully characterized. Very precise {sup 2}H isotope shift measurements for {sup 13}C{sup {alpha}}, {sup 13}C{sup {beta}}, {sup 13}C Prime , {sup 15}N, and {sup 1}H{sup N} have been obtained by using a mixed sample of protonated and uniformly perdeuterated {alpha}-synuclein, a protein with chemical shifts exceptionally close to random coil values. Decomposition of these isotope shifts into one-bond, two-bond and three-bond effects as well as intra- and sequential residue contributions shows that such an analysis, which ignores conformational dependence, is meaningful but does not fully describe the total isotope shift to within the precision of the measurements. Random coil {sup 2}H isotope shifts provide an important starting point for analysis of such shifts in structural terms in folded proteins, where they are known to depend strongly on local geometry.

  9. Experimental shift work studies of permanent night, and rapidly rotating, shift systems. Pt. 1. Behaviour of various characteristics of sleep

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Knauth, P.; Rutenfranz, J.; Romberg, H.P.; Decoster, F.; Kiesswetter, E. (Dortmund Univ. (Germany, F.R.). Inst. fuer Arbeitsphysiologie); Schulz, H. (Max-Planck-Institut fuer Psychiatrie, Muenchen (Germany, F.R.). Klinisches Inst.)

    1980-06-01

    In connection with experimental shift work 20 volunteers were examined while working on different rapidly or slowly rotating shift systems. Sleep was analyzed over a total of 112 days. Sleep was disturbed by children's noise or traffic noise. Sleep duration and sleep quality were particularly badly affected by noise with a high information value (children's noise). The ultradian rhythmicity of sleep did not appear to be disrupted by the change from day to night work. There were no significant differences between morning sleep and afternoon sleep after night work. In the laboratory experiments with fixed sleep durations, no separate effects on sleep quality could be established for different shift systems.

  10. Isomeric shift compensation when using resonance detectors in Moessbauer spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Irkaev, S.M.; Semenkin, V.A.; Sokolov, M.M.

    1981-01-01

    Method for compensation of isomeric shift of lines observed during operation of resonance detectors being part of spectrometers of nuclear gamma resonance is suggested. A flowsheet of device permitting to realize the method described is given. The method is based on using the Doppler effect. A source of resonance radiation is moved at a constant velocity, which is choosen so as to compensate energy shift of lines of the source and convertors of the resonance detector. The absorber under investigation is put in motion with a constant acceleration. The resonance detector signals are amplified selected according to amplitude by a discriminator and come to the input of multichannel analyzer operating in the regime of subsequent scaling. Analysis of experimental spectra obtained at velocities of source movement from 0 to +3 mm/s shows that value of resonance absorption effect drops as increasing energy shift in the source-converter system. It is concluded that application of the method described will permit to considerably extend the field of application of resonance detectors in the Moessbauer spectroscopy and investigate in practice all the isotopes having converted transitions [ru

  11. Shift work-related health problems in

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Khavaji

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Background and aimsShift work is a major feature of working life that affects diverse aspects of human life. The main purposes of this study were to investigate shift work-related health problems and their risk factors among workers of "12-hour shift" schedule.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was carried out at 8 petrochemical industries in Asalooyeh area. Study population consisted of 1203 workers including 549 shift worker (46% and 654 day worker (54%. Data on personal details, shift schedule and adverse effects of shift work werecollected by anonymous questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS, version 11.5. The level of significance was set at 5%.ResultsAlthough, the results showed that health problems among shift workers was more prevalent than day workers, but the differences were just significant in gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal disorders (p<0.05. Multiple linear regressions indicated that in addition to shift working, other variants such as long work hours, type of employment, second job, number of children and job title were associated with health problems.ConclusionPrevalence rates of gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal problems among shift workers were significantly higher than that of day workers. Although, working in shift system was the main significant factor associated with the reported problems, but other demographic andwork variables were also found to have association.

  12. Dark refraction shift with allowance for astigmatism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W.D.H. Gillan

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To show that the dark refraction shift (dark focus is a more complicated phenomenon than implied when presented as spherical. Methods: Fifty autorefractor measurements of refractive state of the right eye were obtained in light  and  dark  conditions.  Multivariate  methods were used to analyze the data and stereo-pair scat-ter plots, polar meridional profiles and other means of presenting results are used to show important characteristics of the dark refraction shift. Results: The complexity of the dark refrac-tion shift is indicated by stereo-pair scatter plots showing the amount of stigmatic and antistigmatic variation that occurs in light and dark conditions. The mean dark refraction shift is presented in a complete manner including all three components of refractive state. The greater variance and covari-ance under dark conditions is clearly shown by the term-by-term dark-light variance-covariance ratio and polar profiles  of variance and covariance.Conclusions: The  dark  refraction  shift  is  a more complicated phenomenon than implied by representations as purely spherical in nature.

  13. The influence of applied internal and external rotation on the pivot shift phenomenon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kopf, Sebastian; Musahl, Volker; Perka, Carsten; Kauert, Ralf; Hoburg, Arnd; Becker, Roland

    2017-04-01

    The pivot shift test is performed in different techniques and the rotation of the tibia seems to have a significant impact on the amount of the pivot shift phenomenon. It has been hypothesised that external rotation will increase the phenomenon due to less tension at the iliotibial band in knee extension. Twenty-four patients with unilateral anterior cruciate ligament insufficiency were included prospectively. The pivot shift test was performed bilaterally in internal and external tibial rotation under general anaesthesia. Knee motion was captured using a femoral and a tibial inertial sensor. The difference between positive and negative peak values in Euclidean norm of acceleration was calculated to evaluate the amount of the pivot shift phenomenon. The pivot shift phenomenon was significantly increased in patients with ACL insufficiency when the test was performed in external [mean 5.2 ms - 2 (95% CI 4.3-6.0)] compared to internal tibial rotation [mean 4.4 ms - 2 (95% CI 3.5-5.4)] (p = 0.002). In healthy, contralateral knees did not show any difference between external [mean 4.0 ms - 2 (95% CI 3.3-4.7)] and internal tibial rotation [mean 4.0 ms - 2 (95% CI 3.4-4.6)] (ns). The pivot shift phenomenon was increased with external rotation in ACL-insufficient knees, and therefore, one should perform the pivot shift test, rather, in external rotation to easily evoke the, sometimes difficult to detect, pivot shift phenomenon. I (diagnostic study).

  14. Is the Lamb shift chemically significant?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dyall, Kenneth G.; Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.; Schwenke, David W.; Pyykko, Pekka; Arnold, James (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    The contribution of the Lamb shift to the atomization energies of some prototype molecules, BF3, AlF3, and GaF3, is estimated by a perturbation procedure. It is found to be in the range of 3-5% of the one-electron scalar relativistic contribution to the atomization energy. The maximum absolute value is 0.2 kcal/mol for GaF3. These sample calculations indicate that the Lamb shift is probably small enough to be neglected for energetics of molecules containing light atoms if the target accuracy is 1 kcal/mol, but for higher accuracy calculations and for molecules containing heavy elements it must be considered.

  15. A new approach way for white organic light-emitting diodes based on single emitting layer and large stokes shift.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Beomjin; Park, Youngil; Shin, Yunseop; Lee, Jiwon; Shin, Hwangyu; Park, Jongwook

    2014-07-01

    New red dopant, DPPZ based on porphyrin moiety was synthesized. DPPZ showed UV-Vis and PL maximum values of 412 and 638 nm, indicating the large stokes shift. New blue host compound, TATa was also synthesized and used for co-mixed white emission. TATa exhibited UV-Vis. and PL maximum values of 403 nm and 463 nm in film state. Thus, when two compounds are used as co-mixed emitter in OLED device, there is no energy transfer from blue emission of TATa to DPPZ due to large stokes shift of DPPZ. Based on the PL result, it is available to realize two-colored white in PL and EL spectra. As a result of this, two-mixed compounds showed vivid their own PL emission peaks of 466 and 638 nm in film state. Also, white OLED device using two-mixed compounds system was fabricated. EL spectrum shows 481 and 646 nm peaks and two separate EL peaks. As the operation voltage is increased from 8 to 11 V, EL spectrum does not change the peak shape and maximum wavelength values. EL performance of white device showed 0.041 cd/A, 0.018 Im/W, and CIE (0.457, 0.331) at 8 V.

  16. Health consequences of shift work and insufficient sleep.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kecklund, Göran; Axelsson, John

    2016-11-01

    This review summarises the literature on shift work and its relation to insufficient sleep, chronic diseases, and accidents. It is based on 38 meta-analyses and 24 systematic reviews, with additional narrative reviews and articles used for outlining possible mechanisms by which shift work may cause accidents and adverse health. Evidence shows that the effect of shift work on sleep mainly concerns acute sleep loss in connection with night shifts and early morning shifts. A link also exists between shift work and accidents, type 2 diabetes (relative risk range 1.09-1.40), weight gain, coronary heart disease (relative risk 1.23), stroke (relative risk 1.05), and cancer (relative risk range 1.01-1.32), although the original studies showed mixed results. The relations of shift work to cardiometabolic diseases and accidents mimic those with insufficient sleep. Laboratory studies indicate that cardiometabolic stress and cognitive impairments are increased by shift work, as well as by sleep loss. Given that the health and safety consequences of shift work and insufficient sleep are very similar, they are likely to share common mechanisms. However, additional research is needed to determine whether insufficient sleep is a causal pathway for the adverse health effects associated with shift work. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  17. Achieving excellence on shift through teamwork

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Newman, L.

    1988-01-01

    Anyone familiar with the nuclear industry realizes the importance of operators. Operators can achieve error-free plant operations, i.e., excellence on shift through teamwork. As a shift supervisor (senior reactor operator/shift technical advisor) the author went through the plant's first cycle of operations with no scrams and no equipment damaged by operator error, having since changed roles (and companies) to one of assessing plant operations. This change has provided the opportunity to see objectively the importance of operators working together and of the team building and teamwork that contribute to the shift's success. This paper uses examples to show the effectiveness of working together and outlines steps for building a group of operators into a team

  18. Correlations of Consumers, Leisure Motivation and Leisure Value with Leisure Benefits ─A Case Study on Taiwan International Orchid Show

    OpenAIRE

    Wu Yan

    2013-01-01

    This study aims to discuss the correlations of consumers’ Leisure Motivation and Leisure Value with Leisure Benefits. Leisure Motivation contains the dimensions of Intellectual Factor, Social Factor, Competence-Mastery, and Stimulus-Avoidance; and, Leisure Value covers Product Value, Service Value, and Experience Value. Visitors to Taiwan International Orchid Show are selected as the research samples for the questionnaire survey. Total 600 copies are distributed on site and 488 valid ones are...

  19. Benchmarking quantum mechanical calculations with experimental NMR chemical shifts of 2-HADNT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yuemin; Junk, Thomas; Liu, Yucheng; Tzeng, Nianfeng; Perkins, Richard

    2015-04-01

    In this study, both GIAO-DFT and GIAO-MP2 calculations of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra were benchmarked with experimental chemical shifts. The experimental chemical shifts were determined experimentally for carbon-13 (C-13) of seven carbon atoms for the TNT degradation product 2-hydroxylamino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-HADNT). Quantum mechanics GIAO calculations were implemented using Becke-3-Lee-Yang-Parr (B3LYP) and other six hybrid DFT methods (Becke-1-Lee-Yang-Parr (B1LYP), Becke-half-and-half-Lee-Yang-Parr (BH and HLYP), Cohen-Handy-3-Lee-Yang-Parr (O3LYP), Coulomb-attenuating-B3LYP (CAM-B3LYP), modified-Perdew-Wang-91-Lee-Yang-Parr (mPW1LYP), and Xu-3-Lee-Yang-Parr (X3LYP)) which use the same correlation functional LYP. Calculation results showed that the GIAO-MP2 method gives the most accurate chemical shift values, and O3LYP method provides the best prediction of chemical shifts among the B3LYP and other five DFT methods. Three types of atomic partial charges, Mulliken (MK), electrostatic potential (ESP), and natural bond orbital (NBO), were also calculated using MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ method. A reasonable correlation was discovered between NBO partial charges and experimental chemical shifts of carbon-13 (C-13).

  20. Competition for FDI and Profit Shifting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ma, Jie; Raimondos-Møller, Pascalis

    When countries compete for the location of a new multinational plant they need to be aware of the profit shifting opportunities this new plant creates for the global multinational firm. By modelling explicitly the multinational’s intra-firm transactions, we show that the home market advantage...... that large countries have due to their size will be counteracted by such profit shifting opportunities. As a result of this, large countries will not be able to capitalize on their size and sustain high corporate taxes. We show that, on the basis of these profit shifting opportunities, a small country can...... easily win the location game ahead of a large country. How lenient the small country is in implementing transfer pricing regulations turns out to be an important variable in such location games....

  1. Empirical correlation between protein backbone {sup 15}N and {sup 13}C secondary chemical shifts and its application to nitrogen chemical shift re-referencing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Liya [Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (United States); Markley, John L. [University of Wisconsin, Biochemistry Department (United States)], E-mail: markley@nmrfam.wisc.edu

    2009-06-15

    The linear analysis of chemical shifts (LACS) has provided a robust method for identifying and correcting {sup 13}C chemical shift referencing problems in data from protein NMR spectroscopy. Unlike other approaches, LACS does not require prior knowledge of the three-dimensional structure or inference of the secondary structure of the protein. It also does not require extensive assignment of the NMR data. We report here a way of extending the LACS approach to {sup 15}N NMR data from proteins, so as to enable the detection and correction of inconsistencies in chemical shift referencing for this nucleus. The approach is based on our finding that the secondary {sup 15}N chemical shift of the backbone nitrogen atom of residue i is strongly correlated with the secondary chemical shift difference (experimental minus random coil) between the alpha and beta carbons of residue i - 1. Thus once alpha and beta {sup 13}C chemical shifts are available (their difference is referencing error-free), the {sup 15}N referencing can be validated, and an appropriate offset correction can be derived. This approach can be implemented prior to a structure determination and can be used to analyze potential referencing problems in database data not associated with three-dimensional structure. Application of the LACS algorithm to the current BMRB protein chemical shift database, revealed that nearly 35% of the BMRB entries have {delta}{sup 15}N values mis-referenced by over 0.7 ppm and over 25% of them have {delta}{sup 1}H{sup N} values mis-referenced by over 0.12 ppm. One implication of the findings reported here is that a backbone {sup 15}N chemical shift provides a better indicator of the conformation of the preceding residue than of the residue itself.

  2. Lamb-shift measurement in hydrogenic phosphorus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pross, H.; Budelsky, D.; Kremer, L.; Platte, D.; von Brentano, P.; Gassen, J.; Mueller, D.; Scheuer, F.; Pape, A.; Sens, J.C.

    1993-01-01

    The final result of a 2s 2 S 1/2-- 2p 2 P 1/2 Lamb-shift measurement by the laser resonance method in hydrogenic phosphorus is reported. Metastable 2s 2 S 1/2 ions were prepared using a β∼0.08 velocity beam of 31 P 14+ ions obtained from the MP tandem accelerator at the Centre de Recherches Nucleaires in Strasbourg. From the metastable state the transition to the 2p 2 P 3/2 state was induced with a high-power dye laser leading to a measured transition energy of ΔE=2.231 33(12) eV. Subtracting the well-known fine-structure splitting ΔE FS =2.314 82(2) eV, the Lamb shift is deduced to be E expt (LS)=20 188(29) GHz. This result is compared with the theoretical value E theor (LS)=20 254(10) GHz and with other experimental results for the Lamb shift in the region Z≤18. Finally, the utility of the Lamb-shift measurements in testing the G(Zα) function of the self-energy, which includes only terms in (Zα) n , n≥6, is discussed

  3. Night shift work exposure profile and obesity: Baseline results from a Chinese night shift worker cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Miaomiao; Feng, Wenting; Wang, Feng; Zhang, Liuzhuo; Wu, Zijun; Li, Zhimin; Zhang, Bo; He, Yonghua; Xie, Shaohua; Li, Mengjie; Fok, Joan P C; Tse, Gary; Wong, Martin C S; Tang, Jin-Ling; Wong, Samuel Y S; Vlaanderen, Jelle; Evans, Greg; Vermeulen, Roel; Tse, Lap Ah

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the associations between types of night shift work and different indices of obesity using the baseline information from a prospective cohort study of night shift workers in China. A total of 3,871 workers from five companies were recruited from the baseline survey. A structured self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect the participants' demographic information, lifetime working history, and lifestyle habits. Participants were grouped into rotating, permanent and irregular night shift work groups. Anthropometric parameters were assessed by healthcare professionals. Multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations between night shift work and different indices of obesity. Night shift workers had increased risk of overweight and obesity, and odds ratios (ORs) were 1.17 (95% CI, 0.97-1.41) and 1.27 (95% CI, 0.74-2.18), respectively. Abdominal obesity had a significant but marginal association with night shift work (OR = 1.20, 95% CI, 1.01-1.43). A positive gradient between the number of years of night shift work and overweight or abdominal obesity was observed. Permanent night shift work showed the highest odds of being overweight (OR = 3.94, 95% CI, 1.40-11.03) and having increased abdominal obesity (OR = 3.34, 95% CI, 1.19-9.37). Irregular night shift work was also significantly associated with overweight (OR = 1.56, 95% CI, 1.13-2.14), but its association with abdominal obesity was borderline (OR = 1.26, 95% CI, 0.94-1.69). By contrast, the association between rotating night shift work and these parameters was not significant. Permanent and irregular night shift work were more likely to be associated with overweight or abdominal obesity than rotating night shift work. These associations need to be verified in prospective cohort studies.

  4. Night shift work exposure profile and obesity: Baseline results from a Chinese night shift worker cohort

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Wenting; Wang, Feng; Zhang, Liuzhuo; Wu, Zijun; Li, Zhimin; Zhang, Bo; He, Yonghua; Xie, Shaohua; Li, Mengjie; Fok, Joan P. C.; Tse, Gary; Wong, Martin C. S.; Tang, Jin-ling; Wong, Samuel Y. S.; Vlaanderen, Jelle; Evans, Greg; Vermeulen, Roel; Tse, Lap Ah

    2018-01-01

    Aims This study aimed to evaluate the associations between types of night shift work and different indices of obesity using the baseline information from a prospective cohort study of night shift workers in China. Methods A total of 3,871 workers from five companies were recruited from the baseline survey. A structured self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect the participants’ demographic information, lifetime working history, and lifestyle habits. Participants were grouped into rotating, permanent and irregular night shift work groups. Anthropometric parameters were assessed by healthcare professionals. Multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations between night shift work and different indices of obesity. Results Night shift workers had increased risk of overweight and obesity, and odds ratios (ORs) were 1.17 (95% CI, 0.97–1.41) and 1.27 (95% CI, 0.74–2.18), respectively. Abdominal obesity had a significant but marginal association with night shift work (OR = 1.20, 95% CI, 1.01–1.43). A positive gradient between the number of years of night shift work and overweight or abdominal obesity was observed. Permanent night shift work showed the highest odds of being overweight (OR = 3.94, 95% CI, 1.40–11.03) and having increased abdominal obesity (OR = 3.34, 95% CI, 1.19–9.37). Irregular night shift work was also significantly associated with overweight (OR = 1.56, 95% CI, 1.13–2.14), but its association with abdominal obesity was borderline (OR = 1.26, 95% CI, 0.94–1.69). By contrast, the association between rotating night shift work and these parameters was not significant. Conclusion Permanent and irregular night shift work were more likely to be associated with overweight or abdominal obesity than rotating night shift work. These associations need to be verified in prospective cohort studies. PMID:29763461

  5. Long-lived and largely red-shifted photoluminescence of solid-state rhodamine dyes: Molecular exciton coupling and structural effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Xian-Fu; Zhang, Ya-Kui

    2015-01-01

    The optical absorption and fluorescence properties of five rhodamine dyes in solid-state are measured and show large difference from that in their gas phase or liquid solvents. All solid-state rhodamine dyes strongly absorb all light in UV and visible region, but emit only red and NIR fluorescence (680–800 nm, >100 nm red-shifted from that in solution). Further more, the absorption maxima of a solid-state rhodamine show a large red-shifted band (~100 nm) and blue-shifted peak (~125 nm) compared to that in solutions, indicating a strong molecular exciton coupling between molecules. All solid-state rhodamines still show reasonably good fluorescence quantum yield (Φ f ). In particular, solid-state Rhodamine B butyl ester and sulfonyl Rhodamine B showed a much longer emission lifetime (τ f ) than that of the corresponding molecular rhodamine, i.e. 4.12 and 4.14 ns in solid state compared to 1.61 and 2.47 ns in solution. The chemical structure of a rhodamine molecule showed dramatic effect on Φ f and τ f values for solid state rhodamine. The larger substituent in the benzene moiety favors higher Φ f and τ f values of rhodamine solids. These effects can be elucidated by the relation between structure-molecular distance and molecular exciton couplings. - Highlights: • Optical properties of solid rhodamines show large difference from that in solutions. • Solid-state rhodamine dyes emit red and NIR fluorescence (680–800 nm). • Solid-state rhodamines still show reasonably good fluorescence quantum yield. • Solid-state rhodamines have much longer fluorescence lifetimes than that in solutions

  6. Long-lived and largely red-shifted photoluminescence of solid-state rhodamine dyes: Molecular exciton coupling and structural effect

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Xian-Fu, E-mail: zhangxianfu@tsinghua.org.cn [Institute of Applied Photochemistry & Center of Analysis and Measurements, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, Hebei Province (China); MPC Technologies, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 3H4 (Canada); Zhang, Ya-Kui [Institute of Applied Photochemistry & Center of Analysis and Measurements, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, Hebei Province (China)

    2015-10-15

    The optical absorption and fluorescence properties of five rhodamine dyes in solid-state are measured and show large difference from that in their gas phase or liquid solvents. All solid-state rhodamine dyes strongly absorb all light in UV and visible region, but emit only red and NIR fluorescence (680–800 nm, >100 nm red-shifted from that in solution). Further more, the absorption maxima of a solid-state rhodamine show a large red-shifted band (~100 nm) and blue-shifted peak (~125 nm) compared to that in solutions, indicating a strong molecular exciton coupling between molecules. All solid-state rhodamines still show reasonably good fluorescence quantum yield (Φ{sub f}). In particular, solid-state Rhodamine B butyl ester and sulfonyl Rhodamine B showed a much longer emission lifetime (τ{sub f}) than that of the corresponding molecular rhodamine, i.e. 4.12 and 4.14 ns in solid state compared to 1.61 and 2.47 ns in solution. The chemical structure of a rhodamine molecule showed dramatic effect on Φ{sub f} and τ{sub f} values for solid state rhodamine. The larger substituent in the benzene moiety favors higher Φ{sub f} and τ{sub f} values of rhodamine solids. These effects can be elucidated by the relation between structure-molecular distance and molecular exciton couplings. - Highlights: • Optical properties of solid rhodamines show large difference from that in solutions. • Solid-state rhodamine dyes emit red and NIR fluorescence (680–800 nm). • Solid-state rhodamines still show reasonably good fluorescence quantum yield. • Solid-state rhodamines have much longer fluorescence lifetimes than that in solutions.

  7. Cooperative Lamb shift and the cooperative decay rate for an initially detuned phased state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friedberg, Richard; Manassah, Jamal T.

    2010-01-01

    The cooperative Lamb shift (CLS) is hard to measure because in samples much larger than a resonant wavelength it is much smaller, for an initially prepared resonantly phased state, than the cooperative decay rate (CDR). We show, however, that if the phasing of the initial state is detuned so that the spatial wave vector is k 1 congruent with k 0 ±O((1/R)) (where k 0 =ω 0 /c is the resonant frequency), the CLS grows to 'giant' magnitudes making it comparable to the CDR. Moreover, for certain controlled values of detuning, the initial CDR becomes small so that the dynamical Lamb shift (DLS) can be measured over a considerable period of time.

  8. NMR relaxation rates and Knight shifts in MgB2 and AlB2: theory versus experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pavarini, E; Baek, S H; Suh, B J; Borsa, F; Bud'ko, S L; Canfield, P C

    2003-01-01

    We have performed 11 B NMR measurements in 11 B enriched MgB 2 powder sample in the normal phase. The Knight shift was accurately determined by using the magic angle spinning technique. Results for 11 B and 27 Al Knight shifts (K) and relaxation rates (1/T 1 ) are also reported for AlB 2 . The data show a dramatic decrease of both K and 1/T 1 for 11 B in AlB 2 with respect to MgB 2 . We compare experimental results with ab initio calculated NMR relaxation rates and Knight shifts. The experimental values for 1/T 1 and K are in most cases in good agreement with the theoretical results. We show that the decrease of K and 1/T 1 for 11 B is consistent with a drastic drop of the density of states at the boron site in AlB 2 with respect to MgB 2

  9. Current and cumulative night shift work and subclinical atherosclerosis: results of the Gutenberg Health Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jankowiak, S; Backé, E; Liebers, F; Schulz, A; Hegewald, J; Garthus-Niegel, S; Nübling, M; Blankenberg, S; Pfeiffer, N; Lackner, K J; Beutel, M; Blettner, M; Münzel, T; Wild, P S; Seidler, A; Letzel, S; Latza, U

    2016-11-01

    The study examines the association between exposure to current and cumulative night shift work and subclinical parameters of atherosclerosis. Participants of a population-based cohort study (the Gutenberg Health Study, N = 15,010) aged 35-64 years were examined at baseline (2007-2012). Investigations included measurements of arterial stiffness, vascular function [reactive hyperaemia (RH) index], and intima media thickness (IMT). Also, a complete job history (including up to 15 periods), occupational exposures, a variety of lifestyle, and dispositional variables were enquired. Night shift work was performed by 1071 out of 8065 currently employed individuals. The strongest association after adjustment for age, sex, job complexity level, being a manager, overtime work, and noise appeared for more than 660 night shifts within the last 10 years and a significantly increased arterial stiffness of 0.33 m/s. This reflects a 4 % flow velocity increase for individuals with more than 660 night shifts compared to non-night workers. Regarding the entire professional life, night shift workers showed a significantly decreased vascular function by -0.054 RH index points by using the same adjustment. IMT values did not differ statistically from non-night workers. Lifestyle and dispositional factors showed an influence on all used subclinical atherosclerosis parameters. The cross-sectional results demonstrate an association between night work and detrimental changes in the atherosclerotic process. The association is more pronounced with more years in night shift and is partly explained by lifestyle and dispositional factors. Longitudinal analyses are necessary to confirm the results.

  10. Tax shifting in long-term gas sales contracts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asche, Frank; Osmundsen, Petter; Tveteraas, Ragnar

    2002-01-01

    Producers or consumers faced with an increase in taxes are usually able to shift parts of it to other levels in the value chain. We examine who are actually bearing the burden of increased taxes on natural gas in the EU-area - consumers or exporters. Strategic trade policy and cross-border consumer tax shifting are of particular interest, as the EU-area increasingly is a net importer of gas. Traditional tax incidence theory presumes spot markets. Natural gas in the EU-area, however, is to a large extent regulated by incomplete long-term contracts. Still, spot market forces could be indicative for tax shifting, by determining the ex post bargaining power in contract renegotiations. By examining tax shifting in gas sales data we test whether this is the case. To investigate tax incidence, we estimate natural gas demand elasticities for the household sector in EU countries as well as a reduced form import equation. We test whether gas import prices, which are predominantly determined by long-term contracts, have been influenced by end-user tax shifts. (author)

  11. Precision measurement of the 1S ground-state Lamb shift in atomic hydrogen and deuterium by frequency comparison

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weitz, M.; Huber, A.; Schmidt-Kaler, F.; Leibfried, D.; Vassen, W.; Zimmermann, C.; Pachucki, K.; Haensch, T.W.; Julien, L.; Biraben, F.

    1995-01-01

    We have measured the hydrogen and deuterium 1S Lamb shift by direct optical frequency comparison of the 1S-2S and 2S-4S/4D two-photon transitions. Our result of 8172.874(60) MHz for the 1S Lamb shift in hydrogen is in agreement with the theoretical value of 8172.802(40) MHz. For the 1S Lamb shift in deuterium, we obtain a value of 8183.807(78) MHz, from which we derive a deuteron matter radium of 1.945(28) fm. The precision of our value for the 1S Lamb shift has surpassed that of radio frequency measurements of the 2S-2P Lamb shift. By comparison with a recent absolute measurement of the hydrogen 1S-2S transition frequency, we deduce a value for the Rydberg constant R ∞ =109 737.315 684 9(30) cm -1

  12. Lamb shift in the muonic deuterium atom

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krutov, A. A.; Martynenko, A. P. [Samara State University, Pavlov street 1, 443011, Samara (Russian Federation); Samara State University, Pavlov Street 1, 443011, Samara, Russia and Samara State Aerospace University named after academician S.P. Korolyov, Moskovskoye Shosse 34, 443086, Samara (Russian Federation)

    2011-11-15

    We present an investigation of the Lamb shift (2P{sub 1/2}-2S{sub 1/2}) in the muonic deuterium ({mu}D) atom using the three-dimensional quasipotential method in quantum electrodynamics. The vacuum polarization, nuclear-structure, and recoil effects are calculated with the account of contributions of orders {alpha}{sup 3}, {alpha}{sup 4}, {alpha}{sup 5}, and {alpha}{sup 6}. The results are compared with earlier performed calculations. The obtained numerical value of the Lamb shift at 202.4139 meV can be considered a reliable estimate for comparison with forthcoming experimental data.

  13. Visual attention shifting in autism spectrum disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richard, Annette E; Lajiness-O'Neill, Renee

    2015-01-01

    Abnormal visual attention has been frequently observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Abnormal shifting of visual attention is related to abnormal development of social cognition and has been identified as a key neuropsychological finding in ASD. Better characterizing attention shifting in ASD and its relationship with social functioning may help to identify new targets for intervention and improving social communication in these disorders. Thus, the current study investigated deficits in attention shifting in ASD as well as relationships between attention shifting and social communication in ASD and neurotypicals (NT). To investigate deficits in visual attention shifting in ASD, 20 ASD and 20 age- and gender-matched NT completed visual search (VS) and Navon tasks with attention-shifting demands as well as a set-shifting task. VS was a feature search task with targets defined in one of two dimensions; Navon required identification of a target letter presented at the global or local level. Psychomotor and processing speed were entered as covariates. Relationships between visual attention shifting, set shifting, and social functioning were also examined. ASD and NT showed comparable costs of shifting attention. However, psychomotor and processing speed were slower in ASD than in NT, and psychomotor and processing speed were positively correlated with attention-shifting costs on Navon and VS, respectively, for both groups. Attention shifting on VS and Navon were correlated among NT, while attention shifting on Navon was correlated with set shifting among ASD. Attention-shifting costs on Navon were positively correlated with restricted and repetitive behaviors among ASD. Relationships between attention shifting and psychomotor and processing speed, as well as relationships between measures of different aspects of visual attention shifting, suggest inefficient top-down influences over preattentive visual processing in ASD. Inefficient attention shifting may be

  14. Practical advantages of almost-balanced-weak-value metrological techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Rincón, Julián; Chen, Zekai; Howell, John C.

    2017-06-01

    Precision measurements of ultrasmall linear velocities of one of the mirrors in a Michelson interferometer are performed using two different weak-value techniques. We show that the technique of almost-balanced weak values (ABWV) offers practical advantages over the technique of weak-value amplification, resulting in larger signal-to-noise ratios and the possibility of longer integration times due to robustness to slow drifts. As an example of the performance of the ABWV protocol we report a velocity sensitivity of 60 fm/s after 40 h of integration time. The sensitivity of the Doppler shift due to the moving mirror is 150 nHz.

  15. Shifting Values: The Promotional Policies of Craft and Industrial Design in Flanders (1980-2001)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gimeno Martinez, J.C.

    2014-01-01

    This article looks at the shifts in cultural promotion of craft as a result of a particular political conjuncture in the region of Flanders (Belgium). In 1991, as a consequence of Belgian federalization, the promotion policies for craft in Flanders passed from being answerable to the Belgian state

  16. Fitting phase shifts to electron-ion elastic scattering measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Per, M.C.; Dickinson, A.S.

    2000-01-01

    We have derived non-Coulomb phase shifts from measured differential cross sections for electron scattering by the ions Na + , Cs + , N 3+ , Ar 8+ and Xe 6+ at energies below the inelastic threshold. Values of the scaled squared deviation between the observed and fitted differential cross sections, χ 2 , for the best-fit phase shifts were typically in the range 3-6 per degree of freedom. Generally good agreement with experiment is obtained, except for wide-angle scattering by Ar 8+ and Xe 6+ . Current measurements do not define phase shifts to better than approx. 0.1 rad even in the most favourable circumstances and uncertainties can be much larger. (author)

  17. Dynamic Stark shift and alignment-to-orientation conversion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuntz, Matthew C.; Hilborn, Robert C.; Spencer, Alison M.

    2002-01-01

    We have observed alignment-to-orientation conversion in the (5d6p) 1 P state of atomic barium due to the combined effects of a static Zeeman shift and a dynamic Stark shift associated with the electric field of a pulsed laser beam. The measurements yield a value for the frequency-dependent tensor polarizability of the state in reasonable agreement with a simple perturbation theory calculation. With a tunable laser producing the dynamic Stark shift, we can both enhance the magnitude of the effect by tuning close to a resonance and reverse the sign of the orientation by tuning above or below the resonance. This method of producing an oriented atomic state is quite general, and with easily available field strengths can produce large orientations

  18. Using chemical shift perturbation to characterise ligand binding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williamson, Mike P

    2013-08-01

    Chemical shift perturbation (CSP, chemical shift mapping or complexation-induced changes in chemical shift, CIS) follows changes in the chemical shifts of a protein when a ligand is added, and uses these to determine the location of the binding site, the affinity of the ligand, and/or possibly the structure of the complex. A key factor in determining the appearance of spectra during a titration is the exchange rate between free and bound, or more specifically the off-rate koff. When koff is greater than the chemical shift difference between free and bound, which typically equates to an affinity Kd weaker than about 3μM, then exchange is fast on the chemical shift timescale. Under these circumstances, the observed shift is the population-weighted average of free and bound, which allows Kd to be determined from measurement of peak positions, provided the measurements are made appropriately. (1)H shifts are influenced to a large extent by through-space interactions, whereas (13)Cα and (13)Cβ shifts are influenced more by through-bond effects. (15)N and (13)C' shifts are influenced both by through-bond and by through-space (hydrogen bonding) interactions. For determining the location of a bound ligand on the basis of shift change, the most appropriate method is therefore usually to measure (15)N HSQC spectra, calculate the geometrical distance moved by the peak, weighting (15)N shifts by a factor of about 0.14 compared to (1)H shifts, and select those residues for which the weighted shift change is larger than the standard deviation of the shift for all residues. Other methods are discussed, in particular the measurement of (13)CH3 signals. Slow to intermediate exchange rates lead to line broadening, and make Kd values very difficult to obtain. There is no good way to distinguish changes in chemical shift due to direct binding of the ligand from changes in chemical shift due to allosteric change. Ligand binding at multiple sites can often be characterised, by

  19. Soft theorems for shift-symmetric cosmologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finelli, Bernardo; Goon, Garrett; Pajer, Enrico; Santoni, Luca

    2018-03-01

    We derive soft theorems for single-clock cosmologies that enjoy a shift symmetry. These so-called consistency conditions arise from a combination of a large diffeomorphism and the internal shift symmetry and fix the squeezed limit of all correlators with a soft scalar mode. As an application, we show that our results reproduce the squeezed bispectrum for ultra-slow-roll inflation, a particular shift-symmetric, nonattractor model which is known to violate Maldacena's consistency relation. Similar results have been previously obtained by Mooij and Palma using background-wave methods. Our results shed new light on the infrared structure of single-clock cosmological spacetimes.

  20. Lossy effects on the lateral shifts in negative-phase-velocity medium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    You Yuan

    2009-01-01

    Theoretical investigations of the lateral shifts of the reflected and transmitted beams were performed, using the stationary-phase approach, for the planar interface of a conventional medium and a lossy negative-phase-velocity medium. The lateral shifts exhibit different behaviors beyond and below a certain angle, for both incident p-polarized and incident s-polarized plane waves. Loss in the negative-phase-velocity medium affects lateral shifts greatly, and may cause changes from negative to positive values for p-polarized incidence

  1. Proton-deuteron phase-shift analysis above the deuteron breakup threshold

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tornow, W. [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States). Dept. of Physics]|[Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, Box 90308, Durham, NC (United States); Witala, H. [Institute of Physics, Jagellonian University, Reymonta 4, 30059 Cracow (Poland)

    1998-03-02

    We have performed single-energy phase-shift analyses of proton-deuteron elastic scattering data in the proton energy range from 3.5 to 10 MeV. The resulting values for the {sup 2}S{sub 1/2} and {sup 4}P{sub 1/2}, {sup 4}P{sub 3/2}, and {sup 4}P{sub 5/2} phase shifts are important benchmark values for three-nucleon calculations based on nucleon-nucleon potential models (with and without three-nucleon forces) aimed at describing the triton binding energy and at resolving the nucleon-deuteron A{sub y}({theta}) and iT{sub 11}({theta}) puzzles, respectively. (orig.) 7 refs.

  2. Lamb shift measurement in hydrogenlike phosphorus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mueller, D.; Gassen, J.; Kremer, L.

    1988-01-01

    In hydrogenlike phosphorus ions the 2S 1/2 -2P 1/2 energy splitting (Lamb shift) has been found to be E exp (LS)=0.08343(29) eV using laser spectroscopy. This result is to be compared with the most recent theoretical value E th (LS)=0.08376(4) eV by Mohr and Johnson and Soff

  3. Origin of metallic surface core-level shifts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aldén, Magnus; Skriver, Hans Lomholt; Abrikosov, I. A.

    1995-01-01

    The unique property of the open 4f energy shell in the lanthanide metals is used to show that the initial-state energy shift gives an insufficient description of surface core-level shifts. Instead a treatment, which fully includes the final-state screening, account for the experimentally observed...

  4. Tax Bunching, Income Shifting and Self-employment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    le Maire, Christian Daniel; Schjerning, Bertel

    shifting was neglected in this case, we would conclude that taxable incomes were highly sensitive to changes in marginal tax rates. We show, however, that more than half of the observed bunching in taxable income for the self-employed is driven by intertemporal income shifting, implying a structural...

  5. Optimal control of the gear shifting process for shift smoothness in dual-clutch transmissions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Guoqiang; Görges, Daniel

    2018-03-01

    The control of the transmission system in vehicles is significant for the driving comfort. In order to design a controller for smooth shifting and comfortable driving, a dynamic model of a dual-clutch transmission is presented in this paper. A finite-time linear quadratic regulator is proposed for the optimal control of the two friction clutches in the torque phase for the upshift process. An integral linear quadratic regulator is introduced to regulate the relative speed difference between the engine and the slipping clutch under the optimization of the input torque during the inertia phase. The control objective focuses on smoothing the upshift process so as to improve the driving comfort. Considering the available sensors in vehicles for feedback control, an observer design is presented to track the immeasurable variables. Simulation results show that the jerk can be reduced both in the torque phase and inertia phase, indicating good shift performance. Furthermore, compared with conventional controllers for the upshift process, the proposed control method can reduce shift jerk and improve shift quality.

  6. Lateral shifting in one dimensional chiral photonic crystal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    You Yuan, E-mail: yctcyouyuan@163.com [School of Physics and Electronics, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, 224002 Jiangsu (China); Chen Changyuan [School of Physics and Electronics, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, 224002 Jiangsu (China)

    2012-07-01

    We report the lateral shifts of the transmitted waves in a one dimensional chiral photonic crystal by using the stationary-phase approach. It is revealed that two kinds of lateral shifts are observed due to the existence of cross coupling in chiral materials, which is different from what has been observed in previous non-chiral photonic crystals. Unlike the chiral slab, the positions of lateral shift peaks are closely related to the band edges of band gap characteristics of periodic structure and lateral shifts can be positive as well as negative. Besides, the lateral shifts show a strong dependence on the chiral factor, which varies the lateral shift peaks in both magnitudes and positions. These features are desirable for future device applications.

  7. Lateral shifting in one dimensional chiral photonic crystal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    You Yuan; Chen Changyuan

    2012-01-01

    We report the lateral shifts of the transmitted waves in a one dimensional chiral photonic crystal by using the stationary-phase approach. It is revealed that two kinds of lateral shifts are observed due to the existence of cross coupling in chiral materials, which is different from what has been observed in previous non-chiral photonic crystals. Unlike the chiral slab, the positions of lateral shift peaks are closely related to the band edges of band gap characteristics of periodic structure and lateral shifts can be positive as well as negative. Besides, the lateral shifts show a strong dependence on the chiral factor, which varies the lateral shift peaks in both magnitudes and positions. These features are desirable for future device applications.

  8. Shift report: a ritual play on a residential adolescent psychiatric unit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yonge, O

    2008-01-01

    The author conducted an ethnographic study of an adolescent residential psychiatric unit which revealed a category of behaviour--the shift report. A questionnaire was administered to staff to reveal further meanings. Reporting was found to schematize knowledge according to common referents, promote and validate insider roles through language, offer a means of personal reintegration and catharsis, and provide a forum for the symbolic enactment of democratic values which permeated every aspect of culture on the unit. Staff members were categorically in favour of their verbal and private shift report. There was little partitioning of informal and formal aspects of report in the interest of saving time. Instead, socializing and 'catching up' were important aspects of shift report and constituted a large part of team building. The informal nature of report, particularly in the use of language allowed staff to come to terms with frustrations rather than constituting patient stereotyping. As a ritual, the shift report fostered behavioural synchrony, individual empowerment and a democratic 'all-channel network' of communication. It is hoped that this account will encourage more practising nurses and managers to view their shift report as something more than a simple 'handover'; that is, a ritual play of core values, roles and relationships.

  9. Lateral shift in one-dimensional quasiperiodic chiral photonic crystal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Da, Jian, E-mail: dajian521@sina.com [Department of Information Engineering, Huaian Senior Vocational and Technical School, Feiyao road, Huaian 223005, Jiangsu Province (China); Mo, Qi, E-mail: moqiyueyang@163.com [School of Software, Yunnan University, Cuihu Bai Road, Kunming City, Yunnan Province 650091 (China); Cheng, Yaokun [Department of Information Engineering, Huaian Senior Vocational and Technical School, Feiyao road, Huaian 223005, Jiangsu Province (China); Liu, Taixiang [Taishan Vocational College of Nursing, Shandong Province 271000 (China)

    2015-02-01

    We investigate the lateral shift of a one-dimensional quasiperiodic photonic crystal consisting of chiral and conventional dielectric materials. The effect of structural irregularity on lateral shift is evaluated by stationary-phase approach. Our results show that the lateral shift can be modulated by varying the structural irregularity in quasiperiodic structure. Besides, the position of peak in lateral shift spectrum stays sensitive to the chiral factor of chiral materials. In comparison with that of periodic structure, quasiperiodic structure provides an extra degree of freedom to manipulate the lateral shift.

  10. Shifts in the Budyko curve over the past decade in the Amazon basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maeda, E. E.; Ma, X.; Liu, Y.; Huete, A. R.

    2017-12-01

    The Amazon basin has experienced extensive forest loss during the past decades. These changes can exert significant impact on regional water and energy budget, as well as other environmental processes. Here we evaluated how forest loss in the Madeira and Tapajós River basins, between 2002 and 2015, affected the Budyko relationship. The Budyko framework describes the links between climate and hydrological components, where evapotranspiration (ET) is limited by the supply of either water or energy. The framework is composed by two components, the dryness index (DI) and the evaporative index (EI). The DI determines the type and degree of limitation, with values lower than 1 represent energy-limited condition and values higher than 1, water-limited. The EI describes the partitioning of rainfall (P) into ET and runoff (R), with higher values indicating a larger proportion of ET. In this study, we use a modified version of the Budyko framework, which accounts for intra-annual changes in water storage (dS). Hence, the effective rainfall is represented by P-dS, so that EI=ET/(P-dS) and the DI= PET/(P-dS). We show that the Madeira and Tapajós River basins have lost approximately 60000 km2 and 50000km2 of forested area by 2015, respectively. Our results indicate that these changes caused a subtle shift in the Budyko curve in both basins. At the Madeira basin, a reduction in the DI indicate a shift towards lower water limitation, while decreasing EI indicate that a higher proportion of P is being converted into runoff. At the Tapajós basin, we also observe an overall decrease in the DI, but no significant trends in the evaporative index was observed. We expect that the observed shifts provide a new insight on the Amazon forest responses to changes in climate and land use. Further studies will focus in identifying the biophysical mechanisms driving these shifts, as well as seasonal aspects of the changes.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Steven E; Davey, Sherrie L

    2005-04-01

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

  12. Charge-Shift Corrected Electronegativities and the Effect of Bond Polarity and Substituents on Covalent-Ionic Resonance Energy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Andrew M; Laconsay, Croix J; Galbraith, John Morrison

    2017-07-13

    Bond dissociation energies and resonance energies for H n A-BH m molecules (A, B = H, C, N, O, F, Cl, Li, and Na) have been determined in order to re-evaluate the concept of electronegativity in the context of modern valence bond theory. Following Pauling's original scheme and using the rigorous definition of the covalent-ionic resonance energy provided by the breathing orbital valence bond method, we have derived a charge-shift corrected electronegativity scale for H, C, N, O, F, Cl, Li, and Na. Atomic charge shift character is defined using a similar approach resulting in values of 0.42, 1.06, 1.43, 1.62, 1.64, 1.44, 0.46, and 0.34 for H, C, N, O, F, Cl, Li, and Na, respectively. The charge-shift corrected electronegativity values presented herein follow the same general trends as Pauling's original values with the exception of Li having a smaller value than Na (1.57 and 1.91 for Li and Na respectively). The resonance energy is then broken down into components derived from the atomic charge shift character and polarization effects. It is then shown that most of the resonance energy in the charge-shift bonds H-F, H 3 C-F, and Li-CH 3 and borderline charge-shift H-OH is associated with polarity rather than the intrinsic atomic charge-shift character of the bonding species. This suggests a rebranding of these bonds as "polar charge-shift" rather than simply "charge-shift". Lastly, using a similar breakdown method, it is shown that the small effect the substituents -CH 3 , -NH 2 , -OH, and -F have on the resonance energy (<10%) is mostly due to changes in the charge-shift character of the bonding atom.

  13. Does the ARFIMA really shift?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Monache, Davide Delle; Grassi, Stefano; Santucci de Magistris, Paolo

    Short memory models contaminated by level shifts have long-memory features similar to those associated to processes generated under fractional integration. In this paper, we propose a robust testing procedure, based on an encompassing parametric specification, that allows to disentangle the level...... the highest power compared to other existing tests for spurious long-memory. Finally, we illustrate the usefulness of the proposed approach on the daily series of bipower variation and share turnover and on the monthly inflation series of G7 countries....... shift term from the ARFIMA component. The estimation is carried out via a state-space methodology and it leads to a robust estimate of the fractional integration parameter also in presence of level shifts.The Monte Carlo simulations show that this approach produces unbiased estimates of the fractional...

  14. Management Ownership and Risk-Shifting Investment

    OpenAIRE

    Nobuyuki Teshima

    2012-01-01

    This study analyzes the relationship between management ownership and its risk-shifting incentive. We first present a simple model showing that the risk-shifting incentive of management of financially distressed firms increases as the management ownership of the firm increases. Empirically, we test the hypothesis that under the former Japanese Corporate Reorganization Law, firms with higher management ownership are more likely to use legal rather than private reorganization. Since the reorgan...

  15. Full-field stress determination in photoelasticity with phase shifting technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Enhai; Liu, Yonggang; Han, Yongsheng; Arola, Dwayne; Zhang, Dongsheng

    2018-04-01

    Photoelasticity is an effective method for evaluating the stress and its spatial variations within a stressed body. In the present study, a method to determine the stress distribution by means of phase shifting and a modified shear-difference is proposed. First, the orientation of the first principal stress and the retardation between the principal stresses are determined in the full-field through phase shifting. Then, through bicubic interpolation and derivation of a modified shear-difference method, the internal stress is calculated from the point with a free boundary along its normal direction. A method to reduce integration error in the shear difference scheme is proposed and compared to the existing methods; the integration error is reduced when using theoretical photoelastic parameters to calculate the stress component with the same points. Results show that when the value of Δx/Δy approaches one, the error is minimum, and although the interpolation error is inevitable, it has limited influence on the accuracy of the result. Finally, examples are presented for determining the stresses in a circular plate and ring subjected to diametric loading. Results show that the proposed approach provides a complete solution for determining the full-field stresses in photoelastic models.

  16. Did the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 Affect Farmland Values?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charles B. Moss

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Farmland values are affected by numerous factors, including farm policy, shifts in demand for agricultural output both foreign and domestic, monetary policy and urban pressure. In this study we use an information measure to examine whether the shift toward a more market-oriented policy in 1996 changed the relationship between farmland values and government payments. The results indicated that the shift in agricultural policy resulted in significant shift in this relationship.

  17. Electronic structure and isomer shifts of Sn halides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Terra, J.; Guenzburger, D.

    1988-01-01

    The all-electron first-principles Discrete Variational method was employed to study the electronic structure of SnF 4 , SnCl 4 , SnBr 4 and SnI 4 . Values of the electronic density at the Sn nucleus were derived and related to 119 Sn Isomer Shifts to obtain the nuclear constant Δ 2 >. Differences in values of ρ(o) area discussed in terms of the chemical bonding between Sn and halogen atoms. (author) [pt

  18. Ripplonic Lamb Shift for Electrons on Liquid Helium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dykman, M. I.; Kono, K.; Konstantinov, D.; Lea, M. J.

    2017-12-01

    We study the shift of the energy levels of electrons on a helium surface due to the coupling to the quantum field of surface vibrations. As in quantum electrodynamics, the coupling is known, and it is known to lead to an ultraviolet divergence of the level shifts. We show that there are diverging terms of different nature and use the Bethe-type approach to show that they cancel each other, to leading order. This resolves the long-standing theoretical controversy and explains the existing experiments. The results allow us to study the temperature dependence of the level shift. The predictions are in good agreement with the experimental data, with no adjustable parameters.

  19. Scandinavian Object Shift and Optimality Theory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Engels, Eva; Vikner, Sten

    This study presents an account of object shift, a word order phenomenon found in most of the Scandinavian languages where an object occurs unexpectedly to the left and not to the right of a sentential adverbial. The book examines object shift across many of the Scandinavian languages and dialects...... and original observations, this book is an important addition to the fields of phonology, optimality theory and theoretical syntax......., and analyses the variation, for example whether object shift is optional or obligatory, whether it applies only to pronouns or other objects as well, and whether it applies to adverbials. The authors show that optimality theory, traditionally used in phonology, is a useful framework for accounting...

  20. Chemical shift MRI can aid in the diagnosis of indeterminate skeletal lesions of the spine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Douis, H. [University Hospital Birmingham, Department of Radiology, Birmingham (United Kingdom); Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Department of Radiology, Birmingham (United Kingdom); Davies, A.M. [Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Department of Radiology, Birmingham (United Kingdom); Jeys, L. [Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Department of Orthopaedic Oncology, Birmingham (United Kingdom); Sian, P. [Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Department of Spinal Surgery and Spinal Oncology, Birmingham (United Kingdom)

    2016-04-15

    To evaluate the role of chemical shift MRI in the characterisation of indeterminate skeletal lesions of the spine as benign or malignant. Fifty-five patients (mean age 54.7 years) with 57 indeterminate skeletal lesions of the spine were included in this retrospective study. In addition to conventional MRI at 3 T which included at least sagittal T1WI and T2WI/STIR sequences, patients underwent chemical shift MRI. A cut-off value with a signal drop-out of 20 % was used to differentiate benign lesions from malignant lesions (signal drop-out <20 % being malignant). There were 45 benign lesions and 12 malignant lesions. Chemical shift imaging correctly diagnosed 33 of 45 lesions as benign and 11 of 12 lesions as malignant. In contrast, there were 12 false positive cases and 1 false negative case based on chemical shift MRI. This yielded a sensitivity of 91.7 %, a specificity of 73.3 %, a negative predictive value of 97.1 %, a positive predictive value of 47.8 % and a diagnostic accuracy of 82.5 %. Chemical shift MRI can aid in the characterisation of indeterminate skeletal lesions of the spine in view of its high sensitivity in diagnosing malignant lesions. Chemical shift MRI can potentially avoid biopsy in a considerable percentage of patients with benign skeletal lesions of the spine. (orig.)

  1. Embedding spiritual value through science learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johan, H.; Suhandi, A.; Wulan, A. R.; Widiasih; Ruyani, A.; Karyadi, B.; Sipriyadi

    2018-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to embed spiritual value through science learning program especially earth planet. Various phenomena in earth planet describe a divinity of super power. This study used quasi experimental method with one group pre-test-post-test design. Convenience sampling was conducted in this study. 23 pre-service physics teacher was involved. Pre-test and post-test used a questionnaire had been conducted to collected data of spiritual attitude. Open ended question had been utilized at post-test to collected data. A fourth indicators of spiritual value related to divinity of God was used to embed spiritual value. The results show a shifted of students’ awareness to divinity of God. Before implementing the earth planet learning, 85.8% of total students strongly agree that learning activity embed spiritual value while after learning process, it increased be 93.4%. After learning earth planet, it known that students’ spiritual value was influenced by character of earth planet concept which unobservable and media visual which display each incredible phenomena process in our earth planet. It can be concluded that spiritual value can be embedded through unobservable phenomena of during learning earth planet process.

  2. Value creation in the cloud: understanding business model factors affecting value of cloud computing

    OpenAIRE

    Morgan, Lorraine; Conboy, Kieran

    2013-01-01

    peer-reviewed Despite the rapid emergence of cloud technology, its prevalence and accessibility to all types of organizations and its potential to predominantly shift competitive landscapes by providing a new platform for creating and delivering business value, empirical research on the business value of cloud computing, and in particular how service providers create value for their customers, is quite limited. Of what little research exists to date, most focuses on technical issu...

  3. Are Categorical Spatial Relations Encoded by Shifting Visual Attention between Objects?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Lei; Uttal, David; Franconeri, Steven

    2016-01-01

    Perceiving not just values, but relations between values, is critical to human cognition. We tested the predictions of a proposed mechanism for processing categorical spatial relations between two objects--the "shift account" of relation processing--which states that relations such as "above" or "below" are extracted…

  4. From product centered design to value centered design: understanding the value-system

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Randmaa, Merili; Howard, Thomas J.; Otto, T.

    Product design has focused on different parameters through history- design for usability, design for manufacturing, design for assembly etc. Today, as the products get bundled with service, it is important to interconnect product, service and business model design to create synergy effect and offer...... more value for the customer for less eford. Value and understanding the value-system needs to be in the focus of business strategy. Value can be created, exchanged and perceived. It can be tangible (physical products, money) or intangible (information, experience, relationships, service). Creating...... value is usually a co-creation process, where customers, suppliers and manufacturers all have their part. This paper describes a paradigm shift towards value-based thinking and proposes a new methodology for understanding and analysing the value system....

  5. Seasonal Trophic Shift of Littoral Consumers in Eutrophic Lake Taihu (China Revealed by a Two-Source Mixing Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiong Zhou

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available We evaluated the seasonal variation in the contributions of planktonic and benthic resources to 11 littoral predators in eutrophic Lake Taihu (China from 2004 to 2005. Seasonal fluctuations in consumer σ13C and σ15N were attributed to the combined impacts of temporal variation in isotopic signatures of basal resources and the diet shift of fishes. Based on a two-end-member mixing model, all target consumers relied on energy sources from coupled benthic and planktonic pathways, but the predominant energy source for most species was highly variable across seasons, showing seasonal trophic shift of littoral consumers. Seasonality in energy mobilization of consumers focused on two aspects: (1 the species number of consumers that relied mainly on planktonic carbon showed the lowest values in the fall and the highest during spring/summer, and (2 most consumer species showed seasonal variation in the percentages of planktonic reliance. We concluded that seasonal trophic shifts of fishes and invertebrates were driven by phytoplankton production, but benthic resources were also important seasonally in supporting littoral consumers in Meiliang Bay. Energy mobilization of carnivorous fishes was more subject to the impact of resource availability than omnivorous species.

  6. Overnight shift work: factors contributing to diagnostic discrepancies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanna, Tarek N; Loehfelm, Thomas; Khosa, Faisal; Rohatgi, Saurabh; Johnson, Jamlik-Omari

    2016-02-01

    The aims of the study are to identify factors contributing to preliminary interpretive discrepancies on overnight radiology resident shifts and apply this data in the context of known literature to draw parallels to attending overnight shift work schedules. Residents in one university-based training program provided preliminary interpretations of 18,488 overnight (11 pm–8 am) studies at a level 1 trauma center between July 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014. As part of their normal workflow and feedback, attendings scored the reports as major discrepancy, minor discrepancy, agree, and agree--good job. We retrospectively obtained the preliminary interpretation scores for each study. Total relative value units (RVUs) per shift were calculated as an indicator of overnight workload. The dataset was supplemented with information on trainee level, number of consecutive nights on night float, hour, modality, and per-shift RVU. The data were analyzed with proportional logistic regression and Fisher's exact test. There were 233 major discrepancies (1.26 %). Trainee level (senior vs. junior residents; 1.08 vs. 1.38 %; p performance. Increased workload affected more junior residents' performance, with R3 residents performing significantly worse on busier nights. Hour of the night was not significantly associated with performance, but there was a trend toward best performance at 2 am, with subsequent decreased accuracy throughout the remaining shift hours. Improved performance occurred after the first six night float shifts, presumably as residents acclimated to a night schedule. As overnight shift work schedules increase in popularity for residents and attendings, focused attention to factors impacting interpretative accuracy is warranted.

  7. PRESSURE SHIFT AND GRAVITATIONAL REDSHIFT OF BALMER LINES IN WHITE DWARFS: REDISCUSSION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Halenka, Jacek; Olchawa, Wieslaw [Institute of Physics, University of Opole, ul. Oleska 48, 45-052, Opole (Poland); Madej, Jerzy [Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warszawa (Poland); Grabowski, Boleslaw, E-mail: halenka@uni.opole.pl, E-mail: wolch@uni.opole.pl, E-mail: jm@astrouw.edu.pl, E-mail: bgrab@uni.opole.pl [Wroclaw School of Information Technology WWSIS “Horyzont,” ul. Wejherowska 28, 54-239 Wroclaw (Poland)

    2015-08-01

    The Stark-induced shift and asymmetry, the so-called pressure shift (PS) of H{sub α} and H{sub β} Balmer lines in spectra of DA white dwarfs (WDs), have been examined in detail as masking effects in measurements of the gravitational redshift in WDs. The results are compared with our earlier ones from a quarter of a century ago. In these earlier papers, the standard, symmetrical Stark line profiles, as a dominant constituent of the Balmer line profiles but shifted as a whole by the PS effect, were applied to all spectrally active layers of the WD atmosphere. At present, in each of the WD layers, the Stark line profiles (especially of H{sub β}) are inherently asymmetrical and shifted due to the effects of strong inhomogeneity of the perturbing fields in plasma. To calculate the Stark line profiles in successive layers of the WD atmosphere we used the modified Full Computer Simulation Method, able to take adequately into account the complexity of local elementary quantum processes in plasma. In the case of the H{sub α} line, the present value of Stark-induced shift of the synthetic H{sub α} line profile is about half the previous one and it is negligible in comparison with the gravitational redshift. In the case of the H{sub β} line, the present value of Stark-induced shift of the synthetic H{sub β} line profile is about twice the previous one. The source of this extra shift is the asymmetry of H{sub β} peaks.

  8. Temperature dependence of 1H NMR chemical shifts and its influence on estimated metabolite concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wermter, Felizitas C; Mitschke, Nico; Bock, Christian; Dreher, Wolfgang

    2017-12-01

    Temperature dependent chemical shifts of important brain metabolites measured by localised 1 H MRS were investigated to test how the use of incorrect prior knowledge on chemical shifts impairs the quantification of metabolite concentrations. Phantom measurements on solutions containing 11 metabolites were performed on a 7 T scanner between 1 and 43 °C. The temperature dependence of the chemical shift differences was fitted by a linear model. Spectra were simulated for different temperatures and analysed by the AQSES program (jMRUI 5.2) using model functions with chemical shift values for 37 °C. Large differences in the temperature dependence of the chemical shift differences were determined with a maximum slope of about ±7.5 × 10 -4  ppm/K. For 32-40 °C, only minor quantification errors resulted from using incorrect chemical shifts, with the exception of Cr and PCr. For 1-10 °C considerable quantification errors occurred if the temperature dependence of the chemical shifts was neglected. If 1 H MRS measurements are not performed at 37 °C, for which the published chemical shift values have been determined, the temperature dependence of chemical shifts should be considered to avoid systematic quantification errors, particularly for measurements on animal models at lower temperatures.

  9. Shifted identical bands: A new phenomenon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, E.F.; Lima, A.P. de; Gore, P.M.; Hamilton, J.H.; Ramayya, A.V.; Dodder, R.S.; Kormicki, J.; Hwang, J.K.; Beyer, C.J.; Zhang, X.Q.; Zhu, S.J.; Ter-Akopian, G.M.; Oganessian, Yu.Ts.; Daniel, A.V.; Rasmussen, J.O.; Lee, I.Y.; Cole, J.D.; Drigert, M.W.; Ma, W.-C.

    2001-01-01

    The levels in 162 Gd were identified in spontaneous fission studies. Its transition energies are remarkably similar to those in 160 Gd. From that work, an analysis of yrast bands in even-even proton to neutron-rich Ba to Pb nuclei led to the discovery of a new phenomenon, shifted identical bands (SIB). SIBs are yrast bands in neighboring nuclei (a, b) with moments of inertia which are identical when shifted by a constant amount κ, so J 1a (1 + κ) = J 1b , from 2 + to 8 + and higher to 16 + . Out of over 700 comparisons, 55 SIBs were found from stable to the most neutron-rich Ce-W nuclei with |κ-bar| between 1.5% and 13%, where the spread in κ is less than ± 1%, and only four identical bands (κ-bar congruent with 0). As examples, we found for 158 Sm- 160 Gd, κ-bar (-3.2 +0.1 -0.2 )% (where the ± is the total spread in κ from -3.1 to -3.4); 156 Nd- 160 Gd, (-10.6 +0.4 -0.2 )%; 158 Sm- 160 Sm, (3.4 +0.5 -0.3 )%. The J 1 values were fitted to a variable moment of inertia model with parameters J 0 and C whose values correlate with the SIB J 1 values. The SIBs are not correlated either with deformation or with the N p N n product of the IBA model

  10. MR chemical shift imaging of human atheroma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohiaddin, R.H.; Underwood, R.; Firmin, D.; Abdulla, A.K.; Rees, S.; Longmore, D.

    1988-01-01

    The lipid content of atheromatous plaques has been measured with chemical shift MR imaging by taking advantage of the different resonance frequencies of protons in lipid and water. Fifteen postmortem aortic specimens of the human descending aorta and the aortae of seven patients with documented peripheral vascular disease were studied at 0.5 T. Spin-echo images were used to localize the lesions before acquisition of the chemical shift images. The specimens were examined histologically, and the lipid distribution in the plaque showed good correlation with the chemical shift data. Validation in vivo and clinical applications remain to be established

  11. Novice Nurses’ Perception of Working Night Shifts: A Qualitative Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohsen Faseleh Jahromi

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Nursing is always accompanied by shift working and nurses in Iran have to work night shifts in some stages of their professional life. Therefore, the present study aimed to describe the novice nurses’ perception of working night shifts. Methods: The present qualitative study was conducted on 20 novice nurses working in two university hospitals of Jahrom, Iran. The study data were collected through focus group interviews. All the interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using constant comparative analysis and qualitative content analysis. Results: The study findings revealed five major themes of value system, physical and psychological problems, social relationships, organizational problems, and appropriate opportunity. Conclusion: The study presented a deep understanding of the novice nurses’ perception of working night shifts, which can be used by the managers as a basis for organizing health and treatment systems.

  12. Explaining (Missing) Regulator Paradigm Shifts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wigger, Angela; Buch-Hansen, Hubert

    2014-01-01

    The global financial and economic crisis has prompted some scholars to suggest that a fundamental regulatory shift away from neoliberalism will take place – both in general and in the field of EU competition regulation. This paper shows that so far no radical break with the neoliberal type...... regulation after the crisis in the 1970s, the paper argues that the preconditions for a fundamental shift in this issue area are not present this time around. Several reasons account for this: the current crisis has been construed by economic and political elites as a crisis within and not of neoliberal...

  13. Non-occupational physical activity levels of shift workers compared with non-shift workers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loef, Bette; Hulsegge, Gerben; Wendel-Vos, G C Wanda; Verschuren, W M Monique; Bakker, Marije F; van der Beek, Allard J; Proper, Karin I

    2017-01-01

    Objectives Lack of physical activity (PA) has been hypothesised as an underlying mechanism in the adverse health effects of shift work. Therefore, our aim was to compare non-occupational PA levels between shift workers and non-shift workers. Furthermore, exposure–response relationships for frequency of night shifts and years of shift work regarding non-occupational PA levels were studied. Methods Data of 5980 non-shift workers and 532 shift workers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Netherlands (EPIC-NL) were used in these cross-sectional analyses. Time spent (hours/week) in different PA types (walking/cycling/exercise/chores) and intensities (moderate/vigorous) were calculated based on self-reported PA. Furthermore, sports were operationalised as: playing sports (no/yes), individual versus non-individual sports, and non-vigorous-intensity versus vigorous-intensity sports. PA levels were compared between shift workers and non-shift workers using Generalized Estimating Equations and logistic regression. Results Shift workers reported spending more time walking than non-shift workers (B=2.3 (95% CI 1.2 to 3.4)), but shift work was not associated with other PA types and any of the sports activities. Shift workers who worked 1–4 night shifts/month (B=2.4 (95% CI 0.6 to 4.3)) and ≥5 night shifts/month (B=3.7 (95% CI 1.8 to 5.6)) spent more time walking than non-shift workers. No exposure–response relationships were found between years of shift work and PA levels. Conclusions Shift workers spent more time walking than non-shift workers, but we observed no differences in other non-occupational PA levels. To better understand if and how PA plays a role in the negative health consequences of shift work, our findings need to be confirmed in future studies. PMID:27872151

  14. Leveraging the real value of laboratory medicine with the value proposition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Price, C.; John, A.S.; Christenson, R.; Scharnhorst, V.; Oellerich, M.; Jones, P.; Morris, H.A.

    2016-01-01

    Improving quality and patient safety, containing costs and delivering value-for-money are the key drivers of change in the delivery of healthcare and have stimulated a shift from an activity-based service to a service based on patient-outcomes. The delivery of an outcomes-based healthcare agenda

  15. Pressure and solvent shifts of charge transfer absorption band of iodine complexes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sawamura, Seiji; Taniguchi, Yoshihiro; Suzuki, Keizo

    1979-01-01

    Absorption spectra of the CT band of I 2 complexes were observed in several nonpolar solvents at 1 bar, and in heptane up to 4400 bar. All solvent shifts were red with an increase in (n 2 - 1)/(2n 2 + 1), the refractive index (n) function of solvents, consistent with the solvent shift theory. On the other hand pressure caused a variety of shifts, that is, red shifts in benzene-, toluene-, and mesitylene-I 2 complexes, an inversion shift from red to blue in HMB-I 2 complex, and blue shifts in Et 3 N-, n-Pr 3 N-, and n-Bu 3 N-I 2 complexes, though increase in pressure invariably raises the (n 2 - 1)/(2n 2 + 1) value of solvent. The pressure shifts of I 2 complexes seem to be interpreted by a sum of two effects. One is the increased polarity of the solvent, which causes a red shift. The other is the decrease in the bond distance between a donor and an acceptor, which contributes to a blue shift in a strong CT complex and to a red shift in a week one. The pressure and solvent shifts of I 2 complexes were compared with those of π-donor-TCNE complexes. (author)

  16. Origins of Stokes shift in PbS nanocrystals

    KAUST Repository

    Voznyy, Oleksandr

    2017-10-27

    Stokes shift, an energy difference between the excitonic absorption and emission, is a property of colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) typically ascribed to splitting between dark and bright excitons. In some materials, e.g., PbS, CuInS2, CdHgTe, a Stokes shift of up to 200 meV is observed, substantially larger than the estimates of dark-bright state splitting or vibronic relaxations. The shift origin remains highly debated, as contradictory signatures of both surface and bulk character were reported for the Stokes-shifted electronic state. Here we show that the energy transfer among CQDs in a polydispersed ensemble in solution suffices to explain the excess Stokes shift. This energy transfer is primarily due to CQD aggregation, and can be substantially eliminated by extreme dilution, higher-viscosity solvent, or better-dispersed colloids. Our findings highlight that ensemble polydispersity remains the primary source of the Stokes shift in CQDs in solution, propagating into the Stokes shift in films and the open-circuit voltage deficit in CQD solar cells. Improved synthetic control can bring notable advancements in CQD photovoltaics, and the Stokes shift continues to provide a sensitive and significant metric to monitor ensemble size distribution.

  17. Precise determination of lattice phase shifts and mixing angles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lu, Bing-Nan, E-mail: b.lu@fz-juelich.de [Institute for Advanced Simulation, Institut für Kernphysik, and Jülich Center for Hadron Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Lähde, Timo A. [Institute for Advanced Simulation, Institut für Kernphysik, and Jülich Center for Hadron Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Lee, Dean [Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695 (United States); Meißner, Ulf-G. [Helmholtz-Institut für Strahlen- und Kernphysik and Bethe Center for Theoretical Physics, Universität Bonn, D-53115 Bonn (Germany); Institute for Advanced Simulation, Institut für Kernphysik, and Jülich Center for Hadron Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); JARA – High Performance Computing, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany)

    2016-09-10

    We introduce a general and accurate method for determining lattice phase shifts and mixing angles, which is applicable to arbitrary, non-cubic lattices. Our method combines angular momentum projection, spherical wall boundaries and an adjustable auxiliary potential. This allows us to construct radial lattice wave functions and to determine phase shifts at arbitrary energies. For coupled partial waves, we use a complex-valued auxiliary potential that breaks time-reversal invariance. We benchmark our method using a system of two spin-1/2 particles interacting through a finite-range potential with a strong tensor component. We are able to extract phase shifts and mixing angles for all angular momenta and energies, with precision greater than that of extant methods. We discuss a wide range of applications from nuclear lattice simulations to optical lattice experiments.

  18. Chemical Mass Shifts in a Digital Linear Ion Trap as Analytical Identity of o-, m-, and p-Xylene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Lulu; Xue, Bing; Huang, Zhengxu; Cheng, Ping; Ma, Li; Ding, Li; Zhou, Zhen

    2018-04-01

    Chemical mass shifts between isomeric ions of o-, m-, and p-xylene were measured using a digital linear ion trap, and the directions and values of the shifts were found to be correlated to the collision cross sections of the isomers. Both forward and reverse scans were used and the chemical shifts for each pair of isomers in scans of opposite directions were in opposite signs. Using different voltage settings (namely the voltage dividing ratio-VDR) of the ion trap allows adding high order field components in the quadrupole field and results in larger chemical mass shifts. The differential chemical mass shift which combined the shifts from forward and reverse scans doubled the amount of chemical shift, e.g., 0.077 Th between o- and p-xylene, enough for identification of the type of isomer without using an additional ion mobility spectrometer. The feature of equal and opposite chemical mass shifts also allowed to null out the chemical mass shift by calculating the mean m/z value between the two opposite scans and remove or reduce the mass error caused by chemical mass shift. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  19. Chemical Mass Shifts in a Digital Linear Ion Trap as Analytical Identity of o-, m-, and p-Xylene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Lulu; Xue, Bing; Huang, Zhengxu; Cheng, Ping; Ma, Li; Ding, Li; Zhou, Zhen

    2018-07-01

    Chemical mass shifts between isomeric ions of o-, m-, and p-xylene were measured using a digital linear ion trap, and the directions and values of the shifts were found to be correlated to the collision cross sections of the isomers. Both forward and reverse scans were used and the chemical shifts for each pair of isomers in scans of opposite directions were in opposite signs. Using different voltage settings (namely the voltage dividing ratio-VDR) of the ion trap allows adding high order field components in the quadrupole field and results in larger chemical mass shifts. The differential chemical mass shift which combined the shifts from forward and reverse scans doubled the amount of chemical shift, e.g., 0.077 Th between o- and p-xylene, enough for identification of the type of isomer without using an additional ion mobility spectrometer. The feature of equal and opposite chemical mass shifts also allowed to null out the chemical mass shift by calculating the mean m/z value between the two opposite scans and remove or reduce the mass error caused by chemical mass shift. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

  20. Non-occupational physical activity levels of shift workers compared with non-shift workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loef, Bette; Hulsegge, Gerben; Wendel-Vos, G C Wanda; Verschuren, W M Monique; Vermeulen, Roel C H; Bakker, Marije F; van der Beek, Allard J; Proper, Karin I

    2017-05-01

    Lack of physical activity (PA) has been hypothesised as an underlying mechanism in the adverse health effects of shift work. Therefore, our aim was to compare non-occupational PA levels between shift workers and non-shift workers. Furthermore, exposure-response relationships for frequency of night shifts and years of shift work regarding non-occupational PA levels were studied. Data of 5980 non-shift workers and 532 shift workers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Netherlands (EPIC-NL) were used in these cross-sectional analyses. Time spent (hours/week) in different PA types (walking/cycling/exercise/chores) and intensities (moderate/vigorous) were calculated based on self-reported PA. Furthermore, sports were operationalised as: playing sports (no/yes), individual versus non-individual sports, and non-vigorous-intensity versus vigorous-intensity sports. PA levels were compared between shift workers and non-shift workers using Generalized Estimating Equations and logistic regression. Shift workers reported spending more time walking than non-shift workers (B=2.3 (95% CI 1.2 to 3.4)), but shift work was not associated with other PA types and any of the sports activities. Shift workers who worked 1-4 night shifts/month (B=2.4 (95% CI 0.6 to 4.3)) and ≥5 night shifts/month (B=3.7 (95% CI 1.8 to 5.6)) spent more time walking than non-shift workers. No exposure-response relationships were found between years of shift work and PA levels. Shift workers spent more time walking than non-shift workers, but we observed no differences in other non-occupational PA levels. To better understand if and how PA plays a role in the negative health consequences of shift work, our findings need to be confirmed in future studies. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  1. Low energy pion-pion phase shifts from chiral perturbation theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borges, J. Sa; Barbosa, J. Soares; Oguri, V.

    1997-01-01

    The low energy pion-pion S- and P- experimental phase-shifts are fitted with chiral perturbation theory (Ch PT) amplitude. The low energy pion-pion S- and P- experimental phase-shifts. The parameters l 1 and l 2 of the one loop corrected amplitude are fixed and the corresponding values of the scattering lengths are calculated. We propose that the present method is the best way to fix Ch P T parameters. The unitarization program of current algebra is also discussed. (author)

  2. Shifting Sugars and Shifting Paradigms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegal, Mark L.

    2015-01-01

    No organism lives in a constant environment. Based on classical studies in molecular biology, many have viewed microbes as following strict rules for shifting their metabolic activities when prevailing conditions change. For example, students learn that the bacterium Escherichia coli makes proteins for digesting lactose only when lactose is available and glucose, a better sugar, is not. However, recent studies, including three PLOS Biology papers examining sugar utilization in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, show that considerable heterogeneity in response to complex environments exists within and between populations. These results join similar recent results in other organisms that suggest that microbial populations anticipate predictable environmental changes and hedge their bets against unpredictable ones. The classical view therefore represents but one special case in a range of evolutionary adaptations to environmental changes that all organisms face. PMID:25688600

  3. Shifting sugars and shifting paradigms.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark L Siegal

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available No organism lives in a constant environment. Based on classical studies in molecular biology, many have viewed microbes as following strict rules for shifting their metabolic activities when prevailing conditions change. For example, students learn that the bacterium Escherichia coli makes proteins for digesting lactose only when lactose is available and glucose, a better sugar, is not. However, recent studies, including three PLOS Biology papers examining sugar utilization in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, show that considerable heterogeneity in response to complex environments exists within and between populations. These results join similar recent results in other organisms that suggest that microbial populations anticipate predictable environmental changes and hedge their bets against unpredictable ones. The classical view therefore represents but one special case in a range of evolutionary adaptations to environmental changes that all organisms face.

  4. Neural representation of expected value in the adolescent brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barkley-Levenson, Emily; Galván, Adriana

    2014-01-28

    Previous work shows that the adolescent reward system is hyperactive, but this finding may be confounded by differences in how teens value money. To address this, we examined the neural ontogeny of objective value representation. Adolescent and adult participants performed a monetary gambling task in which they chose to accept or reject gambles of varying expected value. Increasing expected value had a stronger influence over gambling choices in adolescents relative to adults, an effect that was paralleled by greater activation in the ventral striatum in adolescents. This unique adolescent ventral striatum response remained even after matching groups on acceptance behavior. These behavioral and neural data suggest that the value of available options has a greater influence in adolescent versus adult choices, even when objective value and subjective choice are held constant. This research provides further evidence that hyperactivation of reward circuitry in adolescence may be a normative ontogenetic shift that is due to greater valuation in the adolescent brain.

  5. Macrophysical climate models and Holocene hunter-gatherer subsistence shifts in Central Texas, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mauldin, R. P.; Munoz, C.

    2013-12-01

    -spring rainfall pattern and the bone isotope patterns begin to break down. Precipitation models suggest an essentially flat or slightly increasing pattern of production, while the isotopic data show a rapid C3 increase, and then a decline. This divergence is especially the case late in the sequence, with isotopic patterns showing rapid decreases in C3 resource use that are not consistent with the macrophysical climate models. If the precipitation models are accurate, the Late Holocene pattern of resource use reflects additional elements (e.g., regional population density changes, mobility shifts, social alliances) that require investigation. Standardized values. Data point colors reflect distinct climate trends.

  6. Planck intermediate results LI. Features in the cosmic microwave background temperature power spectrum and shifts in cosmological parameters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aghanim, N.; Akrami, Y.; Ashdown, M.

    2017-01-01

    The six parameters of the standard ΛCDM model have best-fit values derived from the Planck temperature power spectrum that are shifted somewhat from the best-fit values derived from WMAP data. These shifts are driven by features in the Planck temperature power spectrum at angular scales that had ...

  7. The Advancement Value Chain: An Exploratory Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonard, Edward F., III

    2005-01-01

    Since the introduction of the value chain concept in 1985, several varying, yet virtually similar, value chains have been developed for the business enterprise. Shifting to higher education, can a value chain be found that links together the various activities of advancement so that an institution's leaders can actually look at the philanthropic…

  8. Values: the dynamic nexus between biology, ecology and culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fischer, Ronald; Boer, Diana

    2016-04-01

    Values are motivational goals that influence attitudes, behaviors and evaluations. Cross-cultural evidence suggests that values show a systematic structure. Personal and cultural variations in the value structure, value priorities and value links to attitudes, behavior and well-being reflect contextual constraints and affordances in the environment, suggesting that values function as broadly adaptive psychological structures. The internal structure of values (the descriptive value system) becomes more clearly differentiated in more economically developed contexts. Value priorities shift toward more autonomous, self-expressive and individualistic orientations with greater economic resources and less ecological stress. In addition to systematic changes in internal structure, value links to attitudes, behaviors and well-being are influenced by economic, ecological and institutional contexts. Values are more likely to be expressed in attitudes and behavior if individuals have greater access to economic resources, experience less institutional and ecological stress or when the values reinforce culturally normative behavior. Frontiers for further value research include a greater examination of the neural underpinnings of values in specific ecological contexts and across the lifespan; and an examination of how values are behaviorally instantiated in different environments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Measurement of the Lamb shift in heliumlike uranium (U90+)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gould, H.; Munger, C.T.

    1987-01-01

    The production in 1983 of a beam of bare U 92+ at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory's Bevalac, the Bevatron and Super-HILAC operating in tandem, demonstrated the feasibility of experiments using few-electron uranium. In 1984 x rays from radiative electron capture into the K shell of uranium was observed by Anholt et. al., and in the same year x rays from n = 2 → n = 1 transitions in hydrogenlike uranium (U 91+ ) and heliumlike uranium (U 90+ ) were observed by Munger and Gould. In this article the authors discuss their recent measurement of the Lamb shift in heliumlike uranium. Their value of 70.4 (8.1) eV for the one-electron Lamb shift in uranium is in agreement with the theoretical value of 75.3 (0.4) eV. 20 refs.; 5 figs

  10. Evaluation of Value Added Tax Application Problems in Terms of Taxation of Electronic Commerce

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Güneş ÇETİN GERGER

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays electronic taxation is being one of the important issues for revenue administrations. Tax administrations try to organize their tax system fairly and give attention on equity. Value added tax is most preferable taxes among the consumption taxes. Because it’s application is easy and taxpayers don’t show resistance to the value added tax. On electronic commerce value added taxes are using commonly. To provide equity in taxation, some taxation principles are adapted for value added taxes too. In this paper, we are trying to analyze the development of e-commerce in the world and e-taxation regulations and problems in the European Union (EU and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD countries. The EU and OECD countries are making regulations in this issue. The last regulation is Base Erosion and Profit Shifting 15 point action plan in 2014. Taxation of the digital economy is the first action plan. In addition this, some regulations about taxation of digital economy are being done in Turkey in the case of Base Erosion and Profit Shifting action plan.

  11. Ecosystem regime shifts disrupt trophic structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hempson, Tessa N; Graham, Nicholas A J; MacNeil, M Aaron; Hoey, Andrew S; Wilson, Shaun K

    2018-01-01

    Regime shifts between alternative stable ecosystem states are becoming commonplace due to the combined effects of local stressors and global climate change. Alternative states are characterized as substantially different in form and function from pre-disturbance states, disrupting the delivery of ecosystem services and functions. On coral reefs, regime shifts are typically characterized by a change in the benthic composition from coral to macroalgal dominance. Such fundamental shifts in the benthos are anticipated to impact associated fish communities that are reliant on the reef for food and shelter, yet there is limited understanding of how regime shifts propagate through the fish community over time, relative to initial or recovery conditions. This study addresses this knowledge gap using long-term data of coral reef regime shifts and recovery on Seychelles reefs following the 1998 mass bleaching event. It shows how trophic structure of the reef fish community becomes increasingly dissimilar between alternative reef ecosystem states (regime-shifted vs. recovering) with time since disturbance. Regime-shifted reefs developed a concave trophic structure, with increased biomass in base trophic levels as herbivorous species benefitted from increased algal resources. Mid trophic level species, including specialists such as corallivores, declined with loss of coral habitat, while biomass was retained in upper trophic levels by large-bodied, generalist invertivores. Recovering reefs also experienced an initial decline in mid trophic level biomass, but moved toward a bottom-heavy pyramid shape, with a wide range of feeding groups (e.g., planktivores, corallivores, omnivores) represented at mid trophic levels. Given the importance of coral reef fishes in maintaining the ecological function of coral reef ecosystems and their associated fisheries, understanding the effects of regime shifts on these communities is essential to inform decisions that enhance ecological

  12. Night shift and rotating shift in association with sleep problems, burnout and minor mental disorder in male and female employees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Wan-Ju; Cheng, Yawen

    2017-07-01

    Shift work is associated with adverse physical and psychological health outcomes. However, the independent health effects of night work and rotating shift on workers' sleep and mental health risks and the potential gender differences have not been fully evaluated. We used data from a nationwide survey of representative employees of Taiwan in 2013, consisting of 16 440 employees. Participants reported their work shift patterns 1 week prior to the survey, which were classified into the four following shift types: fixed day, rotating day, fixed night and rotating night shifts. Also obtained were self-reported sleep duration, presence of insomnia, burnout and mental disorder assessed by the Brief Symptom Rating Scale. Among all shift types, workers with fixed night shifts were found to have the shortest duration of sleep, highest level of burnout score, and highest prevalence of insomnia and minor mental disorders. Gender-stratified regression analyses with adjustment of age, education and psychosocial work conditions showed that both in male and female workers, fixed night shifts were associated with greater risks for short sleep duration (night shifts were also associated with increased risks for burnout and mental disorders, but after adjusting for insomnia, the associations between fixed night shifts and poor mental health were no longer significant. The findings of this study suggested that a fixed night shift was associated with greater risks for sleep and mental health problems, and the associations might be mediated by sleep disturbance. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  13. Recurrence phase shift in Fermi-Pasta-Ulam nonlinear dynamics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Devine, N., E-mail: nnd124@rsphysse.anu.edu.au [Optical Sciences Group, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200 (Australia); Ankiewicz, A. [Optical Sciences Group, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200 (Australia); Genty, G. [Tampere University of Technology, Optics Laboratory, FI-33101 Tampere (Finland); Dudley, J.M. [Institut FEMTO-ST UMR 6174 CNRS/Universite de Franche-Comte, Besancon (France); Akhmediev, N. [Optical Sciences Group, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200 (Australia)

    2011-11-07

    We show that the dynamics of Fermi-Pasta-Ulam recurrence is associated with a nonlinear phase shift between initial and final states that are otherwise identical, after a full growth-return cycle. The properties of this phase shift are studied for the particular case of the self-focussing nonlinear Schroedinger equation, and we describe the magnitude of the phase shift in terms of the system parameters. This phase shift, accumulated during the nonlinear recurrence cycle, is a previously-unremarked feature of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam problem, and we anticipate its wide significance as an essential feature of related dynamics in other systems. -- Highlights: → The dynamics of FPU recurrence is associated with a phase shift between initial and final states. → The properties of this phase shift are studied for the self-focussing NLS equation. → This phase shift is a previously-unremarked feature of the FPU growth-return cycle. → We anticipate its wide significance as an essential feature of related dynamics in other systems.

  14. Recurrence phase shift in Fermi-Pasta-Ulam nonlinear dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Devine, N.; Ankiewicz, A.; Genty, G.; Dudley, J.M.; Akhmediev, N.

    2011-01-01

    We show that the dynamics of Fermi-Pasta-Ulam recurrence is associated with a nonlinear phase shift between initial and final states that are otherwise identical, after a full growth-return cycle. The properties of this phase shift are studied for the particular case of the self-focussing nonlinear Schroedinger equation, and we describe the magnitude of the phase shift in terms of the system parameters. This phase shift, accumulated during the nonlinear recurrence cycle, is a previously-unremarked feature of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam problem, and we anticipate its wide significance as an essential feature of related dynamics in other systems. -- Highlights: → The dynamics of FPU recurrence is associated with a phase shift between initial and final states. → The properties of this phase shift are studied for the self-focussing NLS equation. → This phase shift is a previously-unremarked feature of the FPU growth-return cycle. → We anticipate its wide significance as an essential feature of related dynamics in other systems.

  15. OpenShift Workshop

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva; Rodriguez Peon, Alberto

    2017-01-01

    Workshop to introduce developers to the OpenShift platform available at CERN. Several use cases will be shown, including deploying an existing application into OpenShift. We expect attendees to realize about OpenShift features and general architecture of the service.

  16. A risk hedging strategy under the nonparallel-shift yield curve

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Pu; He, Xubiao

    2005-08-01

    Under the assumption of the movement of rigid, a nonparallel-shift model in the term structure of interest rates is developed by introducing Fisher & Weil duration which is a well-known concept in the area of interest risk management. This paper has studied the hedge and replication for portfolio immunization to minimize the risk exposure. Throughout the experiment of numerical simulation, the risk exposures of the portfolio under the different risk hedging strategies are quantitatively evaluated by the method of value at risk (VaR) order statistics (OS) estimation. The results show that the risk hedging strategy proposed in this paper is very effective for the interest risk management of the default-free bond.

  17. Contributors to shift work tolerance in South Korean nurses working rotating shift.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Hye-Sun; Lee, Bokim

    2015-05-01

    Shift workers have rapidly increased in South Korea; however, there is no published research exploring shift work tolerance among South Korean workers. This study aimed to investigate factors related to shift work tolerance in South Korean nurses. The sample comprised of 660 nurses who worked shifts in a large hospital in South Korea. A structured questionnaire included following comprehensive variables: demographic (age and number of children), individual (morningness and self-esteem), psychosocial (social support and job stress), lifestyle (alcohol consumption, physical activity, and BMI), and working condition factors (number of night shifts and working hours). Shift work tolerance was measured in terms of insomnia, fatigue, and depression. The results of hierarchical regressions indicate that all variables, except for three, number of children, BMI, and working hours, were related to at least one of the symptoms associated with shift work tolerance. Based on these results, we offer some practical implications to help improve shift work tolerance of workers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Advantages of shift changeovers with meetings: ergonomic analysis of shift supervisors' activity in aircraft building.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Bris, Valérie; Barthe, Béatrice; Marquié, Jean-Claude; Kerguelen, Alain; Aubert, Sophie; Bernadou, Bernadette

    2012-03-01

    Good shift changeovers contribute to ensuring continuity and reliability in shift work. In situations where production is not maintained 24 h a day, changeovers with meetings (SCM) between the two work teams (written plus oral face-to-face handovers) alternate with changeovers without meetings (SCnM; written handovers only). An ergonomic work analysis on an aircraft assembly line showed that (1) incoming and outgoing operators met during the overlap time allotted by the company, and (2) the content of the exchanges was richer for SCMs than for SCnMs. SCMs enabled the operators to pass on and process more aspects of their work than SCnMs did. SCMs also allowed incoming operators to validate their predictions, and enabled both outgoing and incoming operators to update their mental models and work together on peripheral aspects of the technical process over a greater time span. The findings highlight the importance of allowing overlap time in shift work. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  19. The shifting beverage landscape.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Storey, Maureen

    2010-04-26

    STOREY, M.L. The shifting beverage landscape. PHYSIOL BEHAV, 2010. - Simultaneous lifestyle changes have occurred in the last few decades, creating an imbalance in energy intake and energy expenditure that has led to overweight and obesity. Trends in the food supply show that total daily calories available per capita increased 28% since 1970. Total energy intake among men and women has also increased dramatically since that time. Some have suggested that intake of beverages has had a disproportional impact on obesity. Data collected by the Beverage Marketing Corporation between 1988-2008 demonstrate that, in reality, fewer calories per ounce are being produced by the beverage industry. Moreover, data from the National Cancer Institute show that soft drink intake represents 5.5% of daily calories. Data from NHANES 1999-2003 vs. 2003-06 may demonstrate a shift in beverage consumption for age/gender groups, ages 6 to>60years. The beverages provided in schools have significantly changed since 2006 when the beverage industry implemented School Beverage Guidelines. This voluntary action has removed full-calorie soft drinks from participating schools across the country. This shift to lower-calorie and smaller-portion beverages in school has led to a significant decrease in total beverage calories in schools. These data support the concept that to prevent and treat obesity, public health efforts should focus on energy balance and that a narrow focus on sweetened beverages is unlikely to have any meaningful impact on this complex problem. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Night-shift work increases cold pain perception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pieh, Christoph; Jank, Robert; Waiß, Christoph; Pfeifer, Christian; Probst, Thomas; Lahmann, Claas; Oberndorfer, Stefan

    2018-05-01

    Although night-shift work (NSW) is associated with a higher risk for several physical and mental disorders, the impact of NSW on pain perception is still unclear. This study investigates the impact of NSW on cold pain perception considering the impact of mood and sleepiness. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) was performed in healthy night-shift workers. Cold pain threshold as well as tonic cold pain was assessed after one habitual night (T1), after a 12-hour NSW (T2) and after one recovery night (T3). Sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) before T1, sleepiness with the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS) and mood with a German short-version of the Profile of Mood States (ASTS) at T1, T2 and T3. Depending on the distribution of the data, ANOVAs or Friedman tests as well as t- or Wilcoxon tests were performed. Nineteen healthy shift-workers (13 females; 29.7 ± 7.5 years old; 8.1 ± 6.6 years in shift work, PSQI: 4.7 ± 2.2) were included. Tonic cold pain showed a significant difference between T1 (48.2 ± 27.5 mm), T2 (61.7 ± 26.6 mm; effect size: Cohen's d=.49; percent change 28%), and T3 (52.1 ± 28.7 mm) on a 0-100 mm Visual Analog Scale (p = 0.007). Cold pain threshold changed from 11.0 ± 7.9 °C (T1) to 14.5 ± 8.8 °C (T2) (p = 0.04), however, an ANOVA comparing T1, T2, and T3 was not significant (p = 0.095). Sleepiness (SSS) and mood (ASTS) changed significantly between T1, T2 and T3 (p-values night. Increases in cold pain perception due to NSW appear to be more strongly related to changes in mood as compared to changes in sleepiness. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. A Novel Choice Procedure of Magnetic Component Values for Phase Shifted Full Bridge Converters with a Variable Dead-Time Control Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lei Zhao

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Magnetic components are important parts of the phase shifted full bridge (PSFB converter. During the dead-time of switches located in the same leg, the converter can achieve zero-voltage-switching (ZVS by using the energies stored in magnetic components to discharge or charge the output capacitances of switches. Dead-time is usually calculated under a given set of pre-defined load condition which results in that the available energies are insufficient and ZVS capability is lost at light loads. In this paper, the PSFB converter is controlled by variable dead-time method and thus full advantage can be taken of the energies stored in magnetic components. Considering that dead-time has a great effect on ZVS, the relationship between available energies and magnetic component values is formulated by analyzing the equivalent circuits during dead-time intervals. Magnetic component values are chosen based on such relationship. The proposed choice procedure can make the available energies greater than the required energies for ZVS operation over a wide range of load conditions. Moreover, the burst mode control is adopted in order to reduce the standby power loss. Experimental results coincide with the theoretical analysis. The proposed method is a simple and practical solution to extend the ZVS range.

  2. Increasing off-service resident productivity while on their emergency department rotation using shift cards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakravarthy, Bharath; Posadas, Emerson; Ibrahim, Deena; McArthur, Kurt; Osborn, Megan; Hoonpongsimanont, Wirachin; Wong, Andrew; Lotfipour, Shahram

    2015-04-01

    Differences in productivity between off-service residents rotating in the emergency department (ED) and their emergency medicine (EM) resident counterparts have never been directly quantified. We sought to quantify the difference between off-service residents rotating in the ED and their EM resident counterparts. We also sought to find whether shift cards could be used to increase the productivity of off-service residents rotating in the ED. This is a prospective cohort study conducted at an urban, tertiary, Level I trauma center. We implemented the use of shift cards for off-service residents during their EM rotation. Completion of the shift card involved recording patients seen and their dispositions, procedures done, and documenting a learned bedside teaching point from their shift that day. Productivity was measured in terms of patients seen per hour (PPH) and relative value units per hour (RVU/h). Off-service residents showed a productivity of 0.529 PPH (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.493-0.566) and 1.40 RVU/h (95% CI 1.28-1.53) prior to implementation of shift cards. With the introduction of shift cards, productivity increased to 0.623 PPH (95% CI 0.584-0.663, p = 0.001) and 1.77 RVU/h (95% CI 1.64-1.91, p = 0.001). In comparison, first year EM resident productivity was 0.970 PPH (95% CI 0.918-1.02) and 3.01 RVU/h (95% CI 2.83-3.19). Shift cards can be used to foster motivation for off-service residents rotating in the ED, and is a simple and cost-effective method to improve system-based practices and utilization of resources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Expert system application for prioritizing preventive actions for shift work: shift expert.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esen, Hatice; Hatipoğlu, Tuğçen; Cihan, Ahmet; Fiğlali, Nilgün

    2017-09-19

    Shift patterns, work hours, work arrangements and worker motivations have increasingly become key factors for job performance. The main objective of this article is to design an expert system that identifies the negative effects of shift work and prioritizes mitigation efforts according to their importance in preventing these negative effects. The proposed expert system will be referred to as the shift expert. A thorough literature review is conducted to determine the effects of shift work on workers. Our work indicates that shift work is linked to demographic variables, sleepiness and fatigue, health and well-being, and social and domestic conditions. These parameters constitute the sections of a questionnaire designed to focus on 26 important issues related to shift work. The shift expert is then constructed to provide prevention advice at the individual and organizational levels, and it prioritizes this advice using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process model, which considers comparison matrices provided by users during the prioritization process. An empirical study of 61 workers working on three rotating shifts is performed. After administering the questionnaires, the collected data are analyzed statistically, and then the shift expert produces individual and organizational recommendations for these workers.

  4. Study: Long nursing shifts linked to burnout, job dissatisfaction, negative patient assessments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-01

    While nurses often choose to work 12-hour shifts, there is new evidence that too many of these longer shifts can lead to burnout and job dissatisfaction. Further, a new study suggests that patients are less satisfied with their care when nurses are working longer shifts, and patient outcomes may suffer as well. Experts recommend education around this issue for both staff nurses and nurse managers, and they urge administrators to devise sensible scheduling solutions. A three-year study, involving 23,000 registered nurses from four states, showed that nurses working shifts of 10 hours or longer were up to two and a half times more likely to experience burnout and dissatisfaction with their jobs than nurses working shorter shifts. Also, the study showed that seven out of 10 patient outcomes were adversely impacted by the longest nursing shifts. The Cleveland Clinic's 'parent shift' gives nurses the option of working shifts of six hours or less in exchange for less pay and no benefits. Administrators use these nurses to help their units manage busy hours or patient surges.

  5. Implementing OpenShift

    CERN Document Server

    Miller, Adam

    2013-01-01

    A standard tutorial-based approach to using OpenShift and deploying custom or pre-built web applications to the OpenShift Online cloud.This book is for software developers and DevOps alike who are interested in learning how to use the OpenShift Platform-as-a-Service for developing and deploying applications, how the environment works on the back end, and how to deploy their very own open source Platform-as-a-Service based on the upstream OpenShift Origin project.

  6. Knight shift in scandium and its alloys with hafnium and titanium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chachkhiani, Z.B.; Chechernikov, V.I.; Martynova, L.F.; Nidel'ko, V.I.; Chachkhiani, L.G.; Georgadze, G.S.

    1981-01-01

    Results of the investigation of NMR on 45 Sc nuclei and magnetic susceptibility of scandium and its solid solutions with titanium and hafnium are presented. It is shown that the existing hybridization of S and d zones in pure scandium and its alloys with titanium and hafnium affects the Knight shift reducing the value of the contact contribution. The temperature behaviour of the Knight shift from the temperature dependence and spin susceptibility of collectivized d electrons [ru

  7. Nu shifts in betatron oscillations from uniform perturbations in the presence of non-linear magnetic guide fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crebbin, K.C.

    1985-05-01

    Uniform magnetic field perturbations cause a closed orbit distortion in a circular accelerator. If the magnetic guide field is non-linear these perturbations can also cause a Nu shift in the betatron oscillations. Such a shift in radial Nu values has been observed in the Bevalac while studying the low energy resonant extraction system. In the Bevalac, the radial perturbation comes from the quadrants being magnetically about 0.8% longer than 90 0 . The normal effect of this type of perturbation is a radial closed orbit shift and orbit distortion. The Nu shift, associated with this type of perturbation in the presence of a non-linear guide field, is discussed in this paper. A method of handling the non-linear n values is discussed as well as the mechanism for the associated Nu shift. Computer calculations are compared to measurements. 2 refs., 4 figs

  8. Best Value Procurement - The Practical Approach

    OpenAIRE

    Storteboom, Arnoud

    2017-01-01

    Traditional procurement methods leave much room for improving risk management and value creation. However, Best Value Procurement (BVP) is designed to increase project value by mitigating risks and increasing the transparency by underscoring the pre-award phase. This shift in paradigm is reached by following a sequence of elements with the principles of transparency, performance information measuring and contractor clarification. The BVP philosophy is developed in the USA. Following is ...

  9. Network periodic solutions: patterns of phase-shift synchrony

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golubitsky, Martin; Wang, Yunjiao; Romano, David

    2012-01-01

    We prove the rigid phase conjecture of Stewart and Parker. It then follows from previous results (of Stewart and Parker and our own) that rigid phase-shifts in periodic solutions on a transitive network are produced by a cyclic symmetry on a quotient network. More precisely, let X(t) = (x 1 (t), ..., x n (t)) be a hyperbolic T-periodic solution of an admissible system on an n-node network. Two nodes c and d are phase-related if there exists a phase-shift θ cd in [0, 1) such that x d (t) = x c (t + θ cd T). The conjecture states that if phase relations persist under all small admissible perturbations (that is, the phase relations are rigid), then for each pair of phase-related cells, their input signals are also phase-related to the same phase-shift. For a transitive network, rigid phase relations can also be described abstractly as a Z m permutation symmetry of a quotient network. We discuss how patterns of phase-shift synchrony lead to rigid synchrony, rigid phase synchrony, and rigid multirhythms, and we show that for each phase pattern there exists an admissible system with a periodic solution with that phase pattern. Finally, we generalize the results to nontransitive networks where we show that the symmetry that generates rigid phase-shifts occurs on an extension of a quotient network

  10. Precision measurement of the 1S Lamb shift in atomic hydrogen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beausoleil, R.G.; McIntyre, D.H.; Foot, C.J.; Couillaud, B.; Hildum, E.A.; Hansch, T.W.

    1987-01-01

    The authors used cw Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy to measure the 1S-2S transition frequency in atomic hydrogen gas with a precision of 6 parts in 10 10 . Their result for the energy level separation is f(1S-2S) = 2 466 061 413.3(1.5) MHz and can be used to extract a value of the 1S Lamb shift. Choosing a value of the Rydberg constant measured independently by high-resolution spectroscopy of the hydrogen Balmer-β transition, the authors obtain a value of Δf/sub Lamb/(1S) = 8 173.3(1.7) MHz, in good agreement with the theoretical prediction of 8 173.06(20) MHz. On the other hand, if they trust the theoretical determination of the 1S Lamb shift, they can interpret our experimental result as a measurement of the Rydberg constant. The authors obtain R∞ = 109 737.315(7) cm -1 , in agreement with recent precise measurements

  11. Analytical theory for the nuclear level shift of hadronic atoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kudryavtsev, A.E.; Lisin, V.I.; Popov, V.S.

    1982-01-01

    The spectrum problem in the Coulomb potential distorted at small distances is considered. Nuclear shifts of 3-levels in p anti p and Σ - p atoms are calculated. The probabilities of radiative transitions from p-states to the shifted s-states in hadronic atom are also given. It is shown that the reconstruction of atomic levels switches to oscillation regime when absorption increases. The limits of applicability of the perturbation theory in terms of the scattering length for different values of absorption is discussed. An exactly solvable model, Coulomb plus Yamaguchi potential, is considered

  12. Calculation of the NMR chemical shift for a 4d1 system in a strong crystal field environment of trigonal symmetry with a threefold axis of quantization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Sang Woon; Oh, Se Woung; Ro, Seung Woo

    1986-01-01

    The NMR chemical shift arising from 4d electron angular momentum and 4d electron angular momentum and 4d electron spin dipolar-nuclear spin angular momentum interactions for a 4d 1 system in a strong crystal field environment of trigonal symmetry, where the threefold axis is chosen to be the axis of quantization axis, has been examined. A general expression using the nonmultipole expansion method (exact method) is derived for the NMR chemical shift. From this expression all the multipolar terms are determined. we observe that along the (100), (010), (110), and (111) axes the NMR chemical shifts are positive while along the (001) axis, it is negative. We observe that the dipolar term (1/R 3 ) is the dominant contribution to the NMR chemical shift except for along the (111) axis. A comparison of the multipolar terms with the exact values shows also that the multipolar results are exactly in agreement with the exact values around R≥0.2 nm. The temperature dependence analysis on the NMR chemical shifts may imply that along the (111) axis the contribution to the NMR chemical shift is dominantly pseudo contact interaction. Separation of the contributions of the Fermi and the pseudo contact interactions would correctly imply that the dipolar interaction is the dominant contribution to the NMR chemical shifts along the (100), (010), (001), and (110) axes, but along the (111) axis the Fermi contact interaction is incorrectly the dominant contribution to the NMR chemical shift. (Author)

  13. The impact of sleep deprivation on surgeons' performance during night shifts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amirian, Ilda

    2014-09-01

    The median incidence of adverse events that may result in patient injury is a total of 9% of all in-hospital admissions. In order to reduce this high incidence initiatives are continuously worked on that can reduce the risk of patient harm during admission by strengthening hospital systems. However, the influence of physicians' shift work on the risk on adverse events in patients remains controversial. In the studies included in this PhD thesis we wished to examine the impact of sleep deprivation and circadian rhythm disturbances on surgeons' during night shifts. Further we wished to examine the impact sleep deprivation had on surgeons' performance as a measure of how patient safety would be affected. We found that sleep deprivation subjectively had an impact on the surgeons and that they were aware of the effect fatigue had on their work performance. As a result they applied different mechanisms to cope with fatigue. Attending surgeons felt that they had a better overview now, due to more experience and better skills, than when they were residents, despite the fatigue on night shifts. We monitored surgeons' performance during night shifts by laparoscopic simulation and cognitive tests in order to assess their performance; no deterioration was found when pre call values were compared to on call values. The surgeons were monitored prospectively for 4 days across a night shift in order to assess the circadian rhythm and sleep. We found that surgeons' circadian rhythm was affected by working night shifts and their sleep pattern altered, resembling that of shift workers on the post call day. We assessed the quality of admission in medical records as a measure of surgeons' performance, during day, evening and night hours and found no deterioration in the quality of night time medical records. However, consistent high errors were found in several categories. These findings should be followed up in the future with respect of clarifying mechanism and consequences for

  14. Limited Effects of Set Shifting Training in Healthy Older Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petra Grönholm-Nyman

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Our ability to flexibly shift between tasks or task sets declines in older age. As this decline may have adverse effects on everyday life of elderly people, it is of interest to study whether set shifting ability can be trained, and if training effects generalize to other cognitive tasks. Here, we report a randomized controlled trial where healthy older adults trained set shifting with three different set shifting tasks. The training group (n = 17 performed adaptive set shifting training for 5 weeks with three training sessions a week (45 min/session, while the active control group (n = 16 played three different computer games for the same period. Both groups underwent extensive pre- and post-testing and a 1-year follow-up. Compared to the controls, the training group showed significant improvements on the trained tasks. Evidence for near transfer in the training group was very limited, as it was seen only on overall accuracy on an untrained computerized set shifting task. No far transfer to other cognitive functions was observed. One year later, the training group was still better on the trained tasks but the single near transfer effect had vanished. The results suggest that computerized set shifting training in the elderly shows long-lasting effects on the trained tasks but very little benefit in terms of generalization.

  15. Solvent Effects on Oxygen-17 Chemical Shifts in Amides. Quantitative Linear Solvation Shift Relationships

    Science.gov (United States)

    Díez, Ernesto; Fabián, Jesús San; Gerothanassis, Ioannis P.; Esteban, Angel L.; Abboud, José-Luis M.; Contreras, Ruben H.; de Kowalewski, Dora G.

    1997-01-01

    A multiple-linear-regression analysis (MLRA) has been carried out using the Kamlet-Abboud-Taft (KAT) solvatochromic parameters in order to elucidate and quantify the solvent effects on the17O chemical shifts ofN-methylformamide (NMF),N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF),N-methylacetamide (NMA), andN,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA). The chemical shifts of the four molecules show the same dependence (in ppm) on the solvent polarity-polarizability, i.e., -22π*. The influence of the solvent hydrogen-bond-donor (HBD) acidities is slightly larger for the acetamides NMA and DMA, i.e., -48α, than for the formamides NMF and DMF, i.e., -42α. The influence of the solvent hydrogen-bond-acceptor (HBA) basicities is negligible for the nonprotic molecules DMF and DMA but significant for the protic molecules NMF and NMA, i.e., -9β. The effect of substituting the N-H hydrogen by a methyl group amounts to -5.9 ppm in NMF and 5.4 ppm in NMA. The effect of substituting the O=C-H hydrogen amounts to 5.5 ppm in NMF and 16.8 ppm in DMF. The model of specific hydration sites of amides by I. P. Gerothanassis and C. Vakka [J. Org. Chem.59,2341 (1994)] is settled in a more quantitative basis and the model by M. I. Burgar, T. E. St. Amour, and D. Fiat [J. Phys. Chem.85,502 (1981)] is critically evaluated.17O hydration shifts have been calculated for formamide (FOR) by the ab initio LORG method at the 6-31G* level. For a formamide surrounded by the four in-plane molecules of water in the first hydration shell, the calculated17O shift change due to the four hydrogen bonds, -83.2 ppm, is smaller than the empirical hydration shift, -100 ppm. The17O shift change from each out-of-plane water molecule hydrogen-bonded to the amide oxygen is -18.0 ppm. These LORG results support the conclusion that no more than four water molecules are hydrogen-bonded to the amide oxygen in formamide.

  16. Association between exposure to rotating night shift versus day shift using levels of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin and cortisol and other sex hormones in women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gómez-Acebo, Inés; Dierssen-Sotos, Trinidad; Papantoniou, Kyriaki; García-Unzueta, María Teresa; Santos-Benito, María Francisca; Llorca, Javier

    2015-02-01

    The present study aims to compare 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) secretion patterns and levels of cortisol and sex hormones (estradiol, progesterone, DHEA, DHEAS, and testosterone) among rotating night-shift workers and day-shift workers. We performed a cross-sectional study in Cantabria (northern Spain) including 136 women (73 day-shift workers and 63 rotating night-shift workers). Blood and urine samples were obtained after two consecutive working days. Differences in means were estimated using ANCOVA, stratified by menopausal status, ovulation phase, and adjusted for season, age, body mass index, consumption of cigarettes in the last 24 h. aMT6s circadian rhythm was analyzed using the cosinor analysis. The present study showed that rotating night-shift workers had lower excretion of aMT6s than day-shift workers (mesor = 50.26 ng aMT6s/mg creatinine in women with rotating night shift versus 88.79 ng aMT6s/mg creatinine in women with day shift), lower fluctuation (amplitude = 45.24 ng aMT6s/mg creatinine in rotating night-shift workers versus 79.71 ng aMT6s/mg creatinine in day-shift workers), and a later acrophase (aMT6s peak time: 08:31 in rotating night-shift workers versus 07:13 h in day-shift workers). Additionally, women with rotating night shift had higher estradiol and progesterone levels, compared to day workers, especially in the follicular phase on the menstrual cycle.

  17. Conformational analysis of the chemical shifts for molecules containing diastereotopic methylene protons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borowski, Piotr

    2012-01-01

    Quantum chemistry SCF/GIAO calculations were carried out on a set of compounds containing diastereotopic protons. Five molecules, including recently synthesized 1,3-di(2,3-epoxypropoxy)benzene, containing the chiral or pro-chiral center and the neighboring methylene group, were chosen. The rotational averages (i.e. normalized averages with respect to the rotation about the torsional angle τ with the exponential energy weight at temperature T) calculated individually for each of the methylene protons in 1,3-di(2,3-epoxypropoxy)benzene differ by ca. 0.6 ppm, which is significantly less than the value calculated for the lowest energy conformer. This value turned out to be low enough to guarantee the proper ordering of theoretical chemical shifts, supporting the interpretation of the 1H NMR spectrum of this important compound. The rotational averages of chemical shifts for methylene protons for a given type of conformer are shown to be essentially equal to the Boltzmann averages (here, the population-weighted averages for the individual conformers representing minima on the E( τ) cross-section). The calculated Boltzmann averages in the representative conformational space may exhibit completely different ordering as compared to the chemical shifts calculated for the lowest-energy conformer. This is especially true in the case of molecules, for which no significant steric effects are present. In this case, only Boltzmann averages account for the experimental pattern of proton signals. In addition, better overall agreement with experiment (lower value of the root-mean-square deviation between calculated and measured chemical shifts) is typically obtained when Boltzmann averages are used.

  18. Dynamic two state stochastic models for ecological regime shifts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller, Jan Kloppenborg; Carstensen, Niels Jacob; Madsen, Henrik

    2009-01-01

    of the model illustrates that hysteresis effect and regime shifts can be obtained for a limited range of parameter values only. The effect of multiplicative noise components entering at different levels of the model is presented and discussed. Including noise leads to very different results on the stability...

  19. Comparison of Schwinger and Kohn variational phase shift calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Callaway, I.

    1980-01-01

    Numerical calculations of the l = 0 phase shift for an attractive Yukawa potential are reported using Schwinger and Kohn (type) variational methods. Accurate values can be obtained from both procedures, but when the same basis set of short range functions is used, the Kohn procedure gives superior results. (orig.)

  20. Sequential nearest-neighbor effects on computed {sup 13}C{sup {alpha}} chemical shifts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vila, Jorge A. [Cornell University, Baker Laboratory of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (United States); Serrano, Pedro; Wuethrich, Kurt [The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Biology (United States); Scheraga, Harold A., E-mail: has5@cornell.ed [Cornell University, Baker Laboratory of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (United States)

    2010-09-15

    To evaluate sequential nearest-neighbor effects on quantum-chemical calculations of {sup 13}C{sup {alpha}} chemical shifts, we selected the structure of the nucleic acid binding (NAB) protein from the SARS coronavirus determined by NMR in solution (PDB id 2K87). NAB is a 116-residue {alpha}/{beta} protein, which contains 9 prolines and has 50% of its residues located in loops and turns. Overall, the results presented here show that sizeable nearest-neighbor effects are seen only for residues preceding proline, where Pro introduces an overestimation, on average, of 1.73 ppm in the computed {sup 13}C{sup {alpha}} chemical shifts. A new ensemble of 20 conformers representing the NMR structure of the NAB, which was calculated with an input containing backbone torsion angle constraints derived from the theoretical {sup 13}C{sup {alpha}} chemical shifts as supplementary data to the NOE distance constraints, exhibits very similar topology and comparable agreement with the NOE constraints as the published NMR structure. However, the two structures differ in the patterns of differences between observed and computed {sup 13}C{sup {alpha}} chemical shifts, {Delta}{sub ca,i}, for the individual residues along the sequence. This indicates that the {Delta}{sub ca,i} -values for the NAB protein are primarily a consequence of the limited sampling by the bundles of 20 conformers used, as in common practice, to represent the two NMR structures, rather than of local flaws in the structures.

  1. Generational shifts in managerial values and the coming of a global business culture

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Hoorn, A.A.J.

    2013-01-01

    In a globalizing world, cross-national differences in values and business culture and understanding these differences become increasingly central to a range of managerial issues. Studies of cultural (dis)similarities in the values of managers (so-called managerial values) and the development of a

  2. Temporal dynamics of circadian phase shifting response to consecutive night shifts in healthcare workers: role of light-dark exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stone, Julia E; Sletten, Tracey L; Magee, Michelle; Ganesan, Saranea; Mulhall, Megan D; Collins, Allison; Howard, Mark; Lockley, Steven W; Rajaratnam, Shantha M W

    2018-03-28

    Shift work is highly prevalent and is associated with significant adverse health impacts. There is substantial inter-individual variability in the way the circadian clock responds to changing shift cycles. The mechanisms underlying this variability are not well understood. We tested the hypothesis that light-dark exposure is a significant contributor to this variability; when combined with diurnal preference, the relative timing of light exposure accounted for 71% of individual variability in circadian phase response to night shift work. These results will drive development of personalised approaches to manage circadian disruption among shift workers and other vulnerable populations to potentially reduce the increased risk of disease in these populations. Night shift workers show highly variable rates of circadian adaptation. This study examined the relationship between light exposure patterns and the magnitude of circadian phase resetting in response to night shift work. In 21 participants (nursing and medical staff in an intensive care unit) circadian phase was measured using 6-sulphatoxymelatonin at baseline (day/evening shifts or days off) and after 3-4 consecutive night shifts. Daily light exposure was examined relative to individual circadian phase to quantify light intensity in the phase delay and phase advance portions of the light phase response curve (PRC). There was substantial inter-individual variability in the direction and magnitude of phase shift after three or four consecutive night shifts (mean phase delay -1:08 ± 1:31 h; range -3:43 h delay to +3:07 h phase advance). The relative difference in the distribution of light relative to the PRC combined with diurnal preference accounted for 71% of the variability in phase shift. Regression analysis incorporating these factors estimated phase shift to within ±60 min in 85% of participants. No participants met criteria for partial adaptation to night work after three or four consecutive night

  3. Comparison of menstrual disorders in hospital nursing staff according to shift work pattern.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albert-Sabater, Josep Amílcar; Martínez, José Miguel; Baste, Valborg; Moen, Bente E; Ronda-Perez, Elena

    2016-11-01

    To assess the association between work in a rotating shift schedule and menstruation characteristics among nurse staff in a prospective study. Rotating shifts have been linked to alterations in the reproductive cycle. In the case of menstrual alterations, the conclusions are not clear. Prospective epidemiological study with follow-up over four months. All the female nurse staff (shifts and characteristics of their menstruation (duration, amount of blood, dysmenorrhoea). They had two types of shifts: (1) Rotating shift schedule (two mornings, two afternoons, one night and two days off) including morning shifts (8:00-15:00), afternoon/evening shifts (15:00-22:00) and night shifts (22:00-8:00), and (2) Day shift schedule including morning shifts (8:00-15:00) and/or afternoon/evening shifts (15:00-22:00). The crude and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence interval were calculated using logistic generalised estimating equations (GEE) taking into account the correlations of multiple cycles per worker. One hundred and thirteen workers on the rotating shift and 75 on the day shift participated, and information from 730 menstrual cycles were obtained. There were no differences in prolonged duration, dysmenorrhoea, prolonged duration dysmenorrhoea and excessive bleeding among nurses on rotating shift compared to those on the day shift. For prolonged duration of menstruation, workers with more than five years on the rotating shift showed a slightly lower (nonsignificant) risk compared with those with shift did not show increased risk of having menstrual disorders comparing with day staff. Shifts with short rotation cycles and a progressive sequence do not appear to cause menstrual disorders in nurse staff who work rotating shifts. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. The relative importance of fluid and kinetic frequency shifts of an electron plasma wave

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winjum, B. J.; Fahlen, J.; Mori, W. B.

    2007-01-01

    The total nonlinear frequency shift of a plasma wave including both fluid and kinetic effects is estimated when the phase velocity of the wave is much less than the speed of light. Using a waterbag or fluid model, the nonlinear frequency shift due to harmonic generation is calculated for an arbitrary shift in the wavenumber. In the limit where the wavenumber does not shift, the result is in agreement with previously published work [R. L. Dewar and J. Lindl, Phys. Fluids 15, 820 (1972); T. P. Coffey, ibid. 14, 1402 (1971)]. This shift is compared to the kinetic shift of Morales and O'Neil [G. J. Morales and T. M. O'Neil, Phys. Rev. Lett. 28, 417 (1972)] for wave amplitudes and values of kλ D of interest to Raman backscatter of a laser driver in inertial confinement fusion

  5. The relative importance of fluid and kinetic frequency shifts of an electron plasma wave

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winjum, B. J.; Fahlen, J.; Mori, W. B.

    2007-10-01

    The total nonlinear frequency shift of a plasma wave including both fluid and kinetic effects is estimated when the phase velocity of the wave is much less than the speed of light. Using a waterbag or fluid model, the nonlinear frequency shift due to harmonic generation is calculated for an arbitrary shift in the wavenumber. In the limit where the wavenumber does not shift, the result is in agreement with previously published work [R. L. Dewar and J. Lindl, Phys. Fluids 15, 820 (1972); T. P. Coffey, Phys. Fluids 14, 1402 (1971)]. This shift is compared to the kinetic shift of Morales and O'Neil [G. J. Morales and T. M. O'Neil, Phys. Rev. Lett. 28, 417 (1972)] for wave amplitudes and values of kλD of interest to Raman backscatter of a laser driver in inertial confinement fusion.

  6. Shifted one-parameter supersymmetric family of quartic asymmetric double-well potentials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosu, Haret C.; Mancas, Stefan C.; Chen, Pisin

    2014-01-01

    Extending our previous work (Rosu, 2014), we define supersymmetric partner potentials through a particular Riccati solution of the form F(x)=(x−c) 2 −1, where c is a real shift parameter, and work out the quartic double-well family of one-parameter isospectral potentials obtained by using the corresponding general Riccati solution. For these parametric double well potentials, we study how the localization properties of the two wells depend on the parameter of the potentials for various values of the shifting parameter. We also consider the supersymmetric parametric family of the first double-well potential in the Razavy chain of double well potentials corresponding to F(x)=1/2 sinh2x−2((1+√(2))sinh2x)/((1+√(2))cosh2x+1) , both unshifted and shifted, to test and compare the localization properties. - Highlights: • Quartic one-parameter DWs with an additional shift parameter are introduced. • Anomalous localization feature of their zero modes is confirmed at different shifts. • Razavy one-parameter DWs are also introduced and shown not to have this feature

  7. Shifted one-parameter supersymmetric family of quartic asymmetric double-well potentials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosu, Haret C., E-mail: hcr@ipicyt.edu.mx [IPICYT, Instituto Potosino de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica, Camino a la presa San José 2055, Col. Lomas 4a Sección, 78216 San Luis Potosí, S.L.P. (Mexico); Mancas, Stefan C., E-mail: mancass@erau.edu [Department of Mathematics, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL 32114-3900 (United States); Chen, Pisin, E-mail: pisinchen@phys.ntu.edu.tw [Leung Center for Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics (LeCosPA) and Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China)

    2014-10-15

    Extending our previous work (Rosu, 2014), we define supersymmetric partner potentials through a particular Riccati solution of the form F(x)=(x−c){sup 2}−1, where c is a real shift parameter, and work out the quartic double-well family of one-parameter isospectral potentials obtained by using the corresponding general Riccati solution. For these parametric double well potentials, we study how the localization properties of the two wells depend on the parameter of the potentials for various values of the shifting parameter. We also consider the supersymmetric parametric family of the first double-well potential in the Razavy chain of double well potentials corresponding to F(x)=1/2 sinh2x−2((1+√(2))sinh2x)/((1+√(2))cosh2x+1) , both unshifted and shifted, to test and compare the localization properties. - Highlights: • Quartic one-parameter DWs with an additional shift parameter are introduced. • Anomalous localization feature of their zero modes is confirmed at different shifts. • Razavy one-parameter DWs are also introduced and shown not to have this feature.

  8. Identifying secondary structures in proteins using NMR chemical shift 3D correlation maps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumari, Amrita; Dorai, Kavita

    2013-06-01

    NMR chemical shifts are accurate indicators of molecular environment and have been extensively used as aids in protein structure determination. This work focuses on creating empirical 3D correlation maps of backbone chemical shift nuclei for use as identifiers of secondary structure elements in proteins. A correlated database of backbone nuclei chemical shifts was constructed from experimental structural data gathered from entries in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) as well as isotropic chemical shift values from the RefDB database. Rigorous statistical analysis of the maps led to the conclusion that specific correlations between triplets of backbone chemical shifts are best able to differentiate between different secondary structures such as α-helices, β-strands and turns. The method is compared with similar techniques that use NMR chemical shift information as aids in biomolecular structure determination and performs well in tests done on experimental data determined for different types of proteins, including large multi-domain proteins and membrane proteins.

  9. Molecular-level mechanisms of vibrational frequency shifts in a polar liquid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morales, Christine M; Thompson, Ward H

    2011-06-16

    A molecular-level analysis of the origins of the vibrational frequency shifts of the CN stretching mode in neat liquid acetonitrile is presented. The frequency shifts and infrared spectrum are calculated using a perturbation theory approach within a molecular dynamics simulation and are in good agreement with measured values reported in the literature. The resulting instantaneous frequency of each nitrile group is decomposed into the contributions from each molecule in the liquid and by interaction type. This provides a detailed picture of the mechanisms of frequency shifts, including the number of surrounding molecules that contribute to the shift, the relationship between their position and relative contribution, and the roles of electrostatic and van der Waals interactions. These results provide insight into what information is contained in infrared (IR) and Raman spectra about the environment of the probed vibrational mode. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  10. Hepatic fat quantification using automated six-point Dixon: Comparison with conventional chemical shift based sequences and computed tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimizu, Kie; Namimoto, Tomohiro; Nakagawa, Masataka; Morita, Kosuke; Oda, Seitaro; Nakaura, Takeshi; Utsunomiya, Daisuke; Yamashita, Yasuyuki

    To compare automated six-point Dixon (6-p-Dixon) MRI comparing with dual-echo chemical-shift-imaging (CSI) and CT for hepatic fat fraction in phantoms and clinical study. Phantoms and fifty-nine patients were examined both MRI and CT for quantitative fat measurements. In phantom study, linear regression between fat concentration and 6-p-Dixon showed good agreement. In clinical study, linear regression between 6-p-Dixon and dual-echo CSI showed good agreement. CT attenuation value was strongly correlated with 6-p-Dixon (R 2 =0.852; PDixon and dual-echo CSI were accurate correlation with CT attenuation value of liver parenchyma. 6-p-Dixon has the potential for automated hepatic fat quantification. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Host Plant Physiology and Mycorrhizal Functioning Shift across a Glacial through Future [CO2] Gradient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becklin, Katie M; Mullinix, George W R; Ward, Joy K

    2016-10-01

    Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO 2 ]) may modulate the functioning of mycorrhizal associations by altering the relative degree of nutrient and carbohydrate limitations in plants. To test this, we grew Taraxacum ceratophorum and Taraxacum officinale (native and exotic dandelions) with and without mycorrhizal fungi across a broad [CO 2 ] gradient (180-1,000 µL L -1 ). Differential plant growth rates and vegetative plasticity were hypothesized to drive species-specific responses to [CO 2 ] and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. To evaluate [CO 2 ] effects on mycorrhizal functioning, we calculated response ratios based on the relative biomass of mycorrhizal (M Bio ) and nonmycorrhizal (NM Bio ) plants (R Bio = [M Bio - NM Bio ]/NM Bio ). We then assessed linkages between R Bio and host physiology, fungal growth, and biomass allocation using structural equation modeling. For T. officinale, R Bio increased with rising [CO 2 ], shifting from negative to positive values at 700 µL L -1 [CO 2 ] and mycorrhizal effects on photosynthesis and leaf growth rates drove shifts in R Bio in this species. For T. ceratophorum, R Bio increased from 180 to 390 µL L -1 and further increases in [CO 2 ] caused R Bio to shift from positive to negative values. [CO 2 ] and fungal effects on plant growth and carbon sink strength were correlated with shifts in R Bio in this species. Overall, we show that rising [CO 2 ] significantly altered the functioning of mycorrhizal associations. These symbioses became more beneficial with rising [CO 2 ], but nonlinear effects may limit plant responses to mycorrhizal fungi under future [CO 2 ]. The magnitude and mechanisms driving mycorrhizal-CO 2 responses reflected species-specific differences in growth rate and vegetative plasticity, indicating that these traits may provide a framework for predicting mycorrhizal responses to global change. © 2016 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

  12. Shifting schedules: the health effects of reorganizing shift work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bambra, Clare L; Whitehead, Margaret M; Sowden, Amanda J; Akers, Joanne; Petticrew, Mark P

    2008-05-01

    Approximately one fifth of workers are engaged in some kind of shift work. The harmful effects of shift work on the health and work-life balance of employees are well known. A range of organizational interventions has been suggested to address these negative effects. This study undertook the systematic review (following Quality Of Reporting Of Meta [QUORUM] analyses guidelines) of experimental and quasi-experimental studies, from any country (in any language) that evaluated the effects on health and work-life balance of organizational-level interventions that redesign shift work schedules. Twenty-seven electronic databases (medical, social science, economic) were searched. Data extraction and quality appraisal were carried out by two independent reviewers. Narrative synthesis was performed. The review was conducted between October 2005 and November 2006. Twenty-six studies were found relating to a variety of organizational interventions. No one type of intervention was found to be consistently harmful to workers. However, three types were found to have beneficial effects on health and work-life balance: (1) switching from slow to fast rotation, (2) changing from backward to forward rotation, and (3) self-scheduling of shifts. Improvements were usually at little or no direct organizational cost. However, there were concerns about the generalizability of the evidence, and no studies reported on impacts on health inequalities. This review reinforces the findings of epidemiologic and laboratory-based research by suggesting that certain organizational-level interventions can improve the health of shift workers, their work-life balance, or both. This evidence could be useful when designing interventions to improve the experience of shift work.

  13. TIPS (trigger an IIF paradigm shift)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kilcup, P.E. Glen [Intel Corporation, MS: F9-016, 4100 Sara Road, Rio Rancho, NM 87124 (United States)]. E-mail: glen.w.kilcup@intel.com; Hickox, Dick [Intel Corporation, MS: F9-016, 4100 Sara Road, Rio Rancho, NM 87124 (United States); Reynaga, Adolfo [Intel Corporation, MS: F9-016, 4100 Sara Road, Rio Rancho, NM 87124 (United States)

    2007-04-11

    Challenge: New Mexico Corporate Services (NMCS) recordable injuries have been averaging 2-4 per year for the last 5 years with no statistical improvement. However, we believe all NM employees must go home incident and injury free every day and just as healthy as they came to work. In addition, we have received feedback from several sources, that indicates some employees are reluctant to report injuries. These indicators showed us that continuing our current strategies, making incremental improvement and changes, would not give us the improvement desired. We needed a paradigm shift to get everyone completely engaged in the IIF (Incident and Injury Free) culture, in order to achieve true IIF results. Methods/Strategies: We formed a small (3-person) taskforce consisting of safety representatives from EHS, Site Services and CS Operations. We reviewed 5 years worth of data to determine what was injuring our people. We also decided to review all injuries, not simply those classified as recordable by OSHA standards. First we identified the types of injury information needed to get a true picture of our safety issues. We analyzed IRB (Incident Review Board) data showing us the following factors and whether any of them contributed to the injury: - Date - Incident Description - Severity - Root Cause - Type of Injury - Season - Work Group/Shift - Area - Improper evaluation of hazard - Inadequate work procedures - Incorrect Mental Model - Inadequate PPE Requirement - Failure to Follow or Unaware of PPE Requirement - Shortcut or Schedule Pressure - Last or First Day of Shift or Adjacent to Holiday - OT - Aggravate Existing Condition - Inadequate Training or Passdown - Experience in Task - Corrective Action Taken - Overall Quality of Response. Once this information was collected for all injuries in an Excel file, we graphed it several ways to help reveal trends: - Shift 7 had double the injuries of shift 5 - Night shift injuries were relatively high but lower than Shift 7 -Shift

  14. TIPS (trigger an IIF paradigm shift)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kilcup, P.E. Glen; Hickox, Dick; Reynaga, Adolfo

    2007-01-01

    Challenge: New Mexico Corporate Services (NMCS) recordable injuries have been averaging 2-4 per year for the last 5 years with no statistical improvement. However, we believe all NM employees must go home incident and injury free every day and just as healthy as they came to work. In addition, we have received feedback from several sources, that indicates some employees are reluctant to report injuries. These indicators showed us that continuing our current strategies, making incremental improvement and changes, would not give us the improvement desired. We needed a paradigm shift to get everyone completely engaged in the IIF (Incident and Injury Free) culture, in order to achieve true IIF results. Methods/Strategies: We formed a small (3-person) taskforce consisting of safety representatives from EHS, Site Services and CS Operations. We reviewed 5 years worth of data to determine what was injuring our people. We also decided to review all injuries, not simply those classified as recordable by OSHA standards. First we identified the types of injury information needed to get a true picture of our safety issues. We analyzed IRB (Incident Review Board) data showing us the following factors and whether any of them contributed to the injury: - Date - Incident Description - Severity - Root Cause - Type of Injury - Season - Work Group/Shift - Area - Improper evaluation of hazard - Inadequate work procedures - Incorrect Mental Model - Inadequate PPE Requirement - Failure to Follow or Unaware of PPE Requirement - Shortcut or Schedule Pressure - Last or First Day of Shift or Adjacent to Holiday - OT - Aggravate Existing Condition - Inadequate Training or Passdown - Experience in Task - Corrective Action Taken - Overall Quality of Response. Once this information was collected for all injuries in an Excel file, we graphed it several ways to help reveal trends: - Shift 7 had double the injuries of shift 5 - Night shift injuries were relatively high but lower than Shift 7 -Shift

  15. TIPS (trigger an IIF paradigm shift).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilcup P E, Glen; Hickox, Dick; Reynaga, Adolfo

    2007-04-11

    New Mexico Corporate Services (NMCS) recordable injuries have been averaging 2-4 per year for the last 5 years with no statistical improvement. However, we believe all NM employees must go home incident and injury free every day and just as healthy as they came to work. In addition, we have received feedback from several sources, that indicates some employees are reluctant to report injuries. These indicators showed us that continuing our current strategies, making incremental improvement and changes, would not give us the improvement desired. We needed a paradigm shift to get everyone completely engaged in the IIF (Incident & Injury Free) culture, in order to achieve true IIF results. We formed a small (3-person) taskforce consisting of safety representatives from EHS, Site Services and CS Operations. We reviewed 5 years worth of data to determine what was injuring our people. We also decided to review all injuries, not simply those classified as recordable by OSHA standards. First we identified the types of injury information needed to get a true picture of our safety issues. We analyzed IRB (Incident Review Board) data showing us the following factors and whether any of them contributed to the injury: - Date - Incident Description - Severity - Root Cause - Type of Injury - Season - Work Group/Shift - Area - Improper evaluation of hazard - Inadequate work procedures - Incorrect Mental Model - Inadequate PPE Requirement - Failure to Follow or Unaware of PPE Requirement - Shortcut or Schedule Pressure - Last or First Day of Shift or Adjacent to Holiday - OT - Aggravate Existing Condition - Inadequate Training or Passdown - Experience in Task - Corrective Action Taken - Overall Quality of Response. Once this information was collected for all injuries in an Excel file, we graphed it several ways to help reveal trends: Shift 7 had double the injuries of shift 5. Night shift injuries were relatively high but lower than Shift 7. Shift 5 had no severe (recordable

  16. Fringe Analysis around an Inclined Crack Tip of Finite-Width Plate under Tensile Load by Photoelastic Phase-Shifting Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Weizheng; Baek, Tae Hyun; Lee, Byung Hee; Seo, Jin; Hong, Dong Pyo

    2012-01-01

    Photoelasticity is a technique of experimental methods and has been widely used in various domains of engineering to determine the stress distribution of structures. Without complicated mathematical formulation, this technique can conveniently provide a fairly accurate whole-field stress analysis for a mechanical structure. Here, stress distribution around an inclined crack tip of finite-width plate is studied by 8-step phase-shifting method. This method is a kind of photoelastic phase-shifting techniques and can be used for the determination of the phase values of isochromatics and isoclinics. According to stress-optic law, the stress distribution could be obtained from fringe patterns. The results obtained by polariscope arrangement combined with 8-step method and ABAQUS FEM simulations are compared with each other. Good agreement between them shows that 8-step phase-shifting method is reliable and can be used for determination of stress by experiment

  17. Calculation of relativistic and isotope shifts in Mg I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berengut, J.C.; Flambaum, V.V.; Kozlov, M.G.

    2005-01-01

    We present an ab initio method of calculation of the isotope and relativistic shifts in atoms with a few valence electrons. It is based on an energy calculation involving the combination of the configuration-interaction method and many-body perturbation theory. This work is motivated by analyses of quasar absorption spectra that suggest that the fine-structure constant α was smaller at an early epoch. Relativistic shifts are needed to measure this variation of α, while isotope shifts are needed to resolve systematic effects in this study. The isotope shifts can also be used to measure isotopic abundances in gas clouds in the early universe, which are needed to study nuclear reactions in stars and supernovae and test models of chemical evolution. This paper shows that the isotope shift in magnesium can be calculated to very high precision using our method

  18. Tunneling-induced shift of the cutoff law for high-order above-threshold ionization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lai, X. Y.; Quan, W.; Liu, X.

    2011-01-01

    We investigate the cutoff law for high-order above-threshold ionization (HATI) within a semiclassical framework. By explicitly adopting the tunneling effect and considering the initial position shift of the tunneled electron from the origin in the model, the cutoff energy position in HATI spectrum exhibits a well-defined upshift from the simple-man model prediction. The comparison between numerical results from our improved semiclassical model and the quantum-orbit theory shows a good agreement for small values of the Keldysh parameter γ, implying the important role of the inherent quantum tunneling effect in HATI dynamics.

  19. Uncertainty of Monetary Valued Ecosystem Services - Value Transfer Functions for Global Mapping.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefan Schmidt

    Full Text Available Growing demand of resources increases pressure on ecosystem services (ES and biodiversity. Monetary valuation of ES is frequently seen as a decision-support tool by providing explicit values for unconsidered, non-market goods and services. Here we present global value transfer functions by using a meta-analytic framework for the synthesis of 194 case studies capturing 839 monetary values of ES. For 12 ES the variance of monetary values could be explained with a subset of 93 study- and site-specific variables by utilizing boosted regression trees. This provides the first global quantification of uncertainties and transferability of monetary valuations. Models explain from 18% (water provision to 44% (food provision of variance and provide statistically reliable extrapolations for 70% (water provision to 91% (food provision of the terrestrial earth surface. Although the application of different valuation methods is a source of uncertainty, we found evidence that assuming homogeneity of ecosystems is a major error in value transfer function models. Food provision is positively correlated with better life domains and variables indicating positive conditions for human well-being. Water provision and recreation service show that weak ownerships affect valuation of other common goods negatively (e.g. non-privately owned forests. Furthermore, we found support for the shifting baseline hypothesis in valuing climate regulation. Ecological conditions and societal vulnerability determine valuation of extreme event prevention. Valuation of habitat services is negatively correlated with indicators characterizing less favorable areas. Our analysis represents a stepping stone to establish a standardized integration of and reporting on uncertainties for reliable and valid benefit transfer as an important component for decision support.

  20. Effect of Phase Shift in Dual-Rail Perfect State Transfer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Zhao-Ming; Zhang Zhong-Jun; Gu Yong-Jian

    2014-01-01

    We investigate the effect of phase shift on the perfect state transfer through two parallel one-dimensional ring-shaped spin chains. We find that the total success probability can be significantly enhanced by phase shift control when the communication channel consists of two odd chains. The average time to gain unit success probability is discussed, showing that a proper phase shift can be used to enhance the efficiency of state transmission. (general)

  1. Accurate atom-solid kinetic energy shifts from the simultaneous measurement of the KLL Auger spectra for Na, Mg, Al and Si

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aksela, S; Turunen, P; Kantia, T; Aksela, H

    2011-01-01

    KLL Auger-energy shifts between free atoms and their solid surfaces were determined from spectra measured simultaneously in identical experimental conditions. Essentially, the shift values obtained for Na, Mg, Al and Si were more accurate than those achieved by combining the results from separate vapour and solid measurements. Using atomic Auger energies and determined shifts, reliable absolute solid state Auger energies with respect to the vacuum level were also obtained. Experimental shift values were also compared with calculations obtained with the excited atom model. 2s and 2p binding energy shifts were estimated from recent high resolution and due to open shell strongly split vapour phase spectra and corresponding published solid state results. Also, the question of the extent to which the 2s and 2p shifts deviate has been discussed here. (paper)

  2. Josephson shift registers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Przybysz, J.X.

    1989-01-01

    This paper gives a review of Josephson shift register circuits that were designed, fabricated, or tested, with emphasis on work in the 1980s. Operating speed is most important, since it often limits system performance. Older designs used square-wave clocks, but most modern designs use offset sine waves, with either two or three phases. Operating margins and gate bias uniformity are key concerns. The fastest measured Josephson shift register operated at 2.3 GHz, which compares well with a GaAs shift register that consumes 250 times more power. The difficulties of high-speed testing have prevented many Josephson shift registers from being operated at their highest speeds. Computer simulations suggest that 30-GHz operation is possible with current Nb/Al 2 O 3 /Nb technology. Junctions with critical current densities near 10 kA/cm 2 would make 100-GHz shift registers feasible

  3. The impact of chronotype on melatonin levels among shift workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhatti, Parveen; Mirick, Dana K; Davis, Scott

    2014-03-01

    The association between shift work and cancer, which is thought to be mediated by effects on circulating melatonin levels, may be modified by chronotype (ie, the inherent preference for activity in the morning or the evening); however, few studies have examined the potential impact of chronotype on the carcinogenic effects of shift work. The authors analysed the impact of chronotype on previously reported differences in melatonin levels among healthcare workers that exclusively worked night or day shifts. The cross-sectional study included 664 men and women (310 day shift and 354 night shift workers) from which urine samples were collected throughout work and sleep periods and were assayed for 6-sulfatoxymelatonin. Participants also completed the Composite Scale of Morningness, a questionnaire used to assess chronotype. Among both morning and evening-type night shift workers, 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels were constitutively lower during daytime sleep, night-time sleep and night work compared with day shift workers during night-time sleep. However, morning-type night shift workers consistently showed 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels that were closer to levels in day shift workers than did evening-type night shift workers. Differences in 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels between morning-type and evening-type night shift workers relative to day shift workers were statistically significant in every instance (pnight shift workers may be better able to maintain a 'normal' circadian pattern of melatonin production as compared with evening-type night shift workers. The impact of this chronotype effect on cancer risk among shift workers requires further study.

  4. Cortisol, reaction time test and health among offshore shift workers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harris, Anette; Waage, Siri; Ursin, Holger

    2010-01-01

    The stress hormone cortisol shows a pronounced endogenous diurnal rhythm, which is affected by the sleep/wake cycle, meals and activity. Shift work and especially night work disrupts the sleep/wake cycle and causes a desynchronization of the natural biological rhythms. Therefore, different shift...

  5. Individual differences in the cortisol-awakening response during the first two years of shift work: A longitudinal study in novice police officers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lammers-van der Holst, Heidi M; Kerkhof, Gerard A

    2015-01-01

    Cortisol acts as a critical biological intermediary through which chronic stressors like shift work impact upon multiple physiological, neuro-endocrine and hormonal functions. Therefore, the cortisol awakening response (CAR) is suggested as a prime index of shift work tolerance. Repeated assessments of the CAR (calculated as MnInc) in a group of 25 young novice police officers showed that in the interval between about 4 and 14 months after transitioning from regular day work to rotating shift work, mean values began to rise from baseline to significantly higher levels at about 14 months after they commenced shift work. Visual inspection of the individual trends revealed that a subgroup of 10 subjects followed a monotonically rising trend, whereas another 14 subjects, after an initial rise from about 4-14 months, reverted to a smaller, baseline level cortisol response at about 20 months after the start of shift work. If the initial increase in the cortisol response marks the development of a chronic stress response, the subsequent reversal to baseline levels in the subgroup of 14 participants might be indicative of a process of recovery, possibly the development of shift work tolerance.

  6. Cation substitution induced blue-shift of optical band gap

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Cation substitution induced blue-shift of optical band gap in nanocrystalline Zn ( 1 − x ) Ca x O thin films deposited by sol–gel dip coating technique ... thin films giving 13.03% enhancement in theenergy gap value due to the electronic perturbation caused by cation substitution as well as deterioration in crystallinity.

  7. The altered ecology of Lake Christina: A record of regime shifts, land-use change, and management from a temperate shallow lake

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Theissen, Kevin M.; Hobbs, William O.; Hobbs, Joy M. Ramstack; Zimmer, Kyle D.; Domine, Leah M.; Cotner, James B.; Sugita, Shinya

    2012-01-01

    We collected two sediment cores and modern submerged aquatic plants and phytoplankton from two sub-basins of Lake Christina, a large shallow lake in west-central Minnesota, and used stable isotopic and elemental proxies from sedimentary organic matter to explore questions about the pre- and post-settlement ecology of the lake. The two morphologically distinct sub-basins vary in their sensitivities to internal and external perturbations offering different paleoecological information. The record from the shallower and much larger western sub-basin reflects its strong response to internal processes, while the smaller and deeper eastern sub-basin record primarily reflects external processes including important post-settlement land-use changes in the area. A significant increase in organic carbon accumulation (3–4 times pre-settlement rates) and long-term trends in δ 13 C, organic carbon to nitrogen ratios (C/N), and biogenic silica concentrations shows that primary production has increased and the lake has become increasingly phytoplankton-dominated in the post-settlement period. Significant shifts in δ 15 N values reflect land-clearing and agricultural practices in the region and support the idea that nutrient inputs have played an important role in triggering changes in the trophic status of the lake. Our examination of hydroclimatic data for the region over the last century suggests that natural forcings on lake ecology have diminished in their importance as human management of the lake increased in the mid-1900s. In the last 50 years, three chemical biomanipulations have temporarily shifted the lake from the turbid, algal-dominated condition into a desired clear water regime. Two of our proxies (δ 13 C and BSi) measured from the higher resolution eastern basin record responded significantly to these known regime shifts. -- Highlights: ► We explore the sediment geochemistry from Lake Christina's two distinct sub-basins. ► Our geochemical data show

  8. Tune-shift with amplitude due to nonlinear kinematic effect

    CERN Document Server

    Wan, W

    1999-01-01

    Tracking studies of the Muon Collider 50 on 50 GeV collider ring show that the on-momentum dynamic aperture is limited to around 10 sigma even with the chromaticity sextupoles turned off. Numerical results from the normal form algorithm show that the tune-shift with amplitude is surprisingly large. Both analytical and numerical results are presented to show that nonlinear kinematic effect originated from the large angles of particles in the interaction region is responsible for the large tune-shift which in turn limits the dynamic aperture. A comparative study of the LHC collider ring is also presented to demonstrate the difference between the two machines. (14 refs).

  9. Threshold secret sharing scheme based on phase-shifting interferometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Xiaopeng; Shi, Zhengang; Wen, Wei

    2016-11-01

    We propose a new method for secret image sharing with the (3,N) threshold scheme based on phase-shifting interferometry. The secret image, which is multiplied with an encryption key in advance, is first encrypted by using Fourier transformation. Then, the encoded image is shared into N shadow images based on the recording principle of phase-shifting interferometry. Based on the reconstruction principle of phase-shifting interferometry, any three or more shadow images can retrieve the secret image, while any two or fewer shadow images cannot obtain any information of the secret image. Thus, a (3,N) threshold secret sharing scheme can be implemented. Compared with our previously reported method, the algorithm of this paper is suited for not only a binary image but also a gray-scale image. Moreover, the proposed algorithm can obtain a larger threshold value t. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method.

  10. Isotope shift studies in the spectra of gadolinium in UV region and term shifts of high even levels of Gd I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Afzal, S.M.; Venugopalan, A.; Ahmad, S.A.

    1997-01-01

    Isotope shift Δσ( 156 Gd- 160 Gd) is reported in 70 spectral lines of neutral gadolinium atom (Gd I) in the 3290-3920 A region providing isotope shift data in UV lines of Gd I spectrum for the first time. The measurements were carried out on a photoelectric recording Fabry-Perot Spectrometer using highly enriched isotopic samples of gadolinium. Term isotope shifts ΔT( 156 Gd- 160 Gd) have been evaluated for 48 high lying even parity energy levels of Gd I using this data; new ΔT values have been obtained for 24 levels. Electronic configurations 4f 7 5d6s6p, 4f 7 5d 2 6p and 4f 8 5d6s assigned earlier to these even levels have been either confirmed or configuration mixing pointed out in some of these levels. Probable assignment of 4f 8 5d6s configuration to 8 even levels between 32930 and 35500 cm -1 have been confirmed. (orig.)

  11. Verification of the shift Monte Carlo code with the C5G7 reactor benchmark

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sly, N. C.; Mervin, B. T.; Mosher, S. W.; Evans, T. M.; Wagner, J. C.; Maldonado, G. I.

    2012-01-01

    Shift is a new hybrid Monte Carlo/deterministic radiation transport code being developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. At its current stage of development, Shift includes a parallel Monte Carlo capability for simulating eigenvalue and fixed-source multigroup transport problems. This paper focuses on recent efforts to verify Shift's Monte Carlo component using the two-dimensional and three-dimensional C5G7 NEA benchmark problems. Comparisons were made between the benchmark eigenvalues and those output by the Shift code. In addition, mesh-based scalar flux tally results generated by Shift were compared to those obtained using MCNP5 on an identical model and tally grid. The Shift-generated eigenvalues were within three standard deviations of the benchmark and MCNP5-1.60 values in all cases. The flux tallies generated by Shift were found to be in very good agreement with those from MCNP. (authors)

  12. Shifting Attention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingram, Jenni

    2014-01-01

    This article examines the shifts in attention and focus as one teacher introduces and explains an image that represents the processes involved in a numeric problem that his students have been working on. This paper takes a micro-analytic approach to examine how the focus of attention shifts through what the teacher and students do and say in the…

  13. Positional shifting of HRCT findings in patients with pulmonary edema

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Young Sun; Choi, Yo Won; Jeon, Seok Chol; Park, Choong Ki; Seo, Heung Suk; Lee, Seung Rho; Hahm, Chang Kok

    2001-01-01

    To assess the value of positional shifting to a gravity-dependent area, as revealed by HRCT, in differentiating pulmonary edema (PE) from other conditions. Sixteen consecutive patients in whom plain radiographs suggested the presence of pulmonary edema but the clinical findings were indefinite underwent HRCT of the lung. For initial scanning they were in the supine position, and then in the prone position. Findings of ground-glass opacity, interlobular septal thickening and peribronchovascular interistitial thickening were analyzed in terms of the presence and degree of shifting to a gravity-dependent area, a grade of high, intermediate or low being assigned. PE was diagnosed in 8 of 16 cases, the remainder being designated as non-pulmonary edema (NPE). Ground-glass opacity was observed in all 16, while the degree of positional shifting was found to be high in ten (PE:NPE=6:4), intermediate in four (PE:NPE=2:2), and low in two (PE:NPE=0:2). There was no significant difference between the two groups (ρ > 0.05). Interlobular septal thickening was observed in all but two NPE cases; the degree of shifting was high in six (PE:NPE=6:0), intermediate in one (PE), and low in seven (PE:NPE=1:6). Shifting was significantly more prominent in PE than in NPE case (ρ <0.05). Peribronchovascular interstitial thickening was positive in all PE cases and one NPE case, with no positional shifting. Positional shifting of interlobular septal thickening to a gravity-dependent area, as demonstrated by HRCT, is the most specific indicator of pulmonary edema

  14. Topicality and Complexity in the Acquisition of Norwegian Object Shift

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderssen, Merete; Bentzen, Kristine; Rodina, Yulia

    2012-01-01

    This article investigates the acquisition of object shift in Norwegian child language. We show that object shift is complex derivationally, distributionally, and referentially, and propose a new analysis in terms of IP-internal topicalization. The results of an elicited production study with 27 monolingual Norwegian-speaking children (ages…

  15. Diversity Dynamics in Nymphalidae Butterflies: Effect of Phylogenetic Uncertainty on Diversification Rate Shift Estimates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peña, Carlos; Espeland, Marianne

    2015-01-01

    The species rich butterfly family Nymphalidae has been used to study evolutionary interactions between plants and insects. Theories of insect-hostplant dynamics predict accelerated diversification due to key innovations. In evolutionary biology, analysis of maximum credibility trees in the software MEDUSA (modelling evolutionary diversity using stepwise AIC) is a popular method for estimation of shifts in diversification rates. We investigated whether phylogenetic uncertainty can produce different results by extending the method across a random sample of trees from the posterior distribution of a Bayesian run. Using the MultiMEDUSA approach, we found that phylogenetic uncertainty greatly affects diversification rate estimates. Different trees produced diversification rates ranging from high values to almost zero for the same clade, and both significant rate increase and decrease in some clades. Only four out of 18 significant shifts found on the maximum clade credibility tree were consistent across most of the sampled trees. Among these, we found accelerated diversification for Ithomiini butterflies. We used the binary speciation and extinction model (BiSSE) and found that a hostplant shift to Solanaceae is correlated with increased net diversification rates in Ithomiini, congruent with the diffuse cospeciation hypothesis. Our results show that taking phylogenetic uncertainty into account when estimating net diversification rate shifts is of great importance, as very different results can be obtained when using the maximum clade credibility tree and other trees from the posterior distribution. PMID:25830910

  16. Diversity dynamics in Nymphalidae butterflies: effect of phylogenetic uncertainty on diversification rate shift estimates.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos Peña

    Full Text Available The species rich butterfly family Nymphalidae has been used to study evolutionary interactions between plants and insects. Theories of insect-hostplant dynamics predict accelerated diversification due to key innovations. In evolutionary biology, analysis of maximum credibility trees in the software MEDUSA (modelling evolutionary diversity using stepwise AIC is a popular method for estimation of shifts in diversification rates. We investigated whether phylogenetic uncertainty can produce different results by extending the method across a random sample of trees from the posterior distribution of a Bayesian run. Using the MultiMEDUSA approach, we found that phylogenetic uncertainty greatly affects diversification rate estimates. Different trees produced diversification rates ranging from high values to almost zero for the same clade, and both significant rate increase and decrease in some clades. Only four out of 18 significant shifts found on the maximum clade credibility tree were consistent across most of the sampled trees. Among these, we found accelerated diversification for Ithomiini butterflies. We used the binary speciation and extinction model (BiSSE and found that a hostplant shift to Solanaceae is correlated with increased net diversification rates in Ithomiini, congruent with the diffuse cospeciation hypothesis. Our results show that taking phylogenetic uncertainty into account when estimating net diversification rate shifts is of great importance, as very different results can be obtained when using the maximum clade credibility tree and other trees from the posterior distribution.

  17. Evaluation of the application of chemical shift for the detection of lipid in brain lesion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lim, C.J. [Department of Biomedical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Ng, K.H., E-mail: ngkh@um.edu.m [Department of Biomedical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Ramli, N.; Azman, R.R. [Department of Biomedical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

    2011-02-15

    Non-invasive detection of the presence of lipids is particularly important in staging of intracranial tumours. Presence of lipid peak in aggressive intracranial tumours has been reported widely using MR spectroscopy. However this method has limitation due to long imaging time and artefacts formed by adjacent bones. Chemical shift MR imaging (with has shorter imaging time) is an alternative method that had been used to detect presence of lipid in vivo by means of signal intensity loss. The purpose of this study was to evaluate gradient echo in- and opposed-phase chemical shift pulse sequences for detection of lipid elements in brain lesion. Ten cylindered phantoms measuring 3 x 3 cm were filled with various mixtures of lipid and water: 0-90% lipid, in 10% step by weight. The gradient echo in- and opposed-phase chemical shift sequences were performed using a 1.5 T MRI (Magnetom Vision, Siemens) with a head coil. In addition, we performed MRI and chemical shift studies on 32 patients with brain lesion. We then analysed the association between out of phase intensity value and classification of the lesions. For phantom containing 50% lipid, maximum signal loss on opposed-phase images was observed. There were significant differences between in- and opposed-phase lipid-water phantom images (P = 0.0054). Most of the benign lesions fall into the positive out of phase intensity value, and malignant lesions fall into negative out of phase intensity value. We conclude that chemical shift artefact can be applied in detecting and characterising lipid elements in brain lesion.

  18. Evaluation of the application of chemical shift for the detection of lipid in brain lesion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, C.J.; Ng, K.H.; Ramli, N.; Azman, R.R.

    2011-01-01

    Non-invasive detection of the presence of lipids is particularly important in staging of intracranial tumours. Presence of lipid peak in aggressive intracranial tumours has been reported widely using MR spectroscopy. However this method has limitation due to long imaging time and artefacts formed by adjacent bones. Chemical shift MR imaging (with has shorter imaging time) is an alternative method that had been used to detect presence of lipid in vivo by means of signal intensity loss. The purpose of this study was to evaluate gradient echo in- and opposed-phase chemical shift pulse sequences for detection of lipid elements in brain lesion. Ten cylindered phantoms measuring 3 x 3 cm were filled with various mixtures of lipid and water: 0-90% lipid, in 10% step by weight. The gradient echo in- and opposed-phase chemical shift sequences were performed using a 1.5 T MRI (Magnetom Vision, Siemens) with a head coil. In addition, we performed MRI and chemical shift studies on 32 patients with brain lesion. We then analysed the association between out of phase intensity value and classification of the lesions. For phantom containing 50% lipid, maximum signal loss on opposed-phase images was observed. There were significant differences between in- and opposed-phase lipid-water phantom images (P = 0.0054). Most of the benign lesions fall into the positive out of phase intensity value, and malignant lesions fall into negative out of phase intensity value. We conclude that chemical shift artefact can be applied in detecting and characterising lipid elements in brain lesion.

  19. SeaQuest/E906 Shift Alarm System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitts, Noah

    2014-09-01

    SeaQuest, Fermilab E906, is a fixed target experiment that measures the Drell-Yan cross-section ratio of proton-proton to proton-deuterium collisions in order to extract the sea anti-quark structure of the proton. SeaQuest will extend the measurements made by E866/NuSea with greater precision at higher Bjorken-x. The continuously running experiment is always being monitored. Those on shift must keep track of all of the detector readouts in order to make sure the experiment is running correctly. As an experiment that is still in its early stages of running, an alarm system for people on shift is being created to provide warnings, such as a plot showing a detector's performance is sufficiently different to need attention. This plan involves python scripts that track live data. When the data shows a problem within the experiment, a corresponding alarm ID is sent to the MySQL database which then sets off an alarm. These alarms, which will alert the person on shift through both an audible and visual response, are important for ensuring that issues do not go unnoticed, and to help make sure the experiment is recording good data.

  20. Energy shift estimation of demand response activation on domestic refrigerators – A field test study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lakshmanan, Venkatachalam; Gudmand-Høyer, Kristian; Marinelli, Mattia

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a method to estimate the amount of energy that can be shifted during demand response (DR) activation on domestic refrigerator. Though there are many methods for DR activation like load reduction, load shifting and onsite generation, the method under study is load shifting....... Electric heating and cooling equipment like refrigerators, water heaters and space heaters and coolers are preferred for such DR activation because of their energy storing capacity. Accurate estimation of available regulating power and energy shift is important to understand the value of DR activation...... at any time. In this paper a novel method to estimate the available energy shift from domestic refrigerators with only two measurements, namely fridge cool chamber temperature and compressor power consumption is proposed, discussed and evaluated....

  1. Work shift duration: a review comparing eight hour and 12 hour shift systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, L; Folkard, S; Tucker, P; Macdonald, I

    1998-04-01

    Shiftwork is now a major feature of working life across a broad range of industries. The features of the shift systems operated can impact on the wellbeing, performance, and sleep of shiftworkers. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge on one major characteristic of shift rotas-namely, shift duration. Evidence comparing the relative effects of eight hour and 12 hour shifts on fatigue and job performance, safety, sleep, and physical and psychological health are considered. At the organisational level, factors such as the mode of system implementation, attitudes towards shift rotas, sickness absence and turnover, overtime, and moonlighting are discussed. Manual and electronic searches of the shiftwork research literature were conducted to obtain information on comparisons between eight hour and 12 hour shifts. The research findings are largely equivocal. The bulk of the evidence suggests few differences between eight and 12 hour shifts in the way they affect people. There may even be advantages to 12 hour shifts in terms of lower stress levels, better physical and psychological wellbeing, improved durations and quality of off duty sleep as well as improvements in family relations. On the negative side, the main concerns are fatigue and safety. It is noted that a 12 hour shift does not equate with being active for only 12 hours. There can be considerable extension of the person's time awake either side of the shift. However, the effects of longer term exposure to extended work days have been relatively uncharted in any systematic way. Longitudinal comparative research into the chronic impact of the compressed working week is needed.

  2. Third ventricle midline shift on computed tomography as an alternative to septum pellucidum shift

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santiago, Carlos Francis A.; Oropilla, Jean Quint L; Alvarez, Victor M.

    2000-01-01

    The cerebral midline shift is measured using the displacement from midline of the third ventricle. It is an easily determined criterion from which CT scans of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hematoma may be investigated. Midline shift is a significant criteria in which to gauge the neurological status of patients. In a retrospective study of 32 patients with spontaneous unilateral intracerebral hemorrhage, a midline third ventricle shift correlated well with septum pellucidum shift. A greater than 7 mm midline third ventricle shift was associated with a significantly lower Glasgow Coma scale score compared a shift less than 7mm. For the septum pellucidum, a greater than 10 mm shift was similarly associated with a significantly lower Glasgow Coma scale score. (Author)

  3. Insomnia in shift work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vallières, Annie; Azaiez, Aïda; Moreau, Vincent; LeBlanc, Mélanie; Morin, Charles M

    2014-12-01

    Shift work disorder involves insomnia and/or excessive sleepiness associated with the work schedule. The present study examined the impact of insomnia on the perceived physical and psychological health of adults working on night and rotating shift schedules compared to day workers. A total of 418 adults (51% women, mean age 41.4 years), including 51 night workers, 158 rotating shift workers, and 209 day workers were selected from an epidemiological study. An algorithm was used to classify each participant of the two groups (working night or rotating shifts) according to the presence or absence of insomnia symptoms. Each of these individuals was paired with a day worker according to gender, age, and income. Participants completed several questionnaires measuring sleep, health, and psychological variables. Night and rotating shift workers with insomnia presented a sleep profile similar to that of day workers with insomnia. Sleep time was more strongly related to insomnia than to shift work per se. Participants with insomnia in the three groups complained of anxiety, depression, and fatigue, and reported consuming equal amounts of sleep-aid medication. Insomnia also contributed to chronic pain and otorhinolaryngology problems, especially among rotating shift workers. Work productivity and absenteeism were more strongly related to insomnia. The present study highlights insomnia as an important component of the sleep difficulties experienced by shift workers. Insomnia may exacerbate certain physical and mental health problems of shift workers, and impair their quality of life. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Elbow Room for Best Practice? Montgomery, Patients' values, and Balanced Decision-Making in Person-Centred Clinical Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herring, Jonathan; Fulford, Kmw; Dunn, Michael; Handa, Ashoki

    2017-11-01

    The UK Supreme Court Montgomery judgment marks a decisive shift in the legal test of duty of care in the context of consent to treatment, from the perspective of the clinician (as represented by Bolam rules) to that of the patient. A majority of commentators on Montgomery have focused on the implications of the judgment for disclosure of risk. In this article, we set risk disclosure in context with three further elements of the judgment: benefits, options, and dialogue. These elements, we argue, taken together with risk disclosure, reflect the origins of the Montgomery ruling in a model of consent based on autonomy of patient choice through shared decision-making with their doctor. This model reflects recent developments in both law and medicine and is widely regarded (by the General Medical Council and others) as representing best practice in contemporary person-centred medicine. So understood, we suggest, the shift marked by Montgomery in the basis of duty of care is a shift in underpinning values: it is a shift from the clinician's interpretation about what would be best for patients to the values of (to what is significant or matters from the perspective of) the particular patient concerned in the decision in question. But the values of the particular patient do not thereby become paramount. The Montgomery test of duty of care requires the values of the particular patient to be balanced alongside the values of a reasonable person in the patient's position. We illustrate some of the practical challenges arising from the balance of considerations required by Montgomery with examples from surgical care. These examples show the extent to which Montgomery, in mirroring the realities of clinical decision-making, provides elbowroom for best practice in person-centred clinical care. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. Global regime shift dynamics of catastrophic sea urchin overgrazing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ling, S. D.; Scheibling, R. E.; Rassweiler, A.; Johnson, C. R.; Shears, N.; Connell, S. D.; Salomon, A. K.; Norderhaug, K. M.; Pérez-Matus, A.; Hernández, J. C.; Clemente, S.; Blamey, L. K.; Hereu, B.; Ballesteros, E.; Sala, E.; Garrabou, J.; Cebrian, E.; Zabala, M.; Fujita, D.; Johnson, L. E.

    2015-01-01

    A pronounced, widespread and persistent regime shift among marine ecosystems is observable on temperate rocky reefs as a result of sea urchin overgrazing. Here, we empirically define regime-shift dynamics for this grazing system which transitions between productive macroalgal beds and impoverished urchin barrens. Catastrophic in nature, urchin overgrazing in a well-studied Australian system demonstrates a discontinuous regime shift, which is of particular management concern as recovery of desirable macroalgal beds requires reducing grazers to well below the initial threshold of overgrazing. Generality of this regime-shift dynamic is explored across 13 rocky reef systems (spanning 11 different regions from both hemispheres) by compiling available survey data (totalling 10 901 quadrats surveyed in situ) plus experimental regime-shift responses (observed during a total of 57 in situ manipulations). The emergent and globally coherent pattern shows urchin grazing to cause a discontinuous ‘catastrophic’ regime shift, with hysteresis effect of approximately one order of magnitude in urchin biomass between critical thresholds of overgrazing and recovery. Different life-history traits appear to create asymmetry in the pace of overgrazing versus recovery. Once shifted, strong feedback mechanisms provide resilience for each alternative state thus defining the catastrophic nature of this regime shift. Importantly, human-derived stressors can act to erode resilience of desirable macroalgal beds while strengthening resilience of urchin barrens, thus exacerbating the risk, spatial extent and irreversibility of an unwanted regime shift for marine ecosystems.

  6. Effects of extended work shifts and shift work on patient safety, productivity, and employee health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keller, Simone M

    2009-12-01

    It is estimated 1.3 million health care errors occur each year and of those errors 48,000 to 98,000 result in the deaths of patients (Barger et al., 2006). Errors occur for a variety of reasons, including the effects of extended work hours and shift work. The need for around-the-clock staff coverage has resulted in creative ways to maintain quality patient care, keep health care errors or adverse events to a minimum, and still meet the needs of the organization. One way organizations have attempted to alleviate staff shortages is to create extended work shifts. Instead of the standard 8-hour shift, workers are now working 10, 12, 16, or more hours to provide continuous patient care. Although literature does support these staffing patterns, it cannot be denied that shifts beyond the traditional 8 hours increase staff fatigue, health care errors, and adverse events and outcomes and decrease alertness and productivity. This article includes a review of current literature on shift work, the definition of shift work, error rates and adverse outcomes related to shift work, health effects on shift workers, shift work effects on older workers, recommended optimal shift length, positive and negative effects of shift work on the shift worker, hazards associated with driving after extended shifts, and implications for occupational health nurses. Copyright 2009, SLACK Incorporated.

  7. Uncertainty of Monetary Valued Ecosystem Services – Value Transfer Functions for Global Mapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, Stefan; Manceur, Ameur M.; Seppelt, Ralf

    2016-01-01

    Growing demand of resources increases pressure on ecosystem services (ES) and biodiversity. Monetary valuation of ES is frequently seen as a decision-support tool by providing explicit values for unconsidered, non-market goods and services. Here we present global value transfer functions by using a meta-analytic framework for the synthesis of 194 case studies capturing 839 monetary values of ES. For 12 ES the variance of monetary values could be explained with a subset of 93 study- and site-specific variables by utilizing boosted regression trees. This provides the first global quantification of uncertainties and transferability of monetary valuations. Models explain from 18% (water provision) to 44% (food provision) of variance and provide statistically reliable extrapolations for 70% (water provision) to 91% (food provision) of the terrestrial earth surface. Although the application of different valuation methods is a source of uncertainty, we found evidence that assuming homogeneity of ecosystems is a major error in value transfer function models. Food provision is positively correlated with better life domains and variables indicating positive conditions for human well-being. Water provision and recreation service show that weak ownerships affect valuation of other common goods negatively (e.g. non-privately owned forests). Furthermore, we found support for the shifting baseline hypothesis in valuing climate regulation. Ecological conditions and societal vulnerability determine valuation of extreme event prevention. Valuation of habitat services is negatively correlated with indicators characterizing less favorable areas. Our analysis represents a stepping stone to establish a standardized integration of and reporting on uncertainties for reliable and valid benefit transfer as an important component for decision support. PMID:26938447

  8. Paradigm Shift in Language Teaching and Language Teacher Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elaine Ferreira do Vale Borges

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available In this article, I intend to conduct a short literature review and discussion about paradigm shift in language teaching and language teacher education from Cartesian to the complexity paradigm. For that, I use the Kuhnian notion of scientific revolution to present a short compilation of works related to paradigm shift in different sciences, including psychology, linguistics and, more emphatically, applied linguistics. The main proposal is to show the evolutions of paradigm shift in language and social sciences and its impact on the emergence of the complexity paradigm in language teaching and language teacher education fields.

  9. Shift in Food Intake and Changes in Metabolic Regulation and Gene Expression during Simulated Night-Shift Work: A Rat Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Rørvik Marti

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Night-shift work is linked to a shift in food intake toward the normal sleeping period, and to metabolic disturbance. We applied a rat model of night-shift work to assess the immediate effects of such a shift in food intake on metabolism. Male Wistar rats were subjected to 8 h of forced activity during their rest (ZT2-10 or active (ZT14-22 phase. Food intake, body weight, and body temperature were monitored across four work days and eight recovery days. Food intake gradually shifted toward rest-work hours, stabilizing on work day three. A subgroup of animals was euthanized after the third work session for analysis of metabolic gene expression in the liver by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR. Results show that work in the rest phase shifted food intake to rest-work hours. Moreover, liver genes related to energy storage and insulin metabolism were upregulated, and genes related to energy breakdown were downregulated compared to non-working time-matched controls. Both working groups lost weight during the protocol and regained weight during recovery, but animals that worked in the rest phase did not fully recover, even after eight days of recovery. In conclusion, three to four days of work in the rest phase is sufficient to induce disruption of several metabolic parameters, which requires more than eight days for full recovery.

  10. Shift in Food Intake and Changes in Metabolic Regulation and Gene Expression during Simulated Night-Shift Work: A Rat Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marti, Andrea Rørvik; Meerlo, Peter; Grønli, Janne; van Hasselt, Sjoerd Johan; Mrdalj, Jelena; Pallesen, Ståle; Pedersen, Torhild Thue; Henriksen, Tone Elise Gjøtterud; Skrede, Silje

    2016-11-08

    Night-shift work is linked to a shift in food intake toward the normal sleeping period, and to metabolic disturbance. We applied a rat model of night-shift work to assess the immediate effects of such a shift in food intake on metabolism. Male Wistar rats were subjected to 8 h of forced activity during their rest (ZT2-10) or active (ZT14-22) phase. Food intake, body weight, and body temperature were monitored across four work days and eight recovery days. Food intake gradually shifted toward rest-work hours, stabilizing on work day three. A subgroup of animals was euthanized after the third work session for analysis of metabolic gene expression in the liver by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results show that work in the rest phase shifted food intake to rest-work hours. Moreover, liver genes related to energy storage and insulin metabolism were upregulated, and genes related to energy breakdown were downregulated compared to non-working time-matched controls. Both working groups lost weight during the protocol and regained weight during recovery, but animals that worked in the rest phase did not fully recover, even after eight days of recovery. In conclusion, three to four days of work in the rest phase is sufficient to induce disruption of several metabolic parameters, which requires more than eight days for full recovery.

  11. Control of Goos-Hänchen shift via input probe field intensity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziauddin; Lee, Ray-Kuang; Qamar, Sajid

    2016-11-01

    We suggest a scheme to control Goos-Hänchen (GH) shift in an ensemble of strongly interacting Rydberg atoms, which act as super-atoms due to the dipole blockade mechanism. The ensemble of three-level cold Rydberg-dressed (87Rb) atoms follows a cascade configurations where two fields, i.e, a strong control and a weak field are employed [D. Petrosyan, J. Otterbach, and M. Fleischhauer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 213601 (2011)]. The propagation of probe field is influenced by two-photon correlation within the blockade distance, which are damped due to the saturation of super-atoms. The amplitude of GH shift in the reflected light depends on the intensity of probe field. We observe large negative GH shift in the reflected light for small values of the probe field intensities.

  12. Phase shift analysis of hyperon-nucleon elastic scattering using optimized polynomial expansion techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohanty, S.; Deo, B.B.; Mohapatra, J.K.

    1986-01-01

    A relatively stable method of phase shift analysis of hyperon-nucleon scattering is proposed and applied to Σ + p and Λp scattering. The analytic cut t-planes of analyticity of the helicity amplitudes are mapped into the interior of unifocal ellipses. The helicity amplitudes are then expressed as accelerated convergent expansions in the mapped variable. A definite economy is observed in the number of free parameters for fixed energy phase shift analysis of Σ + p and Λp scattering at 40 and 100 MeV and 100 MeV respectively. Twenty six more phase shifts and coupling parameters corresponding to higher J values are also predicted. (author)

  13. Who is sleepier on the night shift? The influence of bio-psycho-social factors on subjective sleepiness of female nurses during the night shift.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zion, Nataly; Drach-Zahavy, Anat; Shochat, Tamar

    2018-07-01

    Sleepiness is a common complaint during the night shift and may impair performance. The current study aims to identify bio-psycho-social factors associated with subjective sleepiness during the night shift. Ninety-two female nurses working rotating shifts completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Munich ChronoType Questionaire for shift workers, the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, and the Pre-sleep Arousal Scale. Subjective sleepiness was measured hourly during two night shifts using the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, and activity monitors assessed sleep duration 24-h before each shift. Findings showed that increased sleepiness was associated with increased age in nurses with early chronotypes and with more children. High cognitive pre-sleep arousal, but not sleep, was associated with increased sleepiness, especially in late chronotypes. The impact of bio-psycho-social factors on night shift sleepiness is complex, and depends on mutual interactions between these factors. Nurses most prone to increased sleepiness must develop personal strategies for maintaining vigilance on the night shift. Practitioner Summary: This study aims to identify bio-psycho-social factors associated with subjective sleepiness of female nurses during the night shift. Increasing sleepiness was associated with increased age in nurses with early chronotypes and with more children. Increased cognitive pre-sleep arousal, but not sleep, was associated with increased sleepiness, especially in late chronotypes.

  14. Shift systems in nuclear power plants - aspects for planning, shift systems, utility practice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grauf, E.

    1986-01-01

    This lecture contains the most important aspects of shift structure and shift organisation. The criteria for shift planning involving essential tasks, duties, laws and regulations, medical aspects, social aspects, will be presented. In the Federal Republic of Germany some basic models were established, which will be shown and explained with special reference to the number of teams, size of shift crews and absence regulations. Moreover, the lecture will deal with rotation systems and provisions for the transfer of shift responsibilities. By example of a utility plant commissioning time scale (1300 MW PWR) the practice of shift installations will be shown as well as the most important points of education and training. Within this compass the criteria and requirements for training and education of operational personnel in the Federal Republic of Germany will also be touched. (orig.)

  15. Credit default swaps and risk-shifting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Campello, M.; Matta, R.

    2012-01-01

    Credit default swaps (CDSs) are thought to ease borrowing by protecting lenders against default. This paper develops a model of the demand for CDS when borrowers choose the riskiness of investment and verification is imperfect. The model shows that CDSs may lead to risk-shifting, increasing the

  16. Value-based resource management: a model for best value nursing care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caspers, Barbara A; Pickard, Beth

    2013-01-01

    With the health care environment shifting to a value-based payment system, Catholic Health Initiatives nursing leadership spearheaded an initiative with 14 hospitals to establish best nursing care at a lower cost. The implementation of technology-enabled business processes at point of care led to a new model for best value nursing care: Value-Based Resource Management. The new model integrates clinical patient data from the electronic medical record and embeds the new information in care team workflows for actionable real-time decision support and predictive forecasting. The participating hospitals reported increased patient satisfaction and cost savings in the reduction of overtime and improvement in length of stay management. New data generated by the initiative on nursing hours and cost by patient and by population (Medicare severity diagnosis-related groups), and patient health status outcomes across the acute care continuum expanded business intelligence for a value-based population health system.

  17. Comparison of experimental and DFT-calculated NMR chemical shifts of 2-amino and 2-hydroxyl substituted phenyl benzimidazoles, benzoxazoles and benzothiazoles in four solvents using the IEF-PCM solvation model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierens, Gregory K; Venkatachalam, T K; Reutens, David C

    2016-04-01

    A comparative study of experimental and calculated NMR chemical shifts of six compounds comprising 2-amino and 2-hydroxy phenyl benzoxazoles/benzothiazoles/benzimidazoles in four solvents is reported. The benzimidazoles showed interesting spectral characteristics, which are discussed. The proton and carbon chemical shifts were similar for all solvents. The largest chemical shift deviations were observed in benzene. The chemical shifts were calculated with density functional theory using a suite of four functionals and basis set combinations. The calculated chemical shifts revealed a good match to the experimentally observed values in most of the solvents. The mean absolute error was used as the primary metric. The use of an additional metric is suggested, which is based on the order of chemical shifts. The DP4 probability measures were also used to compare the experimental and calculated chemical shifts for each compound in the four solvents. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  18. Nurses' shift reports

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buus, Niels; Hoeck, Bente; Hamilton, Bridget Elizabeth

    2017-01-01

    AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To identify reporting practices that feature in studies of nurses' shift reports across diverse nursing specialities. The objectives were to perform an exhaustive systematic literature search and to critically review the quality and findings of qualitative field studies...... of nurses' shift reports. BACKGROUND: Nurses' shift reports are routine occurrences in healthcare organisations that are viewed as crucial for patient outcomes, patient safety and continuity of care. Studies of communication between nurses attend primarily to 1:1 communication and analyse the adequacy...... and accuracy of patient information and feature handovers at the bedside. Still, verbal reports between groups of nurses about patients are commonplace. Shift reports are obvious sites for studying the situated accomplishment of professional nursing at the group level. This review is focused exclusively...

  19. Study on the Control Strategy of Shifting Time Involving Multigroup Clutches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhen Zhu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses on the control strategy of shifting time involving multigroup clutches for a hydromechanical continuously variable transmission (HMCVT. The dynamic analyses of mathematical models are presented in this paper, and the simulation models are used to study the control strategy of HMCVT. Simulations are performed in Simulation X platform to investigate the shifting time of clutches under different operating conditions. On this basis, simulation analysis and test verification of two typical conditions, which play the decisive roles for the shifting quality, are carried out. The results show that there are differences in the shifting time of the two typical conditions. In the shifting process from the negative transmission of hydromechanical ranges to the positive transmission of hydromechanical ranges, the control strategy based on the shifting time is switching the clutches of shifting mechanism firstly and then disengaging a group of clutches of planetary gear mechanism and engaging another group of the clutches of planetary gear mechanism lastly. In the shifting process from the hydraulic range to the hydromechanical range, the control strategy based on the shifting time is switching the clutches of hydraulic shifting mechanism and planetary gear mechanism at first and then engaging the clutch of shifting mechanism.

  20. Change in sex pheromone expression by nutritional shift in male cockroaches

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Kim; Shearman, Melanie; Rapkin, James

    2017-01-01

    affected by dietary nutrient composition with higher values on carbohydrate-biased diet, and males had significantly higher and lower levels of consumption, lipid reserves, and sex pheromones when shifted to a carbohydrate-biased and a protein-biased diet, respectively, compared with males maintained...

  1. The magnetic epoch-6 carbon shift: a change in the ocean's 13C/12C ratio 6.2 million years ago

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vincent, E.; Killingley, J.S.; Berger, W.H.

    1980-01-01

    Tropical Indian Ocean planktonic and benthic foraminifera have 13 C/ 12 C ratios which change abruptly within Magnetic Epoch 6 about 6.2 million years ago. All species analyzed in the Late Miocene section of DSDP Site 238 show a shift towards lighter values of delta 13 C by about 0.8 per thousand. The oxygen isotope signal indicates that the pre-shift period is climatically quiet while the post-shift period has strong fluctuations. The authors suggest that the shift reflects a sudden increase in the rate of supply of organic carbon from coastal lowlands and from shelves exposed by regression, as well as a change in deep circulation patterns and ocean fertility. The event marks the transition of the ocean-atmosphere system from a quiet Early and Middle Neogene climate regime toward a Late Neogene regime characterized by climatic amplifying mechanisms (albedo feedback, bottom water production) located around the northern North Atlantic. The beginning of this regime may have been strongly influenced by the isolation of the Mediterranean basin. (Auth.)

  2. [Sleep quality of nurses working in shifts - Hungarian adaptation of the Bergen Shift Work Sleep Questionnaire].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fusz, Katalin; Tóth, Ákos; Fullér, Noémi; Müller, Ágnes; Oláh, András

    2015-12-06

    Sleep disorders among shift workers are common problems due to the disturbed circadian rhythm. The Bergen Shift Work Sleep Questionnaire assesses discrete sleep problems related to work shifts (day, evening and night shifts) and rest days. The aim of the study was to develop the Hungarian version of this questionnaire and to compare the sleep quality of nurses in different work schedules. 326 nurses working in shifts filled in the questionnaire. The authors made convergent and discriminant validation of the questionnaire with the Athens Insomnia Scale and the Perceived Stress Questionnaire. The questionnaire based on psychometric characteristics was suitable to assess sleep disorders associated with shift work in a Hungarian sample. The frequency of discrete symptoms significantly (pshifts. Nurses experienced the worst sleep quality and daytime fatigue after the night shift. Nurses working in irregular shift system had worse sleep quality than nurses working in regular and flexible shift system (pworking in shifts should be assessed with the Hungarian version of the Bergen Shift Work Sleep Questionnaire on a nationally representative sample, and the least burdensome shift system could be established.

  3. Age differences in strategy shift: retrieval avoidance or general shift reluctance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frank, David J; Touron, Dayna R; Hertzog, Christopher

    2013-09-01

    Previous studies of metacognitive age differences in skill acquisition strategies have relied exclusively on tasks with a processing shift from an algorithm to retrieval strategy. Older adults' demonstrated reluctance to shift strategies in such tasks could reflect either a specific aversion to a memory retrieval strategy or a general, inertial resistance to strategy change. Haider and Frensch's (1999) alphabet verification task (AVT) affords a non-retrieval-based strategy shift. Participants verify the continuation of alphabet strings such as D E F G [4] L, with the bracketed digit indicating a number of letters to be skipped. When all deviations are restricted to the letter-digit-letter portion, participants can speed their responses by selectively attending to only that part of the stimulus. We adapted the AVT to include conditions that promoted shift to a retrieval strategy, a selective attention strategy, or both strategies. Item-level strategy reports were validated by eye movement data. Older adults shifted more slowly to the retrieval strategy but more quickly to the selective attention strategy than young adults, indicating a retrieval-strategy avoidance. Strategy confidence and perceived strategy difficulty correlated with shift to the two strategies in both age groups. Perceived speed of responses with each strategy specifically correlated with older adults' strategy choices, suggesting that some older adults avoid retrieval because they do not appreciate its efficiency benefits.

  4. Age Differences in Strategy Shift: Retrieval Avoidance or General Shift Reluctance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frank, David J.; Touron, Dayna R.; Hertzog, Christopher

    2013-01-01

    Previous studies of metacognitive age differences in skill acquisition strategies have relied exclusively on tasks with a processing shift from an algorithm to retrieval strategy. Older adults’ demonstrated reluctance to shift strategies in such tasks could reflect either a specific aversion to a memory retrieval strategy or a general, inertial resistance to strategy change. Haider and Frensch’s (1999) alphabet verification task (AVT) affords a non-retrieval-based strategy shift. Participants verify the continuation of alphabet strings such as D E F G [4] L, with the bracketed digit indicating a number of letters to be skipped. When all deviations are restricted to the letter-digit-letter portion, participants can speed their responses by selectively attend only to that part of the stimulus. We adapted the AVT to include conditions which promoted shift to a retrieval strategy, a selective attention strategy, or both strategies. Item-level strategy reports were validated by eye movement data. Older adults shifted more slowly to the retrieval strategy but more quickly to the selective attention strategy than young adults, indicating a retrieval-strategy avoidance. Strategy confidence and perceived strategy difficulty correlated with shift to the two strategies in both age groups. Perceived speed of responses with each strategy specifically correlated with older adults’ strategy choices, suggesting that some older adults avoid retrieval because they do not appreciate its efficiency benefits. PMID:23088195

  5. Cultural evolution over the last 40 years in China: using the Google Ngram Viewer to study implications of social and political change for cultural values.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Rong; Greenfield, Patricia M

    2015-02-01

    Chinese people have held collectivistic values such as obligation, giving to other people, obedience and sacrifice of personal interests for thousands of years. In recent decades, China has undergone rapid economic development and urbanisation. This study investigates changing cultural values in China from 1970 to 2008 and the relationship of changing values to ecological shifts. The conceptual framework for the study was Greenfield's (2009) theory of social change and human development. Changing frequencies of contrasting Chinese words indexing individualistic or collectivistic values show that values shift along with ecological changes (urbanisation, economic development and enrollment in higher education), thereby adapting to current sociodemographic contexts. Words indexing adaptive individualistic values increased in frequency between 1970 and 2008. In contrast, words indexing less adaptive collectivistic values either decreased in frequency in this same period of time or else rose more slowly than words indexing contrasting individualistic values. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

  6. Non-occupational physical activity levels of shift workers compared with non-shift workers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Loef, Bette; Hulsegge, Gerben; Wendel-Vos, G C Wanda; Verschuren, W M Monique; Vermeulen, Roel C H; Bakker, Marije F.; van der Beek, Allard J.; Proper, Karin I

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: Lack of physical activity (PA) has been hypothesised as an underlying mechanism in the adverse health effects of shift work. Therefore, our aim was to compare non-occupational PA levels between shift workers and non-shift workers. Furthermore, exposure-response relationships for

  7. Theory of Lamb Shift in Muonic Hydrogen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karshenboim, Savely G., E-mail: savely.karshenboim@mpq.mpg.de [Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Garching 85748, Germany and Pulkovo Observatory, St. Petersburg 196140 (Russian Federation); Korzinin, Evgeny Yu.; Shelyuto, Valery A. [D. I. Mendeleev Institute for Metrology, St. Petersburg 190005 (Russian Federation); Ivanov, Vladimir G. [Pulkovo Observatory, St. Petersburg 196140 (Russian Federation)

    2015-09-15

    There has been for a while a large discrepancy between the values of the proton charge radius measured by the Lamb shift in muonic hydrogen and by other methods. It has already been clear that theory of muonic hydrogen is reliable at the level of this discrepancy and an error there cannot be a reason for the contradiction. Still the status of theory at the level of the uncertainty of the muonic-hydrogen experiment (which is two orders of magnitude below the discrepancy level) requires an additional clarification. Here, we revisit theory of the 2p − 2s Lamb shift in muonic hydrogen. We summarize all the theoretical contributions in order α{sup 5}m, including pure quantum electrodynamics (QED) ones as well as those which involve the proton-structure effects. Certain enhanced higher-order effects are also discussed. We basically confirm former QED calculations of other authors, present a review of recent calculations of the proton-structure effects, and treat self-consistently higher-order proton-finite-size corrections. We also overview theory of the 2p states. Eventually, we derive a value of the root-mean-square proton charge radius. It is found to be 0.840 29(55) fm, which is slightly different from that previously published in the literature (0.840 87(39) fm [Antognini et al., Science 339, 417 (2013)])

  8. Long adaptation reveals mostly attractive shifts of orientation tuning in cat primary visual cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghisovan, N; Nemri, A; Shumikhina, S; Molotchnikoff, S

    2009-12-15

    In the adult brain, sensory cortical neurons undergo transient changes of their response properties following prolonged exposure to an appropriate stimulus (adaptation). In cat V1, orientation-selective cells shift their preferred orientation after being adapted to a non-preferred orientation. There are conflicting reports as to the direction of those shifts, towards (attractive) or away (repulsive) from the adapter. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying attractive shifts remain unexplained. In the present investigation we show that attractive shifts are the most frequent outcome of a 12 min adaptation. Overall, cells displaying selectivity for oblique orientations exhibit significantly larger shifts than cells tuned to cardinal orientations. In addition, cells selective to cardinal orientations had larger shift amplitudes when the absolute difference between the original preferred orientation and the adapting orientation increased. Conversely, cells tuned to oblique orientations exhibited larger shift amplitudes when this absolute orientation difference was narrower. Hence, neurons tuned to oblique contours appear to show more plasticity in response to small perturbations. Two different mechanisms appear to produce attractive and repulsive orientation shifts. Attractive shifts result from concurrent response depression on the non-adapted flank and selective response facilitation on the adapted flank of the orientation tuning curve. In contrast, repulsive shifts are caused solely by response depression on the adapted flank. We suggest that an early mechanism leads to repulsive shifts while attractive shifts engage a subsequent late facilitation. A potential role for attractive shifts may be improved stimulus discrimination around the adapting orientation.

  9. Digital phase-shifting atomic force microscope Moire method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Chiaming; Chen Lienwen

    2005-01-01

    In this study, the digital atomic force microscope (AFM) Moire method with phase-shifting technology is established to measure the in-plane displacement and strain fields. The Moire pattern is generated by the interference between the specimen grating and the virtual reference grating formed by digital image processes. The overlapped image is filtered by two-dimensional wavelet transformation to obtain the clear interference Moire patterns. The four-step phase-shifting method is realized by translating the phase of the virtual reference grating from 0 to 2π. The principle of the digital AFM Moire method and the phase-shifting technology are described in detail. Experimental results show that this method is convenient to use and efficient in realizing the microscale measurement

  10. Early detection of ecosystem regime shifts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindegren, Martin; Dakos, Vasilis; Groeger, Joachim P.

    2012-01-01

    methods may have limited utility in ecosystem-based management as they show no or weak potential for early-warning. We therefore propose a multiple method approach for early detection of ecosystem regime shifts in monitoring data that may be useful in informing timely management actions in the face...

  11. 2H isotope effect on 13C chemical shifts of Nitro-Benzo-9-Crown-3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moghimi, A.; Rastegar, M.; Ghandi, M.; Bijanzadeh, H. R.

    2002-01-01

    Deuterium substitution on two ortho-substituted-OCH 2 fragments in Nitro-Benzo-9 Crown-3 induces low frequency shifts, positive m ''nΔC j, in all 13 C NMR resonances which is an indication of the increased shielding in this crown ether. The magnitude of these shifts vary from 15 ΔC 7=716 to 54 ΔC 3=15 ppb for C 7 and C 3 carbons directly attached to 2 H, respectively. The influences of concentration and solvent, CDCl 3 CD 3 COCD 3 , and C 6 D 6 , on mn ΔC j values were investigated. The mn ΔC j values depended more on the nature of the solvent than on the concentration. The order of induced isotope shifts is 15 Δ, 51 Δ > 24 Δ, 42 Δ> 34 Δ, 43 Δ > 56 Δ, 65 Δ> 45 Δ, 54 Δ. The isotope shifts observed are suggested to be a sum of contributions from low frequency shift due to inductive-type and negative hyperconjugation perturbations. The C-D bond, as a poorer electron acceptor than a C-H bond induced less positive charge on directly attached oxygens O 1 and O 2. This, in turn, causes shielding of C 1 and C 2 in C1O1CD 2 and C 2 0 2 CD 2 fragments. The difference in 34 ΔC 1 and 43 ΔC 2 values is attributed to the conformational dependence of the negative hyperconjugation. The C 1 and C 2, are in fact, not equally affected by the two CD 2 groups by negative hyperconjugation because of the existence of NO 2 group attached to the benzene ring

  12. Low pressure broadening and shift of the 540.06 nm line of neon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bielski, A.; Dokurno, W.; Szudy, J.; Wolnikowski, J.

    1980-01-01

    The collision broadening and shift of the 540.06 nm line of neon emitted from a low pressure glow discharge in pure neon and a neon-helium mixture have been measured. The values of the broadening and shift coefficients were determined and compared with the results of calculations based on the Lindholm-Foley impact theory assuming a Lennard-Jones potential. The results for pure neon demonstrate the inadequacy of the Lennard-Jones potential for the Ne-Ne interaction. (orig.)

  13. Peak season plant activity shift towards spring is reflected by increasing carbon uptake by extratropical ecosystems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonsamo, Alemu; Chen, Jing M; Ooi, Ying W

    2018-05-01

    Climate change is lengthening the growing season of the Northern Hemisphere extratropical terrestrial ecosystems, but little is known regarding the timing and dynamics of the peak season of plant activity. Here, we use 34-year satellite normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) observations and atmospheric CO 2 concentration and δ 13 C isotope measurements at Point Barrow (Alaska, USA, 71°N) to study the dynamics of the peak of season (POS) of plant activity. Averaged across extratropical (>23°N) non-evergreen-dominated pixels, NDVI data show that the POS has advanced by 1.2 ± 0.6 days per decade in response to the spring-ward shifts of the start (1.0 ± 0.8 days per decade) and end (1.5 ± 1.0 days per decade) of peak activity, and the earlier onset of the start of growing season (1.4 ± 0.8 days per decade), while POS maximum NDVI value increased by 7.8 ± 1.8% for 1982-2015. Similarly, the peak day of carbon uptake, based on calculations from atmospheric CO 2 concentration and δ 13 C data, is advancing by 2.5 ± 2.6 and 4.3 ± 2.9 days per decade, respectively. POS maximum NDVI value shows strong negative relationships (p POS days. Given that the maximum solar irradiance and day length occur before the average POS day, the earlier occurrence of peak plant activity results in increased plant productivity. Both the advancing POS day and increasing POS vegetation greenness are consistent with the shifting peak productivity towards spring and the increasing annual maximum values of gross and net ecosystem productivity simulated by coupled Earth system models. Our results further indicate that the decline in autumn NDVI is contributing the most to the overall browning of the northern high latitudes (>50°N) since 2011. The spring-ward shift of peak season plant activity is expected to disrupt the synchrony of biotic interaction and exert strong biophysical feedbacks on climate by modifying the surface albedo and energy budget. © 2017

  14. The effect of shift work on red blood cell distribution width.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loprinzi, Paul D

    2015-04-01

    Limited research demonstrates that shift work (e.g., evening shift, night shift, rotating shift) increases the risk of certain health outcomes, such as hypertriglyceridemia and metabolic syndrome. Red blood cell distribution width (RDW), which is commonly assessed and reported by physicians, is a novel biomarker of cardiovascular disease. However, no study has examined the association of shift work on RDW, which was the purpose of this study. Data from the 2005-2010 NHANES were used. RDW was assessed from a blood sample; shift work was assessed from a questionnaire, and various demographic, behavioral/psychological, occupational, and biological parameters were included as covariates. The fully adjusted model showed that the odds of having an elevated RDW for women on rotating shift vs. day shift increased by 46% (OR=1.46; 95% CI: 1.03-2.08). Women on a rotating shift had increased odds of having an elevated RDW, which is concerning as elevated RDW increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Health care professionals are encouraged to include questions about organization of work schedules and their tolerance of such schedules during the patient's consultation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. The discussion of composition shift in organic Rankine cycle using zeotropic mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Yaodong; Zhang, Fengyuan; Yu, Lijun

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • The forming reasons of composition shift are well illuminated. • The influences of composition shift on ORC system are presented. • The influence factors of composition shift are well discussed. • The inner relation between temperature glide and composition shift is revealed. - Abstract: Zeotropic mixtures have been important candidates for working fluids in the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) because of the temperature glide characteristic. “Composition shift” is a widespread phenomenon for zeotropic mixtures’ application in thermodynamic systems and certainly needs to be considered in ORC. In this paper, the evaporator, condenser, expander and pump models are respectively developed and then the circulating composition is calculated. Based on that, the forming reasons of “composition shift” are well illuminated. The influences of composition shift on the system net power output and heat transfer process are presented and analysed. The influence factors including pressure, two-phase zone area, total charge mass and velocity difference between liquid and vapor phase are also carefully discussed. Besides, the inner relation between temperature glide and composition shift is also revealed at last. The results showed that the optimal charge concentration of the low boiling point component in practice should be a bit lower than the optimal concentration without considering composition shift. Besides, the local composition shift characteristic will affect the heat transfer process by altering the temperature along the heat exchanger. Reducing the two-phase zone area, increasing the total charge mass, increasing the evaporation pressure and reducing the slip ratio can mitigate the effect of composition shift. The simulation also reveals that the magnitudes of temperature glide and composition shift show a good linear relation by just altering the charge composition.

  16. Finite nuclear size and Lamb shift of p-wave atomic states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milstein, A.I.; Sushkov, O.P.; Terekhov, I.S.

    2003-01-01

    We consider corrections to the Lamb shift of the p-wave atomic states due to the finite nuclear size (FNS). In other words, these are radiative corrections to the atomic isotope shift related to the FNS. It is shown that the structure of the corrections is qualitatively different to that for the s-wave states. The perturbation theory expansion for the relative correction for a p 1/2 state starts with a α ln(1/Zα) term, while for the s 1/2 states it starts with a Zα 2 term. Here, α is the fine-structure constant and Z is the nuclear charge. In the present work, we calculate the α terms for that 2p states, the result for the 2p 1/2 state reads (8α/9π){ln[1/(Zα) 2 ]+0.710}. Even more interesting are the p 3/2 states. In this case the 'correction' is several orders of magnitude larger than the 'leading' FNS shift. However, absolute values of energy shifts related to these corrections are very small

  17. Regime shifts in the marine environment: the scientific basis and political context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraberg, Alexandra C; Wasmund, Norbert; Vanaverbeke, Jan; Schiedek, Doris; Wiltshire, Karen H; Mieszkowska, Nova

    2011-01-01

    Regime shifts in the marine environment have recently received much attention. To date, however, few large-scale meta-analyses have been carried out due to insufficient data coverage and integration between sustained observational datasets because of diverse methodologies used in data collection, recording and archival. Here we review the available data on regime shifts globally, followed by a review of current and planned policies with relevance to regime shifts. We then focus on the North and Baltic Seas, providing examples of existing efforts for data integration in the MarBEF Network of Excellence. Existing gaps in data coverage are identified, and the added value from meta-analyses of multiple datasets demonstrated using examples from the MarBEF integrated data project LargeNet. We discuss whether these efforts are addressing current policy needs and close with recommendations for future integrated data networks to increase our ability to understand, identify and predict recent and future regime shifts. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Spectroscopic Measurement of LEAD-204 Isotope Shift and LEAD-205 Nuclear Spin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schonberger, Peter

    The isotope shift of ('204)Pb and the nuclear spin of 1.4 x 10('7)-y ('205)Pb was determined from a high -resolution optical measurement of the 6p('2) ('3)P(,o) -6p7s('3)P(,1)('o) 283.3-nm resonance line. The value of the shift, relative to ('208)Pb is -140.2(8) x 10('-3)cm(' -1), the negative sign indicating a shift to lower wave numbers. The precision is 3-4 times greater than that of previous measurements. The spin of ('205)Pb l = 5/2 was obtained from the measurement of the relative intensities of its three hyperfine components. This method of absorption spectroscopy determination of ground state nuclear spin is applicable to any stable or longlived isotope. High resolution optical absorption spectra were obtained with a 25.4cm diffraction grating in a 9.1m focal length Czerny-Turner spectrometer. A signal-averaging scanning technique was used to record the spectra. Increased precision in the isotope shift measurement was attained by using separated isotope samples of ('204)Pb and ('207)Pb. A controlled amount of the later was incorporated in the absorption cell to provide internal calibration by its 6p7s ('3)P(,1)('o) hfs separation. Absorption spectra were recorded for several optical thicknesses of the absorber. A single spin value of increased precision was derived from the entire set of combined data.

  19. Anthropogenic climate change drives shift and shuffle in North Atlantic phytoplankton communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barton, Andrew D; Irwin, Andrew J; Finkel, Zoe V; Stock, Charles A

    2016-03-15

    Anthropogenic climate change has shifted the biogeography and phenology of many terrestrial and marine species. Marine phytoplankton communities appear sensitive to climate change, yet understanding of how individual species may respond to anthropogenic climate change remains limited. Here, using historical environmental and phytoplankton observations, we characterize the realized ecological niches for 87 North Atlantic diatom and dinoflagellate taxa and project changes in species biogeography between mean historical (1951-2000) and future (2051-2100) ocean conditions. We find that the central positions of the core range of 74% of taxa shift poleward at a median rate of 12.9 km per decade (km⋅dec(-1)), and 90% of taxa shift eastward at a median rate of 42.7 km⋅dec(-1) The poleward shift is faster than previously reported for marine taxa, and the predominance of longitudinal shifts is driven by dynamic changes in multiple environmental drivers, rather than a strictly poleward, temperature-driven redistribution of ocean habitats. A century of climate change significantly shuffles community composition by a basin-wide median value of 16%, compared with seasonal variations of 46%. The North Atlantic phytoplankton community appears poised for marked shift and shuffle, which may have broad effects on food webs and biogeochemical cycles.

  20. Orphan Tongues and the Economics of Language Shift in Nigeria ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Complex experiences implicate a change in the structure of work, and consequent shift towards the functional language that expresses the new economic order. In other words, the “demand and supply” for a language directs its distribution, determines its value and creates its direct or indirect profit; and the extent a ...

  1. Host Plant Physiology and Mycorrhizal Functioning Shift across a Glacial through Future [CO2] Gradient1[OPEN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mullinix, George W.R.; Ward, Joy K.

    2016-01-01

    Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) may modulate the functioning of mycorrhizal associations by altering the relative degree of nutrient and carbohydrate limitations in plants. To test this, we grew Taraxacum ceratophorum and Taraxacum officinale (native and exotic dandelions) with and without mycorrhizal fungi across a broad [CO2] gradient (180–1,000 µL L−1). Differential plant growth rates and vegetative plasticity were hypothesized to drive species-specific responses to [CO2] and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. To evaluate [CO2] effects on mycorrhizal functioning, we calculated response ratios based on the relative biomass of mycorrhizal (MBio) and nonmycorrhizal (NMBio) plants (RBio = [MBio − NMBio]/NMBio). We then assessed linkages between RBio and host physiology, fungal growth, and biomass allocation using structural equation modeling. For T. officinale, RBio increased with rising [CO2], shifting from negative to positive values at 700 µL L−1. [CO2] and mycorrhizal effects on photosynthesis and leaf growth rates drove shifts in RBio in this species. For T. ceratophorum, RBio increased from 180 to 390 µL L−1 and further increases in [CO2] caused RBio to shift from positive to negative values. [CO2] and fungal effects on plant growth and carbon sink strength were correlated with shifts in RBio in this species. Overall, we show that rising [CO2] significantly altered the functioning of mycorrhizal associations. These symbioses became more beneficial with rising [CO2], but nonlinear effects may limit plant responses to mycorrhizal fungi under future [CO2]. The magnitude and mechanisms driving mycorrhizal-CO2 responses reflected species-specific differences in growth rate and vegetative plasticity, indicating that these traits may provide a framework for predicting mycorrhizal responses to global change. PMID:27573369

  2. Generalised Multi-sequence Shift-Register Synthesis using Module Minimisation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Johan Sebastian Rosenkilde

    2013-01-01

    We show how to solve a generalised version of the Multi-sequence Linear Feedback Shift-Register (MLFSR) problem using minimisation of free modules over F[x]. We show how two existing algorithms for minimising such modules run particularly fast on these instances. Furthermore, we show how one...

  3. Trophic shift in young-of-the-year Mugilidae during salt-marsh colonization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebreton, B; Richard, P; Guillou, G; Blanchard, G F

    2013-04-01

    This study investigated the trophic shift of young-of-the-year (YOY) thinlip grey mullet Liza ramada and golden grey mullet Liza aurata during their recruitment in a salt marsh located on the European Atlantic Ocean coast. Stable-isotope signatures (δ(13) C and δ(15) N) of the fishes followed a pattern, having enrichments in (13) C and (15) N with increasing fork length (LF ): δ(13) C in fishes  30 mm δ(13) C ranged from -15.8 to -12.7‰, closer to the level in salt-marsh food resources. Large differences between the δ(15) N values of mugilids and those of food sources (6·0‰ on average) showed that YOY are secondary consumers, similar to older individuals, when feeding in the salt marsh. YOY mugilids shift from browsing on pelagic prey to grazing on benthic resources from the salt marsh before reaching 30 mm LF. The results highlight the role of European salt marshes as nurseries for juvenile mugilids. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology © 2013 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

  4. Investigation Effect of Shift Work on Job Burnout and Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale in Military Personnel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayoub Ghanbary Sartang

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Shift work has been recognized as an important tool for organizing of work in developing countries. The disturbed depression, stress accident are the most common health‐related effects of shift work. The military personnel shift worker during work, are exposed to stress and psychological pressure that certainly affect the efficiency of their work. The aim of this study was to Investigation Effect of shift work on job burnout and Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale in military personnel. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 military personnel male in Southern Iran. Respondents were divided into two groups based on their working schedule (50 shift work personnel / 50 day work personnel. Data collection tools were a Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21, demographic characteristics and Maslach job burnout questionnaire. Convenience sampling was used as sampling method. Finally, Data analysis was performed with SPSS (version 20, descriptive statistics, One Way Anova test, ANCOVA and t-independent test. The results of showed that shift work has an impact on burnout and DASS-21 and mean obtained score for DASS-21 and job burnout in shift workers are more day work individuals. Analysis of variance test showed significant difference between job burnout in day workers and shift workers and job burnout were more in shift workers. Also significant difference between DASS-21 in day workers and shift workers and DASS-21 was more in shift workers. This study showed that shift work has an impact on burnout and scale DASS-21 shall is taken to Intervention actions in shift works.

  5. Chemical shift imaging: a review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brateman, L.

    1986-01-01

    Chemical shift is the phenomenon that is seen when an isotope possessing a nuclear magnetic dipole moment resonates at a spectrum of resonance frequencies in a given magnetic field. These resonance frequencies, or chemical shifts, depend on the chemical environments of particular nuclei. Mapping the spatial distribution of nuclei associated with a particular chemical shift (e.g., hydrogen nuclei associated with water molecules or with lipid groups) is called chemical shift imaging. Several techniques of proton chemical shift imaging that have been applied in vivo are presented, and their clinical findings are reported and summarized. Acquiring high-resolution spectra for large numbers of volume elements in two or three dimensions may be prohibitive because of time constraints, but other methods of imaging lipid of water distributions (i.e., selective excitation, selective saturation, or variations in conventional magnetic resonance imaging pulse sequences) can provide chemical shift information. These techniques require less time, but they lack spectral information. Since fat deposition seen by chemical shift imaging may not be demonstrated by conventional magnetic resonance imaging, certain applications of chemical shift imaging, such as in the determination of fatty liver disease, have greater diagnostic utility than conventional magnetic resonance imaging. Furthermore, edge artifacts caused by chemical shift effects can be eliminated by certain selective methods of data acquisition employed in chemical shift imaging

  6. Aromatherapy alleviates endothelial dysfunction of medical staff after night-shift work: preliminary observations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimada, Kenei; Fukuda, Shota; Maeda, Kumiko; Kawasaki, Toshihiro; Kono, Yasushi; Jissho, Satoshi; Taguchi, Haruyuki; Yoshiyama, Minoru; Yoshikawa, Junichi

    2011-02-01

    Night-shift work causes mental stress and lifestyle changes, and is recognized as a risk of cardiovascular diseases associated with impaired endothelial function. Aromatherapy is becoming popular as a complementary therapy that is beneficial for mental relaxation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of aromatherapy on the endothelial function of medical staff after night-shift work. This study consisted of 19 healthy medical personnel (19 men, mean age 32 ± 7 years), including 11 physicians and 8 technicians. Aromatherapy was performed for 30 min by inhalation of the essential oil of lavender. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery was measured three times in each subject: on a regular workday, and after night-shift work before and immediately after aromatherapy. A control study was performed to assess the effect of a 30-min rest without aromatherapy. The mean value of sleep time during night-shift work was 3.3 ± 1.3 h. FMD after night-shift work was lower than on a regular workday (10.4 ± 1.8 vs. 12.5 ± 1.7%, Pnight-shift work impaired endothelial function in medical staff, an effect that was alleviated by short-term aromatherapy.

  7. Static shift correction of MT data in Tohoku district using TEM soundings; TEM ho data wo mochiita Tohoku chiho MT ho data no statistic shift hosei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kawakami, N; Kumekawa, Y; Miura, Y; Takasugi, S [GERD Geothermal Energy Research and Development Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan); Fujinawa, Y [National Research Institute for Disaster Prevention, Tsukuba (Japan)

    1997-05-27

    There is a possibility that the wide-band MT observation data obtained in the central part of Tohoku district include the static shift effect. To grasp the static shift effect in the MT data, the TEM soundings were conducted at all the site where the MT data were measured. The TEM sounding system was developed for the shallow survey depth ranging from 5 m to 150 m. When showing the measured results on the histogram, it was found that the static shifts were concentrated in the vicinity of zero. About 70% of the data was below 0.2 decade. Only a slight static shift effect was observed. This means that the results obtained by the two-dimensional analysis are plausible. Especially, the static shift around plain was small. Therefore, the current results around the plain were trustful. On the other hand, the static shift in the mountainous area was rather large. Accordingly, the results around the mountainous area should be carefully treated. 7 refs., 10 figs.

  8. Adaptation of Shift Sequence Based Method for High Number in Shifts Rostering Problem for Health Care Workers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mindaugas Liogys

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Purpose—is to investigate a shift sequence-based approach efficiency then problem consisting of a high number of shifts.Research objectives:• Solve health care workers rostering problem using a shift sequence based method.• Measure its efficiency then number of shifts increases.Design/methodology/approach—Usually rostering problems are highly constrained. Constraints are classified to soft and hard constraints. Soft and hard constraints of the problem are additionally classified to: sequence constraints, schedule constraints and roster constraints. Sequence constraints are considered when constructing shift sequences. Schedule constraints are considered when constructing a schedule. Roster constraints are applied, then constructing overall solution, i.e. combining all schedules.Shift sequence based approach consists of two stages:• Shift sequences construction,• The construction of schedules.In the shift sequences construction stage, the shift sequences are constructed for each set of health care workers of different skill, considering sequence constraints. Shifts sequences are ranked by their penalties for easier retrieval in later stage.In schedules construction stage, schedules for each health care worker are constructed iteratively, using the shift sequences produced in stage 1.Shift sequence based method is an adaptive iterative method where health care workers who received the highest schedule penalties in the last iteration are scheduled first at the current iteration.During the roster construction, and after a schedule has been generated for the current health care worker, an improvement method based on an efficient greedy local search is carried out on the partial roster. It simply swaps any pair of shifts between two health care workers in the (partial roster, as long as the swaps satisfy hard constraints and decrease the roster penalty.Findings—Using shift sequence method for solving health care workers rostering problem

  9. Adaptation of Shift Sequence Based Method for High Number in Shifts Rostering Problem for Health Care Workers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mindaugas Liogys

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Purpose—is to investigate a shift sequence-based approach efficiency then problem consisting of a high number of shifts. Research objectives:• Solve health care workers rostering problem using a shift sequence based method.• Measure its efficiency then number of shifts increases. Design/methodology/approach—Usually rostering problems are highly constrained.Constraints are classified to soft and hard constraints. Soft and hard constraints of the problem are additionally classified to: sequence constraints, schedule constraints and roster constraints. Sequence constraints are considered when constructing shift sequences. Schedule constraints are considered when constructing a schedule. Roster constraints are applied, then constructing overall solution, i.e. combining all schedules.Shift sequence based approach consists of two stages:• Shift sequences construction,• The construction of schedules.In the shift sequences construction stage, the shift sequences are constructed for each set of health care workers of different skill, considering sequence constraints. Shifts sequences are ranked by their penalties for easier retrieval in later stage.In schedules construction stage, schedules for each health care worker are constructed iteratively, using the shift sequences produced in stage 1. Shift sequence based method is an adaptive iterative method where health care workers who received the highest schedule penalties in the last iteration are scheduled first at the current iteration. During the roster construction, and after a schedule has been generated for the current health care worker, an improvement method based on an efficient greedy local search is carried out on the partial roster. It simply swaps any pair of shifts between two health care workers in the (partial roster, as long as the swaps satisfy hard constraints and decrease the roster penalty.Findings—Using shift sequence method for solving health care workers rostering

  10. Shift of the pituitary stalk in intrasellar pituitary adenomas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, Jusuke; Tokiguchi, Susumu; Nakamori, Akitoshi; Watanabe, Akira; Yokoyama, Motoharu.

    1982-01-01

    Fifty-one patients from a group of 344 patients undergoing the evaluation of intrasellar or parasellar tumors were diagnosed on CT as having an intrasellar pituitary adenoma. Axial transverse sections were performed at -10 0 to Reid's basal line, using 1.5-mm-thick slices and sagittal and coronal reformation. Of these 51 patients, 17 showed a shift of the pituitary stalk. The area where a tumor was thought to be located within the sella turcica on preoperative CT became defective on CT after transsphenoidal surgery in all cases. Histological verification was obtained in all cases. Also, the shift of the pituitary stalk was normalized or markedly improved after surgery in all cases. In functioning tumors, all cases except two showed an endocrinologically normal state or a marked improvement after transsphenoidal surgery. On the basis of the above-mentioned facts, it was concluded that the shift of the pituitary stalk in intrasellar pituitary adenomas indicated the evidence of a mass and its location in the sella turcica. However, a shift of the pituitary stalk was also observed under other conditions, such as empty sella and tuberculum sellae meningioma, and so it is not a pathognomonic finding in intrasellar pituitary adenomas. (author)

  11. Nineteenth century French rose (Rosa sp.) germplasm shows a shift over time from a European to an Asian genetic background.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liorzou, Mathilde; Pernet, Alix; Li, Shubin; Chastellier, Annie; Thouroude, Tatiana; Michel, Gilles; Malécot, Valéry; Gaillard, Sylvain; Briée, Céline; Foucher, Fabrice; Oghina-Pavie, Cristiana; Clotault, Jérémy; Grapin, Agnès

    2016-08-01

    Hybridization with introduced genetic resources is commonly practiced in ornamental plant breeding to introgress desired traits. The 19th century was a golden age for rose breeding in France. The objective here was to study the evolution of rose genetic diversity over this period, which included the introduction of Asian genotypes into Europe. A large sample of 1228 garden roses encompassing the conserved diversity cultivated during the 18th and 19th centuries was genotyped with 32 microsatellite primer pairs. Its genetic diversity and structure were clarified. Wide diversity structured in 16 genetic groups was observed. Genetic differentiation was detected between ancient European and Asian accessions, and a temporal shift from a European to an Asian genetic background was observed in cultivated European hybrids during the 19th century. Frequent crosses with Asian roses throughout the 19th century and/or selection for Asiatic traits may have induced this shift. In addition, the consistency of the results with respect to a horticultural classification is discussed. Some horticultural groups, defined according to phenotype and/or knowledge of their pedigree, seem to be genetically more consistent than others, highlighting the difficulty of classifying cultivated plants. Therefore, the horticultural classification is probably more appropriate for commercial purposes rather than genetic relatedness, especially to define preservation and breeding strategies. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

  12. Peripheral Skin Temperature and Circadian Biological Clock in Shift Nurses after a Day off

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Massimo Bracci

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The circadian biological clock is essentially based on the light/dark cycle. Some people working with shift schedules cannot adjust their sleep/wake cycle to the light/dark cycle, and this may result in alterations of the circadian biological clock. This study explored the circadian biological clock of shift and daytime nurses using non-invasive methods. Peripheral skin temperature, cortisol and melatonin levels in saliva, and Per2 expression in pubic hair follicle cells were investigated for 24 h after a day off. Significant differences were observed in peripheral skin temperature and cortisol levels between shift and daytime nurses. No differences in melatonin levels were obtained. Per2 maximum values were significantly different between the two groups. Shift nurses exhibited lower circadian variations compared to daytime nurses, and this may indicate an adjustment of the circadian biological clock to continuous shift schedules. Non-invasive procedures, such as peripheral skin temperature measurement, determination of cortisol and melatonin in saliva, and analysis of clock genes in hair follicle cells, may be effective approaches to extensively study the circadian clock in shift workers.

  13. Leveraging the real value of laboratory medicine with the value proposition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price, Christopher P; John, Andrew St; Christenson, Robert; Scharnhorst, Volker; Oellerich, Michael; Jones, Patricia; Morris, Howard A

    2016-11-01

    Improving quality and patient safety, containing costs and delivering value-for-money are the key drivers of change in the delivery of healthcare and have stimulated a shift from an activity-based service to a service based on patient-outcomes. The delivery of an outcomes-based healthcare agenda requires that the real value of laboratory medicine to all stakeholders be understood, effectively defined and communicated. The value proposition of any product or service is the link between the provider and the needs of the customer describing the utility of the product or service in terms of benefit to the customer. The framework of a value proposition for laboratory medicine provides the core business case that drives key activities in the evolution and maintenance of high quality healthcare from research through to adoption and quality improvement in an established service. The framework of a value proposition for laboratory medicine is described. The content is endorsed by IFCC and WASPaLM. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Effect of shift work on hypertension: cross sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeom, Jeong Han; Sim, Chang Sun; Lee, Jiho; Yun, Seok Hyeon; Park, Sang Jin; Yoo, Cheol-In; Sung, Joo Hyun

    2017-01-01

    The need of efficient resource management and full-time accessibility to resources has increased with the development of industry, resulting in the increase of shift workers. Previous researches of past decades show that there are various health effects on shift workers. However, the definition and the form of shift work have varied from each research and occupational harmful factors except for shift work have not been excluded completely in previous researches. Therefore, in this research, we tried to find out the effect of shift work focusing on the hypertension. To complement previously mentioned weakness of other researches, we performed our research on participants to whom we could minimize other risk factors excluding shift work. This research examined 1,953 petrochemical plant male workers (shift work 1,075, day worker 878) who did medical checkup from 1st Jan. 2014 to 31th Dec. 2014 in a general hospital located in Ulsan, based on their medical records and questionnaires. With the questionnaire, we found out their basic information including age, social status, occupational history, and we took their physical measurements. Compared to day workers, shift workers' odds ratio of developing hypertension was 1.31 (95% CI 0.98-1.75). After adjusting confounding variables, adjusted odds ratio for entire subjects was 1.51 (95% CI 1.11-2.06). Also, for subjects who were in continuous service for over 20 years, odds ratio was 1.51 (95% CI 1.08-2.11). Shift workers had a higher chance of hypertension than day workers do. Particularly, the longer the workers work continuously, the risk of hypertension getting higher.

  15. Comparison of sleep disturbances in shift workers and people working with a fixed shift

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zohreh Yazdi

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Different types of sleep disturbances can have a serious negative effect on a person’s ability, function and overall well-being. One of the most important issues that can result in sleep disturbances are occupational causes, the most important among them is shift work. The objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of sleep disturbances between shift work and non-shift workers. Material and Methods: This study was designed as a case-control study in 196 shift workers and 204 non-shift workers in a textile factory. The data were collected by using a comprehensive questionnaire including Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index questionnaire, Berlin Questionnaire, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Insomnia Severity Index and Restless Leg Syndrome Questionnaire. Data analyses were carried out using the SPSS software version 13 by student's t-test, Chi square and multiple logistic regressions. Results: The duration of night sleep in shift workers was less than day workers (p<0.001. Prevalence of poor sleep quality and insomnia were higher in shift workers significantly than non shift workers (p<0.001, OR=2.3 95% CI: 1.7-2.9. The most prevalent type of insomnia was problems in initiating sleep (P=0.022, OR=2.2 95% CI: 1.5-3.2. There was no difference in the prevalence of excessive day-time sleepiness, restless leg syndrome, snoring, obstructive sleep apnea and different types of parasomnias between two groups. Conclusion: Reduced length of sleep and higher prevalence of poor sleep quality and insomnia in shift workers emphasizes the importance of serious attention to sleep disorders in shift workers.

  16. How prosody marks shifts in footing in classroom discourse

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skidmore, David; Murakami, Kyoko

    2010-01-01

    concept of footing. We show that, within an episode of teacher-led plenary discourse, prosody may be used to signal shifts in footing between different kinds of pedagogic activity. We identify: (i) teacher-led IRF (Initiation– Response–Feedback) discussion; (ii) the teacher’smodelling of exploratory talk......; (iii) a shift to instruction-giving. If teachers are able to model the enquiring tone of exploratory talk, they may in turn encourage more thoughtful contributions from students....

  17. Atom-solid binding energy shifts for K 2p and Rb 3d sublevels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holappa, M.; Aksela, S.; Patanen, M.; Urpelainen, S.; Aksela, H.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Binding energy shifts between atom and solid. K 2p and Rb 3d sublevels were studied. → Simultaneous measurements give accurate results. → Results can be used as a reference for cluster studies. - Abstract: Binding energy shifts between free and solid state atoms for K 2p and Rb 3d photolines have been determined by measuring the vapor and solid state spectra simultaneously in similar experimental conditions applying synchrotron radiation excited photoelectron spectroscopy. This method has the important benefit that the work function is not needed to correct for different reference energy levels, therefore much more accurate values for binding energy shifts are obtained.

  18. Is preoperative brain midline shift a determinant factor for neurological improvement after cranioplasty?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chun-Hsien Lin

    2015-07-01

    Conclusion: For patients who underwent craniectomy, an improvement in neurological function 1 year after cranioplasty was observed. The patients with brain midline shift showed more improvement in consciousness after cranioplasty than those without a brain midline shift. The presence of a preoperative brain midline shift may be an isolated determinant for the prediction of the outcome after cranioplasty.

  19. The ALICE Glance Shift Accounting Management System (SAMS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martins Silva, H.; Abreu Da Silva, I.; Ronchetti, F.; Telesca, A.; Maidantchik, C.

    2015-12-01

    ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is an experiment at the CERN LHC (Large Hadron Collider) studying the physics of strongly interacting matter and the quark-gluon plasma. The experiment operation requires a 24 hours a day and 7 days a week shift crew at the experimental site, composed by the ALICE collaboration members. Shift duties are calculated for each institute according to their correlated members. In order to ensure the full coverage of the experiment operation as well as its good quality, the ALICE Shift Accounting Management System (SAMS) is used to manage the shift bookings as well as the needed training. ALICE SAMS is the result of a joint effort between the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and the ALICE Collaboration. The Glance technology, developed by the UFRJ and the ATLAS experiment, sits at the basis of the system as an intermediate layer isolating the particularities of the databases. In this paper, we describe the ALICE SAMS development process and functionalities. The database has been modelled according to the collaboration needs and is fully integrated with the ALICE Collaboration repository to access members information and respectively roles and activities. Run, period and training coordinators can manage their subsystem operation and ensure an efficient personnel management. Members of the ALICE collaboration can book shifts and on-call according to pre-defined rights. ALICE SAMS features a user profile containing all the statistics and user contact information as well as the Institutes profile. Both the user and institute profiles are public (within the scope of the collaboration) and show the credit balance in real time. A shift calendar allows the Run Coordinator to plan data taking periods in terms of which subsystems shifts are enabled or disabled and on-call responsible people and slots. An overview display presents the shift crew present in the control room and allows the Run Coordination team to confirm the presence

  20. Binding energies and chemical shifts of least bound core electron excitations in cubic Asub(N)Bsub(8-N) semiconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bechstedt, F.; Enderlein, R.; Wischnewski, R.

    1981-01-01

    Core electron binding energies Esup(B) with respect to the vacuum level and their chemical shifts are calculated for the least bound core levels of cations and anions of cubic Asub(N)Bsub(8-N) semiconductors. Starting from the HF-binding energy of the free atom absolute values of Esup(B) are obtained by adding core level shifts and relaxation energies. Core level shifts are calculated by means of an electrostatic model with ionic and bond charges according to Phillips' bond charge model. For the calculation of relaxation energies the linear dielectric theory of electronic polarization is applied. Valence and core electrons, and diagonal and non-diagonal screening are taken into account. The theoretical results for chemical shifts of binding energies are compared with experimental values from XPS-measurements corrected by work function data. Good agreement is obtained in all cases within the error limit of about one eV. Chemical and atomic trends of core level shifts, relaxation energies, and binding energies are discussed in terms of changes of atomic and solid state parameters. Chemical shifts and relaxation energies are predicted for various ternary Asub(N)Bsub(8-N) compounds. (author)

  1. Mechanisms of Breast Cancer in Shift Workers: DNA Methylation in Five Core Circadian Genes in Nurses Working Night Shifts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samulin Erdem, Johanna; Skare, Øivind; Petersen-Øverleir, Marte; Notø, Heidi Ødegaard; Lie, Jenny-Anne S; Reszka, Edyta; Pepłońska, Beata; Zienolddiny, Shanbeh

    2017-01-01

    Shift work has been suggested to be associated with breast cancer risk, and circadian disruption in shift workers is hypothesized as one of the mechanisms of increased cancer risk. There is, however, insufficient molecular evidence supporting this hypothesis. Using the quantitative methodology of pyrosequencing, epigenetic changes in 5-methyl cytosine (5mC) in five circadian genes CLOCK , BMAL1 , CRY1, PER1 and PER2 in female nurses working night shift work (278 breast cancer cases, 280 controls) were analyzed. In breast cancer cases, a medium exposure to night work was associated with increased methylation levels of the CLOCK (p=0.050), BMAL1 (p=0.001) and CRY1 (p=0.040) genes, compared with controls. Within the cases, analysis of the effects of shift work on the methylation patterns showed that methylation of CRY1 was lower in those who had worked night shift and had a high exposure (p=0.006) compared with cases that had worked only days. For cases with a medium exposure to night work, an increase in BMAL1 (p=0.003) and PER1 (p=0.035) methylation was observed compared with day working (unexposed) cases. The methylation levels of the five core circadian genes were also analyzed in relation to the estrogen and progesterone receptors status of the tumors in the cases, and no correlations were observed. Furthermore, nineteen polymorphisms in the five circadian genes were assessed for their effects on the methylation levels of the respective genes, but no associations were found. In summary, our data suggest that epigenetic regulation of CLOCK , BMAL1, CRY1 and PER1 may contribute to breast cancer in shift workers.

  2. A probabilistic approach for validating protein NMR chemical shift assignments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Bowei; Wang, Yunjun; Wishart, David S.

    2010-01-01

    It has been estimated that more than 20% of the proteins in the BMRB are improperly referenced and that about 1% of all chemical shift assignments are mis-assigned. These statistics also reflect the likelihood that any newly assigned protein will have shift assignment or shift referencing errors. The relatively high frequency of these errors continues to be a concern for the biomolecular NMR community. While several programs do exist to detect and/or correct chemical shift mis-referencing or chemical shift mis-assignments, most can only do one, or the other. The one program (SHIFTCOR) that is capable of handling both chemical shift mis-referencing and mis-assignments, requires the 3D structure coordinates of the target protein. Given that chemical shift mis-assignments and chemical shift re-referencing issues should ideally be addressed prior to 3D structure determination, there is a clear need to develop a structure-independent approach. Here, we present a new structure-independent protocol, which is based on using residue-specific and secondary structure-specific chemical shift distributions calculated over small (3-6 residue) fragments to identify mis-assigned resonances. The method is also able to identify and re-reference mis-referenced chemical shift assignments. Comparisons against existing re-referencing or mis-assignment detection programs show that the method is as good or superior to existing approaches. The protocol described here has been implemented into a freely available Java program called 'Probabilistic Approach for protein Nmr Assignment Validation (PANAV)' and as a web server (http://redpoll.pharmacy.ualberta.ca/PANAVhttp://redpoll.pharmacy.ualberta.ca/PANAV) which can be used to validate and/or correct as well as re-reference assigned protein chemical shifts.

  3. Prolonged Instability Prior to a Regime Shift | Science ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Regime shifts are generally defined as the point of ‘abrupt’ change in the state of a system. However, a seemingly abrupt transition can be the product of a system reorganization that has been ongoing much longer than is evident in statistical analysis of a single component of the system. Using both univariate and multivariate statistical methods, we tested a long-term high-resolution paleoecological dataset with a known change in species assemblage for a regime shift. Analysis of this dataset with Fisher Information and multivariate time series modeling showed that there was a∼2000 year period of instability prior to the regime shift. This period of instability and the subsequent regime shift coincide with regional climate change, indicating that the system is undergoing extrinsic forcing. Paleoecological records offer a unique opportunity to test tools for the detection of thresholds and stable-states, and thus to examine the long-term stability of ecosystems over periods of multiple millennia. This manuscript explores various methods of assessing the transition between alternative states in an ecological system described by a long-term high-resolution paleoecological dataset.

  4. Evaluation of the effect of shift work on serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akbari, Hamed; Mirzaei, Ramazan; Nasrabadi, Tahereh; Gholami-Fesharaki, Mohammad

    2015-01-01

    Working outside daylight hours (7 am to 7 pm) is called shift work. Shift work is a common practice in many industries and factories such as steel industries, petroleum industries, power plants, and in some services such as medicine and nursing and police forces, in which professionals provide services during day and night. Considering the contradictory reports of different studies, we decided to evaluate the effect of shift work on cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels through a historical cohort on steel industry workers. This retrospective cohort study was performed on all the staff of Isfahan's Mobarakeh Steel Company between years 2002 and 2011. There were 5773 participants in this study. Data were collected from the medical records of the staff using the census method. For analysis of data, generalized estimating equation (GEE) regression was used. The results showed a significant difference in cholesterol levels between shift workers and day workers on the first observation (P work experience and BMI were not similar between shift workers and day workers. Therefore, to remove the effect of such variables, we used GEE regression. Despite the borderline difference of cholesterol between regular shift workers and day workers, this correlation was not statistically significant (P = 0.051). The results for TG also showed no correlation with shift work. According to the findings of this study, there is no relationship between shift work and changes in serum TG and cholesterol. The lack of relationship can be due to shift plans for shift workers, nutrition, or the "Healthy Heart project" at Isfahan Mobarakeh Steel Company.

  5. Algorithm based on regional separation for automatic grain boundary extraction using improved mean shift method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhenying, Xu; Jiandong, Zhu; Qi, Zhang; Yamba, Philip

    2018-06-01

    Metallographic microscopy shows that the vast majority of metal materials are composed of many small grains; the grain size of a metal is important for determining the tensile strength, toughness, plasticity, and other mechanical properties. In order to quantitatively evaluate grain size in metals, grain boundaries must be identified in metallographic images. Based on the phenomenon of grain boundary blurring or disconnection in metallographic images, this study develops an algorithm based on regional separation for automatically extracting grain boundaries by an improved mean shift method. Experimental observation shows that the grain boundaries obtained by the proposed algorithm are highly complete and accurate. This research has practical value because the proposed algorithm is suitable for grain boundary extraction from most metallographic images.

  6. Metallic oxides supported in CeO{sub 2} and CeO{sub 2}-La{sub 2} O{sub 3} for low temperature shift reaction; Oxidos metalicos suportados em CeO{sub 2} e CeO{sub 2}-La{sub 2} O{sub 3} para reacao shift a baixa temperatura

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maluf, Silvia Salua; Assaf, Elisabete Moreira [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil). Inst. de Quimica]. E-mail: sil_maluf@iqsc.usp.br

    2008-07-01

    This work studied copper and zinc oxides supported in CeO{sub 2} and CeO{sub 2}/La{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The catalytic tests for low temperature shift reaction, carried out for samples, showed the Cu-Ce catalyst presents the highest value of CO conversion (50%) and after the Cu-Ce-La catalysts (30%). The other catalysts showed CO conversion in range of 15%. This behavior is related with surface area, and also with the amount of Cu in the surface of samples (author)

  7. Bayesian Estimation Of Shift Point In Poisson Model Under Asymmetric Loss Functions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    uma srivastava

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with estimating  shift point which occurs in any sequence of independent observations  of Poisson model in statistical process control. This shift point occurs in the sequence when  i.e. m  life data are observed. The Bayes estimator on shift point 'm' and before and after shift process means are derived for symmetric and asymmetric loss functions under informative and non informative priors. The sensitivity analysis of Bayes estimators are carried out by simulation and numerical comparisons with  R-programming. The results shows the effectiveness of shift in sequence of Poisson disribution .

  8. From Drug Safety to Drug Security: A Contemporary Shift in the Policing of Health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hornberger, Julia

    2018-01-29

    The counterfeiting of medication is increasingly seen as a major threat to health, especially in the light of both the everyday reliance on and a broadening of world-wide access to pharmaceuticals. Exaggerated or real, this threat has inaugurated, this article argues, a shift from a drug safety regime to a drug security regime that governs the flow of pharmaceuticals and brings together markets, police, and health actors in new ways. This entails a shift from soft disciplinary means aimed at incremental and continued inclusion of defaulters, to one of drastically sovereign measures of exclusion and banishment aimed at fake goods and the people associated with them, in the name of health. Through a multi-sited ethnographic study, this article shows how such new drug security efforts play themselves out especially in (South) Africa, highlighting a modus operandi of spectacular performativity and of working through suspicion and association rather than factuality, producing value less so for those in need of health than for a petty security industry itself. © 2018 by the American Anthropological Association.

  9. Chemical shift homology in proteins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Potts, Barbara C.M.; Chazin, Walter J.

    1998-01-01

    The degree of chemical shift similarity for homologous proteins has been determined from a chemical shift database of over 50 proteins representing a variety of families and folds, and spanning a wide range of sequence homologies. After sequence alignment, the similarity of the secondary chemical shifts of C α protons was examined as a function of amino acid sequence identity for 37 pairs of structurally homologous proteins. A correlation between sequence identity and secondary chemical shift rmsd was observed. Important insights are provided by examining the sequence identity of homologous proteins versus percentage of secondary chemical shifts that fall within 0.1 and 0.3 ppm thresholds. These results begin to establish practical guidelines for the extent of chemical shift similarity to expect among structurally homologous proteins

  10. Opacity in compact extragalactic radio sources and the core shift effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovalev, Y Y; Lobanov, A P; Pushkarev, A B; Zensus, J A

    2008-01-01

    The apparent position of the 'core' in a parsec-scale radio jet (a compact, bright emitting region at the narrow end of the jet) depends on the observing frequency, owing to synchrotron self-absorption and external absorption. This dependency both provides a tool to probe physical conditions in the vicinity of the core and poses problems for astrometric studies using compact radio sources. We investigate the frequency-dependent shift of the positions of the cores (core shift) observed with very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) in parsec-scale jets. We present results for 29 selected active galactic nuclei (AGN). In these AGN, the magnitude of the measured core shift between 2.3 and 8.6 GHz reaches 1.4 mas, with a median value for the sample of 0.44 mas. We discuss related physics as well as astrometry applications and plans for further studies.

  11. Determination of Young's modulus of epoxy coated polyethylene micro-cantilever using phase-shift shadow moiré method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, J. H.; Ratnam, M. M.; Azid, I. A.; Mutharasu, D.

    2011-11-01

    Young's moduli of various epoxy coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) micro-cantilevers were determined from the deflection results obtained using the phase-shift shadow moiré (PSSM) method. The filler materials for epoxy coatings were aluminum and graphite powders that were mixed with epoxy at various percentages. Young's moduli were calculated from theory based on the deflection results. The PET micro-cantilever coated with aluminum-epoxy coating showed increasing value of Young's modulus when the ratios of the aluminum-epoxy were increased. The graphite-epoxy coating on the PET micro-cantilever also showed the same trend. The experimental results also show that Young's modulus of the graphite-epoxy coating is higher than aluminum-epoxy coating in comparison at the same mixing ratio.

  12. Shift Work, Chronotype, and Melatonin Patterns among Female Hospital Employees on Day and Night Shifts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, Michael; Tranmer, Joan; Hung, Eleanor; Korsiak, Jill; Day, Andrew G; Aronson, Kristan J

    2016-05-01

    Shift work-related carcinogenesis is hypothesized to be mediated by melatonin; however, few studies have considered the potential effect modification of this underlying pathway by chronotype or specific aspects of shift work such as the number of consecutive nights in a rotation. In this study, we examined melatonin patterns in relation to shift status, stratified by chronotype and number of consecutive night shifts, and cumulative lifetime exposure to shift work. Melatonin patterns of 261 female personnel (147 fixed-day and 114 on rotations, including nights) at Kingston General Hospital were analyzed using cosinor analysis. Urine samples were collected from all voids over a 48-hour specimen collection period for measurement of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin concentrations using the Buhlmann ELISA Kit. Chronotypes were assessed using mid-sleep time (MSF) derived from the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ). Sociodemographic, health, and occupational information were collected by questionnaire. Rotational shift nurses working nights had a lower mesor and an earlier time of peak melatonin production compared to day-only workers. More pronounced differences in mesor and acrophase were seen among later chronotypes, and shift workers working ≥3 consecutive nights. Among nurses, cumulative shift work was associated with a reduction in mesor. These results suggest that evening-types and/or shift workers working ≥3 consecutive nights are more susceptible to adverse light-at-night effects, whereas long-term shift work may also chronically reduce melatonin levels. Cumulative and current exposure to shift work, including nights, affects level and timing of melatonin production, which may be related to carcinogenesis and cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(5); 830-8. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

  13. A proposed wind shift model for the German reactor safety study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aldrich, D.C.; Bayer, A.; Schueckler, M.

    1979-04-01

    To account for hourly wind direction changes, a wind shift model has been proposed. Using hourly recorded wind speed and direction data, the model modifies the angular distribution of radionuclide concentrations calculated by a straightline model, and is intended to better represent the concentrations in areas close to the reactor where potential doses might exceed the threshold level for early fatalities. 115 weather sequences were used, both with and without the proposed wind shift model, to calculate probability distributions for early fatalities. The use of the proposed model results in a reduction of the mean and peak values of that distribution by 36% and 29%, respectively. (orig./HP) [de

  14. A criticism of big bang cosmological models based on interpretation of the red shift

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kierein, J.W. (Ball Aerospace Systems Div., Boulder, CO (USA))

    1988-08-01

    The interaction of light with the intergalactic plasma produces the Hubble red shift versus distance relationship. This interaction also produces an isotopic long wavelength background radiation from the plasma. Intrinsic red shifts in quasars and other objects are similarly explained, showing why they are exceptions to Hubble's law. Because the red shift is not doppler-shifted, big bang cosmological models should be replaced with static models. (author).

  15. Causal Correlation Functions and Fourier Transforms: Application in Calculating Pressure Induced Shifts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Q.; Tipping, R. H.; Lavrentieva, N. N.

    2012-01-01

    By adopting a concept from signal processing, instead of starting from the correlation functions which are even, one considers the causal correlation functions whose Fourier transforms become complex. Their real and imaginary parts multiplied by 2 are the Fourier transforms of the original correlations and the subsequent Hilbert transforms, respectively. Thus, by taking this step one can complete the two previously needed transforms. However, to obviate performing the Cauchy principal integrations required in the Hilbert transforms is the greatest advantage. Meanwhile, because the causal correlations are well-bounded within the time domain and band limited in the frequency domain, one can replace their Fourier transforms by the discrete Fourier transforms and the latter can be carried out with the FFT algorithm. This replacement is justified by sampling theory because the Fourier transforms can be derived from the discrete Fourier transforms with the Nyquis rate without any distortions. We apply this method in calculating pressure induced shifts of H2O lines and obtain more reliable values. By comparing the calculated shifts with those in HITRAN 2008 and by screening both of them with the pair identity and the smooth variation rules, one can conclude many of shift values in HITRAN are not correct.

  16. Rotating shift work and menstrual characteristics in a cohort of Chinese nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yizi; Gu, Fang; Deng, Mingfen; Guo, Lan; Lu, Ciyong; Zhou, Canquan; Chen, Shouzhen; Xu, Yanwen

    2016-05-04

    Shift work disrupts the circadian rhythm and may cause menstruation disorders. This study assessed the impact of shift work on menstrual cycle in a population of Chinese nurses. Questionnaires on menstrual characteristics and shift schedules were sent to female nurses of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (FAHSYSU) and Guanghua Hospital of Stomatology (GHHS), affiliated to Sun Yat-sen University. Part I was a cross-sectional study and included 139 nurses in GHHS who had regular 8:00-17:30 working (non-shift group), and 334 nurses from FAHSYSU who worked shifts, a response rate of 67.5 % and 59.6 %, respectively (age ≤ 50 years). Menstrual patterns were compared and age-adjusted relative risks of shift work were analyzed. Part II was a nested case-control study. Cases were nurses in Part I who had regular cycle with mean cycle length (MCL) of 25-31 days and but at least 3 days variation in MCL after starting shift work (n = 45). Controls consisted of 67 nurses with matching shift patterns and age, but no MCL changes. A control non-shift age-matched group consisted of 30 GHHS nurses with no MCL changes. A follow-up second questionnaire was sent 2 years later. In Part I, the shift group had a significantly higher proportion of nurses with menstrual cycle irregularity. The proportion of nurses with a cycle of 25-31 days decreased from 81.7 to 67.8 % after changing to shift work. Logistic regression analysis showed that night shift frequency was the only risk factor associated with cycle shortening. After adjusting for age, MCL was shorter when night work was performed > 7 times per month. In Part II, the mean change in MCL in the case group, including prolongation or shortening, was 4.115 ± 2.084 days after shift working. In the 2 years' follow-up, the MCL of the study group did not recover to the original length. Rotating shift work can increase the prevalence of menstrual cycle irregularity. Night shift frequency was

  17. Analysing performance through value creation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrian TRIFAN

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper draws a parallel between measuring financial performance in 2 variants: the first one using data offered by accounting, which lays emphasis on maximizing profit, and the second one which aims to create value. The traditional approach to performance is based on some indicators from accounting data: ROI, ROE, EPS. The traditional management, based on analysing the data from accounting, has shown its limits, and a new approach is needed, based on creating value. The evaluation of value based performance tries to avoid the errors due to accounting data, by using other specific indicators: EVA, MVA, TSR, CVA. The main objective is shifted from maximizing the income to maximizing the value created for shareholders. The theoretical part is accompanied by a practical analysis regarding the creation of value and an analysis of the main indicators which evaluate this concept.

  18. Associations between number of consecutive night shifts and impairment of neurobehavioral performance during a subsequent simulated night shift.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magee, Michelle; Sletten, Tracey L; Ferguson, Sally A; Grunstein, Ronald R; Anderson, Clare; Kennaway, David J; Lockley, Steven W; Rajaratnam, Shantha Mw

    2016-05-01

    This study aimed to investigate sleep and circadian phase in the relationships between neurobehavioral performance and the number of consecutive shifts worked. Thirty-four shift workers [20 men, mean age 31.8 (SD 10.9) years] worked 2-7 consecutive night shifts immediately prior to a laboratory-based, simulated night shift. For 7 days prior, participants worked their usual shift sequence, and sleep was assessed with logs and actigraphy. Participants completed a 10-minute auditory psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) at the start (~21:00 hours) and end (~07:00 hours) of the simulated night shift. Mean reaction times (RT), number of lapses and RT distribution was compared between those who worked 2-3 consecutive night shifts versus those who worked 4-7 shifts. Following 4-7 shifts, night shift workers had significantly longer mean RT at the start and end of shift, compared to those who worked 2-3 shifts. The slowest and fastest 10% RT were significantly slower at the start, but not end, of shift among participants who worked 4-7 nights. Those working 4-7 nights also demonstrated a broader RT distribution at the start and end of shift and had significantly slower RT based on cumulative distribution analysis (5 (th), 25 (th), 50 (th), 75 (th)percentiles at the start of shift; 75th percentile at the end of shift). No group differences in sleep parameters were found for 7 days and 24 hours prior to the simulated night shift. A greater number of consecutive night shifts has a negative impact on neurobehavioral performance, likely due to cognitive slowing.

  19. SHIFT: server for hidden stops analysis in frame-shifted translation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Arun; Singh, Tiratha Raj

    2013-02-23

    Frameshift is one of the three classes of recoding. Frame-shifts lead to waste of energy, resources and activity of the biosynthetic machinery. In addition, some peptides synthesized after frame-shifts are probably cytotoxic which serve as plausible cause for innumerable number of diseases and disorders such as muscular dystrophies, lysosomal storage disorders, and cancer. Hidden stop codons occur naturally in coding sequences among all organisms. These codons are associated with the early termination of translation for incorrect reading frame selection and help to reduce the metabolic cost related to the frameshift events. Researchers have identified several consequences of hidden stop codons and their association with myriad disorders. However the wealth of information available is speckled and not effortlessly acquiescent to data-mining. To reduce this gap, this work describes an algorithmic web based tool to study hidden stops in frameshifted translation for all the lineages through respective genetic code systems. This paper describes SHIFT, an algorithmic web application tool that provides a user-friendly interface for identifying and analyzing hidden stops in frameshifted translation of genomic sequences for all available genetic code systems. We have calculated the correlation between codon usage frequencies and the plausible contribution of codons towards hidden stops in an off-frame context. Markovian chains of various order have been used to model hidden stops in frameshifted peptides and their evolutionary association with naturally occurring hidden stops. In order to obtain reliable and persuasive estimates for the naturally occurring and predicted hidden stops statistical measures have been implemented. This paper presented SHIFT, an algorithmic tool that allows user-friendly exploration, analysis, and visualization of hidden stop codons in frameshifted translations. It is expected that this web based tool would serve as a useful complement for

  20. The clinical value of bilateral breast MR imaging: is it worth performing on patients showing suspicious microcalcifications on mammography?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akita, Ayano; Tanimoto, Akihiro; Kuribayashi, Sachio [Keio University, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, School of Medicine, Tokyo (Japan); Jinno, Hiromitsu [Keio University, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Tokyo (Japan); Kameyama, Kaori [Keio University, Division of Diagnostic Pathology, School of Medicine, Tokyo (Japan)

    2009-09-15

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical value of bilateral breast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (MRI) in patients showing suspicious microcalcifications on mammography and negative ultrasound findings. Fifty patients underwent MRI before stereotactic vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (SVAB). MR findings were classified into five types for interpretation, and types 4 and 5 were considered malignant. SVAB revealed 13 carcinomas and 37 benign lesions. Malignant lesions were more frequently found in cases of positive MRI diagnoses than in negative MRI diagnoses (P < 0.001). Mammography had a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 24% and an accuracy of 44%, whereas mammography plus MRI had a sensitivity of 85%, a specificity of 100% and an accuracy of 96%. In the evaluation of mammographically detected microcalcifications, bilateral breast MRI is of good diagnostic value and may alter the indications for SVAB. (orig.)

  1. Recovery of rescuers from a 24-h shift and its association with aerobic fitness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katariina Lyytikäinen

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Rescuers work in 24-h shifts and the demanding nature of the occupation requires adequate recovery between work shifts. The purpose of this study has been to find out what kind of changes in autonomic control may be seen during work shift and its recovery period in the case of rescuers. An additional interest has been to see if aerobic fitness is associated with recovery from work shifts. Material and Methods: Fourteen male rescuers (aged 34±9 years old volunteered to participate in the study. Heart rate variability (HRV was recorded for 96 h to study stress and recovery, from the beginning of a 24-h work shift to the beginning of the next shift. Aerobic fitness assessment included maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max estimation with a submaximal bicycle ergometer test. Salivary cortisol samples were collected 0 min, 15 min, and 30 min after awakening on the 3 resting days. Results: Some HRV parameters showed enhanced autonomic control after the work shift. Stress percentage decreased from the working day to the 2nd rest day (p 0.05. Cortisol awakening response was attenuated right after the work shift. Conclusions: The HRV findings show that recovery after a long work shift takes several days. Thus, rescuers should pay attention to sufficient recovery before the next work shift, and an integrated model of perceived and physiological measurements could be beneficial to assess cardiovascular strain among rescuers with long work shifts. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(3:433–444

  2. Accuracy and precision of protein–ligand interaction kinetics determined from chemical shift titrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Markin, Craig J.; Spyracopoulos, Leo

    2012-01-01

    NMR-monitored chemical shift titrations for the study of weak protein–ligand interactions represent a rich source of information regarding thermodynamic parameters such as dissociation constants (K D ) in the micro- to millimolar range, populations for the free and ligand-bound states, and the kinetics of interconversion between states, which are typically within the fast exchange regime on the NMR timescale. We recently developed two chemical shift titration methods wherein co-variation of the total protein and ligand concentrations gives increased precision for the K D value of a 1:1 protein–ligand interaction (Markin and Spyracopoulos in J Biomol NMR 53: 125–138, 2012). In this study, we demonstrate that classical line shape analysis applied to a single set of 1 H– 15 N 2D HSQC NMR spectra acquired using precise protein–ligand chemical shift titration methods we developed, produces accurate and precise kinetic parameters such as the off-rate (k off ). For experimentally determined kinetics in the fast exchange regime on the NMR timescale, k off ∼ 3,000 s −1 in this work, the accuracy of classical line shape analysis was determined to be better than 5 % by conducting quantum mechanical NMR simulations of the chemical shift titration methods with the magnetic resonance toolkit GAMMA. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the experimental precision for k off from line shape analysis of NMR spectra was determined to be 13 %, in agreement with the theoretical precision of 12 % from line shape analysis of the GAMMA simulations in the presence of noise and protein concentration errors. In addition, GAMMA simulations were employed to demonstrate that line shape analysis has the potential to provide reasonably accurate and precise k off values over a wide range, from 100 to 15,000 s −1 . The validity of line shape analysis for k off values approaching intermediate exchange (∼100 s −1 ), may be facilitated by more accurate K D measurements from NMR

  3. Accuracy and precision of protein-ligand interaction kinetics determined from chemical shift titrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markin, Craig J; Spyracopoulos, Leo

    2012-12-01

    NMR-monitored chemical shift titrations for the study of weak protein-ligand interactions represent a rich source of information regarding thermodynamic parameters such as dissociation constants (K ( D )) in the micro- to millimolar range, populations for the free and ligand-bound states, and the kinetics of interconversion between states, which are typically within the fast exchange regime on the NMR timescale. We recently developed two chemical shift titration methods wherein co-variation of the total protein and ligand concentrations gives increased precision for the K ( D ) value of a 1:1 protein-ligand interaction (Markin and Spyracopoulos in J Biomol NMR 53: 125-138, 2012). In this study, we demonstrate that classical line shape analysis applied to a single set of (1)H-(15)N 2D HSQC NMR spectra acquired using precise protein-ligand chemical shift titration methods we developed, produces accurate and precise kinetic parameters such as the off-rate (k ( off )). For experimentally determined kinetics in the fast exchange regime on the NMR timescale, k ( off ) ~ 3,000 s(-1) in this work, the accuracy of classical line shape analysis was determined to be better than 5 % by conducting quantum mechanical NMR simulations of the chemical shift titration methods with the magnetic resonance toolkit GAMMA. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the experimental precision for k ( off ) from line shape analysis of NMR spectra was determined to be 13 %, in agreement with the theoretical precision of 12 % from line shape analysis of the GAMMA simulations in the presence of noise and protein concentration errors. In addition, GAMMA simulations were employed to demonstrate that line shape analysis has the potential to provide reasonably accurate and precise k ( off ) values over a wide range, from 100 to 15,000 s(-1). The validity of line shape analysis for k ( off ) values approaching intermediate exchange (~100 s(-1)), may be facilitated by more accurate K ( D ) measurements

  4. Modelling modal shift due to the enhanced level of bus service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Vedagiri

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available This study is concerned with the estimation of the probable shift of auto-rickshaw (three wheeled motorized para-transit vehicle users to the bus due to an increase in its level of service after providing exclusive bus lanes on Indian city roads carrying heterogeneous traffic. The quantum of an increase in the level of bus service due to the introduction of an exclusive bus lane was determined using a recently developed simulation model of heterogeneous traffic flow. The data on other factors (variables that might cause modal shift from the auto-rickshaw to the bus was collected conducting a home-interview survey based on the stated preference approach. A binary logit model of mode-choice was then calibrated using the collected data and the model was also validated using a holdout sample. A mode-choice probability curve to depict the possible shift of auto-rickshaw users to the bus is developed taking difference in the travel times of two-modes as the basis to serve as a user friendly tool to analyze the possible modal shift for a wide range of the values of the involved variables.

  5. Diabatic shifts and fluctuations of heavy-ion fusion barriers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berdichevsky, D.; Lukasiak, A.; Noerenberg, W.; Rozmej, P.

    1988-01-01

    The fusion process for heavy nuclei is studied within a generalized formulation of the diabatic approach to collective nuclear motion. It is shown that the coupled equations of motion decouple during the approach if appropriate diabatic channels are used. Thus the mean value and the variance of the barrier are completely determined from an ensemble of diabatic channel barriers, the ensemble being defined by the initial correlations. The mean shift with respect to the adiabatic barrier and the variance are calculated from the splitting of the diabatic single-particle levels at the barrier and the initial occupation probabilities given by the pairing wavefunctions of the separated nuclei. Results are presented for 23 systems of nuclei with masses around 100. Comparison with experimental data shows good agreement, in particular also for the isotopic trends. Additional effects from the destruction of pairing correlations and the diabatic screening of the fusion pocket for heavier nuclei with Z 1 Z 2 > or approx. 2000 are discussed. (orig.)

  6. Fractal pattern growth simulation in electrodeposition and study of the shifting of center of mass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaikh, Yusuf H.; Khan, A.R.; Pathan, J.M.; Patil, Aruna; Behere, S.H.

    2009-01-01

    We presented simulation of fractal pattern in electrodeposition (Diffusion limited aggregation) using concept of off lattice walk. It is seen that the growth patterns are based on a parameter called 'bias'. This parameter 'bias' controls the growth of patterns similar to that of electric field in electrodeposition technique. In present study the fractal patterns are grown for different values of 'bias'. Dendritic patterns grown at lower value of 'bias' comprises open structure and show limited branching. As the bias is increased the growth tends to be dense and show more crowded branching. Box counting was implemented to calculate fractal dimension. The structural and textural complexities and are compared with the experimental observations. It was also noted that in the evolution of DLA patterns, the center of mass of the growth is shifted slightly. We tracked the position of the center of mass of simulated electro deposits under different electric field conditions. The center of mass exhibit random walk like patterns and it wanders around the origin or the starting point of the growth.

  7. Femtosecond-pulse inscription of fiber Bragg gratings with single or multiple phase-shifts in the structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolf, Alexey; Dostovalov, Alexandr; Skvortsov, Mikhail; Raspopin, Kirill; Parygin, Alexandr; Babin, Sergey

    2018-05-01

    In this work, long high-quality fiber Bragg gratings with phase shifts in the structure are inscribed directly in the optical fiber by point-by-point technique using femtosecond laser pulses. Phase shifts are introduced during the inscription process with a piezoelectric actuator, which rapidly shifts the fiber along the direction of its movement in a chosen point of the grating with a chosen shift value. As examples, single and double π phase shifts are introduced in fiber Bragg gratings with a length up to 34 mm in passive fibers, which provide corresponding transmission peaks with bandwidth less than 1 pm. It is shown that 37 mm π -phase-shifted grating inscribed in an active Er-doped fiber forms high-quality DFB laser cavity generating single-frequency radiation at 1550 nm with bandwidth of 20 kHz and signal-to-noise ratio of >70 dB. The inscription technique has a high degree of performance and flexibility and can be easily implemented in fibers of various types.

  8. OpenShift cookbook

    CERN Document Server

    Gulati, Shekhar

    2014-01-01

    If you are a web application developer who wants to use the OpenShift platform to host your next big idea but are looking for guidance on how to achieve this, then this book is the first step you need to take. This is a very accessible cookbook where no previous knowledge of OpenShift is needed.

  9. Anisotropy of the fluorine chemical shift tensor in UF6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rigny, P.

    1965-04-01

    An 19 F magnetic resonance study of polycrystalline UF 6 is presented. The low temperature complex line can be analyzed as the superposition of two distinct lines, which is attributed to a distortion of the UF 6 octahedron in the solid. The shape of the two components is studied. Their width is much larger than the theoretical dipolar width, and must be explained by large anisotropies of the fluorine chemical shift tensors. The resulting shape functions of the powder spectra are determined. The values of the parameters of the chemical shift tensors yield estimates of the characters of the U-F bonds, and this gives some information on the ground state electronic wave function of the UF 6 molecule in the solid. (author) [fr

  10. Apparent wavelength shifts of H-like ions caused by the spectral fine structure observed in CHS plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishimura, Shin; Ida, Katsumi

    1998-01-01

    A new charge exchange spectroscopy (CXS) system viewing the plasma from the upside and the downside simultaneously was installed on the Compact Helical System (CHS) to detect the absolute value of Doppler shift due to poloidal rotation velocity ( i ∼ 100 eV) and in the after-glow recombining phase (T i ∼ 30 eV). The apparent Doppler shift is always red-shift regardless the direction of plasma rotation and is explained as the effect of the spectral fine structure of hydrogen-like ions. (author)

  11. Clinical investigation of set-shifting subtypes in anorexia nervosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbate-Daga, Giovanni; Buzzichelli, Sara; Marzola, Enrica; Amianto, Federico; Fassino, Secondo

    2014-11-30

    While evidence continues to accumulate on the relevance of cognitive inflexibility in anorexia nervosa (AN), its clinical correlates remain unclear. We aimed at examining the relationship between set-shifting and clinical variables (i.e., eating psychopathology, depression, and personality) in AN. Ninety-four individuals affected by AN and 59 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. All participants were assessed using: Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2), Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The AN group scored worse than HCs on set-shifting. According to their neuropsychological performances, AN patients were split into two groups corresponding to poor (N=30) and intact (N=64) set-shifting subtypes. Interoceptive awareness, impulse regulation, and maturity fears on the EDI-2 and depression on the BDI differed across all groups (HC, intact, and poor set-shifting subtype). Self-directedness on the TCI differed significantly among all groups. Cooperativeness and reward dependence differed instead only between HC and AN poor set-shifting subtype. After controlling for depression, only interoceptive awareness remained significant with reward dependence showing a trend towards statistical significance. These findings suggest that multiple clinical variables may be correlated with set-shifting performances in AN. The factors contributing to impaired cognitive inflexibility could be more complex than heretofore generally considered. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Review of 12-hour shifts at nuclear generating stations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smiley, A.; Moray, N.P.

    1989-04-01

    This project reviewed the practice of 12-hour shift work schedules at nuclear power plants, and its relationship to safety. The current literature was examined for information on accidents, fatigue and personal preferences. Interviews with operators and maintainers showed that these groups had attitude and preference differences related to both 12 hour shift schedules and overtime work opportunities. Several factors related to 12-hour schedules were identified which could affect safety, but which have not been adequately considered. (24 refs.)

  13. Performance and sleepiness in nurses working 12-h day shifts or night shifts in a community hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Marian; Permito, Regan; English, Ashley; Albritton, Sandra; Coogle, Carlana; Van Dongen, Hans P A

    2017-10-05

    Hospitals are around-the-clock operations and nurses are required to care for patients night and day. The nursing shortage and desire for a more balanced work-to-home life has popularized 12-h shifts for nurses. The present study investigated sleep/wake cycles and fatigue levels in 22 nurses working 12-h shifts, comparing day versus night shifts. Nurses (11day shift and 11 night shift) were recruited from a suburban acute-care medical center. Participants wore a wrist activity monitor and kept a diary to track their sleep/wake cycles for 2 weeks. They also completed a fatigue test battery, which included the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) and the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), at the beginning, middle and end of 4 duty shifts. Daily sleep duration was 7.1h on average. No overall difference in mean daily sleep duration was found between nurses working day shifts versus night shifts. Objective performance on the PVT remained relatively good and stable at the start, middle, and end of duty shifts in day shift workers, but gradually degraded across duty time in night shift workers. Compared to day shift workers, night shift workers also exhibited more performance variability among measurement days and between participants at each testing time point. The same pattern was observed for subjective sleepiness on the KSS. However, congruence between objective and subjective measures of fatigue was poor. Our findings suggest a need for organizations to evaluate practices and policies to mitigate the inevitable fatigue that occurs during long night shifts, in order to improve patient and healthcare worker safety. Examination of alternative shift lengths or sanctioned workplace napping may be strategies to consider. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Modified dynamic Stark shift and depopulation rate of an atom inside a Kerr nonlinear blackbody

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yin Miao; Cheng Ze

    2009-01-01

    We investigate the dynamic Stark shift and atomic depopulation rate induced by real photons in a Kerr nonlinear blackbody. We found that the dynamic Stark shift and atomic depopulation rate are equally modified by a nonlinear contribution factor and a linear contribution factor under a transition temperature T c . The nonlinear contribution factor depends on the Kerr nonlinear coefficient as well as the absolute temperature. Below T c , the absolute values of the dynamic Stark shift and depopulation rate of a single atomic state (not the ground state) are correspondingly larger than those in a normal blackbody whose interior is filled with a nonabsorbing linear medium. Above T c , the dynamic Stark shift and atomic depopulation rate are correspondingly equal to those in a normal blackbody with a nonabsorbing linear medium in its interior.

  15. Shifting Roles, Enduring Values: The Credible Journalist in a Digital Age

    OpenAIRE

    Hayes, A.; Singer, J.; Ceppos, J.

    2007-01-01

    When everyone can be a publisher, what distinguishes the journalist? This article considers contemporary challenges to institutional roles in a digital media environment, then focuses on three broad journalistic normative values -- authenticity, accountability and autonomy -- that affect the credibility of both the journalist and the content he or she provides. A set of questions that can help citizens determine the trustworthiness of the information available to them also is provided.

  16. Shift Verification and Validation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pandya, Tara M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Evans, Thomas M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Davidson, Gregory G [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Johnson, Seth R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Godfrey, Andrew T. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2016-09-07

    This documentation outlines the verification and validation of Shift for the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL). Five main types of problems were used for validation: small criticality benchmark problems; full-core reactor benchmarks for light water reactors; fixed-source coupled neutron-photon dosimetry benchmarks; depletion/burnup benchmarks; and full-core reactor performance benchmarks. We compared Shift results to measured data and other simulated Monte Carlo radiation transport code results, and found very good agreement in a variety of comparison measures. These include prediction of critical eigenvalue, radial and axial pin power distributions, rod worth, leakage spectra, and nuclide inventories over a burn cycle. Based on this validation of Shift, we are confident in Shift to provide reference results for CASL benchmarking.

  17. Choice Shifts in Groups

    OpenAIRE

    Kfir Eliaz; Debraj Ray

    2004-01-01

    The phenomenon of "choice shifts" in group decision-making is fairly ubiquitous in the social psychology literature. Faced with a choice between a ``safe" and ``risky" decision, group members appear to move to one extreme or the other, relative to the choices each member might have made on her own. Both risky and cautious shifts have been identified in different situations. This paper demonstrates that from an individual decision-making perspective, choice shifts may be viewed as a systematic...

  18. Energy phase shift as mechanism for catalysis

    KAUST Repository

    Beke-Somfai, Tamás

    2012-05-01

    Catalysts are agents that by binding reactant molecules lower the energy barriers to chemical reaction. After reaction the catalyst is regenerated, its unbinding energy recruited from the environment, which is associated with an inevitable loss of energy. We show that combining several catalytic sites to become energetically and temporally phase-shifted relative to each other provides a possibility to sustain the overall reaction by internal \\'energy recycling\\', bypassing the need for thermal activation, and in principle allowing the system to work adiabatically. Using an analytical model for superimposed, phase-shifted potentials of F 1-ATP synthase provides a description integrating main characteristics of this rotary enzyme complex. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Does the Lever Sign Test Have Added Value for Diagnosing Anterior Cruciate Ligament Ruptures?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lichtenberg, Miranda C.; Koster, Christiaan H.; Teunissen, Lennart P.J.; Oosterveld, Frits G.J.; Harmsen, Annelieke M.K.; Haverkamp, Daniel; Hoornenborg, Daniel; Berg, Robert P.; Bloemers, Frank W.; Faber, Irene R.

    2018-01-01

    Background: Diagnosing an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture based on a physical examination remains a challenge for both surgeons and physical therapists. The lever sign test was developed to overcome the practical limitations of other tests and to optimize diagnosis. An evaluation of the measurement properties of the lever sign test is needed to make adequate interpretations in practice. Purpose: To evaluate the reliability and diagnostic value of the lever sign test. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A total of 94 patients were recruited between November 2014 and July 2016. Patients were included if they were at least 16 years old, suffered from knee trauma, and had indications for knee arthroscopic surgery. Lever sign, anterior drawer, Lachman, and pivot-shift test outcomes were examined by an orthopaedic/trauma surgeon and a physical therapist. A test-retest design was used to investigate interrater reliability. Moreover, the lever sign test outcomes, alone and in combination with the other diagnostic tests, were compared with arthroscopic results, which served as the gold standard for the test’s diagnostic value. Results: The lever sign test and pivot-shift test had kappa values exceeding 0.80 for interrater reliability. The kappa values for the anterior drawer test and Lachman test were 0.80 and 0.77, respectively. The lever sign test showed the highest specificity (100%) and the lowest sensitivity (39%) when compared with the other 3 tests. Moreover, its positive and negative predictive values were 100% and 65%, respectively, while an accuracy of 71% was calculated. Clustering the lever sign test parallel with the other 3 tests resulted in the highest accuracy of 91%. Conclusion: The lever sign test appears to have high interrater reliability and is the most specific test, showing a maximal positive predictive value. A positive lever sign test result indicates an ACL rupture. These results support the added value

  20. Single-shot femtosecond-pulsed phase-shifting digital holography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kakue, Takashi; Itoh, Seiya; Xia, Peng; Tahara, Tatsuki; Awatsuji, Yasuhiro; Nishio, Kenzo; Ura, Shogo; Kubota, Toshihiro; Matoba, Osamu

    2012-08-27

    Parallel phase-shifting digital holography is capable of three-dimensional measurement of a dynamically moving object with a single-shot recording. In this letter, we demonstrated a parallel phase-shifting digital holography using a single femtosecond light pulse whose central wavelength and temporal duration were 800 nm and 96 fs, respectively. As an object, we set spark discharge in atmospheric pressure air induced by applying a high voltage to between two electrodes. The instantaneous change in phase caused by the spark discharge was clearly reconstructed. The reconstructed phase image shows the change of refractive index of air was -3.7 × 10(-4).

  1. Operator performance on the night shift: phases 1 and 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morisseau, Dolores; Beere, Barnaby; Collier, Steve

    1999-04-01

    The objective of the project on operator performance on the night shift is to determine the effects of circadian rhythms on higher order cognitive processes. The project had two preliminary phases. Subjects were operators from the Halden Boiling Water Reactor, (Phase 1: 7 male operators and shift leaders, aged 26 to 35; Phase 2: 8 male operators and shift leaders, aged 26 to 53). The majority of the operators were the same for both studies. The preliminary work established that Norwegian operators' circadian rhythms fall within universal population norms and, thus, they are suitable subjects for such experiments. During Phase 1, two self-assessment instruments, the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS) and the Global Vigour and Affect Scale (GVA), were administered every hour on all three shifts at the reactor. During Phase 2, three tests from the Walter Reed Performance Assessment Battery were administered at the beginning, middle, and end of each of the three shifts at the reactor. The tests (Serial Add-Subtract, Two-Column Addition, and Logical Reasoning) were administered using a hand-held computer. Both phases were conducted during regular work shifts for one complete shift rota (six weeks). ANOVA with two repeated measures showed that self-reported sleepiness on the night shift, sleepiness with respect to hours into the shift, and the interaction between them all reached statistical significance at p<.001. Data analyses (ANOVA) from Phase 2 indicate that the main effect of SHIFTNO (morning, afternoon, evening) on response times was significant (p<.002); the interaction between SHIFTNO and TINSHIFT (hours into shift) was also significant (p<.009). None of the effects on correctness of response was significant (Phase 2). While correctness of response was not significant for routine cognitive measures, the significant, progressive slowing of response times on the night shift reinforces the concern for possible performance decrements on the night shift. Thus, it

  2. Prevalence of myopic shifts among patients seeking cataract surgery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafael Iribarren

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Modern cataract surgery by phacoemulsification is a widely accepted procedure with a rapid recovery time. The prescription of specific intraocular lens, implanted during surgery, makes it possible to anticipate whether the patient will need reading glasses after the procedure. The present study analyses a sample of cataract surgery patients to show the frequency of myopic shifts related to nuclear opacity, which can result in clear near vision before surgery. A non-selected sample of consecutive patients who underwent elective cataract surgery in a private clinic was studied retrospectively. The myopic shift in refraction was assessed by comparing the old prescription with the spectacle correction at the time of interviewing.The mean age of the 229 subjects studied was 71.5 ± 10.4 years (109, 47.6%, males. A myopic shift in refraction, defined as at least - 0.5 diopters, was present in 37.1% of subjects (95% CI: 30.8%-43.4%. The mean change in refraction in these subjects was -2.52 ± 1.52 diopters. The percentage of subjects who had developed a myopic shift was significantly greater in those who presented greater nuclear opalescence. There were also differences in the mean myopic shift by refractive group, with the emmetropes having the greatest myopic shift. In this study of patients seeking cataract surgery in a clinical setting, more than one third had myopic shifts in refraction. This must be taken into account in order that patients maintain the benefit of clear near vision after surgery.

  3. North by north-west: climate change and directions of density shifts in birds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehikoinen, Aleksi; Virkkala, Raimo

    2016-03-01

    There is increasing evidence that climate change shifts species distributions towards poles and mountain tops. However, most studies are based on presence-absence data, and either abundance or the observation effort has rarely been measured. In addition, hardly any studies have investigated the direction of shifts and factors affecting them. Here, we show using count data on a 1000 km south-north gradient in Finland, that between 1970-1989 and 2000-2012, 128 bird species shifted their densities, on average, 37 km towards the north north-east. The species-specific directions of the shifts in density were significantly explained by migration behaviour and habitat type. Although the temperatures have also moved on average towards the north north-east (186 km), the species-specific directions of the shifts in density and temperature did not correlate due to high variation in density shifts. Findings highlight that climate change is unlikely the only driver of the direction of species density shifts, but species-specific characteristics and human land-use practices are also influencing the direction. Furthermore, the alarming results show that former climatic conditions in the north-west corner of Finland have already moved out of the country. This highlights the need for an international approach in research and conservation actions to mitigate the impacts of climate change. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. Reconfiguring global pharmaceutical value networks through targeted technology interventions

    OpenAIRE

    Harrington, Tomas Seosamh; Phillips, MA; Srai, Jagjit Singh

    2016-01-01

    Targeting a series of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) ‘interventions’ provides the potential for significant step changes across the pharmaceutical value chain, from early stage ‘system discovery’ and clinical trials, through to novel service supply models. This research explores future value network configurations which, when aligned with disruptive shifts in technology (process and digital), may enable alternative routes to medicines production and the delivery of additional value t...

  5. Shift schedule, work-family relationships, marital communication, job satisfaction and health among transport service shift workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iskra-Golec, Irena; Smith, Lawrence; Wilczek-Rużyczka, Ewa; Siemiginowska, Patrycja; Wątroba, Joanna

    2017-02-21

    Existing research has documented that shiftwork consequences may depend on the shift system parameters. Fast rotating systems (1-3 shifts of the same kind in a row) and day work have been found to be less disruptive biologically and socially than slower rotating systems and afternoon and night work. The aim of this study was to compare day workers and shift workers of different systems in terms of rotation speed and shifts worked with regard to work-family and family-work positive and negative spillover, marital communication style, job satisfaction and health. Employees (N = 168) of the maintenance workshops of transportation service working different shift systems (day shift, weekly rotating 2 and 3‑shift system, and fast rotating 3-shift system) participated in the study. They completed the Work- Family Spillover Questionnaire, Marital Communication Questionnaire, Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire and the Physical Health Questionnaire (a part of the Standard Shiftwork Index). The workers of quicker rotating 3-shift systems reported significantly higher scores of family-to-work facilitation (F(3, 165) = 4.175, p = 0.007) and a higher level of constructive style of marital communication (Engagement F(3, 165) = 2.761, p = 0.044) than the workers of slower rotating 2-shift systems. There were no differences between the groups of workers with regard to health and job satisfaction. A higher level of work-family facilitation and a more constructive style of marital communication were found among the workers of faster rotating 3-shift system when compared to the workers of a slower rotating 2-shift system (afternoon, night). This may indicate that the fast rotating shift system in contrary to the slower rotating one is more friendly for the work and family domains and for the relationship between them. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(1):121-131. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

  6. Shift schedule, work–family relationships, marital communication, job satisfaction and health among transport service shift workers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irena Iskra-Golec

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Existing research has documented that shiftwork consequences may depend on the shift system parameters. Fast rotating systems (1–3 shifts of the same kind in a row and day work have been found to be less disruptive biologically and socially than slower rotating systems and afternoon and night work. The aim of this study was to compare day workers and shift workers of different systems in terms of rotation speed and shifts worked with regard to work–family and family–work positive and negative spillover, marital communication style, job satisfaction and health. Material and Methods: Employees (N = 168 of the maintenance workshops of transportation service working different shift systems (day shift, weekly rotating 2 and 3‑shift system, and fast rotating 3-shift system participated in the study. They completed the Work– Family Spillover Questionnaire, Marital Communication Questionnaire, Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire and the Physical Health Questionnaire (a part of the Standard Shiftwork Index. Results: The workers of quicker rotating 3-shift systems reported significantly higher scores of family-to-work facilitation (F(3, 165 = 4.175, p = 0.007 and a higher level of constructive style of marital communication (Engagement F(3, 165 = 2.761, p = 0.044 than the workers of slower rotating 2-shift systems. There were no differences between the groups of workers with regard to health and job satisfaction. Conclusions: A higher level of work–family facilitation and a more constructive style of marital communication were found among the workers of faster rotating 3-shift system when compared to the workers of a slower rotating 2-shift system (afternoon, night. This may indicate that the fast rotating shift system in contrary to the slower rotating one is more friendly for the work and family domains and for the relationship between them. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(1:121–131

  7. Combined Monte Carlo and quantum mechanics study of the solvatochromism of phenol in water. The origin of the blue shift of the lowest pi-pi* transition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barreto, Rafael C; Coutinho, Kaline; Georg, Herbert C; Canuto, Sylvio

    2009-03-07

    A combined and sequential use of Monte Carlo simulations and quantum mechanical calculations is made to analyze the spectral shift of the lowest pi-pi* transition of phenol in water. The solute polarization is included using electrostatic embedded calculations at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level giving a dipole moment of 2.25 D, corresponding to an increase of 76% compared to the calculated gas-phase value. Using statistically uncorrelated configurations sampled from the MC simulation, first-principle size-extensive calculations are performed to obtain the solvatochromic shift. Analysis is then made of the origin of the blue shift. Results both at the optimized geometry and in room-temperature liquid water show that hydrogen bonds of water with phenol promote a red shift when phenol is the proton-donor and a blue shift when phenol is the proton-acceptor. In the case of the optimized clusters the calculated shifts are in very good agreement with results obtained from mass-selected free jet expansion experiments. In the liquid case the contribution of the solute-solvent hydrogen bonds partially cancels and the total shift obtained is dominated by the contribution of the outer solvent water molecules. Our best result, including both inner and outer water molecules, is 570 +/- 35 cm(-1), in very good agreement with the small experimental shift of 460 cm(-1) for the absorption maximum.

  8. Serotonin Transporter Knockout Rats Show Improved Strategy Set-Shifting and Reduced Latent Inhibition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nonkes, Lourens J. P.; van de Vondervoort, Ilse I. G. M.; de Leeuw, Mark J. C.; Wijlaars, Linda P.; Maes, Joseph H. R.; Homberg, Judith R.

    2012-01-01

    Behavioral flexibility is a cognitive process depending on prefrontal areas allowing adaptive responses to environmental changes. Serotonin transporter knockout (5-HTT[superscript -/-]) rodents show improved reversal learning in addition to orbitofrontal cortex changes. Another form of behavioral flexibility, extradimensional strategy set-shifting…

  9. The shifting demographic landscape of pandemic influenza.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shweta Bansal

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available As Pandemic (H1N1 2009 influenza spreads around the globe, it strikes school-age children more often than adults. Although there is some evidence of pre-existing immunity among older adults, this alone may not explain the significant gap in age-specific infection rates.Based on a retrospective analysis of pandemic strains of influenza from the last century, we show that school-age children typically experience the highest attack rates in primarily naive populations, with the burden shifting to adults during the subsequent season. Using a parsimonious network-based mathematical model which incorporates the changing distribution of contacts in the susceptible population, we demonstrate that new pandemic strains of influenza are expected to shift the epidemiological landscape in exactly this way.Our analysis provides a simple demographic explanation for the age bias observed for H1N1/09 attack rates, and suggests that this bias may shift in coming months. These results have significant implications for the allocation of public health resources for H1N1/09 and future influenza pandemics.

  10. Effect of the relative shift between the electron density and temperature pedestal position on the pedestal stability in JET-ILW and comparison with JET-C

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stefanikova, E.; Frassinetti, L.; Saarelma, S.; Loarte, A.; Nunes, I.; Garzotti, L.; Lomas, P.; Rimini, F.; Drewelow, P.; Kruezi, U.; Lomanowski, B.; de la Luna, E.; Meneses, L.; Peterka, M.; Viola, B.; Giroud, C.; Maggi, C.; contributors, JET

    2018-05-01

    The electron temperature and density pedestals tend to vary in their relative radial positions, as observed in DIII-D (Beurskens et al 2011 Phys. Plasmas 18 056120) and ASDEX Upgrade (Dunne et al 2017 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 59 14017). This so-called relative shift has an impact on the pedestal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability and hence on the pedestal height (Osborne et al 2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 063018). The present work studies the effect of the relative shift on pedestal stability of JET ITER-like wall (JET-ILW) baseline low triangularity (δ) unseeded plasmas, and similar JET-C discharges. As shown in this paper, the increase of the pedestal relative shift is correlated with the reduction of the normalized pressure gradient, therefore playing a strong role in pedestal stability. Furthermore, JET-ILW tends to have a larger relative shift compared to JET carbon wall (JET-C), suggesting a possible role of the plasma facing materials in affecting the density profile location. Experimental results are then compared with stability analysis performed in terms of the peeling-ballooning model and with pedestal predictive model EUROPED (Saarelma et al 2017 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion). Stability analysis is consistent with the experimental findings, showing an improvement of the pedestal stability, when the relative shift is reduced. This has been ascribed mainly to the increase of the edge bootstrap current, and to minor effects related to the increase of the pedestal pressure gradient and narrowing of the pedestal pressure width. Pedestal predictive model EUROPED shows a qualitative agreement with experiment, especially for low values of the relative shift.

  11. Postprandial metabolic profiles following meals and snacks eaten during simulated night and day shift work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Naimi, S; Hampton, S M; Richard, P; Tzung, C; Morgan, L M

    2004-01-01

    Shift workers are known to have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with day workers. An important factor contributing to this increased risk could be the increased incidence of postprandial metabolic risk factors for CVD among shift workers, as a consequence of the maladaptation of endogenous circadian rhythms to abrupt changes in shift times. We have previously shown that both simulated and real shift workers showed relatively impaired glucose and lipid tolerance if a single test meal was consumed between 00:00-02:00 h (night shift) compared with 12:00-14:00 h (day shift). The objective of the present study was to extend these observations to compare the cumulative metabolic effect of consecutive snacks/meals, as might normally be consumed throughout a period of night or day shift work. In a randomized crossover study, eight healthy nonobese men (20-33 yrs, BMI 20-25kg/m2) consumed a combination of two meals and a snack on two occasions following a standardized prestudy meal, simulating night and day shift working (total energy 2500 kcal: 40% fat, 50% carbohydrate, 10% protein). Meals were consumed at 01:00/ 13:00 h and 07:00/19:00h, and the snack at 04:00/16:00 h. Blood was taken after an overnight fast, and for 8 h following the first meal on each occasion, for the measurement of glucose, insulin, triacylglycerol (TAG), and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA). RM-ANOVA (factors time and shift) showed a significant effect of shift for plasma TAG, with higher levels on simulated night compared to day shift (p effect of shift for plasma glucose, with higher plasma glucose at night (p = 0.08), and there was a time-shift interaction for plasma insulin levels (p shift. Inspection of the area under the plasma response curve (AUC) following each meal and snack revealed that the differences in lipid tolerance occurred throughout the study, with greatest differences occurring following the mid-shift snack. In contrast, glucose tolerance was

  12. Real life working shift assignment problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sze, San-Nah; Kwek, Yeek-Ling; Tiong, Wei-King; Chiew, Kang-Leng

    2017-07-01

    This study concerns about the working shift assignment in an outlet of Supermarket X in Eastern Mall, Kuching. The working shift assignment needs to be solved at least once in every month. Current approval process of working shifts is too troublesome and time-consuming. Furthermore, the management staff cannot have an overview of manpower and working shift schedule. Thus, the aim of this study is to develop working shift assignment simulation and propose a working shift assignment solution. The main objective for this study is to fulfill manpower demand at minimum operation cost. Besides, the day off and meal break policy should be fulfilled accordingly. Demand based heuristic is proposed to assign working shift and the quality of the solution is evaluated by using the real data.

  13. Dynamics and computation in functional shifts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Namikawa, Jun; Hashimoto, Takashi

    2004-07-01

    We introduce a new type of shift dynamics as an extended model of symbolic dynamics, and investigate the characteristics of shift spaces from the viewpoints of both dynamics and computation. This shift dynamics is called a functional shift, which is defined by a set of bi-infinite sequences of some functions on a set of symbols. To analyse the complexity of functional shifts, we measure them in terms of topological entropy, and locate their languages in the Chomsky hierarchy. Through this study, we argue that considering functional shifts from the viewpoints of both dynamics and computation gives us opposite results about the complexity of systems. We also describe a new class of shift spaces whose languages are not recursively enumerable.

  14. Thermal residual stress evaluation based on phase-shift lateral shearing interferometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Xiangjun; Yun, Hai; Shao, Xinxing; Wang, Yanxia; Zhang, Donghuan; Yang, Fujun; He, Xiaoyuan

    2018-06-01

    An interesting phase-shift lateral shearing interferometry system was proposed to evaluate the thermal residual stress distribution in transparent specimen. The phase-shift interferograms was generated by moving a parallel plane plate. Based on analyzing the fringes deflected by deformation and refractive index change, the stress distribution can be obtained. To verify the validity of the proposed method, a typical experiment was elaborately designed to determine thermal residual stresses of a transparent PMMA plate subjected to the flame of a lighter. The sum of in-plane stress distribution was demonstrated. The experimental data were compared with values measured by digital gradient sensing method. Comparison of the results reveals the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method.

  15. Effects of strain on Goos-Hänchen shifts of monolayer phosphorene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Kaihui; Cheng, Fang

    2018-03-01

    We investigate the Goos-Hänchen(GH) shift for ballistic electrons (i) reflected from a step-like inhomogeneity of strain, and (ii) transmitted through a monolayer phosphoresce junction consisting of a positive strained region and two normal regions (or a normal region and two negative strained regions). Refraction occurs at the interface between the unstrained/positive-strain(negative-strain/unstrained), in analogy with optical refraction. The critical angle is different for different strengths and directions of the strains. The critical angles for electrons tunneling through unstrained/positive-strain junction can even decrease to zero when the positive strain exceeds a critical value. For the monolayer phosphorene junction consisting of a positive strain region and two normal regions (or a normal region and two negative strain regions), we find that the GH shifts resonantly depends on the middle region width. The resonant values and the plus-minus sign of the displacement can be controlled by the incident angle, incident energy and the strain. These properties will be useful for the applications in phosphorene-based electronic devices.

  16. Value and Payment in Sleep Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wickwire, Emerson M; Verma, Tilak

    2018-05-15

    Value, like beauty, exists in the eye of the beholder. This article places the value of clinical sleep medicine services in historical context and presents a vision for the value-based sleep of the future. First, the history of value and payment in sleep medicine is reviewed from the early days of the field, to innovative disruption, to the widespread adoption of home sleep apnea testing. Next, the importance of economic perspective is discussed, with emphasis on cost containment and cost-shifting between payers, employers, providers, and patients. Specific recommendations are made for sleep medicine providers and the field at large to maximize the perceived value of sleep. Finally, alternate payment models and value-based care are presented, with an eye toward the future for clinical service providers as well as integrated health delivery networks. © 2018 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

  17. Associations of rotational shift work and night shift status with hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manohar, Sandhya; Thongprayoon, Charat; Cheungpasitporn, Wisit; Mao, Michael A; Herrmann, Sandra M

    2017-10-01

    The reported risks of hypertension (HTN) in rotating shift and night shift workers are controversial. The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the association between shift work status and HTN. A literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Database from inception through October 2016. Studies that reported odds ratios (OR) comparing the risk of HTN in shift workers were included. A prespecified subgroup analysis by rotating shift and night shift statuses were also performed. Pooled OR and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a random-effect, generic inverse variance method. The protocol for this study is registered with International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews; no. CRD42016051843. Twenty-seven observational studies (nine cohort and 18 cross-sectional studies) with a total of 394 793 individuals were enrolled. The pooled ORs of HTN in shift workers in cohort and cross-sectional studies were 1.31 (95% CI, 1.07-1.60) and 1.10 (95% CI, 1.00-1.20), respectively. When meta-analysis was restricted only to cohort studies in rotating shift, the pooled OR of HTN in rotating shift workers was 1.34 (95% CI, 1.08-1.67). The data regarding night shift and HTN in cohort studies was limited. The pooled OR of HTN in night shift workers in cross-sectional studies was 1.07 (95% CI, 0.85-1.35). Based on the findings of our meta-analysis, shiftwork status may play an important role in HTN, as there is a significant association between rotating shift work and HTN. However, there is no significant association between night shift status and risk of HTN.

  18. Modern MRI tools for the characterization of acute demyelinating lesions: value of chemical shift and diffusion-weighted imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kueker, W.; Mehnert, F.; Mader, I.; Naegele, T.; Ruff, J.; Gaertner, S.

    2004-01-01

    Acute demyelinating lesions occur in various inflammatory disorders of the CNS. Apart from multiple sclerosis, most cases can be attributed to an overshooting immunological response to infectious agents called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). ADEM, which is mostly characterized by a monophasic course, has a multiphasic variant (MDEM). The early application of corticosteroids has been shown to be beneficial for the outcome; thus, an early diagnosis is highly desirable. Furthermore, the differential diagnosis ruling out neoplastic disorders may be difficult using conventional MRI alone. The potential diagnostic value of advanced MR techniques such as chemical shift imaging (CSI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was investigated in a patient with MDEM, who had a new lesion in continuity with the initial disease manifestation. CSI was performed at 1.5 T with a long echo time of 135 ms for the evaluation of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) and choline (Cho) and with short TE of 30 ms for macromolecules (mm) and myo-Inositol (mI). DWI was performed using a single-shot isotropic EPI sequence. Whereas acute and chronic areas of demyelination were neither distinguishable on T2- nor on contrast-enhanced T1-weigted images, CSI and DWI revealed different metabolite concentrations and diffusion characteristics within the composite lesion, clearly separating acute from chronic areas of demyelination. In conclusion, the addition of CSI and DWI may add to the diagnostic power of MRI in the setting of demyelinating disorders by identifying areas of acute and chronic demyelination, even in the absence of contrast enhancement. (orig.)

  19. Dynamic cost shifting in hospitals: evidence from the 1980s and 1990s.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clement, J P

    The purpose of this paper is to determine whether dynamic cost shifting occurred among acute care hospitals during the period from the early 1980s to the early 1990s and, if so, whether market factors affected the ability to shift costs. Evidence from this study of California acute care hospitals during three time intervals shows that the hospital did practice dynamic cost shifting, but that their ability to shift costs decreased over time. Surprisingly, hospital competition and HMO penetration did not influence cost shifting. However, increasing HMO penetration (measured as the HMO percentage of hospital discharges) did decrease both net prices and costs for the early part of the study, but later was associated with increases in both.

  20. Micropatch Antenna Phase Shifting

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Thursby, Michael

    2000-01-01

    .... We have been looking at the ability of embedded element to adjust the phase shift seen by the element with the goal of being able to remove the phase shifting devices from the antenna and replace...

  1. Micropatch Antenna Phase Shifting

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Thursby, Michael

    1999-01-01

    .... We have been looking at the ability of embedded element to adjust the phase shift seen by the element wit the goal of being able to remove the phase shifting devices from the antenna and replace...

  2. S-wave pion-nucleon phase shifts in PADE approximation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Achuthan, P.; Chandramohan, T.; Venkatesan, K.

    1978-01-01

    The two S-wave pion nucleon pahse shifts delta( 1 ) (I = 1/2) and delta( 3 ) (I = 3/2) have been calculated in the Pade approximation using epsilon(700), rho(770), f(1260), Δ(1236) and N(938) for the energy range W = 1085 MeV - 1820 MeV in the centre of mass. Contributions from suitable resonance combinations which agree nearest with the delta( 3 ) experimental values are given. (orig.) [de

  3. Muon Knight shift and μ+ site in the monopnictide CeAs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schenck, A.; Amato, A.; Gygax, F.N.; Pinkpank, M.; Ott, H.R.

    1997-01-01

    The transverse field μSR-signal from μ + implanted in a CeAs single crystal shows a splitting into two components, displaying a positive and a negative Knight shift, respectively which both scale reasonably well with the magnetic bulk susceptibility above 10 K. The orientation dependence of the frequency shifts, measured at 15 K, is fully accounted for by the demagnetization field, implying an isotropic Knight shift, consistent with the μ + residing at the only interstitial site of high (cubic) symmetry, i.e., at the position (1/4,1/4,1/4). The occurrence of a split signal remains unexplained

  4. Influences on Dietary Choices during Day versus Night Shift in Shift Workers: A Mixed Methods Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonnell, Emily K; Huggins, Catherine E; Huggins, Chris T; McCaffrey, Tracy A; Palermo, Claire; Bonham, Maxine P

    2017-02-26

    Shift work is associated with diet-related chronic conditions such as obesity and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to explore factors influencing food choice and dietary intake in shift workers. A fixed mixed method study design was undertaken on a convenience sample of firefighters who continually work a rotating roster. Six focus groups ( n = 41) were conducted to establish factors affecting dietary intake whilst at work. Dietary intake was assessed using repeated 24 h dietary recalls ( n = 19). Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and interpreted using thematic analysis. Dietary data were entered into FoodWorks and analysed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test; p night shift. Energy intakes (kJ/day) did not differ between days that included a day or night shift but greater energy density (ED energy , kJ/g/day) of the diet was observed on night shift compared with day shift. This study has identified a number of dietary-specific shift-related factors that may contribute to an increase in unhealthy behaviours in a shift-working population. Given the increased risk of developing chronic diseases, organisational change to support workers in this environment is warranted.

  5. Meta-analysis on shift work and risks of specific obesity types.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, M; Feng, W; Wang, F; Li, P; Li, Z; Li, M; Tse, G; Vlaanderen, J; Vermeulen, R; Tse, L A

    2018-01-01

    This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the associations between shift work patterns and risks of specific types of obesity. PubMed was searched until March 2017 for observational studies that examined the relationships between shift work patterns and obesity. Odds ratio for obesity was extracted using a fixed-effects or random-effects model. Subgroup meta-analyses were carried out for study design, specific obesity types and characteristics of shift work pattern. A total of 28 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The overall odds ratio of night shift work was 1.23 (95% confidence interval = 1.17-1.29) for risk of obesity/overweight. Cross-sectional studies showed a higher risk of 1.26 than those with the cohort design (risk ratio = 1.10). Shift workers had a higher frequency of developing abdominal obesity (odds ratio = 1.35) than other obesity types. Permanent night workers demonstrated a 29% higher risk than rotating shift workers (odds ratio 1.43 vs. 1.14). This meta-analysis confirmed the risks of night shift work for the development of overweight and obesity with a potential gradient association suggested, especially for abdominal obesity. Modification of working schedules is recommended, particularly for prolonged permanent night work. More accurate and detailed measurements on shift work patterns should be conducted in future research. © 2017 World Obesity Federation.

  6. A compressed shift schedule: dealing with some of the problems of shift work

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cunningham, J B [Victoria University, Victoria, BC (Canada). School of Public Administration

    1989-07-01

    This study examines some of the psychological and behavioural effects of a 12-hour compressed shift schedule on coal miners in two organisations in Western Canada. It suggests that young, married compressed shift workers are more satisfied with their family relationship. They spend less of their leisure time with spouses when working shifts, and do not spend any more time with them on their days off. They have less time available for many leisure activities on their workdays. The extra time on days off is not reallocated to the leisure activities they were unable to do on their workdays. Some extra leisure time on days off may be spent on personal hobbies. There is no suggestion that the compressed shift schedule has any negative effect on the individual's health. 38 refs., 3 tabs.

  7. High-speed test of SFQ-shift register files using PTL wiring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujiwara, K.; Yamashiro, Y.; Yoshikawa, N.; Hashimoto, Y.; Yorozu, S.; Terai, H.; Fujimaki, A.

    2004-01-01

    We have been developing an SFQ shift register memory, which is one candidate to realize high-throughput and high-density superconductive memories. We have modified our memory architecture in order to adapt it to our SFQ microprocessor, CORE1. The new version of the shift register memory is composed of shift registers with non-destructive readout operation, which have an internal feedback. We have also studied the availability of passive transmission line (PTL) wiring in the memory system at high speed. The tested circuit is a 4-byte shift register file, where four kinds of wiring circuits are used between a decoder and shift registers. We have measured the dependences of the DC bias margin on the operating frequency for all wiring methods, and obtained almost the same dependences, which shows the availability of the PTL wiring in the memory system. We have used the NEC 2.5 kA/cm 2 Nb standard process and the CONNECT cell library

  8. Biomarkers of end of shift exposure to disinfection byproducts in nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ioannou, Solomon; Andrianou, Xanthi D; Charisiadis, Pantelis; Makris, Konstantinos C

    2017-08-01

    Increased disinfectant use commonly takes place in hospitals and other health care settings. A cross-sectional study among active nurses in two Cypriot public hospitals (n=179) was conducted to examine the prevalence of exposure to disinfection byproducts (DBPs), such as trihalomethanes (THMs) using both self-reported information and biomarker measurements. The objectives of this study were to: i) quantify the magnitude and variability of occupational exposure to disinfectants/DBPs in nurses, ii) generate job exposure matrices (JEM) and job task exposure matrices (JTEM) for disinfectants, and iii) assess the major determinants of urinary THMs in nurses. End of shift urinary total THM values showed high variability among the nurses, but did not differ between hospitals. The disinfectant group of alcohols/phenols was used by >98% of nurses, followed by octenidine (82%), iodine and chlorine (39%, each), chlorhexidine (25%), formaldehyde (12%), hydrogen peroxide (11%), and peracetic acid/ammonia/quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), all being Nurses were exposed to nearly double the levels of TTHMs and BrTHMs (median and IQR, 1027 [560, 2475] ng/g and 323 [212, 497] ng/g, respectively) when compared to those of the general population (552 [309,989] ng/g and 152 [87,261] ng/g, respectively). This was the first occupational health dataset reporting measurements of biomarkers of end of shift exposures to disinfectants/DBPs. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  9. Shift work as an oxidative stressor

    OpenAIRE

    Pasalar Parvin; Farahani Saeed; Sharifian Akbar; Gharavi Marjan; Aminian Omid

    2005-01-01

    Abstract Background Some medical disorders have higher prevalence in shift workers than others. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of night-shift-working on total plasma antioxidant capacity, with respect to the causative role of oxidative stress in induction of some of these disorders. Methods Two blood samples were taken from 44 workers with a rotational shift schedule, one after their day shift and one after their night shift. The total plasma antioxidant capacity of each worke...

  10. PCSK9 Inhibitors Show Value for Patients and the US Health Care System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Wei-Han; Gaudette, Étienne; Goldman, Dana P

    2017-12-01

    Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as cholesterol-lowering therapies for patients with familial hypercholesterolemia or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. To estimate the long-term health and economic value of PCSK9 inhibitors for Americans (51 years and older). We conducted simulations using the Future Elderly Model, an established dynamic microsimulation model to project the lifetime outcomes for the US population aged 51 years and older. Health effects estimates and confidence intervals from published meta-analysis studies were used to project changes in life expectancy, quality-adjusted life-years, and lifetime medical spending resulting from the use of PCSK9 inhibitors. We considered two treatment scenarios: 1) current FDA eligibility and 2) an extended eligibility scenario that includes patients with no pre-existing cardiovascular disease but at high risk. We assumed that the price of PCSK9 inhibitors was discounted by 35% in the first 12 years and by 57% thereafter, with gradual uptake of the drug in eligible populations. Use of PCSK9 inhibitors by individuals covered by current FDA approval would extend life expectancy at the age of 51 years by an estimated 1.1 years and would yield a lifetime net value of $5800 per person. If use was extended to those at high risk for cardiovascular disease, PCSK9 inhibitors would generate a lifetime net benefit of $14,100 per person. Expanded access to PCSK9 inhibitors would offer positive long-term net value for patients and the US health care system at the current discounted prices. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Determination of hydration numbers of electrolytes from temperature dependence of PMR chemical shifts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Subramanian, N.

    1979-01-01

    The method proposed by Malinowski et al. for the determination of effective hydration numbers (h) of electrolytes leads to a consistent incrrease in the observed values of 'h' with increase in solution concentration. An attempt is made to rationalize the experimental results by cosidering the simultaneous effects of temperature and concentration on the proton chemical shift. It is suggested that Malinowski's technique might yeld 'h' values very close to the true value for those ions for which there is a fortuitous cancellation of structure-making and structure-breaking properties. (Author) [pt

  12. The Amenity Value of Trees: a Meta-analysis of Hedonic, Property-value Studies

    OpenAIRE

    Heier, Elizabeth

    2012-01-01

    Tree species migration as a result of climate change may alter the composition of trees in local communities. Shifts in tree diversity, stand age, species predominance and the overall number of trees are potential changes. Community tree programs may also change the characteristics of local trees through planting or preservation efforts, but these programs may also mitigate the effects of climate induced tree migration. Numerous hedonic property value studies have estimated the implicit pr...

  13. Influences on Dietary Choices during Day versus Night Shift in Shift Workers: A Mixed Methods Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonnell, Emily K.; Huggins, Catherine E.; Huggins, Chris T.; McCaffrey, Tracy A.; Palermo, Claire; Bonham, Maxine P.

    2017-01-01

    Shift work is associated with diet-related chronic conditions such as obesity and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to explore factors influencing food choice and dietary intake in shift workers. A fixed mixed method study design was undertaken on a convenience sample of firefighters who continually work a rotating roster. Six focus groups (n = 41) were conducted to establish factors affecting dietary intake whilst at work. Dietary intake was assessed using repeated 24 h dietary recalls (n = 19). Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and interpreted using thematic analysis. Dietary data were entered into FoodWorks and analysed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test; p shift schedule; attitudes and decisions of co-workers; time and accessibility; and knowledge of the relationship between food and health. Participants reported consuming more discretionary foods and limited availability of healthy food choices on night shift. Energy intakes (kJ/day) did not differ between days that included a day or night shift but greater energy density (EDenergy, kJ/g/day) of the diet was observed on night shift compared with day shift. This study has identified a number of dietary-specific shift-related factors that may contribute to an increase in unhealthy behaviours in a shift-working population. Given the increased risk of developing chronic diseases, organisational change to support workers in this environment is warranted. PMID:28245625

  14. Faktor Dan Penjadualan Shift Kerja

    OpenAIRE

    Maurits, Lientje Setyawati; Widodo, Imam Djati

    2008-01-01

    Work shift has negative effect in physical and mental health, work performance and job accident. Disturbance of circadian rhythms is indicated as source of the problems. This article explores some researches related to the impacts of work shift and establishes basic principles of work shift scheduling that considers human need and limitation.

  15. Cumulative exposure to shift work and sickness absence: associations in a five-year historic cohort

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alwin van Drongelen

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Exposure to shift work has been associated with negative health consequences, although the association between shift work and sickness absence remains unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate associations between cumulative exposure to shift work and sickness absence among ground staff employees of an airline company. Methods This study used data from the MORE (Monitoring Occupational Health Risks in Employees cohort, which is a 5-year historic cohort. The population of the present study consisted of 7562 ground staff employees. For each employee, work schedules and sickness absence days between 2005 and 2009 were obtained from company records. For the exposure to different shift schedule types and to the cumulative number of night shifts, the association with long-term sickness absence (>7 consecutive sickness absence days and the number of sickness absence episodes during 2009, was calculated using logistic and Poisson regression analyses. Socio-demographic variables, work-related variables, job classification variables, and previous sickness absence days were regarded as confounders. Results After adjusting for previous sickness absence and job classification variables, only the group of employees that switched into working in a three-shift schedule, showed a significantly increased risk for long-term sickness absence (OR = 1.31, 95%CI 1.02–1.69. Night shift exposure was not significantly associated with long-term sickness absence. Exposure to shift work was negatively associated with more sickness absence episodes. Employees who were exposed to more than 46 night shifts also showed a lower risk for more sickness absence episodes. Subgroup analyses showed that single employees and employees without children had an increased risk for long-term sickness absence when exposed to a three-shift schedule, and when they had changed between shift schedule types. Conclusions Cumulative exposure to shift work proved to

  16. Cumulative exposure to shift work and sickness absence: associations in a five-year historic cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Drongelen, Alwin; Boot, Cécile R L; Hlobil, Hynek; van der Beek, Allard J; Smid, Tjabe

    2017-01-11

    Exposure to shift work has been associated with negative health consequences, although the association between shift work and sickness absence remains unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate associations between cumulative exposure to shift work and sickness absence among ground staff employees of an airline company. This study used data from the MORE (Monitoring Occupational Health Risks in Employees) cohort, which is a 5-year historic cohort. The population of the present study consisted of 7562 ground staff employees. For each employee, work schedules and sickness absence days between 2005 and 2009 were obtained from company records. For the exposure to different shift schedule types and to the cumulative number of night shifts, the association with long-term sickness absence (>7 consecutive sickness absence days) and the number of sickness absence episodes during 2009, was calculated using logistic and Poisson regression analyses. Socio-demographic variables, work-related variables, job classification variables, and previous sickness absence days were regarded as confounders. After adjusting for previous sickness absence and job classification variables, only the group of employees that switched into working in a three-shift schedule, showed a significantly increased risk for long-term sickness absence (OR = 1.31, 95%CI 1.02-1.69). Night shift exposure was not significantly associated with long-term sickness absence. Exposure to shift work was negatively associated with more sickness absence episodes. Employees who were exposed to more than 46 night shifts also showed a lower risk for more sickness absence episodes. Subgroup analyses showed that single employees and employees without children had an increased risk for long-term sickness absence when exposed to a three-shift schedule, and when they had changed between shift schedule types. Cumulative exposure to shift work proved to be negatively associated with more sickness absence episodes, and

  17. Phase shifts of the paired wings of butterfly diagrams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Kejun; Liang Hongfei; Feng Wen

    2010-01-01

    Sunspot groups observed by the Royal Greenwich Observatory/US Air Force/NOAA from 1874 May to 2008 November and the Carte Synoptique solar filaments from 1919 March to 1989 December are used to investigate the relative phase shift of the paired wings of butterfly diagrams of sunspot and filament activities. Latitudinal migration of sunspot groups (or filaments) does asynchronously occur in the northern and southern hemispheres, and there is a relative phase shift between the paired wings of their butterfly diagrams in a cycle, making the paired wings spatially asymmetrical on the solar equator. It is inferred that hemispherical solar activity strength should evolve in a similar way within the paired wings of a butterfly diagram in a cycle, demonstrating the paired wings phenomenon and showing the phase relationship between the northern and southern hemispherical solar activity strengths, as well as a relative phase shift between the paired wings of a butterfly diagram, which should bring about almost the same relative phase shift of hemispheric solar activity strength. (research papers)

  18. Practical use of chemical shift databases for protein solid-state NMR: 2D chemical shift maps and amino-acid assignment with secondary-structure information

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fritzsching, K. J.; Yang, Y.; Schmidt-Rohr, K.; Hong Mei

    2013-01-01

    We introduce a Python-based program that utilizes the large database of 13 C and 15 N chemical shifts in the Biological Magnetic Resonance Bank to rapidly predict the amino acid type and secondary structure from correlated chemical shifts. The program, called PACSYlite Unified Query (PLUQ), is designed to help assign peaks obtained from 2D 13 C– 13 C, 15 N– 13 C, or 3D 15 N– 13 C– 13 C magic-angle-spinning correlation spectra. We show secondary-structure specific 2D 13 C– 13 C correlation maps of all twenty amino acids, constructed from a chemical shift database of 262,209 residues. The maps reveal interesting conformation-dependent chemical shift distributions and facilitate searching of correlation peaks during amino-acid type assignment. Based on these correlations, PLUQ outputs the most likely amino acid types and the associated secondary structures from inputs of experimental chemical shifts. We test the assignment accuracy using four high-quality protein structures. Based on only the Cα and Cβ chemical shifts, the highest-ranked PLUQ assignments were 40–60 % correct in both the amino-acid type and the secondary structure. For three input chemical shifts (CO–Cα–Cβ or N–Cα–Cβ), the first-ranked assignments were correct for 60 % of the residues, while within the top three predictions, the correct assignments were found for 80 % of the residues. PLUQ and the chemical shift maps are expected to be useful at the first stage of sequential assignment, for combination with automated sequential assignment programs, and for highly disordered proteins for which secondary structure analysis is the main goal of structure determination.

  19. Asymmetry and the shift of the Compton profile

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chatterjee, B.K.; Roy, S.C.; Suric, T.; LaJohn, L.A.; Pratt, R.H.

    2007-01-01

    We show that the conventionally defined asymmetry of the Compton profile (CP) is, to a large extent, simply a shift of CP. Compton scattering is widely used in studying the electron momentum distribution (EMD) of complex systems. Extraction of information about the EMD is based on an impulse approximation (IA) description of the process. In IA the scattering from bound electrons is described as scattering from the EMD of free electrons. Most often the angular and energy distributions of scattered photons (doubly differential cross sections (DDCS)) is measured and presented in terms of CP, which is just the DDCS normalized by a kinematical factor. The deviations of measured CP from the IA results are conventionally described as an asymmetry of CP about the IA peak position. IA predicts CP to be symmetric. We have examined the discrepancy between IA predictions (and the corresponding relativistic version of IA, RIA) and more rigorous approaches (A 2 and S-matrix), using independent particle approximations for the description of the bound state of electrons. In the nonrelativistic region (in which many measurements of CP are performed) we find that the conventional asymmetry can largely be understood as the shift of the peak position. The true asymmetry with respect to the shifted peak position is in fact much smaller. RIA has similar properties to IA, except that for atoms with high nuclear charge the p → .A → interaction may modify the shift and limit the utility of description as a shift

  20. Shift work as an oxidative stressor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pasalar Parvin

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Some medical disorders have higher prevalence in shift workers than others. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of night-shift-working on total plasma antioxidant capacity, with respect to the causative role of oxidative stress in induction of some of these disorders. Methods Two blood samples were taken from 44 workers with a rotational shift schedule, one after their day shift and one after their night shift. The total plasma antioxidant capacity of each worker was measured through the FRAP method. The impacts of age and weight were also assessed. Results The total plasma antioxidant capacity was measured in 44 shift-workers with a mean age of 36.57 years (SD: 10.18 and mean BMI of 26.06 (SD: 4.37 after their day and night shifts. The mean reduction of total plasma antioxidant capacity after the night shift was 105.8 μmol/L (SD: 146.39. Also, a significant correlation was shown between age and weight and total plasma antioxidant capacity. Age and weight were found to be inversely related to total plasma antioxidant capacity; as age and weight increased, the total plasma antioxidant capacity decreased. Conclusion Shift work can act as an oxidative stressor and may induce many medical disorders. Aging and obesity in shift workers makes them more sensitive to this hazardous effect.

  1. Fuzzy Determination of Target Shifting Time and Torque Control of Shifting Phase for Dry Dual Clutch Transmission

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhiguo Zhao

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Based on the independently developed five-speed dry dual clutch transmission (DDCT, the paper proposes the torque coordinating control strategy between engine and two clutches, which obtains engine speed and clutch transferred torque in the shifting process, adequately reflecting the driver intention and improving the shifting quality. Five-degree-of-freedom (DOF shifting dynamics model of DDCT with single intermediate shaft is firstly established according to its physical characteristics. Then the quantitative control objectives of the shifting process are presented. The fuzzy decision of shifting time and the model-based torque coordinating control strategy are proposed and also verified by simulating under different driving intentions in up-/downshifting processes with the DCT model established on the MATLAB/Simulink. Simulation results validate that the shifting control algorithm proposed in this paper can not only meet the shifting quality requirements, but also adapt to the various shifting intentions, having a strong robustness.

  2. Tax Bunching, Income Shifting and Self-employment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    le Maire, Christian Daniel; Schjerning, Bertel

    2013-01-01

    was neglected in this case, we would estimate a taxable income elasticity in the range of 0.43-0.53 and conclude that taxable incomes were highly sensitive to changes in marginal tax rates. We show, however, that more than half of the bunching in taxable income is driven by intertemporal income shifting...

  3. Neutrosophic Similarity Score Based Weighted Histogram for Robust Mean-Shift Tracking

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keli Hu

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Visual object tracking is a critical task in computer vision. Challenging things always exist when an object needs to be tracked. For instance, background clutter is one of the most challenging problems. The mean-shift tracker is quite popular because of its efficiency and performance in a range of conditions. However, the challenge of background clutter also disturbs its performance. In this article, we propose a novel weighted histogram based on neutrosophic similarity score to help the mean-shift tracker discriminate the target from the background. Neutrosophic set (NS is a new branch of philosophy for dealing with incomplete, indeterminate, and inconsistent information. In this paper, we utilize the single valued neutrosophic set (SVNS, which is a subclass of NS to improve the mean-shift tracker. First, two kinds of criteria are considered as the object feature similarity and the background feature similarity, and each bin of the weight histogram is represented in the SVNS domain via three membership functions T(Truth, I(indeterminacy, and F(Falsity. Second, the neutrosophic similarity score function is introduced to fuse those two criteria and to build the final weight histogram. Finally, a novel neutrosophic weighted mean-shift tracker is proposed. The proposed tracker is compared with several mean-shift based trackers on a dataset of 61 public sequences. The results revealed that our method outperforms other trackers, especially when confronting background clutter.

  4. Predicting climate-driven regime shifts versus rebound potential in coral reefs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graham, Nicholas A J; Jennings, Simon; MacNeil, M Aaron; Mouillot, David; Wilson, Shaun K

    2015-02-05

    Climate-induced coral bleaching is among the greatest current threats to coral reefs, causing widespread loss of live coral cover. Conditions under which reefs bounce back from bleaching events or shift from coral to algal dominance are unknown, making it difficult to predict and plan for differing reef responses under climate change. Here we document and predict long-term reef responses to a major climate-induced coral bleaching event that caused unprecedented region-wide mortality of Indo-Pacific corals. Following loss of >90% live coral cover, 12 of 21 reefs recovered towards pre-disturbance live coral states, while nine reefs underwent regime shifts to fleshy macroalgae. Functional diversity of associated reef fish communities shifted substantially following bleaching, returning towards pre-disturbance structure on recovering reefs, while becoming progressively altered on regime shifting reefs. We identified threshold values for a range of factors that accurately predicted ecosystem response to the bleaching event. Recovery was favoured when reefs were structurally complex and in deeper water, when density of juvenile corals and herbivorous fishes was relatively high and when nutrient loads were low. Whether reefs were inside no-take marine reserves had no bearing on ecosystem trajectory. Although conditions governing regime shift or recovery dynamics were diverse, pre-disturbance quantification of simple factors such as structural complexity and water depth accurately predicted ecosystem trajectories. These findings foreshadow the likely divergent but predictable outcomes for reef ecosystems in response to climate change, thus guiding improved management and adaptation.

  5. Value management program: performance, quantification, and presentation of imaging value-added actions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Samir

    2015-03-01

    Health care is in a state of transition, shifting from volume-based success to value-based success. Hospital executives and referring physicians often do not understand the total value a radiology group provides. A template for easy, cost-effective implementation in clinical practice for most radiology groups to demonstrate the value they provide to their clients (patients, physicians, health care executives) has not been well described. A value management program was developed to document all of the value-added activities performed by on-site radiologists, quantify them in terms of time spent on each activity (investment), and present the benefits to internal and external stakeholders (outcomes). The radiology value-added matrix is the platform from which value-added activities are categorized and synthesized into a template for defining investments and outcomes. The value management program was first implemented systemwide in 2013. Across all serviced locations, 9,931.75 hours were invested. An annual executive summary report template demonstrating outcomes is given to clients. The mean and median individual value-added hours per radiologist were 134.52 and 113.33, respectively. If this program were extrapolated to the entire field of radiology, approximately 30,000 radiologists, this would have resulted in 10,641,161 uncompensated value-added hours documented in 2013, with an estimated economic value of $2.21 billion. Copyright © 2015 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Ocean currents modify the coupling between climate change and biogeographical shifts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García Molinos, J; Burrows, M T; Poloczanska, E S

    2017-05-02

    Biogeographical shifts are a ubiquitous global response to climate change. However, observed shifts across taxa and geographical locations are highly variable and only partially attributable to climatic conditions. Such variable outcomes result from the interaction between local climatic changes and other abiotic and biotic factors operating across species ranges. Among them, external directional forces such as ocean and air currents influence the dispersal of nearly all marine and many terrestrial organisms. Here, using a global meta-dataset of observed range shifts of marine species, we show that incorporating directional agreement between flow and climate significantly increases the proportion of explained variance. We propose a simple metric that measures the degrees of directional agreement of ocean (or air) currents with thermal gradients and considers the effects of directional forces in predictions of climate-driven range shifts. Ocean flows are found to both facilitate and hinder shifts depending on their directional agreement with spatial gradients of temperature. Further, effects are shaped by the locations of shifts in the range (trailing, leading or centroid) and taxonomic identity of species. These results support the global effects of climatic changes on distribution shifts and stress the importance of framing climate expectations in reference to other non-climatic interacting factors.

  7. Racial Differences in the Association Between Night Shift Work and Melatonin Levels Among Women

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhatti, Parveen; Mirick, Dana K.; Davis, Scott

    2013-01-01

    Reduced suppression of melatonin in response to working the night shift among people of Asian ancestry has been suggested as a possible explanation for the null results observed in a recent analysis of shift work and breast cancer risk in a Chinese cohort. The authors analyzed the impact of Asian versus white race on previously reported differences in urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels in a 2003–2008 study in Seattle, Washington, of female health-care workers that exclusively worked night or day shifts. A total of 225 white and 51 Asian participants were included in the analysis. Although 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels were affected by night shift work in both racial groups, Asian night shift workers consistently showed 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels that were closer to levels in day shift workers than did white night shift workers. Furthermore, differences in 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels between white and Asian night shift workers relative to day shift workers were statistically significant in every instance (P night shift workers may be at a reduced risk of cancer. PMID:23380044

  8. Correlation of chemical shifts predicted by molecular dynamics simulations for partially disordered proteins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karp, Jerome M.; Erylimaz, Ertan; Cowburn, David, E-mail: cowburn@cowburnlab.org, E-mail: David.cowburn@einstein.yu.edu [Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Department of Biochemistry (United States)

    2015-01-15

    There has been a longstanding interest in being able to accurately predict NMR chemical shifts from structural data. Recent studies have focused on using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation data as input for improved prediction. Here we examine the accuracy of chemical shift prediction for intein systems, which have regions of intrinsic disorder. We find that using MD simulation data as input for chemical shift prediction does not consistently improve prediction accuracy over use of a static X-ray crystal structure. This appears to result from the complex conformational ensemble of the disordered protein segments. We show that using accelerated molecular dynamics (aMD) simulations improves chemical shift prediction, suggesting that methods which better sample the conformational ensemble like aMD are more appropriate tools for use in chemical shift prediction for proteins with disordered regions. Moreover, our study suggests that data accurately reflecting protein dynamics must be used as input for chemical shift prediction in order to correctly predict chemical shifts in systems with disorder.

  9. Patient Handoffs: Is Cross Cover or Night Shift Better?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higgins, Alanna; Brannen, Melissa L; Heiman, Heather L; Adler, Mark D

    2017-06-01

    Studies show singular handoffs between health care providers to be risky. Few describe sequential handoffs or compare handoffs from different provider types. We investigated the transfer of information across 2 handoffs using a piloted survey instrument. We compared cross-cover (every fourth night call) with dedicated night-shift residents. Surveys assessing provider knowledge of hospitalized patients were administered to pediatric residents. Primary teams were surveyed about their handoff upon completion of daytime coverage of a patient. Night-shift or cross-covering residents were surveyed about their handoff of the same patient upon completion of overnight coverage. Pediatric hospitalists rated the consistency of information between the surveys. Absolute difference was calculated between the 2 providers' rating of a patient's (a) complexity and (b) illness severity. Scores were compared across provider type. Fifty-nine complete handoff pairs were obtained. Fourteen and 45 handoff surveys were completed by a cross-covering and a night-shift provider, respectively. There was no significant difference in information consistency between primary and night-shift (median, 4.0; interquartile range [IQR], 3-4) versus primary and cross-covering providers (median, 4.0; IQR, 3-4). There was no significant difference in median patient complexity ratings (night shift, 3.0; IQR, 1-5, versus cross cover, 3.5; IQR, 1-5) or illness severity ratings (night shift, 2.0; IQR, 1-4, versus cross-cover, 3.0; IQR, 1-6) when comparing provider types giving a handoff. We did not find a difference in physicians' transfer of information during 2 handoffs among providers taking traditional call or on night shift. Development of tools to measure handoff consistency is needed.

  10. Applying a Dynamic Stomatal Optimization to Predict Shifts in the Functional Composition of Tropical Forests Under Increased Drought And CO2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartlett, M. K.; Detto, M.; Pacala, S. W.

    2017-12-01

    The accurate prediction of tropical forest carbon fluxes is key to forecasting global climate, but forest responses to projected increases in CO2 and drought are highly uncertain. Here we present a dynamic optimization that derives the trajectory of stomatal conductance (gs) during drought, a key source of model uncertainty, from plant and soil water relations and the carbon economy of the plant hydraulic system. This optimization scheme is novel in two ways. First, by accounting for the ability of capacitance (i.e., the release of water from plant storage tissue; C) to buffer evaporative water loss and maintain gs during drought, this optimization captures both drought tolerant and avoidant hydraulic strategies. Second, by determining the optimal trajectory of plant and soil water potentials, this optimization quantifies species' impacts on the water available to competing plants. These advances allowed us to apply this optimization across the range of physiology trait values observed in tropical species to evaluate shifts in the competitively optimal trait values, or evolutionarily stable hydraulic strategy (ESS), under increased drought and CO2. Increasing the length of the dry season shifted the ESS towards more drought tolerant, rather than avoidant, trait values, and these shifts were larger for longer individual drought periods (i.e., more consecutive days without rainfall), even if the total time spent in drought was the same. Concurrently doubling the CO2 level reduced the magnitude of these shifts and slightly favored drought avoidant strategies under wet conditions. Overall, these analyses predicted that short, frequent droughts would allow elevated CO2 to shift the functional composition in tropical forests towards more drought avoidant species, while infrequent but long drought periods would shift the ESS to more drought tolerant trait values, despite increased CO2. Overall, these analyses quantified the impact of physiology traits on plant performance

  11. Database proton NMR chemical shifts for RNA signal assignment and validation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barton, Shawn; Heng Xiao [University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (United States); Johnson, Bruce A., E-mail: bruce@onemoonscientific.com [University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (United States); Summers, Michael F., E-mail: summers@hhmi.umbc.edu [University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (United States)

    2013-01-15

    The Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank contains NMR chemical shift depositions for 132 RNAs and RNA-containing complexes. We have analyzed the {sup 1}H NMR chemical shifts reported for non-exchangeable protons of residues that reside within A-form helical regions of these RNAs. The analysis focused on the central base pair within a stretch of three adjacent base pairs (BP triplets), and included both Watson-Crick (WC; G:C, A:U) and G:U wobble pairs. Chemical shift values were included for all 4{sup 3} possible WC-BP triplets, as well as 137 additional triplets that contain one or more G:U wobbles. Sequence-dependent chemical shift correlations were identified, including correlations involving terminating base pairs within the triplets and canonical and non-canonical structures adjacent to the BP triplets (i.e. bulges, loops, WC and non-WC BPs), despite the fact that the NMR data were obtained under different conditions of pH, buffer, ionic strength, and temperature. A computer program (RNAShifts) was developed that enables convenient comparison of RNA {sup 1}H NMR assignments with database predictions, which should facilitate future signal assignment/validation efforts and enable rapid identification of non-canonical RNA structures and RNA-ligand/protein interaction sites.

  12. Electrical and proximity-magnetic effects induced quantum Goos–Hänchen shift on the surface of topological insulator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuai, Jian [School of Physics and Electronics, Yancheng Teachers College, Yancheng, 224002 Jiangsu (China); Da, H.X., E-mail: haixia8779@163.com [Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, 117576 (Singapore)

    2014-03-15

    We use scattering matrix method to theoretically demonstrate that the quantum Goos–Hänchen shift of the surface on three-dimensional topological insulator coated by ferromagnetic strips is sensitive to the magnitude of ferromagnetic magnetization. The dependence of quantum Goos–Hänchen shift on magnetization and gate bias is investigated by performing station phase approach. It is found that quantum Goos–Hänchen shift is positive and large under the magnetic barrier but may be positive as well as negative values under the gate bias. Furthermore, the position of quantum Goos–Hänchen peak can also be modulated by the combination of gate bias and proximity magnetic effects. Our results indicate that topological insulators are another candidates to support quantum Goos–Hänchen shift. - Highlights: • Quantum Goos–Hänchen shift of the surface on three-dimensional topological insulators is first investigated. • The magnetization affects quantum Goos–Hänchen shift of the surface on three-dimensional topological insulators. • Quantum Goos–Hänchen shift of the surface on three-dimensional topological insulators can be manipulated by the gate voltages.

  13. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes from top predator amino acids reveal rapidly shifting ocean biochemistry in the outer California Current.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rocio I Ruiz-Cooley

    Full Text Available Climatic variation alters biochemical and ecological processes, but it is difficult both to quantify the magnitude of such changes, and to differentiate long-term shifts from inter-annual variability. Here, we simultaneously quantify decade-scale isotopic variability at the lowest and highest trophic positions in the offshore California Current System (CCS by measuring δ15N and δ13C values of amino acids in a top predator, the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus. Using a time series of skin tissue samples as a biological archive, isotopic records from individual amino acids (AAs can reveal the proximate factors driving a temporal decline we observed in bulk isotope values (a decline of ≥1 ‰ by decoupling changes in primary producer isotope values from those linked to the trophic position of this toothed whale. A continuous decline in baseline (i.e., primary producer δ15N and δ13C values was observed from 1993 to 2005 (a decrease of ∼4‰ for δ15N source-AAs and 3‰ for δ13C essential-AAs, while the trophic position of whales was variable over time and it did not exhibit directional trends. The baseline δ15N and δ13C shifts suggest rapid ongoing changes in the carbon and nitrogen biogeochemical cycling in the offshore CCS, potentially occurring at faster rates than long-term shifts observed elsewhere in the Pacific. While the mechanisms forcing these biogeochemical shifts remain to be determined, our data suggest possible links to natural climate variability, and also corresponding shifts in surface nutrient availability. Our study demonstrates that isotopic analysis of individual amino acids from a top marine mammal predator can be a powerful new approach to reconstructing temporal variation in both biochemical cycling and trophic structure.

  14. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes from top predator amino acids reveal rapidly shifting ocean biochemistry in the outer California Current.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz-Cooley, Rocio I; Koch, Paul L; Fiedler, Paul C; McCarthy, Matthew D

    2014-01-01

    Climatic variation alters biochemical and ecological processes, but it is difficult both to quantify the magnitude of such changes, and to differentiate long-term shifts from inter-annual variability. Here, we simultaneously quantify decade-scale isotopic variability at the lowest and highest trophic positions in the offshore California Current System (CCS) by measuring δ15N and δ13C values of amino acids in a top predator, the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Using a time series of skin tissue samples as a biological archive, isotopic records from individual amino acids (AAs) can reveal the proximate factors driving a temporal decline we observed in bulk isotope values (a decline of ≥1 ‰) by decoupling changes in primary producer isotope values from those linked to the trophic position of this toothed whale. A continuous decline in baseline (i.e., primary producer) δ15N and δ13C values was observed from 1993 to 2005 (a decrease of ∼4‰ for δ15N source-AAs and 3‰ for δ13C essential-AAs), while the trophic position of whales was variable over time and it did not exhibit directional trends. The baseline δ15N and δ13C shifts suggest rapid ongoing changes in the carbon and nitrogen biogeochemical cycling in the offshore CCS, potentially occurring at faster rates than long-term shifts observed elsewhere in the Pacific. While the mechanisms forcing these biogeochemical shifts remain to be determined, our data suggest possible links to natural climate variability, and also corresponding shifts in surface nutrient availability. Our study demonstrates that isotopic analysis of individual amino acids from a top marine mammal predator can be a powerful new approach to reconstructing temporal variation in both biochemical cycling and trophic structure.

  15. Extension of shift-invariant systems in L2(ℝ) to frames

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bownik, Marcin; Christensen, Ole; Huang, Xinli

    2012-01-01

    In this article, we show that any shift-invariant Bessel sequence with an at most countable number of generators can be extended to a tight frame for its closed linear span by adding another shift-invariant system with at most the same number of generators. We show that in general this result...... is optimal, by providing examples where it is impossible to obtain a tight frame by adding a smaller number of generators. An alternative construction (which avoids the technical complication of extracting the square root of a positive operator) yields an extension of the given Bessel sequence to a pair...

  16. Chemical shift of U L3 edges in different uranium compounds obtained by X-ray absorption spectroscopy with synchrotron radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joseph, D.; Jha, S.N.; Nayak, C.; Bhattacharyya, D.; Babu, P. Venu

    2014-01-01

    Uranium L 3 X-ray absorption edge was measured in various compounds containing uranium in U 4+ , U 5+ and U 5+ oxidation states. The measurements have been carried out at the Energy Dispersive EXAFS beamline (BL-08) at INDUS-2 synchrotron radiation source at RRCAT, Indore. Energy shifts of ∼ 2-3 eV were observed for U L 3 edge in the U-compounds compared to their value in elemental U. The different chemical shifts observed for the compounds having the same oxidation state of the cation but different anions or ligands show the effect of different chemical environments surrounding the cations in determining their X-ray absorption edges in the above compounds. The above chemical effect has been quantitatively described by determining the effective charges on U cation in the above compounds. (author)

  17. Hemispherically asymmetric trade wind changes as signatures of past ITCZ shifts

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGee, David; Moreno-Chamarro, Eduardo; Green, Brian; Marshall, John; Galbraith, Eric; Bradtmiller, Louisa

    2018-01-01

    The atmospheric Hadley cells, which meet at the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), play critical roles in transporting heat, driving ocean circulation and supplying precipitation to the most heavily populated regions of the globe. Paleo-reconstructions can provide concrete evidence of how these major features of the atmospheric circulation can change in response to climate perturbations. While most such reconstructions have focused on ITCZ-related rainfall, here we show that trade wind proxies can document dynamical aspects of meridional ITCZ shifts. Theoretical expectations based on angular momentum constraints and results from freshwater hosing simulations with two different climate models predict that ITCZ shifts due to anomalous cooling of one hemisphere would be accompanied by a strengthening of the Hadley cell and trade winds in the colder hemisphere, with an opposite response in the warmer hemisphere. This expectation of hemispherically asymmetric trade wind changes is confirmed by proxy data of coastal upwelling and windblown dust from the Atlantic basin during Heinrich stadials, showing trade wind strengthening in the Northern Hemisphere and weakening in the Southern Hemisphere subtropics in concert with southward ITCZ shifts. Data from other basins show broadly similar patterns, though improved constraints on past trade wind changes are needed outside the Atlantic Basin. The asymmetric trade wind changes identified here suggest that ITCZ shifts are also marked by intensification of the ocean's wind-driven subtropical cells in the cooler hemisphere and a weakening in the warmer hemisphere, which induces cross-equatorial oceanic heat transport into the colder hemisphere. This response would be expected to prevent extreme meridional ITCZ shifts in response to asymmetric heating or cooling. Understanding trade wind changes and their coupling to cross-equatorial ocean cells is key to better constraining ITCZ shifts and ocean and atmosphere dynamical

  18. Retrospective characterization of ontogenetic shifts in killer whale diets via δ13C and δ15N analysis of teeth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newsome, Seth D.; Etnier, Michael A.; Monson, Daniel H.; Fogel, Marilyn L.

    2009-01-01

    Metabolically inert, accretionary structures such as the dentin growth layers in teeth provide a life history record of individual diet with near-annual resolution. We constructed ontogenetic δ13C and δ15N profiles by analyzing tooth dentin growth layers from 13 individual killer whales Orcinus orca collected in the eastern northeast Pacific Ocean between 1961 and 2003. The individuals sampled were 6 to 52 yr old, representing 2 ecotypes—resident and transient—collected across ~25° of latitude. The average isotopic values of transient individuals (n = 10) are consistent with a reliance on mammalian prey, while the average isotopic values of residents (n = 3) are consistent with piscivory. Regardless of ecotype, most individuals show a decrease in δ15N values of ~2.5‰ through the first 3 yr of life, roughly equivalent to a decrease of one trophic level. We interpret this as evidence of gradual weaning, after which, ontogenetic shifts in isotopic values are highly variable. A few individuals (n = 2) maintained relatively stable δ15N and δ13C values throughout the remainder of their lives, whereas δ15N values of most (n = 11) increased by ~1.5‰, suggestive of an ontogenetic increase in trophic level. Significant differences in mean δ13C and δ15N values among transients collected off California suggest that individuality in prey preferences may be prevalent within this ecotype. Our approach provides retrospective individual life history and dietary information that cannot be obtained through traditional field observations of free-ranging and elusive species such as killer whales, including unique historic ecological information that pre-dates modern studies. By providing insights into individual diet composition, stable isotope analysis of teeth and/or bones may be the only means of evaluating a number of hypothesized historical dietary shifts in killer whales of the northeast Pacific Ocean

  19. Individual vulnerability to insomnia, excessive sleepiness and shift work disorder amongst healthcare shift workers. A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Booker, Lauren A; Magee, Michelle; Rajaratnam, Shantha M W; Sletten, Tracey L; Howard, Mark E

    2018-03-27

    Shift workers often experience reduced sleep quality, duration and/or excessive sleepiness due to the imposed conflict between work and their circadian system. About 20-30% of shift workers experience prominent insomnia symptoms and excessive daytime sleepiness consistent with the circadian rhythm sleep disorder known as shift work disorder. Individual factors may influence this vulnerability to shift work disorder or sleep-related impairment associated with shift work. This paper was registered with Prospero and was conducted using recommended standards for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Published literature that measured sleep-related impairment associated with shift work including reduced sleep quality and duration and increased daytime sleepiness amongst healthcare shift workers and explored characteristics associated with individual variability were reviewed. Fifty-eight studies were included. Older age, morning-type, circadian flexibility, being married or having children, increased caffeine intake, higher scores on neuroticism and lower on hardiness were related to a higher risk of sleep-related impairment in response to shift work, whereas physical activity was a protective factor. The review highlights the diverse range of measurement tools used to evaluate the impact of shift work on sleep. Use of standardised and validated tools would enable cross-study comparisons. Longitudinal studies are required to establish causal relationships between individual factors and the development of shift work disorder. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. NMR chemical shifts in amino acids: Effects of environments, electric field, and amine group rotation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Young-Gui; Pfrommer, Bernd G.; Louie, Steven G.; Canning, Andrew

    2002-01-01

    The authors present calculations of NMR chemical shifts in crystalline phases of some representative amino acids such as glycine, alanine, and alanyl-alanine. To get an insight on how different environments affect the chemical shifts, they study the transition from the crystalline phase to completely isolated molecules of glycine. In the crystalline limit, the shifts are dominated by intermolecular hydrogen-bonds. In the molecular limit, however, dipole electric field effects dominate the behavior of the chemical shifts. They show that it is necessary to average the chemical shifts in glycine over geometries. Tensor components are analyzed to get the angle dependent proton chemical shifts, which is a more refined characterization method

  1. Homogeneous bilateral block shifts

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Douglas class were classified in [3]; they are unilateral block shifts of arbitrary block size (i.e. dim H(n) can be anything). However, no examples of irreducible homogeneous bilateral block shifts of block size larger than 1 were known until now.

  2. The effect of spectral width on Goos–Hanchen and Imbert–Fedorov shifts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prajapati, Chandravati; Ranganathan, D

    2013-01-01

    We study the Goos–Hanchen and Imbert–Fedorov shifts for quasi-monochromatic Gaussian beams near the Brewster angle, when the reflection is from a denser to a rarer medium. This is the case of interest in the usual experiments on reflectometry, etc. We have incorporated the effects of the finite linewidth of the quasi-monochromatic light and treated the cases of a Lorentzian and a Gaussian lineshape of the input light spectrum. This study of light with a finite spectral width was carried out for the more frequently studied case, namely reflection from a dense to a rare medium. We found that the shift is increased as compared to the monochromatic Gaussian beam, and is zero at the Brewster angle for a p polarized beam. The shift variation with angle of incidence near the Brewster and critical angles at different values of refractive index ratios is found. We also studied the shift variation for Hermite–Gauss beams around the Brewster angle when the reflection is from a rarer to a denser medium and compare this with our earlier results for the case when the reflection was from a denser to a rarer medium. (paper)

  3. Spectroscopic measurement of 204Pb isotope shift and 205Pb nuclear spin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schonberger, P.

    1984-01-01

    The isotope shift of 204 Pb and the nuclear spin of 1.4 X 10 7 -y 205 Pb was determined from a high-resolution optical measurement of the 6p 23 P 0 -6p7s 3 P 1 0 283.3-nm resonance line. The value of the shift, relative to 208 Pb is -140.2(8) x 10 -3 cm -1 , the negative sign indicating a shift to lower wave numbers. The precision is 3-4 times greater than that of previous measurements. The spin of 205 Pb I = 5/2 was obtained from the measurement of the relative intensities of its three hyperfine components. This method of absorption spectroscopy determination of ground state nuclear spin is applicable to any stable or long-lived isotope. High resolution optical absorption spectra were obtained with a 25.4 cm diffraction grating in a 9.1 m focal length Czerny-Turner spectrometer. A signal-averaging scanning technique was used to record the spectra. Increased precision in the isotope shift measurement was attained by using separated isotope samples of 204 Pb and 207 Pb

  4. Shift work and colorectal cancer risk in the MCC-Spain case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papantoniou, Kyriaki; Castaño-Vinyals, Gemma; Espinosa, Ana; Turner, Michelle C; Alonso-Aguado, Maria Henar; Martin, Vicente; Aragonés, Nuria; Pérez-Gómez, Beatriz; Pozo, Benito Mirón; Gómez-Acebo, Inés; Ardanaz, Eva; Altzibar, Jone M; Peiro, Rosana; Tardon, Adonina; Lorca, José Andrés; Chirlaque, Maria Dolores; García-Palomo, Andrés; Jimenez-Moleon, Jose Juan; Ierssen, Trinidad; Ederra, Maria; Amiano, Pilar; Pollan, Marina; Moreno, Victor; Kogevinas, Manolis

    2017-05-01

    Objectives Shift work that involves circadian disruption has been associated with a higher cancer risk. Most epidemiological studies to date have focused on breast cancer risk and evidence for other common tumors is limited. We evaluated the risk for colorectal cancer (CRC) in relation to shift work history in a population-based case-control study in Spain. Methods This analysis included 1626 incident CRC cases and 3378 randomly selected population controls of both sexes, enrolled in 11 regions of Spain. Sociodemographic and lifestyle information was assessed in face-to-face interviews. Shift work was assessed in detail throughout lifetime occupational history. We estimated the risk of colon and rectal cancer associated with rotating and permanent shift work (ever, cumulative duration, age of first exposure) using unconditional logistic regression analysis adjusting for potential confounders. Results Having ever performed rotating shift work (morning, evening and/or night) was associated with an increased risk for CRC [odds ratio (OR) 1.22, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.04-1.43], as compared to day workers. Having ever worked permanent night shifts (≥3 nights/month) was not associated with CRC risk (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.62-1.00). OR increased with increasing lifetime cumulative duration of rotating shift work (P-value for trend 0.005) and were highest among subjects in the top quartiles of exposure (3 rd quartile, 20-34 years, OR 1.38, 95%CI 1.06-1.81; 4 th quartile, ≥35 years, OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.02-1.79). Conclusions These data suggest that rotating shift work may increase the risk of CRC especially after long-term exposures.

  5. Accuracy and precision of protein-ligand interaction kinetics determined from chemical shift titrations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Markin, Craig J.; Spyracopoulos, Leo, E-mail: leo.spyracopoulos@ualberta.ca [University of Alberta, Department of Biochemistry (Canada)

    2012-12-15

    NMR-monitored chemical shift titrations for the study of weak protein-ligand interactions represent a rich source of information regarding thermodynamic parameters such as dissociation constants (K{sub D}) in the micro- to millimolar range, populations for the free and ligand-bound states, and the kinetics of interconversion between states, which are typically within the fast exchange regime on the NMR timescale. We recently developed two chemical shift titration methods wherein co-variation of the total protein and ligand concentrations gives increased precision for the K{sub D} value of a 1:1 protein-ligand interaction (Markin and Spyracopoulos in J Biomol NMR 53: 125-138, 2012). In this study, we demonstrate that classical line shape analysis applied to a single set of {sup 1}H-{sup 15}N 2D HSQC NMR spectra acquired using precise protein-ligand chemical shift titration methods we developed, produces accurate and precise kinetic parameters such as the off-rate (k{sub off}). For experimentally determined kinetics in the fast exchange regime on the NMR timescale, k{sub off} {approx} 3,000 s{sup -1} in this work, the accuracy of classical line shape analysis was determined to be better than 5 % by conducting quantum mechanical NMR simulations of the chemical shift titration methods with the magnetic resonance toolkit GAMMA. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the experimental precision for k{sub off} from line shape analysis of NMR spectra was determined to be 13 %, in agreement with the theoretical precision of 12 % from line shape analysis of the GAMMA simulations in the presence of noise and protein concentration errors. In addition, GAMMA simulations were employed to demonstrate that line shape analysis has the potential to provide reasonably accurate and precise k{sub off} values over a wide range, from 100 to 15,000 s{sup -1}. The validity of line shape analysis for k{sub off} values approaching intermediate exchange ({approx}100 s{sup -1}), may be facilitated by

  6. Self-broadening and shifting of the Li(2s-2p) and K(4s-4p) line cores

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reggami, L.; Bouledroua, M.; Allouche, A.R.; Aubert-Frecon, M.

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this work is to determine quantum mechanically the width Γ and the shift Δ of the lithium Li(2p→2s) and potassium K(4p→4s) resonance lines when these atoms are evolving in their parent gases. The interaction potentials along which the atoms Li(2p)+Li(2s) and K(4p)+K(4s) approach each other are constructed from reliable data. The radial wave equation is then solved numerically by using these potentials to compute the elastic phase shifts. By adopting the simplified Baranger model for the pressure broadening, which assumes the impact approximation, the cross sections effective in linewidth and lineshift are analyzed. The analysis leads in particular to the determination of the width and shift rates and the computations show that these rates have constant values and, mainly, do not depend on temperature. An approximate method is further applied to the calculations of the cross sections. The results reveal the influence of the long-range -C 3 /R 3 interactions and confirm the universality of the obtained formulas of Γ and Δ

  7. Changes in forest productivity across Alaska consistent with biome shift.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beck, Pieter S A; Juday, Glenn P; Alix, Claire; Barber, Valerie A; Winslow, Stephen E; Sousa, Emily E; Heiser, Patricia; Herriges, James D; Goetz, Scott J

    2011-04-01

    Global vegetation models predict that boreal forests are particularly sensitive to a biome shift during the 21st century. This shift would manifest itself first at the biome's margins, with evergreen forest expanding into current tundra while being replaced by grasslands or temperate forest at the biome's southern edge. We evaluated changes in forest productivity since 1982 across boreal Alaska by linking satellite estimates of primary productivity and a large tree-ring data set. Trends in both records show consistent growth increases at the boreal-tundra ecotones that contrast with drought-induced productivity declines throughout interior Alaska. These patterns support the hypothesized effects of an initiating biome shift. Ultimately, tree dispersal rates, habitat availability and the rate of future climate change, and how it changes disturbance regimes, are expected to determine where the boreal biome will undergo a gradual geographic range shift, and where a more rapid decline. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

  8. Fluid Shifts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stenger, M. B.; Hargens, A. R.; Dulchavsky, S. A.; Arbeille, P.; Danielson, R. W.; Ebert, D. J.; Garcia, K. M.; Johnston, S. L.; Laurie, S. S.; Lee, S. M. C.; hide

    2017-01-01

    Introduction. NASA's Human Research Program is focused on addressing health risks associated with long-duration missions on the International Space Station (ISS) and future exploration-class missions beyond low Earth orbit. Visual acuity changes observed after short-duration missions were largely transient, but now more than 50 percent of ISS astronauts have experienced more profound, chronic changes with objective structural findings such as optic disc edema, globe flattening and choroidal folds. These structural and functional changes are referred to as the visual impairment and intracranial pressure (VIIP) syndrome. Development of VIIP symptoms may be related to elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) secondary to spaceflight-induced cephalad fluid shifts, but this hypothesis has not been tested. The purpose of this study is to characterize fluid distribution and compartmentalization associated with long-duration spaceflight and to determine if a relation exists with vision changes and other elements of the VIIP syndrome. We also seek to determine whether the magnitude of fluid shifts during spaceflight, as well as any VIIP-related effects of those shifts, are predicted by the crewmember's pre-flight status and responses to acute hemodynamic manipulations, specifically posture changes and lower body negative pressure. Methods. We will examine a variety of physiologic variables in 10 long-duration ISS crewmembers using the test conditions and timeline presented in the figure below. Measures include: (1) fluid compartmentalization (total body water by D2O, extracellular fluid by NaBr, intracellular fluid by calculation, plasma volume by CO rebreathe, interstitial fluid by calculation); (2) forehead/eyelids, tibia, and calcaneus tissue thickness (by ultrasound); (3) vascular dimensions by ultrasound (jugular veins, cerebral and carotid arteries, vertebral arteries and veins, portal vein); (4) vascular dynamics by MRI (head/neck blood flow, cerebrospinal fluid

  9. Shifting visual perspective during retrieval shapes autobiographical memories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    St Jacques, Peggy L; Szpunar, Karl K; Schacter, Daniel L

    2017-03-01

    The dynamic and flexible nature of memories is evident in our ability to adopt multiple visual perspectives. Although autobiographical memories are typically encoded from the visual perspective of our own eyes they can be retrieved from the perspective of an observer looking at our self. Here, we examined the neural mechanisms of shifting visual perspective during long-term memory retrieval and its influence on online and subsequent memories using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants generated specific autobiographical memories from the last five years and rated their visual perspective. In a separate fMRI session, they were asked to retrieve the memories across three repetitions while maintaining the same visual perspective as their initial rating or by shifting to an alternative perspective. Visual perspective shifting during autobiographical memory retrieval was supported by a linear decrease in neural recruitment across repetitions in the posterior parietal cortices. Additional analyses revealed that the precuneus, in particular, contributed to both online and subsequent changes in the phenomenology of memories. Our findings show that flexibly shifting egocentric perspective during autobiographical memory retrieval is supported by the precuneus, and suggest that this manipulation of mental imagery during retrieval has consequences for how memories are retrieved and later remembered. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. SEU-hardened design for shift register in CMOS APS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meng Liya; Liu Zedong; Hu Dajiang; Wang Qingxiang

    2012-01-01

    The inverter-based quasi-static shift register in CMOS APS, which is used in ionizing radiation environment, is susceptible to single event upset (SEU), thus affecting the CMOS active pixel sensor (APS) working. The analysis of the SEU for inverter-based quasi-static shift register concludes that the most sensitive node to single event transient (SET) exists in the input of inverter, and the threshold voltage and capacitance of input node of inverter determine the capability of anti-SEU. A new method was proposed, which replaced the inverter with Schmitt trigger in shift register. Because there is a hysteresis on voltage transfer characteristic of Schmitt trigger, there is high flip threshold, thus better capability of anti-SEU can be achieved. Simulation results show that the anti-SEU capability of Schmitt trigger is 10 times more than that of inverter. (authors)

  11. Bloch–Siegert shift in application to the astrophysical determination of the fundamental constants variation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solovyev, Dmitry

    2013-01-01

    We have evaluated the Bloch–Siegert shift for the different values of magnetic field's strengths defined at astrophysical conditions, i.e. when the stars with the strong surface magnetic fields are taken as a powerful pumping source of radiation. It is found that the additional shift of resonant frequency should be taken into account in the search for the time variation of the fundamental constants. The main conclusion is that the influence of the electromagnetic field should be considered carefully in each special case of the corresponding frequency determination

  12. The shift to land value taxation : A tale of a different future

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Papachristos, G.; Vasilopoulos, C.

    2013-01-01

    In the midst of the current crisis, initially sparked by a housing bubble in the US, tax reform proposals become ever more relevant. The present paper elaborates one such proposal by using system dynamics. It presents the logic of the current property tax and an alternative land value tax system, it

  13. Computational study of the shift of the G band of double-walled carbon nanotubes due to interlayer interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Popov, Valentin N.; Levshov, Dmitry I.; Sauvajol, Jean-Louis; Paillet, Matthieu

    2018-04-01

    The interactions between the layers of double-walled carbon nanotubes induce a measurable shift of the G bands relative to the isolated layers. While experimental data on this shift in freestanding double-walled carbon nanotubes has been reported in the past several years, a comprehensive theoretical description of the observed shift is still lacking. The prediction of this shift is important for supporting the assignment of the measured double-walled nanotubes to particular nanotube types. Here, we report a computational study of the G-band shift as a function of the semiconducting inner layer radius and interlayer separation. We find that with increasing interlayer separation, the G band shift decreases, passes through zero and becomes negative, and further increases in absolute value for the wide range of considered inner layer radii. The theoretical predictions are shown to agree with the available experimental data within the experimental uncertainty.

  14. Isotope shifting capacity of rock

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blattner, P.; Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Lower Hutt

    1980-01-01

    Any oxygen isotope shifted rock volume exactly defines a past throughput of water. An expression is derived that relates the throughput of an open system to the isotope shift of reservoir rock and present-day output. The small isotope shift of Ngawha reservoir rock and the small, high delta oxygen-18 output are best accounted for by a magmatic water source

  15. Sleep and satisfaction in 8- and 12-h forward-rotating shift systems: Industrial employees prefer 12-h shifts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karhula, Kati; Härmä, Mikko; Ropponen, Annina; Hakola, Tarja; Sallinen, Mikael; Puttonen, Sampsa

    2016-01-01

    Twelve-hour shift systems have become more popular in industry. Survey data of shift length, shift rotation speed, self-rated sleep, satisfaction and perceived health were investigated for the associations among 599 predominantly male Finnish industrial employees. The studied forward-rotating shift systems were 12-h fast (12fast, DDNN------, n = 268), 8-h fast (8fast, MMEENN----, n = 161) and 8-h slow (8slow, MMMM-EEEE-NNNN, n = 170). Satisfaction with shift system differed between the groups (p effects on sleep and alertness were rare (8%) in the 12fast group (53% 8fast, 66% 8 slow, p effects of the current shift system on general health (12fast 4%, 8fast 30%, 8slow 41%, p work-life balance (12fast 8%, 8fast 52%, 8slow 63%, p effects of shift work were dependent on both shift length and shift rotation speed: employees in the 12-h rapidly forward-rotating shift system were most satisfied, perceived better work-life balance and slept better than the employees in the 8fast or especially the employees in the 8-h slowly rotating systems.

  16. Ocean heat content and Earth's radiation imbalance. II. Relation to climate shifts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Douglass, D.H.; Knox, R.S.

    2012-01-01

    In an earlier study of ocean heat content (OHC) we showed that Earth's empirically implied radiation imbalance has undergone abrupt changes. Other studies have identified additional such climate shifts since 1950. The shifts can be correlated with features in recently updated OHC data. The implied radiation imbalance may possibly alternate in sign at dates close to the climate shifts. The most recent shifts occurred during 2001–2002 and 2008–2009. The implied radiation imbalance between these dates, in the direction of ocean heat loss, was −0.03±0.06 W/m 2 , with a possible systematic error of [−0.00,+0.09] W/m 2 . -- Highlights: ► Ocean heat content (OHC) slope discontinuities match similar Earth climate features. ► OHC slopes between climate shifts give most of the implied radiation balance (IRI). ► IRI often alternates in sign at dates close to the climate shifts. ► IRI between climate shifts of 2001–2002 and 2008–2009 was −0.03±0.06 W/m 2 . ► Geothermal flux is relevant to analyses of radiation imbalance.

  17. Tempo of Diversification of Global Amphibians: One-Constant Rate, One-Continuous Shift or Multiple-Discrete Shifts?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Youhua Chen

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this brief report, alternative time-varying diversification rate models were fitted onto the phylogeny of global amphibians by considering one-constant-rate (OCR, one-continuous-shift (OCS and multiplediscrete- shifts (MDS situations. The OCS diversification model was rejected by γ statistic (γ=-5.556, p⁄ 0.001, implying the existence of shifting diversification rates for global amphibian phylogeny. Through model selection, MDS diversification model outperformed OCS and OCR models using “laser” package under R environment. Moreover, MDS models, implemented using another R package “MEDUSA”, indicated that there were sixteen shifts over the internal nodes for amphibian phylogeny. Conclusively, both OCS and MDS models are recommended to compare so as to better quantify rate-shifting trends of species diversification. MDS diversification models should be preferential for large phylogenies using “MEDUSA” package in which any arbitrary numbers of shifts are allowed to model.

  18. Electron scattering in dense He-Ar gas mixtures: A pressure shift study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asaf, U.; Felps, W.S.; McGlynn, S.P.

    1989-01-01

    The dependence of the energies of high-n Rydberg states of CH 3 I on the molar composition of helium-argon mixtures (in the number density range 1.3x10 20 --5.6x10 20 cm -3 ) is reported. The energy shifts, when normalized to a given density value, are found to vary linearly with the mole fraction of either component of the binary, rare-gas mixture. The observed change in sign of the energy shift is attributable to the different signs of the electron scattering lengths for the two rare-gas components. As a result, there exists a mixture composition, at a mole ratio [He]/[Ar]=2.0, at which the shift is null. The experimental results for the gas mixture agree with the Fermi formula, as modified to include the Alekseev-Sobel'man polarization term. Effective electron scattering lengths and cross sections, polarizabilities, and thermal velocities are used to characterize the effects of the binary gas perturber system

  19. Mass shift of σ-meson in nuclear matter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morones-Ibarra, J.R.; Maciel, Mónica Menchaca; Padilla, Felipe Robledo; Santos-Guevara, Ayax

    2013-01-01

    The propagation of σ-meson in nuclear matter is studied in the Walecka model, by assuming that sigma couples to a pair of nucleon-antinucleon states to particle-hole states. The in-medium effect of σ-ω mixing is also studied. For completeness, the coupling of sigma to two virtual pions was also considered. It is found that the σ-meson mass decreases with respect to its value in vacuum and that the contribution of the σ-ω mixing effect on the mass shift is relatively small. (author)

  20. Discrepancies between global nucleon-nucleon phase shifts and new data for n-p scattering at 16.9 MeV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tornow, W.; Lisowski, P.W.; Byrd, R.C.; Walter, R.L.

    1977-01-01

    Data for the analyzing power A/sub y/(theta) for n-p scattering at 16.9 MeV have been measured for the range from 50 to 145 0 (c.m.). Eleven values are reported to an accuracy of about +- 0.002, the highest overall precision ever obtained in any fast-neutron polarization experiment. Predictions based on phase-shift sets obtained from global analyses of nucleon-nucleon scattering disagree significantly with the new data. The data are sufficiently precise to show a dependence on the f-wave spin-orbit phase parameter

  1. Practical use of chemical shift databases for protein solid-state NMR: 2D chemical shift maps and amino-acid assignment with secondary-structure information

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fritzsching, K. J.; Yang, Y.; Schmidt-Rohr, K.; Hong Mei, E-mail: mhong@iastate.edu [Iowa State University, Department of Chemistry (United States)

    2013-06-15

    We introduce a Python-based program that utilizes the large database of {sup 13}C and {sup 15}N chemical shifts in the Biological Magnetic Resonance Bank to rapidly predict the amino acid type and secondary structure from correlated chemical shifts. The program, called PACSYlite Unified Query (PLUQ), is designed to help assign peaks obtained from 2D {sup 13}C-{sup 13}C, {sup 15}N-{sup 13}C, or 3D {sup 15}N-{sup 13}C-{sup 13}C magic-angle-spinning correlation spectra. We show secondary-structure specific 2D {sup 13}C-{sup 13}C correlation maps of all twenty amino acids, constructed from a chemical shift database of 262,209 residues. The maps reveal interesting conformation-dependent chemical shift distributions and facilitate searching of correlation peaks during amino-acid type assignment. Based on these correlations, PLUQ outputs the most likely amino acid types and the associated secondary structures from inputs of experimental chemical shifts. We test the assignment accuracy using four high-quality protein structures. Based on only the C{alpha} and C{beta} chemical shifts, the highest-ranked PLUQ assignments were 40-60 % correct in both the amino-acid type and the secondary structure. For three input chemical shifts (CO-C{alpha}-C{beta} or N-C{alpha}-C{beta}), the first-ranked assignments were correct for 60 % of the residues, while within the top three predictions, the correct assignments were found for 80 % of the residues. PLUQ and the chemical shift maps are expected to be useful at the first stage of sequential assignment, for combination with automated sequential assignment programs, and for highly disordered proteins for which secondary structure analysis is the main goal of structure determination.

  2. Estimation of bias shifts in a steam-generator water-level controller

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tylee, J.L.

    1983-01-01

    A method for detecting and estimating the value of sudden bias shifts in a U-tube steam-generator water-level controller is described and evaluated. Generalized likelihood ratios (GLR) are used to perform both the bias detection and bias estimation. Simulation results using a seventh-order, linear, discrete steam-generator model demonstrate the capabilities of the GLR detection/estimation approach

  3. CAMSHIFT IMPROVEMENT WITH MEAN-SHIFT SEGMENTATION, REGION GROWING, AND SURF METHOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ferdinan Ferdinan

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available CAMSHIFT algorithm has been widely used in object tracking. CAMSHIFT utilizescolor features as the model object. Thus, original CAMSHIFT may fail when the object color issimilar with the background color. In this study, we propose CAMSHIFT tracker combined withmean-shift segmentation, region growing, and SURF in order to improve the tracking accuracy.The mean-shift segmentation and region growing are applied in object localization phase to extractthe important parts of the object. Hue-distance, saturation, and value are used to calculate theBhattacharyya distance to judge whether the tracked object is lost. Once the object is judged lost,SURF is used to find the lost object, and CAMSHIFT can retrack the object. The Object trackingsystem is built with OpenCV. Some measurements of accuracy have done using frame-basedmetrics. We use datasets BoBoT (Bonn Benchmark on Tracking to measure accuracy of thesystem. The results demonstrate that CAMSHIFT combined with mean-shift segmentation, regiongrowing, and SURF method has higher accuracy than the previous methods.

  4. [Burden and health effects of shift work].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heitmann, Jörg

    2010-10-01

    In Germany aprox. 15% of all employees have irregular or flexible working hours. Disturbed sleep and/or hypersomnia are direct consequences of shift work and therefore described as shift work disorder. Beyond this, shift work can also be associated with specific pathological disorders. There are individual differences in tolerance to shift work. Optimization of both shift schedules and sleep to "non-physiological" times of the day are measures to counteract the negative effects of shift work. There is still not enough evidence to recommend drugs for routine use in shift workers. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York.

  5. Shifted Independent Component Analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mørup, Morten; Madsen, Kristoffer Hougaard; Hansen, Lars Kai

    2007-01-01

    Delayed mixing is a problem of theoretical interest and practical importance, e.g., in speech processing, bio-medical signal analysis and financial data modelling. Most previous analyses have been based on models with integer shifts, i.e., shifts by a number of samples, and have often been carried...

  6. A self-reference PRF-shift MR thermometry method utilizing the phase gradient

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Langley, Jason; Potter, William; Phipps, Corey; Zhao Qun; Huang Feng

    2011-01-01

    In magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, the most widely used and accurate method for measuring temperature is based on the shift in proton resonance frequency (PRF). However, inter-scan motion and bulk magnetic field shifts can lead to inaccurate temperature measurements in the PRF-shift MR thermometry method. The self-reference PRF-shift MR thermometry method was introduced to overcome such problems by deriving a reference image from the heated or treated image, and approximates the reference phase map with low-order polynomial functions. In this note, a new approach is presented to calculate the baseline phase map in self-reference PRF-shift MR thermometry. The proposed method utilizes the phase gradient to remove the phase unwrapping step inherent to other self-reference PRF-shift MR thermometry methods. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated using numerical simulations with temperature distributions following a two-dimensional Gaussian function as well as phantom and in vivo experimental data sets. The results from both the numerical simulations and experimental data show that the proposed method is a promising technique for measuring temperature. (note)

  7. The impact of shift work on the psychological and physical health of nurses in a general hospital: a comparison between rotating night shifts and day shifts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferri, Paola; Guadi, Matteo; Marcheselli, Luigi; Balduzzi, Sara; Magnani, Daniela; Di Lorenzo, Rosaria

    2016-01-01

    Shift work is considered necessary to ensure continuity of care in hospitals and residential facilities. In particular, the night shift is one of the most frequent reasons for the disruption of circadian rhythms, causing significant alterations of sleep and biological functions that can affect physical and psychological well-being and negatively impact work performance. The aim of this study was to highlight if shift work with nights, as compared with day work only, is associated with risk factors predisposing nurses to poorer health conditions and lower job satisfaction. This cross-sectional study was conducted from June 1, 2015 to July 31, 2015 in 17 wards of a general hospital and a residential facility of a northern Italian city. This study involved 213 nurses working in rotating night shifts and 65 in day shifts. The instrument used for data collection was the "Standard Shift Work Index," validated in Italian. Data were statistically analyzed. The response rate was 86%. The nurses engaged in rotating night shifts were statistically significantly younger, more frequently single, and had Bachelors and Masters degrees in nursing. They reported the lowest mean score in the items of job satisfaction, quality and quantity of sleep, with more frequent chronic fatigue, psychological, and cardiovascular symptoms in comparison with the day shift workers, in a statistically significant way. Our results suggest that nurses with rotating night schedule need special attention due to the higher risk for both job dissatisfaction and undesirable health effects.

  8. Phase shift extraction and wavefront retrieval from interferograms with background and contrast fluctuations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Qian; Wang, Yang; He, Jianguo; Ji, Fang

    2015-01-01

    The fluctuations of background and contrast cause measurement errors in the phase-shifting technique. To extract the phase shifts from interferograms with background and contrast fluctuations, an iterative algorithm is represented. The phase shifts and wavefront phase are calculated in two individual steps with the least-squares method. The fluctuation factors are determined when the phase shifts are calculated, and the fluctuations are compensated when the wavefront phase is calculated. The advantage of the algorithm lies in its ability to extract phase shifts from interferograms with background and contrast fluctuations converging stably and rapidly. Simulations and experiments verify the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed algorithm. The convergence accuracy and speed are demonstrated by the simulation results. The experiment results show its ability for suppressing phase retrieval errors. (paper)

  9. Remeasuring HEWL pKa values by NMR spectroscopy 

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Webb, Helen; Tynan-Connolly, Barbara Mary; Lee, Gregory M

    2011-01-01

    Site-specific pK(a) values measured by NMR spectroscopy provide essential information on protein electrostatics, the pH-dependence of protein structure, dynamics and function, and constitute an important benchmark for protein pK(a) calculation algorithms. Titration curves can be measured by track......Site-specific pK(a) values measured by NMR spectroscopy provide essential information on protein electrostatics, the pH-dependence of protein structure, dynamics and function, and constitute an important benchmark for protein pK(a) calculation algorithms. Titration curves can be measured...... by tracking the NMR chemical shifts of several reporter nuclei versus sample pH. However, careful analysis of these curves is needed to extract residue-specific pK(a) values since pH-dependent chemical shift changes can arise from many sources, including through-bond inductive effects, through-space electric...... protonated carbons and protons in this protein. We extracted pK(a) values from the resulting titration curves using standard fitting methods, and compared these values to each other, and with those measured previously by ¹H NMR (Bartik et al., Biophys J 1994;66:1180–1184). This analysis gives insights...

  10. Restless Legs Syndrome in shift workers: A cross sectional study on male assembly workers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rahimi Mohsen

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS is a common neurological movement disorder characterized by symptoms that follow a circadian pattern. Night and rotating shift work schedules exert adverse effects on functions of the human body by disturbing circadian rhythms, and they are known to cause sleep disturbances and insomnia. In this paper, we investigate the possible association between shift work and RLS. Methods This cross sectional study was conducted in an automobile manufacturing factory in Tehran, Iran. A total of 780 male assembly workers were recruited in three groups, each with 260 workers: workers on a permanent morning shift (A and two different rotating shift schedules (B and C with morning, afternoon and night shifts. We used the international RLS study group criteria for diagnosis of RLS, and the severity scale for severity assessment in subjects with RLS. Self administered questionnaires were used to gather information on age, smoking, work history, medical condition, and existence and severity of RLS symptoms. Results The prevalence of RLS was significantly higher in rotational shift workers (15% than workers with permanent morning work schedule (8.5%. In workers suffering from RLS, we found greater mean values of age and work experience, higher percentages of drug consumption, smoking, and co-morbid illnesses compared with subjects who did not have RLS, although these differences were statistically significant only for age, work experience and drug consumption. Conclusion Rotational shift work acts as a risk or exacerbating factor for Restless Legs Syndrome.

  11. Restless Legs Syndrome in shift workers: A cross sectional study on male assembly workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharifian, Akbar; Firoozeh, Marjan; Pouryaghoub, Gholamreza; Shahryari, Mehran; Rahimi, Mohsen; Hesamian, Mohammad; Fardi, Ali

    2009-09-14

    Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological movement disorder characterized by symptoms that follow a circadian pattern. Night and rotating shift work schedules exert adverse effects on functions of the human body by disturbing circadian rhythms, and they are known to cause sleep disturbances and insomnia. In this paper, we investigate the possible association between shift work and RLS. This cross sectional study was conducted in an automobile manufacturing factory in Tehran, Iran. A total of 780 male assembly workers were recruited in three groups, each with 260 workers: workers on a permanent morning shift (A) and two different rotating shift schedules (B and C) with morning, afternoon and night shifts. We used the international RLS study group criteria for diagnosis of RLS, and the severity scale for severity assessment in subjects with RLS. Self administered questionnaires were used to gather information on age, smoking, work history, medical condition, and existence and severity of RLS symptoms. The prevalence of RLS was significantly higher in rotational shift workers (15%) than workers with permanent morning work schedule (8.5%). In workers suffering from RLS, we found greater mean values of age and work experience, higher percentages of drug consumption, smoking, and co-morbid illnesses compared with subjects who did not have RLS, although these differences were statistically significant only for age, work experience and drug consumption. Rotational shift work acts as a risk or exacerbating factor for Restless Legs Syndrome.

  12. Optical isotope shifts of sup(80,82)Sr from coincidence laser spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eastham, D.A.; Walker, P.M.; Smith, J.R.H.; Griffith, J.A.R.; Evans, D.E.; Wells, S.A.; Fawcett, M.J.; Grant, I.S.

    1986-01-01

    The isotope shifts of radioactive sup(80,82)Sr have been measured by a new, ultrasensitive, laser fluorescence technique. The results have been used to calculate changes in nuclear charge radii. The values, together with those of nearby stable isotopes, are discussed in terms of changes in the static and dynamic nuclear deformations. (author)

  13. Social optimal shifts and fares of taxi services

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salanova Grau, J.M.; Estrada Romeu, M.

    2016-07-01

    This paper presents a mathematical model for supporting the decision and policy making related to the optimal determination of shifts and fares of taxi services in a major city. The model is based on the system’s generalized cost function and uses continuous approximations and geometric probabilities for estimating the key performance indicators of the taxi market, which are waiting and access time for the customers (in-vehicle travel time does not depend on the offer side) and benefits for the drivers. The model is based on an econometric model with the inclusion of an elastic demand, which allows the estimation of the optimal values for the two decision variables of the problem: fare structure and the taxi fleet size. The model also accounts for a full-day time period instead of the one-hour time frame models used in most of the taxi models, which allows for providing insights on the daily duration and distribution of the shifts that should be defined by the policy makers. (Author)

  14. Contributions of climate change to the boundary shifts in the farming-pastoral ecotone in northern China since 1970

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, W.; Liu, Y.; Shi, X.

    2017-12-01

    Critical transitions of farming-pastoral ecotone (FPE) boundaries can be affected by climate change and human activities, yet current studies have not adequately analyzed the spatially explicit contributions of climate change to FPE boundary shifts, particularly those in different regions and periods. In this study, we present a series of analyses at the point (gravity center analysis), line (boundary shifts detected using two methods) and area (spatial analysis) levels to quantify climate contributions at the 1 km scale in each ecological functional region during three study periods from the 1970s to the 2000s using climate and land use data. Both gravity center analysis and boundary shift detection reveal similar spatial patterns, with more extensive boundary shifts in the northeastern and southeastern parts of the FPE in northern China, especially during the 1970s-1980s and 1990s-2000s. Climate contributions in the X- and Y-coordinate directions and in the directions of transects along boundaries show that significant differences in climate contributions to FPE boundary shifts exist in different ecological regions during the three periods. Additionally, the results in different directions exhibit good agreement in most of the ecological functional regions during most of the periods. However, the contribution values in the directions of transects along the boundaries (with 1-17%) were always smaller than those in the X-and Y-coordinate directions (4-56%), which suggests that the analysis in the transect directions is more stable and reasonable. Thus, this approach provides an alternative method for detecting the climate contributions to boundary shifts associated with land use changes. Spatial analysis of the relationship between climate change and land use change in the context of FPE boundary shifts in northern China provides further evidence and explanation of the driving forces of climate change. Our findings suggest that an improved understanding of the

  15. Corporate Brand Value Shifting from Identity to Innovation Capability: from Coca-Cola to Apple

    OpenAIRE

    Ray R. Gehani

    2016-01-01

    Corporate brand value, a key corporate asset, has traditionally relied on stakeholder interactions, heritage, and corporate identity. In dynamic fast clock-speed industries (information technology and consumer electronics), we note that brand values change dramatically within a few years based on their innovativeness. Using grounded theory approach and multi-case study method we examine how Apple, Samsung, Toyota, and Coca-Cola sustained their most valuable global brands while Kodak and Gener...

  16. Constraining new physics models with isotope shift spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frugiuele, Claudia; Fuchs, Elina; Perez, Gilad; Schlaffer, Matthias

    2017-07-01

    Isotope shifts of transition frequencies in atoms constrain generic long- and intermediate-range interactions. We focus on new physics scenarios that can be most strongly constrained by King linearity violation such as models with B -L vector bosons, the Higgs portal, and chameleon models. With the anticipated precision, King linearity violation has the potential to set the strongest laboratory bounds on these models in some regions of parameter space. Furthermore, we show that this method can probe the couplings relevant for the protophobic interpretation of the recently reported Be anomaly. We extend the formalism to include an arbitrary number of transitions and isotope pairs and fit the new physics coupling to the currently available isotope shift measurements.

  17. Shifting the balance: the contemporary narrative of obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shugart, Helene A

    2011-01-01

    In this essay, I assess the narrative of obesity as articulated in representative contemporary mainstream media fare--namely, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Biggest Loser, and Big Medicine. I contend that the emergent narrative of obesity across these programs signals a shift from the historically received narrative in light of its intersection with the concurrent culturally resonant narratives of addiction and self-actualization. In particular, the proposed "problem" and "solution" to obesity, both historically attributed to personal responsibility, appear to be shifting in favor of cultural explanations that describe obesity as symptomatic of and secondary to broader issues related to community, emotionality, and agency. This suggests novel cultural understandings, practices, and policies regarding the mounting "obesity epidemic."

  18. 1H NMR spectra part 31: 1H chemical shifts of amides in DMSO solvent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abraham, Raymond J; Griffiths, Lee; Perez, Manuel

    2014-07-01

    The (1)H chemical shifts of 48 amides in DMSO solvent are assigned and presented. The solvent shifts Δδ (DMSO-CDCl3 ) are large (1-2 ppm) for the NH protons but smaller and negative (-0.1 to -0.2 ppm) for close range protons. A selection of the observed solvent shifts is compared with calculated shifts from the present model and from GIAO calculations. Those for the NH protons agree with both calculations, but other solvent shifts such as Δδ(CHO) are not well reproduced by the GIAO calculations. The (1)H chemical shifts of the amides in DMSO were analysed using a functional approach for near ( ≤ 3 bonds removed) protons and the electric field, magnetic anisotropy and steric effect of the amide group for more distant protons. The chemical shifts of the NH protons of acetanilide and benzamide vary linearly with the π density on the αN and βC atoms, respectively. The C=O anisotropy and steric effect are in general little changed from the values in CDCl3. The effects of substituents F, Cl, Me on the NH proton shifts are reproduced. The electric field coefficient for the protons in DMSO is 90% of that in CDCl3. There is no steric effect of the C=O oxygen on the NH proton in an NH…O=C hydrogen bond. The observed deshielding is due to the electric field effect. The calculated chemical shifts agree well with the observed shifts (RMS error of 0.106 ppm for the data set of 257 entries). Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  19. Improved proton-deuteron phase-shift analysis above the deuteron breakup threshold and the three-nucleon analyzing-power puzzle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tornow, W.; Kievsky, A.; Witala, H.

    2002-01-01

    Using the existing high-accuracy data for proton-deuteron and deuteron-proton elastic scattering, a phase-shift analysis has been performed in the laboratory proton energy range from E p = 4 to 10 MeV The AV 18-based proton-deuteron phase shifts were used as starting values in the phase-shift search procedure. The low-partial wave phase shifts, especially the 4 P j phase shifts have been determined very precisely, thus providing valuable guidance for theoretical approaches to tackle the quest for a successful description of three-nucleon bound-state and continuum observables in a more efficient and consistent way. Furthermore, it was found that the 4 P 1/2 phase shift and the mixing parameter ε 3/2 - determined in the present analysis cannot be generated by 3 P j nucleon-nucleon interactions which are consistent with two-nucleon analyzing power data. Therefore, three-nucleon forces must play an essential role in resolving the long-standing three-nucleon analyzing-power puzzle. Refs. 44 (author)

  20. Deep sequencing analysis of HBV genotype shift and correlation with antiviral efficiency during adefovir dipivoxil therapy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuwei Wang

    Full Text Available Viral genotype shift in chronic hepatitis B (CHB patients during antiviral therapy has been reported, but the underlying mechanism remains elusive.38 CHB patients treated with ADV for one year were selected for studying genotype shift by both deep sequencing and Sanger sequencing method.Sanger sequencing method found that 7.9% patients showed mixed genotype before ADV therapy. In contrast, all 38 patients showed mixed genotype before ADV treatment by deep sequencing. 95.5% mixed genotype rate was also obtained from additional 200 treatment-naïve CHB patients. Of the 13 patients with genotype shift, the fraction of the minor genotype in 5 patients (38% increased gradually during the course of ADV treatment. Furthermore, responses to ADV and HBeAg seroconversion were associated with the high rate of genotype shift, suggesting drug and immune pressure may be key factors to induce genotype shift. Interestingly, patients with genotype C had a significantly higher rate of genotype shift than genotype B. In genotype shift group, ADV treatment induced a marked enhancement of genotype B ratio accompanied by a reduction of genotype C ratio, suggesting genotype C may be more sensitive to ADV than genotype B. Moreover, patients with dominant genotype C may have a better therapeutic effect. Finally, genotype shifts was correlated with clinical improvement in terms of ALT.Our findings provided a rational explanation for genotype shift among ADV-treated CHB patients. The genotype and genotype shift might be associated with antiviral efficiency.

  1. Consumer Complaints and Company Market Value

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danny Pimentel Claro

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Consumer complaints affect company market value and common sense suggests that a negative impact is expected. However, do complaints always negatively impact company market value? We hypothesize in this study that complaints may have a non-linear effect on market value. Positive (e.g. avoiding high costs to solve complaints and negative (e.g. speedy and intense diffusion tradeoffs may occur given the level of complaints. To test our non-linear hypothesis, a panel data was collected from cell phone service providers from 2005 to 2013. The results supported our tradeoff rationale. Low levels of complaints allow for companies to increase market value, while high levels of complaints cause increasing harm to market value. The sample, model and period considered in this study, indicates a level of 0.49 complaints per thousand consumers as the threshold for a shift in tradeoffs. The effects on market value become increasingly negative when trying to make reductions to move below this level, due to negative tradeoffs.

  2. Shape shifting predicts ontogenetic changes in metabolic scaling in diverse aquatic invertebrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glazier, Douglas S; Hirst, Andrew G; Atkinson, David

    2015-03-07

    Metabolism fuels all biological activities, and thus understanding its variation is fundamentally important. Much of this variation is related to body size, which is commonly believed to follow a 3/4-power scaling law. However, during ontogeny, many kinds of animals and plants show marked shifts in metabolic scaling that deviate from 3/4-power scaling predicted by general models. Here, we show that in diverse aquatic invertebrates, ontogenetic shifts in the scaling of routine metabolic rate from near isometry (bR = scaling exponent approx. 1) to negative allometry (bR < 1), or the reverse, are associated with significant changes in body shape (indexed by bL = the scaling exponent of the relationship between body mass and body length). The observed inverse correlations between bR and bL are predicted by metabolic scaling theory that emphasizes resource/waste fluxes across external body surfaces, but contradict theory that emphasizes resource transport through internal networks. Geometric estimates of the scaling of surface area (SA) with body mass (bA) further show that ontogenetic shifts in bR and bA are positively correlated. These results support new metabolic scaling theory based on SA influences that may be applied to ontogenetic shifts in bR shown by many kinds of animals and plants. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

  3. Associations of long-term shift work with waking salivary cortisol concentration and patterns among police officers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fekedulegn, Desta; Burchfiel, Cecil M; Violanti, John M; Hartley, Tara A; Charles, Luenda E; Andrew, Michael E; Miller, Diane B

    2012-01-01

    The objective of this study was to evaluate whether long-term shift work is associated with both the total hormonal secretion after awakening and the pattern of the cortisol levels during the first hour following awakening, among 65 randomly selected police officers who represent a high stress occupation. Dominant shift (Day, Afternoon, or Midnight) was ascertained using daily payroll records of each participant's work activities during the 6-8 yrs prior to saliva sampling. Four salivary samples were collected at 15 min intervals upon first awakening. After accounting for potential confounders, salivary cortisol concentrations averaged across all four time points and total area under the curve differed significantly across shift with midnight shift workers showing suppressed awakening cortisol response relative to the afternoon and day shift. The percent of hours worked on midnight shift was inversely correlated with total awakening cortisol output. In contrast, the pattern of cortisol secretion during the first hour following waking appeared not to be affected as no significant interaction effect was found between time since awakening and shift work. The results show that long-term midnight shift work is associated with decreased absolute mean level and total volume of cortisol released over the waking period.

  4. Associations of Long-term Shift Work with Waking Salivary Cortisol Concentration and Patterns among Police Officers

    Science.gov (United States)

    FEKEDULEGN, Desta; BURCHFIEL, Cecil M.; VIOLANTI, John M.; HARTLEY, Tara A.; CHARLES, Luenda E.; ANDREW, Michael E.; MILLER, Diane B.

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study was to evaluate whether long-term shift work is associated with both the total hormonal secretion after awakening and the pattern of the cortisol levels during the first hour following awakening, among 65 randomly selected police officers who represent a high stress occupation. Dominant shift (Day, Afternoon, or Midnight) was ascertained using daily payroll records of each participant’s work activities during the 6–8 yrs prior to saliva sampling. Four salivary samples were collected at 15 min intervals upon first awakening. After accounting for potential confounders, salivary cortisol concentrations averaged across all four time points and total area under the curve differed significantly across shift with midnight shift workers showing suppressed awakening cortisol response relative to the afternoon and day shift. The percent of hours worked on midnight shift was inversely correlated with total awakening cortisol output. In contrast, the pattern of cortisol secretion during the first hour following waking appeared not to be affected as no significant interaction effect was found between time since awakening and shift work. The results show that long-term midnight shift work is associated with decreased absolute mean level and total volume of cortisol released over the waking period. PMID:23047078

  5. Hausdorff dimension of the multiplicative golden mean shift

    OpenAIRE

    Kenyon, Richard; Peres, Yuval; Solomyak, Boris

    2011-01-01

    We compute the Hausdorff dimension of the "multiplicative golden mean shift" defined as the set of all reals in $[0,1]$ whose binary expansion $(x_k)$ satisfies $x_k x_{2k}=0$ for all $k\\ge 1$, and show that it is smaller than the Minkowski dimension.

  6. Circadian type, chronic fatigue, and serum IgM in the shift workers of an industrial organization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahnaz Khaleghipour

    2015-01-01

    Conclusion: The results showed that the shift workers with morningness and languidness experienced more problems during the working hours due to more tiredness,and had decreased serum concentration of IgM. Correct management of shift work may attenuate fatigue in workers and also improve many health issues experienced by the shift workers.

  7. The transition to value-based care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ray, Jordan C; Kusumoto, Fred

    2016-10-01

    Delivery of medical care is evolving rapidly worldwide. Over the past several years in the USA, there has been a rapid shift in reimbursement from a simple fee-for-service model to more complex models that attempt to link payment to quality and value. Change in any large system can be difficult, but with medicine, the transition to a value-based system has been particularly hard to implement because both quality and cost are difficult to quantify. Professional societies and other medical groups are developing different programs in an attempt to define high value care. However, applying a national standard of value for any treatment is challenging, since value varies from person to person, and the individual benefit must remain the central tenet for delivering best patient-centered medical care. Regardless of the specific operational features of the rapidly changing healthcare environment, physicians must first and foremost always remain patient advocates.

  8. Increasing Optimism Protects Against Pain-Induced Impairment in Task-Shifting Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boselie, Jantine J L M; Vancleef, Linda M G; Peters, Madelon L

    2017-04-01

    Persistent pain can lead to difficulties in executive task performance. Three core executive functions that are often postulated are inhibition, updating, and shifting. Optimism, the tendency to expect that good things happen in the future, has been shown to protect against pain-induced performance deterioration in executive function updating. This study tested whether this protective effect of a temporary optimistic state by means of a writing and visualization exercise extended to executive function shifting. A 2 (optimism: optimism vs no optimism) × 2 (pain: pain vs no pain) mixed factorial design was conducted. Participants (N = 61) completed a shifting task once with and once without concurrent painful heat stimulation after an optimism or neutral manipulation. Results showed that shifting performance was impaired when experimental heat pain was applied during task execution, and that optimism counteracted pain-induced deterioration in task-shifting performance. Experimentally-induced heat pain impairs shifting task performance and manipulated optimism or induced optimism counteracted this pain-induced performance deterioration. Identifying psychological factors that may diminish the negative effect of persistent pain on the ability to function in daily life is imperative. Copyright © 2016 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Methodological aspects of shift-work research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knutsson, Anders

    2004-01-01

    A major issue in shift-work research is to understand the possible ways in which shift work can impact performance and health. Nearly all body functions, from those of the cellular level to those of the entire body, are circadian rhythmic. Disturbances of these rhythms as well as the social consequences of odd work hours are of importance for the health and well-being of shift workers. This article reviews a number of common methodological issues which are of relevance to epidemiological studies in this area of research. It discusses conceptual problems regarding the use of the term "shift work," and it underscores the need to develop models that explain the mechanisms of disease in shift workers.

  10. SHIFTING POSITIONS ON HOPE VALUE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grzesik Chris

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this article is to shed some light on the difficulty, and at the same time, the unavoidable change towards the embracing by valuers in Poland, of one of the most fundamental principles of property valuation, being “highest and best use” and “hope value”. Both are inherently linked to the interpretation of “market value”. The article offers a detailed analysis of international practice and the most important developments concerning professional standards for property valuers in Poland. The considerations presented herein focus mostly on issues arising out of the interpretation of “market value”. While the legal wording of its Polish definition could be considered similar to the one presented in internationally recognised valuation standards, Polish practice concerning assumptions about the use of a property at the date of valuation is very different.

  11. A systematic review of task- shifting for HIV treatment and care in Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ford Nathan

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Shortages of human resources for health (HRH have severely hampered the rollout of antiretroviral therapy (ART in sub-Saharan Africa. Current rollout models are hospital- and physician-intensive. Task shifting, or delegating tasks performed by physicians to staff with lower-level qualifications, is considered a means of expanding rollout in resource-poor or HRH-limited settings. Methods We conducted a systematic literature review. Medline, the Cochrane library, the Social Science Citation Index, and the South African National Health Research Database were searched with the following terms: task shift*, balance of care, non-physician clinicians, substitute health care worker, community care givers, primary healthcare teams, cadres, and nurs* HIV. We mined bibliographies and corresponded with authors for further results. Grey literature was searched online, and conference proceedings searched for abstracts. Results We found 2960 articles, of which 84 were included in the core review. 51 reported outcomes, including research from 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The most common intervention studied was the delegation of tasks (especially initiating and monitoring HAART from doctors to nurses and other non-physician clinicians. Five studies showed increased access to HAART through expanded clinical capacity; two concluded task shifting is cost effective; 9 showed staff equal or better quality of care; studies on non-physician clinician agreement with physician decisions was mixed, with the majority showing good agreement. Conclusions Task shifting is an effective strategy for addressing shortages of HRH in HIV treatment and care. Task shifting offers high-quality, cost-effective care to more patients than a physician-centered model. The main challenges to implementation include adequate and sustainable training, support and pay for staff in new roles, the integration of new members into healthcare teams, and the compliance of

  12. Level Shifts in Volatility and the Implied-Realized Volatility Relation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Bent Jesper; de Magistris, Paolo Santucci

    We propose a simple model in which realized stock market return volatility and implied volatility backed out of option prices are subject to common level shifts corresponding to movements between bull and bear markets. The model is estimated using the Kalman filter in a generalization to the mult......We propose a simple model in which realized stock market return volatility and implied volatility backed out of option prices are subject to common level shifts corresponding to movements between bull and bear markets. The model is estimated using the Kalman filter in a generalization...... to the multivariate case of the univariate level shift technique by Lu and Perron (2008). An application to the S&P500 index and a simulation experiment show that the recently documented empirical properties of strong persistence in volatility and forecastability of future realized volatility from current implied...... volatility, which have been interpreted as long memory (or fractional integration) in volatility and fractional cointegration between implied and realized volatility, are accounted for by occasional common level shifts....

  13. Identification of helix capping and {beta}-turn motifs from NMR chemical shifts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shen Yang; Bax, Ad, E-mail: bax@nih.gov [National Institutes of Health, Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (United States)

    2012-03-15

    We present an empirical method for identification of distinct structural motifs in proteins on the basis of experimentally determined backbone and {sup 13}C{sup {beta}} chemical shifts. Elements identified include the N-terminal and C-terminal helix capping motifs and five types of {beta}-turns: I, II, I Prime , II Prime and VIII. Using a database of proteins of known structure, the NMR chemical shifts, together with the PDB-extracted amino acid preference of the helix capping and {beta}-turn motifs are used as input data for training an artificial neural network algorithm, which outputs the statistical probability of finding each motif at any given position in the protein. The trained neural networks, contained in the MICS (motif identification from chemical shifts) program, also provide a confidence level for each of their predictions, and values ranging from ca 0.7-0.9 for the Matthews correlation coefficient of its predictions far exceed those attainable by sequence analysis. MICS is anticipated to be useful both in the conventional NMR structure determination process and for enhancing on-going efforts to determine protein structures solely on the basis of chemical shift information, where it can aid in identifying protein database fragments suitable for use in building such structures.

  14. Identification of helix capping and β-turn motifs from NMR chemical shifts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen Yang; Bax, Ad

    2012-01-01

    We present an empirical method for identification of distinct structural motifs in proteins on the basis of experimentally determined backbone and 13 C β chemical shifts. Elements identified include the N-terminal and C-terminal helix capping motifs and five types of β-turns: I, II, I′, II′ and VIII. Using a database of proteins of known structure, the NMR chemical shifts, together with the PDB-extracted amino acid preference of the helix capping and β-turn motifs are used as input data for training an artificial neural network algorithm, which outputs the statistical probability of finding each motif at any given position in the protein. The trained neural networks, contained in the MICS (motif identification from chemical shifts) program, also provide a confidence level for each of their predictions, and values ranging from ca 0.7–0.9 for the Matthews correlation coefficient of its predictions far exceed those attainable by sequence analysis. MICS is anticipated to be useful both in the conventional NMR structure determination process and for enhancing on-going efforts to determine protein structures solely on the basis of chemical shift information, where it can aid in identifying protein database fragments suitable for use in building such structures.

  15. Night Shift Work, Genetic Risk, and Type 2 Diabetes in the UK Biobank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vetter, Céline; Dashti, Hassan S; Lane, Jacqueline M; Anderson, Simon G; Schernhammer, Eva S; Rutter, Martin K; Saxena, Richa; Scheer, Frank A J L

    2018-04-01

    To examine the effects of past and current night shift work and genetic type 2 diabetes vulnerability on type 2 diabetes odds. In the UK Biobank, we examined associations of current ( N = 272,214) and lifetime ( N = 70,480) night shift work exposure with type 2 diabetes risk (6,770 and 1,191 prevalent cases, respectively). For 180,704 and 44,141 unrelated participants of European ancestry (4,002 and 726 cases, respectively) with genetic data, we assessed whether shift work exposure modified the relationship between a genetic risk score (comprising 110 single-nucleotide polymorphisms) for type 2 diabetes and prevalent diabetes. Compared with day workers, all current night shift workers were at higher multivariable-adjusted odds for type 2 diabetes (none or rare night shifts: odds ratio [OR] 1.15 [95% CI 1.05-1.26]; some nights: OR 1.18 [95% CI 1.05-1.32]; and usual nights: OR 1.44 [95% CI 1.19-1.73]), except current permanent night shift workers (OR 1.09 [95% CI 0.93-1.27]). Considering a person's lifetime work schedule and compared with never shift workers, working more night shifts per month was associated with higher type 2 diabetes odds (8/month: OR 1.36 [95% CI 1.14-1.62]; P trend = 0.001). The association between genetic type 2 diabetes predisposition and type 2 diabetes odds was not modified by shift work exposure. Our findings show that night shift work, especially rotating shift work including night shifts, is associated with higher type 2 diabetes odds and that the number of night shifts worked per month appears most relevant for type 2 diabetes odds. Also, shift work exposure does not modify genetic risk for type 2 diabetes, a novel finding that warrants replication. © 2018 by the American Diabetes Association.

  16. SAT in shift manager training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lecuyer, F.

    1995-01-01

    EDF has improved the organization of the operation shift teams with the replacement of shift supervisor in shift manager function. The shift manager is not only responsible for tasks associated to plant operation (production), but he is also responsible for safety of these tasks and for management of shift team members. A job analysis of this new job position has been performed in order to design the training programme. It resulted in a 10-month training programme that includes 8 weeks in safety-related topics and 12 weeks in soft-skills related topics. The safety related training courses are mandatory, the other courses are optional courses depending on individual trainee needs. The training also includes the development of management competencies. During the 10 month period, each trainee develops an individual project that is evaluated by NPP manager. As well, as group project is undertaken by the trainees and overseen by a steering committee. The steering committee participates in the evaluation process and provides operational experience feedback to the trainee groups and to the overall programme

  17. Research of isolated resonances using the average energy shift method for filtered neutron beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gritzay, O.O.; Grymalo, A.K.; Kolotyi, V.V.; Mityushkin, O.O.; Venediktov, V.M.

    2010-01-01

    This work is devoted to detailed description of one of the research directions in the Neutron Physics Department (NPD), namely, to research of resonance parameters of isolated nuclear level at the filtered neutron beam on the horizontal experimental channel HEC-8 of the WWR-M reactor. Research of resonance parameters is an actual problem nowadays. This is because there are the essential differences between the resonance parameter values in the different evaluated nuclear data library (ENDL) for many nuclei. Research of resonance parameter is possible due to the set of the neutron cross sections received at the same filter, but with the slightly shifted filter average energy. The shift of the filter average energy is possible by several processes. In this work this shift is realized by neutron energy dependence on scattering angle. This method is provided by equipment.

  18. Extended averaging phase-shift schemes for Fizeau interferometry on high-numerical-aperture spherical surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burke, Jan

    2010-08-01

    Phase-shifting Fizeau interferometry on spherical surfaces is impaired by phase-shift errors increasing with the numerical aperture, unless a custom optical set-up or wavelength shifting is used. This poses a problem especially for larger numerical apertures, and requires good error tolerance of the phase-shift method used; but it also constitutes a useful testing facility for phase-shift formulae, because a vast range of phase-shift intervals can be tested in a single measurement. In this paper I show how the "characteristic polynomials" method can be used to generate a phase-shifting method for the actual numerical aperture, and analyse residual cyclical phase errors by comparing a phase map from an interferogram with a few fringes to a phase mpa from a nulled fringe. Unrelated to the phase-shift miscalibration, thirdharmonic error fringes are found. These can be dealt with by changing the nominal phase shift from 90°/step to 60°/step and re-tailoring the evaluation formula for third-harmonic rejection. The residual error has the same frequency as the phase-shift signal itself, and can be removed by averaging measurements. Some interesting features of the characteristic polynomials for the averaged formulae emerge, which also shed some light on the mechanism that generates cyclical phase errors.

  19. Individual differences in shift work tolerance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lammers-van der Holst, H.M.

    2016-01-01

    Shift work is a key feature of our contemporary 24/7 society, employing several successive work teams to sustain around-the-clock operations. However, numerous studies imply that frequently shifting the periods of sleep and wakefulness poses a serious threat to the shift worker’s physical, mental

  20. Human security from paradigm shift to operationalisation: job description for a human security worker

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Glasius, M.

    2008-01-01

    This article shows how human security has functioned as both a paradigm-shifting and a bridging concept, with its most significant implications being, first, the shift from a focus on state security to one on human rights, and, second, the indivisibility of physical and material security. The

  1. Analysis of a micropolarizer array-based simultaneous phase-shifting interferometer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novak, Matt; Millerd, James; Brock, Neal; North-Morris, Michael; Hayes, John; Wyant, James

    2005-11-10

    Recent technological innovations have enabled the development of a new class of dynamic (vibration-insensitive) interferometer based on a CCD pixel-level phase-shifting approach. We present theoretical and experimental results for an interferometer based on this pixelated phase-shifting technique. Analyses of component errors and instrument functionality are presented. We show that the majority of error sources cause relatively small magnitude peak-to-valley errors in measurement of the order of 0.002-0.005lambda. These errors are largely mitigated by high-rate data acquisition and consequent data averaging.

  2. [Relationship between shift work and overweight/obesity in male steel workers].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, M Y; Wang, Z Y; Fan, H M; Che, C L; Lu, Y; Cong, L X; Gao, X J; Liu, Y J; Yuan, J X; Li, X M; Hu, B; Chen, Y P

    2016-11-10

    Objective: To investigate the relationship between shift work and overweight/obesity in male steel workers. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among the male steel workers selected during health examination in Tangshan Steel Company from March 2015 to March 2016. The relationship between shift work and overweight/obesity in the male steel workers were analyzed by using logistic regression model and restricted cubic splinemodel. Results: A total of 7 262 male steel workers were surveyed, the overall prevalence of overweight/obesitywas 64.5% (4 686/7 262), the overweight rate was 34.3% and the obesity rate was 30.2%, respectively. After adjusting for age, educational level and average family income level per month by multivariable logistic regression analysis, shift work was associated with overweight/obesity and obesity in the male steel workers. The OR was 1.19(95% CI : 1.05-1.35) and 1.15(95% CI : 1.00-1.32). Restricted cubic spline model analysis showed that the relationship between shift work years and overweight/obesity in the male steel workers was a nonlinear dose response one (nonlinear test χ 2 =7.43, P shift work years and obesity in the male steel workers was a nonlinear dose response one (nonlinear test χ 2 =10.48, P Shift work was associated with overweight and obesity in the male steel workers, and shift work years and overweight/obesity had a nonlinear relationship.

  3. Profit shifting and 'aggressive' tax planning by multinational firms: Issues and options for reform

    OpenAIRE

    Fuest, Clemens; Spengel, Christoph; Finke, Katharina; Heckemeyer, Jost; Nusser, Hannah

    2013-01-01

    This paper discusses the issue of profit shifting and ‘aggressive’ tax planning by multinational firms. The paper makes two contributions. Firstly, we provide some background information to the debate by giving a brief overview over existing empirical studies on profit shifting and by describing arrangements for IP-based profit shifting which are used by the companies currently accused of avoiding taxes. We then show that preventing this type of tax avoidance is, in principle, straightforward...

  4. A procedure to validate and correct the {sup 13}C chemical shift calibration of RNA datasets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aeschbacher, Thomas; Schubert, Mario, E-mail: schubert@mol.biol.ethz.ch; Allain, Frederic H.-T., E-mail: allain@mol.biol.ethz.ch [ETH Zuerich, Institute for Molecular Biology and Biophysics (Switzerland)

    2012-02-15

    Chemical shifts reflect the structural environment of a certain nucleus and can be used to extract structural and dynamic information. Proper calibration is indispensable to extract such information from chemical shifts. Whereas a variety of procedures exist to verify the chemical shift calibration for proteins, no such procedure is available for RNAs to date. We present here a procedure to analyze and correct the calibration of {sup 13}C NMR data of RNAs. Our procedure uses five {sup 13}C chemical shifts as a reference, each of them found in a narrow shift range in most datasets deposited in the Biological Magnetic Resonance Bank. In 49 datasets we could evaluate the {sup 13}C calibration and detect errors or inconsistencies in RNA {sup 13}C chemical shifts based on these chemical shift reference values. More than half of the datasets (27 out of those 49) were found to be improperly referenced or contained inconsistencies. This large inconsistency rate possibly explains that no clear structure-{sup 13}C chemical shift relationship has emerged for RNA so far. We were able to recalibrate or correct 17 datasets resulting in 39 usable {sup 13}C datasets. 6 new datasets from our lab were used to verify our method increasing the database to 45 usable datasets. We can now search for structure-chemical shift relationships with this improved list of {sup 13}C chemical shift data. This is demonstrated by a clear relationship between ribose {sup 13}C shifts and the sugar pucker, which can be used to predict a C2 Prime - or C3 Prime -endo conformation of the ribose with high accuracy. The improved quality of the chemical shift data allows statistical analysis with the potential to facilitate assignment procedures, and the extraction of restraints for structure calculations of RNA.

  5. Super RLuc8: A novel engineered Renilla luciferase with a red-shifted spectrum and stable light emission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahnama, Somaieh; Saffar, Behnaz; Kahrani, Zahra Fanaei; Nazari, Mahboobeh; Emamzadeh, Rahman

    2017-01-01

    Renilla luciferase is a bioluminescent enzyme which is broadly used as a reporter protein in molecular biosensors. In this study, a novel luciferase with desired light emission wavelength and thermostability is reported. The results indicated that the new luciferase, namely super RLuc8, had a red-shifted spectrum and showed stable light emission. Super RLuc8 showed a 10-fold (p-value=0.0084) increase in the thermostability at 37°C after 20min incubation, in comparison to the native enzyme. The optimum temperature of the mutant increased from 30 to 37°C. Molecular dynamics simulation analysis indicated that the increased thermostability was most probably caused by a better structural compactness and more local rigidity in the regions out of the emitter site. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. How to detect the gravitationally induced phase shift of electromagnetic waves by optical-fiber interferometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, K.

    1983-01-01

    Attention is called to a laboratory experiment of an optical-fiber interferometer which can show the gravitationally induced phase shift of optical waves. A phase shift of approx.10 -6 rad is anticipated for the Earth's gravitational potential difference of 1 m when a He-Ne laser and two multiple-turn optical-fiber loops of length 5 km are used. The phase shift can be varied by rotating the loops about an axis parallel to the Earth's surface. This order of phase shifts can be detected by current optical-fiber interferometric techniques

  7. Operator alertness and performance on 8-hour and 12-hour work shifts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baker, T.L.; Campbell, S.S.; Dawson, D.; Moore-Ede, M.

    1989-01-01

    Recently, much attention has been paid to the alertness and performance problems of rotational shiftworkers in the nuclear power industry. Growing awareness of higher rates of human errors and accidents on night shifts and reports of operations personnel falling asleep on the job have contributed to the heightened interest in this subject. The industry is now considering the effects of different shift rotation systems, including evaluation of the most recent of industry trends in shift scheduling-schedules that include 12 hour work shifts. Surveys show that within the past 5 years about 20% of commercially operational nuclear power plants have instituted schedules that use only 12 hour shifts, or schedules using a combination of 8-hour and 12-hour shifts. Many more plants routinely use 12-hour work shifts during plant outages and refueling operations. In response to this growing trend, the NRC has funded research which is a first attempt to compare alertness, operator performance, and sleep-wake patterns in subjects working simulated 8-hour and 12-hour shifts at the Human Alertness Research Center (HARC), located at the Institute of Circadian Physiology in Boston, MA. This paper will describe in greater detail the design of the study, measurement techniques for alertness and sleep, work routine, work task performance measures, and cognitive performance test protocols. It will review the role of circadian factors in human alertness and performance, and discuss previous research findings in this area. It will discuss other variables that are known to influence human alertness in the workplace, such as caffeine, alcohol, and working environment. The physiological basis for shift worker sleep problems will be explained in the context of the ongoing research project at HARC. Finally, the paper presents previous research on shift work and fatigue which may be relevant to a comparison of 8-hour and 12-hour shifts

  8. Lifetimes in {sup 94}Zr extracted via the doppler-shift attenuation method using pγ coincidences

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prill, Sarah; Derya, Vera; Hennig, Andreas; Pickstone, Simon G.; Spieker, Mark; Vielmetter, Vera; Wilhelmy, Julius; Zilges, Andreas [Institute for Nuclear Physics, University of Cologne (Germany); Petkov, Pavel [Institute for Nuclear Physics, University of Cologne (Germany); INRNE, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia (Bulgaria); National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Bucharest (Romania)

    2016-07-01

    Lifetimes of excited states in {sup 94}Zr were previously measured applying the Doppler-shift attenuation method (DSAM) following the (n,n'γ) reaction.Since the two measurements were in conflict with each other, we remeasured 14 lifetimes of excited states in {sup 94}Zr in a (p,p'γ) experiment utilizing the DSAM technique. Centroid-energy shifts were extracted from proton-gated γ-ray spectra, yielding lifetime values that are independent of feeding contributions. The results were compared to the previously measured lifetimes and found to be in good agreement with the values reported, thus confirming the correction procedure introduced for the (n,n'γ) data. This contribution features our new results and introduces the (p,p'γ) DSAM technique, which is now available in Cologne.

  9. Night Shift Work and Risk of Depression: Meta-analysis of Observational Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Aeyoung; Myung, Seung Kwon; Cho, Jung Jin; Jung, Yu Jin; Yoon, Jong Lull; Kim, Mee Young

    2017-07-01

    This study aimed to assess whether night shift work is associated with the risk of depression by using a meta-analysis of observational studies. We searched PubMed and EMBASE in August, 2016 to locate eligible studies and investigated the association between night shift work and the risk of depression, reporting outcome measures with adjusted odds ratios (ORs) or relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In the meta-analysis of a total of 11 observational studies with 9 cross-sectional study, 1 longitudinal study, and 1 cohort study, night shift work was significantly associated with an increased risk of depression (OR/RR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.24-1.64; I² = 78.0%). Also, subgroup meta-analyses by gender, night shift work duration, type of occupation, continent, and type of publication showed that night shift work was consistently associated with the increased risk of depression. The current meta-analysis suggests that night shift work is associated with the increased risk of depression. However, further large prospective cohort studies are needed to confirm this association. © 2017 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

  10. An analysis of clock-shift experiments: is scatter increased and deflection reduced in clock-shifted homing pigeons?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chappell

    1997-01-01

    Clock-shifting (altering the phase of the internal clock) in homing pigeons leads to a deflection in the vanishing bearing of the clock-shifted group relative to controls. However, two unexplained phenomena are common in clock-shift experiments: the vanishing bearings of the clock-shifted group are often more scattered (with a shorter vector length) than those of the control group, and the deflection of the mean bearing of the clock-shifted group from that of the controls is often smaller than expected theoretically. Here, an analysis of 55 clock-shift experiments performed in four countries over 21 years is reported. The bearings of the clock-shifted groups were significantly more scattered than those of controls and less deflected than expected, but these effects were not significantly different at familiar and unfamiliar sites. The possible causes of the effects are discussed and evaluated with reference to this analysis and other experiments. The most likely causes appear to be conflict between the directions indicated by the sun compass and either unshifted familiar visual landmarks (at familiar sites only) or the unshifted magnetic compass (possible at both familiar and unfamiliar sites).

  11. Examining paid sickness absence by shift workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catano, V M; Bissonnette, A B

    2014-06-01

    Shift workers are at greater risk than day workers with respect to psychological and physical health, yet little research has linked shift work to increased sickness absence. To investigate the relationship between shift work and sickness absence while controlling for organizational and individual characteristics and shift work attributes that have confounded previous research. The study used archive data collected from three national surveys in Canada, each involving over 20000 employees and 6000 private-sector firms in 14 different occupational groups. The employees reported the number of paid sickness absence days in the past 12 months. Data were analysed using both chi-squared statistics and hierarchical regressions. Contrary to previous research, shift workers took less paid sickness absence than day workers. There were no differences in the length of the sickness absence between both groups or in sickness absence taken by female and male workers whether working days or shifts. Only job tenure, the presence of a union in the workplace and working rotating shifts predicted sickness absence in shift workers. The results were consistent across all three samples. In general, shift work does not seem to be linked to increased sickness absence. However, such associations may be true for specific industries. Male and female workers did not differ in the amount of sickness absence taken. Rotating shifts, regardless of industry, predicted sickness absence among shift workers. Consideration should be given to implementing scheduled time off between shift changes. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  12. High-frequency parameters of magnetic films showing magnetization dispersion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sidorenkov, V.V.; Zimin, A.B.; Kornev, Yu.V.

    1988-01-01

    Magnetization dispersion leads to skewed resonance curves shifted towards higher magnetizing fields, together with considerable reduction in the resonant absorption, while the FMR line width is considerably increased. These effects increase considerably with frequency, in contrast to films showing magnetic-anisotropy dispersion, where they decrease. It is concluded that there may be anomalies in the frequency dependence of the resonance parameters for polycrystalline magnetic films

  13. Phase shift and zeros in K/sup +/p

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Urban, M [California Univ., Berkeley (USA). Lawrence Berkeley Lab.

    1975-12-22

    A specific example--K/sup +/p elastic scattering--is used to show some drawbacks of the classical phase shift analysis (PSA). The recently introduced method of zeros is used to obtain new results concerning K/sup +/p elastic and to prove that PSA are not well fit to the study of this interaction.

  14. Isotope shift and configuration interaction in U I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    King, W.H.

    1979-01-01

    Recent calculations by Rajnak and Fred (J. Opt. Soc. Am.; 67:1314 (1977)) show that the transitions studied by Gagne et al (J. Opt. Soc. Am.; 66:1415 (1976)) have upper levels of mixed configurations. The amount of mixing and the probability of mass shifts due to 5f electrons is discussed. (author)

  15. The association between rotating shift work and increased occupational stress in nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Pei-Chen; Chen, Chung-Hey; Pan, Shung-Mei; Chen, Yao-Mei; Pan, Chih-Hong; Hung, Hsin-Chia; Wu, Ming-Tsang

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate whether rotating shift work increases occupational stress in nurses. This study measured shift work scheduling and occupational stress by using the Effort-Reward Imbalance model with self-reported questionnaires in a sample of 654 female nurses. Overcommitment risk was higher in nurses who worked rotating shifts than in those who worked day/non-night shifts (OR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.03-4.66). However, an effort/reward imbalance was not directly associated with work schedules (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 0.87-4.35). Among nurses working rotation rotating shifts, those who had 2 days off after their most recent night shifts showed an alleviated risk of overcommitment (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.32-0.82), but those who had worked for at least one series of 7 consecutive work days per month had an increased risk of effort/reward imbalance (OR, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.69-4.48). Additionally, those who had little or no participation in planning working hours and shift scheduling and worked overtime at least three times per week during the preceding 2 months tended to have high stress. The nurses who worked rotating shifts tended to experience work-related stress, but their stress levels improved if they had at least 2 days off after their most recent night shift and if they were not scheduled to work 7 consecutive days. These empirical data can be used to optimize work schedules for nurses to alleviate work stress.

  16. Analyzing Permutations for AES-like Ciphers: Understanding ShiftRows

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beierle, Christof; Jovanovic, Philipp; Lauridsen, Martin Mehl

    2015-01-01

    Designing block ciphers and hash functions in a manner that resemble the AES in many aspects has been very popular since Rijndael was adopted as the Advanced Encryption Standard. However, in sharp contrast to the MixColumns operation, the security implications of the way the state is permuted...... by the operation resembling ShiftRows has never been studied in depth. Here, we provide the first structured study of the influence of ShiftRows-like operations, or more generally, word-wise permutations, in AES-like ciphers with respect to diffusion properties and resistance towards differential- and linear...... normal form. Using a mixed-integer linear programming approach, we obtain optimal parameters for a wide range of AES-like ciphers, and show improvements on parameters for Rijndael-192, Rijndael-256, PRIMATEs-80 and Prøst-128. As a separate result, we show for specific cases of the state geometry...

  17. Saccade-synchronized rapid attention shifts in macaque visual cortical area MT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Tao; Treue, Stefan; Krishna, B Suresh

    2018-03-06

    While making saccadic eye-movements to scan a visual scene, humans and monkeys are able to keep track of relevant visual stimuli by maintaining spatial attention on them. This ability requires a shift of attentional modulation from the neuronal population representing the relevant stimulus pre-saccadically to the one representing it post-saccadically. For optimal performance, this trans-saccadic attention shift should be rapid and saccade-synchronized. Whether this is so is not known. We trained two rhesus monkeys to make saccades while maintaining covert attention at a fixed spatial location. We show that the trans-saccadic attention shift in cortical visual medial temporal (MT) area is well synchronized to saccades. Attentional modulation crosses over from the pre-saccadic to the post-saccadic neuronal representation by about 50 ms after a saccade. Taking response latency into account, the trans-saccadic attention shift is well timed to maintain spatial attention on relevant stimuli, so that they can be optimally tracked and processed across saccades.

  18. Molecular Electronic Shift Registers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beratan, David N.; Onuchic, Jose N.

    1990-01-01

    Molecular-scale shift registers eventually constructed as parts of high-density integrated memory circuits. In principle, variety of organic molecules makes possible large number of different configurations and modes of operation for such shift-register devices. Several classes of devices and implementations in some specific types of molecules proposed. All based on transfer of electrons or holes along chains of repeating molecular units.

  19. Reversing into Meritocracy: Shifting the Culture of Physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertschinger, Edmund

    Culture is the dark energy of our lives: it is an invisible force that shapes our environment for work and life. Physics culture often includes the assumption that people have equal access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, race, or any other demographic characteristic. Numerous studies show this is false, yet the invisible force of meritocracy shapes many departments, and its passive acceptance can foster inequitable working environments. Department chairs and other leaders play a key role in shifting institutional culture to leverage the power of diversity, improve student and employee success, and enhance the quality of life for everyone. I will describe steps taken at MIT to shift our cultural direction so that we are not driving in reverse on the highway of meritocracy.

  20. Blue-shifted and red-shifted hydrogen bonds: Theoretical study of the CH3CHO· · ·HNO complexes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yong; Zhang, Weijun; Gao, Xiaoming

    The blue-shifted and red-shifted H-bonds have been studied in complexes CH3CHO?HNO. At the MP2/6-31G(d), MP2/6-31+G(d,p) MP2/6-311++G(d,p), B3LYP/6-31G(d), B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) and B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) levels, the geometric structures and vibrational frequencies of complexes CH3CHO?HNO are calculated by both standard and CP-corrected methods, respectively. Complex A exhibits simultaneously red-shifted C bond H?O and blue-shifted N bond H?O H-bonds. Complex B possesses simultaneously two blue-shifted H-bonds: C bond H?O and N bond H?O. From NBO analysis, it becomes evident that the red-shifted C bond H?O H-bond can be explained on the basis of the two opposite effects: hyperconjugation and rehybridization. The blue-shifted C bond H?O H-bond is a result of conjunct C bond H bond strengthening effects of the hyperconjugation and the rehybridization due to existence of the significant electron density redistribution effect. For the blue-shifted N bond H?O H-bonds, the hyperconjugation is inhibited due to existence of the electron density redistribution effect. The large blue shift of the N bond H stretching frequency is observed because the rehybridization dominates the hyperconjugation.