WorldWideScience

Sample records for short development time

  1. Mechanistic models for cancer development after short time radiation exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kottbauer, M. M.

    1997-12-01

    In this work two biological based models were developed. First the single-hit model for solid tumors (SHM-S) and second the single-hit model for leukemia (SHM-L). These models are a further development of the Armitage-Doll model for the special case of a short time radiation exposure. The basis of the models is the multistage process of carcinogeneses. The single-hit models provide simultaneously the age-dependent cancer-rate of spontaneous and radiation induced tumors as well as the dose-effect relationships at any age after exposure. The SHM-S leads to a biological based dose-effect relationship, which is similar to the relative risk model suggested by the ICRP 60. The SHM-S describes the increased mortality rate of the bomb survivors more accurate than the relative risk model. The SHM-L results in an additive dose-effect relationship. It is shown that only small differences in the derivation of the two models lead to the two dose-effect relationships. Beside the radiation exposure the new models consider the decrease of the cancer mortality rate at higher ages (age>75) which can be traced back mainly to three causes: competitive causes of death, reduction of cell proliferation and reduction of risk groups. The single-hit models also consider children cancer, the different rates of incidence and mortality, influence of the immune system and the cell-killing effect. (author)

  2. Potential barrier classification by short-time measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Granot, Er'el; Marchewka, Avi

    2006-01-01

    We investigate the short-time dynamics of a delta-function potential barrier on an initially confined wave packet. There are mainly two conclusions: (A) At short times the probability density of the first particles that passed through the barrier is unaffected by it. (B) When the barrier is absorptive (i.e., its potential is imaginary) it affects the transmitted wave function at shorter times than a real potential barrier. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish between an imaginary and a real potential barrier by measuring its effect at short times only on the transmitting wave function

  3. Potential barrier classification by short-time measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granot, Er'El; Marchewka, Avi

    2006-03-01

    We investigate the short-time dynamics of a delta-function potential barrier on an initially confined wave packet. There are mainly two conclusions: (A) At short times the probability density of the first particles that passed through the barrier is unaffected by it. (B) When the barrier is absorptive (i.e., its potential is imaginary) it affects the transmitted wave function at shorter times than a real potential barrier. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish between an imaginary and a real potential barrier by measuring its effect at short times only on the transmitting wave function.

  4. Real-time mobile customer short message system design and implementation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Qirui; Sun, Fang

    To expand the current mobile phone short message service, and to make the contact between schools, teachers, parents and feedback of the modern school office system more timely and conveniently, designed and developed the Short Message System based on the Linux platform. The state-of-the-art principles and designed proposals in the Short Message System based on the Linux platform are introduced. Finally we propose an optimized secure access authentication method. At present, many schools,vbusinesses and research institutions ratify the promotion and application the messaging system gradually, which has shown benign market prospects.

  5. Development of a system for real-time measurements of metabolite transport in plants using short-lived positron-emitting radiotracers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiser, Matthew R.

    Over the past 200 years, the Earth's atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2) concentration has increased by more than 35%, and climate experts predict that CO2 levels may double by the end of this century. Understanding the mechanisms of resource management in plants is fundamental for predicting how plants will respond to the increase in atmospheric CO 2. Plant productivity sustains life on Earth and is a principal component of the planet's system that regulates atmospheric CO2 concentration. As such, one of the central goals of plant science is to understand the regulatory mechanisms of plant growth in a changing environment. Short-lived positron-emitting radiotracer techniques provide time-dependent data that are critical for developing models of metabolite transport and resource distribution in plants and their microenvironments. To better understand the effects of environmental changes on resource transport and allocation in plants, we have developed a system for real-time measurements of rnetabolite transport in plants using short-lived positron-emitting radio-tracers. This thesis project includes the design, construction, and demonstration of the capabilities of this system for performing real-time measurements of metabolite transport in plants. The short-lived radiotracer system described in this dissertation takes advantage of the combined capabilities and close proximity of two research facilities at. Duke University: the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) and the Duke University Phytotron, which are separated by approximately 100 meters. The short-lived positron-emitting radioisotopes are generated using the 10-MV tandem Van de Graaff accelerator located in the main TUNL building, which provides the capability of producing short-lived positron-emitting isotopes such as carbon-11 (11C: 20 minute half-life), nitrogen-13 (13N; 10 minute half-life), fluorine-18 (18F; 110 minute half-life), and oxygen-15 (15O; 2 minute half-life). The radioisotopes may

  6. Short-time quantum dynamics of sharp boundaries potentials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Granot, Er' el, E-mail: erel@ariel.ac.il; Marchewka, Avi

    2015-02-15

    Despite the high prevalence of singular potential in general, and rectangular potentials in particular, in applied scattering models, to date little is known about their short time effects. The reason is that singular potentials cause a mixture of complicated local as well as non-local effects. The object of this work is to derive a generic method to calculate analytically the short-time impact of any singular potential. In this paper it is shown that the scattering of a smooth wavefunction on a singular potential is totally equivalent, in the short-time regime, to the free propagation of a singular wavefunction. However, the latter problem was totally addressed analytically in Ref. [7]. Therefore, this equivalency can be utilized in solving analytically the short time dynamics of any smooth wavefunction at the presence of a singular potentials. In particular, with this method the short-time dynamics of any problem where a sharp boundaries potential (e.g., a rectangular barrier) is turned on instantaneously can easily be solved analytically.

  7. Short-time quantum dynamics of sharp boundaries potentials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granot, Er'el; Marchewka, Avi

    2015-02-01

    Despite the high prevalence of singular potential in general, and rectangular potentials in particular, in applied scattering models, to date little is known about their short time effects. The reason is that singular potentials cause a mixture of complicated local as well as non-local effects. The object of this work is to derive a generic method to calculate analytically the short-time impact of any singular potential. In this paper it is shown that the scattering of a smooth wavefunction on a singular potential is totally equivalent, in the short-time regime, to the free propagation of a singular wavefunction. However, the latter problem was totally addressed analytically in Ref. [7]. Therefore, this equivalency can be utilized in solving analytically the short time dynamics of any smooth wavefunction at the presence of a singular potentials. In particular, with this method the short-time dynamics of any problem where a sharp boundaries potential (e.g., a rectangular barrier) is turned on instantaneously can easily be solved analytically.

  8. Short-time quantum dynamics of sharp boundaries potentials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Granot, Er'el; Marchewka, Avi

    2015-01-01

    Despite the high prevalence of singular potential in general, and rectangular potentials in particular, in applied scattering models, to date little is known about their short time effects. The reason is that singular potentials cause a mixture of complicated local as well as non-local effects. The object of this work is to derive a generic method to calculate analytically the short-time impact of any singular potential. In this paper it is shown that the scattering of a smooth wavefunction on a singular potential is totally equivalent, in the short-time regime, to the free propagation of a singular wavefunction. However, the latter problem was totally addressed analytically in Ref. [7]. Therefore, this equivalency can be utilized in solving analytically the short time dynamics of any smooth wavefunction at the presence of a singular potentials. In particular, with this method the short-time dynamics of any problem where a sharp boundaries potential (e.g., a rectangular barrier) is turned on instantaneously can easily be solved analytically

  9. Determination of Permissible Short-Time Emergency Overloading of Turbo-Generators and Synchronous Compensators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. A. Anischenko

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper shows that failure to take into account variable ratio of short-time emergency overloading of turbo-generators (synchronous compensators that can lead to underestimation of overloading capacity or impermissible insulation over-heating.A method has been developed for determination of permissible duration of short-time emergency over-loading that takes into account changes of over-loading ratio in case of a failure.

  10. Decision time horizon for music genre classification using short time features

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahrendt, Peter; Meng, Anders; Larsen, Jan

    2004-01-01

    In this paper music genre classification has been explored with special emphasis on the decision time horizon and ranking of tapped-delay-line short-time features. Late information fusion as e.g. majority voting is compared with techniques of early information fusion such as dynamic PCA (DPCA......). The most frequently suggested features in the literature were employed including mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC), linear prediction coefficients (LPC), zero-crossing rate (ZCR), and MPEG-7 features. To rank the importance of the short time features consensus sensitivity analysis is applied...

  11. Short-time perturbation theory and nonrelativistic duality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whitenton, J.B.; Durand, B.; Durand, L.

    1983-01-01

    We give a simple proof of the nonrelativistic duality relation 2 sigma/sub bound/>roughly-equal 2 sigma/sub free/> for appropriate energy averages of the cross sections for e + e - →(qq-bar bound states) and e + e - →(free qq-bar pair), and calculate the corrections to the relation by relating W 2 sigma to the Fourier transform of the Feynman propagation function and developing a short-time perturbation series for that function. We illustrate our results in detail for simple power-law potentials and potentials which involve combinations of powers

  12. Short-time quantum propagator and Bohmian trajectories

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Gosson, Maurice; Hiley, Basil

    2013-12-01

    We begin by giving correct expressions for the short-time action following the work Makri-Miller. We use these estimates to derive an accurate expression modulo Δt2 for the quantum propagator and we show that the quantum potential is negligible modulo Δt2 for a point source, thus justifying an unfortunately largely ignored observation of Holland made twenty years ago. We finally prove that this implies that the quantum motion is classical for very short times.

  13. Short-time quantum propagator and Bohmian trajectories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gosson, Maurice de; Hiley, Basil

    2013-01-01

    We begin by giving correct expressions for the short-time action following the work Makri–Miller. We use these estimates to derive an accurate expression modulo Δt 2 for the quantum propagator and we show that the quantum potential is negligible modulo Δt 2 for a point source, thus justifying an unfortunately largely ignored observation of Holland made twenty years ago. We finally prove that this implies that the quantum motion is classical for very short times.

  14. Development of Speech Fluency over a Short Period of Time: Effects of Pedagogic Intervention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavakoli, Parvaneh; Campbell, Colin; McCormack, Joan

    2016-01-01

    This study investigates the effects of a short-term pedagogic intervention on development of second language (L2) fluency among learners studying English for academic purposes at a UK university. It also examines the interaction between development of fluency and complexity and accuracy. Through a pretest and posttest design, data were collected…

  15. Short-time quantum propagator and Bohmian trajectories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gosson, Maurice de, E-mail: maurice.degosson@gmail.com [Universität Wien, Fakultät für Mathematik, NuHAG, Wien 1090 (Austria); Hiley, Basil [University of London, Birkbeck College, Theoretical Physics Unit, London WC1E 7HX (United Kingdom)

    2013-12-06

    We begin by giving correct expressions for the short-time action following the work Makri–Miller. We use these estimates to derive an accurate expression modulo Δt{sup 2} for the quantum propagator and we show that the quantum potential is negligible modulo Δt{sup 2} for a point source, thus justifying an unfortunately largely ignored observation of Holland made twenty years ago. We finally prove that this implies that the quantum motion is classical for very short times.

  16. Extracting biologically significant patterns from short time series gene expression data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    McGinnis Thomas

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Time series gene expression data analysis is used widely to study the dynamics of various cell processes. Most of the time series data available today consist of few time points only, thus making the application of standard clustering techniques difficult. Results We developed two new algorithms that are capable of extracting biological patterns from short time point series gene expression data. The two algorithms, ASTRO and MiMeSR, are inspired by the rank order preserving framework and the minimum mean squared residue approach, respectively. However, ASTRO and MiMeSR differ from previous approaches in that they take advantage of the relatively few number of time points in order to reduce the problem from NP-hard to linear. Tested on well-defined short time expression data, we found that our approaches are robust to noise, as well as to random patterns, and that they can correctly detect the temporal expression profile of relevant functional categories. Evaluation of our methods was performed using Gene Ontology (GO annotations and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-chip data. Conclusion Our approaches generally outperform both standard clustering algorithms and algorithms designed specifically for clustering of short time series gene expression data. Both algorithms are available at http://www.benoslab.pitt.edu/astro/.

  17. Development of a New Class of Scintillating Fibres with Very Short Decay Time and High Light Yield

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borshchev, O.; Ponomarenko, S.; Surin, N.; Cavalcante, A.B.R.; Gavardi, L.; Gruber, L.; Joram, C.; Shinji, O.

    2017-01-01

    We present first studies of a new class of scintillating fibres which are characterised by very short decay times and high light yield. The fibres are based on a novel type of luminophores admixed to a polystyrene core matrix. These so-called Nanostructured Organosilicon Luminophores (NOL) have high photoluminescense quantum yield and decay times just above 1 ns. A blue and a green emitting prototype fibre with 250 μm diameter were produced and characterised in terms of attenuation length, ionisation light yield, decay time and tolerance to x-ray irradiation. The well-established Kuraray SCSF-78 and SCSF-3HF fibres were taken as references. Even though the two prototype fibres mark just an intermediate step in an ongoing development, their performance is already on a competitive level. In particular, their decay time constants are about a factor of two shorter than the fastest known fibres, which makes them promising candidates for time critical applications.

  18. Ultra-short time sciences. From the atto-second to the peta-watts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2000-01-01

    This book presents the recent advances in the scientific and technical domains linked with ultra-short time physics. It deals first with the conceptual and technological aspects of ultra-intense and ultra-brief lasers. Then, it describes the different domains of research (atoms, molecules and aggregates; gaseous phase dynamics using the pump-probe technique; femto-chemistry in dense phase; condensed matter; plasma physics; consistent control; aerosols; functional femto-biology) and the different domains of application (medical diagnosis; ophthalmology; telecommunications; technological and industrial developments). A last part is devoted to the teaching of ultra-short time sciences. (J.S.)

  19. Modular High Voltage Pulse Converter for Short Rise and Decay Times

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mao, S.

    2018-01-01

    This thesis explores a modular HV pulse converter technology with short rise and decay times. A systematic methodology to derive and classify HV architectures based on a modularization level of power building blocks of the HV pulse converter is developed to summarize existing architectures and

  20. Evaluation of scaling invariance embedded in short time series.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xue Pan

    Full Text Available Scaling invariance of time series has been making great contributions in diverse research fields. But how to evaluate scaling exponent from a real-world series is still an open problem. Finite length of time series may induce unacceptable fluctuation and bias to statistical quantities and consequent invalidation of currently used standard methods. In this paper a new concept called correlation-dependent balanced estimation of diffusion entropy is developed to evaluate scale-invariance in very short time series with length ~10(2. Calculations with specified Hurst exponent values of 0.2,0.3,...,0.9 show that by using the standard central moving average de-trending procedure this method can evaluate the scaling exponents for short time series with ignorable bias (≤0.03 and sharp confidential interval (standard deviation ≤0.05. Considering the stride series from ten volunteers along an approximate oval path of a specified length, we observe that though the averages and deviations of scaling exponents are close, their evolutionary behaviors display rich patterns. It has potential use in analyzing physiological signals, detecting early warning signals, and so on. As an emphasis, the our core contribution is that by means of the proposed method one can estimate precisely shannon entropy from limited records.

  1. Evaluation of scaling invariance embedded in short time series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Xue; Hou, Lei; Stephen, Mutua; Yang, Huijie; Zhu, Chenping

    2014-01-01

    Scaling invariance of time series has been making great contributions in diverse research fields. But how to evaluate scaling exponent from a real-world series is still an open problem. Finite length of time series may induce unacceptable fluctuation and bias to statistical quantities and consequent invalidation of currently used standard methods. In this paper a new concept called correlation-dependent balanced estimation of diffusion entropy is developed to evaluate scale-invariance in very short time series with length ~10(2). Calculations with specified Hurst exponent values of 0.2,0.3,...,0.9 show that by using the standard central moving average de-trending procedure this method can evaluate the scaling exponents for short time series with ignorable bias (≤0.03) and sharp confidential interval (standard deviation ≤0.05). Considering the stride series from ten volunteers along an approximate oval path of a specified length, we observe that though the averages and deviations of scaling exponents are close, their evolutionary behaviors display rich patterns. It has potential use in analyzing physiological signals, detecting early warning signals, and so on. As an emphasis, the our core contribution is that by means of the proposed method one can estimate precisely shannon entropy from limited records.

  2. Improving Music Genre Classification by Short-Time Feature Integration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meng, Anders; Ahrendt, Peter; Larsen, Jan

    2005-01-01

    Many different short-time features, using time windows in the size of 10-30 ms, have been proposed for music segmentation, retrieval and genre classification. However, often the available time frame of the music to make the actual decision or comparison (the decision time horizon) is in the range...... of seconds instead of milliseconds. The problem of making new features on the larger time scale from the short-time features (feature integration) has only received little attention. This paper investigates different methods for feature integration and late information fusion for music genre classification...

  3. Adaptive synchrosqueezing based on a quilted short-time Fourier transform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berrian, Alexander; Saito, Naoki

    2017-08-01

    In recent years, the synchrosqueezing transform (SST) has gained popularity as a method for the analysis of signals that can be broken down into multiple components determined by instantaneous amplitudes and phases. One such version of SST, based on the short-time Fourier transform (STFT), enables the sharpening of instantaneous frequency (IF) information derived from the STFT, as well as the separation of amplitude-phase components corresponding to distinct IF curves. However, this SST is limited by the time-frequency resolution of the underlying window function, and may not resolve signals exhibiting diverse time-frequency behaviors with sufficient accuracy. In this work, we develop a framework for an SST based on a "quilted" short-time Fourier transform (SST-QSTFT), which allows adaptation to signal behavior in separate time-frequency regions through the use of multiple windows. This motivates us to introduce a discrete reassignment frequency formula based on a finite difference of the phase spectrum, ensuring computational accuracy for a wider variety of windows. We develop a theoretical framework for the SST-QSTFT in both the continuous and the discrete settings, and describe an algorithm for the automatic selection of optimal windows depending on the region of interest. Using synthetic data, we demonstrate the superior numerical performance of SST-QSTFT relative to other SST methods in a noisy context. Finally, we apply SST-QSTFT to audio recordings of animal calls to demonstrate the potential of our method for the analysis of real bioacoustic signals.

  4. Determination of rail wear and short-time wear measurements of rails applying radioisotopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grohmann, H.D.

    1981-01-01

    An energetic model has been developed for calculating rail wear. Short-time wear tests on rails after surface activation and following activity measurements showed a good agreement with the calculated values

  5. Short recovery time NMR probe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramia, M.E.; Martin, C.A.; Jeandrevin, S.

    2011-01-01

    A NMR probe for low frequency and short recovery time is presented in this work. The probe contains the tuning circuit, diode expanders and quarter wavelength networks to protect the receiver from both the amplifier noise and the coil ringing following the transmitter power pulse. It also possesses a coil damper which is activated by of non active components. The probe performance shows a recovery time of about of 15μs a sensitive Q factor reduction and an increase of the signal to noise ratio of about 68% during the reception at a work frequency of 2 MHz. (author)

  6. Job quality of short-time workers and perception and support from their managers

    OpenAIRE

    坂爪, 洋美

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the characteristics of job quality that short-time workers occupied and the managers’ perception and support whose member has used short-time working hour system. A total of 559 first-line managers who has a member using short-time working hour system completed a web-based survey assessing job quality of short-time workers , the risk of using short-timeworking hour system, career perspective of short-time workers, and the suppo...

  7. Psychometric properties of the Hebrew short version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orkibi, Hod

    2015-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a short Hebrew version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory that can be easily administered by health professionals in research, therapy, and counseling. First, the empirical links of time perspective (TP) to subjective well-being and health protective and health risk behaviors are reviewed. Then, a brief account of the instrument's previous modifications is provided. Results of confirmatory factor analysis (N = 572) verified the five-factor structure of the short version and yielded acceptable internal consistency reliability for each factor. The correlation coefficients between the five subscales of the short (20 items) and the original (56 items) instruments were all above .79, indicating the suitability of the short version for assessing the five TP factors. Support for the discriminant and concurrent validity was also achieved, largely in agreement with previous findings. Finally, limitations and future directions are addressed, and potential applications in therapy and counseling are offered. © The Author(s) 2014.

  8. Real-time energy resources scheduling considering short-term and very short-term wind forecast

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Silva, Marco; Sousa, Tiago; Morais, Hugo; Vale, Zita [Polytechnic of Porto (Portugal). GECAD - Knowledge Engineering and Decision Support Research Center

    2012-07-01

    This paper proposes an energy resources management methodology based on three distinct time horizons: day-ahead scheduling, hour-ahead scheduling, and real-time scheduling. In each scheduling process the update of generation and consumption operation and of the storage and electric vehicles storage status are used. Besides the new operation conditions, the most accurate forecast values of wind generation and of consumption using results of short-term and very short-term methods are used. A case study considering a distribution network with intensive use of distributed generation and electric vehicles is presented. (orig.)

  9. Short echo time, fast gradient-echo imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haacke, E.M.; Lenz, G.W.

    1987-01-01

    Present fast-gradient-echoes schemes can acquire volume data rapidly and are flexible in T1 or T1/T2 contrast behavior. However, sequences used to date employ echo time (TE) values of about 15 ms +- 5 and, because of in vivo field inhomogeneities (short T2), they suffer badly from signal loss near sinuses and tissue boundaries. The authors implemented sequences with TE = 4-6 ms and found significant improvement in image quality, especially at high fields. Examples with long TEs vs. short TEs are given in the knee, spine, head, and orbits. Further advantages include (1) faster repetition times (15 ms), (2) higher-quality spin-density or T1-weighted images, and (3) reduction of blood motion artifacts

  10. NMR transmit-receive system with short recovery time and effective isolation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jurga, K.; Reynhardt, E. C.; Jurga, S.

    A transmit-receive system with a short recovery time and excellent isolation has been developed. The system operates in conjunction with an ENI Model 3200L broadband amplifier and a spin-lock NMR pulse spectrometer. The system has been tested in the frequency range 5.5 to 52 MHz and seems not to generate any background noise.

  11. Transient nanobubbles in short-time electrolysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Svetovoy, Vitaly; Sanders, Remco G.P.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

    2013-01-01

    Water electrolysis in a microsystem is observed and analyzed on a short-time scale of ∼10 μs. The very unusual properties of the process are stressed. An extremely high current density is observed because the process is not limited by the diffusion of electroactive species. The high current is

  12. Research on resistance characteristics of YBCO tape under short-time DC large current impact

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhifeng; Yang, Jiabin; Qiu, Qingquan; Zhang, Guomin; Lin, Liangzhen

    2017-06-01

    Research of the resistance characteristics of YBCO tape under short-time DC large current impact is the foundation of the developing DC superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) for voltage source converter-based high voltage direct current system (VSC-HVDC), which is one of the valid approaches to solve the problems of renewable energy integration. SFCL can limit DC short-circuit and enhance the interrupting capabilities of DC circuit breakers. In this paper, under short-time DC large current impacts, the resistance features of naked tape of YBCO tape are studied to find the resistance - temperature change rule and the maximum impact current. The influence of insulation for the resistance - temperature characteristics of YBCO tape is studied by comparison tests with naked tape and insulating tape in 77 K. The influence of operating temperature on the tape is also studied under subcooled liquid nitrogen condition. For the current impact security of YBCO tape, the critical current degradation and top temperature are analyzed and worked as judgment standards. The testing results is helpful for in developing SFCL in VSC-HVDC.

  13. Short-Term Change Detection in Wetlands Using Sentinel-1 Time Series

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Muro, Javier; Canty, Morton; Conradsen, Knut

    2016-01-01

    Automated monitoring systems that can capture wetlands’ high spatial and temporal variability are essential for their management. SAR-based change detection approaches offer a great opportunity to enhance our understanding of complex and dynamic ecosystems. We test a recently-developed time serie...... certain landscape changes are detected only by either the Landsat-based or the S1-omnibus method. The S1-omnibus method shows a great potential for an automated monitoring of short time changes and accurate delineation of areas of high variability and of slow and gradual changes....

  14. Temporal Prediction Errors Affect Short-Term Memory Scanning Response Time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Limongi, Roberto; Silva, Angélica M

    2016-11-01

    The Sternberg short-term memory scanning task has been used to unveil cognitive operations involved in time perception. Participants produce time intervals during the task, and the researcher explores how task performance affects interval production - where time estimation error is the dependent variable of interest. The perspective of predictive behavior regards time estimation error as a temporal prediction error (PE), an independent variable that controls cognition, behavior, and learning. Based on this perspective, we investigated whether temporal PEs affect short-term memory scanning. Participants performed temporal predictions while they maintained information in memory. Model inference revealed that PEs affected memory scanning response time independently of the memory-set size effect. We discuss the results within the context of formal and mechanistic models of short-term memory scanning and predictive coding, a Bayes-based theory of brain function. We state the hypothesis that our finding could be associated with weak frontostriatal connections and weak striatal activity.

  15. Short-time, high-dosage penicillin infusion therapy of syphilis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lomholt, Hans; Poulsen, Asmus; Brandrup, Flemming

    2003-01-01

    The optimal dosage and duration of penicillin treatment for the various stages of syphilis are not known. We present data on 20 patients with syphilis (primary, secondary or latent) treated with high-dose, short-time penicillin infusion therapy. Patients were given 10 MIU of penicillin G intraven......The optimal dosage and duration of penicillin treatment for the various stages of syphilis are not known. We present data on 20 patients with syphilis (primary, secondary or latent) treated with high-dose, short-time penicillin infusion therapy. Patients were given 10 MIU of penicillin G...

  16. High-Temperature-Short-Time Annealing Process for High-Performance Large-Area Perovskite Solar Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Minjin; Kim, Gi-Hwan; Oh, Kyoung Suk; Jo, Yimhyun; Yoon, Hyun; Kim, Ka-Hyun; Lee, Heon; Kim, Jin Young; Kim, Dong Suk

    2017-06-27

    Organic-inorganic hybrid metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are attracting tremendous research interest due to their high solar-to-electric power conversion efficiency with a high possibility of cost-effective fabrication and certified power conversion efficiency now exceeding 22%. Although many effective methods for their application have been developed over the past decade, their practical transition to large-size devices has been restricted by difficulties in achieving high performance. Here we report on the development of a simple and cost-effective production method with high-temperature and short-time annealing processing to obtain uniform, smooth, and large-size grain domains of perovskite films over large areas. With high-temperature short-time annealing at 400 °C for 4 s, the perovskite film with an average domain size of 1 μm was obtained, which resulted in fast solvent evaporation. Solar cells fabricated using this processing technique had a maximum power conversion efficiency exceeding 20% over a 0.1 cm 2 active area and 18% over a 1 cm 2 active area. We believe our approach will enable the realization of highly efficient large-area PCSs for practical development with a very simple and short-time procedure. This simple method should lead the field toward the fabrication of uniform large-scale perovskite films, which are necessary for the production of high-efficiency solar cells that may also be applicable to several other material systems for more widespread practical deployment.

  17. Development of a versatile high-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurization device for small-scale processing of cell culture medium formulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Floris, Patrick; Curtin, Sean; Kaisermayer, Christian; Lindeberg, Anna; Bones, Jonathan

    2018-07-01

    The compatibility of CHO cell culture medium formulations with all stages of the bioprocess must be evaluated through small-scale studies prior to scale-up for commercial manufacturing operations. Here, we describe the development of a bespoke small-scale device for assessing the compatibility of culture media with a widely implemented upstream viral clearance strategy, high-temperature short-time (HTST) treatment. The thermal stability of undefined medium formulations supplemented with soy hydrolysates was evaluated upon variations in critical HTST processing parameters, namely, holding times and temperatures. Prolonged holding times of 43 s at temperatures of 110 °C did not adversely impact medium quality while significant degradation was observed upon treatment at elevated temperatures (200 °C) for shorter time periods (11 s). The performance of the device was benchmarked against a commercially available mini-pilot HTST system upon treatment of identical formulations on both platforms. Processed medium samples were analyzed by untargeted LC-MS/MS for compositional profiling followed by chemometric evaluation, which confirmed the observed degradation effects caused by elevated holding temperatures but revealed comparable performance of our developed device with the commercial mini-pilot setup. The developed device can assist medium optimization activities by reducing volume requirements relative to commercially available mini-pilot instrumentation and by facilitating fast throughput evaluation of heat-induced effects on multiple medium lots.

  18. Forecast model of landslides in a short time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez Lopez, Reinaldo

    2006-01-01

    The IDEAM in development of their functions as member of the national technical committee for the prevention and disasters attention (SNPAD) accomplishes the follow-up, monitoring and forecast in real time of the environmental dynamics that in extreme situations constitute threats and natural risks. One of the frequent dynamics and of greater impact is related to landslides, those that affect persistently the life of the persons, the infrastructure, the socioeconomic activities and the balance of the environment. The landslide in Colombia and in the world are caused mainly by effects of the rain, due to that, IDEAM has come developing forecast model, as an instrument for risk management in a short time. This article presents aspects related to their structure, operation, temporary space resolution, products, results, achievements and projections of the model. Conceptually, the model is support by the principle of the dynamic temporary - space, of the processes that consolidate natural hazards, particularly in areas where the man has come building the risk. Structurally, the model is composed by two sub-models; the general susceptibility of the earthly model and the critical rain model as a denotative factor, that consolidate the hazard process. In real time, the model, works as a GIS, permitting the automatic zoning of the landslides hazard for issue public advisory warming to help makers decisions on the risk that cause frequently these events, in the country

  19. Cerebral NMR spectroscopy to study intracellular space in vivo: methodological development for diffusion weighted spectroscopy at short time scale and for pH measurement using 31P detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marchadour, Charlotte

    2013-01-01

    NMR spectroscopy is a unique modality to evaluate intracellular environment in vivo. Indeed observed molecules are specifically intracellular and generally have a biochemistry role and a specific cellular compartmentation. That could be a useful tool to understand cell functioning in their environment. My thesis work consisted in development of new sequence in both diffusion and phosphorus NMR spectroscopy.My first study was to develop a diffusion-weighted spectroscopy at ultra-short diffusion time to look at the anomalous diffusion in the rat brain. ADC evolution as a function of time shows that brain metabolites motion is mainly due to random diffusion and that active transport (if exist) are negligible. Data modeling evidences that diffusion at short diffusion time is sensitive to cytoplasm viscosity and short scale crowding. In collaboration with the pharmaceutical company, this technique was chosen to follow up transgenic mice (rTg4510), model of tau pathology. Preliminary results show significant differences of ADC at an early stage of neuro-degenerescence (3 and 6 months).Phosphorus spectroscopy allows observation of metabolites directly implicated in energetic processes. During this thesis, localization sequences were developed to measure intracellular pH in the primate striatum. These sequences are supposed to be used to evaluate the potential of pH as a bio-marker of neuro-degenerescence in a phenotypic model of the Huntington disease in the non-human primate. (author) [fr

  20. A short history of fractal-Cantorian space-time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marek-Crnjac, L.

    2009-01-01

    The article attempts to give a short historical overview of the discovery of fractal-Cantorian space-time starting from the 17th century up to the present. In the last 25 years a great number of scientists worked on fractal space-time notably Garnet Ord in Canada, Laurent Nottale in France and Mohamed El Naschie in England who gave an exact mathematical procedure for the derivation of the dimensionality and curvature of fractal space-time fuzzy manifold.

  1. Development of verbal short-term memory and working memory in children with epilepsy: Developmental delay and impact of time-related variables. A cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Iterson, Loretta; de Jong, Peter F

    2018-01-01

    While short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) are understood as being crucial for learning, and children with epilepsy often experience learning difficulties, little is known about the age-related development of memory span tasks in children with epilepsy. Short-term memory and WM, operationalized as digit span forwards (DSF) or digit span backwards (DSB), respectively, were studied. Participants were 314 children with epilepsy and 327 typically developing children in ages between 5 and 15years and full scale intelligence quotient (FS-IQ)≥75. Cross-sectional analyses of the data were done with analyses of variance and analyses of covariance ((M)ANCOVAs) and generalized linear analyses. The analyses revealed that STM problems in epilepsy were mediated by age-related gains in WM as well as by differences in IQ. Working memory developed at a quick pace in the younger children, the pace slowed down to some extent in the later primary school years and resumed again later on. Working memory problems prevailed in epilepsy, independent of IQ and development of STM. Timing of the epilepsy in terms of age at onset and duration determined memory development. The youngest children with epilepsy showed age-appropriate development in STM but were the most vulnerable in terms of WM development. Later in the course of the epilepsy, the WM problems of the young children attenuated. In later onset epilepsy, WM problems were smaller but persisted over time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Developing Short Films of Geoscience Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shipman, J. S.; Webley, P. W.; Dehn, J.; Harrild, M.; Kienenberger, D.; Salganek, M.

    2015-12-01

    In today's prevalence of social media and networking, video products are becoming increasingly more useful to communicate research quickly and effectively to a diverse audience, including outreach activities as well as within the research community and to funding agencies. Due to the observational nature of geoscience, researchers often take photos and video footage to document fieldwork or to record laboratory experiments. Here we present how researchers can become more effective storytellers by collaborating with filmmakers to produce short documentary films of their research. We will focus on the use of traditional high-definition (HD) camcorders and HD DSLR cameras to record the scientific story while our research topic focuses on the use of remote sensing techniques, specifically thermal infrared imaging that is often used to analyze time varying natural processes such as volcanic hazards. By capturing the story in the thermal infrared wavelength range, in addition to traditional red-green-blue (RGB) color space, the audience is able to experience the world differently. We will develop a short film specifically designed using thermal infrared cameras that illustrates how visual storytellers can use these new tools to capture unique and important aspects of their research, convey their passion for earth systems science, as well as engage and captive the viewer.

  3. A short-time fading study of Al2O3:C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nascimento, L.F.; Vanhavere, F.; Silva, E.H.; Deene, Y. De

    2015-01-01

    This paper studies the short-time fading from Al 2 O 3 :C by measuring optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signals (Total OSL: T OSL , and Peak OSL: P OSL ) from droplets and Luxel™ pellets. The influence of various bleaching regimes (blue, green and white) and light power is compared. The fading effect is the decay of the OSL signal in the dark at room temperature. Al 2 O 3 :C detectors were submitted to various bleaching regimes, irradiated with a reference dose and read out after different time spans. Investigations were carried out using 2 mm size droplet detectors, made of thin Al 2 O 3 :C powder mixed with a photocured polymer. Tests were compared to Luxel™-type detectors (Landauer Inc.). Short-time post-irradiation fading is present in OSL results (T OSL and P OSL ) droplets for time spans up to 200 s. The effect of short-time fading can be lowered/removed when treating the detectors with high-power and/or long time bleaching regimes; this result was observed in both T OSL and P OSL from droplets and Luxel™. - Highlights: • Droplet composed of thin powder of Al 2 O 3 :C was prepared using a photo-curable polymer. • Powder grain sizes ranged from 5 μm to 35 μm. • Short-time fading was measured for irradiated samples. • Various bleaching regimes and light power was tested. • Droplets were compared to a commercially dosimeter, Luxel™

  4. Design spectra development considering short time histories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weiner, E.O.

    1983-01-01

    Two separate programs, MODQKE and MDOF, were written to provide a capability of obtaining equipment spectra from design spectra. MODQKE generates or modifies acceleration histories to conform with design spectra pertaining to, say, a foundation. MDOF is a simple linear modal superposition program that solves for equipment support histories using the design spectra conforming histories as input. Equipment spectra, then, are obtained from the support histories using MODQKE. MODQKE was written to modify or provide new histories with special attention paid to short seismic records. A technique from the open literature was borrowed to generate an initial history that approximates a given response spectrum. Further refinement is done with smoothing cycles in which several correction signals are added to the history in a way that produces a least squares fit between actual and prescribed spectra. Provision is made for history shaping, a baseline correction, and final scaling. MODQKE performance has been demonstrated with seven examples having zero to ten percent damping ratios, and 2.5 seconds to 20 seconds durations and a variety of target spectra. The examples show the program is inexpensive to use. MDOF is a simple modal superposition program. It has no eigensolver, and the user supplies mode shapes, frequencies, and participation factors as input. Floor spectra can be generated from design spectra by using a history from MODQKE that conforms to the design spectrum as input to MDOF. Floor motions from MDOF can be fed back to MODQKE without modification to obtain the floor spectra. A simple example is given to show how equipment mass effects can be incorporated into the MDOF solution. Any transient solution capability can be used to replace MDOF. For example, a direct transient approach may be desirable if both the equipment and floor structures are to be included in the model with different damping fractions. (orig./HP)

  5. Photoluminescence decay dynamics in γ-Ga2O3 nanocrystals: The role of exclusion distance at short time scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernandes, Brian; Hegde, Manu; Stanish, Paul C.; Mišković, Zoran L.; Radovanovic, Pavle V.

    2017-09-01

    We developed a comprehensive theoretical model describing the photoluminescence decay dynamics at short and long time scales based on the donor-acceptor defect interactions in γ-Ga2O3 nanocrystals, and quantitatively determined the importance of exclusion distance and spatial distribution of defects. We allowed for donors and acceptors to be adjacent to each other or separated by different exclusion distances. The optimal exclusion distance was found to be comparable to the donor Bohr radius and have a strong effect on the photoluminescence decay curve at short times. The importance of the exclusion distance at short time scales was confirmed by Monte Carlo simulations.

  6. Optimum short-time polynomial regression for signal analysis

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    A Sreenivasa Murthy

    the Proceedings of European Signal Processing Conference. (EUSIPCO) 2008. ... In a seminal paper, Savitzky and Golay [4] showed that short-time polynomial modeling is ...... We next consider a linearly frequency-modulated chirp with an exponentially .... 1 http://www.physionet.org/physiotools/matlab/ECGwaveGen/.

  7. Short Sleep Times Predict Obesity in Internal Medicine Clinic Patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buscemi, Dolores; Kumar, Ashwani; Nugent, Rebecca; Nugent, Kenneth

    2007-01-01

    Study Objectives: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between short sleep times and obesity as defined by body mass index (BMI). We wanted to determine whether this association occurs in patients with chronic medical diagnoses since the number of confounding factors is likely higher in patients than the general population. Methods: Two hundred patients attending internal medicine clinics completed a survey regarding sleep habits, lifestyle characteristics, and medical diagnoses. An independent surveyor collected the information on the questionnaires and reviewed the medical records. Height and weight were measured by clinic personnel. Data were analyzed with multivariate logistic regression. Results: Subjects with short sleep times (< 7 hours) had an increased likelihood of obesity as defined by a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 when compared to the reference group of (8, 9] hours (odds ratio 2.93; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–8.09). There was a U-shaped relationship between obesity and sleep time in women but not in men. Young age (18 to 49 years), not smoking, drinking alcohol, hypertension, diabetes, and sleep apnea were also associated with obesity in the overall model. Conclusions: This study demonstrates an association between short sleep times and obesity in undifferentiated patients attending an internal medicine clinic using models adjusting for age, lifestyle characteristics, and some medical diagnoses. The U-shaped relationship in women suggests that sleep patterns may have gender specific associations. These observations provide the background for therapeutic trials in weight loss in patients with established medical problems. Citation: Buscemi D; Kumar A; Nugent R; Nugent K. Short sleep times predict obesity in internal medicine clinic patients. J Clin Sleep Med 2007;3(7):681–688. PMID:18198800

  8. Difference-based clustering of short time-course microarray data with replicates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kim Jihoon

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background There are some limitations associated with conventional clustering methods for short time-course gene expression data. The current algorithms require prior domain knowledge and do not incorporate information from replicates. Moreover, the results are not always easy to interpret biologically. Results We propose a novel algorithm for identifying a subset of genes sharing a significant temporal expression pattern when replicates are used. Our algorithm requires no prior knowledge, instead relying on an observed statistic which is based on the first and second order differences between adjacent time-points. Here, a pattern is predefined as the sequence of symbols indicating direction and the rate of change between time-points, and each gene is assigned to a cluster whose members share a similar pattern. We evaluated the performance of our algorithm to those of K-means, Self-Organizing Map and the Short Time-series Expression Miner methods. Conclusions Assessments using simulated and real data show that our method outperformed aforementioned algorithms. Our approach is an appropriate solution for clustering short time-course microarray data with replicates.

  9. X-ray testing for short-time dynamic applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurfiss, Malte; Moser, Stefan; Popko, Gregor; Nau, Siegfried

    2017-01-01

    For nondestructive testing purposes new challenges are short-time dynamic processes. The application of x-ray flash tubes and modern high-speed cameras allows the observation of the opening of air-bags or the energy absorption of compressed tubes as occurring during a vehicle crash. Special algorithms designed for computerized tomography analyses allow the 3D reconstruction at individual time points of the dynamic process. Possibilities and limitations of the actual techniques are discussed.

  10. Effects of elevated CO[sub 2] on time of flowering in four short-day and four long-day species

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reekie, J.Y.C.; Hicklenton, P.R. (Agriculture Canada Research Station, Kentiville, NS (Canada)); Reekie, E.G. (Acadia Univ., Wolfville, NS (Canada))

    1994-01-01

    A study was undertaken to determine if the effect of elevated CO[sub 2] on flowering phenology is a function of the photoperiodic response of the species involved. Four long-day plants, Achillea millefolium, Callistephus chinensis, Campanula isophylla, and Trachelium caeruleum, and four short-day plants, Dendranthema grandiflora, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, Pharbitis nil, and Xanthium pensylvanicum, were grown under inductive photoperiods (9 h for short day and 17 h for long day) at either 350 or 1000 [mu]l/l CO[sub 2]. Time of visible flower bud formation, flower opening, and final plant biomass were assessed. Elevated CO[sub 2] advanced flower opening in all four long-day species and delayed flowering in all four short-day species. In the long-day species, the effect of CO[sub 2] was primarily on bud initiation; all four species formed buds earlier at high CO[sub 2]. Bud development, the difference in time between flower opening and bud initiation, was advanced in only one long-day species, Callistephus chinensis. Mixed results were obtained for the short-day species. Elevated CO[sub 2] exerted no effects on bud initiation but delayed bud development in Dendranthema and Kalanchoe. In Xanthium, bud initiation rather than bud development was delayed. Data on bud initiation and development were not obtained for Pharbitis. The negative effect of CO[sub 2] upon phenology in the short-day species was not associated with negative effects on growth. Elevated CO[sub 2] increased plant size in both long-day and short-day species. 26 refs., 4 tabs.

  11. Internet-Related Disorders: Development of the Short Compulsive Internet Use Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Besser, Bettina; Rumpf, Hans-Jürgen; Bischof, Anja; Meerkerk, Gert-Jan; Higuchi, Susumu; Bischof, Gallus

    2017-11-01

    The addiction treatment system only reaches a small number of individuals suffering from Internet-related disorders. Therefore, it is important to improve case detection for preventive measures and brief interventions. Existing screening instruments are often time-consuming and rarely validated using clinical criteria. The aim of this study is to develop an optimized short screening for problematic Internet use and Internet addiction (IA). A regression analysis was conducted in random subsamples of a merged sample (N = 3,040; N = 1,209) to examine the item performance of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS). Based on the results, a short version of the CIUS was developed and compared with the original CIUS. A fully structured diagnostic interview, covering the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria for the Internet gaming disorder with a broader focus on all Internet activities, was conducted. A five-item version of the short screening performed best across the samples. Comparing the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic between the Short CIUS and the original test revealed no significant difference (AUC = 0.968; 0.977). A cutoff point of 7 turned out to perform best for case detection and yielded a sensitivity of 0.95 and a specificity of 0.87, Cronbach's alpha was 0.77. The analysis showed that the performance of the Short CIUS is just as good in detecting problematical Internet use and IA as the performance of the original CIUS. The Short CIUS provides an economical and valid instrument for the assessment of problematic Internet use and IA.

  12. Multicultural personality questionnaire : Development of a short form

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Der Zee, Karen; Van Oudenhoven, Jan Pieter; Ponterotto, Joseph G.; Fietzer, Alexander W.

    2013-01-01

    This study reports on the development of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire-Short Form among 511 participants. Using a split-sample scale validation design, Study 1 (N = 260) employed a principal component analysis and rigorous item selection criteria to extract a 40-item short form

  13. What do short-term and long-term relationships look like? Building the relationship coordination and strategic timing (ReCAST) model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eastwick, Paul W; Keneski, Elizabeth; Morgan, Taylor A; McDonald, Meagan A; Huang, Sabrina A

    2018-05-01

    Close relationships research has examined committed couples (e.g., dating relationships, marriages) using intensive methods that plot relationship development over time. But a substantial proportion of people's real-life sexual experiences take place (a) before committed relationships become "official" and (b) in short-term relationships; methods that document the time course of relationships have rarely been applied to these contexts. We adapted a classic relationship trajectory-plotting technique to generate the first empirical comparisons between the features of people's real-life short-term and long-term relationships across their entire timespan. Five studies compared long-term and short-term relationships in terms of the timing of relationship milestones (e.g., flirting, first sexual intercourse) and the occurrence/intensity of important relationship experiences (e.g., romantic interest, strong sexual desire, attachment). As romantic interest was rising and partners were becoming acquainted, long-term and short-term relationships were indistinguishable. Eventually, romantic interest in short-term relationships plateaued and declined while romantic interest in long-term relationships continued to rise, ultimately reaching a higher peak. As relationships progressed, participants evidenced more features characteristic of the attachment-behavioral system (e.g., attachment, caregiving) in long-term than short-term relationships but similar levels of other features (e.g., sexual desire, self-promotion, intrasexual competition). These data inform a new synthesis of close relationships and evolutionary psychological perspectives called the Relationship Coordination and Strategic Timing (ReCAST) model. ReCAST depicts short-term and long-term relationships as partially overlapping trajectories (rather than relationships initiated with distinct strategies) that differ in their progression along a normative relationship development sequence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c

  14. Clinical assessment of early language development: a simplified short form of the Mandarin communicative development inventory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soli, Sigfrid D; Zheng, Yun; Meng, Zhaoli; Li, Gang

    2012-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a practical mean for clinical evaluation of early pediatric language development by establishing developmental trajectories for receptive and expressive vocabulary growth in children between 6 and 32 months of age using a simple, time-efficient assessment tool. Simplified short form versions of the Words and Gestures and Words and Sentences vocabulary inventories in the Mandarin Communicative Development Inventory [1] were developed and used to assess early language development in developmentally normal children from 6 to 32 months of age during routine health checks. Developmental trajectories characterizing the rate of receptive and expressive vocabulary growth between 6 and 32 months of age are reported. These trajectories allow the equivalent age corresponding to a score to be determined after a brief structured interview with the child's parents that can be conducted in a busy clinical setting. The simplified short forms of the Mandarin Communicative Development Inventories can serve as a clinically useful tool to assess early child language development, providing a practical mean of objectively assessing early language development following early interventions to treat young children with hearing impairment as well as speech and language delays. Objective evidence of language development is essential for achievement of effective (re)habilitation outcomes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Mining biological information from 3D short time-series gene expression data: the OPTricluster algorithm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tchagang, Alain B; Phan, Sieu; Famili, Fazel; Shearer, Heather; Fobert, Pierre; Huang, Yi; Zou, Jitao; Huang, Daiqing; Cutler, Adrian; Liu, Ziying; Pan, Youlian

    2012-04-04

    Nowadays, it is possible to collect expression levels of a set of genes from a set of biological samples during a series of time points. Such data have three dimensions: gene-sample-time (GST). Thus they are called 3D microarray gene expression data. To take advantage of the 3D data collected, and to fully understand the biological knowledge hidden in the GST data, novel subspace clustering algorithms have to be developed to effectively address the biological problem in the corresponding space. We developed a subspace clustering algorithm called Order Preserving Triclustering (OPTricluster), for 3D short time-series data mining. OPTricluster is able to identify 3D clusters with coherent evolution from a given 3D dataset using a combinatorial approach on the sample dimension, and the order preserving (OP) concept on the time dimension. The fusion of the two methodologies allows one to study similarities and differences between samples in terms of their temporal expression profile. OPTricluster has been successfully applied to four case studies: immune response in mice infected by malaria (Plasmodium chabaudi), systemic acquired resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana, similarities and differences between inner and outer cotyledon in Brassica napus during seed development, and to Brassica napus whole seed development. These studies showed that OPTricluster is robust to noise and is able to detect the similarities and differences between biological samples. Our analysis showed that OPTricluster generally outperforms other well known clustering algorithms such as the TRICLUSTER, gTRICLUSTER and K-means; it is robust to noise and can effectively mine the biological knowledge hidden in the 3D short time-series gene expression data.

  16. Quality of Standard Reference Materials for Short Time Activation Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ismail, S.S.; Oberleitner, W.

    2003-01-01

    Some environmental reference materials (CFA-1633 b, IAEA-SL-1, SARM-1,BCR-176, Coal-1635, IAEA-SL-3, BCR-146, and SRAM-5) were analysed by short-time activation analysis. The results show that these materials can be classified in three groups, according to their activities after irradiation. The obtained results were compared in order to create a quality index for determination of short-lived nuclides at high count rates. It was found that Cfta is not a suitable standard for determining very short-lived nuclides (half-lives<1 min) because the activity it produces is 15-fold higher than that SL-3. Biological reference materials, such as SRM-1571, SRM-1573, SRM-1575, SRM-1577, IAEA-392, and IAEA-393, were also investigated by a higher counting efficiency system. The quality of this system and its well-type detector for investigating short-lived nuclides was discussed

  17. Development of High Temperature Short Time Vertebrate-Blood Pasteurization Equipment for Tsetse Fly Diets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moravek, I; Lach, J [Department of Manufacturing Systems, Slovak Technical University Namestie Slobody 17 812 31 Bratislava (Slovakia); Takac, P [Institute of Zoology, SAV, Bratislava (Slovakia)

    2012-07-15

    Tsetse flies feed only on vertebrate blood, but the collection and processing of blood is expensive, it must be stored at -20{sup o}C requiring costly storage rooms and reliable electricity, and it must be irradiated to reduce bacterial contamination. This is tolerable for small colonies, but as colony size increases to service large- scale programmes, the supply and processing of blood becomes critical. Blood is normally collected from cattle at slaughter. This process is necessarily not aseptic, and large-scale collection is only possible where the animals are suspended for bleeding. One alternative to blood decontamination is using the High Temperature Short time Pasteurization (HTST) method. The food processing industry uses pasteurization to reduce bacterial load in a wide range of products. Our previous results indicated that for the control of the blood pasteurization process, to reach satisfactory bacteriological purity and at the same time to prevent the blood from coagulating, it is important to study temperature and time and also some other parameters that could predict blood coagulation. Crucial for blood coagulation is to study blood viscosity. Classical heat exchangers are not suitable for blood pasteurization. In such equipment the blood coagulation depends on temperature and time. Besides the relatively low temperatures, blood is coagulating with cumulative time until total shutdown of blood flow. After a series of experiments we found a solution using microwave systems. To verify the microwave heating concept, we built an experimental workstation. First we verified the accuracy of the applicator design from the aspect of output adaptation to the power source. Also we installed measuring equipment. This system complies with the requirements of quick heating with sufficiently high heat accumulation. By utilizing standard components for the base of the microwave generator, it is possible to markedly reduce the final price of the equipment. (author)

  18. Computation of the Short-Time Linear Canonical Transform with Dual Window

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lei Huang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The short-time linear canonical transform (STLCT, which maps the time domain signal into the joint time and frequency domain, has recently attracted some attention in the area of signal processing. However, its applications are still limited due to the fact that selection of coefficients of the short-time linear canonical series (STLCS is not unique, because time and frequency elementary functions (together known as basis function of STLCS do not constitute an orthogonal basis. To solve this problem, this paper investigates a dual window solution. First, the nonorthogonal problem that suffered from original window is fulfilled by orthogonal condition with dual window. Then based on the obtained condition, a dual window computation approach of the GT is extended to the STLCS. In addition, simulations verify the validity of the proposed condition and solutions. Furthermore, some possible applied directions are discussed.

  19. New serial time codes for seismic short period and long period data acquisition systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolvankar, V.G.; Rao, D.S.

    1988-01-01

    This paper discusses a new time code for time indexing multichannel short period (1 to 25 hz) seismic event data recorded on a single track of magnetic tape in digital format and discusses its usefulness in contrast to Vela time code used in continuous analog multichannel data recording system on multitrack instrumentation tape deck. This paper also discusses another time code, used for time indexing of seismic long period (DC to 2.5 seconds) multichannel data recorded on a single track of magnetic tape in digital format. The time code decoding and display system developed to provide quick access to any desired portion of the tape in both data recording and repro duce system is also discussed. (author). 7 figs

  20. Are anomalously short tunnelling times measurable?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delgado, V.; Muga, J.G.

    1996-01-01

    Low and Mende have analyzed the conditions that would make possible an actual measurement of an anomalously short traversal time through a potential barrier concluding that such a measurement cannot be made because it is not possible to describe the tunnelling of a wave packet initially close to the barrier by the open-quote open-quote usual wave packet space time analysis close-quote close-quote. We complement this work in several ways: It is argued that the described failure of the usual formalism occurs under a set of too restrictive conditions, some of them not physically motivated, so it does not necessarily imply the impossibility of such a measurement. However, by retaining only conditions well motivated on physical grounds we have performed a systematic numerical check which shows that the conclusion by Low and Mende is indeed generally valid. It is shown that, as speculated by Low and Mende, the process is dominated by over the barrier transmission. Copyright copyright 1996 Academic Press, Inc

  1. Developing a short version of the Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia using item response theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sekely, Angela; Taylor, Graeme J; Bagby, R Michael

    2018-03-17

    The Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia (TSIA) was developed to provide a structured interview method for assessing alexithymia. One drawback of this instrument is the amount of time it takes to administer and score. The current study used item response theory (IRT) methods to analyze data from a large heterogeneous multi-language sample (N = 842) to investigate whether a subset of items could be selected to create a short version of the instrument. Samejima's (1969) graded response model was used to fit the item responses. Items providing maximum information were retained in the short model, resulting in the elimination of 12-items from the original 24-items. Despite the 50% reduction in the number of items, 65.22% of the information was retained. Further studies are needed to validate the short version. A short version of the TSIA is potentially of practical value to clinicians and researchers with time constraints. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  2. Directional short-time Fourier transform of distributions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katerina Hadzi-Velkova Saneva

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract In this paper we consider the directional short-time Fourier transform (DSTFT that was introduced and investigated in (Giv in J. Math. Anal. Appl. 399:100-107, 2013. We analyze the DSTFT and its transpose on test function spaces S ( R n $\\mathcal {S}(\\mathbb {R}^{n}$ and S ( Y 2 n $\\mathcal {S}(\\mathbb {Y}^{2n}$ , respectively, and prove the continuity theorems on these spaces. Then the obtained results are used to extend the DSTFT to spaces of distributions.

  3. Short-Term Bus Passenger Demand Prediction Based on Time Series Model and Interactive Multiple Model Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rui Xue

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Although bus passenger demand prediction has attracted increased attention during recent years, limited research has been conducted in the context of short-term passenger demand forecasting. This paper proposes an interactive multiple model (IMM filter algorithm-based model to predict short-term passenger demand. After aggregated in 15 min interval, passenger demand data collected from a busy bus route over four months were used to generate time series. Considering that passenger demand exhibits various characteristics in different time scales, three time series were developed, named weekly, daily, and 15 min time series. After the correlation, periodicity, and stationarity analyses, time series models were constructed. Particularly, the heteroscedasticity of time series was explored to achieve better prediction performance. Finally, IMM filter algorithm was applied to combine individual forecasting models with dynamically predicted passenger demand for next interval. Different error indices were adopted for the analyses of individual and hybrid models. The performance comparison indicates that hybrid model forecasts are superior to individual ones in accuracy. Findings of this study are of theoretical and practical significance in bus scheduling.

  4. Response probability and response time: a straight line, the Tagging/Retagging interpretation of short term memory, an operational definition of meaningfulness and short term memory time decay and search time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarnow, Eugen

    2008-12-01

    The functional relationship between correct response probability and response time is investigated in data sets from Rubin, Hinton and Wenzel, J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn 25:1161-1176, 1999 and Anderson, J Exp Psychol [Hum Learn] 7:326-343, 1981. The two measures are linearly related through stimulus presentation lags from 0 to 594 s in the former experiment and for repeated learning of words in the latter. The Tagging/Retagging interpretation of short term memory is introduced to explain this linear relationship. At stimulus presentation the words are tagged. This tagging level drops slowly with time. When a probe word is reintroduced the tagging level has to increase for the word to be properly identified leading to a delay in response time. The tagging time is related to the meaningfulness of the words used-the more meaningful the word the longer the tagging time. After stimulus presentation the tagging level drops in a logarithmic fashion to 50% after 10 s and to 20% after 240 s. The incorrect recall and recognition times saturate in the Rubin et al. data set (they are not linear for large time lags), suggesting a limited time to search the short term memory structure: the search time for recall of unusual words is 1.7 s. For recognition of nonsense words the corresponding time is about 0.4 s, similar to the 0.243 s found in Cavanagh (1972).

  5. PASTEURISASI HIGH TEMPERATURE SHORT TIME (HTST) SUSU TERHADAP Listeria monocytogenes PADA PENYIMPANAN REFRIGERATOR

    OpenAIRE

    SABIL, SYAHRIANA

    2015-01-01

    2015 SYAHRIANA SABIL (I 111 11 273). Pasteurisasi High Temperature Short Time (HTST) Susu terhadap Listeria monocytogenes pada Penyimpanan Refrigerator. Dibimbing oleh RATMAWATI MALAKA dan FARIDA NUR YULIATI. Pasteurisasi High Temperature Short Time (HTST) merupakan proses pemanasan susu di bawah titik didih yang diharapkan dapat membunuh Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) karena bersifat patogen dan mengakibatkan listeriosis yang merupakan penyakit zoonosis. Tu...

  6. Time-dependent Bragg diffraction and short-pulse reflection by one-dimensional photonic crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    André, Jean-Michel; Jonnard, Philippe

    2015-01-01

    The time-dependence of the Bragg diffraction by one-dimensional photonic crystals and its influence on the short pulse reflection are studied in the framework of the coupled-wave theory. The indicial response of the photonic crystal is calculated and it appears that it presents a time-delay effect with a transient time conditioned by the extinction length. A numerical simulation is presented for a Bragg mirror in the x-ray domain and a pulse envelope modelled by a sine-squared shape. The potential consequences of the time-delay effect in time-dependent optics of short-pulses are emphasized. (paper)

  7. Short-rotation coppicing in France. Current state of research and prospects for future development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bonduelle, P. (Association Foret Cellulose, Trelaze (France)); Bouvarel, L. (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Olivet (France). Unite Experimentale Biomasse, Forestiere et Foret Paysanne); Petit, H. (Association pour la Rationalisation et la Mecanisation de l' Exploitation Forestiere, Fontainebleau (France)); Pierson, J. (Cellulose des Ardennes, Montemedy (France)); Savanne, D. (Agence de l' Environnement et de la Maitrise de l' Energie, 75 - Paris (France)); Sourie, J.C. (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Grignon (France). Station d' Economie et de Sociologie Rurales)

    1992-01-01

    This article analyzes the current context and the prospects for crop development as well as offering a number of examples of short rotation coppicing projects. The industrial outlets created through state aid remain the primary driving force behind plantations at this time. (author)

  8. Equivalence between short-time biphasic and incompressible elastic material responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ateshian, Gerard A; Ellis, Benjamin J; Weiss, Jeffrey A

    2007-06-01

    Porous-permeable tissues have often been modeled using porous media theories such as the biphasic theory. This study examines the equivalence of the short-time biphasic and incompressible elastic responses for arbitrary deformations and constitutive relations from first principles. This equivalence is illustrated in problems of unconfined compression of a disk, and of articular contact under finite deformation, using two different constitutive relations for the solid matrix of cartilage, one of which accounts for the large disparity observed between the tensile and compressive moduli in this tissue. Demonstrating this equivalence under general conditions provides a rationale for using available finite element codes for incompressible elastic materials as a practical substitute for biphasic analyses, so long as only the short-time biphasic response is sought. In practice, an incompressible elastic analysis is representative of a biphasic analysis over the short-term response deltatelasticity tensor, and K is the hydraulic permeability tensor of the solid matrix. Certain notes of caution are provided with regard to implementation issues, particularly when finite element formulations of incompressible elasticity employ an uncoupled strain energy function consisting of additive deviatoric and volumetric components.

  9. Flow characteristics of a pilot-scale high temperature, short time pasteurizer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomasula, P M; Kozempel, M F

    2004-09-01

    In this study, we present a method for determining the fastest moving particle (FMP) and residence time distribution (RTD) in a pilot-scale high temperature, short time (HTST) pasteurizer to ensure that laboratory or pilot-scale HTST apparatus meets the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance standards for pasteurization of milk and can be used for obtaining thermal inactivation data. The overall dimensions of the plate in the pasteurizer were 75 x 115 mm, with a thickness of 0.5 mm and effective diameter of 3.0 mm. The pasteurizer was equipped with nominal 21.5- and 52.2-s hold tubes, and flow capacity was variable from 0 to 20 L/h. Tracer studies were used to determine FMP times and RTD data to establish flow characteristics. Using brine milk as tracer, the FMP time for the short holding section was 18.6 s and for the long holding section was 36 s at 72 degrees C, compared with the nominal times of 21.5 and 52.2 s, respectively. The RTD study indicates that the short hold section was 45% back mixed and 55% plug flow for whole milk at 72 degrees C. The long hold section was 91% plug and 9% back mixed for whole milk at 72 degrees C. This study demonstrates that continuous laboratory and pilot-scale pasteurizers may be used to study inactivation of microorganisms only if the flow conditions in the holding tube are established for comparison with commercial HTST systems.

  10. Development of time sensitivity and information processing speed.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sylvie Droit-Volet

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine whether age-related changes in the speed of information processing are the best predictors of the increase in sensitivity to time throughout childhood. Children aged 5 and 8 years old, as well adults, were given two temporal bisection tasks, one with short (0.5/1-s and the other with longer (4/8-s anchor durations. In addition, the participants' scores on different neuropsychological tests assessing both information processing speed and other dimensions of cognitive control (short-term memory, working memory, selective attention were calculated. The results showed that the best predictor of individual variances in sensitivity to time was information processing speed, although working memory also accounted for some of the individual differences in time sensitivity, albeit to a lesser extent. In sum, the faster the information processing speed of the participants, the higher their sensitivity to time was. These results are discussed in the light of the idea that the development of temporal capacities has its roots in the maturation of the dynamic functioning of the brain.

  11. Analysis of Seasonal Signal in GPS Short-Baseline Time Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Kaihua; Jiang, Weiping; Chen, Hua; An, Xiangdong; Zhou, Xiaohui; Yuan, Peng; Chen, Qusen

    2018-04-01

    Proper modeling of seasonal signals and their quantitative analysis are of interest in geoscience applications, which are based on position time series of permanent GPS stations. Seasonal signals in GPS short-baseline (paper, to better understand the seasonal signal in GPS short-baseline time series, we adopted and processed six different short-baselines with data span that varies from 2 to 14 years and baseline length that varies from 6 to 1100 m. To avoid seasonal signals that are overwhelmed by noise, each of the station pairs is chosen with significant differences in their height (> 5 m) or type of the monument. For comparison, we also processed an approximately zero baseline with a distance of pass-filtered (BP) noise is valid for approximately 40% of the baseline components, and another 20% of the components can be best modeled by a combination of the first-order Gauss-Markov (FOGM) process plus white noise (WN). The TEM displacements are then modeled by considering the monument height of the building structure beneath the GPS antenna. The median contributions of TEM to the annual amplitude in the vertical direction are 84% and 46% with and without additional parts of the monument, respectively. Obvious annual signals with amplitude > 0.4 mm in the horizontal direction are observed in five short-baselines, and the amplitudes exceed 1 mm in four of them. These horizontal seasonal signals are likely related to the propagation of daily/sub-daily TEM displacement or other signals related to the site environment. Mismodeling of the tropospheric delay may also introduce spurious seasonal signals with annual amplitudes of 5 and 2 mm, respectively, for two short-baselines with elevation differences greater than 100 m. The results suggest that the monument height of the additional part of a typical GPS station should be considered when estimating the TEM displacement and that the tropospheric delay should be modeled cautiously, especially with station pairs with

  12. A short course in sustainable product development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    McAloone, Tim C.

    2005-01-01

    This short course in sustainable product development models, methods and mindsets is designed to fit into the Unical course on Engineering Design Methods. Three modules (called “seminars”) will guide you through . The demands for sustainable development . Professional methods for analysing and ch...... and changing products’ environmental profiles . A new approach to product service system development, where the physical product becomes an incidental aspect in the final offering to the customer...

  13. Innovation: study of 'ultra-short' time reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2001-01-01

    This short article presents the new Elyse facility of Orsay-Paris 11 university for the study of ultra-short chemical and biochemical phenomena. Elyse uses the 'pump-probe' technique which consists in two perfectly synchronized electron and photon pulses. It comprises a 3 to 9 MeV electron accelerator with a HF gun photo-triggered with a laser. Elyse can initiate reactions using ultra-short electron pulses (radiolysis) or ultra-short photon pulses (photolysis). (J.S.)

  14. Short time propagation of a singular wave function: Some surprising results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchewka, A.; Granot, E.; Schuss, Z.

    2007-08-01

    The Schrödinger evolution of an initially singular wave function was investigated. First it was shown that a wide range of physical problems can be described by initially singular wave function. Then it was demonstrated that outside the support of the initial wave function the time evolution is governed to leading order by the values of the wave function and its derivatives at the singular points. Short-time universality appears where it depends only on a single parameter—the value at the singular point (not even on its derivatives). It was also demonstrated that the short-time evolution in the presence of an absorptive potential is different than in the presence of a nonabsorptive one. Therefore, this dynamics can be harnessed to the determination whether a potential is absorptive or not simply by measuring only the transmitted particles density.

  15. Active mode-locking of mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers with short gain recovery time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yongrui; Belyanin, Alexey

    2015-02-23

    We investigate the dynamics of actively modulated mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) using space- and time-domain simulations of coupled density matrix and Maxwell equations with resonant tunneling current taken into account. We show that it is possible to achieve active mode locking and stable generation of picosecond pulses in high performance QCLs with a vertical laser transition and a short gain recovery time by bias modulation of a short section of a monolithic Fabry-Perot cavity. In fact, active mode locking in QCLs with a short gain recovery time turns out to be more robust to the variation of parameters as compared to previously studied lasers with a long gain recovery time. We investigate the effects of spatial hole burning and phase locking on the laser output.

  16. Corrections for the combined effects of decay and dead time in live-timed counting of short-lived radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fitzgerald, R.

    2016-01-01

    Studies and calibrations of short-lived radionuclides, for example "1"5O, are of particular interest in nuclear medicine. Yet counting experiments on such species are vulnerable to an error due to the combined effect of decay and dead time. Separate decay corrections and dead-time corrections do not account for this issue. Usually counting data are decay-corrected to the start time of the count period, or else instead of correcting the count rate, the mid-time of the measurement is used as the reference time. Correction factors are derived for both those methods, considering both extending and non-extending dead time. Series approximations are derived here and the accuracy of those approximations are discussed. - Highlights: • Derived combined effects of decay and dead time. • Derived for counting systems with extending or non-extending dead times. • Derived series expansions for both midpoint and decay-to-start-time methods. • Useful for counting experiments with short-lived radionuclides. • Examples given for "1"5O, used in PET scanning.

  17. Viruses as groundwater tracers: using ecohydrology to characterize short travel times in aquifers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, Randall J.; Borchardt, Mark A.; Bradbury, Kenneth R.

    2014-01-01

    Viruses are attractive tracers of short (population over time; therefore, the virus snapshot shed in the fecal wastes of an infected population at a specific point in time can serve as a marker for tracking virus and groundwater movement. The virus tracing approach and an example application are described to illustrate their ability to characterize travel times in high-groundwater velocity settings, and provide insight unavailable from standard hydrogeologic approaches. Although characterization of preferential flowpaths does not usually characterize the majority of other travel times occurring in the groundwater system (e.g., center of plume mass; tail of the breakthrough curve), virus approaches can trace very short times of transport, and thus can fill an important gap in our current hydrogeology toolbox.

  18. Time-resolved measurement of the quantum states of photons using two-photon interference with short-time reference pulses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ren Changliang; Hofmann, Holger F.

    2011-01-01

    To fully utilize the energy-time degree of freedom of photons for optical quantum-information processes, it is necessary to control and characterize the temporal quantum states of the photons at extremely short time scales. For measurements of the temporal coherence of the quantum states beyond the time resolution of available detectors, two-photon interference with a photon in a short-time reference pulse may be a viable alternative. In this paper, we derive the temporal measurement operators for the bunching statistics of a single-photon input state with a photon from a weak coherent reference pulse. It is shown that the effects of the pulse shape of the reference pulse can be expressed in terms of a spectral filter selecting the bandwidth within which the measurement can be treated as an ideal projection on eigenstates of time. For full quantum tomography, temporal coherence can be determined by using superpositions of reference pulses at two different times. Moreover, energy-time entanglement can be evaluated based on the two-by-two entanglement observed in the coherences between pairs of detection times.

  19. Application of short-time activation analysis in the sciences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grass, F.

    1991-01-01

    Short-time activation analysis has proved to be a valuable tool in nearly all fields of science. To take full advantage of this technique, it is favorable to use a fast transfer system and a high resolution high rate gamma-spectroscopy system for short lived gamma-emitters and a Cherenkov detector for the determination of hard beta-emitters. It is then possible to utilize sub-minute nuclides Li-8 (740 ms), B-12 (20 ms), F-20 (11.1 s), Y-89m (16 s), and Pb-207m (800 ms) for the determination of these elements. Besides these sub-minute nuclides which constitute the only possibility for neutron activation analysis of these elements there are a number of other elements which form longer lived nuclides on short irradiation. The analysis of the halogenides F, Cl, Br, I in waste water of a sewage incineration plant can be achieved with a single 20 s irradiation and two consecutive measurement of 20 and 600 s using Cl-38m, F-20, Br-79m as well as the longer lived Cl-38, Br-80, I-128

  20. The case of escape probability as linear in short time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchewka, A.; Schuss, Z.

    2018-02-01

    We derive rigorously the short-time escape probability of a quantum particle from its compactly supported initial state, which has a discontinuous derivative at the boundary of the support. We show that this probability is linear in time, which seems to be a new result. The novelty of our calculation is the inclusion of the boundary layer of the propagated wave function formed outside the initial support. This result has applications to the decay law of the particle, to the Zeno behaviour, quantum absorption, time of arrival, quantum measurements, and more.

  1. The effect of short-time active listening training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tatsumi, Asami; Sumiyoshi, Kenichi; Kawaguchi, Hitomi; Sano, Yukiko

    2010-01-01

    We conducted mental health training incorporating active listening for managers at a site of a general chemical company with 1,400 employees. Our purpose was to clarify the effect of active listening training of 2.5h. All subjects were managers. The mental health training was given to 229 managers, 21 times from May 2007 until March 2008. Surveys were conducted from May 2007 to September 2008. The training sessions were conducted in a company meeting room, starting at 2:00 p.m. The importance and significance of listening as a mental health measure and methods of active listening were explained in the training. Afterward, role-playing and follow-up discussions were done twice each. In summaries, participants wrote down what they noticed about listening and gave group presentations. The instructor commented on the presentations, and ended the session by passing out and explaining a paper summarizing what is important in listening. The training was evaluated with a questionnaire distributed at the completion of training, and questionnaires on implementation of what was learned were distributed 1, 3, and 6 mo later. The Active Listening Attitude Scale (ALAS; composed of two scales for method of listening and listening attitude) developed by Mishima et al. was also used before and 1, 3, and 6 mo after the training. In questionnaires distributed on the same day after training, 60% of the 212 respondents said the training time was just right, and 30.1% felt it was too short. The difficulty level of the training was considered appropriate by 77.8%, and 79.7% intended to implement what they had learned. Overall satisfaction was high at 85.9%. In the questionnaire 6 mo after training, 81.4% of the 145 respondents remembered the content of the training and 49.7% said they were practicing what they had learned. They responded that their conversations with subordinates about non-work topics had increased, and communication and support at work had become smoother. ALAS was

  2. Developing Exchange in Short Local Foods Supply Chains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Per Engelseth

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The supply chain management of foods is commonly associated with modernistic large-scale production. This involves long transport distances of foods to reach consumers. In the case of local foods, supply chains are shorter. Based on a case study of five local foods producer's supply of their products to a common retailer, the supply chain of local foods is modelled conceptually and modes of development are pointed out based on contingency theory and supply chain management literature. Findings reveal that since these chains are transparent, reciprocal interdependency is abundant mainly because human perception creates a sufficient understanding of the operations management issues pertinent within this simple inter-organisational structure. Local foods supply chains are similar to service supply chains. This includes that both are short in nature and associated with bi-directional interaction between the customer and supplier. Developing short supply chains in local foods supply is associated with improving the exchange economy found in short supply chains. This also implies that development of local foods supply is associated with two paths which may be complementary. First, the use of improved intensive technology associated with reciprocal interdependency to develop efficiencies in the bi-directional and somewhat complex interaction. Alternatively local foods suppliers may seek to reduce this form of reciprocal interdependency thereby increasing the impact of pooled interdependencies and enabling using mediating technology involving standardising interaction such as through increased standardised products and packaging as well as automation of information connectivity.

  3. Development of a Short Line Railroad Safety Institute : phase I - job analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-04-01

    The Federal Railroad Administrations (FRA) : Office of Research and Development (R&D) is : supporting the American Short Line and : Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) in the : development, implementation, and evaluation of : a proposed Short L...

  4. The short time Fourier transform and local signals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okumura, Shuhei

    In this thesis, I examine the theoretical properties of the short time discrete Fourier transform (STFT). The STFT is obtained by applying the Fourier transform by a fixed-sized, moving window to input series. We move the window by one time point at a time, so we have overlapping windows. I present several theoretical properties of the STFT, applied to various types of complex-valued, univariate time series inputs, and their outputs in closed forms. In particular, just like the discrete Fourier transform, the STFT's modulus time series takes large positive values when the input is a periodic signal. One main point is that a white noise time series input results in the STFT output being a complex-valued stationary time series and we can derive the time and time-frequency dependency structure such as the cross-covariance functions. Our primary focus is the detection of local periodic signals. I present a method to detect local signals by computing the probability that the squared modulus STFT time series has consecutive large values exceeding some threshold after one exceeding observation following one observation less than the threshold. We discuss a method to reduce the computation of such probabilities by the Box-Cox transformation and the delta method, and show that it works well in comparison to the Monte Carlo simulation method.

  5. Short time ahead wind power production forecast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sapronova, Alla; Meissner, Catherine; Mana, Matteo

    2016-01-01

    An accurate prediction of wind power output is crucial for efficient coordination of cooperative energy production from different sources. Long-time ahead prediction (from 6 to 24 hours) of wind power for onshore parks can be achieved by using a coupled model that would bridge the mesoscale weather prediction data and computational fluid dynamics. When a forecast for shorter time horizon (less than one hour ahead) is anticipated, an accuracy of a predictive model that utilizes hourly weather data is decreasing. That is because the higher frequency fluctuations of the wind speed are lost when data is averaged over an hour. Since the wind speed can vary up to 50% in magnitude over a period of 5 minutes, the higher frequency variations of wind speed and direction have to be taken into account for an accurate short-term ahead energy production forecast. In this work a new model for wind power production forecast 5- to 30-minutes ahead is presented. The model is based on machine learning techniques and categorization approach and using the historical park production time series and hourly numerical weather forecast. (paper)

  6. Short time ahead wind power production forecast

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sapronova, Alla; Meissner, Catherine; Mana, Matteo

    2016-09-01

    An accurate prediction of wind power output is crucial for efficient coordination of cooperative energy production from different sources. Long-time ahead prediction (from 6 to 24 hours) of wind power for onshore parks can be achieved by using a coupled model that would bridge the mesoscale weather prediction data and computational fluid dynamics. When a forecast for shorter time horizon (less than one hour ahead) is anticipated, an accuracy of a predictive model that utilizes hourly weather data is decreasing. That is because the higher frequency fluctuations of the wind speed are lost when data is averaged over an hour. Since the wind speed can vary up to 50% in magnitude over a period of 5 minutes, the higher frequency variations of wind speed and direction have to be taken into account for an accurate short-term ahead energy production forecast. In this work a new model for wind power production forecast 5- to 30-minutes ahead is presented. The model is based on machine learning techniques and categorization approach and using the historical park production time series and hourly numerical weather forecast.

  7. A Short Supplement to "A Future of Leadership Development"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Ken

    2010-01-01

    This paper is a short supplement to "A Future of Leadership Development." In this supplement, the author discusses the traits of a good leader. He also describes the factors of a good leadership development program. [For the full report, "A Future of Leadership Development," see ED520171.

  8. Effect of Short-Term Hypergravity Treatment on Mouse 2-Cell Embryo Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ning, Li-Na; Lei, Xiao-Hua; Cao, Yu-Jing; Zhang, Yun-Fang; Cao, Zhong-Hong; Chen, Qi; Duan, En-Kui

    2015-11-01

    Though there are numerous biological experiments, which have been performed in a space environment, to study the physiological effect of space travel on living organisms, while the potential effect of weightlessness or short-term hypergravity on the reproductive system in most species, particularly in mammalian is still controversial and unclear. In our previous study, we investigated the effect of space microgravity on the development of mouse 4-cell embryos by using Chinese SJ-8. .Unexpectedly, we did not get any developed embryo during the space-flight. Considering that the process of space experiment is quite different from most experiments done on earth in several aspects such as, the vibration and short-term hypergravity during the rock launching and landing. Thus we want to know whether the short-term hypergravity produced by the launch process affect the early embryo development in mice, and howthe early embryos respond to the hypergravity. In present study, we are mimicking the short-term hypergravity during launch by using a centrifuge to investigate its influence on the development of early embryo (2-cell) in mice. We also examined the actin filament distribution in 2-cell embryos by immunostaining to test their potential capacity of development under short-term hypergravity exposure. Our results showed that most 2-cell embryos in the hypergravity exposure groups developed into blastocysts with normal morphology after 72h cultured in vitro, and there is no obvious difference in the development rate of blastocyst formation compared to the control. Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences in birth rates after oviduct transfer of 2-cell mouse embryos exposed on short-term hypergravity compared with 1 g condition. In addition, the well-organized actin distribution appeared in 2-cell embryos after exposed on hypergravity and also in the subsequent developmental blastocysts. Taken together, our data shows that short-term exposure in

  9. The role of short-time intensity and envelope power for speech intelligibility and psychoacoustic masking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biberger, Thomas; Ewert, Stephan D

    2017-08-01

    The generalized power spectrum model [GPSM; Biberger and Ewert (2016). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 140, 1023-1038], combining the "classical" concept of the power-spectrum model (PSM) and the envelope power spectrum-model (EPSM), was demonstrated to account for several psychoacoustic and speech intelligibility (SI) experiments. The PSM path of the model uses long-time power signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), while the EPSM path uses short-time envelope power SNRs. A systematic comparison of existing SI models for several spectro-temporal manipulations of speech maskers and gender combinations of target and masker speakers [Schubotz et al. (2016). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 140, 524-540] showed the importance of short-time power features. Conversely, Jørgensen et al. [(2013). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134, 436-446] demonstrated a higher predictive power of short-time envelope power SNRs than power SNRs using reverberation and spectral subtraction. Here the GPSM was extended to utilize short-time power SNRs and was shown to account for all psychoacoustic and SI data of the three mentioned studies. The best processing strategy was to exclusively use either power or envelope-power SNRs, depending on the experimental task. By analyzing both domains, the suggested model might provide a useful tool for clarifying the contribution of amplitude modulation masking and energetic masking.

  10. Short irradiation time characteristics of the inverter type X-ray generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyazaki, Shigeru; Hara, Takamitu; Matutani, Kazuo; Saito, Kazuhiko.

    1994-01-01

    The linearity of the X-ray output is an important factor in radiography. It is a composite of the linearities of the X-ray tube voltage, the X-ray tube current, and the exposure time. This paper focuses on the linearity of exposure time. Non-linearity of the X-ray output for short-time exposure became a problem when the three-phase X-ray generator was introduced. This paper describes the inverter-type X-ray generator, which is expected to become predominant in the future. Previously, we investigated X-ray output linearity during short-time exposure using the technique of dynamic study. In this paper, we describe the application of a digital memory and a personal computer to further investigation. The non-linearity of the X-ray output was caused by irregular waveforms of the X-ray tube voltage found at the rise time and the fall time. When the rise time was about 0.6 ms, the non-linearity was about 2%, which is negligibly small. The non-linearity due to the fall time of the X-ray tube varied greatly according to the X-ray tube current. For the minimum irradiation time of 1 ms, 4% to 27% of the non-linearity was attributable to the fall time. The main cause was the stray capacitance of the X-ray high-voltage cables. When the X-ray tube current exceeded 400 mA, the rise time was almost equal to the fall time, and the problem did not occur. Consequently, the ideal generator should have a fall time which is equal to the rise time of the X-ray tube voltage. Strictly speaking, such a generator should have rectangular waveforms. (author)

  11. 48 CFR 46.309 - Research and development contracts (short form).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Research and development... REGULATION CONTRACT MANAGEMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE Contract Clauses 46.309 Research and development contracts... Development (Short Form), in solicitations and contracts for research and development when the clause...

  12. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF SHORT-TIME FOURIER TRANSFORMS FOR ANALYZING SKIN CONDUCTANCE AND PUPILLOMETRY IN REAL-TIME APPLICATIONS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roger Lew; Brian P. Dyre; Steffen Werner; Jeffrey C. Joe; Brian Wotring; Tuan Tran

    2008-01-01

    The development of real-time predictors of mental workload is critical for the practical application of augmented cognition to human-machine systems. This paper explores a novel method based on a short-time Fourier transform (STFT) for analyzing galvanic skin conductance (SC) and pupillometry time-series data to extract estimates of mental workload with temporal bandwidth high-enough to be useful for augmented cognition applications. We tested the method in the context of a process control task based on the DURESS simulation developed by Vincente and Pawlak (1994; ported to Java by Cosentino, and Ross, 1999). SC, pupil dilation, blink rate, and visual scanning patterns were measured for four participants actively engaged in controlling the simulation. Fault events were introduced that required participants to diagnose errors and make control adjustments to keep the simulator operating within a target range. We were interested in whether the STFT of these measures would produce visible effects of the increase in mental workload and stress associated with these events. Graphical exploratory data analysis of the STFT showed visible increases in the power spectrum across a range of frequencies directly following fault events. We believe this approach shows potential as a relatively unobtrusive, low-cost, high bandwidth measure of mental workload that could be particularly useful for the application of augmented cognition to human-machine systems

  13. EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF SHORT-TIME FOURIER TRANSFORMS FOR ANALYZING SKIN CONDUCTANCE AND PUPILLOMETRY IN REAL-TIME APPLICATIONS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roger Lew; Brian P. Dyre; Steffen Werner; Jeffrey C. Joe; Brian Wotring; Tuan Tran

    2008-09-01

    The development of real-time predictors of mental workload is critical for the practical application of augmented cognition to human-machine systems. This paper explores a novel method based on a short-time Fourier transform (STFT) for analyzing galvanic skin conductance (SC) and pupillometry time-series data to extract estimates of mental workload with temporal bandwidth high-enough to be useful for augmented cognition applications. We tested the method in the context of a process control task based on the DURESS simulation developed by Vincente and Pawlak (1994; ported to Java by Cosentino,& Ross, 1999). SC, pupil dilation, blink rate, and visual scanning patterns were measured for four participants actively engaged in controlling the simulation. Fault events were introduced that required participants to diagnose errors and make control adjustments to keep the simulator operating within a target range. We were interested in whether the STFT of these measures would produce visible effects of the increase in mental workload and stress associated with these events. Graphical exploratory data analysis of the STFT showed visible increases in the power spectrum across a range of frequencies directly following fault events. We believe this approach shows potential as a relatively unobtrusive, low-cost, high bandwidth measure of mental workload that could be particularly useful for the application of augmented cognition to human-machine systems.

  14. Eulerian short-time statistics of turbulent flow at large Reynolds number

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brouwers, J.J.H.

    2004-01-01

    An asymptotic analysis is presented of the short-time behavior of second-order temporal velocity structure functions and Eulerian acceleration correlations in a frame that moves with the local mean velocity of the turbulent flow field. Expressions in closed-form are derived which cover the viscous

  15. Rotor-System Log-Decrement Identification Using Short-Time Fourier-Transform Filter

    OpenAIRE

    Li, Qihang; Wang, Weimin; Chen, Lifang; Sun, Dan

    2015-01-01

    With the increase of the centrifugal compressor capability, such as large scale LNG and CO2 reinjection, the stability margin evaluation is crucial to assure the compressor work in the designed operating conditions in field. Improving the precision of parameter identification of stability is essential and necessary as well. Based on the time-varying characteristics of response vibration during the sine-swept process, a short-time Fourier transform (STFT) filter was introduced to increase the ...

  16. 48 CFR 52.246-9 - Inspection of Research and Development (Short Form).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Clauses 52.246-9 Inspection of Research and Development (Short Form). As prescribed in 46.309, insert the following clause: Inspection of Research and Development (Short Form) (APR 1984) The Government has the... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Inspection of Research and...

  17. Dimension reduction of frequency-based direct Granger causality measures on short time series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siggiridou, Elsa; Kimiskidis, Vasilios K; Kugiumtzis, Dimitris

    2017-09-01

    The mainstream in the estimation of effective brain connectivity relies on Granger causality measures in the frequency domain. If the measure is meant to capture direct causal effects accounting for the presence of other observed variables, as in multi-channel electroencephalograms (EEG), typically the fit of a vector autoregressive (VAR) model on the multivariate time series is required. For short time series of many variables, the estimation of VAR may not be stable requiring dimension reduction resulting in restricted or sparse VAR models. The restricted VAR obtained by the modified backward-in-time selection method (mBTS) is adapted to the generalized partial directed coherence (GPDC), termed restricted GPDC (RGPDC). Dimension reduction on other frequency based measures, such the direct directed transfer function (dDTF), is straightforward. First, a simulation study using linear stochastic multivariate systems is conducted and RGPDC is favorably compared to GPDC on short time series in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Then the two measures are tested for their ability to detect changes in brain connectivity during an epileptiform discharge (ED) from multi-channel scalp EEG. It is shown that RGPDC identifies better than GPDC the connectivity structure of the simulated systems, as well as changes in the brain connectivity, and is less dependent on the free parameter of VAR order. The proposed dimension reduction in frequency measures based on VAR constitutes an appropriate strategy to estimate reliably brain networks within short-time windows. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Quantifying complexity of financial short-term time series by composite multiscale entropy measure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Hongli; Wang, Jun

    2015-05-01

    It is significant to study the complexity of financial time series since the financial market is a complex evolved dynamic system. Multiscale entropy is a prevailing method used to quantify the complexity of a time series. Due to its less reliability of entropy estimation for short-term time series at large time scales, a modification method, the composite multiscale entropy, is applied to the financial market. To qualify its effectiveness, its applications in the synthetic white noise and 1 / f noise with different data lengths are reproduced first in the present paper. Then it is introduced for the first time to make a reliability test with two Chinese stock indices. After conducting on short-time return series, the CMSE method shows the advantages in reducing deviations of entropy estimation and demonstrates more stable and reliable results when compared with the conventional MSE algorithm. Finally, the composite multiscale entropy of six important stock indices from the world financial markets is investigated, and some useful and interesting empirical results are obtained.

  19. Short-term memory loss over time without retroactive stimulus interference.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowan, Nelson; AuBuchon, Angela M

    2008-02-01

    A key question in cognitive psychology is whether information in short-term memory is lost as a function of time. Lewandowsky, Duncan, and Brown (2004) argued against that memory loss because forgetting in serial recall occurred to the same extent across serial positions regardless of the rate of recall. However, we believe Lewandowsky et al. (2004) only prevented one of two types of rehearsal; they did not prevent nonarticulatory rehearsal via attention. To prevent articulatory and nonarticulatory rehearsal without introducing interference, we presented unevenly timed stimuli for serial recall and, on some trials, required that the timing of stimuli be reproduced in the response. In those trials only, evidence of memory loss over time emerged. Further research is needed to identify whether this memory loss is decay or lost distinctiveness.

  20. Quantum Dynamics with Short-Time Trajectories and Minimal Adaptive Basis Sets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saller, Maximilian A C; Habershon, Scott

    2017-07-11

    Methods for solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation via basis set expansion of the wave function can generally be categorized as having either static (time-independent) or dynamic (time-dependent) basis functions. We have recently introduced an alternative simulation approach which represents a middle road between these two extremes, employing dynamic (classical-like) trajectories to create a static basis set of Gaussian wavepackets in regions of phase-space relevant to future propagation of the wave function [J. Chem. Theory Comput., 11, 8 (2015)]. Here, we propose and test a modification of our methodology which aims to reduce the size of basis sets generated in our original scheme. In particular, we employ short-time classical trajectories to continuously generate new basis functions for short-time quantum propagation of the wave function; to avoid the continued growth of the basis set describing the time-dependent wave function, we employ Matching Pursuit to periodically minimize the number of basis functions required to accurately describe the wave function. Overall, this approach generates a basis set which is adapted to evolution of the wave function while also being as small as possible. In applications to challenging benchmark problems, namely a 4-dimensional model of photoexcited pyrazine and three different double-well tunnelling problems, we find that our new scheme enables accurate wave function propagation with basis sets which are around an order-of-magnitude smaller than our original trajectory-guided basis set methodology, highlighting the benefits of adaptive strategies for wave function propagation.

  1. Thermonuclear Bursts with Short Recurrence Times from Neutron Stars Explained by Opacity-driven Convection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Keek, L. [X-ray Astrophysics Laboratory, Astrophysics Science Division, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Heger, A., E-mail: laurens.keek@nasa.gov [Monash Center for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Victoria, 3800 (Australia)

    2017-06-20

    Thermonuclear flashes of hydrogen and helium accreted onto neutron stars produce the frequently observed Type I X-ray bursts. It is the current paradigm that almost all material burns in a burst, after which it takes hours to accumulate fresh fuel for the next burst. In rare cases, however, bursts are observed with recurrence times as short as minutes. We present the first one-dimensional multi-zone simulations that reproduce this phenomenon. Bursts that ignite in a relatively hot neutron star envelope leave a substantial fraction of the fuel unburned at shallow depths. In the wake of the burst, convective mixing events driven by opacity bring this fuel down to the ignition depth on the observed timescale of minutes. There, unburned hydrogen mixes with the metal-rich ashes, igniting to produce a subsequent burst. We find burst pairs and triplets, similar to the observed instances. Our simulations reproduce the observed fraction of bursts with short waiting times of ∼30%, and demonstrate that short recurrence time bursts are typically less bright and of shorter duration.

  2. Short-lived radiopharmaceutical development at E.R. Squibb and Sons, Inc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loberg, M.D.

    1985-01-01

    This paper describes the present status and future plans of E.R. Squibb and Sons, Inc. as they relate to the development of short-lived radiopharmaceuticals. The advantages of short-lived radiopharmaceuticals are summarized as are the problems inherent in their manufacture, quality control, and distribution. The nuclear generator is advocated as the best means of distributing short-lived radiopharmaceuticals. The E.R. Squibb and Sons work with the 82 Sr → 82 Rb generator is summarized

  3. Short-time existence of solutions for mean-field games with congestion

    KAUST Repository

    Gomes, Diogo A.

    2015-11-20

    We consider time-dependent mean-field games with congestion that are given by a Hamilton–Jacobi equation coupled with a Fokker–Planck equation. These models are motivated by crowd dynamics in which agents have difficulty moving in high-density areas. The congestion effects make the Hamilton–Jacobi equation singular. The uniqueness of solutions for this problem is well understood; however, the existence of classical solutions was only known in very special cases, stationary problems with quadratic Hamiltonians and some time-dependent explicit examples. Here, we demonstrate the short-time existence of C∞ solutions for sub-quadratic Hamiltonians.

  4. Time-frequency analysis of fusion plasma signals beyond the short-time Fourier transform paradigm: An overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bizarro, Joao P.S.; Figueiredo, Antonio C.A.

    2008-01-01

    Performing a time-frequency (t-f) analysis on actual magnetic pick-up coil data from the JET tokamak, a comparison is presented between the spectrogram and the Wigner and Choi-Williams distributions. Whereas the former, which stems from the short-time Fourier transform and has been the work-horse for t-f signal processing, implies an unavoidable trade-off between time and frequency resolutions, the latter two belong to a later generation of distributions that yield better, if not optimal joint t-f localization. Topics addressed include signal representation in the t-f plane, frequency identification and evolution, instantaneous-frequency estimation, and amplitude tracking

  5. Social-economic and environmental sustainability of short supply chains: opportunities for development rural territories

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mykola Babych

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The paper substantiates the expediency of developing short supply chains at the local level. The focus of this paper is to determine opportunities for developing rural territories in Ukraine on the basis of the development of short supply chains in terms of ensuring social, economic and environmental sustainability. It is established that such an approach provides stability of development of rural territory, in particular, it promotes: social interaction (trust, justice, solidarity and common values between consumers and producers, community development (just relationships, pride, social cohesion and community affiliation, strengthening local culture and identity, health and well-being of the population (healthy diet; access to healthy food, health improvement, which ensures social sustainability of the system; rural development and economic recovery (increase of workplaces, tourism development, increase of local incomes, development of small and medium-sized farms, achievement of economic benefits to farms (reduction of overheads, fixed margin and premium for quality, increase of competitiveness and economic viability, sustainable use resources, which ensures economic stability of the system; reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions (reducing transport and storage time; using alternative technologies; maximizing manual labor; reducing the use of plastic packaging; reducing food losses; sustainability of agro-systems (promoting agro-biodiversity; using local varieties; highlighting ecological and organic production, which ensures the ecological stability of the system.

  6. Forge: a short pulse x-ray diagnostic development facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stradling, G.L.; Hurry, T.R.; Denbow, E.R.; Selph, M.M.; Ameduri, F.P.

    1985-01-01

    A new short pulse x-ray calibration facility has been brought on line at Los Alamos. This facility is being used for the development, testing and calibration of fast x-ray diagnostic systems. The x-ray source consists of a moderate size, sub-nanosecond laser focused at high intensity on an appropriate target material to generate short pulses of x-ray emission from the resulting plasma. Dynamic performance parameters of fast x-ray diagnostic instruments, such as x-ray streak cameras, can be conveniently measured using this facility

  7. Anesthesia and the role of short-term service delivery in developing countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Froese, Alison

    2007-11-01

    To clarify the ongoing need for involvement of anesthesiologists in short-term surgical projects in developing countries, and provide information to guide the selection of, application for, and preparation for these rewarding experiences. The lack of safe anesthesia services severely limits the performance of needed surgical procedures in developing countries around the world. Even in countries where well-trained anesthesiologists are available in major urban centres, resources are often absent or limited for large numbers of people in rural or remote areas. Anesthesiologists are highly sought members of surgical teams. Internet sites provide extensive project information. Projects occur in Central and South America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. Projects can bring specialized surgical expertise to an otherwise well-serviced urban area, or work in remote areas that have surgical services only when a team comes. Available equipment, drugs, housing, food and transportation vary markedly with project site. Flexibility, adaptability and problem-solving skills are essential. Translators provide language assistance. Anesthesiologists who have experience providing anesthetics in settings with less technological support can assist other anesthesiologists in adapting to less sophisticated settings. Severe shortages of trained health professionals plague developing countries, reflecting complex economic and political problems that will require decades for resolution. Until such time as surgical services are widely available and affordable in remote as well as urban areas of developing countries, anesthesiologists will continue to provide a valuable and personally rewarding contribution through short-term assistance.

  8. Improved Multiscale Entropy Technique with Nearest-Neighbor Moving-Average Kernel for Nonlinear and Nonstationary Short-Time Biomedical Signal Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. P. Arunachalam

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Analysis of biomedical signals can yield invaluable information for prognosis, diagnosis, therapy evaluation, risk assessment, and disease prevention which is often recorded as short time series data that challenges existing complexity classification algorithms such as Shannon entropy (SE and other techniques. The purpose of this study was to improve previously developed multiscale entropy (MSE technique by incorporating nearest-neighbor moving-average kernel, which can be used for analysis of nonlinear and non-stationary short time series physiological data. The approach was tested for robustness with respect to noise analysis using simulated sinusoidal and ECG waveforms. Feasibility of MSE to discriminate between normal sinus rhythm (NSR and atrial fibrillation (AF was tested on a single-lead ECG. In addition, the MSE algorithm was applied to identify pivot points of rotors that were induced in ex vivo isolated rabbit hearts. The improved MSE technique robustly estimated the complexity of the signal compared to that of SE with various noises, discriminated NSR and AF on single-lead ECG, and precisely identified the pivot points of ex vivo rotors by providing better contrast between the rotor core and the peripheral region. The improved MSE technique can provide efficient complexity analysis of variety of nonlinear and nonstationary short-time biomedical signals.

  9. Development and Validation of a Short-Form Safety Net Medical Home Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nocon, Robert S; Gunter, Kathryn E; Gao, Yue; Lee, Sang Mee; Chin, Marshall H

    2017-12-01

    To develop a short-form Safety Net Medical Home Scale (SNMHS) for assessing patient-centered medical home (PCMH) capability in safety net clinics. National surveys of federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). Interviews with FQHC directors. We constructed three short-form SNMHS versions and examined correlations with full SNMHS and related primary care assessments. We tested usability with FQHC directors and reviewed scale development with an advisory group. Federally qualified health center surveys were administered in 2009 and 2013, by mail and online. Usability testing was conducted through telephone interviews with FQHC directors in 2013. Six-, 12-, and 18-question short-form SNMHS versions had Pearson correlations with full scale of 0.84, 0.92, and 0.96, respectively. All versions showed a level of convergent validity with other primary care assessment scales comparable to the full SNMHS. User testers found short forms to be low-burden, though missing some PCMH concepts. Advisory group members expressed caution over missing concepts and appropriate use of short-form self-assessments. Short-form versions of SNMHS showed strong correlations with full scale and may be useful for brief assessment of safety net PCMH capability. Each short-form SNMHS version may be appropriate for different research, quality improvement, and assessment purposes. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

  10. [Clinical characteristics of short tear film breakup time (BUT) -type dry eye].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamamoto, Yuji; Yokoi, Norihiko; Higashihara, Hisayo; Inagaki, Kayoko; Sonomura, Yukiko; Komuro, Aoi; Kinoshita, Shigeru

    2012-12-01

    To evaluate the clinical characteristics and management of short tear film breakup time (BUT) -type dry eye. Clinical background and post-treatment changes of symptoms in 77 patients with short BUT -type dry eye were investigated. Treatment consisted of artificial-tear eye-drop instillation and, if necessary, the addition of a low-density-level steroid, hyaluronic acid, a low-density-level cyclopentolate prepared by ourselves and punctal plugs inserted into the upper and lower lacrimal puncta. There were three times more women than men among the patients, and the peak age of occurrence was in the twenties in the men and in the sixties in the women. Our findings show that visual display terminal (VDT) work, contact lens (CL) wear, and changes in the sex hormones may initiate subjective symptoms. Some patients had simultaneous conjunctivochalasis, allergic conjunctivitis, and meibomian gland dysfunction. Nineteen patients (24.7%) were effectively treated with eye-drop instillation alone. Thirty-seven patients (48.1%) required punctal-plug insertion, which was completely effective in only 8 of them (21.6%). Mainly young men and menopausal women contract short BUT -type dry eye. Changes in sex hormones, VDT work and CL wear may be causal, and the disease cannot be controlled by eyedrop and punctal-plug treatment alone.

  11. EVOLVING TO TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE WITH SHORT DELAY TIMES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Bo; Chen Xuefei; Han Zhanwen; Meng Xiangcun

    2009-01-01

    The single-degenerate model is currently a favorable progenitor model for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). Recent investigations on the white dwarf (WD) + He star channel of the single-degenerate model imply that this channel is noteworthy for producing SNe Ia. In this paper, we studied SN Ia birthrates and delay times of this channel via a detailed binary population synthesis approach. We found that the Galactic SN Ia birthrate from the WD + He star channel is ∼0.3 x 10 -3 yr -1 according to our standard model, and that this channel can explain SNe Ia with short delay times (∼4.5 x 10 7 -1.4 x 10 8 yr). Meanwhile, these WD + He star systems may be related to the young supersoft X-ray sources prior to SN Ia explosions.

  12. The development of a short domain-general measure of working memory capacity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oswald, Frederick L; McAbee, Samuel T; Redick, Thomas S; Hambrick, David Z

    2015-12-01

    Working memory capacity is one of the most frequently measured individual difference constructs in cognitive psychology and related fields. However, implementation of complex span and other working memory measures is generally time-consuming for administrators and examinees alike. Because researchers often must manage the tension between limited testing time and measuring numerous constructs reliably, a short and effective measure of working memory capacity would often be a major practical benefit in future research efforts. The current study developed a shortened computerized domain-general measure of working memory capacity by representatively sampling items from three existing complex working memory span tasks: operation span, reading span, and symmetry span. Using a large archival data set (Study 1, N = 4,845), we developed and applied a principled strategy for developing the reduced measure, based on testing a series of confirmatory factor analysis models. Adequate fit indices from these models lent support to this strategy. The resulting shortened measure was then administered to a second independent sample (Study 2, N = 172), demonstrating that the new measure saves roughly 15 min (30%) of testing time on average, and even up to 25 min depending on the test-taker. On the basis of these initial promising findings, several directions for future research are discussed.

  13. Short-term adaptations as a response to travel time: results of a stated adaptation experimentincreases

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Psarra, I.; Arentze, T.A.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

    2016-01-01

    This study focused on short-term dynamics of activity-travel behavior as a response to travel time increases. It is assumed that short-term changes are triggered by stress, which is defined as the deviation between an individual’s aspirations and his or her daily experiences. When stress exceeds a

  14. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REAL TIME INTEGRATED TRAFFIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (RITIS FOR INDONESIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ofyar Z. TAMIN

    2001-01-01

    One of the most important information is the best routes from each origin zone to each destination zone which have already considered the effect of congestion. This information will be the main data for the development of the Route Guidance System (RGS so that each driver can choose his best route through the road network. The best route information will be changed in a short-time-interval basis depending on the traffic condition. Moreover, this approach can also be extended to provide the short-time-interval environmental information. The system has been tested and validated in Bandung and it showed remarkably good results for Bandung condition.

  15. Short-term wind power forecasting: probabilistic and space-time aspects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tastu, Julija

    work deals with the proposal and evaluation of new mathematical models and forecasting methods for short-term wind power forecasting, accounting for space-time dynamics based on geographically distributed information. Different forms of power predictions are considered, starting from traditional point...... into the corresponding models are analysed. As a final step, emphasis is placed on generating space-time trajectories: this calls for the prediction of joint multivariate predictive densities describing wind power generation at a number of distributed locations and for a number of successive lead times. In addition......Optimal integration of wind energy into power systems calls for high quality wind power predictions. State-of-the-art forecasting systems typically provide forecasts for every location individually, without taking into account information coming from the neighbouring territories. It is however...

  16. Time Perspective and Identity Formation: Short-Term Longitudinal Dynamics in College Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luyckx, Koen; Lens, Willy; Smits, Ilse; Goossens, Luc

    2010-01-01

    Planning for the future and developing a personalized identity are conceived of as important developmental tasks that adolescents and emerging adults are confronted with on the pathway to adulthood. The present study set out to examine whether both tasks develop in tandem by using a short-term longitudinal dataset consisting of 371 college…

  17. Probabilistic eruption forecasting at short and long time scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marzocchi, Warner; Bebbington, Mark S.

    2012-10-01

    Any effective volcanic risk mitigation strategy requires a scientific assessment of the future evolution of a volcanic system and its eruptive behavior. Some consider the onus should be on volcanologists to provide simple but emphatic deterministic forecasts. This traditional way of thinking, however, does not deal with the implications of inherent uncertainties, both aleatoric and epistemic, that are inevitably present in observations, monitoring data, and interpretation of any natural system. In contrast to deterministic predictions, probabilistic eruption forecasting attempts to quantify these inherent uncertainties utilizing all available information to the extent that it can be relied upon and is informative. As with many other natural hazards, probabilistic eruption forecasting is becoming established as the primary scientific basis for planning rational risk mitigation actions: at short-term (hours to weeks or months), it allows decision-makers to prioritize actions in a crisis; and at long-term (years to decades), it is the basic component for land use and emergency planning. Probabilistic eruption forecasting consists of estimating the probability of an eruption event and where it sits in a complex multidimensional time-space-magnitude framework. In this review, we discuss the key developments and features of models that have been used to address the problem.

  18. Development and validation of a short form of the Fugl-Meyer motor scale in patients with stroke.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hsieh, Y.W.; Hsueh, I.P.; Chou, Y.T.; Sheu, C.F.; Hsieh, C.L.; Kwakkel, G.

    2007-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The 50-item Fugl-Meyer motor scale (FM) is commonly used in outcome studies. However, the lengthy administration time of the FM keeps it from being widely accepted for routine clinical use. We aimed to develop a short form of the FM (the S-FM) with sound psychometric

  19. Short-Term Memory Loss Over Time Without Retroactive Stimulus Interference

    OpenAIRE

    Cowan, Nelson; AuBuchon, Angela M.

    2008-01-01

    A key question in cognitive psychology is whether information in short-term memory is lost as a function of time. Lewandowsky, Duncan, and Brown (2004) argued against that memory loss because forgetting in serial recall occurred to the same extent across serial positions regardless of the rate of recall. However, we believe Lewandowsky et al. only prevented one of two types of rehearsal; they did not prevent non-articulatory rehearsal via attention. To prevent articulatory and non-articulator...

  20. X-ray testing for short-time dynamic applications; Roentgenuntersuchungen fuer kurzzeitdynamische Anwendungen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kurfiss, Malte; Moser, Stefan; Popko, Gregor; Nau, Siegfried [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Kurzzeitdynamik, Efringen-Kirchen (Germany). Ernst-Mach-Inst. (EMI)

    2017-08-01

    For nondestructive testing purposes new challenges are short-time dynamic processes. The application of x-ray flash tubes and modern high-speed cameras allows the observation of the opening of air-bags or the energy absorption of compressed tubes as occurring during a vehicle crash. Special algorithms designed for computerized tomography analyses allow the 3D reconstruction at individual time points of the dynamic process. Possibilities and limitations of the actual techniques are discussed.

  1. FREQUENCY COMPONENT EXTRACTION OF HEARTBEAT CUES WITH SHORT TIME FOURIER TRANSFORM (STFT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sumarna Sumarna

    2017-01-01

      Electro-acoustic human heartbeat detector have been made with the main parts : (a stetoscope (piece chest, (b mic condenser, (c transistor amplifier, and (d cues analysis program with MATLAB. The frequency components that contained in heartbeat. cues have also been extracted with Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT from 9 volunteers. The results of the analysis showed that heart rate appeared in every cue frequency spectrum with their harmony. The steps of the research were including detector instrument design, test and instrument repair, cues heartbeat recording with Sound Forge 10 program and stored in wav file ; cues breaking at the start and the end, and extraction/cues analysis using MATLAB. The MATLAB program included filter (bandpass filter with bandwidth between 0.01 – 110 Hz, cues breaking with hamming window and every part was calculated using Fourier Transform (STFT mechanism and the result were shown in frequency spectrum graph.   Keywords: frequency components extraction, heartbeat cues, Short Time Fourier Transform

  2. The loss of short-term visual representations over time: decay or temporal distinctiveness?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mercer, Tom

    2014-12-01

    There has been much recent interest in the loss of visual short-term memories over the passage of time. According to decay theory, visual representations are gradually forgotten as time passes, reflecting a slow and steady distortion of the memory trace. However, this is controversial and decay effects can be explained in other ways. The present experiment aimed to reexamine the maintenance and loss of visual information over the short term. Decay and temporal distinctiveness models were tested using a delayed discrimination task, in which participants compared complex and novel objects over unfilled retention intervals of variable length. Experiment 1 found no significant change in the accuracy of visual memory from 2 to 6 s, but the gap separating trials reliably influenced task performance. Experiment 2 found evidence for information loss at a 10-s retention interval, but temporally separating trials restored the fidelity of visual memory, possibly because temporally isolated representations are distinct from older memory traces. In conclusion, visual representations lose accuracy at some point after 6 s, but only within temporally crowded contexts. These findings highlight the importance of temporal distinctiveness within visual short-term memory. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

  3. Time domain numerical calculations of the short electron bunch wakefields in resistive structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsakanian, Andranik

    2010-10-15

    The acceleration of electron bunches with very small longitudinal and transverse phase space volume is one of the most actual challenges for the future International Linear Collider and high brightness X-Ray Free Electron Lasers. The exact knowledge on the wake fields generated by the ultra-short electron bunches during its interaction with surrounding structures is a very important issue to prevent the beam quality degradation and to optimize the facility performance. The high accuracy time domain numerical calculations play the decisive role in correct evaluation of the wake fields in advanced accelerators. The thesis is devoted to the development of a new longitudinally dispersion-free 3D hybrid numerical scheme in time domain for wake field calculation of ultra short bunches in structures with walls of finite conductivity. The basic approaches used in the thesis to solve the problem are the following. For materials with high but finite conductivity the model of the plane wave reflection from a conducting half-space is used. It is shown that in the conductive half-space the field components perpendicular to the interface can be neglected. The electric tangential component on the surface contributes to the tangential magnetic field in the lossless area just before the boundary layer. For high conducting media, the task is reduced to 1D electromagnetic problem in metal and the so-called 1D conducting line model can be applied instead of a full 3D space description. Further, a TE/TM (''transverse electric - transverse magnetic'') splitting implicit numerical scheme along with 1D conducting line model is applied to develop a new longitudinally dispersion-free hybrid numerical scheme in the time domain. The stability of the new hybrid numerical scheme in vacuum, conductor and bound cell is studied. The convergence of the new scheme is analyzed by comparison with the well-known analytical solutions. The wakefield calculations for a number of

  4. Testing of Commercial Milk Production Technology Using A Combination of High Temperature Short Time and Pulsed Electric Field

    OpenAIRE

    Hadi A; Widjanarko SB; Kusnadi J

    2016-01-01

    The development of milk processing technology has grown excessively, and it contains advantage and disadvantage. This study used mixed between PEF (Pulsed Electric Field) and High Temperature Short Time (HTST) to produce milk processed product which is effective and efficient in killing milk microorganism without changing its color, scent, and nutrient content of processed product, therefore producing commercial sterile milk product in accord with milk Indonesian National Standard (SNI). The ...

  5. Effective description of the short-time dynamics in open quantum systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossi, Matteo A. C.; Foti, Caterina; Cuccoli, Alessandro; Trapani, Jacopo; Verrucchi, Paola; Paris, Matteo G. A.

    2017-09-01

    We address the dynamics of a bosonic system coupled to either a bosonic or a magnetic environment and derive a set of sufficient conditions that allow one to describe the dynamics in terms of the effective interaction with a classical fluctuating field. We find that for short interaction times the dynamics of the open system is described by a Gaussian noise map for several different interaction models and independently on the temperature of the environment. In order to go beyond a qualitative understanding of the origin and physical meaning of the above short-time constraint, we take a general viewpoint and, based on an algebraic approach, suggest that any quantum environment can be described by classical fields whenever global symmetries lead to the definition of environmental operators that remain well defined when increasing the size, i.e., the number of dynamical variables, of the environment. In the case of the bosonic environment this statement is exactly demonstrated via a constructive procedure that explicitly shows why a large number of environmental dynamical variables and, necessarily, global symmetries, entail the set of conditions derived in the first part of the work.

  6. Micro-Doppler Ambiguity Resolution Based on Short-Time Compressed Sensing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing-bo Zhuang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available When using a long range radar (LRR to track a target with micromotion, the micro-Doppler embodied in the radar echoes may suffer from ambiguity problem. In this paper, we propose a novel method based on compressed sensing (CS to solve micro-Doppler ambiguity. According to the RIP requirement, a sparse probing pulse train with its transmitting time random is designed. After matched filtering, the slow-time echo signals of the micromotion target can be viewed as randomly sparse sampling of Doppler spectrum. Select several successive pulses to form a short-time window and the CS sensing matrix can be built according to the time stamps of these pulses. Then performing Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP, the unambiguous micro-Doppler spectrum can be obtained. The proposed algorithm is verified using the echo signals generated according to the theoretical model and the signals with micro-Doppler signature produced using the commercial electromagnetic simulation software FEKO.

  7. A general dead-time correction method based on live-time stamping. Application to the measurement of short-lived radionuclides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chauvenet, B; Bobin, C; Bouchard, J

    2017-12-01

    Dead-time correction formulae are established in the general case of superimposed non-homogeneous Poisson processes. Based on the same principles as conventional live-timed counting, this method exploits the additional information made available using digital signal processing systems, and especially the possibility to store the time stamps of live-time intervals. No approximation needs to be made to obtain those formulae. Estimates of the variances of corrected rates are also presented. This method is applied to the activity measurement of short-lived radionuclides. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Nonlinear response of vessel walls due to short-time thermomechanical loading

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pfeiffer, P.A.; Kulak, R.F.

    1994-01-01

    Maintaining structural integrity of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) during a postulated core melt accident is an important safety consideration in the design of the vessel. This study addresses the failure predictions of the vessel due to thermal and pressure loadings fro the molten core debris depositing on the lower head of the vessel. Different loading combinations were considered based on the dead load, yield stress assumptions, material response and internal pressurization. The analyses considered only short term failure (quasi static) modes, long term failure modes were not considered. Short term failure modes include plastic instabilities of the structure and failure due to exceeding the failure strain. Long term failure odes would be caused by creep rupture that leads to plastic instability of the structure. Due to the sort time durations analyzed, creep was not considered in the analyses presented

  9. Pricing decision model for new and remanufactured short-life cycle products with time-dependent demand

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shu San Gan

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In this study we develop a model that optimizes the price for new and remanufactured short life-cycle products where demands are time-dependent and price sensitive. While there has been very few published works that attempt to model remanufacturing decisions for products with short life cycle, we believe that there are many situations where remanufacturing short life cycle products is rewarding economically as well as environmentally. The system that we model consists of a retailer, a manufacturer, and a collector of used product from the end customers. Two different scenarios are evaluated for the system. The first is the independent situation where each party attempts to maximize his/her own total profit and the second is the joint profit model where we optimize the combined total profit for all three members of the supply chain. Manufacturer acts as the Stackelberg leader in the independently optimized scenario, while in the other the intermediate prices are determined by coordinated pricing policy. The results suggest that (i reducing the price of new products during the decline phase does not give better profit for the whole system, (ii the total profit obtained from optimizing each player is lower than the total profit of the integrated model, and (iii speed of change in demand influences the robustness of the prices as well as the total profit gained.

  10. The patient safety climate in healthcare organizations (PSCHO) survey: Short-form development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benzer, Justin K; Meterko, Mark; Singer, Sara J

    2017-08-01

    Measures of safety climate are increasingly used to guide safety improvement initiatives. However, cost and respondent burden may limit the use of safety climate surveys. The purpose of this study was to develop a 15- to 20-item safety climate survey based on the Patient Safety Climate in Healthcare Organizations survey, a well-validated 38-item measure of safety climate. The Patient Safety Climate in Healthcare Organizations was administered to all senior managers, all physicians, and a 10% random sample of all other hospital personnel in 69 private sector hospitals and 30 Veterans Health Administration hospitals. Both samples were randomly divided into a derivation sample to identify a short-form subset and a confirmation sample to assess the psychometric properties of the proposed short form. The short form consists of 15 items represented 3 overarching domains in the long-form scale-organization, work unit, and interpersonal. The proposed short form efficiently captures 3 important sources of variance in safety climate: organizational, work-unit, and interpersonal. The short-form development process was a practical method that can be applied to other safety climate surveys. This safety climate short form may increase response rates in studies that involve busy clinicians or repeated measures. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  11. Short version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI-short) with and without the Future-Negative scale, verified on nationally representative samples

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Košťál, Jaroslav; Klicperová-Baker, Martina; Lukavská, K.; Lukavský, Jiří

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 25, č. 2 (2016), s. 169-192 ISSN 0961-463X Institutional support: RVO:68081740 Keywords : ZTPI * ZTPI-short * time perspective * temporal orientation * representative sample Subject RIV: AN - Psychology Impact factor: 1.206, year: 2016

  12. A Distributed Web-based Solution for Ionospheric Model Real-time Management, Monitoring, and Short-term Prediction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulchitsky, A.; Maurits, S.; Watkins, B.

    2006-12-01

    provide inputs for the next ionospheic model time step and then stored in a MySQL database as the first part of the time-specific record. The RMM then performs synchronization of the input times with the current model time, prepares a decision on initialization for the next model time step, and monitors its execution. Then, as soon as the model completes computations for the next time step, RMM visualizes the current model output into various short-term (about 1-2 hours) forecasting products and compares prior results with available ionospheric measurements. The RMM places prepared images into the MySQL database, which can be located on a different computer node, and then proceeds to the next time interval continuing the time-loop. The upper-level interface of this real-time system is the a PHP-based Web site (http://www.arsc.edu/SpaceWeather/new). This site provides general information about the Earth polar and adjacent mid-latitude ionosphere, allows for monitoring of the current developments and short-term forecasts, and facilitates access to the comparisons archive stored in the database.

  13. Short-Term International Internship Experiences for Future Teachers and Other Child Development Professionals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Kari Knutson; Gonzalez, Amber M.

    2016-01-01

    This paper examines outcomes associated with participation in short-term, international internship experiences. Results suggest short-term international internship experiences contribute to rich personal and professional development outcomes. Findings highlight participant challenges associated with initial internship experiences, professional…

  14. Short-time beta grain growth kinetics for a conventional titanium alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Semiatin, S.L.; Sukonnik, I.M.

    1996-01-01

    The kinetics of beta grain growth during short-time, supertransus heat treatment of Ti-5Al-4V were determined using a salt-pot technique. The finite-time, subtransus temperature transient during salt-pot heating was quantified through measurements of the heat transfer coefficient characterizing conduction across the salt-titanium interface and a simple heat conduction analysis which incorporated this heat transfer coefficient. Grain size versus time data adjusted to account for the subtransus temperature transient were successfully fit to the parabolic grain growth law d n - d 0 n = kt exp(-Q/RT) using an exponent n equal to 2.0. Comparison of the present results to rapid, continuous heat treatment data in the literature for a similar titanium alloy revealed a number of semi-quantitative similarities

  15. Implementing high-temperature short-time media treatment in commercial-scale cell culture manufacturing processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pohlscheidt, Michael; Charaniya, Salim; Kulenovic, Fikret; Corrales, Mahalia; Shiratori, Masaru; Bourret, Justin; Meier, Steven; Fallon, Eric; Kiss, Robert

    2014-04-01

    The production of therapeutic proteins by mammalian cell culture is complex and sets high requirements for process, facility, and equipment design, as well as rigorous regulatory and quality standards. One particular point of concern and significant risk to supply chain is the susceptibility to contamination such as bacteria, fungi, mycoplasma, and viruses. Several technologies have been developed to create barriers for these agents to enter the process, e.g. filtration, UV inactivation, and temperature inactivation. However, if not implemented during development of the manufacturing process, these types of process changes can have significant impact on process performance if not managed appropriately. This article describes the implementation of the high-temperature short-time (HTST) treatment of cell culture media as an additional safety barrier against adventitious agents during the transfer of a large-scale commercial cell culture manufacturing process. The necessary steps and experiments, as well as subsequent results during qualification runs and routine manufacturing, are shown.

  16. Motor Fault Diagnosis Based on Short-time Fourier Transform and Convolutional Neural Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Li-Hua; Zhao, Xiao-Ping; Wu, Jia-Xin; Xie, Yang-Yang; Zhang, Yong-Hong

    2017-11-01

    With the rapid development of mechanical equipment, the mechanical health monitoring field has entered the era of big data. However, the method of manual feature extraction has the disadvantages of low efficiency and poor accuracy, when handling big data. In this study, the research object was the asynchronous motor in the drivetrain diagnostics simulator system. The vibration signals of different fault motors were collected. The raw signal was pretreated using short time Fourier transform (STFT) to obtain the corresponding time-frequency map. Then, the feature of the time-frequency map was adaptively extracted by using a convolutional neural network (CNN). The effects of the pretreatment method, and the hyper parameters of network diagnostic accuracy, were investigated experimentally. The experimental results showed that the influence of the preprocessing method is small, and that the batch-size is the main factor affecting accuracy and training efficiency. By investigating feature visualization, it was shown that, in the case of big data, the extracted CNN features can represent complex mapping relationships between signal and health status, and can also overcome the prior knowledge and engineering experience requirement for feature extraction, which is used by traditional diagnosis methods. This paper proposes a new method, based on STFT and CNN, which can complete motor fault diagnosis tasks more intelligently and accurately.

  17. Development of a Short Form of the Boston Naming Test for Individuals with Aphasia

    Science.gov (United States)

    del Toro, Christina M.; Bislick, Lauren P.; Comer, Matthew; Velozo, Craig; Romero, Sergio; Rothi, Leslie J. Gonzalez; Kendall, Diane L.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a short form of the Boston Naming Test (BNT; Kaplan, Goodglass, & Weintraub, 2001) for individuals with aphasia and compare it with 2 existing short forms originally analyzed with responses from people with dementia and neurologically healthy adults. Method: Development of the new BNT-Aphasia Short…

  18. Role of short-time acoustic temporal fine structure cues in sentence recognition for normal-hearing listeners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hou, Limin; Xu, Li

    2018-02-01

    Short-time processing was employed to manipulate the amplitude, bandwidth, and temporal fine structure (TFS) in sentences. Fifty-two native-English-speaking, normal-hearing listeners participated in four sentence-recognition experiments. Results showed that recovered envelope (E) played an important role in speech recognition when the bandwidth was > 1 equivalent rectangular bandwidth. Removing TFS drastically reduced sentence recognition. Preserving TFS greatly improved sentence recognition when amplitude information was available at a rate ≥ 10 Hz (i.e., time segment ≤ 100 ms). Therefore, the short-time TFS facilitates speech perception together with the recovered E and works with the coarse amplitude cues to provide useful information for speech recognition.

  19. Short-Term Forecasting of Urban Storm Water Runoff in Real-Time using Extrapolated Radar Rainfall Data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thorndahl, Søren Liedtke; Rasmussen, Michael R.

    2013-01-01

    Model based short-term forecasting of urban storm water runoff can be applied in realtime control of drainage systems in order to optimize system capacity during rain and minimize combined sewer overflows, improve wastewater treatment or activate alarms if local flooding is impending. A novel onl....... The radar rainfall extrapolation (nowcast) limits the lead time of the system to two hours. In this paper, the model set-up is tested on a small urban catchment for a period of 1.5 years. The 50 largest events are presented....... online system, which forecasts flows and water levels in real-time with inputs from extrapolated radar rainfall data, has been developed. The fully distributed urban drainage model includes auto-calibration using online in-sewer measurements which is seen to improve forecast skills significantly...

  20. Measuring media multitasking : Development of a short measure of media multitasking for adolescents

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Baumgartner, Susanne E.; Lemmens, Jeroen S.; Weeda, Wouter D.; Huizinga, Mariette

    2017-01-01

    Although media multitasking is an increasingly occurring form of media use, there are currently no validated, short instruments to measure media multitasking among adolescents. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to develop a short media multitasking measure for adolescents (MMM-S). Two

  1. The effect of long and short time oil shocks on economic growth in Iran

    OpenAIRE

    Sayyed Abdolmajid Jalae; Sanaz Mohammadi

    2012-01-01

    Oil is one of the strategic good so that price fluctuations and shocks of it have major effects on economic growth and recession in depended countries to revenues of it. In this study, it is tried that the effect of oil price shocks investigated in two types (short and long time) on Economic growth in Iran. Its Period is from 1974 to 2006. According it, oil price uncertainty is quantized by GARCH model and is determined the effects of oil price shocks on economic growth in Iran during a short...

  2. Serial-order short-term memory predicts vocabulary development: evidence from a longitudinal study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leclercq, Anne-Lise; Majerus, Steve

    2010-03-01

    Serial-order short-term memory (STM), as opposed to item STM, has been shown to be very consistently associated with lexical learning abilities in cross-sectional study designs. This study investigated longitudinal predictions between serial-order STM and vocabulary development. Tasks maximizing the temporary retention of either serial-order or item information were administered to kindergarten children aged 4 and 5. At age 4, age 5, and from age 4 to age 5, serial-order STM capacities, but not item STM capacities, were specifically associated with vocabulary development. Moreover, the increase of serial-order STM capacity from age 4 to age 5 predicted the increase of vocabulary knowledge over the same time period. These results support a theoretical position that assumes an important role for serial-order STM capacities in vocabulary acquisition.

  3. Short-time maximum entropy method analysis of molecular dynamics simulation: Unimolecular decomposition of formic acid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Osamu; Nomura, Tetsuo; Tabayashi, Kiyohiko; Yamasaki, Katsuyoshi

    2008-07-01

    We performed spectral analysis by using the maximum entropy method instead of the traditional Fourier transform technique to investigate the short-time behavior in molecular systems, such as the energy transfer between vibrational modes and chemical reactions. This procedure was applied to direct ab initio molecular dynamics calculations for the decomposition of formic acid. More reactive trajectories of dehydrolation than those of decarboxylation were obtained for Z-formic acid, which was consistent with the prediction of previous theoretical and experimental studies. Short-time maximum entropy method analyses were performed for typical reactive and non-reactive trajectories. Spectrograms of a reactive trajectory were obtained; these clearly showed the reactant, transient, and product regions, especially for the dehydrolation path.

  4. Clinical observation of one time short-pulse pattern scan laser pan-retinal photocoagulation for proliferative diabetic retinopathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xin Liu

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To investigate the clinical efficacy and benefit of short-pulse pattern scan laser(PASCALphotocoagulation for proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR.METHODS:Twenty-eight PDR patients(42 eyesunderwent short-pulse PASCAL pan-retinal photocoagulation(PRPwere analyzed.The best corrected visual acuity was ≥0.1 in 36 eyes, RESULTS: All the cases had no pain during the short-pulse PASCAL treatment.One year after treatments,the final visual acuity was improved in 6 eyes,kept stable in 28 eyes and decreased in 8 eyes; neovascularization were regressed in 18 eyes(43%, stable in 12 eyes(29%, uncontrolled in 12 eyes(29%. Five eyes(12%received vitrectomy due to vitreous hemorrhage.Compared with before operation, retina thickness in central fovea of macula and visual field had no obvious change after one-time PASCAL PRP(P>0.05. CONCLUSION:The one-time short-pulse PASCAL PRP could stabilize the progress of PDR safely, effectively and simply.

  5. New solutions for the short-time analysis of geothermal vertical boreholes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lamarche, Louis; Beauchamp, Benoit [Ecole de Technologie Supereure, 1100 Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal (Canada)

    2007-04-15

    Many models, either numerical or analytical, have been proposed to analyse the thermal response of vertical heat exchangers that are used in ground coupled heat pump systems (GCHP). In both approaches, most of the models are valid after few hours of operation since they neglect the heat capacity of the borehole. This is valid for design purposes, where the time of interest is in the order of months and years. Recently, the short time response of vertical boreholes became a subject of interest. In this paper, we present a new analytical approach to treat this problem. It solves the exact solution for concentric cylinders and is a good approximation for the familiar U-tube configuration. (author)

  6. Burn-up measurements of LEU fuel for short cooling times

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pereda B, C.; Henriquez A, C.; Klein D, J.; Medel R, J.

    2005-01-01

    The measurements presented in this work were made essentially at in-pool gamma-spectrometric facility, installed inside of the secondary pool of the RECH-1 research reactor, where the measured fuel elements are under 2 meters of water. The main reason for using the in-pool facility was because of its capability to measure the burning of fuel elements without having to wait so long, that is with only 5 cooling days, which are the usual times between reactor operations. Regarding these short cooling times, this work confirms again the possibility of using the 95 Zr as a promising burnup monitor, in spite of the rough approximations used to do it. These results are statistically reasonable within the range calculated using codes. The work corroborates previous results, presented in Santiago de Chile, and it suggests future improvements in that way. (author)

  7. Multi-time-scale heat transfer modeling of turbid tissues exposed to short-pulsed irradiations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Kyunghan; Guo, Zhixiong

    2007-05-01

    A combined hyperbolic radiation and conduction heat transfer model is developed to simulate multi-time-scale heat transfer in turbid tissues exposed to short-pulsed irradiations. An initial temperature response of a tissue to an ultrashort pulse irradiation is analyzed by the volume-average method in combination with the transient discrete ordinates method for modeling the ultrafast radiation heat transfer. This response is found to reach pseudo steady state within 1 ns for the considered tissues. The single pulse result is then utilized to obtain the temperature response to pulse train irradiation at the microsecond/millisecond time scales. After that, the temperature field is predicted by the hyperbolic heat conduction model which is solved by the MacCormack's scheme with error terms correction. Finally, the hyperbolic conduction is compared with the traditional parabolic heat diffusion model. It is found that the maximum local temperatures are larger in the hyperbolic prediction than the parabolic prediction. In the modeled dermis tissue, a 7% non-dimensional temperature increase is found. After about 10 thermal relaxation times, thermal waves fade away and the predictions between the hyperbolic and parabolic models are consistent.

  8. A characterization of persistence at short times in the WFC3/IR detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gennaro, M.; Bajaj, V.; Long, K.

    2018-05-01

    Persistence in the WFC3/IR detector appears to decay as a power law as a function of time elapsed since the end of a stimulus. In this report we study departures from the power law at times shorter than a few hundreds seconds after the stimulus. In order to have better short-time cadence, we use the Multiaccum (.ima) files, which trace the accumulated charge in the pixels as function of time, rather than the final pipeline products (.flt files), which instead report the electron rate estimated via a linear fit to the accumulated charge vs. time relation. We note that at short times after the stimulus, the absolute change in persistence is the strongest, thus a linear fit to the accumulated signal (the .flt values) can be a poor representation of the strongly varying persistence signal. The already observed power-law decay of the persistence signal, still holds at shorter times, with typical values of the power law index, gamma in [-0.8,-1] for stimuli that saturate the WFC3 pixels. To a good degree of approximation, a single power law is a good fit to the persistence signal decay from 100 to 5000 seconds. We also detect a tapering-off in the power-law decay at increasingly shorter times. This change in behavior is of the order of Delta Gamma 0.02 - 0.05 when comparing power-law fits performed to the persistence signal from 0 up to 250 seconds and from 0 up to 4000 seconds after the stimulus, indicating that persistence decays slightly more rapidly as time progresses. Our results may suggest that for even shorter times, not probed by our study, the WFC3 persistence signal might deviate from a single power-law model.

  9. Singular trajectories: space-time domain topology of developing speckle fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasil'ev, Vasiliy; Soskin, Marat S.

    2010-02-01

    It is shown the space-time dynamics of optical singularities is fully described by singularities trajectories in space-time domain, or evolution of transverse coordinates(x, y) in some fixed plane z0. The dynamics of generic developing speckle fields was realized experimentally by laser induced scattering in LiNbO3:Fe photorefractive crystal. The space-time trajectories of singularities can be divided topologically on two classes with essentially different scenario and duration. Some of them (direct topological reactions) consist from nucleation of singularities pair at some (x, y, z0, t) point, their movement and annihilation. They possess form of closed loops with relatively short time of existence. Another much more probable class of trajectories are chain topological reactions. Each of them consists from sequence of links, i.e. of singularities nucleation in various points (xi yi, ti) and following annihilation of both singularities in other space-time points with alien singularities of opposite topological indices. Their topology and properties are established. Chain topological reactions can stop on the borders of a developing speckle field or go to infinity. Examples of measured both types of topological reactions for optical vortices (polarization C points) in scalar (elliptically polarized) natural developing speckle fields are presented.

  10. Generic short-time propagation of sharp-boundaries wave packets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granot, E.; Marchewka, A.

    2005-11-01

    A general solution to the "shutter" problem is presented. The propagation of an arbitrary initially bounded wave function is investigated, and the general solution for any such function is formulated. It is shown that the exact solution can be written as an expression that depends only on the values of the function (and its derivatives) at the boundaries. In particular, it is shown that at short times (t << 2mx2/hbar, where x is the distance to the boundaries) the wave function propagation depends only on the wave function's values (or its derivatives) at the boundaries of the region. Finally, we generalize these findings to a non-singular wave function (i.e., for wave packets with finite-width boundaries) and suggest an experimental verification.

  11. Efficient Computation of Multiscale Entropy over Short Biomedical Time Series Based on Linear State-Space Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luca Faes

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The most common approach to assess the dynamical complexity of a time series across multiple temporal scales makes use of the multiscale entropy (MSE and refined MSE (RMSE measures. In spite of their popularity, MSE and RMSE lack an analytical framework allowing their calculation for known dynamic processes and cannot be reliably computed over short time series. To overcome these limitations, we propose a method to assess RMSE for autoregressive (AR stochastic processes. The method makes use of linear state-space (SS models to provide the multiscale parametric representation of an AR process observed at different time scales and exploits the SS parameters to quantify analytically the complexity of the process. The resulting linear MSE (LMSE measure is first tested in simulations, both theoretically to relate the multiscale complexity of AR processes to their dynamical properties and over short process realizations to assess its computational reliability in comparison with RMSE. Then, it is applied to the time series of heart period, arterial pressure, and respiration measured for healthy subjects monitored in resting conditions and during physiological stress. This application to short-term cardiovascular variability documents that LMSE can describe better than RMSE the activity of physiological mechanisms producing biological oscillations at different temporal scales.

  12. Utility of newly developed short-type double-balloon endoscopy for endoscopic retrograde cholangiography in postoperative patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimatani, Masaaki; Tokuhara, Mitsuo; Kato, Kota; Miyamoto, Sachi; Masuda, Masataka; Sakao, Masayuki; Fukata, Norimasa; Miyoshi, Hideaki; Ikeura, Tsukasa; Takaoka, Makoto; Okazaki, Kazuichi

    2017-07-01

    The utility of conventional short-type double-balloon endoscopy (DBE) for pancreatobiliary disease in patients with postoperative anatomy had been widely acknowledged and accepted. However, some technical difficulties yet remained. In an attempt to solve these problems, the new short-type DBE (N-short DBE) was uniquely designed for therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) in postoperative patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of N-short DBE for ERC in postoperative patients. From August 2015 to April 2016, ERC using N-short DBE (DB-ERC) was performed in 100 postoperative patients (112 procedures). We retrospectively studied the success rate of reaching the blind end, the median time to reach the blind end, the diagnostic success rate, the therapeutic success rate, the median time to complete ERC-related interventions, the overall success rate, the median time to complete DB-ERC, and adverse events. The success rate of reaching the blind end was 99.1%. The median time to reach the blind end was 10 min (interquartile range [IQR], 6-19 min). The diagnostic success rate was 98.2%. The therapeutic success rate was 100%. The median time to complete ERC-related interventions was 36 min (IQR, 22-62 min). The overall DB-ERC success rate was 97.3%. The median time to complete DB-ERC was 54 min (IQR, 37-73 min). The occurrence of adverse events was 2.7%. The N-short DBE for ERC in postoperative patients is useful and safe. DB-ERC is promising therapeutic modality in such patients and should be selected as the first-line policy. © 2016 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  13. Identification of the structure parameters using short-time non-stationary stochastic excitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarczewska, Kamila; Koszela, Piotr; Śniady, PaweŁ; Korzec, Aleksandra

    2011-07-01

    In this paper, we propose an approach to the flexural stiffness or eigenvalue frequency identification of a linear structure using a non-stationary stochastic excitation process. The idea of the proposed approach lies within time domain input-output methods. The proposed method is based on transforming the dynamical problem into a static one by integrating the input and the output signals. The output signal is the structure reaction, i.e. structure displacements due to the short-time, irregular load of random type. The systems with single and multiple degrees of freedom, as well as continuous systems are considered.

  14. Automated Detection of Short Optical Transients of Astrophysical Origin in Real Time

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcin Sokołowski

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The detection of short optical transients of astrophysical origin in real time is an important task for existing robotic telescopes. The faster a new optical transient is detected, the earlier follow-up observations can be started. The sooner the object is identified, the more data can be collected before the source fades away, particularly in the most interesting early period of the transient. In this the real-time pipeline designed for identification of optical flashes with the “Pi of the Sky” project will be presented in detail together with solutions used by other experiments.

  15. Investigation of the motion of diesel injection jets using high-speed cinematography and short time holography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eisfeld, F.

    1987-01-01

    The knowledge about the penetration of diesel injection jets, particularly about the flow within the short behind the nozzle, and the arising of droplets from an injection jet is very limited. Experimental investigations are required to describe the process of penetration and spreading of the jet. The research method requires high speed cinematography and short time holography. Problems in the investigation method are described

  16. Measurement of short bunches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, D.X.

    1996-01-01

    In recent years, there has been increasing interest in short electron bunches for different applications such as short wavelength FELs, linear colliders, and advanced accelerators such as laser or plasma wakefield accelerators. One would like to meet various requirements such as high peak current, low momentum spread, high luminosity, small ratio of bunch length to plasma wavelength, and accurate timing. Meanwhile, recent development and advances in RF photoinjectors and various bunching schemes make it possible to generate very short electron bunches. Measuring the longitudinal profile and monitoring bunch length are critical to understand the bunching process and longitudinal beam dynamics, and to commission and operate such short bunch machines. In this paper, several commonly used measurement techniques for subpicosecond bunches and their relative advantages and disadvantages are discussed. As examples, bunch length related measurements at Jefferson Lab are presented. At Jefferson Lab, bunch lengths as short as 84 fs have been systematically measured using a zero-phasing technique. A highly sensitive Coherent Synchrotron Radiation (CSR) detector has been developed to noninvasively monitor bunch length for low charge bunches. Phase transfer function measurements provide a means of correcting RF phase drifts and reproducing RF phases to within a couple of tenths of a degree. The measurement results are in excellent agreement with simulations. A comprehensive bunch length control scheme is presented. (author)

  17. Measurement of short bunches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, D.X.

    1996-01-01

    In recent years, there has been increasing interest in short electron bunches for different applications such as short wavelength FELs, linear colliders, and advanced accelerators such as laser or plasma wakefield accelerators. One would like to meet various requirements such as high peak current, low momentum spread, high luminosity, small ratio of bunch length to plasma wavelength, and accurate timing. Meanwhile, recent development and advances in RF photoinjectors and various bunching schemes make it possible to generate very short electron bunches. Measuring the longitudinal profile and monitoring bunch length are critical to understand the bunching process and longitudinal beam dynamics, and to commission and operate such short bunch machines. In this paper, several commonly used measurement techniques for subpicosecond bunches and their relative advantages and disadvantages are discussed. As examples, bunch length related measurements at Jefferson lab are presented. At Jefferson Lab, bunch lengths s short as 84 fs have been systematically measured using a zero-phasing technique. A highly sensitive Coherent Synchrotron Radiation (CSR) detector has been developed to noninvasively monitor bunch length for low charge bunches. Phase transfer function measurements provide a means of correcting RF phase drifts and reproducing RF phases to within a couple of tenths of a degree. The measurement results are in excellent agreement with simulations. A comprehensive bunch length control scheme is presented

  18. Development of a Short Form of the Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory: the FFNI-SF.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sherman, Emily D; Miller, Joshua D; Few, Lauren R; Campbell, W Keith; Widiger, Thomas A; Crego, Cristina; Lynam, Donald R

    2015-09-01

    The Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory (FFNI; Glover, Miller, Lynam, Crego, & Widiger, 2012) is a 148-item self-report inventory of 15 traits designed to assess the basic elements of narcissism from the perspective of a 5-factor model. The FFNI assesses both vulnerable (i.e., cynicism/distrust, need for admiration, reactive anger, and shame) and grandiose (i.e., acclaim seeking, arrogance, authoritativeness, entitlement, exhibitionism, exploitativeness, grandiose fantasies, indifference, lack of empathy, manipulativeness, and thrill seeking) variants of narcissism. The present study reports the development of a short-form version of the FFNI in 4 diverse samples (i.e., 2 undergraduate samples, a sample recruited from MTurk, and a clinical community sample) using item response theory. The validity of the resultant 60-item short form was compared against the validity of the full scale in the 4 samples at both the subscale level and the level of the grandiose and vulnerable composites. Results indicated that the 15 subscales remain relatively reliable, possess a factor structure identical to the structure of the long-form scales, and manifest correlational profiles highly similar to those of the long-form scales in relation to a variety of criterion measures, including basic personality dimensions, other measures of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, and indicators of externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. Grandiose and vulnerable composites also behave almost identically across the short- and long-form versions. It is concluded that the FFNI-Short Form (FFNI-SF) offers a well-articulated assessment of the basic traits comprising grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, particularly when assessment time is limited. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

  19. Developing brief fatigue short forms calibrated to a common mathematical metric: is content-balancing important?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karon F Cook

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Karon F Cook1, Seung W Choi2, Kurt L Johnson1, Dagmar Amtmann11Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA; 2Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USAAbstract: There are clinical and research settings in which concerns about respondent burden make the use of longer self-report measures impractical. Though computer adaptive testing provides an efficient strategy for measuring patient reported outcomes, the requirement of a computer interface makes it impractical for some settings. This study evaluated how well brief short forms, constructed from a longer measure of patient reported fatigue, reproduced scores on the full measure. When the items of an item bank are calibrated using an item response theory model, it is assumed that the items are fungible units. Theoretically, there should be no advantage to balancing the content coverage of the items. We compared short forms developed using a random item selection process to short forms developed with consideration of the items relation to subdomains of fatigue (ie, physical and cognitive fatigue. Scores on short forms developed using content balancing more successfully predicted full item bank scores than did scores on short forms developed by random selection of items.Keywords: psychometrics, outcomes, quality of life, measurement, fatigue

  20. Time-Based Loss in Visual Short-Term Memory Is from Trace Decay, Not Temporal Distinctiveness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ricker, Timothy J.; Spiegel, Lauren R.; Cowan, Nelson

    2014-01-01

    There is no consensus as to why forgetting occurs in short-term memory tasks. In past work, we have shown that forgetting occurs with the passage of time, but there are 2 classes of theories that can explain this effect. In the present work, we investigate the reason for time-based forgetting by contrasting the predictions of temporal…

  1. Evaluation of skeletal muscle during exercise on short repetition time MR imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshioka, Hiroshi; Niitsu, Mamoru; Anno, Izumi; Takahashi, Hideyuki; Kuno, Shinya; Matsumoto, Kunihiko; Itai, Yuji

    1992-01-01

    There have been many reports on the effects of exercise on skeletal muscle signal intensities based on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. These images were obtained using T 2 -weighted MR images. The purpose of this study was to observe muscles during exercise while shortening the repetition time (TR) on spin echo images. In addition, inactive and active muscles were differentiated in the same manner. T 2 values of the tibialis anterior m. were calculated from TR=400 ms to TR=3000 ms. These values were mostly constant and didn't depend upon TR. Increases in signal intensities of the exercise muscles could be observed on the short TR (600 ms) MR images since the changes of the signal intensities mainly depend upon T 2 values. Thus, the T 2 value is useful as a quantitative index to assess the exercise muscle even on the short TR MR images. (author)

  2. Short echo time proton spectroscopy of the brain in healthy volunteers using an insert gradient head coil

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gideon, P; Danielsen, E R; Schneider, M

    1995-01-01

    An insert gradient head coil with built-in X, Y, and Z gradients was used for localized proton spectroscopy in the brain of healthy volunteers, using short echo time stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM) sequences. Volume of interest size was 3.4 ml, repetition time was 6.0 s, and echo times...... were 10 and 20 ms, respectively. Good quality proton spectra with practically no eddy current artefacts were acquired allowing observation of strongly coupled compounds, and compounds with short T2 relaxation times. The gradient head coil thus permits further studies of compounds such as glutamine....../glutamate and myo-inositols. These compounds were more prominent within grey matter than within white matter. Rough estimations of metabolite concentrations using water as an internal standard were in good agreement with previous reports....

  3. Nonlinear detection of disordered voice productions from short time series based on a Volterra-Wiener-Korenberg model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang Yu, E-mail: yuzhang@xmu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology of the Ministry of Education, Xiamen University, Xiamen Fujian 361005 (China); Sprecher, Alicia J. [Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53792-7375 (United States); Zhao Zongxi [Key Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology of the Ministry of Education, Xiamen University, Xiamen Fujian 361005 (China); Jiang, Jack J. [Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53792-7375 (United States)

    2011-09-15

    Highlights: > The VWK method effectively detects the nonlinearity of a discrete map. > The method describes the chaotic time series of a biomechanical vocal fold model. > Nonlinearity in laryngeal pathology is detected from short and noisy time series. - Abstract: In this paper, we apply the Volterra-Wiener-Korenberg (VWK) model method to detect nonlinearity in disordered voice productions. The VWK method effectively describes the nonlinearity of a third-order nonlinear map. It allows for the analysis of short and noisy data sets. The extracted VWK model parameters show an agreement with the original nonlinear map parameters. Furthermore, the VWK mode method is applied to successfully assess the nonlinearity of a biomechanical voice production model simulating irregular vibratory dynamics of vocal folds with a unilateral vocal polyp. Finally, we show the clinical applicability of this nonlinear detection method to analyze the electroglottographic data generated by 14 patients with vocal nodules or polyps. The VWK model method shows potential in describing the nonlinearity inherent in disordered voice productions from short and noisy time series that are common in the clinical setting.

  4. Nonlinear detection of disordered voice productions from short time series based on a Volterra-Wiener-Korenberg model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Yu; Sprecher, Alicia J.; Zhao Zongxi; Jiang, Jack J.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → The VWK method effectively detects the nonlinearity of a discrete map. → The method describes the chaotic time series of a biomechanical vocal fold model. → Nonlinearity in laryngeal pathology is detected from short and noisy time series. - Abstract: In this paper, we apply the Volterra-Wiener-Korenberg (VWK) model method to detect nonlinearity in disordered voice productions. The VWK method effectively describes the nonlinearity of a third-order nonlinear map. It allows for the analysis of short and noisy data sets. The extracted VWK model parameters show an agreement with the original nonlinear map parameters. Furthermore, the VWK mode method is applied to successfully assess the nonlinearity of a biomechanical voice production model simulating irregular vibratory dynamics of vocal folds with a unilateral vocal polyp. Finally, we show the clinical applicability of this nonlinear detection method to analyze the electroglottographic data generated by 14 patients with vocal nodules or polyps. The VWK model method shows potential in describing the nonlinearity inherent in disordered voice productions from short and noisy time series that are common in the clinical setting.

  5. Development of a short version of the Dutch version of the Spielberger STAI Trait Anxiety Scale in women suspected of breast cancer and breast cancer survivors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Vries, J.; van Heck, G.L.

    2013-01-01

    The objective of the current study was to develop a short form of the Dutch version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Trait scale and to provide initial validation data in a sample of breast cancer patients and survivors. This short trait anxiety (A-Trait) scale was designed to reduce time

  6. Age and admission times as predictive factors for failure of admissions to discharge-stream short-stay units.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shetty, Amith L; Shankar Raju, Savitha Banagar; Hermiz, Arsalan; Vaghasiya, Milan; Vukasovic, Matthew

    2015-02-01

    Discharge-stream emergency short-stay units (ESSU) improve ED and hospital efficiency. Age of patients and time of hospital presentations have been shown to correlate with increasing complexity of care. We aim to determine whether an age and time cut-off could be derived to subsequently improve short-stay unit success rates. We conducted a retrospective audit on 6703 (5522 inclusions) patients admitted to our discharge-stream short-stay unit. Patients were classified as appropriate or inappropriate admissions, and deemed successful if discharged out of the unit within 24 h; and failures if they needed inpatient admission into the hospital. We calculated short-stay unit length of stay for patients in each of these groups. A 15% failure rate was deemed as acceptable key performance indicator (KPI) for our unit. There were 197 out of 4621 (4.3%, 95% CI 3.7-4.9%) patients up to the age of 70 who failed admission to ESSU compared with 67 out of 901 (7.4%, 95% CI 5.9-9.3%, P 70 years of age have higher rates of failure after admission to discharge-stream ESSU. Although in appropriately selected discharge-stream patients, no age group or time-band of presentation was associated with increased failure rate beyond the stipulated KPI. © 2014 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

  7. The Development of a Motor-Free Short-Form of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piovesana, Adina M; Harrison, Jessica L; Ducat, Jacob J

    2017-12-01

    This study aimed to develop a motor-free short-form of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V) that allows clinicians to estimate the Full Scale Intelligence Quotients of youths with motor impairments. Using the reliabilities and intercorrelations of six WISC-V motor-free subtests, psychometric methodologies were applied to develop look-up tables for four Motor-free Short-form indices: Verbal Comprehension Short-form, Perceptual Reasoning Short-form, Working Memory Short-form, and a Motor-free Intelligence Quotient. Index-level discrepancy tables were developed using the same methods to allow clinicians to statistically compare visual, verbal, and working memory abilities. The short-form indices had excellent reliabilities ( r = .92-.97) comparable to the original WISC-V. This motor-free short-form of the WISC-V is a reliable alternative for the assessment of intellectual functioning in youths with motor impairments. Clinicians are provided with user-friendly look-up tables, index level discrepancy tables, and base rates, displayed similar to those in the WISC-V manuals to enable interpretation of assessment results.

  8. Measurement of short transverse relaxation times by pseudo-echo nutation experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrari, Maude; Moyne, Christian; Canet, Daniel

    2018-07-01

    Very short NMR transverse relaxation times may be difficult to measure by conventional methods. Nutation experiments constitute an alternative approach. Nutation is, in the rotating frame, the equivalent of precession in the laboratory frame. It consists in monitoring the rotation of magnetization around the radio-frequency (rf) field when on-resonance conditions are fulfilled. Depending on the amplitude of the rf field, nutation may be sensitive to the two relaxation rates R1 and R2. A full theoretical development has been worked out for demonstrating how these two relaxation rates could be deduced from a simple nutation experiment, noticing however that inhomogeneity of the rf field may lead to erroneous results. This has led us to devise new experiments which are the equivalent of echo techniques in the rotating frame (pseudo spin-echo nutation experiment and pseudo gradient-echo experiment). Full equations of motion have been derived. Although complicated, they indicate that the sum of the two relaxation rates can be obtained very accurately and not altered by rf field inhomogeneity. This implies however an appropriate data processing accounting for the oscillations which are superposed to the echo decays and, anyway, theoretically predicted. A series of experiments has been carried out for different values of the rf field amplitude on samples of water doped with a paramagnetic compound at different concentrations. Pragmatically, as R1 can be easily measured by conventional methods, its value is entered in the data processing algorithm which then returns exclusively the value of the transverse relaxation time. Very consistent results are obtained that way.

  9. Developing Item Response Theory-Based Short Forms to Measure the Social Impact of Burn Injuries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marino, Molly E; Dore, Emily C; Ni, Pengsheng; Ryan, Colleen M; Schneider, Jeffrey C; Acton, Amy; Jette, Alan M; Kazis, Lewis E

    2018-03-01

    To develop self-reported short forms for the Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Profile. Short forms based on the item parameters of discrimination and average difficulty. A support network for burn survivors, peer support networks, social media, and mailings. Burn survivors (N=601) older than 18 years. Not applicable. The LIBRE Profile. Ten-item short forms were developed to cover the 6 LIBRE Profile scales: Relationships with Family & Friends, Social Interactions, Social Activities, Work & Employment, Romantic Relationships, and Sexual Relationships. Ceiling effects were ≤15% for all scales; floor effects were item bank, computerized adaptive test, and short forms are all scored along the same metric, and therefore scores are comparable regardless of the mode of administration. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Development and Validation of A Short Form of the Attitude Toward Poverty Scale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sung Hyun Yun

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available This study outlines the development and validation of a short form of the 37-item Attitude toward Poverty (ATP scale. Employing a cross-sectional survey design, the authors sampled 319 undergraduate students at a mid-sized university located in central Canada. The short form evinced high levels of internal consistency ranging from .87 to .89. Evidence for the validity was established through correlational analyses and independent samples t-tests. The findings suggest the short form is a feasible alternative to the original ATP scale for researchers and academics seeking to assess the poverty-related attitudes of university students.

  11. The time of onset of abnormal calcification in spondylometaepiphyseal dysplasia, short limb-abnormal calcification type

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tueysuez, Beyhan [Istanbul University, Department of Pediatric Genetics, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Istanbul (Turkey); Gazioglu, Nurperi [Istanbul University, Department of Neurosurgery, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Istanbul (Turkey); Uenguer, Savas [Istanbul University, Department of Pediatric Radiology, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Istanbul (Turkey); Aji, Dolly Yafet [Istanbul University, Department of Pediatrics, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Istanbul (Turkey); Tuerkmen, Seval [Istanbul University, Department of Pediatric Genetics, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Istanbul (Turkey); Universitatsklinikum Berlin, Charite Virchow-Klinik, Berlin (Germany)

    2009-01-15

    A 1-month-old boy with shortness of extremities on prenatal US was referred to our department with a provisional diagnosis of achondroplasia. His height was normal but he had short extremities and platyspondyly, premature carpal epiphyses on both hands, and short tubular bones with irregular metaphyses on radiographs. Re-evaluation of the patient at the age of 1 year revealed very short height and premature calcification of the costal cartilages and epiphyses. Spondylometaepiphyseal dysplasia (SMED), short limb-abnormal calcification type was diagnosed. This condition is a very rare autosomal recessively inherited disorder, and most of the patients die in early childhood due to neurological involvement. At the age of 2 years and 5 months, a CT scan showed narrowing of the cervical spinal canal. One month later he died suddenly because of spinal cord injury. In conclusion early diagnosis is very important because the recurrence risk is high and patients may die due to early neurological complications. The time of onset of abnormal calcifications, a diagnostic finding of the disease, is at the age of around 1 year in most patients. When abnormal calcifications are not yet present, but radiological changes associated with SMED are present, this rare disease must be considered. (orig.)

  12. The time of onset of abnormal calcification in spondylometaepiphyseal dysplasia, short limb-abnormal calcification type

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tueysuez, Beyhan; Gazioglu, Nurperi; Uenguer, Savas; Aji, Dolly Yafet; Tuerkmen, Seval

    2009-01-01

    A 1-month-old boy with shortness of extremities on prenatal US was referred to our department with a provisional diagnosis of achondroplasia. His height was normal but he had short extremities and platyspondyly, premature carpal epiphyses on both hands, and short tubular bones with irregular metaphyses on radiographs. Re-evaluation of the patient at the age of 1 year revealed very short height and premature calcification of the costal cartilages and epiphyses. Spondylometaepiphyseal dysplasia (SMED), short limb-abnormal calcification type was diagnosed. This condition is a very rare autosomal recessively inherited disorder, and most of the patients die in early childhood due to neurological involvement. At the age of 2 years and 5 months, a CT scan showed narrowing of the cervical spinal canal. One month later he died suddenly because of spinal cord injury. In conclusion early diagnosis is very important because the recurrence risk is high and patients may die due to early neurological complications. The time of onset of abnormal calcifications, a diagnostic finding of the disease, is at the age of around 1 year in most patients. When abnormal calcifications are not yet present, but radiological changes associated with SMED are present, this rare disease must be considered. (orig.)

  13. The Development of Rehearsal in Verbal Short-Term Memory

    OpenAIRE

    Jarrold, Christopher; Hall, Debbora

    2013-01-01

    Verbal short-term memory, as indexed by immediate serial recall tasks (in which participants must recall several stimuli in order, immediately after presentation), develops considerably across middle childhood. One explanation for this age-related change is that children's ability to rehearse verbal material increases during this period, and one particularly influential version of this account is that only older children engage in any form of rehearsal. In this article, we critique evidence t...

  14. Orienting Attention within Visual Short-Term Memory: Development and Mechanisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimi, Andria; Nobre, Anna C.; Astle, Duncan; Scerif, Gaia

    2014-01-01

    How does developing attentional control operate within visual short-term memory (VSTM)? Seven-year-olds, 11-year-olds, and adults (total n = 205) were asked to report whether probe items were part of preceding visual arrays. In Experiment 1, central or peripheral cues oriented attention to the location of to-be-probed items either prior to…

  15. Optimal filtering of dynamics in short-time features for music organization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arenas-García, Jerónimo; Larsen, Jan; Hansen, Lars Kai

    2006-01-01

    There is an increasing interest in customizable methods for organizing music collections. Relevant music characterization can be obtained from short-time features, but it is not obvious how to combine them to get useful information. In this work, a novel method, denoted as the Positive Constrained...... Orthonormalized Partial Least Squares (POPLS), is proposed. Working on the periodograms of MFCCs time series, this supervised method finds optimal filters which pick up the most discriminative temporal information for any music organization task. Two examples are presented in the paper, the first being a simple...... proof-of-concept, where an altosax with and without vibrato is modelled. A more complex \\$11\\$ music genre classification setup is also investigated to illustrate the robustness and validity of the proposed method on larger datasets. Both experiments showed the good properties of our method, as well...

  16. Leadership emergence over time in short-lived groups: Integrating expectations states theory with temporal person-perception and self-serving bias.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalish, Yuval; Luria, Gil

    2016-10-01

    Research into leadership emergence typically focuses on the attributes of the emergent leader. By considering also the attributes of perceivers and the passage of time, we develop a more complete theory of leadership emergence in short-lived groups. Using expectation states theory as an overarching theoretical framework, and integrating it with the surface- and deep-level diversity literature and with theories of self-serving biases, we examine the predictors of leadership emergence in short timeframes. We conduct a field study in a military assessment boot camp (a pilot study, n = 60; and a main study, n = 89). We use cross-sectional and longitudinal exponential random graph models to analyze data on participants' abilities and on their perceptions of who, in their respective groups, were "leaders." We find that the criteria by which people perceive leadership in others change over time, from easily noticeable attributes to covert leadership-relevant attributes, and that people also rely on leadership-relevant attributes that they possess at high levels to inform their perceptions of leadership in others. The integration of expectation states theory, attribute salience over time and theories of self-serving bias is needed for a full understanding of leadership emergence in groups, because perceivers' own abilities are instrumental in shaping their perceptions of emergent leadership over time. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  17. Short-time action electric generators to power physical devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glebov, I.A.; Kasharskij, Eh.G.; Rutberg, F.G.; Khutoretskij, G.M.

    1982-01-01

    Requirements to be met by power-supply sources of the native electrophysical facilities have been analyzed and trends in designing foreign electric machine units of short-time action have been considered. Specifications of a generator, manufactured in the form of synchronous bipolar turbogenerator with an all-forged rotor with indirect air cooling of the rotor and stator windings are presented. Front parts of the stator winding are additionally fixed using glass-textolite rings, brackets and gaskets. A flywheel, manufactured in the form of all-forged steel cylinder is joined directly with the generator rotor by means of a half-coupling. An acceleration asynchronous engine with a phase rotor of 4 MW nominal capacity is located on the opposite side of the flywheel. The generator peak power is 242 MVxA; power factor = 0.9; energy transferred to the load 5per 1 pulse =00 MJ; the flywheel weight 81 t

  18. Timing of introduction of complementary food: short- and long-term health consequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Przyrembel, Hildegard

    2012-01-01

    Complementary food is needed when breast milk (or infant formula) alone is no longer sufficient for both nutritional and developmental reasons. The timing of its introduction, therefore, is an individual decision, although 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding can be recommended for most healthy term infants. The new foods are intended to 'complement' ongoing breastfeeding with those dietary items whose intake has become marginal or insufficient. Both breastfeeding and complementary feeding can have direct or later consequences on health. The evaluation of consequences of both early and late introduction of complementary food can neither disregard the effect of breastfeeding compared to formula feeding nor the composition or quality of the complementary food. Possible short-term health effects concern growth velocity and infections, and possible long-term effects may relate to atopic diseases, type 1 and 2 diabetes, obesity and neuromuscular development. On the basis of the currently available evidence, it is impossible to exactly determine the age when risks related to the start of complementary feeding are lowest or highest for most of these effects, with the possible exception of infections and early growth velocity. The present knowledge on undesirable health effects, however, is mainly based on observational studies, and although some mechanisms have been proposed, further prospective studies have to clarify these unsolved issues. Even less evidence on the consequences of the timing of complementary food introduction is available for formula-fed infants. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  19. Nonequilibrium Physics at Short Time Scales: Formation of Correlations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peliti, L

    2005-01-01

    It is a happy situation when similar concepts and theoretical techniques can be applied to widely different physical systems because of a deep similarity in the situations being studied. The book illustrates this well; it focuses on the description of correlations in quantum systems out of equilibrium at very short time scales, prompted by experiments with short laser pulses in semiconductors, and in complex reactions in heavy nuclei. In both cases the experiments are characterized by nonlinear dynamics and by strong correlations out of equilibrium. In some systems there are also important finite-size effects. The book comprises several independent contributions of moderate length, and I sometimes felt that a more intensive effort in cross-coordination of the different contributions could have been of help. It is divided almost equally between theory and experiment. In the theoretical part, there is a thorough discussion both of the kinematic aspects (description of correlations) and the dynamical ones (evaluation of correlations). The experimental part is naturally divided according to the nature of the system: the interaction of pulsed lasers with matter on the one hand, and the correlations in finite-size systems (nanoparticles and nuclei) on the other. There is also a discussion on the dynamics of superconductors, a subject currently of great interest. Although an effort has been made to keep each contribution self-contained, I must admit that reading level is uneven. However, there are a number of thorough and stimulating contributions that make this book a useful introduction to the topic at the level of graduate students or researchers acquainted with quantum statistical mechanics. (book review)

  20. Development of long-wavelength-emitting scintillators with improved decay time characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Franks, L.A.; Lutz, S.; Lyons, P.B.

    1978-01-01

    Progress is reported from efforts to develop radiation-to-light converters suitable for use with optical fibers as they are applied to the diagnostics of transient nuclear phenomena. Liquid and plastic fluors have been prepared which emit in the 550- to 600-nm region. Ternary liquid systems with decay times as short as 1.3 ns at 560 nm and plastic fluors with decay times less than 3 ns at 560 nm are reported. Other liquid and plastic fluors are reported with improved emission characteristics in the region of 600 nm. Conversion efficiences, on a pulse amplitude basis, are generally lower than that of a commercially available 570 nm-16 ns plastic fluor

  1. Development and Validation of the Drinking Motive Questionnaire Revised Short Form (DMQ-R SF)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuntsche, Emmanuel; Kuntsche, Sandra

    2009-01-01

    A short form of the Drinking Motive Questionnaire Revised (DMQ-R; Cooper, 1994) was developed, using different item selection strategies based on a national representative sample of 5,617 12- to 18-year-old students in Switzerland. To confirm the concurrent validity of the short-form questionnaire, or DMQ-R SF, data from a second national sample…

  2. Factors influencing new graduate nurse burnout development, job satisfaction and patient care quality: a time-lagged study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boamah, Sheila A; Read, Emily A; Spence Laschinger, Heather K

    2017-05-01

    To test a hypothesized model linking new graduate nurses' perceptions of their manager's authentic leadership behaviours to structural empowerment, short-staffing and work-life interference and subsequent burnout, job satisfaction and patient care quality. Authentic leadership and structural empowerment have been shown to reduce early career burnout among nurses. Short-staffing and work-life interference are also linked to burnout and may help explain the impact of positive, empowering leadership on burnout, which in turn influences job satisfaction and patient care quality. A time-lagged study of Canadian new graduate nurses was conducted. At Time 1, surveys were sent to 3,743 nurses (November 2012-March 2013) and 1,020 were returned (27·3% response rate). At Time 2 (May-July 2014), 406 nurses who responded at Time 1 completed surveys (39·8% response rate). Descriptive analysis was conducted in SPSS. Structural equation modelling in Mplus was used to test the hypothesized model. The hypothesized model was supported. Authentic leadership had a significant positive effect on structural empowerment, which in turn decreased both short-staffing and work-life interference. Short-staffing and work-life imbalance subsequently resulted in nurse burnout, lower job satisfaction and lower patient care quality 1 year later. The findings suggest that short-staffing and work-life interference are important factors influencing new graduate nurse burnout. Developing nurse managers' authentic leadership behaviours and working with them to create and sustain empowering work environments may help reduce burnout, increase nurse job satisfaction and improve patient care quality. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Development of internal/external short circuit protection for lithium D cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mcdonald, Robert C.; Bragg, Bobby J.

    1992-01-01

    A brief discussion of short circuit protection for lithium D cells is given in viewgraph format. The following topics are presented: (1) historical need; (2) program objectives; (3) composite thermal switch (CTS) development; (4) laboratory cells with CTS; and (5) the incorporation of CTS into lithium D cells.

  4. Spectral phase encoding of ultra-short optical pulse in time domain for OCDMA application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xu; Wada, Naoya

    2007-06-11

    We propose a novel reconfigurable time domain spectral phase encoding (SPE) scheme for coherent optical code-division-multiple-access application. In the proposed scheme, the ultra-short optical pulse is stretched by dispersive device and the SPE is done in time domain using high speed phase modulator. The time domain SPE scheme is robust to wavelength drift of the light source and is very flexible and compatible with the fiber optical system. Proof-of-principle experiments of encoding with 16-chip, 20 GHz/chip binary-phase-shift-keying codes and 1.25 Gbps data transmission have been successfully demonstrated together with an arrayed-wave-guide decoder.

  5. Short-time home coming project in evacuation zone

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tatsuzaki, Hideo

    2011-01-01

    Accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) forced neighboring residents to evacuate, and evacuation zone (20 km radius from NPPs) was defined as highly contaminated and designated as no-entry zones. Residents had been obliged to live a refugee life for a longer period than expected. Short-time home coming project was initiated according to their requests. They came to the meeting place called transfer place (20 - 30 km radius from NPPs), wore protective clothing and personal dosimeter with having drinking water and came home in evacuation zone with staffs by bus. Their healthcare management professionals were fully prepared for emergency. After collecting necessary articles at home within two hours, they returned to the meeting place by bus for screening and dressing, and went back to refuge house. If screening data were greater than 13 kcpm using GM counters, partial body decontamination had been conducted by wiping and if greater than 100 kcpm, whole body decontamination was requested but not conducted. Dose rate of residents and staffs was controlled less than 1 mSv, which was alarm level of personal dosimeter. Stable iodine was prepared but actually not used. (T. Tanaka)

  6. Kriging Methodology and Its Development in Forecasting Econometric Time Series

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrej Gajdoš

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available One of the approaches for forecasting future values of a time series or unknown spatial data is kriging. The main objective of the paper is to introduce a general scheme of kriging in forecasting econometric time series using a family of linear regression time series models (shortly named as FDSLRM which apply regression not only to a trend but also to a random component of the observed time series. Simultaneously performing a Monte Carlo simulation study with a real electricity consumption dataset in the R computational langure and environment, we investigate the well-known problem of “negative” estimates of variance components when kriging predictions fail. Our following theoretical analysis, including also the modern apparatus of advanced multivariate statistics, gives us the formulation and proof of a general theorem about the explicit form of moments (up to sixth order for a Gaussian time series observation. This result provides a basis for further theoretical and computational research in the kriging methodology development.

  7. Incorporating geostrophic wind information for improved space–time short-term wind speed forecasting

    KAUST Repository

    Zhu, Xinxin

    2014-09-01

    Accurate short-term wind speed forecasting is needed for the rapid development and efficient operation of wind energy resources. This is, however, a very challenging problem. Although on the large scale, the wind speed is related to atmospheric pressure, temperature, and other meteorological variables, no improvement in forecasting accuracy was found by incorporating air pressure and temperature directly into an advanced space-time statistical forecasting model, the trigonometric direction diurnal (TDD) model. This paper proposes to incorporate the geostrophic wind as a new predictor in the TDD model. The geostrophic wind captures the physical relationship between wind and pressure through the observed approximate balance between the pressure gradient force and the Coriolis acceleration due to the Earth’s rotation. Based on our numerical experiments with data from West Texas, our new method produces more accurate forecasts than does the TDD model using air pressure and temperature for 1to 6-hour-ahead forecasts based on three different evaluation criteria. Furthermore, forecasting errors can be further reduced by using moving average hourly wind speeds to fit the diurnal pattern. For example, our new method obtains between 13.9% and 22.4% overall mean absolute error reduction relative to persistence in 2-hour-ahead forecasts, and between 5.3% and 8.2% reduction relative to the best previous space-time methods in this setting.

  8. Short-lived climate pollutant mitigation and the Sustainable Development Goals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haines, Andy; Amann, Markus; Borgford-Parnell, Nathan; Leonard, Sunday; Kuylenstierna, Johan; Shindell, Drew

    2017-12-01

    The post-2015 development agenda is dominated by a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that arose from the 2012 Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. The 17 goals and 169 targets address diverse and intersecting aspects of human and environmental needs and challenges. Achieving the SDGs by 2030 requires implementing coordinated and concerted strategies and actions that minimize potential trade-offs and conflicts and maximize synergies to contribute to multiple SDGs. Measures to mitigate emissions of short-lived climate pollutants are an example of actions that contribute to multiple outcomes relevant to development. This Perspective highlights the interlinkages between these pollutants and the SDGs, and shows that implementing emissions reduction measures can contribute to achieving many of the SDGs.

  9. Performance evaluation of the short-time objective intelligibility measure with different band importance functions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heidemann Andersen, Asger; de Haan, Jan Mark; Tan, Zheng-Hua

    performance measures: root-mean-squared-error, Pearson correlation, and Kendall rank correlation. The results show substantially improved performance when fitting and evaluating on the same dataset. However, this advantage does not necessarily subsist when fitting and evaluating on different datasets. When...... with a filter bank, 2) envelopes are extracted from each band, 3) the temporal correlation between clean and degraded envelopes is computed in short time segments, and 4) the correlation is averaged across time and frequency bands to obtain the final output. An unusual choice in the design of the STOI measure...

  10. Using Logistic Approximations of Marginal Trace Lines to Develop Short Assessments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stucky, Brian D.; Thissen, David; Edelen, Maria Orlando

    2013-01-01

    Test developers often need to create unidimensional scales from multidimensional data. For item analysis, "marginal trace lines" capture the relation with the general dimension while accounting for nuisance dimensions and may prove to be a useful technique for creating short-form tests. This article describes the computations needed to obtain…

  11. Development of novel high power-short time (HPST) microwave assisted commercial decontamination process for dried turmeric powder (Curcuma Longa L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behera, G; Sutar, P P; Aditya, S

    2017-11-01

    The commercially available dry turmeric powder at 10.34% d.b. moisture content was decontaminated using microwaves at high power density for short time. To avoid the loss of moisture from turmeric due to high microwave power, the drying kinetics were modelled and considered during optimization of microwave decontamination process. The effect of microwave power density (10, 33.5 and 57 W g -1 ), exposure time (10, 20 and 30 s) and thickness of turmeric layer (1, 2 and 3 mm) on total plate, total yeast and mold (YMC) counts, color change (∆E), average final temperature of the product (T af ), water activity (a w ), Page model rate constant (k) and total moisture loss (ML) was studied. The perturbation analysis was carried out for all variables. It was found that to achieve more than one log reduction in yeast and mold count, a substantial reduction in moisture content takes place leading to the reduced output. The microwave power density significantly affected the YMC, T af and a w of turmeric powder. But the thickness of sample and microwave exposure time showed effect only on T af , a w and ML. The colour of turmeric and Page model rate constant were not significantly changed during the process as anticipated. The numerical optimization was done at 57.00 W g -1 power density, 1.64 mm thickness of sample layer and 30 s exposure time. It resulted into 1.6 × 10 7 CFU g -1 YMC, 82.71 °C T af , 0.383 a w and 8.41% (d.b.) final moisture content.

  12. Critical dynamics of the Potts model: short-time Monte Carlo simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, Roberto da; Drugowich de Felicio, J.R.

    2004-01-01

    We calculate the new dynamic exponent θ of the 4-state Potts model, using short-time simulations. Our estimates θ1=-0.0471(33) and θ2=-0.0429(11) obtained by following the behavior of the magnetization or measuring the evolution of the time correlation function of the magnetization corroborate the conjecture by Okano et al. [Nucl. Phys. B 485 (1997) 727]. In addition, these values agree with previous estimate of the same dynamic exponent for the two-dimensional Ising model with three-spin interactions in one direction, that is known to belong to the same universality class as the 4-state Potts model. The anomalous dimension of initial magnetization x0=zθ+β/ν is calculated by an alternative way that mixes two different initial conditions. We have also estimated the values of the static exponents β and ν. They are in complete agreement with the pertinent results of the literature

  13. Time-resolved plasma spectroscopy of thin foils heated by a relativistic-intensity short-pulse laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Audebert, P.; Gauthier, J.-C.; Shepherd, R.; Fournier, K.B.; Price, D.; Lee, R.W.; Springer, P.; Peyrusse, O.; Klein, L.

    2002-01-01

    Time-resolved K-shell x-ray spectra are recorded from sub-100 nm aluminum foils irradiated by 150-fs laser pulses at relativistic intensities of Iλ 2 =2x10 18 W μm 2 /cm 2 . The thermal penetration depth is greater than the foil thickness in these targets so that uniform heating takes place at constant density before hydrodynamic motion occurs. The high-contrast, high-intensity laser pulse, broad spectral band, and short time resolution utilized in this experiment permit a simplified interpretation of the dynamical evolution of the radiating matter. The observed spectrum displays two distinct phases. At early time, ≤500 fs after detecting target emission, a broad quasicontinuous spectral feature with strong satellite emission from multiply excited levels is seen. At a later time, the He-like resonance line emission is dominant. The time-integrated data is in accord with previous studies with time resolution greater than 1 ps. The early time satellite emission is shown to be a signature of an initial large area, high density, low-temperature plasma created in the foil by fast electrons accelerated by the intense radiation field in the laser spot. We conclude that, because of this early time phenomenon and contrary to previous predictions, a short, high-intensity laser pulse incident on a thin foil does not create a uniform hot and dense plasma. The heating mechanism has been studied as a function of foil thickness, laser pulse length, and intensity. In addition, the spectra are found to be in broad agreement with a hydrodynamic expansion code postprocessed by a collisional-radiative model based on superconfiguration average rates and on the unresolved transition array formalism

  14. Fully-automated identification of fish species based on otolith contour: using short-time Fourier transform and discriminant analysis (STFT-DA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salimi, Nima; Loh, Kar Hoe; Kaur Dhillon, Sarinder; Chong, Ving Ching

    2016-01-01

    Background. Fish species may be identified based on their unique otolith shape or contour. Several pattern recognition methods have been proposed to classify fish species through morphological features of the otolith contours. However, there has been no fully-automated species identification model with the accuracy higher than 80%. The purpose of the current study is to develop a fully-automated model, based on the otolith contours, to identify the fish species with the high classification accuracy. Methods. Images of the right sagittal otoliths of 14 fish species from three families namely Sciaenidae, Ariidae, and Engraulidae were used to develop the proposed identification model. Short-time Fourier transform (STFT) was used, for the first time in the area of otolith shape analysis, to extract important features of the otolith contours. Discriminant Analysis (DA), as a classification technique, was used to train and test the model based on the extracted features. Results. Performance of the model was demonstrated using species from three families separately, as well as all species combined. Overall classification accuracy of the model was greater than 90% for all cases. In addition, effects of STFT variables on the performance of the identification model were explored in this study. Conclusions. Short-time Fourier transform could determine important features of the otolith outlines. The fully-automated model proposed in this study (STFT-DA) could predict species of an unknown specimen with acceptable identification accuracy. The model codes can be accessed at http://mybiodiversityontologies.um.edu.my/Otolith/ and https://peerj.com/preprints/1517/. The current model has flexibility to be used for more species and families in future studies.

  15. Short- and long-run time-of-use price elasticities in Swiss residential electricity demand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Filippini, Massimo

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents an empirical analysis on the residential demand for electricity by time-of-day. This analysis has been performed using aggregate data at the city level for 22 Swiss cities for the period 2000-2006. For this purpose, we estimated two log-log demand equations for peak and off-peak electricity consumption using static and dynamic partial adjustment approaches. These demand functions were estimated using several econometric approaches for panel data, for example LSDV and RE for static models, and LSDV and corrected LSDV estimators for dynamic models. The attempt of this empirical analysis has been to highlight some of the characteristics of the Swiss residential electricity demand. The estimated short-run own price elasticities are lower than 1, whereas in the long-run these values are higher than 1. The estimated short-run and long-run cross-price elasticities are positive. This result shows that peak and off-peak electricity are substitutes. In this context, time differentiated prices should provide an economic incentive to customers so that they can modify consumption patterns by reducing peak demand and shifting electricity consumption from peak to off-peak periods. - Highlights: → Empirical analysis on the residential demand for electricity by time-of-day. → Estimators for dynamic panel data. → Peak and off-peak residential electricity are substitutes.

  16. Spectrogram analysis of selected tremor signals using short-time Fourier transform and continuous wavelet transform

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bartosch, T. [Erlanger-Nuernberg Univ., Erlanger (Germany). Lehrstul fuer Nachrichtentechnik I; Seidl, D. [Seismologisches Zentralobservatorium Graefenberg, Erlanegen (Greece). Bundesanstalt fuer Geiwissenschaften und Rohstoffe

    1999-06-01

    Among a variety of spectrogram methods short-time Fourier transform (STFT) and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) were selected to analyse transients in non-stationary signals. Depending on the properties of the tremor signals from the volcanos Mt. Stromboli, Mt. Semeru and Mt. Pinatubo were analyzed using both methods. The CWT can also be used to extend the definition of coherency into a time-varying coherency spectrogram. An example is given using array data from the volcano Mt. Stromboli (Italy).

  17. Measurement of radon-222 concentration in environment sampled within short time using charcoal detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamasaki, Tadashi; Sekiyama, Shigenobu; Tokin, Mina; Nakayasu, Yumiko; Watanabe, Tamaki.

    1994-01-01

    The concentration of 222 Rn in air sampled within a very short period of time was measured using activated charcoal as the adsorber. The detector is the plastic canister containing mixture of the activated charcoal and the silica gel. The radon gas was adsorbed in the charcoal in the radon chamber at the temperature of 25degC. A little amount of liquid scintillation cocktail was added into the vial of liquid scintillation counter with the canister. The radon in the charcoal was extracted in the liquid scintillation cocktail. Alpha particles emitted from radon and its daughter nuclei in the cocktail were detected using the liquid scintillation counter. Present method has advantages of not only short sampling time of air but also adsorption of radon in charcoal under a constant temperature. The concentration of radon in air down to 2 Bq/m 3 could be detected. A kinetic model for adsorption of radon in the charcoal is also presented. The ratio of radon concentration in the charcoal to that in air under the equilibrium state of adsorption was estimated to be from 6.1 to 6.8 m 3 /kg at the temperature of 25degC. (author)

  18. Developing an Empirical Model for Estimating the Probability of Electrical Short Circuits from Tin Whiskers. Part 2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Courey, Karim J.; Asfour, Shihab S.; Onar, Arzu; Bayliss, Jon A.; Ludwig, Larry L.; Wright, Maria C.

    2009-01-01

    To comply with lead-free legislation, many manufacturers have converted from tin-lead to pure tin finishes of electronic components. However, pure tin finishes have a greater propensity to grow tin whiskers than tin-lead finishes. Since tin whiskers present an electrical short circuit hazard in electronic components, simulations have been developed to quantify the risk of said short circuits occurring. Existing risk simulations make the assumption that when a free tin whisker has bridged two adjacent exposed electrical conductors, the result is an electrical short circuit. This conservative assumption is made because shorting is a random event that had an unknown probability associated with it. Note however that due to contact resistance electrical shorts may not occur at lower voltage levels. In our first article we developed an empirical probability model for tin whisker shorting. In this paper, we develop a more comprehensive empirical model using a refined experiment with a larger sample size, in which we studied the effect of varying voltage on the breakdown of the contact resistance which leads to a short circuit. From the resulting data we estimated the probability distribution of an electrical short, as a function of voltage. In addition, the unexpected polycrystalline structure seen in the focused ion beam (FIB) cross section in the first experiment was confirmed in this experiment using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The FIB was also used to cross section two card guides to facilitate the measurement of the grain size of each card guide's tin plating to determine its finish.

  19. Verification of short lead time forecast models: applied to Kp and Dst forecasting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wintoft, Peter; Wik, Magnus

    2016-04-01

    In the ongoing EU/H2020 project PROGRESS models that predicts Kp, Dst, and AE from L1 solar wind data will be used as inputs to radiation belt models. The possible lead times from L1 measurements are shorter (10s of minutes to hours) than the typical duration of the physical phenomena that should be forecast. Under these circumstances several metrics fail to single out trivial cases, such as persistence. In this work we explore metrics and approaches for short lead time forecasts. We apply these to current Kp and Dst forecast models. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 637302.

  20. Short message service (SMS) applications for disease prevention in developing countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Déglise, Carole; Suggs, L Suzanne; Odermatt, Peter

    2012-01-12

    The last decade has witnessed unprecedented growth in the number of mobile phones in the developing world, thus linking millions of previously unconnected people. The ubiquity of mobile phones, which allow for short message service (SMS), provides new and innovative opportunities for disease prevention efforts. The aim of this review was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of SMS interventions for disease prevention in developing countries and provide recommendations for future work. A systematic search of peer-reviewed and gray literature was performed for papers published in English, French, and German before May 2011 that describe SMS applications for disease prevention in developing countries. A total of 34 SMS applications were described, among which 5 had findings of an evaluation reported. The majority of SMS applications were pilot projects in various levels of sophistication; nearly all came from gray literature sources. Many applications were initiated by the project with modes of intervention varying between one-way or two-way communication, with or without incentives, and with educative games. Evaluated interventions were well accepted by the beneficiaries. The primary barriers identified were language, timing of messages, mobile network fluctuations, lack of financial incentives, data privacy, and mobile phone turnover. This review illustrates that while many SMS applications for disease prevention exist, few have been evaluated. The dearth of peer-reviewed studies and the limited evidence found in this systematic review highlight the need for high-quality efficacy studies examining behavioral, social, and economic outcomes of SMS applications and mobile phone interventions aimed to promote health in developing country contexts.

  1. Thermal sterilization of heat-sensitive products using high-temperature short-time sterilization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mann, A; Kiefer, M; Leuenberger, H

    2001-03-01

    High-temperature short-time (HTST) sterilization with a continuous-flow sterilizer, developed for this study, was evaluated. The evaluation was performed with respect to (a) the chemical degradation of two heat-sensitive drugs in HTST range (140-160 degrees C) and (b) the microbiological effect of HTST sterilization. Degradation kinetics of two heat-sensitive drugs showed that a high peak temperature sterilization process resulted in less chemical degradation for the same microbiological effect than a low peak temperature process. Both drugs investigated could be sterilized with acceptable degradation at HTST conditions. For the evaluation of the microbiological effect, Bacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 7953 spores were used as indicator bacteria. Indicator spore kinetics (D(T), z value, k, and E(a)), were determined in the HTST range. A comparison between the Bigelow model (z value concept) and the Arrhenius model, used to describe the temperature coefficient of the microbial inactivation, demonstrated that the Bigelow model is more accurate in prediction of D(T) values in the HTST range. The temperature coefficient decreased with increasing temperature. The influence of Ca(2+) ions and pH value on the heat resistance of the indicator spores, which is known under typical sterilization conditions, did not change under HTST conditions.

  2. The development of fast tantalum foil targets for short-lived isotopes

    CERN Document Server

    Bennett, J R J; Drumm, P V; Ravn, H L

    2003-01-01

    The development of fast tantalum foil targets for short-lived isotopes was discussed. It was found that the effusion was faster but the diffusion out of the foils was a limiting factor. The performance of the targets at ISOLDE with beams of **1**1Li, **1**2Be and **1**4Be was also analyzed. (Edited abstract) 13 Refs.

  3. Increasing Short-Stay Unplanned Hospital Admissions among Children in England; Time Trends Analysis ’97–‘06

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saxena, Sonia; Bottle, Alex; Gilbert, Ruth; Sharland, Mike

    2009-01-01

    Background Timely care by general practitioners in the community keeps children out of hospital and provides better continuity of care. Yet in the UK, access to primary care has diminished since 2004 when changes in general practitioners' contracts enabled them to ‘opt out’ of providing out-of-hours care and since then unplanned pediatric hospital admission rates have escalated, particularly through emergency departments. We hypothesised that any increase in isolated short stay admissions for childhood illness might reflect failure to manage these cases in the community over a 10 year period spanning these changes. Methods and Findings We conducted a population based time trends study of major causes of hospital admission in children 2 days. By 2006, 67.3% of all unplanned admissions were isolated short stays <2 days. The increases in admission rates were greater for common non-infectious than infectious causes of admissions. Conclusions Short stay unplanned hospital admission rates in young children in England have increased substantially in recent years and are not accounted for by reductions in length of in-hospital stay. The majority are isolated short stay admissions for minor illness episodes that could be better managed by primary care in the community and may be evidence of a failure of primary care services. PMID:19829695

  4. Short-time scale coupling between thermohaline and meteorological forcing in the Ría de Pontevedra

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paula C. Pardo

    2001-07-01

    Full Text Available Two cruises were performed in May-June and October-November 1997 in the Ría de Pontevedra under strong downwelling conditions. Temperature and salinity data were recorded in short sampling periods to describe the changes in thermohaline property distribution in a short time scale. In order to obtain the residual fluxes in the Ría, a bi-dimensional non-stationary salt and thermal-energy weight averaged box-model was applied. Outputs from this kinematic model were compared with Upwelling Index, river flow and density gradient, resulting in a good multiple correlation, which proves the strong coupling between thermohaline properties and meteorological variability. Ekman forcing affects the whole area but mainly controls the dynamics of outer zones. The intensity of its effect on the circulation pattern within the Ría depends on the grade of stratification of the water bodies. River flow is more relevant in inner parts. According to estimated spatially averaged velocities, water residence time is lower than two weeks in outer parts of the Ría, and decreases toward the inner zones.

  5. Time perspective in hereditary cancer: psychometric properties of a short form of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory in a community and clinical sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wakefield, Claire E; Homewood, Judi; Taylor, Alan; Mahmut, Mehmet; Meiser, Bettina

    2010-10-01

    We aimed to assess the psychometric properties of a 25-item short form of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory in a community sample (N = 276) and in individuals with a strong family history of cancer, considering genetic testing for cancer risk (N = 338). In the community sample, individuals with high past-negative or present-fatalistic scores had higher levels of distress, as measured by depression, anxiety, and aggression. Similarly, in the patient sample, past-negative time perspective was positively correlated with distress, uncertainty, and postdecision regret when making a decision about genetic testing. Past-negative-oriented individuals were also more likely to be undecided about, or against, genetic testing. Hedonism was associated with being less likely to read the educational materials they received at their clinic, and fatalism was associated with having lower knowledge levels about genetic testing. The assessment of time perspective in individuals at increased risk of cancer can provide valuable clinical insights. However, further investigation of the psychometric properties of the short form of this scale is warranted, as it did not meet the currently accepted criteria for psychometric validation studies.

  6. Robust and Adaptive Online Time Series Prediction with Long Short-Term Memory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haimin Yang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Online time series prediction is the mainstream method in a wide range of fields, ranging from speech analysis and noise cancelation to stock market analysis. However, the data often contains many outliers with the increasing length of time series in real world. These outliers can mislead the learned model if treated as normal points in the process of prediction. To address this issue, in this paper, we propose a robust and adaptive online gradient learning method, RoAdam (Robust Adam, for long short-term memory (LSTM to predict time series with outliers. This method tunes the learning rate of the stochastic gradient algorithm adaptively in the process of prediction, which reduces the adverse effect of outliers. It tracks the relative prediction error of the loss function with a weighted average through modifying Adam, a popular stochastic gradient method algorithm for training deep neural networks. In our algorithm, the large value of the relative prediction error corresponds to a small learning rate, and vice versa. The experiments on both synthetic data and real time series show that our method achieves better performance compared to the existing methods based on LSTM.

  7. Robust and Adaptive Online Time Series Prediction with Long Short-Term Memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Haimin; Pan, Zhisong; Tao, Qing

    2017-01-01

    Online time series prediction is the mainstream method in a wide range of fields, ranging from speech analysis and noise cancelation to stock market analysis. However, the data often contains many outliers with the increasing length of time series in real world. These outliers can mislead the learned model if treated as normal points in the process of prediction. To address this issue, in this paper, we propose a robust and adaptive online gradient learning method, RoAdam (Robust Adam), for long short-term memory (LSTM) to predict time series with outliers. This method tunes the learning rate of the stochastic gradient algorithm adaptively in the process of prediction, which reduces the adverse effect of outliers. It tracks the relative prediction error of the loss function with a weighted average through modifying Adam, a popular stochastic gradient method algorithm for training deep neural networks. In our algorithm, the large value of the relative prediction error corresponds to a small learning rate, and vice versa. The experiments on both synthetic data and real time series show that our method achieves better performance compared to the existing methods based on LSTM.

  8. Orienting attention within visual short-term memory: development and mechanisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimi, Andria; Nobre, Anna C; Astle, Duncan; Scerif, Gaia

    2014-01-01

    How does developing attentional control operate within visual short-term memory (VSTM)? Seven-year-olds, 11-year-olds, and adults (total n = 205) were asked to report whether probe items were part of preceding visual arrays. In Experiment 1, central or peripheral cues oriented attention to the location of to-be-probed items either prior to encoding or during maintenance. Cues improved memory regardless of their position, but younger children benefited less from cues presented during maintenance, and these benefits related to VSTM span over and above basic memory in uncued trials. In Experiment 2, cues of low validity eliminated benefits, suggesting that even the youngest children use cues voluntarily, rather than automatically. These findings elucidate the close coupling between developing visuospatial attentional control and VSTM. © 2013 The Authors. Child Development © 2013 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  9. Development of a short-term model to predict natural gas demand, March 1989

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lihn, M.L.

    1989-03-01

    Project management decisions for the Gas Research Institute (GRI) R and D program require an appreciation of the short-term outlook for gas consumption. This paper provides a detailed discussion of the methodology used to develop short-term models for the residential, commercial, industrial, and electric utility sectors. The relative success of the models in projecting gas demand, compared with actual gas demand, is reviewed for each major gas-consuming sector. The comparison of actual to projected gas demand has pointed out several problems with the model, and possible solutions to these problems are discussed

  10. Development of new organometallic species for the labelling of radiotracers with short half-lives radioisotopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huet-Dales, A.

    2003-11-01

    The reactivity of clean organotins have been studied in the Stille coupling reaction in fast conditions, witch can be used with short half-life radioisotope. In a first part, development of the reaction conditions have been studied for the transfer of a methyl group by the Stille coupling reaction, via the synthesis of the correspond mono-organotin. The reaction time was optimized onto model compounds in 12-carbon and 11-carbon chemistry. In a second part, this methodology was applied to the synthesis of NK3 receptors radioligands, in 12-carbon and 11-carbon chemistry. Biological studies showed that these ligands have a good affinity with NK3 receptors, and are potential positron emission tomography tracers. (author)

  11. A Unified Framework for Estimating Minimum Detectable Effects for Comparative Short Interrupted Time Series Designs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price, Cristofer; Unlu, Fatih

    2014-01-01

    The Comparative Short Interrupted Time Series (C-SITS) design is a frequently employed quasi-experimental method, in which the pre- and post-intervention changes observed in the outcome levels of a treatment group is compared with those of a comparison group where the difference between the former and the latter is attributed to the treatment. The…

  12. Output of continuous directed selection aimed at short stem development in Winter Rye (Secale cereale L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    В. В. Скорик

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The article provides progress report on the barley of F3к-10029/Saratovske 4 height decreasing throughout 1974 to 2012 by way of selecting plants of the shortest stem. 38 years of selecting the shortest stem genotypes cut down plant height by 5,7 times at the background of dominant Hl gene expression. Average plant height during 38 breeding cycles was descending by 2,69 cm, but this was not an even trend. New creative donor for ultimate short stem characteristic, Gnome 3, has been developed, with Hl-3Hl-3alleles designation. Relative impact on the efficacy of minus-selection by the plant height of the selection differential (38,00% and inheritance coefficient in its narrow sense (14,56% is established. Efficiency of the selection is realized with the decrease of winter rye height plants by 72,08% as expected by the relative breeding forecast. Analyzes is completed for 11 genetic and statistical clusters of average utilitarian characteristics of Gnome 3 ultra short stem rye over the period from 1974 to 2012.

  13. Short-range correlations in an extended time-dependent mean-field theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Madler, P.

    1982-01-01

    A generalization is performed of the time-dependent mean-field theory by an explicit inclusion of strong short-range correlations on a level of microscopic reversibility relating them to realistic nucleon-nucleon forces. Invoking a least action principle for correlated trial wave functions, equations of motion for the correlation functions and the single-particle model wave function are derived in lowest order of the FAHT cluster expansion. Higher order effects as well as long-range correlations are consider only to the extent to which they contribute to the mean field via a readjusted phenomenological effective two-body interaction. The corresponding correlated stationary problem is investigated and appropriate initial conditions to describe a heavy ion reaction are proposed. The singleparticle density matrix is evaluated

  14. Development and application of a short- /long-term composited drought index in the upper Huaihe River basin, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Yu

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Accurate and reliable drought monitoring is of primary importance for drought mitigation and reduction of social-ecological vulnerability. The aim of the paper was to propose a short-term/long-term composited drought index (CDI which could be widely used for drought monitoring and early warning in China. In the study, the upper Huaihe River basin above the Xixian gauge station, which has been hit by severe droughts frequently in recent decades, was selected as the case study site. The short-term CDI was developed by the Principle Component Analysis of the self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (sc-PDSI, the 1- and 3-month Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI, Z Index (ZIND, the Soil Moisture Index (SMI with the long-term CDI being formulated by use of the self-calibrating Palmer Hydrology Drought Index (sc-PHDI, the 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month SPEI, the Standardized Streamflow Index (SSI, the SMI. The sc-PDSI, the PHDI, the ZIND, the SPEI on a monthly time scale were calculated based on the monthly air temperature and precipitation, and the monthly SMI and SSI were computed based on the simulated soil moisture and runoff by the distributed Xinanjiang model. The thresholds of the short-term/long-term CDI were determined according to frequency statistics of different drought indices. Finally, the feasibility of the two CDIs was investigated against the scPDSI, the SPEI and the historical drought records. The results revealed that the short-term/long-term CDI could capture the onset, severity, persistence of drought events very well with the former being better at identifying the dynamic evolution of drought condition while the latter better at judging the changing trend of drought over a long time period.

  15. Cognitive Abilities Explaining Age-Related Changes in Time Perception of Short and Long Durations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zelanti, Pierre S.; Droit-Volet, Sylvie

    2011-01-01

    The current study investigated how the development of cognitive abilities explains the age-related changes in temporal judgment over short and long duration ranges from 0.5 to 30 s. Children (5- and 9-year-olds) as well as adults were given a temporal bisection task with four different duration ranges: a duration range shorter than 1 s, two…

  16. Polynomial Phase Estimation Based on Adaptive Short-Time Fourier Transform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jing, Fulong; Zhang, Chunjie; Si, Weijian; Wang, Yu; Jiao, Shuhong

    2018-02-13

    Polynomial phase signals (PPSs) have numerous applications in many fields including radar, sonar, geophysics, and radio communication systems. Therefore, estimation of PPS coefficients is very important. In this paper, a novel approach for PPS parameters estimation based on adaptive short-time Fourier transform (ASTFT), called the PPS-ASTFT estimator, is proposed. Using the PPS-ASTFT estimator, both one-dimensional and multi-dimensional searches and error propagation problems, which widely exist in PPSs field, are avoided. In the proposed algorithm, the instantaneous frequency (IF) is estimated by S-transform (ST), which can preserve information on signal phase and provide a variable resolution similar to the wavelet transform (WT). The width of the ASTFT analysis window is equal to the local stationary length, which is measured by the instantaneous frequency gradient (IFG). The IFG is calculated by the principal component analysis (PCA), which is robust to the noise. Moreover, to improve estimation accuracy, a refinement strategy is presented to estimate signal parameters. Since the PPS-ASTFT avoids parameter search, the proposed algorithm can be computed in a reasonable amount of time. The estimation performance, computational cost, and implementation of the PPS-ASTFT are also analyzed. The conducted numerical simulations support our theoretical results and demonstrate an excellent statistical performance of the proposed algorithm.

  17. Tests for nonlinearity in short stationary time series

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, T.; Sauer, T.; Schiff, S.J.

    1995-01-01

    To compare direct tests for detecting determinism in chaotic time series, data from Henon, Lorenz, and Mackey--Glass equations were contaminated with various levels of additive colored noise. These data were analyzed with a variety of recently developed tests for determinism, and the results compared

  18. Gamma spectrometric characterization of short cooling time nuclear spent fuels using hemispheric CdZnTe detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Lebrun, A; Szabó, J L; Arenas-Carrasco, J; Arlt, R; Dubreuil, A; Esmailpur-Kazerouni, K

    2000-01-01

    After years of cooling, nuclear spent fuel gamma emissions are mainly due to caesium isotopes which are emitters at 605, 662 and 796-801 keV. Extensive work has been done on such fuels using various CdTe or CdZnTe probes. When fuels have to be measured after short cooling time (during NPP outage) the spectrum is much more complex due to the important contributions of niobium and zirconium in the 700 keV range. For the first time in a nuclear power plant, four spent fuels of the Kozloduy VVER reactor no 4 were measured during outage, 37 days after shutdown of the reactor. In such conditions, good resolution is of particular interest, so a 20 mm sup 3 hemispheric crystal was used with a resolution better than 7 keV at 662 keV. This paper presents the experimental device and analyzes the results which show that CdZnTe commercially available detectors enabled us to perform a semi-quantitative determination of the burn-up after a short cooling time. In addition, it is discussed how a burn-up evolution code (CESAR)...

  19. The short- and long-term effects of development projects:evidence from Ethiopia

    OpenAIRE

    Petrikova, Ivica

    2014-01-01

    This paper examines the short-term and long-term impact of development projects on recipients’ wellbeing in Ethiopia. Specifically, it compares the effects of five types of development projects – unconditional and conditional direct transfers, agricultural and social-infrastructure knowledge transfers, and credit projects – on children’s nutrition and on household consumption and income levels. The main finding is that knowledge transfers have the largest positive impact on children’s nutriti...

  20. Developing world perspective: the importance of growth for short-term health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adair, Linda S

    2010-01-01

    Recently, concern has been raised about the potential adverse long-term consequences of rapid child growth. Rapid early childhood weight gain is associated with increased likelihood of being overweight or obese later in childhood and of having risk factors for the development of chronic disease such insulin resistance and elevated blood pressure. This has led to concerns about the wisdom of promoting catch-up growth in infants born small for gestational age or in children with poor growth after birth. In considering the costs and benefits of promoting catch-up growth, we must not lose sight of the immediate health threats to children in resource-poor environments in developing countries where child morbidity and mortality remain high. The literature on short-term consequences of growth is limited by its focus on attained size as an indicator of prior nutritional status, but generally shows that children with evidence of poor prior growth are at greater risk of morbidity and mortality from common infectious diseases, including lower respiratory infections and diarrhea. In these settings, failure to promote compensatory growth may have devastating short-term consequences. Copyright (c) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  1. Design spectra development considering short time histories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weiner, E.O.

    1983-01-01

    The need for generation of seismic acceleration histories to prescribed response spectra arises several ways in structural dynamics. For example, one way of obtaining floor spectra is to generate a history from a foundation spectra and then solve for the floor motion from which a floor spectrum can be obtained. Two separate programs, MODQKE and MDOF, were written to provide a capability of obtaining equipment spectra from design spectra. MODQKE generates or modifies acceleration histories to conform with design spectra pertaining to, say, a foundation. MDOF is a simple linear modal superposition program that solves for equipment support histories using the design spectra conforming histories as input. Equipment spectra, then, are obtained from the support histories using MODQKE

  2. Sistem kontrol inventori pemasokan barang Secara Real Time Menggunakan Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI dan Short Message Service (SMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rinaldo Turang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This research underlines the urgency of real-time stock replenishment control system for distributors using vendor-managed inventory. It is valuable in improving corporate performance in lowering inventory cost as well as making better customer service due to the cut made in ordering cycle. The system produces real-time information on stock available at the retailing stores. Stock replenishment can then be done by the distributor at the right time. Using Short Message Service (SMS as a one-way information channel from retailers to their distributor, the data of every transaction of the supervised item are processed by a rule-based forward-chaining inference system to determine the item’s availability in stores. Folowing steps in Rapid Application Development (RAD, the construction of this system takes place through business modeling, data modeling, process modeling of VMI system, then the application is generated and tested as a prototype. The results are: the stock replenishment control system are able to make transactional data at the stores transparent to the distributor, facilitating the continuation in stock delivery. System architecture reduces the time needed to access information about sales on supervised item by using SMS shortcut. This control system developed in stores can be operationally independent from the retailing systems. Rule-based forward-chaining inference technique processes facts on stock variations, resulting in stock replenishment notification such as normal, reserve, and depleted warning. Keywords: VMI, inventory; Stock replenishment; Rule-based reasoning; Forward-chaining system, RAD

  3. Development of short pulse laser pumped x-ray lasers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunn, J; Osterheld, A L; Hunter, J R; Shlyaptsev, V N

    2000-01-01

    X-ray lasers have been extensively studied around the world since the first laboratory demonstration on the Novette laser at LLNL in 1984 [l]. The characteristic properties of short wavelength, high monochromaticity, collimation and coherence make x-ray lasers useful for various applications. These include demonstrations of biological imaging within the water window, interferometry of laser plasmas and radiography of laser-heated surfaces. One of the critical issues has been the high power pump required to produce the inversion. The power scaling as a function of x-ray laser wavelength follows a -k4 to law. The shortest x-ray laser wavelength of ∼ 35 (angstrom) demonstrated for Ni-like All was at the limit of Nova laser capabilities. By requiring large, high power lasers such as Nova, the shot rate and total number of shots available have limited the rapid development of x-ray lasers and applications. In fact over the last fifteen years the main thrust has been to develop more efficient, higher repetition rate x-ray lasers that can be readily scaled to shorter wavelengths. The recent state of progress in the field can be found in references. The objective of the project was to develop a soft x-ray laser (XRL) pumped by a short pulse laser of a few joules. In effect to demonstrate a robust, worlung tabletop x-ray laser at LLNL for the first time. The transient collisional scheme as proposed by Shlyaptsev et al [8, 9] was the candidate x-ray laser for study. The successful endeavour of any scientific investigation is often based upon prudent early decisions and the choice of this scheme was both sound and fruitful. It had been demonstrated very recently for Ne-like Ti at 326 A using a small tabletop laser [10] but had not yet reached its full potential. We chose this scheme for several reasons: (a) it was a collisional-type x-ray laser which has been historically the most robust; (b) it had the promise of high efficiency and low energy threshold for lasing; (c) the

  4. Short-Term Interferential Transabdominal Electrical Stimulation Did Not Change Oral-Rectal Transit Time in Piglets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Andre Y F; Sourial, Magdy; Hutson, John M; Southwell, Bridget R

    2018-03-02

    Transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) using interferential current (IFC) is a new therapeutic treatment for constipation. Clinical studies show that TES-IFC for 3-6 months improves colonic transit, but it is not clear if short-term stimulation affects transit or the effect requires longer to develop. The aim of this study was to determine if TES-IFC for only four days affects oral-rectal transit time in healthy pigs. Twenty-two 4-5-week old large white female piglets had transit studies during week 4 and week 5 by placing a capsule containing 18 radiopaque plastic markers in the esophagus under anesthetic followed by x-rays at 6, 30, 54, and 78 hours. Animals were randomly assigned to active or control groups. The active group received TES for 30 min daily for four days. Interferential current was applied through four electrodes (4 × 4 cm), with two para-spinal just below the last rib and two on the belly at the same level. Stimulation was at 4000 Hz and 4080-4160 Hz with currents crossing through the abdominal cavity. Whole bowel transit times ranged from 7.7 to 72.2 hours, stomach transit from transit time from 5 to 53 hours. Transit times were the same for the control (median 28.4 hours) and TES-IFC (23.0 hours) groups in the prestimulation and stimulation weeks (control 23.0, TES-IFC 19.8 hours) with no change within or between groups. Four days of half-hour TES-IFC daily in healthy 5-week-old piglets did not change oral-rectal transit time. © 2018 International Neuromodulation Society.

  5. [Development of a Japanese version of a short form of the Profile of Emotional Competence].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nozaki, Yuki; Koyasu, Masuo

    2015-06-01

    Emotional competence refers to individual differences in the ability to appropriately identity, understand, express, regulate, and utilize one's own emotions and those of others. This study developed a Japanese version of a short form of the Profile of Emotional Competence, a measure that allows the comprehensive assessment of intra- and interpersonal emotional competence with shorter items, and investigated its reliability and validity. In Study 1, we selected items for a short version and compared it with the full scale in terms of scores, internal consistency, and validity. In Study 2, we examined the short form's test-retest reliability. Results supported the original two-factor model and the measure had adequate reliability and validity. We discuss the construct validity and practical applicability of the short form of the Profile of Emotional Competence.

  6. Vision-based online vibration estimation of the in-vessel inspection flexible robot with short-time Fourier transformation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Hesheng; Chen, Weidong; Xu, Lifei; He, Tao

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Vision-based online vibration estimation method for a flexible arm is proposed. • The vibration signal is obtained by image processing in unknown environments. • Vibration parameters are estimated by short-time Fourier transformation. - Abstract: The vibration should be suppressed if it happens during the motion of a flexible robot or under the influence of external disturbance caused by its structural features and material properties, because the vibration may affect the positioning accuracy and image quality. In Tokamak environment, we need to get the real-time vibration information on vibration suppression of robotic arm, however, some sensors are not allowed in the extreme Tokamak environment. This paper proposed a vision-based method for online vibration estimation of a flexible manipulator, which is achieved by utilizing the environment image information from the end-effector camera to estimate its vibration. Short-time Fourier Transformation with adaptive window length method is used to estimate vibration parameters of non-stationary vibration signals. Experiments with one-link flexible manipulator equipped with camera are carried out to validate the feasibility of this method in this paper.

  7. Vision-based online vibration estimation of the in-vessel inspection flexible robot with short-time Fourier transformation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Hesheng [Key Laboratory of System Control and Information Processing, Ministry of Education of China (China); Department of Automation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Chen, Weidong, E-mail: wdchen@sjtu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of System Control and Information Processing, Ministry of Education of China (China); Department of Automation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Xu, Lifei; He, Tao [Key Laboratory of System Control and Information Processing, Ministry of Education of China (China); Department of Automation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China)

    2015-10-15

    Highlights: • Vision-based online vibration estimation method for a flexible arm is proposed. • The vibration signal is obtained by image processing in unknown environments. • Vibration parameters are estimated by short-time Fourier transformation. - Abstract: The vibration should be suppressed if it happens during the motion of a flexible robot or under the influence of external disturbance caused by its structural features and material properties, because the vibration may affect the positioning accuracy and image quality. In Tokamak environment, we need to get the real-time vibration information on vibration suppression of robotic arm, however, some sensors are not allowed in the extreme Tokamak environment. This paper proposed a vision-based method for online vibration estimation of a flexible manipulator, which is achieved by utilizing the environment image information from the end-effector camera to estimate its vibration. Short-time Fourier Transformation with adaptive window length method is used to estimate vibration parameters of non-stationary vibration signals. Experiments with one-link flexible manipulator equipped with camera are carried out to validate the feasibility of this method in this paper.

  8. Three-factor models versus time series models: quantifying time-dependencies of interactions between stimuli in cell biology and psychobiology for short longitudinal data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frank, Till D; Kiyatkin, Anatoly; Cheong, Alex; Kholodenko, Boris N

    2017-06-01

    Signal integration determines cell fate on the cellular level, affects cognitive processes and affective responses on the behavioural level, and is likely to be involved in psychoneurobiological processes underlying mood disorders. Interactions between stimuli may subjected to time effects. Time-dependencies of interactions between stimuli typically lead to complex cell responses and complex responses on the behavioural level. We show that both three-factor models and time series models can be used to uncover such time-dependencies. However, we argue that for short longitudinal data the three factor modelling approach is more suitable. In order to illustrate both approaches, we re-analysed previously published short longitudinal data sets. We found that in human embryonic kidney 293 cells cells the interaction effect in the regulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1 signalling activation by insulin and epidermal growth factor is subjected to a time effect and dramatically decays at peak values of ERK activation. In contrast, we found that the interaction effect induced by hypoxia and tumour necrosis factor-alpha for the transcriptional activity of the human cyclo-oxygenase-2 promoter in HEK293 cells is time invariant at least in the first 12-h time window after stimulation. Furthermore, we applied the three-factor model to previously reported animal studies. In these studies, memory storage was found to be subjected to an interaction effect of the beta-adrenoceptor agonist clenbuterol and certain antagonists acting on the alpha-1-adrenoceptor / glucocorticoid-receptor system. Our model-based analysis suggests that only if the antagonist drug is administer in a critical time window, then the interaction effect is relevant. © The authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. All rights reserved.

  9. Development of a scale to measure problem use of short message service: the SMS Problem Use Diagnostic Questionnaire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rutland, J Brian; Sheets, Tilman; Young, Tony

    2007-12-01

    This exploratory study examines a subset of mobile phone use, the compulsive use of short message service (SMS) text messaging. A measure of SMS use, the SMS Problem Use Diagnostic Questionnaire (SMS-PUDQ), was developed and found to possess acceptable reliability and validity when compared to other measures such as self-reports of time spent using SMS and scores on a survey of problem mobile phone use. Implications for the field of addiction research, technological and behavioral addictions in particular, are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested.

  10. Measurements of short-range ordering in Ni3Al

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okamoto, J.K.; Ahn, C.C.

    1992-01-01

    This paper reports on extended electron energy-loss fine structure (EXELFS) that has been used to measure short-range ordering in Ni 3 Al. Films of fcc Ni 3 Al with suppressed short-range order synthesized by vacuum evaporation of Ni 3 Al onto room temperature substrates. EXELFS data were taken from both Al K and Ni L 23 edges. The development of short-range order was observed after the samples were annealed for various times at temperatures below 350 degrees C. Upon comparison with ab initio planewave EXELFS calculations, it was found that the Warren-Cowley short-range order parameter a(1nn) changed by about -0.1 after 210 minutes of annealing at 150 degrees C

  11. The short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China: comparison of time-series and case-crossover analyses

    OpenAIRE

    Meng Ren; Na Li; Zhan Wang; Yisi Liu; Xi Chen; Yuanyuan Chu; Xiangyu Li; Zhongmin Zhu; Liqiao Tian; Hao Xiang

    2017-01-01

    Few studies have compared different methods when exploring the short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China. This study assesses the association between air pollutants and respiratory disease mortality with both time-series and time-stratified?case-crossover designs. The generalized additive model (GAM) and the conditional logistic regression model were used to assess the short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality. Stratified...

  12. Comparing the Effectiveness of a Short-Term Vertical Jump vs. Weightlifting Program on Athletic Power Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teo, Shaun Y M; Newton, Michael J; Newton, Robert U; Dempsey, Alasdair R; Fairchild, Timothy J

    2016-10-01

    Teo, SYM, Newton, MJ, Newton, RU, Dempsey, AR, and Fairchild, TJ. Comparing the effectiveness of a short-term vertical jump vs. weightlifting program on athletic power development. J Strength Cond Res 30(10): 2741-2748, 2016-Efficient training of neuromuscular power and the translation of this power to sport-specific tasks is a key objective in the preparation of athletes involved in team-based sports. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in center of mass (COM) neuromuscular power and performance of sport-specific tasks after short-term (6-week) training adopting either Olympic-style weightlifting (WL) exercises or vertical jump (VJ) exercises. Twenty-six recreationally active men (18-30 years; height: 178.7 ± 8.3 cm; mass: 78.6 ± 12.2 kg) were randomly allocated to either a WL or VJ training group and performance during the countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), depth jump (DJ), 20-m sprint, and the 5-0-5 agility test-assessed pre and posttraining. Despite the WL group demonstrating larger increases in peak power output during the CMJ (WL group: 10% increase, d = 0.701; VJ group: 5.78% increase, d = 0.328) and SJ (WL group: 12.73% increase, d = 0.854; VJ group: 7.27% increase, d = 0.382), no significant between-group differences were observed in any outcome measure studied. There was a significant main effect of time observed for the 3 VJs (CMJ, SJ, and DJ), 0- to 5-m and 0- to 20-m sprint times, and the 5-0-5 agility test time, which were all shown to improve after the training (all main effects of time p sports, even in athletes with limited preseason training periods.

  13. Short-time dynamics of random-bond Potts ferromagnet with continuous self-dual quenched disorders

    OpenAIRE

    Pan, Z. Q.; Ying, H. P.; Gu, D. W.

    2001-01-01

    We present Monte Carlo simulation results of random-bond Potts ferromagnet with the Olson-Young self-dual distribution of quenched disorders in two-dimensions. By exploring the short-time scaling dynamics, we find universal power-law critical behavior of the magnetization and Binder cumulant at the critical point, and thus obtain estimates of the dynamic exponent $z$ and magnetic exponent $\\eta$, as well as the exponent $\\theta$. Our special attention is paid to the dynamic process for the $q...

  14. How does development lead time affect performance over the ramp-up lifecycle? : evidence from the consumer electronics industry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pufall, A.A.; Fransoo, J.C.; Jong, de A.; Kok, de A.G.

    2012-01-01

    In the fast-paced world of consumer electronics, short development lead times and efficient product ramp-ups are invaluable. The sooner and faster a firm can ramp-up production of a new product, the faster it can start to earn revenues, profit from early market opportunities, establish technology

  15. Short- and long-term effects of real-time medication monitoring with short message service (SMS) reminders for missed doses on the refill adherence of people with Type 2 diabetes: evidence from a randomised controlled trial.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vervloet, M.; Dijk, L. van; Bakker, D.H. de; Souverein, P.C.; Santen-Reestman, J.; Vlijmen, B. van; Aarle, M.C.W. van; Hoek, L.S. van der; Bouvy, M.L.

    2014-01-01

    Aims: To investigate short- and long-term effects of real-time monitoring medication use combined with short message service (SMS) reminders for missed doses on refill adherence to oral anti-diabetic medication. Methods: A randomized controlled trial with two intervention groups and one control

  16. Development of short-rotation willow coppice systems for environmental purposes in Sweden

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mirck, Jaconette; Verwijst, Theo; Isebrands, J.G.; Ledin, Stig

    2005-01-01

    During the last three decades, driving forces behind the development of short-rotation willow coppice (SRWC) in Sweden have been changing from a primary focus on biomass production towards emphasis on environmental applications. In most cases, current commercial SRWC practice is geared towards a combination of biomass production for energy purposes and environmental goals. The latter goals range from decreasing the impact of specific contaminants in the environment to organic waste handling in a recycling system in urban and/or agricultural areas. Where biomass production and pollutant management overlap, the science of phytoremediation has its practical application. Through phytoremediation, waste products that previously have been a burden for society can be used as valuable resources to increase short-rotation willow biomass production. In this paper we will present the terminology and definitions of different types of phytoremediation. We also give an overview of five different cases of phytoremediation activities with a potential for large-scale implementation. Some of the types of activities are already commercially used in Sweden; others seem promising but still need further development. (Author)

  17. Spectrogram analysis of selected tremor signals using short-time Fourier transform and continuous wavelet transform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Seidl

    1999-06-01

    Full Text Available Among a variety of spectrogram methods Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT and Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT were selected to analyse transients in non-stationary tremor signals. Depending on the properties of the tremor signal a more suitable representation of the signal is gained by CWT. Three selected broadband tremor signals from the volcanos Mt. Stromboli, Mt. Semeru and Mt. Pinatubo were analyzed using both methods. The CWT can also be used to extend the definition of coherency into a time-varying coherency spectrogram. An example is given using array data from the volcano Mt. Stromboli.

  18. The role of short-rotation woody crops in sustainable development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shepard, J.P.; Tolbert, V.R.

    1996-01-01

    One answer to increase wood production is by increasing management intensity on existing timberland, especially in plantation forests. Another is to convert land currently in agriculture to timberland. Short-rotation woody crops can be used in both cases. But, what are the environmental consequences? Short-rotation woody crops can provide a net improvement in environmental quality at both local and global scales. Conversion of agricultural land to short-rotation woody crops can provide the most environmental quality enhancement by reducing erosion, improving soil quality, decreasing runoff, improving groundwater quality, and providing better wildlife habitat. Forest products companies can use increased production from intensively managed short-rotation woody crop systems to offset decreased yield from the portion of their timberland that is managed less intensively, e.g. streamside management zones and other ecologically sensitive or unique areas. At the global scale, use of short-rotation woody crops for bioenergy is part of the solution to reduce greenhouse gases produced by burning fossil fuels. Incorporating short-rotation woody crops into the agricultural landscape also increases storage of carbon in the soil, thus reducing atmospheric concentrations. In addition, use of wood instead of alternatives such as steel, concrete, and plastics generally consumes less energy and produces less greenhouse gases. Cooperative research can be used to achieve energy, fiber, and environmental goals. This paper will highlight several examples of ongoing cooperative research projects that seek to enhance the environmental aspects of short-rotation woody crop systems. Government, industry, and academia are conducting research to study soil quality, use of mill residuals, nutrients in runoff and groundwater, and wildlife use of short-rotation woody crop systems in order to assure the role of short-rotation crops as a sustainable way of meeting society's needs

  19. Application of Grey Model GM(1, 1) to Ultra Short-Term Predictions of Universal Time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lei, Yu; Guo, Min; Zhao, Danning; Cai, Hongbing; Hu, Dandan

    2016-03-01

    A mathematical model known as one-order one-variable grey differential equation model GM(1, 1) has been herein employed successfully for the ultra short-term (advantage is that the developed method is easy to use. All these reveal a great potential of the GM(1, 1) model for UT1-UTC predictions.

  20. The relationship between ultra-short telomeres, aging of articular cartilage and the development of human hip osteoarthritis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harbo, M; Delaisse, J M; Kjaersgaard-Andersen, P

    2013-01-01

    Ultra-short telomeres caused by stress-induced telomere shortening are suggested to induce chondrocyte senescence in human osteoarthritic knees. Here we have further investigated the role of ultra-short telomeres in the development of osteoarthritis (OA) and in aging of articular cartilage in human...

  1. Geometric patterns of time-delay plots from different cardiac rhythms and arrhythmias using short-term EKG signals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borracci, Raúl A; Montoya Pulvet, José D; Ingino, Carlos A; Fitz Maurice, Mario; Hirschon Prado, Alfredo; Dominé, Enrique

    2017-12-27

    To date, no systematic work has been intended to describe spatio-temporal patterns of cardiac rhythms using only short series of RR intervals, to facilitate visual or computerized-aided identification of EKG motifs for use in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to detect and classify eye-catching geometric patterns of Poincaré time-delay plots from different types of cardiac rhythms and arrhythmias using short-term EKG signals. Approximately 150-300 representative, consecutive beats were retrieved from 24-h Holter registers of 100 patients with different heart rhythms. Two-dimensional Poincaré charts were created, and the resulting geometric patterns were transformed into representative familiar eye-catching drawings to interpret different arrhythmias. Poincaré plot representation of RR interval data revealed a wide variety of visual patterns: (i) comet-shaped for sinus rhythm; (ii) torpedo-shaped for sinus bradycardia; (iii) cigarette-shaped for sinus tachycardia; (iv) butterfly-shaped for sinus tachycardia and isolated atrial premature complexes; (v) arrow-shaped for isolated premature complexes and inappropriate sinus tachycardia; (vi) inverted fan-shaped for sinus rhythm with frequent atrial premature complexes; (vii) tornado-shaped for atrial flutter and atrial tachycardia; and (viii) fan-shaped for atrial fibrillation. Modified Poincaré plots with smoothed lines connecting successive points could accurately classify different types of arrhythmias based on short RR interval sequence variability. Characteristic emergent patterns can be visually identified and eventually could be distinguished by an automatic classification system able to discern between arrhythmias. This work provides an alternative method to interpret time-delay plots obtained from short-term EKG signal recordings. © 2017 Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Interest of the Department of Energy in production and development of short-lived radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thiessen, J.W.

    1985-01-01

    The Department of Energy has developed production of potentially useful radionuclides for applications in medicine. The Department's financial commitment and the short-lived radionuclide production program, with emphasis on iodine-123, is discussed

  3. Differences in motivations over time by level of development: an examination of pre/post adventure recreation experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharon L. Todd; Lynn Anderson; Anderson Young; Dale Anderson

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine changes in motivations for outdoor adventure recreation pursuits over a short period of time (pre- to posttest) for participants with different levels of development. Subjects were 100 undergraduate recreation majors from separate similar summer session Outdoor Education Practicum courses, each of which included 7 days in a camp...

  4. Last developments in the Belgian disposal programme for low and intermediate short-lived waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boyazis, Jean-Paul

    2006-01-01

    After an historical reminder of the several phases of the Belgian program for the disposal of low and medium level short-lived waste since the creation of ONDRAF/NIRAS and the bad results obtained in the 90's by using a pure technical approach, the presentation will explain the main lines of the new methodology developed, as a consequence of the government decision of 16 January 1998 in ONDRAF/NIRAS to improve local acceptance for the disposal project. The way local partnerships were created with four nuclear municipalities under the form of a non-profit organization with a clear mission, the functioning, on a voluntary base, of the different partnerships during four to six years and the concrete results obtained until now using this very innovative method will be addressed. The last developments of the Belgian program for the disposal of low and medium level and short-lived waste will be presented, including the recent and very important decision of the Belgian government of 23 June 2006 to dispose of the low and medium active short-lived waste in a surface disposal installation on the territory of the municipality Dessel. (author)

  5. Hypothesis driven development of new adjuvants: short peptides as immunomodulators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Jessica C; Kobinger, Gary P

    2013-04-01

    To date, vaccinations have been one of the key strategies in the prevention and protection against infectious pathogens. Traditional vaccines have well-known limitations such as safety and efficacy issues, which consequently deems it inappropriate for particular populations and may not be an effective strategy against all pathogens. This evidence highlights the need to develop more efficacious vaccination regiments. Higher levels of protection can be achieved by the addition of immunostimulating adjuvants. Many adjuvants elicit strong, undefined inflammation, which produces increased immunogenicity but may also lead to undesirable effects. Hypothesis driven development of adjuvants is needed to achieve a more specific and directed immune response required for optimal and safe vaccine-induced immune protection. An example of such hypothesis driven development includes the use of short immunomodulating peptides as adjuvants. These peptides have the ability to influence the immune response and can be extrapolated for adjuvant use, but requires further investigation.

  6. Optimization of irradiation decay and counting times in nuclear activation analysis using short-lived nuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bjoernstad, T.

    This work describes a method and outlines a procedure for optim- ization of an activation analysis with respect to the experimental times, irradiation time, t(subi), decay time and counting time. The method is based on the 'minimum relative standard deviation criterion', and specially designed for the use on short-lived nuclides. A computer program, COMB1, is written in the BASIC language in order to make the calculations easier and faster. It is intended to be understandable, and easily applicable on a computer of modest size. Time and cost are important factors, especially for routine analysis on a service basis. In such cases one can often allow a controlled reduction in the analysis quality (through a higher relative standard deviation). The procedure outlined can therefore help find acceptable conditions by calculation of the 'best practical' (or reasonable) experimental time values, and the minimum number of accumulation cycles necessary to fulfil the requirements given. (Auth.)

  7. Short-term versus long-term approaches to the development of tourism-related policies

    OpenAIRE

    Dredge, Dianne

    2015-01-01

    Tourism policy development is an increasingly complex activity involving multiple public sector agencies, industry and community stakeholders and non-government organisations at different scales. This discussion paper examines the implications for tourism of governments adopting short- term versus long-term approaches to the development of tourism related policies and identifies policy considerations to maximize the growth potential of tourism. The key issue is to understand how governments c...

  8. Atmospheric dispersion models for real-time application in the decision support system being developed within the CEC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mikkelsen, T.

    1992-01-01

    A number of Commission of the European Communities member states are presently coordinating their research and development of a ''Real-time On-line DecisiOn Support'' (RODOS) for emergency assistance in the event of nuclear accident. In addition to atmospheric dispersion, the system involves multiple other radiological disciplines. The ability to estimate a specific atmospheric dispersion scenarios in real-time becomes a first-priority task and is of uttermost importance for the subsequent success or failure of such a comprehensive decision support system to guide off-site emergency situations. No single dispersion model is at present able to cover all possible release-types and scales of dispersion. A hierarchy of atmospheric flow and dispersion models is presently being ranked for suitability to real-time calculate air and integrated-air concentrations. Starting at the short-range scale, models are discriminated with respect to principle, adequacy and flexibility, CPU-time constraints, experimental evaluation record, instantaneous or short-time release handling, deposition measures (wet and dry), input and output data flexibility and uncertainty-handling and model-interpretation. Additional features of particular importance are: Robustness in schemes for meteorological preprocessing of meteorological input data, and on-line backfitting and data-assimilation procedures. Models demonstrating practical and operational use, including real-time operational experience, have in this context the highest priority, as opposed to the more sophisticated and theoretical ''development-type'' models. Real-time methods founded on our present knowledge and data concerning flow and dispersion in the atmospheric boundary layer, are of primary interest. (au) (18 refs.)

  9. Short-term visual memory properties sheet secondary school age with different levels of physical development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E.E. Menshikh

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose . The results presented properties of short-term visual memory with different levels of physical development. Materials and methods. The study included 405 boys and girls Cherkassy school 11 in age from 13 to 16 years. Study of short-term visual memory was carried out using tables with 10 characters ( numbers and ambiguous geometric shapes . Indicator memory was the higher, the more information was displayed. Measured the length and body weight was recorded cardiorespiratory indicators - heart rate at rest and after 20 squats, lung capacity, breath-hold inspiration and expiration. Physical development factor was calculated by taking into account actual and average population indices. Results . Found that the volume of short-term visual memory, the boys and girls high school age does not depend on the level of their physical development. Despite the fact that the trend towards higher performance memory in groups of persons with a high level of physical development compared to their same age with medium and low levels, significant differences between the mean values for the most part have been identified. No significant differences between the values of the investigated cognitive function in groups by sex. Conclusions . Growth pattern memory with age in this period of ontogenesis preserved that coincides with the data presented in the scientific works of scientists.

  10. Effect of low-temperature long-time and high-temperature short-time blanching and frying treatments on the French fry quality of six Irish potato cultivars

    OpenAIRE

    Ngobese, Nomali Ziphorah; Workneh, Tilahun Seyoum; Siwela, Muthulisi

    2017-01-01

    Processing conditions are an important determinant of French fry quality. However, the effect of low-temperature long-time (LTLT) and high-temperature short-time (HTST) blanching and frying treatments has not been investigated in many cultivars. The current study investigates the effect of the sequential application of these treatments on French fries processed from six Irish potato cultivars (Fianna, Innovator, Mondial, Navigator, Panamera and Savanna). Blanching was effected at 75 °C for 10...

  11. A combination of HARMONIE short time direct normal irradiance forecasts and machine learning: The #hashtdim procedure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gastón, Martín; Fernández-Peruchena, Carlos; Körnich, Heiner; Landelius, Tomas

    2017-06-01

    The present work describes the first approach of a new procedure to forecast Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI): the #hashtdim that treats to combine ground information and Numerical Weather Predictions. The system is centered in generate predictions for the very short time. It combines the outputs from the Numerical Weather Prediction Model HARMONIE with an adaptive methodology based on Machine Learning. The DNI predictions are generated with 15-minute and hourly temporal resolutions and presents 3-hourly updates. Each update offers forecasts to the next 12 hours, the first nine hours are generated with 15-minute temporal resolution meanwhile the last three hours present hourly temporal resolution. The system is proved over a Spanish emplacement with BSRN operative station in south of Spain (PSA station). The #hashtdim has been implemented in the framework of the Direct Normal Irradiance Nowcasting methods for optimized operation of concentrating solar technologies (DNICast) project, under the European Union's Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration framework.

  12. Developing role of short-lived radionuclides in nuclear medical practice. DOE symposium series; 56

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paras, P.; Thiessen, J.W.

    1985-01-01

    The purpose was to define the developing role and state-of-the-art development of short-lived radionuclides (SLR's) in current nuclear medical practice. Special emphasis was placed on radionuclides with general-purpose labeling capabilities. The need for high-purity labeling-grade iodine-123 was emphasized in the program. Papers have been separately abstracted for the data base

  13. Development of short Indonesian lesson plan to improve teacher performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yulianto, B.; Kamidjan; Ahmadi, A.; Asteria, P. V.

    2018-01-01

    The developmental research was motivated by the results of preliminary study through interviews, which revealed almost all of the teachers did not create lesson plan themselves. As a result of this load, the performance of the real learning in the classroom becomes inadequate. Moreover, when lesson plan was not made by teachers themselves, the learning process becomes ineffective. Therefore, this study designed to develop a prototype of the short lesson plan, in particular, Indonesian language teaching, and to investigate its effectiveness. The participants in the study were teachers who were trained through lesson study group to design short model’s lesson plan. Questionnaires and open-ended questions were used, and the quantitative and qualitative data obtained were analyzed accordingly. The analysis of the quantitative data, aided with SPSS, were frequency, percentage, and means, whereas the qualitative data were analyzed descriptively. The results showed that the teachers liked the model, and they were willing to design their own lesson plan. The observation data revealed that the classroom learning process became more interactive, and classroom atmosphere was more engaging and natural because the teachers did not stick to the lesson plan made by other teachers.

  14. First Isochronous Time-of-Flight Mass Measurements of Short-Lived Projectile Fragments in the ESR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stadlmann, J.; Geissel, H.; Hausmann, M.; Nolden, F.; Radon, T.; Schatz, H.; Scheidenberger, C.; Attallah, F.; Beckert, K.; Bosch, F.; Falch, M.; Franczak, B.; Franzke, B.; Kerscher, Th.; Klepper, O.; Kluge, H.J.; Kozhuharov, C.; Loebner, K.E.G.; Muenzenberg, G.; Novikov, Yu.N.; Steck, M.; Sun, Z.; Suemmerer, K.; Weick, H.; Wollnik, H.

    2000-01-01

    A new method for precise mass measurements of short-lived hot nuclei is presented. These nuclei were produced via projectile fragmentation, separated with the FRS and injected into the storage ring ESR being operated in the isochronous mode. The revolution time of the ions is measured with a time-of-flight detector sensitive to single particles. This new method allows access to exotic nuclei with half-lives in the microsecond region. First results from this novel method obtained with measurements on neutron-deficient fragments of a chromium primary beam with half-lives down to 50 ms are reported. A precision of deltam/m ≤ 5 · 10 -6 has been achieved

  15. Metabolic changes in the normal ageing brain: Consistent findings from short and long echo time proton spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gruber, S.; Pinker, K.; Riederer, F.; Chmelik, M.; Stadlbauer, A.; Bittsansky, M.; Mlynarik, V.; Frey, R.; Serles, W.; Bodamer, O.; Moser, E.

    2008-01-01

    Objectives: Sixty three healthy subjects were measured to assess dependence of brain metabolites on age using short- and long echo time spectroscopy in different brain regions. Material and methods: Younger and elderly humans were measured with long echo time (TE = 135 ms) 3D-MR-spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) (10 subjects) and with ultra-short echo (TE = 11 ms) time 2D-MRSI (7 subjects). In addition, results from single voxel 1 H-spectroscopy (TE = 20 ms) of two cohorts of 46 healthy subjects were retrospectively correlated with age. Results: 3D-MR SI revealed reduced NAA/Cr in the older group in the frontal lobe (-22%; p < 0.01), parietal lobe (-28%; p < 0.01) and semiovale (-9%; p < 0.01) compared to the younger group. Cho/Cr was elevated in the semiovale (+35%; p < 0.01) and in the n. lentiformis (+42%; p < 0.01) in the older group. NAA/Cho was reduced in all regions measured, except the thalamus, in the older group compared to the younger group (from -21 to -49%; p < 0.01). 2D-MRSI revealed decreased total NAA (-3.1% per decade; p < 0.01) and NAA/Cr (-3.8% per decade; p < 0.01), increased total Cho (+3.6% per decade; p < 0.01) and Cho/Cr (+4.6% per decade; p < 0.01) and increased total myo-Inositol (mI, +4.7% per decade; p < 0.01) and mI/Cr (+5.4% per decade; p < 0.01) and decreased NAA/Cho (-8% per decade; p < 0.01) in semiovale WM. Results from single voxel spectroscopy revealed a significantly negative correlation of NAA/Cho in frontal (-13% per decade; p < 0.01) and in temporal lobe (-7.4% per decade; p < 0.01) as well as increased total Cr (10% per decade; p < 0.01) in frontal lobe. Other results from single voxel measurements were not significant, but trends were comparable to that from multivoxel spectroscopy. Conclusion: Age-related changes measured with long echo time and short echo time 1H-MRS were comparable and cannot, therefore, be caused by different T2 relaxation times in young and old subjects, as suggested previously

  16. Development and validation of the alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire Short Form (EQ-SF).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mezquita, Laura; Camacho, Laura; Suso-Ribera, Carlos; Ortet, Generós; Ibáñez, Manuel I

    2018-01-15

    Alcohol expectancies are proximal variables to alcohol use and misuse. In recent decades, different measures have been developed to assess this construct. One of the most frequently used and recommended instruments is the Expectancy Questionnaire (EQ; Leigh y Stacy, 1993). Our aim is to develop a short version of the EQ (EQ-SF) for suitable use in time-limited administrations. Two samples, adolescents (N = 514, 57.20% females) and adults (N = 548, 61.50% females), completed the EQ together with alcohol-use measures. Different item selection strategies were applied to select the 24 items. The EQ-SF structure was explored using confirmatory factor analysis, and measurement invariance was tested running a multi-group analysis comparing groups by sex and age. Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha and omega coefficients. Concurrent validity was investigated with regression analyses. The EQ-SF showed acceptable between-groups measurement invariance. Alphas and omegas ranged from .77 to .93. Positive expectancies predicted both alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Negative expectancies predicted alcohol-related problems. Sex and age moderated these associations. Males with high positive alcohol expectancies showed higher alcohol consumption than females, while adults with high negative alcohol expectancies showed greater alcohol-related problems than adolescents. Different evidence on the validity and reliability of the EQ-SF suggest that it is a suitable instrument to assess alcohol expectancies in the Spanish population.

  17. Short Term Prediction of PM10 Concentrations Using Seasonal Time Series Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamid Hazrul Abdul

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Air pollution modelling is one of an important tool that usually used to make short term and long term prediction. Since air pollution gives a big impact especially to human health, prediction of air pollutants concentration is needed to help the local authorities to give an early warning to people who are in risk of acute and chronic health effects from air pollution. Finding the best time series model would allow prediction to be made accurately. This research was carried out to find the best time series model to predict the PM10 concentrations in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. By considering two seasons which is wet season (north east monsoon and dry season (south west monsoon, seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average model were used to find the most suitable model to predict the PM10 concentrations in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan by using three error measures. Based on AIC statistics, results show that ARIMA (1, 1, 1 × (1, 0, 012 is the most suitable model to predict PM10 concentrations in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan.

  18. Development of real-time low energy electron calorimeter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noriah Mod Ali; Smith, F.A.

    1999-01-01

    A low energy electron beam calorimeter with a thin film window has been fabricated to facilitate a reliable method of dose assessment for electron beam energies down to 200 keV. The system was designed to incorporate a data-logger in order that it could be used on the self-shielded 200 keV facility at MINT. In use, the calorimeter started logging temperature a short time before it passed under the beam and it continued taking data until well after the end of the irradiation. Data could be retrieved at any time after the calorimeter had emerged from the irradiator

  19. Development and application of the generator for the short-living nuclides production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsejner, A.

    1979-01-01

    The results are stated of investigations by means of radioisotopes on the substance transfer in technological equipment. For these purposes, in most cases, nuclides with high gamma-activity are used and, if possible, having short half-life because the short half-life gives certain advantages in the cases when it is impossible to store radioactive substances in the technological equipment for a long time. It is noted that in connection with short half-life of the nucludes used for labelling and for the economic and radiation safety reasons, activity of these nuclides can not be high. It has been established that the most suitable nuclide for the labelling purpose is lanthanum-140 produced either in a nuclear reactor, or by means of separation from barium=-140 transforming into lanthanum-140 in an isotopic generator. Some methods of lanthanum separation from barium are described, in particular, in the isotopic generator described, barium is adsorbed on the cation-exchanger KPS-200 having high enough stability with respect to the ionozing radiations. As an eluent the 10 -2 M solution of the complexone (Na 2 - EDTA) was used. The complexone solution can be easely obtained and, because of the hydrolysis, it serves as a buffer solution. The data are given for radiation purity and yield of lanthanum-=140 [ru

  20. Using an Internally-Developed Tool to Assess Intercultural Competence in Short-Term Study Abroad Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kartoshkina, Yuliya

    2013-01-01

    An internally-developed tool was developed to assess the intercultural competence of students taking part in short-term study abroad programs. Four scales were built to assess possible change in students' host culture knowledge, cross-cultural awareness, cross-cultural adaptation, and self-assessed foreign language proficiency. Enrollment in a…

  1. Short-time dynamics of lysozyme solutions with competing short-range attraction and long-range repulsion: Experiment and theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riest, Jonas; Nägele, Gerhard; Liu, Yun; Wagner, Norman J.; Godfrin, P. Douglas

    2018-02-01

    Recently, atypical static features of microstructural ordering in low-salinity lysozyme protein solutions have been extensively explored experimentally and explained theoretically based on a short-range attractive plus long-range repulsive (SALR) interaction potential. However, the protein dynamics and the relationship to the atypical SALR structure remain to be demonstrated. Here, the applicability of semi-analytic theoretical methods predicting diffusion properties and viscosity in isotropic particle suspensions to low-salinity lysozyme protein solutions is tested. Using the interaction potential parameters previously obtained from static structure factor measurements, our results of Monte Carlo simulations representing seven experimental lysoyzme samples indicate that they exist either in dispersed fluid or random percolated states. The self-consistent Zerah-Hansen scheme is used to describe the static structure factor, S(q), which is the input to our calculation schemes for the short-time hydrodynamic function, H(q), and the zero-frequency viscosity η. The schemes account for hydrodynamic interactions included on an approximate level. Theoretical predictions for H(q) as a function of the wavenumber q quantitatively agree with experimental results at small protein concentrations obtained using neutron spin echo measurements. At higher concentrations, qualitative agreement is preserved although the calculated hydrodynamic functions are overestimated. We attribute the differences for higher concentrations and lower temperatures to translational-rotational diffusion coupling induced by the shape and interaction anisotropy of particles and clusters, patchiness of the lysozyme particle surfaces, and the intra-cluster dynamics, features not included in our simple globular particle model. The theoretical results for the solution viscosity, η, are in qualitative agreement with our experimental data even at higher concentrations. We demonstrate that semi

  2. A Statistical and Spectral Model for Representing Noisy Sounds with Short-Time Sinusoids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Myriam Desainte-Catherine

    2005-07-01

    Full Text Available We propose an original model for noise analysis, transformation, and synthesis: the CNSS model. Noisy sounds are represented with short-time sinusoids whose frequencies and phases are random variables. This spectral and statistical model represents information about the spectral density of frequencies. This perceptually relevant property is modeled by three mathematical parameters that define the distribution of the frequencies. This model also represents the spectral envelope. The mathematical parameters are defined and the analysis algorithms to extract these parameters from sounds are introduced. Then algorithms for generating sounds from the parameters of the model are presented. Applications of this model include tools for composers, psychoacoustic experiments, and pedagogy.

  3. Rotor-System Log-Decrement Identification Using Short-Time Fourier-Transform Filter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qihang Li

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available With the increase of the centrifugal compressor capability, such as large scale LNG and CO2 reinjection, the stability margin evaluation is crucial to assure the compressor work in the designed operating conditions in field. Improving the precision of parameter identification of stability is essential and necessary as well. Based on the time-varying characteristics of response vibration during the sine-swept process, a short-time Fourier transform (STFT filter was introduced to increase the signal-noise ratio and improve the accuracy of the estimated stability parameters. A finite element model was established to simulate the sine-swept process, and the simulated vibration signals were used to study the filtering effect and demonstrate the feasibility to identify the stability parameters by using Multiple-Input and Multiple-Output system identification method that combines the prediction error method and instrumental variable method. Simulation results show that the identification method with STFT filter improves the estimated accuracy much well and makes the curves of frequency response function clearer. Experiment was carried out on a test rig as well, which indicates the identification method is feasible in stability identification, and the results of experiment indicate that STFT filter works very well.

  4. "Short Courses Shouldn't Be Short-Lived!" Enhancing Longer-Term Impact of Short English as a Foreign Language INSET Initiatives in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Chunmei; He, Chuanjun

    2015-01-01

    Short in-service teacher development (INSET) programmes have been globally used as a form of teacher development, but their impact has been under question. This study sought to examine teacher participants' perceptions of short INSET programmes to come up with better solutions to enhancing their effect on teachers' professional learning. A…

  5. Risk factors associated with short-term outcome and development of perioperative complications in dogs undergoing surgery because of gastric dilatation-volvulus: 166 cases (1992-2003).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beck, Jennifer J; Staatz, Andrew J; Pelsue, Davyd H; Kudnig, Simon T; MacPhail, Catriona M; Seim, Howard B; Monnet, Eric

    2006-12-15

    To evaluate risk factors associated with death and development of perioperative complications in dogs undergoing surgery for treatment of gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV). Retrospective case series. 166 dogs. Records of dogs with confirmed GDV that underwent surgery were reviewed. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with development of complications (ie, hypotension, arrhythmias, gastric necrosis necessitating gastrectomy, disseminated intravascular coagulation, peritonitis, sepsis, postoperative dilatation, postoperative vomiting, and incisional problems) and with short-term outcome (ie, died vs survived to the time of suture removal). Short-term mortality rate was 16.2% (27/166). Risk factors significantly associated with death prior to suture removal were clinical signs for > 6 hours prior to examination, combined splenectomy and partial gastrectomy, hypotension at any time during hospitalization, peritonitis, sepsis, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Partial gastrectomy was not a significant risk factor for death but was for peritonitis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, sepsis, and arrhythmias. Age, gastrectomy, and disseminated intravascular coagulation were risk factors for development of hypotension. Use of a synthetic colloid or hypertonic saline solution was associated with a significantly decreased risk of hypotension. Results suggest that the prognosis for dogs undergoing surgery because of GDV is good but that certain factors are associated with an increased risk that dogs will develop perioperative complications or die.

  6. On the Option Effects of Short-Time Work Arrangements

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huisman, Kuno; Thijssen, J.J.J.

    2018-01-01

    We analyse the short term work (STW) regulations that several OECD countries introduced after the 2007 financial crisis. We view these measures as a collection of real options and study the dynamic effect of STW on the endogenous liquidation decision of the firm. While STW delays a firm’s

  7. 25 CFR 26.30 - Does the Job Training Program provide part-time training or short-term training?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Does the Job Training Program provide part-time training or short-term training? 26.30 Section 26.30 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN SERVICES JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING PROGRAM Training Services § 26.30 Does the Job Training...

  8. Recent developments in time-of-flight PET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vandenberghe, S.; Mikhaylova, E.; D’Hoe, E.; Mollet, P.; Karp, J. S.

    2016-01-01

    While the first time-of-flight (TOF)-positron emission tomography (PET) systems were already built in the early 1980s, limited clinical studies were acquired on these scanners. PET was still a research tool, and the available TOF-PET systems were experimental. Due to a combination of low stopping power and limited spatial resolution (caused by limited light output of the scintillators), these systems could not compete with bismuth germanate (BGO)-based PET scanners. Developments on TOF system were limited for about a decade but started again around 2000. The combination of fast photomultipliers, scintillators with high density, modern electronics, and faster computing power for image reconstruction have made it possible to introduce this principle in clinical TOF-PET systems. This paper reviews recent developments in system design, image reconstruction, corrections, and the potential in new applications for TOF-PET. After explaining the basic principles of time-of-flight, the difficulties in detector technology and electronics to obtain a good and stable timing resolution are shortly explained. The available clinical systems and prototypes under development are described in detail. The development of this type of PET scanner also requires modified image reconstruction with accurate modeling and correction methods. The additional dimension introduced by the time difference motivates a shift from sinogram- to listmode-based reconstruction. This reconstruction is however rather slow and therefore rebinning techniques specific for TOF data have been proposed. The main motivation for TOF-PET remains the large potential for image quality improvement and more accurate quantification for a given number of counts. The gain is related to the ratio of object size and spatial extent of the TOF kernel and is therefore particularly relevant for heavy patients, where image quality degrades significantly due to increased attenuation (low counts) and high scatter fractions. The

  9. Dollars and Deadlines: Rule Reforms in Short Time Frames

    Science.gov (United States)

    ABSTRACT: In "At Last! Aye, and there's the Rub" (i.e., the target article for this commentary), Capron describes challenges related to the timing for development, adoption, and revision of the Common Rule. Specifically, what the National Commission thought would be a...

  10. Impact of Auditory Selective Attention on Verbal Short-Term Memory and Vocabulary Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majerus, Steve; Heiligenstein, Lucie; Gautherot, Nathalie; Poncelet, Martine; Van der Linden, Martial

    2009-01-01

    This study investigated the role of auditory selective attention capacities as a possible mediator of the well-established association between verbal short-term memory (STM) and vocabulary development. A total of 47 6- and 7-year-olds were administered verbal immediate serial recall and auditory attention tasks. Both task types probed processing…

  11. High-Temperature Short-Time Pasteurization System for Donor Milk in a Human Milk Bank Setting

    OpenAIRE

    Diana Escuder-Vieco; Irene Espinosa-Martos; Juan M. Rodríguez; Nieves Corzo; Antonia Montilla; Pablo Siegfried; Carmen R. Pallás-Alonso; Carmen R. Pallás-Alonso; Leónides Fernández

    2018-01-01

    Donor milk is the best alternative for the feeding of preterm newborns when mother's own milk is unavailable. For safety reasons, it is usually pasteurized by the Holder method (62.5°C for 30 min). Holder pasteurization results in a microbiological safe product but impairs the activity of many biologically active compounds such as immunoglobulins, enzymes, cytokines, growth factors, hormones or oxidative stress markers. High-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurization has been proposed as an...

  12. Evidence of increased endometrial vascular permeability at the time of implantation in the short-nosed fruit bat, Cyanopterus sphinx.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pakrasi, Pranab Lal; Tiwari, Anjana

    2007-09-01

    Early embryonic development and implantation were studied in tropical short-nosed fruit bat Cyanopterus sphinx. We report preimplantation development and embryo implantation. Different stages of cleavage were observed in embryo by direct microscopic examination of fresh embryos after retrieving them either from the oviduct or the uterus at different days, up to the day of implantation. Generally, the embryos enter the uterus at the 8-cell stage. Embryonic development continued without any delay and blastocyst were formed showing attachment to the uterine epithelium at the mesometrial side of the uterus. A distinct blue band was formed in the uterus. The site of blastocyst attachment was visualized as a blue band following intravenous injection of pontamine blue. Implantation occurred 9+/-0.7 days after mating. This study reports that bat embryonic development can be studied like other laboratory animals and that this bat shows blue dye reaction, indicating the site and exact time of implantation. This blue dye reaction can be used to accurately find post-implantational delay. We prove conclusively that this species of tropical bat does not have any type of embryonic diapause.

  13. [Possibilities in the differential diagnosis of brain neoplasms using the long and short time sequences of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gajewicz, W.; Goraj, B.M.

    2004-01-01

    Currently to perform proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) with single voxel spectroscopy (SVS) technique long and/or short echo time sequences are used in order to provide complementary information. PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to compare the usefulness of STEAM (time echo, TE, 20

  14. Development of Short-Form Versions of the Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain-Revised (SOAPP-R): A Proof-of-Principle Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finkelman, Matthew D; Smits, Niels; Kulich, Ronald J; Zacharoff, Kevin L; Magnuson, Britta E; Chang, Hong; Dong, Jinghui; Butler, Stephen F

    2017-07-01

    The Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain-Revised (SOAPP-R) is a 24-item questionnaire designed to assess risk of aberrant medication-related behaviors in chronic pain patients. The introduction of short forms of the SOAPP-R may save time and increase utilization by practitioners. To develop and evaluate candidate SOAPP-R short forms. Retrospective study. Pain centers. Four hundred and twenty-eight patients with chronic noncancer pain. Subjects had previously been administered the full-length version of the SOAPP-R and been categorized as positive or negative for aberrant medication-related behaviors via the Aberrant Drug Behavior Index (ADBI). Short forms of the SOAPP-R were developed using lasso logistic regression. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) of all forms were calculated with respect to the ADBI using the complete data set, training-test analysis, and 10-fold cross-validation. The coefficient alpha of each form was also calculated. An external set of 12 pain practitioners reviewed the forms for content. In the complete data set analysis, a form of 12 items exhibited sensitivity, specificity, and AUC greater than or equal to those of the full-length SOAPP-R (which were 0.74, 0.67, and 0.76, respectively). The short form had a coefficient alpha of 0.76. In the training-test analysis and 10-fold cross-validation, it exhibited an AUC value within 0.01 of that of the full-length SOAPP-R. The majority of external practitioners reported a preference for this short form. The 12-item version of the SOAPP-R has potential as a short risk screener and should be tested prospectively. © 2016 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  15. Highly efficient indoor air purification using adsorption-enhanced-photocatalysis-based microporous TiO2 at short residence time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Jinze; Zhu, Lizhong

    2013-01-01

    A short residence time is a key design parameter for the removal of organic pollutants in catalyst-based indoor air purification systems. In this study, we synthesized a series of TiO2 with different micropore volumes and studied their removal efficiency of indoor carbonyl pollutants at a short residence time. Our results indicated that the superior adsorption capability of TiO2 with micropores improved its performance in the photocatalytic degradation of cyclohexanone, while the photocatalytic removal of the pollutant successfully kept porous TiO2 from becoming saturated. When treated with 1 mg m(-3) cyclohexanone at a relatively humidity of 18%, the adsorption amount on microporous TiO2 was 5.4-7.9 times higher than that on P25. Removal efficiency via photocatalysis followed'the same order as the adsorption amount: TiO2-5 > TiO2-20 > TiO2-60 > TiO2-180 > P25. The advantage of microporous TiO2 over P25 became more pronounced when the residence time declined from 0.072 to 0.036 s. Moreover, as the concentration of cyclohexanone deceased from 1000 ppb to 500 ppb, removal efficiency by microporous TiO2 increased more rapidly than P25.

  16. Short-term Forecasting Tools for Agricultural Nutrient Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Easton, Zachary M; Kleinman, Peter J A; Buda, Anthony R; Goering, Dustin; Emberston, Nichole; Reed, Seann; Drohan, Patrick J; Walter, M Todd; Guinan, Pat; Lory, John A; Sommerlot, Andrew R; Sharpley, Andrew

    2017-11-01

    The advent of real-time, short-term farm management tools is motivated by the need to protect water quality above and beyond the general guidance offered by existing nutrient management plans. Advances in high-performance computing and hydrologic or climate modeling have enabled rapid dissemination of real-time information that can assist landowners and conservation personnel with short-term management planning. This paper reviews short-term decision support tools for agriculture that are under various stages of development and implementation in the United States: (i) Wisconsin's Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast (RRAF) System, (ii) New York's Hydrologically Sensitive Area Prediction Tool, (iii) Virginia's Saturated Area Forecast Model, (iv) Pennsylvania's Fertilizer Forecaster, (v) Washington's Application Risk Management (ARM) System, and (vi) Missouri's Design Storm Notification System. Although these decision support tools differ in their underlying model structure, the resolution at which they are applied, and the hydroclimates to which they are relevant, all provide forecasts (range 24-120 h) of runoff risk or soil moisture saturation derived from National Weather Service Forecast models. Although this review highlights the need for further development of robust and well-supported short-term nutrient management tools, their potential for adoption and ultimate utility requires an understanding of the appropriate context of application, the strategic and operational needs of managers, access to weather forecasts, scales of application (e.g., regional vs. field level), data requirements, and outreach communication structure. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  17. Development of a coherent THz radiation source based on the ultra-short electron beam and its applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuroda, R.; Yasumoto, M.; Toyokawa, H.; Sei, N.; Koike, M.; Yamada, K.

    2011-01-01

    At the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), a coherent terahertz (THz) radiation source has been developed based on an ultra-short electron beam using an S-band compact electron linac. The designed THz pulse has a high peak power of more than 1 kW in the frequency range 0.1-2 THz. The entire system is located in one research room of about 10 m square. The linac consists of a laser photocathode rf gun (BNL type) with a Cs 2 Te photocathode load-lock system and two 1.5-m-long S-band accelerator tubes. The electron beam can be accelerated up to approximately 42 MeV. The electron bunch was compressed to less than 1 ps (rms) with a magnetic bunch compressor. The coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) of the THz region was generated from the ultra-short electron bunch at the 90 o bending magnet, and it was extracted from a z-cut quartz window for THz applications. In this work, the THz scanning transmission imaging was successfully demonstrated for measuring the freshness of a vegetable leaf over a period of time.

  18. Non-linear dynamical classification of short time series of the rössler system in high noise regimes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lainscsek, Claudia; Weyhenmeyer, Jonathan; Hernandez, Manuel E; Poizner, Howard; Sejnowski, Terrence J

    2013-01-01

    Time series analysis with delay differential equations (DDEs) reveals non-linear properties of the underlying dynamical system and can serve as a non-linear time-domain classification tool. Here global DDE models were used to analyze short segments of simulated time series from a known dynamical system, the Rössler system, in high noise regimes. In a companion paper, we apply the DDE model developed here to classify short segments of encephalographic (EEG) data recorded from patients with Parkinson's disease and healthy subjects. Nine simulated subjects in each of two distinct classes were generated by varying the bifurcation parameter b and keeping the other two parameters (a and c) of the Rössler system fixed. All choices of b were in the chaotic parameter range. We diluted the simulated data using white noise ranging from 10 to -30 dB signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). Structure selection was supervised by selecting the number of terms, delays, and order of non-linearity of the model DDE model that best linearly separated the two classes of data. The distances d from the linear dividing hyperplane was then used to assess the classification performance by computing the area A' under the ROC curve. The selected model was tested on untrained data using repeated random sub-sampling validation. DDEs were able to accurately distinguish the two dynamical conditions, and moreover, to quantify the changes in the dynamics. There was a significant correlation between the dynamical bifurcation parameter b of the simulated data and the classification parameter d from our analysis. This correlation still held for new simulated subjects with new dynamical parameters selected from each of the two dynamical regimes. Furthermore, the correlation was robust to added noise, being significant even when the noise was greater than the signal. We conclude that DDE models may be used as a generalizable and reliable classification tool for even small segments of noisy data.

  19. Development of real-time plasma analysis and control algorithms for the TCV tokamak using SIMULINK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Felici, F.; Le, H.B.; Paley, J.I.; Duval, B.P.; Coda, S.; Moret, J.-M.; Bortolon, A.; Federspiel, L.; Goodman, T.P.; Hommen, G.; Karpushov, A.; Piras, F.; Pitzschke, A.; Romero, J.; Sevillano, G.; Sauter, O.; Vijvers, W.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A new digital control system for the TCV tokamak has been commissioned. • The system is entirely programmable by SIMULINK, allowing rapid algorithm development. • Different control system nodes can run different algorithms at varying sampling times. • The previous control system functions have been emulated and improved. • New capabilities include MHD control, profile control, equilibrium reconstruction. - Abstract: One of the key features of the new digital plasma control system installed on the TCV tokamak is the possibility to rapidly design, test and deploy real-time algorithms. With this flexibility the new control system has been used for a large number of new experiments which exploit TCV's powerful actuators consisting of 16 individually controllable poloidal field coils and 7 real-time steerable electron cyclotron (EC) launchers. The system has been used for various applications, ranging from event-based real-time MHD control to real-time current diffusion simulations. These advances have propelled real-time control to one of the cornerstones of the TCV experimental program. Use of the SIMULINK graphical programming language to directly program the control system has greatly facilitated algorithm development and allowed a multitude of different algorithms to be deployed in a short time. This paper will give an overview of the developed algorithms and their application in physics experiments

  20. Double peak-induced distance error in short-time-Fourier-transform-Brillouin optical time domain reflectometers event detection and the recovery method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Yifei; Luo, Linqing; Li, Bo; Guo, Linfeng; Yan, Jize; Soga, Kenichi

    2015-10-01

    The measured distance error caused by double peaks in the BOTDRs (Brillouin optical time domain reflectometers) system is a kind of Brillouin scattering spectrum (BSS) deformation, discussed and simulated for the first time in the paper, to the best of the authors' knowledge. Double peak, as a kind of Brillouin spectrum deformation, is important in the enhancement of spatial resolution, measurement accuracy, and crack detection. Due to the variances of the peak powers of the BSS along the fiber, the measured starting point of a step-shape frequency transition region is shifted and results in distance errors. Zero-padded short-time-Fourier-transform (STFT) can restore the transition-induced double peaks in the asymmetric and deformed BSS, thus offering more accurate and quicker measurements than the conventional Lorentz-fitting method. The recovering method based on the double-peak detection and corresponding BSS deformation can be applied to calculate the real starting point, which can improve the distance accuracy of the STFT-based BOTDR system.

  1. Simple simulation training system for short-wave radio station

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Xianglin; Shao, Zhichao; Tu, Jianhua; Qu, Fuqi

    2018-04-01

    The short-wave radio station is a most important transmission equipment of our signal corps, but in the actual teaching process, which exist the phenomenon of fewer equipment and more students, making the students' short-wave radio operation and practice time is very limited. In order to solve the above problems, to carry out shortwave radio simple simulation training system development is very necessary. This project is developed by combining hardware and software to simulate the voice communication operation and signal principle of shortwave radio station, and can test the signal flow of shortwave radio station. The test results indicate that this system is simple operation, human-machine interface friendly and can improve teaching more efficiency.

  2. Road Short-Term Travel Time Prediction Method Based on Flow Spatial Distribution and the Relations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mingjun Deng

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available There are many short-term road travel time forecasting studies based on time series, but indeed, road travel time not only relies on the historical travel time series, but also depends on the road and its adjacent sections history flow. However, few studies have considered that. This paper is based on the correlation of flow spatial distribution and the road travel time series, applying nearest neighbor and nonparametric regression method to build a forecasting model. In aspect of spatial nearest neighbor search, three different space distances are defined. In addition, two forecasting functions are introduced: one combines the forecasting value by mean weight and the other uses the reciprocal of nearest neighbors distance as combined weight. Three different distances are applied in nearest neighbor search, which apply to the two forecasting functions. For travel time series, the nearest neighbor and nonparametric regression are applied too. Then minimizing forecast error variance is utilized as an objective to establish the combination model. The empirical results show that the combination model can improve the forecast performance obviously. Besides, the experimental results of the evaluation for the computational complexity show that the proposed method can satisfy the real-time requirement.

  3. SHORT DISSIPATION TIMES OF PROTO-PLANETARY DISKS: AN ARTIFACT OF SELECTION EFFECTS?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pfalzner, Susanne; Steinhausen, Manuel; Menten, Karl

    2014-01-01

    The frequency of disks around young stars, a key parameter for understanding planet formation, is most readily determined in young stellar clusters where many relatively coeval stars are located in close proximity. Observational studies seem to show that the disk frequency decreases rapidly with cluster age with <10% of cluster stars retaining their disks for longer than 2-6 Myr. Given that at least half of all stars in the field seem to harbor one or more planets, this would imply extremely fast disk dispersal and rapid planet growth. Here we question the validity of this constraint by demonstrating that the short disk dissipation times inferred to date might have been heavily underestimated by selection effects. Critically, for ages >3 Myr only stars that originally populated the densest areas of very populous clusters, which are prone to disk erosion, are actually considered. This tiny sample may not be representative of the majority of stars. In fact, the higher disk fractions in co-moving groups indicate that it is likely that over 30% of all field stars retain their disks well beyond 10 Myr, leaving ample time for planet growth. Equally, our solar system, with a likely formation time >10 Myr, need no longer be an exception but in fact typical of planetary systems

  4. Construction of a flash-photolysis apparatus having a short discharge time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Devillers, C.

    1964-01-01

    Flash photolysis aims at reaching directly the primary mechanisms resulting from the action of light on an absorbent matter. This makes it necessary to produce a flash as short and as bright as possible. Our main effort was directed towards reducing the duration of the flash by decreasing the self-inductance of the discharge circuit. A description of this circuit and study of the characteristics of the apparatus are followed by a short description of the two analytical methods: flash spectrography and absorption spectrophotometry at a given wave-length. (author) [fr

  5. Short communication

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    abp

    2017-09-04

    Sep 4, 2017 ... Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a standardized ... Short communication. Open Access ... clinic during the time of the study and were invited to participate in the study. .... consume them. This is another ...

  6. Development of TIME2 code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-02-01

    The paper reviews the progress on the development of a computer model TIME2, for modelling the long term evolution of shallow burial site environments for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste disposal. The subject is discussed under the five topic headings: 1) background studies, including geomorphology, climate, human-induced effects, and seismicity, 2) development of the TIME2 code, 3) verification and testing, 4) documentation, and, 5) role of TIME2 in radiological risk assessment. (U.K.)

  7. Prediction of long time creep rupture properties of welded joints using the results of short duration creep crack incubation tests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hosseini, E.

    2013-07-01

    This dissertation submitted to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH in Zurich examines the applicability of the LICON methodology for the prediction of long-time creep rupture strength of a dissimilar metal weld. The LICON methodology is an approach for predicting the lifetime of materials under creep loading conditions. It predicts long-time uniaxial creep strength using the results from several short duration creep crack incubation tests in conjunction with the outcome of a mechanical analysis on the test-piece. This study has re-examined the previous application of the LICON methodology for 9%Cr and 1CrMoV steels. It has shown that application of the original Lion method (based on reference stress solutions) for certain materials is not appropriate. This study therefore proposes a new development for the Lion approach which uses finite-element analysis to account for the generated multiaxial stress states within welded uniaxial test-pieces.

  8. Prediction of long time creep rupture properties of welded joints using the results of short duration creep crack incubation tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hosseini, E.

    2013-01-01

    This dissertation submitted to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH in Zurich examines the applicability of the LICON methodology for the prediction of long-time creep rupture strength of a dissimilar metal weld. The LICON methodology is an approach for predicting the lifetime of materials under creep loading conditions. It predicts long-time uniaxial creep strength using the results from several short duration creep crack incubation tests in conjunction with the outcome of a mechanical analysis on the test-piece. This study has re-examined the previous application of the LICON methodology for 9%Cr and 1CrMoV steels. It has shown that application of the original Lion method (based on reference stress solutions) for certain materials is not appropriate. This study therefore proposes a new development for the Lion approach which uses finite-element analysis to account for the generated multiaxial stress states within welded uniaxial test-pieces

  9. Three-phase short circuit calculation method based on pre-computed surface for doubly fed induction generator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, J.; Liu, Q.

    2018-02-01

    This paper presents an improved short circuit calculation method, based on pre-computed surface to determine the short circuit current of a distribution system with multiple doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs). The short circuit current, injected into power grid by DFIG, is determined by low voltage ride through (LVRT) control and protection under grid fault. However, the existing methods are difficult to calculate the short circuit current of DFIG in engineering practice due to its complexity. A short circuit calculation method, based on pre-computed surface, was proposed by developing the surface of short circuit current changing with the calculating impedance and the open circuit voltage. And the short circuit currents were derived by taking into account the rotor excitation and crowbar activation time. Finally, the pre-computed surfaces of short circuit current at different time were established, and the procedure of DFIG short circuit calculation considering its LVRT was designed. The correctness of proposed method was verified by simulation.

  10. The time development of QCD jets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caneschi, L.

    1979-01-01

    The time development of jets in perturbative QCD is studied. In spite of the fact that the total time for the jet to develop increases indefinitely with increasing energy, quark antiquark pairs remain unscreened only an infinitesimal time. (author)

  11. Clonidine treatment delays postnatal motor development and blocks short-term memory in young mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina Calvino-Núñez

    Full Text Available During the development of the nervous system, the perinatal period is particularly sensitive as neuronal connections are still forming in the brain of the neonate. Alpha2-adrenergic receptors are overexpressed temporarily in proliferative zones in the developing brain, reaching a peak during the first postnatal week of life. Both stimulation and blocking of these receptors during this period alter the development of neural circuits, affecting synaptic connectivity and neuronal responses. They even affect motor and cognitive skills later on in the adult. It's especially important to look for the early neurological consequences resulting from such modifications, because they may go unnoticed. The main objective of the present study has been to reaffirm the importance of the maturation of alpha-adrenergic system in mice, by carrying out a comprehensive examination of motor, behavioral and cognitive effects in neonates, during early postnatal development, following chronic administration of the drug Clonidine, an alpha2 adrenergic system agonist. Our study shows that mice treated postnatally with clonidine present a temporal delay in the appearance of developmental markers, a slow execution of vestibular reflexes during first postnatal week of life and a blockade of the short term memory in the novel object recognition task. Shortly after the treatment the startle response is hyperreactive.

  12. Femtosecond timing-jitter between photo-cathode laser and ultra-short electron bunches by means of hybrid compression

    CERN Document Server

    Pompili, Riccardo; Bellaveglia, M; Biagioni, A; Castorina, G; Chiadroni, E; Cianchi, A; Croia, M; Di Giovenale, D; Ferrario, M; Filippi, F; Gallo, A; Gatti, G; Giorgianni, F; Giribono, A; Li, W; Lupi, S; Mostacci, A; Petrarca, M; Piersanti, L; Di Pirro, G; Romeo, S; Scifo, J; Shpakov, V; Vaccarezza, C; Villa, F

    2017-01-01

    The generation of ultra-short electron bunches with ultra-low timing-jitter relative to the photo-cathode (PC) laser has been experimentally proved for the first time at the SPARC_LAB test-facility (INFN-LNF, Frascati) exploiting a two-stage hybrid compression scheme. The first stage employs RF-based compression (velocity-bunching), which shortens the bunch and imprints an energy chirp on it. The second stage is performed in a non-isochronous dogleg line, where the compression is completed resulting in a final bunch duration below 90 fs (rms). At the same time, the beam arrival timing-jitter with respect to the PC laser has been measured to be lower than 20 fs (rms). The reported results have been validated with numerical simulations.

  13. Femtosecond timing-jitter between photo-cathode laser and ultra-short electron bunches by means of hybrid compression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pompili, R; Anania, M P; Bellaveglia, M; Biagioni, A; Castorina, G; Chiadroni, E; Croia, M; Giovenale, D Di; Ferrario, M; Gallo, A; Gatti, G; Cianchi, A; Filippi, F; Giorgianni, F; Giribono, A; Lupi, S; Mostacci, A; Petrarca, M; Piersanti, L; Li, W

    2016-01-01

    The generation of ultra-short electron bunches with ultra-low timing-jitter relative to the photo-cathode (PC) laser has been experimentally proved for the first time at the SPARC-LAB test-facility (INFN-LNF, Frascati) exploiting a two-stage hybrid compression scheme. The first stage employs RF-based compression (velocity-bunching), which shortens the bunch and imprints an energy chirp on it. The second stage is performed in a non-isochronous dogleg line, where the compression is completed resulting in a final bunch duration below 90 fs (rms). At the same time, the beam arrival timing-jitter with respect to the PC laser has been measured to be lower than 20 fs (rms). The reported results have been validated with numerical simulations. (paper)

  14. The study of the possibility to use CAMEX chips in collider experiments with short bunch crossing time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aulchenko, V.M.; Chilingarov, A.G.; Serbo, V.V.; Titov, V.M.

    1993-01-01

    The study of the possibility to use CAMEX chips in several systems of the detector KEDR at the e + e - collider VEPP-4M was performed. The relatively short bunch crossing time at VEPP-4M 60 ns leads to some problems with the use of CAMEX in the standard mode. The different ways to overcome these difficulties are investigated and compared. (orig.)

  15. Setup of a bench for short time laser flash diffusivity measurement; Mise en place d`un banc de mesure de diffusivite flash laser aux temps courts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Remy, B.; Maillet, D.; Degiovanni, A. [Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 54 - Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy (France)

    1996-12-31

    In the domain of thermal engineering, new materials have been developed which are characterized by a high thermal diffusivity (5 to 10 times greater than the best usual conductors: gold, copper, silicon..) but also by a small thickness (from few hundreds of microns to few microns). Their time of response is very short (some few milliseconds to some few microseconds) and they are mainly used as heat dissipating materials. The classical thermal diffusivity measurement techniques are unable to analyze the thermal properties of these materials. Therefore, a bench for fast thermal diffusivity measurements has been developed that uses a laser system for the excitation and for the measurement of temperature (infrared detector). In this study, the measurement bench is described and the metrological problems encountered are discussed. (J.S.) 10 refs.

  16. Patient experience and satisfaction with inpatient service: development of short form survey instrument measuring the core aspect of inpatient experience.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eliza L Y Wong

    Full Text Available Patient experience reflects quality of care from the patients' perspective; therefore, patients' experiences are important data in the evaluation of the quality of health services. The development of an abbreviated, reliable and valid instrument for measuring inpatients' experience would reflect the key aspect of inpatient care from patients' perspective as well as facilitate quality improvement by cultivating patient engagement and allow the trends in patient satisfaction and experience to be measured regularly. The study developed a short-form inpatient instrument and tested its ability to capture a core set of inpatients' experiences. The Hong Kong Inpatient Experience Questionnaire (HKIEQ was established in 2010; it is an adaptation of the General Inpatient Questionnaire of the Care Quality Commission created by the Picker Institute in United Kingdom. This study used a consensus conference and a cross-sectional validation survey to create and validate a short-form of the Hong Kong Inpatient Experience Questionnaire (SF-HKIEQ. The short-form, the SF-HKIEQ, consisted of 18 items derived from the HKIEQ. The 18 items mainly covered relational aspects of care under four dimensions of the patient's journey: hospital staff, patient care and treatment, information on leaving the hospital, and overall impression. The SF-HKIEQ had a high degree of face validity, construct validity and internal reliability. The validated SF-HKIEQ reflects the relevant core aspects of inpatients' experience in a hospital setting. It provides a quick reference tool for quality improvement purposes and a platform that allows both healthcare staff and patients to monitor the quality of hospital care over time.

  17. An anisotropic elasto-viscoplastic model for short-fiber reinforced polymers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Amiri Rad, A.; Govaert, L.E.; van Dommelen, J.A.W.

    2017-01-01

    The influence of flow on the fiber orientation in injection molding of short-fiber composites leads to both anisotropy and inhomogeneity of the mechanical response. An anisotropic elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model is developed to capture the anisotropic and time-dependent behavior and

  18. An Anisotropic Elasto-Viscoplastic Model for Short-Fiber Reinforced Polymers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Amiri Rad, A.; Govaert, L.E.; van Dommelen, J.A.W.

    2018-01-01

    The influence of flow on the fiber orientation in injection molding of short-fiber composites leads to both anisotropy and inhomogeneity of the mechanical response. An anisotropic elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model is developed to capture the anisotropic and time-dependent behavior and

  19. Microbial inactivation of paprika by a high-temperature short-X time treatment. Influence on color properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almela, Luis; Nieto-Sandoval, José M; Fernández López, José A

    2002-03-13

    High-temperature short-time (HTST) treatments have been used to destroy the bioburden of paprika. With this in mind, we have designed a device to treat samples of paprika with a gas whose temperature, pressure, and composition can be selected. Temperatures and treatment times ranged from 130 to 170 degrees C and 4 to 6 s, respectively. The survival of the most commonly found microorganisms in paprika and any alteration in extractable and superficial color were examined. Data showed that the optimum HTST conditions were 145 degrees C, 1.5 kg/cm2 of overpressure, 6 s operation time, and a thermal fluid of saturated steam. No microbial growth was detected during storage after thermal treatment. To minimize the color losses, treated (HTST) paprika samples should be kept under refrigeration.

  20. Time-resolved neuroimaging of visual short term memory consolidation by post-perceptual attention shifts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hecht, Marcus; Thiemann, Ulf; Freitag, Christine M; Bender, Stephan

    2016-01-15

    Post-perceptual cues can enhance visual short term memory encoding even after the offset of the visual stimulus. However, both the mechanisms by which the sensory stimulus characteristics are buffered as well as the mechanisms by which post-perceptual selective attention enhances short term memory encoding remain unclear. We analyzed late post-perceptual event-related potentials (ERPs) in visual change detection tasks (100ms stimulus duration) by high-resolution ERP analysis to elucidate these mechanisms. The effects of early and late auditory post-cues (300ms or 850ms after visual stimulus onset) as well as the effects of a visual interference stimulus were examined in 27 healthy right-handed adults. Focusing attention with post-perceptual cues at both latencies significantly improved memory performance, i.e. sensory stimulus characteristics were available for up to 850ms after stimulus presentation. Passive watching of the visual stimuli without auditory cue presentation evoked a slow negative wave (N700) over occipito-temporal visual areas. N700 was strongly reduced by a visual interference stimulus which impeded memory maintenance. In contrast, contralateral delay activity (CDA) still developed in this condition after the application of auditory post-cues and was thereby dissociated from N700. CDA and N700 seem to represent two different processes involved in short term memory encoding. While N700 could reflect visual post processing by automatic attention attraction, CDA may reflect the top-down process of searching selectively for the required information through post-perceptual attention. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. The use of short-echo-time 1H MRS for childhood cerebellar tumours prior to histopathological diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harris, Lisa M.; Peet, Andrew C.; Davies, Nigel; Natarajan, Kal; MacPherson, Lesley; Foster, Katharine; Lateef, Shaheen; Sgouros, Spyridon; Brundler, Marie-Anne; Arvanitis, Theodoros N.; Grundy, Richard G.

    2007-01-01

    Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) measures concentrations of metabolites in vivo and provides a powerful method for identifying tumours. MRS has not entered routine clinical use partly due to the difficulty of analysing the spectra. To create a straightforward method for interpreting short-echo-time MRS of childhood cerebellar tumours. Single-voxel MRS (1.5-T Siemens Symphony NUM4, TR/TE 1,500/30 ms) was performed at presentation in 30 children with cerebellar tumours. The MRS results were analysed for comparison with histological diagnosis. Peak heights for N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr), choline (Cho) and myo-inositol (mIns) were determined and receiver operator characteristic curves used to select ratios that best discriminated between the tumour types. The method was implemented by a group of clinicians and scientists, blinded to the results. A total of 27 MRS studies met the quality control criteria. NAA/Cr >4.0 distinguished all but one of the astrocytomas from the other tumours. A combination of Cr/Cho <0.75 and mIns/NAA <2.1 separated all the medulloblastomas from the ependymomas. Peak height ratios from short-echo-time MRS can accurately predict the histopathology of childhood cerebellar tumours. (orig.)

  2. The impact of short night-time naps on performance, sleepiness and mood during a simulated night shift.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Centofanti, Stephanie A; Hilditch, Cassie J; Dorrian, Jillian; Banks, Siobhan

    2016-01-01

    Short naps on night shift are recommended in some industries. There is a paucity of evidence to verify the sustained recovery benefits of short naps in the last few hours of the night shift. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the sustained recovery benefits of 30 and 10-min nap opportunities during a simulated night shift. Thirty-one healthy participants (18F, 21-35 y) completed a 3-day, between-groups laboratory study with one baseline night (22:00-07:00 h time in bed), followed by one night awake (time awake from 07:00 h on day two through 10:00 h day three) with random allocation to: a 10-min nap opportunity ending at 04:00 h, a 30-min nap opportunity ending at 04:00 h or no nap (control). A neurobehavioral test bout was administered approximately every 2 h during wake periods. There were no significant differences between nap conditions for post-nap psychomotor vigilance performance after controlling for pre-nap scores (p > 0.05). The 30-min nap significantly improved subjective sleepiness compared to the 10-min nap and no-nap control (p effect.

  3. X-ray short-time lags in the Fe-K energy band produced by scattering clouds in active galactic nuclei

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mizumoto, Misaki; Done, Chris; Hagino, Kouichi; Ebisawa, Ken; Tsujimoto, Masahiro; Odaka, Hirokazu

    2018-05-01

    X-rays illuminating the accretion disc in active galactic nuclei give rise to an iron K line and its associated reflection spectrum which are lagged behind the continuum variability by the light-travel time from the source to the disc. The measured lag timescales in the iron band can be as short as ˜Rg/c, where Rg is the gravitational radius, which is often interpreted as evidence for a very small continuum source close to the event horizon of a rapidly spinning black hole. However, the short lags can also be produced by reflection from more distant material, because the primary photons with no time-delay dilute the time-lags caused by the reprocessed photons. We perform a Monte-Carlo simulation to calculate the dilution effect in the X-ray reverberation lags from a half-shell of neutral material placed at 100 Rg from the central source. This gives lags of ˜2 Rg/c, but the iron line is a distinctly narrow feature in the lag-energy plot, whereas the data often show a broader line. We show that both the short lag and the line broadening can be reproduced if the scattering material is outflowing at ˜0.1c. The velocity structure in the wind can also give shifts in the line profile in the lag-energy plot calculated at different frequencies. Hence we propose that the observed broad iron reverberation lags and shifts in profile as a function of frequency of variability can arise from a disc wind at fairly large distances from the X-ray source.

  4. Antimicrobial and antiviral effect of high-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurization applied to human milk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terpstra, Fokke G; Rechtman, David J; Lee, Martin L; Hoeij, Klaske Van; Berg, Hijlkeline; Van Engelenberg, Frank A C; Van't Wout, Angelica B

    2007-03-01

    In the United States, concerns over the transmission of infectious diseases have led to donor human milk generally being subjected to pasteurization prior to distribution and use. The standard method used by North American milk banks is Holder pasteurization (63 degrees C for 30 minutes). The authors undertook an experiment to validate the effects of a high-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurization process (72 degrees C for 16 seconds) on the bioburden of human milk. It was concluded that HTST is effective in the elimination of bacteria as well as of certain important pathogenic viruses.

  5. Development of real time visual evaluation system for sodium transient thermohydraulic experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanigawa, Shingo

    1990-01-01

    A real time visual evaluation system, the Liquid Metal Visual Evaluation System (LIVES), has been developed for the Plant Dynamics Test Loop facility at O-arai Engineering Center. This facility is designed to provide sodium transient thermohydraulic experimental data not only in a fuel subassembly but also in a plant wide system simulating abnormal or accident conditions in liquid metal fast breeder reactors. Since liquid metal sodium is invisible, measurements to obtain experimental data are mainly conducted by numerous thermo couples installed at various locations in the test sections and the facility. The transient thermohydraulic phenomena are a result of complicated interactions among global and local scale three-dimensional phenomena, and short- and long-time scale phenomena. It is, therefore, difficult to grasp intuitively thermohydraulic behaviors and to observe accurately both temperature distribution and flow condition solely by digital data or various types of analog data in evaluating the experimental results. For effectively conducting sodium transient experiments and for making it possible to observe exactly thermohydraulic phenomena, the real time visualization technique for transient thermohydraulics has been developed using the latest Engineering Work Station. The system makes it possible to observe and compare instantly the experiment and analytical results while experiment or analysis is in progress. The results are shown by not only the time trend curves but also the graphic animations. This paper shows an outline of the system and sample applications of the system. (author)

  6. The effect of chorionicity and twin-to-twin delivery time interval on short-term outcome of the second twin

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hjortø, Sofie; Nickelsen, Carsten; Petersen, Janne

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Objectives: To investigate the effect of chorionicity and twin-to-twin delivery time interval on short-term outcome in the second twin. Additionally, to investigate predictors of adverse outcome in both twins. Methods: Data included vaginally delivered twins (≥ 36 weeks) from Copenhagen ...

  7. Short-term volcano-tectonic earthquake forecasts based on a moving mean recurrence time algorithm: the El Hierro seismo-volcanic crisis experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    García, Alicia; De la Cruz-Reyna, Servando; Marrero, José M.; Ortiz, Ramón

    2016-05-01

    Under certain conditions, volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes may pose significant hazards to people living in or near active volcanic regions, especially on volcanic islands; however, hazard arising from VT activity caused by localized volcanic sources is rarely addressed in the literature. The evolution of VT earthquakes resulting from a magmatic intrusion shows some orderly behaviour that may allow the occurrence and magnitude of major events to be forecast. Thus governmental decision makers can be supplied with warnings of the increased probability of larger-magnitude earthquakes on the short-term timescale. We present here a methodology for forecasting the occurrence of large-magnitude VT events during volcanic crises; it is based on a mean recurrence time (MRT) algorithm that translates the Gutenberg-Richter distribution parameter fluctuations into time windows of increased probability of a major VT earthquake. The MRT forecasting algorithm was developed after observing a repetitive pattern in the seismic swarm episodes occurring between July and November 2011 at El Hierro (Canary Islands). From then on, this methodology has been applied to the consecutive seismic crises registered at El Hierro, achieving a high success rate in the real-time forecasting, within 10-day time windows, of volcano-tectonic earthquakes.

  8. Short-term versus long-term approaches to the development of tourism-related policies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dredge, Dianne

    Tourism policy development is an increasingly complex activity involving multiple public sector agencies, industry and community stakeholders and non-government organisations at different scales. This discussion paper examines the implications for tourism of governments adopting short- term versus...... long-term approaches to the development of tourism related policies and identifies policy considerations to maximize the growth potential of tourism. The key issue is to understand how governments can strengthen their support for tourism growth and development by taking an integrated cross......-sector policy approach. The discussion paper commences by examining the unique character of tourism policyscape and recognises that it involves a wide variety of inter-linked policy sectors that often operate and develop policies in separate policy processes. Little attention is placed on cross-sector policy...

  9. Phase I study of short-time oxaliplatin, capecitabine and epirubicin (EXE) as first line therapy in patients with non-resectable gastric cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dupont, Jeanette; Jensen, Helle A; Jensen, Benny V

    2007-01-01

    A phase I trial of short-time oxaliplatin (E), capecitabine (X) and epirubicin (E) for patients with metastatic gastric cancer was initiated to establish the recommended dose for further therapy with short-time EXE. Patients received out-patient therapy with a fixed dose of epirubicin 50 mg/m2 day......-8), median survival was 9.2 months and median TTP was 7.5 months. A combination of epirubicin 50 mg/m2 day 1, capecitabine 1,000 mg/m2 continuously and oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 day 1 each 3 weeks is an easily administered and well tolerated out-patient regimen for patients with non-resectable gastric cancer....

  10. Wing morphology and flight development in the short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elangovan, Vadamalai; Yuvana Satya Priya, Elangovan; Raghuram, Hanumanth; Marimuthu, Ganapathy

    2007-01-01

    Postnatal changes in wing morphology, flight development and aerodynamics were studied in captive free-flying short-nosed fruit bats, Cynopterus sphinx. Pups were reluctant to move until 25 days of age and started fluttering at the mean age of 40 days. The wingspan and wing area increased linearly until 45 days of age by which time the young bats exhibited clumsy flight with gentle turns. At birth, C. sphinx had less-developed handwings compared to armwings; however, the handwing developed faster than the armwing during the postnatal period. Young bats achieved sustained flight at 55 days of age. Wing loading decreased linearly until 35 days of age and thereafter increased to a maximum of 12.82 Nm(-2) at 125 days of age. The logistic equation fitted the postnatal changes in wingspan and wing area better than the Gompertz and von Bertalanffy equations. The predicted minimum power speed (V(mp)) and maximum range speed (V(mr)) decreased until the onset of flight and thereafter the V(mp) and V(mr) increased linearly and approached 96.2% and 96.4%, respectively, of the speed of postpartum females at the age of 125 days. The requirement of minimum flight power (P(mp)) and maximum range power (P(mr)) increased until 85 days of age and thereafter stabilised. The minimum theoretical radius of banked turn (r(min)) decreased until 35 days of age and thereafter increased linearly and attained 86.5% of the r(min) of postpartum females at the age of 125 days.

  11. Measurement and deconvolution of detector response time for short HPM pulses: Part 1, Microwave diodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolton, P.R.

    1987-06-01

    A technique is described for measuring and deconvolving response times of microwave diode detection systems in order to generate corrected input signals typical of an infinite detection rate. The method has been applied to cases of 2.86 GHz ultra-short HPM pulse detection where pulse rise time is comparable to that of the detector; whereas, the duration of a few nanoseconds is significantly longer. Results are specified in terms of the enhancement of equivalent deconvolved input voltages for given observed voltages. The convolution integral imposes the constraint of linear detector response to input power levels. This is physically equivalent to the conservation of integrated pulse energy in the deconvolution process. The applicable dynamic range of a microwave diode is therefore limited to a smaller signal region as determined by its calibration

  12. Effectiveness of Combined Tear Film Therapy in Patients with Evaporative Dry Eye with Short Tear Film Breakup Time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Yung Hui; Kang, Yeon Soo; Lee, Hyo Seok; Choi, Won; You, In Cheon; Yoon, Kyung Chul

    2017-10-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of combined tear film therapy targeted to aqueous, mucin, and lipid layers in patients with refractory evaporative dry eye (EDE) with short tear film breakup time (TBUT). The patients who had EDE with short TBUT and severe symptoms refractory to artificial tears were treated with hyaluronic acid (HA) 0.15% and diquafosol tetrasodium (DQS) 3% (Group 1), HA and carbomer-based lipid-containing eyedrops (Liposic EDO Gel, LPO) (Group 2), or HA, DQS, and LPO (Group 3). Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score, visual analog scale (VAS) symptom score, TBUT, Schirmer score, and corneal and conjunctival staining scores were evaluated, and noninvasive tear film breakup time (NIBUT) and tear meniscus height were measured using Keratograph ® 5 M before and 1 and 3 months after treatment. OSDI scores, VAS scores, TBUT, and NIBUT were improved at 1 and 3 months after treatment in all groups (all P film layers was most effective in improving ocular symptoms and tear film quality.

  13. The history of astronomy a very short introduction

    CERN Document Server

    Hoskin, Michael

    2003-01-01

    The History of Astronomy: A Very Short Introduction traces the history of Western astronomy, from prehistoric times to the origins of astrophysics in the mid-nineteenth century and the technical developments since the Second World War. Astronomy, perhaps the first of the sciences, was already well developed by the time of Christ — the arithmetical astronomy of the Babylonians was merged with the Greek geometrical approach. This legacy was transmitted to the West via Islam and led to the Copernican revolution, which in turn led to Kepler and Newton, who provided the principles on which the exploration of the solar system and the stars continued in the eighteenth- and nineteenth centuries.

  14. Cell short circuit, preshort signature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lurie, C.

    1980-01-01

    Short-circuit events observed in ground test simulations of DSCS-3 battery in-orbit operations are analyzed. Voltage signatures appearing in the data preceding the short-circuit event are evaluated. The ground test simulation is briefly described along with performance during reconditioning discharges. Results suggest that a characteristic signature develops prior to a shorting event.

  15. Worst Asymmetrical Short-Circuit Current

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arana Aristi, Iván; Holmstrøm, O; Grastrup, L

    2010-01-01

    In a typical power plant, the production scenario and the short-circuit time were found for the worst asymmetrical short-circuit current. Then, a sensitivity analysis on the missing generator values was realized in order to minimize the uncertainty of the results. Afterward the worst asymmetrical...

  16. Gene expression profiling of canine osteosarcoma reveals genes associated with short and long survival times

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rao Nagesha AS

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Gene expression profiling of spontaneous tumors in the dog offers a unique translational opportunity to identify prognostic biomarkers and signaling pathways that are common to both canine and human. Osteosarcoma (OS accounts for approximately 80% of all malignant bone tumors in the dog. Canine OS are highly comparable with their human counterpart with respect to histology, high metastatic rate and poor long-term survival. This study investigates the prognostic gene profile among thirty-two primary canine OS using canine specific cDNA microarrays representing 20,313 genes to identify genes and cellular signaling pathways associated with survival. This, the first report of its kind in dogs with OS, also demonstrates the advantages of cross-species comparison with human OS. Results The 32 tumors were classified into two prognostic groups based on survival time (ST. They were defined as short survivors (dogs with poor prognosis: surviving fewer than 6 months and long survivors (dogs with better prognosis: surviving 6 months or longer. Fifty-one transcripts were found to be differentially expressed, with common upregulation of these genes in the short survivors. The overexpressed genes in short survivors are associated with possible roles in proliferation, drug resistance or metastasis. Several deregulated pathways identified in the present study, including Wnt signaling, Integrin signaling and Chemokine/cytokine signaling are comparable to the pathway analysis conducted on human OS gene profiles, emphasizing the value of the dog as an excellent model for humans. Conclusion A molecular-based method for discrimination of outcome for short and long survivors is useful for future prognostic stratification at initial diagnosis, where genes and pathways associated with cell cycle/proliferation, drug resistance and metastasis could be potential targets for diagnosis and therapy. The similarities between human and canine OS makes the

  17. Three-dimensional ultrashort echo time MRI and Short T2 images generated from subtraction for determination of tumor burden in lung cancer: Preclinical investigation in transgenic mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Andreas; Jagoda, Philippe; Fries, Peter; Gräber, Stefan; Bals, Robert; Buecker, Arno; Jungnickel, Christopher; Beisswenger, Christoph

    2018-02-01

    To investigate the potential of 3D ultrashort echo time MRI and short T 2 images generated by subtraction for determination of total tumor burden in lung cancer. As an animal model of spontaneously developing non-small cell lung cancer, the K-rasLA1 transgenic mouse was used. Three-dimensional MR imaging was performed with radial k-space acquisition and echo times of 20 µs and 1 ms. For investigation of the short T 2 component in the recorded signal, subtraction images were generated from these data sets and used for consensus identification of tumors. Next, manual segmentation was performed on all MR images by two independent investigators. MRI data were compared with the results from histologic investigations and among the investigators. Tumor number and total tumor burden from imaging experiments correlated strongly with the results of histologic investigations. Intra- and interuser comparison showed highest correlations between the individual measurements for ultra-short TE MRI. Three-dimensional MRI protocols facilitate accurate tumor identification in mice harboring lung tumors. Ultrashort TE MRI is the superior imaging strategy when investigating lung tumors of miscellaneous size with 3D MR imaging strategies. Magn Reson Med 79:1052-1060, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  18. Spatial filtering velocimetry revisited: exact short-time detecting schemes from arbitrarily small-size reticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ando, S; Nara, T; Kurihara, T

    2014-01-01

    Spatial filtering velocimetry was proposed in 1963 by Ator as a velocity-sensing technique for aerial camera-control systems. The total intensity of a moving surface is observed through a set of parallel-slit reticles, resulting in a narrow-band temporal signal whose frequency is directly proportional to the image velocity. However, even despite its historical importance and inherent technical advantages, the mathematical formulation of this technique is only valid when infinite-length observation in both space and time is possible, which causes significant errors in most applications where a small receptive window and high resolution in both axes are desired. In this study, we apply a novel mathematical technique, the weighted integral method, to solve this problem, and obtain exact sensing schemes and algorithms for finite (arbitrarily small but non-zero) size reticles and short-time estimation. Practical considerations for utilizing these schemes are also explored both theoretically and experimentally. (paper)

  19. Fetal short time variation during labor: a non-invasive alternative to fetal scalp pH measurements?

    OpenAIRE

    Schiermeier, Sven; Reinhard, Joscha; Hatzmann, Hendrike; Zimmermann, Ralf C.; Westhof, Gregor

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To determine whether short time variation (STV) of fetal heart beat correlates with scalp pH measurements during labor. Patients and methods: From 1279 deliveries, 197 women had at least one fetal scalp pH measurement. Using the CTG-Player®, STVs were calculated from the electronically saved cardiotocography (CTG) traces and related to the fetal scalp pH measurements. Results: There was no correlation between STV and fetal scalp pH measurements (r=−0.0592). Conclusions: Fetal ST...

  20. Short Pulse Laser Applications Design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Town, R.J.; Clark, D.S.; Kemp, A.J.; Lasinski, B.F.; Tabak, M.

    2008-01-01

    We are applying our recently developed, LDRD-funded computational simulation tool to optimize and develop applications of Fast Ignition (FI) for stockpile stewardship. This report summarizes the work performed during a one-year exploratory research LDRD to develop FI point designs for the National Ignition Facility (NIF). These results were sufficiently encouraging to propose successfully a strategic initiative LDRD to design and perform the definitive FI experiment on the NIF. Ignition experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) will begin in 2010 using the central hot spot (CHS) approach, which relies on the simultaneous compression and ignition of a spherical fuel capsule. Unlike this approach, the fast ignition (FI) method separates fuel compression from the ignition phase. In the compression phase, a laser such as NIF is used to implode a shell either directly, or by x rays generated from the hohlraum wall, to form a compact dense (∼300 g/cm 3 ) fuel mass with an areal density of ∼3.0 g/cm 2 . To ignite such a fuel assembly requires depositing ∼20kJ into a ∼35 (micro)m spot delivered in a short time compared to the fuel disassembly time (∼20ps). This energy is delivered during the ignition phase by relativistic electrons generated by the interaction of an ultra-short high-intensity laser. The main advantages of FI over the CHS approach are higher gain, a lower ignition threshold, and a relaxation of the stringent symmetry requirements required by the CHS approach. There is worldwide interest in FI and its associated science. Major experimental facilities are being constructed which will enable 'proof of principle' tests of FI in integrated subignition experiments, most notably the OMEGA-EP facility at the University of Rochester's Laboratory of Laser Energetics and the FIREX facility at Osaka University in Japan. Also, scientists in the European Union have recently proposed the construction of a new FI facility, called HiPER, designed to

  1. Development and validation of the short-form Adolescent Health Promotion Scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Mei-Yen; Lai, Li-Ju; Chen, Hsiu-Chih; Gaete, Jorge

    2014-10-26

    Health-promoting lifestyle choices of adolescents are closely related to current and subsequent health status. However, parsimonious yet reliable and valid screening tools are scarce. The original 40-item adolescent health promotion (AHP) scale was developed by our research team and has been applied to measure adolescent health-promoting behaviors worldwide. The aim of our study was to examine the psychometric properties of a newly developed short-form version of the AHP (AHP-SF) including tests of its reliability and validity. The study was conducted in nine middle and high schools in southern Taiwan. Participants were 814 adolescents randomly divided into two subgroups with equal size and homogeneity of baseline characteristics. The first subsample (calibration sample) was used to modify and shorten the factorial model while the second subsample (validation sample) was utilized to validate the result obtained from the first one. The psychometric testing of the AHP-SF included internal reliability of McDonald's omega and Cronbach's alpha, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and construct validity with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results of the CFA supported a six-factor model and 21 items were retained in the AHP-SF with acceptable model fit. For the discriminant validity test, results indicated that adolescents with lower AHP-SF scores were more likely to be overweight or obese, skip breakfast, and spend more time watching TV and playing computer games. The AHP-SF also showed excellent internal consistency with a McDonald's omega of 0.904 (Cronbach's alpha 0.905) in the calibration group. The current findings suggest that the AHP-SF is a valid and reliable instrument for the evaluation of adolescent health-promoting behaviors. Primary health care providers and clinicians can use the AHP-SF to assess these behaviors and evaluate the outcome of health promotion programs in the adolescent population.

  2. Short-time relaxation of the critical current in oriented grained YBa2Cu3Ox and granular (Bi,Pb)2 Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuepfer, H.; Keller, C.; Meier-Hirmer, R.; Wiech, U.; Salama, K.; Selvamanickam, V.; Green, S.M.; Luo, H.L.; Politis, C.

    1990-01-01

    The time-dependent behavior of the critical current density j c is investigated by ac inductive measurements. The variation of db/dt of the ac field between 0.1 and 3 T/s reveals a short-time relaxation in the millisecond regime before j c exhibits the familiar logarithmic decay. At fields above the irreversibility line only this short-time relaxation is observed. Our experimental time scale allows us to obtain the unrelaxed critical current density j c0 at certain fields and temperatures

  3. Short-Term Load Forecasting-Based Automatic Distribution Network Reconfiguration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Huaiguang [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ding, Fei [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Zhang, Yingchen [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2017-08-23

    In a traditional dynamic network reconfiguration study, the optimal topology is determined at every scheduled time point by using the real load data measured at that time. The development of the load forecasting technique can provide an accurate prediction of the load power that will happen in a future time and provide more information about load changes. With the inclusion of load forecasting, the optimal topology can be determined based on the predicted load conditions during a longer time period instead of using a snapshot of the load at the time when the reconfiguration happens; thus, the distribution system operator can use this information to better operate the system reconfiguration and achieve optimal solutions. This paper proposes a short-term load forecasting approach to automatically reconfigure distribution systems in a dynamic and pre-event manner. Specifically, a short-term and high-resolution distribution system load forecasting approach is proposed with a forecaster based on support vector regression and parallel parameters optimization. The network reconfiguration problem is solved by using the forecasted load continuously to determine the optimal network topology with the minimum amount of loss at the future time. The simulation results validate and evaluate the proposed approach.

  4. Short sleep duration as a possible cause of obesity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, L S; Danielsen, Karen; Sørensen, T I A

    2011-01-01

    with particular emphasis on prospective studies. The studies showed that short sleep duration is consistently associated with development of obesity in children and young adults, but not consistently so in older adults. We have identified critical aspects of the evidence, and assessed the possibility...... for interpretation of the evidence in terms of causality. We have discussed the requirement of temporal sequence between putative exposure and outcome and the implications of the time lag between them, the problems in adequate measurements of exposure and effects, the possible bidirectional causal effects......Systematic literature search for epidemiological evidence for an association of short sleep with weight gain and eventual development of obesity provided 71 original studies and seven reviews of various subsets of these studies. We have summarized the evidence for such an association...

  5. Development, relevance, and applications of 'atom-at-a-time' techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoffman, D.C.

    2012-01-01

    A brief history of the development and some of the first uses of 'atom-at-a-time' techniques to investigate the chemical and nuclear properties of the actinide and transactinide elements are presented. The currently known transactinides (all elements with Z > 103) were discovered using physical (nuclear) techniques rather than chemical separation techniques because of their short half-lives and low production rates and the difficulty in accurately predicting chemical properties of the heaviest elements because of relativistic effects. Some of the constraints on systems suitable for such studies and whether these tracer-scale results can be extended to the macro-scale are discussed. The relevance and importance of the methods and their potential for application to some current problems such as nuclear forensics and proliferation and environmental concerns are considered. The value of graduate research utilizing such techniques in helping to attract and educate the next generation of nuclear scientists is highlighted. (author)

  6. Short-cut math

    CERN Document Server

    Kelly, Gerard W

    1984-01-01

    Clear, concise compendium of about 150 time-saving math short-cuts features faster, easier ways to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Each problem includes an explanation of the method. No special math ability needed.

  7. Retention time generates short-term phytoplankton blooms in a shallow microtidal subtropical estuary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Odebrecht, Clarisse; Abreu, Paulo C.; Carstensen, Jacob

    2015-09-01

    In this study it was hypothesised that increasing water retention time promotes phytoplankton blooms in the shallow microtidal Patos Lagoon estuary (PLE). This hypothesis was tested using salinity variation as a proxy of water retention time and chlorophyll a for phytoplankton biomass. Submersible sensors fixed at 5 m depth near the mouth of PLE continuously measured water temperature, salinity and pigments fluorescence (calibrated to chlorophyll a) between March 2010 and 12th of December 2011, with some gaps. Salinity variations were used to separate alternating patterns of outflow of lagoon water (salinity 24; 35% of the time). The two transition phases represented a rapid change from lagoon water outflow to marine water inflow and a more gradually declining salinity between the dominating inflow and outflow conditions. During the latter of these, a significant chlorophyll a increase relative to that expected from a linear mixing relationship was observed at intermediate salinities (10-20). The increase in chlorophyll a was positively related to the duration of the prior coastal water inflow in the PLE. Moreover, chlorophyll a increase was significantly higher during austral spring-summer than autumn-winter, probably due to higher light and nutrient availability in the former. Moreover, the retention time process operating on time scales of days influences the long-term phytoplankton variability in this ecosystem. Comparing these results with monthly data from a nearby long-term water quality monitoring station (1993-2011) support the hypothesis that chlorophyll a accumulations occur after marine inflow events, whereas phytoplankton does not accumulate during high water outflow, when the water residence time is short. These results suggest that changing hydrological pattern is the most important mechanism underlying phytoplankton blooms in the PLE.

  8. Characterization of new eye drops with choline salicylate and assessment of their irritancy by in vitro short time exposure tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wroblewska, Katarzyna; Kucinska, Małgorzata; Murias, Marek; Lulek, Janina

    2015-09-01

    The aim of our study was to examine the irritation potential of new eye drops containing 2% choline salicylate (CS) as an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and various polymers increasing eye drop viscosity (hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, methylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone). The standard method for assessing the potential of irritating substances has been the Draize rabbit eye test. However the European Centre for Validation of Alternative Methods and the Coordinating Committee for Validation of Alternative Methods recommend, short time exposure (STE) in vitro tests as an alternative method for assessing eye irritation. The eye irritation potential was determined using cytotoxicity test methods for rabbit corneal cell line (SIRC) after 5 min exposure. The viability of cells was determined using two cytotoxicity assays: MTT and Neutral Red Uptake. According to the irritation rankings for the short time exposure test, all tested eye drops are classified as non-irritating (cell viability >70%).

  9. The effects of short term and chronic exposure to tritiated drinking water on pre- and postnatal brain development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marthens, E. van; Zamenhof, S.

    1982-01-01

    Ingestion of HTO during oocyte maturation and continued during pre-implantation time was found to depress decidual response. At birth these offspring also showed a decrease in brain cell number. When HTO was given during pregnancy only, the offspring at birth showed a similar deficit in brain cell number. Even so, we could not demonstrate a gross deficit in oocyte maturation when HTO was ingested during sexual maturity only; however, when further continued during pregnancy, the measured newborn parameters were most severely affected. In this group, cell-multiplication in the cerebrum was severely decreased, protein synthesis was decreased, and somatic growth was also highly significantly decreased. These experiments indicate that even a short-term exposure to HTO during early pregnancy (pre-implantation) alters normal development to such an extent that it is still observable at birth. During embryonic development, HTO affected the rate of actual cell division and it is apparent that the central nervous system is most vulnerable. If the exposure to HTO is prolonged, the somatic development is also severely affected. (orig./MG)

  10. Application of rat mast cell incubates as a possible short-time test for sensitizing occupational chemicals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Diel, F.; Neidhart, B.; Opree, W.

    1981-08-01

    The direct action of sensitizing occupational chemicals (formaldehyde, phenol, phenylhydrazine, p-aminophenol) on rat mast cells was investigated by determination of histamine using HPLC separation and fluorimetric detection. It turned out that dispersed mast cells from immunized and non-immunized Wistar-rats are more sensitive than small-cut lung tissue slices. Passive cutaneous anaphylaxis was negative after a fortnight sensitizing experiment with the here described occupational chemicals. Short-time tests with rat mast cells reflect anaphylactoid response and are suitable for the screening of sensitizing chemicals.

  11. 2-Hydroxyglutarate Detection by Short Echo Time Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Routine Imaging Study of Brain Glioma at 3.0 T.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crisi, Girolamo; Filice, Silvano; Michiara, Maria; Crafa, Pellegrino; Lana, Silvia

    The objective of this study was to assess the effective performance of short echo time magnetic resonance spectroscopy (short TE MRS) for 2HG detection as biomarker of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) status in all grade glioma (GL). A total of 82 GL patients were prospectively investigated by short TE MRS at 3.0 T as part of a multimodal magnetic resonance imaging study protocol. Spectral analysis was performed using linear combination model. Tumor specimens were diagnosed as IDH mutant or wild type according to the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of brain tumors. Spectra were analyzed for the presence of 2HG. The performance of short TE MRS was evaluated in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratio on the overall sample and on GL WHO grades II and III and glioblastoma separately. The specificity and sensitivity estimated on the overall sample were 88% and 77%, respectively. In GL WHO grades II and III, 100% specificity and 75% sensitivity were estimated. We reiterate the feasibility to identify IDH status of brain GL using short TE MRS at 3.0 T. The method can correctly detect 2HG as expression of IDH mutation in WHO grades II and III GL with a 100% specificity but a 75% sensitivity. In the evaluation of glioblastoma, short TE MRS performs poorly having a 17% false positive rate.

  12. Time-dependent H-like and He-like Al lines produced by ultra-short pulse laser

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kato, Takako; Kato, Masatoshi [National Inst. for Fusion Science, Nagoya (Japan); Shepherd, R; Young, B; More, R; Osterheld, Al

    1998-03-01

    We have performed numerical modeling of time-resolved x-ray spectra from thin foil targets heated by the LLNL Ultra-short pulse (USP) laser. The targets were aluminum foils of thickness ranging from 250 A to 1250 A, heated with 120 fsec pulses of 400 nm light from the USP laser. The laser energy was approximately 0.2 Joules, focused to a 3 micron spot size for a peak intensity near 2 x 10{sup 19} W/cm{sup 2}. Ly{alpha} and He{alpha} lines were recorded using a 900 fsec x-ray streak camera. We calculate the effective ionization, recombination and emission rate coefficients including density effects for H-like and He-like aluminum ions using a collisional radiative model. We calculate time-dependent ion abundances using these effective ionization and recombination rate coefficients. The time-dependent electron temperature and density used in the calculation are based on an analytical model for the hydrodynamic expansion of the target foils. During the laser pulse the target is ionized. After the laser heating stops, the plasma begins to recombine. Using the calculated time dependent ion abundances and the effective emission rate coefficients, we calculate the time dependent Ly{alpha} and He{alpha} lines. The calculations reproduce the main qualitative features of the experimental spectra. (author)

  13. Changes in Children's Perception-Action Tuning over Short Time Scales: Bicycling across Traffic-Filled Intersections in a Virtual Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plumert, Jodie M.; Kearney, Joseph K.; Cremer, James F.; Recker, Kara M.; Strutt, Jonathan

    2011-01-01

    This investigation examined short-term changes in child and adult cyclists' gap decisions and movement timing in response to general and specific road-crossing experiences. Children (10- and 12-year-olds) and adults rode a bicycle through a virtual environment with 12 intersections. Participants faced continuous cross traffic and waited for gaps…

  14. Short-Term Wind Speed Forecasting for Power System Operations

    KAUST Repository

    Zhu, Xinxin

    2012-04-01

    The emphasis on renewable energy and concerns about the environment have led to large-scale wind energy penetration worldwide. However, there are also significant challenges associated with the use of wind energy due to the intermittent and unstable nature of wind. High-quality short-term wind speed forecasting is critical to reliable and secure power system operations. This article begins with an overview of the current status of worldwide wind power developments and future trends. It then reviews some statistical short-term wind speed forecasting models, including traditional time series approaches and more advanced space-time statistical models. It also discusses the evaluation of forecast accuracy, in particular, the need for realistic loss functions. New challenges in wind speed forecasting regarding ramp events and offshore wind farms are also presented. © 2012 The Authors. International Statistical Review © 2012 International Statistical Institute.

  15. Dynamics of Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} MIC combustion from short single-pulse photothermal initiation and time-resolved spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stiegman, Albert E.; Park, Chi-Dong; Mileham, Melissa; Van de Burgt, Lambertus J. [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University Tallahassee, FL (United States); Kramer, Michael P. [AFRL/MNME Eglin AFB, FL (United States)

    2009-08-15

    Time-resolved spectroscopy was used to study the dynamics of the photothermal ignition of Al/Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} metastable intermolecular composites after single short-pulse laser initiation. The dynamics were recorded in several time domains from nanosecond to microsecond to quantify the dynamics from initial laser excitation to combustion. Time-averaged spectral data were also collected for the overall emission occurring during combustion. (Abstract Copyright [2009], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  16. Predicting short term mood developments among depressed patients using adherence and ecological momentary assessment data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam Mikus

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Technology driven interventions provide us with an increasing amount of fine-grained data about the patient. This data includes regular ecological momentary assessments (EMA but also response times to EMA questions by a user. When observing this data, we see a huge variation between the patterns exhibited by different patients. Some are more stable while others vary a lot over time. This poses a challenging problem for the domain of artificial intelligence and makes on wondering whether it is possible to predict the future mental state of a patient using the data that is available. In the end, these predictions could potentially contribute to interventions that tailor the feedback to the user on a daily basis, for example by warning a user that a fall-back might be expected during the next days, or by applying a strategy to prevent the fall-back from occurring in the first place.In this work, we focus on short term mood prediction by considering the adherence and usage data as an additional predictor. We apply recurrent neural networks to handle the temporal aspects best and try to explore whether individual, group level, or one single predictive model provides the highest predictive performance (measured using the root mean squared error (RMSE. We use data collected from patients from five countries who used the ICT4Depression/MoodBuster platform in the context of the EU E-COMPARED project. In total, we used the data from 143 patients (with between 9 and 425days of EMA data who were diagnosed with a major depressive disorder according to DSM-IV.Results show that we can make predictions of short term mood change quite accurate (ranging between 0.065 and 0.11. The past EMA mood ratings proved to be the most influential while adherence and usage data did not improve prediction accuracy. In general, group level predictions proved to be the most promising, however differences were not significant.Short term mood prediction remains a difficult task

  17. Psychological and emotional development, intellectual capabilities, and body image in short normal children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molinari, E; Sartori, A; Ceccarelli, A; Marchi, S

    2002-04-01

    It is well established that children with short stature frequently have problems in cognitive development, personality, self-esteem and social relations. This is partly due to the fact that many parents view them as more vulnerable than other children of normal stature and do not allow them to face the normal experiences that correspond to their actual age. The aim of the present study was to assess, through the administration of appropriate psychological tools, a series of psychological and cognitive characteristics [i.e. anxiety, depression, good adjustment, social functioning, feeling of guilt, interpersonal relationship, intelligence quotient (IQ)], as well as variables linked to development of body image, in a group of children suffering from normal growth variants [familial short stature (FSS), no. 10, 4 males/6 females; with constitutional growth delay (CGD), no. 4,4 males; height standard deviation score (HSDS) ranging between -2.4 and -1.9] and in a control group children of normal stature (HSDS between -0.1 and +0.1). Children with short stature significantly differed from normal statured controls as far as Colored Progressive Matrices (CPMs, centiles), IQ (IQ, obtained using the Goodenough test), "Good Adjustment" (Draw-a-Person index, DAP), "Feelings of Guilt" (DAP index), "Height" (as emerges from drawings of the body) are concerned. Significant relationships were found between the height of the subjects (in centiles) and cognitive skills, measured both using CPMs (r=0.408; p=0.017) and Draw-a-Man (DAM) (r=0.359; p=0.037) and between height and feelings of guilt (r=0.325; p=0.027), measured using DAP. CPM scores correlated positively with the "Good Adjustment" index of DAP (r=0.354; p=0.05) and negatively with Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) (r=-0.609; p=0.01), "School Anxiety" index (r=-0.427; p=0.05) and "Total Anxiety" index (r=-0.436; p=0.05) of the Anxiety Scale Questionnaire for the Age of Development, and with 2 indices of DAP, namely

  18. Multifractals embedded in short time series: An unbiased estimation of probability moment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Lu; Yang, Tianguang; Yin, Yanhua; Gu, Changgui; Yang, Huijie

    2016-12-01

    An exact estimation of probability moments is the base for several essential concepts, such as the multifractals, the Tsallis entropy, and the transfer entropy. By means of approximation theory we propose a new method called factorial-moment-based estimation of probability moments. Theoretical prediction and computational results show that it can provide us an unbiased estimation of the probability moments of continuous order. Calculations on probability redistribution model verify that it can extract exactly multifractal behaviors from several hundred recordings. Its powerfulness in monitoring evolution of scaling behaviors is exemplified by two empirical cases, i.e., the gait time series for fast, normal, and slow trials of a healthy volunteer, and the closing price series for Shanghai stock market. By using short time series with several hundred lengths, a comparison with the well-established tools displays significant advantages of its performance over the other methods. The factorial-moment-based estimation can evaluate correctly the scaling behaviors in a scale range about three generations wider than the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis and the basic estimation. The estimation of partition function given by the wavelet transform modulus maxima has unacceptable fluctuations. Besides the scaling invariance focused in the present paper, the proposed factorial moment of continuous order can find its various uses, such as finding nonextensive behaviors of a complex system and reconstructing the causality relationship network between elements of a complex system.

  19. Two Machine Learning Approaches for Short-Term Wind Speed Time-Series Prediction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ak, Ronay; Fink, Olga; Zio, Enrico

    2016-08-01

    The increasing liberalization of European electricity markets, the growing proportion of intermittent renewable energy being fed into the energy grids, and also new challenges in the patterns of energy consumption (such as electric mobility) require flexible and intelligent power grids capable of providing efficient, reliable, economical, and sustainable energy production and distribution. From the supplier side, particularly, the integration of renewable energy sources (e.g., wind and solar) into the grid imposes an engineering and economic challenge because of the limited ability to control and dispatch these energy sources due to their intermittent characteristics. Time-series prediction of wind speed for wind power production is a particularly important and challenging task, wherein prediction intervals (PIs) are preferable results of the prediction, rather than point estimates, because they provide information on the confidence in the prediction. In this paper, two different machine learning approaches to assess PIs of time-series predictions are considered and compared: 1) multilayer perceptron neural networks trained with a multiobjective genetic algorithm and 2) extreme learning machines combined with the nearest neighbors approach. The proposed approaches are applied for short-term wind speed prediction from a real data set of hourly wind speed measurements for the region of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. Both approaches demonstrate good prediction precision and provide complementary advantages with respect to different evaluation criteria.

  20. Multivariate Analysis of Short and Long-Impact Indicators for Corporate Bond Market Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ieva Astrauskaitė

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available An additional instrument or established access to the capital market funding would increase business opportunities for performance, development, growth, channeling financing for sustainable and long-term economic growth and job creation. Capital market and its level of development or further development opportunities are exposed to different factors. Clear identification of them mobilizes the attention of accurate and useful decisions or actions influencing the expected results, their adoption and implementation, monitoring. With the purpose to identify a set of factors influencing the capital market deve lopment as well as to introduce a model of their short term and long term impact projections, the ARDL model for the US and Lithuanian cases is introduced. The concluding remarks state on different legal and regulatory framework, banking sector and ICT measures exposures to the different stages of the corporate bond market development.

  1. Randomized Controlled Study to Investigate the Effect of Topical Diquafosol Tetrasodium on Corneal Sensitivity in Short Tear Break-Up Time Dry Eye.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaido, Minako; Kawashima, Motoko; Shigeno, Yuta; Yamada, Yoshiaki; Tsubota, Kazuo

    2018-05-01

    Complex mechanisms underlie dry eye (DE) symptom provocation. In particular, corneal hypersensitivity may provoke symptoms in short tear break-up time (BUT) DE characterized by tear film instability. We hypothesized that improved tear film stability may alleviate corneal sensitivity in patients with short tear BUT DE. Therefore, we investigated the effect of topical diquafosol tetrasodium (DQS) on corneal sensitivity in unstable tear film DE. This prospective, randomized study included 27 subjects (age: 39.1 ± 8.4 years; range: 25-59 years) with short tear BUT DE, defined based on the presence of DE symptoms and tear film instability. Subjects were randomly divided into DQS (3% DQS, 12 subjects) and artificial tear (AT; preservative-free AT, 15 subjects) groups. Subjects applied the medication 6 times a day for 5 weeks. The perception of touch (S-touch) and pain (S-pain) sensitivity was measured using a Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer. Tear evaluation, corneal sensitivity, and DE symptoms were compared before and after DQS or AT administration. The correlation between the improvement degrees of corneal sensitivity and DE symptoms following medication was analyzed. DQS significantly improved tear BUT and tear meniscus height (TMH) scores (p short tear BUT DE. However, DQS seems to be more effective to adjust tear environment, leading to the normalization of corneal sensitivity and DE symptoms. UMIN Clinical Trials Registry Identifier, UMIN000014536.

  2. Recent developments in time-frequency analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Loughlin, Patrick

    1998-01-01

    Recent Developments in Time-Frequency Analysis brings together in one place important contributions and up-to-date research results in this fast moving area. Recent Developments in Time-Frequency Analysis serves as an excellent reference, providing insight into some of the most challenging research issues in the field.

  3. Psychometric evaluation and short form development of The Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR-6

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Subotić Siniša

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The goals of this research were to evaluate the Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS translation of the BIDR-6 scale, develop its short form, and to present its initial convergent/discriminative validation. The sample included 827 participants. MIRT CFA analysis revealed that fourfactor model (containing 32/40 items fits the data best, with Self-Deceptive Enhancement (SDE and Impression Management (IM both splitting into the denial (SD-D and IM-D and enhancement (SD-E and IM-E factors. Fit and item properties were generally mediocre. SD-D and IM-E subscales were the strongest sources of misfit, thus SD-E and IM-D subscales were retained in the short form, which had good fit and replicated almost all main patterns of associations with other variables of interest (e.g., HEXACO personality traits typically reported for the full SDE and IM scales in other research. Thus, 17-item BIDR-6 short form, containing only SD-E and IM-D subscales, is recommended for use in the BCS speaking area.

  4. Automated real-time software development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Denise R.; Walker, Carrie K.; Turkovich, John J.

    1993-01-01

    A Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) system has been developed at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory (CSDL) under the direction of the NASA Langley Research Center. The CSDL CASE tool provides an automated method of generating source code and hard copy documentation from functional application engineering specifications. The goal is to significantly reduce the cost of developing and maintaining real-time scientific and engineering software while increasing system reliability. This paper describes CSDL CASE and discusses demonstrations that used the tool to automatically generate real-time application code.

  5. The use of Matlab for colour fuzzy representation of multichannel EEG short time spectra.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bigan, C; Strungaru, R

    1998-01-01

    During the last years, a lot of EEG research efforts was directed to intelligent methods for automatic analysis of data from multichannel EEG recordings. However, all the applications reported were focused on specific single tasks like detection of one specific "event" in the EEG signal: spikes, sleep spindles, epileptic seizures, K complexes, alpha or other rhythms or even artefacts. The aim of this paper is to present a complex system being able to perform a representation of the dynamic changes in frequency components of each EEG channel. This representation uses colours as a powerful means to show the only one frequency range chosen from the shortest epoch of signal able to be processed with the conventional "Short Time Fast Fourier Transform" (S.T.F.F.T.) method.

  6. A new ensemble model for short term wind power prediction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Henrik; Albu, Razvan-Daniel; Felea, Ioan

    2012-01-01

    As the objective of this study, a non-linear ensemble system is used to develop a new model for predicting wind speed in short-term time scale. Short-term wind power prediction becomes an extremely important field of research for the energy sector. Regardless of the recent advancements in the re-search...... of prediction models, it was observed that different models have different capabilities and also no single model is suitable under all situations. The idea behind EPS (ensemble prediction systems) is to take advantage of the unique features of each subsystem to detain diverse patterns that exist in the dataset...

  7. Study of surfaces and surface layers on high temperature materials after short-time thermal loads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolt, H.; Hoven, H.; Koizlik, K.; Linke, J.; Nickel, H.; Wallura, E.

    1985-11-01

    Being part of the plasma-wall interaction during TOKAMAK operation, erosion- and redeposition processes of First Wall materials substantially influence plasma parameters as well as the properties of the First Wall. An important redeposition process of eroded material is the formation of thin films by atomic condensation. Examinations of First Wall components after TOKAMAK operation lead to the assumption that these thin metallic films tend to agglomerate to small particles under subsequent heat load. In laboratory experiments it is shown that thin metallic films on various substrates can agglomerate under short time high heat fluxes and also under longer lasting lower thermal loads, thus verifying the ''agglomeration hypothesis''. (orig.) [de

  8. Short-time regularity assessment of fibrillatory waves from the surface ECG in atrial fibrillation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alcaraz, Raúl; Martínez, Arturo; Hornero, Fernando; Rieta, José J

    2012-01-01

    This paper proposes the first non-invasive method for direct and short-time regularity quantification of atrial fibrillatory (f) waves from the surface ECG in atrial fibrillation (AF). Regularity is estimated by computing individual morphological variations among f waves, which are delineated and extracted from the atrial activity (AA) signal, making use of an adaptive signed correlation index. The algorithm was tested on real AF surface recordings in order to discriminate atrial signals with different organization degrees, providing a notably higher global accuracy (90.3%) than the two non-invasive AF organization estimates defined to date: the dominant atrial frequency (70.5%) and sample entropy (76.1%). Furthermore, due to its ability to assess AA regularity wave to wave, the proposed method is also able to pursue AF organization time course more precisely than the aforementioned indices. As a consequence, this work opens a new perspective in the non-invasive analysis of AF, such as the individualized study of each f wave, that could improve the understanding of AF mechanisms and become useful for its clinical treatment. (paper)

  9. Time-separated oscillatory fields for high-precision mass measurements on short-lived Al and Ca nuclides

    CERN Document Server

    George, Simon; Blank, B.; Blaum, K.; Breitenfeldt, M.; Hager, U.; Herfurth, F.; Herlert, A.; Kellerbauer, A.; Kluge, H.J.; Kretzschmar, M.; Lunney, D.; Savreux, R.; Schwarz, Andreas S.; Schweikhard, L.; Yazidjian, C.

    2008-01-01

    High-precision Penning trap mass measurements on the stable nuclide $^{27}$Al as well as on the short-lived radionuclides $^{26}$Al and $^{38,39}$Ca have been performed by use of radio-frequency excitation with time-separated oscillatory fields, i.e. Ramsey's method, as recently introduced for the excitation of the ion motion in a Penning trap, was applied. A comparison with the conventional method of a single continuous excitation demonstrates its advantage of up to ten times shorter measurements. The new mass values of $^{26,27}$Al clarify conflicting data in this specific mass region. In addition, the resulting mass values of the superallowed $\\beta$-emitter $^{38}$Ca as well as of the groundstate of the $\\beta$-emitter $^{26}$Al$^{m}$ confirm previous measurements and corresponding theoretical corrections of the ft-values.

  10. SignalR real time application development

    CERN Document Server

    Ingebrigtsen, Einar

    2013-01-01

    This step-by-step guide gives you practical advice, tips, and tricks that will have you writing real-time apps quickly and easily.If you are a .NET developer who wants to be at the cutting edge of development, then this book is for you. Real-time application development is made simple in this guide, so as long as you have basic knowledge of .NET, a copy of Visual Studio, and NuGet installed, you are ready to go.

  11. Adolescent Development of Global Competencies through a Short-Term International Study-Travel Experience to China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gould, Rachel Zucker

    2012-01-01

    The capacity of adolescents to develop global competencies was examined by collecting and analyzing data from 62 student-travelers before, during, and after a short-term study-travel experience to China. The Global Perspectives Inventory was used to compare the student-travelers' perspectives before and after travel with a comparison group of 60…

  12. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPECIAL SEQUENTIALLY-TIMED

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stanislav LICHOROBIEC

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This article documents the development of the noninvasive use of explosives during the destruction of ice mass in river flows. The system of special sequentially-timed charges utilizes the increase in efficiency of cutting charges by covering them with bags filled with water, while simultaneously increasing the effect of the entire system of timed charges. Timing, spatial combinations during placement, and the linking of these charges results in the loosening of ice barriers on a frozen waterway, while at the same time regulating the size of the ice fragments. The developed charges will increase the operability and safety of IRS units.

  13. Performance Analysis of the Enhanced DSR Routing Protocol for the Short Time Disconnected MANET to the OPNET Modeler

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PAPAJ Ján

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Disconnected mobile ad-hoc networks (MANET are very important areas of the research. In this article, the performance analysis of the enhanced dynamic source routing protocol (OPP_DSR is introduced. This modification enables the routing process in the case when there are no connections to other mobile nodes. It also will enable the routing mechanisms when the routes, selected by routing mechanisms, are disconnected for some time. Disconnection can be for a short time and standard routing protocol DSR cannot reflect on this situation.The main idea is based on opportunistic forwarding where the nodes not only forward data but it's stored in the cache during long time. The network parameters throughput, routing load and are analysed.

  14. Short-Term Load Forecasting Based Automatic Distribution Network Reconfiguration: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Huaiguang [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ding, Fei [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Zhang, Yingchen [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Jiang, Huaiguang [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ding, Fei [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Zhang, Yingchen [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2017-07-26

    In the traditional dynamic network reconfiguration study, the optimal topology is determined at every scheduled time point by using the real load data measured at that time. The development of load forecasting technique can provide accurate prediction of load power that will happen in future time and provide more information about load changes. With the inclusion of load forecasting, the optimal topology can be determined based on the predicted load conditions during the longer time period instead of using the snapshot of load at the time when the reconfiguration happens, and thus it can provide information to the distribution system operator (DSO) to better operate the system reconfiguration to achieve optimal solutions. Thus, this paper proposes a short-term load forecasting based approach for automatically reconfiguring distribution systems in a dynamic and pre-event manner. Specifically, a short-term and high-resolution distribution system load forecasting approach is proposed with support vector regression (SVR) based forecaster and parallel parameters optimization. And the network reconfiguration problem is solved by using the forecasted load continuously to determine the optimal network topology with the minimum loss at the future time. The simulation results validate and evaluate the proposed approach.

  15. Forecast of electric power market to short-term: a time series approcah

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Costa, Roberio Neves Pelinca da.

    1994-01-01

    Three different time series approaches are analysed by this dissertation in the Brazilian electricity markert context. The aim is to compare the predictive performance of these approaches from a simulated exercise using the main series of the Brazilian consumption of electricity: Total Consumption, Industrial Consumption, Residencial Consumption and Commercial Consumption. One concludes that these appraches offer an enormous potentiality to the short-term planning system of the Electric Sector. Among the univariate models, the results for the analysed period point out that the forecast produced by Holt-Winter's models are more accurate than those produced by ARIMA and structural models. When explanatory variables are introduced in the last models, one can notice, in general, an improvement in the predictive performance of the models, although there is no sufficient evidence to consider that they are superior to Holt-Winter's models. The models with explanatory variables can be particularly useful, however, when one intends either to build scenarios or to study the effects of some variables on the consumption of electricity. (author). 73 refs., 19 figs., 13 tabs

  16. Shorting time of magnetically insulated reflex-ion diodes from the neutral-atom charge-exchange mechanism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strobel, G.

    1981-10-01

    In a magnetically insulated diode, collision-free electrons return to the cathode and no electron current is present at the anode. Electron transport to the anode is studied in this paper. Steady-state space-charge-limited flow is assumed initially. Breakdown of ion flow occurs when static neutral atoms at the anode undergo charge exchange, which results in neutral atoms drifting across the diode. These are subsequently ionized by reflexing ions producing electrons trapped in Larmor orbits throughout the diode. These electrons drift to the anode via ionization and inelastic collisions with other neutral atoms. Model calculations compare the effects of foil and mesh cathodes. Steady-state space-charge-limited ion current densities are calculated. The neutral atom density at the cathode is determined as a function of time. The shorting time of the diode is scaled versus the electrode separation d, the diode potential V 0 , the magnetic field, and the initial concentration of static neutron atoms

  17. Short communication

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pantophlet, Andre J.; Gilbert, M.S.; Gerrits, W.J.J.; Vonk, R.J.

    2017-01-01

    Heavy veal calves (4-6 mo old) often develop problems with insulin sensitivity. This could lead to metabolic disorders and impaired animal growth performance. Studies in various animal species have shown that the supplementation of short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) can improve insulin

  18. Simulation Studies of Diffusion-Release and Effusive-Flow of Short-Lived Radioactive Isotopes

    CERN Document Server

    Zhang, Yan; Kawai, Yoko

    2005-01-01

    Delay times associated with diffusion release from targets and effusive-flow transport of radioactive isotopes to ion sources are principal intensity limiters at ISOL-based radioactive ion beam facilities, and simulation studies with computer models are cost effective methods for designing targets and vapor transport systems with minimum delay times to avoid excessive decay losses of short lived ion species. A finite difference code, Diffuse II, was recently developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to study diffusion-release of short-lived species from three principal target geometries. Simulation results are in close agreement with analytical solutions to Fick’s second equation. Complementary to the development of Diffuse II, the Monte-Carlo code, Effusion, was developed to address issues related to the design of fast vapor transport systems. Results, derived by using Effusion, are also found to closely agree with experimental measurements. In this presentation, the codes will be used in conc...

  19. Short time-scale optical variability properties of the largest AGN sample observed with Kepler/K2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aranzana, E.; Körding, E.; Uttley, P.; Scaringi, S.; Bloemen, S.

    2018-05-01

    We present the first short time-scale (˜hours to days) optical variability study of a large sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) observed with the Kepler/K2 mission. The sample contains 252 AGN observed over four campaigns with ˜30 min cadence selected from the Million Quasar Catalogue with R magnitude <19. We performed time series analysis to determine their variability properties by means of the power spectral densities (PSDs) and applied Monte Carlo techniques to find the best model parameters that fit the observed power spectra. A power-law model is sufficient to describe all the PSDs of our sample. A variety of power-law slopes were found indicating that there is not a universal slope for all AGNs. We find that the rest-frame amplitude variability in the frequency range of 6 × 10-6-10-4 Hz varies from 1to10 per cent with an average of 1.7 per cent. We explore correlations between the variability amplitude and key parameters of the AGN, finding a significant correlation of rest-frame short-term variability amplitude with redshift. We attribute this effect to the known `bluer when brighter' variability of quasars combined with the fixed bandpass of Kepler data. This study also enables us to distinguish between Seyferts and blazars and confirm AGN candidates. For our study, we have compared results obtained from light curves extracted using different aperture sizes and with and without detrending. We find that limited detrending of the optimal photometric precision light curve is the best approach, although some systematic effects still remain present.

  20. When does time matter? maternal employment, children's time with parents, and child development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsin, Amy; Felfe, Christina

    2014-10-01

    This study tests the two assumptions underlying popularly held notions that maternal employment negatively affects children because it reduces time spent with parents: (1) that maternal employment reduces children's time with parents, and (2) that time with parents affects child outcomes. We analyze children's time-diary data from the Child Development Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and use child fixed-effects and IV estimations to account for unobserved heterogeneity. We find that working mothers trade quantity of time for better "quality" of time. On average, maternal work has no effect on time in activities that positively influence children's development, but it reduces time in types of activities that may be detrimental to children's development. Stratification by mothers' education reveals that although all children, regardless of mother's education, benefit from spending educational and structured time with their mothers, mothers who are high school graduates have the greatest difficulty balancing work and child care. We find some evidence that fathers compensate for maternal employment by increasing types of activities that can foster child development as well as types of activities that may be detrimental. Overall, we find that the effects of maternal employment are ambiguous because (1) employment does not necessarily reduce children's time with parents, and (2) not all types of parental time benefit child development.

  1. Chirped or time modulated excitation compared to short pulses for photoacoustic imaging in acoustic attenuating media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burgholzer, P.; Motz, C.; Lang, O.; Berer, T.; Huemer, M.

    2018-02-01

    In photoacoustic imaging, optically generated acoustic waves transport the information about embedded structures to the sample surface. Usually, short laser pulses are used for the acoustic excitation. Acoustic attenuation increases for higher frequencies, which reduces the bandwidth and limits the spatial resolution. One could think of more efficient waveforms than single short pulses, such as pseudo noise codes, chirped, or harmonic excitation, which could enable a higher information-transfer from the samples interior to its surface by acoustic waves. We used a linear state space model to discretize the wave equation, such as the Stoke's equation, but this method could be used for any other linear wave equation. Linear estimators and a non-linear function inversion were applied to the measured surface data, for onedimensional image reconstruction. The proposed estimation method allows optimizing the temporal modulation of the excitation laser such that the accuracy and spatial resolution of the reconstructed image is maximized. We have restricted ourselves to one-dimensional models, as for higher dimensions the one-dimensional reconstruction, which corresponds to the acoustic wave without attenuation, can be used as input for any ultrasound imaging method, such as back-projection or time-reversal method.

  2. Short locking time and low jitter phase-locked loop based on slope charge pump control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Zhongjie; Liu Youbao; Wu Longsheng; Wang Xihu; Tang Wei

    2010-01-01

    A novel structure of a phase-locked loop (PLL) characterized by a short locking time and low jitter is presented, which is realized by generating a linear slope charge pump current dependent on monitoring the output of the phase frequency detector (PFD) to implement adaptive bandwidth control. This improved PLL is created by utilizing a fast start-up circuit and a slope current control on a conventional charge pump PLL. First, the fast start-up circuit is enabled to achieve fast pre-charging to the loop filter. Then, when the output pulse of the PFD is larger than a minimum value, the charge pump current is increased linearly by the slope current control to ensure a shorter locking time and a lower jitter. Additionally, temperature variation is attenuated with the temperature compensation in the charge pump current design. The proposed PLL has been fabricated in a kind of DSP chip based on a 0.35 μm CMOS process. Comparing the characteristics with the classical PLL, the proposed PLL shows that it can reduce the locking time by 60% with a low peak-to-peak jitter of 0.3% at a wide operation temperature range. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

  3. Dim light at night interferes with the development of the short-day phenotype and impairs cell-mediated immunity in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aubrecht, Taryn G; Weil, Zachary M; Nelson, Randy J

    2014-10-01

    Winter is a challenging time to survive and breed outside of the tropics. Animals use day length (photoperiod) to regulate seasonally appropriate adaptations in anticipation of challenging winter conditions. The net result of these photoperiod-mediated adjustments is enhanced immune function and increased survival. Thus, the ability to discriminate day length information is critical for survival and reproduction in small animals. However, during the past century, urban and suburban development has rapidly expanded and filled the night sky with light from various sources, obscuring crucial light-dark signals, which alters physiological interpretation of day lengths. Furthermore, reduced space, increased proximity to people, and the presence of light at night may act as stressors for small animals. Whereas acute stressors typically enhance immune responses, chronic exposure to stressors often impairs immune responses. Therefore, we hypothesized that the combination of dim light at night and chronic stress interferes with enhanced cell-mediated immunity observed during short days. Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) were assigned to short or long days with dark nights (0 lux) or dim (5 lux) light at night for 10 weeks. Following 2 weeks of chronic restraint (6 hr/day), a model of chronic stress, delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses were assessed. Both dim light at night and restraint reduced the DTH response. Dim light at night during long nights produced an intermediate short day phenotype. These results suggest the constant presence of light at night could negatively affect survival of photoperiodic rodents by disrupting the timing of breeding and immune responses. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Time delays, population, and economic development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gori, Luca; Guerrini, Luca; Sodini, Mauro

    2018-05-01

    This research develops an augmented Solow model with population dynamics and time delays. The model produces either a single stationary state or multiple stationary states (able to characterise different development regimes). The existence of time delays may cause persistent fluctuations in both economic and demographic variables. In addition, the work identifies in a simple way the reasons why economics affects demographics and vice versa.

  5. Short wavelength FELS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheffield, R.L.

    1991-01-01

    The generation of coherent ultraviolet and shorter wavelength light is presently limited to synchrotron sources. The recent progress in the development of brighter electron beams enables the use of much lower energy electron rf linacs to reach short-wavelengths than previously considered possible. This paper will summarize the present results obtained with synchrotron sources, review proposed short- wavelength FEL designs and then present a new design which is capable of over an order of magnitude higher power to the extreme ultraviolet. 17 refs., 10 figs

  6. Short wavelength FELS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sheffield, R.L.

    1991-01-01

    The generation of coherent ultraviolet and shorter wavelength light is presently limited to synchrotron sources. The recent progress in the development of brighter electron beams enables the use of much lower energy electron rf linacs to reach short-wavelengths than previously considered possible. This paper will summarize the present results obtained with synchrotron sources, review proposed short- wavelength FEL designs and then present a new design which is capable of over an order of magnitude higher power to the extreme ultraviolet. 17 refs., 10 figs.

  7. The impact of short term clinical placement in a developing country on nursing students: A qualitative descriptive study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ulvund, Ingeborg; Mordal, Elin

    2017-08-01

    Offering nursing students' international clinical placement during the educational program is one response to meet the need of cultural competence among nurses. This paper provides insight into the impact of clinical placement, in a developing country, on third year nursing students. In the study we investigated how short term international clinical placement impacted Norwegian nursing students' development of cultural competency. In this study we utilised a qualitative descriptive design and used individual interviews with eighteen Norwegian nursing students who had all participated in an international clinical placement. The data were analysed using the principles of systematic text condensation. In spite the international clinical placement only was four weeks, the findings suggested that real life experience culturally awakened the students and forced an ongoing process developing cultural competence. However, it is important to give students time to reflection. Although increased cultural awareness and a growing cultural competence was identified by the students undertaking international clinical placement, further research is required. It is important to investigate the best methods to support the students' reflection such that the experiences lead to learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Modelling the dispersion of radionuclides following short duration releases to rivers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, J.T.; Bowes, M.; Denison, F.H.

    2003-01-01

    This project develops a model for assessing short duration liquid discharges of radionuclides to rivers. The assessment of doses arising from discharges to rivers is normally carried out by considering annual average discharge rates. Actual authorised discharges, however, may occur unevenly during the year or relatively high short-term discharges could occur in the unlikely event of an incident. Short term radionuclide releases could potentially result in temporary increases in radionuclide activity concentrations in water and fish which are greater than those resulting from a continuous discharge. The purpose of this project is to develop a model to assess short term releases from these sites, and where possible develop generic methods of assessing short term releases. An advection-dispersion model was developed to predict the concentrations of radionuclides in the river environment, ie in river water, river bed sediment and in predatory fish. Uptake of radionuclides to fish was modelled by estimating rates of uptake of radionuclides via the aquatic food chain or across the gill, as appropriate. The model was used to predict the concentrations of the radionuclides in the river Thames and its tributaries as a result of short duration discharges into stretches of the Thames and River Colne. Model output is given as a series of graphs of activity concentration and time integrated activity concentration resulting from a 1 MBq discharge for the following release durations: 5 minutes, 1 h, 3 h, 12 h and 24 h. The five locations for which predictions are given were 100m, 300m, 1000m, 3000m and 10000m downstream. The river volumetric flow rate was shown to be the most important environmental variable determining activity concentrations in water, fish and sediments following a release. In general, the maximum and integrated activity concentrations in water and fish will be in inverse proportion to the river volumetric flow rate, for a given amount and duration of release

  9. Developing a Local Neurofuzzy Model for Short-Term Wind Power Forecasting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Faghihnia

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Large scale integration of wind generation capacity into power systems introduces operational challenges due to wind power uncertainty and variability. Therefore, accurate wind power forecast is important for reliable and economic operation of the power systems. Complexities and nonlinearities exhibited by wind power time series necessitate use of elaborative and sophisticated approaches for wind power forecasting. In this paper, a local neurofuzzy (LNF approach, trained by the polynomial model tree (POLYMOT learning algorithm, is proposed for short-term wind power forecasting. The LNF approach is constructed based on the contribution of local polynomial models which can efficiently model wind power generation. Data from Sotavento wind farm in Spain was used to validate the proposed LNF approach. Comparison between performance of the proposed approach and several recently published approaches illustrates capability of the LNF model for accurate wind power forecasting.

  10. Development of a subway operation incident delay model using accelerated failure time approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng, Jinxian; Zheng, Yang; Yan, Xuedong; Meng, Qiang

    2014-12-01

    This study aims to develop a subway operational incident delay model using the parametric accelerated time failure (AFT) approach. Six parametric AFT models including the log-logistic, lognormal and Weibull models, with fixed and random parameters are built based on the Hong Kong subway operation incident data from 2005 to 2012, respectively. In addition, the Weibull model with gamma heterogeneity is also considered to compare the model performance. The goodness-of-fit test results show that the log-logistic AFT model with random parameters is most suitable for estimating the subway incident delay. First, the results show that a longer subway operation incident delay is highly correlated with the following factors: power cable failure, signal cable failure, turnout communication disruption and crashes involving a casualty. Vehicle failure makes the least impact on the increment of subway operation incident delay. According to these results, several possible measures, such as the use of short-distance and wireless communication technology (e.g., Wifi and Zigbee) are suggested to shorten the delay caused by subway operation incidents. Finally, the temporal transferability test results show that the developed log-logistic AFT model with random parameters is stable over time. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Markov Chain Modelling for Short-Term NDVI Time Series Forecasting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stepčenko Artūrs

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the NDVI time series forecasting model has been developed based on the use of discrete time, continuous state Markov chain of suitable order. The normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI is an indicator that describes the amount of chlorophyll (the green mass and shows the relative density and health of vegetation; therefore, it is an important variable for vegetation forecasting. A Markov chain is a stochastic process that consists of a state space. This stochastic process undergoes transitions from one state to another in the state space with some probabilities. A Markov chain forecast model is flexible in accommodating various forecast assumptions and structures. The present paper discusses the considerations and techniques in building a Markov chain forecast model at each step. Continuous state Markov chain model is analytically described. Finally, the application of the proposed Markov chain model is illustrated with reference to a set of NDVI time series data.

  12. Measurement Development and Validation of the Family Supportive Supervisor Behavior Short-Form (FSSB-SF)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hammer, Leslie B.; Kossek, Ellen Ernst; Bodner, Todd; Crain, Tori

    2013-01-01

    Recently, scholars have demonstrated the importance of Family Supportive Supervisor Behaviors (FSSB), defined as behaviors exhibited by supervisors that are supportive of employees’ family roles, in relation to health, well-being, and organizational outcomes. FSSB was originally conceptualized as a multidimensional, superordinate construct with four subordinate dimensions assessed with 14 items: emotional support, instrumental support, role modeling behaviors, and creative work-family management. Retaining one item from each dimension, two studies were conducted to support the development and use of a new FSSB-Short Form (FSSB-SF). Study 1 draws on the original data from the FSSB validation study of retail employees to determine if the results using the 14-item measure replicate with the shorter 4-item measure. Using data from a sample of 823 information technology professionals and their 219 supervisors, Study 2 extends the validation of the FSSB-SF to a new sample of professional workers and new outcome variables. Results from multilevel confirmatory factor analyses and multilevel regression analyses provide evidence of construct and criterion-related validity of the FSSB-SF, as it was significantly related to work-family conflict, job satisfaction, turnover intentions, control over work hours, obligation to work when sick, perceived stress, and reports of family time adequacy. We argue that it is important to develop parsimonious measures of work-family specific support to ensure supervisor support for work and family is mainstreamed into organizational research and practice. PMID:23730803

  13. 26 CFR 1.6655-5 - Short taxable year.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) INCOME TAX (CONTINUED) INCOME TAXES Additions to the Tax, Additional Amounts, and Assessable Penalties § 1.6655-5 Short taxable... beginning with its initial short taxable year to the time it files its tax return for its initial short...

  14. Freeway travel-time estimation and forecasting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-01

    This project presents a microsimulation-based framework for generating short-term forecasts of travel time on freeway corridors. The microsimulation model that is developed (GTsim), replicates freeway capacity drop and relaxation phenomena critical f...

  15. [Effect of short-time drought process on denitrifying bacteria abundance and N2O emission in paddy soil].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Jing; Liu, Jin-Bo; Sheng, Rong; Liu, Yi; Chen, An-Lei; Wei, Wen-Xue

    2014-10-01

    In order to investigate the impact of drying process on greenhouse gas emissions and denitrifying microorganisms in paddy soil, wetting-drying process was simulated in laboratory conditions. N2O flux, redox potential (Eh) were monitored and narG- and nosZ-containing denitrifiers abundances were determined by real-time PCR. N2O emission was significantly increased only 4 h after drying process began, and it was more than 6 times of continuous flooding (CF) at 24 h. In addition, narG and nosZ gene abundances were increased rapidly with the drying process, and N2O emission flux was significantly correlated with narG gene abundance (P driving microorganisms which caused the N2O emission in the short-time drought process in paddy soil.

  16. Madagascar Conservation & Development

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    www.journalmcd.com

    2012-02-19

    Feb 19, 2012 ... MADAGASCAR CONSERVATION & DEVELOPMENT. VOLUME 7 ... die within a short period of time (e.g., infanticide) (Erhart and. Overdorff 1998 .... been as deep or may have healed by the time of examination. Falls during ...

  17. Guidelines for responsible short-term global health activities: developing common principles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lasker, Judith N; Aldrink, Myron; Balasubramaniam, Ramaswami; Caldron, Paul; Compton, Bruce; Evert, Jessica; Loh, Lawrence C; Prasad, Shailendra; Siegel, Shira

    2018-02-07

    Growing concerns about the value and effectiveness of short-term volunteer trips intending to improve health in underserved Global South communities has driven the development of guidelines by multiple organizations and individuals. These are intended to mitigate potential harms and maximize benefits associated with such efforts. This paper analyzes 27 guidelines derived from a scoping review of the literature available in early 2017, describing their authorship, intended audiences, the aspects of short term medical missions (STMMs) they address, and their attention to guideline implementation. It further considers how these guidelines relate to the desires of host communities, as seen in studies of host country staff who work with volunteers. Existing guidelines are almost entirely written by and addressed to educators and practitioners in the Global North. There is broad consensus on key principles for responsible, effective, and ethical programs--need for host partners, proper preparation and supervision of visitors, needs assessment and evaluation, sustainability, and adherence to pertinent legal and ethical standards. Host country staff studies suggest agreement with the main elements of this guideline consensus, but they add the importance of mutual learning and respect for hosts. Guidelines must be informed by research and policy directives from host countries that is now mostly absent. Also, a comprehensive strategy to support adherence to best practice guidelines is needed, given limited regulation and enforcement capacity in host country contexts and strong incentives for involved stakeholders to undertake or host STMMs that do not respect key principles.

  18. Odors: appetizing or satiating? Development of appetite during odor exposure over time

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ramaekers, M.G.; Boesveldt, S.; Lakemond, C.M.M.; Boekel, van M.A.J.S.; Luning, P.A.

    2014-01-01

    Background: Exposure to palatable food odors influences appetite responses, either promoting or inhibiting food intake. Possibly, food odors are appetizing after a short exposure (of circa 1–3¿min), but become satiating over time (circa 10–20¿min). Objective: To investigate the effect of odor

  19. High-Temperature-Short-Time (HTST) sterilization of liquid food with solid particles; HTST steriliseren van vloeibare levensmiddelen met vaste deeltjes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boon, F

    2000-11-01

    As part of a sectoral study for the Association of the Dutch Vegetable and Fruit Processing Industry (VIGEF) a project started on the Factory 2005 concept. Options to improve the product quality of canned vegetables and fruit are investigated. One of the options is to reduce the heat during the sterilization process by applying the HTST method (high-temperature-short-time). Two processes are compared: the Gierschner process and the Stork Steripart process. [Dutch] Binnen de VIGEF (Vereniging van de Nederlandse Groenten- en Fruitverwerkende Industrie) is een project gestart in samenwerking met TNO dat zich richt op de fabriek 2005. Onderzoek wordt gedaan naar de mogelijkheden om de productkwaliteit van geconserveerde groenten en fruit te verbeteren. Het richt zich o.a. op de mogelijkheden om de hitte-intensiteit tijdens de sterilisatie te verlagen door te steriliseren volgens de HTST methode (high-temperature-short-time). Motivatie voor de ontwikkeling van HTST processen is primair kwaliteitsverbetering met gelijke microbiele veiligheid (t.o.v. het conventionele proces). Er worden 2 processen vergeleken: het Gierschner proces en het Stork Steripart proces.

  20. Does Occupational Exposure of Shahid Dastghieb International Airport Workers to Radiofrequency Radiation Affect Their Short Term Memory and Reaction Time?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jarideh S.

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Airport workers are continuously exposed to different levels of radiofrequency microwave (RF/MW radiation emitted by radar equipments. Radars are extensively used in military and aviation industries. Over the past several years, our lab has focused on the health effects of exposure to different sources of electromagnetic fields such as cellular phones, mobile base stations, mobile phone jammers, laptop computers, radars, dentistry cavitrons and MRI. The main goal of this study was to investigate if occupational exposure of Shahid Dastghieb international airport workers to radiofrequency radiation affects their short term memory and reaction time. Methods: Thirty two airport workers involved in duties at control and approach tower (21 males and 11 females, with the age range of 27-67 years old (mean age of 37.38, participated voluntary in this study. On the other hand, 29 workers (13 males, and 16 females whose offices were in the city with no exposure history to radar systems were also participated in this study as the control group. The employees’ reaction time and short term memory were analyzed using a standard visual reaction time (VRT test software and the modified Wechsler memory scale test, respectively. Results: The mean± SD values for the reaction times of the airport employees (N=32 and the control group (N=29 were 0.45±0.12 sec and 0.46±0.17 sec, respectively. Moreover, in the four subset tests; i.e. paired words, forward digit span, backward digit span and word recognition, the following points were obtained for the airport employees and the control group, respectively: (i pair words test: 28.00±13.13 and 32.07±11.65, (ii forward digit span: 8.38±1.40 and 9.03±1.32, (iii backward digit span: 5.54±1.87 and 6.31±1.46, and (iv word recognition: 5.73±2.36 and 6.50±1.93. These differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The occupational exposure of the employees to the RF radiation in Shahid

  1. Interjoint coordination of the lower extremities in short-track speed skating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khuyagbaatar, Batbayar; Purevsuren, Tserenchimed; Park, Won Man; Kim, Kyungsoo; Kim, Yoon Hyuk

    2017-10-01

    In short-track speed skating, the three-dimensional kinematics of the lower extremities during the whole skating cycle have not been studied. Kinematic parameters of the lower extremities during skating are presented as joint angles versus time. However, the angle-time presentation is not sufficient to describe the relationship between multi-joint movement patterns. Thus, angle-angle presentations were developed and used to describe interjoint coordination in sport activities. In this study, 15 professional male skaters' full body motion data were recorded using a wearable motion capture system during short-track speed skating. We investigated the three-dimensional kinematics of the lower extremities and then established the interjoint coordination between hip-knee and knee-ankle for both legs during the whole skating cycle. The results demonstrate the relationship between multi-joint movements during different phases of short-track speed skating. This study provides fundamentals of the movement mechanism of the lower extremities that can be integrated with physiotherapy to improve skating posture and prevent injuries from repetitive stress since physiological characteristics play an important role in skating performance.

  2. The short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China: comparison of time-series and case-crossover analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Meng; Li, Na; Wang, Zhan; Liu, Yisi; Chen, Xi; Chu, Yuanyuan; Li, Xiangyu; Zhu, Zhongmin; Tian, Liqiao; Xiang, Hao

    2017-01-13

    Few studies have compared different methods when exploring the short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China. This study assesses the association between air pollutants and respiratory disease mortality with both time-series and time-stratified-case-crossover designs. The generalized additive model (GAM) and the conditional logistic regression model were used to assess the short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality. Stratified analyses were performed by age, sex, and diseases. A 10 μg/m 3 increment in SO 2 level was associated with an increase in relative risk for all respiratory disease mortality of 2.4% and 1.9% in the case-crossover and time-series analyses in single pollutant models, respectively. Strong evidence of an association between NO 2 and daily respiratory disease mortality among men or people older than 65 years was found in the case-crossover study. There was a positive association between air pollutants and respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China. Both time-series and case-crossover analyses consistently reveal the association between three air pollutants and respiratory disease mortality. The estimates of association between air pollution and respiratory disease mortality from the case-crossover analysis displayed greater variation than that from the time-series analysis.

  3. A Preliminary Evaluation of Short Blended Online Training Workshop for TPACK Development Using Technology Acceptance Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alsofyani, Mohammed Modeef; Aris, Baharuddin bin; Eynon, Rebecca; Majid, Norazman Abdul

    2012-01-01

    The use of Short Blended Online Training (SBOT) for the development of Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) is a promising approach to facilitate the use of e-learning by academics. Adult learners prefer the blend of pedagogies such as the presentation, demonstration, practice and feedback if they are structured and…

  4. Are Development Projects Pursuing Short-Term Benefits at the Expense of Sustainability?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yigezu Yigezu

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available When evaluated purely on financial grounds, most developmental interventions targeting the livestock sector exhibit a positive impact. This study also provides empirical evidence that a project which provided loans to livestock producers in Syria succeeded in increasing the annual farm income and reducing the income risk. However, these annual benefits were accompanied by a reduction in technical efficiency which, unabated, may compound over the years and compromise the livestock enterprise’s sustainability. The development lesson from these findings is that misguided interventions with well-known short-term livelihoods benefits could, in the long run, hurt the very sector which they aim to support.

  5. An initial investigation on developing a new method to predict short-term breast cancer risk based on deep learning technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Yuchen; Wang, Yunzhi; Yan, Shiju; Tan, Maxine; Cheng, Samuel; Liu, Hong; Zheng, Bin

    2016-03-01

    In order to establish a new personalized breast cancer screening paradigm, it is critically important to accurately predict the short-term risk of a woman having image-detectable cancer after a negative mammographic screening. In this study, we developed and tested a novel short-term risk assessment model based on deep learning method. During the experiment, a number of 270 "prior" negative screening cases was assembled. In the next sequential ("current") screening mammography, 135 cases were positive and 135 cases remained negative. These cases were randomly divided into a training set with 200 cases and a testing set with 70 cases. A deep learning based computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) scheme was then developed for the risk assessment, which consists of two modules: adaptive feature identification module and risk prediction module. The adaptive feature identification module is composed of three pairs of convolution-max-pooling layers, which contains 20, 10, and 5 feature maps respectively. The risk prediction module is implemented by a multiple layer perception (MLP) classifier, which produces a risk score to predict the likelihood of the woman developing short-term mammography-detectable cancer. The result shows that the new CAD-based risk model yielded a positive predictive value of 69.2% and a negative predictive value of 74.2%, with a total prediction accuracy of 71.4%. This study demonstrated that applying a new deep learning technology may have significant potential to develop a new short-term risk predicting scheme with improved performance in detecting early abnormal symptom from the negative mammograms.

  6. The Development of a Proper Laser Displacement Monitoring System for Medium and Short Span Bridges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hao Tian

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The Health Monitoring System (HMS for a Medium and Short Span (MSS bridge is different to one for a long span bridge, because of factors such assize, scale and importance. Therefore a proper HMS needs to be developed to meet the economic and applicability requirements of the large number of MSS bridges. Approximately 90 % of existing bridges in China are categorized as MSS bridges and most are beginning to deteriorate. Furthermore, there is not a suitable HMS that can assess the condition of the bridge in accordance with a growth market where traffic volumes are likely to increase. Indeed, the artificial patrolling system currently in use is unable to monitor bridges in the long-term and highlight problems within a sufficient time scale. Having discussed the necessity of a HMS for MSS bridges, this paper proposes a suitable system that uses displacement monitoring in addition to the necessary precision. Displacement was chosen as the main monitoring indicator for intuitive, convenient and direct viewing, as its critical characteristic is that it is both economical and straightforward to use. Specific details regarding the laser displacement sensor and the development of a wireless data acquisition and transmission system are also provided. The reliability of the displacement monitoring sensor and data processing system is confirmed through different stages of an installation test.

  7. Longitudinal Diagnostics for Short Electron Beam Bunches

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Loos, H.; /SLAC

    2010-06-11

    Single-pass free electron lasers require high peak currents from ultra-short electron bunches to reach saturation and an accurate measurement of bunch length and longitudinal bunch profile is necessary to control the bunch compression process from low to high beam energy. The various state-of-the-art diagnostics methods from ps to fs time scales using coherent radiation detection, RF deflection, and other techniques are presented. The use of linear accelerators as drivers for free electron lasers (FEL) and the advent of single-pass (SASE) FELs has driven the development of a wide range of diagnostic techniques for measuring the length and longitudinal distribution of short and ultra-short electron bunches. For SASE FELs the radiation power and the length of the undulator needed to achieve saturation depend strongly on the charge density of the electron beam. In the case of X-ray FELs, this requires the accelerator to produce ultra-high brightness beams with micron size transverse normalized emittances and peak currents of several kA through several stages of magnetic bunch compression. Different longitudinal diagnostics are employed to measure the peak current and bunch profile along these stages. The measurement techniques can be distinguished into different classes. Coherent methods detect the light emitted from the beam by some coherent radiation process (spectroscopic measurement), or directly measure the Coulomb field traveling with the beam (electro-optic). Phase space manipulation techniques map the time coordinate onto a transverse dimension and then use conventional transverse beam diagnostics (transverse deflector, rf zero-phasing). Further methods measure the profile or duration of an incoherent light pulse emitted by the bunch at wavelengths much shorted than the bunch length (streak camera, fluctuation technique) or modulate the electron beam at an optical wavelength and then generate a narrow bandwidth radiation pulse with the longitudinal profile of

  8. Process development of short-chain polyols synthesis from corn stover by combination of enzymatic hydrolysis and catalytic hydrogenolysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhen-Hong Fang

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Currently short-chain polyols such as ethanediol, propanediol, and butanediol are produced either from the petroleum feedstock or from the starch-based food crop feedstock. In this study, a combinational process of enzymatic hydrolysis with catalytic hydrogenolysis for short-chain polyols production using corn stover as feedstock was developed. The enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated corn stover was optimized to produce stover sugars at the minimum cost. Then the stover sugars were purified and hydrogenolyzed into polyols products catalyzed by Raney nickel catalyst. The results show that the yield of short-chain polyols from the stover sugars was comparable to that of the corn-based glucose. The present study provided an important prototype for polyols production from lignocellulose to replace the petroleum- or corn-based polyols for future industrial applications.

  9. Kālacakra: Shortlies Considerations on Time

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrián Muñoz

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper calls for a comparative reading of both the Buddhist conception of time and a branch of Western phenomenology. With special emphasis on the Madhyamaka Buddhist school, it discusses the way in which fugacity and impermanence are similarly discussed by French philosopher Gaston Bachelard in his L’intuition de l’instant. In both cases, the stress lies on the fact that duration is but a mental construct lacking true, absolute reality, while at the same time the human being is subjected to hopes of transcendence which, in turn, engender disillusion and delusion.

  10. On the applicability of short time measurements to the determination of annual average of radon concentration in dwelling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loskiewicz, J.; Olko, P.; Swakon, J.; Bogacz, J.; Janik, M.; Mazur, D.; Mazur, J.

    1998-01-01

    The variation of radon concentration in some houses in the Krakow region was investigated in order to compare results obtained using various measuring techniques. It is concluded that short-term measurements should last at least 4 days to avoid errors exceeding 30%; that weather parameters and human activity during the measurement should be recorded; that measurements should be repeated several times under various weather conditions; that seasonal variation in the region should be taken into account. (A.K.)

  11. Rapidly-administered short forms of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-3rd edition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donnell, Alison J; Pliskin, Neil; Holdnack, James; Axelrod, Bradley; Randolph, Christopher

    2007-11-01

    Although the Wechsler Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) is a common component of most neuropsychological evaluations, there are many clinical situations where the complete administration of this battery is precluded by various constraints, including limitations of time and patient compliance. These constraints are particularly true for dementia evaluations involving elderly patients. The present study reports data on two short forms particularly suited to dementia evaluations, each requiring less than 20min of administration time. One of the short forms was previously validated in dementia for the WAIS-R [Randolph, C., Mohr, E., & Chase, T. N. (1993). Assessment of intellectual function in dementing disorders: Validity of WAIS-R short forms for patients with Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's disease. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 15, 743-753]; the second was developed specifically for patients with motor disabilities. These short forms were validated using the WAIS-III normative standardization sample (N=2450), neurologic sample (N=63), and matched controls (N=49), and a separate mixed clinical sample (N=70). The results suggest that each short form provides an accurate and reliable estimate of WAIS-III FSIQ, validating their use in appropriate clinical contexts. The present data support the use of these short forms for dementia evaluations, and suggests that they may be applicable for the evaluation of other neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders that involve acquired neurocognitive impairment.

  12. A deep learning framework for financial time series using stacked autoencoders and long-short term memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Wei; Yue, Jun; Rao, Yulei

    2017-01-01

    The application of deep learning approaches to finance has received a great deal of attention from both investors and researchers. This study presents a novel deep learning framework where wavelet transforms (WT), stacked autoencoders (SAEs) and long-short term memory (LSTM) are combined for stock price forecasting. The SAEs for hierarchically extracted deep features is introduced into stock price forecasting for the first time. The deep learning framework comprises three stages. First, the stock price time series is decomposed by WT to eliminate noise. Second, SAEs is applied to generate deep high-level features for predicting the stock price. Third, high-level denoising features are fed into LSTM to forecast the next day's closing price. Six market indices and their corresponding index futures are chosen to examine the performance of the proposed model. Results show that the proposed model outperforms other similar models in both predictive accuracy and profitability performance.

  13. The Short-Time Behaviour of VIX Implied Volatilities in a Multifactor Stochastic Volatility Framework

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barletta, Andrea; Nicolato, Elisa; Pagliarani, Stefano

    error bounds for VIX futures, options and implied volatilities. In particular, we derive exact asymptotic results for VIX implied volatilities, and their sensitivities, in the joint limit of short time-to-maturity and small log-moneyness. The obtained expansions are explicit, based on elementary...... approximations of equity (SPX) options. However, the generalizations needed to cover the case of VIX options are by no means straightforward as the dynamics of the underlying VIX futures are not explicitly known. To illustrate the accuracy of our technique, we provide numerical implementations for a selection...... functions and they neatly uncover how the VIX skew depends on the specific choice of the volatility and the vol-of-vol processes. Our results are based on perturbation techniques applied to the infinitesimal generator of the underlying process. This methodology has been previously adopted to derive...

  14. Validation of the Short Form of the Career Development Inventory with an Iranian High School Sample

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadeghi, Ahmad; Baghban, Iran; Bahrami, Fatemeh; Ahmadi, Ahmad; Creed, Peter

    2011-01-01

    A short 33-item form of the Career Development Inventory was validated on a sample of 310 Iranian high school students. Factor analysis indicated that attitude and cognitive subscale items loaded on their respective factors, and that internal reliability coefficients at all levels were satisfactory to good. Support for validity was demonstrated by…

  15. Biological effect of pulsed dose rate brachytherapy with stepping sources if short half-times of repair are present in tissues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fowler, Jack F.; Limbergen, Erik F.M. van

    1997-01-01

    Purpose: To explore the possible increase of radiation effect in tissues irradiated by pulsed brachytherapy (PDR) for local tissue dose rates between those 'averaged over the whole pulse' and the instantaneous high dose rates close to the dwell positions. Increased effect is more likely for tissues with short half-times of repair of the order of a few minutes, similar to pulse durations. Methods and Materials: Calculations were done assuming the linear quadratic formula for radiation damage, in which only the dose-squared term is subject to exponential repair. The situation with two components of T (1(2)) is addressed. A constant overall time of 140 h and a constant total dose of 70 Gy were assumed throughout, the continuous low dose rate of 0.5 Gy/h (CLDR) providing the unitary standard effects for each PDR condition. Effects of dose rates ranging from 4 Gy/h to 120 Gy/h (HDR at 2 Gy/min) were studied, covering the gap in an earlier publication. Four schedules were examined: doses per pulse of 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 Gy given at repetition frequencies of 1, 2, 3, and 4 h, respectively, each with a range of assumed half-times of repair of 4 min to 1.5 h. Results are presented for late-responding tissues, the differences from CLDR being two or three times greater than for early-responding tissues and most tumors. Results: Curves are presented relating the ratio of increased biological effect (proportional to log cell kill) calculated for PDR relative to CLDR. Ratios as high as 1.5 can be found for large doses per pulse (2 Gy) if the half-time of repair in tissues is as short as a few minutes. The major influences on effect are dose per pulse, half-time of repair in tissue, and--when T (1(2)) is short--the instantaneous dose rate. Maximum ratios of PDR/CLDR occur when the dose rate is such that pulse duration is approximately equal to T (1(2)) . As dose rate in the pulse is increased, a plateau of effect is reached, for most T (1(2)) s, above 10 to 20 Gy/h, which is

  16. Development and Cross-Validation of the Short Form of the Cultural Competence Scale for Nurses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duckhee Chae, PhD, RN

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To develop and validate the short form of the Korean adaptation of the Cultural Competence Scale for Nurses. Methods: To shorten the 33-item Cultural Competence Scale for Nurses, an expert panel (N = 6 evaluated its content validity. The revised items were pilot tested using a sample of nine nurses, and clarity was assessed through cognitive interviews with respondents. The original instrument was shortened and validated through item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, convergent validity, and reliability using data from 277 hospital nurses. The 14-item final version was cross-validated through confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity, discriminant validity, known-group comparisons, and reliability using data from 365 nurses belonging to 19 hospitals. Results: A 4-factor, 14-item model demonstrated satisfactory fit with significant factor loadings. The convergent validity between the developed tool and transcultural self-efficacy was significant (r = .55, p < .001. The convergent validity evaluated using the Average Variance Extracted and discriminant validity were acceptable. Known-group comparisons revealed significant differences in the mean scores of the groups who spent more than one month abroad (p = .002 were able to communicate in a foreign language (p < .001 and had education to care for foreign patients (p = .039. Cronbach's α was .89, and the reliability of the subscales ranged from .74 to .91. Conclusion: The Cultural Competence Scale for Nurses-Short Form demonstrated good reliability and validity. It is a short and appropriate instrument for use in clinical and research settings to assess nurses' cultural competence. Keywords: cultural competence, psychometric properties, nurse

  17. Correction of echo shift in reconstruction processing for ultra-short TE pulse sequence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takizawa, Masahiro; Ootsuka, Takehiro; Abe, Takayuki; Takahashi, Tetsuhiko

    2010-01-01

    An ultra-short echo time (TE) pulse sequence is composed of a radial sampling that acquires echo signals radially in the K-space and a half-echo acquisition that acquires only half of the echo signal. The shift in the position of the echo signal (echo shift) caused by the timing errors in the gradient magnetic field pulses affects the image quality in the radial sampling with the half-echo acquisition. To improve image quality, we have developed a signal correction algorithm that detects and eliminates this echo shift during reconstruction by performing a pre-scan within 10 seconds. The results showed that image quality is improved under oblique and/or off-centering conditions that frequently cause image distortion due to hardware error. In conclusion, we have developed a robust ultra-short TE pulse sequence that allows wide latitude in the scan parameters, including oblique and off-centering conditions. (author)

  18. Fetal short time variation during labor: a non-invasive alternative to fetal scalp pH measurements?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schiermeier, Sven; Reinhard, Joscha; Hatzmann, Hendrike; Zimmermann, Ralf C; Westhof, Gregor

    2009-01-01

    To determine whether short time variation (STV) of fetal heart beat correlates with scalp pH measurements during labor. From 1279 deliveries, 197 women had at least one fetal scalp pH measurement. Using the CTG-Player, STVs were calculated from the electronically saved cardiotocography (CTG) traces and related to the fetal scalp pH measurements. There was no correlation between STV and fetal scalp pH measurements (r=-0.0592). Fetal STV is an important parameter with high sensitivity for antenatal fetal acidosis. This study shows that STV calculations do not correlate with fetal scalp pH measurements during labor, hence are not helpful in identifying fetal acidosis.

  19. Design and Delivery of Professional Development Through Partnerships: Long-Term, Short-Term, and Everything In-Between

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urquhart, M. L.; Curry, B.; Hairston, M. R.

    2009-12-01

    Professional development for teachers can take a variety of forms, each with unique challenges and needs. At the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), we have leveraged partnerships between multiple groups including the Masters of Arts in Teaching program in Science Education, the joint US Air Force/NASA CINDI mission, an ionospheric explorer built at UTD, and the UTD Regional Collaborative for Excellence in Science Teaching. Each effort models, and in the case of the later two has created, inquiry-based lessons around Earth-systems science. A space science mission, currently in low Earth orbit aboard the Air Force satellite C/NOFS, provides real world connections to classroom science, scientific data and visualizations, and funding to support delivery of professional development in short courses and workshops at teacher conferences. Workshops and short course in turn often serve to recruit teachers into our longer-term programs. Long-term professional development programs such as the Collaborative provide opportunities to test curriculum and teacher learning, an interface to high-quality sustained efforts within talented communities of teachers, and much more. From the birth of our CINDI Educational Outreach program to the Collaborative project that produced geoscience kit-based modules and associated professional development adopted throughout the state of Texas, we will share highlights of our major professional development initiatives and how our partnerships have enabled us to better serve the needs of K-12 teachers expected to deliver geoscience and space science content in their classrooms.

  20. Verification of“Trend-Volatility Model”in Short-Term Forecast of Grain Production Potential

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MI Chang-hong

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The "trend-volatility model" in short-term forecasting of grain production potential was verified and discussed systematically by using the grain production data from 1949 to 2014, in 16 typical counties and 6 typical districts, and 31 provinces, of China. The results showed as follows:(1 Size of forecast error reflected the precision of short-term production potential, the main reason of large prediction error was a great amount of high yield farmlands were occupied in developed areas and a great increase of vegetable and fruit planted that made grain yield decreased in a short time;(2 The micro-trend amendment method was a necessary part of "trend-volatility model", which could involve the short-term factors such as meteorological factors, science and technology input, social factors and other effects, while macro-trend prediction could not. Therefore, The micro-trend amendment method could improve the forecast precision.(3 In terms of actual situation in recent years in China, the more developed the areas was, the bigger the volatility of short-term production potential was; For the short-term production potential, the stage of increasing-decreasing-recovering also existed in developed areas;(4 In the terms of forecast precision of short-terms production potential, the scale of national was higher than the scale of province, the scale of province was higher than the scale of district, the scale of district was higher than the scale of county. And it was large differences in precision between different provinces, different districts and different counties respectively, which was concerned to the complementarity of domestic climate and the ability of the farmland resistance to natural disasters.

  1. Methods for Free-Space Ultra-Short Solitary EMP Measurement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petr Drexler

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available There are some suitable methods for ultra-short solitary electromagnetic pulses (EMP measurement. The EMPs are generated by high power microwave generators. The characteristic of EMPs is high power level (Pmax = 250 MW and very short time duration (tp Î <1, 60> ns. Special requirements for measurement methods are placed because of the specific EMPs properties.Two suitable methods for this application are presented in the paper. The first – calorimetric method, utilizes the thermal impacts of microwave absorption. The second method presented – magneto-optic method, use the Faraday’s magneto-optic effect as a sensor principle. It was realized combined calorimetric sensor and there were made some experimental EMP measurements with good results. The sensor utilizing magneto-optic method is in development.

  2. Final report for Fundamental study of long-short interfacial wave interactions with application for flow regime development

    CERN Document Server

    McCready, M

    2000-01-01

    The long waves that cause slugs almost always form more slowly than short waves, and linear stability always predicts that the growth rate for long waves is much less than that for short waves. However, at many conditions above neutral stability, long waves dominate the wave field. Three different studies were undertaken as part of the funded work: (1) linear interaction for unsteady flows; (2) wave evolution in oil-water channel flows; (3) retrograde stability and subcritical bifurcations. The oil-water system was used as a surrogate for gas-liquid systems because the gas phase is usually turbulent, and this complication is thus avoided although the phenomena involved are similar. The following overall conclusions about flow regime development were reached: (a) Oscillations in pressure and flow rate, due to interfacial waves or a malfunctioning pump, can cause significant growth rate changes in short waves within narrow FR-equency ranges, but probably do not have a large effect on long waves and thus regime ...

  3. Mechanical Properties, Short Time Creep, and Fatigue of an Austenitic Steel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josip Brnic

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The correct choice of a material in the process of structural design is the most important task. This study deals with determining and analyzing the mechanical properties of the material, and the material resistance to short-time creep and fatigue. The material under consideration in this investigation is austenitic stainless steel X6CrNiTi18-10. The results presenting ultimate tensile strength and 0.2 offset yield strength at room and elevated temperatures are displayed in the form of engineering stress-strain diagrams. Besides, the creep behavior of the steel is presented in the form of creep curves. The material is consequently considered to be creep resistant at temperatures of 400 °C and 500 °C when subjected to a stress which is less than 0.9 of the yield strength at the mentioned temperatures. Even when the applied stress at a temperature of 600 °C is less than 0.5 of the yield strength, the steel may be considered as resistant to creep. Cyclic tensile fatigue tests were carried out at stress ratio R = 0.25 using a servo-pulser machine and the results were recorded. The analysis shows that the stress level of 434.33 MPa can be adopted as a fatigue limit. The impact energy was also determined and the fracture toughness assessed.

  4. Mechanical Properties, Short Time Creep, and Fatigue of an Austenitic Steel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brnic, Josip; Turkalj, Goran; Canadija, Marko; Lanc, Domagoj; Krscanski, Sanjin; Brcic, Marino; Li, Qiang; Niu, Jitai

    2016-04-20

    The correct choice of a material in the process of structural design is the most important task. This study deals with determining and analyzing the mechanical properties of the material, and the material resistance to short-time creep and fatigue. The material under consideration in this investigation is austenitic stainless steel X6CrNiTi18-10. The results presenting ultimate tensile strength and 0.2 offset yield strength at room and elevated temperatures are displayed in the form of engineering stress-strain diagrams. Besides, the creep behavior of the steel is presented in the form of creep curves. The material is consequently considered to be creep resistant at temperatures of 400 °C and 500 °C when subjected to a stress which is less than 0.9 of the yield strength at the mentioned temperatures. Even when the applied stress at a temperature of 600 °C is less than 0.5 of the yield strength, the steel may be considered as resistant to creep. Cyclic tensile fatigue tests were carried out at stress ratio R = 0.25 using a servo-pulser machine and the results were recorded. The analysis shows that the stress level of 434.33 MPa can be adopted as a fatigue limit. The impact energy was also determined and the fracture toughness assessed.

  5. Influence of Short-time Oxidation on Corrosion Properties of Directionally Solidified Superalloys with Different Orientations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MA Luo-ning

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available In order to investigate the corrosion performance on intersecting and longitudinal surfaces of unoxidized and oxidized directionally solidified superalloys, Ni-base directionally solidified superalloy DZ125 and Co-base directionally solidified superalloy DZ40M were selected. Oxidation behavior on both alloys with different orientations was investigated at 1050℃ at different times, simulating the oxidation process of vanes or blades in service; subsequent electrochemical performance in 3.5%NaCl aqueous solution was studied on two orientations of unoxidized and oxidized alloys, simulating the corrosion process of superalloy during downtime. The results show that grain boundaries and sub-boundaries of directionally solidified superalloys are susceptible to corrosion and thus longitudinal surface with lower area fraction of grain boundaries has higher corrosion resistance. Compared to intersecting surface of alloys, the structure of grain boundaries of longitudinal surface is less conducive to diffusion and thus the oxidation rate on longitudinal surface is lower. Formation of oxide layers on alloys after short-time oxidation provides protective effect and enhances the corrosion resistance.

  6. Norwegian reference values for the Short-Form Health Survey 36: development over time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobsen, Ellisiv L; Bye, Asta; Aass, Nina; Fosså, Sophie D; Grotmol, Kjersti S; Kaasa, Stein; Loge, Jon Håvard; Moum, Torbjørn; Hjermstad, Marianne J

    2018-05-01

    Reference values for patient-reported outcome measures are useful for interpretation of results from clinical trials. The study aims were to collect Norwegian SF-36 reference values and compare with data from 1996 to 2002. In 2015, SF-36 was sent by mail to a representative sample of the population (N = 6165). Time trends and associations between background variables and SF-36 scale scores were compared by linear regression models. The 2015 response rate was 36% (N = 2118) versus 67% (N = 2323) in 1996 and 56% (N = 5241) in 2002. Only 5% of the youngest (18-29 years) and 27% of the oldest (>70 years) responded in 2015. Age and educational level were significantly higher in 2015 relative to 1996/2002 (p 36 scores were relatively stable across surveys, controlled for background variables. In general, the most pronounced changes in 2015 were better scores on the role limitations emotional scale (7.4 points, p 70 years. Despite societal changes in Norway the past two decades, HRQoL has remained relatively stable.

  7. Internal consistency, reliability, and temporal stability of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire short-form: Test-retest data over two weeks

    OpenAIRE

    MCGUCKIN, CONOR

    2006-01-01

    PUBLISHED The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire short-form is a recently developed eight-item measure of happiness. This study evaluated the internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire short-form among 55 Northern Irish undergraduate university students who completed the measure on two occasions separated by two weeks. Internal consistency of the measure on both occasions was satisfactory at both Time 1 (alpha = .62) and Time 2 (alpha = ....

  8. Automatized near-real-time short-term Probabilistic Volcanic Hazard Assessment of tephra dispersion before eruptions: BET_VHst for Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei during recent exercises

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selva, Jacopo; Costa, Antonio; Sandri, Laura; Rouwet, Dmtri; Tonini, Roberto; Macedonio, Giovanni; Marzocchi, Warner

    2015-04-01

    Probabilistic Volcanic Hazard Assessment (PVHA) represents the most complete scientific contribution for planning rational strategies aimed at mitigating the risk posed by volcanic activity at different time scales. The definition of the space-time window for PVHA is related to the kind of risk mitigation actions that are under consideration. Short temporal intervals (days to weeks) are important for short-term risk mitigation actions like the evacuation of a volcanic area. During volcanic unrest episodes or eruptions, it is of primary importance to produce short-term tephra fallout forecast, and frequently update it to account for the rapidly evolving situation. This information is obviously crucial for crisis management, since tephra may heavily affect building stability, public health, transportations and evacuation routes (airports, trains, road traffic) and lifelines (electric power supply). In this study, we propose a methodology named BET_VHst (Selva et al. 2014) for short-term PVHA of volcanic tephra dispersal based on automatic interpretation of measures from the monitoring system and physical models of tephra dispersal from all possible vent positions and eruptive sizes based on frequently updated meteorological forecasts. The large uncertainty at all the steps required for the analysis, both aleatory and epistemic, is treated by means of Bayesian inference and statistical mixing of long- and short-term analyses. The BET_VHst model is here presented through its implementation during two exercises organized for volcanoes in the Neapolitan area: MESIMEX for Mt. Vesuvius, and VUELCO for Campi Flegrei. References Selva J., Costa A., Sandri L., Macedonio G., Marzocchi W. (2014) Probabilistic short-term volcanic hazard in phases of unrest: a case study for tephra fallout, J. Geophys. Res., 119, doi: 10.1002/2014JB011252

  9. No Clear Association between Impaired Short-Term or Working Memory Storage and Time Reproduction Capacity in Adult ADHD Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mette, Christian; Grabemann, Marco; Zimmermann, Marco; Strunz, Laura; Scherbaum, Norbert; Wiltfang, Jens; Kis, Bernhard

    2015-01-01

    Altered time reproduction is exhibited by patients with adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It remains unclear whether memory capacity influences the ability of adults with ADHD to reproduce time intervals. We conducted a behavioral study on 30 ADHD patients who were medicated with methylphenidate, 29 unmedicated adult ADHD patients and 32 healthy controls (HCs). We assessed time reproduction using six time intervals (1 s, 4 s, 6 s, 10 s, 24 s and 60 s) and assessed memory performance using the Wechsler memory scale. The patients with ADHD exhibited lower memory performance scores than the HCs. No significant differences in the raw scores for any of the time intervals (p > .05), with the exception of the variability at the short time intervals (1 s, 4 s and 6 s) (p memory performance (p > .05). We detected no findings indicating that working memory might influence time reproduction in adult patients with ADHD. Therefore, further studies concerning time reproduction and memory capacity among adult patients with ADHD must be performed to verify and replicate the present findings.

  10. No Clear Association between Impaired Short-Term or Working Memory Storage and Time Reproduction Capacity in Adult ADHD Patients.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Mette

    Full Text Available Altered time reproduction is exhibited by patients with adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD. It remains unclear whether memory capacity influences the ability of adults with ADHD to reproduce time intervals.We conducted a behavioral study on 30 ADHD patients who were medicated with methylphenidate, 29 unmedicated adult ADHD patients and 32 healthy controls (HCs. We assessed time reproduction using six time intervals (1 s, 4 s, 6 s, 10 s, 24 s and 60 s and assessed memory performance using the Wechsler memory scale.The patients with ADHD exhibited lower memory performance scores than the HCs. No significant differences in the raw scores for any of the time intervals (p > .05, with the exception of the variability at the short time intervals (1 s, 4 s and 6 s (p .05.We detected no findings indicating that working memory might influence time reproduction in adult patients with ADHD. Therefore, further studies concerning time reproduction and memory capacity among adult patients with ADHD must be performed to verify and replicate the present findings.

  11. Metabolite concentrations in supraventricular white matter from teenage to early old age: A short echo time 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raininko, Raili (Dept. of Radiology, Uppsala Univ., Uppsala (Sweden)), e-mail: raili.raininko@radiol.uu.se; Mattsson, Peter (Dept. of Neuroscience, Neurology, Uppsala Univ., Uppsala (Sweden))

    2010-04-15

    Background: Age- and sex-related changes of metabolites in healthy adult brains have been examined with different 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) methods in varying populations, and with differing results. A long repetition time and short echo time technique reduces quantification errors due to T1 and T2 relaxation effects and makes it possible to measure metabolites with short T2 relaxation times. Purpose: To examine the effect of age on the metabolite concentrations measured by 1H MRS in normal supraventricular white matter using a long repetition time (TR) and a short echo time (TE). Material and Methods: Supraventricular white matter of 57 healthy subjects (25 women, 32 men), aged 13 to 72 years, was examined with a single-voxel MRS at 1.5T using a TR of 6000 ms and a TE of 22 ms. Tissue water was used as a reference in quantification. Results: Myoinositol increased slightly and total N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) decreased slightly with increasing age. Glutamine/glutamate complex (Glx) showed U-shaped age dependence, with highest concentrations in the youngest and oldest subjects. No significant age dependence was found in total choline and total creatine. No gender differences were found. Macromolecule/ lipid (ML) fractions were reliably measurable only in 36/57 or even fewer subjects and showed very large deviations. Conclusion: The concentrations of several metabolites in cerebral supraventricular white matter are age dependent on 1H MRS, even in young and middle-aged people, and age dependency can be nonlinear. Each 1H MRS study of the brain should therefore take age into account, whereas sex does not appear to be so important. The use of macromolecule and lipid evaluations is compromised by less successful quantification and large variations in healthy people

  12. Metabolite concentrations in supraventricular white matter from teenage to early old age: A short echo time 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raininko, Raili; Mattsson, Peter

    2010-01-01

    Background: Age- and sex-related changes of metabolites in healthy adult brains have been examined with different 1 H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) methods in varying populations, and with differing results. A long repetition time and short echo time technique reduces quantification errors due to T1 and T2 relaxation effects and makes it possible to measure metabolites with short T2 relaxation times. Purpose: To examine the effect of age on the metabolite concentrations measured by 1H MRS in normal supraventricular white matter using a long repetition time (TR) and a short echo time (TE). Material and Methods: Supraventricular white matter of 57 healthy subjects (25 women, 32 men), aged 13 to 72 years, was examined with a single-voxel MRS at 1.5T using a TR of 6000 ms and a TE of 22 ms. Tissue water was used as a reference in quantification. Results: Myoinositol increased slightly and total N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) decreased slightly with increasing age. Glutamine/glutamate complex (Glx) showed U-shaped age dependence, with highest concentrations in the youngest and oldest subjects. No significant age dependence was found in total choline and total creatine. No gender differences were found. Macromolecule/ lipid (ML) fractions were reliably measurable only in 36/57 or even fewer subjects and showed very large deviations. Conclusion: The concentrations of several metabolites in cerebral supraventricular white matter are age dependent on 1H MRS, even in young and middle-aged people, and age dependency can be nonlinear. Each 1H MRS study of the brain should therefore take age into account, whereas sex does not appear to be so important. The use of macromolecule and lipid evaluations is compromised by less successful quantification and large variations in healthy people

  13. Long short-term memory neural network for air pollutant concentration predictions: Method development and evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiang; Peng, Ling; Yao, Xiaojing; Cui, Shaolong; Hu, Yuan; You, Chengzeng; Chi, Tianhe

    2017-12-01

    Air pollutant concentration forecasting is an effective method of protecting public health by providing an early warning against harmful air pollutants. However, existing methods of air pollutant concentration prediction fail to effectively model long-term dependencies, and most neglect spatial correlations. In this paper, a novel long short-term memory neural network extended (LSTME) model that inherently considers spatiotemporal correlations is proposed for air pollutant concentration prediction. Long short-term memory (LSTM) layers were used to automatically extract inherent useful features from historical air pollutant data, and auxiliary data, including meteorological data and time stamp data, were merged into the proposed model to enhance the performance. Hourly PM 2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm) concentration data collected at 12 air quality monitoring stations in Beijing City from Jan/01/2014 to May/28/2016 were used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed LSTME model. Experiments were performed using the spatiotemporal deep learning (STDL) model, the time delay neural network (TDNN) model, the autoregressive moving average (ARMA) model, the support vector regression (SVR) model, and the traditional LSTM NN model, and a comparison of the results demonstrated that the LSTME model is superior to the other statistics-based models. Additionally, the use of auxiliary data improved model performance. For the one-hour prediction tasks, the proposed model performed well and exhibited a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 11.93%. In addition, we conducted multiscale predictions over different time spans and achieved satisfactory performance, even for 13-24 h prediction tasks (MAPE = 31.47%). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. A deep learning framework for financial time series using stacked autoencoders and long-short term memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Wei; Rao, Yulei

    2017-01-01

    The application of deep learning approaches to finance has received a great deal of attention from both investors and researchers. This study presents a novel deep learning framework where wavelet transforms (WT), stacked autoencoders (SAEs) and long-short term memory (LSTM) are combined for stock price forecasting. The SAEs for hierarchically extracted deep features is introduced into stock price forecasting for the first time. The deep learning framework comprises three stages. First, the stock price time series is decomposed by WT to eliminate noise. Second, SAEs is applied to generate deep high-level features for predicting the stock price. Third, high-level denoising features are fed into LSTM to forecast the next day’s closing price. Six market indices and their corresponding index futures are chosen to examine the performance of the proposed model. Results show that the proposed model outperforms other similar models in both predictive accuracy and profitability performance. PMID:28708865

  15. A deep learning framework for financial time series using stacked autoencoders and long-short term memory.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Bao

    Full Text Available The application of deep learning approaches to finance has received a great deal of attention from both investors and researchers. This study presents a novel deep learning framework where wavelet transforms (WT, stacked autoencoders (SAEs and long-short term memory (LSTM are combined for stock price forecasting. The SAEs for hierarchically extracted deep features is introduced into stock price forecasting for the first time. The deep learning framework comprises three stages. First, the stock price time series is decomposed by WT to eliminate noise. Second, SAEs is applied to generate deep high-level features for predicting the stock price. Third, high-level denoising features are fed into LSTM to forecast the next day's closing price. Six market indices and their corresponding index futures are chosen to examine the performance of the proposed model. Results show that the proposed model outperforms other similar models in both predictive accuracy and profitability performance.

  16. Short-Term Intercultural Psychotherapy: Ethnographic Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seeley, Karen M.

    2004-01-01

    This article examines the challenges specific to short-term intercultural treatments and recently developed approaches to intercultural treatments based on notions of cultural knowledge and cultural competence. The article introduces alternative approaches to short-term intercultural treatments based on ethnographic inquiry adapted for clinical…

  17. Task-evoked pupillometry provides a window into the development of short-term memory capacity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Elizabeth L; Miller Singley, Alison T; Peckham, Andrew D; Johnson, Sheri L; Bunge, Silvia A

    2014-01-01

    The capacity to keep multiple items in short-term memory (STM) improves over childhood and provides the foundation for the development of multiple cognitive abilities. The goal of this study was to measure the extent to which age differences in STM capacity are related to differences in task engagement during encoding. Children (n = 69, mean age = 10.6 years) and adults (n = 54, mean age = 27.5 years) performed two STM tasks: the forward digit span test from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and a novel eyetracking digit span task designed to overload STM capacity. Building on prior research showing that task-evoked pupil dilation can be used as a real-time index of task engagement, we measured changes in pupil dilation while participants encoded long sequences of digits for subsequent recall. As expected, adults outperformed children on both STM tasks. We found similar patterns of pupil dilation while children and adults listened to the first six digits on our STM overload task, after which the adults' pupils continued to dilate and the children's began to constrict, suggesting that the children had reached their cognitive limits and that they had begun to disengage from the task. Indeed, the point at which pupil dilation peaked at encoding was a significant predictor of WISC forward span, and this relationship held even after partialing out recall performance on the STM overload task. These findings indicate that sustained task engagement at encoding is an important component of the development of STM.

  18. Task-evoked pupillometry provides a window into the development of short-term memory capacity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth L. Johnson

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The capacity to keep multiple items in short-term memory (STM improves over childhood and provides the foundation for the development of multiple cognitive abilities. The goal of this study was to measure the extent to which age differences in STM capacity are related to differences in task engagement during encoding. Children (n = 69, mean age = 10.5 years and adults (n = 54, mean age = 27.5 years performed two STM tasks: the forward digit span test from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC and a novel eyetracking digit span task designed to overload STM capacity. Building on prior research showing that task-evoked pupil dilation can be used as a real-time index of task engagement, we measured changes in pupil dilation while participants encoded long sequences of digits for subsequent recall. As expected, adults outperformed children on both STM tasks. We found similar patterns of pupil dilation while children and adults listened to the first six digits on our STM Overload task, after which the adults’ pupils continued to dilate and the children’s began to constrict, suggesting that the children had reached their cognitive limits and that they had begun to disengage attention from the task. Indeed, the point at which pupil dilation peaked at encoding was a significant predictor of WISC forward span, and this relationship held even after partialing out recall performance on the STM Overload task. These findings indicate that sustained task engagement at encoding is an important component of the development of STM.

  19. Task-evoked pupillometry provides a window into the development of short-term memory capacity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Elizabeth L.; Miller Singley, Alison T.; Peckham, Andrew D.; Johnson, Sheri L.; Bunge, Silvia A.

    2014-01-01

    The capacity to keep multiple items in short-term memory (STM) improves over childhood and provides the foundation for the development of multiple cognitive abilities. The goal of this study was to measure the extent to which age differences in STM capacity are related to differences in task engagement during encoding. Children (n = 69, mean age = 10.6 years) and adults (n = 54, mean age = 27.5 years) performed two STM tasks: the forward digit span test from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and a novel eyetracking digit span task designed to overload STM capacity. Building on prior research showing that task-evoked pupil dilation can be used as a real-time index of task engagement, we measured changes in pupil dilation while participants encoded long sequences of digits for subsequent recall. As expected, adults outperformed children on both STM tasks. We found similar patterns of pupil dilation while children and adults listened to the first six digits on our STM overload task, after which the adults' pupils continued to dilate and the children's began to constrict, suggesting that the children had reached their cognitive limits and that they had begun to disengage from the task. Indeed, the point at which pupil dilation peaked at encoding was a significant predictor of WISC forward span, and this relationship held even after partialing out recall performance on the STM overload task. These findings indicate that sustained task engagement at encoding is an important component of the development of STM. PMID:24659980

  20. A Short-Term Longitudinal Study of Memorial Development during Early Grade School.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kunzinger, Edward L., III

    1985-01-01

    Overt rehearsal and free recall performance was analyzed longitudinally in two experimental testing sessions at 7 and later at 9 years of age. Measures of short- and long-term memory recall, and two measures of input processing were obtained. Significant increases between age levels were exhibited by all variables except short-term memory.…

  1. Short sleep duration and childhood obesity: cross-sectional analysis in Peru and patterns in four developing countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrillo-Larco, Rodrigo M; Bernabé-Ortiz, Antonio; Miranda, J Jaime

    2014-01-01

    We aimed to describe the patterns of nutritional status and sleep duration in children from Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam; to assess the association between short sleep duration and overweight and obesity, and if this was similar among boys and girls in Peru. Analysis of the Young Lives Study, younger cohort, third round. In Ethiopia there were 1,999 observations, 2,011, 2,052 and 2,000 in India, Peru and Vietnam, respectively. Analyses included participants with complete data for sleep duration, BMI, sex and age; missing data: 5.9% (Ethiopia), 4.1% (India), 6.0% (Peru) and 4.5% (Vietnam). Exposure was sleep duration per day: short (overweight and obesity. Multivariable analyses were conducted using a hierarchical approach to assess the effect of variables at different levels. Overweight/obesity prevalence was 0.5%/0.2% (Ethiopia), 1.3%/0.3% (India), 6.1%/2.8% (Vietnam), and 15.8%/5.4% (Peru). Only Peruvian data was considered to explore the association between short sleep duration and overweight and obesity, with 1,929 children, aged 7.9±0.3 years, 50.3% boys. Short and regular sleep duration was 41.6% and 55.6%, respectively. Multivariable models showed that obesity was 64% more prevalent among children with short sleep duration, an estimate that lost significance after controlling for individual- and family-related variables (PR: 1.15; 95%CI: 0.81-1.64). Gender was an effect modifier of the association between short sleep duration and overweight (p = 0.030) but not obesity (p = 0.533): the prevalence ratio was greater than one across all the models for boys, yet it was less than one for girls. Childhood overweight and obesity have different profiles across developing settings. In a sample of children living in resource-limited settings in Peru there is no association between short sleep duration and obesity; the crude association was slightly attenuated by children-related variables but strongly diminished by family-related variables.

  2. Finite-size effects in the short-time height distribution of the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Naftali R.; Meerson, Baruch; Sasorov, Pavel

    2018-02-01

    We use the optimal fluctuation method to evaluate the short-time probability distribution P(H, L, t) of height at a single point, H=h(x=0, t) , of the evolving Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) interface h(x, t) on a ring of length 2L. The process starts from a flat interface. At short times typical (small) height fluctuations are unaffected by the KPZ nonlinearity and belong to the Edwards-Wilkinson universality class. The nonlinearity, however, strongly affects the (asymmetric) tails of P(H) . At large L/\\sqrt{t} the faster-decaying tail has a double structure: it is L-independent, -\\lnP˜≤ft\\vert H\\right\\vert 5/2/t1/2 , at intermediately large \\vert H\\vert , and L-dependent, -\\lnP˜ ≤ft\\vert H\\right\\vert 2L/t , at very large \\vert H\\vert . The transition between these two regimes is sharp and, in the large L/\\sqrt{t} limit, behaves as a fractional-order phase transition. The transition point H=Hc+ depends on L/\\sqrt{t} . At small L/\\sqrt{t} , the double structure of the faster tail disappears, and only the very large-H tail, -\\lnP˜ ≤ft\\vert H\\right\\vert 2L/t , is observed. The slower-decaying tail does not show any L-dependence at large L/\\sqrt{t} , where it coincides with the slower tail of the GOE Tracy-Widom distribution. At small L/\\sqrt{t} this tail also has a double structure. The transition between the two regimes occurs at a value of height H=Hc- which depends on L/\\sqrt{t} . At L/\\sqrt{t} \\to 0 the transition behaves as a mean-field-like second-order phase transition. At \\vert H\\vert c-\\vert the slower tail behaves as -\\lnP˜ ≤ft\\vert H\\right\\vert 2L/t , whereas at \\vert H\\vert >\\vert H_c-\\vert it coincides with the slower tail of the GOE Tracy-Widom distribution.

  3. Severe symptoms of short tear break-up time dry eye are associated with accommodative microfluctuations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kaido M

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Minako Kaido,1,2 Motoko Kawashima,1 Reiko Ishida,1,3 Kazuo Tsubota1 1Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 2Wada Eye Clinic, Chiba, 3Ishida Eye Clinic, Shizuoka, Japan Aim: Validating the hypothesis that accommodative microfluctuations (AMFs may be associated with severe symptoms in short tear break-up time (BUT dry eye (DE. Methods: This study included 12 subjects with short BUT DE (age: 49.6±18.3 years. Diagnoses were performed based on the presence of DE symptoms, BUT ≤5 s, Schirmer score >5 mm, and negative keratoconjunctival epithelial damage. Tear evaluation, AMF, and functional visual acuity (VA examinations were conducted before and after DE treatment. The AMF parameters evaluated were: total high-frequency component (HFC, HFC with low accommodation for the task of staring into the distance (HFC1, HFC with high accommodation for deskwork (HFC2. A subjective questionnaire of DE symptoms was also performed. Results: Mean BUT increased from 1.9±2.0 to 6.4±2.5 s after treatment (P<0.05. The mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution functional VA significantly improved (from 0.19±0.19 to 0.12±0.17; P<0.05. Mean power spectrum values for total HFC and HFC1 decreased (from 61.3±5.7 to 53.8±6.6 dB and from 62.9±10.5 to 52.4±6.2 dB, respectively; P<0.05, while the mean HFC2 power spectrum values did not differ before and after treatment (P>0.05. Subjective DE symptoms were reduced in nine patients. Conclusion: Along with the improvement of BUT after treatment, DE symptoms diminished and HFC1 and functional VA improved, suggesting that tear film instability is associated with deterioration of functional VA, AMF, and DE symptoms. Keywords: accommodative microfluctuation, ciliary muscle spasm, dry eye, ocular fatigue, tear break-up time, functional visual acuity 

  4. Balancing development costs and sales to optimize the development time of product line additions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Langerak, F.; Griffin, A.; Hultink, E.J.

    2010-01-01

    Development teams often use mental models to simplify development time decision making because a comprehensive empirical assessment of the trade-offs across the metrics of development time, development costs, proficiency in market-entry timing, and new product sales is simply not feasible.

  5. A short-time scale colloidal system reveals early bacterial adhesion dynamics.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christophe Beloin

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available The development of bacteria on abiotic surfaces has important public health and sanitary consequences. However, despite several decades of study of bacterial adhesion to inert surfaces, the biophysical mechanisms governing this process remain poorly understood, due, in particular, to the lack of methodologies covering the appropriate time scale. Using micrometric colloidal surface particles and flow cytometry analysis, we developed a rapid multiparametric approach to studying early events in adhesion of the bacterium Escherichia coli. This approach simultaneously describes the kinetics and amplitude of early steps in adhesion, changes in physicochemical surface properties within the first few seconds of adhesion, and the self-association state of attached and free-floating cells. Examination of the role of three well-characterized E. coli surface adhesion factors upon attachment to colloidal surfaces--curli fimbriae, F-conjugative pilus, and Ag43 adhesin--showed clear-cut differences in the very initial phases of surface colonization for cell-bearing surface structures, all known to promote biofilm development. Our multiparametric analysis revealed a correlation in the adhesion phase with cell-to-cell aggregation properties and demonstrated that this phenomenon amplified surface colonization once initial cell-surface attachment was achieved. Monitoring of real-time physico-chemical particle surface properties showed that surface-active molecules of bacterial origin quickly modified surface properties, providing new insight into the intricate relations connecting abiotic surface physicochemical properties and bacterial adhesion. Hence, the biophysical analytical method described here provides a new and relevant approach to quantitatively and kinetically investigating bacterial adhesion and biofilm development.

  6. Short-run Economic Assessment of the Transportation Recovery Policy After an Earthquake

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koike Atsushi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper develops a short-run economic damage assessment model. The model contains two sub models. One is the conventional traffic assignment model, which calculates traveling time under the damaged transportation infrastructure. The other is the economic damage assessment model, which determines the decrease in production level in the short run. This method facilitates the identification of critical infrastructure that could reduce the economic damage when the disaster occurs. As a case study, we applied this model to several recovery plans for transport facilities. The results suggest that the proposed comprehensive model should be considered as a prevention plan.

  7. Formation of very short pulse by neutron spin flip chopper for J-PARC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ebisawa, T.; Soyama, K.; Yamazaki, D.; Tasaki, S.; Sakai, K.; Oku, T.; Maruyama, R.; Hino, M.

    2004-01-01

    We have developed neutron spin flip choppers with high S/N ratio and high intensity for pulsed sources using multi-stage spin flip choppers. It is not easy for us to obtain a very short neutron pulse less than 10 μs using a spin flip chopper, due to the time constant L/R in the normal LR circuit. We will discuss a method obtaining a very short neutron pulse applying the modified push-pull circuit proposed by Ito and Takahashi [4] to the double spin flip chopper with polarizing guides

  8. High-Specificity Targeted Functional Profiling in Microbial Communities with ShortBRED.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James Kaminski

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Profiling microbial community function from metagenomic sequencing data remains a computationally challenging problem. Mapping millions of DNA reads from such samples to reference protein databases requires long run-times, and short read lengths can result in spurious hits to unrelated proteins (loss of specificity. We developed ShortBRED (Short, Better Representative Extract Dataset to address these challenges, facilitating fast, accurate functional profiling of metagenomic samples. ShortBRED consists of two components: (i a method that reduces reference proteins of interest to short, highly representative amino acid sequences ("markers" and (ii a search step that maps reads to these markers to quantify the relative abundance of their associated proteins. After evaluating ShortBRED on synthetic data, we applied it to profile antibiotic resistance protein families in the gut microbiomes of individuals from the United States, China, Malawi, and Venezuela. Our results support antibiotic resistance as a core function in the human gut microbiome, with tetracycline-resistant ribosomal protection proteins and Class A beta-lactamases being the most widely distributed resistance mechanisms worldwide. ShortBRED markers are applicable to other homology-based search tasks, which we demonstrate here by identifying phylogenetic signatures of antibiotic resistance across more than 3,000 microbial isolate genomes. ShortBRED can be applied to profile a wide variety of protein families of interest; the software, source code, and documentation are available for download at http://huttenhower.sph.harvard.edu/shortbred.

  9. Innovative Training of In-Service Teachers for Active Learning: A Short Teacher Development Course Based on Physics Education Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zavala, Genaro; Alarcon, Hugo; Benegas, Julio

    2007-01-01

    In this contribution we describe a short development course for in-service physics teachers. The course structure and materials are based on the results of educational research, and its main objective is to provide in-service teachers with a first contact with the active learning strategy "Tutorials in Introductory Physics," developed by…

  10. Prolactin modulates luteal activity in the short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx during delayed embryonic development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anuradha; Krishna, Amitabh

    2017-07-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of prolactin as a modulator of luteal steroidogenesis during the period of delayed embryonic development in Cynopterus sphinx. A marked decline in circulating prolactin levels was noted during the months of November through December coinciding with the period of decreased serum progesterone and delayed embryonic development. The seasonal changes in serum prolactin levels correlated positively with circulating progesterone (P) level, but inversely with circulating melatonin level during first pregnancy showing delayed development in Cynopterus sphinx. The results also showed decreased expression of prolactin receptor-short form (PRL-RS) both in the corpus luteum and in the utero-embryonic unit during the period of delayed embryonic development. Bats treated in vivo with prolactin during the period of delayed development showed significant increase in serum progesterone and estradiol levels together with significant increase in the expression of PRL-RS, luteinizing hormone receptor (LH-R), steroidogenic acute receptor protein (STAR) and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) in the ovary. Prolactin stimulated ovarian angiogenesis (vascular endothelial growth factor) and cell survival (B-cell lymphoma 2) in vivo. Significant increases in ovarian progesterone production and the expression of prolactin-receptor, LH-R, STAR and 3β-HSD proteins were noted following the exposure of LH or prolactin in vitro during the delayed period. In conclusion, short-day associated increased melatonin level may be responsible for decreased prolactin release during November-December. The decline in prolactin level might play a role in suppressing P and estradiol-17β (E2) estradiol levels thereby causing delayed embryonic development in C. sphinx. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. 33 CFR 401.1 - Short title.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Short title. 401.1 Section 401.1 Navigation and Navigable Waters SAINT LAWRENCE SEAWAY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SEAWAY REGULATIONS AND RULES Regulations § 401.1 Short title. These regulations may be cited as the...

  12. EDM - A model for optimising the short-term power operation of a complex hydroelectric network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tremblay, M.; Guillaud, C.

    1996-01-01

    In order to optimize the short-term power operation of a complex hydroelectric network, a new model called EDM was added to PROSPER, a water management analysis system developed by SNC-Lavalin. PROSPER is now divided into three parts: an optimization model (DDDP), a simulation model (ESOLIN), and an economic dispatch model (EDM) for the short-term operation. The operation of the KSEB hydroelectric system (located in southern India) with PROSPER was described. The long-term analysis with monthly time steps is assisted by the DDDP, and the daily analysis with hourly or half-hourly time steps is performed with the EDM model. 3 figs

  13. Development and validation of a short form of the self-efficacy measurement tool for Iranian patients with myocardial infarction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soleiman Zand

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available To assess efficacy in patients with heart failure need to have a scientific tool based on psychometric features is evident. The researchers developed a scientific tool based on psychometric principles for assessing self-efficacy beliefs in patients with Myocardial Infarction (MI as the only tool of its kind; however, Due to the large number of questions in the questionnaire, respondents may not desire to complete it accuracy. The present study was conducted to develop and validate a short form of this tool. This study was conducted on a sample of 311 patients diagnosed with MI by a cardiologist and selected through convenience sampling. The 80-20 rule was used for evaluating the 60 items of the short-form MI Self-Efficacy Measurement Tool (SF-SEMT and for eliminating items without an adequate sensitivity and accuracy. The factor analysis revealed 5 factors that explained a total of 87.92% the variance; the kaiser-meyer-olkin index was calculated as 0.915 with a probable significance level of 0.001. A total of 22 items and 5 factors were extracted for this short-form tool. The reliability of the tool was confirmed with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.96 to 0.97 for the factors and 0.97 for the entire tool. The short-form MI self-efficacy measurement tool has better psychometric features than the original long form, as the former was found to have a better factor structure compared to the latter

  14. Short repetition time multiband echo-planar imaging with simultaneous pulse recording allows dynamic imaging of the cardiac pulsation signal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Yunjie; Hocke, Lia M; Frederick, Blaise deB

    2014-11-01

    Recently developed simultaneous multislice echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequences permit imaging of the whole brain at short repetition time (TR), allowing the cardiac fluctuations to be fully sampled in blood-oxygen-level dependent functional MRI (BOLD fMRI). A novel low computational analytical method was developed to dynamically map the passage of the pulsation signal through the brain and visualize the whole cerebral vasculature affected by the pulse signal. This algorithm is based on a simple combination of fast BOLD fMRI and the scanner's own built-in pulse oximeter. Multiple, temporally shifted copies of the pulse oximeter data (with 0.08 s shifting step and coverage of a 1-s span) were downsampled and used as cardiac pulsation regressors in a general linear model based analyses (FSL) of the fMRI data. The resulting concatenated z-statistics maps show the voxels that are affected as the cardiac signal travels through the brain. Many voxels were highly correlated with the pulsation regressor or its temporally shifted version. The dynamic and static cardiac pulsation maps obtained from both the task and resting state scans, resembled cerebral vasculature. The results demonstrated: (i) cardiac pulsation significantly affects most voxels in the brain; (ii) combining fast fMRI and this analytical method can reveal additional clinical information to functional studies. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Disorders of childhood growth and development: failure to thrive versus short stature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grissom, Maureen

    2013-07-01

    Failure to thrive (FTT) describes retarded growth in height and weight, whereas short stature (SS) involves comparison of a child or adolescent's height to that of a reference group or to his or her own height across time. To identify either condition in infants, children, and adolescents, the family physician should focus on accurate measurement of length/height and weight as well as careful plotting and assessment of the rate of linear growth and weight gain based on World Health Organization standards (from birth to 2 years) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention charts (from age 2 years). Identification of the etiologies of FTT and SS is complex, requiring consideration of such factors as birth weight, prematurity, and familial height. FTT can result from inadequate caloric intake (eg, caused by difficulties with nursing, limited food availability, or incorrect formula preparation), inadequate caloric absorption (eg, resulting from metabolic, gastrointestinal, or other medical conditions), or excessive caloric expenditure/ineffective utilization (eg, due to hyperthyroidism, diabetes, pulmonary or cardiac conditions). Short stature can be due to a primary growth disorder, such as bone disease or chromosomal syndrome; a secondary factor, such as a chronic medical or endocrine disorder; or an undetermined etiology. The management of FTT and SS requires attention to a combination of medical and behavioral/social issues (eg, treating underlying conditions, assisting with the feeding process, addressing stress and social functioning), and often requires a multidisciplinary approach. Written permission from the American Academy of Family Physicians is required for reproduction of this material in whole or in part in any form or medium.

  16. Transmission from theory to practice: Experiences using open-source code development and a virtual short course to increase the adoption of new theoretical approaches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harman, C. J.

    2015-12-01

    Even amongst the academic community, new theoretical tools can remain underutilized due to the investment of time and resources required to understand and implement them. This surely limits the frequency that new theory is rigorously tested against data by scientists outside the group that developed it, and limits the impact that new tools could have on the advancement of science. Reducing the barriers to adoption through online education and open-source code can bridge the gap between theory and data, forging new collaborations, and advancing science. A pilot venture aimed at increasing the adoption of a new theory of time-variable transit time distributions was begun in July 2015 as a collaboration between Johns Hopkins University and The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science (CUAHSI). There were four main components to the venture: a public online seminar covering the theory, an open source code repository, a virtual short course designed to help participants apply the theory to their data, and an online forum to maintain discussion and build a community of users. 18 participants were selected for the non-public components based on their responses in an application, and were asked to fill out a course evaluation at the end of the short course, and again several months later. These evaluations, along with participation in the forum and on-going contact with the organizer suggest strengths and weaknesses in this combination of components to assist participants in adopting new tools.

  17. Documentation Driven Development for Complex Real-Time Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-12-01

    This paper presents a novel approach for development of complex real - time systems , called the documentation-driven development (DDD) approach. This... time systems . DDD will also support automated software generation based on a computational model and some relevant techniques. DDD includes two main...stakeholders to be easily involved in development processes and, therefore, significantly improve the agility of software development for complex real

  18. Short fusion

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    French and UK researchers are perfecting a particle accelerator technique that could aid the quest for fusion energy or make X-rays that are safer and produce higher-resolution images. Led by Dr Victor Malka from the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Techniques Avancees in Paris, the team has developed a better way of accelerating electrons over short distances (1 page).

  19. Development of a Short Version of the Thyroid-Related Patient-Reported Outcome ThyPRO

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Watt, Torquil; Bjorner, Jakob Bue; Groenvold, Mogens

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Thyroid diseases affect quality of life (QoL). The Thyroid-Related Patient-Reported Outcome (ThyPRO) is an international comprehensive well-validated patient-reported outcome, measuring thyroid-related QoL. The current version is rather long-85 items. The purpose of the present study...... was to develop an abbreviated version of the ThyPRO, with conserved good measurement properties. METHODS: A cross-sectional (N = 907) and a longitudinal sample (N = 435) of thyroid patients were analyzed. A graded item response theory (IRT) model was fitted to the cross-sectional data. Short-form scales.......89-0.98), and the mean scale levels were similar. CONCLUSIONS: A 39-item version of the ThyPRO, with good measurement properties, was developed and is recommended for clinical use....

  20. Defect production in simulated cascades: Cascade quenching and short-term annealing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heinisch, H.L.

    1983-01-01

    Defect production in displacement cascades in copper has been modeled using the MARLOWE code to generate cascades and the stochastic annealing code ALSOME to simulate cascade quenching and short-term annealing of isolated cascades. Quenching is accomplished by using exaggerated values for defect mobilities and for critical reaction distances in ALSOME for a very short time. The quenched cascades are then short-term annealed with normal parameter values. The quenching parameter values were empirically determined by comparison with results of resistivity measurements. Throughout the collisional, quenching and short-term annealing phases of cascade development, the high energy cascades continue to behave as a collection of independent lower energy lobes. For recoils above about 30 keV the total number of defects and the numbers of free defects scale with the damage energy. As the energy decreases from 30 keV, defect production varies with the changing nature of the cascade configuration, resulting in more defects per unit damage energy. The simulated annealing of a low fluence of interacting cascades revealed an interstitial shielding effect on depleted zones during Stage I recovery. (orig.)

  1. The smartphone addiction scale: development and validation of a short version for adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, Min; Kim, Dai-Jin; Cho, Hyun; Yang, Soo

    2013-01-01

    This study was designed to investigate the revised and short version of the smartphone addiction scale and the proof of its validity in adolescents. In addition, it suggested cutting off the values by gender in order to determine smartphone addiction and elaborate the characteristics of smartphone usage in adolescents. A set of questionnaires were provided to a total of 540 selected participants from April to May of 2013. The participants consisted of 343 boys and 197 girls, and their average age was 14.5 years old. The content validity was performed on a selection of shortened items, while an internal-consistency test was conducted for the verification of its reliability. The concurrent validity was confirmed using SAS, SAPS and KS-scale. Receiver operating characteristics analysis was conducted to suggest cut-off. The 10 final questions were selected using content validity. The internal consistency and concurrent validity of SAS were verified with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.911. The SAS-SV was significantly correlated with the SAS, SAPS and KS-scale. The SAS-SV scores of gender (psmartphone addiction (psmartphone addiction. The smartphone addiction scale short version, which was developed and validated in this study, could be used efficiently for the evaluation of smartphone addiction in community and research areas.

  2. Barriers to the development of the short supply chain for local food producers in Romania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lavinia DOVLEAC

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available This article highlights the importance of short food supply chains for the development of rural areas in Romania, considering the increasing demand of the population for healthy food. A proper functionality of these local food supply chains brings benefits to producers, consumers and the local community, but some issues must be solved. This article presents the results of a qualitative marketing research study conducted for identifying the difficulties in this sector. The study aimed to identify the small producers’ opinions on the barriers to the development of these supply chains and how they could be helped to sell their products at a fair price.

  3. Factors Influencing Short-term Synaptic Plasticity in the Avian Cochlear Nucleus Magnocellularis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jason Tait Sanchez Quinones

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Defined as reduced neural responses during high rates of activity, synaptic depression is a form of short-term plasticity important for the temporal filtering of sound. In the avian cochlear nucleus magnocellularis (NM, an auditory brainstem structure, mechanisms regulating short-term synaptic depression include pre-, post-, and extrasynaptic factors. Using varied paired-pulse stimulus intervals, we found that the time course of synaptic depression lasts up to four seconds at late-developing NM synapses. Synaptic depression was largely reliant on exogenous Ca 2+ -dependent probability of presynaptic neurotransmitter release, and to a lesser extent, on the desensitization of postsynaptic α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid-type glutamate receptor (AMPA-R. Interestingly, although extrasynaptic glutamate clearance did not play a significant role in regulating synaptic depression, blocking glutamate clearance at early-developing synapses altered synaptic dynamics, changing responses from depression to facilitation. These results suggest a developmental shift in the relative reliance on pre-, post-, and extrasynaptic factors in regulating short-term synaptic plasticity in NM.

  4. Concurrent Validity and Feasibility of Short Tests Currently Used to Measure Early Childhood Development in Large Scale Studies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marta Rubio-Codina

    Full Text Available In low- and middle-income countries (LIMCs, measuring early childhood development (ECD with standard tests in large scale surveys and evaluations of interventions is difficult and expensive. Multi-dimensional screeners and single-domain tests ('short tests' are frequently used as alternatives. However, their validity in these circumstances is unknown. We examined the feasibility, reliability, and concurrent validity of three multi-dimensional screeners (Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3, Denver Developmental Screening Test (Denver-II, Battelle Developmental Inventory screener (BDI-2 and two single-domain tests (MacArthur-Bates Short-Forms (SFI and SFII, WHO Motor Milestones (WHO-Motor in 1,311 children 6-42 months in Bogota, Colombia. The scores were compared with those on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley-III, taken as the 'gold standard'. The Bayley-III was given at a center by psychologists; whereas the short tests were administered in the home by interviewers, as in a survey setting. Findings indicated good internal validity of all short tests except the ASQ-3. The BDI-2 took long to administer and was expensive, while the single-domain tests were quickest and cheapest and the Denver-II and ASQ-3 were intermediate. Concurrent validity of the multi-dimensional tests' cognitive, language, and fine motor scales with the corresponding Bayley-III scale was low below 19 months. However, it increased with age, becoming moderate-to-high over 30 months. In contrast, gross motor scales' concurrence was high under 19 months and then decreased. Of the single-domain tests, the WHO-Motor had high validity with gross motor under 16 months, and the SFI and SFII expressive scales showed moderate correlations with language under 30 months. Overall, the Denver-II was the most feasible and valid multi-dimensional test and the ASQ-3 performed poorly under 31 months. By domain, gross motor development had the highest concurrence

  5. High-voltage short-fall pulse generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dolbilov, G.V.; Fateev, A.A.; Petrov, V.A.

    1986-01-01

    Powerful high-voltage pulses with short fall times and relatively low afterpulse amplitude are required for the deflection systems of accelerators. A generator is described that provides, into a 75-ohm load, a voltage pulse of up to 100 kV with a fall time of less than 1 nsec and a relative afterpulse amplitude of less than or equal to 15%. The generator employs a short-circuited ferrite-filled line in which shock waves are formed. A magnetic section is used to increase power. The switch is a TGI1-2500/50 thyratron. The main causes of afterpulses and methods for reducing their amplitude are examined

  6. Inferring interdependencies from short time series

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Abstract. Complex networks provide an invaluable framework for the study of interlinked dynamical systems. In many cases, such networks are constructed from observed time series by first estimating the ...... does not quantify causal relations (unlike IOTA, or .... Africa_map_regions.svg, which is under public domain.

  7. Phonemes as short time cognitive components

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Feng, Ling; Hansen, Lars Kai

    2006-01-01

    are the smallest contrastive unit in the sound system of a language. Generalizable components were found deriving from phonemes based on homomorphic filtering features with basic time scale (20 msec). We sparsified the features based on energy as a preprocessing means to eliminate the intrinsic noise. Independent...

  8. Graves' Disease that Developed Shortly after Surgery for Thyroid Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Hea Min; Park, Soon Hyun; Lee, Jae Min; Park, Kang Seo

    2013-09-01

    Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder that may present with various clinical manifestations of hyperthyroidism. Patients with Graves' disease have a greater number of thyroid nodules and a higher incidence of thyroid cancer compared with patients with normal thyroid activity. However, cases in which patients are diagnosed with recurrence of Graves' disease shortly after partial thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer are very rare. Here we report a case of hyperthyroid Graves' disease that occurred after partial thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid cancer. In this case, the patient developed hyperthyroidism 9 months after right hemithyroidectomy, and antithyroglobulin autoantibody and thyroid stimulating hormone receptor stimulating autoantibody were positive. Therefore, we diagnosed Graves' disease on the basis of the laboratory test results and thyroid ultrasonography findings. The patient was treated with and maintained on antithyroid drugs. The mechanism of the recurrence of Graves' disease in this patient is still unclear. The mechanism may have been the improper response of the immune system after partial thyroidectomy. To precisely determine the mechanisms in Graves' disease after partial thyroidectomy, further studies based on a greater number of cases are needed.

  9. Short time series analysis of Didymosphenia geminata blooming in the Oreti River, New Zealand

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, T.; Kilroy, C.; Larned, S.; Packman, A. I.; Kumar, P.

    2010-12-01

    The mat-forming diatom Didymosphenia geminata was introduced to New Zealand in 2004, and subsequently spread to many rivers on the south island. D geminata mats are exceptionally dense and thick. Extensive blooms of this introduced organism have substantially modified the benthic environment in many New Zealand rivers, but the factors that contribute to D. geminata blooming are not well understood. We synthesized a sequence of observations of D. geminata areal coverage and thickness to examine physical and chemical controls on the growth and persistence of D germinata. We analyzed the best available time series on the distribution of this organism in New Zealand, observations in the Oreti River every 15 days spanning April 2006 to May 2007. During this period, mean D. geminata coverage of the river bed was ~52% and the mean mat thickness was ~6 mm. Relationships between time-series observations of D. geminata and 13 different physical and chemical variables were analyzed using linear and nonlinear methods. Areal cover and thickness of D geminata mats were found to be influenced by both slow and fast dynamic processes. The spread of the organism, in terms of % cover, was highly correlated with conductivity, ammonium, nitrate, dissolved oxygen, and total nitrogen with short time lags (fast dynamics). Moreover, water clarity, cloud cover, and flow were highly correlated with % cover with long time lags, indicating that these conditions exert long-term control on D. geminata growth. Areal coverage and thickness were found to be highly correlated, but the variables associated with slow and fast dynamics of these two measures were not identical. The variables found to be highly correlated with D. germinata thickness and represented fast dynamics were temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, nitrate, and total nitrogen. Additionally, the variables influencing the slow dynamics of D. germinata thickness were flow, water clarity, turbidity and total phosphorous.

  10. Development and Evaluation of the Boston University Osteoarthritis Functional Pain Short Form (BU-OA-FPS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goode, Adam P; Ni, Pengshend; Jette, Alan; Fitzgerald, G Kelley

    2018-04-19

    Pragmatic studies have gained popularity, thus emphasizing the need for patient-reported outcomes (PRO) to be integrated into electronic health records. This study describes the development of a customized short form from the Boston University Osteoarthritis Functional Assessment PRO (BU-OA-PRO) for a specific pragmatic clinical trial. A Functional Pain Short Form was created from an existing item bank of deidentified data in the BU-OA-PRO. Item response theory (IRT) methods were used to select items. Reliability was measured with the Cronbach alpha, then with IRT simulation methods. To examine validity, ceiling and floor effects, correlations between the short-form scores and scores from the BU-OA-PRO and the Western Ontario McMasters University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) Pain and Difficulty subscales, and the area under the curve (AUC) were calculated. A minimum detectable change at 90% confidence (MDC90) was calculated based on a calibration sample. The BU-OA PRO was reduced from 126 items to 10 items to create the BU-OA Functional Pain Short Form (BU-OA-FPS). The Cronbach alpha indicated high internal consistency (0.91), and reliability distribution estimates were 0.96 (uniform) and 0.92 (normal). Low ceiling effects (4.57%), and floor effects (0%) were found. Moderate-to-high correlations between the BU-OA PRO and BU-OA-FPS were found with WOMAC Pain (BU-OA-FPS = 0.67; BU-OA-PRO = 0.64) and Difficulty (BU-OA-FPS = 0.73; BU-OA-PRO = 0.69) subscales. The correlation between the BU-OA-PRO and BU-OA-FPS was 0.94. The AUC ranged from 0.80 to 0.88. The MDC90 was approximately 6 standardized points. The BU-OA-FPS provides reliable and valid measurement of functional pain. Pragmatic studies may consider the BU-OA-FPS for use in electronic health records to capture outcomes.

  11. Guidelines for Developing Successful Short Advanced Courses in Systems Medicine and Systems Biology

    KAUST Repository

    Gomez-Cabrero, David

    2017-08-23

    Summary Systems medicine and systems biology have inherent educational challenges. These have largely been addressed either by providing new masters programs or by redesigning undergraduate programs. In contrast, short courses can respond to a different need: they can provide condensed updates for professionals across academia, the clinic, and industry. These courses have received less attention. Here, we share our experiences in developing and providing such courses to current and future leaders in systems biology and systems medicine. We present guidelines for how to reproduce our courses, and we offer suggestions for how to select students who will nurture an interdisciplinary learning environment and thrive there.

  12. Guidelines for Developing Successful Short Advanced Courses in Systems Medicine and Systems Biology

    KAUST Repository

    Gomez-Cabrero, David; Marabita, Francesco; Tarazona, Sonia; Cano, Isaac; Roca, Josep; Conesa, Ana; Sabatier, Philippe; Tegner, Jesper

    2017-01-01

    Summary Systems medicine and systems biology have inherent educational challenges. These have largely been addressed either by providing new masters programs or by redesigning undergraduate programs. In contrast, short courses can respond to a different need: they can provide condensed updates for professionals across academia, the clinic, and industry. These courses have received less attention. Here, we share our experiences in developing and providing such courses to current and future leaders in systems biology and systems medicine. We present guidelines for how to reproduce our courses, and we offer suggestions for how to select students who will nurture an interdisciplinary learning environment and thrive there.

  13. Experience from the transportation of irradiated WWER-440 fuel assemblies at the Kozloduy NPP site after a short cooling time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stoyanova, I.; Kamenov, A.; Byrzev, L.; Christoskov, I.

    2003-01-01

    Results from the analysis and experimental verification of the radiation and shielding characteristics of non-standard loading patterns of the VSPOT transport cask used for transportation of irradiated fuel assemblies after a short cooling time (120 180 days) on the site of the Kozloduy NPP are presented. An additional safety criterion related to the introduced modifications to the standard procedure of using the transport cask is formulated and discussed (Authors)

  14. Metabolite concentrations in supraventricular white matter from teenage to early old age: A short echo time {sup 1}H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raininko, Raili [Dept. of Radiology, Uppsala Univ., Uppsala (Sweden)], e-mail: raili.raininko@radiol.uu.se; Mattsson, Peter [Dept. of Neuroscience, Neurology, Uppsala Univ., Uppsala (Sweden)

    2010-04-15

    Background: Age- and sex-related changes of metabolites in healthy adult brains have been examined with different {sup 1}H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) methods in varying populations, and with differing results. A long repetition time and short echo time technique reduces quantification errors due to T1 and T2 relaxation effects and makes it possible to measure metabolites with short T2 relaxation times. Purpose: To examine the effect of age on the metabolite concentrations measured by 1H MRS in normal supraventricular white matter using a long repetition time (TR) and a short echo time (TE). Material and Methods: Supraventricular white matter of 57 healthy subjects (25 women, 32 men), aged 13 to 72 years, was examined with a single-voxel MRS at 1.5T using a TR of 6000 ms and a TE of 22 ms. Tissue water was used as a reference in quantification. Results: Myoinositol increased slightly and total N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) decreased slightly with increasing age. Glutamine/glutamate complex (Glx) showed U-shaped age dependence, with highest concentrations in the youngest and oldest subjects. No significant age dependence was found in total choline and total creatine. No gender differences were found. Macromolecule/ lipid (ML) fractions were reliably measurable only in 36/57 or even fewer subjects and showed very large deviations. Conclusion: The concentrations of several metabolites in cerebral supraventricular white matter are age dependent on 1H MRS, even in young and middle-aged people, and age dependency can be nonlinear. Each 1H MRS study of the brain should therefore take age into account, whereas sex does not appear to be so important. The use of macromolecule and lipid evaluations is compromised by less successful quantification and large variations in healthy people.

  15. Development and testing of an innovative short-term large wind ramp forecasting system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zack, J.W. [AWS Truepower LLC, Troy, NY (United States)

    2010-07-01

    This PowerPoint presentation discussed a ramp forecasting tool designed for use in a region of Texas with a high wind-generating capacity. Large system-wide ramps frequently occur in the region, and curtailments are common due to transmission constraints. The average hourly load of the power system is 32,101 MW. Wind power capacity in the region is 9382 MW. However, actual production rarely exceeds 6500 MW due to the curtailments. The short-term ramp forecasting tool was designed to aid in grid management decisions for the 0-6 hour ahead period as well as to address issues related to wind farm time series data and the lack of situational awareness information. The tool provided rapid updates for grid point wind analysis with feature detection and tracking algorithms and a rapid update cycle model. The tool also featured a suite of web-based applications that included deterministic ramp even forecasts, power production time series forecasts, and situational awareness products that are updated every 15 minutes. A performance evaluation study of the tool was provided. tabs., figs.

  16. Numerical challenges of short range wake field calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lau, Thomas; Gjonaj, Erion; Weiland, Thomas [Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany). Institut fuer Theorie Elektromagnetischer Felder (TEMF)

    2011-07-01

    For present and future accelerator projects with ultra short bunches the accurate and reliable calculation of short range wake fields is an important issue. However, the numerical calculation of short range wake fields is a numerical challenging task. The presentation gives an overview over the numerical challenges and techniques for short range wake field calculations. Finally, some simulation results obtained by the program PBCI developed at the TU Darmstadt are presented.

  17. Real-Time Engagement Area Development Program (READ-Pro)

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Burger, Joseph

    2002-01-01

    The Real Time Engagement Area Development Program (READ-Pro) is a PC-based prototype system which provides company-level commanders with real-time operational analysis tools to develop ENGAGEMENT AREAS(EA) for direct fire (DF) systems...

  18. Treatment of Fungal Bioaerosols by a High-Temperature, Short-Time Process in a Continuous-Flow System▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Jae Hee; Lee, Jung Eun; Lee, Chang Ho; Kim, Sang Soo; Lee, Byung Uk

    2009-01-01

    Airborne fungi, termed fungal bioaerosols, have received attention due to the association with public health problems and the effects on living organisms in nature. There are growing concerns that fungal bioaerosols are relevant to the occurrence of allergies, opportunistic diseases in hospitals, and outbreaks of plant diseases. The search for ways of preventing and curing the harmful effects of fungal bioaerosols has created a high demand for the study and development of an efficient method of controlling bioaerosols. However, almost all modern microbiological studies and theories have focused on microorganisms in liquid and solid phases. We investigated the thermal heating effects on fungal bioaerosols in a continuous-flow environment. Although the thermal heating process has long been a traditional method of controlling microorganisms, the effect of a continuous high-temperature, short-time (HTST) process on airborne microorganisms has not been quantitatively investigated in terms of various aerosol properties. Our experimental results show that the geometric mean diameter of the tested fungal bioaerosols decreased when they were exposed to increases in the surrounding temperature. The HTST process produced a significant decline in the (1→3)-β-d-glucan concentration of fungal bioaerosols. More than 99% of the Aspergillus versicolor and Cladosporium cladosporioides bioaerosols lost their culturability in about 0.2 s when the surrounding temperature exceeded 350°C and 400°C, respectively. The instantaneous exposure to high temperature significantly changed the surface morphology of the fungal bioaerosols. PMID:19201954

  19. Treatment of fungal bioaerosols by a high-temperature, short-time process in a continuous-flow system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Jae Hee; Lee, Jung Eun; Lee, Chang Ho; Kim, Sang Soo; Lee, Byung Uk

    2009-05-01

    Airborne fungi, termed fungal bioaerosols, have received attention due to the association with public health problems and the effects on living organisms in nature. There are growing concerns that fungal bioaerosols are relevant to the occurrence of allergies, opportunistic diseases in hospitals, and outbreaks of plant diseases. The search for ways of preventing and curing the harmful effects of fungal bioaerosols has created a high demand for the study and development of an efficient method of controlling bioaerosols. However, almost all modern microbiological studies and theories have focused on microorganisms in liquid and solid phases. We investigated the thermal heating effects on fungal bioaerosols in a continuous-flow environment. Although the thermal heating process has long been a traditional method of controlling microorganisms, the effect of a continuous high-temperature, short-time (HTST) process on airborne microorganisms has not been quantitatively investigated in terms of various aerosol properties. Our experimental results show that the geometric mean diameter of the tested fungal bioaerosols decreased when they were exposed to increases in the surrounding temperature. The HTST process produced a significant decline in the (1-->3)-beta-d-glucan concentration of fungal bioaerosols. More than 99% of the Aspergillus versicolor and Cladosporium cladosporioides bioaerosols lost their culturability in about 0.2 s when the surrounding temperature exceeded 350 degrees C and 400 degrees C, respectively. The instantaneous exposure to high temperature significantly changed the surface morphology of the fungal bioaerosols.

  20. Effectiveness of mouse minute virus inactivation by high temperature short time treatment technology: a statistical assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Marie; Quesada, Guillermo Miro; Chen, Dayue

    2011-11-01

    Viral contamination of mammalian cell cultures in GMP manufacturing facility represents a serious safety threat to biopharmaceutical industry. Such adverse events usually require facility shutdown for cleaning/decontamination, and thus result in significant loss of production and/or delay of product development. High temperature short time (HTST) treatment of culture media has been considered as an effective method to protect GMP facilities from viral contaminations. Log reduction factor (LRF) has been commonly used to measure the effectiveness of HTST treatment for viral inactivation. However, in order to prevent viral contaminations, HTST treatment must inactivate all infectious viruses (100%) in the medium batch since a single virus is sufficient to cause contamination. Therefore, LRF may not be the most appropriate indicator for measuring the effectiveness of HTST in preventing viral contaminations. We report here the use of the probability to achieve complete (100%) virus inactivation to assess the effectiveness of HTST treatment. By using mouse minute virus (MMV) as a model virus, we have demonstrated that the effectiveness of HTST treatment highly depends upon the level of viral contaminants in addition to treatment temperature and duration. We believe that the statistical method described in this report can provide more accurate information about the power and potential limitation of technologies such as HTST in our shared quest to mitigate the risk of viral contamination in manufacturing facilities. Copyright © 2011 The International Alliance for Biological Standardization. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. A SHORT CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CEAUSESCU IONUT

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The popularity created the concept of sustainable development has determined the conviction that tourism can develop in compliance with the philosophy of sustainability. For example, if we compare with other activities such as agriculture, forestry or in other sectors of the economy, tourism has a development relatively recent to human evolution. Tourism place in sustainable development is given the role of this economic activity that "sells" the physical and human environment as a product of his own. Tourism is one of the industries that should be involved in sustainable development, as industry resources, dependency on natural and human potential of cultural heritage in an efficient manner. Tourism "sell" these resources as some parts of his product, but at the same time shares certain resources with other users (local communities, the structure of the central administration. It is essential that tourism to be active in issues of sustainable development and to cooperate with other industries in ensuring the quality and longevity of the resources on which rests the whole tourist activity. Sustainable development in tourism is a necessity, and the connection between tourism and environment is much stronger than in the case of other industries. This paper presents the most important aspects of the rural turism and the contribution which it can bring to the wellbeing of a nation. The author like to stress some elements related to the concept of rural tourism which has nowadays become very important around the world. The rural tourism can revitalise the conventional concepts and views on tourism, and bring in a new dim ension to the sustainable development of tourism. It has been realised that tourism can play a major role in many countries economies, especially in developing ones, where it can substantially contribute to the increase of the national income..

  2. Short sleep duration and childhood obesity: cross-sectional analysis in Peru and patterns in four developing countries.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodrigo M Carrillo-Larco

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: We aimed to describe the patterns of nutritional status and sleep duration in children from Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam; to assess the association between short sleep duration and overweight and obesity, and if this was similar among boys and girls in Peru. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Analysis of the Young Lives Study, younger cohort, third round. In Ethiopia there were 1,999 observations, 2,011, 2,052 and 2,000 in India, Peru and Vietnam, respectively. Analyses included participants with complete data for sleep duration, BMI, sex and age; missing data: 5.9% (Ethiopia, 4.1% (India, 6.0% (Peru and 4.5% (Vietnam. Exposure was sleep duration per day: short (<10 hours versus regular (10-11 hours. Outcome was overweight and obesity. Multivariable analyses were conducted using a hierarchical approach to assess the effect of variables at different levels. Overweight/obesity prevalence was 0.5%/0.2% (Ethiopia, 1.3%/0.3% (India, 6.1%/2.8% (Vietnam, and 15.8%/5.4% (Peru. Only Peruvian data was considered to explore the association between short sleep duration and overweight and obesity, with 1,929 children, aged 7.9±0.3 years, 50.3% boys. Short and regular sleep duration was 41.6% and 55.6%, respectively. Multivariable models showed that obesity was 64% more prevalent among children with short sleep duration, an estimate that lost significance after controlling for individual- and family-related variables (PR: 1.15; 95%CI: 0.81-1.64. Gender was an effect modifier of the association between short sleep duration and overweight (p = 0.030 but not obesity (p = 0.533: the prevalence ratio was greater than one across all the models for boys, yet it was less than one for girls. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood overweight and obesity have different profiles across developing settings. In a sample of children living in resource-limited settings in Peru there is no association between short sleep duration and obesity; the crude association was slightly

  3. In Search of Decay in Verbal Short-Term Memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berman, Marc G.; Jonides, John; Lewis, Richard L.

    2009-01-01

    Is forgetting in the short term due to decay with the mere passage of time, interference from other memoranda, or both? Past research on short-term memory has revealed some evidence for decay and a plethora of evidence showing that short-term memory is worsened by interference. However, none of these studies has directly contrasted decay and…

  4. Delay-time distribution in the scattering of time-narrow wave packets (II)—quantum graphs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smilansky, Uzy; Schanz, Holger

    2018-02-01

    We apply the framework developed in the preceding paper in this series (Smilansky 2017 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 50 215301) to compute the time-delay distribution in the scattering of ultra short radio frequency pulses on complex networks of transmission lines which are modeled by metric (quantum) graphs. We consider wave packets which are centered at high wave number and comprise many energy levels. In the limit of pulses of very short duration we compute upper and lower bounds to the actual time-delay distribution of the radiation emerging from the network using a simplified problem where time is replaced by the discrete count of vertex-scattering events. The classical limit of the time-delay distribution is also discussed and we show that for finite networks it decays exponentially, with a decay constant which depends on the graph connectivity and the distribution of its edge lengths. We illustrate and apply our theory to a simple model graph where an algebraic decay of the quantum time-delay distribution is established.

  5. The Impact of Short-Term Science Teacher Professional Development on the Evaluation of Student Understanding and Errors Related to Natural Selection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buschang, Rebecca Ellen

    2012-01-01

    This study evaluated the effects of a short-term professional development session. Forty volunteer high school biology teachers were randomly assigned to one of two professional development conditions: (a) developing deep content knowledge (i.e., control condition) or (b) evaluating student errors and understanding in writing samples (i.e.,…

  6. Time and developments in pedagogical work - A plea for experimental time within participatory partnerships

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tofteng, Ditte Maria Børglum; Husted, Mia

    This abstract aims to address research challenges related to time and competing rationalities of time management within welfare institutions participating in partnerships to develop or renew welfare work. Our objective is to present a critical analysis of time dynamics when forming participatory...... developments of work stresses ongoing and reversible tests of a better practice and hold a circular, tentative and investigative understanding of how to attain learning and change (Lewin 1948, Sennett 2008). Thus, acceleration of social change and the increasingly influence of performance indicators (Scott...... partnerships to develop welfare institutions and to discuss how difficulties to claim and uphold time for experimental developments of welfare work affects outcome.Experiences and knowledge build up in two long-term action research project conducted as participatory partnerships forms our point of departure...

  7. The "Chaos Theory" and nonlinear dynamics in heart rate variability analysis: does it work in short-time series in patients with coronary heart disease?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krstacic, Goran; Krstacic, Antonija; Smalcelj, Anton; Milicic, Davor; Jembrek-Gostovic, Mirjana

    2007-04-01

    Dynamic analysis techniques may quantify abnormalities in heart rate variability (HRV) based on nonlinear and fractal analysis (chaos theory). The article emphasizes clinical and prognostic significance of dynamic changes in short-time series applied on patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) during the exercise electrocardiograph (ECG) test. The subjects were included in the series after complete cardiovascular diagnostic data. Series of R-R and ST-T intervals were obtained from exercise ECG data after sampling digitally. The range rescaled analysis method determined the fractal dimension of the intervals. To quantify fractal long-range correlation's properties of heart rate variability, the detrended fluctuation analysis technique was used. Approximate entropy (ApEn) was applied to quantify the regularity and complexity of time series, as well as unpredictability of fluctuations in time series. It was found that the short-term fractal scaling exponent (alpha(1)) is significantly lower in patients with CHD (0.93 +/- 0.07 vs 1.09 +/- 0.04; P chaos theory during the exercise ECG test point out the multifractal time series in CHD patients who loss normal fractal characteristics and regularity in HRV. Nonlinear analysis technique may complement traditional ECG analysis.

  8. Evaluation of Short Term Memory Span Function In Children

    OpenAIRE

    Barış ERGÜL; Arzu ALTIN YAVUZ; Ebru GÜNDOĞAN AŞIK

    2016-01-01

    Although details of the information encoded in the short-term memory where it is stored temporarily be recorded in the working memory in the next stage. Repeating the information mentally makes it remain in memory for a long time. Studies investigating the relationship between short-term memory and reading skills that are carried out to examine the relationship between short-term memory processes and reading comprehension. In this study information coming to short-term memory and the factors ...

  9. Rapid transfer of short-lived radioisotopes via a 2. 4 km rabbit system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burgerjon, J J; Gelbart, Z; Lau, V; Lehnart, D; Lenz, J; Pate, B D; Ruth, T J; Sprenger, H P; van Oers, N S.C.

    1984-09-01

    A 2.4 km long pipeline between a cyclotron and a hospital is used for the rapid transfer of short-lived radiopharmaceuticals. The vials containing the pharmaceuticals are placed inside capsules (rabbits) that are blown through a tube by means of compressed air. Travel times as short as 2 min are achieved, which makes the system suitable for the transfer of /sup 15/O, which has a 2 min half-life. The construction and test results of the system are described along with a computer model, developed to explain some properties of the system. 7 references, 15 figures, 2 tables.

  10. [Real-time quantification to analyze historical Colombian samples detecting a short fragment of hypervariable region II of mitochondrial DNA].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérez, Luz Adriana; Rodríguez, Freddy; Langebaek, Carl Henrik; Groot, Helena

    2016-09-01

    Unlike other molecular biology studies, the analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA) requires special infrastructure and methodological conditions to guarantee the quality of the results. One of the main authenticity criteria is DNA quantification, where quantitative real-time PCR is often used given its sensitivity and specificity. Nevertheless, the implementation of these conditions and methodologies to fulfill authenticity criteria imply higher costs. Objective: To develop a simple and less costly method for mitochondrial DNA quantification suitable for highly degraded samples. Materials and methods: The proposed method is based on the use of mini-primers for the specific amplification of short fragments of mitochondrial DNA. The subsequent purification of these amplified fragments allows a standard curve to be constructed with concentrations in accordance to the state of degradation of the samples. Results: The proposed method successfully detected DNA from ancient samples including bone remains and mummified tissue. DNA inhibitory substances were also detected. Conclusion: The proposed method represents a simpler and cost-effective way to detect low amounts of aDNA, and a tool to differentiate DNA-free samples from samples with inhibitory substances.

  11. PREDICTING EVAPORATION RATES AND TIMES FOR SPILLS OF CHEMICAL MIXTURES

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spreadsheet and short-cut methods have been developed for predicting evaporation rates and evaporation times for spills (and constrained baths) of chemical mixtures. Steady-state and time-varying predictions of evaporation rates can be made for six-component mixtures, includ...

  12. Time-resolved C-arm cone beam CT angiography (TR-CBCTA) imaging from a single short-scan C-arm cone beam CT acquisition with intra-arterial contrast injection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yinsheng; Garrett, John W.; Li, Ke; Wu, Yijing; Johnson, Kevin; Schafer, Sebastian; Strother, Charles; Chen, Guang-Hong

    2018-04-01

    Time-resolved C-arm cone-beam CT (CBCT) angiography (TR-CBCTA) images can be generated from a series of CBCT acquisitions that satisfy data sufficiency condition in analytical image reconstruction theory. In this work, a new technique was developed to generate TR-CBCTA images from a single short-scan CBCT data acquisition with contrast media injection. The reconstruction technique enabling this application is a previously developed image reconstruction technique, synchronized multi-artifact reduction with tomographic reconstruction (SMART-RECON). In this new application, the acquired short-scan CBCT projection data were sorted into a union of several sub-sectors of view angles and each sub-sector of view angles corresponds to an individual image volume to be reconstructed. The SMART-RECON method was then used to jointly reconstruct all of these individual image volumes under two constraints: (1) each individual image volume is maximally consistent with the measured cone-beam projection data within the corresponding view angle sector and (2) the nuclear norm of the image matrix is minimized. The difference between these reconstructed individual image volumes is used to generated the desired subtracted angiograms. To validate the technique, numerical simulation data generated from a fractal tree angiogram phantom were used to quantitatively study the accuracy of the proposed method and retrospective in vivo human subject studies were used to demonstrate the feasibility of generating TR-CBCTA in clinical practice.

  13. Short-Time Structural Stability of Compressible Vortex Sheets with Surface Tension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevens, Ben

    2016-11-01

    Assume we start with an initial vortex-sheet configuration which consists of two inviscid fluids with density bounded below flowing smoothly past each other, where a strictly positive fixed coefficient of surface tension produces a surface tension force across the common interface, balanced by the pressure jump. We model the fluids by the compressible Euler equations in three space dimensions with a very general equation of state relating the pressure, entropy and density such that the sound speed is positive. We prove that, for a short time, there exists a unique solution of the equations with the same structure. The mathematical approach consists of introducing a carefully chosen artificial viscosity-type regularisation which allows one to linearise the system so as to obtain a collection of transport equations for the entropy, pressure and curl together with a parabolic-type equation for the velocity which becomes fairly standard after rotating the velocity according to the interface normal. We prove a high order energy estimate for the non-linear equations that is independent of the artificial viscosity parameter which allows us to send it to zero. This approach loosely follows that introduced by Shkoller et al. in the setting of a compressible liquid-vacuum interface. Although already considered by Coutand et al. [10] and Lindblad [17], we also make some brief comments on the case of a compressible liquid-vacuum interface, which is obtained from the vortex sheets problem by replacing one of the fluids by vacuum, where it is possible to obtain a structural stability result even without surface tension.

  14. A time-to-amplitude converter with constant fraction timing discriminators for short time interval measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kostamovaara, J.; Myllylae, R.

    1985-01-01

    The construction and the performance of a time-to-amplitude converter equipped with constant fraction discriminators is described. The TAC consists of digital and analog parts which are constructed on two printed circuit boards, both of which are located in a single width NIM module. The dead time of the TAC for a start pulse which is not followed by a stop pulse within the time range of the device (proportional100 ns) is only proportional100 ns, which enables one to avoid counting rate saturation even with a high random input signal rate. The differential and integral nonlinearities of the TAC are better than +-1.5% and 0.05%, respectively. The resolution for input timing pulses of constant shape is 20 ps (fwhm), and less than 10 ps (fwhm) with a modification in the digital part. The walk error of the constant fraction timing discriminators is presented and various parameters affecting it are discussed. The effect of the various disturbances in linearity caused by the fast ECL logic and their minimization are also discussed. The time-to-amplitude converter has been used in positron lifetime studies and for laser range finding. (orig.)

  15. Validation of the NPAQ-short - a brief questionnaire to monitor physical activity and compliance with the WHO recommendations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Danquah, Ida Høgstedt; Petersen, Christina Bjørk; Skov, Sofie Smedegaard

    2018-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Using self-reported surveys to monitor physical activity levels in the population require short items covering both time and intensity. The present study aims to 1) develop the Nordic Physical Activity Questionnaire-short from the original version of the NPAQ, 2) assess test...... when using both open and closed-ended questions. However, using open-ended questions seems to be a better answering mode for self-reported surveys monitoring WHO's physical activity recommendations.......-retest reliability and criterion validity of the NPAQ-short, and 3) test the NPAQ-short's ability to monitor compliance with the WHO recommendations on physical activity. In addition, we aimed to compare open and closed-ended answering modes for the NPAQ-short. METHODS: A sample of 122 participants were included...

  16. Low frequency interference between short synchrotron radiation sources

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Méot

    2001-06-01

    Full Text Available A recently developed analytical formalism describing low frequency far-field synchrotron radiation (SR is applied to the calculation of spectral angular radiation densities from interfering short sources (edge, short magnet. This is illustrated by analytical calculation of synchrotron radiation from various assemblies of short dipoles, including an “isolated” highest density infrared SR source.

  17. Development, validation and clinical assessment of a short questionnaire to assess disease-related knowledge in inflammatory bowel disease patients.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Keegan, Denise

    2013-02-01

    Only two inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) knowledge scales are available, both primarily aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of clinical education programs. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a short knowledge questionnaire for clinical and academic research purposes.

  18. Student production: making a realistic stereo CG short film in six months

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramasamy, Celambarasan

    2010-02-01

    This paper breaks down the R&D and production challenges faced on a stereoscopic CG short film that was developed on a six month time budget. Using this film as an example, the manner in which technical innovation and story telling techniques can be used to emphasize the strengths and hide the weaknesses of a limited timeframe student production is discussed.

  19. Prevention of hospital payment errors and implications for case management: a study of nine hospitals with a high proportion of short-term admissions over time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hightower, Rebecca E

    2008-01-01

    Since the publication of the first analysis of Medicare payment error rates in 1998, the Office of Inspector General and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have focused resources on Medicare payment error prevention programs, now referred to as the Hospital Payment Monitoring Program. The purpose of the Hospital Payment Monitoring Program is to educate providers of Medicare Part A services in strategies to improve medical record documentation and decrease the potential for payment errors through appropriate claims completion. Although the payment error rates by state (and dollars paid in error) have decreased significantly, opportunities for improvement remain as demonstrated in this study of nine hospitals with a high proportion of short-term admissions over time. Previous studies by the Quality Improvement Organization had focused on inpatient stays of 1 day or less, a primary target due to the large amount of Medicare dollars spent on these admissions. Random review of Louisiana Medicare admissions revealed persistent medical record documentation and process issues regardless of length of stay as well as the opportunity for significant future savings to the Medicare Trust Fund. The purpose of this study was to determine whether opportunities for improvement in reduction of payment error continue to exist for inpatient admissions of greater than 1 day, despite focused education provided by Louisiana Health Care Review, the Louisiana Medicare Quality Improvement Organization, from 1999 to 2005, and to work individually with the nine selected hospitals to assist them in reducing the number of unnecessary short-term admissions and billing errors in each hospital by a minimum of 50% by the end of the study period. Inpatient Short-Term Acute Care Hospitals. A sample of claims for short-term stays (defined as an inpatient admission with a length of stay of 3 days or less excluding deaths, interim bills for those still a patient and those who left against

  20. Short time administration of antirheumatic drugs - Methotrexate as a strong inhibitor of osteoblast's proliferation in vitro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annussek Tobias

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Due to increasing use of disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs as first line therapy in rheumatic diseases, dental and maxillofacial practitioner should be aware of drug related adverse events. Especially effects on bone-metabolism and its cells are discussed controversially. Therefore we investigate the in vitro effect of short time administration of low dose methotrexate (MTX on osteoblasts as essential part of bone remodelling cells. Methods Primary bovine osteoblasts (OBs were incubated with various concentrations of MTX, related to tissue concentrations, over a period of fourteen days by using a previously established standard protocol. The effect on cell proliferation as well as mitochondrial activity was assessed by using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl 2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT assay, imaging and counting of living cells. Additionally, immunostaining of extracellular matrix proteins was used to survey osteogenic differentiation. Results All methods indicate a strong inhibition of osteoblast`s proliferation by short time administration of low dose MTX within therapeutically relevant concentrations of 1 to 1000nM, without affecting cell differentiation of middle-stage differentiated OBs in general. More over a significant decrease of cell numbers and mitochondrial activity was found at these MTX concentrations. The most sensitive method seems to be the MTT-assay. MTX-concentration of 0,01nM and concentrations below had no inhibitory effects anymore. Conclusion Even low dose methotrexate acts as a potent inhibitor of osteoblast’s proliferation and mitochondrial metabolism in vitro, without affecting main differentiation of pre-differentiated osteoblasts. These results suggest possible negative effects of DMARDs concerning bone healing and for example osseointegration of dental implants. Especially the specifics of the jaw bone with its high vascularisation and physiological high tissue metabolism

  1. Ultrafast terawatt laser sources for high-field particle acceleration and short wavelength generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Downer, M.C.

    1996-01-01

    The Laser Sources working group concerned itself with recent advances in and future requirements for the development of laser sources relevant to high-energy physics (HEP) colliders, small scale accelerators, and the generation of short wave-length radiation. We heavily emphasized pulsed terawatt peak power laser sources for several reasons. First, their development over the past five years has been rapid and multi-faceted, and has made relativistic light intensity available to the advanced accelerator community, as well as the wider physics community, for the first time. Secondly, they have strongly impacted plasma-based accelerator research over the past two years, producing the first experimental demonstrations of the laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) in both its resonantly-driven and self-modulated forms. Thirdly, their average power and wall-plug efficiency currently fall well short of projected requirements for future accelerators and other high average power applications, but show considerable promise for improving substantially over the next few years. A review of this rapidly emerging laser technology in the context of advanced accelerator research is therefore timely

  2. SOAP2: an improved ultrafast tool for short read alignment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Ruiqiang; Yu, Chang; Li, Yingrui

    2009-01-01

    SUMMARY: SOAP2 is a significantly improved version of the short oligonucleotide alignment program that both reduces computer memory usage and increases alignment speed at an unprecedented rate. We used a Burrows Wheeler Transformation (BWT) compression index to substitute the seed strategy...... for indexing the reference sequence in the main memory. We tested it on the whole human genome and found that this new algorithm reduced memory usage from 14.7 to 5.4 GB and improved alignment speed by 20-30 times. SOAP2 is compatible with both single- and paired-end reads. Additionally, this tool now supports...... multiple text and compressed file formats. A consensus builder has also been developed for consensus assembly and SNP detection from alignment of short reads on a reference genome. AVAILABILITY: http://soap.genomics.org.cn....

  3. Fast Weight Long Short-Term Memory

    OpenAIRE

    Keller, T. Anderson; Sridhar, Sharath Nittur; Wang, Xin

    2018-01-01

    Associative memory using fast weights is a short-term memory mechanism that substantially improves the memory capacity and time scale of recurrent neural networks (RNNs). As recent studies introduced fast weights only to regular RNNs, it is unknown whether fast weight memory is beneficial to gated RNNs. In this work, we report a significant synergy between long short-term memory (LSTM) networks and fast weight associative memories. We show that this combination, in learning associative retrie...

  4. Quantification of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in environmental samples by gas chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Wei; Wu, Jing; Wang, Yawei; Jiang, Guibin

    2016-06-24

    Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are technical products produced and used in bulk for a number of purposes. However, the analysis of CPs is challenging, as they are complex mixtures of compounds and isomers. We herein report the development of an analytical method for the analysis of short-chain CPs (SCCPs) and medium-chain CPs (MCCPs) using quadrupole time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-NCI-qTOF-HRMS). This method employs gas chromatography with a chemical ionization source working in negative mode. The linear relationship between chlorination and the CP total response factors was applied to quantify the CP content and the congener group distribution patterns. In a single injection, 24 SCCP formula groups and 24 MCCP formula groups were quantified. Extraction of accurate masses using qTOF-HRMS allowed the SCCPs and MCCPs to be distinguished, with interference from other chemicals (e.g., PCBs) being largely avoided. The SCCP and MCCP detection limits were 24-81ng/mL and 27-170ng/mL, respectively. Comparison of the obtained results with analytical results from gas chromatography coupled with electron capture negative ionization low-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-ECNI-LRMS) indicate that the developed technique is a more accurate and convenient method for the analysis of CPs in samples from a range of matrices. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Understanding phonological memory deficits in boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): dissociation of short-term storage and articulatory rehearsal processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolden, Jennifer; Rapport, Mark D; Raiker, Joseph S; Sarver, Dustin E; Kofler, Michael J

    2012-08-01

    The current study dissociated and examined the two primary components of the phonological working memory subsystem--the short-term store and articulatory rehearsal mechanism--in boys with ADHD (n = 18) relative to typically developing boys (n = 15). Word lists of increasing length (2, 4, and 6 words per trial) were presented to and recalled by children following a brief (3 s) interval to assess their phonological short-term storage capacity. Children's ability to utilize the articulatory rehearsal mechanism to actively maintain information in the phonological short-term store was assessed using word lists at their established memory span but with extended rehearsal times (12 s and 21 s delays). Results indicate that both phonological shortterm storage capacity and articulatory rehearsal are impaired or underdeveloped to a significant extent in boys with ADHD relative to typically developing boys, even after controlling for age, SES, IQ, and reading speed. Larger magnitude deficits, however, were apparent in short-term storage capacity (ES = 1.15 to 1.98) relative to articulatory rehearsal (ES = 0.47 to 1.02). These findings are consistent with previous reports of deficient phonological short-term memory in boys with ADHD, and suggest that future attempts to develop remedial cognitive interventions for children with ADHD will need to include active components that require children to hold increasingly more information over longer time intervals.

  6. [Religious/spiritual well-being in mentally ill persons II: the development of a short scale and comparison scores for clinical psychiatric groups and healthy controls].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unterrainer, Human-Friedrich; Kapfhammer, Hans-Peter

    2014-01-01

    The Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (MI-RSWB) was successfully applied in several clinical as well as non-clinical studies. However, the original version of the scale often showed to be as too comprehensive especially for clinical surroundings. There for the aim of this study is to develop a short version of the scale comprising 12 items. Based on a sample representative of the Austrian general population (N = 1,500), a first MI-RSWB short version is developed by means of factor- and reliability analysis. Furthermore the new short version of the scale is initially validated through several indicators of mental illness. The MI-RSWB short version shows convincing psychometric properties. The total scale as well as the sub scales exhibit at least a sufficient internal consistency. A significant negative association with several indicators of psychiatric illness is also confirmed for the short version of the scale. The MI-RWSB 12 scale is especially recommended for further research focusing on the clinical relevance of religiosity and spirituality.

  7. Long Short-Term Memory Neural Networks for Online Disturbance Detection in Satellite Image Time Series

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun-Long Kong

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available A satellite image time series (SITS contains a significant amount of temporal information. By analysing this type of data, the pattern of the changes in the object of concern can be explored. The natural change in the Earth’s surface is relatively slow and exhibits a pronounced pattern. Some natural events (for example, fires, floods, plant diseases, and insect pests and human activities (for example, deforestation and urbanisation will disturb this pattern and cause a relatively profound change on the Earth’s surface. These events are usually referred to as disturbances. However, disturbances in ecosystems are not easy to detect from SITS data, because SITS contain combined information on disturbances, phenological variations and noise in remote sensing data. In this paper, a novel framework is proposed for online disturbance detection from SITS. The framework is based on long short-term memory (LSTM networks. First, LSTM networks are trained by historical SITS. The trained LSTM networks are then used to predict new time series data. Last, the predicted data are compared with real data, and the noticeable deviations reveal disturbances. Experimental results using 16-day compositions of the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MOD13Q1 illustrate the effectiveness and stability of the proposed approach for online disturbance detection.

  8. The history of time a very short introduction

    CERN Document Server

    Holford-Strevens, Leofranc

    2005-01-01

    Leofranc Holford-Strevens explores time measurement and the organisation of time into hours, days, months and years using a range of fascinating examples from Ancient Rome and Julius Caesar's Leap Year, to the 1920s' project for a fixed Easter. - ;Why do we measure time in the way that we do? Why is a week seven days long? At what point did minutes and seconds come into being? Why are some calendars lunar and some solar? The organisation of time into hours, days, months and years seems immutable and universal, but is actually far more artificial than most people realise. The French Revolution

  9. Modelling the short term interest with stochastic differential equation in continuous time: linear versus non-linear mode

    OpenAIRE

    2014-01-01

    M.Com. (Financial Economics) Recently, there has been a growth in the bond market. This growth has brought with it an ever-increasing volume and range of interest rate depended derivative products known as interest rate derivatives. Amongst the variables used in pricing these derivative products is the short-term interest rate. A numbers of short-term interest rate models that are used to fit the short-term interest rate exist. Therefore, understanding the features characterised by various...

  10. Decay uncovered in nonverbal short-term memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mercer, Tom; McKeown, Denis

    2014-02-01

    Decay theory posits that memory traces gradually fade away over the passage of time unless they are actively rehearsed. Much recent work exploring verbal short-term memory has challenged this theory, but there does appear to be evidence for trace decay in nonverbal auditory short-term memory. Numerous discrimination studies have reported a performance decline as the interval separating two tones is increased, consistent with a decay process. However, most of this tone comparison research can be explained in other ways, without reference to decay, and these alternative accounts were tested in the present study. In Experiment 1, signals were employed toward the end of extended retention intervals to ensure that listeners were alert to the presence and frequency content of the memoranda. In Experiment 2, a mask stimulus was employed in an attempt to distinguish between a highly detailed sensory trace and a longer-lasting short-term memory, and the distinctiveness of the stimuli was varied. Despite these precautions, slow-acting trace decay was observed. It therefore appears that the mere passage of time can lead to forgetting in some forms of short-term memory.

  11. Effect of high-temperature, short-time (HTST) pasteurization on milk containing low numbers of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grant, I R; Ball, H J; Rowe, M T

    1998-02-01

    The efficacy of high-temperature, short-time (HTST) pasteurization (72 degrees C/15 s) when low numbers (HTST pasteurization using laboratory pasteurizing units. Ten bovine strains of Myco. paratuberculosis were tested in triplicate. Culture in BACTEC Middlebrook 12B radiometric medium detected acid-fast survivors in 14.8% and 10% of HTST-pasteurized milk samples at the 10(3) and 10(2) cfu ml-1 inoculum levels, respectively, whereas conventional culture on Herrold's egg yolk medium containing mycobactin J detected acid-fast survivors in only 3.7% and 6.7% of the same milk samples. IS900-based PCR confirmed that these acid-fast survivors were Myco. paratuberculosis. No viable Myco. paratuberculosis were isolated from HTST-pasteurized milk initially containing either 10 cfu ml-1 or 10 cfu 50 ml-1.

  12. The time development of hadronic showers and the T3B experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soldner, Christian

    2013-01-01

    The compact linear collider (CLIC) is a future linear e + e - collider operated at a center of mass energy of up to 3 TeV and with a collision rate of particle bunches of up to 2 GHz. This poses challenging requirements on the detector system. The accumulation of background events, such as γγ→hadrons resulting from Beamstrahlung, must be minimized through a precise time stamping capability in all subdetector systems. In the event reconstruction, the energy depositions within the calorimeters will be used to assign events precisely to a small set of consecutive bunch crossings. The finite time evolution of hadronic showers, on the other hand, requires an extended integration time to achieve a satisfactory energy resolution in the calorimeter. The energy resolution is also deteriorated by the leakage of shower particles. Tungsten is foreseen as dense absorber material, but the time evolution of hadron showers within such a calorimeter is not sufficiently explored yet. In the context of this thesis, the T3B experiment (short for Tungsten Timing Test Beam) was designed and constructed. It is optimized to measure the time development and the contribution of delayed energy depositions within hadronic cascades. The T3B experiment consists of 15 scintillator cells assembled in a strip. The scintillation light generated within the cells is detected by novel silicon photomultiplier whose signal is read out with fast oscilloscopes providing a sampling rate of 1.25 GHz. This strip was positioned behind two different calorimeter prototypes of the CALICE collaboration which use a tungsten and steel (for comparison) absorber structure. T3B was part of the CALICE test beam campaign 2010/2011 carried out at the PS and SPS at CERN and acquired data on hadronic showers in an energy range of 2-300 GeV. A test beam optimized data acquisition software was developed from scratch. With the development and application of a novel waveform decomposition algorithm, the time of arrival of

  13. The time development of hadronic showers and the T3B experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soldner, Christian

    2013-06-06

    The compact linear collider (CLIC) is a future linear e{sup +}e{sup -} collider operated at a center of mass energy of up to 3 TeV and with a collision rate of particle bunches of up to 2 GHz. This poses challenging requirements on the detector system. The accumulation of background events, such as {gamma}{gamma}{yields}hadrons resulting from Beamstrahlung, must be minimized through a precise time stamping capability in all subdetector systems. In the event reconstruction, the energy depositions within the calorimeters will be used to assign events precisely to a small set of consecutive bunch crossings. The finite time evolution of hadronic showers, on the other hand, requires an extended integration time to achieve a satisfactory energy resolution in the calorimeter. The energy resolution is also deteriorated by the leakage of shower particles. Tungsten is foreseen as dense absorber material, but the time evolution of hadron showers within such a calorimeter is not sufficiently explored yet. In the context of this thesis, the T3B experiment (short for Tungsten Timing Test Beam) was designed and constructed. It is optimized to measure the time development and the contribution of delayed energy depositions within hadronic cascades. The T3B experiment consists of 15 scintillator cells assembled in a strip. The scintillation light generated within the cells is detected by novel silicon photomultiplier whose signal is read out with fast oscilloscopes providing a sampling rate of 1.25 GHz. This strip was positioned behind two different calorimeter prototypes of the CALICE collaboration which use a tungsten and steel (for comparison) absorber structure. T3B was part of the CALICE test beam campaign 2010/2011 carried out at the PS and SPS at CERN and acquired data on hadronic showers in an energy range of 2-300 GeV. A test beam optimized data acquisition software was developed from scratch. With the development and application of a novel waveform decomposition algorithm

  14. A short-pulse mode for the SPHINX LTD Z-pinch driver

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Almeida, Thierry; Lassalle, Francis; Zucchini, Frederic; Loyen, Arnaud; Morell, Alain; Chuvatin, Alexander

    2015-11-01

    The SPHINX machine is a 6MA, 1 μs, LTD Z-pinch driver at CEA Gramat (France) and primarily used for studying radiation effects. Different power amplification concepts were examined in order to reduce the current rise time without modifying the generator discharge scheme, including the Dynamic Load Current Multiplier (DLCM) proposed by Chuvatin. A DLCM device, capable of shaping the current pulse without reducing the rise time, was developed at CEA. This device proved valuable for isentropic compression experiments in cylindrical geometry. Recently, we achieved a short pulse operation mode by inserting a vacuum closing switch between the DLCM and the load. The current rise time was reduced to ~300 ns. We explored the use of a reduced-height wire array for the Dynamic Flux Extruder in order to improve the wire array compression rate and increase the efficiency of the current transfer to the load. These developments are presented. Potential benefits of these developments for future Z pinch experiments are discussed.

  15. Graves' Disease that Developed Shortly after Surgery for Thyroid Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hea Min Yu

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder that may present with various clinical manifestations of hyperthyroidism. Patients with Graves' disease have a greater number of thyroid nodules and a higher incidence of thyroid cancer compared with patients with normal thyroid activity. However, cases in which patients are diagnosed with recurrence of Graves' disease shortly after partial thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer are very rare. Here we report a case of hyperthyroid Graves' disease that occurred after partial thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid cancer. In this case, the patient developed hyperthyroidism 9 months after right hemithyroidectomy, and antithyroglobulin autoantibody and thyroid stimulating hormone receptor stimulating autoantibody were positive. Therefore, we diagnosed Graves' disease on the basis of the laboratory test results and thyroid ultrasonography findings. The patient was treated with and maintained on antithyroid drugs. The mechanism of the recurrence of Graves' disease in this patient is still unclear. The mechanism may have been the improper response of the immune system after partial thyroidectomy. To precisely determine the mechanisms in Graves' disease after partial thyroidectomy, further studies based on a greater number of cases are needed.

  16. Teaching English Using Local Culture Content Short Story

    OpenAIRE

    Sanda, Silfi

    2009-01-01

    This paper is mainly about the use of local culture content short story in developing students' English proficiency and some activities that can be employed for this purpose. The local culture exposed in the short story is the traditional woven clothes of Palembang, Songket in term of process and product. The short story used in this topic is Cek Ipah "The Palembang Songket Weaver". This short story is authors' original work telling about everyday live of palembang songket weaver which covers...

  17. Developing a short form of the simple Rathus assertiveness schedule using a sample of adults with sickle cell disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenerette, Coretta; Dixon, Jane

    2010-10-01

    Ethnic and cultural norms influence an individual's assertiveness. In health care, assertiveness may play an important role in health outcomes, especially for predominantly minority populations, such as adults with sickle cell disease. Therefore, it is important to develop measures to accurately assess assertiveness. It is also important to reduce response burden of lengthy instruments while retaining instrument reliability and validity. The purpose of this article is to describe development of a shorter version of the Simple Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (SRAS). Data from a cross-sectional descriptive study of adults with sickle cell disease were used to construct a short form of the SRAS, guided by stepwise regression analysis. The 19-item Simple Rathus Assertiveness Scale-Short Form (SRAS-SF) had acceptable reliability (α = .81) and construct validity and was highly correlated with the SRAS (r = .98, p = .01). The SRAS-SF reduces response burden, while maintaining reliability and validity.

  18. Short-course versus long-course chemoradiation in rectal cancer--time to change strategies?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palta, Manisha; Willett, Christopher G; Czito, Brian G

    2014-09-01

    There is significant debate regarding the optimal neoadjuvant regimen for resectable rectal cancer patients. Short-course radiotherapy, a standard approach throughout most of northern Europe, is generally defined as 25 Gy in 5 fractions over the course of 1 week without the concurrent administration of chemotherapy. Long-course radiotherapy is typically defined as 45 to 50.4 Gy in 25-28 fractions with the administration of concurrent 5-fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy and is the standard approach in other parts of Europe and the United States. At present, two randomized trials have compared outcomes for short course radiotherapy with long-course chemoradiation showing no difference in respective study endpoints. Late toxicity data are lacking given limited follow-up. Although the ideal neoadjuvant regimen is controversial, our current bias is long-course chemoradiation to treat patients with locally advanced, resectable rectal cancer.

  19. Zygotic Genome Activation Occurs Shortly after Fertilization in Maize.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Junyi; Strieder, Nicholas; Krohn, Nadia G; Cyprys, Philipp; Sprunck, Stefanie; Engelmann, Julia C; Dresselhaus, Thomas

    2017-09-01

    The formation of a zygote via the fusion of an egg and sperm cell and its subsequent asymmetric division herald the start of the plant's life cycle. Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) is thought to occur gradually, with the initial steps of zygote and embryo development being primarily maternally controlled, and subsequent steps being governed by the zygotic genome. Here, using maize ( Zea mays ) as a model plant system, we determined the timing of zygote development and generated RNA-seq transcriptome profiles of gametes, zygotes, and apical and basal daughter cells. ZGA occurs shortly after fertilization and involves ∼10% of the genome being activated in a highly dynamic pattern. In particular, genes encoding transcriptional regulators of various families are activated shortly after fertilization. Further analyses suggested that chromatin assembly is strongly modified after fertilization, that the egg cell is primed to activate the translational machinery, and that hormones likely play a minor role in the initial steps of early embryo development in maize. Our findings provide important insights into gamete and zygote activity in plants, and our RNA-seq transcriptome profiles represent a comprehensive, unique RNA-seq data set that can be used by the research community. © 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

  20. Development and Psychometric Validation of the EDE-QS, a 12 Item Short Form of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gideon, Nicole; Hawkes, Nick; Mond, Jonathan; Saunders, Rob; Tchanturia, Kate; Serpell, Lucy

    2016-01-01

    Objective The aim of this study was to develop and validate a short form of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) for routine, including session by session, outcome assessment. Method The current, 28-item version (6.0) of the EDE-Q was completed by 489 individuals aged 18–72 with various eating disorders recruited from three UK specialist eating disorder services. Rasch analysis was carried out on factors identified by means of principal component analysis, which in combination with expert ratings informed the development of an EDE-Q short form. The shortened questionnaire’s reliability, validity and sensitivity was assessed based on online data collected from students of a UK university and volunteers with a history of eating disorders recruited from a national eating disorders charity aged 18–74 (N = 559). Results A 12-item short form, the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire Short (EDE-QS) was derived. The new measure showed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .913) and temporal stability (ICC = .93; p eating disorder and comorbid psychopathology. It was sufficiently sensitive to distinguish between people with and without eating disorders. Discussion The EDE-QS is a brief, reliable and valid measure of eating disorder symptom severity that performs similarly to the EDE-Q and that lends itself for the use of sessional outcome monitoring in treatment and research. PMID:27138364