The Impact of Including Below Detection Limit Samples in Post Decommissioning Soil Sample Analyses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jung Hwan; Yim, Man-Sung [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

To meet the required standards the site owner has to show that the soil at the facility has been sufficiently cleaned up. To do this one must know the contamination of the soil at the site prior to clean up. This involves sampling that soil to identify the degree of contamination. However there is a technical difficulty in determining how much decontamination should be done. The problem arises when measured samples are below the detection limit. Regulatory guidelines for site reuse after decommissioning are commonly challenged because the majority of the activity in the soil at or below the limit of detection. Using additional statistical analyses of contaminated soil after decommissioning is expected to have the following advantages: a better and more reliable probabilistic exposure assessment, better economics (lower project costs) and improved communication with the public. This research will develop an approach that defines an acceptable method for demonstrating compliance of decommissioned NPP sites and validates that compliance. Soil samples from NPP often contain censored data. Conventional methods for dealing with censored data sets are statistically biased and limited in their usefulness. In this research, additional methods are performed using real data from a monazite manufacturing factory.

A low-volume cavity ring-down spectrometer for sample-limited applications

Science.gov (United States)

Stowasser, C.; Farinas, A. D.; Ware, J.; Wistisen, D. W.; Rella, C.; Wahl, E.; Crosson, E.; Blunier, T.

2014-08-01

In atmospheric and environmental sciences, optical spectrometers are used for the measurements of greenhouse gas mole fractions and the isotopic composition of water vapor or greenhouse gases. The large sample cell volumes (tens of milliliters to several liters) in commercially available spectrometers constrain the usefulness of such instruments for applications that are limited in sample size and/or need to track fast variations in the sample stream. In an effort to make spectrometers more suitable for sample-limited applications, we developed a low-volume analyzer capable of measuring mole fractions of methane and carbon monoxide based on a commercial cavity ring-down spectrometer. The instrument has a small sample cell (9.6 ml) and can selectively be operated at a sample cell pressure of 140, 45, or 20 Torr (effective internal volume of 1.8, 0.57, and 0.25 ml). We present the new sample cell design and the flow path configuration, which are optimized for small sample sizes. To quantify the spectrometer's usefulness for sample-limited applications, we determine the renewal rate of sample molecules within the low-volume spectrometer. Furthermore, we show that the performance of the low-volume spectrometer matches the performance of the standard commercial analyzers by investigating linearity, precision, and instrumental drift.

Short wavelength limits of current shot noise suppression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nause, Ariel; Dyunin, Egor; Gover, Avraham

2014-01-01

Shot noise in electron beam was assumed to be one of the features beyond control of accelerator physics. Current results attained in experiments at Accelerator Test Facility in Brookhaven and Linac Coherent Light Source in Stanford suggest that the control of the shot noise in electron beam (and therefore of spontaneous radiation and Self Amplified Spontaneous Emission of Free Electron Lasers) is feasible at least in the visible range of the spectrum. Here, we present a general linear formulation for collective micro-dynamics of e-beam noise and its control. Specifically, we compare two schemes for current noise suppression: a quarter plasma wavelength drift section and a combined drift/dispersive (transverse magnetic field) section. We examine and compare their limits of applicability at short wavelengths via considerations of electron phase-spread and the related Landau damping effect

Short wavelength limits of current shot noise suppression

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nause, Ariel, E-mail: arielnau@post.tau.ac.il [Faculty of Exact Sciences, Department of Physics, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv (Israel); Dyunin, Egor; Gover, Avraham [Faculty of Engineering, Department of Physical Electronics, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv (Israel)

2014-08-15

Shot noise in electron beam was assumed to be one of the features beyond control of accelerator physics. Current results attained in experiments at Accelerator Test Facility in Brookhaven and Linac Coherent Light Source in Stanford suggest that the control of the shot noise in electron beam (and therefore of spontaneous radiation and Self Amplified Spontaneous Emission of Free Electron Lasers) is feasible at least in the visible range of the spectrum. Here, we present a general linear formulation for collective micro-dynamics of e-beam noise and its control. Specifically, we compare two schemes for current noise suppression: a quarter plasma wavelength drift section and a combined drift/dispersive (transverse magnetic field) section. We examine and compare their limits of applicability at short wavelengths via considerations of electron phase-spread and the related Landau damping effect.

On the transition from short-range diffusion-limited to collision-limited growth in alloy solidification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aziz, M.J.; Boettinger, W.J.

1994-01-01

Short-range diffusion-limited growth, collision-limited growth, and the transition between the two regimes are explained as natural consequences of a single model for the kinetics of alloy solidification. Analytical expressions are developed for the velocity-undercooling function of a planar interface during dilute alloy solidification, using Turnbull's collision-limited growth model and the Continuous Growth Solute Trapping Model of Aziz and Kaplan both with and without a solute drag effect. The interface mobility, -dv/dT, is shown to be very high (proportional to the speed of sound) if the alloy is sufficiently dilute or if the growth rate is sufficiently rapid for nearly complete solute trapping. The interface mobility is reduced by the three orders of magnitude (becoming proportional to the diffusive speed) at intermediate growth rates where partial solute trapping occurs. Differences in low velocity predictions of the models with and without solute drag are also discussed. Comparison of the results of the analytical expressions to numerical solutions of the non-dilute kinetic model for Al-Be alloys shows that the dilute approximation breaks down at melt compositions on the order of 10 at.%. Similar variations in the interface mobility are shown for the disorder-trapping model of Boettinger and Aziz

The Effect of Current-Limiting Reactors on the Tripping of Short Circuits in High-Voltage Electrical Equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkov, M. S.; Gusev, Yu. P.; Monakov, Yu. V.; Cho, Gvan Chun

2016-01-01

The insertion of current-limiting reactors into electrical equipment operating at a voltage of 110 and 220 kV produces a change in the parameters of the transient recovery voltages at the contacts of the circuit breakers for disconnecting short circuits, which could be the reason for the increase in the duration of the short circuit, damage to the electrical equipment and losses in the power system. The results of mathematical modeling of the transients, caused by tripping of the short circuit in a reactive electric power transmission line are presented, and data are given on the negative effect of a current-limiting resistor on the rate of increase and peak value of the transient recovery voltages. Methods of ensuring the standard requirements imposed on the parameters of the transient recovery voltages when using current-limiting reactors in the high-voltage electrical equipment of power plants and substations are proposed and analyzed

A Volume-Limited Sample of L and T Dwarfs Defined by Parallaxes

Science.gov (United States)

Best, William M. J.; Liu, Michael C.; Magnier, Eugene; Dupuy, Trent

2018-01-01

Volume-limited samples are the gold standard for stellar population studies, as they enable unbiased measurements of space densities and luminosity functions. Parallaxes are the most direct measures of distance and are therefore essential for defining high-confidence volume limited samples. Previous efforts to model the local brown dwarf population were hampered by samples based on a small number of parallaxes. We are using UKIRT/WFCAM to conduct the largest near-infrared program to date to measure parallaxes and proper motions of L and T dwarfs. For the past 3+ years we have monitored over 350 targets, ≈90% of which are too faint to be observed by Gaia. We present preliminary results from our observations. Our program more than doubles the number of known L and T dwarf parallaxes, defining a volume-limited sample of ≈400 L0-T6 dwarfs out to 25 parsecs, the first L and T dwarf sample of this size and depth based entirely on parallaxes. Our sample will combine with the upcoming stellar census from Gaia DR2 parallaxes to form a complete volume-limited sample of nearby stars and brown dwarfs.

The first DC performance test and analysis of CC conductor short sample at ASIPP conductor test facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Yi; Wu Yu; Liu Huajun; Long Feng; Qian Li; Ren Zhibin; Li Shaolei; Liu Bo; Chen Jinglin

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► In this study the first DC performance experiments of ITER correction coil conductor short sample have been carried out in ASIPP test facility. ► A CC conductor short sample was fabricated and tested to confirm the capability of this test facility for qualification tests of CC conductors. ► There is no obvious impact of cycling on DC performance measurement. ► Those measured results of current sharing temperature are in agreement with the expected results from strand scaling - Abstract: The first DC performance experiments of ITER correction coil (CC) conductor short sample have been carried out in the conductor test facility of Institute of Plasma Physics, CAS (ASIPP) in January this year. Those experiments aim to investigate the DC performance of ITER CC conductor. The tested conductor short sample is bended as a half circle with the diameter of 270 mm to meet the background magnetic field shape. The half circle part of sample is longer than the final twist pitch. The current sharing temperature (T cs ) in the 3.86 T external magnetic field (B ex ), ≤12 kA could be measured including the critical current (I c ) run. There is no obvious impact of 1000 cycles on DC performance. Those measured T cs results are in agreement with the expected results from strand scaling.

DURATION LIMIT OF LASER PULSES EMITTED FROM A Ce-DOPED CRYSTAL SHORT CAVITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Le Hoang Hai

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Based on the rate equation set for broadband cavities, the dependence of pulse duration on cavity and pumping parameters is analyzed. The cavity uses a Ce-doped crystal as a gain medium. Computation results show the variation of the pulse width with the change of cavity length, mirror reflectivity, pumping energy and pumping pulse duration. A significant influence of multiple-pulse operation in limiting pulse duration is realized and a pulse-width of the order 200 ps is found to be the limit for the direct generation of ultraviolet single picosecond pulses from a Ce:LLF short cavity.

Shared filtering processes link attentional and visual short-term memory capacity limits.

Science.gov (United States)

Bettencourt, Katherine C; Michalka, Samantha W; Somers, David C

2011-09-30

Both visual attention and visual short-term memory (VSTM) have been shown to have capacity limits of 4 ± 1 objects, driving the hypothesis that they share a visual processing buffer. However, these capacity limitations also show strong individual differences, making the degree to which these capacities are related unclear. Moreover, other research has suggested a distinction between attention and VSTM buffers. To explore the degree to which capacity limitations reflect the use of a shared visual processing buffer, we compared individual subject's capacities on attentional and VSTM tasks completed in the same testing session. We used a multiple object tracking (MOT) and a VSTM change detection task, with varying levels of distractors, to measure capacity. Significant correlations in capacity were not observed between the MOT and VSTM tasks when distractor filtering demands differed between the tasks. Instead, significant correlations were seen when the tasks shared spatial filtering demands. Moreover, these filtering demands impacted capacity similarly in both attention and VSTM tasks. These observations fail to support the view that visual attention and VSTM capacity limits result from a shared buffer but instead highlight the role of the resource demands of underlying processes in limiting capacity.

UNLABELED SELECTED SAMPLES IN FEATURE EXTRACTION FOR CLASSIFICATION OF HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGES WITH LIMITED TRAINING SAMPLES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Kianisarkaleh

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Feature extraction plays a key role in hyperspectral images classification. Using unlabeled samples, often unlimitedly available, unsupervised and semisupervised feature extraction methods show better performance when limited number of training samples exists. This paper illustrates the importance of selecting appropriate unlabeled samples that used in feature extraction methods. Also proposes a new method for unlabeled samples selection using spectral and spatial information. The proposed method has four parts including: PCA, prior classification, posterior classification and sample selection. As hyperspectral image passes these parts, selected unlabeled samples can be used in arbitrary feature extraction methods. The effectiveness of the proposed unlabeled selected samples in unsupervised and semisupervised feature extraction is demonstrated using two real hyperspectral datasets. Results show that through selecting appropriate unlabeled samples, the proposed method can improve the performance of feature extraction methods and increase classification accuracy.

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

[Determination of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in ambient air using high-volume sampling combined with high resolutimi gas chromatography-electron capture negative ion-low resolution mass spectrometry].

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Loimeng; Gao, Yuan; Hou, Xiaohong; Zhang, Haijun; Zhang, Yichi; Chen, Jiping

2016-02-01

An analytical method for quantifying short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) in ambient air using high-volume sampling combined with high resolution gas chromatography-electron capture negative ion-low resolution mass spectrometry ( HRGC-ECNI-LRMS) was developed. An acidified silica gel column and a basic alumina column were used to optimize the cleanup procedures. The results showed a good linearity (R2>0. 99) between the total response factors and the degree of chlorination of SCCPs in the content range of 58. 1%-63. 3%. The limits of detection (S/N ≥3) and the limits of quantification (S/N ≥ 10) were 4. 2 and 12 µg, respectively. The method detection limit (MDL) for SCCPs was 0. 34 ng/m3 (n = 7). The recoveries of SCCPs in air samples were in the range of 81. 9% to 94. 2%. It is demonstrated that the method is suitable for the quantitative analysis of SCCPs in air samples.

Technical Study on Improvement of Endurance Capability of Limit Short-circuit Current of Charge Control SMART Meter

Science.gov (United States)

Li, W. W.; Du, Z. Z.; Yuan, R. m.; Xiong, D. Z.; Shi, E. W.; Lu, G. N.; Dai, Z. Y.; Chen, X. Q.; Jiang, Z. Y.; Lv, Y. G.

2017-10-01

Smart meter represents the development direction of energy-saving smart grid in the future. The load switch, one of the core parts of smart meter, should be of high reliability, safety and endurance capability of limit short-circuit current. For this reason, this paper discusses the quick simulation of relationship between attraction and counterforce of load switch without iteration, establishes dual response surface model of attraction and counterforce and optimizes the design scheme of load switch for charge control smart meter, thus increasing electromagnetic attraction and spring counterforce. In this way, this paper puts forward a method to improve the withstand capacity of limit short-circuit current.

A distance limited method for sampling downed coarse woody debris

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffrey H. Gove; Mark J. Ducey; Harry T. Valentine; Michael S. Williams

2012-01-01

A new sampling method for down coarse woody debris is proposed based on limiting the perpendicular distance from individual pieces to a randomly chosen sample point. Two approaches are presented that allow different protocols to be used to determine field measurements; estimators for each protocol are also developed. Both protocols are compared via simulation against...

Determination of short half-life elements in biological, foodstuff, and environmental samples qualitatively by neutron activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Syukria Kurniawati; Muhayatun Santoso; Diah Dwiana Lestiani

2010-01-01

NAA applications at routine operation power of 15 MW at Multipurpose Reactor GA Siwabessy (MPR-GAS) for sample matrices analysis have been widely applied. However, the results are not optimum for some matrices especially for short half-live elements. Preliminary study of short half-life elements determination in biological, foodstuff, and environmental samples using 1 MW power have been conducted to solve this problem. The samples were irradiated in rabbit system of MPR-GAS for 5 minutes, counted for 200 seconds by HPGe detector, and the spectrum were analyzed further using software Genie 2000 and Bandung NAA Utility. Analysis under 1 MW power on biological and foodstuff samples were capable to detect eight elements: Al, Br, CI, Ca, I, K, Mg, Ti, and Na for biological samples; Al, Br, CI, Ca, I, K, Mg, Mn, and Na for foodstuff samples, while at 15 MW power only three elements (CI, K, Na) were detected. At 1 MW power the counting process is more optimum due to smaller radiation exposure and dead time. For the environmental samples, the number of elements detected by 1 MW and 15 MW powers did not differ significantly. Generally, the results on the three types of samples showed that the elements of short half-life are better detected at 1 MW than that of 15 MW power. Further research needs to be done to obtain the optimum analytical conditions for irradiation and counting time determination. (author)

The frontal eye fields limit the capacity of visual short-term memory in rhesus monkeys.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyoung-Min; Ahn, Kyung-Ha

2013-01-01

The frontal eye fields (FEF) in rhesus monkeys have been implicated in visual short-term memory (VSTM) as well as control of visual attention. Here we examined the importance of the area in the VSTM capacity and the relationship between VSTM and attention, using the chemical inactivation technique and multi-target saccade tasks with or without the need of target-location memory. During FEF inactivation, serial saccades to targets defined by color contrast were unaffected, but saccades relying on short-term memory were impaired when the target count was at the capacity limit of VSTM. The memory impairment was specific to the FEF-coded retinotopic locations, and subject to competition among targets distributed across visual fields. These results together suggest that the FEF plays a crucial role during the entry of information into VSTM, by enabling attention deployment on targets to be remembered. In this view, the memory capacity results from the limited availability of attentional resources provided by FEF: The FEF can concurrently maintain only a limited number of activations to register the targets into memory. When lesions render part of the area unavailable for activation, the number would decrease, further reducing the capacity of VSTM.

Fast screening of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in indoor dust samples by graphene-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Xiu; Liu, Qian; Gao, Wei; Wang, Yawei; Nie, Zhou; Yao, Shouzhuo; Jiang, Guibin

2018-03-01

As an important class of emerging chemical contaminants, short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are considered as one of the most challenging groups of compounds to analyze. In this paper, we report a new method for fast screening of SCCPs based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) with graphene as a matrix and 2,5,6,9-tetrachlorodecane as an internal standard. We found that the use of graphene as MALDI matrix generated high peak intensities for SCCPs while producing few background noises. The ion fragmentation mechanisms of SCCPs in MALDI are discussed in detail. Under the optimized conditions, much lower detection limits of SCCP congeners (0.1-5ng/mL) than those reported previously were obtained. Other distinct advantages such as short analysis time and simplified sample preparation procedures are also demonstrated. The method was successfully applied in fast screening of SCCPs in indoor dust samples and monitoring of human exposure levels to SCCPs, and the results were verified by gas chromatography coupled to negative chemical ionization quadrupole time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometry. This work not only offers a new promising tool for SCCP studies, but also further demonstrates the promise of graphene as a new generation of MALDI matrix. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Discrete capacity limits and neuroanatomical correlates of visual short-term memory for objects and spatial locations.

Science.gov (United States)

Konstantinou, Nikos; Constantinidou, Fofi; Kanai, Ryota

2017-02-01

Working memory is responsible for keeping information in mind when it is no longer in view, linking perception with higher cognitive functions. Despite such crucial role, short-term maintenance of visual information is severely limited. Research suggests that capacity limits in visual short-term memory (VSTM) are correlated with sustained activity in distinct brain areas. Here, we investigated whether variability in the structure of the brain is reflected in individual differences of behavioral capacity estimates for spatial and object VSTM. Behavioral capacity estimates were calculated separately for spatial and object information using a novel adaptive staircase procedure and were found to be unrelated, supporting domain-specific VSTM capacity limits. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analyses revealed dissociable neuroanatomical correlates of spatial versus object VSTM. Interindividual variability in spatial VSTM was reflected in the gray matter density of the inferior parietal lobule. In contrast, object VSTM was reflected in the gray matter density of the left insula. These dissociable findings highlight the importance of considering domain-specific estimates of VSTM capacity and point to the crucial brain regions that limit VSTM capacity for different types of visual information. Hum Brain Mapp 38:767-778, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The frontal eye fields limit the capacity of visual short-term memory in rhesus monkeys.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyoung-Min Lee

Full Text Available The frontal eye fields (FEF in rhesus monkeys have been implicated in visual short-term memory (VSTM as well as control of visual attention. Here we examined the importance of the area in the VSTM capacity and the relationship between VSTM and attention, using the chemical inactivation technique and multi-target saccade tasks with or without the need of target-location memory. During FEF inactivation, serial saccades to targets defined by color contrast were unaffected, but saccades relying on short-term memory were impaired when the target count was at the capacity limit of VSTM. The memory impairment was specific to the FEF-coded retinotopic locations, and subject to competition among targets distributed across visual fields. These results together suggest that the FEF plays a crucial role during the entry of information into VSTM, by enabling attention deployment on targets to be remembered. In this view, the memory capacity results from the limited availability of attentional resources provided by FEF: The FEF can concurrently maintain only a limited number of activations to register the targets into memory. When lesions render part of the area unavailable for activation, the number would decrease, further reducing the capacity of VSTM.

Background estimation in short-wave region during determination of total sample composition by x-ray fluorescence method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simakov, V.A.; Kordyukov, S.V.; Petrov, E.N.

1988-01-01

Method of background estimation in short-wave spectral region during determination of total sample composition by X-ray fluorescence method is described. 13 types of different rocks with considerable variations of base composition and Zr, Nb, Th, U content below 7x10 -3 % are investigated. The suggested method of background accounting provides for a less statistical error of the background estimation than direct isolated measurement and reliability of its determination in a short-wave region independent on the sample base. Possibilities of suggested method for artificial mixtures conforming by the content of main component to technological concemtrates - niobium, zirconium, tantalum are estimated

Short torch design for direct liquid sample introduction using conventional and micro-nebulizers for plasma spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Montaser, Akbar [Potomac, MD; Westphal, Craig S [Landenberg, PA; Kahen, Kaveh [Montgomery Village, MD; Rutkowski, William F [Arlington, VA

2008-01-08

An apparatus and method for providing direct liquid sample introduction using a nebulizer are provided. The apparatus and method include a short torch having an inner tube and an outer tube, and an elongated adapter having a cavity for receiving the nebulizer and positioning a nozzle tip of the nebulizer a predetermined distance from a tip of the outer tube of the short torch. The predetermined distance is preferably about 2-5 mm.

Correction to the count-rate detection limit and sample/blank time-allocation methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvarez, Joseph L.

2013-01-01

A common form of count-rate detection limits contains a propagation of uncertainty error. This error originated in methods to minimize uncertainty in the subtraction of the blank counts from the gross sample counts by allocation of blank and sample counting times. Correct uncertainty propagation showed that the time allocation equations have no solution. This publication presents the correct form of count-rate detection limits. -- Highlights: •The paper demonstrated a proper method of propagating uncertainty of count rate differences. •The standard count-rate detection limits were in error. •Count-time allocation methods for minimum uncertainty were in error. •The paper presented the correct form of the count-rate detection limit. •The paper discussed the confusion between count-rate uncertainty and count uncertainty

Sample Preparation for Electron Probe Microanalysis-Pushing the Limits.

Science.gov (United States)

Geller, Joseph D; Engle, Paul D

2002-01-01

important, and, under certain conditions, may even be the limiting factor in the analytical uncertainty budget. This paper considers preparing samples to get known geometries. It will not address the analysis of samples with irregular, unprepared surfaces or unknown geometries.

Narcissism and the Strategic Pursuit of Short-Term Mating

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmitt, David P.; Alcalay, Lidia; Allik, Jüri

2017-01-01

Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching). Nearly all of these investigations have relied solely on samples from Western cultures. In the curr...... limitations of these cross-culturally universal findings and presents suggestions for future research into revealing the precise psychological features of narcissism that facilitate the strategic pursuit of short-term mating....

The Limitations of Short-Term Orthodontics and Why We Still Need Specialists – A Review of the Current Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Luqmani, Sana

2017-01-01

Short-term orthodontics (STO) serves to align anterior teeth. It has become popular in cosmetic dentistry as an alternative to destructive veneers and lengthy conventional orthodontics. The aim of this article is to raise awareness of the clinical limitations of STO and highlight some of the difficulties encountered with orthodontic retention. It also gives an overview of accredited training available to dentists who wish to develop their orthodontic skills. Clinical relevance: Greater awareness of the clinical limitations of short-term orthodontics will aid GDPs in appropriately selecting their cases and obtaining informed consent from patients. In addition, the article serves as encouragement for those GDPs wishing to develop their orthodontic skills and pursue further accredited training.

Effect of model choice and sample size on statistical tolerance limits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duran, B.S.; Campbell, K.

1980-03-01

Statistical tolerance limits are estimates of large (or small) quantiles of a distribution, quantities which are very sensitive to the shape of the tail of the distribution. The exact nature of this tail behavior cannot be ascertained brom small samples, so statistical tolerance limits are frequently computed using a statistical model chosen on the basis of theoretical considerations or prior experience with similar populations. This report illustrates the effects of such choices on the computations

Creel survey sampling designs for estimating effort in short-duration Chinook salmon fisheries

Science.gov (United States)

McCormick, Joshua L.; Quist, Michael C.; Schill, Daniel J.

2013-01-01

Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha sport fisheries in the Columbia River basin are commonly monitored using roving creel survey designs and require precise, unbiased catch estimates. The objective of this study was to examine the relative bias and precision of total catch estimates using various sampling designs to estimate angling effort under the assumption that mean catch rate was known. We obtained information on angling populations based on direct visual observations of portions of Chinook Salmon fisheries in three Idaho river systems over a 23-d period. Based on the angling population, Monte Carlo simulations were used to evaluate the properties of effort and catch estimates for each sampling design. All sampling designs evaluated were relatively unbiased. Systematic random sampling (SYS) resulted in the most precise estimates. The SYS and simple random sampling designs had mean square error (MSE) estimates that were generally half of those observed with cluster sampling designs. The SYS design was more efficient (i.e., higher accuracy per unit cost) than a two-cluster design. Increasing the number of clusters available for sampling within a day decreased the MSE of estimates of daily angling effort, but the MSE of total catch estimates was variable depending on the fishery. The results of our simulations provide guidelines on the relative influence of sample sizes and sampling designs on parameters of interest in short-duration Chinook Salmon fisheries.

Sample Preparation for Electron Probe Microanalysis—Pushing the Limits

Science.gov (United States)

Geller, Joseph D.; Engle, Paul D.

2002-01-01

important, and, under certain conditions, may even be the limiting factor in the analytical uncertainty budget. This paper considers preparing samples to get known geometries. It will not address the analysis of samples with irregular, unprepared surfaces or unknown geometries. PMID:27446757

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)

Relative humidity effects on water vapour fluxes measured with closed-path eddy-covariance systems with short sampling lines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fratini, Gerardo; Ibrom, Andreas; Arriga, Nicola

2012-01-01

It has been formerly recognised that increasing relative humidity in the sampling line of closed-path eddy-covariance systems leads to increasing attenuation of water vapour turbulent fluctuations, resulting in strong latent heat flux losses. This occurrence has been analyzed for very long (50 m...... from eddy-covariance systems featuring short (4 m) and very short (1 m) sampling lines running at the same clover field and show that relative humidity effects persist also for these setups, and should not be neglected. Starting from the work of Ibrom and co-workers, we propose a mixed method...... and correction method proposed here is deemed applicable to closed-path systems featuring a broad range of sampling lines, and indeed applicable also to passive gases as a special case. The methods described in this paper are incorporated, as processing options, in the free and open-source eddy...

Theoretical analysis of saturation and limit cycles in short pulse FEL oscillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piovella, N.; Chaix, P.; Jaroszynski, D. [Commissariat a l`Energie Atomique, Bruyeres-le-Chatel (France)] [and others

1995-12-31

We derive a model for the non linear evolution of a short pulse oscillator from low signal up to saturation in the small gain regime. This system is controlled by only two independent parameters: cavity detuning and losses. Using a closure relation, this model reduces to a closed set of 5 non linear partial differential equations for the EM field and moments of the electron distribution. An analysis of the linearised system allows to define and calculate the eigenmodes characterising the small signal regime. An arbitrary solution of the complete nonlinear system can then be expanded in terms of these eigenmodes. This allows interpreting various observed nonlinear behaviours, including steady state saturation, limit cycles, and transition to chaos. The single mode approximation reduces to a Landau-Ginzburg equation. It allows to obtain gain, nonlinear frequency shift, and efficiency as functions of cavity detuning and cavity losses. A generalisation to two modes allows to obtain a simple description of the limit cycle behaviour, as a competition between these two modes. An analysis of the transitions to more complex dynamics is also given. Finally, the analytical results are compared to the experimental data from the FELIX experiment.

The beryllium quandary: will the lower exposure limits spur new developments in sampling and analysis?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brisson, Michael

2013-06-03

At the time this article was written, new rulemakings were under consideration at OSHA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that would propose changes to occupational exposure limits for beryllium. Given these developments, it’s a good time to review the tools and methods available to IHs for assessing beryllium air and surface contamination in the workplace—what’s new and different, and what’s tried and true. The article discusses limit values and action levels for beryllium, problematic aspects of beryllium air sampling, sample preparation, sample analysis, and data evaluation.

The short-circuit test results of 6.9 kV/2.3 kV 400 kVA-class YBCO model transformer with fault current limiting function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomioka, A.; Bohno, T.; Kakami, S.; Isozaki, M.; Watanabe, K.; Toyama, K.; Sugiyama, S.; Konno, M.; Gosho, Y.; Okamoto, H.; Hayashi, H.; Tsutsumi, T.; Iwakuma, M.; Saito, T.; Tanabe, K.; Shiohara, Y.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► We manufactured the 400 kV A-class YBCO model transformer with FCL function. ► Short-circuit test was performed by applying 6.9 kV on primary side. ► The short-circuit current was limited to 174 A for a prospective current of 559 A. ► It agreed with the design and we also confirmed the I c did not degrade. ► The results suggest the possibility to design YBCO transformers with FCL function. -- Abstract: We are developing an elemental technology for 66/6.9 kV 20 MVA-class superconducting power transformer with fault current limiting function. In order to obtain the characteristics of YBCO conductor when the AC over current supplied to the conductor, the model coils were manufactured with YBCO tapes and tested. Based on these results, we manufactured the 6.9 kV/2.3 kV 400 kVA-class YBCO model transformer with fault current limiting function and performed short-circuit test. At the 0.25 s after short-circuit, the short-circuit current of primary winding was limited to about 174 A for a prospective current of 559 A. It was consistent with the design. The I–V characteristics of the winding did not change before and after the test. We consider the model transformer to be able to withstand AC over-current with the function of current limiting. The results suggest the possibility to design YBCO superconducting transformers with fault current limiting function for practical power grid

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.

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…

Validation of the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire Short Scale (NARQ-S) in convenience and representative samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Leckelt, Marius; Wetzel, Eunike; Gerlach, Tanja M; Ackerman, Robert A; Miller, Joshua D; Chopik, William J; Penke, Lars; Geukes, Katharina; Küfner, Albrecht C P; Hutteman, Roos; Richter, David; Renner, Karl-Heinz; Allroggen, Marc; Brecheen, Courtney; Campbell, W Keith; Grossmann, Igor; Back, Mitja D

2018-01-01

Due to increased empirical interest in narcissism across the social sciences, there is a need for inventories that can be administered quickly while also reliably measuring both the agentic and antagonistic aspects of grandiose narcissism. In this study, we sought to validate the factor structure, provide representative descriptive data and reliability estimates, assess the reliability across the trait spectrum, and examine the nomological network of the short version of the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (NARQ-S; Back et al., 2013). We used data from a large convenience sample (total N = 11,937) as well as data from a large representative sample (total N = 4,433) that included responses to other narcissism measures as well as related constructs, including the other Dark Triad traits, Big Five personality traits, and self-esteem. Confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory were used to validate the factor structure and estimate the reliability across the latent trait spectrum, respectively. Results suggest that the NARQ-S shows a robust factor structure and is a reliable and valid short measure of the agentic and antagonistic aspects of grandiose narcissism. We also discuss future directions and applications of the NARQ-S as a short and comprehensive measure of grandiose narcissism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Decreasing of the detection limit for gamma-ray Spectrometry with the influence of sample treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karami, M.; Sadighzadeh, A.; Asgharizadeh, F.; Sardari, D.; Tavassoli, A.; Arbabi, A.; Hochaghani, O.

2009-01-01

Full text: In this study the ash method has been applied for environmental sample treatment in order to decrease of the detection limit in gamma-ray spectrometry for low level radioactivity measurements. Detection limit in gamma ray spectrometry is the smallest expectation value of the net counting rate that can be detected on given probabilities. The environmental test samples have been changed into ash using a suitable oven. The heating were made under controlled temperature to avoid the escape of some radionuclides such as radiocaesium. The ash samples were measured by high resolution gamma-ray spectrometry system. (author)

Category Specific Knowledge Modulate Capacity Limitations of Visual Short-Term Memory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dall, Jonas Olsen; Watanabe, Katsumi; Sørensen, Thomas Alrik

2016-01-01

We explore whether expertise can modulate the capacity of visual short-term memory, as some seem to argue that training affects capacity of short-term memory [13] while others are not able to find this modulation [12]. We extend on a previous study [3] demonstrating expertise effects by investiga...... are in line with the theoretical interpretation that visual short-term memory reflects the sum of the reverberating feedback loops to representations in long-term memory.......We explore whether expertise can modulate the capacity of visual short-term memory, as some seem to argue that training affects capacity of short-term memory [13] while others are not able to find this modulation [12]. We extend on a previous study [3] demonstrating expertise effects......), and expert observers (Japanese university students). For both the picture and the letter condition we find no performance difference in memory capacity, however, in the critical hiragana condition we demonstrate a systematic difference relating expertise differences between the groups. These results...

Microcomputer-based systems for automatic control of sample irradiation and chemical analysis of short-lived isotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourret, S.C.

1974-01-01

Two systems resulted from the need for the study of the nuclear decay of short-lived radionuclides. Automation was required for better repeatability, speed of chemical separation after irradiation and for protection from the high radiation fields of the samples. A MCS-8 computer was used as the nucleus of the automatic sample irradiation system because the control system required an extensive multiple-sequential circuit. This approach reduced the sequential problem to a computer program. The automatic chemistry control system is a mixture of a fixed and a computer-based programmable control system. The fixed control receives the irradiated liquid sample from the reactor, extracts the liquid and disposes of the used sample container. The programmable control executes the chemistry program that the user has entered through the teletype. (U.S.)

Dyadic Short Forms of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV.

Science.gov (United States)

Denney, David A; Ringe, Wendy K; Lacritz, Laura H

2015-08-01

Full Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) administration can be time-consuming and may not be necessary when intelligence quotient estimates will suffice. Estimated Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) and General Ability Index (GAI) scores were derived from nine dyadic short forms using individual regression equations based on data from a clinical sample (n = 113) that was then cross validated in a separate clinical sample (n = 50). Derived scores accounted for 70%-83% of the variance in FSIQ and 77%-88% of the variance in GAI. Predicted FSIQs were strongly associated with actual FSIQ (rs = .73-.88), as were predicted and actual GAIs (rs = .80-.93). Each of the nine dyadic short forms of the WAIS-IV was a good predictor of FSIQ and GAI in the validation sample. These data support the validity of WAIS-IV short forms when time is limited or lengthier batteries cannot be tolerated by patients. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Dried blood spot measurement: application in tacrolimus monitoring using limited sampling strategy and abbreviated AUC estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Chi Yuen; van der Heijden, Jaques; Hoogtanders, Karin; Christiaans, Maarten; Liu, Yan Lun; Chan, Yiu Han; Choi, Koon Shing; van de Plas, Afke; Shek, Chi Chung; Chau, Ka Foon; Li, Chun Sang; van Hooff, Johannes; Stolk, Leo

2008-02-01

Dried blood spot (DBS) sampling and high-performance liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry have been developed in monitoring tacrolimus levels. Our center favors the use of limited sampling strategy and abbreviated formula to estimate the area under concentration-time curve (AUC(0-12)). However, it is inconvenient for patients because they have to wait in the center for blood sampling. We investigated the application of DBS method in tacrolimus level monitoring using limited sampling strategy and abbreviated AUC estimation approach. Duplicate venous samples were obtained at each time point (C(0), C(2), and C(4)). To determine the stability of blood samples, one venous sample was sent to our laboratory immediately. The other duplicate venous samples, together with simultaneous fingerprick blood samples, were sent to the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands. Thirty six patients were recruited and 108 sets of blood samples were collected. There was a highly significant relationship between AUC(0-12), estimated from venous blood samples, and fingerprick blood samples (r(2) = 0.96, P AUC(0-12) strategy as drug monitoring.

Pressure-assisted introduction of urine samples into a short capillary for electrophoretic separation with contactless conductivity and UV spectrometry detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Makrlíková, Anna; Opekar, František; Tůma, Petr

2015-08-01

A computer-controlled hydrodynamic sample introduction method has been proposed for short-capillary electrophoresis. In the method, the BGE flushes sample from the loop of a six-way sampling valve and is carried to the injection end of the capillary. A short pressure impulse is generated in the electrolyte stream at the time when the sample zone is at the capillary, leading to injection of the sample into the capillary. Then the electrolyte flow is stopped and the separation voltage is turned on. This way of sample introduction does not involve movement of the capillary and both of its ends remain constantly in the solution during both sample injection and separation. The amount of sample introduced to the capillary is controlled by the duration of the pressure pulse. The new sample introduction method was tested in the determination of ammonia, creatinine, uric acid, and hippuric acid in human urine. The determination was performed in a capillary with an overall length of 10.5 cm, in two BGEs with compositions 50 mM MES + 5 mM NaOH (pH 5.1) and 1 M acetic acid + 1.5 mM crown ether 18-crown-6 (pH 2.4). A dual contactless conductivity/UV spectrometric detector was used for the detection. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of sample matrix composition on INAA sample weights, measurement precisions, limits of detection, and optimum conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guinn, V.P.; Nakazawa, L.; Leslie, J.

1984-01-01

The instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) Advance Prediction Computer Program (APCP) is extremely useful in guiding one to optimum subsequent experimental analyses of samples of all types of matrices. By taking into account the contributions to the cumulative Compton-continuum levels from all significant induced gamma-emitting radionuclides, it provides good INAA advance estimates of detectable photopeaks, measurement precisions, concentration lower limits of detection (LOD's) and optimum irradiation/decay/counting conditions - as well as of the very important maximum allowable sample size for each set of conditions calculated. The usefulness and importance of the four output parameters cited in the title are discussed using the INAA APCP outputs for NBS SRM-1632 Coal as the example

Minimum detection limit and spatial resolution of thin-sample field-emission electron probe microanalysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubo, Yugo; Hamada, Kotaro; Urano, Akira

2013-01-01

The minimum detection limit and spatial resolution for a thinned semiconductor sample were determined by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) using a Schottky field emission (FE) electron gun and wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrometry. Comparison of the FE-EPMA results with those obtained using energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry in conjunction with scanning transmission electron microscopy, confirmed that FE-EPMA is largely superior in terms of detection sensitivity. Thin-sample FE-EPMA is demonstrated as a very effective method for high resolution, high sensitivity analysis in a laboratory environment because a high probe current and high signal-to-noise ratio can be achieved. - Highlights: • Minimum detection limit and spatial resolution determined for FE-EPMA. • Detection sensitivity of FE-EPMA greatly superior to that of STEM-EDX. • Minimum detection limit and spatial resolution controllable by probe current

Detection limits of Legionella pneumophila in environmental samples after co-culture with Acanthamoeba polyphaga

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background The efficiency of recovery and the detection limit of Legionella after co-culture with Acanthamoeba polyphaga are not known and so far no investigations have been carried out to determine the efficiency of the recovery of Legionella spp. by co-culture and compare it with that of conventional culturing methods. This study aimed to assess the detection limits of co-culture compared to culture for Legionella pneumophila in compost and air samples. Compost and air samples were spiked with known concentrations of L. pneumophila. Direct culturing and co-culture with amoebae were used in parallel to isolate L. pneumophila and recovery standard curves for both methods were produced for each sample. Results The co-culture proved to be more sensitive than the reference method, detecting 102-103 L. pneumophila cells in 1 g of spiked compost or 1 m3 of spiked air, as compared to 105-106 cells in 1 g of spiked compost and 1 m3 of spiked air. Conclusions Co-culture with amoebae is a useful, sensitive and reliable technique to enrich L. pneumophila in environmental samples that contain only low amounts of bacterial cells. PMID:23442526

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.

Superconducting fault current limiter using high-resistive YBCO tapes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yazawa, T. [Power and Industrial System R and D Center, Toshiba Corporation, 2-4 Suehiro, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045 (Japan)], E-mail: takashi.yazawa@toshiba.co.jp; Koyanagi, K.; Takahashi, M.; Ono, M.; Toba, K.; Takigami, H.; Urata, M. [Power and Industrial System R and D Center, Toshiba Corporation, 2-4 Suehiro, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045 (Japan); Iijima, Y.; Saito, T. [Fujikura Ltd., 1-5-1 Kiba, Koto, Tokyo 135-0042 (Japan); Ameniya, N. [Yokohama National University, 79-1 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya, Yokohama 240-8501 (Japan); Shiohara, Y. [Superconductivity Research Laboratory, ISTEC, 1-10-13 Shinonome, Koto, Tokyo 135-0062 (Japan)

2008-09-15

One of the programs in the Ministry of Economy and Trade and Industry (METI) project regarding R and D on YBCO conductor is to evaluate the applicability of the developed conductor toward several applications. This paper focuses on a fault current limiter (FCL) as one of the expected power applications. YBCO tape conductors with ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) substrate are used in this work. In order to obtain high resistance of the conductor, which is preferable to an FCL, the thickness of the protecting layer made of silver was decreased as possible. Then high-resistive metal stabilizing layer is attached on the silver layer to improve stability. Obtaining the relevant current limiting performance on short sample experiments, model coils were developed to aim the 6.6 kV-class FCL. Short circuit experiments were implemented with a short circuit generator. The coil successfully restricted the short circuit current over 17 kA to about 700 A by the applied voltage of 3.8 kV, which is nominal phase-to-ground voltage. The experimental results show good agreement with computer analyses and show promising toward the application.

Influence of short-term sampling parameters on the uncertainty of the Lden environmental noise indicator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mateus, M; Carrilho, J Dias; Da Silva, M Gameiro

2015-01-01

The present study deals with the influence of the sampling parameters on the uncertainty of noise equivalent level in environmental noise measurements. The study has been carried out through the test of different sampling strategies doing resampling trials over continuous monitoring noise files obtained previously in an urban location in the city of Coimbra, in Portugal. On short term measurements, not only the duration of the sampling episodes but also its number have influence on the uncertainty of the result. This influence is higher for the time periods where sound levels suffer a greater variation, such as during the night period. In this period, in case both parameters (duration and number of sampling episodes) are not carefully selected, the uncertainty level can reach too high values contributing to a loss of precision of the measurements. With the obtained data it was investigated the sampling parameters influence on the long term noise indicator uncertainty, calculated according the Draft 1st CD ISO 1996-2:2012 proposed method. It has been verified that this method allows the possibility of defining a general methodology which enables the setting of the parameters once the precision level is fixed. For the three reference periods defined for environmental noise (day, evening and night), it was possible to derive a two variable power law representing the uncertainty of the determined values as a function of the two sampling parameters: duration of sampling episode and number of episodes

Limited sampling strategy models for estimating the AUC of gliclazide in Chinese healthy volunteers.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ji-Han; Wang, Kun; Huang, Xiao-Hui; He, Ying-Chun; Li, Lu-Jin; Sheng, Yu-Cheng; Yang, Juan; Zheng, Qing-Shan

2013-06-01

The aim of this work is to reduce the cost of required sampling for the estimation of the area under the gliclazide plasma concentration versus time curve within 60 h (AUC0-60t ). The limited sampling strategy (LSS) models were established and validated by the multiple regression model within 4 or fewer gliclazide concentration values. Absolute prediction error (APE), root of mean square error (RMSE) and visual prediction check were used as criterion. The results of Jack-Knife validation showed that 10 (25.0 %) of the 40 LSS based on the regression analysis were not within an APE of 15 % using one concentration-time point. 90.2, 91.5 and 92.4 % of the 40 LSS models were capable of prediction using 2, 3 and 4 points, respectively. Limited sampling strategies were developed and validated for estimating AUC0-60t of gliclazide. This study indicates that the implementation of an 80 mg dosage regimen enabled accurate predictions of AUC0-60t by the LSS model. This study shows that 12, 6, 4, 2 h after administration are the key sampling times. The combination of (12, 2 h), (12, 8, 2 h) or (12, 8, 4, 2 h) can be chosen as sampling hours for predicting AUC0-60t in practical application according to requirement.

A short version of the revised 'experience of close relationships questionnaire': investigating non-clinical and clinical samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Wongpakaran, Tinakon; Wongpakaran, Nahathai

2012-01-01

This study seeks to investigate the psychometric properties of the short version of the revised 'Experience of Close Relationships' questionnaire, comparing non-clinical and clinical samples. In total 702 subjects participated in this study, of whom 531 were non-clinical participants and 171 were psychiatric patients. They completed the short version of the revised 'Experience of Close Relationships' questionnaire (ECR-R-18), the Perceived Stress Scale-10(PSS-10), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and the UCLA Loneliness scale. A retest of the ECR-R-18 was then performed at four-week intervals. Then, confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test the validity of the new scale. The ECR-R-18 showed a fair to good internal consistency (α 0.77 to 0.87) for both samples, and the test-retest reliability was found to be satisfactory (ICC = 0.75). The anxiety sub-scale demonstrated concurrent validity with PSS-10 and RSES, while the avoidance sub-scale showed concurrent validity with the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis using method factors yielded two factors with an acceptable model fit for both groups. An invariance test revealed that the ECR-R-18 when used on the clinical group differed from when used with the non-clinical group. The ECR-R-18 questionnaire revealed an overall better level of fit than the original 36 item questionnaire, indicating its suitability for use with a broader group of samples, including clinical samples. The reliability of the ECR-R- 18 might be increased if a modified scoring system is used and if our suggestions with regard to future studies are followed up.

Impaired verbal short-term memory in Down syndrome reflects a capacity limitation rather than atypically rapid forgetting.

Science.gov (United States)

M Purser, Harry R; Jarrold, Christopher

2005-05-01

Individuals with Down syndrome suffer from relatively poor verbal short-term memory. Recent work has indicated that this deficit is not caused by problems of audition, speech, or articulatory rehearsal within the phonological loop component of Baddeley and Hitch's working memory model. Given this, two experiments were conducted to investigate whether abnormally rapid decay underlies the deficit. In a first experiment, we attempted to vary the time available for decay using a modified serial recall procedure that had both verbal and visuospatial conditions. No evidence was found to suggest that forgetting is abnormally rapid in phonological memory in Down syndrome, but a selective phonological memory deficit was indicated. A second experiment further investigated possible problems of decay in phonological memory, restricted to item information. The results indicated that individuals with Down syndrome do not show atypically rapid item forgetting from phonological memory but may have a limited-capacity verbal short-term memory system.

Limited BRC rulemaking: Regulatory approach and experience in Texas for short-lived radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McBurney, Ruth E.; Pollard, Christine G.

1992-01-01

In 1987, the Texas Department of Health (TDH) implemented a rule to allow, under certain conditions, wastes containing limited concentrations of short- lived radionuclides (less than 300-day half-life) to be disposed of in Type I sanitary landfills. The rule was based on a technical analysis that demonstrated the degree of safety for approximately 340 m of radioactive waste generated annually in Texas and identified major restrictions and conditions for disposal. TDH's Bureau of Radiation Control staff have been able to maintain an account of licensees utilizing the rule during the past years. Several research and industrial facilities in the state have saved significantly on waste disposal expenses. Public concerns and economic impacts for licensees as well as other regulatory aspects and experiences with the rule are discussed. (author)

The Short Version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21): Factor Structure in a Young Adolescent Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Szabo, Marianna

2010-01-01

This study explored the factor structure of the short form of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995b) in a young adolescent sample. A group of 484 high school students ("Mean" age = 13.62 years, Min = 11.83, Max = 15.67 years, 52 % boys) completed the DASS-21. Several models were tested using Confirmatory Factor…

Limited sampling strategy for determining metformin area under the plasma concentration-time curve

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santoro, Ana Beatriz; Stage, Tore Bjerregaard; Struchiner, Claudio José

2016-01-01

AIM: The aim was to develop and validate limited sampling strategy (LSS) models to predict the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) for metformin. METHODS: Metformin plasma concentrations (n = 627) at 0-24 h after a single 500 mg dose were used for LSS development, based on all su...

Vortex-homogenized matrix solid-phase dispersion for the extraction of short chain chlorinated paraffins from indoor dust samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yu-Hsuan; Chang, Chia-Yu; Ding, Wang-Hsien

2016-11-11

A simple and effective method for determining short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) in indoor dust is presented. The method employed a modified vortex-homogenized matrix solid-phase dispersion (VH-MSPD) prior to its detection by gas chromatography - electron-capture negative-ion mass spectrometry (GC-ECNI-MS) operating in the selected-ion-monitoring (SIM) mode. Under the best extraction conditions, 0.1-g of dust sample was dispersed with 0.1-g of silica gel by using vortex (2min) instead of using a mortar and pestle (3min). After that step, the blend was transferred to a glass column containing 3-g acidic silica gel, 2-g basic silica gel, and 2-g of deactivated silica gel, used as clean-up co-sorbents. Then, target analytes were eluted with 5mL of n-hexane/dichloromethane (2:1, v/v) mixture. The extract was evaporated to dryness under a gentle stream of nitrogen. The residue was then re-dissolved in n-hexane (10μL), and subjected to GC-ECNI-MS analysis. The limits of quantitation (LOQs) ranged from 0.06 to 0.25μg/g for each SCCP congener. Precision was less than 7% for both intra- and inter-day analysis. Trueness was above 89%, which was calculated by mean extraction recovery. The VH-MSPD combined with GC-ECNI-MS was successfully applied to quantitatively detect SCCPs from various indoor dust samples, and the concentrations ranged from 1.2 to 31.2μg/g. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inherent limitations of fixed time servo-controlled radiometric calorimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wetzel, J.R.; Duff, M.F.; Lemming, J.F.

1987-01-01

There has been some interest in low precision, short run time calorimetry measurements. This type of calorimetry measurement has been proposed for use when high precision measurements are not required, for example, to screen scrap containers to determine if there is enough material to be measured more accurately of for confirmatory measurements that only require low precision results. The equipment needed to make these measurements is a servo-controlled calorimeter with a sample preequilibration bath. The preequilibration bath temperature is set to the internal temperature of the calorimeter running at a fixed servo-controlled wattage level. The sample power value is determined at a fixed time form the sample loading into the calorimeter. There are some limitations and areas of uncertainties in the use of data obtained by this method. Data collected under controlled conditions demonstrate the limitations. Sample packaging, preequilibration time, and item wattage were chosen as the variables most likely to be encountered in a plant environment

Clinical validation of three short forms of the Dutch Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV-NL) in a mixed clinical sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouman, Zita; Hendriks, Marc P H; Van Der Veld, William M; Aldenkamp, Albert P; Kessels, Roy P C

2016-06-01

The reliability and validity of three short forms of the Dutch version of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV-NL) were evaluated in a mixed clinical sample of 235 patients. The short forms were based on the WMS-IV Flexible Approach, that is, a 3-subtest combination (Older Adult Battery for Adults) and two 2-subtest combinations (Logical Memory and Visual Reproduction and Logical Memory and Designs), which can be used to estimate the Immediate, Delayed, Auditory and Visual Memory Indices. All short forms showed good reliability coefficients. As expected, for adults (16-69 years old) the 3-subtest short form was consistently more accurate (predictive accuracy ranged from 73% to 100%) than both 2-subtest short forms (range = 61%-80%). Furthermore, for older adults (65-90 years old), the predictive accuracy of the 2-subtest short form ranged from 75% to 100%. These results suggest that caution is warranted when using the WMS-IV-NL Flexible Approach short forms to estimate all four indices. © The Author(s) 2015.

Embracing equifinality with efficiency: Limits of Acceptability sampling using the DREAM(LOA) algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Vrugt, Jasper A.; Beven, Keith J.

2018-04-01

This essay illustrates some recent developments to the DiffeRential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis (DREAM) MATLAB toolbox of Vrugt (2016) to delineate and sample the behavioural solution space of set-theoretic likelihood functions used within the GLUE (Limits of Acceptability) framework (Beven and Binley, 1992, 2014; Beven and Freer, 2001; Beven, 2006). This work builds on the DREAM(ABC) algorithm of Sadegh and Vrugt (2014) and enhances significantly the accuracy and CPU-efficiency of Bayesian inference with GLUE. In particular it is shown how lack of adequate sampling in the model space might lead to unjustified model rejection.

Physiological responses to short-term thermal stress in mayfly (Neocloeon triangulifer) larvae in relation to upper thermal limits.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyoung Sun; Chou, Hsuan; Funk, David H; Jackson, John K; Sweeney, Bernard W; Buchwalter, David B

2017-07-15

Understanding species' thermal limits and their physiological determinants is critical in light of climate change and other human activities that warm freshwater ecosystems. Here, we ask whether oxygen limitation determines the chronic upper thermal limits in larvae of the mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer , an emerging model for ecological and physiological studies. Our experiments are based on a robust understanding of the upper acute (∼40°C) and chronic thermal limits of this species (>28°C, ≤30°C) derived from full life cycle rearing experiments across temperatures. We tested two related predictions derived from the hypothesis that oxygen limitation sets the chronic upper thermal limits: (1) aerobic scope declines in mayfly larvae as they approach and exceed temperatures that are chronically lethal to larvae; and (2) genes indicative of hypoxia challenge are also responsive in larvae exposed to ecologically relevant thermal limits. Neither prediction held true. We estimated aerobic scope by subtracting measurements of standard oxygen consumption rates from measurements of maximum oxygen consumption rates, the latter of which was obtained by treating with the metabolic uncoupling agent carbonyl cyanide-4-(trifluoromethoxy) pheylhydrazone (FCCP). Aerobic scope was similar in larvae held below and above chronic thermal limits. Genes indicative of oxygen limitation (LDH, EGL-9) were only upregulated under hypoxia or during exposure to temperatures beyond the chronic (and more ecologically relevant) thermal limits of this species (LDH). Our results suggest that the chronic thermal limits of this species are likely not driven by oxygen limitation, but rather are determined by other factors, e.g. bioenergetics costs. We caution against the use of short-term thermal ramping approaches to estimate critical thermal limits (CT max ) in aquatic insects because those temperatures are typically higher than those that occur in nature. © 2017. Published by The Company of

POOR FERTILITY, SHORT LONGEVITY AND LOW ABUNDANCE IN THE SOIL SEED BANK LIMIT VOLUNTEER SUGARCANE FROM SEED

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johann S Pierre

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The recent development of genetically modified sugarcane, with the aim of commercial production, requires an understanding of the potential risks of increased weediness of sugarcane as a result of spread and persistence of volunteer sugarcane. As sugarcane is propagated vegetatively from pieces of stalk and the seed plays no part in the production cycle the fate of seed in the environment is yet to be studied. In this study sugarcane seed samples, collected in fields over a two year period, were used to determine the overall level of sugarcane fertility, seed dormancy and longevity of seed under field conditions. A survey of the soil seed bank in and around sugarcane fields was used to quantify the presence of sugarcane seeds and to identify and quantify the weeds that would compete with sugarcane seedlings. We demonstrated that under field conditions, sugarcane has low fertility and produces non-dormant seed. The viability of the seeds decayed rapidly (half life between 1.5 and 2.1 months. This means that, in Australia, sugarcane seeds die before they encounter climatic conditions that could allow them to germinate and establish. Finally, the soil seed bank analysis revealed there were very few sugarcane seeds relative to the large number of weed seeds that exert a large competitive effect. In conclusion, low fertility, short persistence and poor ability to compete limit the capacity of sugarcane seed spread and persistence in the environment.

Poor Fertility, Short Longevity, and Low Abundance in the Soil Seed Bank Limit Volunteer Sugarcane from Seed.

Science.gov (United States)

Pierre, Johann S; Perroux, Jai; Whan, Alex; Rae, Anne L; Bonnett, Graham D

2015-01-01

The recent development of genetically modified sugarcane, with the aim of commercial production, requires an understanding of the potential risks of increased weediness of sugarcane as a result of spread and persistence of volunteer sugarcane. As sugarcane is propagated vegetatively from pieces of stalk and the seed plays no part in the production cycle, the fate of seed in the environment is yet to be studied. In this study, sugarcane seed samples, collected in fields over a 2-year period, were used to determine the overall level of sugarcane fertility, seed dormancy, and longevity of seed under field conditions. A survey of the soil seed bank in and around sugarcane fields was used to quantify the presence of sugarcane seeds and to identify and quantify the weeds that would compete with sugarcane seedlings. We demonstrated that under field conditions, sugarcane has low fertility and produces non-dormant seed. The viability of the seeds decayed rapidly (half-life between 1.5 and 2.1 months). This means that, in Australia, sugarcane seeds die before they encounter climatic conditions that could allow them to germinate and establish. Finally, the soil seed bank analysis revealed that there were very few sugarcane seeds relative to the large number of weed seeds that exert a large competitive effect. In conclusion, low fertility, short persistence, and poor ability to compete limit the capacity of sugarcane seed spread and persistence in the environment.

Convolutional neural network using generated data for SAR ATR with limited samples

Science.gov (United States)

Cong, Longjian; Gao, Lei; Zhang, Hui; Sun, Peng

2018-03-01

Being able to adapt all weather at all times, it has been a hot research topic that using Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR) for remote sensing. Despite all the well-known advantages of SAR, it is hard to extract features because of its unique imaging methodology, and this challenge attracts the research interest of traditional Automatic Target Recognition(ATR) methods. With the development of deep learning technologies, convolutional neural networks(CNNs) give us another way out to detect and recognize targets, when a huge number of samples are available, but this premise is often not hold, when it comes to monitoring a specific type of ships. In this paper, we propose a method to enhance the performance of Faster R-CNN with limited samples to detect and recognize ships in SAR images.

Signal processing of data from short sample tests for the projection of conductor performance in ITER magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martovetsky, Nicolai

2008-01-01

Qualification of the ITER conductor is absolutely necessary. Testing large scale conductors is expensive and time-consuming. To test 3-4 m long straight samples in a bore of a split solenoid is a relatively economical way in comparison with the fabrication of a coil to be tested in a bore of a background field solenoid. However, testing short samples may give ambiguous results due to different constraints in current redistribution in the cable or other end effects which are not present in the large magnet. This paper discusses the processes taking place in the ITER conductor, conditions when conductor performance could be distorted and possible signal processing to deduce the behaviour of ITER conductors in ITER magnets from the test data

Pythons in Burma: Short-tailed python (Reptilia: Squamata)

Science.gov (United States)

Zug, George R.; Gotte, Steve W.; Jacobs, Jeremy F.

2011-01-01

Short-tailed pythons, Python curtus species group, occur predominantly in the Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. The discovery of an adult female in Mon State, Myanmar, led to a review of the distribution of all group members (spot-mapping of all localities of confirmed occurrence) and an examination of morphological variation in P. brongersmai. The resulting maps demonstrate a limited occurrence of these pythons within peninsular Malaya, Sumatra, and Borneo with broad absences in these regions. Our small samples limit the recognition of regional differentiation in the morphology of P. brongersmai populations; however, the presence of unique traits in the Myanmar python and its strong allopatry indicate that it is a unique genetic lineage, and it is described as Python kyaiktiyo new species.

Measurements of astrophysical reaction rates for radioactive samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koehler, P.E.; O'Brien, H.A.; Bowman, C.D.

1987-01-01

Reaction rates for both big-bang and stellar nucleosynthesis can be obtained from the measurement of (n,p) and (n,γ) cross sections for radioactive nuclei. In the past, large backgrounds associated with the sample activity limited these types of measurements to radioisotopes with very long half lives. The advent of the low-energy, high-intensity neutron source at the Los Alamos Neutron Scattering CEnter (LANSCE) has greatly increased the number of nuclei which can be studied. Results of (n,p) measurements on samples with half lives as short as fifty-three days will be given. The astrophysics to be learned from these data will be discussed. Additional difficulties are encountered when making (n,γ) rather than (n,p) measurements. However, with a properly designed detector, and with the high peak neutron intensities now available, (n,γ) measurements can be made for nuclei with half lives as short as several weeks. Progress on the Los Alamos (n,γ) cross-section measurement program for radioactive samples will be discussed. 25 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

A study on the short-circuit test by fault angle control and the recovery characteristics of the fault current limiter using coated conductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, D.K.; Kim, Y.J.; Ahn, M.C.; Yang, S.E.; Seok, B.-Y.; Ko, T.K.

2007-01-01

Superconducting fault current limiters (SFCLs) have been developed in many countries, and they are expected to be used in the recent electric power systems, because of their great efficiency for operating these power system stably. It is necessary for resistive FCLs to generate resistance immediately and to have a fast recovery characteristic after the fault clearance, because of re-closing operation. Short-circuit tests are performed to obtained current limiting operational and recovery characteristics of the FCL by a fault controller using a power switching device. The power switching device consists of anti-parallel connected thyristors. The fault occurs at the desired angle by controlling the firing angle of thyristors. Resistive SFCLs have different current limiting characteristics with respect to the fault angle in the first swing during the fault. This study deals with the short-circuit characteristic of FCL coils using two different YBCO coated conductors (CCs), 344 and 344s, by controlling the fault angle and experimental studies on the recovery characteristic by a small current flowing through the SFCL after the fault clearance. Tests are performed at various voltages applied to the SFCL in a saturated liquid nitrogen cooling system

The temporal evolution of electromagnetic markers sensitive to the capacity limits of visual short-term memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Daniel J; Cusack, Rhodri

2011-01-01

An electroencephalographic (EEG) marker of the limited contents of human visual short-term memory (VSTM) has previously been described. Termed contralateral delay activity, this consists of a sustained, posterior, negative potential that correlates with memory load and is greatest contralateral to the remembered hemifield. The current investigation replicates this finding and uses magnetoencephalography (MEG) to characterize its magnetic counterparts and their neural generators as they evolve throughout the memory delay. A parametric manipulation of memory load, within and beyond capacity limits, allows separation of signals that asymptote with behavioral VSTM performance from additional responses that contribute to a linear increase with set-size. Both EEG and MEG yielded bilateral signals that track the number of objects held in memory, and contralateral signals that are independent of memory load. In MEG, unlike EEG, the contralateral interaction between hemisphere and item load is much weaker, suggesting that bilateral and contralateral markers of memory load reflect distinct sources to which EEG and MEG are differentially sensitive. Nonetheless, source estimation allowed both the bilateral and the weaker contralateral capacity-limited responses to be localized, along with a load-independent contralateral signal. Sources of global and hemisphere-specific signals all localized to the posterior intraparietal sulcus during the early delay. However the bilateral load response peaked earlier and its generators shifted later in the delay. Therefore the hemifield-specific response may be more closely tied to memory maintenance while the global load response may be involved in initial processing of a limited number of attended objects, such as their individuation or consolidation into memory.

The temporal evolution of electromagnetic markers sensitive to the capacity limits of visual short-term memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel James Mitchell

2011-02-01

Full Text Available An electroencephalographic (EEG marker of the limited contents of human visual short-term memory (VSTM has previously been described. Termed contralateral delay activity (CDA, this consists of a sustained, posterior, negative potential that correlates with memory load and is greatest contralateral to the remembered hemifield. The current investigation replicates this finding and uses magnetoencephalography (MEG to characterise its magnetic counterparts and their neural generators as they evolve throughout the memory delay. A parametric manipulation of memory load, within and beyond capacity limits, allows separation of signals that asymptote with behavioural VSTM performance from additional responses that contribute to a linear increase with set-size. Both EEG and MEG yielded bilateral signals that track the number of objects held in memory, and contralateral signals that are independent of memory load. In MEG, unlike EEG, the contralateral interaction between hemisphere and item load is much weaker, suggesting that bilateral and contralateral markers of memory load reflect distinct sources to which EEG and MEG are differentially sensitive. Nonetheless, source estimation allowed both the bilateral and the weaker contralateral capacity-limited responses to be localised, along with a load-independent contralateral signal. Sources of global and hemisphere-specific signals all localised to the posterior intraparietal sulcus during the early delay. However the bilateral load response peaked earlier and its generators shifted later in the delay. Therefore the hemifield-specific response may be more closely tied to memory maintenance while the global load response may be involved in initial processing of a limited number of attended objects, such as their individuation or consolidation into memory.

A shared, flexible neural map architecture reflects capacity limits in both visual short-term memory and enumeration.

Science.gov (United States)

Knops, André; Piazza, Manuela; Sengupta, Rakesh; Eger, Evelyn; Melcher, David

2014-07-23

Human cognition is characterized by severe capacity limits: we can accurately track, enumerate, or hold in mind only a small number of items at a time. It remains debated whether capacity limitations across tasks are determined by a common system. Here we measure brain activation of adult subjects performing either a visual short-term memory (vSTM) task consisting of holding in mind precise information about the orientation and position of a variable number of items, or an enumeration task consisting of assessing the number of items in those sets. We show that task-specific capacity limits (three to four items in enumeration and two to three in vSTM) are neurally reflected in the activity of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC): an identical set of voxels in this region, commonly activated during the two tasks, changed its overall response profile reflecting task-specific capacity limitations. These results, replicated in a second experiment, were further supported by multivariate pattern analysis in which we could decode the number of items presented over a larger range during enumeration than during vSTM. Finally, we simulated our results with a computational model of PPC using a saliency map architecture in which the level of mutual inhibition between nodes gives rise to capacity limitations and reflects the task-dependent precision with which objects need to be encoded (high precision for vSTM, lower precision for enumeration). Together, our work supports the existence of a common, flexible system underlying capacity limits across tasks in PPC that may take the form of a saliency map. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/349857-10$15.00/0.

An Application of the Short-Term Forecasting with Limited Data in the Healthcare Traveling Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoang-Sa Dang

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In real practice, forecasting under the limited data has attracted more attention in business activities, especially in the healthcare traveling industry in its current stage. However, there are only a few research studies focusing on this issue. Thus, the purposes of this paper were to determine the forecasted performance of several current forecasting methods as well as to examine their applications. Taking advantage of the small data requirement for model construction, three models including the exponential smoothing model, the Grey model GM(1,1, and the modified Lotka-Volterra model (L.V., were used to conduct forecasting analyses based on the data of foreign patients from 2001 to 2013 in six destinations. The results indicated that the L.V. model had higher prediction power than the other two models, and it obtained the best forecasting performance with an 89.7% precision rate. In conclusion, the L.V. model is the best model for estimating the market size of the healthcare traveling industry, followed by the GM(1,1 model. The contribution of this study is to offer a useful statistical tool for short-term planning, which can be applied to the healthcare traveling industry in particular, and for other business forecasting under the conditions of limited data in general.

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.

Efficiently sampling conformations and pathways using the concurrent adaptive sampling (CAS) algorithm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahn, Surl-Hee; Grate, Jay W.; Darve, Eric F.

2017-08-21

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are useful in obtaining thermodynamic and kinetic properties of bio-molecules but are limited by the timescale barrier, i.e., we may be unable to efficiently obtain properties because we need to run microseconds or longer simulations using femtoseconds time steps. While there are several existing methods to overcome this timescale barrier and efficiently sample thermodynamic and/or kinetic properties, problems remain in regard to being able to sample un- known systems, deal with high-dimensional space of collective variables, and focus the computational effort on slow timescales. Hence, a new sampling method, called the “Concurrent Adaptive Sampling (CAS) algorithm,” has been developed to tackle these three issues and efficiently obtain conformations and pathways. The method is not constrained to use only one or two collective variables, unlike most reaction coordinate-dependent methods. Instead, it can use a large number of collective vari- ables and uses macrostates (a partition of the collective variable space) to enhance the sampling. The exploration is done by running a large number of short simula- tions, and a clustering technique is used to accelerate the sampling. In this paper, we introduce the new methodology and show results from two-dimensional models and bio-molecules, such as penta-alanine and triazine polymer

Matrix effect on the detection limit and accuracy in total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis of trace elements in environmental and biological samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karjou, J.

2007-01-01

The effect of matrix contents on the detection limit of total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis was experimentally investigated using a set of multielement standard solutions (500 ng/mL of each element) in variable concentrations of NH 4 NO 3 . It was found that high matrix concentration, i.e. 0.1-10% NH 4 NO 3 , had a strong effect on the detection limits for all investigated elements, whereas no effect was observed at lower matrix concentration, i.e. 0-0.1% NH 4 NO 3 . The effect of soil and blood sample masses on the detection limit was also studied. The results showed decreasing the detection limit (in concentration unit, μg/g) with increasing the sample mass. However, the detection limit increased (in mass unit, ng) with increasing sample mass. The optimal blood sample mass of ca. 200 μg was sufficient to improve the detection limit of Se determination by total reflection X-ray fluorescence. The capability of total reflection X-ray fluorescence to analyze different kinds of samples was discussed with respect to the accuracy and detection limits based on certified and reference materials. Direct analysis of unknown water samples from several sources was also presented in this work

46 CFR 15.725 - Sailing short.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Sailing short. 15.725 Section 15.725 Shipping COAST... Limitations and Qualifying Factors § 15.725 Sailing short. Whenever a vessel is deprived of the service of a... vessel is sufficiently manned for the voyage. A report of sailing short must be filed in writing with the...

Contribution to the study of the dependence in the limit between various statistics of a sample; Contribution a l'etude des liaisons limites entre differentes statistiques d'un echantillon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosengard, A [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1966-02-01

With a view to the investigation of the dependence in the limit between some statistics, we give general definitions of the independence in the limit and some of their properties are investigated. We then give some necessary and sufficient conditions for the independence in the limit between sample mean and orders statistics, in particular quantities and extreme values. For example, we show that, for bounded variance laws, the sample mean and orders statistics, in particular quantities and extreme values. For example, we show that, for bounded variance laws, the sample mean tends to become independent of the extreme values, whereas it is asymptotically dependent on the quantities, with a positive correlation coefficient for which an expression is given. We investigate also the case in which variance is unbounded. (author) [French] Afin d'etudier la liaison limite entre certaines statistiques d'un echantillon, on est amene a donner des definitions generales de l'independance limite, et a en etudier quelques proprietes. On donne ensuite les conditions necessaires et suffisantes pour l'independance limite des statistiques d'ordre, et on etudie la liaison limite entre la moyenne et les statistiques d'ordre, en particulier quantites et valeurs extremes. On montre par exemple, que pour des lois dont la variance est finie, la moyenne tend a devenir independante des valeurs extremes, alors qu'elle est asymptotiquement liee aux quantites, avec un coefficient de correlation positif, dont on donne l'expression. On etudie egalement le cas ou la variance est infinie. (auteur)

PTSD-8: A Short PTSD Inventory.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Maj; Andersen, Tonny Elmose; Armour, Cherie; Elklit, Ask; Palic, Sabina; Mackrill, Thomas

2010-09-28

Traumatic events pose great challenges on mental health services in scarcity of specialist trauma clinicians and services. Simple short screening instruments for detecting adverse psychological responses are needed. Several brief screening instruments have been developed. However, some are limited, especially in relation to reflecting the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis. Recently, several studies have challenged pre-existing ideas about PTSD's latent structure. Factor analytic research currently supports two four factor models. One particular model contains a dysphoria factor which has been associated with depression and anxiety. The symptoms in this factor have been hailed as less specific to PTSD. The scope of this article is therefore to present a short screening instrument, based on this research; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - 8 items. The PTSD-8 is shown to have good psychometric properties in three independent samples of whiplash patients (n=1710), rape victims (n=305), and disaster victims (n=516). Good test-rest reliability is also shown in a pilot study of young adults from families with alcohol problems (n=56).

Combined short scale roughness and surface dielectric function gradient effects on the determination of tip-sample force in atomic force microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gusso, André, E-mail: gusso@metal.eeimvr.uff.br [Departamento de Ciências Exatas-EEIMVR, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Volta Redonda, RJ 27255-125 (Brazil)

2013-11-11

The contribution of tip roughness to the van der Waals force between an atomic force microscopy probe tip and the sample is calculated using the multilayer effective medium model, which allows us to consider the relevant case of roughness characterized by correlation length and amplitude in the nanometer scale. The effect of the surface dielectric function gradient is incorporated in the tip-sample force model. It is concluded that for rms roughness in the few nanometers range the effect of short scale tip roughness is quite significant.

Quality Control Samples for the Radiological Determination of Tritium in Urine Samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ost'pezuk, P.; Froning, M.; Laumen, S.; Richert, I.; Hill, P.

2004-01-01

The radioactive decay product of tritium is a low energy beta that cannot penetrate the outer dead layer of human skin. Therefore , the main hazard associated with tritium is internal exposure. In addition, due to the relatively long half life and short biological half life, tritium must be ingested in large amounts to pose a significant health risk. On the other hand, the internal exposure should be kept as low as practical. For incorporation monitoring of professional radiation workers the quality control is of utmost importance. In the Research Centre Juelich GmbH (FZJ) a considerable fraction of monitoring by excretion analysis relates to the isotope Tritium. Usually an aliquot of an urine sample is mixed with a liquid scintillator and measured in a liquid scintillation counter. Quality control samples in the form of three kind of internal reference samples (blank, reference samples with low activity and reference sample with elevated activity) were prepared from a mixed, Tritium (free) urine samples. 1 ml of these samples were pipetted into a liquid scintillation vial. In the part of theses vials a known amounts of Tritium were added. All these samples were stored at 20 degrees. Based on long term use of all these reference samples it was possible to construct appropriate control charts with the upper and lower alarm limits. Daily use of these reference samples decrease significantly the risk for false results in original urine with no significant increase of the determination time. (Author) 2 refs

Separation and screening of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in environmental samples using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with micro electron capture detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Dan; Gao, Lirong; Zhu, Shuai; Zheng, Minghui

2014-11-01

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are highly complex technical mixtures with thousands of isomers and numerous homologs. They are classified as priority candidate persistent organic pollutants under the Stockholm Convention for their persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. Analyzing SCCPs is challenging because of the complexity of the mixtures. Chromatograms of SCCPs acquired using one-dimensional (1D) gas chromatography (GC) contain a large characteristic "peak" with a broad and unresolved profile. Comprehensive two-dimensional GC (GC×GC) shows excellent potential for separating complex mixtures. In this study, GC×GC coupled with micro electron capture detection (μECD) was used to separate and screen SCCPs. The chromatographic parameters, including the GC column types, oven temperature program, and modulation period, were systematically optimized. The SCCP congeners were separated into groups using a DM-1 column connected to a BPX-50 column. The SCCP congeners in technical mixtures were separated according to the number of chlorine substituents for a given carbon chain length and according to the number of carbon atoms plus chlorine atoms for different carbon chain lengths. A fish tissue sample was analyzed to illustrate the feasibility of the GC×GC-μECD method in analyzing biological samples. Over 1,500 compounds were identified in the fish extract, significantly more than were identified using 1D GC. The detection limits for five selected SCCP congeners were between 1 and 5 pg/L using the GC×GC method, and these were significantly lower than those achieved using 1D GC. This method is a good choice for analysis of SCCPs in environmental samples, exhibiting good separation and good sensitivity.

Short circuit experiment on an FCL coil wound with YBCO tape with a high-resistance stabilizing layer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yazawa, T; Iijima, Y; Saito, T [Toshiba Corporation, Fujikura Ltd (Japan); Amemiya, N [Toshiba Corporation, Yokohama National University (Japan); Shiohara, Y [Toshiba Corporation, ISTEC SRL (Japan); Koyanagi, K; Ono, M; Urata, M, E-mail: takashi.yazawa@toshiba.co.jp

2008-02-15

One of the programs in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry regarding R and D for developing YBCO conductors is to evaluate the suitability of the conductors in several applications. This paper focuses on one of the expected power applications, namely, a fault current limiter (FCL). YBCO tape conductors with ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) substrates are used in this work. In order to increase the resistivity of the conductor, which is preferable for FCL applications, the thickness of a protective layer made of silver was decreased as much as possible. After obtaining the required current limiting performance in short sample experiments, a model coil was developed aiming at 6.6 kV-class FCLs. Short circuit experiments were conducted with a short-circuit generator. The coil successfully suppressed a short-circuit current of over 1.4 kA to about 500 A under an applied voltage of 3.8 kV, which is the nominal phase-to-ground voltage. The coil also suppressed a short-circuit current of 17 kA down to 700 A. The experimental results are as expected and show promise toward FCL applications.

Short circuit experiment on an FCL coil wound with YBCO tape with a high-resistance stabilizing layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yazawa, T; Iijima, Y; Saito, T; Amemiya, N; Shiohara, Y; Koyanagi, K; Ono, M; Urata, M

2008-01-01

One of the programs in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry regarding R and D for developing YBCO conductors is to evaluate the suitability of the conductors in several applications. This paper focuses on one of the expected power applications, namely, a fault current limiter (FCL). YBCO tape conductors with ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) substrates are used in this work. In order to increase the resistivity of the conductor, which is preferable for FCL applications, the thickness of a protective layer made of silver was decreased as much as possible. After obtaining the required current limiting performance in short sample experiments, a model coil was developed aiming at 6.6 kV-class FCLs. Short circuit experiments were conducted with a short-circuit generator. The coil successfully suppressed a short-circuit current of over 1.4 kA to about 500 A under an applied voltage of 3.8 kV, which is the nominal phase-to-ground voltage. The coil also suppressed a short-circuit current of 17 kA down to 700 A. The experimental results are as expected and show promise toward FCL applications

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

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.

Validation of the Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire for Taiwanese College Students (TSSRQ)

OpenAIRE

Yang-Hsueh Chen; Yu-Ju Lin

2018-01-01

While self-regulation has long been recognized as an important characteristic of an individual, instruments assessing the general aptitude of self-regulation remain limited especially in Asian countries. This study re-validated Carey et al.'s (2004) Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire based on a national sample of Taiwanese college students (N = 1,988). Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) yielded 22 items in five internally consistent factors. De...

[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.

The attention-weighted sample-size model of visual short-term memory: Attention capture predicts resource allocation and memory load.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Philip L; Lilburn, Simon D; Corbett, Elaine A; Sewell, David K; Kyllingsbæk, Søren

2016-09-01

We investigated the capacity of visual short-term memory (VSTM) in a phase discrimination task that required judgments about the configural relations between pairs of black and white features. Sewell et al. (2014) previously showed that VSTM capacity in an orientation discrimination task was well described by a sample-size model, which views VSTM as a resource comprised of a finite number of noisy stimulus samples. The model predicts the invariance of [Formula: see text] , the sum of squared sensitivities across items, for displays of different sizes. For phase discrimination, the set-size effect significantly exceeded that predicted by the sample-size model for both simultaneously and sequentially presented stimuli. Instead, the set-size effect and the serial position curves with sequential presentation were predicted by an attention-weighted version of the sample-size model, which assumes that one of the items in the display captures attention and receives a disproportionate share of resources. The choice probabilities and response time distributions from the task were well described by a diffusion decision model in which the drift rates embodied the assumptions of the attention-weighted sample-size model. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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.

Visual Short-Term Memory Complexity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Thomas Alrik

Several recent studies have explored the nature and limits of visual short-term memory (VSTM) (e.g. Luck & Vogel, 1997). A general VSTM capacity limit of about 3 to 4 letters has been found, thus confirming results from earlier studies (e.g. Cattell, 1885; Sperling, 1960). However, Alvarez...

The Demonstration of Short-Term Consolidation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jolicoeur, Pierre; Dell'Acqua, Roberto

1998-01-01

Results of seven experiments involving 112 college students or staff using a dual-task approach provide evidence that encoding information into short-term memory involves a distinct process termed short-term consolidation (STC). Results suggest that STC has limited capacity and that it requires central processing mechanisms. (SLD)

Short Rotation Forestry (SRF in a Mediterranean Environment Under Limited Energy Inputs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Sergio De Franchi

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work is comparing the two year performance (diameter, total height and mortality of twenty tree and shrub species in a semi arid environment. The research also wants to supply recommendation on the agronomic cropping techniques in areas where rainfall is the main limiting factor and water use is strictly limited. Woody biomass is gaining increasing importance for energy production in Italy. During the last five years, roughly 5000 ha of Short Rotation Forestry (SRF have been planted, mostly in northern Italy, especially using poplar clones. However, in Southern Italy, due to the poor rainfall and the lack of knowledge existing on the species to use, few groves have been established. The studied groves were set in December 2005 in a Mediterranean area where the total year rainfall is not higher than 600 mm (mostly in autumn and winter. Twenty species (Salix cinerea, Ulmus carpinifolia, Corylus avellana, Spartium junceum, Acer saccharinum, Morus alba, Saphora japonica, Eleagnus angustifolia, Fraxinus angustifolia (var oxicarpa, Sambucus nigra, Robinia pseudoacacia, Populus nigra, Albizia julibrissis, Populus alba, Salix alba, Ailanthus altissima, Alnus cordata, Ficus carica, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Celtis australis were planted in “collection” plots and set in singular plots on single rows (3 m X 0.5 m spacing. Six species (R. pseudoacacia, P. nigra, P. alba, S. nigra, E. camaldulensis, and A. altissima were planted in eighteen random “experimental” split-plots, using single and twin rows (0.5 m spacing between plants. Plots had a rectangular plant spacing (3 m between singular and twin rows, 0.5 m on each row. Plant density was roughly 6670 cuttings ha-1 in “collection” plots with singular rows and 10950 cuttings ha-1 in “experimental” plots using single and twin rows. The expected harvest interval ranges from 2 to 5 years, depending on the first results. In the “collection” plots, the first results showed

Short Rotation Forestry (SRF in a Mediterranean Environment Under Limited Energy Inputs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stella Lovelli

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work is comparing the two year performance (diameter, total height and mortality of twenty tree and shrub species in a semi arid environment. The research also wants to supply recommendation on the agronomic cropping techniques in areas where rainfall is the main limiting factor and water use is strictly limited. Woody biomass is gaining increasing importance for energy production in Italy. During the last five years, roughly 5000 ha of Short Rotation Forestry (SRF have been planted, mostly in northern Italy, especially using poplar clones. However, in Southern Italy, due to the poor rainfall and the lack of knowledge existing on the species to use, few groves have been established. The studied groves were set in December 2005 in a Mediterranean area where the total year rainfall is not higher than 600 mm (mostly in autumn and winter. Twenty species (Salix cinerea, Ulmus carpinifolia, Corylus avellana, Spartium junceum, Acer saccharinum, Morus alba, Saphora japonica, Eleagnus angustifolia, Fraxinus angustifolia (var oxicarpa, Sambucus nigra, Robinia pseudoacacia, Populus nigra, Albizia julibrissis, Populus alba, Salix alba, Ailanthus altissima, Alnus cordata, Ficus carica, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Celtis australis were planted in “collection” plots and set in singular plots on single rows (3 m X 0.5 m spacing. Six species (R. pseudoacacia, P. nigra, P. alba, S. nigra, E. camaldulensis, and A. altissima were planted in eighteen random “experimental” split-plots, using single and twin rows (0.5 m spacing between plants. Plots had a rectangular plant spacing (3 m between singular and twin rows, 0.5 m on each row. Plant density was roughly 6670 cuttings ha-1 in “collection” plots with singular rows and 10950 cuttings ha-1 in “experimental” plots using single and twin rows. The expected harvest interval ranges from 2 to 5 years, depending on the first results. In the “collection” plots, the first results showed

Short Review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lynnerup, Niels; Rühli, Frank

2015-01-01

modality in ancient mummy research. The aim of this short review is to address the advantages and pitfalls of this particular technique for such unique samples. We recommend that when results of X-ray examination of mummies are presented, the specific recording data should be listed, and any given finds...

[Analysis of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in sediment samples from the mouth of the Daliao River by HRGC/ECNI-LRMS].

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yuan; Wang, Cheng; Zhang, Hai-jun; Zou, Li-li; Tian, Yu-zeng; Chen, Ji-ping

2010-08-01

An analytical method for quantifying short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) by high-resolution gas chromatography/electron capture negative ion low-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/ECNI-LRMS) was presented. The cleanup procedure with an acid silica gel column and activated neutral alumina column was optimized to remove the interferences. As illustration of the application of the method to environmental samples, it is found that lower chlorinated C10 and C11 compounds were the main SCCPs compounds in six sediment samples from the mouth of the Daliao River. The concentrations of SCCPs in sediments were determined to be in the range of 64.9-407.0 ng/g and showed a decreasing tendency from the shore to the remote location.

Capillary ion chromatography with on-column focusing for ultra-trace analysis of methanesulfonate and inorganic anions in limited volume Antarctic ice core samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Estrella Sanz; Poynter, Sam; Curran, Mark; Haddad, Paul R; Shellie, Robert A; Nesterenko, Pavel N; Paull, Brett

2015-08-28

Preservation of ionic species within Antarctic ice yields a unique proxy record of the Earth's climate history. Studies have been focused until now on two proxies: the ionic components of sea salt aerosol and methanesulfonic acid. Measurement of the all of the major ionic species in ice core samples is typically carried out by ion chromatography. Former methods, whilst providing suitable detection limits, have been based upon off-column preconcentration techniques, requiring larger sample volumes, with potential for sample contamination and/or carryover. Here, a new capillary ion chromatography based analytical method has been developed for quantitative analysis of limited volume Antarctic ice core samples. The developed analytical protocol applies capillary ion chromatography (with suppressed conductivity detection) and direct on-column sample injection and focusing, thus eliminating the requirement for off-column sample preconcentration. This limits the total sample volume needed to 300μL per analysis, allowing for triplicate sample analysis with Application to composite ice-core samples is demonstrated, with coupling of the capillary ion chromatograph to high resolution mass spectrometry used to confirm the presence and purity of the observed methanesulfonate peak. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PREDOMINANTLY LOW METALLICITIES MEASURED IN A STRATIFIED SAMPLE OF LYMAN LIMIT SYSTEMS AT Z  = 3.7

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glidden, Ana; Cooper, Thomas J.; Simcoe, Robert A. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Cooksey, Kathy L. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, 200 West Kāwili Street, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); O’Meara, John M., E-mail: aglidden@mit.edu, E-mail: tjcooper@mit.edu, E-mail: simcoe@space.mit.edu, E-mail: kcooksey@hawaii.edu, E-mail: jomeara@smcvt.edu [Department of Physics, Saint Michael’s College, One Winooski Park, Colchester, VT 05439 (United States)

2016-12-20

We measured metallicities for 33 z = 3.4–4.2 absorption line systems drawn from a sample of H i-selected-Lyman limit systems (LLSs) identified in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasar spectra and stratified based on metal line features. We obtained higher-resolution spectra with the Keck Echellette Spectrograph and Imager, selecting targets according to our stratification scheme in an effort to fully sample the LLS population metallicity distribution. We established a plausible range of H i column densities and measured column densities (or limits) for ions of carbon, silicon, and aluminum, finding ionization-corrected metallicities or upper limits. Interestingly, our ionization models were better constrained with enhanced α -to-aluminum abundances, with a median abundance ratio of [ α /Al] = 0.3. Measured metallicities were generally low, ranging from [M/H] = −3 to −1.68, with even lower metallicities likely for some systems with upper limits. Using survival statistics to incorporate limits, we constructed the cumulative distribution function (CDF) for LLS metallicities. Recent models of galaxy evolution propose that galaxies replenish their gas from the low-metallicity intergalactic medium (IGM) via high-density H i “flows” and eject enriched interstellar gas via outflows. Thus, there has been some expectation that LLSs at the peak of cosmic star formation ( z  ≈ 3) might have a bimodal metallicity distribution. We modeled our CDF as a mix of two Gaussian distributions, one reflecting the metallicity of the IGM and the other representative of the interstellar medium of star-forming galaxies. This bimodal distribution yielded a poor fit. A single Gaussian distribution better represented the sample with a low mean metallicity of [M/H] ≈ −2.5.

Validation of a 16-Item Short Form of the Czech Version of the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised Questionnaire in a Representative Sample

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kaščáková, N.; Husárová, D.; Hašto, J.; Kolarčik, P.; Poláčková Šolcová, Iva; Madarasová Gecková, A.; Tavel, P.

2016-01-01

Roč. 119, č. 3 (2016), s. 804-825 ISSN 0033-2941 Institutional support: RVO:68081740 Keywords : Short form of the ECR-R * Experiences in Close Relationships Revised Questionnaire * validation * attachment anxiety * attachment avoidance * attachment styles * representative sample Subject RIV: AN - Psychology Impact factor: 0.629, year: 2016

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.

Ultra-high accuracy optical testing: creating diffraction-limited short-wavelength optical systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldberg, Kenneth A.; Naulleau, Patrick P.; Rekawa, Senajith B.; Denham, Paul E.; Liddle, J. Alexander; Gullikson, Eric M.; Jackson, KeithH.; Anderson, Erik H.; Taylor, John S.; Sommargren, Gary E.; Chapman, Henry N.; Phillion, Donald W.; Johnson, Michael; Barty, Anton; Soufli, Regina; Spiller, Eberhard A.; Walton, Christopher C.; Bajt, Sasa

2005-01-01

Since 1993, research in the fabrication of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) optical imaging systems, conducted at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), has produced the highest resolution optical systems ever made. We have pioneered the development of ultra-high-accuracy optical testing and alignment methods, working at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths, and pushing wavefront-measuring interferometry into the 2-20-nm wavelength range (60-600 eV). These coherent measurement techniques, including lateral shearing interferometry and phase-shifting point-diffraction interferometry (PS/PDI) have achieved RMS wavefront measurement accuracies of 0.5-1-(angstrom) and better for primary aberration terms, enabling the creation of diffraction-limited EUV optics. The measurement accuracy is established using careful null-testing procedures, and has been verified repeatedly through high-resolution imaging. We believe these methods are broadly applicable to the advancement of short-wavelength optical systems including space telescopes, microscope objectives, projection lenses, synchrotron beamline optics, diffractive and holographic optics, and more. Measurements have been performed on a tunable undulator beamline at LBNL's Advanced Light Source (ALS), optimized for high coherent flux; although many of these techniques should be adaptable to alternative ultraviolet, EUV, and soft x-ray light sources. To date, we have measured nine prototype all-reflective EUV optical systems with NA values between 0.08 and 0.30 (f/6.25 to f/1.67). These projection-imaging lenses were created for the semiconductor industry's advanced research in EUV photolithography, a technology slated for introduction in 2009-13. This paper reviews the methods used and our program's accomplishments to date

Limited-area short-range ensemble predictions targeted for heavy rain in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Sattler

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Inherent uncertainties in short-range quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF from the high-resolution, limited-area numerical weather prediction model DMI-HIRLAM (LAM are addressed using two different approaches to creating a small ensemble of LAM simulations, with focus on prediction of extreme rainfall events over European river basins. The first ensemble type is designed to represent uncertainty in the atmospheric state of the initial condition and at the lateral LAM boundaries. The global ensemble prediction system (EPS from ECMWF serves as host model to the LAM and provides the state perturbations, from which a small set of significant members is selected. The significance is estimated on the basis of accumulated precipitation over a target area of interest, which contains the river basin(s under consideration. The selected members provide the initial and boundary data for the ensemble integration in the LAM. A second ensemble approach tries to address a portion of the model-inherent uncertainty responsible for errors in the forecasted precipitation field by utilising different parameterisation schemes for condensation and convection in the LAM. Three periods around historical heavy rain events that caused or contributed to disastrous river flooding in Europe are used to study the performance of the LAM ensemble designs. The three cases exhibit different dynamic and synoptic characteristics and provide an indication of the ensemble qualities in different weather situations. Precipitation analyses from the Deutsche Wetterdienst (DWD are used as the verifying reference and a comparison of daily rainfall amounts is referred to the respective river basins of the historical cases.

Superconducting dc fault current limiter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cointe, Y.

2007-12-01

Within the framework of the electric power market liberalization, DC networks have many interests compared to alternative ones, but their protections need to use new systems. Superconducting fault current limiters enable by an overstepping of the critical current to limit the fault current to a preset value, lower than the theoretical short-circuit current. For these applications, coated conductors offer excellent opportunities. We worked on the implementation of these materials and built a test bench. We carried out limiting experiments to estimate the quench homogeneity at various short-circuit parameters. An important point is the temperature measurement by deposited sensors on the ribbon, results are in good correlation with the theoretical models. Improved quench behaviours for temperatures close to the critical temperature have been confirmed. Our results enable to better understand the limitation mechanisms of coated conductors. (author)

A method to measure the diffusion coefficient by neutron wave propagation for limited samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woznicka, U.

1986-03-01

A study has been made of the use of the neutron wave and pulse propagation method for measurement of thermal neutron diffusion parameters. Earlier works an homogenous and heterogeneous media are reviewed. A new method is sketched for the determination of the diffusion coefficient for samples of limited size. The principle is to place a relatively thin slab of the material between two blocks of a medium with known properties. The advantages and disadvantages of the method are discussed. (author)

Database of Samples Irradiated at Reactor TRIGA PUSPATI (RTP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muhd Husamuddin Abdul Khalil; Mohd Amin Sharifuldin Salleh; Julia Abdul Karim

2011-01-01

Evaluation has been made to data of irradiated samples for the type of sample requested for activation at RTP. Sample types are grouped with percentage of total throughputs to rule out the weight percent of every respective group. The database consists of radionuclide inventory of short and long half-life and high activity radionuclides such as Br and Au have been identified and that database has been constructed using a user-friendly Microsoft Access. Through this, trend of gamma exposure will easily be evaluated at experimental facilities and could ensure radiological effect towards safety and health is limited per Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard) Regulation 1988. This database places an important parameter to improve management system in acquiring information of the samples irradiated at RTP and will enhance the safety assurance and reliability of the experimental design basis. (author)

Unidirectionality Between Borderline Personality Disorder Traits and Psychopathology in a Residential Addictions Sample: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Webber, Troy A; Kiselica, Andrew M; Arango, Alejandra; Rojas, Elizabeth; Neale, Michael C; Bornovalova, Marina A

2015-12-01

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a barrier to treatment, yet the relationship between BPD features and other psychopathology symptoms in residential addictions treatment samples is understudied. Using a sample of adults enrolled in a residential drug treatment facility measured at baseline and 2-3 month follow-up, the authors examined the prospective relationship between BPD features and five indices of psychopathology: depression, anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, and psychoticism, as well as psychopathology global severity. There was no effect of time on any of the forms of psychopathology, but females reported higher levels of BPD features, anxiety symptoms, and interpersonal sensitivity than males. A series of latent change score models indicated that BPD features predicted increases in all psychopathology scales at follow-up, while the reverse was not true. These results suggest that targeting BPD features in residents of drug treatment facilities may reduce the emergence of new psychopathology in the short term.

Thermal modeling of core sampling in flammable gas waste tanks. Part 1: Push-mode sampling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unal, C.; Stroh, K.; Pasamehmetoglu, K.O.

1997-01-01

The radioactive waste stored in underground storage tanks at Hanford site is routinely being sampled for waste characterization purposes. The push- and rotary-mode core sampling is one of the sampling methods employed. The waste includes mixtures of sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite with organic compounds that can produce violent exothermic reactions if heated above 160 C during core sampling. A self-propagating waste reaction would produce very high temperatures that eventually result in failure of the tank and radioactive material releases to environment. A two-dimensional thermal model based on a lumped finite volume analysis method is developed. The enthalpy of each node is calculated from the first law of thermodynamics. A flash temperature and effective contact area concept were introduced to account the interface temperature rise. No maximum temperature rise exceeding the critical value of 60 C was found in the cases studied for normal operating conditions. Several accident conditions are also examined. In these cases it was found that the maximum drill bit temperature remained below the critical reaction temperature as long as a 30 scfm purge flow is provided the push-mode drill bit during sampling in rotary mode. The failure to provide purge flow resulted in exceeding the limiting temperatures in a relatively short time

The Short Selling Regulation in the EU: Assessing the Authorization Granted for ESMA to Prohibit Short Selling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matias Huhtilainen

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The paper discusses the renewed short selling regulation (Regulation (EU No 236/2012 in the European Union. The focus is on the provisions that deal with prohibiting short selling in exceptional market circumstances. The Regulation further enforces certain obligations to report and disclose short positions. It is concluded that banning short selling is not an effective tool to contain extreme price volatility. The difference-in-differences regression and repeated measures GLM were used to test whether short selling bans were successful in containing volatility of those Spanish and Italian stocks that were subject to two back-to-back prohibitions during the years 2011-2013. The results are consistent with the majority of previous research, suggesting that the effectiveness of short sale constraints in reducing volatility is limited at best. Furthermore, there are evidence of counterproductive effects: constraints on short selling may actually increase volatility as well as deteriorate liquidity. However, based on theory and previous studies, reporting and disclosure requirements shall be favored provided they improve market efficiency as well as supervisory work of regulatory bodies.This paper discusses the renewed short selling regulation (Regulation (EU No 236/2012 in the European Union. The focus is on the provisions that deal with prohibiting short selling in exceptional market circumstances. The Regulation further enforces certain obligations to report and disclose short positions. It is concluded that banning short selling is not an effective tool to contain extreme price volatility. The difference-in-differences regression and repeated measures GLM were used to test whether short selling bans were successful in containing volatility of those Spanish and Italian stocks that were subject to two back-to-back prohibitions during the years 2011-2013. The results are consistent with the majority of previous research, suggesting that the

Capacitive effects in IGBTs limiting their reliability under short circuit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reigosa, Paula Diaz; Iannuzzo, Francesco; Rahimo, Munaf

2017-01-01

The short-circuit oscillation mechanism in IGBTs is investigated in this paper by the aid of semiconductor device simulation tools. A 3.3-kV IGBT cell has been used for the simulations demonstrating that a single IGBT cell is able to oscillate together with the external circuit parasitic elements....... The work presented here through both circuit and device analysis, confirms that the oscillations can be understood with focus on the device capacitive effects coming from the interaction between carrier concentration and the electric field. The paper also shows the 2-D effects during one oscillation cycle...

Predicting Kenya Short Rains Using the Indian Ocean SST

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, X.; Albertson, J. D.; Steinschneider, S.

2017-12-01

The rainfall over the Eastern Africa is charaterized by the typical bimodal monsoon system. Literatures have shown that the monsoon system is closely connected with the large-scale atmospheric motion which is believed to be driven by sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA). Therefore, we may make use of the predictability of SSTA in estimating future Easter Africa monsoon. In this study, we tried predict the Kenya short rains (Oct, Nov and Dec rainfall) based on the Indian Ocean SSTA. The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression is used to avoid over-fitting issues. Models for different lead times are trained using a 28-year training set (2006-1979) and are tested using a 10-year test set (2007-2016). Satisfying prediciton skills are achieved at relatively long lead times (i.e., 8 and 10 months) in terms of correlation coefficient and sign accuracy. Unlike some of the previous work, the prediction models are obtained from a data-driven method. Limited predictors are selected for each model and can be used in understanding the underlying physical connection. Still, further investigation is needed since the sampling variability issue cannot be excluded due to the limited sample size.

Short Note An integrated remote sampling approach for aquatic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A sampling method and apparatus for collecting meaningful and quantifiable samples of aquatic macroinvertebrates, and the macrophytes they are associated with, are presented. Where physical danger from wildlife is a significant factor, especially in Africa, this apparatus offers some safety in that it can be operated from a ...

Evaluation of 5-FU pharmacokinetics in cancer patients with DPD deficiency using a Bayesian limited sampling strategy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Kuilenburg, A.; Hausler, P.; Schalhorn, A.; Tanck, M.; Proost, J.H.; Terborg, C.; Behnke, D.; Schwabe, W.; Jabschinsky, K.; Maring, J.G.

Aims: Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is the initial enzyme in the catabolism of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and DPD deficiency is an important pharmacogenetic syndrome. The main purpose of this study was to develop a limited sampling strategy to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of 5FU and to detect

A Faint Flux-limited Ly α Emitter Sample at z ∼ 0.3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wold, Isak G. B.; Finkelstein, Steven L. [Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2515 Speedway, Stop C1400, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Barger, Amy J.; Rosenwasser, Benjamin [Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 475 North Charter Street, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Cowie, Lennox L., E-mail: wold@astro.as.utexas.edu [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)

2017-10-20

We present a flux-limited sample of z ∼ 0.3 Ly α emitters (LAEs) from Galaxy Evolution Explorer ( GALEX ) grism spectroscopic data. The published GALEX z ∼ 0.3 LAE sample is pre-selected from continuum-bright objects and thus is biased against high equivalent width (EW) LAEs. We remove this continuum pre-selection and compute the EW distribution and the luminosity function of the Ly α emission line directly from our sample. We examine the evolution of these quantities from z ∼ 0.3 to 2.2 and find that the EW distribution shows little evidence for evolution over this redshift range. As shown by previous studies, the Ly α luminosity density from star-forming (SF) galaxies declines rapidly with declining redshift. However, we find that the decline in Ly α luminosity density from z = 2.2 to z = 0.3 may simply mirror the decline seen in the H α luminosity density from z = 2.2 to z = 0.4, implying little change in the volumetric Ly α escape fraction. Finally, we show that the observed Ly α luminosity density from AGNs is comparable to the observed Ly α luminosity density from SF galaxies at z = 0.3. We suggest that this significant contribution from AGNs to the total observed Ly α luminosity density persists out to z ∼ 2.2.

TEM sample preparation by femtosecond laser machining and ion milling for high-rate TEM straining experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Voisin, Thomas; Grapes, Michael D. [Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Zhang, Yong [Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Lorenzo, Nicholas; Ligda, Jonathan; Schuster, Brian [US Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, MD 21005 (United States); Weihs, Timothy P. [Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2017-04-15

To model mechanical properties of metals at high strain rates, it is important to visualize and understand their deformation at the nanoscale. Unlike post mortem Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), which allows one to analyze defects within samples before or after deformation, in situ TEM is a powerful tool that enables imaging and recording of deformation and the associated defect motion during mechanical loading. Unfortunately, all current in situ TEM mechanical testing techniques are limited to quasi-static strain rates. In this context, we are developing a new test technique that utilizes a rapid straining stage and the Dynamic TEM (DTEM) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The new straining stage can load samples in tension at strain rates as high as 4×10{sup 3}/s using two piezoelectric actuators operating in bending while the DTEM at LLNL can image in movie mode with a time resolution as short as 70 ns. Given the piezoelectric actuators are limited in force, speed, and displacement, we have developed a method for fabricating TEM samples with small cross-sectional areas to increase the applied stresses and short gage lengths to raise the applied strain rates and to limit the areas of deformation. In this paper, we present our effort to fabricate such samples from bulk materials. The new sample preparation procedure combines femtosecond laser machining and ion milling to obtain 300 µm wide samples with control of both the size and location of the electron transparent area, as well as the gage cross-section and length. - Highlights: • Tensile straining TEM specimens made by femtosecond laser machining and ion milling. • Accurate positioning of the electron transparent area within a controlled gauge region. • Optimization of femtosecond laser and ion milling parameters. • Fast production of numerous samples with a highly repeatable geometry.

Hexadactyly case at a Rana kl. esculenta sample from the north-western part of Romania (Short Notes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Istvan SAS

2006-05-01

Full Text Available At 17 June 2006, in a habitat close to Gherta Mica locality (47°56'0'' N, 23°14'0'' E, Satu-Mare County, Romania we had found a sample of Rana kl. esculenta which presented hexadactyly at both of its posterior feet. The captured sample of edible frog had fully formed extra (sixth toes, with phalanges (bones. The hexadactyly was perfectly symmetrical at both of the posterior feet. At this individual we did not discovered any other malformations, the biometrical characters situating in the variations limits of the other green frogs from the studied habitat. A symmetric hexadacytly can be a result of atavism.

Title I Preschool Program in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS): Short- and Long-Term Outcomes. Eye on Evaluation. E&R Report No.11.16

Science.gov (United States)

Baenen, Nancy

2011-01-01

The longitudinal study of the 2005-06 preschool in Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) found short-term gains during the preschool year, but limited impact by kindergarten and no average impact by the end of 3rd grade on achievement, retention rates, special education placements, or attendance. Small sample sizes limit conclusions that can be…

A method of short range system analysis for nuclear utilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eng, R.; Mason, E.A.; Benedict, M.

1976-01-01

An optimization procedure has been formulated and tested that is capable of solving for the optimal generation schedule of several nuclear power reactors in an electric power utility system, under short-range, resource-limited, conditions. The optimization procedure utilizes a new concept called the Opportunity Cost of Nuclear Power (OCNP) to optimally assign the resource-limited nuclear energy to the different weeks and hours in the short-range planning horizon. OCNP is defined as the cost of displaced energy when optimally distributed nuclear energy is marginally increased. Under resource-limited conditions, the short-range 'value' of nuclear power to a utility system is not its actual generation cost, but the cost of the next best alternative supply of energy, the OCNP. OCNP is a function of a week's system reserve capacity, the system's economic loading order, the customer demand function, and the nature of the available utility system generating units. The optimized OCNP value of the short-range planning period represents the utility's short-range energy replacement cost incurred when selling nuclear energy to a neighbouring utility. (author)

Possibilities and limitations of dynamic headspace sampling as a pre-concentration technique for trace analysis of organics by capillary gas chromatography

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Curvers, J.M.P.M.; Noij, T.H.M.; Cramers, C.A.M.G.; Rijks, J.A.

1984-01-01

The possibilities, the limitations and the quantitative performance of dynamic headspace sampling, in particular closed-loop stripping, were investigated for various classes of organic substances in aqueous samples with concentrations down to the parts per 1012 (ppt) level. The effects of variations

Limited sampling strategies drawn within 3 hours postdose poorly predict mycophenolic acid area-under-the-curve after enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Winter, B.C. de; Gelder, T. van; Mathôt, R.A.A.; Glander, P.; Tedesco-Silva, H.; Hilbrands, L.B.; Budde, K.; Hest, R.M. van

2009-01-01

Previous studies predicted that limited sampling strategies (LSS) for estimation of mycophenolic acid (MPA) area-under-the-curve (AUC(0-12)) after ingestion of enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS) using a clinically feasible sampling scheme may have poor predictive performance. Failure of

Dense graph limits under respondent-driven sampling

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Siva Athreya

Types of network. Food. Political. Social. Linkedin. Protien. Professional. Source: IUPUI Network Sampling course. Page 3. Techniques to Analyse Networks. Network Characteristics: • Distribution: degree, clustering coefficient, hop-plot. ... Hypothesis Testing: H0: Graph is a linkedin network. H1: Graph is a facebook network ...

Criterion validity of a Wechsler-III scale short form in a sample of Brazilian Elderly

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eliane Ferreira Carvalho Banhato

Full Text Available Abstract Although a normative process, changes in cognitive functioning vary among older adults. The differential diagnosis between normal and pathological aging must be made early using psychometrically adequate measures. Objectives: To assess the evidence of criterion validity of a Short Form (SF of the Wechsler-III Scale containing eight subtests (SF8 by determining its sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and cut-off points for Brazilian elderly from different age groups. Methods: 168 individuals, aged 60 years or above, living in the community or in an institution, were assigned to case and control groups, and investigated according to age range. Measures included a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE, Verbal Fluency Test, Clock-Drawing Test and the SF8. Results: More than two thirds of the sample was women (73.8%, mean age was 74.5 years (SD=8.9, mean education was 6.2 years (SD=4.8 and 40.5% were widows/widowers. In the total sample, the best cut-off point for the SF8 was 142 while cut offs among individuals aged 60 to 69 years, 70 to 79 years, and more than 80 years were 160, 129 and 129, respectively. Conclusions: The results demonstrated the importance of different cut-off points for different age ranges. Sensitivity and specificity values of the SF8 were sufficiently high to warrant the use of the SF8 as an instrument to identify cognitive impairment in the elderly.

Criterion validity of a Wechsler-III Scale Short Form in a sample of brazilian elderly.

Science.gov (United States)

Banhato, Eliane Ferreira Carvalho; Leite, Isabel Cristina Gonçalves; Guedes, Danielle Viveiros; Chaoubah, Alfredo

2010-01-01

Although a normative process, changes in cognitive functioning vary among older adults. The differential diagnosis between normal and pathological aging must be made early using psychometrically adequate measures. To assess the evidence of criterion validity of a Short Form (SF) of the Wechsler-III Scale containing eight subtests (SF8) by determining its sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and cut-off points for Brazilian elderly from different age groups. 168 individuals, aged 60 years or above, living in the community or in an institution, were assigned to case and control groups, and investigated according to age range. Measures included a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Verbal Fluency Test, Clock-Drawing Test and the SF8. More than two thirds of the sample was women (73.8%), mean age was 74.5 years (SD=8.9), mean education was 6.2 years (SD=4.8) and 40.5% were widows/widowers. In the total sample, the best cut-off point for the SF8 was 142 while cut offs among individuals aged 60 to 69 years, 70 to 79 years, and more than 80 years were 160, 129 and 129, respectively. The results demonstrated the importance of different cut-off points for different age ranges. Sensitivity and specificity values of the SF8 were sufficiently high to warrant the use of the SF8 as an instrument to identify cognitive impairment in the elderly.

Improved Short-Circuit Protection for Power Cells in Series

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, Francis

2008-01-01

A scheme for protection against short circuits has been devised for series strings of lithium electrochemical cells that contain built-in short-circuit protection devices, which go into a high-resistance, current-limiting state when heated by excessive current. If cells are simply connected in a long series string to obtain a high voltage and a short circuit occurs, whichever short-circuit protection device trips first is exposed to nearly the full string voltage, which, typically, is large enough to damage the device. Depending on the specific cell design, the damage can defeat the protective function, cause a dangerous internal short circuit in the affected cell, and/or cascade to other cells. In the present scheme, reverse diodes rated at a suitably high current are connected across short series sub-strings, the lengths of which are chosen so that when a short-circuit protection device is tripped, the voltage across it does not exceed its rated voltage. This scheme preserves the resetting properties of the protective devices. It provides for bypassing of cells that fail open and limits cell reversal, though not as well as does the more-expensive scheme of connecting a diode across every cell.

Comparison of SHOX and associated elements duplications distribution between patients (Lėri-Weill dyschondrosteosis/idiopathic short stature) and population sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirschfeldova, Katerina; Solc, Roman

2017-09-05

The effect of heterozygous duplications of SHOX and associated elements on Lėri-Weill dyschondrosteosis (LWD) and idiopathic short stature (ISS) development is less distinct when compared to reciprocal deletions. The aim of our study was to compare frequency and distribution of duplications within SHOX and associated elements between population sample and LWD (ISS) patients. A preliminary analysis conducted on Czech population sample of 250 individuals compared to our previously reported sample of 352 ISS/LWD Czech patients indicated that rather than the difference in frequency of duplications it is the difference in their distribution. Particularly, there was an increased frequency of duplications residing to the CNE-9 enhancer in our LWD/ISS sample. To see whether the obtained data are consistent across published studies we made a literature survey to get published cases with SHOX or associated elements duplication and formed the merged LWD, the merged ISS, and the merged population samples. Relative frequency of particular region duplication in each of those merged samples were calculated. There was a significant difference in the relative frequency of CNE-9 enhancer duplications (11 vs. 3) and complete SHOX (exon1-6b) duplications (4 vs. 24) (p-value 0.0139 and p-value 0.000014, respectively) between the merged LWD sample and the merged population sample. We thus propose that partial SHOX duplications and small duplications encompassing CNE-9 enhancer could be highly penetrant alleles associated with ISS and LWD development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Short Measure of the Revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory - RSQ17.

Science.gov (United States)

Čolović, Petar; Smederevac, Snežana; Oljača, Milan; Nikolašević, Željka; Mitrović, Dušanka

2018-04-03

The need for a research and practical tool, such as a short, reliable, and valid personality assessment test, suggests researchers to create shortened versions of original instruments. Reinforcement sensitivity questionnaire (RSQ) was created in line with some basic premises of revised Reinforcement sensitivity theory, which proposes three motivational and emotional systems: Behavioral inhibition system (BIS), responsible for scanning environment for potential threats, Behavioral activation system (BAS), responsible for aproaching behavior, and the Fight/Flight/Freeze system (FFFS), responsible for behavior in the present threat. RSQ comprises five scales: BIS, BAS, Fight, Flight, and Freeze. The aim of this study was to develop a short version of RSQ, which would be beneficial to both research and practical purposes. Item response theory analyses were used for item selection. The study comprised two samples of participants, whereby Sample 1 (N = 837, 34.6% male, aged 18 - 82, M = 31.63, SD = 13.54) served as the derivation sample, while Sample 2 (818 participants, 43.6% male, 18-75 years, M = 29.65, SD = 12.52) served as validation sample. Factorial validity of the short RSQ was examined on both Sample 1 and Sample 2. Convergent and divergent validity of the short RSQ was examined using RST-PQ, Jackson-5, BIS/BAS scales, and Big Five Inventory. The results point to satisfactory internal consistency, factorial validity, and construct validity of the short RSQ, suggesting that it is an adequate measure for research settings or other contexts which require the use of short personality questionnaires.

Ordered short-term memory differs in signers and speakers: Implications for models of short-term memory

OpenAIRE

Bavelier, Daphne; Newport, Elissa L.; Hall, Matt; Supalla, Ted; Boutla, Mrim

2008-01-01

Capacity limits in linguistic short-term memory (STM) are typically measured with forward span tasks in which participants are asked to recall lists of words in the order presented. Using such tasks, native signers of American Sign Language (ASL) exhibit smaller spans than native speakers (Boutla, Supalla, Newport, & Bavelier, 2004). Here, we test the hypothesis that this population difference reflects differences in the way speakers and signers maintain temporal order information in short-te...

Clinical usefulness of limited sampling strategies for estimating AUC of proton pump inhibitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Niioka, Takenori

2011-03-01

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 (CYP2C19) genotype is regarded as a useful tool to predict area under the blood concentration-time curve (AUC) of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). In our results, however, CYP2C19 genotypes had no influence on AUC of all PPIs during fluvoxamine treatment. These findings suggest that CYP2C19 genotyping is not always a good indicator for estimating AUC of PPIs. Limited sampling strategies (LSS) were developed to estimate AUC simply and accurately. It is important to minimize the number of blood samples because of patient's acceptance. This article reviewed the usefulness of LSS for estimating AUC of three PPIs (omeprazole: OPZ, lansoprazole: LPZ and rabeprazole: RPZ). The best prediction formulas in each PPI were AUC(OPZ)=9.24 x C(6h)+2638.03, AUC(LPZ)=12.32 x C(6h)+3276.09 and AUC(RPZ)=1.39 x C(3h)+7.17 x C(6h)+344.14, respectively. In order to optimize the sampling strategy of LPZ, we tried to establish LSS for LPZ using a time point within 3 hours through the property of pharmacokinetics of its enantiomers. The best prediction formula using the fewest sampling points (one point) was AUC(racemic LPZ)=6.5 x C(3h) of (R)-LPZ+13.7 x C(3h) of (S)-LPZ-9917.3 x G1-14387.2×G2+7103.6 (G1: homozygous extensive metabolizer is 1 and the other genotypes are 0; G2: heterozygous extensive metabolizer is 1 and the other genotypes are 0). Those strategies, plasma concentration monitoring at one or two time-points, might be more suitable for AUC estimation than reference to CYP2C19 genotypes, particularly in the case of coadministration of CYP mediators.

Limitations of a Short Demographic Questionnaire for Bedside Estimation of Patients’ Global Cognitive Functioning in Epilepsy Patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iris Gorny

2018-03-01

Full Text Available ObjectivesThe German socio-demographic estimation scale was developed by Jahn et al. (1 to quickly predict premorbid global cognitive functioning in patients. So far, it has been validated in healthy adults and has shown a good correlation with the full and verbal IQ of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS in this group. However, there are no data regarding its use as a bedside test in epilepsy patients.MethodsForty native German speaking adult patients with refractory epilepsy were included. They completed a neuropsychological assessment, including a nine scale short form of the German version of the WAIS-III and the German socio-demographic estimation scale by Jahn et al. (1 during their presurgical diagnostic stay in our center. We calculated means, correlations, and the rate of concordance (range ±5 and ±7.5 IQ score points between these two measures for the whole group, and a subsample of 19 patients with a global cognitive functioning level within 1 SD of the mean (IQ score range 85–115 and who had completed their formal education before epilepsy onset.ResultsThe German demographic estimation scale by Jahn et al. (1 showed a significant mean overestimation of the global cognitive functioning level of eight points in the epilepsy patient sample compared with the short form WAIS-III score. The accuracy within a range of ±5 or ±7.5 IQ score points for each patient was similar to that of the healthy controls reported by Jahn et al. (1 in our subsample, but not in our whole sample.ConclusionOur results show that the socio-demographic scale by Jahn et al. (1 is not sufficiently reliable as an estimation tool of global cognitive functioning in epilepsy patients. It can be used to estimate global cognitive functioning in a subset of patients with a normal global cognitive functioning level who have completed their formal education before epilepsy onset, but it does not reliably predict global cognitive functioning in epilepsy patients

New ICRP recommendations on occupational limits for radon daughters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobi, W.

1981-01-01

The ICRP has recommended in 1959 for the first time a maximum permissible concentration (MPC) for the occupational exposure to radon and its short-lived daughters. Since this time more realistic dosimetric models for radon daughters have been developed. Taking into account epidemiological and new dosimetric findings the ICRP has adopted in March this year new recommendations on occupational limits for inhalation of 222 Rn, 220 Rn and their short-lived daughters. This report will be published this year as ICRP Publication 32 (ICRP 1981). The recommended limits for radon daughters were derived from the basic dose and risk limits as they were proposed by ICRP in its new basic recommendations (ICRP Publ. 26, 1977). In the following this basic system of dose limitation is shortly outlined before the special recommendations for radon daughters are described

The young schema questionnaire 3 short form (YSQ-S3),Psychometric properties and association with personality disorders in a Danish mixed sample

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bach, Bo; Simonsen, Erik; Christoffersen, Peter

2017-01-01

Early Maladaptive Schemas, as measured with the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ), are proposed to underlie a variety of mental health problems, in particular Personality Disorders. The latest short version of the instrument measuring all 18 schemas, the YSQ-S3, has only been examined to a limited...... for the assessment of Early Maladaptive Schemas in both clinical and research settings. Findings are discussed in relation to Personality Disorders and the Schema Therapy model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved)...

Limitation of short-circuit power due to distributed generation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Morren, J.; Reckers, T.J.M.; Berende, M.J.C.; Slootweg, J.G.

2012-01-01

Introduction of DG units in the network will result in increasing fault current levels. In this contribution several solutions are described to limit the fault currents in the network, in order to avoid overloading and destruction of components in the networks. The main focus of the paper is on the

Corrigendum to “Relative humidity effects on water vapour fluxes measured with closed-path eddy-covariance systems with short sampling lines” [Agric. Forest Meteorol. 165 (2012) 53–63

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fratini, Gerardo; Ibrom, Andreas; Arriga, Nicola

2012-01-01

It has been formerly recognised that increasing relative humidity in the sampling line of closed-path eddy-covariance systems leads to increasing attenuation of water vapour turbulent fluctuations, resulting in strong latent heat flux losses. This occurrence has been analyzed for very long (50 m...... from eddy-covariance systems featuring short (4 m) and very short (1 m) sampling lines running at the same clover field and show that relative humidity effects persist also for these setups, and should not be neglected. Starting from the work of Ibrom and co-workers, we propose a mixed method...... and correction method proposed here is deemed applicable to closed-path systems featuring a broad range of sampling lines, and indeed applicable also to passive gases as a special case. The methods described in this paper are incorporated, as processing options, in the free and open-source eddy...

A severe capacity limit in the consolidation of orientation information into visual short-term memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Mark W; Miller, James R; Liu, Taosheng

2013-04-01

Previous research has suggested that two color patches can be consolidated into visual short-term memory (VSTM) via an unlimited parallel process. Here we examined whether the same unlimited-capacity parallel process occurs for two oriented grating patches. Participants viewed two gratings that were presented briefly and masked. In blocks of trials, the gratings were presented either simultaneously or sequentially. In Experiments 1 and 2, the presentation of the stimuli was followed by a location cue that indicated the grating on which to base one's response. In Experiment 1, participants responded whether the target grating was oriented clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to vertical. In Experiment 2, participants indicated whether the target grating was oriented along one of the cardinal directions (vertical or horizontal) or was obliquely oriented. Finally, in Experiment 3, the location cue was replaced with a third grating that appeared at fixation, and participants indicated whether either of the two test gratings matched this probe. Despite the fact that these responses required fairly coarse coding of the orientation information, across all methods of responding we found superior performance for sequential over simultaneous presentations. These findings suggest that the consolidation of oriented gratings into VSTM is severely limited in capacity and differs from the consolidation of color information.

Evaluation of limited sampling models for prediction of oral midazolam AUC for CYP3A phenotyping and drug interaction studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Silke C; Drewelow, Bernd

2013-05-01

The area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) after oral midazolam administration is commonly used for cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A phenotyping studies. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate a limited sampling strategy for the prediction of AUC with oral midazolam. A total of 288 concentration-time profiles from 123 healthy volunteers who participated in four previously performed drug interaction studies with intense sampling after a single oral dose of 7.5 mg midazolam were available for evaluation. Of these, 45 profiles served for model building, which was performed by stepwise multiple linear regression, and the remaining 243 datasets served for validation. Mean prediction error (MPE), mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean squared error (RMSE) were calculated to determine bias and precision The one- to four-sampling point models with the best coefficient of correlation were the one-sampling point model (8 h; r (2) = 0.84), the two-sampling point model (0.5 and 8 h; r (2) = 0.93), the three-sampling point model (0.5, 2, and 8 h; r (2) = 0.96), and the four-sampling point model (0.5,1, 2, and 8 h; r (2) = 0.97). However, the one- and two-sampling point models were unable to predict the midazolam AUC due to unacceptable bias and precision. Only the four-sampling point model predicted the very low and very high midazolam AUC of the validation dataset with acceptable precision and bias. The four-sampling point model was also able to predict the geometric mean ratio of the treatment phase over the baseline (with 90 % confidence interval) results of three drug interaction studies in the categories of strong, moderate, and mild induction, as well as no interaction. A four-sampling point limited sampling strategy to predict the oral midazolam AUC for CYP3A phenotyping is proposed. The one-, two- and three-sampling point models were not able to predict midazolam AUC accurately.

Improved sample preparation and counting techniques for enhanced tritium measurement sensitivity

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, J.; Aalseth, C.; Bailey, V. L.; Mace, E. K.; Overman, C.; Seifert, A.; Wilcox Freeburg, E. D.

2015-12-01

Tritium (T) measurements offer insight to a wealth of environmental applications including hydrologic tracking, discerning ocean circulation patterns, and aging ice formations. However, the relatively short half-life of T (12.3 years) limits its effective age dating range. Compounding this limitation is the decrease in atmospheric T content by over two orders of magnitude (from 1000-2000 TU in 1962 to testing in the 1960's. We are developing sample preparation methods coupled to direct counting of T via ultra-low background proportional counters which, when combined, offer improved T measurement sensitivity (~4.5 mmoles of H2 equivalent) and will help expand the application of T age dating to smaller sample sizes linked to persistent environmental questions despite the limitations above. For instance, this approach can be used to T date ~ 2.2 mmoles of CH4 collected from sample-limited systems including microbial communities, soils, or subsurface aquifers and can be combined with radiocarbon dating to distinguish the methane's formation age from C age in a system. This approach can also expand investigations into soil organic C where the improved sensitivity will permit resolution of soil C into more descriptive fractions and provide direct assessments of the stability of specific classes of organic matter in soils environments. We are employing a multiple step sample preparation system whereby organic samples are first combusted with resulting CO2 and H2O being used as a feedstock to synthesize CH4. This CH4 is mixed with Ar and loaded directly into an ultra-low background proportional counter for measurement of T β decay in a shallow underground laboratory. Analysis of water samples requires only the addition of geologic CO2 feedstock with the sample for methane synthesis. The chemical nature of the preparation techniques enable high sample throughput with only the final measurement requiring T decay with total sample analysis time ranging from 2 -5 weeks

14CO2 analysis of soil gas: Evaluation of sample size limits and sampling devices

Science.gov (United States)

Wotte, Anja; Wischhöfer, Philipp; Wacker, Lukas; Rethemeyer, Janet

2017-12-01

Radiocarbon (14C) analysis of CO2 respired from soils or sediments is a valuable tool to identify different carbon sources. The collection and processing of the CO2, however, is challenging and prone to contamination. We thus continuously improve our handling procedures and present a refined method for the collection of even small amounts of CO2 in molecular sieve cartridges (MSCs) for accelerator mass spectrometry 14C analysis. Using a modified vacuum rig and an improved desorption procedure, we were able to increase the CO2 recovery from the MSC (95%) as well as the sample throughput compared to our previous study. By processing series of different sample size, we show that our MSCs can be used for CO2 samples of as small as 50 μg C. The contamination by exogenous carbon determined in these laboratory tests, was less than 2.0 μg C from fossil and less than 3.0 μg C from modern sources. Additionally, we tested two sampling devices for the collection of CO2 samples released from soils or sediments, including a respiration chamber and a depth sampler, which are connected to the MSC. We obtained a very promising, low process blank for the entire CO2 sampling and purification procedure of ∼0.004 F14C (equal to 44,000 yrs BP) and ∼0.003 F14C (equal to 47,000 yrs BP). In contrast to previous studies, we observed no isotopic fractionation towards lighter δ13C values during the passive sampling with the depth samplers.

Evaluation of dose exposure from irradiated samples at TRIGA PUSPATI reactor (RTP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muhd Husamuddin Abdul Khalil; Julia Abdul Karim; Naim Syauqi Hamzah; Mohamad Hairie Rabir; Mohd Amin Sharifuldin Salleh

2010-01-01

An evaluation has been made to data of irradiated samples for the type of sample requested for activation at RTP. Sample types are grouped with percentage of total throughputs to rule out the weight percent of every respective group. The database consists of radionuclide inventory of short, intermediate and long half-life and high activity radionuclides such as Br and Au have been identified. Evaluation of gamma exposure using Micro shield has also been made to pattern the trend of gamma exposure at experimental facilities and to ensure radiological effect towards safety and health is limited per Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard) Regulation 1988. This analysis places an important parameter to improve the design accuracy of shielding design in assuring safety, reliability and economy. (author)

Short and inflamed cervix predicts spontaneous preterm birth (COLIBRI study).

Science.gov (United States)

Raiche, Evelyne; Ouellet, Annie; Berthiaume, Maryse; Rousseau, Éric; Pasquier, Jean-Charles

2014-07-01

To develop a new strategy of predicting spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) by combination of transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) assessment and inflammatory proteins detection in vaginal secretions. Prospective study of 87 women referred for cervical length assessment with a standardized TVUS combined to vaginal secretions sampling. Samples were analyzed for presence of 10 cytokines. Main outcome was sPTB (women at a median gestational age of 35.6 weeks of gestation. Short cervix (women with a short inflamed cervix. COLIBRI study used a novel, single-step method of vaginal secretions sampling during TVUS and demonstrated that combination of short cervix and IL-8 in vaginal secretions is a promising sPTB predictive test.

Development of high performance liquid chromatography method for miconazole analysis in powder sample

Science.gov (United States)

Hermawan, D.; Suwandri; Sulaeman, U.; Istiqomah, A.; Aboul-Enein, H. Y.

2017-02-01

A simple high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed in this study for the analysis of miconazole, an antifungal drug, in powder sample. The optimized HPLC system using C8 column was achieved using mobile phase composition containing methanol:water (85:15, v/v), a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min, and UV detection at 220 nm. The calibration graph was linear in the range from 10 to 50 mg/L with r 2 of 0.9983. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) obtained were 2.24 mg/L and 7.47 mg/L, respectively. The present HPLC method is applicable for the determination of miconazole in the powder sample with a recovery of 101.28 % (RSD = 0.96%, n = 3). The developed HPLC method provides short analysis time, high reproducibility and high sensitivity.

Capacity and precision in an animal model of visual short-term memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Lara, Antonio H; Wallis, Jonathan D

2012-03-14

Temporary storage of information in visual short-term memory (VSTM) is a key component of many complex cognitive abilities. However, it is highly limited in capacity. Understanding the neurophysiological nature of this capacity limit will require a valid animal model of VSTM. We used a multiple-item color change detection task to measure macaque monkeys' VSTM capacity. Subjects' performance deteriorated and reaction times increased as a function of the number of items in memory. Additionally, we measured the precision of the memory representations by varying the distance between sample and test colors. In trials with similar sample and test colors, subjects made more errors compared to trials with highly discriminable colors. We modeled the error distribution as a Gaussian function and used this to estimate the precision of VSTM representations. We found that as the number of items in memory increases the precision of the representations decreases dramatically. Additionally, we found that focusing attention on one of the objects increases the precision with which that object is stored and degrades the precision of the remaining. These results are in line with recent findings in human psychophysics and provide a solid foundation for understanding the neurophysiological nature of the capacity limit of VSTM.

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

Effects of Kapton Sample Cell Windows on the Detection Limit of Smectite: Implications for CheMin on the Mars Science Laboratory Mission

Science.gov (United States)

Achilles, C. N.; Ming, Douglas W.; Morris, R. V.; Blake, D. F.

2012-01-01

The CheMin instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity is an X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument capable of providing the mineralogical and chemical compositions of rocks and soils on the surface of Mars. CheMin uses a microfocus X-ray tube with a Co target, transmission geometry, and an energy-discriminating X-ray sensitive CCD to produce simultaneous 2-D XRD patterns and energy-dispersive X-ray histograms from powdered samples. CheMin has two different window materials used for sample cells -- Mylar and Kapton. Instrument details are provided elsewhere. Fe/Mg-smectite (e.g., nontronite) has been identified in Gale Crater, the MSL future landing site, by CRISM spectra. While large quantities of phyllosilicate minerals will be easily detected by CheMin, it is important to establish detection limits of such phases to understand capabilities and limitations of the instrument. A previous study indicated that the (001) peak of smectite at 15 Ang was detectable in a mixture of 1 wt.% smectite with olivine when Mylar is the window material for the sample cell. Complications arise when Kapton is the window material because Kapton itself also has a diffraction peak near 15 Ang (6.8 deg 2 Theta). This study presents results of mineral mixtures of smectite and olivine to determine smectite detection limits for Kapton sample cells. Because the intensity and position of the smectite (001) peak depends on the hydration state, we also analyzed mixtures with "hydrated" and "dehydrated"h smectite to examine the effects of hydration state on detection limits.

The quantification of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in sediment samples using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with μECD detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Muscalu, Alina M; Morse, Dave; Reiner, Eric J; Górecki, Tadeusz

2017-03-01

The analysis of persistent organic pollutants in environmental samples is a challenge due to the very large number of compounds with varying chemical and physical properties. Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are complex mixtures of chlorinated n-alkanes with varying chain lengths (C 10 to C 30 ) and degree of chlorination (30 to 70% by weight). Their physical-chemical properties make these compounds persistent in the environment and able to bioaccumulate in living organisms. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC) coupled with micro-electron capture detection (μECD) was used to separate and quantify short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCP) in sediment samples. Distinct ordered bands were observed in the GC × GC chromatograms pointing to group separation. Using the Classification function of the ChromaTOF software, summary tables were generated to determine total area counts to set up multilevel-calibration curves for different technical mixes. Fortified sediment samples were analyzed by GC × GC-μECD with minimal extraction and cleanup. Recoveries ranged from 120 to 130%. To further validate the proposed method for the analysis of SCCPs, the laboratory participated in interlaboratory studies for the analysis of standards and sediment samples. The results showed recoveries between 75 and 95% and z-score values <2, demonstrating that the method is suitable for the analysis of SCCPs in soil/sediment samples. Graphical abstract Quantification of SCCPs by 2D-GC-μECD.

A Faint Flux-limited Lyα Emitter Sample at z ˜ 0.3

Science.gov (United States)

Wold, Isak G. B.; Finkelstein, Steven L.; Barger, Amy J.; Cowie, Lennox L.; Rosenwasser, Benjamin

2017-10-01

We present a flux-limited sample of z ˜ 0.3 Lyα emitters (LAEs) from Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) grism spectroscopic data. The published GALEX z ˜ 0.3 LAE sample is pre-selected from continuum-bright objects and thus is biased against high equivalent width (EW) LAEs. We remove this continuum pre-selection and compute the EW distribution and the luminosity function of the Lyα emission line directly from our sample. We examine the evolution of these quantities from z ˜ 0.3 to 2.2 and find that the EW distribution shows little evidence for evolution over this redshift range. As shown by previous studies, the Lyα luminosity density from star-forming (SF) galaxies declines rapidly with declining redshift. However, we find that the decline in Lyα luminosity density from z = 2.2 to z = 0.3 may simply mirror the decline seen in the Hα luminosity density from z = 2.2 to z = 0.4, implying little change in the volumetric Lyα escape fraction. Finally, we show that the observed Lyα luminosity density from AGNs is comparable to the observed Lyα luminosity density from SF galaxies at z = 0.3. We suggest that this significant contribution from AGNs to the total observed Lyα luminosity density persists out to z ˜ 2.2. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation.

Short Communication: Comparison of Maxim and Sedia Limiting Antigen Assay Performance for Measuring HIV Incidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Schlusser, Katherine E; Konikoff, Jacob; Kirkpatrick, Allison R; Morrison, Charles; Chipato, Tsungai; Chen, Pai-Lien; Munjoma, Marshall; Eshleman, Susan H; Laeyendecker, Oliver

2017-06-01

Accurate methods for cross-sectional incidence estimation are needed for HIV prevention research. The Limiting Antigen Avidity (LAg-Avidity) assay has been marketed by two vendors, Maxim Biomedical and Sedia BioSciences Corporation. Performance differences between the two versions of the assay are unknown. We tested a total 1,410 treatment-naive samples with both versions of the assay. The samples came from 176 seroconverters from the Zimbabwe Hormonal Contraception and HIV Study. The correlation between the two versions of the assay was 0.93 for the optical density (OD) and 0.86 for the normalized OD. As the difference was more pronounced for the normalized OD, the difference in assays can be attributed to the calibrators. The mean duration of recent infection (MDRI), the average time individuals infected 1,000 copies/ml. The MDRI was 137 days for Sedia and 157 days for Maxim, with a difference of 20 days (95% CI 11-30). The MDRIs decreased to 102 and 120 days with the inclusion of a viral load cutoff of >1,000 copies/ml. These results imply that use of the Sedia LAg-Avidity will result in estimates of incidence ∼13% lower than those using the Maxim LAg-Avidity.

Vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction for the rapid screening of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in water.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Chia-Yu; Chung, Wu-Hsun; Ding, Wang-Hsien

2016-01-01

The rapid screening of trace levels of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in various aqueous samples was performed by a simple and reliable procedure based on vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction combined with gas chromatography and electron capture negative ionization mass spectrometry. The optimal vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction conditions for 20 mL water sample were as follows: extractant 400 μL of dichloromethane; vortex extraction time of 1 min at 2500 × g; centrifugation of 3 min at 5000 × g; and no ionic strength adjustment. Under the optimum conditions, the limit of quantitation was 0.05 μg/L. Precision, as indicated by relative standard deviations, was less than 9% for both intra- and inter-day analysis. Accuracy, expressed as the mean extraction recovery, was above 91%. The vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction with gas chromatography and electron capture negative ionization mass spectrometry method was successfully applied to quantitatively extract short-chain chlorinated paraffins from samples of river water and the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant, and the concentrations ranged from 0.8 to 1.6 μg/L. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Focused conformational sampling in proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Bacci, Marco; Langini, Cassiano; Vymětal, Jiří; Caflisch, Amedeo; Vitalis, Andreas

2017-11-01

A detailed understanding of the conformational dynamics of biological molecules is difficult to obtain by experimental techniques due to resolution limitations in both time and space. Computer simulations avoid these in theory but are often too short to sample rare events reliably. Here we show that the progress index-guided sampling (PIGS) protocol can be used to enhance the sampling of rare events in selected parts of biomolecules without perturbing the remainder of the system. The method is very easy to use as it only requires as essential input a set of several features representing the parts of interest sufficiently. In this feature space, new states are discovered by spontaneous fluctuations alone and in unsupervised fashion. Because there are no energetic biases acting on phase space variables or projections thereof, the trajectories PIGS generates can be analyzed directly in the framework of transition networks. We demonstrate the possibility and usefulness of such focused explorations of biomolecules with two loops that are part of the binding sites of bromodomains, a family of epigenetic "reader" modules. This real-life application uncovers states that are structurally and kinetically far away from the initial crystallographic structures and are also metastable. Representative conformations are intended to be used in future high-throughput virtual screening campaigns.

Validation of limited sampling models (LSM) for estimating AUC in therapeutic drug monitoring - is a separate validation group required?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Proost, J. H.

Objective: Limited sampling models (LSM) for estimating AUC in therapeutic drug monitoring are usually validated in a separate group of patients, according to published guidelines. The aim of this study is to evaluate the validation of LSM by comparing independent validation with cross-validation

Digital Droplet Multiple Displacement Amplification (ddMDA for Whole Genome Sequencing of Limited DNA Samples.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Minsoung Rhee

Full Text Available Multiple displacement amplification (MDA is a widely used technique for amplification of DNA from samples containing limited amounts of DNA (e.g., uncultivable microbes or clinical samples before whole genome sequencing. Despite its advantages of high yield and fidelity, it suffers from high amplification bias and non-specific amplification when amplifying sub-nanogram of template DNA. Here, we present a microfluidic digital droplet MDA (ddMDA technique where partitioning of the template DNA into thousands of sub-nanoliter droplets, each containing a small number of DNA fragments, greatly reduces the competition among DNA fragments for primers and polymerase thereby greatly reducing amplification bias. Consequently, the ddMDA approach enabled a more uniform coverage of amplification over the entire length of the genome, with significantly lower bias and non-specific amplification than conventional MDA. For a sample containing 0.1 pg/μL of E. coli DNA (equivalent of ~3/1000 of an E. coli genome per droplet, ddMDA achieves a 65-fold increase in coverage in de novo assembly, and more than 20-fold increase in specificity (percentage of reads mapping to E. coli compared to the conventional tube MDA. ddMDA offers a powerful method useful for many applications including medical diagnostics, forensics, and environmental microbiology.

Pedagogical Simulation of Sampling Distributions and the Central Limit Theorem

Science.gov (United States)

Hagtvedt, Reidar; Jones, Gregory Todd; Jones, Kari

2007-01-01

Students often find the fact that a sample statistic is a random variable very hard to grasp. Even more mysterious is why a sample mean should become ever more Normal as the sample size increases. This simulation tool is meant to illustrate the process, thereby giving students some intuitive grasp of the relationship between a parent population…

Current limiters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loescher, D.H. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States). Systems Surety Assessment Dept.; Noren, K. [Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID (United States). Dept. of Electrical Engineering

1996-09-01

The current that flows between the electrical test equipment and the nuclear explosive must be limited to safe levels during electrical tests conducted on nuclear explosives at the DOE Pantex facility. The safest way to limit the current is to use batteries that can provide only acceptably low current into a short circuit; unfortunately this is not always possible. When it is not possible, current limiters, along with other design features, are used to limit the current. Three types of current limiters, the fuse blower, the resistor limiter, and the MOSFET-pass-transistor limiters, are used extensively in Pantex test equipment. Detailed failure mode and effects analyses were conducted on these limiters. Two other types of limiters were also analyzed. It was found that there is no best type of limiter that should be used in all applications. The fuse blower has advantages when many circuits must be monitored, a low insertion voltage drop is important, and size and weight must be kept low. However, this limiter has many failure modes that can lead to the loss of over current protection. The resistor limiter is simple and inexpensive, but is normally usable only on circuits for which the nominal current is less than a few tens of milliamperes. The MOSFET limiter can be used on high current circuits, but it has a number of single point failure modes that can lead to a loss of protective action. Because bad component placement or poor wire routing can defeat any limiter, placement and routing must be designed carefully and documented thoroughly.

Nonuniform sampling and non-Fourier signal processing methods in multidimensional NMR.

Science.gov (United States)

Mobli, Mehdi; Hoch, Jeffrey C

2014-11-01

Beginning with the introduction of Fourier Transform NMR by Ernst and Anderson in 1966, time domain measurement of the impulse response (the free induction decay, FID) consisted of sampling the signal at a series of discrete intervals. For compatibility with the discrete Fourier transform (DFT), the intervals are kept uniform, and the Nyquist theorem dictates the largest value of the interval sufficient to avoid aliasing. With the proposal by Jeener of parametric sampling along an indirect time dimension, extension to multidimensional experiments employed the same sampling techniques used in one dimension, similarly subject to the Nyquist condition and suitable for processing via the discrete Fourier transform. The challenges of obtaining high-resolution spectral estimates from short data records using the DFT were already well understood, however. Despite techniques such as linear prediction extrapolation, the achievable resolution in the indirect dimensions is limited by practical constraints on measuring time. The advent of non-Fourier methods of spectrum analysis capable of processing nonuniformly sampled data has led to an explosion in the development of novel sampling strategies that avoid the limits on resolution and measurement time imposed by uniform sampling. The first part of this review discusses the many approaches to data sampling in multidimensional NMR, the second part highlights commonly used methods for signal processing of such data, and the review concludes with a discussion of other approaches to speeding up data acquisition in NMR. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Limitations of 64-Detector-Row Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography: Calcium and Motion but not Short Experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mir-Akbari, H.; Ripsweden, J.; Jensen, J.; Pichler, P.; Sylven, C.; Cederlund, K.; Rueck, A.

2009-01-01

Background: Recently, 64-detector-row computed tomography coronary angiography (CTA) has been introduced for the noninvasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic capacity and limitations of a newly established CTA service. Material and Methods: In 101 outpatients with suspected coronary artery disease, 64-detector-row CTA (VCT Lightspeed 64; GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI., USA) was performed before invasive coronary angiography (ICA). The presence of >50% diameter coronary stenosis on CTA was rated by two radiologists recently trained in CTA, and separately by an experienced colleague. Diagnostic performance of CTA was calculated on segment, vessel, and patient levels, using ICA as a reference. Segments with a proximal reference diameter <2 mm or with stents were not analyzed. Results: In 51 of 101 patients and 121 of 1280 segments, ICA detected coronary stenosis. In 274 of 1280 (21%) segments, CTA had non-diagnostic image quality, the main reasons being severe calcifications (49%), motion artifacts associated with high or irregular heart rate (45%), and low contrast opacification (14%). Significantly more women (43%) had non-diagnostic scans compared to men (20%). A heart rate above 60 beats per minute was associated with significantly more non-diagnostic patients (38% vs. 18%). In the 1006 diagnostic segments, CTA had a sensitivity of 78%, specificity of 95%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 54%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 98% for detecting significant coronary stenosis. In 29 patients, CTA was non-diagnostic. In the remaining 72 patients, sensitivity was 100%, specificity 65%, PPV 79%, and NPV 100%. The use of a more experienced CTA reader did not improve diagnostic performance. Conclusion: CTA had a very high negative predictive value, but the number of non-diagnostic scans was high, especially in women. The main limitations were motion artifacts and vessel calcifications, while short experience in CTA did not

Factors influencing use of long-acting versus short-acting contraceptive methods among reproductive-age women in a resource-limited setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Tibaijuka, Leevan; Odongo, Robert; Welikhe, Emma; Mukisa, Wilber; Kugonza, Lilian; Busingye, Imelda; Nabukalu, Phelomena; Ngonzi, Joseph; Asiimwe, Stephen B; Bajunirwe, Francis

2017-04-04

Unplanned pregnancy remains a common problem in many resource-limited settings, mostly due to limited access to modern family planning (FP) services. In particular, use of the more effective long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods (i.e., intrauterine devices and hormonal implants) remains low compared to the short-acting methods (i.e., condoms, hormonal pills, injectable hormones, and spermicides). Among reproductive-age women attending FP and antenatal care clinics in Uganda, we assessed perceptions and practices regarding the use of modern contraceptive methods. We specifically aimed to evaluate factors influencing method selection. We performed a mixed-methods cross-sectional study, in which we administered structured interviews to 180 clients, and conducted 4 focus group discussions (FGDs) with 36 clients and 8 in-depth personal qualitative interviews with health service providers. We summarized quantitative data and performed latent content analysis on transcripts from the FGDs and qualitative interviews. The prevalence of ever use for LARC methods was 23%. Method characteristics (e.g., client control) appeared to drive method selection more often than structural factors (such as method availability) or individual client characteristics (such as knowledge and perceptions). The most common reasons for choosing LARC methods were: longer protection; better child-spacing; and effectiveness. The most common reasons for not choosing LARC methods included requiring a client-controlled method and desiring to conceive in the near future. The most common reasons for choosing short-acting methods were ease of access; lower cost; privacy; perceived fewer side effects; and freedom to stop using a method without involving the health provider. The personal characteristics of clients, which appeared to be important were client knowledge and number of children. The structural factor which appeared to be important was method availability. Our results suggest that

Evaluation of Drinking Water Disinfectant Byproducts Compliance Data as an Indirect Measure for Short-Term Exposure in Humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Parvez, Shahid; Frost, Kali; Sundararajan, Madhura

2017-05-20

In the absence of shorter term disinfectant byproducts (DBPs) data on regulated Trihalomethanes (THMs) and Haloacetic acids (HAAs), epidemiologists and risk assessors have used long-term annual compliance (LRAA) or quarterly (QA) data to evaluate the association between DBP exposure and adverse birth outcomes, which resulted in inconclusive findings. Therefore, we evaluated the reliability of using long-term LRAA and QA data as an indirect measure for short-term exposure. Short-term residential tap water samples were collected in peak DBP months (May-August) in a community water system with five separate treatment stations and were sourced from surface or groundwater. Samples were analyzed for THMs and HAAs per the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) standard methods (524.2 and 552.2). The measured levels of total THMs and HAAs were compared temporally and spatially with LRAA and QA data, which showed significant differences ( p water stations showed higher levels than LRAA or QA. Significant numbers of samples in surface water stations exceeded regulatory permissible limits: 27% had excessive THMs and 35% had excessive HAAs. Trichloromethane, trichloroacetic acid, and dichloroacetic acid were the major drivers of variability. This study suggests that LRAA and QA data are not good proxies of short-term exposure. Further investigation is needed to determine if other drinking water systems show consistent findings for improved regulation.

The role of central attention in retrieval from visual short-term memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Magen, Hagit

2017-04-01

The role of central attention in visual short-term memory (VSTM) encoding and maintenance is well established, yet its role in retrieval has been largely unexplored. This study examined the involvement of central attention in retrieval from VSTM using a dual-task paradigm. Participants performed a color change-detection task. Set size varied between 1 and 3 items, and the memory sample was maintained for either a short or a long delay period. A secondary tone discrimination task was introduced at the end of the delay period, shortly before the appearance of a central probe, and occupied central attention while participants were searching within VSTM representations. Similarly to numerous previous studies, reaction time increased as a function of set size reflecting the occurrence of a capacity-limited memory search. When the color targets were maintained over a short delay, memory was searched for the most part without the involvement of central attention. However, with a longer delay period, the search relied entirely on the operation of central attention. Taken together, this study demonstrates that central attention is involved in retrieval from VSTM, but the extent of its involvement depends on the duration of the delay period. Future studies will determine whether the type of memory search (parallel or serial) carried out during retrieval depends on the nature of the attentional mechanism involved the task.

Shorts due to diagnostic leads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, J.F.; Lubell, M.S.; Pillsbury, R.D.; Shen, S.S.; Thome, R.J.; Walstrom, P.L.

1985-01-01

The superconducting toroidal field coils that are being tested in the Large Coil Test Facility (LCTF) are heavily instrumented. General Electric coil, a lead wire of an internal sensor became shorted across an estimated three or four turns of the pancake winding. This short occurred during the final stages of the winding fabrication and was not accessible for repair. Resistance, voltage gradient, and transient voltage decay measurements were performed to characterize the short and the magnetic damping of the large steel bobbin and outer structural ring. The 32-gage wire causing the short was estimated to be about 10 cm long, with a resistance of 55 mΩ. As a safety measure, we decided to burn out the shorted wire at room temperature before installing the coil in LCTF. Tests were made to determine the energy needed to vaporize a small wire. Computer calculations indicated that within the voltage limits set for the coil, it was not feasible to burn out the wire by rapidly dumping the coil from a low-current dc charge-up. We accomplished the burnout by applying 800 V at 3.25 A, and 60 Hz for about 1 s. Transient voltage decay measurements made after the burnout and compared with those made before the attempt confirmed that the short had indeed been opened

Nitrate addition has minimal short-term impacts on greenland ice sheet supraglacial prokaryotes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cameron, Karen A.; Stibal, Marek; Chrismas, Nathan

2017-01-01

Tropospheric nitrate levels are predicted to increase throughout the 21st century, with potential effects on terrestrial ecosystems, including the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS). This study considers the impacts of elevated nitrate concentrations on the abundance and composition of dominant bulk...... and active prokaryotic communities sampled from in situ nitrate fertilization plots on the GrIS surface. Nitrate concentrations were successfully elevated within sediment-filled meltwater pools, known as cryoconite holes; however, nitrate additions applied to surface ice did not persist. Estimated bulk...... cryoconite communities were not nitrate limited at the time of sampling. Instead, temporal changes in biomass and community composition were more pronounced. As these in situ incubations were short (6 weeks), and the community composition across GrIS surface ice is highly variable, we suggest that further...

Screening of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in selected riverine sediments and sludge from the Czech Republic.

Science.gov (United States)

Pribylová, Petra; Klánová, Jana; Holoubek, Ivan

2006-11-01

Wide distribution of chlorinated paraffins in the environment has already been demonstrated in several studies; however, information about their levels in the Central Europe is still very limited. First study focused on the SCCP contamination of the Czech aquatic environment have been performed recently, and its results motivated the authors to analyze sediments from a wide set of the Czech rivers in order to obtain more detailed information. Thirty-six sediment samples from eleven rivers and five drainage vents neighboring the chemical factories were analyzed; special attention was paid to the industrial areas. For the first time in the Czech Republic, medium-chain in addition to short-chain chlorinated paraffins were analyzed using GC-ECNI-MS. Chlorinated paraffins were detected in sediment samples on the concentration levels up to 347 ngg(-1) for short-chain chlorinated paraffins, and 5575 ngg(-1) for medium-chain chlorinated paraffins. Average chlorination degree of SCCPs was 65%.

An evaluation of short-term exposures of brake mechanics to asbestos during automotive and truck brake cleaning and machining activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Richter, Richard O; Finley, Brent L; Paustenbach, Dennis J; Williams, Pamela R D; Sheehan, Patrick J

2009-07-01

Historically, the greatest contributions to airborne asbestos concentrations during brake repair work were likely due to specific, short-duration, dust-generating activities. In this paper, the available short-term asbestos air sampling data for mechanics collected during the cleaning and machining of vehicle brakes are evaluated to determine their impact on both short-term and daily exposures. The high degree of variability and lack of transparency for most of the short-term samples limit their use in reconstructing past asbestos exposures for brake mechanics. However, the data are useful in evaluating how reducing short-term, dust-generating activities reduced long-term exposures, especially for auto brake mechanics. Using the short-term dose data for grinding brake linings from these same studies, in combination with existing time-weighted average (TWA) data collected in decades after grinding was commonplace in rebuilding brake shoes, an average 8-h TWA of approximately 0.10 f/cc was estimated for auto brake mechanics that performed arc grinding of linings during automobile brake repair (in the 1960s or earlier). In the 1970s and early 1980s, a decline in machining activities led to a decrease in the 8-h TWA to approximately 0.063 f/cc. Improved cleaning methods in the late 1980s further reduced the 8-h TWA for most brake mechanics to about 0.0021 f/cc. It is noteworthy that when compared with the original OSHA excursion level, only 15 of the more than 300 short-term concentrations for brake mechanics measured during the 1970s and 1980s possibly exceeded the standard. Considering exposure duration, none of the short-term exposures were above the current OSHA excursion level.

Air sampling program at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hulett, S.H.

1975-01-01

An extensive air sampling program has been developed at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant for monitoring the concentrations of radioactive aerosols present in the atmosphere on plantsite as well as in the environs. The program is designed to minimize exposures of employees and the environment to airborne radioactive particulates. Five different air sampling systems, utilizing either filtration or impaction, are employed for measuring airborne alpha and beta-gamma activity produced from 235 U and 234 Th, respectively. Two of the systems have particle selection capabilities: a personal sampler with a 10-mm nylon cyclone eliminates most particles larger than about 10 microns in diameter; and an Annular Kinetic Impactor collects particulates greater than 0.4 microns in diameter which have a density greater than 12-15 gm/cm 3 . A Hi-Volume Air Sampler and an Eberline Model AIM-3 Scintillation Air Monitor are used in collecting short-term samples for assessing compliance with ''ceiling'' standards or peak concentration limits. A film-sort aperture IBM card system is utilized for continuous 8-hour samples. This sampling program has proven to be both practical and effective for assuring accurate monitoring of the airborne activity associated with plant operations

Finite element limit analysis based plastic limit pressure solutions for cracked pipes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shim, Do Jun; Huh, Nam Su; Kim, Yun Jae; Kim, Young Jin

2002-01-01

Based on detailed FE limit analyses, the present paper provides tractable approximations for plastic limit pressure solutions for axial through-wall cracked pipe; axial (inner) surface cracked pipe; circumferential through-wall cracked pipe; and circumferential (inner) surface cracked pipe. Comparisons with existing analytical and empirical solutions show a large discrepancy in circumferential short through-wall cracks and in surface cracks (both axial and circumferential). Being based on detailed 3-D FE limit analysis, the present solutions are believed to be the most accurate, and thus to be valuable information not only for plastic collapse analysis of pressurised piping but also for estimating non-linear fracture mechanics parameters based on the reference stress approach

An ultra-short screening version of the Recalled Parental Rearing Behavior questionnaire (FEE-US and its factor structure in a representative German sample

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrowski Katja

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Recalled Parental Rearing Behavior questionnaire (FEE, [1,2] assesses perceived parental rearing behavior separately for each parent. An ultra-short screening version (FEE-US with the same three scales each for the mother and the father is reported and factor-analytically validated. Methods N = 4,640 subjects aged 14 to 92 (M = 48.4 years were selected by the random-route sampling method. The ultra-short questionnaire version was derived from the long version through item and factor analyses. In a confirmatory factor analysis framework, the hypothesized three-factorial structure was fitted to the empirical data and tested for measurement invariance, differential item functioning, item discriminability, and convergent and discriminant factorial validity. Effects of gender or age were assessed using MANOVAs. Results The a-priori hypothesized model resulted in mostly adequate overall fit. Neither gender nor age group yielded considerable effects on the factor structure, but had small effects on means of raw score sums. Factorial validities could be confirmed. Scale sums are well-suited to rank respondents along the respective latent dimension. Conclusion The structure of the long version with the factors Rejection & Punishment, Emotional Warmth, and Control & Overprotection could be replicated for both father and mother items in the ultra-short screening version using confirmatory factor analyses. These results indicate that the ultra-short screening version is a time-saving and promising screening instrument for research settings and in individual counseling. However, the shortened scales do not necessarily represent the full spectrum covered by the full-scale dimensions.

Short-term memory for tactile and temporal stimuli in a shared-attention recall task.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowers, R L; Mollenhauer, M S; Luxford, J

1990-06-01

The present study examined short-term memory for tactile and temporal stimuli. Subjects were required to touch three-dimensional sample objects of different shapes and textures, presented for three durations: short, medium, or long. After the sample duration elapsed, a retention interval (5 sec.-20 sec.) occurred followed by a recall test for one of the sample dimensions of shape, texture, or time, across trials. Analysis showed that accuracy for shape and texture was high throughout testing (95-99%), but memory for perceived duration was relatively poor (60%). Further analysis indicated that poor recall on the time dimension was isolated to the medium and long samples; accuracy for short durations was consistently high (90%). In addition, a reliable response bias emerged; subjects recalled durations shorter than the actual duration presented. The results were discussed in terms of two lines of research, one indicating that haptic short-term memory is strong relative to other memory systems, and the other suggesting that the choose-short bias occurs across species.

What are the differences between long-term, short-term, and working memory?

Science.gov (United States)

Cowan, Nelson

2008-01-01

In the recent literature there has been considerable confusion about the three types of memory: long-term, short-term, and working memory. This chapter strives to reduce that confusion and makes up-to-date assessments of these types of memory. Long- and short-term memory could differ in two fundamental ways, with only short-term memory demonstrating (1) temporal decay and (2) chunk capacity limits. Both properties of short-term memory are still controversial but the current literature is rather encouraging regarding the existence of both decay and capacity limits. Working memory has been conceived and defined in three different, slightly discrepant ways: as short-term memory applied to cognitive tasks, as a multi-component system that holds and manipulates information in short-term memory, and as the use of attention to manage short-term memory. Regardless of the definition, there are some measures of memory in the short term that seem routine and do not correlate well with cognitive aptitudes and other measures (those usually identified with the term "working memory") that seem more attention demanding and do correlate well with these aptitudes. The evidence is evaluated and placed within a theoretical framework depicted in Fig. 1.

Classroom Research: Assessment of Student Understanding of Sampling Distributions of Means and the Central Limit Theorem in Post-Calculus Probability and Statistics Classes

Science.gov (United States)

Lunsford, M. Leigh; Rowell, Ginger Holmes; Goodson-Espy, Tracy

2006-01-01

We applied a classroom research model to investigate student understanding of sampling distributions of sample means and the Central Limit Theorem in post-calculus introductory probability and statistics courses. Using a quantitative assessment tool developed by previous researchers and a qualitative assessment tool developed by the authors, we…

The short-term impacts of Earned Income Tax Credit disbursement on health.

Science.gov (United States)

Rehkopf, David H; Strully, Kate W; Dow, William H

2014-12-01

There are conflicting findings regarding long- and short-term effects of income on health. Whereas higher average income is associated with better health, there is evidence that health behaviours worsen in the short-term following income receipt.Prior studies revealing such negative short-term effects of income receipt focus on specific subpopulations and examine a limited set of health outcomes. The United States Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is an income supplement tied to work, and is the largest poverty reduction programme in the USA. We utilize the fact that EITC recipients typically receive large cash transfers in the months of February,March and April, in order to examine associated changes in health outcomes that can fluctuate on a monthly basis. We examine associations with 30 outcomes in the categories of diet, food security, health behaviours, cardiovascular biomarkers, metabolic biomarkers and infection and immunity among 6925 individuals from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Survey. Our research design approximates a natural experiment,since whether individuals were sampled during treatment or non-treatment months is independent of social, demographic and health characteristics that do not vary with time. There are both beneficial and detrimental short-term impacts of income receipt.Although there are detrimental impacts on metabolic factors among women, most other impacts are beneficial, including those for food security, smoking and trying to lose weight. The short-term impacts of EITC income receipt are not universally health promoting, but on balance there are more health benefits than detriments.

Limited Sampling Strategy for Accurate Prediction of Pharmacokinetics of Saroglitazar: A 3-point Linear Regression Model Development and Successful Prediction of Human Exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Joshi, Shuchi N; Srinivas, Nuggehally R; Parmar, Deven V

2018-03-01

Our aim was to develop and validate the extrapolative performance of a regression model using a limited sampling strategy for accurate estimation of the area under the plasma concentration versus time curve for saroglitazar. Healthy subject pharmacokinetic data from a well-powered food-effect study (fasted vs fed treatments; n = 50) was used in this work. The first 25 subjects' serial plasma concentration data up to 72 hours and corresponding AUC 0-t (ie, 72 hours) from the fasting group comprised a training dataset to develop the limited sampling model. The internal datasets for prediction included the remaining 25 subjects from the fasting group and all 50 subjects from the fed condition of the same study. The external datasets included pharmacokinetic data for saroglitazar from previous single-dose clinical studies. Limited sampling models were composed of 1-, 2-, and 3-concentration-time points' correlation with AUC 0-t of saroglitazar. Only models with regression coefficients (R 2 ) >0.90 were screened for further evaluation. The best R 2 model was validated for its utility based on mean prediction error, mean absolute prediction error, and root mean square error. Both correlations between predicted and observed AUC 0-t of saroglitazar and verification of precision and bias using Bland-Altman plot were carried out. None of the evaluated 1- and 2-concentration-time points models achieved R 2 > 0.90. Among the various 3-concentration-time points models, only 4 equations passed the predefined criterion of R 2 > 0.90. Limited sampling models with time points 0.5, 2, and 8 hours (R 2 = 0.9323) and 0.75, 2, and 8 hours (R 2 = 0.9375) were validated. Mean prediction error, mean absolute prediction error, and root mean square error were prediction of saroglitazar. The same models, when applied to the AUC 0-t prediction of saroglitazar sulfoxide, showed mean prediction error, mean absolute prediction error, and root mean square error model predicts the exposure of

A statistical rationale for establishing process quality control limits using fixed sample size, for critical current verification of SSC superconducting wire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pollock, D.A.; Brown, G.; Capone, D.W. II; Christopherson, D.; Seuntjens, J.M.; Woltz, J.

1992-01-01

This work has demonstrated the statistical concepts behind the XBAR R method for determining sample limits to verify billet I c performance and process uniformity. Using a preliminary population estimate for μ and σ from a stable production lot of only 5 billets, we have shown that reasonable sensitivity to systematic process drift and random within billet variation may be achieved, by using per billet subgroup sizes of moderate proportions. The effects of subgroup size (n) and sampling risk (α and β) on the calculated control limits have been shown to be important factors that need to be carefully considered when selecting an actual number of measurements to be used per billet, for each supplier process. Given the present method of testing in which individual wire samples are ramped to I c only once, with measurement uncertainty due to repeatability and reproducibility (typically > 1.4%), large subgroups (i.e. >30 per billet) appear to be unnecessary, except as an inspection tool to confirm wire process history for each spool. The introduction of the XBAR R method or a similar Statistical Quality Control procedure is recommend for use in the superconducing wire production program, particularly when the program transitions from requiring tests for all pieces of wire to sampling each production unit

Sample pretreatment optimization for the analysis of short chain chlorinated paraffins in soil with gas chromatography-electron capture negative ion-mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Laiguo; Huang, Yumei; Han, Shuang; Feng, Yongbin; Jiang, Guo; Tang, Caiming; Ye, Zhixiang; Zhan, Wei; Liu, Ming; Zhang, Sukun

2013-01-25

Accurately quantifying short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) in soil samples with gas chromatograph coupled with electron capture negative ionization mass spectrometry (GC-ECNI-MS) is difficult because many other polychlorinated pollutants are present in the sample matrices. These pollutants (e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and toxaphene) can cause serious interferences during SCCPs analysis with GC-MS. Four main columns packed with different adsorbents, including silica gel, Florisil and alumina, were investigated in this study to determine their performance for separating interfering pollutants from SCCPs. These experimental results suggest that the optimum cleanup procedure uses a silica gel column and a multilayer silica gel-Florisil composite column. This procedure completely separated 22 PCB congeners, 23 OCPs and three toxaphene congeners from SCCPs. However, p,p'-DDD, cis-nonachlor and o,p'-DDD were not completely removed and only 53% of the total toxaphene was removed. This optimized method was successfully and effectively applied for removing interfering pollutants from real soil samples. SCCPs in 17 soil samples from different land use areas within a suburban region were analyzed with the established method. The concentrations of SCCPs in these samples were between 7 and 541 ng g(-1) (mean: 84 ng g(-1)). Similar homologue SCCPs patterns were observed between the soil samples collected from different land use areas. In addition, lower chlorinated (Cl(6/7)) C(10)- and C(11)- SCCPs were the dominant congeners. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Brain oscillatory substrates of visual short-term memory capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauseng, Paul; Klimesch, Wolfgang; Heise, Kirstin F; Gruber, Walter R; Holz, Elisa; Karim, Ahmed A; Glennon, Mark; Gerloff, Christian; Birbaumer, Niels; Hummel, Friedhelm C

2009-11-17

The amount of information that can be stored in visual short-term memory is strictly limited to about four items. Therefore, memory capacity relies not only on the successful retention of relevant information but also on efficient suppression of distracting information, visual attention, and executive functions. However, completely separable neural signatures for these memory capacity-limiting factors remain to be identified. Because of its functional diversity, oscillatory brain activity may offer a utile solution. In the present study, we show that capacity-determining mechanisms, namely retention of relevant information and suppression of distracting information, are based on neural substrates independent of each other: the successful maintenance of relevant material in short-term memory is associated with cross-frequency phase synchronization between theta (rhythmical neural activity around 5 Hz) and gamma (> 50 Hz) oscillations at posterior parietal recording sites. On the other hand, electroencephalographic alpha activity (around 10 Hz) predicts memory capacity based on efficient suppression of irrelevant information in short-term memory. Moreover, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation at alpha frequency can modulate short-term memory capacity by influencing the ability to suppress distracting information. Taken together, the current study provides evidence for a double dissociation of brain oscillatory correlates of visual short-term memory capacity.

Investigating self-esteem in individuals with schizophrenia: relevance of the Self-Esteem Rating Scale-Short Form.

Science.gov (United States)

Lecomte, Tania; Corbière, Marc; Laisné, François

2006-06-30

Studies investigating self-esteem in individuals with severe mental illness, either as a treatment goal, outcome or correlate to other variables, have increased over the past few years. One of the main difficulties in assessing self-esteem is the assessment itself, often measuring global and stable self-esteem as in the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, or requiring extensive training and long interviews. The present article aims at demonstrating the relevance of the French and English versions of the Self-Esteem Rating Scale-Short Form with individuals with severe mental illness. The instrument's reliability and validity were investigated in a sample of 250 French Canadian college students, 247 British college students and three samples of English- or French-speaking individuals with severe mental illness (N=254, N=150 and N=171). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a shorter version of the instrument (20 items), with a positive and a negative self-esteem factor, had a great validity for all the samples studied. The Self-Esteem Rating Scale-Short Form, with its positive and negative self-esteem subscales, appears to be a valid and reliable self-esteem measure for individuals with mental health problems. Limitations of this study and future directions are discussed.

Minimalism in the modern short story

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A Razi

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Short story has recently become the focus of attention in the late decades in Iran. The expanding value of writing short story is actually a reasonable outcome of the dominance of minimalism- a movement which is based upon simplicity and shortness. Minimalist writers, leaving out redundant features of narration, mainly focus on essentialities through applying a variety of techniques such as cuttings from the interesting moments of real life, evading introduction, applying inter-referents, choice of words, short stanzas and sentences and so on. Looking upon critic’s opinion about such a tendency over the past and present, this article will come up with a brief explanation of the properties of such stories. Finally a sample story “candles will never go dead” will be analyzed and discussed in the lights of such techniques.

Short assessment of the Big Five: robust across survey methods except telephone interviewing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lang, Frieder R; John, Dennis; Lüdtke, Oliver; Schupp, Jürgen; Wagner, Gert G

2011-06-01

We examined measurement invariance and age-related robustness of a short 15-item Big Five Inventory (BFI-S) of personality dimensions, which is well suited for applications in large-scale multidisciplinary surveys. The BFI-S was assessed in three different interviewing conditions: computer-assisted or paper-assisted face-to-face interviewing, computer-assisted telephone interviewing, and a self-administered questionnaire. Randomized probability samples from a large-scale German panel survey and a related probability telephone study were used in order to test method effects on self-report measures of personality characteristics across early, middle, and late adulthood. Exploratory structural equation modeling was used in order to test for measurement invariance of the five-factor model of personality trait domains across different assessment methods. For the short inventory, findings suggest strong robustness of self-report measures of personality dimensions among young and middle-aged adults. In old age, telephone interviewing was associated with greater distortions in reliable personality assessment. It is concluded that the greater mental workload of telephone interviewing limits the reliability of self-report personality assessment. Face-to-face surveys and self-administrated questionnaire completion are clearly better suited than phone surveys when personality traits in age-heterogeneous samples are assessed.

Development of a non-thermal accelerated pulsed UV photolysis assisted digestion method for fresh and dried food samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solis, C.; Lagunas-Solar, M.C.; Perley, B.P.; Pina, C.; Aguilar, L.F.; Flocchini, R.G.

2002-01-01

A simple, fast digestion procedure for fresh and dried foods, using high-power pulsed UV photolysis in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, is being developed. The homogenized food samples were mixed with H 2 O 2 or with a mixture of H 2 O 2 and HNO 3 , and irradiated for short times with a 248-nm UV excimer laser. After centrifugation, a clear, colorless solution was obtained and aliquots were deposited on Teflon filters for XRF and/or PIXE analyses. Standard reference materials (NIST Peach Leaves; Typical Diet) were also analyzed to compare recoveries and detection limits. Improvements in detection limits were observed, but a few trace elements (<1 ppm) were not reproducibly detected (Fe, Sr). This method proved to be practical for the accelerated digestion of food samples and preparing analytes in short-time intervals. In combination with PIXE and XRF, it allows high-sensitivity multi-elemental analyses for screening the nutritional elements and for food safety purposes regarding the potential presence of toxic elements. Further development to optimize and validate this procedure for a broader range of analytes is in progress

A qualitative analysis of peer recruitment pressures in respondent driven sampling: Are risks above the ethical limit?

Science.gov (United States)

Mosher, Heather I; Moorthi, Gayatri; Li, JiangHong; Weeks, Margaret R

2015-09-01

This paper examines peer recruitment dynamics through respondent driven sampling (RDS) with a sample of injection drug users in Hartford, CT to understand the strategies participants use to recruit peers into a study and the extent to which these strategies may introduce risks above the ethical limit despite safeguards in RDS. Out of 526 injection drug users who participated in a mixed-method RDS methodology evaluation study, a nested sample of 61 participants completed an in-depth semi-structured interview at a 2-month follow-up to explore their experiences with the recruitment process. Findings revealed that participants used a variety of strategies to recruit peers, ranging from one-time interactions to more persistent strategies to encourage participation (e.g., selecting peers that can easily be found and contacted later, following up with peers to remind them of their appointment, accompanying peers to the study site, etc.). Some participants described the more persistent strategies as helpful, while some others experienced these strategies as minor peer pressure, creating a feeling of obligation to participate. Narratives revealed that overall, the probability of experiencing study-related risks remains relatively low for most participants; however, a disconcerting finding was that higher study-related risks (e.g., relationship conflict, loss of relationship, physical fights, violence) were seen for recruits who participated but switched coupons or for recruits who decided not to participate in the study and did not return the coupon to the recruiter. Findings indicate that peer recruitment practices in RDS generally pose minimal risk, but that peer recruitment may occasionally exceed the ethical limit, and that enhanced safeguards for studies using peer recruitment methods are recommended. Suggestions for possible enhancements are described. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

HPV self-sampling in Japanese women: A feasibility study in a population with limited experience of tampon use.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanley, Sharon Jb; Fujita, Hiromasa; Yokoyama, Susumu; Kunisawa, Shiori; Tamakoshi, Akiko; Dong, Peixin; Kobayashi, Noriko; Watari, Hidemichi; Kudo, Masataka; Sakuragi, Noriaki

2016-09-01

Cervical cancer incidence and mortality is increasing in Japanese women under age 50. Screening uptake is low and proactive recommendations for human papillomavirus vaccination have been suspended. Other cervical cancer prevention initiatives are urgently needed. We assessed whether human papillomavirus self-sampling might be an acceptable alternative to physician-led screening, particularly in women with limited experience of tampon use. We also sought to identify any practical, logistical, or safety issues in women already attending for screening, before carrying out further large-scale studies in non-responders. In total, 203 women aged 20-49 attending their annual workplace healthcheck in Sapporo, northern Japan, performed unsupervised human papillomavirus self-sampling before undergoing a physician-led cervical smear and human papillomavirus test, and completing a measure of acceptability for both tests. Ninety per cent of participants stated they would use self-sampling again. They found instructions easy to follow and reported no issues with the usability of the self-sampling device. Compared with physician-led testing, women found self-sampling significantly less painful, less embarrassing and could relax more (p Women lacked confidence the test had been performed correctly, despite no unsatisfactory samples. No safety issues were reported. Self-sampling was highly acceptable in this population of women. They could perform the test safely unsupervised, but lacked confidence the test has been carried out correctly. Japanese women need to be educated about the accuracy of human papillomavirus self-sampling and further large-scale studies are necessary in non-responders. © The Author(s) 2016.

Utilization of thin-layer chromatography for confirmational sampling during remedial excavation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burton, P.J.

1996-01-01

Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is a simple, efficient, inexpensive, and accurate method of chemical analysis. This method is applicable to field testing for confirming the limits of excavation during excavation of petroleum, oil, and/or lubricant (POL) contamination. Traditionally, excavation at contaminated sites suffers from a time delay due to the need to obtain laboratory confirmation of the limits of excavation. All suspected contaminated material is removed for stockpiling or remediation. The remaining soils need to be sampled to confirm that no contaminated material remains in the excavation. The site scientist collects samples and sends them out for analysis at a certified laboratory. The laboratory requires, even for a rush order, several days to analyze the samples. This time delay interferes with the efficiency of the operation. The excavations either have to be left open (which is a safety hazard) or reopened if additional material must be excavated. TLC samples can be collected and analyzed in several hours allowing for a short turnaround time for analytical results. The TLC method can be easily performed by a technician. Results of a case study from a subarctic Alaskan site will be reported. Simple operational TLC procedures will be shared. The equipment required for TLC analysis will be outlined. Correlation data between TLC and laboratory analysis will be presented

Assessing public speaking fear with the short form of the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker scale: confirmatory factor analyses among a French-speaking community sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Heeren, Alexandre; Ceschi, Grazia; Valentiner, David P; Dethier, Vincent; Philippot, Pierre

2013-01-01

The main aim of this study was to assess the reliability and structural validity of the French version of the 12-item version of the Personal Report of Confidence as Speaker (PRCS), one of the most promising measurements of public speaking fear. A total of 611 French-speaking volunteers were administered the French versions of the short PRCS, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale, as well as the Trait version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory-II, which assess the level of anxious and depressive symptoms, respectively. Regarding its structural validity, confirmatory factor analyses indicated a single-factor solution, as implied by the original version. Good scale reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86) was observed. The item discrimination analysis suggested that all the items contribute to the overall scale score reliability. The French version of the short PRCS showed significant correlations with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (r = 0.522), the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (r = 0.414), the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (r = 0.516), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (r = 0.361). The French version of the short PRCS is a reliable and valid measure for the evaluation of the fear of public speaking among a French-speaking sample. These findings have critical consequences for the measurement of psychological and pharmacological treatment effectiveness in public speaking fear among a French-speaking sample.

Short-wavelength attenuated polychromatic white light during work at night : Limited melatonin suppression without substantial decline of alertness

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Werken, Maan; Giménez, Marina C; de Vries, Bonnie; Beersma, Domien G M; Gordijn, Marijke C M

Exposure to light at night increases alertness, but light at night (especially short-wavelength light) also disrupts nocturnal physiology. Such disruption is thought to underlie medical problems for which shiftworkers have increased risk. In 33 male subjects we investigated whether short-wavelength

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Isolated from Short Mackerels (Rastrelliger brachysoma) in Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Chia W; Malcolm, Tan T H; Kuan, Chee H; Thung, Tze Y; Chang, Wei S; Loo, Yuet Y; Premarathne, Jayasekara M K J K; Ramzi, Othman B; Norshafawatie, Mohd F S; Yusralimuna, Nordin; Rukayadi, Yaya; Nakaguchi, Yoshitsugu; Nishibuchi, Mitsuaki; Radu, Son

2017-01-01

Numerous prevalence studies and outbreaks of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection have been extensively reported in shellfish and crustaceans. Information on the quantitative detection of V. parahaemolyticus in finfish species is limited. In this study, short mackerels ( Rastrelliger brachysoma ) obtained from different retail marketplaces were monitored with the presence of total and pathogenic strains of V. parahaemolyticus . Out of 130 short mackerel samples, 116 (89.2%) were detected with the presence of total V. parahaemolyticus and microbial loads of total V. parahaemolyticus ranging from 10 5 MPN/g. Prevalence of total V. parahaemolyticus was found highest in wet markets (95.2%) followed by minimarkets (89.1%) and hypermarkets (83.3%). Pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus strains ( tdh + and/or trh +) were detected in 16.2% (21 of 130) of short mackerel samples. The density of tdh + V. parahaemolyticus strains were examined ranging from 3.6 to >10 5 MPN/g and microbial loads of V. parahaemolyticus strains positive for both tdh and trh were found ranging from 300 to 740 MPN/g. On the other hand, antibiotic susceptibility profiles of V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated from short mackerels were determined through disc diffusion method in this study. Assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility profile of V. parahaemolyticus revealed majority of the isolates were highly susceptible to ampicillin sulbactam, meropenem, ceftazidime, and imipenem, but resistant to penicillin G and ampicillin. Two isolates (2.99%) exhibited the highest multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index value of 0.41 which shown resistance to 7 antibiotics. Results of the present study demonstrated that the occurrence of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus strains in short mackerels and multidrug resistance of V. parahaemolyticus isolates could be a potential public health concerns to the consumer. Furthermore, prevalence data attained from the current study can be further used to develop a microbial risk

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Isolated from Short Mackerels (Rastrelliger brachysoma in Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chia W. Tan

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Numerous prevalence studies and outbreaks of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection have been extensively reported in shellfish and crustaceans. Information on the quantitative detection of V. parahaemolyticus in finfish species is limited. In this study, short mackerels (Rastrelliger brachysoma obtained from different retail marketplaces were monitored with the presence of total and pathogenic strains of V. parahaemolyticus. Out of 130 short mackerel samples, 116 (89.2% were detected with the presence of total V. parahaemolyticus and microbial loads of total V. parahaemolyticus ranging from <3 to >105 MPN/g. Prevalence of total V. parahaemolyticus was found highest in wet markets (95.2% followed by minimarkets (89.1% and hypermarkets (83.3%. Pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus strains (tdh+ and/or trh+ were detected in 16.2% (21 of 130 of short mackerel samples. The density of tdh+ V. parahaemolyticus strains were examined ranging from 3.6 to >105 MPN/g and microbial loads of V. parahaemolyticus strains positive for both tdh and trh were found ranging from 300 to 740 MPN/g. On the other hand, antibiotic susceptibility profiles of V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated from short mackerels were determined through disc diffusion method in this study. Assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility profile of V. parahaemolyticus revealed majority of the isolates were highly susceptible to ampicillin sulbactam, meropenem, ceftazidime, and imipenem, but resistant to penicillin G and ampicillin. Two isolates (2.99% exhibited the highest multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR index value of 0.41 which shown resistance to 7 antibiotics. Results of the present study demonstrated that the occurrence of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus strains in short mackerels and multidrug resistance of V. parahaemolyticus isolates could be a potential public health concerns to the consumer. Furthermore, prevalence data attained from the current study can be further used to develop a

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Isolated from Short Mackerels (Rastrelliger brachysoma) in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Chia W.; Malcolm, Tan T. H.; Kuan, Chee H.; Thung, Tze Y.; Chang, Wei S.; Loo, Yuet Y.; Premarathne, Jayasekara M. K. J. K.; Ramzi, Othman B.; Norshafawatie, Mohd F. S.; Yusralimuna, Nordin; Rukayadi, Yaya; Nakaguchi, Yoshitsugu; Nishibuchi, Mitsuaki; Radu, Son

2017-01-01

Numerous prevalence studies and outbreaks of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection have been extensively reported in shellfish and crustaceans. Information on the quantitative detection of V. parahaemolyticus in finfish species is limited. In this study, short mackerels (Rastrelliger brachysoma) obtained from different retail marketplaces were monitored with the presence of total and pathogenic strains of V. parahaemolyticus. Out of 130 short mackerel samples, 116 (89.2%) were detected with the presence of total V. parahaemolyticus and microbial loads of total V. parahaemolyticus ranging from 105 MPN/g. Prevalence of total V. parahaemolyticus was found highest in wet markets (95.2%) followed by minimarkets (89.1%) and hypermarkets (83.3%). Pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus strains (tdh+ and/or trh+) were detected in 16.2% (21 of 130) of short mackerel samples. The density of tdh+ V. parahaemolyticus strains were examined ranging from 3.6 to >105 MPN/g and microbial loads of V. parahaemolyticus strains positive for both tdh and trh were found ranging from 300 to 740 MPN/g. On the other hand, antibiotic susceptibility profiles of V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated from short mackerels were determined through disc diffusion method in this study. Assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility profile of V. parahaemolyticus revealed majority of the isolates were highly susceptible to ampicillin sulbactam, meropenem, ceftazidime, and imipenem, but resistant to penicillin G and ampicillin. Two isolates (2.99%) exhibited the highest multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index value of 0.41 which shown resistance to 7 antibiotics. Results of the present study demonstrated that the occurrence of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus strains in short mackerels and multidrug resistance of V. parahaemolyticus isolates could be a potential public health concerns to the consumer. Furthermore, prevalence data attained from the current study can be further used to develop a microbial risk

UV DRIVEN EVAPORATION OF CLOSE-IN PLANETS: ENERGY-LIMITED, RECOMBINATION-LIMITED, AND PHOTON-LIMITED FLOWS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Owen, James E.; Alvarez, Marcelo A.

2016-01-01

We have investigated the evaporation of close-in exoplanets irradiated by ionizing photons. We find that the properties of the flow are controlled by the ratio of the recombination time to the flow timescale. When the recombination timescale is short compared to the flow timescale, the flow is in approximate local ionization equilibrium with a thin ionization front where the photon mean free path is short compared to the flow scale. In this “recombination-limited” flow the mass-loss scales roughly with the square root of the incident flux. When the recombination time is long compared to the flow timescale the ionization front becomes thick and encompasses the entire flow with the mass-loss rate scaling linearly with flux. If the planet's potential is deep, then the flow is approximately “energy-limited”; however, if the planet's potential is shallow, then we identify a new limiting mass-loss regime, which we term “photon-limited.” In this scenario, the mass-loss rate is purely limited by the incoming flux of ionizing photons. We have developed a new numerical approach that takes into account the frequency dependence of the incoming ionizing spectrum and performed a large suite of 1D simulations to characterize UV driven mass-loss around low-mass planets. We find that the flow is “recombination-limited” at high fluxes but becomes “energy-limited” at low fluxes; however, the transition is broad occurring over several orders of magnitude in flux. Finally, we point out that the transitions between the different flow types do not occur at a single flux value but depend on the planet's properties, with higher-mass planets becoming “energy-limited” at lower fluxes

A Short Term Analogue Memory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shah, Peter Jivan

1992-01-01

A short term analogue memory is described. It is based on a well-known sample-hold topology in which leakage currents have been minimized partly by circuit design and partly by layout techniques. Measurements on a test chip implemented in a standard 2.4 micron analogue CMOS process show a droop...

A Quantitative Approach to Variables Affecting Production of Short Films in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vedat Akman

2011-08-01

Full Text Available This study aims to explore the influence of various variables affecting the production of migration themed short films in Turkey. We proceeded to our analysis using descriptive statistics to describe the main futures of the sample data quantitatively. Due to non-uniformity of the data available, we were unable to use inductive statistics. Our basic sample statistical results indicated that short film producers prefered to produce short films on domestic migration theme rather than international. Gender and university seemed on surface as significant determinants to the production of migration themed short films in Turkey. We also looked at the demografic variables to provide more insights into our quantitative approach.

The attention-weighted sample-size model of visual short-term memory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, Philip L.; Lilburn, Simon D.; Corbett, Elaine A.

2016-01-01

exceeded that predicted by the sample-size model for both simultaneously and sequentially presented stimuli. Instead, the set-size effect and the serial position curves with sequential presentation were predicted by an attention-weighted version of the sample-size model, which assumes that one of the items...

Language Identification in Short Utterances Using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Recurrent Neural Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Zazo, Ruben; Lozano-Diez, Alicia; Gonzalez-Dominguez, Javier; Toledano, Doroteo T; Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Joaquin

2016-01-01

Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) have recently outperformed other state-of-the-art approaches, such as i-vector and Deep Neural Networks (DNNs), in automatic Language Identification (LID), particularly when dealing with very short utterances (∼3s). In this contribution we present an open-source, end-to-end, LSTM RNN system running on limited computational resources (a single GPU) that outperforms a reference i-vector system on a subset of the NIST Language Recognition Evaluation (8 target languages, 3s task) by up to a 26%. This result is in line with previously published research using proprietary LSTM implementations and huge computational resources, which made these former results hardly reproducible. Further, we extend those previous experiments modeling unseen languages (out of set, OOS, modeling), which is crucial in real applications. Results show that a LSTM RNN with OOS modeling is able to detect these languages and generalizes robustly to unseen OOS languages. Finally, we also analyze the effect of even more limited test data (from 2.25s to 0.1s) proving that with as little as 0.5s an accuracy of over 50% can be achieved.

INCAP - Applying short-term flexibility to control inventories

OpenAIRE

Lödding , Hermann; Lohmann , Steffen

2011-01-01

Abstract Inventory Based Capacity Control (INCAP) is a very simple method that allows inventory levels to be effectively controlled by using short-term capacity flexibility in make-to-stock settings. Moreover, INCAP can be used for finished goods inventories as well as for semi-finished goods inventories. The basic idea is to define upper and lower inventory limits and to adjust capacities if the inventory level reaches either limit. Should the inventory fall below the lower limit,...

Improved backward ray tracing with stochastic sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Ryu, Seung Taek; Yoon, Kyung-Hyun

1999-03-01

This paper presents a new technique that enhances the diffuse interreflection with the concepts of backward ray tracing. In this research, we have modeled the diffuse rays with the following conditions. First, as the reflection from the diffuse surfaces occurs in all directions, it is impossible to trace all of the reflected rays. We confined the diffuse rays by sampling the spherical angle out of the reflected rays around the normal vector. Second, the traveled distance of reflected energy from the diffuse surface differs according to the object's property, and has a comparatively short reflection distance. Considering the fact that the rays created on the diffuse surfaces affect relatively small area, it is very inefficient to trace all of the sampled diffused rays. Therefore, we set a fixed distance as the critical distance and all the rays beyond this distance are ignored. The result of this research is that as the improved backward ray tracing can model the illumination effects such as the color bleeding effects, we can replace the radiosity algorithm under the limited environment.

Approximative calculation of transient short-circuit currents in power-systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heuck, K; Rosenberger, R; Dettmann, K D; Kegel, R

1986-08-01

The paper shows that it is approximatively possible to calculate the transient short-circuit currents for symmetrical and asymmetrical faults in power-systems. For that purpose a simple equivalent network is found. Its error of approximation is small. For the important maximum short-circuit current limits of error are pointed out compared to VDE 0102.

On the relationship between short- and long-term memory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Thomas Alrik

James (1890) divided memory into separate stores; primary and secondary – or short-term and long-term memory. The interaction between the two stores often assumes that information initially is represented in volatile short-term store before entering and consolidating in the more durable long-term......, accepted). Counter to popular beliefs this suggest that long-term memory precedes short-term memory and not vice versa....... memory system (e.g. Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968). Short-term memory seems to provide a surprising processing bottleneck where only a very limited amount of information can be represented at any given moment (Miller, 1956; Cowan, 2001). A number of studies have investigated the nature of this processing...

Autoregressive Prediction with Rolling Mechanism for Time Series Forecasting with Small Sample Size

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhihua Wang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Reasonable prediction makes significant practical sense to stochastic and unstable time series analysis with small or limited sample size. Motivated by the rolling idea in grey theory and the practical relevance of very short-term forecasting or 1-step-ahead prediction, a novel autoregressive (AR prediction approach with rolling mechanism is proposed. In the modeling procedure, a new developed AR equation, which can be used to model nonstationary time series, is constructed in each prediction step. Meanwhile, the data window, for the next step ahead forecasting, rolls on by adding the most recent derived prediction result while deleting the first value of the former used sample data set. This rolling mechanism is an efficient technique for its advantages of improved forecasting accuracy, applicability in the case of limited and unstable data situations, and requirement of little computational effort. The general performance, influence of sample size, nonlinearity dynamic mechanism, and significance of the observed trends, as well as innovation variance, are illustrated and verified with Monte Carlo simulations. The proposed methodology is then applied to several practical data sets, including multiple building settlement sequences and two economic series.

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

Modeling Timbre Similarity of Short Music Clips.

Science.gov (United States)

Siedenburg, Kai; Müllensiefen, Daniel

2017-01-01

There is evidence from a number of recent studies that most listeners are able to extract information related to song identity, emotion, or genre from music excerpts with durations in the range of tenths of seconds. Because of these very short durations, timbre as a multifaceted auditory attribute appears as a plausible candidate for the type of features that listeners make use of when processing short music excerpts. However, the importance of timbre in listening tasks that involve short excerpts has not yet been demonstrated empirically. Hence, the goal of this study was to develop a method that allows to explore to what degree similarity judgments of short music clips can be modeled with low-level acoustic features related to timbre. We utilized the similarity data from two large samples of participants: Sample I was obtained via an online survey, used 16 clips of 400 ms length, and contained responses of 137,339 participants. Sample II was collected in a lab environment, used 16 clips of 800 ms length, and contained responses from 648 participants. Our model used two sets of audio features which included commonly used timbre descriptors and the well-known Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients as well as their temporal derivates. In order to predict pairwise similarities, the resulting distances between clips in terms of their audio features were used as predictor variables with partial least-squares regression. We found that a sparse selection of three to seven features from both descriptor sets-mainly encoding the coarse shape of the spectrum as well as spectrotemporal variability-best predicted similarities across the two sets of sounds. Notably, the inclusion of non-acoustic predictors of musical genre and record release date allowed much better generalization performance and explained up to 50% of shared variance ( R 2 ) between observations and model predictions. Overall, the results of this study empirically demonstrate that both acoustic features related

Heterogeneity in Short Gamma-Ray Bursts

Science.gov (United States)

Norris, Jay P.; Gehrels Neil; Scargle, Jeffrey D.

2011-01-01

We analyze the Swift/BAT sample of short gamma-ray bursts, using an objective Bayesian Block procedure to extract temporal descriptors of the bursts' initial pulse complexes (IPCs). The sample comprises 12 and 41 bursts with and without extended emission (EE) components, respectively. IPCs of non-EE bursts are dominated by single pulse structures, while EE bursts tend to have two or more pulse structures. The medians of characteristic timescales - durations, pulse structure widths, and peak intervals - for EE bursts are factors of approx 2-3 longer than for non-EE bursts. A trend previously reported by Hakkila and colleagues unifying long and short bursts - the anti-correlation of pulse intensity and width - continues in the two short burst groups, with non-EE bursts extending to more intense, narrower pulses. In addition we find that preceding and succeeding pulse intensities are anti-correlated with pulse interval. We also examine the short burst X-ray afterglows as observed by the Swift/XRT. The median flux of the initial XRT detections for EE bursts (approx 6 X 10(exp -10) erg / sq cm/ s) is approx > 20 x brighter than for non-EE bursts, and the median X-ray afterglow duration for EE bursts (approx 60,000 s) is approx 30 x longer than for non-EE bursts. The tendency for EE bursts toward longer prompt-emission timescales and higher initial X-ray afterglow fluxes implies larger energy injections powering the afterglows. The longer-lasting X-ray afterglows of EE bursts may suggest that a significant fraction explode into more dense environments than non-EE bursts, or that the sometimes-dominant EE component efficiently p()wers the afterglow. Combined, these results favor different progenitors for EE and non-EE short bursts.

HETEROGENEITY IN SHORT GAMMA-RAY BURSTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norris, Jay P.; Gehrels, Neil; Scargle, Jeffrey D.

2011-01-01

We analyze the Swift/BAT sample of short gamma-ray bursts, using an objective Bayesian Block procedure to extract temporal descriptors of the bursts' initial pulse complexes (IPCs). The sample is comprised of 12 and 41 bursts with and without extended emission (EE) components, respectively. IPCs of non-EE bursts are dominated by single pulse structures, while EE bursts tend to have two or more pulse structures. The medians of characteristic timescales-durations, pulse structure widths, and peak intervals-for EE bursts are factors of ∼2-3 longer than for non-EE bursts. A trend previously reported by Hakkila and colleagues unifying long and short bursts-the anti-correlation of pulse intensity and width-continues in the two short burst groups, with non-EE bursts extending to more intense, narrower pulses. In addition, we find that preceding and succeeding pulse intensities are anti-correlated with pulse interval. We also examine the short burst X-ray afterglows as observed by the Swift/X-Ray Telescope (XRT). The median flux of the initial XRT detections for EE bursts (∼6x10 -10 erg cm -2 s -1 ) is ∼>20x brighter than for non-EE bursts, and the median X-ray afterglow duration for EE bursts (∼60,000 s) is ∼30x longer than for non-EE bursts. The tendency for EE bursts toward longer prompt-emission timescales and higher initial X-ray afterglow fluxes implies larger energy injections powering the afterglows. The longer-lasting X-ray afterglows of EE bursts may suggest that a significant fraction explode into denser environments than non-EE bursts, or that the sometimes-dominant EE component efficiently powers the afterglow. Combined, these results favor different progenitors for EE and non-EE short bursts.

Ordered Short-Term Memory Differs in Signers and Speakers: Implications for Models of Short-Term Memory

Science.gov (United States)

Bavelier, Daphne; Newport, Elissa L.; Hall, Matt; Supalla, Ted; Boutla, Mrim

2008-01-01

Capacity limits in linguistic short-term memory (STM) are typically measured with forward span tasks in which participants are asked to recall lists of words in the order presented. Using such tasks, native signers of American Sign Language (ASL) exhibit smaller spans than native speakers ([Boutla, M., Supalla, T., Newport, E. L., & Bavelier, D.…

Short-term variability of binary and non-binary Trans-Neptunian Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Thirouin, Audrey; Noll, K. S.; Campo Bagatin, A.; Ortiz Moreno, J. L.; Morales, N.

2013-10-01

Since 1992, more than 1400 Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) have been discovered. Our approach to understand such objects is to study their rotations by monitoring their brightness variations. By studying the rotational properties of the TNOs a wealth of information can be obtained on their physics. So, the study of the spins and shapes of TNOs is a powerful method of gaining information on the formation and evolution of our Solar System. We have observed most of the brightest TNOs and centaurs, and compiled one of the largest lightcurves samples. The main purpose was to increase the number of objects whose short-term variability has been studied and present a homogeneous dataset trying to avoid observational biases. A dataset composed of 54 TNOs/Centaurs is reported and analyzed. Amplitudes and rotational periods have been derived for 45 of them with different degrees of reliability. For 9 objects, only an estimation of the amplitude is reported. Because most of the TNOs/Centaurs have low amplitude lightcurves, it is difficult to distinguish between single- and double-peaked lightcurves. Based on our results and the literature, following Binzel et al. (1989) study about asteroids rotational frequency distribution, we studied the TNOs spin rate distributions. We performed several Maxwellian fits to various histograms obtained considering that the lightcurves are single- or double-peaked. We tested lightcurve amplitude limits to distinguish if the lightcurve is albedo- or shape-dominated. Such a consideration introduces important changes in the distribution. We derived that an amplitude limit of 0.15mag gave a good fit to Maxwellian distribution. So, it seems that 0.15mag is a good measure of the typical variability caused by albedo. We studied the short-term variability of binary TNOs thanks to unresolved lightcurves. Based on our results and those from the literature, we come up with a sample of 32 systems with a rotational period and/or lightcurve amplitude value

Allele Frequency Data for 17 Short Tandem Repeats in a Czech Population Sample

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šimková, H.; Faltus, Václav; Marván, Richard; Pexa, T.; Stenzl, V.; Brouček, J.; Hořínek, A.; Mazura, Ivan; Zvárová, Jana

2009-01-01

Roč. 4, č. 1 (2009), e15-e17 ISSN 1872-4973 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) 1M06014 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : short tandem repeat (STR) * allelic frequency * PowerPlex 16 System * AmpflSTR Identifiler * population genetics * Czech Republic Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 2.421, year: 2009

Screening of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in selected riverine sediments and sludge from the Czech Republic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pribylova, Petra; Klanova, Jana; Holoubek, Ivan

2006-01-01

Wide distribution of chlorinated paraffins in the environment has already been demonstrated in several studies; however, information about their levels in the Central Europe is still very limited. First study focused on the SCCP contamination of the Czech aquatic environment have been performed recently, and its results motivated the authors to analyze sediments from a wide set of the Czech rivers in order to obtain more detailed information. Thirty-six sediment samples from eleven rivers and five drainage vents neighboring the chemical factories were analyzed; special attention was paid to the industrial areas. For the first time in the Czech Republic, medium-chain in addition to short-chain chlorinated paraffins were analyzed using GC-ECNI-MS. Chlorinated paraffins were detected in sediment samples on the concentration levels up to 347 ng g -1 for short-chain chlorinated paraffins, and 5575 ng g -1 for medium-chain chlorinated paraffins. Average chlorination degree of SCCPs was 65%. - Data on contamination of sediments from industrial areas fill the informational gap in the field of contamination of the Central Europe by chlorinated paraffins

Mass Limit for the standard model Higgs boson with the full LEP I ALEPH data sample

CERN Document Server

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

1996-01-01

background from the electroweak process e+e- --> l+ l- q qbar. This search results in a 95% C.L. lower limit on the Higgs boson mass of $63.9$~\\Gcs. The reaction e+e- --> HZ* is used to search for the standard model Higgs boson in the H nu nubar and the H l+ l- channels. The data sample corresponds to about 4.5 million hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH experiment at LEP from 1989 to 1995 at centre-of-mass energies at and around the Z peak. Three candidate events are found in the H mu+ mu- channel, in agreement with the expected

Mass limit for the standard model Higgs boson with the full LEP I ALEPH data sample

Science.gov (United States)

Buskulic, D.; de Bonis, I.; Decamp, D.; Ghez, P.; Goy, C.; Lees, J.-P.; Lucotte, A.; Minard, M.-N.; Nief, J.-Y.; Odier, P.; Pietrzyk, B.; Casado, M. P.; Chmeissani, M.; Crespo, J. M.; Delfino, M.; Efthymiopoulos, I.; Fernandez, E.; Fernandez-Bosman, M.; Garrido, Ll.; Juste, A.; Martinez, M.; Orteu, S.; Padilla, C.; Park, I. C.; Pascual, A.; Perlas, J. A.; Riu, I.; Sanchez, F.; Teubert, F.; Colaleo, A.; Creanza, D.; de Palma, M.; Gelao, G.; Girone, M.; Iaselli, G.; Maggi, G.; Maggi, M.; Marinelli, N.; Nuzzo, S.; Ranieri, A.; Raso, G.; Ruggieri, F.; Selvaggi, G.; Silvestris, L.; Tempesta, P.; Zito, G.; Huang, X.; Lin, J.; Ouyang, Q.; Wang, T.; Xie, Y.; Xu, R.; Xue, S.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, L.; Zhao, W.; Alemany, R.; Bazarko, A. O.; Bonvicini, G.; Cattaneo, M.; Comas, P.; Coyle, P.; Drevermann, H.; Forty, R. W.; Frank, M.; Hagelberg, R.; Harvey, J.; Janot, P.; Jost, B.; Kneringer, E.; Knobloch, J.; Lehraus, I.; Lutters, G.; Martin, E. B.; Mato, P.; Minten, A.; Miquel, R.; Mir, Ll. M.; Moneta, L.; Oest, T.; Pacheco, A.; Pusztaszeri, J.-F.; Ranjard, F.; Rensing, P.; Rolandi, L.; Schlatter, D.; Schmelling, M.; Schmitt, M.; Schneider, O.; Tejessy, W.; Tomalin, I. R.; Venturi, A.; Wachsmuth, H.; Wagner, A.; Ajaltouni, Z.; Barrès, A.; Boyer, C.; Falvard, A.; Gay, P.; Guicheney, C.; Henrard, P.; Jousset, J.; Michel, B.; Monteil, S.; Montret, J.-C.; Pallin, D.; Perret, P.; Podlyski, F.; Proriol, J.; Rosnet, P.; Rossignol, J.-M.; Fearnley, T.; Hansen, J. B.; Hansen, J. D.; Hansen, J. R.; Hansen, P. H.; Nilsson, B. S.; Rensch, B.; Wäänänen, A.; Kyriakis, A.; Markou, C.; Simopoulou, E.; Siotis, I.; Vayaki, A.; Zachariadou, K.; Blondel, A.; Bonneaud, G.; Brient, J. C.; Bourdon, P.; Rougé, A.; Rumpf, M.; Valassi, A.; Verderi, M.; Videau, H.; Candlin, D. J.; Parsons, M. I.; Focardi, E.; Parrini, G.; Corden, M.; Georgiopoulos, C.; Jaffe, D. E.; Antonelli, A.; Bencivenni, G.; Bologna, G.; Bossi, F.; Campana, P.; Capon, G.; Casper, D.; Chiarella, V.; Felici, G.; Laurelli, P.; Mannocchi, G.; Murtas, F.; Murtas, G. P.; Passalacqua, L.; Pepe-Altarelli, M.; Curtis, L.; Dorris, S. J.; Halley, A. W.; Knowles, I. G.; Lynch, J. G.; O'Shea, V.; Raine, C.; Reeves, P.; Scarr, J. M.; Smith, K.; Teixeira-Dias, P.; Thompson, A. S.; Thomson, F.; Thorn, S.; Turnbull, R. M.; Becker, U.; Geweniger, C.; Graefe, G.; Hanke, P.; Hansper, G.; Hepp, V.; Kluge, E. E.; Putzer, A.; Schmidt, M.; Sommer, J.; Stenzel, H.; Tittel, K.; Werner, S.; Wunsch, M.; Abbaneo, D.; Beuselinck, R.; Binnie, D. M.; Cameron, W.; Dornan, P. J.; Moutoussi, A.; Nash, J.; Sedgbeer, J. K.; Stacey, A. M.; Williams, M. D.; Dissertori, G.; Girtler, P.; Kuhn, D.; Rudolph, G.; Betteridge, A. P.; Bowdery, C. K.; Colrain, P.; Crawford, G.; Finch, A. J.; Foster, F.; Hughes, G.; Sloan, T.; Williams, M. I.; Galla, A.; Giehl, I.; Greene, A. M.; Kleinknecht, K.; Quast, G.; Renk, B.; Rohne, E.; Sander, H.-G.; van Gemmeren, P.; Zeitnitz, C.; Aubert, J. J.; Bencheikh, A. M.; Benchouk, C.; Bonissent, A.; Bujosa, G.; Calvet, D.; Carr, J.; Diaconu, C.; Etienne, F.; Konstantinidis, N.; Payre, P.; Rousseau, D.; Talby, M.; Sadouki, A.; Thulasidas, M.; Trabelsi, K.; Aleppo, M.; Ragusa, F.; Abt, I.; Assmann, R.; Bauer, C.; Blum, W.; Dietl, H.; Dydak, F.; Ganis, G.; Gotzhein, C.; Jakobs, K.; Kroha, H.; Lütjens, G.; Lutz, G.; Männer, W.; Moser, H.-G.; Richter, R.; Rosado-Schlosser, A.; Schael, S.; Settles, R.; Seywerd, H.; Denis, R. St.; Wiedenmann, W.; Wolf, G.; Boucrot, J.; Callot, O.; Choi, Y.; Cordier, A.; Davier, M.; Duflot, L.; Grivaz, J.-F.; Heusse, Ph.; Höcker, A.; Jacquet, M.; Kim, D. W.; Le Diberder, F.; Lefrançois, J.; Lutz, A.-M.; Nikolic, I.; Park, H. J.; Schune, M.-H.; Simion, S.; Veillet, J.-J.; Videau, I.; Zerwas, D.; Azzurri, P.; Bagliesi, G.; Batignani, G.; Bettarini, S.; Bozzi, C.; Calderini, G.; Carpinelli, M.; Ciocci, M. A.; Ciulli, V.; Dell'Orso, R.; Fantechi, R.; Ferrante, I.; Foà, L.; Forti, F.; Giassi, A.; Giorgi, M. A.; Gregorio, A.; Ligabue, F.; Lusiani, A.; Marrocchesi, P. S.; Messineo, A.; Palla, F.; Rizzo, G.; Sanguinetti, G.; Sciabà, A.; Spagnolo, P.; Steinberger, J.; Tenchini, R.; Tonelli, G.; Vannini, C.; Verdini, P. G.; Walsh, J.; Blair, G. A.; Bryant, L. M.; Cerutti, F.; Chambers, J. T.; Gao, Y.; Green, M. G.; Medcalf, T.; Perrodo, P.; Strong, J. A.; von Wimmersperg-Toeller, J. H.; Botterill, D. R.; Clifft, R. W.; Edgecock, T. R.; Haywood, S.; Maley, P.; Norton, P. R.; Thompson, J. C.; Wright, A. E.; Bloch-Devaux, B.; Colas, P.; Emery, S.; Kozanecki, W.; Lançon, E.; Lemaire, M. C.; Locci, E.; Marx, B.; Perez, P.; Rander, J.; Renardy, J.-F.; Roussarie, A.; Schuller, J.-P.; Schwindling, J.; Trabelsi, A.; Vallage, B.; Black, S. N.; Dann, J. H.; Johnson, R. P.; Kim, H. Y.; Litke, A. M.; McNeil, M. A.; Taylor, G.; Booth, C. N.; Boswell, R.; Brew, C. A. J.; Cartwright, S.; Combley, F.; Koksal, A.; Letho, M.; Newton, W. M.; Reeve, J.; Thompson, L. F.; Böhrer, A.; Brandt, S.; Büscher, V.; Cowan, G.; Grupen, C.; Minguet-Rodriguez, J.; Rivera, F.; Saraiva, P.; Smolik, L.; Stephan, F.; Apollonio, M.; Bosisio, L.; Della Marina, R.; Giannini, G.; Gobbo, B.; Musolino, G.; Rothberg, J.; Wasserbaech, S.; Armstrong, S. R.; Elmer, P.; Feng, Z.; Ferguson, D. P. S.; Gao, Y. S.; González, S.; Grahl, J.; Greening, T. C.; Hayes, O. J.; Hu, H.; McNamara, P. A.; Nachtman, J. M.; Orejudos, W.; Pan, Y. B.; Saadi, Y.; Scott, I. J.; Walsh, A. M.; Lan Wu, Sau; Wu, X.; Yamartino, J. M.; Zheng, M.; Zobernig, G.; Aleph Collaboration

1996-02-01

The reaction e +e - → HZ ∗ is used to search for the standard model Higgs boson in the Hν overlineν and the Hℓ +ℓ - channels. The data sample corresponds to about 4.5 million hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH experiment at LEP from 1989 to 1995 at centre-of-mass energies at and around the Z peak. Three candidate events are found in the H μ+μ- channel, in agreement with the expected background from the electroweak process e +e -ℓ +ℓ -q overlineq. This search results in a 95% C.L. lower limit on the Higgs boson mass of 63.9 GeV/ c2.

Determination of the Meteor Limiting Magnitude

Science.gov (United States)

Kingery, A.; Blaauw, R.; Cooke, W. J.

2016-01-01

The limiting meteor magnitude of a meteor camera system will depend on the camera hardware and software, sky conditions, and the location of the meteor radiant. Some of these factors are constants for a given meteor camera system, but many change between meteor shower or sporadic source and on both long and short timescales. Since the limiting meteor magnitude ultimately gets used to calculate the limiting meteor mass for a given data set, it is important to have an understanding of these factors and to monitor how they change throughout the night, as a 0.5 magnitude uncertainty in limiting magnitude translates to a uncertainty in limiting mass by a factor of two.

Metal-organic framework based in-syringe solid-phase extraction for the on-site sampling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental water samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaoqiong; Wang, Peiyi; Han, Qiang; Li, Hengzhen; Wang, Tong; Ding, Mingyu

2018-04-01

In-syringe solid-phase extraction is a promising sample pretreatment method for the on-site sampling of water samples because of its outstanding advantages of portability, simple operation, short extraction time, and low cost. In this work, a novel in-syringe solid-phase extraction device using metal-organic frameworks as the adsorbent was fabricated for the on-site sampling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental waters. Trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were effectively extracted through the self-made device followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis. Owing to the excellent adsorption performance of metal-organic frameworks, the analytes could be completely adsorbed during one adsorption cycle, thus effectively shortening the extraction time. Moreover, the adsorbed analytes could remain stable on the device for at least 7 days, revealing the potential of the self-made device for on-site sampling of degradable compounds in remote regions. The limit of detection ranged from 0.20 to 1.9 ng/L under the optimum conditions. Satisfactory recoveries varying from 84.4 to 104.5% and relative standard deviations below 9.7% were obtained in real samples analysis. The results of this study promote the application of metal-organic frameworks in sample preparation and demonstrate the great potential of in-syringe solid-phase extraction for the on-site sampling of trace contaminants in environmental waters. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

How Sample Size Affects a Sampling Distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Mulekar, Madhuri S.; Siegel, Murray H.

2009-01-01

If students are to understand inferential statistics successfully, they must have a profound understanding of the nature of the sampling distribution. Specifically, they must comprehend the determination of the expected value and standard error of a sampling distribution as well as the meaning of the central limit theorem. Many students in a high…

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.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the short-form condom attitude scale: validity assessment in a sub-sample of rural-to-urban migrant workers in Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Tapash; Anderson, Claire; Evans, Catrin; Rahman, Mohammad Shafiqur; Rahman, Mosiur

2013-03-19

The reliable and valid measurement of attitudes towards condom use are essential to assist efforts to design population specific interventions aimed at promoting positive attitude towards, and increased use of condoms. Although several studies, mostly in English speaking western world, have demonstrated the utility of condom attitude scales, very limited culturally relevant condom attitude measures have been developed till to date. We have developed a scale and evaluated its psychometric properties in a sub-sample of rural-to-urban migrant workers in Bangladesh. This paper reports mostly on cross-sectional survey components of a mixed methods sexual health research in Bangladesh. The survey sample (n = 878) comprised rural-to-urban migrant taxi drivers (n = 437) and restaurant workers (n = 441) in Dhaka (aged 18-35 years). The study also involved focus group sessions with same populations to establish the content validity and cultural equivalency of the scale. The current scale was administered with a large sexual health survey questionnaire and consisted of 10 items. Quantitative and qualitative data were assessed with statistical and thematic analysis, respectively, and then presented. The participants found the scale simple and easy to understand and use. The internal consistency (α) of the scale was 0.89 with high construct validity (the first component accounted for about 52% of variance and second component about 20% of the total variance with an Eigen-value for both factors greater than one). The test-retest reliability (repeatability) was also found satisfactory with high inter-item correlations (the majority of the intra-class correlation coefficient values was above 2 and was significant for all items on the scale, p < 0.001). The 2-week repeatability assessed by the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was 0.75. The results indicated that Bengali version of the scale have good metric properties for assessing attitudes toward

Survey research with a random digit dial national mobile phone sample in Ghana: Methods and sample quality

Science.gov (United States)

Sefa, Eunice; Adimazoya, Edward Akolgo; Yartey, Emmanuel; Lenzi, Rachel; Tarpo, Cindy; Heward-Mills, Nii Lante; Lew, Katherine; Ampeh, Yvonne

2018-01-01

Introduction Generating a nationally representative sample in low and middle income countries typically requires resource-intensive household level sampling with door-to-door data collection. High mobile phone penetration rates in developing countries provide new opportunities for alternative sampling and data collection methods, but there is limited information about response rates and sample biases in coverage and nonresponse using these methods. We utilized data from an interactive voice response, random-digit dial, national mobile phone survey in Ghana to calculate standardized response rates and assess representativeness of the obtained sample. Materials and methods The survey methodology was piloted in two rounds of data collection. The final survey included 18 demographic, media exposure, and health behavior questions. Call outcomes and response rates were calculated according to the American Association of Public Opinion Research guidelines. Sample characteristics, productivity, and costs per interview were calculated. Representativeness was assessed by comparing data to the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey and the National Population and Housing Census. Results The survey was fielded during a 27-day period in February-March 2017. There were 9,469 completed interviews and 3,547 partial interviews. Response, cooperation, refusal, and contact rates were 31%, 81%, 7%, and 39% respectively. Twenty-three calls were dialed to produce an eligible contact: nonresponse was substantial due to the automated calling system and dialing of many unassigned or non-working numbers. Younger, urban, better educated, and male respondents were overrepresented in the sample. Conclusions The innovative mobile phone data collection methodology yielded a large sample in a relatively short period. Response rates were comparable to other surveys, although substantial coverage bias resulted from fewer women, rural, and older residents completing the mobile phone survey in

Survey research with a random digit dial national mobile phone sample in Ghana: Methods and sample quality.

Science.gov (United States)

L'Engle, Kelly; Sefa, Eunice; Adimazoya, Edward Akolgo; Yartey, Emmanuel; Lenzi, Rachel; Tarpo, Cindy; Heward-Mills, Nii Lante; Lew, Katherine; Ampeh, Yvonne

2018-01-01

Generating a nationally representative sample in low and middle income countries typically requires resource-intensive household level sampling with door-to-door data collection. High mobile phone penetration rates in developing countries provide new opportunities for alternative sampling and data collection methods, but there is limited information about response rates and sample biases in coverage and nonresponse using these methods. We utilized data from an interactive voice response, random-digit dial, national mobile phone survey in Ghana to calculate standardized response rates and assess representativeness of the obtained sample. The survey methodology was piloted in two rounds of data collection. The final survey included 18 demographic, media exposure, and health behavior questions. Call outcomes and response rates were calculated according to the American Association of Public Opinion Research guidelines. Sample characteristics, productivity, and costs per interview were calculated. Representativeness was assessed by comparing data to the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey and the National Population and Housing Census. The survey was fielded during a 27-day period in February-March 2017. There were 9,469 completed interviews and 3,547 partial interviews. Response, cooperation, refusal, and contact rates were 31%, 81%, 7%, and 39% respectively. Twenty-three calls were dialed to produce an eligible contact: nonresponse was substantial due to the automated calling system and dialing of many unassigned or non-working numbers. Younger, urban, better educated, and male respondents were overrepresented in the sample. The innovative mobile phone data collection methodology yielded a large sample in a relatively short period. Response rates were comparable to other surveys, although substantial coverage bias resulted from fewer women, rural, and older residents completing the mobile phone survey in comparison to household surveys. Random digit dialing of mobile

Survey research with a random digit dial national mobile phone sample in Ghana: Methods and sample quality.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelly L'Engle

Full Text Available Generating a nationally representative sample in low and middle income countries typically requires resource-intensive household level sampling with door-to-door data collection. High mobile phone penetration rates in developing countries provide new opportunities for alternative sampling and data collection methods, but there is limited information about response rates and sample biases in coverage and nonresponse using these methods. We utilized data from an interactive voice response, random-digit dial, national mobile phone survey in Ghana to calculate standardized response rates and assess representativeness of the obtained sample.The survey methodology was piloted in two rounds of data collection. The final survey included 18 demographic, media exposure, and health behavior questions. Call outcomes and response rates were calculated according to the American Association of Public Opinion Research guidelines. Sample characteristics, productivity, and costs per interview were calculated. Representativeness was assessed by comparing data to the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey and the National Population and Housing Census.The survey was fielded during a 27-day period in February-March 2017. There were 9,469 completed interviews and 3,547 partial interviews. Response, cooperation, refusal, and contact rates were 31%, 81%, 7%, and 39% respectively. Twenty-three calls were dialed to produce an eligible contact: nonresponse was substantial due to the automated calling system and dialing of many unassigned or non-working numbers. Younger, urban, better educated, and male respondents were overrepresented in the sample.The innovative mobile phone data collection methodology yielded a large sample in a relatively short period. Response rates were comparable to other surveys, although substantial coverage bias resulted from fewer women, rural, and older residents completing the mobile phone survey in comparison to household surveys. Random digit

Radiance limits of ceramic phosphors under high excitation fluxes

Science.gov (United States)

Lenef, Alan; Kelso, John; Zheng, Yi; Tchoul, Maxim

2013-09-01

Ceramic phosphors, excited by high radiance pump sources, offer considerable potential for high radiance conversion. Interestingly, thermodynamic arguments suggest that the radiance of the luminescent spot can even exceed that of the incoming light source. In practice, however, thermal quenching and (non-thermal) optical saturation limit the maximum attainable radiance of the luminescent source. We present experimental data for Ce:YAG and Ce:GdYAG ceramics in which these limits have been investigated. High excitation fluxes are achieved using laser pumping. Optical pumping intensities exceeding 100W/mm2 have been shown to produce only modest efficiency depreciation at low overall pump powers because of the short Ce3+ lifetime, although additional limitations exist. When pump powers are higher, heat-transfer bottlenecks within the ceramic and heat-sink interfaces limit maximum pump intensities. We find that surface temperatures of these laser-pumped ceramics can reach well over 150°C, causing thermal-quenching losses. We also find that in some cases, the loss of quantum efficiency with increasing temperature can cause a thermal run-away effect, resulting in a rapid loss in converted light, possibly over-heating the sample or surrounding structures. While one can still obtain radiances on the order of many W/mm2/sr, temperature quenching effects ultimately limit converted light radiance. Finally, we use the diffusion-approximation radiation transport models and rate equation models to simulate some of these nonlinear optical pumping and heating effects in high-scattering ceramics.

Validation of the Short Form of the Academic Procrastination Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Yockey, Ronald D

2016-02-01

The factor structure, internal consistency reliability, and convergent validity of the five-item Academic Procrastination Scale-Short Form was investigated on an ethnically diverse sample of college students. The results provided support for the Academic Procrastination Scale-Short Form as a unidimensional measure of academic procrastination, which possessed good internal consistency reliability in this sample of 282 students. The scale also demonstrated good convergent validity, with moderate to large correlations with both the Procrastination Assessment Scale-Students and the Tuckman Procrastination Scale. Implications of the results are discussed and recommendations for future work provided.

Analysis of the short-term overproduction capability of variable speed wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Anca Daniela; Altin, Müfit; Margaris, Ioannis D.

2014-01-01

Emphasis in this article is on variable speed wind turbines (VSWTs) capability to provide short-term overproduction and better understanding of VSWTs’ mechanical and electrical limits to deliver such support. VSWTs’ short-term overproduction capability is of primary concern for the transmission...

What are the differences between long-term, short-term, and working memory?

OpenAIRE

Cowan, Nelson

2008-01-01

In the recent literature there has been considerable confusion about the three types of memory: long-term, short-term, and working memory. This chapter strives to reduce that confusion and makes up-to-date assessments of these types of memory. Long- and short-term memory could differ in two fundamental ways, with only short-term memory demonstrating (1) temporal decay and (2) chunk capacity limits. Both properties of short-term memory are still controversial but the current literature is rath...

Perspectives for short timescale variability studies with Gaia

Science.gov (United States)

Roelens, M.; Eyer, L.; Mowlavi, N.; Lecoeur-Taïbi, I.; Rimoldini, L.; Blanco-Cuaresma, S.; Palaversa, L.; Süveges, M.; Charnas, J.; Wevers, T.

2017-12-01

We assess the potential of Gaia for detecting and characterizing short timescale variables, i.e. at timescale from a few seconds to a dozen hours, through extensive light-curve simulations for various short timescale variable types, including both periodic and non-periodic variability. We evidence that the variogram analysis applied to Gaia photometry should enable to detect such fast variability phenomena, down to amplitudes of a few millimagnitudes, with limited contamination from longer timescale variables or constant sources. This approach also gives valuable information on the typical timescale(s) of the considered variation, which could complement results of classical period search methods, and help prepare ground-based follow-up of the Gaia short timescale candidates.

Laser-enhanced ionization spectroscopy around the ionization limit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Axner, O.; Berglind, T.; Sjoestroem, S.

1986-01-01

Laser-induced photoionization and Laser-Enhanced collision Ionization (LEI) of Na, Tl, and Li in flames are detected by measuring the production of charges following a laser excitation. The ionization signal is investigated for excitations of the atoms from lower lying states both to Rydberg states close to the ionization limit, as well as to continuum states, i.e. the process of collision ionization is compared with that of photoionization. The qualitative behaviour of the ionization signal when scanning across the ionization limit is studied. It is shown that the ionization signal has a smooth behaviour when passing from bound states into continuum states. The laser-induced photoionization signal strength of atoms in flames is both calculated and measured and a good agreement is obtained. A calculation of wavelength dependent photoionization signal strengths for a number of elements is also presented. Photoionization is used to determine flame- and geometry-dependent parameters. An implication of photoionization in connection with LEI spectrometry for trace element analysis is that there will be a significant increase in background noise if the sample contains high concentrations of easily photoionizing elements and short wavelength light is used. (orig.)

Possibilities for decreasing detection limits of analytical methods for determination of transformation products of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine in environmental samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bulat Kenessov

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Most rockets of middle and heavy class launched from Kazakhstan, Russia, China and other countries still use highly toxic unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH as a liquid propellant. Study of migration, distribution and accumulation of UDMH transformation products in environment and human health impact assessment of space rocket activity are currently complicated due to the absence of analytical methods allowing detection of trace concentrations of these compounds in analyzed samples. This paper reviews methods and approaches, which can be applied for development of such methods. Detection limits at a part-per-trillion (ppt level may be achieved using most selective and sensitive methods based on gas or liquid chromatography in combination of tandem or high-resolution mass spectrometry. In addition, 1000-fold concentration of samples or integrated sample preparation methods, e.g., dynamic headspace extraction, are required. Special attention during development and application of such methods must be paid to purity of laboratory air, reagents, glassware and analytical instruments.

The density limit in Tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alladio, F.

1985-01-01

A short summary of the present status of experimental observations, theoretical ideas and understanding of the density limit in tokamaks is presented. It is the result of the discussion that was held on this topic at the 4th European Tokamak Workshop in Copenhagen (December 4th to 6th, 1985). 610 refs

Long-Short Fund Performance Evaluation in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fábio Augusto Reis Gomes

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Long-Short Funds should be able to provide positive returns, above the opportunity cost and independent of market conditions, once they can have both long and short positions. For this reason, this study aims to evaluate the Long-Short funds in Brazil, assessing whether customers of these products are buying just market returns (Beta, or if there is excess return (alpha independent of the stock market. Analyzing a sample of 76 funds from January 2, 2001 to March 31, 2008, using daily and monthly data, we found evidence that a small number of funds are able to generate excess return. Besides, this excess does not exhibit persistence. Finally, there is little or no evidence for market timing.

How Do Earth-Sized, Short-Period Planets Form?

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-08-01

Matching theory to observation often requires creative detective work. In a new study, scientists have used a clever test to reveal clues about the birth of speedy, Earth-sized planets.Former Hot Jupiters?Artists impression of a hot Jupiter with an evaporating atmosphere. [NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech]Among the many different types of exoplanets weve observed, one unusual category is that of ultra-short-period planets. These roughly Earth-sized planets speed around their host stars at incredible rates, with periods of less than a day.How do planets in this odd category form? One popular theory is that they were previously hot Jupiters, especially massive gas giants orbiting very close to their host stars. The close orbit caused the planets atmospheres to be stripped away, leaving behind only their dense cores.In a new study, a team of astronomers led by Joshua Winn (Princeton University) has found a clever way to test this theory.Planetary radius vs. orbital period for the authors three statistical samples (colored markers) and the broader sample of stars in the California Kepler Survey. [Winn et al. 2017]Testing MetallicitiesStars hosting hot Jupiters have an interesting quirk: they typically have metallicities that are significantly higher than an average planet-hosting star. It is speculated that this is because planets are born from the same materials as their host stars, and hot Jupiters require the presence of more metals to be able to form.Regardless of the cause of this trend, if ultra-short-period planets are in fact the solid cores of former hot Jupiters, then the two categories of planets should have hosts with the same metallicity distributions. The ultra-short-period-planet hosts should therefore also be weighted to higher metallicities than average planet-hosting stars.To test this, the authors make spectroscopic measurements and gather data for a sample of stellar hosts split into three categories:64 ultra-short-period planets (orbital period shorter than a

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

Investigations of Short-Timescale Outflow Variability in Quasars of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Hemler, Zachary; Grier, Catherine; Brandt, William; Hall, Patrick; Schneider, Donald; Shen, Yue; Fernandez-Trincado, Jose; SDSS-RM Collaboration

2018-01-01

Quasar outflows are hypothesized to regulate the growth of a quasar's host galaxy and the supermassive black hole (SMBH) itself. Thus, understanding the physics of these outflows is imperative to understanding galactic evolution. The physical properties of these outflows, such as density, radial distance from the SMBH, and kinetic energy can be investigated by measuring both the strength and shape variability of broad absorption lines (BALs) in quasar spectra. However, the accuracy of physical properties calculated using BAL variability methods is limited by the time resolution of the observations. Recent spectral data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping program (SDSS-RM) provides a novel opportunity to investigate the short-term BAL variability of many quasars at many epochs. The SDSS-RM program took many epochs of spectra for a large sample of quasars over a period of several years, many of which exhibit BALs. The median rest-frame time resolution of these observations is roughly 2 days, in contrast to previous large-sample studies, which typically have time spacing on the order of hundred of days. We are using the SDSS-RM dataset to conduct a BAL variability study that will further constrain outflow properties and provide significant insights into the variability mechanisms of quasar outflows. We are searching for variability in BALs on timescales of less than 2 days among our sample of 22 quasars and determining whether this behavior is common among quasars. We are also investigating the general short-term (less than 10 days) variability characteristics of the entire sample. We will present preliminary results from this study and the possible implications to our understanding of quasar outflows.

An ethics curriculum for short-term global health trainees

OpenAIRE

DeCamp, Matthew; Rodriguez, Joce; Hecht, Shelby; Barry, Michele; Sugarman, Jeremy

2013-01-01

Background Interest in short-term global health training and service programs continues to grow, yet they can be associated with a variety of ethical issues for which trainees or others with limited global health experience may not be prepared to address. Therefore, there is a clear need for educational interventions concerning these ethical issues. Methods We developed and evaluated an introductory curriculum, ?Ethical Challenges in Short-term Global Health Training.? The curriculum was deve...

Evaluation of cognitive function in patients with limited small cell lung cancer prior to and shortly following prophylactic cranial irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Komaki, Ritsuko; Meyers, Christina A; Shin, Dong M; Garden, Adam S; Byrne, Kevin; Nickens, Judy A; Cox, James D

1995-08-30

Purpose: Cognitive deficits after treatment for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) have been attributed to prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI). A prospective study of neuropsychological function was undertaken to document the evolution and magnitude of neuropsychologic deficits. Methods and Materials: Thirty patients with limited stage SCLC who responded well (29 complete response (CR), 1 partial response (PR)) to combination chemotherapy plus thoracic irradiation or resection were studied with neuropsychological tests in the cognitive domains of intelligence, frontal lobe function, language, memory, visual-perception, and motor dexterity prior to a planned course of PCI. Nine patients had a neurologic history that could influence testing. Results: An unexpected 97% (29 out of 30) of patients had evidence of cognitive dysfunction prior to PCI. The most frequent impairment was verbal memory, followed by frontal lobe dysfunction, and fine motor incoordination. Of the patients with no prior neurologic or substance abuse history, 20 out of 21 (95%) had impairments on neuropsychological assessment. This neurologically normal group was just as impaired as the group with such a history with respect to delayed verbal memory and frontal lobe executive function. Eleven patients had neuropsychological testing 6 to 20 months after PCI; no significant differences were found from their pretreatment tests. Conclusions: A high proportion of neurologically normal patients with limited SCLC and favorable responses to combination chemotherapy have specific cognitive deficits before receiving PCI. Short-term (6 to 20 months) observations after PCI have shown no significant deterioration.

Evaluation of cognitive function in patients with limited small cell lung cancer prior to and shortly following prophylactic cranial irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komaki, Ritsuko; Meyers, Christina A.; Shin, Dong M.; Garden, Adam S.; Byrne, Kevin; Nickens, Judy A.; Cox, James D.

1995-01-01

Purpose: Cognitive deficits after treatment for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) have been attributed to prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI). A prospective study of neuropsychological function was undertaken to document the evolution and magnitude of neuropsychologic deficits. Methods and Materials: Thirty patients with limited stage SCLC who responded well (29 complete response (CR), 1 partial response (PR)) to combination chemotherapy plus thoracic irradiation or resection were studied with neuropsychological tests in the cognitive domains of intelligence, frontal lobe function, language, memory, visual-perception, and motor dexterity prior to a planned course of PCI. Nine patients had a neurologic history that could influence testing. Results: An unexpected 97% (29 out of 30) of patients had evidence of cognitive dysfunction prior to PCI. The most frequent impairment was verbal memory, followed by frontal lobe dysfunction, and fine motor incoordination. Of the patients with no prior neurologic or substance abuse history, 20 out of 21 (95%) had impairments on neuropsychological assessment. This neurologically normal group was just as impaired as the group with such a history with respect to delayed verbal memory and frontal lobe executive function. Eleven patients had neuropsychological testing 6 to 20 months after PCI; no significant differences were found from their pretreatment tests. Conclusions: A high proportion of neurologically normal patients with limited SCLC and favorable responses to combination chemotherapy have specific cognitive deficits before receiving PCI. Short-term (6 to 20 months) observations after PCI have shown no significant deterioration

Temperature dependence of dynamical permeability characterization of magnetic thin films using shorted microstrip line probe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Xiling; Li, Chengyi; Chai, Guozhi

2017-01-01

A temperature dependence microwave permeability characterization system of magnetic thin film up to 10 GHz is designed and fabricated. This system can be used at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 200 °C, and is based on a shorted microstrip probe, which is made by microwave printed circuit board. Without contacting the magnetic thin films to the probe, the microwave permeability of the film can be detected without any limitations of sample size and with almost the same accuracy, as shown by comparison with the results obtained from a shorted microstrip transmission-line fixture. The complex permeability can be deduced by an analytical approach from the measured reflection coefficient of a strip line ( S 11 ) with and without a ferromagnetic film material on it. The procedures are the same with the shorted microstrip transmission-line method. The microwave permeability of an oblique deposited CoZr thin film was investigated with this probe. The results show that the room temperature dynamic permeability of the CoZr film is in good agreement with the results obtained from the established short-circuited microstrip perturbation method. The temperature dependence permeability results fit well with the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation. Development of the temperature-dependent measurement of the magnetic properties of magnetic thin film may be useful for the high-frequency application of magnetic devices at high temperatures. (paper)

Using a Process Dissociation Approach to Assess Verbal Short-Term Memory for Item and Order Information in a Sample of Individuals with a Self-Reported Diagnosis of Dyslexia.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaoli; Xuan, Yifu; Jarrold, Christopher

2016-01-01

Previous studies have examined whether difficulties in short-term memory for verbal information, that might be associated with dyslexia, are driven by problems in retaining either information about to-be-remembered items or the order in which these items were presented. However, such studies have not used process-pure measures of short-term memory for item or order information. In this work we adapt a process dissociation procedure to properly distinguish the contributions of item and order processes to verbal short-term memory in a group of 28 adults with a self-reported diagnosis of dyslexia and a comparison sample of 29 adults without a dyslexia diagnosis. In contrast to previous work that has suggested that individuals with dyslexia experience item deficits resulting from inefficient phonological representation and language-independent order memory deficits, the results showed no evidence of specific problems in short-term retention of either item or order information among the individuals with a self-reported diagnosis of dyslexia, despite this group showing expected difficulties on separate measures of word and non-word reading. However, there was some suggestive evidence of a link between order memory for verbal material and individual differences in non-word reading, consistent with other claims for a role of order memory in phonologically mediated reading. The data from the current study therefore provide empirical evidence to question the extent to which item and order short-term memory are necessarily impaired in dyslexia.

Limitless capacity: a dynamic object-oriented approach to short-term memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Macken, Bill; Taylor, John; Jones, Dylan

2015-01-01

The notion of capacity-limited processing systems is a core element of cognitive accounts of limited and variable performance, enshrined within the short-term memory construct. We begin with a detailed critical analysis of the conceptual bases of this view and argue that there are fundamental problems - ones that go to the heart of cognitivism more generally - that render it untenable. In place of limited capacity systems, we propose a framework for explaining performance that focuses on the dynamic interplay of three aspects of any given setting: the particular task that must be accomplished, the nature and form of the material upon which the task must be performed, and the repertoire of skills and perceptual-motor functions possessed by the participant. We provide empirical examples of the applications of this framework in areas of performance typically accounted for by reference to capacity-limited short-term memory processes.

The effects of sampling location and turbulence on discharge estimates in short converging turbine intakes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romero-Gomez, P.; Harding, S. F.; Richmond, M. C.

2017-01-01

Standards provide recommendations for best practices when installing current meters to measure fluid flow in closed conduits. A central guideline requires the velocity distribution to be regular and the flow steady. Because of the nature of the short converging intakes typical of low-head hydroturbines, these assumptions may be invalid if current meters are intended to be used to estimate discharge. Usual concerns are (1) the effects of the number of devices, (2) the sampling location and (3) the high turbulence caused by blockage from submersible traveling screens usually deployed for safe downstream fish passage. These three effects were examined in the present study by using 3D simulated flow fields in both steady-state and transient modes. In the process of describing an application at an existing hydroturbine intake at Ice Harbor Dam, the present work outlined the methods involved, which combined computational fluid dynamics, laboratory measurements in physical models of the hydroturbine, and current meter performance evaluations in experimental settings. The main conclusions in this specific application were that a steady-state flow field sufficed to determine the adequate number of meters and their location, and that both the transverse velocity and turbulence intensity had a small impact on estimate errors. However, while it may not be possible to extrapolate these findings to other field conditions and measuring devices, the study laid out a path to conduct similar assessments in other applications.

Method for fractional solid-waste sampling and chemical analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riber, Christian; Rodushkin, I.; Spliid, Henrik

2007-01-01

four subsampling methods and five digestion methods, paying attention to the heterogeneity and the material characteristics of the waste fractions, it was possible to determine 61 substances with low detection limits, reasonable variance, and high accuracy. For most of the substances of environmental...... of variance (20-85% of the overall variation). Only by increasing the sample size significantly can this variance be reduced. The accuracy and short-term reproducibility of the chemical characterization were good, as determined by the analysis of several relevant certified reference materials. Typically, six...... to eight different certified reference materials representing a range of concentrations levels and matrix characteristics were included. Based on the documentation provided, the methods introduced were considered satisfactory for characterization of the chemical composition of waste-material fractions...

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.

SITE WIDE SHORT CIRCUIT STUDY ASSESSMENT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CARRATT, R.T.

2004-01-01

The Department of Energy requested that Fluor Hanford develop a plan to update the electrical distribution studies for FH managed facilities. Toward this end, an assessment of FH's nuclear facilities was performed to determine whether a current short circuit study of the facility electrical distribution system exists, and the status of such study. This report presents the methodology and results of that assessment. The assessment identified 29 relevant facilities. Of these, a short circuit study could not be identified for 15 facilities. A short circuit study was found to exist for fourteen facilities, however, of these 14, four were not released into a controlled document system, and two were not performed for the entire electrical distribution system. It is recommended that for four of the facilities no further action is required based upon the limited nature of the existing electrical system, or as in the case of PFP, the status of the existing short circuit study was determined adequate. For the majority of the facilities without a short circuit study, it is recommended that one is performed, and released into a controlled document system. Two facilities require further evaluation due to missing or conflicting documentation. For the remainder of the facilities, the recommendations are to review and revise as appropriate the existing study, and release into a controlled document system. A summation of the recommendations is presented

EML Surface Air Sampling Program, 1990--1993 data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsen, R.J.; Sanderson, C.G.; Kada, J.

1995-11-01

Measurements of the concentrations of specific atmospheric radionuclides in air filter samples collected for the Environmental Measurements Laboratory's Surface Air Sampling Program (SASP) during 1990--1993, with the exception of April 1993, indicate that anthropogenic radionuclides, in both hemispheres, were at or below the lower limits of detection for the sampling and analytical techniques that were used to collect and measure them. The occasional detection of 137 Cs in some air filter samples may have resulted from resuspension of previously deposited debris. Following the April 6, 1993 accident and release of radionuclides into the atmosphere at a reprocessing plant in the Tomsk-7 military nuclear complex located 16 km north of the Siberian city of Tomsk, Russia, weekly air filter samples from Barrow, Alaska; Thule, Greenland and Moosonee, Canada were selected for special analyses. The naturally occurring radioisotopes that the authors measure, 7 Be and 210 Pb, continue to be detected in most air filter samples. Variations in the annual mean concentrations of 7 Be at many of the sites appear to result primarily from changes in the atmospheric production rate of this cosmogenic radionuclide. Short-term variations in the concentrations of 7 Be and 210 Pb continued to be observed at many sites at which weekly air filter samples were analyzed. The monthly gross gamma-ray activity and the monthly mean surface air concentrations of 7 Be, 95 Zr, 137 Cs, 144 Ce, and 210 Pb measured at sampling sites in SASP during 1990--1993 are presented. The weekly mean surface air concentrations of 7 Be, 95 Zr, 137 Cs, 144 Ce, and 210 Pb for samples collected during 1990--1993 are given for 17 sites

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.

Mini mental Parkinson test: standardization and normative data on an Italian sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Alberto; Bagoj, Eriola; Monaco, Marco; Zabberoni, Silvia; De Rosa, Salvatore; Mundi, Ciro; Caltagirone, Carlo; Carlesimo, Giovanni Augusto

2013-10-01

The mini mental Parkinson (MMP) is a test built to overcome the limits of the mini mental state examination (MMSE) in the short-time screening of cognitive disorders in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). In fact, in this scale, items tapping executive functioning are included to better capture PD-related cognitive changes. Some data sustain the sensitivity and validity of the MMP in the short neuropsychological screening of these individuals. Here, we report normative data on the MMP we collected on a sample of 307 Italian healthy subjects ranging from 40 to 91 years. The results document a detrimental effect of age and an ameliorative effect of education on the MMP total performance score. We provide for correction grids for age and literacy that derive from results of the regression analyses. Moreover, we also computed equivalent scores in order to allow a direct and fast comparison between the performance on the MMP and on other psychometric measures that can be administered to the subjects.

Short circuit in deep brain stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Samura, Kazuhiro; Miyagi, Yasushi; Okamoto, Tsuyoshi; Hayami, Takehito; Kishimoto, Junji; Katano, Mitsuo; Kamikaseda, Kazufumi

2012-11-01

The authors undertook this study to investigate the incidence, cause, and clinical influence of short circuits in patients treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS). After the incidental identification of a short circuit during routine follow-up, the authors initiated a policy at their institution of routinely evaluating both therapeutic impedance and system impendence at every outpatient DBS follow-up visit, irrespective of the presence of symptoms suggesting possible system malfunction. This study represents a report of their findings after 1 year of this policy. Implanted DBS leads exhibiting short circuits were identified in 7 patients (8.9% of the patients seen for outpatient follow-up examinations during the 12-month study period). The mean duration from DBS lead implantation to the discovery of the short circuit was 64.7 months. The symptoms revealing short circuits included the wearing off of therapeutic effect, apraxia of eyelid opening, or dysarthria in 6 patients with Parkinson disease (PD), and dystonia deterioration in 1 patient with generalized dystonia. All DBS leads with short circuits had been anchored to the cranium using titanium miniplates. Altering electrode settings resulted in clinical improvement in the 2 PD cases in which patients had specific symptoms of short circuits (2.5%) but not in the other 4 cases. The patient with dystonia underwent repositioning and replacement of a lead because the previous lead was located too anteriorly, but did not experience symptom improvement. In contrast to the sudden loss of clinical efficacy of DBS caused by an open circuit, short circuits may arise due to a gradual decrease in impedance, causing the insidious development of neurological symptoms via limited or extended potential fields as well as shortened battery longevity. The incidence of short circuits in DBS may be higher than previously thought, especially in cases in which DBS leads are anchored with miniplates. The circuit impedance of DBS

Considerations on measurements of radioactivity in biological samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mascanzoni, D.

1986-01-01

Radioactivity in biological samples and particularly in foodstuffs can be measured with several procedures, depending on the type of sample and radiation. In case of a radioactive fallout like the one from Chernobyl 1986, contamination in biological samples varies with time, being high immediately after the accident and decreasing successively with time. During the first stage, accurate measurements of gamma-emission should be made with high-resolution instruments, like HPGe-detectors coupled to multichannel analyzers in order to be able to assess the fallout's composition and separate the different nuclides. Even portable GM-counters and NaI(Tl)-detectors can be used, but they provide very limited information and the resolution of NaI(Tl) is too poor to make them suitable for other than survey purposes. In this case, they can be used for monitoring the activity in a certain area, or scanning a large amount of samples. After some months, when the activity has decayed and only a few nuclides are still active, the most important parameter is not resolution any longer, but sensitivity, since the content of radionuclides has decreased. At this stage NaI(Tl)-detectors assume greater importance and their sensitivity can permit the detection of low activity levels in relatively short time. The laboratory procedures for sample handling and preparation is also very important: established routines concentrated upon reducing the risk of contamination and minimizing sources of error must be used

A Survey of Archaeological Samples Dated in 1985

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mejdahl, Vagn

1986-01-01

A survey is given of archaeological samples received for dating in 1985 at the Nordic Laboratory for Thermoluminescence Dating. A total of 66 samples were dated, 42 of which were burnt stones. All results were corrected for short-term fading as measured for samples stored at room temperature...

Nuclide-related exemption limits for radioactive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Przyborowski, S.; Scheler, R.

1984-01-01

A procedure has been proposed for setting nuclide-related exemption limits for radioactive materials. It consists in grading the radionuclides into 4 groups of radiotoxicity and assigning only one activity limit to each of them. Examples are given for about 200 radionuclides. The radiation exposures resulting from a continuous steady release of activity fractions or from short-period release of the entire activity were assessed to remain below 0.1 ALI in both of these borderline cases, thus justifying the license-free utilization of radioactive materials below the exemption limits. (author)

Validation of the Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire for Taiwanese College Students (TSSRQ).

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yang-Hsueh; Lin, Yu-Ju

2018-01-01

While self-regulation has long been recognized as an important characteristic of an individual, instruments assessing the general aptitude of self-regulation remain limited especially in Asian countries. This study re-validated Carey et al.'s (2004) Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire based on a national sample of Taiwanese college students ( N = 1,988). Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) yielded 22 items in five internally consistent factors. Descriptive findings showed that, a lack of proactiveness and volitional control, and a decrease of self-regulation throughout the college span appeared to be an overarching problem among Taiwanese college students. Furthermore, male students achieved lower self-regulation scores than female ones, and students in Services and STEM-related majors are in the need of self-regulation enhancement. Due to the generic measurement of individual's self-regulation traits, the Taiwanese Short Self-regulation Questionnaire (TSSRQ) can be flexibly applied to various contexts and used to deal with different issues beyond learning such as college students' Internet or smartphone addiction. Through this study, we hope the validated TSSRQ can promote studies on self-regulation and associated antecedents and outcomes, in turn leveraging college students' life adjustment and well-being.

Modelling mode choice in short trips - shifting from car to bicycle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Halldórsdóttir, Katrín; Christensen, Linda; Jensen, Thomas Christian

2011-01-01

-economic variables of a representative sample of the population. The investigated sample includes 11,072 observations. The model considers five alternatives (i.e., car driver, car passenger, public transport, walk and obviously bike), for which level of service variables are calculated through assignment procedures...... relevance of the cost for short trips. Expectedly, the selection of bicycle as mode for short trips is positively related to owning a bicycle and negatively linked to owning one or more cars. Urban density has also positive correlation with the selection of sustainable transport modes....

The Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and the Social Phobia Scale (SPS): a comparison of two short-form versions.

Science.gov (United States)

Fergus, Thomas A; Valentiner, David P; Kim, Hyun-Soo; McGrath, Patrick B

2014-12-01

The widespread use of Mattick and Clarke's (1998) Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and Social Phobia Scale (SPS) led 2 independent groups of researchers to develop short forms of these measures (Fergus, Valentiner, McGrath, Gier-Lonsway, & Kim, 2012; Peters, Sunderland, Andrews, Rapee, & Mattick, 2012). This 3-part study examined the psychometric properties of Fergus et al.'s and Peters et al.'s short forms of the SIAS and SPS using an American nonclinical adolescent sample in Study 1 (N = 98), American patient sample with an anxiety disorder in Study 2 (N = 117), and both a South Korean college student sample (N = 341) and an American college student sample (N = 550) in Study 3. Scores on both sets of short forms evidenced adequate internal consistency, interitem correlations, and measurement invariance. Scores on Fergus et al.'s short forms, particularly their SIAS short form, tended to capture more unique variance in scores of criterion measures than did scores on Peters et al.'s short forms. Implications for the use of these 2 sets of short forms are discussed. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Limitless capacity: A dynamic object-oriented approach to short-term memory

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Bill eMacken

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The notion of capacity-limited processing systems is a core element of cognitive accounts of limited and variable performance, enshrined within the short-term memory construct. We begin with a detailed critical analysis of the conceptual bases of this view and argue that there are fundamental problems – ones that go to the heart of cognitivism more generally – that render it untenable. In place of limited capacity systems, we propose a framework for explaining performance that focuses on the dynamic interplay of three aspects of any given setting: the particular task that must be accomplished, the nature and form of the material upon which the task must be performed, and the repertoire of skills and perceptual-motor functions possessed by the participant. We provide empirical examples of the applications of this framework in areas of performance typically accounted for by reference to capacity-limited short-term memory processes.

Simplified polymer characterization after microwave assisted sample preparation (T9)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lafer, M.; Kettisch, P.; Gfrerrer, M.

2002-01-01

Full text: Beside the determination of fillers and heavy metals in polymers after decomposition more often stabilizers, fire inhibitors and antistatic additive agents are measured alter using fast microwave accelerated solvent extraction. Determination of heavy metal traces for example in food packaging materials needs high sample weight to detect small amounts of impurities. High sample weight is also needed for plastic waste providing the homogeneity for representative analysis. Due to the high concentration of' organic carbon and the fact that the materials swim on the acid surface, closed vessel digestion had limits concerning sample weight. A new vessel insert in combination with extremely fast reaction control allows now to double or triple usual sample weights. High performance vessels can also be used to decompose polymers filled with TiO 2 , talcum, fibers or similar within short one or two step procedures gaining solutions without precipitates. Additional filtration or sample treatment is not necessary. For the determination of organic components more and more classical, but time consuming methods are replaced by microwave assisted solvent extraction. Instead of hours or even half days using Soxhlet extraction samples can be extracted within minutes using vessels and rotors similar to those used for decomposition. The dual use of one basic microwave instrument for both, analysis of inorganic as well as organic parameters will help to increase efficiency by reduced costs. (author)

Short-Term Memory and Aphasia: From Theory to Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Minkina, Irene; Rosenberg, Samantha; Kalinyak-Fliszar, Michelene; Martin, Nadine

2017-02-01

This article reviews existing research on the interactions between verbal short-term memory and language processing impairments in aphasia. Theoretical models of short-term memory are reviewed, starting with a model assuming a separation between short-term memory and language, and progressing to models that view verbal short-term memory as a cognitive requirement of language processing. The review highlights a verbal short-term memory model derived from an interactive activation model of word retrieval. This model holds that verbal short-term memory encompasses the temporary activation of linguistic knowledge (e.g., semantic, lexical, and phonological features) during language production and comprehension tasks. Empirical evidence supporting this model, which views short-term memory in the context of the processes it subserves, is outlined. Studies that use a classic measure of verbal short-term memory (i.e., number of words/digits correctly recalled in immediate serial recall) as well as those that use more intricate measures (e.g., serial position effects in immediate serial recall) are discussed. Treatment research that uses verbal short-term memory tasks in an attempt to improve language processing is then summarized, with a particular focus on word retrieval. A discussion of the limitations of current research and possible future directions concludes the review. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

A Story-Based Simulation for Teaching Sampling Distributions

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Stephen; Dabney, Alan R.

2015-01-01

Statistical inference relies heavily on the concept of sampling distributions. However, sampling distributions are difficult to teach. We present a series of short animations that are story-based, with associated assessments. We hope that our contribution can be useful as a tool to teach sampling distributions in the introductory statistics…

Magnetism and atomic short-range order in Ni-Rh alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Carnegie, D. W., Jr.; Claus, H.

1984-07-01

Low-field ac susceptibility measurements of Ni-Rh samples of various concentrations are presented. Giant effects of the metallurgical state on the magnetic ordering temperature are associated with changes in the degree of atomic short-range order. By careful control of this degree of short-range order, it is possible to demonstrate the existence of a spin-glass state in Ni-Rh alloys.

Visual Short-Term Memory: Is Capacity Dependent on Complexity or Familiarity?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Thomas Alrik; Granlund, Rabia Line; Wiechmann, Maria

Several recent studies have explored the nature and limits of visual short-term memory (VSTM) (e.g. Luck & Vogel, 1997). A general VSTM capacity limit of about 3 to 4 objects has been found, confirming results from earlier studies (e.g. Cattell, 1885; Sperling, 1960). However, Alvarez and Cavanagh...

Tin Whisker Electrical Short Circuit Characteristics. Part 2

Science.gov (United States)

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

2009-01-01

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 has 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.

DYNAMICS OF THE ANXIETY DISORDERS IN THE COURSE OF SHORT-TERM PSYCHOTHERAPY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T.N. Hmylova

2008-06-01

Full Text Available The tendency of psychotherapy modern concepts referring to the short-term forms having been taken into account, we carried out the research aimed at the study of short-term form personality-oriented psychotherapy effect on the anxiety disorder dynamics. 103 patients with neurotic disorders were examined in the neurosis and psychotherapy department of the Bekhterev Psychoneurological Research Institute. The findings revealed the situational and personal anxiety level to be objectively decreased in the short-term group psychotherapy course. The short-term group psychotherapy was proved to bean effective method in anxiety disorders treatment considering indications and limitations.

Evaporating short-circuits in the ATLAS liquid argon barrel presampler 006

CERN Document Server

Belhorma, B; Lund-Jensen, B; Rydström, S; Yamouni, M

2005-01-01

A technique to eliminate or limit the implications of short-circuits in the ATLAS barrel presampler is described. A high voltage capacitor with a large capacity is charged at different high voltages and discharged through the short-circuit which allows either to disintegrate the dust being the origin of the short-circuit, or to burn away a thin etched copper strip which acts as a fuse on the corresponding presampler anode. This effect is possible even in the presence of a resistive HV cable (10 to 30 ohms) in series which dampens the pulse.

Short Intervention, Sustained Effects: Promoting Students’ Math Competence Beliefs, Effort, and Achievement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brisson, Brigitte Maria; Dicke, Anna Lena; Gaspard, Hanna; Häfner, Isabelle; Flunger, Barbara|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/412516322; Nagengast, Benjamin; Trautwein, Ulrich

2017-01-01

The present study investigated the effectiveness of two short relevance interventions (writing a text or evaluating quotations about the utility of mathematics) using a sample of 1,916 students in 82 math classrooms in a cluster randomized controlled experiment. Short-term and sustained effects (6

Assessing public speaking fear with the short form of the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker scale: confirmatory factor analyses among a French-speaking community sample

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heeren A

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Alexandre Heeren,1,2 Grazia Ceschi,3 David P Valentiner,4 Vincent Dethier,1 Pierre Philippot11Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; 2National Fund for Scientific Research, Brussels, Belgium; 3Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; 4Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USABackground: The main aim of this study was to assess the reliability and structural validity of the French version of the 12-item version of the Personal Report of Confidence as Speaker (PRCS, one of the most promising measurements of public speaking fear.Methods: A total of 611 French-speaking volunteers were administered the French versions of the short PRCS, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale, as well as the Trait version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory-II, which assess the level of anxious and depressive symptoms, respectively.Results: Regarding its structural validity, confirmatory factor analyses indicated a single-factor solution, as implied by the original version. Good scale reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.86 was observed. The item discrimination analysis suggested that all the items contribute to the overall scale score reliability. The French version of the short PRCS showed significant correlations with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (r = 0.522, the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (r = 0.414, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (r = 0.516, and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (r = 0.361.Conclusion: The French version of the short PRCS is a reliable and valid measure for the evaluation of the fear of public speaking among a French-speaking sample. These findings have critical consequences for the measurement of psychological and pharmacological treatment effectiveness in public speaking fear among a French-speaking sample.Keywords: social phobia, public speaking, confirmatory

Speckles generated by skewed, short-coherence light beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brogioli, D; Salerno, D; Ziano, R; Mantegazza, F; Croccolo, F

2011-01-01

When a coherent laser beam impinges on a random sample (e.g. a colloidal suspension), the scattered light exhibits characteristic speckles. If the temporal coherence of the light source is too short, then the speckles disappear, along with the possibility of performing homodyne or heterodyne scattering detection or photon correlation spectroscopy. Here we investigate the scattering of a so-called ‘skewed coherence beam’, i.e. a short-coherence beam modified such that the field is coherent within slabs that are skewed with respect to the wave fronts. We show that such a beam generates speckles and can be used for heterodyne scattering detection, despite its short temporal coherence. Moreover, we show that the heterodyne signal is not affected by multiple scattering. We suggest that the phenomenon presented here can be used as a means of carrying out heterodyne scattering measurement with any short-coherence radiation, including x-rays. (paper)

Parent-Offspring Conflict over Short-Term Mating Strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Spyroulla Georgiou

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Individuals engage in short-term mating strategies that enable them to obtain fitness benefits from casual relationships. These benefits, however, count for less and cost more to their parents. On this basis three hypotheses are tested. First, parents and offspring are likely to disagree over short-term mating strategies, with the former considering these as less acceptable than the latter. Second, parents are more likely to disapprove of the short-term mating strategies of their daughters than of their sons. Finally, mothers and fathers are expected to agree on how much they disagree over the short-term mating strategies of their children. Evidence from a sample of 148 Greek-Cypriot families (140 mothers, 105 fathers, 119 daughters, 77 sons provides support for the first two hypotheses and partial support for the third hypothesis. The implications of these findings for understanding family dynamics are further discussed.

Spectral concentration in the nonrelativistic limit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gesztesy, F.; Grosse, H.; Thaller, B.

1982-01-01

First order relativistic corrections to the Schroedinger operator according to Foldy and Wouthuysen are rigorously discussed in the framework of singular perturbation theory. For Coulomb plus short-range interactions we investigate the corresponding spectral properties and prove spectral concentration and existence of first order pseudoeigenvalues in the nonrelativistic limit. (Author)

Multielement detection limits and sample nebulization efficiencies of an improved ultrasonic nebulizer and a conventional pneumatic nebulizer in inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olson, K.W.; Haas, W.J. Jr.; Fassel, V.A.

1977-01-01

Two important aspects of the analytical performance of a newly developed ultrasonic nebulizer and a specially designed pneumatic nebulizer have been compared for use in inductively coupled plasma--atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The ultrasonic nebulizer, when combined with a conventional aerosol desolvation apparatus, provided an order of magnitude or more improvement in simultaneous multielement detection limits as compared to those obtained when the pneumatic nebulizer was used either with or without desolvation. Application of a novel method for direct measurement of the overall efficiency of nebulization to the two systems showed that an approximately tenfold greater rate of sample delivery to the plasma torch was primarily responsible for the superior detection limits afforded by the ultrasonic nebulizer. A unique feature of the ultrasonic nebulizer described is the protection against chemical attack which is achieved by completely enclosing the transducer in an acoustically coupled borosilicate glass cylinder. Direct sample introduction, convenient sample change, and rapid cleanout are other important characteristics of the system which make it an attractive alternate to pneumatic nebulizer systems

Molecular Weights of Bovine and Porcine Heparin Samples: Comparison of Chromatographic Methods and Results of a Collaborative Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabrina Bertini

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In a collaborative study involving six laboratories in the USA, Europe, and India the molecular weight distributions of a panel of heparin sodium samples were determined, in order to compare heparin sodium of bovine intestinal origin with that of bovine lung and porcine intestinal origin. Porcine samples met the current criteria as laid out in the USP Heparin Sodium monograph. Bovine lung heparin samples had consistently lower average molecular weights. Bovine intestinal heparin was variable in molecular weight; some samples fell below the USP limits, some fell within these limits and others fell above the upper limits. These data will inform the establishment of pharmacopeial acceptance criteria for heparin sodium derived from bovine intestinal mucosa. The method for MW determination as described in the USP monograph uses a single, broad standard calibrant to characterize the chromatographic profile of heparin sodium on high-resolution silica-based GPC columns. These columns may be short-lived in some laboratories. Using the panel of samples described above, methods based on the use of robust polymer-based columns have been developed. In addition to the use of the USP’s broad standard calibrant for heparin sodium with these columns, a set of conditions have been devised that allow light-scattering detected molecular weight characterization of heparin sodium, giving results that agree well with the monograph method. These findings may facilitate the validation of variant chromatographic methods with some practical advantages over the USP monograph method.

Molecular Weights of Bovine and Porcine Heparin Samples: Comparison of Chromatographic Methods and Results of a Collaborative Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertini, Sabrina; Risi, Giulia; Guerrini, Marco; Carrick, Kevin; Szajek, Anita Y; Mulloy, Barbara

2017-07-19

In a collaborative study involving six laboratories in the USA, Europe, and India the molecular weight distributions of a panel of heparin sodium samples were determined, in order to compare heparin sodium of bovine intestinal origin with that of bovine lung and porcine intestinal origin. Porcine samples met the current criteria as laid out in the USP Heparin Sodium monograph. Bovine lung heparin samples had consistently lower average molecular weights. Bovine intestinal heparin was variable in molecular weight; some samples fell below the USP limits, some fell within these limits and others fell above the upper limits. These data will inform the establishment of pharmacopeial acceptance criteria for heparin sodium derived from bovine intestinal mucosa. The method for MW determination as described in the USP monograph uses a single, broad standard calibrant to characterize the chromatographic profile of heparin sodium on high-resolution silica-based GPC columns. These columns may be short-lived in some laboratories. Using the panel of samples described above, methods based on the use of robust polymer-based columns have been developed. In addition to the use of the USP's broad standard calibrant for heparin sodium with these columns, a set of conditions have been devised that allow light-scattering detected molecular weight characterization of heparin sodium, giving results that agree well with the monograph method. These findings may facilitate the validation of variant chromatographic methods with some practical advantages over the USP monograph method.

EML Surface Air Sampling Program, 1990--1993 data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larsen, R.J.; Sanderson, C.G.; Kada, J.

1995-11-01

Measurements of the concentrations of specific atmospheric radionuclides in air filter samples collected for the Environmental Measurements Laboratory`s Surface Air Sampling Program (SASP) during 1990--1993, with the exception of April 1993, indicate that anthropogenic radionuclides, in both hemispheres, were at or below the lower limits of detection for the sampling and analytical techniques that were used to collect and measure them. The occasional detection of {sup 137}Cs in some air filter samples may have resulted from resuspension of previously deposited debris. Following the April 6, 1993 accident and release of radionuclides into the atmosphere at a reprocessing plant in the Tomsk-7 military nuclear complex located 16 km north of the Siberian city of Tomsk, Russia, weekly air filter samples from Barrow, Alaska; Thule, Greenland and Moosonee, Canada were selected for special analyses. The naturally occurring radioisotopes that the authors measure, {sup 7}Be and {sup 210}Pb, continue to be detected in most air filter samples. Variations in the annual mean concentrations of {sup 7}Be at many of the sites appear to result primarily from changes in the atmospheric production rate of this cosmogenic radionuclide. Short-term variations in the concentrations of {sup 7}Be and {sup 210}Pb continued to be observed at many sites at which weekly air filter samples were analyzed. The monthly gross gamma-ray activity and the monthly mean surface air concentrations of {sup 7}Be, {sup 95}Zr, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 144}Ce, and {sup 210}Pb measured at sampling sites in SASP during 1990--1993 are presented. The weekly mean surface air concentrations of {sup 7}Be, {sup 95}Zr, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 144}Ce, and {sup 210}Pb for samples collected during 1990--1993 are given for 17 sites.

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Based Protein Assay for Cereal Samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Sezer, Banu; Bilge, Gonca; Boyaci, Ismail Hakki

2016-12-14

Protein content is an important quality parameter in terms of price, nutritional value, and labeling of various cereal samples. However, conventional analysis methods, namely, Kjeldahl and Dumas, have major drawbacks such as long analysis time, titration mistakes, and carrier gas dependence with high purity. For this reason, there is an urgent need for rapid, reliable, and environmentally friendly technologies for protein analysis. The present study aims to develop a new method for protein analysis in wheat flour and whole meal by using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which is a multielemental, fast, and simple spectroscopic method. Unlike the Kjeldahl and Dumas methods, it has potential to analyze a high number of samples in considerably short time. In the study, nitrogen peaks in LIBS spectra of wheat flour and whole meal samples with different protein contents were correlated with results of the standard Dumas method with the aid of chemometric methods. A calibration graph showed good linearity with the protein content between 7.9 and 20.9% and a 0.992 coefficient of determination (R 2 ). The limit of detection was calculated as 0.26%. The results indicated that LIBS is a promising and reliable method with its high sensitivity for routine protein analysis in wheat flour and whole meal samples.

Peculiarities of the propagation of multidimensional extremely short optical pulses in germanene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhukov, Alexander V., E-mail: alex_zhukov@sutd.edu.sg [Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, 487372 Singapore (Singapore); Bouffanais, Roland [Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, 487372 Singapore (Singapore); Konobeeva, Natalia N. [Volgograd State University, 400062 Volgograd (Russian Federation); Belonenko, Mikhail B. [Laboratory of Nanotechnology, Volgograd Institute of Business, 400048 Volgograd (Russian Federation); Volgograd State University, 400062 Volgograd (Russian Federation)

2016-09-07

Highlights: • Established dynamics of ultra-short pulses in germanene. • Studied balance between dispersive and nonlinear effects in germanene. • Spin–orbit interaction effect onto pulse propagation. - Abstract: In this Letter, we study the propagation characteristics of both two-dimensional and three-dimensional extremely short optical pulses in germanene. A distinguishing feature of germanene—in comparison with other graphene-like structures—is the presence of a significant spin–orbit interaction. The account of this interaction has a significant impact on the evolution of extremely short pulses in such systems. Specifically, extremely short optical pulses, consisting of two electric field oscillations, cause the appearance of a tail associated with the excitation of nonlinear waves. Due to the large spin–orbit interaction in germanene, this tail behind the main pulse is much smaller in germanene-based samples as compared to graphene-based ones, thereby making germanene a preferred material for the stable propagation of pulses along the sample.

Medial temporal lobe contributions to short-term memory for faces

Science.gov (United States)

Race, Elizabeth; LaRocque, Karen F.; Keane, Margaret M.; Verfaellie, Mieke

2015-01-01

The role of the medial temporal lobes (MTL) in short-term memory (STM) remains a matter of debate. While imaging studies commonly show hippocampal activation during short-delay memory tasks, evidence from amnesic patients with MTL lesions is mixed. It has been argued that apparent STM impairments in amnesia may reflect long-term memory (LTM) contributions to performance. We challenge this conclusion by demonstrating that MTL amnesic patients show impaired delayed matching-to-sample (DMS) for faces in a task that meets both a traditional delay-based and a recently proposed distractor-based criterion for classification as a STM task. In Experiment 1, we demonstrate that our face DMS task meets the proposed distractor-based criterion for STM classification, in that extensive processing of delay-period distractor stimuli disrupts performance of healthy individuals. In Experiment 2, MTL amnesic patients with lesions extending into anterior subhippocampal cortex, but not patients with lesions limited to the hippocampus, show impaired performance on this task without distraction at delays as short as 8s, within temporal range of delay-based STM classification, in the context of intact perceptual matching performance. Experiment 3 provides support for the hypothesis that STM for faces relies on configural processing by showing that the extent to which healthy participants’ performance is disrupted by interference depends on the configural demands of the distractor task. Together, these findings are consistent with the notion that the amnesic impairment in STM for faces reflects a deficit in configural processing associated with subhippocampal cortices and provide novel evidence that the MTL supports cognition beyond the LTM domain. PMID:23937185

Medial temporal lobe contributions to short-term memory for faces.

Science.gov (United States)

Race, Elizabeth; LaRocque, Karen F; Keane, Margaret M; Verfaellie, Mieke

2013-11-01

The role of the medial temporal lobes (MTL) in short-term memory (STM) remains a matter of debate. Whereas imaging studies commonly show hippocampal activation during short-delay memory tasks, evidence from amnesic patients with MTL lesions is mixed. It has been argued that apparent STM impairments in amnesia may reflect long-term memory (LTM) contributions to performance. We challenge this conclusion by demonstrating that MTL amnesic patients show impaired delayed matching-to-sample (DMS) for faces in a task that meets both a traditional delay-based and a recently proposed distractor-based criterion for classification as an STM task. In Experiment 1, we demonstrate that our face DMS task meets the proposed distractor-based criterion for STM classification, in that extensive processing of delay-period distractor stimuli disrupts performance of healthy individuals. In Experiment 2, MTL amnesic patients with lesions extending into anterior subhippocampal cortex, but not patients with lesions limited to the hippocampus, show impaired performance on this task without distraction at delays as short as 8 s, within temporal range of delay-based STM classification, in the context of intact perceptual matching performance. Experiment 3 provides support for the hypothesis that STM for faces relies on configural processing by showing that the extent to which healthy participants' performance is disrupted by interference depends on the configural demands of the distractor task. Together, these findings are consistent with the notion that the amnesic impairment in STM for faces reflects a deficit in configural processing associated with subhippocampal cortices and provide novel evidence that the MTL supports cognition beyond the LTM domain. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Mechanical properties of short doughs and their corresponding biscuits

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baltsavias, A.

1996-01-01

The mechanical properties of short doughs of various composition were determined in small amplitude oscillatory experiments and in uniaxial compression. Regardless of composition, the linear region was very limited; beyond that, pronounced yielding and flow occurred. Conductimetry was

Efficiency of snake sampling methods in the Brazilian semiarid region.

Science.gov (United States)

Mesquita, Paula C M D; Passos, Daniel C; Cechin, Sonia Z

2013-09-01

The choice of sampling methods is a crucial step in every field survey in herpetology. In countries where time and financial support are limited, the choice of the methods is critical. The methods used to sample snakes often lack objective criteria, and the traditional methods have apparently been more important when making the choice. Consequently researches using not-standardized methods are frequently found in the literature. We have compared four commonly used methods for sampling snake assemblages in a semiarid area in Brazil. We compared the efficacy of each method based on the cost-benefit regarding the number of individuals and species captured, time, and financial investment. We found that pitfall traps were the less effective method in all aspects that were evaluated and it was not complementary to the other methods in terms of abundance of species and assemblage structure. We conclude that methods can only be considered complementary if they are standardized to the objectives of the study. The use of pitfall traps in short-term surveys of the snake fauna in areas with shrubby vegetation and stony soil is not recommended.

Beamforming using subspace estimation from a diagonally averaged sample covariance.

Science.gov (United States)

Quijano, Jorge E; Zurk, Lisa M

2017-08-01

The potential benefit of a large-aperture sonar array for high resolution target localization is often challenged by the lack of sufficient data required for adaptive beamforming. This paper introduces a Toeplitz-constrained estimator of the clairvoyant signal covariance matrix corresponding to multiple far-field targets embedded in background isotropic noise. The estimator is obtained by averaging along subdiagonals of the sample covariance matrix, followed by covariance extrapolation using the method of maximum entropy. The sample covariance is computed from limited data snapshots, a situation commonly encountered with large-aperture arrays in environments characterized by short periods of local stationarity. Eigenvectors computed from the Toeplitz-constrained covariance are used to construct signal-subspace projector matrices, which are shown to reduce background noise and improve detection of closely spaced targets when applied to subspace beamforming. Monte Carlo simulations corresponding to increasing array aperture suggest convergence of the proposed projector to the clairvoyant signal projector, thereby outperforming the classic projector obtained from the sample eigenvectors. Beamforming performance of the proposed method is analyzed using simulated data, as well as experimental data from the Shallow Water Array Performance experiment.

Critical current measurements of high-temperature superconducting short samples at a wide range of temperatures and magnetic fields

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Hongjun; Liu, Huajun; Liu, Fang; Zhang, Huahui; Ci, Lu; Shi, Yi; Lei, Lei

2018-01-01

High-Temperature Superconductors (HTS) are potential materials for high-field magnets, low-loss transmission cables, and Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) due to their high upper critical magnetic field (Hc2) and critical temperature (Tc). The critical current (Ic) of HTS, which is one of the most important parameters for superconductor application, depends strongly on the magnetic fields and temperatures. A new Ic measurement system that can carry out accurate Ic measurement for HTS short samples with various temperatures (4.2-80 K), magnetic fields (0-14 T), and angles of the magnetic field (0°-90°) has been developed. The Ic measurement system mainly consists of a measurement holder, temperature-control system, background magnet, test cryostat, data acquisition system, and DC power supply. The accuracy of temperature control is better than ±0.1 K over the 20-80 K range and ±0.05 K when measured below 20 K. The maximum current is over 1000 A with a measurement uncertainty of 1%. The system had been successfully used for YBa2Cu3O7-x(YBCO) tapes Ic determination with different temperatures and magnetic fields.

Critical current measurements of high-temperature superconducting short samples at a wide range of temperatures and magnetic fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Hongjun; Liu, Huajun; Liu, Fang; Zhang, Huahui; Ci, Lu; Shi, Yi; Lei, Lei

2018-01-01

High-Temperature Superconductors (HTS) are potential materials for high-field magnets, low-loss transmission cables, and Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) due to their high upper critical magnetic field (H c2 ) and critical temperature (T c ). The critical current (I c ) of HTS, which is one of the most important parameters for superconductor application, depends strongly on the magnetic fields and temperatures. A new I c measurement system that can carry out accurate I c measurement for HTS short samples with various temperatures (4.2-80 K), magnetic fields (0-14 T), and angles of the magnetic field (0°-90°) has been developed. The I c measurement system mainly consists of a measurement holder, temperature-control system, background magnet, test cryostat, data acquisition system, and DC power supply. The accuracy of temperature control is better than ±0.1 K over the 20-80 K range and ±0.05 K when measured below 20 K. The maximum current is over 1000 A with a measurement uncertainty of 1%. The system had been successfully used for YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (YBCO) tapes I c determination with different temperatures and magnetic fields.

Short-term incentive schemes for hospital managers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucas Malambe

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Short-term incentives, considered to be an extrinsic motivation, are commonly used to motivate performance. This study explored hospital managers’ perceptions of short term incentives in maximising performance and retention. Research purpose: The study explored the experiences, views and perceptions of private hospital managers in South Africa regarding the use of short-term incentives to maximise performance and retention, as well as the applicability of the findings to public hospitals. Motivation for the study: Whilst there is an established link between performance reward schemes and organisational performance, there is little understanding of the effects of short term incentives on the performance and retention of hospital managers within the South African context. Research design, approach, and method: The study used a qualitative research design: interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 19 hospital managers, and a thematic content analysis was performed. Main findings: Short-term incentives may not be the primary motivator for hospital managers, but they do play a critical role in sustaining motivation. Participants indicated that these schemes could also be applicable to public hospitals. Practical/managerial implications: Hospital managers are inclined to be more motivated by intrinsic than extrinsic factors. However, hospital managers (as middle managers also seem to be motivated by short-term incentives. A combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators should thus be used to maximise performance and retention. Contribution/value-add: Whilst the study sought to explore hospital managers’ perceptions of short-term incentives, it also found that an adequate balance between internal and external motivators is key to implementing an effective short-term incentive scheme.

The effect of neoprene shorts on leg proprioception in Australian football players.

Science.gov (United States)

Cameron, Matthew L; Adams, Roger D; Maher, Chris G

2008-06-01

Our purpose was to assess the effect of wearing close-fitting neoprene shorts on swinging leg movement discrimination (MD) scores in elite level Australian Football players. Twenty players had their swinging leg MD assessed using the active movement extent discrimination apparatus (AMEDA), once wearing close-fitting neoprene and once wearing loose-fitting running shorts. Subjects were randomly allocated to one of the shorts conditions prior to repeating the test in the other condition. The AMEDA was used to assess the accuracy at which subjects judge the extent of a standing backward swinging leg movement corresponding to the late swing early stance phase of running. Each subject performed 40 movements made to one of five randomly set physical limits, and without the aid of vision made a judgment as to the perceived limit position. From the accuracy of these judgments, a movement discrimination (MD) score was calculated for each subject under each condition. Subjects were grouped as having low or high neuromuscular control, or ability to use proprioception when controlling active movements without vision, based on their loose-shorts MD score. Analysis was performed on the MD scores obtained for each limb from subjects in the two groups, under the two shorts-wearing conditions. There was no main effect of wearing close-fitting shorts when the cohort was treated as a whole. A significant interaction effect was obtained (F=17.027, p=0.0006) whereby the mean MD score of the low neuromuscular control ability group was improved when wearing neoprene shorts but was reduced for the high ability group. Wearing close-fitting neoprene shorts has a beneficial effect on leg swing judgment accuracy in subjects with low neuromuscular control ability. Conversely, leg swing judgment accuracy for subjects with high ability was reduced by wearing neoprene shorts.

Forecasting stock return volatility: A comparison between the roles of short-term and long-term leverage effects

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Zhiyuan; Liu, Li

2018-02-01

In this paper, we extend the GARCH-MIDAS model proposed by Engle et al. (2013) to account for the leverage effect in short-term and long-term volatility components. Our in-sample evidence suggests that both short-term and long-term negative returns can cause higher future volatility than positive returns. Out-of-sample results show that the predictive ability of GARCH-MIDAS is significantly improved after taking the leverage effect into account. The leverage effect for short-term volatility component plays more important role than the leverage effect for long-term volatility component in affecting out-of-sample forecasting performance.

Are there multiple visual short-term memory stores?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sligte, I.G.; Scholte, H.S.; Lamme, V.A.F.

2008-01-01

Background: Classic work on visual short-term memory (VSTM) suggests that people store a limited amount of items for subsequent report. However, when human observers are cued to shift attention to one item in VSTM during retention, it seems as if there is a much larger representation, which keeps

Short-term memory for spatial configurations in the tactile modality: a comparison with vision.

Science.gov (United States)

Picard, Delphine; Monnier, Catherine

2009-11-01

This study investigates the role of acquisition constraints on the short-term retention of spatial configurations in the tactile modality in comparison with vision. It tests whether the sequential processing of information inherent to the tactile modality could account for limitation in short-term memory span for tactual-spatial information. In addition, this study investigates developmental aspects of short-term memory for tactual- and visual-spatial configurations. A total of 144 child and adult participants were assessed for their memory span in three different conditions: tactual, visual, and visual with a limited field of view. The results showed lower tactual-spatial memory span than visual-spatial, regardless of age. However, differences in memory span observed between the tactile and visual modalities vanished when the visual processing of information occurred within a limited field. These results provide evidence for an impact of acquisition constraints on the retention of spatial information in the tactile modality in both childhood and adulthood.

Mg II ABSORPTION CHARACTERISTICS OF A VOLUME-LIMITED SAMPLE OF GALAXIES AT z ∼ 0.1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barton, Elizabeth J.; Cooke, Jeff

2009-01-01

We present an initial survey of Mg II absorption characteristics in the halos of a carefully constructed, volume-limited subsample of galaxies embedded in the spectroscopic part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We observed quasars near sightlines to 20 low-redshift (z ∼ 0.1), luminous (M r + 5log h ≤-20.5) galaxies in SDSS DR4 and DR6 with the LRIS-B spectrograph on the Keck I telescope. The primary systematic criteria for the targeted galaxies are a redshift z ∼> 0.1 and the presence of an appropriate bright background quasar within a projected 75 h -1 kpc of its center, although we preferentially sample galaxies with lower impact parameters and slightly more star formation within this range. Of the observed systems, six exhibit strong (W eq (2796) ≥ 0.3 A) Mg II absorption at the galaxy's redshift, six systems have upper limits which preclude strong Mg II absorption, while the remaining observations rule out very strong (W eq (2796) ≥ 1-2 A) absorption. The absorbers fall at higher impact parameters than many non-absorber sightlines, indicating a covering fraction f c ∼ -1 kpc (f c ∼ 0.25). The data are consistent with a possible dependence of covering fraction and/or absorption halo size on the environment or star-forming properties of the central galaxy.

Construct validity of adolescents' self-reported big five personality traits: importance of conceptual breadth and initial validation of a short measure.

Science.gov (United States)

Morizot, Julien

2014-10-01

While there are a number of short personality trait measures that have been validated for use with adults, few are specifically validated for use with adolescents. To trust such measures, it must be demonstrated that they have adequate construct validity. According to the view of construct validity as a unifying form of validity requiring the integration of different complementary sources of information, this article reports the evaluation of content, factor, convergent, and criterion validities as well as reliability of adolescents' self-reported personality traits. Moreover, this study sought to address an inherent potential limitation of short personality trait measures, namely their limited conceptual breadth. In this study, starting with items from a known measure, after the language-level was adjusted for use with adolescents, items tapping fundamental primary traits were added to determine the impact of added conceptual breadth on the psychometric properties of the scales. The resulting new measure was named the Big Five Personality Trait Short Questionnaire (BFPTSQ). A group of expert judges considered the items to have adequate content validity. Using data from a community sample of early adolescents, the results confirmed the factor validity of the Big Five structure in adolescence as well as its measurement invariance across genders. More important, the added items did improve the convergent and criterion validities of the scales, but did not negatively affect their reliability. This study supports the construct validity of adolescents' self-reported personality traits and points to the importance of conceptual breadth in short personality measures. © The Author(s) 2014.

Improvement of detection limits in the annular 241Am radioisotope-excited X-ray fluorescence analysis for minor elements of environmental sample

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thai My Phe; Ngo Quang Huy; Nguyen Van Suc; Tran Van Luyen; Nguyen Van Mai; Dao Van Hoang; Trinh Thi Bich

2003-01-01

The improvement of limit detection to elements Pb, Sr, Zr, Nd, and Ba in mud samples is presented. Two ways for reducing background radiation are: 1/ choosing the optimum γ-ray-excited X-ray assembly such as scattering angle (θ), filter for primary beam, excited holder, collimator for fluorescent lines, etc; 2/ using the chemical separation method to remove major composition for matrix reduction. (NHA)

Simple Predictions Fueled by Capacity Limitations: When Are They Successful?

Science.gov (United States)

Gaissmaier, Wolfgang; Schooler, Lael J.; Rieskamp, Jorg

2006-01-01

Counterintuitively, Y. Kareev, I. Lieberman, and M. Lev (1997) found that a lower short-term memory capacity benefits performance on a correlation detection task. They assumed that people with low short-term memory capacity (low spans) perceived the correlations as more extreme because they relied on smaller samples, which are known to exaggerate…

Optimizing Sampling Efficiency for Biomass Estimation Across NEON Domains

Science.gov (United States)

Abercrombie, H. H.; Meier, C. L.; Spencer, J. J.

2013-12-01

Over the course of 30 years, the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) will measure plant biomass and productivity across the U.S. to enable an understanding of terrestrial carbon cycle responses to ecosystem change drivers. Over the next several years, prior to operational sampling at a site, NEON will complete construction and characterization phases during which a limited amount of sampling will be done at each site to inform sampling designs, and guide standardization of data collection across all sites. Sampling biomass in 60+ sites distributed among 20 different eco-climatic domains poses major logistical and budgetary challenges. Traditional biomass sampling methods such as clip harvesting and direct measurements of Leaf Area Index (LAI) involve collecting and processing plant samples, and are time and labor intensive. Possible alternatives include using indirect sampling methods for estimating LAI such as digital hemispherical photography (DHP) or using a LI-COR 2200 Plant Canopy Analyzer. These LAI estimations can then be used as a proxy for biomass. The biomass estimates calculated can then inform the clip harvest sampling design during NEON operations, optimizing both sample size and number so that standardized uncertainty limits can be achieved with a minimum amount of sampling effort. In 2011, LAI and clip harvest data were collected from co-located sampling points at the Central Plains Experimental Range located in northern Colorado, a short grass steppe ecosystem that is the NEON Domain 10 core site. LAI was measured with a LI-COR 2200 Plant Canopy Analyzer. The layout of the sampling design included four, 300 meter transects, with clip harvests plots spaced every 50m, and LAI sub-transects spaced every 10m. LAI was measured at four points along 6m sub-transects running perpendicular to the 300m transect. Clip harvest plots were co-located 4m from corresponding LAI transects, and had dimensions of 0.1m by 2m. We conducted regression analyses

Small sample whole-genome amplification

Science.gov (United States)

Hara, Christine; Nguyen, Christine; Wheeler, Elizabeth; Sorensen, Karen; Arroyo, Erin; Vrankovich, Greg; Christian, Allen

2005-11-01

Many challenges arise when trying to amplify and analyze human samples collected in the field due to limitations in sample quantity, and contamination of the starting material. Tests such as DNA fingerprinting and mitochondrial typing require a certain sample size and are carried out in large volume reactions; in cases where insufficient sample is present whole genome amplification (WGA) can be used. WGA allows very small quantities of DNA to be amplified in a way that enables subsequent DNA-based tests to be performed. A limiting step to WGA is sample preparation. To minimize the necessary sample size, we have developed two modifications of WGA: the first allows for an increase in amplified product from small, nanoscale, purified samples with the use of carrier DNA while the second is a single-step method for cleaning and amplifying samples all in one column. Conventional DNA cleanup involves binding the DNA to silica, washing away impurities, and then releasing the DNA for subsequent testing. We have eliminated losses associated with incomplete sample release, thereby decreasing the required amount of starting template for DNA testing. Both techniques address the limitations of sample size by providing ample copies of genomic samples. Carrier DNA, included in our WGA reactions, can be used when amplifying samples with the standard purification method, or can be used in conjunction with our single-step DNA purification technique to potentially further decrease the amount of starting sample necessary for future forensic DNA-based assays.

Investigation on the Short Circuit Safe Operation Area of SiC MOSFET Power Modules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reigosa, Paula Diaz; Luo, Haoze; Iannuzzo, Francesco

2016-01-01

This paper gives a better insight of the short circuit capability of state-of-the-art SiC MOSFET power modules rated at 1.2 kV by highlighting the physical limits under different operating conditions. Two different failure mechanisms have been identified, both reducing the short-circuit capability...... of SiC power modules in respect to discrete SiC devices. Based on such failure mechanisms, two short circuit criteria (i.e., short circuit current-based criterion and gate voltage-based criterion) are proposed in order to ensure their robustness under short-circuit conditions. A Safe Operation Area (SOA...

Finding Sub-threshold Short Gamma-ray Bursts in Fermi GBM Data

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, Eric; Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor Team

2018-01-01

The all-sky monitoring capability of Fermi GBM makes it ideal for finding transients, and the most prolific detector of short gamma-ray bursts with about 40 on-board triggers per year. Because the observed brightness of short gamma-ray bursts has no correlation with redshift, weak short gamma-ray bursts are important during the gravitational wave era. With this in mind, we discuss two searches of GBM data to find short gamma-ray which were below the on-board trigger threshold. The untargeted search looks for significant background-subtracted signals in two or more detectors at various timescales in the continuous data, detecting ~80 additional short GRB candidates per year. The targeted search is the most sensitive search for weak gamma-ray signals in GBM data and is run over limited time intervals around sources of interest like gravitational waves.

A high precision mass spectrometer for hydrogen isotopic analysis of water samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murthy, M.S.; Prahallada Rao, B.S.; Handu, V.K.; Satam, J.V.

1979-01-01

A high precision mass spectrometer with two ion collector assemblies and direct on line reduction facility (with uranium at 700 0 C) for water samples for hydrogen isotopic analysis has been designed and developed. The ion source particularly gives high sensitivity and at the same tike limits the H 3 + ions to a minimum. A digital ratiometer with a H 2 + compensator has also been developed. The overall precision obtained on the spectrometer is 0.07% 2sub(sigmasub(10)) value. Typical results on the performance of the spectrometer, which is working since a year and a half are given. Possible methods of extending the ranges of concentration the spectrometer can handle, both on lower and higher sides are discussed. Problems of memory between samples are briefly listed. A multiple inlet system to overcome these problems is suggested. This will also enable faster analysis when samples of highly varying concentrations are to be analyzed. A few probable areas in which the spectrometer will be shortly put to use are given. (auth.)

Short Communications A description of gametogenesis in the panga ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

1996-09-25

Sep 25, 1996 ... Short Communications. A description of ... In this communication, descriptions ... Each fish sampled was sexed using visual criteria (Table I) and gonadal ..... dilated portions owing to different degrees of inflation caused. R.

Size limit on the phosphorous doped silicon nanocrystals for dopant activation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, P., E-mail: pengyuan.yang@surrey.ac.uk [Surrey Ion Beam Centre, Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 5XH (United Kingdom); Gwilliam, R.M. [Surrey Ion Beam Centre, Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 5XH (United Kingdom); Crowe, I.F.; Papachristodoulou, N.; Halsall, M.P. [Photon Science Institute, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Alan Turing Building, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Hylton, N.P. [Blackett Laboratory, Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Hulko, O.; Knights, A.P. [Department of Engineering Physics and the Centre for Emerging Device Technologies, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton L8S 4L7, Ontario (Canada); Shah, M.; Kenyon, A.J. [Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE (United Kingdom)

2013-07-15

We studied the photoluminescence spectra of silicon nanocrystals doped with and without phosphorus as a function of isothermal annealing time. Silicon nanocrystals were prepared by the implantation of 80 keV Si{sup +} into a 500 nm SiO{sub 2} film to an areal density of 8 × 10{sup 16} at/cm{sup 2}. Half of the samples were co-implanted with P{sup +} at 80 keV to 5 × 10{sup 15} at/cm{sup 2}. The photoluminescence of the annealed samples were photo-excited at wavelength of 405 nm. For short anneal times, when the nanocrystal size distribution has a relatively small mean diameter, formation in the presence of phosphorus yields an increase in the luminescence intensity and a blue shift in the emission peak compared with intrinsic nanocrystals. As the mean size increases with annealing time, this enhancement rapidly diminishes and the peak energy shifts to the red. Our results indicate the donor electron generation depends strongly on the nanocrystal size. We also found a critical limit above which it allows dopant activation.

Using hair, nail and urine samples for human exposure assessment of legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yuan; Shi, Yali; Vestergren, Robin; Zhou, Zhen; Liang, Yong; Cai, Yaqi

2018-09-15

Non-invasive samples present ethical and practical benefits for investigating human exposure to hazardous contaminants, but analytical challenges and difficulties to interpret the results limit their application in biomonitoring. Here we investigated the potential for using hair, nail and urine samples as a measure of internal exposure to an array of legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in two populations with different exposure conditions. Paired urine-serum measurements of PFASs from a group of highly exposed fishery employees displayed strong correlations for PFASs with three to eight perfluorinated carbons (ρ > 0.653; p < 0.01). Consistent statistical correlations and transfer ratios in nails and hair from both populations demonstrated that these non-invasive samples can be used as a measure of internal exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and C8 chlorinated polyfluoralkyl ether sulfonic acid (C8 Cl-PFESA). Contrastingly, the infrequent detections and/or lack of consistent transfer ratios for perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorononanoic acid and short-chain PFASs in hair and nail samples indicate passive uptake from the external environment rather than uptake and internal distribution. Collectively, the study supports the use of urine samples as a valid measure of internal exposure for a range of short- and medium-chain PFASs, while the validity of nail and hair samples as a measure of internal exposure may vary for different PFASs and populations. The ubiquitous detection of C8 Cl-PFESA in all sample matrices from both populations indicates widespread exposure to this contaminant of emerging concern in China. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantifying predictability through information theory: small sample estimation in a non-Gaussian framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haven, Kyle; Majda, Andrew; Abramov, Rafail

2005-01-01

Many situations in complex systems require quantitative estimates of the lack of information in one probability distribution relative to another. In short term climate and weather prediction, examples of these issues might involve the lack of information in the historical climate record compared with an ensemble prediction, or the lack of information in a particular Gaussian ensemble prediction strategy involving the first and second moments compared with the non-Gaussian ensemble itself. The relative entropy is a natural way to quantify the predictive utility in this information, and recently a systematic computationally feasible hierarchical framework has been developed. In practical systems with many degrees of freedom, computational overhead limits ensemble predictions to relatively small sample sizes. Here the notion of predictive utility, in a relative entropy framework, is extended to small random samples by the definition of a sample utility, a measure of the unlikeliness that a random sample was produced by a given prediction strategy. The sample utility is the minimum predictability, with a statistical level of confidence, which is implied by the data. Two practical algorithms for measuring such a sample utility are developed here. The first technique is based on the statistical method of null-hypothesis testing, while the second is based upon a central limit theorem for the relative entropy of moment-based probability densities. These techniques are tested on known probability densities with parameterized bimodality and skewness, and then applied to the Lorenz '96 model, a recently developed 'toy' climate model with chaotic dynamics mimicking the atmosphere. The results show a detection of non-Gaussian tendencies of prediction densities at small ensemble sizes with between 50 and 100 members, with a 95% confidence level

Passive fault current limiting device

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Daniel J.; Cha, Yung S.

1999-01-01

A passive current limiting device and isolator is particularly adapted for use at high power levels for limiting excessive currents in a circuit in a fault condition such as an electrical short. The current limiting device comprises a magnetic core wound with two magnetically opposed, parallel connected coils of copper, a high temperature superconductor or other electrically conducting material, and a fault element connected in series with one of the coils. Under normal operating conditions, the magnetic flux density produced by the two coils cancel each other. Under a fault condition, the fault element is triggered to cause an imbalance in the magnetic flux density between the two coils which results in an increase in the impedance in the coils. While the fault element may be a separate current limiter, switch, fuse, bimetal strip or the like, it preferably is a superconductor current limiter conducting one-half of the current load compared to the same limiter wired to carry the total current of the circuit. The major voltage during a fault condition is in the coils wound on the common core in a preferred embodiment.

Occurrence of Radio Minihalos in a Mass-limited Sample of Galaxy Clusters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giacintucci, Simona; Clarke, Tracy E. [Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Code 7213, Washington, DC 20375 (United States); Markevitch, Maxim [NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Cassano, Rossella; Venturi, Tiziana; Brunetti, Gianfranco, E-mail: simona.giacintucci@nrl.navy.mil [INAF—Istituto di Radioastronomia, via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna (Italy)

2017-06-01

We investigate the occurrence of radio minihalos—diffuse radio sources of unknown origin observed in the cores of some galaxy clusters—in a statistical sample of 58 clusters drawn from the Planck Sunyaev–Zel’dovich cluster catalog using a mass cut ( M {sub 500} > 6 × 10{sup 14} M {sub ⊙}). We supplement our statistical sample with a similarly sized nonstatistical sample mostly consisting of clusters in the ACCEPT X-ray catalog with suitable X-ray and radio data, which includes lower-mass clusters. Where necessary (for nine clusters), we reanalyzed the Very Large Array archival radio data to determine whether a minihalo is present. Our total sample includes all 28 currently known and recently discovered radio minihalos, including six candidates. We classify clusters as cool-core or non-cool-core according to the value of the specific entropy floor in the cluster center, rederived or newly derived from the Chandra X-ray density and temperature profiles where necessary (for 27 clusters). Contrary to the common wisdom that minihalos are rare, we find that almost all cool cores—at least 12 out of 15 (80%)—in our complete sample of massive clusters exhibit minihalos. The supplementary sample shows that the occurrence of minihalos may be lower in lower-mass cool-core clusters. No minihalos are found in non-cool cores or “warm cores.” These findings will help test theories of the origin of minihalos and provide information on the physical processes and energetics of the cluster cores.

Validation of the Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire for Taiwanese College Students (TSSRQ

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang-Hsueh Chen

2018-03-01

Full Text Available While self-regulation has long been recognized as an important characteristic of an individual, instruments assessing the general aptitude of self-regulation remain limited especially in Asian countries. This study re-validated Carey et al.'s (2004 Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire based on a national sample of Taiwanese college students (N = 1,988. Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA yielded 22 items in five internally consistent factors. Descriptive findings showed that, a lack of proactiveness and volitional control, and a decrease of self-regulation throughout the college span appeared to be an overarching problem among Taiwanese college students. Furthermore, male students achieved lower self-regulation scores than female ones, and students in Services and STEM-related majors are in the need of self-regulation enhancement. Due to the generic measurement of individual's self-regulation traits, the Taiwanese Short Self-regulation Questionnaire (TSSRQ can be flexibly applied to various contexts and used to deal with different issues beyond learning such as college students' Internet or smartphone addiction. Through this study, we hope the validated TSSRQ can promote studies on self-regulation and associated antecedents and outcomes, in turn leveraging college students' life adjustment and well-being.

Electrical characteristics of an ideal tokamak limiter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motley, R.W.

1981-01-01

The intrusion of an equipotential poloidal limiter into the edge plasma of a circular tokamak discharge distorts the axisymmetry in several ways: (1) it (partially) shorts out the top-to-bottom Pfirsch-Schlueter potentials, (2) it creates zones of reversed equilibrium current flow into the limiter, and (3) it generates an electrostatic field opposing the loop current. The resulting boundary mismatch between the outer layers and the inner axisymmetric Pfirsch-Schlueter layer increases the free energy available to drive the edge plasma unstable. A number of special limiters are proposed to symmetrize the edge plasma and thereby reduce the electrical and MHD activity in the boundary layer. (author)

[Determination of short chain chlorinated paraffins in polyvinyl chloride plastics by gas chromatography-negative chemical ion/mass spectrometry].

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Yuanna; Lin, Zhihui; Feng, Anhong; Wang, Xin; Gong, Yemeng; Chen, Zeyong

2015-02-01

A novel method was established to determine short chain chlorinated paraffins (SC-CPs) in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics by gas chromatography-negative chemical ion/mass spectrometry (GC-NCI/MS). Ultrasonic extraction was used to extract SCCPs from PVC plastics. The optimal extraction time was 1.5 h, and concentrated sulfuric acid was adopted to purify the extracted solution. Finally, SCCPs in a sample were detected by GC-NCI/MS at 160 C and with methane reagent gas at 1. 5 mL/min. This method was not influenced by medium chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) in the sample, and accurate quantitation was made for SCCPs. Twelve batches of samples were analyzed and SCCPs were detected in each batch with the contents from 0. 3 x 10(2)mg/kg to 3. 5 x 10(4)mg/kg. With respect to European limitation of SC-CPs (1%), four batches of samples did not comply with the European regulation, and they accounted for 33. 3%. Obviously, high SCCPs risk was presented in PVC plastics.

A short history of the CANDU nuclear power system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brooks, G L

1993-04-01

This paper provides a short historical summary of the evolution of the CANDU nuclear power system with emphasis on the roles played by Ontario Hydro and private sector companies in Ontario in collaboration with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). (author). 1 fig., 61 refs.

A short history of the CANDU nuclear power system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brooks, G.L.

1993-04-01

This paper provides a short historical summary of the evolution of the CANDU nuclear power system with emphasis on the roles played by Ontario Hydro and private sector companies in Ontario in collaboration with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). (author). 1 fig., 61 refs

Applications of short lived nuclides in activation analysis, problems and progress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grass, F [Atominstitut, Vienna (Austria)

1976-07-01

Short lived nuclides or isomeric transitions, respectively would have some advantages over long lived ones. Although we published a paper concerning a germanium-determination in iron meteorites some years ago, only few laboratories use this technique, the main reason being that the high matrix activity disturbs the measurement of energy-spectra. A multichannel analyzer in the time sequence mode enables Li-8 determination by a purely instrumental method which is therefore used more frequently. In the time sequence mode much higher counting rates up to 10 - 50 MHz are processed then by taking energy-spectra. This is the reason why activation analysis with short lived isomeric states is seldom applied when counting rate and pulse height are to be detected simultaneously. Exceptional difficulties are encountered in measurement of samples activated by a reactor pulse. Further difficulties arise from the fact that an optimal expelling time depends on the half life of the nuclide, and is more critical if the half life is short and the full width half maximum of the reactor pulse is small. Commercial Ge-Li-detectors can be used only at low counting rates, so that samples with high matrix activities cannot be measured. Modifying the electronic system enables registration of samples with high matrix activities. For short lived nuclides emitting hard beta-rays, e.g. B-12 or Li-8, a Cerenkov-detector is optimal. These problems are discussed in examples. (author)

Separation of mercury(II), methylmercury and phenylmercury by micellar high-performance liquid chromatography on short columns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hutta, M.; Megova, S.; Halko, R.

1998-01-01

Three environmentally and agrochemically important mercury species: methylmercury, phenylmercury and mercury(II) are separated within 4 minutes as bromocomplexes by micellar liquid chromatography using very short reversed-phase (RP) C18 columns (up to 30 mm). The micellar mobile phase containing 0.05M cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMA + Br - ), 1% (v/v) 2-propanol, 0.001M cyclohexylenediaminetetraacetic acid (DCTA) and sulfuric acid (pH 2) showed good selectivity in mixed reversed-phase and anion-exchange mode. The above mentioned separation order in which organomercurials are eluted far behind the void volume of the column, but before the mercury(II) peak is advantageous in all instances where mercury(II) is present in real samples in great excess. Environmental and agrochemical samples contain humic material which does not interfere in this particular system. The low cost photometric detection at 500 nm after post-column derivatization by CTMA + Br - micellized dithizone is almost free from interferences and enables detection limits at the 1-3 ng level (e.g., 0.1 ppm Hg) for 20 μl samples. (author)

Course and Short-Term Outcomes of Separation Anxiety Disorder in a Community Sample of Twins.

Science.gov (United States)

Foley, Debra L.; Pickles, Andrew; Maes, Hermine M.; Silberg, Judy L.; Eaves, Lindon J.

2004-01-01

Objective: To assess the course and short-term outcomes associated with separation anxiety disorder (SAD) in a community setting. Method: The subjects were 161 of 2,061 8- to 17-year-old twins with SAD from a community-based twin study. Subjects were born between 1974 and 1983. Subjects and parents were personally interviewed about the subject's…

Persistent spatial information in the frontal eye field during object-based short-term memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Kelsey L; Noudoost, Behrad; Moore, Tirin

2012-08-08

Spatial attention is known to gate entry into visual short-term memory, and some evidence suggests that spatial signals may also play a role in binding features or protecting object representations during memory maintenance. To examine the persistence of spatial signals during object short-term memory, the activity of neurons in the frontal eye field (FEF) of macaque monkeys was recorded during an object-based delayed match-to-sample task. In this task, monkeys were trained to remember an object image over a brief delay, regardless of the locations of the sample or target presentation. FEF neurons exhibited visual, delay, and target period activity, including selectivity for sample location and target location. Delay period activity represented the sample location throughout the delay, despite the irrelevance of spatial information for successful task completion. Furthermore, neurons continued to encode sample position in a variant of the task in which the matching stimulus never appeared in their response field, confirming that FEF maintains sample location independent of subsequent behavioral relevance. FEF neurons also exhibited target-position-dependent anticipatory activity immediately before target onset, suggesting that monkeys predicted target position within blocks. These results show that FEF neurons maintain spatial information during short-term memory, even when that information is irrelevant for task performance.

Formaldehyde exposure in U.S. industries from OSHA air sampling data.

Science.gov (United States)

Lavoue, Jerome; Vincent, Raymond; Gerin, Michel

2008-09-01

National occupational exposure databanks have been cited as sources of exposure data for exposure surveillance and exposure assessment for occupational epidemiology. Formaldehyde exposure data recorded in the U.S Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) between 1979 and 2001 were collected to elaborate a multi-industry retrospective picture of formaldehyde exposures and to identify exposure determinants. Due to the database design, only detected personal measurement results (n = 5228) were analyzed with linear mixed-effect models, which explained 29% of the total variance. Short-term measurement results were higher than time-weighted average (TWA) data and decreased 18% per year until 1987 (TWA data 5% per year) and 5% per year (TWA data 4% per year) after that. Exposure varied across industries with maximal estimated TWA geometric means (GM) for 2001 in the reconstituted wood products, structural wood members, and wood dimension and flooring industries (GM = 0.20 mg/m(3). Highest short-term GMs estimated for 2001 were in the funeral service and crematory and reconstituted wood products industries (GM = 0.35 mg/m(3). Exposure levels in IMIS were marginally higher during nonprogrammed inspections compared with programmed inspections. An increasing exterior temperature tended to cause a decrease in exposure levels for cold temperatures (-5% per 5 degrees C for T 15 degrees C). Concentrations measured during the same inspection were correlated and varied differently across industries and sample type (TWA, short term). Sensitivity analyses using TOBIT regression suggested that the average bias caused by excluding non-detects is approximately 30%, being potentially higher for short-term data if many non-detects were actually short-term measurements. Although limited by availability of relevant exposure determinants and potential selection biases in IMIS, these results provide useful insight on formaldehyde occupational exposure in the United States in the last

Integrable discretizations of the short pulse equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Baofeng; Maruno, Ken-ichi; Ohta, Yasuhiro

2010-01-01

In this paper, we propose integrable semi-discrete and full-discrete analogues of the short pulse (SP) equation. The key construction is the bilinear form and determinant structure of solutions of the SP equation. We also give the determinant formulas of N-soliton solutions of the semi-discrete and full-discrete analogues of the SP equations, from which the multi-loop and multi-breather solutions can be generated. In the continuous limit, the full-discrete SP equation converges to the semi-discrete SP equation, and then to the continuous SP equation. Based on the semi-discrete SP equation, an integrable numerical scheme, i.e. a self-adaptive moving mesh scheme, is proposed and used for the numerical computation of the short pulse equation.

Getting complete genomes from complex samples using nanopore sequencing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirkegaard, Rasmus Hansen; Karst, Søren Michael; Albertsen, Mads

Short read sequencing and metagenomic binning workflows have made it possible to extract bacterial genome bins from environmental microbial samples containing hundreds to thousands of different species. However, these genome bins often do not represent complete genomes, as they are mostly...... fragmented, incomplete and often contaminated with foreign DNA and with no robust strategies to validate the quality. The value of these `draft genomes` have limited, lasting value to the scientific community, as gene synteny is broken and the uncertainty of what is missing. The genetic material most often...... missed is important multi-copy and/or conserved marker genes such as the 16S rRNA gene, as sequence micro-heterogeneity prevents assembly of these genes in the de novo assembly. We demonstrate that using nanopore long reads it is now possible to overcome these issues and make complete genomes from...

Getting complete genomes from complex samples using nanopore sequencing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirkegaard, Rasmus Hansen; Karst, Søren Michael; Albertsen, Mads

Background Short read DNA sequencing and metagenomic binning workflows have made it possible to extract bacterial genome bins from environmental microbial samples containing hundreds to thousands of different species. However, these genome bins often do not represent complete genomes......, as they are mostly fragmented, incomplete and often contaminated with foreign DNA. The value of these `draft genomes` have limited, lasting value to the scientific community, as gene synteny is broken and there is some uncertainty of what is missing1. The genetic material most often missed is important multi......-copy and/or conserved marker genes such as the 16S rRNA gene, as sequence micro-heterogeneity prevents assembly of these genes in the de novo assembly. However, long read sequencing technologies are emerging promising an end to fragmented genome assemblies2. Experimental design We extracted DNA from a full...

Integration and segregation of large-scale brain networks during short-term task automatization.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohr, Holger; Wolfensteller, Uta; Betzel, Richard F; Mišić, Bratislav; Sporns, Olaf; Richiardi, Jonas; Ruge, Hannes

2016-11-03

The human brain is organized into large-scale functional networks that can flexibly reconfigure their connectivity patterns, supporting both rapid adaptive control and long-term learning processes. However, it has remained unclear how short-term network dynamics support the rapid transformation of instructions into fluent behaviour. Comparing fMRI data of a learning sample (N=70) with a control sample (N=67), we find that increasingly efficient task processing during short-term practice is associated with a reorganization of large-scale network interactions. Practice-related efficiency gains are facilitated by enhanced coupling between the cingulo-opercular network and the dorsal attention network. Simultaneously, short-term task automatization is accompanied by decreasing activation of the fronto-parietal network, indicating a release of high-level cognitive control, and a segregation of the default mode network from task-related networks. These findings suggest that short-term task automatization is enabled by the brain's ability to rapidly reconfigure its large-scale network organization involving complementary integration and segregation processes.

Constraints on the optical afterglow emission of the short/hard burst GRB 010119

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gorosabel, J.; Andersen, M.I.; Hjorth, J.

2002-01-01

We report optical observations of the short/hard burst GRB 010119 error box, one of the smallest error boxes reported to date for short/hard GRBs. Limits of R >22.3 and I >21.2 are imposed by observations carried out 20.31 and 20.58 hours after the gamma-ray event, respectively. They represent th...

[Design of standard voice sample text for subjective auditory perceptual evaluation of voice disorders].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jin-rang; Sun, Yan-yan; Xu, Wen

2010-09-01

To design a speech voice sample text with all phonemes in Mandarin for subjective auditory perceptual evaluation of voice disorders. The principles for design of a speech voice sample text are: The short text should include the 21 initials and 39 finals, this may cover all the phonemes in Mandarin. Also, the short text should have some meanings. A short text was made out. It had 155 Chinese words, and included 21 initials and 38 finals (the final, ê, was not included because it was rarely used in Mandarin). Also, the text covered 17 light tones and one "Erhua". The constituent ratios of the initials and finals presented in this short text were statistically similar as those in Mandarin according to the method of similarity of the sample and population (r = 0.742, P text were statistically not similar as those in Mandarin (r = 0.731, P > 0.05). A speech voice sample text with all phonemes in Mandarin was made out. The constituent ratios of the initials and finals presented in this short text are similar as those in Mandarin. Its value for subjective auditory perceptual evaluation of voice disorders need further study.

Running functional sport vest and short for e-textile applications

Science.gov (United States)

Baskan, H.; Acikgoz, H.; Atakan, R.; Eryuruk, H.; Akalın, N.; Kose, H.; Li, Y.; Kursun Bahadir, S.; Kalaoglu, F.

2017-10-01

Sports garments with functional properties have become crucial as well as comfort properties since they improve the wearer performance. For this reason, sport vest and short having high elastic recovery with fall detection sensor, were designed and produced by using flat-bed knitting machine. Comfort properties of short and vest were tested with several test instruments and; tensile strength of elastomeric yarn, air permeability, moisture management, drape and objective handle (FAST tests) of garments were achieved. It was proved that short and vest samples have good comfort properties as a functional sport garment. It was also tested that fall-detection sensor can work efficiently by using a mobile phone application.

Evaluation of Multiple Linear Regression-Based Limited Sampling Strategies for Enteric-Coated Mycophenolate Sodium in Adult Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Emily K; Tett, Susan E; Isbel, Nicole M; McWhinney, Brett; Staatz, Christine E

2018-04-01

Although multiple linear regression-based limited sampling strategies (LSSs) have been published for enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium, none have been evaluated for the prediction of subsequent mycophenolic acid (MPA) exposure. This study aimed to examine the predictive performance of the published LSS for the estimation of future MPA area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 12 hours (AUC0-12) in renal transplant recipients. Total MPA plasma concentrations were measured in 20 adult renal transplant patients on 2 occasions a week apart. All subjects received concomitant tacrolimus and were approximately 1 month after transplant. Samples were taken at 0, 0.33, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 6, and 8 hours and 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, and 12 hours after dose on the first and second sampling occasion, respectively. Predicted MPA AUC0-12 was calculated using 19 published LSSs and data from the first or second sampling occasion for each patient and compared with the second occasion full MPA AUC0-12 calculated using the linear trapezoidal rule. Bias (median percentage prediction error) and imprecision (median absolute prediction error) were determined. Median percentage prediction error and median absolute prediction error for the prediction of full MPA AUC0-12 were multiple linear regression-based LSS was not possible without concentrations up to at least 8 hours after the dose.

Scheduling sampling to maximize information about time dependence in experiments with limited resources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Græsbøll, Kaare; Christiansen, Lasse Engbo

2013-01-01

Looking for periodicity in sampled data requires that periods (lags) of different length are represented in the sampling plan. We here present a method to assist in planning of temporal studies with sparse resources, which optimizes the number of observed time lags for a fixed amount of samples w...

Modeling of Short-Circuit-Related Thermal Stress in Aged IGBT Modules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bahman, Amir Sajjad; Iannuzzo, Francesco; Uhrenfeldt, Christian

2017-01-01

In this paper, the thermal stress on bond wires of aged IGBT modules under short-circuit conditions has been studied with respect to different solder delamination levels. To ensure repeatable test conditions, ad-hoc DBC (direct bond copper) samples with delaminated solder layers have been purposely...... in the surface temperature distribution, which confirms the hypothesis that short-circuit events produce significantly uneven stresses on bond wires....

Prediction of Short-Circuit-Related Thermal Stress in Aged IGBT Modules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bahman, Amir Sajjad; Iannuzzo, Francesco; Uhrenfeldt, Christian

2016-01-01

In this paper, the thermal stress on bond wires of aged IGBT modules under short-circuit conditions has been studied with respect to different solder delamination levels. To ensure repeatable test conditions, ad-hoc DBC (direct bond copper) samples with delaminated solder layers have been purposely...... in the surface temperature distribution which confirms the hypothesis that short-circuit events produce significantly uneven stresses on bond wires....

THE EFFECT OF USING SHORT SILENT ANIMATIONS ON EFL LEARNERS WRITING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamid Marashi

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the effect of short silent animations on pre-intermediate EFL learners writing. A homogenized group of 60 participants was non-randomly chosen and assigned as the control and experimental groups. Those in the control group watched five short animations with dialogue, while those in the experimental group had five short animations which were silent. The procedure lasted 10 sessions. In both groups, the participants were asked to write five writings regarding the subjects of the animations during the term and each of the writings should have contained a minimum of 90 and maximum of 140 words. The participants were provided both oral and written feedback. At the end of the instruction, a sample PET writing posttest was administered to both groups, an independent samples t-test was run on the mean scores of the two groups, and the results (t = -2.02, p = 0.037˂0.05 revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group.

Tuberculosis: limitations and strengths of Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course Tuberculosis: límites y potencialidades del tratamiento supervisado Tuberculose: limites e potencialidades do tratamento supervisionado

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisangela Martins de Queiroz

2012-04-01

Full Text Available This study analyzed the limitations and strengths of the Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS for tuberculosis from the perspective of patients and healthcare providers in a Technical Health Supervision unit in the city of São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Four patients and 17 healthcare providers from nine Primary Care Units were interviewed from April to June 2006, after signing free and informed consent forms. The reports were decoded according to the speech analysis technique. The Theory of the Social Determination of the Health-Disease Process was adopted as the theoretical framework. The strengths were: establishment of bonds between healthcare providers and patients and the introduction of incentives, which promotes treatment adherence. Limitations included: restricted involvement of DOTS' healthcare providers and reconciling patients' working hours with supervision. Treatment adherence goes beyond the biological sphere and healthcare providers should acknowledge patients' needs that go beyond the supervision of medication taken.Se objetivó analizar potencialidades y límites de la estrategia del Tratamiento Supervisado (DOTS para la tuberculosis bajo la percepción de los usuarios en tratamiento y de los trabajadores de la salud de una Supervisión Técnica de Salud del Municipio de Sao Paulo. Se entrevistaron 4 usuarios y 17 profesionales de salud de nueve Unidades Básicas de Salud, entre abril y junio de 2006, después del consentimiento libre e informado. Las declaraciones fueron decodificadas según la técnica de análisis de discurso. Como marco teórico se adoptó la Teoría de la Determinación Social del Proceso Salud-Enfermedad. Las potencialidades encontradas fueron la creación de vínculo entre profesional/usuario y los incentivos al tratamiento, los que favorece la adhesión. Los límites fueron el reducido envolvimiento de los profesionales en el DOTS y el conciliar el horario de trabajo del usuario con la supervisi

Brownian motion in short range random potentials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romero, A.H.; Romero, A.H.; Sancho, J.M.

1998-01-01

A numerical study of Brownian motion of noninteracting particles in random potentials is presented. The dynamics are modeled by Langevin equations in the high friction limit. The random potentials are Gaussian distributed and short ranged. The simulations are performed in one and two dimensions. Different dynamical regimes are found and explained. Effective subdiffusive exponents are obtained and commented on. copyright 1998 The American Physical Society

Short-distance perturbation theory for the leading logarithm models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adler, S.L.

1983-01-01

I derive a short-distance perturbation expansion for the static potential of quasi-abelian quark and antiquark source charges, in the models in which renormalization group radiative corrections are retained in the gauge gluon effective dielectric functional. A natural running coupling parameter zeta for the models is identified, and the scale mass #betta#sub(p) appearing in zeta is computed by requiring the vanishing of the O(zeta 2 ) term in the perturbation expansions. The models are shown to give unsatisfactory results beyond one-loop order in the short-distance expansion, as a result of the breakdown in the ultraviolet of the assumption that the effective action is a local functional of the field strength. The same argument indicates that the assumption of a local effective action becomes self-consistent in the large-distance limit. The coupling parameter zeta is identified as a running coupling which evolves in field strength, rather than momentum, and which becomes infinite in the large-distance limit. (orig.)

Multielement analysis of aerosol samples by X-ray fluorescence analysis with totally reflecting sample holders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ketelsen, P.; Knoechel, A.

1984-01-01

Aerosole samples on filter support were analyzed using the X-ray flourescence analytical method (Mo excitation) with totally reflecting sample carrier (TXFA). Wet decomposition of the sample material with HNO 3 in an enclosed system and subsequent sample preparation by evaporating an aliquot of the solution on the sample carrier yields detection limits up to 0.3 ng/cm 2 . The reproducibilities of the measurements of the elements K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Ba and Pb lie between 5 and 25%. Similar detection limits and reproducibilities are obtained, when low-temperature oxygen plasma is employed for the direct ashing of the homogenously covered filter on the sample carrier. For the systematic loss of elements both methods were investigated with radiotracers as well as with inactive techniques. A comparison of the results with those obtained by NAA, AAS and PIXE shows good agreement in most cases. For the bromine determination and the fast coverage of the main elements a possibility for measuring the filter membrane has been indicated, which neglects the ashing step. The corresponding detection limits are up to 3 ng/cm 2 . (orig.) [de

Critical current degradation of short YBa2Cu3O7-δ coated conductor due to an unprotected quench

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, X; Trociewitz, U P; Schwartz, J

2011-01-01

The critical current of a short YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (YBCO) coated conductor sample degrades in an unprotected quench performed in a nearly adiabatic environment at 30 K. The conductor has Cu stabilizers on both surfaces. The quench is initiated by a heater attached to the sample surface. The amplitude of the transport current is fixed as 91% of the sample's initial critical current. The duration of the current is increased to simulate an unprotected quench and to reach increasing and controlled voltage and temperature levels. A peak temperature of 490 ± 50 K and a heating rate of 1800 K s -1 are measured when the critical current degrades by ∼ 5%. The applied thermal strain on the YBCO layer from 30 to 490 K is estimated to be 0.31% and is applied at a strain rate of ∼ 1% s -1 . The rate of temperature change and the time to reach a certain peak temperature, determined by the current density in the Cu stabilizer, are estimated assuming adiabatic conditions based on the short sample case. For a Cu stabilizer current density ranging from 1000 to 2000 A mm -2 , achieved in commercial conductors currently available, the quench detection and protection requires a response time -2 may challenge the existing detection and protection techniques for the same 200 K limit. Integrating the substrate as part of the stabilizer may help reduce the stabilizer current density to gain more time for quench detection and protection while maintaining the engineering current density.

Limited interlaboratory comparison of Schmallenberg virus antibody detection in serum samples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Poel, W. H. M.; Cay, B.; Zientara, S.

2014-01-01

Eight veterinary institutes in seven different countries in Europe participated in a limited interlaboratory comparison trial to evaluate laboratory performances of Schmallenberg virus (SBV) antibody detection in serum. Seven different sheep sera and three different cattle sera were circulated, a...

On the limiting resolution of silicon detectors for short-range particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verbitskaya, E M; Eremin, V K; Malyarenko, A M; Strokan, N B; Sukhanov, V L

1986-10-20

The transition to planar tecnology has lead to substantial improvement of energy resolution of Si detectors of strongly ionizing nuclear radiations. For 5 MeV ..cap alpha..-particles the resolution (delta/sub ..cap alpha../) is equal 9.2 keV. The application of the method of local diffusion permitted to attain delta/sub ..cap alpha../=8.1-8.4 keV. The comparison of the new resolution level with the theoretical limit is carried out. It is shown that the combination of partial contributions of fluctuations caused by fundamental mechanisms practically determined delta/sub ..cap alpha../ of obtained detectors.

GSD: An SPSS extension command for sub-sampling and bootstrapping datasets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harding, Bradley

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Statistical analyses have grown immensely since the inception of computational methods. However, many quantitative methods classes teach sampling and sub-sampling at a very abstract level despite the fact that, with the faster computers of today, these notions could be demonstrated live to the students. For this reason, we have created a simple extension module for SPSS that can sub-sample and Bootstrap data, GSD (Generator of Sub-sampled Data. In this paper, we describe and show how to use the GSD module as well as provide short descriptions of both the sub-sampling and Bootstrap methods. In addition, as this article aims to inspire instructors to introduce these concepts in their statistics classes of all levels, we provide three short exercises that are ready for curriculum implementation.

Remembering over the short-term: the case against the standard model.

Science.gov (United States)

Nairne, James S

2002-01-01

Psychologists often assume that short-term storage is synonymous with activation, a mnemonic property that keeps information in an immediately accessible form. Permanent knowledge is activated, as a result of on-line cognitive processing, and an activity trace is established "in" short-term (or working) memory. Activation is assumed to decay spontaneously with the passage of time, so a refreshing process-rehearsal-is needed to maintain availability. Most of the phenomena of immediate retention, such as capacity limitations and word length effects, are assumed to arise from trade-offs between rehearsal and decay. This "standard model" of how we remember over the short-term still enjoys considerable popularity, although recent research questions most of its main assumptions. In this chapter I review the recent research and identify the empirical and conceptual problems that plague traditional conceptions of short-term memory. Increasingly, researchers are recognizing that short-term retention is cue driven, much like long-term memory, and that neither rehearsal nor decay is likely to explain the particulars of short-term forgetting.

On damping of screw dislocation bending vibrations in dissipative crystal: limiting cases

Science.gov (United States)

Dezhin, V. V.

2018-03-01

The expression for the generalized susceptibility of the dislocation obtained earlier was used. The electronic drag mechanism of dislocations is considered. The study of small dislocation oscillations was limited. The contribution of the attenuation of low-frequency bending screw dislocation vibrations to the overall coefficient of dynamic dislocation drag in the long-wave and short-wave limits is calculated. The damping of short-wave bending screw dislocation vibrations caused by an external action of an arbitrary frequency has been investigated. The contribution of long-wave bending screw dislocation vibrations damping in the total drag coefficient at an arbitrary frequency is found.

A simulation study provided sample size guidance for differential item functioning (DIF) studies using short scales

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scott, Neil W.; Fayers, Peter M.; Bottomley, Andrew

2009-01-01

Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses are increasingly used to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instruments, which often include relatively short subscales. Computer simulations were used to explore how various factors including scale length affect analysis of DIF by ordinal...... logistic regression....

Direct analysis of radionuclides-96 samples simultaneously

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kessler, M.J.

1991-01-01

Recently, there has been a tremendous interest in two areas of concern in nuclear counting and radioactivity waste disposal. The first is the reduction of radioactive waste, in particular the reduction in the amount of or the development of environmentally safe scintillation cocktails. The second is the development of a simple method of quantitating large numbers of samples (thousands/day) in a short period of time (minutes). These two areas of concern have been addressed with the development of the Matrix 96 direct beta counter. This new instrumental technique is capable of quantitating 96 samples simultaneously in the microplate format (8 x 12, 96 sample) on a solid support WITHOUT the use of any cocktails, vials, and is non-destructive to the sample. The use of this technique for the following biomedical applications, DNA dot blots, cell proliferation (3H thymidine), receptor binding, chromium cytotoxicity assays, and protein assays will be discussed in detail. The data from both the conventional beta and gamma counter will be correlated and compared to the new Matrix 96 direct beta counter. This new technique provides a convenient method of addressing the concerns of reducing radioactive waste and provides a method of quantitating a large number of samples, accurately in a short period of time (96 at a time)

Effect of acoustic similarity on short-term auditory memory in the monkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Brian H; Mishkin, Mortimer; Yin, Pingbo

2013-04-01

Recent evidence suggests that the monkey's short-term memory in audition depends on a passively retained sensory trace as opposed to a trace reactivated from long-term memory for use in working memory. Reliance on a passive sensory trace could render memory particularly susceptible to confusion between sounds that are similar in some acoustic dimension. If so, then in delayed matching-to-sample, the monkey's performance should be predicted by the similarity in the salient acoustic dimension between the sample and subsequent test stimulus, even at very short delays. To test this prediction and isolate the acoustic features relevant to short-term memory, we examined the pattern of errors made by two rhesus monkeys performing a serial, auditory delayed match-to-sample task with interstimulus intervals of 1 s. The analysis revealed that false-alarm errors did indeed result from similarity-based confusion between the sample and the subsequent nonmatch stimuli. Manipulation of the stimuli showed that removal of spectral cues was more disruptive to matching behavior than removal of temporal cues. In addition, the effect of acoustic similarity on false-alarm response was stronger at the first nonmatch stimulus than at the second one. This pattern of errors would be expected if the first nonmatch stimulus overwrote the sample's trace, and suggests that the passively retained trace is not only vulnerable to similarity-based confusion but is also highly susceptible to overwriting. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cytological preparations for molecular analysis: A review of technical procedures, advantages and limitations for referring samples for testing.

Science.gov (United States)

da Cunha Santos, G; Saieg, M A; Troncone, G; Zeppa, P

2018-04-01

Minimally invasive procedures such as endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) must yield not only good quality and quantity of material for morphological assessment, but also an adequate sample for analysis of molecular markers to guide patients to appropriate targeted therapies. In this context, cytopathologists worldwide should be familiar with minimum requirements for refereeing cytological samples for testing. The present manuscript is a review with comprehensive description of the content of the workshop entitled Cytological preparations for molecular analysis: pre-analytical issues for EBUS TBNA, presented at the 40th European Congress of Cytopathology in Liverpool, UK. The present review emphasises the advantages and limitations of different types of cytology substrates used for molecular analysis such as archival smears, liquid-based preparations, archival cytospin preparations and FTA (Flinders Technology Associates) cards, as well as their technical requirements/features. These various types of cytological specimens can be successfully used for an extensive array of molecular studies, but the quality and quantity of extracted nucleic acids rely directly on adequate pre-analytical assessment of those samples. In this setting, cytopathologists must not only be familiar with the different types of specimens and associated technical procedures, but also correctly handle the material provided by minimally invasive procedures, ensuring that there is sufficient amount of material for a precise diagnosis and correct management of the patient through personalised care. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Airborne Isocyanate Exposures in the Collision Repair Industry and a Comparison to Occupational Exposure Limits

Science.gov (United States)

Reeb-Whitaker, Carolyn; Whittaker, Stephen G.; Ceballos, Diana M.; Weiland, Elisa C.; Flack, Sheila L.; Fent, Kenneth W.; Thomasen, Jennifer M.; Gaines, Linda G. Trelles; Nylander-French, Leena A.

2014-01-01

Isocyanate exposure was evaluated in 33 spray painters from 25 Washington State autobody shops. Personal breathing zone samples (n = 228) were analyzed for isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) monomer, 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) monomer, IPDI polyisocyanate, and three polyisocyanate forms of HDI. The objective was to describe exposures to isocyanates while spray painting, compare them with short-term exposure limits (STELs), and describe the isocyanate composition in the samples. The composition of polyisocyanates (IPDI and HDI) in the samples varied greatly, with maximum amounts ranging from up to 58% for HDI biuret to 96% for HDI isocyanurate. There was a significant inverse relationship between the percentage composition of HDI isocyanurate to IPDI and to HDI uretdione. Two 15-min STELs were compared: (1) Oregon's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OR-OSHA) STEL of 1000 μg/m3 for HDI polyisocyanate, and (2) the United Kingdom's Health and Safety Executive (UK-HSE) STEL of 70 μg NCO/m3 for all isocyanates. Eighty percent of samples containing HDI polyisocyanate exceeded the OR-OSHA STEL while 98% of samples exceeded the UKHSE STEL. The majority of painters (67%) wore half-face air-purifying respirators while spray painting. Using the OROSHA and the UK-HSE STELs as benchmarks, 21% and 67% of painters, respectively, had at least one exposure that exceeded the respirator's OSHA-assigned protection factor. A critical review of the STELs revealed the following limitations: (1) the OR-OSHA STEL does not include all polyisocyanates, and (2) the UK-HSE STEL is derived from monomeric isocyanates, whereas the species present in typical spray coatings are polyisocyanates. In conclusion, the variable mixtures of isocyanates used by autobody painters suggest that an occupational exposure limit is required that includes all polyisocyanates. Despite the limitations of the STELs, we determined that a respirator with an assigned protection factor of 25 or

Airborne isocyanate exposures in the collision repair industry and a comparison to occupational exposure limits.

Science.gov (United States)

Reeb-Whitaker, Carolyn; Whittaker, Stephen G; Ceballos, Diana M; Weiland, Elisa C; Flack, Sheila L; Fent, Kenneth W; Thomasen, Jennifer M; Trelles Gaines, Linda G; Nylander-French, Leena A

2012-01-01

Isocyanate exposure was evaluated in 33 spray painters from 25 Washington State autobody shops. Personal breathing zone samples (n = 228) were analyzed for isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) monomer, 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) monomer, IPDI polyisocyanate, and three polyisocyanate forms of HDI. The objective was to describe exposures to isocyanates while spray painting, compare them with short-term exposure limits (STELs), and describe the isocyanate composition in the samples. The composition of polyisocyanates (IPDI and HDI) in the samples varied greatly, with maximum amounts ranging from up to 58% for HDI biuret to 96% for HDI isocyanurate. There was a significant inverse relationship between the percentage composition of HDI isocyanurate to IPDI and to HDI uretdione. Two 15-min STELs were compared: (1) Oregon's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OR-OSHA) STEL of 1000 μg/m(3) for HDI polyisocyanate, and (2) the United Kingdom's Health and Safety Executive (UK-HSE) STEL of 70 μg NCO/m(3) for all isocyanates. Eighty percent of samples containing HDI polyisocyanate exceeded the OR-OSHA STEL while 98% of samples exceeded the UK-HSE STEL. The majority of painters (67%) wore half-face air-purifying respirators while spray painting. Using the OR-OSHA and the UK-HSE STELs as benchmarks, 21% and 67% of painters, respectively, had at least one exposure that exceeded the respirator's OSHA-assigned protection factor. A critical review of the STELs revealed the following limitations: (1) the OR-OSHA STEL does not include all polyisocyanates, and (2) the UK-HSE STEL is derived from monomeric isocyanates, whereas the species present in typical spray coatings are polyisocyanates. In conclusion, the variable mixtures of isocyanates used by autobody painters suggest that an occupational exposure limit is required that includes all polyisocyanates. Despite the limitations of the STELs, we determined that a respirator with an assigned protection factor of 25 or

Attentional Demands Predict Short-Term Memory Load Response in Posterior Parietal Cortex

Science.gov (United States)

Magen, Hagit; Emmanouil, Tatiana-Aloi; McMains, Stephanie A.; Kastner, Sabine; Treisman, Anne

2009-01-01

Limits to the capacity of visual short-term memory (VSTM) indicate a maximum storage of only 3 or 4 items. Recently, it has been suggested that activity in a specific part of the brain, the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), is correlated with behavioral estimates of VSTM capacity and might reflect a capacity-limited store. In three experiments that…

Separating metagenomic short reads into genomes via clustering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanaseichuk Olga

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The metagenomics approach allows the simultaneous sequencing of all genomes in an environmental sample. This results in high complexity datasets, where in addition to repeats and sequencing errors, the number of genomes and their abundance ratios are unknown. Recently developed next-generation sequencing (NGS technologies significantly improve the sequencing efficiency and cost. On the other hand, they result in shorter reads, which makes the separation of reads from different species harder. Among the existing computational tools for metagenomic analysis, there are similarity-based methods that use reference databases to align reads and composition-based methods that use composition patterns (i.e., frequencies of short words or l-mers to cluster reads. Similarity-based methods are unable to classify reads from unknown species without close references (which constitute the majority of reads. Since composition patterns are preserved only in significantly large fragments, composition-based tools cannot be used for very short reads, which becomes a significant limitation with the development of NGS. A recently proposed algorithm, AbundanceBin, introduced another method that bins reads based on predicted abundances of the genomes sequenced. However, it does not separate reads from genomes of similar abundance levels. Results In this work, we present a two-phase heuristic algorithm for separating short paired-end reads from different genomes in a metagenomic dataset. We use the observation that most of the l-mers belong to unique genomes when l is sufficiently large. The first phase of the algorithm results in clusters of l-mers each of which belongs to one genome. During the second phase, clusters are merged based on l-mer repeat information. These final clusters are used to assign reads. The algorithm could handle very short reads and sequencing errors. It is initially designed for genomes with similar abundance levels and then

Investigation of short and long term trends in chemical composition of Eastern Mediterranean aerosols

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

A collaborative study was started with the Middle East Technical University, Environmental Engineering Department in 2004 in order to determine the transport of air pollutants and their deposition rates to Eastern Mediterranean with the ultimate aim of filling the gaps in knowledge on the current status of Eastern Mediterranean air quality profile. Collection sufficient amount of representative samples, analyzes of the collected samples with high accuracy and precision and interpretation of generated data are crucial efforts. To attain this goal, EDXRF spectrometer, which is a rapid, reliable and sensitive analytical instrument, located at our center was employed in analysis of the collected samples after calibration with 'NIST 2783 Air Particles on Filter'. The effectiveness of the control strategies taken on the emissions was discussed by investigating the short and long term variations in the chemical composition of samples collected between 1993 and 2001 at Antalya station. In this context, generated data set was studied for short (daily) term, seasonal and long term variations. It has been found that short term variations in the concentrations of pollutants in short time scale are highly episodic. The concentration of measured pollutants was changed 10-20 folds in the subsequent two days. The most important factors affecting the chemical composition of pollutants in short time interval are meteorological factors such as precipitation and variations observed at the emission strength of pollutants. The declined in Pb concentrations at the Antalya station was attributed to observed decrease in Pb emissions in Europe after the introduction of leaded gasoline. Highest summer averages were reported for anthropogenic pollutants in summer months. Aegean Sea (Izmir-Aliaga) studies of the project will be completed this year

Limit Asthma Attacks Caused by Colds or Flu

Science.gov (United States)

Asthma: Limit asthma attacks caused by colds or flu A cold or the flu can trigger an asthma attack. Here's why — and how to keep your sneeze ... plan. If you notice warning signs of an asthma attack — such as coughing, wheezing, chest tightness or shortness ...

Short communication: Influence of the sampling device on somatic cell count variation in cow milk samples (by official recording)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fouz, R.; Vilar, M.J.; Yus, E.; Sanjuán, M.L.; Diéguez, F.J.

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the variability in cow´s milk somatic cell counts (SCC) depending on the type of milk meter used by dairy farms for official milk recording. The study was performed in 2011 and 2012 in the major cattle area of Spain. In total, 137,846 lactations of Holstein-Friesian cows were analysed at 1,912 farms. A generalised least squares regression model was used for data analysis. The model showed that the milk meter had a substantial effect on the SCC for individual milk samples obtained for official milk recording. The results suggested an overestimation of the SCC in milk samples from farms that had electronic devices in comparison with farms that used portable devices and underestimation when volumetric meters are used. A weak positive correlation was observed between the SCC and the percentage of fat in individual milk samples. The results underline the importance of considering this variable when using SCC data from milk recording in the dairy herd improvement program or in quality milk programs. (Author)

Short communication: Influence of the sampling device on somatic cell count variation in cow milk samples (by official recording)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fouz, R.; Vilar, M.J.; Yus, E.; Sanjuán, M.L.; Diéguez, F.J.

2016-11-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the variability in cow´s milk somatic cell counts (SCC) depending on the type of milk meter used by dairy farms for official milk recording. The study was performed in 2011 and 2012 in the major cattle area of Spain. In total, 137,846 lactations of Holstein-Friesian cows were analysed at 1,912 farms. A generalised least squares regression model was used for data analysis. The model showed that the milk meter had a substantial effect on the SCC for individual milk samples obtained for official milk recording. The results suggested an overestimation of the SCC in milk samples from farms that had electronic devices in comparison with farms that used portable devices and underestimation when volumetric meters are used. A weak positive correlation was observed between the SCC and the percentage of fat in individual milk samples. The results underline the importance of considering this variable when using SCC data from milk recording in the dairy herd improvement program or in quality milk programs. (Author)

Methane hydrate distribution from prolonged and repeated formation in natural and compacted sand samples: X-ray CT observations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rees, E.V.L.; Kneafsey, T.J.; Seol, Y.

2010-07-01

To study physical properties of methane gas hydrate-bearing sediments, it is necessary to synthesize laboratory samples due to the limited availability of cores from natural deposits. X-ray computed tomography (CT) and other observations have shown gas hydrate to occur in a number of morphologies over a variety of sediment types. To aid in understanding formation and growth patterns of hydrate in sediments, methane hydrate was repeatedly formed in laboratory-packed sand samples and in a natural sediment core from the Mount Elbert Stratigraphic Test Well. CT scanning was performed during hydrate formation and decomposition steps, and periodically while the hydrate samples remained under stable conditions for up to 60 days. The investigation revealed the impact of water saturation on location and morphology of hydrate in both laboratory and natural sediments during repeated hydrate formations. Significant redistribution of hydrate and water in the samples was observed over both the short and long term.

Validation of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale - Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) in an Italian-speaking sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Monacis, Lucia; Palo, Valeria de; Griffiths, Mark D; Sinatra, Maria

2016-12-01

Background and aims The inclusion of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in Section III of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has increased the interest of researchers in the development of new standardized psychometric tools for the assessment of such a disorder. To date, the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale - Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) has only been validated in English, Portuguese, and Slovenian languages. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to examine the psychometric properties of the IGDS9-SF in an Italian-speaking sample. Methods A total of 757 participants were recruited to the present study. Confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group analyses were applied to assess the construct validity. Reliability analyses comprised the average variance extracted, the standard error of measurement, and the factor determinacy coefficient. Convergent and criterion validities were established through the associations with other related constructs. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to determine an empirical cut-off point. Results Findings confirmed the single-factor structure of the instrument, its measurement invariance at the configural level, and the convergent and criterion validities. Satisfactory levels of reliability and a cut-off point of 21 were obtained. Discussion and conclusions The present study provides validity evidence for the use of the Italian version of the IGDS9-SF and may foster research into gaming addiction in the Italian context.

Short (

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Telleman, Gerdien; den Hartog, Laurens

2013-01-01

Aim: This systematic review assessed the implant survival rate of short (<10 mm) dental implants installed in partially edentulous patients. A case report of a short implant in the posterior region have been added. Materials and methods: A search was conducted in the electronic databases of MEDLINE

Short-term LNG-markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eldegard, Tom; Lund, Arne-Christian; Miltersen, Kristian; Rud, Linda

2005-01-01

The global Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry has experienced substantial growth in the past decades. In the traditional trade patterns of LNG the product has typically been handled within a dedicated chain of plants and vessels fully committed by long term contracts or common ownership, providing risk sharing of large investments in a non-liquid market. Increasing gas prices and substantial cost reductions in all parts of the LNG chain have made LNG projects viable even if only part of the capacity is secured by long-term contracts, opening for more flexible trade of the remainder. Increasing gas demand, especially in power generation, combined with cost reductions in the cost of LNG terminals, open new markets for LNG. For the LNG supplier, the flexibility of shifting volumes between regions represents an additional value. International trade in LNG has been increasing, now accounting for more than one fifth of the world's cross-border gas trade. Despite traditional vertical chain bonds, increased flexibility has contributed in fact to an increasing LNG spot trade, representing 8% of global trade in 2002. The focus of this paper is on the development of global short-term LNG markets, and their role with respect to efficiency and security of supply in European gas markets. Arbitrage opportunities arising from price differences between regional markets (such as North America versus Europe) are important impetuses for flexible short-term trade. However, the short-term LNG trade may suffer from problems related to market access, e.g. limited access to terminals and regulatory issues, as well as rigidities connected to vertical binding within the LNG chain. Important issues related to the role of short-term LNG-trade in the European gas market are: Competition, flexibility in meeting peak demand, security of supply and consequences of differences in pricing policies (oil-linked prices in Europe and spot market prices in North America). (Author)

American Samoa Commercial Fisheries BioSampling (CFBS)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — There was a fairly short-lived market sampling program created by the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR) staff back in the mid to late...

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.

Limits on the production of neutral penetrating states in a beam dump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LoSecco, J.; Sulak, L.; Galik, R.; Horstkotte, J.; Knauer, J.; Williams, H.H.; Soukas, A.; Wanderer, P.; Weng, W.

1981-01-01

We present limits on the production of neutral penetrating states produced in 28 GeV proton nucleus collisions. We obtain limits for light, heavy and unstable neutral states. For light stable states our limit sigmasub(I)sigmasub(P) -69 cm 4 /nucleon 2 is more than a factor of 5.5 better than previous limits. Time of flight techniques are used to study heavy states. We have poor sensitivity to short-lived states. (orig.)

Prioritization to limit sampling and drilling in site investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burton, J.C.

1992-01-01

One of the major goals of the Environmental Research Division of Argonne National Laboratory is to develop and provide governmental agencies with technically sound, cost-effective frameworks for environmental site characterization and remedial programs. An example of the development of such a framework for preremedial site characterization is presented in this paper. Specifically, this paper presents portions of an expanded site investigation program developed for landfills suspected of containing hazardous waste. The work was sponsored by the New Mexico State Office of the US Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The emphasis of the BLM program was on identifying initial characterization procedures that would decrease the need for sampling and drilling on a random grid

Short communication: Influence of labeling on Australian and Chinese consumers' liking of milk with short (pasteurized) and long (UHT) shelf life.

Science.gov (United States)

Liem, D G; Bolhuis, D P; Hu, X; Keast, R S J

2016-03-01

Sixty percent of milk consumed in China has a long shelf life (UHT), presumably because milk with a short shelf life (pasteurized) is comparatively expensive. This in contrast to Australia, where 10% of consumed milk is UHT and the price between UHT and pasteurized milk is equivalent. Whether UHT is actually more liked than pasteurized milk by Chinese consumers is unknown. However, the potential positive halo around the expensive pasteurized milk might result in Chinese consumers liking milk more when it is labeled as "short shelf-life milk." To test these hypotheses, Chinese (n=48, 20 males, 28 females, 23 ± 7.2 yr) and Australian (n=93, 11 males, 82 females, 24 ± 5.6 yr) consumers tasted and rated (9-point hedonic scale), in a randomized order, 3 × 30-mL samples of UHT milk (labeled as "long shelf-life milk," "short shelf-life milk," or "milk") and 3 × 30-mL samples of pasteurized milk (also labeled as "long shelf-life milk," "short shelf-life milk," or "milk"). Australian participants' liking of milk was not influenced by labeling. Regardless of what the label stated, they always preferred the taste of pasteurized milk over the taste of UHT milk. This was different for Chinese participants, who preferred the taste of UHT milk over the taste of pasteurized milk, but in general had a higher liking for any milk that was labeled "short shelf-life milk." Both Australian and Chinese were more positive about pasteurized than UHT milk. In conclusion, Chinese, but not Australian, consumers' liking of milk was guided by the positive expectations of pasteurized milk and the negative expectations of UHT milk. Further research is needed to investigate if the present findings can be extrapolated to a larger and more varied group of Chinese and Australian consumers. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spatiotemporal Proximity Effects in Visual Short-Term Memory Examined by Target-Nontarget Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Sapkota, Raju P.; Pardhan, Shahina; van der Linde, Ian

2016-01-01

Visual short-term memory (VSTM) is a limited-capacity system that holds a small number of objects online simultaneously, implying that competition for limited storage resources occurs (Phillips, 1974). How the spatial and temporal proximity of stimuli affects this competition is unclear. In this 2-experiment study, we examined the effect of the…

Impaired Verbal Short-Term Memory in down Syndrome Reflects a Capacity Limitation Rather than Atypically Rapid Forgetting

Science.gov (United States)

M. Purser, H.R.; Jarrold, C.

2005-01-01

Individuals with Down syndrome suffer from relatively poor verbal short-term memory. Recent work has indicated that this deficit is not caused by problems of audition, speech, or articulatory rehearsal within the phonological loop component of Baddeley and Hitch's working memory model. Given this, two experiments were conducted to investigate…

Effect of Forging Parameters on Low Cycle Fatigue Behaviour of Al/Basalt Short Fiber Metal Matrix Composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Karthigeyan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with metal matrix composites (MMCs of Al 7075 alloy containing different weight percentage (2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 basalt short fiber reinforcement and unreinforced matrix alloy. The samples were produced by the permanent stir casting technique. The casting ingots were cut into blanks to be forged in single stage and double stage, using MN press and graphite-based lubricant. The microstructures and fatigue properties of the matrix alloy and MMC samples were investigated in the as cast state and in the single and double stage forging operations. The microstructure results showed that the forged sample had a uniform distribution of the basalt short fiber throughout the specimens. Evaluation of the fatigue properties showed that the forged samples had higher values than those of the as cast counterparts. After forging, the enhancement of the fatigue strength of the matrix alloy was so significant and high in the case of 2.5 and 5.0 wt. percentage basalt short fiber reinforced MMC, and there was no enhancement in 7.5 and 10 weight percentages short fiber reinforced MMCs. The fracture damage was mainly due to decohesion at the matrix-fiber interface.

Effect of forging parameters on low cycle fatigue behaviour of Al/basalt short fiber metal matrix composites.

Science.gov (United States)

Karthigeyan, R; Ranganath, G

2013-01-01

This paper deals with metal matrix composites (MMCs) of Al 7075 alloy containing different weight percentage (2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10) basalt short fiber reinforcement and unreinforced matrix alloy. The samples were produced by the permanent stir casting technique. The casting ingots were cut into blanks to be forged in single stage and double stage, using MN press and graphite-based lubricant. The microstructures and fatigue properties of the matrix alloy and MMC samples were investigated in the as cast state and in the single and double stage forging operations. The microstructure results showed that the forged sample had a uniform distribution of the basalt short fiber throughout the specimens. Evaluation of the fatigue properties showed that the forged samples had higher values than those of the as cast counterparts. After forging, the enhancement of the fatigue strength of the matrix alloy was so significant and high in the case of 2.5 and 5.0 wt. percentage basalt short fiber reinforced MMC, and there was no enhancement in 7.5 and 10 weight percentages short fiber reinforced MMCs. The fracture damage was mainly due to decohesion at the matrix-fiber interface.

Comparison of WAIS-III Short Forms for Measuring Index and Full-Scale Scores

Science.gov (United States)

Girard, Todd A.; Axelrod, Bradley N.; Wilkins, Leanne K.

2010-01-01

This investigation assessed the ability of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) short forms to estimate both index and IQ scores in a large, mixed clinical sample (N = 809). More specifically, a commonly used modification of Ward's seven-subtest short form (SF7-A), a recently proposed index-based SF7-C and eight-subtest…

Short-cavity squeezing in barium

Science.gov (United States)

Hope, D. M.; Bachor, H-A.; Manson, P. J.; Mcclelland, D. E.

1992-01-01

Broadband phase sensitive noise and squeezing were experimentally observed in a system of barium atoms interacting with a single mode of a short optical cavity. Squeezing of 13 +/- 3 percent was observed. A maximum possible squeezing of 45 +/- 8 percent could be inferred for out experimental conditions, after correction for measured loss factors. Noise reductions below the quantum limit were found over a range of detection frequencies 60-170 MHz and were best for high cavity transmission and large optical depths. The amount of squeezing observed is consistent with theoretical predictions from a full quantum statistical model of the system.

Chemical and Microbiological Analysis of Certain Water Sources and Industrial Wastewater Samples in Dakahlia Governorate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Fadaly, H.; El-Defrawy, M.M.; El-Zawawy, F.; Makia, D.

1999-01-01

The chemical analysis included quantitative measurement of electrical conductivity, alkalinity , hardness sulphate, ph, total dissolved solids, chloride, as well as dissolved oxygen was carried out. The microbiological examination for different water sources and industrial wastewater samples was also conducted. some of heavy metals, Co 2+ Cu 2+ Fe 3+ and Mn 2+ were determined in fresh water, while other metals, such as Cr 6+ , Co 2+ , Zn 2+ and Ni 2+ were measured in industrial wastewater. Results of the chemical analysis showed that all measured parameters were found within the limitation either national or international law, except some samples which showed higher values than the permissible limits for some measured parameters. The microbiological analysis exhibited presence of yeasts, fungi and bacteria. Most bacterial isolates were short rod, spore formers as well as coccoid shaped bacteria. The efficiency of water treatment process on the reduction of microbial load was also calculated. Regarding the pathogenic bacteria, data showed that neither water samples nor industrial wastewater contain pathogens when using specific cultivation media for the examination. Furthermore, data proved the possibility of recycling of the tested industrial wastewater on which some microorganisms can grow. Data showed that the percent of heavy metals removal can reach to more than 70% in some cases as a result to bacterial treatment of industrial wastewater

Enhancement and stabilization of plasma using collinear long-short double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Minchao; Deguchi, Yoshihiro; Wang, Zhenzhen; Fujita, Yuki; Liu, Renwei; Shiou, Fang-Jung; Zhao, Shengdun

2018-04-01

A collinear long-short dual-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (DP-LIBS) method was employed to enhance and stabilize the laser-induced plasma from steel sample. The long-pulse-width laser beam with the pulse width of 60 μs was generated by a Nd: YAG laser which was operated at FR (free running) mode. The comparative experiments were carried out between single pulse LIBS (SP-LIBS) and long-short DP-LIBS. The recorded results showed that the emission intensities and the temperature of plasma were enhanced by long-short DP-LIBS. The plasma images showed that the plasma was bigger and had a longer lifetime in long-short DP-LIBS situation. Through the calculation of time-resolved plasma temperature and intensity ratio, it can be concluded that the plasma was stabilized by the long-pulse-width laser beam. The long-short DP-LIBS method also generated the stable plasma condition from the samples with different initial temperatures, which overcame the difficulties of LIBS in the online measurement for steel production line.

Point of Injury Sampling Technology for Battlefield Molecular Diagnostics

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-14

Injury" Sampling Technology for Battlefield Molecular Diagnostics November 14, 2011 Sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DOD...Date of Contract: April 25, 2011 Short Title of Work: "Point of Injury" Sampling Technology for Battlefield Molecular Diagnostics " Contract...PHASE I FINAL REPORT: Point of Injury, Sampling Technology for Battlefield Molecular Diagnostics . W31P4Q-11-C-0222 (UNCLASSIFIED) P.I: Bernardo

Field Optimization for short Period Undulators

CERN Document Server

Peiffer, P; Rossmanith, R; Schoerling, D

2011-01-01

Undulators dedicated to low energy electron beams, like Laser Wakefield Accelerators, require very short period lengths to achieve X-ray emission. However, at these short period length (LambdaU ~ 5 mm) it becomes difficult to reach magnetic field amplitudes that lead to a K parameter of >1, which is generally desired. Room temperature permanent magnets and even superconductive undulators using Nb-Ti as conductor material have proven insufficient to achieve the desired field amplitudes. The superconductor Nb$_{3}$Sn has the theoretical potential to achieve the desired fields. However, up to now it is limited by several technological challenges to much lower field values than theoretically predicted. An alternative idea for higher fields is to manufacture the poles of the undulator body from Holmium instead of iron or to use Nb-Ti wires with a higher superconductor/copper ratio. The advantages and challenges of the different options are compared in this contribution.

Fault current limiter using bulk oxides superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belmont, O.; Ferracci, P.; Porcar, L.; Barbut, J.M.; Tixador, P.; Noudem, J.G.; Bourgault, D.; Tournier, R.

1998-01-01

We study the limitation possibilities of bulk Bi high T c materials. For this we test these materials with AC or DC currents above their critical currents. We study particularly the evolution of the voltage with time or with current. The material, the value of the current and the time duration play important parts. For sintered Bi samples the voltage depends only on the current even for values much larger than the critical current. With textured samples the V(I) curves shows an hysteretic behaviour due to a warming up. The textured materials are more interesting than sintered ones in terms of required volume for the current limitation. In both cases the superconductors are in a dissipative state but not in the normal state. This state is nevertheless reached if the dissipated energy inside the sample is sufficient. We have tried to apply a magnetic field on the samples in order to trigger a more effective limitation. The voltage increases but with a limited effect for currents much higher (3-4 times) than the critical zero field current. We think that the dissipative state is due mainly to the grain boundaries which become resistive above the critical current. (orig.)

Micro-organism distribution sampling for bioassays

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, B. A.

1975-01-01

Purpose of sampling distribution is to characterize sample-to-sample variation so statistical tests may be applied, to estimate error due to sampling (confidence limits) and to evaluate observed differences between samples. Distribution could be used for bioassays taken in hospitals, breweries, food-processing plants, and pharmaceutical plants.

The short-form version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21): construct validity and normative data in a large non-clinical sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Henry, Julie D; Crawford, John R

2005-06-01

To test the construct validity of the short-form version of the Depression anxiety and stress scale (DASS-21), and in particular, to assess whether stress as indexed by this measure is synonymous with negative affectivity (NA) or whether it represents a related, but distinct, construct. To provide normative data for the general adult population. Cross-sectional, correlational and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The DASS-21 was administered to a non-clinical sample, broadly representative of the general adult UK population (N = 1,794). Competing models of the latent structure of the DASS-21 were evaluated using CFA. The model with optimal fit (RCFI = 0.94) had a quadripartite structure, and consisted of a general factor of psychological distress plus orthogonal specific factors of depression, anxiety, and stress. This model was a significantly better fit than a competing model that tested the possibility that the Stress scale simply measures NA. The DASS-21 subscales can validly be used to measure the dimensions of depression, anxiety, and stress. However, each of these subscales also taps a more general dimension of psychological distress or NA. The utility of the measure is enhanced by the provision of normative data based on a large sample.

Error Mitigation for Short-Depth Quantum Circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Temme, Kristan; Bravyi, Sergey; Gambetta, Jay M.

2017-11-01

Two schemes are presented that mitigate the effect of errors and decoherence in short-depth quantum circuits. The size of the circuits for which these techniques can be applied is limited by the rate at which the errors in the computation are introduced. Near-term applications of early quantum devices, such as quantum simulations, rely on accurate estimates of expectation values to become relevant. Decoherence and gate errors lead to wrong estimates of the expectation values of observables used to evaluate the noisy circuit. The two schemes we discuss are deliberately simple and do not require additional qubit resources, so to be as practically relevant in current experiments as possible. The first method, extrapolation to the zero noise limit, subsequently cancels powers of the noise perturbations by an application of Richardson's deferred approach to the limit. The second method cancels errors by resampling randomized circuits according to a quasiprobability distribution.

Comparison of false-negative rates and limits of detection following macrofoam-swab sampling of Bacillus anthracis surrogates via Rapid Viability PCR and plate culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutchison, J R; Piepel, G F; Amidan, B G; Hess, B M; Sydor, M A; Deatherage Kaiser, B L

2018-05-01

We evaluated the effects of Bacillus anthracis surrogates, low surface concentrations, surface materials and assay methods on false-negative rate (FNR) and limit of detection (LOD 95 ) for recovering Bacillus spores using a macrofoam-swab sampling procedure. Bacillus anthracis Sterne or Bacillus atrophaeus Nakamura spores were deposited over a range of low target concentrations (2-500 per coupon) onto glass, stainless steel, vinyl tile and plastic. Samples were assayed using a modified Rapid Viability-PCR (mRV-PCR) method and the traditional plate culture method to obtain FNR and LOD 95 results. Mean FNRs tended to be lower for mRV-PCR compared to culturing, and increased as spore concentration decreased for all surface materials. Surface material, but not B. anthracis surrogate, influenced FNRs with the mRV-PCR method. The mRV-PCR LOD 95 was lowest for glass and highest for vinyl tile. LOD 95 values overall were lower for mRV-PCR than for the culture method. This study adds to the limited data on FNR and LOD 95 for mRV-PCR and culturing methods with low concentrations of B. anthracis sampled from various surface materials by the CDC macrofoam-swab method. These are key inputs for planning characterization and clearance studies for low contamination levels of B. anthracis. © 2018 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

NETWORK DESIGN IN CLOSE-RANGE PHOTOGRAMMETRY WITH SHORT BASELINE IMAGES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Barazzetti

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The avaibility of automated software for image-based 3D modelling has changed the way people acquire images for photogrammetric applications. Short baseline images are required to match image points with SIFT-like algorithms, obtaining more images than those necessary for “old fashioned” photogrammetric projects based on manual measurements. This paper describes some considerations on network design for short baseline image sequences, especially on precision and reliability of bundle adjustment. Simulated results reveal that the large number of 3D points used for image orientation has very limited impact on network precision.

Moving your laboratories to the field – Advantages and limitations of the use of field portable instruments in environmental sample analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gałuszka, Agnieszka, E-mail: Agnieszka.Galuszka@ujk.edu.pl [Geochemistry and the Environment Division, Institute of Chemistry, Jan Kochanowski University, 15G Świętokrzyska St., 25-406 Kielce (Poland); Migaszewski, Zdzisław M. [Geochemistry and the Environment Division, Institute of Chemistry, Jan Kochanowski University, 15G Świętokrzyska St., 25-406 Kielce (Poland); Namieśnik, Jacek [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Faculty, Gdańsk University of Technology (GUT), 11/12 G. Narutowicz St., 80-233 Gdańsk (Poland)

2015-07-15

The recent rapid progress in technology of field portable instruments has increased their applications in environmental sample analysis. These instruments offer a possibility of cost-effective, non-destructive, real-time, direct, on-site measurements of a wide range of both inorganic and organic analytes in gaseous, liquid and solid samples. Some of them do not require the use of reagents and do not produce any analytical waste. All these features contribute to the greenness of field portable techniques. Several stationary analytical instruments have their portable versions. The most popular ones include: gas chromatographs with different detectors (mass spectrometer (MS), flame ionization detector, photoionization detector), ultraviolet–visible and near-infrared spectrophotometers, X-ray fluorescence spectrometers, ion mobility spectrometers, electronic noses and electronic tongues. The use of portable instruments in environmental sample analysis gives a possibility of on-site screening and a subsequent selection of samples for routine laboratory analyses. They are also very useful in situations that require an emergency response and for process monitoring applications. However, quantification of results is still problematic in many cases. The other disadvantages include: higher detection limits and lower sensitivity than these obtained in laboratory conditions, a strong influence of environmental factors on the instrument performance and a high possibility of sample contamination in the field. This paper reviews recent applications of field portable instruments in environmental sample analysis and discusses their analytical capabilities. - Highlights: • Field portable instruments are widely used in environmental sample analysis. • Field portable instruments are indispensable for analysis in emergency response. • Miniaturization of field portable instruments reduces resource consumption. • In situ analysis is in agreement with green analytical chemistry

Moving your laboratories to the field – Advantages and limitations of the use of field portable instruments in environmental sample analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gałuszka, Agnieszka; Migaszewski, Zdzisław M.; Namieśnik, Jacek

2015-01-01

The recent rapid progress in technology of field portable instruments has increased their applications in environmental sample analysis. These instruments offer a possibility of cost-effective, non-destructive, real-time, direct, on-site measurements of a wide range of both inorganic and organic analytes in gaseous, liquid and solid samples. Some of them do not require the use of reagents and do not produce any analytical waste. All these features contribute to the greenness of field portable techniques. Several stationary analytical instruments have their portable versions. The most popular ones include: gas chromatographs with different detectors (mass spectrometer (MS), flame ionization detector, photoionization detector), ultraviolet–visible and near-infrared spectrophotometers, X-ray fluorescence spectrometers, ion mobility spectrometers, electronic noses and electronic tongues. The use of portable instruments in environmental sample analysis gives a possibility of on-site screening and a subsequent selection of samples for routine laboratory analyses. They are also very useful in situations that require an emergency response and for process monitoring applications. However, quantification of results is still problematic in many cases. The other disadvantages include: higher detection limits and lower sensitivity than these obtained in laboratory conditions, a strong influence of environmental factors on the instrument performance and a high possibility of sample contamination in the field. This paper reviews recent applications of field portable instruments in environmental sample analysis and discusses their analytical capabilities. - Highlights: • Field portable instruments are widely used in environmental sample analysis. • Field portable instruments are indispensable for analysis in emergency response. • Miniaturization of field portable instruments reduces resource consumption. • In situ analysis is in agreement with green analytical chemistry

Effects of external environments on the short beam shear strength of filament wound graphite/epoxy

Science.gov (United States)

Penn, B. G.; Clemons, J. M.

1986-01-01

Filament wound graphite/epoxy samples were immersed in seawater, deionized water, and toluene at room temperature and 80 deg C for 5, 15, and 43 days, and in methanol at room temperature for 15 and 43 days. The percent weight gains and short beam shear strengths were determined after environmental exposure. Samples immersed in deionized water and seawater had higher percent weight gains than those immersed in toluene at room temperature and 80 deg C. The percent weight gains for samples immersed in methanol at room temperature were comparable to those of deionized water and seawater immersed samples. A comparison of percent decreases in short beam shear strengths could not be made due to a large scatter in data. This may indicate defects in samples due to machining or variations in material properties due to processing.

Volatile Short-chain Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in the Groundwater of the City of Zagreb

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marijanović-Rajčić, M.

2008-01-01

(Fig. 4. In most of the water samples analysed, carbon tetrachloride was not detected at all, while in some of them it was present in low concentrations of about µg l-1, or less.The drinking water taken from the private wells in Trnje, was more pronouncedly contaminated with short-chain chlorinated hydrocarbons than was the water taken from private wells in the other two suburbs. The same goes for the water sampled from the public water-supply system providing drinking water to Pešćenica.The mass concentrations of carbon tetrachloride, detected in all examined samples, were below the maximum limit value specified in the Croatian standard (CS for drinking water, and the value recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO, which is 2 µg l-1. The same goes for the mass concentration of 1,1,2-trichloroethene, which was determined in all samples in low concentrations, falling below the CS-recommended value of 30 µg l-1 and the WHO-recommended value of 70 µg l-1 (provisional. The determined concentrations of 1,1,1 trichloroethane also fell below the CS-recommended value of 50 µg l-1 and the WHO-recommended value of 2000 µg l-1(provisional. Only the mass concentrations of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethene, determined in the examined water samples from the wells in Trnje, exceeded the CS-recommended value of 10 µg l-1, but were still below the WHO-recommended value of 40 µg l-1, as measured in autumn.The results of this analysis are in harmony with the previous results obtained for carbon tetrachloride. Contamination of the groundwater, caused by 1,1,1-trichloroethane, was evident in Trnje, although there had been no previous publications to point that out. 1,1,2-trichloroethene was present in the groundwater of the City of Zagreb, but in low concentrations. 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethene was determined in all samples, which is in harmony with the previously obtained results.The groundwater of the City of Zagreb is contaminated with short-chain chlorinated hydrocarbons

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.

Short forms of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and the Social Phobia Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Fergus, Thomas A; Valentiner, David P; McGrath, Patrick B; Gier-Lonsway, Stephanie L; Kim, Hyun-Soo

2012-01-01

Mattick and Clarke's (1998) Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and Social Phobia Scale (SPS) are commonly used self-report measures that assess 2 dimensions of social anxiety. Given the need for short, readable measures, this research proposes short forms of both scales. Item-level analyses of readability characteristics of the SIAS and SPS items led to the selection of 6 items from each scale for use in the short forms. The SIAS and SPS short forms had reading levels at approximately the 6th and 5th grade level, respectively. Results using nonclinical (Study 1: N = 469) and clinical (Study 2: N = 145) samples identified these short forms as being factorially sound, possessing adequate internal consistency, and having strong convergence with their full-length counterparts. Moreover, these short forms showed convergence with other measures of social anxiety, showed divergence from measures assessing related constructs, and predicted concurrent interpersonal functioning. Recommendations for the use of these short forms are discussed.

Measurement of volatile organic compounds during start-up of bioremediation of French limited superfund site in Crosby Texas using wind dependent whole-air sampling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pleil, J.D.; Fortune, C.R.; Yoong, M.; Oliver, K.D.

1993-01-01

Whole-air sampling was performed before and after the start-up of the bioremediation of an industrial (primarily petrochemical) waste lagoon in Crosby Texas, near Houston. Four 'Sector Samplers' were deployed at the four corners of the French Limited Superfund Site. These samplers collect air into one of two SUMMA polished canisters depending upon wind direction and speed. When the wind blows at the sampler from across the waste lagoon, air is routed to the 'IN' sector canister, otherwise sample is collected in the 'OUT' sector canister. As such, each sampler provides its own background sample, and, upon gas chromatographic analysis, individual compounds can be associated with the waste lagoon. Five sets of 24-hour sector samples were taken; the first set was collected prior to the start of the bioremediation effort and the remaining four sets were taken sequentially for four 24-hour periods after the start-up of the procedure

EFFECT OF SHORT-TERM ART INTERRUPTION ON LEVELS OF INTEGRATED HIV DNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Strongin, Zachary; Sharaf, Radwa; VanBelzen, D Jake; Jacobson, Jeffrey M; Connick, Elizabeth; Volberding, Paul; Skiest, Daniel J; Gandhi, Rajesh T; Kuritzkes, Daniel R; O'Doherty, Una; Li, Jonathan Z

2018-03-28

Analytic treatment interruption (ATI) studies are required to evaluate strategies aimed at achieving ART-free HIV remission, but the impact of ATI on the viral reservoir remains unclear. We validated a DNA size selection-based assay for measuring levels of integrated HIV DNA and applied it to assess the effects of short-term ATI on the HIV reservoir. Samples from participants from four AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) ATI studies were assayed for integrated HIV DNA levels. Cryopreserved PBMCs were obtained for 12 participants with available samples pre-ATI and approximately 6 months after ART resumption. Four participants also had samples available during the ATI. The median duration of ATI was 12 weeks. Validation of the HIV Integrated DNA size-Exclusion (HIDE) assay was performed using samples spiked with unintegrated HIV DNA, HIV-infected cell lines, and participant PBMCs. The HIDE assay eliminated 99% of unintegrated HIV DNA species and strongly correlated with the established Alu- gag assay. For the majority of individuals, integrated DNA levels increased during ATI and subsequently declined upon ART resumption. There was no significant difference in levels of integrated HIV DNA between the pre- and post-ATI time points, with the median ratio of post:pre-ATI HIV DNA levels of 0.95. Using a new integrated HIV DNA assay, we found minimal change in the levels of integrated HIV DNA in participants who underwent an ATI followed by 6 months of ART. This suggests that short-term ATI can be conducted without a significant impact on levels of integrated proviral DNA in the peripheral blood. IMPORTANCE Interventions aimed at achieving sustained antiretroviral therapy (ART)-free HIV remission require treatment interruption trials to assess their efficacy. However, these trials are accompanied by safety concerns related to the expansion of the viral reservoir. We validated an assay that uses an automated DNA size-selection platform for quantifying levels of integrated

Short-term fluctuations in motivation to quit smoking in a sample of smokers in Hawaii.

Science.gov (United States)

Herzog, Thaddeus; Pokhrel, Pallav; Kawamoto, Crissy T

2015-01-01

Despite its potential for usefulness in informing the development of smoking cessation interventions, short-term fluctuations in motivation to quit is a relatively understudied topic. To assess the prevalence of smokers' day-to-day fluctuations in motivation to quit, and to assess associations of day-to-day fluctuations in motivation to quit with several established cessation-related variables. A cross-sectional survey was administered to smokers in Hawaii (N = 1,567). To assess short-term fluctuations in motivation to quit smoking, participants were asked to respond "True" or "False" to the statement: "My motivation to quit smoking changes from one day to the next." Other items measured desire to quit smoking, intention to quit, confidence in quitting, cigarette dependence, and other cessation-related variables. "My motivation to quit smoking changes from one day to the next" was endorsed as true by 64.7% of smokers, and false by 35.3%. Analyses revealed that smokers who indicated fluctuating motivation were significantly more interested in quitting as compared to smokers without fluctuations. Fluctuations in motivation to quit also were associated with greater confidence in quitting, lesser cigarette dependence, and more recent quitting activity (all p motivation to quit are common. Day-to-day fluctuations in motivation to quit are strongly associated with higher motivation to quit, greater confidence in future quitting, and other positive cessation-relevant trends.

Economic investigations of short rotation intensively cultured hybrid poplars

Science.gov (United States)

David C. Lothner

1983-01-01

The history of the economic analyses is summarized for short rotation intensively cultured hybrid poplar at the North Central Forest Experiment Station. Early break-even analyses with limited data indicated that at a price of $25-30 per dry ton for fiber and low to medium production costs, several systems looked profitable. Later cash flow analyses indicated that two...

Axisymmetric tandem mirror stabilized by a magnetic limiter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kesner, J.; Post, R.S.; Lane, B.

1985-06-01

In order to stabilize MHD-like, fast growing m = 1 fluctuations in the central cell of a tandem mirror we propose the introduction of a magnetic limiter. The magnetic limiter would create a ring null in the magnetic field. Electrons which enter the null can stream azimuthally and thereby ''short-circuit'' m = 1 fluctuations. Some pressure could be maintained on the separatrix flux surface by locating the null on a local magnetic maxima or by axial plugging. This scheme introduces the possibility of a fully axisymmetric tandem mirror

Is routine karyotyping required in prenatal samples with a molecular or metabolic referral?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kooper Angelique JA

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract As a routine, karyotyping of invasive prenatal samples is performed as an adjunct to referrals for DNA mutation detection and metabolic testing. We performed a retrospective study on 500 samples to assess the diagnostic value of this procedure. These samples included 454 (90.8% chorionic villus (CV and 46 (9.2% amniocenteses specimens. For CV samples karyotyping was based on analyses of both short-term culture (STC and long-term culture (LTC cells. Overall, 19 (3.8% abnormal karyotypes were denoted: four with a common aneuploidy (trisomy 21, 18 and 13, two with a sex chromosomal aneuploidy (Klinefelter syndrome, one with a sex chromosome mosaicism and twelve with various autosome mosaicisms. In four cases a second invasive test was performed because of an abnormal finding in the STC. Taken together, we conclude that STC and LTC karyotyping has resulted in a diagnostic yield of 19 (3.8% abnormal cases, including 12 cases (2.4% with an uncertain significance. From a diagnostic point of view, it is desirable to limit uncertain test results as secondary test findings. Therefore, we recommend a more targeted assay, such as e.g. QF-PCR, as a replacement of the STC and to provide parents the autonomy to choose between karyotyping and QF-PCR.

Superconduction in limiting-power synchronous generators. State, lines of development, problems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lorenzen, H W; Sergl, J

1976-01-01

The limiting power of conventional 2-pole rotary current synchronous generators is estimated. The limiting power may be raised by using superconducting materials for the field winding. After a short description of superconductive materials, the construction of a synchronous generator with a superconducting field winding is described. Finally, some problems in calculating the magnetic field and the transient behavior are discussed.

Validity and Responsiveness of the Short Version of the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (Short-WORC) in Patients With Rotator Cuff Repair.

Science.gov (United States)

Dewan, Neha; MacDermid, Joy C; MacIntyre, Norma

2018-05-01

should focus on validation of the Short-WORC in samples representing the spectrum of rotator cuff disorders. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2018;48(5):409-418. doi:10.2519/jospt.2018.7928.

QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS AND BROADBAND VARIABILITY IN SHORT MAGNETAR BURSTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huppenkothen, Daniela; Watts, Anna L.; Uttley, Phil; Van der Horst, Alexander J.; Van der Klis, Michiel [Astronomical Institute ' ' Anton Pannekoek' ' , University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, 1090-GE Amsterdam (Netherlands); Kouveliotou, Chryssa [Office of Science and Technology, ZP12, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (United States); Goegues, Ersin [Sabanc Latin-Small-Letter-Dotless-I University, Orhanl Latin-Small-Letter-Dotless-I -Tuzla, Istanbul 34956 (Turkey); Granot, Jonathan [The Open University of Israel, 1 University Road, P.O. Box 808, Ra' anana 43537 (Israel); Vaughan, Simon [X-Ray and Observational Astronomy Group, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Finger, Mark H., E-mail: D.Huppenkothen@uva.nl [Universities Space Research Association, Huntsville, AL 35805 (United States)

2013-05-01

The discovery of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in magnetar giant flares has opened up prospects for neutron star asteroseismology. However, with only three giant flares ever recorded, and only two with data of sufficient quality to search for QPOs, such analysis is seriously data limited. We set out a procedure for doing QPO searches in the far more numerous, short, less energetic magnetar bursts. The short, transient nature of these bursts requires the implementation of sophisticated statistical techniques to make reliable inferences. Using Bayesian statistics, we model the periodogram as a combination of red noise at low frequencies and white noise at high frequencies, which we show is a conservative approach to the problem. We use empirical models to make inferences about the potential signature of periodic and QPOs at these frequencies. We compare our method with previously used techniques and find that although it is on the whole more conservative, it is also more reliable in ruling out false positives. We illustrate our Bayesian method by applying it to a sample of 27 bursts from the magnetar SGR J0501+4516 observed by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor, and we find no evidence for the presence of QPOs in any of the bursts in the unbinned spectra, but do find a candidate detection in the binned spectra of one burst. However, whether this signal is due to a genuine quasi-periodic process, or can be attributed to unmodeled effects in the noise is at this point a matter of interpretation.

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.

Limited-sampling strategy models for estimating the pharmacokinetic parameters of 4-methylaminoantipyrine, an active metabolite of dipyrone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suarez-Kurtz G.

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Bioanalytical data from a bioequivalence study were used to develop limited-sampling strategy (LSS models for estimating the area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC and the peak plasma concentration (Cmax of 4-methylaminoantipyrine (MAA, an active metabolite of dipyrone. Twelve healthy adult male volunteers received single 600 mg oral doses of dipyrone in two formulations at a 7-day interval in a randomized, crossover protocol. Plasma concentrations of MAA (N = 336, measured by HPLC, were used to develop LSS models. Linear regression analysis and a "jack-knife" validation procedure revealed that the AUC0-¥ and the Cmax of MAA can be accurately predicted (R²>0.95, bias 0.85 of the AUC0-¥ or Cmax for the other formulation. LSS models based on three sampling points (1.5, 4 and 24 h, but using different coefficients for AUC0-¥ and Cmax, predicted the individual values of both parameters for the enrolled volunteers (R²>0.88, bias = -0.65 and -0.37%, precision = 4.3 and 7.4% as well as for plasma concentration data sets generated by simulation (R²>0.88, bias = -1.9 and 8.5%, precision = 5.2 and 8.7%. Bioequivalence assessment of the dipyrone formulations based on the 90% confidence interval of log-transformed AUC0-¥ and Cmax provided similar results when either the best-estimated or the LSS-derived metrics were used.

Gaps in sampling and limitations to tree biomass estimation: a review of past sampling efforts over the past 50 years

Science.gov (United States)

Aaron Weiskittel; Jereme Frank; James Westfall; David Walker; Phil Radtke; David Affleck; David Macfarlane

2015-01-01

Tree biomass models are widely used but differ due to variation in the quality and quantity of data used in their development. We reviewed over 250 biomass studies and categorized them by species, location, sampled diameter distribution, and sample size. Overall, less than half of the tree species in Forest Inventory and Analysis database (FIADB) are without a...

Evaluation of concentration limits of radionuclides produced by accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibata, Tokushi; Ohkubo, Tohru; Uwamino, Yoshitomo; Iwai, Satoshi; Satoh, Osamu; Rintsu, Yukoh; Fukumoto, Toshiharu.

1992-01-01

This report describes the evaluation of concentration limits of 78 radionuclides typically produced by accelerator facilities and not listed in ICRP Pub. 30. The evaluation method and system have been developed in the present study. The evaluated values were compared with tremendously severe concentration limits given in the Annex Table 2 of the Science and Technology Agency Notification No. 15 which describes the concentration limits of the nuclides of which concentration limits are not given in the Annex Table 1 of the Agency Notification No. 15. The results show that two to nine order larger limits should be used. The new limits rationalize greatly the internal exposure control and the design of accelerator facilities. Simple and convenient techniques are also discussed for finding concentration limits of very-short-lived nuclides without knowing detail information about the nuclides such as decay scheme and metabolic data. (author)

Detection limits of nuclear radiation and radioactivity measurements. Digital, non-selective measurements on untreated specimens. Draft. Nachweisgrenzen bei Kernstrahlungs- und Radioaktivitaetsmessungen. Digitale, nichtselektive Messungen ohne Probenbehandlung. Entwurf

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1985-01-01

The standard applies to nuclear radiation measurements where the number of pulses is recorded directly, considering exclusively the statistical character of radioactive decay and pulse counting, with the measuring time being short with regard to the half-life of radionuclides, and instrument dead-times being neglectible. The standard is intended to define suitable characteristics allowing an evaluation of detection efficiency. Two criteria are explained for given error probabilities: the sensitivity limit which allows a decision to be made as to whether the pulses recorded include values contributed by the sample; the detection limit which permits an evaluation of the measuring method in terms of suitability to the measuring goals. (orig./HP).

Can Metabolic Factors be used Prognostically for Short.Term ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

to be promising short.term mortality markers in HIV patients apart from established factors like low CD4 counts, co.morbid conditions, and opportunistic infections like M. tuberculosis infection. This study warrants further studies with a larger sample size to establish HDL and triglyceride as markers of disease progression and ...

Use of oxidative and reducing vapor generation for reducing the detection limits of iodine in biological samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vtorushina, Eh.A.; Saprykin, A.I.; Knapp, G.

2009-01-01

Procedures of microwave combustion in an oxygen flow and microwave acid decomposition of biological samples were optimized for the subsequent determination of iodine. A new method was proposed for the generation of molecular iodine from periodate iona using hydrogen peroxide as a reductant. Procedures were developed for determining iodine in biological samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) using oxidative and reducing vapor generation; these allowed the detection limit for iodine to be lowered by 3-4 orders of magnitude. The developed procedures were used to analyze certified reference materials of milk (Skim Milk Powder BCR 150) and seaweed (Sea Lettuce BCR 279) and a Supradyn vitamin complex

A Visual Short-Term Memory Advantage for Objects of Expertise

Science.gov (United States)

Curby, Kim M.; Glazek, Kuba; Gauthier, Isabel

2009-01-01

Visual short-term memory (VSTM) is limited, especially for complex objects. Its capacity, however, is greater for faces than for other objects; this advantage may stem from the holistic nature of face processing. If the holistic processing explains this advantage, object expertise--which also relies on holistic processing--should endow experts…

Accuracy of Short Forms of the Dutch Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence: Third Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Hurks, Petra; Hendriksen, Jos; Dek, Joelle; Kooij, Andress

2016-04-01

This article investigated the accuracy of six short forms of the Dutch Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Third edition (WPPSI-III-NL) in estimating intelligent quotient (IQ) scores in healthy children aged 4 to 7 years (N = 1,037). Overall, accuracy for each short form was studied, comparing IQ equivalences based on the short forms with the original WPPSI-III-NL Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) scores. Next, our sample was divided into three groups: children performing below average, average, or above average, based on the WPPSI-III-NL FSIQ estimates of the original long form, to study the accuracy of WPPSI-III-NL short forms at the tails of the FSIQ distribution. While studying the entire sample, all IQ estimates of the WPPSI-III-NL short forms correlated highly with the FSIQ estimates of the original long form (all rs ≥ .83). Correlations decreased significantly while studying only the tails of the IQ distribution (rs varied between .55 and .83). Furthermore, IQ estimates of the short forms deviated significantly from the FSIQ score of the original long form, when the IQ estimates were based on short forms containing only two subtests. In contrast, unlike the short forms that contained two to four subtests, the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence short form (containing the subtests Vocabulary, Similarities, Block Design, and Matrix Reasoning) and the General Ability Index short form (containing the subtests Vocabulary, Similarities, Comprehension, Block Design, Matrix Reasoning, and Picture Concepts) produced less variations when compared with the original FSIQ score. © The Author(s) 2015.

ARE ALL SHORT-HARD GAMMA-RAY BURSTS PRODUCED FROM MERGERS OF COMPACT STELLAR OBJECTS?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Virgili, Francisco J.; Zhang Bing; O'Brien, Paul; Troja, Eleonora

2011-01-01

The origin and progenitors of short-hard gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) remain a puzzle and a highly debated topic. Recent Swift observations suggest that these GRBs may be related to catastrophic explosions in degenerate compact stars, denoted as 'Type I' GRBs. The most popular models include the merger of two compact stellar objects (NS-NS or NS-BH). We utilize a Monte Carlo approach to determine whether a merger progenitor model can self-consistently account for all the observations of short-hard GRBs, including a sample with redshift measurements in the Swift era (z-known sample) and the CGRO/BATSE sample. We apply various merger time delay distributions invoked in compact star merger models to derive the redshift distributions of these Type I GRBs, and then constrain the unknown luminosity function of Type I GRBs using the observed luminosity-redshift (L-z) distributions of the z-known sample. The best luminosity function model, together with the adopted merger delay model, is then applied to confront the peak flux distribution (log N-log P distribution) of the BATSE and Swift samples. We find that for all the merger models invoking a range of merger delay timescales (including those invoking a large fraction of 'prompt mergers'), it is difficult to reconcile the models with all the data. The data are instead statistically consistent with the following two possible scenarios. First, that short/hard GRBs are a superposition of compact-star-merger-origin (Type I) GRBs and a population of GRBs that track the star formation history, which are probably related to the deaths of massive stars (Type II GRBs). Second, the entire short/hard GRB population is consistent with a typical delay of 2 Gyr with respect to the star formation history with modest scatter. This may point toward a different Type I progenitor than the traditional compact star merger models.

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.

Sample limited characterization of a novel disulfide-rich venom peptide toxin from terebrid marine snail Terebra variegata.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prachi Anand

Full Text Available Disulfide-rich peptide toxins found in the secretions of venomous organisms such as snakes, spiders, scorpions, leeches, and marine snails are highly efficient and effective tools for novel therapeutic drug development. Venom peptide toxins have been used extensively to characterize ion channels in the nervous system and platelet aggregation in haemostatic systems. A significant hurdle in characterizing disulfide-rich peptide toxins from venomous animals is obtaining significant quantities needed for sequence and structural analyses. Presented here is a strategy for the structural characterization of venom peptide toxins from sample limited (4 ng specimens via direct mass spectrometry sequencing, chemical synthesis and NMR structure elucidation. Using this integrated approach, venom peptide Tv1 from Terebra variegata was discovered. Tv1 displays a unique fold not witnessed in prior snail neuropeptides. The novel structural features found for Tv1 suggest that the terebrid pool of peptide toxins may target different neuronal agents with varying specificities compared to previously characterized snail neuropeptides.

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…

Natural short sleeper

Science.gov (United States)

Sleep - natural short sleeper ... 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Short sleepers sleep less than 75% of what is normal for their age. Natural short sleepers are different from people who chronically do ...

Sampling maternal care behaviour in domestic dogs: What's the best approach?

Science.gov (United States)

Czerwinski, Veronika H; Smith, Bradley P; Hynd, Philip I; Hazel, Susan J

2017-07-01

Our understanding of the frequency and duration of maternal care behaviours in the domestic dog during the first two postnatal weeks is limited, largely due to the inconsistencies in the sampling methodologies that have been employed. In order to develop a more concise picture of maternal care behaviour during this period, and to help establish the sampling method that represents these behaviours best, we compared a variety of time sampling methods Six litters were continuously observed for a total of 96h over postnatal days 3, 6, 9 and 12 (24h per day). Frequent (dam presence, nursing duration, contact duration) and infrequent maternal behaviours (anogenital licking duration and frequency) were coded using five different time sampling methods that included: 12-h night (1800-0600h), 12-h day (0600-1800h), one hour period during the night (1800-0600h), one hour period during the day (0600-1800h) and a one hour period anytime. Each of the one hour time sampling method consisted of four randomly chosen 15-min periods. Two random sets of four 15-min period were also analysed to ensure reliability. We then determined which of the time sampling methods averaged over the three 24-h periods best represented the frequency and duration of behaviours. As might be expected, frequently occurring behaviours were adequately represented by short (oneh) sampling periods, however this was not the case with the infrequent behaviour. Thus, we argue that the time sampling methodology employed must match the behaviour of interest. This caution applies to maternal behaviour in altricial species, such as canids, as well as all systematic behavioural observations utilising time sampling methodology. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Short Term Electric Production Technology Switching Under Carbon Cap and Trade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donald F. Larson

2012-10-01

Full Text Available This study examines fuel switching in electricity production following the introduction of the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS for greenhouse gas emissions. A short-run restricted cost equation is estimated with carbon permits, high-carbon fuels, and low carbon fuels as variable inputs. Shadow values and substitution elasticities for carbon-free energy resources from nuclear, hydroelectric and renewable sources are imputed from the cost equation. The empirical analysis examines 12 European countries using monthly data on fuel use, prices, and electricity generation during the first phase of the European Emissions Trading System. Despite low emission permit prices, this study finds statistically significant substitution between fossil fuels and carbon free sources of energy for electric power production. Significant substitution between fossil fuels and nuclear energy also was found. Still, while 18 of the 20 substitution elasticities are statistically significant, they are all less than unity, consistent with limited substitution. Overall, these results suggest that prices for carbon emission permits relative to prices for carbon and carbon free sources of energy do matter but that electric power producers have limited operational flexibility in the short-run to satisfy greenhouse gas emission limits.

On the fairness of the main galaxy sample of SDSS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng Kelai; Pan Jun; Feng Longlong; Ma Bin

2011-01-01

Flux-limited and volume-limited galaxy samples are constructed from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data releases DR4, DR6 and DR7 for statistical analysis. The two-point correlation functions ξ(s), monopole of three-point correlation functions ζ 0 , projected two-point correlation function w p and pairwise velocity dispersion σ 12 are measured to test if galaxy samples are fair for these statistics. We find that with the increment of sky coverage of subsequent data releases in SDSS, ξ(s) of the flux-limited sample is extremely robust and insensitive to local structures at low redshift. However, for volume-limited samples fainter than L* at large scales s > or approx. 10 h -1 Mpc, the deviation of ξ(s) from different SDSS data releases (DR7, DR6 and DR4) increases with the increment of absolute magnitude. The case of ζ 0 (s) is similar to that of ξ(s). In the weakly nonlinear regime, there is no agreement between ζ 0 of different data releases in all luminosity bins. Furthermore, w p of volume-limited samples of DR7 in luminosity bins fainter than -M r,0.1 = [18.5, 19.5] are significantly larger and σ 12 of the two faintest volume-limited samples of DR7 display a very different scale dependence than results from DR4 and DR6. Our findings call for caution in understanding clustering analysis results of SDSS faint galaxy samples and higher order statistics of SDSS volume-limited samples in the weakly nonlinear regime. The first zero-crossing points of ξ(s) from volume-limited samples are also investigated and discussed. (research papers)

Narcissism and the Strategic Pursuit of Short-Term Mating: Universal Links across 11 World Regions of the International Sexuality Description Project-2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David P. Schmitt et al.

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Previous studies have documented links between sub-clinical narcissism and the active pursuit of short-term mating strategies (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality, marital infidelity, mate poaching. Nearly all of these investigations have relied solely on samples from Western cultures. In the current study, responses from a cross-cultural survey of 30,470 people across 53 nations spanning 11 world regions (North America, Central/South America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and East Asia were used to evaluate whether narcissism (as measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory; NPI was universally associated with short-term mating. Results revealed narcissism scores (including two broad factors and seven traditional facets as measured by the NPI were functionally equivalent across cultures, reliably associating with key sexual outcomes (e.g., more active pursuit of short-term mating, intimate partner violence, and sexual aggression and sex-related personality traits (e.g., higher extraversion and openness to experience. Whereas some features of personality (e.g., subjective well-being were universally associated with socially adaptive facets of Narcissism (e.g., self-sufficiency, most indicators of short-term mating (e.g., unrestricted sociosexuality and marital infidelity were universally associated with the socially maladaptive facets of narcissism (e.g., exploitativeness. Discussion addresses limitations of these cross-culturally universal findings and presents suggestions for future research into revealing the precise psychological features of narcissism that facilitate the strategic pursuit of short-term mating.

Determination of copper in biological materials by neutron activation analysis using short-lived 66Cu

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dybczynski, R.; Danko, B.; Kaczorowski, J.

1989-01-01

A method for determination of copper traces in biological materials based on neutron activation employing 65 Cu(n, γ) 66 Cu reaction and preconcentration by extraction chromatography has been devised. The 200-500 mg samples after wet digestion and evaporation were dissolved in glycine solution and after pH adjusting to ca. 4.4 were passed through the column with Lix 64N on Bio Beads SM-1 for isolation of copper traces from the matrix elements. Other cations were selectively eluted with 0.1 mol x 1 -1 (glycine-HNO 3 ) buffer, 1 mol x 1 -1 in NH 4 NO 3 (pH = 3.6). The resin bed with quantitatively retained copper was sealed in the PE bag and irradiated together with Cu standards in EWA reactor using pneumatic tube facility. The activity of the short-lived 66 Cu was measured in samples and standard by gamma-ray spectrometry with Ge(Li) detector. Good accuracy of the method was confirmed by analysis of the following certified reference materials: NBS 1571 Orchad leaves, IAEA H-4 Animal muscle, IAEA V-8 Rye flour, IAEA A-11 milk powder. The detection limit amounted to 0.34 mg/kg, for the sample weight of 500 mg. (author)

Long-term strategic asset allocation: An out-of-sample evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Diris, B.F.; Palm, F.C.; Schotman, P.C.

We evaluate the out-of-sample performance of a long-term investor who follows an optimized dynamic trading strategy. Although the dynamic strategy is able to benefit from predictability out-of-sample, a short-term investor using a single-period market timing strategy would have realized an almost

Short philtrum

Science.gov (United States)

... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003302.htm Short philtrum To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. A short philtrum is a shorter than normal distance between ...

Fast quantification of short chain fatty acids and ketone bodies by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry after facile derivatization coupled with liquid-liquid extraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Mingfei; Cao, Huachuan

2018-04-15

Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and ketone bodies recently emerged as important physiological relevant metabolites because of their association with microbiota, immunology, obesity and other metabolic states. They were commonly analyzed by GC-MS with long run time and laborious sample preparation. In this study we developed a novel LC-MS/MS method using fast derivatization coupled with liquid-liquid extraction to detect SCFA and ketone bodies in plasma and feces. Several different derivatization reagents were evaluated to compare the efficiency, the sensitivity and chromatographic separation of structural isomers. O‑benzylhydroxylamine was selected for its superior overall performance in reaction time and isomeric separation that allowed the measurement of each SCFAs and ketone bodies free from interferences. The derivatization procedure is facile and reproducible in aqueous-organic medium, which abolished the evaporation procedure hampering the analysis of volatile short chain acids. Enhancement in sensitivity remarkably improved the detection limit of SCFA and ketone bodies to sub-fmol level. This novel method was applied to quantify these metabolites in fecal and plasma samples from lean and DIO mouse. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Maternal short stature does not predict their children's fatness indicators in a nutritional dual-burden sample of urban Mexican Maya.

OpenAIRE

Wilson, HJ; Dickinson, F; Griffiths, PL; Bogin, B; Hobbs, M; Varela-Silva, MI

2014-01-01

The co-existence of very short stature due to poor chronic environment in early life and obesity is becoming a public health concern in rapidly transitioning populations with high levels of poverty. Individuals who have very short stature seem to be at an increased risk of obesity in times of relative caloric abundance. Increasing evidence shows that an individual is influenced by exposures in previous generations. This study assesses whether maternal poor early life environment predicts her ...

Improved sample size determination for attributes and variables sampling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stirpe, D.; Picard, R.R.

1985-01-01

Earlier INMM papers have addressed the attributes/variables problem and, under conservative/limiting approximations, have reported analytical solutions for the attributes and variables sample sizes. Through computer simulation of this problem, we have calculated attributes and variables sample sizes as a function of falsification, measurement uncertainties, and required detection probability without using approximations. Using realistic assumptions for uncertainty parameters of measurement, the simulation results support the conclusions: (1) previously used conservative approximations can be expensive because they lead to larger sample sizes than needed; and (2) the optimal verification strategy, as well as the falsification strategy, are highly dependent on the underlying uncertainty parameters of the measurement instruments. 1 ref., 3 figs

Banking of environmental samples for short-term biochemical and chemical monitoring of organic contamination in coastal marine environments: the GICBEM experience (1986-1990). Groupe Interface Chimie Biologie des Ecosystèmes, Marins.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrigues, P; Narbonne, J F; Lafaurie, M; Ribera, D; Lemaire, P; Raoux, C; Michel, X; Salaun, J P; Monod, J L; Romeo, M

1993-11-01

The GICBEM (Groupe Interface Chimie Biologie des Ecosystèmes Marins) program consists of an evaluation of the ecosystem health status in the Mediterranean Sea mainly based on chemical and biochemical approaches. Specific chemical contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorobiphenyls (PCB), heavy metals) in waters, sediments, and related biotransformation indicators in target organisms (mussels, fish) have been selected for a complete survey of the coastal waters. In order to provide an appropriate sampling program for standardization for each sampling cruise, various aspects have been studied: (a) parameters for the choice of the sample sites; (b) ways of collection the samples (waters, sediments, marine organisms); and (c) preparation of the samples for a short term storage on board ship and for further analyses in the ground laboratory. Methods of preparation and storage of the samples are described and could be used to initiate an environmental banking program including both possible retrospective analyses of chemical pollutants and biochemical indicators. Moreover, the correlation between chemicals (PAH) and biochemical (mixed function oxygenase activities) parameters has been studied and this demonstrates the capability of the enzyme activities as reliable pollution biomarkers.

Validation of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale – Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) in an Italian-speaking sample

Science.gov (United States)

Monacis, Lucia; de Palo, Valeria; Griffiths, Mark D.; Sinatra, Maria

2016-01-01

Background and aims The inclusion of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in Section III of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has increased the interest of researchers in the development of new standardized psychometric tools for the assessment of such a disorder. To date, the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale – Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) has only been validated in English, Portuguese, and Slovenian languages. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to examine the psychometric properties of the IGDS9-SF in an Italian-speaking sample. Methods A total of 757 participants were recruited to the present study. Confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group analyses were applied to assess the construct validity. Reliability analyses comprised the average variance extracted, the standard error of measurement, and the factor determinacy coefficient. Convergent and criterion validities were established through the associations with other related constructs. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to determine an empirical cut-off point. Results Findings confirmed the single-factor structure of the instrument, its measurement invariance at the configural level, and the convergent and criterion validities. Satisfactory levels of reliability and a cut-off point of 21 were obtained. Discussion and conclusions The present study provides validity evidence for the use of the Italian version of the IGDS9-SF and may foster research into gaming addiction in the Italian context. PMID:27876422

Container for gaseous samples for irradiation at accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kupsch, H.; Riemenschneider, J.; Leonhardt, J.

1985-01-01

The invention concerns a container for gaseous samples for the irradiation at accelerators especially to generate short-lived radioisotopes. The container is also suitable for storage and transport of the target gas and can be multiply reused

Sweat: a sample with limited present applications and promising future in metabolomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Mena-Bravo, A; Luque de Castro, M D

2014-03-01

Sweat is a biofluid with present scant use as clinical sample. This review tries to demonstrate the advantages of sweat over other biofluids such as blood or urine for routine clinical analyses and the potential when related to metabolomics. With this aim, critical discussion of sweat samplers and equipment for analysis of target compounds in this sample is made. Well established routine analyses in sweat as is that to diagnose cystic fibrosis, and the advantages and disadvantages of sweat versus urine or blood for doping control have also been discussed. Methods for analytes such as essential metals and xenometals, ethanol and electrolytes in sweat in fact constitute target metabolomics approaches or belong to any metabolomics subdiscipline such as metallomics, ionomics or xenometabolomics. The higher development of biomarkers based on genomics or proteomics as omics older than metabolomics is discussed and also the potential role of metabolomics in systems biology taking into account its emergent implementation. Normalization of the volume of sampled sweat constitutes a present unsolved shortcoming that deserves investigation. Foreseeable trends in this area are outlined. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modified SPC for short run test and measurement process in multi-stations

Science.gov (United States)

Koh, C. K.; Chin, J. F.; Kamaruddin, S.

2018-03-01

Due to short production runs and measurement error inherent in electronic test and measurement (T&M) processes, continuous quality monitoring through real-time statistical process control (SPC) is challenging. Industry practice allows the installation of guard band using measurement uncertainty to reduce the width of acceptance limit, as an indirect way to compensate the measurement errors. This paper presents a new SPC model combining modified guard band and control charts (\\bar{\\text{Z}} chart and W chart) for short runs in T&M process in multi-stations. The proposed model standardizes the observed value with measurement target (T) and rationed measurement uncertainty (U). S-factor (S f) is introduced to the control limits to improve the sensitivity in detecting small shifts. The model was embedded in automated quality control system and verified with a case study in real industry.

Neural activity in the hippocampus predicts individual visual short-term memory capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

von Allmen, David Yoh; Wurmitzer, Karoline; Martin, Ernst; Klaver, Peter

2013-07-01

Although the hippocampus had been traditionally thought to be exclusively involved in long-term memory, recent studies raised controversial explanations why hippocampal activity emerged during short-term memory tasks. For example, it has been argued that long-term memory processes might contribute to performance within a short-term memory paradigm when memory capacity has been exceeded. It is still unclear, though, whether neural activity in the hippocampus predicts visual short-term memory (VSTM) performance. To investigate this question, we measured BOLD activity in 21 healthy adults (age range 19-27 yr, nine males) while they performed a match-to-sample task requiring processing of object-location associations (delay period  =  900 ms; set size conditions 1, 2, 4, and 6). Based on individual memory capacity (estimated by Cowan's K-formula), two performance groups were formed (high and low performers). Within whole brain analyses, we found a robust main effect of "set size" in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC). In line with a "set size × group" interaction in the hippocampus, a subsequent Finite Impulse Response (FIR) analysis revealed divergent hippocampal activation patterns between performance groups: Low performers (mean capacity  =  3.63) elicited increased neural activity at set size two, followed by a drop in activity at set sizes four and six, whereas high performers (mean capacity  =  5.19) showed an incremental activity increase with larger set size (maximal activation at set size six). Our data demonstrated that performance-related neural activity in the hippocampus emerged below capacity limit. In conclusion, we suggest that hippocampal activity reflected successful processing of object-location associations in VSTM. Neural activity in the PPC might have been involved in attentional updating. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Short-circuit testing of monofilar Bi-2212 coils connected in series and in parallel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polasek, A; Dias, R; Serra, E T; Filho, O O; Niedu, D

2010-01-01

Superconducting Fault Current Limiters (SCFCL's) are one of the most promising technologies for fault current limitation. In the present work, resistive SCFCL components based on Bi-2212 monofilar coils are subjected to short-circuit testing. These SCFCL components can be easily connected in series and/or in parallel by using joints and clamps. This allows a considerable flexibility to developing larger SCFCL devices, since the configuration and size of the whole device can be easily adapted to the operational conditions. The single components presented critical current (Ic) values of 240-260 A, at 77 K. Short-circuits during 40-120 ms were applied. A single component can withstand a voltage drop of 126-252 V (0.3-0.6 V/cm). Components connected in series withstand higher voltage levels, whereas parallel connection allows higher rated currents during normal operation, but the limited current is also higher. Prospective currents as high as 10-40 kA (peak value) were limited to 3-9 kA (peak value) in the first half cycle.

Short-term marginal costs in French agriculture

OpenAIRE

Latruffe, Laure; LETORT, Elodie

2011-01-01

The paper investigates short-term marginal costs in French agriculture for field cropping, beef cattle, and dairy farms during the period 1995-2006. The multi-input multi-output Symmetric Generalised MacFadden cost function is used, with three variable inputs (crop-specific, animal-specific, energy costs), four outputs and three quasi-fixed inputs. Results indicate that marginal costs are on average lower for crop farms than for livestock samples. However, for crop farms, Common Agricultural ...

Short sleep duration and obesity among Australian children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gill Tiffany K

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is limited information on sleep duration and obesity among Australian children. The objective of the study is to cross-sectionally examine the relationship between sleep duration and obesity in Australian children aged 5 to 15 years. Methods Data were collected using the South Australian Monitoring and Surveillance System between January 2004 and December 2008. Each month a representative random sample of South Australians are selected from the Electronic White Pages with interviews conducted using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI. Within each household, the person who was last to have a birthday was selected for interview. Parents reported the number of hours their children slept each day. Obesity was defined according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF definition based on BMI calculated from reported body weight and height. Results Overall, parents of 3495 children aged 5-15 years (mean 10.7 years, 50.3% boys were interviewed. The prevalence of obesity was 7.7% (8.9% in boys, 6.6% in girls. In multivariate analysis after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, intake of fruit and vegetables, physical activity and inactivity, the odds ratio (OR for obesity comparing sleeping Conclusion Short sleep duration is associated with increased obesity in children especially among younger age groups and boys.

Atmospheric Sampling of Aerosols to Stratospheric Altitudes using High Altitude Balloons

Science.gov (United States)

Jerde, E. A.; Thomas, E.

2010-12-01

Although carbon dioxide represents a long-lived atmospheric component relevant to global climate change, it is also understood that many additional contributors influence the overall climate of Earth. Among these, short-lived components are more difficult to incorporate into models due to uncertainties in the abundances of these both spatially and temporally. Possibly the most significant of these short-lived components falls under the heading of “black carbon” (BC). There are numerous overlapping definitions of BC, but it is basically carbonaceous in nature and light absorbing. Due to its potential as a climate forcer, an understanding of the BC population in the atmosphere is critical for modeling of radiative forcing. Prior measurements of atmospheric BC generally consist of airplane- and ground-based sampling, typically below 5000 m and restricted in time and space. Given that BC has a residence time on the order of days, short-term variability is easily missed. Further, since the radiative forcing is a result of BC distributed through the entire atmospheric column, aircraft sampling is by definition incomplete. We are in the process of planning a more comprehensive sampling of the atmosphere for BC using high-altitude balloons. Balloon-borne sampling is a highly reliable means to sample air through the entire troposphere and into the lower stratosphere. Our system will incorporate a balloon and a flight train of two modules. One module will house an atmospheric sampler. This sampler will be single-stage (samples all particle sizes together), and will place particles directly on an SEM sample stub for analysis. The nozzle depositing the sample will be offset from the center of the stub, placing the aerosol particles toward the edge. At various altitudes, the stub will be rotated 45 degrees, providing 6-8 sample “cuts” of particle populations through the atmospheric column. The flights will reach approximately 27 km altitude, above which the balloons

Intervalo hídrico ótimo na avaliação de sistemas de pastejo contínuo e rotacionado Least limiting water range in the evaluation of continuous and short-duration grazing systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. P. Leão

2004-06-01

Full Text Available A qualidade física do solo sob sistemas de pastejo contínuo e rotacionado foi avaliada pelo Intervalo Hídrico Ótimo (IHO. A amostragem foi realizada na área experimental da Embrapa Gado de Corte. Foi estudado um Latossolo Vermelho distrófico. Foram avaliados quatro piquetes, sendo dois no sistema de pastejo contínuo e dois no sistema de pastejo rotacionado. No sistema de pastejo contínuo, implementado com a espécie Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk, foram retiradas 30 amostras por piquete, não tendo um dos piquetes recebido adubação de manutenção (Cs, enquanto o outro havia recebido adubação bianual de manutenção (Cc. No sistema de pastejo rotacionado, implementado com a espécie Panicum maximum cv. Tanzânia, foram retiradas 30 amostras por piquete; em um dos piquetes, o resíduo pós-pastejo era mantido entre 2,0 e 2,5 t ha-1 de matéria seca total (MST (R1, enquanto no outro era mantido entre 3,0 e 3,5 t ha-1 MST (R2. As amostras foram submetidas a um gradiente de tensão de água e, posteriormente, utilizadas nas determinações da densidade do solo (Ds, resistência do solo à penetração (RP, umidade volumétrica (tetav e do IHO. O sistema de pastejo rotacionado apresentou piores condições físicas do solo para o crescimento vegetal, avaliadas pelo critério do IHO. Os maiores valores de Ds e menor IHO foram observados no R1, o que foi atribuído às taxas de lotação mais elevadas aplicadas neste piquete.Soil physical quality in continuous and short-duration rotational cattle grazing systems was evaluated using the Least Limiting Water Range (LLWR approach. Soil samples were collected on an experimental site at the Embrapa - Beef Cattle Research Center (Campo Grande, MS, Brazil. The studied soil was a Typic Acrudox. Four sampling sites were selected: two under a short-duration continuous grazing system and two under intensive short-duration rotational grazing system. Thirty soil cores were collected in each site

Lightweight link dimensioning using sFlow sampling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Oliviera Schmidt, Ricardo; Sadre, Ramin; Sperotto, Anna

2013-01-01

not be trivial in high-speed links. Aiming scalability, operators often deploy packet sampling on monitoring, but little is known how it affects link dimensioning. In this paper we assess the feasibility of lightweight link dimensioning using sFlow, which is a widely-deployed traffic monitoring tool. We...... implement sFlow sampling algorithm and use a previously proposed and validated dimensioning formula that needs traffic variance. We validate our approach using packet captures from real networks. Results show that the proposed procedure is successful for a range of sampling rates and that, due to randomness...... of sampling algorithm, the error introduced by scaling the traffic variance yields more conservative results that cope with short-term traffic fluctuations....

Autonomous spatially adaptive sampling in experiments based on curvature, statistical error and sample spacing with applications in LDA measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Theunissen, Raf; Kadosh, Jesse S.; Allen, Christian B.

2015-06-01

Spatially varying signals are typically sampled by collecting uniformly spaced samples irrespective of the signal content. For signals with inhomogeneous information content, this leads to unnecessarily dense sampling in regions of low interest or insufficient sample density at important features, or both. A new adaptive sampling technique is presented directing sample collection in proportion to local information content, capturing adequately the short-period features while sparsely sampling less dynamic regions. The proposed method incorporates a data-adapted sampling strategy on the basis of signal curvature, sample space-filling, variable experimental uncertainty and iterative improvement. Numerical assessment has indicated a reduction in the number of samples required to achieve a predefined uncertainty level overall while improving local accuracy for important features. The potential of the proposed method has been further demonstrated on the basis of Laser Doppler Anemometry experiments examining the wake behind a NACA0012 airfoil and the boundary layer characterisation of a flat plate.

Thermal fracture and pump limit of Nd: glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Mingzhe; Ma Wen; Tan Jichun; Zhang Yongliang; Li Mingzhong; Jing Feng

2011-01-01

Based on published fracture experiments and 3D transient finite-element analyses, and taking the first principal stress as the criterion and the Griffith crack theory to determine the critical fracture stress, a Weibull statistical model is established to predict the fracture possibility of Nd: glass with certain pump parameters. Other issues which limit the pump power are also presented. The results show that the fracture limit of laser medium depends on the optical polishing technology. For a short pulse and high energy Nd: glass laser, taking America's polishing technology in the 1990s as reference,the pump saturation limits the pump power to 18 kW/cm 2 when the repetition rate is lower than 1 Hz, while the thermal fracture limits the pump power when the repetition rate is higher than 10 Hz. (authors)

Prenatal cytogenetic diagnosis after transabdominal chorionic villus sampling in the first trimester

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Therkelsen, A J; Jensen, P K; Hertz, Jens Michael

1988-01-01

First trimester prenatal cytogenetic diagnosis was attempted in 350 pregnancies after transabdominal chorionic villus sampling. The cytogenetic investigation was performed using both a short-term method (24 h incubation) and cell culture. Adequate samples were obtained in 99.1 per cent and in all...... of 181 cases where the 24 h incubation revealed a male karyotype. Studies of culture morphology showed that colonies of convoluted cells may serve as a marker for contamination with maternal cells in culture. For the present, we recommend using a short-term method as well as cell culture for cytogenetic...

The distribution pattern of critically short telomeres in human osteoarthritic knees

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harbo, Maria; Bendix, Laila; Bay-Jensen, Anne Christine

2012-01-01

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Telomere shortening is associated with a number of common age-related diseases. A role of telomere shortening in osteoarthritis (OA) has been suggested, mainly based on the assessment of mean telomere length in ex vivo expanded chondrocytes. We addressed this role directly...... in vivo by using a newly developed assay, which measures specifically the load of ultra-short single telomeres (below 1,500 base pairs), that is, the telomere subpopulation believed to promote cellular senescence. METHODS: Samples were obtained from human OA knees at two distances from the central lesion...... site. Each sample was split into three: one was used for quantification of ultra-short single telomeres through the Universal single telomere length assay (STELA), one for histological Mankin grading of OA, and one for mean telomere length measurement through quantitative fluorescence in situ...

RNA Profiling for Biomarker Discovery: Practical Considerations for Limiting Sample Sizes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danny J. Kelly

2005-01-01

Full Text Available We have compared microarray data generated on Affymetrix™ chips from standard (8 micrograms or low (100 nanograms amounts of total RNA. We evaluated the gene signals and gene fold-change estimates obtained from the two methods and validated a subset of the results by real time, polymerase chain reaction assays. The correlation of low RNA derived gene signals to gene signals obtained from standard RNA was poor for less to moderately abundant genes. Genes with high abundance showed better correlation in signals between the two methods. The signal correlation between the low RNA and standard RNA methods was improved by including a reference sample in the microarray analysis. In contrast, the fold-change estimates for genes were better correlated between the two methods regardless of the magnitude of gene signals. A reference sample based method is suggested for studies that would end up comparing gene signal data from a combination of low and standard RNA templates; no such referencing appears to be necessary when comparing fold-changes of gene expression between standard and low template reactions.

Temperature limit values for touching cold surfaces with the fingertip

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geng, Q.; Holme, I.; Hartog, E.A. den; Havenith, G.; Jay, O.; Malchaires, J.; Piette, A.; Rintama, H.; Rissanen, S.

2006-01-01

Objectives: At the request of the European Commission and in the framework of the European Machinery Directive, research was performed in five different laboratories to develop specifications for surface temperature limit values for the short-term accidental touching of the fingertip with cold

Are reflective models appropriate for very short scales? Proofs of concept of formative models using the Ten-Item Personality Inventory.

Science.gov (United States)

Myszkowski, Nils; Storme, Martin; Tavani, Jean-Louis

2018-04-27

Because of their length and objective of broad content coverage, very short scales can show limited internal consistency and structural validity. We argue that it is because their objectives may be better aligned with formative investigations than with reflective measurement methods that capitalize on content overlap. As proofs of concept of formative investigations of short scales, we investigate the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI). In Study 1, we administered the TIPI and the Big Five Inventory (BFI) to 938 adults, and fitted a formative Multiple Indicator Multiple Causes model, which consisted of the TIPI items forming 5 latent variables, which in turn predicted the 5 BFI scores. These results were replicated in Study 2, on a sample of 759 adults, with, this time, the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) as the external criterion. The models fit the data adequately, and moderate to strong significant effects (.37<|β|<.69, all p<.001) of all 5 latent formative variables on their corresponding BFI and NEOPI-R scores were observed. This study presents a formative approach that we propose to be more consistent with the aims of scales with broad content and short length like the TIPI. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Idiopathic short stature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vlaški Jovan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Growth is a complex process and the basic characteristic of child- hood growth monitoring provides insight into the physiological and pathological events in the body. Statistically, the short stature means departure from the values of height for age and sex (in a particular environment, which is below -2 standard deviation score, or less than -2 standard deviation, i.e. below the third percentile. Advances in molecular genetics have contributed to the improvement of diagnostics in endocrinology. Analysis of patients’ genotypes should not be performed before taking a classical history, detailed clinical examination and appropriate tests. In patients with idiopathic short stature specific causes are excluded, such as growth hormone deficiency, Turner syndrome, short stature due to low birth weight, intrauterine growth retardation, small for gestational age, dysmorphology syndromes and chronic childhood diseases. The exclusion of abovementioned conditions leaves a large number of children with short stature whose etiology includes patients with genetic short stature or familial short stature and those who are low in relation to genetic potential, and who could also have some unrecognized endocrine defect. Idiopathic short stature represents a short stature of unknown cause of heterogeneous etiology, and is characterized by a normal response of growth hormone during stimulation tests (>10 ng/ml or 20 mJ/l, without other disorders, of normal body mass and length at birth. In idiopathic short stature standard deviation score rates <-2.25 (-2 to -3 or <1.2 percentile. These are also criteria for the initiation of growth hormone therapy. In children with short stature there is also the presence of psychological and social suffering. Goals of treatment with growth hormone involve achieving normal height and normal growth rate during childhood.

Source of ultra-short laser pulses at 1,55μm in vertical-external-cavity for linear optical sampling applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khadour, A.

2009-12-01

The objectives of this thesis were, in a first step, to develop and implement VECSEL structures containing an active zone formed by GaAlInAs/InP quantum wells located at the anti-nodes of the resonant electric field, positioned on a Bragg mirror, all this being bonded to a substrate of good thermal conductivity. For this, we have designed structures optimizing the evacuation of heat generated in the active zone. This has greatly improved the VECSEL performances, especially their output power. The VECSEL performances were evaluated in a simple cavity with two mirrors (plane-concave). The second point was to develop and implement SESAM structures which, owing to their nonlinear characteristics, would allow a passively mode-locked laser operation. The structures contained InGaAsN/GaAs quantum wells. The studied parameters were the number of quantum wells, and the resonant or anti-resonant behavior of the structure. The linear and nonlinear optical characterizations were used to optimize the SESAM structure and estimate their performances. Finally, the compatibility between the VECSEL and SESAM structures, in terms of modulation depth and resonance wavelength, made it possible to obtain the passive mode locking operation. The obtained pulses show two different behaviors depending on the dispersion properties of the structures. With low dispersion, we have made the first demonstration of a passively mode-locked VECSEL at 1550 nm, operating at room temperature. An all-optical sampling device implementing the linear optical sampling technique using short laser pulses has been realized and tested. This device will allow displaying eye diagrams and constellation diagrams with an expected sensitivity around -20 dBm of average power. Testing the device allowed to visualize the acquisition of very high repetition rate signals (40 Gb/s). (author)

Psychometric Properties of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire Short-Form (PIUQ-SF-6) in a Nationally Representative Sample of Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Demetrovics, Zsolt; Király, Orsolya; Koronczai, Beatrix; Griffiths, Mark D; Nagygyörgy, Katalin; Elekes, Zsuzsanna; Tamás, Domokos; Kun, Bernadette; Kökönyei, Gyöngyi; Urbán, Róbert

2016-01-01

Despite the large number of measurement tools developed to assess problematic Internet use, numerous studies use measures with only modest investigation into their psychometric properties. The goal of the present study was to validate the short (6-item) version of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ) on a nationally representative adolescent sample (n = 5,005; mean age 16.4 years, SD = 0.87) and to determine a statistically established cut-off value. Data were collected within the framework of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs project. Results showed an acceptable fit of the original three-factor structure to the data. In addition, a MIMIC model was carried out to justify the need for three distinct factors. The sample was divided into users at-risk of problematic Internet use and those with no-risk using a latent profile analysis. Two latent classes were obtained with 14.4% of adolescents belonging to the at-risk group. Concurrent and convergent validity were tested by comparing the two groups across a number of variables (i.e., time spent online, academic achievement, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and preferred online activities). Using the at-risk latent profile analysis class as the gold standard, a cut-off value of 15 (out of 30) was suggested based on sensitivity and specificity analyses. In conclusion, the brief version of the (6-item) PIUQ also appears to be an appropriate measure to differentiate between Internet users at risk of developing problematic Internet use and those not at risk. Furthermore, due to its brevity, the shortened PIUQ is advantageous to utilize within large-scale surveys assessing many different behaviors and/or constructs by reducing the overall number of survey questions, and as a consequence, likely increasing completion rates.

Psychometric Properties of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire Short-Form (PIUQ-SF-6) in a Nationally Representative Sample of Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Demetrovics, Zsolt; Király, Orsolya; Koronczai, Beatrix; Griffiths, Mark D.; Nagygyörgy, Katalin; Elekes, Zsuzsanna; Tamás, Domokos; Kun, Bernadette; Kökönyei, Gyöngyi; Urbán, Róbert

2016-01-01

Despite the large number of measurement tools developed to assess problematic Internet use, numerous studies use measures with only modest investigation into their psychometric properties. The goal of the present study was to validate the short (6-item) version of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ) on a nationally representative adolescent sample (n = 5,005; mean age 16.4 years, SD = 0.87) and to determine a statistically established cut-off value. Data were collected within the framework of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs project. Results showed an acceptable fit of the original three-factor structure to the data. In addition, a MIMIC model was carried out to justify the need for three distinct factors. The sample was divided into users at-risk of problematic Internet use and those with no-risk using a latent profile analysis. Two latent classes were obtained with 14.4% of adolescents belonging to the at-risk group. Concurrent and convergent validity were tested by comparing the two groups across a number of variables (i.e., time spent online, academic achievement, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and preferred online activities). Using the at-risk latent profile analysis class as the gold standard, a cut-off value of 15 (out of 30) was suggested based on sensitivity and specificity analyses. In conclusion, the brief version of the (6-item) PIUQ also appears to be an appropriate measure to differentiate between Internet users at risk of developing problematic Internet use and those not at risk. Furthermore, due to its brevity, the shortened PIUQ is advantageous to utilize within large-scale surveys assessing many different behaviors and/or constructs by reducing the overall number of survey questions, and as a consequence, likely increasing completion rates. PMID:27504915

Psychometric Properties of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire Short-Form (PIUQ-SF-6 in a Nationally Representative Sample of Adolescents.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zsolt Demetrovics

Full Text Available Despite the large number of measurement tools developed to assess problematic Internet use, numerous studies use measures with only modest investigation into their psychometric properties. The goal of the present study was to validate the short (6-item version of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ on a nationally representative adolescent sample (n = 5,005; mean age 16.4 years, SD = 0.87 and to determine a statistically established cut-off value. Data were collected within the framework of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs project. Results showed an acceptable fit of the original three-factor structure to the data. In addition, a MIMIC model was carried out to justify the need for three distinct factors. The sample was divided into users at-risk of problematic Internet use and those with no-risk using a latent profile analysis. Two latent classes were obtained with 14.4% of adolescents belonging to the at-risk group. Concurrent and convergent validity were tested by comparing the two groups across a number of variables (i.e., time spent online, academic achievement, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and preferred online activities. Using the at-risk latent profile analysis class as the gold standard, a cut-off value of 15 (out of 30 was suggested based on sensitivity and specificity analyses. In conclusion, the brief version of the (6-item PIUQ also appears to be an appropriate measure to differentiate between Internet users at risk of developing problematic Internet use and those not at risk. Furthermore, due to its brevity, the shortened PIUQ is advantageous to utilize within large-scale surveys assessing many different behaviors and/or constructs by reducing the overall number of survey questions, and as a consequence, likely increasing completion rates.

Short-term variations of radiocarbon during the last century

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burchuladze, A.A.; Pagava, S.V.; Jurina, V.; Povinec, P.; Usacev, S.

1982-01-01

Radiocarbon variations related to the 11-year solar cycle during the last century are discussed. Previous investigations on short term 14 C variations in tree rings are compared with 14 C measurements in Georgian wine samples. The amplitude of 14 C variations as obtained by various authors ranges from 0.2 to about 1%. (author)

Endosulfan, Short-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCPs) and Octachlorostyrene in Wildlife from Greenland: Levels, Trends and Methodological Challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Vorkamp, Katrin; Rigét, Frank F; Bossi, Rossana; Sonne, Christian; Dietz, Rune

2017-11-01

Besides globally banned "legacy" persistent organic pollutants, other compounds might be present in Arctic wildlife, for which regulation was introduced recently (the insecticide endosulfan), is considered (short-chain chlorinated paraffins, SCCPs) or does not exist (octachlorostyrene, OCS, a byproduct of manufacturing and combustion processes involving chlorine). The purpose of this study was to analyze the time trend of endosulfan (1986-2012) in ringed seals and to address the levels of SCCPs and OCS in wildlife species from Greenland (black guillemot, glaucous gull, ringed seal, polar bear), while taking a critical standpoint to analytical methods typically applied. The metabolite endosulfan sulfate was the only endosulfan compound consistently above detection limits, with a median concentration of 0.23 ng/g lipid weight (lw) and a significant annual decrease of -5.6%. The low-resolution mass spectrometry (LRMS) method appeared accurate and sufficiently precise; however, the gel permeation chromatography had to balance lipid removal and analyte loss. SCCPs and OCS were present in all samples. OCS median concentrations were between 2.8 (ringed seal blubber) and 29 (glaucous gull liver) ng/g lw, determined by a straightforward dual column electron capture detection method. SCCPs were analyzed by LRMS, following removal of potential interferences, and had median concentrations of several 100 ng/g wet weight. While the method showed good precision and recovery rates as well as acceptable accuracy in control samples, the Greenland samples had high concentrations in an Arctic context, possibly indicating limited selectivity of the LRMS method.

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.

Telomeres and the natural lifespan limit in humans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steenstrup, Troels; Kark, Jeremy D; Verhulst, Simon

2017-01-01

An ongoing debate in demography has focused on whether the human lifespan has a maximal natural limit. Taking a mechanistic perspective, and knowing that short telomeres are associated with diminished longevity, we examined whether telomere length dynamics during adult life could set a maximal...... natural lifespan limit. We define leukocyte telomere length of 5 kb as the 'telomeric brink', which denotes a high risk of imminent death. We show that a subset of adults may reach the telomeric brink within the current life expectancy and more so for a 100-year life expectancy. Thus, secular trends...

Investigating Knee Alignment and Foot Structure in Futsal Players with and without Hamstring Shortness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Homan Minoonejad

2016-09-01

Methods: In this descriptive - comparative study, 30 men athlete (18- 25 years were recruited. They were assigned into two groups of 15 subjects with and without hamstring shortness. The hamstring shortness, knee and foot alignment were respectively measured by the goniometer, the ruler and caliper. After checking the normality of the data, (with Shapiro-Wilk test independent samples t-test, were used to analyze of data at a significance level of P 0.05. Conclusion: It seems that, navicular drop is not common among athletes with hamstring shortness.

Short-circuit logic

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bergstra, J.A.; Ponse, A.

2010-01-01

Short-circuit evaluation denotes the semantics of propositional connectives in which the second argument is only evaluated if the first argument does not suffice to determine the value of the expression. In programming, short-circuit evaluation is widely used. A short-circuit logic is a variant of

Y-chromosomal STR haplotypes in Inuit and Danish population samples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bosch, Elena; Rosser, Zoë H; Nørby, Søren

2003-01-01

Nineteen Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs), DYS19, DYS389-I, DYS389-II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385, DYS388, DYS434, DYS435, DYS436, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS460, DYS461 and DYS462 were typed in Inuit (n=70) and Danish (n=62) population samples.......Nineteen Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs), DYS19, DYS389-I, DYS389-II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385, DYS388, DYS434, DYS435, DYS436, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS460, DYS461 and DYS462 were typed in Inuit (n=70) and Danish (n=62) population samples....

A survey of archaeological samples dated in 1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mejdahl, V.

1988-10-01

A survey is given of archaeological samples dated in 1987 at the Nordic Laboratory for Thermoluminescence Dating. A total of 74 samples were dated. The results were corrected for short-term fading of feldspars as measured for samples stored at room temperature for four weeks or at 100 deg. C for two weeks. The beta dose from potassium and rubidium in feldspar, and the alpha dose from uranium and thorium in quartz and feldspar were included, assuming alpha efficiency factors of 0.1 for quartz and 0.2 for feldspar. (author) 20 tabs., 29 refs

A survey of archaeological samples dated in 1985

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mejdahl, V.

1986-11-01

A survey is given of archaeological samples received for dating in 1985 at the Nordic Laboratory for Thermoluminescence Dating. A total of 66 samples were dated, 42 of which were burnt stones. All results were corrected for short- term fading as measured for samples stored at room temperature for four weeks. The beta dose from potassium and rubidium in feldspar and the alpha dose from uranium and thorium in quarts and feldspar were included assuming alpha efficiency factors of 0.1 for quartz and 0.2 for feldspar. (author)

Ultimately short ballistic vertical graphene Josephson junctions

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Gil-Ho; Kim, Sol; Jhi, Seung-Hoon; Lee, Hu-Jong

2015-01-01

Much efforts have been made for the realization of hybrid Josephson junctions incorporating various materials for the fundamental studies of exotic physical phenomena as well as the applications to superconducting quantum devices. Nonetheless, the efforts have been hindered by the diffusive nature of the conducting channels and interfaces. To overcome the obstacles, we vertically sandwiched a cleaved graphene monoatomic layer as the normal-conducting spacer between superconducting electrodes. The atomically thin single-crystalline graphene layer serves as an ultimately short conducting channel, with highly transparent interfaces with superconductors. In particular, we show the strong Josephson coupling reaching the theoretical limit, the convex-shaped temperature dependence of the Josephson critical current and the exceptionally skewed phase dependence of the Josephson current; all demonstrate the bona fide short and ballistic Josephson nature. This vertical stacking scheme for extremely thin transparent spacers would open a new pathway for exploring the exotic coherence phenomena occurring on an atomic scale. PMID:25635386

Limit cycles and the benefits of a short memory in rock-paper-scissors games

Science.gov (United States)

Burridge, James

2015-10-01

When playing games in groups, it is an advantage for individuals to have accurate statistical information on the strategies of their opponents. Such information may be obtained by remembering previous interactions. We consider a rock-paper-scissors game in which agents are able to recall their last m interactions, used to estimate the behavior of their opponents. At critical memory length, a Hopf bifurcation leads to the formation of stable limit cycles. In a mixed population, agents with longer memories have an advantage, provided the system has a stable fixed point, and there is some asymmetry in the payoffs of the pure strategies. However, at a critical concentration of long memory agents, the appearance of limit cycles destroys their advantage. By introducing population dynamics that favors successful agents, we show that the system evolves toward the bifurcation point.

Limit cycles and the benefits of a short memory in rock-paper-scissors games.

Science.gov (United States)

Burridge, James

2015-10-01

When playing games in groups, it is an advantage for individuals to have accurate statistical information on the strategies of their opponents. Such information may be obtained by remembering previous interactions. We consider a rock-paper-scissors game in which agents are able to recall their last m interactions, used to estimate the behavior of their opponents. At critical memory length, a Hopf bifurcation leads to the formation of stable limit cycles. In a mixed population, agents with longer memories have an advantage, provided the system has a stable fixed point, and there is some asymmetry in the payoffs of the pure strategies. However, at a critical concentration of long memory agents, the appearance of limit cycles destroys their advantage. By introducing population dynamics that favors successful agents, we show that the system evolves toward the bifurcation point.

Comparison of the performances of the CS model coil and the Good Joint SULTAN sample

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wesche, Rainer; Herzog, Robert; Bruzzone, Pierluigi