Performance of the Insertable B-Layer for the ATLAS Pixel Detector during Quality Assurance and a Novel Pixel Detector Readout Concept based on PCIe

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00356268; Pernegger, Heinz

2016-07-27

During the first long shutdown of the LHC the Pixel detector has been upgraded with a new 4th innermost layer, the Insertable B-Layer (IBL). The IBL will increase the tracking performance and help with higher than nominal luminosity the LHC will produce. The IBL is made up of 14 staves and in total 20 staves have been produced for the IBL. This thesis presents the results of the final quality tests performed on these staves in an detector-like environment, in order to select the 14 best of the 20 staves for integration onto the detector. The test setup as well as the testing procedure is introduced and typical results of each testing stage are shown and discussed. The overall performance of all staves is presented in regards to: tuning performance, radioactive source measurements, and number of failing pixels. Other measurement, which did not directly impact the selection of staves, but will be important for the operation of the detector or production of a future detector, are included. Based on the experienc...

Quality Assurance and Functionality Tests on Electrical Components during the ATLAS IBL Production

CERN Document Server

Jentzsch, J

2013-01-01

To improve performance of the ATLAS inner tracker, a fourth Pixel layer, called the Insertable B-layer (IBL), will be installed in 2014 on a new beam pipe. A new read out chip generation, FE-I4, has been developed and two different sensor designs, a rather conventional planar and a 3D design, have been flip chipped to these front ends. New staves holding new stave and module flex circuits have been developed as well. Therefore, a production QA test bench has been established to test all production staves before integration with the new beam pipe. This setup combines former ATLAS Pixel services and a new readout system, namely the RCE (Reconfigurable Cluster Element) system developed at SLAC. With this setup all production staves will be tested to ensure the installation of only those staves which fulfill the IBL criteria. Quality assurance measurements under cleanroom conditions, including temperature and humidity control, are performed on the individual components during the various production steps of the I...

The ALICE silicon pixel detector front-end and read-out electronics

CERN Document Server

Kluge, A

2006-01-01

The ALICE silicon pixel detector (SPD) comprises the two innermost barrel layers of the ALICE inner tracker system. The SPD includes 120 half staves each of which consists of a linear array of 10 ALICE pixel chips bump bonded to two silicon sensors. Each pixel chip contains 8192 active cells, so the total number of pixel cells in the SPD is ≈107. The tight material budget and the limitation in physical dimensions required by the detector design introduce new challenges for the integration of the on-detector electronics. An essential part of the half stave is a low-mass multi-layer flex that carries power, ground, and signals to the pixel chips. Each half stave is read out using a multi-chip module (MCM). The MCM contains three radiation hard ASICs and an 800 Mbit/s custom developed optical link for the data transfer between the detector and the control room. The detector components are less than 3 mm thick. The production of the half-staves and MCMs is currently under way. Test results as well as on overvie...

The End-Of-Substructure Card for the ATLAS ITk Strip Tracker

CERN Document Server

Goettlicher, Peter; The ATLAS collaboration

2018-01-01

The End-Of-Substructure Card (EoS) is the interface between the building block of the ITk Strip Tracker (staves and petals) and the outside world. In the ITk the modules consisting of the silicon sensor itself and the hybrids with the readout ASICS are placed on a common structure called a stave (in the barrel) and petal (in the end-cap). All module use a common bus-tape co-cured to carbon-fiber based structure to distribute power and signals. The data lines and command lines are then connected from the bus-tape to EoS. The power, both low and high voltage, are also distributed via the bus tape and coonected to the EoS. All these connections will be made using wire-bonds. The card concept is build around using the lpGBT chip set and the VTRx optical link, both common developments for the LHC Upgrades. The command signals will be coming in on a 10 Gbit/s link and will be de-multiplexed by the lpGBt and send to the stave/petal. The incoming data from the sensor, which depending on the type of stave or petal wil...

ITS Module for the ALICE Experiment

CERN Document Server

Ordan, Julien Marius

2017-01-01

The pictures showcase the mounting of a module of the New Inner Tracking System (ITS) of ALICE, which will be installed in the heart of the experiment in 2020 and will track particles produced in the collisions. The Inner Layers of the ITS are made of 48 of this modules, which are called “staves”, as they are placed as the staves of a barrel, in cylindrical concentric layers around the particle beam line, and centred with respect to the interaction point. Each Inner Layer stave has a sensitive area of about 1.5cm x 27cm, constituted by 9 aligned silicon pixel chip sensors (1.5cm x 3 cm x 50 micron). The sensors are glued on a light carbon fibre support and are connected through a flex printed circuit, which carries both the power supply and the signals. The Inner Layer staves cover a cylindrical volume around the beam line up to a radius of about 4 cm, while 4 additional layers, called Middle and Outer Layers, reach a radius of about 400 cm. The stave of the Middle and Outer Layers are bigger and host 196...

Early multidomain intervention to stave off Alzheimer's disease%早期综合干预有助延缓阿尔茨海默症的发生

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

赫荣乔

2016-01-01

阿尔茨海默症(Alzheimer's disease,AD)的典型病变包括认知异常、脑内amyloid β(Aβ)沉积形成的老年斑(senile plaque)、异常磷酸化Tau蛋白形成的神经纤维缠结(neurofibrillary tangles,NFTs)、胶质细胞激活以及脑萎缩.在近100多年的研究过程中,国内外同行把研究重点集中在AD的临床阶段,追求单一靶点的药物.然而,这些努力尚未在临床治疗上实现重大突破.当前,AD临床前阶段(preclinical phases)的早期病理变化和干预措施研究受到了相当的重视.为了延缓老年痴呆的发生,在强调多靶点药物研发的同时,其他干预方法,包括改善生活习惯、调节饮食、参与社会活动、进行适当的体育锻炼等,也在AD的防治中得以研究与应用.%Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible,progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills,and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks.In most people with Alzheimer's symptoms first appear in their mid-60s.The typical lesions of Alzheimer's disease (AD) feature in cognitive impairment,amyloid β(Aβ) deposits (senile plaque),hyperphosphorylation of Tau in neurofibrillary tangles (NTFs),glial cells activation and cerebral atrophy.The plaques and tangles in the brain are considered to be the main features of Alzheimer's disease.Loss of connections between neurons in the brain deteriorates neuronal message transmission between different parts of the brain,and from the brain to muscles and organs in the body.Over one hundred years,a great deal of research has been focused on the dementia of clinical phase,and on single-target drugs to intervene the progression of AD.However,a real breakthrough in the treatment still needs to be made to stave off AD.Currently,to clarify early pathological changes of pre-clinical stage is imperative to understand AD.Although aging,family history and susceptibility genes have been considered to be the most important factors,the rapid

Impact of concentration of ellagitannins in oak wood on their levels and organoleptic influence in red wine.

Science.gov (United States)

Michel, Julien; Jourdes, Michael; Silva, Maria A; Giordanengo, Thomas; Mourey, Nicolas; Teissedre, Pierre-Louis

2011-05-25

Some wood substances such as ellagitannins can be extracted during wine aging in oak barrels. The level of these hydrolyzable tannins in wine depends of some parameters of oak wood. Their impact on the organoleptic perception of red wine is poorly known. In our research, oak staves were classified in three different groups according to their level of ellagitannins estimated by NIRS (near infrared spectroscopy) online procedure (Oakscan). First, the ellagitannin level and composition were determine for each classified stave and an excellent correlation between the NIRS classification (low, medium and high potential level of ellagitannin) and the ellagitannin content estimated by HPLC-UV was found. Each different group of NIRS classified staves was then added to red wine during its aging in a stainless tank, and the extraction and evolution of the ellagitannins were monitored. A good correlation between the NIRS classification and the concentration of ellagitannins in red wine aging in contact with the classified staves was observed. The influence of levels of ellagitannins on the resulting wine perception was estimated by a trained judge's panel, and it reveals that the level of ellagitannins in wine has an impact on the roundness and amplitude of the red wine.

Phenolic compounds and sensorial characterization of wines aged with alternative to barrel products made of Spanish oak wood (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.).

Science.gov (United States)

Gallego, L; Del Alamo, M; Nevares, I; Fernández, J A; Fernández de Simón, B; Cadahía, E

2012-04-01

Wood of Quercus pyrenaica has suitable properties for the wine ageing process. However, the forest available for the barrel making from this particular type of tree is very limited. Nevertheless, it is highly advisable to use this kind of wood in order to manufacture alternative oak products. This study presents the results of ageing the same red wine using different pieces of wood (chips and staves) of Spanish oak (Q. pyrenaica), American oak (Quercus alba) and French oak (Quercus petraea) in conjunction with small, controlled amounts of oxygen. In addition, the phenolic parameters, colour and sensory analysis point out that wines aged with Q. pyrenaica pieces have similar enological characteristics to those aged with American or French oak pieces of wood (chips and staves). Furthermore, the total oxygen consumed and its relation with sensory properties also has been studied in this article in order to know how the oxygen behaves in these processes. Besides, it is going to put forward the fact that chips and staves from Q. pyrenaica oak are suitable for the ageing of red wines and better considered than American or French ones, showing higher aromatic intensity, complexity, woody, balsamic and cocoa. Finally, the tasters valued highly the wines with staves, pointing out its flavour and roundness in mouth.

Podnikatelský plán - Založení internetového obchodu se sportovní halovou obuví

OpenAIRE

Možnár, Aleš

2014-01-01

Diplomová práca sa zaoberá zostavením realistického podnikateľského plánu na založenie internetového obchodu so športovou halovou obuvou. Podkladom pre návrh podnikateľského plánu je detailná analýza tržného prostredia a vlastných zdrojov. Cieľom tejto práce je posúdiť realizovateľnosť podnikateľského plánu, odhaliť jeho úzke miesta a riziká. The diploma thesis deals with formulating a realistic business plan for setting up online shop with indoor sport footware. This business plan proposa...

Ekonomické nástroje ochrany životného prostredia

OpenAIRE

Šteinhüblová, Katarína

2015-01-01

The aim of this thesis is to verify whether the representative agent in the chemical industry optimizes pollution in regard to current settings of ecnomic instruments of environment protection in Slovac republic. The aim will be fullfilled by means of evaluation of the impact of economic instruments of environment protection on a specific significant pollutant in the chemical industry and its funds invested in environmentally friendly production.

Quality Assurance and Functionality Tests on Electrical Components during the ATLAS IBL Production

CERN Document Server

Bassalat, A; The ATLAS collaboration

2014-01-01

During the shutdown of 2013-2014, for the enhancement of the current ATLAS Pixel Detector, a fourth layer (Insertable B Layer, IBL) is being built and will be installed between the innermost layer and a new beam pipe. A new generation of readout chip has been developed, and two different sensor designs, a rather conventional planar and a 3D design, have been bump bonded to the Front Ends. Additionally, new staves and module flex circuits have been developed. A production QA test bench was therefore established to test all production staves before integration with the new beam pipe. Quality assurance measurements under cleanroom conditions, including temperature and humidity control, are being performed on the individual components during the various production steps of the IBL; namely, connectivity tests, electrical tests and signal probing on individual parts and assembled subsystems. This paper discusses the pre-assembly QC procedures, the capabilities of the stave qualification setup, and recent results fr...

Innovative low-mass cooling systems for the ALICE ITS Upgrade detector at CERN

CERN Document Server

Gomez Marzoa, Manuel

The Phase-1 upgrade of the LHC to full design luminosity, planned for 2019 at CERN, requires the modernisation of the experiments around the accelerator. The Inner Tracking System (ITS), the innermost detector at the ALICE experiment, will be upgraded by replacing the current apparatus by new silicon pixels arranged in 7 cylindrical layers. Each layer is composed by multiple independent modules, named staves, which provide mechanical support and cooling to the chips. This thesis aims to develop and validate experimentally an ultra-lightweight stave cooling system for the ITS Upgrade. The moderate thermal requirements, with a nominal power density of 0.15 W/cm^2 and a maximum chip temperature of 30ºC, are counterweighted by extreme low-mass restrictions, obliging to resort to lightweight, non-metallic materials, such as carbon fibre-reinforced polymers and plastics. Novel lightweight stave concepts were developed and experimentally validated, meeting the thermal requirements with minimal material inventory. T...

Quality Assurance and Functionality Tests on Electrical Components during the ATLAS IBL Production

OpenAIRE

Jentzsch, J

2012-01-01

To improve performance of the ATLAS inner tracker, a fourth Pixel layer, called the Insertable B-layer (IBL), will be installed in 2014 on a new beam pipe. A new read out chip generation, FE-I4, has been developed and two different sensor designs, a rather conventional planar and a 3D design, have been flip chipped to these front ends. New staves holding new stave and module flex circuits have been developed as well. Therefore, a production QA test bench has been established to test all produ...

44 CFR Appendix 1 to Part 323 - List of Essential Survival Items

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... available supplies would be considered from sport to dress shirts, from overalls to dress suits. However... tanks, collapsible and portable. Storage tanks, rigid, transportable. Storage tanks, wood stave, knock...

LHCb Upstream Tracker

CERN Multimedia

Gandini, Paolo

2014-01-01

The LHCb upgrade requires replacing the silicon strip tracker between the vertex locator (VELO) and the magnet. A new design has been developed and tested based on the "stave" concept planned for the ATLAS upgrade.

LHCb Upstream Tracker

CERN Multimedia

Gandini, P

2014-01-01

The LHCb upgrade requires replacing the silicon strip tracker between the vertex locator (VELO) and the magnet. A new design has been developed and tested based on the "stave" concept planned for the ATLAS upgrade

Slovak brown coals as a feedstock for the active coke production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sobolewski Aleksander

1998-09-01

Full Text Available V èlánku sa venuje pozornos možnostiam výroby aktívneho koksu zo slovenského hnedého uhlia Bane Cíge¾. Príprava aktívneho koksu bola uskutoènená v laboratórnych podmienkach a v poloprevádzke. Surové uhlie sa podrobilo vysokoteplotnej pyrolýze v retorte s pevným roštom, v klasickej rotaènej peci, ako aj vo fluidnom reaktore. Následne boli urèované adsorpèné charakteristiky získaného aktívneho koksu, ktoré sa porovnávali s charakteristikami komerène vyrábaného koksu. V príspevku sa taktiež diskutujú možnosti aplikácie pripraveného aktívneho koksu v technológiách ochrany životného prostredia.

Evaluation of the radon risk from the geologic under-gown of towns with number of inhabitants more than 10000 and of district towns with high and middle radon risk; Hodnotenie radonoveho rizika z geologickeho podlozia miest s poctom obyvateov nad 10000 a okresnych miest s vysokym a strednym radonovym rizikom

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bezak, J [Uranpress, s.r.o., Frana Krala 2, 05280 Spisska Nova Ves (Slovak Republic); Society, Slovak Geological; Society, Slovak Miner; Society of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Hygieny of the Slovak Medicine Society

1998-12-31

% which are assigned into low, middle and high radon risk, respectively. 1 tabs., 12 refs. [Slovensky] Hlavnym cielom tohto orientacneho inziniersko-geologickeho prieskumu bolo dat charakteristiku vybranych miest obyvatelov nad 10000 a okresnych miest s vysokym a strednym radonovym rizikom z hladiska zivotneho prostredia a pobytovych priestorov radonom z geologickeho podlozia a tiez radioaktivitou formou zatriedenia daneho mesta do kategorii radonoveho rizika v mierke 1:10000 v ramci celeho uzemia Slovenskej republiky. Bolo vybranych celkovo 29 miest pre meranie radonoveho rizika a dalsich 25 okresnych miest , v ktorych bolo aspon na casti uzemia zistene stredne alebo vysoke radonove riziko. Konkretne terenne merania boli robene systemom referencnych ploch. Jedna referencna plocha pozostavala z 15 odberov podneho vzduchu z hlbky 0.8 m, alebo podla konkretnych terennych podmienok aj zmensenej. Jednotlive odberne body na referencenej ploche boli rozmiestnene v sieti 3 x 5 bodov v obdlzniku 30 x 40 m. V strede refencnej plochy bola priamo na povrchu merana spektrometria gama, ktorou sa zmerala prirodna radioaktivita na danej ploche v jej jednotlivych zlozkach (K, U, a Th) a bol hlbeny vrt do hlbky cca 2 m, z ktoreho bola odobrata vzorka na laboratornu granulometricku analyzu. Celkove bolo premeranych 905 referencnych ploch radonoveho rizika, odvrtanych 905 vrtov na odber vzorky na granulometricku analyzu a na kazdej referencnej ploche bola zmerana spektrometria gama - 905 merani. Mapy radonoveho rizika jednotlivych miest su zostavene v mierke 1:10000. Jednotlive mapy obsahuju nasledujuce zakladne udaje: lokalizaciu referencnych ploch (RP) s ciselnym oznacenim a vyznacenou hodnotou koncentracie U-235, stupen plynovej priepustnosti hornin na RP, charakteristiku radonoveho rizika na jednotlivych RP, celkove radonove riziko referencnej plochy. Referencne plochy su v pomere priblizne 51 % : 46 % : 3 %, zaradene do nizkeho, stredneho a vyskoeho radonoveho rizika, zodpovedajuco.

9 CFR 96.9 - Casings admitted on disinfection; sealing; transfer and disinfection.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... container in the space where the ends of the container enter the staves, by means of red sealing wax imprinted with the No. 3 Veterinary Services brass brand from which “insp'd & p's'd” and the establishment...

Running Club Warm Up Staves Off Winter's Chill

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

Not deterred by winter's chill, over 900 runners met at the CERN Prévesin site for Escalade training. Think the sudden cold snap is a reason to stay indoors? Think again! The CERN running club has just recently had the honour of holding the November 11th Escalade training session, and with over 900 runners present at the Prévessin site it was clear that the chilly temperatures were no barrier whatsoever. The story behind Escalade training starts back in 1977 when a group of running enthusiasts from the Stade Genève club decided to organize a running race in the Old Town in conjunction with the Escalade festivities. They were told that no normal people would think of organizing a running race in the month of December, but fortunately they ignored the advice! From the initial 50 or so runners, these Escalade races have grown into an institution and now attract upwards of 15,000 people of all ages from 5 to over 80 each year. And with over 30% of each year's runners participat...

Human Growth Hormone (HGH): Does It Slow Aging?

Science.gov (United States)

Healthy Lifestyle Healthy aging Human growth hormone is described by some as the key to slowing the aging process. Before you sign up, get the ... slowdown has triggered an interest in using synthetic human growth hormone (HGH) as a way to stave ...

Reading, writing & winnowing wheat.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaiser, Emily

2006-07-01

Thanks to world-renowned chef Alice Waters, the kids in one California school went from eating fast-food lunches on a crumbling blacktop to growing and preparing their own fresh-food feasts. Could this idea help stave off a national obesity epidemic?

Bureaucracies and Judgmental Autonomy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Strandgaard Petersen, Jesper; Darmer, Per; Mathieu, Chris

2013-01-01

This study focuses on how the central public agency in the Danish film field, The Danish Film Institute (DFI) sought to increase its legitimacy and stave off criticism through two structural organizational design maneuvers. The first structural maneuver deals with mediating the tension between ar...

How to Address Citizens' Practices and Policies on Sustainability? A Consultative Tool for Brokering Policy-Related Knowledge between the Worlds of Policymaking and Everyday

Science.gov (United States)

Espluga, Josep; Konrad, Wilfried; Mays, Claire; Oltra, Christian; Poumadére, Marc; Prades, Ana

2016-01-01

An innovative investigative approach (STAVE), combining elements of research, engagement and brokerage, was used to uncover policy assumptions and daily experiences related to energy use practices. Exploratory work within three policymaker institutions and eight reconvened focus groups were carried out in three different European countries…

Thermo-dynamical measurements for ATLAS Inner Detector (evaporative cooling system)

CERN Document Server

Bitadze, Alexander; Buttar, Craig

During the construction, installation and initial operation of the Evaporative Cooling System for the ATLAS Inner Detector SCT Barrel Sub-detector, some performance characteristics were observed to be inconsistent with the original design specifications, therefore the assumptions made in the ATLAS Inner Detector TDR were revisited. The main concern arose because of unexpected pressure drops in the piping system from the end of the detector structure to the distribution racks. The author of this theses made a series of measurements of these pressure drops and the thermal behavior of SCT-Barrel cooling Stave. Tests were performed on the installed detector in the pit, and using a specially assembled full scale replica in the SR1 laboratory at CERN. This test setup has been used to perform extensive tests of the cooling performance of the system including measurements of pressure drops in different parts of system, studies of the thermal profile along the stave pipe for different running conditions / parameters a...

Contributions of negative reinforcement processes to compulsive ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Addictive drugs such as opiate can produce physical dependence after a very small number of doses. consequently, to stave off or alleviate the withdrawal distress precipitated by dependence, the addicted person resort to self- drug administration. however, the withdrawal relief theory of drug addiction posits that an ...

Low-Level Violence in Schools: Is There an Association between School Safety Measures and Peer Victimization?

Science.gov (United States)

Blosnich, John; Bossarte, Robert

2011-01-01

Background: Low-level violent behavior, particularly school bullying, remains a critical public health issue that has been associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes. School-based prevention programs, while a valuable line of defense to stave off bullying, have shown inconsistent results in terms of decreasing bullying. This…

Utopian Education and Anti-Utopian Anthropology

Science.gov (United States)

Papastephanou, Marianna

2013-01-01

This article explores the connection of education, utopia and anthropology, aiming to tease out some educational implications of anti-utopian anthropological essentialism and to show why these should be staved off. It will be shown how an anthropology that tarnishes human nature operates and how it affects educational intervention in the shaping…

LHCb: LHCb Upstream Tracker

CERN Multimedia

Manning Jr, P; Stone, S

2014-01-01

The LHCb upgrade requires replacing the silicon strip tracker between the vertex locator and the magnet. A new design has been developed and tested based on the "stave" concept planned for the ATLAS upgrade. We will describe the new detector being constructed and show its improved performance in charged particle tracking and triggering.

Logistics and the Fight -- Lessons from Napoleon

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-07

some cases became food for starving troops. ·Men resorted to chewing willow bark in a desperate attempt stave off starva:tion35• One new Hictor... Catalonia . The Journal of:MilitaryHistory. (Lexington: Jan2009. Vol. 73, Iss. 1, pp; 83-116.) Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. Napoleon and modem war

Leadership in Two Worlds: Operating in Disparate Realms, One that Pushes Ego and Ambition, the Other that Promotes Personal Values and Principled Acts

Science.gov (United States)

Goens, George A.

2011-01-01

People live in two worlds. The first is the external world of competition, ego, ambition and power. Here they chase the brass ring of success through control and standardized procedures designed to stave off failure. In this context, leaders face politics, conflicting expectations and bottom-line metrics. But in quiet moments of solitude, these…

Monitoring the progress of environmental quality by analysis of pollen abortivity and through Tradescantia MCN test in Horne Opatovce near Ziar nad Hronom in the years 2009 to 2011; Monitorovanie vyvoja kvality zivotneho prostredia analyzou pelovej abortivity a prostrednictvom Tradescantia MCN testu v Hornych Opatovciach pri Ziari nad Hronom v rokoch 2009 az 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kerekes, E; Micieta, K [Univerzita Komenskeho v Bratislave, Prirodovedecka fakulta, Katedra botaniky, 81102 Bratislava (Slovakia)

2012-04-25

The present paper deals with the use of basic methods of effective monitoring of development of environmental quality. We use the test of pollen grains abortivity of native flora and we also assess the incidence of chromosomal aberrations in somatic and reproductive cells using Tradescantia MCN test. The target location is around the town Ziar Hronom in which we rely on secular research in this extremely environmentally loaded area. Together with the results of this research in this field we create and update the overall mosaic of development of environmental conditions. (authors)

The construction of the Insertable B-Layer and the $b$-tagging performance at high-\\pt of the ATLAS experiment

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00362129; La Rosa, Alessandro; Ferrere, Didier

Although the recent discovery of the Higgs boson by the LHC experiments represented a major success of the Standard Model theory, several questions need still to be answered. The search of new physics particles beyond the Standard Model will require the LHC to collect a large amount of data. To achieve this goal the LHC collider went through a long shutdown, increasing both the energy and the luminosity. In particular the increase of luminosity will require the ATLAS Inner Detector to operate in a more track-dense environment, which mainly affects the ATLAS Pixel Detector. In order to cope with the high pile-up expected with the increase of luminosity the Pixel detector was then upgraded during the long shutdown with the insertion of a fourth innermost layer, the Insertable B-Layer (IBL). This thesis focuses on the construction of the IBL. This includes the loading of silicon pixel detector modules on the support staves, the quality assurance of these instrumented staves and the commissioning after the integr...

Study of the mechanical stability of the ATLAS Insertable B-Layer

CERN Document Server

The ATLAS collaboration

2015-01-01

During the commissioning and alignment of the ATLAS Insertable B-Layer (IBL) using cosmic-ray data, a mechanical distortion of the IBL was observed. This distortion is caused by a difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion of the IBL stave components. The results of a preliminary study of the mechanical stability of the IBL are presented in this note. The qualitative properties of the distortion are confirmed using a 3D finite element analysis. Using cosmic-ray data collected in March 2015, the magnitude of the distortion is found to depend linearly on the operating temperature of the IBL, with a gradient of $\\sim10~{\\rm \\mu m/K}$. The peak-to-peak temperature variation of the IBL staves is measured to be less than 0.2 K during the same cosmic-ray run. The expected bias to the transverse impact parameter $(d_{0})$ of charged tracks under a temperature variation of 0.2 K is evaluated to be $\\sim 1~{\\rm \\mu m}$ using $Z\\rightarrow{\\mu^+\\mu^-}$ events from a Mote Carlo simulation of proton-proton collis...

Overview of the Insertable B-Layer (IBL) Project of the ATLAS Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flick, Tobias

2013-06-01

The ATLAS experiment will upgrade its Pixel Detector with the installation of a new pixel layer in 2013/14. The new sub-detector, named Insertable B-Layer (IBL), will be installed between the existing Pixel Detector and a new smaller diameter beam-pipe at a radius of 33 mm. To cope with the high radiation and hit occupancy due to the proximity to the interaction point, a new read-out chip and two different silicon sensor technologies (planar and 3D) have been developed and are currently under investigation and production for the IBL. Furthermore, the physics performance should be improved through the reduction of pixel size whereas targeting for a low material budget, pushing for a new mechanical support using lightweight staves and a CO 2 -based cooling system. An overview of the IBL project, the results of beam tests on different sensor technologies, testing of pre-series staves made before going into production in order to qualify the assembly procedure, the loaded module electrical integrity, and the read-out chain will be presented. (authors)

The Nays Have It: When Public Sector Unions Win in California. Civic Report. No. 72

Science.gov (United States)

DiSalvo, Daniel

2012-01-01

This November, California voters must decide two policy questions of great concern to public-sector unions. One is a tax hike to stave off further cuts to state spending (there are two versions on the ballot with a chance of passing). The other is a "paycheck protection" measure that would ban the practice of unions' deducting money from…

Mark Twain, Walt Disney, and the Playful Response to Pirate Stories

Science.gov (United States)

West, Mark I.

2010-01-01

Like many a modern play theorist, both Mark Twain and Walt Disney were enchanted by the way children act out stories, in particular pirate tales. For both Twain and Disney, this fascination grew out of their small-town, midwestern boyhoods, where avid reading and fantasy play helped stave off boredom and fill emotional gaps for both of them. Even…

Energy subsidies reform in Jordan : welfare implications of different scenarios

OpenAIRE

Atamanov,Aziz; Jellema,Jon Robbert; Serajuddin,Umar

2015-01-01

As the Arab Spring unfolded and political unrest spread across the Arab world, Jordan faced an adverse economy as well. Fundamental to the economic challenge was high and rising energy prices, already heavily subsidized for consumers. With the government intent on staving off emerging political unrest through a series of measures, buffering consumers from increased energy prices being a ke...

When the douglas-firs were counted: The beginning of the Forest Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Ivan Doig

1976-01-01

The wonders which Phil Briegleb remembered from that stint of work - the dark green spill of forest from ridgeline to valley floor, the colonnade of giant boles crowding acre upon acre, the Depression-staving paycheck earned by sizing up this big timber - may have been grand, all right, but no more so than the language which spelled out the project. The Forest Survey...

Hedging: Forget the theories. Is it worth the money?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baratz, P.J.

1993-01-01

Much has been written, here and elsewhere, about the numerous reasons for you to offer price caps to your customers: stave off natural gas conversions; give customers a comfort level; aggressive marketing; customer relations; offer something discounters don't; everyone will be offering it soon, you might as well get started; margins are actually protected in upwards moving markets, and allowed to increase if prices drop; etc

Dating furniture and coopered vessels without waney edge - Reconstructing historical wood-working in Austria with the help of dendrochronology.

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, Andrea; Nemestothy, Sebastian; Kadnar, Julia; Grabner, Michael

In the present study, 208 furniture and 168 coopered vessels from three Austrian museums were examined. Dendrochronology was used to date objects and to extract further information such as the necessary time for seasoning, wood loss through wood-working and methods of construction. In most cases sampling was done by sanding the cross section and making digital photographs using a picture frame and measuring digitally. The dendrochronological dates of the sampled furniture range between 1524 and 1937. The group of furniture includes cupboards, chests, tables, benches, commodes and beds. In many cases furniture was artfully painted and sometimes even shows a painted year. With the help of dendrochronology it was proved that some objects had been painted for some time after construction, or had been over-painted. Most furniture, however, was painted immediately after completion. In this case, the seasoning and storage time of the boards and the wood loss due to shaping can be verified. As an average value, 14 years have passed between the dendrochronological date of the outermost ring and the painting. The time span includes time of seasoning and storage and the rings lost by wood-working. This leads, on the one hand to a short storage time of less than 10 years and on the other hand to very little wood loss due to manufacturing. Those boards being less shaped turned out to be back panels of cupboards, therefore they are recommended to be sampled for dating. Coopered vessels were dated between 1612 and 1940. There was evidence that staves were split and not sawn in many cases. The staves were often split out of the outermost part of the tree and hardly any wood was worked away which was proved by the close dendrochronological dates of the single staves of a vessel. Since there is a short time of storage and only little wood loss through wood-working, dating of objects without a waney edge becomes reasonable.

Recent developments in the use of plastic optical fiber for an embedded wear sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Edward I.; Mastro, Stephen A.; Nemarich, Christopher P.; Korczynski, Joseph F., Jr.; Jarrett, Andrew W.; Jones, Wayne C.

1999-05-01

This paper describes recent developments of a practical, low cost embedded plastic optical fiber (POF) wear sensor system for the condition based maintenance of external outboard water lubricated bearings aboard U.S. Navy Ships. The benefit of this measurement system over the status quo is the ability to remotely monitor bearing wear. The Embedded Wear Sensor system (Navy invention disclosure #78,570) features a sacrificial wear fiber embedded into the nitrile rubber bearing. This fiber may also act as a conduit for the transmission of pressure and temperature data that may be resolved into alignment data. The authors selected a commercially-off-the- shelf plastic fiber for the sensor because of its material compatibility with the nitrile rubber bearing staves in terms of flexural modulus and wear properties. Presented herein is a description of the system concept, the results of non-linear finite element analysis, market survey of POF, mold studies, small scale prototyping and abrasive wear testing. A description of the sensor concept and the results of the preliminary finite element analysis of the bearing stave geometry are presented. Preliminary results of molding and glue bonding POF in nitrile rubber and then abrasive wear testing indicate that this is a viable concept.

Diachronous ranges of benthonic Foraminifera in the Eocene of Alabama and South Carolina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willard, G.D.; Fallaw, W.C.; Snipes, D.S.

1994-01-01

Seventeen species of benthonic Foraminifera reported by Bandy (1949) from the Eocene of Little Stave Creek in Clarke County, Alabama were identified from the middle eocene Santee Limestone and the upper Eocene Dry Branch Formation in Aiken and Barnwell counties, South Carolina. Of the 17 species, seven occurred in South Carolina stratigraphically above or below the ranges listed by Bandy. Bandy made a detailed study of Foraminifera from the Claibornian and Jacksonian Tallahatta, Lisbon, Gosport, Moodys Branch, and Yazoo formations exposed on Little Stave Creek and plotted the stratigraphic ranges within the section of numerous species. The authors' samples came from well cores at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Of 13 species from the middle Eocene Santee and also reported by Bandy, four are stratigraphically below the lowest occurrence listed by Bandy, and one is stratigraphically above the highest occurrence. Of four species from the upper Eocene Dry Branch Formation and also listed by Bandy, two are stratigraphically above his highest occurrence. Dockery and Nystrom (1992) and Campbell (1993) have described diachroneity among mollusks in the Eocene of South Carolina. Caution should be used in relying on a small number of species in correlating Eocene deposits in the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains

Fluorocarbon evaporative cooling developments for the ATLAS pixel and semiconductor tracking detectors

CERN Document Server

Anderssen, E; Berry, S; Bonneau, P; Bosteels, Michel; Bouvier, P; Cragg, D; English, R; Godlewski, J; Górski, B; Grohmann, S; Hallewell, G D; Hayler, T; Ilie, S; Jones, T; Kadlec, J; Lindsay, S; Miller, W; Niinikoski, T O; Olcese, M; Olszowska, J; Payne, B; Pilling, A; Perrin, E; Sandaker, H; Seytre, J F; Thadome, J; Vacek, V

1999-01-01

Heat transfer coefficients 2-5.103 Wm-2K-1 have been measured in a 3.6 mm I.D. heated tube dissipating 100 Watts - close to the full equivalent power (~110 W) of a barrel SCT detector "stave" - over a range of power dissipations and mass flows in the above fluids. Aspects of full-scale evaporative cooling circulator design for the ATLAS experiment are discussed, together with plans for future development.

On the Far Bank: The Effects of Gap Crossing on Operational Reach

Science.gov (United States)

2015-05-25

highway that led from the current Allied front line to the bridgehead at Arnhem. The plan called for the Guards Armoured Division to lead the charge...second in order of march to the Guards Armoured Division. Most of this capability, however, remained at the starting point of the operation at an...stave off disaster militarily, Egypt was saved by the luck and timing of superpower diplomacy, Sadat’s original goal. The Soviets worried about losing

Innovative low-mass cooling systems for the ALICE ITS Upgrade detector at CERN

OpenAIRE

Gomez Marzoa, Manuel; Thome, John

2016-01-01

The Phase-1 upgrade of the LHC to full design luminosity, planned for 2019 at CERN, requires the modernisation of the experiments around the accelerator. The Inner Tracking System (ITS), the innermost detector at the ALICE experiment, will be upgraded by replacing the current apparatus by new silicon pixels arranged in 7 cylindrical layers. Each layer is composed by multiple independent modules, named staves, which provide mechanical support and cooling to the chips. This thesis aims to devel...

Does Shortening the School Week Impact Student Performance? Evidence from the Four-Day School Week

OpenAIRE

D. Mark Anderson; Mary Beth Walker

2015-01-01

School districts use a variety of policies to close budget gaps and stave off teacher layoffs and furloughs. More schools are implementing four-day school weeks to reduce overhead and transportation costs. The four-day week requires substantial schedule changes as schools must increase the length of their school day to meet minimum instructional hour requirements. Although some schools have indicated this policy eases financial pressures, it is unknown whether there is an impact on student ou...

Biochemical Benefits, Diagnosis, and Clinical Risks Evaluation of Kratom

OpenAIRE

Fluyau, Dimy; Revadigar, Neelambika

2017-01-01

Background Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tropical tree with a long history of traditional use in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. Kratom is also known as Thom, Thang, and Biak. Its leaves and the teas brewed from them have long been used by people in that region to manage pain and opioid withdrawal and to stave off fatigue. Kratom is actually consumed throughout the world for its stimulant effects and as an opioid substitute (in form of tea, chewed, smoked, or ingested in capsules). ...

Troubleshooting of Modulator DC power supply at KOMAC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Hae Seong; Kim, Han Sung; Kwon, Hyeok Jung; Kim, Seong Gu; Kim, Dae Il; Lee, Seok Geun; Kim, Jae Ha; Seol, Kyeong Tae; Cho, Yong Sub [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

The process of solving problems to operate the 2nd converter modulator will be introduced. Also, the PSpice simulation result about the 12-pulse rectifier will be compared with the measurement result. KOMAC (KOrea Multi-purpose Accelerator Complex) has four HVCMs (High Voltage Converter Modulator) which are the power source of nine klystrons. Four HVCMs are already operated since 2013 for operating the 100 MeV linear proton accelerator at KOMAC. This HVCM system includes the 12-pulse rectifier (ac-dc), capacitors bank (dc-link, Pos, Neg) and converter modulator (dc-dc). Especially, the 12-pulse rectifier system receives the power from the utility and converts 3,300 ac voltage to 2,200 dc voltage for supplying the dc power to the capacitors bank. This rectifier system used twelve thyristors for the rectification and applied RC snubber networks to protect the semiconductor switches (thyristors). Since the 2nd modulator dc power supply has troubled, the troubleshooting process conducted by the staves of KOMAC. It takes 3 months to solve the problems because it is not easy to find the faulty wiring. Nevertheless, our staves found the faulty point with a hope to operate the modulator system and the PSpice simulation helps to solve the problems. Using PSpice which is tool for simulating the circuit, the dc power supply abnormal phenomenon was simulated exactly. After corrected the faulty wiring, the modulator dc power supply operated.

Position coding effects in a 2D scenario: the case of musical notation.

Science.gov (United States)

Perea, Manuel; García-Chamorro, Cristina; Centelles, Arnau; Jiménez, María

2013-07-01

How does the cognitive system encode the location of objects in a visual scene? In the past decade, this question has attracted much attention in the field of visual-word recognition (e.g., "jugde" is perceptually very close to "judge"). Letter transposition effects have been explained in terms of perceptual uncertainty or shared "open bigrams". In the present study, we focus on note position coding in music reading (i.e., a 2D scenario). The usual way to display music is the staff (i.e., a set of 5 horizontal lines and their resultant 4 spaces). When reading musical notation, it is critical to identify not only each note (temporal duration), but also its pitch (y-axis) and its temporal sequence (x-axis). To examine note position coding, we employed a same-different task in which two briefly and consecutively presented staves contained four notes. The experiment was conducted with experts (musicians) and non-experts (non-musicians). For the "different" trials, the critical conditions involved staves in which two internal notes that were switched vertically, horizontally, or fully transposed--as well as the appropriate control conditions. Results revealed that note position coding was only approximate at the early stages of processing and that this encoding process was modulated by expertise. We examine the implications of these findings for models of object position encoding. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

THE BUSINESS OF WELLNESS: THE HEALTH INSURANCE INDUSTRY’S RESPONSE TO PUBLIC HEALTH CAMPAIGNS, 1960-1990

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christiane Diehl-Taylor

1999-01-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the health insurance industry’s response to the welliness movement between 1960 and 1990. Based primarily on insurance and personnel management trade publications, it argues that the health insurance industry cautiously joined the weliness campaigns of the 70s and 80s despite its on-going reservations regarding the actuarial basis for rate differentials. The industry’s business-like conservatism was overcome by its recognition of wellness promotion as a cost-control measure, public relations tool, and means to stave off the threat of further governmental oversight and regulation.

Periotron: Suvremena sijalometrijska metoda u dijagnostici i u nadzoru liječenja kserostomije

OpenAIRE

Alajbeg, I.; Hladki, N.; Cekić-Arambašin, A.; Alajbeg, IŽ.

2003-01-01

Periotron (Oraflow, Plainview, SAD), mjerač mikrokoličine vlažnosti, elektronički je instrument napravljen za mjerenje gingivne tekućine, eksudata parodontnoga džepa, lučenja sline i debljine filma sline. U mjerenju se rabe različiti papirni mediji za sakupljanje uzorka. Ti se mediji (Periopaper strips, PeroCol strips, Sialopaper strips) stave na željeno mjesto u ustima i ostave tijekom određenog vremena, nakon čega se odloži između elektroda Periotrona. Poseban oblog elektroda omogućuje im d...

Svakodnevna militarizacija života: etički aspekti korištenja djece u ratu

OpenAIRE

Rupčić, Darija

2017-01-01

Namjera je rada ukazati na problematiku izmijenjene naravi ratovanja u posljednjih nekoliko desetljeća 20. i 21. stoljeća, s osobitim naglaskom na problem korištenja sve većeg broja djece ratnika. Osnovna je teza rada ta da je praksa korištenja i regrutiranja djece u oružanim sukobima diljem svijeta najmanje prepoznata i najviše zanemarena forma zlostavljanja djece u suvremenom društvu te da je ona manje stvar kulture i nepostojanja stave društva prema vrijednostima djeteta, a više stvar prag...

Synthesis and characterization of novel curing agents for surface coatings based on acrylamide copolymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patel, N. V.; Parmar, R. J.; Parmar, J. S.

2003-01-01

The acrylamide based curing agents were prepared form methyl methacrylate-acrylamide copolymers by further methylolation and subsequent etherification with butanol. These were characterized for their various physico-chemical characteristics. Various sets of these ACAs were blended with hydroxyl functional acrylic resin to prepare the staving compared with the conventional melamine-formaldehyde based curing agent containing compositions. The films were also characterized thermogravimetric analysis and IR-spectra. The result reveals that the properties of certain compositions based on ACAs were remarkably better than those of conventional melamine-formaldehyde based curing agent based coatings

Building a Stereo-angle into strip-sensors for the ATLAS-Upgrade Inner-Tracker Endcaps

CERN Document Server

Hessey, NP; The ATLAS collaboration

2013-01-01

The Strips Endcap detector for the ATLAS Upgrade needs several sensor shapes, each of which is approximately a wedge shape like the current SCT. For the Endcap to use a stave-like approach as proposed for the barrel, care is needed to design the shapes to avoid clashes and minimise gaps between them. This note gives the basic formulae for one way of building up a petal. It allows for a stereo-angle to be built into the wafer, and takes into account the maximum usable wafer size.

Climate Change and Citizen Behavior: a Challenge for EU Environmental Policy; Cambio climatico y comportamiento cotidiano del ciudadano: un reto para la politica medioambiental de la UE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prades, A.; Horlick-Jones, T.; Espluga, J.; Oltra, J.; Oltra, C.; Barnet, J.; Constantin, M.; Enander, A.; Konrad, W.; Poumadere, M.

2012-11-01

Although policy makers and citizens alike coincide in acknowledging the seriousness of the climate change problem and the resulting need for action, the public initiatives aimed at modifying our behavior to make it more sustainable are not achieving the expected effectiveness. The PACHELBEL Project, coordinated by CISOTCIEMAT and in which 10 institutions from 6 European countries (Germany, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Romania and Sweden) are participating, is developing a tool (STAVE) to stimulate the effectiveness of the initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable habits among citizens. (Author) 28 refs.

The ALICE Silicon Pixel Detector System (SPD)

CERN Document Server

Kluge, A; Antinori, Federico; Burns, M; Cali, I A; Campbell, M; Caselle, M; Ceresa, S; Dima, R; Elias, D; Fabris, D; Krivda, Marian; Librizzi, F; Manzari, Vito; Morel, M; Moretto, Sandra; Osmic, F; Pappalardo, G S; Pepato, Adriano; Pulvirenti, A; Riedler, P; Riggi, F; Santoro, R; Stefanini, G; Torcato De Matos, C; Turrisi, R; Tydesjo, H; Viesti, G; PH-EP

2007-01-01

The ALICE silicon pixel detector (SPD) comprises the two innermost layers of the ALICE inner tracker system. The SPD includes 120 detector modules (half-staves) each consisting of 10 ALICE pixel chips bump bonded to two silicon sensors and one multi-chip read-out module. Each pixel chip contains 8192 active cells, so that the total number of pixel cells in the SPD is ≈ 107. The on-detector read-out is based on a multi-chip-module containing 4 ASICs and an optical transceiver module. The constraints on material budget and detector module dimensions are very demanding.

TCT and TFM measurements for ATLAS ITK

CERN Document Server

Dungs, Sascha

2016-01-01

The ATLAS ITK Pixel detector for the Phase-II upgrade of LHC is in a prototyping phase. The CERN ATLAS Pixel group is involved in different activities. One activity is the characterization of pixel sensors with an infrared Laser using a transient current technique (TCT) to measure the depletion depth and charge collection properties and compare it to effective field theory simulations. Another activity is the measurement of the Thermal Figure of Merit (TFM) of different stave prototypes using silicon heaters and an evaporative CO2 cooling system. This document describes the contributions to each of the two activities.

Assyrian Music and Iconography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katia Maria Paim Pozzer

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The sources about music in ancient Mesopotamia are numerous, there are hundreds of cuneiform tablets in Sumerian and Akkadian language, and also iconic representations of material culture have been rescued by archeology. The texts of varied nature show myths, staves and musical theories, displaying speci?c vocabulary about the act of musical performance, on musicians and musical instruments. In these documents, the rich iconography of war among the Assyrians is also revealing of musical practice, including in military contexts. There is evidence of foreign musicians within the Assyrian royal courts in the cuneiform tablets, in the stone

Prague’s Water Supply Station in Podolí — a Solution for the Problems of Clean Water in the 1930s

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Drnek

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In the 1920s Prague was seeking a solution to the problem of supplying its inhabitants with drinkable water. The water plant in Káraný was not able to provide enough water, and the bold plan to bring water from a reservoir and to provide a dual system of potable and non-potable water faced an uncertain future. In order to stave off the crisis and make time to complete its plans, the city council decided to construct a new water supply plant inside the city next to the Vltava river in the city district of Podolí.

ATLAS ITk Short Strip Prototype Module with Integrated DCDC Powering and Control Phase II Upgrade of the ATLAS Inner Tracker detector at the HL - LHC

CERN Document Server

Greenall, Ashley; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

The prototype Barrel module design, for the Phase II upgrade of the of the new Inner Tracker (ITk) detector at the LHC, has adopted an integrated low mass assembly featuring single-sided flexible circuits, with readout ASICs, glued to the silicon strip sensor. Further integration has been achieved by the attachment of module DCDC powering, HV sensor biasing switch and autonomous monitoring and control to the sensor. This low mass, integrated module approach benefits further in a reduced width stave structure to which the modules are attached. The results of preliminary electrical tests of such an integrated module will be presented.

The Environment - A Crucial Component of Long-Lived Upsurge in the European Union

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor Ionescu

2005-10-01

Full Text Available Environmental Community Policy aims at upholding long-lived development and at preserving the natural setting intact to the very benefit of both the extant and the yet unborn generations. It goes upon integrating environmental protection into the remaining Community Policies, taking staving-off steps, observing the “damage paying polluter” principle, fighting environmental pollution at its factual origin and partaking of charges. The acquis communitaire counts in over 200 regulative settlements which cover such areas as: the horizontal legislation, fouling and air-defilement issues, waste and dry-salter management problems, biotechnology, environmental protection, industrial defilement and risk management problems, noise-protection routines and radiation-defence systems.

Sales of wood from state forests in 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Office National des Forets

2013-01-01

The economic environment in 2012 was adverse, with the consequences of the crisis in sovereign debts in the Euro zone and an 18% decrease in housing starts in France. The drop in sales these conditions entail has in turn led to a 4% decrease in logging volumes from state forests and a 7% decrease in those from community-owned forests. Similarly, the average price has dropped 5%. As a result, the turnover for state forest timber sales has declined by 12%. Consolidated timber supply contracts cover 21% of the volumes and their annual average prices are stable. Finally, stave-wood and fuelwood markets have maintained their vigour. (authors)

ATLAS pixel IBL modules construction experience and developments for future upgrade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaudiello, A.

2015-10-01

The first upgrade of the ATLAS Pixel Detector is the Insertable B-Layer (IBL), installed in May 2014 in the core of ATLAS. Two different silicon sensor technologies, planar n-in-n and 3D, are used. Sensors are connected with the new generation 130 nm IBM CMOS FE-I4 read-out chip via solder bump-bonds. Production quality control tests were set up to verify and rate the performance of the modules before integration into staves. An overview of module design and construction, the quality control results and production yield will be discussed, as well as future developments foreseen for future detector upgrades.

An interpretation of the tectonostratigraphic framework of the Murray Basin region of southeastern Australia, based on an examination of airborne magnetic patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, C. M.; Tucker, D. H.; Anfiloff, V.

1988-11-01

New pixel map representations of regional total magnetic intensity data reveal previously unknown characteristics of the basement concealed beneath thin Cainozoic sediments of the Murray Basin in southeastern Australia. Interpretations of magnetic patterns in terms of structural features allow a revised interpretation of the nature of the tectonostratigraphic framework underlying and flanking the basin. The magnetic data indicate that arcuate or curvilinear structural trends under the Murray Basin do not conform with those of the exposed Lachlan Fold Belt to the east and suggest that the basement concealed beneath the basin, together with that exposed in the Victorian Highlands to the south, forms a distinct composite tectonostratigraphic terrane. Beneath the southwestern Murray Basin ?Proterozoic-Lower Cambrian metasediments of the Padthaway Ridge of the Kanmantoo Fold Belt display a northwesterly trending structural grain and a previously unsuspected continuity of structural trend with Adelaidean-Cambrian rocks of the Mount Lofty Ranges to the west. In the south, Cambrian volcanics of the Black Range and Stavely greenstone belts have similar magnetic response and appear to be components of a single elongate and strongly magnetic domain which extends to the northwest for at least 400 km (Stavely Belt). To the north a similar but entirely concealed northeasterly trending magnetic domain can also be interpreted as volcanics (Lake Wintlow Belt). Together these two magnetic domains appear to form an arcuate zone of volcanics, with a concave-to-the-east configuration, located at a possible suture between the Lachlan and Kanmantoo Fold Belts beneath the western Murray Basin. In the south the magnetic imagery indicates that metasediments of the ?Cambro-Ordovician Stawell Belt produce magnetic patterns distinct from those produced by the metasediments of the adjacent Ordovician Bendigo Belt, which can itself be subdivided into a number of areas of distinct magnetic

Around the Bend: The Curious Power of the Hills around Queenstown, Tasmania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emily Bullock

2012-03-01

Full Text Available This article traces a concern with excess and waste, landscape and identity in a town on the western periphery of Tasmania.  Queenstown’s bald hills have been a popular tourist drawcard since the turn of the century, sold in travel guides and brochures as a spectacular ‘moonscape’. A combination of a severe bushfire in 1896 and the emission of sulphurous gases from the pyritic smelting process at the Mt Lyell Copper Mine have resulted in Queenstown’s weird denuded landscape. But the locals have grown attached to the hills and want to preserve their baldness.  Here, the impulse to preserve a grotesque landscape registers a culture surviving on desecration to stave off its own disappearance.

International Conference on the Conservation of the Lesser Spotted Eagle, Košická Belá, Slovakia, 2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guziová Zuzana

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Medzinárodná konferencia o ochrane orla kriklavého (Aquila pomarina sa konala 25. - 27. septembra 2014 v Penzióne Lesanka v Košickej Belej na Slovensku. Zorganizovala ju Ochrana dravcov na Slovensku (RPS v spolupráci s Východoslovenskou energetikou Holding a.s. Konferencia bola zameraná na prípravu podkladov pre aktualizáciu európskeho akcného plánu pre orla kriklavého, zdielanie informácií o biológii a ekológia druhu a na výmenu skúseností s osvedcenými alebo inovatívnymi opatreniami pre zachovanie orla kriklavého. Konferencie sa zúcastnilo celkom 59 úcastníkov zo 14 krajín. Na konferencii odznelo 17 príspevkov a bolo prezentovaných 7 posterov. Niektoré z týchto príspevkov sú publikované v casopise Slovak Raptor Journal 9 (2015, dalších 23 príspevkov sú publikované formou konferencných abstraktov. Program konferencie zahrnal aj 2 exkurzie, pocas ktorých mali úcastníci možnost vidiet ukážku inštalácie konzolových chrániciek na stlpoch 22 kV elektrického vedenia a typické biotopy orla kriklavého. Konferencia bola organizovaná v rámci projektu LIFE09NAT/SK/000396 Ochrana orla kriklavého na Slovensku, ktorý realizovala Ochrana dravcov na Slovensku, Východoslovenská energetika Holding a.s., Stredoslovenská energetika, a.s. a Stredoslovenská energetika-Distribúcia, a.s. Projekt bol spolufinancovaný Európskou úniou prostredníctvom financného nástroja LIFE a Ministerstvom životného prostredia Slovenskej republiky.

Quality Assurance and Functionality Tests on Electrical Components during the ATLAS IBL Production

CERN Document Server

Jentzsch, J; The ATLAS collaboration

2012-01-01

For the first ATLAS pixel upgrade scheduled in 2013 a new front-end chip generation (FE- I4) has been developed. The second version (FE-I4B) hosting two different solid-state sensor technologies (planar silicon and 3D silicon) has been produced to be built into a new pixel layer (the Insertable B-Layer, IBL). Prototypes of these assembled modules have been tested in laboratory and testbeam measurements before and after irradiation. Quality assurance measurements under clean room conditions, including temperature and humidity control, have been and will be performed on the required parts during the various production steps of the IBL, namely connectivity as well as electrical tests and signal probing on individual parts and also assembled subsystems. Test results of measurements on flexes, modules and staves will be presented.

Ultra-light and stable composite structure to support and cool the ATLAS pixel detector barrel electronics modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olcese, M.; Caso, C.; Castiglioni, G.; Cereseto, R.; Cuneo, S.; Dameri, M.; Gemme, C.; Glitza, K.-W.; Lenzen, G.; Mora, F.; Netchaeva, P.; Ockenfels, W.; Piano, E.; Pizzorno, C.; Puppo, R.; Rebora, A.; Rossi, L.; Thadome, J.; Vernocchi, F.; Vigeolas, E.; Vinci, A.

2004-01-01

The design of an ultra light structure, the so-called 'stave', to support and cool the sensitive elements of the Barrel Pixel detector, the innermost part of the ATLAS detector to be installed on the new Large Hadron Collider at CERN (Geneva), is presented. Very high-dimensional stability, minimization of the material and ability of operating 10 years in a high radiation environment are the key design requirements. The proposed solution consists of a combination of different carbon-based materials (impregnated carbon-carbon, ultra high modulus carbon fibre composites) coupled to a thin aluminum tube to form a very light support with an integrated cooling channel. Our design has proven to successfully fulfil the requirements. The extensive prototyping and testing program to fully qualify the design and release the production are discussed

Adaptive Capacity: An Evolutionary Neuroscience Model Linking Exercise, Cognition, and Brain Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Raichlen, David A; Alexander, Gene E

2017-07-01

The field of cognitive neuroscience was transformed by the discovery that exercise induces neurogenesis in the adult brain, with the potential to improve brain health and stave off the effects of neurodegenerative disease. However, the basic mechanisms underlying exercise-brain connections are not well understood. We use an evolutionary neuroscience approach to develop the adaptive capacity model (ACM), detailing how and why physical activity improves brain function based on an energy-minimizing strategy. Building on studies showing a combined benefit of exercise and cognitive challenge to enhance neuroplasticity, our ACM addresses two fundamental questions: (i) what are the proximate and ultimate mechanisms underlying age-related brain atrophy, and (ii) how do lifestyle changes influence the trajectory of healthy and pathological aging? Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novel time-dependent alignment of the ATLAS Inner Detector in the LHC Run 2

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00386283; The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

ATLAS is a multipurpose experiment at the LHC proton-proton collider. Its physics goals require an unbiased and high resolution measurement of the charged particle kinematic parameters. These critically depend on the layout and performance of the tracking system and the quality of the alignment of its components. For the LHC Run 2, the system has been upgraded with the installation of a new pixel layer, the Insertable B-layer (IBL). ATLAS Inner Detector alignment framework has been adapted and upgraded to correct very short time scale movements of the sub-detectors. In particular, a mechanical distortion of the IBL staves up to 20 μm and a vertical displacement of the Pixel detector of ~6 μm have been observed during data-taking. The techniques used to correct for these effects and to match the required Inner Detector performance will be presented.

Thinking of the children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1967-01-01

Universal Children's Day is organized each year by the United Nations Children's Fund to draw attention to the desperate plight of millions of babies and young people throughout the world. The date this year in most countries is 2 October. Despite all the efforts of UNICEF and other agencies including the IAEA, it is estimated that there are still 300 000 000 children who either cannot find enough food to stave off hunger, or who cannot obtain the protein which will keep them healthy and alert. Many advances have been made in helping to make crops more abundant, in developing protein content of foods and in dealing with the diseases arising from malnutrition. Our photograph was taken in Jamaica, where investigations into malnutrition and its effects are being made by the UK Medical Research Council under an IAEA research contract

Partial response to carboplatin in an RRx-001 pretreated patient with EGFR-inhibitor-resistance and T790M-negative NSCLC.

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Corey A; Oronsky, Bryan; Caroen, Scott; Scicinski, Jan; Cabrales, Pedro; Degesys, Aiste; Brzezniak, Christina

2016-01-01

Few therapeutic options are available for T790M-negative non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after failure of primary epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) and chemotherapy. This report presents the case of a 71-year-old Asian female never smoker with EGFR mutated T790M negative non squamous cell lung cancer (NSCLC) pre-treated with the experimental epi-immunotherapeutic agent, RRx-001, that re-responded to single agent carboplatin after failure of platinum doublets, TKIs, pemetrexed and nivolumab. The management of advanced EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC is briefly reviewed herein and the emerging paradigm of episensitization, which contradicts the long-standing and widely accepted tenet about the immutability of resistance and the futility of therapeutic rechallenge, is introduced as a strategy to avert treatment failure and thereby stave off deterioration and death.

Thinking of the children

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1967-10-15

Universal Children's Day is organized each year by the United Nations Children's Fund to draw attention to the desperate plight of millions of babies and young people throughout the world. The date this year in most countries is 2 October. Despite all the efforts of UNICEF and other agencies including the IAEA, it is estimated that there are still 300 000 000 children who either cannot find enough food to stave off hunger, or who cannot obtain the protein which will keep them healthy and alert. Many advances have been made in helping to make crops more abundant, in developing protein content of foods and in dealing with the diseases arising from malnutrition. Our photograph was taken in Jamaica, where investigations into malnutrition and its effects are being made by the UK Medical Research Council under an IAEA research contract

Stigma among California's Medical Marijuana Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Satterlund, Travis D; Lee, Juliet P; Moore, Roland S

2015-01-01

The enactment of California's Proposition 215 stipulates that patients may use marijuana for medical reasons, provided that it is recommended by a physician. Yet, medical marijuana patients risk being stigmatized for this practice. This article examines the way in which medical marijuana patients perceive and process stigma, and how it affects their interactions and experiences with others. Eighteen semi-structured interviews of medical marijuana patients were carried out using a semi-structured interview guide. Most patients circumvented their own physicians in obtaining a recommendation to use medicinal marijuana, and also used a host of strategies in order to justify their medical marijuana use to family, friends, and colleagues in order to stave off potential stigma. The stigmatization of medical marijuana thus has a profound effect on how patients seek treatment, and whether they seek medical marijuana treatment at all.

Optical Music Recognition for Scores Written in White Mensural Notation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tardón LorenzoJ

2009-01-01

Full Text Available An Optical Music Recognition (OMR system especially adapted for handwritten musical scores of the XVII-th and the early XVIII-th centuries written in white mensural notation is presented. The system performs a complete sequence of analysis stages: the input is the RGB image of the score to be analyzed and, after a preprocessing that returns a black and white image with corrected rotation, the staves are processed to return a score without staff lines; then, a music symbol processing stage isolates the music symbols contained in the score and, finally, the classification process starts to obtain the transcription in a suitable electronic format so that it can be stored or played. This work will help to preserve our cultural heritage keeping the musical information of the scores in a digital format that also gives the possibility to perform and distribute the original music contained in those scores.

Gross motor development and physical activity in kindergarten age children.

Science.gov (United States)

Colella, Dario; Morano, Milena

2011-10-01

Physical activity in kindergarten is a fundamental part of the child's educational process. Body experience and physical activity contribute to the development of self-awareness and the learning of different modes of expression, as well as encouraging the acquisition of physically active lifestyles. Recent scientific evidence has confirmed the role of physical activity in disease prevention and quality of life improvement, and stressed the importance of integrated educational programmes promoting physical activity and healthy eating habits. A key priority of scientific research is to identify the opportunities and methods of motor learning and to increase the daily physical activity levels of children by reducing sedentary time and promoting active play and transport (i.e. walking, cycling). Family, school and community involvement are all needed to assure adherence to the official guidelines on how much physical activity children need to boost their health and stave off obesity.

Legislation of Renewable Energy Sources In Slovakia / Legislatívna Úprava Obnoviteľných Zdrojov Energie Na Slovensku

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marišová Eleonóra

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Pestovanie energetickych rastlin a drevin na poľnohospodarskej pode a ďalšie využitie ich energie predstavuje zasadny vyznam pre realizaciu dlhodobej strategie Slovenska v oblasti ziskavania a využivania obnoviteľnych zdrojov energie (OZE. Energeticke rastliny spĺňaju ciele strategie Europa 2020 a prispievaju k diverzifi kacii energetickych zdrojov. Prispevok vychadza z pravnych predpisov EU a narodnej legislativy upravujucej OZE. Analyzovane su Smernica 2009/28/ES Europskeho parlamentu a Rady z 23. aprila 2009 o podpore využivania energie z obnoviteľnych zdrojov a o zmene a naslednom zrušeni smernic 2001/77/ES a 2003/30/ES. Tema obnoviteľnych zdrojov energie je integrovana do Programu rozvoja vidieka 2014 - 2020. Konkretne Akčny plan pre biomasu 2008-2013, Strategia vyššieho využitia obnoviteľnych zdrojov energie na Slovensku a Strategia energetickej bezpečnosti Slovenska bola prijata až do roku 2030. Trvalo udržateľne využivanie poľnohospodarskej pody, jeho riadenie a využivanie, ako aj ochrana jeho kvality a funkcie su upravene zakonom č 220/2004 Zb. o ochrane a využivani poľnohospodarskej pody a ktorym sa meni zakon č. 245/2003 Zb., o integrovanej prevencii a kontrole znečisťovania životneho prostredia a o zmene niektorych zakonov v zneni neskoršich predpisov, ktory nadobudol učinnosť 1. maja 2004. Zakon č. 57/2013 Zb., ktory je platny od 1. aprila 2013, stanovuje zasady a postup zriaďovania plantaži rychlorastucich drevin na poľnohospodarskej pode. Slovenska pravna uprava zaviedla register rychlo rastucich drevin na každom okresnom urade (72, na pozemkovom a lesnom odbore na Slovensku. Prieskum tychto registrov ukazuje, že tato pravna uprava podporuje poľnohospodarov, aby začali použivať marginalne pody pre rychlo rastuce dreviny.

AVALIAÇÃO DO POTENCIAL DE APROVEITAMENTO ENERGÉTICO DOS RESÍDUOS DE MADEIRA E DERIVADOS GERADOS EM FÁBRICAS DO POLO MOVELEIRO DE UBÁ - MG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rogério Machado Pinto Farage

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The present study evaluated the energy reuse potential of the wooden residues and its derivatives generated in the industrial furniture stave of Ubá, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Reconstituted panels of MDF (medium density fiberboard, particleboards and plywood were characterized and classified. A research carried out in 11 furniture plants verified that the wooden residues represent more than 90 % of the solid wastes. Besides of this the large amount generated, no integrated action was identified to the management of the residues, neglecting its environmental and sanitary risks, as well as its energy use potential. However, the moisture and calorific power of the residues demonstrated a high potential energy use through the briquette production. The gases generated by combustion of the residues did not presented toxic substances above the limits of Brazilian legislation. However, the leached ashes of the residues of agglomerated BP (low pressure and FF (finish foil presented high chromium concentrations, classifying them as Class I (dangerous, according to ABNT/NBR 10004/2004.

The Phase-2 ATLAS ITk Pixel Upgrade

CERN Document Server

Benoit, Mathieu; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

The entire tracking system of the ATLAS experiment will be replaced during the LHC Phase II shutdown (foreseen to take place around 2025) by an all-silicon detector called the “ITk” (Inner Tracker). The innermost portion of the ITk will consist of a pixel detector with stave-like support structures in the most central region and ring-shaped supports in the endcap regions; there may also be novel inclined support structures in the barrel-endcap overlap regions. The new detector could have as much as 14 m2 of sensitive silicon. Support structures will be based on low mass, highly stable and highly thermally conductive carbon-based materials cooled by evaporative carbon dioxide. The ITk will be instrumented with new sensors and readout electronics to provide improved tracking performance compared to the current detector. All the module components must be performant enough and robust enough to cope with the expected high particle multiplicity and severe radiation background of the High-Luminosity LHC. Readout...

Metabolic rate of spiders (Pardosa prativage) feed on prey species of different diet quality measured by colorimetry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Søren Achim; Kynde, Bjarke; Westh, Peter

The metabolic rate was measured in the wolf spider Pardosa prativaga after preying different species of aphids, collembolans and fruit flies raised on common commercial medium. The activity of detoxification enzyme systems Glutathione S-Transferase (GST), Glutathione Peroxidase (GSTpx) was invest......The metabolic rate was measured in the wolf spider Pardosa prativaga after preying different species of aphids, collembolans and fruit flies raised on common commercial medium. The activity of detoxification enzyme systems Glutathione S-Transferase (GST), Glutathione Peroxidase (GSTpx......) was investigated for spiders preying the different species. The heat production of starved P. prativaga was ca. 1.5 mW per mg fresh weight. For specimens feed on fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) the heat production was appreciable higher whereas feed on the aphids Sitobion avenae and Rhopalosiphum padi...... the heat production was on the same level or lower than in the staved spiders. The variation of the observed metabolic changes was in concordance with the variations in enzyme activities....

Ministerial comments on the regional perspective workshops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sihota, M.

1993-01-01

The role of British Columbia Hydro in addressing regional economic development issues in British Columbia is discussed. At Stave Falls in the Fraser Valley, a project is under way to upgrade a 75-year-old hydroelectric facility to utilize its potential more fully without having to flood more land. The project will eventually cost $50-100 million and will also generate local employment. In the Kootenay region, the utility has established a regional office in Castlegar and is organizing a symposium to examine historical grievances such as reservoir levels, taxation, and electric system operation. A new formula has been announced with regards to independent power producers and it is intended to proceed with wood-waste power generation and gas-fired cogeneration projects if they make economic and environmental sense. Energy conservation activities are continually being implemented through the utility's Power Smart program, and tourism-related concerns caused by low reservoir levels in the Kootenay region are also being addressed

Prototype Strip Barrel Modules for the ATLAS ITk Strip Detector

CERN Document Server

Sawyer, Craig; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

The module design for the Phase II Upgrade of the new ATLAS Inner Tracker (ITk) detector at the LHC employs integrated low mass assembly using single-sided flexible circuits with readout ASICs and a powering circuit incorporating control and monitoring of HV, LV and temperature on the module. Both readout and powering circuits are glued directly onto the silicon sensor surface resulting in a fully integrated, extremely low radiation length module which simultaneously reduces the material requirements of the local support structure by allowing a reduced width stave structure to be employed. Such a module concept has now been fully demonstrated using so-called ABC130 and HCC130 ASICs fabricated in 130nm CMOS technology to readout ATLAS12 n+-in-p silicon strip sensors. Low voltage powering for these demonstrator modules has been realised by utilising a DCDC powerboard based around the CERN FEAST ASIC. This powerboard incorporates an HV multiplexing switch based on a Panasonic GaN transistor. Control and monitori...

Studies on irradiated pixel detectors for the ATLAS IBL and HL-LHC upgrade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gallrapp, Christian

2015-07-01

collection properties. The sensor responds to the passing of a charged particle are measured with radioactive sources and particle beams of electrons and pions. To conclude the sensor research the accomplished development stages of the IBL upgrade of the ATLAS pixel detector foreseen for 2013/2014 are summarized. This includes among other things, the progress of the quality assurance process as well as the production of a first stave prototype used to test the stave production process.

Studies on irradiated pixel detectors for the ATLAS IBL and HL-LHC upgrade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gallrapp, Christian

2015-01-01

collection properties. The sensor responds to the passing of a charged particle are measured with radioactive sources and particle beams of electrons and pions. To conclude the sensor research the accomplished development stages of the IBL upgrade of the ATLAS pixel detector foreseen for 2013/2014 are summarized. This includes among other things, the progress of the quality assurance process as well as the production of a first stave prototype used to test the stave production process.

3D active edge silicon sensors: Device processing, yield and QA for the ATLAS-IBL production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Da Vià, Cinzia; Boscardil, Maurizio; Dalla Betta, GianFranco; Darbo, Giovanni; Fleta, Celeste; Gemme, Claudia; Giacomini, Gabriele; Grenier, Philippe; Grinstein, Sebastian; Hansen, Thor-Erik; Hasi, Jasmine; Kenney, Christopher; Kok, Angela; La Rosa, Alessandro; Micelli, Andrea; Parker, Sherwood; Pellegrini, Giulio; Pohl, David-Leon; Povoli, Marco; Vianello, Elisa; Zorzi, Nicola; Watts, S. J.

2013-01-01

3D silicon sensors, where plasma micromachining is used to etch deep narrow apertures in the silicon substrate to form electrodes of PIN junctions, were successfully manufactured in facilities in Europe and USA. In 2011 the technology underwent a qualification process to establish its maturity for a medium scale production for the construction of a pixel layer for vertex detection, the Insertable B-Layer (IBL) at the CERN-LHC ATLAS experiment. The IBL collaboration, following that recommendation from the review panel, decided to complete the production of planar and 3D sensors and endorsed the proposal to build enough modules for a mixed IBL sensor scenario where 25% of 3D modules populate the forward and backward part of each stave. The production of planar sensors will also allow coverage of 100% of the IBL, in case that option was required. This paper will describe the processing strategy which allowed successful 3D sensor production, some of the Quality Assurance (QA) tests performed during the pre-production phase and the production yield to date.

Alignment of the ATLAS Inner Detector

CERN Document Server

Marti-Garcia, Salvador; The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

The Run-2 of the LHC has presented new challenges to track and vertex reconstruction with higher energies, denser jets and higher rates. In addition, the Insertable B-layer (IBL) is a fourth pixel layer, which has been deployed at the centre of ATLAS during the longshutdown-1 of the LHC. The physics performance of the experiment requires a high resolution and unbiased measurement of all charged particle kinematic parameters. In its turn, the performance of the tracking depends, among many other issues, on the accurate determination of the alignment parameters of the tracking sensors. The offline track based alignment of the ATLAS tracking system has to deal with more than 700,000 degrees of freedom (DoF). This represents a considerable numerical challenge in terms of both CPU time and precision. During Run-2, a mechanical distortion of the IBL staves up to 20um has been observed during data-taking, plus other short time scale movements. The talk will also describe the procedures implemented to detect and remo...

The Phase-2 ATLAS ITk Pixel Upgrade

CERN Document Server

Rossi, Leonardo Paolo; The ATLAS collaboration

2018-01-01

The entire tracking system of the ATLAS experiment will be replaced in 2025 during the LHC Phase-II shutdown by an all-silicon detector called the “ITk” (Inner Tracker). The innermost part of ITk will be a pixel detector containing about 12.5m2 of sensitive silicon. The silicon modules are arranged on 5 layers of stave-like support structures in the most central region and ring-shaped supports in the endcap regions covering out to |η| < 4; a mid-eta region (~1 < |η| < ~2) will be occupied by novel inclined support structures which keep the angle of incidence of high-momentum tracks more closely normal to the sensitive silicon. All supports will be based on low mass, highly stable and highly thermally-conductive carbon-based materials cooled by evaporative carbon dioxide flowing in thin-walled titanium pipes. An extensive prototyping programme, including thermal, mechanical and electrical studies, is being carried out on all the types of support structures. The HL-LHC is expected to deliver up t...

The Phase II ATLAS Pixel Upgrade: The Inner Tracker (ITk)

CERN Document Server

Flick, Tobias; The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

The entire tracking system of the ATLAS experiment will be replaced during the LHC Phase II shutdown (foreseen to take place around 2025) by an all-silicon detector called the ITk (Inner Tracker). The pixel detector will comprise the five innermost layers, and will be instrumented with new sensor and readout electronics technologies to improve the tracking performance and cope with the HL-LHC environment, which will be severe in terms of occupancy and radiation. The total surface area of silicon in the new pixel system could measure up to 14 m^2, depending on the final layout choice, which is expected to take place in early 2017. Four layout options are being investigated at the moment, two with forward coverage to eta < 3.2 and two to eta < 4. For each coverage option, a layout with long barrel staves and a layout with novel inclined support structures in the barrel-endcap overlap region are considered. All potential layouts include modules mounted on ring-shaped supports in the endcap regions. Support...

The Phase-2 ATLAS ITk Pixel Upgrade

CERN Document Server

Flick, Tobias; The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

The entire tracking system of the ATLAS experiment will be replaced during the LHC Phase II shutdown (foreseen to take place around 2025) by an all-silicon detector called the “ITk” (Inner Tracker). The pixel detector will comprise the five innermost layers, and will be instrumented with new sensor and readout electronics technologies to improve the tracking performance and cope with the HL-LHC environment, which will be severe in terms of occupancy and radiation. The total surface area of silicon in the new pixel system could measure up to 14 m2, depending on the final layout choice, which is expected to take place in early 2017. Four layout options are being investigated at the moment, two with forward coverage to |eta| < 3.2 and two to |eta| < 4. For each coverage option, a layout with long barrel staves and a layout with novel inclined support structures in the barrel-endcap overlap region are considered. All potential layouts include modules mounted on ring-shaped supports in the endcap regions...

Effects of bilingualism on white matter integrity in older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, John A E; Grundy, John G; De Frutos, Jaisalmer; Barker, Ryan M; Grady, Cheryl; Bialystok, Ellen

2018-02-15

Bilingualism can delay the onset of dementia symptoms and has thus been characterized as a mechanism for cognitive or brain reserve, although the origin of this reserve is unknown. Studies with young adults generally show that bilingualism is associated with a strengthening of white matter, but there is conflicting evidence for how bilingualism affects white matter in older age. Given that bilingualism has been shown to help stave off the symptoms of dementia by up to four years, it is crucial that we clarify the mechanism underlying this reserve. The current study uses diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to compare monolinguals and bilinguals while carefully controlling for potential confounds (e.g., I.Q., MMSE, and demographic variables). We show that group differences in Fractional Anisotropy (FA) and Radial Diffusivity (RD) arise from multivariable interactions not adequately controlled for by sequential bivariate testing. After matching and statistically controlling for confounds, bilinguals still had greater axial diffusivity (AD) in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus than monolingual peers, supporting a neural reserve account for healthy older bilinguals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

3D active edge silicon sensors: Device processing, yield and QA for the ATLAS-IBL production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Da Vià, Cinzia, E-mail: cinzia.da.via@cern.ch [School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL Manchester (United Kingdom); Boscardil, Maurizio [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, FBK-CMM, Via Sommarive 18, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Dalla Betta, GianFranco [DISI, Università degli Studi di Trento and INFN, Via Sommarive 14, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Darbo, Giovanni [INFN Sezione di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, I-14146 Genova (Italy); Fleta, Celeste [Centro Nacional de Microelectronica, CNM-IMB (CSIC), Barcelona E-08193 (Spain); Gemme, Claudia [INFN Sezione di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, I-14146 Genova (Italy); Giacomini, Gabriele [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, FBK-CMM, Via Sommarive 18, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Grenier, Philippe [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Grinstein, Sebastian [Institut de Fisica d' Altes Energies (IFAE) and ICREA, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) E-08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona (Spain); Hansen, Thor-Erik [SINTEF MiNaLab, Blindern, N-0314 Oslo (Norway); Hasi, Jasmine; Kenney, Christopher [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Kok, Angela [SINTEF MiNaLab, Blindern, N-0314 Oslo (Norway); La Rosa, Alessandro [CERN CH 1211, Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Micelli, Andrea [Tne University of Udine and INFN, via del Cotonificio 108, 33100 Udine (Italy); Parker, Sherwood [University of Hawaii, c/o Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Pellegrini, Giulio [Centro Nacional de Microelectronica, CNM-IMB (CSIC), Barcelona E-08193 (Spain); Pohl, David-Leon [Physikalisches Institut der Universität Bonn, Nußallee 12 D-53115, Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany (Germany); Povoli, Marco [DISI, Università degli Studi di Trento and INFN, Via Sommarive 14, I-38123 Trento (Italy); and others

2013-01-21

3D silicon sensors, where plasma micromachining is used to etch deep narrow apertures in the silicon substrate to form electrodes of PIN junctions, were successfully manufactured in facilities in Europe and USA. In 2011 the technology underwent a qualification process to establish its maturity for a medium scale production for the construction of a pixel layer for vertex detection, the Insertable B-Layer (IBL) at the CERN-LHC ATLAS experiment. The IBL collaboration, following that recommendation from the review panel, decided to complete the production of planar and 3D sensors and endorsed the proposal to build enough modules for a mixed IBL sensor scenario where 25% of 3D modules populate the forward and backward part of each stave. The production of planar sensors will also allow coverage of 100% of the IBL, in case that option was required. This paper will describe the processing strategy which allowed successful 3D sensor production, some of the Quality Assurance (QA) tests performed during the pre-production phase and the production yield to date.

Optical music recognition on the International Music Score Library Project

Science.gov (United States)

Raphael, Christopher; Jin, Rong

2013-12-01

A system is presented for optical recognition of music scores. The system processes a document page in three main phases. First it performs a hierarchical decomposition of the page, identifying systems, staves and measures. The second phase, which forms the heart of the system, interprets each measure found in the previous phase as a collection of non-overlapping symbols including both primitive symbols (clefs, rests, etc.) with fixed templates, and composite symbols (chords, beamed groups, etc.) constructed through grammatical composition of primitives (note heads, ledger lines, beams, etc.). This phase proceeds by first building separate top-down recognizers for the symbols of interest. Then, it resolves the inevitable overlap between the recognized symbols by exploring the possible assignment of overlapping regions, seeking globally optimal and grammatically consistent explanations. The third phase interprets the recognized symbols in terms of pitch and rhythm, focusing on the main challenge of rhythm. We present results that compare our system to the leading commercial OMR system using MIDI ground truth for piano music.

The Phase-2 ATLAS ITk Pixel Upgrade

CERN Document Server

Macchiolo, Anna; The ATLAS collaboration

2018-01-01

The new ATLAS ITk pixel system will be installed during the LHC Phase-II shutdown, to better take advantage of the increased luminosity of the HL-LHC. The detector will consist of 5 layers of stave-like support structures in the most central region and ring-shaped supports in the endcap regions, covering up to |η| < 4. While the outer 3 layers of the Pixel Detector are designed to operate for the full HL-LHC data taking period, the innermost 2 layers of the detector will be replaced around half of the lifetime. The ITk pixel detector will be instrumented with new sensors and readout electronics to provide improved tracking performance and radiation hardness compared to the current detector. Sensors will be read out by new ASICs based on the chip developed by the RD53 Collaboration. The pixel off-detector readout electronics will be implemented in the framework of the general ATLAS trigger and DAQ system with a readout speed of up to 5 Gb/s per data link for the innermost layers. Results of extensive tests...

Aging and masculinity: portrayals in men's magazines.

Science.gov (United States)

Hurd Clarke, Laura; Bennett, Erica V; Liu, Chris

2014-12-01

Textual and visual representations of age are instructive as they suggest ideals towards which individuals should strive and influence how we perceive age. The purpose of our study was to investigate textual and visual representations of later life in the advertisements and interest stories of six widely read North American male-oriented magazines (namely, Esquire, GQ, Maxim, Men's Health, Men's Journal, and Zoomer). Through a content analysis and a visual textual analysis, we examined how older men were depicted in the magazine images and accompanying texts. Our findings revealed that older men were largely absent, and when portrayed, were positively depicted as experienced and powerful celebrities or as healthy and happy unknown individuals. The magazine advertisements and interest stories collectively required individuals to engage in consumer culture in order to achieve age and masculinity ideals and stave off the transition from the Third Age to the Fourth Age. We consider our findings in relation to theorizing about ageism, age relations, the Third and Fourth Ages, and idealized aging masculinity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ATLAS Pixel Detector Design For HL-LHC

CERN Document Server

Smart, Ben; The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

The ATLAS Inner Detector will be replaced for the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) running in 2026. The new Inner Detector will be called the Inner Tracker (ITk). The ITk will cover an extended eta-range: at least to |eta|<3.2, and likely up to |eta|<4.0. The ITk will be an all-Silicon based detector, consisting of a Silicon strip detector outside of a radius of 362mm, and a Silicon pixel detector inside of this radius. Several novel designs are being considered for the ITk pixel detector, to cope with high-eta charged particle tracks. These designs are grouped into 'extended' and 'inclined' design-types. Extended designs have long pixel staves with sensors parallel to the beamline. High-eta particles will therefore hit these sensors at shallow angles, leaving elongated charge clusters. The length of such a charge cluster can be used to estimate the angle of the passing particle. This information can then be used in track reconstruction to improve tracking efficiency and reduce fake rates. Inclined designs ...

A salute to the pioneers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon

2001-02-01

provided, among them those of the Newfoundland Power Company's Victoria Hydroelectric Museum in St. John's, the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry at Stellarton, Hydro-Quebec's Electrium and the original equipment display at the Beauharnois Power Station, the rich collection of electricity memorabilia of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the Manitoba Electrical Museum in Winnipeg, the Edmonton Power Historical Foundation's collection in Edmonton, the West Kootenay Power Display of the Rossland Historical Museum and Archives, the Electrical Heritage Society of BC collection in Vancouver, and the BC Hydro Power House at Stave Falls. The Stave Falls power station was built between 1909 and 1925, and is now in the process of being converted into a BC Hydro Visitor Centre for the Lower Mainland.

How Health Humanities Will Save the Life of the Humanities.

Science.gov (United States)

Klugman, Craig M

2017-12-01

In the last decade, the humanities have been shrinking in number of students, percent of faculty, and in number of degrees awarded. Humanities students also earn lower salaries than their STEM-prepared peers. At the same time, the health humanities have been in ascendance over the last fifteen years. The number of majors, minors and certificates has increased 266% in that time frame, attracting large numbers of students and preparing future patients, lay caregivers, and health care providers to interact with a complicated and dehumanized medical system. In 1982, British philosopher and educator Stephen Toulmin declared that medicine saved philosophy from irrelevance and possibly extinction. I propose that the health humanities can serve a similar function to stave off the decline of the broader humanities. The health humanities can (1) model an applied approach for the broader humanities to attract student interest; (2) develop students' capacity for critical reading, writing and reflection about health and medicine in society, practice, and their own lives and (3) inoculate all students against the influence of medicine, whether through preparing pre-health students to navigate the hidden medical curriculum or preparing future patients to navigate the health care system.

A Status Review of the Bioactive Activities of Tiger Milk Mushroom Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke) Ryvarden.

Science.gov (United States)

Nallathamby, Neeranjini; Phan, Chia-Wei; Seow, Syntyche Ling-Sing; Baskaran, Asweni; Lakshmanan, Hariprasath; Abd Malek, Sri N; Sabaratnam, Vikineswary

2017-01-01

Edible and medicinal mushrooms are regularly used in natural medicines and home remedies since antiquity for ailments like fever, inflammation, and respiratory disorders. Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke) Ryvarden is a polypore found in Malaysia and other regions in South East Asia. It can be located on a spot where a tigress drips milk while feeding, hence the name "tiger's milk mushroom." The sclerotium of L. rhinocerotis is highly sought after by the native communities in Malaysia to stave off hunger, relieve cough and asthma, and provide stamina. The genomic features of L. rhinocerotis have been described. The pharmacological and toxicity effects, if any, of L. rhinocerotis sclerotium have been scientifically verified in recent years. In this review, the validated investigations including the cognitive function, neuroprotection, immune modulation, anti-asthmatic, anti-coagulation, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial/ anti-viral, anti-obesity, anti-cancer/ anti-tumor, and antioxidant properties are highlighted. These findings suggest that L. rhinocerotis can be considered as an alternative and natural medicine in the management of non-communicable diseases. However, there is a paucity of validation studies including human clinical trials of the mycochemicals of L. rhinocerotis .

At the confluence of organisation development (OD and organisation identity theory (OIT: Enter identity interventions

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C L Van Tonder

2004-10-01

Full Text Available The identity concept has been around in the form of “corporate identity" for some time, but its appearance as “organisation identity" is more recent. Emerging theory and initial empirical research suggest that an identity approach and “identity interventions" in particular, offer promising avenues to the organisation development practitioner for enhancing organisational focus, building resilience in the face of major change, and improving performance. Identity interventions in and of themselves, but also employed as pre-change interventions, build organisational capacity that would stave off premature organisational “death" and extend the organisation’s life expectancy. Opsomming Die identiteitskonsep is in die vorm van korporatiewe identiteit reeds ’n geruime tyd in omgang, maar die verskyning daarvan as “organisasie-identiteit? is meer onlangs. Ontluikende teorie en aanvanklike empiriese navorsing suggereer dat ’n identiteitsbenadering en "identiteitsintervensies" in die besonder, belowende geleenthede aan die organisasie- ontwikkelingspraktisyn bied om organisasiefokus te verbeter, die organisasie se veerkragtigheid ten aanskoue van omvangryke verandering te bou, en prestasie te verbeter. Identiteitsintervensies op sigself bou organisasiekapasiteit, maar kan ook as voorveranderingsintervensies aangewend word wat premature organisasie "sterftes" sal vermy en die organisasie se lewensverwagting sal verleng.

Does Avoiding Judicial Isolation Outweigh the Risks Related to “Professional Death by Facebook”?

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Karen Eltis

2014-09-01

Full Text Available What happens when judges, in light of their role and responsibilities, and the scrutiny to which they are subjected, fall prey to a condition known as the “online disinhibition effect”? More importantly perhaps, what steps might judges reasonably take in order to pre-empt that fate, proactively addressing judicial social networking and its potential ramification for the administration of justice in the digital age? The immediate purpose of this article is to generate greater awareness of the issues specifically surrounding judicial social networking and to highlight some practical steps that those responsible for judicial training might consider in order to better equip judges for dealing with the exigencies of the digital realm. The focus is on understanding how to first recognize and then mitigate privacy and security risks in order to avoid bringing justice into disrepute through mishaps, and to stave off otherwise preventable incidents. This paper endeavors to provide a very brief overview of the emerging normative framework pertinent to the judicial use of social media, from a comparative perspective, concluding with some more practical (however preliminary recommendations for more prudent and advised ESM use.

A Self-Powered Insole for Human Motion Recognition

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Yingzhou Han

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Biomechanical energy harvesting is a feasible solution for powering wearable sensors by directly driving electronics or acting as wearable self-powered sensors. A wearable insole that not only can harvest energy from foot pressure during walking but also can serve as a self-powered human motion recognition sensor is reported. The insole is designed as a sandwich structure consisting of two wavy silica gel film separated by a flexible piezoelectric foil stave, which has higher performance compared with conventional piezoelectric harvesters with cantilever structure. The energy harvesting insole is capable of driving some common electronics by scavenging energy from human walking. Moreover, it can be used to recognize human motion as the waveforms it generates change when people are in different locomotion modes. It is demonstrated that different types of human motion such as walking and running are clearly classified by the insole without any external power source. This work not only expands the applications of piezoelectric energy harvesters for wearable power supplies and self-powered sensors, but also provides possible approaches for wearable self-powered human motion monitoring that is of great importance in many fields such as rehabilitation and sports science.

Root colonization with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP concentration in hypoxic soils in natural CO2 springs

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Irena Maček

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Changed ratios of soil gases that lead to hypoxia are most often present in waterlogged soils, but can also appear in soils not saturated with water. In natural CO2 springs (mofettes, gases in soil air differ from those in typical soils. In this study, plant roots from the mofette area Stavešinci (Slovenia were sampled in a spatial scale and investigated for AM fungal colonization. AM fungi were found in roots from areas with high geological CO2 concentration, however mycorrhizal intensity was relatively low and no correlation between AM fungal colonization and soil pattern of CO2/O2 concentrations (up to 37% CO2 was found. The relatively high abundance of arbuscules in root cortex indicated existence of functional symbiosis at much higher CO2 concentrations than normally found in soils. In addition, concentration of two different glomalin-related soil protein fractions – EE-GRSP and TG-GRSP – was measured. No significant correlation between any of the fractions and soil gases was found, however the concentration of both fractions was significantly higher in the upper 0–5 cm, compared to the 5–10 cm layer of the soil.

Nutritional Potential of Selected Insect Species Reared on the Island of Sumatra.

Science.gov (United States)

Adámková, Anna; Mlček, Jiří; Kouřimská, Lenka; Borkovcová, Marie; Bušina, Tomáš; Adámek, Martin; Bednářová, Martina; Krajsa, Jan

2017-05-12

Inhabitants of the Indonesian island of Sumatra are faced with the problem of insufficient food supplies and the consequent risk of undernourishment and health issues. Edible insects as a traditional and readily available food source could be part of the solution. The nutritional value of insects depends on many factors, e.g., species, developmental stage, sex, diet, and climatic conditions. However, edible insects bred in Sumatra for human consumption have never before been assessed with regard to their nutritional value. Our study involved analyses of crude protein, chitin, fat and selected fatty acid contents of giant mealworm larvae ( Zophobas morio ), larvae of the common mealworm ( Tenebrio molitor) and nymphs of the field cricket ( Gryllus assimilis ). Crude protein content in the samples ranged from 46% to 56%. Highest (35%) and lowest (31%) amounts of fat were recorded in giant mealworm larvae and larvae of the common mealworm, respectively. Chitin amounts ranged from 6% to 13%. Based on these values, which are comparable to those known from other food insects reared in different regions of the world, the edible species bred in Sumatra could become food sources with a potential to help stave off hunger and undernourishment.

A Status Review of the Bioactive Activities of Tiger Milk Mushroom Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke Ryvarden

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neeranjini Nallathamby

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Edible and medicinal mushrooms are regularly used in natural medicines and home remedies since antiquity for ailments like fever, inflammation, and respiratory disorders. Lignosus rhinocerotis (Cooke Ryvarden is a polypore found in Malaysia and other regions in South East Asia. It can be located on a spot where a tigress drips milk while feeding, hence the name “tiger's milk mushroom.” The sclerotium of L. rhinocerotis is highly sought after by the native communities in Malaysia to stave off hunger, relieve cough and asthma, and provide stamina. The genomic features of L. rhinocerotis have been described. The pharmacological and toxicity effects, if any, of L. rhinocerotis sclerotium have been scientifically verified in recent years. In this review, the validated investigations including the cognitive function, neuroprotection, immune modulation, anti-asthmatic, anti-coagulation, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial/ anti-viral, anti-obesity, anti-cancer/ anti-tumor, and antioxidant properties are highlighted. These findings suggest that L. rhinocerotis can be considered as an alternative and natural medicine in the management of non-communicable diseases. However, there is a paucity of validation studies including human clinical trials of the mycochemicals of L. rhinocerotis.

Correct fair market value calculation needed to avoid regulatory challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Dietrich, M O

1997-09-01

In valuing a physician practice for acquisition, it is important for buyers and sellers to distinguish between fair market value and strategic value. Although many buyers would willingly pay for the strategic value of a practice, tax-exempt buyers are required by law to consider only the fair market value in setting a bid price. Valuators must adjust group earnings to exclude items that do not apply to any willing seller and include items that do apply to any willing seller to arrive at the fair market value of the practice. In addition, the weighted average cost of capital (WACC), which becomes the discount rate in the valuation model, is critical to the measure of value of the practice. Small medical practices are assumed to have few hard assets and little long-term debt, and the WACC is calculated on the basis of those assumptions. When a small practice has considerable debt, however, this calculated WACC may be inappropriate for valuing the practice. In every case, evidence that shows that a transaction has been negotiated "at arm's length" should stave off any regulatory challenge.

Petalet prototype for the ATLAS silicon strip detector upgrade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sperlich, Dennis [Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin (Germany); Gregor, Ingrid-Maria; Bloch, Ingo; Keller, John Stakely; Lohwasser, Kristin; Poley, Louise; Zakharchuk, Nataliia; Diez Cornell, Sergio [DESY (Germany); Hauser, Marc Manuel; Mori, Riccardo; Kuehl, Susanne; Parzefall, Ulrich [Albert-Ludwigs Universitaet Freiburg (Germany)

2015-07-01

To achieve more precise measurements and to search new physics phenomena, the luminosity at the LHC is expected to be increased during a series of upgrades in the next years. The latest scheduled upgrade, called the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) is proposed to provide instantaneous luminosity of 5 x 10{sup 34} cm{sup 2}s{sup -1}. The increased luminosity and the radiation damage will affect the current Inner Tracker. In order to cope with the higher radiation dose and occupancy, the ATLAS experiment plans to replace the current Inner Detector with a new all-silicon tracker consisting of ∝8 m{sup 2} pixel and ∝192 m{sup 2} strip detectors. In response to the needs, highly modular structures will be used for the strip system, called Staves for the barrel region and Petals for the end-caps region. A small-scaled prototype for the Petal, the Petalet, is built to study some specialties of this complex wedge-shaped structures. The Petalet consists of one large and two small sized sensors. This report focuses on the recent progress in the prototyping of the Petalet and their electrical performances.

Survey of the ATLAS Pixel Detector Components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andreazza, A.; Kostyukhim, V.; Madaras, R.

2008-01-01

This document provides a description of the survey performed on different components of the ATLAS Pixel Detector at different stages of its assembly. During the production of the ATLAS pixel detector great care was put in the geometrical survey of the location of the sensitive area of modules. This had a double purpose: (1) to provide a check of the quality of the assembly procedure and assure tolerances in the geometrical assembly were met; and (2) to provide an initial point for the alignment (the so called 'as-built detector'), better than the ideal geometry. Since direct access to the sensitive area becomes more and more difficult with the progress of the assembly, the survey needed to be performed at different stages: after module loading on the local supports (sectors and staves) and after assembly of the local supports in disks or halfshells. Different techniques were used, including both optical 2D and 3D surveys and mechanical survey. This document summarizes the survey procedures, the analysis done on the collected data and how survey data are stored in case they will need to be accessed in the future

Preliminary study of the effects of an educational workshop on therapeutic use of music and aesthetic experience with music in first-line nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Hui-Ling

2011-11-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of an educational workshop on knowledge of and attitude toward therapeutic use of music and aesthetic experiences with music among first-line nurses. A one-group pre-test/post-test design was used. Forty-six first-line nurses, aged 21-56 years, were recruited from seven different hospitals. Questionnaires were used to assess the nurses' knowledge of and attitude toward therapeutic use of music and aesthetic experience with music before and after the workshop, and 3 months after the workshop. The workshop comprised three sessions; the nurses participated in 8h of instruction the first week and 4h, the second week covering analytical music appreciation, music staves comprehension, theory and practice of music therapy, and evidence-based music intervention. Educational workshop significantly improved knowledge of and attitudes toward therapeutic use of music and music aesthetic experiences (pmusic aesthetic experiences between nurse with and without music backgrounds differed significantly (p=0.01). The workshop enhanced the knowledge of and attitude toward therapeutic use of music and aesthetic experiences with music among first-line nurses. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-assembly of cationic multidomain peptide hydrogels: supramolecular nanostructure and rheological properties dictate antimicrobial activity

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Linhai; Xu, Dawei; Sellati, Timothy J.; Dong, He

2015-11-01

Hydrogels are an important class of biomaterials that have been widely utilized for a variety of biomedical/medical applications. The biological performance of hydrogels, particularly those used as wound dressing could be greatly advanced if imbued with inherent antimicrobial activity capable of staving off colonization of the wound site by opportunistic bacterial pathogens. Possessing such antimicrobial properties would also protect the hydrogel itself from being adversely affected by microbial attachment to its surface. We have previously demonstrated the broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of supramolecular assemblies of cationic multi-domain peptides (MDPs) in solution. Here, we extend the 1-D soluble supramolecular assembly to 3-D hydrogels to investigate the effect of the supramolecular nanostructure and its rheological properties on the antimicrobial activity of self-assembled hydrogels. Among designed MDPs, the bactericidal activity of peptide hydrogels was found to follow an opposite trend to that in solution. Improved antimicrobial activity of self-assembled peptide hydrogels is dictated by the combined effect of supramolecular surface chemistry and storage modulus of the bulk materials, rather than the ability of individual peptides/peptide assemblies to penetrate bacterial cell membrane as observed in solution. The structure-property-activity relationship developed through this study will provide important guidelines for designing biocompatible peptide hydrogels with built-in antimicrobial activity for various biomedical applications.Hydrogels are an important class of biomaterials that have been widely utilized for a variety of biomedical/medical applications. The biological performance of hydrogels, particularly those used as wound dressing could be greatly advanced if imbued with inherent antimicrobial activity capable of staving off colonization of the wound site by opportunistic bacterial pathogens. Possessing such antimicrobial properties would

Bee-hawking by the wasp, Vespa velutina, on the honeybees Apis cerana and A. mellifera.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, K; Radloff, S E; Li, J J; Hepburn, H R; Yang, M X; Zhang, L J; Neumann, P

2007-06-01

The vespine wasps, Vespa velutina, specialise in hawking honeybee foragers returning to their nests. We studied their behaviour in China using native Apis cerana and introduced A. mellifera colonies. When the wasps are hawking, A. cerana recruits threefold more guard bees to stave off predation than A. mellifera. The former also utilises wing shimmering as a visual pattern disruption mechanism, which is not shown by A. mellifera. A. cerana foragers halve the time of normal flight needed to dart into the nest entrance, while A. mellifera actually slows down in sashaying flight manoeuvres. V. velutina preferentially hawks A. mellifera foragers when both A. mellifera and A. cerana occur in the same apiary. The pace of wasp-hawking was highest in mid-summer but the frequency of hawking wasps was three times higher at A. mellifera colonies than at the A. cerana colonies. The wasps were taking A. mellifera foragers at a frequency eightfold greater than A. cerana foragers. The final hawking success rates of the wasps were about three times higher for A. mellifera foragers than for A. cerana. The relative success of native A. cerana over European A. mellifera in thwarting predation by the wasp V. velutina is interpreted as the result of co-evolution between the Asian wasp and honeybee, respectively.

Herbal antioxidant in clinical practice: A review

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Shashi Alok

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Antioxidant-the word itself is magic. Using the antioxidant concept as a spearhead in proposed mechanisms for staving off so-called “free-radical” reactions, the rush is on to mine claims for the latest and most effective combination of free-radical scavenging compounds. We must acknowledge that such “radicals” have definitively been shown to damage all biochemical components such as DNA/RNA, carbohydrates, unsaturated lipids, proteins, and micronutrients such as carotenoids (alpha and beta carotene, lycopene, vitamins A, B6, B12, and folate. Defense strategies against such aggressive radical species include enzymes, antioxidants that occur naturally in the body (glutathione, uric acid, ubiquinol-10, and others and radical scavenging nutrients, such as vitamins A, C, and E, and carotenoids. This paper will present a brief discussion of some well- and little-known herbs that may add to the optimization of antioxidant status and therefore offer added preventive values for overall health. It is important to state at the outset that antioxidants vary widely in their free-radical quenching effects and each may be individually attracted to specific cell sites. Further evidence of the specialized nature of the carotenoids is demonstrated by the appearance of two carotenoids in the macula region of the retina where beta-carotene is totally absent.

The cartographic materials auxiliary in the determination of the borders of Poland during the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920 in the light of archival records

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Konopska Beata

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The work indicated in Polish literature as the cartographic basis for the negotiations of Polish issues at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920 is Eugeniusz Romer’s Geograficzno-statystyczny atlas Polski (Geographical and Statistical Atlas of Poland. Given the complicated fate of the atlas, the position of its author in the Polish delegation, and the multidisciplinarity and importance of the conference, it is worth considering whether this atlas really played such an important role, or whether this is merely a statement, a repeated assignment of this role, to stave off concealment or lack of knowledge about other cartographic materials developed and used for the same purpose. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to determine the level of use of cartographic documents other than the Geographical and Statistical Atlas of Poland in lobbying and official negotiations of Polish issues before and during the Paris Peace Conference. The research task was associated with an extensive archival query, which confirmed the fact that dozens of maps survived, mainly manuscripts, which were prepared before and during the conference. It should be concluded that the maps of E. Romer’s atlas constituted one set of many equally important cartographic documents which were used by the negotiators at the Paris Peace Conference.

The Development and Application of Simulative Insulation Resistance Tester

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Yan; Chai, Ziqi; Wang, Bo; Ma, Hao

2018-02-01

The insulation state determines the performance and insulation life of electrical equipment, so it has to be judged in a timely and accurate manner. Insulation resistance test, as the simplest and most basic test of high voltage electric tests, can measure the insulation resistance and absorption ratio which are effective criterion of part or whole damp or dirty, breakdown, severe overheating aging and other insulation defects. It means that the electrical test personnel need to be familiar with the principle of insulation resistance test, and able to operate the insulation resistance tester correctly. At present, like the insulation resistance test, most of electrical tests are trained by physical devices with the real high voltage. Although this allows the students to truly experience the test process and notes on security, it also has certain limitations in terms of safety and test efficiency, especially for a large number of new staves needing induction training every year. This paper presents a new kind of electrical test training system based on the simulative device of dielectric loss measurement and simulative electrical testing devices. It can not only overcome the defects of current training methods, but also provide other advantages in economical efficiency and scalability. That makes it possible for the system to be allied in widespread.

Translating between social worlds of policy and everyday life: The development of a group-based method to support policymaking by exploring behavioural aspects of sustainable consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Horlick-Jones, Tom; Prades, Ana

2015-10-01

A large international literature on how lay citizens make sense of various aspects of science and technology has been generated by investigations which utilise small group methods. Within that literature, focus group and other group-based methods have come to co-exist, and to some extent, hybridise, with the use of small groups in citizen engagement initiatives. In this article, we report on how we drew upon these methodological developments in the design and operationalisation of a policymaking support tool (STAVE). This tool has been developed to gain insight, in a relatively speedy and cost-effective way, into practical details of the everyday lived experience of people's lives, as relating to the sustainability of corresponding practices. An important challenge we faced was how, in Kuhn's terms, to 'translate' between the forms of life corresponding to the world of policymaking and the world of everyday domestic life. We examine conceptual and methodological aspects of how the tool was designed and assembled, and then trialled in the context of active real-world collaborations with policymaking organisations. These trials were implemented in six European countries, where they were used to support work on live policy issues concerned with sustainable consumption. © The Author(s) 2014.

Effect of Wood Aging on Wine Mineral Composition and 87Sr/86Sr Isotopic Ratio.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaya, Ayse D; Bruno de Sousa, Raúl; Curvelo-Garcia, António S; Ricardo-da-Silva, Jorge M; Catarino, Sofia

2017-06-14

The evolution of mineral composition and wine strontium isotopic ratio 87 Sr/ 86 Sr (Sr IR) during wood aging were investigated. A red wine was aged in stainless steel tanks with French oak staves (Quercus sessiliflora Salisb.), with three industrial scale replicates. Sampling was carried out after 30, 60, and 90 days of aging, and the wines were evaluated in terms of general analysis, phenolic composition, total polysaccharides, multielement composition, and Sr IR. Li, Be, Mg, Al, Sc, Ti, V, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Mo, Sb, Cs, Ba, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb, Lu, Tl, and Pb elements and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr were determined by quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Q-ICP-MS) and Na, K, Ca, and Fe by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Two-way ANOVA was applied to assess wood aging and time effect on Sr IR and mineral composition. Wood aging resulted in significantly higher concentrations of Mg, V, Co, Ni, and Sr. At the end of the aging period, wine exhibited statistically identical Sr IR compared to control. Study suggests that wood aging does not affect 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, not precluding the use of this parameter for wine traceability purposes.

Eighty Degrees of Separation: Languages of Landscape

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephanie Rolley

2004-06-01

Full Text Available We sat looking off across the country, watching the sun go down. The curly grass about us was on fire now. The bark of the oaks turned red as copper. There was a shimmer of gold on the brown river. Out in the stream the sandbars glittered like glass, and the light trembled in the willow thickets as if little flames were leaping among them. Willa Cather, My Àntonia Above the carpet bedding, on one hand, there is a green hedge, and above the hedge a long row of cabbage trees. I stare up at them, and suddenly the green hedge is a stave, and the cabbage trees, now high, now low, have become an arrangement of notes-a curious, pattering, native melody. Katherine Mansfield, In the Botanical Gardens Two writers in the early 1900s, Katherine Mansfield in New Zealand and Willa Cather in the United States tallgrass prairie, chronicled both the cultural and-physical nuances of their respective frontiers. Their stories are set in rich textural backdrops, made vivid with their descriptions of natural environments. These descriptions provide the text for this exploration. Their dense and evocative imagery provide a point of departure for a comparison of the two landscapes understood not as 'scenery' but as lived places.

The accentuation principle of figure-ground segregation and the downbeat illusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinna, Baingio; Sirigu, Luca

2016-10-01

Pinna and Sirigu (2011) demonstrated a new principle of grouping, called the accentuation principle, stating that, all else being equal, elements tend to group in the same oriented direction of the discontinuous element placed within a whole set of continuous/homogeneous components. The discontinuous element behaves like an accent, i.e. a visual emphasis within the wholeness of components as shown in the next section. In this work, the accentuation principle has been extended to new visual domains. In particular, it is shown how this principle affects shape perception. Moreover several visual object attributes are also highlighted, among which orientation, spatial position, inner dynamics and apparent motion that determine the so-called organic segmentation and furthermore tend to induce figure-ground segregation. On the basis of the results of experimental phenomenology, the accentuation can be considered as a complex principle ruling grouping, figure-ground segregation, shape and meaning formation. Through a new musical illusion of downbeat, it is also demonstrated that this principle influences perceptual organization not only in space but also in time and, thus, in both visual and musical domains. This illusion can be heard in eight measures of Pagodes, a solo piano music by Claude Debussy (1862-1918), where a strong physical-perceptual discrepancy in terms of upbeats and downbeats inversion is strongly perceived in both staves. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND CHANGE IN LAND USE IN BELLA ESPERANZA, VERACRUZ

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Martha Elena Nava-Tablada

2012-11-01

Full Text Available An increase in international migration from the State of Veracruz, Mexico, in the decade of the 1990s, mostly occurred as a result of the agricultural crisis in the rural sector. The state coffee producing sector proved to be no exception to the impact of the recurring crises, caused by the fall in the price of coffee grain in the international market. Many coffee growers migrated to the USA to stave off their own economic collapse. This investigation aimed to analyze the relationship between the process of international migration and change in land use in the communal landholding of Bella Esperanza, Veracruz. For this purpose, historic documentation, interviews with 21 coffee producing families -some of which included migrants-, interviews with key informants and geographical information systems were all used. The main change in land use entailed the substitution of shaded coffee plantations for sugarcane monoculture, implying deforestation. Urban expansion was shown to be incipient, in spite of the significant amount of money transfers directed towards housing construction and the proximity of this “ejido” or communal landholding to the cities of Xalapa and Coatepec. These changes are mainly associated with the crisis involving this commodity, but they have been exacerbated by emigration of family members, who were once in charge of coffee production.

The upgraded Pixel Detector of the ATLAS Experiment for Run 2 at the Large Hadron Collider

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Backhaus, M., E-mail: malte.backhaus@cern.ch

2016-09-21

During Run 1 of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the ATLAS Pixel Detector has shown excellent performance. The ATLAS collaboration took advantage of the first long shutdown of the LHC during 2013 and 2014 and extracted the ATLAS Pixel Detector from the experiment, brought it to surface and maintained the services. This included the installation of new service quarter panels, the repair of cables, and the installation of the new Diamond Beam Monitor (DBM). Additionally, a completely new innermost pixel detector layer, the Insertable B-Layer (IBL), was constructed and installed in May 2014 between a new smaller beam pipe and the existing Pixel Detector. With a radius of 3.3 cm the IBL is located extremely close to the interaction point. Therefore, a new readout chip and two new sensor technologies (planar and 3D) are used in the IBL. In order to achieve best possible physics performance the material budget was improved with respect to the existing Pixel Detector. This is realized using lightweight staves for mechanical support and a CO{sub 2} based cooling system. This paper describes the improvements achieved during the maintenance of the existing Pixel Detector as well as the performance of the IBL during the construction and commissioning phase. Additionally, first results obtained during the LHC Run 2 demonstrating the distinguished tracking performance of the new Four Layer ATLAS Pixel Detector are presented.

An assessment of the relationship of physical activity, obesity, and chronic diseases/conditions between active/obese and sedentary/ normal weight American women in a national sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Pharr, J R; Coughenour, C A; Bungum, T J

2018-03-01

Obesity and physical inactivity are associated with increased rates of chronic diseases and conditions. However, the 'fit but fat' theory posits that cardiopulmonary fitness (or physical activity) can mitigate risks to health associated with obesity. The purpose of this study was to compare chronic diseases and conditions of highly active/obese women with inactive/normal weight women. This was a cross-sectional study of the 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. Weighted descriptive statistics were performed to describe the demographic characteristics of the two groups. We calculated odds ratios and adjusted odds ratios for chronic diseases and conditions comparing highly active/obese women with inactive/normal weight women. Highly active/obese women were more likely to report risk factors (hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes) for coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) than inactive/normal weight women; however, they did not have increased rates of CVD, CHD, or heart attack and had decreased risk for stroke. Highly active/obese women had increased risk for asthma, arthritis, and depression, but not for cancer, kidney disease, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Highly active/obese women appear to be staving off the actual development of CHD and CVD; however, further research is needed to understand the long-term health benefits of physical activity among obese women. Copyright © 2017 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Casting the Bigger Shadow: The Methods and Business of Petrucci vs. Attaingnant

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Sean A. Kisch

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The music printing of Ottaviano Petrucci has been largely regarded by historians to be the most elegant and advanced form of music publishing in the Renaissance, while printers such as Pierre Attaingnant are only given an obligatory nod. Through historical research and a study of primary sources such as line-cut facsimiles, I sought to answer the question, how did the triple impression and single impression methods of printing develop, and is one superior to the other? While Petrucci’s triple impression method produced cleaner and more connected staves, a significant number of problems resulted, including pitch accuracy and cost efficiency. Attaingnant’s single impression method solved most of these difficulties, while only sacrificing a small amount of visual aesthetic. Despite these advancements, Petrucci managed to dominate the music publishing industry in Venice during his lifetime while Attaingnant achieved success to a lesser degree. Based on an overview of their business skills, I concluded that Petrucci obtained this success through his twenty-year legal monopoly in Venice, and by staying in tune with his clients' needs and printing music that was in demand. The single impression method of Attaingnant outlasted the triple impression method of Petrucci because his technology was more efficient and accurate, but Petrucci was more successful during his time because of his business skills.

Sustainable growth rate 2013: time for definitive intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirsch, Joshua A; Rosman, David A; Liu, Raymond W; Ding, Alexander; Manchikanti, Laxmaiah

2013-07-01

Federal healthcare spending has been a subject of intense concern as the US Congress continues to search for ways to reduce the budget deficit. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that, even though it is growing more slowly than previously projected, federal spending on Medicare, Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) will reach nearly $900 billion in 2013. In 2011 the Medicare program paid $68 billion for physicians and other health professional services, 12% of total Medicare spending. Since 2002 the sustainable growth rate (SGR) correction has called for reductions to physician reimbursements; however, Congress has typically staved off these reductions, although the situation remains precarious for physicians who accept Medicare. The fiscal cliff agreement that came into focus at the end of 2012 averted a 26.5% reduction to physician reimbursements related to the SGR correction. Nonetheless, the threat of these devastating cuts continues to loom. The Administration, Congress and others have devised many options to fix this unsustainable situation. This review explores the historical development of the SGR, touches on elements of the formula itself and outlines current proposals for fixing the SGR problem. A recent CBO estimate reduces the potential cost of a 10-year fix of SGR system to $138 billion. This has provided new hope for resolution of this long-standing issue.

ANISOTROPIC THERMAL CONDUCTION AND THE COOLING FLOW PROBLEM IN GALAXY CLUSTERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parrish, Ian J.; Sharma, Prateek; Quataert, Eliot

2009-01-01

We examine the long-standing cooling flow problem in galaxy clusters with three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics simulations of isolated clusters including radiative cooling and anisotropic thermal conduction along magnetic field lines. The central regions of the intracluster medium (ICM) can have cooling timescales of ∼200 Myr or shorter-in order to prevent a cooling catastrophe the ICM must be heated by some mechanism such as active galactic nucleus feedback or thermal conduction from the thermal reservoir at large radii. The cores of galaxy clusters are linearly unstable to the heat-flux-driven buoyancy instability (HBI), which significantly changes the thermodynamics of the cluster core. The HBI is a convective, buoyancy-driven instability that rearranges the magnetic field to be preferentially perpendicular to the temperature gradient. For a wide range of parameters, our simulations demonstrate that in the presence of the HBI, the effective radial thermal conductivity is reduced to ∼<10% of the full Spitzer conductivity. With this suppression of conductive heating, the cooling catastrophe occurs on a timescale comparable to the central cooling time of the cluster. Thermal conduction alone is thus unlikely to stabilize clusters with low central entropies and short central cooling timescales. High central entropy clusters have sufficiently long cooling times that conduction can help stave off the cooling catastrophe for cosmologically interesting timescales.

A natural resource: what happens when oil interests conflict with the needs of a northern caribou herd and the people who depend on it?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parker, R. J.

1999-09-30

Although the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) established a wildlife refuge to protect the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou, striking oil in Prudhoe Bay led to the construction of a pipeline, which even in decline delivers one million barrels of oil a day to the Port of Valdez. Given the money generated by the oil industry, it is not surprising that most Alaska legislators favour extraction of the nature reserve's petroleum resources. So far, legislation by the President, supported by a group of senators, managed to keep the drilling rigs out of the nursery of the Porcupine caribou. In Canada, too, aboriginal leaders and environmentalist groups have worked hard to ensure that the federal government continues to oppose the leasing of the coastal plain to developers. Development would negatively affect the Porcupine caribou herd, the traditional way of life of aboriginal communities, and the ecological integrity of Ivvavik National Park. Although the fate of the calving ground will ultimately be decided in Washington, the health of the Porcupine caribou herd is a true cross-border issue. So far, the two governments have managed to stave off development and to assert that such a relatively pristine and intact biosphere should remain intact. However, the pressure by the oil industry giants is relentless, and requires constant vigilance.

A natural resource: what happens when oil interests conflict with the needs of a northern caribou herd and the people who depend on it?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, R.J.

1999-01-01

Although the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) established a wildlife refuge to protect the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou, striking oil in Prudhoe Bay led to the construction of a pipeline, which even in decline delivers one million barrels of oil a day to the Port of Valdez. Given the money generated by the oil industry, it is not surprising that most Alaska legislators favour extraction of the nature reserve's petroleum resources. So far, legislation by the President, supported by a group of senators, managed to keep the drilling rigs out of the nursery of the Porcupine caribou. In Canada, too, aboriginal leaders and environmentalist groups have worked hard to ensure that the federal government continues to oppose the leasing of the coastal plain to developers. Development would negatively affect the Porcupine caribou herd, the traditional way of life of aboriginal communities, and the ecological integrity of Ivvavik National Park. Although the fate of the calving ground will ultimately be decided in Washington, the health of the Porcupine caribou herd is a true cross-border issue. So far, the two governments have managed to stave off development and to assert that such a relatively pristine and intact biosphere should remain intact. However, the pressure by the oil industry giants is relentless, and requires constant vigilance

The impact of electricity market design upon investment under uncertainty: The effectiveness of capacity mechanisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vries, Laurens de; Heijnen, Petra

2008-01-01

This paper presents an analysis of different market designs under uncertainty about the future growth rate of demand. Markets for electricity generation appear to be prone to an investment cycle due to their capital-intensiveness and the long lead time of new generation facilities. We tested the stability of different capacity mechanisms in the presence of uncertainty regarding the demand growth rate with a stochastic dynamic model. Investment decisions were assumed to maximize profit, based on an assumed growth rate of demand that was equal to the rolling average of the previous five years. All capacity mechanisms proved effective in reducing the tendency towards an investment cycle, but to different degrees. Interestingly, an oligopoly that is able to raise average prices by 10% would also be able to substantially reduce price volatility and decrease the risk of shortages by increasing the reserve margin. Benefits of such a strategy for the generating companies could be that it would deter new market entrants and stave off the political attention that shortages and price spikes would bring about. However, the benefits to consumers are compromised by the lack of economic efficiency and distributional effects of an oligopoly, while the stability of such an oligopolistic strategy can be questioned. The most attractive solution is a system of reliability contracts, which can be used to stabilize both investment and prices, while reducing market power and providing more efficient operational incentives to generating companies. (author)

Atmospheric and geogenic CO2 within the crown and root of spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) growing in a mofette area

Science.gov (United States)

Vodnik, D.; Thomalla, A.; Ferlan, M.; Levanič, T.; Eler, K.; Ogrinc, N.; Wittmann, C.; Pfanz, H.

2018-06-01

Mofettes are often investigated in ecology, either as extreme sites, natural analogues to future conditions under climate change, or model ecosystems for environmental impact assessments of carbon capture and storage systems. Much of this research, however, inadequately addresses the complexity of the gas environment at these sites, mainly focusing on aboveground CO2-enrichment. In the current research, the gaseous environment of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L) Karst.) trees growing at the Stavešinske slepice mofette (NE Slovenia) were studied by measuring both soil ([CO2]soil) and atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([CO2]air). Within the studied site (800 m2), soil CO2 enrichment was spatially heterogeneous; about 25% of the area was characterized by very high [CO2]soil (>40%) and hypoxic conditions. Aboveground gas measurements along vertical profiles not only revealed substantially elevated [CO2]air close to the ground (height up to 1.5 m), but also in the upper heights (20-25 m; crown layer). On the basis δ13C of CO2, it was shown that elevated CO2 relates to a geogenic source. Trees grown in high [CO2]soil were characterized by decreased radial growth; the δ13C of their wood was less negative than in trees growing in normal soil. Unfavorable gaseous soil conditions should generally be accepted as being by far the most important factor affecting (i.e. disturbing) the growth of mofette trees.

Colloquium paper: are we in the midst of the sixth mass extinction? A view from the world of amphibians.

Science.gov (United States)

Wake, David B; Vredenburg, Vance T

2008-08-12

Many scientists argue that we are either entering or in the midst of the sixth great mass extinction. Intense human pressure, both direct and indirect, is having profound effects on natural environments. The amphibians--frogs, salamanders, and caecilians--may be the only major group currently at risk globally. A detailed worldwide assessment and subsequent updates show that one-third or more of the 6,300 species are threatened with extinction. This trend is likely to accelerate because most amphibians occur in the tropics and have small geographic ranges that make them susceptible to extinction. The increasing pressure from habitat destruction and climate change is likely to have major impacts on narrowly adapted and distributed species. We show that salamanders on tropical mountains are particularly at risk. A new and significant threat to amphibians is a virulent, emerging infectious disease, chytridiomycosis, which appears to be globally distributed, and its effects may be exacerbated by global warming. This disease, which is caused by a fungal pathogen and implicated in serious declines and extinctions of >200 species of amphibians, poses the greatest threat to biodiversity of any known disease. Our data for frogs in the Sierra Nevada of California show that the fungus is having a devastating impact on native species, already weakened by the effects of pollution and introduced predators. A general message from amphibians is that we may have little time to stave off a potential mass extinction.

Are we in the midst of the sixth mass extinction? A view from the world of amphibians

Science.gov (United States)

Wake, David B.; Vredenburg, Vance T.

2008-01-01

Many scientists argue that we are either entering or in the midst of the sixth great mass extinction. Intense human pressure, both direct and indirect, is having profound effects on natural environments. The amphibians—frogs, salamanders, and caecilians—may be the only major group currently at risk globally. A detailed worldwide assessment and subsequent updates show that one-third or more of the 6,300 species are threatened with extinction. This trend is likely to accelerate because most amphibians occur in the tropics and have small geographic ranges that make them susceptible to extinction. The increasing pressure from habitat destruction and climate change is likely to have major impacts on narrowly adapted and distributed species. We show that salamanders on tropical mountains are particularly at risk. A new and significant threat to amphibians is a virulent, emerging infectious disease, chytridiomycosis, which appears to be globally distributed, and its effects may be exacerbated by global warming. This disease, which is caused by a fungal pathogen and implicated in serious declines and extinctions of >200 species of amphibians, poses the greatest threat to biodiversity of any known disease. Our data for frogs in the Sierra Nevada of California show that the fungus is having a devastating impact on native species, already weakened by the effects of pollution and introduced predators. A general message from amphibians is that we may have little time to stave off a potential mass extinction. PMID:18695221

Next doubling.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, J D

1998-01-01

In 1971, Bangladesh and Pakistan each had a population of about 66 million and a 3% annual growth rate. Bangladesh embarked on a family planning (FP) program, and its current population is about 120 million versus 140 million in Pakistan. While all of the expected worldwide population increase (from 5.9 to 9.4 billion by 2050) will occur in developing countries, the effect will be felt worldwide. Already, 100 countries rely on grain imports, 1.3 billion people survive on US$1/day or less, and water demands are exacerbating international tensions. Creating appropriate population policies requires understanding that population growth is caused by 1) unmet need for FP, 2) a desire for large families, and 3) population momentum. While the percentage of couples using FP has increased dramatically, the absolute number of women not using FP has increased because of obstacles in accessibility. Accessibility can be improved by taking services to isolated women, reducing prices, and conducting research to increase contraceptive options. Small family norms can be encouraged by reducing child mortality, improving the economic status of women, and improving education. To control population momentum, it will be vital to delay births by postponing marriage age and promoting use of temporary contraceptives. Population spending by developing countries is on track with agreements made at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, but developed countries are failing to meet their commitments. Resources must be committed to stave off the socioeconomic and ecological problems of overpopulation.

Low-level violence in schools: is there an association between school safety measures and peer victimization?

Science.gov (United States)

Blosnich, John; Bossarte, Robert

2011-02-01

Low-level violent behavior, particularly school bullying, remains a critical public health issue that has been associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes. School-based prevention programs, while a valuable line of defense to stave off bullying, have shown inconsistent results in terms of decreasing bullying. This study explored whether school safety measures (eg, security guards, cameras, ID badges) were associated with student reports of different forms of peer victimization related to bullying. Data came from the 2007 School Crime Supplement of the National Crime Victimization Survey. Chi-square tests of independence were used to examine differences among categorical variables. Logistic regression models were constructed for the peer victimization outcomes. A count variable was constructed among the bullying outcomes (0-7) with which a Poisson regression model was constructed to analyze school safety measures' impacts on degree of victimization. Of the various school safety measures, only having adults in hallways resulted in a significant reduction in odds of being physically bullied, having property vandalized, or having rumors spread. In terms of degree of victimization, having adults and/or staff supervising hallways was associated with an approximate 26% decrease in students experiencing an additional form of peer victimization. Results indicated that school safety measures overall were not associated with decreased reports of low-level violent behaviors related to bullying. More research is needed to further explore what best promotes comprehensive safety in schools. © 2011, American School Health Association.

Perforin rapidly induces plasma membrane phospholipid flip-flop.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sunil S Metkar

Full Text Available The cytotoxic cell granule secretory pathway is essential for host defense. This pathway is fundamentally a form of intracellular protein delivery where granule proteases (granzymes from cytotoxic lymphocytes are thought to diffuse through barrel stave pores generated in the plasma membrane of the target cell by the pore forming protein perforin (PFN and mediate apoptotic as well as additional biological effects. While recent electron microscopy and structural analyses indicate that recombinant PFN oligomerizes to form pores containing 20 monomers (20 nm when applied to liposomal membranes, these pores are not observed by propidium iodide uptake in target cells. Instead, concentrations of human PFN that encourage granzyme-mediated apoptosis are associated with pore structures that unexpectedly favor phosphatidylserine flip-flop measured by Annexin-V and Lactadherin. Efforts that reduce PFN mediated Ca influx in targets did not reduce Annexin-V reactivity. Antigen specific mouse CD8 cells initiate a similar rapid flip-flop in target cells. A lipid that augments plasma membrane curvature as well as cholesterol depletion in target cells enhance flip-flop. Annexin-V staining highly correlated with apoptosis after Granzyme B (GzmB treatment. We propose the structures that PFN oligomers form in the membrane bilayer may include arcs previously observed by electron microscopy and that these unusual structures represent an incomplete mixture of plasma membrane lipid and PFN oligomers that may act as a flexible gateway for GzmB to translocate across the bilayer to the cytosolic leaflet of target cells.

The ATLAS Planar Pixel Sensor R and D project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beimforde, M.

2011-01-01

Within the R and D project on Planar Pixel Sensor Technology for the ATLAS inner detector upgrade, the use of planar pixel sensors for highest fluences as well as large area silicon detectors is investigated. The main research goals are optimizing the signal size after irradiations, reducing the inactive sensor edges, adjusting the readout electronics to the radiation induced decrease of the signal sizes, and reducing the production costs. Planar n-in-p sensors have been irradiated with neutrons and protons up to fluences of 2x10 16 n eq /cm 2 and 1x10 16 n eq /cm 2 , respectively, to study the collected charge as a function of the irradiation dose received. Furthermore comparisons of irradiated standard 300μm and thin 140μm sensors will be presented showing an increase of signal sizes after irradiation in thin sensors. Tuning studies of the present ATLAS front end electronics show possibilities to decrease the discriminator threshold of the present FE-I3 read out chips to less than 1500 electrons. In the present pixel detector upgrade scenarios a flat stave design for the innermost layers requires reduced inactive areas at the sensor edges to ensure low geometric inefficiencies. Investigations towards achieving slim edges presented here show possibilities to reduce the width of the inactive area to less than 500μm. Furthermore, a brief overview of present simulation activities within the Planar Pixel R and D project is given.

Habitual 'sleep credit' is associated with greater grey matter volume of the medial prefrontal cortex, higher emotional intelligence and better mental health.

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, Mareen; Webb, Christian A; Deldonno, Sophie R; Kipman, Maia; Schwab, Zachary J; Weiner, Melissa R; Killgore, William D S

2013-10-01

In modern society, people often fail to obtain the amount of sleep that experts recommend for good health and performance. Insufficient sleep can lead to degraded cognitive performance and alterations in emotional functioning. However, most people also acknowledge that on a regular basis they obtain more sleep than they subjectively perceive they need at a minimum to stave off performance decrements, a construct we describe as subjective 'sleep credit'. Few people would contest the notion that getting more sleep is better, but data on both behavioural and neuroanatomical correlates of 'sleep credit' are surprisingly limited. We conducted a voxel-based morphometric study to assess cerebral grey matter correlates of habitually sleeping more than one's subjective requirements. We further tested whether these structural correlates are associated with perceived emotional intelligence and indices of psychopathology while controlling for age, gender, and total intracranial volume. In a sample of 55 healthy adults aged 18-45 years (28 males, 27 females), whole-brain multiple regression showed that habitual subjective 'sleep credit' was correlated positively with grey matter volume within regions of the left medial prefrontal cortex and right orbitofrontal gyrus. Volumes were extracted and regressed against self-report emotion and psychopathology indices. Only grey matter volume of the medial prefrontal cortex cluster correlated with greater emotional intelligence and lower scores on several indices of psychopathology. Findings converge with previous evidence of the role of the medial prefrontal cortex in the relationship between sleep and emotional functioning, and suggest that behaviour and brain structure vary with habitual 'sleep credit'. © 2013 European Sleep Research Society.

Investigation of correlation of the variations in land subsidence (detected by continuous GPS measurements and methodological data in the surrounding areas of Lake Urmia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Moghtased-Azar

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Lake Urmia, a salt lake in the north-west of Iran, plays a valuable role in the environment, wildlife and economy of Iran and the region, but now faces great challenges for survival. The Lake is in immediate and great danger and is rapidly going to become barren desert. As a result, the increasing demands upon groundwater resources due to expanding metropolitan and agricultural areas are a serious challenge in the surrounding regions of Lake Urmia. The continuous GPS measurements around the lake illustrate significant subsidence rate between 2005 and 2009. The objective of this study was to detect and specify the non-linear correlation of land subsidence and temperature activities in the region from 2005 to 2009. For this purpose, the cross wavelet transform (XWT was carried out between the two types of time series, namely vertical components of GPS measurements and daily temperature time series. The significant common patterns are illustrated in the high period bands from 180–218 days band (~6–7 months from September 2007 to February 2009. Consequently, the satellite altimetry data confirmed that the maximum rate of linear trend of water variation in the lake from 2005 to 2009, is associated with time interval from September 2007 to February 2009. This event was detected by XWT as a critical interval to be holding the strong correlation between the land subsidence phenomena and surface temperature. Eventually the analysis can be used for modeling and prediction purposes and probably stave off the damage from subsidence phenomena.

Investigation of correlation of the variations in land subsidence (detected by continuous GPS measurements) and methodological data in the surrounding areas of Lake Urmia

Science.gov (United States)

Moghtased-Azar, K.; Mirzaei, A.; Nankali, H. R.; Tavakoli, F.

2012-11-01

Lake Urmia, a salt lake in the north-west of Iran, plays a valuable role in the environment, wildlife and economy of Iran and the region, but now faces great challenges for survival. The Lake is in immediate and great danger and is rapidly going to become barren desert. As a result, the increasing demands upon groundwater resources due to expanding metropolitan and agricultural areas are a serious challenge in the surrounding regions of Lake Urmia. The continuous GPS measurements around the lake illustrate significant subsidence rate between 2005 and 2009. The objective of this study was to detect and specify the non-linear correlation of land subsidence and temperature activities in the region from 2005 to 2009. For this purpose, the cross wavelet transform (XWT) was carried out between the two types of time series, namely vertical components of GPS measurements and daily temperature time series. The significant common patterns are illustrated in the high period bands from 180-218 days band (~6-7 months) from September 2007 to February 2009. Consequently, the satellite altimetry data confirmed that the maximum rate of linear trend of water variation in the lake from 2005 to 2009, is associated with time interval from September 2007 to February 2009. This event was detected by XWT as a critical interval to be holding the strong correlation between the land subsidence phenomena and surface temperature. Eventually the analysis can be used for modeling and prediction purposes and probably stave off the damage from subsidence phenomena.

Bilayer lipid composition modulates the activity of dermaseptins, polycationic antimicrobial peptides.

Science.gov (United States)

Duclohier, Hervé

2006-05-01

The primary targets of defense peptides are plasma membranes, and the induced irreversible depolarization is sufficient to exert antimicrobial activity although secondary modes of action might be at work. Channels or pores underlying membrane permeabilization are usually quite large with single-channel conductances two orders of magnitude higher than those exhibited by physiological channels involved, e.g., in excitability. Accordingly, the ion specificity and selectivity are quite low. Whereas, e.g., peptaibols favor cation transport, polycationic or basic peptides tend to form anion-specific pores. With dermaseptin B2, a 33 residue long and mostly alpha-helical peptide isolated from the skin of the South American frog Phyllomedusa bicolor, we found that the ion specificity of its pores induced in bilayers is modulated by phospholipid-charged headgroups. This suggests mixed lipid-peptide pore lining instead of the more classical barrel-stave model. Macroscopic conductance is nearly voltage independent, and concentration dependence suggests that the pores are mainly formed by dermaseptin tetramers. The two most probable single-channel events are well resolved at 200 and 500 pS (in 150 mM NaCl) with occasional other equally spaced higher or lower levels. In contrast to previous molecular dynamics previsions, this study demonstrates that dermaseptins are able to form pores, although a related analog (B6) failed to induce any significant conductance. Finally, the model of the pore we present accounts for phospholipid headgroups intercalated between peptide helices lining the pore and for one of the most probable single-channel conductance.

Diabetic foot infections: Current treatment and delaying the 'post-antibiotic era'.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipsky, Benjamin A

2016-01-01

Treatment for diabetic foot infections requires properly diagnosing infection, obtaining an appropriate specimen for culture, assessing for any needed surgical procedures and selecting an empiric antibiotic regimen. Therapy will often need to be modified based on results of culture and sensitivity testing. Because of excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics for treating diabetic foot infections, resistance to the usually employed bacteria has been increasing to alarming levels. This article reviews recommendations from evidence-based guidelines, informed by results of systematic reviews, on treating diabetic foot infections. Data from the pre-antibiotic era reported rates of mortality of about 9% and of high-level leg amputations of about 70%. Outcomes have greatly improved with appropriate antibiotic therapy. While there are now many oral and parenteral antibiotic agents that have demonstrated efficacy in treating diabetic foot infections, the rate of infection with multidrug-resistant pathogens is growing. This problem requires a multi-focal approach, including providing education to both clinicians and patients, developing robust antimicrobial stewardship programmes and using new diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. Recently, new methods have been developed to find novel antibiotic agents and to resurrect old treatments, like bacteriophages, for treating these difficult infections. Medical and political leaders have recognized the serious global threat posed by the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. By a multipronged approach that includes exerting administrative pressure on clinicians to do the right thing, investing in new technologies and encouraging the profitable development of new antimicrobials, we may be able to stave off the coming 'post-antibiotic era'. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Characterization of mannoproteins during white wine (Vitis vinifera L. cv. ENCRUZADO ageing on lees with stirring in oak wood barrels and in a stainless steel tank with oak staves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Rodrigues

2012-12-01

Significance and impact of the study: This study is a technological approach of a process largely used by white wine producers who want to market a fresh wine produced with stirring of lees with a woody character. It reports the evolution of mannoproteins through four months of ageing on lees with two different stirring processes that can have a direct impact on the cost of the final product.

ISOTROPIC HEATING OF GALAXY CLUSTER CORES VIA RAPIDLY REORIENTING ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS JETS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babul, Arif; Sharma, Prateek; Reynolds, Christopher S.

2013-01-01

Active galactic nucleus (AGN) jets carry more than sufficient energy to stave off catastrophic cooling of the intracluster medium (ICM) in the cores of cool-core clusters. However, in order to prevent catastrophic cooling, the ICM must be heated in a near-isotropic fashion and narrow bipolar jets with P jet = 10 44–45 erg s –1 , typical of radio AGNs at cluster centers, are inefficient in heating the gas in the transverse direction to the jets. We argue that due to existent conditions in cluster cores, the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) will, in addition to accreting gas via radiatively inefficient flows, experience short stochastic episodes of enhanced accretion via thin disks. In general, the orientation of these accretion disks will be misaligned with the spin axis of the black holes (BHs) and the ensuing torques will cause the BH's spin axis (and therefore the jet axis) to slew and rapidly change direction. This model not only explains recent observations showing successive generations of jet-lobes-bubbles in individual cool-core clusters that are offset from each other in the angular direction with respect to the cluster center, but also shows that AGN jets can heat the cluster core nearly isotropically on the gas cooling timescale. Our model does require that the SMBHs at the centers of cool-core clusters be spinning relatively slowly. Torques from individual misaligned disks are ineffective at tilting rapidly spinning BHs by more than a few degrees. Additionally, since SMBHs that host thin accretion disks will manifest as quasars, we predict that roughly 1-2 rich clusters within z < 0.5 should have quasars at their centers.

And the beat goes on: maintained cardiovascular function during aging in the longest-lived rodent, the naked mole-rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Grimes, Kelly M; Reddy, Anilkumar K; Lindsey, Merry L; Buffenstein, Rochelle

2014-08-01

The naked mole-rat (NMR) is the longest-lived rodent known, with a maximum lifespan potential (MLSP) of >31 years. Despite such extreme longevity, these animals display attenuation of many age-associated diseases and functional changes until the last quartile of their MLSP. We questioned if such abilities would extend to cardiovascular function and structure in this species. To test this, we assessed cardiac functional reserve, ventricular morphology, and arterial stiffening in NMRs ranging from 2 to 24 years of age. Dobutamine echocardiography (3 μg/g ip) revealed no age-associated changes in left ventricular (LV) function either at baseline or with exercise-like stress. Baseline and dobutamine-induced LV pressure parameters also did not change. Thus the NMR, unlike other mammals, maintains cardiac reserve with age. NMRs showed no cardiac hypertrophy, evidenced by no increase in cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area or LV dimensions with age. Age-associated arterial stiffening does not occur since there are no changes in aortic blood pressures or pulse-wave velocity. Only LV interstitial collagen deposition increased 2.5-fold from young to old NMRs (P < 0.01). However, its effect on LV diastolic function is likely minor since NMRs experience attenuated age-related increases in diastolic dysfunction in comparison with other species. Overall, these findings conform to the negligible senescence phenotype, as NMRs largely stave off cardiovascular changes for at least 75% of their MLSP. This suggests that using a comparative strategy to find factors that change with age in other mammals but not NMRs could provide novel targets to slow or prevent cardiovascular aging in humans.

Slim edge studies, design and quality control of planar ATLAS IBL pixel sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wittig, Tobias

2013-05-08

One of the four large experiments at the LHC at CERN is the ATLAS detector, a multi purpose detector. Its pixel detector, composed of three layers, is the innermost part of the tracker. As it is closest to the interaction point, it represents a basic part of the track reconstruction. Besides the requested high resolution one main requirement is the radiation hardness. In the coming years the radiation damage will cause deteriorations of the detector performance. With the planned increase of the luminosity, especially after the upgrade to the High Luminosity LHC, this radiation damage will be even intensified. This circumstance necessitates a new pixel detector featuring improved radiation hard sensors and read-out chips. The present shutdown of the LHC is already utilized to insert an additional b-layer (IBL) into the existing ATLAS pixel detector. The current n-in-n pixel sensor design had to be adapted to the new read-out chip and the module specifications. The new stave geometry requests a reduction of the inactive sensor edge. In a prototype wafer production all modifications have been implemented. The sensor quality control was supervised which led to the decision of the final sensor thickness. In order to evaluate the performance of the sensor chip assemblies with an innovative slim edge design, they have been operated in test beam setups before and after irradiation. Furthermore, the quality control of the planar IBL sensor wafer production was supervised from the stage of wafer delivery to that before the flip chip process to ensure a sufficient amount of functional sensors for the module production.

Sustained eruptions on Enceladus explained by turbulent dissipation in tiger stripes

Science.gov (United States)

Kite, Edwin S.; Rubin, Allan M.

2016-04-01

Spacecraft observations suggest that the plumes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus draw water from a subsurface ocean, but the sustainability of conduits linking ocean and surface is not understood. Observations show eruptions from “tiger stripe” fissures that are sustained (although tidally modulated) throughout each orbit, and since the 2005 discovery of the plumes. Peak plume flux lags peak tidal extension by ˜1 rad, suggestive of resonance. Here, we show that a model of the tiger stripes as tidally flexed slots that puncture the ice shell can simultaneously explain the persistence of the eruptions through the tidal cycle, the phase lag, and the total power output of the tiger stripe terrain, while suggesting that eruptions are maintained over geological timescales. The delay associated with flushing and refilling of O(1)-m-wide slots with ocean water causes erupted flux to lag tidal forcing and helps to buttress slots against closure, while tidally pumped in-slot flow leads to heating and mechanical disruption that staves off slot freezeout. Much narrower and much wider slots cannot be sustained. In the presence of long-lived slots, the 106-y average power output of the tiger stripes is buffered by a feedback between ice melt-back and subsidence to O(1010) W, which is similar to observed power output, suggesting long-term stability. Turbulent dissipation makes testable predictions for the final flybys of Enceladus by Cassini. Our model shows how open connections to an ocean can be reconciled with, and sustain, long-lived eruptions. Turbulent dissipation in long-lived slots helps maintain the ocean against freezing, maintains access by future Enceladus missions to ocean materials, and is plausibly the major energy source for tiger stripe activity.

Response to Erich Loewy: commentary.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomasma, David C

1991-01-01

The capacity to suffer, the vulnerability with respect to suffering, confers on all animals with that capacity (not just human beings) a prima facie right not to be caused suffering. Nurturing in order to stave off such suffering is the first act of the community toward the individual, primarily in infancy. Hence for Loewy, autonomy, the gradual growth of self-determination in individuals, is grounded in a broader moral commitment of the community, that of beneficence. This is the critical point in his argument, for it represents a wholesale critique of modern libertarianism. Libertarians, in contrast to Loewy's argument, seem to ground the nature of the community in the prima facie right of autonomy. For Loewy, the community not only has an obligation to refrain from harming individuals (nonmaleficence), but it also has an active duty to ameliorate and prevent, as far as possible, the suffering of its members. Thus, if there is a social contract, it is one of nurturing one another to overcome the vulnerability of suffering, not primarily one of protecting autonomy. This is most significant for clinical ethics as well. Once the primary obligation to ameliorate suffering is no longer necessary, when the individual loses or does not have the primary moral worth prompted by the capacity to suffer, then secondary and symbolic obligations emerge. Loewy is thereby able to suggest a "calculus" of moral worth, wherein our obligations to individuals in a permanent vegetative state or to anencephalics (almost always the individual will have lost the capacity to suffer through some cerebral event) must be weighed against other primary obligations. Although Loewy admits that grounding clinical ethics in the capacity to suffer might be "thin," it nevertheless prompts serious discussion about the nature of the "good" in good clinical ethics decisions.

Growth and metabolism of growing beef calves fed tall fescue haylage supplemented with protein and(or) energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, W L; Gay, N; Boling, J A; Muntifering, R B

1987-10-01

Endophyte (Acremonium coenophialum)-infected Kentucky 31 tall fescue was fertilized in mid-August, stockpiled, harvested November 4 to 6 and stored in a concrete stave silo. Ninety-six growing calves (189 kg) were assigned to the following treatments (24 calves/treatment): 1) corn silage (CS) plus .4 kg/d of soybean meal (SBM; 2) fescue haylage plus .4 kg/d of SBM; 3) fescue haylage plus 1.6 kg/d of corn and 4) fescue haylage plus 1.6 kg/d of corn and .4 kg/d of SBM. Daily gains and dry matter (DM) intakes during the 91-d trial were .52, 4.58; .51, 5.22; .59, 6.06; and .63, 6.18 kg for treatments 1 through 4, respectively. Daily gains of calves fed corn silage plus SBM and fescue haylage plus SBM were not different (P greater than .05). However, a difference (P less than .05) existed between treatments 1 and 2 vs 3 and 4. Feed conversion was improved (P less than .05) in calves fed corn silage. Calves in a metabolism trial were fed either 1) 6.2 kg November-ensiled fescue haylage or 2) 6.2 kg November-ensiled fescue haylage plus 1.6 kg/d of corn. Digestibility of DM, N-free extract (NFE) and TDN did not differ (P greater than .05) between treatments. Ether extract digestibility was greater (P less than .05) for the added corn diet, while that of CP was greater (P less than .05) for the fescue haylage diet. Nitrogen retained was higher (P less than .05) for calves fed added corn. A follow-up trial with 96 growing calves (190 kg) compared September- and November-harvested fescue haylages supplemented with either 1.3 or 2.6 kg corn/d.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The therapeutics of Alzheimer's disease: where we stand and where we are heading.

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Selkoe, Dennis J

2013-09-01

Few diagnoses in modern medicine evoke more apprehension in patients and their families than Alzheimer disease (AD). Defined as a clinical and pathological entity a century ago, the disorder only came under intense molecular scrutiny in the mid-1980s. Genetic, histopathological, biochemical, and animal modeling studies have combined to provide evidence that the disease may begin with an imbalance between the production and clearance of the self-aggregating amyloid β protein (Aβ) in brain regions serving memory and cognition. This concept has been furthered by recent analyses in humans of cerebrospinal fluid and neuroimaging biomarkers that suggest an approximate sequence of AD-type brain alterations beginning >2 decades before the onset of dementia. Although the Aβ hypothesis of Alzheimer causation does not explain all features of this multifactorial syndrome, experimental agents that lower or neutralize Aβ have become the major focus of therapeutic research. Several clinical trials in mild-to-moderate AD have not met standard cognitive and functional endpoints, but there were important shortcomings in the agent and/or the trial design in each case. Based on the lessons learned, the field has moved on to test potentially disease-modifying agents in mild AD patients or via secondary prevention in presymptomatic subjects bearing amyloid plaques. Immunotherapeutic agents are receiving the most study, but other antiamyloid strategies and, importantly, nonamyloid targets such as tau and neuroinflammation are of great interest. The pace of recent developments augurs well for 1 or more experimental agents being shown to slow cognitive decline without major side effects. However, research funding from all sources will need to increase dramatically and soon to stave off the approaching tsunami of AD. Copyright © 2013 American Neurological Association.

Indonesia's road to universal health coverage: a political journey.

Science.gov (United States)

Pisani, Elizabeth; Olivier Kok, Maarten; Nugroho, Kharisma

2017-03-01

In 2013 Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, declared that it would provide affordable health care for all its citizens within seven years. This crystallised an ambition first enshrined in law over five decades earlier, but never previously realised. This paper explores Indonesia's journey towards universal health coverage (UHC) from independence to the launch of a comprehensive health insurance scheme in January 2014. We find that Indonesia's path has been determined largely by domestic political concerns – different groups obtained access to healthcare as their socio-political importance grew. A major inflection point occurred following the Asian financial crisis of 1997. To stave off social unrest, the government provided health coverage for the poor for the first time, creating a path dependency that influenced later policy choices. The end of this programme coincided with decentralisation, leading to experimentation with several different models of health provision at the local level. When direct elections for local leaders were introduced in 2005, popular health schemes led to success at the polls. UHC became an electoral asset, moving up the political agenda. It also became contested, with national policy-makers appropriating health insurance programmes that were first developed locally, and taking credit for them. The Indonesian experience underlines the value of policy experimentation, and of a close understanding of the contextual and political factors that drive successful UHC models at the local level. Specific drivers of success and failure should be taken into account when scaling UHC to the national level. In the Indonesian example, UHC became possible when the interests of politically and economically influential groups were either satisfied or neutralised. While technical considerations took a back seat to political priorities in developing the structures for health coverage nationally, they will have to be addressed going forward

Exercise-induced cognitive plasticity, implications for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

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Philip P. Foster

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Lifestyle factors such as intellectual stimulation, cognitive and social engagement, nutrition, and various types of exercise appear to reduce the risk for common age-associated disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD and vascular dementia. In fact, many studies have suggested that promoting physical activity can have a protective effect against cognitive deterioration later in life. Slowing or a deterioration of walking speed is associated with a poor performance in tests assessing psychomotor speed and verbal fluency in elderly individuals. Fitness training influences a wide range of cognitive processes, and the largest positive impact observed is for executive (a.k.a. frontal lobe functions. Studies show that exercise improves additional cognitive functions such as tasks mediated by the hippocampus, and result in major changes in plasticity in the hippocampus. Interestingly, this exercise-induced plasticity is also pronounced in APOE ε4 carriers who express a risk factor for late-onset AD that may modulate the effect of treatments. Based on AD staging by Braak et al., we propose that the effects of exercise occur in two temporo-spatial continua of events. The inward continuum from isocortex (neocortex to entorhinal cortex/hippocampus for amyloidosis and a reciprocal outward continuum for neurofibrillary alterations. The exercise-induced hypertrophy of the hippocampus at the core of these continua is evaluated in terms of potential for prevention to stave off neuronal degeneration. Exercise-induced production of growth factors such as the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF has been shown to enhance neurogenesis and to play a key role in positive cognitive effects. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1 may mediate the exercise-induced response to exercise on BDNF, neurogenesis and cognitive performance. It is also postulated to regulate brain amyloid β (Aβ levels by increased clearance via the choroid plexus. Growth factors

An industry update: the latest developments in therapeutic delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Simpson, Iain

2018-01-01

This industry update covers the period from 1 September through 30 September 2017, and is based on information sourced from company press releases, scientific literature, patents and various news websites. The month saw the US FDA approve three new molecular entities, Aliqopa (copanlisib dihydrochloride) (Bayer Healthcare); Solosec (secnidazole) (Symbiomix Therapeutics) and Verzenio (abemaciclib) (Eli Lilly and Co). Intarcia Therapeutics Inc. has its application for approval of a novel drug device combination of exenatide for the treatment of diabetes rejected by FDA but said that it will work to address the concerns and refile the application. The impact of biosimilars in the market is steadily increasing with seven biosimilars approved in the USA and Sandoz hoping to add to this with its announcement that FDA has accepted its Biologics License Application for a biosimilar version of Roche's Rituxan. Circassia announced positive top line results of a respiratory drug, Duaklir (for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and Sarepta (for its new treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy). Axovant Sciences Ltd announced the failure if its drug Intepirdine in the treatment of Alzheimer's, adding to a growing list of drug failures in this area. There were a number of developments in the area of oncology with Bristol-Myers Squibb and Infinity Pharmaceuticals announcing an expansion of their collaboration looking at combination treatments, as well as Eli Lilly and Co's approval for Verzenio. Rani Therapeutics and Intra-Cellular Therapies announced successful funding rounds to support their drug programs. Allergan announced a novel licensing deal for its dry eye drug, Restasis, which it hopes would allow it to stave off patent challenges from several companies looking to develop generic versions of the drug. New research suggests that loss of sense of smell can be linked to an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

Heat inactivation of wine spoilage yeast Dekkera bruxellensis by hot water treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Fabrizio, V; Vigentini, I; Parisi, N; Picozzi, C; Compagno, C; Foschino, R

2015-08-01

Cell suspensions of four Dekkera bruxellensis strains (CBS 2499, CBS 2797, CBS 4459 and CBS 4601) were subjected to heat treatment in deionized water at four different temperatures (55·0, 57·5, 60·0 and 62·5°C) to investigate their thermal resistance. The decimal reduction times at a specific temperature were calculated from the resulting inactivation curves: the D-values at 55·0°C ranged from 63 to 79·4 s, at 57·5°C from 39·6 to 46·1 s, at 60·0°C from 19·5 to 20·7 s, at 62·5°C from 10·2 to 13·7 s. The z-values were between 9·2 and 10·2°C, confirming that heat resistance is a strain-dependent character. A protocol for the sanitization of 225 l casks by immersion in hot water was set up and applied to contaminated 3-year-old barrels. The heat penetration through the staves was evaluated for each investigated temperature by positioning a thermal probe at 8 mm deep. A treatment at 60°C for an exposure time of 19 min allowed to eliminate the yeast populations up to a log count reduction of 8. Brettanomyces/Dekkera bruxellensis is the main yeast involved in red wine spoilage that occurs during ageing in barrel, generating considerable economic losses. Current sanitization protocols, performed using different chemicals, are ineffective due to the porous nature of the wood. The thermal inactivation of D. bruxellensis cells by hot water treatment proves to be efficacious and easy to perform, provided that the holding time at the killing temperature takes into account the filling time of the vessel and the time for the heat penetration into the wood structure. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Estratégias de leitura: uma alternativa para o início da educação literária

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Renata Junqueira de Souza

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Introduzir as estratégias de leitura como alternativa metodológica para a educação literária das crianças é o propósito de nossos estudos. Essa perspectiva norte-americana (pautada, principalmenteem Harvey e Goudvis (2007, mas também de Hampton e Resnick (2008, Fisher, Frey e Lapp (2009, Mills (2009, Owocki (2003, Athampe Deveni (2008, Wedwich e Wutz (2008, Fuchs e Vaughn (2008, Cohen (2008, Black e Stave (2007, Graves (2009, Pilonieta e Medina (2009, Zambo e Brozo (2008 e Wood et al. (2007, Flippo,Holland, McCarthy, Swinning (2009, Morrisson e Wlodarczyk (2009, dentre outros vem sendo descoberta e pesquisada aos poucos noBrasil. Dados, como o do PISA 2002, revelam que a competência leitora é ainda muito frágil entre crianças e jovens brasileiros e que o gosto de ler literatura ainda não é um dado cultural em nosso país. Com o objetivo de atrair e despertar o interesse da criança para a atividade de leitura e, a um só tempo, contribuir para a sua educação literária,associamos literatura infantil e a abordagem das estratégias de compreensão leitora. Desenvolvido com crianças do ensino fundamental, em seus anos iniciais, o projeto de pesquisa, realizado entre os anos de 2006 a 2010, no oeste paulista, em sua terceira fase, comprova resultados bastante animadores e conclui que essa “nova” abordagempode ser usada com sucesso em aulas de leitura e literatura, já para as crianças pequenas. Pois, após a qualificação docente, os professores mostraramse mais confiantes e alunos mais interessados,compreendendo melhor o texto literário. Neste artigo, discutimos as possibilidades do ensino das estratégias de leitura a partir de textos literários.

How Cells Can Control Their Size by Pumping Ions

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Alan R. Kay

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The ability of all cells to set and regulate their size is a fundamental aspect of cellular physiology. It has been known for sometime but not widely so, that size stability in animal cells is dependent upon the operation of the sodium pump, through the so-called pump-leak mechanism (Tosteson and Hoffman, 1960. Impermeant molecules in cells establish an unstable osmotic condition, the Donnan effect, which is counteracted by the operation of the sodium pump, creating an asymmetry in the distribution of Na+ and K+ staving off water inundation. In this paper, which is in part a tutorial, I show how to model quantitatively the ion and water fluxes in a cell that determine the cell volume and membrane potential. The movement of water and ions is constrained by both osmotic and charge balance, and is driven by ion and voltage gradients and active ion transport. Transforming these constraints and forces into a set of coupled differential equations allows us to model how the ion distributions, volume and voltage change with time. I introduce an analytical solution to these equations that clarifies the influence of ion conductances, pump rates and water permeability in this multidimensional system. I show that the number of impermeant ions (x and their average charge have a powerful influence on the distribution of ions and voltage in a cell. Moreover, I demonstrate that in a cell where the operation of active ion transport eliminates an osmotic gradient, the size of the cell is directly proportional to x. In addition, I use graphics to reveal how the physico-chemical constraints and chemical forces interact with one another in apportioning ions inside the cell. The form of model used here is applicable to all membrane systems, including mitochondria and bacteria, and I show how pumps other than the sodium pump can be used to stabilize cells. Cell biologists may think of electrophysiology as the exclusive domain of neuroscience, however the electrical

The physiology of blood loss and shock: New insights from a human laboratory model of hemorrhage.

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Schiller, Alicia M; Howard, Jeffrey T; Convertino, Victor A

2017-04-01

The ability to quickly diagnose hemorrhagic shock is critical for favorable patient outcomes. Therefore, it is important to understand the time course and involvement of the various physiological mechanisms that are active during volume loss and that have the ability to stave off hemodynamic collapse. This review provides new insights about the physiology that underlies blood loss and shock in humans through the development of a simulated model of hemorrhage using lower body negative pressure. In this review, we present controlled experimental results through utilization of the lower body negative pressure human hemorrhage model that provide novel insights on the integration of physiological mechanisms critical to the compensation for volume loss. We provide data obtained from more than 250 human experiments to classify human subjects into two distinct groups: those who have a high tolerance and can compensate well for reduced central blood volume (e.g. hemorrhage) and those with low tolerance with poor capacity to compensate.We include the conceptual introduction of arterial pressure and cerebral blood flow oscillations, reflex-mediated autonomic and neuroendocrine responses, and respiration that function to protect adequate tissue oxygenation through adjustments in cardiac output and peripheral vascular resistance. Finally, unique time course data are presented that describe mechanistic events associated with the rapid onset of hemodynamic failure (i.e. decompensatory shock). Impact Statement Hemorrhage is the leading cause of death in both civilian and military trauma. The work submitted in this review is important because it advances the understanding of mechanisms that contribute to the total integrated physiological compensations for inadequate tissue oxygenation (i.e. shock) that arise from hemorrhage. Unlike an animal model, we introduce the utilization of lower body negative pressure as a noninvasive model that allows for the study of progressive

Trade Policies and the Changing Patterns of Protectionism during the Global Financial and Economic Crisis

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Agnes Ghibuțiu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The Great Recession of 2008–09 provided a fertile ground for protectionist pressures to increase. It caused a negative shock to the global economy that is comparable with the Great Depression of the 1930s. International trade suffered a historical collapse in 2009, but trade flows quickly rebounded thereafter. And unlike the Great Depression of the 1930s, the recent global economic contraction did not trigger a massive wave of protectionism as expected. Despite important adjustments in many countries’ trade policies during the crisis and, hence, a quite notable increase in the incidence of protectionist measures, there is a widely shared belief that crisis related protectionism has been kept under control, being rather modest and limited compared with both the negative effects of the crisis and the initial concerns. A large agreement emerged also among analysts on the important role of WTO’s multilateral rules and disciplines in preventing exacerbation of economic nationalism and protectionism. The views on intensity, dynamics and potential impact of current contemporary protectionism continue, however, to diverge as they reflect in part the significant differences between the results of the different monitoring exercises, carried out particularly by the WTO and Global Trade Alert. But beyond these differences, the latest monitoring reports contain alarming signs of escalating protectionism over the post-crisis years due to the growing difficulties in the world economy. This paper takes a look at the main trends in global protectionism during and after the crisis and some of its potential implications. In doing so, the paper starts by contrasting protectionism that accompanied the Great Depression of the 1930s with the present-day protectionist phenomenon in order to briefly outline the peculiarities of the latter. Then it addresses the main factors contributing to staving off trade protectionism during the recent crisis. Relying on the

pH Dependent Antimicrobial Peptides and Proteins, Their Mechanisms of Action and Potential as Therapeutic Agents

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Erum Malik

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs are potent antibiotics of the innate immune system that have been extensively investigated as a potential solution to the global problem of infectious diseases caused by pathogenic microbes. A group of AMPs that are increasingly being reported are those that utilise pH dependent antimicrobial mechanisms, and here we review research into this area. This review shows that these antimicrobial molecules are produced by a diverse spectrum of creatures, including vertebrates and invertebrates, and are primarily cationic, although a number of anionic examples are known. Some of these molecules exhibit high pH optima for their antimicrobial activity but in most cases, these AMPs show activity against microbes that present low pH optima, which reflects the acidic pH generally found at their sites of action, particularly the skin. The modes of action used by these molecules are based on a number of major structure/function relationships, which include metal ion binding, changes to net charge and conformational plasticity, and primarily involve the protonation of histidine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid residues at low pH. The pH dependent activity of pore forming antimicrobial proteins involves mechanisms that generally differ fundamentally to those used by pH dependent AMPs, which can be described by the carpet, toroidal pore and barrel-stave pore models of membrane interaction. A number of pH dependent AMPs and antimicrobial proteins have been developed for medical purposes and have successfully completed clinical trials, including kappacins, LL-37, histatins and lactoferrin, along with a number of their derivatives. Major examples of the therapeutic application of these antimicrobial molecules include wound healing as well as the treatment of multiple cancers and infections due to viruses, bacteria and fungi. In general, these applications involve topical administration, such as the use of mouth washes, cream formulations

Measurement of Z-boson production cross sections at √(s)=13 TeV and t anti t to Z-boson cross-section ratios with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zakharchuk, Nataliia

2018-02-15

The measurement of Z-boson production cross sections in pp collisions at centre-of-mass energy of √(s)=13 TeV is presented. Results are based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.16 fb{sup -1} recorded with the ATLAS detector in 2015 at the LHC operating with the 25 ns bunch spacing configuration. The selection criteria of the measurement are optimized to be consistent with the new measurement of the t anti t production cross section to maximize elimination of the experimental and theoretical systematic uncertainties for the ratio of the top-quark pair to Z-boson cross sections. Single ratios at the centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and double ratios at different centre-of-mass energies, including published ATLAS results for Z-boson and t anti t production at √(s)=7 TeV and 8 TeV, are reported. The results are compared to the predictions of perturbative quantum chromodynamics calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order using various sets of parton distribution functions (PDFs) and including electroweak corrections. The comparison is performed using the open-source xFitter package. The measured cross sections are used to estimate the impact on the uncertainties of the current PDF set. Moreover, they are used to extract the top-quark mass using the PDF profiling method.The latest scheduled upgrade, High-Luminosity LHC, foresees an increase of an instantaneous luminosity at the LHC up to 5 x 10{sup 34} cm{sup -2}s{sup -1}. The ATLAS tracker will need to be completely replaced with a new all-silicon tracker due to the higher radiation dose and track density. Highly modular structures will be used for the strip system, so-called staves for the barrel region and petals for the end-caps region. A small-scaled strip prototype for the petal, called petalet, consists of silicon sensors, powering and readout components placed into a low mass carbon-based core. Double-sided petalets with different sensor designs and with two different readout and powering

Historical event: the best reload of CLV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rivera C, A.

2006-01-01

The present work will describe how the Laguna Verde Central advances to achieve the excellence in the evaluations of WANO, in one of their two important concepts that have to improve to aspire to that qualification, in Collective Dose of the Personnel and in the duration of the periods of the fuel reloads. The result of the 11th Fuel reload of the Unit 1 that begins September 11, 2005 and concludes on October 10, 2005, came out in 29.5 days, being the best in the history of the CLV. It critical route (most large duration activities) it was the bigger maintenance of the main generator, having like challenge that if the program was completed or decreased the time, the Laguna Verde Central it would be placed in the threshold of the qualification of Excellency. With this vision the technicians of the Power station in previous meetings, determined to improve the maneuvers recommended by the manufacturing Mitsubishi (Japanese Company) for the disassembly and assembly of the rotor that it has a weight of 120 tons, same that for their great weight make difficult the maneuver. This maintenance is carried out every five years, highlighting that in its previous maintenance it was in reload of 17 hours in its retirement, same that it was to improve. The changes to the instructions of Mitsubishi for the retirement of the rotor are: the use of synthetic slings instead of steel strobes that needed to use of neoprene and wooden staves to protect the rotor and a system of pulleys instead of differential of chain, being 3 hours in the retirement of the rotor, instead of 17 hours that it lasted previously. It is also excellent that it decreased of six necessary people for the movement of the rotor, to a one person. The reduction of effort was shown in pictures, like instead of the chain differential, they put on steel strobes with pulleys. To give the force of the movement it was used a hoisting machine. The two fixed support points were changed in supports with simple pulleys

Combined Increases in Muscle-Strengthening Activity Frequency and Protein Intake Reveal Graded Relationship with Fat-Free Mass Percentage in U.S. Adults, NHANES (1999-2004).

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Kurka, J M; Vezina, J; Brown, D D; Schumacher, J; Cullen, R W; Laurson, K R

2015-01-01

Age-related loss of muscle mass and related ailments are of concern due to associations with disabilities and morbidity as well as constituting a substantial healthcare burden. Muscle-strengthening activities and adequate protein ingestion are recommended for all-age adults in an effort to stave off age-related muscle atrophy. Muscle building abilities decline with age but most research focuses on muscle wasting in the elderly. To examine the independent and combined associations of protein intake (g∙kg-1∙day-1) and muscle-strengthening frequency (times∙week-1, MSF) on fat-free mass percentage (FFM%). This cross-sectional analysis of a population-based sample with data from the non-institutionalized persons in the United States participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (cycles 1999-2000, 2001-2002, 2003-2004) consisted of male (n=2,499) and female (n=2,373) participants 20-49 years of age for analyses. MSF was determined by self-report and protein intake was calculated from a 24-hour recall. Differences in FFM% from bioelectrical impedance analysis was estimated using multiple linear regression models controlling for education, race-ethnicity, standing height, and total Caloric intake. One unit increase in MSF or protein intake (β-coefficient, ±E) was associated with significantly more FFM% in males (0.6±0.1%; 3.5±0.4%) and females (0.4±0.1%; 5.9±0.4%). Independent of protein intake, males and females with MSF=0 had mean ±SE FFM% of 74.4±0.4 and 60.7±0.3, respectively, while mean ±SE FFM% of males and females who met the recommendation of ≥2 times per week were 77.9±0.5 and 63.0±0.4. Independent of MSF, males and females with protein intakes below the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 0.8 g∙kg-1∙day-1 had mean ±SE FFM% of 74.0±0.6 and 58.2±0.6, respectively, while mean ±SE FFM% of those whose intakes exceeded the recommendation were 75.6±0.4 and 62.0±0.4. The subgroup with the highest mean ±SE FFM% (80

Employer-sponsored long-term care insurance: best practices for increasing sponsorship.

Science.gov (United States)

Pincus, J

2000-04-01

Behind the enthusiasm of policymakers for long-term care (LTC) insurance is the belief that increased ownership of private LTC insurance will reduce the government's future liability for financing the nation's LTC needs, currently projected by the Congressional Budget Office to increase by 2.6 percent annually between 2000 and 2040. Some observers say that sustained economic growth could keep these increased expenditures at the same share of total GDP; others argue that current federal expenditure trends will become unsustainable without large tax increases. The potential of the employer-sponsored group LTC market to stave off a national LTC financing crisis has recently started to receive popular notice in the news media. However, for the potential of the group LTC market to be realized, there must be widespread employer sponsorship of group LTC plans and significant participation levels among eligible employees in these plans. The present analysis of industry data estimates the LTC plan sponsorship rate for all U.S. employers with 10 or more employees at 0.2 percent. The sponsorship rate among large employers is significantly higher (8.7 percent). The greatest growth opportunities are projected to lie in the smaller employer market, because it is enormous and virtually untapped. Nonsponsors cite a variety of barriers to employer sponsorship of LTC plans. For many nonsponsors, the most important obstacles are the intrinsic characteristics of their work forces: employees are too young, transient, part-time, and/or low-income to be suitable for LTC insurance. For many others, lack of awareness and low priority are the primary obstacles. Because group LTC insurance has been widely available for only 10 years, many benefits managers view it as "too new and untested." Prior to the passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), in August 1996, the tax treatment of long-term care insurance premiums was unclear because Congress had not

Izviđanje satelitskih komunikacija u funkciji savremenih operacija / Reconnaissance of satellite communications in contemporary operations

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Slaviša Đukanović

2004-05-01

Full Text Available Raspoloživi vojni resursi u bilo kojoj kategoriji nisu kritični u mirnodopskom periodu, jer se dimenzionišu za ratno naprezanje određenog nivoa. Međutim, u uslovima izvođenja borbenih dejstava postoje ekstremi u zahtevima za angažovanjem, koje sistemi ne mogu da izdrže. Takav slučaj je kod satelitskih komunikacija. U radu su prezentovane taktičko-tehničke i dinamičke osobine komercijalnih (INMARSAT, INTELSAT, IRIDIJUM.. i vojnih (DSCS, FLEET-SATCOM, NATO, SKYNET.. satelitskih sistema, koje su bitne za uspešno vođenje elektronskog rata. Takođe, dat je pregled raspoloživih korisničkih servisa savremenih satelitskih sistema (Internet provajding video-konferencije, prenos multimedija uživo, fax, e-mail, voice. Nova generacija širokopojasnih satelita, koja se pušta u rad tokom ove godine omogućiće globalni roming navedenih servisa INMARSAT satelitskom sistemu koji se sve češće koristi u vojne svrhe. U perspektivi je da se usluge koje pružaju satelitski sistemi (komunikacioni, navigacioni, izviđački meteorološki.. stave na raspolaganje nižim taktičkim jedinicama vazduhoplovima, pa čak i svakom vojniku ponaosob. Poznavanje satelitskih sistema potencijalnog agresora pruža mogućnost da se odrede ranjive tačke samog sistema sa aspekta izviđanja i ometanja. / Available military resources in any category are not critical in peace since they are tailored for military use under extreme conditions. However, some systems such as satellite communications, cannot meet extreme requirements during combat actions. The paper presents tactical and technical specifications and dynamic characteristics of commercial (INMARSAT. INTELSAT, IRIDIJUM,.. and military (DSCS, FLEET-SATCOM, NATO, SKYNET,.. satellite systems which are important for electronic warfare. The paper also gives available user services of contemporary satellite systems (Internet providing, videoconferences, live multi-media, fax, e-mail, voice. A new generation of

Search for heavy lepton resonances decaying to a Z boson and a lepton in proton-proton collisions at √(s)=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector and investigations of radiation tolerant silicon-strip detectors for the high-luminosity LHC upgrade of the ATLAS inner detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiik-Fuchs, Liv

2017-03-09

planar n-in-p and 3D silicon strip sensors, where the electrodes are etched into the silicon substrate. The six sensors in this beam test were irradiated with fluences of up to 3 x 10{sup 15} n{sub eq}cm{sup -2}. Detailed investigations on the collected charge showed that both sensor geometries collect enough charge to equip the silicon microstrip layers at the upgraded Inner Tracker. The beam test measurements also provided the first observation of charge multiplication in 3D detectors, an effect attributed to an avalanche of charges in detector regions with high electric fields. Finally a summary on the installation of a centralised test facility for large scale structures and irradiated modules is presented including a direct comparison of competing design approaches for the Inner Tracker, called stave and supermodule approach.

Search for heavy lepton resonances decaying to a Z boson and a lepton in proton-proton collisions at √(s)=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector and investigations of radiation tolerant silicon-strip detectors for the high-luminosity LHC upgrade of the ATLAS inner detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiik-Fuchs, Liv

2017-01-01

planar n-in-p and 3D silicon strip sensors, where the electrodes are etched into the silicon substrate. The six sensors in this beam test were irradiated with fluences of up to 3 x 10"1"5 n_e_qcm"-"2. Detailed investigations on the collected charge showed that both sensor geometries collect enough charge to equip the silicon microstrip layers at the upgraded Inner Tracker. The beam test measurements also provided the first observation of charge multiplication in 3D detectors, an effect attributed to an avalanche of charges in detector regions with high electric fields. Finally a summary on the installation of a centralised test facility for large scale structures and irradiated modules is presented including a direct comparison of competing design approaches for the Inner Tracker, called stave and supermodule approach.

Biochemical Benefits, Diagnosis, and Clinical Risks Evaluation of Kratom

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Dimy Fluyau

2017-04-01

Full Text Available BackgroundKratom (Mitragyna speciosa is a tropical tree with a long history of traditional use in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. Kratom is also known as Thom, Thang, and Biak. Its leaves and the teas brewed from them have long been used by people in that region to manage pain and opioid withdrawal and to stave off fatigue. Kratom is actually consumed throughout the world for its stimulant effects and as an opioid substitute (in form of tea, chewed, smoked, or ingested in capsules. Some case reports have associated kratom exposure with psychosis, seizures, intrahepatic cholestasis, other medical conditions, and deaths. The clinical manifestations of kratom effects are not well defined and the clinical studies are limited. Data research suggest that both stimulant and sedative dose-dependent effects do exist, in addition to antinociceptive, antidepressant activity, anxiolytic-like effects, and anorectic effects, but a growing concern for the drug’s effects and safety of use has resulted in national and international attention primarily due to an increase in hospital visits and deaths in several countries that are believed to have been caused by extracts of the plant. There is a dearth of double blind controlled studies. In this study, we aim to use existing literature to clarify both benefits and risks of kratom as well as its diagnosis evaluation as kratom misuse is an emerging trend in the Western world.MethodsLiterature review using databases such as Embase, Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Mendeley from 2007 to 2017 were evaluated by all authors to analyze current state on benefits, risks, and diagnosis evaluation of kratom (M. speciosa.ResultsData analysis suggested that kratom possesses some benefits such as stimulant and sedative effects as wells as antinociceptive effects. It seems to inhibit pro-inflammatory mediator release and vascular permeability and can enhance immunity. In addition, it may be an antidepressant and

Reinterpreting ethnic patterns among white and African American men who inject heroin: a social science of medicine approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Bourgois, Philippe; Martinez, Alexis; Kral, Alex; Edlin, Brian R; Schonberg, Jeff; Ciccarone, Dan

2006-10-01

drug-related crime. These historical-structural conditions generated distinct presentations of self. Whites styled themselves as outcasts, defeated by addiction. They professed to be injecting heroin to stave off "dopesickness" rather than to seek pleasure. African Americans, in contrast, cast their physical addiction as an oppositional pursuit of autonomy and pleasure. They considered themselves to be professional outlaws and rejected any appearance of abjection. Many, but not all, of these ethnographic findings were corroborated by our epidemiological data, highlighting the variability of behaviors within ethnic categories. Bringing quantitative and qualitative methodologies and perspectives into a collaborative dialog among cross-disciplinary researchers highlights the fact that clinical practice must go beyond simple racial or cultural categories. A clinical social science approach provides insights into how sociocultural processes are mediated by historically rooted and institutionally enforced power relations. Recognizing the logical underpinnings of ethnically specific behavioral patterns of street-based injectors is the foundation for cultural competence and for successful clinical relationships. It reduces the risk of suboptimal medical care for an exceptionally vulnerable and challenging patient population. Social science approaches can also help explain larger-scale patterns of health disparities; inform new approaches to structural and institutional-level public health initiatives; and enable clinicians to take more leadership in changing public policies that have negative health consequences.

Reinterpreting ethnic patterns among white and African American men who inject heroin: a social science of medicine approach.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philippe Bourgois

2006-10-01

engaging in drug-related crime. These historical-structural conditions generated distinct presentations of self. Whites styled themselves as outcasts, defeated by addiction. They professed to be injecting heroin to stave off "dopesickness" rather than to seek pleasure. African Americans, in contrast, cast their physical addiction as an oppositional pursuit of autonomy and pleasure. They considered themselves to be professional outlaws and rejected any appearance of abjection. Many, but not all, of these ethnographic findings were corroborated by our epidemiological data, highlighting the variability of behaviors within ethnic categories.Bringing quantitative and qualitative methodologies and perspectives into a collaborative dialog among cross-disciplinary researchers highlights the fact that clinical practice must go beyond simple racial or cultural categories. A clinical social science approach provides insights into how sociocultural processes are mediated by historically rooted and institutionally enforced power relations. Recognizing the logical underpinnings of ethnically specific behavioral patterns of street-based injectors is the foundation for cultural competence and for successful clinical relationships. It reduces the risk of suboptimal medical care for an exceptionally vulnerable and challenging patient population. Social science approaches can also help explain larger-scale patterns of health disparities; inform new approaches to structural and institutional-level public health initiatives; and enable clinicians to take more leadership in changing public policies that have negative health consequences.

From Spain to the Balkans: Textile Torah Scroll Accessories in the Sephardi Communities of the Balkans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaniv, Bracha

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the development of three accessories of the Sephardic Torah scroll: the Torah binder–a narrow and long strip which fastened both parts of the scroll; the Torah wrapper–which protects the parchment; and the Torah mantle–the exterior covering of the Torah scroll. These textile accessories originate in the Talmudic mapppah/ miṭpaḥat, a square piece of fabric which, in the ancient period, was used to wrap the Torah scroll. This object turned out to be the origin of the European means of protecting and adorning the Torah scroll.
While in Ashkenazi communities only the Binder and the Mantle are customary, the uniqueness of the Sephardi tradition is an additional accessory–the Wrapper. The Wrapper, a fabric equal in height to that of the parchment, is wound around the staves, and is customary to this very day in the Sephardic Diaspora.
Although the Binder and the Mantle are common to all European and Sephardi communities, in the latter these ceremonial objects have unique visual features. One of them is the use of precious fabrics, mainly brocades and gold embroidered fabrics. Such a magnificent background did not encourage the development of dedicatory inscriptions, on the one hand, but on the other it did encourage the recycling of precious textiles that had previously served in other capacities in daily life. The article is based on the documentation of ceremonial objects from various collections as well as on Rabbinic literature and field research in Sephardi synagogues in Israel and abroad.

Estudio del desarrollo de tres ornamentos del séfer Torá o rollo de la Ley detradición sefardí: la faja, banda estrecha y alargada que sujeta el rollo de la Ley dispuestoen torno a sus ‘amudim; el cendal, lienzo protector que cubre la cara posterior del perggamino;y la capa, manto exterior del séfer Torá. Estos accesorios textiles tienen su origenen la mappá/miṭpáḥat talm

Theory, Investigation and Stability of Cathode Electrocatalytic Activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, Dong; Liu, Mingfei; Lai, Samson; Blinn, Kevin; Liu, Meilin

2012-09-30

conditions. This was also confirmed by x-ray analyses. For example, soft x-ray XANES data reveal that Co cations displace the Mn cations as being more favored to be reduced. Variations in the Sr-O in the annealed LSCF Fourier-transformed (FT) EXAFS suggest that some Sr segregation is occurring, but is not present in the annealed LSM-infiltrated LSCF cathode materials. Further, a surface enhanced Raman technique was also developed into to probe and map LSM and LSCF phase on underlying YSZ substrate, enabling us to capture important chemical information of cathode surfaces under practical operating conditions. Electrochemical models for the design of test cells and understanding of mechanism have been developed for the exploration of fundamental properties of electrode materials. Novel catalyst coatings through particle depositions (SDC, SSC, and LCC) or continuous thin films (PSM and PSCM) were successfully developed to improve the activity and stability of LSCF cathodes. Finally, we have demonstrated enhanced activity and stability of LSCF cathodes over longer periods of time in homemade and commercially available cells by an optimized LSM infiltration process. Microstructure examination of the tested cells did not show obvious differences between blank and infiltrated cells, suggesting that the infiltrated LSM may form a coherent film on the LSCF cathodes. There was no significant change in the morphology or microstructure of the LSCF cathode due to the structural similarity of LSCF and LSM. Raman analysis of the tested cells indicated small peaks emerging on the blank cells that correspond to trace amounts of secondary phase formation during operation (e.g., CoO{sub x}). The formation of this secondary phase might be attributed to performance degradation. In contrast, there was no such secondary phase observed in the LSM infiltrated cells, indicating that the LSM modification staved off secondary phase formation and thus improved the stability.

Development of a detector control system for the serially powered ATLAS pixel detector at the HL-LHC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Puellen, Lukas

2015-02-10

protocol, the I2C-HC protocol is used. A first prototype for the DCS chip was designed and tested in terms of this thesis. This prototype, the PSPP (Pixel Serial Powering and Protection) chip, was fabricated in a commercial 130 nm process as a proof-of-principle test. It contains all necessary functionality to supervise an entire serially powered stave. This includes, among others, a shunt regulator to generate the chips supply voltage, shunt transistors to switch off the serially powered modules, a comparator monitoring the supply voltage of each detector module, an I2C-HC-slave logic core, and the physical layers to create an I2C-HC bus with floating nodes. Thereby, the number of lines to supply and control the PSPP chips could be reduced to three per powering group, which keeps the material budget in the detector volume at a minimum. The PSPP chip was tested and showed three minor and one major faults. Thereby all the minor faults could be resolved in the test setup by workarounds. The major fault affects the implemented ADC and still needs to be understood completely. Hence, reliable ADC conversions are not possible with the PSPP. Fortunately the remaining functions of the PSPP were tested successfully and it was possible to operate and supervise a serial power chain in the lab, similar to a power group in the detector. Furthermore, the tests with a serial chain of PSPP chips have shown, that the right choice of the power supply for a serially powered chain of detector modules is critical. During the tests it was not possible to find a power supply, which could satisfy the demands of a stable current source. Hence further investigation in this matter is necessary. Besides the design and testing of the first prototype for the DCS chip, the need for hardness-by-design techniques was calculated, which are necessary to ensure that the high amount of radiation in the pixel detector volume does not interfere with the detector operation. In the near future, long term tests

Dietary intake of female bariatric patients after anti-obesity gastroplasty Ingestão dietética de pacientes bariátricas femininas após gastroplastia anti-obesidade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Carolina G. Dias

2006-04-01

Full Text Available PURPOSE: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is a popular and successful operation for the treatment of morbid obesity. However, it greatly restricts ingestion and moderately interferes with absorption of food, thus potentially paving the way for undernutrition, especially during the first year before patients adapt to the new condition. Aiming to document actual dietary intake during this period, a prospective observational study was performed. METHODS: Forty consecutive patients were investigated using a 24-hour dietary recall technique every 3 months after surgery for 1 year. Females only were accepted for greater homogeneity of the sample. All received a vitamin and mineral supplement on a daily basis as a postoperative routine. A questionnaire was employed regarding general, nutritional, and gastrointestinal changes as well as consumption of medications. Dietary intake was analyzed after data processing using the Virtual Nutri software package (São Paulo, SP, Brazil. RESULTS: The surgical response was within the expected range, with about 67% excess weight loss at the end of the 1st year, and the same occurred with gastrointestinal symptoms and drug requirements. Daily energy intake on the 4 analyzed occasions was 529.4 ± 47.4, 710.9 ± 47.6, 833.2 ± 72.0, and 866.2 ± 95,1 kcal/day (mean ± SEM; protein intake was increased in the same proportion at 6 and 9 months, but reduced at 12 months. Thus, patients did not meet standard recommendations regarding calories and proteins, even at the end of the 1st year; iron and zinc intake were also inadequate, although deficiencies were probably staved off by the prescribed supplement preparation. CONCLUSIONS: 1 The risk for postoperative undernutrition was evidenced up to 1 year, while spontaneous improvement in food intake was slow and inefficient; 2 Specific protocols should be devised to improve nutrition and health during the postoperative phase until successful dietary adaptation is achieved

Development of a detector control system for the serially powered ATLAS pixel detector at the HL-LHC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Puellen, Lukas

2015-01-01

protocol, the I2C-HC protocol is used. A first prototype for the DCS chip was designed and tested in terms of this thesis. This prototype, the PSPP (Pixel Serial Powering and Protection) chip, was fabricated in a commercial 130 nm process as a proof-of-principle test. It contains all necessary functionality to supervise an entire serially powered stave. This includes, among others, a shunt regulator to generate the chips supply voltage, shunt transistors to switch off the serially powered modules, a comparator monitoring the supply voltage of each detector module, an I2C-HC-slave logic core, and the physical layers to create an I2C-HC bus with floating nodes. Thereby, the number of lines to supply and control the PSPP chips could be reduced to three per powering group, which keeps the material budget in the detector volume at a minimum. The PSPP chip was tested and showed three minor and one major faults. Thereby all the minor faults could be resolved in the test setup by workarounds. The major fault affects the implemented ADC and still needs to be understood completely. Hence, reliable ADC conversions are not possible with the PSPP. Fortunately the remaining functions of the PSPP were tested successfully and it was possible to operate and supervise a serial power chain in the lab, similar to a power group in the detector. Furthermore, the tests with a serial chain of PSPP chips have shown, that the right choice of the power supply for a serially powered chain of detector modules is critical. During the tests it was not possible to find a power supply, which could satisfy the demands of a stable current source. Hence further investigation in this matter is necessary. Besides the design and testing of the first prototype for the DCS chip, the need for hardness-by-design techniques was calculated, which are necessary to ensure that the high amount of radiation in the pixel detector volume does not interfere with the detector operation. In the near future, long term tests

Obituary: Einar A. Tandberg-Hanssen (1921-2011)

Science.gov (United States)

Gary, G.; Emslie, A.; Hathaway, David; Moore, Ronald

2011-12-01

Memoir paper, entitled Solar Prominences - An Intriguing Phenomenon http://www.springerlink.com/content/1166j74k577kv332/ was published shortly before his death. The article starts with an autobiographical account, where the author relates how his several study-trips abroad gradually led him to the study of solar physics in general, and prominences particularly. Einar's residence as a research fellow at the Institut d'Astrophysique in Paris in the 1950s laid the foundation for a lifelong interest in France and French culture. His great interest in and knowledge of French mediaeval churches, as well as the Norwegian stave churches, is reflected in two books, Letters to My Daughters (Ivy House Pub. Group, 2004), and The Joy of Travel: More Letters to My Daughters (Pentland Press, 2007), which serve as a review, tourist guide and history book, shaped in the form of letters home to his two daughters, from his many travels in Norway and France. Einar was a true gentleman and a true scholar. As evidenced by his papers, his books, and his dealings with others, he was always seeking not only to expand his own knowledge and understanding, but also to find new ways of communicating his remarkable insight to others. He is survived by his daughters, Else and Karin, and their families.

Chiral Dynamics 2006

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Mohammad W.; Gao, Haiyan; Weller, Henry R.; Holstein, Barry

2007-10-01

effects in hyperon semileptonic decays from lattice QCD / S. Simula. Uncertainty bands for chiral extrapolations / B.U. Musch. Update of the nucleon electromagnetic form factors / C. B. Crawford. N and N to ? transition from factors from lattice QCD / C. Alexandrou. The [equation] transition at low Q2 and the pionic contribution / S. Stave. Strange Quark CoNtributions to the form factors of the nucleon / F. Benmokhtar. Dynamical polarizabilities of the nucleon / B. Pasquini. Hadron magnetic moments and polarizabilities in lattice QCD / F.X. Lee. Spin-dependent compton scattering from 3He and the neutron spin polarizabilities / H. Gao. Chiral dynamics from Dyson-Schwinger equations / C.D. Roberts. Radiative neutron [Beta symbol]-decay in effective field theory / S. Gardner. Comparison between different renormalization schemes for co-variant BChPT / T.A. Gail. Non-perturbative study of the light pseudoscalar masses in chiral dynamics / José Antonio Oller. Masses and widths of hadrons in nuclear matter / M. Kotulla. Chiral effective field theory at finite density / R.J. Furnstahl. The K-nuclear interaction: a search fro deeply bound K-nuclear clusters / P. Camerini. Moments of GPDs from lattice QCD / D.G. Richards. Generalized parton distributions in effective field theory / J.W. Chen. Near-threshold pion production: experimental update / M.W. Ahmed. Pion photoproduction near threshold theory update / L. Tiator.

Selected Abstracts of the 2nd Congress of joint European Neonatal Societies (jENS 2017; Venice (Italy; October 31-November 4, 2017; Session "Quality Improvement, Parents Centered Care"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

--- Various Authors

2017-10-01

, I. SadasivamABS 7. SATISFACTION LEVEL OF PARENTS OF NICU SERVICES PROVIDED AND CONNECTION WITH THEIR EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT • E. Papamichael, E. Polycarpou, M. TaliasABS 8. TWO YEAR NEURODEVELOPMENTAL FOLLOW UP DATA: MEETING METRICS VS DELIVERING QUALITY ASSESSMENTS • M. Parmar, F. Ceroni, S. Narayanan, N. MerchantABS 9. EVALUATION OF PARENTAL INFORMED CONSENT PROCEDURE IN NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT • E. van ’t Verlaat, E. de Kort, I. Reiss, M. van Weissenbruch, S. SimonsABS 10. POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION, BONDING AND COPING STRATEGIES IN MOTHERS OF NEWBORNS ADMITTED TO THE NEONATAL UNIT • R. Porta, G. Lasheras, E. Capdevila, B. Farré-Sender, J.M. FarréABS 11. PARENTS’ EXPERIENCES OF ACTIVE PARTICIPATION DURING THE WARD ROUND IN A NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT • L. Börjesson, T. StendahlABS 12. REDUCING THE WASTAGE OF PAEDIATRIC RED CELLS • C. Roehr, J. Staves, S. Hemmatpour, N. Mohanraj, S. PavordABS 13. ACCURATE DETECTION OF CEREBRO­SPI­NAL FLUID FROM THE TIP OF INJEQ IQ-NEEDLE™ IN PEDIATRIC LUMBAR PUNCTURE – PRE­LIMINARY RESULTS OF A CLINICAL STUDY • S. Halonen, J. Kari, O. Tammela, K. Kronström, V. EskolaABS 14. SUPPORTING THE PEER SUPPORTER • G. Thomson, M.-C. BalaamABS 15. ONLINE PARENT SATISFACTION SURVEY IS REPRESENTATIVE DESPITE LOW RESPONSE • J. de Boer, M. van DijkABS 16. INCIDENCE OF HYPOTHERMIA ASSOCIATED WITH BIRTH AND INTRAHOSPITAL TRANS­PORT OF NEWBORN INFANTS REQUIRING AD­MISSION TO A NICU – A QUANTITATIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY • V. Hansson, M. Hedin, A. Örtenstrand, M. VibergABS 17. CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR NEONATAL CARE – AN UPDATED COCHRANE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW • K.Tan, P. Dear, S. NewellABS 18. THERMOREGULATION AND PHYSIOLOGICAL STABILIZATION BY SKIN-TO-SKIN CONTACT AT BIRTH IN PRETERM INFANTS • A. Linnér, B. Sundberg, B. Westrup, B. SkioldABS 19. CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT OF IATROGENIC PERFORATIONS CAUSED BY GASTRIC TUBES IN EXTREMELY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS – EXPERIENCE OF A SINGLE CENTER �