Global existence of strong solutions to the three- dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with special boundary conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, Douglas A.

We study the three-dimensional incompressible Navier- Stokes equations in a domain of the form W'×(0,e) . First, we assume W' is a C3 bounded domain and impose no-slip boundary conditions on 6W'×(0,e ) , and periodic conditions on W'×0,e . Physically, this models fluid flow through a pipe with cross-section W' where the inlet and outlet conditions are assumed periodic. Secondly, we assume W'=(0,l4) ×(0,l5) and impose periodic boundary conditions. This problem is of interest mathematically, and has been more widely considered than the pipe flow problem. For both sets of boundary conditions, we show that a strong solution exists for all time with conditions on the initial data and forcing. We start by recalling that if the forcing function and initial condition do not depend on x3, then a global strong solution exists which also does not depend on x3. Here (x1,x2,x3) ∈W≡W'×( 0,e) . With this observation as motivation, and using an additive decomposition introduced by Raugel and Sell, we split the initial data and forcing into a portion independent of x3 and a remainder. In our first result, we impose a smallness condition on the remainder and assume the forcing function is square- integrable in time as a function into L2(W) . With these assumptions, we prove a global existence theorem that does not require a smallness condition on e or on the portion of the initial condition and forcing independent of x3. However, these quantities do affect the allowable size of the remainder. For our second result, we assume the forcing is only bounded in time as a function into L2(W) . In this case, we need a smallness condition on the initial data, the forcing, and e to obtain global existence. The interesting observation is that the allowable sizes for the initial data and forcing grow as e-->0 . Thus, we obtain a `thin-domain' result as originally obtained by Raugel and Sell. In fact, our results allow the portion of the initial data and forcing independent of x3 to

Strongly correlated impurity band superconductivity in diamond: X-ray spectroscopic evidence

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G. Baskaran

2006-01-01

Full Text Available In a recent X-ray absorption study in boron doped diamond, Nakamura et al. have seen a well isolated narrow boron impurity band in non-superconducting samples and an additional narrow band at the chemical potential in a superconducting sample. We interpret the beautiful spectra as evidence for upper Hubbard band of a Mott insulating impurity band and an additional metallic 'mid-gap band' of a conducting 'self-doped' Mott insulator. This supports the basic framework of a recent theory of the present author of strongly correlated impurity band superconductivity (impurity band resonating valence bond, IBRVB theory in a template of a wide-gap insulator, with no direct involvement of valence band states.

Strong Bayesian evidence for the normal neutrino hierarchy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simpson, Fergus; Jimenez, Raul; Verde, Licia [ICCUB, University of Barcelona (UB-IEEC), Marti i Franques 1, Barcelona, 08028 (Spain); Pena-Garay, Carlos, E-mail: fergus2@gmail.com, E-mail: raul.jimenez@icc.ub.edu, E-mail: penagaray@gmail.com, E-mail: liciaverde@icc.ub.edu [I2SysBio, CSIC-UVEG, P.O. 22085, Valencia, 46071 (Spain)

2017-06-01

The configuration of the three neutrino masses can take two forms, known as the normal and inverted hierarchies. We compute the Bayesian evidence associated with these two hierarchies. Previous studies found a mild preference for the normal hierarchy, and this was driven by the asymmetric manner in which cosmological data has confined the available parameter space. Here we identify the presence of a second asymmetry, which is imposed by data from neutrino oscillations. By combining constraints on the squared-mass splittings [1] with the limit on the sum of neutrino masses of Σ m {sub ν} < 0.13 eV [2], and using a minimally informative prior on the masses, we infer odds of 42:1 in favour of the normal hierarchy, which is classified as 'strong' in the Jeffreys' scale. We explore how these odds may evolve in light of higher precision cosmological data, and discuss the implications of this finding with regards to the nature of neutrinos. Finally the individual masses are inferred to be m {sub 1}=3.80{sup +26.2}{sub -3.73}meV; m {sub 2}=8.8{sup +18}{sub -1.2}meV; m {sub 3}=50.4{sup +5.8}{sub -1.2}meV (95% credible intervals).

Evidence for strong Breit interaction in dielectronic recombination of highly charged heavy ions.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, Nobuyuki; Kavanagh, Anthony P; Watanabe, Hirofumi; Sakaue, Hiroyuki A; Li, Yueming; Kato, Daiji; Currell, Fred J; Ohtani, Shunsuke

2008-02-22

Resonant strengths have been measured for dielectronic recombination of Li-like iodine, holmium, and bismuth using an electron beam ion trap. By observing the atomic number dependence of the state-resolved resonant strength, clear experimental evidence has been obtained that the importance of the generalized Breit interaction (GBI) effect on dielectronic recombination increases as the atomic number increases. In particular, it has been shown that the GBI effect is exceptionally strong for the recombination through the resonant state [1s2s(2)2p(1/2)](1).

Magnetic ordering in tetragonal FeS: Evidence for strong itinerant spin fluctuations

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Kwon, K.D.; Refson, K.; Bone, S.; Qiao, R.; Yang, W.; Liu, Z.; Sposito, G.

2010-11-01

Mackinawite is a naturally occurring layer-type FeS mineral important in biogeochemical cycles and, more recently, in the development of microbial fuel cells. Conflicting results have been published as to the magnetic properties of this mineral, with Moessbauer spectroscopy indicating no magnetic ordering down to 4.2 K but density functional theory (DFT) predicting an antiferromagnetic ground state, similar to the Fe-based high-temperature superconductors with which it is isostructural and for which it is known that magnetism is suppressed by strong itinerant spin fluctuations. We investigated this latter possibility for mackinawite using photoemission spectroscopy, near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, and DFT computations. Our Fe 3{sub s} core-level photoemission spectrum of mackinawite showed a clear exchange-energy splitting (2.9 eV) consistent with a 1 {micro}{sub B} magnetic moment on the Fe ions, while the Fe L-edge x-ray absorption spectrum indicated rather delocalized Fe 3{sub d} electrons in mackinawite similar to those in Fe metal. Our DFT computations demonstrated that the ground state of mackinawite is single-stripe antiferromagnetic, with an Fe magnetic moment (2.7 {micro}{sub B}) that is significantly larger than the experimental estimate and has a strong dependence on the S height and lattice parameters. All of these trends signal the existence of strong itinerant spin fluctuations. If spin fluctuations prove to be mediators of electron pairing, we conjecture that mackinawite may be one of the simplest Fe-based superconductors.

History of evidence-based medicine

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Roger L Sur

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This essay reviews the historical circumstances surrounding the introduction and evolution of evidence-based medicine. Criticisms of the approach are also considered. Weaknesses of existing standards of clinical practice and efforts to bring more certainty to clinical decision making were the foundation for evidence-based medicine, which integrates epidemiology and medical research. Because of its utility in designing randomized clinical trials, assessing the quality of the literature, and applying medical research at the bedside, evidence-based medicine will continue to have a strong influence on everyday clinical practice.

Strong Public Health Recommendations from Weak Evidence? Lessons Learned in Developing Guidance on the Public Health Management of Meningococcal Disease

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Germaine Hanquet

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The evidence underpinning public health policy is often of low quality, leading to inconsistencies in recommended interventions. One example is the divergence in national policies across Europe for managing contacts of invasive meningococcal disease. Aiming to develop consistent guidance at the European level, a group of experts reviewed the literature and formulated recommendations. The group defined eight priority research questions, searched the literature, and formulated recommendations using GRADE methodology. Five of the research questions are discussed in this paper. After taking into account quality of evidence, benefit, harm, value, preference, burden on patient of the intervention, and resource implications, we made four strong recommendations and five weak recommendations for intervention. Strong recommendations related not only to one question with very low quality of evidence as well as to two questions with moderate to high quality of evidence. The weak recommendations related to two questions with low and very low quality of evidence but also to one question with moderate quality of evidence. GRADE methodology ensures a transparent process and explicit recognition of additional factors that should be considered when making recommendations for policy. This approach can be usefully applied to many areas of public health policy where evidence quality is often low.

Direct evidence of strong local ferroelectric ordering in a thermoelectric semiconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aggarwal, Leena; Sekhon, Jagmeet S.; Arora, Ashima; Sheet, Goutam, E-mail: goutam@iisermohali.ac.in [Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali (IISER M), Sector 81, S. A. S. Nagar, Manauli PO-140306 (India); Guin, Satya N.; Negi, Devendra S.; Datta, Ranjan; Biswas, Kanishka, E-mail: kanishka@jncasr.ac.in [New Chemistry Unit and International Centre for Materials Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur, Bangalore 560064 (India)

2014-09-15

It is thought that the proposed new family of multi-functional materials, namely, the ferroelectric thermoelectrics may exhibit enhanced functionalities due to the coupling of the thermoelectric parameters with ferroelectric polarization in solids. Therefore, the ferroelectric thermoelectrics are expected to be of immense technological and fundamental significance. As a first step towards this direction, it is most important to identify the existing high performance thermoelectric materials exhibiting ferroelectricity. Herein, through the direct measurement of local polarization switching, we show that the recently discovered thermoelectric semiconductor AgSbSe{sub 2} has local ferroelectric ordering. Using piezo-response force microscopy, we demonstrate the existence of nanometer scale ferroelectric domains that can be switched by external electric field. These observations are intriguing as AgSbSe{sub 2} crystalizes in cubic rock-salt structure with centro-symmetric space group (Fm–3m), and therefore, no ferroelectricity is expected. However, from high resolution transmission electron microscopy measurement, we found the evidence of local superstructure formation which, we believe, leads to local distortion of the centro-symmetric arrangement in AgSbSe{sub 2} and gives rise to the observed ferroelectricity. Stereochemically active 5S{sup 2} lone-pair of Sb may also give rise to local structural distortion thereby creating ferroelectricity in AgSbSe{sub 2}.

Weak Evidence of Regeneration Habitat but Strong Evidence of Regeneration Niche for a Leguminous Shrub

Science.gov (United States)

Delerue, Florian; Gonzalez, Maya; Michalet, Richard; Pellerin, Sylvain; Augusto, Laurent

2015-01-01

The identification of an ecological niche specific to the regeneration phase has mobilised significant attention. However, the importance of the regeneration niche concept remains unclear. Our main objective was to study the existence of such a regeneration niche for a leguminous shrub, Ulex europaeus. This study was carried out in southwest France in the context of water and nutrient stresses (mainly phosphorus limitation) due to the presence of nutrient-poor sandy soils. We analysed the regeneration of the species from the germination of seeds and emergence of new seedlings until the seedlings reached young shrub size. Our design included a P fertilisation treatment. We also investigated microsite characteristics (micro-topography and vegetation development) as they can interact with meteorological conditions and determine water availability for seeds and seedlings. We found that P availability controlled seedling growth and the time necessary to reach young shrub size. Water availability appeared to impact the species germination and seedlings survival. We also found that P and water availability depended on the interactions between microsite characteristics and climatic variations. Finally we found evidence that P and water availability are important ecological factors shaping the regeneration niche of the species, but we found weak evidence that any microsite would be appropriate for the regeneration of the species in the long term. Future studies regarding regeneration niches need to distinguish more clearly the ecological factors important for regeneration (the regeneration niche per se) and the physical world where the seedlings appear and develop (the regeneration habitat). PMID:26098877

Weak Evidence of Regeneration Habitat but Strong Evidence of Regeneration Niche for a Leguminous Shrub.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florian Delerue

Full Text Available The identification of an ecological niche specific to the regeneration phase has mobilised significant attention. However, the importance of the regeneration niche concept remains unclear. Our main objective was to study the existence of such a regeneration niche for a leguminous shrub, Ulex europaeus. This study was carried out in southwest France in the context of water and nutrient stresses (mainly phosphorus limitation due to the presence of nutrient-poor sandy soils. We analysed the regeneration of the species from the germination of seeds and emergence of new seedlings until the seedlings reached young shrub size. Our design included a P fertilisation treatment. We also investigated microsite characteristics (micro-topography and vegetation development as they can interact with meteorological conditions and determine water availability for seeds and seedlings. We found that P availability controlled seedling growth and the time necessary to reach young shrub size. Water availability appeared to impact the species germination and seedlings survival. We also found that P and water availability depended on the interactions between microsite characteristics and climatic variations. Finally we found evidence that P and water availability are important ecological factors shaping the regeneration niche of the species, but we found weak evidence that any microsite would be appropriate for the regeneration of the species in the long term. Future studies regarding regeneration niches need to distinguish more clearly the ecological factors important for regeneration (the regeneration niche per se and the physical world where the seedlings appear and develop (the regeneration habitat.

Deficiencies in the transfer and availability of clinical trials evidence: a review of existing systems and standards

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Valkenhoef Gert

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Decisions concerning drug safety and efficacy are generally based on pivotal evidence provided by clinical trials. Unfortunately, finding the relevant clinical trials is difficult and their results are only available in text-based reports. Systematic reviews aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the evidence in a specific area, but may not provide the data required for decision making. Methods We review and analyze the existing information systems and standards for aggregate level clinical trials information from the perspective of systematic review and evidence-based decision making. Results The technology currently used has major shortcomings, which cause deficiencies in the transfer, traceability and availability of clinical trials information. Specifically, data available to decision makers is insufficiently structured, and consequently the decisions cannot be properly traced back to the underlying evidence. Regulatory submission, trial publication, trial registration, and systematic review produce unstructured datasets that are insufficient for supporting evidence-based decision making. Conclusions The current situation is a hindrance to policy decision makers as it prevents fully transparent decision making and the development of more advanced decision support systems. Addressing the identified deficiencies would enable more efficient, informed, and transparent evidence-based medical decision making.

Strong saturable absorption of black titanium oxide nanoparticle films

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rong-Fang; Guo, Deng-Zhu; Zhang, Geng-Min

2017-12-01

Nonlinear optical materials with strong saturable absorption (SA) properties play an essential role in passive mode-locking generation of ultrafast lasers. Here we report black TiO2-x nanoparticles are promising candidate for such an application. Black TiO2-x nanoparticles are synthesized by using cathodic plasma electrolysis, and nanoparticle films are deposited on optical glass plates via natural sedimentation and post annealing. Characterization of the samples with TEM, SEM, XRD and XPS reveal that nanoparticles have diameters of 8-70 nm, and are in polycrystalline structure and co-existence of anatase, rutile and abundant oxygen-deficient phases. Optical transmittance and reflectance measurements with a UV/VIS/NIR spectrophotometer evidence an excellent wide-spectral optical absorption property. The nonlinear optical properties of the samples were measured by using open-aperture Z-scan technique with picosecond 532-nm laser, and verified by direct transmission measurements using nanosecond 1064-nm laser. Strong SA behavior was detected, and the nonlinear absorption coefficient is as high as β = - 4.9 × 10-8 m/W, at least two orders larger than most previous reports on ordinary TiO2. The strong SA behaviors are ascribed to the existence of plenty surface states and defect states within bandgap, and the relaxation rates of electrons from upper energy levels to lower ones are much slower than excitation rates.

No evidence for local adaptation to salt stress in the existing populations of invasive Solidago canadensis in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Junmin; Liu, Haiyan; Yan, Ming; Du, Leshan

2017-01-01

Local adaptation is an important mechanism underlying the adaptation of plants to environmental heterogeneity, and the toxicity of salt results in strong selection pressure on salt tolerance in plants and different ecotypes. Solidago canadensis, which is invasive in China, has spread widely and has recently colonized alkali sandy loams with a significant salt content. A common greenhouse experiment was conducted to test the role of local adaptation in the successful invasion of S. canadensis into salty habitats. Salt treatment significantly decreased the growth of S. canadensis, including rates of increase in the number of leaves and plant height; the root, shoot, and total biomass. Furthermore, salt stress significantly reduced the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate and relative chlorophyll content but significantly increased peroxidase activity and the proline content of S. canadensis and the root/shoot ratio. Two-way analysis of variance showed that salt treatment had a significant effect on the physiological traits of S. canadensis, except for the intercellular CO2 concentration, whereas the population and the salt × population interaction had no significant effect on any physiological traits. Most of the variation in plasticity existed within and not among populations, excep for the root/shoot ratio. S. canadensis populations from soil with moderate/high salt levels grew similarly to S. canadensis populations from soils with low salt levels. No significant correlation between salt tolerance indices and soil salinity levels was observed. The plasticity of the proline content, intercellular CO2 concentration and chlorophyll content had significant correlations with the salt tolerance index. These findings indicate a lack of evidence for local adaption in the existing populations of invasive S. canadensis in China; instead, plasticity might be more important than local adaptation in influencing the physiological traits and salt

No evidence for local adaptation to salt stress in the existing populations of invasive Solidago canadensis in China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junmin Li

Full Text Available Local adaptation is an important mechanism underlying the adaptation of plants to environmental heterogeneity, and the toxicity of salt results in strong selection pressure on salt tolerance in plants and different ecotypes. Solidago canadensis, which is invasive in China, has spread widely and has recently colonized alkali sandy loams with a significant salt content. A common greenhouse experiment was conducted to test the role of local adaptation in the successful invasion of S. canadensis into salty habitats. Salt treatment significantly decreased the growth of S. canadensis, including rates of increase in the number of leaves and plant height; the root, shoot, and total biomass. Furthermore, salt stress significantly reduced the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate and relative chlorophyll content but significantly increased peroxidase activity and the proline content of S. canadensis and the root/shoot ratio. Two-way analysis of variance showed that salt treatment had a significant effect on the physiological traits of S. canadensis, except for the intercellular CO2 concentration, whereas the population and the salt × population interaction had no significant effect on any physiological traits. Most of the variation in plasticity existed within and not among populations, excep for the root/shoot ratio. S. canadensis populations from soil with moderate/high salt levels grew similarly to S. canadensis populations from soils with low salt levels. No significant correlation between salt tolerance indices and soil salinity levels was observed. The plasticity of the proline content, intercellular CO2 concentration and chlorophyll content had significant correlations with the salt tolerance index. These findings indicate a lack of evidence for local adaption in the existing populations of invasive S. canadensis in China; instead, plasticity might be more important than local adaptation in influencing the physiological

Existence of diproton-like particles in 3+1 lattice QCD with two flavors and strong coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faria da Veiga, Paulo A.; O'Carroll, Michael; Neto, A. Francisco

2011-01-01

Starting from quarks, gluons, and their dynamics, we consider the existence of two-baryon bound states of total isospin I=1 in an imaginary-time formulation of a strongly coupled 3+1-dimensional SU(3) c lattice QCD with two flavors and 4x4 spin matrices, defined using the Wilson action. For a small hopping parameter κ>0 and a much smaller gauge coupling 0 2 . By isospin symmetry, for each diproton there is also a dineutron bound state with the same mass and binding energy. The dominant two-baryon interaction is an energy-independent spatial range-one potential with an O(κ 2 ) strength. There is also an attraction arising from gauge field correlations associated with six overlapping bonds, but it is subdominant. The overall range-one potential results from a quark-antiquark exchange with no meson exchange interpretation (wrong spin indices). The repulsive or attractive nature of the interaction does depend on the isospin and spin of the two-baryon states. A novel representation in term of permanents is obtained for the spin, isospin interaction between the baryons, which is valid for any isospin sector.

Brief report on a systematic review of youth violence prevention through media campaigns: Does the limited yield of strong evidence imply methodological challenges or absence of effect?

Science.gov (United States)

Cassidy, Tali; Bowman, Brett; McGrath, Chloe; Matzopoulos, Richard

2016-10-01

We present a brief report on a systematic review which identified, assessed and synthesized the existing evidence of the effectiveness of media campaigns in reducing youth violence. Search strategies made use of terms for youth, violence and a range of terms relating to the intervention. An array of academic databases and websites were searched. Although media campaigns to reduce violence are widespread, only six studies met the inclusion criteria. There is little strong evidence to support a direct link between media campaigns and a reduction in youth violence. Several studies measure proxies for violence such as empathy or opinions related to violence, but the link between these measures and violence perpetration is unclear. Nonetheless, some evidence suggests that a targeted and context-specific campaign, especially when combined with other measures, can reduce violence. However, such campaigns are less cost-effective to replicate over large populations than generalised campaigns. It is unclear whether the paucity of evidence represents a null effect or methodological challenges with evaluating media campaigns. Future studies need to be carefully planned to accommodate for methodological difficulties as well as to identify the specific elements of campaigns that work, especially in lower and middle income countries. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bubble, weak and strong hyperinflation: Theory and empirical evidence

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Fernando de Holanda Barbosa

2015-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a theoretical framework that allows a taxonomy of hyperinflation, namely: (i bubble, (ii weak and (iii strong hyperinflation. The inflation tax revenue curve is used to characterize each type of hyperinflation and we use this curve to test them. The bubble and strong hyperinflation hypotheses are rejected using Brazilian data. The weak hyperinflation hypothesis is not rejected and the economy could have been on the ‘wrong’ side of the Laffer curve during hyperinflation. This outcome, contrary to conventional wisdom, is predicted by this hypothesis, which presents a solution to an old puzzle of the hyperinflation literature.

Strong drifts effects on neoclassical transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tessarotto, M.; Gregoratto, D.; White, R.B.

1996-01-01

It is well known that strong drifts play an important role in plasma equilibrium, stability and confinement A significant example concerns, in particular for tokamak plasmas, the case of strong toroidal differential rotation produced by E x B drift which is currently regarded as potentially important for its influence in equilibrium, stability and transport. In fact, theoretically, it has been found that shear flow can substantially affect the stability of microinstabilities as well modify substantially transport. Recent experimental observations of enhanced confinement and transport regimes in Tokamaks, show, however, evidence of the existence of strong drifts in the plasma core. These are produced not only by the radial electric field [which gives rise to the E x B drift], but also by density [N s ], temperature [T s ] and mass flow [V = ωRe var-phi , with e var-phi the toroidal unit vector, R the distance for the symmetry axis of the torus and ω being the toroidal angular rotation velocity] profiles which are suitably steep. This implies that, in a significant part of the plasma core, the relevant scale lengths of the gradients [of N s , T s , ω], i.e., respectively L N , L T and L ω can be as large as the radial scale length characterizing the banana orbits, L b . Interestingly enough, the transport estimates obtained appear close or even lower than the predictions based on the simplest neoclassical model. However, as is well known, the latter applies, in a strict sense only in the case of weak drifts and also ignoring even the contribution of shear flow related to strong E x B drift. Thus a fundamental problem appears the extension of neoclassical transport theory to include the effect of strong drifts in Tokamak confinement systems. The goal of this investigation is to develop a general formulation of neoclassical transport embodying such important feature

Long-term Trends of Organic Carbon Concentrations in Freshwaters: Strengths and Weaknesses of Existing Evidence

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Montserrat Filella

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Many articles published in the last few years start with the assumption that the past decades have seen an increase in dissolved organic carbon (DOC concentrations in the rivers and lakes of the Northern Hemisphere. This study analyses whether the existing evidence supports this claim. With this aim, we have collected published studies where long series of organic carbon concentrations (i.e., longer than 10 years were analyzed for existing trends and have carefully evaluated the 63 articles found. Information has been collated in a comprehensive and comparable way, allowing readers to easily access it. The two main aspects considered in our analysis have been the analytical methods used and the data treatment methods applied. Both are sensitive issues because, on the one hand, the difficulties associated with correctly determining organic carbon concentrations in surface waters are well known, while, on the other, dealing with real environmental data (i.e., lack of normality, censoring, missing values, etc. is an extremely intricate matter. Other issues such as data reporting and the geographical location of the systems studied are also discussed. In conclusion, it is clear that organic carbon concentrations have increased in some surface waters in the Northern Hemisphere since the 1990s. However, due to a lack of data in many parts of the world, it is not known whether this phenomenon is general and, more importantly, in the areas for which such data do exist, the reporting and methodological problems in the published studies prevent any conclusion on the existence of a general temporal behavior of organic carbon from being drawn.

THE SLOAN BRIGHT ARCS SURVEY: TEN STRONG GRAVITATIONAL LENSING CLUSTERS AND EVIDENCE OF OVERCONCENTRATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiesner, Matthew P. [Department of Physics, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115 (United States); Lin, Huan; Allam, Sahar S.; Annis, James; Buckley-Geer, Elizabeth J.; Diehl, H. Thomas; Kubik, Donna; Kubo, Jeffrey M.; Tucker, Douglas [Center for Particle Astrophysics, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, P.O. Box 500, Batavia, IL 60510 (United States)

2012-12-10

We describe 10 strong lensing galaxy clusters of redshift 0.26 {<=} z {<=} 0.56 that were found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We present measurements of richness (N{sub 200}), mass (M{sub 200}), and velocity dispersion for the clusters. We find that in order to use the mass-richness relation from Johnston et al., which was established at mean redshift of 0.25, it is necessary to scale measured richness values up by 1.47. Using this scaling, we find richness values for these clusters to be in the range of 22 {<=} N{sub 200} {<=} 317 and mass values to be in the range of 1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 14} h {sup -1} M{sub Sun} {<=} M{sub 200} {<=} 30 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 14} h {sup -1} M{sub Sun }. We also present measurements of Einstein radius, mass, and velocity dispersion for the lensing systems. The Einstein radii ({theta}{sub E}) are all relatively small, with 5.''4 {<=} {theta}{sub E} {<=} 13''. Finally, we consider if there is evidence that our clusters are more concentrated than {Lambda}CDM would predict. We find that six of our clusters do not show evidence of overconcentration, while four of our clusters do. We note a correlation between overconcentration and mass, as the four clusters showing evidence of overconcentration are all lower-mass clusters. For the four lowest mass clusters the average value of the concentration parameter c{sub 200} is 11.6, while for the six higher-mass clusters the average value of c{sub 200} is 4.4. {Lambda}CDM would place c{sub 200} between 3.4 and 5.7.

A Note on the Observational Evidence for the Existence of Event Horizons in Astrophysical Black Hole Candidates

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Cosimo Bambi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Black holes have the peculiar and intriguing property of having an event horizon, a one-way membrane causally separating their internal region from the rest of the Universe. Today, astrophysical observations provide some evidence for the existence of event horizons in astrophysical black hole candidates. In this short paper, I compare the constraint we can infer from the nonobservation of electromagnetic radiation from the putative surface of these objects with the bound coming from the ergoregion instability, pointing out the respective assumptions and limitations.

A note on the observational evidence for the existence of event horizons in astrophysical black hole candidates.

Science.gov (United States)

Bambi, Cosimo

2013-01-01

Black holes have the peculiar and intriguing property of having an event horizon, a one-way membrane causally separating their internal region from the rest of the Universe. Today, astrophysical observations provide some evidence for the existence of event horizons in astrophysical black hole candidates. In this short paper, I compare the constraint we can infer from the nonobservation of electromagnetic radiation from the putative surface of these objects with the bound coming from the ergoregion instability, pointing out the respective assumptions and limitations.

Electrodynamical forbiddance of a strong quadrupole interaction in surface enhanced optical processes. Experimental confirmation of the existence in fullerene C{sub 60}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Polubotko, A. M., E-mail: alex.marina@mail.ioffe.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Ioffe Physical Technical Institute (Russian Federation); Chelibanov, V. P., E-mail: Chelibanov@gmail.com [State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (Russian Federation)

2017-02-15

It is demonstrated that in the SERS and SEIRA spectra of the fullerene C{sub 60}, the lines, which are forbidden in usual Raman and IR spectra and allowed in SERS and SEIRA, are absent. In addition the enhancement SERS coefficient in a single molecule detection regime is ~10{sup 8} instead of the value 10{sup 14}–10{sup 15}, characteristic for this phenomenon. These results are explained by the existence of so-called electrodynamical forbiddance of a strong quadrupole light-molecule interaction, which arises because of belonging of C{sup 60} to the icosahedral symmetry group and due to the electrodynamical law divE = 0.

Evidence for a scaling solution in cosmic-string evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, D.P.; Bouchet, F.R.

1988-01-01

We study, by means of numerical simulations, the most fundamental issue of cosmic-string evolution: the existence of a scaling solution. We find strong evidence that a scaling solution does indeed exist. This justifies the main assumption on which the cosmic-string theories of galaxy formation are based. Our main conclusion coincides with that of Albrecht and Turok in previous work, but our results are not consistent with theirs. In fact, our results indicate that the details of string evolution are very different from the standard dogma

A critical appraisal of standard guidelines for grading levels of evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Gugiu, P Cristian; Gugiu, Mihaiela Ristei

2010-09-01

Over the past 30 years, a general consensus has emerged within the medical community regarding the essential role served by grading guidelines in evaluating the quality of evidence produced by a medical research study. Specifically, consensus exists regarding the hierarchy of evidence, where randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the ''gold standard'' followed by nonrandomized controlled trials (non-RCTs) and uncontrolled trials. As guidelines have become more sophisticated, processes have been developed for downgrading poorly conducted studies and upgrading strong studies. Lists of threats to internal validity have been disseminated, thereby assisting reviewers in grading studies. However, despite these many accomplishments, considerable issues remain unresolved with respect to how to evaluate the strength of evidence produced by flawed RCTs versus well-conducted non-RCTs. The purpose of this article is to evaluate existing evidence-based grading guidelines and to offer suggestions for how such guidelines may be improved.

Evidence and evidence gaps in tinnitus therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Hesse, Gerhard

2016-01-01

A nearly endless number of procedures has been tried and in particular sold for the treatment of tinnitus, unfortunately they have not been evaluated appropriately in an evidence-based way. A causal therapy, omitting the tinnitus still does not exist, actually it cannot exist because of the various mechanisms of its origin. However or perhaps because of that, medical interventions appear and reappear like fashion trends that can never be proven by stable and reliable treatment success. This contribution will discuss and acknowledge all current therapeutic procedures and the existing or non-existing evidence will be assessed. Beside external evidence, the term of evidence also encompasses the internal evidence, i.e. the experience of the treating physician and the patient’s needs shall be included. While there is no evidence for nearly all direct procedures that intend modulating or stimulating either the cochlea or specific cervical regions such as the auditory cortex, there are therapeutic procedures that are acknowledged in clinical practice and have achieved at least a certain degree of evidence and generate measurable effect sizes. Those are in particular habituation therapy and psychotherapeutic measures, especially if they are combined with concrete measures for improved audio perception (hearing aids, CI, hearing therapies). PMID:28025604

Does Scientific Evidence for the Use of Natural Products in the Treatment of Oral Candidiasis Exist? A Systematic Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriela Lacet Silva Ferreira

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In view of the limitations of antifungal agents used in the treatment of oral candidiasis and the wide variety of natural products that have been studied as treatment of this disease, this systematic literature review proposed to evaluate whether scientific evidence attesting to the efficacy of natural products in the treatment of this disease exists. A systematic search in PubMed, MEDLINE, SciELO, Lilacs, and Cochrane Library databases was accomplished using the associations among the keywords Candida albicans, phytotherapy, biological products, denture stomatitis, and oral candidiasis in both English and Portuguese. Four independent observers evaluated the methodological quality of the resulting articles. Three studies were included for detailed analysis and evaluated according to the analysis protocol based on the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials 2010 statement. The tested products were different in all studies. Two studies mentioned random samples, but no study described the sample allocation. No study mentioned sample calculations, a prior pilot study, or examiner calibration, and only one trial reported sample losses. Differences between the tested products and the methodological designs among these studies did not allow the existence of scientific evidence related to the effectiveness of these products for the proposed subjects to be confirmed.

Antimutagenic action of aminoacids on UV-irradiated E. Coli cells: evidence of the existence of metabolic regulation of antimutagenic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filippov, V.D.

1990-01-01

The yield of mutations in Escherichia Coli cells placed after UV irradiation in a glucose-free salt medium enriched with casamino acids was determined. It is shown that in the absence of glucose casamino acids and certain individual amino acids produce a strong antimutagenetic effect. The acquired data allow to assume the existence of fine metabolic regulation of mutation reparation processes and occurrence of mutations in E. Coli cells exposed to UV-radiation

Fermion bag approach to the sign problem in strongly coupled lattice QED with Wilson fermions

OpenAIRE

Chandrasekharan, Shailesh; Li, Anyi

2010-01-01

We explore the sign problem in strongly coupled lattice QED with one flavor of Wilson fermions in four dimensions using the fermion bag formulation. We construct rules to compute the weight of a fermion bag and show that even though the fermions are confined into bosons, fermion bags with negative weights do exist. By classifying fermion bags as either simple or complex, we find numerical evidence that complex bags with positive and negative weights come with almost equal probabilities and th...

The value of self-medication: summary of existing evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Noone, Joshua; Blanchette, Christopher M

2018-02-01

The aim of this review was to identify the international evidence that is currently available on the economic value of self-care through responsible self-medication, in terms of the measures related to access to treatment, time, and productivity. A targeted literature search was conducted for 1990-2016, including data gathered from members of the World Self-Medication Industry and searches on PubMed, EBSCOHost, and Google Scholar. Specific searches of individual drug classes known to be switched to non-prescription status in this period were also conducted. A total of 71 articles were identified, of which 17 (11 modeling studies, six retrospective analyses) were included in the review. Evidence from modeling studies and retrospective analyses of grouped data across a range of common conditions for which non-prescription medications are available in different countries/regions showed that the use of non-prescription products for the treatment of common conditions or for symptom management (e.g. allergies, chronic pain, migraine, vaginitis, gastrointestinal symptoms, or common cold symptoms) had considerable value to patients, payers, and employers alike in terms of cost savings and improved productivity. Potential benefits of self-medication were also identified in preventative healthcare strategies, such as those for cardiovascular health and osteoporosis. This review was limited by a targeted, but non-systematic approach to literature retrieval, as well as the inclusion of unpublished reports/white papers and patient self-reported data. The evidence identified in this literature review shows that responsible, appropriate self-medication with non-prescription products can provide significant economic benefits for patients, employers, and healthcare systems worldwide.

Evidence for the Existing American Nurses Association-Recognized Standardized Nursing Terminologies: A Systematic Review

Science.gov (United States)

Tastan, Sevinc; Linch, Graciele C. F.; Keenan, Gail M.; Stifter, Janet; McKinney, Dawn; Fahey, Linda; Dunn Lopez, Karen; Yao, Yingwei; Wilkie, Diana J.

2014-01-01

records (n = 12), and secondary use of electronic health record data (n = 19). Conclusions Findings reveal that the number of standardized nursing terminology publications increased primarily since 2000 with most focusing on North American Nursing Diagnosis-International, Nursing Interventions Classification, and Nursing Outcome Classification. The majority of the studies were descriptive, qualitative, or correlational designs that provide a strong base for understanding the validity and reliability of the concepts underlying the standardized nursing terminologies. There is evidence supporting the successful integration and use in electronic health records for two standardized nursing terminology sets: (1) the North American Nursing Diagnosis-International, Nursing Interventions Classification, and Nursing Outcome Classification set; and (2) the Omaha System set. Researchers, however, should continue to strengthen standardized nursing terminology study designs to promote continuous improvement of the standardized nursing terminologies and use in clinical practice. PMID:24412062

Dual field theory of strong interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akers, D.

1987-01-01

A dual field theory of strong interactions is derived from a Lagrangian of the Yang-Mills and Higgs fields. The existence of a magnetic monopole of mass 2397 MeV and Dirac charge g = (137/2)e is incorporated into the theory. Unification of the strong, weak, and electromagnetic forces is shown to converge at the mass of the intermediate vector boson W/sup +/-/. The coupling constants of the strong and weak interactions are derived in terms of the fine-structure constant α = 1/137

Strong Nash Equilibria and the Potential Maimizer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Megen, F.J.C.; Facchini, G.; Borm, P.E.M.; Tijs, S.H.

1996-01-01

A class of non cooperative games characterized by a `congestion e ect' is studied, in which there exists a strong Nash equilibrium, and the set of Nash equilibria, the set of strong Nash equilibria and the set of strategy pro les maximizing the potential function coincide.The structure of the class

Co-existence of Gel and Fluid Lipid Domains in Single-component Phospholipid Membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Armstrong, Clare L [McMaster University; Barrett, M [McMaster University; Toppozini, L [McMaster University; Yamani, Zahra [Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, National Research Council, Chalk River Laboratorie; Kucerka, Norbert [Canadian Neutron Beam Centre and Comelius University (Slovakia); Katsaras, John [ORNL; Fragneto, Giovanna [Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL); Rheinstadter, Maikel C [McMaster University

2012-01-01

Lateral nanostructures in membranes, so-called rafts, are believed to strongly influence membrane properties and functions. The experimental observation of rafts has proven difficult as they are thought to be dynamic structures that likely fluctuate on nano- to microsecond time scales. Using neutron diffraction we present direct experimental evidence for the co-existence of gel and fluid lipid domains in a single-component phospholipid membrane made of DPPC as it undergoes its main phase transition. The coherence length of the neutron beam sets a lower limit for the size of structures that can be observed. Neutron coherence lengths between 30 and 242A used in this study were obtained by varying the incident neutron energy and the resolution of the neutron spectrometer. We observe Bragg peaks corresponding to co-existing nanometer sized structures, both in out-of-plane and in-plane scans, by tuning the neutron coherence length. During the main phase transition, instead of a continuous transition that shows a pseudo-critical behavior, we observe the co-existence of gel and fluid domains.

Strong electron bidirectional anisotropies in the distant tail: ISEE 3 observations of polar rain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, D.N.; Bame, S.J.; Feldman, W.C.; Gosling, J.T.; Zwickl, R.D.; Slavin, J.A.; Smith, E.J.

1986-01-01

A detailed observational treatment of bidirectional electrons (--50 to 50 eV)in the distant magnetotail (rapprox. >100 R/sub E/) is presented. It is found that electrons in this energy range commonly exhibit strong, field-aligned anisotropies in the tail lobes. Because of large tail motions, the ISEE 3 data provide extensive sampling of both the north and south lobes in rapid succession. These data demonstrate directly the strong asymmetries that exist between the north and south lobes at any one time. The bidirectional fluxes are found to occur predominantly in the lobe directly connected to the sunward interplanetary magnetic field in the open magnetosphere model (north lobe for away sectors and south lobe for toward sectors). Electron anisotropy and magnetic field data are presented which show the transition from unidirectional (sheath) electron populations to bidirectional (lobe) populations. Thus we demonstrate the open nature of the distant magnetopause and show that the source of the higher-energy, bidirectional lobe electrons is the tailward directed electron heat flux population in the distant magnetosheath. Taken together, the present evidence suggests that the bidirectional electrons that we observe in the distant tail are closely related to the polar rain electrons observed previously at lower altitudes. Furthermore, these data provide strong evidence that the distant tail is composed largely of open magnetic field lines in contradistinction to some recently advanced models

Strong coupling phase in QED

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoki, Ken-ichi

1988-01-01

Existence of a strong coupling phase in QED has been suggested in solutions of the Schwinger-Dyson equation and in Monte Carlo simulation of lattice QED. In this article we recapitulate the previous arguments, and formulate the problem in the modern framework of the renormalization theory, Wilsonian renormalization. This scheme of renormalization gives the best understanding of the basic structure of a field theory especially when it has a multi-phase structure. We resolve some misleading arguments in the previous literature. Then we set up a strategy to attack the strong phase, if any. We describe a trial; a coupled Schwinger-Dyson equation. Possible picture of the strong coupling phase QED is presented. (author)

Seismic switch for strong motion measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Harben, P.E.; Rodgers, P.W.; Ewert, D.W.

1995-05-30

A seismic switching device is described that has an input signal from an existing microseismic station seismometer and a signal from a strong motion measuring instrument. The seismic switch monitors the signal level of the strong motion instrument and passes the seismometer signal to the station data telemetry and recording systems. When the strong motion instrument signal level exceeds a user set threshold level, the seismometer signal is switched out and the strong motion signal is passed to the telemetry system. The amount of time the strong motion signal is passed before switching back to the seismometer signal is user controlled between 1 and 15 seconds. If the threshold level is exceeded during a switch time period, the length of time is extended from that instant by one user set time period. 11 figs.

Revitalising Evidence-based Policy for the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030: Lessons from Existing International Science Partnerships.

Science.gov (United States)

Carabine, Elizabeth

2015-04-23

The convergence of agreements on disaster risk reduction (DRR), development finance, sustainable development and climate change in 2015 presents a unique opportunity for coherence across these inter-related policy areas. At the same time, demand is growing for a more prominent and effective role for science and technology in providing evidence for policy, with the international community recognising that successful disaster risk reduction (DRR) depends on it. Reflecting this ambition, science is included as a core aspect of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, although the ways in which this will be implemented in practice is still unclear. This paper aims to inform the implementation of international science coordination for DRR by examining a number of existing international science partnerships used across other relevant areas of policy to understand best practice, options for coordination and lessons identified. In the field of DRR, the science-policy interface needs to be strengthened in line with the best practice described in this review. An enhanced UNISDR Scientific and Technical Advisory Group will be given the mandate for to enhance the evidence base for DRR and mobilise science and technical work in coordination with a broad range of stakeholders. The structure and function of an enhanced STAG must be as open, as inclusive and as participatory as possible in order to build trust in new and existing institutions at local, national, regional and global levels. The challenge for the international community is to facilitate evidence-based policy making by formally recognising the links between DRR, development finance, sustainable development and climate change in the upcoming post-2015 agreements.

Missed, Not Missing: Phylogenomic Evidence for the Existence of Avian FoxP3.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael P Denyer

Full Text Available The Forkhead box transcription factor FoxP3 is pivotal to the development and function of regulatory T cells (Tregs, which make a major contribution to peripheral tolerance. FoxP3 is believed to perform a regulatory role in all the vertebrate species in which it has been detected. The prevailing view is that FoxP3 is absent in birds and that avian Tregs rely on alternative developmental and suppressive pathways. Prompted by the automated annotation of foxp3 in the ground tit (Parus humilis genome, we have questioned this assumption. Our analysis of all available avian genomes has revealed that the foxp3 locus is missing, incomplete or of poor quality in the relevant genomic assemblies for nearly all avian species. Nevertheless, in two species, the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus and the saker falcon (F. cherrug, there is compelling evidence for the existence of exons showing synteny with foxp3 in the ground tit. A broader phylogenomic analysis has shown that FoxP3 sequences from these three species are similar to crocodilian sequences, the closest living relatives of birds. In both birds and crocodilians, we have also identified a highly proline-enriched region at the N terminus of FoxP3, a region previously identified only in mammals.

75 FR 45013 - Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-30

... Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Systematic Alien... pre-existing condition based on evidence of the existence or history of certain medical or health...

Experimental evidence showing that no mitotically active female germline progenitors exist in postnatal mouse ovaries.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hua; Zheng, Wenjing; Shen, Yan; Adhikari, Deepak; Ueno, Hiroo; Liu, Kui

2012-07-31

It has been generally accepted for more than half a century that, in most mammalian species, oocytes cannot renew themselves in postnatal or adult life, and that the number of oocytes is already fixed in fetal or neonatal ovaries. This assumption, however, has been challenged over the past decade. In this study, we have taken an endogenous genetic approach to this question and generated a multiple fluorescent Rosa26(rbw/+);Ddx4-Cre germline reporter mouse model for in vivo and in vitro tracing of the development of female germline cell lineage. Through live cell imaging and de novo folliculogenesis experiments, we show that the Ddx4-expressing cells from postnatal mouse ovaries did not enter mitosis, nor did they contribute to oocytes during de novo folliculogenesis. Our results provide evidence that supports the traditional view that no postnatal follicular renewal occurs in mammals, and no mitotically active Ddx4-expressing female germline progenitors exist in postnatal mouse ovaries.

Reproducibility in Psychological Science: When Do Psychological Phenomena Exist?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seppo E. Iso-Ahola

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Scientific evidence has recently been used to assert that certain psychological phenomena do not exist. Such claims, however, cannot be made because (1 scientific method itself is seriously limited (i.e., it can never prove a negative; (2 non-existence of phenomena would require a complete absence of both logical (theoretical and empirical support; even if empirical support is weak, logical and theoretical support can be strong; (3 statistical data are only one piece of evidence and cannot be used to reduce psychological phenomena to statistical phenomena; and (4 psychological phenomena vary across time, situations and persons. The human mind is unreproducible from one situation to another. Psychological phenomena are not particles that can decisively be tested and discovered. Therefore, a declaration that a phenomenon is not real is not only theoretically and empirically unjustified but runs counter to the propositional and provisional nature of scientific knowledge. There are only “temporary winners” and no “final truths” in scientific knowledge. Psychology is a science of subtleties in human affect, cognition and behavior. Its phenomena fluctuate with conditions and may sometimes be difficult to detect and reproduce empirically. When strictly applied, reproducibility is an overstated and even questionable concept in psychological science. Furthermore, statistical measures (e.g., effect size are poor indicators of the theoretical importance and relevance of phenomena (cf. “deliberate practice” vs. “talent” in expert performance, not to mention whether phenomena are real or unreal. To better understand psychological phenomena, their theoretical and empirical properties should be examined via multiple parameters and criteria. Ten such parameters are suggested.

Reproducibility in Psychological Science: When Do Psychological Phenomena Exist?

Science.gov (United States)

Iso-Ahola, Seppo E.

2017-01-01

Scientific evidence has recently been used to assert that certain psychological phenomena do not exist. Such claims, however, cannot be made because (1) scientific method itself is seriously limited (i.e., it can never prove a negative); (2) non-existence of phenomena would require a complete absence of both logical (theoretical) and empirical support; even if empirical support is weak, logical and theoretical support can be strong; (3) statistical data are only one piece of evidence and cannot be used to reduce psychological phenomena to statistical phenomena; and (4) psychological phenomena vary across time, situations and persons. The human mind is unreproducible from one situation to another. Psychological phenomena are not particles that can decisively be tested and discovered. Therefore, a declaration that a phenomenon is not real is not only theoretically and empirically unjustified but runs counter to the propositional and provisional nature of scientific knowledge. There are only “temporary winners” and no “final truths” in scientific knowledge. Psychology is a science of subtleties in human affect, cognition and behavior. Its phenomena fluctuate with conditions and may sometimes be difficult to detect and reproduce empirically. When strictly applied, reproducibility is an overstated and even questionable concept in psychological science. Furthermore, statistical measures (e.g., effect size) are poor indicators of the theoretical importance and relevance of phenomena (cf. “deliberate practice” vs. “talent” in expert performance), not to mention whether phenomena are real or unreal. To better understand psychological phenomena, their theoretical and empirical properties should be examined via multiple parameters and criteria. Ten such parameters are suggested. PMID:28626435

Diabetes is a strong predictor of mortality during tuberculosis treatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Faurholt-Jepsen, Daniel; Range, Nyagosya; PrayGod, George

2013-01-01

Strong evidence suggests diabetes may be associated with tuberculosis (TB) and could influence TB treatment outcomes. We assessed the role of diabetes on sputum culture conversion and mortality among patients undergoing TB treatment.......Strong evidence suggests diabetes may be associated with tuberculosis (TB) and could influence TB treatment outcomes. We assessed the role of diabetes on sputum culture conversion and mortality among patients undergoing TB treatment....

Evidence for the existence of Gribov copies in Landau gauge lattice QCD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marinari, E.; Ricci, R. (Rome-2 Univ. (Italy). Dipt. di Fisica INFN, Rome (Italy)); Parrinello, C. (New York Univ., NY (USA). Physics Dept.)

1991-09-16

We unambiguously show the existence of Gribov copies in a pure SU(3) gauge lattice model, with Wilson action. We show that the usual steepest-descent algorithms used for implementing the lattice Landau gauge lead to ambiguities, which are related to the existence of Gribov copies in the model. (orig.).

Electromagnetic pulses in a strongly magnetized electron-positron plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, M.Y.; Rao, N.N.

1985-01-01

The conditions for the existence of large-amplitude localized electromagnetic wave pulses in an electron-positron plasma penetrated by a very strong ambient magnetic field are obtained. It is shown that such pulses can exist in pulsar polar magnetospheres. 12 references

Measurement of strong interaction effects in antiprotonic helium atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, J.D.; Gorringe, T.P.; Lowe, J.; Nelson, J.M.; Playfer, S.M.; Pyle, G.J.; Squier, G.T.A.

1984-01-01

The strong interaction shift and width for the 2 p level and the width for the 3d level have been measured for antiprotonic helium atoms. The results are compared with optical model calculations. The possible existence of strongly bound antiproton states in nuclei is discussed. (orig.)

Evidence & Gap Maps: A tool for promoting evidence informed policy and strategic research agendas.

Science.gov (United States)

Snilstveit, Birte; Vojtkova, Martina; Bhavsar, Ami; Stevenson, Jennifer; Gaarder, Marie

2016-11-01

A range of organizations are engaged in the production of evidence on the effects of health, social, and economic development programs on human welfare outcomes. However, evidence is often scattered around different databases, web sites, and the gray literature and is often presented in inaccessible formats. Lack of overview of the evidence in a specific field can be a barrier to the use of existing research and prevent efficient use of limited resources for new research. Evidence & Gap Maps (EGMs) aim to address these issues and complement existing synthesis and mapping approaches. EGMs are a new addition to the tools available to support evidence-informed policymaking. To provide an accessible resource for researchers, commissioners, and decision makers, EGMs provide thematic collections of evidence structured around a framework which schematically represents the types of interventions and outcomes of relevance to a particular sector. By mapping the existing evidence using this framework, EGMs provide a visual overview of what we know and do not know about the effects of different programs. They make existing evidence available, and by providing links to user-friendly summaries of relevant studies, EGMs can facilitate the use of existing evidence for decision making. They identify key "gaps" where little or no evidence from impact evaluations and systematic reviews is available and can be a valuable resource to inform a strategic approach to building the evidence base in a particular sector. The article will introduce readers to the concept and methods of EGMs and present a demonstration of the EGM tool using existing examples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Strong interactions at high energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anselmino, M.

1995-01-01

Spin effects in strong interaction high energy processes are subtle phenomena which involve both short and long distance physics and test perturbative and non perturbative aspects of QCD. Moreover, depending on quantities like interferences between different amplitudes and relative phases, spin observables always test a theory at a fundamental quantum mechanical level; it is then no surprise that spin data are often difficult to accommodate within the existing models. A report is made on the main issues and contributions discussed in the parallel Session on the open-quote open-quote Strong interactions at high energy close-quote close-quote in this Conference. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

Strong plasma turbulence in the earth's electron foreshock

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, P. A.; Newman, D. L.

1991-01-01

A quantitative model is developed to account for the distribution in magnitude and location of the intense plasma waves observed in the earth's electron foreshock given the observed rms levels of waves. In this model, nonlinear strong-turbulence effects cause solitonlike coherent wave packets to form and decouple from incoherent background beam-excited weak turbulence, after which they convect downstream with the solar wind while collapsing to scales as short as 100 m and fields as high as 2 V/m. The existence of waves with energy densities above the strong-turbulence wave-collapse threshold is inferred from observations from IMP 6 and ISEE 1 and quantitative agreement is found between the predicted distribution of fields in an ensemble of such wave packets and the actual field distribution observed in situ by IMP 6. Predictions for the polarization of plasma waves and the bandwidth of ion-sound waves are also consistent with the observations. It is shown that strong-turbulence effects must be incorporated in any comprehensive theory of the propagation and evolution of electron beams in the foreshock. Previous arguments against the existence of strong turbulence in the foreshock are refuted.

Strong plasma turbulence in the earth's electron foreshock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, P.A.; Newman, D.L.

1991-01-01

A quantitative model is developed to account for the distribution in magnitude and location of the intense plasma waves observed in the Earth's electron foreshock given the observed rms levels of waves. In this model, nonlinear strong-turbulence effects cause solitonlike coherent wave packets to form and decouple from incoherent background beam-excited weak turbulence, after which they convect downstream with the solar wind while collapsing to scales as short as 100 m and fields as high as 2 V m -1 . The existence of waves with energy densities above the strong-turbulence wave-collapse threshold is inferred from observations from IMP 6 and ISEE 1 and quantitative agreement is found between the predicted distribution of fields in an ensemble of such wave packets and the actual field distribution observed in situ by IMP 6. Predictions for the polarization of plasma waves and the bandwidth of ion-sound waves are also consistent with the observations. It is shown that strong-turbulence effects must be incorporated in any comprehensive theory of the propagation and evolution of electron beams in the foreshock. Previous arguments against the existence of strong turbulence in the foreshock are refuted

Cycle frequency in standard Rock-Paper-Scissors games: Evidence from experimental economics

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Bin; Zhou, Hai-Jun; Wang, Zhijian

2013-10-01

The Rock-Paper-Scissors (RPS) game is a widely used model system in game theory. Evolutionary game theory predicts the existence of persistent cycles in the evolutionary trajectories of the RPS game, but experimental evidence has remained to be rather weak. In this work, we performed laboratory experiments on the RPS game and analyzed the social-state evolutionary trajectories of twelve populations of N=6 players. We found strong evidence supporting the existence of persistent cycles. The mean cycling frequency was measured to be 0.029±0.009 period per experimental round. Our experimental observations can be quantitatively explained by a simple non-equilibrium model, namely the discrete-time logit dynamical process with a noise parameter. Our work therefore favors the evolutionary game theory over the classical game theory for describing the dynamical behavior of the RPS game.

Solvability of Extended General Strongly Mixed Variational Inequalities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Balwant Singh Thakur

2013-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a new class of extended general strongly mixed variational inequalities is introduced and studied in Hilbert spaces. An existence theorem of solution is established and using resolvent operator technique, a new iterative algorithm for solving the extended general strongly mixed variational inequality is suggested. A convergence result for the iterative sequence generated by the new algorithm is also established.

Solution of the strong CP problem by color exchange

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barr, S.M.; Zee, A.

1985-08-01

We present a new way to solve the strong CP problem in models with a spontaneously broken CP invariance. It is simpler than existing non-Peccei-Quinn approaches. It predicts the existence of light (i.e. weak scale) colored Higgs bosons which could be seen in colliders. 25 refs., 3 figs

A Century of Evidence on Trend-Following Investing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hurst, Brian; Ooi, Yao Hua; Heje Pedersen, Lasse

a century. We analyze trend-following returns through various economic environments and highlight the diversifi cation benefi ts the strategy has historically provided in equity bear markets. Finally, we evaluate the recent environment for the strategy in the context of these long-term results.......We study the performance of trend-following investing across global markets since 1903, extending the existing evidence by more than 80 years. We fi nd that trend-following has delivered strong positive returns and realized a low correlation to traditional asset classes each decade for more than...

Knowledge and awareness of Canadian Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines: a synthesis of existing evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

LeBlanc, Allana G; Berry, Tanya; Deshpande, Sameer; Duggan, Mary; Faulkner, Guy; Latimer-Cheung, Amy E; O'Reilly, Norm; Rhodes, Ryan E; Spence, John C; Tremblay, Mark S

2015-07-01

The aim of this review was to consolidate and synthesize existing evidence regarding current knowledge and awareness of the Canadian Physical Activity (PA) and Sedentary Behaviour (SB) Guidelines. MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO were searched for peer-reviewed publications pertaining to the guidelines. Content experts, key organizations (i.e., ParticipACTION and the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute), journal Web sites, and service organizations (i.e., the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) and the Public Health Agency of Canada) were consulted for additional evidence. Scientific publications (n = 6) and research from ParticipACTION and the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute reported that awareness of the guidelines is low, especially with respect to the SB guidelines. Less than 10% of survey respondents from the Canadian population were aware of the PA guidelines, and less than 5% were aware of the SB guidelines. Information on the guidelines was available on 51% of public health unit and CSEP partner Web sites. Online metrics (e.g., downloads, site accessions) from CSEP, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and journal Web sites showed that online accession of the guidelines was high (e.g., all "highly accessed" on journal Web sites). This review showed that awareness of the Canadian PA and SB Guidelines is low among the general population but higher among the scientific and stakeholder communities. Governmental, nongovernmental, and stakeholder organizations should collaborate in creating sustained, long-term, and well-resourced communication plans to reach the Canadian population to raise awareness of PA and SB guidelines and should implement programs to facilitate their uptake.

Weighing the Evidence of Common Beliefs in Obesity Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Casazza, Krista; Brown, Andrew; Astrup, Arne; Bertz, Fredrik; Baum, Charles; Brown, Michelle Bohan; Dawson, John; Durant, Nefertiti; Dutton, Gareth; Fields, David A; Fontaine, Kevin R; Heymsfield, Steven; Levitsky, David; Mehta, Tapan; Menachemi, Nir; Newby, P K; Pate, Russell; Raynor, Hollie; Rolls, Barbara J; Sen, Bisakha; Smith, Daniel L; Thomas, Diana; Wansink, Brian; Allison, David B

2015-01-01

Obesity is a topic on which many views are strongly held in the absence of scientific evidence to support those views, and some views are strongly held despite evidence to contradict those views. We refer to the former as "presumptions" and the latter as "myths." Here, we present nine myths and 10 presumptions surrounding the effects of rapid weight loss; setting realistic goals in weight loss therapy; stage of change or readiness to lose weight; physical education classes; breastfeeding; daily self-weighing; genetic contribution to obesity; the "Freshman 15"; food deserts; regularly eating (versus skipping) breakfast; eating close to bedtime; eating more fruits and vegetables; weight cycling (i.e., yo-yo dieting); snacking; built environment; reducing screen time in childhood obesity; portion size; participation in family mealtime; and drinking water as a means of weight loss. For each of these, we describe the belief and present evidence that the belief is widely held or stated, reasons to support the conjecture that the belief might be true, evidence to directly support or refute the belief, and findings from randomized controlled trials, if available. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of these determinations, conjecture on why so many myths and presumptions exist, and suggestions for limiting the spread of these and other unsubstantiated beliefs about the obesity domain.

Bayes factor design analysis: Planning for compelling evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Schönbrodt, Felix D; Wagenmakers, Eric-Jan

2018-02-01

A sizeable literature exists on the use of frequentist power analysis in the null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST) paradigm to facilitate the design of informative experiments. In contrast, there is almost no literature that discusses the design of experiments when Bayes factors (BFs) are used as a measure of evidence. Here we explore Bayes Factor Design Analysis (BFDA) as a useful tool to design studies for maximum efficiency and informativeness. We elaborate on three possible BF designs, (a) a fixed-n design, (b) an open-ended Sequential Bayes Factor (SBF) design, where researchers can test after each participant and can stop data collection whenever there is strong evidence for either [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text], and (c) a modified SBF design that defines a maximal sample size where data collection is stopped regardless of the current state of evidence. We demonstrate how the properties of each design (i.e., expected strength of evidence, expected sample size, expected probability of misleading evidence, expected probability of weak evidence) can be evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations and equip researchers with the necessary information to compute their own Bayesian design analyses.

Existence of solitary waves in dipolar quantum gases

KAUST Repository

Antonelli, Paolo; Sparber, Christof

2011-01-01

We study a nonlinear Schrdinger equation arising in the mean field description of dipolar quantum gases. Under the assumption of sufficiently strong dipolar interactions, the existence of standing waves, and hence solitons, is proved together with some of their properties. This gives a rigorous argument for the possible existence of solitary waves in BoseEinstein condensates, which originate solely due to the dipolar interaction between the particles. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Existence of solitary waves in dipolar quantum gases

KAUST Repository

Antonelli, Paolo

2011-02-01

We study a nonlinear Schrdinger equation arising in the mean field description of dipolar quantum gases. Under the assumption of sufficiently strong dipolar interactions, the existence of standing waves, and hence solitons, is proved together with some of their properties. This gives a rigorous argument for the possible existence of solitary waves in BoseEinstein condensates, which originate solely due to the dipolar interaction between the particles. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Existence of weak solutions to stochastic evolution inclusions

OpenAIRE

Jakubowski , Adam; Kamenskii , Mikhail; Raynaud de Fitte , Paul

2005-01-01

International audience; We consider the Cauchy problem for a semilinear stochastic differential inclusion in a Hilbert space. The linear operator generates a strongly continuous semigroup and the nonlinear term is multivalued and satisfies a condition which is more heneral than the Lipschitz condition. We prove the existence of a mild solution to this problem. This solution is not "strong" in the probabilistic sense, that is, it is not defined on the underlying probability space, but on a lar...

Mass spectrometric and enzymatic evidence confirm the existence of anthocyanidin 3,5-O-diglucosides in cabernet sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) grape berries.

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Ran-Ran; Li, Si-Yu; He, Fei; Yang, Zhe; Duan, Chang-Qing; Li, Zheng; Wang, Jun; Pan, Qiu-Hong

2015-04-01

It has been widely accepted that anthocyanidin 3,5-O-diglucosides do not exist in Vitis vinifera L. Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) berries. However, our anthocyanin analyses using HPLC-ESI-MS/MS detected the existence of a low level of anthocyanidin 3,5-O-diglucosides in the Cabernet Sauvignon grape berries grown in China. The authenticity of these samples was confirmed with microsatellite markers. The existence of anthocyanidin 3,5-O-diglucoside was further verified by the enzymatic evidence for the first time. Four putative 5-O-glucosyltransferase (5GT) genes were isolated from the Cabernet Sauvignon berries. The enzymatic analysis showed that a recombinant protein (designated as Vv5GT3) glucosylated the 3-O- and 5-O-positions of anthocyanidins and flavonols. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that this bifunctional enzyme belongs to the 5GT subfamily of UDP-glycosyltransferases. This finding brought a new understanding of the anthocyanins' profile and their biosynthesis in V. vinifera and would be helpful for further investigations of the mechanism of accumulation of anthocyanidin diglucosides in Cabernet Sauvignon berries in China's wine-producing regions.

Existence of Solutions of Nonlinear Integrodifferential Equations of ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. In this paper we prove the existence of mild and strong solutions of a nonlinear integrodifferential equation of Sobolev type with nonlocal condition. The results are obtained by using semigroup theory and the Schauder fixed point theorem.

Phylogenomics provides strong evidence for relationships of butterflies and moths.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawahara, Akito Y; Breinholt, Jesse W

2014-08-07

Butterflies and moths constitute some of the most popular and charismatic insects. Lepidoptera include approximately 160 000 described species, many of which are important model organisms. Previous studies on the evolution of Lepidoptera did not confidently place butterflies, and many relationships among superfamilies in the megadiverse clade Ditrysia remain largely uncertain. We generated a molecular dataset with 46 taxa, combining 33 new transcriptomes with 13 available genomes, transcriptomes and expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Using HaMStR with a Lepidoptera-specific core-orthologue set of single copy loci, we identified 2696 genes for inclusion into the phylogenomic analysis. Nucleotides and amino acids of the all-gene, all-taxon dataset yielded nearly identical, well-supported trees. Monophyly of butterflies (Papilionoidea) was strongly supported, and the group included skippers (Hesperiidae) and the enigmatic butterfly-moths (Hedylidae). Butterflies were placed sister to the remaining obtectomeran Lepidoptera, and the latter was grouped with greater than or equal to 87% bootstrap support. Establishing confident relationships among the four most diverse macroheteroceran superfamilies was previously challenging, but we recovered 100% bootstrap support for the following relationships: ((Geometroidea, Noctuoidea), (Bombycoidea, Lasiocampoidea)). We present the first robust, transcriptome-based tree of Lepidoptera that strongly contradicts historical placement of butterflies, and provide an evolutionary framework for genomic, developmental and ecological studies on this diverse insect order. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Strong Electroweak Symmetry Breaking and Spin-0 Resonances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, Jared; Luty, Markus A.

2009-01-01

We argue that theories of the strong electroweak symmetry breaking sector necessarily contain new spin 0 states at the TeV scale in the tt and tb/bt channels, even if the third generation quarks are not composite at the TeV scale. These states couple sufficiently strongly to third generation quarks to have significant production at LHC via gg→φ 0 or gb→tφ - . The existence of narrow resonances in QCD suggests that the strong electroweak breaking sector contains narrow resonances that decay to tt or tb/bt, with potentially significant branching fractions to 3 or more longitudinal W and Z bosons. These may give new 'smoking gun' signals of strong electroweak symmetry breaking.

Why preeclampsia still exists?

Science.gov (United States)

Chelbi, Sonia T; Veitia, Reiner A; Vaiman, Daniel

2013-08-01

Preeclampsia (PE) is a deadly gestational disease affecting up to 10% of women and specific of the human species. Preeclampsia is clearly multifactorial, but the existence of a genetic basis for this disease is now clearly established by the existence of familial cases, epidemiological studies and known predisposing gene polymorphisms. PE is very common despite the fact that Darwinian pressure should have rapidly eliminated or strongly minimized the frequency of predisposing alleles. Consecutive pregnancies with the same partner decrease the risk and severity of PE. Here, we show that, due to this peculiar feature, preeclampsia predisposing-alleles can be differentially maintained according to the familial structure. Thus, we suggest that an optimal frequency of PE-predisposing alleles in human populations can be achieved as a result of a trade-off between benefits of exogamy, importance for maintaining genetic diversity and increase of the fitness owing to a stable paternal investment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chaos in oil prices? Evidence from futures markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adrangi, B.; Chatrath, A.; Dhanda, K.K.; Raffiee, K.

2001-01-01

We test for the presence of low-dimensional chaotic structure in crude oil, heating oil, and unleaded gasoline futures prices from the early 1980s. Evidence on chaos will have important implications for regulators and short-term trading strategies. While we find strong evidence of non-linear dependencies, the evidence is not consistent with chaos. Our test results indicate that ARCH-type processes, with controls for seasonal variation in prices, generally explain the non-linearities in the data. We also demonstrate that employing seasonally adjusted price series contributes to obtaining robust results via the existing tests for chaotic structure. Maximum likelihood methodologies, that are robust to the non-linear dynamics, lend support for Samuelson's hypothesis on contract-maturity effects in futures price-changes. However, the tests for chaos are not found to be sensitive to the maturity effects in the futures contracts. The results are robust to controls for the oil shocks of 1986 and 1991

How to prove the existence of metabolons?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bassard, Jean-Étienne André; Halkier, Barbara Ann

2017-01-01

Sequential enzymes in biosynthetic pathways are organized in metabolons. It is challenging to provide experimental evidence for the existence of metabolons as biosynthetic pathways are composed of highly dynamic protein–protein interactions. Many different methods are being applied, each with str...

Connection of the Late Paleolithic archaeological sites of the Chuya depression with geological evidence of existence of the Late Pleistocene ice-dammed lakes

Science.gov (United States)

Agatova, A. R.; Nepop, R. K.

2017-07-01

The complexity of the age dating of the Pleistocene ice-dammed paleolakes in the Altai Mountains is a reason why geologists consider the Early Paleolithic archaeological sites as an independent age marker for dating geological objects. However, in order to use these sites for paleogeographic reconstructions, their locations, the character of stratification, and the age of stone artifacts need to be comprehensively studied. We investigate 20 Late Paleolithic archaeological sites discovered in the Chuya depression of the Russian Altai (Altai Mountains) with the aim of their possible use for reconstructions of the period of development of the Kurai-Chuya glacio-limnosystem in the Late Neopleistocene. The results of our investigation show that it is improper to use the Paleolithic archaeological sites for the dating of the existence period and the draining time of ice-dammed lakes of the Chuya Depression in the modern period of their study owing to a lack of quantitative age estimates, a wide age range of possible existence of these sites, possible redeposition of the majority of artifacts, and their surface occurrence. It is established that all stratified sites where cultural layers are expected to be dated in the future lie above the uppermost and well-expressed paleolake level (2100 m a.s.l.). Accordingly, there are no grounds to determine the existence time of shallower paleolakes. Since the whole stone material collected below the level of 2100 m a.s.l. is represented by surface finds, it is problematic to use these artifacts for absolute geochronology. The Late Paleolithic Bigdon and Chechketerek sites are of great interest for paleogeographic reconstructions of ice-dammed lakes. The use of iceberg rafting products as cores is evidence that these sites appeared after the draining of a paleolake (2000 m a.s.l.). At this time, the location of these archaeological sites on the slope of the Chuya Depression allows one to assume the existence of a large lake as deep

Stability in a fiber bundle model: Existence of strong links and the effect of disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Subhadeep

2018-05-01

The present paper deals with a fiber bundle model which consists of a fraction α of infinitely strong fibers. The inclusion of such an unbreakable fraction has been proven to affect the failure process in early studies, especially around a critical value αc. The present work has a twofold purpose: (i) a study of failure abruptness, mainly the brittle to quasibrittle transition point with varying α and (ii) variation of αc as we change the strength of disorder introduced in the model. The brittle to quasibrittle transition is confirmed from the failure abruptness. On the other hand, the αc is obtained from the knowledge of failure abruptness as well as the statistics of avalanches. It is observed that the brittle to quasibrittle transition point scales to lower values, suggesting more quasi-brittle-like continuous failure when α is increased. At the same time, the bundle becomes stronger as there are larger numbers of strong links to support the external stress. High α in a highly disordered bundle leads to an ideal situation where the bundle strength, as well as the predictability in failure process is very high. Also, the critical fraction αc, required to make the model deviate from the conventional results, increases with decreasing strength of disorder. The analytical expression for αc shows good agreement with the numerical results. Finally, the findings in the paper are compared with previous results and real-life applications of composite materials.

Strong Stackelberg reasoning in symmetric games: An experimental replication and extension

Science.gov (United States)

Colman, Andrew M.; Lawrence, Catherine L.

2014-01-01

In common interest games in which players are motivated to coordinate their strategies to achieve a jointly optimal outcome, orthodox game theory provides no general reason or justification for choosing the required strategies. In the simplest cases, where the optimal strategies are intuitively obvious, human decision makers generally coordinate without difficulty, but how they achieve this is poorly understood. Most theories seeking to explain strategic coordination have limited applicability, or require changes to the game specification, or introduce implausible assumptions or radical departures from fundamental game-theoretic assumptions. The theory of strong Stackelberg reasoning, according to which players choose strategies that would maximize their own payoffs if their co-players could invariably anticipate any strategy and respond with a best reply to it, avoids these problems and explains strategic coordination in all dyadic common interest games. Previous experimental evidence has provided evidence for strong Stackelberg reasoning in asymmetric games. Here we report evidence from two experiments consistent with players being influenced by strong Stackelberg reasoning in a wide variety of symmetric 3 × 3 games but tending to revert to other choice criteria when strong Stackelberg reasoning generates small payoffs. PMID:24688846

Strong Stackelberg reasoning in symmetric games: An experimental replication and extension.

Science.gov (United States)

Pulford, Briony D; Colman, Andrew M; Lawrence, Catherine L

2014-01-01

In common interest games in which players are motivated to coordinate their strategies to achieve a jointly optimal outcome, orthodox game theory provides no general reason or justification for choosing the required strategies. In the simplest cases, where the optimal strategies are intuitively obvious, human decision makers generally coordinate without difficulty, but how they achieve this is poorly understood. Most theories seeking to explain strategic coordination have limited applicability, or require changes to the game specification, or introduce implausible assumptions or radical departures from fundamental game-theoretic assumptions. The theory of strong Stackelberg reasoning, according to which players choose strategies that would maximize their own payoffs if their co-players could invariably anticipate any strategy and respond with a best reply to it, avoids these problems and explains strategic coordination in all dyadic common interest games. Previous experimental evidence has provided evidence for strong Stackelberg reasoning in asymmetric games. Here we report evidence from two experiments consistent with players being influenced by strong Stackelberg reasoning in a wide variety of symmetric 3 × 3 games but tending to revert to other choice criteria when strong Stackelberg reasoning generates small payoffs.

Strong Stackelberg reasoning in symmetric games: An experimental replication and extension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Briony D. Pulford

2014-02-01

Full Text Available In common interest games in which players are motivated to coordinate their strategies to achieve a jointly optimal outcome, orthodox game theory provides no general reason or justification for choosing the required strategies. In the simplest cases, where the optimal strategies are intuitively obvious, human decision makers generally coordinate without difficulty, but how they achieve this is poorly understood. Most theories seeking to explain strategic coordination have limited applicability, or require changes to the game specification, or introduce implausible assumptions or radical departures from fundamental game-theoretic assumptions. The theory of strong Stackelberg reasoning, according to which players choose strategies that would maximize their own payoffs if their co-players could invariably anticipate any strategy and respond with a best reply to it, avoids these problems and explains strategic coordination in all dyadic common interest games. Previous experimental evidence has provided evidence for strong Stackelberg reasoning in asymmetric games. Here we report evidence from two experiments consistent with players being influenced by strong Stackelberg reasoning in a wide variety of symmetric 3 × 3 games but tending to revert to other choice criteria when strong Stackelberg reasoning generates small payoffs.

Strongly not relatives Kähler manifolds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zedda Michela

2017-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper we study Kähler manifolds that are strongly not relative to any projective Kähler manifold, i.e. those Kähler manifolds that do not share a Kähler submanifold with any projective Kähler manifold even when their metric is rescaled by the multiplication by a positive constant. We prove two results which highlight some relations between this property and the existence of a full Kähler immersion into the infinite dimensional complex projective space. As application we get that the 1-parameter families of Bergman-Hartogs and Fock-Bargmann-Hartogs domains are strongly not relative to projective Kähler manifolds.

Does Lyme disease exist in Australia?

Science.gov (United States)

Collignon, Peter J; Lum, Gary D; Robson, Jennifer Mb

2016-11-07

There is no convincing evidence that classic Lyme disease occurs in Australia, nor is there evidence that the causative agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, is found in Australian animals or ticks. Lyme disease, however, can be acquired overseas but diagnosed in Australia; most people presenting with laboratory-confirmed Lyme disease in Australia were infected in Europe. Despite the lack of evidence that Lyme disease can be acquired in Australia, growing numbers of patients, their supporters, and some politicians demand diagnoses and treatment according to the protocols of the "chronic Lyme disease" school of thought. Antibiotic therapy for chronic "Lyme disease-like illness" can cause harm to both the individual (eg, cannula-related intravenous sepsis) and the broader community (increased antimicrobial resistance rates). Until there is strong evidence from well performed clinical studies that bacteria present in Australia cause a chronic debilitating illness that responds to prolonged antibiotics, treating patients with "Lyme disease-like illness" with prolonged antibiotic therapy is unjustified, and is likely to do much more harm than good.

Weak and strong chaos in Fermi-Pasta-Ulam models and beyond

Science.gov (United States)

Pettini, Marco; Casetti, Lapo; Cerruti-Sola, Monica; Franzosi, Roberto; Cohen, E. G. D.

2005-03-01

We briefly review some of the most relevant results that our group obtained in the past, while investigating the dynamics of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) models. The first result is the numerical evidence of the existence of two different kinds of transitions in the dynamics of the FPU models: (i) A stochasticity threshold (ST), characterized by a value of the energy per degree of freedom below which the overwhelming majority of the phase space trajectories are regular (vanishing Lyapunov exponents). It tends to vanish as the number N of degrees of freedom is increased. (ii) A strong stochasticity threshold (SST), characterized by a value of the energy per degree of freedom at which a crossover appears between two different power laws of the energy dependence of the largest Lyapunov exponent, which phenomenologically corresponds to the transition between weak and strong chaotic regimes. It is stable with N. The second result is the development of a Riemannian geometric theory to explain the origin of Hamiltonian chaos. Starting this theory has been motivated by the inadequacy of the approach based on homoclinic intersections to explain the origin of chaos in systems of arbitrarily large N, or arbitrarily far from quasi-integrability, or displaying a transition between weak and strong chaos. Finally, the third result stems from the search for the transition between weak and strong chaos in systems other than FPU. Actually, we found that a very sharp SST appears as the dynamical counterpart of a thermodynamic phase transition, which in turn has led, in the light of the Riemannian theory of chaos, to the development of a topological theory of phase transitions.

Psychiatric mental health evidence-based practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Michael J

2008-05-01

This article is the first in a new column focusing on evidence-based practice (EBP) in psychiatric mental health nursing. The EBP movement was strongly influenced by a British epidemiologist, Dr. Cochrane, who advocated care based on randomized clinical controlled trials in the late 1900s. Although the majority of the EBP movement is directed toward developing clinical guidelines, the critical element focuses on the therapeutic relationship and clinical judgment associated with providing care. This column will address a clinical problem, define PICO questions, report knowledge base searches, and present existing evidence. Recommendations will be offered for potential interventions and suggestions for evaluating clinical outcomes. Nurses can no longer view clinical studies as academic exercises discarded on graduation and not applied to the clinical setting. Conscientiously applying what is known about treatments and interventions of ethical, if not legal, value is consistent with the professional definition of care. J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc, 2008; 14(2), 107-111. DOI: 10.1177/1078390308315798.

The strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma created at RHIC

CERN Document Server

Heinz, Ulrich W

2009-01-01

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) was built to re-create and study in the laboratory the extremely hot and dense matter that filled our entire universe during its first few microseconds. Its operation since June 2000 has been extremely successful, and the four large RHIC experiments have produced an impressive body of data which indeed provide compelling evidence for the formation of thermally equilibrated matter at unprecedented temperatures and energy densities -- a "quark-gluon plasma (QGP)". A surprise has been the discovery that this plasma behaves like an almost perfect fluid, with extremely low viscosity. Theorists had expected a weakly interacting gas of quarks and gluons, but instead we seem to have created a strongly coupled plasma liquid. The experimental evidence strongly relies on a feature called "elliptic flow" in off-central collisions, with additional support from other observations. This article explains how we probe the strongly coupled QGP, describes the ideas and measurements whi...

Exact solutions of strong gravity in generalized metrics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hojman, R.; Smailagic, A.

1981-05-01

We consider classical solutions for the strong gravity theory of Salam and Strathdee in a wider class of metrics with positive, zero and negative curvature. It turns out that such solutions exist and their relevance for quark confinement is explored. Only metrics with positive curvature (spherical symmetry) give a confining potential in a simple picture of the scalar hadron. This supports the idea of describing the hadron as a closed microuniverse of the strong metric. (author)

Alcohol as a Risk Factor for Cancer: Existing Evidence in a Global Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nina Roswall

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the present review is to give an overview of the association between alcohol intake and the risk of developing cancer. Two large-scale expert reports; the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF/American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR report from 2007, including its continuous update project, and the International Agency for Research of Cancer (IARC monograph from 2012 have extensively reviewed this association in the last decade. We summarize and compare their findings, as well as relate these to the public health impact, with a particular focus on region-specific drinking patterns and disease tendencies. Our findings show that alcohol intake is strongly linked to the risk of developing cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, colorectum (in men, and female breast. The two expert reports diverge on the evidence for an association with liver cancer and colorectal cancer in women, which the IARC grades as convincing, but the WCRF/AICR as probable. Despite these discrepancies, there does, however, not seem to be any doubt, that the Population Attributable Fraction of alcohol in relation to cancer is large. As alcohol intake varies largely worldwide, so does, however, also the Population Attributable Fractions, ranging from 10% in Europe to almost 0% in countries where alcohol use is banned. Given the World Health Organization’s prediction, that alcohol intake is increasing, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and steadily high in high-income countries, the need for preventive efforts to curb the number of alcohol-related cancers seems growing, as well as the need for taking a region- and gender-specific approach in both future campaigns as well as future research. The review acknowledges the potential beneficial effects of small doses of alcohol in relation to ischaemic heart disease, but a discussion of this lies without the scope of the present study.

State of the evidence regarding behavior change theories and strategies in nutrition counseling to facilitate health and food behavior change.

Science.gov (United States)

Spahn, Joanne M; Reeves, Rebecca S; Keim, Kathryn S; Laquatra, Ida; Kellogg, Molly; Jortberg, Bonnie; Clark, Nicole A

2010-06-01

Behavior change theories and models, validated within the field of dietetics, offer systematic explanations for nutrition-related behavior change. They are integral to the nutrition care process, guiding nutrition assessment, intervention, and outcome evaluation. The American Dietetic Association Evidence Analysis Library Nutrition Counseling Workgroup conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature related to behavior change theories and strategies used in nutrition counseling. Two hundred fourteen articles were reviewed between July 2007 and March 2008, and 87 studies met the inclusion criteria. The workgroup systematically evaluated these articles and formulated conclusion statements and grades based upon the available evidence. Strong evidence exists to support the use of a combination of behavioral theory and cognitive behavioral theory, the foundation for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), in facilitating modification of targeted dietary habits, weight, and cardiovascular and diabetes risk factors. Evidence is particularly strong in patients with type 2 diabetes receiving intensive, intermediate-duration (6 to 12 months) CBT, and long-term (>12 months duration) CBT targeting prevention or delay in onset of type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Few studies have assessed the application of the transtheoretical model on nutrition-related behavior change. Little research was available documenting the effectiveness of nutrition counseling utilizing social cognitive theory. Motivational interviewing was shown to be a highly effective counseling strategy, particularly when combined with CBT. Strong evidence substantiates the effectiveness of self-monitoring and meal replacements and/or structured meal plans. Compelling evidence exists to demonstrate that financial reward strategies are not effective. Goal setting, problem solving, and social support are effective strategies, but additional research is needed in more diverse populations. Routine documentation

[Evidence and Evidence Gaps - an Introduction].

Science.gov (United States)

Dreier, G; Löhler, J

2016-04-01

Treating patients requires the inclusion of existing evidence in any health care decision, to be able to choose the best diagnosis or treatment measure or to make valid prognosis statements for a particular patient in consideration of the physician's own expertise.The basis are clinical trials, the results of which are ideally gathered in systematic reviews, rated, summarized and published. In addition to the GCP (Good Clinical Practice)-compliant planning, conducting and analysis of clinical studies it is essential, that all study results are made publicly available, in order to avoid publication bias. This includes the public registration of planned and discontinued trials. In the last 25 years, the evidence-based medicine (EbM) has increasingly found its way into clinical practice and research. Here EbM is closely associated with the names Archibald Cochrane and David Sackett. In Germany, both the German Cochrane Centre (DCZ) and the network of evidence-based medicine (DNEbM) were established approximately 15 years ago. In the international Cochrane Collaboration clinicians and other scientists like statisticians interdisciplinary work side by side to develop the methods of evidence-based medicine and to address the topics of evidence generation and processing as well as the transfer of knowledge. Challenge: Existing evidence primarily serves doctors to support their decision-making, but is also the basis for providing scientific proof for a health care intervention's benefit to patients and ultimately payers/health insurances. The closure of existing evidence gaps requires substantial human and financial resources, a complex organizational structure and can only succeed with the involvement of clinical and methodological expertise and specific knowledge in the field of clinical research. In addition, the knowledge must be transferred into practice, using journals, guidelines, conferences, databases, information portals with processed evidence and not least the

Characterizing Aftershock Sequences of the Recent Strong Earthquakes in Central Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Kossobokov, Vladimir G.; Nekrasova, Anastasia K.

2017-10-01

The recent strong earthquakes in Central Italy allow for a comparative analysis of their aftershocks from the viewpoint of the Unified Scaling Law for Earthquakes, USLE, which generalizes the Gutenberg-Richter relationship making use of naturally fractal distribution of earthquake sources of different size in a seismic region. In particular, we consider aftershocks as a sequence of avalanches in self-organized system of blocks-and-faults of the Earth lithosphere, each aftershock series characterized with the distribution of the USLE control parameter, η. We found the existence, in a long-term, of different, intermittent levels of rather steady seismic activity characterized with a near constant value of η, which switch, in mid-term, at times of transition associated with catastrophic events. On such a transition, seismic activity may follow different scenarios with inter-event time scaling of different kind, including constant, logarithmic, power law, exponential rise/decay or a mixture of those as observed in the case of the ongoing one associated with the three strong earthquakes in 2016. Evidently, our results do not support the presence of universality of seismic energy release, while providing constraints on modelling seismic sequences for earthquake physicists and supplying decision makers with information for improving local seismic hazard assessments.

The strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma created at RHIC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinz, Ulrich

2009-01-01

The relativistic heavy-ion collider (RHIC) was built to re-create and study in the laboratory the extremely hot and dense matter that filled our entire universe during its first few microseconds. Its operation since June 2000 has been extremely successful, and the four large RHIC experiments have produced an impressive body of data which indeed provide compelling evidence for the formation of thermally equilibrated matter at unprecedented temperatures and energy densities-a 'quark-gluon plasma (QGP)'. A surprise has been the discovery that this plasma behaves like an almost perfect fluid, with extremely low viscosity. Theorists had expected a weakly interacting gas of quarks and gluons, but instead we seem to have created a strongly coupled plasma liquid. The experimental evidence strongly relies on a feature called 'elliptic flow' in off-central collisions, with additional support from other observations. This paper explains how we probe the strongly coupled QGP, describes the ideas and measurements which led to the conclusion that the QGP is an almost perfect liquid, and shows how they tie relativistic heavy-ion physics into other burgeoning fields of modern physics, such as strongly coupled Coulomb plasmas, ultracold systems of trapped atoms and superstring theory

Direct evidence of the existence of Mn3+ ions in MnTiO3

Science.gov (United States)

Maurya, R. K.; Sharma, Priyamedha; Patel, Ashutosh; Bindu, R.

2017-08-01

We investigate the room temperature electronic properties of MnTiO3 synthesised by different preparation conditions. For this purpose, we prepared MnTiO3 under two different cooling rates, one is naturally cooled while the other is quenched in liq.nitrogen. The samples were studied using optical absorbance, photoemission spectroscopy and band structure calculations. We observe significant changes in the structural parameters as a result of quenching. Interestingly, in the parent compound, our combined core level, valence band and optical absorbance studies give evidence of the Mn existence in both 2+ and 3+ states. The fraction of Mn3+ ions has been found to increase on quenching MnTiO3 suggests an increase in oxygen non-stoichiometry. The increase in the fraction of the Mn3+ ions has been manifested a) as slight enhancement in the intensity of the optical absorbance in the visible region. There occurs persistent photo-resistance when the incident light is terminated after shining; b) in the behaviour of the features (close to Fermi level) in the valence band spectra. Hence, the combined analysis of the core level, valence band and optical absorbance spectra suggests that the charge carriers are hole like which further leads to the increase in the electrical conductivity of the quenched sample. The present results provide a recipe to tune the optical absorption in the visible range for its applications in optical sensors, solar cell, etc.

What can we learn from the existing evidence of the business case for investments in nursing care: importance of content, context, and policy environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Yakusheva, Olga; Wholey, Douglas; Frick, Kevin D

2013-04-01

Decisions of health care institutions to invest in nursing care are often guided by mixed and conflicting evidence of effects of the investments on organizational function and sustainability. This paper uses new evidence generated through Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative (INQRI)-funded research and published in peer-reviewed journals, to illustrate where the business case for nursing investments stands and to discuss factors that may limit the existing evidence and its transferability into clinical practice. We conclude that there are 3 limiting factors: (1) the existing business case for nursing investments is likely understated due to the inability of most studies to capture spillover and long-run dynamic effects, thus causing organizations to forfeit potentially viable nursing investments that may improve long-term financial stability; (2) studies rarely devote sufficient attention to describing the content and the organization-specific contextual factors, thus limiting generalizability; and (3) fragmentation of the current health care delivery and payment systems often leads to the financial benefits of investments in nursing care accruing outside of the organization incurring the costs, thus making potentially quality-improving and cost-saving interventions financially unattractive from the organization's perspective. The payment reform, with its emphasis on high-quality affordable patient-centered care, is likely to strengthen the business case for investments in nursing care. Methodologically rigorous approaches that focus on broader societal implications of investments in nursing care, combined with a thorough understanding of potential barriers and facilitators of nursing change, should be an integral part of future research and policy efforts.

Strongly interacting matter in magnetic fields

CERN Document Server

Landsteiner, Karl; Schmitt, Andreas; Yee, Ho-Ung

2013-01-01

The physics of strongly interacting matter in an external magnetic field is presently emerging as a topic of great cross-disciplinary interest for particle, nuclear, astro- and condensed matter physicists. It is known that strong magnetic fields are created in heavy ion collisions, an insight that has made it possible to study a variety of surprising and intriguing phenomena that emerge from the interplay of quantum anomalies, the topology of non-Abelian gauge fields, and the magnetic field. In particular, the non-trivial topological configurations of the gluon field induce a non-dissipative electric current in the presence of a magnetic field. These phenomena have led to an extended formulation of relativistic hydrodynamics, called chiral magnetohydrodynamics. Hitherto unexpected applications in condensed matter physics include graphene and topological insulators. Other fields of application include astrophysics, where strong magnetic fields exist in magnetars and pulsars. Last but not least, an important ne...

Existence of undiscovered Uranian satellites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boice, D.C.

1986-04-01

Structure in the Uranian ring system as observed in recent occultations may contain indirect evidence for the existence of undiscovered satellites. Using the Alfven and Arrhenius (1975, 1976) scenario for the formation of planetary systems, the orbital radii of up to nine hypothetical satellites interior to Miranda are computed. These calculations should provide interesting comparisons when the results from the Voyager 2 encounter with Uranus are made public. 15 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab

The Existence of Long-Run PPP: A Comparison between Developed and Developing Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sulistiadi Dono Iskandar

2016-08-01

Full Text Available McNown & Wallace (1989 argued that PPP will tend to holds in less developed countries due to the domination of nominal factors in the economy. In this study we try to investigate the existence of long-run PPP in eight countries consisting four developed and developing countries. Here we show that there is a strong evidence that long-run PPP holds for Germany, United Kingdom, and Chile. Furthermore, the additional tests also show that symmetry and proportionality conditions seem to hold in the three economies. As for other five economies, long-run PPP seems to be absence. Although one step general Error Correction Model and Johansen-Juselius cointegration procedure generates conflicting result, the result of both technique do not show a tendency for PPP to hold in developing countries thus rejecting argument proposed by McNown and Wallace.

Phase transition from strong-coupling expansion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polonyi, J.; Szlachanyi, K.

1982-01-01

Starting with quarkless SU(2) lattice gauge theory and using the strong-coupling expansion we calculate the action of the effective field theory which corresponds to the thermal Wilson loop. This effective action makes evident that the quark liberating phase transition traces back to the spontaneous breaking of a global Z(2) symmetry group. It furthermore describes both phases qualitatively. (orig.)

Field induced decrystallization of silicon: Evidence of a microwave non-thermal effect

Science.gov (United States)

Nozariasbmarz, Amin; Dsouza, Kelvin; Vashaee, Daryoosh

2018-02-01

It is rather strange and not fully understood that some materials decrystallize when exposed to microwave radiation, and it is still debatable if such a transformation is a thermal or non-thermal effect. We hereby report experimental evidences that weight the latter effect. First, a single crystal silicon wafer exposed to microwaves showed strong decrystallization at high temperature. Second, when some areas of the wafer were masked with metal coating, only the exposed areas underwent decrystallization. Transmission electron microscopy analysis, x-ray diffraction data, and thermal conductivity measurements all indicated strong decrystallization, which occurred in the bulk of the material and was not a surface effect. These observations favor the existence of a non-thermal microwave effect.

A comparative analysis of reactor lower head debris cooling models employed in the existing severe accident analysis codes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahn, K.I.; Kim, D.H.; Kim, S.B.; Kim, H.D.

1998-08-01

MELCOR and MAAP4 are the representative severe accident analysis codes which have been developed for the integral analysis of the phenomenological reactor lower head corium cooling behavior. Main objectives of the present study is to identify merits and disadvantages of each relevant model through the comparative analysis of the lower plenum corium cooling models employed in these two codes. The final results will be utilized for the development of LILAC phenomenological models and for the continuous improvement of the existing MELCOR reactor lower head models, which are currently being performed at the KAERI. For these purposes, first, nine reference models are selected featuring the lower head corium behavior based on the existing experimental evidences and related models. Then main features of the selected models have been critically analyzed, and finally merits and disadvantages of each corresponding model have been summarized in the view point of realistic corium behavior and reasonable modeling. Being on these evidences, summarized and presented the potential improvements for developing more advanced models. The present study has been focused on the qualitative comparison of each model and so more detailed quantitative analysis is strongly required to obtain the final conclusions for their merits and disadvantages. In addition, in order to compensate the limitations of the current model, required further studies relating closely the detailed mechanistic models with the molten material movement and heat transfer based on phase-change in the porous medium, to the existing simple models. (author). 36 refs

Existence and equivalence of twisted products on a symplectic manifold

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lichnerowicz, A.

1979-01-01

The twisted products play an important role in Quantum Mechanics. A distinction is introduced between Vey *sub(γ) products and strong Vey *sub(γ) products and it is proved that each *sub(γ) product is equivalent to a Vey *sub(γ) product. If b 3 (W) = 0, the symplectic manifold (W,F) admits strong Vey *sub(Gn) products. If b 2 (W) = 0, all *sub(γ) products are equivalent as well as the Vey Lie algebras. In the general case the formal Lie algebras are characterized which are generated by a *sub(γ) product and it proved that the existance of a *sub(γ)-product is equivalent to the existance of a formal Lie algebra infinitesimally equivalent to a Vey Lie algebra at the first order. (Auth.)

Impacts of petroleum activities for the Achuar people of the Peruvian Amazon: summary of existing evidence and research gaps

Science.gov (United States)

Orta Martínez, Martí; Napolitano, Dora A.; MacLennan, Gregor J.; O'Callaghan, Cristina; Ciborowski, Sylvia; Fabregas, Xavier

2007-10-01

Petrol has been extracted from Achuar territory in the Northern Peruvian Amazon since the 1970s. In spite of early identification of negative impacts on the environment and repeated attempts by the Achuar to improve conditions, very little research has been done on specific environmental and health impacts. Some recent governmental studies have shown extremely high blood lead and cadmium levels in Achuar communities. In this paper we apply an environmental justice framework to review the evidence of pollution and health status available in existing studies, as well as government and operating company actions over the last 30 years. We identify gaps in our knowledge which hamper efforts to respond to the environmental and health situation, as well as negligent actions on the part of the State and petrol companies.

Impacts of petroleum activities for the Achuar people of the Peruvian Amazon: summary of existing evidence and research gaps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez, Marti Orta; Napolitano, Dora A; MacLennan, Gregor J; O'Callaghan, Cristina; Ciborowski, Sylvia; Fabregas, Xavier

2007-01-01

Petrol has been extracted from Achuar territory in the Northern Peruvian Amazon since the 1970s. In spite of early identification of negative impacts on the environment and repeated attempts by the Achuar to improve conditions, very little research has been done on specific environmental and health impacts. Some recent governmental studies have shown extremely high blood lead and cadmium levels in Achuar communities. In this paper we apply an environmental justice framework to review the evidence of pollution and health status available in existing studies, as well as government and operating company actions over the last 30 years. We identify gaps in our knowledge which hamper efforts to respond to the environmental and health situation, as well as negligent actions on the part of the State and petrol companies

Thermal infrared anomalies of several strong earthquakes.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Congxin; Zhang, Yuansheng; Guo, Xiao; Hui, Shaoxing; Qin, Manzhong; Zhang, Ying

2013-01-01

In the history of earthquake thermal infrared research, it is undeniable that before and after strong earthquakes there are significant thermal infrared anomalies which have been interpreted as preseismic precursor in earthquake prediction and forecasting. In this paper, we studied the characteristics of thermal radiation observed before and after the 8 great earthquakes with magnitude up to Ms7.0 by using the satellite infrared remote sensing information. We used new types of data and method to extract the useful anomaly information. Based on the analyses of 8 earthquakes, we got the results as follows. (1) There are significant thermal radiation anomalies before and after earthquakes for all cases. The overall performance of anomalies includes two main stages: expanding first and narrowing later. We easily extracted and identified such seismic anomalies by method of "time-frequency relative power spectrum." (2) There exist evident and different characteristic periods and magnitudes of thermal abnormal radiation for each case. (3) Thermal radiation anomalies are closely related to the geological structure. (4) Thermal radiation has obvious characteristics in abnormal duration, range, and morphology. In summary, we should be sure that earthquake thermal infrared anomalies as useful earthquake precursor can be used in earthquake prediction and forecasting.

Existence and asymptotic behavior of the wave equation with dynamic boundary conditions

KAUST Repository

Graber, Philip Jameson; Said-Houari, Belkacem

2012-01-01

The goal of this work is to study a model of the strongly damped wave equation with dynamic boundary conditions and nonlinear boundary/interior sources and nonlinear boundary/interior damping. First, applying the nonlinear semigroup theory, we show the existence and uniqueness of local in time solutions. In addition, we show that in the strongly damped case solutions gain additional regularity for positive times t>0. Second, we show that under some restrictions on the initial data and if the interior source dominates the interior damping term and if the boundary source dominates the boundary damping, then the solution grows as an exponential function. Moreover, in the absence of the strong damping term, we prove that the solution ceases to exists and blows up in finite time. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Existence and asymptotic behavior of the wave equation with dynamic boundary conditions

KAUST Repository

Graber, Philip Jameson

2012-03-07

The goal of this work is to study a model of the strongly damped wave equation with dynamic boundary conditions and nonlinear boundary/interior sources and nonlinear boundary/interior damping. First, applying the nonlinear semigroup theory, we show the existence and uniqueness of local in time solutions. In addition, we show that in the strongly damped case solutions gain additional regularity for positive times t>0. Second, we show that under some restrictions on the initial data and if the interior source dominates the interior damping term and if the boundary source dominates the boundary damping, then the solution grows as an exponential function. Moreover, in the absence of the strong damping term, we prove that the solution ceases to exists and blows up in finite time. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Mixed fermion-photon condensate in strongly coupled quantum electrodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gusynin, V.P.; Kushnir, V.A.

1989-01-01

The existence of a new mixed fermion-photon condensate breaking chiral symmetry in strongly coupled phase of quantum electrodynamics is shown. An analytical expression for the renormalized condensate is obtained. 20 refs.; 2 figs

Surgery for hepatic hidatidosis. Risk factors and variables associated with postoperative morbidity. Overview of the existing evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Manterola, Carlos; Otzen, Tamara; Muñoz, Gloria; Alanis, Martín; Kruuse, Eileen; Figueroa, Gustavo

2017-12-01

There are few publications related to postoperative morbidity in hepatic hydatidosis and these have mixed results. The aim of this study was to determine risk and protective factors of postoperative morbidity in patients operated on for hepatic hydatidosis. A comprehensive review was made of the evidence, based on systematic reviews, clinical analyses and observational studies, obtained from the Trip Database, BVS, SciELO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, WoS, MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, EBSCOhost, IBECS, ePORTUGUESe, LILACS and WHOLIS. 1,087 related articles were identified; 69 fulfilled the selection criteria (2 systematic reviews, 3 clinical trials and 64 observational studies). Age, history of previous surgery for hepatic hydatidosis, location in the hepatic center, existence of biliary communications and evolutionary complications of the cyst were identified as risk factors, and radical surgical techniques as protective factors. Risk and protective factors were identified; however, the studies are few and the quality moderate to low. Copyright © 2017 AEC. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Gateway Effects: Why the Cited Evidence Does Not Support Their Existence for Low-Risk Tobacco Products (and What Evidence Would

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carl V. Phillips

2015-05-01

Full Text Available It is often claimed that low-risk drugs still create harm because of “gateway effects”, in which they cause the use of a high-risk alternative. Such claims are popular among opponents of tobacco harm reduction, claiming that low-risk tobacco products (e.g., e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco cause people to start smoking, sometimes backed by empirical studies that ostensibly support the claim. However, these studies consistently ignore the obvious alternative causal pathways, particularly that observed associations might represent causation in the opposite direction (smoking causes people to seek low-risk alternatives or confounding (the same individual characteristics increase the chance of using any tobacco product. Due to these complications, any useful analysis must deal with simultaneity and confounding by common cause. In practice, existing analyses seem almost as if they were designed to provide teaching examples about drawing simplistic and unsupported causal conclusions from observed associations. The present analysis examines what evidence and research strategies would be needed to empirically detect such a gateway effect, if there were one, explaining key methodological concepts including causation and confounding, examining the logic of the claim, identifying potentially useful data, and debunking common fallacies on both sides of the argument, as well as presenting an extended example of proper empirical testing. The analysis demonstrates that none of the empirical studies to date that are purported to show a gateway effect from tobacco harm reduction products actually does so. The observations and approaches can be generalized to other cases where observed association of individual characteristics in cross-sectional data could result from any of several causal relationships.

Existence of a sex pheromone in Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduvidae: II. Electrophysiological correlates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria G. de Brito Sanchez

1995-10-01

Full Text Available The stimulus provided by a copulating pair of Triatoma infestans significantly affects the electrical activity of the nervous system of Triatoma infestans. Electrophysiological recordings were perfomed on stationary adult males presented with stimuli of an air current carrying odors from males, females, non-copulating pairs and mating pairs. The electrophysiological response was characterized by the low frequency occurrence of biphasic compound impulses. A significant increase in the frequency of the impulses occurred in stationary males when exposed to air currents of mating pairs, when compared to that evoked by a clean air stream. Analysis of the time course of the assays, showed that the electrophisiological activity during the copula was higher than prior to or after copula. The electrophysiological evidence presented here strongly supports the existence of pheromone(s released by one or both sexes during mating and which is perceived by male chemoreceptors located on the antennae.

Evidence for trapping and collectivization of resonances at strong coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herzberg, R.D.; Brentano, P. von; Rotter, I.

1993-01-01

The behavior of 22 neutron resonances in 53 Cr is investigated as a function of the coupling-strength parameter μ and of the degree of overlapping. Starting from a doorway picture at small μ, the widths of 21 resonances increase with increasing μ at the cost of the width of the original 'single-particle doorway resonance'. At μ≅1, the widths of most states decrease again. At μ→10 the widths of these 'trapped' states vanish while 'collective' states are formed which gather the widths. Thus we again observe a doorway picture at strong coupling. At μ=1, the energies and widths of the resonances are fitted to the experimental data. At this coupling strength, most resonances investigated resemble trapped modes. (orig.)

Evidence that gendered wording in job advertisements exists and sustains gender inequality.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaucher, Danielle; Friesen, Justin; Kay, Aaron C

2011-07-01

Social dominance theory (Sidanius & Pratto, 1999) contends that institutional-level mechanisms exist that reinforce and perpetuate existing group-based inequalities, but very few such mechanisms have been empirically demonstrated. We propose that gendered wording (i.e., masculine- and feminine-themed words, such as those associated with gender stereotypes) may be a heretofore unacknowledged, institutional-level mechanism of inequality maintenance. Employing both archival and experimental analyses, the present research demonstrates that gendered wording commonly employed in job recruitment materials can maintain gender inequality in traditionally male-dominated occupations. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated the existence of subtle but systematic wording differences within a randomly sampled set of job advertisements. Results indicated that job advertisements for male-dominated areas employed greater masculine wording (i.e., words associated with male stereotypes, such as leader, competitive, dominant) than advertisements within female-dominated areas. No difference in the presence of feminine wording (i.e., words associated with female stereotypes, such as support, understand, interpersonal) emerged across male- and female-dominated areas. Next, the consequences of highly masculine wording were tested across 3 experimental studies. When job advertisements were constructed to include more masculine than feminine wording, participants perceived more men within these occupations (Study 3), and importantly, women found these jobs less appealing (Studies 4 and 5). Results confirmed that perceptions of belongingness (but not perceived skills) mediated the effect of gendered wording on job appeal (Study 5). The function of gendered wording in maintaining traditional gender divisions, implications for gender parity, and theoretical models of inequality are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

Is there evidence for strong Van der Waals forces in πN scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hutt, M.; Koch, R.

1981-01-01

It was recently claimed that an analysis of the πN partial wave dispersion relation for the P33-amplitude leads to evidence for a new long-rang interaction. Using our phase shifts we have studied in detail the partial wave dispersion relation for the P33-amplitude and also for other amplitudes. The result is that all structures are explained by contributions from the well-known nearby cuts, i.e. there is no evidence for a new interaction. (orig.)

Where Does Evidence from New Trials for Schizophrenia Fit with the Existing Evidence: A Case of the Emperor's New Clothes?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahesh Jayaram

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Advent of “atypical” antipsychotics has spawned new trials in the recent years and the number of such trial reports has been increasing exponentially. As clinicians we have been led to believe that “atypicals” are better than “typicals” despite the odd dissenting voice in academic and clinical circles. This has been largely ignored until the publication of two landmark, independent, pragmatic trials, Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE and Cost Utility of the Latest Antipsychotic Drugs in Schizophrenia Study (CUtLASS, which proved that thoughtfully chosen “typical” antipsychotics were as good as the newer “atypicals.” We pooled “leaving the study early data” from Cochrane Reviews that existed before CATIE and CUtLASS and added data from CATIE and CUtLASS to the pool for a “before and after” comparison. Addition of CATIE and CUtLASS data only led to narrowing of the already existing confidence intervals, merely increasing precision, and decreasing the risk of Type II error. Perhaps surprisingly, CATIE and CUtLASS when pooled with the already existing data showed us that we had chosen to turn a blind eye to findings that already existed. This leads clinicians to question as to whether, in future, we need to feel less guilty about crying out early on that the emperor has no clothes on.

Bridging existing governance gaps: five evidence-based actions that boards can take to pursue high quality care.

Science.gov (United States)

Leggat, Sandra G; Balding, Cathy

2017-11-13

Objective To explore the impact of the organisational quality systems on quality of care in Victorian health services. Methods During 2015 a total of 55 focus groups were conducted with more than 350 managers, clinical staff and board members in eight Victorian health services to explore the effectiveness of health service quality systems. A review of the quality and safety goals and strategies outlined in the strategic and operating plans of the participating health services was also undertaken. Results This paper focuses on the data related to the leadership role of health service boards in ensuring safe, high-quality care. The findings suggest that health service boards are not fully meeting their governance accountability to ensure consistently high-quality care. The data uncovered major clinical governance gaps between stated board and executive aspirations for quality and safety and the implementation of these expectations at point of care. These gaps were further compounded by quality system confusion, over-reliance on compliance, and inadequate staff engagement. Conclusion Based on the existing evidence we propose five specific actions boards can take to close the gaps, thereby supporting improved care for all consumers. What is known about this topic? Effective governance is essential for high-quality healthcare delivery. Boards are required to play an active role in their organisation's pursuit of high quality care. What does this paper add? Recent government reports suggest that Australian health service boards are not fully meeting their governance requirements for high quality, safe care delivery, and our research pinpoints key governance gaps. What are the implications for practitioners? Based on our research findings we outline five evidence-based actions for boards to improve their governance of quality care delivery. These actions focus on an organisational strategy for high-quality care, with the chief executive officer held accountable for

Integration of existing systematic reviews into new reviews: identification of guidance needs

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background An exponential increase in the number of systematic reviews published, and constrained resources for new reviews, means that there is an urgent need for guidance on explicitly and transparently integrating existing reviews into new systematic reviews. The objectives of this paper are: 1) to identify areas where existing guidance may be adopted or adapted, and 2) to suggest areas for future guidance development. Methods We searched documents and websites from healthcare focused systematic review organizations to identify and, where available, to summarize relevant guidance on the use of existing systematic reviews. We conducted informational interviews with members of Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs) to gather experiences in integrating existing systematic reviews, including common issues and challenges, as well as potential solutions. Results There was consensus among systematic review organizations and the EPCs about some aspects of incorporating existing systematic reviews into new reviews. Current guidance may be used in assessing the relevance of prior reviews and in scanning references of prior reviews to identify studies for a new review. However, areas of challenge remain. Areas in need of guidance include how to synthesize, grade the strength of, and present bodies of evidence composed of primary studies and existing systematic reviews. For instance, empiric evidence is needed regarding how to quality check data abstraction and when and how to use study-level risk of bias assessments from prior reviews. Conclusions There remain areas of uncertainty for how to integrate existing systematic reviews into new reviews. Methods research and consensus processes among systematic review organizations are needed to develop guidance to address these challenges. PMID:24956937

Heavy axions from strong broken horizontal gauge symmetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elliott, T.; King, S.F.

1993-01-01

We study the consequences of the existence and breaking of a Peccei-Quinn symmetry within the context of a dynamical model of electroweak symmetry breaking based on broken gauged flavour symmetries. We perform an estimate of the axion mass by including flavour instanton effects and show that, for low cut-offs, the axion is sufficiently massive to prevent it from being phenomenologically unacceptable. We conclude with an examination of the strong CP problem and show that our axion cannot solve the problem, though we indicate ways in which the model can be extended so that the strong CP problem is solved. (orig.)

The Evidence Movement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Hanne Foss; Rieper, Olaf

2009-01-01

The evidence movement and the idea of systematic reviews, defined as summaries of the results of already existing evaluation and research projects, have gained considerable support in recent years as many international as well as national evidence-producing organizations have been established...

Strong/weak coupling duality relations for non-supersymmetric string theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blum, J.D.; Dienes, K.R.

1998-01-01

Both the supersymmetric SO(32) and E 8 x E 8 heterotic strings in ten dimensions have known strong-coupling duals. However, it has not been known whether there also exist strong-coupling duals for the non-supersymmetric heterotic strings in ten dimensions. In this paper, we construct explicit open-string duals for the circle compactifications of several of these non-supersymmetric theories, among them the tachyon-free SO(16) x SO(16) string. Our method involves the construction of heterotic and open-string interpolating models that continuously connect non-supersymmetric strings to supersymmetric strings. We find that our non-supersymmetric dual theories have exactly the same massless spectra as their heterotic counterparts within a certain range of our interpolations. We also develop a novel method for analyzing the solitons of non-supersymmetric open-string theories, and find that the solitons of our dual theories also agree with their heterotic counterparts. These are therefore the first known examples of strong/weak coupling duality relations between non-supersymmetric, tachyon-free string theories. Finally, the existence of these strong-coupling duals allows us to examine the non-perturbative stability of these strings, and we propose a phase diagram for the behavior of these strings as a function of coupling and radius. (orig.)

Is the evidence supporting dental procedures strong? A survey of Cochrane systematic reviews in oral health.

Science.gov (United States)

Faggion, Clovis Mariano

2012-09-01

Every day a large number and variety of dental procedures are performed in clinical dental practice. There is, however, no information on the overall quality of evidence supporting these procedures. The objective of this study was to assess whether several common dental procedures are based on sound evidence. All Cochrane systematic reviews (CSR) published in dentistry were surveyed. The authors' conclusions about the quality of evidence supporting a specific clinical treatment were used as the measure of outcome. The evidence was considered adequate if the authors did not clearly state the evidence was weak in the conclusions while also suggesting some evidence of the effectiveness of the therapy. Of 120 CSRs assessed, in only 26 (22.0% of the reviews) was the quality of evidence regarded as adequate for supporting clinical decisions, although some methodological limitations were identified in the full text of these reviews. Moreover, the authors of most reviews reported weak or unavailable evidence. On the basis of CSRs, the overall quality of evidence can be regarded as low or nonexistent for most of the dental procedures assessed. The information reported may guide future research. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evidence-Based Supplements for the Enhancement of Athletic Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Peeling, Peter; Binnie, Martyn J; Goods, Paul S R; Sim, Marc; Burke, Louise M

2018-03-01

A strong foundation in physical conditioning and sport-specific experience, in addition to a bespoke and periodized training and nutrition program, are essential for athlete development. Once these underpinning factors are accounted for, and the athlete reaches a training maturity and competition level where marginal gains determine success, a role may exist for the use of evidence-based performance supplements. However, it is important that any decisions surrounding performance supplements are made in consideration of robust information that suggests the use of a product is safe, legal, and effective. The following review focuses on the current evidence-base for a number of common (and emerging) performance supplements used in sport. The supplements discussed here are separated into three categories based on the level of evidence supporting their use for enhancing sports performance: (1) established (caffeine, creatine, nitrate, beta-alanine, bicarbonate); (2) equivocal (citrate, phosphate, carnitine); and (3) developing. Within each section, the relevant performance type, the potential mechanisms of action, and the most common protocols used in the supplement dosing schedule are summarized.

Antimicrobial drug use in food-producing animals and associated human health risks: what, and how strong, is the evidence?

Science.gov (United States)

Hoelzer, Karin; Wong, Nora; Thomas, Joe; Talkington, Kathy; Jungman, Elizabeth; Coukell, Allan

2017-07-04

Antimicrobial resistance is a public health threat. Because antimicrobial consumption in food-producing animals contributes to the problem, policies restricting the inappropriate or unnecessary agricultural use of antimicrobial drugs are important. However, this link between agricultural antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance has remained contested by some, with potentially disruptive effects on efforts to move towards the judicious or prudent use of these drugs. The goal of this review is to systematically evaluate the types of evidence available for each step in the causal pathway from antimicrobial use on farms to human public health risk, and to evaluate the strength of evidence within a 'Grades of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation'(GRADE) framework. The review clearly demonstrates that there is compelling scientific evidence available to support each step in the causal pathway, from antimicrobial use on farms to a public health burden caused by infections with resistant pathogens. Importantly, the pathogen, antimicrobial drug and treatment regimen, and general setting (e.g., feed type) can have significant impacts on how quickly resistance emerges or spreads, for how long resistance may persist after antimicrobial exposures cease, and what public health impacts may be associated with antimicrobial use on farms. Therefore an exact quantification of the public health burden attributable to antimicrobial drug use in animal agriculture compared to other sources remains challenging. Even though more research is needed to close existing data gaps, obtain a better understanding of how antimicrobial drugs are actually used on farms or feedlots, and quantify the risk associated with antimicrobial use in animal agriculture, these findings reinforce the need to act now and restrict antibiotic use in animal agriculture to those instances necessary to ensure the health and well-being of the animals.

Atomic and free electrons in a strong light field

CERN Document Server

Fedorov, Mikhail V

1997-01-01

This book presents and describes a series of unusual and striking strong-field phenomena concerning atoms and free electrons. Some of these phenomena are: multiphoton stimulated bremsstrahlung, free-electron lasers, wave-packet physics, above-threshold ionization, and strong-field stabilization in Rydberg atoms. The theoretical foundations and causes of the phenomena are described in detail, with all the approximations and derivations discussed. All the known and relevant experiments are described too, and their results are compared with those of the existing theoretical models.An extensive ge

Existing Evidence on Ultrasound-Guided Injections in Sports Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Daniels, Eldra W; Cole, David; Jacobs, Bret; Phillips, Shawn F

2018-02-01

Office-based ultrasonography has become increasingly available in many settings, and its use to guide joint and soft tissue injections has increased. Numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate the use of ultrasound-guided injections over traditional landmark-guided injections, with a rapid growth in the literature over the past few years. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to demonstrate increased accuracy of ultrasound-guided injections regardless of anatomic location. In the upper extremity, ultrasound-guided injections have been shown to provide superior benefit to landmark-guided injections at the glenohumeral joint, the subacromial space, the biceps tendon sheath, and the joints of the hand and wrist. Ultrasound-guided injections of the acromioclavicular and the elbow joints have not been shown to be more efficacious. In the lower extremity, ultrasound-guided injections at the knee, ankle, and foot have superior efficacy to landmark-guided injections. Conclusive evidence is not available regarding improved efficacy of ultrasound-guided injections of the hip, although landmark-guided injection is performed less commonly at the hip joint. Ultrasound-guided injections are overall more accurate than landmark-guided injections. While current studies indicate that ultrasound guidance improves efficacy and cost-effectiveness of many injections, these studies are limited and more research is needed.

Quantum Transport in Strongly Correlated Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bohr, Dan

2007-01-01

the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method. We present two DMRG setups for calculating the linear conductance of strongly correlated nanostructures in the infinitesimal source-drain voltage regime. The first setup describes the leads by modified real-space tight-binding chains, whereas the second....... Thus both coherence and correlation effects are important in this model, and the methods applied should be able to handle both these effects rigorously. We present the DMRG setup for this model and benchmark against existing Greens function results for the model. Then we present initial DMRG results...... screening plays a much less significant role than in bulk systems due to the reduced size of the objects, therefore making it necessary to consider the importance of correlations between electrons. The work presented in this thesis deals with quantum transport through strongly correlated systems using...

On the existence and dynamics of braneworld black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fitzpatrick, Andrew Liam; Randall, Lisa; Wiseman, Toby

2006-01-01

Based on holographic arguments Tanaka and Emparan et al have claimed that large localized static black holes do not exist in the one-brane Randall-Sundrum model. If such black holes are time-dependent as they propose, there are potentially significant phenomenological and theoretical consequences. We revisit the issue, arguing that their reasoning does not take into account the strongly coupled nature of the holographic theory. We claim that static black holes with smooth metrics should indeed exist in these theories, and give a simple example. However, although the existence of such solutions is relevant to exact and numerical solution searches, such static solutions might be dynamically unstable, again leading to time dependence with phenomenological consequences. We explore a plausible instability, suggested by Tanaka, analogous to that of Gregory and Laflamme, but argue that there is no reliable reason at this point to assume it must exist

Is Delirium the Cognitive Harbinger of Frailty in Older Adults? A Review about the Existing Evidence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuseppe Bellelli

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Frailty is a clinical syndrome defined by the age-related depletion of the individual’s homeostatic reserves, determining an increased susceptibility to stressors and disproportionate exposure to negative health changes. The physiological systems that are involved in the determination of frailty are mutually interrelated, so that when decline starts in a given system, implications may also regard the other systems. Indeed, it has been shown that the number of abnormal systems is more predictive of frailty than those of the abnormalities in any particular system. Delirium is a transient neurocognitive disorder, characterized by an acute onset and fluctuating course, inattention, cognitive dysfunction, and behavioral abnormalities, that complicates one out of five hospital admissions. Delirium is independently associated with the same negative outcomes of frailty and, like frailty, its pathogenesis is usually multifactorial, depending on complex inter-relationships between predisposing and precipitating factors. By definition, a somatic cause should be identified, or at least suspected, to diagnose delirium. Delirium and frailty potentially share multiple pathophysiologic mechanisms and pathways, meaning that they could be thought of as the two sides to the same coin. This review aims at summarizing the existing evidence, referring both to human and animal models, to postulate that delirium may represent the cognitive harbinger of a state of frailty in older persons experiencing an acute clinical event.

Stability of excess demand functions with respect to a strong version of Wald's axiom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An, P.T.; Binh, V.T.T.

2005-04-01

In this paper, a strong version of Wald's Axiom of excess demand functions Z : P is part of R >0 n → R n is introduced, namely 'there exists σ > 0 such that p,q is part of P,q T Z(p) - δ ≥ 0, vertical bar δ vertical bar T Z(p) + δ > 0''. We show that Z satisfies the strong version of Wald's Axiom iff -Z is a s-quasimonotone function. Consequently, an excess demand function Z satisfies the strong version of Wald's Axiom iff -Z is stable with respect to the pseudomonotonicity (i.e., there exists ε > 0 such that -Z + a fulfills the pseudomonotonicity for all a is part of R n satisfying parallel a parallel < ε). Some properties on the measure of the strong version of Wald's Axiom of excess demand functions are presented. (author)

A qualitative study of programs for parents with serious mental illness and their children: building practice-based evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicholson, Joanne; Hinden, Beth R; Biebel, Kathleen; Henry, Alexis D; Katz-Leavy, Judith

2007-10-01

The rationale for the development of effective programs for parents with serious mental illness and their children is compelling. Using qualitative methods and a grounded theory approach with data obtained in site visits, seven existing programs for parents with mental illness and their children in the United States are described and compared across core components: target population, theory and assumptions, funding, community and agency contexts, essential services and intervention strategies, moderators, and outcomes. The diversity across programs is strongly complemented by shared characteristics, the identification of which provides the foundation for future testing and the development of an evidence base. Challenges in program implementation and sustainability are identified. Qualitative methods are useful, particularly when studying existing programs, in taking steps toward building the evidence base for effective programs for parents with serious mental illness and their children.

Strong ground motion prediction using virtual earthquakes.

Science.gov (United States)

Denolle, M A; Dunham, E M; Prieto, G A; Beroza, G C

2014-01-24

Sedimentary basins increase the damaging effects of earthquakes by trapping and amplifying seismic waves. Simulations of seismic wave propagation in sedimentary basins capture this effect; however, there exists no method to validate these results for earthquakes that have not yet occurred. We present a new approach for ground motion prediction that uses the ambient seismic field. We apply our method to a suite of magnitude 7 scenario earthquakes on the southern San Andreas fault and compare our ground motion predictions with simulations. Both methods find strong amplification and coupling of source and structure effects, but they predict substantially different shaking patterns across the Los Angeles Basin. The virtual earthquake approach provides a new approach for predicting long-period strong ground motion.

Strong coupling in F-theory and geometrically non-Higgsable seven-branes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Halverson

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Geometrically non-Higgsable seven-branes carry gauge sectors that cannot be broken by complex structure deformation, and there is growing evidence that such configurations are typical in F-theory. We study strongly coupled physics associated with these branes. Axiodilaton profiles are computed using Ramanujan's theories of elliptic functions to alternative bases, showing explicitly that the string coupling is O(1 in the vicinity of the brane; that it sources nilpotent SL(2,Z monodromy and therefore the associated brane charges are modular; and that essentially all F-theory compactifications have regions with order one string coupling. It is shown that non-perturbative SU(3 and SU(2 seven-branes are related to weakly coupled counterparts with D7-branes via deformation-induced Hanany–Witten moves on (p,q string junctions that turn them into fundamental open strings; only the former may exist for generic complex structure. D3-brane near these and the Kodaira type II seven-branes probe Argyres–Douglas theories. The BPS states of slightly deformed theories are shown to be dyonic string junctions.

Addressing criticisms of existing predictive bias research: cognitive ability test scores still overpredict African Americans' job performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Berry, Christopher M; Zhao, Peng

2015-01-01

Predictive bias studies have generally suggested that cognitive ability test scores overpredict job performance of African Americans, meaning these tests are not predictively biased against African Americans. However, at least 2 issues call into question existing over-/underprediction evidence: (a) a bias identified by Aguinis, Culpepper, and Pierce (2010) in the intercept test typically used to assess over-/underprediction and (b) a focus on the level of observed validity instead of operational validity. The present study developed and utilized a method of assessing over-/underprediction that draws on the math of subgroup regression intercept differences, does not rely on the biased intercept test, allows for analysis at the level of operational validity, and can use meta-analytic estimates as input values. Therefore, existing meta-analytic estimates of key parameters, corrected for relevant statistical artifacts, were used to determine whether African American job performance remains overpredicted at the level of operational validity. African American job performance was typically overpredicted by cognitive ability tests across levels of job complexity and across conditions wherein African American and White regression slopes did and did not differ. Because the present study does not rely on the biased intercept test and because appropriate statistical artifact corrections were carried out, the present study's results are not affected by the 2 issues mentioned above. The present study represents strong evidence that cognitive ability tests generally overpredict job performance of African Americans. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Addressing the strong CP problem with quark mass ratios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diaz-Cruz, J.L.; Saldana-Salazar, U.J. [Benemerita Univ. Autonoma de Puebla (Mexico). Facultad de Ciencias Fisico-Matematicas; Hollik, W.G. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)

2016-05-15

The strong CP problem is one of many puzzles in the theoretical description of elementary particles physics that still lacks an explanation. Solutions to that problem usually comprise new symmetries or fields or both. The main problem seems to be how to achieve small CP in the strong interactions despite large CP violation in weak interactions. Observation of CP violation is exclusively through the Higgs-Yukawa interactions. In this letter, we show that with minimal assumptions on the structure of mass (Yukawa) matrices the strong CP problem does not exist in the Standard Model and no extension to solve this is needed. However, to solve the flavor puzzle, models based on minimal SU(3) flavor groups leading to the proposed flavor matrices are favored.

Addressing the strong CP problem with quark mass ratios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz-Cruz, J.L.; Saldana-Salazar, U.J.

2016-05-01

The strong CP problem is one of many puzzles in the theoretical description of elementary particles physics that still lacks an explanation. Solutions to that problem usually comprise new symmetries or fields or both. The main problem seems to be how to achieve small CP in the strong interactions despite large CP violation in weak interactions. Observation of CP violation is exclusively through the Higgs-Yukawa interactions. In this letter, we show that with minimal assumptions on the structure of mass (Yukawa) matrices the strong CP problem does not exist in the Standard Model and no extension to solve this is needed. However, to solve the flavor puzzle, models based on minimal SU(3) flavor groups leading to the proposed flavor matrices are favored.

Strong dependence of rain-induced lidar depolarization on the illumination angle: experimental evidence and geometrical-optics interpretation.

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, G; Bissonnette, L R

2001-09-20

Backscatter and depolarization lidar measurements from clouds and precipitation are reported as functions of the elevation angle of the pointing lidar direction. We recorded the data by scanning the lidar beam (Nd:YAG) at a constant angular speed of ~3.5 degrees /s while operating at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. We show that in rain there is an evident and at times spectacular dependence on the elevation angle. That dependence appears to be sensitive to raindrop size. We have developed a three-dimensional polarization-dependent ray-tracing algorithm to calculate the backscatter and the depolarization ratio by large nonspherical droplets. We have applied it to raindrop shapes derived from existing static and dynamic (oscillating) models. We show that many of the observed complex backscatter and depolarization features can be interpreted to a good extent by geometrical optics. These results suggest that there is a definite need for more extensive calculations of the scattering phase matrix elements for large deformed raindrops as functions of the direction of illumination. Obvious applications are retrieval of information on the liquid-solid phase of precipitation and on the size and the vibration state of raindrops.

DNA to DNA transcription might exist in eukaryotic cells

OpenAIRE

Li, Gao-De

2016-01-01

Till now, in biological sciences, the term, transcription, mainly refers to DNA to RNA transcription. But our recently published experimental findings obtained from Plasmodium falciparum strongly suggest the existence of DNA to DNA transcription in the genome of eukaryotic cells, which could shed some light on the functions of certain noncoding DNA in the human and other eukaryotic genomes.

Gauge unification of basic forces particularly of gravitation with strong interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salam, A.

1977-01-01

Corresponding to the two known types of gauge theories, Yang-Mills with spin-one mediating particles and Einstein Weyl with spin-two mediating particles, it is speculated that two distinct gauge unifications of the basic forces appear to be taking place. One is the familiar Yang-Mills unification of weak and electromagnetic forces with the strong. The second is the less familiar gauge unification of gravitation with spin-two tensor-dominated aspects of strong interactions. It is proposed that there are strongly interacting spin-two strong gravitons obeying Einstein's equations, and their existence gives a clue to an understanding of the (partial) confinement of quarks, as well as of the concept of hadronic temperature, through the use of Schwarzschild de-Sitter-like partially confining solitonic solutions of the strong gravity Einstein equation

NATO Advanced Study Institute on Atoms in Strong Fields

CERN Document Server

Clark, Charles; Nayfeh, Munir

1990-01-01

This book collects the lectures given at the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Atoms in Strong Fields", which took place on the island of Kos, Greece, during the two weeks of October 9-21,1988. The designation "strong field" applies here to an external electromagnetic field that is sufficiently strong to cause highly nonlinear alterations in atomic or molecular struc­ ture and dynamics. The specific topics treated in this volume fall into two general cater­ gories, which are those for which strong field effects can be studied in detail in terrestrial laboratories: the dynamics of excited states in static or quasi-static electric and magnetic fields; and the interaction of atoms and molecules with intense laser radiation. In both areas there exist promising opportunities for research of a fundamental nature. An electric field of even a few volts per centimeter can be very strong on the atom­ ic scale, if it acts upon a weakly bound state. The study of Rydberg states with high reso­ lution laser spectroscop...

Evidence gap maps -- a tool for promoting evidence-informed policy and prioritizing future research

OpenAIRE

Snilstveit, Birte; Vojtkova, Martina; Bhavsar, Ami; Gaarder, Marie

2013-01-01

Evidence-gap maps present a new addition to the tools available to support evidence-informed policy making. Evidence-gap maps are thematic evidence collections covering a range of issues such as maternal health, HIV/AIDS, and agriculture. They present a visual overview of existing systematic reviews or impact evaluations in a sector or subsector, schematically representing the types of int...

Processes of Individualization in the Presence of Strong Collective Identities

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Atanasov, Petar

2016-04-01

Full Text Available In the contemporary societies people try to build an individualized approach through life, while the collective identity coercions starts to pale. This ratio consists of many aspects like the intensity of the existing collective identities, the consistency of transmission of the parent’s way of living to their children and the individual choices that are available for the young people in the specific social context. In Macedonian society there are some modern processes concerning the development of stronger personal identities of the youth, and their attempts to change the way of living comparing the way their parents did. Having in mind that in Macedonia live citizens that are members of different cultural and ethnic groups the analysis will show even local differences elaborating these phenomena. There are indications that there is some fluctuation towards bigger individualization among youth and the evidence that the young people still lives their parent’s collective identities. The target group of the research is the student population, in the study that was done on the sample of 707 respondents, chosen by quotas, from the six universities in the country. The main thesis is that the students are still “overshadowed of the successes” of their parents past social experience, that is strongly connected with the collective nature of their identities. The main research questions are the state of the collective identities, the relation between the parents and the student’s collective identification, and the evidence of stronger development of the self-confidence among students.

Strong contribution of immigration to local population regulation: evidence from a migratory passerine.

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Schaub, Michael; Jakober, Hans; Stauber, Wolfgang

2013-08-01

A mechanistic understanding of the dynamics of populations requires knowledge about the variation of the underlying demographic rates and about the reasons for their variability. In geographically open populations, immigration is often necessary to prevent declines, but little is known about whether immigration can contribute to its regulation. We studied the dynamics of a Red-backed Shrike population (Lanius collurio) over 36 years in Germany with a Bayesian integrated population model. We estimated mean and temporal variability of population sizes, productivity, apparent survival, and immigration. We assessed how strongly the demographic rates were correlated with population growth to understand the demographic reasons of population change and how strongly the demographic rates were correlated with population size to identify possible density-dependent mechanisms. The shrike population varied between 35 and 74 breeding pairs but did not show a significant trend in population size over time (growth rate 1.002 +/- 0.001 [mean +/- SD]). Apparent survival of females (juveniles 0.06 +/- 0.01; adults 0.37 +/- 0.03) was lower than that of males (juveniles 0.10 +/- 0.01; adults 0.44 +/- 0.02). Immigration rates were substantial and higher in females (0.56 +/- 0.02) than in males (0.43 +/- 0.02), and average productivity was 2.76 +/- 0.14. Without immigration, the Red-backed Shrike population would have declined strongly. Immigration was the strongest driver for the number of females while local recruitment was the most important driver for the number of males. Immigration of both sexes and productivity, but not local recruitment and survival, were subject to density dependence. Density-dependent productivity was not effectively regulating the local population but may have contributed to regulate shrike populations at larger spatial scales. These findings suggest that immigration is not only an important component to prevent a geographically open population from decline

Atomic and Free Electrons in a Strong Light Field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fedorov, Mikhail V.

1998-02-01

This book presents and describes a series of unusual and striking strong-field phenomena concerning atoms and free electrons. Some of these phenomena are: multiphoton stimulated Bremsstrahlung, free-electron lasers, ave-packet physics, above-threshold ionization, and strong-field stabilization in Rydberg atoms. The theoretical foundations and causes of the phenomena are described in detail, with all the approximations and derivations discussed. All the known and relevant experiments are described oo, and their results are compared with those of the existing theoretical models. An extensive general theoretical introduction gives a good basis for subsequent parts of the book and is an independent and self-sufficient description of the most efficient theoretical methods of the strong-field and multiphoton physics. This book can serve as a textbook for graduate students

A brief review of current scientific evidence involving aromatherapy use for nausea and vomiting.

Science.gov (United States)

Lua, Pei Lin; Zakaria, Noor Salihah

2012-06-01

The objective of this study was to compile existing scientific evidence regarding the effects of essential oils (EOs) administered via inhalation for the alleviation of nausea and vomiting. CINAHL, PubMed, and EBSCO Host and Science Direct databases were searched for articles related to the use of EOs and/or aromatherapy for nausea and vomiting. Only articles using English as a language of publication were included. Eligible articles included all forms of evidence (nonexperimental, experimental, case report). Interventions were limited to the use of EOs by inhalation of their vapors to treat symptoms of nausea and vomiting in various conditions regardless of age group. Studies where the intervention did not utilize EOs or were concerned with only alcohol inhalation and trials that combined the use of aromatherapy with other treatments (massage, relaxations, or acupressure) were excluded. Five (5) articles met the inclusion criteria encompassing trials with 328 respondents. Their results suggest that the inhaled vapor of peppermint or ginger essential oils not only reduced the incidence and severity of nausea and vomiting but also decreased antiemetic requirements and consequently improved patient satisfaction. However, a definitive conclusion could not be drawn due to methodological flaws in the existing research articles and an acute lack of additional research in this area. The existing evidence is encouraging but yet not compelling. Hence, further well-designed large trials are needed before confirmation of EOs effectiveness in treating nausea and vomiting can be strongly substantiated.

Least cost addition of power from hydroelectrical developments: Maximizing existing assets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Felix, Lafontant; Briand, Marie-Helene; Veilleux, Rheaume

2010-09-15

Hydroelectric developments built in the early 1900's are nearing their useful lifespan and require significant rehabilitation in order to meet modern safety and performance criteria. Also, global increasing energy costs represent a strong incentive for operators to find low-cost, environment-friendly solutions while increasing energy generation at existing facilities. Projects promoting innovative ways of recycling existing developments are great examples of sustainable development and represent win-win solutions for population and hydropower industry alike. The proposed presentation describes successful projects consisting in the rehabilitation or addition of power to existing hydroelectric. These recycling projects are very attractive from both economic and environmental.

Linear operator inequalities for strongly stable weakly regular linear systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Curtain, RF

2001-01-01

We consider the question of the existence of solutions to certain linear operator inequalities (Lur'e equations) for strongly stable, weakly regular linear systems with generating operators A, B, C, 0. These operator inequalities are related to the spectral factorization of an associated Popov

Elements of a strong and healthy interagency partnership

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boucher, Laurel

2013-01-01

In an era of budget cuts and declining resources, an increased need exists for government agencies to develop formal and informal partnerships. Such partnerships are a means through which government agencies can use their resources to accomplish together what they cannot accomplish on their own. Interagency partnerships may involve multiple government agencies, private contractors, national laboratories, technology developers, public representatives, and other stakeholders. Four elements of strong and healthy interagency partnerships are presented as well as three needs that must be satisfied for the partnership to last. A diagnostic tool to measure the strength of these building blocks within an existing partnership is provided. Tools, techniques, and templates to develop these fundamental elements within a new partnership or to strengthen those within an already existing partnership are presented. This includes a comprehensive template for a partnership agreement along with practical suggestions as membership, operations, and decisions-making. (authors)

The extended reciprocity: Strong belief outperforms persistence.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurokawa, Shun

2017-05-21

The existence of cooperation is a mysterious phenomenon and demands explanation, and direct reciprocity is one key potential explanation for the evolution of cooperation. Direct reciprocity allows cooperation to evolve for cooperators who switch their behavior on the basis of information about the opponent's behavior. Here, relevant to direct reciprocity is information deficiency. When the opponent's last move is unknown, how should players behave? One possibility is to choose cooperation with some default probability without using any further information. In fact, our previous paper (Kurokawa, 2016a) examined this strategy. However, there might be beneficial information other than the opponent's last move. A subsequent study of ours (Kurokawa, 2017) examined the strategy which uses the own last move when the opponent's last move is unknown, and revealed that referring to the own move and trying to imitate it when information is absent is beneficial. Is there any other beneficial information else? How about strong belief (i.e., have infinite memory and believe that the opponent's behavior is unchanged)? Here, we examine the evolution of strategies with strong belief. Analyzing the repeated prisoner's dilemma game and using evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) analysis against an invasion by unconditional defectors, we find the strategy with strong belief is more likely to evolve than the strategy which does not use information other than the opponent player's last move and more likely to evolve than the strategy which uses not only the opponent player's last move but also the own last move. Strong belief produces the extended reciprocity and facilitates the evolution of cooperation. Additionally, we consider the two strategies game between strategies with strong belief and any strategy, and we consider the four strategies game in which unconditional cooperators, unconditional defectors, pessimistic reciprocators with strong belief, and optimistic reciprocators with

Kullback-Leibler information in resolving natural resource conflicts when definitive data exist

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, D.R.; Burnham, K.P.; White, Gary C.

2001-01-01

Conflicts often arise in the management of natural resources. Often they result from differing perceptions, varying interpretations of the law, and self-interests among stakeholder groups (for example, the values and perceptions about spotted owls and forest management differ markedly among environmental groups, government regulatory agencies, and timber industries). We extend the conceptual approach to conflict resolution of Anderson et al. (1999) by using information-theoretic methods to provide quantitative evidence for differing stakeholder positions. Importantly, we assume that relevant empirical data exist that are central to the potential resolution of the conflict. We present a hypothetical example involving an experiment to assess potential effects of a chemical on monthly survival probabilities of the hen clam (Spisula solidissima). The conflict centers on 3 stakeholder positions: 1) no effect, 2) an acute effect, and 3) an acute and chronic effect of the chemical treatment. Such data were given to 18 analytical teams to make independent analyses and provide the relative evidence for each of 3 stakeholder positions in the conflict. The empirical evidence strongly supports only one of the 3 positions in the conflict: the application of the chemical causes acute and chronic effects on monthly survival, following treatment. Formal inference from all the stakeholder positions is provided for the 2 key parameters underlying the hen clam controversy. The estimates of these parameters were essentially unbiased (the relative bias for the control and treatment group's survival probability was -0.857% and 1.400%, respectively) and precise (coefficients of variation were 0.576% and 2.761%, respectively). The advantages of making formal inference from all the models, rather than drawing conclusions from only the estimated best model, is illustrated. Finally, we contrast information-theoretic and Bayesian approaches in terms of how positions in the controversy enter

Twelve recommendations for integrating existing systematic reviews into new reviews: EPC guidance.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Karen A; Chou, Roger; Berkman, Nancy D; Newberry, Sydne J; Fu, Rongwei; Hartling, Lisa; Dryden, Donna; Butler, Mary; Foisy, Michelle; Anderson, Johanna; Motu'apuaka, Makalapua; Relevo, Rose; Guise, Jeanne-Marie; Chang, Stephanie

2016-02-01

As time and cost constraints in the conduct of systematic reviews increase, the need to consider the use of existing systematic reviews also increases. We developed guidance on the integration of systematic reviews into new reviews. A workgroup of methodologists from Evidence-based Practice Centers developed consensus-based recommendations. Discussions were informed by a literature scan and by interviews with organizations that conduct systematic reviews. Twelve recommendations were developed addressing selecting reviews, assessing risk of bias, qualitative and quantitative synthesis, and summarizing and assessing body of evidence. We provide preliminary guidance for an efficient and unbiased approach to integrating existing systematic reviews with primary studies in a new review. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Two-dimensional QCD as a model for strong interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, J.

1977-01-01

After an introduction to the formalism of two-dimensional QCD, its applications to various strong interaction processes are reviewed. Among the topics discussed are spectroscopy, deep inelastic cross-sections, ''hard'' processes involving hadrons, ''Regge'' behaviour, the existence of the Pomeron, and inclusive hadron cross-sections. Attempts are made to abstracts features useful for four-dimensional QCD phenomenology. (author)

Marital Expectations in Strong African American Marriages.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaterlaus, J Mitchell; Skogrand, Linda; Chaney, Cassandra; Gahagan, Kassandra

2017-12-01

The current exploratory study utilized a family strengths framework to identify marital expectations in 39 strong African American heterosexual marriages. Couples reflected on their marital expectations over their 10 or more years of marriage. Three themes emerged through qualitative analysis and the participants' own words were used in the presentation of the themes. African Americans indicated that there was growth in marital expectations over time, with marital expectations often beginning with unrealistic expectations that grew into more realistic expectations as their marriages progressed. Participants also indicated that core expectations in strong African American marriages included open communication, congruent values, and positive treatment of spouse. Finally, participants explained there is an "I" in marriage as they discussed the importance of autonomy within their marital relationships. Results are discussed in association with existing research and theory. © 2016 Family Process Institute.

When There Is Not Enough Evidence and When Evidence Is Not Enough: An Australian Indigenous Smoking Policy Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vujcich, Daniel; Rayner, Mike; Allender, Steven; Fitzpatrick, Ray

2016-01-01

The Indigenous Tobacco Control Initiative and Tackling Indigenous Smoking Measure were both announced by the Australian Government at a time when its rhetoric around the importance of evidence-based policy making was strong. This article will (1) examine how the Rudd Government used evidence in Indigenous tobacco control policy making and (2) explore the facilitators of and barriers to the use of evidence. Data were collected through (1) a review of primary documents largely obtained under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Commonwealth of Australia) and (2) interviews with senior politicians, senior bureaucrats, government advisors, Indigenous health advocates, and academics. Through the Freedom of Information Act process, 24 previously undisclosed government documents relevant to the making of Indigenous tobacco control policies were identified. Interviewees ( n  = 31, response rate 62%) were identified through both purposive and snowball recruitment strategies. The Framework Analysis method was used to analyze documentary and interview data. Government policy design was heavily influenced by the recommendations presented in government authored/commissioned literature reviews. Resulting policies were led by equivocal evidence for improved tobacco control outcomes among Indigenous Australians. Many of the cited studies had methodological limitations. In the absence of high-quality evidence, some policy makers supported policy recommendations that were perceived to be popular among the Indigenous community. Other policy makers recognized that there were barriers to accumulating rigorous, generalizable evidence; in the absence of such evidence, the policy makers considered that the "need for action" could be combined with the "need for research" by introducing innovative strategies and evaluating them. Despite the absence of high-quality evidence, the formulation and adoption of Indigenous tobacco policy was neither irrational nor reckless. The decision to

Review of Evidence for Adult Diabetic Ketoacidosis Management Protocols

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tara T. T. Tran

2017-06-01

Full Text Available BackgroundDiabetic ketoacidosis (DKA is an endocrine emergency with associated risk of morbidity and mortality. Despite this, DKA management lacks strong evidence due to the absence of large randomised controlled trials (RCTs.ObjectiveTo review existing studies investigating inpatient DKA management in adults, focusing on intravenous (IV fluids; insulin administration; potassium, bicarbonate, and phosphate replacement; and DKA management protocols and impact of DKA resolution rates on outcomes.MethodsOvid Medline searches were conducted with limits “all adult” and published between “1973 to current” applied. National consensus statements were also reviewed. Eligibility was determined by two reviewers’ assessment of title, abstract, and availability.ResultsA total of 85 eligible articles published between 1973 and 2016 were reviewed. The salient findings were (i Crystalloids are favoured over colloids though evidence is lacking. The preferred crystalloid and hydration rates remain contentious. (ii IV infusion of regular human insulin is preferred over the subcutaneous route or rapid acting insulin analogues. Administering an initial IV insulin bolus before low-dose insulin infusions obviates the need for supplemental insulin. Consensus-statements recommend fixed weight-based over “sliding scale” insulin infusions although evidence is weak. (iii Potassium replacement is imperative although no trials compare replacement rates. (iv Bicarbonate replacement offers no benefit in DKA with pH > 6.9. In severe metabolic acidosis with pH < 6.9, there is lack of both data and consensus regarding bicarbonate administration. (v There is no evidence that phosphate replacement offers outcome benefits. Guidelines consider replacement appropriate in patients with cardiac dysfunction, anaemia, respiratory depression, or phosphate levels <0.32 mmol/L. (vi Upon resolution of DKA, subcutaneous insulin is recommended with IV insulin infusions

USE OF BETA-BLOCKERS IN THE PERIOPERATIVE PERIOD: HOW STRONG ARE THE EVIDENCES?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. Samoylenko

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Optimization of the pharmacotherapy in preoperative period is the cornerstone of the concept of risk modification of cardiovascular complications in the perioperative period. Therefore, special attention has recently been focused on the use of beta-blockers in the postoperative period. Nowadays convincing evidence base for the use of this class of drugs in the perioperative period that was the basis for the development of clinical guidelines is accumulated. Moreover, results of large randomized trials of beta-blockers are controversial. This has resulted in significant differences in the classes of recommendations and levels of evidence.Analysis of the results of basic researches and the provisions of recommendations of the international and national professional medical societies on the use of beta-blockers in patients with cardiovascular disease to reduce the risk of cardiac complications in the perioperative period for planned extracardiac surgical procedures is presented.

Magnetic properties of strongly asymmetric nuclear matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kutschera, M.; Wojcik, W.

1988-01-01

We investigate stability of neutron matter containing a small proton admixture with respect to spin fluctuations. We establish conditions under which strongly asymmetric nuclear matter could acquire a permanent magnetization. It is shown that if the protons are localized, the system becomes unstable to spin fluctuations for arbitrarily weak proton-neutron spin interactions. For non-localized protons there exists a threshold value of the spin interaction above which the system can develop a spontaneous polarization. 12 refs., 2 figs. (author)

Picard iterations for nonlinear Lipschitz strong pseudo-contractions in uniformly smooth Banach spaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chidume, C.E.

1995-06-01

Suppose E is a real uniformly smooth Banach space and K is a nonempty closed convex and bounded subset of E, T:K → K is a Lipschitz pseudo-contraction. It is proved that the Picard iterates of a suitably defined operator converges strongly to the unique fixed point of T. Furthermore, this result also holds for the slightly larger class of Lipschitz strong hemi-contractions. Related results deal with strong convergence of the Picard iterates to the unique solution of operator equations involving Lipschitz strongly accretive maps. Apart from establishing strong convergence, our theorems give existence, uniqueness and convergence-rate which is at least as fast as a geometric progression. (author). 51 refs

Strong Nuclear Gravitational Constant and the Origin of Nuclear Planck Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seshavatharam U. V. S.

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Whether it may be real or an equivalent, existence of strong nuclear gravitational con- stant G S is assumed. Its value is obtained from Fermi’s weak coupling constant as G S = 6 : 9427284 10 31 m 3 / kg sec 2 and thus “nuclear planck scale” is defined. For strong interaction existence of a new integral charged “confined fermion” of mass 105.383 MeV is assumed. Strong coupling constant is the ratio of nuclear planck energy = 11.97 MeV and assumed 105.383 MeV. 1 s = X s is defined as the strong interaction mass gen- erator. With 105.383 MeV fermion various nuclear unit radii are fitted. Fermi’s weak coupling constant, strong interaction upper limit and Bohr radius are fitted at funda- mental level. Considering Fermi’s weak coupling constant and nuclear planck length a new number X e = 294.8183 is defined for fitting the electron, muon and tau rest masses. Using X s , X e and 105 : 32 = 0 : 769 MeV as the Coulombic energy constant = E c , en- ergy coe cients of the semi-empirical mass formula are estimated as E v = 16 : 32 MeV ; E s = 19 : 37 MeV ; E a = 23 : 86 MeV and E p = 11 : 97 MeV where Coulombic energy term contains [ Z ] 2 : Starting from Z = 2 nuclear binding energy is fitted with two terms along with only one energy constant = 0.769 MeV. Finally nucleon mass and its excited levels are fitted.

A scoping research literature review to assess the state of existing evidence on the "bad" death.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Donna M; Hewitt, Jessica A

2018-02-01

A scoping research literature review on "bad death" was undertaken to assess the overall state of the science on this topic and to determine what evidence exists on how often bad deaths occur, what contributes to or causes a bad death, and what the outcomes and consequences of bad deaths are. A search for English-language research articles was conducted in late 2016, with 25 articles identified and all retained for examination, as is expected with scoping reviews. Only 3 of the 25 articles provided incidence information, specifying that 7.8 to 23% of deaths were bad and that bad deaths were more likely to occur in hospitals than in community-care settings. Many different factors were associated with bad deaths, with unrelieved pain being the most commonly identified. Half of the studies provided information on the possible consequences or outcomes of bad deaths, such as palliative care not being initiated, interpersonal and team conflict, and long-lasting negative community effects. This review identified a relatively small number of research articles that focused in whole or in part on bad deaths. Although the reasons why people consider a death to be bad may be highly individualized and yet also socioculturally based, unrelieved pain is a commonly held reason for bad deaths. Although bad and good deaths may have some opposing causative factors, this literature review revealed some salient bad death attributes, ones that could be avoided to prevent bad deaths from occurring. A routine assessment to allow planning so as to avoid bad deaths and enhance the probability of good deaths is suggested.

Diet, body size, physical activity and risk of prostate cancer: An umbrella review of the evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Markozannes, Georgios; Tzoulaki, Ioanna; Karli, Dimitra; Evangelou, Evangelos; Ntzani, Evangelia; Gunter, Marc J; Norat, Teresa; Ioannidis, John P; Tsilidis, Konstantinos K

2016-12-01

The existing literature on the relationship between diet, body size, physical activity and prostate cancer risk was summarised by the World Cancer Research Fund Continuous Update Project (CUP). An evaluation of the robustness of this evidence is required to help inform public health policy. The robustness of this evidence was evaluated using several criteria addressing evidence strength and validity, including the statistical significance of the random effects summary estimate and of the largest study in a meta-analysis, number of prostate cancer cases, between-study heterogeneity, 95% prediction intervals, small-study effects bias, excess significance bias and sensitivity analyses with credibility ceilings. A total of 248 meta-analyses were extracted from the CUP, which studied associations of 23 foods, 31 nutrients, eight indices of body size and three indices of physical activity with risk of total prostate cancer development, mortality or cancer development by stage and grade. Of the 176 meta-analyses using a continuous scale to measure the exposures, no association presented strong evidence by satisfying all the aforementioned criteria. Only the association of height with total prostate cancer incidence and mortality presented highly suggestive evidence with a 4% higher risk per 5 cm greater height (95% confidence interval, 1.03, 1.05). Associations for body mass index, weight, height, dietary calcium and spirits intake were supported by suggestive evidence. Overall, the association of diet, body size, physical activity and prostate cancer has been extensively studied, but no association was graded with strong evidence. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of fossil energy and other environmental taxes on profit incentives for change in an open economy: Evidence from the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Webster, Allan; Ayatakshi, Sukanya

2013-01-01

This paper argues that the underlying supply and demand analysis of fossil energy and other environmental taxes needs further elaboration when a country (a) introduces national fossil energy or environmental taxes and (b) is open to international trade at given world prices. We provide evidence that such conditions are plausible for many sectors in the UK. A key implication is that the short run effects of such taxes should not be felt in final good prices, since these are determined in world markets, but in terms of underlying profitability. These changes in underlying profits provide two key incentives for producers—to change to more environmentally friendly production techniques and to switch resources to production of less environmentally harmful goods. Using input—output techniques we provide evidence for the UK to show how existing fossil energy and other “green” taxes have affected underlying profitability. The evidence shows quite strong profit incentives to shift resources from a small number of energy intensive industries to others. - Highlights: • Energy taxes affect profits more than prices for sectors trading at world prices. • This study suggests that many sectors in the UK satisfy these conditions. • Our evidence suggests that few sectors are strongly affected by energy taxes. • Energy taxes have a strong effect relative to other possible environmental taxes

Seismic Evidence for Possible Slab Melting from Strong Scattering Waves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng-Horng Lin

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Slab melting in young and hot subduction zones has been studied using geochemical observations and thermal modelling, but there are few data from seismic studies to confirm slab melting. Also the detailed geometry in the deep part of the melting slab is often ambiguous in that the intraslab earthquakes within the Wadati-Benioff zone are only limited to shallower depths. To improve our understanding of both the seismic features and geometry found in a young and hot subducted slab, I analyzed anomalous moonquake-like seismograms that were generated by an intermediate-depth earthquake recorded in central Japan. For this study, possible reflected (or scattered sources were examined using detailed analyses of particle motions and a grid search for travel-time differences between the direct and later P-waves. The results show that using strong seismic scattering, slab melting is likely occurring in the deeper, flexing part of the subducted Philippine Sea plate. Because the subducted Philippine Sea plate in central Japan is young and therefore hot, partial melting might have taken place to produce abundant melting spots in the subducted slab. Melting spots, identified as ¡§bright spots,¡¨ could efficiently reflect or scatter seismic energy and generate many later phases with large amplitudes.

Alternation vs. Allomorphic Variation in Old English Word-Formation: Evidence from the Derivational Paradigm of Strong Verbs

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Urraca Carmen Novo

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This article addresses the question of Old English alternations with a view to identifying instances of allomorphic variation attributable to the loss of motivation and the subsequent morphologization of alternations. The focus is on the strong verb and its derivatives, in such a way that the alternations in which the strong verb partakes can be predicted on the basis of phonological principles, whereas allomorphic variation with respect to the strong verb base is unpredictable. Out of 304 derivational paradigms based on strong verbs and comprising 4,853 derivatives, 478 instances have been found of phonologically motivated vocalic alternations. The conclusion is reached that the most frequent alternations are those that have /a/ as source and those with /y/ as target, because /a/ is the point of departure of i-mutation and /y/ its point of arrival. Sixteen instances of allomorphic variation have also been found, of which /e/ ~ /eo/, /e/ ~ /ea/ and /i/ ~ /e/ are relatively frequent.

Direct and reverse inclusions for strongly multiple summing operators

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

and strongly multiple summing operators under the assumption that the range has finite cotype. Keywords. .... multiple (q, p)-summing, if there exists a constant C ≥ 0 such that for every choice of systems (x j i j )1≤i j ≤m j ...... Ideals and their Applications in Theoretical Physics (1983) (Leipzig: Teubner-Texte) pp. 185–199.

Existence families, functional calculi and evolution equations

CERN Document Server

deLaubenfels, Ralph

1994-01-01

This book presents an operator-theoretic approach to ill-posed evolution equations. It presents the basic theory, and the more surprising examples, of generalizations of strongly continuous semigroups known as 'existent families' and 'regularized semigroups'. These families of operators may be used either to produce all initial data for which a solution in the original space exists, or to construct a maximal subspace on which the problem is well-posed. Regularized semigroups are also used to construct functional, or operational, calculi for unbounded operators. The book takes an intuitive and constructive approach by emphasizing the interaction between functional calculus constructions and evolution equations. One thinks of a semigroup generated by A as etA and thinks of a regularized semigroup generated by A as etA g(A), producing solutions of the abstract Cauchy problem for initial data in the image of g(A). Material that is scattered throughout numerous papers is brought together and presented in a fresh, ...

Does the Σ(1580)((3)/(2))- resonance exist?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olmsted, J.; Prakhov, S.; Manley, D.M.; Allgower, C.E.; Bekrenev, V.S.; Briscoe, W.J.; Clajus, M.; Comfort, J.R.; Craig, K.; Grosnick, D.; Isenhower, D.; Knecht, N.; Koetke, D.D.; Kozlenko, N.G.; Kruglov, S.; Kulbardis, A.A.; Lolos, G.; Lopatin, I.V.; Manweiler, R.; Marusic, A.; McDonald, S.; Nefkens, B.M.K.; Papandreou, Z.; Peaslee, D.C.; Phaisangittisakul, N.; Price, J.W.; Ramirez, A.F.; Sadler, M.; Shafi, A.; Spinka, H.; Stanislaus, T.D.S.; Starostin, A.; Staudenmaier, H.M.; Strakovsky, I.I.; Supek, I.; Tippens, W.B.

2004-01-01

Precise new data for the reaction K - p→π 0 Λ are presented in the c.m. energy range 1565 to 1600 MeV. Our analysis of these data sheds new light on claims for the Σ(1580)((3)/(2)) - resonance, which (if it exists with the specified quantum numbers) must be an exotic baryon because of its very low mass. Our results show no evidence for this state

Does evaporation paradox exist in China?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. T. Cong

2009-03-01

Full Text Available One expected consequence of global warming is the increase in evaporation. However, lots of observations show that the rate of evaporation from open pans of water has been steadily decreasing all over the world in the past 50 years. The contrast between expectation and observation is called "evaporation paradox". Based on data from 317 weather stations in China from 1956 to 2005, the trends of pan evaporation and air temperature were obtained and evaporation paradox was analyzed. The conclusions include: (1 From 1956 to 2005, pan evaporation paradox existed in China as a whole while pan evaporation kept decreasing and air temperature became warmer and warmer, but it does not apply to Northeast and Southeast China; (2 From 1956 to 1985, pan evaporation paradox existed narrowly as a whole with unobvious climate warming trend, but it does not apply to Northeast China; (3 From 1986 to 2005, in the past 20 years, pan evaporation paradox did not exist for the whole period while pan evaporation kept increasing, although it existed in South China. Furthermore, the trend of other weather factors including sunshine duration, windspeed, humidity and vapor pressure deficit, and their relations with pan evaporation are discussed. As a result, it can be concluded that pan evaporation decreasing is caused by the decreasing in radiation and wind speed before 1985 and pan evaporation increasing is caused by the decreasing in vapor pressure deficit due to strong warming after 1986. With the Budyko curve, it can be concluded that the actual evaporation decreased in the former 30 years and increased in the latter 20 year for the whole China.

Maternal ratings of attention problems in ADHD: evidence for the existence of a continuum

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lubke, Gitta H.; Hudziak, James J.; Derks, Eske M.; van Bijsterveldt, Toos C. E. M.; Boomsma, Dorret I.

2009-01-01

To investigate whether items assessing attention problems provide evidence of quantitative differences or categorically distinct subtypes of attention problems (APs) and to investigate the relation of empirically derived latent classes to DSM-IV diagnoses of subtypes of

Further Evidence on the Weak and Strong Versions of the Screening Hypothesis in Greece.

Science.gov (United States)

Lambropoulos, Haris S.

1992-01-01

Uses Greek data for 1981 and 1985 to test screening hypothesis by replicating method proposed by Psacharopoulos. Credentialism, or sheepskin effect of education, directly challenges human capital theory, which views education as a productivity augmenting process. Results do not support the strong version of the screening hypothesis and suggest…

Further evidence for magnetic charge from meson spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akers, D.

1987-01-01

Recently evidence was presented for the existence of magnetic charge from Zeeman splitting in meson states. The model by Akers predicted the existence of a new eta meson at 1814 MeV with I/sup G/ (J/sup PC/) = O + (O -+ ). Experimental evidence for this new meson is cited and discussed

The effect of dust charge inhomogeneity on low-frequency modes in a strongly coupled plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farid, T.; Mamun, A.A.; Shukla, P.K.

2000-01-01

An analysis of low-frequency modes accounting for dust grain charge fluctuation and equilibrium grain charge inhomogeneity in a strongly coupled dusty plasma is presented. The existence of an extremely low frequency mode, which is due to the inhomogeneity in the equilibrium dust grain charge, is reported. Besides, the equilibrium dust grain charge inhomogeneity makes the dust-acoustic mode unstable. The strong correlations in the dust fluid significantly drive a new mode as well as the existing dust-acoustic mode. The applications of these results to recent experimental and to some space and astrophysical situations are discussed

Ontological Proofs of Existence and Non-Existence

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hájek, Petr

2008-01-01

Roč. 90, č. 2 (2008), s. 257-262 ISSN 0039-3215 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA100300503 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : ontological proofs * existence * non-existence * Gödel * Caramuel Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics

Existing reflection seismic data re-processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higashinaka, Motonori; Sano, Yukiko; Kozawa, Takeshi

2005-08-01

This document is to report the results of existing seismic data re-processing around Horonobe town, Hokkaido, Japan, which is a part of the Horonobe Underground Research Project. The main purpose of this re-processing is to recognize the subsurface structure of Omagari Fault and fold system around Omagari Fault. The seismic lines for re-processing are TYHR-A3 line and SHRB-2 line, which JAPEX surveyed in 1975. Applying weathering static correction using refraction analysis and noise suppression procedure, we have much enhanced seismic profile. Following information was obtained from seismic re-processing results. TYHR-A3 line: There are strong reflections, dipping to the west. These reflections are corresponding western limb of anticline to the west side of Omagari Fault. SHRB-2 line: There are strong reflections, dipping to the west, at CDP 60-140, while there are reflections, dipping to the east, to the east side of CDP 140. These reflections correspond to the western limb and the eastern limb of the anticline, which is parallel to Omagari FAULT. This seismic re-processing provides some useful information to know the geological structure around Omagari Fault. (author)

There is not yet strong evidence that exercise regimens other than pelvic floor muscle training can reduce stress urinary incontinence in women: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Bø, Kari; Herbert, Robert D

2013-09-01

What evidence is there for alternative exercises to specific pelvic floor muscle training for treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women? A systematic review was conducted with searches of PubMed and PEDro to January 2013. The quality of randomised trials was evaluated using the PEDro scale. Each type of exercise was classified as being in a Development Phase, Testing Phase, or Refinement and Dissemination Phase. Women with stress or mixed urinary incontinence with predominantly stress urinary incontinence. Exercise regimens other than pelvic floor muscle training. The primary outcome was urinary leakage. Seven randomised controlled trials were found: three on abdominal training, two on the Paula method, and two on Pilates exercise. The methodological quality score ranged between 4 and 8 with a mean of 5.7. There was no convincing evidence for the effect of these exercise regimens so they remain in the Testing Phase. Because no randomised trials were found for posture correction, breathing exercise, yoga, Tai Chi, and general fitness training, these were classified as being in the Development Phase. There is not yet strong evidence that alternative exercise regimens can reduce urinary leakage in women with stress urinary incontinence. Alternative exercise regimens should not yet be recommended for use in clinical practice for women with stress urinary incontinence. Copyright © 2013 Australian Physiotherapy Association. Published by .. All rights reserved.

Market distortions and aggregate productivity: Evidence from Chinese energy enterprises

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, Xiaoyong; Cheng, Liwei

2016-01-01

Market distortions can generate resource misallocations across heterogeneous firms and reduce aggregate productivity. This paper measures market distortions and aggregate productivity growth in China's energy sector. We use the wedge between output elasticities and factor shares in revenues to recover a measure of firm-level market distortions. Using data on a large sample of Chinese energy enterprises from 1999 to 2007, our estimations provide strong evidence of the existence of both factor and product market distortions within and across China's various energy industries. The productivity aggregation and decomposition results demonstrate that the estimated aggregate productivity growth (APG) is, on average, 2.595% points per year, of which technological change, resource reallocation, and firm entries and exits account for 1.981, 0.068, and 0.546% points, respectively. The weak contributions of resource reallocation and firm turnover to APG are also found in energy sub-industries, except in the coal industry. Our research suggests that China's energy sector has major potential for productivity gains from resource reallocation through the reduction of market distortions. - Highlights: •We estimate market distortions and productivity growth of China's energy sector. •We use a large sample of Chinese energy enterprises. •There are evidences of the existence of factor and product market distortions. •Aggregate productivity growth is largely driven by firm-level technological change. •China's energy sector can realize productivity gains from resource reallocations.

Anomalous transport phenomena in Fermi liquids with strong magnetic fluctuations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kontani, Hiroshi

2008-01-01

In this paper, we present recent developments in the theory of transport phenomena based on the Fermi liquid theory. In conventional metals, various transport coefficients are scaled according to the quasiparticles relaxation time, τ, which implies that the relaxation time approximation (RTA) holds well. However, such a simple scaling does not hold in many strongly correlated electron systems. The most famous example would be high-T c superconductors (HTSCs), where almost all the transport coefficients exhibit a significant deviation from the RTA results. This issue has been one of the most significant unresolved problems in HTSCs for a long time. Similar anomalous transport phenomena have been observed in metals near their antiferromagnetic (AF) quantum critical point (QCP). The main goal of this study is to demonstrate whether the anomalous transport phenomena in HTSC is evidence of a non-Fermi liquid ground state, or just RTA violation in strongly correlated Fermi liquids. Another goal is to establish a unified theory of anomalous transport phenomena in metals with strong magnetic fluctuations. For these purposes, we develop a method for calculating various transport coefficients beyond the RTA by employing field theoretical techniques. In a Fermi liquid, an excited quasiparticle induces other excited quasiparticles by collision, and current due to these excitations is called a current vertex correction (CVC). Landau noticed the existence of CVC first, which is indispensable for calculating transport coefficients in accord with the conservation laws. Here, we develop a transport theory involving resistivity and the Hall coefficient on the basis of the microscopic Fermi liquid theory, by considering the CVC. In nearly AF Fermi liquids, we find that the strong backward scattering due to AF fluctuations induces the CVC with prominent momentum dependence. This feature of the CVC can account for the significant enhancement in the Hall coefficient, magnetoresistance

Super symmetry in strong and weak interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seshavatharam, U.V.S.; Lakshminarayana, S.

2010-01-01

For strong interaction two new fermion mass units 105.32 MeV and 11450 MeV are assumed. Existence of "Integral charge quark bosons", "Integral charge effective quark fermions", "Integral charge (effective) quark fermi-gluons" and "Integral charge quark boso-gluons" are assumed and their masses are estimated. It is noticed that, characteristic nuclear charged fermion is X s · 105.32 = 938.8 MeV and corresponding charged boson is X s (105.32/x) = 415.0 where X s = 8.914 is the inverse of the strong coupling constant and x = 2.26234 is a new number by using which "super symmetry" can be seen in "strong and weak" interactions. 11450 MeV fermion and its boson of mass = 11450/x = 5060 MeV plays a crucial role in "sub quark physics" and "weak interaction". 938.8 MeV strong fermion seems to be the proton. 415 MeV strong boson seems to be the mother of the presently believed 493,496 and 547 MeV etc, strange mesons. With 11450 MeV fermion "effective quark-fermi-gluons" and with 5060 MeV boson "quark boso-gluon masses" are estimated. "Effective quark fermi-gluons" plays a crucial role in ground state charged baryons mass generation. Light quark bosons couple with these charged baryons to form doublets and triplets. "Quark boso-gluons" plays a crucial role in ground state neutral and charged mesons mass generation. Fine and super-fine rotational levels can be given by [I or (I/2)] power(1/4) and [I or (I/2)] power(1/12) respectively. Here, I = n(n+1) and n = 1, 2, 3, … (author)

Does a Protestant work ethic exist? Evidence from the well-being effect of unemployment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Hoorn, Andre; Maseland, Robbert

Evidence on Weber's original thesis on a Protestant work ethic is ambiguous and relies on questionable measures of work attitudes. We test the relation between Protestantism and work attitudes using a novel method,.operationalizing work ethic as the effect of unemployment on-individuals' subjective

Prevention of strong earthquakes: Goal or utopia?

Science.gov (United States)

Mukhamediev, Sh. A.

2010-11-01

In the present paper, we consider ideas suggesting various kinds of industrial impact on the close-to-failure block of the Earth’s crust in order to break a pending strong earthquake (PSE) into a number of smaller quakes or aseismic slips. Among the published proposals on the prevention of a forthcoming strong earthquake, methods based on water injection and vibro influence merit greater attention as they are based on field observations and the results of laboratory tests. In spite of this, the cited proofs are, for various reasons, insufficient to acknowledge the proposed techniques as highly substantiated; in addition, the physical essence of these methods has still not been fully understood. First, the key concept of the methods, namely, the release of the accumulated stresses (or excessive elastic energy) in the source region of a forthcoming strong earthquake, is open to objection. If we treat an earthquake as a phenomenon of a loss in stability, then, the heterogeneities of the physicomechanical properties and stresses along the existing fault or its future trajectory, rather than the absolute values of stresses, play the most important role. In the present paper, this statement is illustrated by the classical examples of stable and unstable fractures and by the examples of the calculated stress fields, which were realized in the source regions of the tsunamigenic earthquakes of December 26, 2004 near the Sumatra Island and of September 29, 2009 near the Samoa Island. Here, just before the earthquakes, there were no excessive stresses in the source regions. Quite the opposite, the maximum shear stresses τmax were close to their minimum value, compared to τmax in the adjacent territory. In the present paper, we provide quantitative examples that falsify the theory of the prevention of PSE in its current form. It is shown that the measures for the prevention of PSE, even when successful for an already existing fault, can trigger or accelerate a catastrophic

Measurement of strong interaction parameters in antiprotonic hydrogen and deuterium

CERN Document Server

Augsburger, M A; Borchert, G L; Chatellard, D; Egger, J P; El-Khoury, P; Gorke, H; Gotta, D; Hauser, P R; Indelicato, P J; Kirch, K; Lenz, S; Siems, T; Simons, L M

1999-01-01

In the PS207 experiment at CERN, X-rays from antiprotonic hydrogen and deuterium have been measured at low pressure. The strong interaction shift and the broadening of the K/sub alpha / transition in antiprotonic hydrogen were $9 determined. Evidence was found for the individual hyperfine components of the protonium ground state. (7 refs).

Holographic gauge mediation via strongly coupled messengers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGuirk, Paul; Shiu, Gary; Sumitomo, Yoske

2010-01-01

We consider a relative of semidirect gauge mediation where the hidden sector exists at large 't Hooft coupling. Such scenarios can be difficult to describe using perturbative field theory methods but may fall into the class of holographic gauge mediation scenarios, meaning that they are amenable to the techniques of gauge/gravity duality. We use a recently found gravity solution to examine one such case, where the hidden sector is a cascading gauge theory resulting in a confinement scale not much smaller than the messenger mass. In the original construction of holographic gauge mediation, as in other examples of semidirect gauge mediation at strong coupling, the primary contributions to visible sector soft terms come from weakly coupled messenger mesons. In contrast to these examples, we describe the dual of a gauge theory where there are significant contributions from scales in which the strongly coupled messenger quarks are the effective degrees of freedom. In this regime, the visible sector gaugino mass can be calculated entirely from holography.

Existence of Solutions of Abstract Nonlinear Mixed Functional Integrodifferential equation with nonlocal conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dhakne Machindra B.

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper we discuss the existence of mild and strong solutions of abstract nonlinear mixed functional integrodifferential equation with nonlocal condition by using Sadovskii’s fixed point theorem and theory of fractional power of operators.

Study on microstructure of transition zone and its strong contrast of single T700 carbon fibers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Xinshuang; Zhang, Kexiang [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Fan, Zhen; Feng, Zhihai [National Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Composite Materials, Aerospace Research Institute of Materials and Processing Technology, Beijing 100076 (China); He, LianLong, E-mail: llhe@imr.ac.cn [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016 (China)

2017-06-01

Highlights: • The transition zone of T700 carbon fiber was first identified with higher density in addition to higher orientation. • The higher sample density still existed while the higher orientation disappeared after heat treatment at 2800 °C. • The strong contrast of the transition zone mainly results from its higher density. • The transition zone with higher density and orientation may exist not only in the T700 but other PAN-based carbon fibers. - Abstract: The transition zone (TZ) between the skin and core of Toray T700 carbon fiber was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The higher basal-plane orientation was identified in the TZ compared with the skin and core, but it disappeared after heat treatment at 2800 °C. Plasmon peak energy in the TZ was higher than that in the skin and core about 0.7–0.8 eV, indicating the TZ with higher density. No element concentration existed in the TZ. The TZ with strong contrast manifests itself before and after heat treatment, and formation mechanism of its strong contrast was proposed.

Ricci solitons, Ricci flow and strongly coupled CFT in the Schwarzschild Unruh or Boulware vacua

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Figueras, Pau; Lucietti, James; Wiseman, Toby

2011-01-01

The elliptic Einstein-DeTurck equation may be used to numerically find Einstein metrics on Riemannian manifolds. Static Lorentzian Einstein metrics are considered by analytically continuing to Euclidean time. The Ricci-DeTurck flow is a constructive algorithm to solve this equation, and is simple to implement when the solution is a stable fixed point, the only complication being that Ricci solitons may exist which are not Einstein. Here we extend previous work to consider the Einstein-DeTurck equation for Riemannian manifolds with boundaries, and those that continue to static Lorentzian spacetimes which are asymptotically flat, Kaluza-Klein, locally AdS or have extremal horizons. Using a maximum principle, we prove that Ricci solitons do not exist in these cases and so any solution is Einstein. We also argue that the Ricci-DeTurck flow preserves these classes of manifolds. As an example, we simulate the Ricci-DeTurck flow for a manifold with asymptotics relevant for AdS 5 /CFT 4 . Our maximum principle dictates that there are no soliton solutions, and we give strong numerical evidence that there exists a stable fixed point of the flow which continues to a smooth static Lorentzian Einstein metric. Our asymptotics are such that this describes the classical gravity dual relevant for the CFT on a Schwarzschild background in either the Unruh or Boulware vacua. It determines the leading O(N 2 c ) part of the CFT stress tensor, which interestingly is regular on both the future and past Schwarzschild horizons. (paper)

Fine Tuning of Basic Forces through the Existence of Carbon-Based Life

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2001-01-01

The bulk of the carbon in our universe is produced in the triple-alpha process in helium-burning red giant stars. We calculated the change of the triple-alpha reaction rate in a microscopic twelve-nucleon model of the 12C nucleus and looked for the effects of minimal variations of the strengths of the underlying strong and Coulomb interactions. Stellar model calculations are performed using the alternative reaction rates. We show that outside a narrow window of 0.5% of the strength or range of the strong interaction the stellar production of carbon or oxygen is reduced by factors of 130 to 1000. Therefore, outside this window the existence of carbon-based life in our universe would be strongly disfavored. These anthropically allowed strengths of the strong and electromagnetic forces also constrain the sum of the light quark masses and the Higgs vacuum expectation value.

Development of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs: comparing approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harris Claire

2008-10-01

recommendations, consultation with others beyond the guideline development group, and ongoing review and updating of the CPG. Conclusion The key elements of an evidence-based CPG development process are addressed with strong concordance by existing CPG development handbooks. Further research is required to determine why these key elements are often not addressed by CPG developers.

When There is Not Enough Evidence and When Evidence is Not Enough: An Australian Indigenous Smoking Policy Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Vujcich

2016-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The Indigenous Tobacco Control Initiative and Tackling Indigenous Smoking Measure were both announced by the Australian Government at a time when its rhetoric around the importance of evidence-based policy making was strong. This article will (1 examine how the Rudd Government used evidence in Indigenous tobacco control policy making and (2 explore the facilitators of and barriers to the use of evidence. METHODS: Data were collected through: (1 a review of primary documents largely obtained under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Commonwealth of Australia and (2 interviews with senior politicians, senior bureaucrats, government advisors, Indigenous health advocates and academics. Through the Freedom of Information Act process, 24 previously undisclosed government documents relevant to the making of Indigenous tobacco control policies were identified. Interviewees (n=31, response rate 62% were identified through both purposive and snowball recruitment strategies. The Framework Analysis method was used to analyse documentary and interview data.RESULTS: Government policy design was heavily influenced by recommendations presented in government authored/commissioned literature reviews. Resulting policies were led by equivocal evidence for improved tobacco control outcomes among Indigenous Australians. Many of the cited studies had methodological limitations. In the absence of high quality evidence, some policy makers supported policy recommendations that were perceived to be popular among the Indigenous community. Other policy makers recognised that there were barriers to accumulating rigorous, generalizable evidence; in the absence of such evidence, the policy makers considered that the ‘need for action’ could be combined with the ‘need for research’ by introducing innovative strategies and evaluating them.DISCUSSION: Despite the absence of high quality evidence, the formulation and adoption of Indigenous Tobacco policy was

Atomic and electronic structure of trilayer graphene/SiC(0001): Evidence of Strong Dependence on Stacking Sequence and charge transfer.

Science.gov (United States)

Pierucci, Debora; Brumme, Thomas; Girard, Jean-Christophe; Calandra, Matteo; Silly, Mathieu G; Sirotti, Fausto; Barbier, Antoine; Mauri, Francesco; Ouerghi, Abdelkarim

2016-09-15

The transport properties of few-layer graphene are the directly result of a peculiar band structure near the Dirac point. Here, for epitaxial graphene grown on SiC, we determine the effect of charge transfer from the SiC substrate on the local density of states (LDOS) of trilayer graphene using scaning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Different spectra are observed and are attributed to the existence of two stable polytypes of trilayer: Bernal (ABA) and rhomboedreal (ABC) staking. Their electronic properties strongly depend on the charge transfer from the substrate. We show that the LDOS of ABC stacking shows an additional peak located above the Dirac point in comparison with the LDOS of ABA stacking. The observed LDOS features, reflecting the underlying symmetry of the two polytypes, were reproduced by explicit calculations within density functional theory (DFT) including the charge transfer from the substrate. These findings demonstrate the pronounced effect of stacking order and charge transfer on the electronic structure of trilayer or few layer graphene. Our approach represents a significant step toward understand the electronic properties of graphene layer under electrical field.

Strongly interacting W's and Z's

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaillard, M.K.

1984-01-01

The study focussed primarily on the dynamics of a strongly interacting W, Z(SIW) sector, with the aim of sharpening predictions for total W, Z yield and W, Z multiplicities expected from WW fusion for various scenarios. Specific issues raised in the context of the general problem of modeling SIW included the specificity of the technicolor (or, equivalently, QCD) model, whether or not a composite scalar model can be evaded, and whether the standard model necessarily implies an I = J = O state (≅ Higgs particle) that is relatively ''light'' (M ≤ hundreds of TeV). The consensus on the last issue was that existing arguments are inconclusive. While the author shall briefly address compositeness and alternatives to the technicolor model, quantitative estimates will be of necessity based on technicolor or an extrapolation of pion data

A Deep Chandra ACIS Study of NGC 4151. II. The Innermost Emission Line Region and Strong Evidence for Radio Jet-NLR Cloud Collision

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Junfeng; Fabbiano, Giuseppina; Elvis, Martin; Risaliti, Guido; Mundell, Carole G.; Karovska, Margarita; Zezas, Andreas

2011-07-01

We have studied the X-ray emission within the inner ~150 pc radius of NGC 4151 by constructing high spatial resolution emission line images of blended O VII, O VIII, and Ne IX. These maps show extended structures that are spatially correlated with the radio outflow and optical [O III] emission. We find strong evidence for jet-gas cloud interaction, including morphological correspondences with regions of X-ray enhancement, peaks of near-infrared [Fe II] emission, and optical clouds. In these regions, moreover, we find evidence of elevated Ne IX/O VII ratios; the X-ray emission of these regions also exceeds that expected from nuclear photoionization. Spectral fitting reveals the presence of a collisionally ionized component. The thermal energy of the hot gas suggests that >~ 0.1% of the estimated jet power is deposited into the host interstellar medium through interaction between the radio jet and the dense medium of the circumnuclear region. We find possible pressure equilibrium between the collisionally ionized hot gas and the photoionized line-emitting cool clouds. We also obtain constraints on the extended iron and silicon fluorescent emission. Both lines are spatially unresolved. The upper limit on the contribution of an extended emission region to the Fe Kα emission is <~ 5% of the total, in disagreement with a previous claim that 65% of the Fe Kα emission originates in the extended narrow line region.

Are markers of inflammation more strongly associated with risk for fatal than for nonfatal vascular events?

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Sattar, Naveed

2009-06-23

Circulating inflammatory markers may more strongly relate to risk of fatal versus nonfatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, but robust prospective evidence is lacking. We tested whether interleukin (IL)-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen more strongly associate with fatal compared to nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke.

Stagnation and Storage of Strongly Depleted Melts in Slow-Ultraslow Spreading Oceans: Evidence from the Ligurian Tethys

Science.gov (United States)

Piccardo, Giovanni; Guarnieri, Luisa; Padovano, Matteo

2013-04-01

Our studies of Alpine-Apennine ophiolite massifs (i.e., Lanzo, Voltri, Ligurides, Corsica) show that the Jurassic Ligurian Tethys oceanic basin was a slow-ultraslow spreading basin, characterized by the exposures on the seafloor of mantle peridotites with extreme compositional variability. The large majority of these peridotites are made of depleted spinel harzburgites and plagioclase peridotites. The former are interpreted as reactive peridotites formed by the reactive percolation of under-saturated, strongly trace element depleted asthenospheric melts migrated by porous flow through the mantle lithosphere. The latter are considered as refertilized peridotites formed by peridotite impregnation by percolated silica-saturated, strongly trace element depleted melts. Strongly depleted melts were produced as low-degrees, single melt increments by near fractional melting of the passively upwelling asthenosphere during the rifting stage of the basin. They escaped single melt increment aggregation, migrated isolated through the mantle lithosphere by reactive porous or channeled flow before oceanic opening, and were transformed into silica-saturated derivative liquids that underwent entrapment and stagnation in the shallow mantle lithosphere forming plagioclase-enriched peridotites. Widespread small bodies of strongly depleted gabbro-norites testify for the local coalescence of these derivative liquids. These melts never reached the surface (i.e., the hidden magmatism), since lavas with their composition have never been found in the basin. Subsequently, aggregated MORB melts upwelled within replacive dunite channels (as evidenced by composition of magmatic clinopyroxenes in dunites), intruded at shallow levels as olivine gabbro bodies and extruded as basaltic lavas, to form the crustal rocks of the oceanic lithosphere (i.e., the oceanic magmatism). Km-scale bodies of MORB olivine gabbros were intruded into the plagioclase-enriched peridotites, which were formed in the

Evidence of pervasive biologically functional secondary structures within the genomes of eukaryotic single-stranded DNA viruses.

Science.gov (United States)

Muhire, Brejnev Muhizi; Golden, Michael; Murrell, Ben; Lefeuvre, Pierre; Lett, Jean-Michel; Gray, Alistair; Poon, Art Y F; Ngandu, Nobubelo Kwanele; Semegni, Yves; Tanov, Emil Pavlov; Monjane, Adérito Luis; Harkins, Gordon William; Varsani, Arvind; Shepherd, Dionne Natalie; Martin, Darren Patrick

2014-02-01

Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses have genomes that are potentially capable of forming complex secondary structures through Watson-Crick base pairing between their constituent nucleotides. A few of the structural elements formed by such base pairings are, in fact, known to have important functions during the replication of many ssDNA viruses. Unknown, however, are (i) whether numerous additional ssDNA virus genomic structural elements predicted to exist by computational DNA folding methods actually exist and (ii) whether those structures that do exist have any biological relevance. We therefore computationally inferred lists of the most evolutionarily conserved structures within a diverse selection of animal- and plant-infecting ssDNA viruses drawn from the families Circoviridae, Anelloviridae, Parvoviridae, Nanoviridae, and Geminiviridae and analyzed these for evidence of natural selection favoring the maintenance of these structures. While we find evidence that is consistent with purifying selection being stronger at nucleotide sites that are predicted to be base paired than at sites predicted to be unpaired, we also find strong associations between sites that are predicted to pair with one another and site pairs that are apparently coevolving in a complementary fashion. Collectively, these results indicate that natural selection actively preserves much of the pervasive secondary structure that is evident within eukaryote-infecting ssDNA virus genomes and, therefore, that much of this structure is biologically functional. Lastly, we provide examples of various highly conserved but completely uncharacterized structural elements that likely have important functions within some of the ssDNA virus genomes analyzed here.

Diamonds in the rough: a strong case for the inclusion of weak-intensity X-ray diffraction data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jimin; Wing, Richard A.

2014-01-01

Here, new evidence is provided to show that the inclusion of weak-intensity, high-resolution X-ray diffraction data helps to improve the quality of experimental phases by imposing proper constraints on electron-density models during noncrystallographic symmetry averaging. Overwhelming evidence exists to show that the inclusion of weak-intensity, high-resolution X-ray diffraction data helps improve the refinement of atomic models by imposing strong constraints on individual and overall temperature B factors and thus the quality of crystal structures. Some researchers consider these data to be of little value and opt to discard them during data processing, particularly at medium and low resolution, at which individual B factors of atomic models cannot be refined. Here, new evidence is provided to show that the inclusion of these data helps to improve the quality of experimental phases by imposing proper constraints on electron-density models during noncrystallographic symmetry (NCS) averaging. Using electron-density correlation coefficients as criteria, the resolution of data has successfully been extended from 3.1 to 2.5 Å resolution with redundancy-independent merging R factors from below 100% to about 310%. It is further demonstrated that phase information can be fully extracted from observed amplitudes through de novo NCS averaging. Averaging starts with uniform density inside double-shelled spherical masks and NCS matrices that are derived from bound heavy-atom clusters at the vertices of cuboctahedrally symmetric protein particles

Evidence Suggesting that Ivory-billed Woodpeckers (Campephilus principalis Exist in Florida

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel J. Mennill

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis disappeared from the forests of southeastern North America in the early 20th Century and for more than 50 years has been widely considered extinct. On 21 May 2005, we detected a bird that we identified as an Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the mature swamp forest along the Choctawhatchee River in the panhandle of Florida. During a subsequent year of research, members of our small search team observed birds that we identified as Ivory-billed Woodpeckers on 14 occasions. We heard sounds that matched descriptions of Ivory-billed Woodpecker acoustic signals on 41 occasions. We recorded 99 putative double knocks and 210 putative kent calls. We located cavities in the size range reported for Ivory-billed Woodpeckers and larger than those of Pileated Woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus that have been reported in the literature or that we measured in Alabama. We documented unique foraging signs consistent with the feeding behavior of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers. Our evidence suggests that Ivory-billed Woodpeckers may be present in the forests along the Choctawhatchee River and warrants an expanded search of this bottomland forest habitat.

Observation of squeezed states with strong photon-number oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehmet, Moritz; Vahlbruch, Henning; Lastzka, Nico; Danzmann, Karsten; Schnabel, Roman

2010-01-01

Squeezed states of light constitute an important nonclassical resource in the field of high-precision measurements, for example, gravitational wave detection, as well as in the field of quantum information, for example, for teleportation, quantum cryptography, and distribution of entanglement in quantum computation networks. Strong squeezing in combination with high purity, high bandwidth, and high spatial mode quality is desirable in order to achieve significantly improved performances contrasting any classical protocols. Here we report on the observation of 11.5 dB of squeezing, together with relatively high state purity corresponding to a vacuum contribution of less than 5%, and a squeezing bandwidth of about 170 MHz. The analysis of our squeezed states reveals a significant production of higher-order pairs of quantum-correlated photons and the existence of strong photon-number oscillations.

Formation of Globular Clusters with Internal Abundance Spreads in r -Process Elements: Strong Evidence for Prolonged Star Formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bekki, Kenji [ICRAR, M468, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009 (Australia); Tsujimoto, Takuji [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan)

2017-07-20

Several globular clusters (GCs) in the Galaxy are observed to show internal abundance spreads in r -process elements (e.g., Eu). We propose a new scenario that explains the origin of these GCs (e.g., M5 and M15). In this scenario, stars with no/little abundance variations first form from a massive molecular cloud (MC). After all of the remaining gas of the MC is expelled by numerous supernovae, gas ejected from asymptotic giant branch stars can be accumulated in the central region of the GC to form a high-density intracluster medium (ICM). Merging of neutron stars then occurs to eject r -process elements, which can be efficiently trapped in and subsequently mixed with the ICM. New stars formed from the ICM can have r -process abundances that are quite different from those of earlier generations of stars within the GC. This scenario can explain both (i) why r -process elements can be trapped within GCs and (ii) why GCs with internal abundance spreads in r -process elements do not show [Fe/H] spreads. Our model shows (i) that a large fraction of Eu-rich stars can be seen in Na-enhanced stellar populations of GCs, as observed in M15, and (ii) why most of the Galactic GCs do not exhibit such internal abundance spreads. Our model demonstrates that the observed internal spreads of r -process elements in GCs provide strong evidence for prolonged star formation (∼10{sup 8} yr).

Familiality of co-existing ADHD and tic disorders: evidence from a large sibling study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veit Roessner

2016-07-01

Full Text Available AbstractBackground: The association of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD and tic disorder (TD is frequent and clinically important. Very few and inconclusive attempts have been made to clarify if and how the combination of ADHD+TD runs in families. Aim: To determine the first time in a large-scale ADHD sample whether ADHD+TD increases the risk of ADHD+TD in siblings and, also the first time, if this is independent of their psychopathological vulnerability in general. Methods: The study is based on the International Multicenter ADHD Genetics (IMAGE study. The present sub-sample of 2815 individuals included ADHD-index patients with co-existing TD (ADHD+TD, n=262 and without TD (ADHD-TD, n=947 as well as their 1606 full siblings (n=358 of the ADHD+TD index patients and n=1248 of the ADHD-TD index patients. We assessed psychopathological symptoms in index patients and siblings by using the strength and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ and the parent and teacher Conners’ long version Rating Scales (CRS. For disorder classification the Parental Account of Childhood Symptoms (PACS-Interview was applied in n = 271 children. Odds ratio with the GENMOD procedure (PROCGENMOD was used to test if the risk for ADHD, TD and ADHD+TD in siblings was associated with the related index patients’ diagnoses. In order to get an estimate for specificity we compared the four groups for general psychopathological symptoms.Results: Co-existing ADHD+TD in index patients increased the risk of both comorbid ADHD+TD and TD in the siblings of these index patients. These effects did not extend to general psychopathology. Interpretation: Co-existence of ADHD+TD may segregate in families. The same holds true for TD (without ADHD. Hence, the segregation of TD (included in both groups seems to be the determining factor, independent of further behavioral problems. This close relationship between ADHD and TD supports the clinical approach to carefully assess ADHD in

Strongly coupled SU(2v boson and LEP1 versus LEP2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Bilenky

1993-10-01

Full Text Available If new strong interactions exist in the electroweak bosonic sector (e.g., strong Higgs sector, dynamical electroweak breaking, etc., it is natural to expect new resonances, with potentially strong couplings. We consider an additional vector-boson triplet, V+-, V0, associated with an SU(2v local symmetry under the specific (but rather natural assumption that ordinary fermions are SU(2v singlets. Mixing of the V triplet with the W+-, Z0 bosons effectively leads to an SU(2L×U(1Y violating vector-boson-fermion interaction which is strongly bounded by LEP1 data. In contrast, the potentially large deviation of the Z0W+W- coupling from its SU(2L×U(1Y value is hardly constrained by LEP1 data. Results from experiments with direct access to the trilinear Z0W+W− coupling (LEP200, NLC are urgently needed.

Does the {sigma}(1580)((3)/(2)){sup -} resonance exist?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olmsted, J.; Prakhov, S.; Manley, D.M.; Allgower, C.E.; Bekrenev, V.S.; Briscoe, W.J.; Clajus, M.; Comfort, J.R.; Craig, K.; Grosnick, D.; Isenhower, D.; Knecht, N.; Koetke, D.D.; Kozlenko, N.G.; Kruglov, S.; Kulbardis, A.A.; Lolos, G.; Lopatin, I.V.; Manweiler, R.; Marusic, A.; McDonald, S.; Nefkens, B.M.K.; Papandreou, Z.; Peaslee, D.C.; Phaisangittisakul, N.; Price, J.W.; Ramirez, A.F.; Sadler, M.; Shafi, A.; Spinka, H.; Stanislaus, T.D.S.; Starostin, A.; Staudenmaier, H.M.; Strakovsky, I.I.; Supek, I.; Tippens, W.B

2004-05-20

Precise new data for the reaction K{sup -}p{yields}{pi}{sup 0}{lambda} are presented in the c.m. energy range 1565 to 1600 MeV. Our analysis of these data sheds new light on claims for the {sigma}(1580)((3)/(2)){sup -} resonance, which (if it exists with the specified quantum numbers) must be an exotic baryon because of its very low mass. Our results show no evidence for this state.

Band Gap Distortion in Semiconductors Strongly Driven by Intense Mid-Infrared Laser Fields

Science.gov (United States)

Kono, J.; Chin, A. H.

2000-03-01

Crystalline solids non-resonantly driven by intense time-periodic electric fields are predicted to exhibit unusual band-gap distortion.(e.g., Y. Yacoby, Phys. Rev. 169, 610 (1968); L.C.M. Miranda, Solid State Commun. 45, 783 (1983); J.Z. Kaminski, Acta Physica Polonica A 83, 495(1993).) Such non-perturbative effects have not been observed to date because of the unavoidable sample damage due to the very high intensity required using conventional lasers ( 1 eV photon energy). Here, we report the first clear evidence of laser-induced bandgap shrinkage in semiconductors under intense mid-infrared (MIR) laser fields. The use of long-wavelength light reduces the required intensity and prohibits strong interband absorption, thereby avoiding the damage problem. The significant sub-bandgap absorption persists only during the existence of the MIR laser pulse, indicating the virtual nature of the effect. We show that this particular example of non-perturbative behavior, known as the dynamical Franz-Keldysh effect, occurs when the effective ponderomotive potential energy is comparable to the photon energy of the applied field. This work was supported by ONR, NSF, JST and NEDO.

Fragile-to-strong transition in liquid silica

Science.gov (United States)

Geske, Julian; Drossel, Barbara; Vogel, Michael

2016-03-01

We investigate anomalies in liquid silica with molecular dynamics simulations and present evidence for a fragile-to-strong transition at around 3100 K-3300 K. To this purpose, we studied the structure and dynamical properties of silica over a wide temperature range, finding four indicators of a fragile-to-strong transition. First, there is a density minimum at around 3000 K and a density maximum at 4700 K. The turning point is at 3400 K. Second, the local structure characterized by the tetrahedral order parameter changes dramatically around 3000 K from a higher-ordered, lower-density phase to a less ordered, higher-density phase. Third, the correlation time τ changes from an Arrhenius behavior below 3300 K to a Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann behavior at higher temperatures. Fourth, the Stokes-Einstein relation holds for temperatures below 3000 K, but is replaced by a fractional relation above this temperature. Furthermore, our data indicate that dynamics become again simple above 5000 K, with Arrhenius behavior and a classical Stokes-Einstein relation.

Fragile-to-strong transition in liquid silica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julian Geske

2016-03-01

Full Text Available We investigate anomalies in liquid silica with molecular dynamics simulations and present evidence for a fragile-to-strong transition at around 3100 K-3300 K. To this purpose, we studied the structure and dynamical properties of silica over a wide temperature range, finding four indicators of a fragile-to-strong transition. First, there is a density minimum at around 3000 K and a density maximum at 4700 K. The turning point is at 3400 K. Second, the local structure characterized by the tetrahedral order parameter changes dramatically around 3000 K from a higher-ordered, lower-density phase to a less ordered, higher-density phase. Third, the correlation time τ changes from an Arrhenius behavior below 3300 K to a Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann behavior at higher temperatures. Fourth, the Stokes-Einstein relation holds for temperatures below 3000 K, but is replaced by a fractional relation above this temperature. Furthermore, our data indicate that dynamics become again simple above 5000 K, with Arrhenius behavior and a classical Stokes-Einstein relation.

The Presence of the Chromosphere: Evidence for a Liquid Model of the Sun

Science.gov (United States)

Robitaille, Pierre-Marie

2006-04-01

Critical Opalescence occurs at the critical point. It is that point in the phase diagram where the transition between liquid and gas is no longer discernable. In the laboratory, critical opalescence occurs as the meniscus disappears. There is often strong scattering of light and a transparent solution becomes cloudy. In approaching the critical point gases slowly begin to gain order as they prepare to enter the condensed state. In this presentation, it will be advanced that the Chromosphere of the Sun represents matter at the critical point. As such, the Chromosphere experiences a unique combination of temperature, pressure and gravity wherein the gaseous matter in the corona is preparing to condense onto a liquid photosphere. It is consequently stated that the very existence of the Chromosphere, constitutes a powerful piece of evidence in favor of condensed models of the Sun (http://www.arxiv.org/html/astro-ph/0410075 [1]). Additional evidence for a liquid plasma model of the Sun will also be presented.

Extending an evidence hierarchy to include topics other than treatment: revising the Australian 'levels of evidence'

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

Background In 1999 a four-level hierarchy of evidence was promoted by the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia. The primary purpose of this hierarchy was to assist with clinical practice guideline development, although it was co-opted for use in systematic literature reviews and health technology assessments. In this hierarchy interventional study designs were ranked according to the likelihood that bias had been eliminated and thus it was not ideal to assess studies that addressed other types of clinical questions. This paper reports on the revision and extension of this evidence hierarchy to enable broader use within existing evidence assessment systems. Methods A working party identified and assessed empirical evidence, and used a commissioned review of existing evidence assessment schema, to support decision-making regarding revision of the hierarchy. The aim was to retain the existing evidence levels I-IV but increase their relevance for assessing the quality of individual diagnostic accuracy, prognostic, aetiologic and screening studies. Comprehensive public consultation was undertaken and the revised hierarchy was piloted by individual health technology assessment agencies and clinical practice guideline developers. After two and a half years, the hierarchy was again revised and commenced a further 18 month pilot period. Results A suitable framework was identified upon which to model the revision. Consistency was maintained in the hierarchy of "levels of evidence" across all types of clinical questions; empirical evidence was used to support the relationship between study design and ranking in the hierarchy wherever possible; and systematic reviews of lower level studies were themselves ascribed a ranking. The impact of ethics on the hierarchy of study designs was acknowledged in the framework, along with a consideration of how harms should be assessed. Conclusion The revised evidence hierarchy is now widely used and provides a common

Extending an evidence hierarchy to include topics other than treatment: revising the Australian 'levels of evidence'

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Merlin Tracy

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In 1999 a four-level hierarchy of evidence was promoted by the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia. The primary purpose of this hierarchy was to assist with clinical practice guideline development, although it was co-opted for use in systematic literature reviews and health technology assessments. In this hierarchy interventional study designs were ranked according to the likelihood that bias had been eliminated and thus it was not ideal to assess studies that addressed other types of clinical questions. This paper reports on the revision and extension of this evidence hierarchy to enable broader use within existing evidence assessment systems. Methods A working party identified and assessed empirical evidence, and used a commissioned review of existing evidence assessment schema, to support decision-making regarding revision of the hierarchy. The aim was to retain the existing evidence levels I-IV but increase their relevance for assessing the quality of individual diagnostic accuracy, prognostic, aetiologic and screening studies. Comprehensive public consultation was undertaken and the revised hierarchy was piloted by individual health technology assessment agencies and clinical practice guideline developers. After two and a half years, the hierarchy was again revised and commenced a further 18 month pilot period. Results A suitable framework was identified upon which to model the revision. Consistency was maintained in the hierarchy of "levels of evidence" across all types of clinical questions; empirical evidence was used to support the relationship between study design and ranking in the hierarchy wherever possible; and systematic reviews of lower level studies were themselves ascribed a ranking. The impact of ethics on the hierarchy of study designs was acknowledged in the framework, along with a consideration of how harms should be assessed. Conclusion The revised evidence hierarchy is now widely

How awareness changes the relative weights of evidence during human decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

de Lange, Floris P; van Gaal, Simon; Lamme, Victor A F; Dehaene, Stanislas

2011-11-01

Human decisions are based on accumulating evidence over time for different options. Here we ask a simple question: How is the accumulation of evidence affected by the level of awareness of the information? We examined the influence of awareness on decision-making using combined behavioral methods and magneto-encephalography (MEG). Participants were required to make decisions by accumulating evidence over a series of visually presented arrow stimuli whose visibility was modulated by masking. Behavioral results showed that participants could accumulate evidence under both high and low visibility. However, a top-down strategic modulation of the flow of incoming evidence was only present for stimuli with high visibility: once enough evidence had been accrued, participants strategically reduced the impact of new incoming stimuli. Also, decision-making speed and confidence were strongly modulated by the strength of the evidence for high-visible but not low-visible evidence, even though direct priming effects were identical for both types of stimuli. Neural recordings revealed that, while initial perceptual processing was independent of visibility, there was stronger top-down amplification for stimuli with high visibility than low visibility. Furthermore, neural markers of evidence accumulation over occipito-parietal cortex showed a strategic bias only for highly visible sensory information, speeding up processing and reducing neural computations related to the decision process. Our results indicate that the level of awareness of information changes decision-making: while accumulation of evidence already exists under low visibility conditions, high visibility allows evidence to be accumulated up to a higher level, leading to important strategical top-down changes in decision-making. Our results therefore suggest a potential role of awareness in deploying flexible strategies for biasing information acquisition in line with one's expectations and goals.

How awareness changes the relative weights of evidence during human decision-making.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Floris P de Lange

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Human decisions are based on accumulating evidence over time for different options. Here we ask a simple question: How is the accumulation of evidence affected by the level of awareness of the information? We examined the influence of awareness on decision-making using combined behavioral methods and magneto-encephalography (MEG. Participants were required to make decisions by accumulating evidence over a series of visually presented arrow stimuli whose visibility was modulated by masking. Behavioral results showed that participants could accumulate evidence under both high and low visibility. However, a top-down strategic modulation of the flow of incoming evidence was only present for stimuli with high visibility: once enough evidence had been accrued, participants strategically reduced the impact of new incoming stimuli. Also, decision-making speed and confidence were strongly modulated by the strength of the evidence for high-visible but not low-visible evidence, even though direct priming effects were identical for both types of stimuli. Neural recordings revealed that, while initial perceptual processing was independent of visibility, there was stronger top-down amplification for stimuli with high visibility than low visibility. Furthermore, neural markers of evidence accumulation over occipito-parietal cortex showed a strategic bias only for highly visible sensory information, speeding up processing and reducing neural computations related to the decision process. Our results indicate that the level of awareness of information changes decision-making: while accumulation of evidence already exists under low visibility conditions, high visibility allows evidence to be accumulated up to a higher level, leading to important strategical top-down changes in decision-making. Our results therefore suggest a potential role of awareness in deploying flexible strategies for biasing information acquisition in line with one's expectations and goals.

A DEEP CHANDRA ACIS STUDY OF NGC 4151. II. THE INNERMOST EMISSION LINE REGION AND STRONG EVIDENCE FOR RADIO JET-NLR CLOUD COLLISION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Junfeng; Fabbiano, Giuseppina; Elvis, Martin; Risaliti, Guido; Karovska, Margarita; Zezas, Andreas; Mundell, Carole G.

2011-01-01

We have studied the X-ray emission within the inner ∼150 pc radius of NGC 4151 by constructing high spatial resolution emission line images of blended O VII, O VIII, and Ne IX. These maps show extended structures that are spatially correlated with the radio outflow and optical [O III] emission. We find strong evidence for jet-gas cloud interaction, including morphological correspondences with regions of X-ray enhancement, peaks of near-infrared [Fe II] emission, and optical clouds. In these regions, moreover, we find evidence of elevated Ne IX/O VII ratios; the X-ray emission of these regions also exceeds that expected from nuclear photoionization. Spectral fitting reveals the presence of a collisionally ionized component. The thermal energy of the hot gas suggests that ∼> 0.1% of the estimated jet power is deposited into the host interstellar medium through interaction between the radio jet and the dense medium of the circumnuclear region. We find possible pressure equilibrium between the collisionally ionized hot gas and the photoionized line-emitting cool clouds. We also obtain constraints on the extended iron and silicon fluorescent emission. Both lines are spatially unresolved. The upper limit on the contribution of an extended emission region to the Fe Kα emission is ∼< 5% of the total, in disagreement with a previous claim that 65% of the Fe Kα emission originates in the extended narrow line region.

Transverse transport in coupled strongly correlated electronic chains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Capponi, S.; Poilblanc, D.

1997-01-01

One-particle interchain hopping in a system of coupled Luttinger liquids is investigated by use of exact diagonalizations techniques. We give numerical evidence that inter-chain coherent hopping (defined by a non-vanishing splitting) can be totally suppressed for the Luttinger liquid exponent α ∝ 0.4 or even smaller α values. The transverse conductivity is shown to exhibit a strong incoherent part even when coherent inter-chain hopping is believed to occur. Implications for the optical experiments in quasi-1D organic or high-T c superconductors is outlined. (orig.)

Global existence and exponential growth for a viscoelastic wave equation with dynamic boundary conditions

KAUST Repository

Gerbi, Sté phane; Said-Houari, Belkacem

2013-01-01

The goal of this work is to study a model of the wave equation with dynamic boundary conditions and a viscoelastic term. First, applying the Faedo-Galerkin method combined with the fixed point theorem, we show the existence and uniqueness of a local in time solution. Second, we show that under some restrictions on the initial data, the solution continues to exist globally in time. On the other hand, if the interior source dominates the boundary damping, then the solution is unbounded and grows as an exponential function. In addition, in the absence of the strong damping, then the solution ceases to exist and blows up in finite time.

Global existence and exponential growth for a viscoelastic wave equation with dynamic boundary conditions

KAUST Repository

Gerbi, Stéphane

2013-01-15

The goal of this work is to study a model of the wave equation with dynamic boundary conditions and a viscoelastic term. First, applying the Faedo-Galerkin method combined with the fixed point theorem, we show the existence and uniqueness of a local in time solution. Second, we show that under some restrictions on the initial data, the solution continues to exist globally in time. On the other hand, if the interior source dominates the boundary damping, then the solution is unbounded and grows as an exponential function. In addition, in the absence of the strong damping, then the solution ceases to exist and blows up in finite time.

Strong Teens: A School-Based Small Group Experience for African American Males

Science.gov (United States)

White, Nathan J.; Rayle, Andrea Dixon

2007-01-01

This article describes the school-based, small group adaptation of the existing Strong Teens Curriculum (STC) for African American male adolescents in high schools. The STC was created to equip adolescents with skills that promote more effective social interaction and enhance personal emotional and psychological wellness. The authors present a…

Two-photon excited fluorescence from higher electronic states of chlorophylls in photosynthetic antenna complexes a new approach to detect strong excitonic chlorophyll a/b coupling

CERN Document Server

Leupold, D; Ehlert, J; Irrgang, K D; Renger, G; Lokstein, H

2002-01-01

Stepwise two-photon excitation of chlorophyll a and b in the higher plant main light-harvesting complex (LHC II) and the minor complex CP29 (as well as in organic solution) with 100-fs pulses in the Q/sub y/ region results in a weak blue fluorescence. The dependence of the spectral shape of the blue fluorescence on excitation wavelength offers a new approach to elucidate the long-standing problem of the origin of spectral "chlorophyll forms" in pigment-protein complexes, in particular the characterization of chlorophyll a/b-heterodimers. As a first result we present evidence for the existence of strong chlorophyll a/b-interactions (excitonically coupled transitions at 650 and 680 nm) in LHC II at ambient temperature. In comparison with LHC II, the experiments with CP29 provide further evidence that the lowest energy chlorophyll a transition (at ~680 nm) is not excitonically coupled to chlorophyll b. (22 refs).

Evidence and evidence gaps - an introduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Dreier, Gabriele; Löhler, Jan

2016-01-01

Background: Medical treatment requires the implementation of existing evidence in the decision making process in order to be able to find the best possible diagnostic, therapeutic or prognostic measure for the individual patient based on the physician's own expertise. Clinical trials form the evidence base and ideally, their results are assembled, analyzed, summarized, and made available in systematic review articles. Beside planning, conducting, and evaluating clinical trials in conformity with GCP (good clinical practice), it is essential that all results of conducted studies are publicly available in order to avoid publication bias. This includes also the public registration of planned and cancelled trials. History: During the last 25 years, evidence-based medicine became increasingly important in medical care and research. It is closely associated with the names of Archibald Cochrane and David Sackett. About 15 years ago, the Deutsche Cochrane Zentrum (Cochrane Germany) and the Deutsche Netzwerk Evidenzbasierte Medizin e.V. (German Network for Evidence-based Medicine, DNEbM) were founded in Germany. In the International Cochrane Collaboration, clinicians and methodologists come together on an interdisciplinary level to further develop methods of evidence-based medicine and to discuss the topics of evidence generation and processing as well as knowledge transfer. Problem: Evidence is particularly important for physicians in the process of decision making, however, at the same time it is the base of a scientific proof of benefit for the patient and finally for the payers in health care. The closure of evidence gaps requires enormously high staff and financial resources, significant organizational efforts, and it is only successful when clinical and methodical expertise as well as specific knowledge in the field of clinical research are included. On the other hand, the knowledge has to be transferred into practice. For this purpose, practice guidelines, meetings

A high and low noise model for strong motion accelerometers

Science.gov (United States)

Clinton, J. F.; Cauzzi, C.; Olivieri, M.

2010-12-01

We present reference noise models for high-quality strong motion accelerometer installations. We use continuous accelerometer data acquired by the Swiss Seismological Service (SED) since 2006 and other international high-quality accelerometer network data to derive very broadband (50Hz-100s) high and low noise models. The proposed noise models are compared to the Peterson (1993) low and high noise models designed for broadband seismometers; the datalogger self-noise; background noise levels at existing Swiss strong motion stations; and typical earthquake signals recorded in Switzerland and worldwide. The standard strong motion station operated by the SED consists of a Kinemetrics Episensor (2g clip level; flat acceleration response from 200 Hz to DC; insulated sensor / datalogger systems placed in vault quality sites. At all frequencies, there is at least one order of magnitude between the ALNM and the AHNM; at high frequencies (> 1Hz) this extends to 2 orders of magnitude. This study provides remarkable confirmation of the capability of modern strong motion accelerometers to record low-amplitude ground motions with seismic observation quality. In particular, an accelerometric station operating at the ALNM is capable of recording the full spectrum of near source earthquakes, out to 100 km, down to M2. Of particular interest for the SED, this study provides acceptable noise limits for candidate sites for the on-going Strong Motion Network modernisation.

Observation of the two-electron cusp in atomic collisions. Evidence for strong electron-electron correlation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarkadi, L.; Orban, A.

2007-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. In this report we present experimental data for a process when two electrons with velocity vectors equal to that of the projectile are emitted from collisions. By observing the two electron cusp the study of the threshold phenomenon for two-electron break-up is possible. It is a particularly interesting question whether the outgoing charged projectile can attract the two repulsing electrons so strongly that the two-electron cusp is formed. If it is so, a further question arises: Are the two electrons correlated in the final state as it is predicted by the Wannier theory? The experiments have been done at the 1 MeV VdG accelerator of ATOMKI using our TOF spectrometer. The first measurements clearly showed the formation of the two-electron cusp and signature of the electron correlation in 200 keV He 0 +He collisions. These promising results motivated us to carry out the experiment at 100 keV beam energy where the coincidence count rate is still reasonable but the energy resolution is better. For an acceptable data acquisition time we improved our data acquisition and data processing system for triple coincidence measurements. In Fig. 1a we present our measured relative fourfold differential cross section (FDCS) that shows strong electron correlation. For a comparison, in Fig. 1b we displayed the contour plot for uncorrelated electron pair emission. These latter data were synthesized artificially, generating the energies of the electron pairs from two independent double coincidence experiments. In both figures the distributions are characterized by two ridges. In Fig. 1b the ridges are perpendicular straight lines (E 1 = E 2 .13.6 eV). As a result of the correlation, the ridges in Fig. 1a are distorted in such a way that they have a joint straight-line section following the line E 1 + E 2 = 27.2 eV. This means that the electron pairs in the vicinity of the cusp maximum are emitted with a center of- mass velocity equal to that of

Ideal gas behavior of a strongly coupled complex (dusty) plasma.

Science.gov (United States)

Oxtoby, Neil P; Griffith, Elias J; Durniak, Céline; Ralph, Jason F; Samsonov, Dmitry

2013-07-05

In a laboratory, a two-dimensional complex (dusty) plasma consists of a low-density ionized gas containing a confined suspension of Yukawa-coupled plastic microspheres. For an initial crystal-like form, we report ideal gas behavior in this strongly coupled system during shock-wave experiments. This evidence supports the use of the ideal gas law as the equation of state for soft crystals such as those formed by dusty plasmas.

Ideal gas behavior of a strongly-coupled complex (dusty) plasma

OpenAIRE

Oxtoby, Neil P.; Griffith, Elias J.; Durniak, Céline; Ralph, Jason F.; Samsonov, Dmitry

2012-01-01

In a laboratory, a two-dimensional complex (dusty) plasma consists of a low-density ionized gas containing a confined suspension of Yukawa-coupled plastic microspheres. For an initial crystal-like form, we report ideal gas behavior in this strongly-coupled system during shock-wave experiments. This evidence supports the use of the ideal gas law as the equation of state for soft crystals such as those formed by dusty plasmas.

Nursing implementation science: how evidence-based nursing requires evidence-based implementation.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Achterberg, T. van; Schoonhoven, L.; Grol, R.P.T.M.

2008-01-01

PURPOSE: Evidence is not always used in practice, and many examples of problematic implementation of research into practice exist. The aim of this paper is to provide an introduction and overview of current developments in implementation science and to apply these to nursing. METHODS: We discuss a

Building the evidence to grow female entrepreneurship | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2016-09-22

Sep 22, 2016 ... Interest in evidence about women's empowerment is on the rise. ... to concentrate in sectors that are often less rewarding, unregistered, and with limited growth prospects. ... Some evidence exists on how interventions such as training, ... given that they operate at the intersection of evidence and advocacy, ...

CP violation and strong phases from penguins in B±→VV decays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kramer, G.

1993-12-01

We calculate direct CP-violating observables in charged B → VV decays arising from the interference of amplitudes with different strong and CKM phases. The perturbative strong phases develop at order α s from absorptive parts of one-loop matrix elements of the next-to-leading logarithm corrected effective Hamiltonian. CPT constraints are maintained. Based on this model, we find that partial rate asymmetries between charge conjugate B ± decays can be as high as 15-30% for certain channels with branching ratios in the 10 -6 range. The small values of the coefficients of angular correlations, which we calculated previously to be of order 10 -2 , are not significantly degraded by the strong phases. The charge asymmetries of rates and angular distributions would provide unambiguous evidence for direct CP violation. (orig.)

On the existence of global strong solutions to the equations modeling a motion of a rigid body around a viscous fluid

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Nečasová, Šárka; Wolf, J.

2016-01-01

Roč. 36, č. 3 (2016), s. 1539-1562 ISSN 1078-0947 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-00522S Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : incompressible fluid * motion of rigid body * strong solutions Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.099, year: 2016 http://www.aimsciences.org/journals/displayArticlesnew.jsp?paperID=11589

In vivo Ebola virus infection leads to a strong innate response in circulating immune cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Caballero, Ignacio S; Honko, Anna N; Gire, Stephen K; Winnicki, Sarah M; Melé, Marta; Gerhardinger, Chiara; Lin, Aaron E; Rinn, John L; Sabeti, Pardis C; Hensley, Lisa E; Connor, John H

2016-09-05

Ebola virus is the causative agent of a severe syndrome in humans with a fatality rate that can approach 90 %. During infection, the host immune response is thought to become dysregulated, but the mechanisms through which this happens are not entirely understood. In this study, we analyze RNA sequencing data to determine the host response to Ebola virus infection in circulating immune cells. Approximately half of the 100 genes with the strongest early increases in expression were interferon-stimulated genes, such as ISG15, OAS1, IFIT2, HERC5, MX1 and DHX58. Other highly upregulated genes included cytokines CXCL11, CCL7, IL2RA, IL2R1, IL15RA, and CSF2RB, which have not been previously reported to change during Ebola virus infection. Comparing this response in two different models of exposure (intramuscular and aerosol) revealed a similar signature of infection. The strong innate response in the aerosol model was seen not only in circulating cells, but also in primary and secondary target tissues. Conversely, the innate immune response of vaccinated macaques was almost non-existent. This suggests that the innate response is a major aspect of the cellular response to Ebola virus infection in multiple tissues. Ebola virus causes a severe infection in humans that is associated with high mortality. The host immune response to virus infection is thought to be an important aspect leading to severe pathology, but the components of this overactive response are not well characterized. Here, we analyzed how circulating immune cells respond to the virus and found that there is a strong innate response dependent on active virus replication. This finding is in stark contrast to in vitro evidence showing a suppression of innate immune signaling, and it suggests that the strong innate response we observe in infected animals may be an important contributor to pathogenesis.

Evidence Aid: Using Systematic Reviews to Improve Access to Evidence for Humanitarian Emergencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mike Clarke

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Evidence Aid is an international initiative to improve access to reliable evidence that will help people and organisations make well-informed decisions about interventions, actions and strategies in the disaster setting. It focuses on systematic reviews as the most reliable source of research evidence, maximising the power of existing research, avoiding undue emphasis on single studies and reducing the waste associated with research that is ignored or not accessible to decision makers. Evidence Aid is knowledge champion for influencers of the humanitarian sector, including funders, policy makers, NGOs, and humanitarian professionals. Evidence Aid was established by members of the Cochrane Collaboration after the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. It provides access to information relevant to disaster risk reduction, planning, response, recovery, resilience and rehabilitation. This presentation will discuss the need for Evidence Aid, and describes its activities.Find out more about Mike.

Metastability and coherence of repulsive polarons in a strongly interacting Fermi mixture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kohstall, Cristoph; Zaccanti, Mattheo; Jag, Matthias

2012-01-01

show that a well-defined quasiparticle exists for strongly repulsive interactions. We measure the energy and the lifetime of this ‘repulsive polaron’9, 12, 13, and probe its coherence properties by measuring the quasiparticle residue. The results are well described by a theoretical approach that takes...... into account the finite effective range of the interaction in our system. We find that when the effective range is of the order of the interparticle spacing, there is a substantial increase in the lifetime of the quasiparticles. The existence of such a long-lived, metastable many-body state offers intriguing...

Stirring Strongly Coupled Plasma

CERN Document Server

Fadafan, Kazem Bitaghsir; Rajagopal, Krishna; Wiedemann, Urs Achim

2009-01-01

We determine the energy it takes to move a test quark along a circle of radius L with angular frequency w through the strongly coupled plasma of N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills (SYM) theory. We find that for most values of L and w the energy deposited by stirring the plasma in this way is governed either by the drag force acting on a test quark moving through the plasma in a straight line with speed v=Lw or by the energy radiated by a quark in circular motion in the absence of any plasma, whichever is larger. There is a continuous crossover from the drag-dominated regime to the radiation-dominated regime. In the crossover regime we find evidence for significant destructive interference between energy loss due to drag and that due to radiation as if in vacuum. The rotating quark thus serves as a model system in which the relative strength of, and interplay between, two different mechanisms of parton energy loss is accessible via a controlled classical gravity calculation. We close by speculating on the implicati...

Optimal explicit strong stability preserving Runge–Kutta methods with high linear order and optimal nonlinear order

KAUST Repository

Gottlieb, Sigal

2015-04-10

High order spatial discretizations with monotonicity properties are often desirable for the solution of hyperbolic PDEs. These methods can advantageously be coupled with high order strong stability preserving time discretizations. The search for high order strong stability time-stepping methods with large allowable strong stability coefficient has been an active area of research over the last two decades. This research has shown that explicit SSP Runge-Kutta methods exist only up to fourth order. However, if we restrict ourselves to solving only linear autonomous problems, the order conditions simplify and this order barrier is lifted: explicit SSP Runge-Kutta methods of any linear order exist. These methods reduce to second order when applied to nonlinear problems. In the current work we aim to find explicit SSP Runge-Kutta methods with large allowable time-step, that feature high linear order and simultaneously have the optimal fourth order nonlinear order. These methods have strong stability coefficients that approach those of the linear methods as the number of stages and the linear order is increased. This work shows that when a high linear order method is desired, it may still be worthwhile to use methods with higher nonlinear order.

Continuum Lowering and Fermi-Surface Rising in Strongly Coupled and Degenerate Plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, S. X.

2017-01-01

Here, continuum lowering is a well-known and important physics concept that describes the ionization potential depression (IPD) in plasmas caused by thermal-/pressure-induced ionization of outer-shell electrons. The existing IPD models are often used to characterize plasma conditions and to gauge opacity calculations. Recent precision measurements have revealed deficits in our understanding of continuum lowering in dense hot plasmas. However, these investigations have so far been limited to IPD in strongly coupled but nondegenerate plasmas. Here, we report a first-principles study of the K-edge shifting in both strongly coupled and fully degenerate carbon plasmas, with quantum molecular dynamics (QMD) calculations based on the all-electron density-functional theory (DFT). The resulted K-edge shifting versus plasma density, as a probe to the continuum lowering and the Fermi-surface rising, is found to be significantly different from predictions of existing IPD models. In contrast, a simple model of “single atom in box” (SAIB), developed in this work, accurately predicts K-edge locations as what ab-initio calculations provide.

Psiquiatria baseada em evidências Evidence-based psychiatry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maurício S de Lima

2000-09-01

Full Text Available Em psiquiatria, observa-se grande variabilidade de práticas clínicas, muitas vezes desnecessária. Essas variações podem estar relacionadas à ausência de evidência científica confiável ou ao desconhecimento das evidências de boa qualidade disponíveis. A medicina baseada em evidências (MBE é uma combinação de estratégias que busca assegurar que o cuidado individual do paciente seja baseado na melhor informação disponível, a qual deve ser incorporada à prática clínica. Neste artigo, conceitos de MBE são discutidos com relação a aspectos e desafios no tratamento de pacientes com distimia, bulimia nervosa e esquizofrenia. A partir de resultados de três revisões sistemáticas recentemente publicadas, conclui-se que a prática de psiquiatria baseada em evidências acrescenta qualidade à prática psiquiátrica tradicional.The unnecessary variability often seen in the clinical practice can be related to both the absence of reliable evidence and unawareness of the existence of good quality evidence. Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM is a set of linked strategies designed to assist clinicians in keeping themselves up-to-date with the best available evidence. Such evidence must be incorporated into the clinical practice. EBM concepts are discussed here through common aspects and challenges doctors face when treating patients with dysthymia, bulimia nervosa, and schizophrenia. In the light of some results from three systematic reviews it is concluded that Evidence-Based Psychiatry strategies, rather than replacing the traditional ones, may be a valuable tool to improving quality in a good clinical practice.

Strongly Localized Image States of Spherical Graphitic Particles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Godfrey Gumbs

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We investigate the localization of charged particles by the image potential of spherical shells, such as fullerene buckyballs. These spherical image states exist within surface potentials formed by the competition between the attractive image potential and the repulsive centripetal force arising from the angular motion. The image potential has a power law rather than a logarithmic behavior. This leads to fundamental differences in the nature of the effective potential for the two geometries. Our calculations have shown that the captured charge is more strongly localized closest to the surface for fullerenes than for cylindrical nanotube.

Evidence for strong Holocene earthquake(s) in the Wabash Valley seismic zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obermeier, S.

1991-01-01

Many small and slightly damaging earthquakes have taken place in the region of the lower Wabash River Valley of Indiana and Illinois during the 200 years of historic record. Seismologists have long suspected the Wabash Valley seismic zone to be capable of producing earthquakes much stronger than the largest of record (m b 5.8). The seismic zone contains the poorly defined Wabash Valley fault zone and also appears to contain other vaguely defined faults at depths from which the strongest earthquakes presently originate. Faults near the surface are generally covered with thick alluvium in lowlands and a veneer of loess in uplands, which make direct observations of faults difficult. Partly because of this difficulty, a search for paleoliquefaction features was begun in 1990. Conclusions of the study are as follows: (1) an earthquake much stronger than any historic earthquake struck the lower Wabash Valley between 1,500 and 7,500 years ago; (2) the epicentral region of the prehistoric strong earthquake was the Wabash Valley seismic zone; (3) apparent sites have been located where 1811-12 earthquake accelerations can be bracketed

Complementary Medicine, Exercise, Meditation, Diet, and Lifestyle Modification for Anxiety Disorders: A Review of Current Evidence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Sarris

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Use of complementary medicines and therapies (CAM and modification of lifestyle factors such as physical activity, exercise, and diet are being increasingly considered as potential therapeutic options for anxiety disorders. The objective of this metareview was to examine evidence across a broad range of CAM and lifestyle interventions in the treatment of anxiety disorders. In early 2012 we conducted a literature search of PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane Library, for key studies, systematic reviews, and metaanalyses in the area. Our paper found that in respect to treatment of generalized anxiety or specific disorders, CAM evidence revealed current support for the herbal medicine Kava. One isolated study shows benefit for naturopathic medicine, whereas acupuncture, yoga, and Tai chi have tentative supportive evidence, which is hampered by overall poor methodology. The breadth of evidence does not support homeopathy for treating anxiety. Strong support exists for lifestyle modifications including adoption of moderate exercise and mindfulness meditation, whereas dietary improvement, avoidance of caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine offer encouraging preliminary data. In conclusion, certain lifestyle modifications and some CAMs may provide a beneficial role in the treatment of anxiety disorders.

AIC, BIC, Bayesian evidence against the interacting dark energy model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szydlowski, Marek; Krawiec, Adam; Kurek, Aleksandra; Kamionka, Michal

2015-01-01

Recent astronomical observations have indicated that the Universe is in a phase of accelerated expansion. While there are many cosmological models which try to explain this phenomenon, we focus on the interacting ΛCDM model where an interaction between the dark energy and dark matter sectors takes place. This model is compared to its simpler alternative - the ΛCDM model. To choose between these models the likelihood ratio test was applied as well as the model comparison methods (employing Occam's principle): the Akaike information criterion (AIC), the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) and the Bayesian evidence. Using the current astronomical data: type Ia supernova (Union2.1), h(z), baryon acoustic oscillation, the Alcock- Paczynski test, and the cosmic microwave background data, we evaluated both models. The analyses based on the AIC indicated that there is less support for the interacting ΛCDM model when compared to the ΛCDM model, while those based on the BIC indicated that there is strong evidence against it in favor of the ΛCDM model. Given the weak or almost non-existing support for the interacting ΛCDM model and bearing in mind Occam's razor we are inclined to reject this model. (orig.)

Counseling women with early pregnancy failure: utilizing evidence, preserving preference.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, Robin R; Goodman, Suzan; Freedman, Lori R; Dalton, Vanessa K; Harris, Lisa H

2010-12-01

To apply principles of shared decision-making to EPF management counseling. To present a patient treatment priority checklist developed from review of available literature on patient priorities for EPF management. Review of evidence for patient preferences; personal, emotional, physical and clinical factors that may influence patient priorities for EPF management; and the clinical factors, resources, and provider bias that may influence current practice. Women have strong and diverse preferences for EPF management and report higher satisfaction when treated according to these preferences. However, estimates of actual treatment patterns suggest that current practice does not reflect the evidence for safety and acceptability of all options, or patient preferences. Multiple practice barriers and biases exist that may be influencing provider counseling about options for EPF management. Choosing management for EPF is a preference-sensitive decision. A patient-centered approach to EPF management should incorporate counseling about all treatment options. Providers can integrate a counseling model into EPF management practice that utilizes principles of shared decision-making and an organized method for eliciting patient preferences, priorities, and concerns about treatment options. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long memory volatility of gold price returns: How strong is the evidence from distinct economic cycles?

Science.gov (United States)

Bentes, Sonia R.

2016-02-01

This paper examines the long memory behavior in the volatility of gold returns using daily data for the period 1985-2009. We divided the whole sample into eight sub-samples in order to analyze the robustness and consistency of our results during different crisis periods. This constitutes our main contribution. We cover four major world crises, namely, (i) the US stock market crash of 1987; (ii) the Asian financial crisis of 1997; (iii) the World Trade Center terrorist attack of 2001 and finally, (iv) the sub-prime crisis of 2007, in order to investigate how the fractional integrated parameter of the FIGARCH(1, d,1) model evolves over time. Our findings are twofold: (i) there is evidence of long memory in the conditional variance over the whole sample period; (ii) when we consider the sub-sample analysis, the results show mixed evidence. Thus, for the 1985-2003 period the long memory parameter is positive and statistically significant in the pre-crisis sub-samples, and there is no evidence of long memory in the crisis sub-sample periods; however the reverse pattern occurs for the 2005-2009 period. This highlights the unique characteristics of the 2007 sub-prime crisis.

Strategic marketing types: Evidence from the European meat processing industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Strandskov, Jesper; Hundahl, Lone; Laursen, Christina

performance might differ between firms pursuing any strategy type has a strong academic and practical business interest. There is still a need to explore the basic question of whether generic types of mark strategies exist. Also there is a lack of empirical evidence which examines a wide range of strategic...... marketing strategies, (2) places these clusters in a strategic typology in order to better understand their position in the marketplace, and (3) analyses these strategic marketing types in terms of performance outcomes and differences in corporate attitudes and goals. 3. The meat processing sector in Europe....... Integrating previous definitions and findings on key strategy dimensions, three main marketing strategy components are used in the analysis: Strategic focus/objective marketing targeting and marketing positioning. The variables are split up in the following main groups: Marketing strategy variables, Corporate...

The Universe Going Green: Extraordinarily Strong [OIII]5007 in Typical Dwarf Galaxies at z~3

Science.gov (United States)

Malkan, Matthew Arnold; Cohen, Daniel

2017-01-01

We constructed the average SEDs of U-dropout galaxies in the Subaru Deep Field. This sample contains more than 5000 Lyman-break galaxies at z~3. Their average near- and mid-IR colors were obtained by stacking JHK and IRAC imaging, in bins of stellar mass. At the lowest mass bins an increasingly strong excess flux is seen in the K filter. This excess can reach 1 magnitude in the broadband filter, and we attribute it to strong \\OIII $\\lambda{5007}$ line emission. The equivalent width is extraordinarily high, reaching almost 1000\\Ang\\ for the average z=3 galaxy at an i magnitude of 27. Such extreme [OIII] emission is very rare in the current epoch, only seen in a handful of metal-deficient dwarf starbursts sometimes referred to as ''Green Peas". In contrast, extreme [OIII]--strong enough to dominate the entire broad-band SED--was evidently the norm for faint galaxies at high redshift. We present evidence that these small but numerous galaxies were primarily responsible for the reionization of the Universe.

Evidence-informed health policy 4 – Case descriptions of organizations that support the use of research evidence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oxman Andrew D

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Previous efforts to produce case descriptions have typically not focused on the organizations that produce research evidence and support its use. External evaluations of such organizations have typically not been analyzed as a group to identify the lessons that have emerged across multiple evaluations. Case descriptions offer the potential for capturing the views and experiences of many individuals who are familiar with an organization, including staff, advocates, and critics. Methods We purposively sampled a subgroup of organizations from among those that participated in the second (interview phase of the study and (once from among other organizations with which we were familiar. We developed and pilot-tested a case description data collection protocol, and conducted site visits that included both interviews and documentary analyses. Themes were identified from among responses to semi-structured questions using a constant comparative method of analysis. We produced both a brief (one to two pages written description and a video documentary for each case. Results We conducted 51 interviews as part of the eight site visits. Two organizational strengths were repeatedly cited by individuals participating in the site visits: use of an evidence-based approach (which was identified as being very time-consuming and existence of a strong relationship between researchers and policymakers (which can be challenged by conflicts of interest. Two organizational weaknesses – a lack of resources and the presence of conflicts of interest – were repeatedly cited by individuals participating in the site visits. Participants offered two main suggestions for the World Health Organization (and other international organizations and networks: 1 mobilize one or more of government support, financial resources, and the participation of both policymakers and researchers; and 2 create knowledge-related global public goods. Conclusion The findings from

Identifying the Tunneling Site in Strong-Field Ionization of H_{2}^{+}.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Kunlong; Barth, Ingo

2017-12-15

The tunneling site of the electron in a molecule exposed to a strong laser field determines the initial position of the ionizing electron and, as a result, has a large impact on the subsequent ultrafast electron dynamics on the polyatomic Coulomb potential. Here, the tunneling site of the electron of H_{2}^{+} ionized by a strong circularly polarized (CP) laser pulse is studied by numerically solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. We show that the electron removed from the down-field site is directly driven away by the CP field and the lateral photoelectron momentum distribution (LPMD) exhibits a Gaussian-like distribution, whereas the corresponding LPMD of the electron removed from the up-field site differs from the Gaussian shape due to the Coulomb focusing and scattering by the down-field core. Our current study presents the direct evidence clarifying a long-standing controversy over the tunneling site in H_{2}^{+} and raises the important role of the tunneling site in strong-field molecular ionization.

Gravitational Waves: The Evidence Mounts

Science.gov (United States)

Wick, Gerald L.

1970-01-01

Reviews the work of Weber and his colleagues in their attempts at detecting extraterrestial gravitational waves. Coincidence events recorded by special detectors provide the evidence for the existence of gravitational waves. Bibliography. (LC)

Do purely capital layers exist among flying birds? Evidence of exogenous contribution to arctic-nesting common eider eggs.

Science.gov (United States)

Sénéchal, Edith; Bêty, Joël; Gilchrist, H Grant; Hobson, Keith A; Jamieson, Sarah E

2011-03-01

The strategy of relying extensively on stored resources for reproduction has been termed capital breeding and is in contrast to income breeding, where needs of reproduction are satisfied by exogenous (dietary) resources. Most species likely fall somewhere between these two extremes, and the position of an organism along this gradient can influence several key life-history traits. Common eiders (Somateria mollissima) are the only flying birds that are still typically considered pure capital breeders, suggesting that they depend exclusively on endogenous reserves to form their eggs and incubate. We investigated the annual and seasonal variation in contributions of endogenous and exogenous resources to egg formation in eiders breeding at the East Bay colony in the Canadian Arctic. We collected prey items along with females and their eggs during various stages of breeding and used two complementary analytical approaches: body reserve dynamics and stable isotope [δ(13)C, δ(15)N] mixing models. Indices of protein reserves remained stable from pre-laying to post-laying stages, while lipid reserves declined significantly during laying. Similarly, stable isotope analyses indicated that (1) exogenous nutrients derived from marine invertebrates strongly contributed to the formation of lipid-free egg constituents, and (2) yolk lipids were constituted mostly from endogenous lipids. We also found evidence of seasonal variation in the use of body reserves, with early breeders using proportionally more exogenous proteins to form each egg than late breeders. Based on these results, we reject the hypothesis that eiders are pure capital layers. In these flying birds, the fitness costs of a strict capital breeding strategy, such as temporary loss of flight capability and limitation of clutch and egg size, may outweigh benefits such as a reduction in egg predation rate.

Weighing the evidence of common beliefs in obesity research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Casazza, Krista; Brown, Andrew; Astrup, Arne

2015-01-01

Abstract Obesity is a topic on which many views are strongly held in the absence of scientific evidence to support those views, and some views are strongly held despite evidence to contradict those views. We refer to the former as "presumptions" and the latter as "myths". Here we present nine myths...... and ten presumptions surrounding the effects of rapid weight loss; setting realistic goals in weight loss therapy; stage of change or readiness to lose weight; physical education classes; breast-feeding; daily self-weighing; genetic contribution to obesity; the "Freshman 15"; food deserts; regularly...

Observational evidence of the complementary relationship in regional evaporation lends strong support for Bouchet's hypothesis

Science.gov (United States)

Jorge A. Ramirez; Michael T. Hobbins; Thomas C. Brown

2005-01-01

Using independent observations of actual and potential evapotranspiration at a wide range of spatial scales, we provide direct observational evidence of the complementary relationship in regional evapotranspiration hypothesized by Bouchet in 1963. Bouchet proposed that, for large homogeneous surfaces with minimal advection of heat and moisture, potential and actual...

Rydberg excitation of neutral nitric oxide molecules in strong UV and near-IR laser fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lv Hang; Zhang Jun-Feng; Zuo Wan-Long; Xu Hai-Feng; Jin Ming-Xing; Ding Da-Jun

2015-01-01

Rydberg state excitations of neutral nitric oxide molecules are studied in strong ultraviolet (UV) and near-infra-red (IR) laser fields using a linear time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer with the pulsed electronic field ionization method. The yield of Rydberg molecules is measured as a function of laser intensity and ellipticity, and the results in UV laser fields are compared with those in near-IR laser fields. The present study provides the first experimental evidence of neutral Rydberg molecules surviving in a strong laser field. The results indicate that a rescattering-after-tunneling process is the main contribution to the formation of Rydberg molecules in strong near-IR laser fields, while multi-photon excitation may play an important role in the strong UV laser fields. (paper)

Between strong continuity and almost continuity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.K. Kohli

2010-04-01

Full Text Available As embodied in the title of the paper strong and weak variants of continuity that lie strictly between strong continuity of Levine and almost continuity due to Singal and Singal are considered. Basic properties of almost completely continuous functions (≡ R-maps and δ-continuous functions are studied. Direct and inverse transfer of topological properties under almost completely continuous functions and δ-continuous functions are investigated and their place in the hier- archy of variants of continuity that already exist in the literature is out- lined. The class of almost completely continuous functions lies strictly between the class of completely continuous functions studied by Arya and Gupta (Kyungpook Math. J. 14 (1974, 131-143 and δ-continuous functions defined by Noiri (J. Korean Math. Soc. 16, (1980, 161-166. The class of almost completely continuous functions properly contains each of the classes of (1 completely continuous functions, and (2 al- most perfectly continuous (≡ regular set connected functions defined by Dontchev, Ganster and Reilly (Indian J. Math. 41 (1999, 139-146 and further studied by Singh (Quaestiones Mathematicae 33(2(2010, 1–11 which in turn include all δ-perfectly continuous functions initi- ated by Kohli and Singh (Demonstratio Math. 42(1, (2009, 221-231 and so include all perfectly continuous functions introduced by Noiri (Indian J. Pure Appl. Math. 15(3 (1984, 241-250.

Diagnosing a Strong-Fault Model by Conflict and Consistency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenfeng Zhang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The diagnosis method for a weak-fault model with only normal behaviors of each component has evolved over decades. However, many systems now demand a strong-fault models, the fault modes of which have specific behaviors as well. It is difficult to diagnose a strong-fault model due to its non-monotonicity. Currently, diagnosis methods usually employ conflicts to isolate possible fault and the process can be expedited when some observed output is consistent with the model’s prediction where the consistency indicates probably normal components. This paper solves the problem of efficiently diagnosing a strong-fault model by proposing a novel Logic-based Truth Maintenance System (LTMS with two search approaches based on conflict and consistency. At the beginning, the original a strong-fault model is encoded by Boolean variables and converted into Conjunctive Normal Form (CNF. Then the proposed LTMS is employed to reason over CNF and find multiple minimal conflicts and maximal consistencies when there exists fault. The search approaches offer the best candidate efficiency based on the reasoning result until the diagnosis results are obtained. The completeness, coverage, correctness and complexity of the proposals are analyzed theoretically to show their strength and weakness. Finally, the proposed approaches are demonstrated by applying them to a real-world domain—the heat control unit of a spacecraft—where the proposed methods are significantly better than best first and conflict directly with A* search methods.

Diagnosing a Strong-Fault Model by Conflict and Consistency.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wenfeng; Zhao, Qi; Zhao, Hongbo; Zhou, Gan; Feng, Wenquan

2018-03-29

The diagnosis method for a weak-fault model with only normal behaviors of each component has evolved over decades. However, many systems now demand a strong-fault models, the fault modes of which have specific behaviors as well. It is difficult to diagnose a strong-fault model due to its non-monotonicity. Currently, diagnosis methods usually employ conflicts to isolate possible fault and the process can be expedited when some observed output is consistent with the model's prediction where the consistency indicates probably normal components. This paper solves the problem of efficiently diagnosing a strong-fault model by proposing a novel Logic-based Truth Maintenance System (LTMS) with two search approaches based on conflict and consistency. At the beginning, the original a strong-fault model is encoded by Boolean variables and converted into Conjunctive Normal Form (CNF). Then the proposed LTMS is employed to reason over CNF and find multiple minimal conflicts and maximal consistencies when there exists fault. The search approaches offer the best candidate efficiency based on the reasoning result until the diagnosis results are obtained. The completeness, coverage, correctness and complexity of the proposals are analyzed theoretically to show their strength and weakness. Finally, the proposed approaches are demonstrated by applying them to a real-world domain-the heat control unit of a spacecraft-where the proposed methods are significantly better than best first and conflict directly with A* search methods.

Photon and spin dependence of the resonance line shape in the strong coupling regime

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Miyashita, Seiji; Shirai, Tatsuhiko; Mori, Takashi; De Raedt, Hans; Bertaina, Sylvain; Chiorescu, Irinel

2012-01-01

We study the quantum dynamics of a spin ensemble coupled to cavity photons. Recently, related experimental results have been reported, showing the existence of the strong coupling regime in such systems. We study the eigenenergy distribution of the multi-spin system (following the Tavis-Cummings

Multivariate Granger causality between CO2 emissions, energy consumption, FDI (foreign direct investment) and GDP (gross domestic product): Evidence from a panel of BRIC (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, and China) countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pao, Hsiao-Tien; Tsai, Chung-Ming

2011-01-01

This paper addresses the impact of both economic growth and financial development on environmental degradation using a panel cointegration technique for the period between 1980 and 2007, except for Russia (1992-2007). In long-run equilibrium, CO 2 emissions appear to be energy consumption elastic and FDI inelastic, and the results seem to support the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. The causality results indicate that there exists strong bidirectional causality between emissions and FDI and unidirectional strong causality running from output to FDI. The evidence seems to support the pollution haven and both the halo and scale effects. Therefore, in attracting FDI, developing countries should strictly examine the qualifications for foreign investment or to promote environmental protection through the coordinated know-how and technological transfer with foreign companies to avoid environmental damage. Additionally, there exists strong output-emissions and output-energy consumption bidirectional causality, while there is unidirectional strong causality running from energy consumption to emissions. Overall, the method of managing both energy demand and FDI and increasing both investment in the energy supply and energy efficiency to reduce CO 2 emissions and without compromising the country's competitiveness can be adopted by energy-dependent BRIC countries.

Wave-Breaking Phenomena and Existence of Peakons for a Generalized Compressible Elastic-Rod Equation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaolian Ai

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Consideration in this paper is the Cauchy problem of a generalized hyperelastic-rod wave equation. We first derive a wave-breaking mechanism for strong solutions, which occurs in finite time for certain initial profiles. In addition, we determine the existence of some new peaked solitary wave solutions.

Four-dimensional boson field theory. II. Existence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, G.A. Jr.

1986-01-01

The existence of the continuum, quantum field theory found by Baker and Johnson [G. A. Baker, Jr. and J. D. Johnson, J. Phys. A 18, L261 (1985)] to be nontrivial is proved rigorously. It is proved to satisfy all usual requirements of such a field theory, except rotational invariance. Currently known information is consistent with rotational invariance however. Most of the usual properties of other known Euclidean boson quantum field theories hold here, in a somewhat weakened form. Summability of the sufficiently strongly ultraviolet cutoff bare coupling constant perturbation series is proved as well as a nonzero radius of convergence for high-temperature expansions of the corresponding continuous-spin Ising model. The description of the theory by these two series methods is shown to be equivalent. The field theory is probably not asymptotically free

Hyperpolarizabilities of one and two electron ions under strongly coupled plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sen, Subhrangsu; Mandal, Puspajit; Kumar Mukherjee, Prasanta; Fricke, Burkhard

2013-01-01

Systematic investigations on the hyperpolarizabilities of hydrogen and helium like ions up to nuclear charge Z = 7 under strongly coupled plasma environment have been performed. Variation perturbation theory has been adopted to evaluate such properties for the one and two electron systems. For the two electron systems coupled Hartree-Fock theory, which takes care of partial electron correlation effects, has been utilised. Ion sphere model of the strongly coupled plasma, valid for ionic systems only, has been adopted for estimating the effect of plasma environment on the hyperpolarizability. The calculated free ion hyperpolarizability for all the systems is in good agreement with the existing data. Under confinement hyperpolarizabilities of one and two electron ions show interesting trend with respect to plasma coupling strength.

Heavy quark mass effects and improved tests of the flavor independence of strong interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burrows, P.N. [Univ. of Oxford (United Kingdom); SLD Collaboration

1998-08-01

A review is given of latest results on tests of the flavor independence of strong interactions. Heavy quark mass effects are evident in the data and are now taken into account at next-to-leading order in QCD perturbation theory. The strong-coupling ratios {alpha}{sub s}{sup b}/{alpha}{sub s}{sup uds} and {alpha}{sub s}{sup c}/{alpha}{sub s}{sup uds} are found to be consistent with unity. Determinations of the b-quark mass m{sub b} (M{sub Z}) are discussed.

Strong gravity effects in accreting black-hole systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niedzwiecki, A.

2006-01-01

I briefly review current status of studying effects of strong gravity in X-ray astronomy. Matter accreting onto a black hole probes the relativistic region of space-time and the high-energy radiation it produces should contain signatures of strong gravity effects. Current X-ray observations provide the evidence that the observed emission originates, in some cases, at a distance of a few gravitational radii from a black hole. Moreover, certain observations invoke interpretations favouring rapid rotation of the black hole. Some observational properties of black hole systems are supposed to result from the lack of a material surface in these objects. I consider further effects, specific for the black hole environment, which can be studied in X-ray data. Bulk motion Comptonization, which would directly reveal converging flow of matter plunging into a black hole, is unlikely to be important in formation of X-ray spectra. Similarly, Penrose processes are unlikely to give observational effects, although this issue has not been thoroughly studied so far for all plausible radiative mechanisms. (author)

Ethical reflections on Evidence Based Medicine

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S. Corrao

2013-05-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND According to Potter’s point of view, medical ethics is the science of survival, a bridge between humanistic and scientific culture. The working out of judgements on right or wrong referred to the human being are studied by this science. Methodological quality is fundamental in clinical research, and several technical issues are of paramount importance in trying to answer to the final question “what is the true, the right thing?”. We know they are essential aspects as in medical ethics as in evidence based practice. AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of this paper is to talk about relationships and implications between ethical issues and Evidence Based Medicine (EBM. DISCUSSION EBM represents a new paradigm that introduces new concepts to guide medical-decision making and health-care planning. Its principles are deeply rooted in clinical research methodology since information are derived from sound studies of strong quality. Health-care professionals have to deal with methodological concepts for critical appraisal of literature and implementation of evidences in clinical practice and healthcare planning. The central role of EBM in medical ethics is obvious, but a risk could be possible. The shift from Hippocratic point of view to community-centred one could lose sight of the centrality of the patient. CONCLUSION Both EBM principles and the needs to adequately response to economic restrictions urge a balance between individual and community ethics. All this has to represent an opportunity to place the patient at the centre of medical action considering at the same time community ethics as systemic aim, but without forgetting the risk that economic restrictions push towards veterinary ethics where herd is central and individual needs do not exist.

The existence and regularity of time-periodic solutions to the three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations in the whole space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kyed, Mads

2014-01-01

The existence, uniqueness and regularity of time-periodic solutions to the Navier–Stokes equations in the three-dimensional whole space are investigated. We consider the Navier–Stokes equations with a non-zero drift term corresponding to the physical model of a fluid flow around a body that moves with a non-zero constant velocity. The existence of a strong time-periodic solution is shown for small time-periodic data. It is further shown that this solution is unique in a large class of weak solutions that can be considered physically reasonable. Finally, we establish regularity properties for any strong solution regardless of its size. (paper)

Strong cation exchange-type chiral stationary phase for enantioseparation of chiral amines in subcritical fluid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolrab, Denise; Kohout, Michal; Boras, Mario; Lindner, Wolfgang

2013-05-10

A new strong cation exchange type chiral stationary phase (SCX CSP) based on a syringic acid amide derivative of trans-(R, R)-2-aminocyclohexanesulfonic acid was applied to subcritical fluid chromatography (SFC) for separation of various chiral basic drugs and their analogues. Mobile phase systems consisting of aliphatic alcohols as polar modifiers and a broad range of amines with different substitution patterns and lipophilicity were employed to evaluate the impact on the SFC retention and selectivity characteristics. The observed results point to the existence of carbonic and carbamic acid salts formed as a consequence of reactions occurring between carbon dioxide, the alcoholic modifiers and the amine species present in the sub/supercritical fluid medium, respectively. Evidence is provided that these species are essential for affecting ion exchange between the strongly acidic chiral selector units and the basic analytes, following the well-established stoichiometric displacement mechanisms. Specific trends were observed when different types of amines were used as basic additives. While ammonia gave rise to the formation of the most strongly eluting carbonic and carbamic salt species, simple tertiary amines consistently provided superior levels of enantioselectivity. Furthermore, trends in the chiral SFC separation characteristics were investigated by the systematic variation of the modifier content and temperature. Different effects of additives are interpreted in terms of changes in the relative concentration of the transient ionic species contributing to analyte elution, with ammonia-derived carbamic salts being depleted at elevated temperatures by decomposition. Additionally, in an effort to optimize SFC enantiomer separation conditions for selected analytes, the impact of the type of the organic modifier, temperature, flow rate and active back pressure were also investigated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Noise Spectroscopy in Strongly Correlated Oxides

Science.gov (United States)

Alsaqqa, Ali M.

fundamental physics point of view and for applications. Its transition from a metal to an insulator (MIT) with simple application of voltage is quite interesting. For use in applications, e.g. transistors, it is very important to have a clear understanding of the MIT. Equally important is the question of whether the thermally- and electrically-driven transitions have the same origin. In this thesis, we tried to answer this question by utilizing three different tuning parameters: temperature, voltage bias and strain. Our results point to an unusual noise behavior in the high-temperature metallic phase, and provide valuable insight into the transport dynamics of this material. CuxV2O5 exhibit a metal-insulator transition and, more interestingly, a superconductivity transition. Unlike VO2, copper vanadium bronzes are much less studied and many questions are still open, including the possibility of charge ordering transition, just like in other members of the vanadium family. In this thesis, we studied this material and found evidences for charge ordering transitions and possibly other transitions as well. The last material, NbSe3, is a prototypical example of charge density wave systems, where Peierls transitions exist. Here, we study the effects of contacts on resistance noise in the 1D limit. The study aimed to confirm that the electric field threshold is sample length independent, to find out if there is a relation between contact separation and the noise generated and to explore the characteristics of the contact noise. The results confirm that the electric field threshold is independent of the sample length. It was also found that the separation between the contacts does not affect the noise. Finally, the contact noise is of the 1/f-type and has a Gaussian distribution. These results are timely for future device applications utilizing NbSe3.

Prediction and design of first super-strong liquid-crystalline polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dowell, F.

1989-01-01

This paper presents the details of the theoretical prediction and design (atom by atom, bond by bond) of the molecule chemical structures of the first candidate super-strong liquid-crystalline polymers (SS LCPs). These LCPs are the first LCPs designed to have good compressive strengths, as well as to have tensile strengths and tensile moduli significantly larger than those of existing strong LCPs (such as Kevlar). The key feature of this new class of LCPs is that the exceptional strength is three dimensional on a microscopic, molecular level (thus, on a macroscopic level), in contrast to present LCPs (such as Kevlar) with their one-dimensional exceptional strength. These SS LCPs also have some solubility and processing advantages over existing strong LCPs. These SS LCPs are specially-designed combined LCPs such that the side chains of a molecule interdigitate with the side chains of other molecules. This paper also presents other essential general and specific features required for SS LCPs. Considerations in the design of SS LCPs include the spacing distance between side chains along the backbone, the need for rigid sections in the backbone and side chains, the degree of polymerization, the length of the side chains, the regularity of spacing of the side chains along the backbone, the interdigitation of side chains in submolecular strips, the packing of the side chains on one or two sides of the backbone, the symmetry of the side chains, the points of attachment of the side chains to the backbone, the flexibility and size of the chemical group connecting each side chain to the backbone, the effect of semiflexible sections in the backbone and side chains, and the choice of types of dipolar and/or hydrogen bonding forces in the backbones and side chains for easy alignment

Strong quantum scarring by local impurities

Science.gov (United States)

Luukko, Perttu J. J.; Drury, Byron; Klales, Anna; Kaplan, Lev; Heller, Eric J.; Räsänen, Esa

2016-11-01

We discover and characterise strong quantum scars, or quantum eigenstates resembling classical periodic orbits, in two-dimensional quantum wells perturbed by local impurities. These scars are not explained by ordinary scar theory, which would require the existence of short, moderately unstable periodic orbits in the perturbed system. Instead, they are supported by classical resonances in the unperturbed system and the resulting quantum near-degeneracy. Even in the case of a large number of randomly scattered impurities, the scars prefer distinct orientations that extremise the overlap with the impurities. We demonstrate that these preferred orientations can be used for highly efficient transport of quantum wave packets across the perturbed potential landscape. Assisted by the scars, wave-packet recurrences are significantly stronger than in the unperturbed system. Together with the controllability of the preferred orientations, this property may be very useful for quantum transport applications.

Common pitfalls in statistical analysis: "No evidence of effect" versus "evidence of no effect"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Priya Ranganathan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This article is the first in a series exploring common pitfalls in statistical analysis in biomedical research. The power of a clinical trial is the ability to find a difference between treatments, where such a difference exists. At the end of the study, the lack of difference between treatments does not mean that the treatments can be considered equivalent. The distinction between "no evidence of effect" and "evidence of no effect" needs to be understood.

Effects of Behavioral Genetic Evidence on Perceptions of Criminal Responsibility and Appropriate Punishment

Science.gov (United States)

Appelbaum, Paul S.; Scurich, Nicholas; Raad, Raymond

2015-01-01

Demonstrations of a link between genetic variants and criminal behavior have stimulated increasing use of genetic evidence to reduce perceptions of defendants’ responsibility for criminal behavior and to mitigate punishment. However, because only limited data exist regarding the impact of such evidence on decision makers and the public at large, we recruited a representative sample of the U.S. adult population (n=960) for a web-based survey. Participants were presented with descriptions of three legal cases and were asked to: determine the length of incarceration for a convicted murderer; adjudicate an insanity defense; and decide whether a defendant should receive the death penalty. A fully crossed, between-participants, factorial design was used, varying the type of evidence (none, genetic, neuroimaging, both), heinousness of the crime, and past criminal record, with sentence or verdict as the primary outcome. Also assessed were participants’ apprehension of the defendant, belief in free will, political ideology, and genetic knowledge. Across all three cases, genetic evidence had no significant effects on outcomes. Neuroimaging data showed an inconsistent effect in one of the two cases in which it was introduced. In contrast, heinousness of the offense and past criminal record were strongly related to participants’ decisions. Moreover, participants’ beliefs about the controllability of criminal behavior and political orientations were significantly associated with their choices. Our findings suggest that neither hopes that genetic evidence will modify judgments of culpability and punishment nor fears about the impact of genetic evidence on decision makers are likely to come to fruition. PMID:26240516

Effects of Behavioral Genetic Evidence on Perceptions of Criminal Responsibility and Appropriate Punishment.

Science.gov (United States)

Appelbaum, Paul S; Scurich, Nicholas; Raad, Raymond

2015-05-01

Demonstrations of a link between genetic variants and criminal behavior have stimulated increasing use of genetic evidence to reduce perceptions of defendants' responsibility for criminal behavior and to mitigate punishment. However, because only limited data exist regarding the impact of such evidence on decision makers and the public at large, we recruited a representative sample of the U.S. adult population (n=960) for a web-based survey. Participants were presented with descriptions of three legal cases and were asked to: determine the length of incarceration for a convicted murderer; adjudicate an insanity defense; and decide whether a defendant should receive the death penalty. A fully crossed, between-participants, factorial design was used, varying the type of evidence (none, genetic, neuroimaging, both), heinousness of the crime, and past criminal record, with sentence or verdict as the primary outcome. Also assessed were participants' apprehension of the defendant, belief in free will, political ideology, and genetic knowledge. Across all three cases, genetic evidence had no significant effects on outcomes. Neuroimaging data showed an inconsistent effect in one of the two cases in which it was introduced. In contrast, heinousness of the offense and past criminal record were strongly related to participants' decisions. Moreover, participants' beliefs about the controllability of criminal behavior and political orientations were significantly associated with their choices. Our findings suggest that neither hopes that genetic evidence will modify judgments of culpability and punishment nor fears about the impact of genetic evidence on decision makers are likely to come to fruition.

Cohort profile: Study of Transition, Outcomes and Gender (STRONG) to assess health status of transgender people.

Science.gov (United States)

Quinn, Virginia P; Nash, Rebecca; Hunkeler, Enid; Contreras, Richard; Cromwell, Lee; Becerra-Culqui, Tracy A; Getahun, Darios; Giammattei, Shawn; Lash, Timothy L; Millman, Andrea; Robinson, Brandi; Roblin, Douglas; Silverberg, Michael J; Slovis, Jennifer; Tangpricha, Vin; Tolsma, Dennis; Valentine, Cadence; Ward, Kevin; Winter, Savannah; Goodman, Michael

2017-12-27

The Study of Transition, Outcomes and Gender (STRONG) was initiated to assess the health status of transgender people in general and following gender-affirming treatments at Kaiser Permanente health plans in Georgia, Northern California and Southern California. The objectives of this communication are to describe methods of cohort ascertainment and data collection and to characterise the study population. A stepwise methodology involving computerised searches of electronic medical records and free-text validation of eligibility and gender identity was used to identify a cohort of 6456 members with first evidence of transgender status (index date) between 2006 and 2014. The cohort included 3475 (54%) transfeminine (TF), 2892 (45%) transmasculine (TM) and 89 (1%) members whose natal sex and gender identity remained undetermined from the records. The cohort was matched to 127 608 enrollees with no transgender evidence (63 825 women and 63 783 men) on year of birth, race/ethnicity, study site and membership year of the index date. Cohort follow-up extends through the end of 2016. About 58% of TF and 52% of TM cohort members received hormonal therapy at Kaiser Permanente. Chest surgery was more common among TM participants (12% vs 0.3%). The proportions of transgender participants who underwent genital reconstruction surgeries were similar (4%-5%) in the two transgender groups. Results indicate that there are sufficient numbers of events in the TF and TM cohorts to further examine mental health status, cardiovascular events, diabetes, HIV and most common cancers. STRONG is well positioned to fill existing knowledge gaps through comparisons of transgender and reference populations and through analyses of health status before and after gender affirmation treatment. Analyses will include incidence of cardiovascular disease, mental health, HIV and diabetes, as well as changes in laboratory-based endpoints (eg, polycythemia and bone density), overall and in relation to

An optimized absorbing potential for ultrafast, strong-field problems

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Youliang; Esry, B. D.

2018-05-01

Theoretical treatments of strong-field physics have long relied on the numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. The most effective such treatments utilize a discrete spatial representation—a grid. Since most strong-field observables relate to the continuum portion of the wave function, the boundaries of the grid—which act as hard walls and thus cause reflection—can substantially impact the observables. Special care thus needs to be taken. While there exist a number of attempts to solve this problem—e.g., complex absorbing potentials and masking functions, exterior complex scaling, and coordinate scaling—none of them are completely satisfactory. The first of these is arguably the most popular, but it consumes a substantial fraction of the computing resources in any given calculation. Worse, this fraction grows with the dimensionality of the problem. In addition, no systematic way to design such a potential has been used in the strong-field community. In this work, we address these issues and find a much better solution. By comparing with previous widely used absorbing potentials, we find a factor of 3–4 reduction in the absorption range, given the same level of absorption over a specified energy interval.

A Classroom Labor Market Game Illustrating the Existence, and Implications of, Statistical Discrimination

Science.gov (United States)

Henrickson, Kevin E.

2014-01-01

Many undergraduate students report a lack of concern about facing labor market discrimination throughout their careers. However, there is ample evidence that discrimination based on race, gender, and age still persists within the labor market. The author outlines a classroom experiment demonstrating the existence of discrimination, even when the…

Strong-coupling of WSe2 in ultra-compact plasmonic nanocavities at room temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleemann, Marie-Elena; Chikkaraddy, Rohit; Alexeev, Evgeny M; Kos, Dean; Carnegie, Cloudy; Deacon, Will; de Pury, Alex Casalis; Große, Christoph; de Nijs, Bart; Mertens, Jan; Tartakovskii, Alexander I; Baumberg, Jeremy J

2017-11-03

Strong coupling of monolayer metal dichalcogenide semiconductors with light offers encouraging prospects for realistic exciton devices at room temperature. However, the nature of this coupling depends extremely sensitively on the optical confinement and the orientation of electronic dipoles and fields. Here, we show how plasmon strong coupling can be achieved in compact, robust, and easily assembled gold nano-gap resonators at room temperature. We prove that strong-coupling is impossible with monolayers due to the large exciton coherence size, but resolve clear anti-crossings for greater than 7 layer devices with Rabi splittings exceeding 135 meV. We show that such structures improve on prospects for nonlinear exciton functionalities by at least 10 4 , while retaining quantum efficiencies above 50%, and demonstrate evidence for superlinear light emission.

Strong, Weak and Branching Bisimulation for Transition Systems and Markov Reward Chains: A Unifying Matrix Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikola Trčka

2009-12-01

Full Text Available We first study labeled transition systems with explicit successful termination. We establish the notions of strong, weak, and branching bisimulation in terms of boolean matrix theory, introducing thus a novel and powerful algebraic apparatus. Next we consider Markov reward chains which are standardly presented in real matrix theory. By interpreting the obtained matrix conditions for bisimulations in this setting, we automatically obtain the definitions of strong, weak, and branching bisimulation for Markov reward chains. The obtained strong and weak bisimulations are shown to coincide with some existing notions, while the obtained branching bisimulation is new, but its usefulness is questionable.

Subcycle dynamics of Coulomb asymmetry in strong elliptical laser fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Min; Liu, Yunquan; Liu, Hong; Ning, Qicheng; Fu, Libin; Liu, Jie; Deng, Yongkai; Wu, Chengyin; Peng, Liang-You; Peng, Liangyou; Gong, Qihuang

2013-07-12

We measure photoelectron angular distributions of noble gases in intense elliptically polarized laser fields, which indicate strong structure-dependent Coulomb asymmetry. Using a dedicated semiclassical model, we have disentangled the contribution of direct ionization and multiple forward scattering on Coulomb asymmetry in elliptical laser fields. Our theory quantifies the roles of the ionic potential and initial transverse momentum on Coulomb asymmetry, proving that the small lobes of asymmetry are induced by direct ionization and the strong asymmetry is induced by multiple forward scattering in the ionic potential. Both processes are distorted by the Coulomb force acting on the electrons after tunneling. Lowering the ionization potential, the relative contribution of direct ionization on Coulomb asymmetry substantially decreases and Coulomb focusing on multiple rescattering is more important. We do not observe evident initial longitudinal momentum spread at the tunnel exit according to our simulation.

Search for the $C\\!P$-violating strong decays $\\eta \\to \\pi^+\\pi^-$ and $\\eta^\\prime(958) \\to \\pi^+\\pi^-$

CERN Document Server

Aaij, Roel; Adinolfi, Marco; Ajaltouni, Ziad; Akar, Simon; Albrecht, Johannes; Alessio, Federico; Alexander, Michael; Ali, Suvayu; Alkhazov, Georgy; Alvarez Cartelle, Paula; Alves Jr, Antonio Augusto; Amato, Sandra; Amerio, Silvia; Amhis, Yasmine; An, Liupan; Anderlini, Lucio; Andreassi, Guido; Andreotti, Mirco; Andrews, Jason; Appleby, Robert; Archilli, Flavio; d'Argent, Philippe; Arnau Romeu, Joan; Artamonov, Alexander; Artuso, Marina; Aslanides, Elie; Auriemma, Giulio; Baalouch, Marouen; Babuschkin, Igor; Bachmann, Sebastian; Back, John; Badalov, Alexey; Baesso, Clarissa; Baker, Sophie; Baldini, Wander; Barlow, Roger; Barschel, Colin; Barsuk, Sergey; Barter, William; Baszczyk, Mateusz; Batozskaya, Varvara; Batsukh, Baasansuren; Battista, Vincenzo; Bay, Aurelio; Beaucourt, Leo; Beddow, John; Bedeschi, Franco; Bediaga, Ignacio; Bel, Lennaert; Bellee, Violaine; Belloli, Nicoletta; Belous, Konstantin; Belyaev, Ivan; Ben-Haim, Eli; Bencivenni, Giovanni; Benson, Sean; Benton, Jack; Berezhnoy, Alexander; Bernet, Roland; Bertolin, Alessandro; Betancourt, Christopher; Betti, Federico; Bettler, Marc-Olivier; van Beuzekom, Martinus; Bezshyiko, Iaroslava; Bifani, Simone; Billoir, Pierre; Bird, Thomas; Birnkraut, Alex; Bitadze, Alexander; Bizzeti, Andrea; Blake, Thomas; Blanc, Frederic; Blouw, Johan; Blusk, Steven; Bocci, Valerio; Boettcher, Thomas; Bondar, Alexander; Bondar, Nikolay; Bonivento, Walter; Bordyuzhin, Igor; Borgheresi, Alessio; Borghi, Silvia; Borisyak, Maxim; Borsato, Martino; Bossu, Francesco; Boubdir, Meriem; Bowcock, Themistocles; Bowen, Espen Eie; Bozzi, Concezio; Braun, Svende; Britsch, Markward; Britton, Thomas; Brodzicka, Jolanta; Buchanan, Emma; Burr, Christopher; Bursche, Albert; Buytaert, Jan; Cadeddu, Sandro; Calabrese, Roberto; Calvi, Marta; Calvo Gomez, Miriam; Camboni, Alessandro; Campana, Pierluigi; Campora Perez, Daniel Hugo; Capriotti, Lorenzo; Carbone, Angelo; Carboni, Giovanni; Cardinale, Roberta; Cardini, Alessandro; Carniti, Paolo; Carson, Laurence; Carvalho Akiba, Kazuyoshi; Casse, Gianluigi; Cassina, Lorenzo; Castillo Garcia, Lucia; Cattaneo, Marco; Cauet, Christophe; Cavallero, Giovanni; Cenci, Riccardo; Chamont, David; Charles, Matthew; Charpentier, Philippe; Chatzikonstantinidis, Georgios; Chefdeville, Maximilien; Chen, Shanzhen; Cheung, Shu-Faye; Chobanova, Veronika; Chrzaszcz, Marcin; Cid Vidal, Xabier; Ciezarek, Gregory; Clarke, Peter; Clemencic, Marco; Cliff, Harry; Closier, Joel; Coco, Victor; Cogan, Julien; Cogneras, Eric; Cogoni, Violetta; Cojocariu, Lucian; Collazuol, Gianmaria; Collins, Paula; Comerma-Montells, Albert; Contu, Andrea; Cook, Andrew; Coombs, George; Coquereau, Samuel; Corti, Gloria; Corvo, Marco; Costa Sobral, Cayo Mar; Couturier, Benjamin; Cowan, Greig; Craik, Daniel Charles; Crocombe, Andrew; Cruz Torres, Melissa Maria; Cunliffe, Samuel; Currie, Robert; D'Ambrosio, Carmelo; Da Cunha Marinho, Franciole; Dall'Occo, Elena; Dalseno, Jeremy; David, Pieter; Davis, Adam; De Aguiar Francisco, Oscar; De Bruyn, Kristof; De Capua, Stefano; De Cian, Michel; De Miranda, Jussara; De Paula, Leandro; De Serio, Marilisa; De Simone, Patrizia; Dean, Cameron Thomas; Decamp, Daniel; Deckenhoff, Mirko; Del Buono, Luigi; Demmer, Moritz; Dendek, Adam; Derkach, Denis; Deschamps, Olivier; Dettori, Francesco; Dey, Biplab; Di Canto, Angelo; Dijkstra, Hans; Dordei, Francesca; Dorigo, Mirco; Dosil Suárez, Alvaro; Dovbnya, Anatoliy; Dreimanis, Karlis; Dufour, Laurent; Dujany, Giulio; Dungs, Kevin; Durante, Paolo; Dzhelyadin, Rustem; Dziurda, Agnieszka; Dzyuba, Alexey; Déléage, Nicolas; Easo, Sajan; Ebert, Marcus; Egede, Ulrik; Egorychev, Victor; Eidelman, Semen; Eisenhardt, Stephan; Eitschberger, Ulrich; Ekelhof, Robert; Eklund, Lars; Ely, Scott; Esen, Sevda; Evans, Hannah Mary; Evans, Timothy; Falabella, Antonio; Farley, Nathanael; Farry, Stephen; Fay, Robert; Fazzini, Davide; Ferguson, Dianne; Fernandez Prieto, Antonio; Ferrari, Fabio; Ferreira Rodrigues, Fernando; Ferro-Luzzi, Massimiliano; Filippov, Sergey; Fini, Rosa Anna; Fiore, Marco; Fiorini, Massimiliano; Firlej, Miroslaw; Fitzpatrick, Conor; Fiutowski, Tomasz; Fleuret, Frederic; Fohl, Klaus; Fontana, Marianna; Fontanelli, Flavio; Forshaw, Dean Charles; Forty, Roger; Franco Lima, Vinicius; Frank, Markus; Frei, Christoph; Fu, Jinlin; Furfaro, Emiliano; Färber, Christian; Gallas Torreira, Abraham; Galli, Domenico; Gallorini, Stefano; Gambetta, Silvia; Gandelman, Miriam; Gandini, Paolo; Gao, Yuanning; Garcia Martin, Luis Miguel; García Pardiñas, Julián; Garra Tico, Jordi; Garrido, Lluis; Garsed, Philip John; Gascon, David; Gaspar, Clara; Gavardi, Laura; Gazzoni, Giulio; Gerick, David; Gersabeck, Evelina; Gersabeck, Marco; Gershon, Timothy; Ghez, Philippe; Gianì, Sebastiana; Gibson, Valerie; Girard, Olivier Göran; Giubega, Lavinia-Helena; Gizdov, Konstantin; Gligorov, V.V.; Golubkov, Dmitry; Golutvin, Andrey; Gomes, Alvaro; Gorelov, Igor Vladimirovich; Gotti, Claudio; Grabalosa Gándara, Marc; Graciani Diaz, Ricardo; Granado Cardoso, Luis Alberto; Graugés, Eugeni; Graverini, Elena; Graziani, Giacomo; Grecu, Alexandru; Griffith, Peter; Grillo, Lucia; Gruberg Cazon, Barak Raimond; Grünberg, Oliver; Gushchin, Evgeny; Guz, Yury; Gys, Thierry; Göbel, Carla; Hadavizadeh, Thomas; Hadjivasiliou, Christos; Haefeli, Guido; Haen, Christophe; Haines, Susan; Hall, Samuel; Hamilton, Brian; Han, Xiaoxue; Hansmann-Menzemer, Stephanie; Harnew, Neville; Harnew, Samuel; Harrison, Jonathan; Hatch, Mark; He, Jibo; Head, Timothy; Heister, Arno; Hennessy, Karol; Henrard, Pierre; Henry, Louis; Hernando Morata, Jose Angel; van Herwijnen, Eric; Heß, Miriam; Hicheur, Adlène; Hill, Donal; Hombach, Christoph; Hopchev, P H; Hulsbergen, Wouter; Humair, Thibaud; Hushchyn, Mikhail; Hussain, Nazim; Hutchcroft, David; Idzik, Marek; Ilten, Philip; Jacobsson, Richard; Jaeger, Andreas; Jalocha, Pawel; Jans, Eddy; Jawahery, Abolhassan; Jiang, Feng; John, Malcolm; Johnson, Daniel; Jones, Christopher; Joram, Christian; Jost, Beat; Jurik, Nathan; Kandybei, Sergii; Kanso, Walaa; Karacson, Matthias; Kariuki, James Mwangi; Karodia, Sarah; Kecke, Matthieu; Kelsey, Matthew; Kenyon, Ian; Kenzie, Matthew; Ketel, Tjeerd; Khairullin, Egor; Khanji, Basem; Khurewathanakul, Chitsanu; Kirn, Thomas; Klaver, Suzanne; Klimaszewski, Konrad; Koliiev, Serhii; Kolpin, Michael; Komarov, Ilya; Koopman, Rose; Koppenburg, Patrick; Kosmyntseva, Alena; Kozachuk, Anastasiia; Kozeiha, Mohamad; Kravchuk, Leonid; Kreplin, Katharina; Kreps, Michal; Krokovny, Pavel; Kruse, Florian; Krzemien, Wojciech; Kucewicz, Wojciech; Kucharczyk, Marcin; Kudryavtsev, Vasily; Kuonen, Axel Kevin; Kurek, Krzysztof; Kvaratskheliya, Tengiz; Lacarrere, Daniel; Lafferty, George; Lai, Adriano; Lanfranchi, Gaia; Langenbruch, Christoph; Latham, Thomas; Lazzeroni, Cristina; Le Gac, Renaud; van Leerdam, Jeroen; Lees, Jean-Pierre; Leflat, Alexander; Lefrançois, Jacques; Lefèvre, Regis; Lemaitre, Florian; Lemos Cid, Edgar; Leroy, Olivier; Lesiak, Tadeusz; Leverington, Blake; Li, Tenglin; Li, Yiming; Likhomanenko, Tatiana; Lindner, Rolf; Linn, Christian; Lionetto, Federica; Liu, Bo; Liu, Xuesong; Loh, David; Longstaff, Iain; Lopes, Jose; Lucchesi, Donatella; Lucio Martinez, Miriam; Luo, Haofei; Lupato, Anna; Luppi, Eleonora; Lupton, Oliver; Lusiani, Alberto; Lyu, Xiao-Rui; Machefert, Frederic; Maciuc, Florin; Maev, Oleg; Maguire, Kevin; Malde, Sneha; Malinin, Alexander; Maltsev, Timofei; Manca, Giulia; Mancinelli, Giampiero; Manning, Peter Michael; Maratas, Jan; Marchand, Jean François; Marconi, Umberto; Marin Benito, Carla; Marino, Pietro; Marks, Jörg; Martellotti, Giuseppe; Martin, Morgan; Martinelli, Maurizio; Martinez Santos, Diego; Martinez Vidal, Fernando; Martins Tostes, Danielle; Massacrier, Laure Marie; Massafferri, André; Matev, Rosen; Mathad, Abhijit; Mathe, Zoltan; Matteuzzi, Clara; Mauri, Andrea; Maurin, Brice; Mazurov, Alexander; McCann, Michael; McCarthy, James; McNab, Andrew; McNulty, Ronan; Meadows, Brian; Meier, Frank; Meissner, Marco; Melnychuk, Dmytro; Merk, Marcel; Merli, Andrea; Michielin, Emanuele; Milanes, Diego Alejandro; Minard, Marie-Noelle; Mitzel, Dominik Stefan; Mogini, Andrea; Molina Rodriguez, Josue; Monroy, Ignacio Alberto; Monteil, Stephane; Morandin, Mauro; Morawski, Piotr; Mordà, Alessandro; Morello, Michael Joseph; Moron, Jakub; Morris, Adam Benjamin; Mountain, Raymond; Muheim, Franz; Mulder, Mick; Mussini, Manuel; Müller, Dominik; Müller, Janine; Müller, Katharina; Müller, Vanessa; Naik, Paras; Nakada, Tatsuya; Nandakumar, Raja; Nandi, Anita; Nasteva, Irina; Needham, Matthew; Neri, Nicola; Neubert, Sebastian; Neufeld, Niko; Neuner, Max; Nguyen, Anh Duc; Nguyen, Thi Dung; Nguyen-Mau, Chung; Nieswand, Simon; Niet, Ramon; Nikitin, Nikolay; Nikodem, Thomas; Novoselov, Alexey; O'Hanlon, Daniel Patrick; Oblakowska-Mucha, Agnieszka; Obraztsov, Vladimir; Ogilvy, Stephen; Oldeman, Rudolf; Onderwater, Gerco; Otalora Goicochea, Juan Martin; Otto, Adam; Owen, Patrick; Oyanguren, Maria Aranzazu; Pais, Preema Rennee; Palano, Antimo; Palombo, Fernando; Palutan, Matteo; Panman, Jacob; Papanestis, Antonios; Pappagallo, Marco; Pappalardo, Luciano; Parker, William; Parkes, Christopher; Passaleva, Giovanni; Pastore, Alessandra; Patel, Girish; Patel, Mitesh; Patrignani, Claudia; Pearce, Alex; Pellegrino, Antonio; Penso, Gianni; Pepe Altarelli, Monica; Perazzini, Stefano; Perret, Pascal; Pescatore, Luca; Petridis, Konstantinos; Petrolini, Alessandro; Petrov, Aleksandr; Petruzzo, Marco; Picatoste Olloqui, Eduardo; Pietrzyk, Boleslaw; Pikies, Malgorzata; Pinci, Davide; Pistone, Alessandro; Piucci, Alessio; Playfer, Stephen; Plo Casasus, Maximo; Poikela, Tuomas; Polci, Francesco; Poluektov, Anton; Polyakov, Ivan; Polycarpo, Erica; Pomery, Gabriela Johanna; Popov, Alexander; Popov, Dmitry; Popovici, Bogdan; Poslavskii, Stanislav; Potterat, Cédric; Price, Eugenia; Price, Joseph David; Prisciandaro, Jessica; Pritchard, Adrian; Prouve, Claire; Pugatch, Valery; Puig Navarro, Albert; Punzi, Giovanni; Qian, Wenbin; Quagliani, Renato; Rachwal, Bartolomiej; Rademacker, Jonas; Rama, Matteo; Ramos Pernas, Miguel; Rangel, Murilo; Raniuk, Iurii; Ratnikov, Fedor; Raven, Gerhard; Redi, Federico; Reichert, Stefanie; dos Reis, Alberto; Remon Alepuz, Clara; Renaudin, Victor; Ricciardi, Stefania; Richards, Sophie; Rihl, Mariana; Rinnert, Kurt; Rives Molina, Vicente; Robbe, Patrick; Rodrigues, Ana Barbara; Rodrigues, Eduardo; Rodriguez Lopez, Jairo Alexis; Rodriguez Perez, Pablo; Rogozhnikov, Alexey; Roiser, Stefan; Rollings, Alexandra Paige; Romanovskiy, Vladimir; Romero Vidal, Antonio; Ronayne, John William; Rotondo, Marcello; Rudolph, Matthew Scott; Ruf, Thomas; Ruiz Valls, Pablo; Saborido Silva, Juan Jose; Sadykhov, Elnur; Sagidova, Naylya; Saitta, Biagio; Salustino Guimaraes, Valdir; Sanchez Mayordomo, Carlos; Sanmartin Sedes, Brais; Santacesaria, Roberta; Santamarina Rios, Cibran; Santimaria, Marco; Santovetti, Emanuele; Sarti, Alessio; Satriano, Celestina; Satta, Alessia; Saunders, Daniel Martin; Savrina, Darya; Schael, Stefan; Schellenberg, Margarete; Schiller, Manuel; Schindler, Heinrich; Schlupp, Maximilian; Schmelling, Michael; Schmelzer, Timon; Schmidt, Burkhard; Schneider, Olivier; Schopper, Andreas; Schubert, Konstantin; Schubiger, Maxime; Schune, Marie Helene; Schwemmer, Rainer; Sciascia, Barbara; Sciubba, Adalberto; Semennikov, Alexander; Sergi, Antonino; Serra, Nicola; Serrano, Justine; Sestini, Lorenzo; Seyfert, Paul; Shapkin, Mikhail; Shapoval, Illya; Shcheglov, Yury; Shears, Tara; Shekhtman, Lev; Shevchenko, Vladimir; Siddi, Benedetto Gianluca; Silva Coutinho, Rafael; Silva de Oliveira, Luiz Gustavo; Simi, Gabriele; Simone, Saverio; Sirendi, Marek; Skidmore, Nicola; Skwarnicki, Tomasz; Smith, Eluned; Smith, Iwan Thomas; Smith, Jackson; Smith, Mark; Snoek, Hella; Sokoloff, Michael; Soler, Paul; Souza De Paula, Bruno; Spaan, Bernhard; Spradlin, Patrick; Sridharan, Srikanth; Stagni, Federico; Stahl, Marian; Stahl, Sascha; Stefko, Pavol; Stefkova, Slavorima; Steinkamp, Olaf; Stemmle, Simon; Stenyakin, Oleg; Stevenson, Scott; Stoica, Sabin; Stone, Sheldon; Storaci, Barbara; Stracka, Simone; Straticiuc, Mihai; Straumann, Ulrich; Sun, Liang; Sutcliffe, William; Swientek, Krzysztof; Syropoulos, Vasileios; Szczekowski, Marek; Szumlak, Tomasz; T'Jampens, Stephane; Tayduganov, Andrey; Tekampe, Tobias; Tellarini, Giulia; Teubert, Frederic; Thomas, Eric; van Tilburg, Jeroen; Tilley, Matthew James; Tisserand, Vincent; Tobin, Mark; Tolk, Siim; Tomassetti, Luca; Tonelli, Diego; Topp-Joergensen, Stig; Toriello, Francis; Tournefier, Edwige; Tourneur, Stephane; Trabelsi, Karim; Traill, Murdo; Tran, Minh Tâm; Tresch, Marco; Trisovic, Ana; Tsaregorodtsev, Andrei; Tsopelas, Panagiotis; Tully, Alison; Tuning, Niels; Ukleja, Artur; Ustyuzhanin, Andrey; Uwer, Ulrich; Vacca, Claudia; Vagnoni, Vincenzo; Valassi, Andrea; Valat, Sebastien; Valenti, Giovanni; Vallier, Alexis; Vazquez Gomez, Ricardo; Vazquez Regueiro, Pablo; Vecchi, Stefania; van Veghel, Maarten; Velthuis, Jaap; Veltri, Michele; Veneziano, Giovanni; Venkateswaran, Aravindhan; Vernet, Maxime; Vesterinen, Mika; Viaud, Benoit; Vieira, Daniel; Vieites Diaz, Maria; Viemann, Harald; Vilasis-Cardona, Xavier; Vitti, Marcela; Volkov, Vladimir; Vollhardt, Achim; Voneki, Balazs; Vorobyev, Alexey; Vorobyev, Vitaly; Voß, Christian; de Vries, Jacco; Vázquez Sierra, Carlos; Waldi, Roland; Wallace, Charlotte; Wallace, Ronan; Walsh, John; Wang, Jianchun; Ward, David; Wark, Heather Mckenzie; Watson, Nigel; Websdale, David; Weiden, Andreas; Whitehead, Mark; Wicht, Jean; Wilkinson, Guy; Wilkinson, Michael; Williams, Mark Richard James; Williams, Matthew; Williams, Mike; Williams, Timothy; Wilson, Fergus; Wimberley, Jack; Wishahi, Julian; Wislicki, Wojciech; Witek, Mariusz; Wormser, Guy; Wotton, Stephen; Wraight, Kenneth; Wyllie, Kenneth; Xie, Yuehong; Xing, Zhou; Xu, Zhirui; Yang, Zhenwei; Yao, Yuezhe; Yin, Hang; Yu, Jiesheng; Yuan, Xuhao; Yushchenko, Oleg; Zarebski, Kristian Alexander; Zavertyaev, Mikhail; Zhang, Liming; Zhang, Yanxi; Zhang, Yu; Zhelezov, Alexey; Zheng, Yangheng; Zhokhov, Anatoly; Zhu, Xianglei; Zhukov, Valery; Zucchelli, Stefano

2017-01-10

A search for the $C\\!P$-violating strong decays $\\eta \\to \\pi^+\\pi^-$ and $\\eta^\\prime(958) \\to \\pi^+\\pi^-$ has been performed using approximately $2.5 \\times 10^{7}$ events of each of the decays $D^+ \\to \\pi^+\\pi^+\\pi^-$ and $D_s^+ \\to \\pi^+\\pi^+\\pi^-$, recorded by the LHCb experiment. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collision data recorded during LHC Run 1 and 0.3 fb$^{-1}$ recorded in Run 2. No evidence is seen for $D^+_{(s)} \\to \\pi^+ \\eta^{(\\prime)}$ with $\\eta^{(\\prime)} \\to \\pi^+\\pi^-$, and upper limits at 90% confidence level are set on the branching fractions, $\\mathcal{B}(\\eta \\to \\pi^+\\pi^-) < 1.6 \\times 10^{-5}$ and $\\mathcal{B}(\\eta^\\prime \\to \\pi^+\\pi^-) < 1.8 \\times 10^{-5}$. The limit for the $\\eta$ decay is comparable with the existing one, while that for the $\\eta^\\prime$ is a factor of three smaller than the previous limit.

Postabortion Care: 20 Years of Strong Evidence on Emergency Treatment, Family Planning, and Other Programming Components.

Science.gov (United States)

Huber, Douglas; Curtis, Carolyn; Irani, Laili; Pappa, Sara; Arrington, Lauren

2016-09-28

Worldwide 75 million women need postabortion care (PAC) services each year following safe or unsafe induced abortions and miscarriages. We reviewed more than 550 studies on PAC published between 1994 and 2013 in the peer-reviewed and gray literature, covering emergency treatment, postabortion family planning, organization of services, and related topics that impact practices and health outcomes, particularly in the Global South. In this article, we present findings from studies with strong evidence that have major implications for programs and practice. For example, vacuum aspiration reduced morbidity, costs, and time in comparison to sharp curettage. Misoprostol 400 mcg sublingually or 600 mcg orally achieved 89% to 99% complete evacuation rates within 2 weeks in multiple studies and was comparable in effectiveness, safety, and acceptability to manual vacuum aspiration. Misoprostol was safely introduced in several PAC programs through mid-level providers, extending services to secondary hospitals and primary health centers. In multiple studies, postabortion family planning uptake before discharge increased by 30-70 percentage points within 1-3 years of strengthening postabortion family planning services; in some cases, increases up to 60 percentage points in 4 months were achieved. Immediate postabortion contraceptive acceptance increased on average from 32% before the interventions to 69% post-intervention. Several studies found that women receiving immediate postabortion intrauterine devices and implants had fewer unintended pregnancies and repeat abortions than those who were offered delayed insertions. Postabortion family planning is endorsed by the professional organizations of obstetricians/gynecologists, midwives, and nurses as a standard of practice; major donors agree, and governments should be encouraged to provide universal access to postabortion family planning. Important program recommendations include offering all postabortion women family planning

Topics in strong Langmuir turbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skoric, M.M.

1981-01-01

This thesis discusses certain aspects of the turbulence of a fully ionised non-isothermal plasma dominated by the Langmuir mode. Some of the basic properties of strongly turbulent plasmas are reviewed. In particular, interest is focused on the state of Langmuir turbulence, that is the turbulence of a simple externally unmagnetized plasma. The problem of the existence and dynamics of Langmuir collapse is discussed, often met as a non-linear stage of the modulational instability in the framework of the Zakharov equations (i.e. simple time-averaged dynamical equations). Possible macroscopic consequences of such dynamical turbulent models are investigated. In order to study highly non-linear collapse dynamics in its advanced stage, a set of generalized Zakharov equations are derived. Going beyond the original approximation, the author includes the effects of higher electron non-linearities and a breakdown of slow-timescale quasi-neutrality. He investigates how these corrections may influence the collapse stabilisation. Recently, it has been realised that the modulational instability in a Langmuir plasma will be accompanied by the collisionless-generation of a slow-timescale magnetic field. Accordingly, a novel physical situation has emerged which is investigated in detail. The stability of monochromatic Langmuir waves in a self-magnetized Langmuir plasma, is discussed, and the existence of a novel magneto-modulational instability shown. The wave collapse dynamics is investigated and a physical interpretation of the basic results is given. A problem of the transient analysis of an interaction of time-dependent electromagnetic pulses with linear cold plasma media is investigated. (Auth.)

Compilation of Existing Neutron Screen Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Chrysanthopoulou

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The presence of fast neutron spectra in new reactors is expected to induce a strong impact on the contained materials, including structural materials, nuclear fuels, neutron reflecting materials, and tritium breeding materials. Therefore, introduction of these reactors into operation will require extensive testing of their components, which must be performed under neutronic conditions representative of those expected to prevail inside the reactor cores when in operation. Due to limited availability of fast reactors, testing of future reactor materials will mostly take place in water cooled material test reactors (MTRs by tailoring the neutron spectrum via neutron screens. The latter rely on the utilization of materials capable of absorbing neutrons at specific energy. A large but fragmented experience is available on that topic. In this work a comprehensive compilation of the existing neutron screen technology is attempted, focusing on neutron screens developed in order to locally enhance the fast over thermal neutron flux ratio in a reactor core.

Existence and convergence theorems for a class of multi-valued variational inclusions in Banach spaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chidume, C.E.; Zegeye, H.; Kazmi, K.R.

2002-07-01

An existence theorem for a new class of multi-valued variational inclusion problems is established in smooth Banach spaces. Further, it is shown that a sequence of a Mann-type iteration algorithm is strongly convergent to the solutions in this class of variational inclusion problems. (author)

Hydrodynamics in a Degenerate, Strongly Attractive Fermi Gas

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, John E.; Kinast, Joseph; Hemmer, Staci; Turlapov, Andrey; O'Hara, Ken; Gehm, Mike; Granade, Stephen

2004-01-01

In summary, we use all-optical methods with evaporative cooling near a Feshbach resonance to produce a strongly interacting degenerate Fermi gas. We observe hydrodynamic behavior in the expansion dynamics. At low temperatures, collisions may not explain the expansion dynamics. We observe hydrodynamics in the trapped gas. Our observations include collisionally-damped excitation spectra at high temperature which were not discussed above. In addition, we observe weakly damped breathing modes at low temperature. The observed temperature dependence of the damping time and hydrodynamic frequency are not consistent with collisional dynamics nor with collisionless mean field interactions. These observations constitute the first evidence for superfluid hydrodynamics in a Fermi gas.

The moduli and gravitino (non)-problems in models with strongly stabilized moduli

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, Jason L.; Olive, Keith A.; Garcia, Marcos A.G.

2014-01-01

In gravity mediated models and in particular in models with strongly stabilized moduli, there is a natural hierarchy between gaugino masses, the gravitino mass and moduli masses: m 1/2 << m 3/2 << m φ . Given this hierarchy, we show that 1) moduli problems associated with excess entropy production from moduli decay and 2) problems associated with moduli/gravitino decays to neutralinos are non-existent. Placed in an inflationary context, we show that the amplitude of moduli oscillations are severely limited by strong stabilization. Moduli oscillations may then never come to dominate the energy density of the Universe. As a consequence, moduli decay to gravitinos and their subsequent decay to neutralinos need not overpopulate the cold dark matter density

Available studies fail to provide strong evidence of increased risk of diarrhea mortality due to measles in the period 4-26 weeks after measles rash onset.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Bianca D; Black, Robert E

2017-11-07

Measles vaccination effectiveness studies showed dramatic decreases in all-cause mortality in excess of what would be expected from the prevention of measles disease alone. This invited speculation that measles infection may increase the risk of diarrhea morbidity and mortality subsequent to the acute phase of the disease. The aim of the present systematic review is to summarize the existing evidence in the publically available literature pertaining to the putative causal link between measles and diarrhea in the period 4-26 weeks following measles rash onset. We searched the PubMed, Embase, Open Grey and Grey Literature Report databases for relevant literature using broad search terms. Prospective, retrospective and case-control studies in low- and middle-income countries involving children under five wherein relevant evidence were presented were included. Data were extracted from the articles and summarized. Fifty abstracts retrieved through the database searches met the initial screening criteria. Twelve additional documents were identified by review of the references of the documents found in the initial searches. Six documents representing five unique studies that presented evidence relevant to the research question were found. Four of the included studies took place in Bangladesh. One of the included studies took place in Sudan. Some measles vaccine effectiveness studies show lower diarrhea morbidity and mortality among the vaccinated. However, children who received vaccine may have differed in important ways from children who did not, such as health service utilization. Additionally, cohort studies following unvaccinated children showed no difference in diarrhea morbidity and mortality between cases and controls more than 4 weeks after measles rash onset. One study showed some evidence that severe measles may predispose children to gastroenteritis, but was not able to show a corresponding increase in the risk of diarrhea mortality. The available evidence

Evidence for topological type-II Weyl semimetal WTe2

KAUST Repository

Li, Peng

2017-12-11

Recently, a type-II Weyl fermion was theoretically predicted to appear at the contact of electron and hole Fermi surface pockets. A distinguishing feature of the surfaces of type-II Weyl semimetals is the existence of topological surface states, so-called Fermi arcs. Although WTe2 was the first material suggested as a type-II Weyl semimetal, the direct observation of its tilting Weyl cone and Fermi arc has not yet been successful. Here, we show strong evidence that WTe2 is a type-II Weyl semimetal by observing two unique transport properties simultaneously in one WTe2 nanoribbon. The negative magnetoresistance induced by a chiral anomaly is quite anisotropic in WTe2 nanoribbons, which is present in b-axis ribbon, but is absent in a-axis ribbon. An extra-quantum oscillation, arising from a Weyl orbit formed by the Fermi arc and bulk Landau levels, displays a two dimensional feature and decays as the thickness increases in WTe2 nanoribbon.

Strong correlations and the search for high-Tc superconductivity in chromium pnictides and chalcogenides

Science.gov (United States)

Pizarro, J. M.; Calderón, M. J.; Liu, J.; Muñoz, M. C.; Bascones, E.

2017-02-01

Undoped iron superconductors accommodate n =6 electrons in five d orbitals. Experimental and theoretical evidence shows that the strength of correlations increases with hole doping, as the electronic filling approaches half filling with n =5 electrons. This evidence delineates a scenario in which the parent compound of iron superconductors is the half-filled system, in analogy to cuprate superconductors. In cuprates the superconductivity can be induced upon electron or hole doping. In this work we propose to search for high-Tc superconductivity and strong correlations in chromium pnictides and chalcogenides with n slave-spin and multiorbital random-phase-approximation calculations we analyze the strength of the correlations and the superconducting and magnetic instabilities in these systems with the main focus on LaCrAsO. We find that electron-doped LaCrAsO is a strongly correlated system with competing magnetic interactions, with (π ,π ) antiferromagnetism and nodal d -wave pairing being the most plausible magnetic and superconducting instabilities, respectively.

Proceedings of RIKEN BNL Research Center Workshop: The Approach to Equilibrium in Strongly Interacting Matter. Volume 118

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liao, J. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Venugopalan, R. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Berges, J. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Blaizot, J. -P. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Gelis, F. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

2014-04-09

The RIKEN BNL Research Center (RBRC) was established in April 1997 at Brookhaven National Laboratory*. It is funded by the ''Rikagaku Kenkyusho'' (RIKEN, The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research) of Japan and the U. S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The RBRC is dedicated to the study of strong interactions, including spin physics, lattice QCD, and RHIC physics through the nurturing of a new generation of young physicists. The RBRC has theory, lattice gauge computing and experimental components. It is presently exploring the possibility of an astrophysics component being added to the program. The purpose of this Workshop is to critically review the recent progress on the theory and phenomenology of early time dynamics in relativistic heavy ion collisions from RHIC to LHC energies, to examine the various approaches on thermalization and existing issues, and to formulate new research efforts for the future. Topics slated to be covered include Experimental evidence for equilibration/isotropization, comparison of various approaches, dependence on the initial conditions and couplings, and turbulent cascades and Bose-Einstein condensation.

Direct Observation of Strong Ion Coupling in Laser-Driven Shock-Compressed Targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravasio, A.; Benuzzi-Mounaix, A.; Loupias, B.; Ozaki, N.; Rabec le Gloahec, M.; Koenig, M.; Gregori, G.; Daligault, J.; Delserieys, A.; Riley, D.; Faenov, A. Ya.; Pikuz, T. A.

2007-01-01

In this Letter we report on a near collective x-ray scattering experiment on shock-compressed targets. A highly coupled Al plasma was generated and probed by spectrally resolving an x-ray source forward scattered by the sample. A significant reduction in the intensity of the elastic scatter was observed, which we attribute to the formation of an incipient long-range order. This speculation is confirmed by x-ray scattering calculations accounting for both electron degeneracy and strong coupling effects. Measurements from rear side visible diagnostics are consistent with the plasma parameters inferred from x-ray scattering data. These results give the experimental evidence of the strongly coupled ionic dynamics in dense plasmas

Wave, particle-family duality and the conservation of discrete symmetries in strong interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

van der Spuy, E.

1984-01-01

This paper starts from a nonlinear fermion field equation of motion with a strongly coupled self-interaction. Nonperturbative quark solutions of the equation of motion are constructed in terms of a Reggeized infinite component free spinor field. Such a field carries a family of strongly interacting unstable compounds lying on a Regge locus in the analytically continued quark spin. Such a quark field is naturally confined and also possesses the property of asymptotic freedom. Furthermore, the particular field self-regularizes the interactions and naturally breaks the chiral invariance of the equation of motion. We show why and how the existence of such a strongly coupled solution and its particle-family, wave duality forces a change in the field equation of motion such that it conserves C,P,T, although its individual interaction terms are of V-A and thus C,P nonconserving type

Wave, particle-family duality and the conservation of discrete symmetries in strong interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van der Spuy, E.

1984-01-01

This paper starts from a nonlinear fermion field equation of motion with a strongly coupled selfinteraction. Nonperturbative quark solutions of the equation of motion are constructed in terms of a Reggeized infinite component free spinor field. Such a field carries a family of strongly interacting unstable compounds lying on a Regge locus in the analytically continued quark spin. Such a quark field is naturally confined and also possesses the property of asymptotic freedom. Furthermore the particular field selfregularizes the interactions and naturally breaks the chiral invariance of the equation of motion. We show why and how the existence of such a strongly coupled solution and its particle-family, wave duality forces a change in the field equation of motion such that it conserves C, P, T although its individual interaction terms are of V - A and thus C, P nonconserving type

Evidence-based dentistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, David W

2010-01-01

Both panegyric and criticism of evidence-based dentistry tend to be clumsy because the concept is poorly defined. This analysis identifies several contributions to the profession that have been made under the EBD banner. Although the concept of clinicians integrating clinical epidemiology, the wisdom of their practices, and patients' values is powerful, its implementation has been distorted by a too heavy emphasis of computerized searches for research findings that meet the standards of academics. Although EBD advocates enjoy sharing anecdotal accounts of mistakes others have made, faulting others is not proof that one's own position is correct. There is no systematic, high-quality evidence that EBD is effective. The metaphor of a three-legged stool (evidence, experience, values, and integration) is used as an organizing principle. "Best evidence" has become a preoccupation among EBD enthusiasts. That overlong but thinly developed leg of the stool is critiqued from the perspectives of the criteria for evidence, the difference between internal and external validity, the relationship between evidence and decision making, the ambiguous meaning of "best," and the role of reasonable doubt. The strongest leg of the stool is clinical experience. Although bias exists in all observations (including searches for evidence), there are simple procedures that can be employed in practice to increase useful and objective evidence there, and there are dangers in delegating policy regarding allowable treatments to external groups. Patient and practitioner values are the shortest leg of the stool. As they are so little recognized, their integration in EBD is problematic and ethical tensions exist where paternalism privileges science over patient's self-determined best interests. Four potential approaches to integration are suggested, recognizing that there is virtually no literature on how the "seat" of the three-legged stool works or should work. It is likely that most dentists

PASSCLAIM - Synthesis and review of existing processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, David P; Affertsholt, Tage; Asp, Nils-Georg; Bruce, Ake; Grossklaus, Rolf; Howlett, John; Pannemans, Daphne; Ross, Richard; Verhagen, Hans; Viechtbauer, Volker

2003-03-01

Several approaches to the use of health claims on foods have been made around the world, and the common theme is that any health claim will require scientific validation and substantiation. There is also broad consensus that any regulatory framework should protect the consumer, promote fair trade and encourage innovation in the food industry.This paper is based on a critical evaluation of existing international approaches to the scientific substantiation of health claims, with a view to identifying common new ideas, definitions, best practice and a methodology to underpin current and future developments. There is a clear need to have uniform understanding, terminology and description of types of nutrition and health claims. Two broad categories were defined: Nutrition Claims, i. e. what the product contains, and Health Claims, i. e. relating to health, well-being and/or performance, including well-established nutrient function claims, enhanced function claims and disease risk reduction claims. Such health claims relate to what the food or food components does or do. The categories of health claims are closely and progressively related and are, in practice, part of a continuum. Provision is also made for "generic" or well-established, generally accepted claims and for "innovative" or "product-specific" claims. Special attention was paid to reflect the health-promoting properties of a food or food component in such a way as to facilitate the making of risk reduction claims outside the medical scope of the term prevention. The paper sets out basic principles and guidelines for communication of health claims and principles of nutritional safety. The main body of the work examines the process for the assessment of scientific support for health claims on food and emphasises an evidence-based approach consisting of: Identification of all relevant studies exploring the collection of evidence, data searches, the nature of the scientific evidence, sources of scientific data

Global existence and uniform stabilization of a generalized dissipative Klein-Gordon equation type with boundary damping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zaiyun; Miao Xiujin; Chen Yuezhong; Liu Zhenhai

2011-01-01

In this paper, we prove the existence, uniqueness, and uniform stability of strong and weak solutions of the nonlinear generalized Klein-Gordon equation (1.1) 1 (see Sec. I) in bounded domains with nonlinear damped boundary conditions given by (1.1) 3 (see Sec. I) with some restrictions on function f(u), h(∇u), g(u t ), and b(x), we prove the existence and uniqueness by means of nonlinear semigroup method and obtain the uniform stabilization by using the multiplier technique.

Strong-back safety latch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeSantis, G.N.

1995-01-01

The calculation decides the integrity of the safety latch that will hold the strong-back to the pump during lifting. The safety latch will be welded to the strong-back and will latch to a 1.5-in. dia cantilever rod welded to the pump baseplate. The static and dynamic analysis shows that the safety latch will hold the strong-back to the pump if the friction clamps fail and the pump become free from the strong-back. Thus, the safety latch will meet the requirements of the Lifting and Rigging Manual for under the hook lifting for static loading; it can withstand shock loads from the strong-back falling 0.25 inch

<strong>>Synchronisation of glycolytic oscillations in a suspension of human neutrophilsstrong>>

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brasen, Jens Christian; Poulsen, Allan K.; Olsen, Lars Folke

Neutrophils are known to be able to synchronize their production of superoxide. We show that glycolysis is also synchronized in human neutrophils being in suspension and suggest that oscillations in glycolysis are driving the pulsatile production of superoxide. The synchronising agent remains so...... far unknown, however, much evident points to that it might be hydrogen peroxide or an intermediate in glycolysis....

Semantic Modelling of Digital Forensic Evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Kahvedžić, Damir; Kechadi, Tahar

The reporting of digital investigation results are traditionally carried out in prose and in a large investigation may require successive communication of findings between different parties. Popular forensic suites aid in the reporting process by storing provenance and positional data but do not automatically encode why the evidence is considered important. In this paper we introduce an evidence management methodology to encode the semantic information of evidence. A structured vocabulary of terms, ontology, is used to model the results in a logical and predefined manner. The descriptions are application independent and automatically organised. The encoded descriptions aim to help the investigation in the task of report writing and evidence communication and can be used in addition to existing evidence management techniques.

Microstructural and compositional change of NaOH-activated high calcium fly ash by incorporating Na-aluminate and co-existence of geopolymeric gel and C–S–H(I)

KAUST Repository

Oh, Jae Eun

2012-05-01

This study explores the reaction products of alkali-activated Class C fly ash-based aluminosilicate samples by means of high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction (HSXRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and compressive strength tests to investigate how the readily available aluminum affects the reaction. Class C fly ash-based aluminosilicate raw materials were prepared by incorporating Na-aluminate into the original fly ashes, then alkali-activated by 10 M NaOH solution. Incorporating Na-aluminate reduced the compressive strength of samples, with the reduction magnitude relatively constant regardless of length of curing period. The HSXRD provides evidence of the co-existence of C-S-H with geopolymeric gels and strongly suggests that the C-S-H formed in the current system is C-S-H(I). The back-scattered electron images suggest that the C-S-H(I) phase exists as small grains in a finely intermixed form with geopolymeric gels. Despite providing extra source of aluminum, adding Na-aluminate to the mixes did not decrease the Si/Al ratio of the geopolymeric gel. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Microstructural and compositional change of NaOH-activated high calcium fly ash by incorporating Na-aluminate and co-existence of geopolymeric gel and C–S–H(I)

KAUST Repository

Oh, Jae Eun; Moon, Juhyuk; Oh, Sang-Gyun; Clark, Simon M.; Monteiro, Paulo J.M.

2012-01-01

This study explores the reaction products of alkali-activated Class C fly ash-based aluminosilicate samples by means of high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction (HSXRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and compressive strength tests to investigate how the readily available aluminum affects the reaction. Class C fly ash-based aluminosilicate raw materials were prepared by incorporating Na-aluminate into the original fly ashes, then alkali-activated by 10 M NaOH solution. Incorporating Na-aluminate reduced the compressive strength of samples, with the reduction magnitude relatively constant regardless of length of curing period. The HSXRD provides evidence of the co-existence of C-S-H with geopolymeric gels and strongly suggests that the C-S-H formed in the current system is C-S-H(I). The back-scattered electron images suggest that the C-S-H(I) phase exists as small grains in a finely intermixed form with geopolymeric gels. Despite providing extra source of aluminum, adding Na-aluminate to the mixes did not decrease the Si/Al ratio of the geopolymeric gel. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Strong gravitational lensing by a Konoplya-Zhidenko rotating non-Kerr compact object

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Shangyun; Chen, Songbai; Jing, Jiliang, E-mail: shangyun_wang@163.com, E-mail: csb3752@hunnu.edu.cn, E-mail: jljing@hunnu.edu.cn [Institute of Physics and Department of Physics, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan 410081 (China)

2016-11-01

Konoplya and Zhidenko have proposed recently a rotating non-Kerr black hole metric beyond General Relativity and make an estimate for the possible deviations from the Kerr solution with the data of GW 150914. We here study the strong gravitational lensing in such a rotating non-Kerr spacetime with an extra deformation parameter. We find that the condition of existence of horizons is not inconsistent with that of the marginally circular photon orbit. Moreover, the deflection angle of the light ray near the weakly naked singularity covered by the marginally circular orbit diverges logarithmically in the strong-field limit. In the case of the completely naked singularity, the deflection angle near the singularity tends to a certain finite value, whose sign depends on the rotation parameter and the deformation parameter. These properties of strong gravitational lensing are different from those in the Johannsen-Psaltis rotating non-Kerr spacetime and in the Janis-Newman-Winicour spacetime. Modeling the supermassive central object of the Milk Way Galaxy as a Konoplya-Zhidenko rotating non-Kerr compact object, we estimated the numerical values of observables for the strong gravitational lensing including the time delay between two relativistic images.

Two-step excitation structure changes of luminescence centers and strong tunable blue emission on surface of silica nanospheres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Lei, E-mail: nanoyang@qq.com; Jiang, Zhongcheng; Dong, Jiazhang; Zhang, Liuqian [Hunan University, College of Materials Science and Engineering (China); Pan, Anlian, E-mail: anlian.pan@gmail.com; Zhuang, Xiujuan [Hunan University, Key Laboratory for Micro-Nano Physics and Technology of Hunan Province (China)

2015-10-15

We report a scheme for investigating two-step stimulated structure change of luminescence centers. Amorphous silica nanospheres with uniform diameter of 9–15 nm have been synthesized by Stöber method. Strong hydroxyl-related infrared-absorption band is observed in infrared spectrum. The surface hydroxyl groups exert great influence on the luminescent behavior of silica. They provide stable and intermediate energy states to accommodate excitation electrons. The existence of these surface states reduces the energy barrier of photochemical reactions, creating conditions for two-step excitation process. By carefully examining excitation and emission process, the nearest excitation band is absent in both optical absorption spectrum and excitation spectrum. This later generated state confirms the generation of new luminescence centers as well as the existence of photochemical reactions. Stimulated by different energies, two-step excitation process impels different photochemical reactions, prompting generation of different lattice defects on surface area of silica. Thereby, tunable luminescence is achieved. After thermal treatment, strong gap excitation band appears with the disappearance of strong surface excitation band. Strong blue luminescence also disappears. The research is significance to precise introducing structural defects and controlling position of luminescence peaks.

Strongly Deterministic Population Dynamics in Closed Microbial Communities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zak Frentz

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Biological systems are influenced by random processes at all scales, including molecular, demographic, and behavioral fluctuations, as well as by their interactions with a fluctuating environment. We previously established microbial closed ecosystems (CES as model systems for studying the role of random events and the emergent statistical laws governing population dynamics. Here, we present long-term measurements of population dynamics using replicate digital holographic microscopes that maintain CES under precisely controlled external conditions while automatically measuring abundances of three microbial species via single-cell imaging. With this system, we measure spatiotemporal population dynamics in more than 60 replicate CES over periods of months. In contrast to previous studies, we observe strongly deterministic population dynamics in replicate systems. Furthermore, we show that previously discovered statistical structure in abundance fluctuations across replicate CES is driven by variation in external conditions, such as illumination. In particular, we confirm the existence of stable ecomodes governing the correlations in population abundances of three species. The observation of strongly deterministic dynamics, together with stable structure of correlations in response to external perturbations, points towards a possibility of simple macroscopic laws governing microbial systems despite numerous stochastic events present on microscopic levels.

A semigroup approach to the strong ergodic theorem of the multistate stable population process.

Science.gov (United States)

Inaba, H

1988-01-01

"In this paper we first formulate the dynamics of multistate stable population processes as a partial differential equation. Next, we rewrite this equation as an abstract differential equation in a Banach space, and solve it by using the theory of strongly continuous semigroups of bounded linear operators. Subsequently, we investigate the asymptotic behavior of this semigroup to show the strong ergodic theorem which states that there exists a stable distribution independent of the initial distribution. Finally, we introduce the dual problem in order to obtain a logical definition for the reproductive value and we discuss its applications." (SUMMARY IN FRE) excerpt

AIC, BIC, Bayesian evidence against the interacting dark energy model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szydlowski, Marek [Jagiellonian University, Astronomical Observatory, Krakow (Poland); Jagiellonian University, Mark Kac Complex Systems Research Centre, Krakow (Poland); Krawiec, Adam [Jagiellonian University, Institute of Economics, Finance and Management, Krakow (Poland); Jagiellonian University, Mark Kac Complex Systems Research Centre, Krakow (Poland); Kurek, Aleksandra [Jagiellonian University, Astronomical Observatory, Krakow (Poland); Kamionka, Michal [University of Wroclaw, Astronomical Institute, Wroclaw (Poland)

2015-01-01

Recent astronomical observations have indicated that the Universe is in a phase of accelerated expansion. While there are many cosmological models which try to explain this phenomenon, we focus on the interacting ΛCDM model where an interaction between the dark energy and dark matter sectors takes place. This model is compared to its simpler alternative - the ΛCDM model. To choose between these models the likelihood ratio test was applied as well as the model comparison methods (employing Occam's principle): the Akaike information criterion (AIC), the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) and the Bayesian evidence. Using the current astronomical data: type Ia supernova (Union2.1), h(z), baryon acoustic oscillation, the Alcock- Paczynski test, and the cosmic microwave background data, we evaluated both models. The analyses based on the AIC indicated that there is less support for the interacting ΛCDM model when compared to the ΛCDM model, while those based on the BIC indicated that there is strong evidence against it in favor of the ΛCDM model. Given the weak or almost non-existing support for the interacting ΛCDM model and bearing in mind Occam's razor we are inclined to reject this model. (orig.)

AIC, BIC, Bayesian evidence against the interacting dark energy model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szydłowski, Marek, E-mail: marek.szydlowski@uj.edu.pl [Astronomical Observatory, Jagiellonian University, Orla 171, 30-244, Kraków (Poland); Mark Kac Complex Systems Research Centre, Jagiellonian University, Reymonta 4, 30-059, Kraków (Poland); Krawiec, Adam, E-mail: adam.krawiec@uj.edu.pl [Institute of Economics, Finance and Management, Jagiellonian University, Łojasiewicza 4, 30-348, Kraków (Poland); Mark Kac Complex Systems Research Centre, Jagiellonian University, Reymonta 4, 30-059, Kraków (Poland); Kurek, Aleksandra, E-mail: alex@oa.uj.edu.pl [Astronomical Observatory, Jagiellonian University, Orla 171, 30-244, Kraków (Poland); Kamionka, Michał, E-mail: kamionka@astro.uni.wroc.pl [Astronomical Institute, University of Wrocław, ul. Kopernika 11, 51-622, Wrocław (Poland)

2015-01-14

Recent astronomical observations have indicated that the Universe is in a phase of accelerated expansion. While there are many cosmological models which try to explain this phenomenon, we focus on the interacting ΛCDM model where an interaction between the dark energy and dark matter sectors takes place. This model is compared to its simpler alternative—the ΛCDM model. To choose between these models the likelihood ratio test was applied as well as the model comparison methods (employing Occam’s principle): the Akaike information criterion (AIC), the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) and the Bayesian evidence. Using the current astronomical data: type Ia supernova (Union2.1), h(z), baryon acoustic oscillation, the Alcock–Paczynski test, and the cosmic microwave background data, we evaluated both models. The analyses based on the AIC indicated that there is less support for the interacting ΛCDM model when compared to the ΛCDM model, while those based on the BIC indicated that there is strong evidence against it in favor of the ΛCDM model. Given the weak or almost non-existing support for the interacting ΛCDM model and bearing in mind Occam’s razor we are inclined to reject this model.

First Phytochemical Evidence of Chemotypes for the Seagrass Zostera noltii

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Micheline Grignon-Dubois

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The variability of the flavonoid content of two populations of Z. noltii from different geographical zones, i.e., the Bay of Arcachon and the Bay of Cadiz, was evaluated. Samples were collected in spring and autumn at the two sites, and extracts were prepared by maceration in water. The phenolic content was fully characterized using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR, UV and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS, and the concentration of the individual phenolic was determined by quantitative High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode-Array Detection (HPLC-DAD. The two populations show a strong geographical differentiation in their flavonoid content. The samples from Cadiz were dominated by apigenin 7-sulfate, which represents 71% (autumn collection and 83% (spring collection of the total flavonoids, whereas the samples from Arcachon were characterized by diosmetin 7-sulfate (85 and 93% of the total flavonoids. Structural elucidation of the individual phenolics was assigned using the complementary information from their spectral evidence. In addition, the results were confirmed by acid hydrolysis of the flavonoid sulfates, and comparison to synthetic standards obtained by sulfation of apigenin, diosmetin and luteolin. The results represent the first experimental evidence of the existence of chemotypes within the species Z. noltii.

Permafrost at its limits: The most easterly evidence of existing permafrost in the European Alps as indicated by ground temperature and geoelectrical measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Kellerer-Pirklbauer, A.; Kühnast, B.

2009-04-01

). In contrast, at the lower part of the talus slope the permafrost body is most likely very thin (less than 1 m) whereas at the uppermost part permafrost is absent. Generally, the permafrost distribution seems to be strongly influenced by the grain size of the sediments at the study site. The ERT data are in accordance with the collected temperature data supporting that this site is the most easterly evidence of existing permafrost found in the entire European Alps at 14°41'E.

Experimental evidence that density dependence strongly influences plant invasions through fragmented landscapes.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Jennifer L; Levine, Jonathan M

2018-04-01

Populations of range expanding species encounter patches of both favorable and unfavorable habitat as they spread across landscapes. Theory shows that increasing patchiness slows the spread of populations modeled with continuously varying population density when dispersal is not influence by the environment or individual behavior. However, as is found in uniformly favorable landscapes, spread remains driven by fecundity and dispersal from low density individuals at the invasion front. In contrast, when modeled populations are composed of discrete individuals, patchiness causes populations to build up to high density before dispersing past unsuitable habitat, introducing an important influence of density dependence on spread velocity. To test the hypothesized interaction between habitat patchiness and density dependence, we simultaneously manipulated these factors in a greenhouse system of annual plants spreading through replicated experimental landscapes. We found that increasing the size of gaps and amplifying the strength of density dependence both slowed spread velocity, but contrary to predictions, the effect of amplified density dependence was similar across all landscape types. Our results demonstrate that the discrete nature of individuals in spreading populations has a strong influence on how both landscape patchiness and density dependence influence spread through demographic and dispersal stochasticity. Both finiteness and landscape structure should be critical components to theoretical predictions of future spread for range expanding native species or invasive species colonizing new habitat. © 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

Optical investigation of the strong spin-orbit-coupled magnetic semimetal YbMnBi2

Science.gov (United States)

Chaudhuri, Dipanjan; Cheng, Bing; Yaresko, Alexander; Gibson, Quinn D.; Cava, R. J.; Armitage, N. P.

2017-08-01

Strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) can result in ground states with nontrivial topological properties. The situation is even richer in magnetic systems where the magnetic ordering can potentially have strong influence over the electronic band structure. The class of A MnBi2 (A = Sr, Ca) compounds are important in this context as they are known to host massive Dirac fermions with strongly anisotropic dispersion, which is believed to be due to the interplay between strong SOC and magnetic degrees of freedom. We report the optical conductivity of YbMnBi2, a newly discovered member of this family and a proposed Weyl semimetal (WSM) candidate with broken time reversal symmetry. Together with density functional theory (DFT) band-structure calculations, we show that the complex conductivity can be interpreted as the sum of an intraband Drude response and interband transitions. We argue that the canting of the magnetic moments that has been proposed to be essential for the realization of the WSM in an otherwise antiferromagnetically ordered system is not necessary to explain the optical conductivity. We believe our data is explained qualitatively by the uncanted magnetic structure with a small offset of the chemical potential from strict stochiometry. We find no definitive evidence of a bulk Weyl nodes. Instead, we see signatures of a gapped Dirac dispersion, common in other members of A MnBi2 family or compounds with similar 2D network of Bi atoms. We speculate that the evidence for a WSM seen in ARPES arises through a surface magnetic phase. Such an assumption reconciles all known experimental data.

Little Evidence Exists To Support The Expectation That Providers Would Consolidate To Enter New Payment Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Neprash, Hannah T; Chernew, Michael E; McWilliams, J Michael

2017-02-01

Provider consolidation has been associated with higher health care prices and spending. The prevailing wisdom is that payment reform will accelerate consolidation, especially between physicians and hospitals and among physician groups, as providers position themselves to bear financial risk for the full continuum of patient care. Drawing on data from a number of sources from 2008 onward, we examined the relationship between Medicare's accountable care organization (ACO) programs and provider consolidation. We found that consolidation was under way in the period 2008-10, before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) established the ACO programs. While the number of hospital mergers and the size of specialty-oriented physician groups increased after the ACA was passed, we found minimal evidence that consolidation was associated with ACO penetration at the market level or with physicians' participation in ACOs within markets. We conclude that payment reform has been associated with little acceleration in consolidation in addition to trends already under way, but there is evidence of potential defensive consolidation in response to new payment models. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Evidence-Based Clinical Voice Assessment: A Systematic Review

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Nelson; Barkmeier-Kraemer, Julie; Eadie, Tanya; Sivasankar, M. Preeti; Mehta, Daryush; Paul, Diane; Hillman, Robert

2013-01-01

Purpose: To determine what research evidence exists to support the use of voice measures in the clinical assessment of patients with voice disorders. Method: The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) National Center for Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders staff searched 29 databases for peer-reviewed English-language…

Concrete structures. Contribution to the safety assessment of existing structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. COUTO

Full Text Available The safety evaluation of an existing concrete structure differs from the design of new structures. The partial safety factors for actions and resistances adopted in the design phase consider uncertainties and inaccuracies related to the building processes of structures, variability of materials strength and numerical approximations of the calculation and design processes. However, when analyzing a finished structure, a large number of unknown factors during the design stage are already defined and can be measured, which justifies a change in the increasing factors of the actions or reduction factors of resistances. Therefore, it is understood that safety assessment in existing structures is more complex than introducing security when designing a new structure, because it requires inspection, testing, analysis and careful diagnose. Strong knowledge and security concepts in structural engineering are needed, as well as knowledge about the materials of construction employed, in order to identify, control and properly consider the variability of actions and resistances in the structure. With the intention of discussing this topic considered complex and diffuse, this paper presents an introduction to the safety of concrete structures, a synthesis of the recommended procedures by Brazilian standards and another codes, associated with the topic, as well a realistic example of the safety assessment of an existing structure.

Evidence-informed massage therapy - an Australian practitioner perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Ooi, Soo Liang; Smith, Lauren; Pak, Sok Cheon

2018-05-01

Massage therapy (MT) is the most popular complementary and alternative medicine therapy used by the Australian public. With the growing emphasis by the Australian health authority on evidence-informed healthcare decision-making, there is an increasing demand for massage therapists to move towards the evidence-informed practice (EIP). With MT research gaining significant attention over the last 30 years, clinical evidence exists to support the efficacies of MT on many health conditions, including chronic low back pain. This growing body of research supports MT to become an evidence-informed therapeutic modality. The evidence utilization process of asking clinical questions, searching for available research evidence, and appraising the evidence critically can be incorporated into the clinical practice of MT. Moreover, integrating practitioners' skills and experience with research evidence enables the best treatment plan to address the clients' needs and stated goals. No dichotomy exists between scientific research and the humanistic client care of MT. A massage therapist can gain greater confidence in practice, improve critical thinking and decision-making skills, and increase career satisfaction through EIP. Despite its high public utilization, massage therapists in Australia remain a low-paying profession dominated by part-time workers who rarely utilize research evidence in practice. Professional associations of massage therapists in Australia need to play a key role in promoting EIP through continuing professional education, providing the access to research information and resources, as well as fostering a culture of EIP. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Global existence and blow-up phenomena for two-component Degasperis-Procesi system and two-component b-family system

OpenAIRE

Liu, Jingjing; Yin, Zhaoyang

2014-01-01

This paper is concerned with global existence and blow-up phenomena for two-component Degasperis-Procesi system and two-component b-family system. The strategy relies on our observation on new conservative quantities of these systems. Several new global existence results and a new blowup result of strong solutions to the two-component Degasperis- Procesi system and the two-component b-family system are presented by using these new conservative quantities.

Strong-motion observations of the M 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake sequence and development of the N-shake strong-motion network

Science.gov (United States)

Dixit, Amod; Ringler, Adam; Sumy, Danielle F.; Cochran, Elizabeth S.; Hough, Susan E.; Martin, Stacey; Gibbons, Steven; Luetgert, James H.; Galetzka, John; Shrestha, Surya; Rajaure, Sudhir; McNamara, Daniel E.

2015-01-01

We present and describe strong-motion data observations from the 2015 M 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake sequence collected using existing and new Quake-Catcher Network (QCN) and U.S. Geological Survey NetQuakes sensors located in the Kathmandu Valley. A comparison of QCN data with waveforms recorded by a conventional strong-motion (NetQuakes) instrument validates the QCN data. We present preliminary analysis of spectral accelerations, and peak ground acceleration and velocity for earthquakes up to M 7.3 from the QCN stations, as well as preliminary analysis of the mainshock recording from the NetQuakes station. We show that mainshock peak accelerations were lower than expected and conclude the Kathmandu Valley experienced a pervasively nonlinear response during the mainshock. Phase picks from the QCN and NetQuakes data are also used to improve aftershock locations. This study confirms the utility of QCN instruments to contribute to ground-motion investigations and aftershock response in regions where conventional instrumentation and open-access seismic data are limited. Initial pilot installations of QCN instruments in 2014 are now being expanded to create the Nepal–Shaking Hazard Assessment for Kathmandu and its Environment (N-SHAKE) network.

On autostability of almost prime models relative to strong constructivizations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goncharov, Sergey S

2011-01-01

Questions of autostability and algorithmic dimension of models go back to papers by A.I. Malcev and by A. Froehlich and J.C. Shepherdson in which the effect of the existence of computable presentations which are non-equivalent from the viewpoint of their algorithmic properties was first discovered. Today there are many papers by various authors devoted to investigations of such questions. The present paper deals with the question of inheritance of the properties of autostability and non-autostability relative to strong constructivizations under elementary extensions for almost prime models. Bibliography: 37 titles.

Accounting for Complexity in Home Telemonitoring: A Need for Context-Centred Evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Ware, Patrick; Seto, Emily; Ross, Heather J

2018-01-31

Heart failure represents a significant burden for patients and the Canadian health care system. Home telemonitoring is proposed as an intervention that can improve heart failure outcomes by identifying opportunities for earlier clinical intervention and by providing patients with self-management support between scheduled clinic visits. The objective of this review is to provide clarity with respect to the most recent evidence of the effect of home telemonitoring on heart failure outcomes. Despite some strong evidence that telemonitoring can reduce the risk of mortality and heart failure-related hospitalizations, important inconsistencies exist in the evidence. This article proposes that much of the inconsistency results from differences in the patient population being studied, the type of home telemonitoring intervention, and the implementation setting. Also important is the degree to which intervention fidelity is maintained throughout the course of a study; this is emphasized through a review of the factors that influence the degree to which patients and health care providers use home telemonitoring interventions as intended. In this article we propose that for researchers to produce definitive answers regarding the effect of home telemonitoring on heart failure outcomes, interventions and studies need to be designed and tailored according to the characteristics of the target patient population and the implementation context. Copyright © 2018 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Eyes are on us, but nobody cares: are eye cues relevant for strong reciprocity?

Science.gov (United States)

Fehr, Ernst; Schneider, Frédéric

2010-05-07

Strong reciprocity is characterized by the willingness to altruistically reward cooperative acts and to altruistically punish norm-violating, defecting behaviours. Recent evidence suggests that subtle reputation cues, such as eyes staring at subjects during their choices, may enhance prosocial behaviour. Thus, in principle, strong reciprocity could also be affected by eye cues. We investigate the impact of eye cues on trustees' altruistic behaviour in a trust game and find zero effect. Neither the subjects who are classified as prosocial nor the subjects who are classified as selfish respond to these cues. In sharp contrast to the irrelevance of subtle reputation cues for strong reciprocity, we find a large effect of explicit, pecuniary reputation incentives on the trustees' prosociality. Trustees who can acquire a good reputation that benefits them in future interactions honour trust much more than trustees who cannot build a good reputation. These results cast doubt on hypotheses suggesting that strong reciprocity is easily malleable by implicit reputation cues not backed by explicit reputation incentives.

Interplay of Anderson localization and strong interaction in disordered systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henseler, Peter

2010-01-15

We study the interplay of disorder localization and strong local interactions within the Anderson-Hubbard model. Taking into account local Mott-Hubbard physics and static screening of the disorder potential, the system is mapped onto an effective single-particle Anderson model, which is studied within the self-consistent theory of electron localization. For fermions, we find rich nonmonotonic behavior of the localization length {xi}, particularly in two-dimensional systems, including an interaction-induced exponential enhancement of {xi} for small and intermediate disorders and a strong reduction of {xi} due to hopping suppression by strong interactions. In three dimensions, we identify for half filling a Mott-Hubbard-assisted Anderson localized phase existing between the metallic and the Mott-Hubbard-gapped phases. For small U there is re-entrant behavior from the Anderson localized phase to the metallic phase. For bosons, the unrestricted particle occupation number per lattice site yields a monotonic enhancement of {xi} as a function of decreasing interaction, which we assume to persist until the superfluid Bose-Einstein condensate phase is entered. Besides, we study cold atomic gases expanding, by a diffusion process, in a weak random potential. We show that the density-density correlation function of the expanding gas is strongly affected by disorder and we estimate the typical size of a speckle spot, i.e., a region of enhanced or depleted density. Both a Fermi gas and a Bose-Einstein condensate (in a mean-field approach) are considered. (orig.)

Interplay of Anderson localization and strong interaction in disordered systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henseler, Peter

2010-01-01

We study the interplay of disorder localization and strong local interactions within the Anderson-Hubbard model. Taking into account local Mott-Hubbard physics and static screening of the disorder potential, the system is mapped onto an effective single-particle Anderson model, which is studied within the self-consistent theory of electron localization. For fermions, we find rich nonmonotonic behavior of the localization length ξ, particularly in two-dimensional systems, including an interaction-induced exponential enhancement of ξ for small and intermediate disorders and a strong reduction of ξ due to hopping suppression by strong interactions. In three dimensions, we identify for half filling a Mott-Hubbard-assisted Anderson localized phase existing between the metallic and the Mott-Hubbard-gapped phases. For small U there is re-entrant behavior from the Anderson localized phase to the metallic phase. For bosons, the unrestricted particle occupation number per lattice site yields a monotonic enhancement of ξ as a function of decreasing interaction, which we assume to persist until the superfluid Bose-Einstein condensate phase is entered. Besides, we study cold atomic gases expanding, by a diffusion process, in a weak random potential. We show that the density-density correlation function of the expanding gas is strongly affected by disorder and we estimate the typical size of a speckle spot, i.e., a region of enhanced or depleted density. Both a Fermi gas and a Bose-Einstein condensate (in a mean-field approach) are considered. (orig.)

Dynamics of dissociation versus ionization in strong laser fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DiMauro, L.F.; Yang, B.

1993-01-01

In this paper, experimental results are presented which clearly demonstrate the effectiveness that an external field has in altering the dissociation dynamics. The experiment examines the strong-field dissociation dynamics of molecular hydrogen ions and its deuterated isotopes. These studies involve multiphoton excitation in the intensity regime of 10 11-14 W/cm 2 with the fundamental and second harmonic of a ND:YAG or ND:YLF laser system. Measurements include energy resolved electron and mass spectroscopy which provide useful probes in elucidating the interaction dynamics predicted by existing models. The example this in this paper, examines the strong-field dissociation of H 2 + , HD + , and D 2 + at green (0.5 μm) and (1μm) frequencies. The diatomic ions are formed via multiphonon ionization of the neutral precursor which is physically separable from the dissociation process. This study provides the first observation of the dynamics associated with the above threshold dissociation (ATD) process and analogies will be made with the more familiar above threshold ionization (ATI) phenomenon

Numerical evidences of universal trap-like aging dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Cammarota, Chiara; Marinari, Enzo

2018-04-01

Trap models have been initially proposed as toy models for dynamical relaxation in extremely simplified rough potential energy landscapes. Their importance has recently grown considerably thanks to the discovery that the trap-like aging mechanism directly controls the out-of-equilibrium relaxation processes of more sophisticated spin models, that are considered as the solvable counterpart of real disordered systems. Further establishing the connection between these spin models, out-of-equilibrium behavior and the trap like aging mechanism could shed new light on the properties, which are still largely mysterious, for the activated out-of-equilibrium dynamics of disordered systems. In this work we discuss numerical evidence based on the computations of the permanence times of an emergent trap-like aging behavior in a variety of very simple disordered models—developed from the trap model paradigm. Our numerical results are backed by analytic derivations and heuristic discussions. Such exploration reveals some of the tricks needed to reveal the trap behavior in spite of the occurrence of secondary processes, of the existence of dynamical correlations and of strong finite system’s size effects.

Modified multiple time scale method for solving strongly nonlinear damped forced vibration systems

Science.gov (United States)

Razzak, M. A.; Alam, M. Z.; Sharif, M. N.

2018-03-01

In this paper, modified multiple time scale (MTS) method is employed to solve strongly nonlinear forced vibration systems. The first-order approximation is only considered in order to avoid complexicity. The formulations and the determination of the solution procedure are very easy and straightforward. The classical multiple time scale (MS) and multiple scales Lindstedt-Poincare method (MSLP) do not give desire result for the strongly damped forced vibration systems with strong damping effects. The main aim of this paper is to remove these limitations. Two examples are considered to illustrate the effectiveness and convenience of the present procedure. The approximate external frequencies and the corresponding approximate solutions are determined by the present method. The results give good coincidence with corresponding numerical solution (considered to be exact) and also provide better result than other existing results. For weak nonlinearities with weak damping effect, the absolute relative error measures (first-order approximate external frequency) in this paper is only 0.07% when amplitude A = 1.5 , while the relative error gives MSLP method is surprisingly 28.81%. Furthermore, for strong nonlinearities with strong damping effect, the absolute relative error found in this article is only 0.02%, whereas the relative error obtained by MSLP method is 24.18%. Therefore, the present method is not only valid for weakly nonlinear damped forced systems, but also gives better result for strongly nonlinear systems with both small and strong damping effect.

The Evidence Behind the Treatment of Canine Idiopathic Epilepsy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marios Charalambous

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Oral phenobarbital and imepitoin in particular, followed by potassium bromide and levetiracetam are likely to be effective for the treatment of canine idiopathic epilepsy. There is strong evidence supporting the use of oral phenobarbital and imepitoin as ‘first line’ medications. However, there remains a lack of evidence for targeted treatment for the various individual epileptic phenotypes and quite limited evidence on direct comparisons of the efficacy between various anti-epileptic drugs.

An Improved Strong Tracking Cubature Kalman Filter for GPS/INS Integrated Navigation Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Kaiqiang; Li, Jie; Zhang, Xi; Zhang, Xiaoming; Shen, Chong; Cao, Huiliang; Yang, Yanyu; Liu, Jun

2018-06-12

The cubature Kalman filter (CKF) is widely used in the application of GPS/INS integrated navigation systems. However, its performance may decline in accuracy and even diverge in the presence of process uncertainties. To solve the problem, a new algorithm named improved strong tracking seventh-degree spherical simplex-radial cubature Kalman filter (IST-7thSSRCKF) is proposed in this paper. In the proposed algorithm, the effect of process uncertainty is mitigated by using the improved strong tracking Kalman filter technique, in which the hypothesis testing method is adopted to identify the process uncertainty and the prior state estimate covariance in the CKF is further modified online according to the change in vehicle dynamics. In addition, a new seventh-degree spherical simplex-radial rule is employed to further improve the estimation accuracy of the strong tracking cubature Kalman filter. In this way, the proposed comprehensive algorithm integrates the advantage of 7thSSRCKF’s high accuracy and strong tracking filter’s strong robustness against process uncertainties. The GPS/INS integrated navigation problem with significant dynamic model errors is utilized to validate the performance of proposed IST-7thSSRCKF. Results demonstrate that the improved strong tracking cubature Kalman filter can achieve higher accuracy than the existing CKF and ST-CKF, and is more robust for the GPS/INS integrated navigation system.

Common pitfalls in statistical analysis: “No evidence of effect” versus “evidence of no effect”

Science.gov (United States)

Ranganathan, Priya; Pramesh, C. S.; Buyse, Marc

2015-01-01

This article is the first in a series exploring common pitfalls in statistical analysis in biomedical research. The power of a clinical trial is the ability to find a difference between treatments, where such a difference exists. At the end of the study, the lack of difference between treatments does not mean that the treatments can be considered equivalent. The distinction between “no evidence of effect” and “evidence of no effect” needs to be understood. PMID:25657905

Strongly coupled band in 140Gd

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Falla-Sotelo, F.; Oliveira, J.R.B.; Rao, M.N.

2005-01-01

Several high-K states are known to exist in the mass 130-140 region. For the N=74 even-even isotopes, Kπ = 8 - isomers, with lifetimes ranging from ns to ms, are known in 128 Xe, 130 Ba, 132 Ce, 134 Nd, 136 Sm, and 138 Gd[. In 140 Gd, we have observed for the first time a band also based on an Iπ = 8 - state. This could be the first case of a Kπ = 8 - state observed in an N=76 even-even isotope. The systematics of the Kπ = 8 - isomeric states in N=74 isotopes has been studied by A.M. Bruce et al. These states decay towards the K = 0 ground state band, and the transitions are K-forbidden. The 140 Gd case presents strong similarities but also some significant differences with relation to the N=74 isotopes. We propose the same configuration but with larger deformation in 140 Gd

Renormalization in theories with strong vector forces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocic, A.

1991-01-01

There are not many field theories in four dimensions that have sensible ultraviolet and interesting (non-trivial) infrared behavior. At present, asymptotically free theories seem to have deserved their legitimacy and there is a strong prejudice that they might be the only ones to have such a distinction. This belief stems mostly from the fact that most of the knowledge of field theory in four dimensions comes from perturbation theory. However, nonperturbative studies of the lower dimensional theories reveal a host of interesting phenomena that are perturbative studies of the lower dimensional theories reveal a host of interesting phenomena that perturbatively inaccessible. The lack of asymptotic freedom implies that the coupling constant grows at short distances and perturbation theory breaks down. Thus, in such theories, ultraviolet behavior requires nonperturbative treatment. Recently, the interest in strongly coupled gauge theories has been revived. In particularly, four dimensional quantum electrodynamics has received considerable attention. This was motivated by the discovery of an ultraviolet stable fixed point at strong couplings. If this fixed point would turn out to be non-gaussian, then QED would be the first nontrivial nonasymptotically free theory in four dimensions. The importance of such a result would be twofold. First, the old question of the existence of QED could be settled. Of course, this would be the case provided that the low energy limit of the theory actually describes photons and electrons; apriori, there is no reason to assume this. Second, the discovery of a nontrivial nonasymptotically free theory would be of great paradigmatic value. The theories which quenched QED resembles the most are nonabelian gauge theories with many flavors with beta-function positive or vanishing at weak couplings. These theories are at present considered as viable candidates for technicolor unification schemes

Evidence for the existence of multiple heparan sulfate proteoglycans in the human glomerular basement membrane and mesangial matrix

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groffen, Alexander J A; Hop, Frank W H; Tryggvason, Karl; Dijkman, Henri; Assmann, Karel J M; Veerkamp, Jacques H.; Monnens, Leo A H; Van Den Heuvel, Lambert P W J

1997-01-01

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are essential components of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) carrying a strong anionic charge. A well- characterized extracellular HSPG is perlecan, ubiquitously expressed in basement membranes. A cDNA construct encoding domains I and II of human perlecan

Strong Langmuir turbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldman, M.V.

1984-01-01

After a brief discussion of beam-excited Langmuir turbulence in the solar wind, we explain the criteria for wave-particle, three-wave and strong turbulence interactions. We then present the results of a numerical integration of the Zakharov equations, which describe the strong turbulence saturation of a weak (low-density) high energy, bump-on-tail beam instability. (author)

Strong Motion Earthquake Data Values of Digitized Strong-Motion Accelerograms, 1933-1994

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Strong Motion Earthquake Data Values of Digitized Strong-Motion Accelerograms is a database of over 15,000 digitized and processed accelerograph records from...

Dense Output for Strong Stability Preserving Runge–Kutta Methods

KAUST Repository

Ketcheson, David I.

2016-12-10

We investigate dense output formulae (also known as continuous extensions) for strong stability preserving (SSP) Runge–Kutta methods. We require that the dense output formula also possess the SSP property, ideally under the same step-size restriction as the method itself. A general recipe for first-order SSP dense output formulae for SSP methods is given, and second-order dense output formulae for several optimal SSP methods are developed. It is shown that SSP dense output formulae of order three and higher do not exist, and that in any method possessing a second-order SSP dense output, the coefficient matrix A has a zero row.

Motivational systems or motivational states : Behavioural and physiological evidence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koolhaas, J.M.; de Boer, S.F.; Bohus, B.G J

This paper will critically discuss the available behavioural and neurobiological evidence for the existence of motivational systems and motivational states on the basis of our studies on aggressive behaviour in male rats and mice. Three types of evidence will be discussed. First, some behavioural

The exotic molecular ion H43+ in a strong magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olivares P, H.

2006-01-01

Using the variational method, a detailed study of the lowest m = 0, -1 electronic states of the exotic molecular ion H3+ 4 in a strong magnetic field, in the linear symmetric configuration parallel to the direction of the magnetic field is carried out. A extended study of the 1σg ground state (J.C. Lopez and A.Turbiner, Phys. Rev A 62, 022510, 2000) was performed obtaining that the potential energy curve displays a sufficiently deep minimum for finite internuclear distances, indicating the possible existence of the molecular ion H 4 3+ , for magnetic fields of strength B > ∼ 3 x 10 13 G. It is demonstrated that the excited state 1π u , can exist for a magnetic field B = 4.414 x 10 13 G corresponding to the limit of applicability of the non-relativistic theory. (Author)

Evidences for existence of a strange meson with the 1627 MeV/c2 mass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karnaukhov, V.M.; Moroz, V.I.; Coca, C.

1995-01-01

The narrow structure with Μ=(1627±4) MeV/c 2 and Γ=(12 -12 +14 ) MeV/c 2 is observable in π - p interactions at 16 GeV/c in 6 effective mass spectra of the Kmπ systems. In the summed spectrum the number of standard deviations in the structure region over the background is 10. A performed compilative analysis of paper results on the study of strange meson resonances in various experiments does not contradict indication for the existence of K(1627)-meson, a narrow enhancement is observed in the same mass region. (author). 21 refs., 4 figs

Strong solutions for an incompressible Navier-Stokes/Allen-Cahn system with different densities

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yinghua; Huang, Mingxia

2018-06-01

In this paper, we investigate a coupled Navier-Stokes/Allen-Cahn system describing a diffuse interface model for two-phase flow of viscous incompressible fluids with different densities in a bounded domain Ω \\subset R^N(N=2,3). We prove the existence and uniqueness of local strong solutions to the initial boundary value problem when the initial density function ρ _0 has a positive lower bound.

We strongly support childhood immunisation-statement from the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP).

Science.gov (United States)

Dornbusch, Hans Juergen; Hadjipanayis, Adamos; Del Torso, Stefano; Mercier, Jean-Christophe; Wyder, Corinne; Schrier, Lenneke; Ross-Russell, Robert; Stiris, Tom; Ludvigsson, Jonas F

2017-05-01

The eradication of smallpox and the elimination of several other infectious diseases from much of the world has provided convincing evidence that vaccines are among the most effective interventions for promoting health. The current scepticism about immunisation among members of the new US administration carries a risk of decreasing immunisation rates also in Europe. While only a small minority of the population are strongly anti-vaccine, their public activities have significantly influenced an uncertainty among the general population about both the safety of and the necessity for vaccination. Therefore, the EAP calls for greater publically available, scientifically supported information on vaccination, particularly targeted at health care providers, for the further development of electronically based immunisation information systems (IIS). We further call on all European countries to work together both in legislative and public health arenas in order to increase vaccination coverage among the paediatric population. In the interest of children and their parents, the EAP expresses its strong support for childhood immunisation and recommended vaccination schedules. We are prepared to work with governments and media and share the extensive evidence demonstrating the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.

Evidence and evidence gaps in the treatment of Eustachian tube dysfunction and otitis media

Science.gov (United States)

Teschner, Magnus

2016-01-01

Evidence-based medicine is an approach to medical treatment intended to optimize patient-oriented decision-making on the basis of empirically proven effectiveness. For this purpose, a classification system has been established to categorize studies – and hence therapy options – in respect of associated evidence according to defined criteria. The Eustachian tube connects the nasopharynx with the middle ear cavity. Its key function is to ensure middle ear ventilation. Compromised ventilation results in inflammatory middle ear disorders. Numerous evidence-based therapy options are available for the treatment of impaired middle ear ventilation and otitis media, the main therapeutic approach being antibiotic treatment. More recent procedures such as balloon dilation of the Eustachian tube have also shown initial success but must undergo further evaluation with regard to evidence. There is, as yet, no evidence for some of the other long-established procedures. Owing to the multitude of variables, the classification of evidence levels for various treatment approaches calls for highly diversified assessment. Numerous evidence-based studies are therefore necessary in order to evaluate the evidence pertaining to existing and future therapy solutions for impaired middle ear ventilation and otitis media. If this need is addressed, a wealth of implications can be expected for therapeutic approaches in the years to come. PMID:28025605

Spatiotemporal Variance of Global Horizontal Moisture Transport and the Influence of Strong ENSO Events Using ERA-Interim Reanalysis

Science.gov (United States)

Kutta, E. J.; Hubbart, J. A.; Svoma, B. M.; Eichler, T. P.; Lupo, A. R.

2016-12-01

El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is well documented as a leading source of seasonal to inter-annual variations in global weather and climate. Strong ENSO events have been shown to alter the location and magnitude of Hadley and Walker circulations that maintain equilibrium at tropical latitudes and regulate moisture transport into mid-latitude storm tracks. Broad impacts associated with ENSO events include anomalous regional precipitation (ARP) and temperature patterns and subsequent impacts to socioeconomic and human health systems. Potential socioeconomic and human health impacts range from regional changes in water resources and agricultural productivity to local storm water management, particularly in rapidly urbanizing watersheds. Evidence is mounting to suggest that anthropogenic climate change will increase the frequency of heavy precipitation events, which compounds impacts of ARP patterns associated with strong El Nino events. Therefore, the need exists to identify common regional patterns of spatiotemporal variance of horizontal moisture flux (HMF) during months (Oct-Feb) associated with the peak intensity (Oceanic Nino Index [ONI]) of the three strongest El Nino (ONI > µ + 2σ) and La Nina (ONI hourly resolution before taking the density weighted vertical average. Long term means (LTM; 1979-2015) were quantified and the influence of strong ENSO events was assessed by quantifying deviations from the LTM for each respective covariance property during months associated with the selected ENSO events. Results reveal regions of statistically significant (CI = 0.05) differences from the LTM for the vertically integrated HMF and each covariance quantity. Broader implications of this work include potential for improved seasonal precipitation forecasts at regional scales and subsequent improvements to local water resource management. There is potential for future work objectively comparing these results with output from Earth System Models to improve

Strong chaos in one-dimensional quantum system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, C.-D.; Wei, C.-H.

2008-01-01

According to the Poincare-Bendixson theorem, a minimum of three autonomous equations is required to exhibit deterministic chaos. Because a one-dimensional quantum system is described by only two autonomous equations using de Broglie-Bohm's trajectory interpretation, chaos in one-dimensional quantum systems has long been considered impossible. We will prove in this paper that chaos phenomenon does exist in one-dimensional quantum systems, if the domain of quantum motions is extended to complex space by noting that the quantum world is actually characterized by a four-dimensional complex spacetime according to the E (∞) theory. Furthermore, we point out that the interaction between the real and imaginary parts of complex trajectories produces a new chaos phenomenon unique to quantum systems, called strong chaos, which describes the situation that quantum trajectories may emerge and diverge spontaneously without any perturbation in the initial position

Scaling properties of the pairing problem in the strong coupling limit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbaro, M.B.; Cenni, R.; Molinari, A.; Quaglia, M.R.

2013-01-01

We study the excited states of the pairing Hamiltonian providing an expansion for their energy in the strong coupling limit. To assess the role of the pairing interaction we apply the formalism to the case of a heavy atomic nucleus. We show that only a few statistical moments of the level distribution are sufficient to yield an accurate estimate of the energy for not too small values of the coupling G and we give the analytic expressions of the first four terms of the series. Further, we discuss the convergence radius G sing of the expansion showing that it strongly depends upon the details of the level distribution. Furthermore G sing is not related to the critical values of the coupling G crit , which characterize the physics of the pairing Hamiltonian, since it can exist even in the absence of these critical points. -- Highlights: •We study the excitation spectrum of the pairing Hamiltonian. •We provide an analytic expansion around the strong coupling limit. •We discuss the convergence radius of the expansion. •We connect the radius with the critical points of H

Neutron star mass limit at 2M{sub ⊙} supports the existence of a CEP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alvarez-Castillo, D. [JINR Dubna, Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Dubna (Russian Federation); Benic, S. [University of Zagreb, Department of Physics, Zagreb (Croatia); Blaschke, D. [JINR Dubna, Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Dubna (Russian Federation); National Research Nuclear University (MEPhI), Moscow (Russian Federation); University of Wroclaw, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Wroclaw (Poland); Han, Sophia [University of Tennessee, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Physics Division, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Typel, S. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany)

2016-08-15

We point out that the very existence of a ''horizontal branch'' in the mass-radius characteristics for neutron stars indicates a strong first-order phase transition and thus supports the existence of a critical endpoint (CEP) of first-order phase transitions in the QCD phase diagram. This branch would sample a sequence of hybrid stars with quark matter core, leading to the endpoint of stable compact star configurations with the highest possible baryon densities. Since we know of the existence of compact stars with 2M{sub ⊙}, this hypothetical branch has to lie in the vicinity of this mass value, if it exists. We report here a correlation between the maximal radius of the horizontal branch and the pressure at the onset of hadron-to-quark matter phase transition, which is likely to be a universal quantity of utmost relevance to the upcoming experiments with heavy-ion collisions at NICA and FAIR. (orig.)

On the mixed phase of strongly interacting matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suleymanov, M.K.; Abdinov, O.B.; Belashev, B.Z.; Guseynaliyev, Y.G.; Vodoplanov, A.S.

2005-01-01

Full text : The studying of the behavior of some characteristics of hadron-nuclear and nuclear-nuclear interactions as a function of the collision centrality Q is an important experimental method to get information about the changes of nuclear matter phase, because the increasing of the centrality could lead to the growth of the nuclear matter baryon density. The regime change in the behavior of some centrality depending characteristics of events is expected by the varying the Q. It would be the signal about the phase transition. This method is considered as the best tool reaching the quark-gluon plasma phase of strongly interacting matter. Some experimental results demonstrate already the existence of the regime changes in the event characteristics behavior as a function of collision centrality

Improved forensic hair evidence for drugs of abuse by mass spectrometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duvivier, W.F.

2016-01-01

Forensic hair analysis can be used as alternative evidence next to body fluids, and to obtain retrospective timeline information of an individual’s drug exposure. <strong>Chapter 1strong> describes the general concepts of drug incorporation into hair, external contamination, and the current

Widespread evidence for interspecific mating between Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in nature.

Science.gov (United States)

Bargielowski, I E; Lounibos, L P; Shin, D; Smartt, C T; Carrasquilla, M C; Henry, A; Navarro, J C; Paupy, C; Dennett, J A

2015-12-01

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, two important vectors of the dengue and chikungunya viruses to humans, often come in contact in their invasive ranges. In these circumstances, a number of factors are thought to influence their population dynamics, including resource competition among the larval stages, prevailing environmental conditions and reproductive interference in the form of satyrization. As the distribution and abundance of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus have profound epidemiological implications, understanding the competitive interactions that influence these patterns in nature is important. While evidence for resource competition and environmental factors had been gathered from the field, the evidence for reproductive interference, though strongly inferred through laboratory trials, remained sparse (one small-scale field trial). In this paper we demonstrate that low rates (1.12-3.73%) of interspecific mating occur in nature among populations of these species that have co-existed sympatrically from 3 to 150yrs. Finally this report contributes a new species-specific primer set for identifying the paternity of sperm extracted from field collected specimens. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Detectable gravitational waves from very strong phase transitions in the general NMSSM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huber, Stephan J.; Nardini, Germano; Bern Univ.

2015-12-01

We study the general NMSSM with an emphasis on the parameter regions with a very strong first-order electroweak phase transition (EWPT). In the presence of heavy fields coupled to the Higgs sector, the analysis can be problematic due to the existence of sizable radiative corrections. In this paper we propose a subtraction scheme that helps to circumvent this problem. For simplicity we focus on a parameter region that is by construction hidden from the current collider searches. The analysis proves that (at least) in the identified parameter region the EWPT can be very strong and striking gravitational wave signals can be produced. The corresponding gravitational stochastic background can potentially be detected at the planned space-based gravitational wave observatory eLISA, depending on the specific experiment design that will be approved.

The QCD mass gap and quark deconfinement scales as mass bounds in strong gravity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burikham, Piyabut [Chulalongkorn University, High Energy Physics Theory Group, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Bangkok (Thailand); Harko, Tiberiu [Babes-Bolyai University, Department of Physics, Cluj-Napoca (Romania); University College London, Department of Mathematics, London (United Kingdom); Lake, Matthew J. [Sun Yat-Sen University, School of Physics, Guangzhou (China); Nanyang Technological University, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Singapore (Singapore); Naresuan University, The Institute for Fundamental Study, ' ' The Tah Poe Academia Institute' ' , Phitsanulok (Thailand); Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics, Ministry of Education, Bangkok (Thailand)

2017-11-15

Though not a part of mainstream physics, Salam's theory of strong gravity remains a viable effective model for the description of strong interactions in the gauge singlet sector of QCD, capable of producing particle confinement and asymptotic freedom, but not of reproducing interactions involving SU(3) color charge. It may therefore be used to explore the stability and confinement of gauge singlet hadrons, though not to describe scattering processes that require color interactions. It is a two-tensor theory of both strong interactions and gravity, in which the strong tensor field is governed by equations formally identical to the Einstein equations, apart from the coupling parameter, which is of order 1 GeV{sup -1}. We revisit the strong gravity theory and investigate the strong gravity field equations in the presence of a mixing term which induces an effective strong cosmological constant, Λ{sub f}. This introduces a strong de Sitter radius for strongly interacting fermions, producing a confining bubble, which allows us to identify Λ{sub f} with the 'bag constant' of the MIT bag model, B ≅ 2 x 10{sup 14} g cm{sup -3}. Assuming a static, spherically symmetric geometry, we derive the strong gravity TOV equation, which describes the equilibrium properties of compact hadronic objects. From this, we determine the generalized Buchdahl inequalities for a strong gravity 'particle', giving rise to upper and lower bounds on the mass/radius ratio of stable, compact, strongly interacting objects. We show, explicitly, that the existence of the lower mass bound is induced by the presence of Λ{sub f}, producing a mass gap, and that the upper bound corresponds to a deconfinement phase transition. The physical implications of our results for holographic duality in the context of the AdS/QCD and dS/QCD correspondences are also discussed. (orig.)

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of the Pelagic Thresher Shark (Alopias pelagicus) in the Pacific Ocean: Evidence for Two Evolutionarily Significant Units

Science.gov (United States)

Cardeñosa, Diego; Hyde, John; Caballero, Susana

2014-01-01

There has been an increasing concern about shark overexploitation in the last decade, especially for open ocean shark species, where there is a paucity of data about their life histories and population dynamics. Little is known regarding the population structure of the pelagic thresher shark, Alopias pelagicus. Though an earlier study using mtDNA control region data, showed evidence for differences between eastern and western Pacific populations, the study was hampered by low sample size and sparse geographic coverage, particularly a lack of samples from the central Pacific. Here, we present the population structure of Alopias pelagicus analyzing 351 samples from six different locations across the Pacific Ocean. Using data from mitochondrial DNA COI sequences and seven microsatellite loci we found evidence of strong population differentiation between western and eastern Pacific populations and evidence for reciprocally monophyly for organelle haplotypes and significant divergence of allele frequencies at nuclear loci, suggesting the existence of two Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESU) in the Pacific Ocean. Interestingly, the population in Hawaii appears to be composed of both ESUs in what seems to be clear sympatry with reproductive isolation. These results may indicate the existence of a new cryptic species in the Pacific Ocean. The presence of these distinct ESUs highlights the need for revised management plans for this highly exploited shark throughout its range. PMID:25337814

Evidence for the existence of Persian Gulf water and Red Sea water in the Bay of Bengal

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Jain, V.; Shankar, D.; Vinayachandran, P.N.; Kankonkar, A.; Chatterjee, A.; Amol, P.; Almeida, A.M.; Michael, G.S.; Mukherjee, A.; Chatterjee, M.; Fernandes, R.; Luis, R.; Kamble, A.; Hegde, A.; Chatterjee, S.; Das, U.; Neema, C.P.

data from recent cruises to show that PGW and RSW also exist in the bay. The presence of RSW is marked by a deviation of the salinity vertical profile from a fitted curve at depths ranging from 500 to 1000 m; this deviation, though small (of the order...

Iterative solutions of nonlinear equations with strongly accretive or strongly pseudocontractive maps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chidume, C.E.

1994-03-01

Let E be a real q-uniformly smooth Banach space. Suppose T is a strongly pseudo-contractive map with open domain D(T) in E. Suppose further that T has a fixed point in D(T). Under various continuity assumptions on T it is proved that each of the Mann iteration process or the Ishikawa iteration method converges strongly to the unique fixed point of T. Related results deal with iterative solutions of nonlinear operator equations involving strongly accretive maps. Explicit error estimates are also provided. (author). 38 refs

A orientação homossexual e as investigações acerca da existência de componentes biológicos e genéticos determinantes; The homosexual orientation and investigations about the existence of components biological and genetics determinants

OpenAIRE

Alves, Everton Fernando; Tsuneto, Luiza Tamie

2013-01-01

The male and female homosexual orientation has substantial prevalence in humans and can be explained by determinants of various levels: biological, genetic, psychological, social and cultural. However, the biological and genetic evidence have been the main hypotheses tested in scientific research in the world. This article aims to review research studies about the existence of genetic and biological evidence that determine homosexual orientation. Was conducted a review of ...

Does a Relationship Exist Between Lower Body Power and Balance Scores Among Older Adults?

Science.gov (United States)

Shim, Andrew; Harr, Brady; Waller, Mike

2018-03-12

Falls are the second-leading cause of unintentional injury and death worldwide. To determine if a relationship exists between lower body power scores and center of pressure (CoP) and limits of stability (LoS) scores. A one-shot case study design (n = 13) was selected for the investigation. All participants were assessed stability scores via computerized posturography to determine CoP and LoS balance scores. Participants stood on a perturbed surface with their eyes open and closed. An experimental stair ramp with a switch mat timing device was used to determine lower body power scores in watts. There was a strong correlation (r = 0.725, p = 0.005) between the posterior (LoS) plane and relative peak power. An intraclass R revealed a strong correlation among the three trials (R = 0.831) performed on the stair ramp. Muscle power output and LoS scores have moderate to strong correlations with balance scores in older adults.

Norm enforcement among the Ju/'hoansi Bushmen : A case of strong reciprocity?

Science.gov (United States)

Wiessner, Polly

2005-06-01

The concept of cooperative communities that enforce norm conformity through reward, as well as shaming, ridicule, and ostracism, has been central to anthropology since the work of Durkheim. Prevailing approaches from evolutionary theory explain the willingness to exert sanctions to enforce norms as self-interested behavior, while recent experimental studies suggest that altruistic rewarding and punishing-"strong reciprocity"-play an important role in promoting cooperation. This paper will use data from 308 conversations among the Ju/'hoansi (!Kung) Bushmen (a) to examine the dynamics of norm enforcement, (b) to evaluate the costs of punishment in a forager society and understand how they are reduced, and (c) to determine whether hypotheses that center on individual self-interest provide sufficient explanations for bearing the costs of norm enforcement, or whether there is evidence for strong reciprocity.

Effect of strong disorder on three-dimensional chiral topological insulators: Phase diagrams, maps of the bulk invariant, and existence of topological extended bulk states

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Juntao; Fine, Carolyn; Prodan, Emil

2014-11-01

The effect of strong disorder on chiral-symmetric three-dimensional lattice models is investigated via analytical and numerical methods. The phase diagrams of the models are computed using the noncommutative winding number, as functions of disorder strength and model's parameters. The localized/delocalized characteristic of the quantum states is probed with level statistics analysis. Our study reconfirms the accurate quantization of the noncommutative winding number in the presence of strong disorder, and its effectiveness as a numerical tool. Extended bulk states are detected above and below the Fermi level, which are observed to undergo the so-called "levitation and pair annihilation" process when the system is driven through a topological transition. This suggests that the bulk invariant is carried by these extended states, in stark contrast with the one-dimensional case where the extended states are completely absent and the bulk invariant is carried by the localized states.

Use of existing patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments and their modification: the ISPOR Good Research Practices for Evaluating and Documenting Content Validity for the Use of Existing Instruments and Their Modification PRO Task Force Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Rothman, Margaret; Burke, Laurie; Erickson, Pennifer; Leidy, Nancy Kline; Patrick, Donald L; Petrie, Charles D

2009-01-01

Patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments are used to evaluate the effect of medical products on how patients feel or function. This article presents the results of an ISPOR task force convened to address good clinical research practices for the use of existing or modified PRO instruments to support medical product labeling claims. The focus of the article is on content validity, with specific reference to existing or modified PRO instruments, because of the importance of content validity in selecting or modifying an existing PRO instrument and the lack of consensus in the research community regarding best practices for establishing and documenting this measurement property. Topics addressed in the article include: definition and general description of content validity; PRO concept identification as the important first step in establishing content validity; instrument identification and the initial review process; key issues in qualitative methodology; and potential threats to content validity, with three case examples used to illustrate types of threats and how they might be resolved. A table of steps used to identify and evaluate an existing PRO instrument is provided, and figures are used to illustrate the meaning of content validity in relationship to instrument development and evaluation. RESULTS & RECOMMENDATIONS: Four important threats to content validity are identified: unclear conceptual match between the PRO instrument and the intended claim, lack of direct patient input into PRO item content from the target population in which the claim is desired, no evidence that the most relevant and important item content is contained in the instrument, and lack of documentation to support modifications to the PRO instrument. In some cases, careful review of the threats to content validity in a specific application may be reduced through additional well documented qualitative studies that specifically address the issue of concern. Published evidence of the content

Pulvinar neurons reveal neurobiological evidence of past selection for rapid detection of snakes.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Le, Quan; Isbell, Lynne A; Matsumoto, Jumpei; Nguyen, Minh; Hori, Etsuro; Maior, Rafael S; Tomaz, Carlos; Tran, Anh Hai; Ono, Taketoshi; Nishijo, Hisao

2013-11-19

Snakes and their relationships with humans and other primates have attracted broad attention from multiple fields of study, but not, surprisingly, from neuroscience, despite the involvement of the visual system and strong behavioral and physiological evidence that humans and other primates can detect snakes faster than innocuous objects. Here, we report the existence of neurons in the primate medial and dorsolateral pulvinar that respond selectively to visual images of snakes. Compared with three other categories of stimuli (monkey faces, monkey hands, and geometrical shapes), snakes elicited the strongest, fastest responses, and the responses were not reduced by low spatial filtering. These findings integrate neuroscience with evolutionary biology, anthropology, psychology, herpetology, and primatology by identifying a neurobiological basis for primates' heightened visual sensitivity to snakes, and adding a crucial component to the growing evolutionary perspective that snakes have long shaped our primate lineage.

Evidence-based management of otitis media: a 5S model approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Wasson, J D; Yung, M W

2015-02-01

The 5S model proposes five hierarchical levels (systems, summaries, synopses, syntheses and studies) of pre-appraised evidence to guide evidence-based practice. This review aimed to identify and summarise pre-appraised evidence at the highest available 5S level for the management of different subsets of otitis media: acute otitis media, otitis media with effusion, chronic suppurative otitis media and cholesteatoma in both adults and children. Data sources were pre-appraised evidence resources. Evidence freely available from sources at the highest available level of the 5S model were summarised for this review. System level evidence exists for acute otitis media and otitis media with effusion. Summary level evidence exists for recurrent acute otitis media and medical management of chronic suppurative otitis media. There is an absence of randomised controlled trials to prove the efficacy of surgical management of chronic suppurative otitis media and cholesteatoma. Until randomised controlled trial data are generated, consensus publications on the surgical management of chronic suppurative otitis media and cholesteatoma should be used to guide best practice.

Illustration and analysis of a coordinated approach to an effective forensic trace evidence capability.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoney, David A; Stoney, Paul L

2015-08-01

An effective trace evidence capability is defined as one that exploits all useful particle types, chooses appropriate technologies to do so, and directly integrates the findings with case-specific problems. Limitations of current approaches inhibit the attainment of an effective capability and it has been strongly argued that a new approach to trace evidence analysis is essential. A hypothetical case example is presented to illustrate and analyze how forensic particle analysis can be used as a powerful practical tool in forensic investigations. The specifics in this example, including the casework investigation, laboratory analyses, and close professional interactions, provide focal points for subsequent analysis of how this outcome can be achieved. This leads to the specification of five key elements that are deemed necessary and sufficient for effective forensic particle analysis: (1) a dynamic forensic analytical approach, (2) concise and efficient protocols addressing particle combinations, (3) multidisciplinary capabilities of analysis and interpretation, (4) readily accessible external specialist resources, and (5) information integration and communication. A coordinating role, absent in current approaches to trace evidence analysis, is essential to achieving these elements. However, the level of expertise required for the coordinating role is readily attainable. Some additional laboratory protocols are also essential. However, none of these has greater staffing requirements than those routinely met by existing forensic trace evidence practitioners. The major challenges that remain are organizational acceptance, planning and implementation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strong coupling and polariton lasing in Te based microcavities embedding (Cd,Zn)Te quantum wells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rousset, J.-G., E-mail: j-g.rousset@fuw.edu.pl; Piętka, B.; Król, M.; Mirek, R.; Lekenta, K.; Szczytko, J.; Borysiuk, J.; Suffczyński, J.; Kazimierczuk, T.; Goryca, M.; Smoleński, T.; Kossacki, P.; Nawrocki, M.; Pacuski, W. [Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, ul. Pasteura 5, PL-02-093 Warszawa (Poland)

2015-11-16

We report on properties of an optical microcavity based on (Cd,Zn,Mg)Te layers and embedding (Cd,Zn)Te quantum wells. The key point of the structure design is the lattice matching of the whole structure to MgTe, which eliminates the internal strain and allows one to embed an arbitrary number of unstrained quantum wells in the microcavity. We evidence the strong light-matter coupling regime already for the structure containing a single quantum well. Embedding four unstrained quantum wells results in further enhancement of the exciton-photon coupling and the polariton lasing in the strong coupling regime.

Strong intrinsic motivation

OpenAIRE

Dessi, Roberta; Rustichini, Aldo

2015-01-01

A large literature in psychology, and more recently in economics, has argued that monetary rewards can reduce intrinsic motivation. We investigate whether the negative impact persists when intrinsic motivation is strong, and test this hypothesis experimentally focusing on the motivation to undertake interesting and challenging tasks, informative about individual ability. We find that this type of task can generate strong intrinsic motivation, that is impervious to the effect of monetary incen...

On the Existence and Uniqueness of Rv-Generalized Solution for Dirichlet Problem with Singularity on All Boundary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Rukavishnikov

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The existence and uniqueness of the Rv-generalized solution for the first boundary value problem and a second order elliptic equation with coordinated and uncoordinated degeneracy of input data and with strong singularity solution on all boundary of a two-dimensional domain are established.

Epidemiology of osteoarthritis: state of the evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Kelli D.; Golightly, Yvonne M.

2015-01-01

Purpose of review This review focuses on recent studies of osteoarthritis epidemiology, including research on prevalence, incidence, and a broad array of potential risk factors at the person level and joint level. Recent findings Studies continue to illustrate the high impact of osteoarthritis worldwide, with increasing incidence. Person-level risk factors with strong evidence regarding osteoarthritis incidence and/or progression include age, sex, socioeconomic status, family history, and obesity. Joint-level risk factors with strong evidence for incident osteoarthritis risk include injury and occupational joint loading; the associations of injury and joint alignment with osteoarthritis progression are compelling. Moderate levels of physical activity have not been linked to increased osteoarthritis risk. Some topics of high recent interest or emerging evidence for association with osteoarthritis include metabolic pathways, vitamins, joint shape, bone density, limb length inequality, muscle strength and mass, and early structural damage. Summary Osteoarthritis is a complex, multifactorial disease, and there is still much to learn regarding mechanisms underlying incidence and progression. However, there are several known modifiable and preventable risk factors, including obesity and joint injury; efforts to mitigate these risks can help to lessen the impact of osteoarthritis. PMID:25775186

Existence of relativistic stars in f(R) gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Upadhye, Amol; Hu, Wayne

2009-01-01

We refute recent claims in the literature that stars with relativistically deep potentials cannot exist in f(R) gravity. Numerical examples of stable stars, including relativistic (GM * /r * ∼0.1), constant density stars, are studied. As a star is made larger, nonlinear 'chameleon' effects screen much of the star's mass, stabilizing gravity at the stellar center. Furthermore, we show that the onset of this chameleon screening is unrelated to strong gravity. At large central pressures P>ρ/3, f(R) gravity, like general relativity, does have a maximum gravitational potential, but at a slightly smaller value: GM * /r * | max =0.345<4/9 for constant density and one choice of parameters. This difference is associated with negative central curvature R under general relativity not being accessed in the f(R) model, but does not apply to any known astrophysical object.

Dark matter and dark energy from the solution of the strong CP problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Mainini, Roberto; Bonometto, Silvio A

2004-09-17

The Peccei-Quinn (PQ) solution of the strong CP problem requires the existence of axions, which are viable candidates for dark matter. If the Nambu-Goldstone potential of the PQ model is replaced by a potential V(|Phi|) admitting a tracker solution, the scalar field |Phi| can account for dark energy, while the phase of Phi yields axion dark matter. If V is a supergravity (SUGRA) potential, the model essentially depends on a single parameter, the energy scale Lambda. Once we set Lambda approximately equal to 10(10) GeV at the quark-hadron transition, |Phi| naturally passes through values suitable to solve the strong CP problem, later growing to values providing fair amounts of dark matter and dark energy.

Strong and weak adsorption of CO{sub 2} on PuO{sub 2} (1 1 0) surfaces from first principles calculations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, H.L. [Science and Technology on Surface Physics and Chemistry Laboratory, P.O. Box 718-35, Mianyang 621907 (China); Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Deng, X.D. [Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Li, G.; Lai, X.C. [Science and Technology on Surface Physics and Chemistry Laboratory, P.O. Box 718-35, Mianyang 621907 (China); Meng, D.Q., E-mail: yuhuilong2002@126.com [Science and Technology on Surface Physics and Chemistry Laboratory, P.O. Box 718-35, Mianyang 621907 (China)

2014-10-15

Highlights: • The CO{sub 2} adsorption on PuO{sub 2} (1 1 0) surface was studied by GGA + U. • Both weak and strong adsorptions exist between CO{sub 2} and the PuO{sub 2} (1 1 0) surface. • Electrostatic interactions were involved in the weak interactions. • Covalent bonding was developed in the strong adsorptions. - Abstract: The CO{sub 2} adsorption on plutonium dioxide (PuO{sub 2}) (1 1 0) surface was studied using projector-augmented wave (PAW) method based on density-functional theory corrected for onsite Coulombic interactions (GGA + U). It is found that CO{sub 2} has several different adsorption features on PuO{sub 2} (1 1 0) surface. Both weak and strong adsorptions exist between CO{sub 2} and the PuO{sub 2} (1 1 0) surface. Further investigation of partial density of states (PDOS) and charge density difference on two typical absorption sites reveal that electrostatic interactions were involved in the weak interactions, while covalent bonding was developed in the strong adsorptions.

Hydrogen–Hydrogen Bonding in Planar Biphenyl, Predicted by Atoms-In-Molecules Theory, Does Not Exist

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poater, J; Sola, M.; Bickelhaupt, F.M.

2006-01-01

Based on an Atoms-in-Molecules (AIM) analysis, Matta et al. (Chem. Eur. J.2003, 9, 1940) recently claimed evidence for the existence of hydrogen–hydrogen bonding between ortho-hydrogen atoms, pointing towards each other from adjacent phenyl groups in planar biphenyl. This AIM result is opposed to

Strongly increasing solutions of cyclic systems of second order differential equations with power-type nonlinearities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaroslav Jaroš

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We consider \\(n\\-dimensional cyclic systems of second order differential equations \\[(p_i(t|x_{i}'|^{\\alpha_i -1}x_{i}'' = q_{i}(t|x_{i+1}|^{\\beta_i-1}x_{i+1},\\] \\[\\quad i = 1,\\ldots,n, \\quad (x_{n+1} = x_1 \\tag{\\(\\ast\\}\\] under the assumption that the positive constants \\(\\alpha_i\\ and \\(\\beta_i\\ satisfy \\(\\alpha_1{\\ldots}\\alpha_n \\gt \\beta_1{\\ldots}\\beta_n\\ and \\(p_i(t\\ and \\(q_i(t\\ are regularly varying functions, and analyze positive strongly increasing solutions of system (\\(\\ast\\ in the framework of regular variation. We show that the situation for the existence of regularly varying solutions of positive indices for (\\(\\ast\\ can be characterized completely, and moreover that the asymptotic behavior of such solutions is governed by the unique formula describing their order of growth precisely. We give examples demonstrating that the main results for (\\(\\ast\\ can be applied to some classes of partial differential equations with radial symmetry to acquire accurate information about the existence and the asymptotic behavior of their radial positive strongly increasing solutions.

Strong monogamy of bipartite and genuine multipartite entanglement: the Gaussian case.

Science.gov (United States)

Adesso, Gerardo; Illuminati, Fabrizio

2007-10-12

We demonstrate the existence of general constraints on distributed quantum correlations, which impose a trade-off on bipartite and multipartite entanglement at once. For all N-mode Gaussian states under permutation invariance, we establish exactly a monogamy inequality, stronger than the traditional one, that by recursion defines a proper measure of genuine N-partite entanglement. Strong monogamy holds as well for subsystems of arbitrary size, and the emerging multipartite entanglement measure is found to be scale invariant. We unveil its operational connection with the optimal fidelity of continuous variable teleportation networks.

Local condensate depletion at trap center under strong interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Yukalov, V. I.; Yukalova, E. P.

2018-04-01

Cold trapped Bose-condensed atoms, interacting via hard-sphere repulsive potentials are considered. Simple mean-field approximations show that the condensate distribution inside a harmonic trap always has the shape of a hump with the maximum condensate density occurring at the trap center. However, Monte Carlo simulations at high density and strong interactions display the condensate depletion at the trap center. The explanation of this effect of local condensate depletion at trap center is suggested in the frame of self-consistent theory of Bose-condensed systems. The depletion is shown to be due to the existence of the anomalous average that takes into account pair correlations and appears in systems with broken gauge symmetry.

Testing strong interaction theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, J.

1979-01-01

The author discusses possible tests of the current theories of the strong interaction, in particular, quantum chromodynamics. High energy e + e - interactions should provide an excellent means of studying the strong force. (W.D.L.)

Strong and weak production of beauty and charm at the CERN p anti p collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ransdell, J.T.

1987-01-01

Beauty and charm production has been studied in proton-antiproton collisions at √s = 630 GeV with the UA1 detector at the CERN collider. Clear evidence for strong production of b- and c-quarks has been obtained. The feasibility of observing hadronic decays of the W and Z intermediate vector bosons in the channels W → cs, Z → cc, bb was investigated. Beauty and charm was identified from their semileptonic decays by the presence of a muon in or near a jet. The analysis was performed on a sample of 20,000 muon trigger events containing jets in which the reconstructed muon has a transverse momentum greater than 6 GeV/c. The integrated luminosity of the sample was 573 nb -1 . The detailed kinematics of the muon-jet events are in excellent agreement with the predictions of QCD for beauty and charm strong production. The QCD expectations were calculated with the ISAJET Monte Carlo in conjunction with a full simulation of the UA1 detector. No evidence for W/Z → c/b was observed in the invariant mass distribution of the jet-jet-μ-υ system. The mass resolution achieved was ±20%. The measured strong beauty and charm cross sections imply a signal to noise ratio of 1/50 for standard model W and Z cross sections

Evidence of Absence software

Science.gov (United States)

Dalthorp, Daniel; Huso, Manuela M. P.; Dail, David; Kenyon, Jessica

2014-01-01

Evidence of Absence software (EoA) is a user-friendly application used for estimating bird and bat fatalities at wind farms and designing search protocols. The software is particularly useful in addressing whether the number of fatalities has exceeded a given threshold and what search parameters are needed to give assurance that thresholds were not exceeded. The software is applicable even when zero carcasses have been found in searches. Depending on the effectiveness of the searches, such an absence of evidence of mortality may or may not be strong evidence that few fatalities occurred. Under a search protocol in which carcasses are detected with nearly 100 percent certainty, finding zero carcasses would be convincing evidence that overall mortality rate was near zero. By contrast, with a less effective search protocol with low probability of detecting a carcass, finding zero carcasses does not rule out the possibility that large numbers of animals were killed but not detected in the searches. EoA uses information about the search process and scavenging rates to estimate detection probabilities to determine a maximum credible number of fatalities, even when zero or few carcasses are observed.

Evidence on Inclusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dyssegaard, Camilla Brørup; Larsen, Michael Søgaard

The purpose of this publication is to examine existing research on inclusion to identify strategies of inclusion that have generated positive effects. To do so it is necessary to understand the effect of the applied strategies. One approach, which is being discussed, is to use evidence to determine...... which methods have proven more effective than others. The desire to gain insight into research on inclusion forms the basis of the current systematic review. The task was to determine which strategies primary research has found to be most effective for inclusion purposes. We have solved this task...... by addressing the existing research with the following question: What is the effect of including children with special needs in mainstream teaching in basic school, and which of the applied educational methods have proved to have a positive effect?...

Obesity and Cancer: Existing and New Hypotheses for a Causal Connection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trevor W. Stone

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Existing explanations of obesity-associated cancer emphasise direct mutagenic effects of dietary components or hormonal imbalance. Some of these hypotheses are reviewed briefly, but recent evidence suggests a major role for chronic inflammation in cancer risk, possibly involving dietary content. These ideas include the inflammation-induced activation of the kynurenine pathway and its role in feeding and metabolism by activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR and by modulating synaptic transmission in the brain. Evidence for a role of the kynurenine pathway in carcinogenesis then provides a potentially major link between obesity and cancer. A second new hypothesis is based on evidence that serine proteases can deplete cells of the tumour suppressors Deleted in Colorectal Cancer (DCC and neogenin. These enzymes include mammalian chymotryptic proteases released by pro-inflammatory neutrophils and macrophages. Blood levels of chymotrypsin itself increase in parallel with food intake. The mechanistically similar bacterial enzyme subtilisin is widespread in the environment, animal probiotics, meat processing and cleaning products. Simple public health schemes in these areas, with selective serine protease inhibitors and AHR antagonists and could prevent a range of intestinal and other cancers. Keywords: Obesity, Serine proteases, Chymotrypsin, Subtilisin, Dependence receptors, DCC, Kynurenine

Strong hydrological control on nutrient cycling of subtropical rainforests

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, T. C.; Chang, C. T.; Huang, J. C.; Wang, L.; Lin, N. H.

2016-12-01

Forest nutrient cycling is strongly controlled by both biological and hydrological factors. However, based on a close examination of earlier reports, we highlight the role of hydrological control on nutrient cycling at a global scale and is more important at humid tropical and subtropical forests. we analyzed the nutrient budget of precipitation input and stream water output from 1994 to 2013 in a subtropical forest in Taiwan and conducted a data synthesis using results from 32 forests across the globe. The results revealed that monthly input and output of ions were positively correlated with water quantity, indicating hydrological control on nutrient cycling. Hydrological control is also evident from the greater ions export via stream water during the warm and wet growing season. The synthesis also illustrates that strong hydrological control leads to lower nitrogen retention and greater net loss of base cations in humid regions, particularly in the humid tropical and subtropical forests. Our result is of great significance in an era of global climate change because climate change could directly affect ecosystem nutrient cycling particularly in the tropics through changes in patterns of precipitation regime.

Observation of strong azimuthal asymmetry between slow and fast particles from high energy nuclear collisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gustafsson, H.A.; Gutbrod, H.H.; Kolb, B.; Loehner, H.; Ludewigt, B.; Poskanzer, A.M.; Renner, T.; Riedesel, H.; Ritter, H.G.; Siemiarczuk, T.; Stepaniak, J.; Warwick, A.; Wieman, H.

1984-10-01

Evidence is presented for the strong azimuthal asymmetry between slow and fast fragments in nuclear collisions in the energy interval of 0.4 to 1 GeV per nucleon. The asymmetry gets stronger when incident energy and impact parameter decrease. The results on the A dependence of the azimuthal asymmetry are also presented. (orig.)

Seismic dynamics in advance and after the recent strong earthquakes in Italy and New Zealand

Science.gov (United States)

Nekrasova, A.; Kossobokov, V. G.

2017-12-01

We consider seismic events as a sequence of avalanches in self-organized system of blocks-and-faults of the Earth lithosphere and characterize earthquake series with the distribution of the control parameter, η = τ × 10B × (5-M) × L C of the Unified Scaling Law for Earthquakes, USLE (where τ is inter-event time, B is analogous to the Gutenberg-Richter b-value, and C is fractal dimension of seismic locus). A systematic analysis of earthquake series in Central Italy and New Zealand, 1993-2017, suggests the existence, in a long-term, of different rather steady levels of seismic activity characterized with near constant values of η, which, in mid-term, intermittently switch at times of transitions associated with the strong catastrophic events. On such a transition, seismic activity, in short-term, may follow different scenarios with inter-event time scaling of different kind, including constant, logarithmic, power law, exponential rise/decay or a mixture of those. The results do not support the presence of universality in seismic energy release. The observed variability of seismic activity in advance and after strong (M6.0+) earthquakes in Italy and significant (M7.0+) earthquakes in New Zealand provides important constraints on modelling realistic earthquake sequences by geophysicists and can be used to improve local seismic hazard assessments including earthquake forecast/prediction methodologies. The transitions of seismic regime in Central Italy and New Zealand started in 2016 are still in progress and require special attention and geotechnical monitoring. It would be premature to make any kind of definitive conclusions on the level of seismic hazard which is evidently high at this particular moment of time in both regions. The study supported by the Russian Science Foundation Grant No.16-17-00093.

Combined Conformal Strongly-Coupled Magnetic Resonance for Efficient Wireless Power Transfer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matjaz Rozman

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a hybrid circuit between a conformal strongly-coupled magnetic resonance (CSCMR and a strongly-coupled magnetic resonance (SCMR, for better wireless power transmission (WPT. This combination promises to enhance the flexibility of the proposed four-loop WPT system. The maximum efficiency at various distances is achieved by combining coupling-matching between the source and transmitting coils along with the coupling factor between the transmitting and receiving coils. Furthermore, the distance between transmitting and receiving coils is investigated along with the distance relationship between the source loop and transmission coil, in order to achieve the maximum efficiency of the proposed hybrid WPT system. The results indicate that the proposed approach can be effectively employed at distances comparatively smaller than the maximum distance without frequency matching. The achievable efficiency can be as high as 84% for the whole working range of the transmitter. In addition, the proposed hybrid system allows more spatial freedom compared to existing chargers.

Runaway breakdown in strong electric field as a source of terrestrial gamma flashes and gamma bursts in lightning leader steps

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gurevich, A.V. [P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow (Russian Federation)]. E-mail: alex@lpi.ru; Zybin, K.P. [P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow (Russian Federation); Medvedev, Yu.V. [Joint Institute for High Temperature, Russian Academy of Sciences, 127412 Moscow (Russian Federation)

2007-01-22

The new model of lightning step leader is proposed. It includes three main processes developing simultaneously in a strong electric field: conventional breakdown, effect of runaway electrons and runaway breakdown (RB). The theory of RB in strong electric field is developed. Comparison with the existing observational data shows that the model can serve as a background for the explanation of gamma bursts in step leader and TGF.

Runaway breakdown in strong electric field as a source of terrestrial gamma flashes and gamma bursts in lightning leader steps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gurevich, A.V.; Zybin, K.P.; Medvedev, Yu.V.

2007-01-01

The new model of lightning step leader is proposed. It includes three main processes developing simultaneously in a strong electric field: conventional breakdown, effect of runaway electrons and runaway breakdown (RB). The theory of RB in strong electric field is developed. Comparison with the existing observational data shows that the model can serve as a background for the explanation of gamma bursts in step leader and TGF

Electromagnetic processes in strong crystalline fields

CERN Document Server

Uggerhoj, U I; Esberg, J; Knudsen, H; Lund, M; Møller, S P; Sørensen, A H; Thomsen, A H; Uggerhøj, U I; Geissel, H; Scheidenberger, C; Weick, H; Winfield, J; Sona, P; Connell S; Ballestrero, S; Ketel, T; Dizdar, A; Mangiarotti, A

2009-01-01

As an addendum to the NA63 proposal cite{Ande05}, we propose to measure 1) the Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal (LPM) effect in low-$Z$ targets, 2) Magnetic suppression of incoherent bremsstrahlung resulting from exposure to an external field during the emission event, and 3) the bremsstrahlung emission from relativistic ($gamma=170$), fully stripped Pb nuclei penetrating various amorphous targets. Concerning the LPM effect, both the 'traditional' Migdal approach and the modern treatment by Baier and Katkov display inaccuracies, i.e. a possible lack of applicability in low-$Z$ targets. Moreover, the LPM effect has been shown to have a significant impact on giant air showers for energies in the EeV range - evidently processes in a low-$Z$ material. A measurement of magnetic suppression is demanding in terms of necessary accuracy (an expected $lesssim$15% effect), but would prove the existence of a basic interplay between coherent and incoherent processes, also believed to be significant in beamstrahlung emission. For...

Association Between Cannabis and Psychosis: Epidemiologic Evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Gage, Suzanne H; Hickman, Matthew; Zammit, Stanley

2016-04-01

Associations between cannabis use and psychotic outcomes are consistently reported, but establishing causality from observational designs can be problematic. We review the evidence from longitudinal studies that have examined this relationship and discuss the epidemiologic evidence for and against interpreting the findings as causal. We also review the evidence identifying groups at particularly high risk of developing psychosis from using cannabis. Overall, evidence from epidemiologic studies provides strong enough evidence to warrant a public health message that cannabis use can increase the risk of psychotic disorders. However, further studies are required to determine the magnitude of this effect, to determine the effect of different strains of cannabis on risk, and to identify high-risk groups particularly susceptible to the effects of cannabis on psychosis. We also discuss complementary epidemiologic methods that can help address these questions. Copyright © 2016 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Greening Existing Tribal Buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Guidance about improving sustainability in existing tribal casinos and manufactured homes. Many steps can be taken to make existing buildings greener and healthier. They may also reduce utility and medical costs.

How to Exist Politically and Learn from It: Hannah Arendt and the Problem of Democratic Education

Science.gov (United States)

Biesta, Gert

2010-01-01

Background/Context: In discussions about democratic education, there is a strong tendency to see the role of education as that of the preparation of children and young people for their future participation in democratic life. A major problem with this view is that it relies on the idea that the guarantee for democracy lies in the existence of a…

Quasinormal Modes and Strong Cosmic Censorship

Science.gov (United States)

Cardoso, Vitor; Costa, João L.; Destounis, Kyriakos; Hintz, Peter; Jansen, Aron

2018-01-01

The fate of Cauchy horizons, such as those found inside charged black holes, is intrinsically connected to the decay of small perturbations exterior to the event horizon. As such, the validity of the strong cosmic censorship (SCC) conjecture is tied to how effectively the exterior damps fluctuations. Here, we study massless scalar fields in the exterior of Reissner-Nordström-de Sitter black holes. Their decay rates are governed by quasinormal modes of the black hole. We identify three families of modes in these spacetimes: one directly linked to the photon sphere, well described by standard WKB-type tools; another family whose existence and time scale is closely related to the de Sitter horizon; finally, a third family which dominates for near-extremally charged black holes and which is also present in asymptotically flat spacetimes. The last two families of modes seem to have gone unnoticed in the literature. We give a detailed description of linear scalar perturbations of such black holes, and conjecture that SCC is violated in the near extremal regime.

Requirements for existing buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Kirsten Engelund; Wittchen, Kim Bjarne

This report collects energy performance requirements for existing buildings in European member states by June 2012.......This report collects energy performance requirements for existing buildings in European member states by June 2012....

Enhancing capacity among faith-based organizations to implement evidence-based cancer control programs: a community-engaged approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Leyva, Bryan; Allen, Jennifer D; Ospino, Hosffman; Tom, Laura S; Negrón, Rosalyn; Buesa, Richard; Torres, Maria Idalí

2017-09-01

Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to promote cancer control among Latinos have proliferated in recent years, though adoption and implementation of these interventions by faith-based organizations (FBOs) is limited. Capacity building may be one strategy to promote implementation. In this qualitative study, 18 community key informants were interviewed to (a) understand existing capacity for health programming among Catholic parishes, (b) characterize parishes' resource gaps and capacity-building needs implementing cancer control EBIs, and (c) elucidate strategies for delivering capacity-building assistance to parishes to facilitate implementation of EBIs. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted. Key informants concurred about the capacity of Catholic parishes to deliver health programs, and described attributes of parishes that make them strong partners in health promotion initiatives, including a mission to address physical and mental health, outreach to marginalized groups, altruism among members, and existing engagement in health programming. However, resource gaps and capacity building needs were also identified. Specific recommendations participants made about how existing resources might be leveraged to address challenges include to: establish parish wellness committees; provide "hands-on" learning opportunities for parishioners to gain program planning skills; offer continuous, tailored, on-site technical assistance; facilitate relationships between parishes and community resources; and provide financial support for parishes. Leveraging parishes' existing resources and addressing their implementation needs may improve adoption of cancer control EBIs.

Dominance of strong absorption in 9Be + 28Si elastic scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zisman, M.S.; Cramer, J.G.; DeVries, R.M.; Goldberg, D.A.; Watson, J.W.

1979-07-01

Because the character of the scattering changes markedly from 6 Li to 12 C projectiles, a study of the 9 Be + 28 Si system was undertaken to examine the transition region. Data were measured at 121.0 and 201.6 MeV. Low-energy data of other investigators were used to carry out global optical model searches. It was found that the elastic scattering of 9 Be from 28 Si is dominated at all energies by relatively strong absorption. This removes much of the sensitivity to the real potential, and even elastic scattering data spanning a range of energies from 13 to 201 MeV do not allow a unique determination of the potential parameters. There is at least circumstantial evidence that 6 Li scattering at low energies (and by implication also 9 Be scattering) may be strongly influenced by breakup processes, although it is not clear that the mechanism is the same. 3 figures, 1 table

Infrared exponents and the strong-coupling limit in lattice Landau gauge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sternbeck, Andre; Smekal, Lorenz von

2010-01-01

We study the gluon and ghost propagators of lattice Landau gauge in the strong-coupling limit β=0 in pure SU(2) lattice gauge theory to find evidence of the conformal infrared behavior of these propagators as predicted by a variety of functional continuum methods for asymptotically small momenta q 2 QCD 2 . In the strong-coupling limit, this same behavior is obtained for the larger values of a 2 q 2 (in units of the lattice spacing a), where it is otherwise swamped by the gauge-field dynamics. Deviations for a 2 q 2 <1 are well parameterized by a transverse gluon mass ∝1/a. Perhaps unexpectedly, these deviations are thus no finite-volume effect but persist in the infinite-volume limit. They furthermore depend on the definition of gauge fields on the lattice, while the asymptotic conformal behavior does not. We also comment on a misinterpretation of our results by Cucchieri and Mendes (Phys. Rev. D 81:016005, 2010). (orig.)

Disturbing the coherent dynamics of an excitonic polarization with strong terahertz fields

Science.gov (United States)

Drexler, M. J.; Woscholski, R.; Lippert, S.; Stolz, W.; Rahimi-Iman, A.; Koch, M.

2014-11-01

We present a paper based on combining four-wave mixing and strong fields in the terahertz frequency range to monitor the time evolution of a disturbed excitonic polarization in a multiple quantum well system. Our findings not only confirm a lower field-dependent ionization threshold for higher excitonic states, but furthermore provide experimental evidence for intraexcitonic Rabi flopping in the time domain. These measurements correspond to the picture of a reversible and irreversible transfer as previously predicted by a microscopic theory.

Time-Variation of Term Premia: International Evidence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jongen, R.; Verschoor, W.F.C.; Wolff, C.C.P.

2006-01-01

This paper examines the validity of the expectations hypothesis of the term structure of interest rates by means of a previously unexploited dataset of market expectations that covers a broad range of EMS versus non-EMS foreign currency deposits. Although we find strong evidence in favour of

SMART literature review report on existing practice in measuring success factors in second chance education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Ulla Højmark

2015-01-01

criteria, indicators and benchmarks that measures developments of learners, impacts of informal and non-formal learning methods and evidences success factors of second chance education. The aim of the project is to build an evidence base of outcomes and impacts of second chance education and to enhance......, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. This literature review aims at developing an insight of the existing practice of measuring and evidencing success factors in second chance education. In the following, we will highlight examples of good...

Search for the CP-violating strong decays η→π+π− and η′(958→π+π−

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Aaij

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A search for the CP-violating strong decays η→π+π− and η′(958→π+π− has been performed using approximately 2.5×107 events of each of the decays D+→π+π+π− and Ds+→π+π+π−, recorded by the LHCb experiment. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb−1 of pp collision data recorded during LHC Run 1 and 0.3 fb−1 recorded in Run 2. No evidence is seen for D(s+→π+η(′ with η(′→π+π−, and upper limits at 90% confidence level are set on the branching fractions, B(η→π+π−<1.6×10−5 and B(η′→π+π−<1.8×10−5. The limit for the η decay is comparable with the existing one, while that for the η′ is a factor of three smaller than the previous limit.

NetQuakes - A new approach to urban strong-motion seismology

Science.gov (United States)

Luetgert, J. H.; Evans, J. R.; Hamilton, J.; Hutt, C. R.; Jensen, E. G.; Oppenheimer, D. H.

2009-12-01

There is a recognized need for more densely sampled strong ground motion recordings in urban areas to provide more accurate ShakeMaps for post-earthquake disaster assessment and to provide data for structural engineers to improve design standards. Ideally, the San Francisco Bay area would have a strong ground motion recorder every 1-2 km to adequately sample the region’s varied geology and built environment. This would require the addition of thousands of instruments to the existing network. There are several fiscal and logistical constraints that prevent us from doing this with traditional strong motion instrumentation and telemetry. In addition to the initial expense of instruments and their installation, there are the continuing costs of telemetry and maintenance. To address these issues, the USGS implemented the NetQuakes project to deploy small, relatively inexpensive seismographs for installation in 1-2 story homes and businesses that utilize the host’s existing Internet connection. The recorder has 18 bit resolution with ±3g internal tri-axial MEMS accelerometers. Data is continuously recorded at 200 sps into a 1-2 week ringbuffer. When triggered, a miniSEED file is sent to USGS servers via the Internet. Data can also be recovered from the ringbuffer by a remote request through the servers. Following a power failure, the instrument can run for 36 hours using its internal battery. All client-server interactions are initiated by the instrument, so it safely resides behind a host’s firewall. Instrument and battery replacement can be performed by hosts to reduce maintenance costs. A connection to the host’s LAN, and thence to the public Internet, can be made using WiFi to minimize cabling. Although timing via a cable to an external GPS antenna is possible, it is simpler to use the Network Time Protocol (NTP) to synchronize the internal clock. NTP achieves timing accuracy generally better than a sample interval. Since February, 2009, we have installed

Evidence Supporting Broader Access To Safe Legal Abortion

OpenAIRE

Faundes; Anibal; Shah; Iqbal H.

2016-01-01

Unsafe abortion continues to be a major cause of maternal death; it accounts for 14.5% of all maternal deaths globally and almost all of these deaths occur in countries with restrictive abortion laws. A strong body of accumulated evidence shows that the simple means to drastically reduce unsafe abortion-related maternal deaths and morbidity is to make abortion legal and institutional termination of pregnancy broadly accessible. Despite this evidence, abortion is denied even when the legal con...

A Systematic Review of Evidence for the Clubhouse Model of Psychosocial Rehabilitation

OpenAIRE

McKay, Colleen; Nugent, Katie L.; Johnsen, Matthew; Eaton, William W.; Lidz, Charles W.

2016-01-01

The Clubhouse Model has been in existence for over sixty-five years; however, a review that synthesizes the literature on the model is needed. The current study makes use of the existing research to conduct a systematic review of articles providing a comprehensive understanding of what is known about the Clubhouse Model, to identify the best evidence available, as well as areas that would benefit from further study. Findings are summarized and evidence is classified by outcome domains. Fifty-...

Evidence for strong electron-lattice coupling in La2-xSrxNiO4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McQueeney, R.J.; Sarrao, J.L.

1999-01-01

The inelastic neutron scattering spectra were measured for several Sr concentrations of polycrystalline La 2-x Sr x NiO 4 . The authors find that the generalized phonon density-of-states is identical for x = 0 and x = 1/8. For x = 1/3 and x = 1/2, the band of phonons corresponding to the in-plane oxygen vibrations (> 65 meV) splits into two subbands centered at 75 meV and 85 meV. The lower frequency band increases in amplitude for the x = 1/2 sample, indicating that it is directly related to the hole concentration. These changes are associated with the coupling of oxygen vibrations to doped holes which reside in the NiO 2 planes and are a signature of strong electron-lattice coupling. Comparison of La 1.9 Sr 0.1 CuO 4 and La 1.875 Sr 0.125 NiO 4 demonstrates that much stronger electron-lattice coupling occurs for particular modes in the cuprate for modest doping and is likely related to the metallic nature of the cuprate

Abortion: Strong's counterexamples fail

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Di Nucci, Ezio

2009-01-01

This paper shows that the counterexamples proposed by Strong in 2008 in the Journal of Medical Ethics to Marquis's argument against abortion fail. Strong's basic idea is that there are cases--for example, terminally ill patients--where killing an adult human being is prima facie seriously morally...

Electric foot shock stress adaptation: Does it exist or not?

Science.gov (United States)

Bali, Anjana; Jaggi, Amteshwar Singh

2015-06-01

Stress adaptation is a protective phenomenon against repeated stress exposure and is characterized by a decreased responsiveness to a repeated stress stimulus. The adaptation is associated with a complex cascade of events, including the changes in behavior, neurotransmitter and gene expression levels. The non-adaptation or maladaptation to stress may underlie the affective disorders, such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Electric foot shock is a complex stressor, which includes both physical and emotional components. Unlike immobilization, restraint and cold immersion stress, the phenomenon of stress adaptation is not very well defined in response to electric foot shock. A number of preclinical studies have reported the development of adaptation to electric foot shock stress. However, evidence also reveals the non-adaptive behavior in response to foot shocks. The distinct adaptive/non-adaptive responses may be possibly influenced by the type, intensity, and duration of the stress. The present review discusses the existence or non-existence of adaptation to electric foot shock stress along with possible mechanism. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study of the Higgs-Yukawa theory in the strong-Yukawa coupling regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bulava, John; Gerhold, Philipp; Nagy, Attila; Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron; Hou, George W.S.; Smigielski, Brian; Jansen, Karl; Knippschild, Bastian; Univ. of Mainz; Lin, David C.J.; National Centre of Theoretical Sciences, Hsinchu; Nagai, Kei-Ichi; Ogawa, Kenji

2011-12-01

In this article, we present an ongoing lattice study of the Higgs-Yukawa model, in the regime of strong-Yukawa coupling, using overlap fermions. We investigated the phase structure in this regime by computing the Higgs vacuum expectation value, and by exploring the finite-size scaling behaviour of the susceptibility corresponding to the magnetisation. Our preliminary results indicate the existence of a second-order phase transition when the Yukawa coupling becomes large enough, at which the Higgs vacuum expectation value vanishes and the susceptibility diverges. (orig.)

Critical point in the QCD phase diagram for extremely strong background magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endrödi, Gergely

2015-01-01

Lattice simulations have demonstrated that a background (electro)magnetic field reduces the chiral/deconfinement transition temperature of quantum chromodynamics for eB<1 GeV 2 . On the level of observables, this reduction manifests itself in an enhancement of the Polyakov loop and in a suppression of the light quark condensates (inverse magnetic catalysis) in the transition region. In this paper, we report on lattice simulations of 1+1+1-flavor QCD at an unprecedentedly high value of the magnetic field eB=3.25 GeV 2 . Based on the behavior of various observables, it is shown that even at this extremely strong field, inverse magnetic catalysis prevails and the transition, albeit becoming sharper, remains an analytic crossover. In addition, we develop an algorithm to directly simulate the asymptotically strong magnetic field limit of QCD. We find strong evidence for a first-order deconfinement phase transition in this limiting theory, implying the presence of a critical point in the QCD phase diagram. Based on the available lattice data, we estimate the location of the critical point.

Evidence-based dentistry: fundamentals for the dentist.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Janet; Chiappelli, Francesco; Spackman, Sue; Prolo, Paolo; Stevenson, Richard

2006-06-01

This article explains the fundamentals of evidence-based dentistry for the dentist. Evidence-based dentistry is a discipline whose primary participant is the translational researcher. Recent developments have emphasized the importance of this discipline (clinical and translational research) for improving health care. The process of evidence-based dentistry is the reciprocation of new and existing evidence between dentists and quantitative and qualitative researchers, facilitated by the translational researcher. The product of this reciprocation is the clinical practice guideline, or best evidence, that provides the patient options in choosing treatments or services. These options are quantified and qualified by decision, utility, and cost data. Using shared decision-making, the dentist and patient arrive at a mutual understanding of which option best meets an acceptable and preferred treatment course that is cost effective. This option becomes the clinical decision.

Field evidence for control of quarrying by rock bridges in jointed bedrock

Science.gov (United States)

Hooyer, T. S.; Cohen, D. O.; Iverson, N. R.

2011-12-01

Quarrying is generally thought to be the most important mechanism by which glaciers erode bedrock. In quarrying models it is assumed that slow, subcritical, growth of pre-existing cracks rate-limits the process and occurs where there are large stress differences in the bed, such as near rock bumps where ice separates from the bed to form water-filled cavities. Owing to the direction of principal stresses in rocks associated with sliding and resultant cavity formation, models predict that quarrying will occur along cracks oriented perpendicular to the ice flow direction or parallel to zones of ice-bed contact. Preglacial cracks in rocks will tend to propagate mainly downward, and in sedimentary or some metamorphic rocks will merge with bedding planes, thereby helping to isolate rock blocks for dislodgement. In contrast to these model assumptions, new measurements of quarried surface orientations in the deglaciated forefield of nine glaciers in Switzerland and Canada indicate a strong correlation between orientations of pre-existing joints and quarried bedrock surfaces, independent of ice flow direction or ice-water contact lines. The strong correlation persists across all rock types, and rocks devoid of major joints lack quarried surfaces. We propose a new conceptual model of quarrying that idealizes the bedrock as a series of blocks separated by discontinuous preglacial joints containing intact rock bridges. Bridges concentrate stress differences caused by normal and shear forces acting at the rock surface. Failure of bridges is caused by slow subcritical crack growth enhanced by water pressure fluctuations. To lend credibility to this new model, we show field evidence of failed rock bridges in quarried surfaces and of rib marks on plumose structures that we interpret as arrest fracture fronts due to transient subglacial water-pressure fluctuations.

77 FR 16131 - Establishing a White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-20

... Order 13602 of March 15, 2012 Establishing a White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities By... enable them to develop and implement economic strategies to become more competitive, sustainable, and... resources to develop and implement their economic vision and strategies. Sec. 2. White House Council on...

Using artificial intelligence to bring evidence-based medicine a step closer to making the individual difference.

Science.gov (United States)

Sissons, B; Gray, W A; Bater, A; Morrey, D

2007-03-01

The vision of evidence-based medicine is that of experienced clinicians systematically using the best research evidence to meet the individual patient's needs. This vision remains distant from clinical reality, as no complete methodology exists to apply objective, population-based research evidence to the needs of an individual real-world patient. We describe an approach, based on techniques from machine learning, to bridge this gap between evidence and individual patients in oncology. We examine existing proposals for tackling this gap and the relative benefits and challenges of our proposed, k-nearest-neighbour-based, approach.

Instabilities in strongly coupled plasmas

CERN Document Server

Kalman, G J

2003-01-01

The conventional Vlasov treatment of beam-plasma instabilities is inappropriate when the plasma is strongly coupled. In the strongly coupled liquid state, the strong correlations between the dust grains fundamentally affect the conditions for instability. In the crystalline state, the inherent anisotropy couples the longitudinal and transverse polarizations, and results in unstable excitations in both polarizations. We summarize analyses of resonant and non-resonant, as well as resistive instabilities. We consider both ion-dust streaming and dust beam-plasma instabilities. Strong coupling, in general, leads to an enhancement of the growth rates. In the crystalline phase, a resonant transverse instability can be excited.

Highly Anisotropic Magnon Dispersion in Ca_{2}RuO_{4}: Evidence for Strong Spin Orbit Coupling.

Science.gov (United States)

Kunkemöller, S; Khomskii, D; Steffens, P; Piovano, A; Nugroho, A A; Braden, M

2015-12-11

The magnon dispersion in Ca_{2}RuO_{4} has been determined by inelastic neutron scattering on single crytals containing 1% of Ti. The dispersion is well described by a conventional Heisenberg model suggesting a local moment model with nearest neighbor interaction of J=8  meV. Nearest and next-nearest neighbor interaction as well as interlayer coupling parameters are required to properly describe the entire dispersion. Spin-orbit coupling induces a very large anisotropy gap in the magnetic excitations in apparent contrast with a simple planar magnetic model. Orbital ordering breaking tetragonal symmetry, and strong spin-orbit coupling can thus be identified as important factors in this system.

Electric fields in the magnetosphere - the evidence from ISEE, S3-3, GEOS and Viking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faelthammar, C.G.

1988-08-01

Electric field measurements on the satellites S3-3, GEOS-1, GEOS-2, ISEE-1 and Viking have extended the empirical knowledge of electric fields in space so as to include the outer regions of the magnetosphere. While the measurements confirm some of the theoretically expected properties of the electric fields, they also reveal unexpected features and a high degree of complexity and variability. The existence of a magnetospheric dawn-to-dusk electric field, as expected on the basis of extrapolation from low altitude measurements, is confirmed in an average sense. However, the actual field exhibits large spatial and temporal variations, including strong fields of inductive origin. At the magnetopause the average (dawn to dusk directed) tangential electric field component is typically obscured by irregular fluctuations of large amplitude. The magnetic-field aligned component of the electric field, which is of particular importance for ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling and for auroral acceleration is even now very difficult to measure directly. However, the data from electric field measurements provide further support for the conclusion, based on a variety of evidence, that a non-vanishing magnetic-field aligned electric field exists in the auroral acceleration region. (93 refs.) (author)

Estimation of the behavior factor of existing RC-MRF buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Vona, Marco; Mastroberti, Monica

2018-01-01

In recent years, several research groups have studied a new generation of analysis methods for seismic response assessment of existing buildings. Nevertheless, many important developments are still needed in order to define more reliable and effective assessment procedures. Moreover, regarding existing buildings, it should be highlighted that due to the low knowledge level, the linear elastic analysis is the only analysis method allowed. The same codes (such as NTC2008, EC8) consider the linear dynamic analysis with behavior factor as the reference method for the evaluation of seismic demand. This type of analysis is based on a linear-elastic structural model subject to a design spectrum, obtained by reducing the elastic spectrum through a behavior factor. The behavior factor (reduction factor or q factor in some codes) is used to reduce the elastic spectrum ordinate or the forces obtained from a linear analysis in order to take into account the non-linear structural capacities. The behavior factors should be defined based on several parameters that influence the seismic nonlinear capacity, such as mechanical materials characteristics, structural system, irregularity and design procedures. In practical applications, there is still an evident lack of detailed rules and accurate behavior factor values adequate for existing buildings. In this work, some investigations of the seismic capacity of the main existing RC-MRF building types have been carried out. In order to make a correct evaluation of the seismic force demand, actual behavior factor values coherent with force based seismic safety assessment procedure have been proposed and compared with the values reported in the Italian seismic code, NTC08.

[Evidence-based therapy guideline of the German Working Group on Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence].

Science.gov (United States)

Moss, A; Kunze, D; Wabitsch, M

2011-05-01

Obesity in childhood and adolescence has increased worldwide in recent years. A consensus guideline (S2) for treating obesity in childhood and adolescence in Germany was first published by the German Working Group on Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence (AGA) in 2000. The intention is to gradually replace this consensus-based (S2) guideline with an evidence-based (S3) guideline. Following a systematic literature search, 21 recommendations were predominantly approved with "strong consensus" (agreement >95%). Body weight and body fat mass can be significantly influenced by conventional behavior-based measures and also by the currently available drug therapies. However, the extent of the achieved weight reduction is small. Surgical measures (unproven, experimental therapy) to reduce body weight, in contrast, are very successful. In addition to the long version of this evidence-based guideline, an abbreviated version exists and a practice guideline is planned. This guideline should be further developed within the competence network on obesity of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The guideline will be published in the scholarly journals of the professional associations concerned, will be available via the Internet, and will also be distributed through periodicals, congress events, and information at facilities.

Review and evaluation of the methodological quality of the existing guidelines and recommendations for inherited neurometabolic disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cassis, Linda; Cortès-Saladelafont, Elisenda; Molero-Luis, Marta

2015-01-01

and timely treatments are often pivotal for the favorable course of the disease. Thus, the elaboration of new evidence-based recommendations for iNMD diagnosis and management is increasingly requested by health care professionals and patients, even though the methodological quality of existing guidelines...

Strongly interacting Fermi gases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bakr W.

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Strongly interacting gases of ultracold fermions have become an amazingly rich test-bed for many-body theories of fermionic matter. Here we present our recent experiments on these systems. Firstly, we discuss high-precision measurements on the thermodynamics of a strongly interacting Fermi gas across the superfluid transition. The onset of superfluidity is directly observed in the compressibility, the chemical potential, the entropy, and the heat capacity. Our measurements provide benchmarks for current many-body theories on strongly interacting fermions. Secondly, we have studied the evolution of fermion pairing from three to two dimensions in these gases, relating to the physics of layered superconductors. In the presence of p-wave interactions, Fermi gases are predicted to display toplogical superfluidity carrying Majorana edge states. Two possible avenues in this direction are discussed, our creation and direct observation of spin-orbit coupling in Fermi gases and the creation of fermionic molecules of 23Na 40K that will feature strong dipolar interactions in their absolute ground state.

Quantum electrodynamics of strong fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greiner, W.

1983-01-01

Quantum Electrodynamics of Strong Fields provides a broad survey of the theoretical and experimental work accomplished, presenting papers by a group of international researchers who have made significant contributions to this developing area. Exploring the quantum theory of strong fields, the volume focuses on the phase transition to a charged vacuum in strong electric fields. The contributors also discuss such related topics as QED at short distances, precision tests of QED, nonperturbative QCD and confinement, pion condensation, and strong gravitational fields In addition, the volume features a historical paper on the roots of quantum field theory in the history of quantum physics by noted researcher Friedrich Hund

J0454-0309: evidence of a strong lensing fossil group falling into a poor galaxy cluster

Science.gov (United States)

Schirmer, M.; Suyu, S.; Schrabback, T.; Hildebrandt, H.; Erben, T.; Halkola, A.

2010-05-01

Aims: We have discovered a strong lensing fossil group (J0454) projected near the well-studied cluster MS0451-0305. Using the large amount of available archival data, we compare J0454 to normal groups and clusters. A highly asymmetric image configuration of the strong lens enables us to study the substructure of the system. Methods: We used multicolour Subaru/Suprime-Cam and CFHT/Megaprime imaging, together with Keck spectroscopy to identify member galaxies. A VLT/FORS2 spectrum was taken to determine the redshifts of the brightest elliptical and the lensed arc. Using HST/ACS images, we determined the group's weak lensing signal and modelled the strong lens system. This is the first time that a fossil group is analysed with lensing methods. The X-ray luminosity and temperature were derived from XMM-Newton data. Results: J0454 is located at z = 0.26, with a gap of 2.5 mag between the brightest and second brightest galaxies within half the virial radius. Outside a radius of 1.5 Mpc, we find two filaments extending over 4 Mpc, and within we identify 31 members spectroscopically and 33 via the red sequence with i systems, a sparse cluster and an infalling fossil group, where the latter seeds the brightest cluster galaxy. An alternative to the sparse cluster could be a filament projected along the line of sight mimicking a cluster, with galaxies streaming towards the fossil group. This work is based on data collected at the Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan; based on observations obtained with MegaPrime/MegaCam, a joint project of CFHT and CEA/DAPNIA, at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) which is operated by the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada, the Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) of France, and the University of Hawaii; based on observations made with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla and Paranal Observatories, Chile (ESO DDT

Quiescent H-mode plasmas with strong edge rotation in the cocurrent direction.

Science.gov (United States)

Burrell, K H; Osborne, T H; Snyder, P B; West, W P; Fenstermacher, M E; Groebner, R J; Gohil, P; Leonard, A W; Solomon, W M

2009-04-17

For the first time in any tokamak, quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) plasmas have been created with strong edge rotation in the direction of the plasma current. This confirms the theoretical prediction that the QH mode should exist with either sign of the edge rotation provided the magnitude of the shear in the edge rotation is sufficiently large and demonstrates that counterinjection and counteredge rotation are not essential for the QH mode. Accordingly, the present work demonstrates a substantial broadening of the QH-mode operating space and represents a significant confirmation of the theory.

<strong>Neuroeconomics and Human Resource Developmentstrong>/>

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Torben

2009-01-01

  Neuroeconomics and Human Resource Development Objective Neuroeconomic game trials have detected a present-bias in human decision making which represents a serious shortcoming facing the long termed nature of complex problems in a globalized economy i.e. regional residual poverty, ecological...... threats and personal stress. So far, the evidence-based findings on human resource development (HRD) seem not to match these huge challenges. The aim of this study is to identify cost-effective means of mental training to recover sufficiently from the present bias to enable more sustainable decisions...... Pragmatic de-stressing by medical meditation adds extra years to a normal life and saves health care expenses for a moderate meditation course fee. So, medical meditation prevails as a dominant de-stressing intervention serving a wider goal of more long termed decision making. An international monitoring...

Learning from Evidence in a Complex World

Science.gov (United States)

Sterman, John D.

2006-01-01

Policies to promote public health and welfare often fail or worsen the problems they are intended to solve. Evidence-based learning should prevent such policy resistance, but learning in complex systems is often weak and slow. Complexity hinders our ability to discover the delayed and distal impacts of interventions, generating unintended “side effects.” Yet learning often fails even when strong evidence is available: common mental models lead to erroneous but self-confirming inferences, allowing harmful beliefs and behaviors to persist and undermining implementation of beneficial policies. Here I show how systems thinking and simulation modeling can help expand the boundaries of our mental models, enhance our ability to generate and learn from evidence, and catalyze effective change in public health and beyond. PMID:16449579

Ancient bacteria show evidence of DNA repair

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johnson, Sarah Stewart; Hebsgaard, Martin B; Christensen, Torben R

2007-01-01

-term survival of bacteria sealed in frozen conditions for up to one million years. Our results show evidence of bacterial survival in samples up to half a million years in age, making this the oldest independently authenticated DNA to date obtained from viable cells. Additionally, we find strong evidence...... geological timescales. There has been no direct evidence in ancient microbes for the most likely mechanism, active DNA repair, or for the metabolic activity necessary to sustain it. In this paper, we couple PCR and enzymatic treatment of DNA with direct respiration measurements to investigate long...... that this long-term survival is closely tied to cellular metabolic activity and DNA repair that over time proves to be superior to dormancy as a mechanism in sustaining bacteria viability....

Mismeasurement and the resonance of strong confounders: uncorrelated errors.

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, J R; Hastrup, J L

1996-05-15

Greenland first documented (Am J Epidemiol 1980; 112:564-9) that error in the measurement of a confounder could resonate--that it could bias estimates of other study variables, and that the bias could persist even with statistical adjustment for the confounder as measured. An important question is raised by this finding: can such bias be more than trivial within the bounds of realistic data configurations? The authors examine several situations involving dichotomous and continuous data in which a confounder and a null variable are measured with error, and they assess the extent of resultant bias in estimates of the effect of the null variable. They show that, with continuous variables, measurement error amounting to 40% of observed variance in the confounder could cause the observed impact of the null study variable to appear to alter risk by as much as 30%. Similarly, they show, with dichotomous independent variables, that 15% measurement error in the form of misclassification could lead the null study variable to appear to alter risk by as much as 50%. Such bias would result only from strong confounding. Measurement error would obscure the evidence that strong confounding is a likely problem. These results support the need for every epidemiologic inquiry to include evaluations of measurement error in each variable considered.

Precision cosmological measurements: Independent evidence for dark energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bothun, Greg; Hsu, Stephen D.H.; Murray, Brian

2008-01-01

Using recent precision measurements of cosmological parameters, we re-examine whether these observations alone, independent of type Ia supernova surveys, are sufficient to imply the existence of dark energy. We find that best measurements of the age of the Universe t 0 , the Hubble parameter H 0 and the matter fraction Ω m strongly favor an equation of state defined by (w<-1/3). This result is consistent with the existence of a repulsive, acceleration-causing component of energy if the Universe is nearly flat

From Quality Assurance to Quality Practices: An Investigation of Strong Microcultures in Teaching and Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Mårtensson, Katarina; Roxå, Torgny; Stensaker, Bjørn

2014-01-01

One of the main beliefs in quality assurance is that this activity--indirectly--will stimulate change in the work practices associated with teaching and learning in higher education. However, few studies have provided empirical evidence of the existence of such a link. Instead, quality assurance has created an unfortunate divide between formal…

Evidence for the existence of Persian Gulf Water and Red Sea Water in the Bay of Bengal

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Vineet; Shankar, D.; Vinayachandran, P. N.; Kankonkar, A.; Chatterjee, Abhisek; Amol, P.; Almeida, A. M.; Michael, G. S.; Mukherjee, A.; Chatterjee, Meenakshi; Fernandes, R.; Luis, R.; Kamble, Amol; Hegde, A. K.; Chatterjee, Siddhartha; Das, Umasankar; Neema, C. P.

2017-05-01

The high-salinity water masses that originate in the North Indian Ocean are Arabian Sea High-Salinity Water (ASHSW), Persian Gulf Water (PGW), and Red Sea Water (RSW). Among them, only ASHSW has been shown to exist in the Bay of Bengal. We use CTD data from recent cruises to show that PGW and RSW also exist in the bay. The presence of RSW is marked by a deviation of the salinity vertical profile from a fitted curve at depths ranging from 500 to 1000 m; this deviation, though small (of the order of 0.005 psu and therefore comparable to the CTD accuracy of 0.003 psu), is an order of magnitude larger than the 0.0003 psu fluctuations associated with the background turbulence or instrument noise in this depth regime, allowing us to infer the existence of RSW throughout the bay. PGW is marked by the presence of a salinity maximum at 200-450 m; in the southwestern bay, PGW can be distinguished from the salinity maximum due to ASHSW because of the intervening Arabian Sea Salinity Minimum. This salinity minimum and the maximum associated with ASHSW disappear east and north of the south-central bay (85°E, 8°N) owing to mixing between the fresher surface waters that are native to the bay (Bay of Bengal Water or BBW) with the high-salinity ASHSW. Hence, ASHSW is not seen as a distinct water mass in the northern and eastern bay and the maximum salinity over most of the bay is associated with PGW. The surface water over most of the bay is therefore a mixture of ASHSW and the low-salinity BBW. As a corollary, we can also infer that the weak oxygen peak seen within the oxygen-minimum zone in the bay at a depth of 250-400 m is associated with PGW. The hydrographic data also show that these three high-salinity water masses are advected into the bay by the Summer Monsoon Current, which is seen to be a deep current extending to 1000 m. These deep currents extend into the northern bay as well, providing a mechanism for spreading ASHSW, PGW, and RSW throughout the bay.

Building evaluative culture in community services: Caring for evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayne, John

2017-05-25

An organization with a strong evaluative culture engages in self-reflection, evidence-based learning and experimentation. It sees evidence as essential for managing well, but building such a culture is challenging. Community service organizations seek to provide effective services for their clients. To build an evaluative culture, they need to acquire basic monitoring and evaluation capabilities, be provided with opportunities for using these capabilities and be adequately motivated to care about evidence as a means to improve services to their clients. Leadership along with a phased in approach are key in bringing about these behaviour changes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

CLEO-c and CESR-c: A new frontier in strong and weak interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Richichi, Stephen J.

2003-06-01

We report on the physics potential of a charm and QCD factory, based on a proposal for the conversion of the existing CESR machine and CLEO detector: "CESR-c and OLEO-c". Such a facility will make major contributions to the field of quark flavor physics in this decade. It may also provide the best chance for understanding non-perturbative QCD, which is essential to understanding the strongly-coupled sectors of the new physics that lies beyond the Standard Model.

CLEO-c and CESR-c: A new frontier in strong and weak interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richichi, Stephen J.

2003-01-01

We report on the physics potential of a charm and QCD factory, based on a proposal for the conversion of the existing CESR machine and CLEO detector: ''CESR-c and OLEO-c''. Such a facility will make major contributions to the field of quark flavor physics in this decade. It may also provide the best chance for understanding non-perturbative QCD, which is essential to understanding the strongly-coupled sectors of the new physics that lies beyond the Standard Model

Strong evidence for a genetic contribution to late-onset Alzheimer's disease mortality: a population-based study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John S K Kauwe

Full Text Available Alzheimer's disease (AD is an international health concern that has a devastating effect on patients and families. While several genetic risk factors for AD have been identified much of the genetic variance in AD remains unexplained. There are limited published assessments of the familiality of Alzheimer's disease. Here we present the largest genealogy-based analysis of AD to date.We assessed the familiality of AD in The Utah Population Database (UPDB, a population-based resource linking electronic health data repositories for the state with the computerized genealogy of the Utah settlers and their descendants. We searched UPDB for significant familial clustering of AD to evaluate the genetic contribution to disease. We compared the Genealogical Index of Familiality (GIF between AD individuals and randomly selected controls and estimated the Relative Risk (RR for a range of family relationships. Finally, we identified pedigrees with a significant excess of AD deaths.The GIF analysis showed that pairs of individuals dying from AD were significantly more related than expected. This excess of relatedness was observed for both close and distant relationships. RRs for death from AD among relatives of individuals dying from AD were significantly increased for both close and more distant relatives. Multiple pedigrees had a significant excess of AD deaths.These data strongly support a genetic contribution to the observed clustering of individuals dying from AD. This report is the first large population-based assessment of the familiality of AD mortality and provides the only reported estimates of relative risk of AD mortality in extended relatives to date. The high-risk pedigrees identified show a true excess of AD mortality (not just multiple cases and are greater in depth and width than published AD pedigrees. The presence of these high-risk pedigrees strongly supports the possibility of rare predisposition variants not yet identified.

The mirror neuron system as revealed through neonatal imitation: presence from birth, predictive power and evidence of plasticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Simpson, Elizabeth A; Murray, Lynne; Paukner, Annika; Ferrari, Pier F

2014-01-01

There is strong evidence that neonates imitate previously unseen behaviours. These behaviours are predominantly used in social interactions, demonstrating neonates' ability and motivation to engage with others. Research on neonatal imitation can provide a wealth of information about the early mirror neuron system (MNS), namely its functional characteristics, its plasticity from birth and its relation to skills later in development. Although numerous studies document the existence of neonatal imitation in the laboratory, little is known about its natural occurrence during parent-infant interactions and its plasticity as a consequence of experience. We review these critical aspects of imitation, which we argue are necessary for understanding the early action-perception system. We address common criticisms and misunderstandings about neonatal imitation and discuss methodological differences among studies. Recent work reveals that individual differences in neonatal imitation positively correlate with later social, cognitive and motor development. We propose that such variation in neonatal imitation could reflect important individual differences of the MNS. Although postnatal experience is not necessary for imitation, we present evidence that neonatal imitation is influenced by experience in the first week of life.

The Influence of Weight-of-Evidence Messages on (Vaccine) Attitudes: A Sequential Mediation Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Clarke, Christopher E; Weberling McKeever, Brooke; Holton, Avery; Dixon, Graham N

2015-01-01

Media coverage of contentious risk issues often features competing claims about whether a risk exists and what scientific evidence shows, and journalists often cover these issues by presenting both sides. However, for topics defined by scientific agreement, balanced coverage erroneously heightens uncertainty about scientific information and the issue itself. In this article, we extend research on combating so-called information and issue uncertainty using weight of evidence, drawing on the discredited autism-vaccine link as a case study. We examine whether people's perceptions of issue uncertainty (about whether a link exists) change before and after they encounter a news message with weight-of-evidence information. We also explore whether message exposure is associated with broader issue judgments, specifically vaccine attitudes. Participants (n = 181) read news articles that included or omitted weight-of-evidence content stating that scientific studies have found no link and that scientists agree that none exists. Postexposure issue uncertainty decreased-in other words, issue certainty increased-from preexposure levels across all conditions. Moreover, weight-of-evidence messages were associated with positive vaccine attitudes indirectly via reduced information uncertainty (i.e., one's belief that scientific opinion and evidence concerning a potential link is unclear) as well as issue uncertainty. We discuss implications for risk communication.

Evidence for octupole softness of the superdeformed shape from band interactions in sup 193,4 Hg

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cullen, D.M.; Riley, M.A.; Alderson, A.; Ali, I.; Fallon, P.; Forsyth, P.D.; Hanna, F.; Mullins, S.M.; Roberts, J.W.; Sharpey-Schafer, J.F.; Twin, P.J. (Liverpool Univ. (UK). Oliver Lodge Lab.); Bengtsson, T. (Lund Inst. of Tech. (Sweden). Dept. of Mathematical Physics); Bentley, M.A.; Bruce, A.M.; Simpson, J. (Science and Engineering Research Council, Daresbury (UK). Daresbury Lab.); Nazarewicz, W. (Liverpool Univ. (UK). Oliver Lodge Lab. Politechnika Warszawska (Poland). Inst. Fizyki); Poynter, R.; Regan, P.; Wadsworth, R. (York Univ. (UK). Dept. of Physics); Satula, W. (Warsaw Univ. (Poland). Inst. Fizyki Teoretycznej); Sletten, G. (Niels Bohr Inst., Roskilde (Denmark). Tandem Accelerator Lab.); Wyss, R. (Manne Siegbahn Inst. of Physics, Stockholm (Sweden))

1990-12-24

Three superdeformed (SD) bands have been observed in {sup 194}Hg and four (or five ) SD bands in {sup 193}Hg using the {sup 150}Nd+{sup 48}Ca reaction. All bands except for two in {sup 193}Hg show a steady increase in dynamical moment of inertia J{sup (2)} with rotational frequency. The two exceptional bands form a classical pair of strongly interacting bands. It is suggested that the strong interaction between the bands is caused by a softness to octupole deformation. Evidence is found for the existence of dipole transitions connecting bands of opposite signature in {sup 193}Hg. The strengths of these transitions suggest that they are probably E1 supporting the importance of the role of octupole vibrations. These data suggest the wider importance of octupole softness in enhancing E1 transitions in the SD feeding and decay mechanisms. The spectroscopy of the observed SD bands in {sup 193,4}Hg are discussed in detail and attention is drawn to the 'identical' energies of {gamma}-rays in these isotopes with those in lighter isotopes. The similarities in bands relate to the neutron sub-shell closure for SD nuclei at N=112. (orig.).

What is the existing evidence supporting the efficacy of compression bandage systems containing both elastic and inelastic components (mixed-component systems)? A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Welsh, Lynn

2017-05-01

To analyse current evidence on the efficacy of bandage systems containing both elastic and inelastic components (mixed-component systems). International consensus on the efficacy of types of compression systems is difficult to achieve; however, mixed-component systems are being promoted as combining the best properties of both elastic and inelastic bandage systems and increasingly being used to treat venous leg ulcers in practice. A systematic literature review. Search terms such as venous leg ulcer, varicose ulcer, leg ulcer, compression, bandage, elastic, inelastic, short stretch, healing rate, interface pressure, mixed component, two-layer, four-layer and multi-layer were used in database and hand searches in several combinations. Limits were set for years 2005-March 2015 and English-language publications. A total of 475 studies were identified at initial search, and following elimination from abstract and title, this was reduced to 7. A further study was identified on Google Scholar, bringing the final number of studies fitting inclusion criteria to 8. The following subgroups relating to outcomes of efficacy were identified: ulcer healing, maintenance of interface pressure, slippage, ease of application and patient quality of life. Mixed-component systems were found to have comparable ulcer healing rates to alternative compression systems and be easy to apply; have similar abilities to maintain pressure as four-layer bandages and better abilities than short-stretch bandages; have less slippage than alternative systems; and to be significantly associated with several favourable quality of life outcomes. Clinician skill in bandage application was an uncontrolled variable in all eight papers included in the review, which may limit reliability of findings. This review synthesises existing evidence on the efficacy of mixed-component systems and encourages clinicians to regard them as an effective alternative to purely elastic or inelastic compression systems

Note on the hydrodynamic description of thin nematic films: Strong anchoring model

KAUST Repository

Lin, Te-Sheng; Cummings, Linda J.; Archer, Andrew J.; Kondic, Lou; Thiele, Uwe

2013-01-01

We discuss the long-wave hydrodynamic model for a thin film of nematic liquid crystal in the limit of strong anchoring at the free surface and at the substrate. We rigorously clarify how the elastic energy enters the evolution equation for the film thickness in order to provide a solid basis for further investigation: several conflicting models exist in the literature that predict qualitatively different behaviour. We consolidate the various approaches and show that the long-wave model derived through an asymptotic expansion of the full nemato-hydrodynamic equations with consistent boundary conditions agrees with the model one obtains by employing a thermodynamically motivated gradient dynamics formulation based on an underlying free energy functional. As a result, we find that in the case of strong anchoring the elastic distortion energy is always stabilising. To support the discussion in the main part of the paper, an appendix gives the full derivation of the evolution equation for the film thickness via asymptotic expansion. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Evidence-Based Management of Anticoagulant Therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Schulman, Sam; Witt, Daniel M.; Vandvik, Per Olav; Fish, Jason; Kovacs, Michael J.; Svensson, Peter J.; Veenstra, David L.; Crowther, Mark; Guyatt, Gordon H.

2012-01-01

Background: High-quality anticoagulation management is required to keep these narrow therapeutic index medications as effective and safe as possible. This article focuses on the common important management questions for which, at a minimum, low-quality published evidence is available to guide best practices. Methods: The methods of this guideline follow those described in Methodology for the Development of Antithrombotic Therapy and Prevention of Thrombosis Guidelines: Antithrombotic Therapy and Prevention of Thrombosis, 9th ed: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines in this supplement. Results: Most practical clinical questions regarding the management of anticoagulation, both oral and parenteral, have not been adequately addressed by randomized trials. We found sufficient evidence for summaries of recommendations for 23 questions, of which only two are strong rather than weak recommendations. Strong recommendations include targeting an international normalized ratio of 2.0 to 3.0 for patients on vitamin K antagonist therapy (Grade 1B) and not routinely using pharmacogenetic testing for guiding doses of vitamin K antagonist (Grade 1B). Weak recommendations deal with such issues as loading doses, initiation overlap, monitoring frequency, vitamin K supplementation, patient self-management, weight and renal function adjustment of doses, dosing decision support, drug interactions to avoid, and prevention and management of bleeding complications. We also address anticoagulation management services and intensive patient education. Conclusions: We offer guidance for many common anticoagulation-related management problems. Most anticoagulation management questions have not been adequately studied. PMID:22315259

On the conditions of existence of cold-blanket systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehnert, B.

1977-12-01

An extende analysis of the partially ionized boundary layer of a magnetized plasma has been performed, leading to the following results: (i) In a first approximation the ion density at the inner ''edge'' of the layer becomes related to the wall-near neutral gas density, in a way being independent of the spatial distribution of the ionization rate. (ii) The particle and momentum balance equations, and the associated impermeability condition of the plasma with respect to neutral gas penetration, are not sufficient to specify a cold-blanket state, but have to be combined with considerations of the heat blance. This leads to lower and upper power input limits, thus defining conditions for the existence of a cold-blanket state. At decreasing beta values , or increasing radiation losses, there are situations where such a state cannot exist at all. (iii) It should become possible to fulfill the cold-blanket conditions in full-scale reactors as well as in certain model experiments. Probably these conditions can also be satisfied in large tokamaks like JET, and by fast gas injection in devices such as Alcator, but not in medium-size tokamaks being operated at moderately high ion densities. (iv) A strong ''boundary layer stabilization'' mechanism due to the joint viscosity-resistivity-pressure effects is available under cold-blanket conditions. (author)

Existence and controllability results for damped second order impulsive functional differential systems with state-dependent delay

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Mallika Arjunan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we investigate the existence and controllability of mild solutions for a damped second order impulsive functional differential equation with state-dependent delay in Banach spaces. The results are obtained by using Sadovskii's fixed point theorem combined with the theories of a strongly continuous cosine family of bounded linear operators. Finally, an example is provided to illustrate the main results.

Strong-coupling theory of superconductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rainer, D.; Sauls, J.A.

1995-01-01

The electronic properties of correlated metals with a strong electron-phonon coupling may be understood in terms of a combination of Landau''s Fermi liquid theory and the strong-coupling theory of Migdal and Eliashberg. In these lecture notes we discuss the microscopic foundations of this phenomenological Fermi-liquid model of correlated, strong-coupling metals. We formulate the basic equations of the model, which are quasiclassical transport equations that describe both equilibrium and non-equilibrium phenomena for the normal and superconducting states of a metal. Our emphasis is on superconductors close to equilibrium, for which we derive the general linear response theory. As an application we calculate the dynamical conductivity of strong-coupling superconductors. (author)

Strong Bisimilarity of Simple Process Algebras

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Srba, Jirí

2003-01-01

We study bisimilarity and regularity problems of simple process algebras. In particular, we show PSPACE-hardness of the following problems: (i) strong bisimilarity of Basic Parallel Processes (BPP), (ii) strong bisimilarity of Basic Process Algebra (BPA), (iii) strong regularity of BPP, and (iv......) strong regularity of BPA. We also demonstrate NL-hardness of strong regularity problems for the normed subclasses of BPP and BPA. Bisimilarity problems of simple process algebras are introduced in a general framework of process rewrite systems, and a uniform description of the new techniques used...

One- and two-phonon excitations in strongly deformed triaxial nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagemann, G.B.

2003-01-01

The wobbling mode is uniquely related to triaxiality and introduces a series of bands with increasing wobbling phonon number, n ω , and a characteristic large Δ nω =1 E2 strength between the bands. The pattern of γ-transitions between the wobbling excitations will be influenced by the presence of an aligned particle. Evidence for the wobbling mode was obtained recently, and even a two-phonon wobbling excitation has now been identified in 163 Lu. The similarity of the data in 163 Lu to new strongly deformed triaxial bands and connecting transitions in the neighbouring nuclei, 165 Lu and 167 Lu, establishes wobbling as a more general phenomenon in this region. (author)

evidence-based care: an innovation to improve nursing practice

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

2014-10-13

Oct 13, 2014 ... of skills for critical thinking and reflective practice as well as promotion of ... consideration of the nature of such evidence. ... nursing has a strong tradition of focusing on various .... Cost/Benefit ratio (Tanner, 1987) taking into.

Pandemic H1N1 in Canada and the use of evidence in developing public health policies--a policy analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosella, Laura C; Wilson, Kumanan; Crowcroft, Natasha S; Chu, Anna; Upshur, Ross; Willison, Donald; Deeks, Shelley L; Schwartz, Brian; Tustin, Jordan; Sider, Doug; Goel, Vivek

2013-04-01

When responding to a novel infectious disease outbreak, policies are set under time constraints and uncertainty which can limit the ability to control the outbreak and result in unintended consequences including lack of public confidence. The H1N1 pandemic highlighted challenges in public health decision-making during a public health emergency. Understanding this process to identify barriers and modifiable influences is important to improve the response to future emergencies. The purpose of this study is to examine the H1N1 pandemic decision-making process in Canada with an emphasis on the use of evidence for public health decisions. Using semi-structured key informant interviews conducted after the pandemic (July-November 2010) and a document analysis, we examined four highly debated pandemic policies: use of adjuvanted vaccine by pregnant women, vaccine priority groups and sequencing, school closures and personal protective equipment. Data were analysed for thematic content guided by Lomas' policy decision-making framework as well as indicative coding using iterative methods. We interviewed 40 public health officials and scientific advisors across Canada and reviewed 76 pandemic policy documents. Our analysis revealed that pandemic pre-planning resulted in strong beliefs, which defined the decision-making process. Existing ideological perspectives of evidence strongly influenced how information was used such that the same evidentiary sources were interpreted differently according to the ideological perspective. Participants recognized that current models for public health decision-making failed to make explicit the roles of scientific evidence in relation to contextual factors. Conflict avoidance theory explained policy decisions that went against the prevailing evidence. Clarification of roles and responsibilities within the public health system would reduce duplication and maintain credibility. A more transparent and iterative approach to incorporating evidence

Evidence of Recent Intricate Adaptation in Human Populations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leeyoung Park

Full Text Available Recent human adaptations have shaped population differentiation in genomic regions containing putative functional variants, mostly located in predicted regulatory elements. However, their actual functionalities and the underlying mechanism of recent adaptation remain poorly understood. In the current study, regions of genes and repeats were investigated for functionality depending on the degree of population differentiation, FST or ΔDAF (a difference in derived allele frequency. The high FST in the 5´ or 3´ untranslated regions (UTRs, in particular, confirmed that population differences arose mainly from differences in regulation. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL analyses using lymphoblastoid cell lines indicated that the majority of the highly population-specific regions represented cis- and/or trans-eQTL. However, groups having the highest ΔDAFs did not necessarily have higher proportions of eQTL variants; in these groups, the patterns were complex, indicating recent intricate adaptations. The results indicated that East Asian (EAS and European populations (EUR experienced mutual selection pressures. The mean derived allele frequency of the high ΔDAF groups suggested that EAS and EUR underwent strong adaptation; however, the African population in Africa (AFR experienced slight, yet broad, adaptation. The DAF distributions of variants in the gene regions showed clear selective pressure in each population, which implies the existence of more recent regulatory adaptations in cells other than lymphoblastoid cell lines. In-depth analysis of population-differentiated regions indicated that the coding gene, RNF135, represented a trans-regulation hotspot via cis-regulation by the population-specific variants in the region of selective sweep. Together, the results provide strong evidence of actual intricate adaptation of human populations via regulatory manipulation.

Evidence for a strong sulfur-aromatic interaction derived from crystallographic data.

Science.gov (United States)

Zauhar, R J; Colbert, C L; Morgan, R S; Welsh, W J

2000-03-01

We have uncovered new evidence for a significant interaction between divalent sulfur atoms and aromatic rings. Our study involves a statistical analysis of interatomic distances and other geometric descriptors derived from entries in the Cambridge Crystallographic Database (F. H. Allen and O. Kennard, Chem. Design Auto. News, 1993, Vol. 8, pp. 1 and 31-37). A set of descriptors was defined sufficient in number and type so as to elucidate completely the preferred geometry of interaction between six-membered aromatic carbon rings and divalent sulfurs for all crystal structures of nonmetal-bearing organic compounds present in the database. In order to test statistical significance, analogous probability distributions for the interaction of the moiety X-CH(2)-X with aromatic rings were computed, and taken a priori to correspond to the null hypothesis of no significant interaction. Tests of significance were carried our pairwise between probability distributions of sulfur-aromatic interaction descriptors and their CH(2)-aromatic analogues using the Smirnov-Kolmogorov nonparametric test (W. W. Daniel, Applied Nonparametric Statistics, Houghton-Mifflin: Boston, New York, 1978, pp. 276-286), and in all cases significance at the 99% confidence level or better was observed. Local maxima of the probability distributions were used to define a preferred geometry of interaction between the divalent sulfur moiety and the aromatic ring. Molecular mechanics studies were performed in an effort to better understand the physical basis of the interaction. This study confirms observations based on statistics of interaction of amino acids in protein crystal structures (R. S. Morgan, C. E. Tatsch, R. H. Gushard, J. M. McAdon, and P. K. Warme, International Journal of Peptide Protein Research, 1978, Vol. 11, pp. 209-217; R. S. Morgan and J. M. McAdon, International Journal of Peptide Protein Research, 1980, Vol. 15, pp. 177-180; K. S. C. Reid, P. F. Lindley, and J. M. Thornton, FEBS

Strong cosmic censorship and the strong curvature singularities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krolak, A.

1987-01-01

Conditions are given under which any asymptotically simple and empty space-time that has a partial Cauchy surface with an asymptotically simple past is globally hyperbolic. It is shown that this result suggests that the Cauchy horizons of the type occurring in Reissner--Nordstroem and Kerr space-times are unstable. This in turn gives support for the validity of the strong cosmic censorship hypothesis

'Look at me when I am talking to you': evidence and assessment of social pragmatics interventions for children with autism and social communication disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Tierney, Cheryl D; Kurtz, Marie; Panchik, Ann; Pitterle, Kathleen

2014-04-01

This article provides an analysis of the effectiveness of commonly used interventions for social pragmatic interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and social communication disorders. Several evidence-based social skills interventions are emerging, including peer mentoring, social skills groups, and video modeling. Social stories are effective as supports for improved interactions but generalization is limited. Research supports the need for multimodality and individualized treatment programs. Research validates that video and visual learning is highly effective with children with ASD when utilized with specific, appropriate targets. Multiple studies have shown that picture-based communication systems are effective at improving functional communication with moderate effects on social communication. Despite limitations in research, there is strong evidence in the existing literature for the role of alternative augmentative communication in improving both functional and social communication. Social pragmatic interventions when individualized are effective for improving language, adaptive behavior and social skills.

Quantifying expert consensus against the existence of a secret, large-scale atmospheric spraying program

Science.gov (United States)

Shearer, Christine; West, Mick; Caldeira, Ken; Davis, Steven J.

2016-08-01

Nearly 17% of people in an international survey said they believed the existence of a secret large-scale atmospheric program (SLAP) to be true or partly true. SLAP is commonly referred to as ‘chemtrails’ or ‘covert geoengineering’, and has led to a number of websites purported to show evidence of widespread chemical spraying linked to negative impacts on human health and the environment. To address these claims, we surveyed two groups of experts—atmospheric chemists with expertize in condensation trails and geochemists working on atmospheric deposition of dust and pollution—to scientifically evaluate for the first time the claims of SLAP theorists. Results show that 76 of the 77 scientists (98.7%) that took part in this study said they had not encountered evidence of a SLAP, and that the data cited as evidence could be explained through other factors, including well-understood physics and chemistry associated with aircraft contrails and atmospheric aerosols. Our goal is not to sway those already convinced that there is a secret, large-scale spraying program—who often reject counter-evidence as further proof of their theories—but rather to establish a source of objective science that can inform public discourse.

Influences of credibility of testimony and strength of statistical evidence on children’s and adolescents’ reasoning

Science.gov (United States)

Kail, Robert V.

2013-01-01

According to dual-process models that include analytic and heuristic modes of processing, analytic processing is often expected to become more common with development. Consistent with this view, on reasoning problems, adolescents are more likely than children to select alternatives that are backed by statistical evidence. It is shown here that this pattern depends on the quality of the statistical evidence and the quality of the testimonial that is the typical alternative to statistical evidence. In Experiment 1, 9- and 13-year-olds (N = 64) were presented with scenarios in which solid statistical evidence was contrasted with casual or expert testimonial evidence. When testimony was casual, children relied on it but adolescents did not; when testimony was expert, both children and adolescents relied on it. In Experiment 2, 9- and 13-year-olds (N = 83) were presented with scenarios in which casual testimonial evidence was contrasted with weak or strong statistical evidence. When statistical evidence was weak, children and adolescents relied on both testimonial and statistical evidence; when statistical evidence was strong, most children and adolescents relied on it. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for dual-process accounts of cognitive development. PMID:23735681

[Summary of the existing knowledge about electronic cigarettes].

Science.gov (United States)

Cselkó, Zsuzsa; Pénzes, Melinda

2016-06-19

The decreasing proportion of smokers due to smoking restrictions have led producers to invent and disseminate electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) worldwide as a new form of nicotine enjoyment. This review summarizes the existing knowledge about e-cigarettes based on publications of PubMed, and on reviews and research data published by national and international scientific institutions. Present knowledge about the composition of e-cigarettes confirms that they are harmful products since their vapor is equally detrimental to the health of users and bystanders. Their benefits in smoking cessation still have not been justified by adequate scientific evidence, however, it has been proven that e-cigarettes uphold nicotine addiction and may increase the risk of starting conventional cigarette use by youth. In order to ensure the results of tobacco control policy and to assist smoking cessation, the same regulations are to be applied to e-cigarettes as to conventional tobacco products.

A rapid evidence assessment of immersive virtual reality as an adjunct therapy in acute pain management in clinical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Garrett, Bernie; Taverner, Tarnia; Masinde, Wendy; Gromala, Diane; Shaw, Chris; Negraeff, Michael

2014-12-01

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) therapy has been explored as an adjunct therapy for the management of acute pain among children and adults for several conditions. Therapeutic approaches have traditionally involved medication and physiotherapy but such approaches are limited over time by their cost and side effects. This review seeks to critically evaluate the evidence for and against IVR as an adjunctive therapy for acute clinical pain applications. A rapid evidence assessment (REA) strategy was used. CINAHL, Medline, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore Digital Library, and the Cochrane Library databases were screened in from December 2012 to March 2013 to identify studies exploring IVR therapies as an intervention to assist in the management of pain. Main outcome measures were for acute pain and functional impairment. Seventeen research studies were included in total including 5 RCTs, 6 randomized crossover studies, 2 case series studies, and 4 single-patient case studies. This included a total of 337 patients. Of these studies only 4 had a low risk of bias. There was strong overall evidence for immediate and short-term pain reduction, whereas moderate evidence was found for short-term effects on physical function. Little evidence exists for longer-term benefits. IVR was not associated with any serious adverse events. This review found moderate evidence for the reduction of pain and functional impairment after IVR in patients with acute pain. Further high-quality studies are required for the conclusive judgment of its effectiveness in acute pain, to establish potential benefits for chronic pain, and for safety.

Use of Evidence from Systematic Reviews to Inform Commissioning Decisions: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, Duncan; Grant, Rod; Warren, Erica; Pearson, Sally-Anne; Wilson, Paul

2012-01-01

Systematic reviews provide high-level evidence but there are barriers to their use by policy makers. This paper reports the preparation and evaluation of an evidence briefing, using systematic reviews and other existing sources of synthesised evidence, to support a possible reorganisation of services for young people with eating disorders in an…

The strong coupling constant: its theoretical derivation from a geometric approach to hadron structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Recami, E.; Tonin-Zanchin, V.

1991-01-01

Since more than a decade, a bi-scale, unified approach to strong and gravitational interactions has been proposed, that uses the geometrical methods of general relativity, and yielded results similar to strong gravity theory's. We fix our attention, in this note, on hadron structure, and show that also the strong interaction strength α s, ordinarily called the (perturbative) coupling-constant square, can be evaluated within our theory, and found to decrease (increase) as the distance r decreases (increases). This yields both the confinement of the hadron constituents for large values of r, and their asymptotic freedom [for small values of r inside the hadron]: in qualitative agreement with the experimental evidence. In other words, our approach leads us, on a purely theoretical ground, to a dependence of α s on r which had been previously found only on phenomenological and heuristical grounds. We expect the above agreement to be also quantitative, on the basis of a few checks performed in this paper, and of further work of ours about calculating meson mass-spectra. (author)

Numerical Calculation of the Phase Space Density for the Strong-Strong Beam-Beam Interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobol, A.; Ellison, J.A.

2003-01-01

We developed a parallel code to calculate the evolution of the 4D phase space density of two colliding beams, which are coupled via the collective strong-strong beam-beam interaction, in the absence of diffusion and damping, using the Perron-Frobenius (PF) operator technique

How Well Can Existing Software Support Processes Accomplish Sustainment of a Non-Developmental Item-Based Acquisition Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

2017-04-06

guidance to the PM regarding development and sustainment of software . The need for a strong application of software engineering principles is...on the battlefield by a government- developed network manager application . The configuration of this confluence of software will be jointly managed...How Well Can Existing Software -Support Processes Accomplish Sustainment of a Non- Developmental Item-Based Acquisition Strategy? Graciano

Three-Dimensional Hermite—Bessel—Gaussian Soliton Clusters in Strongly Nonlocal Media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Hai-Qin; Yi Lin; Liang Jian-Chu; Cai Ze-Bin; Liu Fei

2012-01-01

We analytically and numerically demonstrate the existence of Hermite—Bessel—Gaussian spatial soliton clusters in three-dimensional strongly nonlocal media. It is found that the soliton clusters display the vortex, dipole azimuthon and quadrupole azimuthon in geometry, and the total number of solitons in the necklaces depends on the quantum number n and m of the Hermite functions and generalized Bessel polynomials. The numerical simulation is basically identical to the analytical solution, and white noise does not lead to collapse of the soliton, which confirms the stability of the soliton waves. The theoretical predictions may give new insights into low-energetic spatial soliton transmission with high fidelity

Influences of credibility of testimony and strength of statistical evidence on children's and adolescents' reasoning.

Science.gov (United States)

Kail, Robert V

2013-11-01

According to dual-process models that include analytic and heuristic modes of processing, analytic processing is often expected to become more common with development. Consistent with this view, on reasoning problems, adolescents are more likely than children to select alternatives that are backed by statistical evidence. It is shown here that this pattern depends on the quality of the statistical evidence and the quality of the testimonial that is the typical alternative to statistical evidence. In Experiment 1, 9- and 13-year-olds (N=64) were presented with scenarios in which solid statistical evidence was contrasted with casual or expert testimonial evidence. When testimony was casual, children relied on it but adolescents did not; when testimony was expert, both children and adolescents relied on it. In Experiment 2, 9- and 13-year-olds (N=83) were presented with scenarios in which casual testimonial evidence was contrasted with weak or strong statistical evidence. When statistical evidence was weak, children and adolescents relied on both testimonial and statistical evidence; when statistical evidence was strong, most children and adolescents relied on it. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for dual-process accounts of cognitive development. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Existence theory in optimal control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olech, C.

1976-01-01

This paper treats the existence problem in two main cases. One case is that of linear systems when existence is based on closedness or compactness of the reachable set and the other, non-linear case refers to a situation where for the existence of optimal solutions closedness of the set of admissible solutions is needed. Some results from convex analysis are included in the paper. (author)

Does gender inequality hinder development and economic growth ? evidence and policy implications

OpenAIRE

Bandiera, Oriana; Natraj, Ashwini

2013-01-01

Does the existing evidence support policies that foster growth by reducing gender inequality? The authors argue that the evidence based on differences across countries is of limited use for policy design because it does not identify the causal link from inequality to growth. This, however does not imply that inequality-reducing policies are ineffective. In other words, the lack of evidence...

CLEO-c and CESR-c: A new frontier in strong and weak interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richichi, Stephen J

2003-06-01

We report on the physics potential of a charm and QCD factory, based on a proposal for the conversion of the existing CESR machine and CLEO detector: ''CESR-c and OLEO-c''. Such a facility will make major contributions to the field of quark flavor physics in this decade. It may also provide the best chance for understanding non-perturbative QCD, which is essential to understanding the strongly-coupled sectors of the new physics that lies beyond the Standard Model.

Strongly correlated perovskite fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, You; Guan, Xiaofei; Zhou, Hua; Ramadoss, Koushik; Adam, Suhare; Liu, Huajun; Lee, Sungsik; Shi, Jian; Tsuchiya, Masaru; Fong, Dillon D.; Ramanathan, Shriram

2016-06-01

Fuel cells convert chemical energy directly into electrical energy with high efficiencies and environmental benefits, as compared with traditional heat engines. Yttria-stabilized zirconia is perhaps the material with the most potential as an electrolyte in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), owing to its stability and near-unity ionic transference number. Although there exist materials with superior ionic conductivity, they are often limited by their ability to suppress electronic leakage when exposed to the reducing environment at the fuel interface. Such electronic leakage reduces fuel cell power output and the associated chemo-mechanical stresses can also lead to catastrophic fracture of electrolyte membranes. Here we depart from traditional electrolyte design that relies on cation substitution to sustain ionic conduction. Instead, we use a perovskite nickelate as an electrolyte with high initial ionic and electronic conductivity. Since many such oxides are also correlated electron systems, we can suppress the electronic conduction through a filling-controlled Mott transition induced by spontaneous hydrogen incorporation. Using such a nickelate as the electrolyte in free-standing membrane geometry, we demonstrate a low-temperature micro-fabricated SOFC with high performance. The ionic conductivity of the nickelate perovskite is comparable to the best-performing solid electrolytes in the same temperature range, with a very low activation energy. The results present a design strategy for high-performance materials exhibiting emergent properties arising from strong electron correlations.

Amplification of the flgE gene provides evidence for the existence of a Brazilian borreliosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elenice Mantovani

2012-06-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: The symptoms of Brazilian borreliosis resemble the clinical manifestations of Lyme disease (LD. However, there are differences between the two in terms of epidemiological and laboratory findings. Primers usually employed to diagnose LD have failed to detect Borrelia strains in Brazil. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify the Brazilian Borrelia using a conserved gene that synthesizes the flagellar hook (flgE of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. METHOD: Three patients presenting with erythema migrans and positive epidemiological histories were recruited for the study. Blood samples were collected, and the DNA was extracted by commercial kits. RESULTS: The gene flgE was amplified from DNA of all selected patients. Upon sequencing, these positive samples revealed 99% homology to B. burgdorferi flgE. CONCLUSION: These results support the existence of borreliosis in Brazil. However, it is unclear whether this borreliosis is caused by a genetically modified B. burgdorferi sensu stricto or by a new species of Borrelia spp.

10 CFR 4.127 - Existing facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Existing facilities. 4.127 Section 4.127 Energy NUCLEAR... 1973, as Amended Discriminatory Practices § 4.127 Existing facilities. (a) Accessibility. A recipient... make each of its existing facilities or every part of an existing facility accessible to and usable by...

Evidence for strong intralocus sexual conflict in the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Zenobia; Wedell, Nina; Hunt, John

2011-07-01

Males and females share a genome and express many shared phenotypic traits, which are often selected in opposite directions. This generates intralocus sexual conflict that may constrain trait evolution by preventing the sexes from reaching their optimal phenotype. Furthermore, if present across multiple loci, intralocus sexual conflict can result in a gender load that may diminish the benefits of sexual selection and help maintain genetic variation for fitness. Despite the importance of intralocus sexual conflict, surprisingly few empirical studies conclusively demonstrate its operation. We show that the pattern of multivariate selection acting on three sexually dimorphic life-history traits (development time, body size, and longevity) in the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella, is opposing for the sexes. Moreover, we combined our estimates of selection with the additive genetic variance-covariance matrix (G) to predict the evolutionary response of the life-history traits in the sexes and showed that the angle between the vector of responses and the vector of sexually antagonistic selection was almost orthogonal at 84.70°. Thus, G biases the predicted response of life-history traits in the sexes away from the direction of sexually antagonistic selection, confirming the presence of strong intralocus sexual conflict in this species. Despite this, sexual dimorphism has evolved in all of the life-history traits examined suggesting that mechanism(s) have evolved to resolve this conflict and allow the sexes to reach their life-history optima. We argue that intralocus sexual conflict is likely to play an important role in the evolution of divergent life-history strategies between the sexes in this species. © 2011 The Author(s). Evolution© 2011 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Strongly coupled models at the LHC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vries, Maikel de

2014-10-01

physics and direct searches at the LHC. These tests provide stringent limits on f and the parameter space is slowly driven into the TeV range. Furthermore, a strategy on how to optimise present supersymmetry searches for the Littlest Higgs model with T-parity is presented, with the goal to improve the constraints and yield more stringent limits on f. Finally, the robustness of translating effective operator constraints to beyond the Standard Model (BSM) theories is treated and turns out to crucially depend on the mass and coupling of BSM particles. This is especially relevant for hadron colliders where the partonic centre of mass energy is around the typical energy scales of natural BSM theories. The caveats in applying limits from effective operators are discussed using Z' and G' models, illustrating the effects for a large class of models. This analysis shows that the applicability of effective operators mainly depends on the ratio of the transfer energy in the events and the mass scale of the full theory. Moreover, based on these results a method is developed to recast existing experimental limits on effective operators to the full theory parameter space. It is concluded that strongly coupled models of electroweak symmetry breaking are still natural and compatible with LHC results. Moreover, these types of models provide new and interesting final state topologies for experimental searches at the LHC. For the high energy runs of the LHC these new searches will prove useful in determining the faith of composite models and maybe thereby the origin of electroweak symmetry breaking.

Strong effects of ionizing radiation from Chernobyl on mutation rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Møller, Anders Pape; Mousseau, Timothy A

2015-02-10

In this paper we use a meta-analysis to examine the relationship between radiation and mutation rates in Chernobyl across 45 published studies, covering 30 species. Overall effect size of radiation on mutation rates estimated as Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient was very large (E = 0.67; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.59 to 0.73), accounting for 44.3% of the total variance in an unstructured random-effects model. Fail-safe calculations reflecting the number of unpublished null results needed to eliminate this average effect size showed the extreme robustness of this finding (Rosenberg's method: 4135 at p = 0.05). Indirect tests did not provide any evidence of publication bias. The effect of radiation on mutations varied among taxa, with plants showing a larger effect than animals. Humans were shown to have intermediate sensitivity of mutations to radiation compared to other species. Effect size did not decrease over time, providing no evidence for an improvement in environmental conditions. The surprisingly high mean effect size suggests a strong impact of radioactive contamination on individual fitness in current and future generations, with potentially significant population-level consequences, even beyond the area contaminated with radioactive material.

Bayesian evidences for dark energy models in light of current observational data

Science.gov (United States)

Lonappan, Anto. I.; Kumar, Sumit; Ruchika; Dinda, Bikash R.; Sen, Anjan A.

2018-02-01

We do a comprehensive study of the Bayesian evidences for a large number of dark energy models using a combination of latest cosmological data from SNIa, CMB, BAO, strong lensing time delay, growth measurements, measurements of Hubble parameter at different redshifts and measurements of angular diameter distance by Megamaser Cosmology Project. We consider a variety of scalar field models with different potentials as well as different parametrizations for the dark energy equation of state. Among 21 models that we consider in our study, we do not find strong evidences in favor of any evolving dark energy model compared to Λ CDM . For the evolving dark energy models, we show that purely nonphantom models have much better evidences compared to those models that allow both phantom and nonphantom behaviors. Canonical scalar field with exponential and tachyon field with square potential have highest evidences among all the models considered in this work. We also show that a combination of low redshift measurements decisively favors an accelerating Λ CDM model compared to a nonaccelerating power law model.

Strongly coupled band in {sup 140}Gd

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Falla-Sotelo, F.; Oliveira, J.R.B.; Rao, M.N. [Instituto de Fisica, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo (Brazil)] (and others)

2005-07-01

Several high-K states are known to exist in the mass 130-140 region. For the N=74 even-even isotopes, K{pi} = 8{sup -} isomers, with lifetimes ranging from ns to ms, are known in {sup 128}Xe, {sup 130}Ba, {sup 132}Ce, {sup 134}Nd, {sup 136}Sm, and {sup 138}Gd[. In {sup 140}Gd, we have observed for the first time a band also based on an I{pi} = 8{sup -} state. This could be the first case of a K{pi} = 8{sup -} state observed in an N=76 even-even isotope. The systematics of the K{pi} = 8{sup -} isomeric states in N=74 isotopes has been studied by A.M. Bruce et al. These states decay towards the K = 0 ground state band, and the transitions are K-forbidden. The {sup 140}Gd case presents strong similarities but also some significant differences with relation to the N=74 isotopes. We propose the same configuration but with larger deformation in {sup 140}Gd.

The Obstruction criterion for non existence of Invariant Circles and Renormalization.

CERN Document Server

De la Llave, R

2003-01-01

We formulate a conjecture which supplements the standard renormalization scenario for the breakdown of golden circle in twist maps. We show rigorously that if the conjecture was true then: a) The stable manifold of the non-trivial fixed point would indeed be a boundary between the existence of smooth invariant tori and hyperbolic orbits with golden mean rotation number. In particular, the boundary of the set of twist maps with a torus with a golden mean rotation number would include a smooth submanifold in the space of analytic mappings. b) The obstruction criterion of [Olvera-Simo] would be sharp in the universality class of the renormalization group. c) The criterion of [Greene-79] for existence of invariant circles if and only if there the residues of approximating orbits are finite would be valid for maps in the universality class. d) If there is no invariant circle, there are hyperbolic sets with golden mean rotation number. We also provide numerical evidence which suggests that the conjecture is true an...

Gravity does not exist a puzzle for the 21st century

CERN Document Server

Icke, Vincent

2014-01-01

Every scientific fact begins as an opinion about the unknown—a theory—that becomes fact as evidence piles up to support it. But what if two theories exist that correspond perfectly to observed phenomena and they cannot be reconciled with each other? Can theory become fact? Such is the dilemma in contemporary physics. In seeking to understand the mechanisms of the universe, physicists have arrived at two conflicting theories: one explains the mystery of gravity through a precise model of space and time, and the other explains the mystery of matter via the behavior of quantum particles. Each theory reigns in its own domain. But 13.8 billion years ago, when the universe first came into being, gravity and matter belonged to a single realm. Can these theories be united, and if so, what facts will be revealed? This, contends Vincent Icke, is the central puzzle facing physics in our century. Combining Icke’s expertise with a robust argument and intellectual playfulness, Gravity Does Not Exist makes a notorious...

Virtuous States and Virtuous Traits: How the Empirical Evidence Regarding the Existence of Broad Traits Saves Virtue Ethics from the Situationist Critique

Science.gov (United States)

Jayawickreme, Eranda; Meindl, Peter; Helzer, Erik G.; Furr, R. Michael; Fleeson, William

2014-01-01

A major objection to the study of virtue asserts that the empirical psychological evidence implies traits have little meaningful impact on behavior, as slight changes in situational characteristics appear to lead to large changes in virtuous behavior. We argue in response that the critical evidence is not these effects of situations observed in…

Qigong in Cancer Care: Theory, Evidence-Base, and Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Penelope Klein

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The purpose of this discussion is to explore the theory, evidence base, and practice of Qigong for individuals with cancer. Questions addressed are: What is qigong? How does it work? What evidence exists supporting its practice in integrative oncology? What barriers to wide-spread programming access exist? Methods: Sources for this discussion include a review of scholarly texts, the Internet, PubMed, field observations, and expert opinion. Results: Qigong is a gentle, mind/body exercise integral within Chinese medicine. Theoretical foundations include Chinese medicine energy theory, psychoneuroimmunology, the relaxation response, the meditation effect, and epigenetics. Research supports positive effects on quality of life (QOL, fatigue, immune function and cortisol levels, and cognition for individuals with cancer. There is indirect, scientific evidence suggesting that qigong practice may positively influence cancer prevention and survival. No one Qigong exercise regimen has been established as superior. Effective protocols do have common elements: slow mindful exercise, easy to learn, breath regulation, meditation, emphasis on relaxation, and energy cultivation including mental intent and self-massage. Conclusions: Regular practice of Qigong exercise therapy has the potential to improve cancer-related QOL and is indirectly linked to cancer prevention and survival. Wide-spread access to quality Qigong in cancer care programming may be challenged by the availability of existing programming and work force capacity.

Strong gravity and supersymmetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chamseddine, Ali H.; Salam, A.; Strathdee, J.

1977-11-01

A supersymmetric theory is constructed for a strong f plus a weak g graviton, together with their accompanying massive gravitinos, by gaugin the gradel 0Sp(2,2,1)x 0Sp(2,2,1) structure. The mixing term between f and g fields, which makes the strong graviton massive, can be introduced through a spontaneous symmetry-breaking mechanism implemented in this note by constructing a non-linear realization of the symmetry group

A scenario for inflationary magnetogenesis without strong coupling problem

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tasinato, Gianmassimo [Department of Physics, Swansea University,Swansea, SA2 8PP (United Kingdom); Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth,Portsmouth, PO1 3FX (United Kingdom)

2015-03-23

Cosmological magnetic fields pervade the entire universe, from small to large scales. Since they apparently extend into the intergalactic medium, it is tantalizing to believe that they have a primordial origin, possibly being produced during inflation. However, finding consistent scenarios for inflationary magnetogenesis is a challenging theoretical problem. The requirements to avoid an excessive production of electromagnetic energy, and to avoid entering a strong coupling regime characterized by large values for the electromagnetic coupling constant, typically allow one to generate only a tiny amplitude of magnetic field during inflation. We propose a scenario for building gauge-invariant models of inflationary magnetogenesis potentially free from these issues. The idea is to derivatively couple a dynamical scalar, not necessarily the inflaton, to fermionic and electromagnetic fields during the inflationary era. Such couplings give additional freedom to control the time-dependence of the electromagnetic coupling constant during inflation. This fact allows us to find conditions to avoid the strong coupling problems that affect many of the existing models of magnetogenesis. We do not need to rely on a particular inflationary set-up for developing our scenario, that might be applied to different realizations of inflation. On the other hand, specific requirements have to be imposed on the dynamics of the scalar derivatively coupled to fermions and electromagnetism, that we are able to satisfy in an explicit realization of our proposal.

A scenario for inflationary magnetogenesis without strong coupling problem

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tasinato, Gianmassimo, E-mail: gianmassimo.tasinato@port.ac.uk [Department of Physics, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP U.K. (United Kingdom)

2015-03-01

Cosmological magnetic fields pervade the entire universe, from small to large scales. Since they apparently extend into the intergalactic medium, it is tantalizing to believe that they have a primordial origin, possibly being produced during inflation. However, finding consistent scenarios for inflationary magnetogenesis is a challenging theoretical problem. The requirements to avoid an excessive production of electromagnetic energy, and to avoid entering a strong coupling regime characterized by large values for the electromagnetic coupling constant, typically allow one to generate only a tiny amplitude of magnetic field during inflation. We propose a scenario for building gauge-invariant models of inflationary magnetogenesis potentially free from these issues. The idea is to derivatively couple a dynamical scalar, not necessarily the inflaton, to fermionic and electromagnetic fields during the inflationary era. Such couplings give additional freedom to control the time-dependence of the electromagnetic coupling constant during inflation. This fact allows us to find conditions to avoid the strong coupling problems that affect many of the existing models of magnetogenesis. We do not need to rely on a particular inflationary set-up for developing our scenario, that might be applied to different realizations of inflation. On the other hand, specific requirements have to be imposed on the dynamics of the scalar derivatively coupled to fermions and electromagnetism, that we are able to satisfy in an explicit realization of our proposal.

PREFACE: Strongly correlated electron systems Strongly correlated electron systems

Science.gov (United States)

Saxena, Siddharth S.; Littlewood, P. B.

2012-07-01

This special section is dedicated to the Strongly Correlated Electron Systems Conference (SCES) 2011, which was held from 29 August-3 September 2011, in Cambridge, UK. SCES'2011 is dedicated to 100 years of superconductivity and covers a range of topics in the area of strongly correlated systems. The correlated electronic and magnetic materials featured include f-electron based heavy fermion intermetallics and d-electron based transition metal compounds. The selected papers derived from invited presentations seek to deepen our understanding of the rich physical phenomena that arise from correlation effects. The focus is on quantum phase transitions, non-Fermi liquid phenomena, quantum magnetism, unconventional superconductivity and metal-insulator transitions. Both experimental and theoretical work is presented. Based on fundamental advances in the understanding of electronic materials, much of 20th century materials physics was driven by miniaturisation and integration in the electronics industry to the current generation of nanometre scale devices. The achievements of this industry have brought unprecedented advances to society and well-being, and no doubt there is much further to go—note that this progress is founded on investments and studies in the fundamentals of condensed matter physics from more than 50 years ago. Nevertheless, the defining challenges for the 21st century will lie in the discovery in science, and deployment through engineering, of technologies that can deliver the scale needed to have an impact on the sustainability agenda. Thus the big developments in nanotechnology may lie not in the pursuit of yet smaller transistors, but in the design of new structures that can revolutionise the performance of solar cells, batteries, fuel cells, light-weight structural materials, refrigeration, water purification, etc. The science presented in the papers of this special section also highlights the underlying interest in energy-dense materials, which

A framework for developing an evidence-based, comprehensive tobacco control program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shacham Galia

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Tobacco control is an area where the translation of evidence into policy would seem to be straightforward, given the wealth of epidemiological, behavioural and other types of research available. Yet, even here challenges exist. These include information overload, concealment of key (industry-funded evidence, contextualization, assessment of population impact, and the changing nature of the threat. Methods In the context of Israel's health targeting initiative, Healthy Israel 2020, we describe the steps taken to develop a comprehensive tobacco control strategy. We elaborate on the following: a scientific issues influencing the choice of tobacco control strategies; b organization of existing evidence of effectiveness of interventions into a manageable form, and c consideration of relevant philosophical and political issues. We propose a framework for developing a plan and illustrate this process with a case study in Israel. Results Broad consensus exists regarding the effectiveness of most interventions, but current recommendations differ in the emphasis they place on different strategies. Scientific challenges include integration of complex and sometimes conflicting information from authoritative sources, and lack of estimates of population impact of interventions. Philosophical and political challenges include the use of evidence-based versus innovative policymaking, the importance of individual versus governmental responsibility, and whether and how interventions should be prioritized. The proposed framework includes: 1 compilation of a list of potential interventions 2 modification of that list based on local needs and political constraints; 3 streamlining the list by categorizing interventions into broad groupings of related interventions; together these groupings form the basis of a comprehensive plan; and 4 refinement of the plan by comparing it to existing comprehensive plans. Conclusions Development of a comprehensive

A framework for developing an evidence-based, comprehensive tobacco control program.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, Laura; Rosenberg, Elliot; McKee, Martin; Gan-Noy, Shosh; Levin, Diane; Mayshar, Elana; Shacham, Galia; Borowski, John; Nun, Gabi Bin; Lev, Boaz

2010-05-27

Tobacco control is an area where the translation of evidence into policy would seem to be straightforward, given the wealth of epidemiological, behavioural and other types of research available. Yet, even here challenges exist. These include information overload, concealment of key (industry-funded) evidence, contextualization, assessment of population impact, and the changing nature of the threat. In the context of Israel's health targeting initiative, Healthy Israel 2020, we describe the steps taken to develop a comprehensive tobacco control strategy. We elaborate on the following: a) scientific issues influencing the choice of tobacco control strategies; b) organization of existing evidence of effectiveness of interventions into a manageable form, and c) consideration of relevant philosophical and political issues. We propose a framework for developing a plan and illustrate this process with a case study in Israel. Broad consensus exists regarding the effectiveness of most interventions, but current recommendations differ in the emphasis they place on different strategies. Scientific challenges include integration of complex and sometimes conflicting information from authoritative sources, and lack of estimates of population impact of interventions. Philosophical and political challenges include the use of evidence-based versus innovative policymaking, the importance of individual versus governmental responsibility, and whether and how interventions should be prioritized.The proposed framework includes: 1) compilation of a list of potential interventions 2) modification of that list based on local needs and political constraints; 3) streamlining the list by categorizing interventions into broad groupings of related interventions; together these groupings form the basis of a comprehensive plan; and 4) refinement of the plan by comparing it to existing comprehensive plans. Development of a comprehensive tobacco control plan is a complex endeavour, involving

International symposium on seismic evaluation of existing nuclear facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Orbovic, N.; Bouchon, M. [Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, IRSN, 92 - Fontenay aux Roses (France); Vendel, J.; Gelain, T. [IRSN/DPEA/SERAC, 91 - Gif sur Yvette (France)

2003-10-01

Below are summarized the works of Mrs N. Orbovic and M. Bouchon; B. Stojadinovic, N. Orbovic, M.Bouchon and J.T. Wiley; M. Bouchon, N. Orbovic and B. Foure; T. Gelain, F. Gensdarmes, R. Sestier-Carlin, J. Vendel and M. Bouchon dealing respectively with: 1) seismic assessment of existing nuclear facility: a case study position of the IRSN 2) static and dynamic evaluation of an existing nuclear facility reinforced concrete frame structure 3) experimental study of cracking of low-rise reinforced concrete shear walls 4) aeraulics study of crack networks on low-rise reinforced concrete walls subject to static cycling loading. The summaries are followed: 1) The Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) has the task of evaluating the seismic safety of existing building inventory in French nuclear facilities. Some of the existing structures are reinforced concrete frame buildings with masonry or reinforced concrete in-fill walls built during the 1960's, 70's and 80's following different building codes and seismic input data applicable at the time of construction. The studied building is a laboratory that was built in 1962. The building is composed of three different and independent blocks. The structure is a reinforced concrete frame with masonry in-fills and few stiff concrete elements. Moreover, the building contains an independent massive concrete cell. Structurally, the building has a number of irregularities. From the detailing standpoint, well known deficiencies of low-ductile reinforced concrete structures are evident especially, a lack of transverse reinforcement in the structural joints of the frame. A number of sensitivity studies were conducted using 2D and 3D linear models to evaluate seismic demand. Ambient vibration and regional earthquake records were used to check the soil nature and the existence or not of a possible site effect around the installation as well as to characterize the dynamic behavior of the building. 3D models

Methods for prediction of strong earthquake ground motion. Final technical report, October 1, 1976--September 30, 1977

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trifunac, M.D.

1977-09-01

The purpose of this report is to summarize the results of the work on characterization of strong earthquake ground motion. The objective of this effort has been to initiate presentation of simple yet detailed methodology for characterization of strong earthquake ground motion for use in licensing and evaluation of operating Nuclear Power Plants. This report will emphasize the simplicity of the methodology by presenting only the end results in a format that may be useful for the development of the site specific criteria in seismic risk analysis, for work on the development of modern standards and regulatory guides, and for re-evaluation of the existing power plant sites

Strong Ideal Convergence in Probabilistic Metric Spaces

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

In the present paper we introduce the concepts of strongly ideal convergent sequence and strong ideal Cauchy sequence in a probabilistic metric (PM) space endowed with the strong topology, and establish some basic facts. Next, we define the strong ideal limit points and the strong ideal cluster points of a sequence in this ...

Evidence-based librarianship: what might we expect in the years ahead?

Science.gov (United States)

Eldredge, Jonathan D

2002-06-01

To predict the possible accomplishments of the Evidence-Based Librarianship (EBL) movement by the years 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020. Predictive. The author draws upon recent events, relevant historical events and anecdotal accounts to detect evidence of predictable trends. The author develops a set of probable predictions for the development of EBL. Although incomplete evidence exists, some trends still seem discernible. By 2020, EBL will have become indistinguishable from mainstream health sciences librarianship/informatics practices.

Object permanence in young infants: further evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Baillargeon, R; DeVos, J

1991-12-01

Recent evidence suggests that 4.5- and even 3.5-month-old infants realize that objects continue to exist when hidden. The goal of the present experiments was to obtain converging evidence of object permanence in young infants. Experiments were conducted using paradigms previously used to demonstrate object permanence in 5.5-month-old infants and 6.5-month-old infants. In one experiment, 3.5-month-old infants watched a short or a tall carrot slide along a track. The track's center was hidden by a screen with a large window in its upper half. The short carrot was shorter than the window's lower edge and so did not appear in the window when passing behind the screen; the tall carrot was taller than the window's lower edge and hence should have appeared in the window but did not. The infants looked reliably longer at the tall than at the short carrot event, suggesting that they (a) represented the existence, height, and trajectory of each carrot behind the screen and (b) expected the tall carrot to appear in the screen window and were surprised that it did not. Control trials supported this interpretation. In another experiment, 4.0-month-old infants saw a toy car roll along a track that was partly hidden by a screen. A large toy mouse was placed behind the screen, either on top or in back of the track. The female infants looked reliably longer when the mouse stood on top as opposed to in back of the track, suggesting that they (a) represented the existence and trajectory of the car behind the screen, (b) represented the existence and location of the mouse behind the screen, and (c) were surprised to see the car reappear from behind the screen when the mouse stood in its path. A second experiment supported this interpretation. The results of these experiments provide further evidence that infants aged 3.5 months and older are able to represent and to reason about hidden objects.

Path-integral calculation of the density of states in heavily doped strongly compensated semiconductors in a magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koinov, Z.G.; Yanchev, I.Y.

1981-09-01

The density of states in heavily doped strongly compansated semiconductors in a strong magnetic field is calculated by using the path-integral method. The case is considered when correlation exists in the impurity positions owing to the Coulomb interactions between the charged donors and acceptors during the high-temperature preparation of the samples. The semiclassical formula is rederived and corrections to it due to the long-range character of the potential and its short-range fluctuations are obtained. The density of states in the tail is studied and analytical results are given in the classical and quantum cases. (author)

Debunking vaccination myths: strong risk negations can increase perceived vaccination risks.

Science.gov (United States)

Betsch, Cornelia; Sachse, Katharina

2013-02-01

Information about risks is often contradictory, especially in the health domain. A vast amount of bizarre information on vaccine-adverse events (VAE) can be found on the Internet; most are posted by antivaccination activists. Several actors in the health sector struggle against these statements by negating claimed risks with scientific explanations. The goal of the present work is to find optimal ways of negating risk to decrease risk perceptions. In two online experiments, we varied the extremity of risk negations and their source. Perception of the probability of VAE, their expected severity (both variables serve as indicators of perceived risk), and vaccination intentions. Paradoxically, messages strongly indicating that there is "no risk" led to a higher perceived vaccination risk than weak negations. This finding extends previous work on the negativity bias, which has shown that information stating the presence of risk decreases risk perceptions, while information negating the existence of risk increases such perceptions. Several moderators were also tested; however, the effect occurred independently of the number of negations, recipient involvement, and attitude. Solely the credibility of the information source interacted with the extremity of risk negation: For credible sources (governmental institutions), strong and weak risk negations lead to similar perceived risk, while for less credible sources (pharmaceutical industries) weak negations lead to less perceived risk than strong negations. Optimal risk negation may profit from moderate rather than extreme formulations as a source's trustworthiness can vary.

Variation, certainty, evidence, and change in dental education: employing evidence-based dentistry in dental education.

Science.gov (United States)

Marinho, V C; Richards, D; Niederman, R

2001-05-01

Variation in health care, and more particularly in dental care, was recently chronicled in a Readers Digest investigative report. The conclusions of this report are consistent with sound scientific studies conducted in various areas of health care, including dental care, which demonstrate substantial variation in the care provided to patients. This variation in care parallels the certainty with which clinicians and faculty members often articulate strongly held, but very different opinions. Using a case-based dental scenario, we present systematic evidence-based methods for accessing dental health care information, evaluating this information for validity and importance, and using this information to make informed curricular and clinical decisions. We also discuss barriers inhibiting these systematic approaches to evidence-based clinical decision making and methods for effectively promoting behavior change in health care professionals.

Engaging Military Fathers in a Reflective Parenting Program: Lessons from Strong Families Strong Forces

Science.gov (United States)

DeVoe, Ellen R.; Paris, Ruth

2015-01-01

Through Strong Families Strong Forces, a reflective parenting program for military families with young children, we were privileged to work with contemporary military fathers who served in the post-9/11 conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Due to this work, the authors gained valuable insight into the complexity of fathering during wartime, the…

Discovery of a strong soft X-ray excess in Mkn 335 -evidence for an accretion disc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pounds, K.A.; Stanger, V.J.; Turner, T.J.; King, A.R.; Czerny, B.

1987-01-01

EXOSAT observations of Mkn 335 reveal a hard power-law spectrum above approx. 1 keV, typical for Seyfert 1 galaxies, but with unusually strong variability on time-scales of approx. 1-2 hr. In addition an intense soft X-ray component is found to dominate the overall spectrum of Mkn 335 below approx. 0.6 keV. Both soft and hard components increased in strength by a factor approx. 6 between 1983 November and 1984 December. These observations are discussed in terms of models in which an accretion disc feeds a central massive black hole. It is found that radiation pressure only allows a thermal origin for the soft X-radiation if the black hole mass is 7 solar masses, as suggested also by the observed variability time-scale. (author)

Bitcoin Meets Strong Consistency

OpenAIRE

Decker, Christian; Seidel, Jochen; Wattenhofer, Roger

2014-01-01

The Bitcoin system only provides eventual consistency. For everyday life, the time to confirm a Bitcoin transaction is prohibitively slow. In this paper we propose a new system, built on the Bitcoin blockchain, which enables strong consistency. Our system, PeerCensus, acts as a certification authority, manages peer identities in a peer-to-peer network, and ultimately enhances Bitcoin and similar systems with strong consistency. Our extensive analysis shows that PeerCensus is in a secure state...

Strong Statistical Convergence in Probabilistic Metric Spaces

OpenAIRE

Şençimen, Celaleddin; Pehlivan, Serpil

2008-01-01

In this article, we introduce the concepts of strongly statistically convergent sequence and strong statistically Cauchy sequence in a probabilistic metric (PM) space endowed with the strong topology, and establish some basic facts. Next, we define the strong statistical limit points and the strong statistical cluster points of a sequence in this space and investigate the relations between these concepts.

Corporate Governance Against Recommendations: The Cases of the Strong Executive and the Strong Ownership

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Král Pavel

2012-09-01

Full Text Available There are several basic configurations of corporate governance according to the separation of ownership and control (Jensen’s theory. Effective governance is described as a situation whenan owner (or group of owners keeps the right to ratify and monitor strategic decisions while management has the right to initiate and implement those decisions. There are two particular situations how this recommendation is partially broken and both situations are linked to CEO duality. The first case happens when an owner loses or does not exercise the right to monitor management of the organization and is termed as the strong executive. The second case is calledthe strong ownership and is distinguished by an owner taking over implementations of the decisions. The focus of the study was to explore particularly configurations of the strong executive and the strong governance. A mixed method research design was chosen to explore the differences between the basic governance configurations. The sample was chosen by purposive sampling and covered a hundred for-profit organizations of all size and from all sectors of economy.The data were collected through interviews with representatives, mainly members of top management. We revealed that both of these configurations can bear good corporate performance but also bigger risks. The strong executive is typical for organizations with dispersed ownership or a publicly owned organization and the performance of the organization is fully dependent on competencies but also personalities of managers. This configuration contains a high risk of misuse of authority. The strong ownership is effective in small organizations while in a larger organization leads to an overexertion of owners and low performance because they usually faceproblems to keep focus on the strategic issues of the organization.

Interaction of N-hydroxyurea with strong proton donors: HCl and HF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sałdyka, Magdalena

2014-01-01

Highlights: • 1:1 and 1:2 N-hydroxyurea complexes with HCl and HF are trapped in argon matrices. • The complexes are stabilized by strong X–H⋯O bond. • Hydrogen bonds in the cyclic 1:2 complexes show strong cooperativity. • The C=O group is the strongest proton acceptor centre in the N-hydroxyurea molecule. - Abstract: An infrared spectroscopic and MP2/6-311++G(2d,2p) study of strong hydrogen bonded complexes of N-hydroxyurea (NH 2 CONHOH) with hydrogen halides (HCl and HF) trapped in solid argon matrices is reported. 1:1 and 1:2 complexes between N-hydroxyurea and hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride have been identified in the NH 2 CONHOH/HCl/Ar, NH 2 CONHOH/HF/Ar matrices, respectively; their structures were determined by comparison of the spectra with the results of calculations. In the 1:1 complexes, identified for both hydrogen halide molecules, the cyclic structure stabilized by the X–H⋯O and N–H⋯X bonds is present; for the NH 2 CONHOH⋯HF system another isomeric 1:1 complex is also observed. Two 1:2 complexes were identified for the N-hydroxyurea–hydrogen chloride system characterised by the Cl–H⋯O and N–H⋯Cl bonds. The results of the study evidence that N-hydroxyurea is an oxygen base in the gas-phase with the carbonyl group as the strongest proton acceptor centre in the molecule

Interaction of N-hydroxyurea with strong proton donors: HCl and HF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sałdyka, Magdalena, E-mail: magdalena.saldyka@chem.uni.wroc.pl

2014-11-24

Highlights: • 1:1 and 1:2 N-hydroxyurea complexes with HCl and HF are trapped in argon matrices. • The complexes are stabilized by strong X–H⋯O bond. • Hydrogen bonds in the cyclic 1:2 complexes show strong cooperativity. • The C=O group is the strongest proton acceptor centre in the N-hydroxyurea molecule. - Abstract: An infrared spectroscopic and MP2/6-311++G(2d,2p) study of strong hydrogen bonded complexes of N-hydroxyurea (NH{sub 2}CONHOH) with hydrogen halides (HCl and HF) trapped in solid argon matrices is reported. 1:1 and 1:2 complexes between N-hydroxyurea and hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride have been identified in the NH{sub 2}CONHOH/HCl/Ar, NH{sub 2}CONHOH/HF/Ar matrices, respectively; their structures were determined by comparison of the spectra with the results of calculations. In the 1:1 complexes, identified for both hydrogen halide molecules, the cyclic structure stabilized by the X–H⋯O and N–H⋯X bonds is present; for the NH{sub 2}CONHOH⋯HF system another isomeric 1:1 complex is also observed. Two 1:2 complexes were identified for the N-hydroxyurea–hydrogen chloride system characterised by the Cl–H⋯O and N–H⋯Cl bonds. The results of the study evidence that N-hydroxyurea is an oxygen base in the gas-phase with the carbonyl group as the strongest proton acceptor centre in the molecule.

Applying an Evidence-Based Framework to the Early Childhood Coaching Literature

Science.gov (United States)

Artman-Meeker, Kathleen; Fettig, Angel; Barton, Erin E.; Penney, Ashley; Zeng, Songtian

2015-01-01

Professional development (PD) is a critical pathway for promoting the use of evidence-based intervention practices in early childhood (EC) settings. Coaching has been proposed as a type of PD that is especially promising for job-embedded learning. A lack of consensus exists regarding evidence-based EC coaching strategies and what types of support…

Strong field effects on binary systems in Einstein-aether theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foster, Brendan Z.

2007-01-01

'Einstein-aether' theory is a generally covariant theory of gravity containing a dynamical preferred frame. This article continues an examination of effects on the motion of binary pulsar systems in this theory, by incorporating effects due to strong fields in the vicinity of neutron star pulsars. These effects are included through an effective approach, by treating the compact bodies as point particles with nonstandard, velocity dependent interactions parametrized by dimensionless sensitivities. Effective post-Newtonian equations of motion for the bodies and the radiation damping rate are determined. More work is needed to calculate values of the sensitivities for a given fluid source; therefore, precise constraints on the theory's coupling constants cannot yet be stated. It is shown, however, that strong field effects will be negligible given current observational uncertainties if the dimensionless couplings are less than roughly 0.1 and two conditions that match the PPN parameters to those of pure general relativity are imposed. In this case, weak field results suffice. There then exists a one-parameter family of Einstein-aether theories with 'small-enough' couplings that passes all current observational tests. No conclusion can be reached for larger couplings until the sensitivities for a given source can be calculated

Structural evolution during fragile-to-strong transition in CuZr(Al) glass-forming liquids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhou, C.; Hu, L.N.; Sun, Q.J.

2015-01-01

In the present work, we show experimental evidence for the dynamic fragile-to-strong (F-S) transition in a series of CuZr(Al) glass-forming liquids (GFLs). A detailed analysis of the dynamics of 98 glass-forming liquids indicates that the F-S transition occurs around Tf-s ≈ 1.36 Tg. Using...... the hyperquenching-annealing-x-ray scattering approach, we have observed a three-stage evolution pattern of medium-range ordering (MRO) structures during the F-S transition, indicating a dramatic change of the MRO clusters around Tf-s upon cooling. The F-S transition in CuZr(Al) GFLs is attributed to the competition...... among the MRO clusters composed of different locally ordering configurations. A phenomenological scenario has been proposed to explain the structural evolution from the fragile to the strong phase in the CuZr(Al) GFLs....

Belief and disbelief in the existence of genetic risk factors for suicide: cross-cultural comparisons.

Science.gov (United States)

Voracek, Martin