Potential advantages of solar electric propulsion for outer planet orbiters.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sauer, C. G.; Atkins, K. L.

1972-01-01

Past studies of solar electric propulsion for outer planet orbiters have generally emphasized the advantages of flight time reduction and payload increases. However, several subtle advantages exist, which may become important in an environment of increasingly difficult requirements as ways to extend current technology are sought. These advantages accrue primarily because of the inherent capability, unique to electric propulsion, to efficiently shape a trajectory while enroute. Stressed in this paper are: the ability to meet orbital constraints due to assumed radiation belts, science flexibility in a dual launch program, increased numbers of observational passes, and the lengthening of launch periods. These are examined for years representative of relatively easy and difficult ballistic missions. The results indicate that an early investment in solar electric technology will provide a strong performance foundation for a long range outer planet exploration program which evolves from current spacecraft technology.

The Esophageal Anastomotic Stricture Index (EASI) for the management of esophageal atresia.

PubMed

Sun, Linda Yi-Chan; Laberge, Jean-Martin; Yousef, Yasmine; Baird, Robert

2015-01-01

Anastomotic stricture is the most common complication following repair of esophageal atresia. An Esophageal Anastomotic Stricture Index (EASI) based on the postoperative esophagram may identify patients at high risk of stricture formation. Digital images of early postoperative esophagrams of patients undergoing EA repair from 2005 to 2013 were assessed. Demographics and outcomes including dilations were prospectively collected. Upper (U-EASI) and lower (L-EASI) pouch ratios were generated using stricture diameter divided by maximal respective pouch diameter. Score performances were evaluated with area under the receiver operator curves (AUC) and the Fisher's exact test for single and multiple (>3) dilatations. Interrater agreement was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Forty-five patients had esophagrams analyzed; 28 (62%) required dilatation and 19 received >3 (42%). U-EASI and L-EASI ratios ranged from 0.17 to 0.70, with L-EASI outperforming the U-EASI as follows: L-EASI AUC: 0.66 for a single dilatation, 0.65 for >3 dilatations; U-EASI AUC: 0.56 for a single dilatation, 0.67 for >3 dilatations. All patients with an L-EASI ratio of ≤0.30 (n=8) required multiple esophageal dilatations, p=0.0006. The interrater ICC was 0.87. The EASI is a simple, reproducible tool to predict the development and severity of anastomotic stricture after esophageal atresia repair and can direct postoperative surveillance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Future home hemodialysis - advantages of the NxStage System One.

PubMed

Takahashi, Susumu

2012-01-01

To improve the quality of life (QOL) of patients with renal failure who are on dialysis, we have been working to promote home hemodialysis (HHD), but it has not come into widespread use at present because of various problems, including limitations of the equipment, the large proportion of elderly patients, and difficulty performing self-care. With regard to problems with the equipment, dialysis equipment for home use has not yet been approved in Japan, so equipment designed for medical facilities has to be used for home dialysis. Such equipment is bulky and occupies living space, as well as involving the cost of home renovation and the need for a caregiver. The NxStage System One (NSO) artificial kidney has served advantages for HHD compared with conventional equipment, since it is compact, portable, and easy to operate (especially for preparation and cleaning), does not require a water supply, occupies less living space, and reduces the need for renovation of the home. Other advantages of the NSO include improvement of QOL by saving time travelling to hospitals and helping patients to participate in social activities. In addition, HHD with the NSO can improve sleep disorders, the restless legs syndrome, and depressive symptoms, resulting in a good outcome. Moreover, HHD with the NSO reduces the need for drugs, such as antihypertensive medications and erythropoietin, possibly leading to saving of healthcare costs. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Construction of an easy-to-use CRISPR-Cas9 system by patching a newly designed EXIT circuit.

PubMed

Tang, Qiang; Lou, Chunbo; Liu, Shuang-Jiang

2017-01-01

Plasmid-borne genetic editing tools, including the widely used CRISPR-Cas9 system, have greatly facilitated bacterial programming to obtain novel functionalities. However, the lack of effective post-editing plasmid elimination methods impedes follow-up genetic manipulation or application. Conventional strategies including exposure to physical and chemical treatments, or exploiting temperature-sensitive replication origins have several drawbacks (e.g., they are limited for efficiency and are time-consuming). Therefore, the demand is apparent for easy and rapid elimination of the tool plasmids from their bacterial hosts after genetic manipulation. To bridge this gap, we designed a novel EXIT circuit with the homing endonuclease, which can be exploited for rapid and efficient elimination of various plasmids with diverse replication origins. As a proof of concept, we validated the EXIT circuit in Escherichia coli by harnessing homing endonuclease I- Sce I and its cleavage site. When integrated into multiple plasmids with different origins, the EXIT circuit allowed them to be eliminated from the host cells, simultaneously. By combining the widely used plasmid-borne CRISPR-Cas9 system and the EXIT circuit, we constructed an easy-to-use CRISPR-Cas9 system that eliminated the Cas9- and the single-guide RNA (sgRNA)-encoding plasmids in one-step. Within 3 days, we successfully constructed an atrazine-degrading E. coli strain, thus further demonstrating the advantage of this new CRISPR-Cas9 system for bacterial genome editing. Our novel EXIT circuit, which exploits the homing endonuclease I- Sce I, enables plasmid(s) with different replication origins to be eliminated from their host cells rapidly and efficiently. We also developed an easy-to-use CRISPR-Cas9 system with the EXIT circuit, and this new system can be widely applied to bacterial genome editing.

EasyDIAg: A tool for easy determination of interrater agreement.

PubMed

Holle, Henning; Rein, Robert

2015-09-01

Reliable measurements are fundamental for the empirical sciences. In observational research, measurements often consist of observers categorizing behavior into nominal-scaled units. Since the categorization is the outcome of a complex judgment process, it is important to evaluate the extent to which these judgments are reproducible, by having multiple observers independently rate the same behavior. A challenge in determining interrater agreement for timed-event sequential data is to develop clear objective criteria to determine whether two raters' judgments relate to the same event (the linking problem). Furthermore, many studies presently report only raw agreement indices, without considering the degree to which agreement can occur by chance alone. Here, we present a novel, free, and open-source toolbox (EasyDIAg) designed to assist researchers with the linking problem, while also providing chance-corrected estimates of interrater agreement. Additional tools are included to facilitate the development of coding schemes and rater training.

Easy PC Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duffett-Smith, Peter

1996-11-01

Easy PC Astronomy is the perfect book for everyone who wants to make easy and accurate astronomical calculations. The author supplies a simple but powerful script language called AstroScript on a disk, ready to use on any IBM PC-type computer. Equipped with this software, readers can compute complex but interesting astronomical results within minutes: from the time of moonrise or moonset anywhere in the world on any date, to the display of a lunar or solar eclipse on the computer screen--all within a few minutes of opening the book! The Sky Graphics feature of the software displays a detailed image of the sky as seen from any point on earth--at any time in the future or past--showing the constellations, planets, and a host of other features. Readers need no expert knowledge of astronomy, math or programming; the author provides full details of the calculations and formulas, which the reader can absorb or ignore as desired, and a comprehensive glossary of astronomical terms. Easy PC Astronomy is of immediate practical use to beginning and advanced amateur astronomers, students at all levels, science teachers, and research astronomers. Peter Duffett-Smith is at the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge and is the author of Astronomy with Your Personal Computer (Cambridge University Press, 1990) and Practical Astronomy with Your Calculator (Cambridge University Press, 1989).

Note-Taking Made Easy. The Study Smart Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kesselman-Turkel, Judi; Peterson, Franklynn

This book describes two successful methods of organizing notes (outlining and patterning), providing shortcuts to make note taking easy. Eight chapters include: (1) "There's No Substitute for Taking Your Own Good Notes" (e.g., note taking helps in paying attention and remembering); (2) "How to Tell What's Worth Noting" (criteria for deciding what…

easyCBM® Reading Criterion Related Validity Evidence: Grades K-1. Technical Report #1309

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Cheng-Fei; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2013-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a study to gather criterion-related evidence for Grade K-1 easyCBM® reading measures. We used correlations to examine the relation between the easyCBM® measures and other published measures with known reliability and validity evidence, including the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy…

easyCBM® Reading Criterion Related Validity Evidence: Grades 2-5. Technical Report #1310

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Cheng-Fei; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2013-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a study to gather criterion-related evidence for Grade 2-5 easyCBM® reading measures. We used correlations to examine the relation between the easyCBM® measures and other published measures with known reliability and validity evidence, including the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests and the Dynamic…

The Blind Advantage: How Going Blind Made Me a Stronger Principal and How Including Children with Disabilities Made Our School Better for Everyone

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Bill

2011-01-01

'The Blind Advantage" provides insight into the challenges, possibilities, and practicalities of including students with disabilities--and into the mind and heart of an inspired and determined leader. "You should get out of education." That was the advice first-year teacher Bill Henderson received when he discovered he was gradually…

Internal Consistency of the easyCBM© CCSS Reading Measures: Grades 3-8. Technical Report #1407

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerreiro, Meg; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2014-01-01

This technical report documents findings from a study of the internal consistency and split-half reliability of the easyCBM© CCSS Reading measures, grades 3-8. Data, drawn from an extant data set gathered in school year 2013-2014, include scores from over 150,000 students' fall and winter benchmark assessments. Findings suggest that the easyCBM©…

Measuring home advantage in Spanish handball.

PubMed

Gutiérrez Aguilar, Oscar; Saavedra García, Miguel; Fernández Romero, Juan José

2012-02-01

Since Pollard established the system for analysing home advantage in 1986, it has been demonstrated and quantified in various sports, including many team sports. This study aims to assess whether home advantage exists in handball, using a sample of more than 19,000 Spanish handball league games. Results of the games played at home and away, the sex of the players, and the levels of the competition were included as variables. In Spanish handball, there was a home advantage of 61%, which means, on average, the team playing at home wins 61% of points available. This value varies according to sex and according to competition level, increasing as competition level decreases and season rank improves.

Calibrating EASY-Care independence scale to improve accuracy

PubMed Central

Jotheeswaran, A. T.; Dias, Amit; Philp, Ian; Patel, Vikram; Prince, Martin

2016-01-01

Background there is currently limited support for the reliability and validity of the EASY-Care independence scale, with little work carried out in low- or middle-income countries. Therefore, we assessed the internal construct validity and hierarchical and classical scaling properties among frail dependent older people in the community. Objective we assessed the internal construct validity and hierarchical and classical scaling properties among frail dependent older people in the community. Methods three primary care physicians administered EASY-Care comprehensive geriatric assessment for 150 frail and/or dependent older people in the primary care setting. A Mokken model was applied to investigate hierarchical scaling properties of EASY-Care independence scale, and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of the scale was also examined. Results we found that EASY-Care independence scale is highly internally consistent and is a strong hierarchical scale, hence providing strong evidence for unidimensionality. However, two items in the scale (unable to use telephone and manage finances) had much lower item Loevinger H coefficients than others. Exclusion of these two items improved the overall internal consistency of the scale. Conclusions the strong performance of the EASY-Care independence scale among community-dwelling frail older people is encouraging. This study confirms that EASY-Care independence scale is highly internally consistent and a strong hierarchical scale. PMID:27496925

Improving chronic lung disease management in rural and remote Australia: the Breathe Easy Walk Easy programme.

PubMed

Johnston, Catherine L; Maxwell, Lyndal J; Boyle, Eileen; Maguire, Graeme P; Alison, Jennifer A

2013-01-01

To evaluate the impact of a chronic lung disease management training programme, Breathe Easy Walk Easy (BEWE), for rural and remote health-care practitioners. Quasi-experimental, before and after repeated measures design. Health-care practitioners (n = 33) from various professional backgrounds who attended the BEWE training workshop were eligible to participate. Breathe Easy Walk Easy, an interactive educational programme, consisted of a training workshop, access to online resources, provision of community awareness-raising materials and ongoing telephone/email support. Participant confidence, knowledge and attitudes were assessed via anonymous questionnaire before, immediately after and at 3 and 12 months following the BEWE workshop. At 12 months, local provision of pulmonary rehabilitation services and patient outcome data (6-min walk test results before and after pulmonary rehabilitation) were also recorded. Measured knowledge (score out of 19) improved significantly after the workshop (mean difference 7.6 correct answers, 95% confidence interval: 5.8-9.3). Participants' self-rated confidence and knowledge also increased. At 12-month follow up, three locally run pulmonary rehabilitation programmes had been established. For completing patients, there was a significant increase in 6-min walk distance following rehabilitation of 48 m (95% confidence interval: 18-70 m). The BEWE programme increased rural and remote health-care practitioner knowledge and confidence in delivering management for people living with chronic lung disease and facilitated the establishment of effective pulmonary rehabilitation programmes in regional and remote Australian settings where access to such programmes is limited. © 2012 The Authors. Respirology © 2012 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

EASI - EQUILIBRIUM AIR SHOCK INTERFERENCE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glass, C. E.

1994-01-01

New research on hypersonic vehicles, such as the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP), has raised concerns about the effects of shock-wave interference on various structural components of the craft. State-of-the-art aerothermal analysis software is inadequate to predict local flow and heat flux in areas of extremely high heat transfer, such as the surface impingement of an Edney-type supersonic jet. EASI revives and updates older computational methods for calculating inviscid flow field and maximum heating from shock wave interference. The program expands these methods to solve problems involving the six shock-wave interference patterns on a two-dimensional cylindrical leading edge with an equilibrium chemically reacting gas mixture (representing, for example, the scramjet cowl of the NASP). The inclusion of gas chemistry allows for a more accurate prediction of the maximum pressure and heating loads by accounting for the effects of high temperature on the air mixture. Caloric imperfections and specie dissociation of high-temperature air cause shock-wave angles, flow deflection angles, and thermodynamic properties to differ from those calculated by a calorically perfect gas model. EASI contains pressure- and temperature-dependent thermodynamic and transport properties to determine heating rates, and uses either a calorically perfect air model or an 11-specie, 7-reaction reacting air model at equilibrium with temperatures up to 15,000 K for the inviscid flowfield calculations. EASI solves the flow field and the associated maximum surface pressure and heat flux for the six common types of shock wave interference. Depending on the type of interference, the program solves for shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction, expansion-fan/boundary-layer interaction, attaching shear layer or supersonic jet impingement. Heat flux predictions require a knowledge (from experimental data or relevant calculations) of a pertinent length scale of the interaction. Output files contain flow

Easy-to-Make Cryophoruses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Battino, Rubin; Letcher, Trevor M.

2008-01-01

The cryophorus dramatically demonstrates the cooling effect of evaporation. This article describes some simple and easy-to-make cryophoruses, ideal for demonstrating evaporative cooling to students at all levels. The most dramatic effects occurred with cyclohexane and benzene, with water generally freezing more slowly. (Contains 4 notes, 2 tables,…

Advantages and disadvantages of stiffness instructions when studying postural control.

PubMed

Bonnet, Cédrick T

2016-05-01

To understand the maintenance of upright stance, researchers try to discover the fundamental mechanisms and attentional resources devoted to postural control and eventually to the performance of other tasks (e.g., counting in the head). During their studies, some researchers require participants to stand as steady as possible and other simply ask participants to stand naturally. Surprisingly, a clear and direct explanation of the usefulness of the steadiness requirement seems to be lacking, both in experimental and methodological discussions. Hence, the objective of the present note was to provide advantages and disadvantages of this steadiness requirement in studies of postural control. The advantages may be to study fundamental postural control, to eliminate useless postural variability, to control spurious body motions and to control the participants' thoughts. As disadvantages, this steadiness requirement only leads to study postural control in unnatural upright stance, it changes the focus of attention (internal vs. external) and the nature of postural control (unconscious vs. conscious), it increases the difficulty of a supposedly easy control task and it eliminates or reduces the opportunity to record exploratory behaviors. When looking carefully at the four advantages of the steadiness requirement, one can believe that they are, in fact, more disadvantageous than advantageous. Overall therefore, this requirement seems illegitimate and it is proposed that researchers should not use it in the study of postural control. They may use this requirement only if they search to know the limit until which participants can consciously reduce their postural sway. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Technical Adequacy of the easyCBM Grade 2 Reading Measures. Technical Report #1004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jamgochian, Elisa; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Nese, Joseph F. T.; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Saez, Leilani; Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2010-01-01

In this technical report, we provide reliability and validity evidence for the easyCBM[R] Reading measures for grade 2 (word and passage reading fluency and multiple choice reading comprehension). Evidence for reliability includes internal consistency and item invariance. Evidence for validity includes concurrent, predictive, and construct…

Practical advantages of evolutionary computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fogel, David B.

1997-10-01

Evolutionary computation is becoming a common technique for solving difficult, real-world problems in industry, medicine, and defense. This paper reviews some of the practical advantages to using evolutionary algorithms as compared with classic methods of optimization or artificial intelligence. Specific advantages include the flexibility of the procedures, as well as their ability to self-adapt the search for optimum solutions on the fly. As desktop computers increase in speed, the application of evolutionary algorithms will become routine.

Rapid prototyping of an adaptive light-source for mobile manipulators with EasyKit and EasyLab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojtczyk, Martin; Barner, Simon; Geisinger, Michael; Knoll, Alois

2008-08-01

While still not common in day-to-day business, mobile robot platforms form a growing market in robotics. Mobile platforms equipped with a manipulator for increased flexibility have been used successfully in biotech laboratories for sample management as shown on the well-known ESACT meetings. Navigation and object recognition is carried out by the utilization of a mounted machine vision camera. To cope with the different illumination conditions in a large laboratory, development of an adaptive light source was indispensable. We present our approach of rapid developing a computer controlled, adaptive LED light within one single business day, by utilizing the hardware toolbox EasyKit and our appropriate software counterpart EasyLab.

Robustness of the sequential lineup advantage.

PubMed

Gronlund, Scott D; Carlson, Curt A; Dailey, Sarah B; Goodsell, Charles A

2009-06-01

A growing movement in the United States and around the world involves promoting the advantages of conducting an eyewitness lineup in a sequential manner. We conducted a large study (N = 2,529) that included 24 comparisons of sequential versus simultaneous lineups. A liberal statistical criterion revealed only 2 significant sequential lineup advantages and 3 significant simultaneous advantages. Both sequential advantages occurred when the good photograph of the guilty suspect or either innocent suspect was in the fifth position in the sequential lineup; all 3 simultaneous advantages occurred when the poorer quality photograph of the guilty suspect or either innocent suspect was in the second position. Adjusting the statistical criterion to control for the multiple tests (.05/24) revealed no significant sequential advantages. Moreover, despite finding more conservative overall choosing for the sequential lineup, no support was found for the proposal that a sequential advantage was due to that conservative criterion shift. Unless lineups with particular characteristics predominate in the real world, there appears to be no strong preference for conducting lineups in either a sequential or a simultaneous manner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

Advantage of resonant power conversion in aerospace applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, I. G.

1983-01-01

An ultrasonic, sinusoidal aerospace power distribution system is shown to have many advantages over other candidate power systems. These advantages include light weight, ease of fault clearing, versatility in handling many loads including motors, and the capability of production within the limits of present technology. References are cited that demonstrate the state of resonant converter technology and support these conclusions.

[Statistical analysis using freely-available "EZR (Easy R)" software].

PubMed

Kanda, Yoshinobu

2015-10-01

Clinicians must often perform statistical analyses for purposes such evaluating preexisting evidence and designing or executing clinical studies. R is a free software environment for statistical computing. R supports many statistical analysis functions, but does not incorporate a statistical graphical user interface (GUI). The R commander provides an easy-to-use basic-statistics GUI for R. However, the statistical function of the R commander is limited, especially in the field of biostatistics. Therefore, the author added several important statistical functions to the R commander and named it "EZR (Easy R)", which is now being distributed on the following website: http://www.jichi.ac.jp/saitama-sct/. EZR allows the application of statistical functions that are frequently used in clinical studies, such as survival analyses, including competing risk analyses and the use of time-dependent covariates and so on, by point-and-click access. In addition, by saving the script automatically created by EZR, users can learn R script writing, maintain the traceability of the analysis, and assure that the statistical process is overseen by a supervisor.

Unitary easy quantum groups: Geometric aspects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banica, Teodor

2018-03-01

We discuss the classification problem for the unitary easy quantum groups, under strong axioms, of noncommutative geometric nature. Our main results concern the intermediate easy quantum groups ON ⊂ G ⊂ UN+ . To any such quantum group we associate its Schur-Weyl twist G ¯ , two noncommutative spheres S , S ¯ , a noncommutative torus T, and a quantum reflection group K. Studying (S , S ¯ , T , K , G , G ¯) leads then to some natural axioms, which can be used in order to investigate G itself. We prove that the main examples are covered by our formalism, and we conjecture that in what concerns the case UN ⊂ G ⊂ UN+ , our axioms should restrict the list of known examples.

Application driven interface generation for EASIE. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kao, Ya-Chen

1992-01-01

The Environment for Application Software Integration and Execution (EASIE) provides a user interface and a set of utility programs which support the rapid integration and execution of analysis programs about a central relational database. EASIE provides users with two basic modes of execution. One of them is a menu-driven execution mode, called Application-Driven Execution (ADE), which provides sufficient guidance to review data, select a menu action item, and execute an application program. The other mode of execution, called Complete Control Execution (CCE), provides an extended executive interface which allows in-depth control of the design process. Currently, the EASIE system is based on alphanumeric techniques only. It is the purpose of this project to extend the flexibility of the EASIE system in the ADE mode by implementing it in a window system. Secondly, a set of utilities will be developed to assist the experienced engineer in the generation of an ADE application.

Understanding resonance graphs using Easy Java Simulations (EJS) and why we use EJS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wee, Loo Kang; Lee, Tat Leong; Chew, Charles; Wong, Darren; Tan, Samuel

2015-03-01

This paper reports a computer model simulation created using Easy Java Simulation (EJS) for learners to visualize how the steady-state amplitude of a driven oscillating system varies with the frequency of the periodic driving force. The simulation shows (N = 100) identical spring-mass systems being subjected to (1) a periodic driving force of equal amplitude but different driving frequencies, and (2) different amounts of damping. The simulation aims to create a visually intuitive way of understanding how the series of amplitude versus driving frequency graphs are obtained by showing how the displacement of the system changes over time as it transits from the transient to the steady state. A suggested ‘how to use’ the model is added to help educators and students in their teaching and learning, where we explain the theoretical steady-state equation time conditions when the model begins to allow data recording of maximum amplitudes to closely match the theoretical equation, and the steps to collect different runs of the degree of damping. We also discuss two of the design features in our computer model: displaying the instantaneous oscillation together with the achieved steady-state amplitudes, and the explicit world view overlay with scientific representation with different degrees of damping runs. Three advantages of using EJS include: (1) open source codes and creative commons attribution licenses for scaling up of interactively engaging educational practices; (2) the models made can run on almost any device, including Android and iOS; and (3) it allows the redefinition of physics educational practices through computer modeling.

LSD and 9,10-dihydro-LSD analyses in street drug blotter samples via easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (EASI-MS).

PubMed

Romão, Wanderson; Sabino, Bruno D; Bueno, Maria Izabel M S; Vaz, Boniek G; Júnior, Amadeu C; Maldaner, Adriano O; de Castro, Eustáquio V R; Lordeiro, Rogério A; Nascentes, Clésia C; Eberlin, Marcos N; Augusti, Rodinei

2012-09-01

Normally, the identification of the LSD drug is performed by forensic laboratories, using the Ehrlich spot test. However, this is a nonspecific analysis. Additionally, the Brazilian Federal Police has identified the presence of a new compound in seized blotters: 9,10-dihydro-LSD, an uncontrolled substance. In this work, easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry in the positive ion mode, EASI(+)-MS, was used to characterize LSD and 9,10-dihydro-LSD compositions directly from the surface of blotters. The presence of LSD in the seized blotter samples were also confirmed via high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector. In a set of 41 blotters analyzed by EASI(+)-MS, 28 showed positive results for LSD, seven for 9,10-dihydro-LSD, and another six samples showed negative results for both LSD and 9,10-dihydro-LSD. The combination of thin layer chromatography with EASI-MS also demonstrated to be a relatively simple and powerful screening tool for forensic analysis of street drugs. © 2012 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Characteristics and Conceptual Framework of the Easy-Play Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Chunlei; Steele, Kyle

2014-01-01

The Easy-Play Model offers a defined framework to organize games that promote an inclusive and enjoyable sport experience. The model can be implemented by participants playing sports in educational, recreational or social contexts with the goal of achieving an active lifestyle in an inclusive, cooperative and enjoyable environment. The Easy-Play…

Competitive Intelligence and Social Advantage.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davenport, Elisabeth; Cronin, Blaise

1994-01-01

Presents an overview of issues concerning civilian competitive intelligence (CI). Topics discussed include competitive advantage in academic and research environments; public domain information and libraries; covert and overt competitive intelligence; data diversity; use of the Internet; cooperative intelligence; and implications for library and…

Fingerprinting and aging of ink by easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Lalli, Priscila M; Sanvido, Gustavo B; Garcia, Jerusa S; Haddad, Renato; Cosso, Ricardo G; Maia, Denison R J; Zacca, Jorge J; Maldaner, Adriano O; Eberlin, Marcos N

2010-04-01

Using easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (EASI-MS), fast and non-destructive fingerprinting identification and aging of ballpoint pen ink writings have been performed directly from paper surfaces under ordinary ambient conditions. EASI-MS data obtained directly from the ink lines showed that pens from different brands provide typical ink chemical profiles. Accelerated ink aging has also been monitored by EASI-MS revealing contrasting degradation behaviors for six different common ink dyes. As demonstrated for Basic Violet 3, some dyes display a cascade of degradation products whose abundances increase linearly with time thus functioning as 'chemical clocks' for ink aging. Analysis of questionable documents has confirmed the ink aging capabilities of EASI-MS. The order of superimposition at a crossing point has also been determined by EASI-MS. For two superimposed ink lines, continuous EASI-MS analysis has also shown that the EASI spray is able to penetrate through the layers and therefore both ink layers could be characterized.

Outdoor Education Equipment: Plans for Easy-to-Make Items.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bachert, Russel E., Jr.; Snooks, Emerson L.

The document is a versatile publication providing an outdoor education aid for teaching elementary (beginning with grade 4), high school, and college students. The process is one of learning by doing; i.e., the students construct their own instruments for field studies. The book presents over 100 ideas in an easy-to-follow, easy-to-use format.…

Easy Games for the German Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaiser, Linda

1977-01-01

The following easy games for the German classroom are described: around Germany, map identifications, fast response, bingo, memory training, geography college bowl, find the object, descriptions, pronunciation perfection, acrostics, simple board games, art lesson, treasure hunt, and miscellaneous games. (SW)

Did Babe Ruth Have a Comparative Advantage as a Pitcher?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scahill, Edward M.

1990-01-01

Advocates using baseball statistics to illustrate the advantages of specialization in production. Using Babe Ruth's record as an analogy, suggests a methodology for determining a player's comparative advantage as a teaching illustration. Includes the team's statistical profile in five tables to explain comparative advantage and profit maximizing.…

A novel, easy and rapid method for constructing yeast two-hybrid vectors using In-Fusion technology.

PubMed

Yu, Deshui; Liao, Libing; Zhang, Ju; Zhang, Yi; Xu, Kedong; Liu, Kun; Li, Xiaoli; Tan, Guangxuan; Chen, Ran; Wang, Yulu; Liu, Xia; Zhang, Xuan; Han, Xiaomeng; Wei, Zhangkun; Li, Chengwei

2018-05-01

Yeast two-hybrid systems are powerful tools for analyzing interactions between proteins. Vector construction is an essential step in yeast two-hybrid experiments, which require bait and prey plasmids. In this study, we modified the multiple cloning site sequence of the yeast plasmid pGADT7 by site-directed mutagenesis PCR to generate the pGADT7-In vector, which resulted in an easy and rapid method for constructing yeast two-hybrid vectors using the In-Fusion cloning technique. This method has three key advantages: only one pair of primers and one round of PCR are needed to generate bait and prey plasmids for each gene, it is restriction endonuclease- and ligase-independent, and it is fast and easily performed.

An easy-to-build and re-usable microfluidic system for live-cell imaging.

PubMed

Babic, Julien; Griscom, Laurent; Cramer, Jeremy; Coudreuse, Damien

2018-06-20

Real-time monitoring of cellular responses to dynamic changes in their environment or to specific treatments has become central to cell biology. However, when coupled to live-cell imaging, such strategies are difficult to implement with precision and high time resolution, and the simultaneous alteration of multiple parameters is a major challenge. Recently, microfluidics has provided powerful solutions for such analyses, bringing an unprecedented level of control over the conditions and the medium in which cells under microscopic observation are grown. However, such technologies have remained under-exploited, largely as a result of the complexity associated with microfabrication procedures. In this study, we have developed simple but powerful microfluidic devices dedicated to live-cell imaging. These microsystems take advantage of a robust elastomer that is readily available to researchers and that presents excellent bonding properties, in particular to microscopy-grade glass coverslips. Importantly, the chips are easy-to-build without sophisticated equipment, and they are compatible with the integration of complex, customized fluidic networks as well as with the multiplexing of independent assays on a single device. We show that the chips are re-usable, a significant advantage for the popularization of microfluidics in cell biology. Moreover, we demonstrate that they allow for the dynamic, accurate and simultaneous control of multiple parameters of the cellular environment. While they do not possess all the features of the microdevices that are built using complex and costly procedures, the simplicity and versatility of the chips that we have developed make them an attractive alternative for a range of applications. The emergence of such devices, which can be fabricated and used by any laboratory, will provide the possibility for a larger number of research teams to take full advantage of these new methods for investigating cell biology.

Expert Supervisors' Priorities When Working with Easy and Challenging Supervisees

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemer, Gulsah; Borders, L. DiAnne; Yel, Nedim

2017-01-01

Using Kemer, Borders, and Willse's (2014) concept map as a conceptual model, the authors aimed to understand expert supervisors' priorities with their easy and challenging supervisees. Experts' priorities with easy and challenging supervisees were represented in different parts of the concept map, and they seemed to individualize their work with…

The Effectiveness of SpeechEasy during Situations of Daily Living

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Donnell, Jennifer J.; Armson, Joy; Kiefte, Michael

2008-01-01

A multiple single-subject design was used to examine the effects of SpeechEasy on stuttering frequency in the laboratory and in longitudinal samples of speech produced in situations of daily living (SDL). Seven adults who stutter participated, all of whom had exhibited at least 30% reduction in stuttering frequency while using SpeechEasy during…

Easy Volcanic Aerosol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toohey, Matthew; Stevens, Bjorn; Schmidt, Hauke; Timmreck, Claudia

2016-04-01

Radiative forcing by stratospheric sulfate aerosol of volcanic origin is one of the strongest drivers of natural climate variability. Transient model simulations attempting to match observed climate variability, such as the CMIP historical simulations, rely on volcanic forcing reconstructions based on observations of a small sample of recent eruptions and coarse proxy data for eruptions before the satellite era. Volcanic forcing data sets used in CMIP5 were provided either in terms of optical properties, or in terms of sulfate aerosol mass, leading to significant inter-model spread in the actual volcanic radiative forcing produced by models and in their resulting climate responses. It remains therefore unclear to what degree inter-model spread in response to volcanic forcing represents model differences or variations in the forcing. In order to isolate model differences, Easy Volcanic Aerosol (EVA) provides an analytic representation of volcanic stratospheric aerosol forcing, based on available observations and aerosol model results, prescribing the aerosol's radiative properties and primary modes of spatial and temporal variability. In contrast to regriddings of observational data, EVA allows for the production of physically consistent forcing for historic and hypothetical eruptions of varying magnitude, source latitude, and season. Within CMIP6, EVA will be used to reconstruct volcanic forcing over the past 2000 years for use in the Paleo-Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP), and will provide forcing sets for VolMIP experiments aiming to quantify model uncertainty in the response to volcanic forcing. Here, the functional form of EVA will be introduced, along with illustrative examples including the EVA-based reconstruction of volcanic forcing over the historical period, and that of the 1815 Tambora eruption.

Is bilingualism losing its advantage? A bibliometric approach

PubMed Central

López-Penadés, Raúl; Buil-Legaz, Lucía; Aguilar-Mediavilla, Eva; Adrover-Roig, Daniel

2017-01-01

This study uses several bibliometric indices to explore the temporal course of publication trends regarding the bilingual advantage in executive control over a ten-year window. These indices include the number of published papers, numbers of citations, and the journal impact factor. According to the information available in their abstracts, studies were classified into one of four categories: supporting, ambiguous towards, not mentioning, or challenging the bilingual advantage. Results show that the number of papers challenging the bilingual advantage increased notably in 2014 and 2015. Both the average impact factor and the accumulated citations as of June 2016 were equivalent between categories. However, of the studies published in 2014, those that challenge the bilingual advantage accumulated more citations in June 2016 than those supporting it. Our findings offer evidence-based bibliometric information about the current state of the literature and suggest a change in publication trends regarding the literature on the bilingual advantage. PMID:28426797

MedlinePlus FAQ: Easy-to-Read Documents

MedlinePlus

... are easy to read and what is their reading level? To use the sharing features on this ... all materials on MedlinePlus are at the same reading level. MedlinePlus does not decide the literacy level ...

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy: Part II. Advantages of FT-IR.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perkins, W. D.

1987-01-01

This is Part II in a series on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Described are various advantages of FT-IR spectroscopy including energy advantages, wavenumber accuracy, constant resolution, polarization effects, and stepping at grating changes. (RH)

EasyKSORD: A Platform of Keyword Search Over Relational Databases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Zhaohui; Li, Jing; Wang, Shan

Keyword Search Over Relational Databases (KSORD) enables casual users to use keyword queries (a set of keywords) to search relational databases just like searching the Web, without any knowledge of the database schema or any need of writing SQL queries. Based on our previous work, we design and implement a novel KSORD platform named EasyKSORD for users and system administrators to use and manage different KSORD systems in a novel and simple manner. EasyKSORD supports advanced queries, efficient data-graph-based search engines, multiform result presentations, and system logging and analysis. Through EasyKSORD, users can search relational databases easily and read search results conveniently, and system administrators can easily monitor and analyze the operations of KSORD and manage KSORD systems much better.

Medicare Advantage Plans

MedlinePlus

... enrollment Find & compare doctors, hospitals, & other providers Medicare Advantage Plans A type of Medicare health plan offered ... a private company that contracts with Medicare. Medicare Advantage Plans provide all of your Part A and ...

Diagnostic Efficiency of easyCBM[R] Math: Oregon. Technical Report #1009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2010-01-01

The easyCBM[R] assessment system is an online benchmark and progress monitoring assessment system designed for use within a response to intervention framework. Educators using easyCBM[R] are often interested in using the results to predict students' state test performance. In the following technical document, we report diagnostic efficiency…

In Their Own Words: Interviews with Musicians Reveal the Advantages and Disadvantages of Wearing Earplugs.

PubMed

Beach, Elizabeth F; O'Brien, Ian

2017-06-01

Musicians are at risk of hearing loss from sound exposure, and earplugs form part of many musicians' hearing conservation practices. Although musicians typically report a range of difficulties when wearing earplugs, there are many who have managed to successfully incorporate earplugs into their practice of music. The study aim was to provide a detailed account of earplug usage from the perspective of the musician, including motivating factors, practical strategies, and attitudes. In-depth interviews with 23 musicians were transcribed and content analysis was performed. Responses were coded and classified into three main themes: advantages, disadvantages, and usage patterns and strategies, together with an overlapping fourth theme, youth perspectives. Several positive aspects of wearing earplugs were identified, including long-term hearing protection and reduced levels of fatigue and pain. Musicians reported that earplugs present few problems for communication, improve sound clarity in ensembles, are discreet, and are easy to handle. However, earplugs also present challenges, including an overall dullness of sound, reduced immediacy, and an impaired ability to judge balance and intonation due to the occlusion effect, all of which influence usage habits and patterns. The experiences of the younger musicians and long-term users of earplugs indicate that practice, persistence, and a flexible approach are required for successful earplug usage. In time, there may be greater acceptance of earplugs, particularly amongst a new generation of musicians, some of whom regard the earplugs as a performance enhancement tool as well as a protective device.

Robustness of the Sequential Lineup Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gronlund, Scott D.; Carlson, Curt A.; Dailey, Sarah B.; Goodsell, Charles A.

2009-01-01

A growing movement in the United States and around the world involves promoting the advantages of conducting an eyewitness lineup in a sequential manner. We conducted a large study (N = 2,529) that included 24 comparisons of sequential versus simultaneous lineups. A liberal statistical criterion revealed only 2 significant sequential lineup…

Thoracoscopic versus robotic approaches: advantages and disadvantages.

PubMed

Wei, Benjamin; D'Amico, Thomas A

2014-05-01

The overall advantages of thoracoscopy over thoracotomy in terms of patient recovery have been fairly well established. The use of robotics, however, is a newer and less proven modality in the realm of thoracic surgery. Robotics offers distinct advantages and disadvantages in comparison with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Robotic technology is now used for a variety of complex cardiac, urologic, and gynecologic procedures including mitral valve repair and microsurgical treatment of male infertility. This article addresses the potential benefits and limitations of using the robotic platform for the performance of a variety of thoracic operations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New Database Manipulation Tools in the Easy-Learning On-Line Platform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radescu, Radu; Davidescu, Andrei; Pupezescu, Valentin

2011-01-01

The present paper deals with the new ORM (object-relational mapping) tool introduced in the easy-learning platform. Propel 1.5 is the latest version of Propel, one of the ORMs fully compatible with the Symfony framework, and in comparison with the older versions and it has drastically improved the way the easy-learning platform can manipulate its…

EasyModeller: A graphical interface to MODELLER

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background MODELLER is a program for automated protein Homology Modeling. It is one of the most widely used tool for homology or comparative modeling of protein three-dimensional structures, but most users find it a bit difficult to start with MODELLER as it is command line based and requires knowledge of basic Python scripting to use it efficiently. Findings The study was designed with an aim to develop of "EasyModeller" tool as a frontend graphical interface to MODELLER using Perl/Tk, which can be used as a standalone tool in windows platform with MODELLER and Python preinstalled. It helps inexperienced users to perform modeling, assessment, visualization, and optimization of protein models in a simple and straightforward way. Conclusion EasyModeller provides a graphical straight forward interface and functions as a stand-alone tool which can be used in a standard personal computer with Microsoft Windows as the operating system. PMID:20712861

Advantages and Disadvantages of Aquatic Plant Management Techniques

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-09-01

This report provides an overview of the environmental and practical advantages and disadvantages of the major aquatic plant management methods, including biological, chemical, mechanical, and physical control techniques.

Real-time analysis of self-assembled nucleobases by Venturi easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Na, Na; Shi, Ruixia; Long, Zi; Lu, Xin; Jiang, Fubin; Ouyang, Jin

2014-10-01

In this study, the real-time analysis of self-assembled nucleobases was employed by Venturi easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (V-EASI-MS). With the analysis of three nucleobases including 6-methyluracil (6MU), uracil (U) and thymine (T) as examples, different orders of clusters centered with different metal ions were recorded in both positive and negative modes. Compared with the results obtained by traditional electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) under the same condition, more clusters with high orders, such as [6MU7+Na](+), [6MU15+2NH4](2+), [6MU10+Na](+), [T7+Na](+), and [T15+2NH4](2+) were detected by V-EASI-MS, which demonstrated the soft ionization ability of V-EASI for studying the non-covalent interaction in a self-assembly process. Furthermore, with the injection of K(+) to the system by a syringe pumping, the real-time monitoring of the formation of nucleobases clusters was achieved by the direct extraction of samples from the system under the Venturi effect. Therefore, the effect of cations on the formation of clusters during self-assembly of nucleobases was demonstrated, which was in accordance with the reports. Free of high voltage, heating or radiation during the ionization, this technique is much soft and suitable for obtaining the real-time information of the self-assembly system, which also makes it quite convenient for extraction samples from the reaction system. This "easy and soft" ionization technique has provided a potential pathway for monitoring and controlling the self-assembly processes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analyzing the Reliability of the easyCBM Reading Comprehension Measures: Grade 5. Technical Report #1204

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Irvin, P. Shawn; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the fifth-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…

Analyzing the Reliability of the easyCBM Reading Comprehension Measures: Grade 2. Technical Report #1201

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Cheng-Fei; Irvin, P. Shawn; Alonzo, Julie; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the second-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…

Analyzing the Reliability of the easyCBM Reading Comprehension Measures: Grade 4. Technical Report #1203

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Irvin, P. Shawn; Alonzo, Julie; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the fourth-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…

Analyzing the Reliability of the easyCBM Reading Comprehension Measures: Grade 6. Technical Report #1205

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irvin, P. Shawn; Alonzo, Julie; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the sixth-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…

Analyzing the Reliability of the easyCBM Reading Comprehension Measures: Grade 7. Technical Report #1206

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irvin, P. Shawn; Alonzo, Julie; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the seventh-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…

Analyzing the Reliability of the easyCBM Reading Comprehension Measures: Grade 3. Technical Report #1202

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Cheng-Fei; Irvin, P. Shawn; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a reliability study of the third-grade multiple choice reading comprehension measures available on the easyCBM learning system conducted in the spring of 2011. Analyses include split-half reliability, alternate form reliability, person and item reliability as derived from Rasch analysis,…

Effect of alignment of easy axes on dynamic magnetization of immobilized magnetic nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, Takashi; Matsugi, Yuki; Tsujimura, Naotaka; Sasayama, Teruyoshi; Enpuku, Keiji; Viereck, Thilo; Schilling, Meinhard; Ludwig, Frank

2017-04-01

In some biomedical applications of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), the particles are physically immobilized. In this study, we explore the effect of the alignment of the magnetic easy axes on the dynamic magnetization of immobilized MNPs under an AC excitation field. We prepared three immobilized MNP samples: (1) a sample in which easy axes are randomly oriented, (2) a parallel-aligned sample in which easy axes are parallel to the AC field, and (3) an orthogonally aligned sample in which easy axes are perpendicular to the AC field. First, we show that the parallel-aligned sample has the largest hysteresis in the magnetization curve and the largest harmonic magnetization spectra, followed by the randomly oriented and orthogonally aligned samples. For example, 1.6-fold increase was observed in the area of the hysteresis loop of the parallel-aligned sample compared to that of the randomly oriented sample. To quantitatively discuss the experimental results, we perform a numerical simulation based on a Fokker-Planck equation, in which probability distributions for the directions of the easy axes are taken into account in simulating the prepared MNP samples. We obtained quantitative agreement between experiment and simulation. These results indicate that the dynamic magnetization of immobilized MNPs is significantly affected by the alignment of the easy axes.

Privilege and status in an unequal society: shifting the focus of health promotion research to include the maintenance of advantage.

PubMed

Stephens, Christine

2010-10-01

There has been a great deal of social policy and health promotion practice directed toward the inclusion of underprivileged groups with the aim of improving their health. This focus on disadvantaged people and poor communities, to help them empower themselves and improve their lot, often fails because it ignores the role of the broader society. We neglect to note the crucial part that the advantaged play in perpetuating inequalities. Theory and empirical work from sociology and anthropology points to the everyday ways in which privileged people are able to maintain their advantage and even hi-jack the benefits of public health programmes designed to improve the health of the poor. Some examples from these other disciplines suggest ways in which a social psychological perspective can contribute to an understanding of how inequalities and poverty are perpetuated in everyday life. These understandings will inform the effectiveness of social programmes to reduce inequalities.

Gel Electrophoresis--The Easy Way for Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VanRooy, Wilhelmina; Sultana, Khalida

2010-01-01

This article describes a simple, inexpensive, easy to conduct gel-electrophoresis activity using food dyes. It is an alternative to the more expensive counterparts which require agarose gel, DNA samples, purchased chamber and Tris-borate-EDTA buffer. We suggest some learning activities for senior biology students along with comments on several…

Schoolyard Science: 101 Easy and Inexpensive Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lord, Thomas R.; Travis, Holly J.

2011-01-01

With 101 easy and inexpensive activities to do on school grounds, "Schoolyard Science" can help students develop their observation and inquiry skills as well as an appreciation of their outdoor environment. Covering topics such as lower plants, gardens, insects and other invertebrates, energy, and Earth science, Thomas Lord and Holly Travis…

Creating Competitive Advantage through Effective Management Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longenecker, Clinton O.; Ariss, Sonny S.

2002-01-01

Managers trained in executive education programs (n=203) identified ways in which management education can increase an organization's competitive advantage: exposure to new ideas and practices, skill development, and motivation. Characteristics of effective management education included experience-based learning orientation, credible instructors,…

Explant culture: An advantageous method for isolation of mesenchymal stem cells from human tissues.

PubMed

Hendijani, Fatemeh

2017-04-01

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) research progressively moves towards clinical phases. Accordingly, a wide range of different procedures were presented in the literature for MSC isolation from human tissues; however, there is not yet any close focus on the details to offer precise information for best method selection. Choosing a proper isolation method is a critical step in obtaining cells with optimal quality and yield in companion with clinical and economical considerations. In this concern, current review widely discusses advantages of omitting proteolysis step in isolation process and presence of tissue pieces in primary culture of MSCs, including removal of lytic stress on cells, reduction of in vivo to in vitro transition stress for migrated/isolated cells, reduction of price, processing time and labour, removal of viral contamination risk, and addition of supporting functions of extracellular matrix and released growth factors from tissue explant. In next sections, it provides an overall report of technical highlights and molecular events of explant culture method for isolation of MSCs from human tissues including adipose tissue, bone marrow, dental pulp, hair follicle, cornea, umbilical cord and placenta. Focusing on informative collection of molecular and methodological data about explant methods can make it easy for researchers to choose an optimal method for their experiments/clinical studies and also stimulate them to investigate and optimize more efficient procedures according to clinical and economical benefits. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Internet research methods: advantages and challenges].

PubMed

Liu, Yi; Tien, Yueh-Hsuan

2009-12-01

Compared to traditional research methods, using the Internet to conduct research offers a number of advantages to the researcher, which include increased access to sensitive issues and vulnerable / hidden populations; decreased data entry time requirements; and enhanced data accuracy. However, Internet research also presents certain challenges to the researcher. In this article, the advantages and challenges of Internet research methods are discussed in four principle issue areas: (a) recruitment, (b) data quality, (c) practicality, and (d) ethics. Nursing researchers can overcome problems related to sampling bias and data truthfulness using creative methods; resolve technical problems through collaboration with other disciplines; and protect participant's privacy, confidentiality and data security by maintaining a high level of vigilance. Once such issues have been satisfactorily addressed, the Internet should open a new window for Taiwan nursing research.

Ridership impacts of South Florida's EASY smart card.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-07-01

Smart card-based Automated Fare Collection Systems (AFCS) are being increasingly deployed in transit systems across the US. Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) has recently deployed such a system branded as the EASY Card. The South Florida Regional Transportati...

Technical Manual: easyCBM. Technical Report #1408

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald; Farley, Dan; Irvin, P. Shawn; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Saven, Jessica L.; Wray, Kraig A.

2014-01-01

Since the easyCBM© learning system was first published in 2006, over $8 million of federal funding (both from the Office of Special Education Programs and more recently from the Institute of Education Sciences) has been used to develop, study, and refine the assessments available on the system. This Technical Manual summarizes the ongoing research…

Building Information Model: advantages, tools and adoption efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abakumov, R. G.; Naumov, A. E.

2018-03-01

The paper expands definition and essence of Building Information Modeling. It describes content and effects from application of Information Modeling at different stages of a real property item. Analysis of long-term and short-term advantages is given. The authors included an analytical review of Revit software package in comparison with Autodesk with respect to: features, advantages and disadvantages, cost and pay cutoff. A prognostic calculation is given for efficiency of adoption of the Building Information Modeling technology, with examples of its successful adoption in Russia and worldwide.

The Environment for Application Software Integration and Execution (EASIE) version 1.0. Volume 1: Executive overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rowell, Lawrence F.; Davis, John S.

1989-01-01

The Environment for Application Software Integration and Execution (EASIE) provides a methodology and a set of software utility programs to ease the task of coordinating engineering design and analysis codes. EASIE was designed to meet the needs of conceptual design engineers that face the task of integrating many stand-alone engineering analysis programs. Using EASIE, programs are integrated through a relational database management system. Volume 1, Executive Overview, gives an overview of the functions provided by EASIE and describes their use. Three operational design systems based upon the EASIE software are briefly described.

Diagnostic Efficiency of easyCBM[R] Math: Washington State. Technical Report #1008

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2010-01-01

easyCBM[R] is an online benchmark and progress monitoring assessment system designed for use within a response to intervention framework. Educators using easyCBM[R] are often interested in using the results to predict students' state test performance. In the following technical document, we report diagnostic efficiency statistics using a sample…

Advantages of High Tolerance Measurements in Fusion Environments Applying Photogrammetry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

T. Dodson, R. Ellis, C. Priniski, S. Raftopoulos, D. Stevens, M. Viola

2009-02-04

Photogrammetry, a state-of-the-art technique of metrology employing digital photographs as the vehicle for measurement, has been investigated in the fusion environment. Benefits of this high tolerance methodology include relatively easy deployment for multiple point measurements and deformation/distortion studies. Depending on the equipment used, photogrammetric systems can reach tolerances of 25 microns (0.001 in) to 100 microns (0.004 in) on a 3-meter object. During the fabrication and assembly of the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) the primary measurement systems deployed were CAD coordinate-based computer metrology equipment and supporting algorithms such as both interferometer-aided (IFM) and absolute distance measurementbased (ADM) laser trackers,more » as well as portable Coordinate Measurement Machine (CMM) arms. Photogrammetry was employed at NCSX as a quick and easy tool to monitor coil distortions incurred during welding operations of the machine assembly process and as a way to reduce assembly downtime for metrology processes.« less

EASY AT-Food for Thought: The Minibook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoonover, Judith

2015-01-01

Not all technology requires plugs, batteries, or software updates. Sometimes the simplest tools can make all the difference in the world, and open doors (and minds) to other possibilities. One such tool is a minibook constructed by a single sheet of cleverly folded paper. A minibook is a cost-effective, easy to revise and replace,…

Interpreting Histograms. As Easy as It Seems?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lem, Stephanie; Onghena, Patrick; Verschaffel, Lieven; Van Dooren, Wim

2014-01-01

Histograms are widely used, but recent studies have shown that they are not as easy to interpret as it might seem. In this article, we report on three studies on the interpretation of histograms in which we investigated, namely, (1) whether the misinterpretation by university students can be considered to be the result of heuristic reasoning, (2)…

eHealth provides a novel opportunity to exploit the advantages of the Nordic countries in psychiatric genetic research, building on the public health care system, biobanks, and registries.

PubMed

Andreassen, Ole A

2017-07-07

Nordic countries have played an important role in the recent progress in psychiatric genetics, both with large well-characterized samples and expertise. The Nordic countries have research advantages due to the organization of their societies, including system of personal identifiers, national health registries with information about diseases, treatment and prescriptions, and a public health system with geographical catchment areas. For psychiatric genetic research, the large biobanks and population surveys are a unique added value. Further, the population is motivated to participate in research, and there is a trust in the institutions of the society. These factors have been important for Nordic contributions to biomedical research, and particularly psychiatric genetics. In the era of eHealth, the situation seems even more advantageous for Nordic countries. The system with public health care makes it easy to implement national measures, and most of the Nordic health care sector is already based on electronic information. The potential advantages regarding informed consent, large scale recruitment and follow-up, and longitudinal cohort studies are tremendous. New precision medicine approaches can be tested within the health care system, with an integrated approach, using large hospitals or regions of the country as a test beds. However, data protection and legal framework have to be clarified. In order to succeed, it is important to keep the people's trust, and maintain the high ethical standards and systems for secure data management. Then the full potential of the Nordic countries can be leveraged in the new era of precision medicine including psychiatric genetics. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mind wandering while reading easy and difficult texts.

PubMed

Feng, Shi; D'Mello, Sidney; Graesser, Arthur C

2013-06-01

Mind wandering is a phenomenon in which attention drifts away from the primary task to task-unrelated thoughts. Previous studies have used self-report methods to measure the frequency of mind wandering and its effects on task performance. Many of these studies have investigated mind wandering in simple perceptual and memory tasks, such as recognition memory, sustained attention, and choice reaction time tasks. Manipulations of task difficulty have revealed that mind wandering occurs more frequently in easy than in difficult conditions, but that it has a greater negative impact on performance in the difficult conditions. The goal of this study was to examine the relation between mind wandering and task difficulty in a high-level cognitive task, namely reading comprehension of standardized texts. We hypothesized that reading comprehension may yield a different relation between mind wandering and task difficulty than has been observed previously. Participants read easy or difficult versions of eight passages and then answered comprehension questions after reading each of the passages. Mind wandering was reported using the probe-caught method from several previous studies. In contrast to the previous results, but consistent with our hypothesis, mind wandering occurred more frequently when participants read difficult rather than easy texts. However, mind wandering had a more negative influence on comprehension for the difficult texts, which is consistent with the previous data. The results are interpreted from the perspectives of the executive-resources and control-failure theories of mind wandering, as well as with regard to situation models of text comprehension.

Some Suggested Advantages and Disadvantages of Collective Bargaining. Special Report No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angell, George W.

This report reviews briefly some advantages and disadvantages of collective bargaining in higher education. Advantages discussed include: efficiency, equality of power, legal force, impasse resolution, communication, understanding the institution, resolution of individual problems, definition of policy, rights guarantee, faculty compensation,…

Comparison of the home advantage in nine different professional team sports in Spain.

PubMed

Gómez, Miguel A; Pollard, Richard; Luis-Pascual, Juan-Carlos

2011-08-01

Home advantage is a well-established phenomenon in many sports. The present study is unique in that it includes different sports analysed in the same country, at the same level of competition, and over the same time period. Nine team sports from Spain were included: baseball, basketball, handball, indoor soccer, roller hockey, rugby, soccer, volleyball, and water polo. Data for five seasons (2005-2006 to 2009-2010) were obtained, totaling 9,472 games. The results confirmed the existence of home advantage in all nine sports. There was a statistically significant difference between the sports; home advantage was highest in rugby (67.0%), and lowest in volleyball (55.7%), water polo (56.2%), and roller hockey (58.3%). The design of the study controlled for some of the likely causes of home advantage, and the results suggested that the high home advantage for rugby was likely a reflection of the continuous, aggressive, and intense nature of the sport.

Relationship and probabilistic stratification of EASI and oSCORAD severity scores for atopic dermatitis.

PubMed

Hurault, G; Schram, M E; Roekevisch, E; Spuls, P I; Tanaka, R J

2018-06-26

The Harmonizing Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) recommended the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) as the core outcome instrument for measuring the clinical signs of atopic dermatitis (AD). However, EASI may not have been used in previous clinical trials, and other scores, e.g. SCORAD (SCORing Atopic Dermatitis), the objective component of SCORAD (oSCORAD) and the Investigator Global Assessment (IGA), remain widely used. It is useful to establish a method to convert these scores into EASI to compare the results from different studies effectively. Indeed, EASI and oSCORAD have been found to be strongly correlated (r S pearman =0.92) 7 , suggesting a possibility to find a relationship between the two scores. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Advantages of thin silicon solar cells for use in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Denman, O. S.

1978-01-01

A system definition study on the Solar Power Satellite System showed that a thin, 50 micrometers, silicon solar cell has significant advantages. The advantages include a significantly lower performance degradation in a radiation environment and high power-to-mass ratios. The advantages of such cells for an employment in space is further investigated. Basic questions concerning the operation of solar cells are considered along with aspects of radiation induced performance degradation. The question arose in this connection how thin a silicon solar cell had to be to achieve resistance to radiation degradation and still have good initial performance. It was found that single-crystal silicon solar cells could be as thin as 50 micrometers and still develop high conversion efficiencies. It is concluded that the use of 50 micrometer silicon solar cells in space-based photovoltaic power systems would be advantageous.

The Environment for Application Software Integration and Execution (EASIE), version 1.0. Volume 2: Program integration guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Kennie H.; Randall, Donald P.; Stallcup, Scott S.; Rowell, Lawrence F.

1988-01-01

The Environment for Application Software Integration and Execution, EASIE, provides a methodology and a set of software utility programs to ease the task of coordinating engineering design and analysis codes. EASIE was designed to meet the needs of conceptual design engineers that face the task of integrating many stand-alone engineering analysis programs. Using EASIE, programs are integrated through a relational data base management system. In volume 2, the use of a SYSTEM LIBRARY PROCESSOR is used to construct a DATA DICTIONARY describing all relations defined in the data base, and a TEMPLATE LIBRARY. A TEMPLATE is a description of all subsets of relations (including conditional selection criteria and sorting specifications) to be accessed as input or output for a given application. Together, these form the SYSTEM LIBRARY which is used to automatically produce the data base schema, FORTRAN subroutines to retrieve/store data from/to the data base, and instructions to a generic REVIEWER program providing review/modification of data for a given template. Automation of these functions eliminates much of the tedious, error prone work required by the usual approach to data base integration.

Comparative Advantages in Microelectronics,

DTIC Science & Technology

The initial point of departure for analyzing comparative advantages in microelectronics is to make certain explicit assumptions. First, technology...changes conditions but does not determine comparative advantages . Secondly, the entire industrial infrastructure is becoming increasingly abstract...that informatics will profoundly affect the productive infrastructure and the international division of labour.

In the Summer, Getting Into College Is Easy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gose, Ben

1998-01-01

Many colleges have summer academic programs for high school students; some design special courses, while others admit the students to regular college courses. Some target gifted students. While participation in the programs, which are easy to get into, does not assure later entry to the institution, many parents have that expectation. The programs…

Long-term effectiveness of the SpeechEasy fluency-enhancement device.

PubMed

Gallop, Ronald F; Runyan, Charles M

2012-12-01

The SpeechEasy has been found to be an effective device for reduction of stuttering frequency for many people who stutter (PWS); published studies typically have compared stuttering reduction at initial fitting of the device to results achieved up to one year later. This study examines long-term effectiveness by examining whether effects of the SpeechEasy were maintained for longer periods, from 13 to 59 months. Results indicated no significant change for seven device users from post-fitting to the time of the study (t=-.074, p=.943); however, findings varied greatly on a case-by-case basis. Most notably, when stuttering frequency for eleven users and former users, prior to device fitting, was compared to current stuttering frequency while not wearing the device, the change over time was found to be statistically significant (t=2.851, p=.017), suggesting a carry-over effect of the device. There was no significant difference in stuttering frequency when users were wearing versus not wearing the device currently (t=1.949, p=0.92). Examinations of these results, as well as direction for future research, are described herein. The reader will be able to: (a) identify and briefly describe two types of altered auditory feedback which the SpeechEasy incorporates in order to help reduce stuttering; (b) describe the carry-over effect found in this study, suggest effectiveness associated with the device over a longer period of time than previously reported, as well as its implications, and (c) list factors that might be assessed in future research involving this device in order to more narrowly determine which prospective users are most likely to benefit from employing the SpeechEasy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The advantages and barriers in the implementation of a substance dependence treatment information system (SDTIS).

PubMed

Ajami, Sima; Mellat-Karkevandi, Zahra

2015-11-01

Addiction is a phenomenon that causes structural changes in different systems of society. Studies show for planning of addiction prevention and treatment, it is necessary to create an information management system. Substance dependence information systems refer to systems which collect, analyse and report data related to substance dependence information. The aim of this study was to identify advantages and barriers to implement Substance Dependence Treatment Information System (SDTIS). This study was a narrative review. Our review divided into three phases: literature collection, assessing, and selection. We employed the following keywords and their combinations in different areas of articles. In this study, 22 of collected articles and reports were selected based on their relevancy. We found many advantages for a substance dependence treatment information system such as recording sufficient, complete and accurate information and easy and timely access to them and monitoring and enhancing the quality of care received by patients. But we may face some concerns for implementing this information system like taking time and funds from client services, being expensive or even problems regarding the quality of data contained in these information systems. There are some important problems in the way of implementing. In order to overcome these issues, we need to raise community awareness.

The advantages and barriers in the implementation of a substance dependence treatment information system (SDTIS)

PubMed Central

Ajami, Sima; Mellat-Karkevandi, Zahra

2015-01-01

Addiction is a phenomenon that causes structural changes in different systems of society. Studies show for planning of addiction prevention and treatment, it is necessary to create an information management system. Substance dependence information systems refer to systems which collect, analyse and report data related to substance dependence information. The aim of this study was to identify advantages and barriers to implement Substance Dependence Treatment Information System (SDTIS). This study was a narrative review. Our review divided into three phases: literature collection, assessing, and selection. We employed the following keywords and their combinations in different areas of articles. In this study, 22 of collected articles and reports were selected based on their relevancy. We found many advantages for a substance dependence treatment information system such as recording sufficient, complete and accurate information and easy and timely access to them and monitoring and enhancing the quality of care received by patients. But we may face some concerns for implementing this information system like taking time and funds from client services, being expensive or even problems regarding the quality of data contained in these information systems. There are some important problems in the way of implementing. In order to overcome these issues, we need to raise community awareness. PMID:26941816

Measure Guideline: Summary of Interior Ducts in New Construction, Including an Efficient, Affordable Method to Install Fur-Down Interior Ducts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beal, D.; McIlvaine , J.; Fonorow, K.

2011-11-01

This document illustrates guidelines for the efficient installation of interior duct systems in new housing, including the fur-up chase method, the fur-down chase method, and interior ducts positioned in sealed attics or sealed crawl spaces. This document illustrates guidelines for the efficient installation of interior duct systems in new housing. Interior ducts result from bringing the duct work inside a home's thermal and air barrier. Architects, designers, builders, and new home buyers should thoroughly investigate any opportunity for energy savings that is as easy to implement during construction, such as the opportunity to construct interior duct work. In addition tomore » enhanced energy efficiency, interior ductwork results in other important advantages, such as improved indoor air quality, increased system durability and increased homeowner comfort. While the advantages of well-designed and constructed interior duct systems are recognized, the implementation of this approach has not gained a significant market acceptance. This guideline describes a variety of methods to create interior ducts including the fur-up chase method, the fur-down chase method, and interior ducts positioned in sealed attics or sealed crawl spaces. As communication of the intent of an interior duct system, and collaboration on its construction are paramount to success, this guideline details the critical design, planning, construction, inspection, and verification steps that must be taken. Involved in this process are individuals from the design team; sales/marketing team; and mechanical, insulation, plumbing, electrical, framing, drywall and solar contractors.« less

An Easy Classroom Experiment on the Supercooling of Water

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gianino, Concetto

2007-01-01

The change from the state of supercooling to the solid state of ice is called superfreezing. This process is not uncommon and takes place in domestic freezers. It is also easy to reproduce in the laboratory. (Contains 6 figures.)

Easy Volcanic Aerosol (EVA v1.0): an idealized forcing generator for climate simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toohey, Matthew; Stevens, Bjorn; Schmidt, Hauke; Timmreck, Claudia

2016-11-01

Stratospheric sulfate aerosols from volcanic eruptions have a significant impact on the Earth's climate. To include the effects of volcanic eruptions in climate model simulations, the Easy Volcanic Aerosol (EVA) forcing generator provides stratospheric aerosol optical properties as a function of time, latitude, height, and wavelength for a given input list of volcanic eruption attributes. EVA is based on a parameterized three-box model of stratospheric transport and simple scaling relationships used to derive mid-visible (550 nm) aerosol optical depth and aerosol effective radius from stratospheric sulfate mass. Precalculated look-up tables computed from Mie theory are used to produce wavelength-dependent aerosol extinction, single scattering albedo, and scattering asymmetry factor values. The structural form of EVA and the tuning of its parameters are chosen to produce best agreement with the satellite-based reconstruction of stratospheric aerosol properties following the 1991 Pinatubo eruption, and with prior millennial-timescale forcing reconstructions, including the 1815 eruption of Tambora. EVA can be used to produce volcanic forcing for climate models which is based on recent observations and physical understanding but internally self-consistent over any timescale of choice. In addition, EVA is constructed so as to allow for easy modification of different aspects of aerosol properties, in order to be used in model experiments to help advance understanding of what aspects of the volcanic aerosol are important for the climate system.

easyCBM Norms. 2014 Edition. Technical Report #1409

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saven, Jessica L.; Tindal, Gerald; Irvin, P. Shawn; Farley, Dan; Alonzo, Julie

2014-01-01

Previous norms for the easyCBM assessment system were computed using scores from all students who took each measure for every grade and benchmark season (fall, winter, and spring). During the 2013-­14 school year, new national norms were developed to more accurately (proportionately) represent reading and mathematics performance by two variables:…

Five Easy Principles to Make Math Moments Count

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cutler, Carrie S.

2011-01-01

Preschool children are learning so many skills--how to cut with scissors, zip zippers, recognize the alphabet and their names, and share toys with others. A strong academic curriculum also requires that children learn more about math (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 2000). By following the five easy principles outlined here,…

Breathe Easy at Home

PubMed Central

Rosofsky, Anna; Reid, Margaret; Sandel, Megan; Zielenbach, Molly; Murphy, Johnna; Scammell, Madeleine K.

2016-01-01

The Breathe Easy at Home Program enables clinicians to refer asthmatic patients to Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD) if they suspect housing conditions trigger symptoms. The authors conducted one-on-one interviews with clinicians (n = 10) who referred patients, and focus groups with inspectors from the ISD (n = 9) and a variety of stakeholders (n = 13), to gain insight into program function and implementation. Clinician interviews revealed inconsistencies in enrollment approaches, dissatisfaction with the web-based system, and patient follow-up difficulties. Inspectors identified barriers to working effectively with residents and landlords, and the stakeholder focus group highlighted successes of an unusual institutional collaboration. Interviews and focus groups identified strong and personal rapport between clinicians, inspectors, and patients as key to program retention, and that participating families required additional support throughout the process. Despite recommendations for improvement in program implementation, clinicians, inspectors, and stakeholders felt that the program overall improved both the home environment and asthma outcomes. PMID:28462348

Quasi-independence, fitness, and advantageousness.

PubMed

Brosnan, Kevin

2009-09-01

I argue that the idea of 'quasi-independence' [Lewontin, R. C. (1978). Adaptation. Scientific American, 239(3), 212-230] cannot be understood without attending to the distinction between fitness and advantageousness [Sober, E. (1993). Philosophy of biology. Boulder: Westview Press]. Natural selection increases the frequency of fitter traits, not necessarily of advantageous ones. A positive correlation between an advantageous trait and a disadvantageous one may prevent the advantageous trait from evolving. The quasi-independence criterion is aimed at specifying the conditions under which advantageous traits will evolve by natural selection in this type of situation. Contrary to what others have argued [Sterelny, K. (1992). Evolutionary explanations of human behavior. Australian Journal of Philosophy, 70(2), 156-172, and Sterelny, K., & Griffiths, P. (1999). Sex and death. Chicago: University of Chicago Press], these conditions must involve a precise quantitative measure of (a) the extent to which advantageous traits are beneficial, and (b) the degree to which they are correlated with other traits. Driscoll (2004) [Driscoll, C. (2004). Can behaviors be adaptations? Philosophy of Science, 71, 16-35] recognizes the need for such a measure, but I argue that she does not provide the correct formulation. The account of quasi-independence that I offer clarifies this point.

THE EFFECTS OF SONIC ENVIRONMENT OF INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION IN LEARNING DIFFICULT AND EASY TASKS BY HIGH ACHIEVERS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MCCARTHY, EDWARD H.

THE SIXTH-GRADE STUDENTS OBTAINING THE 80 HIGHEST MEAN SCORES ON THE METROPOLITAN ACHIEVEMENT TEST FORM D WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO GROUPS OF EASY OR DIFFICULT TASKS WITHIN EACH OF FIVE DECIBEL LEVEL GROUPS. THE LEARNING TASKS WERE TAKEN FROM THE MEANINGFULNESS OF ALL POSSIBLE CVC TRIGRAMS (ARCHER, 1960). THE APPARATUS INCLUDED A TAPE RECORDING OF…

Miscue Analysis Made Easy: Building on Student Strengths.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilde, Sandra

Beginning with a series of interactive exercises, this book leads readers through the thinking processes and linguistic systems that students use to build their understanding of text. Through a review of these systems, the book then shows how to assess students' reading ability. It then presents an easy-to-use, step-by-step diagnostic procedure,…

Technical Adequacy of the easyCBM[R] Mathematics Measures: Grades 3-8, 2009-2010 Version. Technical Report #1007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nese, Joseph F. T.; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Anderson, Daniel; Jamgochian, Elisa M.; Kamata, Akihito; Saez, Leilani; Park, Bitnara J.; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2010-01-01

In this technical report, data are presented on the practical utility, reliability, and validity of the easyCBM[R] mathematics (2009-2010 version) measures for students in grades 3-8 within four districts in two states. Analyses include: minimum acceptable within-year growth; minimum acceptable year-end benchmark performance; internal and…

Bubble and skyrmion crystals in frustrated magnets with easy-axis anisotropy

DOE PAGES

Hayami, Satoru; Lin, Shi-Zeng; Batista, Cristian D.

2016-05-12

We clarify the conditions for the emergence of multiple-Q structures out of lattice and easy-axis spin anisotropy in frustrated magnets. By considering magnets whose exchange interaction has multiple global minima in momentum space, we find that both types of anisotropy stabilize triple-Q orderings. Moderate anisotropy leads to a magnetic field-induced skyrmion crystal, which evolves into a bubble crystal for increasing spatial and spin anisotropy. Finally, the bubble crystal exhibits a quasi-continuous (devil’s staircase) temperature dependent ordering wave-vector, characteristic of the competition between frustrated exchange and strong easy-axis anisotropy.

ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES FOR ISCO METHODS IN-SITU FENTON OXIDATION IN-SITU PERMANGANATE OXIDATION

EPA Science Inventory

The advantages and disadvantages of in-situ Fenton oxidation and in-situ permanganate oxidation will be presented. This presentation will provide a brief overview of each technology and a detailed analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each technology. Included in the ...

Immediately sequential bilateral cataract surgery: advantages and disadvantages.

PubMed

Singh, Ranjodh; Dohlman, Thomas H; Sun, Grace

2017-01-01

The number of cataract surgeries performed globally will continue to rise to meet the needs of an aging population. This increased demand will require healthcare systems and providers to find new surgical efficiencies while maintaining excellent surgical outcomes. Immediately sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS) has been proposed as a solution and is increasingly being performed worldwide. The purpose of this review is to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of ISBCS. When appropriate patient selection occurs and guidelines are followed, ISBCS is comparable with delayed sequential bilateral cataract surgery in long-term patient satisfaction, visual acuity and complication rates. In addition, the risk of bilateral postoperative endophthalmitis and concerns of poorer refractive outcomes have not been supported by the literature. ISBCS is cost-effective for the patient, healthcare payors and society, but current reimbursement models in many countries create significant financial barriers for facilities and surgeons. As demand for cataract surgery rises worldwide, ISBCS will become increasingly important as an alternative to delayed sequential bilateral cataract surgery. Advantages include potentially decreased wait times for surgery, patient convenience and cost savings for healthcare payors. Although they are comparable in visual acuity and complication rates, hurdles that prevent wide adoption include liability concerns as ISBCS is not an established standard of care, economic constraints for facilities and surgeons and inability to fine-tune intraocular lens selection in the second eye. Given these considerations, an open discussion regarding the advantages and disadvantages of ISBCS is important for appropriate patient selection.

Mechanistic Basis of Cocrystal Dissolution Advantage.

PubMed

Cao, Fengjuan; Amidon, Gordon L; Rodríguez-Hornedo, Naír; Amidon, Gregory E

2018-01-01

Current interest in cocrystal development resides in the advantages that the cocrystal may have in solubility and dissolution compared with the parent drug. This work provides a mechanistic analysis and comparison of the dissolution behavior of carbamazepine (CBZ) and its 2 cocrystals, carbamazepine-saccharin (CBZ-SAC) and carbamazepine-salicylic acid (CBZ-SLC) under the influence of pH and micellar solubilization. A simple mathematical equation is derived based on the mass transport analyses to describe the dissolution advantage of cocrystals. The dissolution advantage is the ratio of the cocrystal flux to drug flux and is defined as the solubility advantage (cocrystal to drug solubility ratio) times the diffusivity advantage (cocrystal to drug diffusivity ratio). In this work, the effective diffusivity of CBZ in the presence of surfactant was determined to be different and less than those of the cocrystals. The higher effective diffusivity of drug from the dissolved cocrystals, the diffusivity advantage, can impart a dissolution advantage to cocrystals with lower solubility than the parent drug while still maintaining thermodynamic stability. Dissolution conditions where cocrystals can display both thermodynamic stability and a dissolution advantage can be obtained from the mass transport models, and this information is useful for both cocrystal selection and formulation development. Copyright © 2018 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Easy Way to Show Memory Color Effects.

PubMed

Witzel, Christoph

2016-01-01

This study proposes and evaluates a simple stimulus display that allows one to measure memory color effects (the effect of object knowledge and memory on color perception). The proposed approach is fast and easy and does not require running an extensive experiment. It shows that memory color effects are robust to minor variations due to a lack of color calibration.

An Easy-to-Assemble Three-Part Galvanic Cell

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eggen, Per-Odd; Skaugrud, Brit

2015-01-01

The galvanic cell presented in this article is made of only three parts, is easy to assemble, and can light a red light emitting diode (LED). The three cell components consist of a piece of paper with copper sulfate, a piece of paper with sodium sulfate, and a piece of magnesium ribbon. Within less than 1 h, students have time to discuss the…

Airmen: Delivering Decision Advantage

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

Senior Leader Perspective November–December 2012 Air & Space Power Journal | 4 ISR Focus Airmen Delivering Decision Advantage Lt Gen Larry D. James...Air Force, the joint war fighter, and our nation. Our mission, in defense of America’s interests, is to enable de- cision advantage by operating...integrated, cross-domain ISR capabilities with joint, national, and international partners. Our Air Force ISR vi- sion is to be the preeminent ISR

Quarantine, isolation and the duty of easy rescue in public health.

PubMed

Giubilini, Alberto; Douglas, Thomas; Maslen, Hannah; Savulescu, Julian

2018-06-01

We address the issue of whether, why and under what conditions, quarantine and isolation are morally justified, with a particular focus on measures implemented in the developing world. We argue that the benefits of quarantine and isolation justify some level of coercion or compulsion by the state, but that the state should be able to provide the strongest justification possible for implementing such measures. While a constrained form of consequentialism might provide a justification for such public health interventions, we argue that a stronger justification is provided by a principle of State Enforced Easy Rescue: a state may permissibly compel individuals to engage in activities that entail a small cost to them but a large benefit to others, because individuals have a moral duty of easy rescue to engage in those activities. The principle of State Enforced Easy Rescue gives rise to an Obligation Enforcement Requirement: the state should create the conditions such that submitting to coercive or compulsive measures becomes a fundamental moral duty of individuals, i.e. a duty of easy rescue. When the state can create such conditions, it has the strongest justification possible for implementing coercive or compulsive measures, because individuals have a moral duty to temporarily relinquish the rights that such measures would infringe. Our argument has significant implications for how public health emergencies in the developing world should be tackled. Where isolation and quarantine measures are necessary, states or the international community have a moral obligation to provide certain benefits to those quarantined or isolated. © 2017 The Authors Developing World Bioethics Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Computation in Classical Mechanics with Easy Java Simulations (EJS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cox, Anne J.

2006-12-01

Let your students enjoy creating animations and incorporating some computational physics into your Classical Mechanics course. This talk will demonstrate the use of an Open Source Physics package, Easy Java Simulations (EJS), in an already existing sophomore/junior level Classical Mechanics course. EJS allows for incremental introduction of computational physics into existing courses because it is easy to use (for instructors and students alike) and it is open source. Students can use this tool for numerical solutions to problems (as they can with commercial systems: Mathcad and Mathematica), but they can also generate their own animations. For example, students in Classical Mechanics use Lagrangian mechanics to solve a problem, and then use EJS not only to numerically solve the differential equations, but to show the associated motion (and check their answers). EJS, developed by Francisco Esquembre (http://fem.um.es/Ejs/), is built on the OpenSource Physics framework (http://www.opensourcephysics.org/) supported through NSF DUE0442581.

An Easy Method for Plant Polysome Profiling.

PubMed

Lecampion, Cécile; Floris, Maïna; Fantino, Jean Raphaël; Robaglia, Christophe; Laloi, Christophe

2016-08-28

Translation of mRNA to protein is a fundamental and highly regulated biological process. Polysome profiling is considered as a gold standard for the analysis of translational regulation. The method described here is an easy and economical way for fractionating polysomes from various plant tissues. A sucrose gradient is made without the need for a gradient maker by sequentially freezing each layer. Cytosolic extracts are then prepared in a buffer containing cycloheximide and chloramphenicol to immobilize the cytosolic and chloroplastic ribosomes to mRNA and are loaded onto the sucrose gradient. After centrifugation, six fractions are directly collected from the bottom to the top of the gradient, without piercing the ultracentrifugation tube. During collection, the absorbance at 260 nm is read continuously to generate a polysome profile that gives a snapshot of global translational activity. Fractions are then pooled to prepare three different mRNA populations: the polysomes, mRNAs bound to several ribosomes; the monosomes, mRNAs bound to one ribosome; and mRNAs that are not bound to ribosomes. mRNAs are then extracted. This protocol has been validated for different plants and tissues including Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings and adult plants, Nicotiana benthamiana, Solanum lycopersicum, and Oryza sativa leaves.

An Evolving Worldview: Making Open Source Easy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, Zachary

2017-01-01

NASA Worldview is an interactive interface for browsing full-resolution, global satellite imagery. Worldview supports an open data policy so that academia, private industries and the general public can use NASA's satellite data to address Earth science related issues. Worldview was open sourced in 2014. By shifting to an open source approach, the Worldview application has evolved to better serve end-users. Project developers are able to have discussions with end-users and community developers to understand issues and develop new features. New developers are able to track upcoming features, collaborate on them and make their own contributions. Getting new developers to contribute to the project has been one of the most important and difficult aspects of open sourcing Worldview. A focus has been made on making the installation of Worldview simple to reduce the initial learning curve and make contributing code easy. One way we have addressed this is through a simplified setup process. Our setup documentation includes a set of prerequisites and a set of straight forward commands to clone, configure, install and run. This presentation will emphasis our focus to simplify and standardize Worldview's open source code so more people are able to contribute. The more people who contribute, the better the application will become over time.

[Onsite microbiology services and outsourcing microbiology and offsite laboratories--advantage and disadvantage, thinking of effective utilization].

PubMed

Hosokawa, Naoto

2011-10-01

In recent years, budget restrictions have prompted hospital managers to consider outsourcing microbiology service. But there are many advantages onsite microbiology services. Onsite microbiology services have some advantages. 1) High recovery rate of microorganism. 2) Shorter turn around time. 3) Easy to communicate between physician and laboratory technician. 4) Effective utilization of blood culture. 5) Getting early information about microorganism. 6) Making antibiogram (microbiological local factor). 7) Getting information for infection control. The disadvantages are operating costs and labor cost. The important point of maximal utilization of onsite microbiology service is close communication between physicians to microbiology laboratory. It will be able to provide prompt and efficient report to physicians through discussion about Gram stain findings, agar plate media findings and epidemiological information. The rapid and accurate identification of pathogen affords directed therapy, thereby decreasing the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and shortening the length of hospital stay and unnecessary ancillary procedures. When the physician use outsourcing microbiology services, should discuss with offsite laboratories about provided services. Infection control person has to arrange data of susceptibility about every isolate and monitoring multi-drug resistant organism. Not only onsite microbiology services but also outsourcing microbiology services, to communicate bedside and laboratory is most important point of effective utilization.

Web-Based Student Evaluations of Professors: The Relations between Perceived Quality, Easiness and Sexiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felton, James; Mitchell, John; Stinson, Michael

2004-01-01

College students critique their professors' teaching at RateMyProfessors.com, a web page where students anonymously rate their professors on Quality, Easiness, and Sexiness. Using the self-selected data from this public forum, we examine the relations between quality, easiness, and sexiness for 3190 professors at 25 universities. For faculty with…

Home advantage in retractable-roof baseball stadia.

PubMed

Romanowich, Paul

2012-10-01

This study examined whether the home advantage varies for open-air, domed, or retractable-roof baseball stadia, and whether having the roof open or closed affects the home advantage in retractable-roof baseball stadia. Data from Major League Baseball (MLB) games played between 2001 and 2009 were analyzed for whether or not the presence of a home-advantage was dependent on the type of home stadium used. Home advantage was robust for all three types of stadia. A significant effect of stadium type on home advantage was found, with a greater home advantage for teams playing home games in domed stadia relative to open-air stadia, replicating a previous study. There was a greater home advantage for teams playing home games in domed stadia relative to retractable-roof stadia. No other differences in the home advantage were found; results are discussed in terms of familiarity with the facility.

Easy Leaf Area: Automated digital image analysis for rapid and accurate measurement of leaf area.

PubMed

Easlon, Hsien Ming; Bloom, Arnold J

2014-07-01

Measurement of leaf areas from digital photographs has traditionally required significant user input unless backgrounds are carefully masked. Easy Leaf Area was developed to batch process hundreds of Arabidopsis rosette images in minutes, removing background artifacts and saving results to a spreadsheet-ready CSV file. • Easy Leaf Area uses the color ratios of each pixel to distinguish leaves and calibration areas from their background and compares leaf pixel counts to a red calibration area to eliminate the need for camera distance calculations or manual ruler scale measurement that other software methods typically require. Leaf areas estimated by this software from images taken with a camera phone were more accurate than ImageJ estimates from flatbed scanner images. • Easy Leaf Area provides an easy-to-use method for rapid measurement of leaf area and nondestructive estimation of canopy area from digital images.

UNICON: A Powerful and Easy-to-Use Compound Library Converter.

PubMed

Sommer, Kai; Friedrich, Nils-Ole; Bietz, Stefan; Hilbig, Matthias; Inhester, Therese; Rarey, Matthias

2016-06-27

The accurate handling of different chemical file formats and the consistent conversion between them play important roles for calculations in complex cheminformatics workflows. Working with different cheminformatic tools often makes the conversion between file formats a mandatory step. Such a conversion might become a difficult task in cases where the information content substantially differs. This paper describes UNICON, an easy-to-use software tool for this task. The functionality of UNICON ranges from file conversion between standard formats SDF, MOL2, SMILES, PDB, and PDBx/mmCIF via the generation of 2D structure coordinates and 3D structures to the enumeration of tautomeric forms, protonation states, and conformer ensembles. For this purpose, UNICON bundles the key elements of the previously described NAOMI library in a single, easy-to-use command line tool.

Myopia Glasses and Optical Power Estimation: An Easy Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ribeiro, Jair Lúcio Prados

2015-01-01

Human eye optics is a common high school physics topic and students usually show a great interest during our presentation of this theme. In this article, we present an easy way to estimate a diverging lens' optical power from a simple experiment involving myopia eyeglasses and a smartphone flashlight.

Myopia Glasses and Optical Power Estimation: An Easy Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, Jair Lúcio Prados

2015-02-01

Human eye optics is a common high school physics topic and students usually show a great interest during our presentation of this theme. In this article, we present an easy way to estimate a diverging lens' optical power from a simple experiment involving myopia eyeglasses and a smartphone flashlight.

easyCBM[R] Mathematics Criterion Related Validity Evidence: Oregon State Test. Technical Report #1011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2010-01-01

In this technical report, we present the results of a study examining the relation between the math measures available on the easyCBM[R] online benchmark and progress monitoring assessment system and the Oregon statewide assessment of mathematics. Designed for use within a response to intervention (RTI) framework, easyCBM[R] is intended to help…

Comparison of home advantage in men's and women's football leagues in Europe.

PubMed

Pollard, Richard; Gómez, Miguel A

2014-01-01

Most research into home advantage is based on men's sports. This article analyses home advantage in the women's domestic football leagues of Europe and makes a comparison with the corresponding men's football leagues. A total of 47,042 games were included. From 2004 to 2010, home advantage existed in the domestic women's soccer leagues of all 26 European countries analysed, ranging from 51.0% to 58.8% and averaging 54.2%. In every country, this was less than the corresponding men's home advantage which averaged 60.0%. Crowd effects, both on players and referees, and different gender perceptions of territorial protection are plausible reasons for the differences found. Using a regression model that controlled for the competitive balance of each league, as well as for crowd size, the Gender Gap Index, which quantifies the status of women in each country, was a significant predictor of the difference between men's and women's home advantage. As the status of women becomes closer to that of men within a country, the difference in home advantage is less between the men's and women's football leagues.

Keeping it simple : easy ways to help wildlife along roads

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-01-01

This brochure highlights more than 100 simple, successful activities to benefit fish, wildlife, or their habitats. The activities were drawn from all 50 states and from FHWA's Western Federal Lands Division. All the activities described are "easy." M...

EASY: a simple tool for simultaneously removing background, deadtime and acoustic ringing in quantitative NMR spectroscopy--part I: basic principle and applications.

PubMed

Jaeger, Christian; Hemmann, Felix

2014-01-01

Elimination of Artifacts in NMR SpectroscopY (EASY) is a simple but very effective tool to remove simultaneously any real NMR probe background signal, any spectral distortions due to deadtime ringdown effects and -specifically- severe acoustic ringing artifacts in NMR spectra of low-gamma nuclei. EASY enables and maintains quantitative NMR (qNMR) as only a single pulse (preferably 90°) is used for data acquisition. After the acquisition of the first scan (it contains the wanted NMR signal and the background/deadtime/ringing artifacts) the same experiment is repeated immediately afterwards before the T1 waiting delay. This second scan contains only the background/deadtime/ringing parts. Hence, the simple difference of both yields clean NMR line shapes free of artefacts. In this Part I various examples for complete (1)H, (11)B, (13)C, (19)F probe background removal due to construction parts of the NMR probes are presented. Furthermore, (25)Mg EASY of Mg(OH)2 is presented and this example shows how extremely strong acoustic ringing can be suppressed (more than a factor of 200) such that phase and baseline correction for spectra acquired with a single pulse is no longer a problem. EASY is also a step towards deadtime-free data acquisition as these effects are also canceled completely. EASY can be combined with any other NMR experiment, including 2D NMR, if baseline distortions are a big problem. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.

Wood typification by Venturi easy ambient sonic spray ionization mass spectrometry: the case of the endangered Mahogany tree.

PubMed

Cabral, Elaine C; Simas, Rosineide C; Santos, Vanessa G; Queiroga, Carmen L; da Cunha, Valnei S; de Sá, Gilberto F; Daroda, Romeu J; Eberlin, Marcos N

2012-01-01

Venturi easy ambient sonic spray ionization mass spectrometry in both its liquid (V(L) -EASI-MS) and solid sample modes (V(S) -EASI-MS) is shown to provide nearly immediate and secure typification of woods, as demonstrated for Mahogany, an endangered and most valuable type of tropical wood. This reddish wood displays unique phytochemical markers (phragmalin-type limonoids) which are rapidly detected from the wood surface by V(S) -EASI-MS or from a simple methanol extract of a tiny wood chip by V(L) -EASI-MS. Unique profiles were obtained for Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) whereas genuine samples of six other similar types of woods, which are commonly falsified by artificial coloring and commercialized as Mahogany, display also typical but dissimilar pythochemical profiles as compared to that of the authentic wood. Variable and atypical chemical profiles were observed for artificially colored woods. Secure chemical characterization via V(S) -EASI-MS or V(s) -EASI-MS fingerprints of Mahogany and other types of woods with similar appearance should help to control the illegal logging and trade of this and other endangered woods and their falsification, and to create certified standards. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Transnasal endoscopy: Technical considerations, advantages and limitations.

PubMed

Atar, Mustafa; Kadayifci, Abdurrahman

2014-02-16

Transnasal endoscopy (TNE) is an upper endoscopy method which is performed by the nasal route using a thin endoscope less than 6 mm in diameter. The primary goal of this method is to improve patient tolerance and convenience of the procedure. TNE can be performed without sedation and thus eliminates the risks associated with general anesthesia. In this way, TNE decreases the cost and total duration of endoscopic procedures, while maintaining the image quality of standard caliber endoscopes, providing good results for diagnostic purposes. However, the small working channel of the ultra-thin endoscope used for TNE makes it difficult to use for therapeutic procedures except in certain conditions which require a thinner endoscope. Biopsy is possible with special forceps less than 2 mm in diameter. Recently, TNE has been used for screening endoscopy in Far East Asia, including Japan. In most controlled studies, TNE was found to have better patient tolerance when compared to unsedated endoscopy. Nasal pain is the most significant symptom associated with endoscopic procedures but can be reduced with nasal pretreatment. Despite the potential advantage of TNE, it is not common in Western countries, usually due to a lack of training in the technique and a lack of awareness of its potential advantages. This paper briefly reviews the technical considerations as well as the potential advantages and limitations of TNE with ultra-thin scopes.

Transnasal endoscopy: Technical considerations, advantages and limitations

PubMed Central

Atar, Mustafa; Kadayifci, Abdurrahman

2014-01-01

Transnasal endoscopy (TNE) is an upper endoscopy method which is performed by the nasal route using a thin endoscope less than 6 mm in diameter. The primary goal of this method is to improve patient tolerance and convenience of the procedure. TNE can be performed without sedation and thus eliminates the risks associated with general anesthesia. In this way, TNE decreases the cost and total duration of endoscopic procedures, while maintaining the image quality of standard caliber endoscopes, providing good results for diagnostic purposes. However, the small working channel of the ultra-thin endoscope used for TNE makes it difficult to use for therapeutic procedures except in certain conditions which require a thinner endoscope. Biopsy is possible with special forceps less than 2 mm in diameter. Recently, TNE has been used for screening endoscopy in Far East Asia, including Japan. In most controlled studies, TNE was found to have better patient tolerance when compared to unsedated endoscopy. Nasal pain is the most significant symptom associated with endoscopic procedures but can be reduced with nasal pretreatment. Despite the potential advantage of TNE, it is not common in Western countries, usually due to a lack of training in the technique and a lack of awareness of its potential advantages. This paper briefly reviews the technical considerations as well as the potential advantages and limitations of TNE with ultra-thin scopes. PMID:24567791

An easy and environmentally-friendly approach to superamphiphobicity of aluminum surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, R.; Hu, Y. M.; Wang, L.; Li, Zh. H.; Shen, T.; Zhu, Y.; Xiang, J. Zh.

2017-04-01

Superamphiphobic Al surfaces were achieved via an easy and environmentally-friendly approach. Aqueous mixed solution of 0.7 M CuSO4 and 1 M NaCl was used to etch polished Al surfaces to fabricate a rough morphology distributed with microscale step-like pits. The uniformly distributed nanoscale petals covered on the microscale pits were obtained by subsequent 96 °C hot deionized water bathing for 13 min. Thus, the hierarchical micro/nanometer scale roughness was formed which provided the structural basic of superamphiphobic Al surfaces. By 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-Perfluorodecyl-triethoxysilane (PFDTS) derivatization, desirable superamphiphobic Al surfaces were achieved with the highest static contact angles of 162° for water, 156° for peanut oil, respectively. Meanwhile, the sliding angles were lower than 10° for both water and peanut oil droplets. The as-prepared Al surfaces were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and optical contact angle measurements. The FE-SEM images of as-prepared Al surfaces showed a hierarchical micro/nanometer scale morphology. XPS analyses demonstrated the PFDTS derivitization on Al surfaces. The superamphiphobic Al surfaces presented good mechanical durability and chemical stability which have a wide range of applications in fields such as self-cleaning, anti-icing, anti-corrosion, oil transportation, energy harvesting, microfluidics, and so forth. The approach reported in this paper may easily realize the industrial production of superamphiphobic Al surfaces owing to the advantage of facile, low cost and environmentally-friendly.

EasyFRAP-web: a web-based tool for the analysis of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching data.

PubMed

Koulouras, Grigorios; Panagopoulos, Andreas; Rapsomaniki, Maria A; Giakoumakis, Nickolaos N; Taraviras, Stavros; Lygerou, Zoi

2018-06-13

Understanding protein dynamics is crucial in order to elucidate protein function and interactions. Advances in modern microscopy facilitate the exploration of the mobility of fluorescently tagged proteins within living cells. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is an increasingly popular functional live-cell imaging technique which enables the study of the dynamic properties of proteins at a single-cell level. As an increasing number of labs generate FRAP datasets, there is a need for fast, interactive and user-friendly applications that analyze the resulting data. Here we present easyFRAP-web, a web application that simplifies the qualitative and quantitative analysis of FRAP datasets. EasyFRAP-web permits quick analysis of FRAP datasets through an intuitive web interface with interconnected analysis steps (experimental data assessment, different types of normalization and estimation of curve-derived quantitative parameters). In addition, easyFRAP-web provides dynamic and interactive data visualization and data and figure export for further analysis after every step. We test easyFRAP-web by analyzing FRAP datasets capturing the mobility of the cell cycle regulator Cdt2 in the presence and absence of DNA damage in cultured cells. We show that easyFRAP-web yields results consistent with previous studies and highlights cell-to-cell heterogeneity in the estimated kinetic parameters. EasyFRAP-web is platform-independent and is freely accessible at: https://easyfrap.vmnet.upatras.gr/.

Magnetic phase transition in Heisenberg antiferromagnetic films with easy-axis single-ion anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Kok-Kwei

2012-03-01

The staggered susceptibility of spin-1 and spin-3/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet with easy-axis single-ion anisotropy on the cubic lattice films consisting of n=2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 interacting square lattice layers is studied by high-temperature series expansions. Sixth order series in J/kBT have been obtained for free-surface boundary conditions. The dependence of the Néel temperature on film thickness n and easy-axis anisotropy D has been investigated. The shifts of the Néel temperature from the bulk value can be described by a power law n with a shift exponent λ, where λ is the inverse of the bulk correlation length exponent. The effect of easy-axis single-ion anisotropy on shift exponent of antiferromagnetic films has been studied. A comparison is made with related works. The results obtained are qualitatively consistent with the predictions of finite-size scaling theory.

Fast and Easy Searching of Files in Unisys 2200 Computers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snook, Bryan E.

2010-01-01

A program has been written to enable (1) fast and easy searching of symbolic files for one or more strings of characters, dates, or numerical values in specific fields or columns and (2) summarizing results of searching other fields or columns.

Spectroscopy Made Easy: Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piskunov, Nikolai; Valenti, Jeff A.

2017-01-01

Context. The Spectroscopy Made Easy (SME) package has become a popular tool for analyzing stellar spectra, often in connection with large surveys or exoplanet research. SME has evolved significantly since it was first described in 1996, but many of the original caveats and potholes still haunt users. The main drivers for this paper are complexity of the modeling task, the large user community, and the massive effort that has gone into SME. Aims: We do not intend to give a comprehensive introduction to stellar atmospheres, but will describe changes to key components of SME: the equation of state, opacities, and radiative transfer. We will describe the analysis and fitting procedure and investigate various error sources that affect inferred parameters. Methods: We review the current status of SME, emphasizing new algorithms and methods. We describe some best practices for using the package, based on lessons learned over two decades of SME usage. We present a new way to assess uncertainties in derived stellar parameters. Results: Improvements made to SME, better line data, and new model atmospheres yield more realistic stellar spectra, but in many cases systematic errors still dominate over measurement uncertainty. Future enhancements are outlined.

Easy plane baby Skyrmions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jäykkä, Juha; Speight, Martin

2010-12-01

The baby Skyrme model is studied with a novel choice of potential, V=(1)/(2)ϕ32. This “easy plane” potential vanishes at the equator of the target two-sphere. Hence, in contrast to previously studied cases, the boundary value of the field breaks the residual SO(2) internal symmetry of the model. Consequently, even the unit charge Skyrmion has only discrete symmetry and consists of a bound state of two half lumps. A model of long-range inter-Skyrmion forces is developed wherein a unit Skyrmion is pictured as a single scalar dipole inducing a massless scalar field tangential to the vacuum manifold. This model has the interesting feature that the two-Skyrmion interaction energy depends only on the average orientation of the dipoles relative to the line joining them. Its qualitative predictions are confirmed by numerical simulations. Global energy minimizers of charges B=1,…,14,18,32 are found numerically. Up to charge B=6, the minimizers have 2B half lumps positioned at the vertices of a regular 2B-gon. For charges B≥7, rectangular or distorted rectangular arrays of 2B half lumps are preferred, as close to square as possible.

School Security Solutions: Bringing Corporate Safety to Schools and Colleges with EasyLobbyTM Software.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pendzick, Richard E.; Downs, Robert L.

2002-01-01

Describes software for electronic visitor management (EVM) called EasyLobbyTM, currently in use in thousands of federal and corporate installations throughout the world and its application for school and campus environments. Explains EasyLobbyTM's use to replace visitor logs, capture and store visitor data electronically, and provide badges that…

[A study of culture-based easy identification system for Malassezia].

PubMed

Kaneko, Takamasa

2011-01-01

Most species of this genus are lipid-dependent yeasts, which colonize the seborrheic part of the skin, and they have been reported to be associated with pityriasis versicolor, Malassezia folliculitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and atopic dermatitis. Malassezia have been re-classified into 7 species based on molecular biological analysis of nuclear ribosomal DNA/RNA and new Malassezia species were reported. As members of the genus Malassezia share similar morphological and biochemical characteristics, it was thought to be difficult to differentiate between them based on phenotypic features. While molecular biological techniques are the most reliable methods for identification of Malassezia, they are not available in most clinical laboratories. We studied ( i ) development of an efficient isolation media and culture based easy identification system, ( ii ) the incidence of atypical biochemical features in Malassezia species and propose a culture-based easy identification system for clinically important Malassezia species, M. globosa, M. restricta, and M. furfur.

Advantageous Inequity Aversion Does Not Always Exist: The Role of Determining Allocations Modulates Preferences for Advantageous Inequity.

PubMed

Li, Ou; Xu, Fuming; Wang, Lei

2018-01-01

Previous studies have shown that people would like to sacrifice benefits to themselves in order to avoid inequitable outcomes, not only when they receive less than others (disadvantageous inequity aversion) but also when they receive more (advantageous inequity aversion). This feature is captured by the theory of inequity aversion. The present study was inspired by what appears to be asymmetry in the research paradigm toward advantageous inequity aversion. Specifically, studies that supported the existence of advantageous inequity aversion always relied on the paradigm in which participants can determine allocations. Thus, it is interesting to know what would occur if participants could not determine allocations or simply passed judgment on predetermined allocations. To address this, a behavioral experiment ( N = 118) and a skin conductance response (SCR) experiment ( N = 29) were adopted to compare participants' preferences for advantageous inequity directly when allocations were determined and when allocations were predetermined in an allocating task. In the determined condition, participants could divide by themselves a sum of money between themselves and a matched person, whereas in the predetermined condition, they could simply indicate their satisfaction with an equivalent program-generated allocation. It was found that, compared with those in the determined condition, participants in the predetermined condition behaved as if they liked the advantageous inequity and equity to the same degree (Experiment One) and that the SCRs elicited by advantageous inequity had no differences from those elicited by equity, suggesting that participants did not feel negatively toward advantageous inequity in this situation (Experiment Two). The present study provided mutual corroboration (behavioral and electrophysiological data) to document that advantageous inequity aversion may differ as a function of the individual's role in determining allocations, and it would disappear

Home advantage in Greek football.

PubMed

Armatas, Vasilis; Pollard, Richard

2014-01-01

Home advantage as it relates to team performance at football was examined in Superleague Greece using nine seasons of game-by-game performance data, a total of 2160 matches. After adjusting for team ability and annual fluctuations in home advantage, there were significant differences between teams. Previous findings regarding the role of territorial protection were strengthened by the fact that home advantage was above average for the team from Xanthi (P =0.015), while lower for teams from the capital city Athens (P =0.008). There were differences between home and away teams in the incidence of most of the 13 within-game match variables, but associated effect sizes were only moderate. In contrast, outcome ratios derived from these variables, and measuring shot success, had negligible effect sizes. This supported a previous finding that home and away teams differed in the incidence of on-the-ball behaviours, but not in their outcomes. By far the most important predictor of home advantage, as measured by goal difference, was the difference between home and away teams in terms of kicked shots from inside the penalty area. Other types of shots had little effect on the final score. The absence of a running track between spectators and the playing field was also a significant predictor of goal difference, worth an average of 0.102 goals per game to the home team. Travel distance did not affect home advantage.

The 'Adventist advantage'. Glendale Adventist Medical Center distinguishes itself.

PubMed

Botvin, Judith D

2002-01-01

Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Glendale, Calif., adopted an image-building campaign to differentiate the 450-bed hospital from its neighbors. This included the headline "Adventist Advantage," used in a series of sophisticated ads, printed in gold. In all their efforts, marketers consider the sensibilities of the sizable Armenian, Korean, Hispanic and Chinese populations.

Do the Advantages of Ungraded Schools Outweigh the Disadvantages?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kingston, Albert J.

1968-01-01

Concludes that at present it is not possible to state whether the advantages of the nongraded school outweigh the disadvantages because lack of operational meaning has resulted in a wide variety of organizational programs labeled nongraded, and non conclusive data are available which favor either the nongraded or graded organizations. Includes a…

76 FR 56262 - Community Advantage Pilot Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-12

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION [Docket No. SBA 2011-0003] Community Advantage Pilot Program AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). ACTION: Notice of change to Community Advantage Pilot... Community Advantage Pilot Program. In that notice, SBA modified or waived as appropriate certain regulations...

Easy GROMACS: A Graphical User Interface for GROMACS Molecular Dynamics Simulation Package

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dizkirici, Ayten; Tekpinar, Mustafa

2015-03-01

GROMACS is a widely used molecular dynamics simulation package. Since it is a command driven program, it is difficult to use this program for molecular biologists, biochemists, new graduate students and undergraduate researchers who are interested in molecular dynamics simulations. To alleviate the problem for those researchers, we wrote a graphical user interface that simplifies protein preparation for a classical molecular dynamics simulation. Our program can work with various GROMACS versions and it can perform essential analyses of GROMACS trajectories as well as protein preparation. We named our open source program `Easy GROMACS'. Easy GROMACS can give researchers more time for scientific research instead of dealing with technical intricacies.

Easy-to-read texts for students with intellectual disability: linguistic factors affecting comprehension.

PubMed

Fajardo, Inmaculada; Ávila, Vicenta; Ferrer, Antonio; Tavares, Gema; Gómez, Marcos; Hernández, Ana

2014-05-01

The use of 'easy-to-read' materials for people with intellectual disabilities has become very widespread but their effectiveness has scarcely been evaluated. In this study, the framework provided by Kintsch's Construction-Integration Model (1988) is used to examine (i) the reading comprehension levels of different passages of the Spanish text that have been designed following easy-to-read guidelines and (ii) the relationships between reading comprehension (literal and inferential) and various linguistic features of these texts. Sixteen students with mild intellectual disability and low levels of reading skills were asked to read easy-to-read texts and then complete a reading comprehension test. The corpus of texts was composed of a set of forty-eight pieces of news selected from www.noticiasfacil.es, a Spanish digital newspaper that publishes daily journalistic texts following international guidelines for the design of easy-to-read documents (IFLA, Tronbacke B. (1997) Guidelines for Easy-to-read Materials. IFLA, The Hague). Participants correctly answered 80% of the comprehension questions, showing significantly higher scores for literal questions than for inferential questions. The analyses of the texts' linguistic features revealed that the number of coreferences was the variable that best predicted literal comprehension, but contrary to what the previous literature seemed to indicate, the relationship between the two variables was inverse. In the case of inferential comprehension, the number of sentences was a significant negative predictor; that is, the higher the sentence density, the lower the ability of these students to find relationships between them. The effects of the rest of linguistic variables, such as word frequency and word length, on comprehension were null. These results provide preliminary empirical support for the use of easy-to-read texts but bring into question the validity of some popular design guidelines (e.g. augmenting word frequency) to

The Rocker (An Easy Anharmonic Oscillator for Classroom Demonstration)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lieberherr, Martin

2013-01-01

Every instructor should know some easy examples of anharmonic oscillations. The rocking of an empty wine bottle or a slender beer glass is one of those: The angle is not a sinusoidal function of time and the period is not independent of the amplitude, not even for small amplitudes. But care has to be taken that the glass does not slip or rotate…

Easy and accurate variance estimation of the nonparametric estimator of the partial area under the ROC curve and its application.

PubMed

Yu, Jihnhee; Yang, Luge; Vexler, Albert; Hutson, Alan D

2016-06-15

The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is a popular technique with applications, for example, investigating an accuracy of a biomarker to delineate between disease and non-disease groups. A common measure of accuracy of a given diagnostic marker is the area under the ROC curve (AUC). In contrast with the AUC, the partial area under the ROC curve (pAUC) looks into the area with certain specificities (i.e., true negative rate) only, and it can be often clinically more relevant than examining the entire ROC curve. The pAUC is commonly estimated based on a U-statistic with the plug-in sample quantile, making the estimator a non-traditional U-statistic. In this article, we propose an accurate and easy method to obtain the variance of the nonparametric pAUC estimator. The proposed method is easy to implement for both one biomarker test and the comparison of two correlated biomarkers because it simply adapts the existing variance estimator of U-statistics. In this article, we show accuracy and other advantages of the proposed variance estimation method by broadly comparing it with previously existing methods. Further, we develop an empirical likelihood inference method based on the proposed variance estimator through a simple implementation. In an application, we demonstrate that, depending on the inferences by either the AUC or pAUC, we can make a different decision on a prognostic ability of a same set of biomarkers. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Advantages and disadvantages of computer imaging in cosmetic surgery.

PubMed

Koch, R J; Chavez, A; Dagum, P; Newman, J P

1998-02-01

Despite the growing popularity of computer imaging systems, it is not clear whether the medical and legal advantages of using such a system outweigh the disadvantages. The purpose of this report is to evaluate these aspects, and provide some protective guidelines in the use of computer imaging in cosmetic surgery. The positive and negative aspects of computer imaging from a medical and legal perspective are reviewed. Also, specific issues are examined by a legal panel. The greatest advantages are potential problem patient exclusion, and enhanced physician-patient communication. Disadvantages include cost, user learning curve, and potential liability. Careful use of computer imaging should actually reduce one's liability when all aspects are considered. Recommendations for such use and specific legal issues are discussed.

Cross-Validation of easyCBM Reading Cut Scores in Washington: 2009-2010. Technical Report #1109

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irvin, P. Shawn; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2011-01-01

This technical report presents results from a cross-validation study designed to identify optimal cut scores when using easyCBM[R] reading tests in Washington state. The cross-validation study analyzes data from the 2009-2010 academic year for easyCBM[R] reading measures. A sample of approximately 900 students per grade, randomly split into two…

Cross-Validation of easyCBM Reading Cut Scores in Oregon: 2009-2010. Technical Report #1108

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Irvin, P. Shawn; Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2011-01-01

This technical report presents results from a cross-validation study designed to identify optimal cut scores when using easyCBM[R] reading tests in Oregon. The cross-validation study analyzes data from the 2009-2010 academic year for easyCBM[R] reading measures. A sample of approximately 2,000 students per grade, randomly split into two groups of…

Women's Heart Advantage Program: the impact 3 years later.

PubMed

Gombeski, William R; Kramer, R Kyle; Freed, Lisa; Foody, JoAnne; Parkosewich, Janet; Wilson, Tammi; Wack, Jeffery T; D'Onofrio, Gail

2005-01-01

Yale-New Haven Hospital, in partnership with Voluntary Hospital Association (VHA Inc), launched the Women's Heart Advantage program in March 2001. Major program components implemented include (1) a comprehensive initial and ongoing internal communication program; (2) a health promotion initiative including a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week women's heart line staffed by nurses and an Internet health question-and-answer forum; (3) significant ongoing communication with nurses and physicians; (4) a community outreach effort to educate poor and minority women; and (5) an aggressive effort to secure financial partners to underwrite the cost of the program. Before launching the program, a telephone survey of 300 randomly selected New Haven County women ages 40 to 70 years was initiated in January 2001 and repeated in January 2002, 2003, and 2004. Findings include (1) the percentage of women who recognize heart disease as the number-one killer of women their age increased from 26% in 2001 to 59% in 2004, (2) the percentage of women who would call 9-1-1 or go directly to a hospital emergency department increased from 63% in 2002 to 83% in 2004, and (3) the percentage of women aware of recent Women's Heart Advantage program promotion grew from 33% in 2002 to 50% in 2004. Perhaps most importantly, the number of women with heart problems admitted through the hospital's emergency department increased from 1528 per year in 2001 to 1870 per year in 2004 (7.5% annual increase), whereas the number of men with heart problems admitted through the emergency department during the same time period has been relatively low (0.8% annual increase). By linking clinical, public health, and marketing expertise along with finding ways to partner with other organizations, the Women's Heart Advantage program has contributed to remarkable changes in women's awareness, knowledge, and behaviors, suggesting a model for approaching similar health-related problems.

BrailleEasy: One-handed Braille Keyboard for Smartphones.

PubMed

Šepić, Barbara; Ghanem, Abdurrahman; Vogel, Stephan

2015-01-01

The evolution of mobile technology is moving at a very fast pace. Smartphones are currently considered a primary communication platform where people exchange voice calls, text messages and emails. The human-smartphone interaction, however, is generally optimized for sighted people through the use of visual cues on the touchscreen, e.g., typing text by tapping on a visual keyboard. Unfortunately, this interaction scheme renders smartphone technology largely inaccessible to visually impaired people as it results in slow typing and higher error rates. Apple and some third party applications provide solutions specific to blind people which enables them to use Braille on smartphones. These applications usually require both hands for typing. However, Brailling with both hands while holding the phone is not very comfortable. Furthermore, two-handed Brailling is not possible on smartwatches, which will be used more pervasively in the future. Therefore, we develop a platform for one-handed Brailing consisting of a custom keyboard called BrailleEasy to input Arabic or English Braille codes within any application, and a BrailleTutor application for practicing. Our platform currently supports Braille grade 1, and will be extended to support contractions, spelling correction, and more languages. Preliminary analysis of user studies for blind participants showed that after less than two hours of practice, participants were able to type significantly faster with the BrailleEasy keyboard than with the standard QWERTY keyboard.

Evaluation of the accuracy of the EasyTest™ malaria Pf/Pan Ag, a rapid diagnostic test, in Uganda.

PubMed

Chong, Chom-Kyu; Cho, Pyo Yun; Na, Byoung-Kuk; Ahn, Seong Kyu; Kim, Jin Su; Lee, Jin-Soo; Lee, Sung-Keun; Han, Eun-Taek; Kim, Hak-Yong; Park, Yun-Kyu; Cha, Seok Ho; Kim, Tong-Soo

2014-10-01

In recent years, rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have been widely used for malaria detection, primarily because of their simple operation, fast results, and straightforward interpretation. The Asan EasyTest™ Malaria Pf/Pan Ag is one of the most commonly used malaria RDTs in several countries, including Korea and India. In this study, we tested the diagnostic performance of this RDT in Uganda to evaluate its usefulness for field diagnosis of malaria in this country. Microscopic and PCR analyses, and the Asan EasyTest™ Malaria Pf/Pan Ag rapid diagnostic test, were performed on blood samples from 185 individuals with suspected malaria in several villages in Uganda. Compared to the microscopic analysis, the sensitivity of the RDT to detect malaria infection was 95.8% and 83.3% for Plasmodium falciparum and non-P. falciparum, respectively. Although the diagnostic sensitivity of the RDT decreased when parasitemia was ≤500 parasites/µl, it showed 96.8% sensitivity (98.4% for P. falciparum and 93.8% for non-P. falciparum) in blood samples with parasitemia ≥100 parasites/µl. The specificity of the RDT was 97.3% for P. falciparum and 97.3% for non-P. falciparum. These results collectively suggest that the accuracy of the Asan EasyTest™ Malaria Pf/Pan Ag makes it an effective point-of-care diagnostic tool for malaria in Uganda.

Evaluation of the Accuracy of the EasyTest™ Malaria Pf/Pan Ag, a Rapid Diagnostic Test, in Uganda

PubMed Central

Chong, Chom-Kyu; Cho, Pyo Yun; Na, Byoung-Kuk; Ahn, Seong Kyu; Kim, Jin Su; Lee, Jin-Soo; Lee, Sung-Keun; Han, Eun-Taek; Kim, Hak-Yong; Park, Yun-Kyu; Cha, Seok Ho

2014-01-01

In recent years, rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have been widely used for malaria detection, primarily because of their simple operation, fast results, and straightforward interpretation. The Asan EasyTest™ Malaria Pf/Pan Ag is one of the most commonly used malaria RDTs in several countries, including Korea and India. In this study, we tested the diagnostic performance of this RDT in Uganda to evaluate its usefulness for field diagnosis of malaria in this country. Microscopic and PCR analyses, and the Asan EasyTest™ Malaria Pf/Pan Ag rapid diagnostic test, were performed on blood samples from 185 individuals with suspected malaria in several villages in Uganda. Compared to the microscopic analysis, the sensitivity of the RDT to detect malaria infection was 95.8% and 83.3% for Plasmodium falciparum and non-P. falciparum, respectively. Although the diagnostic sensitivity of the RDT decreased when parasitemia was ≤500 parasites/µl, it showed 96.8% sensitivity (98.4% for P. falciparum and 93.8% for non-P. falciparum) in blood samples with parasitemia ≥100 parasites/µl. The specificity of the RDT was 97.3% for P. falciparum and 97.3% for non-P. falciparum. These results collectively suggest that the accuracy of the Asan EasyTest™ Malaria Pf/Pan Ag makes it an effective point-of-care diagnostic tool for malaria in Uganda. PMID:25352698

76 FR 3679 - Market Test of Marketing Mail Made Easy

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-20

... POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. MT2011-3; Order No. 649] Market Test of Marketing Mail... recently-filed Postal Service proposal to conduct a 2-year market test involving the sale of Marketing Mail Made Easy. This document describes the proposed test, addresses procedural aspects of the filing, and...

EASY-II Renaissance: n, p, d, α, γ-induced Inventory Code System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sublet, J.-Ch.; Eastwood, J. W.; Morgan, J. G.

2014-04-01

The European Activation SYstem has been re-engineered and re-written in modern programming languages so as to answer today's and tomorrow's needs in terms of activation, transmutation, depletion, decay and processing of radioactive materials. The new FISPACT-II inventory code development project has allowed us to embed many more features in terms of energy range: up to GeV; incident particles: alpha, gamma, proton, deuteron and neutron; and neutron physics: self-shielding effects, temperature dependence and covariance, so as to cover all anticipated application needs: nuclear fission and fusion, accelerator physics, isotope production, stockpile and fuel cycle stewardship, materials characterization and life, and storage cycle management. In parallel, the maturity of modern, truly general purpose libraries encompassing thousands of target isotopes such as TENDL-2012, the evolution of the ENDF-6 format and the capabilities of the latest generation of processing codes PREPRO, NJOY and CALENDF have allowed the activation code to be fed with more robust, complete and appropriate data: cross sections with covariance, probability tables in the resonance ranges, kerma, dpa, gas and radionuclide production and 24 decay types. All such data for the five most important incident particles (n, p, d, α, γ), are placed in evaluated data files up to an incident energy of 200 MeV. The resulting code system, EASY-II is designed as a functional replacement for the previous European Activation System, EASY-2010. It includes many new features and enhancements, but also benefits already from the feedback from extensive validation and verification activities performed with its predecessor.

MYRaf: An Easy Aperture Photometry GUI for IRAF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niaei, M. S.; KiliÇ, Y.; Özeren, F. F.

2015-07-01

We describe the design and development of MYRaf, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that aims to be completely open-source under General Public License (GPL). MYRaf is an easy to use, reliable, and a fast IRAF aperture photometry GUI tool for those who are conversant with text-based software and command-line procedures in GNU/Linux OSs. MYRaf uses IRAF, PyRAF, matplotlib, ginga, alipy, and SExtractor with the general-purpose and high-level programming language Python, and uses the Qt framework.

Multimodality image integration for radiotherapy treatment: an easy approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, Andres; Pascau, Javier; Desco, Manuel; Santos, Juan A.; Calvo, Felipe A.; Benito, Carlos; Garcia-Barreno, Rafael

2001-05-01

The interest of using combined MR and CT information for radiotherapy planning is well documented. However, many planning workstations do not allow to use MR images, nor import predefined contours. This paper presents a new simple approach for transferring segmentation results from MRI to a CT image that will be used for radiotherapy planning, using the same original CT format. CT and MRI images of the same anatomical area are registered using mutual information (MI) algorithm. Targets and organs at risk are segmented by the physician on the MR image, where their contours are easy to track. A locally developed software running on PC is used for this step, with several facilities for the segmentation process. The result is transferred onto the CT by slightly modifying up and down the original Hounsfield values of some points of the contour. This is enough to visualize the contour on the CT, but does not affect dose calculations. The CT is then stored using the original file format of the radiotherapy planning workstation, where the technician uses the segmented contour to design the correct beam positioning. The described method has been tested in five patients. Simulations and patient results show that the dose distribution is not affected by the small modification of pixels of the CT image, while the segmented structures can be tracked in the radiotherapy planning workstation-using adequate window/level settings. The presence of the physician is not requires at the planning workstation, and he/she can perform the segmentation process using his/her own PC. This new approach makes it possible to take advantage from the anatomical information present on the MRI and to transfer the segmentation to the CT used for planning, even when the planning workstation does not allow to import external contours. The physician can draw the limits of the target and areas at risk off-line, thus separating in time the segmentation and planning tasks and increasing the efficiency.

Fast and Easy 3D Reconstruction with the Help of Geometric Constraints and Genetic Algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annich, Afafe; El Abderrahmani, Abdellatif; Satori, Khalid

2017-09-01

The purpose of the work presented in this paper is to describe new method of 3D reconstruction from one or more uncalibrated images. This method is based on two important concepts: geometric constraints and genetic algorithms (GAs). At first, we are going to discuss the combination between bundle adjustment and GAs that we have proposed in order to improve 3D reconstruction efficiency and success. We used GAs in order to improve fitness quality of initial values that are used in the optimization problem. It will increase surely convergence rate. Extracted geometric constraints are used first to obtain an estimated value of focal length that helps us in the initialization step. Matching homologous points and constraints is used to estimate the 3D model. In fact, our new method gives us a lot of advantages: reducing the estimated parameter number in optimization step, decreasing used image number, winning time and stabilizing good quality of 3D results. At the end, without any prior information about our 3D scene, we obtain an accurate calibration of the cameras, and a realistic 3D model that strictly respects the geometric constraints defined before in an easy way. Various data and examples will be used to highlight the efficiency and competitiveness of our present approach.

Experimental amine-epoxide sealer: a physicochemical study in comparison with AH Plus and EasySeal.

PubMed

Sonntag, D; Ritter, A; Burkhart, A; Fischer, J; Mondrzyk, A; Ritter, H

2015-08-01

To compare selected physicochemical and biological properties of an experimental sealer with those of two commercially available sealers. AH Plus and EasySeal were used as model materials for commercially available amine-epoxide sealers. They were mixed as stated by the manufacturer. The two components of experimental sealer EvoSeal A were mixed 1 : 1 vol%. The setting time was determined in two different ways: first, by setting of sealers in a temperature- and moisture-controlled environment followed by testing with a Gilmore needle and secondly, by oscillating measurements of setting behaviour using a rheometer. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of the sealer was performed for comparison of thermal properties. Flow and film thickness were determined by applying pressures of 100 g and 15.3 kg, respectively, on the materials between two glass plates and measuring the diameters of the compressed sealer and the thickness with a micrometer gauge. Solubility of set materials was conducted by layering the samples with water, storing in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment and evaporating the solvent. The solved sealer parts were then weighed. The radiopacity was measured in an X-ray experiment comparing radiopacity of a cured sealer to an aluminium step wedge. Volume shrinkage was defined by measuring the densities of samples before and after setting. The film thickness, fluidity, curing time, radiopacity and solubility of the test materials were performed as specified in DIN EN ISO 6876:2010 draft. The volume shrinkage was determined in a method adapted from standard DIN 13907:2007-01. Antibacterial activity was tested against Gram-positive Streptococcus oralis cultures in a contact test based on standard ISO 22196:2011 (E). Statistical analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U-test where applicable. Significant differences were determined with P < 0.05. The experimental sealer, EvoSeal A, reached standard specifications. In terms of film

Travel and the home advantage.

PubMed

Pace, A; Carron, A V

1992-03-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relative contributions of various travel related variables to visiting team success in the National Hockey League. A multiple regression design was used with game outcome as the dependent variable. The independent variables of interest included, as main effects and interactions, number of time zones crossed, direction of travel, distance traveled, preparation/adjustment time, time of season, game number on the road trip, and the home stand. Visiting team success was negatively associated with the interaction of number of time zones crossed and increased preparation time between games, and was positively associated with game number on the road. It was concluded that only a small portion of the variance in the home advantage/visitor disadvantage can be explained by travel related factors.

Criterion Validity Evidence for the easyCBM© CCSS Math Measures: Grades 6-8. Technical Report #1402

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Daniel; Rowley, Brock; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

The easyCBM© CCSS Math tests were developed to help inform teachers' instructional decisions by providing relevant information on students' mathematical skills, relative to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This technical report describes a study to explore the validity of the easyCBM© CCSS Math tests by evaluating the relation between…

Long-Term Effectiveness of the SpeechEasy Fluency-Enhancement Device

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallop, Ronald F.; Runyan, Charles M.

2012-01-01

The SpeechEasy has been found to be an effective device for reduction of stuttering frequency for many people who stutter (PWS); published studies typically have compared stuttering reduction at initial fitting of the device to results achieved up to one year later. This study examines long-term effectiveness by examining whether effects of the…

Pheromone Caterpillar Trails: An Easy Lab Exercise for the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Travis, Holly

2003-01-01

Lab activities using live specimens always seem to catch students' attention faster than those using inanimate materials. For example, many teachers are familiar with the activities using goldfish to study the effect of temperature on respiration rate. Insects are particularly useful because they are cheap, easy to find, and have a certain "yuck"…

Easy Handling of Sensors and Actuators over TCP/IP Networks by Open Source Hardware/Software

PubMed Central

Mejías, Andrés; Herrera, Reyes S.; Márquez, Marco A.; Calderón, Antonio José; González, Isaías; Andújar, José Manuel

2017-01-01

There are several specific solutions for accessing sensors and actuators present in any process or system through a TCP/IP network, either local or a wide area type like the Internet. The usage of sensors and actuators of different nature and diverse interfaces (SPI, I2C, analogue, etc.) makes access to them from a network in a homogeneous and secure way more complex. A framework, including both software and hardware resources, is necessary to simplify and unify networked access to these devices. In this paper, a set of open-source software tools, specifically designed to cover the different issues concerning the access to sensors and actuators, and two proposed low-cost hardware architectures to operate with the abovementioned software tools are presented. They allow integrated and easy access to local or remote sensors and actuators. The software tools, integrated in the free authoring tool Easy Java and Javascript Simulations (EJS) solve the interaction issues between the subsystem that integrates sensors and actuators into the network, called convergence subsystem in this paper, and the Human Machine Interface (HMI)—this one designed using the intuitive graphical system of EJS—located on the user’s computer. The proposed hardware architectures and software tools are described and experimental implementations with the proposed tools are presented. PMID:28067801

Easy Handling of Sensors and Actuators over TCP/IP Networks by Open Source Hardware/Software.

PubMed

Mejías, Andrés; Herrera, Reyes S; Márquez, Marco A; Calderón, Antonio José; González, Isaías; Andújar, José Manuel

2017-01-05

There are several specific solutions for accessing sensors and actuators present in any process or system through a TCP/IP network, either local or a wide area type like the Internet. The usage of sensors and actuators of different nature and diverse interfaces (SPI, I2C, analogue, etc.) makes access to them from a network in a homogeneous and secure way more complex. A framework, including both software and hardware resources, is necessary to simplify and unify networked access to these devices. In this paper, a set of open-source software tools, specifically designed to cover the different issues concerning the access to sensors and actuators, and two proposed low-cost hardware architectures to operate with the abovementioned software tools are presented. They allow integrated and easy access to local or remote sensors and actuators. The software tools, integrated in the free authoring tool Easy Java and Javascript Simulations (EJS) solve the interaction issues between the subsystem that integrates sensors and actuators into the network, called convergence subsystem in this paper, and the Human Machine Interface (HMI)-this one designed using the intuitive graphical system of EJS-located on the user's computer. The proposed hardware architectures and software tools are described and experimental implementations with the proposed tools are presented.

A Geostationary Earth Orbit Satellite Model Using Easy Java Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wee, Loo Kang; Goh, Giam Hwee

2013-01-01

We develop an Easy Java Simulation (EJS) model for students to visualize geostationary orbits near Earth, modelled using a Java 3D implementation of the EJS 3D library. The simplified physics model is described and simulated using a simple constant angular velocity equation. We discuss four computer model design ideas: (1) a simple and realistic…

Increased pregnancy rate with use of the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor.

PubMed

Robinson, Janet E; Wakelin, Melanie; Ellis, Jayne E

2007-02-01

To determine the effect on pregnancy rates through use of the Clearblue Easy Fertility Monitor (CEFM) in women trying to conceive. Prospective study, in which volunteers were randomly assigned either to use or not to use the CEFM. All participants could also use other aids to conception. Data were self-reported by volunteers using daily diaries, supplied and collected by mail. Home use, under conditions normally experienced by over-the-counter purchasers of the marketed device. Women who were trying to conceive; 653 (CEFM 305, control 348) provided evaluable information. CEFM was used for two cycles. Cumulative pregnancy rates over two cycles of use. The cumulative pregnancy rate for 2 cycles was significantly higher in the CEFM group (22.7%) compared with the control group (14.4%). More women who had been trying to conceive for <6 months became pregnant than women who had been trying to conceive for >6 months (odds ratio: 2.67). Previous pregnancy and younger age of partners were also significant prognostic factors, but use of other aids to conception was not. After adjustment for other factors, CEFM use remained a significant factor affecting the chance of conceiving within two cycles (odds ratio: 1.89). CEFM users found the device to be easy/very easy to use (90%) and convenient/very convenient (80%). Use of the CEFM increases the likelihood of getting pregnant during the first two cycles of use compared with its nonuse, in women who had been trying to conceive for up to 2 years.

A novel approach to early sickness absence management: The EASY (Early Access to Support for You) way.

PubMed

Demou, Evangelia; Brown, Judith; Sanati, Kaveh; Kennedy, Mark; Murray, Keith; Macdonald, Ewan B

2015-01-01

Sickness absence (SA) is multi-causal and remains a significant problem for employees, employers and society. This makes it necessary to concurrently manage a particular disabling condition and consider the working environment and employee-employer relationship. To describe and examine the components of a novel SA management service Early Access to Support for You (EASY) and discuss their potential influence on the intervention. A new sickness absence model, starting from day one of absence, was created called EASY. EASY is planned to support both employees and managers and comprises elements already found to be associated with reduction of SA, such as maintaining regular contact; early biopsychosocial case-management; physiotherapy; mental-health counselling; work modification; phased return-to-work; and health promotion activities. During the EASY implementation period, the SA rate at a health board reversed its trend of being one of the highest rates in the Scottish National Health Service (NHS) and EASY was considered helpful by both managers and employees. This paper describes an innovative occupational health intervention to sickness absence management based on the bio-psychosocial model to provide early intervention, and discusses the pros and cons of applying cognitive behavioural principles at an early stage in sickness-absence events, in order to improve return-to-work outcomes.

Easy-to-Read Informed Consent Forms for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Clinical Trials

PubMed Central

Denzen, Ellen M; Santibáñez, Martha E Burton; Moore, Heather; Foley, Amy; Gersten, Iris D; Gurgol, Cathy; Majhail, Navneet S; Spellecy, Ryan; Horowitz, Mary M; Murphy, Elizabeth A

2011-01-01

Informed consent is essential to ethical research and is requisite to participation in clinical research. Yet most hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) informed consent forms (ICFs) are written at reading levels that are above the ability of the average person in the US. The recent development of ICF templates by the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health and the National Heart Blood and Lung Instituthas not resulted in increased patient comprehension of information. Barriers to creating Easy-to-Read ICFs that meet US federal requirements and pass Institutional Review Board (IRB) review are the result of multiple interconnected factors. The Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) formed an ad hoc review team to address concerns regarding the overall readability and length of ICFs used for BMT CTN trials. This paper summarizes recommendations of the review team for the development and formatting of Easy-to-Read ICFs for HCT multicenter clinical trials, the most novel of which is the use of a two-column layout. These recommendations intend to guide the ICF writing process, simplify local IRB review of the ICF, enhance patient comprehension and improve patient satisfaction. The BMT CTN plans to evaluate the impact of the Easy-to-Read format compared to the traditional format on the informed consent process. PMID:21806948

Randomized clinical trial: the use of SpeechEasy® in stuttering treatment.

PubMed

Ritto, Ana Paula; Juste, Fabiola Staróbole; Stuart, Andrew; Kalinowski, Joseph; de Andrade, Claudia Regina Furquim

2016-11-01

Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefit of devices delivering altered auditory feedback (AAF) as a therapeutic alternative for those who stutter. The effectiveness of a device delivering AAF (SpeechEasy®) was compared with behavioural techniques in the treatment of stuttering in a randomized clinical trial. Two groups of adults who stutter participated: group 1 consisted of 10 men and one woman aged 21-42 years (mean = 30.0). Group 2 consisted of six men and one woman aged 20-50 years (mean = 35.6). Participants in group 1 were fit with a SpeechEasy® device and were not given any additional training (i.e., supplementary fluency enhancing techniques). Participants used the device daily for 6 months. Participants in group 2 received treatment in the form of a 12-week fluency promotion protocol with techniques based on both fluency shaping and stuttering modification. There were no statistically significant differences (p > .05) between groups in participants' stuttered syllables following treatment. That is, both therapeutic protocols achieved approximately 40% reduction in number of stuttered syllables from baseline measures, with no significant relapse after 3 or 6 months post-treatment. The results suggest that the SpeechEasy® device can be a viable option for the treatment of stuttering. © 2016 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Modelling home advantage in the Summer Olympic Games.

PubMed

Balmer, N J; Nevill, A M; Williams, A M

2003-06-01

Home advantage in team games is well proven and the influence of the crowd upon officials' decisions has been identified as a plausible cause. The aim of this study was to assess the significance of home advantage for five event groups selected from the Summer Olympic Games between 1896 and 1996, and put home advantage in team games in context with other sports. The five event groups were athletics and weightlifting (predominantly objectively judged), boxing and gymnastics (predominantly subjectively judged) and team games (involving subjective decisions). The proportion of points won was analysed as a binomial response variable using generalized linear interactive modelling. Preliminary exploration of the data highlighted the need to control for the proportion of competitors entered and to split the analysis pre- and post-war. Highly significant home advantage was found in event groups that were either subjectively judged or rely on subjective decisions. In contrast, little or no home advantage (and even away advantage) was observed for the two objectively judged groups. Officiating system was vital to both the existence and extent of home advantage. Our findings suggest that crowd noise has a greater influence upon officials' decisions than players' performances, as events with greater officiating input enjoyed significantly greater home advantage.

Easy synthesis of hierarchical carbon spheres with superior capacitive performance in supercapacitors.

PubMed

Huang, Xinhua; Kim, Seok; Heo, Min Seon; Kim, Ji Eun; Suh, Hongsuk; Kim, Il

2013-10-01

An easy template-free approach to the fabrication of pure carbon microspheres has been achieved via direct pyrolysis of as-prepared polyaromatic hydrocarbons including polynaphthalene and polypyrene. The polyaromatics were synthesized from aromatic hydrocarbons (AHCs) using anhydrous zinc chloride as the Friedel-Crafts catalyst and chloromethyl methyl ether as a cross-linker. The experimental results show that the methylene bridges between phenyl rings generate a hierarchical porous polyaromatic precursor to form three-dimensionally (3D) interconnected micro-, meso-, and macroporous networks during carbonization. These hierarchical porous carbon aggregates of spherical carbon spheres exhibit faster ion transport/diffusion behavior and increased surface area usage in electric double-layer capacitors. Furthermore, micropores are present in the 3D interconnected network inside the cross-linked AHC-based carbon microspheres, thus imparting an exceptionally large, electrochemically accessible surface area for charge accumulation.

Easy Fabrication of Thin Membranes with Through Holes. Application to Protein Patterning

PubMed Central

Arasi, Bakya; Gauthier, Nils; Viasnoff, Virgile

2012-01-01

Since protein patterning on 2D surfaces has emerged as an important tool in cell biology, the development of easy patterning methods has gained importance in biology labs. In this paper we present a simple, rapid and reliable technique to fabricate thin layers of UV curable polymer with through holes. These membranes are as easy to fabricate as microcontact printing stamps and can be readily used for stencil patterning. We show how this microfabrication scheme allows highly reproducible and highly homogeneous protein patterning with micron sized resolution on surfaces as large as 10 cm2. Using these stencils, fragile proteins were patterned without loss of function in a fully hydrated state. We further demonstrate how intricate patterns of multiple proteins can be achieved by stacking the stencil membranes. We termed this approach microserigraphy. PMID:22952944

Surface Imprints: Advantageous Application of Ready2use Materials for Bacterial Quartz-Crystal Microbalance Sensors.

PubMed

Poller, Anna-Maria; Spieker, Eva; Lieberzeit, Peter A; Preininger, Claudia

2017-01-11

Four different materials (two ab initio synthesized polyurethanes; ready-to-use: Epon1002F and poly(vinyl alcohol)/N-methyl-4(4'-formylstyryl)pyridinium methosulfate acetal) for the generation of Escherichia coli surface imprints are compared in this work. The use of commercially available, ready-to-use materials instead of self-synthesized polymers represents an innovative and convenient way of molecular imprint fabrication. This was herein investigated for large, biological templates. Fully synthesized imprint materials (polyurethanes) were developed and optimized regarding their OH excess and the use of catalyst in the polymerization reaction. No to low OH excess (0-10%) and a noncatalyzed synthesis were determined to be superior for the imprinting of the Gram-negative bacteria. Imprints were characterized using atomic force microscopy, with Epon1002F yielding the most distinguished imprints, along with a smooth surface. The imprints were afterward tested as plastic antibody coatings in a mass-sensitive quartz-crystal microbalance measurement. Dilutions of E. coli suspensions, down to a limit of detection of 1.4 × 10 7 CFU/mL, were successfully measured. Best results were obtained with Epon1002F and self-synthesized, stoichiometric polyurethane. Since ready-to-use Epon1002F was superior in terms of signal intensities and sensitivity, it can advantageously replace self-synthesized polymers for the generation of imprinted sensor surfaces. Easy day-to-day reproducibility and further shortening of imprint fabrication time are other advantages of employing the ready-to-use material instead of conventionally synthesized polymers.

An Evolving Worldview: Making Open Source Easy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rice, Z.

2017-12-01

NASA Worldview is an interactive interface for browsing full-resolution, global satellite imagery. Worldview supports an open data policy so that academia, private industries and the general public can use NASA's satellite data to address Earth science related issues. Worldview was open sourced in 2014. By shifting to an open source approach, the Worldview application has evolved to better serve end-users. Project developers are able to have discussions with end-users and community developers to understand issues and develop new features. Community developers are able to track upcoming features, collaborate on them and make their own contributions. Developers who discover issues are able to address those issues and submit a fix. This reduces the time it takes for a project developer to reproduce an issue or develop a new feature. Getting new developers to contribute to the project has been one of the most important and difficult aspects of open sourcing Worldview. After witnessing potential outside contributors struggle, a focus has been made on making the installation of Worldview simple to reduce the initial learning curve and make contributing code easy. One way we have addressed this is through a simplified setup process. Our setup documentation includes a set of prerequisites and a set of straightforward commands to clone, configure, install and run. This presentation will emphasize our focus to simplify and standardize Worldview's open source code so that more people are able to contribute. The more people who contribute, the better the application will become over time.

The Persistence of Wives' Income Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winslow-Bowe, Sarah

2006-01-01

Recent reports using cross-sectional data indicate an increase in the percentage of wives who outearn their husbands, yet we know little about the persistence of wives' income advantage. The present analyses utilize the 1990-1994 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (N = 3,481) to examine wives' long-term earnings advantage.…

THE HOME ADVANTAGE IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.

PubMed

Jones, Marshall B

2015-12-01

Home advantage is smaller in baseball than in other major professional sports for men, specifically football, basketball, or soccer. This paper advances an explanation. It begins by reviewing the main observations to support the view that there is little or no home advantage in individual sports. It then presents the case that home advantage originates in impaired teamwork among the away players. The need for teamwork and the extent of it vary from sport to sport. To the extent that a sport requires little teamwork it is more like an individual sport, and the home team would be expected to enjoy only a small advantage. Interactions among players on the same side (teamwork) are much less common in baseball than in the other sports considered.

Parallel programming with Easy Java Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esquembre, F.; Christian, W.; Belloni, M.

2018-01-01

Nearly all of today's processors are multicore, and ideally programming and algorithm development utilizing the entire processor should be introduced early in the computational physics curriculum. Parallel programming is often not introduced because it requires a new programming environment and uses constructs that are unfamiliar to many teachers. We describe how we decrease the barrier to parallel programming by using a java-based programming environment to treat problems in the usual undergraduate curriculum. We use the easy java simulations programming and authoring tool to create the program's graphical user interface together with objects based on those developed by Kaminsky [Building Parallel Programs (Course Technology, Boston, 2010)] to handle common parallel programming tasks. Shared-memory parallel implementations of physics problems, such as time evolution of the Schrödinger equation, are available as source code and as ready-to-run programs from the AAPT-ComPADRE digital library.

Performance of NucliSens HIV-1 EasyQ Version 2.0 compared with six commercially available quantitative nucleic acid assays for detection of HIV-1 in China.

PubMed

Xu, Sihong; Song, Aijing; Nie, Jianhui; Li, Xiuhua; Wang, Youchun

2010-10-01

Six HIV-1 viral load assays have been widely used in China. These include the Cobas Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor Version 1.5 ('Amplicor'), Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan HIV-1 test Version 1.0 ('CAP/CTM'), Versant HIV-1 RNA Version 3.0 (branched DNA [bDNA]-based assay; 'Versant bDNA'), Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay ('Abbott RealTime'), NucliSens HIV-1 QT (nucleic acid sequence-based amplification assay; 'NucliSens NASBA'), and NucliSens EasyQ HIV-1 Version 1.1 ('EasyQ V1.1'). Recently, an updated version of EasyQ V1.1, NucliSens EasyQ HIV-1 Version 2.0 ('EasyQ V2.0') was introduced into China. It is important to evaluate the impact of HIV-1 genotypes on the updated assay compared with the other commercial available assays in China. A total of 175 plasma samples with different HIV-1 clades prevalent in China were collected from treatment-naïve patients. The viral loads of those samples were determined with the seven HIV-1 viral load assays, and the quantitative differences between them were evaluated. Overall, EasyQ V2.0 exhibited a significant correlation (R = 0.769-0.850, p ≤ 0.001) and high agreement (94.77-97.13%, using the Bland-Altman model) with the other six assays. Although no significant differences between EasyQ V2.0 and the other six assays were observed when quantifying clade B' samples, there were statistically significant differences between EasyQ V2.0 and the Amplicor, Versant bDNA, and Abbott RealTime assays when quantifying clade BC samples, and between EasyQ V2.0 and the Versant bDNA and Abbott RealTime assays when quantifying clade AE samples. For clade BC samples, the quantitative differences between EasyQ V2.0 and the Amplicor, Versant bDNA, and Abbott RealTime assays exceeded 0.5 log(10) IU/mL in approximately 50% of samples and exceeded 1 log(10) IU/mL in approximately 15% of samples. For clade AE samples, the quantitative differences between EasyQ V2.0 and the CAP/CTM, Versant bDNA, and Abbott RealTime assays exceeded 0.5 log(10) IU/mL in

The Rocker (An Easy Anharmonic Oscillator for Classroom Demonstration)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lieberherr, Martin

2013-04-01

Every instructor should know some easy examples of anharmonic oscillations. The rocking of an empty wine bottle or a slender beer glass is one of those: The angle is not a sinusoidal function of time and the period is not independent of the amplitude, not even for small amplitudes. But care has to be taken that the glass does not slip or rotate around a vertical axis. LEGO rockers (see Fig. 1) are much more reliable and versatile.

Home advantage in the Winter Olympics (1908-1998).

PubMed

Balmer, N J; Nevill, A M; Williams, A M

2001-02-01

We obtained indices of home advantage, based on the medals won by competing nations, for each event held at the Winter Olympics from 1908 to 1998. These indices were designed to assess home advantage while controlling for nation strength, changes in the number of medals on offer and the performance of 'non-hosting' nations. Some evidence of home advantage was found in figure skating, freestyle skiing, ski jumping, alpine skiing and short track speed skating. In contrast, little or no home advantage was observed in ice hockey, Nordic combined, Nordic skiing, bobsled, luge, biathlon or speed skating. When all events were combined, a significant home advantage was observed (P = 0.029), although no significant differences in the extent of home advantage were found between events (P > 0.05). When events were grouped according to whether they were subjectively assessed by judges, significantly greater home advantage was observed in the subjectively assessed events (P = 0.037). This was a reflection of better home performances, suggesting that judges were scoring home competitors disproportionately higher than away competitors. Familiarity with local conditions was shown to have some effect, particularly in alpine skiing, although the bobsled and luge showed little or no advantage over other events. Regression analysis showed that the number of time zones and direction of travel produced no discernible trends or differences in performance.

Hollow Abutment Screw Design for Easy Retrieval in Case of Screw Fracture in Dental Implant System.

PubMed

Sim, Bo Kyun; Kim, Bongju; Kim, Min Jeong; Jeong, Guk Hyun; Ju, Kyung Won; Shin, Yoo Jin; Kim, Man Yong; Lee, Jong-Ho

2017-01-01

The prosthetic component of dental implant is attached on the abutment which is connected to the fixture with an abutment screw. The abutment screw fracture is not frequent; however, the retrieval of the fractured screw is not easy, and it poses complications. A retrieval kit was developed which utilizes screw removal drills to make a hole on the fractured screw that provides an engaging drill to unscrew it. To minimize this process, the abutment screw is modified with a prefabricated access hole for easy retrieval. This study aimed to introduce this modified design of the abutment screw, the concept of easy retrieval, and to compare the mechanical strengths of the conventional and hollow abutment screws by finite element analysis (FEA) and mechanical test. In the FEA results, both types of abutment screws showed similar stress distribution in the single artificial tooth system. A maximum load difference of about 2% occurred in the vertical load by a mechanical test. This study showed that the hollow abutment screw may be an alternative to the conventional abutment screws because this is designed for easy retrieval and that both abutment screws showed no significant difference in the mechanical tests and in the FEA.

Advantages of robotics in benign gynecologic surgery.

PubMed

Truong, Mireille; Kim, Jin Hee; Scheib, Stacey; Patzkowsky, Kristin

2016-08-01

The purpose of this article is to review the literature and discuss the advantages of robotics in benign gynecologic surgery. Minimally invasive surgery has become the preferred route over abdominal surgery. The laparoscopic or robotic approach is recommended when vaginal surgery is not feasible. Thus far, robotic gynecologic surgery data have demonstrated feasibility, safety, and equivalent clinical outcomes in comparison with laparoscopy and better clinical outcomes compared with laparotomy. Robotics was developed to overcome challenges of laparoscopy and has led to technological advantages such as improved ergonomics, visualization with three-dimensional capabilities, dexterity and range of motion with instrument articulation, and tremor filtration. To date, applications of robotics in benign gynecology include hysterectomy, myomectomy, endometriosis surgery, sacrocolpopexy, adnexal surgery, tubal reanastomosis, and cerclage. Though further data are needed, robotics may provide additional benefits over other approaches in the obese patient population and in higher complexity cases. Challenges that arose in the earlier adoption stage such as the steep learning curve, costs, and operative times are becoming more optimized with greater experience, with implementation of robotics in high-volume centers and with improved training of surgeons and robotic teams. Robotic laparoendoscopic single-site surgery, albeit still in its infancy where technical advantages compared with laparoscopic single-site surgery are still unclear, may provide a cost-reducing option compared with multiport robotics. The cost may even approach that of laparoscopy while still conferring similar perioperative outcomes. Advances in robotic technology such as the single-site platform and telesurgery, have the potential to revolutionize the field of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. Higher quality evidence is needed to determine the advantages and disadvantages of robotic surgery in benign

Instantaneous characterization of vegetable oils via TAG and FFA profiles by easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Simas, Rosineide C; Catharino, Rodrigo R; Cunha, Ildenize B S; Cabral, Elaine C; Barrera-Arellano, Daniel; Eberlin, Marcos N; Alberici, Rosana M

2010-04-01

A fast and reliable method is presented for the analysis of vegetable oils. Easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (EASI-MS) is shown to efficiently desorb and ionize the main oil constituents from an inert surface under ambient conditions and to provide comprehensive triacylglyceride (TAG) and free fatty acid (FFA) profiles detected mainly as either [TAG + Na](+) or [FFA-H](-) ions. EASI(+/-)-MS analysis is simple, easily implemented, requires just a tiny droplet of the oil and is performed without any pre-separation or chemical manipulation. It also causes no fragmentation of TAG ions hence diacylglyceride (DAG) and monoacylglyceride (MAG) profiles and contents can also be measured. The EASI(+/-)-MS profiles of TAG and FFA permit authentication and quality control and can be used, for instance, to access levels of adulteration, acidity, oxidation or hydrolysis of vegetable oils in general.

A novel approach to early sickness absence management: The EASY (Early Access to Support for You) way

PubMed Central

Demou, Evangelia; Brown, Judith; Sanati, Kaveh; Kennedy, Mark; Murray, Keith; Macdonald, Ewan B.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Sickness absence (SA) is multi-causal and remains a significant problem for employees, employers and society. This makes it necessary to concurrently manage a particular disabling condition and consider the working environment and employee-employer relationship. OBJECTIVE: To describe and examine the components of a novel SA management service Early Access to Support for You (EASY) and discuss their potential influence on the intervention. METHODS: A new sickness absence model, starting from day one of absence, was created called EASY. EASY is planned to support both employees and managers and comprises elements already found to be associated with reduction of SA, such as maintaining regular contact; early biopsychosocial case-management; physiotherapy; mental-health counselling; work modification; phased return-to-work; and health promotion activities. RESULTS: During the EASY implementation period, the SA rate at a health board reversed its trend of being one of the highest rates in the Scottish National Health Service (NHS) and EASY was considered helpful by both managers and employees. CONCLUSIONS: This paper describes an innovative occupational health intervention to sickness absence management based on the bio-psychosocial model to provide early intervention, and discusses the pros and cons of applying cognitive behavioural principles at an early stage in sickness-absence events, in order to improve return-to-work outcomes. PMID:26409380

Exploring the sequential lineup advantage using WITNESS.

PubMed

Goodsell, Charles A; Gronlund, Scott D; Carlson, Curt A

2010-12-01

Advocates claim that the sequential lineup is an improvement over simultaneous lineup procedures, but no formal (quantitatively specified) explanation exists for why it is better. The computational model WITNESS (Clark, Appl Cogn Psychol 17:629-654, 2003) was used to develop theoretical explanations for the sequential lineup advantage. In its current form, WITNESS produced a sequential advantage only by pairing conservative sequential choosing with liberal simultaneous choosing. However, this combination failed to approximate four extant experiments that exhibited large sequential advantages. Two of these experiments became the focus of our efforts because the data were uncontaminated by likely suspect position effects. Decision-based and memory-based modifications to WITNESS approximated the data and produced a sequential advantage. The next step is to evaluate the proposed explanations and modify public policy recommendations accordingly.

Achieving competitive advantage through strategic human resource management.

PubMed

Fottler, M D; Phillips, R L; Blair, J D; Duran, C A

1990-01-01

The framework presented here challenges health care executives to manage human resources strategically as an integral part of the strategic planning process. Health care executives should consciously formulate human resource strategies and practices that are linked to and reinforce the broader strategic posture of the organization. This article provides a framework for (1) determining and focusing on desired strategic outcomes, (2) identifying and implementing essential human resource management actions, and (3) maintaining or enhancing competitive advantage. The strategic approach to human resource management includes assessing the organization's environment and mission; formulating the organization's business strategy; assessing the human resources requirements based on the intended strategy; comparing the current inventory of human resources in terms of numbers, characteristics, and human resource management practices with respect to the strategic requirements of the organization and its services or product lines; formulating the human resource strategy based on the differences between the assessed requirements and the current inventory; and implementing the appropriate human resource practices to reinforce the strategy and attain competitive advantage.

Systems neuroscience in Drosophila: Conceptual and technical advantages.

PubMed

Kazama, H

2015-06-18

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is ideally suited for investigating the neural circuit basis of behavior. Due to the simplicity and genetic tractability of the fly brain, neurons and circuits are identifiable across animals. Additionally, a large set of transgenic lines has been developed with the aim of specifically labeling small subsets of neurons and manipulating them in sophisticated ways. Electrophysiology and imaging can be applied in behaving individuals to examine the computations performed by each neuron, and even the entire population of relevant neurons in a particular region, because of the small size of the brain. Moreover, a rich repertoire of behaviors that can be studied is expanding to include those requiring cognitive abilities. Thus, the fly brain is an attractive system in which to explore both computations and mechanisms underlying behavior at levels spanning from genes through neurons to circuits. This review summarizes the advantages Drosophila offers in achieving this objective. A recent neurophysiology study on olfactory behavior is also introduced to demonstrate the effectiveness of these advantages. Copyright © 2014 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perfume fingerprinting by easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry: nearly instantaneous typification and counterfeit detection.

PubMed

Haddad, Renato; Catharino, Rodrigo Ramos; Marques, Lygia Azevedo; Eberlin, Marcos Nogueira

2008-11-01

Perfume counterfeiting is an illegal worldwide practice that involves huge economic losses and potential consumer risk. EASI is a simple, easily performed and rapidly implemented desorption/ionization technique for ambient mass spectrometry (MS). Herein we demonstrate that EASI-MS allows nearly instantaneous perfume typification and counterfeit detection. Samples are simply sprayed onto a glass rod or paper surface and, after a few seconds of ambient drying, a profile of the most polar components of the perfume is acquired. These components provide unique and reproducible chemical signatures for authentic perfume samples. Counterfeiting is readily recognized since the exact set and relative proportions of the more polar chemicals, sometimes at low concentrations, are unknown or hard to reproduce by the counterfeiters and hence very distinct and variable EASI-MS profiles are observed for the counterfeit samples.

NASA - easyJet Collaboration on the Human Factors Monitoring Program (HFMP) Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivistava, Ashok N.; Barton, Phil

2012-01-01

This is the first annual report jointly prepared by NASA and easyJet on the work performed under the agreement to collaborate on a study of the many factors entailed in flight - and cabin-crew fatigue and documenting the decreases in performance associated with fatigue. The objective of this Agreement is to generate reliable, automated procedures that improve understanding of the levels and characteristics of flight - and cabin-crew fatigue factors, both latent and proximate, whose confluence will likely result in unacceptable flight crew performance. This study entails the analyses of numerical and textual data collected during operational flights. NASA and easyJet are both interested in assessing and testing NASA s automated capabilities for extracting operationally significant information from very large, diverse (textual and numerical) databases, much larger than can be handled practically by human experts.

Patient-specific instruments: advantages and pitfalls

PubMed Central

Hafez, Mahmoud A.; Moholkar, Kirti

2017-01-01

Patient-specific instruments (PSI) aim to improve the accuracy of total knee replacement (TKR) based on computer-assisted preoperative planning. In this work, the authors describe the advantages and pitfalls of PSI based on their clinical experience. The main conclusion of this work is that PSI has direct impact on the logistical and technical features of TKR with some advantages and pitfalls. PMID:29227785

Early closure of temporary ileostomy—the EASY trial: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

Correa-Marinez, Adiela; Angenete, Eva; Skullmann, Stefan; Haglind, Eva; Rosenberg, Jacob

2011-01-01

Objective The objective is to evaluate efficiency based on data on morbidity and mortality, health-related quality of life and healthcare-related costs after early reversal of temporary ileostomy after rectal resection for cancer compared with the standard procedure (late reversal). Background Reversal of a temporary ileostomy is generally associated with a low morbidity and mortality. However, ostomy reversal may cause complications requiring reoperation with subsequent major complications, in ranges from 0% to 7–9% and minor complications varying from 4–5% to 30%. Based on studies exploring and describing the time of closure in previous studies which are mostly of low quality, a recent review concluded that closing a temporary stoma within 2 weeks did not seem to be associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality. Design and methods Early closure of temporary ileostomy (EASY), a randomised controlled trial, is a prospective randomised controlled multicentre study which is performed within the framework of the Scandinavian Surgical Outcomes Research Group (http://www.ssorg.net/) and plans to include 200 patients from Danish and Swedish hospitals. The primary end-point of the study is the frequency of complications 0–12 months after surgery (the stoma creation operation). The secondary end-points of the study are (1) comparison of the total costs of the two groups at 6 and 12 months after surgery (stoma creation); (2) comparison of health-related quality of life in the two groups evaluated with the 36-item short-form and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-CR29/CR30 at 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery (stoma creation); and (3) comparison of disease-specific quality of life in the two groups at 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery (stoma creation). Discussion The aim of the EASY trial is to evaluate the efficiency of early reversal of temporary ileostomy after surgery for rectal cancer versus

Hollow Abutment Screw Design for Easy Retrieval in Case of Screw Fracture in Dental Implant System

PubMed Central

Kim, Bongju; Shin, Yoo Jin

2017-01-01

The prosthetic component of dental implant is attached on the abutment which is connected to the fixture with an abutment screw. The abutment screw fracture is not frequent; however, the retrieval of the fractured screw is not easy, and it poses complications. A retrieval kit was developed which utilizes screw removal drills to make a hole on the fractured screw that provides an engaging drill to unscrew it. To minimize this process, the abutment screw is modified with a prefabricated access hole for easy retrieval. This study aimed to introduce this modified design of the abutment screw, the concept of easy retrieval, and to compare the mechanical strengths of the conventional and hollow abutment screws by finite element analysis (FEA) and mechanical test. In the FEA results, both types of abutment screws showed similar stress distribution in the single artificial tooth system. A maximum load difference of about 2% occurred in the vertical load by a mechanical test. This study showed that the hollow abutment screw may be an alternative to the conventional abutment screws because this is designed for easy retrieval and that both abutment screws showed no significant difference in the mechanical tests and in the FEA. PMID:29065610

Advantages and Disadvantages of Transtibial, Anteromedial Portal, and Outside-In Femoral Tunnel Drilling in Single-Bundle Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Robin, Brett N; Jani, Sunil S; Marvil, Sean C; Reid, John B; Schillhammer, Carl K; Lubowitz, James H

2015-07-01

Controversy exists regarding the best method for creating the knee anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) femoral tunnel or socket. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the risks, benefits, advantages, and disadvantages of the endoscopic transtibial (TT) technique, anteromedial portal technique, outside-in technique, and outside-in retrograde drilling technique for creating the ACL femoral tunnel. A PubMed search of English-language studies published between January 1, 2000, and February 17, 2014, was performed using the following keywords: "anterior cruciate ligament" AND "femoral tunnel." Included were studies reporting risks, benefits, advantages, and/or disadvantages of any ACL femoral technique. In addition, references of included articles were reviewed to identify potential studies missed in the original search. A total of 27 articles were identified through the search. TT technique advantages include familiarity and proven long-term outcomes; disadvantages include the risk of nonanatomic placement because of constrained (TT) drilling. Anteromedial portal technique advantages include unconstrained anatomic placement; disadvantages include technical challenges, short tunnels or sockets, and posterior-wall blowout. Outside-in technique advantages include unconstrained anatomic placement; disadvantages include the need for 2 incisions. Retrograde drilling technique advantages include unconstrained anatomic placement, as well as all-epiphyseal drilling in skeletally immature patients; disadvantages include the need for fluoroscopy for all-epiphyseal drilling. There is no one, single, established "gold-standard" technique for creation of the ACL femoral socket. Four accepted techniques show diverse and subjective advantages, disadvantages, risks, and benefits. Level V, systematic review of Level II through V evidence. Copyright © 2015 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The IBA Easy-E-Beam™ Integrated Processing System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cleland, Marshall R.; Galloway, Richard A.; Lisanti, Thomas F.

2011-06-01

IBA Industrial Inc., (formerly known as Radiation Dynamics, Inc.) has been making high-energy and medium-energy, direct-current proton and electron accelerators for research and industrial applications for many years. Some industrial applications of high-power electron accelerators are the crosslinking of polymeric materials and products, such as the insulation on electrical wires, multi-conductor cable jackets, heat-shrinkable plastic tubing and film, plastic pipe, foam and pellets, the partial curing of rubber sheet for automobile tire components, and the sterilization of disposable medical devices. The curing (polymerization and crosslinking) of carbon and glass fiber-reinforced composite plastic parts, the preservation of foods and the treatment of waste materials are attractive possibilities for future applications. With electron energies above 1.0 MeV, the radiation protection for operating personnel is usually provided by surrounding the accelerator facility with thick concrete walls. With lower energies, steel and lead panels can be used, which are substantially thinner and more compact than the equivalent concrete walls. IBA has developed a series of electron processing systems called Easy-e-Beam™ for the medium energy range from 300 keV to 1000 keV. These systems include the shielding as an integral part of a complete radiation processing facility. The basic concepts of the electron accelerator, the product processing equipment, the programmable control system, the configuration of the radiation shielding and some performance characteristics are described in this paper.

Easy facial analysis using the facial golden mask.

PubMed

Kim, Yong-Ha

2007-05-01

For over 2000 years, many artists and scientists have tried to understand or quantify the form of the perfect, ideal, or most beautiful face both in art and in vivo (life). A mathematical relationship has been consistently and repeatedly reported to be present in beautiful things. This particular relationship is the golden ratio. It is a mathematical ratio of 1.618:1 that seems to appear recurrently in beautiful things in nature as well as in other things that are seen as beautiful. Dr. Marquardt made the facial golden mask that contains and includes all of the one-dimensional and two-dimensional geometric golden elements formed from the golden ratio. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of the golden facial mask. In 40 cases, the authors applied the facial golden mask to preoperative and postoperative photographs and scored each photograph on a 1 to 5 scale from the perspective of their personal aesthetic views. The score was lower when the facial deformity was severe, whereas it was higher when the face was attractive. Compared with the average scores of facial mask applied photographs and nonapplied photographs using a nonparametric test, statistical significance was not reached (P > 0.05). This implies that the facial golden mask may be used as an analytical tool. The facial golden mask is easy to apply, inexpensive, and relatively objective. Therefore, the authors introduce it as a useful facial analysis.

Digital Technology in the Visual Arts Classroom: An [un]Easy Partnership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilks, Judith; Cutcher, Alexandra; Wilks, Susan

2012-01-01

This article scrutinizes the dichotomy of the uneasy and easy partnerships that exist between digital technology and visual arts education. The claim that by putting computers into schools "we have bought 'one half of a product'... we've bought the infrastructure and the equipment but we haven't bought the educational…

Cumulative (Dis)Advantage and the Matthew Effect in Life-Course Analysis

PubMed Central

Bask, Miia; Bask, Mikael

2015-01-01

To foster a deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind inequality in society, it is crucial to work with well-defined concepts associated with such mechanisms. The aim of this paper is to define cumulative (dis)advantage and the Matthew effect. We argue that cumulative (dis)advantage is an intra-individual micro-level phenomenon, that the Matthew effect is an inter-individual macro-level phenomenon and that an appropriate measure of the Matthew effect focuses on the mechanism or dynamic process that generates inequality. The Matthew mechanism is, therefore, a better name for the phenomenon, where we provide a novel measure of the mechanism, including a proof-of-principle analysis using disposable personal income data. Finally, because socio-economic theory should be able to explain cumulative (dis)advantage and the Matthew mechanism when they are detected in data, we discuss the types of models that may explain the phenomena. We argue that interactions-based models in the literature traditions of analytical sociology and statistical mechanics serve this purpose. PMID:26606386

The ADVANTAGE seeding trial: a review of internal documents.

PubMed

Hill, Kevin P; Ross, Joseph S; Egilman, David S; Krumholz, Harlan M

2008-08-19

Seeding trials, clinical studies conducted by pharmaceutical companies that are designed to seem as if they answer a scientific question but primarily fulfill marketing objectives, have not been described in detail. To describe a known seeding trial, ADVANTAGE (Assessment of Differences between Vioxx and Naproxen To Ascertain Gastrointestinal Tolerability and Effectiveness), through documents of the trial sponsor, Merck & Co. (Whitehouse Station, New Jersey). Merck internal and external correspondence, reports, and presentations elicited to inform legal proceedings of Cona v Merck and Co., Inc., and McDarby v Merck and Co., Inc. The documents were created between 1998 and 2006. An iterative case-study process of review, discussion, and re-review of documents to identify themes relevant to the design and conduct of ADVANTAGE. To supplement the case-study review, the authors did a systematic review of the literature to identify published manuscripts focused on seeding trials and their conduct. Review of the documents revealed 3 key themes: The trial was designed by Merck's marketing division to fulfill a marketing objective; Merck's marketing division handled both the scientific and the marketing data, including collection, analysis, and dissemination; and Merck hid the marketing nature of the trial from participants, physician investigators, and institutional review board members. Although the systematic review of the literature identified 6 articles that focused on the practice of seeding trials, none provided documentary evidence of their existence or conduct. The legal documents in these cases provide useful, but limited, information about the practices of the pharmaceutical industry. This description of 1 company's actions is incomplete and may have limited generalizability. Documentary evidence shows that ADVANTAGE is an example of marketing framed as science. The documents indicate that ADVANTAGE was a seeding trial developed by Merck's marketing division to

The Characterization of an Easy-to-Operate Inexpensive Student-Built Fluorimeter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wigton, Benjamin T.; Chohan, Balwant S.; Kreuter, Rod; Sykes, Dan

2011-01-01

A compact, rugged, and portable fluorimeter was designed and constructed using a 460 nm light-emitting diode for the excitation and a silicon photodiode for detection. The total cost of such an instrument is less than $110, thus allowing for deployment of multiple instruments at low cost. The fluorimeter is easy to operate and has been…

That Sounds Easy Enough: An Exploration of Data Management Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosati, A.; Advanced Cooperative Arctic Data; Information Service (Acadis)

2013-05-01

Creating an infrastructure that is not ad hoc or ephemeral when much of technology today is itself ad hoc and ephemeral is not an easy task. This paper examines the collaboration process between various stakeholders within the Advanced Cooperative Arctic Data and Information Service (ACADIS) in order to provide insight into data management, data preservation, and data discovery. Specifically, this paper addresses the partnership of Arctic Research Mapping Application Program (ARMAP) and ACADIS. This partnership shows that what may seem like an easy or straight forward request can, in fact, prove challenging. These challenges can only be met through collaboration and good communication. The ACADIS project fosters scientific synthesis and discovery by providing services that make data freely available for access and analysis across multiple disciplines. The goals of ACADIS are to bring together experts to create tools at the forefront of how science will be done. Essentially, we improve the usability and interdisciplinary reuse of arctic data. ACADIS is a joint effort by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), Unidata, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to provide data archival services, preservation, and access for all projects funded by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Arctic Science Program (ARC).

Advantages of III-nitride laser diodes in solid-state lighting: Advantages of III-nitride laser diodes in solid-state lighting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wierer, Jonathan J.; Tsao, Jeffrey Y.

2015-01-14

III-nitride laser diodes (LDs) are an interesting light source for solid-state lighting (SSL). Modelling of LDs is performed to reveal the potential advantages over traditionally used light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The first, and most notable, advantage is LDs have higher efficiency at higher currents when compared to LEDs. This is because Auger recombination that causes efficiency droop can no longer grow after laser threshold. Second, the same phosphor-converted methods used with LEDs can also be used with LDs to produce white light with similar color rendering and color temperature. Third, producing white light from color mixed emitters is equally challenging formore » both LEDs and LDs, with neither source having a direct advantage. Fourth, the LD emission is directional and can be more readily captured and focused, leading to the possibility of novel and more compact luminaires. Finally, the smaller area and higher current density operation of LDs provides them with a potential cost advantage over LEDs. These advantages make LDs a compelling source for future SSL.« less

esATAC: An Easy-to-use Systematic pipeline for ATAC-seq data analysis.

PubMed

Wei, Zheng; Zhang, Wei; Fang, Huan; Li, Yanda; Wang, Xiaowo

2018-03-07

ATAC-seq is rapidly emerging as one of the major experimental approaches to probe chromatin accessibility genome-wide. Here, we present "esATAC", a highly integrated easy-to-use R/Bioconductor package, for systematic ATAC-seq data analysis. It covers essential steps for full analyzing procedure, including raw data processing, quality control and downstream statistical analysis such as peak calling, enrichment analysis and transcription factor footprinting. esATAC supports one command line execution for preset pipelines, and provides flexible interfaces for building customized pipelines. esATAC package is open source under the GPL-3.0 license. It is implemented in R and C ++. Source code and binaries for Linux, MAC OS X and Windows are available through Bioconductor https://www.bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/esATAC.html). xwwang@tsinghua.edu.cn. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Is There an Islamist Political Advantage?

PubMed Central

Cammett, Melani; Luong, Pauline Jones

2014-01-01

There is a widespread presumption that Islamists have an advantage over their opponents when it comes to generating mass appeal and winning elections. The question remains, however, as to whether these advantages—or, what we refer to collectively as an Islamist political advantage—actually exist. We argue that—to the extent that Islamists have a political advantage—the primary source of this advantage is reputation rather than the provision of social services, organizational capacity, or ideological hegemony. Our purpose is not to dismiss the main sources of the Islamist governance advantage identified in scholarly literature and media accounts, but to suggest a different causal path whereby each of these factors individually and sometimes jointly promotes a reputation for Islamists as competent, trustworthy, and pure. It is this reputation for good governance that enables Islamists to distinguish themselves in the streets and at the ballot box. PMID:25767370

76 FR 14691 - Delphi Steering, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Acro Service Corporation, Aerotek, Inc...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-17

... Health Care and Advantage Technical Resourcing, Saginaw, MI; Amended Certification Regarding Eligibility... on-site leased workers from Advantage Technical Resourcing were employed on-site at the Saginaw... Department is amending this certification to include workers leased from Advantage Technical Resourcing...

Does self-efficacy mediate transfer effects in the learning of easy and difficult motor skills?

PubMed

Stevens, David; Anderson, David I; O'Dwyer, Nicholas J; Mark Williams, A

2012-09-01

The effect of task difficulty on inter-task transfer is a classic issue in motor learning. We examined the relation between self-efficacy and transfer of learning after practicing different versions of a stick balancing task. Practicing the same task or an easier version led to significant pre- to post-test transfer of learning, whereas practicing a more difficult version did not. Self-efficacy increased modestly from pre- to post-test with easy practice, but decreased significantly with difficult practice. In addition, self-efficacy immediately prior to the post-test was significantly lower after difficult practice than easy or intermediate practice. Self-efficacy immediately prior to the post-test, performance at the end of practice, and pre-test performance explained 75% of the variance in post-test performance. The mediating role of self-efficacy on transfer of learning offers an alternative explanation for recent findings on the superiority of easy-to-difficult transfer and may help clarify inconsistencies in earlier research. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The advantage of being slow: The quasi-neutral contact process.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Marcelo Martins; Dickman, Ronald

2017-01-01

According to the competitive exclusion principle, in a finite ecosystem, extinction occurs naturally when two or more species compete for the same resources. An important question that arises is: when coexistence is not possible, which mechanisms confer an advantage to a given species against the other(s)? In general, it is expected that the species with the higher reproductive/death ratio will win the competition, but other mechanisms, such as asymmetry in interspecific competition or unequal diffusion rates, have been found to change this scenario dramatically. In this work, we examine competitive advantage in the context of quasi-neutral population models, including stochastic models with spatial structure as well as macroscopic (mean-field) descriptions. We employ a two-species contact process in which the "biological clock" of one species is a factor of α slower than that of the other species. Our results provide new insights into how stochasticity and competition interact to determine extinction in finite spatial systems. We find that a species with a slower biological clock has an advantage if resources are limited, winning the competition against a species with a faster clock, in relatively small systems. Periodic or stochastic environmental variations also favor the slower species, even in much larger systems.

Making the Good Even Better: Feedback from easyCBM Focus Groups, School Year 2009/2010. Technical Report # 1001

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald; Lai, Cheng-Fei

2010-01-01

This technical report provides a summary of feedback from teachers, administrators, and support personnel who used the easyCBM progress monitoring and benchmark assessment system during school year 2009/2010. Data were gathered from semi-structured focus groups conducted during the 2010 easyCBM August Institute at the University of Oregon. Results…

The Down Syndrome Advantage: Fact or Fiction?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corrice, April M.; Glidden, Laraine Masters

2009-01-01

The "Down syndrome advantage" is the popular conception that children with Down syndrome are easier to rear than children with other developmental disabilities. We assessed whether mothers of children with developmental disabilities would demonstrate a consistent Down syndrome advantage as their children aged from 12 to 18 years. Results did not…

EASY-HIT: HIV full-replication technology for broad discovery of multiple classes of HIV inhibitors.

PubMed

Kremb, Stephan; Helfer, Markus; Heller, Werner; Hoffmann, Dieter; Wolff, Horst; Kleinschmidt, Andrea; Cepok, Sabine; Hemmer, Bernhard; Durner, Jörg; Brack-Werner, Ruth

2010-12-01

HIV replication assays are important tools for HIV drug discovery efforts. Here, we present a full HIV replication system (EASY-HIT) for the identification and analysis of HIV inhibitors. This technology is based on adherently growing HIV-susceptible cells, with a stable fluorescent reporter gene activated by HIV Tat and Rev. A fluorescence-based assay was designed that measures HIV infection by two parameters relating to the early and the late phases of HIV replication, respectively. Validation of the assay with a panel of nine reference inhibitors yielded effective inhibitory concentrations consistent with published data and allowed discrimination between inhibitors of early and late phases of HIV replication. Finer resolution of the effects of reference drugs on different steps of HIV replication was achieved in secondary time-of-addition assays. The EASY-HIT assay yielded high Z' scores (>0.9) and signal stabilities, confirming its robustness. Screening of the LOPAC(1280) library identified 10 compounds (0.8%), of which eight were known to inhibit HIV, validating the suitability of this assay for screening applications. Studies evaluating anti-HIV activities of natural products with the EASY-HIT technology led to the identification of three novel inhibitory compounds that apparently act at different steps of HIV-1 replication. Furthermore, we demonstrate successful evaluation of plant extracts for HIV-inhibitory activities, suggesting application of this technology for the surveillance of biological extracts with anti-HIV activities. We conclude that the EASY-HIT technology is a versatile tool for the discovery and characterization of HIV inhibitors.

The data sharing advantage in astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorch, Bertil F.; Drachen, Thea M.; Ellegaard, Ole

2016-10-01

We present here evidence for the existence of a citation advantage within astrophysics for papers that link to data. Using simple measures based on publication data from NASA Astrophysics Data System we find a citation advantage for papers with links to data receiving on the average significantly more citations per paper than papers without links to data. Furthermore, using INSPEC and Web of Science databases we investigate whether either papers of an experimental or theoretical nature display different citation behavior.

DooSo6: Easy Collaboration over Shared Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ignat, Claudia-Lavinia; Oster, Gérald; Molli, Pascal

Existing tools for supporting parallel work feature some disadvantages that prevent them to be widely used. Very often they require a complex installation and creation of accounts for all group members. Users need to learn and deal with complex commands for efficiently using these collaborative tools. Some tools require users to abandon their favourite editors and impose them to use a certain co-authorship application. In this paper, we propose the DooSo6 collaboration tool that offers support for parallel work, requires no installation, no creation of accounts and that is easy to use, users being able to continue working with their favourite editors. User authentication is achieved by means of a capability-based mechanism.

Introducing Human Population Biology through an Easy Laboratory Exercise on Mitochondrial DNA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pardinas, Antonio F.; Dopico, Eduardo; Roca, Agustin; Garcia-Vazquez, Eva; Lopez, Belen

2010-01-01

This article describes an easy and cheap laboratory exercise for students to discover their own mitochondrial haplogroup. Students use buccal swabs to obtain mucosa cells as noninvasive tissue samples, extract DNA, and with a simple polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis they can obtain DNA fragments of…

Home advantage in the Winter Paralympic Games 1976-2014.

PubMed

Wilson, Darryl; Ramchandani, Girish

2017-01-01

There is a limited amount of home advantage research concerned with winter sports. There is also a distinct lack of studies that investigate home advantage in the context of para sport events. This paper addresses this gap in the knowledge by examining home advantage in the Winter Paralympic Games. Using a standardised measure of success, we compared the performances of host nations at home with their own performances away from home between 1976 and 2014. Both country level and individual sport level analysis is conducted for this time period. Comparisons are also drawn with the Winter Olympic Games since 1992, the point from which both the Winter Olympic Games and the Winter Paralympic Games have been hosted by the same nations and in the same years. Clear evidence of a home advantage effect in the Winter Paralympic Games was found at country level. When examining individual sports, only alpine skiing and cross country skiing returned a significant home advantage effect. When comparing home advantage in the Winter Paralympic Games with the Winter Olympic Games for the last seven host nations (1992-2014), we found that home advantage was generally more pronounced (although not a statistically significant difference) in the case of the former. The causes of home advantage in the Winter Paralympic Games are unclear and should be investigated further.

Continuous ECG Monitoring in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome or Heart Failure: EASI Versus Gold Standard.

PubMed

Lancia, Loreto; Toccaceli, Andrea; Petrucci, Cristina; Romano, Silvio; Penco, Maria

2018-05-01

The purpose of the study was to compare the EASI system with the standard 12-lead surface electrocardiogram (ECG) for the accuracy in detecting the main electrocardiographic parameters (J point, PR, QT, and QRS) commonly monitored in patients with acute coronary syndromes or heart failure. In this observational comparative study, 253 patients who were consecutively admitted to the coronary care unit with acute coronary syndrome or heart failure were evaluated. In all patients, two complete 12-lead ECGs were acquired simultaneously. A total of 6,072 electrocardiographic leads were compared (3,036 standard and 3,036 EASI). No significant differences were found between the investigate parameters of the two measurement methods, either in patients with acute coronary syndrome or in those with heart failure. This study confirmed the accuracy of the EASI system in monitoring the main ECG parameters in patients admitted to the coronary care unit with acute coronary syndrome or heart failure.

Quick, easy to prepare freeze-dried soups

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramirez, R. V.; Larson, R. W.

1972-01-01

Major advantages of soups are that they totally rehydrate in less than five minutes in water at approximately 150 deg F, maintain flavor and quality stability for two weeks in a 100 F environment, and remain stable for considerably longer at ambient temperatures. They are suitable for either household or field use.

Membrane microreactors: gas-liquid reactions made easy.

PubMed

Noël, Timothy; Hessel, Volker

2013-03-01

Getting phases together: Membrane microreactors provide new opportunities for gas-liquid reactions. The advantages of this microreactor concept are a large interfacial area, a greater flexibility with regard to flow rates, and the opportunity to immobilize a catalyst on the membrane. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Left hemispheric advantage for numerical abilities in the bottlenose dolphin.

PubMed

Kilian, Annette; von Fersen, Lorenzo; Güntürkün, Onur

2005-02-28

In a two-choice discrimination paradigm, a bottlenose dolphin discriminated relational dimensions between visual numerosity stimuli under monocular viewing conditions. After prior binocular acquisition of the task, two monocular test series with different number stimuli were conducted. In accordance with recent studies on visual lateralization in the bottlenose dolphin, our results revealed an overall advantage of the right visual field. Due to the complete decussation of the optic nerve fibers, this suggests a specialization of the left hemisphere for analysing relational features between stimuli as required in tests for numerical abilities. These processes are typically right hemisphere-based in other mammals (including humans) and birds. The present data provide further evidence for a general right visual field advantage in bottlenose dolphins for visual information processing. It is thus assumed that dolphins possess a unique functional architecture of their cerebral asymmetries. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of stimulus intensity on the right ear advantage in dichotic listening.

PubMed

Hugdahl, Kenneth; Westerhausen, René; Alho, Kimmo; Medvedev, Svyatoslav; Hämäläinen, Heikki

2008-01-24

The dichotic listening test is non-invasive behavioural technique to study brain lateralization and it has been shown, that its results can be systematically modulated by varying stimulation properties (bottom-up effects) or attentional instructions (top-down effects) of the testing procedure. The goal of the present study was to further investigate the bottom-up modulation, by examining the effect of differences in the right or left ear stimulus intensity on the ear advantage. For this purpose, interaural intensity difference were gradually varied in steps of 3 dB from -21 dB in favour of the left ear to +21 dB in favour of the right ear, also including a no difference baseline condition. Thirty-three right-handed adult participants with normal hearing acuity were tested. The dichotic listening paradigm was based on consonant-vowel stimuli pairs. Only pairs with the same voicing (voice or non-voiced) of the consonant sound were used. The results showed: (a) a significant right ear advantage (REA) for interaural intensity differences from 21 to -3 dB, (b) no ear advantage (NEA) for the -6 dB difference, and (c) a significant left ear advantage (LEA) for differences form -9 to -21 dB. It is concluded that the right ear advantage in dichotic listening to CV syllables withstands an interaural intensity difference of -9 dB before yielding to a significant left ear advantage. This finding could have implications for theories of auditory laterality and hemispheric asymmetry for phonological processing.

Advantage and choice: social relationships and staff assistance in assisted living.

PubMed

Burge, Stephanie; Street, Debra

2010-05-01

OBJECTIVES. To understand how "cumulative inequality" (CI), expressed as individual advantage and choice, and "external social supports" contribute to the quality of social relationships and perceptions of staff assistance for older individuals in different assisted living (AL) settings. Data are from 429 cognitively intact AL residents aged 60 years and older interviewed for the Florida Study of Assisted Living. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses show how individual advantage and choice and external social networks influence respondents' social relationships and staff assistance in AL. Controlling for resident and facility characteristics, being able to pay privately enhances resident satisfaction with staff assistance and having control over the move to AL is positively associated with perceptions of staff relationships and assistance. Maintaining contact with pre-AL friends predicts quality of coresident relationships, as does family contact. Regular contact with family buffers some of the disadvantages associated with CI for perceptions of staff relationships but not perceptions of staff assistance. Discussion. Individual advantage and choice influence the quality of staff relationships and assistance for AL residents but matter little for coresident relationships. External social relationships buffer some of the risks associated with CI for perceptions of staff relationships but not perceived quality of staff assistance. Findings highlight outcomes associated with CI, including predictable risks that disadvantaged elders face in particular types of AL settings, differential advantages others enjoy that influence positive perceptions of staff relationships and staff assistance, and the enduring importance of supportive social relationships.

HOW MUCH FAVORABLE SELECTION IS LEFT IN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE?

PubMed Central

PRICE, MARY; MCWILLIAMS, J. MICHAEL; HSU, JOHN; MCGUIRE, THOMAS G.

2015-01-01

The health economics literature contains two models of selection, one with endogenous plan characteristics to attract good risks and one with fixed plan characteristics; neither model contains a regulator. Medicare Advantage, a principal example of selection in the literature, is, however, subject to anti-selection regulations. Because selection causes economic inefficiency and because the historically favorable selection into Medicare Advantage plans increased government cost, the effectiveness of the anti-selection regulations is an important policy question, especially since the Medicare Advantage program has grown to comprise 30 percent of Medicare beneficiaries. Moreover, similar anti-selection regulations are being used in health insurance exchanges for those under 65. Contrary to earlier work, we show that the strengthened anti-selection regulations that Medicare introduced starting in 2004 markedly reduced government overpayment attributable to favorable selection in Medicare Advantage. At least some of the remaining selection is plausibly related to fixed plan characteristics of Traditional Medicare versus Medicare Advantage rather than changed selection strategies by Medicare Advantage plans. PMID:26389127

Polar2Grid 2.0: Reprojecting Satellite Data Made Easy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoese, D.; Strabala, K.

2015-12-01

Polar-orbiting multi-band meteorological sensors such as those on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite pose substantial challenges for taking imagery the last mile to forecast offices, scientific analysis environments, and the general public. To do this quickly and easily, the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at the University of Wisconsin has created an open-source, modular application system, Polar2Grid. This bundled solution automates tools for converting various satellite products like those from VIIRS and MODIS into a variety of output formats, including GeoTIFFs, AWIPS compatible NetCDF files, and NinJo forecasting workstation compatible TIFF images. In addition to traditional visible and infrared imagery, Polar2Grid includes three perceptual enhancements for the VIIRS Day-Night Band (DNB), as well as providing the capability to create sharpened true color, sharpened false color, and user-defined RGB images. Polar2Grid performs conversions and projections in seconds on large swaths of data. Polar2Grid is currently providing VIIRS imagery over the Continental United States, as well as Alaska and Hawaii, from various Direct-Broadcast antennas to operational forecasters at the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) offices in their AWIPS terminals, within minutes of an overpass of the Suomi NPP satellite. Three years after Polar2Grid development started, the Polar2Grid team is now releasing version 2.0 of the software; supporting more sensors, generating more products, and providing all of its features in an easy to use command line interface.

Advantages and limitations of the Five Domains model for assessing welfare impacts associated with vertebrate pest control.

PubMed

Beausoleil, N J; Mellor, D J

2015-01-01

Many pest control activities have the potential to impact negatively on the welfare of animals, and animal welfare is an important consideration in the development, implementation and evaluation of ethically defensible vertebrate pest control. Thus, reliable and accurate methods for assessing welfare impacts are required. The Five Domains model provides a systematic method for identifying potential or actual welfare impacts associated with an event or situation in four physical or functional domains (nutrition, environment, health or functional status, behaviour) and one mental domain (overall mental or affective state). Here we evaluate the advantages and limitations of the Five Domains model for this purpose and illustrate them using specific examples from a recent assessment of the welfare impacts of poisons used to lethally control possums in New Zealand. The model has a number of advantages which include the following: the systematic identification of a wide range of impacts associated with a variety of control tools; the production of relative rankings of tools in terms of their welfare impacts; the easy incorporation of new information into assessments; and the highlighting of additional information needed. For example, a recent analysis of sodium fluoroacetate (1080) poisoning in possums revealed the need for more information on the period from the onset of clinical signs to the point at which consciousness is lost, as well as on the level of consciousness during or after the occurrence of muscle spasms and seizures. The model is also valuable because it clearly separates physical or functional and affective impacts, encourages more comprehensive consideration of negative affective experiences than has occurred in the past, and allows development and evaluation of targeted mitigation strategies. Caution must be used in interpreting and applying the outputs of the model, most importantly because relative rankings or grades are fundamentally qualitative in

Randomized Clinical Trial: The Use of SpeechEasy® in Stuttering Treatment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritto, Ana Paula; Juste, Fabiola Staróbole; Stuart, Andrew; Kalinowski, Joseph; de Andrade, Claudia Regina Furquim

2016-01-01

Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefit of devices delivering altered auditory feedback (AAF) as a therapeutic alternative for those who stutter. Aims: The effectiveness of a device delivering AAF (SpeechEasy®) was compared with behavioural techniques in the treatment of stuttering in a randomized clinical trial. Methods &…

Costing nursing education programs. It's as easy as 1-2-3.

PubMed

Fisher, M L; Hume, R; Emerick, R

1998-01-01

Staff development departments are pressured to reveal the costs of their educational programs and to compete with outside vendors for programming. The process of implementing a spreadsheet template for costing out staff development programs is described. The template is easy to use and supports "what if" analysis. This model allows educators to evaluate cost implications of curricular decisions and to better negotiate with internal and external customers.

[Advantages and disadvantages of direct-to-consumer genetic tests].

PubMed

Christiansen, Camilla Worm; Gerdes, Anne-Marie Axø

2017-03-13

Direct-to-consumer genetic tests are sold over the internet to consumers all over the world - including Denmark. No regulation of these tests has been introduced neither in Denmark nor in Europe, even though they have been on the market since 2007. Such tests have several advantages, but indeed also a long list of potential disadvantages, which are most often ignored, and among these is insufficient training of general practitioners in performing the necessary counselling but also the risk of increased expenses to unnecessary follow-up consultations.

easyCBM CCSS Math Item Scaling and Test Form Revision (2012-2013): Grades 6-8. Technical Report #1313

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

The purpose of this technical report is to document the piloting and scaling of new easyCBM mathematics test items aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and to describe the process used to revise and supplement the 2012 research version easyCBM CCSS math tests in Grades 6-8. For all operational 2012 research version test forms (10…

Organization Made Easy! Tools for Today's Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buck, Frank

2010-01-01

Meet the ever-growing organizational demands of today's changing world with the variety of tools, digital and otherwise, available to you as a teacher. In this book, organization guru Frank Buck shows you how to take expert advantage of the specific electronic and paper-based resources that will help you manage your time and stay on course as a…

Home advantage in the Six Nations Rugby Union tournament.

PubMed

Thomas, Sion; Reeves, Colin; Bell, Andrew

2008-02-01

This study examined whether home advantage occurred in the Six Nations Rugby Union tournament. Data were gathered using the final championship standings from the tournament's inception in 2000 to the recently completed 2007 season. Home advantage for each championship season was defined as the number of points won by teams playing at home, expressed as a percentage of all points gained either at home or away. An analysis of home advantage for each of eight seasons of competition ranged from 53% (2005) to 70% (2006). There was an overall statistically significant home advantage of 61% for 120 matches played in the Six Nations tournament between 2000 and 2007. Also analysed were the percentage of points won at home by each country. Again, evidence supported home advantage amongst all competing nations regardless of the team's quality.

Comparison of Home Advantage in College and Professional Team Sports in the United States.

PubMed

Pollard, Richard; Gómez, Miguel A

2015-09-01

Home advantage in seven American college team sports (baseball, basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, soccer and women's basketball) was compared with professional leagues in the United States for the same sports and for the same time period. A total of 81,063 college games and 22,477 professional games were analyzed for the four seasons 2006-07 to 2009-10. There was a significant home advantage, as measured by home winning percentage, in all sports, both college and professional. The overall home advantage in college sports was significantly greater than in professional sports (p<0.015). The mean difference was 3.73 home winning percentage points, being greatest for baseball, basketball, and hockey (all p<0.001). Plausible explanations for these results include differences in college and professional competition in terms of familiarity with local conditions, referee bias, territoriality and psychological factors. However, the influence of travel fatigue was inconclusive. Only for soccer was the home advantage greater for professionals. This was the only sport where crowd size appeared to be having an effect. In addition the rules of college soccer allow more substitution and hence greater coach intervention than in professional soccer, a factor that could also be reducing home advantage.

Project safety as a sustainable competitive advantage.

PubMed

Rechenthin, David

2004-01-01

To be consistently profitable, a construction company must complete projects in scope, on schedule, and on budget. At the same time, the nature of the often high-risk work performed by construction companies can result in high accident rates. Clients and other stakeholders are placing increasing pressure on companies to decrease those accident rates. Clients routinely demand copies of safety plans and evidence of past results at the "pre-qualification" or "request for proposal" stages of the procurement process. Are high accident rates and the associated costs just a part of business? Companies that deliver on scope, schedule, and budget have a competitive advantage. Is it possible for projects with low accident rates to use it as a competitive advantage? Is the value added by safety just a temporary or parity issue, or does a successful safety program offer significant advantage to the company and the client? This article concludes that in the case of a high-risk industry, such as the construction industry, an organization with a successful safety program can promote safety performance as a sustainable competitive advantage. It is a choice the company can make.

High-Cost Patients Had Substantial Rates Of Leaving Medicare Advantage And Joining Traditional Medicare

PubMed Central

Rahman, Momotazur; Keohane, Laura; Trivedi, Amal N.; Mor, Vincent

2015-01-01

Medicare Advantage payment regulations include risk-adjusted capitated reimbursement, which was implemented to discourage favorable risk selection and encourage the retention of members who incur high costs. However, the extent to which risk-adjusted capitation has succeeded is not clear, especially for members using high-cost services not previously considered in assessments of risk selection. We examined the rates at which participants who used three high-cost services switched between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare. We found that the switching rate from 2010 to 2011 away from Medicare Advantage and to traditional Medicare exceeded the switching rate in the opposite direction for participants who used long-term nursing home care (17 percent versus 3 percent), short-term nursing home care (9 percent versus 4 percent), and home health care (8 percent versus 3 percent). These results were magnified among people who were enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. Our findings raise questions about the role of Medicare Advantage plans in serving high-cost patients with complex care needs, who account for a disproportionately high amount of total health care spending. PMID:26438743

Views of Japanese patients on the advantages and disadvantages of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

PubMed

Nakamura-Taira, Nanako; Muranaka, Yoshimi; Miwa, Masako; Kin, Seikon; Hirai, Kei

2013-08-01

The preference for dialysis modalities is not well understood in Japan. This study explored the subjective views of Japanese patients undergoing dialysis regarding their treatments. The participants were receiving in-center hemodialysis (CHD) or continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). In Study 1, 34 participants (17 CHD and 17 CAPD) were interviewed about the advantages and disadvantages of dialysis modalities. In Study 2, 454 dialysis patients (437 CHD and 17 CAPD) rated the advantages and disadvantages of CHD and CAPD in a cross-sectional survey. Interviews showed that professional care and dialysis-free days were considered as advantages of CHD, while independence, less hospital visits, and flexibility were considered as advantages of CAPD. Disadvantages of CHD included restriction of food and fluids and unpleasant symptoms after each dialysis session. Catheter care was an additional disadvantage of CAPD. Survey showed that the highly ranked advantages were professional care in CHD and less frequent hospital visits in CAPD, while the highly ranked disadvantages were concerns about emergency and time restrictions in CHD, and catheter care and difficulty in soaking in a bath in CAPD. The total scores of advantages and disadvantages showed that CHD patients subjectively rated their own modality better CHD over CAPD, while CAPD patients had the opposite opinion. The results of this study indicate that the factors affecting the decision-making process of Japanese patients are unique to Japanese culture, namely considering the trouble caused to the people around patients (e.g., families, spouses, and/or caregivers).

The Psychosocial Development and Increased Fluency of Users of the SpeechEasyRTM Device: A Multiple Unit Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horgan, David James

2010-01-01

This dissertation study explored the efficacy of the SpeechEasy[R] device for individuals who are gainfully employed stutterers and who participated in workplace education learning activities. This study attempted to fill a gap in the literature regarding efficacy of the SpeechEasy[R] device. It employed a qualitative multiple unit case study…

The Relation between easyCBM and Smarter Balanced Reading and Mathematics Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie

2016-01-01

This study investigated the relation between the easyCBM Benchmark Assessments in both mathematics and reading and the Smarter Balanced assessment, widely adopted across the United States. Data for the study were obtained from a convenience sample of approximately 1,000 students per grade in grades 3-8 provided by two school districts in the…

[Mothers of visually impaired children: difficult and easy aspects faced in care].

PubMed

Pintanel, Aline Campelo; Gomes, Giovana Calcagno; Xavier, Daiani Modernel

2013-06-01

This study aimed to identify the difficult and easy aspects faced by mothers of visually impaired (VI) children in their care. It is a descriptive qualitative study, developed in the second semester of 2011, with ten mothers of children with visual impairment from an Educational Center for the Visually Impaired located in southern Brazil. Data were collected by means of semistructured interviews and submitted to thematic content analysis. The identified difficulties were the lack of knowledge regarding the disease and how to take care of the child, the lack of access to health services, overload generated by the dependence of the child and lack of support and prejudice within their own family. The easy aspects involved the desire for the child's healthy development the chance of being in touch with qualified professionals for their education, and the contact with other VI children. Therefore, it is important to qualify the family for the care of VI children so as to ensure the development of skills and competencies enabling them to live with quality.

Easy clip to treat anal fistula tracts: a word of caution.

PubMed

Gautier, M; Godeberge, P; Ganansia, R; Bozio, G; Godart, B; Bigard, M A; Barthet, M; Siproudhis, L

2015-05-01

Closing the internal opening by a clip ovesco has been recently proposed for healing the fistula tract, but, to date, data on benefit are poorly analyzed. The aim was to report a preliminary multicenter experience. Retrospective study was undertaken in six different French centers: surgical procedure, immediate complications, and follow-up have been collected. Nineteen clips were inserted in 17 patients (M/F, 4/13; median age, 42 years [29-54]) who had an anal fistula: 12 (71%) high fistulas (including 4 rectovaginal fistulas), 5 (29%) lower fistulas (with 3 rectovaginal fistulas), and 6 (35%) Crohn's fistulas. Out of 17 patients, 15 had a seton drainage beforehand. The procedure was easy in 8 (47%) patients and the median operative time was 27.5 min (20-36.5). Postoperative period was painful for 11 (65%) patients. A clip migration was noted in 11 patients (65%) after a median follow-up of 10 days (5.5-49.8). Eleven patients (65%) who failed had reoperation including 10 new drainages within the first month (0.5-5). After a mean follow-up of 4 months (2-7),, closing the tract was observed in 2 patients (12%) following the first insertion of the clip and in another one after a second insertion. Treatment of anal fistula by placing a clip on the internal opening is disappointing and deleterious for some patients. A better assessment before dissemination is recommended.

Analysis of biodiesel and biodiesel-petrodiesel blends by high performance thin layer chromatography combined with easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Eberlin, Livia S; Abdelnur, Patricia V; Passero, Alan; de Sa, Gilberto F; Daroda, Romeu J; de Souza, Vanderlea; Eberlin, Marcos N

2009-08-01

High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) combined with on-spot detection and characterization via easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (EASI-MS) is applied to the analysis of biodiesel (B100) and biodiesel-petrodiesel blends (BX). HPTLC provides chromatographic resolution of major components whereas EASI-MS allows on-spot characterization performed directly on the HPTLC surface at ambient conditions. Constituents (M) are detected by EASI-MS in a one component-one ion fashion as either [M + Na](+) or [M + H](+). For both B100 and BX samples, typical profiles of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) detected as [FAME + Na](+) ions allow biodiesel typification. The spectrum of the petrodiesel spot displays a homologous series of protonated alkyl pyridines which are characteristic for petrofuels (natural markers). The spectrum for residual or admixture oil spots is characterized by sodiated triglycerides [TAG + Na](+). The application of HPTLC to analyze B100 and BX samples and its combination with EASI-MS for on-spot characterization and quality control is demonstrated.

American History Time Lines. Grades 4-8. Big, Reproducible, Easy-To-Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buckley, Susan Washburn

This resource is designed to enhance learning about topics in United States history. The reproducible time lines are easy to use and is designed to encourage students to research other dates and events of the era under study. Suggestions are given for classroom use. The introduction has instructional subjects, such as: "12 Great Ways To Use…

Teach the Way They Learn: 62 Easy, Engaging, & Effective Language Arts Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hines, Joanne I; Vincent, Pamela J.

2005-01-01

This book focuses on quick and easy language arts activities to inspire and motivate students in kindergarten to sixth grades. Ingenious ideas appeal to children's enthusiasm for games, parades, race cars, their own names, and much more. The activities cost little or nothing. They engage young learners, and they work! This book is perfect for a…

EASI: An electronic assistant for scientific investigation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schur, A.; Feller, D.; DeVaney, M.

1991-09-01

Although many automated tools support the productivity of professionals (engineers, managers, architects, secretaries, etc.), none specifically address the needs of the scientific researcher. The scientist's needs are complex and the primary activities are cognitive rather than physical. The individual scientist collects and manipulates large data sets, integrates, synthesizes, generates, and records information. The means to access and manipulate information are a critical determinant of the performance of the system as a whole. One hindrance in this process is the scientist's computer environment, which has changed little in the last two decades. Extensive time and effort is demanded from the scientistmore » to learn to use the computer system. This paper describes how chemists' activities and interactions with information were abstracted into a common paradigm that meets the critical requirement of facilitating information access and retrieval. This paradigm was embodied in EASI, a working prototype that increased the productivity of the individual scientific researcher. 4 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.« less

Evolutionary dynamics of nematode operons: easy come, slow go.

PubMed

Qian, Wenfeng; Zhang, Jianzhi

2008-03-01

Operons are widespread in prokaryotes, but are uncommon in eukaryotes, except nematode worms, where approximately 15% of genes reside in over 1100 operons in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. It is unclear how operons have become abundant in nematode genomes. The "one-way street" hypothesis asserts that once formed by chance, operons are very difficult to break, because the breakage would leave downstream genes in an operon without a promoter, and hence, unexpressed. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the presence and absence of C. elegans operons in Caenorhabditis briggsae, Caenorhabditis remanei, and Caenorhabditis brenneri, using Pristionchus pacificus and Brugia malayi as outgroups, and identified numerous operon gains and losses. Coupled with experimental examination of trans-splicing patterns, our comparative genomic analysis revealed diverse molecular mechanisms of operon losses, including inversion, insertion, and relocation, but the presence of internal promoters was not found to facilitate operon losses. In several cases, the data allowed inference of mechanisms by which downstream genes are expressed after operon breakage. We found that the rate of operon gain is approximately 3.3 times that of operon loss. Thus, the evolutionary dynamics of nematode operons is better described as "easy come, slow go," rather than a "one-way street." Based on a mathematic model of operon gains and losses and additional assumptions, we projected that the number of operons in C. elegans will continue to rise by 6%-18% in future evolution before reaching equilibrium between operon gains and losses.

Technical Adequacy of the easyCBM Primary-Level Reading Measures (Grades K-1), 2009-2010 Version. Technical Report #1003

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Cheng-Fei; Nese, Joseph F. T.; Jamgochian, Elisa M.; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2010-01-01

In this technical report, we provide the results of a series of studies on the technical adequacy of the early reading measures available on the easyCBM[R] assessment system. The results from the two-level hierarchical linear growth model analyses suggest that the reliability of the slope estimates for the easyCBM[R] reading measures are strong,…

Effect of the PREPARE Website vs an Easy-to-Read Advance Directive on Advance Care Planning Documentation and Engagement Among Veterans: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Sudore, Rebecca L; Boscardin, John; Feuz, Mariko A; McMahan, Ryan D; Katen, Mary T; Barnes, Deborah E

2017-08-01

Documentation rates of patients' medical wishes are often low. It is unknown whether easy-to-use, patient-facing advance care planning (ACP) interventions can overcome barriers to planning in busy primary care settings. To compare the efficacy of an interactive, patient-centered ACP website (PREPARE) with an easy-to-read advance directive (AD) to increase planning documentation. This was a comparative effectiveness randomized clinical trial from April 2013 to July 2016 conducted at multiple primary care clinics at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. Inclusion criteria were age of a least 60 years; at least 2 chronic and/or serious conditions; and 2 or more primary care visits; and 2 or more additional clinic, hospital, or emergency room visits in the last year. Participants were randomized to review PREPARE plus an easy-to-read AD or the AD alone. There were no clinician and/or system-level interventions or education. Research staff were blinded for all follow-up measurements. The primary outcome was new ACP documentation (ie, legal forms and/or discussions) at 9 months. Secondary outcomes included patient-reported ACP engagement at 1 week, 3 months, and 6 months using validated surveys of behavior change process measures (ie, 5-point knowledge, self-efficacy, readiness scales) and action measures (eg, surrogate designation, using a 0-25 scale). We used intention-to-treat, mixed-effects logistic and linear regression, controlling for time, health literacy, race/ethnicity, baseline ACP, and clustering by physician. The mean (SD) age of 414 participants was 71 (8) years, 38 (9%) were women, 83 (20%) had limited literacy, and 179 (43%) were nonwhite. No participant characteristic differed significantly among study arms at baseline. Retention at 6 months was 90%. Advance care planning documentation 6 months after enrollment was higher in the PREPARE arm vs the AD-alone arm (adjusted 35% vs 25%; odds ratio, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.03-2.51]; P = .04). PREPARE also resulted

Home advantage in southern hemisphere rugby union: national and international.

PubMed

Morton R, Hugh

2006-05-01

This study evaluates home advantages both for national (Super 12) and international (Tri-nations) rugby union teams from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, over the five-year period 2000 - 2004 using linear modelling. These home advantages are examined for statistical and practical significance, for variability between teams, for stability over time and for inter-correlation. These data reveal that the overall home advantage in elite rugby union has a mean of +6.7 points, and that this changes little from year to year. Closer scrutiny nevertheless reveals a high degree of variability. Different teams can and do have different home advantages, which ranges from a low of -0.7 to a high of +28.3 points in any one year. Furthermore, some team home advantages change up or down from one year to the next, by as much as -36.5 to +31.4 points at the extremes. There is no evidence that the stronger teams have the higher home advantages, or that a high home advantage leads to a superior finishing position in the competition.

Disadvantages and advantages of transtibial technique for creating the anterior cruciate ligament femoral socket.

PubMed

Robin, Brett N; Lubowitz, James H

2014-10-01

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) femoral socket techniques have distinct advantages and disadvantages when considering the following techniques: transtibial, anteromedial portal, outside-in, and outside-in retroconstruction. There is no one perfect technique and we have an incomplete understanding of anatomical, biomechanical, isometry, stability, and clinical outcomes. Our primary focus is transtibial technique for creating the ACL femoral socket. Advantages include less invasive, isometric graft placement, stable Lachman exam, and minimal graft impingement with the tunnel and notch. Disadvantages include nonanatomic vertical graft placement that can cause rotational instability and positive pivot shift, interference screw divergence, graft-tunnel length mismatch, femoral socket constraint, posterior cruciate ligament impingement, and a short, oblique tibial tunnel that may undermine the medial plateau in an attempt to achieve anatomic ACL reconstruction. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Creating corporate advantage.

PubMed

Collis, D J; Montgomery, C A

1998-01-01

What differentiates truly great corporate strategies from the merely adequate? How can executives at the corporate level create tangible advantage for their businesses that makes the whole more than the sum of the parts? This article presents a comprehensive framework for value creation in the multibusiness company. It addresses the most fundamental questions of corporate strategy: What businesses should a company be in? How should it coordinate activities across businesses? What role should the corporate office play? How should the corporation measure and control performance? Through detailed case studies of Tyco International, Sharp, the Newell Company, and Saatchi and Saatchi, the authors demonstrate that the answers to all those questions are driven largely by the nature of a company's special resources--its assets, skills, and capabilities. These range along a continuum from the highly specialized at one end to the very general at the other. A corporation's location on the continuum constrains the set of businesses it should compete in and limits its choices about the design of its organization. Applying the framework, the authors point out the common mistakes that result from misaligned corporate strategies. Companies mistakenly enter businesses based on similarities in products rather than the resources that contribute to competitive advantage in each business. Instead of tailoring organizational structures and systems to the needs of a particular strategy, they create plain-vanilla corporate offices and infrastructures. The company examples demonstrate that one size does not fit all. One can find great corporate strategies all along the continuum.

Compact and Easy-Operation Magnetocardiograph With Four-Channel Planar Gradiometers

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-10-25

AND EASY-OPERATION MAGNETOCARDIOGRAPH WITH FOUR-CHANNEL PLANAR GRADIOMETERS K. Yokosawa1, D. Suzuki1, A. Tsukamoto2, T . Miyashita1, A. Kandori1, K...gradient direction was selected by rotating each rod individually. The QRS-complex and T -wave were traced clearly. The peak-to-peak noise, nB p-p, is...outside (b) the shielding cylinder. The environmental noise is also shown (c). M ag ne tic fi el d no is e (p T / H z 1/ 2 ) 80 fT/Hz1/2 Proceedings

[Advantages and disadvantages of minimally invasive surgery in colorectal cancer surgery].

PubMed

Zheng, Minhua; Ma, Junjun

2017-06-25

Since the emergence of minimally invasive technology twenty years ago, as a surgical concept and surgical technique for colorectal cancer surgery, its obvious advantages have been recognized. Laparoscopic technology, as one of the most important technology platform, has got a lot of evidence-based support for the oncological safety and effectiveness in colorectal cancer surgery Laparoscopic technique has advantages in terms of identification of anatomic plane and autonomic nerve, protection of pelvic structure, and fine dissection of vessels. But because of the limitation of laparoscopic technology there are still some deficiencies and shortcomings, including lack of touch and lack of stereo vision problems, in addition to the low rectal cancer, especially male, obese, narrow pelvis, larger tumors, it is difficult to get better view and manipulating triangle in laparoscopy. However, the emergence of a series of new minimally invasive technology platform is to make up for the defects and deficiencies. The robotic surgical system possesses advantages, such as stereo vision, higher magnification, manipulator wrist with high freedom degree, filtering of tremor and higher stability, but still has disadvantages, such as lack of haptic feedback, longer operation time, high operation cost and expensive price. 3D system of laparoscopic surgery has similar visual experience and feelings as robotic surgery in the 3D view, the same operating skills as 2D laparoscopy and a short learning curve. The price of 3D laparoscopy is also moderate, which makes the 3D laparoscopy more popular in China. Transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) by changing the traditional laparoscopic pelvic surgery approach, may have certain advantages for male cases with narrow pelvic and patients with large tumor, and it is in accordance with the technical concept of natural orifice, with less minimally invasive and better cosmetics, which can be regarded as a supplemental technique of the

The POP Program: the patient education advantage.

PubMed

Claeys, M; Mosher, C; Reesman, D

1998-01-01

In 1992, a preoperative education program was developed for total joint replacement patients in a small community hospital. The goals of the program were to increase educational opportunities for the joint replacement patients, prepare patients for hospitalization, plan for discharge needs, and increase efficiency of the orthopaedic program. Since 1992, approximately 600 patients have attended the education program. Outcomes have included positive responses from patients regarding their preparedness for surgery, increased participation in their plan of care, coordinated discharge planning, decreased length of stay, and progression across the continuum of care. A multidisciplinary approach to preparing patients for surgery allows for a comprehensive and efficient education program. Marketing of successful programs can enhance an institution's competitive advantage and help ensure the hospital's viability in the current health care arena.

Letter to the Editor: On "Advantages and disadvantages of stiffness instructions when studying postural control" by C.T. Bonnet: You just can't win: Advantages and disadvantages of the postural stability requirement.

PubMed

Lajoie, Y; Richer, N; Jehu, D A; Polskaia, N; Saunders, D

2016-05-01

In the examination of postural control, instructions to stand as still as possible are common and promote a relatively unnatural sway pattern. The validity of the stability requirement is discussed in the present commentary in response to the discussion initiated by Cedrick T. Bonnet. The advantages of using the stability requirement include: evaluating unbiased postural control, reducing variability in postural sway, manipulating focus of attention, examining the ability to maintain an upright stance, and ecological validity of testing. The disadvantages include: constraining natural postural sway, increasing the complexity of the control condition, promoting an internal focus of attention, and reducing the ability to detect exploratory behaviour. After evaluating the aforementioned advantages and disadvantages, the present commentary suggests that researchers should strive to provide specific instructions to maintain feet, arm and eye position without specifically requiring participants to reduce their postural sway. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A visual short-term memory advantage for objects of expertise

PubMed Central

Curby, Kim M.; Glazek, Kuba; Gauthier, Isabel

2014-01-01

Visual short-term memory (VSTM) is limited, especially for complex objects. Its capacity, however, is greater for faces than for other objects, an advantage that may stem from the holistic nature of face processing. If the holistic processing explains this advantage, then object expertise—which also relies on holistic processing—should endow experts with a VSTM advantage. We compared VSTM for cars among car experts to that among car novices. Car experts, but not car novices, demonstrated a VSTM advantage similar to that for faces; this advantage was orientation-specific and was correlated with an individual's level of car expertise. Control experiments ruled out accounts based solely on verbal- or long-term memory representations. These findings suggest that the processing advantages afforded by visual expertise result in domain-specific increases in VSTM capacity, perhaps by allowing experts to maximize the use of an inherently limited VSTM system. PMID:19170473

High-Cost Patients Had Substantial Rates Of Leaving Medicare Advantage And Joining Traditional Medicare.

PubMed

Rahman, Momotazur; Keohane, Laura; Trivedi, Amal N; Mor, Vincent

2015-10-01

Medicare Advantage payment regulations include risk-adjusted capitated reimbursement, which was implemented to discourage favorable risk selection and encourage the retention of members who incur high costs. However, the extent to which risk-adjusted capitation has succeeded is not clear, especially for members using high-cost services not previously considered in assessments of risk selection. We examined the rates at which participants who used three high-cost services switched between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare. We found that the switching rate from 2010 to 2011 away from Medicare Advantage and to traditional Medicare exceeded the switching rate in the opposite direction for participants who used long-term nursing home care (17 percent versus 3 percent), short-term nursing home care (9 percent versus 4 percent), and home health care (8 percent versus 3 percent). These results were magnified among people who were enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. Our findings raise questions about the role of Medicare Advantage plans in serving high-cost patients with complex care needs, who account for a disproportionately high amount of total health care spending. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Prochlorococcus: Advantages and Limits of Minimalism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Partensky, Frédéric; Garczarek, Laurence

2010-01-01

Prochlorococcus is the key phytoplanktonic organism of tropical gyres, large ocean regions that are depleted of the essential macronutrients needed for photosynthesis and cell growth. This cyanobacterium has adapted itself to oligotrophy by minimizing the resources necessary for life through a drastic reduction of cell and genome sizes. This rarely observed strategy in free-living organisms has conferred on Prochlorococcus a considerable advantage over other phototrophs, including its closest relative Synechococcus, for life in this vast yet little variable ecosystem. However, this strategy seems to reach its limits in the upper layer of the S Pacific gyre, the most oligotrophic region of the world ocean. By losing some important genes and/or functions during evolution, Prochlorococcus has seemingly become dependent on co-occurring microorganisms. In this review, we present some of the recent advances in the ecology, biology, and evolution of Prochlorococcus, which because of its ecological importance and tiny genome is rapidly imposing itself as a model organism in environmental microbiology.

Prochlorococcus: advantages and limits of minimalism.

PubMed

Partensky, Frédéric; Garczarek, Laurence

2010-01-01

Prochlorococcus is the key phytoplanktonic organism of tropical gyres, large ocean regions that are depleted of the essential macronutrients needed for photosynthesis and cell growth. This cyanobacterium has adapted itself to oligotrophy by minimizing the resources necessary for life through a drastic reduction of cell and genome sizes. This rarely observed strategy in free-living organisms has conferred on Prochlorococcus a considerable advantage over other phototrophs, including its closest relative Synechococcus, for life in this vast yet little variable ecosystem. However, this strategy seems to reach its limits in the upper layer of the S Pacific gyre, the most oligotrophic region of the world ocean. By losing some important genes and/or functions during evolution, Prochlorococcus has seemingly become dependent on co-occurring microorganisms. In this review, we present some of the recent advances in the ecology, biology, and evolution of Prochlorococcus, which because of its ecological importance and tiny genome is rapidly imposing itself as a model organism in environmental microbiology.

A Kantian argument against comparatively advantageous genetic modification.

PubMed

Jensen, David

2011-08-01

The genetic modification of children is becoming a more likely possibility given our rapid progress in medical technologies. I argue, from a broadly Kantian point of view, that at least one kind of such modification-modification by a parent for the sake of a child's comparative advantage-is not rationally justified. To argue this, I first characterize a necessary condition on reasons and rational justification: what is a reason for an agent to do an action in one set of circumstances must be a reason for any in those circumstances to do the action. I then show that comparatively advantageous genetic modification violates this principle since a child's "getting ahead" through genetic modification cannot be rationally justified unless other children also could receive the modification, thus rendering the advantage useless. Finally, I consider the major objection to this it seems to disallow all cases of a parent's helping a child get ahead, something that parents normally engage in with their children. I argue that typical practices of developing a comparative advantage in a child, as well as practices of societal competition in general, do not conflict because they involve circumstances that mitigate the universal character of reasons. Many ordinary cases of competitive advantage that we think of as unjust, in fact, can be explained by my argument.

Polysemy Advantage with Abstract but Not Concrete Words

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jager, Bernadet; Cleland, Alexandra A.

2016-01-01

It is a robust finding that ambiguous words are recognized faster than unambiguous words. More recent studies (e.g., Rodd et al. in "J Mem Lang" 46:245-266, 2002) now indicate that this "ambiguity advantage" may in reality be a "polysemy advantage": caused by related senses (polysemy) rather than unrelated meanings…

Advantages and disadvantages of interdisciplinary consultation in the prescription of assistive technologies for mobility limitations.

PubMed

de Laat, Fred A; van Heerebeek, Bart; van Netten, Jaap J

2018-03-28

To explore the advantages and disadvantages experienced by professionals in interdisciplinary consultation involving the user, prescriber and technician in the prescription of assistive technologies for mobility limitations. Cross-sectional study. Prescribers (N = 39) and orthopaedic technicians (N = 50), who were regularly involved in an interdisciplinary consultation completed a questionnaire about advantages and disadvantages of the interdisciplinary consultation. Advantages of the interdisciplinary consultation were mentioned within all CanMEDS areas of medical practice, including better and quicker prescription of the assistive technology, shared knowledge of medical diagnosis and device possibilities, shared decision making of the device prescription and clear communication rules. Disadvantages were mentioned in the CanMEDS areas management and collaboration, including planning problems (financial) reimbursement of this type of consultation, and time efficiency. On a 10-point scale, mean (standard deviation) rates of interdisciplinary consultations were 7.9 (0.6) according to prescribers, and 7.8 (0.9) by technicians. All participants wanted to continue the interdisciplinary consultation. Prescribers and technicians in the field of assistive technologies for walking mobility limitations appreciate an interdisciplinary consultation. Advantages are found in all CanMEDS areas, whereas disadvantages only concern coordination. It should be encouraged to realize this kind of consultation in all situations where such technologies are prescribed. Implications for rehabilitation Interdisciplinary consultation involving the user, prescriber and technician to prescribe assistive technologies for mobility limitations has many advantages in all CanMEDS areas of medical practice, and few disadvantages, related to management and collaboration only. The disadvantages of interdisciplinary consultation, such as (financial) reimbursement by health insurance companies

The problem of latent attentional capture: Easy visual search conceals capture by task-irrelevant abrupt onsets.

PubMed

Gaspelin, Nicholas; Ruthruff, Eric; Lien, Mei-Ching

2016-08-01

Researchers are sharply divided regarding whether irrelevant abrupt onsets capture spatial attention. Numerous studies report that they do and a roughly equal number report that they do not. This puzzle has inspired numerous attempts at reconciliation, none gaining general acceptance. The authors propose that abrupt onsets routinely capture attention, but the size of observed capture effects depends critically on how long attention dwells on distractor items which, in turn, depends critically on search difficulty. In a series of spatial cuing experiments, the authors show that irrelevant abrupt onsets produce robust capture effects when visual search is difficult, but not when search is easy. Critically, this effect occurs even when search difficulty varies randomly across trials, preventing any strategic adjustments of the attentional set that could modulate probability of capture by the onset cue. The authors argue that easy visual search provides an insensitive test for stimulus-driven capture by abrupt onsets: even though onsets truly capture attention, the effects of capture can be latent. This observation helps to explain previous failures to find capture by onsets, nearly all of which used an easy visual search. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The Problem of Latent Attentional Capture: Easy Visual Search Conceals Capture by Task-Irrelevant Abrupt Onsets

PubMed Central

Gaspelin, Nicholas; Ruthruff, Eric; Lien, Mei-Ching

2016-01-01

Researchers are sharply divided regarding whether irrelevant abrupt onsets capture spatial attention. Numerous studies report that they do and a roughly equal number report that they do not. This puzzle has inspired numerous attempts at reconciliation, none gaining general acceptance. We propose that abrupt onsets routinely capture attention, but the size of observed capture effects depends critically on how long attention dwells on distractor items which, in turn, depends critically on search difficulty. In a series of spatial cuing experiments, we show that irrelevant abrupt onsets produce robust capture effects when visual search is difficult, but not when search is easy. Critically, this effect occurs even when search difficulty varies randomly across trials, preventing any strategic adjustments of the attentional set that could modulate probability of capture by the onset cue. We argue that easy visual search provides an insensitive test for stimulus-driven capture by abrupt onsets: even though onsets truly capture attention, the effects of capture can be latent. This observation helps to explain previous failures to find capture by onsets, nearly all of which employed an easy visual search. PMID:26854530

Energy Advantages for Green Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, J. Tim

2012-01-01

Because of many advantages associated with central utility systems, school campuses, from large universities to elementary schools, have used district energy for decades. District energy facilities enable thermal and electric utilities to be generated with greater efficiency and higher system reliability, while requiring fewer maintenance and…

Back to Basics: A Bilingual Advantage in Infant Visual Habituation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Leher; Fu, Charlene S. L.; Rahman, Aishah A.; Hameed, Waseem B.; Sanmugam, Shamini; Agarwal, Pratibha; Jiang, Binyan; Chong, Yap Seng; Meaney, Michael J.; Rifkin-Graboi, Anne

2015-01-01

Comparisons of cognitive processing in monolinguals and bilinguals have revealed a bilingual advantage in inhibitory control. Recent studies have demonstrated advantages associated with exposure to two languages in infancy. However, the domain specificity and scope of the infant bilingual advantage in infancy remains unclear. In the present study,…

Competitive Advantage and its Sources in an Evolving Market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaridis, Apostolos D.

2009-08-01

In a continuously altered and evolving Market, as is the food manufacturing market, the main and long-lasting objective of firm that is the maximization of its wealth and consequently the continuous remaining in profit regions, appears that it is possible to be achieved via the obtainment and maintenance of diachronically long-term competitive advantage, which it will render the firm unique or leader force in a inexorable competition that is continuously extended in a globalized market. Various definitions and different regards are developed in regard to the competitive advantage and the way with which a firm it is possible, acquiring it, to star in the market in which it is activated. As result of sustainable competitive advantage in a firm comes the above the average performance. Abundance of resources and competences that are proposed as sources of competitive advantage in the resource-based view literature exists, while they are added continuously new based on empiric studies. In any case, it appears to suffer hierarchy of sources of competitive advantage, with regard to sustainability of these.

Advantages and limitations of teleneurology.

PubMed

Wechsler, Lawrence R

2015-03-01

The growing disparity between the demand for neurological services and the need for neurologists requires new and innovative strategies for delivering care. Teleneurology allows neurological expertise to be delivered to remote locations to supplement or replace in-person neurological care. To summarize the current status of teleneurology. Applications of teleneurology include acute care, outpatient teleneurology, and teleconsultations. Existing barriers to further expansion of teleneurology are also discussed. Published studies pertaining to teleneurology were reviewed. Practical experience with telemedicine in neurological practice contributed to the conclusions. Outcomes after intravenous tissue plasminogen activator treatment via telemedicine (telestroke) are similar to those achieved with in-person evaluations. Other aspects of teleneurology are less established but have demonstrated feasibility, high patient satisfaction, and, in some cases, cost savings. Teleneurology provides neurological expertise to rural areas with limited availability of neurologists and improves care for patients with difficulty traveling owing to neurological disease. It is likely that use of teleneurology will continue to grow and become incorporated into many aspects of neurological practice. Understanding the advantages and limitations of teleneurology is vital to delivering optimal clinical care for patients with neurological disease regardless of the setting.

Helical waves in easy-plane antiferromagnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semenov, Yuriy G.; Li, Xi-Lai; Xu, Xinyi; Kim, Ki Wook

2017-12-01

Effective spin torques can generate the Néel vector oscillations in antiferromagnets (AFMs). Here, it is theoretically shown that these torques applied at one end of a normal AFM strip can excite a helical type of spin wave in the strip whose properties are drastically different from characteristic spin waves. An analysis based on both a Néel vector dynamical equation and the micromagnetic simulation identifies the direction of magnetic anisotropy and the damping factor as the two key parameters determining the dynamics. Helical wave propagation requires the hard axis of the easy-plane AFM to be aligned with the traveling direction, while the damping limits its spatial extent. If the damping is neglected, the calculation leads to a uniform periodic domain wall structure. On the other hand, finite damping decelerates the helical wave rotation around the hard axis, ultimately causing stoppage of its propagation along the strip. With the group velocity staying close to spin-wave velocity at the wave front, the wavelength becomes correspondingly longer away from the excitation point. In a sufficiently short strip, a steady-state oscillation can be established whose frequency is controlled by the waveguide length as well as the excitation energy or torque.

Explaining Asian Americans' academic advantage over whites.

PubMed

Hsin, Amy; Xie, Yu

2014-06-10

The superior academic achievement of Asian Americans is a well-documented phenomenon that lacks a widely accepted explanation. Asian Americans' advantage in this respect has been attributed to three groups of factors: (i) socio-demographic characteristics, (ii) cognitive ability, and (iii) academic effort as measured by characteristics such as attentiveness and work ethic. We combine data from two nationally representative cohort longitudinal surveys to compare Asian-American and white students in their educational trajectories from kindergarten through high school. We find that the Asian-American educational advantage is attributable mainly to Asian students exerting greater academic effort and not to advantages in tested cognitive abilities or socio-demographics. We test explanations for the Asian-white gap in academic effort and find that the gap can be further attributed to (i) cultural differences in beliefs regarding the connection between effort and achievement and (ii) immigration status. Finally, we highlight the potential psychological and social costs associated with Asian-American achievement success.

Explaining Asian Americans’ academic advantage over whites

PubMed Central

Hsin, Amy; Xie, Yu

2014-01-01

The superior academic achievement of Asian Americans is a well-documented phenomenon that lacks a widely accepted explanation. Asian Americans’ advantage in this respect has been attributed to three groups of factors: (i) socio-demographic characteristics, (ii) cognitive ability, and (iii) academic effort as measured by characteristics such as attentiveness and work ethic. We combine data from two nationally representative cohort longitudinal surveys to compare Asian-American and white students in their educational trajectories from kindergarten through high school. We find that the Asian-American educational advantage is attributable mainly to Asian students exerting greater academic effort and not to advantages in tested cognitive abilities or socio-demographics. We test explanations for the Asian–white gap in academic effort and find that the gap can be further attributed to (i) cultural differences in beliefs regarding the connection between effort and achievement and (ii) immigration status. Finally, we highlight the potential psychological and social costs associated with Asian-American achievement success. PMID:24799702

Commit to Building on New England's "Employability" Advantage!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gittell, Ross

2017-01-01

Higher education has provided New England with an economic advantage, as the region without strong natural resource advantages has relied on its higher education institutions (HEIs) and brainpower. A higher education-based economic advantage has enabled the region to develop strong well-paying technology and knowledge-based industries tied to New…

Advantages and pitfalls in the application of mixed-model association methods.

PubMed

Yang, Jian; Zaitlen, Noah A; Goddard, Michael E; Visscher, Peter M; Price, Alkes L

2014-02-01

Mixed linear models are emerging as a method of choice for conducting genetic association studies in humans and other organisms. The advantages of the mixed-linear-model association (MLMA) method include the prevention of false positive associations due to population or relatedness structure and an increase in power obtained through the application of a correction that is specific to this structure. An underappreciated point is that MLMA can also increase power in studies without sample structure by implicitly conditioning on associated loci other than the candidate locus. Numerous variations on the standard MLMA approach have recently been published, with a focus on reducing computational cost. These advances provide researchers applying MLMA methods with many options to choose from, but we caution that MLMA methods are still subject to potential pitfalls. Here we describe and quantify the advantages and pitfalls of MLMA methods as a function of study design and provide recommendations for the application of these methods in practical settings.

Facilitating Scientific Collaboration and Education with Easy Access Web Maps Using the AGAP Antarctic Geophysical Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdi, A.

2012-12-01

Science and science education benefit from easy access to data yet often geophysical data sets are large, complex and difficult to share. The difficulty in sharing data and imagery easily inhibits both collaboration and the use of real data in educational applications. The dissemination of data products through web maps serves a very efficient and user-friendly method for students, the public and the science community to gain insights and understanding from data. Few research groups provide direct access to their data, let alone map-based visualizations. By building upon current GIS infrastructure with web mapping technologies, like ArcGIS Server, scientific groups, institutions and agencies can enhance the value of their GIS investments. The advantages of web maps to serve data products are many; existing web-mapping technology allows complex GIS analysis to be shared across the Internet, and can be easily scaled from a few users to millions. This poster highlights the features of an interactive web map developed at the Polar Geophysics Group at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University that provides a visual representation of, and access to, data products that resulted from the group's recently concluded AGAP project (http://pgg.ldeo.columbia.edu). The AGAP project collected more than 120,000 line km of new aerogeophysical data using two Twin Otter aircrafts. Data included ice penetrating radar, magnetometer, gravimeter and laser altimeter measurements. The web map is based upon ArcGIS Viewer for Flex, which is a configurable client application built on the ArcGIS API for Flex that works seamlessly with ArcGIS Server 10. The application can serve a variety of raster and vector file formats through the Data Interoperability for Server, which eliminates data sharing barriers across numerous file formats. The ability of the application to serve large datasets is only hindered by the availability of appropriate hardware. ArcGIS is a proprietary

Understanding Resonance Graphs Using Easy Java Simulations (EJS) and Why We Use EJS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wee, Loo Kang; Lee, Tat Leong; Chew, Charles; Wong, Darren; Tan, Samuel

2015-01-01

This paper reports a computer model simulation created using Easy Java Simulation (EJS) for learners to visualize how the steady-state amplitude of a driven oscillating system varies with the frequency of the periodic driving force. The simulation shows (N = 100) identical spring-mass systems being subjected to (1) a periodic driving force of…

Evolving user needs and late-mover advantage

PubMed Central

Querbes, Adrien; Frenken, Koen

2016-01-01

We propose a generalized NK-model of late-mover advantage where late-mover firms leapfrog first-mover firms as user needs evolve over time. First movers face severe trade-offs between the provision of functionalities in which their products already excel and the additional functionalities requested by users later on. Late movers, by contrast, start searching when more functionalities are already known and typically come up with superior product designs. We also show that late-mover advantage is more probable for more complex technologies. Managerial implications follow. PMID:28596705

Non-volatile logic gates based on planar Hall effect in magnetic films with two in-plane easy axes.

PubMed

Lee, Sangyeop; Bac, Seul-Ki; Choi, Seonghoon; Lee, Hakjoon; Yoo, Taehee; Lee, Sanghoon; Liu, Xinyu; Dobrowolska, M; Furdyna, Jacek K

2017-04-25

We discuss the use of planar Hall effect (PHE) in a ferromagnetic GaMnAs film with two in-plane easy axes as a means for achieving novel logic functionalities. We show that the switching of magnetization between the easy axes in a GaMnAs film depends strongly on the magnitude of the current flowing through the film due to thermal effects that modify its magnetic anisotropy. Planar Hall resistance in a GaMnAs film with two in-plane easy axes shows well-defined maxima and minima that can serve as two binary logic states. By choosing appropriate magnitudes of the input current for the GaMnAs Hall device, magnetic logic functions can then be achieved. Specifically, non-volatile logic functionalities such as AND, OR, NAND, and NOR gates can be obtained in such a device by selecting appropriate initial conditions. These results, involving a simple PHE device, hold promise for realizing programmable logic elements in magnetic electronics.

Easy-Going On-Spectrometer Optimisation of Phase Modulated Homonuclear Decoupling Sequences in Solid-State NMR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimminck, Dennis L. A. G.; Vasa, Suresh K.; Meerts, W. Leo; Kentgens, P. M.

2011-06-01

A global optimisation scheme for phase modulated proton homonuclear decoupling sequences in solid-state NMR is presented. Phase modulations, parameterised by DUMBO Fourier coefficients, were optimized using a Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategies algorithm. Our method, denoted EASY-GOING homonuclear decoupling, starts with featureless spectra and optimises proton-proton decoupling, during either proton or carbon signal detection. On the one hand, our solutions closely resemble (e)DUMBO for moderate sample spinning frequencies and medium radio-frequency (rf) field strengths. On the other hand, the EASY-GOING approach resulted in a superior solution, achieving significantly better resolved proton spectra at very high 680 kHz rf field strength. N. Hansen, and A. Ostermeier. Evol. Comput. 9 (2001) 159-195 B. Elena, G. de Paepe, L. Emsley. Chem. Phys. Lett. 398 (2004) 532-538

Second Interim Report NASA - easyJet Collaboration on the Human Factors Monitoring Program (HFMP) Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivistava, Ashok N.; Barton, Phil

2012-01-01

This is the second interim report jointly prepared by NASA and easyJet on the work performed under the agreement to collaborate on a study of the factors entailed in flight and cabin-crew fatigue, and decreases in performance associated with fatigue. The objective of this Agreement is to generate reliable procedures that aid in understanding the levels and characteristics of flight and cabin-crew fatigue factors, both latent and proximate, whose confluence will likely result in unacceptable crew performance. This study entails the analyses of numerical and textual data collected during operational flights. NASA and easyJet are both interested in assessing and testing NASA s automated capabilities for extracting operationally significant information from very large, diverse (textual and numerical) databases; much larger than can be handled practically by human experts.

Plant circadian clocks increase photosynthesis, growth, survival, and competitive advantage.

PubMed

Dodd, Antony N; Salathia, Neeraj; Hall, Anthony; Kévei, Eva; Tóth, Réka; Nagy, Ferenc; Hibberd, Julian M; Millar, Andrew J; Webb, Alex A R

2005-07-22

Circadian clocks are believed to confer an advantage to plants, but the nature of that advantage has been unknown. We show that a substantial photosynthetic advantage is conferred by correct matching of the circadian clock period with that of the external light-dark cycle. In wild type and in long- and short-circadian period mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana, plants with a clock period matched to the environment contain more chlorophyll, fix more carbon, grow faster, and survive better than plants with circadian periods differing from their environment. This explains why plants gain advantage from circadian control.

Novel detection method for chemiluminescence derived from the Kinase-Glo luminescent kinase assay platform: Advantages over traditional microplate luminometers.

PubMed

Bell, Ryan A V; Storey, Kenneth B

2014-01-01

The efficacy of cellular signal transduction is of paramount importance for the proper functioning of a cell and an organism as a whole. Protein kinases are responsible for much of this transmission and thus have been the focal point of extensive research. While there are numerous commercially available protein kinase assays, the Kinase-Glo luminescent kinase assay (Promega) provides an easy-to-use and high throughput platform for determining protein kinase activity. This assay is said to require the use of a microplate spectrophotometer capable of detecting a luminescent signal. This study shows that:•The ChemiGenius Bioimaging system (Syngene), typically used for visualizing chemiluminescence from Western blots, provides an alternative detection system for Kinase-Glo luminescence.•The novel detection system confers an advantage over traditional luminometers, in that it allows visualization of the luminescent wells, which allows for the real-time analysis and correction of experimental errors (i.e. bubble formation).•Determining kinase kinetics using this detection system produced comparable results to previous studies on the same enzyme (i.e. glycogen synthase kinase 3).

An Experiment in Comparative Advantage.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haupert, Michael J.

1996-01-01

Describes an undergraduate economics course experiment designed to teach the concepts of comparative advantage and opportunity costs. Students have a limited number of labor hours and can chose to produce either wheat or steel. As the project progresses, the students trade commodities in an attempt to maximize use of their labor hours. (MJP)

Potential end-to-end imaging information rate advantages of various alternative communication systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, R. F.

1978-01-01

Various communication systems were considered which are required to transmit both imaging and a typically error sensitive, class of data called general science/engineering (gse) over a Gaussian channel. The approach jointly treats the imaging and gse transmission problems, allowing comparisons of systems which include various channel coding and data compression alternatives. Actual system comparisons include an Advanced Imaging Communication System (AICS) which exhibits the rather significant potential advantages of sophisticated data compression coupled with powerful yet practical channel coding.

Mangrove Forests: a Tough System to Invade but an Easy one to Rehabilitate

Treesearch

ARIEL E. LUGO

1998-01-01

Mangrove forests are tough ecosystems to invade because few species can tolerate the hydrological and edaphic conditions that prevail in mangrove habitats. The small pantropical mangrove species pool is also the basis for asserting that mangrove forests are easy to rehabilitate, at least in terms of tree species composition. The high complexity of the animal and...

Cryptic Fitness Advantage: Diploids Invade Haploid Populations Despite Lacking Any Apparent Advantage as Measured by Standard Fitness Assays

PubMed Central

Gerstein, Aleeza C.; Otto, Sarah P.

2011-01-01

Ploidy varies tremendously within and between species, yet the factors that influence when or why ploidy variants are adaptive remains poorly understood. Our previous work found that diploid individuals repeatedly arose within ten replicate haploid populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and in each case we witnessed diploid takeover within 1800 asexual generations of batch culture evolution in the lab. The character that allowed diploids to rise in frequency within haploid populations remains unknown. Here we present a number of experiments conducted with the goal to determine what this trait (or traits) might have been. Experiments were conducted both by sampling a small number of colonies from the stocks frozen every two weeks (93 generations) during the original experiment, as well through sampling a larger number of colonies at the two time points where polymorphism for ploidy was most prevalent. Surprisingly, none of our fitness component measures (lag phase, growth rate, biomass production) indicated an advantage to diploidy. Similarly, competition assays against a common competitor and direct competition between haploid and diploid colonies isolated from the same time point failed to indicate a diploid advantage. Furthermore, we uncovered a tremendous amount of trait variation among colonies of the same ploidy level. Only late-appearing diploids showed a competitive advantage over haploids, indicating that the fitness advantage that allowed eventual takeover was not diploidy per se but an attribute of a subset of diploid lineages. Nevertheless, the initial rise in diploids to intermediate frequency cannot be explained by any of the fitness measures used; we suggest that the resolution to this mystery is negative frequency-dependent selection, which is ignored in the standard fitness measures used. PMID:22174734

Changing appetites: The adaptive advantages of fuel choice

PubMed Central

Stanley, Illana A.; Ribeiro, Sofia M.; Giménez-Cassina, Alfredo; Norberg, Erik; Danial, Nika N.

2013-01-01

Cells are capable of metabolizing a variety of carbon substrates, including glucose, fatty acids, ketone bodies, and amino acids. Cellular fuel choice not only fulfills specific biosynthetic needs, but also enables programmatic adaptations to stress conditions beyond compensating for changes in nutrient availability. Emerging evidence indicates that specific switches from utilization of one substrate to another can have protective or permissive roles in disease pathogenesis. Understanding the molecular determinants of cellular fuel preference may provide insights into the homeostatic control of stress responses, and unveil therapeutic targets. Here, we highlight overarching themes encompassing cellular fuel choice, its link to cell fate and function, its advantages in stress protection, and its contribution to metabolic dependencies and maladaptations in pathologic conditions. PMID:24018218

An Universal and Easy-to-Use Model for the Pressure of Arbitrary-Shape 3D Multifunctional Integumentary Cardiac Membranes.

PubMed

Su, Yewang; Liu, Zhuangjian; Xu, Lizhi

2016-04-20

Recently developed concepts for 3D, organ-mounted electronics for cardiac applications require a universal and easy-to-use mechanical model to calculate the average pressure associated with operation of the device, which is crucial for evaluation of design efficacy and optimization. This work proposes a simple, accurate, easy-to-use, and universal model to quantify the average pressure for arbitrary-shape organs. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

An investigation of home advantage in the Summer Paralympic Games.

PubMed

Wilson, Darryl; Ramchandani, Girish

2017-01-01

There is a paucity of home advantage research set in the context of para-sport events. It is this gap in the knowledge that this paper addresses by investigating the prevalence and size of home advantage in the Summer Paralympic Games. Using a standardised measure of success, we compared the performances of nations when competing at home with their own performances away from home in the competition between 1960 and 2016. Both country-level and individual sport-level analyses were conducted for this time frame. A Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to determine whether there was a genuine difference in nations' performance under host and non-host conditions. Spearman's rank-order correlation was run to assess the relationship between nation quality and home advantage. Strong evidence of a home advantage effect in the Summer Paralympic Games was found at country level ( p  < 0.01). When examining individual sports, only athletics, table tennis, and wheelchair fencing returned a significant home advantage effect ( p  < 0.05). Possible explanations for these findings are discussed. The size of the home advantage effect was not significantly correlated with the quality or strength of the host nation ( p  > 0.10). While our results confirm that home advantage is prevalent in the Summer Paralympic Games at an overall country level and within specific sports, they do not explain fully why such an effect does exist. Future studies should investigate the causes of home advantage in the competition and also draw comparisons with the Summer Olympic Games to explore any differences between para-sport events and able-bodied events.

Application Of A New Semi-Empirical Model For Forming Limit Prediction Of Sheet Material Including Superposed Loads Of Bending And Shearing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Held, Christian; Liewald, Mathias; Schleich, Ralf; Sindel, Manfred

2010-06-01

The use of lightweight materials offers substantial strength and weight advantages in car body design. Unfortunately such kinds of sheet material are more susceptible to wrinkling, spring back and fracture during press shop operations. For characterization of capability of sheet material dedicated to deep drawing processes in the automotive industry, mainly Forming Limit Diagrams (FLD) are used. However, new investigations at the Institute for Metal Forming Technology have shown that High Strength Steel Sheet Material and Aluminum Alloys show increased formability in case of bending loads are superposed to stretching loads. Likewise, by superposing shearing on in plane uniaxial or biaxial tension formability changes because of materials crystallographic texture. Such mixed stress and strain conditions including bending and shearing effects can occur in deep-drawing processes of complex car body parts as well as subsequent forming operations like flanging. But changes in formability cannot be described by using the conventional FLC. Hence, for purpose of improvement of failure prediction in numerical simulation codes significant failure criteria for these strain conditions are missing. Considering such aspects in defining suitable failure criteria which is easy to implement into FEA a new semi-empirical model has been developed considering the effect of bending and shearing in sheet metals formability. This failure criterion consists of the combination of the so called cFLC (combined Forming Limit Curve), which considers superposed bending load conditions and the SFLC (Shear Forming Limit Curve), which again includes the effect of shearing on sheet metal's formability.

Vacuum-assisted drainage in cardiopulmonary bypass: advantages and disadvantages

PubMed Central

de Carvalho Filho, Élio Barreto; Marson, Fernando Augusto de Lima; da Costa, Loredana Nilkenes Gomes; Antunes, Nilson

2014-01-01

Systematic review of vacuum assisted drainage in cardiopulmonary bypass, demonstrating its advantages and disadvantages, by case reports and evidence about its effects on microcirculation. We conducted a systematic search on the period 1997-2012, in the databases PubMed, Medline, Lilacs and SciELO. Of the 70 selected articles, 26 were included in the review. Although the vacuum assisted drainage has significant potential for complications and requires appropriate technology and professionalism, prevailed in literature reviewed the concept that vacuum assisted drainage contributed in reducing the rate of transfusions, hemodilutions, better operative field, no significant increase in hemolysis, reduced complications surgical, use of lower prime and of smaller diameter cannulas. PMID:25140478

Vacuum-assisted drainage in cardiopulmonary bypass: advantages and disadvantages.

PubMed

Carvalho Filho, Elio Barreto de; Marson, Fernando Augusto de Lima; Costa, Loredana Nilkenes Gomes da; Antunes, Nilson

2014-01-01

Systematic review of vacuum assisted drainage in cardiopulmonary bypass, demonstrating its advantages and disadvantages, by case reports and evidence about its effects on microcirculation. We conducted a systematic search on the period 1997-2012, in the databases PubMed, Medline, Lilacs and SciELO. Of the 70 selected articles, 26 were included in the review. Although the vacuum assisted drainage has significant potential for complications and requires appropriate technology and professionalism, prevailed in literature reviewed the concept that vacuum assisted drainage contributed in reducing the rate of transfusions, hemodilutions, better operative field, no significant increase in hemolysis, reduced complications surgical, use of lower prime and of smaller diameter cannulas.

Medicare Advantage Plans Pay Hospitals Less Than Traditional Medicare Pays.

PubMed

Baker, Laurence C; Bundorf, M Kate; Devlin, Aileen M; Kessler, Daniel P

2016-08-01

There is ongoing debate about how prices paid to providers by Medicare Advantage plans compare to prices paid by fee-for-service Medicare. We used data from Medicare and the Health Care Cost Institute to identify the prices paid for hospital services by fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans, and commercial insurers in 2009 and 2012. We calculated the average price per admission, and its trend over time, in each of the three types of insurance for fixed baskets of hospital admissions across metropolitan areas. After accounting for differences in hospital networks, geographic areas, and case-mix between Medicare Advantage and FFS Medicare, we found that Medicare Advantage plans paid 5.6 percent less for hospital services than FFS Medicare did. Without taking into account the narrower networks of Medicare Advantage, the program paid 8.0 percent less than FFS Medicare. We also found that the rates paid by commercial plans were much higher than those of either Medicare Advantage or FFS Medicare, and growing. At least some of this difference comes from the much higher prices that commercial plans pay for profitable service lines. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Soft tissue models: easy and inexpensive flexible 3D printing as a help in surgical planning of cardiovascular disorders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starosolski, Zbigniew; Ezon, David S.; Krishnamurthy, Rajesh; Dodd, Nicholas; Heinle, Jeffrey; Mckenzie, Dean E.; Annapragada, Ananth

2017-03-01

We developed a technology that allows a simple desktop 3D printer with dual extruder to fabricate 3D flexible models of Major AortoPulmonary Collateral Arteries. The study was designed to assess whether the flexible 3D printed models could help during surgical planning phase. Simple FDM 3D printers are inexpensive, versatile in use and easy to maintain, but complications arise when the designed model is complex and has tubular structures with small diameter less than 2mm. The advantages of FDM printers are cost and simplicity of use. We use precisely selected materials to overcome the obstacles listed above. Dual extruder allows to use two different materials while printing, which is especially important in the case of fragile structures like pulmonary vessels and its supporting structures. The latter should not be removed by hand to avoid a truncation of the model. We utilize the water soluble PVA as a supporting structure and Poro-Lay filament for flexible model of AortoPulmonary collateral arteries. Poro-Lay filament is different as compared to all the other flexible ones like polymer-based. Poro-Lay is rigid while printing and this allows printing of structures small in diameter. It achieves flexibility after washing out of printed model with water. It becomes soft in touch and gelatinous. Using both PVA and Poro-Lay gives a huge advantage allowing to wash out the supporting structures and achieve flexibility in one washing operation, saving time and avoiding human error with cleaning the model. We evaluated 6 models for MAPCAS surgical planning study. This approach is also cost-effective - an average cost of materials for print is less than $15; models are printed in facility without any delays. Flexibility of 3D printed models approximate soft tissues properly, mimicking Aortopulmonary collateral arteries. Second utilization models has educational value for both residents and patients' family. Simplification of 3D flexible process could help in other models

Contextual Advantage for State Discrimination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmid, David; Spekkens, Robert W.

2018-02-01

Finding quantitative aspects of quantum phenomena which cannot be explained by any classical model has foundational importance for understanding the boundary between classical and quantum theory. It also has practical significance for identifying information processing tasks for which those phenomena provide a quantum advantage. Using the framework of generalized noncontextuality as our notion of classicality, we find one such nonclassical feature within the phenomenology of quantum minimum-error state discrimination. Namely, we identify quantitative limits on the success probability for minimum-error state discrimination in any experiment described by a noncontextual ontological model. These constraints constitute noncontextuality inequalities that are violated by quantum theory, and this violation implies a quantum advantage for state discrimination relative to noncontextual models. Furthermore, our noncontextuality inequalities are robust to noise and are operationally formulated, so that any experimental violation of the inequalities is a witness of contextuality, independently of the validity of quantum theory. Along the way, we introduce new methods for analyzing noncontextuality scenarios and demonstrate a tight connection between our minimum-error state discrimination scenario and a Bell scenario.

Breathing Easy

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This fact sheet provides practical information and guidance to auto refinish shops on proper ventilation of paint mixing rooms, including ventilation system basics and diagrams, risk reduction ideas, common mistakes, tips, and design considerations.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Seeking Commonality in Military Equipment

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

rand 2011 www.rand.org The Advantages and Disadvantages of Seeking Commonality in Military Equipment I ncreasingly, the Army and the Department...advantages and disadvantages of commonality and developed a decision aid to help Army policymakers manage these tradeoffs. The study drew upon...TITLE AND SUBTITLE The Advantages and Disadvantages of Seeking Commonality in Military Equipment 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM

The second leg home advantage: evidence from European football cup competitions.

PubMed

Page, Lionel; Page, Katie

2007-12-01

The home advantage is a widely acknowledged sporting phenomenon, especially in association football. Here, we examine the second leg home advantage, an effect that is discussed in the public domain but which has received very little scientific attention. The second leg home advantage effect occurs when on average teams are more likely to win a two-stage knock-out competition when they play at home in the second leg. That is, both teams have a home advantage but this advantage is significantly greater for the team that plays at home second. Examining data from three different European Cup football competitions spanning 51 years, we show that the second leg home advantage is a real phenomenon. The second leg home team has more than a 50% probability to qualify for the next round in the competition even after controlling for extra time and team ability as possible alternative explanations. The second leg home advantage appears, however, to have decreased significantly over the past decade. Possible reasons for its existence and subsequent decline are presented.

Information Technology: Tomorrow's Advantage Today.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haag, Stephen; Keen, Peter

This textbook is designed for a one-semester introductory course in which the goal is to give students a foundation in the basics of information technology (IT). It focuses on how the technology works, issues relating to its use and development, how it can lend personal and business advantages, and how it is creating a globally networked society.…

Achieving a sustainable service advantage.

PubMed

Coyne, K P

1993-01-01

Many managers believe that superior service should play little or no role in competitive strategy; they maintain that service innovations are inherently copiable. However, the author states that this view is too narrow. For a company to achieve a lasting service advantage, it must base a new service on a capability gap that competitors cannot or will not copy.

A procedure and program to calculate shuttle mask advantage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balasinski, A.; Cetin, J.; Kahng, A.; Xu, X.

2006-10-01

A well-known recipe for reducing mask cost component in product development is to place non-redundant elements of layout databases related to multiple products on one reticle plate [1,2]. Such reticles are known as multi-product, multi-layer, or, in general, multi-IP masks. The composition of the mask set should minimize not only the layout placement cost, but also the cost of the manufacturing process, design flow setup, and product design and introduction to market. An important factor is the quality check which should be expeditious and enable thorough visual verification to avoid costly modifications once the data is transferred to the mask shop. In this work, in order to enable the layer placement and quality check procedure, we proposed an algorithm where mask layers are first lined up according to the price and field tone [3]. Then, depending on the product die size, expected fab throughput, and scribeline requirements, the subsequent product layers are placed on the masks with different grades. The actual reduction of this concept to practice allowed us to understand the tradeoffs between the automation of layer placement and setup related constraints. For example, the limited options of the numbers of layer per plate dictated by the die size and other design feedback, made us consider layer pairing based not only on the final price of the mask set, but also on the cost of mask design and fab-friendliness. We showed that it may be advantageous to introduce manual layer pairing to ensure that, e.g., all interconnect layers would be placed on the same plate, allowing for easy and simultaneous design fixes. Another enhancement was to allow some flexibility in mixing and matching of the layers such that non-critical ones requiring low mask grade would be placed in a less restrictive way, to reduce the count of orphan layers. In summary, we created a program to automatically propose and visualize shuttle mask architecture for design verification, with

Clinical advantages of carbon-ion radiotherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsujii, Hirohiko; Kamada, Tadashi; Baba, Masayuki; Tsuji, Hiroshi; Kato, Hirotoshi; Kato, Shingo; Yamada, Shigeru; Yasuda, Shigeo; Yanagi, Takeshi; Kato, Hiroyuki; Hara, Ryusuke; Yamamoto, Naotaka; Mizoe, Junetsu

2008-07-01

Carbon-ion radiotherapy (C-ion RT) possesses physical and biological advantages. It was started at NIRS in 1994 using the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC); since then more than 50 protocol studies have been conducted on almost 4000 patients with a variety of tumors. Clinical experiences have demonstrated that C-ion RT is effective in such regions as the head and neck, skull base, lung, liver, prostate, bone and soft tissues, and pelvic recurrence of rectal cancer, as well as for histological types including adenocarcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, malignant melanoma and various types of sarcomas, against which photon therapy could be less effective. Furthermore, when compared with photon and proton RT, a significant reduction of overall treatment time and fractions has been accomplished without enhancing toxicities. Currently, the number of irradiation sessions per patient averages 13 fractions spread over approximately three weeks. This means that in a carbon therapy facility a larger number of patients than is possible with other modalities can be treated over the same period of time.

30 CFR 254.23 - What information must I include in the “Emergency response action plan” section?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.23 What information must I include in the “Emergency response action plan” section? The “Emergency response action plan” section is the core of the response plan. Put information in easy-to-use formats such...

30 CFR 254.23 - What information must I include in the “Emergency response action plan” section?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... FOR FACILITIES LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.23 What information must I include in the “Emergency response action plan” section? The “Emergency response action plan”section is the core of the response plan. Put information in easy-to-use...

30 CFR 254.23 - What information must I include in the “Emergency response action plan” section?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.23 What information must I include in the “Emergency response action plan” section? The “Emergency response action plan” section is the core of the response plan. Put information in easy-to-use formats such...

30 CFR 254.23 - What information must I include in the “Emergency response action plan” section?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... LOCATED SEAWARD OF THE COAST LINE Oil-Spill Response Plans for Outer Continental Shelf Facilities § 254.23 What information must I include in the “Emergency response action plan” section? The “Emergency response action plan” section is the core of the response plan. Put information in easy-to-use formats such...

Evaluation of easy-to-read information material on healthy life-styles written with the help of citizens' collaboration through networking.

PubMed

Daghio, M Monica; Fattori, Giuseppe; Ciardullo, Anna V

2006-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate if easy-to-read information material on the prevention of chronic-degenerative diseases through healthy lifestyle co-written by communicators, educators, physicians and citizens -using a networking strategy- could be judged comprehensible. Readability scores were computed. The survey involved 100 individuals attending our centralized booking centre for medical appointments during an "index week". They filled out an anonymous questionnaire, just before and after they had read the material. Readability and comprehensibility frequencies were calculated. The participants had a mean age of 59.1+/-15.1 (SD) years (range 19-81yrs), 62% were females. Twenty-six percent of them had received no education, 30% "primary", 28% "secondary", and 14% had a "degree". According to readability scores, the booklet was "readable" by all persons who had finished primary school. Of the 100 participants, 40 percent found the booklet's language to be "easy" or "very easy", 46% "sufficiently easy", and 14% "difficult" for laypersons to understand. Ninety-four percent of them found no unintelligible words in the text. Education levels showed no differences. Readers' answers were more correct after they had read the booklet. The pre-test showed that 61+/-26% of the readers answered the comprehensibility items correctly. After reading the booklet, 81+/-17% of them gave correct answers. The after-minus-before net increase in knowledge was +20% (95% CIs +8 to +32%). The booklet was designed and written using a networking strategy with the help of the local population. It was found to be easy to read and quite clear.

How to Create a 3D Model from Scanned Data in 5 Easy Steps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagen, Richard

2017-01-01

Additive manufacturing is a cost effective way to generate copies of damaged parts for demonstrations. Integrating scanned data of a damaged area into an existing model may be challenging. However, using the relatively inexpensive Nettfab software (from one can generate a "watertight" model that is easy to print.

Technical and cost advantages of silicon carbide telescopes for small-satellite imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasunic, Keith J.; Aikens, Dave; Szwabowski, Dean; Ragan, Chip; Tinker, Flemming

2017-09-01

Small satellites ("SmallSats") are a growing segment of the Earth imaging and remote sensing market. Designed to be relatively low cost and with performance tailored to specific end-use applications, they are driving changes in optical telescope assembly (OTA) requirements. OTAs implemented in silicon carbide (SiC) provide performance advantages for space applications but have been predominately limited to large programs. A new generation of lightweight and thermally-stable designs is becoming commercially available, expanding the application of SiC to small satellites. This paper reviews the cost and technical advantages of an OTA designed using SiC for small satellite platforms. Taking into account faceplate fabrication quilting and surface distortion after gravity release, an optimized open-back SiC design with a lightweighting of 70% for a 125-mm SmallSat-class primary mirror has an estimated mass area density of 2.8 kg/m2 and an aspect ratio of 40:1. In addition, the thermally-induced surface error of such optimized designs is estimated at λ/150 RMS per watt of absorbed power. Cost advantages of SiC include reductions in launch mass, thermal-management infrastructure, and manufacturing time based on allowable assembly tolerances.

EasyLCMS: an asynchronous web application for the automated quantification of LC-MS data

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Downstream applications in metabolomics, as well as mathematical modelling, require data in a quantitative format, which may also necessitate the automated and simultaneous quantification of numerous metabolites. Although numerous applications have been previously developed for metabolomics data handling, automated calibration and calculation of the concentrations in terms of μmol have not been carried out. Moreover, most of the metabolomics applications are designed for GC-MS, and would not be suitable for LC-MS, since in LC, the deviation in the retention time is not linear, which is not taken into account in these applications. Moreover, only a few are web-based applications, which could improve stand-alone software in terms of compatibility, sharing capabilities and hardware requirements, even though a strong bandwidth is required. Furthermore, none of these incorporate asynchronous communication to allow real-time interaction with pre-processed results. Findings Here, we present EasyLCMS (http://www.easylcms.es/), a new application for automated quantification which was validated using more than 1000 concentration comparisons in real samples with manual operation. The results showed that only 1% of the quantifications presented a relative error higher than 15%. Using clustering analysis, the metabolites with the highest relative error distributions were identified and studied to solve recurrent mistakes. Conclusions EasyLCMS is a new web application designed to quantify numerous metabolites, simultaneously integrating LC distortions and asynchronous web technology to present a visual interface with dynamic interaction which allows checking and correction of LC-MS raw data pre-processing results. Moreover, quantified data obtained with EasyLCMS are fully compatible with numerous downstream applications, as well as for mathematical modelling in the systems biology field. PMID:22884039

The Real Transformation: Building and Maintaining Long-Term Competitive Advantage

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-01-01

TERM COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE LTC EDWARD C. CARDON, USA A TRANFORMATION PAPER FOR THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF SEMINAR...SUBTITLE The Real Transformation: Building and Maintaining Long-Term Competitive Advantage 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT...long-term military competitive advantage in comparison to the rest of the world.4 This approach suggests a model that places competition as the

The Advantages of the MGL-140 for the Marine Corps

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-02-07

comparison of the specifications of the M203 and MGL-140 portrays the fundamental benefits of modern weapon systems technology, the true advantages of the...The Advantages of the MGL-140 for the Marine Corps Subject Area Warfighting EWS 2006 Contemporary Issues Paper The... Advantages of the MGL-140 for the Marine Corps Submitted by Captain OF Adeyemi to Majors AL Shaw & WC Stophel, CG 3 7 February 2006

Home advantage and player nationality in international club football.

PubMed

Poulter, Damian R

2009-06-01

The home advantage effect was investigated at a team and player level in Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League football using in-depth performance and disciplinary variables. Performance analysis revealed that the home team scored more goals, had more shots on and off target, had a greater share of possession, and won more corners than the away team. There was an opposite trend for disciplinary variables, with the home team committing less fouls than the away team, and receiving less yellow and red cards. There were home advantage effects at player level for goals, total shots, shots on target, assists, and yellow cards, as found in the team analysis. In addition, foreign players demonstrated a home advantage effect for goals scored, whereas domestic players scored an equivalent number of goals at home and away venues. Results are discussed in relation to the home advantage literature and wider implications for the sport.

Child center closures: Does nonprofit status provide a comparative advantage?

PubMed

Lam, Marcus; Klein, Sacha; Freisthler, Bridget; Weiss, Robert E

2013-03-01

Reliable access to dependable, high quality childcare services is a vital concern for large numbers of American families. The childcare industry consists of private nonprofit, private for-profit, and governmental providers that differ along many dimensions, including quality, clientele served, and organizational stability. Nonprofit providers are theorized to provide higher quality services given comparative tax advantages, higher levels of consumer trust, and management by mission driven entrepreneurs. This study examines the influence of ownership structure, defined as nonprofit, for-profit sole proprietors, for-profit companies, and governmental centers, on organizational instability, defined as childcare center closures. Using a cross sectional data set of 15724 childcare licenses in California for 2007, we model the predicted closures of childcare centers as a function of ownership structure as well as center age and capacity. Findings indicate that for small centers (capacity of 30 or less) nonprofits are more likely to close, but for larger centers (capacity 30+) nonprofits are less likely to close. This suggests that the comparative advantages available for nonprofit organizations may be better utilized by larger centers than by small centers. We consider the implications of our findings for parents, practitioners, and social policy.

Child center closures: Does nonprofit status provide a comparative advantage?

PubMed Central

Lam, Marcus; Klein, Sacha; Freisthler, Bridget; Weiss, Robert E.

2013-01-01

Reliable access to dependable, high quality childcare services is a vital concern for large numbers of American families. The childcare industry consists of private nonprofit, private for-profit, and governmental providers that differ along many dimensions, including quality, clientele served, and organizational stability. Nonprofit providers are theorized to provide higher quality services given comparative tax advantages, higher levels of consumer trust, and management by mission driven entrepreneurs. This study examines the influence of ownership structure, defined as nonprofit, for-profit sole proprietors, for-profit companies, and governmental centers, on organizational instability, defined as childcare center closures. Using a cross sectional data set of 15724 childcare licenses in California for 2007, we model the predicted closures of childcare centers as a function of ownership structure as well as center age and capacity. Findings indicate that for small centers (capacity of 30 or less) nonprofits are more likely to close, but for larger centers (capacity 30+) nonprofits are less likely to close. This suggests that the comparative advantages available for nonprofit organizations may be better utilized by larger centers than by small centers. We consider the implications of our findings for parents, practitioners, and social policy. PMID:23543882

An easy-to-use diagnostic system development shell

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsai, L. C.; Ross, J. B.; Han, C. Y.; Wee, W. G.

1987-01-01

The Diagnostic System Development Shell (DSDS), an expert system development shell for diagnostic systems, is described. The major objective of building the DSDS is to create a very easy to use and friendly environment for knowledge engineers and end-users. The DSDS is written in OPS5 and CommonLisp. It runs on a VAX/VMS system. A set of domain independent, generalized rules is built in the DSDS, so the users need not be concerned about building the rules. The facts are explicitly represented in a unified format. A powerful check facility which helps the user to check the errors in the created knowledge bases is provided. A judgement facility and other useful facilities are also available. A diagnostic system based on the DSDS system is question driven and can call or be called by other knowledge based systems written in OPS5 and CommonLisp. A prototype diagnostic system for diagnosing a Philips constant potential X-ray system has been built using the DSDS.

Medicare Program; Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2017; Medicare Advantage Bid Pricing Data Release; Medicare Advantage and Part D Medical Loss Ratio Data Release; Medicare Advantage Provider Network Requirements; Expansion of Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program Model; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements. Final rule.

PubMed

2016-11-15

This major final rule addresses changes to the physician fee schedule and other Medicare Part B payment policies, such as changes to the Value Modifier, to ensure that our payment systems are updated to reflect changes in medical practice and the relative value of services, as well as changes in the statute. This final rule also includes changes related to the Medicare Shared Savings Program, requirements for Medicare Advantage Provider Networks, and provides for the release of certain pricing data from Medicare Advantage bids and of data from medical loss ratio reports submitted by Medicare health and drug plans. In addition, this final rule expands the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program model.

Undermatched? School-Based Linguistic Status, College Going, and the Immigrant Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callahan, Rebecca M.; Humphries, Melissa H.

2016-01-01

Considerable research investigates the immigrant advantage--the academic benefit first- and second-generation students experience relative to native-born peers. However, little work examines how school-based linguistic status may influence this advantage. Contradictory patterns exist: Research identifies both an immigrant advantage and a language…

NREL, EasyMile Collaboration to Usher in New Wave of Autonomous Vehicle R&D

Science.gov Websites

technology such as wireless charging, connected and managed charging, and advanced energy storage. EasyMile International Airport. The NREL collaboration will explore opportunities for how wireless charging could enable wireless charging are a natural fit with autonomous and connected vehicles. We're excited this opportunity

Restoration of US Aid to Fiji: The Advantages of Obscurity

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-20

RESTORATION OF US AID TO FIJI: THE ADVANTAGES OF OBSCURITY Elizabeth McKune NWC Class of 󈨠 December 20, 1991 Report Documentation Page Form...COVERED 20-12-1991 to 20-12-1991 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Restoration of US Aid to Fiji: The Advantages of Obscurity 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b...unimportance were advantageous . PHASE ONE Background In the context of the South Pacific, however, Fiji was prominent, frequently cited as a model

Optimal Control Design Advantages Utilizing Two-Degree-of-Freedom Controllers

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

AFrTIGAE/ENYIV3D-27 AD--A273 839 D"TIC OPTIMAL CONTROL DESIGN ADVANTAGES UTILIZING TWO-DEGREE-OF-FREEDOM CONTROLLERS THESIS Michael J. Stephens...AFIT/GAE/ENY/93D-27 OPTIMAL CONTROL DESIGN ADVANTAGES UTILIZING TWO-DEGREE-OF-FREEDOM CONTROLLERS THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate...measurement noises compared to the I- DOF model. xvii OPTIMAL CONTROL DESIGN ADVANTAGES UTILIZING TWO-DEGREE-OF-FREEDOM CONTROLLERS I. Introduction L1

Seeking the competitive advantage: it's more than cost reduction.

PubMed

South, S F

1999-01-01

Most organizations focus considerable time and energy on reducing operating costs as a way to attain marketplace advantage. This strategy was not inappropriate in the past. To be competitive in the future, however, focus must be placed on other issues, not just cost reduction. The near future will be dominated by service industries, knowledge management, and virtual partnerships, with production optimization and flexibility, innovation, and strong partnerships defining those organizations that attain competitive advantage. Competitive advantage will reside in clarifying the vision and strategic plan, reviewing and redesigning work processes to optimize resources and value-added work, and creating change-ready environments and empowered workforces.

Reasoning about Other People's Beliefs: Bilinguals Have an Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubio-Fernandez, Paula; Glucksberg, Sam

2012-01-01

Bilingualism can have widespread cognitive effects. In this article we investigate whether bilingualism might have an effect on adults' abilities to reason about other people's beliefs. In particular, we tested whether bilingual adults might have an advantage over monolingual adults in false-belief reasoning analogous to the advantage that has…

Advantages and limits of hemorrhoidal dearterialization in the treatment of symptomatic hemorrhoids

PubMed Central

Giamundo, Paolo

2016-01-01

In the last two decades, hemorrhoidal dearterialization has become universally accepted as a treatment option for symptomatic hemorrhoids. The rationale for this procedure is based on the assumption that arterial blood overflow is mainly responsible for dilatation of the hemorrhoidal plexus due to the absence of capillary interposition between the arterial and venous systems within the anal canal. Dearterialization, with either suture ligation (Doppler-guided hemorrhoid artery ligation/transanal hemorrhoidal dearterialization) or laser (hemorrhoidal laser procedure), may be successfully performed alone or with mucopexy. Although the added value of Doppler-guidance in association with dearterialization has recently been challenged, this imaging method still plays an important role in localizing hemorrhoidal arteries and, therefore, minimizing the effect of anatomic variation among patients. However, it is important to employ the correct Doppler transducer. Some Doppler transducers may not easily detect superficial arteries due to inadequate frequency settings. All techniques of dearterialization have the advantage of preserving the anatomy and physiology of the anal canal, when compared to other surgical treatments for hemorrhoids. This advantage cannot be underestimated as impaired anal function, including fecal incontinence and other defecation disorders, may occur following surgical treatment for hemorrhoids. Furthermore, this potentially devastating problem can occur in patients of all ages, including younger patients. PMID:26843909

Advantages and limits of hemorrhoidal dearterialization in the treatment of symptomatic hemorrhoids.

PubMed

Giamundo, Paolo

2016-01-27

In the last two decades, hemorrhoidal dearterialization has become universally accepted as a treatment option for symptomatic hemorrhoids. The rationale for this procedure is based on the assumption that arterial blood overflow is mainly responsible for dilatation of the hemorrhoidal plexus due to the absence of capillary interposition between the arterial and venous systems within the anal canal. Dearterialization, with either suture ligation (Doppler-guided hemorrhoid artery ligation/transanal hemorrhoidal dearterialization) or laser (hemorrhoidal laser procedure), may be successfully performed alone or with mucopexy. Although the added value of Doppler-guidance in association with dearterialization has recently been challenged, this imaging method still plays an important role in localizing hemorrhoidal arteries and, therefore, minimizing the effect of anatomic variation among patients. However, it is important to employ the correct Doppler transducer. Some Doppler transducers may not easily detect superficial arteries due to inadequate frequency settings. All techniques of dearterialization have the advantage of preserving the anatomy and physiology of the anal canal, when compared to other surgical treatments for hemorrhoids. This advantage cannot be underestimated as impaired anal function, including fecal incontinence and other defecation disorders, may occur following surgical treatment for hemorrhoids. Furthermore, this potentially devastating problem can occur in patients of all ages, including younger patients.

The health advantage of a vegan diet: exploring the gut microbiota connection.

PubMed

Glick-Bauer, Marian; Yeh, Ming-Chin

2014-10-31

This review examines whether there is evidence that a strict vegan diet confers health advantages beyond that of a vegetarian diet or overall healthy eating. Few studies include vegan subjects as a distinct experimental group, yet when vegan diets are directly compared to vegetarian and omnivorous diets, a pattern of protective health benefits emerges. The relatively recent inclusion of vegan diets in studies of gut microbiota and health allows us the opportunity to assess whether the vegan gut microbiota is distinct, and whether the health advantages characteristic of a vegan diet may be partially explained by the associated microbiota profile. The relationship between diet and the intestinal microbial profile appears to follow a continuum, with vegans displaying a gut microbiota most distinct from that of omnivores, but not always significantly different from that of vegetarians. The vegan gut profile appears to be unique in several characteristics, including a reduced abundance of pathobionts and a greater abundance of protective species. Reduced levels of inflammation may be the key feature linking the vegan gut microbiota with protective health effects. However, it is still unclear whether a therapeutic vegan diet can be prescribed to alter the gut microflora for long-term health benefits.

The Health Advantage of a Vegan Diet: Exploring the Gut Microbiota Connection

PubMed Central

Glick-Bauer, Marian; Yeh, Ming-Chin

2014-01-01

This review examines whether there is evidence that a strict vegan diet confers health advantages beyond that of a vegetarian diet or overall healthy eating. Few studies include vegan subjects as a distinct experimental group, yet when vegan diets are directly compared to vegetarian and omnivorous diets, a pattern of protective health benefits emerges. The relatively recent inclusion of vegan diets in studies of gut microbiota and health allows us the opportunity to assess whether the vegan gut microbiota is distinct, and whether the health advantages characteristic of a vegan diet may be partially explained by the associated microbiota profile. The relationship between diet and the intestinal microbial profile appears to follow a continuum, with vegans displaying a gut microbiota most distinct from that of omnivores, but not always significantly different from that of vegetarians. The vegan gut profile appears to be unique in several characteristics, including a reduced abundance of pathobionts and a greater abundance of protective species. Reduced levels of inflammation may be the key feature linking the vegan gut microbiota with protective health effects. However, it is still unclear whether a therapeutic vegan diet can be prescribed to alter the gut microflora for long-term health benefits. PMID:25365383

Problem-Based Learning in Biomechanics: Advantages, Challenges, and Implementation Strategies.

PubMed

Clyne, Alisa Morss; Billiar, Kristen L

2016-07-01

Problem-based learning (PBL) has been shown to be effective in biomedical engineering education, particularly in motivating student learning, increasing knowledge retention, and developing problem solving, communication, and teamwork skills. However, PBL adoption remains limited by real challenges in effective implementation. In this paper, we review the literature on advantages and challenges of PBL and present our own experiences. We also provide practical guidelines for implementing PBL, including two examples of PBL modules from biomechanics courses at two different institutions. Overall, we conclude that the benefits for both professors and students support the use of PBL in biomedical engineering education.

A Longitudinal Study of Memory Advantages in Bilinguals

PubMed Central

Ljungberg, Jessica K.; Hansson, Patrik; Andrés, Pilar; Josefsson, Maria; Nilsson, Lars-Göran

2013-01-01

Typically, studies of cognitive advantages in bilinguals have been conducted previously by using executive and inhibitory tasks (e.g. Simon task) and applying cross-sectional designs. This study longitudinally investigated bilingual advantages on episodic memory recall, verbal letter and categorical fluency during the trajectory of life. Monolingual and bilingual participants (n = 178) between 35–70 years at baseline were drawn from the Betula Prospective Cohort Study of aging, memory, and health. Results showed that bilinguals outperformed monolinguals at the first testing session and across time both in episodic memory recall and in letter fluency. No interaction with age was found indicating that the rate of change across ages was similar for bilinguals and monolinguals. As predicted and in line with studies applying cross-sectional designs, no advantages associated with bilingualism were found in the categorical fluency task. The results are discussed in the light of successful aging. PMID:24023803

The Development of the easyCBM CCSS Reading Assessments: Grade 3. Technical Report #1221

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In this technical report, we document the development and piloting of easyCBM reading measures aligned to the Common Core State Standards, designed for use in screening students at risk for reading difficulty and monitoring their progress as they develop reading skills. The measures, which assess students' ability to respond to…

The quadruple bottom line: the advantages of incorporating Green Chemistry into the undergraduate chemistry major

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodner, George M.

2017-08-01

When the author first became involved with the Green Chemistry movement, he noted that his colleagues in industry who were involved in one of the ACS Green Chemistry Institute® industrial roundtables emphasized the take-home message they described as the "triple bottom line." They noted that introducing Green Chemistry in industrial settings had economic, social, and environmental benefits. As someone who first went to school at age 5, and has been "going to school" most days for 65 years, it was easy for the author to see why introducing Green Chemistry into academics had similar beneficial effects within the context of economic, social and environmental domains at the college/university level. He was prepared to understand why faculty who had taught traditional courses often saw the advantage of incorporating Green Chemistry into the courses they teach. What was not as obvious is why students who were encountering chemistry for the first time were often equally passionate about the Green Chemistry movement. Recent attention has been paid, however, to a model that brings clarity to the hitherto vague term of "relevance" that might explain why integrating Green Chemistry into the undergraduate chemistry classroom can achieve a "quadruple bottom-line" for students because of potentially positive effects of adding a domain of "relevance" to the existing economic, social, and environmental domains.

PANDA-view: An easy-to-use tool for statistical analysis and visualization of quantitative proteomics data.

PubMed

Chang, Cheng; Xu, Kaikun; Guo, Chaoping; Wang, Jinxia; Yan, Qi; Zhang, Jian; He, Fuchu; Zhu, Yunping

2018-05-22

Compared with the numerous software tools developed for identification and quantification of -omics data, there remains a lack of suitable tools for both downstream analysis and data visualization. To help researchers better understand the biological meanings in their -omics data, we present an easy-to-use tool, named PANDA-view, for both statistical analysis and visualization of quantitative proteomics data and other -omics data. PANDA-view contains various kinds of analysis methods such as normalization, missing value imputation, statistical tests, clustering and principal component analysis, as well as the most commonly-used data visualization methods including an interactive volcano plot. Additionally, it provides user-friendly interfaces for protein-peptide-spectrum representation of the quantitative proteomics data. PANDA-view is freely available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/panda-view/. 1987ccpacer@163.com and zhuyunping@gmail.com. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Electrophysiological explorations of the bilingual advantage: evidence from a Stroop task.

PubMed

Coderre, Emily L; van Heuven, Walter J B

2014-01-01

Bilinguals have been shown to exhibit a performance advantage on executive control tasks, outperforming their monolingual counterparts. Although a wealth of research has investigated this 'bilingual advantage' behaviourally, electrophysiological correlates are lacking. Using EEG with a Stroop task that manipulated the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) of word and colour presentation, the current study addressed two facets of the bilingual advantage. The possibility that bilinguals experience superior conflict processing relative to monolinguals (a 'conflict-specific advantage') was investigated by comparing behavioural interference effects as well as the amplitude of the Ninc, a conflict-related ERP component occurring from approximately 300-500 ms after the onset of conflict. In contrast, the hypothesis that bilinguals experience domain-general, conflict-independent enhancements in executive processing (a 'non-conflict-specific advantage') was evaluated by comparing the control condition (symbol strings) between groups. There was some significant, but inconsistent, evidence for a conflict-specific bilingual advantage. In contrast, strong evidence emerged for a non-conflict-specific advantage, with bilinguals demonstrating faster RTs and reduced ERP amplitudes on control trials compared to monolinguals. Importantly, when the control stimulus was presented before the colour, ERPs to control trials revealed group differences before the onset of conflict, suggesting differences in the ability to ignore or suppress distracting irrelevant information. This indicates that bilinguals experience superior executive processing even in the absence of conflict and semantic salience, and suggests that the advantage extends to more efficient proactive management of the environment.

Multiferroicity in the generic easy-plane triangular lattice antiferromagnet RbFe(MoO4)2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, J. S.; Niedermayer, Ch.; Gasparovic, G.; Broholm, C.; Park, J. M. S.; Shapiro, A. Ya.; Demianets, L. A.; Kenzelmann, M.

2013-08-01

RbFe(MoO4)2 is a quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) triangular lattice antiferromagnet (TLA) that displays a zero-field magnetically driven multiferroic phase with a chiral spin structure. By inelastic neutron scattering, we determine quantitatively the spin Hamiltonian. We show that the easy-plane anisotropy is nearly 1/3 of the dominant spin exchange, making RbFe(MoO4)2 an excellent system for studying the physics of the model 2D easy-plane TLA. Our measurements demonstrate magnetic-field-induced fluctuations in this material to stabilize the generic finite-field phases of the 2D XY TLA. We further explain how Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions can generate ferroelectricity only in the zero-field phase. Our conclusion is that multiferroicity in RbFe(MoO4)2, and its absence at high fields, results from the generic properties of the 2D XY TLA.

SSTAR, a Stand-Alone Easy-To-Use Antimicrobial Resistance Gene Predictor.

PubMed

de Man, Tom J B; Limbago, Brandi M

2016-01-01

We present the easy-to-use Sequence Search Tool for Antimicrobial Resistance, SSTAR. It combines a locally executed BLASTN search against a customizable database with an intuitive graphical user interface for identifying antimicrobial resistance (AR) genes from genomic data. Although the database is initially populated from a public repository of acquired resistance determinants (i.e., ARG-ANNOT), it can be customized for particular pathogen groups and resistance mechanisms. For instance, outer membrane porin sequences associated with carbapenem resistance phenotypes can be added, and known intrinsic mechanisms can be included. Unique about this tool is the ability to easily detect putative new alleles and truncated versions of existing AR genes. Variants and potential new alleles are brought to the attention of the user for further investigation. For instance, SSTAR is able to identify modified or truncated versions of porins, which may be of great importance in carbapenemase-negative carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. SSTAR is written in Java and is therefore platform independent and compatible with both Windows and Unix operating systems. SSTAR and its manual, which includes a simple installation guide, are freely available from https://github.com/tomdeman-bio/Sequence-Search-Tool-for-Antimicrobial-Resistance-SSTAR-. IMPORTANCE Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is quickly becoming a routine method for identifying genes associated with antimicrobial resistance (AR). However, for many microbiologists, the use and analysis of WGS data present a substantial challenge. We developed SSTAR, software with a graphical user interface that enables the identification of known AR genes from WGS and has the unique capacity to easily detect new variants of known AR genes, including truncated protein variants. Current software solutions do not notify the user when genes are truncated and, therefore, likely nonfunctional, which makes phenotype predictions less accurate. SSTAR

Meniscus delivery: a maneuver for easy arthroscopic access to the posterior horn of the medial meniscus.

PubMed

Said, Hatem Galal; Goyal, Saumitra; Fetih, Tarek Nabil

2016-03-16

Pathology of posterior horn of medial meniscus is common and often presents a difficult approach during arthroscopy for various reasons. We describe an easy maneuver to facilitate "delivery of the medial meniscus" during arthroscopy.

A geostationary Earth orbit satellite model using Easy Java Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wee, Loo Kang; Hwee Goh, Giam

2013-01-01

We develop an Easy Java Simulation (EJS) model for students to visualize geostationary orbits near Earth, modelled using a Java 3D implementation of the EJS 3D library. The simplified physics model is described and simulated using a simple constant angular velocity equation. We discuss four computer model design ideas: (1) a simple and realistic 3D view and associated learning in the real world; (2) comparative visualization of permanent geostationary satellites; (3) examples of non-geostationary orbits of different rotation senses, periods and planes; and (4) an incorrect physics model for conceptual discourse. General feedback from the students has been relatively positive, and we hope teachers will find the computer model useful in their own classes.

Designing an Easy-to-use Executive Conference Room Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Back, Maribeth; Golovchinsky, Gene; Qvarfordt, Pernilla; van Melle, William; Boreczky, John; Dunnigan, Tony; Carter, Scott

The Usable Smart Environment project (USE) aims at designing easy-to-use, highly functional, next-generation conference rooms. Our first design prototype focuses on creating a “no wizards” room for an American executive; that is, a room the executive could walk into and use by himself, without help from a technologist. A key idea in the USE framework is that customization is one of the best ways to create a smooth user experience. As the system needs to fit both with the personal leadership style of the executive and the corporation’s meeting culture, we began the design process by exploring the work flow in and around meetings attended by the executive.

The Alignment of easyCBM[R] Math Measures to Curriculum Standards. Technical Report #1002

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nese, Joseph F. T.; Lai, Cheng-Fei; Anderson, Daniel; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald; Alonzo, Julie

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the alignment of the easyCBM[R] mathematics benchmark and progress monitoring measures to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics "Curriculum Focal Points" (NCTM, 2006). Based on Webb's alignment model (1997, 2002), we collected expert judgments on individual math items across a sampling of forms…

Student vs. Faculty Perspectives on Quality Instruction: Gender Bias, "Hotness," and "Easiness" in Evaluating Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boehmer, Devin M.; Wood, William C.

2017-01-01

This article systematically examines differences between student and faculty perspectives on quality instruction, using local data for a regional university's college of business matched to RateMyProfessors.com evaluations. Particular attention is focused on gender bias, "hotness," and "easiness." In addition to documenting a…

The half-truth of first-mover advantage.

PubMed

Suarez, Fernando; Lanzolla, Gianvito

2005-04-01

Many executives take for granted that the first company in a new product category gets an unbeatable head start and reaps long-lasting benefits. But that doesn't always happen. The authors of this article discovered that much depends on the pace at which the category's technology is changing and the speed at which the market is evolving. By analyzing these two factors, companies can improve their odds of succeeding as first movers with the resources they possess. Gradual evolution in both the technology and the market provides a first mover with the best conditions for creating a dominant position that is long lasting (Hoover in the vacuum cleaner industry is a good example). In such calm waters, a company can defend its advantages even without exceptional skills or extensive financial resources. When the market is changing rapidly and the product isn't, a first entrant with extensive resources can obtain a long-lasting advantage (as Sony did with its Walkman personal stereo); a company with only limited resources probably must settle for a short-term benefit. When the market is static but the product is changing constantly, first-mover advantages of either kind--durable or short-lived--are unlikely. Only companies with very deep pockets can survive (think of Sony and the digital cameras it pioneered). Rapid churn in both the technology and the market creates the worst conditions. But if companies have an acute sense of when to exit-as Netscape demonstrated when it agreed to be acquired by AOL-a worthwhile short-term gain is possible. Before venturing into a newly forming market, you need to analyze the environment, assess your resources, then determine which type offirst-mover advantage is most achievable. Once you've gone into the water, you have no choice but to swim.

Transformation from an easy-plane to an easy-axis antiferromagnetic structure in the mixed rare-earth ferroborates Pr x Y1-x Fe3(BO3)4: magnetic properties and crystal field calculations.

PubMed

Pankrats, A I; Demidov, A A; Ritter, C; Velikanov, D A; Semenov, S V; Tugarinov, V I; Temerov, V L; Gudim, I A

2016-10-05

The magnetic structure of the mixed rare-earth system Pr x Y1-x Fe3(BO3)4 (x  =  0.75, 0.67, 0.55, 0.45, 0.25) was studied via magnetic and resonance measurements. These data evidence the successive spin reorientation from the easy-axis antiferromagnetic structure formed in PrFe3(BO3)4 to the easy-plane one of YFe3(BO3)4 associated with the weakening of the magnetic anisotropy of the Pr subsystem due to its diamagnetic dilution by nonmagnetic Y. This reorientation occurs through the formation of an inclined magnetic structure, as was confirmed by our previous neutron research in the range of x  =  0.67 ÷ 0.45. In the compounds with x  =  0.75 and 0.67 whose magnetic structure is close to the easy-axis one, a two-step spin reorientation takes place in the magnetic field H||c. Such a peculiarity is explained by the formation of an interjacent inclined magnetic structure with magnetic moments of Fe ions located closer to the basal plane than in the initial state, with these intermediate states remaining stable in some ranges of the magnetic field. An approach based on a crystal field model for the Pr(3+) ion and the molecular-field approximation is used to describe the magnetic characteristics of the system Pr x Y1-x Fe3(BO3)4. With the parameters of the d-d and f-d exchange interactions, of the magnetic anisotropy of the iron subsystem and of the crystal field parameters of praseodymium thus determined, it is possible to achieve a good agreement between the experimental and calculated temperature and field dependences of the magnetization curves (up to 90 kOe) and magnetic susceptibilities (2-300 K).

[Virtual CT-pneumocystoscopy: indications, advantages and limitations. Our experience].

PubMed

Regine, Giovanni; Atzori, Maurizio; Buffa, Vitaliano; Miele, Vittorio; Ialongo, Pasquale; Adami, Loredana

2003-09-01

sensitivity was 77%; this was higher for pedunculated lesions (79%) than for sessile lesions (50%). The virtual technique is less invasive and tends to be associated with fewer complications than is conventional cystoscopy. It also demonstrated a good sensitivity for evaluating pedunculated lesions, allowing evaluation of the bladder base and anterior wall, sites that are commonly poorly accessible at conventional cystoscopy. Further advantages of the virtual technique include the possibility of accurately measuring the extent of the lesion and obtaining virtual images even in patients with severe urethral obstruction and active bleeding. The limitations include the inability to obtain tissue for histologic examination or to perform endoscopic resection of pedunculated lesions. The technique is less sensitive than conventional cystoscopy in the detection of sessile lesions or very small polyps (<5 mm). Furthermore, diffuse wall thickening reduces bladder distension thereby preventing optimal evaluation. The most valuable indication appears to be the follow-up of treated wall lesions. Virtual CT-pneumocystoscopy can replace conventional cystoscopy in cases with pedunculated lesions when there is no need for biopsy, when the lesions are located at the bladder base or when cystoscopic instrumentation cannot be introduced into the bladder due to stenosis. Virtual pneumocystoscopy can also be used in the follow-up of treated polypoid lesions in association with pelvic CT-angiography.

Demonstration of quantum advantage in machine learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ristè, Diego; da Silva, Marcus P.; Ryan, Colm A.; Cross, Andrew W.; Córcoles, Antonio D.; Smolin, John A.; Gambetta, Jay M.; Chow, Jerry M.; Johnson, Blake R.

2017-04-01

The main promise of quantum computing is to efficiently solve certain problems that are prohibitively expensive for a classical computer. Most problems with a proven quantum advantage involve the repeated use of a black box, or oracle, whose structure encodes the solution. One measure of the algorithmic performance is the query complexity, i.e., the scaling of the number of oracle calls needed to find the solution with a given probability. Few-qubit demonstrations of quantum algorithms, such as Deutsch-Jozsa and Grover, have been implemented across diverse physical systems such as nuclear magnetic resonance, trapped ions, optical systems, and superconducting circuits. However, at the small scale, these problems can already be solved classically with a few oracle queries, limiting the obtained advantage. Here we solve an oracle-based problem, known as learning parity with noise, on a five-qubit superconducting processor. Executing classical and quantum algorithms using the same oracle, we observe a large gap in query count in favor of quantum processing. We find that this gap grows by orders of magnitude as a function of the error rates and the problem size. This result demonstrates that, while complex fault-tolerant architectures will be required for universal quantum computing, a significant quantum advantage already emerges in existing noisy systems.

Less Intense Postacute Care, Better Outcomes For Enrollees In Medicare Advantage Than Those In Fee-For-Service

PubMed Central

Huckfeldt, Peter J.; Escarce, Jose J.; Rabideau, Brendan; Karaca-Mandic, Pinar; Sood, Neeraj

2017-01-01

Traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare’s prospective payment systems for postacute care provide little incentive to coordinate care or control costs. In contrast, Medicare Advantage plans pay for postacute care out of monthly capitated payments and thus have stronger incentives to use it efficiently. We compared the use of postacute care in skilled nursing and inpatient rehabilitation facilities by enrollees in Medicare Advantage and FFS Medicare after hospital discharge for three high-volume conditions: lower extremity joint replacement, stroke, and heart failure. After accounting for differences in patient characteristics at discharge, we found lower intensity of postacute care for Medicare Advantage patients compared to FFS Medicare patients discharged from the same hospital, across all three conditions. Medicare Advantage patients also exhibited better outcomes than their FFS Medicare counterparts, including lower rates of hospital readmission and higher rates of return to the community. These findings suggest that payment reforms such as bundling in FFS Medicare may reduce the intensity of postacute care without adversely affecting patient health. PMID:28069851

Less Intense Postacute Care, Better Outcomes For Enrollees In Medicare Advantage Than Those In Fee-For-Service.

PubMed

Huckfeldt, Peter J; Escarce, José J; Rabideau, Brendan; Karaca-Mandic, Pinar; Sood, Neeraj

2017-01-01

Traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare's prospective payment systems for postacute care provide little incentive to coordinate care or control costs. In contrast, Medicare Advantage plans pay for postacute care out of monthly capitated payments and thus have stronger incentives to use it efficiently. We compared the use of postacute care in skilled nursing and inpatient rehabilitation facilities by enrollees in Medicare Advantage and FFS Medicare after hospital discharge for three high-volume conditions: lower extremity joint replacement, stroke, and heart failure. After accounting for differences in patient characteristics at discharge, we found lower intensity of postacute care for Medicare Advantage patients compared to FFS Medicare patients discharged from the same hospital, across all three conditions. Medicare Advantage patients also exhibited better outcomes than their FFS Medicare counterparts, including lower rates of hospital readmission and higher rates of return to the community. These findings suggest that payment reforms such as bundling in FFS Medicare may reduce the intensity of postacute care without adversely affecting patient health. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Testosterone, territoriality, and the 'home advantage'.

PubMed

Neave, Nick; Wolfson, Sandy

2003-02-01

The consistently better performance seen by teams in various sporting contexts when playing at home is referred to as the 'home advantage'. Various explanations have been put forward to account for this robust phenomenon, though none has yet focussed on possible hormonal factors. In an initial study, we showed that salivary testosterone levels in soccer players were significantly higher before a home game than an away game.In a second study involving a different group of soccer players, this finding was replicated over two home games, two away games, and three training sessions. Perceived rivalry of the opposing team was important as testosterone levels were higher before playing an 'extreme' rival than a 'moderate' rival. Self-reported measures of mood in both studies were not linked to testosterone level. The present results corroborate and extend earlier findings on the relationships between testosterone, territoriality, and dominance in human competitive encounters and further suggest an important role for testosterone in the home advantage seen in various team sports.

Extensions of the survival advantage in memory: examining the role of ancestral context and implied social isolation.

PubMed

Kostic, Bogdan; McFarlan, Chastity C; Cleary, Anne M

2012-07-01

Recent work (e.g., Nairne & Pandeirada, 2010) has shown that words are remembered better when they have been processed for their survival value in a grasslands context than when processed in other contexts. It has been suggested that this is because human memory systems were shaped by evolution specifically to help humans survive. Thus far, the survival processing advantage has mainly been shown with grasslands contexts, which are thought to be particularly relevant to human evolution. The present study demonstrated the survival processing advantage with other contexts (e.g., lost in a jungle), including with contexts that should not, in and of themselves, be relevant to human evolution (e.g., lost in outer space). We further examined whether implied social isolation plays a critical role in the survival advantage to memory by comparing scenarios in which the person is alone versus with other people present (e.g., lost at sea alone or with others), and whether the perceived source of danger is social isolation or other human attackers. A survival advantage was shown in both the isolation and the group settings, and whether the primary source of danger was isolation or other human attackers did not matter. These findings suggest that the survival advantage in memory is not dependent on evolutionarily relevant physical contexts (e.g., grasslands) or particular sources of perceived danger (social isolation vs. perceived attackers), showing the advantage to be robust and applicable to a variety of scenarios. 2012 APA, all rights reserved

Contracting Maintenance Services: An Easy Question, but a Difficult Answer.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geiger, Philip E.

2003-01-01

Discusses issues involved in outsourcing school maintenance and custodial services. There are many advantages to this approach, but it has definite drawbacks. In many instances, a combination of contract and employee services works well. (SLD)

The challenges, advantages and future of phenome-wide association studies.

PubMed

Hebbring, Scott J

2014-02-01

Over the last decade, significant technological breakthroughs have revolutionized human genomic research in the form of genome-wide association studies (GWASs). GWASs have identified thousands of statistically significant genetic variants associated with hundreds of human conditions including many with immunological aetiologies (e.g. multiple sclerosis, ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis). Unfortunately, most GWASs fail to identify clinically significant associations. Identifying biologically significant variants by GWAS also presents a challenge. The GWAS is a phenotype-to-genotype approach. As a complementary/alternative approach to the GWAS, investigators have begun to exploit extensive electronic medical record systems to conduct a genotype-to-phenotype approach when studying human disease - specifically, the phenome-wide association study (PheWAS). Although the PheWAS approach is in its infancy, this method has already demonstrated its capacity to rediscover important genetic associations related to immunological diseases/conditions. Furthermore, PheWAS has the advantage of identifying genetic variants with pleiotropic properties. This is particularly relevant for HLA variants. For example, PheWAS results have demonstrated that the HLA-DRB1 variant associated with multiple sclerosis may also be associated with erythematous conditions including rosacea. Likewise, PheWAS has demonstrated that the HLA-B genotype is not only associated with spondylopathies, uveitis, and variability in platelet count, but may also play an important role in other conditions, such as mastoiditis. This review will discuss and compare general PheWAS methodologies, describe both the challenges and advantages of the PheWAS, and provide insight into the potential directions in which PheWAS may lead. © 2013 The Authors. Immunology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Plastics in automobiles. (Latest citations from Materials Business File). Published Search

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

The bibliography contains citations concerning the use of plastic to replace metallic parts in automobiles. Citations discuss the advantages of easy assembly, part consolidation, weight savings, durability, aesthetics, and economics. Examples of specific applications, types of plastic and their formulation are included. (Contains a minimum of 187 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

Plastics in automobiles. (Latest citations from Materials Business file). Published Search

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

The bibliography contains citations concerning the use of plastic to replace metallic parts in automobiles. Citations discuss the advantages of easy assembly, part consolidation, weight savings, durability, aesthetics, and economics. Examples of specific applications, types of plastic and their formulation are included. (Contains 50-250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.) (Copyright NERAC, Inc. 1995)

Lineup composition, suspect position, and the sequential lineup advantage.

PubMed

Carlson, Curt A; Gronlund, Scott D; Clark, Steven E

2008-06-01

N. M. Steblay, J. Dysart, S. Fulero, and R. C. L. Lindsay (2001) argued that sequential lineups reduce the likelihood of mistaken eyewitness identification. Experiment 1 replicated the design of R. C. L. Lindsay and G. L. Wells (1985), the first study to show the sequential lineup advantage. However, the innocent suspect was chosen at a lower rate in the simultaneous lineup, and no sequential lineup advantage was found. This led the authors to hypothesize that protection from a sequential lineup might emerge only when an innocent suspect stands out from the other lineup members. In Experiment 2, participants viewed a simultaneous or sequential lineup with either the guilty suspect or 1 of 3 innocent suspects. Lineup fairness was varied to influence the degree to which a suspect stood out. A sequential lineup advantage was found only for the unfair lineups. Additional analyses of suspect position in the sequential lineups showed an increase in the diagnosticity of suspect identifications as the suspect was placed later in the sequential lineup. These results suggest that the sequential lineup advantage is dependent on lineup composition and suspect position. (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved

The Advantage of Same-Sex Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wollam, Jean

1990-01-01

Considered are advantages of summer science programs limited to young high school women. Same sex courses are seen to eliminate unconscious gender bias in instruction and counter tendencies for female students to be less involved in science, mathematics, and computer activities. Four specific programs are briefly described. (DB)

Coherent versus incoherent resonant emission: an experimental method for easy discrimination and measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceccherini, S.; Colocci, M.; Gurioli, M.; Bogani, F.

1998-11-01

The distinction between the coherent and the incoherent component of the radiation emitted from resonantly excited material systems is difficult experimentally, particularly when ultra-short optical pulses are used for excitation. We propose an experimental procedure allowing an easy measurement of the two components. The method is completely general and applicable to any kind of physical system; its feasibility is demonstrated on the resonant emission from excitons in a semiconductor quantum well.

New approach for rapid assessment of trophic status of Yellow Sea and East China Sea using easy-to-measure parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Xianyu; Liu, Yanfang; Jian, Huimin; Su, Rongguo; Yao, Qingzhen; Shi, Xiaoyong

2017-10-01

To realize potential cost savings in coastal monitoring programs and provide timely advice for marine management, there is an urgent need for efficient evaluation tools based on easily measured variables for the rapid and timely assessment of estuarine and offshore eutrophication. In this study, using parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC), principal component analysis (PCA), and discriminant function analysis (DFA) with the trophic index (TRIX) for reference, we developed an approach for rapidly assessing the eutrophication status of coastal waters using easy-to-measure parameters, including chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), fluorescence excitation-emission matrices, CDOM UV-Vis absorbance, and other water-quality parameters (turbidity, chlorophyll a, and dissolved oxygen). First, we decomposed CDOM excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) by PARAFAC to identify three components. Then, we applied PCA to simplify the complexity of the relationships between the water-quality parameters. Finally, we used the PCA score values as independent variables in DFA to develop a eutrophication assessment model. The developed model yielded classification accuracy rates of 97.1%, 80.5%, 90.3%, and 89.1% for good, moderate, and poor water qualities, and for the overall data sets, respectively. Our results suggest that these easy-to-measure parameters could be used to develop a simple approach for rapid in-situ assessment and monitoring of the eutrophication of estuarine and offshore areas.

Easy-to-use phylogenetic analysis system for hepatitis B virus infection.

PubMed

Sugiyama, Masaya; Inui, Ayano; Shin-I, Tadasu; Komatsu, Haruki; Mukaide, Motokazu; Masaki, Naohiko; Murata, Kazumoto; Ito, Kiyoaki; Nakanishi, Makoto; Fujisawa, Tomoo; Mizokami, Masashi

2011-10-01

  The molecular phylogenetic analysis has been broadly applied to clinical and virological study. However, the appropriate settings and application of calculation parameters are difficult for non-specialists of molecular genetics. In the present study, the phylogenetic analysis tool was developed for the easy determination of genotypes and transmission route.   A total of 23 patients of 10 families infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) were enrolled and expected to undergo intrafamilial transmission. The extracted HBV DNA were amplified and sequenced in a region of the S gene.   The software to automatically classify query sequence was constructed and installed on the Hepatitis Virus Database (HVDB). Reference sequences were retrieved from HVDB, which contained major genotypes from A to H. Multiple-alignments using CLUSTAL W were performed before the genetic distance matrix was calculated with the six-parameter method. The phylogenetic tree was output by the neighbor-joining method. User interface using WWW-browser was also developed for intuitive control. This system was named as the easy-to-use phylogenetic analysis system (E-PAS). Twenty-three sera of 10 families were analyzed to evaluate E-PAS. The queries obtained from nine families were genotype C and were located in one cluster per family. However, one patient of a family was classified into the cluster different from her family, suggesting that E-PAS detected the sample distinct from that of her family on the transmission route.   The E-PAS to output phylogenetic tree was developed since requisite material was sequence data only. E-PAS could expand to determine HBV genotypes as well as transmission routes. © 2011 The Japan Society of Hepatology.

Gene-environment studies: any advantage over environmental studies?

PubMed

Bermejo, Justo Lorenzo; Hemminki, Kari

2007-07-01

Gene-environment studies have been motivated by the likely existence of prevalent low-risk genes that interact with common environmental exposures. The present study assessed the statistical advantage of the simultaneous consideration of genes and environment to investigate the effect of environmental risk factors on disease. In particular, we contemplated the possibility that several genes modulate the environmental effect. Environmental exposures, genotypes and phenotypes were simulated according to a wide range of parameter settings. Different models of gene-gene-environment interaction were considered. For each parameter combination, we estimated the probability of detecting the main environmental effect, the power to identify the gene-environment interaction and the frequency of environmentally affected individuals at which environmental and gene-environment studies show the same statistical power. The proportion of cases in the population attributable to the modeled risk factors was also calculated. Our data indicate that environmental exposures with weak effects may account for a significant proportion of the population prevalence of the disease. A general result was that, if the environmental effect was restricted to rare genotypes, the power to detect the gene-environment interaction was higher than the power to identify the main environmental effect. In other words, when few individuals contribute to the overall environmental effect, individual contributions are large and result in easily identifiable gene-environment interactions. Moreover, when multiple genes interacted with the environment, the statistical benefit of gene-environment studies was limited to those studies that included major contributors to the gene-environment interaction. The advantage of gene-environment over plain environmental studies also depends on the inheritance mode of the involved genes, on the study design and, to some extend, on the disease prevalence.

Competitive Advantage, Uncertainty, and Weapons Procurement: Striking Balance for the Future

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-02

position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE , UNCERTAINTY, AND WEAPONS PROCUREMENT: STRIKING...Competitive Advantage , Uncertainty, and Weapons Procurement: Striking Balance for the Future 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d...the right balance of investments all leading to a sustained competitive advantage . This paper presents an analysis of how effective this overhaul has

The spillover effects of Medicare managed care: Medicare Advantage and hospital utilization.

PubMed

Baicker, Katherine; Chernew, Michael E; Robbins, Jacob A

2013-12-01

More than a quarter of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, which was created in large part to improve the efficiency of health care delivery by promoting competition among private managed care plans. This paper explores the spillover effects of the Medicare Advantage program on the traditional Medicare program and other patients, taking advantage of changes in Medicare Advantage payment policy to isolate exogenous increases in Medicare Advantage enrollment and trace out the effects of greater managed care penetration on hospital utilization and spending throughout the health care system. We find that when more seniors enroll in Medicare managed care, hospital costs decline for all seniors and for commercially insured younger populations. Greater managed care penetration is not associated with fewer hospitalizations, but is associated with lower costs and shorter stays per hospitalization. These spillovers are substantial - offsetting more than 10% of increased payments to Medicare Advantage plans. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Spillover Effects of Medicare Managed Care: Medicare Advantage and Hospital Utilization

PubMed Central

Baicker, Katherine; Chernew, Michael; Robbins, Jacob

2013-01-01

More than a quarter of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, which was created in large part to improve the efficiency of health care delivery by promoting competition among private managed care plans. This paper explores the spillover effects of the Medicare Advantage program on the traditional Medicare program and other patients, taking advantage of changes in Medicare Advantage payment policy to isolate exogenous increases in Medicare Advantage enrollment and trace out the effects of greater managed care penetration on hospital utilization and spending throughout the health care system. We find that when more seniors enroll in Medicare managed care, hospital costs decline for all seniors and for commercially insured younger populations. Greater managed care penetration is not associated with fewer hospitalizations, but is associated with lower costs and shorter stays per hospitalization. These spillovers are substantial – offsetting more than 10% of increased payments to Medicare Advantage plans. PMID:24308880

76 FR 21849 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Ships Bunkers Easy Acquisition (SEA) Card® and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-19

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Defense Acquisition Regulations System 48 CFR Part 213 RIN 0750-AH07 Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Ships Bunkers Easy Acquisition (SEA) Card[supreg] and Aircraft Ground Services (DFARS Case 2009-D019) AGENCY: Defense Acquisition Regulations System, Department of...

76 FR 58149 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Ships Bunkers Easy Acquisition (SEA) Card® and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-20

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Defense Acquisition Regulations System 48 CFR Part 213 RIN 0750-AH07 Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Ships Bunkers Easy Acquisition (SEA) Card[supreg] and Aircraft Ground Services (DFARS Case 2009-D019) AGENCY: Defense Acquisition Regulations System, Department of...

78 FR 73915 - Community Alliance, Inc., Defi Global, Inc., Easy Energy, Inc., Industry Concept Holdings, Inc...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-09

... SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [File No. 500-1] Community Alliance, Inc., Defi Global, Inc., Easy Energy, Inc., Industry Concept Holdings, Inc., and Transworld Benefits International, Inc.; Order... that there is a lack of current and accurate information concerning the securities of Industry Concept...

Easy and Fast Reconstruction of a 3D Avatar with an RGB-D Sensor.

PubMed

Mao, Aihua; Zhang, Hong; Liu, Yuxin; Zheng, Yinglong; Li, Guiqing; Han, Guoqiang

2017-05-12

This paper proposes a new easy and fast 3D avatar reconstruction method using an RGB-D sensor. Users can easily implement human body scanning and modeling just with a personal computer and a single RGB-D sensor such as a Microsoft Kinect within a small workspace in their home or office. To make the reconstruction of 3D avatars easy and fast, a new data capture strategy is proposed for efficient human body scanning, which captures only 18 frames from six views with a close scanning distance to fully cover the body; meanwhile, efficient alignment algorithms are presented to locally align the data frames in the single view and then globally align them in multi-views based on pairwise correspondence. In this method, we do not adopt shape priors or subdivision tools to synthesize the model, which helps to reduce modeling complexity. Experimental results indicate that this method can obtain accurate reconstructed 3D avatar models, and the running performance is faster than that of similar work. This research offers a useful tool for the manufacturers to quickly and economically create 3D avatars for products design, entertainment and online shopping.

Icodextrin and peritoneal dialysis: advantages and new applications.

PubMed

Dousdampanis, Periklis; Musso, Carlos Guido; Trigka, Konstantina

2018-03-01

The impact of icodextrin (ico) on peritoneal dialysis (PD) extension and patient survival is well established. Predominantly, ico-based solutions were prescribed in high-transporter PD patients. Advantages of the ico-based solutions include increased biocompatibility, avoidance of glucotoxicity, enhanced ultrafiltration failure (UF), sodium removal rates, better metabolic and blood pressure control. Bimodal solutions and twice daily exchanges of ico-based solutions are two newly introduced strategies to avoid glucose exposure and/or enhance UF in PD patients with UF failure. In addition, a simplified schedule of PD using a single nocturnal exchange of ico in patients with refractory congestive heart failure may represent an alternative option to manage fluid removal and azotaemia. The use of a simplified schedule of PD with only two ico exchanges or a single ico exchange is a challenging approach for end-stage renal disease patients with preserved residual function who desire to initiate PD.

Enforced Clonality Confers a Fitness Advantage

PubMed Central

Martínková, Jana; Klimešová, Jitka

2016-01-01

In largely clonal plants, splitting of a maternal plant into potentially independent plants (ramets) is usually spontaneous; however, such fragmentation also occurs in otherwise non-clonal species due to application of external force. This process might play an important yet largely overlooked role for otherwise non-clonal plants by providing a mechanism to regenerate after disturbance. Here, in a 5-year garden experiment on two short-lived, otherwise non-clonal species, Barbarea vulgaris and Barbarea stricta, we compared the fitness of plants fragmented by simulated disturbance (“enforced ramets”) both with plants that contemporaneously originate in seed and with individuals unscathed by the disturbance event. Because the ability to regrow from fragments is related to plant age and stored reserves, we compared the effects of disturbance applied during three different ontogenetic stages of the plants. In B. vulgaris, enforced ramet fitness was higher than the measured fitness values of both uninjured plants and plants established from seed after the disturbance. This advantage decreased with increasing plant age at the time of fragmentation. In B. stricta, enforced ramet fitness was lower than or similar to fitness of uninjured plants and plants grown from seed. Our results likely reflect the habitat preferences of the study species, as B. vulgaris occurs in anthropogenic, disturbed habitats where body fragmentation is more probable and enforced clonality thus more advantageous than in the more natural habitats preferred by B. stricta. Generalizing from our results, we see that increased fitness yielded by enforced clonality would confer an evolutionary advantage in the face of disturbance, especially in habitats where a seed bank has not been formed, e.g., during invasion or colonization. Our results thus imply that enforced clonality should be taken into account when studying population dynamics and life strategies of otherwise non-clonal species in disturbed

An evolutionary advantage for extravagant honesty.

PubMed

Bullock, Seth

2012-01-07

A game-theoretic model of handicap signalling over a pair of signalling channels is introduced in order to determine when one channel has an evolutionary advantage over the other. The stability conditions for honest handicap signalling are presented for a single channel and are shown to conform with the results of prior handicap signalling models. Evolutionary simulations are then used to show that, for a two-channel system in which honest signalling is possible on both channels, the channel featuring larger advertisements at equilibrium is favoured by evolution. This result helps to address a significant tension in the handicap principle literature. While the original theory was motivated by the prevalence of extravagant natural signalling, contemporary models have demonstrated that it is the cost associated with deception that stabilises honesty, and that the honest signals exhibited at equilibrium need not be extravagant at all. The current model suggests that while extravagant and wasteful signals are not required to ensure a signalling system's evolutionary stability, extravagant signalling systems may enjoy an advantage in terms of evolutionary attainability. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of ball type on home advantage in French professional soccer.

PubMed

Dosseville, Fabrice E M

2007-04-01

The home advantage has been consistently found in soccer matches, but conclusive evidence of the origin of this home advantage has yet to be identified. One factor often thought to contribute is familiarity with a local facility. The present study examined home advantage in the French professional soccer male championships (20 teams in each Ligue 1 and 2) and explored the influence of soccer ball type on this phenomenon. Whether it is knowing how a soccer ball rolls on a particular grass surface or some other aspect, the home team can react to the situation better if they know from experience what is likely to happen. The results suggest that type of soccer ball may have an influence on home advantage. Confounding factors are discussed.

A Visual Short-Term Memory Advantage for Objects of Expertise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curby, Kim M.; Glazek, Kuba; Gauthier, Isabel

2009-01-01

Visual short-term memory (VSTM) is limited, especially for complex objects. Its capacity, however, is greater for faces than for other objects; this advantage may stem from the holistic nature of face processing. If the holistic processing explains this advantage, object expertise--which also relies on holistic processing--should endow experts…

[Advantages and disadvantages of warfarin and pradaxa therapy for venous thromboembolism].

PubMed

Sukovatykh, B S; Belikov, L N; Savchuk, O F; Sukovatykh, M B

2014-01-01

An analysis of complex examination of 110 patients with venous thromboembolism was made. The patients were separated into 2 groups. The first group included 60 patients, who had the start heparin therapy during 7 days with the following 6-month warfarin therapy. Warfarin was substituted by pradaxa (dabigatran) for 50 patients of the second group. The efficacy of pradaxa could be compared with warfarin. However, pradaxa had a number of advantages such as the predictable anticoagulant effect, standard dosages. This medicine is more predictable and doesn't require a control of homeostasis and an adjustment of drug dosage.

Single-step CE for miniaturized and easy-to-use system.

PubMed

Ono, Koichi; Kaneda, Shohei; Fujii, Teruo

2013-03-01

We developed a novel single-step capillary electrophoresis (SSCE) scheme for miniaturized and easy to use system by using a microchannel chip, which was made from the hydrophilic material polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), equipped with a capillary stop valve. Taking the surface tension property of liquids into consideration, the capillary effect was used to introduce liquids and control capillary stop valves in a partial barrier structure in the wall of the microchannel. Through the combined action of stop valves and air vents, both sample plug formation for electrophoresis and sample injection into a separation channel were successfully performed in a single step. To optimize SSCE, different stop valve structures were evaluated using actual microchannel chips and the finite element method with the level set method. A partial barrier structure at the bottom of the channel functioned efficiently as a stop valve. The stability of stop valve was confirmed by a shock test, which was performed by dropping the microchannel chip to a floor. Sample plug deformation could be reduced by minimizing the size of the side partial barrier. By dissolving hydroxyl ethyl cellulose and using it as the sample solution, the EOF and adsorption of the sample into the PMMA microchannel were successfully reduced. Using this method, a 100-bp DNA ladder was concentrated; good separation was observed within 1 min. At a separation length of 5 mm, the signal was approximately 20-fold higher than a signal of original sample solution by field-amplified sample stacking effect. All operations, including liquid introduction and sample separation, can be completed within 2 min by using the SSCE scheme. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Use of Cylindrical Lenses in Easy Experiments for Physics Education and the Magic Arts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bednarek, Stanislaw; Krysiak, Jerzy

2011-01-01

The purpose of this article is to present the properties of cylindrical lenses and provide some examples of their use in easy school physics experiments. Such experiments could be successfully conducted in the context of science education, in fun experiments that teach physics and in science fair projects, or used to entertain an audience by…

Measuring phosphate with an inexpensive, easy to build photometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simeonov, Valentin; Weijs, Steven; Parlange, Marc

2013-04-01

In the context of a course for first year students to get hands-on experience with measuring in the environment, a photometric system for measuring phosphate concentration was developed. The system makes use of a single LED as a light source, a Si photodiode-based light to frequency conversion IC and an Arduino electronic card as acquisition system. The instrument is designed as an easy to assemble system and assembling and alignment is part of the exercise. The phosphate measurement is based on the formation of phosphor-molybdate complex which is eventually reduced to a blue component. The absorbance at 710 nm of a phosphate-containing fluid with added indicator is then measured and calibrated with a known solution. The initial test has demonstrated the ability of the instrument to detect phosphates in tap water. Other components as nitrates or chlorophyll could be easily measured with the instrument using LED emitting at the respective wavelengths.

Growing perovskite into polymers for easy-processable optoelectronic devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masi, Sofia; Colella, Silvia; Listorti, Andrea; Roiati, Vittoria; Liscio, Andrea; Palermo, Vincenzo; Rizzo, Aurora; Gigli, Giuseppe

2015-01-01

Here we conceive an innovative nanocomposite to endow hybrid perovskites with the easy processability of polymers, providing a tool to control film quality and material crystallinity. We verify that the employed semiconducting polymer, poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV), controls the self-assembly of CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) crystalline domains and favors the deposition of a very smooth and homogenous layer in one straightforward step. This idea offers a new paradigm for the implementation of polymer/perovskite nanocomposites towards versatile optoelectronic devices combined with the feasibility of mass production. As a proof-of-concept we propose the application of such nanocomposite in polymer solar cell architecture, demonstrating a power conversion efficiency up to 3%, to date the highest reported for MEH-PPV. On-purpose designed polymers are expected to suit the nanocomposite properties for the integration in diverse optoelectronic devices via facile processing condition.

Growing perovskite into polymers for easy-processable optoelectronic devices

PubMed Central

Masi, Sofia; Colella, Silvia; Listorti, Andrea; Roiati, Vittoria; Liscio, Andrea; Palermo, Vincenzo; Rizzo, Aurora; Gigli, Giuseppe

2015-01-01

Here we conceive an innovative nanocomposite to endow hybrid perovskites with the easy processability of polymers, providing a tool to control film quality and material crystallinity. We verify that the employed semiconducting polymer, poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV), controls the self-assembly of CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) crystalline domains and favors the deposition of a very smooth and homogenous layer in one straightforward step. This idea offers a new paradigm for the implementation of polymer/perovskite nanocomposites towards versatile optoelectronic devices combined with the feasibility of mass production. As a proof-of-concept we propose the application of such nanocomposite in polymer solar cell architecture, demonstrating a power conversion efficiency up to 3%, to date the highest reported for MEH-PPV. On-purpose designed polymers are expected to suit the nanocomposite properties for the integration in diverse optoelectronic devices via facile processing condition. PMID:25579988

Easy-to-read consumer communications: a missing link in Medicaid managed care.

PubMed

Root, J; Stableford, S

1999-02-01

Effective consumer communication is key to successfully moving Medicaid recipients into managed care systems and realizing the promised cost savings from the upheaval. Yet, little attention has been paid to educating these consumers with easy-to-read materials. The Maine Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Health Literacy Center, with the support of the Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc., addressed the problem by offering three national skills training workshops called Writing for the Medicaid Market. The training was marketed to public and private organizations providing Medicaid managed care services, including state Medicaid officials, health benefit counselor staff (enrollment brokers), managed care plan (HMO) staff, and consumer advocates. The training addressed the core issue in health literacy: the mismatch between the low literacy skills of the target population and the high reading level of most health and managed care materials. Posttraining survey data revealed that training was successful in skill building, but also that it addressed only the tip of the iceberg. Faulty and/or nonexistent communication planning limits the success not only of Medicaid, but of other large health and social programs as well. The authors outline the broad scope of the national health literacy problem, share their posttraining survey data, discuss lessons extrapolated from both their data and their experience, and propose a national agenda to address a vast and generally ignored public problem.

Medical ultrasound - From inner space to outer space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rooney, J. A.

1984-01-01

During the last decade, medical ultrasound has rapidly become a widely accepted imaging modality used in many medical specialties. It has the advantages that it is noninvasive, does not use ionizing radiation, is relatively inexpensive and is easy to use. Future trends in ultrasound include expanded areas of use, advanced signal processing and digital image analysis including tissue characterization and three-dimensional reconstructions.

The relation between proactive environmental strategies and competitive advantage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butnariu, A.; Avasilcăi, S.

2015-11-01

There are two distinct orientations of the environmental management that companies may adopt: the model of compliance and the strategic model. The strategic model treats environmental expenses as investments that will lead to competitive advantage for the company. Nevertheless, there are few scientific works that prove the relation between corporate environmental investments and competitive advantage. Thereby, in order to bring clarifications about the profound implications of environmental investments, in the first stage of our research we have proposed the hypothesis that the environmental investments would probably lead to competitive advantage by creating capabilities that are mediators of this relation. In the second stage we have tested this hypothesis, using the research method of survey. A questionnaire was sent to managers in textile Romanian industry, and 109 answers were received. The data was analysed using the linear multiple regression method and the results confirm our hypothesis.

Medicare Advantage: Issues, Insights, and Implications for the Future

PubMed Central

Cotton, Paul; Newhouse, Joseph P.; Volpp, Kevin G.; Fendrick, A. Mark; Oesterle, Susan Lynne; Oungpasuk, Pat; Aggarwal, Ruchi; Wilensky, Gail; Sebelius, Kathleen

2016-01-01

Medicare Advantage: Issues, Insights, and Implications for the Future Paul Cotton, Joseph P. Newhouse, PhD, Kevin G. Volpp, MD, PhD, A. Mark Fendrick, MD, Susan Lynne Oesterle, Pat Oungpasuk, Ruchi Aggarwal, Gail Wilensky, PhD, and Kathleen Sebelius Editorial   S-2 D.B. Nash, and A.Y. Schwartz The History, Impact, and Future of the Medicare Advantage Star Ratings System   S-3 P. Cotton Medicare Advantage and Traditional Fee-For-Service Medicare   S-4 J.P. Newhouse Behavioral Economics: Key to Effective Care Management Programs for Patients, Payers, and Providers   S-5 K.G. Volpp Value-Based Insurance Design: A Promising Strategy for Medicare Advantage   S-6 A.M. Fendrick, S.L. Oesterle, P. Oungpasuk, and R. Aggarwal Two Perspectives on the Future of Medicare Advantage   S-7 G. Wilensky and K. Sebelius PMID:27834576

Characterization of anti-theft devices directly from the surface of banknotes via easy ambient sonic spray ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Schmidt, Eduardo Morgado; Franco, Marcos Fernando; Cuelbas, Claudio José; Zacca, Jorge Jardim; de Carvalho Rocha, Werickson Fortunato; Borges, Rodrigo; de Souza, Wanderley; Sawaya, Alexandra Christine Helena Frankland; Eberlin, Marcos Nogueira; Correa, Deleon Nascimento

2015-09-01

Using Brazilian banknotes as a test case, forensic examination and identification of Rhodamine B dye anti-theft device (ATD) staining on banknotes were performed. Easy ambient sonic spray ionization mass spectrometry (EASI-MS) was used since it allows fast and simple analysis with no sample preparation providing molecular screening of the surface with direct desorption and ionization of the security dye. For a more accurate molecular characterization of the ATD dye, Q Exactive Orbitrap™ Fourier transform (tandem) mass spectrometry using eletrospray ionization (ESI-HRMS/MS) was also applied. Copyright © 2015 The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Gender, Load, and Backpack on Easy Standing and Vertical Jump Performance. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-03-01

D BY RICHARD C. NELSON AND PHILIP E. MARTIN BIOMECHANICS LABORATORY THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA MARCH...PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS Biomechanics Laboratory The Pennsylvania State University University Park. Pennsylvania 16802 10. PROGRAM...REFERENCES APPENDICES A. Clothing and Equipment Used in This Study B. ANOVA Summary Tables for Easy Standing C. ANOVA Summary Tables for

The Three Bears and Other Plays: Six Easy Plays Especially Written for Educationally Handicapped Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cassie, Dhyan

This booklet contains six easy plays written for educationally handicapped children. The plays are brief, use few characters and simple language and plots, and are based on fairy tales. Titles are: (1) "The Three Bears'" (2) "The Gingerbread Boy'" (3) "Little Red Riding Hood'" (4) "The Three Billy Goats Gruff'" (5) "Hansel and Gretel'" and (6)…

Local Normative Data on easyCBM[R] Reading and Mathematics: Fall 2009. Technical Report # 0918

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tindal, Gerald; Alonzo, Julie; Anderson, Daniel

2009-01-01

We developed equivalent, alternate forms of easyCBM[R] in reading (n=20 forms) and mathematics (n=13 forms) with different skills reflective of the National Reading Panel (NRP) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), respectively. We then took three forms to use as screening measures in the fall, winter, and spring so educators…

EASI-IMS an expedite and secure technique to screen for 25I-NBOH in blotter papers.

PubMed

de Morais, Damila Rodrigues; Barbosa, Ingrid Lopes; Cunha, Kelly Francisco; Tripodi, Guilherme Lucas; Angolini, Célio Fernando Figueiredo; Franco, Marcos Fernando; de Aquino, Elvis Medeiros; Eberlin, Marcos Nogueira; Costa, Jose Luiz

2017-10-01

The increasing number of new psychoactive substances (NPS) and their quick worldwide spreading, often only slightly modified in the form of new derivatives and analogues, have brought the need for fast, wide-ranging, and unequivocal identification methods in clinical and forensic investigations. Because it usually provides secure results, gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been routinely employed as the standard technique for the detection of NPS in blotter papers. For 25I-NBOH (N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-2-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethan-1-aminium), however, GC-MS analysis of an blotter paper extract leads to incorrect results. In this work, we investigated whether easy ambient sonic-spray mass spectrometry imaging (EASI-IMS), and ambient ionization MS method can be applied directly to the surface of the sample requiring therefore no extraction or sample preparations, would serve as an efficient, sensitive, and secure alternative for 25I-NBOH screening. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Influence of thermal agitation on the electric field induced precessional magnetization reversal with perpendicular easy axis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cheng, Hongguang, E-mail: chenghg7932@gmail.com; Deng, Ning

2013-12-15

We investigated the influence of thermal agitation on the electric field induced precessional magnetization switching probability with perpendicular easy axis by solving the Fokker-Planck equation numerically with finite difference method. The calculated results show that the thermal agitation during the reversal process crucially influences the switching probability. The switching probability can be achieved is only determined by the thermal stability factor Δ of the free layer, it is independent on the device dimension, which is important for the high density device application. Ultra-low error rate down to the order of 10{sup −9} can be achieved for the device of thermalmore » stability factor Δ of 40. Low damping factor α material should be used for the free layer for high reliability device applications. These results exhibit potential of electric field induced precessional magnetization switching with perpendicular easy axis for ultra-low power, high speed and high density magnetic random access memory (MRAM) applications.« less

A web interface for easy flexible protein-protein docking with ATTRACT.

PubMed

de Vries, Sjoerd J; Schindler, Christina E M; Chauvot de Beauchêne, Isaure; Zacharias, Martin

2015-02-03

Protein-protein docking programs can give valuable insights into the structure of protein complexes in the absence of an experimental complex structure. Web interfaces can facilitate the use of docking programs by structural biologists. Here, we present an easy web interface for protein-protein docking with the ATTRACT program. While aimed at nonexpert users, the web interface still covers a considerable range of docking applications. The web interface supports systematic rigid-body protein docking with the ATTRACT coarse-grained force field, as well as various kinds of protein flexibility. The execution of a docking protocol takes up to a few hours on a standard desktop computer. Copyright © 2015 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microneedles: quick and easy delivery methods of vaccines

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Vaccination is the most efficient method for infectious disease prevention. Parenteral injections such as intramuscular, intradermal, and subcutaneous injections have several advantages in vaccine delivery, but there are many drawbacks. Thus, the development of a new vaccine delivery system has long been required. Recently, microneedles have been attracting attention as new vaccination tools. Microneedle is a highly effective transdermal vaccine delivery method due to its mechanism of action, painlessness, and ease of use. Here, we summarized the characteristics of microneedles and the possibilities as a new vaccine delivery route. PMID:28775980

The Advantages of Using Planned Comparisons over Post Hoc Tests.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuehne, Carolyn C.

There are advantages to using a priori or planned comparisons rather than omnibus multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) tests followed by post hoc or a posteriori testing. A small heuristic data set is used to illustrate these advantages. An omnibus MANOVA test was performed on the data followed by a post hoc test (discriminant analysis). A…

Home Field Advantage Calculation for Physical Education and Sport Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Inan, Tugbay

2018-01-01

It is a well-established fact that playing at home field is an advantageous condition for professional sport teams. For this reason, the home field advantage in team sports is an important issue to be explored. It is also one of the different topics that physical education and sports students can use when they want to perform performance analysis…

Advantages and Disadvantages of Health Care Accreditation Mod-els.

PubMed

Tabrizi, Jafar S; Gharibi, Farid; Wilson, Andrew J

2011-01-01

This systematic review seeks to define the general advantages and disadvan-tages of accreditation programs to assist in choosing the most appropriate approach. Systematic search of SID, Ovid Medline & PubMed databases was conducted by the keywords of accreditation, hospital, medical practice, clinic, accreditation models, health care and Persian meanings. From 2379 initial articles, 83 articles met the full inclusion criteria. From initial analysis, 23 attributes were identified which appeared to define advantages and disadvantages of different accreditation approaches and the available systems were compared on these. Six systems were identified in the international literature including the JCAHO from USA, the Canadian program of CCHSA, and the accreditation programs of UK, Australia, New Zealand and France. The main distinguishing attributes among them were: quality improve-ment, patient and staff safety, improving health services integration, public's confi-dence, effectiveness and efficiency of health services, innovation, influence global standards, information management, breadth of activity, history, effective relationship with stakeholders, agreement with AGIL attributes and independence from government. Based on 23 attributes of comprehensive accreditation systems we have defined from a systematic review, the JCAHO accreditation program of USA and then CCHSA of Can-ada offered the most comprehensive systems with the least disadvantages. Other programs such as the ACHS of Australia, ANAES of France, QHNZ of New Zealand and UK accredita-tion programs were fairly comparable according to these criteria. However the decision for any country or health system should be based on an assessment weighing up their specific objec-tives and needs.

The nail and hair in forensic science.

PubMed

Daniel, C Ralph; Piraccini, Bianca Maria; Tosti, Antonella

2004-02-01

Drugs, chemicals, and biological substances accumulate and are stored in hair and nails where they can be detected and measured. Advantages of analyzing hair and nail samples also include their easy and non-invasive collection, the small sample size required for analysis, and their easy storage at room temperature. We report 3 examples of heavy metal poisoning diagnosed because of the hair or nail symptoms. Drugs and toxins that can be detected in hair and nails are reviewed and the application of hair/nail analysis in general and in forensic medicine is discussed.

An easy access to nanocrystalline alkaline earth metal fluorides - just by shaking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreger, M.; Scholz, G.; Kemnitz, E.

2012-04-01

High energy ball milling as fast, direct and solvent free method allows an easy access to nanocrystalline alkaline earth metal fluorides MF2 (M: Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba). Comparable metal sources (acetates, carbonates, hydroxides, alkoxides) were used for the reaction with NH4F as fluorinating agent. Even very simple manual shaking experiments between NH4F and the corresponding hydroxides in the stoichiometric ratio (M:F = 1:2, M: Ca, Sr, Ba) give phase pure fluorides. Moreover, comparable classical thermal reactions in closed crucibles at higher temperatures provide phase pure crystalline fluorides in nearly all cases as well.

Novel techniques in stress echocardiography: a focus on the advantages and disadvantages.

PubMed

Vamvakidou, Anastasia; Gurunathan, Sothinathan; Senior, Roxy

2016-01-01

Stress echocardiography (SE) is an established tool not only for the assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD), but also for the evaluation of valvular disease and cardiomyopathy. New techniques, namely contrast echocardiography for function and perfusion including assessment of coronary flow reserve, strain imaging, 3-dimensional echocardiography, Doppler-derived coronary flow reserve and multimodality echocardiography, have been incorporated into stress protocols for improving assessment of cardiac disease. In this review, the advantages and disadvantages of these novel SE techniques are examined in terms of feasibility, accuracy, reproducibility and applications.

Strategic Choice: United States Special Forces’ Comparative Advantage in Irregular Warfare

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

UNITED STATES SPECIAL FORCES’ COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE IN IRREGULAR WARFARE by Steven F. Payne March 2017 Thesis Advisor: Hy S. Rothstein...REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE STRATEGIC CHOICE: UNITED STATES SPECIAL FORCES’ COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE IN...methodology, this thesis concludes that U.S. Army Special Forces have a comparative advantage over conventional forces to provide the National Command

[Overdenture supported by natural teeth: analysis of clinical advantages].

PubMed

Scotti, R; Melilli, D; Pizzo, G

2003-05-01

Hybrid prosthesis supported by natural teeth (overdenture) is widely used in clinical practice and should be executed whenever the clinical conditions suggest it. Through a critical review of the literature, the anatomical, functional, psychological and clinical advantages are emphasized. Among the first ones, the prophylaxis of residual anatomical components, due to the limitation of bone resorption, and the preservation of sensorial proprioception are relevant. Important advantages are also represented by a better crown-root ratio of residual teeth supporting overdenture, with the consequent improvement of the longitudinal prognosis of such teeth. The greater retention and stability of overdenture in comparison with complete denture greatly improve the masticatory efficacy. The psychological advantages resulting from the dental anchorage, which allows the patient to be more confident in social life, are also relevant. Finally, when the dental support is lost, converting overdenture into complete denture is simple and quick, and makes easier the longitudinal clinical maintenance of the denture.

The UNIX/XENIX Advantage: Applications in Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Kelly L.

1988-01-01

Discusses the application of the UNIX/XENIX operating system to support administrative office automation functions--word processing, spreadsheets, database management systems, electronic mail, and communications--at the Central Michigan University Libraries. Advantages and disadvantages of the XENIX operating system and system configuration are…

Female patients in fertile age with chronic hepatitis C, easy genotype, and persistently normal transaminases have a 100% chance to reach a sustained virological response.

PubMed

Floreani, Annarosa; Cazzagon, Nora; Boemo, Deris Gianni; Baldovin, Tatjana; Baldo, Vincenzo; Egoue, Joel; Antoniazzi, Sara; Minola, Eliseo

2011-11-01

Patients with chronic hepatitis C and persistently normal alanine transaminase levels have recently been included in the guidelines for antiviral treatment. To evaluate the efficacy of PEG-interferon α-2a and weight-based ribavirin doses in patients with these characteristics in a single Italian centre. Patients with chronic hepatitis C and at least three normal alanine transaminase values over a 12-month period were offered a treatment with PEG-interferon α-2a 180 mg/week and ribavirin (800 mg/day for weight <60 kg; 1000 mg/day for weight >60 and <75 kg; 1200 mg/day for weight >75 kg) for 24 weeks (according to genotype 2 or 3) or for 48 weeks (according to genotype 1 or 4). Each patient at baseline underwent liver stiffness (LS) examination using Fibroscan. Data were analysed according to the intention-to-treat criteria. A total of 227 patients (55 men, 172 women) were enrolled into the study: 65 (28.6%) had genotype 1, 144 (63.4%) genotype 2, nine (4.0%) genotype 3 and nine (4.0%) genotype 4. Patients with genotype 2 or 3 (N=153 with easy genotypes) were allocated in group 1 and those with genotype 1 or 4 (N=74 with difficult genotypes) in group 2. According to the LS measurement, patients were classified as follows: 159 (70.0%) presented absent or mild fibrosis (LS=2.5-7.0 kPa), 61 (26.9%) patients had significant fibrosis (LS=7.1-9.5) and seven (3.1%) patients had severe fibrosis (LS >9.6). Twelve patients (5.3%) dropped out within 4 months because of side-effects, whereas 215 patients completed the study. Overall, 13 patients were considered nonresponders (5.7%) and six patients (2.6%) were relapsers to the therapy. The sustained virological response (SVR) rate was 85.4% and it was higher in 'easy' genotypes (2 or 3) compared with 'difficult' genotypes (1 or 4) (92.2 vs. 74.3%, P<0.001). No statistical difference was found in the SVR rate between patients presenting absent or mild fibrosis as against those with significant fibrosis. Multivariate analysis

Sustainable competitive advantage for accountable care organizations.

PubMed

Macfarlane, Michael Alex

2014-01-01

In the current period of health industry reform, accountable care organizations (ACOs) have emerged as a new model for the delivery of high-quality and cost-effective healthcare. However, few ACOs operate in direct competition with one another, and the accountable care business model has yet to present a means of continually developing new marginal value for patients and network partners. With value-based purchasing and patient consumerism strengthening as market forces, ACOs must build organizational sustainability and competitive advantage to meet the value demands set by customers and competitors. This essay proposes a strategy, adapted from the disciplines of agile software development and Lean product development, through which ACOs can engage internal and external customers in the development of new products that will provide sustainability and competitive advantage to the organization by decreasing waste in development, promoting specialized knowledge, and closely targeting customer value.

Safety and tolerability of the Easy Vax™ clinical epidermal electroporation system in healthy adults.

PubMed

El-Kamary, Samer S; Billington, Melissa; Deitz, Stephen; Colby, Elaina; Rhinehart, Howard; Wu, Yukun; Blackwelder, William; Edelman, Robert; Lee, Albert; King, Alan

2012-01-01

DNA vaccines are cost-effective and versatile, though intracellular delivery has been challenging in humans. Alternative delivery modalities such as electroporation have demonstrated improved immune responses, but are painful. In this single-center, double-blind, medical device trial, we evaluated the safety and tolerability of Easy Vax™ dermal electroporation system, alone (without DNA) in healthy adults. Three randomized protocol doses were administered to 10 subjects (80% white, 60% female, mean age: 32.1 years) in each of two areas (total of six doses). Two subjects complained of shooting pain, burning and/or tingling when doses were administered to the forearm region, but not the lateral deltoid regions. Subsequent doses for the remaining eight subjects were restricted to the deltoid regions only. Tolerability pain scores never exceeded 3 of 10 in the 11-Point Pain Rating scale, and 12 of 100 in the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and lower in follow-up evaluations (P < 0.0001), with no significant difference between the three dosing protocols. Electrical properties of the skin, measured automatically by the device, showed no correlation between pain intensity and skin conductance. In conclusion, the Easy Vax™ electroporation device is safe and well tolerated when administered over the lateral deltoid skin regions in healthy volunteers.

When students can choose easy, medium, or hard homework problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teodorescu, Raluca E.; Seaton, Daniel T.; Cardamone, Caroline N.; Rayyan, Saif; Abbott, Jonathan E.; Barrantes, Analia; Pawl, Andrew; Pritchard, David E.

2012-02-01

We investigate student-chosen, multi-level homework in our Integrated Learning Environment for Mechanics [1] built using the LON-CAPA [2] open-source learning system. Multi-level refers to problems categorized as easy, medium, and hard. Problem levels were determined a priori based on the knowledge needed to solve them [3]. We analyze these problems using three measures: time-per-problem, LON-CAPA difficulty, and item difficulty measured by item response theory. Our analysis of student behavior in this environment suggests that time-per-problem is strongly dependent on problem category, unlike either score-based measures. We also found trends in student choice of problems, overall effort, and efficiency across the student population. Allowing students choice in problem solving seems to improve their motivation; 70% of students worked additional problems for which no credit was given.

Biomechanical Reconstructions and Selective Advantages of Neck Poses and Feeding Strategies of Sauropods with the Example of Mamenchisaurus youngi

PubMed Central

Christian, Andreas; Peng, Guangzhao; Sekiya, Toru; Ye, Yong; Wulf, Marco G.; Steuer, Thorsten

2013-01-01

A very long neck is a characteristic feature of most sauropod dinosaurs. In the genus Mamenchisaurus, neck length is extreme, greater than 40 percent of total body length. However, the posture, utilization, and selective advantage of very long necks in sauropods are still controversial. An excellently preserved skeleton of Mamenchisaurus youngi, including a complete neck, provides an opportunity for a comprehensive biomechanical analysis of neck posture and mobility. The biomechanical evidence indicates that Mamenchisaurus youngi had a nearly straight, near horizontal neck posture and browsed at low or medium heights. The results differ from the findings for some other sauropod species, like Euhelopus, Diplodocus, and Giraffatitan (Brachiosaurus) that had been analyzed in previous studies with similar methods. The selective advantage of extreme neck length in sauropods is likely advantageous for different feeding strategies. PMID:24204557

Incorporation of Indigenous Forces in Major Theater War: Advantages, Risks and Considerations

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-05-03

USAWC STRATEGY RESEARCH PROJECT INCORPORATION OF INDIGENOUS FORCES IN MAJOR THEATER WAR: ADVANTAGES , RISKS AND CONSIDERATIONS by Ms. Priscilla... Advantages , Risks and Considerations 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Priscilla Sellers 5d. PROJECT NUMBER...Std Z39-18 ii iii ABSTRACT AUTHOR: Priscilla Sellers TITLE: Incorporation of Indigenous Forces in Major Theater War: Advantages , Risks and

The Development and Scaling of the easyCBM CCSS Middle School Mathematics Measures. Technical Report #1207

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Daniel; Irvin, P. Shawn; Patarapichayatham, Chalie; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2012-01-01

In the following technical report, we describe the development and scaling of the easyCBM CCSS middle school mathematics measures, designed for use within a response to intervention framework. All items were developed in collaboration with experienced middle school mathematics teachers and were written to align with the Common Core State…

A microbial model of economic trading and comparative advantage.

PubMed

Enyeart, Peter J; Simpson, Zachary B; Ellington, Andrew D

2015-01-07

The economic theory of comparative advantage postulates that beneficial trading relationships can be arrived at by two self-interested entities producing the same goods as long as they have opposing relative efficiencies in producing those goods. The theory predicts that upon entering trade, in order to maximize consumption both entities will specialize in producing the good they can produce at higher efficiency, that the weaker entity will specialize more completely than the stronger entity, and that both will be able to consume more goods as a result of trade than either would be able to alone. We extend this theory to the realm of unicellular organisms by developing mathematical models of genetic circuits that allow trading of a common good (specifically, signaling molecules) required for growth in bacteria in order to demonstrate comparative advantage interactions. In Conception 1, the experimenter controls production rates via exogenous inducers, allowing exploration of the parameter space of specialization. In Conception 2, the circuits self-regulate via feedback mechanisms. Our models indicate that these genetic circuits can demonstrate comparative advantage, and that cooperation in such a manner is particularly favored under stringent external conditions and when the cost of production is not overly high. Further work could involve implementing the models in living bacteria and searching for naturally occurring cooperative relationships between bacteria that conform to the principles of comparative advantage. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Internet Usage and Competitive Advantage: The Impact of the Internet on an Old Economy Industry in Spain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

del Aguila Obra, Ana Rosa; Bruque Camara, Sebastian; Padilla Melendez, Antonio

2002-01-01

Considers whether Internet technologies have led to competitive advantage for companies operating in traditional industries. Highlights include a literature review; using the resource-based view (RBV) of firms as a theoretical framework for an empirical investigation; and a survey that investigated Internet technologies and competitive advantage…

A large-strain, fast-response, and easy-to-manufacture electrothermal actuator based on laser-reduced graphene oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Tian-Yu; Wang, Qian; Deng, Ning-Qin; Zhao, Hai-Ming; Wang, Dan-Yang; Yang, Zhen; Liu, Ying; Yang, Yi; Ren, Tian-Ling

2017-09-01

In this paper, we have developed a high-performance graphene electrothermal actuator (ETA). The fabrication method is easy, fast, environmentally friendly, and suitable for preparing both large-size and miniature graphene ETAs. When applied with the driving voltage of 65 V, the graphene ETA achieves a large bending angle of 270° with a fast response of 8 s and the recovery process costs 19 s. The large bending deformation is reversible and can be precisely controlled by the driving voltage. A simple robotic hand prepared by using a single graphene ETA can hold the object, which is more than ten times the weight of itself. By virtue of its large-strain, fast response, and easy-to-manufacture, we believe that the graphene ETA has tremendous potential in extensive applications involving biomimetic robotics, artificial muscles, switches, and microsensors in both macroscopic and microscopic fields.

Quebec Trophoblastic Disease Registry: how to make an easy-to-use dynamic database.

PubMed

Sauthier, Philippe; Breguet, Magali; Rozenholc, Alexandre; Sauthier, Michaël

2015-05-01

To create an easy-to-use dynamic database designed specifically for the Quebec Trophoblastic Disease Registry (RMTQ). It is now well established that much of the success in managing trophoblastic diseases comes from the development of national and regional reference centers. Computerized databases allow the optimal use of data stored in these centers. We have created an electronic data registration system by producing a database using FileMaker Pro 12. It uses 11 external tables associated with a unique identification number for each patient. Each table allows specific data to be recorded, incorporating demographics, diagnosis, automated staging, laboratory values, pathological diagnosis, and imaging parameters. From January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2013, we used our database to register 311 patients with 380 diseases and have seen a 39.2% increase in registrations each year between 2009 and 2012. This database allows the automatic generation of semilogarithmic curves, which take into account β-hCG values as a function of time, complete with graphic markers for applied treatments (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery). It generates a summary sheet for a synthetic vision in real time. We have created, at a low cost, an easy-to-use database specific to trophoblastic diseases that dynamically integrates staging and monitoring. We propose a 10-step procedure for a successful trophoblastic database. It improves patient care, research, and education on trophoblastic diseases in Quebec and leads to an opportunity for collaboration on a national Canadian registry.

PLAYERS' PERCEPTIONS OF HOME ADVANTAGE IN THE AUSTRALIAN RUGBY LEAGUE COMPETITION.

PubMed

Mcguckin, Teneale A; Sinclair, Wade H; Sealey, Rebecca M; Bowman, Paul W

2015-12-01

This study was designed to pilot a survey to explore players' perception of home advantage in a rugby league. Twenty-seven players from one team with an identified home advantage believed a home advantage existed as a result of their home crowd (52%), family and friends' support (41%), normal travel (45%) and sleeping arrangements (37%), home weather conditions (48%), and familiarity with playing amenities (37%). However, the players were less definite about influences while playing away from home. The current sample of players identified differing influences, highlighting individual variations in perceived determinants. Individual interviews or focus groups will be required for further exploration.

Design of gecko-inspired fibrillar surfaces with strong attachment and easy-removal properties: a numerical analysis of peel-zone

PubMed Central

Zhou, Ming; Pesika, Noshir; Zeng, Hongbo; Wan, Jin; Zhang, Xiangjun; Meng, Yonggang; Wen, Shizhu; Tian, Yu

2012-01-01

Despite successful fabrication of gecko-inspired fibrillar surfaces with strong adhesion forces, how to achieve an easy-removal property becomes a major concern that may restrict the wide applications of these bio-inspired surfaces. Research on how geckos detach rapidly has inspired the design of novel adhesive surfaces with strong and reversible adhesion capabilities, which relies on further fundamental understanding of the peeling mechanisms. Recent studies showed that the peel-zone plays an important role in the peeling off of adhesive tapes or fibrillar surfaces. In this study, a numerical method was developed to evaluate peel-zone deformation and the resulting mechanical behaviour due to the deformations of fibrillar surfaces detaching from a smooth rigid substrate. The effect of the geometrical parameters of pillars and the stiffness of backing layer on the peel-zone and peel strength, and the strong attachment and easy-removal properties have been analysed to establish a design map for bio-inspired fibrillar surfaces, which shows that the optimized strong attachment and easy-removal properties can vary by over three orders of magnitude. The adhesion and peeling design map established provides new insights into the design and development of novel gecko-inspired fibrillar surfaces. PMID:22572030

Alignment with the Common Core State Standards: easyCBM K-3 Word Reading. Technical Report #1303

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sáez, Leilani; Irvin, P. Shawn; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2013-01-01

Five hundred and seventeen words from the easyCBM Word Reading assessment (n = 57 kindergarten, 117 first grade, 172 second grade, and 171 third grade) were examined by 15 teachers for their correspondence with the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts. In particular, the degree of correspondence between Standard 3 ("Phonics…

Bilinguals’ Working Memory (WM) Advantage and Their Dual Language Practices

PubMed Central

Yang, Eunju

2017-01-01

The present study investigates a possible working memory (WM) difference between monolingual and bilingual groups and explores the relationship between their WM advantage and language practices. A mixed methods design was employed for the study. To measure participants’ WM, auditory and visual digit span tasks were conducted on the different language groups: 20 Korean near-monolinguals, and 40 Korean–English bilinguals with two different levels of second language (L2) proficiency. Bilinguals’ daily language practices were explored through semi-structured interviews with eight bilinguals. The convergence of the findings from both tests and interview data suggests that knowing two languages does not guarantee bilingual WM advantages over monolinguals, but the advantage might be linked to bilinguals’ unique L2 use environment where they need to hold incoming L2 information while decoding it. PMID:28718840

Effect of Maximal Apnoea Easy-Going and Struggle Phases on Subarachnoid Width and Pial Artery Pulsation in Elite Breath-Hold Divers.

PubMed

Winklewski, Pawel J; Barak, Otto; Madden, Dennis; Gruszecka, Agnieszka; Gruszecki, Marcin; Guminski, Wojciech; Kot, Jacek; Frydrychowski, Andrzej F; Drvis, Ivan; Dujic, Zeljko

2015-01-01

The aim of the study was to assess changes in subarachnoid space width (sas-TQ), the marker of intracranial pressure (ICP), pial artery pulsation (cc-TQ) and cardiac contribution to blood pressure (BP), cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) and cc-TQ oscillations throughout the maximal breath hold in elite apnoea divers. Non-invasive assessment of sas-TQ and cc-TQ became possible due to recently developed method based on infrared radiation, called near-infrared transillumination/backscattering sounding (NIR-T/BSS). The experimental group consisted of seven breath-hold divers (six men). During testing, each participant performed a single maximal end-inspiratory breath hold. Apnoea consisted of the easy-going and struggle phases (characterised by involuntary breathing movements (IBMs)). Heart rate (HR) was determined using a standard ECG. BP was assessed using the photoplethysmography method. SaO2 was monitored continuously with pulse oximetry. A pneumatic chest belt was used to register thoracic and abdominal movements. Cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) was estimated by a 2-MHz transcranial Doppler ultrasonic probe. sas-TQ and cc-TQ were measured using NIR-T/BSS. Wavelet transform analysis was performed to assess cardiac contribution to BP, CBFV and cc-TQ oscillations. Mean BP and CBFV increased compared to baseline at the end of the easy phase and were further augmented by IBMs. cc-TQ increased compared to baseline at the end of the easy phase and remained stable during the IBMs. HR did not change significantly throughout the apnoea, although a trend toward a decrease during the easy phase and recovery during the IBMs was visible. Amplitudes of BP, CBFV and cc-TQ were augmented. sas-TQ and SaO2 decreased at the easy phase of apnoea and further decreased during the IBMs. Apnoea increases intracranial pressure and pial artery pulsation. Pial artery pulsation seems to be stabilised by the IBMs. Cardiac contribution to BP, CBFV and cc-TQ oscillations does not change

Monitoring binding affinity between drug and α1-acid glycoprotein in real time by Venturi easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Liu, Ning; Lu, Xin; Yang, YuHan; Yao, Chen Xi; Ning, BaoMing; He, Dacheng; He, Lan; Ouyang, Jin

2015-10-01

A new approach for monitoring the binding affinity between drugs and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein in real time was developed based on a combination of drug-protein reaction followed by Venturi easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry determination of the free drug concentrations. A known basic drug, propranolol was used to validate the new built method. Binding constant values calculated by venturi easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry was in good accordance with a traditional ultrafiltration combined with high performance liquid chromatography method. Then six types of basic drugs were used as the samples to conduct the real time analysis. Upon injection of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein to the drug mixture, the ion chromatograms were extracted to show the changes in the free drug concentrations in real time. By observing the drop-out of six types of drugs during the whole binding reaction, the binding affinities of different drugs were distinguished. A volume shift validating experiment and an injection delay correcting experiment were also performed to eliminate extraneous factors and verify the reliability of our experiment. Therefore, the features of Venturi easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (V-EASI-MS) and the experimental results indicate that our technique is likely to become a powerful tool for monitoring drug-AGP binding affinity in real time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tailor-made resealable micro(bio)reactors providing easy integration of in situ sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viefhues, Martina; Sun, Shiwen; Valikhani, Donya; Nidetzky, Bernd; Vrouwe, Elwin X.; Mayr, Torsten; Bolivar, Juan M.

2017-06-01

Flow microreactors utilizing immobilized enzymes are of great interest in biocatalysis development. Most of the common devices are permanently closed, single-use systems, which allow limited physical and chemical surface modifications and evaluation methods. In this paper we will present resealable flowcells that overcome these limitations and moreover allow a quick and easy integration of sensor systems, because of the use of modular building blocks. The devices were utilized to study the enzyme activity of glucose oxidase immobilized on chemically modified glass surfaces under flow conditions, employing integrated optical oxygen sensors for on-line monitoring.

An Experimental Investigation of the Functional Hypothesis and Evolutionary Advantage of Stone-Tipped Spears

PubMed Central

Wilkins, Jayne; Schoville, Benjamin J.; Brown, Kyle S.

2014-01-01

Stone-tipped weapons were a significant innovation for Middle Pleistocene hominins. Hafted hunting technology represents the development of new cognitive and social learning mechanisms within the genus Homo, and may have provided a foraging advantage over simpler forms of hunting technology, such as a sharpened wooden spear. However, the nature of this foraging advantage has not been confirmed. Experimental studies and ethnographic reports provide conflicting results regarding the relative importance of the functional, economic, and social roles of hafted hunting technology. The controlled experiment reported here was designed to test the functional hypothesis for stone-tipped weapons using spears and ballistics gelatin. It differs from previous investigations of this type because it includes a quantitative analysis of wound track profiles and focuses specifically on hand-delivered spear technology. Our results do not support the hypothesis that tipped spears penetrate deeper than untipped spears. However, tipped spears create a significantly larger inner wound cavity that widens distally. This inner wound cavity is analogous to the permanent wound cavity in ballistics research, which is considered the key variable affecting the relative ‘stopping power’ or ‘killing power’ of a penetrating weapon. Tipped spears conferred a functional advantage to Middle Pleistocene hominins, potentially affecting the frequency and regularity of hunting success with important implications for human adaptation and life history. PMID:25162397

Dissociation between recognition and detection advantage for facial expressions: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Nummenmaa, Lauri; Calvo, Manuel G

2015-04-01

Happy facial expressions are recognized faster and more accurately than other expressions in categorization tasks, whereas detection in visual search tasks is widely believed to be faster for angry than happy faces. We used meta-analytic techniques for resolving this categorization versus detection advantage discrepancy for positive versus negative facial expressions. Effect sizes were computed on the basis of the r statistic for a total of 34 recognition studies with 3,561 participants and 37 visual search studies with 2,455 participants, yielding a total of 41 effect sizes for recognition accuracy, 25 for recognition speed, and 125 for visual search speed. Random effects meta-analysis was conducted to estimate effect sizes at population level. For recognition tasks, an advantage in recognition accuracy and speed for happy expressions was found for all stimulus types. In contrast, for visual search tasks, moderator analysis revealed that a happy face detection advantage was restricted to photographic faces, whereas a clear angry face advantage was found for schematic and "smiley" faces. Robust detection advantage for nonhappy faces was observed even when stimulus emotionality was distorted by inversion or rearrangement of the facial features, suggesting that visual features primarily drive the search. We conclude that the recognition advantage for happy faces is a genuine phenomenon related to processing of facial expression category and affective valence. In contrast, detection advantages toward either happy (photographic stimuli) or nonhappy (schematic) faces is contingent on visual stimulus features rather than facial expression, and may not involve categorical or affective processing. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Designing easy DNA extraction: Teaching creativity through laboratory practice.

PubMed

Susantini, Endang; Lisdiana, Lisa; Isnawati; Tanzih Al Haq, Aushia; Trimulyono, Guntur

2017-05-01

Subject material concerning Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (DNA) structure in the format of creativity-driven laboratory practice offers meaningful learning experience to the students. Therefore, a laboratory practice in which utilizes simple procedures and easy-safe-affordable household materials should be promoted to students to develop their creativity. This study aimed to examine whether designing and conducting DNA extraction with household materials could foster students' creative thinking. We also described how this laboratory practice affected students' knowledge and views. A total of 47 students participated in this study. These students were grouped and asked to utilize available household materials and modify procedures using hands-on worksheet. Result showed that this approach encouraged creative thinking as well as improved subject-related knowledge. Students also demonstrated positive views about content knowledge, social skills, and creative thinking skills. This study implies that extracting DNA with household materials is able to develop content knowledge, social skills, and creative thinking of the students. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(3):216-225, 2017. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

77 FR 67433 - Community Advantage Pilot Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-09

... comments. SUMMARY: The Community Advantage (``CA'') Pilot Program is a pilot program to increase SBA... small businesses and entrepreneurs in underserved markets, SBA is issuing this Notice to extend the term... Pilot Program was introduced to increase the number of SBA-guaranteed loans made to small businesses in...

The use of cylindrical lenses in easy experiments for physics education and the magic arts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bednarek, Stanisław; Krysiak, Jerzy

2011-09-01

The purpose of this article is to present the properties of cylindrical lenses and provide some examples of their use in easy school physics experiments. Such experiments could be successfully conducted in the context of science education, in fun experiments that teach physics and in science fair projects, or used to entertain an audience by staging tricks, effects or illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats.

Prevalence and Citation Advantage of Gold Open Access in the Subject Areas of the Scopus Database

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorta-González, Pablo; Santana-Jiménez, Yolanda

2018-01-01

The potential benefit of open access (OA) in relation to citation impact has been discussed in the literature in depth. The methodology used to test the OA citation advantage includes comparing OA vs. non-OA journal impact factors and citations of OA vs. non-OA articles published in the same non-OA journals. However, one problem with many studies…

Advantages of semiconductor CZT for medical imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagenaar, Douglas J.; Parnham, Kevin; Sundal, Bjorn; Maehlum, Gunnar; Chowdhury, Samir; Meier, Dirk; Vandehei, Thor; Szawlowski, Marek; Patt, Bradley E.

2007-09-01

Cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe, or CZT) is a room-temperature semiconductor radiation detector that has been developed in recent years for a variety of applications. CZT has been investigated for many potential uses in medical imaging, especially in the field of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). CZT can also be used in positron emission tomography (PET) as well as photon-counting and integration-mode x-ray radiography and computed tomography (CT). The principal advantages of CZT are 1) direct conversion of x-ray or gamma-ray energy into electron-hole pairs; 2) energy resolution; 3) high spatial resolution and hence high space-bandwidth product; 4) room temperature operation, stable performance, high density, and small volume; 5) depth-of-interaction (DOI) available through signal processing. These advantages will be described in detail with examples from our own CZT systems. The ability to operate at room temperature, combined with DOI and very small pixels, make the use of multiple, stationary CZT "mini-gamma cameras" a realistic alternative to today's large Anger-type cameras that require motion to obtain tomographic sampling. The compatibility of CZT with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-fields is demonstrated for a new type of multi-modality medical imaging, namely SPECT/MRI. For pre-clinical (i.e., laboratory animal) imaging, the advantages of CZT lie in spatial and energy resolution, small volume, automated quality control, and the potential for DOI for parallax removal in pinhole imaging. For clinical imaging, the imaging of radiographically dense breasts with CZT enables scatter rejection and hence improved contrast. Examples of clinical breast images with a dual-head CZT system are shown.

Examining the Internal Structure of the easyCBM Reading Measures, Grades K-5. Technical Report #1302

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Tindal, Gerald

2013-01-01

In this technical report, we describe a study examining the internal structures of the easyCBM reading measures, Grades K-5. Data were gathered from a convenience sample of 114 Kindergarten students, 43 first graders, 82 second graders, 100 third graders, 109 fourth graders, and 71 fifth graders attending schools in Oregon, Georgia, South…

Ecology. The advantages of togetherness.

PubMed

Cox, E; Bonner, J

2001-04-20

What would be the advantage of unicellular organisms becoming multicellular? For organisms that feed on organic food (heterotrophs), the most efficient way to produce energy is to metabolize the food by aerobic respiration, but the fastest way is to metabolize it by fermentation. In their Perspective, Cox and Bonner discuss a mathematical model (Pfeiffer et al.), which shows that when these two kinds of organisms (respirators and fermenters) compete for a limited food source, the respirators manage best when they are grouped in clusters rather than remaining as separate cells. In this way, multicellularity could have originated.

3D-printed Microfluidic Devices: Fabrication, Advantages and Limitations—a Mini Review

PubMed Central

Chen, Chengpeng; Mehl, Benjamin T.; Munshi, Akash S.; Townsend, Alexandra D.; Spence, Dana M.; Martin, R. Scott

2016-01-01

A mini-review with 79 references. In this review, the most recent trends in 3D-printed microfluidic devices are discussed. In addition, a focus is given to the fabrication aspects of these devices, with the supplemental information containing detailed instructions for designing a variety of structures including: a microfluidic channel, threads to accommodate commercial fluidic fittings, a flow splitter; a well plate, a mold for PDMS channel casting; and how to combine multiple designs into a single device. The advantages and limitations of 3D-printed microfluidic devices are thoroughly discussed, as are some future directions for the field. PMID:27617038

Advantages of a Beveled Osteotomy on the Zygomatic Arch During Reduction Malarplasty.

PubMed

Lee, Tae Sung; Park, Sanghoon

2017-10-01

During a conventional reduction malarplasty procedure, a dual approach including intraoral incisions and preauricular incisions is made to reduce both the zygomatic body and arch. As the preauricular approach is performed to cut the zygomatic arch, there are several remarkable advantages that can be achieved by simply beveling the osteotomy anteriorly on the zygomatic arch. This has the benefits of enhancing bone union by the increase in cross-sectional area for bone contact, decreasing palpability on the osteotomy site, placing the osteotomy more posteriorly, preventing depression in the anterior malar region, and reducing the need for metal fixtures.

3D-printed Microfluidic Devices: Fabrication, Advantages and Limitations-a Mini Review.

PubMed

Chen, Chengpeng; Mehl, Benjamin T; Munshi, Akash S; Townsend, Alexandra D; Spence, Dana M; Martin, R Scott

2016-08-21

A mini-review with 79 references. In this review, the most recent trends in 3D-printed microfluidic devices are discussed. In addition, a focus is given to the fabrication aspects of these devices, with the supplemental information containing detailed instructions for designing a variety of structures including: a microfluidic channel, threads to accommodate commercial fluidic fittings, a flow splitter; a well plate, a mold for PDMS channel casting; and how to combine multiple designs into a single device. The advantages and limitations of 3D-printed microfluidic devices are thoroughly discussed, as are some future directions for the field.

Stealing Zeus’s Thunder: Physical Space-Control Advantages Against Hostile Satellites

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

UNCLASSIFIED Defense Technical Information Center Compilation Part Notice ADP023956 TITLE: Stealing Zeus’s Thunder: Physical Space-Control Advantages ...e .d co ne t to a pj@naxwel af. ni Stealing eus’s Thunder Physical Space-Control Advantages against Hostile Satellites CAPT JOSEPH T. PAGE 11, USAF...and ICBM combat crew comander (Squadron Command Post) at he 741st Mi6sse Squadon, 91st Spae Wing, Minor AFB, North akota. 26 its advantage via active

Comparing models of the combined-stimulation advantage for speech recognition.

PubMed

Micheyl, Christophe; Oxenham, Andrew J

2012-05-01

The "combined-stimulation advantage" refers to an improvement in speech recognition when cochlear-implant or vocoded stimulation is supplemented by low-frequency acoustic information. Previous studies have been interpreted as evidence for "super-additive" or "synergistic" effects in the combination of low-frequency and electric or vocoded speech information by human listeners. However, this conclusion was based on predictions of performance obtained using a suboptimal high-threshold model of information combination. The present study shows that a different model, based on Gaussian signal detection theory, can predict surprisingly large combined-stimulation advantages, even when performance with either information source alone is close to chance, without involving any synergistic interaction. A reanalysis of published data using this model reveals that previous results, which have been interpreted as evidence for super-additive effects in perception of combined speech stimuli, are actually consistent with a more parsimonious explanation, according to which the combined-stimulation advantage reflects an optimal combination of two independent sources of information. The present results do not rule out the possible existence of synergistic effects in combined stimulation; however, they emphasize the possibility that the combined-stimulation advantages observed in some studies can be explained simply by non-interactive combination of two information sources.

Widening Life Expectancy Advantage of Hispanics in the United States: 1990-2010.

PubMed

Fenelon, Andrew; Blue, Laura

2015-08-01

We examine trends in the Hispanic longevity advantage between 1990 and 2010, focusing on the contribution of cigarette smoking. We calculate life expectancy at age 50 for Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites between 1990 and 2010. We use an indirect method to calculate the contribution of smoking to changes over time in life expectancy. Among women, the Hispanic advantage in life expectancy grows from 2.14 years in 1990 (95 % CI 1.99-2.30 years) to 3.53 years in 2010 (3.42-3.64 years). More than 40 % of this increase reflects widening differences in smoking-attributable mortality. The advantage for Hispanic men increases from 2.27 years (2.14-2.41 years) to 2.91 years (2.81-3.01 years), although smoking makes only a small contribution. Despite persistent disadvantage, US Hispanics have increased their longevity advantage over non-Hispanic whites since 1990, much of which reflects the continuing importance of cigarette smoking to the Hispanic advantage.

Rural Development: Problems and Advantages of Rural Locations for Industrial Plants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop, C. E.; And Others

The problems and advantages of locating industry in a rural setting were discussed in this conference report. The 10 individual speeches covered: changes in employment and the labor force; problems and advantages of rural locations, rural labor, and site selection; the importance of involving the Black community; the nature of the food processing…

When Do First-Movers Have an Advantage? A Stackelberg Classroom Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rebelein, Robert; Turkay, Evsen

2016-01-01

The timing of moves can dramatically affect firm profits and market outcomes. When firms choose output quantities, there is a first-mover advantage, and when firms choose prices, there is a second-mover advantage. Students often find it difficult to understand the differences between these two situations. This classroom experiment simulates each…

Why Do British Indian Children Have an Apparent Mental Health Advantage?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodman, Anna; Patel, Vikram; Leon, David A.

2010-01-01

Background: Previous studies document a mental health advantage in British Indian children, particularly for externalising problems. The causes of this advantage are unknown. Methods: Subjects were 13,836 White children and 361 Indian children aged 5-16 years from the English subsample of the British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Surveys. The…

Content Analysis of Advantages and Disadvantages of Drinking Among Individuals With the Lived Experience of Homelessness and Alcohol Use Disorders.

PubMed

Collins, Susan E; Taylor, Emily; Jones, Connor; Haelsig, Laura; Grazioli, Véronique S; Mackelprang, Jessica L; Holttum, Jessica; Koker, Molly; Hatsukami, Alyssa; Baker, Madeline; Clifasefi, Seema L

2018-01-02

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are more prevalent among people who are homeless than in the general population. Thus, homeless individuals experience disproportionately high levels of alcohol-related problems and associated publicly funded criminal justice and healthcare system utilization. Available treatment services, however, are not effective at engaging and treating this population. To better tailor treatment services to their needs, it is imperative we understand this population's perceptions of their alcohol use. The aim of this study was to provide description and relative rankings of the advantages and disadvantages of alcohol use from this population's perspectives. Participants were 44 individuals with lived experiences of AUDs and homelessness who received services at community-based agencies in Seattle, Washington. Open-ended prompts were used in interviews conducted in 2013-2014 to assess the perceived role of alcohol in participants' lives, including participants' perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of their current drinking, and a conventional content analysis was conducted. The most frequently mentioned advantages of drinking included positively and negatively reinforcing psychological reasons, perceived control over drinking, and social benefits. Physical effects, concerns about dependence on alcohol, and health problems were the most commonly mentioned disadvantages. Conclusions/importance: By documenting the perceived advantages and disadvantages of drinking among people with the lived experience of homelessness and AUDs, this study supplies information providers may use to better tailor treatment services to this multimorbid, high service-utilizing population's needs and interests.

Bio-sensing applications of cerium oxide nanoparticles: Advantages and disadvantages.

PubMed

Charbgoo, Fahimeh; Ramezani, Mohammad; Darroudi, Majid

2017-10-15

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) contain several properties such as catalytic activity, fluorescent quencher and electrochemical, high surface area, and oxygen transfer ability, which have attracted considerable attention in developing high-sensitive biosensors. CNPs can be used as a whole sensor or a part of recognition or transducer element. However, reports have shown that applying these nanoparticles in sensor design could remarkably enhance detection sensitivity. CNP's outstanding properties in biosensors which go from high catalytic activity and surface area to oxygen transfer and fluorescent quenching capabilities are also highlighted. Herein, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of CNPs-based biosensors that function through various detection modes including colorimetric, electrochemistry, and chemoluminescent regarding the detection of small organic chemicals, metal ions and biomarkers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Easy access to geophysical data sets at the IRIS Data Management Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trabant, C.; Ahern, T.; Suleiman, Y.; Karstens, R.; Weertman, B.

2012-04-01

At the IRIS Data Management Center (DMC) we primarily manage seismological data but also have other geophysical data sets for related fields including atmospheric pressure and gravity measurements and higher level data products derived from raw data. With a few exceptions all data managed by the IRIS DMC are openly available and we serve an international research audience. These data are available via a number of different mechanisms from batch requests submitted through email, web interfaces, near real time streams and more recently web services. Our initial suite of web services offer access to almost all of the raw data and associated metadata managed at the DMC. In addition, we offer services that apply processing to the data before it is sent to the user. Web service technologies are ubiquitous with support available in nearly every programming language and operating system. By their nature web services are programmatic interfaces, but by choosing a simple subset of web service methods we make our data available to a very broad user base. These interfaces will be usable by professional developers as well as non-programmers. Whenever possible we chose open and recognized standards. The data returned to the user is in a variety of formats depending on type, including FDSN SEED, QuakeML, StationXML, ASCII, PNG images and in some cases where no appropriate standard could be found a customized XML format. To promote easy access to seismological data for all researchers we are coordinating with international partners to define web service interfaces standards. Additionally we are working with key partners in Europe to complete the initial implementation of these services. Once a standard has been adopted and implemented at multiple data centers researchers will be able to use the same request tools to access data across multiple data centers. The web services that apply on-demand processing to requested data include the capability to apply instrument corrections and

High-resolution spectrometrometry/interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Breckinridge, J. B.; Norton, R. H.; Schindler, R. A.

1980-01-01

Modified double-pass interferometer has several features that maximize its resolution. Proposed for rocket-borne probes of upper atmosphere, it includes cat's-eye retroreflectors in both arms, wedge-shaped beam splitter, and wedged optical-path compensator. Advantages are full tilt compensation, minimal spectrum "channeling," easy tunability, maximum fringe contrast, and even two-sided interferograms.

GANGA: A tool for computational-task management and easy access to Grid resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mościcki, J. T.; Brochu, F.; Ebke, J.; Egede, U.; Elmsheuser, J.; Harrison, K.; Jones, R. W. L.; Lee, H. C.; Liko, D.; Maier, A.; Muraru, A.; Patrick, G. N.; Pajchel, K.; Reece, W.; Samset, B. H.; Slater, M. W.; Soroko, A.; Tan, C. L.; van der Ster, D. C.; Williams, M.

2009-11-01

In this paper, we present the computational task-management tool GANGA, which allows for the specification, submission, bookkeeping and post-processing of computational tasks on a wide set of distributed resources. GANGA has been developed to solve a problem increasingly common in scientific projects, which is that researchers must regularly switch between different processing systems, each with its own command set, to complete their computational tasks. GANGA provides a homogeneous environment for processing data on heterogeneous resources. We give examples from High Energy Physics, demonstrating how an analysis can be developed on a local system and then transparently moved to a Grid system for processing of all available data. GANGA has an API that can be used via an interactive interface, in scripts, or through a GUI. Specific knowledge about types of tasks or computational resources is provided at run-time through a plugin system, making new developments easy to integrate. We give an overview of the GANGA architecture, give examples of current use, and demonstrate how GANGA can be used in many different areas of science. Catalogue identifier: AEEN_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEEN_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: GPL No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 224 590 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 14 365 315 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Python Computer: personal computers, laptops Operating system: Linux/Unix RAM: 1 MB Classification: 6.2, 6.5 Nature of problem: Management of computational tasks for scientific applications on heterogenous distributed systems, including local, batch farms, opportunistic clusters and

Ion irradiation-induced easy-cone anisotropy in double-MgO free layers for perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teixeira, B. M. S.; Timopheev, A. A.; Caçoilo, N. F. F.; Auffret, S.; Sousa, R. C.; Dieny, B.; Alves, E.; Sobolev, N. A.

2018-05-01

We have used the ferromagnetic resonance in the X-band (9.37 GHz) to investigate the effect of 400 keV Ar+ irradiation on the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and Gilbert damping parameter, α, of double-MgO free layers designed for application in perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions. The samples comprised a MgO/Fe72Co8B20/X(0.2 nm)/Fe72Co8B20/MgO layer stack, where X stands for an ultrathin Ta or W spacer. Samples with two different total FeCoB layer thicknesses, tFCB = 3.0 nm and tFCB = 2.6 nm, were irradiated with ion fluences ranging from 1012 cm-2 to 1016 cm-2. The effective first-order PMA field, BK1, decreased nearly linearly with the logarithm of the fluence for both FeCoB thicknesses and spacer elements. The decrease in BK1, which is likely caused by an ion-induced intermixing at the FeCoB/MgO interfaces, resulted in a reorientation of the magnetization of the free layers with tFCB = 2.6 nm, initially exhibiting a perpendicular easy-axis anisotropy. For intermediate fluences, 1013 cm-2 and 1014 cm-2, easy-cone states with different cone angles could be induced in the free layer with a W spacer. Importantly, no corresponding increase in the Gilbert damping was observed. This study shows that ion irradiation can be used to tune the easy-cone anisotropy in perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions, which is interesting for spintronic applications such as spin-torque magnetic memory devices, oscillators, and sensors.

Advantages, Disadvantages, and Trend of Integrative Medicine in the Treatment of Heart Failure.

PubMed

Zhang, PeiYing

2015-06-01

Integrative medicine therapy using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) combined with western medicine has shown some advantages in treating heart failure (HF), such as holistic concept; multi-target treatment; dialectical logic; personalized therapy; formulae compatibility; and reduction of side effects of western medicine. However, problems still exist in TCM treatment of HF, including non-uniformed categorization of TCM, lack of standardized syndrome differentiation and lack of an evidence base. The future of treatment of HF seems to be focused on reversing ventricular remodeling, improving cardiac rehabilitation, and accelerating experimental research and drug discovery in TCM.

Does cultural integration explain a mental health advantage for adolescents?

PubMed Central

Bhui, Kamaldeep S; Lenguerrand, Erik; Maynard, Maria J; Stansfeld, Stephen A; Harding, Seeromanie

2012-01-01

Background A mental health advantage has been observed among adolescents in urban areas. This prospective study tests whether cultural integration measured by cross-cultural friendships explains a mental health advantage for adolescents. Methods A prospective cohort of adolescents was recruited from 51 secondary schools in 10 London boroughs. Cultural identity was assessed by friendship choices within and across ethnic groups. Cultural integration is one of four categories of cultural identity. Using gender-specific linear-mixed models we tested whether cultural integration explained a mental health advantage, and whether gender and age were influential. Demographic and other relevant factors, such as ethnic group, socio-economic status, family structure, parenting styles and perceived racism were also measured and entered into the models. Mental health was measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire as a ‘total difficulties score’ and by classification as a ‘probable clinical case’. Results A total of 6643 pupils in first and second years of secondary school (ages 11–13 years) took part in the baseline survey (2003/04) and 4785 took part in the follow-up survey in 2005–06. Overall mental health improved with age, more so in male rather than female students. Cultural integration (friendships with own and other ethnic groups) was associated with the lowest levels of mental health problems especially among male students. This effect was sustained irrespective of age, ethnicity and other potential explanatory variables. There was a mental health advantage among specific ethnic groups: Black Caribbean and Black African male students (Nigerian/Ghanaian origin) and female Indian students. This was not fully explained by cultural integration, although cultural integration was independently associated with better mental health. Conclusions Cultural integration was associated with better mental health, independent of the mental health advantage

Does cultural integration explain a mental health advantage for adolescents?

PubMed

Bhui, Kamaldeep S; Lenguerrand, Erik; Maynard, Maria J; Stansfeld, Stephen A; Harding, Seeromanie

2012-06-01

A mental health advantage has been observed among adolescents in urban areas. This prospective study tests whether cultural integration measured by cross-cultural friendships explains a mental health advantage for adolescents. A prospective cohort of adolescents was recruited from 51 secondary schools in 10 London boroughs. Cultural identity was assessed by friendship choices within and across ethnic groups. Cultural integration is one of four categories of cultural identity. Using gender-specific linear-mixed models we tested whether cultural integration explained a mental health advantage, and whether gender and age were influential. Demographic and other relevant factors, such as ethnic group, socio-economic status, family structure, parenting styles and perceived racism were also measured and entered into the models. Mental health was measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire as a 'total difficulties score' and by classification as a 'probable clinical case'. A total of 6643 pupils in first and second years of secondary school (ages 11-13 years) took part in the baseline survey (2003/04) and 4785 took part in the follow-up survey in 2005-06. Overall mental health improved with age, more so in male rather than female students. Cultural integration (friendships with own and other ethnic groups) was associated with the lowest levels of mental health problems especially among male students. This effect was sustained irrespective of age, ethnicity and other potential explanatory variables. There was a mental health advantage among specific ethnic groups: Black Caribbean and Black African male students (Nigerian/Ghanaian origin) and female Indian students. This was not fully explained by cultural integration, although cultural integration was independently associated with better mental health. Cultural integration was associated with better mental health, independent of the mental health advantage found among specific ethnic groups: Black Caribbean and

Development of Matched (migratory Analytical Time Change Easy Detection) Method for Satellite-Tracked Migratory Birds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doko, Tomoko; Chen, Wenbo; Higuchi, Hiroyoshi

2016-06-01

Satellite tracking technology has been used to reveal the migration patterns and flyways of migratory birds. In general, bird migration can be classified according to migration status. These statuses include the wintering period, spring migration, breeding period, and autumn migration. To determine the migration status, periods of these statuses should be individually determined, but there is no objective method to define 'a threshold date' for when an individual bird changes its status. The research objective is to develop an effective and objective method to determine threshold dates of migration status based on satellite-tracked data. The developed method was named the "MATCHED (Migratory Analytical Time Change Easy Detection) method". In order to demonstrate the method, data acquired from satellite-tracked Tundra Swans were used. MATCHED method is composed by six steps: 1) dataset preparation, 2) time frame creation, 3) automatic identification, 4) visualization of change points, 5) interpretation, and 6) manual correction. Accuracy was tested. In general, MATCHED method was proved powerful to identify the change points between migration status as well as stopovers. Nevertheless, identifying "exact" threshold dates is still challenging. Limitation and application of this method was discussed.

Continuous Easy-Plane Deconfined Phase Transition on the Kagome Lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xue-Feng; He, Yin-Chen; Eggert, Sebastian; Moessner, Roderich; Pollmann, Frank

2018-03-01

We use large scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations to study an extended Hubbard model of hard core bosons on the kagome lattice. In the limit of strong nearest-neighbor interactions at 1 /3 filling, the interplay between frustration and quantum fluctuations leads to a valence bond solid ground state. The system undergoes a quantum phase transition to a superfluid phase as the interaction strength is decreased. It is still under debate whether the transition is weakly first order or represents an unconventional continuous phase transition. We present a theory in terms of an easy plane noncompact C P1 gauge theory describing the phase transition at 1 /3 filling. Utilizing large scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations with parallel tempering in the canonical ensemble up to 15552 spins, we provide evidence that the phase transition is continuous at exactly 1 /3 filling. A careful finite size scaling analysis reveals an unconventional scaling behavior hinting at deconfined quantum criticality.

Why Teachers Find It Difficult to Include Students with EBD in Mainstream Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gidlund, Ulrika

2018-01-01

In Sweden, teachers in mainstream schools show frustration and insecurity about how to organise education for inclusion and diversity. This article contributes to the understanding of how they articulate their view of the advantages and disadvantages of including students with EBD in mainstream classes. To study teachers' understanding, an…

Competitive Advantage in Intercollegiate Athletics: Role of Intangible Resources.

PubMed

Won, Doyeon; Chelladurai, Packianathan

2016-01-01

The present research explored the dynamics of competitive advantages in intercollegiate athletics by investigating the contribution of intangible resources (i.e., athletic and academic reputations) on the generation of more tangible resources (i.e., human and financial resources), which in turn influence the athletic performance (i.e., winning record) and academic performance (i.e., graduation rates), and gender equity. The research was based entirely on archival data of 324 NCAA Division I member institutions. The results of the SEM supported the study's basic arguments that tangible resources are the sources of competitive advantages in Division I intercollegiate athletics, and that intangible resources contribute to the generation of tangible resources.

Easy access to firearms: juveniles' risks for violent offending and violent victimization.

PubMed

Ruback, R Barry; Shaffer, Jennifer N; Clark, Valerie A

2011-07-01

Keeping firearms at home may increase personal safety but it may also increase the risk of injury. This study uses data from three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to assess the extent to which adolescents' easy access to firearms at home increases the risk of violent offending and violent victimization. Access to firearms was higher for males, Whites, and adolescents having two parents, especially fathers. Current access to firearms at home significantly increased the odds of both violent offending and violent victimization, even after controlling for prior access, prior offending, and prior victimization. This relationship persisted into early adulthood; access to firearms still significantly increased the odds of violent offending and violent victimization.

What's your number? The effects of trial order on the one-target advantage.

PubMed

Bested, Stephen R; Khan, Michael A; Lawrence, Gavin P; Tremblay, Luc

2018-05-01

When moving our upper-limb towards a single target, movement times are typically shorter than when movement to a second target is required. This is known as the one-target advantage. Most studies that have demonstrated the one-target advantage have employed separate trial blocks for the one- and two-segment movements. To test if the presence of the one-target advantage depends on advance knowledge of the number of segments, the present study investigated whether the one-target advantage would emerge under different trial orders/sequences. One- and two-segment responses were organized in blocked (i.e., 1-1-1, 2-2-2), alternating (i.e., 1-2-1-2-1-2), and random (i.e., 1-1-2-1-2-2) trial sequences. Similar to previous studies, where only blocked schedules have typically been utilized, the one-target advantage emerged during the blocked and alternate conditions, but not in the random condition. This finding indicates that the one-target advantage is contingent on participants knowing the number of movement segments prior to stimulus onset. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrophysiological Explorations of the Bilingual Advantage: Evidence from a Stroop Task

PubMed Central

Coderre, Emily L.; van Heuven, Walter J. B.

2014-01-01

Bilinguals have been shown to exhibit a performance advantage on executive control tasks, outperforming their monolingual counterparts. Although a wealth of research has investigated this ‘bilingual advantage’ behaviourally, electrophysiological correlates are lacking. Using EEG with a Stroop task that manipulated the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) of word and colour presentation, the current study addressed two facets of the bilingual advantage. The possibility that bilinguals experience superior conflict processing relative to monolinguals (a ‘conflict-specific advantage’) was investigated by comparing behavioural interference effects as well as the amplitude of the Ninc, a conflict-related ERP component occurring from approximately 300–500 ms after the onset of conflict. In contrast, the hypothesis that bilinguals experience domain-general, conflict-independent enhancements in executive processing (a ‘non-conflict-specific advantage’) was evaluated by comparing the control condition (symbol strings) between groups. There was some significant, but inconsistent, evidence for a conflict-specific bilingual advantage. In contrast, strong evidence emerged for a non-conflict-specific advantage, with bilinguals demonstrating faster RTs and reduced ERP amplitudes on control trials compared to monolinguals. Importantly, when the control stimulus was presented before the colour, ERPs to control trials revealed group differences before the onset of conflict, suggesting differences in the ability to ignore or suppress distracting irrelevant information. This indicates that bilinguals experience superior executive processing even in the absence of conflict and semantic salience, and suggests that the advantage extends to more efficient proactive management of the environment. PMID:25068723

Diagnosis of Acute Q Fever by Detection of Coxiella burnetii DNA using Real-Time PCR, Employing a Commercial Genesig Easy Kit

PubMed Central

Pradeep, Jothimani; Ambroise, Stanley; Gunasekaran, Dhandapany

2017-01-01

Introduction Query (Q) fever is an important zoonosis and a cause of concern for humans, due to the potential bioterrorism threat posed by the causative agent, Coxiella burnetii. Because of the danger of contracting the illness, isolation attempts are seldom made. Serological and molecular diagnostic tests are the main option. Aim To study the prevalence of acute Q fever in Puducherry and surrounding districts of Tamil Nadu, India, employing a new commercial Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) kit and confirming it by the gold standard Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA). Materials and Methods Acute phase blood samples from 72 consecutive febrile patients and 24 healthy individuals were included in this prospective study. DNA was extracted from the buffy coats and preserved at -80°C. Detection of C. burnetii was carried out employing a commercial Real-Time PCR kit. Serum samples were tested for IgM (Phase I+II) and IgG (Phase I+II) by QM-120 and QG-120, Coxiella burnetii IFA Fuller Laboratories, California, USA. Sensitivity, Specificity, Positive Predictive Value (PPV) and Negative Predictive Value (NPV) were calculated keeping IFA as the reference. Results Presumptive diagnosis of acute Q fever was made in two febrile patients by the Genesig Easy kit (2.78%). In addition to these two PCR positive cases, one more patient was positive for both Phase II IgM and Phase II IgG antibodies by the gold standard IFA. All 24 healthy controls were negative for Q fever by both PCR and IFA. The sensitivity, specificity, NPV and PPV for Genesig Easy kit PCR were: 66.67%, 100%, 100% and 98.57 % respectively against IFA as the reference. Conclusion The true prevalence of Q fever in India and other developing countries is poorly understood, owing to the difficulties in the diagnosis of this infection. Since molecular diagnostic tests have good specificity and are mandated for confirmation of single acute samples, validation of commercial Q fever PCR kits is the need of the

Peripheral Substitution: An Easy Way to Tuning the Magnetic Behavior of Tetrakis(phthalocyaninato) Dysprosium(III) SMMs

PubMed Central

Shang, Hong; Zeng, Suyuan; Wang, Hailong; Dou, Jianmin; Jiang, Jianzhuang

2015-01-01

Two tetrakis(phthalocyaninato) dysprosium(III)-cadmium(II) single-molecule magnets (SMMs) with different extent of phthalocyanine peripheral substitution and therefore different coordination geometry for the Dy ions were revealed to exhibit different SMM behavior, providing an easy way to tuning and controlling the molecular structure and in turn the magnetic properties of tetrakis(tetrapyrrole) lanthanide SMMs through simple tetrapyrrole peripheral substitution. PMID:25744587

The dynamic-stimulus advantage of visual symmetry perception.

PubMed

Niimi, Ryosuke; Watanabe, Katsumi; Yokosawa, Kazuhiko

2008-09-01

It has been speculated that visual symmetry perception from dynamic stimuli involves mechanisms different from those for static stimuli. However, previous studies found no evidence that dynamic stimuli lead to active temporal processing and improve symmetry detection. In this study, four psychophysical experiments investigated temporal processing in symmetry perception using both dynamic and static stimulus presentations of dot patterns. In Experiment 1, rapid successive presentations of symmetric patterns (e.g., 16 patterns per 853 ms) produced more accurate discrimination of orientations of symmetry axes than static stimuli (single pattern presented through 853 ms). In Experiments 2-4, we confirmed that the dynamic-stimulus advantage depended upon presentation of a large number of unique patterns within a brief period (853 ms) in the dynamic conditions. Evidently, human vision takes advantage of temporal processing for symmetry perception from dynamic stimuli.

Airtraq optical laryngoscope: advantages and disadvantages.

PubMed

Saracoglu, Kemal Tolga; Eti, Zeynep; Gogus, Fevzi Yilmaz

2013-06-01

Difficult or unsuccesful tracheal intubation is one of the important causes for morbidity and mortality in susceptible patients. Almost 30% of the anesthesia-related deaths are induced by the complications of difficult airway management and more than 85% of all respiratory related complications cause brain injury or death. Nowadays, due to the advances in technology, new videolaryngoscopic devices became available. Airtraq is a novel single-use laryngoscope which provides glottis display without any deviation in the normal position of the oral, pharyngeal or the tracheal axes. With the help of the display lens glottis and the surrounding structures are visualised and under direct view of its tip the tracheal tube is introduced between the vocal cords. In patients having restricted neck motion or limited mouth opening (provided that it is greater than 3 cm) Airtraq offers the advantage of a better display. Moreover the video image can be transfered to an external monitor thus an experienced specialist can provide assistance and an educational course can be conducted simultaneously. On the other hand the Airtraq videolaryngoscopic devices possess certain disadvantages including the need of experience and the time demand for the operator to learn how to use them properly, the rapid deterioration of their display in the presence of a swelling or a secretion and the fact that they are rather complicated and expensive devices. The Airtraq device has already documented benefits in the management of difficult airways, however serial utilization obviously necessitates experience.

75 FR 13131 - General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation; Submission for OMB Review; GSA Advantage...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-18

... Services Administration Acquisition Regulation; Submission for OMB Review; GSA Advantage![reg] and... requirement regarding GSA Advantage![reg] and Electronic Commerce-FACNET. A request for public comments was..., Washington, DC 20405. Please cite OMB Control No. 3090-00XX, GSA Advantage![reg] and Electronic Commerce...

Advantages of High vs. Low Earth Orbit for SIRTF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eisenhardt, Peter; Werner, Michael W.

1989-01-01

While the subject of this workshop, which we will refer to as ET (for Enlightenment Telescope), is a dazzling successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, its location is unlikely to be the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) used by HST. Locations suggested for ET include High Earth Orbit (HEO) and the moon. The first space telescope to occupy HEO will be the liquid helium cooled Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). The selection of HEO for SIRTF was the outcome of a recent study led by the Ames Research Center which showed significant advantages for SIRTF in HEO vs. LEO. This article summarizes the main results of that study. We begin with a review of SIRTF's rationale and requirements, in part because the IR capabilities and low temperature proposed for ET make it something of a successor to SIRTF as well as to HST. We conclude with some comments about another possible location for both SIRTF and ET, the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrangian point.

Collegiate Licensing in Canada and the Statutory Advantage.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burshtein, Sheldon

1985-01-01

Discusses a specific provision in a Canadian statute enabling universities and other educational institutions to obtain protection and financial gain in a collegiate licensing program, an advantage not held in other countries or by other trademark licensers in Canada. (MSE)

Enhanced shoot investment makes invasive plants exhibit growth advantages in high nitrogen conditions.

PubMed

Liu, X A; Peng, Y; Li, J J; Peng, P H

2018-03-12

Resource amendments commonly promote plant invasions, raising concerns over the potential consequences of nitrogen (N) deposition; however, it is unclear whether invaders will benefit from N deposition more than natives. Growth is among the most fundamental inherent traits of plants and thus good invaders may have superior growth advantages in response to resource amendments. We compared the growth and allocation between invasive and native plants in different N regimes including controls (ambient N concentrations). We found that invasive plants always grew much larger than native plants in varying N conditions, regardless of growth- or phylogeny-based analyses, and that the former allocated more biomass to shoots than the latter. Although N addition enhanced the growth of invasive plants, this enhancement did not increase with increasing N addition. Across invasive and native species, changes in shoot biomass allocation were positively correlated with changes in whole-plant biomass; and the slope of this relationship was greater in invasive plants than native plants. These findings suggest that enhanced shoot investment makes invasive plants retain a growth advantage in high N conditions relative to natives, and also highlight that future N deposition may increase the risks of plant invasions.

The complexity of personality: advantages of a genetically sensitive multi-group design.

PubMed

Hahn, Elisabeth; Spinath, Frank M; Siedler, Thomas; Wagner, Gert G; Schupp, Jürgen; Kandler, Christian

2012-03-01

Findings from many behavioral genetic studies utilizing the classical twin design suggest that genetic and non-shared environmental effects play a significant role in human personality traits. This study focuses on the methodological advantages of extending the sampling frame to include multiple dyads of relatives. We investigated the sensitivity of heritability estimates to the inclusion of sibling pairs, mother-child pairs and grandparent-grandchild pairs from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study in addition to a classical German twin sample consisting of monozygotic- and dizygotic twins. The resulting dataset contained 1.308 pairs, including 202 monozygotic and 147 dizygotic twin pairs, along with 419 sibling pairs, 438 mother-child dyads, and 102 grandparent-child dyads. This genetically sensitive multi-group design allowed the simultaneous testing of additive and non-additive genetic, common and specific environmental effects, including cultural transmission and twin-specific environmental influences. Using manifest and latent modeling of phenotypes (i.e., controlling for measurement error), we compare results from the extended sample with those from the twin sample alone and discuss implications for future research.

Achieving a competitive advantage in managed care.

PubMed

Stahl, D A

1998-02-01

When building a competitive advantage to thrive in the managed care arena, subacute care providers are urged to be revolutionary rather than reactionary, proactive rather than passive, optimistic rather than pessimistic and growth-oriented rather than cost-reduction oriented. Weaknesses must be addressed aggressively. To achieve a competitive edge, assess the facility's strengths, understand the marketplace and comprehend key payment methods.

End-to-end imaging information rate advantages of various alternative communication systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, R. F.

1982-01-01

The efficiency of various deep space communication systems which are required to transmit both imaging and a typically error sensitive class of data called general science and engineering (gse) are compared. The approach jointly treats the imaging and gse transmission problems, allowing comparisons of systems which include various channel coding and data compression alternatives. Actual system comparisons include an advanced imaging communication system (AICS) which exhibits the rather significant advantages of sophisticated data compression coupled with powerful yet practical channel coding. For example, under certain conditions the improved AICS efficiency could provide as much as two orders of magnitude increase in imaging information rate compared to a single channel uncoded, uncompressed system while maintaining the same gse data rate in both systems. Additional details describing AICS compression and coding concepts as well as efforts to apply them are provided in support of the system analysis.

Surgical options for lumbosacral fusion: biomechanical stability, advantage, disadvantage and affecting factors in selecting options.

PubMed

Yoshihara, Hiroyuki

2014-07-01

Numerous surgical procedures and instrumentation techniques for lumbosacral fusion (LSF) have been developed. This is probably because of its high mechanical demand and unique anatomy. Surgical options include anterior column support (ACS) and posterior stabilization procedures. Biomechanical studies have been performed to verify the stability of those options. The options have their own advantage but also disadvantage aspects. This review article reports the surgical options for lumbosacral fusion, their biomechanical stability, advantages/disadvantages, and affecting factors in option selection. Review of literature. LSF has lots of options both for ACS and posterior stabilization procedures. Combination of posterior stabilization procedures is an option. Furthermore, combinations of ACS and posterior stabilization procedures are other options. It is difficult to make a recommendation or treatment algorithm of LSF from the current literature. However, it is important to know all aspects of the options and decision-making of surgical options for LSF needs to be tailored for each patient, considering factors such as biomechanical stress and osteoporosis.

Competitive Advantage in Intercollegiate Athletics: Role of Intangible Resources

PubMed Central

Won, Doyeon; Chelladurai, Packianathan

2016-01-01

The present research explored the dynamics of competitive advantages in intercollegiate athletics by investigating the contribution of intangible resources (i.e., athletic and academic reputations) on the generation of more tangible resources (i.e., human and financial resources), which in turn influence the athletic performance (i.e., winning record) and academic performance (i.e., graduation rates), and gender equity. The research was based entirely on archival data of 324 NCAA Division I member institutions. The results of the SEM supported the study’s basic arguments that tangible resources are the sources of competitive advantages in Division I intercollegiate athletics, and that intangible resources contribute to the generation of tangible resources. PMID:26731118

Informal leadership support: an often overlooked competitive advantage.

PubMed

Peters, L H; O'Connor, E J

2001-01-01

As environmental pressures mount, the advantage of using the same strategies and tactics employed by competitors continues to shrink. An alternative is adapting and applying answers successfully employed in other industries to health care organizations. Working with informal influence leaders to share your change management efforts represents one such example. Informal influence leaders offer an often-overlooked source of competitive advantage--they have already earned credibility and respect from others, who regularly look to them for guidance. When sharing their views, they significantly influence the acceptance or rejection of new initiatives. Influence leaders reach into every conversation, every meeting, and every decision made in an organization. The important question is whether they will exert their leadership in support or in opposition to changes you propose. By identifying influence leaders and inviting them to join a group to discuss change initiatives, physician executives can create a positive force for change.

easyCBM[R] Slope Reliability: Letter Names, Word Reading Fluency, and Passage Reading Fluency. Technical Report #1111

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patarapichayatham, Chalie; Anderson, Daniel; Irvin, P. Shawn; Kamata, Akhito; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2011-01-01

Within a response to intervention (RTI) framework, students are administered multiple tests of equivalent difficulty. Changes in students' scores over time are then attributed to changes in learning. In the current study, we evaluated the reliability of score changes (i.e., slope) for the easyCBM[R] letter names, word reading fluency, and passage…

Competitive Advantage of PET/MRI

PubMed Central

Jadvar, Hossein; Colletti, Patrick M.

2013-01-01

Multimodality imaging has made great strides in the imaging evaluation of patients with a variety of diseases. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is now established as the imaging modality of choice in many clinical conditions, particularly in oncology. While the initial development of combined PET/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) was in the preclinical arena, hybrid PET/MR scanners are now available for clinical use. PET/MRI combines the unique features of MRI including excellent soft tissue contrast, diffusion-weighted imaging, dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging, fMRI and other specialized sequences as well as MR spectroscopy with the quantitative physiologic information that is provided by PET. Most evidence for the potential clinical utility of PET/MRI is based on studies performed with side-by-side comparison or software-fused MRI and PET images. Data on distinctive utility of hybrid PET/MRI are rapidly emerging. There are potential competitive advantages of PET/MRI over PET/CT. In general, PET/MRI may be preferred over PET/CT where the unique features of MRI provide more robust imaging evaluation in certain clinical settings. The exact role and potential utility of simultaneous data acquisition in specific research and clinical settings will need to be defined. It may be that simultaneous PET/MRI will be best suited for clinical situations that are disease-specific, organ-specific, related to diseases of the children or in those patients undergoing repeated imaging for whom cumulative radiation dose must be kept as low as reasonably achievable. PET/MRI also offers interesting opportunities for use of dual modality probes. Upon clear definition of clinical utility, other important and practical issues related to business operational model, clinical workflow and reimbursement will also be resolved. PMID:23791129

Competitive advantage of PET/MRI.

PubMed

Jadvar, Hossein; Colletti, Patrick M

2014-01-01

Multimodality imaging has made great strides in the imaging evaluation of patients with a variety of diseases. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is now established as the imaging modality of choice in many clinical conditions, particularly in oncology. While the initial development of combined PET/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) was in the preclinical arena, hybrid PET/MR scanners are now available for clinical use. PET/MRI combines the unique features of MRI including excellent soft tissue contrast, diffusion-weighted imaging, dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging, fMRI and other specialized sequences as well as MR spectroscopy with the quantitative physiologic information that is provided by PET. Most evidence for the potential clinical utility of PET/MRI is based on studies performed with side-by-side comparison or software-fused MRI and PET images. Data on distinctive utility of hybrid PET/MRI are rapidly emerging. There are potential competitive advantages of PET/MRI over PET/CT. In general, PET/MRI may be preferred over PET/CT where the unique features of MRI provide more robust imaging evaluation in certain clinical settings. The exact role and potential utility of simultaneous data acquisition in specific research and clinical settings will need to be defined. It may be that simultaneous PET/MRI will be best suited for clinical situations that are disease-specific, organ-specific, related to diseases of the children or in those patients undergoing repeated imaging for whom cumulative radiation dose must be kept as low as reasonably achievable. PET/MRI also offers interesting opportunities for use of dual modality probes. Upon clear definition of clinical utility, other important and practical issues related to business operational model, clinical workflow and reimbursement will also be resolved. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Ethics of Conferring Parental Advantage: A Question of Parental Liberty versus Societal Equality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, J. Kessa

2016-01-01

In raising their children, parents confer certain advantages upon them. Harry Brighouse and Adam Swift argue that because these parental advantages increase inequality, parents should have the right to confer only advantages that are integral to the core good of the parent-child relationship: building an intimate relationship between parent and…

Advantages from Mixed Storage of Ammunition

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-07-01

A^dN^MM ADy^->6y 7<^ TECHNICAL REPORT ARBRL-TR-02506 ADVANTAGES FROM MIXED STORAGE OF AMMUNITION Ona R. Lyman July 1983 US ARMY ARMAMENT...that "weigh out." Benefits can be derived from mixing an ammunition that "weighs out" with ammunition that "cubes out." In principle, it is...accessible. Below is listed a step-by-step procedure for determining benefits to be derived. Step 1. Select a munition that "weighs out" and note if more

[Anterior lumbar interbody fusion. Indications, technique, advantages and disadvantages].

PubMed

Richter, M; Weidenfeld, M; Uckmann, F P

2015-02-01

Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) for lumbar interbody fusion from L2 to the sacrum has been an established technique for decades. The advantages and disadvantages of ALIF compared to posterior interbody fusion techniques are discussed. The operative technique is described in detail. Complications and avoidance strategies are discussed. This article is based on a selective literature search using PubMed and the experience of the authors in this medical field. The advantages of ALIF compared to posterior fusion techniques are the free approach to the anterior disc space without opening of the spinal canal or the neural foramina. This gives the possibility of an extensive anterior release and placement of the largest possible cages without the risk of neural structure damage. The disadvantages of ALIF are the additional anterior approach and the related complications. The most frequent complication is due to damage of vessels. The rate of complications is significantly increased in revision surgery. The ALIF technique meaningfully expands the repertoire of the spinal surgeon especially for the treatment of non-union after interbody fusion, in patients with epidural scar tissue at the index level and spinal infections. Advantages and disadvantages should be considered when evaluating the indications for ALIF.

A Critical Boundary to the Left-Hemisphere Advantage in Visual-Word Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deason, R.G.; Marsolek, C.J.

2005-01-01

Two experiments explored boundary conditions for the ubiquitous left-hemisphere advantage in visual-word recognition. Subjects perceptually identified words presented directly to the left or right hemisphere. Strong left-hemisphere advantages were observed for UPPERCASE and lowercase words. However, only a weak effect was observed for…

Quantum communication complexity advantage implies violation of a Bell inequality

PubMed Central

Buhrman, Harry; Czekaj, Łukasz; Grudka, Andrzej; Horodecki, Michał; Horodecki, Paweł; Markiewicz, Marcin; Speelman, Florian; Strelchuk, Sergii

2016-01-01

We obtain a general connection between a large quantum advantage in communication complexity and Bell nonlocality. We show that given any protocol offering a sufficiently large quantum advantage in communication complexity, there exists a way of obtaining measurement statistics that violate some Bell inequality. Our main tool is port-based teleportation. If the gap between quantum and classical communication complexity can grow arbitrarily large, the ratio of the quantum value to the classical value of the Bell quantity becomes unbounded with the increase in the number of inputs and outputs. PMID:26957600

Remembering faces and scenes: The mixed-category advantage in visual working memory.

PubMed

Jiang, Yuhong V; Remington, Roger W; Asaad, Anthony; Lee, Hyejin J; Mikkalson, Taylor C

2016-09-01

We examined the mixed-category memory advantage for faces and scenes to determine how domain-specific cortical resources constrain visual working memory. Consistent with previous findings, visual working memory for a display of 2 faces and 2 scenes was better than that for a display of 4 faces or 4 scenes. This pattern was unaffected by manipulations of encoding duration. However, the mixed-category advantage was carried solely by faces: Memory for scenes was not better when scenes were encoded with faces rather than with other scenes. The asymmetry between faces and scenes was found when items were presented simultaneously or sequentially, centrally, or peripherally, and when scenes were drawn from a narrow category. A further experiment showed a mixed-category advantage in memory for faces and bodies, but not in memory for scenes and objects. The results suggest that unique category-specific interactions contribute significantly to the mixed-category advantage in visual working memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Launching a medicare advantage plan: smart planning saves headaches.

PubMed

Abrams, Robert J; Mullaney, Teri L

2007-11-01

If you're considering setting up a Medicare Advantage plan, the following are important considerations: Financial analysis. Payment rates. Medical costs. Marketing and operational costs. Technology infrastructure. Staffing.

Relatively fast! Efficiency advantages of comparative thinking.

PubMed

Mussweiler, Thomas; Epstude, Kai

2009-02-01

Comparisons are a ubiquitous process in information processing. Seven studies examine whether, how, and when comparative thinking increases the efficiency of judgment and choice. Studies 1-4 demonstrate that procedurally priming participants to engage in more vs. less comparison influences how they process information about a target. Specifically, they retrieve less information about the target (Studies 1A, 1B), think more about an information-rich standard (Study 2) about which they activate judgment-relevant information (Study 3), and use this information to compensate for missing target information (Study 4). Studies 2-5 demonstrate the ensuing efficiency advantages. Participants who are primed on comparative thinking are faster in making a target judgment (Studies 2A, 2B, 4, 5) and have more residual processing capacities for a secondary task (Study 5). Studies 6 and 7 establish two boundary conditions by demonstrating that comparative thinking holds efficiency advantages only if target and standard are partly characterized by alignable features (Study 6) that are difficult to evaluate in isolation (Study 7). These findings indicate that comparative thinking may often constitute a useful mechanism to simplify information processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

A Latino advantage in oral health-related quality of life is modified by nativity status.

PubMed

Sanders, Anne E

2010-07-01

Explanations for the social gradient in health status are informed by the rare exceptions. This cross-sectional observational study examined one such exception, the "Latino paradox" by investigating the presence of a Latino advantage in oral health-related quality of life and the effect of nativity status on this relationship. A nationally representative sample of adults (n=4208) completed the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2004. The impact of oral disorders on oral health-related quality of life was evaluated using the NHANES Oral Health Impact Profile. Exposures of interest were race, ethnicity and nativity status. Covariates included sociodemographic characteristics, smoking status, self-rated health, access to dental care and number of teeth. Unconditional logistic regression models estimated odds of impaired oral health-related quality of life for racial/ethnic and nativity groups compared to the Non-Latino white population. Overall, prevalence of impaired oral health-related quality of life was 15.1%. A protective effect of Latino ethnicity was modified by nativity status, such that Latino immigrants experienced substantially better outcomes than non-Latino whites. However, the effect was limited to first-generation Latinos. U.S. born Latinos did not share the oral health-related quality of life advantage of their foreign-born counterparts. This advantage was not attributable to the healthy migrant phenomenon since immigrants of non-Latino origin did not differ from Non-Latino whites. The excess risk among Non-Hispanic Blacks was rendered non-significant after adjustment for socioeconomic position. A protective effect conferred by Latino nativity is unexpected given relatively disadvantaged socioeconomic position of this group, their language barrier and restrictions to needed dental care. As the Latino advantage in oral health-related quality of life is not explained by healthy immigrant selection, cultural explanations seem

TAKING SCIENTIFIC ADVANTAGE OF A DISASTROUS OIL SPILL

EPA Science Inventory

On 19 January 1996, the North Cape barge ran aground on Moonstone Beach in southern Rhode Island, releasing 828,000 gallons of refined oil. This opportunistic study was designed to take scientific advantage of the most severely affected seabird, the common loon (Gavia immer) . As...

Comparison of the Glidescope® and Pentax AWS® laryngoscopes to the Macintosh laryngoscope for use by Advanced Paramedics in easy and simulated difficult intubation

PubMed Central

Nasim, Sajid; Maharaj, Chrisen H; Malik, Muhammad A; O' Donnell, John; Higgins, Brendan D; Laffey, John G

2009-01-01

Background Intubation of the trachea in the pre-hospital setting may be lifesaving in severely ill and injured patients. However, tracheal intubation is frequently difficult to perform in this challenging environment, is associated with a lower success rate, and failed tracheal intubation constitutes an important cause of morbidity. Novel indirect laryngoscopes, such as the Glidescope® and the AWS® laryngoscopes may reduce this risk. Methods We compared the efficacy of these devices to the Macintosh laryngoscope when used by 25 Advanced Paramedics proficient in direct laryngoscopy, in a randomized, controlled, manikin study. Following brief didactic instruction with the Glidescope® and the AWS® laryngoscopes, each participant took turns performing laryngoscopy and intubation with each device, in an easy intubation scenario and following placement of a hard cervical collar, in a SimMan® manikin. Results Both the Glidescope® and the AWS® performed better than the Macintosh, and demonstrate considerable promise in this context. The AWS® had the least number of dental compressions in all three scenarios, and in the cervical spine immobilization scenario it required fewer maneuvers to optimize the view of the glottis. Conclusion The Glidescope® and AWS® devices possess advantages over the conventional Macintosh laryngoscope when used by Advanced Paramedics in normal and simulated difficult intubation scenarios in this manikin study. Further studies are required to extend these findings to the clinical setting. PMID:19445719

[Apple-Macintosh compatible software for documentation, management and evaluation of ultrasound findings in obstetrics].

PubMed

Kurmanavicius, J; Huch, R; Huch, A

1993-02-01

The advantage of using a computer to automate routine calculations and print out charts of the obstetrical ultrasound examination is obvious. This report describes a software designed to simplify the documentation and analysis of ultrasound data in obstetrics. The system is easy to use, even for persons with little computer knowledge. The programme was written in FoxBase+/Mac (Fox Software, Inc., USA). FoxBase+/Mac takes full advantage of the easy-to-learn, easy-to-use Macintosh interface and is also very fast. Another advantage of this software is that it can be used in teaching. Non-experienced examinators can double-check the correctness of their scanning planes by observing the ultrasound pictures with the markers indicating the right measurement sites and the lists of standard values of biometrical parameters for the corresponding gestational age on the screen. In routine obstetrical ultrasound examinations it takes less than 5 min to enter the foetal biometry data and print out reports. These reports are informative and easy to interpret.

Taking Advantage of Student Engagement Results in Student Affairs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinzie, Jillian; Hurtado, Sarah S.

2017-01-01

This chapter urges student affairs professionals committed to enhancing student success through data-informed decision making to take full advantage of opportunities to apply and use student engagement results.

Assessment of Readability and Learning of Easy-to-Read Educational Health Materials Designed and Written with the Help of Citizens by Means of Two Non-Alternative Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daghio, M. Monica; Fattori, Giuseppe; Ciardullo, Anna V.

2006-01-01

Objectives: We compared two non-alternative methods to assess the readability and learning of easy-to-read educational health materials co-written by physicians, educators and citizens. Methods: Data from seven easy-to-read materials were analyzed. Readability formulae, and ad hoc data on readability and learning were also computed. Results: The…

Evaluation of VIDAS Salmonella (SLM) easy Salmonella method for the detection of Salmonella in a variety of foods: collaborative study.

PubMed

Crowley, Erin; Bird, Patrick; Fisher, Kiel; Goetz, Katherine; Benzinger, M Joseph; Agin, James; Goins, David; Johnson, Ronald L

2011-01-01

The VIDAS Salmonella (SLM) Easy Salmonella method is a specific enzyme-linked fluorescent immunoassay performed in the automated VIDAS instrument. The VIDAS Easy Salmonella method is a simple 2-step enrichment procedure, using pre-enrichment followed by selective enrichment in a newly formulated broth, SX2 broth. This new method was compared in a multilaboratory collaborative study to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual, Chapter 5 method for five food matrixes (liquid egg, vanilla ice cream, spinach, raw shrimp, and peanut butter) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook 4.04 method for deli turkey. Each food type was artificially contaminated with Salmonella at three inoculation levels. A total of 15 laboratories representing government, academia, and industry, throughout the United States, participated. In this study, 1583 samples were analyzed, of which 792 were paired replicates and 791 were unpaired replicates. Of the 792 paired replicates, 285 were positive by both the VIDAS and reference methods. Of the 791 unpaired replicates, 341 were positive by the VIDAS method and 325 were positive by the cultural reference method. A Chi-square analysis of each of the six food types was performed at the three inoculation levels tested. For all foods evaluated, the VIDAS Easy SLM method demonstrated results comparable to those of the reference methods for the detection of Salmonella.

Intraoperative frozen pathology during robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: can ALEXIS™ trocar make it easy and fast?

PubMed

Almeida, Gilberto Laurino; Musi, Gennaro; Mazzoleni, Federica; Matei, Deliu Victor; Brescia, Antonio; Detti, Serena; de Cobelli, Ottavio

2013-10-01

To describe the first series of robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) using the ALEXIS™ trocar device when removal of the specimen is necessary for intraoperative frozen-section pathology. Consecutive RALP using the ALEXIS were prospectively catalogue. Perioperative data, including preoperative oncologic diagnosis, operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL), size of incision for umbilical trocar, complications related to trocar, and length of hospital stay, were analyzed. One hundred twenty-eight patients were analyzed. The mean operative time was 216 minutes, mean time to trocar placement was 4 minutes, and mean EBL was 172 mL. The incision size for a trocar was 2-3 cm in 117 patients and 1 incisional hernia was observed. The mean hospital stay was 3 days and mean follow-up was 4 months. The ALEXIS trocar provides an easy and fast intraoperative removal of the specimen for frozen pathology during RALP, even for large prostates. Safe and cosmetic results with a low intraoperative complication rate are acquired with the wound retractor.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Health Care Accreditation Mod­els

PubMed Central

Tabrizi, Jafar S.; Gharibi, Farid; Wilson, Andrew J.

2011-01-01

Background: This systematic review seeks to define the general advantages and disadvan­tages of accreditation programs to assist in choosing the most appropriate approach. Method: Systematic search of SID, Ovid Medline & PubMed databases was conducted by the keywords of accreditation, hospital, medical practice, clinic, accreditation models, health care and Persian meanings. From 2379 initial articles, 83 articles met the full inclusion criteria. From initial analysis, 23 attributes were identified which appeared to define advantages and disadvantages of different accreditation approaches and the available systems were compared on these. Results: Six systems were identified in the international literature including the JCAHO from USA, the Canadian program of CCHSA, and the accreditation programs of UK, Australia, New Zealand and France. The main distinguishing attributes among them were: quality improve­ment, patient and staff safety, improving health services integration, public’s confi­dence, effectiveness and efficiency of health services, innovation, influence global standards, information management, breadth of activity, history, effective relationship with stakeholders, agreement with AGIL attributes and independence from government. Conclusion: Based on 23 attributes of comprehensive accreditation systems we have defined from a systematic review, the JCAHO accreditation program of USA and then CCHSA of Can­ada offered the most comprehensive systems with the least disadvantages. Other programs such as the ACHS of Australia, ANAES of France, QHNZ of New Zealand and UK accredita­tion programs were fairly comparable according to these criteria. However the decision for any country or health system should be based on an assessment weighing up their specific objec­tives and needs. PMID:24688896

AME - Asteroseismology Made Easy. Estimating stellar properties by using scaled models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lundkvist, Mia; Kjeldsen, Hans; Silva Aguirre, Victor

2014-06-01

Context. Stellar properties and, in particular stellar radii of exoplanet host stars, are essential for measuring the properties of exoplanets, therefore it is becoming increasingly important to be able to supply reliable stellar radii fast. Grid-modelling is an obvious choice for this, but that only offers a low degree of transparency to non-specialists. Aims: Here we present a new, easy, fast, and transparent method of obtaining stellar properties for stars exhibiting solar-like oscillations. The method, called Asteroseismology Made Easy (AME), can determine stellar masses, mean densities, radii, and surface gravities, as well as estimate ages. We present AME as a visual and powerful tool that could be useful, in particular, in light of the large number of exoplanets being found. Methods: AME consists of a set of figures from which the stellar parameters can be deduced. These figures are made from a grid of stellar evolutionary models that cover masses ranging from 0.7 M⊙ to 1.6 M⊙ in steps of 0.1 M⊙ and metallicities in the interval -0.3 dex ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ +0.3 dex in increments of 0.1 dex. The stellar evolutionary models are computed using the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA) code with simple input physics. Results: We have compared the results from AME with results for three groups of stars: stars with radii determined from interferometry (and measured parallaxes), stars with radii determined from measurements of their parallaxes (and calculated angular diameters), and stars with results based on modelling their individual oscillation frequencies. We find that a comparison of the radii from interferometry to those from AME yields a weighted mean of the fractional differences of just 2%. This is also the level of deviation that we find when we compare the parallax-based radii to the radii determined from AME. Conclusions: The comparison between independently determined stellar parameters and those found using AME show that our method

The Incongruency Advantage for Environmental Sounds Presented in Natural Auditory Scenes

PubMed Central

Gygi, Brian; Shafiro, Valeriy

2011-01-01

The effect of context on the identification of common environmental sounds (e.g., dogs barking or cars honking) was tested by embedding them in familiar auditory background scenes (street ambience, restaurants). Initial results with subjects trained on both the scenes and the sounds to be identified showed a significant advantage of about 5 percentage points better accuracy for sounds that were contextually incongruous with the background scene (e.g., a rooster crowing in a hospital). Further studies with naïve (untrained) listeners showed that this Incongruency Advantage (IA) is level-dependent: there is no advantage for incongruent sounds lower than a Sound/Scene ratio (So/Sc) of −7.5 dB, but there is about 5 percentage points better accuracy for sounds with greater So/Sc. Testing a new group of trained listeners on a larger corpus of sounds and scenes showed that the effect is robust and not confined to specific stimulus set. Modeling using spectral-temporal measures showed that neither analyses based on acoustic features, nor semantic assessments of sound-scene congruency can account for this difference, indicating the Incongruency Advantage is a complex effect, possibly arising from the sensitivity of the auditory system to new and unexpected events, under particular listening conditions. PMID:21355664

Seeking help for depression from family and friends: a qualitative analysis of perceived advantages and disadvantages.

PubMed

Griffiths, Kathleen M; Crisp, Dimity A; Barney, Lisa; Reid, Russell

2011-12-15

People with depression often seek help from family and friends and public health campaigns frequently encourage such help seeking behaviours. However, there has been little systematically collected empirical data concerning the effects of such informal help seeking. The current study sought to investigate the views of consumers about the advantages and disadvantages of seeking support from family and friends for depression. Participants were the subset of 417 respondents to a survey, sent to 7000 randomly selected members of an Australian electoral community, who indicated that they had sought help for depression from family or friends. One item on the survey asked participants to indicate the advantages or disadvantages of seeking help from family or friends. A coding system was developed based on a content analysis of the responses to the item. Each of the responses was then coded by two raters. Respondents identified both advantages and disadvantages of seeking support from friends. The most commonly cited advantage was social support (n = 282) including emotional support (n = 154), informational support (n = 93), companionship support (n = 36) and instrumental support (n = 23). Other advantages related to family's or friend's background knowledge of the person and their circumstances (n = 72), the opportunity to offload the burden associated with depression (n = 62), the personal attributes of family and friends (n = 49), their accessibility (n = 36), and the opportunity to educate family and friends and increase their awareness about the respondent's depression (n = 30). The most commonly cited disadvantages were stigma (n = 53), inappropriate support (n = 45), the family member's lack of knowledge, training and expertise (n = 32) and the adverse impact of the help seeking on the family/friend (n = 20) and the relationship (n = 18). Family and friends are well placed to provide support which consumers perceive to be positive and which can assist them in

Seeking help for depression from family and friends: A qualitative analysis of perceived advantages and disadvantages

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background People with depression often seek help from family and friends and public health campaigns frequently encourage such help seeking behaviours. However, there has been little systematically collected empirical data concerning the effects of such informal help seeking. The current study sought to investigate the views of consumers about the advantages and disadvantages of seeking support from family and friends for depression. Methods Participants were the subset of 417 respondents to a survey, sent to 7000 randomly selected members of an Australian electoral community, who indicated that they had sought help for depression from family or friends. One item on the survey asked participants to indicate the advantages or disadvantages of seeking help from family or friends. A coding system was developed based on a content analysis of the responses to the item. Each of the responses was then coded by two raters. Results Respondents identified both advantages and disadvantages of seeking support from friends. The most commonly cited advantage was social support (n = 282) including emotional support (n = 154), informational support (n = 93), companionship support (n = 36) and instrumental support (n = 23). Other advantages related to family's or friend's background knowledge of the person and their circumstances (n = 72), the opportunity to offload the burden associated with depression (n = 62), the personal attributes of family and friends (n = 49), their accessibility (n = 36), and the opportunity to educate family and friends and increase their awareness about the respondent's depression (n = 30). The most commonly cited disadvantages were stigma (n = 53), inappropriate support (n = 45), the family member's lack of knowledge, training and expertise (n = 32) and the adverse impact of the help seeking on the family/friend (n = 20) and the relationship (n = 18). Conclusions Family and friends are well placed to provide support which consumers perceive to be

Complexity, Competitive Intelligence and the "First Mover" Advantage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fellman, Philip Vos; Post, Jonathan Vos

In the following paper we explore some of the ways in which competitive intelligence and game theory can be employed to assist firms in deciding whether or not to undertake international market diversification and whether or not there is an advantage to being a market leader or a market follower overseas. In attempting to answer these questions, we take a somewhat unconventional approach. We first examine how some of the most recent advances in the physical and biological sciences can contribute to the ways in which we understand how firms behave. Subsequently, we propose a formal methodology for competitive intelligence. While space considerations here do not allow for a complete game-theoretic treatment of competitive intelligence and its use with respect to understanding first and second mover advantage in firm internationalization, that treatment can be found in its entirety in the on-line proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Complex Systems at http://knowledgetoday.org/wiki/indec.php/ICCS06/89

Complexity, Competitive Intelligence and the "First Mover" Advantage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fellman, Philip Vos; Post, Jonathan Vos

In the following paper we explore some of the ways in which competitive intelligence and game theory can be employed to assist firms in deciding whether or not to undertake international market diversification and whether or not there is an advantage to being a market leader or a market follower overseas. In attempting to answer these questions, we take a somewhat unconventional approach. We first examine how some of the most recent advances in the physical and biological sciences can contribute to the ways in which we understand how firms behave. Subsequently, we propose a formal methodology for competitive intelligence. While space considerations here do not allow for a complete game-theoretic treatment of competitive intelligence and its use with respect to understanding first and second mover advantage in firm internationalization, that treatment can be found in its entirety in the on-line proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Complex Systems at e">http://knowledgetoday.org/wiki/indec.php/ICCS06/89.

Review of ADHD Pharmacotherapies: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Clinical Pearls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daughton, Joan M.; Kratochvil, Christopher J.

2009-01-01

The advantages, disadvantages, as well as helpful hints on when to use several drug therapies against attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are discussed. The drugs discussed are methylphenidate, atomoxetine, clonidine, and bupropion.

Advantages and limitations of remotely operated sea floor drill rigs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freudenthal, T.; Smith, D. J.; Wefer, G.

2009-04-01

A variety of research targets in marine sciences including the investigation of gas hydrates, slope stability, alteration of oceanic crust, ore formation and palaeoclimate can be addressed by shallow drilling. However, drill ships are mostly used for deep drillings, both because the effort of building up a drill string from a drill ship to the deep sea floor is tremendous and control on drill bit pressure from a movable platform and a vibrating drill string is poor especially in the upper hundred meters. During the last decade a variety of remotely operated drill rigs have been developed, that are deployed on the sea bed and operated from standard research vessels. These developments include the BMS (Bentic Multicoring System, developed by Williamson and Associates, operated by the Japanese Mining Agency), the PROD (Portable Remotely Operated Drill, developed and operated by Benthic Geotech), the Rockdrill 2 (developed and operated by the British geological Survey) and the MeBo (German abbreviation for sea floor drill rig, developed and operated by Marum, University of Bremen). These drill rigs reach drilling depths between 15 and 100 m. For shallow drillings remotely operated drill rigs are a cost effective alternative to the services of drill ships and have the major advantage that the drilling operations are performed from a stable platform independent of any ship movements due to waves, wind or currents. Sea floor drill rigs can be deployed both in shallow waters and the deep sea. A careful site survey is required before deploying the sea floor drill rig. Slope gradient, small scale topography and soil strength are important factors when planning the deployment. The choice of drill bits and core catcher depend on the expected geology. The required drill tools are stored on one or two magazines on the drill rig. The MeBo is the only remotely operated drill rig world wide that can use wire line coring technique. This method is much faster than conventional

50 CFR 86.132 - What are the advantages to doing a plan?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false What are the advantages to doing a plan? 86.132 Section 86.132 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... advantages to doing a plan? Plans provide the information necessary to fully understand the needs of boaters...

Development of an easy-debonding orthodontic adhesive using thermal heating.

PubMed

Tsuruoka, Takashi; Namura, Yasuhiro; Shimizu, Noriyoshi

2007-01-01

We produced experimentally a new bonding material that consisted of a mixture of a base resin (4-META/MMA-TBB resin adhesive) and thermoexpandable microcapsules for safe, easy debonding. Microcapsules in the base resin would start expansion at 80 degrees C, leading to a remarkable decrease in bond strength. Stainless steel brackets were bonded to bovine permanent mandibular incisors using bonding materials containing the microcapsules at different contents. After thermal cycling or heating, the shear bond strength of the brackets was measured. Shear bond strength of the bonding materials containing 30-40 wt% microcapsules decreased to about one-third or one-fifth that of the base resin on heating. Heating the brackets for eight seconds increased the temperature in the pulp chamber by 2 degrees C, which should not induce pulp damage. Results obtained suggested that the new bonding material should prove useful for removing brackets easily at the time of bracket debonding without any pain or enamel cracks, while maintaining the bonding strength during active orthodontic treatment.

Choosy Wolves? Heterozygote Advantage But No Evidence of MHC-Based Disassortative Mating.

PubMed

Galaverni, Marco; Caniglia, Romolo; Milanesi, Pietro; Lapalombella, Silvana; Fabbri, Elena; Randi, Ettore

2016-03-01

A variety of nonrandom mate choice strategies, including disassortative mating, are used by vertebrate species to avoid inbreeding, maintain heterozygosity and increase fitness. Disassortative mating may be mediated by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), an important gene cluster controlling immune responses to pathogens. We investigated the patterns of mate choice in 26 wild-living breeding pairs of gray wolf (Canis lupus) that were identified through noninvasive genetic methods and genotyped at 3 MHC class II and 12 autosomal microsatellite (STR) loci. We tested for deviations from random mating and evaluated the covariance of genetic variables at functional and STR markers with fitness proxies deduced from pedigree reconstructions. Results did not show evidences of MHC-based disassortative mating. Rather we found a higher peptide similarity between mates at MHC loci as compared with random expectations. Fitness values were positively correlated with heterozygosity of the breeders at both MHC and STR loci, whereas they decreased with relatedness at STRs. These findings may indicate fitness advantages for breeders that, while avoiding highly related mates, are more similar at the MHC and have high levels of heterozygosity overall. Such a pattern of MHC-assortative mating may reflect local coadaptation of the breeders, while a reduction in genetic diversity may be balanced by heterozygote advantages. © The American Genetic Association 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Student Loans Repayment Patterns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Hua

2010-01-01

It is a difficulty problem to choice repayment patterns of student loan. "Conventional mortgage-type loan" and "Income contingent loan" has been performed in many countries. These loan repayment manners have their own characteristics. In this paper, we discuss their advantages and disadvantages, and would provide policy choice…