Cross-Lagged Associations between Kindergarten Teachers' Causal Attributions and Children's Task Motivation and Performance in Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Natale, Katja; Viljaranta, Jaana; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Poikkeus, Anna-Maija; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2009-01-01

The present study investigated whether kindergarten teachers' causal attributions would predict children's reading-related task motivation and performance, or whether it is rather children's motivation and performance that contribute to teachers' causal attributions. To investigate this, 69 children (five to six years old at baseline) and their…

Changes in Contributions of Swimming, Cycling, and Running Performances on Overall Triathlon Performance Over a 26-Year Period.

PubMed

Figueiredo, Pedro; Marques, Elisa A; Lepers, Romuald

2016-09-01

Figueiredo, P, Marques, EA, and Lepers, R. Changes in contributions of swimming, cycling, and running performances on overall triathlon performance over a 26-year period. J Strength Cond Res 30(9): 2406-2415, 2016-This study examined the changes in the individual contribution of each discipline to the overall performance of Olympic and Ironman distance triathlons among men and women. Between 1989 and 2014, overall performances and their component disciplines (swimming, cycling and running) were analyzed from the top 50 overall male and female finishers. Regression analyses determined that for the Olympic distance, the split times in swimming and running decreased over the years (r = 0.25-0.43, p ≤ 0.05), whereas the cycling split and total time remained unchanged (p > 0.05), for both sexes. For the Ironman distance, the cycling and running splits and the total time decreased (r = 0.19-0.88, p ≤ 0.05), whereas swimming time remained stable, for both men and women. The average contribution of the swimming stage (∼18%) was smaller than the cycling and running stages (p ≤ 0.05), for both distances and both sexes. Running (∼47%) and then cycling (∼36%) had the greatest contribution to overall performance for the Olympic distance (∼47%), whereas for the Ironman distance, cycling and running presented similar contributions (∼40%, p > 0.05). Across the years, in the Olympic distance, swimming contribution significantly decreased for women and men (r = 0.51 and 0.68, p < 0.001, respectively), whereas running increased for men (r = 0.33, p = 0.014). In the Ironman distance, swimming and cycling contributions changed in an undulating fashion, being inverse between the two segments, for both sexes (p < 0.01), whereas running contribution decreased for men only (r = 0.61, p = 0.001). These findings highlight that strategies to improve running performance should be the main focus on the preparation to compete in the Olympic distance; whereas, in the Ironman, both cycling and running are decisive and should be well developed.

Identification of the contribution of contact and aerial biomechanical parameters in acrobatic performance

PubMed Central

Haering, Diane; Huchez, Aurore; Barbier, Franck; Holvoët, Patrice; Begon, Mickaël

2017-01-01

Introduction Teaching acrobatic skills with a minimal amount of repetition is a major challenge for coaches. Biomechanical, statistical or computer simulation tools can help them identify the most determinant factors of performance. Release parameters, change in moment of inertia and segmental momentum transfers were identified in the prediction of acrobatics success. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relative contribution of these parameters in performance throughout expertise or optimisation based improvements. The counter movement forward in flight (CMFIF) was chosen for its intrinsic dichotomy between the accessibility of its attempt and complexity of its mastery. Methods Three repetitions of the CMFIF performed by eight novice and eight advanced female gymnasts were recorded using a motion capture system. Optimal aerial techniques that maximise rotation potential at regrasp were also computed. A 14-segment-multibody-model defined through the Rigid Body Dynamics Library was used to compute recorded and optimal kinematics, and biomechanical parameters. A stepwise multiple linear regression was used to determine the relative contribution of these parameters in novice recorded, novice optimised, advanced recorded and advanced optimised trials. Finally, fixed effects of expertise and optimisation were tested through a mixed-effects analysis. Results and discussion Variation in release state only contributed to performances in novice recorded trials. Moment of inertia contribution to performance increased from novice recorded, to novice optimised, advanced recorded, and advanced optimised trials. Contribution to performance of momentum transfer to the trunk during the flight prevailed in all recorded trials. Although optimisation decreased transfer contribution, momentum transfer to the arms appeared. Conclusion Findings suggest that novices should be coached on both contact and aerial technique. Inversely, mainly improved aerial technique helped advanced gymnasts increase their performance. For both, reduction of the moment of inertia should be focused on. The method proposed in this article could be generalized to any aerial skill learning investigation. PMID:28422954

Education Criteria for Performance Excellence, 2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Inst. of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD.

The education criteria presented in this guide are designed to help organizations use an integrated approach to organizational performance management that results in delivery of ever-improving value to students and stakeholders. Implementation of the criteria will contribute to improvement of education quality, improvement of overall…

Automatic generation of efficient array redistribution routines for distributed memory multicomputers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramaswamy, Shankar; Banerjee, Prithviraj

1994-01-01

Appropriate data distribution has been found to be critical for obtaining good performance on Distributed Memory Multicomputers like the CM-5, Intel Paragon and IBM SP-1. It has also been found that some programs need to change their distributions during execution for better performance (redistribution). This work focuses on automatically generating efficient routines for redistribution. We present a new mathematical representation for regular distributions called PITFALLS and then discuss algorithms for redistribution based on this representation. One of the significant contributions of this work is being able to handle arbitrary source and target processor sets while performing redistribution. Another important contribution is the ability to handle an arbitrary number of dimensions for the array involved in the redistribution in a scalable manner. Our implementation of these techniques is based on an MPI-like communication library. The results presented show the low overheads for our redistribution algorithm as compared to naive runtime methods.

Referential Coding Contributes to the Horizontal SMARC Effect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cho, Yang Seok; Bae, Gi Yeul; Proctor, Robert W.

2012-01-01

The present study tested whether coding of tone pitch relative to a referent contributes to the correspondence effect between the pitch height of an auditory stimulus and the location of a lateralized response. When left-right responses are mapped to high or low pitch tones, performance is better with the high-right/low-left mapping than with the…

Competition and Performance: More Facts, More Understanding? Comment on Murayama and Elliot (2012)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, David W.; Johnson, Roger T.; Roseth, Cary J.

2012-01-01

Murayama and Elliot (2012) made a significant contribution to the literature on competition by presenting the results of 2 meta-analyses and 3 primary studies on the relation between competition and performance. Murayama and Elliot established that in general, there is no relationship between competition and performance. They then made the case…

The Prediction of Students' Academic Performance With Fluid Intelligence in Giving Special Consideration to the Contribution of Learning.

PubMed

Ren, Xuezhu; Schweizer, Karl; Wang, Tengfei; Xu, Fen

2015-01-01

The present study provides a new account of how fluid intelligence influences academic performance. In this account a complex learning component of fluid intelligence tests is proposed to play a major role in predicting academic performance. A sample of 2, 277 secondary school students completed two reasoning tests that were assumed to represent fluid intelligence and standardized math and verbal tests assessing academic performance. The fluid intelligence data were decomposed into a learning component that was associated with the position effect of intelligence items and a constant component that was independent of the position effect. Results showed that the learning component contributed significantly more to the prediction of math and verbal performance than the constant component. The link from the learning component to math performance was especially strong. These results indicated that fluid intelligence, which has so far been considered as homogeneous, could be decomposed in such a way that the resulting components showed different properties and contributed differently to the prediction of academic performance. Furthermore, the results were in line with the expectation that learning was a predictor of performance in school.

The Prediction of Students’ Academic Performance With Fluid Intelligence in Giving Special Consideration to the Contribution of Learning

PubMed Central

Ren, Xuezhu; Schweizer, Karl; Wang, Tengfei; Xu, Fen

2015-01-01

The present study provides a new account of how fluid intelligence influences academic performance. In this account a complex learning component of fluid intelligence tests is proposed to play a major role in predicting academic performance. A sample of 2, 277 secondary school students completed two reasoning tests that were assumed to represent fluid intelligence and standardized math and verbal tests assessing academic performance. The fluid intelligence data were decomposed into a learning component that was associated with the position effect of intelligence items and a constant component that was independent of the position effect. Results showed that the learning component contributed significantly more to the prediction of math and verbal performance than the constant component. The link from the learning component to math performance was especially strong. These results indicated that fluid intelligence, which has so far been considered as homogeneous, could be decomposed in such a way that the resulting components showed different properties and contributed differently to the prediction of academic performance. Furthermore, the results were in line with the expectation that learning was a predictor of performance in school. PMID:26435760

Motor Imagery and Tennis Serve Performance: The External Focus Efficacy

PubMed Central

Guillot, Aymeric; Desliens, Simon; Rouyer, Christelle; Rogowski, Isabelle

2013-01-01

There is now ample evidence that motor imagery (MI) contributes to enhance motor performance. Previous research also demonstrated that directing athletes’ attention to the effects of their movements on the environment is more effective than focusing on the action per se. The present study aimed therefore at evaluating whether adopting an external focus during MI contributes to enhance tennis serve performance. Twelve high-level young tennis players were included in a test-retest procedure. The effects of regular training were first evaluated. Then, players were subjected to a MI intervention during which they mentally focused on ball trajectory and specifically visualized the space above the net where the serve can be successfully hit. Serve performance was evaluated during both a validated serve test and a real match. The main results showed a significant increase in accuracy and velocity during the ecological serve test after MI practice, as well as a significant improvement in successful first serves and won points during the match. Present data therefore confirmed the efficacy of MI in combination of physical practice to improve tennis serve performance, and further provided evidence that it is feasible to adopt external attentional focus during MI. Practical applications are discussed. Key Points Motor imagery contributes to enhance tennis serve performance. Data provided evidence of the benefits of adopting an external focus of attention during imagery. Results showed significant improvement in successful first serves and won points during a real match. PMID:24149813

Multispectral digital lensless holographic microscopy: from femtosecond laser to white light LED

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Sucerquia, J.

2015-04-01

The use of femtosecond laser radiation and super bright white LED in digital lensless holographic microscopy is presented. For the ultrafast laser radiation two different configurations of operation of the microscope are presented and the dissimilar performance of each one analyzed. The microscope operating with a super bright white light LED in combination with optical filters shows very competitive performance as it is compared with more expensive optical sources. The broadband emission of both radiation sources allows the multispectral imaging of biological samples to obtain spectral responses and/or full color images of the microscopic specimens; sections of the head of a Drosophila melanogaster fly are imaged in this contribution. The simple, solid, compact, lightweight, and reliable architecture of digital lensless holographic microscopy operating with broadband light sources to image biological specimens exhibiting micrometer-sized details is evaluated in the present contribution.

Operational testing of a figure of merit for overall task performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lemay, Moira

1990-01-01

An overall indicator or figure of merit (FOM), for the quality of pilot performance is needed to define optimal workload levels, predict system failure, measure the impact of new automation in the cockpit, and define the relative contributions of subtasks to overall task performance. A normative FOM was developed based on the calculation of a standard score for each component of a complex task. It reflected some effects, detailed in an earlier study, of the introduction of new data link technology into the cockpit. Since the technique showed promise, further testing was done. A new set of data was obtained using the recently developed Multi-Attribute Task Battery. This is a complex battery consisting of four tasks which can be varied in task demand, and on which performance measures can be obtained. This battery was presented to 12 subjects in a 20 minute trial at each of three levels of workload or task demand, and performance measures collected on all four tasks. The NASA-TLX workload rating scale was presented at minutes 6, 12, and 18, of each trial. A figure of merit was then obtained for each run of the battery by calculating a mean, SD, and standard score for each task. Each task contributed its own proportion to the overall FOM, and relative contributions changed with increasing workload. Thus, the FOM shows the effect of task changes, not only on the individual task that is changed, but also on the performance of other tasks and of the whole task. The cost to other tasks of maintaining constant performance on an individual task can be quantified.

Contributions of sex, testosterone, and androgen receptor CAG repeat number to virtual Morris water maze performance.

PubMed

Nowak, Nicole T; Diamond, Michael P; Land, Susan J; Moffat, Scott D

2014-03-01

The possibility that androgens contribute to the male advantage typically found on measures of spatial cognition has been investigated using a variety of approaches. To date, evidence to support the notion that androgens affect spatial cognition in healthy young adults is somewhat equivocal. The present study sought to clarify the association between testosterone (T) and spatial performance by extending measurements of androgenicity to include both measures of circulating T as well as an androgen receptor-specific genetic marker. The aims of this study were to assess the contributions of sex, T, and androgen receptor CAG repeat number (CAGr) on virtual Morris water task (vMWT) performance in a group of healthy young men and women. The hypothesis that men would outperform women on vMWT outcomes was supported. Results indicate that CAGr may interact with T to impact navigation performance and suggest that consideration of androgen receptor sensitivity is an important consideration in evaluating hormone-behavior relationships. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationship of aerobic and anaerobic parameters with 400 m front crawl swimming performance

PubMed Central

Kalva-Filho, CA; Campos, EZ; Andrade, VL; Silva, ASR; Zagatto, AM; Lima, MCS

2015-01-01

The aims of the present study were to investigate the relationship of aerobic and anaerobic parameters with 400 m performance, and establish which variable better explains long distance performance in swimming. Twenty-two swimmers (19.1±1.5 years, height 173.9±10.0 cm, body mass 71.2±10.2 kg; 76.6±5.3% of 400 m world record) underwent a lactate minimum test to determine lactate minimum speed (LMS) (i.e., aerobic capacity index). Moreover, the swimmers performed a 400 m maximal effort to determine mean speed (S400m), peak oxygen uptake (V.O2PEAK) and total anaerobic contribution (CANA). The CANA was assumed as the sum of alactic and lactic contributions. Physiological parameters of 400 m were determined using the backward extrapolation technique (V.O2PEAK and alactic contributions of CANA) and blood lactate concentration analysis (lactic anaerobic contributions of CANA). The Pearson correlation test and backward multiple regression analysis were used to verify the possible correlations between the physiological indices (predictor factors) and S400m (independent variable) (p < 0.05). Values are presented as mean ± standard deviation. Significant correlations were observed between S400m (1.4±0.1 m·s-1) and LMS (1.3±0.1 m·s-1; r = 0.80), V.O2PEAK (4.5±3.9 L·min-1; r = 0.72) and CANA (4.7±1.5 L·O2; r= 0.44). The best model constructed using multiple regression analysis demonstrated that LMS and V.O2PEAK explained 85% of the 400 m performance variance. When backward multiple regression analysis was performed, CANA lost significance. Thus, the results demonstrated that both aerobic parameters (capacity and power) can be used to predict 400 m swimming performance. PMID:28479663

Performance deterioration of commercial high-bypass ratio turbofan engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mehalic, C. M.; Ziemianski, J. A.

1980-01-01

The results of engine performance deterioration investigations based on historical data, special engine tests, and specific tests to define the influence of flight loads and component clearances on performance are presented. The results of analyses of several damage mechanisms that contribute to performance deterioration such as blade tip rubs, airfoil surface roughness and erosion, and thermal distortion are also included. The significance of these damage mechanisms on component and overall engine performance is discussed.

Turkish Students' Science Performance and Related Factors in PISA 2006 and 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Topçu, Mustafa Sami; Arikan, Serkan; Erbilgin, Evrim

2015-01-01

The OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) enables participating countries to monitor 15-year old students' progress in reading, mathematics, and science literacy. The present study investigates persistent factors that contribute to science performance of Turkish students in PISA 2006 and PISA 2009. Additionally, the study…

Speed-Accuracy Trade-Off in Skilled Typewriting: Decomposing the Contributions of Hierarchical Control Loops

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamaguchi, Motonori; Crump, Matthew J. C.; Logan, Gordon D.

2013-01-01

Typing performance involves hierarchically structured control systems: At the higher level, an outer loop generates a word or a series of words to be typed; at the lower level, an inner loop activates the keystrokes comprising the word in parallel and executes them in the correct order. The present experiments examined contributions of the outer-…

Variability and Variation of L2 Grammar: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of German Learners' Performance on Two Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abrams, Zsuzsanna; Rott, Susanne

2017-01-01

Research on second language (L2) grammar in task-based language learning has yielded inconsistent results regarding the effects of task-complexity, prompting calls for more nuanced analyses of L2 development and task performance. The present cross-sectional study contributes to this discussion by comparing the performance of 245 learners of German…

Whole School Improvement and Restructuring as Prevention and Promotion: Lessons from STEP and the Project on High Performance Learning Communities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felner, Robert D.; Favazza, Antoinette; Shim, Minsuk; Brand, Stephen; Gu, Kenneth; Noonan, Nancy

2001-01-01

Describes the School Transitional Environment Project and its successor, the Project on High Performance Learning Communities, that have contributed to building a model for school improvement called the High Performance Learning Communities. The model seeks to build the principles of prevention into whole school change. Presents findings from…

Motor Performance of Children with Mild Intellectual Disability and Borderline Intellectual Functioning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vuijk, P. J.; Hartman, E.; Scherder, E.; Visscher, C.

2010-01-01

Background: There is a relatively small body of research on the motor performance of children with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) and borderline intellectual functioning (BIF). Adequate levels of motor skills may contribute to lifelong enjoyment of physical activity, participation in sports and healthy lifestyles. The present study compares…

Achievement Goals, Learning Strategies and Instrumental Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nielsen, Siw Graabraek

2008-01-01

The current study is a survey of the achievement goals of music students and the manner in which their strategies and instrumental performance relate to these goals. In the context of advanced instrumental learning, the rationale for the present study was to contribute to the literature on motivation in music students, and thereby, help teachers…

Individual Differences in Visual Word Recognition: Insights from the English Lexicon Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yap, Melvin J.; Balota, David A.; Sibley, Daragh E.; Ratcliff, Roger

2012-01-01

Empirical work and models of visual word recognition have traditionally focused on group-level performance. Despite the emphasis on the prototypical reader, there is clear evidence that variation in reading skill modulates word recognition performance. In the present study, we examined differences among individuals who contributed to the English…

A bottom-up model of spatial attention predicts human error patterns in rapid scene recognition.

PubMed

Einhäuser, Wolfgang; Mundhenk, T Nathan; Baldi, Pierre; Koch, Christof; Itti, Laurent

2007-07-20

Humans demonstrate a peculiar ability to detect complex targets in rapidly presented natural scenes. Recent studies suggest that (nearly) no focal attention is required for overall performance in such tasks. Little is known, however, of how detection performance varies from trial to trial and which stages in the processing hierarchy limit performance: bottom-up visual processing (attentional selection and/or recognition) or top-down factors (e.g., decision-making, memory, or alertness fluctuations)? To investigate the relative contribution of these factors, eight human observers performed an animal detection task in natural scenes presented at 20 Hz. Trial-by-trial performance was highly consistent across observers, far exceeding the prediction of independent errors. This consistency demonstrates that performance is not primarily limited by idiosyncratic factors but by visual processing. Two statistical stimulus properties, contrast variation in the target image and the information-theoretical measure of "surprise" in adjacent images, predict performance on a trial-by-trial basis. These measures are tightly related to spatial attention, demonstrating that spatial attention and rapid target detection share common mechanisms. To isolate the causal contribution of the surprise measure, eight additional observers performed the animal detection task in sequences that were reordered versions of those all subjects had correctly recognized in the first experiment. Reordering increased surprise before and/or after the target while keeping the target and distractors themselves unchanged. Surprise enhancement impaired target detection in all observers. Consequently, and contrary to several previously published findings, our results demonstrate that attentional limitations, rather than target recognition alone, affect the detection of targets in rapidly presented visual sequences.

Contributions of Transonic Dynamics Tunnel Testing to Airplane Flutter Clearance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rivera, Jose A.; Florance, James R.

2000-01-01

The Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) became in operational in 1960, and since that time has achieved the status of the world's premier wind tunnel for testing large in aeroelastically scaled models at transonic speeds. The facility has many features that contribute to its uniqueness for aeroelastic testing. This paper will briefly describe these capabilities and features, and their relevance to aeroelastic testing. Contributions to specific airplane configurations and highlights from the flutter tests performed in the TDT aimed at investigating the aeroelastic characteristics of these configurations are presented.

Sources of Variability in Chlorophyll Analysis by Fluorometry and by High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Chapter 22

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanHeukelem, Laurie; Thomas, Crystal S.; Glibert, Patricia M.

2001-01-01

The need for accurate determination of chlorophyll a (chl a) is of interest for numerous reasons. From the need for ground-truth data for remote sensing to pigment detection for laboratory experimentation, it is essential to know the accuracy of the analyses and the factors potentially contributing to variability and error. Numerous methods and instrument techniques are currently employed in the analyses of chl a. These methods range from spectrophotometric quantification, to fluorometric analysis and determination by high performance liquid chromatography. Even within the application of HPLC techniques, methods vary. Here we provide the results of a comparison among methods and provide some guidance for improving the accuracy of these analyses. These results are based on a round-robin conducted among numerous investigators, including several in the Sensor Intercomparison and Merger for Biological and Interdisciplinary Oceanic Studies (SIMBIOS) and HyCODE Programs. Our purpose here is not to present the full results of the laboratory intercalibration; those results will be presented elsewhere. Rather, here we highlight some of the major factors that may contribute to the variability observed. Specifically, we aim to assess the comparability of chl a analyses performed by fluorometry and HPLC, and we identify several factors in the analyses which may contribute disproportionately to this variability.

The Production of Present and Absent Presences in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frelin, Anneli; Grannäs, Jan

2013-01-01

Drawing on the distinction between absent and present presences, this article contributes to our understanding of how new managerial and performative discourses are played out in a secondary school context in Sweden. The consequences of numerous educational reforms during the last 20 years include a surge of new independent schools and increased…

The Chinese in Canada: a study in ethnic change with emphasis on gender roles.

PubMed

Kim, Chankon; Laroche, Michel; Tomiuk, Marc A

2004-02-01

The authors investigated the impact of ethnic change experienced by Chinese Canadian couples on gender-role attitude, household task-role expectations and performance. The authors presented acculturation and Chinese ethnic identification as the two discriminant facets of ethnic change. Results indicated a nonsignificant role of acculturation in bringing about modifications of the gender-role attitudes of husbands and of their household task-role expectations. In contrast, the acculturation of Chinese Canadian wives proved to be a significant factor in promoting more modern (less traditional) gender-role attitudes, which in turn led to role expectations that they should contribute less to the performance of the tasks that traditionally fall in the female domain whereas their husbands should contribute more. Subsequent results also revealed that the acculturation of wives was directly linked to the role expectation that they should assume a greater share of responsibility in taking care of the traditionally husband-responsible tasks whereas their husbands should contribute a smaller share. Moreover, Chinese ethnic identification emerged as a significant determinant of husbands' gender-role attitudes and influenced their role expectation that husbands should contribute more to the performance of the tasks that traditionally fall in the male domain whereas their wives should contribute less.

Precise measurement of the performance of thermoelectric modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz-Chao, Pablo; Muñiz-Piniella, Andrés; Selezneva, Ekaterina; Cuenat, Alexandre

2016-08-01

The potential exploitation of thermoelectric modules into mass market applications such as exhaust gas heat recovery in combustion engines requires an accurate knowledge of their performance. Further expansion of the market will also require confidence on the results provided by suppliers to end-users. However, large variation in performance and maximum operating point is observed for identical modules when tested by different laboratories. Here, we present the first metrological study of the impact of mounting and testing procedures on the precision of thermoelectric modules measurement. Variability in the electrical output due to mechanical pressure or type of thermal interface materials is quantified for the first time. The respective contribution of the temperature difference and the mean temperature to the variation in the output performance is quantified. The contribution of these factors to the total uncertainties in module characterisation is detailed.

Farewell to Alexandria: Solutions to Space, Growth, and Performance Problems of Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gore, Daniel, Ed.

All of the contributions in this volume, except the last, were presented at a conference sponsored by the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, held in Chicago, April 17-18, 1975. Entitled "Touching Bottom in the Bottomless Pit," the conference was intended to open a national debate on space, growth, and performance problems of…

Methodology for the Preliminary Design of High Performance Schools in Hot and Humid Climates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Im, Piljae

2009-01-01

A methodology to develop an easy-to-use toolkit for the preliminary design of high performance schools in hot and humid climates was presented. The toolkit proposed in this research will allow decision makers without simulation knowledge easily to evaluate accurately energy efficient measures for K-5 schools, which would contribute to the…

The Science and Art of Grand Rond de Jambe en l'air: Applications to Teaching and Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Margaret

2008-01-01

Recommendations for the teaching and performance of grand rond de jambe en l'air are presented. Incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data, information generated from biomechanic analysis is balanced with observation of the testing and questionnaire and interview data. The voices of the participants in the research contribute to an…

Some Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Understanding Ability-Performance Relationships. Research Report No. 16.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Benjamin, Ed.

This technical report contains the text of papers presented at a conference on personnel selection research. The conference brought together scholars to share their ideas regarding ways in which their own special interests help shed light on ability-performance relationships observed in personnel selection studies. The contributions can be divided…

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.

Work zone safety analysis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-11-01

This report presents research performed analyzing crashes in work zones in the state of New Jersey so as to : identify critical areas in work zones susceptible to crashes and key factors that contribute to these crashes. A field : data collection on ...

Ergonomics contributions to company strategies.

PubMed

Dul, Jan; Neumann, W Patrick

2009-07-01

Managers usually associate ergonomics with occupational health and safety and related legislation, not with business performance. In many companies, these decision makers seem not to be positively motivated to apply ergonomics for reasons of improving health and safety. In order to strengthen the position of ergonomics and ergonomists in the business and management world, we discuss company strategies and business goals to which ergonomics could contribute. Conceptual models are presented and examples are given to illustrate: (1) the present situation in which ergonomics is not part of regular planning and control cycles in organizations to ensure business performance; and (2) the desired situation in which ergonomics is an integrated part of strategy formulation and implementation. In order to realize the desired situation, considerable changes must take place within the ergonomics research, education and practice community by moving from a health ergonomics paradigm to a business ergonomics paradigm, without losing the health and safety goals.

Contribution of Mössbauer spectroscopy to the investigation of Fe/S biogenesis.

PubMed

Garcia-Serres, Ricardo; Clémancey, Martin; Latour, Jean-Marc; Blondin, Geneviève

2018-01-19

Fe/S cluster biogenesis involves a complex machinery comprising several mitochondrial and cytosolic proteins. Fe/S cluster biosynthesis is closely intertwined with iron trafficking in the cell. Defects in Fe/S cluster elaboration result in severe diseases such as Friedreich ataxia. Deciphering this machinery is a challenge for the scientific community. Because iron is a key player, 57 Fe-Mössbauer spectroscopy is especially appropriate for the characterization of Fe species and monitoring the iron distribution. This minireview intends to illustrate how Mössbauer spectroscopy contributes to unravel steps in Fe/S cluster biogenesis. Studies were performed on isolated proteins that may be present in multiple protein complexes. Since a few decades, Mössbauer spectroscopy was also performed on whole cells or on isolated compartments such as mitochondria and vacuoles, affording an overview of the iron trafficking. This minireview aims at presenting selected applications of 57 Fe-Mössbauer spectroscopy to Fe/S cluster biogenesis.

Language Learners' Writing Task Representation and Its Effect on Written Performance in an EFL Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zarei, Gholam Reza; Pourghasemian, Hossein; Jalali, Hassan

2017-01-01

The present study attempts to give an account of how students represent writing task in an EAP course. Further, the study is intended to discover if learners' mental representation of writing would contribute to their written performance. During a 16-week term, students were instructed to practice writing as a problem solving activity. At almost…

Group Performing in a Problem-Based Curriculum: The Development and Evaluation of an Instrument.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Berkel, Henk J. M.; van Til, Cita T.

In a problem-based curriculum, emphasis is placed on the groups in which students learn to analyze problems and to contribute to the solution of a problem. This paper describes an instrument that aims to measure individual group performing and presents some psychometric results. Reliability and validity were studied with 240 students in groups of…

Healthy School Environment and Enhanced Educational Performance: The Case of Charles Young Elementary School, Washington, DC.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berry, Michael A.

This report presents a case study of the renovation of Charles Young Elementary School in Washington, DC, focusing on how an improved school environment contributed to higher levels of educational performance. The school was chosen as a school revitalization demonstration project for the Urban Schools Initiative. The objective of the project was…

An analysis of e-business adoption by Indonesian manufacturing SMEs: A conceptual framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saptadi, Singgih; Pratama, Hanggar; Sudirman, Iman; Aisha, Atya Nur; Bernadhi, Brav Deva

2017-11-01

Many researches had shown IT contribution to business. Considering the contribution of SMEs to Indonesia economy, improving the competitiveness of SMEs is a concern in Indonesia development. Many studies had shown many IT projects failed to provide business performance. So, it is important to understand the pattern of e-business that provides business performances of a company. Using business process approach, we had studied SMEs' e-business initiatives in the form of "which business processes that had been supported with IT" by SMEs and business performances that SMEs gained from these e-business initiatives. But, we have not studied the intensity of implemented IT for SMEs' business processes. This paper presents a conceptual framework that relates the business performance and the intensity of e-business adoption. We also propose some antecedents that may relate to the intensity of e-business adoption.

Contribution of variable-speed pump hydro storage for power system dynamic performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, B.; Moreira, C.

2017-04-01

This paper presents the study of variable-speed Pump Storage Powerplant (PSP) in the Portuguese power system. It evaluates the progressive integration in three major locations and compares the power system performance following a severe fault event with consequent disconnection of non-Fault Ride-through (FRT) compliant Wind Farms (WF). To achieve such objective, a frequency responsive model was developed in PSS/E and was further used to substitute existing fixed-speed PSP. The results allow identifying a clear enhancement on the power system performance by the presence of frequency responsive variable-speed PSP, especially for the scenario presented, with high level of renewables integration.

Prediction of child performance on a parent-child behavioral approach test with animal phobic children.

PubMed

Ollendick, Thomas H; Lewis, Krystal M; Cowart, Maria J W; Davis, Thompson

2012-07-01

A host of factors including genetic influences, temperament characteristics, learning experiences, information processing biases, parental psychopathology, and specific parenting practices have been hypothesized to contribute to the development and expression of children's phobias. In the present study, the authors focused on parental psychopathology (phobic anxiety) and parenting behaviors (warmth, involvement) in the prediction of child performance on a behavioral approach test (BAT). All children (n = 44) experienced a phobia of animals and were clinic referred. The youth completed two BATs: the first alone and the second one with a parent present. Overall, performance was greater on the parent-present BAT (58% of steps completed) than on the child-alone BAT (38% of steps completed), although considerable variability was present. Performance on the parent-present BAT was associated with parental warmth and involvement but not parental phobic anxiety. Implications of these findings were discussed, and their implications for the use of behavioral analogues tests were explored.

A computational feedforward model predicts categorization of masked emotional body language for longer, but not for shorter, latencies.

PubMed

Stienen, Bernard M C; Schindler, Konrad; de Gelder, Beatrice

2012-07-01

Given the presence of massive feedback loops in brain networks, it is difficult to disentangle the contribution of feedforward and feedback processing to the recognition of visual stimuli, in this case, of emotional body expressions. The aim of the work presented in this letter is to shed light on how well feedforward processing explains rapid categorization of this important class of stimuli. By means of parametric masking, it may be possible to control the contribution of feedback activity in human participants. A close comparison is presented between human recognition performance and the performance of a computational neural model that exclusively modeled feedforward processing and was engineered to fulfill the computational requirements of recognition. Results show that the longer the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA), the closer the performance of the human participants was to the values predicted by the model, with an optimum at an SOA of 100 ms. At short SOA latencies, human performance deteriorated, but the categorization of the emotional expressions was still above baseline. The data suggest that, although theoretically, feedback arising from inferotemporal cortex is likely to be blocked when the SOA is 100 ms, human participants still seem to rely on more local visual feedback processing to equal the model's performance.

3D Simulations of NIF Wetted Foam Experiments to Understand the Transition from 2D to 3D Implosion Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haines, Brian; Olson, Richard; Yi, Austin; Zylstra, Alex; Peterson, Robert; Bradley, Paul; Shah, Rahul; Wilson, Doug; Kline, John; Leeper, Ramon; Batha, Steve

2017-10-01

The high convergence ratio (CR) of layered Inertial Confinement Fusion capsule implosions contribute to high performance in 1D simulations yet make them more susceptible to hydrodynamic instabilities, contributing to the development of 3D flows. The wetted foam platform is an approach to hot spot ignition to achieve low-to-moderate convergence ratios in layered implosions on the NIF unobtainable using an ice layer. Detailed high-resolution modeling of these experiments in 2D and 3D, including all known asymmetries, demonstrates that 2D hydrodynamics explain capsule performance at CR 12 but become less suitable as the CR increases. Mechanisms for this behavior and detailed comparisons of simulations to experiments on NIF will be presented. To evaluate the tradeoff between increased instability and improved 1D performance, we present a full-scale wetted foam capsule design with 17

The whole relationship between environmental variables and firm performance: competitive advantage and firm resources as mediator variables.

PubMed

López-Gamero, María D; Molina-Azorín, José F; Claver-Cortés, Enrique

2009-07-01

The examination of the possible direct link between environmental protection and firm performance in the literature has generally produced mixed results. The present paper contributes to the literature by using the resource-based view as a mediating process in this relationship. The study specifically tests whether or not the resource-based view of the firm mediates the positive relationships of proactive environmental management and improved environmental performance with competitive advantage, which also has consequences for financial performance. We also check the possible link between the adoption of a pioneering approach and good environmental management practices. Our findings support that early investment timing and intensity in environmental issues impact on the adoption of a proactive environmental management, which in turn helps to improve environmental performance. The findings also show that a firm's resources and competitive advantage act as mediator variables for a positive relationship between environmental protection and financial performance. This contribution is original because the present paper develops a comprehensive whole picture of this path process, which has previously only been partially discussed in the literature. In addition, this study clarifies a relevant point in the literature, namely that the effect of environmental protection on firm performance is not direct and can vary depending on the sector considered. Whereas competitive advantage in relation to costs influences financial performance in the IPPC law sector, the relevant influence in the hotel sector comes from competitive advantage through differentiation.

Exploiting Outage and Error Probability of Cooperative Incremental Relaying in Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Nasir, Hina; Javaid, Nadeem; Sher, Muhammad; Qasim, Umar; Khan, Zahoor Ali; Alrajeh, Nabil; Niaz, Iftikhar Azim

2016-01-01

This paper embeds a bi-fold contribution for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs); performance analysis of incremental relaying in terms of outage and error probability, and based on the analysis proposition of two new cooperative routing protocols. Subject to the first contribution, a three step procedure is carried out; a system model is presented, the number of available relays are determined, and based on cooperative incremental retransmission methodology, closed-form expressions for outage and error probability are derived. Subject to the second contribution, Adaptive Cooperation in Energy (ACE) efficient depth based routing and Enhanced-ACE (E-ACE) are presented. In the proposed model, feedback mechanism indicates success or failure of data transmission. If direct transmission is successful, there is no need for relaying by cooperative relay nodes. In case of failure, all the available relays retransmit the data one by one till the desired signal quality is achieved at destination. Simulation results show that the ACE and E-ACE significantly improves network performance, i.e., throughput, when compared with other incremental relaying protocols like Cooperative Automatic Repeat reQuest (CARQ). E-ACE and ACE achieve 69% and 63% more throughput respectively as compared to CARQ in hard underwater environment. PMID:27420061

Individual differences in forced-choice recognition memory: partitioning contributions of recollection and familiarity.

PubMed

Migo, Ellen M; Quamme, Joel R; Holmes, Selina; Bendell, Andrew; Norman, Kenneth A; Mayes, Andrew R; Montaldi, Daniela

2014-01-01

In forced-choice recognition memory, two different testing formats are possible under conditions of high target-foil similarity: Each target can be presented alongside foils similar to itself (forced-choice corresponding; FCC), or alongside foils similar to other targets (forced-choice noncorresponding; FCNC). Recent behavioural and neuropsychological studies suggest that FCC performance can be supported by familiarity whereas FCNC performance is supported primarily by recollection. In this paper, we corroborate this finding from an individual differences perspective. A group of older adults were given a test of FCC and FCNC recognition for object pictures, as well as standardized tests of recall, recognition, and IQ. Recall measures were found to predict FCNC, but not FCC performance, consistent with a critical role for recollection in FCNC only. After the common influence of recall was removed, standardized tests of recognition predicted FCC, but not FCNC performance. This is consistent with a contribution of only familiarity in FCC. Simulations show that a two-process model, where familiarity and recollection make separate contributions to recognition, is 10 times more likely to give these results than a single-process model. This evidence highlights the importance of recognition memory test design when examining the involvement of recollection and familiarity.

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

Assessing the differences and similarities between hospital chains and independents regarding revenues, profits, and community contributions.

PubMed

McDermott, Dennis R

2009-01-01

Hospital systems or chains continue to grow their market share relative to independent hospitals. This trend generates concerns among health care industry observers as historical performance suggests chains charge more for health care services than the independents while providing reduced contributions to their community. This study empirically assesses key performance measures of 67 acute-care hospitals in Virginia by testing if there are differences between chains and independents regarding total patient revenues, revenues per admission, profitability and community support, including charity care, bad debt, taxes paid and Medicaid participation. Implications to industry policy-makers as well as to hospital executives and marketing managers are then presented.

Semantic congruency but not temporal synchrony enhances long-term memory performance for audio-visual scenes.

PubMed

Meyerhoff, Hauke S; Huff, Markus

2016-04-01

Human long-term memory for visual objects and scenes is tremendous. Here, we test how auditory information contributes to long-term memory performance for realistic scenes. In a total of six experiments, we manipulated the presentation modality (auditory, visual, audio-visual) as well as semantic congruency and temporal synchrony between auditory and visual information of brief filmic clips. Our results show that audio-visual clips generally elicit more accurate memory performance than unimodal clips. This advantage even increases with congruent visual and auditory information. However, violations of audio-visual synchrony hardly have any influence on memory performance. Memory performance remained intact even with a sequential presentation of auditory and visual information, but finally declined when the matching tracks of one scene were presented separately with intervening tracks during learning. With respect to memory performance, our results therefore show that audio-visual integration is sensitive to semantic congruency but remarkably robust against asymmetries between different modalities.

Group-multicast capable optical virtual private ring with contention avoidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Yunfeng; Du, Shu; Long, Keping

2008-11-01

A ring based optical virtual private network (OVPN) employing contention sensing and avoidance is proposed to deliver multiple-to-multiple group-multicast traffic. The network architecture is presented and its operation principles as well as performance are investigated. The main contribution of this article is the presentation of an innovative group-multicast capable OVPN architecture with technologies available today.

First Thin Film Festival

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samson, Philippe

2005-05-01

The constant evolution of the satellite market is asking for better technical performances and reliability for a reduced cost. Solar array is in front line of this challenge.This can be achieved by present technologies progressive improvement in cost reduction or by technological breakthrough.To reach an effective End Of Live performance100 W/kg of solar array is not so easy, even if you suppose that the mass of everything is nothing!Thin film cells are potential candidate to contribute to this challenge with certain confidence level and consequent development plan validation and qualification on ground and flight.Based on a strong flight heritage in flexible Solar Array design, the work has allowed in these last years, to pave the way on road map of thin film technologies . This is encouraged by ESA on many technological contracts put in concurrent engineering.CISG was selected cell and their strategy of design, contributions and results will be presented.Trade-off results and Design to Cost solutions will discussed.Main technical drivers, system design constraints, market access, key technologies needed will be detailed in this paper and the resulting road-map and development plan will be presented.

Emergent literacy profiles of preschool-age children with specific language impairment.

PubMed

Cabell, Sonia Q; Lomax, Richard G; Justice, Laura M; Breit-Smith, Allison; Skibbe, Lori E; McGinty, Anita S

2010-12-01

The primary aim of the present study was to explore the heterogeneity of emergent literacy skills among preschool-age children with specific language impairment (SLI) through examination of profiles of performance. Fifty-nine children with SLI were assessed on a battery of emergent literacy skills (i.e., alphabet knowledge, print concepts, emergent writing, rhyme awareness) and oral language skills (i.e., receptive/expressive vocabulary and grammar). Cluster analysis techniques identified three emergent literacy profiles: (1) Highest Emergent Literacy, Strength in Alphabet Knowledge; (2) Average Emergent Literacy, Strength in Print Concepts; and (3) Lowest Emergent Literacy across Skills. After taking into account the contribution of child age, receptive and expressive language skills made a small contribution to the prediction of profile membership. The present findings, which may be characterized as exploratory given the relatively modest sample size, suggest that preschool-age children with SLI display substantial individual differences with regard to their emergent literacy skills and that these differences cannot be fully determined by children's age or oral language performance. Replication of the present findings with a larger sample of children is needed.

Investigation of life changes as a contributing factor in aircraft accidents: a prospectus.

PubMed

Haakonson, N H

1980-09-01

The author presents a personal perspective on attempts to reduce aircraft accidents resulting from human failure in the cockpit. The premise is that accidents result from an imbalance between performance ability and performance demand. Advances in decreasing pilot-induced accidents must come from methods that will prevent the stresses that diminish performance ability. It is suggested that the investigation of life change as a contributing factor in aircraft accidents will be fruitful because of the tremendous amount of research that has already been done in this field. A review of previous work leads to three recommendations: the Recent Life Change Questionnaire (RLCQ) should be developed as a tool for management and individual aircrew; a character assurance program should be adopted; and a technique to remove accident-prone individuals should be developed.

Sensitivity tests to define the source apportionment performance criteria in the DeltaSA tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pernigotti, Denise; Belis, Claudio A.

2017-04-01

Identification and quantification of the contribution of emission sources to a given area is a key task for the design of abatement strategies. Moreover, European member states are obliged to report this kind of information for zones where the pollution levels exceed the limit values. At present, little is known about the performance and uncertainty of the variety of methodologies used for source apportionment and the comparability between the results of studies using different approaches. The source apportionment Delta (SA Delta) is a tool developed by the EC-JRC to support the particulate matter source apportionment modellers in the identification of sources (for factor analysis studies) and/or in the measure of their performance. The source identification is performed by the tool measuring the proximity of any user chemical profile to preloaded repository data (SPECIATE and SPECIEUROPE). The model performances criteria are based on standard statistical indexes calculated by comparing participants' source contribute estimates and their time series with preloaded references data. Those preloaded data refer to previous European SA intercomparison exercises: the first with real world data (22 participants), the second with synthetic data (25 participants) and the last with real world data which was also extended to Chemical Transport Models (38 receptor models and 4 CTMs). The references used for the model performances are 'true' (predefined by JRC) for the synthetic while they are calculated as ensemble average of the participants' results in real world intercomparisons. The candidates used for each source ensemble reference calculation were selected among participants results based on a number of consistency checks plus the similarity between their chemical profiles to the repository measured data. The estimation of the ensemble reference uncertainty is crucial in order to evaluate the users' performances against it. For this reason a sensitivity analysis on different methods to estimate the ensemble references' uncertainties was performed re-analyzing the synthetic intercomparison dataset, the only one where 'true' reference and ensemble reference contributions were both present. The Delta SA is now available on-line and will be presented, with a critical discussion of the sensitivity analysis on the ensemble reference uncertainty. In particular the grade of among participants mutual agreement on the presence of a certain source should be taken into account. Moreover also the importance of the synthetic intercomparisons in order to catch receptor models common biases will be stressed.

Cognitive performance modeling based on general systems performance theory.

PubMed

Kondraske, George V

2010-01-01

General Systems Performance Theory (GSPT) was initially motivated by problems associated with quantifying different aspects of human performance. It has proved to be invaluable for measurement development and understanding quantitative relationships between human subsystem capacities and performance in complex tasks. It is now desired to bring focus to the application of GSPT to modeling of cognitive system performance. Previous studies involving two complex tasks (i.e., driving and performing laparoscopic surgery) and incorporating measures that are clearly related to cognitive performance (information processing speed and short-term memory capacity) were revisited. A GSPT-derived method of task analysis and performance prediction termed Nonlinear Causal Resource Analysis (NCRA) was employed to determine the demand on basic cognitive performance resources required to support different levels of complex task performance. This approach is presented as a means to determine a cognitive workload profile and the subsequent computation of a single number measure of cognitive workload (CW). Computation of CW may be a viable alternative to measuring it. Various possible "more basic" performance resources that contribute to cognitive system performance are discussed. It is concluded from this preliminary exploration that a GSPT-based approach can contribute to defining cognitive performance models that are useful for both individual subjects and specific groups (e.g., military pilots).

Exploring visuospatial abilities and their contribution to constructional abilities and nonverbal intelligence.

PubMed

Trojano, Luigi; Siciliano, Mattia; Cristinzio, Chiara; Grossi, Dario

2018-01-01

The present study aimed at exploring relationships among the visuospatial tasks included in the Battery for Visuospatial Abilities (BVA), and at assessing the relative contribution of different facets of visuospatial processing on tests tapping constructional abilities and nonverbal abstract reasoning. One hundred forty-four healthy subjects with a normal score on Mini Mental State Examination completed the BVA plus Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices and Constructional Apraxia test. We used Principal Axis Factoring and Parallel Analysis to investigate relationships among the BVA visuospatial tasks, and performed regression analyses to assess the visuospatial contribution to constructional abilities and nonverbal abstract reasoning. Principal Axis Factoring and Parallel Analysis revealed two eigenvalues exceeding 1, accounting for about 60% of the variance. A 2-factor model provided the best fit. Factor 1 included sub-tests exploring "complex" visuospatial skills, whereas Factor 2 included two subtests tapping "simple" visuospatial skills. Regression analyses revealed that both Factor 1 and Factor 2 significantly affected performance on Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, whereas only the Factor 1 affected performance on Constructional Apraxia test. Our results supported functional segregation proposed by De Renzi, suggesting clinical caution to utilize a single test to assess visuospatial domain, and qualified the visuospatial contribution in drawing and non-verbal intelligence test.

Lattice QCD results for the HVP contribution to the anomalous magnetic moments of leptons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2018-03-01

We present lattice QCD results by the Budapest-Marseille-Wuppertal (BMW) Collaboration for the leading-order contribution of the hadron vacuum polarization (LOHVP) to the anomalous magnetic moments of all charged leptons. Calculations are performed with u, d, s and c quarks at their physical masses, in volumes of linear extent larger than 6 fm, and at six values of the lattice spacing, allowing for controlled continuum extrapolations. All connected and disconnected contributions are calculated for not only the muon but also the electron and tau anomalous magnetic moments. Systematic uncertainties are thoroughly discussed and comparisons with other calculations and phenomenological estimates are made.

Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): Harsh Choices For Interventional Pain Management Physicians.

PubMed

Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Helm Ii, Standiford; Benyamin, Ramsin M; Hirsch, Joshua A

2016-01-01

The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) was created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) to improve the health of all Americans by providing incentives and policies to improve patient health outcomes. MIPS combines 3 existing programs, Meaningful Use (MU), now called Advancing Care Information (ACI), contributing 25% of the composite score; Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), changed to Quality, contributing 50% of the composite score; and Value-based Payment (VBP) system to Resource Use or cost, contributing 10% of the composite score. Additionally, Clinical Practice Improvement Activities (CPIA), contributing 15% of the composite score, create multiple strategic goals to design incentives that drive movement toward delivery system reform principles with inclusion of Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs). Under the present proposal, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has estimated approximately 30,000 to 90,000 providers from a total of over 761,000 providers will be exempt from MIPS. About 87% of solo practitioners and 70% of practitioners in groups of less than 10 will be subjected to negative payments or penalties ranging from 4% to 9%. In addition, MIPS also will affect a provider's reputation by making performance measures accessible to consumers and third-party physician rating Web sites.The MIPS composite performance scoring method, at least in theory, utilizes weights for each performance category, exceptional performance factors to earn bonuses, and incorporates the special circumstances of small practices.In conclusion, MIPS has the potential to affect practitioners negatively. Interventional Pain Medicine practitioners must understand the various MIPS measures and how they might participate in order to secure a brighter future. Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, merit-based incentive payment system, quality performance measures, resource use, clinical practice improvement activities, advancing care information performance category.

Time-specific contribution of the supplementary motor area to intermanual transfer of procedural knowledge

PubMed Central

Perez, MA; Tanaka, S; Wise, SP; Willingham, DT; Cohen, LG

2008-01-01

The supplementary motor area (SMA) makes a crucial contribution to intermanual transfer: the ability to use one hand to perform a skill practiced and learned with the other hand. However, the timing of this contribution relative to movement remains unknown. Here, 33 healthy volunteers performed a 12-item sequence in the serial reaction time task (SRTT). During training, each participant responded to a sequence of visual cues presented at 1 Hz by pressing one of 4 keys with their right hand. The measure of intermanual transfer was response time (RT) during repetition of the trained sequence with the left hand, which was at rest during learning. Participants were divided into 3 groups, which did not differ in their learning rates or amounts. In 2 groups, 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) induced transient virtual lesions of the SMA during training, either 100 ms before each cue (the premovement group) or during each key press (the movement group). The third group received sham stimulation (the sham group). After training with the right hand, RTs for performance with the left (transfer) hand were longer for the premovement group than for the movement or sham groups. Thus SMA’s most crucial contribution to intermanual transfer occurs in the interval between movements, when the memory of a prior movement plays a role in encoding specific sequences. These results provide insight into frontal-lobe contributions to procedural knowledge. PMID:18815252

A data-driven multiplicative fault diagnosis approach for automation processes.

PubMed

Hao, Haiyang; Zhang, Kai; Ding, Steven X; Chen, Zhiwen; Lei, Yaguo

2014-09-01

This paper presents a new data-driven method for diagnosing multiplicative key performance degradation in automation processes. Different from the well-established additive fault diagnosis approaches, the proposed method aims at identifying those low-level components which increase the variability of process variables and cause performance degradation. Based on process data, features of multiplicative fault are extracted. To identify the root cause, the impact of fault on each process variable is evaluated in the sense of contribution to performance degradation. Then, a numerical example is used to illustrate the functionalities of the method and Monte-Carlo simulation is performed to demonstrate the effectiveness from the statistical viewpoint. Finally, to show the practical applicability, a case study on the Tennessee Eastman process is presented. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Crossing the digital divide: the contribution of information technology to the professional performance of malaria researchers in Africa.

PubMed

Royall, Julia; van Schayk, Ingeborg; Bennett, Mark; Kamau, Nancy; Alilio, Martin

2005-09-01

The US National Library of Medicine supports the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) through the design, implementation, and operation of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria Communications Network (MIMCom.) MIMCom makes possible enhanced access to the Internet and to medical literature. The main objectives of the present study were to examine the use of MIMCom supported information technology (IT) by scientists, students, and administrative personnel to facilitate communication, retrieve information, obtain documents, write proposals, and prepare papers for publication; and to determine the contribution of this intervention to their professional performance. The authors analyzed the contribution of enhanced Internet connectivity and access to electronic information resources to the performance of malaria research staff and their institutes through a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 181 respondents at 14 health research centers in Africa. Separate reviews of bandwidth usage, requests for document delivery, and publications in peer reviewed journals support the data of the survey. The MIMCom network makes a positive contribution to the performance of malaria researchers and support staff at the sites reviewed by improving e-mail exchange, access to published literature, and research proposal development and submission. Implications of these findings are discussed. By providing full access to the Internet and the resources of the WorldWide Web, MIMCom has been shown to be invaluable to malaria researchers and their institutes in Africa. This access has increased visibility of scientists in their respective institutions and provided opportunities for stronger engagement with the international scientific community.

BESIII physical offline data analysis on virtualization platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Q.; Li, H.; Kan, B.; Shi, J.; Lei, X.

2015-12-01

In this contribution, we present an ongoing work, which aims at benefiting BESIII computing system for higher resource utilization and more efficient job operations brought by cloud and virtualization technology with Openstack and KVM. We begin with the architecture of BESIII offline software to understand how it works. We mainly report the KVM performance evaluation and optimization from various factors in hardware and kernel. Experimental results show the CPU performance penalty of KVM can be approximately decreased to 3%. In addition, the performance comparison between KVM and physical machines in aspect of CPU, disk IO and network IO is also presented. Finally, we present our development work, an adaptive cloud scheduler, which allocates and reclaims VMs dynamically according to the status of TORQUE queue and the size of resource pool to improve resource utilization and job processing efficiency.

The effects of gender, age, schooling, and cultural background on the identification of facial emotions: a transcultural study.

PubMed

de Souza, Leonardo Cruz; Bertoux, Maxime; de Faria, Ângelo Ribeiro Vaz; Corgosinho, Laiane Tábata Souza; Prado, Ana Carolina de Almeida; Barbosa, Izabela Guimarães; Caramelli, Paulo; Colosimo, Enrico; Teixeira, Antônio Lúcio

2018-05-25

ABSTRACTBackground:Social cognition tasks, such as identification of emotions, can contribute to the diagnosis of neuropsychiatric disorders. The wide use of Facial Emotion Recognition Test (FERT) is hampered by the absence of normative dataset and by the limited understanding of how demographic factors such as age, education, gender, and cultural background may influence the performance on the test. We analyzed the influence of these variables in the performance in the FERT from the short version of the Social and Emotional Assessment. This task is composed by 35 pictures with 7 different emotions presented 5 times each. Cognitively healthy Brazilian participants (n = 203; 109 females and 94 males) underwent the FERT. We compared the performance of participants across gender, age, and educational subgroups. We also compared the performance of Brazilians with a group of French subjects (n = 60) matched for gender, age, and educational level. There was no gender difference regarding the performance on total score and in each emotion subscore in the Brazilian sample. We found a significant effect of aging and schooling on the performance on the FERT, with younger and more educated subjects having higher scores. Brazilian and French participants did not differ in the FERT and its subscores. Normative data for employing the FERT in Brazilian population is presented. Data here provided may contribute to the interpretation of the results of FERT in different cultural contexts and highlight the common bias that should be corrected in the future tasks to be developed.

Individual differences in forced-choice recognition memory: Partitioning contributions of recollection and familiarity

PubMed Central

Migo, Ellen M.; Quamme, Joel R.; Holmes, Selina; Bendell, Andrew; Norman, Kenneth A.; Mayes, Andrew R.; Montaldi, Daniela

2014-01-01

In forced-choice recognition memory, two different testing formats are possible under conditions of high target-foil similarity: each target can be presented alongside foils similar to itself (forced-choice corresponding; FCC), or alongside foils similar to other targets (forced-choice non-corresponding; FCNC).Recent behavioural and neuropsychological studies suggest that FCC performance can be supported by familiarity whereas FCNC performance is supported primarily by recollection. In this paper, we corroborate this finding from an individual differences perspective. A group of older adults were given a test of FCC and FCNC recognition for object pictures, as well as standardised tests of recall, recognition and IQ. Recall measures were found to predict FCNC, but not FCC performance, consistent with a critical role for recollection in FCNC only. After the common influence of recall was removed, standardised tests of recognition predicted FCC, but not FCNC performance. This is consistent with a contribution of only familiarity in FCC. Simulations show that a two process model, where familiarity and recollection make separate contributions to recognition, is ten times more likely to give these results than a single-process model. This evidence highlights the importance of recognition memory test design when examining the involvement of recollection and familiarity. PMID:24796268

Music and You: Teacher Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Semanchik, Karen

This teacher's guide presents a course for training hearing-impaired students to listen to, create, and perform music. It emphasizes development of individual skills and group participation, encouraging students to contribute a wide variety of auditory and musical abilities and experiences while developing auditory acuity and attention. A variety…

Locomotor sensory organization test: a novel paradigm for the assessment of sensory contributions in gait.

PubMed

Chien, Jung Hung; Eikema, Diderik-Jan Anthony; Mukherjee, Mukul; Stergiou, Nicholas

2014-12-01

Feedback based balance control requires the integration of visual, proprioceptive and vestibular input to detect the body's movement within the environment. When the accuracy of sensory signals is compromised, the system reorganizes the relative contributions through a process of sensory recalibration, for upright postural stability to be maintained. Whereas this process has been studied extensively in standing using the Sensory Organization Test (SOT), less is known about these processes in more dynamic tasks such as locomotion. In the present study, ten healthy young adults performed the six conditions of the traditional SOT to quantify standing postural control when exposed to sensory conflict. The same subjects performed these six conditions using a novel experimental paradigm, the Locomotor SOT (LSOT), to study dynamic postural control during walking under similar types of sensory conflict. To quantify postural control during walking, the net Center of Pressure sway variability was used. This corresponds to the Performance Index of the center of pressure trajectory, which is used to quantify postural control during standing. Our results indicate that dynamic balance control during locomotion in healthy individuals is affected by the systematic manipulation of multisensory inputs. The sway variability patterns observed during locomotion reflect similar balance performance with standing posture, indicating that similar feedback processes may be involved. However, the contribution of visual input is significantly increased during locomotion, compared to standing in similar sensory conflict conditions. The increased visual gain in the LSOT conditions reflects the importance of visual input for the control of locomotion. Since balance perturbations tend to occur in dynamic tasks and in response to environmental constraints not present during the SOT, the LSOT may provide additional information for clinical evaluation on healthy and deficient sensory processing.

The brain on silent: mind wandering, mindful awareness, and states of mental tranquility

PubMed Central

Vago, David R.; Zeidan, Fadel

2018-01-01

Mind wandering and mindfulness are often described as divergent mental states with opposing effects on cognitive performance and mental health. Spontaneous mind wandering is typically associated with self-reflective states that contribute to negative processing of the past, worrying/fantasizing about the future, and disruption of primary task performance. On the other hand, mindful awareness is frequently described as a focus on present sensory input without cognitive elaboration or emotional reactivity, and is associated with improved task performance and decreased stress-related symptomology. Unfortunately, such distinctions fail to acknowledge similarities and interactions between the two states. Instead of an inverse relationship between mindfulness and mind wandering, a more nuanced characterization of mindfulness may involve skillful toggling back and forth between conceptual and nonconceptual processes and networks supporting each state, to meet the contextually specified demands of the situation. In this article, we present a theoretical analysis and plausible neurocognitive framework of the restful mind, in which we attempt to clarify potentially adaptive contributions of both mind wandering and mindful awareness through the lens of the extant neurocognitive literature on intrinsic network activity, meditation, and emerging descriptions of stillness and nonduality. A neurophenomenological approach to probing modality-specific forms of concentration and nonconceptual awareness is presented that may improve our understanding of the resting state. Implications for future research are discussed. PMID:27398642

The brain on silent: mind wandering, mindful awareness, and states of mental tranquility.

PubMed

Vago, David R; Zeidan, Fadel

2016-06-01

Mind wandering and mindfulness are often described as divergent mental states with opposing effects on cognitive performance and mental health. Spontaneous mind wandering is typically associated with self-reflective states that contribute to negative processing of the past, worrying/fantasizing about the future, and disruption of primary task performance. On the other hand, mindful awareness is frequently described as a focus on present sensory input without cognitive elaboration or emotional reactivity, and is associated with improved task performance and decreased stress-related symptomology. Unfortunately, such distinctions fail to acknowledge similarities and interactions between the two states. Instead of an inverse relationship between mindfulness and mind wandering, a more nuanced characterization of mindfulness may involve skillful toggling back and forth between conceptual and nonconceptual processes and networks supporting each state, to meet the contextually specified demands of the situation. In this article, we present a theoretical analysis and plausible neurocognitive framework of the restful mind, in which we attempt to clarify potentially adaptive contributions of both mind wandering and mindful awareness through the lens of the extant neurocognitive literature on intrinsic network activity, meditation, and emerging descriptions of stillness and nonduality. A neurophenomenological approach to probing modality-specific forms of concentration and nonconceptual awareness is presented that may improve our understanding of the resting state. Implications for future research are discussed. © 2016 New York Academy of Sciences.

E-Books as a Support for Young Children's Language and Literacy: The Case of Hebrew-Speaking Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korat, Ofra; Shamir, Adina; Segal-Drori, Ora

2014-01-01

In this paper, we present a series of studies performed in the last decade that examined the contribution of e-books reading to the language and literacy of young Hebrew-speaking children. Children worked with two e-books designed by the researchers to achieve this aim. We present the effect of reading these e-books on the language and literacy of…

A Thermal Equilibrium Analysis of Line Contact Hydrodynamic Lubrication Considering the Influences of Reynolds Number, Load and Temperature

PubMed Central

Yu, Xiaoli; Sun, Zheng; Huang, Rui; Zhang, Yu; Huang, Yuqi

2015-01-01

Thermal effects such as conduction, convection and viscous dissipation are important to lubrication performance, and they vary with the friction conditions. These variations have caused some inconsistencies in the conclusions of different researchers regarding the relative contributions of these thermal effects. To reveal the relationship between the contributions of the thermal effects and the friction conditions, a steady-state THD analysis model was presented. The results indicate that the contribution of each thermal effect sharply varies with the Reynolds number and temperature. Convective effect could be dominant under certain conditions. Additionally, the accuracy of some simplified methods of thermo-hydrodynamic analysis is further discussed. PMID:26244665

A Thermal Equilibrium Analysis of Line Contact Hydrodynamic Lubrication Considering the Influences of Reynolds Number, Load and Temperature.

PubMed

Yu, Xiaoli; Sun, Zheng; Huang, Rui; Zhang, Yu; Huang, Yuqi

2015-01-01

Thermal effects such as conduction, convection and viscous dissipation are important to lubrication performance, and they vary with the friction conditions. These variations have caused some inconsistencies in the conclusions of different researchers regarding the relative contributions of these thermal effects. To reveal the relationship between the contributions of the thermal effects and the friction conditions, a steady-state THD analysis model was presented. The results indicate that the contribution of each thermal effect sharply varies with the Reynolds number and temperature. Convective effect could be dominant under certain conditions. Additionally, the accuracy of some simplified methods of thermo-hydrodynamic analysis is further discussed.

Brief report on academic contributions from China on the topic of rheumatic diseases.

PubMed

Gao, Y; Liu, X; Zhang, L; Xia, T; Zhao, D

2017-02-01

Academic contributions by Chinese scholars have grown to take second place worldwide since 2009. However, little was known about Chinese academic contributions and their influence on rheumatic diseases. In order to present an overview of this field, a comprehensive bibliometrics analysis was performed based on data from two databases up to 2015. Since 2013, China has occupied third place regarding the number of rheumatic diseases' publications. Nevertheless, most of these articles were not associated with high impact factors or frequent citations, let alone great influence. Multidisciplinary teams are being formed. Although on the right track, more efforts in all aspects are needed to improve developments in the area of rheumatology in China.

Conditional Mediation of Absorptive Capacity and Environment in International Entrepreneurial Orientation of Family Businesses

PubMed Central

Hernández-Perlines, Felipe; Xu, Wenkai

2018-01-01

This study analyzes the effect of conditional mediation of environment-absorptive capacity in international entrepreneurial orientation of family businesses. Results involve data from 218 Spanish family businesses, analyzed with SmartPLS 3.2.7 software. This paper presents a relevant contribution both to the academic field and the performance of family firms, helping to understand the process of transforming international entrepreneurial orientation into a better international performance through absorptive capacity while family businesses invest their efforts in aligning international entrepreneurial orientation and absorptive capacity with international results, bearing in mind the positive moderator effect of environment. The most relevant contribution of this work is to integrate in the same model the mediating effect of the absorption capacity and the moderating effect of the environment: the effect of the international entrepreneurial orientation on the international performance of family businesses improves with the mediation of the absorptive capacity (the variability of international performance goes from 32.5 to 40.6%) and the moderation of the environment (to variability of international performance goes from 40.6 to 45.3%). PMID:29472881

Conditional Mediation of Absorptive Capacity and Environment in International Entrepreneurial Orientation of Family Businesses.

PubMed

Hernández-Perlines, Felipe; Xu, Wenkai

2018-01-01

This study analyzes the effect of conditional mediation of environment-absorptive capacity in international entrepreneurial orientation of family businesses. Results involve data from 218 Spanish family businesses, analyzed with SmartPLS 3.2.7 software. This paper presents a relevant contribution both to the academic field and the performance of family firms, helping to understand the process of transforming international entrepreneurial orientation into a better international performance through absorptive capacity while family businesses invest their efforts in aligning international entrepreneurial orientation and absorptive capacity with international results, bearing in mind the positive moderator effect of environment. The most relevant contribution of this work is to integrate in the same model the mediating effect of the absorption capacity and the moderating effect of the environment: the effect of the international entrepreneurial orientation on the international performance of family businesses improves with the mediation of the absorptive capacity (the variability of international performance goes from 32.5 to 40.6%) and the moderation of the environment (to variability of international performance goes from 40.6 to 45.3%).

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in Prader-Willi Syndrome: an unrecognized and untreated cause of cognitive and behavioral deficits?

PubMed

Camfferman, Danny; Lushington, Kurt; O'Donoghue, Fergal; Doug McEvoy, R

2006-09-01

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by a range of physical, psychological, and physiological abnormalities. It is also distinguished by the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), i.e., repetitive upper airway collapse during sleep resulting in hypoxia and sleep fragmentation. In non-PWS populations, OSAS is associated with a range of neurocognitive and psychosocial deficits. Importantly, these deficits are at least partly reversible following treatment. Given the findings in non-PWS populations, it is possible that OSAS may contribute to neurocognitive and psychosocial deficits in PWS. The present review examines this possibility. While acknowledging a primary contribution from the primary genetic abnormality to central neural dysfunction in PWS, we conclude that OSAS may be an important secondary contributing factor to reduced neurocognitive and psychosocial performance. Treatment of OSAS may have potential benefits in improving neurocognitive performance and behavior in PWS, but this awaits confirmatory investigation.

Skyshine analysis using energy and angular dependent dose-contribution fluxes obtained from air-over-ground adjoint calculation.

PubMed

Uematsu, Mikio; Kurosawa, Masahiko

2005-01-01

A generalised and convenient skyshine dose analysis method has been developed based on forward-adjoint folding technique. In the method, the air penetration data were prepared by performing an adjoint DOT3.5 calculation with cylindrical air-over-ground geometry having an adjoint point source (importance of unit flux to dose rate at detection point) in the centre. The accuracy of the present method was certified by comparing with DOT3.5 forward calculation. The adjoint flux data can be used as generalised radiation skyshine data for all sorts of nuclear facilities. Moreover, the present method supplies plenty of energy-angular dependent contribution flux data, which will be useful for detailed shielding design of facilities.

CO2 laser ranging systems study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Filippi, C. A.

1975-01-01

The conceptual design and error performance of a CO2 laser ranging system are analyzed. Ranging signal and subsystem processing alternatives are identified, and their comprehensive evaluation yields preferred candidate solutions which are analyzed to derive range and range rate error contributions. The performance results are presented in the form of extensive tables and figures which identify the ranging accuracy compromises as a function of the key system design parameters and subsystem performance indexes. The ranging errors obtained are noted to be within the high accuracy requirements of existing NASA/GSFC missions with a proper system design.

Prediction of Child Performance on a Parent-Child Behavioral Approach Test with Animal Phobic Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ollendick, Thomas H.; Lewis, Krystal M.; Cowart, Maria J. W.; Davis, Thompson, III

2012-01-01

A host of factors including genetic influences, temperament characteristics, learning experiences, information processing biases, parental psychopathology, and specific parenting practices have been hypothesized to contribute to the development and expression of children's phobias. In the present study, the authors focused on parental…

Peer Instruction: An Evaluation of Its Theory, Application, and Contribution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gok, Tolga; Gok, Ozge

2017-01-01

Many qualitative and quantitative studies performed on peer instruction based on interactive engagement method used in many different disciplines and courses were reviewed in the present study. The researchers examined the effects of peer instruction on students' cognitive skills (conceptual learning, problem solving, reasoning ability, etc.) and…

Cultural Connections in Leadership Education and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donmoyer, Robert

2011-01-01

"Culture Currents" presents the books, essays, poetry, performances, music, websites and other cultural media influencing educational leaders. "Culture Currents" is a snapshot, a peek behind the scenes. It reveals what people are reading or seeing that may not be normally mentioned or cited in their academic work. In this issue's contribution, two…

Modality Specificity and Integration in Working Memory: Insights from Visuospatial Bootstrapping

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Richard J.; Havelka, Jelena; Falcon, Thomas; Evans, Sally; Darling, Stephen

2015-01-01

The question of how meaningful associations between verbal and spatial information might be utilized to facilitate working memory performance is potentially highly instructive for models of memory function. The present study explored how separable processing capacities within specialized domains might each contribute to this, by examining the…

Women in the Military: An Historical Perspective on the Nursing Corps.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steffel, Marilyn L.; Kaczmarek, Margaret G.

1987-01-01

Presents an overview of the role women have performed in the military nursing corps. Reviews the history of women in the military nursing corps; their struggle to gain officer rank, status, and pay; military family policies; and nurses' contribution to military health care. (Author/ABB)

Correlation of Understanding of Physics and Psychological Symptoms among High-School Students in Greece

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aggeliki, Anagnostopoulou; Miltiades, Kyprianou; Antigoni-Elisavet, Rota; Evangelia, Pavlatou; Loizos, Zaphiris

2017-01-01

Depression may essentially influence cognitive function contributing to poor school performance. The present study undertakes to determine the existence and strength of correlation between depressive symptomatology and other mental conditions with the acquired level of understanding of Newtonian physics taught in schools. The current study…

Kinetic performance of narrow-bore columns on a micro-system for high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Gritti, Fabrice; Guiochon, Georges

2012-05-04

The kinetic performance of 0.5 mm × 50 mm columns packed with 2.7 μm Halo-C(18) core-shell particles and 3 μm EP-120-C(18) fully porous particles fitted on an Eksigent LC-Express Ultra μHPLC system were measured. The instrument contribution to band broadening was obtained by directly connecting the injection valve and the detector cell with a short, narrow PEEKSIL tube. The connections between the column and the connecting tubes, the column endfittings and its frits contribute to band spreading and are responsible for a significant rear peak tailing, even for retained compounds, resulting in a significant loss of efficiency. Our results show that the μHPLC system could outperform the current VHPLC systems using 2.1mm I.D. columns packed with 1.7 μm particles if it were using 0.5mm I.D. columns packed with 1 μm particles, if it could operate at a few kbar pressure drop, and if the sum of the contributions of the instrument, column endfittings and the column frits to band dispersion were three times smaller than it is at present. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of a low- or a high-carbohydrate diet on performance, energy system contribution, and metabolic responses during supramaximal exercise.

PubMed

Lima-Silva, Adriano E; Pires, Flavio O; Bertuzzi, Romulo; Silva-Cavalcante, Marcos D; Oliveira, Rodrigo S F; Kiss, Maria Augusta; Bishop, David

2013-09-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a high- or low-carbohydrate (CHO) diet on performance, aerobic and anaerobic contribution, and metabolic responses during supramaximal exercise. Six physically-active men first performed a cycling exercise bout at 115% maximal oxygen uptake to exhaustion after following their normal diet for 48 h (∼50% of CHO, control test). Seventy-two hours after, participants performed a muscle glycogen depletion exercise protocol, followed by either a high- or low-CHO diet (∼70 and 25% of CHO, respectively) for 48 h, in a random, counterbalanced order. After the assigned diet period (48 h), the supramaximal cycling exercise bout (115% maximal oxygen consumption) to exhaustion was repeated. The low-CHO diet reduced time to exhaustion when compared with both the control and the high-CHO diet (-19 and -32%, respectively, p < 0.05). The reduced time to exhaustion following the low-CHO diet was accompanied by a lower total aerobic energy contribution (-39%) compared with the high-CHO diet (p < 0.05). However, the aerobic and anaerobic energy contribution at the shortest time to exhaustion (isotime) was similar among conditions (p > 0.05). The low-CHO diet was associated with a lower blood lactate concentration (p < 0.05), with no effect on the plasma concentration of insulin, glucose and K(+) (p > 0.05). In conclusion, a low-CHO diet reduces both performance and total aerobic energy provision during supramaximal exercise. As peak K(+) concentration was similar, but time to exhaustion shorter, the low-CHO diet was associated with an earlier attainment of peak plasma K(+) concentration.

Diurnal evolution of wind structure and data availability measured by the DOE prototype radar system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirth, Brian D.; Schroeder, John L.; Guynes, Jerry G.

2017-11-01

A new Doppler radar prototype has been developed and deployed at Texas Tech University with a focus on enhancing the technologies’ capability to contribute to wind plant relevant complex flow measurements. In particular, improvements in data availability, total data coverage, and autonomous operation were targeted to enable contributions to a wider range of wind energy applications. Doppler radar offers rapid scan speeds, extended maximum range and excellent along-beam range resolution allowing for the simultaneous measurement of various wind phenomena ranging from regional and wind plant scales to inflow and wake flow assessment for an individual turbine. Data examples and performance improvements relative to a previous edition of the technology are presented, including insights into the influence of diurnal atmospheric stability evolution of wind structure and system performance.

Systematic sparse matrix error control for linear scaling electronic structure calculations.

PubMed

Rubensson, Emanuel H; Sałek, Paweł

2005-11-30

Efficient truncation criteria used in multiatom blocked sparse matrix operations for ab initio calculations are proposed. As system size increases, so does the need to stay on top of errors and still achieve high performance. A variant of a blocked sparse matrix algebra to achieve strict error control with good performance is proposed. The presented idea is that the condition to drop a certain submatrix should depend not only on the magnitude of that particular submatrix, but also on which other submatrices that are dropped. The decision to remove a certain submatrix is based on the contribution the removal would cause to the error in the chosen norm. We study the effect of an accumulated truncation error in iterative algorithms like trace correcting density matrix purification. One way to reduce the initial exponential growth of this error is presented. The presented error control for a sparse blocked matrix toolbox allows for achieving optimal performance by performing only necessary operations needed to maintain the requested level of accuracy. Copyright 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Identification and characterisation of local aerosol sources using high temporal resolution measurements.

PubMed

Contini, D; Donateo, A; Cesari, D; Belosi, F; Francioso, S

2010-09-01

Aerosol and gaseous pollution measurements were carried out at an urban background site in the south of Italy located near an industrial complex. Collection of 24 h samples of PM10 and PM2.5 and successive chemical quantification of metals were performed. Data were compared with measurements taken at a suburban background site, located at 25 km distance. The comparison showed the presence of an industrial contribution with a well defined chemical emission profile, similar, in terms of metals content, to urban emissions. As this made difficult the quantitative characterisation of the contribution of the two sources to atmospheric PM, a statistical method based on the treatment of data arising from high temporal resolution measurements was developed. Data were taken with a micrometeorological station based on an integrating nephelometer (Mie pDR-1200) for optical detection of PM2.5 concentration, with successive evaluation of vertical turbulent fluxes using the eddy-correlation method. Results show that the contribution from the two sources (urban emissions and industrial releases) have a very different behaviour, with the industrial contribution being present at high wind velocity with short concentration peaks (average duration 4 min) associated to strong positive and negative vertical fluxes. The estimated contribution to PM2.5 is 2.3% over long-term averages. The urban emissions are mainly present at low wind velocity, with longer concentration peaks in the morning and late evening hours, generally associated to small positive vertical fluxes. The characterisation of the contribution was performed using deposition velocity V(d) that is on average -3.5 mm s(-1) and has a diurnal pattern, with negligible values during the night and a minimum value of around -9 mm s(-1) late in the afternoon. Results show a correlation between V(d), friction velocity and wind velocity that could be the basis for a parameterisation of V(d) to be used in dispersion codes.

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Evolutionary Self-Questioning Games with Local Contribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yong-Kui; Li, Zhi; Chen, Xiao-Jie; Wang, Long

2009-08-01

We investigate the evolutionary Prisoner's Dilemma and the Snowdrift Game on small-world networks in a realistic social context where individuals consider their local contributions to their group and update their strategies by self-questioning. An individual with introspection can determine whether its current strategy is superior by playing a virtual round of the game and its local contribution is defined as the sum of all the payoffs its neighbors collect against it. In our model, the performance of an individual is determined by both its payoff and local contribution through a linear combination. We demonstrate that the present mechanism can produce very robust cooperative behavior in both games. Furthermore, we provide theoretical analysis based on mean-field approximation, and find that the analytical predictions are qualitatively consistent with the simulation results.

Medial Temporal Lobe Damage Causes Deficits in Episodic Memory and Episodic Future Thinking Not Attributable to Deficits in Narrative Construction

PubMed Central

Race, Elizabeth; Keane, Margaret M.; Verfaellie, Mieke

2015-01-01

The medial temporal lobe (MTL) makes critical contributions to episodic memory, but its contributions to episodic future thinking remain a matter of debate. By one view, imagining future events relies on MTL mechanisms that also support memory for past events. Alternatively, it has recently been suggested that future thinking is independent of MTL-mediated processes and can be supported by regions outside the MTL. The current study investigated the nature and necessity of MTL involvement in imagining the future and tested the novel hypothesis that the MTL contributes to future thinking by supporting online binding processes related to narrative construction. Human amnesic patients with well-characterized MTL damage and healthy controls constructed narratives about (a) future events, (b) past events, and (c) visually-presented pictures. While all three tasks place similar demands on narrative construction, only the past and future conditions require memory/future thinking to mentally generate relevant narrative information. Patients produced impoverished descriptions of both past and future events but were unimpaired at producing detailed picture narratives. In addition, future-thinking performance positively correlated with episodic memory performance but did not correlate with picture narrative performance. Finally, future-thinking impairments were present when MTL lesions were restricted to the hippocampus and did not depend on the presence of neural damage outside the MTL. These results indicate that the ability to generate and maintain a detailed narrative is preserved in amnesia and suggest that a common MTL mechanism supports both episodic memory and episodic future thinking. PMID:21753003

Medial temporal lobe damage causes deficits in episodic memory and episodic future thinking not attributable to deficits in narrative construction.

PubMed

Race, Elizabeth; Keane, Margaret M; Verfaellie, Mieke

2011-07-13

The medial temporal lobe (MTL) makes critical contributions to episodic memory, but its contributions to episodic future thinking remain a matter of debate. By one view, imagining future events relies on MTL mechanisms that also support memory for past events. Alternatively, it has recently been suggested that future thinking is independent of MTL-mediated processes and can be supported by regions outside the MTL. The current study investigated the nature and necessity of MTL involvement in imagining the future and tested the novel hypothesis that the MTL contributes to future thinking by supporting online binding processes related to narrative construction. Human amnesic patients with well characterized MTL damage and healthy controls constructed narratives about (1) future events, (2) past events, and (3) visually presented pictures. While all three tasks place similar demands on narrative construction, only the past and future conditions require memory/future thinking to mentally generate relevant narrative information. Patients produced impoverished descriptions of both past and future events but were unimpaired at producing detailed picture narratives. In addition, future-thinking performance positively correlated with episodic memory performance but did not correlate with picture narrative performance. Finally, future-thinking impairments were present when MTL lesions were restricted to the hippocampus and did not depend on the presence of neural damage outside the MTL. These results indicate that the ability to generate and maintain a detailed narrative is preserved in amnesia and suggest that a common MTL mechanism supports both episodic memory and episodic future thinking.

White piedra, black piedra, tinea versicolor, and tinea nigra: contribution to the diagnosis of superficial mycosis.

PubMed

Veasey, John Verrinder; Avila, Ricardo Bertozzi de; Miguel, Barbara Arruda Fraletti; Muramatu, Laura Hitomi

2017-01-01

Superficial mycoses are fungal infections restricted to the stratum corneum and to the hair shafts, with no penetration in the epidermis; they are: white piedra, black piedra, tinea versicolor, and tinea nigra. This study presents images of mycological tests performed in the laboratory, as well as exams performed at the authors office, in order to improve the dermatologist's knowledge about the diagnosis of these dermatoses, which are common in many countries.

Functional Task Test (FTT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomberg, Jacob J.; Mulavara, Ajitkumar; Peters, Brian T.; Rescheke, Millard F.; Wood, Scott; Lawrence, Emily; Koffman, Igor; Ploutz-Snyder, Lori; Spiering, Barry A.; Feeback, Daniel L.;

Modulation of myocardial energetics: An important category of agents in the multimodal treatment of coronary artery disease and heart failure.

PubMed

Dalal, Jamshed J; Mishra, Sundeep

The combined and relative contribution of glucose and fatty acid oxidation generates myocardial energy, which regulates the cardiac function and efficiency. Any dysregulation in this metabolic homeostasis can adversely affect the function of heart and contribute to cardiac conditions such as angina and heart failure. Metabolic agents ameliorate this internal metabolic anomaly, by shifting the energy production pathway from free fatty acids to glucose, resulting in a better performance of the heart. Metabolic therapy is relatively a new modality, which functions through optimization of cardiac substrate metabolism. Among the metabolic therapies, trimetazidine and ranolazine are the agents presently available in India. In the present review, we would like to present the metabolic perspective of pathophysiology of coronary artery disease and heart failure, and metabolic therapy by using trimetazidine and ranolazine. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Study of true-remanent polarization using remanent hysteresis task and resistive leakage analysis in ferroelectric 0.64Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.36PbTiO3 ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, Abhilash J.; Kumar, Binay

2018-03-01

The conventionally reported value of remanent polarization (Pr) contains contribution from non-remanent components which are not usable for memory device applications. This report presents techniques which extract the true-remanent (intrinsic) component of polarization after eliminating the non-remanent component in ferroelectric ceramics. For this, "remanent hysteresis task" and "positive-up-negative-down technique" were performed which utilized the switchable properties of polarizations to nullify the contributions from the non-remanent (non-switchable) components. The report also addresses the time-dependent leakage behavior of the ceramics focusing on the presence of resistive leakage (a time-dependent parameter) present in the ceramics. The techniques presented here are especially useful for polycrystalline ceramics where leakage current leads to an erroneous estimation of Pr.

Personality Factors in Elementary School Children: Contributions to Academic Performance over and above Executive Functions?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neuenschwander, Regula; Cimeli, Patrizia; Rothlisberger, Marianne; Roebers, Claudia M.

2013-01-01

Unique contributions of Big Five personality factors to academic performance in young elementary school children were explored. Extraversion and Openness (labeled "Culture" in our study) uniquely contributed to academic performance, over and above the contribution of executive functions in first and second grade children (N = 446). Well…

Team Synergies in Sport: Theory and Measures

PubMed Central

Araújo, Duarte; Davids, Keith

2016-01-01

Individual players act as a coherent unit during team sports performance, forming a team synergy. A synergy is a collective property of a task-specific organization of individuals, such that the degrees of freedom of each individual in the system are coupled, enabling the degrees of freedom of different individuals to co-regulate each other. Here, we present an explanation for the emergence of such collective behaviors, indicating how these can be assessed and understood through the measurement of key system properties that exist, considering the contribution of each individual and beyond These include: to (i) dimensional compression, a process resulting in independent degree of freedom being coupled so that the synergy has fewer degrees of freedom than the set of components from which it arises; (ii) reciprocal compensation, if one element do not produce its function, other elements should display changes in their contributions so that task goals are still attained; (iii) interpersonal linkages, the specific contribution of each element to a group task; and (iv), degeneracy, structurally different components performing a similar, but not necessarily identical, function with respect to context. A primary goal of our analysis is to highlight the principles and tools required to understand coherent and dynamic team behaviors, as well as the performance conditions that make such team synergies possible, through perceptual attunement to shared affordances in individual performers. A key conclusion is that teams can be trained to perceive how to use and share specific affordances, explaining how individual’s behaviors self-organize into a group synergy. Ecological dynamics explanations of team behaviors can transit beyond mere ratification of sport performance, providing a comprehensive conceptual framework to guide the implementation of diagnostic measures by sport scientists, sport psychologists and performance analysts. Complex adaptive systems, synergies, group behaviors, team sport performance, ecological dynamics, performance analysis. PMID:27708609

Team Synergies in Sport: Theory and Measures.

PubMed

Araújo, Duarte; Davids, Keith

2016-01-01

Individual players act as a coherent unit during team sports performance, forming a team synergy. A synergy is a collective property of a task-specific organization of individuals, such that the degrees of freedom of each individual in the system are coupled, enabling the degrees of freedom of different individuals to co-regulate each other. Here, we present an explanation for the emergence of such collective behaviors, indicating how these can be assessed and understood through the measurement of key system properties that exist, considering the contribution of each individual and beyond These include: to (i) dimensional compression, a process resulting in independent degree of freedom being coupled so that the synergy has fewer degrees of freedom than the set of components from which it arises; (ii) reciprocal compensation, if one element do not produce its function, other elements should display changes in their contributions so that task goals are still attained; (iii) interpersonal linkages, the specific contribution of each element to a group task; and (iv), degeneracy, structurally different components performing a similar, but not necessarily identical, function with respect to context. A primary goal of our analysis is to highlight the principles and tools required to understand coherent and dynamic team behaviors, as well as the performance conditions that make such team synergies possible, through perceptual attunement to shared affordances in individual performers. A key conclusion is that teams can be trained to perceive how to use and share specific affordances, explaining how individual's behaviors self-organize into a group synergy. Ecological dynamics explanations of team behaviors can transit beyond mere ratification of sport performance, providing a comprehensive conceptual framework to guide the implementation of diagnostic measures by sport scientists, sport psychologists and performance analysts. Complex adaptive systems, synergies, group behaviors, team sport performance, ecological dynamics, performance analysis.

Multi-GNSS signal-in-space range error assessment - Methodology and results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montenbruck, Oliver; Steigenberger, Peter; Hauschild, André

2018-06-01

The positioning accuracy of global and regional navigation satellite systems (GNSS/RNSS) depends on a variety of influence factors. For constellation-specific performance analyses it has become common practice to separate a geometry-related quality factor (the dilution of precision, DOP) from the measurement and modeling errors of the individual ranging measurements (known as user equivalent range error, UERE). The latter is further divided into user equipment errors and contributions related to the space and control segment. The present study reviews the fundamental concepts and underlying assumptions of signal-in-space range error (SISRE) analyses and presents a harmonized framework for multi-GNSS performance monitoring based on the comparison of broadcast and precise ephemerides. The implications of inconsistent geometric reference points, non-common time systems, and signal-specific range biases are analyzed, and strategies for coping with these issues in the definition and computation of SIS range errors are developed. The presented concepts are, furthermore, applied to current navigation satellite systems, and representative results are presented along with a discussion of constellation-specific problems in their determination. Based on data for the January to December 2017 time frame, representative global average root-mean-square (RMS) SISRE values of 0.2 m, 0.6 m, 1 m, and 2 m are obtained for Galileo, GPS, BeiDou-2, and GLONASS, respectively. Roughly two times larger values apply for the corresponding 95th-percentile values. Overall, the study contributes to a better understanding and harmonization of multi-GNSS SISRE analyses and their use as key performance indicators for the various constellations.

Dynamic online peer evaluations to improve group assignments in nursing e-learning environment.

PubMed

Adwan, Jehad

2016-06-01

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the use of online peer evaluation forms for online group activities in improving group project outcomes. The investigator developed and used a web-based Google Forms® self and peer evaluation form of 2 group assignments' rubric for junior and senior nursing students. The form covered elements of the assignments including: research activity, analysis of the literature, writing of report, participation in making of presentation, overall contribution to the project, and participation in the weekly group discussions. Items were rated from 1 (did not contribute) to 5 (outstanding contribution) in addition to NA when one activity did not apply. The self and peer evaluation process was conducted twice: once after group assignment 1 and once after group assignment 2. The group assignments final products were done in the form of VoiceThread online presentations that were shared with the rest of the class reflecting the groups' work on a health informatics topic of interest. Data collected as the students completed self and peer evaluations for group assignments 1 and 2. Also, optional comments regarding member performance were collected to add contextual information in addition to ratings. Students received credit for completing the peer evaluations and the grade for the particular assignment was affected by their performance based on peer evaluations of their contributions. Students' peer evaluations showed in a color-coded spreadsheet which enabled the course faculty to view real time results of students' ratings after each assignment. The faculty provided timely and tailored feedback to groups or individuals as needed, using positive feedback and commending high performance while urging struggling individual students and groups to improve lower ratings in specific areas. Comparing evaluations of both assignments, there were statistically significant improvements among all students. The mean scores of the entire sample were skewed toward the higher end of the scale, suggesting an overall high performance group. However, analysis of the lower performing individuals showed consistent and statistically significant improvements in all areas of the evaluation criteria. Anonymous peer evaluation activities and timely faculty feedback in e-Learning environment can be a useful tool to faculty to improve group performance over time by engaging the learners within their groups. Peer evaluations provided real time view of group mid-semester formative evaluations that allowed the faculty to provide timely and tailored feedback on student performance which allowed for better outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disconnected-Sea Quarks Contribution to Nucleon Electromagnetic Form Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sufian, Raza Sabbir

We present comprehensive analysis of the light and strange disconnected-sea quarks contribution to the nucleon electric and magnetic form factors. The lattice QCD estimates of strange quark magnetic moment GsM (0) = -0.064(14)(09) microN and the mean squared charge radius E = -0.0043(16)(14) fm2 are more precise than any existing experimental measurements and other lattice calculations. The lattice QCD calculation includes ensembles across several lattice volumes and lattice spacings with one of the ensembles at the physical pion mass. We have performed a simultaneous chiral, infinite volume, and continuum extrapolation in a global fit to calculate results in the continuum limit. We find that the combined light-sea and strange quarks contribution to the nucleon magnetic moment is -0.022(11)(09) microN and to the nucleon mean square charge radius is -0.019(05)(05) fm 2. The most important outcome of this lattice QCD calculation is that while the combined light-sea and strange quarks contribution to the nucleon magnetic moment is small at about 1%, a negative 2.5(9)% contribution to the proton charge radius and a relatively larger positive 16.3(6.1)% contribution to the neutron charge radius come from the sea quarks in the nucleon. For the first time, by performing global fits, we also give predictions of the light-sea and strange quarks contributions to the nucleon electric and magnetic form factors at the physical point and in the continuum and infinite volume limits in the momentum transfer range of 0 ≤ Q2 ≤ 0.5 GeV2.

[The Tallinn Charter: health systems for health and wealth].

PubMed

Piotrowicz, Maria; Cianciara, Dorota; Wysocki, Mirosław J

2009-01-01

The article presents main issues of Tallinn Charter (2008) that concerns functioning health systems, theirs influence on health and wealth of society. Health systems are diverse, but share common set of functions. Theirs effective performance contribute, not only to improving health, but also to participation in labour market and socioeconomical development of country.

Factors Affecting the Use of an E-Learning Portal at University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cegarra-Navarro, Juan-Gabriel; Rodriguez, Francisco Javier Canovas

2012-01-01

Electronic learning (e-learning) portals can be defined as websites that store and present materials for online learning, training, performance assessment, and certification. Few, if any, studies have investigated the factors that might contribute to the integration or implementation of e-learning portals in universities. With the development of…

Developing New Literacies Using Commercial Videogames as Educational Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lacasa, Pilar; Martinez, Rut; Mendez, Laura

2008-01-01

The general aim of this paper is to examine how videogames, supported by conversations and theatrical performances in the classroom, can contribute to the development of narrative thought as present in written compositions in various contexts. Given that one of the primary ecological influences on children is the mass media, we discuss how media…

Unrigging the Schools. One Approach to Improving Discipline.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Eugene R.

Many factors that contribute to a negative school climate also cause discipline problems. Our schools are "rigged," like gambling casinos, in that they must produce a certain percentage of losers. The present school system, in performing its screening role for society, demands that some fail. Students today are aware of this rigging and the…

Multiple Views, Contexts, and Symbol Systems in Learning with Hypertext/Hypermedia: A Critical Review of Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tergan, Sigmar-Olaf

1997-01-01

Reviews research on the effectiveness of hypertext/hypermedia-based learning and concludes that presenting subject matter from different perspectives, in multiple contexts, and in multiple codes does not automatically contribute to higher performance but may when instructional scaffolding is provided. The additional cognitive load may actually…

Visuospatial Anatomy Comprehension: The Role of Spatial Visualization Ability and Problem-Solving Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Ngan; Mulla, Ali; Nelson, Andrew J.; Wilson, Timothy D.

2014-01-01

The present study explored the problem-solving strategies of high- and low-spatial visualization ability learners on a novel spatial anatomy task to determine whether differences in strategies contribute to differences in task performance. The results of this study provide further insights into the processing commonalities and differences among…

Event-Related Potential Correlates of Declarative and Non-Declarative Sequence Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferdinand, Nicola K.; Runger, Dennis; Frensch, Peter A.; Mecklinger, Axel

2010-01-01

The goal of the present study was to demonstrate that declarative and non-declarative knowledge acquired in an incidental sequence learning task contributes differentially to memory retrieval and leads to dissociable ERP signatures in a recognition memory task. For this purpose, participants performed a sequence learning task and were classified…

Evaluating the Effects of Scripted Distributed Pair Programming on Student Performance and Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsompanoudi, Despina; Satratzemi, Maya; Xinogalos, Stelios

2016-01-01

The results presented in this paper contribute to research on two different areas of teaching methods: distributed pair programming (DPP) and computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). An evaluation study of a DPP system that supports collaboration scripts was conducted over one semester of a computer science course. Seventy-four students…

Multi-step approach for comparing the local air pollution contributions of conventional and innovative MSW thermo-chemical treatments.

PubMed

Ragazzi, M; Rada, E C

2012-10-01

In the sector of municipal solid waste management the debate on the performances of conventional and novel thermo-chemical technologies is still relevant. When a plant must be constructed, decision makers often select a technology prior to analyzing the local environmental impact of the available options, as this type of study is generally developed when the design of the plant has been carried out. Additionally, in the literature there is a lack of comparative analyses of the contributions to local air pollution from different technologies. The present study offers a multi-step approach, based on pollutant emission factors and atmospheric dilution coefficients, for a local comparative analysis. With this approach it is possible to check if some assumptions related to the advantages of the novel thermochemical technologies, in terms of local direct impact on air quality, can be applied to municipal solid waste treatment. The selected processes concern combustion, gasification and pyrolysis, alone or in combination. The pollutants considered are both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic. A case study is presented concerning the location of a plant in an alpine region and its contribution to the local air pollution. Results show that differences among technologies are less than expected. Performances of each technology are discussed in details. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Primary motor cortex contributes to the implementation of implicit value-based rules during motor decisions.

PubMed

Derosiere, Gerard; Zénon, Alexandre; Alamia, Andrea; Duque, Julie

2017-02-01

In the present study, we investigated the functional contribution of the human primary motor cortex (M1) to motor decisions. Continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) was used to alter M1 activity while participants performed a decision-making task in which the reward associated with the subjects' responses (right hand finger movements) depended on explicit and implicit value-based rules. Subjects performed the task over two consecutive days and cTBS occurred in the middle of Day 2, once the subjects were just about to implement implicit rules, in addition to the explicit instructions, to choose their responses, as evident in the control group (cTBS over the right somatosensory cortex). Interestingly, cTBS over the left M1 prevented subjects from implementing the implicit value-based rule while its implementation was enhanced in the group receiving cTBS over the right M1. Hence, cTBS had opposite effects depending on whether it was applied on the contralateral or ipsilateral M1. The use of the explicit value-based rule was unaffected by cTBS in the three groups of subject. Overall, the present study provides evidence for a functional contribution of M1 to the implementation of freshly acquired implicit rules, possibly through its involvement in a cortico-subcortical network controlling value-based motor decisions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A proto-Data Processing Center for LISA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavet, Cécile; Petiteau, Antoine; Le Jeune, Maude; Plagnol, Eric; Marin-Martholaz, Etienne; Bayle, Jean-Baptiste

2017-05-01

The LISA project preparation requires to study and define a new data analysis framework, capable of dealing with highly heterogeneous CPU needs and of exploiting the emergent information technologies. In this context, a prototype of the mission’s Data Processing Center (DPC) has been initiated. The DPC is designed to efficiently manage computing constraints and to offer a common infrastructure where the whole collaboration can contribute to development work. Several tools such as continuous integration (CI) have already been delivered to the collaboration and are presently used for simulations and performance studies. This article presents the progress made regarding this collaborative environment and discusses also the possible next steps towards an on-demand computing infrastructure. This activity is supported by CNES as part of the French contribution to LISA.

Myths and realities of electronics maintenance.

PubMed

Harris, Douglas H

2008-06-01

The author presents and discusses discoveries and developments contributing to enhanced electronics maintenance performance. This body of research is viewed from the vantage point of Nick Bond's 1970 Ely Award-winning article in Human Factors, "Some Persistent Myths About Military Electronics Maintenance." Bond identified a set of myths and summarized research that not only produced information and techniques leading to demonstrably improved maintenance performance but also exploded many unfounded beliefs that were commonly held before the research had been conducted and the findings disseminated. The period from 1964 through 1986, as reflected by publications in the journal, was a productive period of research that led to greater understanding of human factors in electronics maintenance and to numerous advances that contributed, ultimately, to more effective maintenance performance. Technological advances, combined with what we learned about maintenance performance, have substantially reduced the maintenance burden and enhanced the maintenance of electronic systems. Some of the principal lessons learned from this research on electronics maintenance apply to understanding the effects of equipment complexity, providing an optimal role for automation, designing more appropriate on-the-job training, and enhancing troubleshooting skills.

Macular pigment and its contribution to visual performance and experience

PubMed Central

Loughman, James; Davison, Peter A.; Nolan, John M.; Akkali, Mukunda C.; Beatty, Stephen

2010-01-01

There is now a consensus, based on histological, biochemical and spectral absorption data, that the yellow colour observed at the macula lutea is a consequence of the selective accumulation of dietary xanthophylls in the central retina of the living eye. Scientific research continues to explore the function(s) of MP in the human retina, with two main hypotheses premised on its putative capacity to (1) protect the retina from (photo)-oxidative damage by means of its optical filtration and/or antioxidant properties, the so-called protective hypothesis and (2) influence the quality of visual performance by means of selective short wavelength light absorption prior to photoreceptor light capture, thereby attenuating the effects of chromatic aberration and light scatter, the so-called acuity and visibility hypotheses. The current epidemic of age-related macular degeneration has directed researchers to investigate the protective hypothesis of MP, while there has been a conspicuous lack of work designed to investigate the role of MP in visual performance. The aim of this review is to present and critically appraise the current literature germane to the contribution of MP, if any, to visual performance and experience.

Portraying the Contribution of Individual Behaviors to Team Cohesion and Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parke, Bonny; Orasanu, Judith

2012-01-01

Behaviors of individuals in teams both contribute to and are molded by team dynamics. How they do so has been the subject of much research. A method of portraying individuals' behaviors in teams, the Team Diagramming Method (TDM) is presented. Behaviors are rated by other team members on three important dimensions: positivity/negativity, dominant/submissive, and task-orientedness/expressiveness. A study of 5-person teams engaging in a 3-day moon simulation task demonstrated that measures of these perceived behaviors as well as the variances of these behaviors correlated with cohesion measures and performance. The method shows strengths and weaknesses of particular teams and, by comparison with high-performing teams, suggests interventions based on individual as well as team behaviors. The primary goal of this study was to determine the extent to which these team level variables, derived from all team members' rated behaviors, were associated with previous methods of measuring cohesion and with performance. A secondary goal was to determine the stability of TDM measures over time by comparing team level variables based on ratings early and later in the team s work together.

Iterative Code-Aided ML Phase Estimation and Phase Ambiguity Resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wymeersch, Henk; Moeneclaey, Marc

2005-12-01

As many coded systems operate at very low signal-to-noise ratios, synchronization becomes a very difficult task. In many cases, conventional algorithms will either require long training sequences or result in large BER degradations. By exploiting code properties, these problems can be avoided. In this contribution, we present several iterative maximum-likelihood (ML) algorithms for joint carrier phase estimation and ambiguity resolution. These algorithms operate on coded signals by accepting soft information from the MAP decoder. Issues of convergence and initialization are addressed in detail. Simulation results are presented for turbo codes, and are compared to performance results of conventional algorithms. Performance comparisons are carried out in terms of BER performance and mean square estimation error (MSEE). We show that the proposed algorithm reduces the MSEE and, more importantly, the BER degradation. Additionally, phase ambiguity resolution can be performed without resorting to a pilot sequence, thus improving the spectral efficiency.

White piedra, black piedra, tinea versicolor, and tinea nigra: contribution to the diagnosis of superficial mycosis*

PubMed Central

Veasey, John Verrinder; de Avila, Ricardo Bertozzi; Miguel, Barbara Arruda Fraletti; Muramatu, Laura Hitomi

2017-01-01

Superficial mycoses are fungal infections restricted to the stratum corneum and to the hair shafts, with no penetration in the epidermis; they are: white piedra, black piedra, tinea versicolor, and tinea nigra. This study presents images of mycological tests performed in the laboratory, as well as exams performed at the authors office, in order to improve the dermatologist's knowledge about the diagnosis of these dermatoses, which are common in many countries. PMID:29186263

ADE and dengue vaccination.

PubMed

Martínez-Vega, Ruth Aralí; Carrasquila, Gabriel; Luna, Expedito; Ramos-Castañeda, José

2017-07-13

The vaccine against Dengue virus (DENV), Dengvaxia® (CYD), produced by Sanofi-Pasteur, has been registered by several national regulatory agencies; nevertheless, the performance and security of this vaccine have been challenged in a series of recent papers. In this work, we intend to contribute to the debate by analyzing the concept of an enhancing vaccine, presenting objections to the epidemiological model base of the concept and, likewise, presenting data that contradict that concept. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of iron chelates efficiency for photo-Fenton at neutral pH.

PubMed

De Luca, Antonella; Dantas, Renato F; Esplugas, Santiago

2014-09-15

In this study, homogeneous photo-Fenton like at neutral pH was applied to remove sulfamethoxazole from water. The process was performed using different chelating agents in order to solubilize iron in a neutral water solution. The chelating agents tested were: ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA); nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA); oxalic acid (OA) and tartaric acid (TA). The iron leaching was monitored over reaction time to evaluate the chelates stability and their resistance to HO· and UV-A radiation. Chelates of EDTA and NTA presented more stability than OA and TA, which also confirmed their higher efficiency. Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analyses were also performed to evaluate the contribution in terms of solution contamination related to the use of chelating agents. The better properties of biodegradability in respect of EDTA combined with better efficiency in terms of microcontaminant removal and the smallest TOC contribution indicate that NTA could represent a useful option to perform photo-Fenton processes at neutral pH. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decomposing mechanisms of abnormal saccade generation in schizophrenia patients: Contributions of volitional initiation, motor preparation, and fixation release.

PubMed

Reuter, Benedikt; Elsner, Björn; Möllers, David; Kathmann, Norbert

2016-11-01

Clinical and theoretical models suggest deficient volitional initiation of action in schizophrenia patients. Recent research provided an experimental model of testing this assumption using saccade tasks. However, inconsistent findings necessitate a specification of conditions on which the deficit may occur. The present study sought to detect mechanisms that may contribute to poor performance. Sixteen schizophrenia patients and 16 healthy control participants performed visually guided and two types of volitional saccade tasks. All tasks varied as to whether the initial fixation stimulus disappeared (fixation stimulus offset) or continued during saccade initiation, and whether a direction cue allowed motor preparation of the specific saccade. Saccade latencies of the two groups were differentially affected by task type, fixation stimulus offset, and cueing, suggesting abnormal volitional saccade generation, fixation release, and motor preparation in schizophrenia. However, substantial performance deficits may only occur if all affected processes are required in a task. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Getting to Zero: Goal Commitment to Reduce Blood Stream Infections.

PubMed

McAlearney, Ann Scheck; Hefner, Jennifer L

2016-08-01

While preventing health care-associated infections (HAIs) can save lives and reduce health care costs, efforts designed to eliminate HAIs have had mixed results. Variability in contextual factors such as work culture and management practices has been suggested as a potential explanation for inconsistent results across organizations and interventions. We examine goal-setting as a factor contributing to program outcomes in eight hospitals focused on preventing central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). We conducted qualitative case studies to compare higher- and lower-performing hospitals, and explored differences in contextual factors that might contribute to performance variation. We present a goal commitment framework that characterizes factors associated with successful CLABSI program outcomes. Across 194 key informant interviews, internal and external moderators and characteristics of the goal itself differentiated actors' goal commitment at higher- versus lower-performing hospitals. Our findings have implications for organizations struggling to prevent HAIs, as well as informing the broader goal commitment literature. © The Author(s) 2015.

Contribution of auditory working memory to speech understanding in mandarin-speaking cochlear implant users.

PubMed

Tao, Duoduo; Deng, Rui; Jiang, Ye; Galvin, John J; Fu, Qian-Jie; Chen, Bing

2014-01-01

To investigate how auditory working memory relates to speech perception performance by Mandarin-speaking cochlear implant (CI) users. Auditory working memory and speech perception was measured in Mandarin-speaking CI and normal-hearing (NH) participants. Working memory capacity was measured using forward digit span and backward digit span; working memory efficiency was measured using articulation rate. Speech perception was assessed with: (a) word-in-sentence recognition in quiet, (b) word-in-sentence recognition in speech-shaped steady noise at +5 dB signal-to-noise ratio, (c) Chinese disyllable recognition in quiet, (d) Chinese lexical tone recognition in quiet. Self-reported school rank was also collected regarding performance in schoolwork. There was large inter-subject variability in auditory working memory and speech performance for CI participants. Working memory and speech performance were significantly poorer for CI than for NH participants. All three working memory measures were strongly correlated with each other for both CI and NH participants. Partial correlation analyses were performed on the CI data while controlling for demographic variables. Working memory efficiency was significantly correlated only with sentence recognition in quiet when working memory capacity was partialled out. Working memory capacity was correlated with disyllable recognition and school rank when efficiency was partialled out. There was no correlation between working memory and lexical tone recognition in the present CI participants. Mandarin-speaking CI users experience significant deficits in auditory working memory and speech performance compared with NH listeners. The present data suggest that auditory working memory may contribute to CI users' difficulties in speech understanding. The present pattern of results with Mandarin-speaking CI users is consistent with previous auditory working memory studies with English-speaking CI users, suggesting that the lexical importance of voice pitch cues (albeit poorly coded by the CI) did not influence the relationship between working memory and speech perception.

Conference on "Multidisciplinary approaches to nutritional problems". Symposium on "Performance, exercise and health". Practical aspects of nutrition in performance.

PubMed

Gilbert, Nicky

2009-02-01

The importance of nutrition in sport has been recognised since the ancient Olympians, and its role in improving both health and sports performance has widespread acceptance. However, in sporting circles nutritional knowledge, beliefs and practices are extremely varied. Within any sporting organisation the sports dietitian or nutritionist must be able to work with athletes, their family, coaches and other support staff to develop and monitor realistic and practical strategies that work best for each performer, contributing to a positive and sustained outcome on performance. The present review examines the practical application of current key issues in performance nutrition, highlighting the advantages of early intervention in youth development and comprehensive and integrated nutrition services.

STS-114: Discovery Return to Flight: Langley Engineers Analysis Briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

This video features a briefing on NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) contributions to the Space Shuttle fleet's Return to Flight (RTF). The briefing is split into two sections, which LaRC Shuttle Project Manager Robert Barnes and Deputy Manager Harry Belvin deliver in the form of a viewgraph presentation. Barnes speaks about LaRC contributions to the STS-114 mission of Space Shuttle Discovery, and Belvin speaks about LaRC contributions to subsequent Shuttle missions. In both sections of the briefing, LaRC contributions are in the following areas: External Tank (ET), Orbiter, Systems Integration, and Corrosion/Aging. The managers discuss nondestructive and destructive tests performed on ET foam, wing leading edge reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) composites, on-orbit tile repair, aerothermodynamic simulation of reentry effects, Mission Management Team (MMT) support, and landing gear tests. The managers briefly answer questions from reporters, and the video concludes with several short video segments about LaRC contributions to the RTF effort.

Healthcare Engineering Defined: A White Paper.

PubMed

Chyu, Ming-Chien; Austin, Tony; Calisir, Fethi; Chanjaplammootil, Samuel; Davis, Mark J; Favela, Jesus; Gan, Heng; Gefen, Amit; Haddas, Ram; Hahn-Goldberg, Shoshana; Hornero, Roberto; Huang, Yu-Li; Jensen, Øystein; Jiang, Zhongwei; Katsanis, J S; Lee, Jeong-A; Lewis, Gladius; Lovell, Nigel H; Luebbers, Heinz-Theo; Morales, George G; Matis, Timothy; Matthews, Judith T; Mazur, Lukasz; Ng, Eddie Yin-Kwee; Oommen, K J; Ormand, Kevin; Rohde, Tarald; Sánchez-Morillo, Daniel; Sanz-Calcedo, Justo García; Sawan, Mohamad; Shen, Chwan-Li; Shieh, Jiann-Shing; Su, Chao-Ton; Sun, Lilly; Sun, Mingui; Sun, Yi; Tewolde, Senay N; Williams, Eric A; Yan, Chongjun; Zhang, Jiajie; Zhang, Yuan-Ting

2015-01-01

Engineering has been playing an important role in serving and advancing healthcare. The term "Healthcare Engineering" has been used by professional societies, universities, scientific authors, and the healthcare industry for decades. However, the definition of "Healthcare Engineering" remains ambiguous. The purpose of this position paper is to present a definition of Healthcare Engineering as an academic discipline, an area of research, a field of specialty, and a profession. Healthcare Engineering is defined in terms of what it is, who performs it, where it is performed, and how it is performed, including its purpose, scope, topics, synergy, education/training, contributions, and prospects.

Stray-light suppression in a reflecting white-light coronagraph

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Romoli, Marco; Weiser, Heinz; Gardner, Larry D.; Kohl, John L.

1993-01-01

An analysis of stray-light suppression in the white-light channel of the Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer experiment for the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory is reported. The white-light channel consists of a reflecting telescope with external and internal occultation and a polarimeter section. Laboratory tests and analytical methods are used to perform the analysis. The various stray-light contributions are classified in two main categories: the contribution from sunlight that passes directly through the entrance aperture and the contribution of sunlight that is diffracted by the edges of the entrance aperture. Values of the stray-light contributions from various sources and the total stray-light level for observations at heliocentric heights from 1.4 to 5 solar radii are derived. Anticipated signal-to-stray-light ratios are presented together with the effective stray-light rejection by the polarimeter, demonstrating the efficacy of the stray-light suppression design.

Trunnion corrosion: what surgeons need to know in 2018.

PubMed

Berstock, J R; Whitehouse, M R; Duncan, C P

2018-01-01

To present a surgically relevant update of trunnionosis. Systematic review performed April 2017. Trunnionosis accounts for approximately 2% of the revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) burden. Thinner (reduced flexural rigidity) and shorter trunnions (reduced contact area at the taper junction) may contribute to mechanically assisted corrosion, exacerbated by high offset implants. The contribution of large heads and mixed metallurgy is discussed. Identifying causative risk factors is challenging due to the multifactorial nature of this problem. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2018;100-B(1 Supple A):44-9. ©2018 The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery.

Voice gender identification by cochlear implant users: The role of spectral and temporal resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Qian-Jie; Chinchilla, Sherol; Nogaki, Geraldine; Galvin, John J.

2005-09-01

The present study explored the relative contributions of spectral and temporal information to voice gender identification by cochlear implant users and normal-hearing subjects. Cochlear implant listeners were tested using their everyday speech processors, while normal-hearing subjects were tested under speech processing conditions that simulated various degrees of spectral resolution, temporal resolution, and spectral mismatch. Voice gender identification was tested for two talker sets. In Talker Set 1, the mean fundamental frequency values of the male and female talkers differed by 100 Hz while in Talker Set 2, the mean values differed by 10 Hz. Cochlear implant listeners achieved higher levels of performance with Talker Set 1, while performance was significantly reduced for Talker Set 2. For normal-hearing listeners, performance was significantly affected by the spectral resolution, for both Talker Sets. With matched speech, temporal cues contributed to voice gender identification only for Talker Set 1 while spectral mismatch significantly reduced performance for both Talker Sets. The performance of cochlear implant listeners was similar to that of normal-hearing subjects listening to 4-8 spectral channels. The results suggest that, because of the reduced spectral resolution, cochlear implant patients may attend strongly to periodicity cues to distinguish voice gender.

Ronald Malt or Chen Zhongwei: Who performed the first surgical replantation?

PubMed

Fan, Ka-Wai

2018-01-01

This article discusses the contributions of the two pioneers of the surgical procedure of replantation-Ronald Malt in the US and Chen Zhongwei in China. Ronald Malt performed the reattachment surgery on a boy who had an accident in 1962, but he published his case report two years later in 1964. Chen Zhongwei performed a similar surgery on a worker who cut off his forearm in 1963, but he published his case report the same year. There is some debate about which one of these reputed surgeons should be given credit for being the first one to perform this breakthrough surgery, because although Malt was the first to perform the procedure, Zhongwei was the first to report it. To shed light on this controversy, criteria for scientific priority suggested by Ronald Vale and Anthony Hyman were applied. Although the criteria mainly favored Zhongwei as the pioneer of this procedure, he did not entirely fulfill one of the criteria. Therefore, the article could not present a definitive answer to the question, and it concludes by pointing out the highly commendable achievements and contributions of both Ronald Malt and Chen Zhongwei.

The Associations Between Executive Functions' Capacities, Performance Process Skills, and Dimensions of Participation in Activities of Daily Life Among Children of Elementary School Age.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Limor

2015-01-01

Effective executive functions (EFs) are crucial for efficient daily functioning. Daily functioning or involvement in life situations is defined as "participation" (International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health [ICF]; World Health Organization, 2001). Yet associations between them have been inadequately studied for children. The present study aimed to explore the associations between EFs and child participation. Participants were 60 typically developing children aged 6 to 9 years old and their parents. The children were individually evaluated using five EF cognitive tests. The parents completed three questionnaires: the Children Participation Questionnaire, the Process Skills (the observed executive performance) Questionnaire, and the Environmental Restrictions Questionnaire. Most of the EF scores were associated with the child's age. A unique contribution of executive capacities was found for the "independence" aspect of child participation, though the quantum of contribution was limited compared with the other predictors' process skills and environmental restrictions. In the context of child participation, EFs should be studied through multivariate analysis, as otherwise, the unique contribution of executive capacities measured by neuropsychological cognitive tests are likely to be ignored. Process skills are crucial for a child's independence and autonomy in daily functioning. These findings are supported by the capacity-performance distinction suggested by the ICF model.

The 13C(α,n)16O reaction: A background source for underground astrophysics measurements and geo-neutrino measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Febbraro, Michael; Toomey, Rebecca; Deboer, James; Pain, Steven; Peters, William; Smith, Karl; Becchetti, Fred; Wiescher, Michael

2016-09-01

In this study, we present results for a neutron spectroscopic study of the 13C(α,n)16O reaction between E α = 3 . 5 and 7.5 MeV performed at the University of Notre Dame Nuclear Science Laboratory. The neutron spectroscopy measurement was performed with deuterated liquid scintillator detectors capable of extracting neutron energy spectra without neutron time-of-flight measurement using spectral unfolding technique. This permitted extraction of the ground state contribution as well as excited state contributions to the total reaction cross section. The usefulness of this technique for the measurement of beam-induced neutron background sources in deep underground nuclear astrophysics measurements will be shown. Results showing the contributions of excited state components to the total cross section will be given and their implication to geo-neutrino measurements will be discussed. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics, NSF Grant PHY0969456, PHY1401343, and Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation R&D (NA-22).

Marginal Contribution-Based Distributed Subchannel Allocation in Small Cell Networks.

PubMed

Shah, Shashi; Kittipiyakul, Somsak; Lim, Yuto; Tan, Yasuo

2018-05-10

The paper presents a game theoretic solution for distributed subchannel allocation problem in small cell networks (SCNs) analyzed under the physical interference model. The objective is to find a distributed solution that maximizes the welfare of the SCNs, defined as the total system capacity. Although the problem can be addressed through best-response (BR) dynamics, the existence of a steady-state solution, i.e., a pure strategy Nash equilibrium (NE), cannot be guaranteed. Potential games (PGs) ensure convergence to a pure strategy NE when players rationally play according to some specified learning rules. However, such a performance guarantee comes at the expense of complete knowledge of the SCNs. To overcome such requirements, properties of PGs are exploited for scalable implementations, where we utilize the concept of marginal contribution (MC) as a tool to design learning rules of players’ utility and propose the marginal contribution-based best-response (MCBR) algorithm of low computational complexity for the distributed subchannel allocation problem. Finally, we validate and evaluate the proposed scheme through simulations for various performance metrics.

Information-Theoretic Performance Analysis of Sensor Networks via Markov Modeling of Time Series Data.

PubMed

Li, Yue; Jha, Devesh K; Ray, Asok; Wettergren, Thomas A; Yue Li; Jha, Devesh K; Ray, Asok; Wettergren, Thomas A; Wettergren, Thomas A; Li, Yue; Ray, Asok; Jha, Devesh K

2018-06-01

This paper presents information-theoretic performance analysis of passive sensor networks for detection of moving targets. The proposed method falls largely under the category of data-level information fusion in sensor networks. To this end, a measure of information contribution for sensors is formulated in a symbolic dynamics framework. The network information state is approximately represented as the largest principal component of the time series collected across the network. To quantify each sensor's contribution for generation of the information content, Markov machine models as well as x-Markov (pronounced as cross-Markov) machine models, conditioned on the network information state, are constructed; the difference between the conditional entropies of these machines is then treated as an approximate measure of information contribution by the respective sensors. The x-Markov models represent the conditional temporal statistics given the network information state. The proposed method has been validated on experimental data collected from a local area network of passive sensors for target detection, where the statistical characteristics of environmental disturbances are similar to those of the target signal in the sense of time scale and texture. A distinctive feature of the proposed algorithm is that the network decisions are independent of the behavior and identity of the individual sensors, which is desirable from computational perspectives. Results are presented to demonstrate the proposed method's efficacy to correctly identify the presence of a target with very low false-alarm rates. The performance of the underlying algorithm is compared with that of a recent data-driven, feature-level information fusion algorithm. It is shown that the proposed algorithm outperforms the other algorithm.

From Performativity to Aporia: Taking "Tremendous Responsibility" towards Feminism and the University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vrablikova, Lenka

2016-01-01

This paper seeks to contribute to the thinking on feminism's past and present entanglement with the university and strives to imagine its future. Through a close reading of the opening passage of Derrida's essay "Mochlos, or The Conflict of the Faculties," I trace "a university responsibility" which does not lead to a subject…

Hypersonic propulsion. [scramjet technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, G. Y.

1975-01-01

The NASA research on scramjet technology for speeds above Mach 5 is reported. A brief overview of the NASA Hypersonic Research Engine (HRE) project is presented with emphasis on the most significant contributions on the HRE to scramjet technology. The work on high-performance airframe-integrated scramjet engines is described, and a new versatile research airplane is discussed with emphasis on propulsion.

Human Resource Management and Human Resource Development: Evolution and Contributions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richman, Nicole

2015-01-01

Research agrees that a high performance organization (HPO) cannot exist without an elevated value placed on human resource management (HRM) and human resource development (HRD). However, a complementary pairing of HRM and HRD has not always existed. The evolution of HRD from its roots in human knowledge transference to HRM and present day HRD…

Face Values: The Use of Sensitive Error Correction to Address Adolescents' "Face" Issues in the Modern Languages Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crichton, Hazel; Templeton, Brian; Valdera, Francisco

2017-01-01

Anxiety about "performing" in a foreign language in front of classmates may inhibit learners' contributions in the modern languages class through fear of embarrassment over possible error production. The issue of "face", perceived social standing in the eyes of others, presents a sensitive matter for young adolescents…

Engaging Children in Lessons: The Role of Efficient and Effective Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopez-Agudo, Luis Alejandro; Marcenaro-Gutierrez, Oscar David

2017-01-01

The training of effective teachers has been one of the main aims of educational systems, in so far as it could be an important tool to improve the education performance of children and, consequently, contribute to their career progression and foster social mobility towards a more meritocratic society. The present study intends to identify these…

A New Measure for Assessing the Contributions of Higher Level Processes to Language Comprehension Performance in Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hannon, Brenda; Frias, Sarah

2012-01-01

The present study reports the development of a theoretically motivated measure that provides estimates of a preschooler's ability to recall auditory text, to make text-based inferences, to access knowledge from long-term memory, and to integrate this accessed knowledge with new information from auditory text. This new preschooler component…

Computer Simulations of Developmental Change: The Contributions of Working Memory Capacity and Long-Term Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Gary; Gobet, Fernand; Pine, Julian M.

2008-01-01

Increasing working memory (WM) capacity is often cited as a major influence on children's development and yet WM capacity is difficult to examine independently of long-term knowledge. A computational model of children's nonword repetition (NWR) performance is presented that independently manipulates long-term knowledge and WM capacity to determine…

[Endoscopic contribution in the dilatation of caustic esophagus stenosis].

PubMed

Seydou, Togo; Abdoulaye, Ouattara Moussa; Xing, Li; Zi, Sanogo Zimogo; Sekou, Koumaré; Wen, Yang Shang; Ibrahim, Sankare; Sekou, Toure Cheik Ahmed; Boubacar, Maiga Ibrahim; Saye, Jacque; Jerome, Dakouo Dodino; Dantoumé, Toure Ousmane; Sadio, Yena

2016-01-01

The aim of this work was to present the contribution of the endoscopy in the management of esophageal dilatation for caustic esophageal stenosis (CES). This was a descriptive and prospective study in the thoracic surgery department at the Hospital of Mali. A total of 46 cases of CES is recorded and divided into 4 groups according to the topography of the esophageal lesions. For the different methods of dilatation the number of performed endoscopic support was determined to understand the contribution of endoscopic means in the success of dilatation for CES. The outcome, complications and mortality in the two methods were compared. Fibroscopy was used in 41.30% of patients with Savary Guillard dilators and in 47.82% of patients with Lerut dilators. Video laryngoscopy was used in 58.69% of patients who underwent dilatation with Lerut dilators. The passage of the guide wire was performed in 39.13% under video laryngoscopy and 58.68% under fibroscopy. In comparison of the two methods, there is a significant difference in the occurrence of complications (p=0.04075), general anesthesia (p=0.02287), accessibility (p=0.04805) and mortality (p=0.00402). The CES is a serious disease and under evaluated in Mali. The endoscopies contribute significantly to the success of esophageal dilatation for caustic stenosis in the different methods we used.

What makes champions? A review of the relative contribution of genes and training to sporting success.

PubMed

Tucker, Ross; Collins, Malcolm

2012-06-01

Elite sporting performance results from the combination of innumerable factors, which interact with one another in a poorly understood but complex manner to mould a talented athlete into a champion. Within the field of sports science, elite performance is understood to be the result of both training and genetic factors. However, the extent to which champions are born or made is a question that remains one of considerable interest, since it has implications for talent identification and management, as well as for how sporting federations allocate scarce resources towards the optimisation of high-performance programmes. The present review describes the contributions made by deliberate practice and genetic factors to the attainment of a high level of sporting performance. The authors conclude that although deliberate training and other environmental factors are critical for elite performance, they cannot by themselves produce an elite athlete. Rather, individual performance thresholds are determined by our genetic make-up, and training can be defined as the process by which genetic potential is realised. Although the specific details are currently unknown, the current scientific literature clearly indicates that both nurture and nature are involved in determining elite athletic performance. In conclusion, elite sporting performance is the result of the interaction between genetic and training factors, with the result that both talent identification and management systems to facilitate optimal training are crucial to sporting success.

Genetic and environmental contributions to pro-social attitudes: a twin study of social responsibility.

PubMed

Rushton, J Philippe

2004-12-22

Although 51 twin and adoption studies have been performed on the genetic architecture of antisocial behaviour, only four previous studies have examined a genetic contribution to pro-social behaviour. Earlier work by the author with the University of London Institute of Psychiatry Adult Twin Register found that genes contributed approximately half of the variance to measures of self-report altruism, empathy, nurturance and aggression, including acts of violence. The present study extends those results by using a 22-item Social Responsibility Questionnaire with 174 pairs of monozygotic twins and 148 pairs of dizygotic twins. Forty-two per cent of the reliable variance was due to the twins' genes, 23% to the twins' common environment and the remainder to the twins' non-shared environment.

Genetic and environmental contributions to pro-social attitudes: a twin study of social responsibility.

PubMed Central

Rushton, J. Philippe

2004-01-01

Although 51 twin and adoption studies have been performed on the genetic architecture of antisocial behaviour, only four previous studies have examined a genetic contribution to pro-social behaviour. Earlier work by the author with the University of London Institute of Psychiatry Adult Twin Register found that genes contributed approximately half of the variance to measures of self-report altruism, empathy, nurturance and aggression, including acts of violence. The present study extends those results by using a 22-item Social Responsibility Questionnaire with 174 pairs of monozygotic twins and 148 pairs of dizygotic twins. Forty-two per cent of the reliable variance was due to the twins' genes, 23% to the twins' common environment and the remainder to the twins' non-shared environment. PMID:15615684

Dissociable Patterns in the Control of Emotional Interference in Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and in Adults with Alcohol Dependence

PubMed Central

Marx, Ivo; Krause, John; Berger, Christoph; Häßler, Frank

2014-01-01

Objectives To effectively manage current task demands, attention must be focused on task-relevant information while task-irrelevant information is rejected. However, in everyday life, people must cope with emotions, which may interfere with actual task demands and may challenge functional attention allocation. Control of interfering emotions has been associated with the proper functioning of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). As DLPFC dysfunction is evident in subjects with ADHD and in subjects with alcohol dependence, the current study sought to examine the bottom-up effect of emotional distraction on task performance in both disorders. Methods Male adults with ADHD (n = 22), male adults with alcohol dependence (n = 16), and healthy controls (n = 30) performed an emotional working memory task (n-back task). In the background of the task, we presented neutral and negative stimuli that varied in emotional saliency. Results In both clinical groups, a working memory deficit was evident. Moreover, both clinical groups displayed deficient emotional interference control. The n-back performance of the controls was not affected by the emotional distractors, whereas that of subjects with ADHD deteriorated in the presence of low salient distractors, and that of alcoholics did not deteriorate until high salient distractors were presented. Subsequent to task performance, subjects with ADHD accurately recognized more distractors than did alcoholics and controls. In alcoholics, picture recognition accuracy was negatively associated with n-back performance, suggesting a functional association between the ability to suppress emotional distractors and successful task performance. In subjects with ADHD, performance accuracy was negatively associated with ADHD inattentive symptoms, suggesting that inattention contributes to the performance deficit. Conclusions Subjects with ADHD and alcoholics both display an emotional interference control deficit, which is especially pronounced in subjects with ADHD. Beyond dysfunctional attention allocation processes, a more general attention deficit seems to contribute to the more pronounced performance deficit pattern in ADHD. PMID:25265290

Surviving an abusive supervisor: the joint roles of conscientiousness and coping strategies.

PubMed

Nandkeolyar, Amit K; Shaffer, Jonathan A; Li, Andrew; Ekkirala, Srinivas; Bagger, Jessica

2014-01-01

The present study examines a mediated moderation model of the effects of conscientiousness and coping strategies on the relationship between abusive supervision and employees' job performance. Across 2 studies conducted in India, we found evidence that the relationship between abusive supervision and job performance was weaker when employees were high in conscientiousness. In addition, we found that the use of an avoidance coping strategy facilitated a negative relationship between abusive supervision and performance. Finally, we found that the moderating effects of conscientiousness were mediated by the use of avoidance coping strategies. Our findings contribute to theories of abusive supervision, personality, coping strategies, and job performance. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved

Mathematics Anxiety and Statistics Anxiety. Shared but Also Unshared Components and Antagonistic Contributions to Performance in Statistics

PubMed Central

Paechter, Manuela; Macher, Daniel; Martskvishvili, Khatuna; Wimmer, Sigrid; Papousek, Ilona

2017-01-01

In many social science majors, e.g., psychology, students report high levels of statistics anxiety. However, these majors are often chosen by students who are less prone to mathematics and who might have experienced difficulties and unpleasant feelings in their mathematics courses at school. The present study investigates whether statistics anxiety is a genuine form of anxiety that impairs students' achievements or whether learners mainly transfer previous experiences in mathematics and their anxiety in mathematics to statistics. The relationship between mathematics anxiety and statistics anxiety, their relationship to learning behaviors and to performance in a statistics examination were investigated in a sample of 225 undergraduate psychology students (164 women, 61 men). Data were recorded at three points in time: At the beginning of term students' mathematics anxiety, general proneness to anxiety, school grades, and demographic data were assessed; 2 weeks before the end of term, they completed questionnaires on statistics anxiety and their learning behaviors. At the end of term, examination scores were recorded. Mathematics anxiety and statistics anxiety correlated highly but the comparison of different structural equation models showed that they had genuine and even antagonistic contributions to learning behaviors and performance in the examination. Surprisingly, mathematics anxiety was positively related to performance. It might be that students realized over the course of their first term that knowledge and skills in higher secondary education mathematics are not sufficient to be successful in statistics. Part of mathematics anxiety may then have strengthened positive extrinsic effort motivation by the intention to avoid failure and may have led to higher effort for the exam preparation. However, via statistics anxiety mathematics anxiety also had a negative contribution to performance. Statistics anxiety led to higher procrastination in the structural equation model and, therefore, contributed indirectly and negatively to performance. Furthermore, it had a direct negative impact on performance (probably via increased tension and worry in the exam). The results of the study speak for shared but also unique components of statistics anxiety and mathematics anxiety. They are also important for instruction and give recommendations to learners as well as to instructors. PMID:28790938

Mathematics Anxiety and Statistics Anxiety. Shared but Also Unshared Components and Antagonistic Contributions to Performance in Statistics.

PubMed

Paechter, Manuela; Macher, Daniel; Martskvishvili, Khatuna; Wimmer, Sigrid; Papousek, Ilona

2017-01-01

In many social science majors, e.g., psychology, students report high levels of statistics anxiety. However, these majors are often chosen by students who are less prone to mathematics and who might have experienced difficulties and unpleasant feelings in their mathematics courses at school. The present study investigates whether statistics anxiety is a genuine form of anxiety that impairs students' achievements or whether learners mainly transfer previous experiences in mathematics and their anxiety in mathematics to statistics. The relationship between mathematics anxiety and statistics anxiety, their relationship to learning behaviors and to performance in a statistics examination were investigated in a sample of 225 undergraduate psychology students (164 women, 61 men). Data were recorded at three points in time: At the beginning of term students' mathematics anxiety, general proneness to anxiety, school grades, and demographic data were assessed; 2 weeks before the end of term, they completed questionnaires on statistics anxiety and their learning behaviors. At the end of term, examination scores were recorded. Mathematics anxiety and statistics anxiety correlated highly but the comparison of different structural equation models showed that they had genuine and even antagonistic contributions to learning behaviors and performance in the examination. Surprisingly, mathematics anxiety was positively related to performance. It might be that students realized over the course of their first term that knowledge and skills in higher secondary education mathematics are not sufficient to be successful in statistics. Part of mathematics anxiety may then have strengthened positive extrinsic effort motivation by the intention to avoid failure and may have led to higher effort for the exam preparation. However, via statistics anxiety mathematics anxiety also had a negative contribution to performance. Statistics anxiety led to higher procrastination in the structural equation model and, therefore, contributed indirectly and negatively to performance. Furthermore, it had a direct negative impact on performance (probably via increased tension and worry in the exam). The results of the study speak for shared but also unique components of statistics anxiety and mathematics anxiety. They are also important for instruction and give recommendations to learners as well as to instructors.

Personal sound zone reproduction with room reflections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olik, Marek

Loudspeaker-based sound systems, capable of a convincing reproduction of different audio streams to listeners in the same acoustic enclosure, are a convenient alternative to headphones. Such systems aim to generate "sound zones" in which target sound programmes are to be reproduced with minimum interference from any alternative programmes. This can be achieved with appropriate filtering of the source (loudspeaker) signals, so that the target sound's energy is directed to the chosen zone while being attenuated elsewhere. The existing methods are unable to produce the required sound energy ratio (acoustic contrast) between the zones with a small number of sources when strong room reflections are present. Optimization of parameters is therefore required for systems with practical limitations to improve their performance in reflective acoustic environments. One important parameter is positioning of sources with respect to the zones and room boundaries. The first contribution of this thesis is a comparison of the key sound zoning methods implemented on compact and distributed geometrical source arrangements. The study presents previously unpublished detailed evaluation and ranking of such arrangements for systems with a limited number of sources in a reflective acoustic environment similar to a domestic room. Motivated by the requirement to investigate the relationship between source positioning and performance in detail, the central contribution of this thesis is a study on optimizing source arrangements when strong individual room reflections occur. Small sound zone systems are studied analytically and numerically to reveal relationships between the geometry of source arrays and performance in terms of acoustic contrast and array effort (related to system efficiency). Three novel source position optimization techniques are proposed to increase the contrast, and geometrical means of reducing the effort are determined. Contrary to previously published case studies, this work presents a systematic examination of the key problem of first order reflections and proposes general optimization techniques, thus forming an important contribution. The remaining contribution considers evaluation and comparison of the proposed techniques with two alternative approaches to sound zone generation under reflective conditions: acoustic contrast control (ACC) combined with anechoic source optimization and sound power minimization (SPM). The study provides a ranking of the examined approaches which could serve as a guideline for method selection for rooms with strong individual reflections.

The impact of Relative Prevalence on dual-target search for threat items from airport X-ray screening.

PubMed

Godwin, Hayward J; Menneer, Tamaryn; Cave, Kyle R; Helman, Shaun; Way, Rachael L; Donnelly, Nick

2010-05-01

The probability of target presentation in visual search tasks influences target detection performance: this is known as the prevalence effect (Wolfe et al., 2005). Additionally, searching for several targets simultaneously reduces search performance: this is known as the dual-target cost (DTC: Menneer et al., 2007). The interaction between the DTC and prevalence effect was investigated in a single study by presenting one target in dual-target search at a higher level of prevalence than the other target (Target A: 45% Prevalence; Target B: 5% Prevalence). An overall DTC was found for both RTs and response accuracy. Furthermore, there was an effect of target prevalence in dual-target search, suggesting that, when one target is presented at a higher level of prevalence than the other, both the dual-target cost and the prevalence effect contribute to decrements in performance. The implications for airport X-ray screening are discussed. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quality improvement in multidisciplinary cancer teams: an investigation of teamwork and clinical decision-making and cross-validation of assessments.

PubMed

Lamb, B W; Sevdalis, N; Mostafid, H; Vincent, C; Green, J S A

2011-12-01

Teamworking and clinical decision-making are important in multidisciplinary cancer teams (MDTs). Our objective is to assess the quality of information presentation and MDT members' contribution to decision-making via expert observation and self-report, aiming to cross-validate the two methods and assess the insight of MDT members into their own team performance. Behaviors were scored using (i) a validated observational tool employing Likert scales with objective anchors, and (ii) a 29-question online self-report tool. Data were collected from observation of 164 cases in five MDTs, and 47 surveys from MDT members (response rate 70%). Presentation of information (case history, radiological, pathological, comorbidities, psychosocial, and patients' views) and quality of contribution to decision-making of MDT members (surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, nurses, and MDT coordinators) were analyzed via descriptive statistics and the Jonckheere-Terpstra test. Correlation between observational and self-report assessments was assessed with Spearman's correlations. Quality of information presentation: Case histories and radiology information rated highest; patients' views and comorbidities/psychosocial issues rated lowest (observed: Z = 14.80, P ≤ 0.001; self-report: Z = 3.70, P < 0.001). Contribution to decision-making: Surgeons and oncologists rated highest, nurses and MDT coordinators rated lowest, and others in between (observed: Z = 20.00, P ≤ 0.001; self-report: Z = 8.10, P < 0.001). Correlations between observational and self-report assessments: Median Spearman's rho = 0.74 (range = 0.66-0.91; P < 0.05). The quality of teamworking and clinical decision-making in MDTs can reliably be assessed using observational and self-report metrics. MDT members have good insight into their own team performance. Such robust assessment methods could provide the basis of a toolkit for MDT team evaluation and improvement.

Learned Non-Rigid Object Motion is a View-Invariant Cue to Recognizing Novel Objects

PubMed Central

Chuang, Lewis L.; Vuong, Quoc C.; Bülthoff, Heinrich H.

2012-01-01

There is evidence that observers use learned object motion to recognize objects. For instance, studies have shown that reversing the learned direction in which a rigid object rotated in depth impaired recognition accuracy. This motion reversal can be achieved by playing animation sequences of moving objects in reverse frame order. In the current study, we used this sequence-reversal manipulation to investigate whether observers encode the motion of dynamic objects in visual memory, and whether such dynamic representations are encoded in a way that is dependent on the viewing conditions. Participants first learned dynamic novel objects, presented as animation sequences. Following learning, they were then tested on their ability to recognize these learned objects when their animation sequence was shown in the same sequence order as during learning or in the reverse sequence order. In Experiment 1, we found that non-rigid motion contributed to recognition performance; that is, sequence-reversal decreased sensitivity across different tasks. In subsequent experiments, we tested the recognition of non-rigidly deforming (Experiment 2) and rigidly rotating (Experiment 3) objects across novel viewpoints. Recognition performance was affected by viewpoint changes for both experiments. Learned non-rigid motion continued to contribute to recognition performance and this benefit was the same across all viewpoint changes. By comparison, learned rigid motion did not contribute to recognition performance. These results suggest that non-rigid motion provides a source of information for recognizing dynamic objects, which is not affected by changes to viewpoint. PMID:22661939

Menstrual cycle phase effects on memory and Stroop task performance.

PubMed

Hatta, Takeshi; Nagaya, Keiko

2009-10-01

The present study examined differences in Stroop and memory task performances modulated by gonadal steroid hormones during the menstrual cycle in women. Thirty women with regular menstrual cycles performed a logical memory task (Wechsler Memory Scale) and the Stroop task. The results showed a significant difference in Stroop task performance between low and high levels of estradiol and progesterone during the menstrual cycle, but there was no significant difference in memory performance between the two phases, nor was there any significant mood change that might have influenced cognitive performance. These findings suggest that sex-related hormone modulation selectively affects cognitive functions depending on the type of task and low level secretion of estradiol appears to contribute to reducing the level of attention that relates to the prefrontal cortex.

A study of waste and delivery valve design modification to the pump performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harith, M. N.; Bakar, R. A.; Ramasamy, D.; Kardigama, K.; Quanjin, Ma

2018-04-01

This paper objective is to share design revolution of waste and delivery valve that contribute to the overall pump performance. In this paper, 3 new designs of waste and delivery valve pump are presented with comprehensive internal flow analysis using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation over 4 cases that have been deeply study for one of the design chosen. 4 cases involving opening and closing both valve or either one. 0.265m height size of customized waste valve with an opening limiter and spring was used to demonstrate cyclic closing and opening valve operation extended up to 0.164m gap. Based on result, this characteristics contribute to 10-20% waste water reduction and enhancement of flow rate height up to 80m. Apart from that this paper also share some of pressure (dynamic, total, static), velocity (x, y, z axis) simulation including the vector flow were under different flow cases.

CFD Validation with Experiment and Verification with Physics of a Propellant Damping Device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, H. Q.; Peugeot, John

2011-01-01

This paper will document our effort in validating a coupled fluid-structure interaction CFD tool in predicting a damping device performance in the laboratory condition. Consistently good comparisons of "blind" CFD predictions against experimental data under various operation conditions, design parameters, and cryogenic environment will be presented. The power of the coupled CFD-structures interaction code in explaining some unexpected phenomena of the device observed during the technology development will be illustrated. The evolution of the damper device design inside the LOX tank will be used to demonstrate the contribution of the tool in understanding, optimization and implementation of LOX damper in Ares I vehicle. It is due to the present validation effort, the LOX damper technology has matured to TRL 5. The present effort has also contributed to the transition of the technology from an early conceptual observation to the baseline design of thrust oscillation mitigation for the Ares I within a 10 month period.

Anal canal duplication and triplication: a rare entity with different presentations.

PubMed

Palazon, P; Julia, V; Saura, L; de Haro, I; Bejarano, M; Rovira, C; Tarrado, X

2017-05-01

Anal canal duplication (ACD) is the rarest of gastrointestinal duplications. Few cases have been reported. Most cases present as an opening in the midline, posterior to the normal anus. The aim of our revision is to contribute with eight new cases, some of them with unusual presentations: five presented as the typical form, one with a perianal nodule, and two presented as two separate orifices (anal canal triplication). Complete excision was performed in all patients with no complications. ACD is the most distal and the least frequent digestive duplication. Its treatment should be surgical excision, to avoid complications such as abscess, fistulization, or malignization. Anal canal triplication has never been described before.

Fronto-limbic novelty processing in acute psychosis: disrupted relationship with memory performance and potential implications for delusions

PubMed Central

Schott, Björn H.; Voss, Martin; Wagner, Benjamin; Wüstenberg, Torsten; Düzel, Emrah; Behr, Joachim

2015-01-01

Recent concepts have highlighted the role of the hippocampus and adjacent medial temporal lobe (MTL) in positive symptoms like delusions in schizophrenia. In healthy individuals, the MTL is critically involved in the detection and encoding of novel information. Here, we aimed to investigate whether dysfunctional novelty processing by the MTL might constitute a potential neural mechanism contributing to the pathophysiology of delusions, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 16 unmedicated patients with paranoid schizophrenia and 20 age-matched healthy controls. All patients experienced positive symptoms at time of participation. Participants performed a visual target detection task with complex scene stimuli in which novel and familiar rare stimuli were presented randomly intermixed with a standard and a target picture. Presentation of novel relative to familiar images was associated with hippocampal activation in both patients and healthy controls, but only healthy controls showed a positive relationship between novelty-related hippocampal activation and recognition memory performance after 24 h. Patients, but not controls, showed a robust neural response in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) during presentation of novel stimuli. Functional connectivity analysis in the patients further revealed a novelty-related increase of functional connectivity of both the hippocampus and the OFC with the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) and the ventral striatum (VS). Notably, delusions correlated positively with the difference of the functional connectivity of the hippocampus vs. the OFC with the rACC. Taken together, our results suggest that alterations of fronto-limbic novelty processing may contribute to the pathophysiology of delusions in patients with acute psychosis. PMID:26082697

The cooking task: making a meal of executive functions

PubMed Central

Doherty, T. A.; Barker, L. A.; Denniss, R.; Jalil, A.; Beer, M. D.

2015-01-01

Current standardized neuropsychological tests may fail to accurately capture real-world executive deficits. We developed a computer-based Cooking Task (CT) assessment of executive functions and trialed the measure with a normative group before use with a head-injured population. Forty-six participants completed the computerized CT and subtests from standardized neuropsychological tasks, including the Tower and Sorting Tests of executive function from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) and the Cambridge prospective memory test (CAMPROMPT), in order to examine whether standardized executive function tasks, predicted performance on measurement indices from the CT. Findings showed that verbal comprehension, rule detection and prospective memory contributed to measures of prospective planning accuracy and strategy implementation of the CT. Results also showed that functions necessary for cooking efficacy differ as an effect of task demands (difficulty levels). Performance on rule detection, strategy implementation and flexible thinking executive function measures contributed to accuracy on the CT. These findings raise questions about the functions captured by present standardized tasks particularly at varying levels of difficulty and during dual-task performance. Our preliminary findings also indicate that CT measures can effectively distinguish between executive function and Full Scale IQ abilities. Results of the present study indicate that the CT shows promise as an ecologically valid measure of executive function for future use with a head-injured population and indexes selective executive function’s captured by standardized tests. PMID:25717294

The cooking task: making a meal of executive functions.

PubMed

Doherty, T A; Barker, L A; Denniss, R; Jalil, A; Beer, M D

2015-01-01

Current standardized neuropsychological tests may fail to accurately capture real-world executive deficits. We developed a computer-based Cooking Task (CT) assessment of executive functions and trialed the measure with a normative group before use with a head-injured population. Forty-six participants completed the computerized CT and subtests from standardized neuropsychological tasks, including the Tower and Sorting Tests of executive function from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) and the Cambridge prospective memory test (CAMPROMPT), in order to examine whether standardized executive function tasks, predicted performance on measurement indices from the CT. Findings showed that verbal comprehension, rule detection and prospective memory contributed to measures of prospective planning accuracy and strategy implementation of the CT. Results also showed that functions necessary for cooking efficacy differ as an effect of task demands (difficulty levels). Performance on rule detection, strategy implementation and flexible thinking executive function measures contributed to accuracy on the CT. These findings raise questions about the functions captured by present standardized tasks particularly at varying levels of difficulty and during dual-task performance. Our preliminary findings also indicate that CT measures can effectively distinguish between executive function and Full Scale IQ abilities. Results of the present study indicate that the CT shows promise as an ecologically valid measure of executive function for future use with a head-injured population and indexes selective executive function's captured by standardized tests.

Soft gluon evolution and non-global logarithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez, René Ángeles; De Angelis, Matthew; Forshaw, Jeffrey R.; Plätzer, Simon; Seymour, Michael H.

2018-05-01

We consider soft-gluon evolution at the amplitude level. Our evolution algorithm applies to generic hard-scattering processes involving any number of coloured partons and we present a reformulation of the algorithm in such a way as to make the cancellation of infrared divergences explicit. We also emphasise the special role played by a Lorentz-invariant evolution variable, which coincides with the transverse momentum of the latest emission in a suitably defined dipole zero-momentum frame. Handling large colour matrices presents the most significant challenge to numerical implementations and we present a means to expand systematically about the leading colour approximation. Specifically, we present a systematic procedure to calculate the resulting colour traces, which is based on the colour flow basis. Identifying the leading contribution leads us to re-derive the Banfi-Marchesini-Smye equation. However, our formalism is more general and can systematically perform resummation of contributions enhanced by the t'Hooft coupling α s N ˜ 1, along with successive perturbations that are parametrically suppressed by powers of 1 /N . We also discuss how our approach relates to earlier work.

Characterization of potassium dichromate solutions for spectrophotometercalibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conceição, F. C.; Silva, E. M.; Gomes, J. F. S.; Borges, P. P.

2018-03-01

Spectrophotometric analysis in the ultraviolet (UV) region is used in the determination of several quantitative and qualitative parameters. For ensuring reliability of the analyses performed on the spectrophotometers, verification / calibration of the equipment must be performed periodically using certified reference materials (CRMs). This work presents the characterization stage needed for producing this CRM. The property value characterized was the absorbance for the wavelengths in the UV spectral regions. This CRM will contribute to guarantee the accuracy and linearity of the absorbance scale to the spectrophotometers, through which analytical measurement results will be provided with metrological traceability.

Performance of alkaline battery cells used in emergency locator transmitters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haynes, G. A.; Sokol, S.; Motley, W. R., III; Mcclelland, E. L.

1984-01-01

The characteristics of battery power supplies for emergency locator transmitters (ELT's) were investigated by testing alkaline zinc/manganese dioxide cells of the type typically used in ELT's. Cells from four manufacturers were tested. The cells were subjected to simulated environmental and load conditions representative of those required for survival and operation. Battery cell characteristics that may contribute to ELT malfunctions and limitations were evaluated. Experimental results from the battery cell study are discussed, and an evaluation of ELT performance while operating under a representative worst-case environmental condition is presented.

A new concept for a hubless rotary jet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garris, C. A.; Toh, K. H.; Xie, L.

1991-01-01

The 'hubless rotary-jet' thrust augmentor primary-stream configuration is proposed as a way of overcoming problems encountered with hubbed rotary-jet ejectors while retaining sufficient geometrical simplicity to facilitate performance characterization and prediction via such commercially available CFD methods as FLOTRAN, as well as verification via LDV mapping. The present discussion is conducted with a view to the contributions of more realistic performance models incorporating turbulent mixing and compressibility. Attention is given to thrust augmentation ratio vs. spin angles for various area ratios with and without mixing.

Evaluating a more cost-efficient alternative to providing in-home feedback to parents: the use of spousal feedback.

PubMed Central

Harris, T A; Peterson, S L; Filliben, T L; Glassberg, M; Favell, J E

1998-01-01

We evaluated the contribution of spousal feedback to a parent education curriculum designed for parents of children with autism. A modified multiple baseline design across 3 husband-and-wife dyads was used to examine the effects of teaching parents to give each other feedback on their teaching performance. For 5 of 6 participants, improvement in teaching performance occurred following didactic presentations. However, additional improvement was observed for 5 participants when the spousal feedback component was implemented. PMID:9532757

Modeling ready biodegradability of fragrance materials.

PubMed

Ceriani, Lidia; Papa, Ester; Kovarich, Simona; Boethling, Robert; Gramatica, Paola

2015-06-01

In the present study, quantitative structure activity relationships were developed for predicting ready biodegradability of approximately 200 heterogeneous fragrance materials. Two classification methods, classification and regression tree (CART) and k-nearest neighbors (kNN), were applied to perform the modeling. The models were validated with multiple external prediction sets, and the structural applicability domain was verified by the leverage approach. The best models had good sensitivity (internal ≥80%; external ≥68%), specificity (internal ≥80%; external 73%), and overall accuracy (≥75%). Results from the comparison with BIOWIN global models, based on group contribution method, show that specific models developed in the present study perform better in prediction than BIOWIN6, in particular for the correct classification of not readily biodegradable fragrance materials. © 2015 SETAC.

The Magnetospheric Mapping Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spence, Harlan E.

2001-01-01

This final report describes the efforts accomplished during the grant's period of performance, covering the period of 15 March 1997 to 14 March 2001, of a NASA Space Physics New Mission Concepts grant. We have met and far exceeded the goals set forth in the proposed research objectives. The results of several studies are published in the refereed engineering and scientific literature. In addition, numerous invited and contributed presentations of these studies have been presented at national and international meetings during the performance period. We developed a mission concept that could allow for hundreds of one kilogram spacecraft to be placed in orbit with a single mothership and we used the funding to move rapidly forward with the nanosatellite design needed to envision any large constellation.

Predicting Post-Harvest Performance of Advance Red Oak Reproduction in the Southern Appalachians

Treesearch

David L. Loftis

1990-01-01

Models are presented for predicting: (1) height growth of red oak advance reproduction after clearcutting, and (2) the probability of stems becoming dominants or codominants in new stands as a function of preharvest size of advance reproduction andsitequafity. The second model permits silviculturists to predict, prior to harvest, the contribution to a new stand of an...

Working Memory Capacity in Preschool Children Contributes to the Acquisition of School Relevant Precursor Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pressler, Anna-Lena; Krajewski, Kristin; Hasselhorn, Marcus

2013-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether preschool children with limitations in the visual or phonological working memory are disadvantaged in the acquisition of school relevant precursor skills at school entry. A sample of 92 children was divided into three subgroups depending on their performance in visual and phonological working…

Of Models and Mechanisms: Towards an Understanding of How Theatre-Making Works as an "Intervention" in Individual Health and Wellness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Etheridge Woodson, Stephani; Szkupinski Quiroga, Seline; Underiner, Tamara; Farid Karimi, Robert

2017-01-01

Growing from a multi-year and multidisciplinary research and applied arts investigative team based in North America, this essay presents a model of how performative engagements contribute to individual behavioural change in wellness practices. To be even more specific, this essay analyses and theorises the mechanisms involved in the application of…

Waste Feed Delivery System Phase 1 Preliminary Reliability and Availability and Maintainability Analysis [SEC 1 and 2

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

CARLSON, A.B.

The document presents updated results of the preliminary reliability, availability, maintainability analysis performed for delivery of waste feed from tanks 241-AZ-101 and 241-AN-105 to British Nuclear Fuels Limited, inc. under the Tank Waste Remediation System Privatization Contract. The operational schedule delay risk is estimated and contributing factors are discussed.

The Role of Sentence Recall in Reading and Language Skills of Children with Learning Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alloway, Tracy Packiam; Gathercole, Susan Elizabeth

2005-01-01

The present study explores the relationship between sentence recall and reading and language skills in a group of 7--11-year-old children with learning difficulties. While recent studies have found that performance on sentence recall tasks plays a role in learning, it is possible that this contribution is a reflection of shared resources with…

Executive Functioning and Processing Speed in Age-Related Differences in Memory: Contribution of a Coding Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baudouin, Alexia; Clarys, David; Vanneste, Sandrine; Isingrini, Michel

2009-01-01

The aim of the present study was to examine executive dysfunctioning and decreased processing speed as potential mediators of age-related differences in episodic memory. We compared the performances of young and elderly adults in a free-recall task. Participants were also given tests to measure executive functions and perceptual processing speed…

Disentangling Fine Motor Skills' Relations to Academic Achievement: The Relative Contributions of Visual-Spatial Integration and Visual-Motor Coordination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlson, Abby G.; Rowe, Ellen; Curby, Timothy W.

2013-01-01

Recent research has established a connection between children's fine motor skills and their academic performance. Previous research has focused on fine motor skills measured prior to elementary school, while the present sample included children ages 5-18 years old, making it possible to examine whether this link remains relevant throughout…

Investigation of Color in a Fusion Protein Using Advanced Analytical Techniques: Delineating Contributions from Oxidation Products and Process Related Impurities.

PubMed

Song, Hangtian; Xu, Jianlin; Jin, Mi; Huang, Chao; Bongers, Jacob; Bai, He; Wu, Wei; Ludwig, Richard; Li, Zhengjian; Tao, Li; Das, Tapan K

2016-04-01

Discoloration of protein therapeutics has drawn increased attention recently due to concerns of potential impact on quality and safety. Investigation of discoloration in protein therapeutics for comparability is particularly challenging primarily for two reasons. First, the description of color or discoloration is to certain extent a subjective characteristic rather than a quantitative attribute. Secondly, the species contributing to discoloration may arise from multiple sources and are typically present at trace levels. Our purpose is to development a systematic approach that allows effective identification of the color generating species in protein therapeutics. A yellow-brown discoloration event observed in a therapeutic protein was investigated by optical spectroscopy, ultra-performance liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry (MS). Majority of the color generating species were identified as oxidatively modified protein. The location of the oxidized amino acid residues were identified by MS/MS. In addition, the impact of process-related impurities co-purified from media on discoloration was also investigated. Finally a semi-quantitative scale to estimate the contribution of each color source is presented, which revealed oxidized peptides are the major contributors. A systematic approach was developed for identification of the color generating species in protein therapeutics and for estimation of the contribution of each color source.

Familiarity and recollection in Williams syndrome.

PubMed

Costanzo, Floriana; Vicari, Stefano; Carlesimo, Giovanni A

2013-01-01

Interest is being shown in a componential analysis of performance on declarative memory tasks that distinguishes two different kinds of access to stored memories, recollection and familiarity. From a developmental perspective, it has been hypothesized that recollection emerges later and shows more developmental changes than familiarity. Nevertheless, the contribution of recollection and familiarity to the recognition performance of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) has been rarely examined. The present study was aimed at investigating the qualitative profile of declarative long-term memory in a group of individuals with Williams syndrome (WS). We compared 13 individuals with WS and 13 mental-age-matched typically developing children in two different experimental paradigms to assess the contribution of familiarity and recollection to recognition performance. We adopted a modified version of the process dissociation procedure and a task dissociation procedure, both of which are suited to individuals with ID. Results of both experimental paradigms demonstrated reduced recollection and spared familiarity in the declarative memory performances of individuals with WS. These results provide direct evidence of a dissociation between recollection and familiarity in a neurodevelopmental disorder and are discussed in relation to alternative approaches for explaining abnormal cognition in individuals with ID. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential neural contributions to native- and foreign-language talker identification

PubMed Central

Perrachione, Tyler K.; Pierrehumbert, Janet B.; Wong, Patrick C.M.

2009-01-01

Humans are remarkably adept at identifying individuals by the sound of their voice, a behavior supported by the nervous system’s ability to integrate information from voice and speech perception. Talker-identification abilities are significantly impaired when listeners are unfamiliar with the language being spoken. Recent behavioral studies describing the language-familiarity effect implicate functionally integrated neural systems for speech and voice perception, yet specific neuroscientific evidence demonstrating the basis for such integration has not yet been shown. Listeners in the present study learned to identify voices speaking a familiar (native) or unfamiliar (foreign) language. The talker-identification performance of neural circuitry in each cerebral hemisphere was assessed using dichotic listening. To determine the relative contribution of circuitry in each hemisphere to ecological (binaural) talker identification abilities, we compared the predictive capacity of dichotic performance on binaural performance across languages. We found listeners’ right-ear (left hemisphere) performance to be a better predictor of overall accuracy in their native language than a foreign one. The enhanced predictive capacity of the classically language-dominant left-hemisphere on overall talker-identification accuracy demonstrates functionally integrated neural systems for speech and voice perception during natural talker identification. PMID:19968445

Technology efficacy in active prosthetic knees for transfemoral amputees: a quantitative evaluation.

PubMed

El-Sayed, Amr M; Hamzaid, Nur Azah; Abu Osman, Noor Azuan

2014-01-01

Several studies have presented technological ensembles of active knee systems for transfemoral prosthesis. Other studies have examined the amputees' gait performance while wearing a specific active prosthesis. This paper combined both insights, that is, a technical examination of the components used, with an evaluation of how these improved the gait of respective users. This study aims to offer a quantitative understanding of the potential enhancement derived from strategic integration of core elements in developing an effective device. The study systematically discussed the current technology in active transfemoral prosthesis with respect to its functional walking performance amongst above-knee amputee users, to evaluate the system's efficacy in producing close-to-normal user performance. The performances of its actuator, sensory system, and control technique that are incorporated in each reported system were evaluated separately and numerical comparisons were conducted based on the percentage of amputees' gait deviation from normal gait profile points. The results identified particular components that contributed closest to normal gait parameters. However, the conclusion is limitedly extendable due to the small number of studies. Thus, more clinical validation of the active prosthetic knee technology is needed to better understand the extent of contribution of each component to the most functional development.

Lateralized theta wave connectivity and language performance in 2- to 5-year-old children.

PubMed

Kikuchi, Mitsuru; Shitamichi, Kiyomi; Yoshimura, Yuko; Ueno, Sanae; Remijn, Gerard B; Hirosawa, Tetsu; Munesue, Toshio; Tsubokawa, Tsunehisa; Haruta, Yasuhiro; Oi, Manabu; Higashida, Haruhiro; Minabe, Yoshio

2011-10-19

Recent neuroimaging studies support the view that a left-lateralized brain network is crucial for language development in children. However, no previous studies have demonstrated a clear link between lateralized brain functional network and language performance in preschool children. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a noninvasive brain imaging technique and is a practical neuroimaging method for use in young children. MEG produces a reference-free signal, and is therefore an ideal tool to compute coherence between two distant cortical rhythms. In the present study, using a custom child-sized MEG system, we investigated brain networks while 78 right-handed preschool human children (32-64 months; 96% were 3-4 years old) listened to stories with moving images. The results indicated that left dominance of parietotemporal coherence in theta band activity (6-8 Hz) was specifically correlated with higher performance of language-related tasks, whereas this laterality was not correlated with nonverbal cognitive performance, chronological age, or head circumference. Power analyses did not reveal any specific frequencies that contributed to higher language performance. Our results suggest that it is not the left dominance in theta oscillation per se, but the left-dominant phase-locked connectivity via theta oscillation that contributes to the development of language ability in young children.

Lexical tone recognition in noise in normal-hearing children and prelingually deafened children with cochlear implants

PubMed Central

Mao, Yitao; Xu, Li

2016-01-01

Objective The purpose of the present study was to investigate Mandarin tone recognition in background noise in children with cochlear implants (CIs), and to examine the potential factors contributing to their performance. Design Tone recognition was tested using a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm in various signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions (i.e., quiet, +12, +6, 0, and −6 dB). Linear correlation analysis was performed to examine possible relationships between the tone-recognition performance of the CI children and the demographic factors. Study sample Sixty-six prelingually deafened children with CIs and 52 normal-hearing (NH) children as controls participated in the study. Results Children with CIs showed overall poorer tone-recognition performance and were more susceptible to noise than their NH peers. Tone confusions between Mandarin tone 2 and tone 3 were most prominent in both CI and NH children except for in the poorest SNR conditions. Age at implantation was significantly correlated with tone-recognition performance of the CI children in noise. Conclusions There is a marked deficit in tone recognition in prelingually deafened children with CIs, particularly in noise listening conditions. While factors that contribute to the large individual differences are still elusive, early implantation could be beneficial to tone development in pediatric CI users. PMID:27564095

Lexical tone recognition in noise in normal-hearing children and prelingually deafened children with cochlear implants.

PubMed

Mao, Yitao; Xu, Li

2017-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate Mandarin tone recognition in background noise in children with cochlear implants (CIs), and to examine the potential factors contributing to their performance. Tone recognition was tested using a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm in various signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions (i.e. quiet, +12, +6, 0, and -6 dB). Linear correlation analysis was performed to examine possible relationships between the tone-recognition performance of the CI children and the demographic factors. Sixty-six prelingually deafened children with CIs and 52 normal-hearing (NH) children as controls participated in the study. Children with CIs showed an overall poorer tone-recognition performance and were more susceptible to noise than their NH peers. Tone confusions between Mandarin tone 2 and tone 3 were most prominent in both CI and NH children except for in the poorest SNR conditions. Age at implantation was significantly correlated with tone-recognition performance of the CI children in noise. There is a marked deficit in tone recognition in prelingually deafened children with CIs, particularly in noise listening conditions. While factors that contribute to the large individual differences are still elusive, early implantation could be beneficial to tone development in pediatric CI users.

Laser development for optimal helicopter obstacle warning system LADAR performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yaniv, A.; Krupkin, V.; Abitbol, A.; Stern, J.; Lurie, E.; German, A.; Solomonovich, S.; Lubashitz, B.; Harel, Y.; Engart, S.; Shimoni, Y.; Hezy, S.; Biltz, S.; Kaminetsky, E.; Goldberg, A.; Chocron, J.; Zuntz, N.; Zajdman, A.

2005-04-01

Low lying obstacles present immediate danger to both military and civilian helicopters performing low-altitude flight missions. A LADAR obstacle detection system is the natural solution for enhancing helicopter safety and improving the pilot situation awareness. Elop is currently developing an advanced Surveillance and Warning Obstacle Ranging and Display (SWORD) system for the Israeli Air Force. Several key factors and new concepts have contributed to system optimization. These include an adaptive FOV, data memorization, autonomous obstacle detection and warning algorithms and the use of an agile laser transmitter. In the present work we describe the laser design and performance and discuss some of the experimental results. Our eye-safe laser is characterized by its pulse energy, repetition rate and pulse length agility. By dynamically controlling these parameters, we are able to locally optimize the system"s obstacle detection range and scan density in accordance with the helicopter instantaneous maneuver.

Adults' Arithmetic Builds on Fast and Automatic Processing of Arabic Digits: Evidence from an Audiovisual Matching Paradigm

PubMed Central

Sasanguie, Delphine; Reynvoet, Bert

2014-01-01

Several studies have shown that performance on symbolic number tasks is related to individual differences in arithmetic. However, it is not clear which process is responsible for this association, i.e. fast, automatic processing of symbols per se or access to the underlying non-symbolic representation of the symbols. To dissociate between both options, adult participants performed an audiovisual matching paradigm. Auditory presented number words needed to be matched with either Arabic digits or dot patterns. The results revealed that a distance effect was present in the dots-number word matching task and absent in the digit-number word matching task. Crucially, only performance in the digit task contributed to the variance in arithmetical abilities. This led us to conclude that adults' arithmetic builds on the ability to quickly and automatically process Arabic digits, without the underlying non-symbolic magnitude representation being activated. PMID:24505308

Relationship between rotor-bearing system stability and supporting bearings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Longxiang; Zhu, Jun

1993-04-01

Results of an investigation of the relationship between the rotor-bearing system stability of a large rotating machinery and the supporting bearings are presented. The contribution factor of the bearings to the system stability is established. The bearing with the largest contribution factor yields the greatest contribution to the system stability. Rotor-bearing system stability depends mainly on the dynamic characteristic performance of the sensitive bearings. Appropriate readjustment in the type or design parameters of these bearings will result in a significant improvement in the stability margin. Numerical examples are carried out for a model rotor-bearing system with five bearings in a domestic 200-MW turbine generator set; they show that the calculated results are in good agreement with those measured for some actual rotating machinery. A scheme to reconstruct the domestic 200-MW turbine generator set is discussed.

The impact of the photon PDF and electroweak corrections on [Formula: see text] distributions.

PubMed

Pagani, D; Tsinikos, I; Zaro, M

2016-01-01

We discuss the impact of EW corrections on differential distributions in top-quark pair production at the LHC and future hadron colliders, focussing on the effects of initial-state photons. Performing a calculation at Next-to-Leading Order QCD+EW accuracy, we investigate in detail the impact of photon-initiated channels on central values as well as PDF and scale uncertainties, both at order [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. We present predictions at 13 and 100 TeV, and provide results for the 8 TeV differential measurements performed by ATLAS and CMS. A thorough comparison of results obtained with the NNPDF2.3QED and CT14QED PDF sets is performed. While contributions due to the photon PDF are negligible with CT14QED, this is not the case for NNPDF2.3QED, where such contributions are sizeable and show large PDF uncertainties. On the one hand, we show that differential observables in top-pair production, in particular top-quark and [Formula: see text] rapidities, can be used to improve the determination of the photon PDF within the NNPDF approach. On the other hand, with current PDF sets, we demonstrate the necessity of including EW corrections and photon-induced contributions for a correct determination of both the central value and the uncertainties of theoretical predictions.

Advances in life cycle assessment and emergy evaluation with case studies in gold mining and pineapple production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingwersen, Wesley W.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an internationally standardized framework for assessing the environmental impacts of products that is rapidly evolving to improve understanding and quantification of how complex product systems depend upon and affect the environment. This dissertation contributes to that evolution through the development of new methods for measuring impacts, estimating the uncertainty of impacts, and measuring ranges of environmental performance, with a focus on product systems in non-OECD countries that have not been well characterized. The integration of a measure of total energy use, emergy, is demonstrated in an LCA of gold from the Yanacocha mine in Peru in the second chapter. A model for estimating the accuracy of emergy results is proposed in the following chapter. The fourth chapter presents a template for LCA-based quantification of the range of environmental performance for tropical agricultural products using the example of fresh pineapple production for export in Costa Rica that can be used to create product labels with environmental information. The final chapter synthesizes how each methodological contribution will together improve the science of measuring product environmental performance.

The High Momentum Particle IDentification (HMPID) detector PID performance and its contribution to the ALICE physics program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volpe, Giacomo; ALICE Collaboration

2017-12-01

The ALICE apparatus is dedicated to study the properties of strongly interacting matter under extremely high temperature and energy density conditions. For this, enhanced particle identification (PID) capabilities are required. Among the PID ALICE detectors, the ALICE-HMPID (High Momentum Particle IDentification) detector is devoted to the identification of charged hadrons, exploiting the Cherenkov effect. It consists of seven identical RICH modules, with liquid C6F14 as Cherenkov radiator (n ≈1.298 at λ=175 nm). Photon and charged particle detection is performed by a MWPC, coupled with a pad segmented CsI coated photo-cathode. The total CsI active area is 10.3 m2. The HMPID provides 3 sigma separation for pions and kaons up to pT = 3 GeV / c and for kaons and (anti-)protons up to pT = 5 GeV / c . A review of the HMPID PID performance, in particular in the challenging central Pb-Pb collisions, and its contribution to the ALICE physics program, using the LHC RUN1 (2010-2013) and RUN2 (2015) data, are presented.

A cloud masking algorithm for EARLINET lidar systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Binietoglou, Ioannis; Baars, Holger; D'Amico, Giuseppe; Nicolae, Doina

2015-04-01

Cloud masking is an important first step in any aerosol lidar processing chain as most data processing algorithms can only be applied on cloud free observations. Up to now, the selection of a cloud-free time interval for data processing is typically performed manually, and this is one of the outstanding problems for automatic processing of lidar data in networks such as EARLINET. In this contribution we present initial developments of a cloud masking algorithm that permits the selection of the appropriate time intervals for lidar data processing based on uncalibrated lidar signals. The algorithm is based on a signal normalization procedure using the range of observed values of lidar returns, designed to work with different lidar systems with minimal user input. This normalization procedure can be applied to measurement periods of only few hours, even if no suitable cloud-free interval exists, and thus can be used even when only a short period of lidar measurements is available. Clouds are detected based on a combination of criteria including the magnitude of the normalized lidar signal and time-space edge detection performed using the Sobel operator. In this way the algorithm avoids misclassification of strong aerosol layers as clouds. Cloud detection is performed using the highest available time and vertical resolution of the lidar signals, allowing the effective detection of low-level clouds (e.g. cumulus humilis). Special attention is given to suppress false cloud detection due to signal noise that can affect the algorithm's performance, especially during day-time. In this contribution we present the details of algorithm, the effect of lidar characteristics (space-time resolution, available wavelengths, signal-to-noise ratio) to detection performance, and highlight the current strengths and limitations of the algorithm using lidar scenes from different lidar systems in different locations across Europe.

A Hybrid Actuation System Demonstrating Significantly Enhanced Electromechanical Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Su, Ji; Xu, Tian-Bing; Zhang, Shujun; Shrout, Thomas R.; Zhang, Qiming

2004-01-01

A hybrid actuation system (HYBAS) utilizing advantages of a combination of electromechanical responses of an electroactive polymer (EAP), an electrostrictive copolymer, and an electroactive ceramic single crystal, PZN-PT single crystal, has been developed. The system employs the contribution of the actuation elements cooperatively and exhibits a significantly enhanced electromechanical performance compared to the performances of the device made of each constituting material, the electroactive polymer or the ceramic single crystal, individually. The theoretical modeling of the performances of the HYBAS is in good agreement with experimental observation. The consistence between the theoretical modeling and experimental test make the design concept an effective route for the development of high performance actuating devices for many applications. The theoretical modeling, fabrication of the HYBAS and the initial experimental results will be presented and discussed.

Representation of the Physiological Factors Contributing to Postflight Changes in Functional Performance Using Motion Analysis Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parks, Kelsey

2010-01-01

Astronauts experience changes in multiple physiological systems due to exposure to the microgravity conditions of space flight. To understand how changes in physiological function influence functional performance, a testing procedure has been developed that evaluates both astronaut postflight functional performance and related physiological changes. Astronauts complete seven functional and physiological tests. The objective of this project is to use motion tracking and digitizing software to visually display the postflight decrement in the functional performance of the astronauts. The motion analysis software will be used to digitize astronaut data videos into stick figure videos to represent the astronauts as they perform the Functional Tasks Tests. This project will benefit NASA by allowing NASA scientists to present data of their neurological studies without revealing the identities of the astronauts.

Symmetry-Resolved Entanglement in Many-Body Systems.

PubMed

Goldstein, Moshe; Sela, Eran

2018-05-18

Similarly to the system Hamiltonian, a subsystem's reduced density matrix is composed of blocks characterized by symmetry quantum numbers (charge sectors). We present a geometric approach for extracting the contribution of individual charge sectors to the subsystem's entanglement measures within the replica trick method, via threading appropriate conjugate Aharonov-Bohm fluxes through a multisheet Riemann surface. Specializing to the case of 1+1D conformal field theory, we obtain general exact results for the entanglement entropies and spectrum, and apply them to a variety of systems, ranging from free and interacting fermions to spin and parafermion chains, and verify them numerically. We find that the total entanglement entropy, which scales as lnL, is composed of sqrt[lnL] contributions of individual subsystem charge sectors for interacting fermion chains, or even O(L^{0}) contributions when total spin conservation is also accounted for. We also explain how measurements of the contribution to the entanglement from separate charge sectors can be performed experimentally with existing techniques.

Morphological Awareness in Literacy Acquisition of Chinese Second Graders: A Path Analysis.

PubMed

Zhang, Haomin

2016-02-01

The present study tested a path diagram regarding the contribution of morphological awareness (MA) to early literacy acquisition among Chinese-speaking second graders ([Formula: see text]). Three facets of MA were addressed, namely derivational awareness, compound awareness and compound structure awareness. The model aimed to test a theory of causal order among measures of MA and literacy outcomes. Drawing upon multivariate path analysis, direct and indirect effects of MA were analyzed to identify their role in literacy performance among young children. Results revealed that all three facets of MA made significant contributions to lexical inference ability. In addition, compound awareness showed a unique and significant contribution to vocabulary knowledge. It was also observed that lexical inference ability had a mediating effect predictive of both vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. Moreover, vocabulary knowledge mediated the effect of MA on reading comprehension. However, no significant contribution of MA to reading comprehension was found after controlling for lexical inference ability and vocabulary knowledge.

Symmetry-Resolved Entanglement in Many-Body Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldstein, Moshe; Sela, Eran

2018-05-01

Similarly to the system Hamiltonian, a subsystem's reduced density matrix is composed of blocks characterized by symmetry quantum numbers (charge sectors). We present a geometric approach for extracting the contribution of individual charge sectors to the subsystem's entanglement measures within the replica trick method, via threading appropriate conjugate Aharonov-Bohm fluxes through a multisheet Riemann surface. Specializing to the case of 1 +1 D conformal field theory, we obtain general exact results for the entanglement entropies and spectrum, and apply them to a variety of systems, ranging from free and interacting fermions to spin and parafermion chains, and verify them numerically. We find that the total entanglement entropy, which scales as ln L , is composed of √{ln L } contributions of individual subsystem charge sectors for interacting fermion chains, or even O (L0) contributions when total spin conservation is also accounted for. We also explain how measurements of the contribution to the entanglement from separate charge sectors can be performed experimentally with existing techniques.

Cerebellar contributions to spatial memory.

PubMed

Tomlinson, Simon P; Davis, Nick J; Morgan, Helen M; Bracewell, R Martyn

2014-08-22

There is mounting evidence for a role for the cerebellum in working memory (WM). The majority of relevant studies has examined verbal WM and has suggested specialisation of the right cerebellar hemisphere for language processing. Our study used theta burst stimulation (TBS) to examine whether there is a converse cerebellar hemispheric specialisation for spatial WM. We conducted two experiments to examine spatial WM performance before and after TBS to mid-hemispheric and lateral locations in the posterior cerebellum. Participants were required to recall the order of presentation of targets on a screen or the targets' order of presentation and their locations. We observed impaired recollection of target order after TBS to the mid left cerebellar hemisphere and reduced response speed after TBS to the left lateral cerebellum. We suggest that these results give evidence of the contributions of the left cerebellar cortex to the encoding and retrieval of spatial information. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

New method of computing the contributions of graphs without lepton loops to the electron anomalous magnetic moment in QED

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volkov, Sergey

2017-11-01

This paper presents a new method of numerical computation of the mass-independent QED contributions to the electron anomalous magnetic moment which arise from Feynman graphs without closed electron loops. The method is based on a forestlike subtraction formula that removes all ultraviolet and infrared divergences in each Feynman graph before integration in Feynman-parametric space. The integration is performed by an importance sampling Monte-Carlo algorithm with the probability density function that is constructed for each Feynman graph individually. The method is fully automated at any order of the perturbation series. The results of applying the method to 2-loop, 3-loop, 4-loop Feynman graphs, and to some individual 5-loop graphs are presented, as well as the comparison of this method with other ones with respect to Monte Carlo convergence speed.

Enhanced photovoltaic performance of ultrathin Si solar cells via semiconductor nanocrystal sensitization: Energy transfer vs. optical coupling effects

DOE PAGES

Hoang, Son; Ashraf, Ahsan; Eisaman, Matthew D.; ...

2015-12-07

Excitonic energy transfer (ET) offers exciting opportunities for advances in optoelectronic devices such as solar cells. While recent experimental attempts have demonstrated its potential in both organic and inorganic photovoltaics (PVs), what remains to be addressed is quantitative understanding of how different ET modes contribute to PV performance and how ET contribution is differentiated from the classical optical coupling (OC) effects. In this study, we implement an ET scheme using a PV device platform, comprising CdSe/ZnS nanocrystal energy donor and 500 nm-thick ultrathin Si acceptor layers, and present the quantitative mechanistic description of how different ET modes, distinguished from themore » OC effects, increase the light absorption and PV efficiency. We find that nanocrystal sensitization enhances the short circuit current of ultrathin Si solar cells by up to 35%, of which the efficient ET, primarily driven by a long-range radiative mode, contributes to 38% of the total current enhancement. Lastly, these results not only confirm the positive impact of ET but also provide a guideline for rationally combining the ET and OC effects for improved light harvesting in PV and other optoelectronic devices.« less

Putative pyramidal neurons and interneurons in the monkey parietal cortex make different contributions to the performance of a visual grouping task.

PubMed

Yokoi, Isao; Komatsu, Hidehiko

2010-09-01

Visual grouping of discrete elements is an important function for object recognition. We recently conducted an experiment to study neural correlates of visual grouping. We recorded neuronal activities while monkeys performed a grouping detection task in which they discriminated visual patterns composed of discrete dots arranged in a cross and detected targets in which dots with the same contrast were aligned horizontally or vertically. We found that some neurons in the lateral bank of the intraparietal sulcus exhibit activity related to visual grouping. In the present study, we analyzed how different types of neurons contribute to visual grouping. We classified the recorded neurons as putative pyramidal neurons or putative interneurons, depending on the duration of their action potentials. We found that putative pyramidal neurons exhibited selectivity for the orientation of the target, and this selectivity was enhanced by attention to a particular target orientation. By contrast, putative interneurons responded more strongly to the target stimuli than to the nontargets, regardless of the orientation of the target. These results suggest that different classes of parietal neurons contribute differently to the grouping of discrete elements.

Enhanced photovoltaic performance of ultrathin Si solar cells via semiconductor nanocrystal sensitization: energy transfer vs. optical coupling effects.

PubMed

Hoang, Son; Ashraf, Ahsan; Eisaman, Matthew D; Nykypanchuk, Dmytro; Nam, Chang-Yong

2016-03-21

Excitonic energy transfer (ET) offers exciting opportunities for advances in optoelectronic devices such as solar cells. While recent experimental attempts have demonstrated its potential in both organic and inorganic photovoltaics (PVs), what remains to be addressed is quantitative understanding of how different ET modes contribute to PV performance and how ET contribution is differentiated from the classical optical coupling (OC) effects. In this study, we implement an ET scheme using a PV device platform, comprising CdSe/ZnS nanocrystal energy donor and 500 nm-thick ultrathin Si acceptor layers, and present the quantitative mechanistic description of how different ET modes, distinguished from the OC effects, increase the light absorption and PV efficiency. We find that nanocrystal sensitization enhances the short circuit current of ultrathin Si solar cells by up to 35%, of which the efficient ET, primarily driven by a long-range radiative mode, contributes to 38% of the total current enhancement. These results not only confirm the positive impact of ET but also provide a guideline for rationally combining the ET and OC effects for improved light harvesting in PV and other optoelectronic devices.

Using Flanagan's phase vocoder to improve cochlear implant performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Fan-Gang

2004-10-01

The cochlear implant has restored partial hearing to more than 100000 deaf people worldwide, allowing the average user to talk on the telephone in quiet environment. However, significant difficulty still remains for speech recognition in noise, music perception, and tonal language understanding. This difficulty may be related to speech processing strategies in current cochlear implants that emphasized the extraction and encoding of the temporal envelope while ignoring the temporal fine structure in speech sounds. A novel strategy was developed based on Flanagan's phase vocoder [Flanagan and Golden, Bell Syst. Tech. 45, 1493-1509 (1966)], in which frequency modulation was extracted from the temporal fine structure and then added to amplitude modulation in the current cochlear implants. Acoustic simulation results showed that amplitude and frequency modulation contributed complementarily to speech perception with amplitude modulation contributing mainly to intelligibility whereas frequency modulation contributed to speaker identification and auditory grouping. The results also showed that the novel strategy significantly improved cochlear implant performance under realistic listening situations. Overall, the present result demonstrated that Flanagan's classic work on phase vocoder still shed insight on current problems of both theoretical and practical importance. [Work supported by NIH.

Neutron dose estimation in a zero power nuclear reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Triviño, S.; Vedelago, J.; Cantargi, F.; Keil, W.; Figueroa, R.; Mattea, F.; Chautemps, A.; Santibañez, M.; Valente, M.

2016-10-01

This work presents the characterization and contribution of neutron and gamma components to the absorbed dose in a zero power nuclear reactor. A dosimetric method based on Fricke gel was implemented to evaluate the separation between dose components in the mixed field. The validation of this proposed method was performed by means of direct measurements of neutron flux in different positions using Au and Mg-Ni activation foils. Monte Carlo simulations were conversely performed using the MCNP main code with a dedicated subroutine to incorporate the exact complete geometry of the nuclear reactor facility. Once nuclear fuel elements were defined, the simulations computed the different contributions to the absorbed dose in specific positions inside the core. Thermal/epithermal contributions of absorbed dose were assessed by means of Fricke gel dosimetry using different isotopic compositions aimed at modifying the sensitivity of the dosimeter for specific dose components. Clear distinctions between gamma and neutron capture dose were obtained. Both Monte Carlo simulations and experimental results provided reliable estimations about neutron flux rate as well as dose rate during the reactor operation. Simulations and experimental results are in good agreement in every positions measured and simulated in the core.

Improve strategic supplier performance using DMAIC to develop a Quality Improvement Plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jardim, Kevin P.

Supplier performance that meets the requirements of the customer has long plagued quality professionals. Despite the vast efforts by organizations to improve supplier performance, little has been done to standardize the plan to improve performance. This project presents a guideline and problem-solving strategy using a Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) structured tool that will assist in the management and improvement of supplier performance. An analysis of benchmarked Quality Improvement Plans indicated that this topic needs more focus on how to accomplish improved supplier performance. This project is part of a growing body of supplier continuous improvement efforts. With the input of Zodiac Aerospace quality professionals this project's results provide a solution to Quality Improvement Plans and show objective evidence of its benefits. This project contributes to the future research on similar topics.

Cesarean Section Rate Analysis in University Hospital Tuzla - According to Robson's Classification.

PubMed

Fatusic, Jasenko; Hudic, Igor; Fatusic, Zlatan; Zildzic-Moralic, Aida; Zivkovic, Milorad

2016-06-01

For last decades, there has public concern about increasing Cesarean Section (CS) rates, and it is an issue of international public health concern. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) there is no justification to have more than 10-15% CS births. WHO proposes the Robson ten-group classification, as a global standard for assessing, monitoring and comparing cesarean section rates. The aim of this study was to investigate Cesarean section rate at University Hospital Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cross sectional study was conducted for one-year period, 2015. Statistical analysis and graph-table presentation was performed using Excel 2010 and Microsoft Office programs. Out of 3,672 births, a total of 936 births were performed by CS. Percentage of the total number of CS to the total birth number was 25,47%. According to Robson classification, the largest was group 5 with relative contribution of 29,80%. On second and third place were group 1 and 2 with relative contribution of 26,06% and 15,78% respectively. Groups 1, 2, 5 made account of realtive contribution of 71,65%. All other groups had entirely relative contribution of 28,35%. Robson 10-group classification provides easy way in collecting information about CS rate. It is important that efforts to reduce the overall CS rate should focus on reducing the primary CS. Data from our study confirm this attitude.

The Effectiveness of Various Attitude Indicator Display Sizes and Extended Horizon Lines on Attitude Maintenance in a Part-Task Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Comstock, J. Raymond, Jr.; Jones, Leslie C.; Pope, Alan T.

2003-01-01

Spatial disorientation (SD) is a constant contributing factor to the rate of fatal aviation accidents. SD occurs as a result of perceptual errors that can be attributed in part to the inefficient presentation of synthetic orientation cues via the attitude indicator when external visual conditions are poor. Improvements in the design of the attitude indicator may help to eliminate instrumentation as a factor in the onset of SD. The goal of the present study was to explore several display concepts that may contribute to an improved attitude display. Specifically, the effectiveness of various display sizes, some that are used in current and some that are anticipated in future attitude displays that may incorporate Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) concepts, was assessed. In addition, a concept known as an extended horizon line or Malcolm Horizon (MH) was applied and evaluated. Paired with the MH, the novel concept of a fixed reference line representing the central horizontal plane of the aircraft was also tested. Subjects performance on an attitude control task and secondary math workload task was measured across the various display sizes and conditions. The results, with regard to display size, confirmed the bigger is better concept, yielding better performance with the larger display sizes. A clear and significant improvement in attitude task performance was found with the addition of the extended horizon line. The extended or MH seemed to equalize attitude performance across display sizes, even for a central or foveal display as small as three inches in width.

Cooperative control theory and integrated flight and propulsion control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, David K.; Schierman, John D.

1995-01-01

The major contribution of this research was the exposition of the fact that airframe and engine interactions could be present, and their effects could include loss of stability and performance of the control systems. Also, the significance of two directional, as opposed to one-directional, coupling was identified and explained. A multivariable stability and performance analysis methodology was developed, and applied to several candidate aircraft configurations. In these example evaluations, the significance of these interactions was underscored. Also exposed was the fact that with interactions present along with some integrated control approaches, the engine command/limiting logic (which represents an important nonlinear component of the engine control system) can impact closed-loop airframe/engine system stability. Finally, a brief investigation of control-law synthesis techniques appropriate for the class of systems was pursued, and it was determined that multivariable techniques, including model-following formulations of LQG and/or H infinity methods, showed promise. However, for practical reasons, decentralized control architectures are preferred, which is an architecture incompatible with these synthesis methods. The major contributions of the second phase of the grant was the development of conditions under which no decentralized controller could achieve closed loop system requirements on stability and/or performance. Sought were conditions that depended only on properties of the plant and the requirement, and independent of any particular control law or synthesis approach. Therefore, they could be applied a priori, before synthesis of a candidate control law. Under this grant, such conditions were found regarding stability, and encouraging initial results were obtained regarding performance.

Contributing factors to performance of a medicine ball explosive power test: a comparison between jump and nonjump athletes.

PubMed

Stockbrugger, Barry A; Haennel, Robert G

2003-11-01

The present study examined the factors contributing to performance of a backward overhead medicine ball throw (B-MBT) across 2 types of athletes. Twenty male volleyball players (jump athletes) and 20 wrestlers (nonjump athletes) were evaluated on 4 measures of power, including B-MBT, chest medicine ball throw (C-MBT), countermovement vertical jump (CMJ), and power index (PI). The athletes also completed 3 measures of strength: a 1-repetition-maximum (1RM) bench press (BP), a 1RM leg press (LP), and combined BP + LP strength. Jump athletes demonstrated greater absolute scores for CMJ, C-MBT, and B-MBT (p < 0.05), whereas nonjump athletes demonstrated greater strength scores for BP and for BP + LP (p < 0.05). When performances were examined on a relative basis, jump athletes achieved superior scores for C-MBT (p < 0.05), whereas nonjump athletes had greater scores for BP, LP, and BP + LP (p < 0.05). For both groups, B-MBT had strong correlations with PI (r = 0.817 [jump] and 0.917 [nonjump]), whereas for C-MBT, only nonjump athletes demonstrated a strong correlation (r = 0.842). When expressed in relative terms, B-MBT was strongly correlated with C-MBT (r = 0.762 [jump] and 0.835 [nonjump]) and CMJ (r = 0.899 [jump] and 0.945 [nonjump]). Only nonjump athletes demonstrated strong correlations with strength for absolute LP (r = 0.801) and BP + LP (r = 0.810) strength. The interaction of upper- and lower-body strength and power in the performance of a B-MBT appears complex, with the contributing factors differing for athletes with divergent skill sets and performance demands.

Vienna Contribution to ITRF2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böhm, Sigrid; Krásná, Hana; Bachmann, Sabine

2016-12-01

The next realization of the International Terrestrial Reference System, the ITRF2014, was released in the beginning of 2016. The VLBI input to ITRF2014 was provided by the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS) and consists of a combination of all Analysis Center contributions. One of these single solutions was contributed by the Vienna Special Analysis Center of the Department of Geodesy and Geoinformation at TU Wien. In this paper we describe the characteristics of the Vienna contribution (calculated using the Vienna VLBI Software VieVS) to ITRF2014 and VTRF2014, respectively. We give a documentation of the included sessions and stations as well as some statistical information which shows the performance of the Vienna contribution compared to the other contributions in the IVS combination. In addition to that, a single TRF solution, VieTRF2014a, which is based on the Vienna input to ITRF2014, is presented and compared to previous TRF solutions. By and large the Vienna contribution does not exhibit any outstanding features when compared to the other submissions, except for the Earth rotation component dUT1, which shows large residuals with respect to the combined solution. The reason for this discrepancy is probably the different parameterization of EOP in VieVS as piecewise linear offsets, necessitating a transformation prior to the combination.

Time of Day Does Not Modulate Improvements in Motor Performance following a Repetitive Ballistic Motor Training Task

PubMed Central

Sale, Martin V.; Ridding, Michael C.; Nordstrom, Michael A.

2013-01-01

Repetitive performance of a task can result in learning. The neural mechanisms underpinning such use-dependent plasticity are influenced by several neuromodulators. Variations in neuromodulator levels may contribute to the variability in performance outcomes following training. Circulating levels of the neuromodulator cortisol change throughout the day. High cortisol levels inhibit neuroplasticity induced with a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) paradigm that has similarities to use-dependent plasticity. The present study investigated whether performance changes following a motor training task are modulated by time of day and/or changes in endogenous cortisol levels. Motor training involving 30 minutes of repeated maximum left thumb abduction was undertaken by twenty-two participants twice, once in the morning (8 AM) and once in the evening (8 PM) on separate occasions. Saliva was assayed for cortisol concentration. Motor performance, quantified by measuring maximum left thumb abduction acceleration, significantly increased by 28% following training. Neuroplastic changes in corticomotor excitability of abductor pollicis brevis, quantified with TMS, increased significantly by 23% following training. Training-related motor performance improvements and neuroplasticity were unaffected by time of day and salivary cortisol concentration. Although similar neural elements and processes contribute to motor learning, training-induced neuroplasticity, and TMS-induced neuroplasticity, our findings suggest that the influence of time of day and cortisol differs for these three interventions. PMID:23577271

How the bimodal format of presentation affects working memory: an overview.

PubMed

Mastroberardino, Serena; Santangelo, Valerio; Botta, Fabiano; Marucci, Francesco S; Olivetti Belardinelli, Marta

2008-03-01

The best format in which information that has to be recalled is presented has been investigated in several studies, which focused on the impact of bimodal stimulation on working memory performance. An enhancement of participant's performance in terms of correct recall has been repeatedly found, when bimodal formats of presentation (i.e., audiovisual) were compared to unimodal formats (i.e, either visual or auditory), in providing implications for multimedial learning. Several theoretical frameworks have been suggested in order to account for the bimodal advantage, ranging from those emphasizing early stages of processing (such as automatic alerting effects or multisensory integration processes) to those centred on late stages of processing (as postulated by the dual coding theory). The aim of this paper is to review previous contributions to this topic, providing a comprehensive theoretical framework, which is updated by the latest empirical studies.

The 2 × 2 Standpoints Model of Achievement Goals

PubMed Central

Korn, Rachel M.; Elliot, Andrew J.

2016-01-01

In the present research, we proposed and tested a 2 × 2 standpoints model of achievement goals grounded in the development-demonstration and approach-avoidance distinctions. Three empirical studies are presented. Study 1 provided evidence supporting the structure and psychometric properties of a newly developed measure of the goals of the 2 × 2 standpoints model. Study 2 documented the predictive utility of these goal constructs for intrinsic motivation: development-approach and development-avoidance goals were positive predictors, and demonstration-avoidance goals were a negative predictor of intrinsic motivation. Study 3 documented the predictive utility of these goal constructs for performance attainment: Demonstration-approach goals were a positive predictor and demonstration-avoidance goals were a negative predictor of exam performance. The conceptual and empirical contributions of the present research were discussed within the broader context of existing achievement goal theory and research. PMID:27242641

Synthesis of nitrogen- and sulfur-codoped 3D cubic-ordered mesoporous carbon with superior performance in supercapacitors.

PubMed

Zhang, Deyi; Zheng, Liweng; Ma, Ying; Lei, Longyan; Li, Qinglin; Li, Yan; Luo, Heming; Feng, Huixia; Hao, Yuan

2014-02-26

In this contribution, nitrogen- and sulfur-codoped 3D cubic-ordered mesoporous carbon (KNOMC) materials with controlled dopant content (10.0-4.6 atom % for nitrogen and 0.94-0.75 atom % for sulfur) are presented, using KIT-6 as the template and pyrrole as the precursor, and its supercapacitive behavior is also investigated. The presented materials exhibit excellent supercapacitive performance by combining electrical double-layer capacitance and pseudocapacitance as well as the enhanced wettability and improved conductivity generated from the incorporation of nitrogen and sulfur into the framework of carbon materials. The specific capacitance of the presented materials reaches 320 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1), which is significantly larger than that of the pristine-ordered mesoporous carbon reported in the literature and can even compete with some metal oxides and conducting polymers.

Single and tandem Fabry-Perot etalons as solar background filters for lidar.

PubMed

McKay, J A

1999-09-20

Atmospheric lidar is difficult in daylight because of sunlight scattered into the receiver field of view. In this research methods for the design and performance analysis of Fabry-Perot etalons as solar background filters are presented. The factor by which the signal to background ratio is enhanced is defined as a measure of the performance of the etalon as a filter. Equations for evaluating this parameter are presented for single-, double-, and triple-etalon filter systems. The role of reflective coupling between etalons is examined and shown to substantially reduce the contributions of the second and third etalons to the filter performance. Attenuators placed between the etalons can improve the filter performance, at modest cost to the signal transmittance. The principal parameter governing the performance of the etalon filters is the etalon defect finesse. Practical limitations on etalon plate smoothness and parallelism cause the defect finesse to be relatively low, especially in the ultraviolet, and this sets upper limits to the capability of tandem etalon filters to suppress the solar background at tolerable cost to the signal.

Metacomputing on Commodity Computers

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-05-01

on NOWs, and this has contributed to the popularity of systems such as PVM [59], MPI [67], Linda [33], and TreadMarks [2]. 26 Challenges Given that...presents the performance of Calypso and Persistent Linda (PLinda) [77] programs and compares how they can tolerate failures. A biological pattern...adds fault tolerance to Linda programs by using light-weight transac- tions, whereas Calypso uses the combination of eager scheduling and two-phase

Pushing Typists Back on the Learning Curve: Contributions of Multiple Linguistic Units in the Acquisition of Typing Skill

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamaguchi, Motonori; Logan, Gordon D.

2014-01-01

The present study investigated the way people acquire and control skilled performance in the context of typewriting. Typing skill was degraded by changing the location of a key (target key) while retaining the locations of other keys to disable an association between the letter and the key. We conducted 4 experiments: Experiment 1 demonstrated…

Electron Beam Welding of Duplex Steels with using Heat Treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwarz, Ladislav; Vrtochová, Tatiana; Ulrich, Koloman

2010-01-01

This contribution presents characteristics, metallurgy and weldability of duplex steels with using concentrated energy source. The first part of the article describes metallurgy of duplex steels and the influence of nitrogen on their solidification. The second part focuses on weldability of duplex steels with using electron beam aimed on acceptable structure and corrosion resistance performed by multiple runs of defocused beam over the penetration weld.

Exploiting Inhibitory Siglecs to Combat Food Allergies

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

such as ELISAs . Shiteng and Kevin Worrell participated in groups meetings, regularly presenting their research updates. Dr. Macauley worked closely...transferred the cells into naïve animals and then immunized with Ara h 2. She also contributed by running some ELISA experiments. Funding Support...procedures and peanut challenges. She also assisted with cellular studies, flow cytometry, and ELISA . Kelly performed the human CD33 basophil assays as

Reliable Predictors of Reduced Redundancy Test Performance: The Interaction between Lexical Bonds and Test Takers' Depth and Breadth of Vocabulary Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janebi Enayat, Mostafa; Babaii, Esmat

2018-01-01

The present study intended to investigate whether test takers' breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge can contribute to their efficient use of lexical bonds while restoring damaged texts in reduced redundancy tests. Moreover, the moderating role of general language proficiency was investigated in this interaction. In so doing, Vocabulary Levels…

Contribution of three nucleon force investigated in deuteron-proton breakup reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parol, W.; Kozela, A.; Ciepał, I.; Bodek, K.; Jamroz, B.; Kalantar-Nayestanaki, N.; Khatri, G.; Kistryn, St.; Kłos, B.; Kuboś, J.; Kulessa, P.; Magiera, A.; Mazumdar, I.; Messchendorp, J. G.; Rozpędzik, D.; Rusnok, A.; Skwira-Chalot, I.; Stephan, E.; Wilczek, A.; Włoch, B.; Wrońska, A.; Zejma, J.

2016-11-01

The elastic scattering and deuteron breakup data were collected in the experiment performed at KVI (Groningen) with use of unpolarized deuteron beam with energy of 80 MeV per nucleon, impinging on hydrogen target. The procedure applied to determine total integrated luminosity is presented. The result will be used for normalization of the differential cross section for the deuteron-proton breakup reaction.

Space Shuttle Program Legacy Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Scott

2012-01-01

Share lessons learned on Space Shuttle Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) culture, processes, and products that can guide future enterprises to improve mission success and minimize the risk of catastrophic failures. Present the chronology of the Johnson Space Center (JSC) S&MA organization over the 40-year history of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) and identify key factors and environments which contributed to positive and negative performance.

An inter-comparison of PM10 source apportionment using PCA and PMF receptor models in three European sites.

PubMed

Cesari, Daniela; Amato, F; Pandolfi, M; Alastuey, A; Querol, X; Contini, D

2016-08-01

Source apportionment of aerosol is an important approach to investigate aerosol formation and transformation processes as well as to assess appropriate mitigation strategies and to investigate causes of non-compliance with air quality standards (Directive 2008/50/CE). Receptor models (RMs) based on chemical composition of aerosol measured at specific sites are a useful, and widely used, tool to perform source apportionment. However, an analysis of available studies in the scientific literature reveals heterogeneities in the approaches used, in terms of "working variables" such as the number of samples in the dataset and the number of chemical species used as well as in the modeling tools used. In this work, an inter-comparison of PM10 source apportionment results obtained at three European measurement sites is presented, using two receptor models: principal component analysis coupled with multi-linear regression analysis (PCA-MLRA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF). The inter-comparison focuses on source identification, quantification of source contribution to PM10, robustness of the results, and how these are influenced by the number of chemical species available in the datasets. Results show very similar component/factor profiles identified by PCA and PMF, with some discrepancies in the number of factors. The PMF model appears to be more suitable to separate secondary sulfate and secondary nitrate with respect to PCA at least in the datasets analyzed. Further, some difficulties have been observed with PCA in separating industrial and heavy oil combustion contributions. Commonly at all sites, the crustal contributions found with PCA were larger than those found with PMF, and the secondary inorganic aerosol contributions found by PCA were lower than those found by PMF. Site-dependent differences were also observed for traffic and marine contributions. The inter-comparison of source apportionment performed on complete datasets (using the full range of available chemical species) and incomplete datasets (with reduced number of chemical species) allowed to investigate the sensitivity of source apportionment (SA) results to the working variables used in the RMs. Results show that, at both sites, the profiles and the contributions of the different sources calculated with PMF are comparable within the estimated uncertainties indicating a good stability and robustness of PMF results. In contrast, PCA outputs are more sensitive to the chemical species present in the datasets. In PCA, the crustal contributions are higher in the incomplete datasets and the traffic contributions are significantly lower for incomplete datasets.

Investigation of performance deterioration of the CF6/JT9D, high-bypass ratio turbofan engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ziemianski, J. A.; Mehalic, C. M.

1980-01-01

The aircraft energy efficiency program within NASA is developing technology required to improve the fuel efficiency of commercial subsonic transport aricraft. One segment of this program includes engine diagnostics which is directed toward determining the sources and causes of performance deterioration in the Pratt and Whitney Aircraft JT9D and General Electric CF6 high-bypass ratio turbofan engines and developing technology for minimizing the performance losses. Results of engine performance deterioration investigations based on historical data, special engine tests, and specific tests to define the influence of flight loads and component clearances on performance are presented. The results of analysis of several damage mechanisms that contribute to performance deterioration such as blade tip rubs, airfoil surface roughness and erosion, and thermal distortion are also included. The significance of these damage mechanisms on component and overall engine performance is discussed.

Prospective memory across adolescence: the effects of age and cue focality.

PubMed

Wang, Lijuan; Altgassen, Mareike; Liu, Wei; Xiong, Weirui; Akgün, Canan; Kliegel, Matthias

2011-01-01

The present study examined the role of controlled attention in age differences in event-based prospective memory performance across adolescence. The researchers tested whether presenting the prospective memory cue in or out of focal awareness of the ongoing task (resulting in low versus high demands for controlled attention, respectively) might affect age-related prospective memory performance. In total, 119 Chinese participants ages 13 to 20 took part in this study (60 adolescents: age M = 13.26 years, SD = 0.50; 23 boys; 59 young adults: age M = 19.70 years, SD = 0.87; 19 men). Findings demonstrated a significant interaction, F(1, 114) = 6.41, p < .05. No effect of age on prospective memory performance was revealed when a focal cue was used (F < 1), whereas there was a reliable age effect between adolescents and young adults when nonfocal prospective memory cues were presented, F(1, 59) = 16.13, p < .01. This pattern of results suggests that the interplay of both available resources of controlled attention and working memory, along with specific task demands, may contribute to possible age differences in prospective memory performance across adolescence. Results are discussed in the context of the multiprocess theory of prospective memory.

Etch bias inversion during EUV mask ARC etch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lajn, Alexander; Rolff, Haiko; Wistrom, Richard

2017-07-01

The introduction of EUV lithography to high volume manufacturing is now within reach for 7nm technology node and beyond (1), at least for some steps. The scheduling is in transition from long to mid-term. Thus, all contributors need to focus their efforts on the production requirements. For the photo mask industry, these requirements include the control of defectivity, CD performance and lifetime of their masks. The mask CD performance including CD uniformity, CD targeting, and CD linearity/ resolution, is predominantly determined by the photo resist performance and by the litho and etch processes. State-of-the-art chemically amplified resists exhibit an asymmetric resolution for directly and indirectly written features, which usually results in a similarly asymmetric resolution performance on the mask. This resolution gap may reach as high as multiple tens of nanometers on the mask level in dependence of the chosen processes. Depending on the printing requirements of the wafer process, a reduction or even an increase of this gap may be required. A potential way of tuning via the etch process, is to control the lateral CD contribution during etch. Aside from process tuning knobs like pressure, RF powers and gases, which usually also affect CD linearity and CD uniformity, the simplest knob is the etch time itself. An increased over etch time results in an increased CD contribution in the normal case. , We found that the etch CD contribution of ARC layer etch on EUV photo masks is reduced by longer over etch times. Moreover, this effect can be demonstrated to be present for different etch chambers and photo resists.

Subsonic Longitudinal Performance Coefficient Extraction from Shuttle Flight Data: an Accuracy Assessment for Determination of Data Base Updates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Findlay, J. T.; Kelly, G. M.; Mcconnell, J. G.; Compton, H. R.

1983-01-01

Longitudinal performance comparisons between flight derived and predicted values are presented for the first five NASA Space Shuttle Columbia flights. Though subsonic comparisons are emphasized, comparisons during the transonic and low supersonic regions of flight are included. Computed air data information based on the remotely sensed atmospheric measurements as well as in situ Orbiter Air Data System (ADS) measurements were incorporated. Each air data source provides for comparisons versus the predicted values from the LaRC data base. Principally, L/D, C sub L, and C sub D, comparisons are presented, though some pitching moment results are included. Similarities in flight conditions and spacecraft configuration during the first five flights are discussed. Contributions from the various elements of the data base are presented and the overall differences observed between the flight and predicted values are discussed in terms of expected variations. A discussion on potential data base updates is presented based on the results from the five flights to date.

Paying health workers for performance in Battagram district, Pakistan

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background There is a growing interest in using pay-for-performance mechanisms in low and middle-income countries in order to improve the performance of health care providers. However, at present there is a dearth of independent evaluations of such approaches which can guide understanding of their potential and risks in differing contexts. This article presents the results of an evaluation of a project managed by an international non-governmental organisation in one district of Pakistan. It aims to contribute to learning about the design and implementation of pay-for-performance systems and their impact on health worker motivation. Methods Quantitative analysis was conducted of health management information system (HMIS) data, financial records, and project documents covering the period 2007-2010. Key informant interviews were carried out with stakeholders at all levels. At facility level, in-depth interviews were held, as were focus group discussions with staff and community members. Results The wider project in Battagram had contributed to rebuilding district health services at a cost of less than US$4.5 per capita and achieved growth in outputs. Staff, managers and clients were appreciative of the gains in availability and quality of services. However, the role that the performance-based incentive (PBI) component played was less clear--PBI formed a relatively small component of pay, and did not increase in line with outputs. There was little evidence from interviews and data that the conditional element of the PBIs influenced behaviour. They were appreciated as a top-up to pay, but remained low in relative terms, and only slightly and indirectly related to individual performance. Moreover, they were implemented independently of the wider health system and presented a clear challenge for longer term integration and sustainability. Conclusions Challenges for performance-based pay approaches include the balance of rewarding individual versus team efforts; reflecting process and outcome indicators; judging the right level of incentives; allowing for very different starting points and situations; designing a system which is simple enough for participants to comprehend; and the tension between independent monitoring and integration in a national system. Further documentation of process and cost-effectiveness, and careful examination of the wider impacts of paying for performance, are still needed. PMID:21982330

Proverb comprehension in context: a developmental study with children and adolescents.

PubMed

Nippold, M A; Martin, S A; Erskine, B J

1988-03-01

Although previous studies have reported that proverb comprehension remains quite literal before adolescence, the results of the present study indicated that fourth graders performed well on a proverb comprehension task involving contextual information and a written multiple choice format. It was also found that performance on the proverb task steadily improved at least through the eighth grade and was significantly correlated to performance on a perceptual analogical reasoning task. The study contributes to the small but growing body of information concerning language development during the preadolescent and adolescent years and may have some important implications for the assessment of youngsters of this age range who have comprehension deficits that are troublesome, yet difficult to document.

Shaping quality: the use of performance polygons for multidimensional presentation and interpretation of qualitative performance data.

PubMed

Cook, T M; Coupe, M; Ku, T

2012-06-01

Measuring outcomes and quality in anaesthesia is challenging. In the UK, there is increased focus on these as a result of changes in Department of Health strategy and the imminent introduction of mandatory revalidation for all doctors. A definition of quality may differ according to the observer's standpoint and numerous performance measures may contribute to overall quality. Patients, surgeons, anaesthetic assistants, recovery nurses, managers, and anaesthetic peers are each likely to have their own perspective on 'anaesthetic quality' and would perhaps suggest different metrics to measure it. Speed, efficiency, cost, interpersonal skills, complication rates, patient recorded outcome measures, and satisfaction are all valid as quality measures, but none alone captures anaesthetic quality. Performance data are frequently presented as single-dimension measurements (e.g. pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting, patient satisfaction), but this does not address the fact that two or more domains may be closely related (e.g. use of regional anaesthesia and quality of analgesia) or in opposition (e.g. use of regional anaesthesia and speed). We introduce the concept of a 'performance polygon' as a tool to represent multidimensional performance assessment. This method of data presentation encourages balanced appraisal of anaesthetic quality. Performance polygons may be used to compare individual performance with peers, published outcome norms, trends in performance over time, to explore aspects of team performance and potentially capture data that are required for medical revalidation. Performance polygons enable easy comparison with any relevant data set and are a visual tool that potentially has wider applications in healthcare quality improvement.

Two omega method for active thermocouple microscopy.

PubMed

Thiery, Laurent; Gavignet, Eric; Cretin, Bernard

2009-03-01

We present a contribution to a new mode of scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) based on the use of thermoelectric junction operating in ac active mode. This is the first alternative to 3omega operating mode of a resistive SThM probe for measuring thermophysical parameters of materials at micro- and nanoscale. Whereas a current at omega frequency generates by Joule effect a 2omega thermal oscillation along the wires, the junction thermoelectric voltage can be measured by means of a differential bridge scheme associated to a lock-in amplifier. A thermal model is presented that confirms measurements performed in different situations with different wire probes. Values of thermal contact conductance of different materials have been extracted and a comparison has been performed between this technique and the resistive 3omega mode.

Interplay between Functional Connectivity and Scale-Free Dynamics in Intrinsic fMRI Networks

PubMed Central

Ciuciu, Philippe; Abry, Patrice; He, Biyu J.

2014-01-01

Studies employing functional connectivity-type analyses have established that spontaneous fluctuations in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals are organized within large-scale brain networks. Meanwhile, fMRI signals have been shown to exhibit 1/f-type power spectra – a hallmark of scale-free dynamics. We studied the interplay between functional connectivity and scale-free dynamics in fMRI signals, utilizing the fractal connectivity framework – a multivariate extension of the univariate fractional Gaussian noise model, which relies on a wavelet formulation for robust parameter estimation. We applied this framework to fMRI data acquired from healthy young adults at rest and performing a visual detection task. First, we found that scale-invariance existed beyond univariate dynamics, being present also in bivariate cross-temporal dynamics. Second, we observed that frequencies within the scale-free range do not contribute evenly to inter-regional connectivity, with a systematically stronger contribution of the lowest frequencies, both at rest and during task. Third, in addition to a decrease of the Hurst exponent and inter-regional correlations, task performance modified cross-temporal dynamics, inducing a larger contribution of the highest frequencies within the scale-free range to global correlation. Lastly, we found that across individuals, a weaker task modulation of the frequency contribution to inter-regional connectivity was associated with better task performance manifesting as shorter and less variable reaction times. These findings bring together two related fields that have hitherto been studied separately – resting-state networks and scale-free dynamics, and show that scale-free dynamics of human brain activity manifest in cross-regional interactions as well. PMID:24675649

Contributions of phase, sulfur vacancies, and edges to the hydrogen evolution reaction catalytic activity of porous molybdenum disulfide nanosheets

DOE PAGES

Yin, Ying; Han, Jiecai; Zhang, Yumin; ...

2016-06-07

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2) is a promising nonprecious catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) that has been extensively studied due to its excellent performance, but the lack of understanding of the factors that impact its catalytic activity hinders further design and enhancement of MoS 2-based electrocatalysts. Here, by using novel porous (holey) metallic 1T phase MoS 2 nanosheets synthesized by a liquid-ammonia-assisted lithiation route, we systematically investigated the contributions of crystal structure (phase), edges, and sulfur vacancies (S-vacancies) to the catalytic activity toward HER from five representative MoS 2 nanosheet samples, including 2H and 1T phase, porous 2H andmore » 1T phase, and sulfur-compensated porous 2H phase. Superior HER catalytic activity was achieved in the porous 1T phase MoS 2 nanosheets that have even more edges and S-vacancies than conventional 1T phase MoS 2. A comparative study revealed that the phase serves as the key role in determining the HER performance, as 1T phase MoS 2 always outperforms the corresponding 2H phase MoS 2 samples, and that both edges and S-vacancies also contribute significantly to the catalytic activity in porous MoS 2 samples. Then, using combined defect characterization techniques of electron spin resonance spectroscopy and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy to quantify the S-vacancies, the contributions of each factor were individually elucidated. Furthermore, this study presents new insights and opens up new avenues for designing electrocatalysts based on MoS 2 or other layered materials with enhanced HER performance.« less

Contributions of phase, sulfur vacancies, and edges to the hydrogen evolution reaction catalytic activity of porous molybdenum disulfide nanosheets

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

Yin, Ying; Han, Jiecai; Zhang, Yumin

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2) is a promising nonprecious catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) that has been extensively studied due to its excellent performance, but the lack of understanding of the factors that impact its catalytic activity hinders further design and enhancement of MoS 2-based electrocatalysts. Here, by using novel porous (holey) metallic 1T phase MoS 2 nanosheets synthesized by a liquid-ammonia-assisted lithiation route, we systematically investigated the contributions of crystal structure (phase), edges, and sulfur vacancies (S-vacancies) to the catalytic activity toward HER from five representative MoS 2 nanosheet samples, including 2H and 1T phase, porous 2H andmore » 1T phase, and sulfur-compensated porous 2H phase. Superior HER catalytic activity was achieved in the porous 1T phase MoS 2 nanosheets that have even more edges and S-vacancies than conventional 1T phase MoS 2. A comparative study revealed that the phase serves as the key role in determining the HER performance, as 1T phase MoS 2 always outperforms the corresponding 2H phase MoS 2 samples, and that both edges and S-vacancies also contribute significantly to the catalytic activity in porous MoS 2 samples. Then, using combined defect characterization techniques of electron spin resonance spectroscopy and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy to quantify the S-vacancies, the contributions of each factor were individually elucidated. Furthermore, this study presents new insights and opens up new avenues for designing electrocatalysts based on MoS 2 or other layered materials with enhanced HER performance.« less

Radar based Ground Level Reconstruction Utilizing a Hypocycloid Antenna Positioning System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baer, Christoph; Musch, Thomas

2015-01-01

In this contribution we introduce a novel radar positioning system. It makes use of a mathematical curve, called hypocycloid, for a slanting movement of the radar antenna. By means of a planetary gear, a ball, and a universal joint as well as a stepping motor, a two dimensional positioning is provided by a uniaxial drive shaft exclusively. The fundamental position calculation and different signal processing algorithms are presented. By means of an 80 GHz FMCW radar system we performed several measurements on objects with discrete heights as well as on objects with continuous surfaces. The results of these investigations are essential part of this contribution and are discussed in detail.

An optimal control strategy for two-dimensional motion camouflage with non-holonimic constraints.

PubMed

Rañó, Iñaki

2012-07-01

Motion camouflage is a stealth behaviour observed both in hover-flies and in dragonflies. Existing controllers for mimicking motion camouflage generate this behaviour on an empirical basis or without considering the kinematic motion restrictions present in animal trajectories. This study summarises our formal contributions to solve the generation of motion camouflage as a non-linear optimal control problem. The dynamics of the system capture the kinematic restrictions to motion of the agents, while the performance index ensures camouflage trajectories. An extensive set of simulations support the technique, and a novel analysis of the obtained trajectories contributes to our understanding of possible mechanisms to obtain sensor based motion camouflage, for instance, in mobile robots.

Delineating the contribution of long-term associations to immediate recall.

PubMed

Saint-Aubin, Jean; Guérard, Katherine; Chamberland, Cindy; Malenfant, Amélie

2014-01-01

In the present study we examined the contribution of semantic associative links to short-term recall performance by using the separation effect first introduced in free recall studies (Glanzer, 1969). Pairs of associated words were inserted in the to-be-remembered lists. In two experiments associated words were better recalled than non-associated words, and were better recalled when they were adjacent in the list than when they were separated by one non-associated item. In addition results showed that forward associative links among pair members were as beneficial to immediate serial recall as backward associative links. Finally the benefit of associative links among pair members was observed with both forward and backward recall.

The role of phonology, morphology, and orthography in English and Russian spelling.

PubMed

Boulware-Gooden, Regina; Joshi, R Malatesha; Grigorenko, Elena

2015-05-01

The purpose of the present study was to explore the role of phonology, morphology and orthography in predicting the spelling performance in English-speaking and Russian-speaking children. Tests that tap phonology, morphology and orthography were administered to students in grades 4 and 6 in the USA and Russia. Multiple regression analyses showed that phonology and morphology contributed more for spelling of English words while orthography and morphology contributed more to the spelling of Russian words. The results are explained in terms of the orthographic nature of English and Russian languages as well as the instructional practices and the importance of morphology in spelling in both the languages. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lattice QCD Calculation of Hadronic Light-by-Light Scattering.

PubMed

Green, Jeremy; Gryniuk, Oleksii; von Hippel, Georg; Meyer, Harvey B; Pascalutsa, Vladimir

2015-11-27

We perform a lattice QCD calculation of the hadronic light-by-light scattering amplitude in a broad kinematical range. At forward kinematics, the results are compared to a phenomenological analysis based on dispersive sum rules for light-by-light scattering. The size of the pion pole contribution is investigated for momenta of typical hadronic size. The presented numerical methods can be used to compute the hadronic light-by-light contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. Our calculations are carried out in two-flavor QCD with the pion mass in the range of 270-450 MeV and contain so far only the diagrams with fully connected quark lines.

Sex Differences in Using Spatial and Verbal Abilities Influence Route Learning Performance in a Virtual Environment: A Comparison of 6- to 12-Year Old Boys and Girls.

PubMed

Merrill, Edward C; Yang, Yingying; Roskos, Beverly; Steele, Sara

2016-01-01

Previous studies have reported sex differences in wayfinding performance among adults. Men are typically better at using Euclidean information and survey strategies while women are better at using landmark information and route strategies. However, relatively few studies have examined sex differences in wayfinding in children. This research investigated relationships between route learning performance and two general abilities: spatial ability and verbal memory in 153 boys and girls between 6- to 12-years-old. Children completed a battery of spatial ability tasks (a two-dimension mental rotation task, a paper folding task, a visuo-spatial working memory task, and a Piagetian water level task) and a verbal memory task. In the route learning task, they had to learn a route through a series of hallways presented via computer. Boys had better overall route learning performance than did girls. In fact, the difference between boys and girls was constant across the age range tested. Structural equation modeling of the children's performance revealed that spatial abilities and verbal memory were significant contributors to route learning performance. However, there were different patterns of correlates for boys and girls. For boys, spatial abilities contributed to route learning while verbal memory did not. In contrast, for girls both spatial abilities and verbal memory contributed to their route learning performance. This difference may reflect the precursor of a strategic difference between boys and girls in wayfinding that is commonly observed in adults.

Investigating the role of visual and auditory search in reading and developmental dyslexia

PubMed Central

Lallier, Marie; Donnadieu, Sophie; Valdois, Sylviane

2013-01-01

It has been suggested that auditory and visual sequential processing deficits contribute to phonological disorders in developmental dyslexia. As an alternative explanation to a phonological deficit as the proximal cause for reading disorders, the visual attention span hypothesis (VA Span) suggests that difficulties in processing visual elements simultaneously lead to dyslexia, regardless of the presence of a phonological disorder. In this study, we assessed whether deficits in processing simultaneously displayed visual or auditory elements is linked to dyslexia associated with a VA Span impairment. Sixteen children with developmental dyslexia and 16 age-matched skilled readers were assessed on visual and auditory search tasks. Participants were asked to detect a target presented simultaneously with 3, 9, or 15 distracters. In the visual modality, target detection was slower in the dyslexic children than in the control group on a “serial” search condition only: the intercepts (but not the slopes) of the search functions were higher in the dyslexic group than in the control group. In the auditory modality, although no group difference was observed, search performance was influenced by the number of distracters in the control group only. Within the dyslexic group, not only poor visual search (high reaction times and intercepts) but also low auditory search performance (d′) strongly correlated with poor irregular word reading accuracy. Moreover, both visual and auditory search performance was associated with the VA Span abilities of dyslexic participants but not with their phonological skills. The present data suggests that some visual mechanisms engaged in “serial” search contribute to reading and orthographic knowledge via VA Span skills regardless of phonological skills. The present results further open the question of the role of auditory simultaneous processing in reading as well as its link with VA Span skills. PMID:24093014

Investigating the role of visual and auditory search in reading and developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Lallier, Marie; Donnadieu, Sophie; Valdois, Sylviane

2013-01-01

It has been suggested that auditory and visual sequential processing deficits contribute to phonological disorders in developmental dyslexia. As an alternative explanation to a phonological deficit as the proximal cause for reading disorders, the visual attention span hypothesis (VA Span) suggests that difficulties in processing visual elements simultaneously lead to dyslexia, regardless of the presence of a phonological disorder. In this study, we assessed whether deficits in processing simultaneously displayed visual or auditory elements is linked to dyslexia associated with a VA Span impairment. Sixteen children with developmental dyslexia and 16 age-matched skilled readers were assessed on visual and auditory search tasks. Participants were asked to detect a target presented simultaneously with 3, 9, or 15 distracters. In the visual modality, target detection was slower in the dyslexic children than in the control group on a "serial" search condition only: the intercepts (but not the slopes) of the search functions were higher in the dyslexic group than in the control group. In the auditory modality, although no group difference was observed, search performance was influenced by the number of distracters in the control group only. Within the dyslexic group, not only poor visual search (high reaction times and intercepts) but also low auditory search performance (d') strongly correlated with poor irregular word reading accuracy. Moreover, both visual and auditory search performance was associated with the VA Span abilities of dyslexic participants but not with their phonological skills. The present data suggests that some visual mechanisms engaged in "serial" search contribute to reading and orthographic knowledge via VA Span skills regardless of phonological skills. The present results further open the question of the role of auditory simultaneous processing in reading as well as its link with VA Span skills.

Modulation of the cyclooxygenase pathway via inhibition of nitric oxide production contributes to the anti-inflammatory activity of kaempferol.

PubMed

Mahat, Mahamad Yunnus A; Kulkarni, Nagaraj M; Vishwakarma, Santosh L; Khan, Farhin R; Thippeswamy, B S; Hebballi, Vijay; Adhyapak, Anjana A; Benade, Vijay S; Ashfaque, Saudagar Mohammad; Tubachi, Suraj; Patil, Basangouda M

2010-09-10

Kaempferol has been reported to inhibit nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase enzymes in animal models. The present study was designed to investigate whether kaempferol modulates the cyclooxygenase pathway via inhibition of nitric oxide production, which in turn contributes to its anti-inflammatory activity. Investigations were performed using carrageenan induced rat air pouch model. Inflammation was assessed by measurement of nitrites (nitrite, a breakdown product of nitric oxide), prostaglandin-E(2) levels and cellular infiltration in the pouch fluid exudates. To assess the anti-inflammatory effect of the extract, rat air pouch linings were examined histologically. The levels of nitrite and prostaglandin-E(2) in pouch fluid were measured by using Griess assay and ELISA respectively. Cell counts and differential counts were performed using a Coulter counter and Wright-Giemsa stain respectively. Kaempferol when administered orally at 50 and 100mg/kg dose showed significant inhibition of carrageenan induced production of nitrite (40.12 and 59.74%, respectively) and prostaglandin-E(2) generation (64.23 and 78.55%, respectively). Infiltration of the cells into the rat granuloma air pouch was also significantly inhibited by kaempferol. Modulation of cyclooxygenase pathway via inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis significantly contributes to kaempferol's anti-inflammatory activity. The present study characterizes the effects and mechanisms of naturally occurring phenolic flavonoid kaempferol, on inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and nitric oxide production. These results partially explain the pharmacological efficacy of flavonoids in general and kaempferol in particular as anti-inflammatory compounds. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effects of air leaks on solar air heating systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elkin, R.; Cash, M.

1979-01-01

This paper presents the results of an investigation to determine the effects of leakages in collector and duct work on the system performance of a typical single-family residence solar air heating system. Positive (leakage out) and negative (leakage in) pressure systems were examined. Collector and duct leakage rates were varied from 10 to 30 percent of the system flow rate. Within the range of leakage rates investigated, solar contribution to heated space and domestic hot water loads was found to be reduced up to 30 percent from the no-leak system contribution with duct leakage equally divided between supply and return duct; with supply duct leakage greater than return leakage a reduction of up to 35 percent was noted. The negative pressure system exhibited a reduction in solar contribution somewhat larger than the positive pressure system for the same leakage rates.

Moving shadows contribute to the corridor illusion in a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes).

PubMed

Imura, Tomoko; Tomonaga, Masaki

2009-08-01

Previous studies have reported that backgrounds depicting linear perspective and texture gradients influence relative size discrimination in nonhuman animals (known as the "corridor illusion"), but research has not yet identified the other kinds of depth cues contributing to the corridor illusion. This study examined the effects of linear perspective and shadows on the responses of a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) to the corridor illusion. The performance of the chimpanzee was worse when a smaller object was presented at the farther position on a background reflecting a linear perspective, implying that the corridor illusion was replicated in the chimpanzee (Imura, Tomonaga, & Yagi, 2008). The extent of the illusion changed as a function of the position of the shadows cast by the objects only when the shadows were moving in synchrony with the objects. These findings suggest that moving shadows and linear perspective contributed to the corridor illusion in a chimpanzee. Copyright 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Quantifying the relative contribution of an ecological reserve to conservation objectives

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aagaard, Kevin; Lyons, James E.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.

2017-01-01

Evaluating the role public lands play in meeting conservation goals is an essential step in good governance. We present a tool for comparing the regional contribution of each of a suite of wildlife management units to conservation goals. We use weighted summation (simple additive weighting) to compute a Unit Contribution Index (UCI) based on species richness, population abundance, and a conservation score based on IUCN Red List classified threat levels. We evaluate UCI for a subset of the 729 participating wetlands of the Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring (IWMM) Program across U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regions 3 (Midwest USA), 4 (Southeast USA), and 5 (Northeast USA). We found that the median across-Region UCI for Region 5 was greater than Regions 3 and 4, while Region 4 had the greatest within-Region UCI median. This index is a powerful tool for wildlife managers to evaluate the performance of units within the conservation estate.

Contribution of LPG-Derived Emissions to Air Pollution in the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara City.

PubMed

Schifter, Isaac; Magdaleno, Moises; Díaz, Luis; Melgarejo, Luis A; Barrera, Adrian; Krüger, Burkhard; Arriaga, José L; Lopez-Salinas, Esteban

2000-10-01

Measurements of hydrocarbon (HC) emissions generated by the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara City (MAG) are presented in this work. Based on measurements in the course of distribution, handling, and consumption, an estimated 4407 tons/yr are released into the atmosphere. The three most important contributors to LPG emissions were refilling of LPG-fueled vehicles and commercial and domestic consumption. The MAG shows a different contribution pattern of LPG emission sources compared with that of the metropolitan area of Mexico City (MAMC). These results show that each megacity has different sources of emissions, which provides more accurate strategies in the handling procedures for LPG to decrease the impact in O 3 levels. This work represents the first evaluation performed in Guadalajara City, based on current measurements, of the LPG contribution to polluting emissions.

Contribution of LPG-derived emissions to air pollution in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara City.

PubMed

Schifter, I; Magdaleno, M; Díaz, L; Melgarejo, L A; Barrera, A; Krüger, B; Arriaga, J L; López-Salinas, E

2000-10-01

Measurements of hydrocarbon (HC) emissions generated by the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara City (MAG) are presented in this work. Based on measurements in the course of distribution, handling, and consumption, an estimated 4407 tons/yr are released into the atmosphere. The three most important contributors to LPG emissions were refilling of LPG-fueled vehicles and commercial and domestic consumption. The MAG shows a different contribution pattern of LPG emission sources compared with that of the metropolitan area of Mexico City (MAMC). These results show that each megacity has different sources of emissions, which provides more accurate strategies in the handling procedures for LPG to decrease the impact in O3 levels. This work represents the first evaluation performed in Guadalajara City, based on current measurements, of the LPG contribution to polluting emissions.

Determining the Effects of Environment and Atmospheric Parameters on PV Field Performance

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

Micheli, Leonardo; Muller, Matthew; Kurtz, Sarah

2016-11-21

The performance losses due to soiling occurring on any photovoltaic (PV) device are caused by a complex mechanism that involves numerous factors and their interactions. For this reason, the present work analyzes the outputs of reference PV cells installed in various locations, with the aim of contributing to the identification of the most important factors influencing the accumulation of dust on a PV surface. Parameters such as the air-quality indexes, the recurrence and the amount of rainfall and the climate zone are investigated and related to the soiling losses of the PV device.

An Improved Heuristic Method for Subgraph Isomorphism Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Yingzhuo; Han, Jiesi; Xu, Haijiang; Guo, Xin

2017-09-01

This paper focus on the subgraph isomorphism (SI) problem. We present an improved genetic algorithm, a heuristic method to search the optimal solution. The contribution of this paper is that we design a dedicated crossover algorithm and a new fitness function to measure the evolution process. Experiments show our improved genetic algorithm performs better than other heuristic methods. For a large graph, such as a subgraph of 40 nodes, our algorithm outperforms the traditional tree search algorithms. We find that the performance of our improved genetic algorithm does not decrease as the number of nodes in prototype graphs.

Pancreatic pseudocyst drainage performed with a new prototype forward-viewing linear echoendoscope.

PubMed

Fernández de Castro, Cristina; Cañete, Ángel; Sanz de Villalobos, Eduardo; Ferreiro, Reyes; Albillos Martínez, Agustín; Vázquez Sequeiros, Enrique

2016-10-01

Interventional endoscopy is a field that continues to grow rapidly. A novel prototype forward-viewing echoendoscope (FV-EUS) has been recently developed in an attempt to overcome some of the limitations of conventional curved linear-array echoendoscopes (OV-EUS). We present a case of a successful endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage of a pancreatic pseudocyst using a forward-viewing echoendoscope. Although the utilization use of this newly developed echoendoscope has not yet become widespread, its unique characteristics can help to easily perform routine therapeutic procedures and contribute to the expansion of interventional endoscopic utrasoundultrasound.

``Large''- vs Small-scale friction control in turbulent channel flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canton, Jacopo; Örlü, Ramis; Chin, Cheng; Schlatter, Philipp

2017-11-01

We reconsider the ``large-scale'' control scheme proposed by Hussain and co-workers (Phys. Fluids 10, 1049-1051 1998 and Phys. Rev. Fluids, 2, 62601 2017), using new direct numerical simulations (DNS). The DNS are performed in a turbulent channel at friction Reynolds number Reτ of up to 550 in order to eliminate low-Reynolds-number effects. The purpose of the present contribution is to re-assess this control method in the light of more modern developments in the field, in particular also related to the discovery of (very) large-scale motions. The goals of the paper are as follows: First, we want to better characterise the physics of the control, and assess what external contribution (vortices, forcing, wall motion) are actually needed. Then, we investigate the optimal parameters and, finally, determine which aspects of this control technique actually scale in outer units and can therefore be of use in practical applications. In addition to discussing the mentioned drag-reduction effects, the present contribution will also address the potential effect of the naturally occurring large-scale motions on frictional drag, and give indications on the physical processes for potential drag reduction possible at all Reynolds numbers.

The Contribution of Particle Swarm Optimization to Three-Dimensional Slope Stability Analysis

PubMed Central

A Rashid, Ahmad Safuan; Ali, Nazri

2014-01-01

Over the last few years, particle swarm optimization (PSO) has been extensively applied in various geotechnical engineering including slope stability analysis. However, this contribution was limited to two-dimensional (2D) slope stability analysis. This paper applied PSO in three-dimensional (3D) slope stability problem to determine the critical slip surface (CSS) of soil slopes. A detailed description of adopted PSO was presented to provide a good basis for more contribution of this technique to the field of 3D slope stability problems. A general rotating ellipsoid shape was introduced as the specific particle for 3D slope stability analysis. A detailed sensitivity analysis was designed and performed to find the optimum values of parameters of PSO. Example problems were used to evaluate the applicability of PSO in determining the CSS of 3D slopes. The first example presented a comparison between the results of PSO and PLAXI-3D finite element software and the second example compared the ability of PSO to determine the CSS of 3D slopes with other optimization methods from the literature. The results demonstrated the efficiency and effectiveness of PSO in determining the CSS of 3D soil slopes. PMID:24991652

The contribution of particle swarm optimization to three-dimensional slope stability analysis.

PubMed

Kalatehjari, Roohollah; Rashid, Ahmad Safuan A; Ali, Nazri; Hajihassani, Mohsen

2014-01-01

Over the last few years, particle swarm optimization (PSO) has been extensively applied in various geotechnical engineering including slope stability analysis. However, this contribution was limited to two-dimensional (2D) slope stability analysis. This paper applied PSO in three-dimensional (3D) slope stability problem to determine the critical slip surface (CSS) of soil slopes. A detailed description of adopted PSO was presented to provide a good basis for more contribution of this technique to the field of 3D slope stability problems. A general rotating ellipsoid shape was introduced as the specific particle for 3D slope stability analysis. A detailed sensitivity analysis was designed and performed to find the optimum values of parameters of PSO. Example problems were used to evaluate the applicability of PSO in determining the CSS of 3D slopes. The first example presented a comparison between the results of PSO and PLAXI-3D finite element software and the second example compared the ability of PSO to determine the CSS of 3D slopes with other optimization methods from the literature. The results demonstrated the efficiency and effectiveness of PSO in determining the CSS of 3D soil slopes.

Fronto-striatal contribution to lexical set-shifting.

PubMed

Simard, France; Joanette, Yves; Petrides, Michael; Jubault, Thomas; Madjar, Cécile; Monchi, Oury

2011-05-01

Fronto-striatal circuits in set-shifting have been examined in neuroimaging studies using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) that requires changing the classification rule for cards containing visual stimuli that differ in color, shape, and number. The present study examined whether this fronto-striatal contribution to the planning and execution of set-shifts is similar in a modified sorting task in which lexical rules are applied to word stimuli. Young healthy adults were scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing the newly developed lexical version of the WCST: the Wisconsin Word Sorting Task. Significant activation was found in a cortico-striatal loop that includes area 47/12 of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), and the caudate nucleus during the planning of a set-shift, and in another that includes the posterior PFC and the putamen during the execution of a set-shift. However, in the present lexical task, additional activation peaks were observed in area 45 of the ventrolateral PFC area during both matching periods. These results provide evidence that the functional contributions of the various fronto-striatal loops are not dependent on the modality of the information to be manipulated but rather on the specific executive processes required.

Performance of the ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker in Run 1 of the LHC: tracker properties

DOE PAGES

Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; ...

2017-05-03

The tracking performance parameters of the ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) as part of the ATLAS inner detector are described in this paper for different data-taking conditions in proton-proton, proton-lead and lead-lead collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The performance is studied using data collected during the first period of LHC operation (Run 1) and is compared with Monte Carlo simulations. The performance of the TRT, operating with two different gas mixtures (xenon-based and argon-based) and its dependence on the TRT occupancy is presented. Furthermore, these studies show that the tracking performance of the TRT is similar for themore » two gas mixtures and that a significant contribution to the particle momentum resolution is made by the TRT up to high particle densities.« less

The physical capabilities underlying timed "Up and Go" test are time-dependent in community-dwelling older women.

PubMed

Coelho-Junior, Hélio José; Rodrigues, Bruno; Gonçalves, Ivan de Oliveira; Asano, Ricardo Yukio; Uchida, Marco Carlos; Marzetti, Emanuele

2018-04-01

Timed 'Up and Go' (TUG) has been widely used in research and clinical practice to evaluate physical function and mobility in older adults. However, the physical capabilities underlying TUG performance are not well elucidated. Therefore, the present study aimed at investigating a selection of physical capacities underlying TUG performance in community-dwelling older women. Four hundred and sixty-eight apparently healthy older women independent to perform the activities of daily living (mean age: 65.8 ± 6.0 years) were recruited from two specialized healthcare centers for older adults to participate in the study. Volunteers had their medical books reviewed and underwent evaluations of anthropometric data as well as physical and functional capacities. Pearson's correlation results indicate that TUG performance was significantly associated with upper (i.e., handgrip strength) and lower (i.e., sit-to-stand) limb muscle strength, balance (i.e., one-leg stand), lower limb muscle power (i.e., countermovement jump), aerobic capacity (i.e., 6-minute walk test), and mobility (i.e., usual and maximal walking speeds). When the analyses were performed based on TUG quartiles, a larger number of physical capabilities were associated with TUG >75% in comparison with TUG <25%. Multiple linear regression results indicate that the variability in TUG (~20%) was explained by lower limb muscle strength (13%) and power (1%), balance (4%), mobility (2%), and aerobic capacity (<1%), even after adjusted by age and age plus body mass index (BMI). However, when TUG results were added as quartiles, a decrease in the impact of physical capacities on TUG performance was determined. As a whole, our findings indicate that the contribution of physical capabilities to TUG performance is altered according to the time taken to perform the test, so that older women in the lower quartiles - indicating a higher performance - have an important contribution of lower limb muscle strength, while volunteers in the highest quartile demonstrate a decreased dependence on lower limb muscle strength and an increased contribution of other physical capabilities, such as lower limb muscle power and balance. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

National Combustion Code: Parallel Implementation and Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quealy, A.; Ryder, R.; Norris, A.; Liu, N.-S.

2000-01-01

The National Combustion Code (NCC) is being developed by an industry-government team for the design and analysis of combustion systems. CORSAIR-CCD is the current baseline reacting flow solver for NCC. This is a parallel, unstructured grid code which uses a distributed memory, message passing model for its parallel implementation. The focus of the present effort has been to improve the performance of the NCC flow solver to meet combustor designer requirements for model accuracy and analysis turnaround time. Improving the performance of this code contributes significantly to the overall reduction in time and cost of the combustor design cycle. This paper describes the parallel implementation of the NCC flow solver and summarizes its current parallel performance on an SGI Origin 2000. Earlier parallel performance results on an IBM SP-2 are also included. The performance improvements which have enabled a turnaround of less than 15 hours for a 1.3 million element fully reacting combustion simulation are described.

Simulation of mixed convection in a horizontal channel heated from below by the lattice Boltzmann method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahraoui, Nassim M.; Houat, Samir; Saidi, Nawal

2017-05-01

We perform a contribution with a simulation study of the mixed convection in horizontal channel heated from below. The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used with the Boussinesq approximation to solve the coupled phenomenon that governs the systems thermo-hydrodynamics. The double populations thermal lattice Boltzmann model (TLBM) is used with the D2Q5 for the thermal field and D2Q9 model for the dynamic field. A comparison of the results of the averaged Nusselt number obtained by the TLBM with other references is presented for an area stretching. The streamlines, the vortices, the isotherms, the velocity profiles and other parameters of the study, are presented at a certain time tT which is chosen arbitrarily. The results presented here are in good agreement with those reported in the scientific literature which gives us high expectations about the reliability of the TLBM to simulate this kind of physical phenomena. Contribution to the topical issue "Materials for Energy harvesting, conversion and storage II (ICOME 2016)", edited by Jean-Michel Nunzi, Rachid Bennacer and Mohammed El Ganaoui

Uric acid, an important antioxidant contributing to survival in termites

PubMed Central

Tasaki, Eisuke; Sakurai, Hiroki; Nitao, Masaru; Matsuura, Kenji; Iuchi, Yoshihito

2017-01-01

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated spontaneously in all organisms and cause oxidative damage to biomolecules when present in excess. Accumulated oxidative damage accelerates aging; enhanced antioxidant capacity may be a positive factor for longevity. Recently, numerous studies of aging and longevity have been performed using short-lived animals, however, longevity mechanisms remain unknown. Here we show that a termite Reticulitermes speratus that is thought to be long-lived eusocial insect than other solitary insects uses large quantities of uric acid as an antioxidant against ROS. We demonstrated that the accumulation of uric acid considerably increases the free radical-scavenging activity and resistance against ultraviolet-induced oxidative stress in laboratory-maintained termites. In addition, we found that externally administered uric acid aided termite survival under highly oxidative conditions. The present data demonstrates that in addition to nutritional and metabolic roles, uric acid is an essential antioxidant for survival and contributes significantly to longevity. Uric acid also plays important roles in primates but causes gout when present in excess in humans. Further longevity studies of long-lived organisms may provide important breakthroughs with human health applications. PMID:28609463

Searching for Reduced Carbon on the Surface of Mars: The SAM Combustion Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, J. C.; Malespin, C. A.; Mahaffy, P. R.; Webster, C. R.; Eigenbrode, J. L.; Archer, P. D., Jr.; Brunner, A. E.; Freissinet, C.; Franz, H. B.; Glavin, D. P.;

Visual Context Enhanced: The Joint Contribution of Iconic Gestures and Visible Speech to Degraded Speech Comprehension.

PubMed

Drijvers, Linda; Özyürek, Asli

2017-01-01

This study investigated whether and to what extent iconic co-speech gestures contribute to information from visible speech to enhance degraded speech comprehension at different levels of noise-vocoding. Previous studies of the contributions of these 2 visual articulators to speech comprehension have only been performed separately. Twenty participants watched videos of an actress uttering an action verb and completed a free-recall task. The videos were presented in 3 speech conditions (2-band noise-vocoding, 6-band noise-vocoding, clear), 3 multimodal conditions (speech + lips blurred, speech + visible speech, speech + visible speech + gesture), and 2 visual-only conditions (visible speech, visible speech + gesture). Accuracy levels were higher when both visual articulators were present compared with 1 or none. The enhancement effects of (a) visible speech, (b) gestural information on top of visible speech, and (c) both visible speech and iconic gestures were larger in 6-band than 2-band noise-vocoding or visual-only conditions. Gestural enhancement in 2-band noise-vocoding did not differ from gestural enhancement in visual-only conditions. When perceiving degraded speech in a visual context, listeners benefit more from having both visual articulators present compared with 1. This benefit was larger at 6-band than 2-band noise-vocoding, where listeners can benefit from both phonological cues from visible speech and semantic cues from iconic gestures to disambiguate speech.

Visuospatial anatomy comprehension: the role of spatial visualization ability and problem-solving strategies.

PubMed

Nguyen, Ngan; Mulla, Ali; Nelson, Andrew J; Wilson, Timothy D

2014-01-01

The present study explored the problem-solving strategies of high- and low-spatial visualization ability learners on a novel spatial anatomy task to determine whether differences in strategies contribute to differences in task performance. The results of this study provide further insights into the processing commonalities and differences among learners beyond the classification of spatial visualization ability alone, and help elucidate what, if anything, high- and low-spatial visualization ability learners do differently while solving spatial anatomy task problems. Forty-two students completed a standardized measure of spatial visualization ability, a novel spatial anatomy task, and a questionnaire involving personal self-analysis of the processes and strategies used while performing the spatial anatomy task. Strategy reports revealed that there were different ways students approached answering the spatial anatomy task problems. However, chi-square test analyses established that differences in problem-solving strategies did not contribute to differences in task performance. Therefore, underlying spatial visualization ability is the main source of variation in spatial anatomy task performance, irrespective of strategy. In addition to scoring higher and spending less time on the anatomy task, participants with high spatial visualization ability were also more accurate when solving the task problems. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.

Underestimated effects of sediments on enhanced startup performance of biofilm systems for polluted source water pretreatment.

PubMed

Lv, Zheng-Hui; Wang, Jing; Yang, Guang-Feng; Feng, Li-Juan; Mu, Jun; Zhu, Liang; Xu, Xiang-Yang

2018-02-01

In order to evaluate the enhancement mechanisms of enhanced startup performance in biofilm systems for polluted source water pretreatment, three lab-scale reactors with elastic stereo media (ESM) were operated under different enhanced sediment and hydraulic agitation conditions. It is interesting to found the previously underestimated or overlooked effects of sediment on the enhancement of pollutants removal performance and enrichment of functional bacteria in biofilm systems. The maximum NH 4 + -N removal rate of 0.35 mg L -1 h -1 in sediment enhanced condition was 2.19 times of that in control reactor. Sediment contributed to 42.0-56.5% of NH 4 + -N removal and 15.4-41.2% of total nitrogen removal in different reactors under different operation conditions. The enhanced hydraulic agitation with sediment further improved the operation performance and accumulation of functional bacteria. Generally, Proteobacteria (48.9-52.1%), Bacteroidetes (18.9-20.8%) and Actinobacteria (15.7-18.5%) were dominant in both sediment and ESM bioiflm at  phylum level. The potentially functional bacteria found in sediment and ESM biofilm samples with some functional bacteria mainly presented in sediment samples only (e.g., Genera Bacillus and Lactococcus of Firmicutes phylum) may commonly contribute to the removal of nitrogen and organics.

Technology Efficacy in Active Prosthetic Knees for Transfemoral Amputees: A Quantitative Evaluation

PubMed Central

El-Sayed, Amr M.; Abu Osman, Noor Azuan

2014-01-01

Several studies have presented technological ensembles of active knee systems for transfemoral prosthesis. Other studies have examined the amputees' gait performance while wearing a specific active prosthesis. This paper combined both insights, that is, a technical examination of the components used, with an evaluation of how these improved the gait of respective users. This study aims to offer a quantitative understanding of the potential enhancement derived from strategic integration of core elements in developing an effective device. The study systematically discussed the current technology in active transfemoral prosthesis with respect to its functional walking performance amongst above-knee amputee users, to evaluate the system's efficacy in producing close-to-normal user performance. The performances of its actuator, sensory system, and control technique that are incorporated in each reported system were evaluated separately and numerical comparisons were conducted based on the percentage of amputees' gait deviation from normal gait profile points. The results identified particular components that contributed closest to normal gait parameters. However, the conclusion is limitedly extendable due to the small number of studies. Thus, more clinical validation of the active prosthetic knee technology is needed to better understand the extent of contribution of each component to the most functional development. PMID:25110727

Experimentation in software engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basili, V. R.; Selby, R. W.; Hutchens, D. H.

1986-01-01

Experimentation in software engineering supports the advancement of the field through an iterative learning process. In this paper, a framework for analyzing most of the experimental work performed in software engineering over the past several years is presented. A variety of experiments in the framework is described and their contribution to the software engineering discipline is discussed. Some useful recommendations for the application of the experimental process in software engineering are included.

Space Exploration: Challenges in Medicine, Research, and Ethics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Jeffrey R.

2007-01-01

This viewgraph presentation describes the challenges that space exploration faces in terms of medicine, research and ethics. The topics include: 1) Effects of Microgravity on Human Physiology; 2) Radiation; 3) Bone; 4) Behavior and Performance; 5) Muscle; 6) Cardiovascular; 7) Neurovestibular; 8) Food and Nutrition; 9) Immunology and Hematology; 10) Environment; 11) Exploration; 12) Building Block Approach; 13) Exploration Issues; 14) Life Sciences Contributions; 15) Health Care; and 17) Habitability.

New methods for the geometrical analysis of tubular organs.

PubMed

Grélard, Florent; Baldacci, Fabien; Vialard, Anne; Domenger, Jean-Philippe

2017-12-01

This paper presents new methods to study the shape of tubular organs. Determining precise cross-sections is of major importance to perform geometrical measurements, such as diameter, wall-thickness estimation or area measurement. Our first contribution is a robust method to estimate orthogonal planes based on the Voronoi Covariance Measure. Our method is not relying on a curve-skeleton computation beforehand. This means our orthogonal plane estimator can be used either on the skeleton or on the volume. Another important step towards tubular organ characterization is achieved through curve-skeletonization, as skeletons allow to compare two tubular organs, and to perform virtual endoscopy. Our second contribution is dedicated to correcting common defects of the skeleton by new pruning and recentering methods. Finally, we propose a new method for curve-skeleton extraction. Various results are shown on different types of segmented tubular organs, such as neurons, airway-tree and blood vessels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Atrophic degeneration of cerebellum impairs both the reactive and the proactive control of movement in the stop signal paradigm.

PubMed

Olivito, Giusy; Brunamonti, Emiliano; Clausi, Silvia; Pani, Pierpaolo; Chiricozzi, Francesca R; Giamundo, Margherita; Molinari, Marco; Leggio, Maria; Ferraina, Stefano

2017-10-01

The cognitive control of movement suppression, including performance monitoring, is one of the core properties of the executive system. A complex cortical and subcortical network involving cerebral cortex, thalamus, subthalamus, and basal ganglia has been regarded as the neural substrate of inhibition of programmed movements. Using the countermanding task, a suitable tool to explore behavioral components of movement suppression, the contribution of the cerebellum in the proactive control and monitoring of voluntary action has been recently described in patients affected by focal lesions involving in particular the cerebellar dentate nucleus. Here, we evaluated the performance on the countermanding task in a group of patients with cerebellar degeneration, in which the cerebellar cortex was diffusely affected, and showed that they display additionally a longer latency in countermanding engaged movements. Overall, the present data confirm the role of the cerebellum in executive control of action inhibition by extending the contribution to reactive motor suppression.

The exoskeletons are here.

PubMed

Ferris, Daniel P

2009-06-09

It is a fantastic time for the field of robotic exoskeletons. Recent advances in actuators, sensors, materials, batteries, and computer processors have given new hope to creating the exoskeletons of yesteryear's science fiction. While the most common goal of an exoskeleton is to provide superhuman strength or endurance, scientists and engineers around the world are building exoskeletons with a wide range of diverse purposes. Exoskeletons can help patients with neurological disabilities improve their motor performance by providing task specific practice. Exoskeletons can help physiologists better understand how the human body works by providing a novel experimental perturbation. Exoskeletons can even help power mobile phones, music players, and other portable electronic devices by siphoning mechanical work performed during human locomotion. This special thematic series on robotic lower limb exoskeletons and orthoses includes eight papers presenting novel contributions to the field. The collective message of the papers is that robotic exoskeletons will contribute in many ways to the future benefit of humankind, and that future is not that distant.

Training spatial skills in men and women.

PubMed

Cherney, Isabelle D; Bersted, Kyle; Smetter, Joseph

2014-08-01

Recent studies suggest that even short-term video game training may transfer to other cognitive tasks. With the popularity of the Nintendo Wii with women, more of them might be exposed to the games that will increase their mental rotation skills. Because performance on mental rotation tests (MRT) has been linked to math performance in women, and thus may ultimately contribute to the under representation of women in STEM fields, it is important to continue to explore ways to decrease or eliminate the robust sex difference in mental rotation. The present study of 30 men and 30 women provides additional evidence that women may benefit from short-term (1 hour) training on either a Nintendo Wii™ or GameCube console to increase their mental rotation skills. One hour of video game training not only increased women's MRT scores to a level similar to men's scores, but also produced greater average improvement for women, even when controlling for experiential factors such as spatial and masculine childhood activities that could contribute to the sex difference in spatial ability.

A generic methodology for the optimisation of sewer systems using stochastic programming and self-optimizing control.

PubMed

Mauricio-Iglesias, Miguel; Montero-Castro, Ignacio; Mollerup, Ane L; Sin, Gürkan

2015-05-15

The design of sewer system control is a complex task given the large size of the sewer networks, the transient dynamics of the water flow and the stochastic nature of rainfall. This contribution presents a generic methodology for the design of a self-optimising controller in sewer systems. Such controller is aimed at keeping the system close to the optimal performance, thanks to an optimal selection of controlled variables. The definition of an optimal performance was carried out by a two-stage optimisation (stochastic and deterministic) to take into account both the overflow during the current rain event as well as the expected overflow given the probability of a future rain event. The methodology is successfully applied to design an optimising control strategy for a subcatchment area in Copenhagen. The results are promising and expected to contribute to the advance of the operation and control problem of sewer systems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Information sharing systems and teamwork between sub-teams: a mathematical modeling perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tohidi, Hamid; Namdari, Alireza; Keyser, Thomas K.; Drzymalski, Julie

2017-12-01

Teamwork contributes to a considerable improvement in quality and quantity of the ultimate outcome. Collaboration and alliance between team members bring a substantial progress for any business. However, it is imperative to acquire an appropriate team since many factors must be considered in this regard. Team size may represent the effectiveness of a team and it is of paramount importance to determine what the ideal team size exactly should be. In addition, information technology increasingly plays a differentiating role in productivity and adopting appropriate information sharing systems may contribute to improvement in efficiency especially in competitive markets when there are numerous producers that compete with each other. The significance of transmitting information to individuals is inevitable to assure an improvement in team performance. In this paper, a model of teamwork and its organizational structure are presented. Furthermore, a mathematical model is proposed in order to characterize a group of sub-teams according to two criteria: team size and information technology. The effect of information technology on performance of team and sub-teams as well as optimum size of those team and sub-teams from a productivity perspective are studied. Moreover, a quantitative sensitivity analysis is presented in order to analyze the interaction between these two factors through a sharing system.

Evidence for a differential contribution of early perceptual and late cognitive processes during encoding to episodic memory impairment in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Green, Amity E; Fitzgerald, Paul B; Johnston, Patrick J; Nathan, Pradeep J; Kulkarni, Jayashri; Croft, Rodney J

2017-08-01

Schizophrenia is characterised by significant episodic memory impairment that is thought to be related to problems with encoding, however the neuro-functional mechanisms underlying these deficits are not well understood. The present study used a subsequent recognition memory paradigm and event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate temporal aspects of episodic memory encoding deficits in schizophrenia. Electroencephalographic data was recorded in 24 patients and 19 healthy controls whilst participants categorised single words as pleasant/unpleasant. ERPs were generated to subsequently recognised versus unrecognised words on the basis of a forced-choice recognition memory task. Subsequent memory effects were examined with the late positive component (LPP). Group differences in N1, P2, N400 and LPP were examined for words correctly recognised. Patients performed more poorly than controls on the recognition task. During encoding patients had significantly reduced N400 and LPP amplitudes than controls. LPP amplitude correlated with task performance however amplitudes did not differ between patients and controls as a function of subsequent memory. No significant differences in N1 or P2 amplitude or latency were observed. The present results indicate that early sensory processes are intact and dysfunctional higher order cognitive processes during encoding are contributing to episodic memory impairments in schizophrenia.

Rewarded remembering: dissociations between self-rated motivation and memory performance.

PubMed

Ngaosuvan, Leonard; Mäntylä, Timo

2005-08-01

People often claim that they perform better in memory performance tasks when they are more motivated. However, past research has shown minimal effects of motivation on memory performance when factors contributing to item-specific biases during encoding and retrieval are taken into account. The purpose of the present study was to examine the generality of this apparent dissociation by using more sensitive measures of experienced motivation and memory performance. Extrinsic motivation was manipulated through competition instructions, and subjective ratings of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were obtained before and after study instructions. Participants studied a series of words, and memory performance was assessed by content recall (Experiment 1) and source recall (Experiment 2). Both experiments showed dissociation between subjective ratings of extrinsic motivation and actual memory performance, so that competition increased self-rated extrinsic motivation but had no effects on memory performance, including source recall. Inconsistent with most people's expectations, the findings suggest that extrinsic motivation has minimal effects on memory performance.

Associations between school difficulties and health-related problems and risky behaviours in early adolescence: A cross-sectional study in middle-school adolescents in France.

PubMed

Chau, Kénora; Kabuth, Bernard; Causin-Brice, Odile; Delacour, Yves; Richoux-Picard, Catherine; Verdin, Monique; Armand, Isabelle; Chau, Nearkasen

2016-10-30

Health-related problems and risky behaviours (substance use) are frequent in adolescents, may alter their physical and mental capabilities, and may thus generate school absenteeism, low academic performance, and school dropout ideation. This study assessed their associations and the contribution of socioeconomic factors among 1559 middle-school adolescents (mean age 13.5+1.3) from north-eastern France. They completed a questionnaire including socioeconomic characteristics, health-related problems (poor physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and living environment) assessed with the World Health Organization's quality of life measure (score<25th percentile), risky behaviours, school absences during the present school year, last-trimester academic performance, and school dropout ideation. Data were analysed using logistic regression models. School absenteeism was frequent (12.6% of subjects for 8-14 days, and 6.0% for ≥15 days); 8.2% of subjects had low academic performance (average school-mark <10/20) and 3.9% school dropout ideation. All school difficulties were strongly associated with all health-related problems (gender-age-school-level-adjusted odds ratios gasOR between 1.5 and 4.2), and with risky behaviours (gasOR between 1.4 and 14). Socioeconomic factors differently contributed to these associations (contribution reaching 77%). Policy makers, schools, physicians and parents should be more aware of the problems and help adolescents to reduce health-related problems and risky behaviours and to increase resilience. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Investigation of the Elements which Contribute to Statical and Dynamical Stability, and of the Effects of Variation in Those Elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klemin, Alexander; Warner, Edward P; Denkinger, George M

1918-01-01

Part 1 gives details of models tested and methods of testing of the Eiffel 36 wing alone and the JN2 aircraft. Characteristics and performance curves for standard JN are included. Part 2 presents a statistical analysis of the following: lift and drag contributed by body and chassis tested without wings; lift and drag contributed by tail, tested without wings; the effect on lift and drift of interference between the wings of a biplane combination; lift and drag contributed by the addition of body, chassis, and tail to a biplane combination; total parasite resistance; effect of varying size of tail, keeping angle of setting constant; effect of varying length of body and size of tail at the same time, keeping constant moment of tail surface about the center of gravity; forces on the tail and the effects of downwash; effect of size and setting of tail on statical longitudinal stability effects of length of body on stability; the effects of the various elements of an airplane on longitudinal stability and the placing of the force vectors. Part 3 presents the fundamental principals of dynamical stability; computations of resistance derivatives; solution of the stability equation; dynamical stability of the Curtiss JN2; tabulation of resistance derivatives; discussion of the resistance derivatives; formation and solution of stability equations; physical conceptions of the resistance derivatives; elements contributing to damping and an investigation of low speed conditions. Part 4 includes a summary of the results of the statistical investigation and a summary of the results for dynamic stability.

Resonance-enhanced electron-impact excitation of Cu-like gold

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, L.; Zhang, C. Y.; Si, R.; Guo, X. L.; Chen, Z. B.; Yan, J.; Li, S.; Chen, C. Y.; Wang, K.

2017-09-01

Employing the independent-process and isolated-resonance approximations using distorted-waves (IPIRDW), we have performed a series of calculations of the resonance-enhanced electron-impact excitations (EIE) among 27 singly excited levels from the n ≤ 6 configurations of Cu-like gold (Au, Z = 79). Resonance excitation (RE) contributions from both the n = 4 → 4 - 7 and n = 3 → 4 core excitations have been considered. Our results demonstrate that RE contributions are significant and enhance the effective collision strengths (ϒ) of certain excitations by up to an order of magnitude at low temperature (106.1 K), and are still important at relatively high temperature (107.5 K). Results from test calculations of the resonance-enhanced EIE processes among 16 levels from the n ≤ 5 configurations using both the Dirac R-matrix (DRM) and IPIRDW approaches agree very well with each other. This means that the close-coupling effects are not important for this ion, and thus warrants the reliability of present resonance-enhanced EIE data among the 27 levels. The results from the collisional-radiative model (CRM) show that, at 3000 eV, near where Cu-like Au is most abundant, RE contributions have important effects (up to 25%) on the density diagnostic line intensity ratios, which are sensitive near 1020 cm-3. The present work is the first EIE research including RE contributions for Cu-like Au. Our EIE data are more accurate than previous results due to our consideration of RE contributions, and the data should be helpful for modeling and diagnosing a variety of plasmas.

Differential Contribution of Bilateral Supplementary Motor Area to the Effective Connectivity Networks Induced by Task Conditions Using Dynamic Causal Modeling

PubMed Central

Tao, Zhongping; Zhang, Mu

2014-01-01

Abstract Functional imaging studies have indicated hemispheric asymmetry of activation in bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA) during unimanual motor tasks. However, the hemispherically special roles of bilateral SMAs on primary motor cortex (M1) in the effective connectivity networks (ECN) during lateralized tasks remain unclear. Aiming to study the differential contribution of bilateral SMAs during the motor execution and motor imagery tasks, and the hemispherically asymmetric patterns of ECN among regions involved, the present study used dynamic causal modeling to analyze the functional magnetic resonance imaging data of the unimanual motor execution/imagery tasks in 12 right-handed subjects. Our results demonstrated that distributions of network parameters underlying motor execution and motor imagery were significantly different. The variation was mainly induced by task condition modulations of intrinsic coupling. Particularly, regardless of the performing hand, the task input modulations of intrinsic coupling from the contralateral SMA to contralateral M1 were positive during motor execution, while varied to be negative during motor imagery. The results suggested that the inhibitive modulation suppressed the overt movement during motor imagery. In addition, the left SMA also helped accomplishing left hand tasks through task input modulation of left SMA→right SMA connection, implying that hemispheric recruitment occurred when performing nondominant hand tasks. The results specified differential and altered contributions of bilateral SMAs to the ECN during unimanual motor execution and motor imagery, and highlighted the contributions induced by the task input of motor execution/imagery. PMID:24606178

Age-related changes in working memory and the ability to ignore distraction.

PubMed

McNab, Fiona; Zeidman, Peter; Rutledge, Robb B; Smittenaar, Peter; Brown, Harriet R; Adams, Rick A; Dolan, Raymond J

2015-05-19

A weakened ability to effectively resist distraction is a potential basis for reduced working memory capacity (WMC) associated with healthy aging. Exploiting data from 29,631 users of a smartphone game, we show that, as age increases, working memory (WM) performance is compromised more by distractors presented during WM maintenance than distractors presented during encoding. However, with increasing age, the ability to exclude distraction at encoding is a better predictor of WMC in the absence of distraction. A significantly greater contribution of distractor filtering at encoding represents a potential compensation for reduced WMC in older age.

Overview of the CLIC detector and its physics potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ström, Rickard

2017-12-01

The CLIC detector and physics study (CLICdp) is an international collaboration that investigates the physics potential of the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC). CLIC is a high-energy electron-positron collider under development, aiming for centre-of-mass energies from a few hundred GeV to 3 TeV. In addition to physics studies based on full Monte Carlo simulations of signal and background processes, CLICdp performs cuttingedge hardware R&D. In this contribution CLICdp will present recent results from physics prospect studies, emphasising Higgs studies. Additionally the new CLIC detector model and the recently updated CLIC baseline staging scenario will be presented.

Presentations of the Ninth Advanced Communications Technology Satellite Propagation Studies Workshop (APSW IX)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golshan, Nasser (Editor)

1997-01-01

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite Propagation Studies Workshop (APSW) is convened each year to present the results of the ACTS Propagation Campaign. Representatives from the satellite communications (satcom) industry, academia, and government are invited to APSW for discussions and exchange of information. The ACTS Propagation campaign is completing three years of Ka-Band data collection at seven sites in North America. Through this effort, NASA is making a major contribution to growth of satcom services by providing timely propagation data and models for predicting the performance of Ka-Band satellite communications systems.

Pictures and text in instructions for medical devices: effects on recall and actual performance.

PubMed

Kools, Marieke; van de Wiel, Margaretha W J; Ruiter, Robert A C; Kok, Gerjo

2006-12-01

The present study aimed to contribute to the design of effective health education information. Based on cognitive-psychological theory, pictures were expected to improve understanding of two existing textual instructions for using asthma devices (inhaler chamber and peak flow meter). From an analysis of the affordances and constraints of both devices this effect was expected to be stronger with the inhaler chamber than with the peak flow meter. To test this, both instructions were systematically illustrated with seven line-drawings visualizing the actions. In two separate randomized controlled trials with in total 99 participants from the general public, the original text-only versions were compared to the text-picture versions of the same instruction. Dependent variables were participants' recall of the instructions and the quality of their performance with the instruction observed from video-recordings. Conform expectations, the results showed significant positive effects of pictures on recall and performance in both instructions, especially with the inhaler chamber. Thus, pictures may contribute to a better comprehension and use of medical devices that are inherently less clear. Health educators may optimize instruction design by careful analysis of the device with instruction and observational testing with potential users.

Recognition memory across the lifespan: the impact of word frequency and study-test interval on estimates of familiarity and recollection

PubMed Central

Meier, Beat; Rey-Mermet, Alodie; Rothen, Nicolas; Graf, Peter

2013-01-01

The goal of this study was to investigate recognition memory performance across the lifespan and to determine how estimates of recollection and familiarity contribute to performance. In each of three experiments, participants from five groups from 14 up to 85 years of age (children, young adults, middle-aged adults, young-old adults, and old-old adults) were presented with high- and low-frequency words in a study phase and were tested immediately afterwards and/or after a one day retention interval. The results showed that word frequency and retention interval affected recognition memory performance as well as estimates of recollection and familiarity. Across the lifespan, the trajectory of recognition memory followed an inverse u-shape function that was neither affected by word frequency nor by retention interval. The trajectory of estimates of recollection also followed an inverse u-shape function, and was especially pronounced for low-frequency words. In contrast, estimates of familiarity did not differ across the lifespan. The results indicate that age differences in recognition memory are mainly due to differences in processes related to recollection while the contribution of familiarity-based processes seems to be age-invariant. PMID:24198796

An Evaluation of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services to Assess an Employee Performance Problem in a Center-Based Autism Treatment Facility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ditzian, Kyle; Wilder, David A.; King, Allison; Tanz, Jeanine

2015-01-01

The Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (PDC-HS) is an informant-based tool designed to assess the environmental variables that contribute to poor employee performance in human services settings. We administered the PDC-HS to 3 supervisors to assess the variables that contributed to poor performance by 4 staff members when securing…

Proactive and coactive interference in age-related performance in a recognition-based operation span task.

PubMed

Zeintl, Melanie; Kliegel, Matthias

2010-01-01

Generally, older adults perform worse than younger adults in complex working memory span tasks. So far, it is unclear which processes mainly contribute to age-related differences in working memory span. The aim of the present study was to investigate age effects and the roles of proactive and coactive interference in a recognition-based version of the operation span task. Younger and older adults performed standard versions and distracter versions of the operation span task. At retrieval, participants had to recognize target words in word lists containing targets as well as proactive and/or coactive interference-related lures. Results show that, overall, younger adults outperformed older adults in the recognition of target words. Furthermore, analyses of error types indicate that, while younger adults were only affected by simultaneously presented distracter words, older adults had difficulties with both proactive and coactive interference. Results suggest that age effects in complex span tasks may not be mainly due to retrieval deficits in old age. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Hand gesture recognition in confined spaces with partial observability and occultation constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirkhodaie, Amir; Chan, Alex; Hu, Shuowen

2016-05-01

Human activity detection and recognition capabilities have broad applications for military and homeland security. These tasks are very complicated, however, especially when multiple persons are performing concurrent activities in confined spaces that impose significant obstruction, occultation, and observability uncertainty. In this paper, our primary contribution is to present a dedicated taxonomy and kinematic ontology that are developed for in-vehicle group human activities (IVGA). Secondly, we describe a set of hand-observable patterns that represents certain IVGA examples. Thirdly, we propose two classifiers for hand gesture recognition and compare their performance individually and jointly. Finally, we present a variant of Hidden Markov Model for Bayesian tracking, recognition, and annotation of hand motions, which enables spatiotemporal inference to human group activity perception and understanding. To validate our approach, synthetic (graphical data from virtual environment) and real physical environment video imagery are employed to verify the performance of these hand gesture classifiers, while measuring their efficiency and effectiveness based on the proposed Hidden Markov Model for tracking and interpreting dynamic spatiotemporal IVGA scenarios.

A Preliminary Analysis of LANDSAT-4 Thematic Mapper Radiometric Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justice, C.; Fusco, L.; Mehl, W.

1984-01-01

Analysis was performed to characterize the radiometry of three Thematic Mapper (TM) digital products of a scene of Arkansas. The three digital products examined were the NASA raw (BT) product, the radiometrically corrected (AT) product and the radiometrically and geometrically corrected (PT) product. The frequency distribution of the digital data; the statistical correlation between the bands; and the variability between the detectors within a band were examined on a series of image subsets from the full scene. The results are presented from one 1024 x 1024 pixel subset of Realfoot Lake, Tennessee which displayed a representative range of ground conditions and cover types occurring within the full frame image. Bands 1, 2 and 5 of the sample area are presented. The subsets were extracted from the three digital data products to cover the same geographic area. This analysis provides the first step towards a full appraisal of the TM radiometry being performed as part of the ESA/CEC contribution to the NASA/LIDQA program.

Early top-down control of visual processing predicts working memory performance

PubMed Central

Rutman, Aaron M.; Clapp, Wesley C.; Chadick, James Z.; Gazzaley, Adam

2009-01-01

Selective attention confers a behavioral benefit for both perceptual and working memory (WM) performance, often attributed to top-down modulation of sensory neural processing. However, the direct relationship between early activity modulation in sensory cortices during selective encoding and subsequent WM performance has not been established. To explore the influence of selective attention on WM recognition, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to study the temporal dynamics of top-down modulation in a selective, delayed-recognition paradigm. Participants were presented with overlapped, “double-exposed” images of faces and natural scenes, and were instructed to either remember the face or the scene while simultaneously ignoring the other stimulus. Here, we present evidence that the degree to which participants modulate the early P100 (97–129 ms) event-related potential (ERP) during selective stimulus encoding significantly correlates with their subsequent WM recognition. These results contribute to our evolving understanding of the mechanistic overlap between attention and memory. PMID:19413473

Superconducting Magnets for Accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brianti, G.; Tortschanoff, T.

1993-03-01

This chapter describes the main features of superconducting magnets for high energy synchrotrons and colliders. It refers to magnets presently used and under development for the most advanced accelerators projects, both recently constructed or in the preparatory phase. These magnets, using the technology mainly based on the NbTi conductor, are described from the aspect of design, materials, construction and performance. The trend toward higher performance can be gauged from the doubling of design field in less than a decade from about 4 T for the Tevatron to 10 T for the LHC. Special properties of the superconducting accelerator magnets, such as their general layout and the need of extensive computational treatment, the limits of performance inherent to the available conductors, the requirements on the structural design are described. The contribution is completed by elaborating on persistent current effects, quench protection and the cryostat design. As examples the main magnets for HERA and SSC, as well as the twin-aperture magnets for LHC, are presented.

Motion tracking and electromyography-assisted identification of mirror hand contributions to functional near-infrared spectroscopy images acquired during a finger-tapping task performed by children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Hervey, Nathan; Khan, Bilal; Shagman, Laura; Tian, Fenghua; Delgado, Mauricio R; Tulchin-Francis, Kirsten; Shierk, Angela; Roberts, Heather; Smith, Linsley; Reid, Dahlia; Clegg, Nancy J; Liu, Hanli; MacFarlane, Duncan; Alexandrakis, George

2014-10-01

Recent studies have demonstrated functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to be a viable and sensitive method for imaging sensorimotor cortex activity in children with cerebral palsy (CP). However, during unilateral finger tapping, children with CP often exhibit unintended motions in the nontapping hand, known as mirror motions, which confuse the interpretation of resulting fNIRS images. This work presents a method for separating some of the mirror motion contributions to fNIRS images and demonstrates its application to fNIRS data from four children with CP performing a finger-tapping task with mirror motions. Finger motion and arm muscle activity were measured simultaneously with fNIRS signals using motion tracking and electromyography (EMG), respectively. Subsequently, subject-specific regressors were created from the motion capture or EMG data and independent component analysis was combined with a general linear model to create an fNIRS image representing activation due to the tapping hand and one image representing activation due to the mirror hand. The proposed method can provide information on how mirror motions contribute to fNIRS images, and in some cases, it helps remove mirror motion contamination from the tapping hand activation images.

Comprehension and Generation of Metaphoric Language in Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Dyslexia.

PubMed

Kasirer, Anat; Mashal, Nira

2017-05-01

Difficulties with figurative language comprehension were documented in adult dyslexia (DYS). In the present research, we investigated the comprehension and generation of metaphors in 37 children, 35 adolescents, and 34 adults with and without DYS. We also tested the contribution of executive function to metaphor processing. A multiple-choice questionnaire with conventional and novel metaphors was used to assess comprehension; a concept-explanation task was used to test conventional and novel metaphor generation (verbal creativity). The findings indicated differences between the dyslexic children and the control group in conventional metaphor comprehension. However, both groups performed similarly in the novel metaphor comprehension test. Furthermore, although children and adolescents with DYS showed similar performance in metaphor generation as their typically developing peers, adults with DYS generated more metaphors than controls. While scores on tests of verbal knowledge and mental flexibility contributed to the prediction of conventional metaphor comprehension, scores on non-verbal tests and mental flexibility contributed to the prediction of novel metaphor generation. Our findings suggest that individuals with DYS are not impaired in novel metaphor comprehension and metaphor generation and that metaphor comprehension and generation utilize different cognitive resources. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Motion tracking and electromyography-assisted identification of mirror hand contributions to functional near-infrared spectroscopy images acquired during a finger-tapping task performed by children with cerebral palsy

PubMed Central

Hervey, Nathan; Khan, Bilal; Shagman, Laura; Tian, Fenghua; Delgado, Mauricio R.; Tulchin-Francis, Kirsten; Shierk, Angela; Roberts, Heather; Smith, Linsley; Reid, Dahlia; Clegg, Nancy J.; Liu, Hanli; MacFarlane, Duncan; Alexandrakis, George

2014-01-01

Abstract. Recent studies have demonstrated functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to be a viable and sensitive method for imaging sensorimotor cortex activity in children with cerebral palsy (CP). However, during unilateral finger tapping, children with CP often exhibit unintended motions in the nontapping hand, known as mirror motions, which confuse the interpretation of resulting fNIRS images. This work presents a method for separating some of the mirror motion contributions to fNIRS images and demonstrates its application to fNIRS data from four children with CP performing a finger-tapping task with mirror motions. Finger motion and arm muscle activity were measured simultaneously with fNIRS signals using motion tracking and electromyography (EMG), respectively. Subsequently, subject-specific regressors were created from the motion capture or EMG data and independent component analysis was combined with a general linear model to create an fNIRS image representing activation due to the tapping hand and one image representing activation due to the mirror hand. The proposed method can provide information on how mirror motions contribute to fNIRS images, and in some cases, it helps remove mirror motion contamination from the tapping hand activation images. PMID:26157980

Neutrinoless double-β decay in effective field theory: The light-Majorana neutrino-exchange mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cirigliano, Vincenzo; Dekens, Wouter; Mereghetti, Emanuele; Walker-Loud, André

2018-06-01

We present the first chiral effective theory derivation of the neutrinoless double-β decay n n →p p potential induced by light Majorana neutrino exchange. The effective-field-theory framework has allowed us to identify and parametrize short- and long-range contributions previously missed in the literature. These contributions cannot be absorbed into parametrizations of the single-nucleon form factors. Starting from the quark and gluon level, we perform the matching onto chiral effective field theory and subsequently onto the nuclear potential. To derive the nuclear potential mediating neutrinoless double-β decay, the hard, soft, and potential neutrino modes must be integrated out. This is performed through next-to-next-to-leading order in the chiral power counting, in both the Weinberg and pionless schemes. At next-to-next-to-leading order, the amplitude receives additional contributions from the exchange of ultrasoft neutrinos, which can be expressed in terms of nuclear matrix elements of the weak current and excitation energies of the intermediate nucleus. These quantities also control the two-neutrino double-β decay amplitude. Finally, we outline strategies to determine the low-energy constants that appear in the potentials, by relating them to electromagnetic couplings and/or by matching to lattice QCD calculations.

A new modeling approach for assessing the contribution of industrial and traffic emissions to ambient NOx concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shimon; Yuval; Broday, David M.

2018-01-01

The Optimized Dispersion Model (ODM) is uniquely capable of incorporating emission estimates, ambient air quality monitoring data and meteorology to provide reliable high-resolution (in both time and space) air quality estimates using non-linear regression. However, it was so far not capable of describing the effects of emissions from elevated sources. We formulated an additional term to extend the ODM such that these sources can be accounted for, and implemented it in modeling the fine spatiotemporal patterns of ambient NOx concentrations over the coastal plain of Israel. The diurnal and seasonal variation in the contribution of industry to the ambient NOx is presented, as well as its spatial features. Although industrial stacks are responsible for 88% of the NOx emissions in the study area, their contribution to ambient NOx levels is generally about 2% with a maximal upper bound of 27%. Meteorology has a major role in this source allocation, with the highest impact of industry in the summer months, when the wind is blowing inland past the coastal stacks and vertical mixing is substantial. The new Optimized Dispersion Model (ODM) out-performs both Inverse-Distance-Weighing (IDW) interpolation and a previous ODM version in predicting ambient NOx concentrations. The performance of the new model is thoroughly assessed.

Calcium carbonate obstructive urolithiasis in a red kangaroo (Macropus rufus).

PubMed

Lindemann, Dana M; Gamble, Kathryn C; Corner, Sarah

2013-03-01

A 6-yr-old male red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) presented for a history of inappetance, abnormal behavior, and unconfirmed elimination for 6 hr prior to presentation. Based on abdominal ultrasound, abdominocentesis, and cystocentesis, a presumptive diagnosis of urinary tract obstruction with uroabdomen and hydronephrosis was reached. Abdominal radiographs did not assist in reaching an antemortem diagnosis. Postmortem examination confirmed a urinary bladder rupture secondary to urethral obstruction by a single urethrolith. Bilateral hydronephrosis and hydroureter were identified and determined to be a result of bilateral ureteroliths. Urolith analysis revealed a composition of 100% calcium carbonate. A dietary analysis was performed, implicating an increased Ca:P ratio from a food preparation miscommunication as a contributing factor. Appropriate husbandry changes were made, and mob surveillance procedures were performed, which resolved the urolithiasis risk for the remaining five animals.

Trends in cochlear implants.

PubMed

Zeng, Fan-Gang

2004-01-01

More than 60,000 people worldwide use cochlear implants as a means to restore functional hearing. Although individual performance variability is still high, an average implant user can talk on the phone in a quiet environment. Cochlear-implant research has also matured as a field, as evidenced by the exponential growth in both the patient population and scientific publication. The present report examines current issues related to audiologic, clinical, engineering, anatomic, and physiologic aspects of cochlear implants, focusing on their psychophysical, speech, music, and cognitive performance. This report also forecasts clinical and research trends related to presurgical evaluation, fitting protocols, signal processing, and postsurgical rehabilitation in cochlear implants. Finally, a future landscape in amplification is presented that requires a unique, yet complementary, contribution from hearing aids, middle ear implants, and cochlear implants to achieve a total solution to the entire spectrum of hearing loss treatment and management.

High-power modular LED-based illumination systems for mask-aligner lithography.

PubMed

Bernasconi, Johana; Scharf, Toralf; Vogler, Uwe; Herzig, Hans Peter

2018-04-30

Mask-aligner lithography is traditionally performed using mercury arc lamps with wavelengths ranging from 250 nm to 600 nm with intensity peaks at the i, g and h lines. Since mercury arc lamps present several disadvantages, it is of interest to replace them with high power light emitting diodes (LEDs), which recently appeared on the market at those wavelengths. In this contribution, we present a prototype of an LED-based mask-aligner illumination. An optical characterization is made and the prototype is tested in a mask-aligner. Very good performances are demonstrated. The measured uniformity in the mask plane is 2.59 ± 0.24 % which is within the uniformity of the standard lamp. Print tests show resolution of 1 micron in contact printing and of 3 microns in proximity printing with a proximity gap of 30 microns.

β decay studies of n-rich Cs isotopes with the ISOLDE Decay Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lică, R.; Benzoni, G.; Morales, A. I.; Borge, M. J. G.; Fraile, L. M.; Mach, H.; Madurga, M.; Sotty, C.; Vedia, V.; De Witte, H.; Benito, J.; Berry, T.; Blasi, N.; Bracco, A.; Camera, F.; Ceruti, S.; Charviakova, V.; Cieplicka-Oryńczak, N.; Costache, C.; Crespi, F. C. L.; Creswell, J.; Fernández-Martínez, G.; Fynbo, H.; Greenlees, P.; Homm, I.; Huyse, M.; Jolie, J.; Karayonchev, V.; Köster, U.; Konki, J.; Kröll, T.; Kurcewicz, J.; Kurtukian-Nieto, T.; Lazarus, I.; Leoni, S.; Lund, M.; Marginean, N.; Marginean, R.; Mihai, C.; Mihai, R.; Negret, A.; Orduz, A.; Patyk, Z.; Pascu, S.; Pucknell, V.; Rahkila, P.; Regis, J. M.; Rotaru, F.; Saed-Sami, N.; Sánchez-Tembleque, V.; Stanoiu, M.; Tengblad, O.; Thuerauf, M.; Turturica, A.; Van Duppen, P.; Warr, N.

2017-05-01

Neutron-rich Ba isotopes are expected to exhibit octupolar correlations, reaching their maximum in isotopes around mass A = 146. The odd-A neutron-rich members of this isotopic chain show typical patterns related to non-axially symmetric shapes, which are however less marked compared to even-A ones, pointing to a major contribution from vibrations. In the present paper we present results from a recent study focused on 148-150Cs β-decay performed at the ISOLDE Decay Station equipped with fast-timing detectors. A detailed analysis of the measured decay half-lives and decay scheme of 149Ba is presented, giving a first insight in the structure of this neutron-rich nucleus.

National Combustion Code Parallel Performance Enhancements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quealy, Angela; Benyo, Theresa (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The National Combustion Code (NCC) is being developed by an industry-government team for the design and analysis of combustion systems. The unstructured grid, reacting flow code uses a distributed memory, message passing model for its parallel implementation. The focus of the present effort has been to improve the performance of the NCC code to meet combustor designer requirements for model accuracy and analysis turnaround time. Improving the performance of this code contributes significantly to the overall reduction in time and cost of the combustor design cycle. This report describes recent parallel processing modifications to NCC that have improved the parallel scalability of the code, enabling a two hour turnaround for a 1.3 million element fully reacting combustion simulation on an SGI Origin 2000.

Emergency department presentations in early stage breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

PubMed

Tang, Monica; Horsley, Patrick; Lewis, Craig R

2018-05-01

(Neo)adjuvant chemotherapy for early stage breast cancer is associated with side-effects, resulting in increased emergency department (ED) presentations. Treatment-related toxicity can affect quality of life, compromise chemotherapy delivery and treatment outcomes, and increase healthcare use. We performed a retrospective study of ED presentations in patients receiving curative chemotherapy for early breast cancer to identify factors contributing to ED presentations. Of 102 patients, 39 (38%) presented to ED within 30 days of chemotherapy, resulting in 63 ED presentations in total. Most common reasons were non-neutropenic fever (17 presentations/27%), neutropenic fever (15/24%), pain (9/14%), drug reaction (6/10%) and infection (4/6%). Factors significantly associated with ED presentation were adjuvant chemotherapy timing compared to neoadjuvant timing (P = 0.031), prophylactic antibiotics (P = 0.045) and docetaxel-containing regimen (P = 0.018). © 2018 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Domain-general contributions to social reasoning: theory of mind and deontic reasoning re-explored.

PubMed

McKinnon, Margaret C; Moscovitch, Morris

2007-02-01

Using older adults and dual-task interference, we examined performance on two social reasoning tasks: theory of mind (ToM) tasks and versions of the deontic selection task involving social contracts and hazardous conditions. In line with performance accounts of social reasoning, evidence from both aging and the dual-task method suggested that domain-general resources contribute to performance of these tasks. Specifically, older adults were impaired relative to younger adults on all types of social reasoning tasks tested; performance varied as a function of the demands these tasks placed on domain-general resources. Moreover, in younger adults, simultaneous performance of a working memory task interfered with younger adults' performance on both types of social reasoning tasks; here too, the magnitude of the interference effect varied with the processing demands of each task. Limits placed on social reasoning by executive functions contribute a great deal to performance, even in old age and in healthy younger adults under conditions of divided attention. The role of potentially non-modular and modular contributions to social reasoning is discussed.

Exhaust pressure pulsation observation from turbocharger instantaneous speed measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macián, V.; Luján, J. M.; Bermúdez, V.; Guardiola, C.

2004-06-01

In internal combustion engines, instantaneous exhaust pressure measurements are difficult to perform in a production environment. The high temperature of the exhaust manifold and its pulsating character make its application to exhaust gas recirculation control algorithms impossible. In this paper an alternative method for estimating the exhaust pressure pulsation is presented. A numerical model is built which enables the exhaust pressure pulses to be predicted from instantaneous turbocharger speed measurements. Although the model is data based, a theoretical description of the process is also provided. This combined approach makes it possible to export the model for different engine operating points. Also, compressor contribution in the turbocharger speed pulsation is discussed extensively. The compressor contribution is initially neglected, and effects of this simplified approach are analysed.

[Dr. Valdimir Jakovljević--his contribution to the art of surgery].

PubMed

Ilić, M

1992-01-01

In this article we present biographical data of Dr Vladimir Jakovljević, a surgeon (1893-1960), and his contribution to the technical approach to cephalic duodenopancreatectomy: the first pancreatico-jejunostomy, and first reported in world's literature triple different anastomosis of the jejunum with part of the stomach (after a 2/3 resection of the organ), choledochus and a part of the head of the pancreas, done by Vladimir Jakovljević in 1934, and published in "Medicinski pregled" (Medical Review) in 1935. A basic surgical teaching of Dr Jakovljević school of surgery is an aspiration toward the "physiological surgery", a technical viability for performing the most difficult operation on the biliary tract, a strong surgical imagination and full information about contemporary knowledge on surgery.

Decision-Making Processes in the Workplace: How Exhaustion, Lack of Resources and Job Demands Impair Them and Affect Performance

PubMed Central

Ceschi, Andrea; Demerouti, Evangelia; Sartori, Riccardo; Weller, Joshua

2017-01-01

The present study aims to connect more the I/O and the decision-making psychological domains, by showing how some common components across jobs interfere with decision-making and affecting performance. Two distinct constructs that can contribute to positive workplace performance have been considered: decision-making competency (DMCy) and decision environment management (DEM). Both factors are presumed to involve self-regulatory mechanisms connected to decision processes by influencing performance in relation to work environment conditions. In the framework of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, the present study tested how such components as job demands, job resources and exhaustion can moderate decision-making processes and performance, where high resources are advantageous for decision-making processes and performance at work, while the same effect happens with low job demands and/or low exhaustion. In line with the formulated hypotheses, results confirm the relations between both the decision-making competences, performance (i.e., in-role and extra-role) and moderators considered. In particular, employees with low levels of DMCy show to be more sensitive to job demands toward in-role performance, whereas high DEM levels increase the sensitivity of employees toward job resources and exhaustion in relation to extra-role performance. These findings indicate that decision-making processes, as well as work environment conditions, are jointly related to employee functioning. PMID:28529491

Decision-Making Processes in the Workplace: How Exhaustion, Lack of Resources and Job Demands Impair Them and Affect Performance.

PubMed

Ceschi, Andrea; Demerouti, Evangelia; Sartori, Riccardo; Weller, Joshua

2017-01-01

The present study aims to connect more the I/O and the decision-making psychological domains, by showing how some common components across jobs interfere with decision-making and affecting performance. Two distinct constructs that can contribute to positive workplace performance have been considered: decision-making competency (DMCy) and decision environment management (DEM). Both factors are presumed to involve self-regulatory mechanisms connected to decision processes by influencing performance in relation to work environment conditions. In the framework of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, the present study tested how such components as job demands, job resources and exhaustion can moderate decision-making processes and performance, where high resources are advantageous for decision-making processes and performance at work, while the same effect happens with low job demands and/or low exhaustion. In line with the formulated hypotheses, results confirm the relations between both the decision-making competences, performance (i.e., in-role and extra-role) and moderators considered. In particular, employees with low levels of DMCy show to be more sensitive to job demands toward in-role performance, whereas high DEM levels increase the sensitivity of employees toward job resources and exhaustion in relation to extra-role performance. These findings indicate that decision-making processes, as well as work environment conditions, are jointly related to employee functioning.

Analysis of navigation performance for the Earth Observing System (EOS) using the TDRSS Onboard Navigation System (TONS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elrod, B.; Kapoor, A.; Folta, David C.; Liu, K.

1991-01-01

Use of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) Onboard Navigation System (TONS) was proposed as an alternative to the Global Positioning System (GPS) for supporting the Earth Observing System (EOS) mission. The results are presented of EOS navigation performance evaluation with respect to TONS based orbit, time, and frequency determination (OD/TD/FD). Two TONS modes are considered: one uses scheduled TDRSS forward link service to derive one way Doppler tracking data for OD/FD support (TONS-I); the other uses an unscheduled navigation beacon service (proposed for Advanced TDRSS) to obtain pseudorange and Doppler data for OD/TD/FD support (TONS-II). Key objectives of the analysis were to evaluate nominal performance and potential sensitivities, such as suboptimal tracking geometry, tracking contact scheduling, and modeling parameter selection. OD/TD/FD performance predictions are presented based on covariance and simulation analyses. EOS navigation scenarios and the contributions of principal error sources impacting performance are also described. The results indicate that a TONS mode can be configured to meet current and proposed EOS position accuracy requirements of 100 and 50 m, respectively.

Spelling performance of students with developmental dyslexia and with developmental dyslexia associated to attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity.

PubMed

Alves, Débora Cristina; Casella, Erasmo Barbante; Ferraro, Alexandre Arcanjo

2016-04-01

Purpose to analyze and classify the spelling performance according to the semiology of spelling error of children with developmental dyslexia (DD) and with developmental dyslexia associated to attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity(DD and ADHD) comparing them to a group of children without learning process complaints. Methods Seventy students, from the third to fifth grade, participated in this study divided as follows: 32 children without complaints of learning difficulties (GI), mean age 9.5 years; 22 students with developmental dyslexia (GII), mean age 10 years; 16 scholars with developmental dyslexia associated to attention deficit disorders and hyperactivity (GIII), mean age 9.9. Spelling skills were assessed through a standardized word dictation task. Results Data indicated that GII and GIII children presented lower performance when compared with typically developed children. There was no statistical difference between the performance of GII and GIII children regarding the score reached in spelling, although GIII children presented the lowest performance. We observed differences between GII and GIII only in the type of misspelling. Conclusion Data from this research contribute to develop better programs for intervention in the studied population.

Status of the project TRAPSENSOR: Performance of the laser-desorption ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cornejo, J. M.; Lorenzo, A.; Renisch, D.; Block, M.; Düllmann, Ch. E.; Rodríguez, D.

2013-12-01

Penning traps provide mass measurements on atomic nuclei with the highest accuracy and sensitivity. Depending on the experiment and on the physics goal, a relative mass uncertainty varying from 10-7 to below 10-11 is required. Regarding sensitivity, the use of only one ion for the measurement is crucial, either to perform mass measurements on superheavy elements (SHE), or to reach δm/m≈10-11 in order to contribute to the direct determination of the mass of the electron-antineutrino with accurate mass measurements on specific nuclei. This has motivated the development of a new technique called Quantum Sensor based on a laser-cooled ion stored in a Penning trap, to perform mass measurements using fluorescence photons instead of electronic detection. The device is currently under development at the University of Granada (Spain) within the project TRAPSENSOR. We describe the physics which motivates the construction of this device, the expected performance of the Quantum Sensor compared to that from existing techniques, and briefly present the main components of the project. As a specific aspect of the project, the performance of the laser-desorption ion source utilized to produce calcium, rhenium and osmium ions at different kinetic energies is presented.

Untangling the Contribution of the Subcomponents of Working Memory to Mathematical Proficiency as Measured by the National Tests: A Study among Swedish Third Graders

PubMed Central

Wiklund-Hörnqvist, Carola; Jonsson, Bert; Korhonen, Johan; Eklöf, Hanna; Nyroos, Mikaela

2016-01-01

The aim with the present study was to examine the relationship between the subcomponents in working memory (WM) and mathematical performance, as measured by the National tests in a sample of 597 Swedish third-grade pupils. In line with compelling evidence of other studies, individual differences in WM capacity significantly predicted mathematical performance. Dividing the sample into four groups, based on their mathematical performance, revealed that mathematical ability can be conceptualized in terms of different WM profiles. Pupils categorized as High-math performers particularly differed from the other three groups in having a significant higher phonological ability. In contrast, pupils categorized as Low-math performers were particularly characterized by having a significant lower visuo-spatial ability. Findings suggest that it is important for educators to recognize and acknowledge individual differences in WM to support mathematical achievement at an individual level. PMID:27486413

Performance Analysis of the ITER Plasma Position Reflectometry (PPR) Ex-vessel Transmission Lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez-Fernández, J.; Simonetto, A.; Cappa, Á.; Rincón, M. E.; Cabrera, S.; Ramos, F. J.

2018-03-01

As the design of the ITER Plasma Position Reflectometry (PPR) diagnostic progresses, some segments of the transmission line have become fully specified and estimations of their performance can already be obtained. This work presents the calculations carried out for the longest section of the PPR, which is in final state of design and will be the main contributor to the total system performance. Considering the 88.9 mm circular corrugated waveguide (CCWG) that was previously chosen, signal degradation calculations have been performed. Different degradation sources have been studied: ohmic attenuation losses for CCWG; mode conversion losses for gaps, mitre bends, waveguide sag and different types of misalignments; reflection and absorption losses due to microwave windows and coupling losses to free space Gaussian beam. Contributions from all these sources have been integrated to give a global estimation of performance in the transmission lines segments under study.

Women Know Better What Other Women Think and Feel: Gender Effects on Mindreading across the Adult Life Span.

PubMed

Wacker, Renata; Bölte, Sven; Dziobek, Isabel

2017-01-01

Research recurrently shows that females perform better than males on various mindreading tasks. The present study contributes to this growing body of literature by being the first to demonstrate a female own-gender mindreading bias using a naturalistic social cognition paradigm including female and male targets. We found that women performed better at reading others' minds, and that they were specifically more capable to read female targets, an own-gender target effect absent in men. Furthermore, a non-linear negative effect of perceiver age on mindreading performance was examined within a sample covering the age range of 17-70 years, as indicated by a stronger performance decrease setting on by the age of 30 years and continuing throughout middle and old age. These findings add to a more comprehensive understanding of the contextual factors influencing mindreading performance in typically developing adults.

Adding to the Education Debt: Depressive Symptoms Mediate the Association between Racial Discrimination and Academic Performance in African Americans

PubMed Central

English, Devin; Lambert, Sharon F.; Ialongo, Nicholas S.

2015-01-01

Although the United States faces a seemingly intractable divide between white and African American academic performance, there remains a dearth of longitudinal research investigating factors that work to maintain this gap. The present study examined whether racial discrimination predicted the academic performance of African American students through its effect on depressive symptoms. Participants were a community sample of African American adolescents (N = 495) attending urban public schools from grade 7 to grade 9 (Mage = 12.5). Structural equation modeling revealed that experienced racial discrimination predicted increases in depressive symptoms 1 year later, which, in turn, predicted decreases in academic performance the following year. These results suggest that racial discrimination continues to play a critical role in the academic performance of African American students and, as such, contributes to the maintenance of the race-based academic achievement gap in the United States. PMID:27425564

Analysis performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mubin, A. N. A.; Bahrom, M. H.; Azri, M.; Ibrahim, Z.; Rahim, N. A.; Raihan, S. R. S.

2017-06-01

Recently, the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has gained much attention to the technology of renewable energy due to its mechanically ideal and zero emission power source. PEMFC performance reflects from the surroundings such as temperature and pressure. This paper presents an analysis of the performance of the PEMFC by developing the mathematical thermodynamic modelling using Matlab/Simulink. Apart from that, the differential equation of the thermodynamic model of the PEMFC is used to explain the contribution of heat to the performance of the output voltage of the PEMFC. On the other hand, the partial pressure equation of the hydrogen is included in the PEMFC mathematical modeling to study the PEMFC voltage behaviour related to the input variable input hydrogen pressure. The efficiency of the model is 33.8% which calculated by applying the energy conversion device equations on the thermal efficiency. PEMFC’s voltage output performance is increased by increasing the hydrogen input pressure and temperature.

Sex Differences in Using Spatial and Verbal Abilities Influence Route Learning Performance in a Virtual Environment: A Comparison of 6- to 12-Year Old Boys and Girls

PubMed Central

Merrill, Edward C.; Yang, Yingying; Roskos, Beverly; Steele, Sara

2016-01-01

Previous studies have reported sex differences in wayfinding performance among adults. Men are typically better at using Euclidean information and survey strategies while women are better at using landmark information and route strategies. However, relatively few studies have examined sex differences in wayfinding in children. This research investigated relationships between route learning performance and two general abilities: spatial ability and verbal memory in 153 boys and girls between 6- to 12-years-old. Children completed a battery of spatial ability tasks (a two-dimension mental rotation task, a paper folding task, a visuo-spatial working memory task, and a Piagetian water level task) and a verbal memory task. In the route learning task, they had to learn a route through a series of hallways presented via computer. Boys had better overall route learning performance than did girls. In fact, the difference between boys and girls was constant across the age range tested. Structural equation modeling of the children’s performance revealed that spatial abilities and verbal memory were significant contributors to route learning performance. However, there were different patterns of correlates for boys and girls. For boys, spatial abilities contributed to route learning while verbal memory did not. In contrast, for girls both spatial abilities and verbal memory contributed to their route learning performance. This difference may reflect the precursor of a strategic difference between boys and girls in wayfinding that is commonly observed in adults. PMID:26941701

An Overview of Landing Gear Dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pritchard, Jocelyn I.

1999-01-01

One of the problems facing the aircraft community is landing gear dynamics, especially shimmy and brake-induced vibration. Shimmy and brake-induced vibrations can lead to accidents due to excessive wear and shortened life of gear parts and contribute to pilot and passenger discomfort. To increase understanding of these problems, a literature survey was performed. The major focus is on work from the last ten years. Some older publications are included to understand the longevity of the problem and the background from earlier researchers. The literature survey includes analyses, testing, modeling, and simulation of aircraft landing gear; and experimental validation and characterization of shimmy and brake-induced vibration of aircraft landing gear. The paper presents an overview of the problem, background information, and a history of landing gear dynamics problems and solutions. Based on the survey an assessment and recommendations of the most critically needed enhancements to the state of the art will be presented. The status of Langley work contributing to this activity will be given.

Predictive grade of ultrasound synovitis for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis in clinical practice and the possible difference between patients with and without seropositivity.

PubMed

Minowa, Kentaro; Ogasawara, Michihiro; Murayama, Go; Gorai, Misa; Yamada, Yusuke; Nemoto, Takuya; Matsuki, Yuko; Sugisaki, Nagachika; Ando, Seiichiro; Kon, Takayuki; Tada, Kurisu; Matsushita, Masakazu; Yamaji, Ken; Tamura, Naoto; Takasaki, Yoshinari

2016-01-01

To determine the degree of contribution and the contributing factors of ultrasound in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in daily clinical practice and the predictive differences depending on seropositivity. We included 122 patients who presented with the main complaint of finger and/or wrist joint pain but for whom no definite diagnosis was reached or treatment strategy was provided. Ultrasound was performed on at least 22 joints (both wrist joints, proximal interphalangeal joint, and metacarpophalangeal joints), and patients were followed for ≥6 months. Factors contributing to RA diagnosis were determined and compared between seropositive and seronegative RA patients. RA was diagnosed in 52 of 122 patients, in whom the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) classification criteria (odds ratio [OR] = 4.74, P = 0.01) and gray scale (GS) grade of 3 (OR = 3.64, P = 0.04) for ≥ 1 joint were the contributing factors. In seropositive RA, the ACR/EULAR criteria (OR = 15.53, P < 0.001) and power Doppler (PD) ≥ 2 for ≥ 1 joint (OR = 10.48, P = 0.0048) were the contributing factors. In seronegative RA, PD ≥ 1 for ≥ 1 joint contributed the most (OR = 20.00, P = 0.0044), but the ACR/EULAR criteria did not contribute to RA diagnosis (P = 0.57). Ultrasound findings contributed to RA diagnosis in clinical practice. The contributing factors are different in the presence or absence of seropositivity, and ultrasound complementation was particularly useful in seronegative RA patients.

The sound of enemies and friends in the neighborhood.

PubMed

Pecher, Diane; Boot, Inge; van Dantzig, Saskia; Madden, Carol J; Huber, David E; Zeelenberg, René

2011-01-01

Previous studies (e.g., Pecher, Zeelenberg, & Wagenmakers, 2005) found that semantic classification performance is better for target words with orthographic neighbors that are mostly from the same semantic class (e.g., living) compared to target words with orthographic neighbors that are mostly from the opposite semantic class (e.g., nonliving). In the present study we investigated the contribution of phonology to orthographic neighborhood effects by comparing effects of phonologically congruent orthographic neighbors (book-hook) to phonologically incongruent orthographic neighbors (sand-wand). The prior presentation of a semantically congruent word produced larger effects on subsequent animacy decisions when the previously presented word was a phonologically congruent neighbor than when it was a phonologically incongruent neighbor. In a second experiment, performance differences between target words with versus without semantically congruent orthographic neighbors were larger if the orthographic neighbors were also phonologically congruent. These results support models of visual word recognition that assume an important role for phonology in cascaded access to meaning.

Innovative on-chip packaging applied to uncooled IRFPA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dumont, Geoffroy; Arnaud, Agnès; Impérinetti, Pierre; Vialle, Claire; Rabaud, Wilfried; Goudon, Valérie; Yon, Jean-Jacques

2008-04-01

The Laboratoire Infrarouge (LIR) of the Laboratoire d'Electronique et de Technologie de l'Information (LETI) has been involved in the development of microbolometers for over fifteen years. Two generations of technology have been transferred to ULIS and LETI is still working to improve performances of low cost detectors. Simultaneously, packaging still represents a significant part of detectors price. Reducing production costs would contribute to keep on extending applications of uncooled IRFPA to high volume markets like automotive. Therefore LETI is developing an on-chip packaging technology dedicated to microbolometers. This paper presents an original microcap structure that enables the use of IR window materials as sealing layers to maintain the expected vacuum level. The modelling and integration of an IR window suitable for this structure is also presented. This monolithic packaging technology is performed in a standard collective way, in continuation of bolometers' technology. The CEA-LETI, MINATEC presents status of these developments concerning this innovating technology including optical simulations results and SEM views of technical realizations.

Cassini-Huygens Maneuver Experience: First Year of the Equinox Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gist, Emily M.; Ballard, Christopher G.; Hahn, Yungsun; Stumpf, Paul W.; Wagner, Sean V.; Williams, Powtawche N.

2009-01-01

The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft was launched in 1997 on a mission to observe Saturn and its many moons. After a seven-year cruise, it entered a Saturnian orbit for a four-year, prime mission. Due to the success of the prime mission, spacecraft health, and remaining propellant, a two-year extended mission, the Equinox Mission, was approved. Maneuver designs and analyses performed through the first year of the Equinox Mission are presented. Results for the 46 most recent maneuvers are given. A substantial contribution to the navigation success of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft is the continued accurate performance, which has exceeded the pre-launch expectations and requirements.

Embedded assessment algorithms within home-based cognitive computer game exercises for elders.

PubMed

Jimison, Holly; Pavel, Misha

2006-01-01

With the recent consumer interest in computer-based activities designed to improve cognitive performance, there is a growing need for scientific assessment algorithms to validate the potential contributions of cognitive exercises. In this paper, we present a novel methodology for incorporating dynamic cognitive assessment algorithms within computer games designed to enhance cognitive performance. We describe how this approach works for variety of computer applications and describe cognitive monitoring results for one of the computer game exercises. The real-time cognitive assessments also provide a control signal for adapting the difficulty of the game exercises and providing tailored help for elders of varying abilities.

Dynamical aspects of behavior generation under constraints

PubMed Central

Harter, Derek; Achunala, Srinivas

2007-01-01

Dynamic adaptation is a key feature of brains helping to maintain the quality of their performance in the face of increasingly difficult constraints. How to achieve high-quality performance under demanding real-time conditions is an important question in the study of cognitive behaviors. Animals and humans are embedded in and constrained by their environments. Our goal is to improve the understanding of the dynamics of the interacting brain–environment system by studying human behaviors when completing constrained tasks and by modeling the observed behavior. In this article we present results of experiments with humans performing tasks on the computer under variable time and resource constraints. We compare various models of behavior generation in order to describe the observed human performance. Finally we speculate on mechanisms how chaotic neurodynamics can contribute to the generation of flexible human behaviors under constraints. PMID:19003514

PREFACE: 16th International Conference on Calorimetry in High Energy Physics (CALOR 2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novotny, Rainer W.

2015-02-01

The XVIth International Conference on Calorimetry in High Energy Physics - CALOR 2014 - was held in Giessen, Germany from 6-11 April 2014 at the Science Campus of the University. It was hosted by the Justus-Liebig-University and the HIC for FAIR Helmholtz International Center. The series of conferences on calorimetry were started in 1990 at Fermilab and are focusing primarily on operating and future calorimeter systems within the Hadron and High-Energy Physics community without neglecting the impact on other fields such as Astrophysics or Medical Imaging. Confirmed by the impressive list of over 70 oral presentations, 5 posters and over 100 attendees, the field of calorimetry appears alive and attractive. The present volume contains the written contributions of almost all presentations which can be found at http://calor2014.de. Time slots of 15 or 30 minutes including discussion were allocated. The conference was accompanied by a small exhibition of several industrial companies related to the field. The day before the opening of the scientific program, Richard Wigmans gave an excellent and vivid tutorial on basic aspects on calorimetry meant as an introduction for students and conference attendees new in the field. The opening ceremony was used to give an impression of the present and future status and the scientific program of the new FAIR facility nearby at Darmstadt presented by Klaus Peters from GSI. The conference program of the first day was dedicated to the performance and required future upgrade of the LHC experiments, dominated by ATLAS, CMS and LHCb. The program of the next day contained specific aspects on electronics and readout as well as calorimetry in outer space. Several contributions discussed in detail new concepts for hadron calorimeters within the CALICE collaboration completed by a session on sampling calorimeters. The next sections were dedicated to operating and future calorimeters at various laboratories and covering a wide range of projectiles and beam energies, such as ELSA at Bonn, BELLE2, BESIII or future projects at JLab, FAIR or RHIC. The last group of contributions was focusing on new concepts including new detector materials or techniques taking into account the general demand on radiation hardness. Damage caused by a large fluence of hadrons appears to become the limiting factor for the detector performance in future collider experiments. The scientific program was completed by a single contribution on applications in medical imaging. Marcella Diemoz gave a personal conference summary underlining again the high quality of the presentations, lively discussions and the wide range of the physics program and the related detector systems. The significant support by the Justus-Liebig-University, HIC for FAIR and sponsoring industrial partners allowed to keep the overall costs low and to support the participation of students and young scientists. I personally would like to thank the session chairs, the local organizing committee, the secretaries, technicians and students of the institute for the smooth operation of the conference. Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to all participants who made the conference successful by their high level contributions and discussion distributing their ideas and experiences. Rainer W Novotny Chair of the Conference

A virtual speaker in noisy classroom conditions: supporting or disrupting children's listening comprehension?

PubMed

Nirme, Jens; Haake, Magnus; Lyberg Åhlander, Viveka; Brännström, Jonas; Sahlén, Birgitta

2018-04-05

Seeing a speaker's face facilitates speech recognition, particularly under noisy conditions. Evidence for how it might affect comprehension of the content of the speech is more sparse. We investigated how children's listening comprehension is affected by multi-talker babble noise, with or without presentation of a digitally animated virtual speaker, and whether successful comprehension is related to performance on a test of executive functioning. We performed a mixed-design experiment with 55 (34 female) participants (8- to 9-year-olds), recruited from Swedish elementary schools. The children were presented with four different narratives, each in one of four conditions: audio-only presentation in a quiet setting, audio-only presentation in noisy setting, audio-visual presentation in a quiet setting, and audio-visual presentation in a noisy setting. After each narrative, the children answered questions on the content and rated their perceived listening effort. Finally, they performed a test of executive functioning. We found significantly fewer correct answers to explicit content questions after listening in noise. This negative effect was only mitigated to a marginally significant degree by audio-visual presentation. Strong executive function only predicted more correct answers in quiet settings. Altogether, our results are inconclusive regarding how seeing a virtual speaker affects listening comprehension. We discuss how methodological adjustments, including modifications to our virtual speaker, can be used to discriminate between possible explanations to our results and contribute to understanding the listening conditions children face in a typical classroom.

Factors Contributing to Single- and Dual-Task Timed "Up & Go" Test Performance in Middle-Aged and Older Adults Who Are Active and Dwell in the Community.

PubMed

Chen, Hui-Ya; Tang, Pei-Fang

2016-03-01

Dual-task Timed "Up & Go" (TUG) tests are likely to have applications different from those of a single-task TUG test and may have different contributing factors. The purpose of this study was to compare factors contributing to performance on single- and dual-task TUG tests. This investigation was a cross-sectional study. Sixty-four adults who were more than 50 years of age and dwelled in the community were recruited. Interviews and physical examinations were performed to identify potential contributors to TUG test performance. The time to complete the single-task TUG test (TUGsingle) or the dual-task TUG test, which consisted of completing the TUG test while performing a serial subtraction task (TUGcognitive) or while carrying water (TUGmanual), was measured. Age, hip extensor strength, walking speed, general mental function, and Stroop scores for word and color were significantly associated with performance on all TUG tests. Hierarchical multiple regression models, without the input of walking speed, revealed different independent factors contributing to TUGsingle performance (Mini-Mental Status Examination score, β=-0.32), TUGmanual performance (age, β=0.35), and TUGcognitive performance (Stroop word score, β=-0.40; Mini-Mental Status Examination score, β=-0.31). At least 40% of the variance in the performance on the 3 TUG tests was not explained by common clinical measures, even when the factor of walking speed was considered. However, this study successfully identified some important factors contributing to performance on different TUG tests, and other studies have reported similar findings for single-task TUG test and dual-task gait performance. Although the TUGsingle and the TUGcognitive shared general mental function as a common factor, the TUGmanual was uniquely influenced by age and the TUGcognitive was uniquely influenced by focused attention. These results suggest that both common and unique factors contribute to performance on single- and dual-task TUG tests and suggest important applications of the combined use of the 3 TUG tests. © 2016 American Physical Therapy Association.

Sustainability in humanitarian surgery during medical short-term trips (MSTs): feasibility of inguinal hernia repair in rural Nigeria over 6 years and 13 missions.

PubMed

Oehme, F; Fourie, L; Beeres, F J-P; Ogbaji, S; Nussbaumer, P

2018-06-01

Surgical teaching missions are known to contribute significantly in reducing the local burden of disease. However, the value of short-term medical service trips (MSTs) remains under debate. Humanitarian surgery is highly dependent on funding, and consequently, data evaluation is needed to secure funding for future projects. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the results of 6-year MSTs to rural Nigeria with a specific emphasis on hernia repairs. Retrospective series of consecutive operations performed between 2011 and 2016 in rural Nigeria during 13 MSTs. Operations were categorized into type and number of procedures and origin of the surgeon. In terms of inguinal hernia repairs additional data was evaluated such as frequency of local anaesthesia (LA) and the type of hernia. The total amount of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted during each mission are presented and discussed with regard to sustainability of these missions. From 2011 to 2016, a total of 1674 patients were operated. Of these, 1302 patients were operated for 1481 hernias of which 36.7% accounting as inguinoscrotal hernias. The percentage of operations performed by Nigerian staff increased from 31 to 55%. Overall, eighteen percent of the operations was solely performed by Nigerians. Totally, we averted 8092.83 DALY's accounting for 5.46 DALY's per hernia. The presented missions contribute significantly to an improvement in local healthcare and decrease the burden of disease. We were able to show the sustainable character of these surgical missions. As a next step, we will analyse the cost-effectiveness of MSTs.

Sensory Constraints on Birdsong Syntax: Neural Responses to Swamp Sparrow Songs with Accelerated Trill Rates

PubMed Central

Prather, JF; Peters, S; Mooney, R; Nowicki, S

2013-01-01

Both sensory and motor mechanisms can constrain behavioral performance. Sensory mechanisms may be especially important for constraining behaviors that depend on experience, such as learned birdsongs. Swamp sparrows learn to sing by imitating the song of a tutor, but sparrows fail to accurately imitate artificial tutor songs with abnormally accelerated trills, instead singing brief and rapid trills interrupted by silent gaps. This “broken syntax” has been proposed to arise from vocal-motor limitations. Here we consider whether sensory limitations exist that could also contribute to broken syntax. We tested this idea by recording auditory-evoked activity of sensorimotor neurons in the swamp sparrow’s brain that are known to be important for the learning, performance and perception of song. In freely behaving adult sparrows that sang songs with normal syntax, neurons were detected that exhibited precisely time-locked activity to each repetition of the syllable in a trill when presented at a natural rate. Those cells failed to faithfully follow syllables presented at an accelerated rate, however, and their failure to respond to consecutive syllables increased as a function of trill rate. This “flickering” auditory representation in animals performing normal syntax reveals a central constraint on the sensory processing of rapid trills. Furthermore, because these neurons are implicated in both song learning and perception, and because auditory flickering began to occur at accelerated trill rates previously associated with the emergence of broken song syntax, these sensory constraints may contribute to the emergence of broken syntax. PMID:23976787

Understanding the Relative Contributions of Lower-Level Word Processes, Higher-Level Processes, and Working Memory to Reading Comprehension Performance in Proficient Adult Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hannon, Brenda

2012-01-01

Although a considerable amount of evidence has been amassed regarding the contributions of lower-level word processes, higher-level processes, and working memory to reading comprehension, little is known about the relationships among these sources of individual differences or their relative contributions to reading comprehension performance. This…

High-performance software-only H.261 video compression on PC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasperovich, Leonid

1996-03-01

This paper describes an implementation of a software H.261 codec for PC, that takes an advantage of the fast computational algorithms for DCT-based video compression, which have been presented by the author at the February's 1995 SPIE/IS&T meeting. The motivation for developing the H.261 prototype system is to demonstrate a feasibility of real time software- only videoconferencing solution to operate across a wide range of network bandwidth, frame rate, and resolution of the input video. As the bandwidths of current network technology will be increased, the higher frame rate and resolution of video to be transmitted is allowed, that requires, in turn, a software codec to be able to compress pictures of CIF (352 X 288) resolution at up to 30 frame/sec. Running on Pentium 133 MHz PC the codec presented is capable to compress video in CIF format at 21 - 23 frame/sec. This result is comparable to the known hardware-based H.261 solutions, but it doesn't require any specific hardware. The methods to achieve high performance, the program optimization technique for Pentium microprocessor along with the performance profile, showing the actual contribution of the different encoding/decoding stages to the overall computational process, are presented.

Multisensor Parallel Largest Ellipsoid Distributed Data Fusion with Unknown Cross-Covariances

PubMed Central

Liu, Baoyu; Zhan, Xingqun; Zhu, Zheng H.

2017-01-01

As the largest ellipsoid (LE) data fusion algorithm can only be applied to two-sensor system, in this contribution, parallel fusion structure is proposed to introduce the LE algorithm into a multisensor system with unknown cross-covariances, and three parallel fusion structures based on different estimate pairing methods are presented and analyzed. In order to assess the influence of fusion structure on fusion performance, two fusion performance assessment parameters are defined as Fusion Distance and Fusion Index. Moreover, the formula for calculating the upper bounds of actual fused error covariances of the presented multisensor LE fusers is also provided. Demonstrated with simulation examples, the Fusion Index indicates fuser’s actual fused accuracy and its sensitivity to the sensor orders, as well as its robustness to the accuracy of newly added sensors. Compared to the LE fuser with sequential structure, the LE fusers with proposed parallel structures not only significantly improve their properties in these aspects, but also embrace better performances in consistency and computation efficiency. The presented multisensor LE fusers generally have better accuracies than covariance intersection (CI) fusion algorithm and are consistent when the local estimates are weakly correlated. PMID:28661442

Quality improvement and geographical indication of cachaça (Brazilian spirit) by using locally selected yeast strains.

PubMed

Barbosa, E A; Souza, M T; Diniz, R H S; Godoy-Santos, F; Faria-Oliveira, F; Correa, L F M; Alvarez, F; Coutrim, M X; Afonso, R J C F; Castro, I M; Brandão, R L

2016-10-01

In order to improve the quality and to create a biological basis for obtainment of the protected denomination of origin (PDO), indigenous yeast were isolated and characterized for use in Salinas city (the Brazilian region of quality cachaça production). Seven thousand and two hundred yeast colonies from 15 Salinas city distilleries were screened based on their fermentative behaviour and the physicochemical composition of cachaça. Molecular polymorphic analyses were performed to characterize these isolates. Two Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains (nos. 678 and 680) showed appropriate characteristics to use in the cachaça production: low levels of acetaldehyde and methanol, and high ethyl lactate/ethyl acetate ratio respectively. They also presented polymorphic characteristics more closely related between themselves even when compared to other strains from Salinas. The application of selected yeast to cachaça production can contribute for the improvement of the quality product as well as be used as a natural marker for PDO. This study suggests that the use of selected yeast strains could contribute to obtain a cachaça similar to those produced traditionally, while getting wide acceptation in the market, yet presenting more homogeneous organoleptic characteristics, and thus contributing to the PDO implementation. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Estimating the Fiscal Effects of Public Pharmaceutical Expenditure Reduction in Greece

PubMed Central

Souliotis, Kyriakos; Papageorgiou, Manto; Politi, Anastasia; Frangos, Nikolaos; Tountas, Yiannis

2015-01-01

The purpose of the present study is to estimate the impact of pharmaceutical spending reduction on public revenue, based on data from the national health accounts as well as on reports of Greece’s organizations. The methodology of the analysis is structured in two basic parts. The first part presents the urgency for rapid cutbacks on public pharmaceutical costs due to the financial crisis and provides a conceptual framework for the contribution of the Greek pharmaceutical branch to the country’s economy. In the second part, we perform a quantitative analysis for the estimation of multiplier effects of public pharmaceutical expenditure reduction on main revenue sources, such as taxes and social contributions. We also fit projection models with multipliers as regressands for the evaluation of the efficiency of the particular fiscal measure in the short run. According to the results, nearly half of the gains from the measure’s application is offset by financially equivalent decreases in the government’s revenue, i.e., losses in tax revenues and social security contributions alone, not considering any other direct or indirect costs. The findings of multipliers’ high value and increasing short-term trend imply the measure’s inefficiency henceforward and signal the risk of vicious circles that will provoke the economy’s deprivation of useful resources. PMID:26380249

Estimating the Fiscal Effects of Public Pharmaceutical Expenditure Reduction in Greece.

PubMed

Souliotis, Kyriakos; Papageorgiou, Manto; Politi, Anastasia; Frangos, Nikolaos; Tountas, Yiannis

2015-01-01

The purpose of the present study is to estimate the impact of pharmaceutical spending reduction on public revenue, based on data from the national health accounts as well as on reports of Greece's organizations. The methodology of the analysis is structured in two basic parts. The first part presents the urgency for rapid cutbacks on public pharmaceutical costs due to the financial crisis and provides a conceptual framework for the contribution of the Greek pharmaceutical branch to the country's economy. In the second part, we perform a quantitative analysis for the estimation of multiplier effects of public pharmaceutical expenditure reduction on main revenue sources, such as taxes and social contributions. We also fit projection models with multipliers as regressands for the evaluation of the efficiency of the particular fiscal measure in the short run. According to the results, nearly half of the gains from the measure's application is offset by financially equivalent decreases in the government's revenue, i.e., losses in tax revenues and social security contributions alone, not considering any other direct or indirect costs. The findings of multipliers' high value and increasing short-term trend imply the measure's inefficiency henceforward and signal the risk of vicious circles that will provoke the economy's deprivation of useful resources.

Age associated declines in muscle mass, strength, power, and physical performance: impact on fear of falling and quality of life

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

SUMMARY: This 3 year longitudinal study among older adults showed that declining muscle mass, strength, power, and physical performance are independent contributing factors to increased fear of falling, while declines of muscle mass and physical performance contribute to deterioration of quality of ...

Evaluating the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services to Assess Incorrect Error-Correction Procedures by Preschool Paraprofessionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowe, Melissa; Sellers, Tyra P.

2018-01-01

The Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (PDC-HS) has been used to assess variables contributing to undesirable staff performance. In this study, three preschool teachers completed the PDC-HS to identify the factors contributing to four paraprofessionals' inaccurate implementation of error-correction procedures during discrete trial…

Engineering Self-Efficacy Contributing to the Academic Performance of AMAIUB Engineering Students: A Qualitative Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aleta, Beda T.

2016-01-01

This research study aims to determine the factors of engineering skills self- efficacy sources contributing on the academic performance of AMAIUB engineering students. Thus, a better measure of engineering self-efficacy is needed to adequately assess engineering students' beliefs in their capabilities to perform tasks in their engineering…

Apportionment of motor vehicle emissions from fast changes in number concentration and chemical composition of ultrafine particles near a roadway intersection.

PubMed

Klems, Joseph P; Pennington, M Ross; Zordan, Christopher A; McFadden, Lauren; Johnston, Murray V

2011-07-01

High frequency spikes in ultrafine number concentration near a roadway intersection arise from motor vehicles that accelerate after a red light turns green. The present work describes a method to determine the contribution of motor vehicles to the total ambient ultrafine particle mass by correlating these number concentration spikes with fast changes in ultrafine particle chemical composition measured with the nano aerosol mass spectrometer, NAMS. Measurements were performed at an urban air quality monitoring site in Wilmington, Delaware during the summer and winter of 2009. Motor vehicles were found to contribute 48% of the ultrafine particle mass in the winter measurement period, but only 16% of the ultrafine particle mass in the summer period. Chemical composition profiles and contributions to the ultrafine particle mass of spark vs diesel vehicles were estimated by correlating still camera images, chemical composition and spike contribution at each time interval.. The spark and diesel contributions were roughly equal, but the uncertainty in the split was large. The distribution of emissions from individual vehicles was determined by correlating camera images with the spike contribution to particle number concentration at each time interval. A small percentage of motor vehicles were found to emit a disproportionally large concentration of ultrafine particles, and these high emitters included both spark ignition and diesel vehicles.

Irreversible Entropy Production in Two-Phase Mixing Layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Okongo, Nora

2003-01-01

This report presents a study of dissipation (irreversible production of entropy) in three-dimensional, temporal mixing layers laden with evaporating liquid drops. The purpose of the study is to examine the effects of evaporating drops on the development of turbulent features in flows. Direct numerical simulations were performed to analyze transitional states of three mixing layers: one without drops, and two that included drops at different initial mass loadings. Without drops, the dissipation is essentially due to viscous effects. It was found that in the presence of drops, the largest contribution to dissipation was made by heating and evaporation of the drops, and that at large length scales, this contribution is positive (signifying that the drops reduce turbulence), while at small scales, this contribution is negative (the drops increase turbulence). The second largest contribution to dissipation was found to be associated with the chemical potential, which leads to an increase in turbulence at large scales and a decrease in turbulence at small scales. The next smaller contribution was found to be that of viscosity. The fact that viscosity effects are only third in order of magnitude in the dissipation is in sharp contrast to the situation for the mixing layer without the drops. The next smaller contribution - that of the drag and momentum of the vapor from the drops - was found to be negative at lower mass loading but to become positive at higher mass loading.

Temporal properties of material categorization and material rating: visual vs non-visual material features.

PubMed

Nagai, Takehiro; Matsushima, Toshiki; Koida, Kowa; Tani, Yusuke; Kitazaki, Michiteru; Nakauchi, Shigeki

2015-10-01

Humans can visually recognize material categories of objects, such as glass, stone, and plastic, easily. However, little is known about the kinds of surface quality features that contribute to such material class recognition. In this paper, we examine the relationship between perceptual surface features and material category discrimination performance for pictures of materials, focusing on temporal aspects, including reaction time and effects of stimulus duration. The stimuli were pictures of objects with an identical shape but made of different materials that could be categorized into seven classes (glass, plastic, metal, stone, wood, leather, and fabric). In a pre-experiment, observers rated the pictures on nine surface features, including visual (e.g., glossiness and transparency) and non-visual features (e.g., heaviness and warmness), on a 7-point scale. In the main experiments, observers judged whether two simultaneously presented pictures were classified as the same or different material category. Reaction times and effects of stimulus duration were measured. The results showed that visual feature ratings were correlated with material discrimination performance for short reaction times or short stimulus durations, while non-visual feature ratings were correlated only with performance for long reaction times or long stimulus durations. These results suggest that the mechanisms underlying visual and non-visual feature processing may differ in terms of processing time, although the cause is unclear. Visual surface features may mainly contribute to material recognition in daily life, while non-visual features may contribute only weakly, if at all. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leg stiffness and expertise in men jumping.

PubMed

Laffaye, Guillaume; Bardy, Benoît G; Durey, Alain

2005-04-01

The aim of the present study is to investigate: a) the leg spring behavior in the one-leg vertical jump, b) the contribution of impulse parameters to this behavior, and c) the effect of jumping expertise on leg stiffness. Four categories of experts (handball, basketball, volleyball players, and Fosbury athletes), as well as novice subjects performed a run-and-jump test to touch a ball with the head. Five experimental conditions were tested from 55 to 95% of the maximum jump height. Kinematic and kinetic data were collected using six cameras and a force plate. The mechanical behavior of the musculoskeleton component of the human body can be modeled as a simple mass-spring system, from which leg stiffness values can be extracted to better understand energy transfer during running or jumping. The results indicate that leg stiffness (mean value of 11.5 kN.m) decreased with jumping height. Leg shortening at takeoff also increased with jumping height, whereas contact time decreased (-18%). No difference was found between experts and novices for leg stiffness. However, a principal components analysis (PCA) indicated the contribution of two main factors to the performance. The first factor emerged out of vertical force, stiffness, and duration of impulse. The second factor included leg shortening and jumping height. Differences between experts and novices were observed in terms of the contribution of leg stiffness to jump height, and more importantly, clear differences existed between experts in jumping parameters. The analysis performed on the sport categories indeed revealed different jumping profiles, characterized by specific, sport-related impulse parameters.

Effect of calcination temperature of a copper ferrite synthesized by a sol-gel method on its structural characteristics and performance as Fenton catalyst to remove gallic acid from water.

PubMed

López-Ramón, María V; Álvarez, Miguel A; Moreno-Castilla, Carlos; Fontecha-Cámara, María A; Yebra-Rodríguez, África; Bailón-García, Esther

2018-02-01

A copper ferrite synthesized by a sol-gel combustion method was calcined at different temperatures up to 800°C, determining changes in its structural characteristics and magnetic measurements and studying its catalytic performance in gallic acid removal by Fenton reaction. The main objective was to study the effect of the calcination temperature of copper ferrite on its crystalline phase formation and transformation, activity and metal ion leaching. The cubic-to-tetragonal transformation of the spinel occurred via its reaction with the CuO phase, displacing Fe 3+ ions in B (octahedral) sites out of the spinel structure by the following reaction: 2Fe 3+ B +3CuO→Fe 2 O 3 +3Cu 2+ B . The catalysts showed superparamagnetic or substantial superparamagnetic behaviour. At higher calcination temperatures, catalyst activity was lower, and Cu ion leaching was markedly decreased. There was no Fe ion leaching with any catalyst. The as-prepared catalyst showed better catalytic performance than a commercial copper ferrite. Leached Cu ions acted as homogeneous catalysts, and their contribution to the overall removal mechanism was examined. Cu 2 O present in the as-prepared catalysts made only a small contribution to their activity. Finally, the reutilization of various catalysts was studied by performing different catalytic cycles. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Weathering steel as a potential source for metal contamination: Metal dissolution during 3-year of field exposure in a urban coastal site.

PubMed

Raffo, Simona; Vassura, Ivano; Chiavari, Cristina; Martini, Carla; Bignozzi, Maria C; Passarini, Fabrizio; Bernardi, Elena

2016-06-01

Surface and building runoff can significantly contribute to the total metal loading in urban runoff waters, with potential adverse effects on the receiving ecosystems. The present paper analyses the corrosion-induced metal dissolution (Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Cu) from weathering steel (Cor-Ten A) with or without artificial patinas, exposed for 3 years in unsheltered conditions at a marine urban site (Rimini, Italy). The influence of environmental parameters, atmospheric pollutants and surface finish on the release of dissolved metals in rain was evaluated, also by means of multivariate analysis (two-way and three-way Principal Component Analysis). In addition, surface and cross-section investigations were performed so as to monitor the patina evolution. The contribution provided by weathering steel runoff to the dissolved Fe, Mn and Ni loading at local level is not negligible and pre-patination treatments seem to worsen the performance of weathering steel in term of metal release. Metal dissolution is strongly affected by extreme events and shows seasonal variations, with different influence of seasonal parameters on the behaviour of bare or artificially patinated steel, suggesting that climate changes could significantly influence metal release from this alloy. Therefore, it is essential to perform a long-term monitoring of the performance, the durability and the environmental impact of weathering steel. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An improved Monte-Carlo model of the Varian EPID separating support arm and rear-housing backscatter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monville, M. E.; Kuncic, Z.; Greer, P. B.

2014-03-01

Previous investigators of EPID dosimetric properties have ascribed the backscatter, that contaminates dosimetric EPID images, to its supporting arm. Accordingly, Monte-Carlo (MC) EPID models have approximated the backscatter signal from the layers under the detector and the robotic support arm using either uniform or non-uniform solid water slabs, or through convolutions with back-scatter kernels. The aim of this work is to improve the existent MC models by measuring and modelling the separate backscatter contributions of the robotic arm and the rear plastic housing of the EPID. The EPID plastic housing is non-uniform with a 11.9 cm wide indented section that runs across the cross-plane direction in the superior half of the EPID which is 1.75 cm closer to the EPID sensitive layer than the rest of the housing. The thickness of the plastic housing is 0.5 cm. Experiments were performed with and without the housing present by removing all components of the EPID from the housing. The robotic support arm was not present for these measurements. A MC model of the linear accelerator and the EPID was modified to include the rear-housing indentation and results compared to the measurement. The rear housing was found to contribute a maximum of 3% additional signal. The rear housing contribution to the image is non-uniform in the in-plane direction with 2% asymmetry across the central 20 cm of an image irradiating the entire detector. The MC model was able to reproduce this non-uniform contribution. The EPID rear housing contributes a non-uniform backscatter component to the EPID image, which has not been previously characterized. This has been incorporated into an improved MC model of the EPID.

Present status of numerical modeling of hydrogen negative ion source plasmas and its comparison with experiments: Japanese activities and their collaboration with experimental groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatayama, A.; Nishioka, S.; Nishida, K.; Mattei, S.; Lettry, J.; Miyamoto, K.; Shibata, T.; Onai, M.; Abe, S.; Fujita, S.; Yamada, S.; Fukano, A.

2018-06-01

The present status of kinetic modeling of particle dynamics in hydrogen negative ion (H‑) source plasmas and their comparisons with experiments are reviewed and discussed with some new results. The main focus is placed on the following topics, which are important for the research and development of H‑ sources for intense and high-quality H‑ ion beams: (i) effects of non-equilibrium features of electron energy distribution function on volume and surface H‑ production, (ii) the origin of the spatial non-uniformity in giant multi-cusp arc-discharge H‑ sources, (iii) capacitive to inductive (E to H) mode transition in radio frequency-inductively coupled plasma H‑ sources and (iv) extraction physics of H‑ ions and beam optics, especially the present understanding of the meniscus formation in strongly electronegative plasmas (so-called ion–ion plasmas) and its effect on beam optics. For these topics, mainly Japanese modeling activities, and their domestic and international collaborations with experimental studies, are introduced with some examples showing how models have been improved and to what extent the modeling studies can presently contribute to improving the source performance. Close collaboration between experimental and modeling activities is indispensable for the validation/improvement of the modeling and its contribution to the source design/development.

Glass formability in medium-sized molecular systems/pharmaceuticals. I. Thermodynamics vs. kinetics.

PubMed

Tu, Wenkang; Li, Xiangqian; Chen, Zeming; Liu, Ying Dan; Labardi, Massimiliano; Capaccioli, Simone; Paluch, M; Wang, Li-Min

2016-05-07

Scrutinizing critical thermodynamic and kinetic factors for glass formation and the glass stability of materials would benefit the screening of the glass formers for the industry of glassy materials. The present work aims at elucidating the factors that contribute to the glass formation by investigating medium-sized molecules of pharmaceuticals. Glass transition related thermodynamics and kinetics are performed on the pharmaceuticals using calorimetric, dielectric, and viscosity measurements. The characteristic thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of glass transition are found to reproduce the relations established for small-molecule glass formers. The systematic comparison of the thermodynamic and kinetic contributions to glass formation reveals that the melting-point viscosity is the crucial quantity for the glass formation. Of more interest is the finding of a rough correlation between the melting-point viscosity and the entropy of fusion normalized by the number of beads of the pharmaceuticals, suggesting the thermodynamics can partly manifest its contribution to glass formation via kinetics.

Glass formability in medium-sized molecular systems/pharmaceuticals. I. Thermodynamics vs. kinetics

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

Tu, Wenkang; Li, Xiangqian; Chen, Zeming

Scrutinizing critical thermodynamic and kinetic factors for glass formation and the glass stability of materials would benefit the screening of the glass formers for the industry of glassy materials. The present work aims at elucidating the factors that contribute to the glass formation by investigating medium-sized molecules of pharmaceuticals. Glass transition related thermodynamics and kinetics are performed on the pharmaceuticals using calorimetric, dielectric, and viscosity measurements. The characteristic thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of glass transition are found to reproduce the relations established for small-molecule glass formers. The systematic comparison of the thermodynamic and kinetic contributions to glass formation reveals thatmore » the melting-point viscosity is the crucial quantity for the glass formation. Of more interest is the finding of a rough correlation between the melting-point viscosity and the entropy of fusion normalized by the number of beads of the pharmaceuticals, suggesting the thermodynamics can partly manifest its contribution to glass formation via kinetics.« less

The Contribution of Segmental and Suprasegmental Phonology to Reading Comprehension

PubMed Central

Veenendaal, Nathalie J.; Groen, Margriet A.; Verhoeven, Ludo

2016-01-01

The aim of the present study was to examine the relation between decoding and segmental and suprasegmental phonology, and their contribution to reading comprehension, in the upper primary grades. Following a longitudinal design, the performance of 99 Dutch primary school children on phonological awareness (segmental phonology) and text reading prosody (suprasegmental phonology) in fourth-grade and fifth-grade, and reading comprehension in sixth-grade were examined. In addition, decoding efficiency as a general assessment of reading was examined. Structural path modeling firstly showed that the relation between decoding efficiency and both measures of phonology from fourth- to fifth grade was unidirectional. Secondly, the relation between decoding in fourth- and fifth-grade and reading comprehension in sixth-grade became indirect when segmental and suprasegmental phonology were added to the model. Both factors independently exerted influence on later reading comprehension. This leads to the conclusion that not only segmental, but also suprasegmental phonology, contributes substantially to children's reading development. PMID:27551159

α5 nAChR modulation of the prefrontal cortex makes attention resilient.

PubMed

Howe, William M; Brooks, Julie L; Tierney, Patrick L; Pang, Jincheng; Rossi, Amie; Young, Damon; Dlugolenski, Keith; Guillmette, Ed; Roy, Marc; Hales, Katherine; Kozak, Rouba

2018-03-01

A loss-of-function polymorphism in the α5 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit gene has been linked to both drug abuse and schizophrenia. The α5 nAChR subunit is strategically positioned in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), where a loss-of-function in this subunit may contribute to cognitive disruptions in both disorders. However, the specific contribution of α5 to PFC-dependent cognitive functions has yet to be illustrated. In the present studies, we used RNA interference to knockdown the α5 nAChR subunit in the PFC of adult rats. We provide evidence that through its contribution to cholinergic modulation of cholinergic modulation of neurons in the PFC, the α5 nAChR plays a specific role in the recovery of attention task performance following distraction. Our combined data reveal the potent ability of this subunit to modulate the PFC and cognitive functions controlled by this brain region that are impaired in disease.

A tank-to-wheel analysis tool for energy and emissions studies in road vehicles.

PubMed

Silva, C M; Gonçalves, G A; Farias, T L; Mendes-Lopes, J M C

2006-08-15

Currently, oil based fuels are the primary energy source of road transport. The growing need for oil independence and CO(2) mitigation has lead to the increasing importance of alternative fuel usage. CO(2) is produced not only as the fuel is used in the vehicle (tank-to-wheel contribution), but also upstream, from the fuel extraction to the refueling station (well-to-tank contribution), and the life cycle of the fuel production (well-to-wheel contribution) must be considered in order to analyse the global impact of the fuel utilization. A road vehicle tank-to-wheel analysis tool that may be integrated with well-to-tank models was developed in the present study. The integration in a demonstration case study allowed to perform a life cycle assessment concerning the utilization of diesel and natural gas fuels in a specific network line of a bus transit company operating in the city of Porto, Portugal.

Promoting Health Equity And Eliminating Disparities Through Performance Measurement And Payment.

PubMed

Anderson, Andrew C; O'Rourke, Erin; Chin, Marshall H; Ponce, Ninez A; Bernheim, Susannah M; Burstin, Helen

2018-03-01

Current approaches to health care quality have failed to reduce health care disparities. Despite dramatic increases in the use of quality measurement and associated payment policies, there has been no notable implementation of measurement strategies to reduce health disparities. The National Quality Forum developed a road map to demonstrate how measurement and associated policies can contribute to eliminating disparities and promote health equity. Specifically, the road map presents a four-part strategy whose components are identifying and prioritizing areas to reduce health disparities, implementing evidence-based interventions to reduce disparities, investing in the development and use of health equity performance measures, and incentivizing the reduction of health disparities and achievement of health equity. To demonstrate how the road map can be applied, we present an example of how measurement and value-based payment can be used to reduce racial disparities in hypertension among African Americans.

Trends in Cochlear Implants

PubMed Central

Zeng, Fan-Gang

2004-01-01

More than 60,000 people worldwide use cochlear implants as a means to restore functional hearing. Although individual performance variability is still high, an average implant user can talk on the phone in a quiet environment. Cochlear-implant research has also matured as a field, as evidenced by the exponential growth in both the patient population and scientific publication. The present report examines current issues related to audiologic, clinical, engineering, anatomic, and physiologic aspects of cochlear implants, focusing on their psychophysical, speech, music, and cognitive performance. This report also forecasts clinical and research trends related to presurgical evaluation, fitting protocols, signal processing, and postsurgical rehabilitation in cochlear implants. Finally, a future landscape in amplification is presented that requires a unique, yet complementary, contribution from hearing aids, middle ear implants, and cochlear implants to achieve a total solution to the entire spectrum of hearing loss treatment and management. PMID:15247993

The relationship between face recognition ability and socioemotional functioning throughout adulthood.

PubMed

Turano, Maria Teresa; Viggiano, Maria Pia

2017-11-01

The relationship between face recognition ability and socioemotional functioning has been widely explored. However, how aging modulates this association regarding both objective performance and subjective-perception is still neglected. Participants, aged between 18 and 81 years, performed a face memory test and completed subjective face recognition and socioemotional questionnaires. General and social anxiety, and neuroticism traits account for the individual variation in face recognition abilities during adulthood. Aging modulates these relationships because as they age, individuals that present a higher level of these traits also show low-level face recognition ability. Intriguingly, the association between depression and face recognition abilities is evident with increasing age. Overall, the present results emphasize the importance of embedding face metacognition measurement into the context of these studies and suggest that aging is an important factor to be considered, which seems to contribute to the relationship between socioemotional and face-cognitive functioning.

Evaluation of a linear washout for simulator motion cue presentation during landing approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parrish, R. V.; Martin, D. J., Jr.

1975-01-01

The comparison of a fixed-base versus a five-degree-of-freedom motion base simulation of a 737 conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) aircraft performing instrument landing system (ILS) landing approaches was used to evaluate a linear motion washout technique. The fact that the pilots felt that the addition of motion increased the pilot workload and this increase was not reflected in the objective data results, indicates that motion cues, as presented, are not a contributing factor to root-mean-square (rms) performance during the landing approach task. Subjective results from standard maneuvering about straight-and-level flight for specific motion cue evaluation revealed that the longitudinal channels (pitch and surge) possibly the yaw channel produce acceptable motions. The roll cue representation, involving both roll and sway channels, was found to be inadequate for large roll inputs, as used for example, in turn entries.

A Simple Global View of Fuel Burnup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sekimoto, Hiroshi

2017-01-01

Reactor physics and fuel burnup are discussed in order to obtain a simple global view of the effects of nuclear reactor characteristics to fuel cycle system performance. It may provide some idea of free thinking and overall vision, though it is still a small part of nuclear energy system. At the beginning of this lecture, governing equations for nuclear reactors are presented. Since the set of these equations is so big and complicated, it is simplified by imposing some extreme conditions and the nuclear equilibrium equation is derived. Some features of future nuclear equilibrium state are obtained by solving this equation. The contribution of a nucleus charged into reactor core to the system performance indexes such as criticality is worth for understanding the importance of each nuclide. It is called nuclide importance and can be evaluated by using the equations adjoint to the nuclear equilibrium equation. Examples of some importances and their application to criticalily search problem are presented.

Optimal design of loudspeaker arrays for robust cross-talk cancellation using the Taguchi method and the genetic algorithm.

PubMed

Bai, Mingsian R; Tung, Chih-Wei; Lee, Chih-Chung

2005-05-01

An optimal design technique of loudspeaker arrays for cross-talk cancellation with application in three-dimensional audio is presented. An array focusing scheme is presented on the basis of the inverse propagation that relates the transducers to a set of chosen control points. Tikhonov regularization is employed in designing the inverse cancellation filters. An extensive analysis is conducted to explore the cancellation performance and robustness issues. To best compromise the performance and robustness of the cross-talk cancellation system, optimal configurations are obtained with the aid of the Taguchi method and the genetic algorithm (GA). The proposed systems are further justified by physical as well as subjective experiments. The results reveal that large number of loudspeakers, closely spaced configuration, and optimal control point design all contribute to the robustness of cross-talk cancellation systems (CCS) against head misalignment.

Impaired action self-monitoring and cognitive confidence among ultra-high risk for psychosis and first-episode psychosis patients.

PubMed

Gawęda, Ł; Li, E; Lavoie, S; Whitford, T J; Moritz, S; Nelson, B

2018-01-01

Self-monitoring biases and overconfidence in incorrect judgments have been suggested as playing a role in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Little is known about whether self-monitoring biases may contribute to early risk factors for psychosis. In this study, action self-monitoring (i.e., discrimination between imagined and performed actions) was investigated, along with confidence in judgments among ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis individuals and first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients. Thirty-six UHR for psychosis individuals, 25 FEP patients and 33 healthy controls (CON) participated in the study. Participants were assessed with the Action memory task. Simple actions were presented to participants verbally or non-verbally. Some actions were required to be physically performed and others were imagined. Participants were asked whether the action was presented verbally or non-verbally (action presentation type discrimination), and whether the action was performed or imagined (self-monitoring). Confidence self-ratings related to self-monitoring responses were obtained. The analysis of self-monitoring revealed that both UHR and FEP groups misattributed imagined actions as being performed (i.e., self-monitoring errors) significantly more often than the CON group. There were no differences regarding performed actions as being imagined. UHR and FEP groups made their false responses with higher confidence in their judgments than the CON group. There were no group differences regarding discrimination between the types of actions presented (verbal vs non-verbal). A specific type of self-monitoring bias (i.e., misattributing imagined actions with performed actions), accompanied by high confidence in this judgment, may be a risk factor for the subsequent development of a psychotic disorder. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Taguchi Method Applied in Optimization of Shipley SJR 5740 Positive Resist Deposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hui, A.; Blosiu, J. O.; Wiberg, D. V.

1998-01-01

Taguchi Methods of Robust Design presents a way to optimize output process performance through an organized set of experiments by using orthogonal arrays. Analysis of variance and signal-to-noise ratio is used to evaluate the contribution of each of the process controllable parameters in the realization of the process optimization. In the photoresist deposition process, there are numerous controllable parameters that can affect the surface quality and thickness of the final photoresist layer.

Structureborne noise investigations of a twin engine aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garrelick, J. M.; Cole, J. E., III; Martini, K.

1986-01-01

The interior noise of aircraft powered by advanced turbo-prop concepts is likely to have nonnegligible contributions from structureborne paths, these paths being those involving propeller loads transmitted to the structures of the lifting surfaces. As a means of examining these paths, structural measurements have been performed on a small twin-engine aircraft, and in addition analytical models of the structure have been developed. In this paper results from both portions of this study are presented.

Quantitative Analysis of Contributing Factors Affecting Patient Satisfaction in Family Medicine Service Clinics at Brooke Army Medical Center

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-06

Predictors of patient satisfaction for Brooke Army Medical Center Family Medicine Service primary care clinics was performed. Data was obtained from...Factors Affecting Patient Satisfaction in Family Medicine Service Clinics at Brooke Army Medical Center Presented to MAJ Eric Schmacker, Ph.D. In...study. All patients ’ medical information was protected at all times and under no circumstances will be discussed or released to any outside agency

Multi-criteria decision support framework for sustainable implementation of effective green supply chain management practices.

PubMed

Boutkhoum, Omar; Hanine, Mohamed; Boukhriss, Hicham; Agouti, Tarik; Tikniouine, Abdessadek

2016-01-01

At present, environmental issues become real critical barriers for many supply chain corporations concerning the sustainability of their businesses. In this context, several studies have been proposed from both academia and industry trying to develop new measurements related to green supply chain management (GSCM) practices to overcome these barriers, which will help create new environmental strategies, implementing those practices in their manufacturing processes. The objective of this study is to present the technical and analytical contribution that multi-criteria decision making analysis (MCDA) can bring to environmental decision making problems, and especially to GSCM field. For this reason, a multi-criteria decision-making methodology, combining fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (fuzzy TOPSIS), is proposed to contribute to a better understanding of new sustainable strategies through the identification and evaluation of the most appropriate GSCM practices to be adopted by industrial organizations. The fuzzy AHP process is used to construct hierarchies of the influential criteria, and then identify the importance weights of the selected criteria, while the fuzzy TOPSIS process employs these weighted criteria as inputs to evaluate and measure the performance of each alternative. To illustrate the effectiveness and performance of our MCDA approach, we have applied it to a chemical industry corporation located in Safi, Morocco.

Dietary ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids improves learning performance of diabetic rats by regulating the neuron excitability.

PubMed

Yang, R-H; Wang, F; Hou, X-H; Cao, Z-P; Wang, B; Xu, X-N; Hu, S-J

2012-06-14

Previous research has demonstrated that diabetes induced learning and memory deficits. However, the mechanism of memory impairment induced by diabetes is poorly understood. Dietary fatty acids, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), have been shown to enhance learning and memory and prevent memory deficits in various experimental conditions. Sprague-Dawley rats were used in the present study to investigate the effect of fish oil supplementation on spatial learning and memory of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats with the Morris Water Maze. The excitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons and the related ionic currents was also examined. Diabetes impaired spatial learning and memory of rats. Diabetes decreased the sodium currents and increased the potassium currents, and further led to the reduction of excitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons, effects which may contribute to the behavioral deficits. Fish oil dietary supplementation decreased the transient currents and Kv4.2 expression in the hippocampus and partially improved learning performance of diabetic rats. The results of the present study suggested that sodium and potassium currents contributed to the inhibitory effect of diabetes on neuron excitability, further influencing learning and memory processing. Dietary fish oil may modulate the membrane excitability and is a possible strategy for preventing the impairments of diabetes on hippocampal function. Copyright © 2012 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Instructional strategies for online introductory college physics based on learning styles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekwue, Eleazer U.

The practical nature of physics and its reliance on mathematical presentations and problem solving pose a challenge toward presentation of the course in an online environment for effective learning experience. Most first-time introductory college physics students fail to grasp the basic concepts of the course and the problem solving skills if the instructional strategy used to deliver the course is not compatible with the learners' preferred learning styles. This study investigates the effect of four instructional strategies based on four learning styles (listening, reading, iconic, and direct-experience) to improve learning for introductory college physics in an online environment. Learning styles of 146 participants were determined with Canfield Learning Style inventory. Of the 85 learners who completed the study, research results showed a statistically significant increase in learning performance following the online instruction in all four learning style groups. No statistically significant differences in learning were found among the four groups. However, greater significant academic improvement was found among learners with iconic and direct-experience modes of learning. Learners in all four groups expressed that the design of the unit presentation to match their individual learning styles contributed most to their learning experience. They were satisfied with learning a new physics concept online that, in their opinion, is either comparable or better than an instructor-led classroom experience. Findings from this study suggest that learners' performance and satisfaction in an online introductory physics course could be improved by using instructional designs that are tailored to learners' preferred ways of learning. It could contribute toward the challenge of providing viable online physics instruction in colleges and universities.

Characteristics and clinical correlates of prospective memory performance in first-episode schizophrenia.

PubMed

Zhou, Fu-Chun; Xiang, Yu-Tao; Wang, Chuan-Yue; Dickerson, Faith; Au, Raymond W C; Zhou, Jing-Jing; Zhou, Yan; Shum, David H K; Chiu, Helen F K; Man, David; Lee, Edwin H M; Yu, Xin; Chan, Raymond C K; Ungvari, Gabor S

2012-03-01

The aim of this study was to examine prospective memory (PM) and its socio-demographic, clinical, and neurocognitive correlates in first episode schizophrenia (FES). Fifty-one FES patients and 42 healthy controls formed the study sample. Time- and event-based PM (TBPM and EBPM) performance were measured with the Chinese version of the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (C-CAMPROMPT). A battery of neuropsychological tests was also administered. Patients' clinical symptoms were evaluated with the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS). Patients performed significantly worse in both TBPM (8.7 ± 5.3 vs. 14.8 ± 3.5) and EBPM (11.3 ± 4.7 vs. 15.7 ± 2.7) than the controls. After controlling for age, gender, education level and neurocognitive test score, the difference in performance on the two types of PM tasks between patients and controls was no longer present. In multiple linear regression analyses, longer duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), lower scores of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) and the categories completed of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST-CC) and higher score of the Color Trails Test-2 (CTT-2) contributed to poorer TBPM performance, while lower score of HVLT-R, higher score of the perseverative errors of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST-PE) and longer DUP contributed to worse performance on EBPM. Both subtypes of PM are impaired in first-episode schizophrenia suggesting that PM deficits are an integral part of the cognitive dysfunction in the disease process. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

L1 Adaptive Control Law for Flexible Space Launch Vehicle and Proposed Plan for Flight Test Validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kharisov, Evgeny; Gregory, Irene M.; Cao, Chengyu; Hovakimyan, Naira

2008-01-01

This paper explores application of the L1 adaptive control architecture to a generic flexible Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV). Adaptive control has the potential to improve performance and enhance safety of space vehicles that often operate in very unforgiving and occasionally highly uncertain environments. NASA s development of the next generation space launch vehicles presents an opportunity for adaptive control to contribute to improved performance of this statically unstable vehicle with low damping and low bending frequency flexible dynamics. In this paper, we consider the L1 adaptive output feedback controller to control the low frequency structural modes and propose steps to validate the adaptive controller performance utilizing one of the experimental test flights for the CLV Ares-I Program.

Teaching the teachers.

PubMed

Zavalkoff, Anne

2002-10-01

SUMMARY This paper presents a conceptual tool designed to help teacher education students think critically about the roots and consequences of personal, parental, community, and institutional resistance to diverse sexual identities and behaviours. To explore the roots of sexualized and gendered prejudice and ground the conceptual tool theoretically, it begins with a careful examination of Judith Butler's work on performativity. The paper then describes and illustrates the conceptual tool. The Continuum of (Subversive) Drag Performance helps stimulate critical thinking about the power implications of people's sexed and gendered performances through its six ranges: Radical, Stealth, Commercial, Passing, Mainstream, and Privileged. Because these ranges are independent of common considerations of "normalcy," they offer teacher education students a relatively unthreatening framework for analyzing conceptions of sexuality and gender that, left unexamined, can contribute to sexism, heterosexism, and homophobia.

Injection of a Body into a Geodesic: Lessons Learnt from the LISA Pathfinder Case

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bortoluzzi, Daniele; Armano, M.; Audley, H.; Auger, G.; Baird, J.; Binetruy, P.; Born, M.; Bortoluzzi, D.; Brandt, N.; Bursi, A.;

Performance of High-Speed PWM Control Chips at Cryogenic Temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elbuluk, Malik E.; Gerber, Scott; Hammoud, Ahmad; Patterson, Richard; Overton, Eric

2001-01-01

The operation of power electronic systems at cryogenic temperatures is anticipated in many NASA space missions such as planetary exploration and deep space probes. In addition to surviving the space hostile environment, electronics capable of low temperature operation would contribute to improving circuit performance, increasing system efficiency, and reducing development and launch costs. As part of the NASA Glenn Low Temperature Electronics Program, several commercial high-speed Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) chips have been characterized in terms of their performance as a function of temperature in the range of 25 to -196 C (liquid nitrogen). These chips ranged in their electrical characteristics, modes of control, packaging options, and applications. The experimental procedures along with the experimental data obtained on the investigated chips are presented and discussed.

Dual-fission chamber and neutron beam characterization for fission product yield measurements using monoenergetic neutrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhatia, C.; Fallin, B.; Gooden, M. E.; Howell, C. R.; Kelley, J. H.; Tornow, W.; Arnold, C. W.; Bond, E. M.; Bredeweg, T. A.; Fowler, M. M.; Moody, W. A.; Rundberg, R. S.; Rusev, G.; Vieira, D. J.; Wilhelmy, J. B.; Becker, J. A.; Macri, R.; Ryan, C.; Sheets, S. A.; Stoyer, M. A.; Tonchev, A. P.

2014-09-01

A program has been initiated to measure the energy dependence of selected high-yield fission products used in the analysis of nuclear test data. We present out initial work of neutron activation using a dual-fission chamber with quasi-monoenergetic neutrons and gamma-counting method. Quasi-monoenergetic neutrons of energies from 0.5 to 15 MeV using the TUNL 10 MV FM tandem to provide high-precision and self-consistent measurements of fission product yields (FPY). The final FPY results will be coupled with theoretical analysis to provide a more fundamental understanding of the fission process. To accomplish this goal, we have developed and tested a set of dual-fission ionization chambers to provide an accurate determination of the number of fissions occurring in a thick target located in the middle plane of the chamber assembly. Details of the fission chamber and its performance are presented along with neutron beam production and characterization. Also presented are studies on the background issues associated with room-return and off-energy neutron production. We show that the off-energy neutron contribution can be significant, but correctable, while room-return neutron background levels contribute less than <1% to the fission signal.

Reprint of: Ionization probabilities of Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe by proton impact for different initial states and impact energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montanari, C. C.; Miraglia, J. E.

2018-01-01

In this contribution we present ab initio results for ionization total cross sections, probabilities at zero impact parameter, and impact parameter moments of order +1 and -1 of Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe by proton impact in an extended energy range from 100 keV up to 10 MeV. The calculations were performed by using the continuum distorted wave eikonal initial state approximation (CDW-EIS) for energies up to 1 MeV, and using the first Born approximation for larger energies. The convergence of the CDW-EIS to the first Born above 1 MeV is clear in the present results. Our inner-shell ionization cross sections are compared with the available experimental data and with the ECPSSR results. We also include in this contribution the values of the ionization probabilities at the origin, and the impact parameter dependence. These values have been employed in multiple ionization calculations showing very good description of the experimental data. Tables of the ionization probabilities are presented, disaggregated for the different initial bound states, considering all the shells for Ne and Ar, the M-N shells of Kr and the N-O shells of Xe.

Chest pain in the emergency room-an interesting case presentation.

PubMed

Turner, Michael C

2016-12-01

A 61-year-old woman presented to the emergency room with atypical chest pain, non-diagnostic electrocardiogram, and an initial troponin level that was normal. A coronary computed tomography angio (CCTA) was performed, and on initial review, it appeared to be normal. Subsequent review including evaluation of functional data from the retrospective scan identified a distal left anterior descending occlusion and an apical wall-motion abnormality with no other evidence of heart disease. This case illustrates the complementary contribution of anatomic and functional data and serves to remind us that on rare occasions, what looks "normal" is not always normal. © 2016, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Efficiency Assessment of a Blended-Learning Educational Methodology in Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogado, Ana Belén González; Conde, Ma José Rodríguez; Migueláñez, Susana Olmos; Riaza, Blanca García; Peñalvo, Francisco José García

The content of this presentation highlights the importance of an active learning methodology in engineering university degrees in Spain. We present of some of the outcomes from an experimental study carried out during the academic years 2007/08 and 2008/09 with engineering students (Technical Industrial Engineering: Mechanics, Civical Design Engineering: Civical building, Technical Architecture and Technical Engineering on Computer Management.) at the University of Salamanca. In this research we select a subject which is common for the four degrees: Computer Science. This study has the aim of contributing to the improvement of education and teaching methods for a better performance of students in Engineering.

Flying wings / flying fuselages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Richard M.; Bauer, Steven X. S.

2001-01-01

The present paper has documented the historical relationships between various classes of all lifting vehicles, which includes the flying wing, all wing, tailless, lifting body, and lifting fuselage. The diversity in vehicle focus was to ensure that all vehicle types that map have contributed to or been influenced by the development of the classical flying wing concept was investigated. The paper has provided context and perspective for present and future aircraft design studies that may employ the all lifting vehicle concept. The paper also demonstrated the benefit of developing an understanding of the past in order to obtain the required knowledge to create future concepts with significantly improved aerodynamic performance.

Beauty production at HERA

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

Yagues, A.

Beauty quark production in ep collisions is being studied at HERA. The latest results in deep inelastic scattering (DIS) and photoproduction (PHP) regime performed by the ZEUS and HI experiments are presented here. The first measurement exploits the potential of the ZEUS mi-crovertex detector to identify beauty in PHP dijet events in an inclusive analysis. In the second measurement, beauty quarks were identified through their decays into muons. Finally, two measurements of the beauty contribution to the proton structure function, F{sub 2}{sup b???b}, in DIS are presented. The four measurements are consistent with previous results and are reasonably well describedmore » by QCD predictions.« less

Apollo experience report: Electronic systems test program accomplishments and results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ohnesorge, T. E.

1972-01-01

A chronological record is presented of the Electronic Systems Test Program from its conception in May 1963 to December 1969. The original concept of the program, which was primarily a spacecraft/Manned Space Flight Network communications system compatibility and performance evaluation, is described. The evolution of these concepts to include various levels of test detail, as well as systems level design verification testing, is discussed. Actual implementation of these concepts is presented, and the facility to support the program is described. Test results are given, and significant contributions to the lunar landing mission are underlined. Plans for modifying the facility and the concepts, based on Apollo experience, are proposed.

Practical measures of cognitive function and promotion of their performance in the context of research.

PubMed

Gujski, Mariusz; Juńczyk, Tomasz; Pinkas, Jaroslaw; Owoc, Alfred; Bojar, Iwona

2016-09-01

The aging of the population generates a number of very interesting research questions in the fields of medicine, psychology, sociology, demography, and many others. One of the issues subject to both intensive research by scientists and exploration by practitioners is associated with cognitive functions. The article presents current knowledge regarding practical actions in the field of promoting cognitive function using diagnostic programmes and training using modern technologies. An important aspect presented in this study is also related to the welfare of the maintenance or improvement of cognitive function. Information and communication technologies will contribute to the dissemination of computerized cognitive training, also personalized.

Multiobjective Decision Making Policies and Coordination Mechanisms in Hierarchical Organizations: Results of an Agent-Based Simulation

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

This paper analyses how different coordination modes and different multiobjective decision making approaches interfere with each other in hierarchical organizations. The investigation is based on an agent-based simulation. We apply a modified NK-model in which we map multiobjective decision making as adaptive walk on multiple performance landscapes, whereby each landscape represents one objective. We find that the impact of the coordination mode on the performance and the speed of performance improvement is critically affected by the selected multiobjective decision making approach. In certain setups, the performances achieved with the more complex multiobjective decision making approaches turn out to be less sensitive to the coordination mode than the performances achieved with the less complex multiobjective decision making approaches. Furthermore, we present results on the impact of the nature of interactions among decisions on the achieved performance in multiobjective setups. Our results give guidance on how to control the performance contribution of objectives to overall performance and answer the question how effective certain multiobjective decision making approaches perform under certain circumstances (coordination mode and interdependencies among decisions). PMID:25152926

Improved regional sea-level estimates from Ice Sheets, Glaciers and land water storage using GRACE time series and other data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Z.; Velicogna, I.; Hsu, C. W.; Rignot, E. J.; Mouginot, J.; Scheuchl, B.; Fettweis, X.; van den Broeke, M. R.

2017-12-01

Changes in ice sheets, glaciers and ice caps (GIC) and land water mass cause regional sea level variations that differ significantly from a uniform re-distribution of mass over the ocean, with a decrease in sea level compared to the global mean sea level contribution (GMSL) near the sources of mass added to the ocean and an increase up to 30% larger than the GMSL in the far field. The corresponding sea level fingerprints (SLF) are difficult to separate from ocean dynamics on short time and spatial scales but as ice melt continues, the SLF signal will become increasingly dominant in the pattern of regional sea level rise. It has been anticipated that it will be another few decades before the land ice SLF could be identified in the pattern of regional sea level rise. Here, we combine 40 years of observations of ice sheet mass balance for Antarctica (1975-present) and Greenland (1978-present), along with surface mass balance reconstructions of glacier and ice caps mass balance (GIC) from 1970s to present to determine the contribution to the SLF from melting land ice (MAR and RACMO). We compare the results with observations from GRACE for the time period 2002 to present for evaluation of our approach. Land hydrology is constrained by GRACE data for the period 2002-present and by the GLDAS-NOAH land hydrology model for the longer time period. Over the long time period, we find that the contribution from land ice dominates. We quantify the contribution to the total SLF from Greenland and Antarctica in various parts of the world over the past 40 years. More important, we compare the cumulative signal from SLF with tide gauge records around the world, corrected for earth dynamics, to determine whether the land ice SLF can be detected in that record. Early results will be reported at the meeting. This work was performed at UC Irvine and at Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory under a contract with NASA's Cryospheric Science Program.

Investigation of Perceptual-Motor Behavior Across the Expert Athlete to Disabled Patient Skill Continuum can Advance Theory and Practical Application.

PubMed

Müller, Sean; Vallence, Ann-Maree; Winstein, Carolee

2017-12-14

A framework is presented of how theoretical predictions can be tested across the expert athlete to disabled patient skill continuum. Common-coding theory is used as the exemplar to discuss sensory and motor system contributions to perceptual-motor behavior. Behavioral and neural studies investigating expert athletes and patients recovering from cerebral stroke are reviewed. They provide evidence of bi-directional contributions of visual and motor systems to perceptual-motor behavior. Majority of this research is focused on perceptual-motor performance or learning, with less on transfer. The field is ripe for research designed to test theoretical predictions across the expert athlete to disabled patient skill continuum. Our view has implications for theory and practice in sports science, physical education, and rehabilitation.

Possible ancestral structure in human populations.

PubMed

Plagnol, Vincent; Wall, Jeffrey D

2006-07-01

Determining the evolutionary relationships between fossil hominid groups such as Neanderthals and modern humans has been a question of enduring interest in human evolutionary genetics. Here we present a new method for addressing whether archaic human groups contributed to the modern gene pool (called ancient admixture), using the patterns of variation in contemporary human populations. Our method improves on previous work by explicitly accounting for recent population history before performing the analyses. Using sequence data from the Environmental Genome Project, we find strong evidence for ancient admixture in both a European and a West African population (p approximately 10(-7)), with contributions to the modern gene pool of at least 5%. While Neanderthals form an obvious archaic source population candidate in Europe, there is not yet a clear source population candidate in West Africa.

Constraints on the trilinear Higgs self coupling from precision observables

DOE PAGES

Degrassi, G.; Fedele, M.; Giardino, P. P.

2017-04-27

We present the constraints on the trilinear Higgs self coupling that arise from loop effects in the W boson mass and the effective sine predictions. Here, we compute the contributions to these precision observables of two-loop diagrams featuring an anomalous trilinear Higgs self coupling. We explicitly show that the same anomalous contributions are found if the analysis of m W and sin 2θmore » $$lep\\atop{eff}$$ is performed in a theory in which the scalar potential in the Standard Model Lagrangian is modified by an (in)finite tower of (Φ †Φ) n terms with Φ the Higgs doublet. Lastly, we find that the bounds on the trilinear Higgs self coupling from precision observables are competitive with those coming from Higgs pair production.« less

Identifying Noncognitive Skills That Contribute to Dental Students' Success: Dental Faculty Perspectives.

PubMed

Virtue, Shannon Myers; Pendergast, Laura; Tellez, Marisol; Waldron, Elizabeth; Ismail, Amid

2017-03-01

The aims of this study were to identify noncognitive factors that dental faculty members perceived to contribute to dental students' success and to assess dental faculty members' ratings of the relative importance of these factors to academic performance, clinical performance, and overall success. Out of 184 eligible faculty members at one U.S. dental school, 43 respondents (23.3%) completed a survey in 2015-16. The survey asked respondents to rank the importance of seven noncognitive factors to academic performance, clinical performance, and overall success. Descriptive analysis was conducted to determine the ratings on importance of each noncognitive factor. Two additional open-ended questions asked faculty members to 1) think of dental students who performed very well and list the noncognitive factors they believed contributed to those students' success and 2) identify the two most important of those factors that contributed to success. Qualitative analysis was conducted to identify themes in the open-ended responses. The respondents rated professionalism and preparedness highest in importance for overall success. Preparedness was rated highest in importance for academic performance, and communication was highest in importance for clinical performance. Six themes were identified in the open-ended responses: communication/interpersonal skills, approach to learning, personal characteristics, professionalism, diverse experiences, and technical abilities. On both open-ended items, the most frequently cited noncognitive skill was communication/interpersonal skills followed by approach to learning. In this study, dental faculty members perceived communication, preparedness, and professionalism as important skills contributing to dental students' success.

Body Segment Contributions to Sport Skill Performance: Two Contrasting Approaches.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Doris I.

1980-01-01

Two methods for approaching the problems of body segment contributions to motor performance are joint immobilization with restraint and resultant muscle torque pattern. Although the second approach is preferred, researchers face major challenges when using it. (CJ)

Increasing relational memory in childhood with unitization strategies.

PubMed

Robey, Alison; Riggins, Tracy

2018-01-01

Young children often experience relational memory failures, which are thought to result from immaturity of the recollection processes presumed to be required for these tasks. However, research in adults has suggested that relational memory tasks can be accomplished using familiarity, a process thought to be mature by the end of early childhood. The goal of the present study was to determine whether relational memory performance could be improved in childhood by teaching young children memory strategies that have been shown to increase the contribution of familiarity in adults (i.e., unitization). Groups of 6- and 8-year-old children were taught to use visualization strategies that either unitized or did not unitize pictures and colored borders. Estimates of familiarity and recollection were extracted by fitting receiver operator characteristic curves (Yonelinas, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 20, 1341-1354, 1994, Yonelinas, Memory & Cognition 25, 747-763, 1997) based on dual-process models of recognition. Bayesian analysis revealed that strategies involving unitization improved memory performance and increased the contribution of familiarity in both age groups.

Contribution of Nanostructures in High Performance Solar Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aly, Abouelmaaty M.; Ebrahim, Essamudin A.; Sweelem, Emad

2017-11-01

Nanotechnology has great contributions in various fields, especially in solar energy conversion through solar cells (SCs). Nanostructured SCs can provide high performance with lower fabrication costs. The transition from fossil fuel energy to renewable sustainable energy represents a major technological challenge for the world. In the last years, the industry of SCs has grown rapidly due to strong attention in renewable energy in order to handle the problem of global climate change that is now believed to occur due to use of the fossil fuels. Cost is an influential factor in the eventual success of any solar technology, since inexpensive SCs are needed to produce electricity, especially for rural areas and for third world countries. Therefore, new developments in nanotechnology may open the door for the production of inexpensive and more efficient SCs by reducing the manufacturing costs of SCs. Utilizing nanotechnology in cheaper SCs will help maintain the environment. This article covers a review of the progress that has been made to-date to enhance efficiencies of various nanostructures used in SCs, including utilizations of all the wavelengths present in of the solar spectrum.

Contributions of each isotope in some fluids on neutronic performance in a fusion-fission hybrid reactor: a Monte Carlo method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Günay, M.; Şarer, B.; Kasap, H.

2014-08-01

In the present investigation, a fusion-fission hybrid reactor system was designed by using 9Cr2WVTa ferritic steel structural material and 99-95 % Li20Sn80-1-5 % SFG-Pu, 99-95 % Li20Sn80-1-5 % SFG-PuF4, 99-95 % Li20Sn80-1-5 % SFG-PuO2 the molten salt-heavy metal mixtures, as fluids. The fluids were used in the liquid first wall, blanket and shield zones of a fusion-fission hybrid reactor system. Beryllium zone with the width of 3 cm was used for the neutron multiplicity between liquid first wall and blanket. The contributions of each isotope in fluids on the nuclear parameters of a fusion-fission hybrid reactor such as tritium breeding ratio, energy multiplication factor, heat deposition rate were computed in liquid first wall, blanket and shield zones. Three-dimensional analyses were performed by using Monte Carlo code MCNPX-2.7.0 and nuclear data library ENDF/B-VII.0.

Superconducting radio-frequency cavities made from medium and low-purity niobium ingots

DOE PAGES

Ciovati, Gianluigi; Dhakal, Pashupati; Myneni, Ganapati R.

2016-04-07

Superconducting radio-frequency cavities made of ingot niobium with residual resistivity ratio (RRR) greater than 250 have proven to have similar or better performance than fine-grain Nb cavities of the same purity, after standard processing. The high purity requirement contributes to the high cost of the material. As superconducting accelerators operating in continuous-wave typically require cavities to operate at moderate accelerating gradients, using lower purity material could be advantageous not only to reduce cost but also to achieve higher Q 0-values. In this contribution we present the results from cryogenic RF tests of 1.3–1.5 GHz single-cell cavities made of ingot Nbmore » of medium (RRR = 100–150) and low (RRR = 60) purity from different suppliers. Cavities made of medium-purity ingots routinely achieved peak surface magnetic field values greater than 70 mT with an average Q 0-value of 2 × 10 10 at 2 K after standard processing treatments. As a result, the performances of cavities made of low-purity ingots were affected by significant pitting of the surface after chemical etching.« less

Life cycle environmental assessment of lithium-ion and nickel metal hydride batteries for plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles.

PubMed

Majeau-Bettez, Guillaume; Hawkins, Troy R; Strømman, Anders Hammer

2011-05-15

This study presents the life cycle assessment (LCA) of three batteries for plug-in hybrid and full performance battery electric vehicles. A transparent life cycle inventory (LCI) was compiled in a component-wise manner for nickel metal hydride (NiMH), nickel cobalt manganese lithium-ion (NCM), and iron phosphate lithium-ion (LFP) batteries. The battery systems were investigated with a functional unit based on energy storage, and environmental impacts were analyzed using midpoint indicators. On a per-storage basis, the NiMH technology was found to have the highest environmental impact, followed by NCM and then LFP, for all categories considered except ozone depletion potential. We found higher life cycle global warming emissions than have been previously reported. Detailed contribution and structural path analyses allowed for the identification of the different processes and value-chains most directly responsible for these emissions. This article contributes a public and detailed inventory, which can be easily be adapted to any powertrain, along with readily usable environmental performance assessments.

Activity analysis: contributions to the innovation of projects for aircrafts cabins.

PubMed

Rossi, N T; Greghi, F M; Menegon, L N; Souza, G B J

2012-01-01

This article presents results obtained from some ergonomics intervention in the project for the conception of aircraft's cabins. The study's aim is to analyze the contribution of the method adopted in the passengers' activities analysis in reference situations, real-use situations in aircraft's cabins, applied to analyze typical activities performed by people in their own environment. Within this perspective, the study shows two analyses which highlight the use of electronic device. The first analysis has been registered through a shooting filming in a real commercial flight. In the second one, the use is developed within the domestic environment. The same method has been applied in both contexts and it is based on activity analysis. Starting with the filming activity, postures and actions analysis, self-confrontation interviews, action course reconstruction and elaboration of postures envelopes. The results point out that the developed method might be applied to different contexts, evincing different ways of space occupation to meet human personal needs while performing an activity, which can help us with the anticipation of the users' needs, as well as indicate some innovation possibilities.

Influence of the interpellet space to the Instant Release Fraction determination of a commercial UO2 Boiling Water Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez-Torrents, A.; Serrano-Purroy, D.; Casas, I.; De Pablo, J.

2018-02-01

The contact of the coolant with the fuel pin during irradiation produces a gradient of temperature in the fuel pellet that segregates the radionuclides (RN) depending on its volatility and reactivity. This segregation determines the Instant Release Fraction (IRF), an important source of radiological risk in the performance assessment (PA) of a Deep Geologic Repository (DGR). RN segregation was studied radially in previous papers. In the present work, it was studied axially, taking into special consideration the cutting position of the solid sample to be studied. Iodine and caesium were the RN with the highest release, while the contribution of rubidium, strontium, molybdenum and technetium to the IRF depended on their chemical state. The interpellet presence (known also as dishing) effect was clearly observed for caesium, increasing its release by one order of magnitude. According to these results, one of the major contributions to the IRF comes from the RN trapped in the dishing and has to be considered in the sampling and data interpretation that will be performed for the PA of the DGR.

Vernier But Not Grating Acuity Contributes to an Early Stage of Visual Word Processing.

PubMed

Tan, Yufei; Tong, Xiuhong; Chen, Wei; Weng, Xuchu; He, Sheng; Zhao, Jing

2018-03-28

The process of reading words depends heavily on efficient visual skills, including analyzing and decomposing basic visual features. Surprisingly, previous reading-related studies have almost exclusively focused on gross aspects of visual skills, while only very few have investigated the role of finer skills. The present study filled this gap and examined the relations of two finer visual skills measured by grating acuity (the ability to resolve periodic luminance variations across space) and Vernier acuity (the ability to detect/discriminate relative locations of features) to Chinese character-processing as measured by character form-matching and lexical decision tasks in skilled adult readers. The results showed that Vernier acuity was significantly correlated with performance in character form-matching but not visual symbol form-matching, while no correlation was found between grating acuity and character processing. Interestingly, we found no correlation of the two visual skills with lexical decision performance. These findings provide for the first time empirical evidence that the finer visual skills, particularly as reflected in Vernier acuity, may directly contribute to an early stage of hierarchical word processing.

High-Performance I/O: HDF5 for Lattice QCD

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

Kurth, Thorsten; Pochinsky, Andrew; Sarje, Abhinav

2015-01-01

Practitioners of lattice QCD/QFT have been some of the primary pioneer users of the state-of-the-art high-performance-computing systems, and contribute towards the stress tests of such new machines as soon as they become available. As with all aspects of high-performance-computing, I/O is becoming an increasingly specialized component of these systems. In order to take advantage of the latest available high-performance I/O infrastructure, to ensure reliability and backwards compatibility of data files, and to help unify the data structures used in lattice codes, we have incorporated parallel HDF5 I/O into the SciDAC supported USQCD software stack. Here we present the design andmore » implementation of this I/O framework. Our HDF5 implementation outperforms optimized QIO at the 10-20% level and leaves room for further improvement by utilizing appropriate dataset chunking.« less

Object shape and orientation do not routinely influence performance during language processing.

PubMed

Rommers, Joost; Meyer, Antje S; Huettig, Falk

2013-11-01

The role of visual representations during language processing remains unclear: They could be activated as a necessary part of the comprehension process, or they could be less crucial and influence performance in a task-dependent manner. In the present experiments, participants read sentences about an object. The sentences implied that the object had a specific shape or orientation. They then either named a picture of that object (Experiments 1 and 3) or decided whether the object had been mentioned in the sentence (Experiment 2). Orientation information did not reliably influence performance in any of the experiments. Shape representations influenced performance most strongly when participants were asked to compare a sentence with a picture or when they were explicitly asked to use mental imagery while reading the sentences. Thus, in contrast to previous claims, implied visual information often does not contribute substantially to the comprehension process during normal reading.

The effects of cognitive – linguistic variables and language experience on behavioural and kinematic performances in nonword learning

PubMed Central

Sasisekaran, Jayanthi; Weisberg, Sanford

2013-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of cognitive – linguistic variables and language experience on behavioral and kinematic measures of nonword learning in young adults. Group 1 consisted of thirteen participants who spoke American English as the first and only language. Group 2 consisted of seven participants with varying levels of proficiency in a second language. Logistic regression of the percent of correct productions revealed short-term memory to be a significant contributor. The bilingual group showed better performance compared to the monolinguals. Linear regression of the kinematic data revealed that the short – term memory variable contributed significantly to movement coordination. Differences were not observed between the bilingual and the monolingual speakers in kinematic performance. Nonword properties including syllable length and complexity influenced both behavioral and kinematic performance. The findings supported the observation that nonword repetition is multiply determined in adults. PMID:22476630

High-Performance I/O: HDF5 for Lattice QCD

DOE PAGES

Kurth, Thorsten; Pochinsky, Andrew; Sarje, Abhinav; ...

2017-05-09

Practitioners of lattice QCD/QFT have been some of the primary pioneer users of the state-of-the-art high-performance-computing systems, and contribute towards the stress tests of such new machines as soon as they become available. As with all aspects of high-performance-computing, I/O is becoming an increasingly specialized component of these systems. In order to take advantage of the latest available high-performance I/O infrastructure, to ensure reliability and backwards compatibility of data files, and to help unify the data structures used in lattice codes, we have incorporated parallel HDF5 I/O into the SciDAC supported USQCD software stack. Here we present the design andmore » implementation of this I/O framework. Our HDF5 implementation outperforms optimized QIO at the 10-20% level and leaves room for further improvement by utilizing appropriate dataset chunking.« less

Performance of Environmental Resources of a Tourist Destination

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Despite the apparent importance of destinations’ environmental resources, there appears to be little theoretical and applied research explicitly focusing on destination environmental supply. This research attempts to address this gap in the literature. First, it reviews and evaluates the body of research in tourism environmental resources and proposes a conceptual model to test their performance. The model combines tourism supply–demand view with importance–performance gaps and was used to survey tourism in Slovenia. The results show that the studied destination uses its environmental resources too extensively and that Slovenian environmental tourism experience does not meet visitors’ expectations. This finding challenges Slovenian policy makers, who position Slovenia as a green destination. The proposed model can form the basis for further conceptual and empirical research into the tourism contributions of environmental resources. In its present form, it can be used to examine environmental performance and to suggest policy implications for any destination. PMID:29901033

Noise and linearity optimization methods for a 1.9GHz low noise amplifier.

PubMed

Guo, Wei; Huang, Da-Quan

2003-01-01

Noise and linearity performances are critical characteristics for radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), especially for low noise amplifiers (LNAs). In this paper, a detailed analysis of noise and linearity for the cascode architecture, a widely used circuit structure in LNA designs, is presented. The noise and the linearity improvement techniques for cascode structures are also developed and have been proven by computer simulating experiments. Theoretical analysis and simulation results showed that, for cascode structure LNAs, the first metallic oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) dominates the noise performance of the LNA, while the second MOSFET contributes more to the linearity. A conclusion is thus obtained that the first and second MOSFET of the LNA can be designed to optimize the noise performance and the linearity performance separately, without trade-offs. The 1.9GHz Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) LNA simulation results are also given as an application of the developed theory.

Effects of High-Intensity Training on Anaerobic and Aerobic Contributions to Total Energy Release During Repeated Supramaximal Exercise in Obese Adults.

PubMed

Jabbour, Georges; Iancu, Horia-Daniel; Paulin, Anne

Studying relative anaerobic and aerobic metabolism contributions to total energy release during exercise may be valuable in understanding exercise energetic demands and the energetic adaptations that occur in response to acute or chronic exercise in obese adults. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects of 6 weeks of high-intensity training (HIT) on relative anaerobic and aerobic contributions to total energy release and on peak power output during repeated supramaximal cycling exercises (SCE) in obese adults. Twenty-four obese adults (body mass index = ± 33 kg.m -2 ) were randomized into a control group ( n  = 12) and an HIT group ( n  = 12). Accumulated oxygen deficits (ml.min -1 ) and anaerobic and aerobic contributions (%) were measured in all groups before and after training via repeated SCE. In addition, the peak power output performed during SCE was determined using the force-velocity test. Before HIT, anaerobic contributions to repeated SCE did not differ between the groups and decreased significantly during the third and fourth repetitions. After HIT, anaerobic contributions increased significantly in the HIT group (+11 %, p  < 0.01) and were significantly higher than those of the control group ( p  < 0.01). Moreover, the peak power obtained during SCE increased significantly in the HIT group (+110 W.kg -1 , p  < 0.01) and correlated positively with increases in anaerobic contributions ( r  = 0.9, p  < 0.01). In obese adults, HIT increased anaerobic contributions to energy release which were associated with peak power enhancement in response to repeated SCE. Consequently, HIT may be an appropriate approach for improving energy contributions and muscle power among obese adults.

Factors that contribute to Hispanic English Language Learners' high academic performance in high school science in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas: A multicase study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elizondo, Antonio

The purpose of this multicase study was to discover factors that contribute to Hispanic English language learners' (ELL) high academic performance in high school science in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Participants were high school seniors enrolled in college-level classes who had scored commended on the science exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and ranked toward the top of their class. One student from each of four different high schools in south Texas were selected to participate. Schools identified students meeting the participant criteria and provided consent documents. In this qualitative research study, students were interviewed on three different dates. Administrators and science teachers were also interviewed for triangulation. Significant findings showed that intrinsic qualities were mainly responsible for factors contributing to high academic performance. Hispanic ELL students need meaningful responsibilities to internalize self-esteem and self-efficacy to realize high academic performance. Self-motivation, a contributing factor, provides students with a positive outlook on high academic performance and the ability to defer more immediate undermining rewards. Students expect to contribute to society by helping others. This helps their self-esteem as well as their self-worth and supports high academic performance. Parental and teacher support are critical for high academic performance. Low socioeconomic status alone is not a causal factor for poor academic performance. School administrations should assign willing and enthusiastic teachers as mentors to target students and provide skills to parents that promote, inspire, and motivate students' intrinsic qualities. Future studies should examine different leadership styles that maximize teachers' ability to influence students' high academic performance. Finally, students should be given guidance in setting career goals and demonstrating that high academic achievement is attainable and beneficial for all students.

Reduced contribution of executive functions in impaired working memory performance in mild traumatic brain injury patients.

PubMed

Kumar, Sanjay; Rao, Shobini L; Chandramouli, Bangalore A; Pillai, Shibu

2013-08-01

Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is associated with often selective impairment of both working memory (WM) and the executive functions (EFs). Research indicates that one of the commonest deficits present in MTBI patients falls in the domain of WM. We aimed to investigate the role of EFs in WM impairment following MTBI. Performance on the tests of EFs and the verbal and visuo-spatial WM of 30 consecutive MTBI patients were compared with age/education/IQ matched 30 normal healthy control participants. Correlation between EFs and WM was studied separately for the MTBI and the control group. The MTBI and control group were tested on a range of EF tests and WM. The MTBI group was demonstrated impairment on verbal and visuo-spatial WM and category fluency tests only. Furthermore, the MTBI group had fewer significant correlations between the WM and EFs (5 out of 54 possible correlations) than in the control group (13 out of 54 possible correlations). We suggest that MTBI may lead to WM deficits as the contribution of executive processes to support the WM is diminished following MTBI. Such an understanding of the poor WM performance in MTBI patients will be helpful when planning appropriate strategies for cognitive rehabilitation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Laser beam propagation through turbulence and adaptive optics for beam delivery improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicolas, Stephane

2015-10-01

We report results from numerical simulations of laser beam propagation through atmospheric turbulence. In particular, we study the statistical variations of the fractional beam energy hitting inside an optical aperture placed at several kilometer distance. The simulations are performed for different turbulence conditions and engagement ranges, with and without the use of turbulence mitigation. Turbulence mitigation is simulated with phase conjugation. The energy fluctuations are deduced from time sequence realizations. It is shown that turbulence mitigation leads to an increase of the mean energy inside the aperture and decrease of the fluctuations even in strong turbulence conditions and long distance engagement. As an example, the results are applied to a high energy laser countermeasure system, where we determine the probability that a single laser pulse, or one of the pulses in a sequence, will provide a lethal energy inside the target aperture. Again, turbulence mitigation contributes to increase the performance of the system at long-distance and for strong turbulence conditions in terms of kill probability. We also discuss a specific case where turbulence contributes to increase the pulse energy within the target aperture. The present analysis can be used to evaluate the performance of a variety of systems, such as directed countermeasures, laser communication, and laser weapons.

Mediators of the relationship between social anxiety and post-event rumination.

PubMed

Chen, Junwen; Rapee, Ronald M; Abbott, Maree J

2013-01-01

A variety of cognitive and attentional factors are hypothesised to be associated with post-event rumination, a key construct that has been proposed to contribute to the maintenance of social anxiety disorder (SAD). The present study aimed to explore factors contributing to post-event rumination following delivery of a speech in a clinical population. 121 participants with SAD completed measures of trait social anxiety a week before they undertook a speech task. After the speech, participants answered several questionnaires assessing their state anxiety, self-evaluation of performance, perceived focus of attention and probability and cost of expected negative evaluation. One-week later, participants completed measures of negative rumination experienced over the week. Results showed two pathways leading to post-event rumination: (1) a direct path from trait social anxiety to post-event rumination and (2) indirect paths from trait social anxiety to post-event rumination via its relationships with inappropriate attentional focus and self-evaluation of performance. The results suggest that post event rumination is at least partly predicted by the extent to which socially anxious individuals negatively perceive their own performance and their allocation of attentional resources to this negative self-image. Current findings support the key relationships among cognitive processes proposed by cognitive models. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Where You Look Matters for Body Perception: Preferred Gaze Location Contributes to the Body Inversion Effect

PubMed Central

McKean, Danielle L.; Tsao, Jack W.; Chan, Annie W.-Y.

2017-01-01

The Body Inversion Effect (BIE; reduced visual discrimination performance for inverted compared to upright bodies) suggests that bodies are visually processed configurally; however, the specific importance of head posture information in the BIE has been indicated in reports of BIE reduction for whole bodies with fixed head position and for headless bodies. Through measurement of gaze patterns and investigation of the causal relation of fixation location to visual body discrimination performance, the present study reveals joint contributions of feature and configuration processing to visual body discrimination. Participants predominantly gazed at the (body-centric) upper body for upright bodies and the lower body for inverted bodies in the context of an experimental paradigm directly comparable to that of prior studies of the BIE. Subsequent manipulation of fixation location indicates that these preferential gaze locations causally contributed to the BIE for whole bodies largely due to the informative nature of gazing at or near the head. Also, a BIE was detected for both whole and headless bodies even when fixation location on the body was held constant, indicating a role of configural processing in body discrimination, though inclusion of the head posture information was still highly discriminative in the context of such processing. Interestingly, the impact of configuration (upright and inverted) to the BIE appears greater than that of differential preferred gaze locations. PMID:28085894

Moving against and away from the world: The adolescent legacy of peer victimization

PubMed Central

RUDOLPH, KAREN D.; TROOP-GORDON, WENDY; MONTI, JENNIFER D.; MIERNICKI, MICHELLE E.

2015-01-01

Nicki Crick initiated a generative line of theory and research aimed at exploring the implications of exposure to overt and relational aggression for youth development. The present study aimed to continue and expand this research by examining whether early (second grade) and increasing (second–sixth grade) levels of victimization during elementary school contributed to youths’ tendencies to move against, away from, or toward the world of peers following the transition to middle school. Youth (M age in second grade = 7.96 years, SD = 0.35; 298 goals 338 girls, boys) reported on their exposure to victimization and their social (performance-approach, performance-avoidance, or mastery). Teachers reported on youths’ exposure to victimization and their engagement in antisocial, socially helpless, and prosocial behavior. Latent growth curve analyses revealed that early and increasing levels of both overt and relational victimization uniquely contributed to multifinality in adverse developmental outcomes, predicting all three social orientations (high conflictual engagement, high disengagement, and low positive engagement). The pattern of effects was robust across sex and after adjusting for youths’ early social motivation. These findings confirm that both forms of victimization leave an enduring legacy on youths’ social health in adolescence. Given that profiles of moving against and away from the world can contribute to subsequent psychopathology, understanding and preventing this legacy is pivotal for developing effective intervention programs aimed at minimizing the effects of peer adversity. PMID:25047294

Memory integration in amnesia: prior knowledge supports verbal short-term memory.

PubMed

Race, Elizabeth; Palombo, Daniela J; Cadden, Margaret; Burke, Keely; Verfaellie, Mieke

2015-04-01

Short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) have traditionally been considered cognitively distinct. However, it is known that STM can improve when to-be-remembered information appears in contexts that make contact with prior knowledge, suggesting a more interactive relationship between STM and LTM. The current study investigated whether the ability to leverage LTM in support of STM critically depends on the integrity of the hippocampus. Specifically, we investigated whether the hippocampus differentially supports between-domain versus within-domain STM-LTM integration given prior evidence that the representational domain of the elements being integrated in memory is a critical determinant of whether memory performance depends on the hippocampus. In Experiment 1, we investigated hippocampal contributions to within-domain STM-LTM integration by testing whether immediate verbal recall of words improves in MTL amnesic patients when words are presented in familiar verbal contexts (meaningful sentences) compared to unfamiliar verbal contexts (random word lists). Patients demonstrated a robust sentence superiority effect, whereby verbal STM performance improved in familiar compared to unfamiliar verbal contexts, and the magnitude of this effect did not differ from that in controls. In Experiment 2, we investigated hippocampal contributions to between-domain STM-LTM integration by testing whether immediate verbal recall of digits improves in MTL amnesic patients when digits are presented in a familiar visuospatial context (a typical keypad layout) compared to an unfamiliar visuospatial context (a random keypad layout). Immediate verbal recall improved in both patients and controls when digits were presented in the familiar compared to the unfamiliar keypad array, indicating a preserved ability to integrate activated verbal information with stored visuospatial knowledge. Together, these results demonstrate that immediate verbal recall in amnesia can benefit from two distinct types of semantic support, verbal and visuospatial, and that the hippocampus is not critical for leveraging stored semantic knowledge to improve memory performance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Memory integration in amnesia: Prior knowledge supports verbal short-term memory

PubMed Central

Race, Elizabeth; Palombo, Daniela J.; Cadden, Margaret; Burke, Keely; Verfaellie, Mieke

2015-01-01

Short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) have traditionally been considered cognitively distinct. However, it is known that STM can improve when to-be-remembered information appears in contexts that make contact with prior knowledge, suggesting a more interactive relationship between STM and LTM. The current study investigated whether the ability to leverage LTM in support of STM critically depends on the integrity of the hippocampus. Specifically, we investigated whether the hippocampus differentially supports between-domain versus within-domain STM–LTM integration given prior evidence that the representational domain of the elements being integrated in memory is a critical determinant of whether memory performance depends on the hippocampus. In Experiment 1, we investigated hippocampal contributions to within-domain STM–LTM integration by testing whether immediate verbal recall of words improves in MTL amnesic patients when words are presented in familiar verbal contexts (meaningful sentences) compared to unfamiliar verbal contexts (random word lists). Patients demonstrated a robust sentence superiority effect, whereby verbal STM performance improved in familiar compared to unfamiliar verbal contexts, and the magnitude of this effect did not differ from that in controls. In Experiment 2, we investigated hippocampal contributions to between-domain STM–LTM integration by testing whether immediate verbal recall of digits improves in MTL amnesic patients when digits are presented in a familiar visuospatial context (a typical keypad layout) compared to an unfamiliar visuospatial context (a random keypad layout). Immediate verbal recall improved in both patients and controls when digits were presented in the familiar compared to the unfamiliar keypad array, indicating a preserved ability to integrate activated verbal information with stored visuospatial knowledge. Together, these results demonstrate that immediate verbal recall in amnesia can benefit from two distinct types of semantic support, verbal and visuospatial, and that the hippocampus is not critical for leveraging stored semantic knowledge to improve memory performance. PMID:25752585

JHR Project: a future Material Testing Reactor working as an International user Facility: The key-role of instrumentation in support to the development of modern experimental capacity

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

Bignan, G.; Gonnier, C.; Lyoussi, A.

2015-07-01

Research and development on fuel and material behaviour under irradiation is a key issue for sustainable nuclear energy in order to meet specific needs by keeping the best level of safety. These needs mainly deal with a constant improvement of performances and safety in order to optimize the fuel cycle and hence to reach nuclear energy sustainable objectives. A sustainable nuclear energy requires a high level of performances in order to meet specific needs such as: - Pursuing improvement of the performances and safety of present and coming water cooled reactor technologies. This will require a continuous R and Dmore » support following a long-term trend driven by the plant life management, safety demonstration, flexibility and economics improvement. Experimental irradiations of structure materials are necessary to anticipate these material behaviours and will contribute to their optimisation. - Upgrading continuously nuclear fuel technology in present and future nuclear power plants to achieve better performances and to optimise the fuel cycle keeping the best level of safety. Fuel evolution for generation II, III and III+ is a key stake requiring developments, qualification tests and safety experiments to ensure the competitiveness and safety: experimental tests exploring the full range of fuel behaviour determine fuel stability limits and safety margins, as a major input for the fuel reliability analysis. To perform such accurate and innovative progress and developments, specific and ad hoc instrumentation, irradiation devices, measurement methods are necessary to be set up inside or beside the material testing reactor (MTR) core. These experiments require beforehand in situ and on line sophisticated measurements to accurately determine different key parameters such as thermal and fast neutron fluxes and nuclear heating in order to precisely monitor and control the conducted assays. The new Material Testing Reactor JHR (Jules Horowitz Reactor) currently under construction at CEA Cadarache research centre in the south of France will represent a major Research Infrastructure for scientific studies regarding material and fuel behavior under irradiation. It will also be devoted to medical isotopes production. Hence JHR will offer a real opportunity to perform R and D programs regarding needs above and hence will crucially contribute to the selection, optimization and qualification of these innovative materials and fuels. The JHR reactor objectives, principles and main characteristics associated to specific experimental devices associated to measurement techniques and methodology, their performances, their limitations and field of applications will be presented and discussed. (authors)« less

Surface Electrostatic Potential and Water Orientation in the presence of Sodium Octanoate Dilute Monolayers Studied by Means of Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

PubMed

Bernardino, Kalil; de Moura, André F

2015-10-13

A series of atomistic molecular dynamics simulations were performed in the present investigation to assess the spontaneous formation of surfactant monolayers of sodium octanoate at the water-vacuum interface. The surfactant surface coverage increased until a saturation threshold was achieved, after which any further surfactant addition led to the formation of micellar aggregates within the solution. The saturated films were not densely packed, as might be expected for short-chained surfactants, and all films regardless of the surface coverage presented surfactant molecules with the same ordering pattern, namely, with the ionic heads toward the aqueous solution and the tails lying nearly parallel to the interface. The major contributions to the electrostatic surface potential came from the charged heads and the counterion distribution, which nearly canceled out each other. The balance between the oppositely charged ions rendered the electrostatic contributions from water meaningful, amounting to ca. 10% of the contributions arising from the ionic species. And even the aliphatic tails, whose atoms bear relatively small partial atomic charges as compared to the polar molecules and molecular fragments, contributed with ca. 20% of the total electrostatic surface potential of the systems under investigation. Although the aliphatic tails were not so orderly arranged as in a compact film, the C-H bonds assumed a preferential orientation, leading to an increased contribution to the electrostatic properties of the interface. The most prominent feature arising from the partitioning of the electrostatic potential into individual contributions was the long-range ordering of the water molecules. This ordering of the water molecules produced a repulsive dipole-dipole interaction between the two interfaces, which increased with the surface coverage. Only for a water layer wider than 10 nm was true bulk behavior observed, and the repulsive dipole-dipole interaction faded away.

Multivariate spatio-temporal modelling for assessing Antarctica's present-day contribution to sea-level rise

PubMed Central

Zammit-Mangion, Andrew; Rougier, Jonathan; Schön, Nana; Lindgren, Finn; Bamber, Jonathan

2015-01-01

Antarctica is the world's largest fresh-water reservoir, with the potential to raise sea levels by about 60 m. An ice sheet contributes to sea-level rise (SLR) when its rate of ice discharge and/or surface melting exceeds accumulation through snowfall. Constraining the contribution of the ice sheets to present-day SLR is vital both for coastal development and planning, and climate projections. Information on various ice sheet processes is available from several remote sensing data sets, as well as in situ data such as global positioning system data. These data have differing coverage, spatial support, temporal sampling and sensing characteristics, and thus, it is advantageous to combine them all in a single framework for estimation of the SLR contribution and the assessment of processes controlling mass exchange with the ocean. In this paper, we predict the rate of height change due to salient geophysical processes in Antarctica and use these to provide estimates of SLR contribution with associated uncertainties. We employ a multivariate spatio-temporal model, approximated as a Gaussian Markov random field, to take advantage of differing spatio-temporal properties of the processes to separate the causes of the observed change. The process parameters are estimated from geophysical models, while the remaining parameters are estimated using a Markov chain Monte Carlo scheme, designed to operate in a high-performance computing environment across multiple nodes. We validate our methods against a separate data set and compare the results to those from studies that invariably employ numerical model outputs directly. We conclude that it is possible, and insightful, to assess Antarctica's contribution without explicit use of numerical models. Further, the results obtained here can be used to test the geophysical numerical models for which in situ data are hard to obtain. © 2015 The Authors. Environmetrics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. PMID:25937792

Occurrence and source apportionment of sulfonamides and their metabolites in Liaodong Bay and the adjacent Liao River basin, North China.

PubMed

Jia, Ai; Hu, Jianying; Wu, Xiaoqin; Peng, Hui; Wu, Shimin; Dong, Zhaomin

2011-06-01

The presence of antibiotics in the environment is of great concern because of their potential for resistance selection among pathogens. In the present study we investigated the occurrence of 19 sulfonamides, five N-acetylated sulfonamide metabolites, and trimethoprim in the Liao River basin and adjacent Liaodong Bay, China, as well as 10 human/agricultural source samples. Within the 35 river samples, 12 sulfonamides, four acetylated sulfonamides, and trimethoprim were detected, with the dominant being sulfamethoxazole (66.6 ng/L), N-acetylsulfamethoxazole (63.1 ng/L), trimethoprim (29.0 ng/L), sulfadiazine (14.0 ng/L), and sulfamonomethoxine (8.4 ng/L); within the 36 marine samples, 10 chemicals were detected, with the main contributions from sulfamethoxazole (25.2 ng/L) and N-acetylsulfamethoxazole (28.6 ng/L). Sulfamethoxazole (25.9%), N-acetylsulfamethoxazole (46.6%), trimethoprim (22.9%), and sulfapyridine (1.4%) were the main chemicals from human sources, while sulfamonomethoxine, sulfamethazine, sulfaquinoxaline, sulfaguanidine, sulfadiazine, sulfanilamide, and sulfamethoxypyridazine were dominant in the animal husbandry sources, specifically, swine and poultry farms, and sulfamethoxazole (91%) was dominant in the mariculture source. A principal component analysis with multiple linear regression was performed to evaluate the source apportionment of total sulfonamides in Liaodong Bay. It was found that animal husbandry contributed 15.2% of total sulfonamides, while human sources contributed 28.5%, and combined human and mariculture sources contributed 56.3%. In addition, the mariculture contribution was 24.1% of total sulfonamides into the sea based on mass flux estimation. The present study is the first report that the environmental levels of sulfonamide metabolites were comparable to the corresponding parents; therefore, we should pay attention to their environmental occurrence. Source apportionment showed human discharge (60.7%) significantly contributed to these antibiotics in Liaodong Bay, which provides important information for environmental management. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.

The impact of flying qualities on helicopter operational agility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Padfield, Gareth D.; Lappos, Nick; Hodgkinson, John

1993-01-01

Flying qualities standards are formally set to ensure safe flight and therefore reflect minimum, rather than optimum, requirements. Agility is a flying quality but relates to operations at high, if not maximum, performance. While the quality metrics and test procedures for flying, as covered for example in ADS33C, may provide an adequate structure to encompass agility, they do not currently address flight at high performance. This is also true in the fixed-wing world and a current concern in both communities is the absence of substantiated agility criteria and possible conflicts between flying qualities and high performance. AGARD is sponsoring a working group (WG19) title 'Operational Agility' that deals with these and a range of related issues. This paper is condensed from contributions by the three authors to WG19, relating to flying qualities. Novel perspectives on the subject are presented including the agility factor, that quantifies performance margins in flying qualities terms; a new parameter, based on maneuver acceleration is introduced as a potential candidate for defining upper limits to flying qualities. Finally, a probabilistic analysis of pilot handling qualities ratings is presented that suggests a powerful relationship between inherent airframe flying qualities and operational agility.

A portrait of prefrontal lobotomy performed at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney by Dr Rex Money.

PubMed

White, Richard T; McGee-Collett, Martin

2016-10-01

The objective of this article is to provide a portrait of prefrontal lobotomy performed at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney by the Head of Neurosurgery Dr Rex Money and to describe Dr Money's role in the promotion of psychosurgery in Sydney. We draw attention to an oral presentation by Dr Rex Money in 1951, a journal article written by Money, archival information held at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, including Dr Money's accounts of his travels and his reports regarding neurosurgery - both internationally and in Australia. Dr Rex Money performed a series of 13 prefrontal lobotomies between 1945 and 1951, and presented the theoretical basis for his series, his operative procedures and the outcomes at the annual meeting of its medical officers' association. Notwithstanding various deficiencies in his clinical research, Money's descriptions give a relatively comprehensive account of one of the first series of prefrontal lobotomies performed in Australia. The current article also describes Dr Money's contributions to the promotion of psychosurgery in Sydney, and illustrates the participation of a senior neurosurgeon and of a major Sydney teaching hospital during the psychosurgery saga. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2016.

Data-driven advice for applying machine learning to bioinformatics problems

PubMed Central

Olson, Randal S.; La Cava, William; Mustahsan, Zairah; Varik, Akshay; Moore, Jason H.

2017-01-01

As the bioinformatics field grows, it must keep pace not only with new data but with new algorithms. Here we contribute a thorough analysis of 13 state-of-the-art, commonly used machine learning algorithms on a set of 165 publicly available classification problems in order to provide data-driven algorithm recommendations to current researchers. We present a number of statistical and visual comparisons of algorithm performance and quantify the effect of model selection and algorithm tuning for each algorithm and dataset. The analysis culminates in the recommendation of five algorithms with hyperparameters that maximize classifier performance across the tested problems, as well as general guidelines for applying machine learning to supervised classification problems. PMID:29218881

The development of visuo-spatial working memory.

PubMed

Pickering, S J

2001-01-01

Children's performance on tests of visuo-spatial working memory improves with age, although relatively little is known about why this happens. One explanation concerns the development of the ability to recode visually presented information into phonological form. This process appears to be used from around 8 years of age and is a major contributor to tasks in which stimuli can be verbally labelled. However, evidence suggests that phonological recoding cannot account for all of the age-related change in performance on visuo-spatial working memory tasks. In this review, four other mechanisms (knowledge, processing strategies, processing speed, and attentional capacity) are considered in terms of their contribution to children's visuo-spatial working memory development.

Dynamics Modelling of Biolistic Gene Guns

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

Zhang, M.; Tao, W.; Pianetta, P.A.

2009-06-04

The gene transfer process using biolistic gene guns is a highly dynamic process. To achieve good performance, the process needs to be well understood and controlled. Unfortunately, no dynamic model is available in the open literature for analysing and controlling the process. This paper proposes such a model. Relationships of the penetration depth with the helium pressure, the penetration depth with the acceleration distance, and the penetration depth with the micro-carrier radius are presented. Simulations have also been conducted. The results agree well with experimental results in the open literature. The contribution of this paper includes a dynamic model formore » improving and manipulating performance of the biolistic gene gun.« less

Acoustic Absorption in Porous Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuczmarski, Maria A.; Johnston, James C.

2011-01-01

An understanding of both the areas of materials science and acoustics is necessary to successfully develop materials for acoustic absorption applications. This paper presents the basic knowledge and approaches for determining the acoustic performance of porous materials in a manner that will help materials researchers new to this area gain the understanding and skills necessary to make meaningful contributions to this field of study. Beginning with the basics and making as few assumptions as possible, this paper reviews relevant topics in the acoustic performance of porous materials, which are often used to make acoustic bulk absorbers, moving from the physics of sound wave interactions with porous materials to measurement techniques for flow resistivity, characteristic impedance, and wavenumber.

Assessing performance and validating finite element simulations using probabilistic knowledge

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

Dolin, Ronald M.; Rodriguez, E. A.

Two probabilistic approaches for assessing performance are presented. The first approach assesses probability of failure by simultaneously modeling all likely events. The probability each event causes failure along with the event's likelihood of occurrence contribute to the overall probability of failure. The second assessment method is based on stochastic sampling using an influence diagram. Latin-hypercube sampling is used to stochastically assess events. The overall probability of failure is taken as the maximum probability of failure of all the events. The Likelihood of Occurrence simulation suggests failure does not occur while the Stochastic Sampling approach predicts failure. The Likelihood of Occurrencemore » results are used to validate finite element predictions.« less

Advanced application flight experiments precision attitude determination system. Volume 2: System tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The performance capability of each of two precision attitude determination systems (PADS), one using a strapdown star tracker, and the other using a single-axis gimbal star tracker was measured in the laboratory under simulated orbit conditions. The primary focus of the evaluation was on the contribution to the total system accuracy by the star trackers, and the effectiveness of the software algorithms in functioning with actual sensor signals. A brief description of PADS, the laboratory test configuration and the test facility, is given along with a discussion of the data handling and display, laboratory computer programs, PADS performance evaluation programs, and the strapdown and gimbal system tests. Results are presented and discussed.

Implementation and Performance of a GPS/INS Tightly Coupled Assisted PLL Architecture Using MEMS Inertial Sensors

PubMed Central

Tawk, Youssef; Tomé, Phillip; Botteron, Cyril; Stebler, Yannick; Farine, Pierre-André

2014-01-01

The use of global navigation satellite system receivers for navigation still presents many challenges in urban canyon and indoor environments, where satellite availability is typically reduced and received signals are attenuated. To improve the navigation performance in such environments, several enhancement methods can be implemented. For instance, external aid provided through coupling with other sensors has proven to contribute substantially to enhancing navigation performance and robustness. Within this context, coupling a very simple GPS receiver with an Inertial Navigation System (INS) based on low-cost micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) inertial sensors is considered in this paper. In particular, we propose a GPS/INS Tightly Coupled Assisted PLL (TCAPLL) architecture, and present most of the associated challenges that need to be addressed when dealing with very-low-performance MEMS inertial sensors. In addition, we propose a data monitoring system in charge of checking the quality of the measurement flow in the architecture. The implementation of the TCAPLL is discussed in detail, and its performance under different scenarios is assessed. Finally, the architecture is evaluated through a test campaign using a vehicle that is driven in urban environments, with the purpose of highlighting the pros and cons of combining MEMS inertial sensors with GPS over GPS alone. PMID:24569773

Association of Physical Inactivity, Weight, Smoking, and Prior Injury on Physical Performance in a Military Setting

PubMed Central

Teyhen, Deydre S.; Rhon, Daniel I.; Butler, Robert J.; Shaffer, Scott W.; Goffar, Stephen L.; McMillian, Danny J.; Boyles, Robert E.; Kiesel, Kyle B.; Plisky, Phillip J.

2016-01-01

Context: Although inactivity, being overweight, smoking, and a history of injury are identified as risk factors for poor health and injury, few authors have examined their association on physical performance. Young adults may be more likely to adopt healthier lifestyles if they understand the effect of health behaviors on performance. Objective: To determine the association of being overweight, smoking, inactivity, and a history of injury with physical performance. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Military population. Patients or Other Participants: Active-duty service members (N = 1466; 1380 men, 86 women; age = 24.7 ± 5.0 years; body mass index = 26.7 ± 3.4 kg/m2). Main Outcome Measure(s): Participants performed 8 measures (the triple-crossover hop for distance, the 6-m timed-hop test, the Functional Movement Screen, the Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test, the Upper Quarter Y-Balance Test, and the 3-event Army Physical Fitness Test) for evaluation of endurance, strength, muscular endurance, power, agility, balance, and motor control. Participants were categorized based on the number of health risk factors present. Using an analysis of covariance, we assessed the relationship between risk factors and physical performance with age and sex as covariates. Results: Compared with those who had no risk factors (27.9% of men, 34.9% of women), physical performance was worse in those who had 1, 2, or 3 to 4 risk factors present by 4.3%, 6.7%, and 10.3%, respectively. Decrements in performance for those with 3 to 4 risk factors ranged from 3.3% to 14.4%. Conclusions: An unhealthy lifestyle habit or a history of injury was negatively associated with physical performance. Physical performance decrements were associated with the number of risk factors present. Understanding how risk factors contribute to decreased physical performance may enable clinicians to improve compliance with injury-prevention programs in occupational settings in which a young and relatively healthy workforce may be more concerned about performance than health. PMID:27690529

Association of Physical Inactivity, Weight, Smoking, and Prior Injury on Physical Performance in a Military Setting.

PubMed

Teyhen, Deydre S; Rhon, Daniel I; Butler, Robert J; Shaffer, Scott W; Goffar, Stephen L; McMillian, Danny J; Boyles, Robert E; Kiesel, Kyle B; Plisky, Phillip J

2016-11-01

 Although inactivity, being overweight, smoking, and a history of injury are identified as risk factors for poor health and injury, few authors have examined their association on physical performance. Young adults may be more likely to adopt healthier lifestyles if they understand the effect of health behaviors on performance.  To determine the association of being overweight, smoking, inactivity, and a history of injury with physical performance.  Cross-sectional study.  Military population.  Active-duty service members (N = 1466; 1380 men, 86 women; age = 24.7 ± 5.0 years; body mass index = 26.7 ± 3.4 kg/m 2 ).  Participants performed 8 measures (the triple-crossover hop for distance, the 6-m timed-hop test, the Functional Movement Screen, the Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test, the Upper Quarter Y-Balance Test, and the 3-event Army Physical Fitness Test) for evaluation of endurance, strength, muscular endurance, power, agility, balance, and motor control. Participants were categorized based on the number of health risk factors present. Using an analysis of covariance, we assessed the relationship between risk factors and physical performance with age and sex as covariates.  Compared with those who had no risk factors (27.9% of men, 34.9% of women), physical performance was worse in those who had 1, 2, or 3 to 4 risk factors present by 4.3%, 6.7%, and 10.3%, respectively. Decrements in performance for those with 3 to 4 risk factors ranged from 3.3% to 14.4%.  An unhealthy lifestyle habit or a history of injury was negatively associated with physical performance. Physical performance decrements were associated with the number of risk factors present. Understanding how risk factors contribute to decreased physical performance may enable clinicians to improve compliance with injury-prevention programs in occupational settings in which a young and relatively healthy workforce may be more concerned about performance than health.

Identifying Head-Trunk and Lower Limb Contributions to Gaze Stabilization During Locomotion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulavara, Ajitkumar P.; Bloomberg, Jacob J.

2003-01-01

The goal of the present study was to determine how the multiple, interdependent full-body sensorimotor subsystems respond to a change in gaze stabilization task constraints during locomotion. Nine subjects performed two gaze stabilization tasks while walking at 6.4 km/hr on a motorized treadmill: 1) focusing on a central point target; 2) reading numeral characters; both presented at 2m in front at the level of their eyes. While subjects performed the tasks we measured: temporal parameters of gait, full body sagittal plane segmental kinematics of the head, trunk, thigh, shank and foot, accelerations along the vertical axis at the head and the shank, and the vertical forces acting on the support surface. We tested the hypothesis that with the increased demands placed on visual acuity during the number recognition task, subjects would modify full-body segmental kinematics in order to reduce perturbations to the head in order to successfully perform the task. We found that while reading numeral characters as - compared to the central point target: 1) compensatory head pitch movement was on average 22% greater despite the fact that the trunk pitch and trunk vertical translation movement control were not significantly changed; 2) coordination patterns between head and trunk as reflected by the peak cross correlation between the head pitch and trunk pitch motion as well as the peak cross correlation between the head pitch and vertical trunk translation motion were not significantly changed; 3) knee joint total movement was on average 11% greater during the period from the heel strike event to the peak knee flexion event in stance phase of the gait cycle; 4) peak acceleration measured at the head was significantly reduced by an average of 13% in four of the six subjects. This was so even when the peak acceleration at the shank and the transmissibility of the shock wave at heel strike (measured by the peak acceleration ratio of the head/shank) remained unchanged. Taken together these results provide further evidence that the full body contributes to gaze stabilization during locomotion, and that its different functional elements can be modified online to contribute to gaze stabilization for different visual task constraints.

Small Unit Decision Making (SUDM) Assessment Battery

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-21

largest contribution towards differentiating between the performance level of the NCO and Lt groups participating in the project. Two additional...Situational Judgment Test, made the largest contribution towards differentiating between the performance level of NCOs and Lts. Additionally, two other...basic perceptual skills. For the construct of cognitive flexibility we suggest the development of a performance instrument in line with our definition

Contributions of Self-Efficacy and Problem Solving Skills on Secretaries' Job Performance in Ogun State Public Service, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abosede, Subuola Catherine; Adesanya, Adebimpe Olusola

2017-01-01

This study is aimed at determining the contributions of self-efficacy and problem solving skills to the job performance of secretaries. The study also ascertained the relationship among self-efficacy, problem solving skills and job performance of the secretaries. The study employed the descriptive research design. Ten (10) secretaries were…

Development, optimisation and application of polyurethane foams as new polymeric phases for stir bar sorptive extraction.

PubMed

Neng, N R; Pinto, M L; Pires, J; Marcos, P M; Nogueira, J M F

2007-11-09

In this contribution, polyurethane foams are proposed as new polymeric phases for stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE). Assays performed for polyurethane synthesis demonstrated that four series of formulations (P(1), P(2), P(3) and P(4)) present remarkable stability and excellent mechanical resistance to organic solvents. For polymer clean-up treatment, acetonitrile proved to be the best solvent under sonification, ensuring the reduction of the contamination and interferences. SBSE assays performed on these polyurethane polymers followed by liquid desorption and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (LD-HPLC-DAD) or large volume injection-capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (LD-LVI-GC-MS), showed that P(2) presents the best recovery yields for atrazine, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol and fluorene, used as model compounds in water samples at a trace level. SBSE(P(2)) assays performed on this polymer mixed up with several adsorbent materials, i.e. activated carbon, a mesoporous material and a calixarene, did not bring any advantages in relation with the polymeric matrix alone. The comparison between assays performed by SBSE(P(2)) and by the conventional SBSE(PDMS) showed much better performance for the former phase on aqueous samples spiked with atrazine, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol and fluorene, in which the foremost two analytes present recovery values 3- and 10-fold higher, respectively. The polyurethanes proposed as new polymeric phases for SBSE provided powerful capabilities for the enrichment of organic compounds from aqueous matrices, showing to be indicated mainly in the case of the more polar analytes.

Combined Radar-Radiometer Surface Soil Moisture and Roughness Estimation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Akbar, Ruzbeh; Cosh, Michael H.; O'Neill, Peggy E.; Entekhabi, Dara; Moghaddam, Mahta

2017-01-01

A robust physics-based combined radar-radiometer, or Active-Passive, surface soil moisture and roughness estimation methodology is presented. Soil moisture and roughness retrieval is performed via optimization, i.e., minimization, of a joint objective function which constrains similar resolution radar and radiometer observations simultaneously. A data-driven and noise-dependent regularization term has also been developed to automatically regularize and balance corresponding radar and radiometer contributions to achieve optimal soil moisture retrievals. It is shown that in order to compensate for measurement and observation noise, as well as forward model inaccuracies, in combined radar-radiometer estimation surface roughness can be considered a free parameter. Extensive Monte-Carlo numerical simulations and assessment using field data have been performed to both evaluate the algorithms performance and to demonstrate soil moisture estimation. Unbiased root mean squared errors (RMSE) range from 0.18 to 0.03 cm3cm3 for two different land cover types of corn and soybean. In summary, in the context of soil moisture retrieval, the importance of consistent forward emission and scattering development is discussed and presented.

A medical software system for volumetric analysis of cerebral pathologies in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data.

PubMed

Egger, Jan; Kappus, Christoph; Freisleben, Bernd; Nimsky, Christopher

2012-08-01

In this contribution, a medical software system for volumetric analysis of different cerebral pathologies in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data is presented. The software system is based on a semi-automatic segmentation algorithm and helps to overcome the time-consuming process of volume determination during monitoring of a patient. After imaging, the parameter settings-including a seed point-are set up in the system and an automatic segmentation is performed by a novel graph-based approach. Manually reviewing the result leads to reseeding, adding seed points or an automatic surface mesh generation. The mesh is saved for monitoring the patient and for comparisons with follow-up scans. Based on the mesh, the system performs a voxelization and volume calculation, which leads to diagnosis and therefore further treatment decisions. The overall system has been tested with different cerebral pathologies-glioblastoma multiforme, pituitary adenomas and cerebral aneurysms- and evaluated against manual expert segmentations using the Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC). Additionally, intra-physician segmentations have been performed to provide a quality measure for the presented system.

Perceptual processing deficits underlying reduced FFOV efficiency in older adults.

PubMed

Power, Garry F; Conlon, Elizabeth G

2017-01-01

Older adults are known to perform more poorly on measures of the functional field of view (FFOV) than younger adults. Specific contributions by poor bottom-up and or top-down control of visual attention to the reduced FFOV of older adults were investigated. Error rates of older and younger adults were compared on a FFOV task in which a central identification task, peripheral localization task, and peripheral distractors were presented in high and low contrast. Older adults made more errors in all conditions. The effect of age was independent of the contrast of the peripheral target or distractors. The performance cost of including the central task was measured and found to be negligible for younger adults. For older adults performance costs were present in all conditions, greater with distractors than without, and greater for a low rather than high contrast central stimulus when the peripheral target was high contrast. These results are consistent with older adults compensating for reduced sensory input or bottom-up capture of attention by relying more heavily on top-down control for which they are resource limited.

Capabilities and performance of the new generation ice-sheet model Elmer/Ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagliardini, O.; Zwinger, T.; Durand, G.; Favier, L.; de Fleurian, B.; Gillet-chaulet, F.; Seddik, H.; Greve, R.; Mallinen, M.; Martin, C.; Raback, P.; Ruokolainen, J.; Schäfer, M.; Thies, J.

2012-12-01

Since the Fourth IPCC Assessment Report, and its conclusion about the inability of ice-sheet flow models to forecast the current increase of polar ice sheet discharge and associated contribution to sea-level rise, a huge development effort has been undertaken by the glaciological community. All around the world, models have been improved and, interestingly, a significant number of new ice-sheet models have emerged. Among them, the parallel finite-element model Elmer/Ice (based on the open-source multi-physics code Elmer) was one of the first full-Stokes models used to make projections of the future of the whole Greenland ice sheet for the coming two centuries. Originally developed to solve dedicated local ice flow problems of high mechanical and physical complexity, Elmer/Ice has today reached the maturity to solve larger scale problems, earning the status of an ice-sheet model. In this presentation, we summarise the almost 10 years of development performed by different groups. We present the components already included in Elmer/Ice, its numerical performance, selected applications, as well as developments planed for the future.

Contribution of reactive and proactive control to children's working memory performance: Insight from item recall durations in response sequence planning.

PubMed

Chevalier, Nicolas; James, Tiffany D; Wiebe, Sandra A; Nelson, Jennifer Mize; Espy, Kimberly Andrews

2014-07-01

The present study addressed whether developmental improvement in working memory span task performance relies upon a growing ability to proactively plan response sequences during childhood. Two hundred thirteen children completed a working memory span task in which they used a touchscreen to reproduce orally presented sequences of animal names. Children were assessed longitudinally at 7 time points between 3 and 10 years of age. Twenty-one young adults also completed the same task. Proactive response sequence planning was assessed by comparing recall durations for the 1st item (preparatory interval) and subsequent items. At preschool age, the preparatory interval was generally shorter than subsequent item recall durations, whereas it was systematically longer during elementary school and in adults. Although children mostly approached the task reactively at preschool, they proactively planned response sequences with increasing efficiency from age 7 on, like adults. These findings clarify the nature of the changes in executive control that support working memory performance with age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

Combined Radar-Radiometer Surface Soil Moisture and Roughness Estimation.

PubMed

Akbar, Ruzbeh; Cosh, Michael H; O'Neill, Peggy E; Entekhabi, Dara; Moghaddam, Mahta

2017-07-01

A robust physics-based combined radar-radiometer, or Active-Passive, surface soil moisture and roughness estimation methodology is presented. Soil moisture and roughness retrieval is performed via optimization, i.e., minimization, of a joint objective function which constrains similar resolution radar and radiometer observations simultaneously. A data-driven and noise-dependent regularization term has also been developed to automatically regularize and balance corresponding radar and radiometer contributions to achieve optimal soil moisture retrievals. It is shown that in order to compensate for measurement and observation noise, as well as forward model inaccuracies, in combined radar-radiometer estimation surface roughness can be considered a free parameter. Extensive Monte-Carlo numerical simulations and assessment using field data have been performed to both evaluate the algorithm's performance and to demonstrate soil moisture estimation. Unbiased root mean squared errors (RMSE) range from 0.18 to 0.03 cm3/cm3 for two different land cover types of corn and soybean. In summary, in the context of soil moisture retrieval, the importance of consistent forward emission and scattering development is discussed and presented.

Arbuscular mycorrhiza effects on plant performance under osmotic stress.

PubMed

Santander, Christian; Aroca, Ricardo; Ruiz-Lozano, Juan Manuel; Olave, Jorge; Cartes, Paula; Borie, Fernando; Cornejo, Pablo

2017-10-01

At present, drought and soil salinity are among the most severe environmental stresses that affect the growth of plants through marked reduction of water uptake which lowers water potential, leading to osmotic stress. In general, osmotic stress causes a series of morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular changes that affect plant performance. Several studies have found that diverse types of soil microorganisms improve plant growth, especially when plants are under stressful conditions. Most important are the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) which form arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) with approximately 80% of plant species and are present in almost all terrestrial ecosystems. Beyond the well-known role of AM in improving plant nutrient uptake, the contributions of AM to plants coping with osmotic stress merit analysis. With this review, we describe the principal direct and indirect mechanisms by which AM modify plant responses to osmotic stress, highlighting the role of AM in photosynthetic activity, water use efficiency, osmoprotectant production, antioxidant activities, and gene expression. We also discuss the potential for using AMF to improve plant performance under osmotic stress conditions and the lines of research needed to optimize AM use in plant production.

Field Evaluation of Model II of the Computer-Based, Individual Trainer for the Radar Intercept Officer

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-07-01

of an (almost) completely automated CAI capability for teaching skills for the Radar Intercept Officer’s (RIO’s) job. Contributions made by this...expected) from such features. At present, the utility of developing CAI materials for teaching the utiliza- tion of the AWG-9 system for maintaining...this complexity is necessary even though the trainer -as designed to teach only basic skills used in this performance. Therefore, chc details of the

Swirling flow in a model of the carotid artery: Numerical and experimental study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotmakova, Anna A.; Gataulin, Yakov A.; Yukhnev, Andrey D.

2018-05-01

The present contribution is aimed at numerical and experimental study of inlet swirling flow in a model of the carotid artery. Flow visualization is performed both with the ultrasound color Doppler imaging mode and with CFD data postprocessing of swirling flows in a carotid artery model. Special attention is paid to obtaining data for the secondary motion in the internal carotid artery. Principal errors of the measurement technique developed are estimated using the results of flow calculations.

Practical method for balancing airplane moments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamburger, H

1924-01-01

The present contribution is the sequel to a paper written by Messrs. R. Fuchs, L. Hopf, and H. Hamburger, and proposes to show that the methods therein contained can be practically utilized in computations. Furthermore, the calculations leading up to the diagram of moments for three airplanes, whose performance in war service gave reason for complaint, are analyzed. Finally, it is shown what conclusions can be drawn from the diagram of moments with regard to the defects in these planes and what steps may be taken to remedy them.

International Space Station Attitude Motion Associated With Flywheel Energy Storage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roithmayr, Carlos M.

1999-01-01

Flywheels can exert torque that alters the Station's attitude motion, either intentionally or unintentionally. A design is presented for a once planned experiment to contribute torque for Station attitude control, while storing or discharging energy. Two contingencies are studied: the abrupt stop of one rotor while another rotor continues to spin at high speed, and energy storage performed with one rotor instead of a counter rotating pair. Finally, the possible advantages to attitude control offered by a system of ninety-six flywheels are discussed.

Residential photovoltaic power conditioning technology for grid connected applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Key, T. S.; Klein, J. W.

1982-01-01

Major advances in photovoltaic (PV) Power Conditioning (PC) with respect to performance and low-cost potential have been made. Solutions have been obtained to interface and control problems related to adapting available inverter designs to the grid-connected, residential photovoltaic experiments. A description is presented to contributing research and development activities. Attention is given to aspects of residential systems experience, conceptual design studies, questions of optimum topology development, and promising advanced designs for residential PV provided by development efforts of the private sector.

Internal energy flows in composite optical vortices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrer-Garcia, Manuel F.; Lopez-Mago, Dorilian; Hernandez-Aranda, Raul I.

2016-09-01

We study the energy ow pattern in the superposition of two off-axis optical vortices with orthogonal polarization states. This system presents a rich structure of polarization singularities, which allows us to study the transverse spin and orbital angular momentum of different polarization morphologies, which includes C points (stars, lemons and monstars) and L lines. We perform numerical simulations of the optical forces acting on submicron particles and show interesting configurations. We provide the set of control parameters to unambiguously distinguish between the spin and orbital ow contributions.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fern, Lisa

2017-01-01

This presentation summarizes the simulation work conducted by the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project. It focuses on the contribution of that research to the development of RTCA Special Committee 228's (SC-228) Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) for UAS. The research objectives and primary findings from four different human-in-the-loop simulations are discussed, along with the specific requirements these studies led to in the final MOPS document.

A Serious Game for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rehabilitation: Software Development Aspects and Game Engagement Assessment.

PubMed

Cordeiro d'Ornellas, Marcos; Santos Machado, Alison; de Moraes, Jefferson Potiguara; Cervi Prado, Ana Lúcia

2017-01-01

This work presents the steps for developing a serious game that allows the interaction through natural gestures, whose main purpose is to contribute to the treatment of individuals who have suffered an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). In addition to the serious game development process, the users' gaming experience were performed. Through the evaluation assessment, positive results were obtained in relation to various aspects of the game engagement, proving the playful factor of this activity.

Ultrasonic imaging of textured alumina

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stang, David B.; Salem, Jonathan A.; Generazio, Edward R.

1989-01-01

Ultrasonic images representing the bulk attenuation and velocity of a set of alumina samples were obtained by a pulse-echo contact scanning technique. The samples were taken from larger bodies that were chemically similar but were processed by extrusion or isostatic processing. The crack growth resistance and fracture toughness of the larger bodies were found to vary with processing method and test orientation. The results presented here demonstrate that differences in texture that contribute to variations in structural performance can be revealed by analytic ultrasonic techniques.

The AMS-02 detector on the International Space Station - The status after the first 5 years on orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duranti, Matteo

2017-03-01

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, AMS-02, detector is operating on the International Space Station (ISS) since May the 19th, 2011. More than 80 billion events have been collected by the instrument in the first 5 years of data taking. This unprecedented amount of data is being used to perform accurate measurements of the different Cosmic Rays (CR) components. In this contribution a review of the published results will be presented.

Integration of collinear-type doubly unresolved counterterms in NNLO jet cross sections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Duca, Vittorio; Somogyi, Gábor; Trócsányi, Zoltán

2013-06-01

In the context of a subtraction method for jet cross sections at NNLO accuracy in the strong coupling, we perform the integration over the two-particle factorised phase space of the collinear-type contributions to the doubly unresolved counterterms. We present the final result as a convolution in colour space of the Born cross section and of an insertion operator, which is written in terms of master integrals that we expand in the dimensional regularisation parameter.

NLO vertex for a forward jet plus a rapidity gap at high energies

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

Hentschinski, Martin; Madrigal Martínez, José Daniel; Murdaca, Beatrice

Here we present the calculation of the forward jet vertex associated to a rapidity gap (coupling of a hard pomeron to the jet) in the BFKL formalism at next-to-leading order (NLO). Real emission contributions are computed via Lipatov’s effective action. The NLO jet vertex turns out to be finite within collinear factorization and allows, together with the NLO non-forward gluon Green’s function, to perform NLO studies of jet production in diffractive events (e.g. Mueller-Tang dijets).

NLO vertex for a forward jet plus a rapidity gap at high energies

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

Hentschinski, Martin; Madrigal Martínez, José Daniel; Murdaca, Beatrice

We present the calculation of the forward jet vertex associated to a rapidity gap (coupling of a hard pomeron to the jet) in the BFKL formalism at next-to-leading order (NLO). Real emission contributions are computed via Lipatov’s effective action. The NLO jet vertex turns out to be finite within collinear factorization and allows, together with the NLO non-forward gluon Green’s function, to perform NLO studies of jet production in diffractive events (e.g. Mueller-Tang dijets)

Cadmium exposure: Toxicity in humans. (Latest citations from the Life Sciences collection database). Published Search

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

Not Available

1994-12-01

The bibliography contains citations concerning the effects of cadmium on humans. Biological monitoring of workers exposed to cadmium is discussed in depth. The effects of cadmium on visual-motor performance, community health, and child and infant development are presented. The citations discuss cadmium as a contributing factor in infertility and renal, kidney, and liver diseases. The effects of smoking on cadmium retention are mentioned. (Contains 250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

First production of fluorescent anti-ribonucleoproteins conjugate for diagnostic of rabies in Brazil.

PubMed

Medeiros Caporale, Graciane Maria; Rodrigues da Silva, Andréa de Cássia; Peixoto, Zélia Maria Pinheiro; Chaves, Luciana Botelho; Carrieri, Maria Luiza; Vassão, Ruth Camargo

2009-01-01

The laboratory tests recommended by the World Health Organization for detection of rabies virus and evaluation of specific antibodies are performed with fluorescent antibodies against the virus, the ribonucleoproteins (RNPs), or by monoclonal antibodies. In this study, we purified the rabies virus RNPs for the production of a conjugate presenting sensibility and specificity compatible with commercial reagents. The method employed for the purification of RNPs was ultracentrifugation in cesium chloride gradient, the obtained product being used for immunizing rabbits, from which the hyperimmune sera were collected. The serum used for conjugate production was the one presenting the highest titer (1/2,560) when tested by indirect immunofluorescence. The antibodies were purified by anion exchange chromatography (QAE-Sephadex A-50),conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate and separated by gel filtration (Sephadex G-50). The resulting conjugate presented titers of 1/400 and 1/500 when assayed by direct immunofluorescence (DIF) and simplified fluorescence inhibition microtest, respectively. Sensibility and specificity tests were performed by DIF in 100 central nervous system samples of different animal species, presenting 100% matches when compared with the commercial reagent used as standard, independent of the conservation state of the samples. The quality reached by our conjugate will enable the standardization of this reagent for use by the laboratories performing diagnosis of rabies in Brazil, contributing to the intensification of the epidemiological vigilance and research on this disease. Copyright 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A multidisciplinary approach of workload assessment in real-job situations: investigation in the field of aerospace activities.

PubMed

Mélan, Claudine; Cascino, Nadine

2014-01-01

The present contribution presents two field studies combining tools and methods from cognitive psychology and from occupational psychology in order to perform a thorough investigation of workload in employees. Cognitive load theory proposes to distinguish different load categories of working memory, in a context of instruction. Intrinsic load is inherent to the task, extraneous load refers to components of a learning environment that may be modified to reduce total load, and germane load enables schemas construction and thus efficient learning. We showed previously that this theoretical framework may be successfully extended to working memory tasks in non-instructional designs. Other theoretical models, issued from the field of occupational psychology, account for an individual's perception of work demands or requirements in the context of different psychosocial features of the (work) environment. Combining these approaches is difficult as workload assessment by job-perception questionnaires explore an individual's overall job-perception over a large time-period, whereas cognitive load investigations in working memory tasks are typically performed within short time-periods. We proposed an original methodology enabling investigation of workload and load factors in a comparable time-frame. We report two field studies investigating workload on different shift-phases and between work-shifts, with two custom-made tools. The first one enabled workload assessment by manipulating intrinsic load (task difficulty) and extraneous load (time pressure) in a working-memory task. The second tool was a questionnaire based on the theoretical concepts of work-demands, control, and psychosocial support. Two additional dimensions suspected to contribute to job-perception, i.e., work-family conflicts and availability of human and technical resources were also explored. Results of workload assessments were discussed in light of operators' alertness and job-performance.

A multidisciplinary approach of workload assessment in real-job situations: investigation in the field of aerospace activities

PubMed Central

Mélan, Claudine; Cascino, Nadine

2014-01-01

The present contribution presents two field studies combining tools and methods from cognitive psychology and from occupational psychology in order to perform a thorough investigation of workload in employees. Cognitive load theory proposes to distinguish different load categories of working memory, in a context of instruction. Intrinsic load is inherent to the task, extraneous load refers to components of a learning environment that may be modified to reduce total load, and germane load enables schemas construction and thus efficient learning. We showed previously that this theoretical framework may be successfully extended to working memory tasks in non-instructional designs. Other theoretical models, issued from the field of occupational psychology, account for an individual’s perception of work demands or requirements in the context of different psychosocial features of the (work) environment. Combining these approaches is difficult as workload assessment by job-perception questionnaires explore an individual’s overall job-perception over a large time-period, whereas cognitive load investigations in working memory tasks are typically performed within short time-periods. We proposed an original methodology enabling investigation of workload and load factors in a comparable time-frame. We report two field studies investigating workload on different shift-phases and between work-shifts, with two custom-made tools. The first one enabled workload assessment by manipulating intrinsic load (task difficulty) and extraneous load (time pressure) in a working-memory task. The second tool was a questionnaire based on the theoretical concepts of work-demands, control, and psychosocial support. Two additional dimensions suspected to contribute to job-perception, i.e., work–family conflicts and availability of human and technical resources were also explored. Results of workload assessments were discussed in light of operators’ alertness and job-performance. PMID:25232346

The influence of stress responses on surgical performance and outcomes: Literature review and the development of the surgical stress effects (SSE) framework.

PubMed

Chrouser, Kristin L; Xu, Jie; Hallbeck, Susan; Weinger, Matthew B; Partin, Melissa R

2018-02-22

Surgical adverse events persist despite several decades of system-based quality improvement efforts, suggesting the need for alternative strategies. Qualitative studies suggest stress-induced negative intraoperative interpersonal dynamics might contribute to performance errors and undesirable patient outcomes. Understanding the impact of intraoperative stressors may be critical to reducing adverse events and improving outcomes. We searched MEDLINE, psycINFO, EMBASE, Business Source Premier, and CINAHL databases (1996-2016) to assess the relationship between negative (emotional and behavioral) responses to acute intraoperative stressors and provider performance or patient surgical outcomes. Drawing on theory and evidence from reviewed studies, we present the Surgical Stress Effects (SSE) framework. This illustrates how emotional and behavioral responses to stressors can influence individual surgical provider (e.g. surgeon, nurse) performance, team performance, and patient outcomes. It also demonstrates how uncompensated intraoperative threats and errors can lead to adverse events, highlighting evidence gaps for future research efforts. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Adding to the Education Debt: Depressive Symptoms Mediate the Association between Racial Discrimination and Academic Performance in African Americans.

PubMed

English, Devin; Lambert, Sharon F; Ialongo, Nicholas S

2016-08-01

Although the United States faces a seemingly intractable divide between white and African American academic performance, there remains a dearth of longitudinal research investigating factors that work to maintain this gap. The present study examined whether racial discrimination predicted the academic performance of African American students through its effect on depressive symptoms. Participants were a community sample of African American adolescents (N=495) attending urban public schools from grade 7 to grade 9 (Mage=12.5). Structural equation modeling revealed that experienced racial discrimination predicted increases in depressive symptoms 1year later, which, in turn, predicted decreases in academic performance the following year. These results suggest that racial discrimination continues to play a critical role in the academic performance of African American students and, as such, contributes to the maintenance of the race-based academic achievement gap in the United States. Copyright © 2016 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Competition in the Brain. The Contribution of EEG and fNIRS Modulation and Personality Effects in Social Ranking.

PubMed

Balconi, Michela; Vanutelli, Maria E

2016-01-01

In the present study, the social ranking perception in competition was explored. Brain response (alpha band oscillations, EEG; hemodynamic activity, O2Hb), as well as self-perception of social ranking, cognitive performance, and personality trait (Behavioral Activation System, BAS) were considered during a competitive joint-action. Subjects were required to develop a strategy to obtain a better outcome than a competitor (C) (in term of error rate, and response time, RT). A pre-feedback (without a specific feedback on the performance) and a post-feedback condition (which reinforced the improved performance) were provided. It was found that higher-BAS participants responded in greater measure to perceived higher cognitive performance (post-feedback condition), with increased left prefrontal activity, higher ranking perception, and a better real performance (reduced RTs). These results were explained in term of increased sense of self-efficacy and social position, probably based on higher-BAS sensitivity to reinforcing conditions. In addition, the hemispheric effect in favor of the left side characterized the competitive behavior, showing an imbalance for high-BAS in comparison to low-BAS in the case of a rewarding (post-feedback) context. Therefore, the present results confirmed the significance of BAS in modulating brain responsiveness, self-perceived social position, and real performance during an interpersonal competitive action which is considered highly relevant for social status.

Complete Hard X-Ray Surveys, AGN Luminosity Functions and the X-Ray Background

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tueller, Jack

2011-01-01

AGN are believed to make up most of the Cosmic X-Ray Background (CXB) above a few keV, but this background cannot be fully resolved at energies less than 10 keV due to absorption. The Swift/BAT and INTEGRAL missions are performing the first complete hard x-ray surveys with minimal bias due to absorption. The most recent results for both missions will be presented. Although the fraction of the CXB resolved by these surveys is small, it is possible to derive unbiased number counts and luminosity functions for AGN in the local universe. The survey energy range from 15-150 keV contains the important reflection and cutoff spectral features dominate the shape of the AGN contribution to the CXB. Average spectral characteristics of survey detected AGN will be presented and compared with model distributions. The numbers of hard x-ray blazars detected in these surveys are finally sufficient to estimate this important component's contribution the cosmic background. Constraints on CXB models and their significance will be discussed.

Association of Anxiety-Related Polymorphisms with Sports Performance in Chilean Long Distance Triathletes: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Sanhueza, Jorge A; Zambrano, Tomás; Bahamondes-Avila, Carlos; Salazar, Luis A

2016-12-01

Different factors affecting athletic performance are well established: intensity and type of training, anthropometric characteristics as well as an important psychological component. However, the contribution of the genetic background has been less investigated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of polymorphisms within genes associated with stress and anxiety ( 5HTT , CRH2R , ACE , NK1R , 5HT1AR and CRF-BP ) on the physical capability and sports performance in triathletes. One hundred and ninety two (192) unrelated Chilean triathletes who participated in the 2014 70.3 Pucón city triathlon were divided into opposite subgroups of sports performance according to their time results. We identified significant associations for five polymorphisms ( 5HTT 5-HTTLPR, ACE I/D, NK1R rs6715729, 5HT1AR -1019C>G and CRF-BP CRF-BPs11) with athletic performance. Our results indicate that these polymorphisms are associated with differential sports performance in Chilean triathletes, establishing an initial background for better understanding the relationship between physical performance, genetics and anxiety disorders.

The effects of anxious responding on mental arithmetic and lexical decision task performance.

PubMed

Hopko, Derek R; McNeil, Daniel W; Lejuez, C W; Ashcraft, Mark H; Eifert, Georg H; Riel, Jim

2003-01-01

Anxiety-related responding and skill deficits historically are associated with performance-based problems such as mathematics anxiety, yet the relative contribution of these variables to substandard performance remains poorly understood. Utilizing a 7% carbon dioxide (CO2) gas to induce anxiety, the present study examined the impact of anxious responding on two performance tasks, mental arithmetic and lexical decision. Independent variables included math anxiety group, gender, and gas condition. Dependent variables included task performance and physiological and self-report indices of anxiety. A total of 64 university undergraduate students participated. Physiological and verbal-report measures of anxiety supported the utility of 7% carbon dioxide-enriched air as an anxiety-inducing stimulus. Behavioral disruption on performance tasks, however, did not differ as a function of carbon dioxide inhalation. Performance did differ as a function of math anxiety. High math anxious individuals generally exhibited higher error rates on mathematical tasks, particularly on tasks designed to measure advanced math skill and those requiring working memory resources. These findings are discussed with reference to processing efficiency theory, discordance among anxiety response systems, and the intricacies associated with skill measurement.

The effect of context and audio-visual modality on emotions elicited by a musical performance

PubMed Central

Coutinho, Eduardo; Scherer, Klaus R.

2016-01-01

In this work, we compared emotions induced by the same performance of Schubert Lieder during a live concert and in a laboratory viewing/listening setting to determine the extent to which laboratory research on affective reactions to music approximates real listening conditions in dedicated performances. We measured emotions experienced by volunteer members of an audience that attended a Lieder recital in a church (Context 1) and emotional reactions to an audio-video-recording of the same performance in a university lecture hall (Context 2). Three groups of participants were exposed to three presentation versions in Context 2: (1) an audio-visual recording, (2) an audio-only recording, and (3) a video-only recording. Participants achieved statistically higher levels of emotional convergence in the live performance than in the laboratory context, and the experience of particular emotions was determined by complex interactions between auditory and visual cues in the performance. This study demonstrates the contribution of the performance setting and the performers’ appearance and nonverbal expression to emotion induction by music, encouraging further systematic research into the factors involved. PMID:28781419

Improving Customer Satisfaction in an R and D Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, Anita; Liou, Y. H. Andrew

1998-01-01

Satisfying customer needs is critical to the sustained competitive advantage of service suppliers. It is therefore important to understand the types of customer needs which, if fulfilled or exceeded, add value and contribute to overall customer satisfaction. This study identifies the needs of various research and development (R&D) customers who contract for engineering and design support services. The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) process was used to organize and translate each customer need into performance measures that, if implemented, can improve customer satisfaction. This study also provides specific performance measures that will more accurately guide the efforts of the engineering supplier. These organizations can either implement the QFD methodology presented herein or extract a few performance measures that are specific to the quality dimensions in need of improvement. Listening to 'what' customers talk about is a good first start.

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

Kurth, Thorsten; Pochinsky, Andrew; Sarje, Abhinav

Practitioners of lattice QCD/QFT have been some of the primary pioneer users of the state-of-the-art high-performance-computing systems, and contribute towards the stress tests of such new machines as soon as they become available. As with all aspects of high-performance-computing, I/O is becoming an increasingly specialized component of these systems. In order to take advantage of the latest available high-performance I/O infrastructure, to ensure reliability and backwards compatibility of data files, and to help unify the data structures used in lattice codes, we have incorporated parallel HDF5 I/O into the SciDAC supported USQCD software stack. Here we present the design andmore » implementation of this I/O framework. Our HDF5 implementation outperforms optimized QIO at the 10-20% level and leaves room for further improvement by utilizing appropriate dataset chunking.« less

Visuospatial working memory underlies choice-impulsivity in boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Patros, Connor H G; Alderson, R Matt; Lea, Sarah E; Tarle, Stephanie J; Kasper, Lisa J; Hudec, Kristen L

2015-03-01

The present study examined the directional relationship between choice-impulsivity and separate indices of phonological and visuospatial working memory performance in boys (aged 8-12 years) with (n=16) and without ADHD (n=19). Results indicated that high ratings of overall ADHD, inattention, and hyperactivity were significantly associated with increased impulsivity and poorer phonological and visuospatial working memory performance. Further, results from bias-corrected bootstrapped mediation analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of visuospatial working memory performance, through choice-impulsivity, on overall ADHD, inattention, and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Collectively, the findings suggest that deficits of visuospatial working memory underlie choice-impulsivity, which in turn contributes to the ADHD phenotype. Moreover, these findings are consistent with a growing body of literature that identifies working memory as a central neurocognitive deficit of ADHD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The relative contributions of processing speed and cognitive load to working memory accuracy in multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Leavitt, Victoria M; Lengenfelder, Jean; Moore, Nancy B; Chiaravalloti, Nancy D; DeLuca, John

2011-06-01

Cognitive symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) include processing-speed deficits and working memory impairment. The precise manner in which these deficits interact in individuals with MS remains to be explicated. We hypothesized that providing more time on a complex working memory task would result in performance benefits for individuals with MS relative to healthy controls. Fifty-three individuals with clinically definite MS and 36 matched healthy controls performed a computerized task that systematically manipulated cognitive load. The interval between stimuli presentations was manipulated to provide increasing processing time. The results confirmed that individuals with MS who have processing-speed deficits significantly improve in performance accuracy when given additional time to process the information in working memory. Implications of these findings for developing appropriate cognitive rehabilitation interventions are discussed.

Frontotemporal Functional Connectivity and Executive Functions Contribute to Episodic Memory Performance

PubMed Central

Blankenship, Tashauna L.; O'Neill, Meagan; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Diana, Rachel A.; Bell, Martha Ann

2016-01-01

The contributions of hemispheric-specific electrophysiology (electroencephalogram or EEG) and independent executive functions (inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility) to episodic memory performance were examined using abstract paintings. Right hemisphere frontotemporal functional connectivity during encoding and retrieval, measured via EEG alpha coherence, statistically predicted performance on recency but not recognition judgments for the abstract paintings. Theta coherence, however, did not predict performance. Likewise, cognitive flexibility statistically predicted performance on recency judgments, but not recognition. These findings suggest that recognition and recency operate via separate electrophysiological and executive mechanisms. PMID:27388478

JPSS Cryosphere Algorithms: Integration and Testing in Algorithm Development Library (ADL)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsidulko, M.; Mahoney, R. L.; Meade, P.; Baldwin, D.; Tschudi, M. A.; Das, B.; Mikles, V. J.; Chen, W.; Tang, Y.; Sprietzer, K.; Zhao, Y.; Wolf, W.; Key, J.

2014-12-01

JPSS is a next generation satellite system that is planned to be launched in 2017. The satellites will carry a suite of sensors that are already on board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) satellite. The NOAA/NESDIS/STAR Algorithm Integration Team (AIT) works within the Algorithm Development Library (ADL) framework which mimics the operational JPSS Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS). The AIT contributes in development, integration and testing of scientific algorithms employed in the IDPS. This presentation discusses cryosphere related activities performed in ADL. The addition of a new ancillary data set - NOAA Global Multisensor Automated Snow/Ice data (GMASI) - with ADL code modifications is described. Preliminary GMASI impact on the gridded Snow/Ice product is estimated. Several modifications to the Ice Age algorithm that demonstrates mis-classification of ice type for certain areas/time periods are tested in the ADL. Sensitivity runs for day time, night time and terminator zone are performed and presented. Comparisons between the original and modified versions of the Ice Age algorithm are also presented.

Design of Low Inductance Switching Power Cell for GaN HEMT Based Inverter

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

Gurpinar, Emre; Iannuzzo, Francesco; Yang, Yongheng

Here in this paper, an ultra-low inductance power cell is designed for a three-Level Active Neutral Point Clamped (3LANPC) based on 650 V gallium nitride (GaN) HEMT devices. The 3L-ANPC topology with GaN HEMT devices and the selected modulation scheme suitable for wide-bandgap (WBG) devices are presented. The commutation loops, which mainly contribute to voltage overshoots and increase of switching losses, are discussed. The ultra-low inductance power cell design based on a fourlayer Printed Circuit Board (PCB) with the aim to maximize the switching performance of GaN HEMTs is explained. The design of gate drivers for the GaN HEMT devicesmore » is presented. Parasitic inductance and resistance of the proposed design are extracted with finite element analysis and discussed. Common mode behaviours based on the SPICE model of the converter are analyzed. Experimental results on the designed 3L-ANPC with the output power of up to 1 kW are presented, which verifies the performance of the proposed design in terms of ultra-low inductance.« less

Icon arrays help younger children's proportional reasoning.

PubMed

Ruggeri, Azzurra; Vagharchakian, Laurianne; Xu, Fei

2018-06-01

We investigated the effects of two context variables, presentation format (icon arrays or numerical frequencies) and time limitation (limited or unlimited time), on the proportional reasoning abilities of children aged 7 and 10 years, as well as adults. Participants had to select, between two sets of tokens, the one that offered the highest likelihood of drawing a gold token, that is, the set of elements with the greater proportion of gold tokens. Results show that participants performed better in the unlimited time condition. Moreover, besides a general developmental improvement in accuracy, our results show that younger children performed better when proportions were presented as icon arrays, whereas older children and adults were similarly accurate in the two presentation format conditions. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? There is a developmental improvement in proportional reasoning accuracy. Icon arrays facilitate reasoning in adults with low numeracy. What does this study add? Participants were more accurate when they were given more time to make the proportional judgement. Younger children's proportional reasoning was more accurate when they were presented with icon arrays. Proportional reasoning abilities correlate with working memory, approximate number system, and subitizing skills. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Writing in the Air: Contributions of Finger Movement to Cognitive Processing

PubMed Central

Itaguchi, Yoshihiro; Yamada, Chiharu; Fukuzawa, Kazuyoshi

2015-01-01

The present study investigated the interactions between motor action and cognitive processing with particular reference to kanji-culture individuals. Kanji-culture individuals often move their finger as if they are writing when they are solving cognitive tasks, for example, when they try to recall the spelling of English words. This behavior is called kusho, meaning air-writing in Japanese. However, its functional role is still unknown. To reveal the role of kusho behavior in cognitive processing, we conducted a series of experiments, employing two different cognitive tasks, a construction task and a stroke count task. To distinguish the effects of the kinetic aspects of kusho behavior, we set three hand conditions in the tasks; participants were instructed to use either kusho, unrelated finger movements or do nothing during the response time. To isolate possible visual effects, two visual conditions in which participants saw their hand and the other in which they did not, were introduced. We used the number of correct responses and response time as measures of the task performance. The results showed that kusho behavior has different functional roles in the two types of cognitive tasks. In the construction task, the visual feedback from finger movement facilitated identifying a character, whereas the kinetic feedback or motor commands for the behavior did not help to solve the task. In the stroke count task, by contrast, the kinetic aspects of the finger movements influenced counting performance depending on the type of the finger movement. Regardless of the visual condition, kusho behavior improved task performance and unrelated finger movements degraded it. These results indicated that motor behavior contributes to cognitive processes. We discussed possible mechanisms of the modality dependent contribution. These findings might lead to better understanding of the complex interaction between action and cognition in daily life. PMID:26061273

Writing in the Air: Contributions of Finger Movement to Cognitive Processing.

PubMed

Itaguchi, Yoshihiro; Yamada, Chiharu; Fukuzawa, Kazuyoshi

2015-01-01

The present study investigated the interactions between motor action and cognitive processing with particular reference to kanji-culture individuals. Kanji-culture individuals often move their finger as if they are writing when they are solving cognitive tasks, for example, when they try to recall the spelling of English words. This behavior is called kusho, meaning air-writing in Japanese. However, its functional role is still unknown. To reveal the role of kusho behavior in cognitive processing, we conducted a series of experiments, employing two different cognitive tasks, a construction task and a stroke count task. To distinguish the effects of the kinetic aspects of kusho behavior, we set three hand conditions in the tasks; participants were instructed to use either kusho, unrelated finger movements or do nothing during the response time. To isolate possible visual effects, two visual conditions in which participants saw their hand and the other in which they did not, were introduced. We used the number of correct responses and response time as measures of the task performance. The results showed that kusho behavior has different functional roles in the two types of cognitive tasks. In the construction task, the visual feedback from finger movement facilitated identifying a character, whereas the kinetic feedback or motor commands for the behavior did not help to solve the task. In the stroke count task, by contrast, the kinetic aspects of the finger movements influenced counting performance depending on the type of the finger movement. Regardless of the visual condition, kusho behavior improved task performance and unrelated finger movements degraded it. These results indicated that motor behavior contributes to cognitive processes. We discussed possible mechanisms of the modality dependent contribution. These findings might lead to better understanding of the complex interaction between action and cognition in daily life.

Seismic hazard assessment of the Province of Murcia (SE Spain): analysis of source contribution to hazard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Mayordomo, J.; Gaspar-Escribano, J. M.; Benito, B.

2007-10-01

A probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of the Province of Murcia in terms of peak ground acceleration (PGA) and spectral accelerations [SA( T)] is presented in this paper. In contrast to most of the previous studies in the region, which were performed for PGA making use of intensity-to-PGA relationships, hazard is here calculated in terms of magnitude and using European spectral ground-motion models. Moreover, we have considered the most important faults in the region as specific seismic sources, and also comprehensively reviewed the earthquake catalogue. Hazard calculations are performed following the Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment (PSHA) methodology using a logic tree, which accounts for three different seismic source zonings and three different ground-motion models. Hazard maps in terms of PGA and SA(0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 s) and coefficient of variation (COV) for the 475-year return period are shown. Subsequent analysis is focused on three sites of the province, namely, the cities of Murcia, Lorca and Cartagena, which are important industrial and tourism centres. Results at these sites have been analysed to evaluate the influence of the different input options. The most important factor affecting the results is the choice of the attenuation relationship, whereas the influence of the selected seismic source zonings appears strongly site dependant. Finally, we have performed an analysis of source contribution to hazard at each of these cities to provide preliminary guidance in devising specific risk scenarios. We have found that local source zones control the hazard for PGA and SA( T ≤ 1.0 s), although contribution from specific fault sources and long-distance north Algerian sources becomes significant from SA(0.5 s) onwards.

Quantification of upper limb kinetic asymmetries in front crawl swimming.

PubMed

Morouço, Pedro G; Marinho, Daniel A; Fernandes, Ricardo J; Marques, Mário C

2015-04-01

This study aimed at quantifying upper limb kinetic asymmetries in maximal front crawl swimming and to examine if these asymmetries would affect the contribution of force exertion to swimming performance. Eighteen high level male swimmers with unilateral breathing patterns and sprint or middle distance specialists, volunteered as participants. A load-cell was used to quantify the forces exerted in water by completing a 30s maximal front crawl tethered swimming test and a maximal 50 m free swimming was considered as a performance criterion. Individual force-time curves were obtained to calculate the mean and maximum forces per cycle, for each upper limb. Following, symmetry index was estimated and breathing laterality identified by questionnaire. Lastly, the pattern of asymmetries along the test was estimated for each upper limb using linear regression of peak forces per cycle. Asymmetrical force exertion was observed in the majority of the swimmers (66.7%), with a total correspondence of breathing laterality opposite to the side of the force asymmetry. Forces exerted by the dominant upper limb presented a higher decrease than from the non-dominant. Very strong associations were found between exerted forces and swimming performance, when controlling the isolated effect of symmetry index. Results point that force asymmetries occur in the majority of the swimmers, and that these asymmetries are most evident in the first cycles of a maximum bout. Symmetry index stood up as an influencing factor on the contribution of tethered forces over swimming performance. Thus, to some extent, a certain degree of asymmetry is not critical for short swimming performance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Insights to Engineered Geothermal System Performance Using Gringarten-Witherspoon-Ohnishi Analytical Solutions and Fracture Network Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doe, T.; McLaren, R.; Finilla, A.

2017-12-01

An enduring legacy of Paul Witherspoon and his students and colleagues has been both the development of geothermal energy and the bases of modern fractured-rock hydrogeology. One of the seminal contributions to the geothermal field was Gringarten, Witherspoon, and Ohnishi's analytical models for enhanced geothermal systems. Although discrete fracture network (DFN) modeling developed somewhat independently in the late 1970s, Paul Witherspoon's foresight in promoting underground in situ testing at the Stripa Mine in Sweden was a major driver in Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory's contributions to its development.This presentation looks extensions of Gringarten's analytical model into discrete fracture network modeling as a basis for providing further insights into the challenges and opportunities of engineered geothermal systems. The analytical solution itself has many insightful applications beyond those presented in the original paper. The definition of dimensionless time by itself shows that thermal breakthrough has a second power dependence on surface area and on flow rate. The fracture intensity also plays a strong role, as it both increases the surface area and decrease his flow rate per fracture. The improvement of EGS performance with fracture intensity reaches a limit where thermal depletion of the rock lags only slightly behind the thermal breakthrough of cold water in the fracture network.Simple network models, which couple a DFN generator (FracMan) with a hydrothermally coupled flow solver (HydroGeoSphere) expand on Gringarten's concepts to show that realistic heterogeneity of spacing and transmissivity significantly degrades EGS performance. EGS production in networks of stimulated fractures initially follows Gringarten's type curves, with a later deviation is the smaller rock blocks thermally deplete and the entire stimulated volume acts as a single sink. Three-dimensional models of EGS performance show the critical importance of the relative magnitudes of fluid pressure and stress gradients, preferential growth and aperture enhancement may change with depth creating preferential pathways through rock this cooler than the injection depth.

Hemispheric asymmetry in holistic processing of words.

PubMed

Ventura, Paulo; Delgado, João; Ferreira, Miguel; Farinha-Fernandes, António; Guerreiro, José C; Faustino, Bruno; Leite, Isabel; Wong, Alan C-N

2018-05-13

Holistic processing has been regarded as a hallmark of face perception, indicating the automatic and obligatory tendency of the visual system to process all face parts as a perceptual unit rather than in isolation. Studies involving lateralized stimulus presentation suggest that the right hemisphere dominates holistic face processing. Holistic processing can also be shown with other categories such as words and thus it is not specific to faces or face-like expertize. Here, we used divided visual field presentation to investigate the possibly different contributions of the two hemispheres for holistic word processing. Observers performed same/different judgment on the cued parts of two sequentially presented words in the complete composite paradigm. Our data indicate a right hemisphere specialization for holistic word processing. Thus, these markers of expert object recognition are domain general.

An assistive technology for hearing-impaired persons: analysis, requirements and architecture.

PubMed

Mielke, Matthias; Grunewald, Armin; Bruck, Rainer

2013-01-01

In this contribution, a concept of an assistive technology for hearing-impaired and deaf persons is presented. The concept applies pattern recognition algorithms and makes use of modern communication technology to analyze the acoustic environment around a user, identify critical acoustic signatures and give an alert to the user when an event of interest happened. A detailed analysis of the needs of deaf and hearing-impaired people has been performed. Requirements for an adequate assisting device have been derived from the results of the analysis, and have been turned into an architecture for its implementation that will be presented in this article. The presented concept is the basis for an assistive system which is now under development at the Institute of Microsystem Engineering at the University of Siegen.

Big Five personality traits and performance anxiety in relation to marching arts satisfaction.

PubMed

Levy, Jacob J; Lounsbury, John W

2011-01-01

To examine the Big Five personality traits and performance anxiety in relation to marching arts satisfaction. Data were collected from 278 instrumentalists (i.e., brass players and percussionists) and color guard performers (e.g., dancers) representing six world class drum and bugle corps. PARTICIPANTS completed three measures: the Adolescent Personal Style Inventory was used to measure the Big Five personality factors: Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Extraversion, and Openness; the Performance Anxiety Questionnaire - used to assess somatic and cognitive symptoms of performance anxiety; and the Marching Arts Satisfaction - used to assess for the physical, social, and contextual environments of drum and bugle corps. Correlation and multiple regression analyses revealed concurrent relationships between the Big Five and performance anxiety with satisfaction. A linear combination of the Big Five traits and Performance Anxiety accounted for 36% of the total variance in satisfaction, with Extraversion, Emotional Stability, and Performance Anxiety contributing significant unique variance. The findings of the present study suggest that performers who are extraverted, conscientious, and effective at managing general stress - and performance stress in particular - find a greater sense of satisfaction with their participation in world class drum and bugle corps.

Aspects of baryon structure in lattice QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babich, Ronald

Despite the long success of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) as the theory of the strong interactions, there remains much to be understood about the structure of hadrons and the consequences of QCD in the nonperturbative regime. Lattice gauge theory, a framework nearly as old as QCD itself, makes calculations in this regime possible, starting from first principles. With advances in theoretical understanding, methods, and computer technology, the lattice has found application to an ever-widening range of problems. In this dissertation, I consider two such problems having to do with the structure of baryons. The first concerns the contribution of sea quarks, and the strange quark in particular, to form factors of the nucleon. This has been a long-standing challenge for the lattice, because such contributions involve the insertion of a current on a quark loop, demanding the full inversion of the discretized Dirac operator, conceptually a large sparse matrix. I discuss methods for addressing this challenge and present a calculation of the strange scalar form factor and the related parameter fTs. The latter is of great theoretical interest, since it enters into the cross section for the scattering of dark matter off nuclei in supersymmetric extensions of the standard model. As such, it represents a major uncertainty in the interpretation of direct detection experiments. I also present results for the strange quark contribution to the nucleon's axial and electromagnetic form factors, which are themselves the subject of active experimental programs. These calculations were performed using the Wilson fermion formulation on a 243 x 64 anisotropic lattice. In the second part of the dissertation, I turn to the valence sector and address the role of diquark correlations in the observed spectrum of hadrons and their properties. A diquark is a correlated pair of quarks, thought to play an important role in certain phenomenological models of hadrons. I present results for baryon wave functions, evaluated in both the Coulomb and Landau gauges. By comparing baryons that differ in their diquark content, I find evidence for enhanced correlation in the scalar diquark channel, as favored by QCD-inspired quark models. I also present results for diquark mass splittings, determined from diquark correlators in the Landau gauge. This second set of calculations was performed with the overlap Dirac operator on quenched gauge configurations at beta = 6.

Turkish Contribution to Journal of Neurosurgery and Acta Neurochirurgica.

PubMed

Altinors, Nur; Comert, Serhat; Sonmez, Erkin; Altinel, Faruk

2017-01-01

To evaluate the contribution of Turkish scientists to four journals published by Journal of Neurosurgery (JNS) Publishing Group and to Acta Neurochirurgica (AN) and to its Supplement (ANS). We reviewed every issue of those journals to December 2015 for the total number of articles, articles produced from studies performed entirely in Turkey, and for publications overseas co-authored by the Turkish scientists using the websites of these journals. Citations were searched using "Web of Science" and "Google Scholar" databases. The total number of articles published was 19822 for JNS, 3227 for JNS Spine, 2526 for JNS Pediatrics and 2997 for Neurosurgical Focus. Turkish contribution was 556 articles. 337 (60.61%) articles were the products of studies performed entirely in Turkey, while 219 (39.38%) articles came from overseas, co-authored by Turkish scientists. Overall contribution was 1.94%. A total of 6469 articles were published in AN. 340 papers were the products of studies performed entirely in Turkey. Turkish scientists working overseas co-authored 37 articles. Total contribution was 377 articles (5.82%). 4134 papers had been published in ANS. Contribution was 69 articles (1.66%). Turkish contribution to these journals has started late. The gap has been compensated with publications in the last two decades. Manuscripts of higher scientific level with greater number of citations are needed to increase Turkish contribution to such journals.

Plant species and functional group combinations affect green roof ecosystem functions.

PubMed

Lundholm, Jeremy; Macivor, J Scott; Macdougall, Zachary; Ranalli, Melissa

2010-03-12

Green roofs perform ecosystem services such as summer roof temperature reduction and stormwater capture that directly contribute to lower building energy use and potential economic savings. These services are in turn related to ecosystem functions performed by the vegetation layer such as radiation reflection and transpiration, but little work has examined the role of plant species composition and diversity in improving these functions. We used a replicated modular extensive (shallow growing- medium) green roof system planted with monocultures or mixtures containing one, three or five life-forms, to quantify two ecosystem services: summer roof cooling and water capture. We also measured the related ecosystem properties/processes of albedo, evapotranspiration, and the mean and temporal variability of aboveground biomass over four months. Mixtures containing three or five life-form groups, simultaneously optimized several green roof ecosystem functions, outperforming monocultures and single life-form groups, but there was much variation in performance depending on which life-forms were present in the three life-form mixtures. Some mixtures outperformed the best monocultures for water capture, evapotranspiration, and an index combining both water capture and temperature reductions. Combinations of tall forbs, grasses and succulents simultaneously optimized a range of ecosystem performance measures, thus the main benefit of including all three groups was not to maximize any single process but to perform a variety of functions well. Ecosystem services from green roofs can be improved by planting certain life-form groups in combination, directly contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. The strong performance by certain mixtures of life-forms, especially tall forbs, grasses and succulents, warrants further investigation into niche complementarity or facilitation as mechanisms governing biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in green roof ecosystems.

Effects of the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Val66Met polymorphism and resting brain functional connectivity on individual differences in tactile cognitive performance in healthy young adults.

PubMed

Yang, Xuejuan; Xu, Ziliang; Liu, Lin; Liu, Peng; Sun, Jinbo; Jin, Lingmin; Zhu, Yuanqiang; Fei, Ningbo; Qin, Wei

2017-07-28

Cognitive processes involve input from multiple sensory modalities and obvious differences in the level of cognitive function can be observed between individuals. Evidence to date understanding the biological basis of tactile cognitive variability, however, is limited compared with other forms of sensory cognition. Data from auditory and visual cognition research suggest that variations in both genetics and intrinsic brain function might contribute to individual differences in tactile cognitive performance. In the present study, by using the tactual performance test (TPT), a widely used neuropsychological assessment tool, we investigated the effects of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism and resting-state brain functional connectivity (FC) on interindividual variability in TPT performance in healthy, young Chinese adults. Our results showed that the BDNF genotypes and resting-state FC had significant effects on the variability in TPT performance, together accounting for 32.5% and 19.1% of the variance on TPT total score and Memory subitem score respectively. Having fewer Met alleles, stronger anticorrelations between left posterior superior temporal gyrus and somatosensory areas (right postcentral gyrus and right parietal operculum cortex), and greater positive correlation between left parietal operculum cortex and left central opercular cortex, all correspond with better performance of TPT task. And FC between left parietal operculum cortex and left central opercular cortex might be a mediator of the relationship between BDNF genotypes and Memory subitem score. These data demonstrate a novel contribution of intrinsic brain function to tactile cognitive capacity, and further confirm the genetic basis of tactile cognition. Our findings might also explain the interindividual differences in cognitive ability observed in those who are blind and/or deaf from a new perspective. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Plant Species and Functional Group Combinations Affect Green Roof Ecosystem Functions

PubMed Central

Lundholm, Jeremy; MacIvor, J. Scott; MacDougall, Zachary; Ranalli, Melissa

2010-01-01

Background Green roofs perform ecosystem services such as summer roof temperature reduction and stormwater capture that directly contribute to lower building energy use and potential economic savings. These services are in turn related to ecosystem functions performed by the vegetation layer such as radiation reflection and transpiration, but little work has examined the role of plant species composition and diversity in improving these functions. Methodology/Principal Findings We used a replicated modular extensive (shallow growing- medium) green roof system planted with monocultures or mixtures containing one, three or five life-forms, to quantify two ecosystem services: summer roof cooling and water capture. We also measured the related ecosystem properties/processes of albedo, evapotranspiration, and the mean and temporal variability of aboveground biomass over four months. Mixtures containing three or five life-form groups, simultaneously optimized several green roof ecosystem functions, outperforming monocultures and single life-form groups, but there was much variation in performance depending on which life-forms were present in the three life-form mixtures. Some mixtures outperformed the best monocultures for water capture, evapotranspiration, and an index combining both water capture and temperature reductions. Combinations of tall forbs, grasses and succulents simultaneously optimized a range of ecosystem performance measures, thus the main benefit of including all three groups was not to maximize any single process but to perform a variety of functions well. Conclusions/Significance Ecosystem services from green roofs can be improved by planting certain life-form groups in combination, directly contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. The strong performance by certain mixtures of life-forms, especially tall forbs, grasses and succulents, warrants further investigation into niche complementarity or facilitation as mechanisms governing biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in green roof ecosystems. PMID:20300196

The association between physical characteristics of the ankle joint and the mobility performance in elderly people with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Ng, Thomas Ka-Wai; Lo, Sing-Kai; Cheing, Gladys Lai-Ying

2014-01-01

Previous studies showed that older adults with diabetes have a worse mobility performance as compared with those without diabetes. Studies also demonstrated that older adults with diabetes have weakened ankle muscle strength, reduced joint range in ankle dorsiflexion and worsened ankle joint proprioception as compared with control population. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between the physical characteristics of the ankle joint and the mobility performance in older adults with type 2 diabetes. Older adults with type 2 diabetes (n=85) were recruited, and Timed Up and Go test (TUG) for mobility assessment was performed. Active ankle joint repositioning test was used for assessing the ankle joint proprioception sense; peak torque of ankle dorsiflexors and plantar flexors were tested by using a Cybex Norm dynamometer, and weight-bearing lunge test (WBLT) was used for assessing the stiffness of ankle dorsiflexion. Our results showed that age, body mass index (BMI), normalized peak torque of plantar flexors and dorsiflexors, active ankle joint repositioning test errors and the WBLT distance were significantly correlated with the TUG (all p<0.001). These ankle characteristics, together with the demographic data of the subjects, contributed 59.9% of the variance in the TUG by multiple regression analysis. Body mass, ankle plantar flexors strength and ankle joint proprioception are important factors contributing to the physical mobility of the older adults with type 2 diabetes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

New collinear twist-3 analysis of transverse SSA: Toward a resolution for the sign-mismatch problem

DOE PAGES

Kanazawa, Koichi; Pitonyak, Daniel; Koike, Yuji; ...

2014-10-19

We present a new collinear twist-3 analysis of the transverse SSA A N at RHIC. We use the TMD Sivers/Collins function to fix some of the relevant collinear twist-3 functions and perform a fit of the RHIC data with other parameterized twist-3 functions. This allows us to keep the consistency among descriptions in pp collision, SIDIS, and e +e – annihilation and thus could provide a unified description of the spin asymmetries in the low- and high-P T processes. In conclusion, by taking into account the twist-3 fragmentation contribution, we show for the first time this contribution could be themore » main source of A N in pp ↑ → hX and its inclusion could provide a solution for the sign-mismatch problem.« less

Structural and magnetic correlation of Finemet alloys with Ge addition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muraca, D.; Cremaschi, V.; Moya, J.; Sirkin, H.

The correlation between saturation magnetization and the magnetic moment per Fe atom in the nanocrystalline state is studied for Finemet-type alloys. These studies were performed on nanocrystalline ribbons whose compositions were Fe 73.5Si 13.5-xGe xNb 3B 9Cu 1 ( x=8, 10 and 13.5 at%). We used a simple lineal model, X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy data to calculate the magnetic contribution of the nanocrystals and the results were contrasted with the measured saturation magnetization of the different alloys. The technique presented here provides a very simple and powerful tool to compute the magnetic contribution of the nanocrystalline phase to the alloy. This calculus could be used to determine the volume fraction of nanocrystalline and amorphous phases in the nanocrystallized alloy, without using a very sophisticated microscopy method.

A history of scanning electron microscopy developments: towards "wet-STEM" imaging.

PubMed

Bogner, A; Jouneau, P-H; Thollet, G; Basset, D; Gauthier, C

2007-01-01

A recently developed imaging mode called "wet-STEM" and new developments in environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) allows the observation of nano-objects suspended in a liquid phase, with a few manometers resolution and a good signal to noise ratio. The idea behind this technique is simply to perform STEM-in-SEM, that is SEM in transmission mode, in an environmental SEM. The purpose of the present contribution is to highlight the main advances that contributed to development of the wet-STEM technique. Although simple in principle, the wet-STEM imaging mode would have been limited before high brightness electron sources became available, and needed some progresses and improvements in ESEM. This new technique extends the scope of SEM as a high-resolution microscope, relatively cheap and widely available imaging tool, for a wider variety of samples.

Ancient DNA evidence supports the contribution of Di-Qiang people to the han Chinese gene pool.

PubMed

Zhao, Yong-Bin; Li, Hong-Jie; Li, Sheng-Nan; Yu, Chang-Chun; Gao, Shi-Zhu; Xu, Zhi; Jin, Li; Zhu, Hong; Zhou, Hui

2011-02-01

Han Chinese is the largest ethnic group in the world. During its development, it gradually integrated with many neighboring populations. To uncover the origin of the Han Chinese, ancient DNA analysis was performed on the remains of 46 humans (1700 to 1900 years ago) excavated from the Taojiazhai site in Qinghai province, northwest of China, where the Di-Qiang populations had previously lived. In this study, eight mtDNA haplogroups (A, B, D, F, M*, M10, N9a, and Z) and one Y-chromosome haplogroup (O3) were identified. All analyses show that the Taojiazhai population presents close genetic affinity to Tibeto-Burman populations (descendants of Di-Qiang populations) and Han Chinese, suggesting that the Di-Qiang populations may have contributed to the Han Chinese genetic pool. 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

CLUMPY: A code for γ-ray signals from dark matter structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charbonnier, Aldée; Combet, Céline; Maurin, David

2012-03-01

We present the first public code for semi-analytical calculation of the γ-ray flux astrophysical J-factor from dark matter annihilation/decay in the Galaxy, including dark matter substructures. The core of the code is the calculation of the line of sight integral of the dark matter density squared (for annihilations) or density (for decaying dark matter). The code can be used in three modes: i) to draw skymaps from the Galactic smooth component and/or the substructure contributions, ii) to calculate the flux from a specific halo (that is not the Galactic halo, e.g. dwarf spheroidal galaxies) or iii) to perform simple statistical operations from a list of allowed DM profiles for a given object. Extragalactic contributions and other tracers of DM annihilation (e.g. positrons, anti-protons) will be included in a second release.

Moisture-temperature degradation in module encapsulants: The general problem of moisture in photovoltaic encapsulants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mon, G. R.

1985-01-01

A general research approach was outlined toward understanding water-module interactions and the influence of temperature involving the need to: quantify module performance loss versus level of accumulated degradation, establish the dependence of the degradation reaction rate on module moisture and temperature levels, and determine module moisture and temperature levels in field environments. These elements were illustrated with examples drawn from studies of the now relatively well understood module electrochemical degradation process. Research data presented include temperature and humidity-dependent equilibrium leakage current values for multiparameter module material and design configurations. The contributions of surface, volume, and interfacial conductivities was demonstrated. Research directions were suggested to more fully understand the contributions to overall module conductivity of surface, volume, and interfacial conductivities over ranges of temperature and relative humidity characteristic of field environments.

Experimental investigation of shock-cell noise reduction for dual-stream nozzles in simulated flight comprehensive data report. Volume 2: Laser velocimeter data, static pressures and shadowgraph photos

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamamoto, K.; Janardan, B. A.; Brausch, J. F.; Hoerst, D. J.; Price, A. O.

1984-01-01

Parameters which contribute to supersonic jet shock noise were investigated for the purpose of determining means to reduce such noise generation to acceptable levels. Six dual-stream test nozzles with varying flow passage and plug closure designs were evaluated under simulated flight conditions in an anechoic chamber. All nozzles had combined convergent-divergent or convergent flow passages. Mean velocity and turbulence velocity measurements of 25 selected flow conditions were performed employing a laser Doppler velocimeter. Static pressure measurements were made to define the actual convergence-divergence condition. Test point definition, tabulation of aerodynamic test conditions, velocity histograms, and shadowgraph photographs are presented. Flow visualization through shadowgraph photography can contribute to the development of an analytical prediction model for shock noise from coannular plug nozzles.